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Software Patents at the US Supreme Court: Patenting of escrow accounts

17 06 2014

The Supreme Court recently heard arguments over whether a company named Alice Corporation can own an “invention” for escrow accounts. While the idea of escrow has been around for centuries, Alice Corp has a patent that describes the concept of using a computer to implement it.

For Alice’s opponent, CLS Bank, a lot is at stake since the bank uses the patented process to clear millions of dollars in financial transactions each day. Even more is at stake for an American patent system swamped by millions of low-quality patents, many of them — like the one belonging to Alice Corp — related to software.

What can and can’t be patented

While the Supreme Court has issued many decisions about patent rules in recent years, the Alice case looks at the more fundamental question of what sort of things should receive patent protection in the first place. For now, the law is clear that “abstract ideas” like math formulas or gravity can’t be patented, and that specific applications that describe a process for implementing an idea are eligible for a patent. The question in Alice is where software fits into all this.

“Software or business method patents are typically broad patents that often cover basic methods of doing business,” said Brian LaCorte, a lawyer at Ballard Spahr, who is skeptical about patents that describe using a computer to implement age-old ideas such as escrow accounts.

From an economic perspective, to the degree that such software patents fail to offer genuinely new ideas, they appear to upset the notion of treating the patent system as a bargain between society and inventors.

As Robin Feldman, an influential patent scholar, wrote in the New York Times, patents like the one belonging to Alice Corp can result in the government handing out a powerful monopoly without receiving anything of value in return — the “inventor” gets a patent, but doesn’t disclose any undiscovered science or ideas. Another scholar, Mark Lemley, said of such patents in 2011, “they claim everything but contribute nothing.”

The Alice case also comes at a time that the Supreme Court is paring back patents in other areas. Last year, for instance, the court ruled that human genes are not eligible for patents.

Are software patents a “tax” on the tech sector?

The Alice case induced a long list of companies to file briefs, including a joint submission from a group of tech companies  – including Google, Amazon, Facebook and Netflix — that are rivals in the marketplace, but that have come together to ask the Supreme Court to squash abstract software patents.

“Abstract software patents have become a plague on computer-related industries,” noted the companies in their brief. The filing also claimed that the proliferation of such patents is “effectively tax innovation,” and includes a 1991 quote from former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates that warns that patents could have brought the early software industry to “a standstill.”

For many, the issue right now isn’t just theoretical. David Selinger, CEO of web-shopping firm RichRelevance, says his company spent about four percent of its annual revenue last year managing patent trolls.

“I think there’s a strong case for abolishing all software patents…or at a minimum, software patents should reasonably advance art and describe how you’re doing it,” Selinger, whose company also filed a brief arguing the Alice Corp “invention” should be ineligible for a patent, told me.

Other tech companies, including Microsoft and IBM, have taken a different view of the case, suggesting in their briefs that Alice Corp’s patents are not appropriate but expressing approval for other types of software patents.

Supreme Court cleans up unfinished business

One reason the Alice case is before the Supreme Court in the first place is that the court made a hash of the same issue four years ago. In a 2010 decision known as Bilski, the court explored many of the same issues that are now before it in Alice — but provided little useful guidance on how to screen for such patents in the future.

In the Bilski case, the Court rejected a patent describing a computer-related method for hedging commodity risks. In doing so, however, the Justices also threw out a “machine-or-transformation” test that had been used to evaluate when a patent should be granted, while also failing to provide alternate criteria for lower courts and the Patent Office to use instead. The situation soon became even more complicated after an appeals court panel, hearing the Alice case, attempted to apply Bilski — and produced a messy judgment in the form of seven different opinions from ten judges.

For the Supreme Court, then, Alice is an opportunity to correct its earlier mistake by finding a better way to draw a circle around what can and can’t be patented. The court is unlikely to outlaw software patents altogether, but will likely instead issue rules that make them easier to challenge — and to reduce the likelihood the Patent Office will issue them in the first place. In the short term, however, the Supreme Court’s decision is unlikely to do much to flush away many of the millions of low-quality patents already in the system.

Update: The transcript of the court’s recent finding is now available; legal observers have suggested that the Justices’ line questioning mean they are inclined to invalidate Alice’s patent, but not eliminate software patents altogether.

Outside attention

The Alice case is unusual because of the attention it is drawing from outside the legal community. Along with the attention from the tech industry, Alice also gave rise to weekend editorials by the New York Times and the Economist.

All the interest reflects how patents — and the monopoly they grant over ideas — have proliferated in recent years, and led to the rise of patent trolls like Intellectual Ventures, which don’t use the patents they acquire, but simply demand money from others. (By most accounts, Alice Corp is such a troll.)

The US Supreme Court, which has heard several other patent cases this term, is also not the only branch of government looking to fix the patent system: The US White House issued a series of executive orders to curb patent trolls, while Congress is expected to pass a patent reform bill this spring.

China changes tactics on technology patents

29 08 2011

It seems that the Chinese technology industry can no longer be regarded as a breeding ground for blatant IP infringement and patent proliferation with China recorded as the third highest filer of patents in 2010 – 337 497 patent applications have been recorded for the last year.

The influx of patents not only underscores China’s growing strength in the technology sector, it also reveals a change in the country’s attitude toward intellectual property in general. It seems China is now starting to move toward recognising ideas and their origins….

The increase in patent filings has also sparked an increase in litigation….. Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corporation (China’s top two telecoms equipment makers) are engaged in litigation proceedings. ZTE filed a lawsuit in China in April saying Huawei had infringed its fourth generation technology. It seems both made progress in selling their mobile communication products in China and they are possibly now using patents as a competition tool…..

In general, intellectual property civil litigation increased in China by 37 percent to 41718 last year, according to the country’s Supreme People’s Court.

It seems the Chinese counterparts to Apple, Google and Samsung are developing their own armoury of patents. The obvious question being: is this to further stifle competition in the global smartphone industry……or have they  acted pre-emptively to the whole global  fist-fight by ensuring that their competitive edge remains as untouchable as possible……..

With reference to The Business Report of 26 August 2011.

Google acquires Motorola patents and suits up for battle……

16 08 2011

After Google’s clear disillusionment with the patent world, as discussed here and evidenced by this recent Google blog post: “We recently explained how companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android…..” Google have decided to acquire Motorola Mobility, the spun-off phone manufacturing wing of the original Motorola.

In terms of the reasons proferred by Google for the acquisition, the following was said on their blogspot: “Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.”

By grabbing Motorola, Google has certainly gained access to more patents to beef up its Android patent portfolio and this will enable it to counter (and respond with counter suits of their own) to any future IP threats……

Therefore, it seems as though, as much as this transaction it is about getting some really, really cool Android hardware out on sale, it is also about protecting the Android phone from further IP battles….clearly their previous patent vulnerability has promted them to prepare more on the patent front and suit-up properly for any potential battles on the horizon…. but in the mean time they are becoming armed and dangerous themselves…..

Post-Nortel: tech giants discover the value of patents

23 07 2011

With the sale of the Nortel patent portfolio reaching billions of dollars (see previous post) big role players in the technology industry are apparently beginning to appreciate the value that can be derived from protecting their IP…..read more about it here……

It is interesting to note that the previous harsh critcism voiced against the software patenting concept and the patenting system by some of the big role players in the industry may have been nothing more than a  cover-up for their own shortcomings in this area…. The value of the software patent (over conventional forms of protection copyright) is also discussed… I think the author Nathan Myhrvold is a voice of reason in a sea of oblivion with this one and the tech companies that are now scrambling to get their ideas protected are starting to listen in at the right wavelength…..

A perspective on the patentability of software in South Africa

10 07 2011

The patenting of SA software is the subject of much heated debate. Though the concept has never having been examined by our judicial system, software patent applications are being granted by our Patent Office. Former public service & administration minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi recently described software patents as “an issue that poses a considerable threat to the growth of the African software sector”, adding that there had been “recent pressure by certain multinational corporations to file software patents in our national and regional patent offices”. She said all of the “current so-called developed countries built up their considerable software industries in the absence of software patents”, adding that for those same countries to insist on software patents now was “simply to place patents as barriers in front of newcomers”. Fraser-Moleketi said African software developers faced enough barriers as it was without the introduction of artificial restrictions on what programs they were and were not allowed to write.

