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Extinction internet
Measures such as 'ethical AI' and 'good data' will not bring about social justice, end racial capitalism or forestall climate disaster. How to channel discontent and counter-hegemony into an actual transfer of power in the late platform age?
In the context of internet critique, we are aware that the problem of the present is one of information overload. Precipitated by the subliminal, extractivist architectures of social media and other platformed, networked internet cultures, ours is an era of distraction, exhaustion and anxiety. The French philosopher Bernard Stiegler, who passed away in August 2020, referred to our condition in terms of the Entropocene – analogous to the Anthropocene, albeit an epoch characterised by 'the massive increase of entropy in all its forms (physical, biological and informational)'.1 Not just in the biosphere, but also in the infosphere, the loss of diversity is entropic and is both sterilizing and fragile, collapsing in on itself.2
As Pieter Lemmers and Yuk Hui write,
The truth of our time is a truth to which, according to Stiegler, virtually everyone prefers to close their eyes since it is too traumatic, inconceivable and appalling. It speaks not just about the possible but even the rather likely and imminent end of humanity, or at least of human civilization as we know it.3
What defines our current state of cosmotechnics, as Hui calls it, is a disturbing entanglement of accelerating events, coupled with societal stagnation. Cosmotechnics are the case when a return to the naive stage of globalization is no longer possible, yet geo-political withdrawal near unthinkable. This state of confusion leads to techno-monstrosities, from a rightwing libertarian crypto-boom, the proliferation of fake news and deep fakes, to biased Artificial Intelligence.
The end of the internet as we know it, or even more specifically, the end of network cultures as we have known (and studied) them, comes even nearer.4 Over the past decade, the internet has rapidly shifted from its cool and favourable status as a 'solution' to part of the problem, incapable of reversing its own destructive trends. The seamless transition from Covid into the war in Ukraine, inflation and an energy crisis has only further reinstated the collapse of the bio-info-psycho circuit under the weight of the stack of crises. With each shock we move further up and down what might be thought of as a 'vertical atlas' of conflicts.5
As the Substack persona Angelicism01 – at once an e-poet, theorist and avatar – writes: 'The internet is impossible. I don't think about it because it crushes me. A day on the internet is everything. I cannot know if the internet will end. However, I do know that extinction is looming.' And yet: 'Extinction changes. Extinction is an exchange. Extinction itself is changing. This is what the change machines are saying. This is what it means to go all the way with change. The internet and extinction are inextricably linked. To experience the internet is to experience extinction.'6
My generation was the first to discover that the internet, in both Stiegler's terms and Derrida's, is a pharmakon – both toxic and curative. Critique of its underlying premises, of the Californian Ideology, must therefore encompass both rejection and proposition. How to bring together analysis and critique into radical, pragmatic networks that can make a difference in terms of research, policy and the development of alternatives? Can the 'online self' liberate itself from capture by the vanity marketing trap? Can we experiment with free cooperation and collaboration to escape the cage of the self?
These questions demand an amoral analysis of the situation, one in which we anticipate that the internet has already vanished. In what follows I attempt to characterise this condition in terms of what I am calling the 'Extinction Internet'. It is my suggestion that first diagnosis, then restorative care, are two necessary steps in beginning the process of healing.
Author: John Campbell; source: Wikimedia Commons
A collapse of imagination
The extinction of the internet does not refer to its collapse overnight, as though the extinction thesis would somehow be falsified were this not to take place. After all, miniature stoppages are already endemic to the internet's functioning – in 'load shedding', filters, paywalls, incidences of state censorship, hacks, failing patches and content moderation, all conducted via cheap labour. What's really at stake here is the collapse of collective imagination. It is a collapse of imagination in a technology that plays a pivotal role in the everyday life of billions, yet which has the potential to be shaped, steered, designed, bend toward unofficial purposes.
At the level of mental states, there has been much academic focus in recent years on platform-induced distraction, reflexive impotence and 'depressive hedonia', as Mark Fisher called it. This alarming situation is now paired with solastalgia, 'an emerging form of depression and distress caused by environmental change, including climate change, natural disasters, extreme weather conditions, and/or other negative or upsetting alterations to one's surroundings or home.'7 With millions of climate refugees and counting, we're challenged to think together of a 'stack of crises' in which platform dependency is only one of many urgent concerns.
By my reading of Franco Berardi's The Third Unconscious, media technologies have entered the body in such a way that the body and soul can no longer be separated from the semiotic infosphere.8 Think of the fatigue that we feel in our eyes, fingers, our whole bodies after yet another Zoom session, or how the neurons in our plugged-in brains reorganize the very possibilities of how we think. This is how technologies of depletion work in ways that scale across society. The user-as-programmer is condemned to live on as a zombie, mindlessly swiping and scrolling, no longer aware of their own activity. A profoundly soporific state is rapidly emerging, our habitual gestures function in an increasingly automated style.
Extinction Internet marks the end of an epoch of collective imagination that in many ways demonstrated how alternative vertical and horizontal technological arrangements were possible. Not one stack but many plateaux. Extinction Internet is not merely an end-of-the-world phantasy of digital technology – an idea that one day the net will be blitzed by an electromagnetic pulse, unleashed by a weapon of mass destruction. The disappearance began with the platform's foreclosure of imagination. Extinction Internet is the end of an era of possibilities and speculations, when adaptation no longer feels like an option. The user-as-programmer seems condemned to live on as a zombie, mindlessly swiping and scrolling, no longer aware of their own activity. While in the recent past I have described this behaviour as subliminal or subconscious, in the next phase the medium is brain-dead, with habitual information gestures that continue to function in an automated style.
In the years of post-war reconstruction, dominated by the Cold War and class compromise, the roots of fascism were never properly identified, let alone destroyed. It is thus no accident that the question of how to live a 'non-fascist life', as Michel Foucault phrased it, recurred in the 1970s with recession and austerity in the West.9 Yet there are insights to be gleaned from the legacy of the '68 generation. It is my suggestion that one of the building blocks for a criticism of the current techno-social state will be a radically updated, twenty-first century version of psychoanalysis.
In The Third Unconscious, Franco Berardi calls for a psychoanalysis 'that should assume the horizon of chaos and exhaustion as a starting point for reflection.'10 He writes that the discovery of the unconscious in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries resulted in the founding of psychoanalysis as both a therapy and a tool for cultural analysis. It was, however, the second iteration of the unconscious, associated with Lacan and even more so with Deleuze and Guattari, that moved away from questions of denial and sublimation to a more politically valent idea of productivity – not repression but hyperexpressivity. For these thinkers, the unconscious was not a theatre but a factory, driven by a 'restless pursuit of joy that was ceaselessly evaded, attempts to be a winner, always frustrated by reality.'11
Yet the human mind has reached a state of saturation. It is thus that Berardi observes and calls for the development of new critical concepts that can help us to understand today's spectrum of mental sensibility and emotional attention. Berardi remains one of the few European intellectuals with a phenomenal seismographic sensibility toward the dark states of the young minds, glued to their devices. Reading the pulse in this way, in tune with Gen-Z – the first generation to experience the internet as a given, a fixed sphere – is something Berardi shares with Bernard Stiegler. There is a common overall strategy here: a strong belief that society needs, in the first instance, to face the abyss. This is where political discontent is allocated, at the heart of the social unconscious. Denial will only further accelerate the unfolding crises, and in whose interest? New Age optimism goes hand and hand with control of public perception.
What does it mean when we rap 'speaking truth to the platform' and create 'climate propagandas' videos?12 What happens when post-Covid societies are confronted with the refusal of work? What does parrhesia mean in the internet context, beyond the liberal 'freedom of speech'? How to respond to Douglas Rushkoff's once rhetorical choice: 'program or be programmed' in a time when free and 'open source' and software are subject to corporate sell-outs?
We are soon to reach 'peak data', and it is clear that current measures such as 'ethical AI' and 'good data' will not bring about social justice, end racial capitalism or forestall climate disaster. While the focus has shifted into a parallel scene – to crypto, blockchain and peer-to-peer payment systems – the techno-social has remained neglected.
In this context, Berardi proposes a 'third unconscious' that circles an understanding of the techno-social dimension of the mind. This is an unconscious for a world that is no longer focused on growth and (schizo)productivity but on extinction, anxiety and degrowth. We must practice 'riding the dynamic of disaster,' which Berardi calls an accurate description of 'our mental condition during the current earthquake, which is also a heart-quake and a mind-quake.' According to Berardi 'fascism is essentially a psychotic reaction to impotence and humiliation'.13
Fast-forward fifty years from Foucault and the question can be rephrased as such: What kind of digital 'technologies of the self' will have to be designed to know ourselves in ways that counter normative regimes? How to live a non-platform life while still enjoying the benefits of social networking?
Towards 'Disautomization'
As Mark Fisher wrote: 'Crises, whether they be crises of capitalism or of protest no longer produce change; negativity destroys the old but no longer produces the new.'14 I had to learn the hard way that neither net criticism on its own, nor collective psychoanalysis of the online self would lead independently to change. In the conclusion to Stuck on the Platform I map out how a platform exodus could be undertaken. I used the term 'stacktivism' to describe this, a form of internet activism aware of the inter-related dependencies of its proposed alternatives. The 'stack' refers to the layered shape of such a system, from public repositories and decentralized infrastructures to open, free software operating systems; from non-manipulative interfaces and AI filters to deliberative decision-making forums. It appears that our task, to put it in Bernard Stiegler's words, will be 'to put automatisms at the service of a neganthropic disautomization'.15 Our strategy for overcoming entropy may need to involve the disautomization of everything, from a social media exodus, the dismantling of data centres and rerouting of fibreoptic cables to the decommissioning of Siri and Alexa.
In order to move towards new horizons, opening a path to what Stiegler calls the Neganthropocene we need, as he puts it to 'birfurcate', branch off from existing technologies to do something different with them. The computational challenge this would involve is relatively minor compared to the unfolding climate disaster and growing social inequality. After all, code can be rewritten, new operating systems built, cables and signals rerouted, data centres decentralized and public infrastructures installed. More complex is the question: what is the social today? Forty years ago, we might have answered: autonomous social movements; thirty years ago, tactical media communities; twenty years ago social networks and web 2.0, and a decade ago the platform. What do we have on offer, apart from a well-meant call to return to free software values?
On the interpersonal level, Franco Berardi proposes a 'psycho-cultural conversion to frugality and friendship'.16 With my Australian friend Ned Rossiter, I have conceived the idea of 'organized networks'. These, we argue, have strong ties with a distributed aesthetics, spread over numerous nodes and localities, in contrast with classic network structures that have weak ties and easily fall apart. Organized networks remain a promise, much like the unfulfilled potential of the 'internet criticism' genre. Even more so than forty years ago, a renaissance of membership to organizations such as political parties as the pathway to power seems increasingly unlikely. How to channel discontent and counter-hegemony into an actual transfer of power in the late platform age? How to salvage the 'techno social' out of the hands of Silicon Valley and state control, without falling back into offline romanticism or defensive, inward-looking communalism?
Addressing these questions is both a political and passionate project of a multitude of Italian friends with whom I am privileged to work such as Donatella Della Ratta, Tiziana Terranova and countless others. The starting point for these thinkers is a compelling dialectical reversal. Instead of portraying the social as a product of grand-scale historical movements, such as capitalism, industrialization, imperialism, patriarchy or colonialism, the social is seen as an original catalysing force, a sovereign power that itself initiates inventions and new forms of production and reproduction. The social network in our case can then be best described as the real driver of imaginary technologies, though they are time and again subject to capitalist expropriation.
What might we mean by 'internet degrowth', 'machine unlearning', 'artificial stupidity'? This is how pharmacological thinking and reflective flows can turn into applied procedures of design. The effort should be to stretch time, to claim and squat the future internet and design autonomous time-space configurations that allow reflection and pointless pursuits to unfold. The post-internet will be sold as an irreversible technology. As a counter strike we need to redesign current systems that are causing a loss of memory and knowledge. The project here is not just to uphold the protocol of Internet Extinction but also to overcome the related organized depression.
The proposition here is a renewed notion of social networks with an emphasis on caring, tools for intergenerational computation that serve problem-resolution on all levels of the stack of crises. Networking in the service of net criticism, computing in the service of digital detox and alternative app design in the name of data prevention, not just protection. This is embedded thinking in which the question no longer is what we can do with the never-ending stream of downloadable apps that come and go from TikTok, Ethereum, Dall-E, Zoom and Clubhouse to BeReal and their hidden extractivist agendas. Let us stop building Web3 'solutions' for problems that do not exist and launch tools that decolonize, redistribute value, conspire and organize. As Bogna Kronior expressed it in a tweet:
I don't want free speech. I want a web that doesn't correlate to meatspace and doesn't turn everything into a popularity contest, narcissism saddled with dopamine addiction. Anonymise it, make our eyeballs and nervous systems sovereign, no more identity economics. No longer working for the platforms, observed by invisible, distant authorities.17
So how can we 'disrupt the disrupters'? First, we need to make sure our concepts and blueprints can be scaled up and adopted – for instance in the transition from an extractivist business model to what Bernard Stiegler and collaborators called a 'contributory economy'. This is one in which peer-to-peer payments add to an overall sustainable circular economy that operates for both local and global redistribution of wealth and resources. I argue that this is the decolonial dimension of the Information Question, an area that needs more work in relation to carbon footprint, rare earth extraction and the e-waste issues of the digital.
Slow but steady progress has been made with the development of alternative internet apps. Besides the established Linux, Wikipedia and Firefox there is DuckDuckGo, Signal, Telegram, Mastodon and the Fediverse, deepl, OpenStreetMap, Jitsi and Cryptpad. The list is growing. However, much-needed social networking tools have proved difficult to crack. During the internet's Lost Decade, we've been rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic under the inspirational guidance of the consultancy class. Sadly, organized optimism successfully overruled criticism. This is the real tragedy of internet criticism, Made in Europe.18 With levels of despair and anger rising, many feel it will be too little too late. There's little patience for bureaucratic consensus rituals in which solutions are yet again delegated to PR managers, 'markets' and not-so-'neutral' engineers. Where is our resilience now that we need it? Is there still time left to do the coding and create new scripts of connection?
The space of poetry
The organization question remains highly relevant, not only for protest movements but also in our context, for artists and designers and other nomadic, precarious workers. Collective elaboration is needed that deals with 'signals, linguistic gestures, subliminal suggestions, subconscious convergences. This, as Berardi writes, 'is the space of poetry, the activity that shapes new dispositions of sensibility,'19 expressed in ironic memes, fun videos, dance, and gestures, experienced during moments of ecstatic intoxication that drag us deeper into the vortex of music and image experience. Perhaps we have already run out of time to do fundamental research, but the least we can do is facilitate artists, listen carefully to their climate fiction 'cli-fi' imagination.
