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About The Colored Lens
Fiction Science Fiction Slipstream TCL #8 - Summer 2013
By Michael Siciliano on Tuesday, September 17, 2013
I don't know what I am. Maybe I'm a God. If so, I'm the worst excuse for a God that's ever been. The only thing I can be sure of is that I'm not normal.
The first time it happened, I had just woken up from a nightmare. Something malevolent had been chasing me through a twisted corkscrew of a hallway. I lost my balance and fell. As I rolled onto my back, I caught a glimpse of something jagged descending toward my face.
I woke with a shout, my heart-racing, arms and legs tensed. I lay dazed, barely able to breathe, trying to remember my own name. Rain pattered against the window just above me, while gusts moaned to one another in the dark.
Lightning struck with a sudden flash of light and a loud crack. My mind clenched and a stab of pain pierced my skull. Something inside me lurched.
One moment I was in bed, an after-image swirling across my vision, and the next I was somewhere else.
I stood on a hill, overlooking a city. A giant mushroom cloud dominated my field of view. White hot at the base. Yellow as it extended up. Red as it billowed outward. Dark gray at the rounded top. Each color shot through with streaks of black. It was beautiful and horrific at the same time. Larger than I could have imagined.
Two more, smaller but no less ominous, perched on the horizon.
I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. I tried to turn away, but I was frozen in place.
Nothing moved. Nothing at all.
Ahead of me, an older couple clutched one another. A woman in a bright pink coat cradled a dog, crouched on a nearby sidewalk. Two guys, roughly my age, one wearing an Orioles baseball cap, froze halfway out of their rusted Ford Mustang.
Terrified and awestruck, I stared at a picture of nuclear Armageddon, and felt very small.
Not a single sound intruded on the hellscape. Not one car horn, not a single voice, not even the wind. Just empty, eternal silence.
This isn't real. It's another nightmare.
But it wasn't, and in a flash I knew why. I wasn't Bobby MacDonald, senior at Robert Murrow High School, candidate for class valedictorian.
No. I was Benjamin Joseph Shelton, senior foreign relations adviser to the President of the United States. B.J. to my friends. Benji to my wife, Melissa.
I was both at the same time. I knew everything about Bobby MacDonald. Every last detail of my nerdy little life. I remember asking Jenny Byars to go to prom with me. I remember getting Eric, Jason and Glenn to come over on a Friday night to watch the premier of Battlestar Galactica. I remember cursing at my mom and the resulting slap across my face. I remember my dad breaking down in tears when my granddad died of a stroke.
Those memories were me. Bobby MacDonald.
But I also remember catching a quick out from Skip Morris at the goal-line just as time expired. I remember my Bar Mitzvah. I remember asking Melissa to marry me at my parent's lake house, and the joy of holding my newborn baby girl for the first time. I remember bringing my dog, Buster, to the vet to be put down. I remember the giddy, surreal feeling of meeting President O'Neil for the first time.
And because I was Benji, I knew the city was Washington D.C., and I knew why, most likely, there were mushroom clouds blooming all over the United States.
Eleven days ago, from Benji's perspective, one of our Dart-class surveillance subs, the USS Lansing, disappeared. Intelligence reports placed her in the East China Sea and the top brass were ninety percent certain the Chinese had captured her. I attended one high-level meeting after another. The Pentagon had to bump my security clearance for a meeting with the President and Joint Chiefs. If I hadn't been so terrified, it would have been a thrill.
The White House got me a hotel room ten minutes away, and a town car to chauffeur me. I hadn't seen Melissa or the kids since the whole thing began, though I talked to them on the phone each night.
The whole situation spelled disaster. The Chinese postured, we blustered. It spiraled out of control. The UN stepped in. President O'Neil took us to DEFCON 1 earlier today, Tuesday, September 21, 2027.
Queasiness overtook me. It wasn't 2027. It was Monday, January 21, 2013. Barack Obama had begun his second term, the East Coast continued their recovery from Hurricane Sandy, and a sick horror clenched my stomach at the thought of Sandy Hook.
I stared at the freeze frame in front of me. Nuclear devastation. An event that Bobby MacDonald could barely grasp, but one Benji Shelton could.
This isn't an XBox game or a movie. It's real. All too real.
I desperately wanted to cry, but couldn't. A wild panic grew in my chest, flooding me with an insane desire to scream, long and loud.
Pain shot through my skull again.
When I opened my eyes and saw the dim outlines of the ceiling in my room, a burst of relief overcame my fear. My room, not Benji's. I twitched a finger, wriggled my toes and raised a knee. I let out a shuddering laugh before dissolving into helpless tears.
At some point, emotionally exhausted, I blacked out and slept.
My clock's alarm went off. Annoyed, I slapped at the snooze button. Sweet silence. My last thought, before drifting back into the warm depths of slumber was Melissa won't let me oversleep.
"Bobby, get up!"
Bright light blasted me in the face. I grunted and rolled over.
"I don't have time to drive you to school, mister." My mother tore away the comforter. A wash of cold air flowed over me. "You need to be out the door, at the bus stop in twenty-five minutes."
Groggy, I propped myself up on an elbow, and rubbed the blurriness from my eyes. "Are the kids up?"
"Are the … what?" Her question started out perplexed and ended annoyed.
"Sorry. Just waking up." My head hurt, my eyes stung, and my mouth was dry. "Mom, I really don't feel well."
And I didn't. I was not the type to pretend to be sick. I actually liked school. Last March, I dragged myself to class with a fever, against my mother's objections so I could attend a yearbook meeting after third period.
My mother's frown evaporated. She laid a cool, smooth palm over my forehead, and sighed. "You feel hot. Damn it, Bobby, I cannot get sick. I have a ton of client meetings this week."
Client meetings. What a joke. Try looking into the pissed off face of a four star general. I swear to God, my testicles tried to crawl back inside my body.
I froze, unable to breathe. It all came back, rolling over me like one of those giant waves you see in surfer movies. My throat constricted as vomit threatened. I bolted out of bed and heaved over my trashcan.
Numb, I stumbled to the hall bathroom and rinsed out my mouth. The taste of bile lingered. My mom was waiting for me when I returned.
"Okay, you. Back in bed," she said, her tone softened considerably.
My mother—no, Benji's mother—passed away two years ago. Benji spoke the eulogy at her funeral.
Sadness, deep and dark, engulfed me. I let out a despondent whimper and hugged my mom for all I was worth. Tears leaked down my cheeks.
I knew I was Bobby MacDonald and I was hugging my mom. Yet at the same time I also knew I was Benji Shelton, and my mother died of an inoperable brain tumor.
Somehow my mind held both concepts, as incompatible as they were, and refused to let them merge. They crashed into one another, neither yielding. I had gone crazy. It was more awful than I ever imagined.
"It's okay, sweetie." My mom guided me to bed, laid me down, and produced a Kleenex. I drew a shuddering breath as she pulled the comforter up to my chin. "I'm going to get you some Tylenol and some honey tea. Just stay in bed." A kiss to my forehead punctuated her statement.
She took care of me until nine, and then hurried out to her first appointment.
I laid in bed, listless, staring out at the cloudy sky and let shame blanket my mind. I had somehow developed multiple personality disorder. I thought people created different personas in their head to shield themselves from traumatic events. That's what I had read, anyway, but I lived a pretty simple suburban life. Nothing horrible had ever happened to me.
A fully fleshed out person resided in my head, complete with childhood memories, embarrassing moments, victories, defeats and a fairly thorough understanding of sex. I had been a virgin before last night. My mind roved over memories of being with Melissa, as would any other teen-aged boy in my situation, but guilt intruded. It felt wrong to be aroused by Benji's wife.
By midday I came to a decision. I wanted to know if Benji was real, but an insidious thought undermined me. What if other people with multiple personalities did the same thing? They'd want to know too, wouldn't they? And when they couldn't find any evidence of their invisible friends, they'd invent reasons why. Would I do the same thing? Was I that far gone?
I grabbed my iPad and scurried back to bed. Benji made a Facebook page, of course. I remember him doing it back when he was in high school. Mostly he just used it to play games. B.J. Shelton stared back at me from the glossy screen. Wavy chocolate hair, parted to the left. Long lashes over green eyes. Cleft chin. Awkward, off-kilter smile. Dark blue t-shirt.
My hands shook. I remember taking that photo of myself. It was, maybe, the twenty-third or twenty-fourth try, with that awful Nokia smart phone. The one I hurled into a ditch when Jessica broke up with me via text message. Really, it was the phone's fault. It stung for a week, losing the phone, but I got over it.
No, that isn't me. That's Benji.
In 2013, Benji was a second year poli-sci undergrad at Stanford. He lived in a house apartment off-campus in Palo Alto and alternated between studying hard and playing hard. Benji didn't do anything half-assed. During his freshman year he'd met Melissa at a friend's party. They'd both been stoned, but their mutual attraction had been instantaneous. She broke it off in December of 2012, and in a fit of pain, Benji began a rebound romance with Jessica. Benji would eventually find his way back to Melissa, but not yet.
Realizing that Benji had unknowingly met his future wife, and mother of his children, sparked the idea that allowed me to verify my experience. Benji loved his Niners, but the one blemish on their Super Bowl history came in 2013 when they lost 34-31 to the Ravens.
The Super Bowl that would be played in two weeks.
All I had to do was wait and watch. If the big game played out the way Benji remembered, it'd prove I wasn't crazy. But if I wasn't crazy then nuclear Armageddon would occur in fourteen years. Which was worse? My personal world falling into disjointed fantasy or the outside world flaring into mushroom clouds? At the time, I didn't know the answer.
During the next two weeks Benji took root in my mind and, like a cancer, spread.
I forgot about an important math test and flunked it, misremembered my chemistry teacher's name to the delight of the entire class, and found myself wandering the halls when I forgot the location of my locker. I had to get the janitor to open it for me because the combination had evaporated as well.
Not everything was bad, however.
I took my driver's test again, having failed it twice before. This time, I drove like a man who had been behind the wheel for almost twenty years. Parallel parking, which had been my nemesis, turned out to be a snap. One doesn't work in the nation's capitol for long without learning how to parallel park.
Girls were the strangest part. They no longer terrified me. However, Benji gave me the distinct feeling that it was creepy to lust after them. My teen-aged libido battled the sensibilities of a thirty year old man to a draw. It seemed particularly unfair to have gained the knowledge and confidence that I wanted so badly, only to find myself uneasy when it came to using them.
"The lights are going to go out," I said. The words sprang out of my mouth before I could consider them.
"Huh?" Eric mumbled through a mouthful of Cheetos.
"The Super Dome is going to lose power. Half the stadium for thirty minutes." It had been the first and last time such an event occurred. Benji remembered it well because afterwards the game's momentum shifted to the Niners.
"Where the hell did that come from?" Jason asked. He hadn't put down his damned phone the entire game. Texting with his girlfriend. I wanted to shove the phone where the sun didn't shine.
"Just watch." I sighed as Jason's phone beeped again.
On TV, the lights went out, the announcers silenced. My heart sank.
Panic rose in my chest. I'm not crazy. Suddenly, I wished I was. I'd have given anything to be crazy. Nuclear disaster was too much. What could I possibly do with the knowledge I had? I was a high school kid, for God's sake.
"Holy crap." Eric stared at me, brown eyes wide. "How'd you know that?"
I got up and grabbed my jacket. "I gotta get home."
Jason stood and gestured toward the TV. "Not until you tell us how you knew that."
"34 to 31, Ravens." I headed for the front door, scowling. I hated the world and everything in it.
It took a last minute safety to prove me right, but I didn't stick around to watch. I knew it would happen.
I ran home like a coward, ignored my parents, and bolted for my room. I locked the door, kicked off my sneakers, crawled under the blankets, and let loose the tears. Someone, probably my mom, knocked on the door, but I ignored her.
It would have been so much easier just to tell my parents everything, but they wouldn't believe me. They'd drag me to a psychologist and, under pressure, I'd have been forced to say I made it all up. I didn't remember any more public events that could prove my sanity until 2015 or so. I knew Benji's life like I knew my own, but that didn't help.
"Leave me alone!" I shouted and buried my head under a damp pillow.
Benji. I'd have to go see him, tell him about the future, let him alter it. With my knowledge of his life he'd have no choice but to believe me. Once I did that, my role in all of it would be over. I could go back to a normal life. Benji wouldn't accept my nightmare as his fate. I knew that for certain. When push came to shove he never failed to shove back.
Stanford was a two hour drive away, and I didn't have a car of my own. I realized I'd have to steal mom's keys. Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. It wouldn't go well for me when I returned, but I was willing to accept whatever punishment they doled out. Annie, my sister, would be thrilled. With me in the doghouse, she'd have free reign.
Good for her. I had a world to save.
I chose a sunny Wednesday in April, knowing my mom intended to be out in the garden all morning. The bus belched its way to school, but I never went in. I jogged back to the house, heart thundering in my chest. The note in my pocket burned to the touch. It read:
Sorry Mom. I needed the car. I'll be back for dinner. I have my cell phone with me, but won't be answering it. If there's an emergency, I'll call. Don't worry, everything's fine. I can't tell you what I'm doing, but I have to do it. It's nothing illegal. Please don't be mad.
Please don't be mad. Right. By the time I got home, she'd be foaming at the mouth. But that's what heroes do, right? They sacrifice for the greater good. Except I could never tell my parents. No one but Benji would know the greater good.
Cover stories flooded my brain as I crept around the house to find my mom, wearing rubber gloves and sweat pants, crouched in the middle of her garden. I circled back to the front of the house, used my key in the door, left my note on the kitchen island, and grabbed her car keys. If she were absorbed enough she might not hear the Camry start up. It didn't matter. Even if she did I wouldn't stop.
As luck would have it, a garbage truck trundled down our street. I timed my getaway with its rumbling racket. The engine hummed as I backed out of the driveway and left my house behind. At a nearby gas station I punched Benji's address into the GPS and topped off the gas. I had become a car thief. There was no turning back now.
For two hours, as I followed the spoken directions, I ran through scenarios in my head, coming up with one dialog set after another. The uncomfortable reality was that I had no idea how Benji would react. He didn't like science fiction, but didn't dislike it either. Time travel, to him, was an overused plot device in bad movies. Not that our situation was time travel, precisely, but it was close enough. He liked techno-thrillers and espionage movies. Perhaps they were more analogous.
I didn't remember what classes Benji had in the spring of 2013, but I knew he'd be home by lunch. Noon on Wednesday's provided a window of opportunity for Benji and Jessica. During that time, neither had class, but Benji's housemates did. Warm memories of sexual exploration warmed my cheeks.
The neighborhood's layout rushed back to me when I got there. I parked a couple blocks from the apartment because there never were any spaces in front of the house. I walked those few blocks like a man on death row, ambling toward my fate, wanting to turn around, knowing that wasn't an option.
Tall oaks billowed tents of cool shadow across damp sidewalks and spread platforms for the cacophony of chirping birds. A swirling wind, cool and flirtatious, brushed at my skin. Benji enjoyed his time at Stanford, and liked Palo Alto just as much. Though it should have been foreign to me, it wasn't. Benji had embraced the city and made it a part of him. His emotions threaded through mine.
I smiled at the white picket fence surrounding the California Colonial house. Palo Alto was an expensive place to live. The cost forced most students to live on campus, but Benji was unapologetically well-to-do. He'd been born into money. It wasn't his fault, and no liberal guilt would force him to regret it. He compensated by acting like a regular Joe, a performance he found occasionally exhausting. It was that sort of insight that led me to believe I could get Benji to listen to me.
I put on my bravest face, strolled up the walkway and climbed the steps to the porch. The knocker produced a cold, metallic clack. If he wasn't there, I'd wait for him until he returned from campus.
That's why I jumped when the door opened.
Benji stood in front of me, unruly hair longer than in his Facebook picture. He wore a rumpled gray T-shirt and dark blue sweatpants. I remember those sweatpants. Warm and comfortable. I couldn't help but stare.
"Hello?" he prompted. His voice, so much different from mine, deeper and steadier, melted into my brain. Though we were thoroughly different people, physically and mentally, he was me and I was him. At least in my head we were.
"I—hello. I'm—are you Benji Shelton?" What an awful start. I had practiced my opening line in the car for two hours, and I had already messed it up.
He cocked his head to the side, and raised an eyebrow. "People call me B.J. Do I know you?"
"No. I'm sorry to bother you, but can we talk?"
His eyes narrowed. "'bout what?"
I swiveled my head, suddenly concerned someone would overhear. "I—can I come in?"
"Not until you tell me what this is about, kid." Benji shifted, his hand gripping the doorknob.
Kid. I didn't feel like a kid. I felt like a thirty-something year old adult with the weight of the world on my shoulders. "It's personal. I can't talk on the porch."
"Can't or won't?" He paused, but I recognized the question as rhetorical. "I don't know you, and I don't know how you know me. So, if it's personal, you should go work it out somewhere else."
"It has a lot to do with you." I had expected some resistance, but not so early in the conversation.
"Look, kid, I'm sick. I've got a cold, so say what you have to say."
I heard the defensiveness building in his voice and I knew enough about him to know that once it got rolling, it'd be hard to stop. If I dithered any more, I'd lose him.
"I need to tell you some things, and you're going to think I'm crazy, but I'm not. If you really listen, you'll believe—"
"Stop right there." Muscles tensed in his forearms. His eyes narrowed. "Kid, I'm going to give it to you straight. You look scared, and I don't give a damn what you think I should believe. You are, without a doubt, the worst Jehovah Witness ever."
My jaw dropped. That dialog had never come up in the car. "I'm not a Jehovah Witness."
"Right." The door began to swing shut.
I panicked. "Jessica's cheating on you."
The door flew open. "What did you just say?" Benji pushed the screen door open and stormed out in bare feet, nearly knocking me over.
My mouth went dry. I tried to wet my lips with my tongue. It gave me time to measure my next words. "I'm sorry. It's just that … she is. I need to talk to you about things that are going to happen in the future."
Arms akimbo, he glared down at me. "How do you know Jessica, and why do you think she's cheating on me?"
"I don't really know her." But I did. I knew her very, very well. I knew she was selfish with all the empathy of a coffee table, and I knew she was high maintenance. All of that came from Benji circa 2027, though. "I just know she's screwing some guy named Daryl. But that's not why I need to talk to you. It's really important."
"It's important that she's screwing a guy named Daryl?"
"No, I mean, why I have to talk to you. Inside."
"Talk to me right here. Do it, or get off our porch."
OK, fine. I drew a deep breath. "I had a dream. A nightmare of the future. In it, I was you, and I saw some terrible things. Things you need to know about." Benji's look of utter disgust made my stomach sink. "I know you think I'm crazy, but I'm not and I can prove it."
I had to use my ace in the hole. His biggest secret. "I was you. If I wasn't I wouldn't know about the drunken hit-and-run."
His eyes opened wide just as his face went red. There was a blur of motion. A sudden jarring against my jaw sent my glasses flying off my face. The world flipped and I fell down the porch stairs. The back of my head hit the cement of the walkway. The impact hurt worse than the punch in the mouth.
Benji towered over me, fists clenched. "You have to the count of ten to get out of my sight."
I scrambled in the grass for my glasses, trying to regain my equilibrium. "You're going to be an important adviser to President O'Neil, but there's going to be a nuclear exchange if you don't—"
"Ten … Nine … "
He wasn't bluffing, and I knew it.
In that moment, with Benji's glare raking over me, I remembered the crazy, babbling Jehovah Witness on my front porch. The one who had clued me in on Jessica's antics. It was a good thing I hadn't eaten anything that day. If I had, it would have come up. I choked down a cry and fled.
I botched it. The most important thing I've ever tried and I botched it.
I sat in my mom's Camry, forehead on the steering wheel, letting one breath after another shudder out of my body. Scrapes on my elbows and the back of my head throbbed my failure. Even so, I considered going back.
