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Opinions, Context & Ideas from the TPM Editors TPM Editor's Blog

Petraeus Apparently Most Mentally Balanced Individual in His Own Scandal

Form the Times ...

Ms. Kelley, a volunteer with wounded veterans and military families, brought her complaint to a rank-and-file agent she knew from a previous encounter with the F.B.I. office, the official also said. That agent, who had previously pursued a friendship with Ms. Kelley and had earlier sent her shirtless photographs of himself, was "just a conduit" for the complaint, he said. He had no training in cybercrime, was not part of the cyber squad handling the case and was never assigned to the investigation.

But the agent, who was not identified, continued to "nose around" about the case, and eventually his superiors "told him to stay the hell away from it, and he was not invited to briefings," the official said. The Wall Street Journal first reported on Monday night that the agent had been barred from the case.

Later, the agent became convinced -- incorrectly, the official said -- that the case had stalled. Because of his "worldview," as the official put it, he suspected a politically motivated cover-up to protect President Obama. The agent alerted Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, who called the F.B.I. director, Robert S. Mueller III, on Oct. 31 to tell him of the agent's concerns.

The official said the agent's self-described "whistle-blowing" was "a little embarrassing" but had no effect on the investigation.

So basically this entire scandal, both at the outset and in the denouement, was driven by Freakshow FBI Agent X who both wanted to bed the victim of the alleged harassment and also decided that the FBI was covering up its investigation of the Tampa socialite to protect President Obama. And this because of his "worldview". Please let us meet this awesome example of American law enforcement.

About The Author

Josh Marshall is editor and publisher of TalkingPointsMemo.com.


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© 2012 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.

08/17/12 9:52 PM ET

Rays show terrific recuperative powers

ANAHEIM -- The Rays showed no aftereffects Thursday night from having a perfect game thrown against them Wednesday. Answering the challenge, the Rays notched a 7-0 win over the Angels.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only three other teams have scored seven or more runs immediately following a perfect game.

The 1904 Philadelphia Athletics defeated Washington, 16-6, after Boston's Cy Young pitched a perfect game against them. David Wells threw a perfect game against the Twin while pitching for the Yankees in 1998. The next day, the Twins defeated Detroit, 8-3. And finally, the 1880 Cleveland Blues of the National League defeated the Worcester (Mass.) Ruby Legs, 7-1. Cleveland was the only team to do so against the same opponent; in fact, it did it against the same pitcher, Lee Richmond.

Zobrist a shining example of quality shortstop play

ANAHEIM -- Ben Zobrist is back at shortstop for now, and the experiment is paying off.

Zobrist turned a big double play in the fifth inning of Thursday night's 7-0 win over the Angels. After the game, Rays manager Joe Maddon couldn't say enough nice things about Zobrist.

"How about Zobrist at shortstop?" Maddon said. "He's done a really nice job, very simple. I like boring out of a shortstop. And I mean that as the highest compliment possible, where he just comes in very fundamentally, picks up the ball, and zip, a nice, accurate throw to first base. He's been very boring at shortstop and I love it. Zero chrome."

While Maddon allowed that he does "dig chrome," particularly where his renovated 1967 Galaxy 500 is concerned, he added, "I really prefer a non-chrome infield."

When asked what it felt like to have no chrome, Zobrist, shifted to shortstop more to bolster the offense than for defensive purposes, smiled.

"I never thought I had any chrome," he said. "I guess that's a much better way to describe it than boring."

Zobrist clearly understood the "boring" comment and agreed that being in the field is sometimes like being an umpire in that the only time you get noticed is when you blow a play.

However ...

"There are plays that you have to be a little bit exciting and you want to be able to make those plays, too," Zobrist said. "I think I've made some of those plays in my career. But overall, you want to make the pitcher know that if the ball is hit to you, it's going to be an out. And if it means that you're not making errors and you're out there making the play everybody expects you to make, then I'm good with that."

Zobrist appears to be having fun while playing the position that he played when he arrived to the Major Leagues in 2006.

"I really like it," Zobrist said. "When I felt really good about it was when we turned that double play yesterday, because I hadn't felt really comfortable at shortstop yet, and I felt very comfortable with that one. And it was quick and it helped David [Price] save a possible run situation there. So I was very encouraged by that."

Again addressing the lack of chrome issue, would Zobrist consider asking Maddon to get him some chrome?

"No, they pay me enough to get chrome if I need it," Zobrist said.

Straight talk: Starters communicating, succeeding

ANAHEIM -- Entering Friday night's game, the Rays rotation was 12-2 with a 1.57 ERA in its last 18 starts.

On top of what the starting pitchers have done, the bullpen has been lights out. Closer Fernando Rodney leads all Major Leaguers in saves (37) and ERA (0.81); J.P. Howell has thrown 22 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings; and Joel Peralta has posted a 0.57 ERA in his last 16 appearances, striking out 25 of the 54 batters he's faced.

Catcher Jose Lobaton was asked to give his assessment of why the starting pitching has been so good.

"What I can say is, all of the pitchers are putting the ball in good spots," Lobaton said. "I think in making great pitches like at big moments, they concentrate for that pitch. I think the communication we got right now with the pitchers makes us look good in the game. Those situations, we go there and we know what they want to throw. I think the pitchers got that confidence to throw every pitch for a strike. ...

"The starters, they're throwing everything for a strike. Most of the time you're seeing them go seven innings or more. They're not missing their pitch, they're using the changeup, the cutter, the back door. I think that the best thing the pitchers are doing right now is they're throwing strikes."

Lobaton noted that the communication between the pitchers and Jose Molina and him has been remarkable. According to Lobaton, the pitchers are constantly talking pitching with the team's two catchers. What do they talk about?

"About situations, about what he likes to do with two strikes, what he likes to do with runners at second, with runners in scoring position and I think that's the key right now with me," Lobaton said. "We've got that confidence with the pitcher and they have the confidence with the catcher, where they feel like they can throw everything."

While the catchers call the pitches, the catchers know what the pitchers want to throw because of their communication.

"We call it being on the same page," Lobaton said.

Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Muslim cleric says mass murder by Charlie Hebdo jihadis was “completely legitimate and according to Sharia”

HYDERABAD, India: A video has emerged showing a Muslim cleric in India leading a funeral prayer for the Kouachi Brothers, where he praises and endorses the mass murder of cartoonists and satirists of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo.

According to Bharat Press, the video was shot in Hyderabad, the common capital of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and the cleric is Maulana Mohammed Naseeruddin, who is a well known and respected cleric and Khateeb in the old city.

In the video, Maulana Naseeruddin is seen describing the Charlie Hebdo terrorists as “martyrs” and making prayers to Allah for their afterlife. He says, “Our lives are of no meaning if someone, who has insulted the prophet, is still alive.”

The Mullah is also heard condemning the Unity Rally that took place in Paris on Sunday.

Later, talking to the reporter Abuaimal Akram, who uploaded the video on YouTube, Maulana Naseeruddin justified the act of terror at Charlie Hebdo’s office as a deed sanctioned by Islamic traditions.

In fact, he goes on to say (at 3:26 minutes onward in the video above) that Prophet Muhammad himself had ordered the executions of people who had mocked or insulted the Prophet of Islam and Allah.

The Islamic cleric further says, as per the Islamic traditions, those insulting the faith and the Prophet should not be forgiven, but killed. He adds that since there is no global leadership of Muslims, it become the responsibility of every individual Muslim to make sure that such offenders don’t go unpunished.

