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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Coupon Management in the Candid Site

Work I have Done on 2011-03-31
I have completed the coupon management.
You can check the coupon management and the active code is 1111 which will deduce the $10 from the total amount.

Started to work in the CSV of DGC.

What i have learnt today??
Easiest way to integrate coupon code in the opencart

In the controller
            $coupon_price= $this->model_checkout_coupon->getCouponPrice($this->session->data['coupon']);
            $this->data['coupon_price'] = $coupon_price;
 In the model
public function getCouponPrice($data){

        $coupon_product_query = $this->db->query("SELECT * FROM " . DB_PREFIX . "coupon WHERE code = '" .$data . "'");
        return $coupon_product_query->row;;
By this you will be easily get the coupon checked in the opencart and be able to apply the coupon code in the opencart. Now i have started to work in the CSV management

CSV stands for Comma Separated Value.
The easiest way to export the data in the database which is in the excel sheet.

What i have found from this video is that we have to buy the module for $22 to $30 so if you want to buy then only watch this video
Csv Import Pro Video, Opencart CSV import/export video tutorial

Started to work in DGC Pack 2011-03-21

Files are uploaded in the FTP now www.dgcpack.com is online

To visit the admin section www.dgcpack.com/admin and the user name is admin  and password is admin123

Some problems in understanding:

What about Estimate Shipping in the cart

I have not entered to the shipping and payment section I also want the details of them

Likewise how do I display the price of the product and how are they managed in the backend.

Hope I get the reviews .

Thanking You

What i have done in 2011-03-06

Candid shipping and tax information is done as you say. Have a look on it.

Questions in DGC:
Whether there are categories of products or not?

Do we have only two pricing system or more pricing system?

This shows for both customer or only for business customers
List Price:$18.75
Our Price:$16.75
You Save: $2

Thanking You,

Banner management in the back end is done

I have studied the flow about the site and you have no options for the shipping methods

Likewise there is no options of choosing payment methods

I have discussed with the senior and find that if we kept the credit card information in our site then the customers may feel insecure to pay through the site.

If we go through the flow of the site as we have seen previously then there will be more options than the one you are proposing.

Hop you will understand the problems

Thanking you

What i have done on

Today I have almost complete the design of the pink site and its flow is as the black site.

Sir I would like to know that whether the registered customer  is solely different from each site or the one who registered in one can login into other site also.

There are errors in the left bar and image of product details.

These errors will be solved when I know whether the registered customer is sole to the site or can use both with one user name and password.

account login pages and search page's design is integrated.
Product enlarging is done in the product details page
Image Uploading in the user section of the pink site
and other design and flow issues are debugged and solved

Regarding for the color attribute:

Check it:

There are color and other attributes that are managed from the back end. Check it out if you like it let me know.

The way you say is quite tedious and time consuming. You have to insert the product with the same name for each color combination and the content.

The way in the above link is quite easy and can be managed from the back end easily.

Thanking You

Today I have done the backend processing of the image- attribute linking and the options-image uploading

Take a look
Log in to the administrator with the username(admin ) and password(admin123)

Then Catalog>>Product Attributes Picture

Or in the link

The requirement will may be fulfilled by tomorrow.

Thanking You

The product info page is completed on both the pink and black site and the slideshow is also complete in the pink site

I am waiting for the other updates if any

I am also debugging  and searching for the issue if any

Thanking You

Special Pages are done in both sites

My WishList pages is complete
Product to wish list can be added from the product details pages.

Wish list is completed in both the site

There is some design issue in pink site I will solve it on sunday

Thanking You


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BBC Exclusive New “Doctor Who” Trailer & Ep Synopses

You guys! It’s only two weeks until Doctor Who returns with the first of eight episodes. BBC America has posted the newest trailer for Series 7B, and it looks like it’ll be a doozy. Lots of creepy monsters, including Cybermen, which actually look threatening, are included, as well as quick glimpses of guest stars Dougray Scott and David Warner. The focal point is, of course, the mystery surrounding Clara Oswin Oswald, the girl who has already [REDACTED] twice. So, Amy was the girl who didn’t make sense and Clara is the impossible girl… so, I think it’s maybe just a metaphor for the Doctor not being able to understand women.

The BBC has also released synopses for the first four episodes. Avoid if you don’t like spoilers.

Episode 6: “The Bells of St. John”
Written by Steven Moffat, Directed by Colm McCarthy
The Doctor’s search for Clara Oswald brings him to modern day London, where Wi-Fi is everywhere. Humanity lives in a Wi-Fi soup. But something dangerous is lurking in the signals, picking off minds and imprisoning them. As Clara becomes the target of this insidious menace, the Doctor races to save her and the world from an ancient enemy.

Episode 7: “The Rings of Akhaten”
Written by Neil Cross, Directed by Farren Blackburn
Clara wants to see something awesome, so the Doctor whisks her off to the inhabited rings of the planet Akhaten, where the Festival of Offerings is in full swing. Clara meets the young Queen of Years as the pilgrims and natives ready for the ceremony. But something is stirring in the pyramid, and a sacrifice will be demanded.

Episode 8: “Cold War”
Written by Mark Gatiss, Directed by Douglas Mackinnon
The Doctor and Clara land on a damaged Russian Submarine in 1983 as it spirals out of control into the ocean depths. An alien creature is loose on board, having escaped from a block of Arctic ice. With tempers flaring and a cargo of nuclear weapons on board, it’s not just the crew but the whole of humanity at stake!

Episode 9: “Hide”
Written by Neil Cross, Directed by Jamie Payne
Clara and the Doctor arrive at Caliburn House, a haunted mansion sat alone on a desolate moor. Within its walls, a ghost hunting Professor and a gifted psychic are searching for the Witch of the Well. Her apparition appears throughout the history of the building, but is she really a ghost? And what is chasing her?

How about those, huh? Pretty cool.

The premiere episode, “The Bells of St. John,” airs Saturday, March 30th, at 8pm ET/PT, followed by the new series Orphan Black and The Nerdist on BBC America.

ANNIHILATION's 'Shimmer' and Ending Explained

ANNIHILATION's 'Shimmer' and Ending Explained

Meltdown Comics, an LA Landmark, to Close After 25 Years

Meltdown Comics, an LA Landmark, to Close After 25 Years

Who Is the Secret Cameo in DEADPOOL 2?

Who Is the Secret Cameo in DEADPOOL 2?

  1. Atticus says:

    @Sound, thanks for that. That preview was fantastic too. Looked much more dramatic and the music really sold it. I don’t think we’ve had a batch of episodes seeming this great since the few that aired after the Eleventh Hour.

  2. John says:

    Doctor, new companion, and an episode on a Soviet submarine during the Cold War……..AWESOME SAUCE!

    Bring me some new Who!

  3. Sound Without Focus says:

    I have to say the BBC One trailer is better.

  4. Anthony says:

    A metaphor for ignorance of women? Bah! The dude inside the dude is ancient. I think the hint of what Clara is or will become is in her catchphrase “you clever boy” when referring to the doctor, as if she’s known him since he stole the TARDIS. Her ability to exist in difference places and time tells me that maybe she is made of TARDIS essence. If that’s correct, then sorry for the spoiler.

  5. Taylor M. says:

    I really need to catch up on this. TOO MUCH GOOD MEDIA. Curses!

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Episode 30: Big Pop Fun
Mark Hamill

Big Pop Fun #30: Mark Hamill

Mark Hamill is an actor of experience and renown, and we talk about his dog Ralph, being a theatre misfit while growing up in Japan, and talk radio. Enjoy!

Follow @TomWilsonUSA on Twitter!

ANNIHILATION's 'Shimmer' and Ending Explained

ANNIHILATION's 'Shimmer' and Ending Explained

Meltdown Comics, an LA Landmark, to Close After 25 Years

Meltdown Comics, an LA Landmark, to Close After 25 Years

Who Is the Secret Cameo in DEADPOOL 2?

Who Is the Secret Cameo in DEADPOOL 2?

  1. You’ve really impressed me with that answer!

  2. Anietha says:

    It’s tough putting me out there. And isn’t rlelay me. I am a little naughty and I don’t want to offend.. I like your 10 and I like the comparison. I was stuck for quite a bit, blogging wise. I stopped, I started, I sputtered and started again. I’m still flying by the seat of my pants! I love to visit here.

  3. John T. Rogers says:

    Just want to say that I love the show, and I’m really glad that you have continued the show.

    –Thanks for all the free funny*–

  4. TytianaCS says:

    Tom, I enjoyed your podcast with Mark Hamill from beginning to end! Can’t wait to hear the rest of the segments in the near future! Take care~

  5. Evan says:

    Hey Tom, this was one of your best yet. Really looking forward to more parts to this interview with one of the godfathers of modern voice acting.

    Hopefully this will have as many parts as the Odekirk interview, that one was fascinating, wonderful and a bit inspiring.

  6. Ross says:

    Great chat, looking forward to the upcoming segments. WhileI’m a bit younger than you, I, too, remember enjoying SW when it premiered, but not having my whole world changed(back then, I think I preferred “Dark Star”–a sort of comic trial run for “Alien”–& “Silent Running”). My waiting in line experience was a bit different; the year SW came out, I was in my art/prog rock phase, in particular ELP & Yes. I was holding a place in line that summer outside Peaches Records(the quintessential ’70s record shop) the morning tickets went on sale for Yes, passing the time drawing(& getting alarmed stares when, because it was a bit unseasonably chilly, I would occasionally slap the back of my drawing hand on the pavement of the parking lot, to work out the cramp/get some blood flowing into that hand), when I heard this exchange between two teenaged stoner girls:
    Girl 1: …’n we were soooo wasted. Where were you, anyway?
    Girl 2: Went to a movie.
    G1 Which one?
    G2 It was, um, somethin’ like…uh, Star Wars?
    G1 Oh, wow–I heard about that. How was it?
    G2 It was weird. They had these, like, guns, & they, like, …shot? It
    sooo weird.