Whereas free software and open standards are intended to be open and encourage competition, patents are exclusive and anti-competitive by their nature. Indeed, it is a common argument that when established multinational software companies register their extensive software patent portfolios in developing nations, they potentially destroy any competition from local software product developers. However, the flip side of the coin is that these controversial software patents may well serve as the foundation on which local software companies can enter the global marketplace and compete with these established multinationals.

Consider this:

  • These patents effectively provide a means for local software companies to play on the same turf as industry leaders such as Oracle and Adobe.
  • A software patent often provides a start-up company with the traction to build its business as a real competitor in the international arena.

Microsoft is one such company, one that has made extensive use of our patenting system, having patented more than 300 software-related inventions in SA. Microsoft co-founder and former CEO Bill Gates once said: “If people had understood how patents would be granted when most of today’s ideas were invented and had taken out patents, the industry would be at a complete standstill today. The solution is patenting as much as we can. A future start-up with no patents of its own will be forced to pay whatever price the giants choose to impose. That price might be high. Established companies have an interest in excluding future competitors.”

Accordingly, as long as small start-up companies refrain from patenting their software inventions in SA, they are effectively leaving the playing field wide open for established corporations to obtain monopolies in those areas.

The SA Patents Act of 1978 excludes a “program for a computer” from patentability. However, this exclusion applies only to the extent to which a patent or an application for a patent relates to software or a computer program, as such. Therefore, an apparatus or a system for using software would not be excluded from patentability. Hence, a system or an apparatus used in a software-related invention does not necessarily contravene this software exclusion either.

Note, secondly, that the SA Patent Office is a so-called non-examining patent office. This means that the patent applications lodged with it are not subject to examination in terms of the invention’s patentability. It is therefore unlikely that a patent application directed to a computer program will be rejected by the office. What can happen in practice is that an SA patent directed to a software program is challenged in court by third parties who, of their own volition, have determined that the patent is directed to unpatentable subject matter and wish to attack the validity of the patent on that basis.

However, there has not been any litigation on the patentability of software in SA to date, and there is therefore no clear indication of our courts’ likely interpretation of this section of the Patents Act. Indeed, the boundaries of computer software patentability are still to be determined. Substantial similarities nevertheless exist between our Patents Act and the UK’s Patents Act. Therefore, our courts may well turn to the decisions in Britain and Europe for guidance on SA software-related matters. Instructively, the British Patents Act also generally excludes inventions that reside in programs for computers “as such” from patentability.

Be that as it may, a consultation was recently initiated between the UK government, via the Patent Office, on whether patents should be granted for computer software in that country. The government reaffirmed the principle that patents were for technological innovations. Software should not be patentable where there is no technological innovation, and technological innovations should not cease to be patentable merely because the innovation lies in software.

Therefore, software patents are not rejected outright in the UK. Rather, the technical effect or contribution provided by the computer program forms the basis of an assessment of whether or not the invention is excluded from patent protection.

As we eagerly await a relevant SA court decision, several ways exist whereby the prohibition on computer software patentability can legitimately be circumvented. The result would be a valid SA patent that is enforceable against and will provide a barrier to entry for multinational software companies in SA. Such a software patent may place the local competitor on as near an equal footing with these multinational companies as they are ever likely to get.


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Issue: August 2017

Cover Story

A conversation with a former neo-Nazi who's learned that there's life after hate.

How could I remain in a church that made no space for my brutalized past?
T photography /
In Mexico, rural farmers resist emigration by building local economies.
San Pietro liberato dal carcere, via Wikimedia Commons
Early Christians didn't just advocate for prison reform—they questioned the entire logic of retributive violence.

There's no justice in "recommended" sentencing guidelines.
Online attacks create a challenge for Christian ethicists.
Ryan Rodrick Beiler /
Single-issue advocacy leads to inconsistency on life issues.

If your world doesn’t feel like it is turning upside-down, maybe you aren’t watching carefully enough.
A challenge is to build urban areas in ways that people of all type can enjoy their pleasures.
Funny business by Ed Spivey Jr.
Avivi Aharon /
Trump chose to isolate the U.S. on an issue on which there is nearly unprecedented global consensus.

Culture Watch

Two new books wrestle with death and beauty
Always with Us? What Jesus Really Said about the Poor, by Liz Theoharis. Eerdmans
The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class—and What We Can Do About It, by Richard Florida. Basic Books
Holy Spokes: The Search for Urban Spirituality on Two Wheels, by Laura Everett. Eerdmans
Sinclair Broadcast Group, a chain of local TV stations that skews to the right of Fox, is emerging as a national media voice.
Courtesy of
Four August cultural recommendations from our editors.
Courtesy of
Guardians Vol. 2 proves to be a complicated sequel.

August 2017
Why we published a cover story about a former white supremacist.
Letters to the editor from Sojourners readers
Reflections on the Revised Common Lectionary, Cycle A

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Software Development Methodologies

Software Development Methodologies and Models

The SolveITLabs development team adopts project methodologies based on the client's project specifications and requirements. Following are the basic popular models used by our company:

System Development Life Cycle Model (SDLC Model)

  • Software Requirements Analysis
  • Systems Design
  • Development
  • System Testing
  • Release and Maintenance

Software Requirement Analysis

This is also known as feasibility study. In this phase, the onsite/offshore team works with the client together and research their system. The vendor investigates the need for possible process automation in the project. By the end of this phase, the team creates a document that has the specific recommendations for the proposed system. It also includes the team member's assignments, price, project plan, and milestones.

System Design

In this phase, the software development process, the system overall structure and all details are pre-defined. The system architecture, the database design, the data types and structure design need to be clarified at this stage. A software development roadmap is created.

Programmers write code and perform the unit testing.

System Testing

Once the Development phase is over, the software modules needs to be tested all together. Different type of test should be used at this phase depending on the system type.

Prototyping Model

This is a weekly/bi-weekly build version of the development. In this model, once the requirement analysis and design are completed, the development process starts. Upon completion of the prototype creation, the client reviews the result and provides feedback. After several number of builds, the complete system is sent to the customer. In this methodology, the software is evolved as a result of periodic information exchange between the customer and vendor.

Offshore Agile Development

During the past 2 years, companies have begun to use Agile development processes and offshore outsourcing to realize incremental gains. The benefits that attract companies already doing offshore or companies already doing Agile development are quite different, however, as are the teams' motivations for blending the two processes.

Implementing Agile processes in offshore projects

Properly injecting Agile techniques into an offshore development project can add improved responsiveness and business/IT benefit.
To make offshore relationships successful, software teams has to dramatically improve their software processes. For example, customers/business users have had to learn how to specify their requirements carefully and understand that changing those requirements midstream could cause significant cost and time overruns. Many non IT users struggle to deal with these requirements. And their inability to manage with it can eliminate much of the savings the offshore development offers.

Communication takes center approach, between the business users, the internal IT team, and the offshore team. Short iterations force frequent reviews so business people can approve functionality or provide feedback before too much time or money has been spent on that milestone.
Agile development indirectly saves organizations money because it produces higher-quality code that meets customer needs, but cost savings aren't typically the key benefit.

IT Consulting Services

We offer Outsourcing Practices in eight key verticals in the USA market, IT Solutions featuring state-of-the-art architectural and program management expertise, Financial Services, Healthcare and Insurance, Manufacturing & Logistics, Travel and Entertainment, Pharmaceuticals, Retail and Telecommunications.

Outsourcing Practices


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Purple Drank

Former No. 1 overall pick Russell was released by the Raiders in May. (Getty Images)

JaMarcus Russell

The news is buzzing from the recent arrest of NFL QB JaMarcus Russell for the possession of a controlled substance-codeine syrup. Just why would codeine syrup be a controlled substance you may ask? Codeine syrup is sold in cough syrup and most cold liquid medicine, so why was he arrested?

