text:
using IBM.WatsonDeveloperCloud.SpeechToText.v1;
using IBM.WatsonDeveloperCloud.SpeechToText.v1.Model;
using IBM.WatsonDeveloperCloud.SpeechToText.v1.Util;
using IBM.WatsonDeveloperCloud.Util;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.IO;
using System.Linq;
using System.Threading;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace IBM.WatsonDeveloperCloud.SpeechToText.v1.IntegrationTests
{
    [TestClass]
    public class SpeechToTextServiceIntegrationTest
    {
        private const string SESSION_STATUS_INITIALIZED = "initialized";
        private static string _username;
        private static string _password;
        private static string _endpoint;
        private static string _createdCustomizationID;
        private AutoResetEvent autoEvent = new AutoResetEvent(false);
        private static string credentials = string.Empty;
        private SpeechToTextService _speechToText;

        [TestInitialize]
        public void Setup()
        {

            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(credentials))
            {
                try
                {
                    credentials = Utility.SimpleGet(
                        Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("VCAP_URL"),
                        Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("VCAP_USERNAME"),
                        Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("VCAP_PASSWORD")).Result;
                }
                catch (Exception e)
                {
                    Console.WriteLine(string.Format("Failed to get credentials: {0}", e.Message));
                }

                Task.WaitAll();

                var vcapServices = JObject.Parse(credentials);
                _endpoint = vcapServices["speech_to_text"]["url"].Value<string>();
                _username = vcapServices["speech_to_text"]["username"].Value<string>();
                _password = vcapServices["speech_to_text"]["password"].Value<string>();
            }
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t00_GetModels_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            var results = _speechToText.GetModels();

            Assert.IsNotNull(results);
            Assert.IsNotNull(results.Models);
            Assert.IsTrue(results.Models.Count > 0);
            Assert.IsNotNull(results.Models.First().Name);
            Assert.IsNotNull(results.Models.First().SupportedFeatures);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t01_GetModel_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            string modelName = "en-US_NarrowbandModel";

            var results = _speechToText.GetModel(modelName);

            Assert.IsNotNull(results);
            Assert.IsNotNull(results.Name);
            Assert.IsNotNull(results.SupportedFeatures);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t02_CreateSession_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            string modelName = "en-US_NarrowbandModel";

            var model = _speechToText.GetModel(modelName);

            var result =
                _speechToText.CreateSession(model.Name);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
            Assert.IsNotNull(result.SessionId);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t03_GetSessionStatus_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            string modelName = "en-US_NarrowbandModel";

            var model = _speechToText.GetModel(modelName);

            var session =
                _speechToText.CreateSession(model.Name);

            var result =
                _speechToText.GetSessionStatus(session);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
            Assert.AreEqual(SESSION_STATUS_INITIALIZED, result.Session.State);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t04_Recognize_BodyContent_Sucess()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            FileStream audio =
                File.OpenRead(@"SpeechToTextTestData\test-audio.wav");

            var results =
                _speechToText.Recognize(audio.GetMediaTypeFromFile(), audio, "");

            Assert.IsNotNull(results);
            Assert.IsNotNull(results.Results);
            Assert.IsTrue(results.Results.Count > 0);
            Assert.IsTrue(results.Results.First().Alternatives.Count > 0);
            Assert.IsNotNull(results.Results.First().Alternatives.First().Transcript);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t05_Recognize_FormData_Sucess()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            FileStream audio =
                File.OpenRead(@"SpeechToTextTestData\test-audio.wav");

            var results =
                _speechToText.Recognize(audio.GetMediaTypeFromFile(),
                                  new Metadata()
                                  {
                                      PartContentType = audio.GetMediaTypeFromFile()
                                  },
                                  audio);

            Assert.IsNotNull(results);
            Assert.IsNotNull(results.Results);
            Assert.IsTrue(results.Results.Count > 0);
            Assert.IsTrue(results.Results.First().Alternatives.Count > 0);
            Assert.IsNotNull(results.Results.First().Alternatives.First().Transcript);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t06_Recognize_WithSession_BodyContent_Sucess()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            string modelName = "en-US_BroadbandModel";

            var session =
                _speechToText.CreateSession(modelName);

            FileStream audio =
                File.OpenRead(@"SpeechToTextTestData\test-audio.wav");

            var results =
                _speechToText.RecognizeWithSession(session.SessionId, audio.GetMediaTypeFromFile(), audio);

            Assert.IsNotNull(results);
            Assert.IsNotNull(results.Results);
            Assert.IsTrue(results.Results.Count > 0);
            Assert.IsTrue(results.Results.First().Alternatives.Count > 0);
            Assert.IsNotNull(results.Results.First().Alternatives.First().Transcript);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t07_Recognize_WithSession_FormData_Sucess()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            string modelName = "en-US_BroadbandModel";

            var session =
                _speechToText.CreateSession(modelName);

            FileStream audio =
                File.OpenRead(@"SpeechToTextTestData\test-audio.wav");

            var results =
                _speechToText.RecognizeWithSession(session.SessionId,
                                             audio.GetMediaTypeFromFile(),
                                             new Metadata()
                                             {
                                                 PartContentType = audio.GetMediaTypeFromFile()
                                             },
                                             audio);

            Assert.IsNotNull(results);
            Assert.IsNotNull(results.Results);
            Assert.IsTrue(results.Results.Count > 0);
            Assert.IsTrue(results.Results.First().Alternatives.Count > 0);
            Assert.IsNotNull(results.Results.First().Alternatives.First().Transcript);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t08_ObserveResult_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            string modelName = "en-US_BroadbandModel";

            var session =
                _speechToText.CreateSession(modelName);

            FileStream audio =
                File.OpenRead(@"SpeechToTextTestData\test-audio.wav");

            Metadata metadata = new Metadata()
            {
                PartContentType = audio.GetMediaTypeFromFile()
            };

            var taskObserveResult = Task.Factory.StartNew<List<SpeechRecognitionEvent>>(() =>
            {
                return _speechToText.ObserveResult(session.SessionId, interimResults: true);
            });

            taskObserveResult.ContinueWith((antecedent) =>
            {
                var results = antecedent.Result;

                Assert.IsNotNull(results);
                Assert.IsTrue(results.Count > 0);
                Assert.IsNotNull(results.First().Results);
                Assert.IsTrue(results.First().Results.Count > 0);
                Assert.IsTrue(results.First().Results.First().Alternatives.Count > 0);
                Assert.IsNotNull(results.First().Results.First().Alternatives.First().Transcript);
            });

            var taskRecognizeWithSession = Task.Factory.StartNew(() =>
            {
                _speechToText.RecognizeWithSession(session.SessionId, audio.GetMediaTypeFromFile(), metadata, audio, "chunked", modelName);
            });

            taskObserveResult.Wait();
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t09_CreateCustomModel_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            string modelName = "en-US_BroadbandModel";

            var customizationId =
                _speechToText.CreateCustomModel("model_test", modelName, "Test of Create Custom Model method");

            _createdCustomizationID = customizationId.CustomizationId;

            Assert.IsNotNull(customizationId);
            Assert.IsNotNull(customizationId.CustomizationId);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t10_AddCorpus_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
               new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customization =
                _createdCustomizationID;

            var body =
                File.OpenRead(@"SpeechToTextTestData\test-stt-corpus.txt");

            object result = _speechToText.AddCorpus(customization,
                              "stt_integration",
                              false,
                              body);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t11_TrainCustomModel_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customization =
                _createdCustomizationID;

            var result = _speechToText.TrainCustomModel(customization);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t12_WaitForTraining()
        {
            IsTrainingComplete();
            autoEvent.WaitOne();
            Assert.IsTrue(true);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t13_AddCustomWords_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
              new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            object result = _speechToText.AddCustomWords(_createdCustomizationID,
                                  new Words()
                                  {
                                      WordsProperty = new List<Word>()
                                      {
                                          new Word()
                                          {
                                             DisplayAs = "Watson",
                                             SoundsLike = new List<string>()
                                             {
                                                 "wat son"
                                             },
                                             WordProperty = "watson"
                                          },
                                          new Word()
                                          {
                                             DisplayAs = "C#",
                                             SoundsLike = new List<string>()
                                             {
                                                 "si sharp"
                                             },
                                             WordProperty = "csharp"
                                          },
                                           new Word()
                                          {
                                             DisplayAs = "SDK",
                                             SoundsLike = new List<string>()
                                             {
                                                 "S.D.K."
                                             },
                                             WordProperty = "sdk"
                                          }
                                      }
                                  });

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t14_TrainCustomModel_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customization =
                _createdCustomizationID;

            var result = _speechToText.TrainCustomModel(customization);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t15_WaitForTraining()
        {
            IsTrainingComplete();
            autoEvent.WaitOne();
            Assert.IsTrue(true);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t16_AddCustomWord_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
              new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customization =
                _createdCustomizationID;

            object result = _speechToText.AddCustomWord(customization,
                                  "social",
                                  new WordDefinition()
                                  {
                                      DisplayAs = "Social",
                                      SoundsLike = new List<string>()
                                             {
                                                 "so cial"
                                             }
                                  });

