text:
The Bachelor Spoilers: Arie Ends Engagement, Starts Dating Runner-Up!!
by Free Britney at January 24, 2018 8:13 am .
NOTE: The Bachelor spoilers contained below are true spoilers. Do not read on if you don't want to know the outcome and then some.
It wouldn't be a season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette without some twists and turns, but man alive does this one take the cake.
Reality Steve, the Oracle of Bachelor Spoilers, revealed weeks ago who will win The Bachelor 2018, and it looks like he's still right.
Just with an epic twist that comes later.
WARNING: This is your last chance to turn back, because we're about to reveal what happens at the end of this season and its aftermath.
Arie Luyendyk Jr., as predicted, ultimately presents his coveted final rose to Becca Kufrin, a 27-year-old account executive from Minnesota.
However, his engagement to Becca is already over, and that's not all: Arie is back together with Lauren Burnham, this season's runner-up!
How the heck did we get here?
According to Steve, Arie started calling the 25-year-old saleswoman from Dallas the night of the Bachelor season premiere January 1.
He revealed that he was having second thoughts about breaking up with her at this season's final rose ceremony in Peru.
It looks like they got to talking while his romance with Becca (below) was crumbling, and that he pulled off a masterful switcheroo.
Fast forward to last week and a number of TV vans were spotted parked outside of Lauren's mother's house in Virginia.
"Arie ended his engagement with Becca a little over a week ago and is now dating Lauren," Steve says in no uncertain terms.
"That's why he was at Lauren's parents' house."
Arie himself seemed to foreshadow trouble in paradise by saying repeatedly in interviews that he "fell in love with two women this season."
Guess that wasn't just a marketing gimmick.
The post-show incident brings back memories of Jason Mesnick getting engaged to Melissa Rycroft on the season finale in 2009 (above).
On the After the Final Rose special, he revealed that the engagement was off, and tried to rekindle things with runner-up Molly Malaney.
He and Molly are happily married with kids.
As for whether Arie will follow that path, we have our doubts, given his track record and the fact that his engagement lasted two months.
Jason became America's Most Hated when he pulled this, and he had a sterling reputation ... can't exactly say the same about Arie.
It's hard to see Arie and Lauren (above) standing the test of time, or even making it through the end of 2018 to be perfectly honest.
(On a side note, how funny is it that Bekah's age (22) was the focal point of an entire episode, yet he ends up with a girl who is ... 25.)
Wow! So damn young!
We'll see what the producers and the media have to say about the Bachelor spoilers between now and then, but mark March 5 on your calendars.
It's gonna be wild.
The Bachelor & The Bachelorette: The Most Stunning Exits Ever!
Tags: The Bachelor Spoilers, The Bachelor, Arie Luyendyk, Jr.
The Bachelor Spoilers
The Bachelorette: Will God Get in Between Hannah and Luke?
Colton Underwood Accidentally Reveals MAJOR Bachelor Spoiler!
The Bachelor Spoilers: Is Colton Engaged or What!?
The Bachelor Spoilers Videos
The Bachelor: Which of These Six Women Will Make the Final Four?
The Bachelor Spoilers 2014
Amber Portwood Assault: This is EVERYthing We Know...
Andrew Glennon Files for Custody of Amber Portwood's Son
Jenelle Evans Celebrates Milestone with Newly-Reunited Son
Shay Mitchell Breaks the Internet Again With Beautiful Baby Bump!
Meghan Markle Tell-All Book Idea Shot Down HARD By Palace!
Thomas Markle: The Queen Should Have Invited Me to Archie's Christening!
The Bachelor Spoilers: Arie Ends Engagement, Now With Runner-Up!


text:
static bool updateProgress(void * context, int prog, int max){
    CNotify::updateProgress(prog,max);
    qApp->processEvents();
    return false; //do not abort
}

CKernelInstaller::CKernelInstaller(QWidget *parent) :
    QWidget(parent),
    ui(new Ui::CKernelInstaller)
{
    ui->setupUi(this);

    ui->installButton->setObjectName("blueButton");
    ui->installButton->setText(CFont::iconDownloadAlt());
    ui->installButton->setToolTip("Install kernel on device");

    ui->uploadButton->setObjectName("blueButton");
    ui->uploadButton->setText(CFont::iconUploadAlt());
    ui->uploadButton->setToolTip("Load kernel to file");
    ui->uploadButton->setVisible(false);

    ui->verifyInstallCheckBox->setToolTip("Verify kernel after install");

    ui->installer->setSettings(CKernelSettings::settings());
    ui->installer->setPrefix("KERNEL");
    ui->installer->loadPreferences();

    connect(ui->installer, SIGNAL(addProject(QString)), this, SLOT(addProject(QString)));
    connect(ui->installer, SIGNAL(projectSelected(QString)), this, SLOT(projectSelected(QString)));
    connect(ui->installer, SIGNAL(projectUpdated(QString,QString,QString)),
            this, SIGNAL(projectUpdated(QString,QString,QString)));

    ui->installer->updateProjectList();

    loadPreferences();

    connected(false);
}

CKernelInstaller::~CKernelInstaller()
{
    savePreferences();
    delete ui;
}

void CKernelInstaller::setLink(CLink *d){
    CLinkPtr::setLink(d);
    connect(link(), SIGNAL(linked(bool)), this, SLOT(connected(bool)));
}

void CKernelInstaller::savePreferences(){
    CSettings s(CSettings::userScope());
    s.setKey("KEY_KERNELVERIFYINSTALL", ui->verifyInstallCheckBox->isChecked());
}

void CKernelInstaller::loadPreferences(){
    CSettings s(CSettings::userScope());
    ui->verifyInstallCheckBox->setChecked( s.getBoolKey("KEY_KERNELVERIFYINSTALL") );
}

void CKernelInstaller::connected(bool arg1){
    ui->installButton->setEnabled(arg1);
}

void CKernelInstaller::addProject(QString name){
    CKernelSettings settings(ui->installer->workspace() + "/" + name);
    settings.setVerifyInstall(ui->verifyInstallCheckBox->isChecked());
}

void CKernelInstaller::projectSelected(QString name){
    CKernelSettings settings(ui->installer->workspace() + "/" + name);
    ui->verifyInstallCheckBox->setChecked( settings.verifyInstall() );
}

void CKernelInstaller::setProject(QString project){
    ui->installer->selectProject(project);
}

void CKernelInstaller::setConfiguration(QString conf){
    ui->installer->selectConfiguration(conf);
}

void CKernelInstaller::on_installButton_clicked()
{
    QTimer resetTimer;
    QString message;
    QString projectName;
    CNotify notify;
    int interval;
    int i;

    projectName = ui->installer->project();

    if ( link()->isConnected() == false ){
        //setErrorMessage("Connect to CoActionOS Before Continuing\n" +
        //"(Manually Invoke the Bootloader if necessary)");
        return;
    } else {

        ui->installButton->setEnabled(false);

        if ( link()->is_bootloader() == false ){
            CNotify::updateStatus("Waiting for bootloader");
            CNotify::updateProgress(0, 0);

            qDebug("emit about to reset");
            emit aboutToReset(); //connected to close terminal

            interval = 500;

            resetTimer.setInterval(interval);
            resetTimer.setSingleShot(true);
            resetTimer.start();
            while( resetTimer.isActive() ){
                qApp->processEvents();  //this updates the resetTimer.isActive() return value
            }

            qDebug("now reset to bootloader");
            //Invoke the bootloader
            if ( link()->resetBootloader() == 0 ){

                //need to wait until the device is available
                resetTimer.setInterval(interval);
                resetTimer.setSingleShot(true);

                for(i=0; i < 60; i++){

                    resetTimer.start();
                    while( resetTimer.isActive() ){
                        qApp->processEvents();
                    }

                    if ( link()->getNumDevices() > 0 ){
                        //connect to last known serial number
                        link()->reinit(); //suppress any error messages
                    }

                    resetTimer.start();
                    while( resetTimer.isActive() ){
                        qApp->processEvents();
                    }

                    if ( link()->isConnected() ){
                        break;
                    }

                }

                if ( i == 60 ){
                    message = "Bootloader did not load;\n";
                    message += "try invoking manually.";
                    notify.execError(message);
                    return;
                }

            } else {
                notify.execError("Failed to start bootloader");
                return;
            }
        }
    }

    ui->installButton->setEnabled(false);
    qApp->processEvents();

    CNotify::updateStatus("Installing kernel");
    CNotify::updateProgress(0, 0, false);

    if( link()->update_os((ui->installer->configurationPath() + "/" + projectName + ".bin").toStdString(),
                         ui->verifyInstallCheckBox->isChecked(), updateProgress, 0) < 0 ){
        notify.execError(errorMessage());
    }

    CNotify::updateProgress(0, 0, false);

    link()->reset();

    if( ui->installAppsCheckbox->isChecked() ){
        emit installApps();
    }

    return;
}

void CKernelInstaller::installKernel(void){
    on_installButton_clicked();
}

void CKernelInstaller::on_verifyInstallCheckBox_clicked(bool checked)
{
    CKernelSettings settings(ui->installer->projectPath());
    settings.setVerifyInstall(checked);
}

void CKernelInstaller::resizeEvent(QResizeEvent * event){
    if( size().width() < 575 ){
        ui->installer->showLabels(false);
    } else {
        ui->installer->showLabels(true);
    }
    event = 0;
}

void CKernelInstaller::on_uploadButton_clicked()
{

    Phy mem;
    int offset;
    int ret;
    char buffer[1024];
    mem_attr_t attr;

    mem.set_driver(link()->driver());

    if( mem.open("/dev/mem0", LINK_O_RDWR) < 0 ){
        CNotify::updateStatus("Failed to open /dev/mem");
        return;
    }

    if( mem.ioctl(I_MEM_GETATTR, &attr) < 0 ){
        CNotify::updateStatus("Failed to get mem attr");
        mem.close();
        return;
    }

    //open /dev/mem and copy data to a file in the project folder
    QFile f(ui->installer->configurationPath() + "/kernel-image.bin");

    if( f.open(QFile::WriteOnly | QFile::Truncate | QFile::Append) == false ){
        CNotify::updateStatus("Failed to open " + f.fileName());
        mem.close();
        return;
    }

    offset = 0;
    do {

        ret = mem.read(offset, buffer, 1024);
        if( ret > 0 ){
            f.write(buffer, ret);
            offset += ret;
        }

        CNotify::updateProgress(offset, attr.flash_size, true);

    } while(ret > 0);

    f.close();
    mem.close();

    CNotify::updateProgress(0, 0, false);

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Includes a wood handle and four diamond coated reaming tools: long cone, short cone, long reamer, and very fine reamer. These tools are used to enlarge the holes of beads and pearls and for rounding the edges of bead holes to prevent fraying of bead cord. Use with water or our Liquid Bur Lube. Handle can also be used to hold needle files or other small tools.


text:
Događaji
 Izraelski kralj David izabrao je Jeruzalem za sjedište Kovčega Saveza.