What types of art practices are making the difference here? In my opinion, investigative aesthetics, aimed at mapping the evidence and forging concepts and critique from the reorganization of facts, can only be the very beginning of a radical transformative process. This will contribute to a wider movement of art historical writing and analysis in the arts – a new paradigm, if you will, that doesn't simply replicate the Digital Humanities movement's seduction by numbers, graphs and scale; its tendency to focus on the digitalization of archives coupled with data-driven analysis. We've passed the point of do-good 'digital competencies' and are surrounded by the real-world politics of digital urgencies. In this phase, the project of investigative aesthetics never loses sight of the question of power, reorienting the political contest of truth by countering narratives of authority and hegemonic deceit with the veracity of the oppressed. These truths must be made concrete through computational aesthetics organized along spatial and temporal axes of measure.
It is time to infuse the cold managerial approach of algorithmic governmentality with Mark Fisher's hauntology.
Nicholas Diaz succinctly describes Fisher's notion of hauntology and lost futures 'is characterized by a melancholic refusal to give up on the days of popular modernism where everything seemed possible, and a refusal to yield to capitalist realism and postmodern finitude.'20
We need to wake up and see that the blackout has become systemic. The nihilist crypto get-rich-quick fads are technologies of the Last Day. What happens after the invisible has been made visible and we overcome our emptiness of thought? The smell of extinction is in the air. Darwinist realism states that it is your choice to stay poor and disconnected, in the cold, the heat, the drought or the flood. It's time for a strike, a strike on optimization. Stop making 'improvements'. No more enhanced efficiencies or increased productivity. It's time to teach problem design. Time to dream up provocatypes.
Deautomatization in the internet context would mean disrupting the repetitive habits that penetrate the depth of connected bodies. There is something liberating about losing one's profile as an act of forgetting. What might occupy the void in our defragmented brains once the internet has vacated the scene? What might life consist of after our fragile minds are no longer assaulted by the numbing and depressing effects of doom scrolling? Post-internet neurons are the realm of a new standing reserve of imagination and reinvention of cognition – the foundational building blocks of society. This was Stiegler's lesson.
A longer version of this text is published on the Institute of Network Cultures blog.
Stiegler, Bernard with the Internation Collective (eds), Bifurcate:'There is No Alternative', trans. Daniel Ross, London: Open Humanities Press, London, 2021, p. 11.
See Bishop, Ryan, interview with Daniel Ross in Theory, Culture & Society, Vol. 38, No. 4, July 2021, p. 119.
Lemmens, Peter and Hui, Yuk, 'Apocalypse, Now! Peter Sloterdijk and Bernard Stiegler on the Anthropocene', boundary 2, 16 January 2017, available at https://www.boundary2.org/2017/01/pieter-lemmens-and-yuk-hui-apocalypse-now-peter-sloterdijk-and-bernard-stiegler-on-the-anthropocene/ (last accessed on 7 Deember 2022).
As co-publisher of the English translation of Boris Beaude's The Ends of the Internet (Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures, 2016 [2014]), I am well aware of earlier expressions of this idea. According to Beaude the 2013 Snowden revelations marked the turning point from freedom of speech to a Global Panopticon, from collective intelligence to distributed capability, from free to proprietary, from decentralization to hypercentrality and from net neutrality to the neutralization of the internet. Eight years later, these tendencies are considered historical facts. See https://networkcultures.org/blog/publication/no-11-the-ends-of-the-internet-boris-beaude/.
See: https://verticalatlas.net/ (last accessed on 7 December 2022).
Quotes from https://substack.com/profile/5625705-angelicism01 and the contribution of Janie defining Angelicis, https://soundcloud.com/pleasure-helmet-977951874/sets/angelicism-tapes (last accessed on 7 December 2022).
https://www.verywellmind.com/solastalgia-definition-symptoms-traits-causes-treatment-5089413.
Franco Berardi, The Third Unconscious, Verso Books, London, 2021
See Foucault's introduction to Deleuze, Gilles and Guattari, Félix, Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia, 1972.
Berardi, F., The Third Unconscious, op. cit., p. vii.
Ibid. p. 65.
Reference to two 2020 works – the theory-music performance 'We Are Not Sick' album by Geert Lovink and John Longwalker (see https://wearenotsick.com/) and Jonas Staal's Climate Propagandas, see https://vimeo.com/482531050 (last accessed on 7 December 2022).
Berardi, F. The Third Unconscious, op. cit., p. 148.
Mark Fisher, Postcapitalist Desire, Repeater Books, London, 2021, p. 23.
Bernard Stiegler, 'Elements for a Neganthropology of Automatic Man', in: Philosophy Today, Volume 65, Issue 2 (Spring 2021), p. 242.
Franco Berardi, The Third Unconscious, p. 9.
Tweet dated April 24, 2022.
See also Gerritizen, Mieke and G. Lovink, Made in China, Designed in California, Criticized in Europe, Amsterdam: Bis Publishers, 2019.
Berardi, F. The Third Unconscious, pp. 10–11.
See https://medium.com/@nicholasadiaz7/introducing-mark-fisher-part-3-hauntology-lost-futures-and-politicized-melancholia-820e7a207e1e (last accessed on 7 December 2022). In Fisher's own words: 'When the present has given up on the future, we must listen for the relics of the future in the unactivated potentials of the past.' This can easily be applied to the 'reclaim the internet' efforts that our institute has been part of since 2011, in particular with the launch of the Unlike Us network.
Original in English
First published by Eurozine
© Geert Lovink / Eurozine
#Internet #media
Institute of Network Cultures (INC)
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Solitary Stranger: The Wigeon
This week we have been joined by a solitary stranger from the north. Probably blown south-west on last week's northerly storm winds a wigeon has arrived. The appearance of this diminutive figure prompts us to find out a little more about this little duck and we discover his place in the legend of the Seven Whistlers and its association with the end of the world (but, perhaps, not as we know it).
Philosophy/reflective Natural World (Birds)
"4h February, Friday.
The thermometer falls with the waking sun
and the spirit seems to shrivel with the cold.
Then the Bearley rooks take flight from their inky roost;
assured blue-black wings beat the blood-red raging dawn.
The body feels smaller;
the spirit larger."
In this episode I refer to the following books:
Edward A Armstrong's (1958) The Folklore of Birds (Collins New Naturalist Library 39) published by Collins.
BB (2008) The Naturalist's Bedside Book published by Merlin Unwin Books.
Stefan Buczacki's (2002) Fauna Britannica published by Hamlyn
Walter Černy's (2000) Field Guide in Colour to British Birds published by Silverdale Books.
Rob Hume (2007) RSPB Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (revised edn.) published by Dorling Kindersley.
Recording of Wigeon calls by Stanislas Wroza on 01.01.2022 at Radonvilliers, Aube, Grand Est, France and downloaded from the xeno-canto site. Full recording details and credits:
Stanislas Wroza, XC695711. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/695711.
For pictures of Erica and images related to the podcasts go to:
Nighttime on Still Waters website (noswpod.com)
Or to contact me, follow me on:
In the back of the storms that rolled in on last week's wolf-toothed northerlies, a solitary wigeon appeared on the wind-sung waters of the moorings. He is a little smaller than the other ducks, a trim neat figure. His body, the colour of arctic skies, light greys and whites. A flush of orangy pink on his breast, His head and neck, a beautifully warm rich reddy brown, the colour of chestnut-glow when they are peeled from their spiky cases. A yellow lemon stripe on his forehead gives him a cootish appearance; a colourful, dandified cousin without the chippy assertiveness. The coots' stripes can lend the impression of a frown and aggression. This stripe, simply accentuates the curve of the head offering a similar profile to the rook. I find there is something rather appealing almost touchingly friendly, about a round skulled bird. Perhaps it is because that was the way I drew birds when I was a lad, tennis ball round heads, round eyes and a beak stuck on it. Perhaps it is because that shape is a little more anthropomorphic.
Cerny's The Collins Field Guide to British Birds lists them as a bird of the north; Northern Scandanavia, Russia, Iceland. Distribution maps show their range leading high up into the Arctic north, although they migrate southward during winter. They are not uncommon here, although more usually found in Scotland or along the east facing coasts, but it is unusual to see a solitary bird like this.
Ornithologist, Rob Hume, writes of their tendency to prefer the company of dense flocks and describes how:
"the Wigeon form close flocks on the water while feeding, advancng across salt marsh or meadow in a tight-packed mass.Such a flock looks richly colourful and adds to the effect with constant loud calls."
He goes on to observe that:
"Wigeon are generally shy and fly off when approached, large numbers forming wheeling flocks circling above a marsh or heading for the safety of a resevoir."
Hume also notes that, unusually, when feeding on the ground - short grass or foraging in shallow water seeds, shoots and roots - the entire flock usually all face in the same direction.
The great old naturalist and countryman BB wrote fondly about wigeon. He describes how on one bitter winter's night on the marshlands on the east coast of Scotland:
"The little wigeon were burrowing about in the grass like moles and sometimes were barely visible. The cock wigeon is surely one of the prettiest of our ducks, though it must be admitted that our old friend the drake mallard is a mighty fine fellow when in the pink of condition..."
But he also noted their companionable nature, on wing and land and how thet prefer to congregate and forage (or fly) in 'great companies.'
Our strange visitor from the north is certainly on his own here. Like the coot who shared the splintered winter's ice with us last year and who still (if it is the same one) pops up from time to time. There's no assuring, bustle and whistling company of the flock for our small visitor from the north here. There are no wheeling flights with his own kind above the great stretches of muddy flats speared with samphire and lacy with pillows of sea lavendar of the coastal esturies and salt marshes and under those great rolling eastern skies. What was his journey? How hard did he struggle to keep up with his flock? What did he feel when they drifted out of sight, beyond the strength of his wings? Did he cry out on those bullying, indifferent winds for his voice to be turned back on him - racing away from safety and home? He would hav felt the drive to regain the flock - the instinct burning in his tired wings, but how did he process that? Would we have recognised it with the emotions that boil in the cauldron of our lives?
The ducks have already paired. Has he left behind his mate? Or is he a juvenile, as yet, unbonded. Perhaps that is why he might have been closer to the edges of the flock as it wheeled on the stormy wind - and was therefore more vulnerable to be swept off?
The blessing is that he is, if not accepted by the mallards here, he is certainly tolerated. I have not seen any attempts to drive him off or bullying - apart from the usual squabbles around food which is nothing more than normal flock behaviour here. He keeps himself to himself, but has no problems being in the vicinity of the others. Yesterday, he was foraging the grass in a pack. The mallards seem to treat him as they do the moorhens that scuttle around them, almost unnoticed.
He is alone. That must be hard, but, as far as I can detect, he is not showing any signs of stress behaviour and seems relaxed. Like most non-humans, he has the advantage of us. We have become conditioned so much that if something is not right we need to change it, he just seems to roll with the changes, adapt, change, flight of feet and wing, adapt to suit the new conditions and get on with being alive.
And so, for a while, we have with us a little stranger with us.
Stefan Buczaki' Fauna Britannica lists local names given to the wigeon. Unsurprisingly, most of them relate to the north and eastern regions - although a couple come from Ireland. Also unsurprisingly a number refer to the bird's appearance.
Whew - probably refers to the distinctive whistle
Bald pate, cock winder, easterlings, golden head, grass whew, lady duck, lady fowl, pandle whew, whew duck, whewer, whim, whistler, winder, yellow pall.
Buczaki notes that:
"They have been called 'wigeons' (sometimes spelt with a dg) since the early 16th century, the name probably imitative of their call."
He goes on to observe
"Probably because they were easy prey for duck-hunters, the name also came to be used in the eighteenth century to mean a stupid person."
The wigeon's scientific name Mareca penelope points to links with mythology. Its species name Penelope relates to Homer's Penelope the long suffering and faithful wife of Odysseus.
Penelope's parents were Prince Icarius of Sparta and the nymph Periboea.
Periboea hid her infant daughter (Penelope) as soon as she was born, knowing that Icarius had wanted a son. As soon as Icarius discovered the baby girl, he threw her into the sea to drown.
However, a family of ducks rescued her and fed her. Seeing this as an omen, Icarius named the child Penelope (after the Greek word for penelops meaning "duck") and raised her as his favourite child.
Armstrong's Folklore of Birds associates the wigeon with the Seven Whistler myth. The legend crops up across Britain and Europe. The myth is complex and pluriform and, for us, more frustratingly undefined. In some places it is believed to be the souls of unchristened babies, others link it with the 'Wander Jew' mythology, while others, identify it as an omen of a coming death. Armstrong notes that
"After a colliery disaster at Wigan people reminded each other that the Seven Whistlers had been heard, and in Leicestershire minrs used to refuse to enter a pit after hearing the birds, believing that a calamity was imminent. In South Shrophsire and Worcestershirethe Seven Whistlers are said tobe six birds in search of another. When they find him it will be the end of the world."
Tonight, out there, in the thick February darkness is our timid little wigeon the seventh bird for which his six brothers are searching? I love a myth in which the end of the world pivots not on some cataclysmic human action or the apocalyptic sweep of the divine hand, but the culmination of an avian drama that has nothing to do with theatrical stage constructed by human thought upon which we "strut and fret." And, of all the birds, it is the little wigeon - timid, shy, diminutive. Delicately plucking the grass stems beside the water. A bird few have probably even heard of. A bird whose name had become used as a term of abuse and denigration! Will the reconciliation of this little bundle of life with its companions really signal the end of the world? There's a part of me that dares to hope so. That the madness we are creating and seem to be so utterly incapable of finding the will (or is it courage) to stop it, won't be the cause of the final cataclysmic apocalypse, but instead our fate hangs on the thread of an altogether different drama that is being played out across creation - six small ducks thrown across the unforgiving dark green arctic skies simply looking for the seventh. That the end of the world will not come about through the willful ignorance of madness and hubris, or the clunk of a divine gavel of judgement ringing through the disapproving silence of some heavenly court, but that the end of the world will be the glorious culmination of the healing of seven duck-shaped souls that have spent an eternity crying out on the wild north winds the heartache of their grief for a sundered relationship and their lost companion, a lifetime seeking for the healing of restoration for the one who was lost to rejoin them.
My God, who of us among us, cannot see that, if the world must end, let it end like that? A lost duck restored and welcomed back to his flock. What if the ancient writer of the book of Job was right all along? That after all, creation wasn't really all about us humans? That there are other stories, other dramas, other plans to be unfolded of which we know nothing? And that, the cumination of this world will not be in a cataclysm of fire, and certainly not a whimper, but with six little wigeon finding their lost friend? Oh!!! If there has to be a culmination of all this, if there is some telelogical imperative underlying this green and blue globe cast loose in space, let it be this. Let our worlds come to an end like that!! A cataclysm of joy and restoration.
And if, by any remote chance, the Seven Whistlers are those seven little wigeons, may their voice sound to us not like an omen of doom, but of hope. Hope that one day, this world will end. Not in devastation and despair, but in re-union and restoration. For listen, on the soft wind swells of the night, those distant whistles. Can you hear them?
Isn't there something strangely familiar about that haunting call?
Isn't that song they sing also our song? The cry of our hearts, calling out into the darkness?
Blown on the back of the cold northwind - our worldless ache for those we have lost, the lives we have left. To be re-united once more with those we have lost and still miss - sundered relationships to be healed; A cry to be welcomed home with outstretched arms?
Out there tonight, the little wigeon dozes alone in the dark under a night sky of racing clouds.
Sleep well little soul and may some day your cry be heard and answered.
And may you too sleep well tonight and may the cries of your heart, borne on the night wind, be also heard and answered.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Former Daimler Trucks director to lead Hyundai Motor's commercial vehicles
By Kim Da-sol
Published : Jun 30, 2020 - 13:39 Updated : Jun 30, 2020 - 13:39
Hyundai Motor Group Vice President of Commercial Vehicle Development Division Martin Zeilinger (Hyundai Motor Group)
Hyundai Motor Group said Tuesday it has tapped Martin Zeilinger, former head director at Daimler Trucks, to lead its research and development of commercial vehicles and hydrogen-powered electric trucks and buses.
Zeilinger will join the South Korean automaker as vice president from Wednesday. He has worked at Daimler Group for over 30 years, specializing in both engineering and advanced engineering of trucks and buses, as well as testing electric powertrains.
"I'm very proud to join Hyundai Motor Group which has been seeking to gain global growth momentum with new technologies. I hope to demonstrate my ability in eco-friendly tech, as commercial vehicle industry can improve the environment with new technologies and models," said Zeilinger in a statement.
After graduating from the University of Stuttgart majoring in aerospace engineering, he joined Mercedes-Benz Trucks in 1987. In 2004, he moved to Daimler Trucks' subsidiary company Evobus to develop hydrogen-powered and diesel-hybrid city bus. Since 2014, he has led the group's project for developing autonomous trucks and urban-type electric trucks.
By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)


