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iPhone Case Review
The Apple Smart Battery Case Review
The Smart Battery Case has garnered more than its fair share of criticism over its now-famous hump. When all is said and done, however, it remains a pretty good case, and packs quite a punch.
Battery cases are a bit like lawyers: nobody wants to admit they need one, but sooner or later most of us do.
They're also not a terribly exciting product category. In all honesty, it's hard to get excited about something that makes your phone bigger, thicker and heavier, because those are all bad attributes when it comes to the way we think about phones.
The Apple Smart Battery Case in charcoal gray.
Another bad attribute is poor battery life, one that has become increasingly more annoying as smartphones have gotten thinner, lighter, and more powerful.
Designing a good smartphone is a game of compromises, a game about finding the right relationship between these mutually exclusive attributes. The way Apple has historically played this game is by attempting to strike a very particular balance: a phone that is as thin and light as possible while still packing plenty of power and getting acceptable battery life.
It's a formula that's worked incredibly well for Apple so far, but it all hinges on the answer to one question: How do you define "acceptable" in the context of battery life?
Intuitively, we can define it as "enough to get most people through a day", but that presents us with a new problem: different people will have vastly different days, and therefore their definition of "enough" will vary.
Battery cases give users the opportunity to break the Apple-sanctioned balance and tip the scales towards battery life at the cost of thinness and lightness. For some, this will be a nonsensical proposition. Others, however, will see it as a sacrifice they're very much willing to make.
There are many companies out there that understand this. The 3rd-party battery case market is a thriving business, with several manufacturers offering a wide range of products. It's also a market that had gone largely ignored by Apple, until now.
With the release of the Smart Battery Case, Apple is now offering an official way to extend the iPhone's battery life for the first time. It's also the first battery case that's integrated with the iPhone at the iOS level, which allows it to offer several features not found in any other case out there.
Let's take a look at it in a bit more detail.
To call the Smart Battery Case's design polarizing would qualify as the understatement of the year.
Unlike pretty much every other battery case out there, the Smart Battery case doesn't have a seamless back side. Instead, there's an extremely obvious hump on the back, where the battery goes.
The Smart Battery Case has an obvious hump on the back, which has been the subject of much online criticism.
At first sight, the hump feels a bit ridiculous and decidedly not Apple-like. It feels off, as if somebody managed to stick a battery inside a regular Apple case at the last possible minute and no one bothered to tell Jony Ive about it.
The hump ostensibly breaks what is otherwise a very clean and Apple-like design.
People have been mocking the hump all over the Internet since the case was released, and with good reason: it is a bit funny-looking, that much is true. However, there's more to the hump than meets the eye — or so would Apple have us believe.
Despite the hump, however, the Smart Battery Case is a compelling product, and serves its purpose quite well.
One aspect of the hump that I haven't seen mentioned too often is that it helps emphasize the iPhone's thinness. By making the hump so glaringly obvious, it becomes clear that this is indeed a very slim smartphone that just happens to be inside a bulky case. Other battery cases, however, have the unfortunate side effect of making your phone look thicker than it really is. If you care about thinness in a smartphone — and Apple very much does — then this might actually appeal to you more than a seamless but thicker case would.
The hump makes it obvious that the iPhone is actually a slim smartphone inside a bulky case.
Another great thing about the hump: when using other battery cases, the iPhone's antenna bands are often covered not just by plastic, but by an actual battery, creating an electric interference that can sometimes hurt reception. But since the battery in Apple's case does not extend to the top and bottom parts of the case, where the iPhone's antenna bands are located, it doesn't interfere with the signal. Moreover, Apple even included a coupled antenna inside the Smart Battery Case in order to further improve reception and maintain signal strength.
Since it doesn't extend to the top and bottom of the case where the antenna bands are located, the hump doesn't interfere with reception. The case also has a coupled antenna inside in order to further maintain signal strength.
Hump aside, the Smart Battery Case is very well made. As of this review, it comes in only two colors: white and charcoal gray. The material used in both cases is very similar to the one used for Apple's silicone case. It feels great in the hand and it's grippy enough to ensure you won't accidentally drop your iPhone, but unfortunately it does pick up a surprising amount of lint and dust particles.
The Smart Battery Case is made of the same material as Apple's silicone case for the iPhone.
The silicone material feels great to the touch, but it does pick up a surprising amount of lint and dust particles.
The case features a Lightning connector on the inside, through which it can charge the iPhone's battery. There are also cutouts for the microphone and headphone outs, and a speaker redirect.
There's a Lightning connector on the inside, plus headphone and microphone cutouts, and a speaker redirect.
Putting the phone inside the case is extremely easy thanks to a clever bit of design: the top part of the case has an invisible hinge that allows you to bend the case over to the back, allowing you to slide your iPhone right in. Once the Lightning connector clicks into place, you just reset the hinge at the top, and you're done.
The top part of the case has a hidden hinge that can be peeled away to slide the iPhone in and out of the case.
The hinge is completely invisible when the phone is inside the case.
Taking the phone out of the case is just as easy. You start by peeling the top part back, then grab the phone and push it out of the Lightning connector. Once disconnected, you can slide the iPhone right off the case. You can watch the entire process in this short video:
The interior of the Smart Battery Case is lined with microfiber material, which keeps the iPhone nicely padded and also prevents any scratches to the aluminum.
The microfiber material keeps the iPhone nicely cushioned and helps prevent any scratches to the aluminum.
The microfiber material is extremely soft to the touch, and gives a luxurious feel to the case. While this material works great to protect and clean the screens of iOS devices, it also helps reduce friction between the aluminum and the silicone, making it easier to put the iPhone in and out of the case. That's why Apple also uses it to cover surfaces that are not in contact with the iPhone's screen, like in this case.
The microfiber material is very soft to the touch, and gives a luxurious feel to the case. It also helps reduce friction between the aluminum and the silicone.
The regular Apple case that comes in either leather or silicone has an opening on the bottom to make room for cables and connectors, and to avoid blocking the microphone and speaker grills. The Smart Battery Case, on the other hand, completely covers the bottom side and features a headphone cutout, its own Lightning port, and a small sound chamber that redirects the built-in speaker output towards the front.
Unlike the regular silicon case, the Smart Battery Case completely covers the iPhone, including the bottom side.
Since it has to provide an extension for the iPhone's Lightning port, the Smart Battery Case will make your iPhone taller in addition to making it thicker. You'll get an additional cm or so of length in the form of a "chin" when using this case. That's still smaller than the iPhone 6s Plus, but not by much.
The case makes the iPhone about a cm or so longer, because it needs to provide an extension to the iPhone's Lightning interface.
You'll also get a sort of lip that protrudes around the face of the iPhone, which provides increased protection against accidental damage or scratches to the screen. Thanks to this lip you can safely set the iPhone face down on a desk, for example, without the screen ever touching the actual surface.
The lip that surrounds the iPhone is more pronounced in the Smart Battery Case, allowing you to put the iPhone face down without scratching the display.
As for controls and access to iPhone features, the Smart Battery Case has moldings at each side for the volume buttons and the ON/OFF switch. For the most part, these moldings preserve the nice feel of the iPhone's buttons and are a pleasure to use. The case also has a camera cutout that allows you to use the iPhone's camera without removing it from the case, as well as a cutout for the silent/ringer switch.
The Smart Battery Case has moldings at each side for the volume buttons and the ON/OFF switch, as well as cutouts for the camera and the silent/ringer switch.
Functionally, the design shines for its simplicity: there are no charge lights or any other indicators on the outside, and there are no switches or buttons to control how or when the case is charging the iPhone. Instead, it's dead simple: when your iPhone is in the case, it's charging. That's all there is to it.
There are no external indicators of charging status on the case. If the iPhone is in, it's charging. This greatly emphasizes the simplicity of the design.
Funnily enough, Apple decided to put the only physical charging indicator inside the case. There's an LED light near the bottom that lights up in orange when the case is charging, and turns green when it's fully charged.
The only physical indicator is an LED light located inside the case.
The LED is orange when the case is charging, and turns green when it's fully charged.
This move may seem a bit weird, but it is completely Apple-like. In a way, it tells users not to worry about the battery's charging status when using it. Just put your iPhone in, charge it when you can, and it'll be alright.
Of course, the Smart Battery Case does provide information on its charging status, but it does so through iOS itself.
iOS integration
The Smart Battery Case is the first iPhone case to offer integration at the iOS level. That means you can check the case's charging status by simply going to Notification Center on your iPhone.
Both the iPhone and the case's charging status are reported in Notification Center.
Apart from that, both the iPhone's and the case's battery status are displayed on the lock screen when you slide the iPhone into the case, as well as every time you plug or unplug a Lightning cable.
The charging status is also displayed on the home screen for a few seconds when you plug a Lightning cable or when you put the iPhone in the case.
The fact that iOS reports both battery levels separately is quite useful, as it gives you a complete picture of the battery situation at all times.
Another convenient side effect of this integration is that you can charge both the iPhone and the case simultaneously through the Smart Battery Case's built-in Lightning port. And of course, you can also use this port to sync your iPhone with iTunes on your Mac or PC.
You can charge both batteries with a single Lightning cable and a 10-watt (or higher) power adapter.
One thing worth mentioning here is that, in order to charge both the case and the iPhone simultaneously, you'll need at least a 10-watt power adapter, which is not the kind that comes bundled with the iPhone these days.
According to iFixit, the Smart Battery Case holds a capacity of 1877 mAh. If we compare that to 1715 mAh in the iPhone 6s and 1810 mAh in last year's iPhone 6, a logical estimate is that the battery case should provide roughly twice the battery life of the standalone phones.
In my testing, I've found this to be true, with some caveats. The Smart Battery Case isn't optimized to charge the iPhone, but to power it. Apple clearly wants people to put the phone in the case and forget about it, charging both batteries simultaneously through the case's built-in Lightning port.
When used that way, you can definitely get more than twice the battery life of the standalone iPhone. That's because the case will power the phone and drain its own battery first. It's only when the case's battery is completely depleted that the iPhone's internal battery starts to discharge.
The case roughly doubles battery life on the iPhone 6s.
This behavior presents a very specific but significant advantage, one that has much to do with the fact that charging a battery is an inherently inefficient chemical process, and a non-trivial amount of power is always lost to this inefficiency when charging a battery.
You can minimize these power losses by starting off with your phone's battery at 100%, because the case's battery will not be used to charge the phone then, only to power it. There's no charge being transferred from one battery to the other one in this instance, which is where the biggest losses occur.
I managed to get over three full days of regular usage out of my iPhone 6s with the Smart Battery Case after unplugging it from the outlet with both batteries at 100% charge, and leaving the phone in the case at all times. That's certainly more than twice as long as my iPhone lasts by itself.
By comparison, if I drain the phone's battery first and only then put it into the case, I can get the iPhone back up to approximately an 80% charge before the case's battery is fully depleted. This is a perfect example of the differences between charging a battery and using it to power a device instead.
If you want to get the most battery life out your iPhone, put it in the case when it's fully charged and leave it there. You won't be disappointed.
If you only want an occasional top-up charge, the Smart Battery Case can definitely help, but you won't get as much juice out of it that way. If that's your preferred usage, there are other cases with much bigger batteries inside that I'd recommend instead.
