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Why Having A Female Touch in the Digital Image Editing Services Sector Gives You More Clout
Women working in digital image editing services muscle in on historical boys club territory
It's man's world, James Brown once famously sang. Only now, mercifully, it's a lot more of a women's one too. Including those plying their trade in the digital image editing services industries. As well it should be.
At long last everyone's voices are being equally heard. Well, almost. Despite the Suffragettes first highlighting the injustices served to the fairer sex over a century ago. Subsequently making a prominent stand for the rights of women. Finally, women are moving and shaking in sectors where historically they were overlooked in favour of male counterparts. Irrespective of their obvious and overwhelming experience, skillset and natural talents.
And we're not just talking about in the digital image editing services sector, neither.
It's Permanently Women's Hour Here at DT. Although the Male Contingent Do Sometimes Get a Word in Edgeways….
Nowadays an increasing number of female politicians are making their voices heard louder and clearer than ever before. Elsewhere, society is witnessing women heading-up large metropolitan police forces. We've even seen the long overdue debuts of the fairer sex making their mark in age-old male-only sporting strongholds. Think, professional darts and Premier League football (where they work in tandem with referees).
And would you believe that even that most male of bastians, the TV motoring show, elected to recruit a female racing driver to the role of 'The Stig'. Albeit in The Grand Tour's facsimile'd Top Gear guise.
Indeed, these days even the sky doesn't limit the reach of womankind. Now we can observe female astronauts orbiting dot-like 'mankind' beneath them.
From Thunberg to Sherrock, More Women Are Asserting Their Authority in Traditional Male Domains Than Ever Before
Women made waves (and headlines) like never before during 2019. Yumi Ishikawa, Fei-Fei Li, Greta Thunberg and Fallon Sherrock, to name but a few. All riding the crests of their respectively prominent ones. And further empowering women. Not just being well received. But being instantly identifiable when championing their own individual causes. And at whatever polar opposite ends of the spectrum they were making their presence felts in.
In more everyday life we're privy to change too. New heroines are assuming a lot of roles once seen as the occupational preserve of men. These include the likes of test development engineers, train drivers, automotive sales, architects, butchers and vehicle mechanics. While broadly in terms of industries, agriculture, manufacturing, transport and logistics and construction are attracting greater volumes of women applicants than acknowledged at any point previously.
A woman making her presence felt during Suffragette times
More Power to Womens' Elbows in the Creative Industries Called For
Of course, some areas remain steadfastly male-dominated. And despite the best will in the world, can't always be overcome. Although vocations which for decades barely registered the contribution that women made in contrast to that of men, have slowly tickled much-needed change. Photography being noted as one.
Between 2012 and 2017, the New York Times cited a meagre 15% of the entries to the World Press Photo Awards compiled of women. Three years on, the landscape has chnaged for the better. Now the majority of students in undergraduate and graduate photojournalism programs are women, according to The Guardian newspaper.
The sphere of digital image editing services is of course a sector which women could just as readily carve out a successful career in as much as men. Yet statistically-speaking, the industry remains largely populated by a core male demographic. For no just reason it would seem.
Women Employed in Creative Fields Not Always Credited to Same Degree as Men. For This Also Read Digital Image Editing Services
However the photo retouching sector isn't alone when it comes to being poorly accounted for by the presence of women holding down key positions, as we alluded to above. Computing, graphic design, digital art and (the aforementioned) photography are equally creative work environments where women are still under-represented.
Not only that. Recent research conducted by a leading creative publication has found even more damning evidence. To suggest that the strides already taken, are not great enough in some quarters. And that head counts alone don't tell the full, often unreported story.
In as much as that on balance (and when quoted in comments and articles), women working in the creative sector were more likely to be presented according to the 'sounds they made'. As opposed to being recognised for their achievements.
As a point in question, one authority highlighted analysis of comments made by both men and women. Which, staggeringly, depicted women being mentioned in terms of 'laughs, giggles' and 'cries'. Together with counts of non-verbal reactions such as 'grins' and 'smiles'. Within a similar context, their male creative counterparts were associated in the printed word. With strong, actionable verbs, nouns and adjectives. Including 'performed, designed, directed, founded' and 'managed'.
In other words, terms which implied levels of achievement and leadership.
So as you can see, much work still has to be done. More hurdles negotiated as women continue to seek parity with men across the board.
Greta Thunberg stages a one-woman protest to demand action on climate change
So, Why Aren't More Women Working in The Digital Image Editing Services Sector?
A very good question. Yet sadly one we're not able to answer fully. Not in the space of a blog, anyway.
Although one theory might be as follows.
Back in the 1980s young men showed far more interest in computing than girls did. Whether from the programming angle or the design elements. Therefore a greater percentage (possibly, as we're summising here) went on to study graphic design, let's say. Potentially sparked by – and thus utilising – this early learning knowledge and thirst for all things newly computing. And retouching, less we forget, is a more specialist offshoot of graphic design.
So this pontification might go some way to explaining why there's been a dearth of female talent entering the profession over the years. Basically, boys were just ahead of the girls, digitally-speaking. Yet the girls possessed the design prowess, when all's said and done.
Still, what we can do is flag up some of the primary advantages of being a woman working in the arena of professional photo enhancing. Establishing why they'd find themselves in the digital image editing services industry driving seat. If and when they chose to pursue it as a career.
Female Clients Prefer a Fellow Female's Sensitive Approach and Understanding of Certain Personal Digital Image Editing Services Briefs
One predominant plus point to being a woman working in this sector is the subject of trust.
It probably won't come as much of a surprise to learn that women tend to prefer other women to handle their family images. Specifically ones which feature their children.
And we're sorry guys, but also for the most part, women possess a deeper understanding of the importance of presentation. In many areas of life, not just anything creative. They have a habit of spending more time on things too. Displaying greater levels of patience. They also appreciate that the devil is essentially in the exacting details.
Women are also more reliably equipped to complete subtle beauty photo retouching briefs. The key word here being 'subtle'. A woman knows what another woman wants. Instinctively what she's looking for within a particular shot. Or conversely, what they want a digital image editing services professional to remove.
Discreetly.
Pictures of a sometimes intimate or sensitive nature need to be handled/retouched with the sort of tactility and considered approach only women can really bring to the table.
Final Thoughts….
Just a few bulletproof reasons why hiring a woman to do what might have been historically viewed as a man's job, makes perfect sense. And why women are today being recognised as the gender which can be implicitly trusted to get the job you want, done.
OK, just a little shameless (yet harmless) self-promotion to editorially bookend the whole female perspective thing.
By Chris Barker
Biocentrics: How Digital Photo Retouching Experts Interpret What We See
"Here's looking at you, kid."
Alberto Villoldo: 'With imagination, we can hold a universe inside our minds.'
After the somewhat lethargic Christmas break we thought we'd ease you gently into 2020 with a whimsical and undemanding blog read about biocentrism. And how we, as digital photo retouching experts are fascinated with the way in which we interpret what we see before us. And acknowledging that what we see, might not always be what our minds are telling us we see. The eyes are just messengers, remember.
Don't fret. There's a point to all this after the first couple of paragraphs. So don't look away just yet.
You may not be aware of biocentrism. However it's an alternative theory of pretty much everything we take for granted around us. Ergo, it's a pretty big deal.
Biocentrics touches on a number of schools of academia. Including science – quantum physics, along with other populist branches – astronomy, philosophy, existentialism, ecosystems, religion and math. And challenges our accepted thoughts and ideals quite like nothing else. That being said, the very concept of everything we never question potentially existing as only perceptions in our heads. And which are inherent and learnt episodes in all our lives and times.
We agree. This sounds like it belongs in the realms of sci-fi.
Exploring the Mind's Eye. Not Just the Digital Photo Retouching Experts'
Grappling with the biggest of bigger pictures for millennia, it's not just digital photo retouching experts who've pondered the imponderable during that wasteland between Christmas and New Year. Philosophers and scientists have carved careers out of musing just what the nature of the real world actually is. Indeed, some 300 years ago George Berkeley ruminated one of the most rhetorical posers in the history of mankind, as we understand it to be. He famously waxing lyrical about 'the only thing we can perceive are our perceptions'.