If you are looking for one of the most luxurious experience that this world has to offer, you definitely have to visit Burj Khalifa to experience living there. This is not only the talent building in the world, but also repeatedly the most expensive and fantastic hotel With the 124 floors, you can find enthralling view of the whole city from roof top. The mesmerizing view of Dubai is not the only thing this place can offer; but it also provides the most luxurious suites, combined with personal services Including spa, salon, chefs, and masseurs among many others. It also provides incredible choices for fun activities, a variety of cuisine and various types of rooms depending on your choice.
It is offered just collection of historical and cultural significance. In the world. This wonderful museum at Dubai offers a variety of culturally, spiritually and religiously rich experiences for visitors to dive deeper into the history of Dubai. It also takes you to a trip on historical Arabian lives including homes, mosques, trade, deserts And warfare.
If you are looking for a spiritual experience, there is nothing better than this! The Grand Mosque is an enthralling place and amazing landmark present in Dubai. It is not only beautiful to look at and serene to visit, but it also has a The Grand Mosque was built decades back and reconstructed in the year 1998. With around 70 meters in height, it is currently the talent minaret in Dubai. The beautiful building is a present representation of Muslim architecture.
This waterpark is the best place to go to if you love fun filled activities. If children and young adults are accompanying you, don't forget to visit the place! You can get a wide range of activities based on Legend of Arabian adventurers and their Fingers. You can literally get the touch of real Arabian style in this park. he feel of ancient Arabian life here.
You can find the best sources of entertainment in this hotel. The space is composed of three different parts including a land station where all The gatherers come, the second one is the connecting tunnel and the third is the hotel interior where you can relax and rejoice and enjoy your trip.
These are some of the many places to visit in Dubai and make your time more exciting and enjoyable. Apart from this, Dubai is filled with countless other activities, places and variety of cuisine to offer. It is indeed a melting pot located in the center Of the globe.