Rođenja

Smrti

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Category: Greg Moffitt
Cradle Of Filth – Dusk… and Her Embrace
Author adminPublished on April 25, 2016 Leave a comment on Cradle Of Filth – Dusk… and Her Embrace
"Dusk… and Her Embrace", the second official Cradle Of Filth album, was significant from moving the band out of its death/thrash metal roots, and squarely into symphonic – and gothic metal territory. Where the previous outing at least attempted to infuse its metal with a Hammer Horror atmosphere, "Dusk… and Her Embrace", befitting of the Victorian-vampyric concept that its center, romantic above all else. Despite the album's convincing visuals and superficialities "Dusk…and Her Embrace" has no lineage with, or connection to black metal. First and foremost it is an extreme metal album, one with links mostly in death -, thrash – and traditional metal styles.
"Dusk… and Her Embrace" is a loose concept album about vampyrism. The lyrics were inspired by the literature of Sheridan Le Fanu, in particular the "Carmilla" novel (which served as an inspiration to everybody from Jess Franco Manera to Ann Rice). The subtitle 'Litanies of Damnation, Death and the Darkly Erotic' concisely summarizes the lyrical content of the album. The lyrics retain part of the anti-Christian sentiment but the focus squarely lies on the erotica, vampirism and romance from this point forward. It was the recording debut of second guitarist John Piras (Gian Pyres) and the one but last record to feature vocal contributions from early backing singer Danielle Cneajna Cottington. "Dusk... and Her Embrace" was the last Cradle Of Filth album before Davey's overt usage of British humor and self-aware puns, linguistic and otherwise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4ZLzpVdF5g
One of the greatest improvements that the band experienced was the sheer flow of the material. "Dusk… and Her Embrace" breaks free from the conventional playing that characterized "The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh". Here the super bass licks, played by Robin Eaglestone, follow the keyboards instead of doubling the guitars. Stuart Anstis, who debuted on the "V Empire" EP, infuses the band with a healthy amount of traditional metal riffing. Last but certainly not least had drummer Nick Barker come into his own, and "Dusk… and Her Embrace" is his finest moment with the band. Frontman Dani Davey wrote some of his most verbose lyrics while integrating a wide array of vocal styles, including his standard shrieks, grunts, whispers and narration.
'Humana Inspired to Nightmare' and 'Malice Through the Looking Glass' were written entirely by the new members. 'Beauty Slept In Sodom' was originaly called 'Beauty Sleeps In Sodom'. 'Funeral in Carpathia' and 'Haunted Shores' are the only truly fast tracks of the album. 'Heaven Torn Asunder' is the most straight-up anti-religious whereas 'Beauty Slept In Sodom' is the Christian creation parable of Genesis set to prose of vampirism and erotica. 'Haunted Shores' is about the Arthurian legend, and functions as a tribute to their home country England. It includes guest narration by British legend Conrad Lant (Cronos) from UK proto-black metal institution Venom.
In an odd turn of events history seemed to repeat itself. As before external factors put the record in jeopardy, and Davey had to overcome legal and personnel hurdles in order to regain control over the authenticity of his product. The album had a troubled two-year production history with the formative work being laid down by previous guitarist duo Paul Allender and Ryan. The original version of "Dusk… and Her Embrace" was recorded in 1995 with most of the "Principle Of Evil Made Flesh" line-up. Ongoing legal proceedings with Cacophonous Records subsequently schismed the band in two opposing camps leaving the record in legal limbo. Paul and Benjamin Ryan along with Paul Allender meanwhile formed The Blood Divine.
As Davey's half (consisting of himself, Nicholas Barker, and Robin Eaglestone) was embroided in said litigations it was decided to produce the "V Empire" EP as a means to wrangle the "Dusk... and Her Embrace" album recordings out of its existing, and yet to be fulfilled, contract with Cacophonous Records. After winning the court case against its former contractor the original recordings of "Dusk… and Her Embrace" were used by Davey's part of the band as leverage to negotiate a new and hopefully better recording deal between them and interested labels. Chief among those involved in the bidding war surrounding Cradle Of Filth were British label imprints Earache Records and Music For Nations.
Upon inking a mutual satisfactory agreement with new label home Music For Nations the original "Dusk… and Her Embrace" recordings were relegated to the band vaults where they have remained ever since. As the new members put their spin on what the prior line-up had written the necessary preparations were made to re-record "Dusk… and Her Embrace" a second time. With part of the original content used in the quickly put together "V Empire" EP the band wrote new material to accomodate the remainder of the initially scheduled material. Once the deal with Music For Nations was in place the band re-recorded the freshly rewritten - and newly composed tracks in 1996.
During the second recording sessions a cover of Slayer classic 'Hell Awaits', a re-recording of the preceding EP's 'Nocturnal Supremacy' and the instrumental 'Carmilla's Masque' were laid down along with material intended for the album. These featured on the Japanese print of the album exclusively. The complete "Dusk… and Her Embrace" album session would thus include 14 tracks: 9 originals that appear on the final version of the record, plus the duo of 'Queen Of Winter, Throned' and 'Nocturnal Supremacy' (as they appeared on the preceding "V Empire" EP), along with the two instrumentals 'She Mourns A Lenghtening Shadow' and 'Carmilla's Masque' along with the earlier mentioned Slayer cover 'Hell Awaits'.
After two sessions at Academy Studios the band decided to change locations. "Dusk… and Her Embrace" was recorded at DEP International Studios in Birmingham with Kit Woolven (most famous for his work with Irish classic rock act Thin Lizzy) producing along with Mike Exeter and Dan Sprigg engineering. With a classic rock and pop producer behind the console the production changed accordingly. "Dusk… and Her Embrace" is blessed with a smooth, bassy production that is crystal clear but warm and organic sounding. The cover photography by Simon Marsden is stylistically similar to that of Nigel Wingrove of the preceding two records. The record contains shots of the succubi models Luna, Michelle, Rochelle, and Susie. The CD and LP use different shots for the dinner table band shot, with the model being topless for the vinyl edition.
It goes without saying that the originally intended incarnation of the album is radically different from what it would eventually become in its existing form. The current version of the album is far stronger, mostly due to a complete lack of filler material, than how the album was originally intended. Whether the original recordings of "Dusk... and Her Embrace" will ever see the light of day remains yet to be seen. The album sold in excess of 100,000 copies in Europe alone, and was extensively bootlegged on the East-European market with various labels releasing cassette versions of the album. The Polish 1997 print by Metal Mind Productions even includes the Japanese bonus tracks. It goes without saying that it is rightly a classic piece of European extreme metal, regardless of its troubled conception.
Published on April 25, 2016 Author adminCategories Cradle Of Filth, Dan Sprigg, Dani Davey, Danielle Cneajna Cottington, gothic metal, Greg Moffitt, John Piras, Kit Woolven, Mike Exeter, Music, Music For Nations, Nicholas Barker, Robin Eaglestone, Sarah Jezebel Deva, Sheridan Le Fanu, Simon Marsden, Stuart Anstis, symfo, traditional metal, United KingdomLeave a comment on Cradle Of Filth – Dusk… and Her Embrace
Cradle Of Filth – V Empire
Author adminPublished on March 28, 2016 May 26, 2016 Leave a comment on Cradle Of Filth – V Empire
A quaint curiosity in the early Cradle Of Filth catalog is what most truthfully describes "V Empire". Confused and confusing it was a harbinger of things to come. Owning its existence as the result of a courtcase decided in the band's favor, it was an unplanned release that was disowned by its creators shortly after release. This hastily put together ditty served as an omen for much of the band's career from this point onward. It's a jumbled mess assembled from various odds and ends, both old and new. Marred by re-recording of formative works and needless padding – it is indicative of the many faults and errors in judgment that would come to define the band's prolific but wholly inconsistent and often checkered output.
"V Empire" was a hastily conceived EP in order to fulfill contractual obligations to its former label as the principal members were involved in legal proceedings and litigations behind the scenes. Put together from leftovers and quickly written new songs it is surprising that the EP sounds as coherent as it does, even if slightly so. Spawned by circumstance rather than careful planning it is the architectural template from which all later Cradle Of Filth EPs would draw influence in terms of structure, song format and overall pacing. As a transitional piece between the band's earlier death/thrash metal oriented direction and the lush romantic symfo/gothic avenue they would explore to a fuller degree on the album to follow "V Empire" is at least mildly successfull in what it sets out to do.
Frontman Dani Davey along with rhythm section Robin Eaglestone (bass guitar) and Nicholas Barker (drums) remain from the previous album line-up. "V Empire" was the recording debut for new guitarist Stuart Anstis who recorded all the rhyhtm – and lead guitar parts for the EP. One of the stipulations in the Cacophonous Records agreement was that the release had to feature two guitarists in order to have some form of continuity with the debut. To maintain said illusion the Jared Demeter character was created until the band could hire a suitable second guitarist. Bryan Hipp (later of Florida death metal band Diabolic) was one of the most well-known musicians to bring the Jared Demeter character to life in the live arena. Newly acquired keyboardist Greg Moffitt (Damien Gregori) and backing singer Sarah Jane Ferridge (Sarah Jezebel Deva) are given their introduction. Previous vocalist Danielle Cneajna Cottington was relegated to additional vocals as Ferridge took centerstage, while the band ended its affiliation with studio singer and Satanic advisor Andrea Meyer for hitherto undisclosed reasons.
'Ebony Dressed For Sunset' obviously was meant as an atmospheric intro piece but was reworked, haphazardly at that, into the filmsiest excuse for a song. 'The Forest Whispers My Name' retains its basic structure but is reworked in parts, and the embellishments serve to prove how powerful the track was in its original form. Deva's new vocal parts fail to enhance what Andrea Meyer had arranged previously – in fact they tend to add ballast and pompousness where none was needed, or called for.
'Queen Of Winter, Throned', which opens with a variation on the popular Curt Siodmak verse from the 1941 Universal horror classic "The Wolfman", retakes both the melody and the vocal line from the preceding album's 'A Dream Of Wolves in the Snow'. A song that itself was put together from the strongest parts of 'Spattered In Faeces' from the earlier prematurely aborted "Goetia" sessions. The track's conclusion introduces rather hokey sounding organs and plinking hapsicord melodies that are only saved by Jezebel Deva's lush backing vocals. 'Nocturnal Supremacy' is a song dating back to the "The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh" days that gets a much overdue reworking here. The chord progressions and riff schematics have Allender/Ryan characteristics written all over them, while Anstis gets to add his flowing traditional metal melodies over what the earlier guitarists had crafted.
'She Mourns A Lenghtening Shadow' effectively foreshadows the heavily orchestrated gothic direction the band would take on the following album. That it stands out (for all the wrong reasons) proves that it was written and intended for the "Dusk… and Her Embrace" sessions instead of arriving prematurely on this slapdash EP, one blighted by lunkheaded conflicting creative decisions. 'The Rape and Ruin Of Angels (Hossanas In Extremis)' is a confused cut that starts with a blistering Norsecore section that would make Parland-era Dark Funeral proud only to progress into a "Principle" style bridge, all while having the symfo/gothic overtones that would come to define the following record. In fact after the strong opening the track loses steam the further it progresses as if the band had no idea where they intended to go with it.
The song material present on "V Empire" usually is both admirably strong and inexcuseably amateur often within the same song. Even though all songs flow seamlessly into another there is no stylistic cohesion between any of them. That exactly 'The Forest Whispers My Name' was re-recorded speaks volumes of the importance of the Allender-Ryan axis early in the band's career as it appeared originally on the band's demos. Given the inconsistent songwriting and incongruent pacing of this EP 'Queen Of Winter, Throned' is the sole highlight. As this EP was hastily thrown together it is surprising to even have this strong a track present.
As before the recordings were done at Academy Studios with Robert Magoolagan and Keith Appleton overseeing the production. Once again the album was mastered at The Exchange by Nilesh Patel. The production on "V Empire" is a lot clearer and crunchier on all fronts, but also loses part of the grittiness of the debut. The improved but unbalanced production reflects the haphazard nature of the EP. The cover - and inlay photography by British erotic photographer Nigel Wingrove is nothing short of amazing. The band's lush erotica is in full bloom as the female form, often in various stages of undress, adorns the booklet. Every part of the record has lush shots from the usual Redemption divas Gabrielle, Luna, Scarlet, Vida, and headmistress Eileen Daly.
Historically the EP is interesting in that two of its most beloved tracks ('Queen Of Winter, Throned' and 'Nocturnal Supremacy') were initially meant to be part of the band's second album "Dusk… and Her Embrace". Likewise does the instrumental 'She Mourns A Lenghtening Shadow' feel more at home at that album than any release prior or after. The production notes indicate recordings in 1995 and 1996 giving credence to the idea that both cuts were culled from the original (and subsequently buried) "Dusk… and Her Embrace" recordings, while the remainder of the EP was written to accomodate. "V Empire" was the last Cradle Of Filth effort for Cacophonous Records before they moved on to bigger opportunities.
Published on March 28, 2016 May 26, 2016 Author adminCategories Cacophonous Records, Cradle Of Filth, Dani Davey, Greg Moffitt, Keith Appleton, Music, Nicholas Barker, Nigel Wingrove, Nilesh Patel, Robert Magoolagan, Robin Eaglestone, Sarah Jezebel Deva, Stuart Anstis, symfo, United KingdomLeave a comment on Cradle Of Filth – V Empire