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t17_TrainCustomModel_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customization =
                _createdCustomizationID;

            var result = _speechToText.TrainCustomModel(customization);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t18_WaitForTraining()
        {
            IsTrainingComplete();
            autoEvent.WaitOne();
            Assert.IsTrue(true);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t19_ListCustomModels_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customizations =
                _speechToText.ListCustomModels();

            Assert.IsNotNull(customizations);
            Assert.IsNotNull(customizations.Customization);
            Assert.IsTrue(customizations.Customization.Count() > 0);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t20_ListCustomModel_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var result =
                _speechToText.ListCustomModel(_createdCustomizationID);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
            Assert.IsFalse(string.IsNullOrEmpty(result.CustomizationId));
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t21_ListCorpora_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
               new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customization =
                _createdCustomizationID;

            var corpora =
                _speechToText.ListCorpora(customization);

            Assert.IsNotNull(corpora);
            Assert.IsNotNull(corpora.CorporaProperty);
            Assert.IsTrue(corpora.CorporaProperty.Count() > 0);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t22_GetCorpus_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
              new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customization =
                _createdCustomizationID;

            var corpora =
                _speechToText.ListCorpora(customization);

            var corpus =
                _speechToText.GetCorpus(customization, corpora.CorporaProperty.First().Name);

            Assert.IsNotNull(corpus);
            Assert.IsNotNull(corpus.Name);
            Assert.AreEqual(corpora.CorporaProperty.First().Name, corpus.Name);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t23_ListCustomWords_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
              new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var words =
                _speechToText.ListCustomWords(_createdCustomizationID, null, null);

            Assert.IsNotNull(words);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t24_ListCustomWord_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
              new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customization =
                _createdCustomizationID;

            var words =
                _speechToText.ListCustomWords(customization, WordType.All, null);

            var word =
                _speechToText.ListCustomWord(customization, words.Words.First().Word);

            Assert.IsNotNull(word);
        }
        [TestMethod]
        public void t25_DeleteCustomWord_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
              new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customization =
                _createdCustomizationID;

            var words =
                _speechToText.ListCustomWords(customization, WordType.All, null);

            object result = _speechToText.DeleteCustomWord(customization, words.Words.First().Word);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t26_TrainCustomModel_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var result = _speechToText.TrainCustomModel(_createdCustomizationID);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t27_WaitForTraining()
        {
            IsTrainingComplete();
            autoEvent.WaitOne();
            Assert.IsTrue(true);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t28_DeleteCorpus_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
              new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customization =
                _createdCustomizationID;

            var corpora =
                _speechToText.ListCorpora(customization);

            var result = _speechToText.DeleteCorpus(customization, corpora.CorporaProperty.First().Name);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t29_ResetCustomModel_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customization =
                _createdCustomizationID;

            var result = _speechToText.ResetCustomModel(customization);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t30_UpgradeCustomModel_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customization =
                _createdCustomizationID;

            var result = _speechToText.UpgradeCustomModel(customization);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void t31_DeleteCustomModel_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var customization =
                _createdCustomizationID;

            object result = _speechToText.DeleteCustomModel(customization);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
        }

        //[TestMethod]
        public void t32_DeleteSession_Success()
        {
            _speechToText =
                new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);

            string modelName = "en-US_NarrowbandModel";

            var model = _speechToText.GetModel(modelName);

            var session =
                _speechToText.CreateSession(model.Name);

            object result = _speechToText.DeleteSession(session);

            Assert.IsNotNull(result);
        }

        private bool IsTrainingComplete()
        {
            _speechToText = new SpeechToTextService(_username, _password);
            _speechToText.Endpoint = _endpoint;

            var result = _speechToText.ListCustomModel(_createdCustomizationID);

            string status = result.Status.ToLower();
            Console.WriteLine(string.Format("Classifier status is {0}", status));

            if (status == "ready" || status == "available")
                autoEvent.Set();
            else
            {
                Task.Factory.StartNew(() =>
                {
                    System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(5000);
                    IsTrainingComplete();
                });
            }

            return result.Status.ToLower() == "ready";
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This paper describes a new architecture named Deep Convolutional Generative Networks (DCGAN) to make the training of Convolutional GANs more stable. Researchers give some guidelines for this architecture such as removing fully connected hidden layers for deeper architectures, using batch normalisation for both the generator and the discriminator, using ReLU in generator for all layers except the output layer, and LeakyReLU in the discriminator for all layers.
This paper presents an architecture with an improved stability of the optimization process of GANs named Wasserstein GAN (WGAN). With the help of WGAN, authors get rid of problems like mode collapse, and provide meaningful learning curves useful for debugging and hyperparameter searches. They use weight clipping to enforce a Lipschitz constraint, but we will see another technique in the next paper which will improve this part.
This paper finds that sometimes WGAN can lead to undesired behaviour like generating poor examples or failing to converge. This is due to the use of weight clipping mentioned in the paper above. In this work, researchers propose an alternative to weight clipping named gradient penalty. They refer to this architecture as WGAN-GP, and show that the performance of the WGAN improves greatly by the help of this technique.
This paper presents an important technique called Jacobian Clamping. With the help of this technique, the researchers provide evidence that there is a causal relationship between the conditioning of GAN generators and the "quality" of the models represented by those GAN generators.
Through this paper, authors introduce the two time-scale update rule (TTUR), which they have proved to converge to a stationary local Nash equilibrium.
In this paper, researchers propose a new weight normalization technique named spectral normalization which stabilizes the training of the discriminator. They refer to this new architecture as Spectrally Normalized Generative Adversarial Networks i.e. SN-GANs. With the help of this architecture, they generate examples that are much more diverse than the conventional weight normalization and achieve better or comparative inception scores.
With the help of this paper, researchers show that generalization property for GANs occur for a metric called neural net distance. Also, they show that an approximate pure equilibrium exists in the game between the discriminator and the generator for a special class of generators with natural training objectives when the capacity of the generator and the size of the training set are kept moderate.


'S e baile beag dùthchasail faisg air Inbhir Anainn, air an àirde an iar-dheas na h-Alba a th' ann an Achadh na h-Eaglaise (Beurla: Eaglesfield). Tha e suidhichte aig 77m os cionn ìre na mara, air an àirde an ear-dheas Dhùin Phris is Gall-Ghàidhealaibh (Siorrachd Dhùn Phris ro 1975), eadar Greatna agus Eaglais Fheichin, ri taobh an Uillt Eaglesfield. Tha e 242km air falbh bho Obar Dheathain, 112km bho Ghlaschu, 26km bhon Dùn Phris agus 99km bho Dhùn Èideann, prìomh-bhaile na dùthcha. Tha 691 duine a' fuireach an seo agus 's e Beurla a th' ann a' chiad chànain aig a' mhòr-chuid dhe na daoine ann an Eaglesfield. Tha Eaconomaidh a' bhaile gu math crochte air àiteachas. A bharrachd air sin, tha talla a' bhaile, oifis a' phuist agus taigh-seinnse anns a' bhaile. Taobh fhoghlaim, tha bun-sgoil ann ach feumar a dhol dhan àrd sgoil ann an Inbhir Anainn.
A rèir eòlaichean fhreumh-fhaclachd, 's e ainm dà-chànanach a th' ann an Eaglesfield: eglwys (eaglais) bho Chuimris agus Feld (achadh) bho shean Bheurla, a' toirt Achadh na h-Eaglaise dhuinn sa Ghàidhlig. Tha baile eile ann, thall an Sasainn agus thugadh luchd-stèidheachaidh an t-ainm sin airsan nuair a stèidhich iad e mu 1810. 'S ann gu math pailt a tha ainmean-àite ann an Cuimris neo dà-chànanach ann an ceann a deas na h-Alba.
Bha muinntir a' bhaile gu math tàcarach, is iad uile nam breabadairean, mus do nochd inneal a dhèanadh an dreuchd san 19mh Linn. 'S ann à Eaglesfield a bha am fear mu dheireadh a chaidh a chrochadh a-riamh ann an Dùn Phrìs: chaidh òganach air an robh Raibeirt Mac a' Ghobhainn a chur gu bàs ann an 1868, air casaidean mhurt agus èigneachaidh. B' e Thomasina Scott, a bha dìreach 11 bliadhna a dh'aois, na h-ìobairt. A-rèir carragh-chuimhne san sgìre, fhuair 46 duine à Eaglesfield bàs sa Chogadh Mhòr.
↑ "Dictionary Detail - Achadh na h-Eaglaise". Am Faclair Beag. Air a thogail 11mh dhen t-Samhain 2018.
Air a tharraing à "https://gd.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Achadh_na_h-Eaglaise&oldid=544155"
Chaidh an duilleag seo a dheasachadh 11 dhen t-Samhain 2018 aig 18:00 turas mu dheireadh.