    I don’t remember what if anything they said next. I was staring at them in utter disbelief; it was, up to that point in my life, the dumbest thing I’d ever heard come out of someone’s mouth. I stared blankly at them until the two burnouts(who were a couple of years older than me) noticed the fat little oddball with the Charles II hair gawking at them, & were about to take druggy umbrage at such a liberty from a junior high kid, when I came to, and pretended to be absorbed once again in my sketch.

  7. Ben Z says:

    I’m just picturing one of Mark’s school friends that he lied to and said, “I’ll see you at your place on Saturday,” sitting there, rocking back and forth saying, “He said he was going to come. Maybe he just got the days confused. Waiting for years, then Star Wars comes out and a personal vendetta begins.

  8. Nathan says:

    Mark Hamill Is my Favorite Joker <3

  9. Corey says:

    Tom, huge fan of yours. Enjoy hearing you on a podcast on a regular basis. Hamill was a great interview.


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HANNIBAL Fans, Rejoice! The Series Will Return For Season 3

Ladies and gentlemen, your voices were heard: Entertainment Weekly is reporting that despite its unfortunate low ratings, the high quality genre series Hannibal has been renewed for a third season by NBC.

The Brian Fuller series is a fan favorite but unfortunately has never had the ratings to match. While EW does mention that the series is growing through DVR and boasts the youngest viewers for a 10 PM Friday night drama, even those aren’t particularly strong. Still, NBC is standing by the series by giving it a Season 3 order.

Hannibal follows Detective Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) as he plays cat-and-mouse with Mads Mikkelsen’s Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The series has been generating buzz for its strong acting and some of the most graphic and grizzly depictions of violence and gore on television, cable networks included.

I found it hard to believe, considering all of the positive word of mouth regarding the quality of the series, that the show would go away completely. Genre television proves to be incredibly popular with younger demographics and it would appear that all of the networks, cable and otherwise, are looking to get in on the craze. It also seemed that if NBC wasn’t going to keep it going, someone else would pick it up.

Now that we know that the series has been saved, the question remains: how will NBC generate the series’ incredibly strong word of mouth into more viewers? Should they go the Breaking Bad route and get the complete series onto Netflix before the season three premiere? Should they take the show out of the Friday night doldrums and place it front and center for more general audiences to see? Let us know your thoughts on Hannibal in the comments below!

ANNIHILATION's 'Shimmer' and Ending Explained

ANNIHILATION's 'Shimmer' and Ending Explained

Meltdown Comics, an LA Landmark, to Close After 25 Years

Meltdown Comics, an LA Landmark, to Close After 25 Years

Who Is the Secret Cameo in DEADPOOL 2?

Who Is the Secret Cameo in DEADPOOL 2?

  1. Bibi says:

    Play it on Netflix first. I don’t watch cable tv!

  2. Marie Hy says:

    I love the show Hannibal!! I’m so glad that it’s coming back for another season. I don’t understand why it gets low ratings while it is shot in such quality.

  3. Three Toes of Fury says:

    Woot!   This is cool news indeed.    Thou i’d be happy with the two seasons we’ve got.
    Hannibal is a wonderful show but you really need to give it a chance,  watch it sequentially,  and be prepared for the most riddle-speaking dialogue EVER.   It does not spoon feed the viewer.    Im glad to see its got more but i hope that doesnt change the, apparent,  course this season is on (SPOILERS AHEAD) which will expose Hannibal for who he is to more parties than just Will.
    Peace .n. Fava beans with a nice chianti..fwt fwt fwt.

  4. Shayde says:

    Yeah, but they cancelled Community, so screw NBC.

    • Three Toes of Fury says:

      AHHH!   did the word come down officially on community???  Poop!


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Nerdist Podcast: Nikki Glaser and Sara Schaefer
Episode 427: Nerdist Podcast
Nikki Glaser and Sara…
Nerdist PodcastNerdist Podcast

Nerdist Podcast: Nikki Glaser and Sara Schaefer

Nikki Glaser and Sara Schaefer sit down with Chris and Matt to talk about finding your voice as a stand-up comedian, how women can be portrayed in the industry, and their show Nikki and Sara on MTV!

Watch Nikki and Sara LIVE Tuesdays at 11 pm on MTV!

ANNIHILATION's 'Shimmer' and Ending Explained

ANNIHILATION's 'Shimmer' and Ending Explained

Meltdown Comics, an LA Landmark, to Close After 25 Years

Meltdown Comics, an LA Landmark, to Close After 25 Years

Who Is the Secret Cameo in DEADPOOL 2?

Who Is the Secret Cameo in DEADPOOL 2?

  1. Matt says:

    Great podcast, very funny ladies. Also, Dafuq is going on in the comments? Spellcasters, Satan, priests and a side order of PRAYER. Roll for initiative?

  2. Ben says:

    This is crtysal clear. Thanks for taking the time!

  3. Jolene Leslie says:

    I have been in great bondage for almost 2 years suffering in the hands of a cheating husband,we were happy and leaving well until he meant his old time time girl friend and he started dating her outside our marriage before you knew it he stopped caring and taking care of his own family it was to the extent that now he was planning to get married to her and divorce his own wife, i have cried and reported him to his family but he never listened to any one but to cut my story short i came in search for a real spell caster who could destroy their relationship and make him come back to his wife and 2 kids on my search i saw people making testimony on how their marriage where restored by Priest Ajigar i pick his email and i narrated my story to him and he agreed to help me and after performing a spell on the third day they both had a quarrel and he beat his girlfriend up and he came home begging for i and my little kids to forgive him that his eyes are clear now that he will never do any thing that will hurt his family again and promise to be a caring father and never cheat again.I am so so happy that i did not loose him to the girl all appreciation goes to Priest Ajigar for you are a Great spell caster and to whom this may concern if you have a cheating husband or wife you can as well search for Priest Ajigar email on google

    Jolene Leslie from USA

  4. bill cosby says:

  5. Georg says:

    I’m from Austria, so when I went to New York for one week last year I had to pick one evening at the Comedy Cellar during my stay, and I decided on the one where Nikki also performed because I knew her from “You Had To Be There” – maybe the MTV show also has a similar effect on at least some comedy fans trying to find out which comedians they might like and therefore later show up to their sets.

  6. Christopher says:

    Axe is the kind of product you try if you find it on sale/have someone give it to you/trip over it on a sidewalk, and if you have nasal passages you probably have some of it unused under your bathroom sink because you got/bought/found the wrong scent.

    But, their man loofah/poufs are good products, even if they come with a warning? not to use the scratchy side on your testes…guys really have to be warned about that?!?

    Being a grown-ass gay man, I though it was odd that women comics have it rough if they’re too hot, or “homely”…I honestly want my comedians to be damn funny, and if I see them I could care less what they look like as long as they have A) a good voice, and B) good jokes.
    Maybe I’m weird like that, but I don’t care how hot/not hot you are…but if you aren’t funny, you can suck on some Axe Thai Massage (a real scent) soaked balls.

  7. How AXE’s gross smelling shower gel started my career:

    As a long time listener and fan to the podcast and all things Nerdist/Hardwicke I had to laugh extra hard during the Axe portion of this podcast. I got to make a crazy and sexy commercial for Axe and College way back in 2007. It ended up winning Axe’s $10,000 World’s Dirtiest Film award and that allowed me to direct and release my first feature and launch my directing career. So even though it smelled like club sweat and cinnamon, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for their nasty product. Check it out.
    Keep up the funny, love @midnight and thanks for all the free entertainment.

  8. Matt Boyd says:

    That whole fetish thing gave me an idea for a sketch. Two people in about to hookup in the guy’s apartment and the subject of fetishes come up.
    Girl- I have this funny little fetish.
    Guy- Really..what is it.
    Girl- You know how some guys find french maids to be sexy?
    Guy- yeah
    Girl- Well, it’s like that.
    Guy- You want me to put on a french maids outfit?
    Girl- No I want you to clean your fucking apartment. It’s a mess. I’ll tell you what isn’t a fetish I have, it’s having sex in a dump.

  9. @Clay_57 says:

    It’s so odd to hear comics refer to their lack of self-confidence during their sets. I’ve seen Chris live when he performed at the 9:30 Club, seen his and Nikki’s Comedy Central specials and I thought they were both great. Guess it just sounds weird hearing them discuss after the fact about clothing choices and stuff that shouldn’t really matter if your material can stand up on it’s merit.
    And BTW, Nikki looked pretty hot in that dress. The legs were pretty distracting, but in the best way possible! LOL

  10. Gary Bravender says:

    The podcast was good [email protected] comment is one of the most bizarre comments I’ve ever read and I only skimmed it.

  11. Tillburg says:

    @Jessical congratulations you have the most confusing post I’ve ever seen. I’m now contacting your personal magician now to see if he has Word 2010 for you to use.

  12. Jen says:

    The whole “women aren’t funny” thing really is a strange phenomenon. When I think of my favorite comics, there’re maybe 10% of them that are women. It isn’t intentional or anything–but it is definitely a truism for many people. I almost wonder if women are more critical of other women in regards to comedy and thus tend to like them less. I don’t know, it’s probably more complex than that, but it is a thought.
    This bit from QI ( )also discusses this subject, basically citing a study that says that women laugh more than men in general, but less at women themselves.