There are two pumps in this project controlled by the programmable relay PR200. Their operation depends on the signal value from a temperature sensor and two set points. The values of the set points are received from a SCADA system that the PR200 is connected to via Modbus RTU. Both pumps can be stopped by an emergency stop button or through the SCADA system. The temperature values and the status of the pumps are shown on the PR200 display.
Some automation tasks require switching on/off a secondary device according to a particular schedule. Schedules are often subject to change. With this sample project, you can learn how to set, and more importantly, to change the schedule of the output activity with the PR200's function keys and its screen. It means, there is no need to rewrite and re-upload your application.
Moreover, there are used three macros from our Online Database ("Clock_Mod", "Day_Week" and "Set value selector") in this project, so it is a great opportunity to get familiar with them.
The objective of this sample project is to provide an example of how string data can be read by the PR200 Programmable Relay and be shown on its LCD display. In this example, the String Data is the TRM202 firmware version that is stored in its Modbus registers. As Modbus Master, the PR200 is supposed to read the firmware string from the corresponding registers over the RS485 serial communication interface.
We hope these projects will be very helpful and save your time significantly.
What software do I need to program the PR200? How much does it cost? Do I need a specialized cable?
You need our programming software 'akYtec ALP'. It is free of charge. You can find it either on our website or on the USB stick, which is included in the delivery.
Yes, you need a cable (USB A-plug to micro B-plug), which is also included in the package.
How can I change the parameters 'Start date/time' and 'Stop date/time' of the functional block 'CLOCK WEEK' from the front panel of the PR200 or through a variable in akYtec ALP?
Since the 'CLOCK WEEK' does not have any inputs you cannot change the parameters of this functional block both from the front panel and through variables.
If you need a modifiable 'CLOCK WEEK' in your project, two macros are available in the online macro database as well as a sample program that shows how these macros should be programmed.
To download the sample program, please use this link, open and look for the sample project 'Modifiable Week Clock'.
How can I change the parameters of a functional block (i.e. BLINK, TON, TOFF, TP) from the front panel of the PR200 or through a variable in akYtec ALP?
To write to or read from a functional block, it is necessary to use the blocks 'WriteToFB' or 'ReadFromFB', respectively. You can find these blocks on the toolbar 'Insert'.
Can I expand the number of inputs/outputs of the PR200?
The main and the simplest way to do it is to use the PRM Extension Modules from akYtec. With these modules, you can extend the PR200 by up to 16 additional digital inputs and up to 16 digital outputs. Alternatively, if your system requires more I/O-points, you can use Modbus RTU/ASCII and connect up to 32 expansion modules over the RS485 interface. We recommend using our I/O-Modules of the Mx110 series for this purpose.
How can I connect an expansion module of the Mx110 series to the PR200?
A module of Mx110 series can be connected to the PR200 via the RS485 interface and Modbus protocol.
What is the maximum permissible frequency that a digital input of the PR200 can handle in case of using this input to read an impulse signal?
This frequency depends on the device variant.
In either case, a square wave pulse signal with 50% duty cycle is assumed.
Are the relay outputs of the PR200 suitable to control a power contactor?
DC: 3 A, 30 V.
Can the integrated voltage source of a PR200-230.X.X be used for feeding an input module Mx110-24.X? What about feeding an ITP16 or ITP14?
No, this voltage source cannot be used for feeding an Mx110 module because it doesn't provide enough current (max. 100 mA). However, this current is enough for both an ITP display or its analog output.
What is the minimum voltage and current needed for proper operation of an input of the PR200?
PR200-230.X.X: 159 V and 0.75 mA.
PR200-24.X.X: 15 V and 5 mA.
How many variables can the PR200 handle as Modbus Slave?
It depends on the type of the variables. They can be either INT or REAL. An INT variable stores data in only one register, while a REAL variable requires two registers for this.
32 if you declare only REAL variables.
If there are both INT and REAL variables, you should calculate their maximum permissible number according to their combination. For example, if you declare 10 REAL variables, which is equal to 20 INT variables, you can declare up to 44 INT variables (64 - 20 = 44).
How many Modbus Slaves can the PR200 control as Master Device?
The PR200 as Modbus Master can control up to 16 Slave Devices over each RS485 interface. Each Slave Device can process up to 256 variables.
I have a PR200 with 2 RS485 interfaces. Is it possible to read some data from a Modbus Slave Sensor over one RS485 and make them available on the other?
Yes, this application is possible.
I have set Slot 1 to Master on the Device Configuration dialog box in akYtec ALP but it doesn't work properly. What should I check?
- there are terminating resistors at both ends of the communication bus. Experience shows that the most efficient practice is to use terminating resistors of 150 ohm.
In what numeral system should be written the register address, decimal or hexadecimal?
The register address has to be written in decimal.
I have connected a slave device to the PR200. I can read INT variables but I am having problems with REAL variables. I want to show a value on the display but it shows a different value that doesn't make sense. What should I check?
To read and show REAL variables, it is important to know the endianness of the registers and bytes, i.e. register and byte ordering. It can be either big-endian or little-endian format.
If you use the big-endian format, the register or the byte that contains the most significant bit is sent first, followed in a decreasing significance order. The little-endian format has a reversed order.
How should I configure an analog input of the PR200?
All analog inputs are set to 4-20 mA in the delivery state.
- Click Close to save and exit.
The button 'Transfer application to device' is not available. What should I do?
You need to update the firmware in the 'Down.Mode' mode.
Select your device from the list and press the Select button.
How many PRM modules does the PR200 support?
Maximum two modules can be connected in series to PR200.
With these modules, you can extend the PR200 by up to 16 additional digital inputs and up to 16 digital outputs. Alternatively, if your system requires more I/O-points, you can use Modbus RTU/ASCII and connect up to 32 expansion modules over the RS485 interface. We recommend using our I/O-Modules of the Mx110 series for this purpose.