text:
Venezuelan-American Pianist Gabriela Montero's Summer Season Takes Her Around Globe
Includes Debuts at San Francisco Symphony, Ravinia Festival, and Salzburg FestivalThe year 2009 has been a stellar and historic one for Gabriela Montero. It started on January 20 in Washington D.C. , when she performed with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, and clarinetist Anthony McGill to a worldwide audience at President Obama's inauguration. The excitement continues this summer as Montero makes debut performances at several of the world's most prestigious festivals and orchestras, with performances in North America, South America, and Europe . Known for her ability to dazzle audiences in both traditional concert repertoire and with her trademark improvisations, Montero is sure to impress in a plethora of varied programs. On Thursday, July 2, Montero makes her debut with the San Francisco Symphony. She will be the featured soloist in George Gershwin's beloved Rhapsody in Blue under the baton of James Gaffigan, in a concert of music by American composers. True to her…
Castleton Fetival Announces Two Recitals with Principal Players of the New York Philharmonic
Recitals by Principal Flute Robert Langevin, Principal Horn Phil Myers and Principal Oboe Liang Wang added to the inaugural Castleton Festival schedule of four Britten chamber opera and two orchestral concerts Festival Opens Friday July 3 with founder Lorin Maazel conducting a new production of The Turn of the Screw Two recitals featuring principal players of the New York Philharmonic have been added to the schedule of the first Castleton Festival which is being held in Rappahannock County , VA July 3-19. On Thursday, July 9 Principal Horn Phil Myers will be joined by Principal Oboe Liang Wang and Virginia Perry Lamb (piano) for a program featuring works by Telemann, Schuller, Piantoni, Britten, Piazzolla, Ravel and Reinecke. On Wednesday, July 15 Principal Flute Robert Langevin and pianist Nicholas Ong will perform a program of sonatas by Gaubert, Lowell Liebermann and Fauré. (Full program details below.) Unlike other Castleton Festival events that are being held on founder Lo…
Boston Symphony Orchestra Musicians begin First-Ever Relay run from Boston to Tanglewood - June 29
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Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Performs Music by John Williams
July 25th program at Oregon Ridge features scores from Star Wars, Harry Potter and moreBaltimore, Md. (June 25, 2009)— The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will end its 2009 summer season at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, Md. on Saturday, July 25 at 8:00 p.m. with music from Academy Award-winning composer John Williams. Guest conductor Steven Reineke will lead the BSO in a celebration of the great contemporary film composer featuring themes from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws and more. John Williams' widely successful career spans six decades. He has been the recipient of five Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and numerous Grammy Awards. Williams is most known for his film scores, in which he uses a leitmotif style to give characters individual theme songs. The two-note theme that indicates the shark in Jaws, for example, is almost universal in signifying danger. By composing the music for numerous blockbusters such as Superman, The Patriot and Harry Potter, Williams created some o…
Donald Runnicles Opens the 2009 Grand Teton Music Festival with Concerts on July 17 & 18
Runnicles Conducts Four Pairs of Concerts Over Four WeeksDonald Runnicles, who has been Music Director of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra since 2006, leads the first of four pairs of concerts he will conduct at Wyoming's 48th Grand Teton Music Festival on July 17 and 18. The Scottish conductor declares: "The virtuosity and power of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra are as breathtaking as the splendor of the Tetons themselves," continuing, "The Grand Teton Music Festival deserves to be a compulsory stop on any music lover's summer itinerary." Not least because of the region's stunning beauty, the Festival Orchestra of the Grand Teton Music Festival attracts musicians from top orchestras in the United States, Canada, and abroad. The San Francisco Festival Chorale joins the orchestra and a quartet of soloists – soprano Twyla Robinson, mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung, tenor Frank Lopardo, and bass Eric Owens – for Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 under Maestro Runnicles in …
Thomas Hampson's 2009 "Song of America " Project Celebrates the 250th Anniversary of the First American Song
Hampson Gives Twelve "Song of America " Recitals between July 2009 and February 2010 and Sings Orchestral Concerts with American Songs at Summer Festivals and with the New York Philharmonic On July 9, 2009 Thomas Hampson resumes the enthusiastically acclaimed "Song of America" project he developed with the Library of Congress and introduced in the 2005-06 season. This season's national celebration additionally commemorates the 250th anniversary of what is recognized to be the first song written by an "American" ("My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free", composed in 1759 by Philadelphian Francis Hopkinson). Drawing on the unparalleled collection of American songs housed at the Library of Congress, Hampson will present a unique series of recitals, educational activities, exhibitions, recordings, cybercasts and interactive online resources. Some recital venues will have lobby exhibitions of facsimiles from music archives of the Library, and joint efforts with local academic and cultural par…
Violinist/Conductor Nikolaj Znaider's Summer Is Whirlwind of Festival Dates
Beethoven in Cleveland (July 18), Brahms in Vail with New York Philharmonic (July 24), and Tchaikovsky in Salzburg With Vienna Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel (Aug 27 & 29)In Dresden, Znaider Will Play and Record Elgar's Violin Concerto – Now in its Centennial Season – Before Taking it on TourNikolaj Znaider – recently selected as the "Top Choice" in the July issue of Classic FM magazine's "Top Ten Violinists" feature – starts his summer in Dresden playing Sir Edward Elgar's magnificent violin concerto in both concerts and recording sessions with the Dresden Staatskapelle under Sir Colin Davis. Znaider is devoting a lot of time next season to honoring the centennial of the Elgar work, which was composed for and dedicated to the great Fritz Kreisler. Amazingly, Znaider will perform the concerto on the same instrument Kreisler played for the world premiere – a 1734 Guarneri "del Gesù" on loan from the VELUX Foundations and the Knud Hojgaard Foundation, and one of several instrume…
eighth blackbird bring signature performance of Steve Reich's Pulitzer Prize-winning Double Sextet
"With these blackbirds singing morning, noon, and in the dead of night, horizons could not but expand." – Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times blog, "Culture Monster"The fearless, Chicago-based, Grammy-winning sextet eighth blackbird brought its youthful exuberance, new-music pedigree, and singular chops to California's annual, cutting-edge Ojai Music Festival. It was only the second time an ensemble had curated the famous festival, and, according to Josef Woodard in the Santa Barbara Independent, this year's Ojai was "beautifully and creatively put together by the festival's 'music director,' cherished new music ensemble eighth blackbird." Woodard continued: "The four-day extravaganza managed to be a compact history of what's recent and where it came from. The festival began tranquilly on Thursday night, with the program 'Music for a Summer Evening,' featuring George Crumb's piece of the same name. It all ended in a happy über-tutti heap at the end of Sunday evening's feast-like five-h…
Previously Unreleased Recordings from Piano Legend Vladimir Horowitz
Monumental Traversals Of The Liszt Sonata And Mussorgsky's Pictures at an ExhibitionRecordings Taken From The Horowitz Papers At Yale University Available on June 30, 2009 Sony Masterworks expands the catalogue of its Carnegie Hall Presents series with a set of previously unreleased recordings by legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz, one of the most important performers of classical music in the twentieth century. The Sony Masterworks release of The Private Collection: Mussorgsky and Liszt makes these dazzling performances, previously held in the archives of Yale University as part of Horowitz's papers, available to the public for the first time on June 30, 2009. This release features performances of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, from April 2, 1948, and the Liszt Sonata, from March 21, 1949, both at Carnegie Hall. Two more Private Collection releases are scheduled for the fall and early 2010; they include music by Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Haydn, and Beethoven. In 1988, a ye…
Minnesota Orchestra appoints Toronto Architects KPMB to design renewal & expansion of Orchestra Hall
Orchestra announces $14 million raised to-date on $40 million project The Minnesota Orchestral Association (MOA) announced today that the award-winning Toronto studio Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB) has been appointed to design a renewal and expansion of Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis . Internationally celebrated for its design excellence, KPMB is known for its transformative designs across many cultural projects and renovations, ranging from Chicago's Goodman Theatre to Canada 's National Ballet School and the Royal Conservatory of Music. The renovation of Orchestra Hall will be directed by Bruce Kuwabara, design partner, and Marianne McKenna, partner-in-charge. The $40 million project to revitalize Orchestra Hall will focus on a dramatic reinvention of its public lobby spaces, a welcoming exterior that better connects the Hall to the vibrant city outside, a refreshed auditorium and updated backstage facilities. "We aspire to enhance all aspects of our…
"Partners in Time" the paradox of recording performance
Tasmin Little and John Lenehan join forces in "Partners in Time," a CD of rarely heard violin and piano pieces. The subtitle is "Bach to Bartok" because they've chosen a collection of pieces of varying styles and eras to give a marvelous sample of seldom performed gems. With such a wide variety of styles, there is something to appeal to pretty much everyone's taste.Tasmin's previous CD "Naked Violin" received rave reviews for its innovative approach, offering free downloads on the internet in an attempt to get other of these lesser known pieces heard by the general public. What a great idea. And this CD is filled with charming pieces you're not likely to hear on any other CD. The flow of music through the ages is a wonderful concept, twisting and turning with all the paradoxes of a time machine. The first track, a 20th century piece by Fritz Kreisler Praeludium and Allegro was originally pawned off as a work by Gaetano Pugnani, however (according to the liner notes) Fritz did th…
Günther Herbig Leads Baltimore Symphony in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, July 23-24
Internationally renowned conductor Günther Herbig will lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, "Choral," July 23 at the Music Center at Strathmore at 8:00 p.m. and July 24 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall at 7:30 p.m. These concerts will feature soprano Heidi Stober, mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor, tenor Gordon Gietz and baritone Stephen Powell. This program will conclude the BSO's 2009 Summer Nights season at the Meyerhoff and Strathmore. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is among the most recognizable works in the classical canon. Since the composer was already completely deaf, the theatre's music director, Michael Umlauf, conducted alongside Beethoven on the podium for its premiere in 1824. Because the musicians followed Umlauf's count, Beethoven was still fervently conducting when the orchestra finished the piece, leading one of the musicians to turn him around to see the audience's standing ovation. The Ninth Symp…
Chorus Auditions for OperaColorado 2009-2010 Season
Season includes The Tales of Hoffmann, The Barber of Seville, and ToscaDENVER, CO—Opera Colorado will be holding auditions for chorus members on Sunday, August 30th from 11 am to 4 pm at the Robert and Judi Newman Center for Theatre Education in the Historic Tramway Building. Opera Colorado will be auditioning mezzo-soprano, tenor and bass voice types only. Applicants who are being considered will be contacted and given an audition time."The chorus is a strong part of each of Opera Colorado's productions. So many chorus members find the experience rewarding, especially the opportunity to work with acclaimed directors such as Ron Daniels and David Gately as well as singers such as Sondra Radvanovsky." - General Director Greg Carpenter Interested parties should e-mail their resume by August 14 to George Twombly, Artistic Administrator, at gtwombly@operacolorado.org. More details can be found at OperaColorado.org.CHORUS AUDITIONS
DATE: Sunday, August 30th
TIME: Auditions …
"Intimate Letters" letter perfect
Precise melodic movement is perhaps the best way to describe the Emerson String Quartet's latest album "Intimate Letters" – two string quartets by Leoš Janácek and Three Madrigals for Violin and Viola by Bohuslav Martinů. Beyond being some of the most unique melodic music of the early 20th century, the performances by the Eugene Drucker, Philip Setzer, Lawrence Dutton and David Finckel make this new release an absolute joy from start to finish. The intricate, faultless ensemble playing yet again verifies the Emerson String Quartet as the premiere string quartet today. The opening piece is Janácek's String Quartet no. 1, written in 1923 (in just over two weeks). In the opening movement, there are numerous sections where the motivic motion of the piece is transferred from one instrument to another. While the tenor and placement of the instrument in the recording is different (allowing the clear identification of each of the four instruments), the technique by the performers is so s…
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Performs The Magical Music of Disney
Big screen images accompany musical selections from Disney classicsThe Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will perform musical selections from Disney favorites on Thursday, July 16 at 8:00 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore and Friday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Guest conductor Steven Reineke will lead the BSO in music from Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Mary Poppins and other Disney classics while images from these movies are projected on a screen above the orchestra. Added features to Friday's Meyerhoff performance include summer concessions and a costume parade. Patrons can also come early to enjoy Artscape, a free arts festival on the streets surrounding the Hall. Patrons are also encouraged to dress up as their favorite Disney characters and participate in the Disney costume parade inside the lobby. Grilled summer favorites will be available for purchase. Tickets for children aged 6-16 are half-price for both venues. Steven…
Anna Netrebko Sings Her First U.S. Performances as Violetta in La Traviata
She Returns to San Francisco Opera June 13Feature Film Version of La Bohème, starring Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón, Comes to Theaters Across America in SeptemberOn June 13, Anna Netrebko returns to San Francisco Opera – where she made her US debut in 1995 in Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila – to sing her first U.S. performances as Violetta Valery in Verdi's La traviata. Maestro Donald Runnicles, a longtime colleague of Netrebko's, conducts in his final production as Music Director of the San Francisco Opera. It has been five years since the Russian soprano last performed with the company, where she was once a young artist in the Merola Opera Program. Opera fans will recall her portrayal of the Verdi heroine in the internationally acclaimed 2005 Salzburg Festival production by Willy Decker, which is available on DVD and on CD in both highlights and full-length versions (the latter of which received a Grammy nomination in 2006). San Francisco Opera's Marta Domingo production of…
Enjoy the Summer with London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra's 08/09 season is all but over, and while you can catch the players later this summer at Glyndebourne Festival Opera performing such treats as Dvorak's Rusalka and Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, you can still enjoy music in London during the summer before the 2009/10 season starts on Friday 25 September. Spitalfields Music Summer Festival: 7-19 June 2009
This year's Summer Festival features the Royal Academy of Music, Schubert Ensemble, The Tallis Scholars, Early Opera Company and includes a jazz tinged Sunday afternoon at Wilton's Music Hall, a Family Fun Day at Ideas Store, Whitechapel and free concerts and events in Spitalfields Market. Musicians from the Royal Academy of Music
Thursday 18 June | 7.00-10.00pm
at Christ Church, SpitalfieldsEarly Opera Company
Friday 19 June | 8.00-10.00pm
at Christ Church, Spitalfields
Death of Edinburgh-based composer Edward Harper prompts change in programme
Following the sad news of the death of Edinburgh-based composer Edward Harper in April, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra can now confirm that it will perform his Second Symphony in place of Symphony No 3, which was unfinished at the time of his death. Symphony No 3 'Homage to Robert Burns' was scheduled to receive its world premiere as part of the Orchestra's 'Homecoming' concert in Glasgow City Halls on 27 November, to be performed again the following evening in Edinburgh's Queen's Hall.Harper's Symphony No 2 was premiered by the Orchestra in October 2006, recorded for Edinburgh's independent classical music label, Delphian, in the summer of 2007 and released on CD in March 2008. The concerts in November will be the first live performances of the full symphony, as the first movement of Symphony No 2 was incomplete when the Orchestra premiered the work in October 2006. The full work was recorded once the first movement had been completed.Symphony No 2 will be performed in a 'Homecoming…
Buzz Aldrin joins Boston Pops Tonight for Special Concert Celebrating 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
Aldrin to Narrate Special Version of Gustav Holst's "The Planets," Accompanied by video montage featuring footage from NASA and European Space Agencies.As part of a special celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin joins Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops to narrate a special rendition of Gustav Holst's The Planets tonight at 8 p.m. in Symphony Hall. The narration will accompany a video suite produced by Dr. José Francisco Salgado, which integrates awe-inspiring NASA and European Space Agency footage with historical illustrations from the Adler Planetarium's Collection of Works on Paper. This evening is part of MIT's Giant Leaps Symposium that will bring together many of the leaders of the Apollo mission to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. For more information about the symposium visit http://apollo40.mit.edu/symposium/agenda.html.
Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony Premiere 2nd Season of "Keeping Score" PBS Television Series in October
The Keeping Score Project Also Features Expanded Interactive Companion Web Site, National Radio Series, Home Video on DVD and Blu-Ray, and K-12 Education Program The San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas premiere the second season of the Keeping Score television series on PBS in October 2009 (check local listings). Keeping Score is the San Francisco Symphony's national project to make classical music more accessible and meaningful to people of all ages and musical backgrounds, and a key component of its almost century-long history of music education. More than five million viewers tuned into the first season of Keeping Score on PBS in November 2006 with episodes on Ludwig van Beethoven, Igor Stravinsky, and Aaron Copland. Keeping Score Season 2 features three new programs that explore the music and stories behind Hector Berlioz's symphonic love letter Symphonie fantastique; Charles Ives's sonic portrait of New England in his Holidays Symphony; and Dmitri Shostakovich's Sym…
Grammy Award-Winning Pianist Yefim "Fima" Bronfman has busy Summer Schedule
Opens Tanglewood (JULY 3), Ravinia (JULY 7) and Saratoga (AUG. 5), and is Artist Étoile at Lucerne Festival"A marvel of digital dexterity, warmly romantic sentiment and jaw-dropping bravura" – Chicago TribuneThe Grammy Award-winning pianist Yefim "Fima" Bronfman is set to embark on a juggernaut tour of American and European music festivals this summer. The beloved pianist has been chosen as the opening soloist for the Tanglewood (July 3), Ravinia (July 7) and Saratoga (August 5) festivals, and as Artist Étoile for the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland . Bronfman will also appear at Waldbühne for a televised concert with the Berlin Philharmonic (June 21), and on tour in Europe with conductor/composer Esa-Pekka Salonen for performances of his Piano Concerto, which was written for Bronfman. "This is a summer that I have been planning and looking forward to for a long time," the pianist comments. "I will be visiting top festivals around the world and collaborating with many of my favorite c…
Walden School Announces 2009 Festival Concert Series
JUNE 30 – AUGUST 7Composers-in-Residence Joan Tower and Stephen Jaffe Lead Composers Forums
Approximately 100 "First Performances" Presented By Young Composers Over Five-Week Summer Festival The Walden School 2009 Festival Concert Series features 16 public events presented free of charge June 30 through August 7. Musical compositions and presentations by Composers-in-Residence Joan Tower and Stephen Jaffe are featured alongside world premiere compositions by Walden students and faculty members. The Festival Concert Series is highlighted by distinguished guest artists including the Brooklyn-based M Shanghai String Band, led by Matt Schickele; contemporary music ensemble and composers collective Wet Ink, who will present 8 world premieres by emerging composers; folk music trio Cross Country; preeminent organist and alumnus John Weaver; The Walden School Players, featuring contemporary music performers Claire Chase, Peter Evans, Nathan Davis, Meighan Stoops, Jane Chung, Greg Hesselink a…
Marin Alsop Renews Contract for Five Years with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra today announced Music Director Marin Alsop will continue her commitment to the Orchestra with the signing of a five-year contract that extends from September 2010 to August 2015. Maestra Alsop, who began her acclaimed tenure as the Orchestra's 12th music director in September 2007, has been recognized nationally and internationally for her innovative programming, multiple new recordings with the BSO and her efforts in community outreach and education, most notably the creation of OrchKids, a new after-school instrumental instruction program in West Baltimore modeled after Venezuela's El Sistema.Upon signing the contract, Marin Alsop commented, "My work so far with the Baltimore Symphony has been the thrill of a lifetime. Our progress over the past two seasons is the epitome of collaboration. The dedication and talent of the BSO musicians, the business oversight and support from the board, the vision and unbridled energy from our management and staff, …
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eighth blackbird bring signature performance of St...
Previously Unreleased Recordings from Piano Legend...
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"Partners in Time" the paradox of recording perfor...
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A new firmware update is available for the Pioneer XDP-100 portable digital audio player. The new microprogram allows users to extend the DAP's capacities in order to listen at higher volumes. Once the update is launched, simply open the Settings menu, choose ?Sound and Notifications? and activate the ?Variable Line Output? mode. The device will automatically reboot to take the new settings into account. If you haven't yet familiarized yourself with this DAP, we invite you to read our review of the Pioneer XDP-100.
Next articleThe legendary Technics SL-1200 is back!


