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Convene Technologies Jobs Forum

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International Journal of High Performance Computing and Networking

Editor in Chief
Prof. Kuan-Ching Li
ISSN online
ISSN print
12 issues per year

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IJHPCN addresses the most innovative developments in high-performance computing and networking such as information and system architectures, grid- and web-based information management and infrastructures, data storage, management, analysis and visualisation, advanced networking with applications, scalable parallel computing, cluster and grid computing, distributed systems, and high performance scientific and engineering computing with applications.


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3 Successful Tips For Advertising To Students

Advertisers for years have wanted the secret to cracking the 18-30 advertising demographic, but it has proven harder than it looks. It is believed that Millennials haven’t developed brand loyalties yet, which is why many companies try advertising to students when they hope to bump their sales. Fortunately, there is seed marketing agency that can instill brand loyalty and advertise to students:

1. Since most college aged students can’t afford cable television, they use YouTube for entertainment. As a business owner, you can take advantage of the number of students accessing YouTube by creating your own videos. The purpose of these videos is to instruct rather than to sell your products. Think of the things that a student may find relevant in the modern world and create a how-to video.

2. Marketing doesn’t have to be solely done online. In fact, http://www.seedmarketingagency.com/advertising-to-students can be as simple as visiting a local college or your own alma mater to weigh in on a topic pertaining to business. Professors will more than likely allow you to talk about your company and products during the class.

3. College students don’t have a lot of money to spend and their credit cards are often maxed out. The problem with many companies is that they don’t consider that college students don’t have a lot of money to burn through. If you can sell products or services that are well below competitors’ pricing, students will see you as their own personal hero.

Before you jump the marketing bandwagon, it’s always advisable to figure out what your demographic is looking for in terms of products or what they hope to spend. Marketing aimlessly will never do you any favors as it will often miss the needs of the average Millennial.

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Making Motherhood Work (Hardcover)

How Women Manage Careers and Caregiving

By Caitlyn Collins

Princeton University Press, 9780691178851, 360pp.

Publication Date: February 12, 2019

List Price: 29.95*
* Individual store prices may vary.

About the Author

Caitlyn Collins is assistant professor of sociology at Washington University in St. Louis. Her work has been covered by the Atlantic, NPR, and the Washington Post. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri.


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Monster Trucks (Hardcover)

By Joy Keller

Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 9781627796170, 32pp.

Publication Date: August 29, 2017

List Price: 16.99*
* Individual store prices may vary.

All monsters love the autumn air,
just right to sneak and spook and scare.
But other seasons of the year,
they shift into a different gear.

Monsters get to work—paving roads, plowing snow, hauling muck—with their monster trucks in this fun, rhyming picture book. With a gentle bedtime ending, this not-too-scary story is perfect for young monster and truck lovers.

About the Author

Joy Keller isn’t a monster, but she has driven trucks on a blueberry farm. Joy teaches elementary students and lives in Fairport, New York, with her husband, two children, four cats, and a bearded dragon. Monster Trucks is her picture book debut.

Misa Saburi was born in Sleepy Hollow, New York, and raised in Tokyo, Japan. She currently lives in Brooklyn where she illustrates children's books, including Monster Trucks and Bearnard's Book, written by Deborah Underwood.

Praise For Monster Trucks

"This is pitch perfect for kids who favor giggles over shivers, and the closing observation that tuckered-out monsters sleep in their own beds at night—not under yours—puts any lingering doubt to rest." —The Bulletin on Monster Trucks

"On hiatus from their Halloween activities, various monsters “shift into a different gear” by taking on roadside work. Debut author Keller gets plenty of mileage from the titular pun, playfully matching monsters to appropriate truck" —Publishers Weekly on Monster Trucks

"Just the book for the perceptive kids who ask where all the Halloween monsters go the rest of the year. They drive monster trucks, of course, each one perfectly suited to the job and truck at hand." —Kirkus Reviews on Monster Trucks

"A terrific read-aloud and a welcome addition to the truck (and monster) shelves." —School Library Journal on Monster Trucks

"Humorous digital illustrations show colorful vehicles and nonscary monsters—they aren’t out to get anyone!—as they cheerfully go about their tasks, while the rhyming text bounces jauntily along, much like one of these vehicles might. For bedtime or for storytime, these monsters are here." —Booklist on Monster Trucks


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Writers on iNeedArticles | Writer Interview Series – #1

Writer Interview Series #1 | INeedArticles.com

Welcome to our new series of blog posts, where we will spend some more time getting to know the writers on iNeedArticles. Each of the writers that chose to participate were asked to answer 21 questions (20 questions plus a bonus) that are designed to allow customers to get to know the background, writing styles, and personalities of our writers.

