Having troubles creating professional 3D visualizations? Here are the 5 essentials that will help you improve your work drastically, but also how you should approach your work.
Creating 3D visualizations and renders is not an easy thing to do. Of course, a lot of people can do this, but can they do it properly? This is the real question. The reality is that technology has made things easier in the architecture world.
Today, you can use various software solutions and digitally create amazing visualizations that can offer many benefits to both clients and stakeholders. However, technology has also made things more difficult as it has raised standards for 3D visualizations. Everyone involved wants to be given the best possible visualization.
Architects can see their work presented in a clear and precise way and make appropriate changes, contractors, and clients can see how their future home will look like firsthand. Today, we are going to talk about certain essentials you need to keep in mind when doing visualizations to bring them up to the current standards.
The point of renders and visualizations is to look as realistic as possible. This means that a lot of time must be put into adding details. First of all, after finishing the general visualization of the architectural project, you need to add other elements that will make the whole thing even more convincing.
This includes people, vehicles, animals, and other elements that are not really relevant to the project but make it more convincing. However, this is not where it ends. You also need to pay attention to tiny details within models, including furniture, home appliances, windows, bricks, facial expressions, trees, branches, weather conditions, and many other details.
Try to think of the details that can further showcase the functionalities and practicalities of the project. Try to emphasize elements which have interactivity and make them stand out through details that could bring the whole visualization closer to reality.
The lack of or excessive amounts of shadows and lights in 3D visualizations are the things that make them look very artificial and plastic. When there is insufficient light, viewers will have a hard time seeing what you are trying to show them. In case there's too much light, all the details will be lost and all that effort you've put into adding them will have been in vain.
Because of this, you need to take care of lighting and shadows to ensure that there is more depth as well as a perspective for the viewer to immerse themselves into. On top of that, quality lighting can make 3D renders more focused, as they can highlight the important parts of a certain project and tell viewers where to look.
Many designers use vignetting, a technique that changes saturation, contrast, and brightness on the edges of the screen or images to focus the attention of viewers on what is in the center. When done properly, the people looking at the visualization don't even notice the darker edges.
Many people will say that nature is obsolete within architectural projects. However, the surrounding scenery can greatly improve the realness of the render. Still, even though this sounds simple, creating nature around the project can be very demanding. You will have to add dozens of trees, plants, sky, sun, clouds, bushes, and so on.
This takes a lot of time and makes the render larger and more difficult to process. This means that if you are working on a slow device, it might take more time to actually finish the render. A lot of designers don't practice doing this and they end up having really poor skills for building the surroundings of the project.
This is a must, no matter how much of a nuisance it seems, it means a lot to the clients for whom the project is done. They can have a better overview of the whole area and be able to visualize it better.
3D visualizations have come so far that today they have to look like a short movie that will show people what a certain architecture project will look like when finished. They have countless 3D model combinations which allow viewers to look at through various angles.
This kind of camera-based overview makes the visualization more realistic and immersive. A lot of designers focus on creating great models, add a lot of details but their camera movement is simply not adjusted well, and this reduces the credibility of their work.
Modern standards for 3D visualization demand that you create presentations that are very realistic and this includes the angle of the camera and height adjustments. This needs to be done for the whole project. The best way to understand how to do this is to think of yourself as a photographer and try to imagine how a photographer would present their images.
Professional visualizations simply show what the designer thought about how the space was going to be used, its functionalities, and practicality. It is not only about being clinically accurate. You need to add personality into the designs so that the clients who look at the visualizations can imagine using that space.
This is why houses for sales which have tours of the area are sold more often. You cannot simply display empty space and expect that people will be able to visualize themselves in it. Add context through all the necessary elements that will be in the space and, if needed, show people using these elements.
These are the five essentials to keep in mind when creating 3D visualizations. Never forget about them and, of course, work on your technical skills to make them happen. It is both about being skilled and having the right mindset to deliver the best experience for the viewer and help them imagine what is in front of them.


Sometimes it's kismet when people come into your life by surprise.
I've tried to meet many a star of stage, screen, and song, and I've almost always been disappointed.
But Bob Winter was a different sort of celebrity—a beloved figure in Los Angeles as an architecture historian and academic.
I didn't really understand that, though, when I first encountered Professor Winter (faculty at Occidental College 1963-1994). I only knew him as "Bungalow Bob."
I only met him once, but he made a huge impression on me. And so, upon his recent passing at the age of 94—just after the publication of the sixth edition of the Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles he co-authored—I thought I'd share my story in tribute to him.
Sometime last year, I'd signed up for a tour of the periphery of the Bungalow Heaven district of Pasadena, California, with the promise of getting inside the infamous bungalow built and once occupied by ceramicist and tilemaker Ernest Batchelder. Completed in 1910 just a stone's throw from the lower portion of Pasadena's dry river, the Arroyo Seco, the house is probably the biggest bungalow in the area, appearing more like a cross between a Swiss chalet and a Craftsman cabin in the woods, covered in cedar shakes (some original).
It's unmistakably the work of Batchelder, with his tiles embedded in the walkway out front, throughout the backyard, and both the exterior and interior of the house itself.
Given his residence, which he'd occupied since 1972, Bob had become a de facto Batchelder expert—and even donated several Batchelder tiles (and accompanying archives) to the Pasadena Museum of History and curated the "Batchelder: Tilemaker" exhibit at the museum in its 2016-7 season.
What I didn't fully understand when I first met Bob was that he was an expert a a lot of LA architecture, including the Arts and Crafts movement he helped Angelenos (who he once considered "heathens") gain a new appreciation for. At the time of my visit, the fifth edition of his LA architectural guide could be found on the coffee tables and nightstands of many an LA-based journalist, historian, and architectural looky-loo—including my own, though I hadn't fully delved into the pages beyond its blue cover by the time I crossed the threshold of Bob's front door.
We all gathered in his dimly lit, wood-paneled living room, which is a half-story higher than the adjacent room, and he regaled us with stories, giving us a glimpse into his charm and wit. It was clear that he had a great sense of humor—and every time he said something funny, he'd smack the arm of the rollator he was seated upon as though slapping his own knee in utter glee.
...and other architectural clients, both near and far.
...as well as a gallery of some of his works.
It also exhibits the influence of his wife, Alice Coleman, founder of the Coleman Chamber Music concerts.
...and the pet cemetery under the old oak, with its tributes to Wispy and Shadow ("a master of his own universe").
I planned on going back inside the house to spend more time with Bob and thank him for his hospitality—but once all the photos were taken and the socializing with fellow tour attendees was done, it was too late. Bob was tired and done. He didn't entertain visitors much anymore, and we'd tuckered him out.
I never got to see him again. But he will be in my heart—and on my bookshelf—for eternity.
is out now, from Angel City Press.


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Home Gossip Erin Andrews Married her Boyfriend former NHL star Jarret Stoll,Know about her Affairs
Erin Andrews Married her Boyfriend former NHL star Jarret Stoll,Know about her Affairs
Smriti Rai Wed Jul, 2017
Erin Jill Andrews is an American sportscaster and television personality. She hosts a Dancing show with Stars for ABC and she is a sideline reporter for Fox NFL.
Jarret Lee Stoll is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Stoll has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild and has won the Stanley Cup twice for Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014.
In recent days, Hollywood celebrated the wedding ceremony of many celebrities, Like Danielle Panabaker and Hayes Robbins. Erin Andrews recently got married to her loving boyfriend Jarret Stoll on the same day Danielle and Hayes tied their knot. Let's scan in detail about their wedding event.
Also Read: Erin Andrews: Cancer Patient engaged with her partner Jarret Stoll and living happily
Erin Andrews married NHL star, Jarret Stoll
It's official that the 39-years-old Erin tied her knot with her long-term boyfriend Jarret this Saturday on June 24, 2017.
According to the report, the wedding day was celebrated on Jarret's 35th birthday. The couple certainly organized their marriage on an auspicious day.
Erin Andrews married Jarret Stoll on June 24, 2017
Source: The Daily Mail
Their wedding ceremony was conducted in Big Sky, Montana along with their friends and family members.
Erin looked dazzling in a gorgeous gown by Venezuelan-American fashion designer Carolina Herrera on her most special day.
Andrew's sister Kendra shared a photo of Erin's wedding day on her Instagram. Here's the post.
A post shared by kendraandrews (@kendraandrews) on Jun 25, 2017, at 7:04 am PDT
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Also Read: How much is Erin Andrews Salary? Know his source of income and Net Worth
Love story of Erin and Andrews
The couple came close romantically from 2012.
According to the sources, Erin and Andrews got engaged last December in 2016. Their engagement was conducted at Disneyland's Club 33.
Erin Andrews and Jarret Stoll on their wedding day with their friends and family
Look how Andrew explained about her engagement day to the media;
"We went there for Christmas to see the Christmas decorations, and we had a lovely dinner there, and he did it right there at dinner at Disneyland,"
"I was bawling like a child."
You may interested to know: The Flash Star Danielle Panabaker Marries Hayes Robbins, Know About Their Affairs and Relationship
They are truly an amazing couple. They went through thick and thins during their affair and overcome all of those together.
A post shared by Erin Andrews (@erinandrews) on Jun 24, 2017, at 6:12 am PDT
In an interview with Health magazine, Andrew shared an intimate story about how she had cervical cancer and going through the process of diagnosis during their affair. Her boyfriend Jarret supported her all the way and they even got closer after that incident.
We are happy to know the couple took their beautiful relation to the next step. We wish them a bright futuer and a happy life together.
Check out the news of their wedding ceremony!
We will update you instantly after we get more updates for this couple.
Actress Cassandra Peterson is Single or Married?Know about her Current Affairs after her Divorce
Sandip Dangal

