This page contains publications by my research group, sorted by date, most recent first. Students or employees (co-)supervised by me in bold, supervised by others in italic.
F. Haqiqat and M. Müller. Analyzing the impact of knowledge and search in Monte Carlo Tree Search in Go.
To appear in CGW, the Computer Games Workshop at IJCAI 2018.
S. Chowdhury, M. Müller and J. You. Description of expSAT Solvers. Abstract.
Pages 22-23 in M. Heule and M. Järvisalo and M. Suda (editors) Proceedings of SAT Competition 2018, Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki.
S. Chowdhury, M. Müller and J. You. GrandTour-obs Puzzle as a SAT Benchmark. Abstract.
Pages 59-60 in M. Heule and M. Järvisalo and M. Suda (editors) Proceedings of SAT Competition 2018, Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki.
C. Gao, S. Yan, R. Hayward and M. Müller. A Transferable Neural Network for Hex.
CG 2018, the 10th International Conference on Computers and Games, New Taipeh City, Taiwan.
F. Haqiqat. Analyzing the impact of knowledge and search in Monte Carlo Tree Search in Go. MSc thesis, University of Alberta, 2018.
C. Gao , R. Hayward and M. Müller. Three-Head Neural Network Architecture for Monte Carlo Tree Search.
C. Gao , M. Müller and R. Hayward. Adversarial Policy Gradient for Alternating Markov Games.
In ICLR 2018 Workshop Track.
G. Fan, R. Holte and M. Müller. MS-lite: A Lightweight, Complementary Merge-and-Shrink Method.
In ICAPS 2018, Delft, The Netherlands.
C. Xiao, J. Mei and M. Müller. Memory-Augmented Monte Carlo Tree Search. Outstanding paper award at AAAI-18.
Also see the slides for Chenjun's talk at AAAI.
S. Chowdhury, M. Müller and J. You. Exploration-Driven Satisfiability Solving: First Results. AAAI-18 student abstract.
C. Gao , R. Hayward and M. Müller. Move Prediction using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks in Hex. To appear in IEEE Transactions on Games. Published in IEEE early access.
R. Huang, M. Ajallooeian, C. Szepesvari and M. Müller. Structured Best Arm Identification with Fixed Confidence. ALT 2017, Proceedings of the 28th International Conference on Algorithmic Learning Theory. Published in PMLR 76, 593-616, 2017.
G. Fan, R. Holte and M. Müller. Additive merge-and-shrink heuristics for diverse action costs. IJCAI 2017.
C. Gao, R. Hayward and M. Müller. Focused Depth-first Proof Number Search using Convolutional Neural Networks for the Game of Hex. IJCAI 2017.
F. Xie, A. Botea and A. Kishimoto. A Scalable Approach to Chasing Multiple Moving Targets with Multiple Agents. IJCAI 2017.
Fan's internship at IBM Research in Dublin, which led to this paper, also led to a US Patent Application (!) for "Pro-active fuel and battery refilling for vehicles".
G. Fan, M. Müller and R. Holte. The two-edged nature of diverse action costs. ICAPS 2017.
C. Xiao and M. Müller. Integrating factorization ranked features into MCTS: an experimental study. Computer Games Workshop at IJCAI, 2016. 10 pages.
C. Xiao. Factorization Ranking Model for Move Prediction in the Game of Go. MSc thesis, University of Alberta, 2016.
K. Yoshizoe and M. Müller. Computer Go. Encyclopedia of Computer Graphics and Games, editor N. Lee, Springer International, ISBN 978-3-319-08234-9, pages 1-13, 2016.
A. Kishimoto and M. Müller. Game Solvers. Handbook of Digital Games and Entertainment Technologies, editors R. Nakatsu, M. Rauterberg, and P.Ciancarini, ISBN 978-981-4560-52-8, pages 1-20, Springer Singapore, 2016.
C. Xiao and M. Müller. Factorization Ranking Model for Move Prediction in the Game of Go. AAAI-16, pages 1359-1365. Also see the poster.
R. Valenzano and F. Xie. On the Completeness of Best-First Search Variants that Use Random Exploration. AAAI-16, pages 784-790.
W. Chen. Motion Planning with Monte Carlo Random Walks. MSc thesis, University of Alberta, 2015.
F. Xie, A. Botea and A. Kishimoto. Heuristic-Aided Compressed Distance Databases. AAAI-2015 Workshop on Planning, Search and Optimization, pages 85-91, 2015.
Y. Zhang and M. Müller. TDS+: Improving Temperature Discovery Search. AAAI 2015, pages 1241-1247.
Y. Zhang. TDS+: Improving Temperature Discovery Search. MSc thesis, University of Alberta, 2015.
J. Schaeffer, M. Müller and A. Kishimoto, Go-bot, Go. IEEE Spectrum 51(7), 48-53, 2014. Published online under the title: AIs Have Mastered Chess. Will Go Be Next?.
G. Fan, M. Müller and R. Holte. Non-Linear Merging Strategies for Merge-and-Shrink Based on Variable Interactions. SOCS, p. 53-61, 2014.
M. Müller and K. Yoshizoe. Fuego - an Open Source Software for Playing the Game of Go. Abstract, Replaying Japan 2014, p. 20-21.
R. Valenzano, H. Nakhost, M. Müller, J. Schaeffer and N. Sturtevant. ArvandHerd 2014. In M. Vallati, L. Chrpa, L. and T. McCluskey, The Eighth International Planning Competition, University of Huddersfield, p. 1-5, 2014.
F. Xie, M. Müller and R. Holte. Jasper: the Art of Exploration in Greedy Best First Search. In M. Vallati, L. Chrpa, L. and T. McCluskey, The Eighth International Planning Competition, University of Huddersfield, p. 39-42, 2014.
Update Nov 28, 2014: the version linked above replaces the IPC booklet version. It fixes a typo in Table 1: the coverage of LAMA-2011 was 1913 out of a total of 2112, not 2113.
F. Xie, M. Müller and R. Holte. Adding Local Exploration to Greedy Best-First Search for Satisficing Planning . AAAI 2014, p. 2388-2394, 2014.
F. Xie, M. Müller, R. Holte and T. Imai. Type-based Exploration for Satisficing Planning with Multiple Search Queues . AAAI 2014, p. 2395-2401, 2014.
R. Valenzano, N. Sturtevant, J. Schaeffer and F. Xie. A Comparison of Knowledge-Based GBFS Enhancements and Knowledge-Free Exploration. ICAPS 2014, p. 375-379, 2014.
F. Xie, M. Müller and R. Holte. Adding Local Exploration to Greedy Best-First Search in Satisficing Planning. ICAPS-2014 Workshop on Heuristics and Search for Domain-independent Planning, 53-61. A slightly extended version of the AAAI paper above. 2014.
F. Xie, M. Müller, R. Holte and T. Imai. Type-based Exploration with Multiple Search Queues for Satisficing Planning. ICAPS-2014 Workshop on Heuristics and Search for Domain-independent Planning, 62-70. A slightly extended version of the AAAI paper above. 2014.
H. Nakhost. Random Walk Planning: Theory, Practice, and Application. PhD thesis, University of Alberta, 2013. Dissertation Award for best PhD thesis from the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Association.
S.-C. Huang, B. Arneson, R. Hayward, M. Müller and J. Pawlewicz. MoHex 2.0: a pattern-based MCTS Hex player. Computers and Games 2013, p. 60-71.
S.-C. Huang and M. Müller. Investigating the Limits of Monte Carlo Tree Search Methods in Computer Go. Computers and Games 2013, p. 39-48.
Erratum for this paper - in test case 2 Black wins.
S. Fernando and M. Müller. Analyzing Simulations in Monte Carlo Tree Search for the Game of Go. Computers and Games 2013, p. 72-83.
C. Hunt and M. Müller. Fuegito: an Educational Software Package for Game Tree Search. Technical report TR 13-03, Dept. of Computing Science, University of Alberta, 2013.
H. Nakhost and M. Müller. Towards a second generation random walk planner: an experimental exploration. IJCAI 2013, pages 2336-2342. Errata for this paper.
D. Silver, R. Sutton and M. Müller. Temporal-difference search in computer Go. Refereed abstract. ICAPS 2013 Journal Presentation Track, pages 486-487, AAAI Press, 2013.
F. Xie, R. Valenzano and M. Müller. Better time constrained search via randomization and postprocessing. ICAPS 2013, pages 269-277, 2013.
F. Xie, R. Valenzano and M. Müller. Better time constrained search via randomization and postprocessing. Technical Report TR 13-02, Dept. of Computing Science. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 2013.
A. Kishimoto, M. Winands, M. Müller and J. Saito. Game-Tree Search Using Proof Numbers: The First Twenty Years. ICGA Journal 35(3), 131-156, 2012.
Erratum for this article - see here.
J. Song. An enhanced solver for the game of Amazons. MSc thesis, University of Alberta, 2012.
C. Hunt. Fuegito User Manual. Technical Report TR12-05, University of Alberta, 2012.
G. Van Eyck. Move Groups as a General Enhancement for Monte Carlo Tree Search. MSc thesis, University of Alberta, 2014.
H. Nakhost and M. Müller. A Theoretical Framework for Studying Random Walk Planning. In SOCS, 2012.
R. Valenzano, H. Nakhost, M. Müller, J. Schaeffer, and N. Sturtevant. ArvandHerd: Parallel Planning with a Portfolio. In ECAI, 2012.
D. Silver, R. Sutton and M. Müller. Temporal-Difference Search in Computer Go. Machine Learning 87(2), 183-219, 2012.
H. Nakhost, J. Hoffmann and M. Müller. Resource-Constrained Planning: A Monte Carlo Random Walk Approach. In ICAPS, 2012.
F. Xie, H. Nakhost and M. Müller. Planning via Random Walk-Driven Local Search. In ICAPS, 2012.
J. Styles, H. Hoos and M. Müller. Automatically Configuring Algorithms for Scaling Performance. In Learning and Intelligent OptimizatioN Conference, LION 6, 2012.
H. Brausen, R. Hayward, M. Müller, A. Qadir and D. Spies. Blunder cost in Go and Hex. In Advances in Computer Games 13, 2011.
G. Van Eyck and M. Müller. Revisiting Move Groups in Monte Carlo Tree Search. In Advances in Computer Games 13, 2011.
R. Valenzano, H. Nakhost, M. Müller, J. Schaeffer, and N. Sturtevant. ArvandHerd: Parallel Planning with a Portfolio. 2011 International Planning Competition (IPC 2011) Planner Description Booklet.
H. Nakhost, M. Müller, R. Valenzano, and F. Xie. Arvand: the Art of Random Walks. 2011 International Planning Competition (IPC 2011) Planner Description Booklet.
F. Xie, H. Nakhost and M. Müller. A Local Monte Carlo Tree Search Approach in Deterministic Planning. AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence Student Abstract and Poster Program (SA-11), pages 1832-1833, 2011.
D. Tom and M. Müller. Computational Experiments with the RAVE Heuristic. Lecture Notes in Computer Science 6515, pages 69-80, editors J. van den Herik, H. Iida and A. Plaat, Springer 2011.
M. Müller. Fuego-GB Prototype at the Human machine competition in Barcelona 2010: a Tournament Report and Analysis. Technical Report TR 10-08, Dept. of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 2010.
D. Tom. Investigating UCT and RAVE: steps towards a more robust method. MSc thesis, University of Alberta, 2010.
H. Nakhost, J. Hoffmann and M. Müller. Improving Local Search for Resource-Constrained Planning. Extended abstract. Proceedings of the Third Annual Symposium on Combinatorial Search (SOCS-10), pages 81-82, Stone Mountain, Atlanta, GA, USA, 2010.
N. Burch, R. Holte, M. Müller, D. O'Connell and J. Schaeffer. Automating Layouts of Sewers in Subdivisions. ECAI 2010, pages 655-660, 2010.
H. Nakhost and M. Müller. Action Elimination and Plan Neighborhood Graph Search: Two Algorithms for Plan Improvement. International Conference on Automated Planning and Scheduling (ICAPS-2010), pages 121-128, 2010. Editors R. Brafman, H. Geffner, J. Hoffmann and H. Kautz. AAAI Press, Toronto, Canada.
H. Nakhost and M. Müller. Action Elimination and Plan Neighborhood Graph Search: Two Algorithms for Plan Improvement - Extended Version, 2010. Technical report TR 10-01, Dept. of Computing Science. University of Alberta.
H. Nakhost and M. Müller. Monte-Carlo exploration for deterministic planning. In Twenty-first International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), pages 1766-1771, Pasadena, California, USA, 2009.
D. Silver. Reinforcement Learning and Simulation-Based Search in Computer Go. PhD thesis, University of Alberta, 2009.
D. Silver and G. Tesauro. Monte-Carlo simulation balancing. In Danyluk et al., ICML 2009.
R. Sutton, Hamid R. Maei, D. Precup, S. Bhatnagar, D. Silver, C. Szepesvári, and E. Wiewiora. Fast gradient-descent methods for temporal-difference learning with linear function approximation. In Danyluk et al., ICML 2009.
M. Enzenberger and M. Müller. A lock-free multithreaded Monte-Carlo tree search algorithm. Advances in Computer Games 12, LNCS 6048, pages 14-20, Springer, 2009.
Note: the reference  in the paper to Remi Coulom's messages is no longer valid. Currently the first message as well as links to the whole thread can be found on this archive page.
D. Tom and M. Müller. A study of UCT and its enhancements, 2009. Advances in Computer Games 12, LNCS 6048, pages 55-64, Springer.
M. Enzenberger and M. Müller. Fuego - an open-source framework for board games and Go engine based on Monte-Carlo tree search. Technical Report TR 09-08, Dept. of Computing Science. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 2009.
M. Müller. Fuego at the Computer Olympiad in Pamplona 2009: a tournament report. Technical Report TR 09-09, Dept. of Computing Science. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 2009.
S. Gelly and D. Silver. Achieving master level play in 9 x 9 computer Go. In D. Fox and C. Gomes, editors, AAAI, pages 1537-1540. AAAI Press, 2008.