We hope you enjoy this interview series.

Writer Interview Series #1 | INeedArticles.com

The Writers On INeedArticles | A Writer Interview Series

Interview Question

  • What’s your professional background?

Prior to the Great Recession, I spent most of my time in food service, retail, and the printing industry. I did a variety of temp and seasonal projects during the recession to try new things out. Proofreading documents at a financial services firm lead me to rediscover my love writing, reading, and editing. I’ve been doing it ever since.

  • Tell us about your writing experience

I started writing fiction as early as elementary school. I was on every newspaper staff of my junior and senior high schools and even early into college. I didn’t start off in this field originally, but the recession kind of forced me back to what I was naturally good at just to make a living when earnings were scarce.

  • Tell us about the best book you’ve read recently

Mediterranean Diet for Dummies. The whole Dummies line of books is great for learning the fundamentals of any new subject in easy format, with intriguing information presented in a friendly tone with occasional humor sprinkled in.

  • Which blogs do you read?

I follow some political news blogs and two about my favorite sports team.

  • What do you enjoy most about writing?

Creating things. I wasted many years in jobs where it was just in and out, dealing with the same endless thing over and over. This is something that actually makes me feel like I’m contributing something.

  • How would you describe your writing style?

Light-hearted. I try to have fun with my writing, and I seem to get my best client ratings when my passion and humor show.

  • How do you perform research for writing assignments?

I have access to several article databases of tens of thousands of pieces not available to the public that I draw on when the subject is right. Google is my other go-to. The right keyword and three to five pages off the first page can deliver a staggering amount of information.

  • How do you proofread or edit your own work?

Three read-throughs. The first is for spellchecking and Grammarly errors. While I love Grammarly, sometimes the errors are mine, and sometimes the errors belong to it! The second read-through should catch anything only human eyes can, and the final pass is to make sure it’s pure, while also making some minor improvements.

  • What makes good content? How do you know if a piece of content will perform well?

For INA, it needs to be useful and coherent to the reader while also meeting the needs of the customer that orders it. Deciphering the keyword and intent of the piece are crucial.

  • How do you talk about a dry or technical subject without relying on industry jargon?

If I can write in such a way that my niece would understand it, I take the assignment. If not, I leave it for another talented writer. The diversity of knowledge and skills on the team comforts me in knowing I don’t have to be able to write everything in the queue.

  • What do you do to create SEO-friendly content?

Don’t overdo the keywords, and make it useful and distinct. Google’s business model relies on delivering not just accurate results to its crowd, but links they can use. So, content has to actually be useful to anyone who reads it, not just 500 random words about the title. I always assume a human will eventually read what I write, even if it’s probably just for a backlink.

  • How do you decide what tone to use with a particular piece of writing?

I try to aim for a friendly and even light-hearted tone in many of my pieces, unless the subject matter is particularly serious.

  • How do you determine whether a source is credible?

The About Us page is usually telling. Many sites are really vague and don’t even have one. I don’t trust such sources. It’s also crucial to learn the difference between genuine non-profits and educational institutions from not-for-profits funded as an industry promotional group.

  • What experience do you have with non-text content (images, infographics, etc.)?

  • Which style guide do you prefer to follow?

Associated Press is the one I’m familiar with more than any other. Another work provider has had me using it for 7 years.

  • How did you find INA?

I was originally a member of Jonathan Leger’s Mturk crew and came over when he created the site for us so we could keep working for him.

  • Why do you want to write for INA?

Being able to set my own hours and scale my workload are crucial to my lifestyle. I never miss a chance to travel, spend time with family, attend basketball games, or play video games with friends online just because I have to work. I still have to put in enough hours each week to pay the rent, and the discipline involved is hard, even after many years, but it’s worth it.

  • What are your favorite writing assignments?

Anything that’s a personal passion of mine is something I can usually write well without research. Video games, yoga, and basketball are common ones I love catching. Cruise ships and the Carribbean are close to my heart too.

  • What experience(s) do you have with ecommerce or internet marketing?