“What they (the terrorists) did was completely legitimate as per sharia laws,” he asserts. Concluding his interview, Maulana says that he endorses what was done by the terrorists in the French magazine office and that’s why he decided to lead this special prayer.

1 comment for “Muslim cleric says mass murder by Charlie Hebdo jihadis was “completely legitimate and according to Sharia”

    March 18, 2015 at 2:50 AM

    If this interpretation of Islam and Mohammed is correct, then it becomes very difficult to say or accept that Islam is a religion of peace but it could only be inferred to the contrary.

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Inflation in Russia may be close to 6.5%

December 09, 2013, 12:37 UTC+3 MOSCOW
1 pages in this article

MOSCOW, December 09. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukayev did not rule out in 2013 the inflation would be close to 6.5%. At the same time, he said, the ministry of economic development did not see reasons to change the official forecast on consumer prices for the going year.

“The situation is not stable, as it depends of a mass of immediate factors. December may demonstrate a growth of either 0.4 percent, or 0.8 percent. Thus, in my opinion, we have about equal chances the annual inflation will make 6.2 percent, as well as 6.5 percent,” the minister said.

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Norwegian minister says Russia, Norway in talks over gas exports to Europe

September 28, 2016, 9:00 UTC+3 ALGIERS
Norwegian Energy Minister Tord Lien has stated that Europe is "a very important gas consumer," both for Norway and Russia
1 pages in this article
© Dmitriy Rogulin/TASS

ALGIERS, September 28. /TASS/. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak has discussed with his Norwegian counterpart Tord Lien common interests on the European gas market, Lien told journalists on the sidelines of the 15th International Energy Forum.

"We discussed common interests in Europe, as it is a very important consumer [of gas] both for Norway and Russia," Lien said when answering a TASS question on the topic of the meeting with the Russian minister.

In particular, the Russian Energy Ministry said in a statement, the sides discussed interaction of Russian and Norwegian companies in the sphere of development of Arctic oil and gas deposits and deposits with hard-to-recover reserves, as well as scientific and technical cooperation.

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Flavorful Beef, Peppers, and Onions With White Rice

40 mins (prep 10, cooking 30)
9 ingredients
4-6 servings
This recipe is so tasty! I came up with it one night when i was already defrosting beef chop meat for meatballs, and i changed my mind for something different. Goes great with white rice, but feel free to use brown. My fiance loves this dish and it's very easy to make.

Categories:  served-hot , <-60-mins , pasta,-rice-and-grains , rice , italian , ground-beef , beef , free-of... , time-to-make , egg-free , european , easy , presentation , main-dish , white-rice , meat ,
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Serving Size (64.78 g)
Servings 4
Amount per Serving
Calories 20.33 Calories from Fat 1.08
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0.12g 0.71%
Saturated Fat 0.02g 0.38%
Trans Fat 0.0g %
Cholesterol 0.0mg 0.0%
Sodium 631.07mg 105.18%
Total Carbohydrate 4.66g 6.22%
Dietary Fiber 0.99 g 15.82%
Sugars 2.62 g %
Protein 0.94g 7.49%
Vitamin A 265.21IU% Vitamin C 4.3mg%
Calcium 8.93mg% Iron 0.67mg%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your diet value must be higher or lower depending upon your calorie needs:
  Calories 2,000 2,500
Total Fat Less Than 65g 80g
Sat Fat Less Than 20g 25g
Cholesterol Less Than 300mg 300mg
Sodium Less Than 2,400mg 2,400mg
Total Carb   300g 375g
Dietary Fiber   25g 30g
Potassium   3,500 mg
Protein   50 g
Calories Per Gram
Fat 9•Carbohydrate 4•Protein 4
*Nutrition information was calculated excluding the following ingredients:
ground beef, medium onion, goya, green bell pepper


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Lazy Lasagna Bake

35 mins (prep 15, cooking 20)
10 ingredients
6-8 servings
All the goodness of lasagna without having to mess with those darn lasagna noodles and about half the work! My family loves this recipe. I make it every couple of weeks.

Categories:  <-60-mins , pasta,-rice-and-grains , easy , 3-steps-or-less , lasagna , main-dish , inexpensive , pasta , one-dish-meal , time-to-make ,
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Serving Size (69.33 g)
Servings 6
Amount per Serving
Calories 164.04 Calories from Fat 53.73
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5.97g 55.08%
Saturated Fat 0.89g 26.58%
Trans Fat 0.0g %
Cholesterol 3.94mg 7.89%
Sodium 564.04mg 141.01%
Total Carbohydrate 20.44g 40.89%
Dietary Fiber 0.77 g 18.37%
Sugars 1.71 g %
Protein 7.66g 91.97%
Vitamin A 29.18IU% Vitamin C 0.0mg%
Calcium 41.67mg% Iron 1.4mg%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your diet value must be higher or lower depending upon your calorie needs:
  Calories 2,000 2,500
Total Fat Less Than 65g 80g
Sat Fat Less Than 20g 25g
Cholesterol Less Than 300mg 300mg
Sodium Less Than 2,400mg 2,400mg
Total Carb   300g 375g
Dietary Fiber   25g 30g
Potassium   3,500 mg
Protein   50 g
Calories Per Gram
Fat 9•Carbohydrate 4•Protein 4
*Nutrition information was calculated excluding the following ingredients:
ground beef, chopped onion, minced garlic, favorite spaghetti sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, grated parmesan cheese


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TDA Foundation Donation in Nairobi

On our rest day in Nairobi we held our third bike donation ceremony of the tour.  Rebecca Cherono of the Great Rift Valley Development Agency (GRVDA) was there to help organize things.  In total we donated 60 bikes to 3 different organizations around Nairobi.  The GRVDA is a wonderful group of people whose main focus is educating people about the resources and services available to them from the government and helping them to understand the process to access those resources.  The Kenyan Government earmarks money each year to be used for community development but it often goes unused and winds up being redirected towards other needs (or someone's pocket!).  GRVDA is helping to change this through its education programs.  Spend a few minutes with Rebecca and you'll be amazed at the way such a simple program has changed lives in Nairobi.

At the donation ceremony, twenty five bikes went to Arrow Web Hospital, represented at the ceremony by Bramuel S.J., Project coordinator for the hospital.  Arrow Web is a small private hospital founded by Bramuel and two friends in 2005 to provide medical care and outreach services to the underserved populations in the Soweto/Kayole slums of Nairobi.  This was the second time we've donated bikes to Arrow Web, who will give the bikes to health outreach volunteers who travel around the community providing health education and carrying medicine to those who can not travel to the hospital.  The outreach volunteers also act as the eyes and ears of the hospital, watching for disease outbreaks and other health issues that may arise and reporting back to the staff at Arrow Web.  I had the opportunity to visit the hospital this year and though there are very understaffed and under resourced, I was impressed at the level of care they are able to provide and the number of patients the see in a week (more that 1500!).  More about my visit to Arrow web in another blog.

Twenty bikes went to Maji Mazuri School and Orphanage run by a small group of dedicated teachers and represented at the ceremony by Wanjiku Keronyo, program director for the school.  I visited the school last year and was impressed at the work going on there.  They house about 100 children and teach another 150 or so that walk to the school each day.  The school is surrounded by gardens and fields growing much of the food served at the school.  In the school barns are every kind of farm animal you can imagine:  geese, rabbits, chickens, cows, horses etc… all providing valuable inputs to keep the school running.  This year they've even added a biogas system do do the cooking in the kitchen!  The bikes we donated to Maji Mazuri are used by the teacher for errands and travels back and forth from Nairobi (30 kms one way) and by the children to get to and from school.  Even though close to Nairobi the school is in a rural area and transport is very difficult.  The teachers are especially sensitive to the need for young girls to learn to cycle, something that is not too common in Kenya, so many of the bikes will go to the girls at the school.