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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by Allan Hart
David Barnes began his horticultural career in 1983, becoming a horticultural technician at the plant sciences department of Kings College London based at Herne Hill. The role comprised of maintaining the acre of grounds along with the rooftop complex of glasshouses containing the plant collections used for experimentation and teaching. Here David gained his City and Guilds qualifications as well as taking part in a student expedition to Ecuador. The natural progression was to move on to Kew following in the footsteps of previous staff, including E Arthur Bell who had been in charge of the department before taking on the role of Director of Kew a few years earlier.
David successfully interviewed for the Kew Diploma joining Course 25 on the 14th September 1987. During his student days David took part in some key events in Kew's history. Only a few weeks after his start on the course the 'Great Storm' of 1987 hit the Gardens changing the landscape dramatically with many thousands of trees uprooted and badly damaged. His first months working in 'West Arb' consisted of endless bonfires followed by weeks of mulching the bamboo garden. Equally dramatic times came with the replanting of the newly renovated Palm House and the retirement of the Supervisor of Studies, Leo Pemberton. In 1988 David received the modest sum of £50 from the Guild to carry out his travel scholarship proposal to visit UBC Botanic Gardens in Vancouver. In 1990 David graduated from the Diploma course to a full time member of staff in the School of Horticulture taking the reins from Gary Castle as Staff Training Officer. It was then that his links with the Kew Guild were forged, joining the Awards Scheme Committee under Kenwyn Pearson's chairmanship. David later became Secretary of the Awards Committee, Membership Secretary of the Guild and latterly Chair of the Awards Committee.
With restructuring of the Horticultural Department, David moved into a Health and Safety role for a short period before promotion to his current role as Manager of Horticultural Support working for Tony Kirkham and looking after the procurement of machinery, compost production, outdoor event support and the Chairmanship of sustainability for the whole Kew site. While work commitments have seen a reduction in the time available to dedicate to the Guild, David continues to be a member of the Awards Scheme in support of the new Chair, Chris Kidd.
← 2004, Martin Sands, To Attend International Flora Malesiana Symposium
Kew Guild Medal 2015 – H. Noel McGough, MSc →


Need for speed.Slip on Optic Nerve's Amino Sunglasses before fast-paced adventures like running and cycling. Its SideSwipe interchangeable system lets you change the included lenses at a quick flip of a switch. Each lens has a hydrophobic coating that wicks away water/ oil/ and dust. The lenses also provide 100% UV protection and meet ANSI Z80.3 standards for clarity and resistance. Optic Nerve paired these lenses with a highly durable TR90 frame/ and the frame's adjustable temples feature slip-resistant Tactilite rubber.


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Tag: Arizona
Trump needs New York, California, and Unbound Delegates
Our model takes into account the state-specific delegate selection rules and the state-specific poll averages (if they're available). In roughly half of the plausible scenarios we run, Donald Trump comes up around 100 delegates short of the 1,237 he needs to win on the first ballot. In real life, this probably requires more strategy than #NeverTrump actors have heretofore realized, but makes Cook Political/FiveThirtyEight's "two-front war" look like what the electorate is already planning.
If Trump fails to exceed his poll numbers and Kasich wins districts in which a Democratic representative won by more than 10 points in 2014, Trump gets 1,147 pledged delegates.
The chart above is a reasonably likely outcome: Trump fails to exceed his poll averages and John Kasich wins congressional districts in which the House member won by over 10 percentage points in 2014.
Above is the math behind that projection. A couple of notes: Colorado is just a guess for delegate outcomes, the state will be a black box. The model has Trump winning 100% of the Congressional districts, in New York's district winner-take-all contests based on the strength of his state-wide polling (he's a good 35 points ahead of Kasich), but it's hard to imagine Ted Cruz and Kasich failing to pick up. That's probably balanced by Katich's stronger showing in California, where the model shows him picking up 3 delegates in 30 of the 53 House districts.
Closer examination shows a big gap in Pennsylvania's delegates. That's because voters select unbound delegates on the district basis. West Virginia follows a somewhat similar model, where delegates may or may not declare their intention on the ballot. There are already 75 unbound delegates heading to Cleveland, and another 174 bound to candidates who have "suspended" their campaigns. That's a big wildcard: enough to push Trump over the edge if a majority break for him.
This outcome actually requires Kasich to stick around and remain viable through June. Kasich can't win the 1,237 needed on the first ballot; there just aren't enough points left on the board, so a vote for Kasich is just a "none of the above" vote. Sure, he beat Trump in Utah, but he lost to Rubio – who had dropped out a week earlier – in Arizona due to the prevalence of early voting. It isn't too big of a stretch to see the "mathematically unviable" argument swaying enough voters in Pennsylvania, New York, and California to make his spoiler status not that big of a deal.
It's also not a sure thing that this is the direction late-deciders break. The models above show Trump picking up 0% of undecided voters. If Cruz picks up 60% and Trump picks up just 20%, the race looks a lot different:
In that projection, Trump falls just 3 delegates short, and it's easy to imagine him picking those up among the unbound delegates.
If, based on that slightly weaker projection for Kasich, he loses more of the Democrat-heavy congressional districts in California, with Trump and Cruz picking up a proportional share, Trump wins outright:
None of this takes into account the political realities that govern the later elections and a brokered convention itself. As Trump has picked up some endorsements (and Cruz only some half-hearted ones), GOP leaders could fear the "riots in the streets" outcome, or fear that by suppressing Trump the party could permanently lose the voters he's won. It also assumes that almost no delegates jump on the Trump bandwagon in subsequent ballots. Nevertheless, it shows there's still a reasonable set of outcomes in which Trump fails to secure 1,237 delegates before Cleveland, if the GOP plays its cards right.
Author adminPosted on March 29, 2016 Categories Projection, Republican NominationTags 1237 delegates, Arizona, brokered convention, California, Cruz, GOP race, Kasich, New York, Pennsylvania, Trump, Utah, West VirginiaLeave a comment on Trump needs New York, California, and Unbound Delegates
Quick take: Another Tuesday
We're updating the underlying model to tune it a bit and allow a little bit greater variable control, but it won't be ready until after the March 22 primaries. These may end up being relatively straightforward.
Surprisingly, this side works out pretty easily. Arizona is winner-take-all. Trump is leading Cruz by over 10 points, and should all 58 delegates. Utah offers a bit of excitement. Cruz is polling just over 50%. Our model has him taking nearly 55%. If he gets above 50, he gets all 40 delegates. If not, he has to split them proportionally with Kasich (who would get 10-12) and Trump (who'd get 5).
The next week should be good for Bernie Sanders.
Sanders should take at least 50% of the next week's delegates…but that does little to close his gap.
That's a bunch of caucuses in states that should favor him. The one where he might come out behind is Arizona. There's simply no state-level data in most of the states though. One big pickup for him could be Washington, where a 10- or 20-point gap could help him chip into Clinton's delegate lead. In the best-case scenario, though, it's hard to see him making up more than 30 delegates all in, which is less than 10% of what he needs to get even. April may help, but new polls in New York show Clinton building a big lead there.
Author adminPosted on March 22, 2016 March 21, 2016 Categories Democratic Nomination, Projection, Republican NominationTags Arizona, Clinton, Cruz, GOP race, Kasich, New York, Sanders, Trump, UtahLeave a comment on Quick take: Another Tuesday