Which you'd be right in thinking is very heavy (man). And could be mistaken for the type of conversation people under certain primarily nocturnally-inspired influences/refreshments might engage in. Long into the night.
Yes. We're Consciously Talking About Biocentrism, Amid a Lighthearted Blog Section Normally Dedicated to the Typical Work Associated with Digital Photo Retouching Experts
To possibly better explain this laterally-applied logic, ask yourself this. Is consciousness simply the matrix upon which the cosmos is apprehended? Think about it for a moment. In reality (whether a skewed one or not) the likes of everything we take as read fundamentally only exist as perceptions in our collective heads, don't they. Colour, sound, temperature and everything else we sense. At what juncture do they become absolute essences?
Next we quote one of the most learned minds on the subject of biocentrism, Robert Lanza. He says that; "In the broadest sense, we cannot be sure of an outside universe at all." And compares the theory to a personal experience which started him on his journey. Lanza described how he once happened upon a spider who was busy surveying its universe (an an insect captured in its web). But everything beyond that gossamer pinwheel was incomprehensible, according to Lanza. The presence of whom himself must have appeared as distant to the spider as telescopic objects seem to us.
Our Brains Interpret Visual Images Differently. Whether We're Digital Photo Retouching Experts or Not
Anyway. Time to bring this mind-expanding thought process back to an arena digital photo retouching experts can relate to. We could cite some fascinating examples of how we visually interpret what we imagine/convinced we see. Fervently believing the vision before us to be the actual representation, and physical embodiment, of what our brains are informing us that we're focusing on. You might still not be entirely au fait with the more graphic comparisons we're attempting to draw (tenuous as they might be) between biocentrism and certain imagery we're confronted with. The sort which we choose to immediately accept 'as is'.
If so, then try the following approach to the subject. One which is perhaps more relevant and relatable in many ways.
The eye-tem in question.
This Wasn't Merely a Dress Rehearsal
We've all been privy to those social media posts where you're challenged to determine the pictorial piece that appears before you. Which to the untrained eye stands as an optical illusion for the most part. A couple of years ago we were asked to establish if a seemingly innocuous dress was white and gold in colour. Or black and blue. Which sparked a national debate that transcended society. And where everyone from learned scholars – including a Physicist at Cambridge – to Taylor Swift shared their opinions on the subject.
It was concluded that an optical illusion was the culprit, stemming directly from how the human brain processes colours in different environments. Or to be more precise, how as individuals we perceive colours to be when they're in close proximity to certain objects. And specifically their reflected light which falls under the object under scrutiny.
According to a professor of Colour Science and Technology at the University of Leeds, one in 12 men are colour blind for a start. But that doesn't let the rest off the hook either, as those that aren't colour blind don't always see colour in the same way. The boffin went on to explain that such episodes (the #thedress meme, for instance) should be a more regular occurance. And that people wrongly assume that everyone sees the same thing in a photograph.
So, Seeing isn't Always Believing?
Lending his thoughts on the topic, Ron Chrisley, Director of the Centre for Research in Cognitive Science at the University of Sussex, added his views. "Which colour we see isn't just a matter of the light coming into eyes, it's the inferences that caused that input. We use the context to inform our colour experiences." The leading academic goes on to say how some people factor in context so as to form a more expansive colour experience, whilst others purely see what's in front of them.
Interestingly Chrisley continues; "Given what we know of the brain, and it's a good guess, is that someone who is used to manipulating images and white balance might be able to perceive the true dress colour in a wider range of contexts and ignore context, whereas others can be easily manipulated." Before inferring that individuals who have experience of altering luminance in Photoshop may not be fooled by it.
Did Someone Say Photoshop?
Aha. Photoshop mentioned. Which is of course, our cue. But with this being our first blog of the new year (and decade), we've decided to concentrate on the biggest of bigger pictures. As we've already proven from the outset. So we'll stick with the science and biological perspectives till the end, if that's all the same with you.
Someone is Definately About to Mention Evolution Though. It's Inevitable
On which note, evolution. Boffins are quick to point out that humans evolved to see in daylight, despite the fact that the most naturally-occuring of light sources changes the colour of everything we scan. And that our eyes habitually try to compensate for the chromatic bias of daylight colour. Apparently we view objects as we do, because light is reflected.
So when we witness something, light enters the eye with varying wavelengths which correspond to different colours. Subsequently the light hits the retina in the back of the eye where pigments fire signals to the brain department tasked with the remit of processing said signals into an image. Finally our grey matter decided what colour the light is bouncing off the object in our immediate vision. Courtesy of substracting the colour from the real colour of the object.
We bet you wish we were talking about the Kardashian's latest Photoshop faux pas now, don't you.
The most incomplete chess board ever.
Thanks for the Meme-ories
The Facebook dress meme is neither the only or indeed, first instance when our eyes deceived us. Some of you may also recall the famous Adelson's Checkerboard Shadow illusion. Which although sounding as if it's a hyperbolic publicity stunt pulled by David Blaine (which may or may not incorporate the facilitation of a suspended transparent box), wasn't. But did draw gasps from casual observers unable to fathom out just what they were looking at, in the way they were supposed to according to those in the know.
As Axl Rose Once Implored us to Do. Use Your Illusion
And if you're still in the dark, try this.
Adelson's Checkerboard Shadow illusion exploits the mechanisms underlying lightness constancy. Which in plain English means our capacity to perceive the lightness (or reflectance) of a surface as invariant. Even when the intensity of incident light (the illuminance) is changing at a point, or is variable across the surface.
Our inherant ability to differentiate between brightly lit dark surfaces and dimly lit white surfaces, ensures that we can detect edges and forms, under normal conditions. Thanks to lightness constancy. Along with our understanding (or should that be, accepted perceptions) of size, shape, colour and feel, light constancy allows us to skillfully negotiate our environment. This broad field is referred to as 'perceptual constancy'. And is generally defined as a subject's capacity to perceive some property of an object as being independent of external conditions (e.g. lighting or distance).
There. We told you this blog was going to be easy on all our jittery New Year brains.
On a final note, we'll leave you with this thought. To further hurt you head.
Rather than assume a reality that predates life – and is, arguably, responsible for creating it in the first place – biocentrics are proposing an alternative vision of reality. Basically the premise that life – particularly consciousness – creates the universe. Inferring that the universe could not exist without us.
Welcome to 2020 with DT. We promise you less taxing blogs to come (insert smiley emoji HERE)….
Digital Image Enhancing Experts Transform Visual Quality of Iconic 'Last Christmas' by Wham!
The look of an undisputed snowball champion
It's not just the aesthetic of photos which can benefit from a timely modern makeover, care of digital image enhancing experts. There have been many instances where TV programmes of yesterday, old movies and classic music videos have received a remastered digital touch. At the hands of gifted image editing professionals at large in their specific fields. The latest in a long line being none other than Wham!'s instantly recognizable/resolutely seasonal, 'Last Christmas'.
You know the one.
Where a young George Michael gave someone his heart, but unfortunately shouldn't have bothered; seeing it was casually discarded by the thankless recipient in under 24 hours.
What's this got to do with digital image enhancing experts?
Don't sit/stand there and try telling DT that you've never wanted to see the late, great George Michael's luxurious – if not subtly highlighted and slightly snow-dampened – 80s mullet digitally remastered during any part of the past three decades or so?! Because if you're currently shaking your own tousled mane, then you're lying.
For those unperturbed by 80s taste and excess, then you're in for a visual treat this festive season. Courtesy of the release of a brand new digitally re-jigged version of Wham!'s seminal winter hit, 'Last Christmas'. What's that? Did they have a seminal summer hit too? Er, two words. 'Club' and 'Tropicana?!'
This year you'll be lucky to get a set of heated hair curlers, George thought, while masking the pain 12 months on
Because you have a heart (although technically not the one George was so seemingly benevolent with sometime around Christmas 1983). And/or you're a child of the 80s. Or a massive fan of any one of the following winter pursuits;
Pop stars actively involved in snowball fights
Jeep Wranglers pulling to a overly dramatic halt in snow near chalets
Soft perms
The popular Swiss ski resort of Saas-Fee
Snatched moments beneath Christmas trees
Annual romantic regrets