Fourteen years in the future, nuclear detonations would end life in the United States as we knew it. Didn't I have a responsibility to try? Yes, but I had to be smarter about it, and not with Benji. I had just burned that bridge.
I need to think of another way.
My parents were as furious as I expected. My father raged at me for a half hour, threatening to drag me down to the police station. When he was through, my mother started in on me. Her tirade slashed, calling my integrity into question.
Shoulders slumped, I confessed to an online romance, and an overpowering urge to see the girl in the flesh. I told my parents I knew they'd refuse a request to visit her, so I did it without their permission. As it turned out, I told them, my online girlfriend had an unmentioned boyfriend. A jealous boyfriend who punched me in the mouth.
Benji was a good liar, and because of him, I had become one too.
I promised the romance was over and nothing like it would happen again. Although the story was a complete fabrication, the tears were real. They softened my parents ire, and reduced my sentence. Annie, as predicted, smiled ruefully at my torment and disappeared into her room, presumably to spread word of my humiliation.
In May I received an acceptance letter from UVA. It took me about ten minutes to decide that Virginia was where I wanted to go. My six week grounding ended with a celebratory dinner out and when asked what my major would be I knew it immediately. History. If I had to name one thing I learned from Benji Shelton, it would be that I wanted nothing to do with politics. But if pressed for a second thing, it'd be an appreciation of world events.
That same month I came to the inescapable conclusion that the real Benji was a lost cause. But the six o'clock news gave me my next course of action. The catalyst was a simple news story about a bill that failed to pass the Senate. Senator Katherine O'Neil was mentioned, or as she'd be known in fourteen years: Madame President.
Virginia was a whole different world than California, but I liked it. College life agreed with me, and I didn't feel the least bit homesick. I missed my friends, but I kept in contact with them by phone and e-mail. My college roommate, Chuck, had a goofy southern accent and a wild, playful streak that made him easy to like. We became friends early on.
"So we got the rope tied to the back of Bill's dad's car, and he guns it." Chuck made the revving sound of a tortured motor, as if I couldn't have imagined it without the audio cue. "The truck gets about half-way out of the ditch when the car's bumper snaps off."
I laughed, but it might have been the beer. "The rope didn't break?"
"Nope, and I knotted it nice and tight. Just ripped the bumper off. The truck tipped over and rolled back into the water. Bill goes 'well, damn, I didn't see that coming'."
I dissolved into more laughter. It felt good. Two days previous, I had the Benji Shelton nightmare again, complete with the skull-splitting pain. The whole situation weighed on me. Chuck was a pretty observant guy, and I knew that he knew something was wrong. He smuggled a case of cheap beer past the RA, and announced it was just a primer before we hit the bars.
Chuck gestured toward me with his Budweiser. "So, what's up with you, man?"
"Nothing. I may have failed a calculus test."
"You know that's not what I'm asking." He put his beer on table next to our TV and leaned forward. "I was right here, on this bed, five feet away from you, the other night. You get nightmares like that a lot?"
"No," I mumbled, taking an interest in my shoelaces. Suddenly I wanted to tell him.
I had kept the whole thing to myself. I hadn't told Eric, Jason or Glenn, and I felt like a terrible friend because of it. I just didn't want them thinking I was crazy. I didn't want Chuck thinking that either, but keeping a secret that big for that long was just too much. Maybe it had something to do with the beer. I don't know, but I threw caution to the wind and told him everything.
At first he looked skeptical, then awestruck. "You're not lying to me, are you?"
"No. I wish I was."
"If I hadn't seen your face the other night, I'd think you were."
"I'm not." I took a swig of beer. It tasted sour.
"You predicted the Super Bowl? And the lights going out before it happened?"
"Yep. About nine months ago."
"And this guy … "
"Benjamin."
"He looked like a younger version of the guy in your dream?"
"I didn't see him. I was looking through his eyes. But I know way too much about him, and about other things, for it just to be a dream."
"I don't suppose he remembered PowerBall numbers."
"I wish."
Chuck ran fingers through dusky blonde hair. "You think it's going to happen?"
I took a long breath, closed my eyes, let my head spin from the beer. "Yeah, I do."
"For what it's worth, man, I believe you. What are you going to do about it?"
"I can't go back to Benji. He wouldn't believe me."
"Screw him. You should have punched him back."
Benji had been bigger, stronger and angrier than me. He'd have flattened me if I'd tried and it wouldn't have gotten me any closer to my goal. "I could talk to O'Neil."
"Katherine O'Neil. She's a Democratic Senator from Vermont."
"Why her?"
"She's going to be President in 2024."
Chuck scoffed. "A woman President? Now you have gone crazy."
"It's true. She'll be the first. It'll get a lot of talk. Just like Obama being the first black President."
"The first woman President, and we get nuked on her watch. Great."
"Don't be an ass." His joke irked me. Benji knew Katherine O'Neil pretty well and admired her. She had fought through two hundred and thirty eight years of embedded male chauvinism, and an opposition party determined to use every available negative stereotype. They failed and she became the forty-seventh President of the United States, or would.
Chuck stood, swaying on his feet. "Just joking. Let's find out where we can meet her."
"After Benji—"
"The alternative is just letting us get nuked back to the stone age. You want that?"
Chuck pulled out the chair to his desk and flipped open his laptop. "Then we're doing this thing. Buckle up, roomie, we're going on a road-trip." He grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
The plan took longer to arrange than either of us thought. The entire time, Chuck maintained a remarkable fervor even when I expressed doubt. There wasn't much to do for three hours while we drove up to Washington. I turned the radio down and asked him about it.
"I believe in you, man," he said. "I've known you for a semester and a half now. If you were acting or were nuts, I'd have seen it by now."
I stared out the passenger-side window at the cars flowing along I-66. "Yeah, it happened … twice … but don't people who lose their minds believe they're sane?"
"Maybe, but it's a good thing ole Benji was a sports fan. Let's sum up. You knew the Super Dome would lose power and you knew the score." A spot opened up in traffic and we changed lanes to pass a slow-moving flatbed truck. "You could've lied to me about that, but you predicted this year's World Series and Super Bowl too. And all that stuff you know about Shelton and O'Neil. You're not imagining it, Bobby. I can't think of a single way you'd know all that. The only sensible explanation is that you're telling the truth. So, I'm on your side."
I smiled. It felt good to hear him say that. But I couldn't stop the tide of worries. "Do you think the vision caused us to do this or do you think our actions caused the vision?"
"What?" Chuck sounded lost.
"I mean, we wouldn't be doing this if I didn't get a look at the future, but if we succeed why would I have gotten that look? It's a causality loop."
Chuck chuckled. "You get that from Star Trek?"
"Well, yes," I admitted, "but science fiction writers have been playing with that one long before Star Trek. What I'm really asking you is this: if it's all coming true, doesn't that mean the nukes'll be launched no matter what we do?"
"You're over-thinking it, man. We've got the knowledge to change things, and the free will to act as we see fit. You and I change stuff all the time, whether we know it or not."
"True. Though, except for the nightmare, I've never had a premonition about a change."
"Doesn't matter when you see it. Stuff we see changes. None of it's carved in stone. You know the U.S. wouldn't hold back her nukes if China launched against us. So we can reasonably assume that what you saw was a full-on exchange. If that's the case, it's The Day After forty years late. So, you and I are going to do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn't happen." He glanced over at me, quirking an eyebrow. "You get what I mean?"
"Yeah. But with the Senator, don't bust out the story until we're certain we have her. OK?"
"I ain't stupid, Bobby. If I'm not sure, I'll let you do it."
"I know. I was just saying. I'm nervous. We can't screw this up."
Chuck honked the Ford Expedition's horn, cursed under his breath, and changed lanes again. "We won't because we can't," he mumbled.
Katherine O'Neil was taller than I expected and had a presence that was hinted at in her bios, but could only be felt in person. She had completed a tour in Afghanistan, having served in the early years of the war. You could see the military training in her precise, confident movement. Brown hair, streaked with gray, fell in precise waves to her shoulders. Thin rimmed glasses perched over a delicate nose. An emerald green blouse gave way to black slacks at her waist.
She held out a slim hand and gave me a surprisingly strong handshake.
"Mr. MacDonald, Mr. Tanner. It's good to meet you both. Please, sit." She motioned to two high-backed chairs in front of her desk. "I'm always glad to make time for ambitious college students." Her events coordinator had found twenty free minutes for us just after lunch, four months after we'd called.
"Thank you for seeing us," I said and sat. Chuck did the same to my left.
Orderly and clean, her personal office was smaller than I expected. Translucent, beige drapes diffused sunlight, giving the room a warm, homely glow. A towering bookcase dominated the wall behind us, while brown file cabinets hunched on either side. Her desk was clear except for an inbox full of neatly arranged papers, an ink blotter, and pictures of her husband and kids.
"You're both poli-sci undergrads, I take it?" she asked.
"No, ma'am. I'm poli-sci. He's history," Chuck said. "I'm doing a project for Professor Thurman, and I thought to take the initiative."
She gave Chuck an easy-going smile. I knew it well from Benji. "Commendable, Mr. Tanner. So, how can I help you?"
Chuck proceeded to interview her, showing a deftness that I didn't know he had. He scribbled furious notes that neither one of us would read. Katherine, as Benji thought of her, replied with a smooth deliberation. Benji had spent several years as a staffer in her office, and had come to know her well. She impressed me with her direct answers, something I hadn't expected from a politician. I chimed into the conversation when I could, but I was distracted. My opening would come, and when it did, I'd have to take it.
A clock on the wall to my right drew my attention. Our time was dwindling. Sweat gathered at the collar of my button-down shirt.
"Yes," said Katherine. "I'm one of thirteen members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. We have jurisdiction over DoD programs and policies, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and Department of Energy non-proliferation programs."
If it hadn't been for Benji's knowledge, my head would have spun with all the names, but it all seemed pretty straight forward. Or at least as straight forward as Washington would ever be.
"Nuclear weapons?" Chuck asked.
"WMD's of all types, but also hacking, drug trafficking and the like."
"You must read about some pretty scary things," prompted Chuck.
"I do." Katherine's easy smile formed again. "Most of it classified. Sorry."
"That reminds me. My roomie here isn't just a historian. He writes too."
I gripped the sides of my chair to still the trembling in my hands, and glanced at Chuck. "She's not interested in that."
"Of course she would be." Chuck leaned forward in his seat. "He's really good too. It's a techno-thriller, like Tom Clancy. I've been helping him get the political stuff right. I mention it because you're in it."
"I am?" Her smile and the tilt of her head gave me the impression she was genuinely pleased, maybe even flattered.
"I had him win you the 2024 Presidential race. Makes sense, if you think about it." Chuck actually winked.
The tremor in my voice was not an act. "I have the novella right here. I printed a copy for you if you'd like to see it. I worked really hard on the details, trying to get them right."
Katherine gave us a small laugh. "I actually would like to read it, Mr. MacDonald."
I reached into my backpack and pulled out the prepared manuscript. "The main conflict is a dispute between America and China when the Chinese capture a Virginia class fast attack sub in their waters. The USS Lansing, SSN-797, is a Block IV with the high speed caterpillar drive, mid-section VPM, and Lockheed Martin CCSM."
Thank you, Benji.
Katherine's eyebrows rose. "You've done your homework."
"Yeah," I gave her a big geeky grin, only partially an act. She had a charisma about her. Just a way of making you want her approval, and not in a sexual way. "The story starts off in present day and follows you through to 2027 when the Chinese capture the Lansing."
She took the packet of papers from me. "And I won the 2024 election?"
"Yes, you become … became the first woman President with the slogan Great Ambitions."
"I like that." She pursed her lips and hummed. "I like that a lot. Washington has a way of eroding our idealism, but that slogan sounds determined to keep it."
We shared a nervous laugh, and I knew we were in deep now. I needed to provide more details. If she dumped the story in a trash can after we left, all would be lost. "I'm sorry I had to kill one of your colleagues. Congressman James Varnell."
"Oh, no," she exclaimed. "What'd you do to poor Jim?"
"I had him as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, but a month before the primaries were settled, I gave him Huntington's Disease."
Her eyes narrow, eyebrows flattening, as if she saw a subtle threat in my plot device. In that moment, I had no doubt she had served as an officer in the military. "I'm not familiar with that condition."
"It's a neurodegenerative disorder, like Alzheimer's. I wasn't trying to be mean," I said. "I needed to add a tragedy that'd give the story some real humanity." Congressman Varnell would, in fact, be diagnosed with Huntington's exactly when the story described. I needed those details to sink in and stick, even if she tossed the story.
"Like I said," Chuck chimed in, "he's good. I'm hoping for an acknowledgement when he gets it published."
"But since I used real people, especially you Senator, I thought I should show it to you first. I think you'll like it."
"I'm sure I will. I'll read it tomorrow night, when I have some free time." Katherine stood, and circled around the desk. Chuck and I got to our feet and shook her hand. "It was a pleasure meeting the two of you. I'm sorry we can't chat longer but I have a scheduled meeting in a few minutes."
I nodded. "Of course. If you have any concerns, my name and number are on the manuscript." If she began to realize the truth, that the story was an exact description of the future, and she wanted to speak to me, even if my address and number had changed, I was confident she'd find me.
"Thank you for the interview, Senator," Chuck said. "I'm sure to impress my professor with this."
"You're welcome, Mr. Tanner." She led us to the door.
I glanced back at the manuscript sitting alone on her desk. Those printed pages, words I had pored over for months, held the key to changing our future.
I'm 32 now, married and divorced, childless, a history teacher and a part-time writer. I lost touch with Chuck, something I said I'd never let happen, seven or eight years earlier. He's a good man. An executive for an advertising firm in Atlanta, last I knew. I should look him up.
My phone rings at 4am in the morning. I'm awake, of course, and my heart begins to hammer in my chest. It could be only one of two people.
I pick up the handset in the dark, barely able to breathe.
On the other end of the line, I hear muted music and laughter.
"Hello?" I ask.
"Is this Robert MacDonald?" Katherine O'Neil asks, her voice trembling.
"Yes, Madame President." I marvel that the President Elect, the woman I saw give a victory speech hours before on network TV, is talking to me on the phone. I did it. There's no other reason she'd be calling me tonight. "Congratulations. I know you have Great Ambitions."
"Thank you, Rob. I've fought for this for years, but now that I've won, it all seems so surreal."
"You've made history."
"I think you made some too. I read your story."
For reasons I can't quite explain, I want to cry. "I know."
"I have it right here in front of me. I had a staffer race back to my house and tunnel through stacks of boxes to find it. She thinks I'm crazy, by the way."
"We're both sane, Madame President. Heed it well."
"I will." Solemnity laces her voice. Silence on the line stretches for several heartbeats. I know the next question before she utters it. "How?"
"I don't know. I really don't. I've had a recurring nightmare for over twelve years, but I think I just got rid of it."
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text:
MTN, Dangote Cement, Nestle, others top best dividend stocks in 2019
bySamuel Oyekanmi
in Business News, Company News
Dividend payment is one of the very few ways available for investors to earn a constant stream of income. It is also the main reason shareholders hold unto their shares in a company. Therefore, it brings great satisfaction to investors when these companies declare dividends to their shareholders.
According to data gathered by Nairalytics, the research arm of Nairametrics, MTN Nigeria, Dangote Cement, Nestle Nigeria, Stanbic IBTC, GTBank, and Zenith bank were the highest paying dividend stocks on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2019.
With a combined value of N691.23 billion, these six companies make up a diverse list that includes the telecommunication, food and beverage, industrial manufacturing, and banking sectors.
Here's a breakdown
MTN Nigeria Communications Plc posted a total dividend per share of N7.92k (interim – N2.95k, Final – N4.97k), summing up to N161.21 billion. A dividend payment was made on May 19, 2020, to shareholders whose names appeared on the Register of Members as at April 17, 2020.
(READ MORE: Why these companies remain on NSE's delisting radar)
The telco giant's revenue of N1.17 trillion in 2019 against N1.04 trillion in 2018 represents a 12.6% increase. Profit after tax (PAT) also increased significantly by 38.7% from N145.7 billion in 2018 to N202.1 billion in 2019.
Dangote Cement Plc declared a total dividend payout of N272.65 billion. This breaks down to every shareholder of the company earning N16 on every share held. A payment expected to be made after the company's annual general meeting is scheduled for June 16, 2020, with a qualification date of May 25, 2020.
It is worth noting that the cement manufacturing giant posted a profit after tax of N200.52 billion, a 48.6% decline when compared to a profit of N390.33 billion recorded in 2018.
Nestle Nigeria Plc declared a total dividend of N70 per share to its shareholders, indicating a total payment of N55.49 billion. The leading consumer goods maker generated N284.04 billion in revenue for the year ended December 2019.
The multinational's profit after tax stood at N45.68 billion, a 6.22% increase compared to N43.01 billion posted in 2018.
(READ MORE: List of Dividends announced so far in 2020 (May))
The management of Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc proposed a total dividend per share of N3 (interim – N1 and final – N2) per ordinary share of 50 kobos each, which summed up to N31.57 billion. The interim dividends (N10.47 billion) was paid on October 3, 2019, while the final dividend of N21.01 billion is expected to be paid by June 18, 2020.
The bank's full-year result shows that the group's gross earnings increased by 5.2% from N222.36 billion in 2018 to N233.81 billion in 2019.
Stanbic IBTC's profit after tax for the period recorded a marginal increase of 0.8% to N75.04 billion compared to N74.44 billion in 2018.
Guaranty Trust Bank Plc declared a total of N82.41 billion to shareholders on March 30, 2020 as dividends for the year ended 2019. This indicates a total dividend payment of N2.8 per 50 kobo ordinary shares to shareholders. Final dividend was paid on March 30, 2020 to shareholders whose names were registered in the company's register of members as at March 18, 2020 which was the qualification date.
GTBank, which is Nigeria's most capitalized bank, posted a profit after tax of N196.85 billion, showing a 6.5% increase compared to N184.71 billion recorded in the preceding year.
Zenith Bank Plc also paid N2.8 dividends per ordinary share to its shareholders, summing up to N87.91 billion (interim – N9.42 billion, Final – N78.49 billion) for the year ended 2019. The bank posted profit after tax (PAT) of N208.84 billion in the year under review.
(READ MORE: CFOs of FUGAZ and their 3-year performance record)
The final dividends were paid to Shareholder in March 2020 whose names appeared in the Register of Members as at close of business on 9th March 2020.
What is dividend?
A dividend is a payment by a company to its shareholders, which is paid at the end of a quarter or year. Note that dividends are usually cash payments, although they can sometimes be paid out in company stock.
(READ MORE: NSE Set to Host Sustainable Capital Markets Forum to Promote Green Finance in West Africa)
What to look out for in dividend stocks
The following are what you should look out for in dividend stocks:
Payout Ratio: The dividend payout ratio is the percentage of a company's earnings it uses in paying out dividends. This is an important metric to use when digging into dividend stocks you are considering to buy.
Dividend History: This is simple. All a potential investor needs to do is to check the track record of the company. Many of the companies mentioned above have trackable and impressive track records, including long records of paying annual and interim dividends.
Industry Strength: Here, it is better to own shares in a decent company in a great and lucrative sector than owning shares of a great firm in a tough industry.
Tags: Dangote cementDividend stocksMTN NigeriaNestleNSEStanbic IBTC
GT and Zenith Banks dividends are incorrect as you only stated the final dividend excluding the interim dividend
Nigeria's automotive industry records $1 billion investment in 2022 -FG