  13. Steve says:

    The rough sex conversation reminded me of the awesome Louis C.K. bit:

    “I kind of like it when a guy just goes for it”

    “So you want me to rape you on the off-chance that you’re into that shit?!”

  14. Tim says:

    Bang-up post, Jessical. It’s got everything. Gods, demons, broken English, bad relationship advice on a comedy board full of amateur comics, self-depreciating punchline, it’s all there. With the proper delivery, you’ve got a Moth-quality performance piece.

  15. Rozzie says:

    I thought I was sort of tired of the “women in comedy thing” but I actually found this particular conversation sort of refreshing in a way? Thank you?

  16. jessical says:

    My name is Jessical, am from United States, Am very happy about the great work of Dr Alubart, he Pray for my husband to stop cheating on me with his ex-girlfriend. Me & my husband have been married for 3 yrs. We have lived together for 16yrs and been together almost 17 yrs. I am asking Dr Alubart remove the ex-girlfriend from my husbands heart and remove her from our marriage. I believe there is an ungodly hold on my husband. He even admits that he doesn’t trust her and that I am a better woman than she is and says she is greedy, selfish and a liar. But he still sneaks to call her on the phone etc. She also is very persistent. This is her nature to stay connected to ex-boyfriends etc. He is not the first. My husband is a Christian and is just doing the opposite of what a Christian does. I believe he is drinking again. He says he has changed. He has been back and forth for the past year now. He even joined her Devil church. She believes Magic sent him to her. She wants him to divorce me and marry her. She thinks this is Satan’s plan. He says he doesn’t want to keep hurting me. He says he still loves and is in love with me. He said he doesn’t think he could stop seeing her. He was faithful to me for over 18 years. I think he is in a midlife crisis and the devil is messing with him. I do not want to divorce him but I am getting to the point where I had enough. I keep praying to God. My husband isn’t the Godly man I know. He needs to repent to God and turn away. This woman is being used by Satan. I pray she repents and turns to God and walks away from my husband. I pray for God to physically remove her from his life. I also order prayer for my son. I am asking Dr Alubart to heal his mind, heart and emotions. I believe my family is restored with the power of Dr Alubart the spell caster. I am not giving up. The devil loves to smokescreen situations. Now my Husband is in love with me and my family and promise not to look up to other woman outside accept me her wife so today is a very happy day in my life to share this grate testimonies to everyone in this prayer ground. If you need the help of the Man called Dr Alubart he is always there to help anyone who have problem once again thanks for to DR Alubart who help to me and my family I am very grateful I fund you Doctor you are God sent. Joan monger contact this great spell caster that help me he can still solve your problem his email:[email protected]

  17. Rob S. says:

    If I gave a rat’s ass about Catfish. I’ be fuckin’ watching Catfish. I’ve been in love with them and been listening to their podcast even before the MTV show. I just want someone to come out with a porn parody of this.

  18. Shane McKnight says:

    Screw that noise: If you wanna heckle the comic, you have no right to get boo boo faced when she hurts your feelings. Actually, I can simplify that: Don’t heckle — Ever!

  19. danran says:

    Whichever guest told the story about heckling heckling the guest and calling her old.
    You want someone to feel bad about you bombing and having her come back at you?
    You were pretty insensitive and probably hurt someone’s feelings unnecessarily.
    Sounds like you maybe deserved it.
    Also keep in mind you’re 30 something on mtv
    You might have some perspective on age and perception.

  20. Cerb says:

    I usually don’t like female comics, but this was great!

  21. JetpackBlues says:

    I thought Hardwick had a spats fetish? 😛

    I wonder what Nikki’s friend’s hook-up would do if she did the ‘got your nose’ trick on the guy, turning the tables on him? He probably would have jizzed himself silly.

  22. Wildride says:

    Axe: Indifference — Let her know you couldn’t care less about her, but with the faint hope that maybe if she bangs you …

  23. Nichole says:

    Axe always seems to be a staple gift for men from people who don’t know what to get the person – so, my bf always ends up with a lot of axe products after the holidays. I actually use the axe phoenix deodorant because he had an extra one and my tom’s wasn’t working for me, so I was like…eh, ok I’ll use this. haha. the deodorant isn’t that strong smelling though when you’re wearing it.

    Also, I don’t understand why people who are easily offended go to comedy shows. Why are you even there?!

    My co worker caught me laughing at the cliff bar on the butt story

    That Girls line – No.

  24. Tyler says:

    I totally used to use Axe Dark Temptation body wash. As Axe scents went, it was probably the most benign. It’s vaguely sweet-smelling and didn’t smell like some nasty “spicy” body-wash or any of those creepy “fresh rain” scents.

    Then, like all personal care products that I like, they discontinued it.

  25. JetpackBlues says:

    Nick Offerman should have a Celebrity Edition AXE spray. And his smells like linseed oil and sanded/filed steel. With an edge sharp enough to split one of his mustache hairs.

    Maybe I should have posted that in the Offerman podcast thread….

    Nikki was @ the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse for shows this past weekend. I didn’t find out until the last minute and couldn’t make the trek. 🙁


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Paul Feig Talks THE HEAT, Women in Movies, and VAM Galore

Paul Feig knows comedy. Not only did he create Freaks and Geeks and helm several episodes of Arrested Development, Nurse Jackie, and The Office, he also happens to have directed one of the most successful and beloved comedy films in recent memory, 2011’s Bridesmaids. This year he directed another female-centric comedy, The Heat, out today on Blu-ray and DVD, and he spoke to us about packing his discs full of special features (including a commentary by the original Mystery Science Theater 3000 team), editing comedy, and creating movies about women who don’t need no men.

NERDIST: Not many filmmakers are putting in the time to make decent special features these days; What do you like about doing special features that made you want to pack your disc so full?

PAUL FEIG: It’s just the chance to get to showcase all the people who didn’t get enough screen time, and also a good chance to show off the stars and all the stuff they can do. We just generate so much material, some of it written by Katie Dippold, our writer, some stuff that I come up with, some of the stuff that the actors came up with, or we have guest writers with stuff they came up with. There’s so much stuff we can’t use, but we just want people to see that it happened, because it’s funny and that’s what’s always so great about DVDs. Before DVD’s you were agonized that people couldn’t see it. We couldn’t just jam stuff in because it would throw off the rhythm of the movie, but now we can say, “put it on the disc.” So, I think it’s actually (that) DVD is the greatest thing for the decision-making of the filmmaker. I’ve had a history of buying DVDs and (being) let down by the extras on them, that’s the chance where you can really — where I’m at the point I can record stupid intros — it’s a fun way for me to make it into a special event.

N: Those fireside intros are some of the best parts of the disc. How fun was it for you to shoot?

PF: I feel like sometimes these clips need a little bit of set up, so we thought, “OK, this is a good chance to do something when we do it.” The funny thing was — I thought I’d just make an intro as a different filmmaker each time and then right before we were going to put the DVD all together, I get a phone call from Fox legal saying, “Well you have to clear these with all the directors,” and I was, like, “What?! That’s just like a satire! We’re not saying anything bad!” So I had to go and contact all these directors and tell them that I say that I’m you and that I directed something you didn’t direct and they were all very nice about letting me do it.

N: I imagine Steven Spielberg was like, “Oh I wish I directed Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo…” You got some of the Cinematic Titanic people to be on the commentary — how did that come about and what can fans expect from that track?

PF: I’m such a Mystery Science Theater fanatic, when it first came on the air. Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to befriend Joel [Hodgson] and Trace [Beaulieu] but also Josh Weinstein, who was the original Tom Servo, and I basically wanted to load the DVD so full, so I was, like, “how much space do I have of the video stuff, how many commentary tracks can I have room for?” and they were, like, “Five.” So basically I’ve always wanted to do this with the guys, and they were nice enough, and they happened to be in town at the time. There was nothing that they prewrote or anything; they just came in and riffed it all and I was just in tears half the time because my favorite type of comedy is making fun of others, and having them making fun of my movie was thrills beyond thrills. I just want word to get out there that this track is on there, because it’s really funny.

N: As a director, since you’re a big fan of improv, how do you decide when to let the actors go in a scene or when to rein them in a bit?

PF: I always let them go. The biggest crime of making a movie is not getting something on film because you never want to be in the editing room thinking, “gee, I wish we had done that.” In the scheduling for a movie, we make sure we’ve got enough time for each scene to be able to play. I want to exhaust the scene by the time we leave it. The crew half the time is just ready to murder me at the end of a scene, because we’ll just keep going and going and going, but again, I really want to make sure I get everything, because I don’t like to do reshoots. We’re so dependent on the test screening process. We have a test screening every week, starting a couple of weeks into my director’s cut; we want to have a lot of material, because we want to be able to be, like, “Oh, that joke doesn’t work; let’s try this,” or if this joke kind of worked, we can be like “This one can work better.” I just want a ton of options. I mean, if you shoot a comedy just with the script, you’re already in trouble.

N: In the editing process, do you often, on the day, go, “oh, that’s the take that we’ll use,” then find out that you were wrong and you should’ve used a different take?