Frantic hand waving from 4x4s and ski lifts
The wearing of garish ski wear
Looking forlorn under oversized fur-edged hoods
Andrew Ridgeley setting fire to a Christmas pudding
"Don't forget, I was in THAT/THIS video too, you know!" quipped fellow 80s mulletmeister, Ridgeley
So what's the script?
'Curly-haired young man invites gaggle of close friends (and old flame) to log cabin in ski resort to celebrate Christmas together. Group – which also includes Spandau Ballet bassist, Martin Kemp – decorate Christmas tree as unit. Afterwards they engage in abovementioned snowball histrionics, before curly-haired young man gets a bit maudling over dinner.'
Oh, you mean the script re: digital image enhancing experts revisiting 'Last Christmas', don't you?
Revisited by moving image restoring bods to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the release of the original track (there have been a number of subsequent covers* since 1984, most of which have defied logic), this iconic song and music video combo is definately deserved of such a lavish contemporary makeover in our opinion.
Because everyone – and we mean, EVERYONE – recalls how 'Last Christmas' was famously kept off the top of the charts (and the fabled Christmas Number One slot) by an equally memorable track Bob Geldof, Bono and Co. When they took it upon themselves to highlight the plight of Africa's famine victims in 1984. Which had made for distressing news headlines that year.
"Hello, yes. 80s hairstyles called and asked if it could have one of its most bouffant examples back?"
But how does this explain why 'Last Christmas' is back in the news 'This Christmas' though?
The long-overdue turn of what is, arguably THE best Christmas song ever penned (the Blog Editor's decision is final here, by the way; no correspondance will be entered into) to grab the headlines, is down to two things. From what we can make out, anyway.
Despite being on EVERY Christmas album compilation and being the unofficial soundtrack to high street Christmas shopping forays for most of our lives to date, it's now found itself gaining even more seasonal airtime. Thanks to a new movie purportedly inspired by said song.
Yes, that saccharine-sweet holiday rom-com starring Khaleesi from Game of Thrones and Henry Golding, being the first. Which was destined to spectacularly bomb according to cold-hearted filum** critics, yet appears to be doing the box office bizz right now. And which heavily features George's songs and just so happens to share the name of Wham!'s Yuletide Number 2, non-summer best-seller in its title.
And secondly?
And secondly due to the powers that be (the Wham! ones, for the record, record) deciding that the best way to acknowledge that this Christmas – not last – marks 35 years to the month/year that the track was released, is give the evocative music vid the full 4K razzle dazzle. Which they duly did. With a little help from digital image enhancing experts. One of those responsible being the original director himself, namely Andy Morahan according to sources.
To think, in just a decade's time, East 17 will attempt to steal my ridiculous fur-trimmed hood Christmas thunder, with their chavtastic white examples of the genre
So, how can we tell the difference in the quality of the music video (apart from the fact we've just told you its screen sharpness is incredible compared to the earliest interpretation)?
Because like all the very best visual enhancements (think along the lines of digital photo restoration, for example), the devil is in the detail. Clarity, colouration, light, shadows, etc all play a significant part in the core restorative qualities sought out when fine-tuning an image. Be it static, cinematic or in this particular case, music-based.
What does all this actually mean to me?
It actually means that you can enjoy the spectacle that is, 'Last Christmas' (the Wham! hit, NOT the movie) through new eyes. Virtually imagining what it would appear like had it been recorded in 2019. Facilitating state-of-the-art digital cameras and quite plausibly recruiting the services of professional Michael, Ridgeley, Pepsi and Shirley dopplegangers wearing 1980s fashions. Such is the levels of celluloid authenticity observed in this 4K reboot. A video dropped and uploaded to Wham's official YouTube page just this 'Last Weekend', and which has already accumulated a staggering 4 million views and counting.
Now That's What I Call 4K Digital Remastering. Incidentally, is there anything else I need to be aware of?
Yeah. Were you aware that 'Last Christmas' isn't even a Christmas song? If in doubt, when was the last time you noticed Noddy Holder, Santa, a reindeer, Mr Blobby, a children's choir or Cliff Richard in the video? Exactly. The song is essentially about a failed romance that happened to blossom on December the 25th (otherwise traditionally known in pop(ular) culture as Christmas Day).
Yet ultimately ceased to exist approximately one day later, on December the 26th (typically referred to as Boxing Day). When the ungrateful person who George gave his heart to only 24 hours earlier, decided to give it away.
*(ahem) 'notably' from the likes of Euro Dance Pop-peddlers, Cascada, that inanely-grinning, Crazy Frog and our very own ex-X Factor contestant, Olly Murs. Mercifully Gwen Stefani, Jimmy Eat World and Good Charlotte are among the cool musicians who have also afforded 'Last Christmas' their unique takes on it too
** the common pronunciation of the word, 'film' if you're of a Lancashire heritage
8 Image Editing Experts Apps from the 80s: How We Photoshopped Before Photoshop
Peak 80s image editing experts nostalgia realised as He-Man inhales Etch-a-Sketched goodness
Kids of today don't realise they're born. When DT's team of image editing experts were knee-high to a grasshopper (and wrestling them for exclusive rights to local trees), computers only existed in the science fiction movies we watched at places our parents referred to as picture houses. And these computers were typically the size of small countries and were all called Hal. Although some were covered in lots of lights and keyboards and could strike chords with alien life forms from outter space.
Or 'out of space', as the Prodigy later christened it.
Although they weren't actually all that good (rudimentary means of communicating with little green dudes that is; NOT the Prodigy, who were ace). Because ET had to rely on telekinetic powers to summon his mothership around this same time, if you recall.
But anyway. What we quickly established as would-be image editing experts of tomorrow, was that due to Photoshop not yet having being invented, was this. Should people mess up big time on their photo creation, then there wasn't a lot that could be done about it. Basically you just had to live with the consequences of being a bit rubbish at taking photos.
How Future Image Editing Experts Removed Background Images in a Land Before Photoshop. ie, the Eighties
But that didn't necesarily matter some four decades ago. As alternative wand tools had been designed to help us correct/fix other schoolboy/girl errors we'd accidentally made. What we like to fondly remember as the 'Photoshop of our childhood'. Yet which in reality, was about as futureproof as CorelDraw. And primarily involved weird ink, putty rubbers and pairs of scissors. The sort of scenario which would make your average 'Blue Peter' presenter go full scale Tracy Island level berserk.
Beneath we've put on our rose-tinted spectacles (Top Gun-styley) and recalled the various methods, techniques, apps – or tools, as we used to refer to them as – and hacks that the next generation of image editing experts had at their/our disposal. Before Adobe was hatched. Providing the images we required editing weren't that graphically advanced. Or visually impressive/in colour/created on shiny surfaces/manifest in a particular blue ink/were in any way pleasing on the eye.
Basically the options were starting from scratch, or starting from scratch. But as you know, practice is what makes us all perfect at our calling(s) in life. And image editing experts are no exception.
8 Ways to Remove Unwanted Objects, People or Backgrounds from Images in the 1980s
Anyone else remember the chocolate looking/smelling rubbers??
Eraser.
I know. Hardly cutting edge tech. But we're talking about the early 1980s, remember. And ways of erasing part of an image you weren't quite happy with were pretty limited. Hence the eraser being the 'go to' piece of kit you reached for once you'd realised you'd made a terrible mistake. And that the stripe across Adam Ant's nose was all to cock. This, and other big visual issues of the day were rectified within seconds. Courtesy of some robust wrist action and exhaling of cheeks to remove all circumstantial evidence. Plus rubbers were ace, as they came in all sorts of novelty shapes and smells.
Mercifully, our beauty retouching skills have improved post-adolescence
Scribbling Out.
Yup. Promising young photo retouchers didn't just have erasers at our disposal back in the day, but we had ready access to any amount of biros too. So if you thought that A-ha would look way more macho with the addition of hipster beards (bear in mind the only folk sporting such facial foliage at this time were North Sea trawlermen, suspect-looking folk singers and drivers of Ford Capri's who'd let their 'tache grow out), then a handily-placed biro would instantly transform your Smash Hits poster. You could even imagine Morten with two missing teeth. If you grew tired of looking at his otherwise picture perfect mug.
Also useful for writing angsty things on the back of your leather jacket
Tippex.
Now this stuff was black magic in a very small bottle which could transform a bad image before you could say; "I though that was called liquid paper??"
Which it was, incidentally. Forget all about black magic though, as this was the actual embodiment of practising white witchcraft. Simply shake the bottle, unscrew the cap and lo and behold you'd enter a different dimension. An arts n crafts universe. One which comprised of an in-built lid-brush combo which would literally (or rather, graphically) take your cares away. Like the Fraggles promised, yet rarely delivered on.