Right this minute I'm probably: Staring out my window at the beauty of the nature on this property at Reliant HQ.
Fun Fact?On my 60th birthday I got engaged - it was a long awaited answer to prayer and it was good! I love it when Dad says yes!
Excellence in our financial reporting: I oversee high level issues in our Gift Services area as well as overseeing the end of year giving receipts. I provide leadership and oversight for the Finance team as well as prepare and proof monthly financials. I work closely with internal and external auditors to produce audited financials, providing assurance that we are following approved accounting standards and accurate reconciliation.
The road is long and God is good-my gifting is administrative and my career has been in financial accounting. I primarily worked in secular firms from the early 70's through 2001. I had served within my church communities for years in a number of capacities, primarily working with children, students and single women. In 2001 I felt a real calling to use all of my talents in ministry and began to pursue that. The Lord opened the door in this ministry and it has been the perfect fit.
I am really enthused with all the unique ways I see ministry in motion within the organization, watching as God grows and blesses each aspect of this ministry, is inspiring and knowing that the work that I have the honor to partner in has eternal impact is as good as it gets.


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UrtheCast Shelves New ISS Camera To Focus on Satellite Constellation
by Peter B. de Selding — November 12, 2015
The pointing system for UrtheCast's Iris high-resolution video camera was defective and required new cabling and a software patch. Full operations are expected to begin in the coming months.
PARIS — UrtheCast said Nov. 10 it is refocusing its investment away from International Space Station-mounted cameras toward a planned constellation of Earth-imaging satellites.
In an earnings call with investors, the Vancouver, British Columbia-based Earth-observation imagery and services startup said it had 100 million Canadian dollars ($75 million) in firm orders as of Sept. 30, plus 30 million Canadian dollars in options.
UrtheCast said it had signed non-binding memoranda of understanding with two prospective customers for a total of 370 million Canadian dollars. Construction of the 16-satellite constellation will not begin until at least some portion of this amount is transformed into binding commitments.
UrtheCast transformed itself this year with the purchase of Deimos Imaging of Spain and Deimos' two in-orbit optical Earth-imaging satellites.
The Demos acquisition took effect July 15, giving UrtheCast some 75 days of revenue from the acquisition in the three months ending Sept. 30. During the same period, the company began initial operations of its high-resolution video camera, which was installed on the Earth-facing side of the space station alongside UrtheCast's medium-resolution still camera.
Deimos had expected to report more than $40 million in revenue for 2015, with the summer months being the most active as is the case for most optical satellite imagery-delivery companies.
UrtheCast officials declined during the Nov. 10 earnings call to say how much of their revenue and backlog came with the Deimos purchase, and how much from the company's two ISS-mounted cameras.
The high-resolution video camera's pointing platform — provided by UrtheCast partner RSC Energia of Kaliningrad, Russia — was defective and required new cabling and a software patch. Full operations are expected to begin in the coming months.
UrtheCast had been investing in a second-generation camera system for the space station, but has shifted focus to prepare for a 16-satellite constellation of eight optical and eight synthetic-aperture radar satellites in low Earth orbit, all to be built by small-satellite specialist Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) of Britain.
UrtheCast Chief Executive Scott Larson declined to speculate on when construction might begin, but confirmed that the company would be using customer commitments to finance construction of the satellites and would not commit to major spending before firm backlog was in place.
"These are long, technical agreements with a dozen or so interested groups," Larson said. "We've moved two of these to MoUs for a total of about 370 million dollars. The funnel [of interested prospective customers] is big and we're incredibly happy."
The second-generation camera system for the space station — a dual-mode camera plus a synthetic aperture radar — will now be put on hold to support development of the constellation. Larson said one reason was a slip in the schedule of the new sensors' deployment, and the second reason is that the constellation appears to be a more promising use of capital.
"The company will no longer proceed with the installation of the sensors on the International Space Station," Larson said, adding that UrtheCast remains bullish on the future use of the station as an Earth observation platform.
One of the two customers that signed constellation-related MoUs had also signed an MoU valued at $65 million for data from UrtheCast's second-generation camera system. Larson said a portion of that has now been shifted to the constellation as part of a non-binding MoU, totaling $175 million, with the same customer.
UrtheCast has not disclosed the level of firm backlog it would need before contracting with SSTL to begin hardware construction for the constellation. The company has said it would be launching the satellites in 2019 or 2020 and did not change that estimated schedule during the Nov. 10 conference call.
UrtheCast divides its business into two categories: engineering and support services; and Earth observation data sales.
The company is developing a Web-based imagery distribution platform, which it recently made open-source instead of obliging application developers to sign non-disclosure agreements. Outside observers have said the platform could become UrtheCast's most-valuable asset over time.
For the three months ending Sept. 30, UrtheCast reported 4.2 million Canadian dollars in revenue from about 20 customers using its four in-orbit cameras – two Deimos satellites and the two space station cameras – and 5.1 million Canadian dollars in revenue from engineering services. Another 400,000 Canadian dollars came from Canadian government research and development grants.
The Earth observation data revenue carries the highest gross-profit margin, of 80-85 percent, Larson said, but engineering services is also "very profitable."
Commercial Earth observationUrtheCast


Mission Action Planning does exactly what it says on the tin: it is a process which helps churches or groups to make specific plans, which will help them take action, towards mission and growth. Many dioceses have been using Mission Action Planning for years, and research indicates that it can be a highly effective stimulus to growth. Bishop Christopher has invited every benefice to be a part of this programme.
your vision Statement: where you believe God is calling you to be in five years' time.
This work will then help you to set specific five-year goals and one-year plans, which you will set down in your Growth Plan. A year later there will be a chance to reflect with the team on how your plans have been going, the lessons you have learnt, and the plans for year two which will continue to take you in the direction of your five-year goals.
The vast majority of churches that have embarked on Mission Action Planning have done so with the accompaniment of members of our team of MAP Advisers, who have produced the materials you will use and have become experienced in working with churches such as yours. But one size does not fit all, and there are four other routes you can take towards writing your Growth Plan.
An opportunity for the Church to engage with sport.
A bit of a buzz-word around the Church, 'discipleship' is often talked about, but seldom explained.
We believe in the power of prayer and we want to promote and resource healing prayer ministry in our churches.
Fresh Expressions come in all shapes and sizes and include Messy Church, Café Church and Cell Church.
A global call to pray together for 10 days between Ascension and Pentecost.


