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Past lives, Inner demons and more Crazy Talk!

Karmic Resonance

It’s that time again: when I let loose and write about something s *crazy* that even *I* considered holding this one back.

This all started two years ago when I began to self-regress in nightly meditation under the guidance of my kind and compassionate spirit friends.

Some of the things that came up during that time, I wrote about.  Some of them, I kept to myself.

See, our past lives are not always pretty.  We know how messy life on earth can get, and I’ve seen how easy it is to tie your identity and self-worth to a concept like “lightworker”.  Some people only want to look at the light in themselves.

My friends, we are not all pure and happy balls of light.  I do believe each one of us has light and shadow aspects of our spirit consciousness and our history.  I also believe that both aspects are a perfect expression of the euphoric, universal, we-are-all-one “god”.

I also believe that many of us, including me, have expressed terribly dark facets in past lives, even if, and maybe that’s precisely why, we’re “good people” now.

I do truly believe that all action, thought and experience creates an energetic impact, ripples that affect us in future lives and affect our past lives retroactively… because time is bendy like that.

These ripples, sometimes caused by us, sometimes initiated by others, create an energetic resonance (karma).

In meditation, you might reach a place of expansive consciousness, where this idea is downloaded and makes complete sense, until you go back into your human body and your brain starts to tell you it’s contradictory.  It *is* contradictory from the perspective of an incarnated being with a limited and linear life span.

I’ll give you an example from one of my meditations and my personal history.  If you’re having a down day, you might want to come back to this story later.

When I was seven years old, my adult teeth were coming in… except I was getting too many.  I had extra teeth, and this posed a problem.  Not only that, but my adult teeth were far too large for my jaw.  The only solution was to pull the extra teeth.

Getting teeth “extracted” is an incredibly unpleasant experience for an adult.  For a kid, it’s awful.  On top of that, our dentist was old-school.  He used *reusable* needles and glass syringes, which make the injection of the local anesthetic really painful.

The sickening maraschino cherry on top of this crap sundae is:  the local anesthetic didn’t really work.  So there I was, a seven year old kid, getting two or three teeth pulled at a time, screaming my head off, saying “it hurts!” and no one believed me.

I was an obedient child so it took three visits before I stood up for myself and refused to go back to the dentist.  I threatened to fight and to run away.  Finally, my parents took me seriously.

They found me a new dentist who used disposable needles, a different, effective anesthetic, and he even used a chocolate flavored topical anesthetic so I wouldn’t feel the needle as much.  He had five birds at his house, and would bring me colourful feathers as a present whenever I came to “visit”.  Eventually, I became this family’s babysitter of their five children, and I survived the subsequent necessary extractions without further trauma.

But I carried resentment with me for years.  How could my mother hear her kid screaming in pain and not come to help?  How could she bring her kid back there, and not investigate better options until I was so terrified I refused to cooperate?

Of course the rational brain kicks in.  Intellectually, I forgave my mother, but the trauma was still there.

One night, in meditation, sliding through the lifetimes looking for old wounds that needed healing, I came upon a life experience with such vivid, visceral certainty in the truth of these memories, that it shocked me to my very core.

I dropped into the body of a massive man, hunched at the shoulders from a lifetime of ducking under doorways and stooping to labor with tools too small for my body.  I was wearing filthy, oily leather armor, conscious of the chafing because I was not wearing the proper undergarments.  I was wearing only filthy protective clothing and a rusting metal helmet to hide my face, but no soft fabric because it would get ruined from the mess.  All the blood, and other body fluids.

I walked down a stone staircase and watched myself pull the teeth of other living humans, while another man in black robes asked them questions.

There I was, doing the bidding of a weak, cruel man, and I was bigger and stronger than anyone in the building.  I could have picked up this prisoner and walked them out of the compound, no one would have stopped me.  Instead I stayed and pulled his teeth, and the teeth of many others.

Then I understood why I had to experience a small part of the pain I’d inflicted as a result of the choices I’d made in a past life.  This was karma, settling itself.  The energetic resonance needed a harmonizing note, and my understanding of it released the last bits of resentment and anger I harbored towards my mother.

The last extraction I experienced was when I was nineteen, and I had all four wisdom teeth removed under general anesthetic.   My cheeks blew up into chipmunk size pouches for two weeks afterwards, and my face became discolored with bruises as though I’d sustained a terrible beating.

And I have not had one ounce of trouble from my teeth ever since.  Not one cavity, knock on wood.

I haven’t gotten to the really crazy part yet.  I think I’ll save that for tomorrow.  (Or the next blog entry, whichever comes first!)

11 thoughts on “Past lives, Inner demons and more Crazy Talk!

  1. Wow. This is pretty interesting with the pulling teeth in past life!

    I have been having “flashbacks”/terrible fears of me hitting someone with my car. I have dreams of it, where I am the driver and I hit someone. I can still feel/hear the big “”THUD”” sound. That is one of my biggest fears… to accidently hit a pedestrian with my car.

    Interesting that “I” was hit by a car in THIS life AND my LAST one.

    So….. now I’m thinking I was hit by car in this life ( and my last one) in order to settle some kind of karmic debt. I certainly must have killed someone with my car in one of my past lives.

    I still plan to write a letter of forgiveness to “Eric” who hit me and killed my best friend in this life. He is still dealing with depression from it. I want him to know it was all planned. It really wasn’t an “accident”. I looked him up,,, lives close to me. I also may even write to the other “Eric” who hit me and killed me in my LAST life. I actually looked him up as well because I know his name ( still lives in Liverpool).

  2. “I do truly believe that all action, thought and experience creates an energetic impact, ripples that affect us in future lives and affect our past lives retroactively… because time is bendy like that.”

    Agree completely. I read about this exact thing many years ago and I have adopted it into my truth ever since. You have to remember it (time is fluid and bendy) because it makes you question your sanity when a detail from your past shifts and something that was firm in your mind as a fact is gone and a new detail is in its place. (I have had this happen with books I have read and I have a SHARP memory!)

    “Then I understood why I had to experience a small part of the pain I’d inflicted as a result of the choices I’d made in a past life. This was karma, settling itself. The energetic resonance needed a harmonizing note, and my understanding of it released the last bits of resentment and anger I harbored towards my mother.”

    I had this happen to me also. For me, it was past life karma of being an asshole of a boss that showed up in my life now as a seven year stretch of hellish work environments and angry/unrealistic managers. The happy news is that it doesn’t last forever. It helps to have that past life knowledge to transmute it faster (so that you don’t react with emotions that only create more karma to be resolved). 🙂 😀

  3. Kate, that is some mind blowing stuff.
    First, that we had dentists still practicing some nasty old school methods in our current lifetimes (!!) and then to find out it’s part of your karmic balance from another lifetime, paybacks suck!
    When I got a question in with Erik Medhus asking about my spiritual mission in this life, he said I probably feel pretty scattered because I have “many, many, many, many incarnations going on, and as we know time is not linear,” making me think they are happening at the same time!?! Hard to wrap your head around!
    Anyway, I’ve always wondered why I am living through some of the shit I am in this life. So I ordered a past life reading that will come in the next day or so.
    I’m anxious to get some answers to why some things I’ve lived through in this life are so effed up and seem unfair, particularly in relation to my parental units!
    Can’t wait to hear how horrible I was/am in previous/other lives.
    It’s like a pandora’s box. But I’m hoping it will clear up some issues I have so I can just enjoy what time I have left here, lol.
    Awesome post!

    • “Can’t wait to hear how horrible I was in other lives” – I hope this was said tongue-in-cheek because that’s how I read it, and it made me laugh!

      Oh wait until you read the next entry, (it’s in my head and I haven’t written it yet) The “why do bad things happen to good people” is an existential question we’ve been grappling with for a long, long time, and I’ve been actively working on it for two years.

      • I can assure you my tongue was firmly planted in my cheek, and in no way meant in reference to your experience.
        My reading confirmed that I am a natural born healer with many lives spent in indigenous tribes. My biological father (estranged shortly after my birth) is of Blackfeet Indian descent through his mother. I even bear an unusually large birthmark (from my calf wrapping up around my thigh to the middle of my back) that “represents the Native American DNA within your unique human blueprint.” (Which is kind of a relief since I always thought I was burned at the stake for witchcraft, lol!)
        Now if that alone isn’t enough to knock my socks off, I also am of Pleidian origin!
        Holy seven sisters, Batman!
        Thankfully, there were no gorry details about my lives, but, being Pleidian, I do have a natural affinity towards animals. You might recall my “animal team” of Alle and Onyx, my former pets who are now my spiritual helpers.
        There was much more, but for me, the gravy was in the validation of my healing abilities.
        Now I just have to figure out how to get more “heart centered” so I can get this info from my higher self…
        Can’t wait for your next entry!
        This stuff is amazing!

  4. Aw, I was looking forward to the really crazy part.
    ……….. [singing] Why are we wai-ting? Whyy-yy are we waiting?……….

    It’s funny. I’ve been thinking about your “soul bubble” posts over the last day or so as I’m unpacking and sorting through the idea that reincarnation is not a linear, one-life-following-another kind of thing. It’s hard to put aside the linear thinking you need to survive while you’re here on this physical plane. (You need to let your mind be blown, go away and ruminate on it a bit, and come back with your mind pieced back together again in a slightly new and expanded configuration. LOL)

    Karma is about balance, experiencing something from the “other” point of view, e.g. having your painful tooth extraction situation to balance your experience of being the pain-giving tooth extractor. We’ve all done terrible things over the course of these many lives we’ve lived. (I remember trying to explain (poorly) what I grasped of the concept many years ago to my mother — I think, in retrospect, she actually knew it all in her core, but her physical self was hung up on the “I was/am a terrible person” most of her life and she just couldn’t get out the other side.)