D. Silver, R. Sutton, and M. Müller. Sample-based learning and search with permanent and transient memories. In W. Cohen, A. McCallum, and S. Roweis, editors, Machine Learning, Proceedings of the Twenty-Fifth International Conference (ICML 2008), volume 307 of ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, pages 968-975, Helsinki, Finland, 2008. ACM.
X. Niu and M. Müller. An improved safety solver in Go using partial regions. In J. van den Herik, X. Xu, Z. Ma, and M. Winands, editors, Computer and Games. 6th International Conference, volume 5131 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 102-112, Beijing, China, 2008. Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-87608-3_10.
A. Kishimoto and M. Müller. About the completeness of depth-first proof-number search. In J. van den Herik, X. Xu, Z. Ma, and M. Winands, editors, Computer and Games. 6th International Conference, volume 5131 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 146-156, Beijing, China, 2008. Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-87608-3_14.
L. Zhao and M. Müller. Using artificial boundaries in the game of Go. In J. van den Herik, X. Xu, Z. Ma, and M. Winands, editors, Computer and Games. 6th International Conference, volume 5131 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 81-91, Beijing, China, 2008. Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-87608-3_8.
J. Schaeffer, N. Burch, Y. Björnsson, A. Kishimoto, M. Müller, R. Lake, P. Lu, and S. Sutphen. Checkers is solved. Science, 317(5844):1518-1522, 2007.
X. Niu and M. Müller. An open boundary safety-of-territory solver for the game of Go. In J. van den Herik, P. Ciancarini, and H. Donkers, editors, Computer and Games. 5th International Conference, volume 4630 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 37 - 49, Torino, Italy, 2007. Springer.
A. Botea, M. Müller, and J. Schaeffer. Fast planning with iterative macros. In Twentieth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), pages 1828-1833, Hyderabad, India, 2007.
D. Silver, R. Sutton, and M. Müller. Reinforcement learning of local shape in the game of Go. In Twentieth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), pages 1053-1058, Hyderabad, India, 2007.
K. Yoshizoe, A. Kishimoto, and M. Müller. Lambda depth-first proof number search and its application to Go. In Twentieth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), pages 2404-2409, Hyderabad, India, 2007.
S. Gelly and D. Silver. Combining online and offline knowledge in UCT. In Z. Ghahramani (ed.), ICML 2007, pages 273-280.
R. Sutton, A. Koop, and D. Silver. On the role of tracking in stationary environments. In Z. Ghahramani (ed.), ICML 2007, pages 871-878.
S. Soeda, K. Yoshizoe, A. Kishimoto, T. Kaneko, T. Tanaka, and M. Müller. Lambda search based on proof and disproof numbers. Information Processing Society of Japan (IPSJ) Journal, 48(11):3455-3462, 2007. In Japanese.
A. Botea. Improving AI Planning and Search with Automatic Abstraction. PhD thesis, University of Alberta, 2006.
X. Niu, A. Kishimoto, and M. Müller. Recognizing seki in computer Go. In J. van den Herik, S.-C. Hsu, T.-s. Hsu, and H. Donkers, editors, Advances in Computer Games. 11th International Conference, volume 4250 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 88 - 103. Springer, 2006.
L. Zhao and M. Müller. Solving probabilistic combinatorial games. In J. van den Herik, S.-C. Hsu, T.-s. Hsu, and H. Donkers, editors, Advances in Computer Games. 11th International Conference, volume 4250 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 225 - 238. Springer, 2006.
A. Kishimoto. Correct and Efficient Search Algorithms in the Presence of Repetitions. PhD thesis, University of Alberta, 2005.
A. Botea, M. Enzenberger, M. Müller, and J. Schaeffer. Macro-FF: Improving AI planning with automatically learned macro-operators. Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research, 24:581-621, 2005.
A. Botea, M. Müller, and J. Schaeffer. Learning partial-order macros from solutions. In S. Biundo, K. Myers, and K. Rajan, editors, ICAPS 2005. Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Automated Planning and Scheduling, pages 231-240, Monterey, California, 2005.
A. Kishimoto and M. Müller. Dynamic decomposition search: A divide and conquer approach and its application to the one-eye problem in Go. In IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence and Games (CIG'05), pages 164-170, 2005.
Erratum: On the final page, "move D6 in R2 makes half an eye" should read: "move D6 in R2 makes one eye".
A. Kishimoto and M. Müller. Search versus knowledge for solving life and death problems in Go. In Twentieth National Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-05), pages 1374-1379, 2005.
A. Botea, M. Enzenberger, M. Müller, and J. Schaeffer. Macro-FF. In booklet of the International Planning Competition (IPC-4), 2004.
M. Müller. Go-related research at the University of Alberta. In T. Ito and T. Nakamura, editors, The 9th Game Programming Workshop in Japan 2004, pages 22-23, Japan, 2004. IPSJ SIG-GI (Special Interest Group on Game Informatics). Extended abstract.
J. Zhou and M. Müller. Solving systems of difference constraints incrementally with bidirectional search. Algorithmica, 39(3):255-274, 2004.
A. Botea, M. Müller, and J. Schaeffer. Near optimal hierarchical path-finding. Journal of Game Development, 1(1):7-28, 2004.
X. Niu and M. Müller. An improved safety solver for computer Go. In J. van den Herik, Y. Björnsson, and N. Netanyahu, editors, Computers and Games: 4th International Conference, CG 2004, volume 3846 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 97-112, Ramat-Gan, Israel, 2006. Springer.
M. Müller and Z. Li. Locally informed global search for sums of combinatorial games. In J. van den Herik, Y. Björnsson, and N. Netanyahu, editors, Computers and Games: 4th International Conference, CG 2004, volume 3846 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 273-284, Ramat-Gan, Israel, 2006. Springer.
A. Kishimoto and M. Müller. A general solution to the graph history interaction problem. In Nineteenth National Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI 2004), pages 644-649, San Jose, CA, 2004.
M. Müller, M. Enzenberger, and J. Schaeffer. Temperature discovery search. In Nineteenth National Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI 2004), pages 658-663, San Jose, CA, 2004.
L. Zhao and M. Müller. Game-SAT: A preliminary report. In Seventh International Conference on Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing (SAT 2004), pages 357-362, Vancouver, Canada, 2004.
A. Botea, M. Müller, and J. Schaeffer. Using component abstraction for automatic generation of macro-actions. In S. Zilberstein, J. Koehler, and S. Koenig, editors, ICAPS 2004. Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Automated Planning and Scheduling, pages 181-190, Whistler, Canada, 2004.
A. Kishimoto and M. Müller. Df-pn in Go: an application to the one-eye problem. In J. van den Herik, H. Iida, and E. Heinz, editors, Advances in Computer Games 10, pages 125 - 141. Kluwer, 2004.
X. Niu. Recognizing safe territories and stones in computer Go. Master's thesis, University of Alberta, 2004.
Jonathan Schaeffer, Martin Müller, and Yngvi Björnsson, editors. Computers and Games, Third International Conference, CG 2002, Edmonton, Canada, July 25-27, 2002, Revised Papers, volume 2883 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer, 2003.
J. Zhou and M. Müller. Depth-first discovery algorithm for incremental topological sorting of directed acyclic graphs. Information Processing Letters, 88(4):195-200, 2003.
J. Zhou. Incremental search algorithms. Master's thesis, University of Alberta, 2003.
M. Müller. Conditional combinatorial games, and their application to analyzing capturing races in Go. Information Sciences, 154(3-4):189-202, 2003.
Erratum: Fig. 1 shows three Nim heaps with 6, 4 and 3 pebbles. The size 6 heap should be size 5 to be consistent with the text.
M. Müller. Proof-set search. In J. Schaeffer, M. Müller, and Y. Björnsson, editors, Computers and Games 2002, number 2883 in Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 88-107. Springer Verlag, 2003.
A. Botea, M. Müller, and J. Schaeffer. Using abstraction for planning in Sokoban. In J. Schaeffer, M. Müller, and Y. Björnsson, editors, Computers and Games 2002, number 2883 in Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 360-375. Springer Verlag, 2003.
A. Botea, M. Müller, and J. Schaeffer. Extending PDDL for hierarchical planning and topological abstraction. In iCAPS workshop on PDDL, pages 25-32, 2003.
A. Botea. Reducing planning complexity with topological abstraction. Proceedings of the International Conference on Automated Planning & Scheduling (ICAPS-03) Doctoral Consortium, Trento, Italy, 2003.
L. Zhao. Tackling Post's correspondence problem. In J. Schaeffer, M. Müller, and Y. Björnsson, editors, Computers and Games 2002, number 2883 in Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 326-344. Springer Verlag, 2003.
A. Kishimoto and M. Müller. A solution to the GHI problem for depth-first proof-number search. In Proceedings of the 7th Joint Conference on Information Sciences JCIS 2003, pages 489 - 492, 2003.
A. Botea. Using abstraction for heuristic search and planning. In S. Koenig and R. Holte, editors, 5th International Symposium on Abstraction, Reformulation, and Approximation, number 2371 in Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 326-327. Springer Verlag, 2002.
N. Bullock. Domineering: Solving large combinatorial search spaces. ICGA Journal, 25(2):67-84, 2002.
N. Bullock. Domineering: Solving large combinatorial search spaces. Master's thesis, University of Alberta, 2002.
M. Müller. Counting the score: Position evaluation in computer Go. ICGA Journal, 25(4):219-228, 2002.
M. Müller. A generalized framework for analyzing capturing races in Go. In Proceedings of Sixth Joint Conference on Information Sciences (JCIS 2002), pages 469-472, 2002.
M. Müller. Multicriteria evaluation in computer game-playing, and its relation to AI planning. In B. Drabble, J. Koehler, and J. Refanidis, editors, Proceedings of Sixth International Conference on AI Planning & Scheduling (AIPS-2002) Workshop on Planning and Scheduling using Multiple Criteria, pages 1-6, Toulouse, France, 2002.
M. Müller and T. Tegos. Experiments in Computer Amazons. In R. Nowakowski, editor, More Games of No Chance, pages 243-260. Cambridge University Press, 2002.
T. Tegos. Shooting the last arrow. Master's thesis, University of Alberta, 2002.
L. Zhao. Solving and creating difficult instances of Post's correspondence problem. Master's thesis, University of Alberta, 2002.
M. Müller. Solving 5x5 Amazons. In The 6th Game Programming Workshop (GPW 2001), number 14 in IPSJ Symposium Series Vol.2001, pages 64-71, Hakone (Japan), 2001.
M. Müller. Proof Set Search. Revised and improved version of previous report listed below. Technical report, University of Alberta TR01-09. 23 pages.
Note: this report is superseded by the Computers and Games 2002 paper above.
M. Müller. Review: Computer Go 1984 - 2000. In T. Marsland and I. Frank, editors, Computers and Games 2000, number 2063 in Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 426-435. Springer Verlag, 2001.
M. Müller. Generalized Thermography: A new approach to evaluation in computer Go. In J. van den Herik and H. Iida, editors, Games in AI Research, pages 203-219, Maastricht 2000, Universiteit Maastricht. First published in Iida, H. (Ed.), Proceedings IJCAI-97 Workshop on Using Games as an Experimental Testbed for AI Research, pages 41-49, Nagoya, 1997.
H. Iida and M. Müller. Report on the Second Open Computer-Amazons Championship. ICGA Journal Vol.23 No.1, March 2000.
M. Müller. Proof-set search. Technical Report TR-99-20, Electrotechnical Laboratory, Tsukuba, Japan, 1999.
M. Müller. Partial order bounding: Using partial order evaluation in game tree search. Technical Report TR-99-12, Electrotechnical Laboratory, Tsukuba, Japan, 1999.
Note: this report is superseded by the AI Journal paper above.
M. Müller. Partial Order Evaluation in Game Tree Search, and its Application to Analyzing Semeai in the Game of Go. In Workshop on Search Techniques for Problem Solving Under Uncertainty and Incomplete Information, W. Zhang and S. Koenig, Cochairs, AAAI 1999 Spring Symposium Series, 101--106, AAAI, 1999.
D. Fotland, M. Müller, and B. Wilcox. An evening with the computer Go programmers: David Fotland, Martin Müller, Bruce Wilcox speak at the San Francisco Go club. Videotape, American Ing Goe, 1996.
M. Müller. Computer Go as a Sum of Local Games: An Application of Combinatorial Game Theory. PhD thesis, ETH Zürich, 1995. Diss. ETH Nr. 11.006.
K. Chen, A. Kierulf, M. Müller, and J. Nievergelt. The Design and Evolution of Go Explorer. In T. A. Marsland and J. Schaeffer, editors, Computers, Chess, and Cognition, pages 271-285. Springer Verlag, New York, 1990.
M. Müller. Eine Theoretische Basis zur Programmierung von Go. (A theoretical basis for programming Go.) In German. Diplomarbeit, Technische Universität Graz, 1989.