John is very familiar with the Dave Ramsey Philosophy of Investing. He is SmartVestor advertising program participant. His marketing area includes Lubbock and most of West Texas, and the Clovis, NM area.
* Completely follows Dave's "Buy Term Insurance and invest in Mutual Fund Roth IRA's"
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A recessed holder may be superior solution for smaller powder rooms which don't have a lot of additional room for more decorative alternatives. A toilet paper holder is a critical bit of bathroom hardware which most people typically don't provide another thought to unless it stops working. Most toilet paper holders are made from metal, and are offered in a variety of unique materials and finishes.
Do not throw used materials such as toilet paper as you desire. If you're looking for the toilet paper for your residence or office, there are some things I want to apprise you of, which are as follows. The toilet paper comes with a distinctive, novelty design that's producible in various versions. The ideal novelty toilet paper to provide someone is dependent on the occasion. Anyway, GreenX papers are somewhat tough so they don't tear easily and thus can be utilised to absorb a good deal for a lengthier time period. The novelty paper is an excellent means to tease your republican pals.
Rice paper is quite porous and a superb means to soak up excess oils. It is created using different parts of the rice plant, such as the pith and boughs. Another approach to dispensing the paper doesn't use a roll in the slightest. Virgin paper is created of wood pulp. Misplacing the soiled paper can result in a severe faux pas, irrespective of culture. Blotting paper is intended to soak up excess liquids like ink and oils. Reading about different ingredients may help you select which sort of paper is best for you, or even help you create blotting paper in your own house to spend less.
In an ordinary bidet setup, the bidet is put very near the toilet to promote easy cleaning. Before you leave the toilet, make certain it is clean enough to be employed by another individual. Moreover, when you use the toilet, it is essential that you use the flush. It's toooooo funny whenever someone comes over to utilize your bathroom! Staging consists of arranging the rooms of your house in their best possible light to turn your house more attractive to prospective buyers. When you enter the stall, make certain that the door is latched properly and that it's not going to open accidentally. The conventional wall mounted holder can likewise be found in a diverse variety of fashions and metallic finishes.
The perfect supplies are required for any office to operate smoothly. The production of toilet paper is a big industry. It's unknown if the item will be returning to the website. If you get a damaged product, just tell us and you're going to find a refund. In today's period the usage of paper took another form. In many European countries today, the usage of toilet paper is deemed dirty and unhygienic. An individual should immediately discontinue the usage of local anesthetics, in the event the symptoms worsen after their application.
To continue to keep mice out, you've got to consider all small holes. You might not find any obvious holes instantly, but should you see light, that could be one of several spots you should deal with to keep out mice. If you opt to obtain double rolls or larger, check to find out whether the roll will fit on your present toilet paper holder. Cut out a sheet of sand paper so that it's big enough to cover the toilet paper roll.