  5. thank you so much kate for sharing this with us. i, too, am on the edge of my seat wondering about the really crazy part!!! 🙂
    until then, i do have a question: does one need the understanding of the karmic balance in order to actually attain emotional freedom? or, for the person who isn’t practicing PLR or even conscious of past lives, do things just even themselves out on their own? is this something we’re supposed to get?

  6. Pingback: The Ecosystem of Pain (Inner Demons Pt. 2) | Kate Sitka

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Leaving your home, as well as your friends and family behind to move to another country, where everything that surrounds you is completely different from that to which you are used to seeing is really not an easy task: different people, different cultures, different food and sometimes even a different language. However, some people think leaving their country of origin and traveling to settle down for a while on the other side of the planet to be a personal goal or even a milestone they need to achieve. In order to get established in a new country, there are some important aspects you will need to take into account: finding a job, a house, a room or an apartment, learning the native language, basic cultural aspects, and so many more! But let’s focus on finding a job for now. Follow these simple recommendations and you will be well on your way to successfully finding a job abroad:

Do your research. Before applying for a job abroad, you need to be informed about how they manage resumes in the country you are moving to. Do you need a cover letter? Short or long resume? Do you need to attach your certificates? Or is your resume acceptable as is? In some cases, you will need to translate and notarize your degree and other certificates, so it is very important to do your research.

Spread the news. Once you make a decision about the place you are going to be living next, tell every single person you know. This way, you will probably meet people who went through a similar experience or that are native of the country you chose. Your aunt will always have a friend of a friend who spent their summer in a far away and exotic country.

Consider all your possibilities. Before quitting your job and booking the first ticket to Timbuktu, find out if the company you are currently working for offers exchange programs or if you have the possibility of being transferred to another branch. Other options are searching online for a job abroad, as well as searching your alumni networks and social network connections. Volunteering is also a great way to work abroad; besides, it’s a very rewarding experience.

Be smart. Always let the employer know, in your cover letter or during the interview, that you have done your research about the different aspects of their country and that you are willing and prepared to start working. Furthermore, assure them that you are flexible enough so as to adapt to a foreign environment.

Don’t be scared, relax. You have done your research, you have talked to every person you know about working abroad, you have looked for jobs online, you know everything there is to know about your target country, you have saved enough money to survive at least two months without a job, you are officially ready. Of course it is scary to live somewhere completely new, but it will probably be the most exciting adventure of your life, so go for it!

Ready to start your job search abroad? Visit neuvoo to search through over 15,000 job listings just in Panama.

Experience Panama

I'm Joey, a guy from Louisville, Kentucky that packed up and studied abroad in Panamá at the age of 20 and haven't moved back since. What started as a semester trip to Panamá has turned into 10+ years of living in Latin America and becoming a full-time travel blogger. I now rotate between living in Panama City, Bogotá, and Lima. Follow me on Instagram @joeybonura for more updates on my life abroad!

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US in the Middle East / Middle East in the US

Recalling 9-11: Between values, violence

September 2012

With all the suffering and destruction of 9-11 in 2001, when the United States was brutally attacked, the results also produced a peaceable possibility. Even the French Le Monde newspaper gushed with a sympathetic headline, “We are all Americans.”

Then-president George W. Bush liked to talk of “political capital,” and the U.S. had it in abundance, a potential resource for tackling the roots of those hatreds, to isolate and humiliate the terrorists, to build a more constructive basis for resolving tensions in the Middle East.

Led by that same president, the U.S. took another path, fighting fire with fire, seeking revenge on Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida terrorists, and declaring an endless war on terror, directed at the hiding terrorists, and then expanded with another war.

A look at the rest of this essay serves to begin a conversation about where 9/11 fits into our collective history.

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Deciphering solution scattering data with experimentally guided molecular dynamics simulations.

Björling A, Niebling S, Marcellini M, van der Spoel D, Westenhoff S

J Chem Theory Comput 11 (2) 780-787 [2015-02-10; online 2015-02-18]

Time-resolved X-ray solution scattering is an increasingly popular method to measure conformational changes in proteins. Extracting structural information from the resulting difference X-ray scattering data is a daunting task. We present a method in which the limited but precious information encoded in such scattering curves is combined with the chemical knowledge of molecular force fields. The molecule of interest is then refined toward experimental data using molecular dynamics simulation. Therefore, the energy landscape is biased toward conformations that agree with experimental data. We describe and verify the method, and we provide an implementation in GROMACS.

Affiliated researcher

PubMed 25688181

DOI 10.1021/ct5009735

Crossref 10.1021/ct5009735

pmc: PMC4325560

Publications 7.2.7


text:
Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett is followed by shareholders as he tours the exhibit floor before presiding over the annual shareholders meeting in Omaha, Neb., in May, 2015. Nati Harnik/AP
Reading Time: 3 minutes

A proposal moving through Congress that rolls back protections for mobile home buyers would almost exclusively benefit Clayton Homes, a company controlled by billionaire Warren Buffett, according to The Seattle Times.

The bill, which was passed by the House last month and will be considered by the Senate Banking Committee this week, would reverse rules put in place as part of a sweeping financial overhaul in 2010 known as the Dodd-Frank Act.

The proposal would raise the interest rates permitted on some mobile-home loans before they trigger extra protections for borrowers such as pre-loan counseling. The bill also would let mobile-home salespeople work closely with buyers to arrange financing.

Clayton Homes, the mobile home giant owned by Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, controls 91 percent of the market that would be deregulated under the bill, according to an analysis of 2013 federal loan data by the Times.

A recent investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and The Seattle Times found Clayton borrowers faced high interest rates, excessive fees and predatory sales practices.

“There’s something wrong with legislation that would benefit any one company,” Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., told the Times. The ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, Waters said she has grown wary of Clayton’s practices and suggested the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should investigate the company.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Stephen Fincher, R.-Tenn., is from the state where Clayton is headquartered, and received more campaign money from Clayton employees than any other candidate in the 2014 election cycle: $15,150. Clayton was his fourth-biggest financial backer, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit tracker of political money.

Fincher declined a request by the Times for an interview. Clayton Homes CEO Kevin Clayton told the paper that the rule changes would benefit all lenders and that it was intended as a lifeline for other lenders who were driven out of mobile home lending by the Dodd-Frank regulations.

“We want more lenders in the industry,” Clayton said in the interview, which took place earlier this month at the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska.

He also said his company is no longer making loans above rates that require extra consumer protections, now about 12 percent interest. Federal data for 2014 loans is not yet available

Clayton lends at unusually high rates, and under federal guidelines most of their loans are considered “higher priced.” Those loans averaged 7 percentage points higher than the typical home loan in 2013, according to a Center for Public Integrity/Times analysis of federal data, compared with just 3.8 percentage points above for other mobile-home lenders.

The investigation showed that Clayton manufactures mobile homes, sells them at its own retail lots, finances purchases through its own subsidiaries and sells property insurance on them. Buyers are often locked into loans at interest rates that sometimes exceed 15 percent, which can be devastating because the houses often depreciate swiftly.

Customers told reporters that Clayton sales staffers steered them to finance at high rates with the company’s own lenders. Many said they were unaware that the lenders, Vanderbilt Mortgage and 21st Mortgage, were part of the same company that built and sold them their homes.

Former Clayton dealers also said the company encouraged them to put buyers in Clayton loans.

In 2010, responding to the financial crisis, Congress adopted sweeping financial reforms as part of the Dodd-Frank Act. Its provisions included rules protecting mobile-home consumers offered high-cost loans.

Under those rules, sales reps must register as loan officers if they are going to provide a borrower with information about financing. The bill moving through Congress would exempt all mobile-home sales reps from registration unless they received extra pay for arranging financing.

Clayton Homes, by far the biggest player in the mobile-home industry, earned $558 million before taxes in 2014, a 34 percent increase over the previous year.

Help support this work

Public Integrity doesn’t have paywalls and doesn’t accept advertising so that our investigative reporting can have the widest possible impact on addressing inequality in the U.S. Our work is possible thanks to support from people like you.


text:
Journal of Optics: 2020 Reviewer Awards

Reviewer of the Year: Norman Gray, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom

Norman Gray has had a number of roles within the School of Physics and Astronomy at Glasgow University.  He is also a journal editor, so is fully aware of the virtues of a good and timely review.

Outstanding Reviewers

Aaron Alejo, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

Bruno Bêche, Universite de Rennes 1, France

Mohammad Biabanifard, KN Toosi University of Technology, Iran

Rebecca Cheng, Harvard University, United States

Alex Clark, Imperial College London, United Kingdom

Ilya Dodin, Princeton University Plasma Physics Laboratory, United States

Sotiris Droulias, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), Greece

Ruben Esteban, Material Physics Center, CSIC-UPV/EHU, Spain

Yuriy Garbovskiy, Central Connecticut State University, United States of America

Pedro David Garcia Fernandez, Institut Catala de Nanociencia i Nanotecnologia, Spain

Giovanni Guccione, Australian National University, Australia

Cheng-Yang Liu, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan

J Lopez-Vazquez, Universidade de Vigo, Spain

Nandish Mehta, NVIDIA Inc., United States

Akhilesh Pathak, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

Pedro Pereyra, Universitat Regensburg, Germany

Stirling Scholes, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Jinhui Wu, Northeast Normal University, China

Jianghong Wu, Zhejiang University, China

Yuanjie Yang, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China


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Terug naar overzicht

Hotspots Breda: The best places to go

Darya Krapyva, who recently earned her Bachelor of Business Management Studies in Breda, simply adores the city where she has spent her student days. She reveals which student hotspots in town are not to be missed.