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It's morning again in Marina. The evening was short and the patience with poor old Rudi this morning has run short. Marina is a small town - not much to see or do and not much in the way of motorcycle repair shops. We will be out of here shortly but Rudi still refuses to fire up. We need to act now. Bump starting everyday is not sustainable and we want to enjoy the ride and the trip without any hiccups from the bikes. Andrew removes the battery from Rudi as this is the obvious culprit in this scenario and we locate a near-ishby Napa Auto Parts store - we bought our chain lube and cleaner from one store in Panguitch so we have a pretty good idea of what they stock, plus they are always recommended to us from fellow biking travellers. The nearest store is in Castroville which is 6.5 miles away from Marina.
Now we are not early birds, we like to take our time in the morning and with the days being long and light, we feel there is absolutely no reason to rush. It's getting close to check out time at the Motel, so I buy us another free hour of time to enable Sir Galahad to take my steed - Marta off to Napa in Castroville to fetch a new battery.
Galahad returns about 40 minutes later with a new battery which he bought actually just down the block, in Marina! Napa Auto Parts in Castroville did not have the required model of battery so on his way back, the knight in not much riding armour passes an Auto Zone store just down the road from the motel, wanders in, shows the battery, does a battery check and miracles do happen, they have the correct battery in stock. Success! With only minutes to go, we bail ourselves and our stuff out of the room, install the fresh battery, push Rudi's button, and with baited breath, boom! he fires up instantly. Nice! It's great, such a small but totally smile and relief making moment. We hastily get packed up and leave Marina via the T-Mobile shop to sort out another pesky task of getting the service back onto my phone. This is also easily rectified albeit by spending a few more dollars and then as we do know the way to San Jose, we decide that's where we'll go.
Now we were going to visit a connection I have in Salinas, but due to my phone being out of service for the past days we have decided to just go straight to San Jose due to connectivity being halted. Just outside the T-Mobile shop, I receive a message from my connection, then a call. She can come over to Marina to visit us which is fine, but then we figure that it's better to go to San Jose via Salinas, that way, my connection doesn't need to move, we'll go to her and see another town and move on from there.
We pass lots of farms and fields on the way to Salinas which is very pretty and industrious in an old-fashioned kind of way. We meet my connection, Gail for lunch, which is an unusual 'treat' for us and she tells us all about her husband Juan who works at the Salinas speedway track and is a total motor-head (petrol-head). Juan is very much involved in the motor sports industry and is busy with the Monterey Car Week events but it would be great if we could meet. We are invited to Gail's lovely home and have the grand tour and we're taken to the garage where Juan's Confederate motorcycle lives. I have never seen such a machine before and it looks like something from a sci-fi movie which is actually what they have been used for in the movie industry. There is also a red electric Curtiss there being safely stored. Amazing machines. Though it doesn't appear that we will get to meet Juan and get a demo. He's too busy with Car week to get away before we roll on.
Then Paul turns up. Paul is the PR man for Curtiss motorcycles and is clearly loving the products, the clients and the merchandise and the life that goes with it. Celebrity clients and Juan alike and the joy he has in delivering these bikes to his clients seeing the happiness they bring into people's lives. Crazy! Paul very kindly donates us a his 'n' hers Curtiss t-shirt each and we all have sunny hugs and back peddle our modest little Enfields off the driveway and head off to San Jose. What a lovely day! Totally unexpected, but aren't these the best ones?
Waking up in Bakersfield and the temperature is still hot but cooler than the desert. Baking in Bakersfield. We're moving on to cooler climate and to the coast today. Just want to add here that we are a few days behind in sending these blog entries out due to the time the travelling takes up and the fact that when we arrive at a destination, we need decompression time for eating, showering, sleeping and arranging onward accommodation. We are in the peak of holiday season and finding places to stay in the places we want to visit within budget is a major task in itself.
The Himalayans are loaded, we're ready to roll and AJ fires up Rudi (Andrew has given the black Himalayan a name) and.........no start! We took it for granted the bike would start this morning for some reason, but Rudi has to be bump started again, fully loaded and from a vertical take-off. He does it again (hero!) and gains admiring approval from one of Bill's (our Airbnb host in Bakersfield) employees. By the way, our accommodation was opposite Bill's fully functioning plastics factory.
With Rudi running, we roll onwards towards our next destination in Morro Bay which is about 137miles. Getting out of Bakersfield is slightly tedious on Highway 58. We climb up through the Temblor Mountain range and do a spot of in-motion filming to amuse ourselves. Not really safe riding practice but there's practically no-one else on the road but us. There's a sweet little area of bends and sweeps before we arrive in Morro Bay and check in to our motel for the night.
We experience again a change in temperature. Much cooler along the Pacific Coast. Morro Bay is a pleasant surprise. It's a beautiful little bay - very nautical in nature and we're able to let the bikes rest for the evening while we use our feet to explore the bayside. It feels good to have everything within walking distance. We finally make a champagne (one glass each) toast to the fact we made it and have survived the journey so far still smiling.
In the morning it's the same old ritual. Brekkie, get geared and load up, start the bikes. Again, Rudi is not starting. He fires up and then blacks out. Andrew gets a push start from a kind fellow guest, idles the engine and then it cuts out again. Urrrrrr.........A stroke of fortune is that our Motel is at the top of a decently steep hill. Roll start instead of a bump start today. And on the relatively short 137 miles to Marina this keeps happening.
As we climb, there are people freely walking up and down leisurely enjoying the sunny environment while waiting for the road to open up again. It's ironic, the road which just recently opened after a landslide has become, effectively, a closed road again.
As we continue upwards, we pass many 'exotic' cars such as Ferraris, Lamborghinis and more in their dozens, on their way to Monterey for car week. We had no idea it was car week before planning our route to Marina but discovered that hotels, motels and every other accommodation was practically fully booked.
We finally have to stop when we see the Highway Patrol car and officer. We encounter another jolly Highway cop who tells us a truck with a over-long trailer somehow didn't read the vehicle length limits on the Big Sur road and toppled over when it hit the first tight bend. The vehicle and drivers had apparently been there since 10:30am. We hit the black spot at about 2pm. Thankfully the rescue team had arrived and were in the final of stages of uprighting the vehicle again and the waiting time for the road block to clear is not so long. A few other motorcyclists join us. A Canadian couple on their Harley Davidson Road King and then two gentlemen, one from California and the other from the British Virgin Islands. It's turned into a bit of a biker hangout at this point.
The road block finally clears and we are able to enjoy the rest of the bendy, windy route between Big Sur and the Pacific Ocean (Rudi got a roll start again - good universal fortune this misbehaviour from Rudi has occurred while we are in mountainous zones). We make a small detour to enquire about some fabled hot spring resorts in the area and get caught up in traffic again. We're on a no-overtaking road and have joined the convoy of exotic cars on a road with road works all the way down to Marina. What should have been a short journey and a reasonably short day has turned into a day longer than anticipated. After dinner, Rudi has to be push started again to get him back to the motel in Marina.
And so the road trip continues.........It's 11am and we are ready to vacate the Europa Hotel (run by a very charming Indian couple) in Ridgecrest. Not much reason to stay in Ridgecrest except for a clean bed, food, shower for the night. It's in the midst of desert land in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County and lies adjacent to Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. Yes, time to move on and catch the scent of the ocean.
Bags packed, luggage loaded, keys in ignition. Marta starts, but the black Himalayan decides to go on strike. Not a good start to the day and in fact no start at all. We may be spending another night in Ridgecrest after all. The bike has to be unloaded, and AJ makes a few simple checks. It seems we have a battery problem. The bike will bump start, but it only gives one chance to get get going. If that chance is squandered, it has to be bumped again. If the bump doesn't work, then it's going to have to be a jump start.
Our charming Indian host has only been running the hotel for 2 months and has no tools, no jump leads but suggests the neighbours across the road may be able to help. Andrew wanders over. Apparently there are lots of discouraging notices to keep unwanted visitors at bay at this house but the key to our problem is they have a Honda CB750-4 parked outside. Can they help, will they help? Next thing is the Honda is fired up and the whole neighbourhood is vibrating from the noise from the pipes. Over they come and link the leads to both bikes. the noise really is deafening.
Anyway, the Enfield fires into action once again, and I am left with the neighbour while Andrew spins the Enfield round the block to get the engine chugging again. On his return we thank the nice man from across the way and he donates his jump leads to us. Again, amazingly helpful people here. Astounding. Once again re-loaded with luggage, we begin our departure from Ridgecrest to Bakersfield.
It's a relatively short day's riding and Andrew has chosen a nice route which willl take us around Lake Isabella and through the Kern Valley. We ride around 12 miles of Interstate 395 up to Inyokern and then take Route 178 to Bakersfield which will total around 112 miles. We ride through Chevron's oil mines, of which there are miles and miles and miles of. There are nodding donkeys everywhere. Needless to say Chevron is the most popular brand of gas in the state of California and we are riding through the source of it.
It's a pretty uneventful days riding, it's hot still, which we like, and we're quite possibly still decompressing from the previous day's ride through Death Valley.
We approach Lake Isabella which is a pretty uninspiring Lake. The water levels are low and the surface looks a bit scrubby. We were hoping it may be a place we could have stopped and taken a dip into, but it looks not very enticing, so we continue through to Kernville, stop, have a breather and a drink of water, eat some fruit and back in the saddle again to Bakersfield.