1. Libra ascendant and lord Venus, which represents ups and downs too, is in the house of happiness/family with the lord of profession, afflicted by the lord off past karmas and share market etc. Ascendant has Rahu and exchanging aspect from malefic Jupiter retrograde (for Libra ascendant).
2. Lord of finance is just 27 mins. old and combust, this pressure of finance is afflicting house of profession and lord of sudden ups and downs (gains) etc.
3. I will not suggest to go for stock trading for this horoscope.
4. Study in details as you have asked in subsequent posting of query or extension of this query is not possible on free service platform.


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text:
A bill cutting Kansas taxes by an estimated $475 million annually cleared its first major hurdle
By Floyd Levinson Kansas February 15, 2021
KANSAS – The lawmakers nearly doubled its size in the process. After a tense four-hour debate, the Kansas Senate approved a package of cuts including measures to allow Kansans to benefit from 2017 tax reforms and elimination of state taxes on Social Security benefits and some pensions.
At least four Republicans crossed party lines to vote with Democratic opponents of the bill, citing a cost they regarded as exorbitant. The package passed by a 24-15 margin.
Democrats warned that the bill could spell a return to Brownback-era tax cuts while prioritizing business interests over working families. Sen. Ethan Corson, a Democrat from Prairie Village, called it a "bullet train to Brownbackville"
The bill allows Kansas taxpayers to itemize state returns regardless of whether they did so on federal tax returns. The measure also allows multinational corporations to bring overseas profits back to Kansas without paying income tax.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: How to dynamically generate column of particular row of table in html through JQuery I m stuck here so please help me out. I have a html table which look like this
ID | Name | DOB | Action|

And when i click on Action, Then it must appear like this,
ID | Name | DOB | Select| Reject|

Please help in this

A: Here's a base example to help you out.
I made a fiddle, with a table with 2 td

1	2

Then i binded a click event on the second td so that when you click it, it removes the last td of each row and adds 2 extra td's. Here's the jquery function:
$('#td2').on("click",function(){
    $('tr').each(function(){
        $(this).children('td').last().remove();
        var myTD = "3	4	";
        $(this).append(myTD);
    });
})

here's a jsfiddle: example

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Just give him the damn boot.
Keyshawn Johnson is the first casualty of a major shakeup at ESPN's pregame "Sunday NFL Countdown," Sports Illustrated reported.
The former Jets star, who has been with ESPN since the day he retired in 2007, didn't have his contract renewed. "NFL Countdown" was his most prominent role, though he has appeared on a number of ESPN and ESPN Radio programs over the years.
SI tipped Louis Riddick and Ryan Clark as potential ESPN in-house replacements, as well as the personable and eloquent Charles Woodson, who retired following last season.
Johnson, known in his playing days for making plays and telling everyone about them, played 11 seasons after being the first overall pick of the Jets in the 1996 Draft. He won a Super Bowl in 2002 with the Buccaneers.


text:
Impact Initiative
Impact Initiative (SC)
Reducing Teenage Pregnancy in Sierra Leone
Reducing teenage pregnancy in Sierra Leone (557.8Kb)
Georgalakis, James
Wessells, Michael
Research directly involving teenagers and their families in Sierra Leone to reduce teenage pregnancy has helped pave the way for a new community-friendly Child and Family Welfare Policy. The research by the Columbia Group for Children in Adversity and UNICEF Sierra Leone mobilised local people through child- and youth-led education initiatives and through closer connections with district health workers. Thanks to the project, condom use increased, teenage girls reported feeling more confident to say 'no' and boys showed more willingness to act responsibly. The findings directly influenced the Sierra Leone government's development of a new policy on child protection.
Georgalakis, J. and Wessells, M. (2017) Reducing Teenage Pregnancy in Sierra Leone, ESRC-DFID Research Impact, Cambridge: REAL Centre at the University of Cambridge and The Impact Initiative.
10.35648/20.500.12413/11781/ii290
ESRC-DFID Research Impact;
https://doi.org/10.35648/20.500.12413/11781/ii290
The Impact Initiative 2017
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
ESRC-DFID
Impact Initiative (SC) [75]


This 2-day course provides students with a firm grounding on Cloud computing, understanding of what it is and how it relates to their own businesses.
Basic experience and knowledge of IT computing environments.
Head of IT Architecture and/or Operation Department.
Anyone with interest in understanding Cloud and Cloud solutions better.
Describe how the Cloud will change today´s IT.
Describe the unprecedented sourcing model introduced by the Cloud.
Discuss Cloud and (new) Service Level Mgmt.
Describe Cloud and risk management.
Describe how IT should change in today´s evolutionary context.
Explain Public and Private of cloud.
Discuss how to approach and evaluate a Cloud Business Case.
Explain how HP approaches the Cloud.