Bagels & Beans is one of my favourite places to eat lunch. I often order the ‘everything bagel’ with Japanese-style wild salmon topped with teriyaki sauce and wasabi mayonnaise. I have a friend who has a gluten allergy. She can also have lunch there, as they also serve gluten-free bagels.”

Hotspots Darya 04

“I met my boyfriend at the Mezz music venue 3 years ago. Like me, he recently graduated from Avans. He studied Communication & Multimedia Design. I’m not a pub person, so when I go out I prefer Mezz. It attracts a creative crowd and they have great parties there. Mezz plays more alternative music genres, such as drum and bass and techno. I used to go there every week, but now I only go a few times a year. Since I can still travel on public transport for free as part of my student loan, I prefer parties in Amsterdam.

‘Yirga serves the most delicious coffee and cake. Cappuccino and cheesecake are my favourites.’

Studio Dependance is my hang-out of choice if I do have to pick a cafe. Palm Parkies is a fun event in the summertime. It’s a series of free concerts in Valkenbergpark, near the railway station.”

Sint Annastraat
Scoops has delectable frozen yogurt. You can choose a number of different toppings with it. I usually opt for fresh fruit. I prefer frozen yogurt to regular ice cream.

Hotspots Darya 06

A little further down the same street you can find Yirga. They serve the most delicious coffee and cake. Cappuccino and cheesecake are my favourites. They also serve lunch but have never had lunch there. It’s only a tiny place that can become quite crowded. They have a small terrace across the street.”

Eating out
Il Padrino offers some great pizzas and pastas. It’s a budget-friendly place too, with pizzas at 7.95 euros and the most expensive pasta at 8.50. Order a drink with your meal, and you can eat dinner for 10 euros. My friends don’t want to eat there because they feel it lacks atmosphere. I go there with my classmates when we have something to celebrate.”

Al fresco
Café Vulling is inexpensive because there is no service outside. You have to get your drinks from the bar yourself. They offer a range of craft beers and tasty croque-monsieurs. I held my birthday party there once. If you’re on the terrace, you can enjoy the sun until late. ’t Hart van Breda, a little further down Grote Markt square, has the best nachos in town.”

‘We go to Il Padrino when we have something to celebrate’

[double_images]Hotspots Darya 03
Hotspots Darya 01[/double_images]
Shoes and clothing
“I bought my sneakers at Epic. They were on sale, so I got them at half price. The sneakers Epic sells are just that little more edgy. I usually buy 1 pair every season but right now I have to economise as I’m saving up for a trip to Indonesia.

H&M is the only store where I shop for clothes. Breda has many outlets of the big chains. I miss the small, independent boutiques.”

“I bought the items and furniture I still needed for my student room second-hand. Breda has a number of second-hand shops. I got the majority of my items from the one located behind the Jumbo supermarket in the Belcrum area.”

Meer lezen?


text:
Service user and carer involvement in social work education–where are we now?–Part 1

Hugh McLaughlin*, June Sadd, Brendan McKeever, Joseph Duffy

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalEditorialpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)863-865
Number of pages3
JournalSocial Work Education
Issue number8
Publication statusPublished - 30 Nov 2016

Bibliographical note

Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

Cite this


text:
Ageism and sexism amongst young computer scientists

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

A study was undertaken with 189 young computer science students to assess whether as future developers of technologies for older people, they have ageist and sexist attitudes about people as users of technology. They were shown a picture of either a young or old woman or man and asked to assess the likelihood that this person would use a desktop computer, laptop computer and a smartphone, and their level of expertise in each of these technologies. The results showed that the students did have negative perceptions of the older people in comparison to young people. They although thought that women were less expert with the technologies than men, although there was not difference in the likelihood of them using the technology. However, there was no evidence of a “double standard” of older women being perceived particularly negatively.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationComputers Helping people with Special Needs
Subtitle of host publicationProceedings of 16th International Conference, ICCHP 2018
EditorsKlaus Miesenberger, Georgios Kouroupetroglou
Place of PublicationCham, Switerland
Number of pages4
VolumeLNCS 10897
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-319-94274-2
ISBN (Print)978-3-319-94273-5
Publication statusPublished - 11 Jul 2018

  • perceptions of older people
  • ageism
  • perceptions of older women
  • sexism
  • perceptions of technology use
  • perceptions of technology expertise

Cite this


text:
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Holistic Health in Rockville Centre NY

Have any questions or concerns? Here is how you can reach us!

Phone: 516.203.7442
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text:
The Pure Products of America Go Crazy

The pure products of America go crazy - William Carlos Williams, poet

Poet William Carlos Williams’ line “the pure products of America go crazy” truly captured the spirit we intended for our series of artworks and limited editions in 1992.

It was an ideal title expressing the blurring lines between consumerism, morality and politics.

And as our series grew from bible belts to underwear to dish towels to postcard books, what had started out as an art project eventually grew to become, well, products.

We always asked ourselves, “What’s the next pink flamingo?” Little did we realize we were on that road.

We had always liked what happens when warm and fuzzy shares the bench with the offensive and downright obscene, like snow globes with sins and dirty words.

What's the next pink flamingo?

The next flamingo
John Ashcroft New Yorker
John Ashcroft from "Snow Blind" The New Yorker, October 28, 2002

In 2001, The John Ashcroft snow globe was our very first with an ivory white resin bust submerged in water and snow and a windup music box that tinkled  “White Christmas.” It was about whiteness, Ashcroft’s efforts obstructing integration in Missouri.

Someone (Chris Christie to be exact)  gave Attorney General Ashcroft a globe as a gift. He liked it so much, the Justice Department wanted us to paint his official portrait. That was, until they found that our snow globe wasn’t much of a tribute  after reading Jake Tapper’s article for “The Talk of the Town” in The New Yorker magazine.

But that didn’t stop us, we did his portrait anyway as a mug shot because of his support for the Patriot Act.

And that sparked an idea, since the Bush cabinet
betrayed the public’s trust in so many ways – why not do all of their portraits in mug shots?

We sold them as postcard books on the streets in Union Square during the RNC.

Attorney General John Ashcroft mug shot from Line Up

Then 2004 happened, or rather George W. Bush’s re-election happened.

For us, that was one of the hardest. It was our dark blue period those days.

One evening later that fall at a concert, Nora intently, fiercely started drawing in a sketchbook on her lap inspired by the music. Suddenly she turned and looked up to say, “I’m going to make a Fuck snow globe.”

Sure, enough, channeling the election aftermath Nora based the typography of the Fuck snow globe on the 2004 Bush/Cheney campaign lettering.

Thinking of the Bush cabinet as criminals was pretty bold in 2004. The printers feared retribution after all they did print the official 9/11 Memorial Calendar.  After two more printings, they were solidly beside us, public opinion had shifted so fast.

The first 300 were made by hand, all signed by us and numbered under the base.

FUCK snow globe
Wholesale snowglobes

A few months after that, we started hand-casting and assembling the F**K snow globe right in our Brooklyn Navy Yard studio.

And then we scaled up in 2009 expanding our production. This year we celebrate 10,000 F**K snow globes! In the homes and offices of all over the globe!

Fuck snow globe checkin
Deadly Sins 1-7 snow globes

There are other globes, too. In 2009 in the throes of the Bernie Madoff scandal, we created a Greed snow globe.

It was one of the most beautiful things I had seen. The word Greed has flakes of gold leaf embedded in the resin cast of the word like ember nuggets of honey embedded in gold.

I immediately asked, “Why make one sin? Let’s make all 7 Deadly Sins! They belong together.

And as artist residents at Eyebeam Center for Art and Technology in Chelsea, NYC, we learned to use a laser cutter, stylizing words with Bezier points and curves instead of hand modeling in clay. We designed the word on a computer. We cut the master on a laser cutter, made silicon molds, and then handcast our sins.

Deadly Sins 1-7 was an open edition and a special, lettered edition (A-Z).

And even though the chapter is presently closed on the Deadly Sins, for now at least, we’ve gone on to The History of Art snow globes with Artware Editions – 20 modern and contemporary art movements.

We also design and make custom globes for organizations and individual clients. Clients include: Noguchi Museum, Visual AIDS, Hope Smith, NCAC.

Deadly Sins 1-7 snow globe

Stay tuned for new releases.

Add your name to our mailing list.


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It wouldn't have been very smart for Tyler Linderbaum to return to Iowa City in 2022. Not financially, at least. He announced this morning that he'll begin his preparation for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Iowa's starting center was just the tenth Hawkeye to receive unanimous consensus All-America status, being named first-team All-America by the Walter Camp Foundation, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Associated Press, Sporting News, and AFCA.

Along with the All-American accolades, he received the Rimington Trophy, which is awarded to the top center in all of college football, was named the Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year in the Big Ten, was a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award (given to the country's best offensive lineman) and the Outland Trophy (awarded to the country's best interior offensive lineman). All while earning first-team All-Big Ten honors for the second consecutive season.

He's also widely regarded as a first-round NFL Draft pick by the experts.

The pride of Solon, Iowa, Linderbaum is considered worth every penny an NFL franchise will spend on him in his career. According to, "He is a highly polished, highly cerebral, and dynamic weapon on the offensive line that presents some unique traits that could make him a game-changer in the middle of your offensive front."