PF: Constantly. Again, that’s why I shoot so much stuff. I like to laugh when I see movies about the making of movies, directors are always like “Cut! Print! That’s the one!” I’ve done that, but then it’s almost never the take I end up using. It all depends on how things intermix with other things you shot, and also when you get to the end, and as much as I stand by the camera, watch the actors and really try make sure I’m seeing their performance, you don’t realize half the stuff. When you have good actors, you don’t know what they’re doing; you’re like, wow, I didn’t even realize they were doing that. Just the chemistry between the actors and camera is so great, so that’s why you have to cover your bases, because, honestly, in The Heat, it was such a funny scene in the script about how she’s chasing Rojas and they fall over the fence, and then it’s the slowest chase in the world and we had all these gags in it, and everybody was, like, “Oh, we can’t wait; this is going to be the funniest thing ever,” and when we shot it, we had so many issues about locale and technical things that we literally left that scene, like, “I completely failed.” Everyone was bummed out, but when we cut it together, it got the biggest laughs. You just don’t know when you get into the editing room.

N: That’s an interesting thing about filmmaking; it’s so different from live theater, because you can direct to a certain point on stage, but then there’s so much about the editing process that actually makes the movie. Have you had it where there’s a cut of the movie and then, basically, you’ve had to pick completely different takes to make it essentially a completely different movie?

PF: Well, no, because, again, since we start testing so early, we’re making minor adjustments the whole time. The one time I had that situation, when I did the movie called Unaccompanied Minors, it’s a Christmas movie and I couldn’t get the producers or studio, (they) wouldn’t let me test-screen it when I was putting my director’s cut together. They were like, “it’s going to leak out over the internet.” They were so freaked out about that, so I had this director’s cut that I was, like, “I think it will work.” Then we had this disastrous screening in front of the studio execs that I had packed with all these kids, because I was, like, let’s pull the whole thing, and it just didn’t work, and that was a thing where they freaked out; I was like, give me a week, and at that point I had to completely readjust, and then we were getting these really high scores. But then again, that’s why the test screening process outweighs all that, because you just start slowly steering the ship, and you’re also not falling in love with something that’s been in there since the director’s cut.  But you’re so in love with every cut that it’s really hard to have a clear vision of what didn’t work versus going like this to tweak it. Until you see it in front of an audience, we don’t know. Then you’re going, “okay, that didn’t work, take that out,” and it’s an easier way to not become an artist who has no flexibility.

N: You’re one of the few directors that I’ve heard that actually advocate the test screening. A lot of them seem to really hate it. Do you think that’s the difference between drama and comedy? With comedy you really need to see how it plays?

PF:  Well, I directed a movie called I Am David, which is a drama. It’s harder to get something out of a test screening there. You’re just relying on the feedback you get from the audience afterward. I’m not a fan of focus groups and cards and all that; all I care about is the laughs I’m getting. I wanna hear what people are doing in the moment, if they laugh or something. I can make a movie full of gross things, and the comment cards will say they don’t like those scenes, but in the screening, people will be screaming with laughter. They’re going to say they didn’t like it because it’s like eating a big greasy hamburger; you eat and then 10 minutes later you’re like “Shit, I shouldn’t have eaten that.” That’s what I care about – for drama, yeah, it’s definitely harder with a drama. but at the same time, if you put something in front of the audience, you will know immediately if people are shifting in their seats and coughing and getting up and going to the bathroom, then you know something’s wrong. You really have to be held accountable in front of an audience.

N: Are you familiar with something called the Bechdel test, the cinematic quiz where you ask if movies have 1) more than one female character, 2) if they speak to each other, and 3) if they do, do they talk about something other than men?

PF: I certainly am, I live and die by it.

N: You’ve made two movies in a row that have completely passed it with flying colors. Why do you think Hollywood has such a hard time letting women run a comedy, specifically, but movies in general without it kind of becoming a rom-com?

PF: I think it’s just in the snowballing effect, because when Star Wars came out, that’s what shifted the whole industry, because movies were kind of for adults and there’d be kids movies, but most movies were trying to get my kind of adult audience, and then those movies made Hollywood realize, “Oh my god, fifteen year old boys are where our bread and butter lie, so we got to hit them first and if we bring anyone else along that’s great. But we got to hit those guys.” So that’s why I think those kind of schisms hurt. The decision was made, “women like love stories and this and that,” which may or may not be true, I mean we all love a good love story. Then it just became this self-fulfilling prophecy, which is where that’s all what women like to see, and the fifteen year old boys, they date girls to become men, “oh, women on the poster, ew, it’s a chick flick, they fall in love and kissing and getting their nails done,” and they don’t want to see (that) so these become this self-fulfilling prophecy. For me, it’s like, no, let’s halt that, because that’s ridiculous, because women are so underserved by the stories they’re seeing, and just as a movie goer, I’m bored of seeing women in these roles which fifteen year old boys see them; they’re sexual objects or they’re the mom figure who’s ruining a good time. I saw this beer commercial for guys who would happily trade their girlfriend for a beer, like, really? But that’s just the end result of all those years of conditioning, so for me it’s just, I like a good love story, but I want to feature funny women in stories that aren’t necessarily fuel in that mode.

You know, Bridesmaids had that whole mode going on, there’s definitely a little romance and stuff, but it was much more about female friendship, and then The Heat was just an expansion of that into the world where there are two women who are great at their job and they’re not going to be ladies who passed up life, who passed up a family; it’s awesome to you that they have a great time in the sense that they’re happy with what they’re doing. The odds are probably that you need a likeminded female friend to share that with that’s what it’s all about. I don’t think everything that I’ll do will pass the Bechdel test, but for me, it’s something that I always filter it through.

N: Do you think that some of that is that both of your movies were written by women as well? Do you think that also comes from male screenwriters not really knowing how to write for women all that well?

PF: I mean, it definitely helps, but at the same time, I’m not a believer in — I’ve seen plenty of movies that are done by women directors and writers and everything, and they’re bad too. I think there needs to be a balance. There needs to be every gender weighing in on stuff, so you don’t get stereotypical portrayals of anybody. For me, I have women writing these things, and a lot of my producers and people around me are women, so they’re giving stuff and I’m coming up with stuff and I’ll bet on stuff, like, they’ll go too far with a male character — like, we wouldn’t do that — but I’m always, like, would you guys do this? Tell me if this is a guy telling you to do something or this is something a guy’s vision of what a woman would say in this place, and we work with talented and funny people and we’ll make the people funniest, the most real version of something, and that’s why I think that balance works. You need to have everybody’s brains weighing in.

N: Final question: Who broke down laughing more on set — Sandra Bullock or Melissa McCarthy?

PF: [laughs] Sandra. Sandra’s an easy laugher. She’s so great. It’s impossible not to laugh at Melissa — she’s so funny — but Sandra is hilarious too. But Melissa has been around comedy so much that you get used to kind of being unfazed about other people, trying to make you laugh, but, you know, we just have the best time. They’re both wonderful.

See how many times you break down laughing as The Heat kicks down your door on Blu-ray and DVD today, packed full of special features.

ANNIHILATION's 'Shimmer' and Ending Explained

ANNIHILATION's 'Shimmer' and Ending Explained

Meltdown Comics, an LA Landmark, to Close After 25 Years

Meltdown Comics, an LA Landmark, to Close After 25 Years

Who Is the Secret Cameo in DEADPOOL 2?

Who Is the Secret Cameo in DEADPOOL 2?


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USGS - science for a changing world

Nevada Water Science Center

Aquifer Tests

Aquifer Test List

Contact Information

Phil Gardner
Groundwater Specialist
Phone: (775) 887-7664

Mailing Address
Nevada Water Science Center
2730 N. Deer Run Rd.
Carson City, NV 89701

Nevada Water Science Center

Home Page

Click on a circle to select an aquifer test site

Many aquifer tests have been conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey to estimate hydraulic properties of aquifers in Nevada and adjacent states. Transmissivity is the principal hydraulic property that has been estimated from the aquifer tests in Nevada because these values directly affect estimates of ground-water flow. Aquifer tests have been described well by Stallman (1971), who reported:

“An aquifer test is a controlled field experiment made to determine the hydraulic properties of water-bearing and associated rocks. The test is made by observing ground-water flow that is produced by known hydraulic boundary conditions such as variations of head along a connected stream, pumping wells, changes in weight imposed on the land surface, or changes in recharge. The hydraulic boundary conditions may be imposed as part of the natural hydrologic system or by an act of man. Ground-water flow varies in space and time and is dependent on the hydraulic properties of the rocks and the boundary conditions imposed on the ground-water system.”

Aquifer tests available from this site have been approved by the U.S. Geological Survey and are archived as per Office of Ground Water Technical Memorandum 2009.01. Data, analyses, and aquifer-test reports that are distributed from this web site are stored in the aquifer-test archive of the Nevada Water Science Center. These aquifer-test results have been approved and released to the public by the Western Region Ground-Water Specialist. Limited hydraulic property estimates, such as hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, and storage coefficient, also are stored in the National Water Information System (NWIS).

Stallman, R.W., 1971, Aquifer-Test Design, Observation, and Data Analysis: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 3, chap. B1, 31 p.

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices logo U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
Page Contact Information: Nevada Water Science Center Web Team


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Fear and Fury -Adapting to the terrain

I was thinking today that perhaps many of the inconsistencies in my swimming technique and performance are related to the abilities of the other swimmers in the lane. If I want to swim faster I need to swim with faster swimmers. If I want to improve my stroke I need to swim with more technically proficient swimmers.

This is one of the advantages of club swimming. One is able to evaluate and correct ones technique by comparing oneself and getting feedback from other club members and, of course, the coach.

 In public swims people have different training agendas and swim at different speeds,  often in the same lane.

Overtaking can be quite stressful because I worry about colliding with oncoming swimmers. Stress makes me tense up and affects my form.