Purple drank, the street name, is a recreational drug that came onto the scene in the 1990s and made very popular by a Houston DJ, DJ Screw.  This drank quickly became a favorite among the rap scene and as we are quickly finding out, a favorite among NFL players.

The most popular type of codeine syrup is promethazine-codeine, a prescription cough syrup. The active ingredients are codeine, a narcotic, and the antihistamine medication promethazine. When taken in large quantities, both medications can lead to sedation and altered levels of consciousness. In lower doses, these potentiate the opiates.

Purple drank is a concoction of promethazine codeine syrup, Jolly Ranchers candy and 7-Up soda. In recent years, Purple drank has gained nationwide fame from being included in the smash hit “Sippin’ on Some Syrup” by  Three 6 Mafia, in Lil Wayne Duffle Bag Boy video he is seen paying homage to DJ Screw & have Purple Drank in his cup…but this dr[a]nk does not only appeal to male rappers but to female rappers as well. Nicki Minaj sings/raps about the Purple drank in her hit single “Mind on My Money“.

This is the new down low way to get high and those that drink Purple drank think they are not doing anything wrong since the ingredients are bought over the counter & even from a candy store; however, this is an illegal activity; hence the arrest of JaMarcus Russell.

Sol Searching does not endorse the use of illegal drugs. Children don’t be fooled this Purple drank is dangerous and you should SAY NO TO DRUGS. Do your research, the music industry has lost many to the drinking of this Purple syrup: Pimp C, DJ Screw, and several others.

About PK

A wife, mother, sister, and aunt. I scrapbook for a hobby. I am a business woman that owns two businesses. I love to talk & meet people. God is working in my life. The mission of this blog is to strengthen marriages. Marriages are the nucleus of our communities and we must nurture and strengthen marriages in order to transform our communities.

One response »

  1. You know Black folk have “It can’t happen to me” syndrome. They think nothing can happen to them until it does. Just like he thought he wouldn’t get caught. Such a pity.

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Recent changes to 68: libmpcdec dependency changes to 68: libmpcdec dependencyenFri, 03 Oct 2008 01:11:46 -0000libmpcdec dependency

Trying to install KPlayer fails due to a dependency on OpenSuse, and packman repositories don't have this file. Am unable to find KPlayer location with so think installation is faulty.

S LFri, 03 Oct 2008 01:11:46 -0000https://sourceforge.net9d98cbdfe40278820fd726f24b197a14be3b10c8


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1 Corinthians 10:13

Says, But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give into it. That is the absolute truth friends. When you feel week and have this overwhelming feeling of turning back what you just entrusted to the Lord, humble yourself, and go to the Father, ask him for help. He will lift you up, and help you overcome what ever it may be you are being tempted with. He will never put more on you than you can handle. Do not become overconfident thinking that you can beat the situation on your own, that is a sign that you will fall. Just like Paul illustrated in the Book of Corinthians, take heed to the failures of the Israelite people. They continued to ignore God in their own selfish desires, so use them as motivation to draw closer to God. I guarantee you will experience joy far beyond your imagination. When in doubt, just call out, and he will answer. I hope that you all experience a truly wonderful day, and enjoy the weekend. God bless you all.

About spiritministries

I am a man who has learned not to rely on my own understanding the hard way. God revealed himself to me two and a half years before I got out of prison. It's the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. There is truly only one way and that is to have a relationship with God. Since my release S.P.I.R.I.T Ministries has came to fruition. We meet every Wednesday night at 7p.m. God asked me to write a book, in 18 months I finished Rock Bottom; Inspired by God, He provided me with a web blog, thank you Andrew, as you can see, I am a motivational-inspirational speaker, and singer. We now have a band known as The Un-Scene, you can find the link on my web site and check it out on face book. I am just a man who was given true life while in prison, freedom, salvation, and unspeakable joy by the grace of God. We go many places to speak and sing for the glory of God. I just want to share what God has done in my life that you may have the opportunity to experience the same joy He gave me. I give God all the glory for everything in my life for I couldn't accomplish anything a part from Him. If ye shall know the truth, the truth shall set you free, John 8:32. If you would like to hear us just contact me and God willing we will remain obedient. God bless you all.
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About Spool Photography

Neal Pritchard is an emerging photographer from Western Australia who is passionate about the outdoors. To capture the beauty of this natural world has become his absorbing pursuit. The results of his preparation, research and planning to breathtaking locations around Australia and the USA, is a growing collection of impressive landscape photography.

Today Neal’s images can be printed as large panoramic prints that showcase the brilliant colours and natural beauty that we sometimes never get the chance to stop and spend a moment enjoying.

“Twice each day mother nature shines with her warm light. At either dusk or dawn the colors of nature come into brilliance, showcasing the land, sea and sky.”

“Capturing that light is a passion of mine that seems to grow stronger with each passing shoot. To capture mother natures light and the beauty she unfolds has become my absorbing pursuit and I hope it also highlights that we don’t own this world we are merely here to witness its beauty in all shapes and forms.”

“Photographing in the early and late afternoon allows me to use minimal digital manipulation. While I do use neutral density filters to even out bright skies and darker land scenes. I do not use any colored filters rather I let mother nature show her beauty through color and form.”

“I use and recommend Canon Cameras, Gitzo Tripods, Really Right Stuff Ball Heads, Lowepro Bags, Singh-Ray Filters and Apple Computers.”

For a full listing on images I have for sale please visit my Landscape Galleries at

Spool Photography Landscapes

If you are interested in purchasing a print or have a question relating to the purchase of my Landscape Photography Prints” please contact myself via my contact form at

Spool Photography Contact

or info@spoolphotography.com

Neal Pritchard

All images and text on this site are owned by Spool Photography and are NOT in the public domain. All images may NOT be used on websites, blogs or in any other form of media print or web based without explicit written permission by Spool Photography.

4 Responses to About Spool Photography

  1. danproud says:

    Hey Neal, REALLY love your work. added your link on my blog psge too…

    Also, congrats on your website! It is the most funky, user-friendly photography site I think I’ve ever seen, well done!!

  2. Thanks Dan for your kind words.

  3. Craig Cullum says:

    What an awesome site, I would love to know how you find all these places in Western Australia, what you use for research of locations.

  4. thanks craig … having lived in west australia for 40 years I have seen a fair bit and driven a fair chunk of the state so that helps a lot …

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About me

Who is the Sports Bloke and what is the point of this blog?

To paraphrase Henry Hill from Goodfellas, ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a sports writer. Not a reporter, not an interviewer, just a bloke who writes about sport. Now, after freeing up some time and overcoming my inherent apathy, I’ve finally got round to building this blog.

The idea is this: write some interesting stuff based on my life as an American sports fan trapped in a British sports fan’s body. That doesn’t mean I won’t be writing about UK sports. There’ll be some cricket and some football, but there’ll also be basketball, baseball, NFL – all written from the perspective of a man who’d rather sit up all night watching games online than get a good night’s sleep and rather spend a day watching county cricket than going to work.

So, what about petty bias? There’ll be plenty. As a lifelong West Ham fan, I hate Spurs. As an England cricket fan, I’m not averse to giving the Aussies some clog. Stateside, my teams are New York’s Knicks and Giants and, in baseball, the San Francisco Giants. I also carry a torch for the Golden State Warriors. These are the teams I first saw live in the US and my allegiances were born there. I have no time for glory hunters or bandwagon jumpers.

Finally, the fact this blog exists at all is due to Bill Simmons, JE Skeets & Tas Melas, Dan Levy and the ever-growing list of internet sportswriters I continue to discover able to fuse sports, media and pop culture into well-thought, well-written and always readable literary gumbo.

I also post my NBA columns on the Shoot Hoops website. And if you really want to, you can follow me on Twitter.