Pro Football Focus has some LOVE for Linderbaum: "The best center prospect we’ve seen in the PFF College era. He was already the highest-graded center in the country in 2020, but he has taken his game to new heights in 2021, earning a 95.3 overall grade."

ESPN's Todd McShay, who had the center going to the Cincinnati Bengals in his first mock draft of the year, said this: "Linderbaum anchors well and would help take the Bengals' interior line from among the NFL's worst to one of its best within a few years. Plus, he has good range at the second level, which would open things up more for running back Joe Mixon."

Linderbaum is projected to be picked all across the first round by the experts:

CBS Sports: No. 13, Cleveland Browns

PFF: No. 19, Philadelphia Eagles

Bleacher Report: No. 7, New York Giants

The Draft Network: No. 22, Miami Dolphins

USA Today: No. 14, Baltimore Ravens

Right now, there are 32 offensive linemen that make at least $11 million in average annual salary per year, according to Linderbaum could very easily join that group in his NFL career.

Best Iowa Football Photos of the 2021 Season

The Hawkeyes went 7-3 in Big Ten play and 10-4 overall, including a New Year's Day loss to Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl. Here are some of the best shots from throughout the year.

Coldest Morning in Cedar Rapids History

On January 31, 2019, the mercury in Cedar Rapids hit -30. That's the actual temperature that morning, which set the new record for the coldest temperature in Cedar Rapids history, with records dating back to 1893. The previous all-time record low temperatures for the city was -29 on January 15, 2009.

More From Q98.5


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What Is Limited Scleroderma?

1 Answer

These messages are for mutual support and information sharing only. Always consult your doctor before trying anything you read here.
I have systemic scleroderma. I was diagnosed in 2002.   It is now 2019 that is 17 years with this disease. I am 72 years old.  And my Rumotologist said I probably had 7 years left?  My skin on my hands is shiny and I have red marks on my face, chest, arm and hands. I also have pulmonary hypertension. I have never taken any medication for my scleroderma. However I have taken bata blockers for the blood pressure in my lungs.  I’ve had 3 flare ups. The first put me in hospital. Second I stayed at home but it took me 4 weeks to get over it? The 3rd was last week but was not as bad as the first two.  I actually think it’s because I started on the Niacin and the rest of the vitamins? Time will tell but my hair is stopped falling out and my skin is looking better. When I was in the hospital   They diagnosed me with A-Fib heart. So they put me on a Beta blocker Sotolo and plavix blood thinner.  I was on those meds from Aug 2018 till
Feb 2019. I asked my cardiologist if I could get off of those meds and go on natural vitamins for the heart and blood presssure. He told me he would support me in whatever I chose to do. He knows I am a high risk for stroke. But the meds weren’t really helping me? I have a low platelet count so my doctor couldn’t put me on a stronger blood thinner because of my platelet count. So in reality the Plavix wasn’t helping me either. So I wanted to go natural since my outcome with meds wasn’t helping anyway? I’ve  been on no-flush Niacin, 525mg, Vitimin E 400iu
Lecethin 1200 mg,and kyolic which is garlic, hawthorn, cayenne. For 2 going into 3 weeks now. So far I have a lot more energy.  My balance problems are better. My hair has stopped falling out. And I feel good. Now I did have a few days with a flare up? But it was very light weight and I got over it fast. I’m hoping this will help me live another 17 years. Time will tell and I am not suggesting this for anyone else? It’s just that I didn’t have many options?
I am glad to hear that you are getting better. Any treatment isn't effective 100%. Any treatment must weigh the pros and cons, and the doctor will respect your choice. The drug treatment of pulmonary hypertension is limited, but atrial fibrillation will definitely increase the risk of stroke. As for the peppers you said, there is no evidence. Since you feel good, you can apply.
I have pulmonary hypertension being treated with Sildenafil Citrate 20mg tabs, 3 time a day
Hi Merry
I lost my mom to limited scleroderma. She never went to the doctors until it was to late. Read your story and was curious about it. My mom passed at 77 and they told us she had it for 25 years. Are there any obvious major signs.? Do you know if it is hereditary?  How are you doing today it’s been over a year since your story about changing your meds.
Hi, Brenda.
I understand your feelings about whether to have it or not. I was diagnosed with limited scleroderma in my 70s and before the symptoms were hard to be noticed. I found that signs and symptoms of limited scleroderma usually developed gradually. I had shiny skins and red spots on my arms and legs. Besides, Raynaud's phenomena happened and the skin turned white before becoming blue, cold, and numb. I was told that this disease had something to do with genetics and I wasn't sure about it. When my daughter was in her 20s, she had primary Raynaud's, but that was common in girls in their teens/20s. I suggest you don't need to scare yourself in the first place. Remembering some basic symptoms is enough for you. And if in the future you become sick without understanding why, you should tell the doctor about your mom's disease and seek immediate medical support. Wish it will help!!


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Choose a Korea Translation Agency to Translate Your Website

The Korean language is full of cultural nuances, and translating the content on your website can be challenging. A Korea translation agency can help you get around these complexities with outsourced services. Websites are often the first point of contact with your customers. To avoid miscommunication or losing business to local competitors, make sure that your site is translated accurately and correctly. To do this, you should choose a translation agency with a proven track record for quality translation services.

If you’re looking for a Korean to English translation, Gengo is the company to work with. This crowdsourced translation service based in Tokyo recently announced a $5.4 million Series C round and a change in leadership. New CEO Matthew Romaine will take over from Robert Laing, who previously served as CEO. The company has processed over 300 million pieces of translated content. Gengo also recently launched a data portal, which offers clients an overview of the translation process.

Gengo has raised over $23 million in funding, with a series B round led by Intel Capital. The company has agreements with multinationals in over 100 countries. The investment focuses on ensuring that the text conveys the intended message. In the case of Gengo, this has been its primary source of funding, and reflects its success in the market. However, Gengo is not the only company to receive funding from investors.

If you need a quality Korean translation for your website or marketing campaign, look no further than Pangeanic. This translation company specializes in a variety of different areas, and their expert translators use the latest computer-assisted translation tools. Pangeanic can handle everything from simple business documents to literary works, from poetry to theater scripts. Regardless of the content, you can rest assured that your translation will be accurate and up to date.

As a leading Korean translation agency, Pangeanic offers an extensive range of services to meet your unique needs. From birth certificates to university degrees to patents, Pangeanic can handle all of your translation needs. Its human post-editing process helps ensure that all of your translations are as accurate and professional as possible. You can also choose from a wide variety of language options, including the use of machine translation tools for certain documents.

If you’re looking for a translation company in Korea, you’ve come to the right place. GTS

Translation offers certified translation services in 11 languages, with a wide range of options. These services include everything from medical translations to legal documents. The agency also offers certification, which can help you develop contacts with international legal bodies.

Whether you need a translation for a legal document or an ad, GTS is the company for you.

The company was founded in 2002 and has been growing internationally for a decade. Its recent acquisition by Phil Shawe resulted in a $38 million increase in revenues and an expanded service footprint. GTS uses both freelance translators and in-house linguists for its translation work. This company targets luxury brands and small businesses, but its costs may be prohibitive. However, it is possible to find a lower-cost option with quality assurance.

JR Language Translation

If you are a business owner, you probably need to translate your documents and communicate with customers and clients on a global level. With more than 100 languages available, translation services from a korea translation agency can help you get ahead in the world market. These services range from document translation to medical translation, website translation, technical and legal translation, and phone and conference interpretation. In addition to document translations, these translations can be used for business development in various industries.

Whether you need legal translations, medical translations, or other language combinations, JR Language Translation is a great choice. They specialize in marketing materials and legal documents and are available in more than 100 languages. Furthermore, they offer phone and conference interpretation, so you can communicate with your customers in their native language. Whatever you need translated, JR Language Translation can provide you with quality translations at the fastest possible turnaround times.

After funding Unbabel, its founders began recruiting new team members. They’re young, diverse, and infused with startup culture. The company also offers branded t-shirts and joint celebrations of weird holidays. In addition, employees enjoy group surfing every Thursday, have access to fancy coffee machines, and work in offices with friendly animals. Despite the startup vibe, Unbabel maintains a highly professional work environment with a wall covered with a giant writing board.

The company aims to boost its staff retention rate by providing a higher quality of paid tasks to its translators. This will result in happier paying clients and better staff retention. The company should also consider making the feedback process a paid task. This will motivate editors to check the quality of their colleagues’ work. Ultimately, Unbabel pays its editors on the basis of accuracy and speed. In addition, Unbabel will pay them according to their native language and speed, ensuring that their translations are both accurate and of high quality.


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Ten Online Slot Machine Tips

What could be the big cope with online slot? Are you wondering why make use of the are playing these activities? Believe it or not, playing slots online has become very popular over the past svereal years. In fact, you may find that performing this of playing is more exciting than actually looking into casino. Together with the ability to wager real money with online slots, it’s also possible to play simply for fun since something that interests you.

You don’t have worry about anything about Super Slot Casino. Usually are very well assuring each and every players which have one of the most secure and safe gaming in the. So may refine rest your mind in being fair their particular games. Relax, enjoy and aim for your huge jackpot that waits for won.

One method of ensuring your high chances of winning big amounts of greenbacks is by choosing what machine conflicts you. The initial type may be the straight slot machine. It is sometimes called the non-progressive video slot. This always pays winnings in accordance with an established payout timetable. Note that it pays concentrating on the same amount incessantly when players hit an actual symbol combination.