What Is New For 2019 Honda Accord ? – what is new for 2019 honda accord, . Following experiencing a total upgrade in 2018 that incorporated an all-new seem, new powertrain choices, and a large body weight decrease, the what is new for 2019 honda accord will strike showrooms as a carryover model.
2019 Honda Accord – Everything You Ever Wanted To See / All-New | What Is New For 2019 Honda Accord ?
What Will The what is new for 2019 honda accord Changes Look Like?
The newly designed 2018 Honda Accord was a large success with customers, so Honda selected to not effect a single point on the 2019 Accord's body. It persists with the exact same daring front-end with the bright grille put that expands the size of the hood, its common LED front lights, and racked coupe-like rear window.
Safety is the new hot option as of delayed, and the what is new for 2019 honda accord will continue with the exact same variety of regular innovative safety features it experienced in its very first year. Such as automatic emergency braking, street-leaving mitigation, ahead accidents alert, lane-leaving alert, lane-maintain help, adaptive cruise control, traffic-indicator identification, and auto substantial-ray front lights. Clients who want a lot more safety could get blind-spot tracking with rear cross-traffic alert normal in EX and better trims.
2019 Honda Accord Rear Photos | Auto Car Rumors | What Is New For 2019 Honda Accord ?
Even though the established scores are not out nevertheless for the 2019 Honda Accord, we assume it to keep its IIHS Top Safety Pick score. The only stumble retaining the Accord from Top Safety Pick reputation are its front lights, which gotten only an "Acceptable" status.
Inside of, the Accord's roomier interior also stays the identical and consistently offer accessible premium features, such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, an 8-inch touchscreen, 4G LTE Wi-Fi, and leather.
Some of the largest changes the new-technology Accord underwent were actually beneath its hood, which region remains to be the very same in the what is new for 2019 honda accord. It moves in offering a common 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that injects 192 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. Most 1.5-liter-loaded 2019 Accords can come normal with a continuously variable transmission, but the Sport model comes along with the extra handle of a regular brief-toss six-speed manual transmission.
The optionally available powerplant continues to be a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that cranks out 252 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque. The Accord Sport with the 2.0-liter has a common quick-chuck six-speed manual or even an optionally available 10-speed automatic transmission. Other 2.0-outfitted 2019 Accords offer a regular 10-speed automatic gearbox.
2019 Honda Accord Specs New 2019 – Youtube | What Is New For 2019 Honda Accord ?
Purchasers seeking extra thrift can select the 2019 Accord Hybrid, which notices its powertrain bring more than unaffected. Including a 2.0-liter i-VTEC engine that creates 143 hp and 129 lb-ft of torque associated with an electric motor that pumping systems in 181 hp and 232 lb-ft of torque. This powertrain functions its miracle to the track of 212 full hp and 48 mpg over the table.
When Do what is new for 2019 honda accord Come Out?
2019 Honda Accord Changes 2019 – Youtube | What Is New For 2019 Honda Accord ?
How Much Is what is new for 2019 honda accord Price?
Rates range from $24,615 to $36,845 (vacation spot service fees incorporated). The 2019 Accord Hybrid is available too, and its costs commence from $26,215 and leading out at $35,885 (location costs integrated).
Ivory. What Is New For 2019 Honda Accord ?