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
AUSA 2019: Sikorsky-Boeing proclaims "year of achievement" despite delays, setbacks since AUSA 2018
Posted by Justice Bennett | Oct 16, 2019
A lot has changed in the year since Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1 Defiant Team's gave its press update at AUSA in 2018.
The SB>1 Defiant is a joint project aiming at fulfilling the Army's needs when it comes to Future Vertical Lift (FVL), specifically on Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA, pronounced Flora), which aims to replace the Army's UH-60 Black Hawks. Sikorsky-Boeing and Bell Helicopters, which DSJ also spoke with at AUSA 2019, have emerged as the two main competitors for the contract.
"It has been a year of achievement," said Randy Rotte, Director of Global Sales & Marketing for Boeing on Future Vertical Lift.
At AUSA 2018, the team was still dealing with manufacturing delays on component pieces, specifically the blades and creating it's Propulsion System Test Bed (PSTB), which allows the company to test successful system integration of all the different moving pieces—turbines, transmission and rotors. A first flight was slated for the end of 2018.
Defiant has not hit those targets.
It achieved first flight on March 21, 2019, almost three months past the predicted timeline. And although Future Vertical Lift program manager for Boeing Ken Eland said at AUSA in 2018 that Defiant could expect to hit 200 knots within six months after initial flight, the Defiant team has not yet exceeded 10 knots.
At the end of March, the team suffered another delay with the PSTB, setting the team back another six to eight weeks, according to Eland.
In September, Defiant returned to flight and achieved 10 knots in all directions, now totaling four test flights and three hours of flight time.
Eland said the next flight would be in about two weeks, where the helicopter will test speeds of about 20 knots, before increasing to 40 knots and then jump in 40 knot increments until it hits speeds of about 250 knots. The goal is that Defiant will hit triple digit speeds by the end of this year, Eland said, before reaching near top speed in Quarter 1 of 2019.
"The Army asks us to develop the next generation aircraft, that's exactly what we're doing, and we're following our process" said Jay Macklin, Sikorsky's Director of Business Development on FVL. "We're very excited about what next year's going to bring. We're looking forward to it."
PreviousAUSA 2019: AeroVironment developing larger Switchblade variant
NextAUSA 2019: AFC Commander Murray unforgiving on disqualifying Raytheon/Rheinmetall OMFV bid
AUSA 2019: Army Chief hoping to reduce National Guard OPTEMPO
Rear Admiral Kenneth J. Braithwaite to be nominated as Secretary of the Navy by President Trump
New U.S. Space Development Agency issues first RFI for Next-Generation Space Architecture
Pentagon to host public meetings on prospective changes to technical data rights in the DFARS