The Smart Battery Case has a 1877 mAh battery. It's good enough, but other cases have higher capacity batteries.
Here are some numbers to give you an idea of the approximate battery life you can expect to get with the Smart Battery Case. In this scenario, both the iPhone and the case were charged overnight, and started off at 100% charge. I didn't charge the iPhone or the case at night, and I didn't use airplane mode or low power mode at any point:
After 14h: The case has been drained to 56% charge, while the iPhone 6s remains at 100%.
After 22h: The case has been drained to 36% charge, while the iPhone remains at 100%.
After 30h: The case is down to 0% charge. At this point it ceases to charge the iPhone (the little charging sign to the right disappears) but it's still powering it.
After 35h: The iPhone drops its first percentage point and is now at 99% charge. The case remains depleted at 0%.
After 48h: The iPhone is now at 84% charge, while the case remains at 0%.
After 65h: More than three days later, at 2:25 am, the iPhone remains at 34% charge. At this point I plug in again so that both devices are fully charged in the morning.
These are impressive figures, no doubt. Based on the above, my estimation is that with my usage, I would be able to make it for over 72h on a single charge, which is just ridiculous. That said, keep in mind that these figures were obtained with a brand-new iPhone 6s and a brand-new Smart Battery Case. Battery life may vary depending on your model of iPhone, the age of its battery, the number of charge cycles it's gone through, etc.
The Smart Battery Case, much like other battery cases out there, has the potential to completely remove battery anxiety from your life. It packs enough power for just about anyone to make it through at least one day, which is really the most important benchmark for this category of device.
It also provides another important feature: the capacity to divorce your iPhone from the wall outlet entirely. By charging the case separately, you can keep your phone untethered at all times. This can be important for those who need to be on the move: when the case is empty, you can leave it charging for a couple hours but you still get to take your iPhone with you. In the time it takes the case to get fully charged again, your iPhone won't have dropped more than 10-20% of its battery life, and the case will get it back to 100% with no problems whatsoever.
With the Smart Battery Case, you can divorce the iPhone from the wall outlet entirely.
Comfort-wise, the Smart Battery Case isn't too bad. It's certainly more uncomfortable to carry in my pocket than the standard silicone case or a naked iPhone, but it's not terrible by any means. The main problem when carrying it in my pocket is that it picks up tons of lint, and every time I take it out it looks like a complete mess. This was particularly obvious during the first few days, but it does seem like it's picking up less and less lint as the silicone material breaks in a bit.
The Smart Battery Case isn't exactly comfortable to carry in a jeans pocket, but it's not terrible either.
The worst aspect of this case is obviously the weight. It does add quite a bit of heft to the iPhone, and not in a good way. It makes the iPhone seem overly bulky and takes away much of the joy of owning such a thin phone. Compared to this, the hump seems like a minor inconvenience.
Another problem here is the headphone cutout. It's so narrow that it won't work with most 3rd-party headphones with L-shaped connectors. Of course, Apple earbuds fit perfectly, but it would have been nice to be able to use any pair of headphones without the need for adapters. To give you an idea of how messed up the situation is, even most Beats headphones won't fit in this case.
The headphone cutout is too narrow to fit many 3rd-party headphones, but of course Apple earbuds fit perfectly.
One thing I particularly liked is the speaker redirect. The way the sound is guided through a small chamber greatly improves the acoustics of the iPhone's speaker, and it even creates the illusion of a richer, louder sound. The fact that the sound is now coming from the front is also nice when watching videos, for example.
The speaker redirect improves the acoustics of the iPhone speaker, and makes the sound come out from the front.
I couldn't really test the effect of the built-in coupled antenna and whether it has a measurable impact on signal strength, but for what it's worth, I didn't notice any reception problems at all when using this case. This is one of those features where the highest compliment you can pay to them is not to notice them at all. In that case, it appears to be working as intended.
The Smart Battery Case has a coupled antenna that helps with reception. It's also thicker and more protective than the standard silicone case for the iPhone 6 and 6s.
Finally, this is not just a battery case, but a highly protective one, too. The silicone is thicker than in the regular case, which gives a solid feeling to the iPhone. It also allows you to set the iPhone face down on any surface without scratching the screen, and provides plenty of protection against bumps and the occasional drop. I wouldn't throw it out a 3-story window, but it should survive a table-height drop without issues.
All in all, this is a very solid case in actual use, despite the unsightly hump. Definitely not bad for a first attempt at making a battery case, even for Apple.
All things considered, the Smart Battery Case is a pretty good product. That said, there's definitely some room for improvement here:
The material catches lint like crazy. Silicone feels nice to the touch, but once it gets covered in dirt the overall experience suffers quite a bit. If you like your things to remain neat and clean all the time, stay away from this case.
The headphone port is blocked for anything other than Apple earbuds. This is a classic Apple move, but that doesn't make it good. We should be allowed to use whatever headphones we want with any case, regardless of the manufacturer. Besides, it's not like there's a valid technical reason for the cutout to be so narrow.
The hump could have been more subtle. Seriously. I've been mostly positive about the case and making light of the hump because there are other aspects of the design that certainly make up for it, but at the end of the day, they should have found a way to blend the extra battery in the design in a more inconspicuous manner.
More color and material choices. A leather version probably wouldn't make much sense, but something other than this lint-friendly silicone would be greatly appreciated. As for colors, that's simple: make it in the same colors as the current non-battery silicone case, and it'll be fine.
This picture shows literally everything that's wrong with the Smart Battery Case: the material picks up lint like crazy, the headphone cutout is too narrow for most headphones, and it has an unsightly hump in the back.
At $99, The Smart Battery Case will be a hard pill to swallow for many, but the value is definitely there. If you need some extra power to make it through a conference, or a trip where you may not have frequent access to a power outlet, this works incredibly well.
Still, despite its built-in Lightning connector and iOS integration, I wouldn't want to leave my iPhone in this case on a permanent basis. The reality is, as well thought out as it is, it's still quite uncomfortable, big and clunky to carry around every single day.
The Smart Battery Case is too big and heavy to carry around every single day, but it's a great solution for occasional use.
If you need the extra battery life on a daily basis, I would strongly encourage you to pick up the iPhone 6s Plus instead if at all possible: it'll be thinner, lighter, get similar battery life, cost you about the same as a 6s with the Smart Battery Case, and you'll get the better screen and nicer camera as an added bonus.
The only disadvantage (relatively speaking, of course) of the Plus in this case is the extra surface area, but even then I suspect it'd be more comfortable to carry in most pockets due to the thinner form factor and lighter weight.
The Smart Battery Case will get you similar battery life as an iPhone 6s Plus, albeit in a heavier and bulkier package.
If you prefer your 6/6s, or are stuck with one and picking up a 6s Plus is not an option, then the Smart Battery Case will get you similar battery life, albeit in a heavier and bulkier package. As far as compromises go, though, this isn't a terrible one, and it does serve its purpose about as well as one could expect from Apple.
Apple's first foray into the battery case market is quite interesting. As is usually the case with Apple products, the Smart Battery Case gets more things right than it gets wrong, but those it gets wrong may be deal breakers for some people.
If you can get over the hump — in this case, literally so — the Smart Battery Case definitely provides some useful functionality that no other battery case can match. The iOS integration is nice to have, as is the built-in, full-featured Lightning port. From an integration and ease of use perspective, this is currently the best battery case money can buy. If you don't value those things, however, there are certainly other options that will be more cost-effective and/or provide even longer battery life.
The Smart Battery Case is great from an ease of use perspective, but there are other cases that are cheaper and/or provide longer battery life.
With the Smart Battery case, you'll simply stop worrying about managing your iPhone's battery life, and you'll have a nice, protective case for it, too. At the end of the day, however, only you can say if the extra peace of mind this case provides is worth the price of admission.
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Upgrade Hp Elitebook 8460p Graphics?
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- September 23
"Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself."
— Salman Rushdie
"I don't want to be shut out from the truth. If they ban books, they might as well lock us away from the world."
— Rory Edwards, 12, Washington Post
Banned Books Week - Celebrating the Freedom to Read was started by the American Library Association in 1981 in response to a growing number of attempts to ban books in public libraries across the country. It is promoted as a way to remind Americans not to take for granted their freedom to read all forms of the written word. First observed in 1982, it is celebrated during the last week of September each year.
Every year bookstores and libraries across the nation celebrate Banned Books Week with displays of and readings from books that have been banned or threatened throughout history. These works range from the Bible and Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason to Shakespeare's Hamlet, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series.
According to the American Library Association, each year its Office for Intellectual Freedom receives hundreds of reports on books and other materials that have been "challenged," or asked to be removed from library shelves during that year. It is estimated that this is only a small portion of the real number of challenges presented. Throughout history, more and different kinds of people and groups of all persuasions, and for all sorts of reasons, have attempted-and continue to attempt-to suppress anything that conflicts with or anyone who disagrees with their own beliefs.
Topics of concern that most often institute challenges to written materials include sexually explicit material, offensive language, material inappropriate for the targeted age group, material with occult themes, violence, material that "promotes" homosexuality, "promotes" a religious viewpoint, nudity, sex education, and those materials that "promote" racism or anti-family viewpoints. Interpretations play a large role in what is labeled what. Books are usually challenged with the best intentions-to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information. Challenges are also given because of the belief that material that promotes or even provides information on any of the above themes will further promote these actions and behaviors within the reader.
Censorship can be subtle, almost imperceptible, as well as blatant and overt, but, nonetheless, harmful. Shielding other people-especially children-from difficult ideas only leads to ignorance, fear, and hatred. This stands in opposition to everything Freethought stands for, yet it has happened throughout the centuries for political and religious reasons, and has included books about atheism, science, tolerance, social issues, love and sex, and philosophy. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Paine, Voltaire, Aristophanes, Margaret Sanger, Mary Shelley, Ambrose Bierce, Charles Darwin, George Eliot, Mark Twain and John Locke were all victims of censorship during their lifetimes and still face censorship in some sections of the world today, including Canada, the United States of American, Britain and many countries in Europe thought to be anti-censorship societies.
In today's world, Banned Books Week acts as a reminder that freedom is precious, and without constant diligence and defiance, it can be taken from us, even in the United States. If anything, it should motivate freethinkers everywhere to read banned books, discuss them, and protect the rights of all Americans to read what they want, when they want, in libraries across the country.
Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, the American Booksellers Foundation of Free Expression, the American Library Association (ALA), the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the National Association of College Stores, and is endorsed by the Library of Congress Center for the Book.
BANNED BOOKS WEEK EVENT KIT
To assist in planning the week-long celebration, each year a Banned Book Week kit is developed. This kit includes three posters, 100 bookmarks, a button and a Resource Guide, which contains suggested activities and ideas for a celebration. Moreover, the Resource Guide contains an annotated list of challenged or banned books and is an excellent reference for conducting research on censorship. To find out more about the Banned Book Week kit click here.
BANNED BOOKS PRESS KIT
For a Banned Books Week Press Kit click here.
Send in your events & ideas!