There's nothing like glossing over the Instagram feed of Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA) star Porsha Williams. Her pregnancy photos are drawing a lot of inspiration for other moms who would like to improve their sense of style while their baby belly is growing.
But followers of the reality TV star on the social media platform also notice something peculiar about Williams' baby belly photos especially when she is wearing a fashionable body-hugging dress. They think that her unborn baby girl, lovingly nicknamed PJ by her parents, is deliberately moving inside the womb when there's a camera fixed on her mom.
According to Celebrity Insider, Williams' baby bump often changes shape and size in every picture. The first-time mom said that she actually feels PJ moving with each shot during a photoshoot.
Fans think that it's PJ acting up and showing her mom she's got a thing for the cameras. "The baby is in there posing, too!" wrote a fan in the comment section of the star's Instagram.
Now on her third trimester of pregnancy, Williams, who started her career as a model, is still actively doing magazine covers and features. Recently, she did a shoot for Rollingout magazine in the Bahamas and as a pro, Williams totally nailed the photo session.
In September 2018, Williams announced via People that she's pregnant with partner Dennis McKinley. At 37, the RHOA star didn't think she'd have a chance to be a mother since she suffered a miscarriage six years ago.
She admitted that she has feared to go to full term because of her past experience. But she has a great partner to lean on to help raise a child together.
Two months after she announced her pregnancy, Williams was briefly rushed to the hospital. Doctors confirmed via Us Weekly that there were fibroid complications to her pregnancy but the mother and the child are generally doing well.
Most of her RHOA co-stars are excited for the birth of Williams' baby. Phaedra Parks told Bravo TV that she knows for a fact that her friend has been wanting to become a mother for a long time. She also thinks that Williams will make an excellent mother because she loves to be around kids.
Williams' best friend, Nene Leakes, knew of the pregnancy a few weeks ahead from the rest of the world but she was still just as excited and thrilled when the official announcement came. Like Parks, Leakes confirmed that the RHOA star has longed for a baby for a long time.


One of the many great things about Germany is the diversity, and deliciousness, of their street food!
Whether it's the roasted chestnuts (yes, on an open fire) during Christmastime, or the various other foods you can find throughout the year, you're bound to find a variety of foods you'll absolutely fall in love with!
Watch the video below for a walkthrough, and taste, of some of these street foods in Germany.


A very maneuverable electric scissors lift with a working height of 7.8mts. It can enter a single doorway of 0.83mt and has good turning ability in tight areas. It does need a good surface for moving around. It can be taken away with a trailer.


The Real Housewives of Dallas pal just showed off her natural hair without any enhancements.
We've seen LeeAnne Locken with Game of Thrones-style braids; we've seen her rock Kim Kardashian-inspired, smooth-as-silk strands. But now, The Real Housewives of Dallas pal is showing us her hair like we've never seen it before. That's right, everyone: LeeAnne is going weave-free!
In a January 28 Instagram Story, the Dallas pal let viewers peek behind the scenes as she underwent a beauty "transformation." The day started in the salon, where LeeAnne took out her extensions to show us what her natural hair looks like. Truth be told, she's got a great head of shiny, black hair — but LeeAnne had a different, and funnier, take on the situation.
Exposing her new 'do, the bride-to-be told her followers: "OK, guys, this is what it looks like, yup, no weave." She continued: "Oh my god, look — it's tiny! I'm not going to show you what a ponytail looks like." Well, are you ready to see LeeAnne's natural locks? Keep on scrolling!
After the salon, the Dallas pal headed to get some injections with her go-to gal Silvan, who now works with Cary Deuber at Lemmon Avenue Plastic Surgery and Laser Center. And, lo ahd behold, guess who else wasn't wearing a weave?
On her own Instagram Stories, Cary said: "LeeAnne and I are here, and we're both weave-less. Weave-less in Dallas!" LeeAnne added, "It's a new journey... I have styrofoam in here to make a bun."
Keep scrolling to see the first still from what could be a great new spinoff show: Weaveless in Dallas.


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David Ira Goldstein brings The Diary of Anne Frank to town
Posted by: admin Posted date: April 30, 2018 In: Blog, Culture | comment : 0
Haunting Return
David Ira Goldstein brings The Diary of Anne Frank to town.
By David M. Brown
David Ira Goldstein always wanted to stage The Diary of Anne Frank.
After wrapping a 26-year run as artistic director at the Arizona Theatre Company in June 2017, he opened a production of the show at the Geva Theater Center in Rochester, New York. Now he's returning to the ATC as artistic director emeritus with The Diary of Anne Frank from May 17 to June 3 at the Herberger Center in Phoenix.
"I have always wanted to do this play, and it is one of a number of projects I have been able to pursue in the last year," says Goldstein, who recently visited the haunting Anne Frank House on Prinsengracht 267 in Amsterdam, where a reconstructed bookcase marks the hidden entrance to the annex.
"I was gratified to see so many young people visiting it."
The Anne Frank cast features six Arizonans, including Harold Dixon, a Tucsonan who plays Mr. Kraler, a trusted Frank business employee, and Tempean, Brenda Jean Foley, as Miep Gies, another family friend who protects the secret of those in the annex and safeguards the diary until turning it over to Otto Frank after the war.
Devon Prokopek, a Cave Creek native and graduate of Pinnacle High School, Paradise Valley, and the University of Arizona, plays Margot, Anne's elder sister. She is returning to ATC in her first role as a professional after appearing while a student in Fiddler on the Roof, also directed by Goldstein.
Intern actors from UA and ASU also participate. Brooklyn, New York, native Anna Lentz is Anne.
The story's appeal is strong and universal: "For all of the pain we experience in these characters, we see a fountain of hope, joy and longing, too," Goldstein says. "Even as we face this tragedy as an audience, knowing its outcome, we see some of the best in people, such as Anne's first kiss with Peter (Van Daan)."
A play to capture the conscience
The Rochester and ATC versions follow the original Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett play, which premiered in New York City October 5, 1955, later winning a Pulitzer Prize for drama. This version debuted in 1997 at the Music Box Theatre in New York, adapted by Wendy Kesselman. Fifteen-year-old Natalie Portman was Anne.
Some of these updates resulted from re-placing original passages Otto Frank edited out. He died in 1980. Others have since been revealed.
Changes to the play reveal Anne's pubescent coming-of-age and her often strained relationship with her mom, Edith, played in Rochester and Arizona by New York resident, Naama Potok, daughter of author Chaim Potok.
"I love her," she says of Edith, noting that she visited the Anne Frank House as a girl and, in preparation for the role, researched Edith's life on line.
"I found in my research that Edith felt how difficult it was to raise her daughters in such close quarters, in the presence of other adults who are not their parents. I have a great deal of respect for her," adds Potok, whose family lost 102 members during the Holocaust.
The last searing vision of her is through Otto at the end of the play, recalling Westerbork, an internment center where the family had been sent on the final train, September 3, 1944: "Edith worrying about her children, washing underclothing in murky water."
The Diary of Anne Frank comes to Arizona as Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans are dying quickly. Living memories must now be transformed into a communal memory of the tragedy of those dark times and the triumph of light and life.
For Prokopek, the role has reaffirmed her career direction and the importance of remembrance: "By being immersed in the story, I realize how beautiful and sad it is and how relevant it is today," she says. "It's so important to practice tolerance and to work together."
"We have tried to honor both the horror and inspiration of the Anne Frank story," Goldstein says, "and we have dedicated it to the survivors in awe of their willingness to share the darkest part of their lives in a continuing message of faith and hope."
arizonatheatre.org
May 17 to June 3
Herberger Theater Center
222 E. Monroe, Phoenix