text:
'Fantastic Beasts' And When To Find Them: Warner Brothers Announces A New Release Date For The Third Movie
Posted May 1st, 2019 by Jax Motes
Warner Brothers has announced that the third movie in the 'Fantastic Beasts' series will be out on November 12, 2021. It was previously planned to be released around that same time in 2020, two years after 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald', which was itself released two years after 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'. But reportedly due to the scope of the new picture, which costar Dan Fogler (Jacob Kowalski) says is "bigger than the first two combined," production was delayed.
RELATED: Need More Potter? JK Rowling Has Been Working Tirelessly To Make 'Fantastic Beasts 3' Better Than Predecessors
Well, that wasn't the only reason. 'Crimes of Grindelwald' didn't perform as well as 'Where to Find Them'. That's not abnormal, as many franchises lose steam over time, but WB and author J.K. Rowling want to make a total of five movies in this franchise and if they continue to perform weaker and weaker, that's not really a justifiable goal.
In early March, former WB CEO Kevin Tsujihara said, "J.K. Rowling is really working hard now on that third script, and we're going to get it right." (Tsujihara has since stepped down from his position, following a sex scandal.)
Filming on the third 'Fantastic Beasts' is set to begin in spring 2020, but not surprisingly, WB did not reveal the title of the new flick, nor where it would be set. We already know that each film will take place on a different continent, with 'Where to Find Them' mostly set in New York/North America, and 'Crimes of Grindelwald' in Paris and Great Britain/Europe.
RELATED: Dan Fogler Says The Third 'Fantastic Beasts' Was Delayed Because It Is "Bigger Than The First Two Combined"
There may or may not also be some issues involving Johnny Depp, who has been accused on separate occasions of physical and mental abuse by his ex-wife. There is some buzz that in the wake of the Tsujihara scandal that WB is concerned with remaining associated with Depp. Plus fans hated his casting to begin with. But that's just hearsay, so it's pretty unlikely that Grindelwald will get recast between now and next spring.
Check back for more updates as they become available.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Toy News Tuesday: We're In The Endgame Now
There's No Way You Spotted THIS 'Avengers: Endgame' Cameo!
Watch The First Scene From 'Batman Vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Here!
Mischief Manager: 'Loki' Disney+ Series Will Have God Of Mischief Time-Travelling
Movie Review: 'The Wolverine'
Marc Maron Isn't A "Hypocrite" For Joining The 'Joker'; He Just Wants To Work With Robert De Niro