The third group we donated to this year was Vijiji Children's Home.  We donated 15 children’s bikes to the home.  Some of the bikes were small bikes for very young children and others were for older kids.

The ceremony started with a some wonderful singing and dancing from the girls at Madji Mazuri.  Traditional Maasai songs and poems about national pride and empowerment were recited.  There were several riders present:  Bram and Bram, Chris Fenar and Lindsey had all fundraised to make this donation possible and they did the official 'handing off' of the bikes.  The ceremony closed with another round of songs from the girls.   The event itself was short and sweet, but the impact of those bikes will be long lasting.

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Home / Art / hella fug / KTZ- Fall 2013-Witchy Woman

KTZ- Fall 2013-Witchy Woman

Screen-shot-2013-02-15-at-10.47.52-AM Screen-shot-2013-02-15-at-10.53.51-AM YVL_0983.450x675 YVL_1071.450x675 YVL_1122.450x675 Screen-shot-2013-02-15-at-10.50.45-AM

British-based fashion house KTZ served up some witchy looks for their Fall 2013 collection. My fave has to be the shearling outfit. Shearling is one of those split personality fabrics. One one side it says ‘I will keep you warm in the snow’. Then on the other side it says ‘don’t get me wet, I’m suede’. Crazy b*tch! Make up your mind.  Anywho,  that dude in the 2nd photo is especially frightening. It’s like a balding vampire with a serious case of gingivitis. But the gold pirate boots are hot!

photos: Style, WOW

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Roxanna Bina blogs about, Fashion, Design and Vinyl Toys with a twist of whimsy and fun and also with an acid tongue!

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Nazara picks up 26% stake in Mastermind Sports

Thursday, April 21, 2016 | More »

Mobile gaming developer and publisher Nazara Technologies Pvt Ltd has picked up 26 per cent stake in London-based mobile gaming studio Mastermind Sports Ltd. Mastermind has just launched its first game CricBet, a real-time prediction game, which allows fans to bet on the outcome of live cricket matc...


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Excel > Functions

Count, CountIf, CountIfs in Excel

How to use Count, CountIf and CountIfs functions in MS Excel?

In the previous post, we learnt about Keyboard shortcuts in MS Excel. In this post, we shall learn how to count cells using Count, CountIf and CountIfs function.

Count() function

Count() function is used to count the number cells between two ranges that contains numberical data; it doesn't count the cell containing string data.

Let's take below as an example. In 'I4', we have written '=COUNT(A4:G4)', it count 7 columns data.

Count columns having numeric data in excel

The result is only 5 as shown below because only 5 columns (Sl. No., Age, Salary, PPF, Total) columns having numberical data.

Count function result in excel

Similarly, we are trying to count the rows that contains numberical data.

Count rows having numeric data in excel

Count rows having string data in excel

As you can see that both A19 and B19 cell is using same formula to count row 3 to 17 but the result would be below.

Count rows result in excel

As A column contains numberic data so it is giving number of rows, but B column has all string data so the result is 0.

CountIf() function

CountIf function is used to count cells based on one criteria only (less than, greater than, equal to etc.). The criteria can be either for numerical value or string value.

Look at the below example. In D21 cell, the formula is written as '=COUNTIF(D4:D17, "<18")', it means that Count only those cells having value less than 18 and in this case only one cell D13 valid so the result we are getting is 1.

CountIf function in Excel

We can even use wildcard characters in CountIf function.

Count based on wildcard characters in excel

This is counting cells whose string value starts with "S".

CountIfs() function

CountIfs function is used to count cells based on multiple criteria (separated by comma). In below example, D21 cell contains '=COUNTIFS(B4:B17, "S*", D4:D17, "<26")' formula that says

  • count those cells from B4:B17 (cell range) whose string starts with "S*" (this will give 3 records) and also
  • D4:D17 cells whose value is '<26' (this will remove two records 'Sheo' & 'Sohan').
So if both criteria is met then only that particular record will be counted.

Countifs function in excel

So the result is 1.

How to count cells with specific text in Excel?

To count cells with specific text in Excel, we can use CountIf() function. Select a blank cell and write formula like this '=COUNTIF(B4:B17, "Sheo")'. In this case I want to find 'Sheo' text.

Count specific text in excel

and here is my result in B21.

As written earlier, we can use wild card characters also to count the occurences, like

  1. Count cells starting with 'Sh' - '=COUNTIF(B4:B17, "Sh*")'
  2. Count cells ending with 'eo' - '=COUNTIF(B4:B17, "*eo")'
  3. Count cells contains 'h' - '=COUNTIF(B4:B17, "*h*")'
How to count non blank cells in Excel?

To count Non Blank cell in excel, use the same COUNTIF function but the 2nd parameter would be '<>'. So the formula to count non blank cells is '=COUNTIF(G4:G19, "<>")' where the range of cells it is counting is G4 to G19.

count Non blank cells in excel

See here non blank cell is 9.

How to count blank cells in Excel?

To count blank cells in Excel, use the COUNTIF function with 2nd parameter as "". So here is the formula '=COUNTIF(G4:G19, "")'.

Count blank cells in excel

The number of blank cells between G4 to G19 is 7.

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Faster than a speeding bullet, more trendy than a SoHo hipster; the power of search data

Picture 3.pngAre you a spotter of trends? Do you revel in knowing things before your friends and colleagues? If so I am going to share a little information that will make you a very happy person.

A couple of months ago I came across one of the coolest RSS feeds that I've ever seen. Google Hot Trends now offers an hourly feed that shows the top 100 search terms. Every hour a new item is sent to my RSS reader for my consumption.

Why is this cool you ask? Imagine the power of the collective, "crowd sourced" data of millions of Google searches aggregated into one place. It's pop culture at its best. Want to get the scoop before mainstream media? Subscribe to this feed.

The type of information is unfiltered so you will get things like:

  • Scoops on sports trades
  • Celebrity news
  • Breaking business and economic news
  • World news
  • Scandals of all sorts
  • See how powerful TV is at driving search

To me, Google Hot Trends represents the real power of collective intelligence. In the case of Google Trends this is information aggregated across the globe, but imagine if you could do this only for technology or social media. The trends that you uncover would be catalysts for innovation and change.

What are you doing with your search data?

If you are running a web site, what are you doing with your search data? Are you storing it? If you're storing it, are you looking at it? If you're looking at it, are you analyzing it for trends and insights?

Search is as key to a site as your navigation. The data is extremely powerful and can tell you what your customers are looking for, what they really want and what you need to create more of.

How are you using your search data?

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Technology has progressed a lot in the past few years. Even so, consumers are asking for more. There are devices we never thought of ten years ago, like dual screen smartphones, tablets and remotely controlled thermostats, which simplify a lot our already busy lives. That’s why, many of us already equipped ourselves with the latest and more useful gadgets and apps which can be found on the market now.

One of these innovative and new things is represented by the capability of mirroring the screen of your Android device directly on your TV. There are two ways of doing this, the first one implies connecting the two devices, the Android device with a big screen TV through an HDMI cable (if both support the HDMI connection) or using some special gadgets and applications that can do the same thing, but without wires.