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King Hulk Is Exclusive from Sideshow Collectibles
hulk, Marvel Comics, Sideshow Collectibles, World War Hulk
Sideshow Collectibles previously released a Gladiator Hulk as part of their Marvel premium format figure line. Now they're presenting a new variation as a Sideshow exclusive: King Hulk! Inspired by the World War Hulk storyline, this green goliath
Marvel to Relaunch Hulk in April
hulk, Mark Waid, Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics has been restarting all of their key comic series with new #1 issues over the past few years as part of their Marvel Now initiative. The Avengers and The X-Men have gotten their resets, and the Hulk is now on deck. The green goliath will
Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Trailer
hulk, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Marvel Comics
Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. is Marvel's new Hulk-centric animated series, and it will be debuting on Disney XD on August 11. The show assembles a new team consisting of the classic Hulk, Red Hulk, A-Bomb, She Hulk, and Skaar, and it looks
Top 5 Comic Book Couples
Nikki Day
Aquaman, comics-, hulk, Lists, stormwatch, The Avengers, Valentine's Day, x-men
Since it's almost Valentine's Day, I thought it'd be nice to show a little love to comic book couples! Since there are so many, I've narrowed it down to five of my favorites. Since this is a list of personal favorites, I'd love to hear what everyone
Fan Art Friday: The Avengers
Agent Coulson, Black Widow, captain america, Hawkeye, hulk, iron man, Loki, nick fury, The Avengers, thor
Given that Marvel's biggest blockbuster is opening in theaters today, it should be no surprise that this week's Fan Art Friday is all about the Avengers!
Fan Art Friday: Crazy Crossovers
Agatha Christie, Alice in Wonderland, Aliens, army of darkness, Assassin's Creed, bioshock, buffy the vampire slayer, Dead Rising, futurama, Half-Life, Halo, hellboy, hulk, indiana jones, left 4 dead, prince of persia, Splinter Cell, star wars, thor, x-men
This week's Fan Art Friday doesn't focus on one fandom or character in particular. Instead it's a celebration of fans' creativity when they throw their fandoms together to create some unexpected crossovers!
Comic Preview: The Marvels Project #1
Summer Suzuki
captain america, comics-, hulk, Marvel Comics, nick fury, Reviews
Marvel's bringing it back to the beginning for the company's 70th anniversary with The Marvels Project, and they were kind enough to give Fandomania a preview! With Ed Brubaker writing and Steve Epting and Dave Stewart handling the art, this series
Review: Hulk: Raging Thunder
comics-, hulk, Marvel Comics, Reviews
The Incredible Hulk is hitting theaters this weekend, and Marvel has chosen an opportune time to unleash several new Hulk spinoff and one-shot comics. Here's a review (with spoilers) of Hulk: Raging Thunder, a new one-shot featuring the long
Incredible Hulk: New Trailer Online
hulk, Marvel Comics, movies-, trailers
The new trailer for The Incredible Hulk is online, and it actually looks like a lot of fun. I'm not the biggest fan of the way the Hulk looks in the movie, but the action looks video-game-great. Check it out: Link


I know nobody wants to use the 'C word' in October, but just by stepping into your local supermarket or garden centre you will know that the time when the 'C word' can be used is fast upon us and that's because Christmas is fast approaching and whether you are a shop on the high street or an online business you need to start thinking about your email marketing for the festive season.
Think about a promotional schedule which needs to include last minute sales that will guarantee delivery before Christmas but you may want to think about sales and offers for Black Friday and Cyber Monday too. These special days don't need to be just for products, but for your services too as some business will have less available funds at Christmas.
Engage with your social media connections too and not just by selling at them, this could be through a Christmas competition. If you sell products the give a product away, if not then why not give away your service and a Christmas Hamper or a box of chocolates – these sorts of things look 'fun' in your social media, as opposed to a picture of your service?
Use your newsletters to share events that you are running, whether you are having neighbours and clients into your office for mulled wine and mince pies or you would like to invite them to a Christmas themed networking event you are attending. During the festive period many businesses will be quieter so why not take this chance to arrange an event and catch up with them?
Create a list of loyal / favourite customers and spread the festive cheer – whether this is a newsletter wishing them a Happy Christmas with a special offer, or sending them a card and gift in the post make sure you spread the festive cheer and make your customers feel special.
If you are selling products and know you'll be busier round Christmas make sure you can provide what you are offering via email marketing and make your shipping dates and shipping policies very clear so nobody is left feeling let down.
If you need help with your email marketing over the Christmas period, or in preparation for the Christmas period then let us know, we would be only too happy to help with your newsletter creation and newsletter content.


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This topic contains 3 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by Harpreet Singh 3 years, 4 months ago.
I am planning to buy a new phone this diwali, My budget is limited to 10,000. Please suggest me a good phone with latest technology in this range.
Sony Xperia M2 is best phone at this range , you can buy as it has all latest technology with it.
Samsung Galaxy J5 is currently the best phone to buy under 10,000 price tag.