text:
film, film reviews, movie, movie reviews, reviews
July 7, 2020 by CJ
Armando Iannucci's take on Charles Dickens' novel immediately announces its intentions with its casting of Dev Patel as David: this will not be your BBC adaptation from 1990, because, for a start, we're casting race blind. This is a simple notion that has been commonplace in the theatre for decades – how many black kings of England have you seen in Shakespeare productions, despite the fact that, you know, England's kings haven't been black – but is rare in movies. Iannucci embraces the concept, runs with it, doesn't comment on it, and asks you to simply go along with it, and you do, simply, easily. See, Iannucci seems to be saying, how easy it is to be open, progressive, positive and free?
That's the spirit he brings to the whole of this joyous, glorious production, a beautiful hybrid of Dickens' and Iannucci's own sensibilities. This is a warm, very funny, very fast and extremely energetic adaptation, faithful (as far as I can tell) in spirit and tone to its source, but clearly unshackled by obsequiousness. Often, it soars. The spectacular cast bring huge life to the beloved ensemble of characters; Peter Capaldi, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton and Benedict Wong all clearly stamp theirs with definition, but special mention must be made of Ben Whishaw, whose take on Uriah Heep is quite creepily brilliant. As Copperfield, Patel brings his typical puppyish charm, and it works.
While there's inherent political content in Copperfield, mainly to do with class, this marks a departure for Iannucci: it's practically devoid of cynicism. Instead, it's full of heart, perhaps not a quality much associated with Britain's greatest satirist, until now. I loved it.
armando iannucci charles dickens david copperfield persoanl history of david copperfield
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga Review
Shirley, Waves and A White, White Day


MANCHESTER UNITED have suffered a new blow in their search for a striker with top targets Thomas Muller and Neymar set to be handed new contracts by their current clubs.
The Red Devils currently only have three senior strikers in their squad following the summer departures of Radamel Falcao and Robin Van Persie.
Manager Louis van Gaal is desperate to sign Bayern Munich star Muller as he looks to add more firepower to his squad.
Starsport revealed last week that United were willing to offer the World Cup winner a stunning £250,000-a-week contract to try and persuade him to move to Old Trafford in a £73m deal.
But reports in Germany claim Bayern are preparing a new contract offer of their own to try and keep the 25-year-old at the Allianz Arena.
Muller still has four years to run on his current deal worth but Bayern officials are willing to offer him improved terms on to try and fight off United's interest, according to Sport Bild.
And German magazine Kicker claim the new deal will be worth £7.3m a season, which equates to £140,000-a-week.
United are also exploring the option of signing Barcelona superstar Neymar who they want to make the global face of the club.
The Sun claimed yesterday that the Red Devils were preparing a stunning deal worth £240m in total to bring the Brazilian to the Premier League.
But Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has dismissed talk of a move and confirmed a new contract will be offered to the 23-year-old in the next couple of months.
"Those are just rumours and what people write but there is nothing to it," Bartomeu told Catalunya Radio.
"Neymar is happy at Barca. We don't want Neymar to leave at all.
"He is a young player that has an international football projection above the norm. He has helped us a lot in our recent successes.


text:
Celebrities on Blockchain: Why They Love NFTs?
by Hariharan
You might have heard of celebrities getting into cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. Ashton Kutcher, Floyd Mayweather, Jamie Foxx and many more are making the news over their investments in these companies and emerging technologies.
But what's drawing these celebrities on blockchain in the first place? It turns out that non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are an important factor.
What are NFTs and why are they so attractive to people like them? The answer lies in their uniqueness and lack of duplication.
Why Celebrities falling in love with NFTs
Video Credits: Jake Tran
As mentioned above, non-fungible tokens are collectibles which can be stored in digital wallets and traded freely across a blockchain. Unlike fungible tokens that represent resources like coins or spendable money, unique tokens have very specific attributes that make them special.
So it's no surprise that celebrities would get in on such an exciting and lucrative trend! NFTs offer numerous benefits to artists and other entertainers who are paid in cryptocurrency including increased flexibility, privacy, new monetization strategies and even a say in how their works are used.
NFTs are a breakthrough for actors, producers and other entertainers who have traditionally struggled to maintain control over their intellectual property and receive a fair share of revenue from it.
NFTs allow celebrities to issue unique tokens that represent different aspects of their persona or work including autographs, image rights, merchandise, custom memorabilia and even tickets to shows.
Unlike traditional intellectual property which is locked up in government databases or central entities like Netflix or Spotify, digital collectibles live in a distributed blockchain marketplace where they can be traded freely by fans who value them.
From Singers to Actors Launching their own NFTs
The idea of launching an NFT was originally proposed as a way to create digital representations of physical art. As it stands, there are platforms like Rarebits that enable artists to do just that (in fact, you can even buy some pretty awesome CryptoKitties using Rarebits).
Salute My @eminem On A Huge NFT Drop!!!
Copped Me A "Marshall Mathers" Edition For My Collection.
— DJ Premier (@REALDJPREMIER) April 25, 2021
Caption : DJPremier tweet
But it's not limited to paintings or sculptures; writers and singers could launch NFTs for their books or songs and earn royalties when they're sold in digital form. In short, non-fungible tokens offer a unique opportunity for creatives to get paid like never before. And I think it's fair to say they're already excited.
With NFTs each actor owns his own DNA and can copy it to another chain or sell it for real money. This opens up multiple use cases for all kinds of actors and celebs in entertainment, sports and even politicians.
The majority of celebrities need a trustline from another famous person that proves they are close friends and could confirm that they know each other with a special nft.
Or they use nft's as tickets to different events/performances where only ticket holders will be let in, or have merchandise (such as pieces of clothing) that can be owned by anyone, who checks if he is wearing authentic material, designed by celebrities and more.
That's how many Hollywood biggies pulling money and wealth from NFTs.
From Snoop dogg, Shawn Mendes, Eminem to Lindsay Lohan.
I wanna see sum emerging artist NFT drops. Lemme see what u got. 👀👀💎💎
— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) November 7, 2021
Caption: Twitter ( a tweet by snoop dogg )
The possibilities for fun, new business models and intellectual property protection are nearly endless. CryptoKitties (now with a gaming spinoff), for example, has already spawned its own cottage industry of collectibles and inspired other DApps like Etherbots.
And if you want a more established NFT example that's poised to take off, just look at China's TON project from tech giant Bitmain.
The social media platform is built around NFTs that can represent celebrities and brands, giving them control over their image rights.
Now imagine taking these ideas—decentralized applications run by crypto token holders—and applying them to everything from music royalties to real estate ownership. As you can see, there are big things ahead for non-fungible tokens.
Big Brands too attracted to NFTs
Facebook is working on a gaming platform called Facebook Gaming, which will allow developers to tokenize in-game items. Meanwhile, Fortnite developer Epic Games recently announced plans to do something similar with its own collectibles, though it isn't clear when that feature will go live.
With big brands getting involved with blockchain NFTs, expect more mainstream brands and apps to get on board—and for tokens of all types to become even more popular.
One reason they're interested in NFTs? Digital collectibles have proven to be a viral hit with players and fans, which means there's a lot of potential for mainstream brands to appeal to their target audience.
Think about it—if you're Nike, what better way is there to get your sneakers into young people's hands than by partnering with CryptoKitties or an NFT game? Especially since, if they do well with crypto-collectibles, brands can then leverage that success into real life—they could start selling limited edition shoes in stores tied to crypto-collectibles.
Image Credits: unsplash
How can Brands Attract Attention with NFTs :
By now, you've probably heard a thing or two about non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and blockchain.
Maybe your cousin even keeps asking you why he can't trade his CryptoKitties on any of your favorite exchanges.
Regardless of how much awareness you have, it's time to understand exactly what NFTs are and why they matter in today's world. If brands hope to attract attention using NFTs, they should consider learning more about their benefits — especially when it comes to customization, branding, and collectability.
The opportunities for brands to attract attention are endless. If a brand can pinpoint who its target audience is, there's no telling what kinds of collectables it could create with NFTs. Some companies have even begun using blockchain technology and celebrity tie-ins to directly reach their customers.
In early 2018, Joe Montana teamed up with Primalbase to raise funds and awareness for concussion research and treatment. Fans had a chance to bid in an auction and purchase one of 10 limited edition Big Game 99 jerseys that once belonged to Joe Montana himself.
All transactions were made through QKC Chain – blockchain platform that allows users and collectors to securely own, buy, sell, donate or trade any NFT in existence.
Does celebs NFTs goes very high?
Celebrities could also prove to be very influential in how people think about non-fungible tokens.
As noted above, celebs are known for having large social media followings—but non-fungibles will likely catch on in much more mainstream contexts as well.
For example, imagine buying a concert ticket or donating to a charity using a custom NFT of your favorite musician's latest song or album art? You may just get that warm fuzzy feeling (like getting an autograph) without even realizing it. Not only would you feel like you have a special token of your own, but other NFTs like it will likely be seen as more valuable as well.
You may have noticed in our list of projects at the beginning of this post that there are plenty of non-fungible token collectibles based on celebrities.
This is because their fans want a more personalized experience when it comes to collecting memorabilia and creating digital representations of their favorite artists, actors, comedians and athletes.
The ubiquity that smart contracts offer means that such projects could reach new levels in terms of creative representation. Such offerings would allow for items to be one-of-one or one-of-few, making unique tokens even more desirable—and likely worth significantly more than similar NFTs not linked to a celebrity.
Near it in the field, I remember, were three faint points of light, three telescopic stars infinitely remote, and all around it was the unfathomable darkness of empty space
Mathematics and Statistics4
NFT6
Quantitative Finance15
Quantitative Trading Strategies3
Risk management1
10 Top NFT Marketplace Development Companies Of 2023
Python for Profit: A Beginner's Guide to Making Money with Python in Trading
From Immutable to Mutable: A Beginner's Guide to Python Mutability and its Implications
Python for Profit: A Beginner's Guide to Making Money with Python in Trading
Introduction In the world of programming, one of the most important concepts to understand is mutability.
The challenges in Statistical Arbitrage
What is StatArb? Statistical arbitrage(StatArb) is a popular quantitative trading strategy that involves identifying and exploiting
Trading smarter: An introduction to Time-Weighted Average Price (TWAP) strategy
What is Time Weighted Average Price ( TWAP )? TWAP, or Time-Weighted Average Price, is a
Qnance's mission is to provide the best educational resources for systematic trading, mathematical finance, and quantitative development. Our goal is to improve the profitability of your structured transactions and help you achieve a lucrative and exciting career in the world of quantitative finance and investment.
Python for Profit: A Beginner's Guide to Making Money with
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text: Computes [hailstone numbers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collatz_conjecture)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Setting up your LinkedIn profile for success
We talk with a career coach about setting up a LinkedIn profile for success.
Posted at 9:00 AM, Aug 17, 2020
GREEN BAY (NBC 26) -- At a time when many people are looking for work, LinkedIn can be a valuable tool to help job seekers stand out in the market.
We talked with Paula Christensen, a career coach and certified professional resume writer, about how to maximize a profile for the best chance at success.
How to stand out in a crowded job market
Christensen said keywords are an important part of getting noticed. She said the Headline and About sections should be packed with keywords related to your job, duties, and goals.
"It's very searchable within LinkedIn's algorithms to find those keywords," Christensen said.
If you're not sure how to structure your about section, Christensen said there are a couple of tried and true methods.
"Some people do the who, what, goals structure," she said. "So, he could write about who he is, what he does for a living, what he's going to school for, and then the goals. "Other people do a strengths section. Pick out five key strengths that are really important for that next role that you want and then list those keywords in your about section and maybe a sentence about how you emulate that strength."
Christensen also recommends that the full profile be filled out. Experience and education should be detailed and go back more than a current job. For recent college graduates, the education section can also include relevant courses. Skills should also be filled out.
"That's really important," Christensen said. Your skills section, you can list up to 50 skills, and those skills really help with those search algorithms and develop those keywords you would be associated with."
Where to turn with Job Centers closed
Finally, Christensen said job seekers should try to maximize endorsements and connections. LinkedIn is a social media platform, and people should try to take advantage of what it offers.
"I think it's been really important for people because a lot of people are craving that personal connection and we can't really have that in the same way anymore," she said. "So LinkedIn has been really great for that. I'm seeing a lot more activity."
Job Search - Indeed List of food resources for Northeast Wisconsin List of employment resources for Northeast Wisconsin List of community resources for Northeast Wisconsin COVID crisis: Getting help financially for business or rent
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text:
One Man's Journey
By Dennis Chadwick
I first met Dennis Chadwick when he owned the Blue Waters Hotel, at Orford. My wife and I and our friends were regulars at 'The Bluey' as it was called with some affection. Dennis too, was unlike many hoteliers in that many of his patrons developed an affection for a man who worked the pub astutely with his wife, Sid. During his tenure as the owner, his wife became ill and the pub was sold. Dennis took her across the world and lost her in England. He returned to Orford for a short while before leaving for all time. It was after his return that he approached me about his memoirs. He had first-drafted them simply to leave a record of his footprint, his own uneventful journey, as he refers to it in the final paragraphs of this memoir. It becomes an important record of his early days in Hobart and other parts of Tasmania; growing up and growing away from family, in pre and post WWII, eventually coming to Orford and like most publicans becoming the central character to... More > pub-based socializing.< Less
Paul Tapp (Standard Copyright License)
First Edition (soft cover)
Paul Tapp
http://www.lulu.com/shop/dennis-chadwick/one-mans-journey/paperback/product-22649435.html
Dennis Chadwick
Orford
punter