A surprising reveal about the Below Deck Season 6 yachtie will knock your socks off.
There's a reason why Ashton Pienaar was the one to always don a Cupid or Tahitian dancer costume — sans shirt, of course — to entertain the charter guests this season of Below Deck. Not only does the deckhand have a rockin' bod, but he also used to be a stripper long before his yachting days.
Ashton explained why those skimpy outfits never made him bat an eye during an interview earlier this season of Below Deck. "I must be honest, I'm OK not wearing much because when I was a lot younger, I used to do a bit of stripping. You're 19 years old, you're going to these clubs for ladies' nights and you're dancing and you're getting attention from these women, and it's just great!" the now-29-year-old said. "I'm trying to keep it a secret as long as I can, to be honest."
Did Captain Lee Rosbach Just Throw Shade at Ashton Pienaar's Package?
Well, the secret's out, and it made its way to Andy Cohen, who put Ashton's stripping skills to the test in a round of BattleStrip during the Tuesday, December 11 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. During the game, the host with the most asked Ashton Below Deck trivia questions. If he got one wrong, Ashton's fellow WWHL guest Jenny McCarthy had the pleasure of choosing which piece of clothing he had to remove.
Press play on the above video to not only see way more of Ashton than you could have ever possibly dreamed, but also his adorable, little white socks. Seriously. Kate Chastain knows what's up. "Awwwww @AshtonPienaar you're such a good sport," she tweeted as the episode of WWHL aired on Tuesday. "Bless your little cotton socks! You did amazing on #WWHL."
And you're in luck, Below Deck, fans! Ashton's stripping days may not be over for good. After Ashton opened up about the impact of his overboard accident on WWHL, Andy asked him "a serious question": "Do you think you'll be able to strip again?"
To which Ashton replied, "Anything is possible, Andy, anything is possible."
Have you ever felt more hopeful in your life?!
Check out throwback photos of Ashton and the rest of the M/Y Seanna crew, below.


The scheme is a joint initiative by the Group of Eight (Go8) Universities and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) – Germany's national agency for the support of international academic co-operation.The scheme supports exchanges for Go8 researchers to spend time at partner institutions in Germany and for collaborating German researchers to spend time at Go8 universities.
To foster research collaboration of the highest quality between Australian researchers from Go8 universities and German researchers.To result in research outcomes and the exchange of skills and knowledge of mutual benefit to Australia and Germany.
Since 2011, the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) and le Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS) award the annual Callataÿ & Wouters Award in recognition of an original and/or profound contribution to knowledge in monetary economics, financial mathematics, financial institutions and markets, economic growth and technological change, mathematical and quantitative economic methods, under the condition that research in the above-mentioned field is/will be executed on a macro-economical scale.Young promising researchers from a Flemish university or the Royal Military School.
The prize rewards: a)a completed work concerning the theme described above. In this case, the laureate receives 50% of the Award and 50% is donated to its research.
b) a research project, that according to the jury, offers very promising future prognoses in this area. Only in this case, a research project which was not awarded can be resubmitted the following year. The project will then be evaluated based on its progress.


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You are at:Home»News»Completion, Refurbishment & Maintenance»West Star Aviation acquires supplier of Falcon parts
West Star Aviation acquires supplier of Falcon parts
By Izzy Kington on	 13th March 2017 Completion, Refurbishment & Maintenance
West Star Aviation has acquired Avant Aerospace, of Grapevine, Texas, a company that supplies spares, equipment and tooling for the Dassault Falcon 2000, 900 and 50 series aircraft. The Avant brand will be retained, with the company supplying parts and services for West Star customers and Falcon operators around the world.
"There is a synergy between our two companies and this acquisition will continue to expand the scope of our Falcon capabilities," said Bob Rasberry, CEO at West Star Aviation. "We will be able to provide new dimensions of service to our Falcon customers."


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package org.radargun.stages.cache;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Random;

import org.radargun.DistStageAck;
import org.radargun.config.Property;
import org.radargun.config.Stage;
import org.radargun.state.SlaveState;
import org.radargun.traits.BasicOperations;
import org.radargun.traits.InjectTrait;
import org.radargun.traits.Transactional;
import org.radargun.utils.Projections;
import org.radargun.utils.TimeConverter;

/**
 * Stage for testing guaranties of isolation levels.
 *
 * @author Radim Vansa <rvansa@redhat.com>
 */
@Stage(doc = "Stage for testing guaranties of isolation levels.")
public class IsolationLevelCheckStage extends CheckStage {

   private static final String ISOLATION_CHECK_KEY = "isolationCheckKey";
   public static final String REPEATABLE_READ = "REPEATABLE_READ";
   public static final String READ_COMMITTED = "READ_COMMITTED";

   @Property(doc = "Number of concurrent threads that modify the value. Default is 2.")
   private int writers = 2;

   @Property(doc = "Number of concurrent threads that try to retrieve the value. Default is 10.")
   private int readers = 10;

   @Property(converter = TimeConverter.class, doc = "How long should this stage take. Default is 1 minute.")
   private long duration = 60000;

   @Property(doc = "Number of reads executed inside on transaction. Default is 30.")
   private int transactionSize = 30;

   @Property(optional = false, doc = "Expected isolation level (should match to cache configuration). Supported " +
         "values are [" + IsolationLevelCheckStage.READ_COMMITTED + ", " + IsolationLevelCheckStage.REPEATABLE_READ + "]")
   private String expectedLevel;

   private volatile boolean finished;
   private volatile boolean valueChangeDetected = false;

   @InjectTrait
   private BasicOperations basicOperations;

   @InjectTrait
   private Transactional transactional;

   @Override
   public DistStageAck executeOnSlave() {
      if (expectedLevel == null) {
         return errorResponse("No expected level set", null);
      } else if (!expectedLevel.equalsIgnoreCase(REPEATABLE_READ) && !expectedLevel.equalsIgnoreCase(READ_COMMITTED)) {
         return errorResponse("Expected level should be one of " + READ_COMMITTED + " and " + REPEATABLE_READ, null);
      }
      BasicOperations.Cache<Object, Object> cache = basicOperations.getCache(null);
      try {
         cache.put(ISOLATION_CHECK_KEY, new Long(0));
      } catch (Exception e) {
         return errorResponse("Failed to insert first value", e);
      }
      List<ClientThread> threads = new ArrayList<ClientThread>();
      for (int i = 0; i < writers; ++i) {
         ClientThread t = new WriterThread();
         t.setName("Writer-" + i);
         t.start();
         threads.add(t);
      }
      for (int i = 0; i < readers; ++i) {
         ClientThread t = new ReaderThread();
         t.setName("Reader-" + i);
         t.start();
         threads.add(t);
      }
      try {
         Thread.sleep(duration);
      } catch (InterruptedException e) {
      }
      finished = true;
      DistStageAck error = checkThreads(threads);
      if (error != null) return error;
      return new ChangeAck(slaveState, valueChangeDetected);
   }

   @Override
   public boolean processAckOnMaster(List<DistStageAck> acks) {
      if (!super.processAckOnMaster(acks)) return false;

      boolean anyValueChangeDetected = false;
      for (ChangeAck ack : Projections.instancesOf(acks, ChangeAck.class)) {
         log.debug(String.format("Value change detected on slave %d: %s", ack.getSlaveIndex(), ack.valueChangeDetected));
         if (expectedLevel.equalsIgnoreCase(REPEATABLE_READ) && ack.valueChangeDetected) {
            log.error("Value change was detected but this should not happen with isolation " + expectedLevel);
            return false;
         }
         anyValueChangeDetected |= ack.valueChangeDetected;
      }
      if (expectedLevel.equalsIgnoreCase(READ_COMMITTED) && !anyValueChangeDetected) {
         log.error("Value change was expected with isolation " + expectedLevel + " but none was detected");
         return false;
      }
      return true;
   }

   private static class ChangeAck extends DistStageAck {
      final boolean valueChangeDetected;

      private ChangeAck(SlaveState slaveState, boolean valueChangeDetected) {
         super(slaveState);
         this.valueChangeDetected = valueChangeDetected;
      }
   }

   private class WriterThread extends ClientThread {
      @Override
      public void run() {
         BasicOperations.Cache nonTxCache = basicOperations.getCache(null);
         Random rand = new Random();
         while (!finished) {
            try {
               Transactional.Transaction tx = transactional.getTransaction();
               BasicOperations.Cache txCache = tx.wrap(nonTxCache);
               log.trace("Starting transaction");
               tx.begin();
               txCache.put(ISOLATION_CHECK_KEY, -1);
               Thread.sleep(10);
               long value = rand.nextInt(1000);
               txCache.put(ISOLATION_CHECK_KEY, value);
               log.trace("Inserted value " + value);
               tx.commit();
               log.trace("Ended transaction");
            } catch (Exception e) {
               exception = e;
               return;
            }
         }
      }
   }