Rather than focus on my technique  I worry about injury. It’s not good.  I get frustrated and angry. Angry swimming is a waste of energy. It’s also unpleasant and negative.

So I need to find a way of avoiding or managing stress. I need to either find a safer swimming environment or learn to swim confidently in unpredictable and potentially perilous conditions.

Key problem: Currently when overtaking or swimming crawl in a public swim rather that keep my head in a neutral position i am forever turning to check for swimmers swimming at me, over and under me.

My erratic head movement contributes to drag , poor shoulder rotation and generally bad form.

Solution :
Experiment with changing head position to enable you to see ahead and to the side while maintaining steady, streamline body position.

Incorporate water polo heads up technique in phases of swim  to help with sighting.

Try to get more sensitive and controlled connection with water. The objective is to be able to change speed and direction while maintaining good form and minimal splash!


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Putting A World Of Sensational Taste At Your Fingertips

Kitchencounters™ is the cutting-edge source of global inspiration and connectivity which Newly Weds® Foods harnesses for product innovation. This global culinary multi-media connection becomes our ears and eyes on the food world.

Kitchencounters spans the leading Newly Weds Foods global culinary centers, including Thailand, Australia, China, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. It allows us instant access to the latest hot taste and food trends where and when they occur.

Kitchencounters enables our culinary team members wherever they are in the world to collaborate with our customers at their locations in real time. This brings a global perspective to product development and access to Newly Weds Foods’ highly creative culinary experts around the globe. Newly Weds Foods customers that would like to take full advantage of this unique resource require access to video conferencing capabilities. Contact your Newly Weds Foods sales representative for additional details.

In addition to real time connections with Newly Weds Foods global chefs, this program consists of downloadable trend E-books, trend videos, trend articles, all available right here on our website and accessible on demand.


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theljstaff (theljstaff) wrote in news,

Games, Header design contest, Tags, Community management, Comment screening

We want to thank you, again, for joining together to support flood relief efforts in Australia and Brazil. Our charitable vgifts have already raised over $1,250! Frank is celebrating February babies this week. If you were born this month, tell him your birthday wish (a coordinating userpic is always welcome), and he'll send you Valentines surprise vgift, which will open on February 14th (up through the first 10 pages of comments).

We've got games!

We're pleased to announce the beta-launch of social games on LiveJournal. In partnership with i-Jet Media, an international game studio, we've released four new games--Farm Frenzy, Crazy Cars, Hospital, and City Gangs--with additional titles to be added. You can check out our games on the homepage or at the Games Center. For more information, check out this FAQ.

Community owners

In order to improve community management, LiveJournal is introducing the role of 'owner' for communities. The owner of a community is the only maintainer who will have the authority to remove other maintainers, rename the community, or delete the community. Over the next few days, community owners will be determined. In most cases, the user who created the community will be the community owner. For communities created after today, the user who creates the community will automatically be the owner of the community. For communities created prior to today, the community owner will be determined as follows:
  • For communities with a single maintainer, that maintainer will be automatically selected as the owner.
  • If the community has multiple maintainers, the user who created the community will be made the owner, assuming the user is still a maintainer and has been active on LiveJournal within the last three months.
  • If the community has multiple maintainers and the user who created the community is no longer a maintainer, then the current maintainer who has been a maintainer the longest will be the owner (if that can be determined and the user has been active on LiveJournal in the last three months).
  • If the system is unable to determine who has been a maintainer the longest, an election poll will be created. The current maintainers will be emailed a poll link so they can choose the community owner. Only the maintainers who have been active on LiveJournal within the last three months will be eligible to be made owner. Once all maintainers have voted in the poll, the maintainer with the most votes will be made the owner. If three weeks pass and not all maintainers have voted, the maintainer with the most votes at that time will be made the owner. If there's a tie at the end of three weeks, the poll will remain open until one maintainer has a majority.

Please note that the ability to add and remove community maintainers was disabled yesterday in preparation for this new management role. For all communities, once an owner is determined automatically or selected through a poll, the maintainer list will be unlocked again. For more information, please read this FAQ.

Important stuff to know

  • We increased the maximum number of tags for Paid and Permanent communities and journals to 4,000 tags.
  • In order to help you manage your communities more efficiently, community moderators now have the ability to accept and reject members, freeze or screen comments, and add tags.
  • To help combat spam on LiveJournal, newly-created journals will now screen comments with links from non-friends by default. You can modify your settings on the Privacy page in your Account Settings.
  • We've implemented this month's winning header design. Congratulations, again, to spikaleido!

Header design contest

Congratulations to scatteredintime who won our monthly header design contest with this awesome design. We look forward to seeing this header on the top of LiveJournal in March! We'll accept entries for next month's contest up through Monday, February 21st, at 4PM, PDT. The winning submission will grace LiveJournal throughout the month of April. The winner will be awarded 2,500 LJ Tokens. Finalists will receive 1,000 LJ Tokens. All other participants will get 500 LJ Tokens (limit of one award per user). FYI: All entries that came in after the deadline will be entered into the next contest. You can learn more about the header design contest guidelines here. We thank you, again, for making LiveJournal your canvas!

Photos of the week

Congrats to lostcitadel, who won our 53rd lj_photophile poll! Click here to help choose the next photo of the week. Another round of praise for hep, who won our themed contest on the subject of Internet with this photo and selected our next themed contest on the subject of Graffiti. FYI: We pick entries for the polls based on a combination of comments, +1 ratings, and staff input. Winners of both polls receive 500 LJ tokens. We thank you for sharing your talent with the global LiveJournal community.

Frank and Meme's Excellent Adventure

Congratulations to bethan_b_bad, whose entry--If Indiana Can Do It...--was voted the next official chapter in the Frank and Meme saga! We'll start accepting submissions for the next fanfic contest at frankandmeme. The winning author will receive 1,000 LJ Tokens. All other contributors will receive 500 LJ Tokens. On behalf of our quarreling darlings, we thank you for keeping the drama alive!

Thanks, again, for joining us. We'll see you next week!
Tags: comment screening, community management, frankandmeme, games, header design contest, maintainers, owners, photophile, tags
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Submission + - The Netflix Webkit-based UI for TV Devices ( 1

__aajbyc7391 writes: Netflix uses WebKit, JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS3 to build user interfaces that are delivered to millions of game consoles, Blu-ray players, Internet-connected TVs, and devices such as the Roku player and D-Link Boxee Box. Matt McCarthy and Kim Trott, device UI engineering managers at Netflix, have just published 50 presentation slides from their recent talk at OSCON 2011 in which they explained how Netflix develops its Webkit-based user interfaces.
This discussion was created for logged-in users only, but now has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

The Netflix Webkit-based UI for TV Devices

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  • As far as I am concerned, until they support streaming to Linux-based PCs whatever else they do is irrelevant.

    (Yes I already know about Roku being Linux-based).

Money can't buy happiness, but it can make you awfully comfortable while you're being miserable. -- C.B. Luce


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Browsing All posts tagged under »French«

Numbers, Planets and One-armed Deities

May 3, 2011

You use them every day of your life, but did you know that every time you write in your diary, look at a calendar, arrange a date or look at a timeable, you’re opening up a world of numbers, mythology, celestial bodies and deities? This week I was on the Tube when I saw a […]

Laurent Gbagbo: as complex as his consonants?

April 11, 2011

It would appear Laurent Gbagbo is bound to be behind bars before too long, having been busted from his bunker. Like how I alliterated the [b]s in that sentence? Including Gbagbo? In French, and – in the case – so in English, Gbagbo is rendered as /bagbo/ – completely steamrollering the nicest linguistic feature of […]

Bahhhhrain, but not Frrrrrance. Why Anglicise selectively?

March 17, 2011

As the news swings back from earthquake- and tsunami-hit Japan, casting its gaze back on events in the Arab World, one of my favourite things about newsreaders is back on our screens. Ever notice how some people who read the news change accents when reading some foreign cities or names? If you have, you’re not […]

Call a spade a spade. And a trough a trough.

March 15, 2011

One of the joys of working where I do is that you are always having to explain idiomatic expressions, and work out the equivalent in the foreign language. If I looked up the history or etymology behind each one I’d never make it to the studio, but when my colleagues asked me for a translation […]

How Japan gave the world tsunamis

March 11, 2011

Today’s events in Japan will likely ricochet around the news for the next few days: as with events such as these, the death total will never be “final” as too many people will have been swept away – never to be found. The 8.8-magnitude (MW 8.8) earthquake hit just off the north-east coast, off Japan’s […]

Gesundheit! Yì Băi Suì! We all fall down.

February 28, 2011

One of the delights of moving to a new country is learning how to react to events in the local way, with all the things that come with learning a new language. What do you say, for example, if you stub your toe? Get a fright? Or smell something untoward? And my favourite, what you […]

Where art thou? Why we’re so chummy with God

February 22, 2011

I was at my granddad’s funeral the other day. (Don’t worry, this post will get chirpier.) It was terribly sad, of course, but as the ceremony went on, the atmosphere brightened as we remembered his life. At the end of the service came the unbiquitous Lord’s Prayer, and uh-oh… it’s the new-fangled one that just […]


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#5 Wild Weekly Photo Challenge – Escape

How do you escape?

Do you lie quietly in a hammock and lull yourself to sleep?

Do you listen to a long stretch of silence and to your own heart beat, completely absorbed into the moment?

Do you let your heart lead the way to a familiar place that fills your heart with simple joys and pleasures?