Stephen is thrilled to be directing Shrek: The Musical with such an outstanding cast and production crew. He has performed in many local productions: with KCP – Mary Poppins, Spamalot, Me and My Girl; with MAT – Chicago, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike; with SST – The 39 Steps, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Urinetown to name a few. He is also a member of the Old Dance Hall Players Improv troupe.
Katie Pergau has enjoyed many wonderful musical collaboration. She is the Organist at Burton Ave United Church. Katie is the past director of Bravado! Show Choir, has music directed community musicals and is the past ED for the Barrie Music Festival Association. Working with fellow musicians is a passion of Katie's and she is looking forward to presenting "Shrek" with this most amazing cast!
Heather has immensely enjoyed working alongside this dedicated cast and fantastic creative team. Heather has choreographed KCP's past productions of "Mary Poppins" and "The Wizard of Oz", as well as "Little Shop of Horrors" for SST. When not teaching dance or creating choreo, Heather can be found across Simcoe County working as an actress. She is a proud collective member of Theatre Georgian Bay, and looks forward to performing in their annual summer Bard on the Bay production in Collingwood.
Jenn has had the pleasure of working with KCP for 4 years now. Having Stage Managed Mary Poppins, Rythme of Life, Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan Jr, Oliver. Last year Jenn was nominated for Best Stage Manager of the Year for the production of Oliver, by ACT-CO. Jenn has been thrilled to have the opportunity to work this year with Stephen Bainborough and Katie Pergau. Jenn couldn't do this without the love and support of her two daughters Charlie and Meri.
Andrée's passion for theatre and her oldest grand-daughter brought her to KCP in 2007. This is her twelfth season with KCP; and Shrek is the 25th show she has produced. You may see her one day in one of KCP's productions, it is one of her bucket list items to fulfill. She thanks the creative team, production team and all the volunteers who have made this production fabulous. Sit back and enjoy the show!
Kaleb is excited to be back with KCP for his second show. Most recently, Kaleb designed costumes for Mariposa Arts Theatres production of "Chicago" at the Orillia Opera House. Kaleb is an alumni of Humber College's Theatre Production program and a current Lakehead University student.
I am excited to be returning to the stage with my friends at KCP! Past credits with the company include Seussical the Musical, The Music Man and Anything Goes! I feel very lucky to be able to play this role, and to do do in such great company. Thank you to Tom, Renee and Wayne for pushing me to audition when I wasn't sure i could. And thank you to Stephen and Katie for their faith and support. Big thanks to the crew for holding us all together. Love to my family. Love to Amanda. Enjoy the show!
Natasha is a medical radiation technologist by day and performer by night! She began her love affair with theatre 13 years ago and it hasn't abated since. She is overjoyed to be back onstage with KCP for her 10th production. Thank you to Stephen, Katie as well as her fellow cast, crew mates, family and friends for their support and love. Now, sit back and enjoy the magic!
Michael is a performer, and co-owner of Moving Art and is excited to be returning to the stage with KCP! Past credits with KCP include Jesus Christ Superstar, Seussical, and Spelling Bee! He's excited to take on this role and join such a talented cast and crew. Thank you, Stephen & Katie, for your trust in me. Special thanks to my family and Paul Dunn for their support. Love to Carla and Lincoln you are the reason I'm on the stage. I hope you laugh little man. Thanks for supporting live theatre!
Darryn has spent the last 22 years performing throughout Ontario with Royal Opera Canada, Theatre by the Bay, Theatre Collingwood, & Sunshine Festival Theatre Co. to name a few. Favourite roles include: Jekyll/Hyde in Jekyll & Hyde & Frank-n-Furter in Rocky Horror with stage highlights performing at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre & Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts. Darryn is excited to be sharing the stage with his wife Renée and can't wait to perform for his 6 grandchildren!
Renée has spent the last 24 years performing throughout North America with multiple theatre companies, at Epcot Centre and Disneyland Fl., Hershey Park PA, Princess & Norwegian cruise lines, and concert highlights including the Messiah/Berlioz' Requiem with the KW Symphony & Peer Gynt suite starring Christopher Plummer. Currently a vocalist & musician on the Cirque du Soleil database, Renée is excited to take a break, share the stage with her husband Darryn, and perform for her little kiddos!
Laura is thrilled to be in KCP's production of Shrek. After finally giving in to her genetic predisposition for musical theatre, she took to the stage as a Laker Girl in KCP's "Spamalot" in 2013. More recently, she played Hunyak the Hungarian in MAT's 2017 production of "Chicago". Laura is so happy to be back on stage even if she has to play the "Ugly Duckling" (Thanks Dad).
Carley has spent the last year studying Baking and Pastry Arts at Georgian College. Some credits include: ensemble in The Wizard of OZ (KCP), Summer Hathaway in School of Rock (Moving Art), ensemble in Urinetown the Musical (Moving Art), ensemble in Shrek the Musical (Moving Art) and Stage Managing for KCP's "Aladdin Jr" in November. Beattie would like to thank her friends and family for all their support and to the cast and crew for all laughs and memories and for becoming like a second family.
Aaron is thrilled to be a part of his 4th KCP production. His previous role was "Bill Sykes" in "Oliver!" Other productions included: "Wizard of Oz", and "KCP's 40th Anniversary Show." Aaron is happy to be sharing the stage with many talented people, and would like to thank the production team for their efforts in making this show as spectacular as it is. He would like to thank you for coming to see this show, and hopes you enjoy it!
Sandy is excited to play in the swamp in the parts of the White Rabbit and a Dulocian. Recent roles include Fruma-Sarah in Fiddler on The Roof (SST), SST's 50: Our Golden Celebration, Mrs. Corry in Mary Poppins (KCP), and Dame in Hats! The Musical (SST). She hopes you enjoy the show!
Paul is very excited to be a part of KCP's Shrek – The Musical. He returns to the stage after a 30 year hiatus, last performing in the role of Captain Corcoran in Aurora High School's production of H.M.S. Pinafore. Paul would like to thank the Shrek Team and Cast for a fun experience, and is grateful to his family for their unwavering support, especially those freaky kids of his that never cease to inspire with their onstage and backstage talents. What makes us special makes us strong! Enjoy!
Kirstie is ecstatic to be a part of another KCP production. This will be her 6th show with KCP, her previous role being "Nancy" in "Oliver!", and other productions include "Les Miserables", "Mary Poppins", "The Wizard of Oz", and "KCP's 40th Anniversary Show." Kirstie is grateful for the wonderful cast and production team for putting forth another excellent show. She would also like to thank Stephen, Katie and Heather for all their dedication and hard work. This show will not disappoint!
Thomas broke a promise to his family and himself by just auditioning for this show so, now being a part of a very talented ensemble, he plans to act according to the old adage "Go Big or Go Home". As always, he is thrilled to be again working with KCP as part of such an extremely talented cast. He draws inspiration from his daughter Amariah, who is already a very accomplished stage and screen performer, and from his wife Danielle whose boundless enthusiasm and positivity somehow keeps grounded.
Dave has spent over 35 years performing live music. He is grateful to be included in this performance of Shrek, his third show with KCP. Dave would like to thank Steven for this opportunity to once again enjoy the camaraderie of the great friends he has met at KCP.
Meghan is thrilled to be joining KCP again this season! Meghan has been involved in theatre in the Barrie and surrounding area for six years, taking a break while studying at McMaster University. Some of her favourite past roles include Cinderella (BCC), Edwina in Dear Edwina Jr (KCP), Rusty in Footloose(SST) and performing at the provincial Sears Drama Festival in Women and Wallace. She is thrilled to be back with her KCP family this year. Enjoy the show!
Ann is thrilled to be a part of this amazing production!! A familiar face to KCP audiences, Ann has performed with the group since 1987. Recent appearances were in Closer Than Ever, A Step in Time (the 40th anniversary show), as the evil nanny Miss Andrew in Mary Poppins, ensemble is Les Mis and as Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, to name a few. Many thanks to Stephen, Katie, Heather and Jenn for their wonderful leadership. Enjoy this hillarious show!!
Julia Johnston is a trained music theatre artist known as a triple threat. She has been singing professionally for years in communities all over Eastern Ontario. Julia has sung under the baton of many great music directors including Giles Bryant, Syd Birrell, Jeffrey Huard, Jeannie Wyse, Mitchell Pady and Blair Bailey. She runs three women's choirs in the Simcoe County region known as "Shout Sister" and teaches children and adults privately in the performance industry at Express Yourself.
Charlie is thrilled to be on stage again this year as Teen Fiona and Little Shrek. Charlie has previously been seen in Peter Pan Jr and Oliver with KCP. Charlie would like to thank Stephen and Katie for this opportunity and also her Mom and twin sister for their encouragement and support.
Bob isn't sure whether he was asked to join this production of Shrek because he was nasty enough to be the Captain of the Guard or nice enough to be the Bishop. Either way he's excited to be part of this amazing cast. Enjoy the show !
Samantha is a grade 5 student at West Bayfield ES. She is very excited for her first production with KCP. Samantha has sung since she was a baby and is a 3 time winner the Linda Makarenko Memorial Scholarship for Outstanding Vocal Performance. Samantha enjoys sharing her love of music by singing at Burton Ave United Church. She is excited to share her performance as Young Fiona. Love to Mom and Dad and sister Abby.
Jen is excited to be back on stage with KCP. Many thanks to Stephen and Katie for the opportunity to bring you her take on the Wicked Witch! Jen would also like to thank her super supportive family, Gary, Brenna and Elliot, for their love and encouragement to get back on stage. She simply couldn't do it without you! Now fly your freak flag with us and enjoy the show!!
Serena Ruscitti has been performing from the tender age of 4. She is trained in all styles of dance, and currently trains with Dark Dance in Toronto. Despite her performance experience this is only her second time doing a KCP show! Serena hopes everyone loves the show just as much as she does!
Kevin has been a part of the Simcoe County theatre scene for 20 years, having performed in Barrie, Orillia and Cookstown. He can also be found performing with his improv troupe, The Old Dancehall Players at various venues in the area. Thanks to everyone for making Shrek such an amazing experience.
Julie is enjoying balancing life between her secondary school administrator job, rehearsals, and working with the KCP board of directors. She would like to thank John for putting up with her lack of contribution to keeping the house running! Loving the opportunity to sing, tap & wear Kaleb's great costume creations! Thank you to the creative and artistic teams of SHREK for their vision and endless work!
This is Tabitha's theatre debut on stage, she has volunteered with KCP for several years. Her days are filled with volunteering as a support helper at a local YMCA child care Centre, and she is also a hostess 3 days per week at our very own The Last Class (TLC) at Georgian College. She loves live theatre and has seen many in Toronto on the big stage as well as enjoying our local theatres here in Barrie and productions by KCP. She sings, dances and enjoys karate and going to the gym.
Meghan is delighted to be playing the role of Gingy/Sugar Plum Fairy. When not playing a high pitched cookie with a split personality, Meghan can be found teaching Dance, Drama and English at Bradford District High School. When not teaching, Meghan is probably busy at home setting a questionable example for her two impressionable children. Special thanks to her incredible husband, Victor, for being 'voluntold' to look after the kids while she pursues her theatrical dreams.
Erica is thrilled to be back with KCP as Peter Pan for the show. She studies dance at Moving Art and is a member of their Performance team and Senior Triple Threat program. She takes piano and singing lessons as well. Some of her previous show credits include, Dance Captain in Aladdin and ensemble in Rent. Erica would like to thank Catherine Toner, her Moving Art teachers, friends, family and the cast and crew of Shrek for making this such a memorable experience. Enjoy the show!