   private class ReaderThread extends ClientThread {
      @Override
      public void run() {
         BasicOperations.Cache nonTxCache = basicOperations.getCache(null);
         while (!finished) {
            Transactional.Transaction tx = transactional.getTransaction();
            BasicOperations.Cache txCache = tx.wrap(nonTxCache);
            log.trace("Starting transaction");
            tx.begin();
            Object lastValue = null;
            for (int i = 0; i < transactionSize; ++i) {
               try {
                  Object value = txCache.get(ISOLATION_CHECK_KEY);
                  log.trace("Read value " + value + ", previous value is " + lastValue);
                  if (!(value instanceof Long) || ((Long) value) < 0) {
                     exception = new IllegalStateException("Unexpected value " + value);
                     tx.rollback();
                     return;
                  }
                  if (lastValue != null && !lastValue.equals(value)) {
                     log.trace("Change detected");
                     valueChangeDetected = true;
                  }
                  lastValue = value;
                  Thread.sleep(10);
               } catch (Exception e) {
                  exception = e;
                  return;
               }
            }
            tx.commit();
            log.trace("Ended transaction");
         }
      }
   }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Here are wooden perches and shower and window perches for Parrots from Zoo-Max, to give your bird a safe place to perch in every room in your house. Different sizes are available, so all Parrots can enjoy them. Plus there is a hideaway.
Your search is over for a perch or stand you can construct in any room in your house, and stop your Parrot perching on things they shouldn't, like sofas and lamps.
These perches, from Zoo-Max Accessories, easily attach to almost every wall in your property. Your Parrot can view their surroundings from these safe durable perches. Perches are quick to assemble and to fix onto smooth surfaces like windows, tiles and mirrors using their suction cups. Construct the perches near windows so your Parrot can watch the outside world go by.
Put up a perch in every room to create lots of viewing platforms for your Parrot. They are easy to clean, and to keep your bird clean, because you can use them in the bathroom to wash and spray your Parrot.
Zoo-Max Accessories have different sizes of these perches available, small and medium, so every species of Parrot has use for them.
The corner perches fit neatly into a Parrot's cage.
Buy these movable products for your Parrot right here.


Create a pocketknife you will be proud to show and use for a lifetime or give as an impressive gift. With this kit, you can make a high-quality knife without the metalworking tools or expertise required to make the blade. This 3-1/4" overall length blade, 4-5/8" closed knife is made from 440C stainless steel that has been hollow ground and polished to a beautiful satin finish. Shape, mount and finish your custom handles for a truly one-of-a-kind, high-quality knife. Complete instructions included.
From cutting and marking in the shop, to hunting and camping, to preparing a simple meal, a good knife is indispensable. Mass-produced knives can be found for every budget and use. But custom knives, which are often far more attractive, tend to get expensive very quickly.
Of course, the ultimate custom knife would include a hand-forged and hand-sharpened blade. If you're not up for the expense and dirty work of such an endeavor, you can still experience the pride of a well-crafted and functional addition to your tool collection. All you need is a knife kit.
Great kit, sharp and sweet action. I have made more than 10 of these kits, if the action on the blade is sticky, just barley loosen the screw as some are over tourqued. I also recommend scratching the metal under the handle before epoxy, any questions Look for @LeftBrainCo on instagram I'll be happy to give tips!
I'm a professional jeweler and artist. I bought this kit to make a Christmas present for one of my relatives. As some others have stated, the instructions are not the best. Fortunately, I own all the tools required to put this knife together. You need certain drill bits to drill holes and countersink them - you also need to have a basic understanding of how knives go together. I will say, however, that this knife is already assembled - all you do is add the scales. Easy Peasy.
Was a knifemaker 30+ y/o. This was a first practice run to start again and it went beautifully. The rosewood scales needed careful TLC. I made a mistake of epoxying the scales to the liners before applying a finish, so I ended up heating the scales after dewhiskering and rubbing in hot gun stock wax. Worked beautifully.
Directions could be a lot better. Most directions from Woodcraft have a lot to be desired. They are not well written. I saw one comment on the reviews of this knife where someone mentioned the knife is hard to open. I Had the same experience but found out that you need to look closely at the length of the screws provided there are (3) screws that a tad shorter, these are the ones for the pocket clip. Mine now opens must easier and closes easier. I personally used two part epoxy rather than the screws. It is cleaner looking but be sure to mix enough hardener in the epoxy or it will take 24 hours to dry. It happened to me on one side of the knife during the handle installation. After cutting the outline in acrylic handles a Dremel tool grinder was perfect for shaping the contour of the handles. Quite pleased Woodcraft needs to do some work on their instructions and diagrams for a lot of their kits !!!! One last thing these knives are difficult to find in the stores and I typically use 2 store in my state and they are out of stock !! I was able to find one after waiting several weeks and they only got (2) of them in. It was not a franchise store but a corporate store. What gives with that ?
Instructions tell you to drill counter bore holes on the side of the scales that face the knife instead of on the outside. Easy kit to build and looks great. Makes a great Christmas present. Blade comes very sharp. I don't know how well it will hold up to use. Good kit for the money.
Makes a beautiful knife. Becareful with little screws, they strip easily.
This kit is basic and straight to the point. Great price for what you get. Like others have commented, it is really easy to make.
I bought one of these and put some walnut on the handle with my name carved in it and showed it off to some friends. Had four of them ask me to make them one too.
The knife comes fully assembled without much room for customization. The pride of building a knife is just not there, when all you're really gonna do is attach the scales, that don't com with btw. Other than that, overall it's a fine knife and I would recommend it to a very beginner. WOODCRAFT'S SERVICE WAS TOP-NOTCH!
nice kit and the knife came out well. the down side is that the instructions are lousy. the kit includes screws to attach the scales but no where in the instructions does it tell you to use them. also it says to remove the pocket clip before you start. it's never attached in the first place. if this is your first kife kit look for better on line instructions first.
Made this knife for my brother and it turned out great. I was pleasantly surprised that the steel wasn't to bad. Easy and fun.
This is a great little kit. The Knife came out great .The only reason I didnt give it 5 stars is that I have not had time to put the steel to the test but its 440 stainless it should hold an edge pretty well.


text:
I Was There When a GoPro Rig Completely Changed the X Games
If you're watching the X Games on ESPN this weekend you'll get to see the new GoPro POV system in action. I'm at the Games now and got a peek at the hardware, and it's clear that while it's early days yet, this represents a gigantic leap forward in live sports broadcasting.
GoPro and the National Hockey League announced a partnership that for the first time would bring on-ice, POV footage to a live hockey broadcast. What I saw at the X Games was just a taste of what's to come.
The NHL Will Use GoPros to Make Hockey Into Awesome Television
As the video above shows, hockey from the vantage point of a hockey players is nuts. The stick…
The rig is so new it doesn't have an official name yet. It was announced last week to little fanfare as a partnership with Vislink, which will provide the hardware component. It basically looks like a little box that attaches to the back of a GoPro Hero4 camera (though there's also a version that connects via a wire to give it other mounting options).
This little box allows a broadcast director to cut to it mid-stream, just like it was any other camera. Really, it's the form-factor that's the big deal here. After all, motorsports like NASCAR have offered live, in-car views for a long time now. The difference is that those are larger camera systems that run off of the car's 12 volt power system… and they costs tens of thousands of dollars. The fact that they've made it small and light enough that an athlete can wear it on their helmet is a big deal.
Colten Moore was wearing the rig on his helmet last night during his gold metal winning run in the Snowmobile Speed and Style competition. You can see it around the 50-second mark in the video. It's simply an awesome (and utterly terrifying point of view) that's never been possible before during a live broadcast.
The NHL Debut
Today, ESPN is trying it out as a follow-cam in the Slope Style event. Up until now, the follow cam was a large rig, carried with two hands, by a guy in skis that would go off to the side as athletes would go over the big jump. With the GoPro/Vislink rig, the follow cam can jump right behind the competitor, giving an eye-level view of the jumps as they happen. For Sage Kotsenburg's second qualifying run, ESPN used the GoPro follow angle for the entire run. It was absolutely amazing. (We'll link to it if it ends up online.)
This weekend, the cameras will be used in the NHL All-Star Game's skills competition and possibly during the game itself. We don't know yet if athletes will be wearing it on their heads during the game (but damn, here's hoping), but it seems likely that the referees could use a chest mounted version, so you'd still be getting live, on-ice shots, and one very sweet vantage point of faceoffs. And it streams in 720p HD and at a very smooth 60 frames per second.
But as cool and revolutionary as this already is, keep in mind that this isn't even the 1.0 version. Let's take a minute to imagine what future versions of this might look like. It could probably be waterproofed easily enough. Imagine using it at the Mavericks Surf Contest, with a live view from the nose of a board as a surfer drops in on a 50-foot wave.
Or let's look a little further in the future. You're sitting at home, watching the Super Bowl, seeing it from the center's point of view. You say, "Meh, I'd rather see this from Colin Kaepernick's POV." You use the remote on your smart TV, and switch to the quarterback's live-feed. Or hell, maybe you'll be watching it in virtual reality, through the latest Oculus Rift.
Obviously, the camera and transmitter tech would have to be miniaturized even further before it's unobtrusive enough to be placed inside a football helmet and not get in the way, but this version we're seeing today is an important first step in that direction.
There's still a lot about we don't know about this device. At the X Games right now, GoPro isn't letting me get close enough to take a very clear picture of it. A little birdie told me that there's a good chance we'll see a more official launch at the NAB expo in mid-April. Pricing? Consumer availability? We have no idea. But we hope to see this integrated into more sports broadcasts before then. It's a glimpse at the future of sports broadcasting, and it's more immersive than anything we've seen before. It's something to be excited about.