However Tippex did exactly what it said it did on the bottle. Eradicate ALL errors pre-404. By the swipe of a tiny brush head coated in this unmistakably potent white liquid which removed all traces of an area of any given image you'd ruined, thanks to your distinctly amateur artistic skills. Amazon would have been ALL OVER this concept, if we could reverse engineer image editing experts' histories.
The better the quality of scissors you had at school, the more elaborate your image editing could be. WD40 optional
The darling of the 'Blue Peter' world, scissors experienced a huge renaissance in the 1980s. And were widely championed amongst would-be image editing experts of the future as the definitive way in which to fix a substandard compositonal piece. Scissors allowed almost anyone with a basic grasp of cutting out the non-technical platform to rectify a bad image. And reconfigure it, elsewhere. On another screen. Although we prefered to call screens 'paper' or 'canvas' back in our day.
A day when mice were still defined by four little legs, a twitchy nose, a long tail and a penchant for cheese. And apples were still green and fell from trees, with not a hint of black rollneck. The art was very much in the hands of the beholder, who would carefully craft an alternative vision of their envisaged/sketched/painted masterpiece. By way of cutting out and removing the background they'd ruined and replacing it with one they (hadn't) made earlier.
More (Well, 8 in Total as You're Aware) Tools/Tricks Budding Young Photo Retouchers Used to Edit Images At School in the 80s
According to science, there's a Dutch woman somewhere in this Van Gogh. Well, somewhere MANY layers beneath
Painting Over a Picture.
Listen, if this approach was good enough for Picasso and Van Gogh, then who were we to argue as up-and-coming image editing experts. Yup, if you happened to make a dog's dinner out of your first (second or seventh) attempt at perfecting the likeness of your favourite pop star or movie idol back in yon day, then your best bet of getting away with it/pulling the wool over other people's eyes, was to hastily daub some white paint over your entire failed masterpiece, and start over.
Once your one and a half coats of white emulsion had dried and you were good to go.
And while infra-red X-ray technology in recent years has paved the way for art historians to question/expose the poshumous cunning of the revered likes of Pablo and Vinnie, your secrets will remain safe for a very long time. Largely because nobody (not even our families) scrutinised their 'talented' offsprings' early pieces to this extent. Or actually cared.
Think of the bigger picture, yeah?
Ink Erasers.
Say what? As revolutionary at the time as garlic bread was to a famously speechless Peter Kay some years later, ink erasers were invented by a nation widely acknowledged for its sense of humour. A German manufacturer called Pelikan devised the original chemical-based ink eraser in the 1930s. Yet it was never really taken seriously, until 1972. When it was re-introduced to the German psyche as a novelty act, entitled 'Tintentiger'. Which roughly translated means, 'ink tiger'. Although it was eventually marketed as Tintinkiller; or 'ink killer'.
Vanishing writing (or sketched images on paper, as was our thang) was seriously cool. Just as long as you wanted to eradicate part of – or a whole – royal blue inked image. As that's because the one flaw in the ink erasing sphere was that it failed to work wonders on any other coloured ink. Blacks turned rust brown, while other variations on blues left a fair bit to be desired. As well as on the canvas you wished to turn blank again. Other than that, the premise was a straightforward one.
Rather than removing the ink from the page, it renders it invisible due to a chemical reaction. Specifically chemical ink erasers broke down the blue ink by disrupting the geometry of the dye molecules in the ink so that light was no longer filtered. The molecules were 'disrupted' (that very 2019 word) by sulfite – or hydroxide ions – binding to the central carbon atoms of the dye. Which rendered the ink invisible to the naked eye after application, as opposed to destroying its presence as such.
I know what you're going to say. EVERYTHING seemed bigger when we were kids, right?
Etch-a-Sketch.
Yeah, now we're talking. Time to wheel out the 80s image correction big guns. Etch-a-Sketch took our fledgling image editing experts promise shown as a kid to altogether new heights. And also afforded us a glimpse into our future picture manipulation endeavours and moreover, just what we could achieve. Providing of course, said images we wished to correct were angular. VERY angular. Unless that is you were a dab hand at Etch-a-Sketchery and could master the art of curves. Which if you could, would gain you instant hero status among your school friends. And a brief guest slot on 'Wogan' if you were very lucky/parents had media connections.
Fast Forward About NOW If You're a Luddite and Proud
Anyway, here's the tech bit as to how Etch-a-Sketch actually wove its on-screen magic. The inside of the surface of the glass screen was coated with aluminium powder, which was then removed via moveable stylus. Subsequently leaving a dark line on the light gray screen. In turn the stylus was controlled by two large dials positioned at either side of the screen, which the user/artist would fumble with simultaneously.
The concept being to make diagonal lines if you judged the degrees of tilt accurately enough. Then came the all-important image editing bit. Essentially you'd turn the unit upside down and vigorously shake it. Forcing the polystyrene beads within to 'smooth out' and re-coat the inside surface of the screen with the abovementioned aluminum powder.
Taking that whole "My dad's harder/bigger than your dad" playground taunt to a new dimension. Although in his pants
Magna Doodle.
Chances are, if you remember the Etch-a-Sketch then you won't have the foggiest what the Magna Doodle was. As it was it's closest (and only) rival to the childhood image editing crown in the 1980s. But wasn't anywhere near as cool. Similarily described by its manufacturer as a 'magnetic drawing toy', the Magna Doodle also comprised of a drawing board and a magnetic stylus. However it also consisted of a few magnet shapes. The core element was the magnetophoretic display panel. Which was filled with a thick, opaque white liquid containing tiny dark magnetic particles. These particles could be drawn to the drawing surface by a magnet-tipped stylus (or optionally-provided shapes).
Ready For the Science-y bit? Of Course You Are….
Ok. So the middle layer was divided into a honeycomb of cells, keeping the liquid static and the particles evenly distributed across the panel. The liquid was formulated so that the floating particles could be pulled through it in response to the magnetic forces, but not due to gravity. Zzzzzz.
So, did your artistic prowess lead to a future career in the creative industries as ours did? And if so, what image editing practices did you perfect all those years ago? Tell us in the comments below…..
Why Photographers Need Digital Photo Retouching Artists as Much as We Need Them
It's true, you know. The 'you scrub my back, I'll scrub yours' (professional) relationships/mentality actively encouraged between lensmasters (photographers) and image editing wizards (digital photo retouching artists) really is a 'thing'.
As traditional double acts go, the working relationship fostered between professional photographers and equally professional digital photo retouching artists is as important (if not necessarily as lightly entertaining) as those historically forged betwixt the end of pier likes of Cannon & Ball, Laurel & Hardy and Morecambe & Wise.
Being based up here in sunny Lancashire, it's only right and proper we make references to nearby Blackpool, in case you're wondering.
Yet we could also wax lyrical about other famous double acts. More overtly musical ones, for example. Such as Michael and Ridgeley, Renée and Renato and the Irimia twins (Gabriela and Monica).
It matters not really. As the point we're stressing is the importance of the almost intuitive nature of two individuals so in-tune with the vocational needs of t'other. OK. I may be over-egging the Lancashire terminology here, so I best decist so as not to risk alienating our readership of a non-northern demographic.
Regional brogues aside. Just why is it that Digital Photo Retouching Artists and Professional Photographers work hand in glove?
Returning to the very gist of this week's blog though, and I'm addressing the often overlooked – yet keenly furthered– collaborations noted between the likes of us and them. The 'us' referring to digital photo retouching artists. The 'them' contingent being the photographers (in the capacity of lens-wielding pros). The latter of whom make it their business to capture blushing brides, snazzy new products, the beautiful people generally and pretty much anything else which they're booked to do. And which best illustrates their particular portfolio.
The thing is this. Sometimes even a consumately professional/experienced photographer needs a little bit of additional help to create the finished visual article. Either as per their client's demands, or because they're pre-empting any questions that may arise shortly after from a client. And it's us who they turn to when the chips are down, deadlines are to be met and said clients are requiring impressing still further.
But just how did it arrive at this, you may ask?
Which you did, in the above line. So let us explain a hypothetical situation or two.
All manner of issues might have arisen somewhere between the photographer clicking away on the day, and the emergence of the compositional piece de la resistance. Such as bad lighting, shadows cast, wind blowing, etc. To name but a few unwelcome attentions mischieviously triggered by Mother Nature herself from time to time. Any of which could result in advanced level histrionics across all parties.
Thankfully digital photo retouching artists are equipped with the neccesary tools/skilsets/experience to correct these more natural – yet wholly unplanned – interventions. Divine, or not so. And set about redressing the balance.
And most importantly, ensuring that the photographer's client gets what they're expecting to see.