text:
Q: Connecting GUI with game I am trying to build a GUI with a game class in java. I keep getting a NullPointerException and I don't know why, I thought I was passing the object "cPlayer" to the applet that then passed it to the JPanel portion (where it should compare with the cPlayer for hits or misses) but I have no idea what I am doing wrong. Is there some other way to pass the cPlayer object to the applet and then the JPanel?
public class gamePlay {
    public final static ComputerBoard cPlayer = new ComputerBoard();

    public static void main(String args){
        BattleshipApplet play = new BattleshipApplet();
        play.setBoard(cPlayer);

    }
}

public class BattleshipApplet extends JApplet {
    private final JButton playButton = new JButton("Play");
    private final JLabel msgBar = new JLabel("Click Play to start game");
    private BoardPanel panel;
    private ComputerBoard game;

    public BattleshipApplet(){
        playButton.addActionListener(this::playButtonClicked);
    }

    public void init(){
        configureGui();
    }

    private void configureGui(){
        setLayout(new BorderLayout());
        JPanel buttons = new JPanel(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.LEFT));
        buttons.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(0,5,0,0));
        buttons.add(playButton);
        add(buttons, BorderLayout.NORTH);
        msgBar.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(10,10,5,5));
        add(createBoardPanel(), BorderLayout.CENTER);
        add(msgBar, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
    }

    private BoardPanel createBoardPanel(){
        panel = new BoardPanel(game);
        return panel;
    }

    private void displayMessage(String msg){
        msgBar.setText(msg);
    }

    private void playButtonClicked(ActionEvent event){
        displayMessage("Game has started!");

    }

    void setBoard(ComputerBoard b){
        game = b;
    }

}

public class BoardPanel extends JPanel  {
    private static final int ROWS = 10;
    private static final int CELL_WIDTH = 28;
    private static final int PAD = 20;
    private static final Color GRID_COLOR = Color.blue;
    private static final Color CIRCLE_COLOR_HIT = Color.red;
    private static final Color CIRCLE_COLOR_MISS = Color.white;
    private static final Color TEXT_COLOR = Color.blue;
    private static final int SML_GAP = 2;
    private boolean[][] grid = new boolean[ROWS][ROWS];
    private int counter;
    private int x, y;
    private boolean gameBoardpiece;
    ComputerBoard gameBoard;

    public BoardPanel(ComputerBoard b) {
        addMouseListener((MouseListener) new MyMouse());
        counter =0;
        gameBoard = b;
        gameBoardpiece = false;
    }

    public void reset() {
        grid = new boolean[ROWS][ROWS]; // fills grid with false
        repaint();
    }

    @Override
    protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
        super.paintComponent(g);

        // draws grid
        g.setColor(GRID_COLOR);
        for (int i = 0; i <= ROWS; i++) {
            int x1 = PAD + i * CELL_WIDTH;
            int y1 = PAD;
            int x2 = x1;
            int y2 = PAD + CELL_WIDTH * ROWS;
            g.drawLine(x1, y1, x2, y2);
            g.drawLine(y1, x1, y2, x2);

        }

        // iterate through the grid boolean array
        // draw circles if the grid value is true.
        int w = CELL_WIDTH - 2 * SML_GAP; // width of the circle to draw
        int h = w;
        // nested for loop to go through the grid array
        for (int r = 0; r < grid.length; r++) {
            for (int c = 0; c < grid[r].length; c++) {
                if (grid[r][c]) {
                    //if was a hit
                    if(gameBoardpiece == false){
                        g.setColor(CIRCLE_COLOR_HIT);
                    }
                    //shot was a miss
                    else{
                        g.setColor(CIRCLE_COLOR_MISS);
                    }
                    int x = PAD + c * CELL_WIDTH + SML_GAP;
                    int y = PAD + r * CELL_WIDTH + SML_GAP;
                    g.fillOval(x, y, w, h);
                }
            }
        }
        //states the number of shots in the game
        g.setColor(TEXT_COLOR);
        g.drawString("Shots: "+counter, 305,300 );
    }

    private class MyMouse extends MouseAdapter {
        public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) {
            x = e.getX();
            y = e.getY();

            if (x < PAD || y < PAD  ) {
                // clicked above or to right of grid
                return;
            }

            int r = (y - PAD) / CELL_WIDTH;
            int c = (x - PAD) / CELL_WIDTH;

            // if clicked to right or below grid.
            if (r >= ROWS || c >= ROWS) {
                return;
            }

            if(gameBoard.matchBoard(r,c) == 0){
                gameBoardpiece = true;
            }
            if(gameBoard.matchBoard(r,c) == 1){
                gameBoardpiece = false;
            }
            counter++;
            grid[r][c] = true;
            repaint();
        }
    }
}