Best Ways to Mirror Your Android Device to Your TV

The first and the simplest way is to buy a mini HDMI to HDMI cable to connect your Android device to your TV. This will cost you some dollars, but there are also other ways of connecting your devices without any cables that cost a little bit more. The majority of them are using Miracast or WiDi screencast standards, which permit portable devices to stream over a Wi-Fi connection up to 1080p HD videos and in the same time to offer a 5.1 surround sound experience. Now here’s some of the best options available:

Sony IM10 Miracast Wireless Display

Sony recently announced a new device that is called IM10 Wireless Display, which permits users to easily mirror their Android’s screen to their TVs from any place inside their house. The little device is powered with the latest Miracast technology, allowing users to stream their media files over a Wi-Fi connection from their Android mobile device.

After you buy the product you will find in the package, an IM10 Miracast Wireless Display device, NFC tag for connection alternative, a charger and a user guide. The device only weighs 125 grams and it has very little dimensions, 75 mm x 75 mm x 16.5 mm, making it to be simple for transportation. It’s equipped with two ports, an USB which is used for the power supply and an HDMI port through which the gadget will be connected with your TV.

Another advantage of this amazing device is that if you own a NFC enabled smartphone you can easily connect the two of them by simply tapping your mobile device to Sony’s IM10 Wireless Display, without having to pair them again or do additional things. Other smartphones and tablets without the NFC will connect with it manually.

This device is not ready for sale, but in the forthcoming weeks it will be available for users from all across the world. For more information about the price and the release date, please go to Sony’s official webpage by following the next link.

Push2TV is Netgear’s product in the field of devices that can mirror the screen of Android and iOS smartphones or tablets directly to a big screen TV. This device represents one of the best solutions to transform your personal camera into a home cinema, concert hall or photo gallery. Users will enjoy its easiness of transferring their media directly and seamlessly to their TV.

Actually, Push2TV permits users to mirror everything from their Android powered device on their TV, from media files to application and games. Either you will play a game, check what’s happening on Facebook, watching Netflix or posting on Twitter, Push2TV allows you to see everything on your big screen TV, without having to connect your Android device to the TV with an HDMI cable.

The good thing about this device is that it can be carried everywhere you go, because it weighs only 95 grams and has reduced dimensions. This tiny device also has a very simple installation setup, because users will only have to plug in the device into a TV via an HDMI cable and connect their Android device to the wireless network that was created by this gadget.

If this device managed to catch your attention you should know that the Netgear Push2TV product can be bought for prices that start from $59.99.

ScreenBeam Pro Wireless Display Receiver

ScreenBeam Pro Wireless Displau Receiver is a device which can easily mirror the screen of your Android device to any TV from your house. Users are able to stream videos that are up to 1080p, including the troubling copy protected content (like commercial Blu-Rays), to any projector, TV set or other displays that have an HDMI output port.

This device is equipped with Intel’s WiDi and Miracast technology which promise a lot, because both offer only premium services. One of the best features that are implemented into it is called Ultra-Low Delay, which helps to reduce the Wi-Fi’s latency so that real-time apps and games can run smoothly without any noticeable delays.

Another nice capability is called USB over Network (UoIP) that allows users to connect peripheral devices. All users have to do is to connect a keyboard, mouse or trackpad, by plugging them into the receiver’s USB port and use them according to their preferences. In order to keep the best quality possible of the streaming, you should position your Android device within the line of sight of the receiver and keep them placed within 30 feet.

Unfortunately, this product is compatible with only some Android smartphones, such as HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S3 / S4 / Note 2, Google Nexus 4 and more. For the whole list of supported devices, go to the following link. Also, you can use it when you are home or carry it anywhere you travel, because it’s so tiny and very light weight.

So, don’t wait anymore and go to the official website where you can buy it for $69.99.

HTC Media Link HD

HTC Media Link HD is a device which transfers your Android’s screen to your HD TV, without losing the video and the sound quality. It creates a theater environment thanks to its capability of streaming up to 1080p quality videos and 5.1 surround sound. In the package you will find the following things: an HTC Media Link HD product, a power adapter with a micro-USB cable and an HDMI cable.

A very nice feature is the named Media Multi-Tasking, which permits users to run two different applications in the same time. So, basically users are able to watch a movie or run a slideshow presentation on their TV from their smartphone, while they run an application or surf the Internet. Another nice feature is called the Digital Photo Frame that permits users to save 30 photos or more on their device and share them wirelessly.

The device is very intuitive and very easy to use, users just have to swipe up with three fingers on their Android’s screen and instantly the media will be shared on their HD TV. Note that this device is compatible with only some HTC devices, such as HTC One V, HTC One, HTC Butterfly and HTC EVO 4G LTE.  The product can be bought from prices that start from $41 on eBay or on Amazon.

Samsung AllShare Cast Wireless Hub

If you own a Samsung mobile phone or tablet and a Samsung TV that has the AllShare feature implemented, you could easily mirror the device’s screen to your TV without any other devices or cables. Doing this, users can directly share photos, PowerPoint presentations and everything they want in just seconds.

If some of you don’t have a compatible Samsung TV, you could always buy the AllShare Cast Wireless Hub that transforms your TV into your own media theater and creates the necessary link between the Android device and TV. It is available on the Samsung’s official website for $99.99.

You should also take a look at Google’s latest product, Chromecast that is able to stream media from any Android device, smartphone or tablet, to a TV.

Also, keep in mind that if you own a TV which has the Miracast standard implemented, you don’t have to buy other devices anymore, just connect your smartphone to your TV wirelessly and that’s all.

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Feature Writer

Alex holds an engineering degree in Telecommunications and has been covering technology as a writer since 2009. Customization is his middle name and he doesn’t like to own stock model gadgets. When he’s away from the keyboard, simpler things like hiking, mountain climbing and having a cold drink make his day.


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Microsoft hits 30,000 apps twice as fast as Android, same as iOS

Microsoft launched the Windows Phone Marketplace back in November 2010. Today they revealed on the Windows Phone Developer Blog, that they are very close to pass 30,000 apps.

Windows Phone Marketplace is growing almost as fast as Apple’s App Store did, which reached 30,000 apps in about 8 months. For comparison, Google’s Android Market used nearly 17 months to reach the same milestone.

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_Q_1975d ago

30,000 apps for the five people who own em? Nice MS. Im being jaded of course. Its a shame to see this kind of effort but into such a meh OS and we have WebOS(a better mobile OS)dying without anyone noticing.

Lazy_Sunday1975d ago (Edited 1975d ago )

Wow, that's a lot of apps. What device are they for again? Oh yeah, the Windows Mobile Blackberry rip-offs? No? Then what? Oh, they have a Windows phone? Yeah, I remember hearing about one of those... All of my friends and everyone I know has iPhones and Androids though.

RazMaTaz01211971d ago

Ummm So? 30,000 apps, and still only 5-6 phones on the market? Its getting overshadowed by android,blackberry and apple. MS, I think the OS is great, but if you think Nokias involvement is gonna do anything to competition, you are dreaming, just like Nokia did with Symbian.