In comforming one of its objectives, the Local Government of Sta. Cruz Adventure Club (LOGSAC) led the expedition team to Mount Apo last April 27-30, 2009 via Sibulan Trail, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. LOGSAC already signified its desire to assist the municipality of Sta. Cruz in eco-tourism activities such as Mount Apo climbs, among others.
There were 70 expedition team members composed of mountaineers from Mindanao such as Tupi South Cotabato, Davao City, Digos City, Marbel, Toril and Tiboli. The climb is an advocacy climb to save and protect Mount Apo through clean up drive.
Faridah, Bryan, Papong and Jonas took head of the delegation which according to them was an overwhelming success.


GAYLORD – Otsego Christian School will be hosting its 30thAnnual School Auction on Saturday, March 2 from 5 to 10 p.m. at Otsego Resort, 696 M-32 East, Gaylord. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.
The event features dinner, entertainment by OCS alumnus Jayden Mason, both a live and silent auction, and their crowd favorite fancy dessert auction.
"Our annual dinner and auction has a special significance this year as our school celebrates its 30th birthday! Come and help us celebrate three decades of "Great and Mighty Things" God has helped us accomplish in the hearts and minds of our youth!" said organizers in their press release.


text:
Asia, Japan
Japan for first time visitors
24/11/2013 by Lucy Daltroff.
The white gloves of the train guards, the language of bowing, the tea ceremonies and the vanishing world of the Geisha. This is Japan for first time visitors
A country unlike any other, that seems to gently lift the visitor into another world. It certainly lifted me! Japan comprises over 3,000 islands with the 4 most important being Honshu (the biggest) Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. The best way of travelling around is to buy the great value Japan Rail Pass in the UK before leaving, which allows unlimited travel. The system is so efficient, that for a nominal sum, it is possible to send heavy bags safely ahead to the next hotel. Kyoto is the heart of traditional Japan, where I was able to have the privilege of attending a tea ceremony (the tea can be a bit bitter) and witness a real life Geisha walking in front of me in the street. It is a wonderful city of shrines, hidden gardens and of bicycle lanes on the pavement and modern shops. Because it was spared any bombing in the WW2 it also has some of the oldest streets in the country.
After Kyoto I decided not to go on the conventional tours around Mount Fuji but to visit Miyajima Island with its virgin forests. Arriving by boat it was possible to witness in the early evening light, the famous floating Torii gate of the 6th century Itsukushima Shrine, standing flaming red in the water. The island is home to many wild deer and there are monkeys on top of Mount Misen, so it was in stark contrast the next day to visit the remains of the A-Bomb Dome in Hiroshima. It was an eerie sight to see large birds circling round the blackened ruin, a timeless reminder of the devastation wrought upon the city 60 years earlier. Nearby, the Peace Memorial Museum drives home, with incredible force, the simple anti-atomic warfare message.
A bit off the beaten track, on the North coast of Honshu, is the city of Matsue where at the beginning of the 17th century, a feudal lord built a formidable castle on the banks of a lake. It is in its original condition, and is the second largest in Japan. Climb the three floors (in bare feet as is the custom) to view its many artefacts including Samurai weapons and armour. It was a bit surreal to come out of this other world to bump into a man with a pig on a lead, walking down the street, but I did, and this encounter took me to the entrance of the memorial museum to the 19th century writer and traveller Lafcadio Hearn. He was the son of an Irish father and a Greek mother and known for his many books about Japan. Lafcadio, took Japanese nationality and married Setsu, the daughter of a Samurai.
The whole area around Matsue is built on the many natural Hot Springs (onsen) found in Japan and most hotels provide facilities so that their medicinal and social advantages can be enjoyed. I learnt quickly that the water is just for soaking in; it is necessary to wash and rinse thoroughly, using the provided showers, before entering the bath.
Feeling totally cleansed I reached my next stop, the attractive town of Kurashiki, famous for its black tiled warehouse buildings, which were originally used to store the rice. This was paid as a tax, and arrived by means of the pretty tree-lined canal that runs through the town.
Many of these storehouses have now been converted into pottery and art galleries and include the Ohara Museum, built to commemorate Kojima Torajiro, a Western-style painter. Another had become an exclusive Ryokyan (typical Japanese Inn) where I stayed and where a momentous dinner was served in the adjoining room, served as I sat on the floor on my tatami (straw mat). Sushi, fresh fish, tempura vegetables, the food is healthy and delicious.
The frantic energy of Tokyo was a contrast to all that had gone before. Staying in the luxurious Grand Hyatt in the elegant new shopping area of Roppongi Hills gave immediate access to most areas of the city. The hotel's stylish use of large areas of wood and stone created a very calming 'Zen garden' ambience – a great retreat from the bustle outside, as does the range of high standard restaurants offering diverse cuisine.
The efficient subway system, right on the doorstep is quite complicated as each line is run by a different company, but once that is understood there seemed to be always people willing to help – and improve their language skills at the same time. English is fashionable and many teenagers wear tee shirts with mottoes printed all over them that are badly translated, and make no sense!
So, Japan for first time visitors: Another world? I is different from anywhere I have been before. Would I go back? Most certainly.
Tell me more about Japan for first time visitors
Lucy flew with JAL www.jal.com
Her trip was partly organised by Inside Japan www.info@insidejapantours.com
Rooms are available at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo www.tokyo.grand.hyatt.com
Getting into Hot Water in Kyushu Japan
Tunisia increases visitors from UK by 29% this year.
Prince Minnesota home opens to visitors