Many everyone has shifted on the online medium mainly because the device offers more than one unique benefits that can’t be obtained any place else. In situs slot online , you might be able to do multiple issues that could be have previously been not able to do classic casino slots. For example, you’d be able to test out a much different kinds of slots when compared with a regular casino. This alone might be sufficient reason for many, simply because they will not end up getting bored of playing the same game time and time again.

If an individual might be looking for your casino online that gives priority to slots, Super Slot Casino is greatest place for. They have 45 multi line slots for those avid slots players. Although they are focusing in giving the best regarding slot games, they also have 100 other casino games for people that want think about a break and in order to try other exciting party games.

Slot machine tips #1: The casinos like to have their customers in casino and deeper into the casino for the table games, roulette tables etc. Now a simple method obtain loose casino wars is perform the casino slots wars closest into the isles. The sounds of prizes and change jingling inside of machines entices people perform and save money. So there is one likely place you’ll find loose printers.

The games download very quickly and the graphics are terrific. The playback quality poker is great as well as the Keno, both favorites of mine. Some of the other games offered are of course slots the name of the site recommends. There are 3 reel, video and progressive slots, along with the usual table games.

You take pleasure in online free slots also as slots that are perfect for short time whenever you need to. Any experienced gambler could play free slots limited to the high level of fun it delivers. Nonetheless, it is an usual thing for people new to gambling to get playing free slots very amusing. Your gaming strategies can be honed whilst you try your luck by playing free, after an individual may proceed with actual money account monthly subscription.


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/plain

text: TY - JOUR AU - Yury Zaretsky PY - 2021/12/22 Y2 - 2022/11/26 TI - Peter the Great’s Project for the Publication of Secular Textbooks JF - Quaestio Rossica JA - qr VL - 9 IS - 4 SE - Disputatio DO - 10.15826/qr.2021.4.646 UR - https://qr.urfu.ru/ojs/index.php/qr/article/view/qr.646 AB - This article attempts to reconstruct the readership of the first printed secular textbooks published at the initiative of Peter I during his Grand Embassy (1697–1698). Seven of the textbooks were printed in Amsterdam in the printing house of Jan Thesing (1659–1701), a local merchant to whom Peter granted a monopoly on the sale of educational books in Russia. Later, Ilya Fedorovich Kopievsky (c. 1651–1714), the compiler of these books and in practice the founder of Thesing’s printing house, published four more books in other printing houses and sent them to Russia. It is generally accepted that these books did not reach a mass readership and therefore did not play a significant role in Peter’s reforms. Justifying this opinion, researchers usually refer to the data of bibliographers and book historians of the nineteenth and centuries, who insisted that such books were rare. However, the new copies that have been discovered recently and new historical evidence about their circulation in Russia have led to doubts about the validity of this generally accepted point of view. The purpose of this study is to reconstruct the distribution and readers of Kopievsky’s books in the light of the data available today. In addition to books themselves, the study refers to catalogues of old printed books, archival materials, and historiсal surveys. Additionally, it outlines the context in which the books appeared, questions the prevailing view that they were little-known in Russia, and summarises the data about their distribution and readership accumulated by historians between the nineteenth and the twenty-first centuries. In the conclusion, the author explains the need to return to the question of the role of these first printed textbooks in the transformations of Russian culture during the first decades of the eighteenth century. It also assumes that the readership of these books was wider than has long been believed and that their contribution to the history of Russian education and science was more significant. ER -


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Forward Contract on Zero-Coupon Bond

Hi all, new member here. Long time lurker however :P

I'm currently studying the Financial Engineering & Risk Management course by Columbia University on Coursera. I'm seriously stuck on the second question of the week 5 quiz. I have built an n=10 period binomial model, and we know that r=5%, u=1.1, d=0.9 and q=1-q=1/2. On question 1, I computed the price of a zero-coupon bond that matures at t=10 to be $61.62. Question 2 asks to compute the price of a forward contract on the same bond that matures at t=4. I have seriously tried everything I could think of for the last 3 days and it's still the only question from the whole quiz that I can't come up with an answer. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance
Since d < 1+r < u, your binomial model is arbitrage free. Computing the price of the forward is thus reduced to finding a replicating portfolio comprised of some number of units of the underlying zero-coupon bond and some number of units of the money market account, and then finding the price of this portfolio. The construction should parallel the one given in Shreve 1 (or any intro book on pricing in discrete time) for European options, only now your underlying is a bond not a stock and your derivative is a forward not an option.


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Battling the Bloom

Experimental plots test how variables like nutrient concentrations and aquatic plants affect algal communities. The deep kelly green is typical of healthy algae during a thick bloom. The yellow coloration is from cells that are nearing the end of their life cycle.
Previous Article
Follow the Water
Next Article
Down to the Core


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Language (言語)

Queue-it Co-founder is a finalist in prestigious Women4Tech Leadership Award

Queue-it’s CCO and Co-founder, Camilla Ley Valentin, is a finalist for the Women4Tech’s Industry Leadership Award at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Updated: 27 Sep 2022
Queue-it News

The award recognizes and celebrates individuals eager to promote initiatives that drive gender diversity and gender equality in the tech industry.

Camilla made it to the finals along with two other female leaders within technology, on the basis of their contributions to bringing their technology companies to new successful heights and their enriching initiatives within both local and international tech communities. Camilla is the only nominated woman from Scandinavia and the only nominee from a start-up.

This nomination stems from her continual engagement within the tech environment over the past 20 years. In previous years, she has also won the female entrepreneur of the year award for Queue-it’s radical and successful idea and has been featured as one of the fifty most inspiring European women in technology.

Camilla’s focus has not only been on growing Queue-it, but also on other contributions within the Danish and European tech community. One example is Women in Tech, the organization she co-founded together with other passionate female entrepreneurs. The primary aim of Women in Tech is to build relations among female founders and entrepreneurial minds in the tech community, supported by initiatives such as mentorship programs and networking events with a focus on inspiring diversity.

”I am honored to be selected as a finalist, especially in a field of such inspiring and influential international female leaders in the technology industry“, says Camilla Ley Valentin, CCO, Queue-it.

This year, 108,000 people are attending Mobile World Congress over the four days, with 25% of all participants being women. The winners will be presented at the Women4Tech summit on the 1st of March.

If you would like to meet Camilla and discuss diversity in technology or leadership, you can meet her at the Queue-it booth in the Danish pavilion or contact her for an appointment on


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Private Lending  – A private lender is a person or business that loans money to someone who may otherwise not to be approved the conventional way typically due to income or credit deficiencies.

Pvt lending, would be someone loaning the money to a borrower secured by a property as a ‘Private Mortgage.’

The position of the loan is very crucial. Put simply, the position of the registered loan defines the priority on –  who gets paid before whom when the home sells and ultimately helps determine the overall risk.

If a mortgage is in 1st position, it means there are no liens before it and when the home is sold, they are the 1st to be paid out. After that lender is paid, they will then pay the 2nd mortgage lender, with any remaining funds going to the homeowner.

Typically people are fine with going to a private lender for a 1st or a 2nd mortgage since they want to buy a home and are in, or have gone through, some financial hardships. The disconnect comes when someone hears the rate they will be charged then believe its outrageous. But is it?

Interest charged on a private 1st mortgage is around 7% – 10% depending on the deal specifics, where a 2nd mortgage would be roughly 9%-14%. Both loans will also come with a lender fee and are usually interest only loans running for 1 year as the most common term length.

Now when you hear 12% for a mortgage, you think “That is ridiculous, who would ever pay that rate?” Well, you for one.

You would and already do pay that. Unless you are debt free, which most Canadians are not, it’s likely you have or had one or multiple credit cards or lines of credit that are right now, carrying a balance. A balance that is being charged at 12%-29% interest.

However, you don’t see it that way. When you signed up for the credit card you didn’t even give it a second thought, but it’s no different. The fact that one is labelled a mortgage, and one is an unsecured debt somehow messes with your mind making you think there is a difference. Debt is debt. Period. It’s that simple.

Its funny how you will stand up to these bad private lenders, who you know are taking advantage of you. In fact, an 11% 2nd mortgage used to pay out all the unsecured debt not only lowers the rate on the currently unsecured debt, consolidates all the payments into 1 smaller payment allowing you to organize your finances better, but will also boost your overall credit score.

The score that was initially so low that you needed to go to a private lender in the first place. Now, with no debt on your credit bureau, the score rises dramatically, and in a year or two, you pay out the 2nd mortgage with a new A+ mortgage.

You now have 1 mortgage at ‘A’ rates and no unsecured debt (assuming you haven’t decided to max the cards out again). You are in a much, much better place than you were a year prior. All because of that “Loan Shark”.

Keep in mind, the lenders could be you or me. They can be someone who just isn’t getting a good return in the stock market or their mutual funds and want to lend on real estate. You wouldn’t lend your hard earned money to a perfect stranger, with poor credit or that doesn’t earn enough money in a hope to earn 5%.

Understand that there is a real need for private lending. In the majority of the cases, the lender earns a great return on their money, and you get yourself in a better position financially or in the home that you desperately wanted. It’s a win/win.

Private lending solves an immediate problem and should only be looked at when cheaper options have all been exhausted. They aren’t meant to be long term solutions and both parties should benefit from the transaction, not just the lender.

It’s time you contacted your mortgage broker and see how private lending may work for you.

Lakhvinder Gill – Contact – 604-725-6734

Connect on FaceBook


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I Love It When a Plan Comes Together!