3 responses to “About me

  1. Could you shoot me an e-mail at rdenis@mvn.com when you get a chance. I have a few questions i’d like to as you regarding your blog. Thanks!
    Rich Denis

  2. Hello Mate,

    My name is Kev and in my spare time I run a site basketball site called Shoot Hoops and I was wondering if you would like to get involved. Like you I’m a West Ham & Knicks fan.

    Hit me up.

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Visit SportsChat Premium

Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles Free Pick - 9/18/13

Baltimore Orioles (80-70) at Boston Red Sox (92-60)

MLB Baseball: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at 7:10 pm (Fenway Park)

Wei-Yin Chen (L) (7-7) (3.995) vs. Jake Peavy (R) (11-5) (4.033)

The Line: Boston Red Sox -144 / Baltimore Orioles +130 --- Over/Under: 8.5 See the Latest Odds

TV: MASN, Nesn

The Baltimore Oriole will be at Fenway Park to keep their playoff hopes alive versus the Boston Red Sox.

Baltimore has been struggling to stay in the postseason conversation and managed to stay alive with Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the American League East leading Red Sox. The Birds have won three of four but don't control their own fate meaning the wins have to begin pouring and somebody has to beat the teams ahead of them. On Tuesday it was the work on the mound that saved the day with starter Scott Feldman allowing a a lone run on two hits and six free passes over five frames with five relievers tossing blanks. The bats did their damage on six hits and four walks with Chris Davis going deep for his 51st. Left hander Wei-Yin Chen draws Wednesday's start at Fenway Park. Chen has been a bit up and down over his last ten appearances with quality starts in five outings where he has gone 2-4 with four no decisions.

Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles Free Pick - 9/18/13

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Boston has been red hot for weeks and the reward has been the American League East title has been closer and closer. The Red Sox dropped just their second game in 12 outings because their hitting and pitching has been dependable with the offense racking up some impressive numbers. The scoring took a breather Tuesday and in the process a solid outing from Ryan Dempster went for naught. Dempster gave up two runs over six innings before Koji Uehari absorbed the defeat with a run plated in the 9th. The offense consisted of two hits and six bases on balls with Dustin Pedroia leaving the yard with a sac fly scoring the other. Boston has Jake Peavy scheduled to take the mound Wedneday if his wrist is healed after being hit by a line drive. Peavy dropped a 4-3 decision last time out with three runs surrendered in six frames.

Boston has not wrapped up the division and I'm sure that is goal number one while Baltimore has to win every time out and hope for the best...

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Around the world in 60 seconds

By Amanda Lewis

Before social media, staying connected with sports fans across the globe was difficult. Now, social media allows people from all over the world to talk about and stay connected with their favorite sports teams almost instantly.asset-4

International sports have become increasingly popular over the past few years and it is not unnatural to see fans of different countries all over.  These individuals who don’t live in the same country as their favorite sports teams often feel out of the loop, but with the app Fanmode, it is easy to tay connected.  Fanmode allows users to make gestures via their phones during the game in real time.  If Manchester United was playing really well, someone could “cheer” by swiping on their screen and all the other fas who are also on Fanmode could see that reaction and cheer along.  This app allows fans to watch the games together, from worlds away, and still feel just as connected with their teams and fellow fans.

The beauty about social media is that someone could live anywhere in the world and be a fan of another country’s sports teams.  Many people in South Korea are fans of the MLB, but before social media, they didn’t have a way to watch or talk about their favorite MLB teams.  Now, with a website called MLBPARK, South Korean baseball fans can discuss their favorite teams and stay up to date with current baseball events.

Not only does social media allow fans to stay connected, it also allows different sports to emerge in new markets.  In 2014, the UFC used the Conor McGregor vs Diego Brandao in Ireland to increase viewership in Europe.  They created a live event on the day of the fight so people could stream it live and talk about it. This live social media event, curated thousands of new fans in new markets across Europe.

Social media has changed the way individual fans from around the world can stay connected with their favorite teams.  Sports fans from all over are now integrated online and aren’t as isolated from their favorite teams.


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text: With lasts week 40-14 blowout of the Broncos by the Bills is it officially time to say that Tebow Time is over? Now that the Broncos have lost two in a row are people finally seeing Tebow for what he is? People need to realize that this is simply a gimmick offense, no different from the wildcat. Now that teams have found the answer to how to stop it, and have evolved, Tebow Time may be over as quickly as it begun. I’m just surprised that Tebow was allowed to throw the ball as many times as he was. Obviously it didn’t work, as he was intercepted 4 times, but that’s simply because he can’t throw. I’m just surprised that it took teams this long to work out a game plan to counteract a college game plan. Like it or not Tebow fans, that’s exactly what Tim Tebow is, a college, not pro style, quarterback. That’s probably all he’ll ever be.


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Archives for posts with tag: food

福建拌面 － Fujian-style ban mian

One of my favorite instant comfort foods is 拌面 (ban mian, meaning “tossed noodles”), a completely underappreciated and little-known street food from Fujian province. Ban mian is a totally generic term, and googling it yields a wide variety of noodle dishes. The Fujianese variant, however, is perhaps the most amenable to Americans: it involves peanut butter! And it takes about as much time to cook as instant ramen.

The ban mian of my dreams is poetic in its simplicity. The key is a few obviously delicious ingredients (noodles, sesame oil, soy sauce, peanut butter) served piping hot and topped with chopped scallions for an added kick. The hardest part about making ban mian is using the right type of noodle. Over the years, I’ve tried cooking this with all kinds of pastas out of desperation (rice vermicelli, egg noodles, pad thai noodles…even spaghetti and linguini) and it’s NEVER as amazing as if you just suck it up and pick up some fresh wonton noodles from Chinatown. They keep in your fridge for weeks and in the freezer for even longer, so there’s really no reason not to stock up.

Wonton noodles

They look like this!

1 pack of wonton noodles (contains 3 or 4 nests of noodles)
3 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
Soy sauce, to taste (start with one tablespoon)
Sesame oil, to taste (start with one tablespoon)
1 scallion, for garnish
Optional garnishes: shredded cucumber, kimchi, chili oil, Sriracha, etc. Experiment!

Drop in one or two clumps of wonton noodles into boiling water, scattering them as you go. Cook for 1 minute (or 2 if frozen)—basically just until the noodles are warm and pliant. Make sure to reserve some pasta water!

Meanwhile, mix peanut butter, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a bowl, tasting until you find a good balance of flavors. When the noodles are done, scoop them up and plop them into the bowl, then ladle a spoonful of pasta water in to make the sauce more runny. Personally, I prefer an almost soup-like sauce to complement the soft, absorbent noodles. Mix thoroughly and garnish with chopped up scallions. Ban mian is traditionally a lunch food, but it’s an easy snack at 4 in the morning, too.

What your peanut butter sauce should look like before you add the noodles

Super (Mario) Cake

Originally uploaded by alt text.

This is probably the coolest thing I’ve seen in the last week.

Video games, food, and love. All the things that are really important in life =)


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Surrogacy Follow the rules

Surrogacy – Follow the rules

A lady who wants to be a surrogate mother needs to have some qualities or say must fulfill some criteria. This is must in order to ensure that a healthy baby can be delivered by her. The person or say, the couple who is hiring her and is expecting a baby from her must have the confidence that they would get someone to complete their family.

The first condition to be fulfilled for Surrogacy is that the lady who wants to be a surrogate must have delivered a baby in the past and the baby should be physically and mentally fit.

The second condition is that there should be no issues medically before the pregnancy. In case, the lady is married or is in a relationship, the partner’s consent is a must for Surrogacy. Also, the lady should not be forced for surrogacy. She should be committed to the couple for whom she is going to deliver a baby. She should adhere to the protocol of the counseling as well as screening.

Another condition is that she should not have any criminal record. She not be a drunkard or a smoker. And above all, she should have a status of permanent residency which is known and registered with Surrogacy center.