Do you shout out your heart’s content and let the echo of your voice dissipate your crowded thoughts?
bedazzled 2

Or do you bravely take a leap and take some risks, despite your fluttering heart beat?

I’m participating in the LetsBeWild.com Wild Weekly Photo Challenge. Hop on over to their site and have fun joining each challenge.

Big, big thanks to Let’sBeWild.com for the honorable mention awarded to my entry to the previous photo challenge themed “Weather.” I am grateful and inspired to take more photos.

10 thoughts on “#5 Wild Weekly Photo Challenge – Escape

    • Hi Sean, thanks for your kind words.

      Indeed, each of us has his or her own path to our escape zone. The important thing is that we are able to have some time and some place to escape to when we need to.

Hello there, feel free to leave comments. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

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DoAcoatofarmsThis is an official publication of the Diocese of Niagara, based on the newsprint edition published 10 times a year from September to June as a supplement to the Anglican Journal.

The Diocese of Niagara lies at the western end of Lake Ontario, encompassing the Niagara Peninsula, Hamilton, Halton region, Guelph and portions of Wellington and Dufferin counties.

Publisher:  Bishop Michael A. Bird

Editor: The Reverend Hollis Hiscock

Advertising: Angela Rush

Print edition Art Director: Craig Fairley, Imagine Creative Communications

Proofreader: Helen Hiscock

Niagara Anglican Publication board:

  • In addition to the above…
  • Paul Clifford
  • Dennis Hurst
  • Bill Mous (Bishop’s Designate)
  • Geoffrey Purdell-Lewis
  • Carol Summers

Print Edition Subscriptions: $15/year.

For a complete staff directory and more information, visit our web site www.niagaraanglican.ca


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Scribefire is so awesome

I can’t say enough about ScribeFire.  It’s a Firefox add-on that gives you an in-window blogging client.  Here are just a few reasons why it’s awesome:

  1. You’re blogging from within Firefox, and you can move among webpages while keeping your blog post editing window open.  This comes in really handy when looking for references, quoting things, finding pictures, etc.  It also makes it really easy to fire off quick posts — no need to open up a new window, log in, etc., etc.
  2. When you copy something to your clipboard, it’s automatically pasted to the “insert link” dialog.  So, for example, you go to a webpage (while keeping your editor open, see #1 above) and copy the URL from the URL bar.  Then you highlight your text and click the “add link” button.  Bingo!  The URL is already pasted there, and all you have to do is press OK.  Sweet.
  3. You can write to multiple blogs from the same place.  Very nice.  Also a bit dangerous, as you could conceivably post to the wrong blog very easily.  Hasn’t happened to me yet, but I do have a lingering uneasy feeling about it.

So, if you blog and you use Firefox, get Scribefire.  Go get it now.  I promise you’ll thank me.

3 thoughts on “Scribefire is so awesome

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Nigerian Scholars » UNILORIN 2015 Sandwich Programme Admission Form

UNILORIN 2015 Sandwich Programme Admission Form

The University of Ilorin, also known as Unilorin, is a university in Ilorin, Nigeria. It was established by a decree of the Federal Military Government in 1975 and is a federal government owned tertiary institution of education located in Ilorin, Kwara State, western Nigeria. The ancient city of Ilorin, capital of Kwara State, is about 300 km from Lagos and 500 km from Abuja, the country’s administrative capital. In August 2014, the school was ranked as the best university in Nigeria by 4icu.

The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) invites applications from qualified candidates for admission into the under-listed programmes of the Institute of Education for the 2015 Sandwich Contact Session.

M.Ed. Degree Programmes

(i) M.Ed. Educational Management
(ii) M.Ed. Educational Psychology; Sociology of Education; Social Studies Education; and Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation
(iii) M.Ed. Guidance and Counselling Education
(vi) M.Ed. Religious Studies Education; English Language Education; Mother-Tongue Education; and Curriculum Studies.
(v) M.Ed. Science Education (Mathematics Education; Physics Education; Chemistry Education and Biology Education)
(vi) M.Ed. Educational Technology
(vii) M.Ed. Curriculum Development
(viii) M.Ed. Physical Education
(ix) M.Ed. Health Education.

B.A. (Ed.), B.Sc. (Ed.), B.Ed. Degree Programmes
A combination of Education with any of the following subjects:
(i) Business Education
(ii) Counsellor Education
(iii) Computer Science Education
(iv) Educational Management
(v) Educational Technology
(vi) Technology Education
(vii) Health Promotion and Environmental Health Education
(viii) Human Kinetics Education
(ix) Primary Education Studies
(x) Adult Education
(xi) Humanities: History and International Studies; Islamic Studies; and Christian Studies
(xii) Languages: English; French; Yoruba; and Arabic
(xiii) Science: Mathematics; Physics; Chemistry; Biology; Agriculture; and Computer Science
(xiv) Social Sciences: Geography; Economics; and Social Studies Education.

Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) and Postgraduate Diploma in Educational

Technology (PGDET) Programmes.

Diploma Programmes in:

(i) Human Kinetics and Health Education
(ii) Photography
(iii) Instructional Radio and Television Production
(v) Creative Arts.

Application is online. Visit Unilorin website ( for the relevant page.

Postgraduate and PGDE = N25,000.00
Undergraduate and Diploma = N10,000.00

Students’ registration will be online.

(a) Postgraduate – 30th April, 2015.
(b) Undergraduate and Diploma – 16th May, 2015.
Date for Masters’ Qualifying Examination – Saturday, 17th May, 2015.

Good Luck from Nigerian Scholars Team!

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Sunday, July 28, 2013

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

Before They Are Hanged (The First Law, #2)Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Format: Audio (from Audible)
Narrated By: Steven Pacey
Original Publication Year: 2007
Genre(s): Fantasy (Epic)
Series: The First Law (#2)

I really really want to give this 4.5 stars. It's not quite 5 stars for me but very close and, I think, a step up from book one.

In book two of The First Law series all of the main characters embark along the new paths that were begun at the end of book one. There are three main storylines. Baez, Qwai, Logen, Ferro, Longfoot and Jezal (I apologize for any misspellings – a hazard of listening to the audio) are headed to the edge of the world on Baez’s mysterious mission. West and The North Men are with the Union’s lamest Army ever in Angland completely unprepared to fight Bethod. Glokta has been “promoted” and is tasked with getting the Union’s colony of De Gosca ready to withstand an attack by the Gherkish while simultaneously investigating the unexplained disappearance of his predecessor in the role. Things are definitely getting more complex and dire for everyone.

I found that book one took me a little while to really get into and hooked but there is no such problem here and because of that, it is even more enjoyable than the first book. It has the freedom of jumping right into the story because the first book did such a good job of set up and introductions. I was well invested in the characters and anxious to see where they were going. I was surprised when the book ended because I was so caught up in the story and it didn’t feel like I had been listening for very long.

So what’s up with our favorite characters in this middle installment of the The first Law series?:
-Jezal has killed his first two men and been seriously maimed while enduring many other hardships. These experiences serve to mature him so he’s no longer slap worthy. However Abercrombie does a great job of letting his character grow while not entirely shedding his old self – he’s still basically rather self-absorbed and a vain snobby peacock but those less admirable elements are now balanced and his cockiness is gone.
-As soon as Ferro was introduced in book one, I suspected she might be a good, if not the only, match for Logen and indeed this book shows a friendship develop and then the evolution of some romantic entanglements. They are a good, if certainly unorthodox pair. Ferro is violent enough herself that she can handle Ninefinger's brutality, while Ninefinger's folksy wisdom and surprising kindness are a balm to her damaged soul whether she acknowledges it or not.
-Baez shifts from a Gandalf-like kindly old magician who happens to be able to rip people to pieces, into a seriously crotchety and arrogant mage who reveals that his motives may not be entirely pure.
-Glokta continues to be his snarky and ruthless self as he steps into a situation where he wields more power. He also continues to be a contradiction. He is disgusted by how the Union authorities treat the De Gosca natives and in fact seems disgusted by much of what the Union does but he still pursues his job working for the Union with diligence and energy. He is a man who thinks he is without feeling but demonstrates by his actions that he does indeed still have a heart. In fact, I’m a little disturbed by the idea that I have a bit of a crush on Glokta. Abercrombie really excels at writing complex characters and Glokta is a character that you hate to love. At least that’s how it is for me.
-West faces significant trials and tribulations when he is assigned to keep the crown prince from completely self destructing while playing General of an Army. He fails and ends up going through hell with the North Men and earning his own name. The incompetency of everyone besides West and Major Burr continues to be the theme of the campaign against Bethod.
-Logen doesn’t really get a lot of development in this book besides his liaison with Ferro. By the end though, he seems ready to face home and Bethod again.

Abercrombie seems to be fascinated with the duality or contradictions in a person’s character. Logen Ninefingers is the most explicit in that he basically has a split personality. Logen is an honest and wise man who accepts his violent life and his talent with death as a burden he wishes he could put down. But there is a part of him, the Bloody Nine, which revels in savagery and blood. Glokta does horrific acts with glee but in many ways he’s a better man than his younger self who was admired by all as a hero. West is by all accounts an admirable man except that he beats his sister. It makes his characters fascinating to read and speculate about. It’s hard to know how to feel about them sometimes. They are definitely the primary strength of the book for me.

I still struggled with the chapters focused on the campaign/happenings in the North. I like West and have warmed up to the merry band of North Men but this storyline lacks the spark of mystery or complexity that the other storylines do. That being said, it did get more interesting for me further along in the book.