Around this time last week, I was getting ready for a work trip to Fairbanks, and hoping to finish off my two standing WIPS.  And much to my surprise, that is exactly what happened!

When I headed out last Monday, I had my long-standing Colorblock shell/top/sweater/whatever.  I have been working on this ding-blasted thing since August, which is fully unreasonable, since it is a really basic thing that should have been done in about two weeks.  But it wasn’t, and by last weekend I was heartily sick of it.  Very fortunately, I was able to make a concentrated effort and get it done by Tuesday night!

For anyone interested, the pattern is Giotto, and the yarn is Filatura Di Crosa’s Fancy Solare, which is now discontinued.  However, I think you could do just as well with other yarn of a similar weight.  Actually, the nubs in the yarn made it a little bit of a pain in the neck to knit with, but it does look pretty cool.  So there’s that.

And here is a less blurry and yellow-tinted photo.  For anyone who does plan to try this pattern, I did some modifications.  1) I did both the front and the back as colorblock, instead of the just the front like the pattern wants you to do.  2) I knitted the front and the back each as one piece.  The pattern had the front (colorblock) knitting as two separate halves and then sewn together.  I just knit it like really, really basic intarsia and called it good.  3) I added some fabric to the front, since there is more of me in the front.  I just added a bit of length and then kind of cheated it when sewing the front to the back. 4) I did an i-cord bind off rather than whatever it was the pattern was calling for.

All in all, I’m happy with it.  It looks halfway decent and is comfortable to wear.  Win!

That left me with several evenings to finish my other project, my Fantastic socks.  And finish them I did!

I’m pretty happy with these, too!  They are comfortable and fit great!  They are on a little crooked in these pictures, but they really do fit very well. The kit was perfect – in fact I have a lot of the main color left, and little bits of the accent colors.  The pattern was well written – the bats are both charted and written out.  The kit is from Knitter’s Brewing Company.

So, I’m very happy to have these two projects finished – off the needles and into my wardrobe!  Next up – catching up with the Geek-Along!  I’m about 8 squares behind, and it’s time to catch up!

2 thoughts on “I Love It When a Plan Comes Together!

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Refinding My Fade

Since I finished one of my WIPs, I decided to go back to one of the WIPs that has been hanging out in the bin waiting to be finished – my Find Your Fade shawl. This thing has been laying around since I had a morale failure much earlier this year. That was a shame, especially since I was two sections from finished. Granted, they are the two biggest sections, but still – two sections!

However, now I’m ready to face it again and get it done. I had a long stretch of knitting time today, and actually finished the second last section.

This was the last lace play section I needed to do, so now it’s just garter stitch to the end.

This thing is absolutely huge. After I finish knitting it, the next challenge is going to be finding someplace to block it. But I’ll get to that when I get to it!

How are your projects going?

8 thoughts on “Refinding My Fade

  1. My projects are all over the place. Just finished a quilt top, but have others waiting for quilting, so which to do first? Maybe attack the smallest and get it out of the way? Knitting is all small right now, no brain cells for a big project.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I forgot too – it’s been that long! It is moving along pretty well now. Just needed a break from it – it is a really huge shawl 🙂
      You can both! Keep a WIP going and start a new sweater – you are making great progress!

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Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) are expected to proliferate in low-altitude airspace and will require flight near buildings and over people. Robust urgent landing capabilities including landing site selection are critical for safety. However, conventional fixed-wing emergency landing sites such as open fields and empty roadways are rare in and around cities. Our work uniquely considers a city’s many unoccupied flat rooftops as possible nearby landing sites. We propose novel methods to identify flat rooftop buildings, isolate their flat surfaces, and find touchdown points that maximize distance to obstacles. We model flat rooftop surfaces as polygons that capture their boundaries and obstructions. We process satellite images, airborne LiDAR point clouds, and map building outlines to generate rooftop maps with a multi-stage machine learning pipeline. We propose a computational geometry method (Polylidar3D) that reliably extracts flat rooftop surfaces from archived data sources. We model risk as an innovative combination of landing site and path risk metrics and conduct a multi-objective Pareto front analysis for sUAS urgent landing in cities. A high-fidelity simulated city is constructed in the Unreal game engine with a statistically-accurate representation of rooftop obstacles. Fusion of Polylidar3D and RGBD semantic segmentation output shows improved intersection-over-union (IOU) accuracy in landing site identification compared to using LiDAR data only.

Time: September 22nd 5:30-6:30 pm

Location: WebEx


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Top 5 takeaways from the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season

AVONDALE, AZ — We’ve crowned a champion. won the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series title on Sunday at the Phoenix Raceway. Here are my top 5 takeaways from a wild and unexpected past season.

This May Be The New Era

Prior to the 2020 season, in order to win a NASCAR Cup Series championship, the road went through Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. Combined, that trio had won 4 of the 6 championships under this new format.

Harvick has five final round appearances in eight years at that but none in the last three including a first round defeat this season.

Busch had five championship 4 appearances in the last 8 years but none in the last three. He too was an opening round exit this year. Busch has only scored 5 wins in his last 130 starts.

Truex also has had five Championship 4 appearances in the last 8 years. He didn’t even make the playoffs last year. He’s also entered 2020 having only two wins in his last 43 races run too. Then came a four win season and all the momentum back. That was lost in a winless campaign in 2022 to give him 6 wins in his last 115 tries.

While their reign appears to be ended, maybe this is the new norm. Chase Elliot, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney have since emerged.

Elliott has 3 championship 4 appearances in the last 3 years. He also has 6 straight Round of 8 appearances.

Hamlin has 3 final round appearances in 4 years.

Larson was surprisingly eliminated in the Round of 12 this year but just won the title on the heels of a 10-win season in 2021.

Logano has 5 straight Round of 8 appearances and 8 in 9 tries. He also has 2 Championship 4 appearances in the last 5 years including 5 overall and two titles.

Blaney has 4 Round of 8 appearances in the last 6 years too.

Combined 2 of the last 4 series champions made up the Round of 8. The only ones missing was Busch and Larson…

The 4 drivers in the final round are all 32 years of age or younger with 3 of them in their 20’s.

This is the future and maybe it’s now…

FORT WORTH, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 25: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, spins into the wall after an on-track incident that Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 Chevrolet, avoids during the NASCAR Cup Series Auto Trader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on September 25, 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Conservative Approach

We see it all the time in stick-and-ball sports and that’s finding ways to capitalize on others misfortunes and in the meanwhile not shooting yourself in the foot. In professional sports, everyone is good. In order to take being good to great, well that gap is dwindling too.

The biggest difference in either direction?

Being sure you’re doing what you need to do to survive and maximizing in areas to where you’re good in.

That’s especially true in NASCAR for this season. In a year of parity (19 different winners in 36 races) and 4 of the first 5 postseason races being won by non-championship eligible drivers, the best way to advance from one round to the next is maximize stage points and limit mistakes.

Just look at who was alive in the Round of 12 still and who’s not and why each are in the position that they’re in right now.

Chase Briscoe went 14 straight races without a top 10 finish and that included all 3 races in the 1st round. He was still alive. Austin Cindric had 1 top 10 finish in his last 8 races before Talladega. In the opening round, he had 1 finish better than 15th and that was 12th. 7 of Daniel Suarez’ last 10 finishes entering the Round of 12 elimination race had been 12th or worse including 6 of those 7 being 18th or worse at that. They were all 3 in great positions to move onto the Round of 8.

It just goes to show you that you have to just get by and if you’re not too aggressive, you likely will move on.

In the playoffs, Kansas, Bristol and Texas each saw drivers too aggressive on their tire air pressures. It cost them. Same was true for similar races in the regular season as well.

We’ve seen cars catching fire for no reason. We’ve seen a lot of mechanical failures. The ones that have kept it more in the box than pushing a limit were the ones still fighting for a championship.

“Yeah, I mean, I feel like I’ve been doing this long enough now to understand the roller coaster that is racing,” Chase Elliott said back in October at Talladega. “It’s going to roll on, right? You either learn to ride it during the good days, during the bad days, too, or you don’t. That’s just part of the deal.

“So, yeah, just try to ride the wave. Had a bad week last week, had a good week this week. Obviously great to move on into the next round, get six more bonus points. All those things are fantastic, we’re super proud of that.

“This deal can humble you. We can go to the Round of 8 and crash again like we did the first two rounds, or you can go in there and maybe have a really good first race.

“I don’t know. You show up prepared, do the best you can, figure it out from there.”

It was that type of season. Elliott rode that wave this past summer in scoring 5 straight top 2 results. 5 of his next 7 would see him finish 11th or worse. He then had 2 top 2’s in 3 weeks though. Then in the playoffs in total, he’s had 2 top 10’s. He made the final round.

Joey Logano saw it too. It ebbs and flows these days to where it was more ebbing than flowing in years prior. Logano had 4 top 3’s including a pair of wins in an 8 race span this past spring. He had 1 top 10 in his next 6 including 4 straight finishes outside the top 20 entering the final weekend of July. Then he rattled off 4 straight top 6’s. Then he had 3 finishes in a 4 week span of 12th or worse. 2 of his first 5 playoff finishes had been in the top 4. The other 3 have been 17th or worse including a pair of 27th place finishes in the last 3 weeks heading to Charlotte last month. 5 of his last 8 playoff finishes were 18th or worse. He made the Championship 4 too.

William Byron lived it. He had 4 top 5’s in a 6 race span earlier this season then just 1 top 10 in the next 18 races. That was to last race of the regular season. What’s he done in the playoffs?