1.4 Entries must be submitted via the entry flyer at SHA 2018 and entry is restricted to one per person. Late, or incomplete entries will not be accepted.
2.4 The prize draw is for the winner's choice of free book from a selected list.
A list of books available as a prize are listed here.


text:
Missouri city honors Black doctor whose land was taken decades ago through eminent domain
Oct 15, 2021 6:35 PM EST
Gabrielle Hays Gabrielle Hays
Talesha Reynolds Talesha Reynolds
Ryan Connelly Holmes Ryan Connelly Holmes
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/city-honors-black-man-whose-land-was-taken-decades-ago-through-eminent-domain
Historically, urban renewal and eminent domain have separated hundreds of thousands of African Americans from their property and locked them out of generational wealth. But a newly dedicated park outside St. Louis, Missouri is one of the latest attempts to reconcile a decades-old wrong. St. Louis community reporter Gabrielle Hays joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.
A newly dedicated park outside St. Louis, Missouri is one of the latest attempts to reconcile a decades-old wrong brought about by eminent domain, the power that governments have to seize private property for public use.
Historically, urban renewal and eminent domain have separated hundreds of thousands of African Americans from their property and lock them out of generational wealth.
I'm joined now by our St. Louis community reporter, Gabrielle Hays.
Welcome, Gabrielle, this evening.
So, this all happened, started back in the 1950s. Tell us what happened in St. Louis?
Gabrielle Hays:
So, Dr. Howard P. Venable was a musician, an ophthalmologist. He was a man of many talents. And after going to medical school and getting married and having a daughter, he wanted to buy a home.
And so, in 1956, he bought two plots of land in Creve Coeur and wanted to build a house on one. The issue was, the people in his neighborhood and local government didn't want him to live there. And so they pulled out all the stops, including the eminent domain doctrine, to make sure that he couldn't live there.
And so they went back and forth through the courts. He sued several times. And, in the end, he lost and had to move to Ballwin Hills. And that's where he settled until he died in 1998.
What argument did the city use in taking his property? And did they end up compensating him?
Yes, so they used the eminent domain doctrine, which allows the government or governments to seize land for public use if they provide compensation.
The thing was, Dr. Venable wanted to keep his land and he wanted to live there. And so he fought and fought as long as he could. In the end, we're told by people who track the case and by documents that, in the very end, I believe in 1959, he was paid $31,000 to settle that action.
And so that's important to consider, especially when we talk about now, because if you look at homes who live — who sit — or homes that sit on that street, they have gone for over a million dollars, right? So we think about him getting $31,000 in the '50s…
… and what that would look like today. That matters.
And, as you said, he fought it for years. His family hasn't forgotten.
And just recently, there's been something dedicated in his honor, in his memory that his family has insisted on. How — what are they saying about all right now?
Yes, so the family has been involved from the very start.
The city of Creve Coeur has acknowledged what happened. Their sort of journey started in 2019. They established a task force. And they have been to work with the family to kind of figure out how to move forward, right, and how to make sure that this story isn't forgotten.
And so they created a task force. They read dedicated that land to Dr. Venable. So now it bears his name. But the family also wants to make sure that it doesn't end there. In fact, his nieces and nephews have said this cannot be a one-off, right? That can't be the end of the road is changing the name on the sign. And even the city has recognized this as well.
So their hope and what they're asking for is not only that the name of the park be changed, but also for there to be an annual day of recognition and for there to be some type of programming in Creve Coeur to make sure that people of color have an equal opportunity to live in that neighborhood.
They want a financial contribution to Washington University in Dr. Venable's name to ensure that students have an opportunity to learn there. So, they are very much so part of this process, but, for them, it's bigger than just acknowledging the story. It's about making sure that it moves forward and that no one forgets.
It's so important to tell this story.
Gabrielle Hays, who is our communities reporter in Saint Louis, thank you so much.
And you can read Gabrielle's full report on our Web site, PBS.org/NewsHour.
PBS NewsHour from Oct 15, 2021
Decades after a Missouri town seized a Black doctor's home, his relatives sought to reclaim his land — and his story
By Gabrielle Hays
Gabrielle Hays is a Communities Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour out of St. Louis.
Talesha Reynolds is PBS NewHour's senior content and special projects producer. Reynolds joined the NewsHour in 2021 after eight years at NBC News where she produced investigative, feature and breaking news pieces for NBC Nightly News, the Today Show, and NBCNews.com while based in the Washington bureau. In addition to supporting the nightly broadcast, Reynolds manages various multi-platform projects as well.