In the present time, there are a lot of couples who face the problem of infertility. It could be from the male side or from the female side. The reasons are not always clearly known. In this case, the part now is that these couples can seek help from Surrogacy. The couples try all the possible things and finally when they fail at all the ends of making their family complete, they choose the option of Surrogacy. It has been found that in majority of the cases, there are health issues relating to the ovary or uterine in the females or in many cases, the females have come over the age of fertility.

These couples generally have got all the tests done and all the treatments taken for fertility. When the end result of all the tests and treatments is that the female is incapable of gestating a child, the final option then is Surrogacy. The homosexuals and the lesbian couples are the ones who are in great need of surrogacy. If the couple is lesbian then one of the partners can keep the baby but in the case of homosexuals, one has to take shelter of Surrogacy.

For more information please visit us at Las Vegas Surrogacy and Nevada Surrogacy

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Staples Soccer Announces 2013 Schedule

The 2013 varsity schedule is set.

The Wreckers will play 8 home matches — including always-tough Ridgefield, Norwalk and Trumbull — and 8 away. Key road contests include New Canaan, Wilton, Greenwich, Darien and Westhill.

The Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference season kicks off on Tuesday, September 10, with a 4 p.m. home encounter against Danbury. Two days later, the blue-and-whites travel to New Canaan for a 7 p.m. match.

There are 3 Saturday clashes: September 21 (at St. Joseph, 4 p.m.); September 28 (home vs. Brien McMahon, 11 a.m.) and October 12 (Columbus Day weekend, at Greenwich, 11 a.m.).

A tough 4-games-in-12-days mid-season stretch includes Norwalk, Trumbull, Greenwich and Darien.

The regular season ends with back-to-back matches at home against Fairfield Ludlowe (home, Monday, October 21) and at Westhill (Tuesday, October 22).

For the 3rd year in a row, Staples will not play Stamford and Bassick. The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) allows only 16 regular season games. There are 19 teams in the FCIAC.

Before the regular schedule begins, the Wreckers have 5 preseason events. Four days after tryouts begin (Wednesday, August 28, 4 p.m.), they face state LL finalist Fairfield Prep, away. Two days later (Friday, August 30, 4 p.m.) they host Wethersfield.

On Tuesday, September 3 Staples heads to Newtown (4 p.m.). Three days later Choate comes to Westport (5:15 p.m.). The next morning, the Wreckers play in the traditional 4-team Wethersfield jamboree.

“It’s a very tough preseason — but that’s the way to get ready for the always brutal FCIAC,” says head coach Dan Woog.

“Some of our guys are battle-tested. They know what it’s like to go through the fall schedule — how intense and amazing it is. There’s no room for error.

“Other guys will find out for the first time. That’s what playing Staples soccer is all about.”

Woog has been impressed so far with the summer playing and training regimen.

“They know they have to be ready long before tryouts begin,” he notes. “Once we get started, there’s no letup for nearly 3 months. We look forward to continuing Staples soccer’s great 55-year tradition.”

(Click here for the varsity schedule; click here for the JV schedule, and click here for the freshman schedule.)

It won't be long before crowds again pack The Hill.

It won’t be long before crowds again pack The Hill.

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Samsung is King

With more and more innovative stuffa gushing up, samsung really is impresaing me with mobile stuffa and the google updatea are up to the mark too.
Parellel to great already existing apple iOS and also crossing the race with a great speed,Android is making its own way in to the galaxy with much noticeable improvements and designs.
Its game of design ans smooth appeal and i totally feel samsung is here to stay for a lot more time.

Screen shot of my galaxy S III with new upgrade 4.1.2 and which is superb indeed.

For more info,
follow me @


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Riding Vietnam Day 165: It Was the Best and Worst of Days Part 1