We almost circumnavigate the whole of the Lake and leaving it behind we ride beside the Kern River which feeds the lake. The river is popular for rafting but we find a road which leads to a quiet river bank and decide to plunge our hot and sticky buns into the cool water. How refreshing. A group of two raft loads of people on a rafting tour pass by and stop to deliberately splash us, which was absolutely fine. After the desert, the water was totally welcome - splash as much as you like.
That was a highlight to what could have been an underwhelming journey. Then we straddle the bikes once more to complete the journey and another surprise is just around the corner, and another corner, and another and another and another...........We ride through the Walker Pass in the Kern Valley which is one dreamy bend after another and the bends are flowing sweetly and smoothly. Such a pleasurable route along highway 178. Scenic, hilly and bendy.
We reach Bakersfield and check into Bill's Airbnb which is in a rather run down area of the city but apparently no crime or violence. Just a few derelicts with shopping carts and good manners. Bill is a very hospitable host with a very chatty manner and he leaves us for the night with his adopted pit bull cross (who has a nasty open cyst on his front left wrist) who is the sweetest and softest dog you could care to meet. We find a place to eat, bed down for the night and have a peaceful night's rest in our vintage studio for one night in Bakersfield before we move towards the Pacific coast.
We found what was going to be a familiar friend in St George - the Howard Johnson (HoJo to those who are familiar with him) Wyndham motel. It's a chain of reasonably priced motels which are perfect for a comfortable overnight stop. People have been asking if we are camping as well as riding. The temptation to spend a night or two under the stars is somewhat overshadowed by the fact that we are travelling 'rough'. Sleeping 'rough' would require carrying tent and camping equipment and frankly, we are carrying enough as it is and let's face it, the idea of a hot shower, meal and a bed with clean sheets after a day in the saddle is somewhat an easier and more tempting option. We have another 4 weeks of riding to do so we are looking after ourselves.
The town of St George is clean and friendly but it wasn't a place we needed to spend more than a night in. We stocked up with a good supply of water - the temperatures are rising - and loaded up ready to hit Vegas.
The plan was to get to Vegas riding on as little interstate highway as possible and without going the entirely no interstate route of 5 hours of desert roads.
We do about 30 miles of interstate 15 from St George to Littlefield and then a little introduction to desert terrain on highway 170 through to Mesquite and Bunkerville. As we pass through Littlefield and stop in Mesquite for a short break the milage passes the 1000 mile barrier and Andrew asks me if there is something else I have noticed on the way. We have left the state of Utah and are now in the state of Arizona. In crossing the state boundary, we have also crossed a time zone and have gone back in time by one hour!
We hop back on the interstate 15 for another 30 miles (not too bad as the road is pretty clear in this part of the state) and then we join up with highway 169 which will take us through the desert, Logandale, past Lake Mead and up to the 'back door' of Vegas. This will take us into the state of Nevada.
Riding the desert roads is what we considered 'living the dream'. Roads which are pretty much spare of traffic; fresh, warm air; being able to see far into the distance; not having to wear bulky protective clothing and the vaguest chance of encountering Wile 'E' Coyote and Roadrunner - meep meep! No complaints from us about the heat. In fact, bring it on!
Essentials for riding in the desert are: plentiful amounts of water, sunscreen, fruit and a couple of pickled cucumbers. We made sure we had lots of stops, albeit without anywhere to shelter from the heat, but being British, we are sadly lacking in vitamin D so this was a good chance to indulge and absorb.
Seeing Vegas appear across the horizon was something. Vegas is a major landmark for us. The ride through the desert was an unexpected pleasure, and although we were glad to see Vegas looming closer, we would be even more glad to see the back of it after two nights there.
We booked the tackiest looking hotel on the block. The selling point of the hotel for me was the ice rink in the hotel building and the tackiness of it all didn't disappoint. The rest of Vegas is basically underwhelming, more vast than can ever be imagined, and a sad and desperate hole of solitude, iniquity and squandering. Great if you are into gambling, otherwise, forget it.
We visited Boulder City and the Hoover Dam in searing temperatures of 43 degrees Celcius/110 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot hot and hot! An amazing feat of human construction - many construction workers lost their lives - no doubt to the ill effects of the heat. It was originally opened in 1936 as the Boulder Dam, and then changed to the Hoover Dam (after president Herbert Clark Hoover) in 1947. The art deco design touches still look almost as fresh as they did back in the 1930's.
We head back to the Fiesta Casino Hotel after an Ethiopian meal and make use of the ice rink to cool down. The skating was fun. Mostly people falling over - us included, but a refreshing and happier way to say farewell to Vegas.
We could have gone to the strip to sit in front of the Bellagio Fountains or to marvel at the spectacle of lights and swanky hotels and casinos, but neither of our hearts were in it. Riding through the streets of Vegas isn't fun and definitely not worth the time and effort to see a load of neon. We called it a night and a weekend and vowed to get up early in the morning to get the hell outa there. Viva Las Vegas! Hasta la vista Vegas!
Waking up feeling refreshed and eager to leave the smog and seediness of Las Vegas to embark on what will be the hottest ride of our lives. We've been monitoring the weather forecasts and temperature recordings for Death Valley - most folk think we are bonkers for even thinking about riding through the desert - most reports are giving us cooler temperature readings than Las Vegas, so we decide to jump on it and make the 245 mile journey from Vegas to Ridgecrest where we have another motel booked for the night. Besides, it can't be any worse than Vegas can it?
We make a stop before we even get out of the Las Vegas boundary (it's HUGE folks) at a gas station and receive more admiration and attention from some fellow two wheeler steelers. If you want to make friends, get yourself a Himalayan! People will stop you and ask questions. These babies are attractive to bike-friendly folk and you'll never be short of curious admirers wherever you go.
We stop again at Parump which is on route 160 and we have now entered the state of California. There are billboards advertising where to buy Cannabis on the way to Parump, so it's worth a stop to venture into a Cannabis 'dispensary' and buy a couple of edibles. Why not? It's legal!
We continue to Death Valley Junction where we join route 190. This is place looks deserted but the Amaragosa Opera House is the main and perhaps only feature of this place which is worth a stop in its own right. We stop in the only place offering a slither of shelter which is the Marta Becket Museum. Marta was an artiste and found her calling at Death Valley Junction, made it her home and thrived and found her expression by founding the Amaragosa Opera. I liked the sound of Marta and so christened the white Enfield 'Marta' in honour of this lady. It fits.
Once we are in Death Valley we notice the temperature gauges going up and up and up. The bike gauges record 133 Fahrenheit. That's not accurate as the gauges on the Enfields are above the engine so this adds to the true heat reading. But it wasn't that far off. If we'd had raw eggs with us we could have fried them and possibly burned them! We stop and get off the bikes to walk up to Zabriskie Point where the film of the same name was shot. It's hot. Very hot. Andrew tells me there's the Devil's Golf Course en route to Stovepipe Wells, but there's no time for golf today. We ride through points where we are 280ft below sea level and there are warm gusts blowing through the whole journey. It's like opening an oven door and receiving a hot blast of air and this is perhaps the cause of the gusts. Heat gusts? We don't see any other evidence of wind blowing, but then again there's not much to signify the movement of wind. We just put it down to the heat.
We arrive at Stovepipe Wells - a welcome break with overly priced refreshments and they even charged us for ice. The heat is extreme. I never normally have ice in my drinks, but today is an extraordinary exception. I catch a guy taking a picture of something above the door of the gift shop at Stovepipe Wells - there's a dial thermometer there and the reading is 120 degrees Fahrenheit/50 degrees Celcius and this is in the shade. Pretty hot!
At Stovepipe Wells we see a few cars wearing very fancy covers and some techie guys carrying silver cases which look like they contain heavy technlogical elements. Andrew tells me these are test vehicles and they are covered and concealed to protect their identity before being tested and revealed to the public. They are certainly getting tested in these conditions. So are the Enfields. The air cooled engines are being put to the extremest of tests. There is no air to cool them and they literally are panting in these conditions, but on they roll and so far they have not disappointed us at all.
We get back in the hot saddles and plod back on the road and it's still 97 miles to our destination. We leave route 190 and take route 178 after travelling 30 miles from Stovepipe Wells and it's still another 67 miles of nothingness. No trees, no towns, no shelter, only sun and dust and a few other sporadic cars. I'm keeping a close watch for any impending dust devils that might appear on the horizon, this is the kind of terrain that forms these nasty critters. The constant strong gusts are causing me to hang on and the road is seemingly endless.
We stop and have water and a pickled cucumber. After the mini pit stop, a few miles up the road, there is a Highway Patrol car parked in the road. We have to stop again. The reason for the road block is there is some filming going on round the mountain. Vehicle commercial. Perhaps one of the test vehicles we had seen at Stovepipe Wells? Anyway, we hang out with the Highway Patrol cop and he's a friendly and very human chap - applying his sunscreen from a family sized bottle for the 3rd time in the day and having general chattiness about the bikes and other random subjects. There are 4 other vehicles lined up behind us as we are given the go-ahead after about 20 minutes to move on.
A final trip to a grocery store in Ridgecrest before we hang up our boots for the night leads us to another fellow motorcyclist in the parking lot who gives us fair warning that we need to wear our helmets. We are now in the state of California. Some laws they are relaxed about and others not, apparently. So, it's helmets on from now on and a sheepish helmet-less ride back to our motel.