Stephen Pacey continues to impress me with the reading. I noticed this time around that to voice Glokta, he reads any spoken dialogue with a strong lisp because of Glokta's missing teeth but when Glokta is talking to himself in his head or writing a letter he reads him without a lisp. A subtle thing but it further enriches Glokta’s character.

This is shaping up into a favorite series!

View all my reviews

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Format: Audio (CDs)
Narrated By: Lauren Fortgang
Original Publication Year: 2012
Genre(s): YA, Fantasy
Series: Grisha (#1)
Awards: Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee

The setting is Ravka, a country reminiscent of Eastern Europe which has been engaged in war for 100 long years. Ruling the country is an ineffectual king and a mysterious and feared figure known as the Darkling, leader of the magical Grisha. Alina Starkov is an orphan who has grown up feeling sub-par in just about everything. The only bright spot in her life is her best friend and fellow orphan Mal who is as talented and handsome as Alina is plain and dull. Their lives are turned upside down when Alina comes to the special notice of the Darkling.

The lovely thing about this book is that it’s a tale you’ve read many times before but it feels fresh. It’s exciting to read something original, but there is also something immensely satisfying about reading an old-fashioned story told well. After all there is a reason tropes exist – they have proven across time to touch something in most people. However, they can feel tired and unoriginal if not done well. This book takes the average-boy/girl-with-an-important-destiny story and dresses it up with a number of mysteries. What is The Fold and how did it come into being? Who exactly is the Darkling? Most people’s magic if they have any reveals itself when they are a child – why does Alina’s manifest so late?

Alina is a great perspective character and I found it easy to slip into her skin. She has a wisecracking sense of humor and has spent much of her life feeling inadequate compared to others that she is not easily seduced by the power thrust upon her (though I suspect this will become an issue in future books in the series). The reader sees only what she does and as such I was seduced by the Darkling along with Alina and was just as taken aback when the story takes a darker turn.

And the story does take a darker turn. It is a book that is split tonally. The first half takes place in a boarding school for kids who can do magic (the Grisha) and has an almost Harry Potter-esque feel with Alina (the formerly powerless orphan) slowly finding her way and developing some unexpected friendships. Everything crashes down about midway through as truths are revealed and Alina must flee and undertake a quest. Both halves were equally enjoyable and it was nice to have some variety.

Overall impression of the book was a good one. This particular trope is a favorite of mine but it can so easily go wrong and I think Bardugo admirably avoided all the pitfalls and created a fresh and engaging story.

View all my reviews

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Star Trek Into Darkness I made my way down to Des Moines to catch Star Trek Into Darkness at the last theater in the area at which it is still playing.  It was a matinee and I thought that I'd have the theater almost to myself considering I was behind the times but the theater was pretty full.  We were all in for a treat!

My review has likely been unfairly influenced by that of Mark Kermode because the J.J. Abram's interview and Mark's review were what inspired me to exert some effort to go catch it in the theater.  And I think he was pretty spot on.  It's a fun race of a movie that never lets you catch your breath or think too hard about what's going on.  The action never stops which is fine because J.J. Abrams excels at presenting creative, flashy and fun action sequences.  It is, like the first reboot from a couple years ago, a newer and hipper Star Trek but one that keeps most of the core elements of the original series so the heart is not lost.

I think the biggest strength of this (and the first) movie is the casting which is essentially perfect. Chris Pine is not an actor I would normally associate with brilliant performances but he perfectly captures Kirk's mixture of swaggering bravado/arrogance and his overblown sentimentality.  I can't imagine anyone else playing Spock better than Zachary Quinto who is equally great as Vulcan Spock and more human Spock.  Simon Pegg is hilarious as Scottie, in particular in putting on the affected and absurd Scottish accent.  New comer for this film, Benedict Cumberbatch is amazing as the baddie, radiating menace, but a complicated menace that makes it difficult to interpret how we are supposed to take him.

With such a great cast, Abrams is also able to squeeze in between or during the action sequences a good amount of character and relationship development so the film does not just feel like empty action.  I think one of the central purposes of the movie is to explore the development of and cement Spock and Kirk's relationship.  For those of us that have been fans of Star Trek all along, it gives us the opportunity to see how these two dissimilar people became not just a great team but deep friends.  For those who are not long time Trek fans it still gives the movie its interest and way in.

All in all I loved it.  It's not going to change my life or anything but it was great fun and left me wanting to see these characters and actors exploring the galaxy again in the future.  Hopefully that's in the works!  I should not that while I am a trek fan and have watched almost all of Trek's incarnations (haven't watched Enterprise, or made it all the way through Voyager and Deep Space 9), I am not a trekkie.  I mention this because it might influence how you might trust my review.

PS - One comment on a controversy associated with the film.  A lot of people have raised objections to a seemingly incongruous shot of Alice Eve's character in her underwear claiming that it was completely gratuitous and jarring.  I had dismissed these complaints as I figured that it was probably in some way helping develop Kirk's character as the leering lech that he is.  But upon seeing the film, I have to agree with the critics - it has no purpose beyond "Honk Honk...Let's look at this pretty lady in her skivvies" and its edited in such a way that's just awkward and weird.  Not sure what that's about but both Abrams and the producer (I think) have apologized and said that it was indeed a misjudged shot.  But one small niggle amongst a lot of goodness.

Anybody else seen Star Trek Into Darkness?  What do you think?

P.P.S. Hello to Jason Isaacs!

Friday, July 12, 2013

Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl

Keeping the CastleKeeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Format: Hardbound
Narrated By: NA
Original Publication Year: 2012
Genre(s): YA, Historical, Romance
Series: NA
Awards: None

I can’t remember where I heard of this book but one of the things that drew me in is this promotional blurb on the front cover: “Fans of I Capture the Castle will love this delicious confection” – Polly Shulman, author of Enthusiasm. I very much liked I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and if this is indeed the book that Ms. Shulman is referring to, I’m not sure she actually read anything beyond the jacket description of Keeping the Castle. I Capture the Castle is a coming of age tale set sometime in the 1930’s told in journal format and having a lovely but rather melancholic ending. My reading comprehension may not be the greatest but the only things Keeping the Castle has in common is that it has the word ‘castle’ in the title and does feature a rather worn castle. So my first advice is do not let comparisons to I Capture the Castle draw you in – I think you will be disappointed.

In essence this book is a regency romance for the teen set. Althea is a young woman ready to martyr herself for her family and marry the first wealthy suitor that comes along in order to save said castle. Thankfully she’s very beautiful so she shouldn’t have any problems snaring someone that will do. Unfortunately nothing is ever as straightforward as it seems and complications ensue. But because Althea is a good girl who was willing to sacrifice her happiness for others she ends up making an unexpected love match with a fellow who also happens to be filthy rich. And yes, I just spoiled the ending but if you have read any regency-era romance you will see most of what happens in the book coming from a mile away.

First the good stuff. It’s a quick read and wasn’t offensive in any way. Indeed I think it might be an okay introduction to Regency Romance for a teenager if Austen or Georgette Heyer were a little daunting. It kept me curious enough about how the central couple would end up coming together that it drew me along to the end.

However it was pretty clear from the beginning that this wasn’t going to be a favorite. The initial clue was that I spent much of the first half of the book wondering why their poverty keeps them from feeding themselves but allows them to have horse, carriage and many servants. They have: a groom, cook, cook’s boy, butler, lady’s maid, house maid. And yet Althea must make all the pastries herself because the cook doesn’t know how (but Althea does?? How? Where did she learn and why can’t the cook learn?) and they must catch minnows out of the moat to serve guests at tea. What’s truly odd is that there are two awful stepsisters that live in the house that we are told are wealthy but who won’t share any of their money except on things for their comfort. Well, one would expect not having to eat minnows would be something on which they might shell out some of their money. In reality none of this matters, but the fact that I was obsessing and puzzling about it as I read suggest that I was not as engaged as I should have been.

My second major complaint was the male love interest. It is clear that he is meant to be the unconventional hero. We’re meant to see that though Althea thinks he’s rude and disrespectful it’s really just that he’s more honest and forthright (a true “man of honor”) than the ridiculous social conventions of the time allowed. The problem is, in reality he really is just rude, disrespectful and thoughtless regardless of time period and laxity of social conventions, so while he is not hateful I never really warmed up to him. The development of feelings between Althea and he happen mostly because the author tells us they do and not out of any natural or organic connecting of the characters.

In the end, it was okay. If you want to introduce regency romance to a teen girl, I think Austen or Georgette Heyer are the way to go but this might work in a pinch.

View all my reviews

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Llama Liaison

If llama liaison were an actual job I think it might be my dream job.  I met my first llama in College while doing an internship at a local city park/zoo.  Magnum was his name and I ADORED him.  I think I adored him even more when he made it quite clear that he barely tolerated me.  I would stand at his stall and chat to him and he would just stand there aloof, looking at me askance.  But while haughty face to face whenever we my co-workers and I would be cleaning out the other stalls, Magnum would serenade us with a strange cacophony of sounds from high-pitched whistles to low grunts.  He was, in short, amazing.

So the highlight of my evening last night at Blank Park Zoo's Zoo Brew was meeting the above friendly fellow (or gal...I didn't check).  He was quite pleased to be petted and cooed at and was cute as a button. I wanted to take him home with me.  Some day I hope to have a llama of my very own.  And maybe some baby goats.

So what's your favorite out-of-the-ordinary critter?