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December 3, 2011

Doctor Jeep

So I've fallen pretty deep into this puddle of voice samples. I can't seem to get away from songs with breakchops and glitched out mouth words. The warm tones and haunted voices seem to press all the right buttons. I was kind of taken by surprise on this one though, Doctor Jeep isn't exactly known for producing such tasty music. Hopefully he sticks to the new formula and gives us some more new tunes. Shout out to Giraffage for sharing this on his facebook wall today, ur mad cool <3.

soundcloud link
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Broken Heart

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Steak fajita cups

I am a little obsessed with my muffin pan and anything I can make in it I am game! It’s not just for making cupcakes anymore, you can make dinner in them…we’ve done it night after night. We’ve even made cookie cups filled with yummy pudding as a dessert in our mini muffin pan, they were a hit during the holidays and always fun bite sized treats. If you’re having people over or going to a potluck you’ve got to take a peek at these steak fajita cups, I’m sure you’ll love them.

steak fajita cups

Like I said, we’ve made tons of muffin tin recipes and you’ll have to pin a few when you’re done trying this one. If you love steak fajitas then you will love the fresh veggies, meat and how easy they are as a finger food baked in a muffin pan. here’s how you make them.

steak fajita recipe

steak fajita cups

As with anything else you can add or subtract any ingredients you don’t care for but as far as fajitas go usually more is better! Add more jalapenos for more heat or leave out if you want them extra mild. These steak fajita cups could easily be served as an appetizer or a meal themselves. Here is the recipe.

Steak fajita cups

Steak fajita cups
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  • 4 oz. steak
  • 1 red pepper diced
  • 1 jalapeno diced
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 6 flour tortillas
  • 1/2 c. cheese
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cilantro
  • pinch of salt and pepper, cayenne optional
  • olive oil

  1. Preheat the oven to 425, grease a muffin pan with cooking spray. Add steak, seasonings and a drizzle of Olive oil to a food processor or chop small by hand. Heat a pan, add steak and vegetables, cook for about 3-5 minutes or until steak is cooked through. Trim tortillas down to a 4" circle, press into muffin pan. Fill cups layered with steak mixture, cheese, more steak, more cheese.
  2. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

steak fajita cups

Add spicy jack cheese as well if you like, we like sharp cheddar with almost every recipe. It doesn’t take long in the oven for everything to meld together and tortillas to brown. If you love these steak fajita cups you will love our meatloaf muffins and chicken pot pie muffins too.

For more easy recipes, tips and crafts please LIKE The Typical Mom on Facebook and follow me on Pinterest! You can also sign up for my free weekly newsletter which is packed with goodies I know you’ll love. 😉

Visit The Typical Mom’s profile on Pinterest.

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Home » News » Main » Aquino stays on the job

Aquino stays on the job

While most Filipino Catholics have taken a break from the daily grind this Holy Week, President Aquino is not necessarily in complete vacation mode amid heightened government security alert this week.

The President will remain on the job to ensure the safety of travelers and pilgrims this Holy Week especially in light of the recent deadly attacks in Brussels, according to a Palace official.

“He is keeping tabs on government security measures to keep public safety,” Sec. Sonny Coloma responded when asked about the President’s plans this Holy Week.

The President recently ordered transport authorities to intensify security measures in airports, borders and other public transportation terminals in the wake of the Belgium attacks. Concerned government agencies were directed to exert maximum efforts to ensure the safety and convenience of travelers and the riding public.

Coloma explained that the government’s main priority is the safety and protection of the public especially those traveling in the provinces this Holy Week.

“After learning about the attacks in Brussels, the President immediately directed Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya and other concerned government agencies to keep heightened alert to ensure the safety and security especially in transportation terminals: airports, sea ports, bus terminals and maging LRT stations,” he said.


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Tennisopolis : Tennis Social Network

Hi everybody!  My name is Spencer, I live in Waikiki, and I am anxious to play.  I was injured so I haven't hit in a bit, but it shouldn't take too long for me to find my shots (hopefully).  My schedule is very flexible, prefer courts around here but I'll drive too. Looking for gents or ladies and I enjoy singles, doubles, and mixed.

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I am looking to play this Friday 11-11 to Sunday 11-13 if you are available.

I am visiting the area and can play at Kapiolani Monday morning at 9 Am Call at 360 840-3402.

Hi Spencer.

I'm Steve.  if you'd like to hit in town, let me know.  I have a pretty flexible sched, as well.  Could hit at Kap, Ala Moana or Makiki.  open to other suggestions.

Hi I am Jenny a Germans 4.0 player. I will be in Waikiki from the 9th March till the 22nd ( yeas for vacation of course). Since I am allways anxious to play and love to have a little challange, I would be quiet happy to hit some balls anytime you like. If you are interested and dare to have a try me let me know:

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Tennisopolis : Tennis Social Network

Eliza Agudelo's Groups (2)

  • SF Valley

    550 members Latest Activity: Jan 14

    San Fernando Valley tennis partners of all skill levels from beginner to advanced. Scroll through the 380 partners on the right.…

  • Hollywood-Los Angeles

    582 members Latest Activity: Dec 19, 2016

    Tennis partners in the Hollywood area. Scroll through the list of partners on the right. Area includes mid city Los Angeles from…

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Tennisopolis : Tennis Social Network

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Tennisopolis : Tennis Social Network

VasMaz Tennis
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  • United States
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Septic System Removal
Posted by G Geoghegan on July 21, 19100 at 15:25:28:
Thinking of purchasing a house in a suburban neighborhood that has a septic system but can be hooked up to the sewer. I would like to put a pool where the current septic system is. Can I remove my septic system or is this a risky proposition with my pool site idea? Please respond at your earliest convenience.
Thany you...

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Don't Waste My Time with Job Adverts! Making Calls for Applicants Usable.

The pain point: People tend to undervalue the life time of other people. I am not a particular fan of self-improvement guru Steve Pavlina, but he once wrote something that stuck with me: «Realize that nothing is free if it costs you time.»

Our life time is our most precious resource and modern life is cumbersome as it is. So, please, don't waste my time with poor content or unusable texts, if it is you who wants something from me! That goes for any text and purposeful communication, whether it concerns our clients, stakeholders or the niches of overwhelming bureaucracy governing certain aspects of our lives.

One type of text that companies routinely put out for external users are employment advertisements. In the current economic climate with so many job seekers, a lot of companies seem to forget that the good user experience of a potential candidate is the first impression they bestow upon future colleagues. Is the application process a hassle, how will the working environment be, once they lured you in?

I will use the topical example of poorly constructed job advertisements to illustrate how you can sabotage yourself with poor copywriting. And yes: I consider a call for applications a use case of copywriting.

Job advertisements: the case for good copywriting.

A vacancy description is a potential first point of contact for a future employee and should leave the job seeker with a good impression. An employment advert is a sales pitch for a specific position and should therefore lead the prospect to an easy call to action, because that is what you ultimately try to achieve: Attract the right candidates and convince them to take the next step in the application process.

As the company has control over what kind of copy goes out with such calls to action, one should try to maximise the potential to highlight the benefits associated with the post. The emphasis here is benefits which are relevant and apply to the advertised position. For instance, when looking for a temp it is not particularly helpful to refer to the fantastic benefits package available to permanent staff members.

In addition to good impressions and warm thoughts, you'd want to make the advert work in your favour: It should address the right kind of people that would make good team members in your organisation. Your objective is to find the calibre of people who fit in. Moreover, you'll benefit from their capabilities and fresh perspectives on the issues the post holder will be faced with.

A well crafted advert can do a lot of the heavy lifting – in terms of candidate choice – for you: it can target specific individuals. This will limit the number of applicants who will try just in case, thus decreasing the number of application you have to process to get to the next stage of narrowing down potential interviewees.