We've finally got an encyclopedia in the game. I'm calling it the Codex. As always, we're starting with the plain but functional look. Prettification comes later, after the design solidifies.
It would be really nice to have a game where this wasn't necessary – where absolutely everything was obvious, or invisibly taught to the player using some genius adaptive training system. And I get as close to this as I can. I work hard to make sure things are clear and comprehensible and pleasurable to interact with. I drop a lot of design ideas just because there's no good way to express them, or interface with them. But despite all that, I think this is still the kind of game where people need to be able to just look stuff up when they want to find out how something works.
For a while, I thought the game could teach players all the game systems on-demand, as necessary, in a semi-adaptive training sequence that would teach you things as by watching the game and deciding what you needed to learn next. I've discovered that this isn't a complete solution. Sometimes, it's just impossible for the game to figure out what the player wants or needs to learn. The system can tell when the player has no food source and needs to be taught about producing food. But I can't tell when they're, say, confused as to why their air is leaking out because they don't understand the air system (because the game never taught them).
There's just one more major piece left in my recent usability push. I haven't added much in the way of new world simulation in a while – it's been all about making what's there accessible. Hopefully after this next thing I'll be able to get back to making the simulation deeper. I really want to get corpses in there, because there are so many interesting things that can happen with corpses.


Every business aspires to cut back on marketing budgets and increase conversion rates of prospective clients into actual new clients.
One of the best ways to service existing clients and land new ones is by managing incoming leads and keeping contact with prospective clients. However, many businesses take the "fire extinguish" approach, in which they don't always attend to a client's lead. Here is also the place to mention that sometimes businesses ignore leads that don't appear to represent "lucrative clients" and refrain from giving them the deserved attention, when in fact these just might be the ones connected to key elements relevant to your field. Keeping contact with visitors approaching you through a focused landing page significantly increases the chances of them becoming your clients.
Immediate response to a client's lead – in our day and age, where communication is instant and messages are being transferred directly through many channels like Emails, Social Networks (facebook, twitter, LinkedIn) and instant messages programs such as Messenger and ICQ, it is crucial to respond to a client's lead, as soon as possible.
Schedule your follow-up to a time most convenient to the client – sometimes clients are preoccupied when you reach them (say in a meeting or a phone call). Reschedule the conversation to another time, at the client's convenience, and set a reminder for that scheduled talk.
Keep in touch with prospective clients – after sending out a price quote or additional details of the product or service (maybe a course or a workshop details), contact the client and gently find out, how you can move forward.
How can you manage incoming leads using EZLand system?
Saving all leads generated in the landing page – EZLand system automatically saves all leads generated through the "Make Contact" form. A lead could never be accidently deleted, so you can always open up the "clients" menu, in the landing page management system and observe your clients' leads.
Displaying full client's details – EZLand system displays full client's details including name, phone number, Email address and lead's original date.
Rescheduling a new date for contacting the client – in the same menu, it is possible (and recommended) to schedule the next contacting date, be it a more convenient time for the client, or a follow-up on a sent out price quote.
Manually adding clients approaching via telephone – Clients, who approached you telephonically, can be manually added to the clients' pool, so that all leads would be organized under the same list.
Clients' leads classification – clients listed in the clients' pool can be classified as regular clients or VIP's.
Defining the client's status – each client can be defined as an existing client, a potential client or a client in progress.
Edit the list according to your needs – the clients' list can be sorted according to names, leads, or dates of contact.
Have no time to track your clients' leads? EZLand System will sort out all the leads for you, and announce every new lead straight to your cell phone, by SMS. This service requires an additional fee once the trial period is over.
In order to fully realize your landing page's potential, you must save you clients' leads and track them. It is worth a few minutes every day, to keep well organized lists of clients and incoming leads. This way you can keep up a true dialogue with your clients, send them newsletters and lead them to sign up for the purchase of the product or service you are promoting.


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Pair Programming and Feedback

January 25, 2015

 One of the core features of DBC is pair programming, a learning style in which two programmers collaborate on a project or challenge. One person drives -- writes code-- while the other navigates-- guides and reviews the code. During Phase 0, most of, if not all, of our pairing sessions are done remotely via Skype, Google+ and Google Hangouts. In addition to working on a challenge together, the real challenge, I felt, laid in communicating clearly and effectively since we wouldn't be able to rely on body cues or simply pointing to the line of code we were referencing.

 At the start of Phase 0, I can honestly say that I did not look forward to pairing. I had spent the last few months learning to program mostly independently and though I didn't mind working with someone else, I preferred going it alone. But mostly, I was filled with doubts about myself and my skill. What if I was totally lost and couldn't express myself clearly? Would my pair feel like I was dragging them down? Normally, I would pore over research until I got the solution, but would that be okay here? Would they look down on me because I didn't know? Moreover, after each session we would have to submit anonymous feedback for our pairs. Ah, now we'd be graded by our peers too? Sigh, I felt very self-conscious.

But my fears weren't realized. These pairing sessions turned out to be one of the highlights of Phase 0. Sure we couldn't work together in person and sometimes our skill level was uneven, but it was a time when we could be open and ask each other questions and revel in our collaborative successes. Sometimes, I would completely overthink an approach, but my pair would come up with something brilliant and even better. I loved the fresh perspective I would get. Even when my pair wasn't sure of a concept, it was an opportunity to ground out the weaknesses and holes I had. Best of all, I made some great friends and felt okay to be vulnerable.

 After my first couple pairing sessions, I was eager to get my feedback. Was I too anal about a concept? Did I come off too aggressively? We had to submit feedback through DBC's Feedbackinator. It would take a few days to receive our own because they underwent a peer review process to see if they were actionable, specific and kind. Kind has an element of truth that distinguishes itself from niceness.

In preparation for this blog post, I went through all of my feedback charting the positive and critical ones. I was taken aback by how genuinely nice some of the feedback were. However, the critical pieces were the ones I agreed on. I knew my faults already. I can be a little impatient, tend to rush without fully explaining every detail of my approach, and fall silent when at an impasse. Reading these made me nod my head in agreement. Perhaps if I didn't schedule some of my sessions before work, I wouldn't feel so rushed? They make me want to improve myself and my approach. Good communication. Patience. These are attributes that are vital to my career as well as building strong relationships.

Writing feedback proved to be a tougher than reading them. Making sure that what I critiqued was actionable and specific took more thought. I check out how others perceive my feedback through Meta Feedback. Sometimes people felt it wasn't specific or actionable enough; other times, they were. However, the more feedback I give, the easier it's becoming. I look forward to pairing more often with my peers to see how much we all grow from this experience.