text:
"Daemon" and the self-publishing question
Oh, noes!
I couldn't help but notice an article in yesterday's USA Today about the self-published thriller "Daemon." (Ever notice how it's awkward to talk about "USA Today" in anything other than the present tense? I hate that.) You can't tell from the on-line edition, but the story is pitched in the print edition using somewhat more colorful language.
From the front-page sidebar: "Daniel Suarez's self published techno-thriller, a hit, nets a two-book contract with Dutton."
And the sub-title on the article: "Web makes hit of internet tale."
Interestingly, the attention-getting word "hit" doesn't appear anywhere in the on-line version.
You can read the article yourself, but the gist is that Daniel Suarez (writing under the pseudonym Leinad Zerauz, which is Daniel Suarez backwards, in case you didn't figure that out) produced a high-tech thriller which he tried unsuccessfully to market to conventional publishers. He then went the self-publishing route, promoting the book through bloggers and on-line pundits to achieve enough success to interest a major publisher. The book sold on a two-book contract, and movie rights have been optioned a major player.
Unfortunately, I think a lot of people are going to see exactly three words out of this article: self published and hit.
As you know, in past posts (here and here) I've thrown my share of muck recently at the whole idea of self-publishing, so I was curious as to the facts here.
In a way, I anticipated this in my first post on the subject. Without making you go back to read it, here's what I had to say about it at the time:
The whole vanity publishing thing is like Dracula. You think you've got it staked real good, and it just keeps popping out of the grave. It doesn't help that every now and then you hear (usually a lot, because it makes a good story) about the exceptions to the rule, the self-published books that went on to great success, that were picked up by major publishers, and in a few cases, even turned into New York Times best-sellers.
I shake my head every time I hear one of these, because they are rare exceptions, because most of them would have sold through conventional means if the author had only been a little smarter about it, and because I know it's the nature of would-be writers to treat any crumb of false-hope like the all-you-can-eat buffet at the Rio.
Just because somebody won 40 million in the Powerball doesn't mean you should invest your life savings in lottery tickets.
It still leaves questions though. If Daemon is an exception, what kind of exception is it? It is a fluke, or the vanguard of some new trend? Does it change in any way the basic issues of self-publishing? What can we learn from it?
Like I said, to figure that out, I needed facts, and USA Today was notably light on those. At least the kind of background information that I'd need to make any judgments about about how Daemon came to be. Fortunately, it did mention a Wired article that helped bring the book into prominence, and that was easy to find on-line. Not surprisingly, the Wired piece (read it here) has some more meat on its factual bones, enough to develop some more informed opinions about the situation.
First question: What efforts did Suarez make to place his book initially with a conventional publisher?
According to the Wired piece, his effort weren't minimal, but they were probably less than exhaustive. He submitted to "dozens" of agents. That's a little vague, but I'd say it's probably not close to or over a hundred, or they would have said "nearly a hundred," or "over a hundred" or "hundreds." My gut feeling is we're talking a couple of dozen here, though that's only a guess.
In any case, a quick search for "general fiction" agents on Publisher's Marketplace turned up 233 pages (some of which might be agencies with multiple agents). Not all of those are going to handle thrillers, but I think it's reasonably safe to say that Suarez ran out of patience before he ran out of agents.
Of the number he did submit to, he reports that "three read it." Unless he received several-dozens-minus-three letters telling him that they didn't read it, I suspect what this means is, he got three responses. Lack of response doesn't necessarily mean lack of consideration. Sad but true, in the publishing world, no response is simply another way of saying "no." Of the three that did respond, he reports that one said it was "too long" (I don't see any mention of how long the book actually is) and the other two that it was "too complex."
The article doesn't tell us if those responses were of the "get lost" variety or if maybe they were suggesting a rewrite to correct what the agents (correctly or not) perceived to be legitimate marketing problems, of if they were saying "close, what else have you got?"
Frankly, it's often difficult, even for those of us who have been in the business a while, to read past the "does not meet our needs" part of a rejection letter for the editor or agent's actual intent, so it's highly possible that Suarez wouldn't have known the difference anyway.
Let's look at the options that Suarez apparently didn't take in marketing Daemon.
He apparently didn't keep submitting till he ran out of agents.
He didn't rewrite the book to respond to the agent's marketing concerns.
Okay, I'm not saying he should have rewritten the book at this point, just that it was an option.
My gut sense is that this was a good call. Start rewriting when you're out of marketing options. I'm also guessing that the "too complex" comments were way off base. The "too long" comment could have been fundamentally right though, even if the book has now sold at the longer length. This is guesswork, of course. I don't know how long it is. But since thrillers are often big books anyway, I'm guessing that this is really, really long. Overly long books are a harder sell. Maybe this book needs to be this long, but I'll just bet it could be tightened (and one wonders if that will happen by the time the print edition comes out).
Okay, and the third thing he apparently didn't do: He didn't submit the book directly to publishers. It's a totally fallacy that you can't get a book read or sold without an agent. Yes, it can be more difficult to get in the door, especially for a new author, but it can be done. Near as I can tell, Suarez didn't try.
Bottom line, it's by no means certain that the book wouldn't have sold without going the self-publishing route. Maybe self-publishing was a valid route to publication for this particular book, but it's also possible that it was simply a pointless detour on the way to the final destination.
There's something else we can learn here though. The book did sell. It sold for major money. It sold without an agent (though not through the most direct method possible). It apparently sold without being shortened (at least in submitted form) or dumbed down. Though not yet published, it's already gotten good reviews from Booklist and a starred review in Publisher's Weekly.
From this we can take three important lessons:
1. Agents can keep you from selling books as easily as they can help you sell them.
2. Agents don't know everything.
3. Sometimes, agents don't know anything.
Next question...
Was Daemon a "hit" as a self-published book?
By the standards of self-publishing, it was pretty darned successful. Maybe even hugely so. What information I have comes from the Wired article, which was published in their August issue of last year, so they can't be assumed to be current. But at some point the book was selling 50 copies a month, and as of March of last year, the book had reportedly sold 1,200 copies.
Underwhelmed? Well, breaking four-digits in total sales is huge for self-published book. I'm fairly certain that few break three-digits.
It's pretty likely that Suarez made a profit off his self-publishing venture, but it's hard to know how much. I don't know how much he spent, for instance, on set-up, editorial and design costs. I don't know how much (if anything) he's spent on other promotional efforts. I also don't know what the cover price on his POD edition (sold through Lightning Source) was, or what his deal with Lightning Source was.
Let's just take a wild (and perhaps generous) guess and say he made $10 per copy. That translates into $12,000. This isn't chicken-feed, but it's pretty puny by publishing standards. That's a entry-to-low-midlist advance.
In reporting deals, Publisher's Marketplace calls this a "Nice deal." That means it's in the $1-49,000 dollar range, their polite way of saying its at the bottom of the publishing food change. And I'll confess, the biggest deal I've ever gotten is at the ragged high-end of "Nice." I'd be happy to get another such "nice" deal today.
(The Dutton deal seems to have turned the original book into an instant collector's item, with used copies on Amazon selling at $80. Ironically, if Suarez had gone the traditional vanity-press route, he might be liquidating the pallet of books in his garage for some serious bonus-scratch right now.)
Okay, so what did Suarez make going with a traditional publisher? Well, first of all, lets observe first that he did go with a traditional publisher. Apparently without hesitation. If self-publishing is so swell, ask yourself, why was he so quick to cast it aside?
Neither USA Today or Wired was any help here, so I turned to Publisher's Marketplace and their deal-tracker feature for info. The deal was announced in May, two months after the cover date of the Wired article. An agent did handle the deal (interestingly, from their PM listing, they mainly handle business and technical non-fiction, and Daemon is their only listed fiction deal of any kind).
So what did he get? Well, PM doesn't give specific numbers, but it wasn't a "Nice" deal. It wasn't "Very Nice," their next category, meaning deals from $50,000-99,000 It wasn't "Good." It wasn't "Good." It wasn't "Significant." No, it went right to their highest category, "Major Deal." That means $500,000 and up. That's the advance (though for a two book deal, not one). If the book takes off, there could be significant royalties, foreign sales, subsidiary rights, and he's already sold a movie option for unknown money.
And mind you, that "Major Deal" is just what they're passing along to the author. The publisher has an expectation of grossing at least 6-10 times that. That's a lot of books. That's a hell of a lot more than 1,200 books.
So, it's obvious why Suarez went with a regular publisher. For a book like his, self-publishing sucks.
Real publishers know that too. They look at a self-publishing "hit" and figure that if a self-publisher, even a motivated self-publisher like Suarez, can sell 1,200 copies, they can sell ten times that amount without breaking a sweat. If the book is good and they put a little effort in, they can probably sell a hundred times as many. Maybe a thousand.
Most self-published books are over-valued by the people publishing them. Most are unmarketable, flawed, or lacking in some why that they're better off not being published and will never find a market.
But when a success like this comes along, it usually means the self-publisher has undervalued their work. Whatever sales and returns they're getting from their self-publishing efforts, they could be doing much better with a regular publisher.
Now, this post shouldn't be taken as a criticism of Suarez or his choices. He's written what is reportedly a good book, and he's found a path to success. Great success. And as I said up front, I don't have all the facts on his history or circumstances. I'm reading a lot from a little data.
But was self-publishing an absolutely necessary part of that success? Perhaps, but I remain unconvinced. Even if it was for this book, there are special circumstances.
The bloggers that Suarez used to create early buzz on the books were the very ones he'd mined to research the novel, so of course they were likely to respond positively. And it should hardly be a surprise that a book about the internet is especially suited to being promoted on the internet.
None of this applies to your self-published cozy mystery or literary novel about a girl growing up in Poland in 1939. It probably doesn't apply to your thriller, unless it's also about computers and the net.
The book also found an important advocate, Rick Klau, an executive at Feedburner (now part of Google). I don't see how that could be anticipated or replicated.
Finally, there's nothing about the self-publishing that leads inevitably to the Wired, article, which I suspect had more to do with getting the Dutton deal than any other single factor (other than the quality of the book itself).
Suarez found a path to success. It's impossible to say it was the best path, and it almost certainly wasn't the only path. But you can't argue with success.
That still doesn't mean that this path can be emulated, or that you should even try.
Posted by J. Steven York at 5:23 PM
Labels: agents, Daemon, marketing, self-publishing, technothriller, thriller
Blogger Employee 8:16 AM
Kelly McCullough 9:52 AM
Smart stuff. Linked.
Mark Terry 11:18 AM
The media, of course, LOVES these types of stories. It's why we're reading about it at all.
Yes, this happens "all the time." Well, no, not ALL the time, just from TIME TO TIME.
After all, from TIME TO TIME, somebody wins the lottery. In which case, the media will write about it. The media--because it's boring--doesn't write about some jackass that spends $100 a week on lottery tickets for 45 years and dies penniless instead of investing the same money in the stock market (okay, maybe NOT today's stock market, maybe real estate... okay, not today's real estate market... uh, gold, no, silver, hmmm.... Barack Obama memorabilia? Anyway...).
This is an interesting story. Jeremy Robinson (Antarktos Rising) has an interesting story about self-publishing, too. There are others. It doesn't mean that it's the rule or a trend. It's an exception. There are enough exceptions in publishing to suggest that if you're really, really lucky, you can self-publish, do okay, and get picked up for a gazillion dollars by a major publisher.
I wonder, though, how different the odds are from writing your book, getting an agent, getting picked up by a traditional publisher and getting a gazillion dollars. What often seems to go unsaid in so many of these articles is that ANYBODY making a LOT of money PUBLISHING fiction is RARE.
Otherwise, just because somebody gets struck by lightning and survives doesn't mean it's a good idea to go up on your roof with a golf club in your hand during an electrical storm.
Snowman Expert 12:48 AM
This whole topic makes me sad. I have a few friends convinced that self-publishing will bring them riches and they're spending ALOT with the impression the there's a tipping point which will buy them a bestseller (I'm actually reluctantly helping them with the design and such because I have experience asa designer and I'm watching do everything wrong.). I do feel you were unfair to Dave Carnoy. I just read that post and ironically he's a friend a recently had lunch with to discuss his book and I see he mentioned mine in the article (I published a book with Simon & Schuster). I have alot more to say but I don't want to add to the gloom of the situation. I did write a humorous feature on my disastrous book tour and I'll send you the link for your reading if I hear back you have any interest – I don't want to come on and promote myself without an invite.
J. Steven York 6:38 AM
Snowman, feel free to post the link on your book tour. I'd love to read it.
Was I unfair to Mr. Carnoy? I don't think so. "Tough" would be the word I'd use. But any publicity is good publicity, and you'll note I went to lengths to link back to his book.
He seems like an upright guy, which is why I felt a little bad about being so hard on him, but like they say in law, he opened the door on this line of questioning.
Anyway, I hope he does well with the book, except that if he does, he'll just be another Daemon, leading thousands of others into unsuccessful self-publishing ventures.
Snowman Expert 7:56 PM
Thank you, Mr. York for the invite. Here's the link to my piece The Sad State of Publishing; My Disastrous Holiday Book Tour. It received some nice feedback and appeared on the cover of Salon.com as well. While somewhat insightful to some publishing details ultimately it was meant to entertain.
Yes, Dave Carnoy, I'm sure was okay with your comments. I'm actually overly sensitive and probably not even cut out for this business which really does require a thick skin.
Flying Cars Still a Bad Idea