Make the right thing the easy thing.

If you want my co-operation – make co-operation the easy and most painless way to go. The usability-community lives off the concept of achieving the win-win-situation for buyers and sellers.

Make the most limiting factor obvious.

Don't hold back the most important aspect of your message for the intended audience. It only causes user frustration and a waste of time for all the parties involved.

Imagine a freelance designer pitching a new Web site concept to a potential client. The prospective client wishes to do a complete overhaul of their existing Web site. In preparation for the pitch, our freelance designer spends days upon researching, adapting the proposal, incorporating the current logo and colour palette into the design proposal etc. Being a sole trader, this is time she's not available to work for other clients on paid projects. After sending in her comprehensive proposal she never hears from the potential client again.

Why? Because the client did not realise the designer cannot offer her professional services for a £500 fixed budget. A lack of clarity on both sides (Which budget has to be met by the proposal?) wasted the designer's resources whilst the client is still without a suitable proposal addressing their situation.

Back to our vacancy example: I recently saw a job advert from a non-profit organisation in the field of mental healthcare. They were seeking a part-time manager / administrator. The bulk of the advertised criteria would have fit – let's be conservative – at least 50% of the mental healthcare professionals with a minimum of three years work experience looking for a part-time job. However, the very last bit of information, buried in several «Application Package» files under a huge amount of general information, proved to be the most limiting factor in terms of who should apply. Therefore, the copywriter obfuscated the target audience of that particular advert, thus wasting the time of everyone else.

It turns out that this organisation needed a psychotherapist or mental health professional who is experienced in landscape gardening and knowledgeable about horticulture. How can you not mention this most distinguishing feature right away? You need a gardener who is also a psychologist. This crucial piece of information limits the talent pool immediately.

Why is it important to understand this? Because, let's face it: you are a non-profit organisation seeking a part-time professional. You don't have the resources to go through hundreds of applications not pertinent to the post you have to fill. You cannot effort to not make it clear to the users of your advertisement who it is you are actually looking for. You don't want to waste your precious time and the time of potential applicants. You are in the business of helping people, not a recruitment agency. You don't want to write hundreds of templated, empty content emails saying:

Dear Applicant
Thank you for your application for the position of our vacancy… Unfortunately your application has not been successful.
I wish you the best of luck with future applications.

You want suitable candidates to respond to your vacancy and leave potential applicants without doubts about their suitability!

Make your intentions clear.

It is frustrating for job seekers to spend time with a vacancy description only to find out that their efforts are futile because the job advert is

  • outdated, but does not present a closing date for applications
  • is looking for some very specific person, but hides the essential discriminating factor under a pile of general criteria
  • a call for applicants, categorised as a job advert seeking professional candidates / contractors. However, the last line of the description includes something to the point of

I am not able to pay you since I haven't sold my manuscript yet. But I will cut you in on the profits once I am published.

As we are a non-profit / start-up company / amateurs unwilling to pay for professional services… we cannot offer a salary, but you will get fantastic stock-options in / work experience / exposure with our start-up.

You don't want to mislead the people you plan on having a fruitful professional relationship with! (Remember: people are dying from exposure…)

If you are not intending to pay for professional services, list you advert in the volunteer section. There is nothing wrong with pro bono work. Tricking people into thinking that there is a real job offer at the end of the ad will not increase your chances of finding a viable candidate. It may, however, increase the amount of hate mail you receive from people who feel deceived.

I made the case for understanding job adverts as use cases for copywriting strategies. Employment adverts are an opportunity to reach out to prospective colleagues and present them with a call to action. Therefore, good copywriting can enhance the experience of the application process for everybody involved.

To summarise this post: in order to create a usable or even user-friendly job advert

  • Take care with the content that reflects your organisation and reaches your audience. Show prospective employees that you care about them – your competitors will notice!
  • Be honest about the post and the associated benefits.
  • Make the job description relevant to the advertised role and to the candidates you want to reach.
  • State expectations (such as closing and interview dates) explicitly. Give the advert a best before date and take it offline or archive it afterwards.
  • Set expectations such as call back periods and potential interview dates.
  • Point to a real human for further information. Post the contact person's full title indicating their gender. (Nothing is more humilating than addressing a Mr George Barnabas in the cover letter just to get a call back by a Ms Barnabas. It happens.)

Good copywriting in job adverts creates benefits for everybody involved:

  • You leave future colleagues with a positive experience and successful interaction with your company or brand – starting the professional relationship on the right note.
  • You triage the mass of job seekers by attracting well-suited candidates.
  • You spend fewer working hours contacting and interviewing unfit candidates.

All this comes back to the topic of mindful communication and common sense, doesn't it?

Now go. Read your latest vacancy descriptions. What information would you like to see, if you were in the position to answer it?

Details & meta

Fri, 18/03/2011 - 15:45


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Calculation of Sewing Thread Consumption for Garments

Sewing Thread Consumption Formula
Noor Ahmed Raaz
B.Sc. in Apparel Manufacturing
Asst. Merchandiser
Opex Sinha Group, Narayongonj

Sewing Thread Consumption
For Apparel Merchandising, in today’s competitive marketplace, there is a need for tight cost control. A realistic estimation of potential thread requirements for particular garment styles or contracts will not only end up saving money, and warehouse maintenance. As, if you buy sewing threads more than you require that will be a matter of extra warehouse maintenance. To understand sewing thread consumption we also need to understand the Seam and Stitch analysis.
Sewing thread
It's basic rule in garment industry that we must have knowledge how to calculate sewing thread consumption in 1 pcs garment then decide how many sewing thread we must buy for bulk production process.

For determining thread consumption there is a standard formula. In that formula you will get multiplying factors according to machine type and stitching classes. To define thread consumption you just have to multiply seam length with that factors. Thus, one can estimate total requirement of thread for making a garments. But actual thread consumption for a unit length of seam depends on many factors.

  1. Stitches per inches (SPI)
  2. Stitch Classes
  3. Thickness of the seam (fabric thickness)
  4. Thread tension
  5. Thread count (thickness of sewing thread)
We should follow when calculate it with below steps :
  1. Measure the actual thread consumed in a specific length of seam along the garments.
  2. Calculate the thread consumption by using mathematic stitch formulas based on seam characters ( example : single stich, double stitch, chainstitch, overlock, etc ) also please take attentions in thickness of thread.
  3. Then convert it with total yardage contained in one cones of sewing thread & total quantity of garments.
Measuring Actual Thread Consumed
A specified length of the seam, for example 3 inches, is measured and then the thread is removed by carefully unraveling the stitch. You can then calculate the amount of thread consumed in one inch and multiply this factor times the total length of the seam measured in inches.

For example:
  • Length of seam is 42 inches or 1.17 yards.
  • Stitch and seam construction: 401 SSa-1.
  • Specified length of thread removed from a seam equals 3 inches.
  • Needle thread removed = 9 inches
  • Looper thread removed = 8 inches
  • Needle thread factor = 9 ÷ 3 = 3 inches of needle thread per inch of seam.
  • Looper thread factor = 8 ÷ 3 = 2.67 inches of looper thread per inch of seam.
  • Total needle thread consumed = factor 3 X 1.17yds = 3.51 yds
  • Total looper thread consumed = factor 2.67 X 1.17yds = 3.12 yds
  • Total Thread = 3.51 + 3.12 = 6.63 yards per seam.
  • Generally a 10 to 15% waste factor is added due to chaining-off, thread breaks, repairs, etc.
  • If a waste factor of 15% is selected then:
  • 6.63 yards/seam X 1.15 = 7.62 yards/seam including 15% waste factor.
Obviously you must do this for each seam to determine the total amount of thread consumed in the finished product.