After a good three day stop-over in Brian Head cooling down in the mountain air we're heading to St George via Zion National park to stay for the evening before we head off into the desert. We pass through Dixie National forest, which is populated with Pines and deer. We take some lower altitude breath at Duck Creek, stop the bikes and park up for a short while. A white-haired man approaches us and has a delighted look on his face. He's come to ask us about the bikes. We've been on the road now for a few days and whenever we make a stop, we are approached by someone or other who either knows the Royal Enfield brand, or is just curious as to what we are riding - probably because the Himalayans remind them of their first dirt bike, or just because they are groovy looking machines. Whenever we are approached, the camaraderie between us as humans is cordial and friendly. I can't say enough positive things about the people in this country. We are developing a huge respect for the amount of adventurous souls that are out here on the roads with us, enjoying the nature and the landscape. It's very refreshing to see that adventure still lives on out here.
After exiting Dixie National Park and well on the way to the 'gates' of Zion, we leave Mount Carmel behind us and watch the temperature gauges rise. It's not until we actually reach the entrance to the Zion National Park that the sun makes an appearance and we start to feel warm again.
Riding through Zion National Park is an amazing experience. Andrew and my jaws were dropping at every bend and twist on the way to the canyon. It's like another planet. The colours, the textures, the sheer heights and dips and peaks and surfaces are all mesmerising and the road bends and twists and it's not really possible to stop and take pictures. Vehicle speeds are restricted to 30mph maximum which is good as this is not a place to rush through.
We reach what is for us unauthorised vehicles, the end of the road. The road up to the canyon can only be accessed by special permit holders or shuttle buses. A fellow motorcyclist is alighting one of the shuttle buses and gives us some info as to what's up in the canyon. So we hop on a bus and take it all the way to the top.
By now the desert heat is apparent. We are still in riding gear - boots, jeans and t-shirts. It's no time to be hiking, but if ever we return to the USA, Zion is a place that should be explored more extensively. There are so many hikes - Angels Landing and The Narrows are just a couple to note and there are horse-riding trails up to the Emerald Lake. It will take more than a day or two to even touch the sides.
We get just a sip of this magnificent marvel of nature before we head off in the direction of St George where we have a motel booked for the night - our first stop-over in a US motel and a step closer to Las Vegas.
After a lazy start we head back to Panguitch and plan to make the journey to Bryce Canyon. Originally and from the cosiness of our home in the small city of Cambridge we were making grand plans to visit not only Bryce Canyon, but the north rim of the Grand Canyon and Zion national park. Realistically and beginning to understand the scale and distance between places we are slimming down our itinerary. Getting from one place to the next is a days work on the Himalayans. Doing all the stops we were hoping to is not going to be physically possible.
One thing we need is some chain oil. In a short space of time on a short journey made long, the oiled chains after the first service are looking dusty and dry. The seemingly benign process of buying chain lube takes some time but thankfully, Panguitch town has an auto supplies shop from which we can get what we need.
Chains lubed and we are ready to go and explore Bryce Canyon. We buy a National Park visitors card which will get two motorcycles through many USA national parks for the price of one! The perks of being a motorcyclist pay off sometimes - many times actually. We ride through the wonderful prelude to Bryce - the Red Canyon, which is impressive enough on the way to Bryce. The total journey length to Bryce from Brian Head is only 59 miles but again, it takes a whole day to get there and back. We stopped for the ubiquitous picture opportunities on our way down from the top of Bryce Canyon and saw a lot of live deer on the roadside. They are resident to the Bryce Canyon and Dixie National parks and appear to be mainly unphased by the humans. Not surprising really as about 2 million people pass through there each year.
The following day we keep things within the region of Brian Head. We stock up our supplies at Parowan the next town down from Brian Head and return to do the ride up to the peak of Brian Head - which sits 11,307 feet above sea level. The weather conditions are moody today after a sunny start and the road to the peak is 3 miles of washboard again. No luggage this time. The Himalayans really come into their own on terrain such as this and it's great to unleash them on familiar territory.
Tomorrow we leave Brian Head. We are heading toward St George, for one night, and getting closer to Las Vegas.
On off the road again.
After a spot of breakfast in the local grocery store down the road from the hot springs, we venture back for our late check-out of the cabin and slip into the hot tubs once again.
The temperatures are already hot and rising - probably somewhere in the region of 37 - 38 degrees celsius. The bikes are loaded up again and we are setting off today to a ski resort called Brian Head. The milage from Monroe to Brian Head - avoiding the interstate, is normally around 105 - 131 miles depending on the route taken which should have taken just over 2 hours. Andrew has sourced an alternative route, through the mountains for us which is marked out as a dotted line on the big Michelin paper map of California and Nevada. Dotted lines on maps usually signify unmarked roads, therefore I have no idea of what to expect, so I expect nothing. Andrew on the other hand is confident that the road will take us up and over Monroe peak down to the town of Koosharem. An alternative for the day's ride could have been to stick to the highways and visit Fremont Indian State Park and Museum. But we rode off and up into the mountains.
It was indeed an unmarked road. Washboard on steroids. The kind of road which is generally more suitable for donkeys, horses and UTVs and Himalayan motorcycles. Himalayan motorcycles with no luggage on them. We were not yet even halfway up to the peak when we felt the luggage slipping. Even the bungees and friction straps were not enough to keep everything sufficiently secure once the bikes had begun piling their way up the rocks and steep and winding stony road. It was bumpy to say the least. However the Himalayan bikes really do come into their own territory on this kind of road and you just have to let the bike do the work and keep the concentration levels up and the bike going.
The pictures and the map give a general idea of what we encountered however, it wasn't as straightforward as it looks. We stopped on three separate occasions to ask random mountain adventurers which was the best, and if we were on the right road to Koosharem. Unmarked roads indeed. It is now becoming apparent to us (Andrew) that this route is not a short-cut and it goes on and on and on. The terrain becomes rockier and I lost concentration at one point and dropped the bike just as a south American looking couple appeared from a little further up the mountain on horse-back followed by their 3 dogs making me think that that is the best way to get around this mountain.
What began as a fun ride turns into a 4 hour endurance challenge. Andrew definitely didn't anticipate this and in retrospect, admits that this perhaps was not one of his better ideas.
We finally make it back onto the tarmac and enter the town of Koosharem which is 105 miles from our destination of Brian Head and another 2 hours in the saddle. The first leg of this journey takes us along highway 62 which is a long road which looks like it's been newly laid. The weather begins to look a bit moody up above and we have no idea as to whether we'll hit what looks like rain up ahead.
One thing we do encounter is what is known as a 'Dust Devil' out here - definition: "a small whirlwind or air vortex over land, visible as a column of dust and debris". We saw the dust cloud ahead of us and were heading straight through the middle of it not knowing how powerful these forces of nature are. Both of us were swept to the other side of the road and thankfully we were the only two travellers on that route at the time. Scary stuff.
The rest of the journey took us along the Sevier river and through Circleville Canyon which was very pleasant riding - nice bends and wonderful scenery straight through the middle of the Canyon and down towards the town of Panguitch from which Bryce Canyon, Zion national Park and Grand Staircase Escalante are accessible.
The final leg of this journey takes us through the Dixie National Forest. We stop at Panguitch Lake to put on extra layers as the elevation levels increase and the temperature drops from 95 degrees fahrenheit (35 degrees celsius) to 79 degrees fahrenheit (24 degrees celsius) and the sun was also setting at this time of the day. The sun setting over the lake was a beautiful sight for sore arses and we finally made it to our cosy ski condo in the out of season ski resort of Brian Head around 8pm. We are in Brian Head for 3 nights which will hopefully give us time to recover.
Sunday August 12 2018 - up at 7am. The day the adventure is born and begins for real. We are leaving the mountain cabin at Tollgate Canyon to meet our man Spero and his good lady wife Shelley a few miles down the interstate so that they can ride us out of town. Getting down the 2 miles of washboard took us longer than the hop along to the meeting point, but we made it and it feels good to be finally leaving Salt Lake City.
Spero is a born biker and hates the interstate, so we're in great company.
We are being escorted to just outside of Richfield. Our destination is to Monroe, home of the Mystic Hot Springs, where we will spend the night. The ride through to Monroe is approximately 183 miles. Spero and Shelley depart company from us around Salina, which is about 30 miles from our destination. We were grateful to have the company up until this point.
The roads are endless - long, wide and interspersed with space, land and more space. The vastness of this country and the enormity of the journey we are planning to make is becoming real. We both are feeling totally blessed that we are able to do this and to take our little Himalayans out and about in the American wilderness. Already we are feeling small in this huge land.
We find Monroe and the hot springs without an trouble. The towns are few and far between. Monroe is a quiet and modest religious town at the foot of Monroe Peak. We have to travel back 8 miles to Richfield to get something to eat, so at the end of our first real day of riding in the USA the hot springs are a very welcoming treat to two saddle weary bodies. The temperatures we rode in today got up to about 37 degrees celsius (100 degree fahrenheit) and getting into a hot bath at the end of the day may seem like lunacy to the cold-loving British race, but it was actually very refreshing, especially bathing under the stars watching the meteors whizz past and having philosophical conversation with a man named Tyler in the next tub to us who was just passing through on his way home from Salt Lake City. Home for him was two hours away - bordering the states of Utah, Nevada and Arizona. Intrepid America and the pioneering spirit alive and kicking.
Andrew "AJ" Jackson of Eurorider Training and Mell Rose.
*All weather clothing/boots - windproof, rainproof as well as cool and warm layers.
*Panniers for carrying extra loads.
* Friction straps and bungees - multiple & spares.