Writing for INA actually introduced me to internet marketing. I have experience doing ecommerce work at another provider, but I’m also signed up for the Prosperative coaching service that Jon Leger and his associates run. I hope to have my first website up soon.

Bonus: Are you a published author? How do we find your content?

I’ve ghost-written a few books for others anonymously. As yet, none of my own work is published, although I’ve done NaNoWriMo twice and gearing up to revise an earlier book.

Stay tuned to know more writers on INeedArticles!

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Fill it in! - Part 2.a

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Here's some short lick examples, in the video I mainly improvise all the variations, so I'll just give you a basic lick idea or two, that you can use as a guideline, and a starting point for your own lick excursions. Actually tabbing out every improvised variation would kind of defeat the purpose, since then you would learn those as "new" licks, when you should really just have the basic lick-idea in your head and go wherever the spur of the moment takes you!


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C. L. (Butch) OTTER, Congress, ID

OTTER, C. L. (Butch), a Representative from Idaho; born in Caldwell, Canyon County, Idaho, May 3, 1942; B.A., College of Idaho (now Alberston College of Idaho), Caldwell, Idaho, 1967; Idaho Army National Guard, 1968-1973; member of the Idaho state house of representatives, 1972-1976; business executive; Idaho state lieutenant governor, 1987-2001; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Seventh and to the two succeeding Congresses (January 3, 2001-January 3, 2007); was not a candidate for reelection to the United States House of Representatives in 2006; Governor of Idaho, 2007-present.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present

Birth Date


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Charles Belknap HENDERSON, Congress, NV

Senate Years of Service:

HENDERSON, Charles Belknap, a Senator from Nevada; born in San Jose, Calif., June 8, 1873; moved with his parents to Nevada in 1876; attended the public schools in Elko, Nev., the University of the Pacific, and Leland Stanford Junior University in California; graduated in law from the University of Michigan in 1895; admitted to the bar in 1896 and commenced practice in Elko, Nev.; served as lieutenant in Torrey's Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War; district attorney of Elko County 1901-1905; member, State house of representatives 1905-1907; regent of the University of Nevada 1907-1917; appointed on January 12, 1918, and subsequently elected on November 5, 1918, as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Francis G. Newlands and served from January 12, 1918, to March 3, 1921; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920; chairman, Committee on Industrial Expositions (Sixty-fifth Congress), Committee on Mines and Mining (Sixty-fifth Congress); appointed a member of the board of directors of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in 1934, elected chairman in 1941 and resigned in 1947; retired from political activities; president and director of the Elko Telephone & Telegraph Co. and a director of the Western Pacific Railroad; died in San Francisco, Calif., November 8, 1954; interment in Elko Cemetery, Elko, Nev.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present

Birth Date


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Maritz IT's Journey: From Sinkhole to Full Business Partner - InformationWeek
IT Leadership
09:30 AM
Connect Directly

Maritz IT's Journey: From Sinkhole to Full Business Partner

Gerry Imhoff knew things had to change, but it would need to be a culture change, not a new generation of technology.

The directive, when it came down, seemed unreasonable. CIO Gerry Imhoff at Maritz Holdings Inc. had been reducing his IT budget each year to hold down costs, but then the edict came down to reduce it by another 40%.

"My team and myself felt we were being fiscally responsible. We had reduced the size of our budget by $1 million a year for 10 years. Then we were told to cut it another 40%. We asked ourselves, 'How do we do that?'" said CIO and Senior VP of IT Services Gerry Imhoff, recalling the event which occurred in March 2013.

Another 40% cut on a $45 million budget would mean a reduction of another $18 million. What was needed, he realized, was a revamped IT department, one that did things differently and with a different culture than the one he was leading.

Gerry Imhoff
Gerry Imhoff

"Our approach at that time was incorrect from a cultural perspective. We weren't rude but we approached our business customers as if we were the experts and we knew what technology they needed," Imhoff recalled in a recent interview with InformationWeek. At the time, Imhoff lead a heavily centralized IT organization that hired staff based on their technical knowhow and self-confidence. IT's business customers at Maritz, however, were getting increasingly frustrated with an organization that charged them more for IT each year without being able to dramatically increase the amount of service.