text:
10 common content marketing mistakes (and how to avoid them)
Is a truce possible in the ad-blocking war?
6 strategies smart digital publishers use to monetize content
How to market your business on Instagram
Vertical Industries
Mashup Marketing
By Dipti Parmar, star Advisor, CIO | PT
3 unique solutions to take your content strategy from engagement to monetization
Content has been heralded as a king, as a voice for your brand, or a bridge between your audience and your company. However, the real heroes are the tools and solutions that we use to sharpen our content. If not for these solutions, we wouldn't be talking about rich, engaging and visually-appealing content and monetization would be a distant dream.
Content has always been upheld for its benefits such as reputation building, audience engagement and website ranking. However, one look at the top few media publishers like National Geographic, E! Online, Bleacher Report, and The Dodo and you will see there is more to content than the intangible, non-monetary benefits mentioned above.
Successful media companies, like Buzzfeed for instance, know how to create engaging content and monetize it effectively. They have found a way to imbibe native advertising, sponsored stories and content marketing while circumventing the boundaries posed by ad blockers.
They do it through disruptive content tools that are revolutionizing the digital space by making content more engaging and reading more rewarding. We have three solutions here that help boost engagement, monetize content and eventually return an ROI from your content in unique ways…
Yotpo – reviews and community building
With Yotpo, ecommerce stores can ensure sales doesn't stop at the checkout. It comes with myriad tools for boosting customer engagement before as well as after the purchase. Yotpo has a double-edged approach to boosting engagement – with customer reviews and community engagement.
Over 67 percent purchasing decisions are influenced by customer reviews. For instance, Puravida Bracelets used Yotpo to get 32,000 reviews on their website, which helped them in creating more transparency, improve their search results and of course boost their sales.
Yotpo also helps websites to get more customer reviews through emails and coupons which lead to engagement long after the purchase is made.
Further, community Q&A allows people to discuss, review and share purchase experiences with your staff. For instance, if a customer has some queries about a product, their first instinct is to check out the community thread and see if they can get the answers. Only as a last resort, will they contact your live customer support.
[ Become a Microsoft Office 365 administrator in record time with this quick start course from PluralSight. ]
Arc Publishing – metered paywalls
The Arc Publishing suite is a dream-come-true for large media companies. It was built by The Washington Post, which was deeply unsatisfied with the CMS tools available at the time. Seeing that it is designed to suit the needs of The WP, Arc Publishing would mostly cater to the needs of large, enterprise-level publishing companies such as news sites, online community sites and media companies that publish hundreds and thousands of articles a day.
Arc Publishing has a wide range of tools that help in every aspect of publishing including creation, distribution and analytics. However, its biggest advantage is you can make your content more interactive and engaging through enticing A/B tested headlines, images, polls, quizzes and many more interactive elements.
It also offers metered content paywall which allows users access a limited number of free articles every month and then convert them to paying subscribers. Publishers can decide which content is to be distributed free and which is to be monetized.
This way publishers can monetize editorial articles and rich content pieces while distributing user-generated or third-party sourced content for free. This ensures the site doesn't lose readership while monetizing content.
Apester – sponsored interactive content
While Arc Publishing is meant for medium and large publishing companies, Apester can be used by companies of all sizes to boost engagement on their site. Apester provides various interactive units such as quiz, personality tests, video tests and polls that boost engagement. This helps publishers not only create engaging content but also take content virality to new heights.
Apester provides monetization opportunities by creating sponsored quizzes, polls and other interactions. For instance, this Michelin-sponsored interactive quiz on Weather.com is bang on when it comes to un-intrusive advertising.
It doesn't blatantly talk about Michelin, nor does it have its logo emblazoned all over the video. You can hardly make out that the car used in the video has a Michelin sticker on it. This shows how advertisers are taking digital advertising to the next level.
Apester has a network of over 800 publishers from the Weather.com to Entertainment Weekly, so advertisers can choose any of these platforms and sponsor an interactive piece of content. What's more, publishers can embed video quizzes, polls, etc. for free!
All these tools provide a unique way to monetize content. Depending on the type of content you have or the audience you face, carefully choose any one of these methods.
Just for your reference, community engagement works wonders for ecommerce sites whereas native advertising is suitable for publishing websites, community engagement, review websites, entertainment, etc.
Sponsored content is suitable for publishers who can insert ads for B2C, FMCG, etc. naturally within their content. Metered paywalls are great for academic, news and editorial websites that typically offer high-quality content.
The only thing you need to remember is that before you set out to monetize content, make sure you have tons of engaging articles, interactive quizzes, guides, etc. Once you have mastered the art of creating winning content, monetization will become easy.
Dipti Parmar, a digital marketing wiz is associated with E2M Solutions and Preceptist. She has been journeying through the world of digital marketing for more than six years and is a blogger and networker.