Bucks GM Jon Horst could win Executive of the Year.
Milwaukee Bucks GM Jon Horst sat down with Business Insider to discuss the Bucks' impressive season so far.
The Bucks could have the MVP, Coach of the Year, Executive of the Year, and No. 1 overall seed, something Horst called "exceptional."
Horst weighed in on Giannis Antetokounmpo's growth as a player, calling him the "center point" of the franchise.
With several key players hitting free agency this offseason, Horst said the Bucks want to keep their team together.
Horst said that most metrics show the Bucks stack up well with previous championship contenders and that he believes they have a real chance to contend this season.
It's been quite the season for the Milwaukee Bucks.
As they head out of the All-Star break, they own the best record in the NBA at 43-14, the MVP frontrunner in Giannis Antetokounmpo, a first-time All-Star in Khris Middleton, and a candidate for Coach of the Year in Mike Budenholzer.
The team has all the signs of being a real contender. They own the NBA's biggest point differential, the best defense in the league, and the fourth-best offense. They're the only team to rank in the top five in both categories.
Now, as they head into the home stretch of the season, they'll be trying to prove they have what it takes to contend for a championship.
During All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bucks GM Jon Horst, a contender for Executive of the Year, spoke to Business Insider about building the best team in the league, the growth of Giannis Antetokounmpo, and their championship odds.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and condensed for length.
Scott Davis: I know it's early, but you could be looking at a season where you have the MVP, Coach of the Year, Executive of the Year, and the 1st seed in the East and NBA. How do you view that and the growth of the team in one year?
Giannis Antetokounmpo is an MVP candidate.
Jon Horst: I think it's exceptional. It's exceptional what we've done. A lot of the credit, obviously, to Giannis and to [head coach Mike] "Bud" [Budenholzer], and just everything they've done and the style of play that we have and how it fits.
I do think that we've done some really nice things with the roster, with Brook [Lopez] and Ersan [Ilyasova] and drafting Donte [DiVincenzo]. Sterling [Brown] and D.J. [Wilson] ended up becoming players that have helped us. But nothing overshadows just Giannis' development. Continues to develop as a player, as a star, as a leader of our team, and the center point of our franchise. So, I think it's remarkable and exceptional and a lot of fun to be a part of.
Davis: It's a little simplistic to ask, but is there any part of your roster that is built around Giannis like a LeBron James team, where you have this unstoppable force going to the basket, with shooters around him?
Horst: I mean, honestly, no. I think Giannis and LeBron are similar in that they're both great players, and Giannis would tell you that he wants to accomplish the things that LeBron has accomplished and more. We want to do that as a franchise.
But I think they're very different players, actually. They do it in a different way. Giannis' agility and his finesse and his touch and his length and his reach and all these things that he does, I think they're very different players. The very basic level of creating space for your best player and your superstar to operate, I would say yes. But I think they have very different skill sets and different areas where they get guys shots, different ways in which they get guys shots, different ways in which they get their own shots.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has a grown during his time with the Bucks.
Davis: In what areas have you seen Giannis grow? I recall a Sports Illustrated profile a year ago in which he said he's not the same kid who was talking about how much he loves smoothies anymore. What do you see that has changed in him, as a person?
Horst: He's changed in so many ways. He's grown physically in stature, he's grown in his understanding of our culture, and he's grown in his language, he's grown in his interpersonal relationships, and family dynamics that he has. He's grown as a leader with our team and how he handles that. He's grown in a lot of ways, a lot of which is maturity. Very proud of him. He's extremely intelligent, extremely humble, extremely loyal. Really just a blessing to have part of our group.
Davis: You hear so often about the idea of players who lead by example, which can often mean they're not terribly vocal. Is Giannis like that or has he grown in his vocal leadership, too?
Horst: He's always been that lead-by-example guy because he plays so hard, he's so intense, so competitive, and does the right things. He is a true, passionate superstar in doing the right things every step of the way to maximize what he can be. But he's definitely grown in the verbal aspect.
Davis: You made a trade at the deadline for Nikola Mirotic. He certainly fits your system, but how did you identify him, specifically, among available players?
Horst: How do we identify? The same way we identify everything we do. We have a process, and it's holistic, from an analytics perspective, scouting perspective, operationally, where are we going to get our advantages in a cap and strategy aspect. Coaching dynamic, bringing in the coaches into the discussion to understand what they see and how they think the fit goes. And from a performance standpoint — aging curves, past injury history, upside, and athletic performance, etc. etc.
So, everything we do, that's how we do it, that's how we identify. And with Nikola, as is sometimes the case, kinda like all the stars align. And everything kinda pointed to him being a great fit and being the right opportunity. And he wasn't the only one; there were other guys. And then we go into our process of trying to talk to the teams and negotiate the best deals that we can. But he was clearly our No. 1 target, and our goal was to go in and try and get a deal done and get him and do the best that we could.
Nikola Mirotic was a big pick-up for the Bucks at the trade deadline.
Davis: Is there concern defensively about playing him and Brook Lopez at the 4 and 5?
Horst: No. And really that's a credit to Brook. I think he's a super underrated defender. Really needs to get more credit for his impact on our on- [the court], off- [the court splits] offensively and defensively are exceptional, maybe even one of the best on our team. Top five or six in the league, I think in blocked shots. His impact on rebounding is significant. Even though he doesn't average a lot of rebounds per game, the team rebounding percentages go up significantly when Brook is on the floor.
And so, Brook at the back of our defense really cleans up a lot for all of our guys. And Giannis will tell you that, Khris and Eric [Bledsoe] will tell you that ... And Niko is really intelligent and will be in the right places, and I think he'll do just as well.
Davis: Brook's three-point shooting gets a lot of attention, and some people say he's been one of the best signings of the offseason. He's shooting it from deep more often and hitting them at a great clip. Who has been instrumental in taking him to that next level?
Brook Lopez is 12th in the NBA in made threes.
Horst: He's really now one of the best shooters in our league, and so, it starts with him. People don't know this about Brook, but he's a tireless worker, one of the first guys in the gym. Loves the gym. He's a gym rat. Loves the group, loves to be around, loves to shoot, loves to work on his game. All you gotta do is watch one of his pregame workouts to see how hard he goes at it.
But Ben Sullivan is the guy who does a lot of work with him shooting, and Ben has done a great job, a tremendous job in kind of extending his range, getting him more comfortable shooting against the contest, being a little more comfortable putting the ball on the floor, making a move to get to his shot. And so, he's definitely worked on a lot of these things. But the credit really starts with Brook and his work ethic.
Davis: I know you have to be careful with these things, but the Bucks were reportedly on the list of destinations for a star player who wants a trade. What does that tell you about Milwaukee as a city, a market, and a team?
Horst: Not specific to the first part of the question about being on a list or not on a list, but I think, for us, in Milwaukee, we love our core group. We love our guys. Giannis is a superstar of our franchise, great supporting cast with Malcolm [Brogdon] and Khris and Eric and Brook, and the depth of our roster. Bud as a coach. We love what we have.
We talk every day about trying to recruit from within. And so, we first and foremost want to recruit from within and maintain and keep our guys. We think we have a great group and a great core. We think with our brand new facilities, the powerful ownership we have, Giannis as a superstar, Bud as a coach, all the things that we're doing in Milwaukee, the excitement that we have, that it will become a destination, more than it has been in the past. And that players will wanna play, not only with Giannis but in our city, with our group of guys.
Davis: There's the idea of "pre-agency," where teams have to consider the prospect of keeping star players before their contracts are up. Giannis is not far away from that now. How do you guys plan to handle that?
Horst: He is far away from it. He's got two more years on his contract. That's a pretty long time in the NBA, so we're not thinking about Giannis' free agency. Giannis is the core of our franchise; we're the No. 1 team in the NBA, we think we have a chance to compete and do some really special things this year. We plan on keeping this team together going forward, starting next year with some of the free agents that we actually do have, with guys like Eric and Khris and Malcolm and Brook. And we think we'll have a great case for Giannis now and going forward.
The Bucks want to keep their team together.
Davis: As you mentioned, you have some big players coming up on free agency like Middleton, Lopez, and Bledsoe. Is there a result this season that would dictate how you handle the offseason?
Horst: We believe in this group. They've proven to this point that they can be very successful regular season play. The playoffs are gonna be a good tell for this team. But just if, for whatever reason, we don't have the success that we wanna have in the playoffs, it's not an indictment on this group — it's just another learning curve, another step for a young superstar, a young core group of guys that have proven to be as good as anyone in the league in the regular season. So, if we have a gap at the end of the season, we'll figure out how to fill that gap also. We wanna keep this group together.
Davis: You're leading the league in net rating. By point differential, you're in the same group as the Warriors in recent years, the Rockets last year, and some other recent contenders. What do some of the advanced numbers tell you guys about what this team is and where you might be able to go?
Horst: Great question. In terms of regular season performance as an indicator for being a contender — which there's something to that, obviously — your overall win-loss record is a key factor, what your net margin is is a key factor, and what you're really, what we think your offensive rating and defensive rating, those are key metrics. And we've tested those throughout history, and they really are good indicators for success and contending. We're the only team in the NBA in the top five rating offensively and defensively. We're No. 1 in defense and No. 5 or 4 in offense. We have the No. 1 net margin in the league, and our net margin is historic and lines up with some of the teams that have won the championship in the last couple of years — Golden State, as you mentioned. And then our record against the better teams in the NBA is actually really good this year. So we've played well against the best teams.
What that tells us, is that we are built for a team that can contend. But this team has not won a playoff series in 17 years. This franchise has not won a playoff series in 17 years. Giannis, Khris, and Malcolm have never been part of a playoff series win. George Hill, Brook, some of those guys have won a little bit, but there's a lot of unknown going into the playoffs. So we wanna build off of last year. We wanna have a first-round playoff series win. And then we wanna see what goes on from there.
The Bucks think they can contend for a championship.
Davis: This is a bit more anecdotal than the last question, but the league is obviously built on superstars. You have a superstar in Giannis, and Khris is a first-time All-Star, but you're not lumped in the "superteams" group. Do you feel like you have enough to compete with the other stacked teams in the league?
Horst: I could say the whole thing again, but really, my answer would be what I just said. If you look at the metrics and numbers — and we trust data — this team is one of the top-scoring teams, not only in the NBA but in the last couple of years, as constructed.
I think what that means is, even though, guys like Khris or Eric or Malcolm or Brook don't have the whole statistics ... these guys have sacrificed for a style of play to win and to be really good. You know, Khris Middleton, on a per-36 [minutes] basis, is kinda playing like, not a superstar, but definitely, like a pretty solid All-Star. He's an All-Star this year. The guy's playing 31 minutes per game. Well, he's playing 31 minutes a game because we're beating people by double-digits every night. And so if Khris were playing 35, 36 minutes per game, he might be averaging 24 points per game. If Eric Bledsoe was playing 35, 36 minutes, I think Eric could be averaging 20. And so, we're really good. I think we have really talented players that fit a system and fit our superstar, and I think that we have a real chance.


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text:
Q: How to stay zoomed in emacs rnw I am writing using knitr/sweave and hence working from an rnw file in emacs. When I zoom (c-+) the enhanced buffer only stays zoomed in for a little while before reverting back to standard font size. I have none of these problems using regular tex files or other file types in emacs
Any ideas?


Many of us feel our home is the safest place to be. Unfortunately, the harmful effects of poor indoor air quality mean that is not always true. When we do not take the proper steps to protect the air in our home, it can become contaminated with dust, pollen, pet dander, mold and even dangerous chemicals.
We understand your family's health and safety is one of your top priorities, so we offer a variety of cutting-edge solutions to keep your indoor air pure.
On average, indoor air is between two and five times more polluted than outdoor air, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, indoor air pollution has been ranked among the top five environmental risks to human health.
The short-term effects of indoor air pollution include irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Those with asthma or allergies may find their symptoms worsened. Sometimes, the effects of poor indoor air quality are more subtle and do not present themselves immediately. Over time, however, these subtle symptoms may lead to severe respiratory issues and others.
The Blair's Air Conditioning and Heating team is here to help you create a safer, healthier environment in your home. Whether your air quality is suffering from inadequate ventilation, high humidity or other factors, we have the solutions you need.
These systems trap dust mites, bacteria and other pollutants circulating through your home's air, then use electricity to kill or deactivate them.
Indoor humidity levels should be kept between 30 and 50 percent. Without enough moisture in the air, it may difficult to breathe. However, too much moisture in the air may cause your home to become a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. Whether your home's humidity levels are too low or too high, we can help you make it just right.
These devices use the power of ultraviolet light to stop mold and bacteria in their tracks. When installed inside your air handler, they are perfectly safe and highly effective in eliminating harmful microorganisms.
Without proper ventilation, airborne contaminates stay trapped inside your home and continue circulating through your air. A ventilator works with your air conditioner or heat pump to bring in clean, fresh air from outside without wasting energy.
Although they're hidden from view, your home's air ducts can accumulate substantial amounts of dust and other pollutants and spread them throughout your home. A professional duct cleaning will help everyone breathe easier.
Boost Your Home's Indoor Air Quality Today!
The Blair's Air Conditioning and Heating team is here to help you protect your most valuable asset – your family's well-being. Our air quality specialists know your home is constantly evolving with new additions and renovations, meaning your indoor air quality needs are constantly fluctuating. To help you maintain a safe, healthy and comfortable environment all year long, we'll evaluate your entire home to determine which solutions are best for you and your family.
To learn more about improving your indoor air quality, give us a call today.