The error message I receive is:
Exception in thread "AWT-EventQueue-1" java.lang.NullPointerException
    at battleship.BoardPanel$MyMouse.mousePressed(BoardPanel.java:113)
    at java.awt.Component.processMouseEvent(Unknown Source)
    at javax.swing.JComponent.processMouseEvent(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.Component.processEvent(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.Container.processEvent(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.Component.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.retargetMouseEvent(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.processMouseEvent(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.EventQueue.access$500(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(Unknown Source)
    at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
    at java.security.ProtectionDomain$1.doIntersectionPrivilege(Unknown Source)
    at java.security.ProtectionDomain$1.doIntersectionPrivilege(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.EventQueue$4.run(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.EventQueue$4.run(Unknown Source)
    at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
    at java.security.ProtectionDomain$1.doIntersectionPrivilege(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(Unknown Source)

A: The life cycle of an applet is different from the life cycle of an application.  If this applet is run in the environment that an applet is normally run in, the main() method will not be called.  After the context calls the constructor of the applet, the life cycle will begin with a call to the applet's init() method.
Thus something like the following would work better.
public void init(){
    ComputerBoard cPlayer = new ComputerBoard();
    setBoard(cPlayer);
    configureGui();
}

or perhaps doing away with the setBoard method altogether and writing
public void init(){
    game = new ComputerBoard();
    configureGui();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: In reactJS, how to invoke link click via button press? I have a button.  When the users presses it, I want the outcome ot be the same as if the user had pressed a specific link.
Put another way, I want to represent a link as a button.
I can see from this that it is possible using Jquery:
How to call a href by onclick event of a button?
What is the "correct" way to do this in ReactJS?

A: Like this:
<button
    type="button"
    onClick={(e) => {
      e.preventDefault();
      window.location.href='http://google.com';
      }}
> Click here</button>

A: You don't even need jQuery nor React to do that. It's as simple as this:

var ex = document.getElementById('ex');
ex.onclick = function(){
  console.log('clicked');
}

var bt = document.getElementById('bt');
bt.onclick = function(){
  ex.click();
}
<button id="bt">Click</button>
Triggerable link

Of course, in React you can store the ref of the components, bind to the event and then trigger the event like this:
onClick(){
    this.ex.click();
}
render(){
    return (

          <button id="bt" onClick={this.onClick.bind(this)} ref={(ref)=>{this.bt = ref}}>Click</button>
          console.log("clicked")} ref={(ref)=>{this.ex = ref}}>Triggerable link

    )
}

Edit: If you just want a button that behaves like a link, you can use this, or any of the solutions listed in this question:
onClick(){
    window.location.href="http://url.com";
}
render(){
    return (
        <button id="bt" onClick={this.onClick}>Click</button>
    )
}

A: Use React-Router Link,instead of Anchor tag.

import React, { Component } from 'react';
import {Link} from 'react-router-dom'
 // reactClass --
    return (

      <Link to='https://react.semantic-ui.com/'>
      <button type="button" className="btn btn-info">Button</button>
      </Link>

    );
  // end--

A: This worked for me :)
 <button id="bt" >Click</button>

A: 2021 Update :

 {
      window.open("http://google.com", "_blank");
    }}
  />

A: You can use the following code :
  import { useNavigate } from "react-router-dom";
    const handleClick = (url)=>{
       const navigate = useNavigate();
       navigate(url);
     }

The useNavigate hook returns a function that lets you navigate to a specific link


text:
Watchdog report: Texting tickets soar, but convictions lag
Texting-while-driving tickets have soared in recent years, but only 44 percent have led to convictions so far, state records show.
RocDocs database: Tickets for cellphone use, texting while driving
Watchdog report: Texting tickets soar, but convictions lag Texting-while-driving tickets have soared in recent years, but only 44 percent have led to convictions so far, state records show. RocDocs database: Tickets for cellphone use, texting while driving Check out this story on DemocratandChronicle.com: http://on.rocne.ws/17Vg7mQ
Staff writers Published 4:39 p.m. ET June 8, 2013 | Updated 11:48 p.m. ET June 8, 2013
A file photo of a driver uses an iPhone while driving. (Photo: , )
A backlog of court cases, the ability to plead down the charges and the difficulty in proving a person was texting and driving have made convictions elusive in New York, law enforcement officials said.
"One of the difficulties would be, if the text hasn't been completed, it would be difficult to prove that a text was sent in the process of driving," said Peter Kehoe, executive director of the state Sheriff's Association.
The conviction rate for talking on a cell phone was nearly double the rate of texting tickets, according to state Department of Motor Vehicles records analyzed by Gannett's Albany Bureau.
About 82 percent of tickets for talking on a cell phone led to convictions on the charge between 2001 and May 2013. The texting law took effect in 2009.
Monroe County has a better conviction rate than most other counties in the state. According to the state data, Monroe County has a 56 percent conviction rate on texting tickets since the law took effect in 2009 and an 82 percent conviction rate on cellphone tickets since 2001.
The statewide trend is changing, however, and enforcement of the texting while driving law is increasing.
In 2012, two-thirds of the texting tickets statewide that were processed led to convictions on the charge, and 21 percent were pleaded down.
The law is also much broader than just texting while driving — it applies to any use of a handheld electronic device.
Prosecutors said they are offering less leniency because of the emergent dangers of distracted driving, which has led to high-profile deaths involving teenagers.
No pleading down
The Monroe County District Attorney's Office is refusing to plead down texting tickets, judges said.
"In our court, they are not doing any reductions on these," said Pittsford Town Judge John Bernacki. "They are either going to trial or they are pleading guilty to them."
A survey done locally last year by the Ad Council of Rochester showed drivers here text while driving at a higher rate than people in other cities. Or maybe they were just more honest. That survey's findings: 25 percent of Rochester-area drivers admitted texting while driving in the past month, compared with the national average of 18 percent.
On June 1, Gov. Andrew Cuomo implemented tougher distracted-driving regulations. The penalty increased from three points to five points on a license for a conviction of using a handheld electronic device or talking on a cell phone behind the wheel.
The Legislature on Thursday passed other components of Cuomo's proposal. Texting will be added to driving infractions for probationary and junior licenses that can lead to a 60-day suspension.
"The governor's goal is to condition new drivers not to develop life-threatening habits, prevent avoidable tragedies caused by texting and driving, and ultimately save lives," said Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi.
The change in points, prosecutors said, makes texting a more serious charge. As a result, they will be less likely to let a person plead it down to a violation that doesn't include points on a license, such as dropping a texting ticket to a parking ticket.
More trials possible
The increase in points may have an unexpected consequence: More drivers will challenge the tickets. That will mean fewer people will simply plead guilty, which could further burden the court system.
Five points on a license is serious. If a driver gets six points within 18 months, the person is slapped with a driver responsibility assessment by the state and a fine of at least $100 a year.
If a driver gets 11 points in 18 months, a license is suspended for typically 31 days. So a texting conviction and a major speeding ticket — going more than 20 mph over the speed limit — could lead to a suspended license.
"The new rules really put people in a precarious position," said James Riotto, a Rochester defense attorney and a former state trooper. "If they're looking at a suspension or exceeding their points, the operator will have to think about taking it to trial. What do they have to lose?"
Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo said the five points is a "big hit and an appropriate hit." He said he's ordered county prosecutors to rarely allow for plea deals.
"The role should be aggressive enforcement and prosecution," he said. "Obviously, they raised the point for a very simple reason: This is extremely dangerous."
The tragic cost
Indeed, when Cuomo announced the tougher texting measures at the end of May, he was accompanied by Ben Lieberman of Chappaqua in Westchester County. Lieberman's 19-year-old son, Evan, died in 2011 as a passenger in a car in which the driver was deemed to be using a cellphone while driving.
The Lieberman family is now seeking to raise awareness and money for a campaign against texting.
"Drivers need to worry about the lives that are in their hands and not the cellphone that is in their hands," Ben Lieberman said, noting that youth, inexperience and mobile phone distractions can be a deadly mix for teenagers.
In 2011, Cuomo increased the number of points for a texting-while-driving infraction from two to three. That law also made the charge a primary offense so police could pull someone over specifically for texting behind the wheel.
Since that change, texting tickets have soared, from about 9,000 in 2011 to 30,000 in 2012. At the same time, cell phone tickets dropped 37 percent between 2009 and 2012, presumably as more people turn to hands-free devices.
With texting, there's no legal alternative, and Cuomo has made it clear that it's illegal and dangerous. He has three teenaged daughters, so he too has a personal stake in the issue.
'Don't do it.'
Records from the state DMV showed that the highest number of tickets issued for texting were for drivers aged 22 to 30. People aged 26 had the most, roughly 2,300 tickets.
"We want the message to be very clear to young drivers: Don't do it and don't think about doing it," Cuomo said May 31.
The National Safety Council notes that 36 percent of teen drivers admit to texting while driving, while 39 percent of Gen Y drivers and 15 percent of Gen X drivers do. About 4 percent of baby boomers admit to texting and driving.
Stephanie Garvia of Rochester, 27, said that while she never got a ticket, she used to text and drive until a wake-up call changed her ways.
"I was hit by someone who was texting and didn't see my car in the lane next to theirs," she said. "I now regularly see people drifting in and out of lanes on the highway — and most of the time, when I can see the driver, they have their head down, using their phone. It's stupid, dangerous, and illegal for a reason."
She supports the increased penalties and stepped-up enforcement.
"Texting while driving, or emailing when driving, etc., is a very intentional and avoidable act, so I don't believe there is any excuse to continue to do it when it's been proven how dangerous it is; not just to the driver committing the act, but to everyone else sharing the road with them," she said.
Distracted driving in its various forms has even become more dangerous than drunken driving. In 2011, according to the Governor's Office, there were 25,165 fatalities and injuries involving distracted driving in New York, compared with 4,628 caused by alcohol-related incidents.
Texting conviction rates have varied by county since 2009, records showed.
In addition to Monroe County's 56 percent conviction rate, the rate was 19 percent in Genesee County; 64 percent in Livingston County; 50 percent in Ontario County; 31 percent in Orleans County; and 69 percent in Wayne County.
The lowest conviction rate in the state by county was Nassau on Long Island, at 9.5 percent.
In some counties, there is a lack of a uniform policy on how tickets are disposed — mainly downstate where traffic court is overseen by each town or village and not by the county's district attorney.
"It's an issue. Where's the responsibility?" Tantillo said of those systems that don't have county oversight of local courts.
Some judges said that because of a backlog of cases, they are only starting to see texting cases in their courts, and some could be a year or more old. That may help explain why convictions rates may be low so far.
Other judges said people are fighting the tickets by bringing in GPS devices and claiming they are using them and not their phones. In some cases, a judge decides a case by looking at phone records.
"If you see a cell phone in someone's hand, it might be difficult for an officer to testify that I know for sure that this individual is texting at that point in time," said Jeremy Murray, an assistant district attorney in Chemung County.
Greece Town Justice Gino Nitti said he averages one or two traffic-related trials every month. He said he anticipates the new law will bring an increase.
"I think that's a reasonable assumption," in light of the new point penalties and fines, he said.
The intent of tougher texting-while-driving laws could be jeopardized if it's not paired with stronger prosecution, said Cathy Chase of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety in Washington D.C.
"It's a concern if there is a public message being sent that the laws aren't effective and are not evenly enforced," she said.
JSPECTOR@Gannett.com
Twitter.com/gannettalbany
MCDERMOT@DemocratandChronicle.com
Twitter.com/meagmc
Joseph Spector is the Gannett Albany Bureau chief and a former staff writer. Meaghan McDermott covers the town of Greece and is a member of the staff watchdog team.
Read or Share this story: http://on.rocne.ws/17Vg7mQ