The whole of Hong Kong has very limited dockage space is limited for berthing, for all yachts. The marina has 200 berths and can accommodate yachts up to 70 meters LOA. Prior reservation is very much advised.


Smart engineering, impressive tech, and rugged styling make the F-150 hard to pass up. This 2013 Ford F-150 is for sale today in Vermilion.
Whether it's the rugged style, the proven capability, or the unstoppable toughness that attracts you to the F-150, this Ford is the ultimate pickup truck. It's been the best-selling vehicle in Canada for decades for good reasons. It does everything you could ever want a full-size pickup to do effortlessly and it looks good doing it. The F-150 is built Ford tough. This Super Crew 4X4 pickup has 110668 kms. It's ruby red in colour. It has an automatic transmission and is powered by a 3.5L V6 24V GDI DOHC Twin Turbo engine.
To view the original window sticker for this vehicle view this http://www.windowsticker.forddirect.com/windowsticker.pdf?vin=1FTFW1ET8DKD75386.


text:
Canadian online video choices at risk, panel told | CBC News Loaded
Canadian online video choices at risk, panel told
Canadians may face restricted access to video services like Netflix and Stanley Cup games streamed to their mobile phones unless new regulations are put in place, smaller telecommunications companies warn.
Emily Chung · CBC News · Posted: Jun 01, 2011 2:49 PM ET | Last Updated: June 1, 2011
Greg O'Brien, editor of Cartt.ca (far left), moderated a panel on telecom regulation at the Canadian Telecom Summit Wednesday that included (left to right) Edward Antecol of Globalive, Mirko Bibic of Bell, Ken Engelhart of Rogers, John Lawford of PIAC, Chris Peirce of MTS Allstream and Michael Hennessy of Telus. (Emily Chung/CBC)
Canadians may face restricted access to video services like Netflix and mobile access to Stanley Cup games unless new regulations are put in place, smaller telecommunications companies warn.
Canada's telecommunications regulator needs to set rules to prevent possible "cartel-like behaviour" from telecommunications companies such as Bell and Rogers that also own content such as TV shows that competitors would like to be able to offer online, said Chris Peirce, chief corporate officer for MTS Allstream.
"If someone owns the content and competing with someone who also needs that content to deliver the service, then there's obviously the propensity for anticompetitive behaviour," Peirce said while taking part in a panel discussion on telecom regulation at the Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto Wednesday.
Companies such as Netflix that want to stream TV shows, movies and other video through the internet to devices such as TVs, computer tablets and mobile phones must first get the online rights for that content. However, the rights are often owned by TV broadcasters, including some that have their own online streaming services. Some telecommunications companies face similar problems negotiating rights as they expand services such as mobile TV for smartphones or video-on-demand.
Peirce said that in order to ensure choice for consumers, the CRTC needs to make rules that allow competition over such content to be fair.
Ed Antecol, vice-president of regulatory affairs and carrier services for Wind Mobile's parent company, Globalive, agreed that there needs to be rules for telecommunications companies that also have broadcast business, and use content from their broadcast business on internet-based platforms such as mobile phones — a strategy known as vertical integration.
Otherwise, consumers will be able to watch content anywhere, anytime, but only if they pay $100 a month for cable, he said.
He proposed rules that would require that content distributors license their content to online distributors at the same price as cable companies.
The CRTC is holding a hearing on July 11 to consider possible rules about vertical integration. The regulator approved Bell's takeover of CTV in March.
Greg O'Brien, editor of the trade publication Cartt.ca and moderator of Wednesday's panel, opened the debate by bringing up some recent announcements from Bell and Rogers. He noted that Rogers Mobile announced that it will no longer be offering Bell-owned CTV and BNN via mobile starting June 1, and Bell recently announced that it has the only mobile TV service that delivers live Stanley Cup games and highlights.
Bell willing to negotiate
Mirko Bibic, senior vice-president of regulatory and government affairs for Bell Canada, responded that Bell is "more than willing" to sell content to companies that aren't vertically integrated, and such companies just need to negotiate. For example, he said, Bell has a "reasonable" offer on the table to Telus, which wants to license some of Bell's content.
That led to a heated exchange with Michael Hennessy, senior vice-president of regulatory and government affairs for Telus, who said Bell's offer was "a lot more than reasonable."
Bibic criticized companies like Telus for choosing not to vertically integrate themselves.
He also argued that exclusive mobile deals are not a problem for consumers who can watch TV shows online, download them from iTunes or buy the DVD.
"There are so many choices available to the consumer … that the fact that that content only available from one wireless provider has no impact," he said.
But O'Brien wondered out loud whether consumers will eventually end up having to buy Bell, Telus and Rogers subscriptions just to get the content they want.
John Lawford, counsel for the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, which speaks on behalf of consumers, said he thinks that is a potential problem.
"We need rules so that people don't get locked into services they may not really want … or that impede competition," he said.
Lawford added that he doesn't think someone should have to maintain wireless service with a certain provider just to get mobile access to hockey games.
"That's not a fair situation. It certainly doesn't help competition," he said.
Integration 'logical': CRTC chair
Earlier in the day, CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein took the stage at the conference for a public chat with conference co-chair Mark Goldberg.
Von Finckenstein said vertical integration is a "logical industry reaction" to convergence, in which companies merged businesses in telecommunications and broadcasting.
He said the upcoming CRTC hearing will answer questions about what it means for consumers and small independents. However, he added that he wants to see the data before determining if regulatory intervention is needed.
Whether new regulations are needed to maintain competition in the telecommunications realm was a recurring theme in the regulatory panel discussion, which also touched on usage-based internet billing, the upcoming federal auction of new wireless spectrum, and the issue of foreign investment.
Von Finckenstein said many proposed solutions to enhance competition are "too interventionist" and regulations should only be used as a last resort.
However, he does think revamping Canadian telecommunications and broadcasting regulations should be a priority.
"Have we got the most efficient setup, institutionally or legislatively? No, I think both sides are in need of reform."
Netflix CEO talks content and caps
BCE's takeover of CTV approved


More than 450 Chinese and European economic leaders and senior politicians will gather at the 8th "Hamburg Summit: China meets Europe" on November 26th and 27th. At a time of worsening trade conflict between the United States and China, their discussions will matter more than ever. Key notes and panels will discuss how to rebalance trade relations between China, Europe and the US. China has clearly set out its intention to become a world leader in digitization and innovation.
In 2015, Premier Li Keqiang launched "Made in China 2025," an ambitious policy drive to thoroughly modernize China's industrial base, which proposes replacing foreign technology with local innovation. How far has China gotten on this path?
By February 2017, the top-level policy design for Made in China 2025 was fully in place. Now, implementation is gaining momentum as authorities are putting words into action, though policies are still being fine-tuned for greater efficiency. Not all of the 10 core industries identified in the plan – among them robotics, energy-saving vehicles and IT, to name just a few – are being pursued with the same intensity. However, Chinese companies have already secured leading positions in emerging sectors, including Artificial Intelligence, the 5G telecommunications standard, and EV batteries. Backed by strong industrial policies, Chinese companies can quickly move into these areas and are already having a visible impact on global trends in innovation.
What are the most remarkable effects of the plan?
China has already begun to turn the tables in some emerging industries, including e-vehicles and EV batteries. Western companies are beginning to struggle to close technological gaps, not the other way around. But China is also well aware that it remains heavily reliant on foreign know-how and is taking this into account in setting priorities. This is the case particularly in the sector of enabling technologies such as semiconductors, which are crucial if China wants to be sustainably successful in emerging fields like autonomous driving or the build-up of smart city infrastructures.
With escalating trade conflict with the United States and growing pushback against ambitious industrial policies, China has, in recent months, toned down its assertive rhetoric about becoming the world's future tech leader. Is China giving in to foreign pressure?
The fact that they no longer mention Made in China 2025 prominently has no practical implications. Currently there is no indication that China has any intention of scaling back the implementation of its industrial policy. The goal of becoming less reliant on foreign technology and becoming a technological leader itself remains a national strategic target. Exposed vulnerabilities such as the threat by the United States to cut off ZTE, the Chinese telecommunications giant, from vital semiconductors have definitely strengthened China's resolve to become more self-reliant. There are strong indications that China is, in fact, doubling down on indigenous innovation.
The United States is taking a tough stance on China's innovation strategy. Just recently, the US Department of Commerce announced a review of export rules for vital components specific to, and needed for, emerging technologies. What does this mean for China?
The proposed export restrictions under consideration specifically aim at China's Achilles heel. Chinese high-tech industry remains highly dependent on core components such as advanced semiconductors, new materials, or sensors. Restrictions on access to key foreign technology would be a major obstacle to China's capacity to innovate. The timeline for building up competitive domestic companies in advanced sectors would be set back, and become costlier.
What should European businesses make of growing US-China trade tensions? Should they seek to cooperate more closely with China? Or become more cautious about preventing unwanted technology transfer to a country that is becoming a serious competitor, especially in innovative fields?
Many European companies share US concerns over technology transfers or even theft. This does not mean that all cooperation is a potential threat. But in fundamental areas such as basic research and the most advanced parts of the economy essential precautions to preserve long-term competitiveness must be taken. There is a serious risk that European companies get caught in the crossfire should the trade conflict between China and the United States escalate further.
You are welcome to use this interview or individual answers by stating the source.
Monday, November 26 at 4:30 pm, (location: "Albert-Schäfer-Saal"): Mikko Huotari, Deputy Director of MERICS, will participate in a panel discussion on "EU-China investment cooperation – from record flows to reciprocity?" He will discuss with Reinhard Bütikofer (Member of the European Parliament), Sun Yi (Head of China Business Services Germany, Switzerland and Austria; Ernst and Young, Germany), Zhou Yubo (Chairman of the China Reform Holdings Corporation) and Wang Jimin (Assistant to the General Manager of Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts). The panel will be moderated by Knut Engelmann of Kekst CNC.
Tuesday, November 27, 10 am, (location: "Plenarsaal"): Max J. Zenglein, Senior Economist at MERICS, and Junior Research Associate Anna Holzmann, will present their findings on the evolution of the "Made in China 2025" industrial strategy, to be published later as an in-depth study by MERICS. With the launch of Made in China 2025, the CCP set out to turn China into an innovative "manufacturing superpower," to gain greater independence from foreign high-tech products and to become a global leader in future technologies. The progress of "Made in China 2025" has begun to affect key technology developments and emerging industries globally. Europe is already feeling the heat of China's push for innovation.