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Waymo's robot minivans are ready to roll in the Bay Area for the first time since COVID-19 outbreak
Waymo's self-driving cars are returning to Bay Area roads for the first time since the company halted its public testing in early March because of the coronavirus outbreak. The Alphabet-owned company plans to return its fleet of autonomous minivans to service starting June 8th, according to an email obtained by The Verge.
Waymo's self-driving cars will be put to use delivering packages for two Bay Area non-profits: illustrator Wendy McNaughton's #DrawTogether, which provides art kits to Bay Area kids; and Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
The company is the latest autonomous vehicle operator to discover that doing deliveries allows it to sidestep restrictions that would otherwise require them to keep their autonomous vehicles off the road. Waymo, along with the rest of California's AV companies, paused on-road testing in mid-March after the city issued a "shelter-in-place" order banning all nonessential travel. That order does not have a set end date.
doing deliveries allows Waymo to sidestep shelter-in-place restrictions
Waymo's robot minivans are already back on the road in the Phoenix area, as well as the company's private test facility in California's Central Valley.
It's unclear how many vehicles will be involved in the deliveries, or how many vehicle operators will be called back to work. Waymo's backup drivers are employed by Transdev North America, which provides bus drivers, streetcar conductors, and other transportation workers to airports and cities. Waymo signed a multi-year contract with Transdev last summer, an acknowledgment that Waymo will be relying on test drivers for many years to come.
Transdev will call back a "portion" of its vehicle operators based on "job skills, business need, and seniority," the Transdev email reads. "We will slowly increase this number week after week, while maintaining a wealth of safety measures and training to accustom you to the new procedures." Employees who aren't being called back are still required to clock in for 40-hours a week, and keep up with their training, the company says. Those employees will continue to be paid.
The non-profit deliveries will only require a single operator in each vehicle and will be "SD [single driver] mission[s]," according to the email. Only a certain number of backup drivers have been trained to ride in Waymo's autonomous vehicles by themselves. Transdev's goal is to "restart critical dual driving missions," meaning operations that require two vehicle operators, but that date has yet to be determined.
"restart critical dual driving missions"
Vehicle operators with "qualified reasons related to COVID-19," like a pre-existing medical condition, a relative with a pre-existing condition, or childcare obligations, can opt out of returning to work, the email says. Backup drivers who will be returning to work are required to complete training sessions, including social distancing and disinfection guidelines. Temperature checks are required for anyone entering Waymo's facilities, and maximum capacity will be enforced.
"Back in March, we decided to suspend our driving operations in response to COVID-19 to ensure the safety of everyone involved in our services and local communities," a spokesperson for Waymo said in a statement. "After careful consideration and active conversations with our teams, partners, and local and state authorities, we've begun over the last several weeks to resume our driving operations in Phoenix. Soon San Franciscans will also begin to see some Waymo vehicles back on the road, and we're proud to provide charitable delivery support to community partners. The health and safety of our team is our number one priority as we begin to drive again in San Francisco."
As The Verge has previously reported, tension is high between Waymo and some of its operation staff since the company signed a contract with Transdev last year. Vacation time was cut, health insurance didn't improve, and issues of workplace safety went unaddressed, according to a half-dozen workers who spoke to The Verge for a story in February. And some drivers said they were increasingly nervous about picking up passengers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the outbreak is exposing divisions between drivers and full-time employees at the Google spinoff. But Waymo has continued to pay its workers despite three months of downtime, while other self-driving companies have cut their operations staff.
One Bay Area-based driver told The Verge they were glad to get back to work, but that this latest announcement about non-profit delivery suggests the company may have "found a loophole to get back to testing."
Another driver said in a statement provided by Waymo that they were "excited to get back to work, to be productive once again and to continue our missions that we've all trained hard for." The driver praised Waymo and Transdev for doing "exceptionally well during these tough times."
The Verge's favorite hobbies to do while stuck at home
These bears work quietly to protect your online privacy


We're so glad you're here. First Presbyterian Church exists to make disciples in Macon to reach the world for Christ.	This means that we recognize Jesus as the King of every area of our lives – where we live, work, and play.
FPC Macon offers active ministries for every age group and stage of life, regular church-wide events, and local and global missions. We would love for you to plug in and serve at our church.


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Texas SBDCs launch SBDCStream business development trainings across South-West Texas Border SBDC Network
May 16, 2017 by iedwebmaster
UTSA Small Business Development Center pilots webinar series to increase access to industry experts
SAN ANTONIO, (May 12, 2017) – In an effort to increase access to small business development trainings for clients of Texas Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), the South-West Texas Border SBDC Network is launching a webinar series called #SBDCStream from its lead center at The University of Texas at San Antonio.
The San Antonio Small Business Development Center (SASBDC), hosted at UTSA's Institute for Economic Development, will conduct the network's first web-based training this month.
#SBDCStream is a unique approach allowing SBDCs across rural and metropolitan Texas to participate in real-time streaming workshops led by business experts. SBDCs from across the SWTXB Network will rotate hosting the reoccurring #SBDCStream while partnering SBDCs will facilitate live viewings for clients from their respective training locations.
"Our San Antonio SBDC is excited to launch this innovative approach that underlines the South-West Texas Border SBDC Network's commitment to economic growth through client success," said Morrison Woods, San Antonio SBDC director.
The SASBDC is the lead Center for the South-West Texas Border SBDC Network, which includes 10 SBDC field centers across a 79 county region.
SBDC Stream: "HR Red Flags" by Dierdre Patillo, SPHR, SHRM-SCP; Project Manager – SBDC Procurement Technical Assistance Center
Time: 12:00 PM CT
Stream: Visit txsbdc.org for local SBDCs participating in #SBDCStream
Cost: Cost will vary by Center
Physical Location: UTSA Institute for Economic Development
San Antonio Small Business Development Center
Durango Building Room 2.316
501 W. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd.
Learn more about the Institute for Economic Development: iedtexas.org
Learn more about San Antonio Small Business Development Center: sasbdc.org
Follow on Facebook: facebook.com/UTSASBDC
Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/UTSASBDC
About the UTSA Institute for Economic Development
The UTSA Institute for Economic Development is dedicated to growing businesses, creating jobs and fostering economic development. Focused on building the economy one business at a time, the Institute consists of 10 centers and programs that provide professional business advising, technical training, research and strategic planning for entrepreneurs, business owners and community leaders. These programs serve Greater San Antonio, the Texas-Mexico border area as well as regional, national and international stakeholders. Together with the federal, state and local governments, and private businesses, the UTSA Institute for Economic Development fosters economic and community development in support of UTSA's community engagement mission. In 2016, the Institute generated direct regional economic impact of 7,517 jobs, started 591 new businesses, $447 million in new financing, $78 million in new tax revenue and exceeded $1.4 billion in new sales, exports and contracts. For more information, visit iedtexas.org
About the UTSA South-West Texas Border (SWTXB) SBDC Network
The South-West Texas Border SBDC Network stretches for 79 counties across south, central, west and Gulf Coast Texas. This vast and diverse territory encompasses 108,000 square miles including our state's capitol. To meet the challenge of providing services to aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs, the Network operates 10 professional staffed SBDC centers. The SBDC is funded in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), The University of Texas at San Antonio, as well as colleges and universities throughout the Network's territory. The 29,751 advising and training clients served in 2016 represent almost 20 percent of the 148,784 employer businesses in the service area. SWTXB SBDC Network clients continue to outperform the average Texas business in sales and employment. Those clients, who represent the Network's long-term impact, also generated more than $62 million in state tax revenues for Texas. For more information, visit txsbdc.org


Day Dreaming About The Good Times? is the first major retrospective of documentary photographer Paul Reas at Ffotogallery's Penarth venue, Turner House. It takes an interesting, albeit partial, look at Reas' work, which stretches from his early days as a student in 1982 up to 2012.
Through his camera, Reas succeeds in capturing the dignity of working-class people. He is not one for pitying the poor worker, nor does he sanitise the past. There is a frankness to his work, which itself reflects the often straight-forward attitudes in such communities (as in the one where he grew up).
Emphasising this, greeting you as you enter Turner House are four photographs of working-class people in their work environment, one of which portrays a young man in his early twenties holding the severed heads of two pigs.
Having grown up in a working-class mining district in Yorkshire, Reas intuitively understands what is happening in such areas, whether at home or in the Welsh Valleys. He comes from the outside with an insider's eye. He is therefore able to capture scenes 'as is' with dignity and respect, working from the outset with none of the baggage certain 'outsider' documentary photographers bring; that sense of wallowing in the misery of the working class before moving on to the next project.
On the floor above, his work for the advertising industry in the Nineties (Editorial and Advertising) are juxtaposed with scenes of working-class women in factories actually making things (The Valleys Project, 1985). Consumption on the one hand, production on the other.
In the most current display (From A Distance, 2012), this contrast is self-contained. In between photos of Elephant and Castle residents facing uncertainty and change, are images of incense pots from the local market which promise to remove such insecurity.
Perhaps it is just personal experience colouring my view, but I found the latter From A Distance section to be, ironically, uncertain in its purpose. While containing some fine photographs, the collection on the whole lacks the straightforward insight of Reas' earlier work.
Yet for all the contrast and insight on display, perhaps the most telling picture is from the series I Can Help (1985-1988). Cataloguing the rise of consumerism and a new middle-class boom, this very much captures a time. This photo sees a family shopping for a child's duvet cover. Yet what strikes the viewer first of all is the sight of the father smoking a cigarette. Indoors.
This single image is as informative of the shift in the UK as those of the mines. Due to a concerted government effort, not least in Wales, the social prominence of cigarettes has been drastically reduced so that they are now widely regarded as being poisonous and aesthetically unpleasant.
Day Dreaming About The Good Times? is a powerful retrospective that captures a distinct sense of what it was like to experience and exist in the aftermath of the 1980s (through which we are still living), for better or worse.