Which in turn means our client (the photographer themselves) is also cock-a-hoop. And their client – the third party to us, in this creative platform-sharing/skill cross-fertalisational conundrum – is none the wiser as to the ways and means. Unless of course the photographer wishes to describe the entire journey to them. That's their perogative.
Because let's face it. The end product is ALL that matters. 'Journeys' are something X Factor contestants go on. And providing it looks the part, then the bits inbetween are largely immaterial.
So why does a photographer need to enlist the services of a digital photo retouching artist?
You mean, aside from what I've summarised in the above paragraph?
Well, they don't always. As some professional photographers are relatively adept at image editing themselves, and may well have some form of background in it. However most don't, and rely on digital photo retouching artists like ourselves to work with them at various times. Especially if the retouching necessitated amounts to more than merely simple visual ammendments. These unscheduled revisions can use up a significant timeframe, so as to complete to a client's more exacting brief.
As far as many photographers are concerned, the more time spent on Photoshop, the less time they can dedicate to being out in the field, so to speak. And focusing on what they do best. Which is of course, capturing that often elusive money shot. The National Geographic-esque, career-defining moment they've long dreamed of. Or alternatively, an awesome shot of a bride and groom on their big day, in the guise of wedding photographers. And everything else in between.
Also time is money. Why dedicate extra curricular hours to tweaking photographic details while compromising your 9 – 5? Not when you can approach/brief digital photo retouching artists to weave the additional aesthetic magic. Or iron out the creases in a party dress, courtesy of the virtual image editing tools we're rather good at plundering as a key part and parcel of our typical working remit.
Can't photographers muddle through image editing themselves, though?
Some can. Hypothetically.
And should they possess some rudimentary online image manipualtion skills, as I touched on above. And if they have a spare decade to master the art of what we do for a living, then yes. More than likely in the long run.
But back in the real world time is money. And our core experiences and attributes – while widely acknowledged and respected by both camps – aren't as easily interchangeable as the casual observer might like to think they are. Hence why digital photo retouching exists as a standalone industry, obvs.
In the guise of experienced and established digital photo retouching artists, we will achieve a whole new degree of sharpness, colour adjustment and quality; and routinely rifle through a whole compendium/back catalogue of other tricks, unique and indicative of our specific trade. So as to ultimately offer a seamless link in the process that begins with a photographer's shutter speeds and ends in a digital photo retouching artist's image enhancing fettling.
I'll tell you what digital photo retouching artists do for photographers….
That was your very next question, right?
Covering everything from object, people and background removal work through to skin tone and red eye-correction, as digital photo retouching artists we are extremely useful at improving the seemingly – and hitherto – unimprovable. Identifying the otherwise most infinitesimal of visual detailing which could, effectively, make of break the deal/bond between a professional photographer and their client. And by default affording a photographer a different retouching perspective on something that they themselves might never have otherwise considered or observed was awry in an original piece.
Yes, we're THAT accomplished.
You see there's no doubting a photographers' ability to compose and manipulate a scene. Nobody can get anywhere close to having their 'eye for a shot'. Not just seeing it, but sensing it. Before the image presents itself to us mere mortals.
Trust us.
We've collaborated with some of the best in the business.
Yet they are not, by their own admission, beauty, wedding or product retouchers. Not to our same standards. Which is a very specialised set of skills that even Liam Neeson doesn't possess to the best of our knowledge. Which goes a long way in explaining why digital photo retouching artists habitually strike up mutually beneficial associations and work at engendering the kind of business relationships which pay dividends to both parties in the long run.
Digital Photo Retouching Artists and Photographers need an almost intuitive understanding of one another. And where each is coming from. Like a sixth sense (but NOT the Haley Joel Osment type)
The way we see it is like this.
Digital photo retouching artists should always compliment the work of a photographer. Enhance it. Not detract from it. But work with it and pictorially embellish what already exists within the very fabric of the original image. For our part, and to do what we do as digital photo retouching artists, we must always bring four core ingredients to the table if we're to compliment the photographer's work. An eye for (and understanding of) art, a natural feel for compositonal values and an enlightened grasp of what factors underpin visual art. Oh, and an appreciation/knowledge of the rudiments of photography.
If we're going to be instructed by our photographer clients as to how they wish us to graphically elaborate on what they've already created, then we certainly need to be up to speed with regards to how they see the world, visually.
Personalised Family Pet Christmas Card Design
Personalised Family Pet Christmas Card Design, eh?
There's no use denying their existence. We've all seen them and can never unsee the horrific ones, more's the pity.
You know exactly what we're talking about.
Persian cats draped in tinsel/Christmas fairy lights. Lurchers made to don pretend reindeer antlers because their owners think it looks vaguely amusing. Which of course it does*. For precisely 10 seconds. Or until you've observed your tenth example of the genre that Christmas. That's when the novelty factor starts to wear thin.
But it needn't be like this.
This same old story with all the surprise elements of the traditional nativity play. Or entertainment values personified by your typical pantomime.
No. If you really, REALLY wish to immortalise your pet within an overtly festive theme-ology then why not afford them a bit more class and individuality (not to mention, dignity) this year. Courtesy of our personalised family pet Christmas card design. Trust us when we say that turning to a professional digital photo retouching company to do the honours will make your beloved pet's year.
Bark Humbug. A Personalised Family Pet Christmas Card Design Could Be a Thing of Untold Joy This Year!
Rather than hand over a photo of your precious pooch to one of those (gulp/deep intake of breath) personalised greetings cards companies to superimpose them beneath the predictable santa hat or worse still; give them to us to REALLY personalise. God forbid, anything to save them from being reimagined as eight lords a leaping and/or the seven swans a swimming. And whatever else they get up to annually. i.e, to bring INDIVIDUALITY to the offering this season of goodwill. As opposed to adopting a more festive sheep mentality.
As in following the crowd.
We're not advocating having your pet sheep captured for posterity against a decidely Yuletide-y backdrop. Although if that's your sort of thing, then we're happy to oblige all the same. And your confidentiality is assured.
Surely to goodness picturing your cat or dog looking au naturel in a less contrived surround/background would appeal to you more than randomly picturing them clad in the sort of paper hat you discover in a cheap Christmas cracker. Projecting a look of disdain only a few degrees of seperation away from full 'kill mode'.
Have Yourselves a Yappy Christmas
Well if so, then get in touch with us right now.
And if nothing else we can save your pet the ignomy of being made to appear like a slightly pathetic (and crestfallen) interpretation of 'The Snowdog' on your personalised family pet Christmas card design this year.
We can create just about ANY personalised family pet Christmas card design you envisage, irrespective of genre. With genres available to you being, well, pretty much anything and everything (within reason/taste/decency/legal obligations). From comedic to cute and from classic to corny, we can picture your dog, cat, rabbit, hamster, gerbil, tortoise, horse or even pet fish in an array of different seasonal scenarios.
I'm sure those trendy primary schools have kids dressed as a Christmas haddock in the school nativity play these days.
Providing you email us a good quality digital photograph of your furry or scale-y best (animal) friend to work with, together with a rough idea of what backdrop you want them to feature prominently in. And then we'll set to work on crafting a unique, memorable (and let's face it, probably vaguely amusing) personalised family pet Christmas card design for you.
You're (Dog) Walking in the Air. Well, You Could Be If That's How You Fancy Portraying Yourself and Your Canine Friend During the Festivities
It could be that your pet will be visualized acting the part of themselves; or conversely portraying an instantly recognizable festive character lifted from the worlds of fiction, history, fairy tales or popular culture.
The sky really is the limit in terms of what you wish you personalised family pet Christmas card design to look like. And if you're a bit sketchy on Yuletide concepts but desperate to send your family and friends a bespoke Xmas card from you and Rover/Tiddles this December, then let us make some suggestions. It's all part of the service.
Like we said, the only thing you need bother yourself with is supplying a decent quality snap of your furry friend and we can see to the rest.
*or a bit like Santa's Little Helper offa 'The Simpsons'.
**and which means we're MORE than happy to professionally superimpose/sensitively Photoshop said reindeer antlers onto the top of your Golden Retriever's head, if that's your brief