text:
Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc to Renkin no Kishi Any Good? Three Episode Impression Up!
11:02 PM October 30, 2018
Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc to Renkin no Kishi (Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc and the Alchemist Knight) [Anime Title]
Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc to Renkin no Kishi
Historical, Fantasy, Action, Ecchi
AXsiZ
Honey's Highlights
Jeanne d'Arc? Like from Fate/Grand Order? Is this a new fate series!?
No, this is something completely different. It looks like some kind of fanciful, dark, European history anime with alchemy. Though did you see the PV?
Do you mean the kissing? Yeah, I wasn't expecting that. So it's dark fantasy ecchi? That's quite a bit to swallow all at once. I hardly know any of the seiyuu either.
Well, I think it is worth a chance. While it won't be like Spice & Wolf, Shin Itagaki did direct this series and he did well with Berserk, Black Cat, Ben-to, and others, so it should be good.
【キービジュアルが公開!】
本作のキービジュアルが公開となりました!
物語の後半の重要な場所となるトゥーレル要塞の前にジャンヌ・ダルクやモンモランシなどメインキャラ7人が集まった姿が描かれています。HPではジャンヌが変化した姿も!?https://t.co/ODi2XgSbpk#アニメユリシーズ pic.twitter.com/vFGD9yq0Yz
— TVアニメ「ユリシーズ」公式アカウント (@anime_ulysses) August 3, 2018
【ティザービジュアル公開!】
ティザービジュアルでは、燃えている教会の前で何かに立ち向かおうとする甲冑を着たジャンヌ・ダルクの姿が描かれています!#アニメユリシーズ pic.twitter.com/r4DUrhqhcs
— TVアニメ「ユリシーズ」公式アカウント (@anime_ulysses) May 5, 2018
Montmorency is a young son of nobility and has immersed himself in studying both magic and alchemy. He currently attends the Royal Knight's Development School in Paris where he is surrounded by many, many female knight applicants including the sister of the Duchy of Brittany, Richemont. He leads a hectic yet fulfilling life there. However, due to a crushing defeat in the Battle of Agincourt, the fates of both the students and France face a complete change.
Paris falls, the school is closed down, and now Montmorency, an alchemist, has lost everything and is wanted by the authorities. Then, at the village he flees to, he meets a mysterious girl named Jehanne Darc...
Three Episode Impression
As an anime, Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc to Renkin no Kishi has all of the makings to be a little better than the other mediocre anime what with its dynamic plot, early time skip, and action. However, Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc to Renkin no Kishi really doesn't grab you in any way, shape, or form, despite how much it takes itself seriously. Montmorency starts off as an idiot obsessed with alchemy but has no talent in it, and you nearly cringe at his hope of using it in battle even as a distraction. Then when he grows up in the 7 year time skip (bless the writers for not forcing us through more of the childish antics of the young characters), you get to see that Montmorency has even less talent as an alchemist than you were led to believe in the first episode. He's not even that character from a shounen anime that has all of the hidden potential hidden behind a dumb face. Instead, Montmorency brings power into Jeanne, which explains how this can be about Jeanne d'Arc. What is with anime this season being about history and yet done so terribly? Aside from just Montmorency being completely annoying, we have Jeanne who is grating on the nerves with her high pitched, childish voice whining as she is completely useless, yet she still had the gall to ask God for big boobs at the beginning and screw up the potion Montmorency was creating because of her obsession with getting bigger boobs. Anyway, the anime is melodramatic and there's something just off about it that does not draw you in at all. None of the characters are likeable thus far and the plot is interesting, but with a terrible cast, what do you really have?
Voice Actor: Ryouta Oosaka
Montmorency is the son of high-ranking nobles of the Kingdom of France. At the Royal Knight's Development School, he displayed interest in alchemy and magic over fighting. Thus, he leaves a legacy of the lowest grades in the entire history of the school since its founding. His face is plastered on wanted posters all over France for being a black magician. Montmorency remains at large and is with Astaroth, a fairy with wings, when he meets Jehanne Darc in Domrémy Village.
Voice Actor: Yuuko Oono
Jeanne is a shephard who lives in Domrémy Village. Ever since her village was raided by mercenaries and her sister killed, she prays to the fairies of the forest to end the war frequently. She meets Montmorency while he is on the run, and from then, she decides to travel and work with him.
Astaroth
Voice Actor: Hisako Toujou
Astaroth is a rare species of winged fairy. She looks like just a normal human girl only shrunk down in size, but she's actually small enough to fit in one's hand. Even among fairies, she is considered to be quite small. She has an abundance of knowledge related to alchemy, so she is Montmorency's alchemy teacher as well as his partner.
Voice Actor: Manami Numakura
Richemont is a female knight stationed in the western part of the Kingdom of France, the Duchy of Brittany. She's a genius when it comes to war, but she's inflexible due to her being too serious and her respect for justice. This makes it easy for her to make enemies. In order to protect the independence of the Duchy of Brittany, she stays there to be together with her brother who has just inherited the leadership as a Duke. After attending the Royal Knight's Development School with Montmorency, Richemont participates in the Battle of Agincourt.
Voice Actor: Saori Onishi
Charlotte is the princess of the Kingdom of France. She has a haughty nature and frequently looks down on those around her. In rebellion to her mother who has a long history of pursuing men with reckless abandon, Charlotte came to hate men. Regardless of that fact though, as she grew up, she gained a body just like her mother's along with a bewitching beauty easily capable of leading men astray. She cannot get along with super serious Richemont at all, and they have been in complete discord starting from when they were classmates at the Royal Knight's Development School.
Voice Actor: Yuuki Takada
Philippe is a duchess currently stationed in the eastern part of France in the Duchy of Burgundy. She has a gentle, kind personality in contrast with her cold, cruel father, and in order to atone for the sins of her father, she enters into the Royal Knight's Development School. Philippe has many nicknames, such as 'the virtuous noblewoman', 'cry baby princess', and 'pants-wetting princess'.
La Hire
Voice Actor: Shizuka Ishigami
La Hire is a female mercenary from Gascony. La Hire's name means anger, and is based on her extremely irritable personality. She plays the role of a strong-minded squad commander of mercenaries but is actually a maiden who dreams of becoming a bride. Since they have had to start rationing out foot to their own children, she does permit pillaging, but she will not forgive any violence against women, children, and The Fey.
Opening Song: Libération by Mai Fuchigami
Ending Song: Hyakunen no Meram by rionos
Original Creator: Mikage Kasuga
Director: Shin Itagaki
Series Composition: Ryuunosuke Kingetsu
Character Design: Jouji Sawada
Sound Director: Ryousuke Naya
Original Illustrator: Merontomari
6 Anime Like Ulysses: Jehanne Darc to Renkin no Kishi [Recommendations]