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text:
Q: How to use a boolean with two meanings within an if, nested if, else statement Ok, So when I run the code, after typing in no or anything that which is false, my program doesn't jump to the Else statement at the bottom (Outside of the nested if_Else statement) What am I doing wrong? I tried initiating it with else if (yes!=true) or Else (!yes), I mean you name it, including changing the initial arguments and imputing ( yes==true ^ no==true) however, defining another boolean variable to no and set to true as well!
import java.util.Scanner;
public class Flights
{
    public static void main(String args[]){
    String txt;
    boolean yes=true;

    Scanner type=new Scanner(System.in);
    int days;

    System.out.println("Is this a round trip? ");
    txt=type.next();

        if(yes==true){
            System.out.println("How many days in advance do you plan to book your flight?: ");
            days=type.nextInt();
            if(days>180)
                System.out.println("Error: Flights can't be booked for more than 180 days out");

            else if( days<=180 && days>=14)
                System.out.println("Your flight cost is: $275");

            else if(days<14 && days>=7)
                System.out.println(" Your flight cost is: $320");

            else if(days<7)
                System.out.println("Your flight cost is: $440");
                     }
        else
           {
                System.out.println("Enter your discount code");

           }

    }
}

A: Well, you initiate the yes variable to true, and didn't update it whatsoever before you start the conditional statement where you compare the value of yes to true. That's the issue.
This is where you begin:
boolean yes=true;

and then you wait for user typing in, but do not update the yes value, instead, you go ahead and check it like this.
if(yes==true){
}

This results in the else statement will never be reached.

What you could do is, following this line:
txt=type.next();

You can update the value of the yes variable, something like this:
txt=type.next();
yes = (txt != null) && "yes".equals(txt.toLowerCase());

if(yes==true){
    //...
} else {
}

Hope this helps.

A: For your program to make a decision based on the user input, you have to look at the value of txt.
Change your code to something like this:
yes = txt.equalsIgnoreCase("yes");
if (yes == true) {
    ...
} else {
    ...
}

Or even shorter:
if (txt.equalsIgnoreCase("yes")) {
    ...
} else {
    ...
}


text:
Q: what are ladder governors and menu governors? What role do they play in the Operating system ?

A: A mobile CPU has multiple idle states it can go into, to save power when not doing anything. The states that save more power generally take more time to get in and out of. These two source files describe two different methods for picking the best state to enter.
If a too-deep state is entered immediately, then it will be awoken too soon to justify the higher transition cost. Conversely, if a too-shallow state is selected, then potential power savings will be missed.
The ladder governor enters the lightest state first, and will only move on to the next deeper state if a sleep was long enough, as defined by some measure. It would first go to sleep in state 1, then 2, then 3, and so on, until either the deepest available state is reached, or the CPU is restarted after too short a time. In this case, the governor will pick state 1 next time.
The menu governor does not necessarily follow this progression, but can jump into a deeper state immediately, if it determines that this is likely to be worthwhile.


Home » FAQs » What are Provisional Sum items?
A Provisional Sum (PS's) is a reasonable estimate for material and labour of a particular part of the home which the builder cannot give a definite price for. Generally, the reason for a Provisional Sum being given is that the owner has not decided what they want at the time of entering into the contract; for example, a pool or landscaping.
Previous Previous post: What kind of warranties and peace of mind do you offer?
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text:
The Learning Space
Run For The Learning Space
Run the Scottish half Marathon / 10K on Sunday 23rd September 2018 and help us rasie much needed funds for The Learning Space.
The Learning Space is a small, rural Sottish charity that works with and supports young people who are experiencing challenges and barriers to their learning and development. Being both new and small The Learning Space needs as much support as possible to help us to deliver our work to the young people who attend.
Tailored for young people who may require support academically, emotionally or socially, we offer bespoke, motivating activities and experiences to enable young people to feel good about themselves, develop, move forward and succeed.
We actively promote and support individuality and unique learning styles.
Run for The Learning Space SCIO on Sunday 23rd September 2018.


This site was intended to be part of a "Digital City" project in The Hague and as a spontaneous contribution to the festivities around the fiftiest anniversary of the Republik Indonesia in the Netherlands in 1995 on the web. From time to time changes and additions are made.
It's called "The Colonial Widow" because that's a translation of a dutch name for the city of The Hague; "De Weduwe van Indië". That name was given to The Hague by a singer called "Tante Lien". To find out a bit about Tante Lien you can pay a visit to the University of Kent for a look at a study from Oliver Kortendick: Indische Nederlanders und Tante Lien: eine Strategie zur Konstruktion ethnischer Identität The introduction is in this language but de rest is in German.
This project has no special affiliation to cultural groups (including the Indische), political parties, ideologies or recepies. All kind of contributions on the subject of Dutch-Indonesian relations are welcome.
Because the Indonesian Communist Party(PKI) played an important and dramatic role in Dutch - Indonesian relations, and this issue never got much attention in general because of Indonesian censorship and Dutch interests, a special menu named "Indonesia Calling" was created to honour the communist solidarity with the Indonesian independence. Most information on the PKI is about the coup of 1965. "Indonesia Calling" also includes issues on human rights, East Timor and West Papua. These pages are not for amusement. Viewing some of them could be stressing and is no good for young children.


Thank you for visiting AdWebs Media. We want you to know that your privacy is important to us. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and we strive to ensure your experience with AdWebs Media is one that you will want to repeat and share with your friends. Part of our commitment to you is to respect and protect the privacy of the personal information you provide to us.
• Contact you (via email, postal mail, or telephone) regarding products and services (of AdWebs Media or our partners) that we believe may be of interest to you.
shipping, payment processing, data storage/management, webhosting, web analytics, fulfillment, assembly, marketing, mailing, emailing etc. These service providers only receive personal information if such information is needed to perform their function(s), and they are not authorized to use any personal information for any other purpose(s) other than the purpose(s) set forth by AdWebs Media.
If you choose to use our referral service to tell a friend about our site, we will ask you for your friend's email address. We will automatically send your friend a one-time email inviting him or her to visit the site. AdWebs Media stores this information for the sole purpose of sending this one-time email and tracking the success of our referral program.
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AdWebs Media is committed to the protection of the personally identifiable information that you share with us. We utilize a combination of physical and electronic security technologies, procedures, and organizational measures to help protect your personally identifiable information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. When we transfer sensitive personal information (for example, credit card information) over the Internet, we protect it using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption technology. While we strive to safeguard your personal information once we receive it, no transmission of data over the Internet or any other public network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure and, accordingly, we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you disclose or transmit to us.
If the personally identifiable information AdWebs Media has gathered from you changes or you would like to access, correct, or delete such information, we will gladly provide you access to, correct, or delete (to the extent allowed by law) any personal information we have collected about you. To request access to, a correction to, or deletion of your personal information, please send an e-mail to [email protected] or contact one of our jewellery consultants at +91-98410-39449. If you have registered for an account on our site you may update or remove your personally identifiable information by logging into your account and going to your account management page. We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.


Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo could team up to compete in the changing market.
Harada San, the man behind fighting game mainstay Tekken, may have based his game design career on constant, brutal competition, but he favors cooperation and collaboration in real life. Take his view on console gaming, for example. He believes that a broadening media market has made videogame consoles just one more device that can play host to a wide variety of entertainment. By pooling their resources instead of fighting over an increasingly narrow niche, San argues that Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft could create an unparalleled core gaming experience.
"People are able to not be tied down by consoles," says San. He explains that game developers used to compete only amongst themselves, but now must compete with the broader market that includes phones and tablets as well, most of which feature a fairly robust gaming component. "And it doesn't stop with phones, we have browser gaming and all these different platforms." If, on the other hand, the three biggest names in console gaming joined forces, each company could bring something unique to the table and focus on unique gaming experiences instead of competing hardware. "I think it would be interesting if Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo got together just to make one console. It makes me very happy to think about all the possibilities that could occur because of that."
The big three console manufacturers are not likely to jump into bed with each other any time soon, but given the increasingly stiff competition from phones, tablets, browsers, and streaming services, they may eventually decide that cooperation is better than extinction. Twenty years ago, the idea of Sega and Nintendo teaming up was beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and yet here we are.