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text:
CHEAP CAR HIRE IN CORFU
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Click here to read Car Hire Reviews for Corfu
Car hire in Corfu - Discovering the Greek Islands
With its wonderful seascapes and stunning natural scenery, Corfu is generally regarded as the loveliest of all the Greek islands. Gateway to western Greece, it is some 40 miles in length and between 2.5 and 9 miles wide, with no less than 125 miles of glorious sandy coastline to offer. Its crystalline waters are among the cleanest in the whole of the Mediterranean, with snorkelling and scuba diving high on the list of seaside activities for visitors and locals alike.
Located just off the western coasts of both Albania and Greece, Corfu is situated in a very strategic position at the entrance of the Adriatic Sea, with its roots firmly placed in the 8th century BC. There are many places of historic interest dotted around the island, most notably Achílleion Palace (once the home of Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II), but it's the wonderful beaches (many of them long and pristine) that attract the majority of holidaymakers, especially during the warm summer months.
Driving around the island is an absolute delight with trees and flowering shrubs cloaking much of its rolling terrain. There are very few high-rise hotels and over-crowded tourist resorts in Corfu, hence its immense appeal for people looking to hide themselves away for a few days of charming Greek-style peace and relaxation. With a cheap car hire in Corfu you'll have the chance to explore the island from north to south, visiting as many of the island's top attractions as possible. For general advice on getting around Corfu by car, please consult our Greece Driving Information section for information on road rules, speed limits, driving distances, etc.
With its narrow streets and cobbled squares dating back to Roman times, Corfu Town is popular for its old-world charm and easy-going atmosphere. Known to the Greeks as Kérkyra, its centrepiece is the large square - the Spianáda (Esplanade) - which is lined by dozens of small, family-owned shops, taverns, restaurants and trendy boutiques. The Old Town's ancient cobbled streets feature an abundance of palaces, museums, fortresses and cultural venues in an atmospheric harbour area that explodes into life during the summer months.
Auto Europe provides high-quality car hire at the most competitive prices at more than 24,000 pick-up and drop-off points worldwide. With almost 70 years' experience, we are able to meet all your car hire needs, whether it's a busy sightseeing itinerary in and around Corfu Town or an extended road-trip circumnavigating the island. With Auto Europe you can rent a car in Corfu either at the airport, in the town centre or from a choice of convenient pick-up points all over the island. And you can book your car quickly and easily in just a few clicks by using Auto Europe's state-of-the-art booking engine, or speak to one of our award-winning rental agents on +441233225114 if you need help with your reservation. Please visit our Corfu car hire reviews page to see the ratings and comments posted by some of our previous customers.
How is the traffic in Corfu?
Corfu Town has a modern road system and an efficient 21st-century infrastructure, which means that you'll be able to drive around and visit the top sights without encountering too many problems on the roads, except during high summer when the amount of tourist traffic is at its peak. Away from the large towns, many of the roads on Corfu are quite narrow so it's best to explore the island at a leisurely pace instead of rushing around trying to see and do everything in a day. While there is a good road running north-south along the east coast from Sidari to Lefkimmi, plus another from Corfu Town across the island to Paleokastritsa, some of the roads have inferior surfacing, so be prepared to encounter potholes and sometimes roadworks.
Where can I park my car hire in Corfu?
On-street parking can sometimes be difficult during the holiday season. Some parking areas are reserved for permanent residents but if you drive around with your car hire in Corfu you'll eventually find a space with a parking meter. As parking options are quite limited in the centre of Corfu Town itself, many visitors park just outside the town centre and walk into the old quarter, which is generally a cheaper and more convenient way of seeing the sights and soaking up the atmosphere. Parking at Corfu Airport is straightforward with plenty of parking spaces available, which gives you direct access to the island and saves you time both before and after your trip. With capacity for more than 250 cars, OnTime Parking is located right next to the Corfu Airport terminal building and offers parking by the hour (short-term) and the entire day (long-term), with vehicles monitored 24 hours a day with advanced security cameras.
Corfu Airport
Named after the first governor of Greece, Corfu's Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport is located a few minutes' drive south of Corfu Town and less than half a mile north of the neighbouring village of Pontikonisi. First opened in 1937, the airport began commercial operations in 1949, and during the tourism boom of the 1970s and 1980s quickly developed into one of the country's busiest air transportation facilities, although much of its traffic today remains seasonal. The airport's on-site passenger amenities are wide-ranging and include a good selection of boutiques, cafés and restaurants as well as a large Duty-free shop selling locally-made products. Improvement works at the airport in recent years have upgraded the airport's facilities with improved lighting and sanitary services, free Wi-Fi and better fire-safety standards. The car hire supplier desk can be found conveniently located in the arrivals area.
Corfu Airport (CFU)
Telephone: +30 26610 89600
Address: Corfu International Airport I. Kapodistrias, 491 008 Corfu, Greece
Website: https://www.cfu-airport.gr/en
What to do in Corfu
With its fine wines, abundance of historic monuments, idyllic beaches, pretty little villages and tasty cuisine, Corfu is the must-visit island for people looking to indulge themselves in the best of Greece. Home to the majority of the island's top attractions, Corfu Town is the logical place to start your tour of one of the most historic and scenic places in the whole of the Mediterranean.
Corfu Town: The island's main tourism centre, Corfu Town has played an important role in Greek history since 8 AD and is still today a major cultural hub for visitors from all over the world. Located close to the centre, its Old Town revolves around the Spianada, a large park overlooking the Old Fortress (Palaio Frourio) to the east and the New Fortress (Neo Fruorio) to the north-west. This fascinating historic quarter (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is a rich blend of architectural styles and harbours many of Corfu's most important buildings, museums and churches.
Old Fortress (Citadel): Constructed by the Venetians in 1546 on the site of an old castle, Corfu Town's wonderful and very sturdy Old Fortress stands on a rocky peninsula just east of the historic quarter. Inside is a lovely little church, but the best reason to visit the fortress is to admire the magnificent views from the lighthouse which stretch right over the town and as far as the Albanian coast in the distance.
Church of St Spyridon: Named after Corfu's patron saint, the beautiful Church of St Spyridon (Áyios Spyrídon) is easily recognisable for its red-domed belltower which dominates the Corfu Town skyline. The church's most important feature is a side chapel which houses a silver sarcophagus adorned with precious stones and containing the remains of St Spyridon, originally a shepherd from Cyprus who performed many miracles during his lifetime in the second century AD.
The Achilleion: A short drive from Corfu Town, the Achilleion is one of the island's most popular tourist attractions and a striking piece of royal architecture. Built in 1890 as a summer palace, it was a favourite place of residence for Empress Elisabeth of Austria (affectionately known as Sisi) and today is greatly appreciated by visitors for its fresoes, sweeping staircases, period furniture, paintings, gardens and pieces of the Empress's collection of clothes and other personal items.
Museum of Asian Art: Housed in a splendid Neoclassical building just north of the Esplanade in the centre of Corfu Town, this excellent museum features an impressive collection of Japanese, Indian and Chinese paintings, plus some very rare pieces of porcelain and sculpture, with pieces dating from the Neolithic period to the 19th century. Don't miss the chance to unwind in the museum's courtyard café to admire the sea views right across the Adriatic to Albania.
Mon Repos: Birthplace of Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband, this delightful Neoclassical palace is one of the island's key tourist attractions. Located at the end of a lovely tree-lined avenue, it was built in 1831 for the British Lord High Commissioner, Frederick Adam, and was later used as a summer home by the Greek royal family. Mon Repos is a short drive from Corfu Town and is particularly appealing for its pleasant gardens which offer plenty of welcome shade in the hot summer months.
Best day-trips with my car rental in Corfu
As one of the most stunningly-beautiful of all the Greek islands, the best strategy is to book a car rental in Corfu and embark on an exhilarating road-trip around the entire island, either clockwise or anti-clockwise. With your own wheels you'll be able to stop off at small seaside towns and villages and enjoy a leisurely lunch with the water lapping at your feet at an al fresco eaterie, or relax with a picnic in the lush green mountains looking towards Albania in the distance.
Kassiopi
About twenty miles north of Corfu Town lies one of the most tranquil seaside settings on the island - Kassiopi. Overlooking a picturesque harbour full of traditional wooden fishing boats, this quaint little fishing village has retained much its original charm and character and is a popular lunch stopover for people touring Corfu by car. Bring your towel and swimming costume for a relaxing swim in Kassiopi's turquoise waters before heading back to your hotel.
Paleokastritsa
One of the main highlights when exploring the island of Corfu is the beautiful beach town of Paleokastritsa, located a twenty-minute drive north-west of Corfu Town. Blessed with a glorious stretch of indented coastline, it's popular for its crystalline waters (perfect for bathing) and some of the best sandy beaches on the island. After a few hours of swimming and suntanning, head up into the hills to visit the town's exquisite 13th-century monastery which comprises an old church, a wonderful shaded courtyard garden and a fascinating museum.
Mount Pantokrator
Situated in the north of the island, Mount Pantokrator is the highest point on Corfu. Rising to an altitude of almost 1,000 metres, it's an exhilarating drive to the top of the mountain from where you'll be rewarded with the most spectacular sea views imaginable, encompassing the southern tip of Italy on a very clear day. An added bonus exists right at the top in the form of the Pantokrator Monastery which dates back to the 14th century.
Corfu Donkey Rescue
Not far from Paleokastritsa you'll find the excellent Corfu Donkey Rescue Centre, which is home to a number of these docile animals who all seem to be enjoying a well-earned period of retirement. Set amongst vast swathes of olive trees, the centre welcomes visitors (particularly families with young children) who can spend time with the animals and donate a few euros to their upkeep if they so desire.
How to get around Corfu
The island has two main arteries for discovering the destination with a car hire in Corfu, namely the GR-24 in the north and the GR-25 in the west, the former linking Corfu Town with Palaiokastritsa and the latter linking Corfu Town with Lefkimi. There's a good network of filling stations (open from 8am-8pm) on the island and all sell both petrol and diesel. Besides all the organised tours being offered to visitors, Corfu also has a decent public transport system, meaning that it is possible to travel around the island independently and more cheaply. Corfu's buses are the main form of public transport; they criss-cross the island and can get you to many of the top seaside resorts as well as the ferry port if you'd like to spend a day or two on the Greek mainland. Buses run regularly throughout the day and connect Corfu Town with various popular locations such as Glyfada, Sidari, Paleokastritsa, Roda, Acharavi, Lefkimmi, Lefkimmi and Piri. City buses run through the city to Corfu Airport, Achilleion, Gouvia, Afra, Pelekas and many other places of interest. Travelling between Corfu and the other Ionian islands is possible by ferry with services to the island of Paxoi and the city of Patras on the mainland, with extended routes to Igoumenitsa and Sarandë in neighbouring Albania providing an added option. Once on the Greek mainland, coaches are a more comfortable (and expensive) option with routes available to Athens (the country's capital) and Thessaloniki (Greece's second city).
Greece Tourist Info
More popular destinations in Greece
Alexandroupolis