4 top 8’s in 5 tries. The reason he was originally below the cutline? An unforced error by spinning Denny Hamlin under caution at Texas. That cost him 25 points. Instead of being 11 points down, he could be 14 points to the good at the very minimum. He later got his points back but you get the point.

See where these errors can cost you?

Kyle Busch blew 2 engines in 3 first round playoff races. Kevin Harvick’s car caught on fire in Darlington, he crashes in Kansas and had a bad final spot in Bristol. Both former champions were eliminated in the opening round. Tyler Reddick finished 3rd in the Southern 500 but cut a tire and wrecked in Kansas and was collected in a crash at Bristol. His teammate Austin Dillon was 17th, 14th and 31st in the 3 first round races. Both he and Reddick joined Busch and Harvick on the sidelines.

How about the 2nd round?

Alex Bowman missed Talladega, Christopher Bell despite a top 5 in all three first round races, cut a tire and crashed twice in Texas and had a ho-hum day in Talladega. Byron was 12th in Talladega and has that points penalty.

The ones not making air pressure mistakes or having points penalties capitalized in the end.

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 17: Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet, and Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17, 2022 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Fans Prefer Sunday Races Over Saturday

The ratings for this past year’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race wasn’t good. The race per Adam Stern of SBJ, which aired on USA, got a 1.07 ratings with 1.776 million viewers. That’s down 500k in the viewership category over last year which drew a 1.20 rating with 2.2 million viewers.

The main point here is simple – racing in primetime may be good for ticket sales and in track experiences, but for those at home, they’re just not watching.

It’s also why NASCAR and their TV partners have closed the door on more primetime races. Why schedule them when those folks not at the race track won’t watch?

Last year Ben Kennedy spoke on his vision for the NASCAR Cup Series schedule and he grew up with NASCAR on TV on Sunday afternoon’s. He and the TV partners at Fox Sports and NBC Sports agree with this philosophy.

2021 was a shift from Saturday night primetime races to Sunday afternoons. This 2023 schedule further exemplifies that shift in philosophy. Just 2 of the 36 points paying races in 2023 will be on Saturday night with 2 more on a Sunday night.

Yes, Sunday night.

NASCAR knows that it can be hot in the south in the summer. Letting fans roast in the grandstands in Atlanta isn’t wise. So instead of a day race in July, it’s a night race. The caveat? It’s a Sunday night race not a Saturday night event.

Same for Richmond. A shift up to the end of July can make fans swealter. Also they wanted to differentiate between the 2 stops. A day race and a night race. The summer races makes more sense to utilize the lights. Like Atlanta, they’ll race on a Sunday night.

This is all by design and one that the TV ratings show that racing on Sunday is way better for the viewer than on a Saturday night.

MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – APRIL 09: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 LLumar Chevrolet, leads the field to the green flag to start the NASCAR Cup Series Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 at Martinsville Speedway on April 09, 2022 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Martinsville’s race this pasts year was further proof on why NASCAR has went forward with more Sunday races than Saturday night. A week prior to that race in April, NASCAR raced at Richmond on FOX. The Richmond race was a Sunday afternoon on FOX. The Martinsville race a Saturday night on FS1.

Nearly 4 million (3.958-million) people tuned into the Richmond race. The Martinsville race didn’t even get to half of that total.

From 3.958-million to 1.8-million. That’s a stark drop. Hell, the Truck race on dirt almost had as many people watching than the Cup race at Martinsville a week prior.

While some could say a race on FS1 will naturally drop off than one on FOX, you don’t lose 3-million people because of that and the Truck race was on FS1 too.

Early in the season, Atlanta had 4 million tune in, Phoenix had 3.991 million, COTA had 3.7-million. Richmond was 3.9 and now Bristol Dirt of all races got 4.5 million. Each race on FOX in an afternoon start.

Primetime TV for sports is declining in general. It’s a fundamental shift that NASCAR is working on again and they’re not hiding behind that fact either. Richmond and Atlanta as an example next summer will race under the lights on Sunday night instead of Saturday night. Kansas will be a day race against the NFL this Fall. Why Sunday’s and not utilizing Saturday night’s anymore?

“I think from a fan perspective our fans, again, are accustomed to tuning in on Sunday afternoon and seeing NASCAR Cup Series racing,” Ben Kennedy said last year on this topic. “For a fan going out there to the track, to have the biggest event of the weekend on that Sunday afternoon I think gives them something to look forward to and builds anticipation around the weekend.

“I would say a lot of our fans, myself included, are accustomed to turning racing on, NASCAR racing in particular, on Sunday afternoon. I think we all have that habit. Certainly helped us kind of drive the decision to move that there.”

In both 2009 and again in 2010 we had 10 scheduled night races on the schedule. They were at Phoenix, Richmond (x2), Darlington, Charlotte (x2), Daytona, Chicago, Bristol and Atlanta. This year, that number is down to six (Martinsville, Bristol (x2), Charlotte, Darlington and Daytona). Out of those 6, half will take place on a Sunday night at that. That’s down from 8 of 10 in 2010.

Plus, among the past tracks with lights, Phoenix and Atlanta doesn’t use theirs anymore for Cup with both visits now being day races. Chicago is also gone.

The shift is clear. Lights are basically a backup plan now for tracks for the event rain pushes them to night to complete. However, they’d prefer not to have to use them and get them all done in a Sunday afternoon window.

When Bristol Dirt on Easter Night gets over 4-million viewers but the night race that everyone boasts about gets less than 2 million, it goes to show the gap here.

Bristol dirt was up 28% over last year and the highest rated Bristol spring race since 2016. The number peaked at 4.5-million which at the time was the No. 2 watched race this season behind only the Daytona 500.

What’s that say?

Sunday night can do better than Saturday night which is why these ratings were kind of expected.

Chase Elliott hinted at this possibility in his Bristol press conference saying that he doesn’t see any value to racing against the NFL in the Fall. While he’s not wrong, this race wasn’t against the NFL being a Saturday night. If they ran it on a Sunday, the ratings would be higher, but not as high as they’d be in the summer.

It goes to what I’ve been saying lately that the only viewers of NASCAR races once the NFL season starts is just that, the fan base that’s already been established. You’re not going to get those casual fans anymore. They’ve tuned out and are into their NFL team.

In the summer, there’s not a lot of other options on so you get that casual fan, especially when you can get on network TV like FOX or NBC and not FS1 or USA.

So some may ask, why go so late in the season then? That’s what Elliott is asking too. The takeaway from that is, NBC or even other networks not named FOX or CBS don’t want to punt on the 1-7 p.m. ET window.

Yes, the NFL on FOX and CBS are going to produce massive ratings for each game. However, NBC doesn’t want to air 6 hours of infomercials.

A NASCAR race during the Fall on Sunday’s can still get you upwards of 2 million viewers if aired on NBC. If aired on USA, you see the drop off, even more so on a Saturday night.

Which is why I’m not worried at all by these ratings. It’s just the name of the game in the 21st Century. No one wants to be inside watching TV on Saturday night’s like they would on a Sunday afternoon or even at Sunday night….

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 17: Chris Buescher, driver of the #17 Fastenal Ford, leads the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17, 2022 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)

Short Track Package Needs Work

The spring Martinsville race was abysmal. Very little lead changes (5) and no real action. Same for the Fall race (6 cautions and 8 lead changes). The shifting, the bigger tires, little tire fall off, the cooler temperatures all played a role they said. However, the other short tracks on the schedule suggest we need some work with this package.

Bristol featured the lowest amount of lead changes (12) since 2009. Richmond was ho-hum. Very little passing at either.

“It was pretty tough. We pitted in front of the 17, so just kind of the way the year has gone. Just went from having a chance to lead the parade to being a part of the parade,” Kevin Harvick said at Bristol. “Just difficult to pass. Parted it way too fast through the corners. Can’t race.”

With this new car, one part to it is an increase in tire size. That bigger tires lead to more grip in the turns and as a result, you get higher cornering speeds.

Denny Hamlin said it felt like they were going quicker in the corners than they were on the straights. With minimal tire fall off outside of the ones that blew, it just doesn’t create for very good racing.

For a short track to work, you need slower corning speeds and more tire fall off. When you get neither, it makes for a tough night.

“Had good track position from our qualifying effort but passing was just impossible,” Hamlin said. “It was just a type of day where you needed to stay up front at all costs and we just couldn’t quite do it and ended up having a blown tire that set us back and we were trying to play catch up from that point. (The Next Gen car) was tough. I would like to see the racing improve overall. Some lap time variation a little bit. We’re just running around there and it’s like we’re running faster in the corners than we are on the straightaways. Just extremely hard to pass. Just seems like mechanical stuff with this Next Gen and wrecks are the X-factor in moving on so you just have to be really consistent.”

It’s not like the higher ups aren’t taking stock. Steve O’Donnell spoke on Friday of last weekend about a need to improve the package on these tracks.

“I think you have to start with really looking at a small sample size in terms of what we’ve been able to go out there and do, particularly on the short tracks,” said O’Donnell.

“For sure looking at some aero changes for both short tracks and road courses. We have a lot of dialogue going on with the drivers in terms of potentially looking at some power things. I think that’s a little more complicated. There are some things we’ve looked at even through Garage 56 that we found from an aero standpoint that could be put in place as early as next year for both short tracks and road courses.

“The good news is continuing to dial in on the intermediates which we believe we’re in a really good spot, but then really focus on the short tracks and road courses.

“A lot of work being done collectively to focus on both areas.”