All the information on IT operational expenses was captured either in the corporate ERP system or in spreadsheets, which only Imhoff and one other person in the organization could understand. With the order to cut 40%, Imhoff implemented an Apptio IT cost management system that mapped IT assets to expenses and captured the quantity of use by each business unit.

Want to learn more about cloud adoption? See A Cloud Move Means Big Changes for IT Operations.

He also initiated a cultural-change program where prospective and existing staff were informed of what the new requirements were to be in IT. Imhoff wanted an organization that could listen and deliver cost-effective services as well as explain its own technical competence – a more consultative group. They would need to listen and understand what the needs were as they came to rely more on Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and software-as-a-service.

Over three years, Maritz changed the nature of its IT staff. Everyone was given the opportunity to adopt the new approach and many made the cut. But when Imhoff looked around in March 2016, the third year of his effort, 50% of the IT staff had been at Maritz for three years or less.

"We coached people, it was either 'up or out,'" recalled Imhoff. "We brought in a lot of people," he acknowledged.

The Apptio dashboard. (Source: Apptio)
The Apptio dashboard. (Source: Apptio)

At the same time, the nature of IT's ongoing conversation with the business units changed. Maritz Holdings is in the employees incentives business. It has a Motivation Solutions business unit, a Global Events unit and a Customer Experience unit. Credit cards that earn points, hotel stays that add up to free nights, questionnaires that ask your satisfaction with an automobile are all products of the Maritz business units.

Imhoff decentralized the IT staff and allowed business units to have resident development teams who responded to their needs. Central IT as supervised by Imhoff shrank from 350 people to 160. Between 550 to 600 analysts, architects and developers became part of the business unit teams.

"For the first time," said Imhoff, "business managers could see the total cost of ownership of the technology assigned to their business operations" when before it had been an awkward or impossible conversation to hold.

When business managers previously referred to IT, they tended to describe "the giant sucking sound of costs. Now they completely own the cost and understand what's in it, which users used which application and which storage," he said. The IT cost accounting puts his organization on an equal footing with the units as a business partner, he said.

"Business users used to suggest they didn't have control over their technology costs because of this inflexible IT organization that controlled everything," he said. It's better to be a business partner than a lightning rod for blame and complaints, he added.

Global Events has become a heavy user of software as a service, while all the business units frequently do their application development on Microsoft Azure's platform as a service. Finished applications are often exported to Amazon Web Services to run.

Maritz continues to operate its own data center, and an application that is needed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, will tend to run there. But any workloads that are spikey or seasonal are often shipped out to the public cloud. "We are absolutely embracing the AWS and Azure clouds," Imhoff said.

Part of IT's new approach to the business is to serve as a skilled consultant on cloud computing and advise the businesses on how to keep control of their data and keep it secure. Imhoff said shadow IT was never a big problem at Maritz. But four years ago, there were rumblings about the unresponsiveness of IT that suggested that it might become one.

"For the first time, business managers could see the total cost of ownership of the technology assigned to their business operations"

IT now offers choices, not dictates. A new employee gets to chose a Windows laptop or a Mac, with IT representatives able to show the cost of each over a year. The same goes for IT services. IT is now able to say, "Here is what it costs. Do you value it that much?" said Imhoff.

Business users "can make informed decisions" without IT needing to decide issues for them, a relationship-building process, he adds.

The IT organization met the goal of reducing its budget by another 40% between 2013 and 2016, and continued to apply the lessons that it learned. It's since found additional savings, but plowed them back into IT operations in the form of improved security.

"We increased our spending on security by $2 million over the last two years, at no incremental or out of pocket expense," he noted. Instead of "a giant sucking sound," IT is viewed as taking on fresh responsibility and producing the right results.

Imhoff views the directive to cut another $18 million in retrospect "as kind of a blessing. It made us look internally at who we were and how we treated our business partners," concluded Imhoff. By adopting a leaner central staff, distributing app development out into business units, lowering costs and improving security, the image of the IT organization has changed from a sinkhole into a full-fledged business partner. It's a change that Imhoff wants to keep intact far into the future.

Charles Babcock is an editor-at-large for InformationWeek and author of Management Strategies for the Cloud Revolution, a McGraw-Hill book. He is the former editor-in-chief of Digital News, former software editor of Computerworld and former technology editor of Interactive ... View Full Bio

We welcome your comments on this topic on our social media channels, or [contact us directly] with questions about the site.
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User Rank: Apprentice
3/26/2017 | 10:20:49 PM
Re: The difference couldn't be clearer
Maritz did a great job!It is cool if you can see the essence of the problem and can bring the right solution to it.