I woke up extra early this morning so that we could get a head start on the 300 km plus journey (likely 320 clicks) to Hoi An. Now that we were adding that mountain pass through the park based on the recommendation of the Germans Roman and the other guys met in Buon Ho (they were also planning on doing the same but not for at least an hour later in the day) every minute would count in our efforts in completing such a journey. Before doing so we picked up some items to scarf down at a Vietnamese bakery. They were tasty but not what I expected with some meat fragments scattered into the dough for a protein kick with a oily substance encasing the entirety of the bread; I am tempted to say it was clarified butter but who knows maybe it was pork fat or some other foreign substance that I should not delve into or ask many questions about. From there, we had nothing but a long stretch of road ahead that would avoid the major stretches of highway to dig deep into the countryside and forgotten villages. As we went past those towns and non-stop villages, we saw many eager kids waving and smiling in our direction with a never ending chorus of hellos since Westerners probably rarely venture off the main road into this locale and I was soon to find out why. I felt like taking the long way to Hoi An was already off to a great because of these kids and people altogether seemed to genuinely appreciate the sight of us just as I had felt in Myanmar. Soon enough the actual pavement of the road died and what was left was an endless stretch of dirt topped and immersed with loose rocks and pebbles. We kept riding over this rocky path despite my own worries in the matter because the GPS promised escape to supposedly a real flat road not too far into the distance; I would just need to put up with this for just a short while longer. The road got worse and as I lowered myself down a decline that was further depreciated by rocky stubble I fell over with the bike collapsed on top of me. I had rode slowly down this hill as much as my gears could take but it still wasn’t enough. My tires are simply not wide enough and lacking the necessary tread to surmount such an off-road trail as this one. Plus, I would never say my own center of gravity would handle itself on a trapeze; to put it simply my balance sucks! Regardless, I got some minor scrapes, nothing that cut deep compared to my first fall since this happened at possibly a few km/h. After some help dislodging the bike from off my left leg I was quite firm in my stance that I wanted to turn back. They wanted to keep going since the mirage of a legitimate road had been into their minds but they had not experienced the previous trauma as I had. The psyche and confidence gets lowered a few pegs when you don’t feel so invincible after a couple falls. We turned around and sure enough saw the Germans that convinced Roman of this deadly mission. After telling them of the road ahead, we all joined as one pack onto another road that would work its way around the park but still would not be the original highway we were originally destined to take before delving into other deathly measures and missions. The road returned to legitimacy before falling off the wayside in the worst way imaginable. To put it this way, the road got so bad I wouldn’t even suggest someone walk over it as a trekking path. I struggled to find anything flat or made of enough dirt to lessen the impact of rocks scattered throughout. I didn’t think nature could produce rocks so neatly in one long stretch; this had to be designed like this for some sick purpose. Once again I fell down after David and the two Germans rode ahead with only Roman still with me. I yelled out the greatest bellowing F-bomb in my life the frustration and pain had risen so prominently and over the top. I was done with all of this and couldn’t see anyway for escape except to continue on and remove myself from this hell hole. I had been going the same speed as my first fall of the day so no I didn’t get any abrasions but sure enough I found myself once again lodged under my motorbike. The worst part beyond the sheer horror of the threat of another potential fall was the fact that my bandages were slipping off and dirt was working its way into my exposed wounds. How frustrating could a day get? Why me, why now whenever everyone else was able to stay upright? Although when put into perspective this one may seem small, the trials that I have been put through have grown and really tested my patience and wherewithal but what other choice do I have but to get up and keep moving forward. I would like to think this builds character; it reveals to myself that as much as life may want to take a big dump on my face and rain scorn down upon me I can take it each and every time and look back knowing that I have no quit. My nerves were all out of place shaking and trembling to the core with each rotation of my unsteady wheels on this God-forsaken unsteady road (if it even deserves the title of ‘road’ to begin with). This path was meant for 4 wheel drive and ATVs but sure as hell no motorbikes yet I saw enough motorbikes zip past me with occasionally whole families of Vietnamese upon them or some oversized equipment strapped on in the most peculiar way. Each one that passed lowered my self-esteem but at the end of the day I didn’t care. As long as I could get though this day and find some light at the end of the tunnel, the rest of it didn’t matter. On any other downhill track, I walked the bike down not willing to take a chance at fate and returning to my previous helpless state. We came to a crossroads near some sort of booth that each of us passed following the leader to the left at this fork in the road. A man on motorbike that eventually showed some credentials stopped us on the road which didn’t take much especially with the snail pace I was working at. He kept saying passport but we couldn’t think of what we might have done. We automatically figured it was some “checkpoint” used for these police to collect money from Westerners while posing under legitimate terms. Recalling that I still had Sam my motorbike dealer’s number, I pointed at the number for him to call with his phone. After some gibberish back and forth between the two, I was eventually handed the phone to speak with Sam. As much as I wanted to complain about the previous issues with my bike to him now was not the time. He told me that apparently we had gotten close enough to the Laos/Cambodian border that this was considered a border checkpoint between the countries. All the police wanted us to do was check our passports after we had turned around and went right at the fork in the road; no money needed to be exchanged. Maybe after some more convincing from Sam, we didn’t even need to show our passports as we were waved by. I’m so glad I know that guy. According to David and Roman’s GPS we were supposed to get back onto the highway but it was the same old shit that I had seen and fell on before. What was supposed to be a scenic tour through the mountains in some untapped national park forestry (I didn’t realize how untapped that word could stretch) turned into me anxiously staring down at the ground anticipating the next rock dislodged from the rest or slight shimmy that may foreshadow my next fall. The road was soooo bad and the rocks so large and etched out from the others that enough of them had snapped off my rear brake lever/footpad. Apparently enough clanks and smacks across the pipe with enough rocks in its way finally did it in. How could this day get anymore lovely? Not only is my confidence shot but now I have lost the assurance of my main safety valve. I still had my front brakes available for use but I didn’t like the idea of burning that one down to nothing over the repetitive stops I knew I would have to make. After awhile we found some sense of salvation in the form of a mechanic that gave me a brand new brake lever for only 60,000 song (less than $3). I tried to tip him a little extra but he refused after multiple attempts to accept it. He knows I have more money than he will ever have in his life yet he so generous and kind to only accept what is considered the fair wage for his work. These moments help lighten my step and give me some faith in humanity knowing what acts we are capable of when a fellow man is in need. It may have been a small gesture and situation but it made all the direction. We left the Germans who had uncovered problems of their own with their bikes to return to rock and rubble of the road.When we finally found a long stretch of paved road ahead, it was as if the sun had returned after a long relentless and pelting storm that had once covered the sky gray and all its inhabitants in a dark gloomy shadow. No more, I was now free. I had to touch the ground with my own hands to fully realize that it was in fact real, not just another sick trick on my mind. We continued riding now at greater speeds but with each turn no matter how slight the angle I had to ease off the accelerator and tap onto the breaks more throughly and consistently than I had before or my fellow riders were tempting. I constantly envisioned myself careening off the road into some random ditch that would capture me for eternity. No longer was I looking ahead at where I wanted or should be but rather where I might end up based on my previous fateful experiences. After some time we reached the mountains that I was promised along that death road. We didn’t even need to take that detour; the mountains were already there waiting ahead on the Ho Chi Minh trail highway. Up those steep inclines to climb higher and higher into the atmosphere, I found that my transmission was struggling with the change in degree. The engine seemed to be overheating and so I luckily checked into a nearby town where someone could hopefully help me. My first thought was that I had shredded the gears on my transmission once again. After a change of oil which I had to be honest definitely needed and some surprisingly and rare practical advice from David, I returned to form with the necessary knowledge to climb towards the utmost peaks. Around one bend to the surprise of us all. We found overturned semi truck capsized into a ditch along one severe decline of the road. A man who may have very well been the driver or some passenger emerged from some unknown place that to be honest I cannot place and acted quite drunk and delirious. He kept speaking Vietnamese which the last time I checked I am not remotely fluent in. With nothing else to do we had no choice but to continue on. Roman still had every desire to make it to Hoi An tonight even through some night driving so the pace couldn’t afford many times to stop and enjoy the scenery and what starstruck scenery it was. Never did I realize how beautiful of a country Vietnam could be. All I had ever read and knew about of this country was that it had great immaculate food and plenty of rice fields. The Central Highlands of Vietnam is filled with a treasure trove of secrets, of tall bumpy and rolling hills that deserve more appropriate names as mountains with such lush greenery. Originally before I talked it over with the guys and thought more thoroughly about my plans, I never envisioned I would be driving through the Highlands since nothing seemed to be prized according to my limited perspective of the land; my whole mission after Dalat was to reach Hoi An with little else in between. The mountainous track has brought upon my eyes the most awe-inspiring scenery. Never did I think the Earth roll and move like it did. Mother Nature did not get bored in designing Vietnam. The mountains at times rise out of nowhere so you can never be too sure what may be waiting around the corner. In a bizarre way, the full blanket of green that composed these heavens looked like a dense forest of broccoli trees that guard over a lengthy river caught in the chaos of the mutilitude of milky white boulders etched through these apparent valleys. If I stopped for every moment that I wanted to enjoy the slight of the lands and mountains a while longer, I would be traveling through Vietnam for a full year. I am a mountain and nature lover to begin with so I felt very much at home here. Eventually we descended just a bit to the lone major city (probably an overstatement when I say major) from here on till Hoi An called Kham Duc. Roman and David decided to continue on to Hoi An while I had just about enough for today with the sun now about to set. After finding a hotel room to call my own for the night, I went out in search of a meal. I was stopped by a group of Vietnamese guys for some drinks. Figuring why not after the day I had been through, I got to experience some of the famous cheap Vietnamese beer called bia hoi that gets brewed freshly each day. It was light and refreshing with not much more body and boldness than the average lager but nonetheless hit the spot. These guys refused to let me pay for a thing which was a cool gesture. I’m sure they enjoyed the idea of inviting the local celebrity to sit down with them as I am sure we were a magnet for attention for anyone that passed by. They didn’t speak too much English but I had fun nonetheless to finally be on my own again experiencing local things without the crowd feel of a larger backpacker group. I like traveling as a lone wolf as much as some people might find it lonely; for me it fits just right. I don’t like catering to others complaints and misshapen desires. I am my own man and I want embrace as much of the freedom that it represents. Sure enough I saw Roman and David come back realizing their ill-fated desires to achieve Hoi An in one day. Sadly for me I lost my opportunity to ride once again on my own. But I can guarantee you one thing, I will return to the lone wolf pack stretching my wings out once again as soon as I reach Hoi An. I passed out quite early and slept a full sleep for the first time in a long time.

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Me & my chicas at Star City

Friday, after getting our clearance at UST, the YC Buddies invaded Star City—or at least, some of the YC Buddies. The five of us who did go (me, Kat, Gab, Ava, and Aya) had a great time!

We couldn’t get the entire “Star City” in one photo so we took two and I just put them together, lols.

The ride-all-you-can ticket costs P350. We were supposed to get the RAYC ticket + entrance to Winter Funland, but it was too expensive at P430. 😦

We took “ride-all-you-can” to another level. I think we hit almost all the rides and attractions.

Clockwise, L-R: Grand Carousel, I forgot the name of the ride, Jumping Star (the only photo with all five of us), & Bumper Car.

Tornado. All of us were dizzy and nauseous when we got off.

I feel like such a pussy for not riding the Zyklone Loop. It’s so tame compared to EK’s Space Shuttle, but I still didn’t want to ride it.

Aya and Gab had to drag me to the Wild River.

Too bad we didn’t get a photo of Surf Dance. This video DOES NOT do justice to how terrifying it was. I had my eyes closed the entire time, and since life’s a bitch, the exact moment I tried opening my eyes was the moment that the ride was at its highest. Kat was screaming, “Ayoko pa mamatay! (I don’t want to die yet!)”

Inside the Peter Pan attraction.

Flying over London. I like Peter Pan quite a lot: “Well, I will not grow up! You cannot make me!”

Chillin’ with Captain Hook.

The last one we rode was the Ferris Wheel, right when the sun was setting.

Awesomesauce day! Next time I hope I have enough balls to ride the Star Flyer or at least the Zyklone Loop.