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The Fiber input is reclocked with best in class input jitter tolerance. 3G-SDI rates of 270Mb, 1.5Gb, and 3Gb are supported. Supports Multi-Mode fiber cable.


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Ready to start creating your dream space? Give the kitchen store a call today for showroom hours or to schedule an appointment.


text:
Home Community Focus Page 32
Karleen Chinen - July 11, 2019
Hawaii Island Community Focus – Hilo Higashi Hongwanji Mission Bon Dance Set For Aug. 10
Hawaii Island Community Focus – Hilo Betsuin Buddhist Woman's Association Plans Garage Sale
Judo Junior National Championships Held In Hawaii
Community Focus - July 16, 2014
Over a thousand judo-ka (judo practitioners) from around the state, the U.S. mainland, Canada, Tahiti, Singapore and Japan were in Hawai'i during the July 4th weekend to participate in the Fifth Annual Grassroots Judo...
Japanese Women's Society Foundation Holds Annual "Adopt-A-Mom" Program
Community Focus Hawaii Herald - July 16, 2014
Members of the Japanese Women's Society Foundation, their guests and residents of Kuakini Home gathered at Hale Pulama Mau on May 19 for JWSF's 18th annual "Adopt-A-Mom" program. The event is normally held on...
Izumo Taisha To Lead "Big Blessings" Tour To Grand Shrine In Shimane
Izumo Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii is welcoming interested participants to join Bishop Daiya Amano and shrine members on a special tour to the Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine in Shimane, Japan, from Oct. 14 to...
Koho Radio Fan Club Donates Money to JCCH
Community Focus - July 9, 2014
The KOHO Radio Fan Club, which recently dissolved, closed out its treasury by donating the balance of its funds to help beautify the courtyard of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii. The club was...
Japanese Women's Society Foundation to Celebrate 60th Anniversary
Community Focus Hawaii Herald - July 9, 2014
The Japanese Women's Society Foundation will celebrate its 60º anniversary at a luncheon set for Sunday, July 27, at the Hawaii Prince Hotel. The event is titled "Sixty Years of Linking Generations" and is...
Sumie Society Celebrates 12th Exhibition
Community Focus - June 24, 2014
Eight Sumie Society of Hawaii students were presented certificates of achievement by their longtime instructor, Sachie Saigusa-Sensei, at the group's annual gathering. The lunchtime event at Alan Wong's Pineapple Room marked the conclusion of...
Hui O Laulima Accepting 2015 Cultural Grant Applications
Hui O Laulima, a women's organization dedicated to promoting, perpetuating and preserving Okinawan culture, is currently accepting applications for its 2015 cultural grant program. The grants are open to groups and individuals who are...
Fukushima Taiko Groups thank Hawai'i with concert for Disaster Relief efforts
The Fukushima Taiko Union, comprised of over 50 drumming ensembles from the Japan prefecture of Fukushima, will present a Mahalo Concert at Lahaina Jodo Mission on Sunday, July 6, from 6-8 p.m. The concert, titled...
SENDAI HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THANK LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
Community Focus - June 6, 2014
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons Consul General of Japan Toyoei Shigeeda marked the third anniversary of the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake by hosting a reception at his residence for students from a high school...
Thursday mini-bullets
Community Focus - September 3, 2009
A festival brings lessons Japanese culture to Missouri Botanical Gardens. An interview with the Harajuku Girls. Proof that protest works. Paramount apologies for a racist slur in The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. The Wall Street Journal:...
Ryan's Table – Bitter is Better
Big Island Ryan Tatsumoto - July 11, 2019
Shushin


Discussion in '3DS - Homebrew Development and Emulators' started by Robz8, May 11, 2016.
I also have a DSTT Flashcard but no matter what i do i cant get it to work with any Firmware i have found so far, but i guess thats a topic for another thread, anyway i hope anyone can help! thanks in advance!
Does local multiplayer work with this?
Yes. Download Play doesn't work for some games though.
Also just one more question. When i boot my nds files in desmume the language is english but when i boot the nds files up from my home menu using your forwarder method the language is japanese. How do i fix this?
Add "LANGUAGE = -1" to "sd:/_nds/nds-bootstrap.ini".
Hey, so I know that this thread isn't really active anymore, but I'm really desperate to solve this problem.
I'm trying to forward Pokemon White 2 and Pokemon Black. Both files are DSi enhanced, AP patched, confirmed to be compatible, and have names which I assume are short enough (white 2.nds and black .nds.) I'm just using my SD card because I do not own a flashcard (I'm hoping that's okay.) I have GodMode9 installed and everything. I've tried forwarding the NDS files with them being stored on my PC, and on my USB drive. I don't own a SD to USB adapter so I have to use FTPD or plug in the SD card into a different computer and copy and paste the files on to it from my USB drive (I keep all my files on my own PC, but it doesn't have an SD card slot, so I have to use someone else's, which has one.) Because of this, I can't exactly use the nds. files in Forwarder 3DS with them being stored on the SD card directly. Instead, I have to copy them to the SD, to the point where it would have been the same as if I were to install it there directly.
On to the actual problem, I'm getting that common issue where I get the 2 black and white screens when I load my icons on the home menu. I've tried so many different things but none of them have worked. I've kept the forward NDS files on my SD card, just the regular nds files, both, and tried deleting both and just installing the CIAs. I've both checked and unchecked Automatically Set ROM paths, Keep NDS files, etc. I've tried putting the CIA files and the NDS files in the same folder and different folder. I tried personally setting the path in Forwarder 3DS. None of this works; I get the same error every time.
I'm really hoping that it's not because I can't put files directly onto my SD card from my PC, or because I don't have a flashcard and I'm just being stupid. Any ideas?
That's really weird, I swear I got a working copy of White 2 previously on menu... oh well lol.
First, i have a bad english, sorry >< and second, congratulation for that amazing work !
Desc : <unknown> ( 53 ) "
Again sorry for my english XD et thanks you for reading me !
To free some space, delete a DSiWare title from System Memory.
If you're using EmuNAND, then install the CIAs to SysNAND as well.


Yousef Shamoun is Co-founder of Akhtaboot (www.akhtaboot.com), the leading career network for the Levant and GCC region. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University in Canada in 2001. Upon graduating he worked as a Mechanical Engineer and then as a Senior Sales Engineer in one of the regional IT Companies in the Middle East. In 2006, Yousef completed his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. with a specialization in Entrepreneurship. Alongside Akhtaboot, Yousef also co-founded the Arabic card gaming website Jawaker (www.jawaker.com) in 2009.


A high-level delegation led by Chairman and CEO of CMPak (Zong 4G), Mr. Wang Hua met with Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddique to discuss the digital future of Pakistan. Mr. Wang Hua expressed his appreciation in regard to Government of Pakistan's role to accelerate the development of the telecommunications industry and realizing the digital economy as an important driving force for national economic growth.
The detailed and constructive discussion with the Minister was undertaken around digitalization of Pakistan and the policies and framework encompassing telecommunications and information technology sector.


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The copyright information for this document is currently unavailable. An online version can be found here.
Bibliographic information: The Banki Water Turbine. Mockmore, C.A., Merryfield, Fred. Published by Oregon State University. (February 1949).
Page was last modified 20:33, 7 March 2010. Based on work by Connor Rea, Amir Nosrat.


There can be a fine line between opportunity and insensitivity, especially when it comes to marketing and advertising campaigns.
As you all know, recently Hurricane Sandy devastated the Northeast of the United States. Many brands were commended for demonstrating genuine concern for customers and others; however other brands used Hurricane Sandy as a promotional opportunity to boost sales.
American Apparel were not the only brand to commit this faux pas, home ware company Jonathan Adler sent out an email campaign asking recipients to 'Storm Our Site', offering free shipping with the code 'Sandy'. Urban Outfitters went all out, with their email featuring a picture of Frankenstein and 'Frankenstorm' offering free shipping with the code 'ALLSOGGY'.
Is this harmless fun or a shameless effort at boosting sales at a particularly devastating time for many? While these brands obviously would mean no offence with their email campaigns, the consequence of using Hurricane Sandy as a PR stunt has no doubt created the perception that the companies are being insensitive as well as oblivious to the devastating affect to many individuals, families and businesses.
When dealing with content which is topical, timing really is everything. Your message will not be anywhere near as effective if the content is out of date. Because of this, try to prepare your content in advance by using pre-planned events, shows and holidays.
However, for those unexpected events you should try to react as quickly as possible to keep your emails relevant and current.
For email campaigns to be effective they need to be relevant to your target audience. By sending groups news and promotions which are of little or no interest to them you are likely to see a rise in unsubscribes for your email list.
While it is important that your topic is relevant, it doesn't always have to be directly linked to your business. Using a change in weather to promote services or products is widely practiced, however as previous mentioned, make sure that the change in weather is not as sensitive as a hurricane or a storm.
You don't even need to theme the entire email around the topic; instead consider using a small section or even a subject like to keep the email topical.
There will be times when recipients will receive a huge amount of emails around the same topic, which can mean that your message is diluted; Christmas and Valentine's Day are great examples of this. Be sure to communicate additional value within your emails so that you stand out from the crowd.
You could even think out of the box and research events and holidays which aren't widely covered by your competitors. For instance around Halloween when recipients are being bombarded by spooky emails, Las Iguanas also celebrate Day of the Dead. This is not only on brand but is also very unique at this time of the year.
Topical content can be a great boost to your email marketing, however remember to keep it relevant, timely and as we have learnt, sensitive to current affairs. A tongue in cheek email may seem edgy to you and your company, however remember to respect events going on around you, and view your email from every possible perspective before hitting send.