Last month our Liedekerke Alumni 2018 event took place in the beautiful setting of Château Sainte-Anne.
The perfect occasion for current and former Liedekerke lawyers and Business Services' members to (re)connect!
In the upcoming weeks we will publish some Alumni testimonials featuring Sylvie Dugardyn, Anouk D'Hulst, Arnaud Smeets and Grégory Wirix, so stay tuned! In the meantime, we invite you to watch our aftermovie below.
We would like to take this moment to express our deep gratitude towards our Alumni and current Liedekerke members.
We are forever grateful for your tireless and precious efforts, whether in the past or present.
If you'd like to stay updated on our Liedekerke alumni events, please email alumni@liedekerke.com.


text:
require 'happy/request/date_parameter_converter'

module Happy
  # Happy's own little request class. It extends {Rack::Request} with
  # a bit of convenience functionality.
  #
  class Request < Rack::Request
    # Override the default #params method so it returns a Hash with indifferent
    # access if ActiveSupport is available.
    def params
      @env['happy.params'] ||= if defined?(HashWithIndifferentAccess)
        super.with_indifferent_access
      else
        super
      end
    end

  protected

    def parse_query(qs)
      super(qs).tap do |p|
        DateParameterConverter.convert!(p)
      end
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Home Education JEE Advanced Result 2016: IIT Guwahati will announce the results at 10...
JEE Advanced Result 2016: IIT Guwahati will announce the results at 10 am on 12th June
JEE Advanced Result 2016: The Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Advanced 2016 results will be declared tomorrow i.e. 12th June 2016. The same will be announced by IIT Guwahati at around 10 am on the official website: jeeadv.ac.in.
Check: Housefull 3 Box Office Collection.
Following the declaration of result, later the All India Ranks of the successful candidates will be publicised on the website, although the candidates won't receive any personalized rank cards. For those who appeared for the exam on May 22, 2016, and have high hopes, might spend their nights turning and tossing in their beds.
The exam i.e. JEE Advanced was organised by IIT Guwahati in coordination with the Joint Admission Board 2016 across the various centres throughout the country for admissions to engineering courses in the various Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT's) and the Indian School of Mines (ISM).
Around 1, 98,000 students appeared for this examination hankering for the IITs' and ISMs'. IIT Guwahati in an announcement has already said that getting a rank in JEE Advanced 2016 won't assure their admission to any of IITs' or ISM. Further, a rank list will be prepared based on the aggregate marks in the JEE Advanced 2016.
The written exam conducted on 22 May headed by IIT Guwahati, consisted of two papers.
Paper 1 was from 9 am to 12 pm and second paper 2 was from 2 pm to 5 pm.
Paper 1 had five multiple choice questions and eight questions with one or more correct answers along with 0.5 negative marking. Also, there was five numerical based question, which carried no negative marks.
Paper 2 had six single choice questions with 3:1 marking scheme i.e. 3 marks for correct answer and -1 for the wrong answer. Then it had 8 multiple choice correct questions with marking scheme similar to paper 1 and then four paragraph based questions with no negative marking.
The cut-offs are assumed to be normal this year i.e. 10% for each subject and 35% overall against the 7% for each subject and 24.5% overall of last year.
The examination is the second stage for the JEE after the JEE mains that was successfully conducted by the Central Board of Secondary education (CBSE). Following the results of JEE mains i.e. the cut-off marks are 100 for General Category, 70 for Other Backward Class (OBC-NCL), 52 for SC and 48 for ST.
Considering the results around 1.98 lakh candidates were above this cut-off from all categories and around 1.56 lakh among the rank holders of JEE mains sat for JEE Adv 2016. A candidate can appear for this examination for a maximum of two times and that too in consecutive years.
The candidates' performance will form the bottom line for their admission into the 23 IITs and ISM Dhanbad for various Bachelor's degree programs.
How to Check JEE Advanced 2016 Result
Head to the official website: jeeadv.ac.in
Click on the Results tab.
Fill all the required details such as Roll Number and Date of Birth then click Submit button.
The performance report in the examination will appear on your screen.
Save it for all future references.
Stay tuned with TCD! for more news.
Previous articleTashan-e-Ishq 10th June 2016: Anita is trapped in Yuvi's plan and gets arrested
Next articleRBSE 10th Result 2016: The Rajasthan board will announce result after 15th June
I'm an entertainment lover, traveler and loves to read and write on latest news and stories across the globe. I've 6 years of journalism experience and currently settled with The Courier Daily (TCD) as a full time journalist and content writer.
SBI Clerk Mains Results 2016: Clerical Level Examination Result JA / JAA soon to be out at sbi.co.in
SSC CHSL 10+2 Result 2015-2016: Staff Selection Commission will declare the result soon for LDC/DEO
TS SSC Supply Results 2016: Telangana SSC Result will out on 15-18th July 2016

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: How can I get a change value event from one view to trigger a method in another How can I get a change value event from one view to trigger a method in another? I'm trying to call the zoom method in DateView if the JQuery slider value changes, but I can't seem to get it no matter how much I tweak it. any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
    $(document).ready(function() {
        var zoom = 1;
        $( "#slider-vertical" ).slider({
          orientation: "vertical",
          range: "min",
          min: 1,
          max: 32,
          value: 1,
          slide: function( event, ui ) {
            var zoom = ui.value
          }
        });

var SliderModel = Backbone.Model.extend({});

var SliderView = Backbone.View.extend({
    el:$('#slider-vertical'), // Specifies the DOM element which this view handles
    events : {
        "slidechange" : "updateVal"
    },

    updateVal : function() {
        var val = this.$el.slider("option", "value");
        this.trigger('valueChange' [{value: val}])
        this.model.set({slidervalue : val});
    }
});

    var DateHeader = Backbone.Model.extend({});

    var DateHeaders = Backbone.Collection.extend({
        model: DateHeader,
        localStorage: new Backbone.LocalStorage("timeline"),

        initialize: function() {

            this.start_date = 1800;
            this.end_date = 2013;
            this.date_header_pixal_spacing = 200;
            this.date_val = Math.pow(zoom, 2);
            // this.bind('change:slidervalue', this.zoom)
        },
        setup: function() {

            if(zoom%4 == 0){
                this.date_header_pixal_spacing = 200;
            } else {
                increase = 50*(zoom%4);
                this.date_header_pixal_spacing += increase;
            }

            counter = 0
            that = this
            for(i=this.start_date; i<=this.end_date; i+=this.date_val) {
                that.add([{
                    date: i,
                    top: that.date_header_pixal_spacing*counter
                }])
                counter++;
            }
        },

        zoom:function()
        {
            // console.log('the collection got called!')
        }

    });

    sliderModel = new SliderModel;
    sliderView = new SliderView({model : sliderModel});

    var DateView = Backbone.View.extend({

        el:'.time',

        events: {
            'valueChange':'zoom'

        },

        initialize: function() {
            this.dateHeaders = new DateHeaders
            this.dateHeaders.setup();
            this.render();
            this.zoom = 1;

        },

        render: function() {
            var template = _.template($('#date_header').html(), {dateHeaders: this.dateHeaders.models});
            this.$el.html(template);
            this.$el.css('height',this.dateHeaders.last().get('top')+'px')

        },
        zoom: function() {
            console.log('the update val got called!')
        }

    })

    dateView = new DateView;

A: You could set up a central application state model (Credits to this SO answer which I found when I had the same problem):
var app_state = Backbone.Model.extend();

The SliderView sets the app_state's valueChange attribute:
updateVal : function() {
  var val = this.$el.slider("option", "value");
  app_state.set('valueChange', [{value: val}])
  this.model.set({slidervalue : val});
}

And the DateView listens to the app_state's valueChange attribute:
initialize: function() {
  this.dateHeaders = new DateHeaders
  this.dateHeaders.setup();
  this.listenTo(app_state, "change:valueChange", this.zoom);
  this.render();
  this.zoom = 1;
},

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Focused: New Knights prop David Klemmer has knocked back an offer not to play and has his sights set on a 20 minute stint against the Dragons to 'blow out the cobwebs' when the sides meet in a trial on Saturday week at Kogarah's Jubulee Oval. Picture: Jonathan Carroll.
Kangaroos prop David Klemmer has knocked back an offer to sit out Newcastle's opening pre-season trial against St George Illawarra on Saturday week because he wants to pull on a Knights jumper for the first time and "get out there with the boys".
Klemmer and ex-Melbourne Storm recruit Tim Glasby were both given the option of missing the Dragons trial at Kogarah's Jubulee Oval in Sydney by coach Nathan Brown because of their heavy schedules at the back-end of last season.
Klemmer was involved in end-of-season Tests against New Zealand and Tonga while Glasby played right through the finals series and featured in the Storm's grandfinal loss to the Sydney Roosters.
But both have told Brown they are keen to play in both trials for their new club.
"They could have sat the first one out and just got ready for the Sharks a week later but both said they are keen for a run," Brown said.
After a tough slog at pre-season training over the summer, Klemmer says he is ready for some action.
"I've been training for a couple of months now and getting flogged so I've put my hand up to play some game time and I'm looking forward to pulling the jersey on and getting out there with the boys," he said.
"It's been great – everything is new and I've said it before, it's like starting first grade all over again for me," he said.
"The kids were nervous at the start coming up here but it's all good and the missus [wife Chloe] has really settled in and she's really enjoying it up here.
Klemmer believes it's still way too early for a judgment call on how long it will take for the new-look line-up to really gel and isn't getting carried away with suggestions the Knights will boast one of the best forward packs in the competition.
"We've got some strength there for sure and there is plenty of competition for spots but we haven't played together yet and we have to earn the right to be rated up there with the best packs going around," he said.
"Hopefully, by the end of the season, we can talk that way but we've earned nothing yet.
Discuss "Klemmer knocks back offer of a night off to take on Dragons in trial"


text:
New Rebel Coalition Forms In Syria; Insurgents Lost Ground Over Weekend
A photo from Sunday shows Syrian soldiers in Achan, Hama province. Bolstered by Russian jet strikes, Syria's army and its allies have reportedly pushed out insurgents in some parts of the central province.
Rebel groups that oppose both Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and terrorist group ISIS have formed a new coalition, called the Syrian Democratic Forces. Led by Kurds, the coalition could receive U.S. air support in Syria.
From Beirut, NPR's Alison Meuse reports for our Newscast unit:
"The Syrian Democratic Forces calls itself a unified national military, aimed at establishing a new democratic Syria. Members include Kurds, Arabs and Assyrian Christians. But those familiar with the group say it's led by the Kurdish YPG, the only partner the U.S. trusts.
"Washington last week announced the overhaul of a rebel training program, which was halted after trainees handed equipment over to al-Qaida. The new Syrian Democratic Forces will absorb some of those trainees. One of them, reached by NPR, says he's been tasked with calling in airstrikes against ISIS and recruiting moderate rebels."
News of the coalition's formation comes after Russia's military began carrying out airstrikes in Syria at the end of September, targeting both ISIS and the rebel groups that had received U.S. support and training.
On the strength of those airstrikes, Syria's army launched a new ground offensive that made advances over the weekend. Russia says that in the past 24 hours, its fighters and other aircraft have " flown 55 sorties to hit 53 targets," reports state-owned news agency Tass.
According to Reuters:
"The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group that monitors the 4-year-old conflict, said the Syrian military and its Lebanese Hezbollah militia allies had taken control of Tal Skik, a highland area in Idlib province, after fierce Russian bombing.
"That brings Syrian government forces closer to insurgent-held positions along the main highway that links Syria's principal cities. The area is held by a rebel alliance that excludes Islamic State fighters."