For those living under a rock or somewhere not in the Philippines, Star City is a popular amusement park in Pasay City. It has a lot—and I mean a lot—of rides both indoors and outdoors, meaning you can have fun even if it rains. It’s also nearer and relatively affordable as compared to Enchanted Kingdom.

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35 Sample Mystery Shopping Survey Questions For Retail Brands - StellaService

35 Sample Mystery Shopping Survey Questions For Retail Brands

Not all mystery shopping programs are created equal. Some yield customer experience insights that are reliable, useful, and ultimately very profitable. Other programs fail to deliver on all three counts.

If you want a good return on your mystery shopping investment, you need to think like a scientist.
That’s because mystery shopping is, in effect, a scientific study. It’s designed to test a retailer’s hypothesis about the in-store experience by collecting unbiased, unambiguous data. To ensure validity of results, the entire process is subject to strict controls and guidelines such as:

  • Mystery shoppers must be qualified, objective, well-trained professionals.
  • Mystery shopping criteria must reflect the retailer’s purpose for the study.
  • Mystery shopper survey questions must be designed to elicit clear, precise, measurable responses.

Curious about #3? In our experience, many retailers struggle with (or fail to fully consider) survey question design. Today, we’ll share 35 sample mystery shopper survey questions that leave no room for interpretation or error.

The Science of Mystery Shopping:

Putting Retail Stores Under the Microscope

Mystery shoppers’ survey responses should be easily quantifiable. No general impressions, feelings, or assumptions—just yes/no, one-word, or multiple-choice answers. Open-ended questions can be used, but only to allow mystery shoppers to share observations in support of yes/no responses.

Mystery shopping survey questions normally fall into the following three categories.

Cleanliness and Appearance

None of these details will escape your customers’ notice, and any one of them could affect a customer’s decision to purchase and/or return to the store.

Although store managers can check these items during routine inspections, mystery shoppers deployed to multiple locations over time can help ensure all of your stores are consistently and uniformly meeting the highest maintenance standards.

  • Was the parking lot clean and free of trash and debris? (Check for general cleanliness. Do not mark for small amounts of litter/paper/debris.)
  • Was the store entrance clean and well maintained? (The entrance is the area between the double doors and the areas just inside and outside the front doors.)
  • Did any signage throughout the store appear to be worn or damaged?
  • Was the store clean, neat, and well maintained (no dirty floors, unattended spills, etc.)?
  • Was the restroom clean, well-stocked, and maintained (toilet tissue/paper towels available, toilets/faucets operational, etc.)?
  • Were aisles free of clutter and obstructions? (Two or more carts should be able to pass comfortably in every aisle.)

Employee Behaviors

You expect your employees to fulfill your brand promise 100%. But are they meeting that standard everywhere, at all times?

Mystery shopping can answer that question unequivocally. Unlike average customers or company employees, mystery shoppers can dissect every in-store interaction to reveal costly customer engagement missteps.

  • Were you acknowledged by an associate within 30 seconds of entering the store?
  • When you were greeted, what was said?
  • Did the associate/team member smile?
  • Did the associate/team member ask what you were shopping for today?
  • Did the associate/team member offer you help?
  • Did the associate/team member offer you an additional item?
  • Did the associate/team member give you his/her undivided attention?
  • Please detail your interaction with the sales floor associate. You must include what clothing item you inquired about as well as the associate’s response. (A minimum of 3-4 sentences is required.)
  • Did all associates you came in contact with have an upbeat and friendly tone?
  • Were any associates/team members rude or discourteous?
  • If answer to previous question is YES, please state his/her name and department and describe the rude/discourteous behavior.
  • Did any associates/team members provide above-and-beyond service? If YES, please state his/her name and department and describe the above-and-beyond behavior.
  • Did all OTHER (not previously evaluated) associates/team members you encountered or passed throughout the store smile and greet you? (During your shopping trip, you may find associates throughout the store performing various tasks. Did they smile and greet you?)
  • If answer to previous question is NO, please describe where in the store you encountered the associate(s)/team member(s) and the associate name(s) or description. Please describe the situation in which you encountered the associate(s). (For example, “I saw an associate named Bill in the dairy aisle who did not smile or say hello.”)
  • Did the associate/team member provide a pleasant closing comment (“Have a good day,” “Thanks for shopping with us,” “Thank you,” etc.)?
  • Did the cashier greet/acknowledge you the moment you reached the counter?
  • Did the cashier ask if you found everything?
  • Did the cashier mention the loyalty/rewards program by name during your transaction?
    If you are not a member, did the cashier ask if you would like to join?
  • Did the cashier mention the invitation for the customer/guest satisfaction survey at the bottom of the receipt?
  • Did the cashier thank you at the end of your transaction?
  • Was carry-out service offered if you had more than 2 bags?

The Path to Purchase

Are your products or procedures, or the pace of your operations, negatively impacting sales? Responses to questions like these will shed some light.

  • Was every item you wanted to purchase available? If NO, please list unavailable item(s).
  • Did all perishable merchandise (salads, sandwiches, etc.) appear fresh (not brown/old)?
  • Observe 5 dairy/perishable items (sandwiches, salads, fruit cups, yogurt, milk, etc.). Were all items that were checked for freshness found to be within code (not expired)? If YES, please specify the product for any items out of code.
  • What was the number of registers staffed when you got in line?
  • Was there at least one (1) express lane open?
  • Were there less than three (3) customers in line? If no, did you observe a call for additional help (to manage the line or open another register)?
  • How long did your transaction take from the time you reached the counter until you received your receipt? (mm:ss)

The End Result: A Conclusion You Can Trust

The more rigorous your mystery shopping process, the more confidence you’ll have in the research. Your mystery shopper survey questions deserve as much scrutiny as the people who will answer them and the criteria upon which the questions are based.

To evaluate the strength of your survey questions, you must ask yourself three questions:

  • “Do these questions reflect the entire customer experience?”
  • “Can these questions uncover even the smallest problems and opportunities?”
  • “Can survey responses be easily bucketed and analyzed over time to reveal subtler issues or growing trends?”

Want to drive growth in your company through better service? Learn More About StellaService.


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Devil’s Due – Devil Baby

Here, another great piece of content marketing, although this takes a slightly different approach to it than we saw on Monday with Arnold Schwarzenegger for Gold’s Gym. Instead of using a famous face, this uses a tried and tested method, one we all know and love (even though many of us won’t admit to liking Leon Schuster movies) – pranks.

To promote the new horror film, Devil’s Due, they decided to build an animatronic ‘devil baby’, which they would leave in a public space. After realistically crying and grabbing the attention of people around it, the baby pops up and screams scaring the living daylights out of the public and providing us with some great laughs. Quite honestly – it’s hysterical.

In less than two weeks, this video has been watched nearly 40 million times. Now, you need to ask yourself – if you were tasked to promote a new horror film, what would conventional thinking be? Probably to create a scary looking trailer that horror buffs can share with each other, maybe put on Facebook. But this takes it one step further – while there is a ‘devil baby’ in the film, these pranks in essence aren’t related to the film’s content at all, however – they are so funny to watch that you can’t help but check it out. Would a trailer be seen 40 million times? Probably not. But something like this? Most definitely.

The trick is to step outside your usual ways of thinking. While pranking people may not be the number one go to method for advertising, when you think about what horror movies are all about, the concept really comes together. It’s all about getting that huge scare which makes you jump out of your seat or grab the person next to you – and that’s what’s happening here.

The other important thing to remember about content marketing (especially this type, where we have public interventions) is that the majority of viewers of the content aren’t actually the people you are engaging in a public space. While you may only reach a few hundred people directly, the reach you get online can be huge.

So, the next time you hear a crying baby in public – what are you going to do?

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JetBlue – Palm Springs

MullenLowe New York were given an interesting communications challenge: Bring to life JetBlue’s seasonal trips to Palm Springs (a decidedly retro holiday destination in the US). There are a number of ways to solve this kind of problem – trying to update it for now could be one, for example.

You could just go all in on the retro / nostalgia feeling and ride it for all its worth. That’s what MullenLowe did here and honestly – it’s just perfect.