text:
Megan Myungwon Lee Named Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of Panasonic Corporation of North America
Lee brings over thirty years of leadership experience and will succeed Michael Moskowitz
NEWARK, NJ – Panasonic has named Megan Myungwon Lee as Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation, effective October 1, 2021. Lee is currently the Chief Human Resources Officer and Vice President of Corporate Planning and Strategic Initiatives at Panasonic Corporation of North America. She succeeds Michael Moskowitz, who is departing Panasonic after more than a decade in top leadership roles with the company.
"On behalf of our board, we are pleased to welcome Megan into her new role and next chapter with Panasonic," said Yuki Kusumi, president of Panasonic Corporation. "As a proven leader who has taken on ever-increasing responsibilities across the company, we look forward to benefiting from Megan's strategic thinking, operational expertise and creative vision to accelerate growth and enhance the company's competitiveness. We are grateful for Michael's valuable leadership and significant contributions to Panasonic, and we wish him all the best."
With over thirty years of experience, Lee has served in a variety of senior leadership roles with Panasonic and has been instrumental in spearheading new business initiatives, strategic planning, digitization of human resources management, as well as the company's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy both in the US and Japan. Lee is also acting chair of the board of the Panasonic Foundation, dedicated to advancing equity in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education.
"This is a pivotal time for our company and in the technology industry, and I am honored by the opportunity to lead Panasonic Corporation of North America as we seek to drive sustainable growth, deliver more complete, differentiated solutions and create better experiences for our customers," said Lee. "I am excited about Panasonic's future and our role in contributing to society while moving the world forward."
Moskowitz was named Chairman and CEO of Panasonic Corporation of North America in 2019. Prior to that, he served simultaneously as President of Panasonic Canada, Inc. and President of Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. During his tenure, Moskowitz played a critical role in the company's ongoing evolution and adaptability through the COVID-19 pandemic, and helped improve Panasonic Canada's margins and profitability by expanding the company's solutions-based offerings for business-to-business (B2B) customers.
"Given Megan's personal career journey and varied management experience within Panasonic over the years, I am extremely confident she – along with the strong PNA senior executive team – will continue to support Panasonic and lead our North American company with the same values, passion, and agility to drive the next level of transformation in the region," said Moskowitz.
About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Newark, NJ-based Panasonic Corporation of North America is committed to creating a better life and a better world by serving consumers and by enabling its business-to-business customers through innovations in Sustainable Energy, Immersive Entertainment, Integrated Supply Chain and Smart Mobility Solutions. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation. One of Interbrand's Top 100 Best Global Brands of 2020, Panasonic is a leading technology partner and integrator to businesses, government agencies and consumers across the region. Learn more about Panasonic's ideas and innovations at https://na.panasonic.com/us/.
Connect with Panasonic Corporation of North America:
Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube
Dannea DeLisser - [email protected]


text:
Q: If statement only working when else is the case The idea here is to create a sort of "EULA wall". For some reason, whenever I test this code if I don't have the cookie, it works wonderfully, the EULA pops up, the accept button pops up and the accept button gives me the cookie. However, when I have the cookie, nothing in the actual if part happens. I currently have three "commands" one that would bring up the button again (a visual debug of sorts) one that would pass text to a

, and one that would call a function that runs the open.window(); function:
</script>

Seems bizarre that this sort of thing would happen but maybe I'm just missing something obvious.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Who's getting paid to carry out the Trump administration's policy of separating children?
In March, the Trump administration ordered prosecutors to charge people illegally crossing the border and separate children traveling with their parents. Marketplace's Andy Uhler looked at the money that flows into the facilities housing these children, starting with a firm called Southwest Key. Below is an edited transcript.
David Brancaccio: Tell me more about this company. How did this nonprofit grow to be such a key player in this industry?
Andy Uhler: So Southwest Key started as a local nonprofit here in Brownsville that housed basically less than 50 boys who had entered the country illegally, but were not yet 18.
It's now a huge nonprofit whose budget last year was almost half a billion dollars. Now a lot of that money comes through contracts with the federal government. But you're right, it's a bit anomalous because the other companies in the private prison space, and that's what we're talking about when you talk immigrant detention centers for the most part are for-profit companies. Now I spoke with Alex Friedmann at the Human Rights Defense Center who dug into exactly how these companies make money. And I asked him whether being a nonprofit, like Southwest Key, actually matters.
"It's all from the same bucket, which is taxpayer money. So all the money that you and I and listeners all pay to the federal government in our taxes, it all just goes into a big bucket and then it's paid out to various contractors that the federal government contracts with, whether they're for-profit or nonprofit," Friedmann said.
Now, as a nonprofit, Southwest Key doesn't have to pay federal income tax, but what Friedmann told me is that these other for-profit groups have declared themselves real estate companies and established real estate investment trusts, or REITs, to house their money because those are also exempt from many federal income taxes.
Brancaccio: But this is clearly a growth opportunity for the nonprofit Southwest Key as the Trump administration pushes the family separation policy.
Uhler: You're right, and there's already talk of a new facility dedicated to very young children that would operate in Houston. But Houston's Mayor, Sylvester Turner, has already met with Southwest Key and he's asked them to reconsider their plans to open that facility there.
Brancaccio: And you contacted Southwest Key. What did they say?
Brancaccio: All right, but I just looked at the dictionary. To detain — keep someone in official custody — is one of the definitions.
Uhler: You're right, and we should be clear that Southwest Key's job, as a contractor with the United States government is to take care of unaccompanied minor undocumented immigrants and children who have been separated from parents who allegedly entered the country illegally.


text:
This cop checks for loops which iterate a constant number of times,
using a Range literal and `#each`. This can be done more readably using
`Integer#times`.

This check only applies if the block takes no parameters.

### Example:
    # bad
    (1..5).each { }

    # good
    5.times { }

### Example:
    # bad
    (0...10).each {}

    # good
    10.times {}


text:
Miyao Group at the University of Tokyo
Natural Language Processing and Computational Linguistics
The goal of our research group is to make computers understand natural languages. People communicate with each other using natural languages, while they choose words almost unconsciously. To make computers do the same, however, we have to know clearly how natural languages work. That is to say, our research is to unfold the mechanism of natural language, that will eventually lead to the understanding of how people understand the world. We explore step by step how people use words and go on living as people learn the movements of the universe and works of life.
Specifically, we perform research on fundamental theories and processing technologies of natural language, including syntactic and semantic parsing, natural language generation, dialog systems, and grounding language into non-linguistic information. We are also engaged in research projects to develop natural language applications, such as text data analysis over focused domains such as financial or academic documents. Please refer to our Research page for details.
At Department of Computer Science, University of Tokyo, we welcome post-doc researchers and Master/Ph.D. students to work together in our research group. Our group has a flat structure allowing researchers/students to go beyond the scope of a specific research theme, and we encourage them to work on multiple projects based on their own free ideas while working collaboratively with other internationally successful researchers. We provide an excellent environment for students to concentrate on their studies, offering various supporting systems including scholarships, research assistant (RA) and technical staff positions, etc. (see the homepage of Graduate School of Information Science and Technology for details). We also have a variety of frameworks for academia-industry cooperation that allow joint research projects in collaboration with private companies.
Contact us if you are interested in developing a computer that can fully understand natural language, or pursuing the computational science of natural language.
Faculty of Science Building 7, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 JAPAN
Department of Information Science, Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo
Department of Computer Science, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, University of Tokyo
Sep 27 Talk by Iryna Gurevych (Technische Universität Darmstadt) Title: Let's Debate: Claim Validation by Humans and Machines
Jul 25 Talk by Alvin Grissom II (Ursinus College) Title: Thinking about How NLP is Used to Serve Power: Current and Future Trends
Jul 18 Talk by Danushka Bollegala (Amazon) Title: Deep Learning and Other Innovations at Amazon
May 16 Talk by Yotaro Watanabe (PKSHA Technology) Title: Social implementation of NLP technologies at PKSHA Technology
Apr 18 Talk by Guests from Google Japan Title: NLP at Google Tokyo - from The Spot of NLP
Apr 11 Welcome Party for New Comers
Mar 18 Farewell Party for Fei Cheng