My current computer is a MacBook Air, the mid-2011 version: 4 GB RAM, 1.7 GHz Intel dual core. It runs Mathematica 9 smoothly, but a bit too slowly for my taste. I use Mathematica almost exclusively for complicated graphics-intensive calculations, e.g., high-res animations of implicit surfaces (ContourPlot3D sees lots of action around here). Supposing that my main objective is an increase in Mathematica's speed (within the stated field of use), what things should I look for in a new computer?
I can sort of guess that I should go for the largest amount of RAM and the fastest CPU (and maybe GPU) within my budget. But what exactly is the relative importance of these factors? Given a choice between an expensive unit with very fast CPU and a moderate amount of RAM, and a cheap unit with moderately fast CPU and tons of RAM, which should I choose?
What kind of speed-up can I reasonably expect, going from Mathematica on my current computer to Mathematica on a newer (off-the-shelf) unit? Is it even worth the trouble and the money to buy a new computer for Mathematica?
Sorry if this question doesn't come across as the most intelligent question in the world, but I'm a bit of an airhead when hardware-related stuff is concerned.
So when you buy the second best processor which is already very very good, then buying the best one will probably cost you much much more, although the speed increase is not really noticeable. So when you have a fixed budget, you should keep this in mind because you probably can save some money at one place and spend it in another one, where the impact on the overall power of your system is higher.
When you do much with graphics, then you should definitely care about the graphics card. The rendering of 3d graphics is done with OpenGL and runs completely in the graphics card. Although the creation of the graphics doesn't! For me, the choice here was always simple because I started with NVidia when they introduced CUDA and used it ever since. OK, one time I was forced because the Apple guys switched to ATI once.
Graphics cards are expensive; they usually cost much more than your mainboard. The German NVidia page gives you a pretty good overview what the GeForce series cost. If you want to compare them, then look out for number of CUDA cores and how much RAM they have. Note that NVidia cards are usually built by others. So you will find the same card (say Geforce GTX 980) from different vendors like MSI, ASUS, Gainward, ZOTAC, etc. They can differ in some details. I usually use ASUS because I often use ASUS mainboards. But I guess this just like the belief in god and has not really an impact.
The second big pack comes as triple: CPU, RAM, Mainboard. This is because the mainboard needs to have the correct socket for the CPU, and CPU and mainboard need to support the RAM size and type you want. I usually start by deciding what CPU I want. Intel CPU's are my favorite for two reasons: When I program something in C/C++, then I use the Intel Compiler, which works best with their own CPU's. Additionally, Mathematica uses the Intel libraries for numerical algorithms too. Choosing the CPU is probably the hardest part, because there are zillion of different types and revisions which differ not only in the frequency and number of cores and threads, but additionally in things like L1/L2/L3 cache sizes, when they were build, etc... What you probably want is a quad-core (which has 8 hyperthreads). If your budget is high enough, you could look out for the i7 series. In my two year old pc I have a i7-2700K 3.5GHz x 8 which still rocks.
For the mainboards, I usually go for a gamer product because they often support features like overclocking. The important parts of a mainboard are the chipsets that do the work. I know that my Maximus IV Extreme-Z mainboard has an Intel chipset but whether this really is necessary, I have no idea.
If you choose RAM, then I would suggest at least 8GB. I'm doing data processing very often and I have to work with 3d data. With such stuff, you can fill a large amount of RAM very quickly. That is why I chose 32GB back then. Two points: (i) Usually, you don't need that much, but on the other hand (ii) even 32GB are sometimes not enough.
Regarding hard-drive: When your budget allows it, then buy 2 hard-drives. One SSD where you install the operating system and one big normal hard-drive for your data. You will be surprised what a difference this makes because one of the (often underestimated) bottlenecks is the transfer of data from the hard-drive to the RAM during startup.
As a final note: If you don't want to build your computer from pieces but rather like to buy a complete system, then just go for a good gamer pc. They usually have exactly the properties of a very good computer, because, well, they need to be power-horses to run today's games.
...which is helpful in justifying why I am asking for a new computer for Christmas.
After that I would rate RAM as important as Mathematica can easily consume a lot but that is probably more specific to the kind of data and problems one works on.
I have been using Mathematica on a Mac since late 2006 and have enjoyed the experience. Recently, I had my older Macbook Pro (mid 2009 model) replaced due to graphics card failure. Mathematica ran perfectly fine on the older hardware. I now have a 15" Macbook Pro with Intel Core i7, 2.8 GHz, 16 Gb RAM running Yosemite. I also have a NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M graphics card, because I use the Mathematica GPU capabilities quite a lot. I must say I like the performance on the new system.
Based on a comment made by @Mr.Wizard, I ran the benchmarks three more times using a single kernel and got the same result each time (2.22). I may not be answering @Mr.Wizard's question directly, because I will need to generate code to run tests for shorter durations and limited threads counts.
What should look for in a computer to render Mathematica graphics faster?
Does ParallelTable work with Co-Processors?
Benchmarking in V10.1.0 not showing the correct verision of Mathematica?
Can Mathematica poll the dimensions of the individual monitors of its host computer?
What CPU instruction set extensions does Mathematica support?
Does Mathematica need more memory or more cores in order to perform faster?


text:
Toyota Launches Auris Compact in Japan
on 25 October, 2006 at 11:53
Toyota Motor Corporation announced today the Japanese launch of the Auris, a strategic compact passenger vehicle for both Japan and Europe. In Japan, the Auris is available through "Netz" dealers nationwide; its European release is scheduled for the spring of 2007. The Auris name is derived from the English word "aura" meaning "a distinctive quality or atmosphere," which expresses the distinctive sense of presence of the vehicle. Created with "performance you can feel" as its development concept, the Toyota Auris is designed to transcend the conventional notion of a compact vehicle, with individuality and exceptional performance that convey its appeal the moment you see it, as well as when you get in and drive it.
A newly developed platform, new 1.8-liter engine and newly designed suspension provide outstanding vehicle performance and engaging driving pleasure, while also achieving balance between excellent maneuverability and a spacious, highly functional interior that rivals that of a medium-class vehicle. The Auris also boasts safety and environmental performance at the top levels of its class. With a monthly sale target of 3,000 units in Japan, the Toyota Auris is slated for Dealer launch on October 28 and 29, 2006 in Japan.
Samsung Electronics Licenses OneNAND to STMicroelectronics
KODAK KAI-16000 Image Sensor Offers Unsurpassed Image Quality and High Speed


text:
Former Dancing with the Stars champion part of Oscar-nominated film
Fri Mar 11, 2022 at 7:14pm ET
Nyle DiMarco and Peta Murgatroyd on Dancing with the Stars. Pic credit: ABC
Dancing with the Stars has a lot of great celebrities join the series each year.
Some of these are older established names, but other celebs go on to do even bigger things after competing on the show.
One of these is Dancing with the Stars Season 22 winner Nyle DiMarco.
Since winning the series, Nyle took part in producing a new short film that has since picked up an Oscar nomination.
DWTS' Nyle DiMarco nominated for an Oscar
Nyle DiMarco is a deaf activist whose native language is American Sign Language, although he can write in English.
He also brings a positive influence to the deaf community, as he does not consider it a disability, but an advantage in many ways. Nyle is a model and he has long said that he can communicate without needing to speak.
He also fights for deaf people to play deaf roles in movies and TV shows, and not have other actors pretend to be deaf for a move role.
This led to him starting the Nyle DiMarco Foundation in 2016 to help deaf children and their families.
This also led Nyle to help produce the movie Audible.
Audible takes people into the Maryland School for the Deaf, home to one of the country's championship high school football teams.
This short film picked up an Oscar nomination.
OUR AUDIBLE WAS NOMINATED!!!!!!!!! https://t.co/kXtxLarOAe
— Nyle DiMarco (@NyleDiMarco) February 8, 2022
"I think our initial goal with this documentary was to really show that deaf people are pretty much like anybody else, right? We have the same issues. We're all just trying to figure ourselves out, right?" Nyle said about the movie.
The short also showcases another student who transferred to a regular high school and died by suicide.
"It's a cautionary tale, in some ways, of what can go wrong when you don't include people and you bully people," director Matthew Ogens. "I don't want to speak for Teddy and say that was all that was going on in his life but, certainly, that was a part of it."
Who is Nyle DiMarco on Dancing with the Stars?
Nyle DiMarco competed on Dancing with the Stars in Season 22. His partner was Peta Murgatroyd.
This was difficult, as he was unable to hear the music while dancing and had to learn the steps by memory. He was the second deaf contestant, following Marlee Matlin.
Nyle went on to win it all, picking up six perfect scores along the way. He beat Paige VanZant in the finals.
Before this, Nyle also won Ameican's Next Top Model Season 22, as only the second male winner in this show's history.
Dancing with the Stars is on hiatus. The dancing reality competition series will return in late 2022 to ABC.
More: Dancing with the Stars


Wondering if anyone ever fishes Picnic Lake, near Edam. I see SERM still stocks it with Rainbows but last winter I went out there to have a look and talked to a old couple in a shack. They had a pale with a few Perch, but no trout. Wonder if it's a waste of time trying to catch Rainbows there.
Hey sandman, it's been a while since I've been there. I think the last time was the year before some a**holes put perch in it. Seems like about 5 years ago now. Another sad example of a great rainbow fishery that went south due to the introduction of perch. I heard rumours this year that SE may discontinue stocking it. Used to catch some beauty rainbows out of there. PB from Picnic was a big male just shy of 9 pounds. Had my best luck trolling spinners or slip bobbin in Sept/Oct.


It's an Eastern N.Carolina sauce made in South Carolina with a story – I love that.
When Big Ed, a long-time realtor in Allendale, SC, felt the strain of the recession, the family convened and decided to try to turn a little profit from something they knew and loved, and knew others would love to have at their tables. It quickly became available in five grocery stores in Allendale and Charleston SC and now they hope to gain additional visibility across the country.
The story of this delicious heirloom bbq sauce dates back to 1980 in Gifford, South Carolina. It was first produced in small, specialty batches at Big Ed's Barbecue Restaurant & Pigtail Hunt Camp deep in the heart of the South Carolina Lowcountry. The local gentlemen would gather around after days of hunting, family activities, & the like to tell stories while enjoying the delicious sauce and ice cold beverages. Good times, great friends & a savory heirloom barbecue sauce.
Today, Matthew Dukes Hanna, The Sauce Boss and son of Ed at Pigtail Brands, produces the sauce in batches with help from the entire family including his mom, dad, brother and sis.
I'm not a designer, but I can certainly appreciate a well-designed bottle of sauce. This 12 oz glass bottle welcomes you with a classic, vintage / country-western look and feel. The black and white label is cool and provides a great contrast against the rust colored contents.
The copywriting is confident but doesn't overpromise. It's getting off to a good start in my mind.
What's inside is a thin (i.e. watery) Eastern North Carolina style sauce (albeit from South Carolina) that's heavy on the apple-cider vinegary tang and black pepper. For me personally, I'm not a huge fan of the thin vinegary peppery sauces but after trying about 30 of em, I think I can say this is one of the better ones I've tried.
This thin kind of sauce (sometimes called a mop sauce) is best suited for pulled pork or potentially pulled chicken or other kinds of meat products that are left to bathe in a pool of liquid. Doesn't work well on classic backyard BBQ chicken or BBQ burgers – although with some basting and marination creativity, I'm sure there's a way you can get this sauce to work in the classic backyard set. It just takes a little more effort than a thicker sauce.
It's Gluten-free, Preservative-free, includes Worcestershire, and a ketchup with HFCS.
For folks who love "classic NC style sauce" meaning a thin vinegary/peppery "sauce" you'll love this. But if you are a fan of sauces like Sweet Baby Ray's and Stubbs and KC Masterpiece– then this is NOT the sauce for you.
Nice review ! I really love the visual identity, that's pro and clean and I'd love to test it !