Not only did they launch a number of spot on retro print ads, they also ran a four page retro advertorial in a local newspaper, painted one of the JetBlue planes in a super retro look and on top of that – opened a pop up travel agency that was decked out perfectly to look like it came straight from the sixties.

Check it out below!

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The ELRC is a national and international recognized leader in education research and evaluation. Known by federal agencies for conducting rigorous research and evaluation, the ELRC maintains of portfolio of 20 active projects, adds credibility and value to over 40 proposals each year, and consults with faculty across the Purdue University campus and beyond on a host of nascent stage projects. ELRC evaluation expertise is often a win differentiator for competitive proposals and scholarship driven by ELRC professionals and propels Purdue into the national conversation surrounding evidence-based education reform. The ELRC is seen as a national model for effective STEM education research and evaluation.

We are now seeking candidates for a Post Doctoral Research Associate

For more information please download the position description.

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A learning object for the geographers out there

I came across this learning object via Tom Smith’s blog. It reminded me of a previous life when we used to get kids to think about what indicators best illustrated the relative changes in a countries quality of life and standard of living over a period of time. Then, with the trusty school atlas they could graph the relevant data to help with their analysis.

The 21st century version of this activity is worth 5 minutes of anyones time….

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Buy 1 Get 2nd 1/2 Price

Wednesday & Thursday Buy 1 Get 2nd 1/2 Price in the Baybreeze Cafe located at the St George Motor Boat Club.
The Baybreeze Cafe Wednesday “Pasta Night” and “Thursday Buy 1 Deal” finish this week and are replaced next week with the New “Buy 1 Get 2nd 1/2 Price” on both nights
It includes all meals and pizza (with the exception of shared plates and alcohol)
See our new menu and pizza menu on our website just click here
Don’t forget the Baybreeze Cafe operates normal hours every day of the year (excluding Christmas Day – closed) you can call 02 8047 0422


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Another day, another dollar

I have been working lots this week including teaching on Saturday so have not had as much time for crafting as I hoped and only made one of the three knitting sessions that I had planned. However it has been a very nice week – I have been out and about observing my students teaching which has been very interesting. I consider myself very lucky to have a lovely job that I enjoy and hopefully it will continue – massive cuts in government funding ahead so who knows!

I have made pretty good progress with the hat – I am making this out of the same James Brett marble chunky that I used for my wristwarmers knitted over Xmas. I thought maybe I wouldn’t get the wear out of it being so late in the year for hats but it has been very much blowing a gale this week so I have been very cold when out and about so will be glad of it. Some parts of the UK have had snow but luckily not us – yet! Though snow at Easter is not unheard of in Yorkshire. The pattern is another freebie from Ravelry called Springtime Sloppy Beret  and has a lacy pattern on the main body of the hat. I might try the same pattern for a scarf and put some fringes on each end as well.

Red chunky hat
The variegated wool looks good on this longer repeat

I have also finished another one of the JBW Xmas Stocking ornies for my tree – this has yet to be made up but I am doing ok so far with my one a month – though this is actually Feb’s ornament as it was started then so will have to get cracking on March’s one. Thinking of doing the Xmas pudding one next. Have also just signed up again for the Seasonal Exchange Blog   Spring exchange (missed the Winter one due to slackness on my part of checking blog) so will have to have a think about what to do for that.

JBW stocking
Look at all the pretty little trees!

I would like to share with you a blog I have just recently found – this is not a crafting blog but a gardening one and belongs to Dave who is the brother of one of my old friends Pete. Pete posted the link on Facebook and I read all of his old posts last night and loved it. He has a brilliant and very funny writing style and the photography is amazing. He is a professional gardener who mainly works at a Tudor Priory in Sussex. The blog is called The Anxious Gardener  so do go and have a read.

Well here’s hoping we all have a nice week ahead,  I have a very nice weekend planned at the end of it – a sewing day on Saturday with the quilt group (might finally get the bunny quilt cut out!) and a sewing day with the girls from the medieval group on Sunday. Am trying to give up housework for Lent so have to find distractions to stop me being tempted!

Thank you very much as always for visiting.

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Vandals armed with BB guns target south city businesses, residents –

Please enable Javascript to watch this video ST. LOUIS – BB gun vandals are angering south St. Louis businesses and residents after more than a dozen reported incidents of glass windows being shot out.

Late Saturday night, the Hartford Coffee Company was targeted as someone drove by in car firing a BB gun. Three large windows along the side of the building were shot out. Plywood covers them Monday as the owner adds up the damage it may cost about $3,000 to replace the large windows.

Employees said police told them that there had been about 17 incidents of someone firing a BB gun at cars, homes, and businesses in and around the Tower Grove South neighborhood.

Despite the crime, Hartford Coffee has been very busy as of late, with a large morning and lunch crowd. The customers have been very supportive.

“Things like this are so random and so incidental … I try very much to play it down so that it doesn’t affect business, because people’s impression of St. Louis is so important to our industry and I try to get out a often as I can and frequent our local restaurants, so that people can see that it’s a safe place to be,” said Mia Turner-Sumpter, a frequent Hartford Coffee customer.

Hartford Coffee Company has been in the neighborhood for 13 years. The current owner wants everyone to know they are open for business and he believes the Tower Grove neighborhood is a great place to work and live.

Anyone with information on the BB gun vandalism is asked to contact the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Read More Here...

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TAG Heuer is in Muscat to present its collection of prestige watches in a setting inspired by the spirit of the brand: Al-Qurum Jewellery

Trust our store and let yourself be seduced by a precision Swiss timepiece whether you are looking for a men or women's luxury watch.

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Strategy ’08

Obama vs. the other guy, 2008

This is how we do it

I’ve seen some suggestions that Obama should come out with guns blazing to counter McCain’s “elitism” charge, but I’ve always been skeptical. Trying to picture Obama calling McCain “an heiress-marrying, $500-loafer wearing, eight-home-owning” etc creates too much cognitive dissonance. Not that I’m against bringing those issues up, but it would need to be done with a bit more subtlety.

So I found it gratifying to read this quote from David Axelrod halfway through a Times article on how the campaigns were honing their messages:

[Axelrod] said he did not believe that Mr. McCain, of all candidates, could succeed in painting Mr. Obama as elitist. “Obviously, his strategists met on the portico of the McCain estate in Sedona — or maybe in one of his six other houses — and decided what line of attack they were going to use,” he said.

Too subtle? Maybe, if you just look at this quote in isolation. But enough deft jabs with the razor blade and I believe the message will start to sink in, far more effectively than it would with a frontal 2×4. Here’s hoping they keep this up.

August 11, 2008 - Posted by | Media Strategy | ,

1 Comment »

  1. Too subtle for my tastes, but a shot across the bow letting the McCain camp know that Obama’s willing to go there. We need a few more of these jabs just to make sure the message sinks in.

    This is why I felt the Schumer thing, while couched in “criticism” of Obama, was actually doing him a favor by being the first to bring this up.

    Comment by dansac | August 11, 2008 | Reply

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Pack less, Vacation more!

It’s officially summer!! You know what that means, time to enjoy some much needed vacation time.

While your in luck because, I’ve put together a couple different outfits using 5 that’s right 5 different key outfit items.

Key items 1)

Outfit 1)

Pair the chambray shirt with the swimsuit for a cute casual pool/beach side look.

Look 2)

Or how about dressing your pool/beachside look up alittle by pairing with the black and white lace crop top, and adding a great sun hat.

Look 3)

Wear the chambray shirt open and tied at waist to show off your bathing suit top, pair it some classic white capris, then add a great black statement necklace and great pair of wedges.

Look 4)

Going out for nice dinner? Pair the white and black crop top with the classic white carpis. Then add black statement necklace, wedges and pastel colored clutch.

And our final look)

Pair the chambray shirt with a super cute floral print midi skirt then add wedges and pastel clutch for a stunning dinner night out look.

As you can see by wearing these 5 different key items a couple different ways you’ll be able to enjoy more of vacation!

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