So I came back and haven't really made too many things lately. I'm just savoring the last few weeks of summer over here. Plus, Doug bought us a new TV which has been eating into my sewing time. :) Tonight I have a couple of projects to show you that are in the works. No explanations, just pictures!!
We got the work in progress today, and I love it!! Such the perfect gift for Henry seeing as the only towel he has is a hand-me-down from Grace so it is pink.
Thank you so much Sarah!! When I get back to the sewing room, I might just have to make a hoodie towel for my pregnant friends. Such a great gift idea!!
And, of course, Grace and George love their new game. So thoughtful!!


FREE DELIVERY ON THIS FITTING - MAINLAND UK! A beautiful 8 light, twin ring antique brass fitting, fully loaded with stunning Asfour crystal squares. As each ring can be pivoted individually, different designs can be created from this one item.
A fascinating twin ring Antique Brass collection fully loaded with strands of stunning Asfour crystal squares. As each ring can be pivoted independently, different designs can be created from the one item. The inner strings of crystal are longer in length than the outer ring thus creating a more unique family of light fittings. Telescopic suspensions were selected to give the items a more define and contemporary appearance.


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Q: Перетаскивание элемента SVG поверх другого элемента SVG Есть ли способ перетащить элемент SVG поверх другого SVG элемента ?
Я попытался,  как в этом уроке но, я могу перетащить только тот, который я поставил вторым сверху над первым.
Я не могу перетащить первый квадрат за второй без проблем. Кто-нибудь знает, как это решить?
Вот полный tutorial: http://archive.petercollingridge.co.uk/book/export/html/437
Свободный перевод вопроса Dragging SVG element over another SVG element от участника  @user3047561.

A: Итак, вот пример решения с комментариями внутри кода:

<svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1" width="400" height="200">

    <style>
      .draggable {
        cursor: move;
      }
    </style>

    <script type="text/ecmascript"><![CDATA[
    var selectedElement = 0;
    var currentX = 0;
    var currentY = 0;
    var currentMatrix = 0;

 function cloneToTop(oldEl){
   // already at top, don't go farther…
   if(oldEl.atTop==true) return oldEl;
   // делаем копию этого узла
   var el = oldEl.cloneNode(true);
    //выберите все перетаскиваемые элементы, ни один из них не находится наверху
   var dragEls= oldEl.ownerDocument.documentElement.querySelectorAll('.draggable');
   for(i=0; i<dragEls.length; i++){
    dragEls[i].atTop=null;
    }
   var parent = oldEl.parentNode;
   // удалить исходный узел
   parent.removeChild(oldEl);
   // вставьте наш новый узел сверху (последний нарисованный элемент сначала отображается в svg)
     parent.appendChild(el);
     // Скажите миру, что наш новый элемент наверху
   el.atTop= true;
   return el;
   }

    function selectElement(evt) {
      selectedElement = cloneToTop(evt.target);
      currentX = evt.clientX;
      currentY = evt.clientY;
      currentMatrix = selectedElement.getAttributeNS(null, "transform").slice(7,-1).split(' ');

      for(var i=0; i<currentMatrix.length; i++) {
        currentMatrix[i] = parseFloat(currentMatrix[i]);
      }

      selectedElement.setAttributeNS(null, "onmousemove", "moveElement(evt)");
      selectedElement.setAttributeNS(null, "onmouseout", "deselectElement(evt)");
      selectedElement.setAttributeNS(null, "onmouseup", "deselectElement(evt)");
    }

    function moveElement(evt) {
      var dx = evt.clientX - currentX;
      var dy = evt.clientY - currentY;
      currentMatrix[4] += dx;
      currentMatrix[5] += dy;

      selectedElement.setAttributeNS(null, "transform", "matrix(" + currentMatrix.join(' ') + ")");
      currentX = evt.clientX;
      currentY = evt.clientY;
    }

    function deselectElement(evt) {
      if(selectedElement != 0){
          selectedElement.removeAttributeNS(null, "onmousemove");
          selectedElement.removeAttributeNS(null, "onmouseout");
          selectedElement.removeAttributeNS(null, "onmouseup");
          selectedElement = 0;
          }
        }

    ]]> </script>
    <g>
    <circle/>
    </g>

    <rect x="0.5" y="0.5" width="399" height="199" fill="none" stroke="black"/>

    <rect class="draggable" id="blue" x="30" y="30" width="80" height="80" fill="blue" transform="matrix(1 0 0 1 46 18)" onmousedown="selectElement(evt)"/>

    <rect class="draggable" id="green" x="160" y="50" width="50" height="50" fill="green" transform="matrix(1 0 0 1 51 11)" onmousedown="selectElement(evt)"/>

</svg>

Свободный перевод ответа Dragging SVG element over another SVG element от участника  @https://stackoverflow.com/users/3702797/kaiido.


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Using Allyship to Navigate Your Career
Wed, July 21, 2021
Schwab employees
Join moderator Monique Wilson, Program Director at Charles Schwab, while she talks to our panelists about how to use mentorship and allyship to network and navigate your career.
Date: Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Free to members | $10 to non-members
Interested in becoming a member so you can attend for free?
About our moderator, Monique Wilson!
Monique Wilson is a Program Director at Charles Schwab. For over 11 years, Monique has been a dynamic and respected leader with a proven track record for successfully managing complex enterprise level programs and initiatives through the development life cycle. In addition to program management, Monique is passionate about agile processes, business process re-engineering, and change management. She has been recognized in her field for turning around struggling initiatives and building teams. Monique received her MBA from Johns Hopkins University. Her hobbies include saltwater reef keeping, gardening, and spending time with her husband and two kids.
Sergio Cavazos - Managing Director at Charles Schwab
Sergio Cavazos began his Schwab career in 1999 at CyberTrader, a Charles Schwab subsidiary. He has extensive experience within our service organization, helping clients and employees "own their tomorrow." Sergio is currently a Managing Director within Client Service & Support and site leader for the Austin retail contact center. He leads various national business lines, including Chat & Email, Derivatives Services and the Trade Support Group. Sergio is active within our Employee Resource Groups, serving as executive coach for the Austin chapter of Schwab Organization of Latinxs (SOL).
In his spare time, Sergio enjoys attending live music events, listening to audio books and riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle when it's not too hot.
Payton Pangburn - CIT - M&A Software Product Manager at Visa
Payton Pangburn has two professional passions – Master Data Management and Mentoring. Volunteering has always been a part of her passion path, she served as PTO President, Cub & Boy Scouts Mom and on the Tulsa Girls Art School Board as President. Since joining Visa four years ago, she has been involved in the Visa Women in Tech (WiT) Employee Resource Group and leads the Mentoring/Networking Pillar committee. Activities have included Speed Mentoring, Mentoring Circles and more recently 1:1 Networking chats and Virtual Circles during this virtual year.
Juliana Richard - Director of Product Management, Mobile
For over a decade Juliana has focused on launching new technologies that improve the productivity, safety and enjoyment of professionals in healthcare and the construction industry. As the Director of Product Management at Procore, Juliana leads the mobile division in connecting all construction professionals in the field. Previously, Juliana has specialized in the launch of mobile applications focused on physician engagement, AI triage, clinical productivity (EHRs) and monetization at the Advisory Board Company (now Optum), Athenahealth, Babylon Health, and WellSky. Juliana started her career in health policy, working for Senator Harkin in the US Health, Education, Labor and Pensions office and then working at the Advisory Board Company (now part of Optum) as a policy consultant for the White House's National Economic Council, VA Innovation Center, and Senate Finance Committee .


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More than 5,000 Philadelphia transit workers continue walkout
Alan Whyte
About 5,300 subway, trolley, and bus workers in Philadelphia are continuing their strike after walking off their jobs on Monday, October 31. The major issues provoking the walkout against the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) are wages and benefits. About 300 union members held a noontime rally Friday, vowing to stay out until they win. Currently, there are no negotiations taking place between the two sides, and none are planned.
SEPTA's major giveback demand is that all current workers contribute 5 percent of their health insurance and that all future hires contribute 10 percent for their health care premiums. Currently, all employees after two years and three months of employment do not pay for their premiums. However, new hires have no health benefits for the first 90 days; they then contribute 30 percent of the premiums for the first year and 20 percent for their second year of employment.
The agency is also seeking to increase co-payments whenever an employee visits a doctor's office or goes to the hospital. The transit authority officials claim that these givebacks in workers' health benefits are needed to cover an increase of 15 percent in the premiums in the last three years, and that they are facing 18 percent increases in the next two years in order to maintain the current level of health benefits for employees.
However, leaders of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 234, which represents the workers, have said that Blue Cross makes millions of dollars every month and has billions of dollars in reserve. Moreover, the 9 percent wage hike over three years that SEPTA is offering would be offset by management's demand that the workers contribute 5 or 10 percent of the premiums for health care.
Workers charge that SEPTA is seeking a contribution now in order to open the door to greater sacrifices of health benefits in future contracts. The union has complained that its members have already sacrificed better wage increases in past contracts for good health benefits and that now SEPTA is violating the previous agreement.
The media and local politicians are applying pressure to end the walkout. The city's two biggest daily newspapers, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, both wrote editorials criticizing the strike.
Meanwhile, former governor Mark S. Schweiker, who heads the pro-corporation Council for Growth, has said that the strike could be costing as much as $1.5 million a day. He maintains that the major impact of the walkout is from the lost of tourism and convention business. He threatened that the organization's goal to establish permanent funding for mass transit is now being placed in danger by transit workers on strike.
Democratic Governor Ed Rendell has also said that the strike is "killing" any chance of getting regular funding to end the transit agency's budget crises. The governor has insisted that negotiations between the two sides must continue and said he plans to meet separately with both the union and SEPTA to end the strike.
Rendell also said that workers should pay for their health care premiums as SEPTA is demanding, but that payments should be based on how much an employee earns. The governor made his position clear when he said, "The union has to understand that there is not one iota of public support for a position that 'we [the workers] shouldn't be paying part of out healthcare.' "
The spokesman for the union, Bob Bedard, responded, "What SEPTA has asked for is that employees make a contribution to cover health care costs. We have agreed to do that."
The spokesman added that the union "is very grateful that the governor weighed in on the side of fairness." In reality, Rendell's position is in continuity with his role as mayor of Philadelphia in 1998 when he openly sided with SEPTA against the transit workers during a 40-day strike.
North AmericaWorld News