A cheese and wine event at Leighton Park in Shrewsbury saw residents have a gouda time – while raising £1,482.90 for Severn Hospice.
The event proved so popular that the organiser, Shropshire Homes, which developed the Bicton Heath site, had to print extra tickets to accommodate demand.
"It is wonderful that we had so much interest in the cheese and wine afternoon. We originally printed 50 tickets but these went so quickly that we printed 10 more and they were snapped up straight away. "It was great to see so many residents wanting to get involved and support Severn Hospice, which does amazing work. The entire afternoon had a lovely friendly, community vibe.
The event took place at Shelton Cricket Club's pavilion, and all the cheese and wine were donated by Howard Thorne, director of Shropshire Homes. The Severn Hospice provides specialist care and support to families across Shropshire and Mid Wales who are living with an incurable illness.


text:
Q: Writing Unicode to .docx file Is there any way to write unicode characters to docx files? I tried python-docx but, it's giving me TypeError.
Traceback

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "< ipython-input-1-ba89c735995d >", line 1, in
      runfile('H:/Python/Practice/new/download.py', wdir='H:/Python/Practice/new')
File "C:\Program Files\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\spyder\utils\site\sitecustomize.py", line 866, in runfile
      execfile(filename, namespace)
File "C:\Program Files\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\spyder\utils\site\sitecustomize.py", line 102, in execfile
      exec(compile(f.read(), filename, 'exec'), namespace)
File "H:/Python/Practice/new/download.py", line 37, in
      document.add_paragraph(story.encode("utf-8"))
File "C:\Program Files\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\docx\document.py", line 63, in add_paragraph
      return self._body.add_paragraph(text, style)
File "C:\Program Files\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\docx\blkcntnr.py", line 36, in add_paragraph
      paragraph.add_run(text)
File "C:\Program Files\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\docx\text\paragraph.py", line 37, in add_run
      run.text = text
File "C:\Program Files\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\docx\text\run.py", line 163, in text
      self._r.text = text
File "C:\Program Files\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\docx\oxml\text\run.py", line 104, in text
      _RunContentAppender.append_to_run_from_text(self, text)
File "C:\Program Files\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\docx\oxml\text\run.py", line 134, in append_to_run_from_text
      appender.add_text(text)
File "C:\Program Files\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\docx\oxml\text\run.py", line 142, in add_text
      self.add_char(char)
File "C:\Program Files\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\docx\oxml\text\run.py", line 156, in add_char
      elif char in '\r\n':
TypeError: 'in < string >' requires string as left operand, not int

I was trying to scrape a website and write the texts to a MS Word file. Texts are in local language (Bangla). When I print story on console it prints the whole texts perfectly.
Code
import requests
from docx import Document
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

url = "some url"
response = requests.get(url)
soup = BeautifulSoup(response.text, "lxml")

story = soup.find("div", {"dir": "ltr"}).get_text().replace("<br />", "\n", len(response.text))

title = "title"
document = Document()
document.add_heading(title, 0)
document.add_paragraph(story.encode("utf-8"))
document.save(title + ".docx")

A: In Python 3, strings (should) automatically support Unicode, so you don't need to do anything special like encoding-to-UTF-8.
document.add_paragraph(story)
#                      ^ just do this directly, no need to call `.encode('utf-8')`

While you can write Unicode characters into the document, the default text rendering engine used by the word processor may not support it. You may need to specify a font to ensure the characters won't become □□□□.
run = document.add_paragraph(story).add_run()
font = run.font
font.name = 'Vrinda'


text:
Spicy cider chorizo pokers with vintage Cheddar - £1.50 each
We believe that this is the only chorizo in the world to contain cheddar cheese. We use vintage cheddar produced on the same farm and cider from less than four miles away making this a truly somerset experience. The flavours perfectly compliment each other and in the single portion sizes make for a great picnic, lunch-box or bar snack.
All products are Gluten Free
About Somerset Charcuterie
Andy & James have been hobby charcutiers for several years. Andy grew up on a pig farm and James is a member of a small village cooperative of 6 families who raise livestock. Their daughters become best friends at the local school and it wasn't long before they discovered that they shared passion for curing meats and making salami. Over a pint of cider at a local lawn-mower race (this is Somerset!), the idea for a quality British Charcuterie business was conceived. Both of them have run their own food businesses for several years and could see an opportunity to develop a range of products that followed traditional Spanish, French and Italian methods but were adapted to the British market and capitalised on the rich food culture of the South West.
Within 6 months the first products were ready to try on family and friends and, with some encouraging feedback, the first farmers markets were booked to test the product on the general public. The buzz around the stall at the first market was electric and the decision was made. Somerset Charcuterie was born.
Now in their fourth year the boys are going through up to a tonne of pork a week. Everything is handmade now, and will remain that way in order to preserve the artisan texture, flavours and look. They moved into their new production unit on the farm last year (complete with very sexy Himalayan salt brick wall) but are now already looking to expand in order to meet the growing demand.
"We are committed to producing the best product with the best of Somerset ingredients wherever we can. We are now regularly in several markets across Somerset and Bristol, at festivals around the country, in pubs, restaurants and delis. It has been a fantastic success story so far and we are very lucky to have a loyal fan base to whom we are very grateful. We are looking forward to developing new and exciting products, meeting like-minded meat lovers and expanding our business further afield. If you are interested in stocking our product or would like to work with a great team in a fledgling artisan food business, please get in touch."
James & Andy
Ingredients & Nutritional Values
INGREDIENTS: Pork, Vintage Cheddar, Cider, Skimmed Milk Powder, Sea Salt, Garlic, Smoked Paprika, Chilli Flakes, Dextrose, Water, Sodium Nitrite, Sodium Nitrate
Energy 1822KJ 439Kcal
(of which saturates) 11.4g
(of which mono-unsaturates) 10.4g
(of which poly-unsaturates) 11.1g
(of which sugars) 2.7g
Salt 1749mg
The artisan general store
"The exciting thing about Somerset Charcuterie is that they haven't stopped at producing top quality cured meats, they have created a wonderful range of new products based upon their regional culture and food history. If you have only eaten high street charcuterie, then you are in for a big suprise, the flavour and texture Andy and James get into their meat has to be tasted to be believed. Their pokers make a delicious and satisfying snack and the sage, mustard and somerset cider salami and chorizo will become an ever present in your fridge! The artisan general store is really excited to stock such a quality range of charcuterie."


Our backend & dynamic technical staffs are well qualified in various types of Hull Surveys as well as Condition Surveys and Technical Services i.e. NDT (Ultrasonic Gauging) & Dry-Dock Steel Superintendence for various type of Vessels, on round the clock basis to satisfy the world wide ship Owners or Classification Societies on immediate Requisite. They are having more than 15 years of individual experience and are well qualified to worldwide Classification standards.
We have dynamic & professional onsite and offsite teams' to manage the Projects in any condition.
Our Technical Teams are fully experts and having responsive attitude on allotted issues and they all are working on round the clock basis, as well as they all are prepared to attend the allotted issues on Top Priority basis. At the same time, they are monitoring the cutoff time without compromising on quality and standards. Also maintaining effective co-ordination with the clients technical team and end users.
Prior Docking Survey, sail on vessels and prepare dry dock specifications pertaining to steel renewal quantity at each location of vessel including Identification of substantial wastages.
We are providing Digital Photographic Support to demonstrate condition of various Structures to the Vessels owners and Classification Societies.
We keep an eagle eye on steel repairs during dry dock / surveys and provide immediate Steel Estimation Report on daily basis.
Assist ship Owners and Managers to conclude final negotiation of work done reports by providing exact details of steel renewal quantities at all locations.


We keep stock wide range of Solar Power accessories and parts to meet your demand.
Aluminium Alloy mounting rail (4200mm) for PV modules. 2 x rail will accommodate 2 x 60 or 72 cell modules. Rail can be cutted to accommodate smaller PV module sizes if needed.
TUV approved. Dual wall insulation,electron beam cross-linked.
Excellent resistance to UV,water,ozone,fluids,salt,general weathering.
Excellent resistance to abrasion. Halogen free,flame retardant,low toxicity.
High current carrying capacity, Sheath colour: black or red.
5-year factory warranty from date of purchase. Designed life:25 years.


Thomas Doyle, Dangan, Kilmacow, County Kilkenny successfully completed a sponsored daring skydive on behalf of our Charity. Thomas raised a total of €505. We are extremely grateful to Thomas and all the Doyle family who are loyal supporters of marfan research.