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Who doesn't want a luxurious shower with plenty of room for you and all your products? Many homeowners think that in order to achieve that, you need to go through a complete bathroom remodel. That's not always the case.
Before you call up a contractor to tear up the room, here are a few ways to update your shower without breaking the bank!
Shower curtains are one of the first things you notice when walking into a bathroom. Using a shower curtain as an accent piece in your bathroom is one of the easiest ways to refresh the space. Feeling luxurious? Get a curtain made of cotton. Want something more playful? There are plenty of curtain designs to let your personality shine.
Gone are the days of feeling cramped in a tiny shower. With a curved shower rod, you can add inches of extra space to your shower without having to knock down walls. Double curved shower rods are even better. They keep the plastic liner in the tub, protecting your floor from water and it keeps the decorative outer curtain dry too.
It's not the most thrilling task, but keeping your shower clean does wonders. Scrub the tile and get between each one to wash away mold and mildew. To get rid of hard water buildup on your showerhead, fill a bag with white vinegar and let it soak. Don't have a shower curtain? Houzz has some great tips for cleaning glass shower doors.
Buying a new showerhead sounds like it'll come with a hefty price tag, but there are impressive models out there you can get for less than $100. Plus, if you get a low-flow showerhead, you'll end up saving money by conserving water. While you're at it, replace any leaky cartridges too.
If you're installing a curved rod in place of your old tension rod, don't get rid of it! Use the old shower rod as a way to store bath caddies. You can label them—one for each family member—and keep shampoos, conditioners, and body washes separate.
Is your bathroom outdated? After years of use, both tubs and tile will start to look dingy. We've seen DIYers take colored tubs and turn them into a glimmering beauty. Need proof? Check out how Dave and Heather at the Heathered Nest transformed their shower and tub with only $50!
While a full shower remodel would be nice, it's not in everyone's budget to rip your bathroom up. We hope these quick (and budget-friendly) updates will help refresh your shower and make it feel like a brand new space!


text:
South Africa: The Land of Mandela
Naik, Vijay
Edition : (First Edition)
With a foerword by Gopalkrishna Gandhi; 266p., 16 Col. Plts., Index, 23 cm.
South Africa, the rainbow nation, is an economic engine for the African continent. Former President Dr. Nelson Mandela gave a stable and towering leadership to the country after the end of an era of apartheid that lasted 342 years. The first general election held in 1994 gave the African National Congress (ANC) a thumping victory in seven out of nine provinces. A coalition comprising the ANC, Inkatha Freedom Party and the National Party (pro-apartheid) formed the first democratic government.
What was the mood of the nation? What were the aspirations of the people? How they looked at the politics? What has been the contribution of the people of Indian origin, their apprehensions and their relations with the political parties? Answer to these and many other questions are sought through this first hand account of the author's visit to South Africa in which he travelled Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pietermaritzburg and interviewed a number of ministers, members of Parliament, academicians, lawyers, bureaucrats, journalists and people of Indian origin.


It's happening due to styles encapsulation. You can use one of 3 options: "encapsulation: ViewEncapsulation.None" for the component with SVG. "/deep/ #fill1" selector, to specify that rules should apply to a child component... basically this says, when webpack encounters .svg file, use the vue-svg-loader to load it as opposed to the regular vue-loader. While this config seems to have worked, this blanket application of rule meant all my current svg font icons failed to render - I'd have to use them the svg-loader way.
Inline SVG. This is where you take the content of the SVG file and include it directly in your markup. This method is straightforward, and let's you directly target each shape within the SVG with CSS.
We have covered the basics or creating a link in SVG using the a element, adding additional information using the XLink title attribute, using fragment identifiers to point to a specific part of a document, and how to embed images in a SVG document using the image element.


text:
<?php

namespace DvsaCommon\UrlBuilder;

/**
 * Class NotificationUrlBuilder
 *
 * @package DvsaCommon\UrlBuilder
 */
class NotificationUrlBuilder extends UrlBuilder
{
    const NOTIFICATION = 'notification';
    const NOTIFICATION_WITH_ID = 'notification/:id';
    const PERSON = '/person/:personId';
    const UNREAD_COUNT = '/unread-count';
    const READ = '/read';
    const ACTION = '/action';
    const ARCHIVE = '/archive';
    const CREATE_NOTIFICATION = "/create";

    protected $routesStructure
        = [
            self::NOTIFICATION_WITH_ID => [
                self::READ   => '',
                self::ACTION => '',
                self::ARCHIVE => '',
            ],
            self::NOTIFICATION         =>
                [
                    self::PERSON =>
                        [
                            self::READ => '',
                            self::UNREAD_COUNT => '',
                        ],
                    self::CREATE_NOTIFICATION
                ],
        ];

    public static function notification($id)
    {
        $urlBuilder = new self();

        return $urlBuilder->appendRoutesAndParams(self::NOTIFICATION_WITH_ID)->routeParam('id', $id);
    }

    public static function notificationForPerson()
    {
        $urlBuilder = new self();

        return $urlBuilder->appendRoutesAndParams(self::NOTIFICATION)->appendRoutesAndParams(self::PERSON);
    }

    public static function unreadNotificationsCountForPerson($personId)
    {
        $urlBuilder = new self();

        return $urlBuilder
            ->appendRoutesAndParams(self::NOTIFICATION)
            ->appendRoutesAndParams(self::PERSON)->routeParam('personId', $personId)
            ->appendRoutesAndParams(self::UNREAD_COUNT);
    }

    public static function newNotification()
    {
        $urlBuilder = new self();

        return $urlBuilder->appendRoutesAndParams(self::NOTIFICATION);
    }

    public function read()
    {
        return $this->appendRoutesAndParams(self::READ);
    }

    public function action()
    {
        return $this->appendRoutesAndParams(self::ACTION);
    }

    public function archive()
    {
        return $this->appendRoutesAndParams(self::ARCHIVE);
    }
}


text:
FutureStructure_Grey
Labor Shortage Spurs Use of Robotic Construction Equipment
"We're not replacing humans," said Eric Sellman, vice president for Twin Cities-based Mortenson. "We want to take a proactive step to deal with the labor shortage ... and give our teams have the latest tools to deal with that."
by Jim Buchta, Star Tribune / June 14, 2019
The AX-162 Autonomous Excavator from Built Robotics. Courtesy Built Robotics
(TNS) — As the labor shortage deepens, Mortenson Construction is going high-tech by rolling out a fleet of remote-controlled excavators powered by "autonomous robotic equipment technology" that's been developed by San Francisco-based Built Robotics.
"We're not replacing humans," said Eric Sellman, vice president and general manager for heavy civil construction for Twin Cities-based Mortenson. "We want to take a proactive step to deal with the labor shortage ... and give our teams have the latest tools to deal with that."
While the technology is state-of-the-art in an industry that's relied on humans in hard hats to run its equipment, the driverless machines will be used primarily on renewable energy projects in remote areas where there's a dearth of workers and places to house them, and a lack of obstacles.
That includes the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project, a turbine wind farm on a 320,000 acre cattle ranch in Carbon County, Wyo. that's being developed by the Power Company of Wyoming.
There, Mortenson has been tasked with digging hundreds of tower foundations that are about 10 feet deep and 100 feet in diameter. Remote controlled bulldozers will also be used to level the ground using mapping software, GPS coordinates and surveyors equipment that will give the machines instruction.
Sell said several layers of safety redundancies are built into the system. The software uses a 3-D model that draws a geo-fence around the specific work area to contain the range of the excavators. And human operators in construction trailers will use video cameras to monitor the machines, which can quickly be disabled if they approach an obstacle.
"It's very repetitive work, Sell said, given that each of the hundreds of foundation sites are all of a very similar size.
Last year the company tested the technology at two projects in Kansas.
"By the end of second project we were comfortable enough with the safety and efficiency to target six more projects this year alone," Sell said.
Mortenson and other companies have been investing heavily in technology aimed at helping streamline the construction process at a time when there's a shortage of qualified and skilled labor, especially in rural areas.
The company doesn't have short-term plans to deploy the technology on more traditional sites in more populated areas, but that could be down the road.
"We're really targeting this for remote sites that are far enough from where people want to live and work," said Sell. "Every construction worker that wants to work will have a place to work; we're not trying to replace good people with robots."
Gaurav Kikani, vice president with Built Robotics, said the project is "a huge milestone" for the company, which was founded in 2016 and has about 35 employees.
The tech company is focused on automating heavy equipment using software, machine learning and sophisticated algorithms.
The partnership with Mortenson supports the notion that automation is well suited for construction and is a practical and viable solution for a lot of the "paint points" the industry is experience.
"The validation we get from partnering with such a prominent partner is meaningful," Kikani said. "It shows that there's traction in the market and that the technology is ready for prime time."
©2019 the Star Tribune (Minneapolis). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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