About the Editor-in-Chief:

Mazharul Islam Kiron is a textile consultant and researcher on online business promotion. He is working with one European textile machinery company as a country agent. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.

Let's Get Connected: LinkedIn | Facebook | Google Plus

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Monday, September 05, 2011

Preparing for Lao American Writers Summit 2013

One of the key questions that's on my mind as we all get ready for the Lao American Writers Summit in 2013 is making an effort to have as close to all 50 states represented this time.

Certain states won't be a problem. New York, California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska, Maryland, Texas and Tennessee have a significant density of writers and participants who are already starting to make plan to come. California actually has established and emerging writers in several cities, including Fresno, San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Diego, among others.

But we'll definitely need help finding emerging and established writers in several other states that we expect will be somewhat more difficult. Kansas, Wyoming, South Carolina, Connecticut, and New Jersey, for example, are states where we'll need help identifying emerging participants who would be good for the program. So, no matter what state you live in, if you know of Lao American writers who'd be good participants in the next Lao American writers summit, let us know!

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Pocket for iOS, Android v6.0 Adds Recommendations

PKTBlog_Recommended_Header_v1Pocket has just deployed a solution for that  highly improbable situation where you run out of saved articles to read.

Pocket v6.0 for Android and iOS adds a new recommendation tab to the app (it's also available on the website). In that tab you'll find a culling of the best stories saved to the service, which Pocket says has been personalized to match each user's reading habits.

The recommendations show up as a title plus image, and can be saved to your reading list. They're only available in English at this time, but Pocket plans to expand support to include other languages in the future.

From what I am reading on Twitter, the recommendations are somewhat better than what Instapaper offers through its Browse menu. Given that Instapaper has never suggested terribly interesting articles to me, that would not be difficult.

iTunes, Google Play via Pocket blog

About Nate Hoffelder (11700 Articles)
Nate Hoffelder is the founder and editor of The Digital Reader:"I've been into reading ebooks since forever, but I only got my first ereader in July 2007. Everything quickly spiraled out of control from there. Before I started this blog in January 2010 I covered ebooks, ebook readers, and digital publishing for about 2 years as a part of MobileRead Forums. It's a great community, and being a member is a joy. But I thought I could make something out of how I covered the news for MobileRead, so I started this blog."

3 Comments on Pocket for iOS, Android v6.0 Adds Recommendations

  1. Pocket is a fantastic service desperately in search of a monetization model.

    I have a lot of great things to say about Pocket. It works, it’s solid, it’s multi-platform yet each platform’s client has received the appropriate amount of polish. Kobo integration makes it ridiculously useful.

    That said, they’ve got themselves into a big problem: most people don’t need any more than what the service is offering. Start asking money for the core features (send articles to read later, the reader itself) and people will promptly leave to competitors Instapaper and Readability. Add ads to the reader view and people will leave AND make a big stink about it, because it goes against the whole “minimal layout” model.

    Personally, I absolutely would pay a reasonable amount to use Pocket, just like I’m happy to pay a reasonable amount for a good RSS service, and I understand I’m in the minority. Yet even I’M not willing to pay for Pocket Premium simply because it offers me very little. Search? Tagging? C’mon. Worse, the main feature, permanently storing a copy of the article, is useless to me since my entire reading habits center around getting rid of articles that I’ve read or simply don’t care about. For those rare few that I still want to read later, the “favorite” button (or a simple bookmark) work just as well.

    So here’s hoping they can monetize this recommendation model. Usually I stay the hell away from any sort of unsolicited attempts of shoving curated content at me, but I’m actually interested to see if it can find me some relevant articles to read.

    • It is odd how they have been around for years and years and have no visible means of support, isn’t it?

      I had always assumed that they developed whitelabel apps for other companies, and kept the Pocket app as a testbed and show piece. Unless they found a way to monetize the analytics, that is.

  2. It’s certainly strange, and they’re even expanding (partnering with Kobo, Firefox etc.)

    If it’s data-mining me, then it is the one of the rare few cases where I’m completely fine with it since
    a) it’s completely transparent to me
    b) it’s trivial to completely disassociate it with my identity, simply by using a fake email and not saving anything personal
    c) it didn’t try to “offer” me anything. Now that it sort of does, it’s non-intrusive

    really a great example of a user-friendly service

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Ogio Renegade RSS Backpack Review

I am a bag-aholic. Somewhere deep in my reptile brain I seem to be convinced that if I find just the right bag, I can get perfectly organized and my life will make sense.

OK, so far that has never happened, but the Ogio Renegade RSS backpack has come closer to my ideal than any bag I have tried before.  In fact, to call this a ‘backpack’ is to do it a disservice. This thing is a mobile warrior battle bag!

If you are unfamiliar with Ogio, they are an upper-end maker of bags for travel, golf, laptops, etc. with a good reputation for design, quality, and functionality. You see all of this in the $160 Renegade RSS.

The Renegade RSS bag is medium big with specs of:

  • Dimensions: 19.5″ H x 14″ W x 8″ D
  • Weight: 3.6 Lbs.
  • Capacity: 1900 Cubic Inches
The bag has a lot to brag about. The outer material is “840 D Junior Ballistic Poly, 600D Poly” – “Senior ballistic material” is what they use in bullet-proof vests. Almost none of the functional stitching is exposed – just some quilting and decorative trim. That is harder and more expensive to do but greatly adds to the durability and looks. Much of it is padded with “iFom integrated foam panels”, which just adds to the “body armor” look.
It has a whopping sixteen zippers, most of which are beautifully designed and look incredibly tough. There are pockets galore! Many of the pockets are not only padded with the iFom, they also feature cute little reflective tags with icons that can either suggest what to use a given pocket for, or help you remember what you dropped in it (as in “I packed the sandwich in the iPod pocket.”) On top of all that, most of the pockets are also lined with Red Protection – a soft but apparently tough fabric that is screen and case friendly while the red color adds visibility and a distinctive look.
Here is a quick rundown of all the pockets:
  1. Front organizer pocket with sub-pockets suggested for pens, a mouse, the checkbook, and a generic zippered pouch.
  2. Tablet pocket with a Red Protection open pouch for the tablet, and plenty of space besides.
  3. Small upper front pocket – a zippered and protected pocket with two interior mesh pockets and no icon to suggest a use.
  4. Main compartment with no additional dividers or pockets inside.
  5. Crushproof box on top center suggested for glasses.
  6. Laptop compartment worthy of its own paragraph.
  7. Upper side pockets (2). Mirror-image pockets recommended for MP3 players (although without a specialized cord slot) and camera.
  8. Lower side pockets (2). Similar but not identical. According to the icons, your power cord goes in the one with the wide elastic band in the middle inside, and a water bottle goes in the one with a bungee rig to hold the neck.
  9. Shoulder strap expanding pocket, suggested for cell phones.

Whew! Lots of pockets! I find myself a bit overwhelmed by all of these, and a little confused. I really cannot see a scenario where I really would carry a laptop AND a tablet AND an MP3 player, etc. (although I often carry a stand-alone camera.) Sure, I can use them for other stuff, but some of them are a bit oddly shaped for some of the stuff I need to bring. I also have to admit that as large as the bag is, I think the main compartment is a bit small (some of the other pockets intrude into its space.) I should also point out that the shoulder strap cell phone pocket does not fit my smartphone, and probably does not fit many other wide models.