The training for the Boiler Maker continues. I got myself a new pair of New Balance shoes that work great. My feet feel much better then they did after my last run. And I've also purchased a new app for my HP Pre 3, JogStats. I read the review on webOSNation and they had positive comments for the application. So I decided to dive right into it and download the application.
Immediately I found a feature that I've been wishing for since I started running with my phones (Samsung Galaxy S II or my HP Pre 3), a timer that will show the seconds while the screen is locked! It's so simple. I can just press the power button, see the time, and keep on running. I don't have to unlock the screen, wait for a app to catch up from the pervious time I looked at it, or possible get too distracted by the phone. That was the killer function for me. The app will also tell you your top speed, track your route via GPS and map it out, give you your mile time, average speed, and you can laps to see how you do with repeatable results. Once you have the results of your run, you can then post the time, distance, and pace to Twitter and/or Facebook very easily.
Right now I'm just running for time, not distance. But that'll change shortly and when I do this app will look even better because it'll show me my distance as well as the time. You combine this with Spotify, and you have a great running combo. And with webOS's notification at the bottom I can very easily see the time, distance, and what song is playing via Spotify.
If you are interested in trying the app, there is a free trial version you can download to your webOS device.
This entry was posted in Running and tagged Boiler Maker, Palm, Pre 3, running, Spotify, training, Utica, webOS. Bookmark the permalink.


Blue Mud is a Chicago based band that draws inspiration from classic twangy rock n' roll a la Crazy Horse, The Rolling Stones, and The Band. Originally started as a recording session between five long time friends and musicians, their shared love for similar acts made playing together organic and natural. After a few months of recording, they decided to take these songs to the stage. With stirring narratives and songs about life, love, and the road; Blue Mud produces guitar driven rock but is never afraid to explore other, sometimes darker sonic territories.


text:
Hey, you're not being asked to swing with 'em!
According to Penn Jillette, here, commenting on Indiana's supposedly anti-gay legislation:
These people are not being asked to engage in gay sex or even endorse gay sex. They're being asked to sell flowers and cake to people....Now, I'm a libertarian and an atheist, so I'm kind of fighting myself on this. I don't like the government involved with telling people what to do and I certainly want people to have religious freedom--because the only way that people who don't have religion are going to have freedom is if people who do have religion have freedom. But all the same, we have to be careful we don't get crazy in the hypotheticals. We are not talking about forcing people to engage in gay sex or even endorse gay sex. We're asking that maybe they can treat people the same as other people and that does not seem unreasonable. It's OK, I guess, but goofy to be against gays, but it's not OK to be against people who simply want to...use your services as a business.
Fair enough. They not being asked to engage in gay sex, or even endorse gay sex.
But now, what if instead of being asked to cater a gay wedding, one were asked to cater a swingers' party. (Note: It is irrelevant that swingers would likely not have their parties catered.) Could the same person who is not free to decline catering a gay wedding, decline to cater a swingers' party? Think of it: A caterer who caters a gay wedding because not to do so, by virtue of being discriminatory, would be illegal, can turn right round and refuse to cater a swingers' party. How could this be? After all, these people are not being asked to swing themselves. Moreover, they may not even see the swinging.
What if, nevertheless, a caterer has a religious-moral objection to the sort of activities in which swingers engage, the same sort of objections he or she may have to gay weddings? That is, it conflicts with the sexual ethics of one's worldview. Apparently, one's religious-moral objections to swinging would be an acceptable basis in the law for refusing a request to cater such an event, but those same objections to same-sex marriage would not justify turning down a request for catering services.
Remember: No one is asking a caterer to swing with the swingers. No one is even really asking that a caterer even see the swinging. No one is asking a caterer to approve of swinging. To paraphrase Jillette, caterers are only being asked that maybe they can treat people the same as other people. That doesn't seem unreasonable. It's perfectly fine, if not a little goofy to be against swingers, but it's not perfectly fine to be against people who simply want to...use your services as a business.
Needless to say, the same goes for a photographer or anyone else whose goods and services may be desired by the swingers, again with the stipulation that these purveyors would not be participating in or even seeing the swinging as it takes place.
All of this is less than academic because this furor isn't about rights or discrimination anyway. It's about other things.
I'm glad something like this can't happen here. ...
According to the Texas Court of Appeals, "nonmedi...
Jonathan Adler asks what it will take to convince ...
Unsettled Science? More scientists doubt salt is a...


text:
Robert Persse1
M, #117091, b. 24 June 1763, d. before 30 January 1850
Robert Persse was born on 24 June 1763 at Roxborough House, County Galway, IrelandG.2 He was the son of William Persse and Sarah Blakeney.2 He married Maria Wade, daughter of Samuel Wade and Catherine Davies, on 29 May 1801 at County Galway, IrelandG.2 He died before 30 January 1850 at Newcastle Lodge, County Galway, IrelandG.2
He held the office of High Sheriff of County Galway in 1814.3 He lived at Castleboy, County Galway, Ireland.3 He lived at Roxborough, County Galway, IrelandG.1
Children of Robert Persse and Maria Wade
Maria Helena Persse+1 d. 28 Aug 1899
Sarah Persse+4 d. 13 Nov 1841
Eliza Persse4
Catherine Persse4
Dudley Persse+4 b. 19 Feb 1802, d. 7 Sep 1878
Robert Henry Persse+3 b. 7 Dec 1806, d. 1884
William S. Persse+4 b. 15 Sep 1809, d. 10 Jun 1860
[S1042] Peter Wood, "re: Persse Family," e-mail message to Darryl Lundy, 2003 to 2021. Hereinafter cited as "re: Persse Family."
Maria Wade1
F, #117092, b. 21 January 1785, d. 29 November 1810
Maria Wade was born on 21 January 1785 at County Galway, IrelandG.2 She was the daughter of Samuel Wade and Catherine Davies.1,2 She married Robert Persse, son of William Persse and Sarah Blakeney, on 29 May 1801 at County Galway, IrelandG.2 She died on 29 November 1810 at age 25 at Roxborough House, County Galway, IrelandG.2
From 29 May 1801, her married name became Persse.2
Children of Maria Wade and Robert Persse
Samuel Wade1
M, #117093, b. 16 February 1748, d. 17 August 1826
Samuel Wade was born on 16 February 1748.2 He married Catherine Davies, daughter of Thomas Davies.2 He died on 17 August 1826 at age 78.2
He lived at Carrowmore, County Galway, Ireland.3 He lived at Fairfield, County Galway, IrelandG.1
Children of Samuel Wade and Catherine Davies
Maria Wade+1 b. 21 Jan 1785, d. 29 Nov 1810
Thomas Wade+2 b. 9 Mar 1787, d. 15 Jun 1879
Catherine Davies1
F, #117094, d. 25 August 1845
Catherine Davies was the daughter of Thomas Davies.2 She married Samuel Wade.2 She died on 25 August 1845.2
Her married name became Wade.2
Children of Catherine Davies and Samuel Wade
William Blakeney Persse1
M, #117095, b. after 1763, d. before 14 January 1841
William Blakeney Persse was born after 1763 at Roxborough House, County Galway, IrelandG.1 He was the son of William Persse and Sarah Blakeney.1,2 He married Anne Blood, daughter of Neptune Blood and Marianne Davies, on 25 May 1801.2,1 He died before 14 January 1841 at Athenry, County Galway, IrelandG.1
Children of William Blakeney Persse and Anne Blood
Sarah Persse+3
Anne Persse+
William Nicholas Persse+1 b. c 1802, d. b Jun 1863
Neptune Persse1 b. c 1804, d. 1878
John Blakeney Persse1 b. 2 Mar 1818
Elizabeth Persse1 b. 1819
Charlotte Maria Persse1 b. 22 Sep 1821
Anchoretta Maria Persse1 b. 4 Nov 1826
[S47] BIFR1976 Blood, page 150. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S47]
Anne Blood1
F, #117096, d. before 8 November 1841
Anne Blood was born at County Clare, IrelandG.2 She was the daughter of Neptune Blood and Marianne Davies.1 She married William Blakeney Persse, son of William Persse and Sarah Blakeney, on 25 May 1801.1,2 She died before 8 November 1841 at Athenry, County Galway, IrelandG.2
Children of Anne Blood and William Blakeney Persse
Neptune Blood1
M, #117097, b. circa 1752, d. 3 October 1797
Neptune Blood was born circa 1752.2 He was the son of William Blood and Ann Chadwick.2 He married Marianne Davies, daughter of Thomas Davies.2 He died on 3 October 1797, aged 45.2
He gained the rank of Ensign in 1769 in the 61st Regiment.2 He lived at Applevale, County Clare, IrelandG.1
Children of Neptune Blood and Marianne Davies
Charlotte Blood1
Neptune Blood2 d. 1863
Maria Blood2
Jane Blood2
Eliza Blood2
Anne Blood+2 d. b 8 Nov 1841
William Blood+2 b. 25 Feb 1784, d. 21 Jan 1831
Thomas Blood+2 b. 1785, d. 25 May 1847
Michael Blood+2 b. 10 Oct 1794
Frances Blood2 b. 1797, d. 9 Oct 1818
Marianne Davies1
F, #117098, d. 1 November 1837
Marianne Davies was the daughter of Thomas Davies.1 She married Neptune Blood, son of William Blood and Ann Chadwick.1 She died on 1 November 1837.1
Her married name became Blood.1
Children of Marianne Davies and Neptune Blood
Parsons Persse1
Parsons Persse was born at Roxborough House, County Galway, IrelandG.2 He was the son of William Persse and Sarah Blakeney.2
Henry Sadleir1
Henry Sadleir married Martha Moore in 1773.1
He lived at Sopwell Hall, County Tipperary, Ireland.2
Child of Henry Sadleir and Martha Moore
Anne Sadleir+1 b. bt 1773 - 1776, d. a 1851