The Defense Acquisition Board decision regarding full-rate production for the Apache Block III helicopter program announced 24 October 2012 also approved re-designating the Apache Block III as the AH-64E model. The Army planned a Block III upgrade of the AH-64D, with funding starting in FY06 for Longbow Block III Improvements. Initially, the service had planned that only the 284 Block I aircraft would undergo the Block III modifications. However, with funding freed up from the cancellation of the RAH-66 Comanche, the Army intends to modify all 501 AH-64Ds to the Block III standard. Redeliveries of Block III aircraft are slated to begin in October 2007.
The Apache Block III (AB3) Modernization was an incremental integration of block modifications providing the capabilities for the Longbow Apache to transition to the Future Force (FF), to increase survivability, and reduce the logistics footprint. AB3 satisfies the updated Longbow Apache Capability Development Document (CDD) mandates for modernization. Among other items, the Block III upgrade includes an open system avionics architecture, the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS), fly-by-wire flight controls, a pure General Electric T700-GE-701D engine fleet [common with the UH-60], a new transmission, and composite rotor blades. Block III was to include a series of structural, propulsion, and avionics modifications to the helicopter. The fire-control radar on Longbow Block III was the same fire-control radar that Block I Comanche would have used.
Apache Block III (AB3) will provide Network-Centric capabilities to 634 Apache Longbows at a critical time as the Army transitions from the current force to the future force. AB3 capability enhancements are achieved via planned technology insertions such as: Future Force (FF) Connectivity-Seamless Global Information Grid Communications (Interim Communications Suite embedded in an Open Systems Architecture (OSA); Off-Board Sensors - Extended Range Sensing; Increased Survivability; Cognitive Decision Aiding System (CDAS) which speeds Critical Battle Tasks; Improved Aircraft Performance: Reduced Operations and Support (O&S) Cost and Logistics Footprint, and Increased Aircraft Readiness. To Complete (TC) funding procures the remaining components required to achieve fully configured AB3 aircraft. AB3 satisfies the updated Apache Capability Development Document (CDD) requirements for modernization. Other Support procures Table of Distribution and Allowances (TDA) Salaries, In-house Matrix and Contractor Support.
Longbow Apache Block III (AB3) was a combination of twenty three technologies aimed at enhancing crew effectiveness in battle while reducing operations and support costs. This technology insertion provides net centric warfare capabilities in the multi role combat helicopter of the US Army, future force. To enable battle-space dominance, the program incorporates open systems architecture; wideband network communications; extended range sensing; level IV control of unmanned aerial vehicles; extended range fire control radar; extended range missiles; and data fusion to merge off and on board sensor imagery. The AB3 interfaces with Stryker Brigade Combat Teams and Future Combat Systems with a fully compatible and rapidly reconfigurable open systems architecture mission processor design.
The US Department of Defense (DoD) completed a comprehensive, independent technical assessment and actionable execution plan to ensure that the minimum essential requirements were met to support successful entry of the AB3 into System Development and Demonstration (SDD). The Director of the Weapons System Technology Information Analysis Center (WSTIAC) participated in the overall assessment of the AB3 based on a review of documents, including the draft Integrated Product Team, Overarching Integrated Product Team, Program Support Review, and briefings and meetings with government and contractor personnel. Included in the review were drafts of the Acquisition Strategy Report, Acquisition Program Baseline, Test and Evaluation Master Plan, Systems Engineering Plan, and the Capabilities Development Document. WSTIAC evaluations verified that sound systems engineering principles are being developed and applied, thus permitting the proper tradeoffs between cost, schedule, and overall weapons system performance in preparation for DoD approval of the AB3 to enter the production and deployment phase at a Milestone C level.
The Longbow Apache Block III program entered the system development and demonstration phase in July 2006. On approval, the Defense Acquisition Board directed the Army to extend the development schedule due to an aggressive test plan that resulted in a higher development cost for the program. Also, the Longbow Apache Block III's production decision slipped from March 2009 to April 2010.
The Longbow Apache Block III program entered the system development and demonstration phase with one critical technology, an improved drive system, approaching full maturity. The Block III program planned to complete three phases of development and meet requirements through a series of technology insertions, each requiring integration, test, and qualification activities. The Army reported that at the start of development, these technology insertions were fully mature. Only the first phase of insertions would need to be installed at the factory. The others could be installed in the field. A production decision for the first phase was scheduled for 2010. Also, when it was approved for development, the Army was directed to extend the development schedule due to an aggressive test schedule, thereby increasing development cost.
According to a March 2007 report by the General Accountability Office, the Army was reporting on 15 critical technologies prior to development start of the Block III program. However, as it reached development start, the Army opted to report on only 1 technology as critical. The remainder of the 15 technologies were not considered critical.
The technology insertions were divided into two primary categories: those related directly to processor upgrades and those independent of processor upgrades. The first phase of planned insertions addressed some of the processor upgrades and all of the nonprocessor upgrades. The processor-dependent insertions involve both hardware and software upgrades and were not field retrofitable. They included level IV unmanned aerial vehicle control, improved electronics/modular open system approach, aircraft survivability equipment, interim communications suite, modernized signal processor unit, instrument meteorological conditions/instrument flight rules hardware and software, and radar electronic unit. Those insertions that were independent of the processor include the improved drive system, engine enhancements, composite main rotor blades, airframe life extension, and training device concurrency. This phase was planned to be complete in 2014. The second and third development efforts were processor upgrades that were software modifications and were field retrofitable. Phase two was scheduled for completion in 2016 and included the insertion of embedded diagnostics and a common data link. The final phase included cognitive decision aids, image fusion, aided target, detection and classification, supportability improvements, multimode laser, fire control radar, and radio frequency interferometer improvements. The final phase was planned to be completed after 2016.
According to program officials, the technical risk involved with these technologies was low even though no backup technology exists. If, for some reason, the technology was unavailable for insertion at its given time, the program would proceed with existing technology until the new technology could be incorporated. Further, cost impact for incorporating the technologies was expected to be minimal given the ability to add software changes in the field and because the helicopter would have to be returned to the production plant only once to accomplish upgrades.
The Block III program was again the subject of a GAO report in March 2008. The GAO reported that to upgrade and modernize the Apache system, a time-phased series of technical insertions was planned for development. The Apache Block III funding profile as of the report did not allow all of the required system improvements to be fielded with the first aircraft lot. The insertion plan was based on (1) program funding availability, (2) aircraft going to the factory one time for modification, and (3) a single final Block III configuration. The technology insertion approach was to leverage other development programs with mature, production ready technologies that would require integration, test, and qualification on the Apache Block III platform.
The GAO described system development as occuring in three phases. The first phase would complete integration qualification of all required hardware changes applied to Apache Block III helicopters. 2 limited development phases with follow-on improvements requiring further technical insertions would be necessary. With the exception of the common data link hardware, the follow-on development phases would consist of software improvements that although limited in scope, still required planning, test, and evaluation. These insertions would be applied in the field, and aircraft would not be required to return to the factory to achieve the later configuration upgrades. A low-rate production decision for the first phase of development was scheduled as of March 2008 for April 2010, with a full-ratedecision scheduled for April 2012. Subsequent configuration upgrades for the remaining development phases would be dependent on successful interim design reviews scheduled for fiscal years 2014 and 2016.
The assessment also noted that since the start of program development, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army approved a program change increasing the Apache Block III production quantity from 597 to 634. Further, deliveries were restructured from 60 to 48 a year, thereby stretching the program schedule by 4 years. The costs associated with both the remanufacture of the additional 37 aircraft and the stretched delivery schedule led to an increase in total procurement costs, reported in a December 2006 Selected Acquisition Report.
The Boeing Company celebrated delivery of the first AH-64D Apache Block III multi-role attack helicopter to the U.S. Army Nov. 2, 2011 in Mesa. The Block III Apache began a new era in combat aviation by delivering advanced technologies and capabilities to benefit soldiers and battlefield commanders. Boeing was to produce 51 AH-64D Apache Block III helicopters for the Army under Low Rate Initial Production. The Army's acquisition objective stood at 690 Apache Block III aircraft. In addition, a growing number of defense forces worldwide had contracted for, or were considering, upgrading to or adding the Apache Block III to their rotorcraft fleets.
The Apache Block III incorporated 26 new technologies designed to enhance the aircraft's capabilities. The improved drive system features a new split-torque face gear transmission that increased power capability to 3,400 shaft horsepower. The new composite main rotor blade accommodated that power increase, resulting in improved aircraft performance with increased payload. Integrating the T700-GE-701D engine with the enhanced digital electronic control unit and other drive system technologies resulted in an increase in hover ceiling altitude at greater gross weight on a 95 degrees Fahrenheit day.
The Defense Acquisition Board decision regarding full-rate production for the Apache Block III helicopter program was announced 24 October 2012, by Army officials at a briefing in Washington, DC. Additionally, Apache project manager Col. Jeffrey Hager confirmed that the Apache Block III was being re-designated as an AH-64E model. According to the Apache Project Office, the Defense Acquisition Board, or DAB, granted approval for full-rate production, or FRP, in August and the Air Force communicated the model designation change in a September 2012 memo to the Army. Actions were under way to begin implementation of the E model designation for subsequent use by the military and industry.


Trump's plan to arm educators with guns in order to prevent school violence makes as much sense as arming them with scalpels in case they need to perform an emergency appendectomy.
Hitler didn't commit his atrocities his first year, but given the chance … . As for Trump's atrocities, in the next election, we need to follow the great American philosopher Barney Fife and "Nip it! Nip it in the bud!"
What nerve! Tom MacArthur pens an editorial on the failure of the current gun control system. This is the same Trump lapdog who voted to overturn regulations prohibiting guns to the mentally challenged and who earned an "A" rating from the NRA. His indignation is as phony as Trump's empathy crib sheet.