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 16: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 Chevrolet, and Bubba Wallace, driver of the #45 McDonald’s Toyota, spin after an on-track incident during the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 16, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Next Gen Car Produced Parity, Safety Concerns

As good as the Next Gen car was in terms of passing and different winners, it was also met with safety concerns as well. 19 different winners in 36 points paying races was a high. So was teams like Petty GMS Racing, Trackhouse Racing, RFK Racing and 23XI Racing finding victory lane.

Michael McDowell had more top 10’s this year (12) than he had than he had the last four seasons combined.

Chris Buescher had a career high in top 5’s (3), top 10’s (10) and laps led (194). Same for Christopher Bell who had 2 wins, 4 poles, 11 top 5’s, 18 top 10’s and 423 laps led. All single season career highs. Same for Bubba Wallace in top 5’s (5), top 10’s (9) and laps led (150). William Byron led 746 laps, which nearly doubled his next best season.

That’s the good.

Then there’s the bad. Between the tire problems we saw early, to the fires, to more tire problems late as well as the crashes that sidelined three drivers from a single race and saw Kurt Busch miss the final 16 races and Alex Bowman 5 of the final 6 himself, there was clearly a disconnect between the new car and the safety.

NASCAR has luckily, even late, has responded and making updates to the car before we come back in 2023. Does that take away the parity?

“I do think the car has been a major factor in the competition this year, and again,” said Team Penske’s Walt Czarnecki. “19 different winners. It’s really boiled down to, and we’re going to have to do this on Sunday, boils down to preparation, execution, strategy, and a driver who wants to win.

“The cars are relatively even. I’ve got to be careful what I say here because nothing is ever even. I realize that. But it’s the closest I’ve ever seen.

“I looked at the qualifying times at Martinsville last Sunday. What are they, from 1st to 36th it was two-tenths, three tenths of a second? It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I think that’s a testament to what NASCAR has done.”

Hendrick agreed.

“The car has made it super competitive on any given day, anybody can win,” he says. “You’ve seen all these different winners this year. Nobody has really just dominated the sport. The parity is really unreal.

“I think NASCAR got what they wanted. We’re all trying to figure it out a little bit better each and every week. But boy, you just look at the lead changes and how many people are up there running up front, and you always expect to see coach up there and Roger, and Trackhouse has done an unbelievable job.

“And you look at other teams like Petty and I think Brad and his team, they’re going to be contenders next year.

“So I think it’s leveled the playing field, and it’s good for the sport. I think the fans love it.

“I sometimes look back and like the old way, but it’s good for the sport.

“I look at Trackhouse and any other competitor that comes into the sport. I think the 23 crowd has shown a lot of muscle. They’re going to be competitors and fierce competitors next year.

“I think you’ve got to race everybody now. I’m going to pull for a Chevrolet team if it’s not us for sure, because we’re stronger together.

“But Justin has done a great job. He’s got two great drivers. You can’t take anything away from that.

“But I look at them like Brad is going to be tough next year, having Reddick over in that Toyota is going to be tough. Hey, you’ve got to race everybody, so it’s going to be a bunch of good cars out there, and we just have to go race and win our share.

“But they have done a super job, and I commend them on that. We can’t really look at other people. We just have to get better ourselves. We have to do a better job of figuring out the car and crew chiefs and drivers working together and the whole organization working together.

“We’ve won 11 races this year, and you always want to win more, but I’m thankful to win 11.

“I see other competitors coming, and you can’t rest on your laurels. We’re going to have to be better.

“I think we are better. I think we are getting better every race. Some races don’t show it, but in some areas I think we’ve improved, and then in other areas we need to improve a lot more.

“I look at everybody as competition.”

Czarnecki doesn’t think that with a second year of this car in 2023, that the gap will necessarily widen just because the bigger teams have more money to develop it faster.

“I think we’ll see the lesser teams still have the same chance,” he says. “I really do. They’re being given that opportunity. Again, I think the car has indicated that or has illustrated that.

“It really boils down to the people. There are some darned good people, whether it’s Penske or Hendrick or Gibbs, there are a lot of good, talented, smart people in this sport that know how to race and know how to win.

“I think it could be just as open next year as it was this year.”

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Organise Your iPod/ iTunes Music Library

Music in digital formats has changed the way we discover music. Our approach to owning and storing music must change as well. We come across multiple new tracks that we like everyday or think we might like, and since acquiring them has become so easy, we end up with a huge pile of junk in our music library.

Do you remember the time and effort it took to find that record/ tape with that song we liked on radio? A few days probably went by just looking for the artist, album and track name. Today, we have apps like SoundHound and Shazam for those one-off listens, and anyway all music is pretty much discovered on TV or the Internet where finding track information is easy. Owning the track is just a matter of visiting a website and clicking for a quick download.

Acquiring music has become so easy now. We download it before we know if we will even listen to it

Acquiring music has become so easy now. We download it before we know if we will even listen to it

This has brought about one BIG problem – too much music media stored in every computer, music player and phone. We don’t have time to decide whether we actually like the track before we buy/ acquire it. In fact, I have been on the music hoarding bandwagon since the digital era began, with well over 100GB of music in my library. All this gets on to my iPod classic (love the classic for that). I’m pretty sure I haven’t explored even half of it.

Over the last few years, I’ve been trying to discover ‘new’ music within my music library. I realised that no matter what music I dumped there, I still listen to only the few that I recall. Most of them are the ones I owned earlier on records or tapes. I recall very little new music because I keep adding to it. To make it easier to recall music I’ve acquired digitally, I set on a re-dicovery journey. Of course, it took some effort, but it was well worth it. Here is what I did, in two phases:

1. Re-discover my music library
2. Clean up my library

Re-discover my music library
iTunes is smart, but only as smart as you are.

Metadata is the single most useful thing in your digital music library. It keeps you informed of all track information and also helps iTunes catalog it. iTunes will be able to sort tracks in lists of albums, genres, artists among others only if the Metadata is present. Depending on how you imported the tracks into iTunes you may or may not have this information. Make you manually enter this as soon as you identify a track that shows up as ‘Unknown’.

On the Mac you can use MusicBrainz Picard to help you automatically identify and input meta data into tracks before/after importing into iTunes, before is better. I’m sure there exists a windows equivalent of this.

Metadata is you friend, as all good friends, it's sometime hard to find!

Metadata is you friend, as all good friends, it’s sometime hard to find!

Shuffle mode on iPod or iTunes is the quickest way to rediscover your library. I use this all the time because it is easy and really mashes up your playlist. I also did realise that shuffle has a tendency to play the tracks most played. If I am on iTunes and shuffle plays a track that I don’t want on shuffle, I go to track info and check the ‘skip when shuffle’ option. That’s a good starting point.

On the options tab check 'Skip when shuffling'

On the options tab check ‘Skip when shuffling’

Right click on a track and select 'Get info'

Right click on a track and select ‘Get info’

The Genius Mixes are nice but they don’t really play through all the music that you have. I realised that the genius mixes kept repeating only a set list of tracks, probably the ones most played. This makes them useless for someone like me who likes to come by new music. So, after a few months I stopped using these playlists.

Genius Playlists based on a song fare better but they are unavailable for most of the songs. You must try them, they do a decent job as long as they are available.

Album Playlists. I realised that playing an album through, like the good old days, didn’t happen any more. We just listen to one track and then go to another artist/album. I created playlists with full albums and played them through. It was rewarding. I realised there are other tracks on the albums that I like more than the one that gathered all the attention on charts. Try this.

Smart Playlists. This is where the iTunes becomes as smart as you! Explore making smart playlists. Here are some I made;
a. Least played – playlist with music, about 100 tracks, not played in that last 2 weeks
This pulls up music you haven’t played in the last 2 weeks, forcing you to listed to new music.
b. Genre based – playlists with genre, about 100 tracks, not played in last 2 weeks
Does the same as ‘a’ but for a particular genre.
c. Most played – Playlist with music, plays is greater than 0, tracks about 25-50
Arrange this playlist in descending order of plays. This will make for a nice feel-good playlist.

Album Art doesn’t always get imported along with your music. Not the easiest thing to fix, manually. But trust me it is the most rewarding thing to do. A library with all the album art in place, wow! I did it gradually over the years where I would add album art to tracks/albums as I come across them in iTunes.

Clean-up My Library
Sometimes, I avoid putting my iPod or iTunes on shuffle or a smart playlist because a lot of music it played was terrible. Of course I was responsible for that terrible collection, so decided to do some house keeping. This was a task I kept pushing for years but finally got down to it. It wasn’t as hard as I imagined it would be.

Step 1: Sort by artist/album or repeat it twice, once with artist and then album
Step 2: Arrange all music in ascending order of last played. This will bring all the music you never played to the top. Skim through it artist and album wise and delete stuff that you know is of no use. Pro-tip, if you haven’t played in over a year, you probably never will.
Step 3: Arrange tracks artist-wise, then album-wise, and skim through artists and albums. There will be a few sticking their necks out screaming ‘delete me’! You will know.
Step 4: Remove duplicates. Duplicates of a track often exist in our libraries, sometimes more than twice. Folks at Apple know this and have built-in a convenient way to deal with this.

Go to Menu Bar> View> Show Duplicate Items

Go to Menu Bar> View> Show Duplicate Items

For starters, I know what’s on my iPod. And, I’m rediscovering my music – old and new. And of course, the space issue – the clean up brought my music down to about 50 GB from 100GB. That’s almost half my library. You can imagine my relief! It makes searches easier and plays stuff I would actually listen to.
These are some basic steps, you could improvise around this. What do you do to organise your music library? Do you think you’ll use these tips? Do let us know in the comments.