text:
Scientology library: "H. W. R. Wade"
apollo (formerly, "royal scot man"; often misspelled "royal scotman", "royal scotsman") • bill cryer • blackmail • disconnection • e-meter • fair game • gabriel "gabe" cazares • gerald "gerry" armstrong • heber c. jentzsch • howard "homer" d. schomer • john e. ricketson • l. ron hubbard's credentials • laurel j. sullivan (née watson) • lawsuit • margaret thaler singer • nelson poynter • paul harris • paul wade • rehabilitation project force (rpf) • robert "bob" snyder • ross charles • salary • security check ("sec check") • stephen "steve" advokat • suppressive person (sp)
Scientology on trial — Willamette Week
Author(s): Bill Driver
Source: Willamette Week
Why a Portland jury awarded $39 million in damages against one of the world's most profitable cults. ONE SUNNY AFTERNOON last week, an elderly man, who looked as though he had probably spent the past few nights sleeping under the stars, stood in the southeast corner of Lownsdale Square in downtown Portland gazing in bewilderment at the scene before him. Several hundred people, many wearing T-shirts proclaiming something about a crusade for religious freedom, gathered around a large stage in the ...
Tag(s): Apollo (formerly, "Royal Scot Man"; often misspelled "Royal Scotman", "Royal Scotsman") • Assets • Bill Driver • Blackmail • Church of Scientology Mission of Davis • Church of Scientology of California (CSC) • Communications Course • Confidential preclear (PC) folder • Delphi Schools, Inc. • Disconnection • E-Meter • Earle C. Cooley • Edward "Eddie" Walters • Fair game • Fraud, lie, deceit, misrepresentation • Garry P. McMurry • Gerald "Gerry" Armstrong • Heber C. Jentzsch • Howard "Homer" D. Schomer • Income • Inurement • Judge Donald H. Londer • Judge Robert P. Jones • Julie Christofferson Titchbourne • L. Ron Hubbard's credentials • Laurel J. Sullivan (née Watson) • Lawsuit • Margaret Thaler Singer • Mark Segal • Martin L. Samuels • Medical claims • Mission Corporate Category Sort out (MCCS) • Office of Special Affairs (OSA) (formerly, Guardian's Office) • Pat Flanagan • Perjury • Protest, picket • Refunds • Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) • Religious Research Foundation (RRF) • Ronald L. Wade • Royalties, license, trademark, management fees • Salary • Sea Organization (Sea Org, SO) • Security check ("sec check") • Sequoia University of California • SOR Services (UK) • Statistics (Stats) • Suppressive person (SP) • Timothy Bowles • Training Routines (TRs) • Willamette Week • William W. "Bill" Franks
The ECT controversy – Part II — Psychiatric News
Author(s): Margaret McDonald
Source: Psychiatric News
Tag(s): American Psychiatric Association (APA) • Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) • Margaret McDonald • Psychiatric News • Thomas S. Szasz • Wade Hudson
Scientologists asking depositions in Cazares suit — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
More: news.google.com
Author(s): Bill Cryer
Source: St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
TAMPA — The Church of Scientology Monday filed a notice in U.S. District Court that it intends to take depositions from several newspaper executives, a reporter and employes of a Pinellas radio station. The depositions are being taken in connection with the church's $1-million libel and slander suit against Clearwater Mayor Gabriel Cazares. Cazares, who had earlier objected to giving his deposition to the church, will give his deposition today at the Pinellas County Courthouse in Clearwater, a spokesman for the ...
Tag(s): Bill Cryer • Gabriel "Gabe" Cazares • John E. Ricketson • Lawsuit • Nelson Poynter • Paul Harris • Paul Wade • Robert "Bob" Snyder • Ross Charles • St. Petersburg Times (Florida) • Stephen "Steve" Advokat
Passports and the individual's right to travel — The Times (UK)
Author(s): H. W. R. Wade
Source: The Times (UK)
Tag(s): H. W. R. Wade • The Times (UK) • United Kingdom (UK)


This is a short list. There isn't anywhere in Dubai or UAE that uses a zip code or postcode for mail delivery. Try 00000 if you are forced to use one.
Confusion arises because all UAE mail is delivered to a PO Box, e.g. "Somebody, PO Box 12345, Dubai, UAE". If mail is addressed as "Somebody, Dubai 12345, UAE" without the text "PO Box", it will still be delivered successfully but it looks there is a postcode for Dubai rather than a PO Box.
You need a PO Box number for any post office delivered mail in the UAE. Don't get PO Box mixed up with postcodes or zip codes. Sharjah started to introduce a "Postal Code System" in 2015 but they are GIS building location codes rather than mail delivery codes for areas.
Some confusion might result from the Universal Postal Union (UPU) UAE member page "Search for a postcode" link going to the EPG list of locations with Public PO Box numbers. Don't use a public PO Box address unless you know that is what you want to do.
Don't use a street address when addressing mail for the UAE that goes through the postal system. It won't normally be delivered there.
Replace "12345" with the correct PO Box number. Don't use hyphens or spaces in the PO Box number (although mail will usually still be delivered correctly if there are hypens or spaces e.g. "12 345" or "123-45").
Either UAE or United Arab Emirates can be used for country name (when sent from English speaking countries). Use the relevant abbreviation or full name from non-English speaking countries.
What to do if a zip code or postcode is required for mail to the UAE?
There are often situations where a company requires a zip code for a delivery or mailing address in the UAE, for example Amazon, AliExpress, other ecommerce and online shopping websites. In that case, use 00000 as a default zip code for anywhere in the UAE.
Here is a list of our suggestions for UAE zip codes or postcodes to use, in order of preference (our opinion only).
Try leaving the zip code or postcode field blank, or type a space.
00000 or 0000 - seems to work fine for us most of the time. Use "zeros" not "ohs".
A 3 letter code for a city or emirate (not always the same as the airport code) e.g. DXB for Dubai, AUH for Abu Dhabi, but RAK for Ras Al Khaimah (not the airport code which is RKT). Or try using UAE for the postcode, and then enter United Arab Emirates for the country.
Your UAE mobile number starting with 05 e.g. 05012345 (that's not a real UAE mobile number). The advantage with this is that if there is an address or delivery problem, the post office in the UAE will sometimes phone your mobile to try to get the item delivered - more likely with parcels and packages than with letters.
France Code Postal: 5 digits (numerical only).
Germany Postleitzahl (PLZ): 5 digits (numericial only).
Great Britain or United Kingdom postcode: 2-4 alphanumeric characters, a space, then 3 alphanumeric characters e.g. A1BC 2DE (not an actual valid postcode). There are restrictions on which character set is used in each position, details not covered here since this page is about the UAE postal delivery system, not the UK.
USA zip code: 2 letters (abbreviation for state) + 5 numerical digits.
The UAE PO Box used for delivery address. It will end up appearing twice on the address label but you will still only get one copy of the package or letter.
In Dubai, the Makani number for your physical location (if you know what it is, there should be a label on the building or fence). The post office won't deliver your mail there, you still need a PO Box for that, but the sender won't know that.
Courier deliveries, such as Aramex, DHL, Fedex, Empost, etc will need a physical location to deliver your items. A postcode will not be useful to them, you'll need to give a physical address (e.g. building name or number and street name), or company name that the courier can find, or GIS locator (e.g. Makani, Onwani) if the courier company uses this service.
At least provide a mobile phone number so the courier can call you and get directions.
Ras Al Khaimah 00000 RAK Makani?
Umm Al Quwain 00000 UAQ Makani?
Occasional references seen to a UAE Postcode Project or UAE Post Code Project, but nothing official found from EPG or the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
Might be references to the GIS address mapping projects. Or to something else proposed but delayed, suspended, abandoned, or still in development.
The UPU "Status and Structures of Postal Entities" 2018 report for the UAE has no mention about a postal code project or anything else related to post codes.
The Sharjah GIS address project is called the Sharjah Postal Code System (SPC or PCS).
Geographical Information System (GIS) reference location numbers used for individual buildings are different from zip codes and post codes used for areas.
Unique 10 digit numbers with physical signboards placed at entrance to every building in Dubai, and in Northern Emirates.
Implemented in Dubai, see www.makani.ae.
Proposed for emirates of Ajman, Fujairah, RAK, UAQ. Location not yet available at www.makani.ae (as of Mar 2019) but might be available on the Makani app (Android and Apple).
There is a Makani Restaurant in RAK serving Indian food.
Includes Abu Dhabi island, Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain city and region, Al Gharbiya (Western Region).
Abu Dhabi Street Address, Geonames and Signage System (ADAGS) Project = Onwani (means My Address in English).
The Sharjah UPC started introducing an location address system in 2015, called the "Sharjah Postal Code System (PCS)", similar to the Makani 10-digit address locating system introduced in Dubai, and Onwani in Abu Dhabi. Although these systems can be used for deliveries, they are different from more general area post codes or zip codes which are often used in other countries for addressing mail delivered by post office systems. The GIS reference numbers are unique and specific to individual buildings.
Since the UAE postal service is unlikely to start introducing free mail delivery services to the general public in the forseeable future (paid mail delivery is available), the Sharjah Postal Code is not required when addressing items posted to you if you live in Sharjah. You will still need a PO Box as of 2015 ... 2016 ... 2017 ... 2018 ... 2019. Unless using a paid for delivery service (courier or post office), in which case the Postal Code might be used.
2017 Apr 02 (press release): The SUPC announced that the pilot phase of the Postal Code System (PCS) was complete, and full implementation of about 102,000 postal code signboards in Sharjah would begin (102,076 signs). Locators appear to be 5 digit numbers.
2015 Apr 18 (WAM): Sharjah Urban Planning Council (SUPC, SHJ-UPC) announced that postal codes would be introduced in the emirate of Sharjah. Every building location would have its own individual postal code, to be used for GIS reference, quicker access for emergency services, and possibly mail delivery. A mobile app to look up post codes was also announced.
UPU = Universal Postal Union, joining date for the UAE was 30 Mar 1973.
www.makani.ae - desktop version of Dubai Municipality (DM) Makani address system. Only shows Dubai locations, not Northern Emirates (as of Mar 2019).
Sharjah Postal Code: supc.shj.ae/initiatives_new.aspx?id=1 (old link at www.supc.gov.ae/initiatives_new.aspx?id=1).
www.wam.ae/en/details/1395279410835, "Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi announces official launch of new postal code system in Sharjah", 2015-04-18.
www.upu.int/en/activities/addressing/postal-addressing-systems-in-member-countries.html - how to address mail in teh UAE and other countries.
www.upu.int - Universal Postal Union official website, includes documents and pages about postcodes, how to address mail correctly, delivery procedures, etc.
www.dubaifaqs.com/zip-code-addresses-dubai-uae.php (PDF and print version).