This two to three-hour kayak and lilo adventure on the Storms River gorge in Tsitsikamma is our most popular activity for good reasons. You'll get to explore deeper into the hidden world of the Storms River gorge than most people ever do and experience the long, bottomless pools, deep caves and ancient forests with nothing but the quiet noises of nature around you.
The Most Beautiful Adventure in South AfricaEveryone can enjoy the most beautiful adventure in South Africa.
We paddle from the harbour (next to the beach) across the ocean, passing underneath the suspension bridge (because, hang in there – this is where the suspense begins…) and from there up the beautiful Storms River gorge.
If sea conditions do not allow for ocean paddling, it won't rock our boat – we simply adapt the adventure. In such cases, we take a short guided hike through the captivating Tsitsikamma forest and over the famous suspension bridge and start our kayaking trip from inside the calm river mouth.
After waving to all the wobbly-legged and somewhat jealous tourists photographing you from the suspension bridge, we continue the kayaking voyage up the river. And this is where the true adventure starts – paddling up the glorious Storms River, the ultimate treasure of Tsitsikamma National Park where you are about to go treasure hunting! We continue right into the bats' cave and spend time gazing up in awe at the spectacular cliffs all around us – all from the comfort of our double sit-on-top kayaks.
At the low-water point, we say goodbye to our kayaks and hello to our floater friends – the lilos. (A short information break for those who do not know: A lilo is a small inflatable boat and our unique ones are specially designed for this trip to access the narrow parts of the gorge). From here on we walk over a short section of rocks and then simply float deeper up the river on the lilos, weightlessly relishing in the serenity of this paradise and feeling insignificantly small as we ogle up at the sky-scraping cliffs surrounding us.
Upon reaching our destination, we make a U-turn and float back down the river to our kayaks, glad that the exceptional experience is far from over.
After all the tranquillity of floating, we have to keep the balance and add a healthy dose of adrenaline! On the trip back, you will be given the exhilarating opportunity to leap off the overhanging cliff walls of the gorge into deep pools. This offers not only a good test of your bravery but also some good occasions for laughter (or nervous giggling), friendly encouragement (or daring) and one-of-a-kind photo opportunities (because you will need to brag to your buddies at home!). Although cliff jumping is not compulsory – you can simply enjoy the spectacle as you leisurely float on the long pools below – we do recommend not missing out on the thrill!
We've had kids as young as 5 and grandparents as old as, well… grandparents take the leap and enjoy the time spent on the water, so this is family-friendly fun that truly floats everyone's boat.
As you can probably comprehend – this unique Storms River adventure is our most popular and best-recommended trip by local and international tourists. Be sure not to miss the boat!
If the ocean is unsafe due to weather conditions or any other reason not suitable to kayak over, we change our kayak & lilo trip to one of our other exciting trips: the hike, kayak & lilo adventure.
The hike, kayak and lilo Adventure utilises the Suspension Bridge Hiking Trail, and provides an educational hike with one of our informative guides to the Suspension Bridge, followed by the kayak and lilo up the Storms River Mouth.
Please bring warm clothes and enclosed shoes that can get wet or be prepared to hire booties (water shoes) and wetsuits, available in all sizes, at the shop.
As we are located inside the National Park, you will have to show your WILD card or pay the National Park's conservation fee upon entering at the gate.
If you are requiring times or group sizes other than those shown on our website, we will as always try our best to accommodate you – please contact our shop on +2773 1300 689 / +27 76 959 2817 during business hours. Please allow for at least one hour's wait at the Tsitsikamma National Park entrance gate during peak season as the processing time for entry into the park can be slow during summertime.


Follow John Ed Stepan and Family on there five week Safari to South Africa, Zambia & Namibia.
Well it's finally here, the trip I've been planning for two years to commemorate 30 years since my first African Safari with my then girlfriend, now wife Debra. This trip starts in the Eastern Cape, then moves to Zambia for a night overlooking Victoria Falls followed up by a houseboat safari on the Chobe River. Then to Dendro Park & Bird Estate with Shawn Bird for some hunting and finishing up in Namibia with Peter Thormahlen visiting the Caprivi Strip and Desert Conservancies.
We began in Houston with Air France, once again a very nice experience. This makes my second African flight with them this year and I continue to be impressed with their service. I will do my best to keep up, not always going to have wifi so there will most likely be some lag time between posts. An 11 hour layover gave us time to run into Paris and see some sights and have a great meal. When I have the extra time, I prefer to travel through Europe as it breaks up the trip a bit and gives me time to stretch my legs.


text:
Q: mongodb isValid function returns true for invalid ObjectIDs so I have to check if a given input is a valid ObjectID and if that returns true I want to transform the value to a ObjectID. Unfortunately the validation returns true for "zzzzzzzzzzzz" and throws an exception while transforming the value.
I get the following error

Error: Argument passed in must be a single String of 12 bytes or a
  string of 24 hex characters

I tried to reproduce the problem:
const { ObjectID } = require("mongodb");

const value = "zzzzzzzzzzzz";
const isValid = ObjectID.isValid(value);

if (!isValid) { // this is true
  throw new Error("invalid ID");
}

ObjectID.createFromHexString(value); // throws exception

So why does the validation return true then? How can I fix that? My real project is a NestJs application so it would be nice to cast a value of type any to a typesafe ObjectID.

A:
So why does the validation return true then?

Because the code. Line 338
Basically any valid input to the ObjectID constructor will return true with ObjectID.isValid()
Hence, for your case ObjectID.isValid("zzzzzzzzzzzz") is true because new ObjectID("zzzzzzzzzzzz") is a valid operation.
More from an old documentation of node-mongodb-native driver
how about this:
const { ObjectID } = require("mongodb");
function isValidObjectID(id) {
  try{
    ObjectID.createFromHexString(id)
  }catch(e){
    return false
  }
  return true
}

console.log(`zzzzzzzzzzzz
isValid: ${isValidObjectID("zzzzzzzzzzzz")}`) // false

console.log(`5beec2f547643846af1d4dc3
isValid: ${isValidObjectID("5beec2f547643846af1d4dc3")}`) // true