Maulana Syed Zaki Baqri is an interpreter of Islam, representing the true Islam of prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.W) and the twelve Imam's (A.S) after him (S.A.W.W) and in line with the school of Wali e Faqih-A rare combination indeed these days to be found in West . He combines his thorough religious knowledge of Islam and uses it as a guide to show everyone how to lead a balanced life.
Copyright Al-Bayaan14 © 2017. Created by Frisson Studio.


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text:
Install Files
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#Write me again
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Fast X, waiting for the first trailer here is the video that covers the entire franchise!
Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell star in an R-rated romantic comedy
Home/Entertainment/"A feast for the eyes"
"A feast for the eyes"
David Martin January 1, 2023 Entertainment Leave a comment 11 Views
Cyrano by Joe Wright it is definitely one of films which is being talked about the most in recent weeks. The musical adaptation of the famous opera "Cyrano de Bergerac" was filmed in different locations in Sicilyamong which Noto and Etna.
Cyrano's Sicily is a feast for the eyes
There famous US magazine AD (historical international magazine, existing since 1920) celebrates the Sicilian locations in a splendid article dedicated to our island. Already from the title, it leaves no doubts: Baroque architecture and an active volcano make Cyrano a feast for the eyes.
The cast and crew spent three months in Sicily, where the film was entirely shot. The merit of the choice for the sets goes to the set designer Sarah Greenwood and to a pastry shop: «I was there for a job a few years ago and I ended up in this incredible city called Knownbecause someone said they made fantastic cannoli», explains Greenwood.
Impressed by the city's beautiful Baroque architecture, she showed director Joe Wright photos of it. And he said he would turn it in Sicily. Based on the play by Edmond Rostand from 1897this musical adaptation tells of the lyricist's physical insecurity Cyrano de Bergerac (played by Peter Dinklage) and his love for Roxanne (Haley Bennett).
However, she falls in love with the young cadet Christian (Kelvin Harrison). Since Christian isn't good with words, Cyrano offers to step in and write her his love letters. Sicily is as much the protagonist as the actors: «It's not about the period, but about the sense of place», explains Greenwood.
The magical atmosphere of Noto, a Unesco World Heritage Site
Knownthe city built in 1694 in the aftermath of an earthquake"It's a place where everywhere you look there's something incredible," he says. The production took several avenues for the exterior scenes. Roxanne's home is in Palazzo Castelluccio, built in 1782: «Everyone fell in love with it as a setting», says set decorator Katie Spencer.
The carnival-style theater set in which Cyrano makes his grand entrance proved more challenging. Due to time constraints, Greenwood designed it and within a courtyard in Noto.
The most spectacular momenthowever, occurred when the cast and crew filmed the scenes of army battle on Etna. The crew installed a huge platform of the camera and was ready to go, when a rare summer snowstorm hit the area.
They decided to film anyway, despite the new all-white background: "There were all kinds of sulfurous ash as well, so it looked interesting visually," says Greenwood. Then the mountain started to erupt. "The landscape on which we shot has disappeared», he adds, and then concludes on AD: «We left fragments of scenery on top and now it is buried forever». Photo: Peter Mountain / 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.
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About David Martin
David Martin is the lead editor for Spark Chronicles. David has been working as a freelance journalist.
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Aquarium Forum > Saltwater > Marine Invertebrates > bad emerald crab?
View Full Version : bad emerald crab?
i am away at work and my girlfriend is watching and taking care of aquarium, she informed me last nite that it looked like my sixline wrasse was gasping for air and hiding, i didnt think much of it as i am aware that they like to hide and stuff, so just told her to keep an eye on him. now today she called me and said that the wrasse was a gonner and it looked like my dottyback had some damage to him as well. i have heard that when emerald crabs get bigger they could become dangerous, they have yet to attack anything living in the tank except for picking at the rocks and such, also i have had them for only about 2 months and i would have to say their body is maybe 1 inch. i dont believe that there is anything to do with my water cause it was tested yesterday and parimeters were spot on. so my question is this could they have turned into evil little killers or possibly wrasse and dotty got into it and little ole dotty killed the wrasse. please let me know before i try to take crabs back to LFS, if they will even take them now.
...i have heard that when emerald crabs get bigger they could become dangerous...i would have to say their body is maybe 1 inch...so my question is this could they have turned into evil little killers or possibly wrasse and dotty got into it and little ole dotty killed the wrasse.
I'm thinking the two fish got into a fight. I would imagine that a 6-line wrasse and dottyback would be too feisty for a emerald to tackle. Dottybacks can be aggressive and a 1" emerald crab is too small to be much of a threat.
I'dsay there is no chance the crab did it. Those fish are way too fast and aggressive to get nipped by the crab. Sounds like you missed out on a heavy weight fish scrap.. too bad.
Troy - I can see how you may have thought the emerald crab was the culprit. I had a emerald crab that was on the larger side (for and emerald crab) and just by his appearance thought he would nip at my smaller fish.


AMERICAN IDOL LIVE! OK, American Ideal lovers, here is your chance to see the 2011 lineup which promises to be the most memorable yet.
The top 11 in this tour—Casey Abrams, Haley Reinhart, Jacob Lusk, James Durbin, Lauren Alaina, Naima Adedapo, Paul McDonald, Pia Toscano, Scotty McCreery, Stefano Langone, and Thia Megia — they are primed and pumped to give fans a night of unique and unforgettable performances.
Get off the couch and get into the real action and see AMERICAN IDOL as it is happening, experience real time not at home time.
Internet pre-sale starting this Wednesday, May 11th @ 10am until Thursday, May 12th @ 10pm. Tickets will go on sale to the public @ 10am on Friday, May 13th through Ticketmaster. *If tickets remain, they will be available for sale at the Nassau Coliseum box office beginning @ 9:30am on Monday, May 16th.


Is "To Catch A Predator" an effective shaming tool?
If you're familiar with me, you know I'm a big fan of shame being used (and the death of shame with the advent of the internet, but that's another topic for another time) to effectively police truly unhealthy, deviant behavior.
That being said, do you think that the show "To Catch A Predator" is an effective shaming tool and has done some good in the world, in any form?
The thing is, shaming is not an effective deterrent, and when you get something that becomes popular like this, the quote "guilty parties" tend to know to avoid it and merely hole up even more. When the shaming gets more severe and frequent, its effectiveness tends to decrease rapidly; there's an inverse relationship. Considering all the other problems with To Catch a Predator, like the shadiness of PerverseJustice, the show really has a tough time saying it is doing much of anything good.
I'd hope that people that would appear on these shows are already pretty ashamed of themselves as it is. I don't see it doing much in the way of anything though because of that. It's not the shame they fear, it's the going to prison part.
Those are the dudes that are caught, though. Who knows how many people stopped doing what they were doing due to this show? Can't know.
Honestly I don't really see the TV show doing that. With how frowned upon it is in society, and rightfully so, I imagine they have done all they can to not be attracted to those under-age. I'm sure no-one wants to, they want to be "normal" and be attracted to women of age, I see it as a case of they either like the fact it's taboo or can't change their state of mind. Though there's no excuse to act upon their urges.
this is some pretty feraky stuff, imagine who might live next to you???
The show is good for entertainment if nothing else. The problem with shows like this though is that although it's good in the short term, long term (anything past a few months) it's useless. People forget the faces of those they've seen on TV only once. They may recognise a face but I doubt they'll remember where from. If you only pay attention to the ones local to you on this show then that's even useless. I'm pretty sure most of these people would move house not long after being on the show with the neighbours knowing who they are and everything. And people moving brings the next thing... Too many faces, can't remember them all so it ends up you don't remember any of them.
Shame doesn't do anything but cause people to be more careful and hidden with their behaviors.
I think that there should be more to shame them than a tv show that most people don't even watch. For what some of those guys do they deserve allot more than they get.