RSS means Reactive Suspension System and refers to the way the laptop carrier portion of the bag is designed. The laptop section is behind the main compartment, or against the back of the bag and is designed for 17″ laptops up to probably about 2″ thick. The compartment is lined with their Red Protection material – a screen and case friendly soft fabric. The back of the bag is reinforced, padded, and covered with the same tough nylon. The real trick is that the inner liner does not quite reach the bottom of the bag so the laptop is suspended for protection.

The straps are the sorts of contoured things with a sternum strap you often see on the better bags. They are well-padded and shaped to really help carry a load, and they can be easily adjusted for your size and comfort. (However, as so many of us know, there really is no such thing as “one size fits all”.) There is also a well-padded and tough carry strap. Mesh and ribbing on the back of the bag appears to be designed to improve the airflow and make it even more comfortable. The bottom is tough and padded, but has no special features.

The bag comes in basic black or charcoal with red highlights, and lots of logos – some of which are reflective! (There on logos on tapes on the zipper pulls, on both shoulder straps, on top, on one side, and twice on the front.) It looks good from a distance without looking odd or really expensive. Up close, it almost reeks of workmanship.

This is a mobile warrior’s bag. You might actually have a bit of trouble finding non-electronic things to fit all the pockets. This beast will carry your office or mobile studio without strain or risk to your precious equipment.

Product Information

  • Tough
  • Stylish
  • Organized
  • Well-designed
  • General purpose storage space is a little limited
Posted in: Bags, Laptops and Gear, Reviews
{ 7 comments… add one }
  • KRYPTlK August 16, 2012, 6:10 am

    A buddy of mine just ordered this bag, and loves it. I have a couple of Ogio Bandits, and am seriously considering the Renegade myself. These Ogio bags are perfect for gadget freaks.

  • Eric August 16, 2012, 6:37 pm

    It looks a lot like my favorite backpack which is no longer in production, the Booq Boa 3L.

  • Chris August 21, 2012, 12:07 am

    I had the Metro before and liked it, but I have had my Renegade backpack for a couple of weeks now and I love it! Not sure how they will top this one, but I look forward to them trying.

  • Edward September 14, 2012, 2:23 am

    I would get the Renegade, but the lame waterbottle pocket is dealbreaker for me. Everytime you want a drink you need to zip or unzip the pocket, and also remove the bunge cord from the top of the bottle? Lame! Futhermore, the waterbottle hangs at an angle sideways away from the pack, so it looks weird! Commen sense would have been to put an mesh stretch pocket on one side, and a zip pocket on the other side. These lazy Ogio designers put four zip pockets on the sides.

  • Mark Adkins September 15, 2012, 4:24 pm

    @Edward. To each his own. I have not worried about the water bottle pocket much- the few times I have used it for water, it has either been to tote an unopened bottle of water or to hold a smaller hard-bodied bottle with a tube attachment.

  • Derek January 21, 2013, 10:31 am

    Could you please tell me how big is the laptop sleeve inside the compartment ? I really like the backpack..just not sure if my 17.3″ (16″x10.6″) laptop would fit.

  • Mark Adkins January 21, 2013, 12:10 pm

    @Derek, unfortunately, the person using this bag right now is unavailable. Perhaps you can contact their customer service?

Leave a Comment


text:
ITIL governance supports Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing governance and ITIL

ITIL governance seems something from last century, something that is old and doesn’t add any value in this world of Cloud Computing.  But while the technology behind cloud computing is certainly a step forward in terms of what it is capable of delivering to both businesses and consumers (not to mention IT professionals), it is still sorely lacking in terms of governance.  In other words, despite all the great ways that cloud computing is able to restructure computing / networking assets, it simply isn’t structurally sound enough to replace the current model (as of yet).

IT professionals who have (a background and) experience in ITIL know the importance of having an ITIL  governance policy in place almost better than anyone.  In any IT infrastructure, cloud or otherwise, there will eventually be thousands upon thousands of processes, services and information elements that will need to be handled in an organized and highly developed fashion.  As you are no doubt aware, if even just a handful of these elements are deployed, altered, or utilized in the wrong manner, it can negatively influence the entire IT infrastructure.   In fact, if no sound ITIL governance system is place, it’s only a matter of time until serious problems are encountered.  One of the primary reasons as to why ITIL is so useful (and powerful) in a grid computing / networking model has to do with the fact that it is built upon a great number of core governance principles.  Governance policies exist to ensure that infrastructure is properly designed, tested, and implemented.  Great governance policies even dictate consistent, stabilized, ongoing supervision of infrastructure.

Once again, cloud computing is slightly lacking in this department, as it is relatively new and in truth, many of the top applications and elements are still being tested, expanded, and defined.  However, great strides are being made every single day to create and craft rules and systems for cloud governance.  In the mean time, perhaps we should deploy ITIL to assist in cloud governance?

While it would be inaccurate to assume that ITIL governance could (currently) offer a complete solution for cloud governance, it should be noted that it can still provide priceless information in the form of:

  • Service Level Management (SLM)
  • Ongoing Service Validation and Testing
  • Crisis Resolution
  • Management of Demand(s) and Capacity
  • Management of Modification(s)

Decision making, as it applies to IT, is never a simple process; but perhaps it can be demystified through the application of service level management.  Through SLM, it is possible to gather consistent data (often referred to as “metrics”) about your cloud infrastructure.  Once enough data has been collected, those who are capable or tasked with decision making duties will gain a much greater insight into the inner machinations of their cloud and therefore be able to better strategize their available assets.

Likewise, as with any IT infrastructure, it’s vitally important that established service policies, levels and descriptions are being covered.  Individual services comprise the backbone of cloud computing and deliver crucial processes which must remain active and effective at all times.

ITIL governance can also assist in cloud governance by contributing to crisis resolution scenarios.   It’s somewhat of an understatement to say that a cloud computing network is vast and dispersed; often times, it can be somewhat difficult to ascertain even where any particular issue is originating from.  In order to quickly identify problems (and put elements in place to prevent future ones from occurring) we have to have a “game plan” in place for dealing with all manner of crises; this is of course another area where ITIL is useful.

Perhaps the biggest way that cloud computing differs from its predecessor is in its use of service metering.  This is to say that cloud computing services are purchased or deployed in accordance with some pricing stipulations, and limitations of data use / transfer.  Given that cloud computing is “metered”, if must also possess a system for gauging both capacity and demand (so that critical system, processes and services can be delivered without interruption).

Lastly, there is significant concern over how to best handle the introduction of new software elements into a cloud infrastructure; or, management of modification(s).  ITIL can also assist in this department as it is crucial that any new elements being introduced into an infrastructure don’t jeopardize the integrity of other crucial processes.

Cloud Computing FoundationAs you can see, ITIL governance still has some value in the cloud, even at its current level of integration (which is still largely tied to pre-cloud infrastructure).  Formalized study of ITIL, including certification, is not only a great idea for serious IT professionals, it is becoming expected.  ITIL represents the wisdom of several generations of IT masters, theorists and thinkers; it only follows logic that if you want to better understand the career field itself, that you should absorb what these people have discovered.  Likewise, cloud computing is fast becoming an institution among a growing segment of the global population; therefore, as an IT professional, training and certification in it is also highly advised (for maintaining competence and job security).

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