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Science Bulletin
Home Physics Collision resonances between ultracold atom and molecules visualized for the first time
Collision resonances between ultracold atom and molecules visualized for the first time
For the first time, a team led by Prof. Jian-Wei Pan and Prof. Bo Zhao at the University of Science and Technology of China, have successfully observed scattering resonances between atoms and molecules at ultra-low temperatures, shedding light on the quantum nature of atom-molecule interactions that have so far only been discussed in theory. These observations greatly aid in the advancement of ultra-cold polar molecules and ultra-cold chemical physics. The new insights inform several other disciplines, such as designing high precision clocks, powerful microscopes, biological compasses and super-powerful quantum computers.
The field of chemical physics, a subcategory of quantum chemistry, has long been focusing on understanding the interactions of atoms and molecules at their very basic levels. Specifically, the aim has been to elucidate the scattering resonances, a remarkable quantum phenomenon that is expected to be a routine rather than an exception at temperatures near absolute zero. Specific to this research, the focus has been an understanding of scattering resonances of heavy molecules at ultra-cold temperatures, conditions under which particles move so slowly that one has enough time to both investigate and control their structure and motion with either electric or magnetic fields.
The first-of-its-kind study is published in the journal Science this week. It describes a specific type of interaction between atoms and molecules, namely potassium-40 (40K) atoms and sodium-23-potassium-40 (23Na40K) molecules. This interaction was taking place at ultra-low temperatures and was manipulated by a magnetic field. The authors were thereby able to observe the specific scattering resonances, between the aforementioned atoms and molecules, which was so far only theorized.
"The molecules are heavy, and the structure of their energy field is very complex, which may result in a large amount of atom-molecule resonances," according to Bo Zhao. "Theory cannot predict the positions of these atom-molecule resonances. In fact, it is unclear whether the atom-molecule resonances at ultra-cold temperatures are resolvable and observable prior to our work," he adds.
The news findings offer knowledge that can be applied to better understand other atom-molecule interactions. The USTC team has devised a tool that can accurately monitor particle behavior so that a plethora of other interactions and dynamics can be visualized rather than theorized.
In their future endeavors, the team aims to explore even more parameters in order to understand them. "The next step is to measure more resonances and try to understand them. Our hope is to collaborate with theoreticians and find an accurate and predictive model that can understand and predict the atom-molecule scattering at ultra-low temperatures. This is the ultimate gold of studying ultra-cold collisions involving molecules," according to Zhao.
University of Science and Technology of China
Huan Yang et al. Observation of magnetically tunable Feshbach resonances in ultracold 23Na40K + 40K collisions. Science (2019). DOI: 10.1126/science.aau5322
Illustration of Magnetically tunable Feshbach resonances in ultracold atom-molecule collisions.
Credit: Jian-wei Pan's team
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I just crossed the 10 week mark of my road trip, and in celebration of that milestone I wanted to share with you some of my lessons from the road. In many ways ten weeks feels like a long time, yet in other ways not so long. I guess what I'm really feeling is that this trip has been like no other time in my life and that is a great thing. I've been through many new experiences that have touched me and changed me. So far I've visited about 20 National Parks and wilderness areas, attended 2 music and art festivals, and spent time with old friends in San Francisco and Los Angeles. I continue to meet awesome people everyday and connect with them on various levels. Being on the road, there are many challenges to overcome, and here are some tips of making life out there a bit easier.
1. You can camp for free.
I've paid for 7 campsites in 10 weeks. There are various places where one can find free camping. National Forests generally allow free dispersed camping, as does the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Most of these free campsites do not have facilities but in a camper van it works out great. I've also stayed up all night shooting the stars and went to sleep as the sun was rising which is not considered camping at a national park. Some of these free sites are rarely used and would be a great place to bring a small group and have it to yourselves. Oh, and any Walmart across the country will not hassle you if you sleep in your car in the parking lot.
And this great app called The Ultimate Campground Project that shows all available campsites paid and free even in offline mode.
I've run into several people on the road who have needed assistance and could have benefitted from being better prepared. One pair of hikers was lost in Canyonlands – Needles because they had left the trail map in the car, but more importantly forgot what the trailhead was called where their camp site was. I ran into the desperate bunch around sunset and helped them get out. Luckily it was a fairly painless lesson for them. It's good to have a plan when venturing out in the wilderness, know where you're going and how you are getting out. Then have a backup plan. I carry a light weight space blanket ($2 on amazon) and a flash light with extra batteries whenever I go out in case I just stuck out after dark. There are many other safety things that you can bring, for example I carry my inReach Delorme satellite text messenger for emergencies when the trail is isolated and it's not guaranteed to see others.
The two hikers I helped get off the trail at Canyonlands had a campsite in the full campground which they offered to share with me. (Yes, I could have driven to another campsite outside of the park, but it was nice be there) Sometimes things just end up working out in ways that one could never has predicted. Just be open to the possibilities around you and when meeting other people.
The areas around parks and wilderness are generally setup to handle travelers. Filling my water tank at RV campgrounds is sometimes free but never more than $5. Dumping grey water at do it yourself car wash places is an interesting way to empty a grey water tank but many parks and campgrounds have free dump sites. Get the Gas Buddy App (iPhone & Android), it's free and it reliably tells you where fuel stations are with current prices. This is essential if you have a diesel vehicle.
At many of the big attractions sunrises and sunsets can be quite popular for good reason. However in the morning many people show up late (after the really good light is over) or leave after the sun dips below the horizon. At the Grand Canyon after everybody had left, nearly 40 minutes after the sun had dropped below the horizon, seven California condors swooped up from below the rim right in front of me, took up a formation and sailed off into the sunset. It was an epic park moment that I treasure.
The main attractions at parks are amazing, but don't assume that the places not as heavily pushed by the rangers and park brochures are not good. Many low traffic trails are magical places to find some amazing moments. In Joshua Tree they allow wandering off marked trails, which more of the wilderness experience. I took unpopular trail at the busy Barker Dam area and never saw anybody all afternoon. Instead, I found a special small, lush canyon that had a naturally maintained trail running through it where a desert tortoise lived. The top entrance of the canyon I now call "Tortoise Canyon" was blocked off with heavy brush except for a small slot in the rocks. The lower entrance, guarded by two lone Joshua Trees (The Gatekeepers), looked certainly unappealing surrounded with desert scrub. Nature tends to thrive in places where it's left alone.
This may be an obvious one, but it is something I didn't think about when I planned my trip. The California lowlands, Arizona and most of Utah are large desert areas with temperatures teaching over hundred in the day. Waking up early and starting hikes at dawn is the best way to beat the heat. Also prepare to carry 4 liters of water for a long day hike, yikes! Take time to check weather conditions before and throughout your trip.
Many of these areas do not have cell coverage which means if you are counting on being able to look up trail information once you get there you could end up unable to find it. Email yourself the text of the webpage so that it is available offline.
Google maps downloads map data as you zoom in and move around the map, it then stores that information in memory and can use it when you lose cell coverage. As long as wifi is turned on your location will still accurately be displayed.
Before going into an area, take some time when you have coverage to zoom in and scan around the map. Park roads as well as forest roads are usually shown and sometimes even labeled. I discovered this in Death Valley where I as traveling dirt roads for 3 days, and many of the roads were not signed. Google helped me navigate through this with confidence that I was on the correct road.
This one is primarily for photographers but would be a convenience for anybody. In order to charge your camera batteries, cell phone, and upload data from your memory cards to a laptop takes time and more importantly power. It is great to have power with you in your vehicle. A portable battery along with an inverter can run a laptop and most of your electronics. While you drive the car you can charge the portable battery so it's ready when you need it. This way you don't accidentally kill your starter battery and get stranded.
There are various size batteries depending on how much capacity you will need. The salesmen at batteries plus are great resources for figuring out a solid power system. A solar charge panel on the roof of your car is the best way to get a charge during the summer.
Traveling to national parks and wilderness is an amazing experience that I highly recommended. I hope I've covered some key tips that can make that experience much more enjoyable and manageable so that you are more eager to get out there and discover some cool stuff.
The classic way to camp in a tent will work, but getting a vehicle that you can sleep in is better for long trips, and a camper van with power, a refrigerator, and water tank, is indispensable for working while on the road. You can see more details of my Sportsmobile van in a recent post.
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text:
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.UI;
using System.Collections;

public class GameUIUtility : MonoBehaviour
{
    private static GameUIUtility instance;
    public static GameUIUtility Instance
    {
        get
        {
            if ( instance == null )
                instance = GameObject.FindGameObjectWithTag( "Canvas" ).GetComponent<GameUIUtility>( ) == null ?
                    GameObject.FindGameObjectWithTag( "Canvas" ).AddComponent<GameUIUtility>( ) : GameObject.FindGameObjectWithTag( "Canvas" ).GetComponent<GameUIUtility>( );

            return instance;
        }
    }

    public void CreatePanelUI( GameObject uiPanel, Transform parent = null )
    {
        Transform newParent = parent == null ? GameObject.FindGameObjectWithTag( "Canvas" ).transform : parent;

        uiPanel.transform.SetParent( newParent, false );
    }

    public static void ShowModal( GameObject uiWindow )
    {
        Instance.StartCoroutine( Instance.ShowModalCallback( uiWindow ) );
    }

    IEnumerator ShowModalCallback( GameObject uiWindow )
    {
        RectTransform uiTransform = uiWindow.GetComponent<RectTransform>();

        while ( uiTransform.anchoredPosition != Vector2.zero )
        {
            uiTransform.anchoredPosition = Vector3.Slerp( uiTransform.anchoredPosition, Vector3.zero, 0.04f );

            if ( Vector2.Distance( uiTransform.anchoredPosition, Vector2.zero ) < 0.05f )
                uiTransform.anchoredPosition = Vector2.zero;

            yield return null;
        }
        yield return null;
    }

    public static void SendMessageToChildren( GameObject obj, string msg )
    {
        obj.SendMessage( msg, SendMessageOptions.DontRequireReceiver );
        foreach ( Transform t in obj.transform )
        {
            SendMessageToChildren( t.gameObject, msg );
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets the main game canvas. (Prioritizes GameHUD if available)
    /// </summary>
    /// <returns></returns>
    public static GameObject GetCanvas( )
    {
        GameObject canvas = GameObject.FindGameObjectWithTag( "Canvas" );

        if ( !canvas )
        {
            Debug.LogError( "There is no GameObject in the scene with the tag 'Canvas'." );
            return null;
        }

        return canvas;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Lays out an array of vectors based on number of players in the game.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="parentRect"></param>
    /// <param name="elementRect"></param>
    /// <returns></returns>
    public static Vector2[] GetFormationPositions( RectTransform parentRect, RectTransform elementRect )
    {
        Vector2[] positions = new Vector2[ PhotonNetwork.playerList.Length ];

        float rectWidth = parentRect.sizeDelta.x;
        float rectHeight = parentRect.sizeDelta.y;

        float spacePerPosition = elementRect.sizeDelta.x + 32;

        if ( positions.Length == 1 )
        {
            positions[ 0 ] = new Vector2( 0, 0 );
        }

        if ( positions.Length == 2 )
        {
            positions[ 0 ] = new Vector2( -spacePerPosition, 0 );
            positions[ 1 ] = new Vector2( spacePerPosition, 0 );
        }

        return positions;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Fades the screen to and from black.
    /// For proper usage, use in coroutine and check return value for termination.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="targetOpacity"></param>
    /// <param name="fadeSpeed"></param>
    /// <returns></returns>
    static float ScreenFadeValue = 0.0f;
    public static bool IsFadingScreen = false;
    public static float DoFadeScreen( float targetOpacity, float fadeSpeed = 1.0f )
    {
        var dir = targetOpacity > ScreenFadeValue ? 1 : -1;

        ScreenFadeValue += ( fadeSpeed * dir ) * Time.fixedDeltaTime;
        FadeScreen.Alpha = ScreenFadeValue;

        return FadeScreen.Alpha;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub