:.
happy to announce that our friends at TELLASON
are selling our oil (online only). thanks pete & tony for
including us in your webshop under "things our friends make".
YouTube - High handed and not customer focused and discriminating against small artists
I'm not at all impressed with YouTube. My band made this video of a track written and performed by the Band
We own the copyright to the song and the video. We recently took advantage of the ability to monetize the video, by adding Google Adwords to it. Whilst this is unlikely to bring in more than a bit of pocket money at the moment, in these hard times, every little helps.
Today I got this email :-
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Now this is clearly a device to stop Youtube being prosecuted for copyright violation. The stuff about the video not being advertiser friendly is purely a smokescreen. What annoys me is that I own the copyright and there is no mechanism for appealing this decision. This policy clearly is high prejudicial against independent and unsigned artists. I can understand that YouTube doesn't make a fortune from such things generally, but just suppose the clip goes viral and starts attracting masses of hits? Us as the artist will lose out big time.
I have no objection to a suspension, or a request for further information, but I have a big objection to an arbitary decision to prevent me from earning money from a piece of artwork of which I am the copyright holder. As to the "Thank You for Your Understanding" - as far as I'm concerned, I have no understanding at all for how such a rich corporation can be so high handed and treat it's customers so shioddily. You Tube are a bunch of pisstakers.
READ MORE »
YouTube - High handed and not customer focused and discriminating against small artists
We own the copyright to the song and the video. We recently took advantage of the ability to monetize the video, by adding Google Adwords to it. Whilst this is unlikely to bring in more than a bit of pocket money at the moment, in these hard times, every little helps.
Today I got this email :-
--------------------------------------------
 | Help Centre | email options | report spam |
Dear RogTex,Thanks for submitting your video Put me in the Spotlight - Koni with The False Dots Official Video for revenue sharing. We have disabled revenue sharing on this video for one of the following reasons:
If you have additional questions, please visit our Help Centre at http://www.google.com/support/youtube/. Thanks for your understanding, The YouTube Team | |
Now this is clearly a device to stop Youtube being prosecuted for copyright violation. The stuff about the video not being advertiser friendly is purely a smokescreen. What annoys me is that I own the copyright and there is no mechanism for appealing this decision. This policy clearly is high prejudicial against independent and unsigned artists. I can understand that YouTube doesn't make a fortune from such things generally, but just suppose the clip goes viral and starts attracting masses of hits? Us as the artist will lose out big time.
I have no objection to a suspension, or a request for further information, but I have a big objection to an arbitary decision to prevent me from earning money from a piece of artwork of which I am the copyright holder. As to the "Thank You for Your Understanding" - as far as I'm concerned, I have no understanding at all for how such a rich corporation can be so high handed and treat it's customers so shioddily. You Tube are a bunch of pisstakers.
Barnet Local residents forum 29/11/2011 - Larches Trust Edgware
Last night, the Barnet Alliance for Public Services held a residents forum, for local people to air their grievances about life in Barnet. There were five main groups of people in a well attended meeting.
1. Local members of the public, inspired to come along by the policies of the local authority (Barnet Council). They were generally concerned about cuts to welfare for people who need support, cuts to budgets for youth services and parks and the insane parking policies of Barnet Council.
2. Members of the local Labour party. Councillor Alan Schneiderman, GLA Candidate Andrew Dismore and a bevvy of other activists.
3. Regular BAPS members, who are generally interested in Barnet politics, but as keen, if not more so to discuss the global issues of capitalism, finance and dodgy bankers.
4. A few interested onlookers, who said nothing, but occasionally clapped vigourously and nodded their head when points (parking, parks and welfare). This group seemed more interested in local issues than the discussions on the relative merits of the global financial system, but not being a mindreader, that is my take on their views.
5. The local Conservative Councillors and MP's. Unlike previous meetings, they were represented at this meeting. In fact they were represented by a world famous figure, who has been represented in many books and movies. Yup, the invisible man turned up. Sadly he had nothing to say (sorry guys, couldn't resist the dig).
The first three groups of people all had a lot to say. The meeting was ably chaired by Alan Sloam, a former Barnet Councillor, who genuinely seemed to enjoy chairing a public meeting. I missed the first half of the meeting. I came in as Andrew Dismore gave a masterclass in dissection of the inept parking changes in Barnet. Whatever you think of Dismore, he certainly is a detail man. An issue such as parking is made for him. He won universal approval from the audience (after the meeting a couple of people told me they'd voted Tory in May, but would definately vote for Dismore to see the back of Coleman. People seem to know who is to blame for the parking fiasco.)
Another member of the Labour party spoke up for the policies of the previous government and explained how many people who had benefitted from schemes for young people in Barnet were suffering because of the policies of the council/government.
Councillor Schneiderman commented on the difficulty scrutinising One Barnet projects. He stated that the devil was in the detail and that the focus should be on individual service areas. He also commented that the parking changes could kill town centres (wide applause).
A BAPS member stated that the he was a member of the Coalition against the Cuts. He berated Labour for allowing cuts in Camden and other Labour Boroughs and stated that this was worse than Tory cuts. At this point, I reminded the audience that One Barnet was conceived long before the current crisis. The project started as Future Shape, shortly after Brian Coleman and Mike Freer arranged a palace coup and deposed Brian Salinger as leader, shortly after the May 2006 Council elections.
Julian Silverman, as vice chair, reminded the audience that the crisis was far wider than just Barnet. He explained that we needed root and branch reform of the financial services industry.
A local resident suggested that councillors should not chair Council run residents forums. The chair should be selected by the residents present.
Linda Evans, one of the local carers, discussed the hardships being caused by Council policies. She discussed the role of the CADDS organisation, which represents carers (and has been discussed on guest blogs by Janet Leifer here). She explained how CADDS had managed to reverse some seriously bad decisions. She detailed one, where a man who couldn't take himself to the toilet had his night care removed. She also discussed how Barnet Council has form for performing surveys of carers and then ignoring and burying the results.
Alan Sloam added that at a conference, a care worker in Barnet discussed the importance of parents with disabled parents putting in care plans for when they die. Apparently, despite there being a clear need, in Barnet at present only 7 out of 2,000 parent carers have lodged a care plan. This is due to rise to 12 by the end of the year.
Nagus Naren, subject of ridicule and abuse at a Hendon & District Residents forum earlier this year, for her Sri Lankan accent, from Councillor John Hart, who was the chair (and paid for the role), explained how Barnet Council has lost all credibility due to its toleration of such behaviour. She was visibly upset as she recounted the issue (This blog is disgusted that there are apologists for Hart who seem to think his behaviour was OK and that just because the committee delivered a perverse judgement, doesn't mean that it is all OK).
And with that, the meeting rapped up at 9.15. A motion was passed to deliver the minutes of the meeting to Barnet Council. I wonder what they will do with them?
There is something about all of this that does bother me. Again Conservative Councillors were invited. Again none bothered to come. Out of the 37 of them, surely there must be at least one who is eloquent,witty and able to handle a public meeting. That cannot be the issue. The issue must be that none of them agree with the policies that their council is implementing in relation to parking and One Barnet. I suspect that the only two councillors who think the parking fiasco is a good idea are Rams and Coleman. The rest are too scared. As for One Barnet, I don't think a single Barnet Conservative really has a clue what it is all about. Last night I was told of a very interesting conversation between Brian Coleman and someone present at the meeting regarding One Barnet. I'm sworn to secrecy, but lets just say that even the man who thinks the parking changes are a good idea has his reservations about One Barnet.
One thing I've learned over the years about people is that if something doesn't affect them, generally they don't care. They go with the flow. However, when they become the victims of injustice, they care passionately and for a very long time. Let me give you an example. At school, I received the cane so many times, I can't recall them all. Most of the time, I'd done something which transgressed the school rules and I accepted it. There were however three times when I got into serious trouble and I felt that I'd been treated unfairly by the school. To this day I remember these instances in minute detail and feel a sense of being wronged. That is why I believe we could have some interesting results in elections in the coming years.
READ MORE »
Barnet Local residents forum 29/11/2011 - Larches Trust Edgware
1. Local members of the public, inspired to come along by the policies of the local authority (Barnet Council). They were generally concerned about cuts to welfare for people who need support, cuts to budgets for youth services and parks and the insane parking policies of Barnet Council.
2. Members of the local Labour party. Councillor Alan Schneiderman, GLA Candidate Andrew Dismore and a bevvy of other activists.
3. Regular BAPS members, who are generally interested in Barnet politics, but as keen, if not more so to discuss the global issues of capitalism, finance and dodgy bankers.
4. A few interested onlookers, who said nothing, but occasionally clapped vigourously and nodded their head when points (parking, parks and welfare). This group seemed more interested in local issues than the discussions on the relative merits of the global financial system, but not being a mindreader, that is my take on their views.
5. The local Conservative Councillors and MP's. Unlike previous meetings, they were represented at this meeting. In fact they were represented by a world famous figure, who has been represented in many books and movies. Yup, the invisible man turned up. Sadly he had nothing to say (sorry guys, couldn't resist the dig).
The first three groups of people all had a lot to say. The meeting was ably chaired by Alan Sloam, a former Barnet Councillor, who genuinely seemed to enjoy chairing a public meeting. I missed the first half of the meeting. I came in as Andrew Dismore gave a masterclass in dissection of the inept parking changes in Barnet. Whatever you think of Dismore, he certainly is a detail man. An issue such as parking is made for him. He won universal approval from the audience (after the meeting a couple of people told me they'd voted Tory in May, but would definately vote for Dismore to see the back of Coleman. People seem to know who is to blame for the parking fiasco.)
Another member of the Labour party spoke up for the policies of the previous government and explained how many people who had benefitted from schemes for young people in Barnet were suffering because of the policies of the council/government.
Councillor Schneiderman commented on the difficulty scrutinising One Barnet projects. He stated that the devil was in the detail and that the focus should be on individual service areas. He also commented that the parking changes could kill town centres (wide applause).
A BAPS member stated that the he was a member of the Coalition against the Cuts. He berated Labour for allowing cuts in Camden and other Labour Boroughs and stated that this was worse than Tory cuts. At this point, I reminded the audience that One Barnet was conceived long before the current crisis. The project started as Future Shape, shortly after Brian Coleman and Mike Freer arranged a palace coup and deposed Brian Salinger as leader, shortly after the May 2006 Council elections.
Julian Silverman, as vice chair, reminded the audience that the crisis was far wider than just Barnet. He explained that we needed root and branch reform of the financial services industry.
A local resident suggested that councillors should not chair Council run residents forums. The chair should be selected by the residents present.
Linda Evans, one of the local carers, discussed the hardships being caused by Council policies. She discussed the role of the CADDS organisation, which represents carers (and has been discussed on guest blogs by Janet Leifer here). She explained how CADDS had managed to reverse some seriously bad decisions. She detailed one, where a man who couldn't take himself to the toilet had his night care removed. She also discussed how Barnet Council has form for performing surveys of carers and then ignoring and burying the results.
Alan Sloam added that at a conference, a care worker in Barnet discussed the importance of parents with disabled parents putting in care plans for when they die. Apparently, despite there being a clear need, in Barnet at present only 7 out of 2,000 parent carers have lodged a care plan. This is due to rise to 12 by the end of the year.
Nagus Naren, subject of ridicule and abuse at a Hendon & District Residents forum earlier this year, for her Sri Lankan accent, from Councillor John Hart, who was the chair (and paid for the role), explained how Barnet Council has lost all credibility due to its toleration of such behaviour. She was visibly upset as she recounted the issue (This blog is disgusted that there are apologists for Hart who seem to think his behaviour was OK and that just because the committee delivered a perverse judgement, doesn't mean that it is all OK).
And with that, the meeting rapped up at 9.15. A motion was passed to deliver the minutes of the meeting to Barnet Council. I wonder what they will do with them?
There is something about all of this that does bother me. Again Conservative Councillors were invited. Again none bothered to come. Out of the 37 of them, surely there must be at least one who is eloquent,witty and able to handle a public meeting. That cannot be the issue. The issue must be that none of them agree with the policies that their council is implementing in relation to parking and One Barnet. I suspect that the only two councillors who think the parking fiasco is a good idea are Rams and Coleman. The rest are too scared. As for One Barnet, I don't think a single Barnet Conservative really has a clue what it is all about. Last night I was told of a very interesting conversation between Brian Coleman and someone present at the meeting regarding One Barnet. I'm sworn to secrecy, but lets just say that even the man who thinks the parking changes are a good idea has his reservations about One Barnet.
One thing I've learned over the years about people is that if something doesn't affect them, generally they don't care. They go with the flow. However, when they become the victims of injustice, they care passionately and for a very long time. Let me give you an example. At school, I received the cane so many times, I can't recall them all. Most of the time, I'd done something which transgressed the school rules and I accepted it. There were however three times when I got into serious trouble and I felt that I'd been treated unfairly by the school. To this day I remember these instances in minute detail and feel a sense of being wronged. That is why I believe we could have some interesting results in elections in the coming years.
The Inevitable Sadness of AMD
It would seem that the arms race between AMD and Intel has ended, and the victor is Intel. The most recent news to come out of AMD’s headquarters is that they are going to stop researching and producing high-end CPU’s. AMD will instead change the focus of their company.
The first rumors out were speculating that AMD was out of the desktop processor game completely and moving towards mobile devices, but the day after these rumors appeared AMD made a statement saying that they will not be stopping their entire line of processors, but not moving forward with new high-end equipment. These statements are coming off the fresh “failure” of the bulldozer chipsets which had so much potential. AMD has also announced that they laid off nearly twelve percent of their workforce. In AMD’s statement they stated that they will be focusing on their x86 processor models and mobile technology moving forward.
Consumers are now left with major questions: Who will step in the ring and try to contend with Intel? How long until the first anti-trust lawsuit against Intel appears? Who will drive Intel to continue on its track record of excellence and force them to be competitive in their pricing? It does not seem like a feasible option for any processor company at this time to do so.
Sources:Softpedia.com - AMD Not Competing with Intel Anymore, Goes Mobile Softpedia.com - AMD Still Committed to x86, Whatever That Means Mercurynews.com - AMD struggling to reinvent itself
Start your own Ulf Andersson Collection!
In his own (few Swed-English) words, Ulf Andersson humbly describes his personal inspiration for his fabulous creations...
(fyi girls... I'm hunting for those killer shoes...)
I create vintage updated designs for women, and yes, curves are allowed. All my fabrics have been carefully hand selected in vintage inspired colors, prints, feel and comfort. All my fabrics are mostly my own prints that I have found in my grandmothers closets, wall paper or any inspirational print that "talks to me". Enjoy the vintage feel and look of my passion and design. Ulf...
customer testimonial
"While out for a walk, I noticed a nice little storefront tucked away on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood. The name "Ulf Andersson" promised, perhaps, Swedish Austerity or minimalism. Au contraire! Glimpse-able from the front windows were amazing jackets, dresses, and blouses. A sign proclaiming the promise of hand-made loveliness made me determined to go back the next day when the store was open.
Ladies, Ulf is a charming Swedish man who will tell you what's what. In his studio he'll compliment you if the clothes look good, and stay politely silent if they look less than stellar. I bought my beautiful pieces, which for quasi-couture,(he only makes a few of each item) were very well priced, he mostly sells wholesale". Val D.
You don't need to go to Hollywood to shop for Ulf's specialty designs! Hop Sing, your friendly neighborhood boutique in Prescott promises to continually search for the most unique, beautiful coverings we can find, and bring them home to you! It's our passion...
EU Break Up?
Talks about the break up of the EU got me thinking about the good ol' days of Francs, Lire, Drachmas and Deutschemarks. I imagined a new world where countries who couldn't keep their books tight did the responsible thing and let markets assess them. That way they would be judged fairly without being politicized (US included). Their currencies would be under constant watch from being so devalued that they wouldn't end up like the Eastern Bloc of old.
This it what I imagine such a utopia would be like,
Hey Warren, Stick To Railroads!
So we've been silent since Thanksgiving. You'll have to excuse us, the turkey hangover lasted longer than anticipated, and with the beginning of this week's trading, we should have made it last longer!
Let's just say Call of Duty has kept us busy the past few days.
But since then, news broke today about BofA making new lows. As many of you should know, Warren Buffett famously gave BofA $5 Billion in August. He bought the shares with the possibility of exercising them at a price of $7.14. As of today his company, Berkshire Hathaway, will be taking over a $650 million dollar hit.
Of course, this is no big deal to the Oracle of Omaha, but still, investing in America's banks right now is like investing in American Airlines. Both are tied down by government policies (NB: even though we are free market supporters, MF Global needed more oversight) and have no way of escaping until America grows it's way out of depression (yeah we said it).
Here's to shoelace soup!
READ MORE »
Hey Warren, Stick To Railroads!
Let's just say Call of Duty has kept us busy the past few days.
But since then, news broke today about BofA making new lows. As many of you should know, Warren Buffett famously gave BofA $5 Billion in August. He bought the shares with the possibility of exercising them at a price of $7.14. As of today his company, Berkshire Hathaway, will be taking over a $650 million dollar hit.
Of course, this is no big deal to the Oracle of Omaha, but still, investing in America's banks right now is like investing in American Airlines. Both are tied down by government policies (NB: even though we are free market supporters, MF Global needed more oversight) and have no way of escaping until America grows it's way out of depression (yeah we said it).
Here's to shoelace soup!
Viva La bloggers !
Have a look in the sidebar at the right of this blog. There are four blogs by the other four bloggers who make up the famous five bloggers of Barnet. All four are about completely different subjects, all four are important. None of the subjects are covered adequately in the local press.Viva la bloggers !
READ MORE »
Viva La bloggers !
Public Sector Workers Strike 30th Nov 2011
Picket lines in Barnet on 30 November
Barnet council sites:
North London Business Park N11 1NP (from 7am)
Barnet House N20 0EJ (from 7am)
Mill Hill Depot NW7 1BL (from 6am)
Hendon Library NW4 4BQ (from 9am)
Chipping Barnet Library EN5 4QT (from 9am)
Barnet College:
Wood Street EN5 4AZ and Grahame Park NW9 5RA (from 7.30am)
Middlesex University:
Hendon campus, The Burroughs
Civil service:
Barnet County Court, Regent’s Park Road, N3 1BQ
Berkeley House, 302-304 Regents Park Road N3 2JY
READ MORE »
Public Sector Workers Strike 30th Nov 2011
Barnet council sites:
North London Business Park N11 1NP (from 7am)
Barnet House N20 0EJ (from 7am)
Mill Hill Depot NW7 1BL (from 6am)
Hendon Library NW4 4BQ (from 9am)
Chipping Barnet Library EN5 4QT (from 9am)
Barnet College:
Wood Street EN5 4AZ and Grahame Park NW9 5RA (from 7.30am)
Middlesex University:
Hendon campus, The Burroughs
Civil service:
Barnet County Court, Regent’s Park Road, N3 1BQ
Berkeley House, 302-304 Regents Park Road N3 2JY
Drew Ryniewicz... WOW!
This young woman is amazing! She's so talented and seemingly grounded upon a foundation of happiness and gratitude. That's so refreshing!
She's so cute! And just like how I look at every woman I encounter, I just want to dress her! I played with my Barbies with more vigor then most girls. Of course now the Natasha's, (our famously-lovely-store-mannequins) satisfy my need for styling "control" issues... but, with this little tidbit of personal info that I just discovered on the internet... I love her even more!!!
While Drew enjoys mentoring and coaching from Simon Cowell, she's also getting a bit of a style makeover from June Ambrose, who describes Drew as just a "...hippie at heart." And Drew seemed to love it, "June took my style and amplified it..."
I'm not a big TV watcher, but during my race from work to home on X-Factor nights, I'd run over a rabbit on the road just to not to miss one of her amazing performance's! Not that I have any animosity for rabbits, I love em!... it's just that she's so talented, and it's really exciting that she's from Prescott Valley and I love her voice... and song choices!
As soon as she's signed & recorded... yay!!! PANDORA all day @ Hop Sing!!!
No coverage of Tambourides case on Hendon Times website
I must say I'm rather surprised that there has been no mention of the Tambourides standards case on the Hendon Times website. The story has been made lead story on the Press website. Just asking...
READ MORE »
No coverage of Tambourides case on Hendon Times website
Rog T's Cancer blog - What is the point of being alive?
Ok, so this is the latest installment in my occasional series about how I'm adjusting to living with a big C in my life. For those of you who are regular readers and have read the previous posts, you can skip this first paragraph. For those of you who aren't, here's a quick summary. I'm 49 years old and I recently had a prostate biopsy following two "slightly high" PSA tests - 2.8 & 4.1. The biopsy took ten tissue samples and one of these showed a "low grade cancer" which gives me a 3+3 on the Gleason scale. I'm now on a program of active monitoring. I've no symptoms and sadly for a few people, if I'm gonna die soon, it won't be from Prostate cancer. Got the picture?
Todays post is a bit long, a bit rambling and a bit of a braindump of my thoughts today.
So today has been a very grim day for me. I had some bad news. One of my best friends has been having chemo for five months and has just found out that the tumour hasn't shrunk enough to be operable. Although the primary tumour hasn't grown, it has spread to other places. He's on morphine for the pain. On the bright side, he's a Man Utd fan and he's got tickets for the match vs Crystal Palace. Given his recent luck, I'd be tempted to put a fiver on Palace. It was a grim call, perhaps made grimmer because I promised to update another friend when I heard the news, so I had to have the conversation twice.
Now as someone with a far better prognosis, it sent me into a very depressed state of mind. What do you do? How do you deal with such things? It's bad enough getting your head around your own issues, but this was a really unwelcome bit of news. I used to deal with such news by going to the pub and getting hammered (and believe me that isn't ruled out completely tonight), but I have another method of dealing with such setbacks these days. I went to the gym and gave myself a pretty tough work out. I set myself a 50 minute hill course on setting 11. The physical strain of dealing with the hill sections, followed by the resting sections was fairly distracting. As I had to choose a bike, I had the choice of the News or watching Dita Von Tees on "Loose Women". In my depressed state, I chose Von Tees, strangely this did the trick of taking my mind off the black thoughts and issues (that and the physical strain of the workout). Although Von Tees isn't really my cup of tea looks wise, she is a great burlesque dancer and I guess I'd recommend her show as a distraction for morbid thoughts.
One of the things which I've been advised is to try and reduce my stress levels. A question I had asked myself is whether I need the stress of writing this blog. It is an interesting question, because I know of one blogger who gave it all up because the stress of blogging got too much. The thing is, however I look at it, the blogging isn't the stressful thing. The stress comes from knowing that all of the crap I write about is being perpetrated on the people of Barnet. It is rather interesting to note that certain people have started leaving all manner of nasty and snide messages on their twitters and in the local paper, since I first mentioned about the diagnosis. Is it a coincidence? Do they think that they could kill me or stress me out enough to stop blogging "on health reasons?". Well if that is the reason, then think again chaps. The first question I asked myself when I got the diagnosis is "what is the point of being alive?". The point hasn't changed. We all have our own set of beliefs and we all have our different view on why we are here. Some believe that their is no point to us being here and that while we are here, we'll take as much as possible and give as little back as possible. Some of us believe we are are here for a reason, even if we don't understand that reason and we are here to try and make some sort of difference. When I read some of the unsolicited emails I receive from people who appreciate the blog, I realise that it has a purpose and it helps people. So what if I get a few trolls leaving stupid and ignorant messages in the electronic ether? Am I such a coward or so lazy that it matters to me? Dream on.
As I come to terms with my situation, I realise that it gives me a better insight into the condition we all have, the human condition. I've learned much since the diagnosis. I've learned that I've made a few lifestyle mistakes, through ignorance. I've learned that the government ( not just the current one) has badly let down all of us, by not educating us as to our eating habits. I've learned that many more people than I realised have had brushes with cancer. I've realised that those of us who are fit and well (yes, that's me. I have no symptoms) need to do far more to raise money for research and give time to support those who are not fit and well.
I also think I've solved something which has bothered me since I was a child. There are so many beautiful things in the world that have been destroyed. Of the seven wonders of the world, only the pyramids are left. In London, not a day seems to go by without a landmark or a much loved building going. I've always wondered why, if there is a God or some sort of supreme being, such destruction can come to pass. As I said, I had a moment of enlightenment. It's so we learn the value of things. If nothing beautiful could ever be destroyed, how could we ever understand it's value or have a reason to fight for it. Would a world where we could take everything for granted, really be a better world?
Which takes us back to my condition and yours too my friend. With my condition, I believe I can do something to improve it and I am trying. Now maybe you are in that position as well. If you are then, give some serious thought to making a few changes. That starts by identifying the things which may make you ill. For most of us, a few monor changes will make a huge difference. Then there are those of you who perhaps can't change their lot. Maybe, just maybe, you could help you loved ones avoid the things which you are going through.
So in answer to the title of this blog today, the point is to try and make a difference. Hopefully a difference for the better. And in the words of Steve Miller from 1969 - Don't you let nobody turn you around - strangely enough, as grim a day as it was, in a strange way, I feel far better in my own mind about myself. Maybe some sort of corner has been turned.
READ MORE »
Rog T's Cancer blog - What is the point of being alive?
Todays post is a bit long, a bit rambling and a bit of a braindump of my thoughts today.
So today has been a very grim day for me. I had some bad news. One of my best friends has been having chemo for five months and has just found out that the tumour hasn't shrunk enough to be operable. Although the primary tumour hasn't grown, it has spread to other places. He's on morphine for the pain. On the bright side, he's a Man Utd fan and he's got tickets for the match vs Crystal Palace. Given his recent luck, I'd be tempted to put a fiver on Palace. It was a grim call, perhaps made grimmer because I promised to update another friend when I heard the news, so I had to have the conversation twice.
Now as someone with a far better prognosis, it sent me into a very depressed state of mind. What do you do? How do you deal with such things? It's bad enough getting your head around your own issues, but this was a really unwelcome bit of news. I used to deal with such news by going to the pub and getting hammered (and believe me that isn't ruled out completely tonight), but I have another method of dealing with such setbacks these days. I went to the gym and gave myself a pretty tough work out. I set myself a 50 minute hill course on setting 11. The physical strain of dealing with the hill sections, followed by the resting sections was fairly distracting. As I had to choose a bike, I had the choice of the News or watching Dita Von Tees on "Loose Women". In my depressed state, I chose Von Tees, strangely this did the trick of taking my mind off the black thoughts and issues (that and the physical strain of the workout). Although Von Tees isn't really my cup of tea looks wise, she is a great burlesque dancer and I guess I'd recommend her show as a distraction for morbid thoughts.
One of the things which I've been advised is to try and reduce my stress levels. A question I had asked myself is whether I need the stress of writing this blog. It is an interesting question, because I know of one blogger who gave it all up because the stress of blogging got too much. The thing is, however I look at it, the blogging isn't the stressful thing. The stress comes from knowing that all of the crap I write about is being perpetrated on the people of Barnet. It is rather interesting to note that certain people have started leaving all manner of nasty and snide messages on their twitters and in the local paper, since I first mentioned about the diagnosis. Is it a coincidence? Do they think that they could kill me or stress me out enough to stop blogging "on health reasons?". Well if that is the reason, then think again chaps. The first question I asked myself when I got the diagnosis is "what is the point of being alive?". The point hasn't changed. We all have our own set of beliefs and we all have our different view on why we are here. Some believe that their is no point to us being here and that while we are here, we'll take as much as possible and give as little back as possible. Some of us believe we are are here for a reason, even if we don't understand that reason and we are here to try and make some sort of difference. When I read some of the unsolicited emails I receive from people who appreciate the blog, I realise that it has a purpose and it helps people. So what if I get a few trolls leaving stupid and ignorant messages in the electronic ether? Am I such a coward or so lazy that it matters to me? Dream on.
As I come to terms with my situation, I realise that it gives me a better insight into the condition we all have, the human condition. I've learned much since the diagnosis. I've learned that I've made a few lifestyle mistakes, through ignorance. I've learned that the government ( not just the current one) has badly let down all of us, by not educating us as to our eating habits. I've learned that many more people than I realised have had brushes with cancer. I've realised that those of us who are fit and well (yes, that's me. I have no symptoms) need to do far more to raise money for research and give time to support those who are not fit and well.
I also think I've solved something which has bothered me since I was a child. There are so many beautiful things in the world that have been destroyed. Of the seven wonders of the world, only the pyramids are left. In London, not a day seems to go by without a landmark or a much loved building going. I've always wondered why, if there is a God or some sort of supreme being, such destruction can come to pass. As I said, I had a moment of enlightenment. It's so we learn the value of things. If nothing beautiful could ever be destroyed, how could we ever understand it's value or have a reason to fight for it. Would a world where we could take everything for granted, really be a better world?
Which takes us back to my condition and yours too my friend. With my condition, I believe I can do something to improve it and I am trying. Now maybe you are in that position as well. If you are then, give some serious thought to making a few changes. That starts by identifying the things which may make you ill. For most of us, a few monor changes will make a huge difference. Then there are those of you who perhaps can't change their lot. Maybe, just maybe, you could help you loved ones avoid the things which you are going through.
So in answer to the title of this blog today, the point is to try and make a difference. Hopefully a difference for the better. And in the words of Steve Miller from 1969 - Don't you let nobody turn you around - strangely enough, as grim a day as it was, in a strange way, I feel far better in my own mind about myself. Maybe some sort of corner has been turned.
Is Barnet Council Institutionally Racist?
Having seen my email following the blog concerning the John Hart standards committee whitewash, following a complaint for overtly racist behaviour, one has to ask this question. Is Barnet Council institutionally racist?
How many senior execs are from an Afro Caribbean background? Whilst a huge number of staff at junior levels (the ones that do the hard work) are from ethnic minorities, how does this translate to the top level of the council? Who was on the committee which dismissed the complaint about John Hart? Was there anyone who might actually have understood the hurt that such a patronising insult may have caused? Of course the details of the committee are secret, so we are not allowed to know, are we?
How can we still be here so long after Stephen Lawrence?
READ MORE »
Is Barnet Council Institutionally Racist?
How many senior execs are from an Afro Caribbean background? Whilst a huge number of staff at junior levels (the ones that do the hard work) are from ethnic minorities, how does this translate to the top level of the council? Who was on the committee which dismissed the complaint about John Hart? Was there anyone who might actually have understood the hurt that such a patronising insult may have caused? Of course the details of the committee are secret, so we are not allowed to know, are we?
How can we still be here so long after Stephen Lawrence?
Barnet Council - Where racism is OK if someone annoys you
I thought I'd seen everything from Barnet Council. Sadly I was wrong. Earlier this year, Councillor John Hart behaved in a reprehensible way towards a member of the public at a meeting of the Hendon and District residents forum, of which he was the chairman. The facts of the case, which are not in dispute were that a member of the local Sri Lankan community (who is also a long standing Barnet resident and teacher at one of Barnets best schools) asked Mr Hart a question. He responded by repeating her comment in a "comedic" Indian accent. The lady felt affronted and asked if Mr Hart was being racist, to which he replied that she should take it up with the "race relations council". As there were 30 people present at the meeting, there was not exactly a shortage of witnesses. It was widely expected that Hart would be ostracised and thrown out of the Tory group.
The lady raised a standards complaint against Mr Hart and he was removed as chairman of the committee. Whilst I was shocked that Tory group didn't suspend Mr Hart, I was assured that this was merely because they wanted to hear the outcome of the Standards committee. Sadly this has just been released and it seems that they have taken leave of their senses and produced a complete whitewash. Hart has been exhonourated and it seems that it is all the fault of the lady herself for not sitting quietly during the meeting.
Here is the verdict.
The committee went on to reject the complaint.
Doesn't it occur to the committee that the complainant wasn't on trial? She hadn't signed up to a code of conduct like Hart and she didn't receive a huge allowance like Hart for chairing the committee. All such committee's have people attending who can be difficult. This ruling states that racial abuse is acceptable if members of the public regularly attend and annoy the chairman of the committee.
As far as I'm concerned, this judgement is a complete disgrace and a new low point for Barnet Council. I am truly disgusted.
READ MORE »
Barnet Council - Where racism is OK if someone annoys you
The lady raised a standards complaint against Mr Hart and he was removed as chairman of the committee. Whilst I was shocked that Tory group didn't suspend Mr Hart, I was assured that this was merely because they wanted to hear the outcome of the Standards committee. Sadly this has just been released and it seems that they have taken leave of their senses and produced a complete whitewash. Hart has been exhonourated and it seems that it is all the fault of the lady herself for not sitting quietly during the meeting.
Here is the verdict.
(a) that the facts found and accompanying details are not sufficient to warrant a finding that paragraph 3(1) of the Code (You must treat other with respect), has been breached. There is no doubt that Councillor John Hart was unwise to repeat the complainant’s words whilst imitating her voice (section 4.7.3(b) of the Investigator’s report) and that this is a reprehensible occurrence which he should never repeat. However, the Sub-Committee do not consider that the circumstances surrounding it warrant a conclusion that what Councillor John Hart did was sufficiently abusive, offensive or direct to come within the criteria set out by the decided cases. The Sub-Committee makes the same point regarding Councillor John Hart saying to the complainant that she could take up any complaint with the Race Relations Council. Councillor John Hart’s remarks were unpleasant and unnecessary but that in itself is not sufficient to justify a finding of failure to show respect given the standard set by judges in the High Court and the statutory tribunals. This conclusion is further endorsed by the requirement set by the courts and tribunals to take into account the accompanying circumstances. In this instance, the finding that the complainant and a regular number of other persons at, and prior to, this meeting had made the chairing of the meetings difficult at times by virtue of their conduct (section 4.7.3(e) of the Investigator’s report), significantly weakens any justification there might have been for finding a breach of paragraph 3(1);
The committee went on to reject the complaint.
Doesn't it occur to the committee that the complainant wasn't on trial? She hadn't signed up to a code of conduct like Hart and she didn't receive a huge allowance like Hart for chairing the committee. All such committee's have people attending who can be difficult. This ruling states that racial abuse is acceptable if members of the public regularly attend and annoy the chairman of the committee.
As far as I'm concerned, this judgement is a complete disgrace and a new low point for Barnet Council. I am truly disgusted.
CRAFTED
& happy thanksgiving!!
we hope everyone has a lovely, relaxing, warm & safe holiday!
Western Digital's Deal to Acquire Hitachi's HDD Business Approved
Western Digital has just secured conditional approval from the European Union's competition regulator to purchase Hitachi's hard disk drive business for a grand total of $4.3 billion. This was only made possible, however, after Western Digital agreed to sell several of its production operations.Western Digital, which just so happens to be the world's second largest competitor in the hard disk drive (HDD) sector, and Hitachi, which just so happens to be the third largest, unveiled the deal back in March. The deal itself is aimed at giving the United States company a competitive edge in developing next-generation information storage technology.
This decision by the European Commission confirmed a story published last week by Reuters. According to European Union Commissioner Joaquin Almunia in a recent statement, "The proposed divestiture will ensure that competition in the industry is fully restored before the merger is implemented."
Western Digital did promise to sell essential production assets for the manufacturer of 3.5" disc drives, including a production plant, according to the Commission, which cited reduced competition in the sector after Seagate Technology bought Samsung Electronics' hard disk drive business recently. In addition to that the company agreed to transfer or license intellectual property rights to the business to be sold off. What's more is that Western Digital will also transfer staff and the supply of HDD components to the unit.
Western Digital is unable to complete the deal until it finds an appropriate buyer for the unit, which will then need to be approved by the regulator, according to the commission. If Western Digital is unable to find a suitable buyer, it stands to reason that this deal, although approved, will never actually come to fruition, which could be disappointing for both companies.
Source: Reuters - Western Digital cleared to buy Hitachi disk drive business
What are the Top 10 Money Making Missions?
What other companies have joined and what do they do?
How do I join the
Tech Army Organization ?
Debt Talks Stalled? Give Them More Incentive
Since we have a temporary lull in news coming out of Europe, I assume the media will begin to focus on our debt problem once again here in the US. With a not-so-super committee of Washington bureaucrats voting over the debt scheme, and how it benefits them the most for another tour in office, it seems that all they really need is some motivation to get this done.
Microsoft Kinect for PC Coming Soon
On Tuesday, November 22 Microsoft announced that it is working on getting its Kinect motion-sensing device ready to use on PCs that run Windows. The company currently sells Kinect for its Xbox 360 gaming console; however, it is hard at work and says that it will have the PC version ready by early 2012.
"Coupled with the numerous upgrades and improvements our team is making to the Software Development Kit (SDK) and runtime, the new hardware delivers features and functionality that Windows developers and Microsoft customers have been asking for," wrote Craig Eisler, general manager of Kinect for Windows, in a blog post.
"Simple changes include shortening the USB cable to ensure reliability across a broad range of computers and the inclusion of a small dongle to improve coexistence with other USB peripherals," Eisler continued. "Of particular interest to developers will be the new firmware which enables the depth camera to see objects as close as 50 centimeters in front of the device without losing accuracy or precision, with graceful degradation down to 40 centimeters. 'Near Mode' will enable a whole new class of 'close up' applications, beyond the living room scenarios for Kinect for Xbox 360. This is one of the most requested features from the many developers and companies participating in our Kinect for Windows pilot program and folks commenting on our forums, and we're pleased to deliver this, and more, at launch."
This announcement about the PC version of the Kinect comes on the exact same day that Microsoft officially acquired VideoSurf. Microsoft acquired the company, which was founded in 2006, for $70 million. It hopes to incorporate the California-based company’s online video search technology into the Xbox Live system.
According to a statement released by the companies on Tuesday, November 22, VideoSurf "offers a back-end computer vision technology that 'sees' frames inside videos to make discovering content fast, easy and accurate."
"VideoSurf's content analytics technology will enhance the search and discovery of entertainment content across our platform," said the director of Xbox Live for Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business Alex Garden. "This holiday we will launch voice search across our entertainment partners on Xbox Live. Over time, as we integrate VideoSurf's technology into our system, we are excited about the potential to have content tagged in real time to increase the speed and relevance of the search results.”
According to Microsoft, the acquisition would "make it easier for world-class video partners to take full advantage of advanced features such as voice search enabled by Kinect for Xbox 360."
Microsoft also said that in the next few months it will bring "nearly 40 world-leading TV and entertainment providers to Xbox Live." These will include Bravo, Comcast, HBO GO, Verizon FiOS, and Syfy in the U.S.; BBC in the U.K.; Telefónica in Spain; Rogers On Demand in Canada; Televisa in Mexico; ZDF in Germany; and Mediaset in Italy.
"Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Division is at the leading edge of connected entertainment," said Lior Delgo, the CEO and co-founder of VideoSurf, in the statement that they released with Microsoft. "We are incredibly excited to be working together on our mutual passion for creating amazing consumer experiences and reinventing how consumers search, discover and enjoy content on their televisions."
Source: PCMag - Microsoft Preps Kinect for PCs Hardware, Firmware
"Coupled with the numerous upgrades and improvements our team is making to the Software Development Kit (SDK) and runtime, the new hardware delivers features and functionality that Windows developers and Microsoft customers have been asking for," wrote Craig Eisler, general manager of Kinect for Windows, in a blog post.
"Simple changes include shortening the USB cable to ensure reliability across a broad range of computers and the inclusion of a small dongle to improve coexistence with other USB peripherals," Eisler continued. "Of particular interest to developers will be the new firmware which enables the depth camera to see objects as close as 50 centimeters in front of the device without losing accuracy or precision, with graceful degradation down to 40 centimeters. 'Near Mode' will enable a whole new class of 'close up' applications, beyond the living room scenarios for Kinect for Xbox 360. This is one of the most requested features from the many developers and companies participating in our Kinect for Windows pilot program and folks commenting on our forums, and we're pleased to deliver this, and more, at launch."
This announcement about the PC version of the Kinect comes on the exact same day that Microsoft officially acquired VideoSurf. Microsoft acquired the company, which was founded in 2006, for $70 million. It hopes to incorporate the California-based company’s online video search technology into the Xbox Live system.
According to a statement released by the companies on Tuesday, November 22, VideoSurf "offers a back-end computer vision technology that 'sees' frames inside videos to make discovering content fast, easy and accurate."
"VideoSurf's content analytics technology will enhance the search and discovery of entertainment content across our platform," said the director of Xbox Live for Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business Alex Garden. "This holiday we will launch voice search across our entertainment partners on Xbox Live. Over time, as we integrate VideoSurf's technology into our system, we are excited about the potential to have content tagged in real time to increase the speed and relevance of the search results.”
According to Microsoft, the acquisition would "make it easier for world-class video partners to take full advantage of advanced features such as voice search enabled by Kinect for Xbox 360."
Microsoft also said that in the next few months it will bring "nearly 40 world-leading TV and entertainment providers to Xbox Live." These will include Bravo, Comcast, HBO GO, Verizon FiOS, and Syfy in the U.S.; BBC in the U.K.; Telefónica in Spain; Rogers On Demand in Canada; Televisa in Mexico; ZDF in Germany; and Mediaset in Italy.
"Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Division is at the leading edge of connected entertainment," said Lior Delgo, the CEO and co-founder of VideoSurf, in the statement that they released with Microsoft. "We are incredibly excited to be working together on our mutual passion for creating amazing consumer experiences and reinventing how consumers search, discover and enjoy content on their televisions."
Source: PCMag - Microsoft Preps Kinect for PCs Hardware, Firmware
Computers, Desktops, Laptops, Servers and the latest in Portable Tablet PCs are available from your computer rental company, Rentacomputer.com.
Talk to a Rentacomputer.com Tech Travel Agent Today!
Call Toll free 800-736-8772.
Joshua Vogel, Sculptural Wood Kitchen Tools, Ltd. Edition
please contact bcm&t co. for more information.
Excuse Me, I'd Like To Ass You A Few Questions
As of this morning it appears MF Global's segregated account funds aren't short $600 million after all. WHEW!
Wait, it's $1.2 Billion now???
Sounds like the books really were cooked, OR, John Crooked-Eye Corzine is using the first $600 million as a tax write-off, so he needs to pull another $600 million out of the firm to cover the customer account loss, right?
Sounds like the FBI and bankruptcy Trustee James Giddens are hard at work! It only took three weeks to find such a small forensic accounting error. It's a good thing James is billing these same customer accounts only $950/hour to practice his complex addition tables.
I called them last Friday to ask if they had any professional commodity advisers aiding them in their investigation. A spokesman replied, "No, why would we?"
GOOD CALL!
READ MORE »
Excuse Me, I'd Like To Ass You A Few Questions
Wait, it's $1.2 Billion now???
Sounds like the books really were cooked, OR, John Crooked-Eye Corzine is using the first $600 million as a tax write-off, so he needs to pull another $600 million out of the firm to cover the customer account loss, right?
Sounds like the FBI and bankruptcy Trustee James Giddens are hard at work! It only took three weeks to find such a small forensic accounting error. It's a good thing James is billing these same customer accounts only $950/hour to practice his complex addition tables.
I called them last Friday to ask if they had any professional commodity advisers aiding them in their investigation. A spokesman replied, "No, why would we?"
GOOD CALL!
Things That Make You Go Boom
I'm finally getting around to listening to the last few Plant Money podcasts. (As a side note, I highly recommend this podcast - very informative while remaining extremely accessible.) I absolutely loved the last one, which focused on Elko, Nevada, which is a gold boom town. The contrast between the abounding optimism of the younger people in town versus the more cautious approach of people who have lived through this before was an eye opener (especially considering that Elko is surrounded by ghost towns.) Worth the 20 minutes.
Unrelated, the title of this post made me think of this:
READ MORE »
Things That Make You Go Boom
Unrelated, the title of this post made me think of this:
Kitchen Tools
sculptural wood kitchen tools by joshua vogel
[photo by drew altizer]
I Admit It!
I... admit... it!!! I L-O-V-E fringe!!!!My store reflects this obsession... Fringed purses, fringed ponchos, fringe dresses & fringed Victorian or piano style wraps and jackets... They separate the plain Jane from the stylish Jane, in my opinion... They transcend age as they're often coveted by both the young trend seeking ladies and sophisticated conservatively dressed women. Almost anyone with just a hint of artistic flair can wear one!!!
Ladies, you can achieve tasteful bohemian style and look fabulous without evoking any signs of a sloppy hippie vibe. If you're new to bohemian fashions and don't know where or how to start, Hop Sing is the place to experiment in Prescott.
To change up the scantily clad looks pictured here... (only because we just received an awesome new shipment of Burnout-Velvet pieces!!!! Such loveliness!!!) You can style your own look combined in a myriad of ways including... with your favorite jeans and boots (because, baby it's cold outside!)
Or for the more conservative approach to the upcoming holiday events, you can wear one of these artful pieces over your favorite-go-to-LBD, (little-black-dress), and guess what... nobody's gonna know it's last years model!
I Guess I Am Supposed to be 60% Happy
I suppose the judge's ruling approving the release of 60% of MF Global customer accounts that were "cash accounts" is good news, but am I supposed to feel great about this a la Chubbs Peterson from Happy Gilmore or should I wait until we get Corzine's eye in a jar?
Happy Gilmore - Alligator Bit my Hand Off from Taylor Pemberton on Vimeo.
READ MORE »
I Guess I Am Supposed to be 60% Happy
Happy Gilmore - Alligator Bit my Hand Off from Taylor Pemberton on Vimeo.
MF Global - What me worry?
I read this article in the Times today, which gave an update on the missing MF Global money. What is amazing to me is that all it is really saying is MF was not run well. Thanks for the insight, sherlock. That, and it is adding fuel to the fire for those of us who have funds locked up because of them with this lovely line:
“The lost money is sort of like a lost child,” said Bart Chilton, a Democratic member of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. “Every day that passes is more and more concerning, and there’s less and less hope.”
That will make me sleep well tonight.
In related news, my barber told me he cuts Corzine's hair every other week.
(Was this post a bit sarcastic?Perhaps I need one of these?)
READ MORE »
MF Global - What me worry?
“The lost money is sort of like a lost child,” said Bart Chilton, a Democratic member of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. “Every day that passes is more and more concerning, and there’s less and less hope.”
That will make me sleep well tonight.
In related news, my barber told me he cuts Corzine's hair every other week.
(Was this post a bit sarcastic?Perhaps I need one of these?)
I wasn't planning on retiring anyway...thanks baby boomers!
For those of us fortunate enough to have jobs, afford health care, pay the bills and make sure our kids turn out OK, we still will have to worry about what the retirement horizon will look like.
Unlike our parents and the generation before them, we will not have the luxury of doubling and tripling our asset value every 5-10 years. Yet our life expectancy will be approximately 5 years more than theirs.
So here's to living 5 more years and working that extra 15!
80 is the new 65
READ MORE »
I wasn't planning on retiring anyway...thanks baby boomers!
Unlike our parents and the generation before them, we will not have the luxury of doubling and tripling our asset value every 5-10 years. Yet our life expectancy will be approximately 5 years more than theirs.
So here's to living 5 more years and working that extra 15!
80 is the new 65
New Stockist!
we are very happy to announce that spartan,
a lovely shop which stocks a well edited selection
of home decor, jewelry & gifts with a focus on
handmade, is now carrying our cutting board oil!
Spartan
215 South Lamar
Suite D
Austin, TX 78704
p. 512.579.0303
Love Vintage Looks & Fair Isle Patterns?
If you love the look of Fair Isle...
Hop Sing's got you covered this winter!!! Imagine a warm-hearted story confidently told in a Fair Isle knit. It tops leggings, jeans or a sassy skirt. Wear it with our Sumptuous Leather Nicole Boots for simple good looks...
News from the Kingston Corridor
our first local press :-)
Time to consider your next scarf?
Are you in need of a new scarf?Maybe you'd like to consider adding a few scarves onto your holiday gift list...
Lets face it not all scarves are the same...
Throw on a scarf and suddenly you could be a glamorous French lady about to ride your Vespa to a cafe or possibly take a stroll down an ancient cobblestone street. They keep you warm, but not too warm.
Scarves are magic. I think that fall is when they really shine when it's starts to become chilly outside... all I need are some awesome jeans and a plethora of scarves to look fabulous and instantly chic and pulled together.
When the weather is not so cool that you need a bulky coat, just a sweater or light jacket and a pretty scarf and you’re good to go. I can't speak for everyone, however, I am pretty excited about reintroducing scarves into my daily wardrobe and about all the amazing scarves we have coming into the store.
The lovely scarves pictured are just a small sample of the cozy beauties you'll find this season at Hop Sing! So, don't wait till they're gone, come in a find a little something special to keep you warm and looking super stylish!
Ooh la la!!!
The lovely scarves pictured are just a small sample of the cozy beauties you'll find this season at Hop Sing! So, don't wait till they're gone, come in a find a little something special to keep you warm and looking super stylish!
Ooh la la!!!
Garden Design Feature Story
thank you to garden design magazine for
the lovely story in the nov/dec. issue.
if you are not reading this magazine already,
we definitely recommend it, as we absolutely
appreciate the well edited visual content & inspirational articles.
Japan's K Computer Remains as the World's Most Powerful Supercomputer
There is a recently released list of the Top 500 most powerful computers in the world, and once again Japan's K Computer takes the number one spot with an increase from 8.162 petaflops to 10.51 petaflops per second. This balances out to 10.51 quadrillion floating-point operations per second. The letter "K" is short for the Japanese word "kei", which symbolizes 10 quadrillion. Coincidence? I think not.On the Top 500 list from June, the K Computer took the number one spot out of the hands of China's Tianhe-1A system. The Tianhe-1A remains in the number two spot at the moment at 2.57 petaflops. Following in the number three spot is the Oak Ridge National Lab's Jaguar supercomputer. After that, the rest of the list looks pretty much the same as the last, with many companies holding the same spots as they previously did. According to TOP500 editor Erich Strohmaier, "This is the first time since we began publishing the list back in 1993 that the top 10 systems showed no turnover."
The K Computer, which is installed at the RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science (AICS) in Kobe, Japan in partnership with Fujitsu, uses 705,024 SPARC64 processing cores. If you want to know just how many that is, it is more than the rest of the top five on the list combined. In addition to that, the K Computer uses 12.66 megawatts of power, four times more than its nearest competitor. This is also more than the 9.89 megawatts of power the computer recorded in June. However, despite these high numbers, the K Computer is still one of the most efficient supercomputers on the list, delivering 830 Mflops per watt.
The K Computer was installed in 672 racks back in June. An expansion of 800 cabinets allowed the 10 petaflop achievement to be accomplished. Just a week ago, Fujitsu announced the expansion possibilities of the K Computer as it could possibly grow to a theoretical 23 petaflops.
Aside from the rankings remaining unchanged, other characteristics evolved with the November 2011 list. The entry point for being on the Top 500 list is now at 50.9 teraflops with the combined performance across all 500 supercomputers being 74.2 petaflops, an increase from the 58.7 petaflops recorded in June. Gigabit Ethernet is still the most popular internal system interconnect, being used in 223 systems. However, InfinfBand use increased to 213 systems.
Average power consumption continued to rise with 29 systems on the list confirmed at using more than one megawatt of power. The most energy efficient supercomputers are BlueGene/Q with 2,029 Mflops per watt. IBM just filed a patent for a massive supercomputer that could potentially reach 107 petaflops. In total all of the systems that reported in on power consumption combined for more than 159 megawatts.
Source: Data Center Knowledge - K Computer Still the Most Powerful Supercomputer
What are the Top 10 Money Making Missions?
What other companies have joined and what do they do?
How do I join the
Tech Army Organization ?
BCM&T Co. at CRAFTED HV
we are very happy to be included in
CRAFTED Hudson Valley this year.
josh & i truly & strongly
believe in working together within our community
to encourage & support cottage industry & local artisans.
we are excited to connect with some of these artists over
Thanksgiving Weekend at CRAFTED & we hope you will come
& visit us all.
HDD Shortages to Spill Over into Q1 2012
Considering operations are disrupted at over a dozen hard disk drive (HDD) factories thanks to flooding in Thailand, PC manufacturers should begin preparing for significant supply shortages according to market research firm IDC. Worldwide HDD shipments could suffer almost a 20% decline starting in the middle of this month that could extend far into the first quarter of 2012 according to the firm.Thailand accounts for somewhere between 40% and 45% of HDD production in the entire world. As of early November, almost half of Thailand's production was directly affected by flooding. Even though production at some factories was halted as a result of flooding, the industry also faces work stoppages due to poor access and power outages. The full extent of the damage to the industry will not be known until all the floodwaters recede, even though it is already clear that there will be supply shortages into the first quarter of 2012 according to IDC.
Research Vice President at IDC John Rydning stated earlier in the month that hard drive manufacturers will favor their high-margin products used in enterprise servers and storage systems. "But the HDD vendors can't neglect their smaller customers, whose business will continue to be important once capacity is fully restored." Prices for HDDs have already started to increase rapidly in some cases, some by more than 30%.
IDC noted that the industry should be able to restore drive production quickly once the waters recede, though today's shortages will continue to constrain supply for an extended period. Hard drive prices should stabilize by next June, according to IDC, and the industry should be back to normal by the second half of 2012. IDC also says that the decline in total shipments for the fourth quarter is expected to be "less than 10%" due to the fact that a large chunk of PC shipments have already taken place for this quarter.
Worst-case scenarios put the total loss for the first quarter of 2012 at around 20% though IDC said that there are opportunities for larger PC vendors to capture enterprise accounts from smaller competitors and accelerate industry consolidation, more specifically in faster growth markets.
According to Program Vice President for IDC's Worldwide Consumer Device Trackers Loren Loverade, "The HDD shortage will affect smaller PC vendors and lower-priced products most, including mini-notebooks, emerging markets and entry-level consumer PCs. However, even the largest vendors are expected to face HDD shortages, particularly for portable PCs where the market is more consolidated. Nevertheless, the shortage will relieve some pressure on pricing and margins and present some opportunities for strategic share gains among the larger players."
Source: Computer World - PC makers should 'brace' for drive shortages
JV Sculpture at Grand Hyatt
it was a pleasure to work with
george wong design to create an
indoor version of josh's sculptural sketch...
the sculpture is in the beautifully renovated
grand club room at the the grand hyatt new york.
[@ grand central station]
which went under a major renovation.
the inspiration piece. jv sculptural sketch.
we are extremely honored to have a place
in this project.
Jon Corzine - Giving Wall St a Good Name Since 1947
While Dave has been up and running for a few days, I am still unable to trade, all thanks to Jon Corzine and is amazing decision making at MF Global. He really hit a home run there, and by home run I mean crapped his pants and locked all of us in a room with him without any vents, while offering us some "homemade chocolate pudding."
Which leads me to this clip from the Daily Show. The part that blows my mind is that MF Global was leveraged 30-1 (!!!), and the stark contrast between Corzine the public servant, and Corzine the banker.
Which leads me to this clip from the Daily Show. The part that blows my mind is that MF Global was leveraged 30-1 (!!!), and the stark contrast between Corzine the public servant, and Corzine the banker.
Related, I read this NY Magazine article last night on how Corzine's beard has shielded him from a full-on assault on his reputation. Interesting point (albeit it not likely) that his facial hair is to him as Samson's hair was to Samson.
Also related, this is the second facial hair post in less than a week, so there's that.
Also related, this is the second facial hair post in less than a week, so there's that.
Greece's Euro Exit Will Make For Great Vacationing
With an inevitable currency devaluation upon the Drachma's return (should Greece exit the Euro), places like these will become America's vacation home destination (considering our housing situation will still be a mess).
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Greece's Euro Exit Will Make For Great Vacationing
New Stockist!
Love Adorned – a lifestyle concept store from New York Adorned’s Lori Leven
– expands beyond fine jewelry to include smart tools for home, body and travel.
The shop’s lovingly curated inventory addresses the shift away from
‘throw away culture’ with lasting solutions that bring ease and preserve
beauty in our busy lives. For where strength exists in design and simplicity,
it also is expressed through craftsmanship and quality;
all key elements in the shop’s offerings.
We are very happy to announce that Love, Adorned will be adding our oil & boards
to their exquisite inventory!
Love, Adorned
269 Elizabeth Street
NY NY 10012
p. 212.431.5683
e. love@loveadorned.com
w. www.loveadorned.com
Berlisconi just can't quit you baby
As you may have heard, the PM of Italy and A+ horndog Silvio Berlusconi has offered quit if Euro reform is passed. We can't help but think the behind-door meetings with his closest advisors went something like this:
Probably pretty accurate, right?
In somewhat related news, Happy Movember!
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Berlisconi just can't quit you baby
Probably pretty accurate, right?
In somewhat related news, Happy Movember!
Boards for Boards
such a gorgeous morning to pick up ambrosia
maple boards to make more cutting boards...
nayla (in the last photo) really enjoyed our visit!
Greek Gods Sketch On SNL this weekend
As many of you know, the Greek economy has been wreaking havoc on the world economy. SNL has a very funny sketch this weekend featuring the ancient Greek God discussing who was responsible for watching after the Greek Debt.
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Greek Gods Sketch On SNL this weekend
Back online!!!
Well, after a week of being offline, (Thanks Jon Corzine and MF Global!) we are back trading...and with a new blog! To celebrate this monumental event, here is a photo of us back at the grind.
Stay tuned for more.
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Back online!!!
Holiday Orders
josh is very busy filling holiday orders
& getting ready for CRAFTED.
we will be picking up an ambrosia maple (spalted maple)
tree next week, as our sugar maple tree inventory is getting low.
if you are going to place an order for boards for the holidays,
i would recommend you do so soon :-)
thanks for your support!
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