text:
Air Assets, 30 Volunteer Fire Departments Battle Banner County Fire
Banner County, Neb. — Erratic winds and a temperature inversion trapping smoke near the ground, are some of the obstacles facing firefighters in the 3,700-acre Smokey Fire in Western Nebraska.
Incident Commander Tim Grubbs, fire chief for the Banner County volunteer fire department, said he is concerned for potential erratic fire behavior that could occur when the inversion lifts.
"Firefighters from nearly 30 departments worked through the night to combat the Smokey Fire," Grubbs said. "The many air assets fighting this fire along with those firefighters on the ground are working tirelessly to get this fire under control."
Grubbs reported they are working on establishing fire containment lines around the entire fire perimeter but do not yet have a percentage of containment. He also reported that Wright's Gap Road is closed for traffic and asked that people stay out of the area.
Grubbs also thanked the public for their generous support of the volunteer firefighter's efforts. Donations are being coordinated by the Firefighter Ministries. Any additional needs will be listed on the Banner County Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057241159793.
Air support: Nebraska single engine air tankers (SEATs) from Scottsbluff and Valentine deployed Sept. 13 at 5:15 and 5:30 p.m. The Hot Springs and Rapid City, S.D., SEATs deployed about 9 p.m. A large air tanker 854 (LAT) deployed from Colorado at about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Multiple mutual aid departments responding. Two Nebraska National Guard UH60 (Blackhawk) helicopters have been activated. A multi-mission aircraft MMA flight surveyed the fire Wednesday to assess the size and fire activity. An aerial attack aircraft was also ordered from Casper, WY., Wednesday morning.
Requested support: Banner County declared an emergency and has requested state resources.
Current incident threat and risk information: Homes on Wrights Gap Road were threatened, and fire trucks were stationed nearby to provide response, if needed. Advisory evacuations have occurred in affected areas. Additional evacuations may become necessary due to fire spread. Smoke is prevalent in populated areas,
State deployments: The Wildland Incident Response Assistance Team (WIRAT) which is made up of Nebraska State Marshall and Nebraska Forest Service staff deployed on Tuesday, and Nebraska Type 3 Incident Management Assistance Team was in route on Wednesday afternoon.
Size and scope: The MMA flight reported the fire was at 3,700 acres Wednesday afternoon. There is potential for continued fire growth and runs/ breakouts. The fire is burning mostly timber (cedar and pine fuels.)
Weather: Shifting wind speeds of 5 to 10 mph, low humidity and warm temperatures are contributing to spread of the fire.
Location: 41° 38.688' Lat; 41° 38.688' Long. 15.67 miles southeast, of Gering Fire Station
Responder safety
Continued fire line building
Continue to improve containment.
Back burning operations are underway. Back burning is a procedure used to stop wildfire by setting fires that burn toward the fire to create containment lines.
Containment: )%
Total Personnel: ??
Injuries to Date from Initial Attack: none
For More Information on Smokey Fire:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NEMAtweets


text:
Trend Report May 11, 2018
The New face of Natural Makeup: The Beauty Trend
Poor pigmentation. Too dry. Not long-lasting. Those are the three major issues that natural makeup has going against it, shares Nevio Ragazzini, a New York City-based makeup artist who, in his 25-year career, has worked on such beauties as Sophia Loren, Keira Knightley, and Natalie Portman. "It's just hard to find a really good natural makeup brand," he says. So, what is the beauty trend with natural makeup?
Trend Report April 10, 2018
Is Glam-Comfort the New Beauty Trend?
By Mary Bemis
Editorial Director, InsidersGuidetoSpas.com & Co-Curator, Cosmoprof North America Discover Green and Discover Green Leaf
I was catching up on my magazine reading the other day and came across a fashion story summarizing the season's trends by writer Lisa Armstrong in Harper's Bazaar. One sentence in Armstrong's piece really struck me:
"If the '70s owned glam-rock, in 2018 we have glam-comfort."
Trend Report March 1, 2018
Discovering the Beauty of Trends
Discovering the Beauty of Trends event, Powered by COSMOPROF + RON ROBINSON
In just four short months, Cosmoprof North America will once again host the largest B2B trade show in the Americas, covering all facets of the beauty industry. In preparation for the big show, CPNA is collaborating with some heavy hitters—highlighting the best beauty trends worldwide.
Trend Report November 23, 2017
There's a green beauty revolution happening, and Los Angeles is at the heart of it. The Detox Market started as a little pop-up shop in Venice Beach when natural products were almost nonexistent and wellness only involved what you put in your body, not on it. With consumers getting savvier and research readily available — cheap fillers, toxic chemicals and synthetic additives are losing their appeal, but it can feel like reading an ingredients label requires a PhD. That's where The Detox Market comes in. With their famously strict list of ingredients that they don't allow, they have worked to create a haven for healthy, gorgeous beauty products that you can feel good about.
Hailey Baldwin Has Something To Say About Those Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez Cheating Rumors


So you've decided your company needs a mobile app. Congratulations! Eventually, the outcome of said decision should help streamline communications, keep data organized, and solve some of your most pressing business challenges.
But before you reach that goal, you'll need to make a few more choices about how to achieve the mobile app your organization needs. Luckily, you've got a multitude of options at your fingertips.
Not too long ago, access to mobile app development was limited to those with large budgets, experienced IT teams, and time to spare. The recent rise in popularity of DIY app builders has created a boom in technological self-sufficiency, and more than ever corporations are looking to develop their own mobile tools with the least investment possible and the ability to iterate on demand. And these DIY platforms make it easy for everyone in the company to build and improve upon custom mobile apps-- removing reliance on IT teams.
Whether you work for a large corporation or run a small business of your own, it's worthwhile to consider both the "buy it" (developing native apps in-house or contracting development to third parties) or "build it" (utilizing DIY app development platforms) options based on a number of considerations about the solution you need. How much time can you afford to wait for the app? What are the budget limitations? Will the app need to adapt to changing business processes?
So, should you buy it or build it? Below we have outlined a few considerations we hope will guide you to the app development route that's best for your company.
Budget (or lack thereof) is likely the most important factor for organizations when it comes to developing a mobile app. According to Clutch.com-- a service that helps businesses find software-- the average cost of a traditionally developed mobile app is anywhere from $40,000 to $171,000.
Simple apps will obviously start on the lower end of the price spectrum-- but most businesses need apps that can perform complex functions and that keep data secure. Those necessities will drive up the development costs considerably.
Before decisions about features can be made, it's necessary to have a discussion about available funds. If the budget for the app is any less than $30,000-$40,000: build it. Platforms like AppyPie, Como, and AppSheet provide comprehensive DIY development options that can be leveraged with minimal cost and time investment.
Next you'll want to consider the kind of data protection your app and its users will require. Don't just impulsively decide that all data will need to be kept completely secure; the more security you require, the higher the cost of development will be. Some types of data can remain secure without the necessity for complex and expensive measures.
For example, if you're creating an educational app designed to keep track of student information, you likely do not want others getting a hold of the student data. This doesn't mean you need to pay thousands of dollars for a highly secure or encrypted native app. Many DIY app builders offer quite robust security options. In fact, here at AppSheet we use the industry-standard OAuth protocol to secure access to your cloud file system in order to build apps. So if you need an app and you feel secure keeping your data hosted on a cloud platform, you're probably a great candidate to build it.
On the other hand, if you're creating apps for hospitals and need to be HIPAA compliant, or for other organizations who rely on stringent and/or legal security protocols to keep data safe, you'll want to take the safe route and buy it.
How desperately do you need access to mobile tools? Are you wasting valuable time and resources recording data by hand and later transcribing it? Or, perhaps you need a mobile app for an upcoming event a few months down the line. Each situation carries different implications.
With this in mind, how long can you wait? If you need the app sooner than later, try your hand on one of the many DIY, code-free app platforms out there to build it yourself. These products allow for rapid and affordable prototyping, and remove trepidation associated with investing in an expensive solution that may or may not ultimately be sufficient. If you're planning ahead for an event or simply have some time before you'll need the app, you might be able to afford the wait time required to buy it.
If you're looking for the next Angry Birds, you've pretty much only got one option: buy it. Interactive games, chatting apps, and apps with certain types of third party integrations are extremely complex and cannot be accomplished without thorough coding knowledge and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Though, if you're able to settle with a simpler game concept and design, you might find some suitable templates on DIY platforms like AppsMoment.
Similarly, social networking and image and video editing apps are also very difficult to build without a coding team to create the assets and the budget to cover the necessary resources. For this class of apps, you're definitely going to want to buy it.
If your app doesn't require any of the functionality above, you might be a good candidate to build it yourself. Fortunately, many DIY app builders offer powerful platforms with intricate feature offerings. Programs like Yapp focus on code-free apps for events and conferences, while AppSheet apps allow you to create apps for eCommerce, field service, and almost anything in between-- all while keeping your data synced to the backend.
Even if you've got the budget to spend on developing (or outsourcing development of) a native app, once you have the app, you may be very limited in terms of updating or improving its features alongside any corresponding business developments. If your app's requirements are fairly static-- and you have the budget for traditional development-- buying it might be the best route.
However, if in fact you do anticipate needing to iterate upon your app-- or even requiring multiple apps-- as your requirements change, building it yourself provides that ability. DIY platforms allow for rapid modifications with the added capability to create as many apps as necessary to accomplish an organization's varied goals.
Whether your mobile needs are simple or complex, affordable or expensive, time-sensitive or not, it's worth exploring all mobile app development options available. Why spend upwards of $100k if you can do it yourself? And if your needs are too complex for DIY, perhaps a DIY prototype might help reduce future development costs. However, if you have rather specific security requirements, or need an app with social networking capabilities, it's likely best to outsource development.
Whatever is right for you, being informed about all possible solutions will help you to make the best decisions for your company's mobile strategy.