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The Name of the Star (Shades of London, #1)The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Format: Audio (CDs)
Narrated By: Nicola Barber
Original Publication Year: 2011
Genre(s): YA, Urban Fantasy, Mystery
Series: Shades of London (#1)
Awards: Edgar Award Nominee for Best Young Adult

Rory Devereaux is a Louisiana teenager who gets an opportunity to spend her senior year of high school in England. She chooses to attend a prestigious boarding school called Wexford, located in London’s East End in the White Chapel Area. Rory has the misfortune of arriving at her new school just as a series of grisly murders begin that seem to be copies of those by Jack the Ripper over a century earlier. While most of England is gripped by Rippermania, Rory is too caught up in adjusting to her new school to take much notice until she sees a man that nobody else can see on the night of the third murder. Suddenly, she is playing a central role in the investigation to catch the “new” Ripper.

Despite the fact that this wasn’t entirely what I expected (when I skimmed the back cover I assumed that this was a historical that took place during the original Ripper killings), I found myself quite enjoying the book. There is plenty to unravel and even if some of the mysteries can be seen a mile off some are quite surprising and all lead to a pretty interesting story.

One thing I frequently struggle with when reading young adult literature is trouble connecting with the characters. I didn’t have that problem here. Rory may be a little stereotypically “Louisianan” but she’s got a good sense of humor and is pretty believably teenage but not in any kind of annoying way. There are some points where she acts in a somewhat unbelievable manner to steer the plot but there is a pretty effective attempt to explain the actions and they aren’t ignored, which deserves some credit.

Nicola Barber’s reading is a little rough at first mostly with Rory who occasionally sounds vaguely Australian rather than Louisianan. But she eventually settles into the voices and overall does a good job.

In the end, this was a fun enough read and while I’m not chomping at the bit to start book two in the series I do plan on getting to it eventually.

One final comment is that this also wins the award for most oddly misleading cover.  There is only one minor character with red hair and as far as I can remember no one ever where's a top hat.  So what exactly is going on on the cover?

View all my reviews

Thursday, July 4, 2013

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Format: Audio (from Audible)
Narrated By: Steven Pacey
Original Publication Year: 2007
Genre(s): Fantasy (Epic)
Series: The First Law (#1)

If I had to sum this book up in one sentence: A brutal, dark book employing multiple perspectives to tell a story of violence and political intrigue with a touch of fantasy that is surprisingly hilarious and often poignant. Of course that really tells you very little but it should evoke a superficial comparison with at least one very popular fantasy series being written (hopefully) today. It did remind me quite forcefully of Game of Thrones but it definitely has its own unique voice and spirit. And (view spoiler)[ all the main characters remain intact at the end of the book (hide spoiler)].

There are three main perspective characters: Logen Ninefingers a barbaric Northmen who has a reputation for brutal violence, Sandan Glokta a twisted, crippled agent of the inquisition who makes his living investigating (aka torturing) traitors of the Union, and Jezal dan Luthar a spoiled, arrogant young nobleman training for a contest of sword play. Both Logen and Sandan slowly reveal more depth and quickly become intriguing narrators and even Jezal occasionally surprises. There are also a few secondary narrators: Dog Man one of Logen’s former compatriots who keeps the reader informed of what is happening in the North, Major West, a common born soldier of the Union who has risen quite high and Ferro Maljinn who doesn’t appear until midway through and who appears to be a former slave who is obsessed with vengeance. All these characters are being caught up in a world crisis that is just being revealed at the end of this first book in the series. At the center of this crisis is the Arch Mage Bayaz. If this all seems a little confusing it is because a lot happens in the book and it is difficult to summarize succinctly. It is also, I think, most enjoyable to experience the twists and turns with as little warning as possible!

It took me a while to warm up to the book. It’s very masculine and starts off with a few far flung threads that hardly seem related and none of which are terribly enjoyable. Glokta is torturing his way through the merchants of the Union capital city of Adua, Logen is off in the North and goes in search of Bayaz after almost losing his life in a battle with “flatheads”, and Jezal is lazily training for a fencing match between daily bouts of drinking and carousing. There is little to connect them and the characters start off as less than engaging.

However, as the story slowly unfolds and the disparate threads start to become entangled the book became more and more engrossing so that by the end I was anxious to jump right into book two. This building of tension and interest is done really well and with few exceptions the characters become more and more fascinating. Jezal was the only character who didn’t improve upon further acquaintance but his day may be coming. I also really appreciated that though the tone of the book is quite dark it is balanced with a pervasive snarky humor. It remains throughout a very masculine book – there are only two women that feature in the story with any prominence and that prominence is very limited – but this stopped bothering me about a third of the way in as the narrative picks up speed and interest.

The only complaint I had worth mentioning is one that is a frequent problem with multiple perspective books focused on a spread out story. There are going to be certain storylines that just aren’t as interesting and therefore feel like getting through them is a bit of a slog. The time spent with Dog Man and the Northmen was less interesting storyline for me and the chapters spent with these folk, while rare, felt a little unnecessarily long.

The narrator Steven Pacey was also really great. In particular he gave a perfect voice to Glokta who is missing many teeth and who has a particularly sly humor. We also hear Glokta’s thoughts quite a bit, contradicting what he’s saying, and Pacey narrated this in such a way that it was never confusing.

Final verdict is that this is a surprisingly enjoyable book despite its darkness and I think I will be jumping right into book 2 Before They Are Hanged. 4.5 stars

This was my first Joe Abercrombie and I was duly impressed.  What authors have you been glad to newly discover lately?  If you are an established Joe Abercrombie reader what do you think is his best book?  Is it fair to characterize some books as being particularly masculine or feminine?

View all my reviews


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Someone asked me today if I am scared about going to Africa.

I am.

I am scared.
I am scared about every couple of hours.

But, most of the things, I fear, are things that have nothing to do with traveling to and/or living in Africa.

  • I am scared, I am taking a month off of work without pay.
  • I am scared, my current jobs will be reassigned to someone else during my absence.
  • I am scared, my finances won’t be able to carry me through if I don’t raise enough funding.
  • I am scared, I won’t be able to pay my bills once I get back.

So, yes, I feel fear. Then, I quickly remember, this is not about me. At all…..

  • I remind myself that, fears will never, ever be enough of a reason to NOT become a part of this project. I am going.
  • I remind myself that, Zambia has presented itself to me for a reason. TRUST it. I am going.
  • I remind myself that, my ovaries will never require a maternity leave and/or time off to be with kids during summer months, so I this is minor in comparison. I am going.
  • I remind myself that, it is with an appreciative heart that I am asking my work to be accommodating, so hopefully all involved will be well and understanding. Either way, I am going.
  • I remind myself that, the Universe will bring me what I need, even if whatever that is isn’t what I consider ideal. I am going.

And, just breathe.


text:
I always wanted to install WhatsApp in PC. The release of BlueStacks mode it possible. BlueStacks is an Android App-Player which allows you to install Android app on your window 7 (only, for now).

Download bluestacks from : http://www.bluestacks.com/download.html

For installing WhatsApp on BlueStack, your Android phone must be rooted !

Here is the way to install whatsApp on BlueStacks.

1. You will need a Android phone with WhatsApp installed on it. You will have to activate the service.

2. Mind it that this method will only get your chats onto PC and not all contacts.

3. Install Titanium Backup on your Android phone.

4. In Backup/Restore tab, search for WhatsApp and backup the application. This will backup the app with the data.

Part 1 complete here. Now the main part was to put the backup files into the android emulator.

1. So first copy the Titanium Backup folder from your Android phone to your PC.

2. To put the files onto the emulator, you will need to upload the files, I attached files to my Gmail and the downloaded the same files from the emulator. Direct access to the data is not possible.

3. After uploading, you will need to install some Apps on your BlueStacks App-Player.

4. The Link for the Apps is given below. It consist of WhatsApp Messenger 2.6, Titanium Backup 4.5.2, Dolphin Browser 6.2 (as it does not have inbuild browser) and ArchiDroid, a zip/rar extractor and a file explorer Linda Manager.

5. At first I thought I need to also root the App-Player. But when I install root-check in it, it has the root permission, which made my work more easy.

6. Now, you will need to install all the apps mentioned above in your App-Player.

the method for the same follows:

1. Select an apk and right click and select open with.

2. Then browse to Program Files(x86)\BlueStacks   (for windows 7 64-bit)

or Program Files\BlueStacks   (for windows 7 32-bit)

3. Now select the application HD-ApkHandler and select open with.

4. This is a very easy way to install apps on the App-Player. You can install likewise many applications.

5. After installing all apps, if you open whatsApp it will give error .

7. Now download the Titanium Backup folder using the browser.

8. If it’s a achieved then you will have to unzip/unrar it. So use ArchiDroid.

9. Once extracted then go to Linda Manager and search for the folder. There will be a folder name Titanium Backup in SD card. Copy content of the folder you downloaded in Titanium backup folder. If it is already extracted in the Titanium Backup directory then no need to move/copy.

10. Now start Titanium Backup from the App-Player and go again to backup/restore tab.We have WhatsApp already installed. Now select WhatsApp from the backup/restore tab and click on restore button. It will ask what to restore, select data only.

11. After restoring try opening WhatsApp. It will only show your previous chat and not the contacts. This is the only disadvantage of this method. But your friends can send you messages despite you not having contact list. Also, WhatsApp installed on your android phone and WhatsApp installed on App-Player will not sync and the messages you send in App-Player will not be shown in your Android Phone and vice-versa !

Download link for all apps mentioned : http://tinyurl.com/678bgrc

So enjoy WhatsApp on PC using BlueStacks. Install many more application by the method shown above. Also you can sync apps on your Android phone with BlueStacks with Cloud-connect. Download it from the market and you are good to go !

Here’s my working WhatsApp on PC