This is a bright example how analysis can save you much money
Charlie Babcock
Charlie Babcock,
User Rank: Author
3/23/2017 | 2:38:46 PM
The difference couldn't be clearer
Imhoff drew an even starker contrast between the old IT staff and the new staff as we addressed the subject the second time in the interview: "We used to hire for technical prowess. Even if you were a jerk, we'd hire you," he said. But too many jerks add up to bad communicatkion skills when interacting with the business uses and outside customers. Now, when IT managers interview candidates, they're looking for "technical skills in people who also understand people."

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Pin It

Verbal fireworks

by Ed Symkus

David Mamet has long been known as a master of the word. Sometimes they come flowing out of his characters' mouths, sometimes they're delivered around the perfectly timed pauses that he calls for in his direction. Usually they're quite dramatic, and invariably they're intermingled with curses. But in Heist, he's added a bit more humor to the verbal mix.

When Sam Rockwell's vile Jimmy Silk is told he must be quiet, he replies, "I'm gonna be quiet as an ant pissing on cotton." Hey, let's hear it for the teacher who taught Mamet about similes. And it gets better, or maybe worse. When another character is told about an upcoming criminal caper, he says that it's a cute plan, "cute as a Chinese baby." A picture springs to mind of Mamet sitting at an old manual typewriter laughing uproariously as he writes this stuff.

Yet even though the film has a lot of these little zingers, it's no comedy. It's a down-and-dirty study of people trapped in a criminal life, some of whom thrive on it -- financially and emotionally -- and some who want nothing more than to get out while they can.

Joe Moore (Gene Hackman) and his wife Fran (Rebecca Pidgeon) want out. They and their crack team -- Bobby (Delroy Lindo) is the strong-arm, Pinky (Ricky Jay) is in charge of damage control -- have made some sizeable amounts of change through a series of jewel robberies. Now it's time for Joe and Fran to hop on a boat and head south for a new life.

But in the film's only hint at cliche, there's one more job to be done, one more caper dreamed up by slimeball master planner Bergman (Danny DeVito), who refuses to turn over Joe's share of the loot from the last heist until he commits to pulling off a massive gold bar number known only as "the Swiss job." Unfortunately, Bergman also makes his nephew, Jimmy Silk (Sam Rockwell), part of the package, just to make sure nobody runs off with all the goods.

With all this as the setup, and with the way the plot suddenly starts turning, maybe the film should have been titled Scam, since from that moment on, nobody is being completely straight with anyone else.

This is one lean-and-mean movie. The celebrated Mamet dialogue is actually rather spare, as is the action, yet there's still plenty going on. The Swiss job turns out to be a daring daylight heist at an airport. (This film was supposed to be released a few weeks ago, but the studio decided that showing a robbery on a plane, even one that had no passengers, wouldn't be proper in the wake of all the terrorist events.) But due to all kinds of unforeseen circumstances, the job is on, then off, then on, etc. The script offers a plethora of switching and baiting as it appears that every character in on the job has his own agenda brewing. Whatever plans have been made -- and sticking to the plan had always been the reason for success in earlier capers -- this time not everyone is obeying them.

Meanwhile, it's never made exactly clear who is funding the whole operation, but it's painfully clear that they're people one doesn't want to mess with.

A real highlight of the film is the original soundtrack by Theodore Shapiro, a relative newcomer who also did Mamet's most recent film, State and Main. At different points, the music drives the action and heightens the suspense, and there's some extraordinary guitar work for your listening pleasure.

But, as always with a Mamet film, it's the actors doing what they do, in conjunction with the dialogue, that makes it all so cool. Ricky Jay (Boogie Nights, Magnolia and almost every Mamet-directed film so far) definitely gets all the best lines, but the team of Hackman and Pidgeon get the best scenes and make an amazing screen team. As both characters and actors, they're just about perfect together. He's sharp and hot-headed; she's tough and attractive (she knows it, and this leads to some intrigue).

When things finally start spinning rapidly out of control for these control freaks, the film takes a very dark turn. And an ongoing mystery element involving loyalty and allegiance keeps everyone guessing right up to the end. As viewers walk out of the theater, they'll likely split 50-50 as to whether it's a good ending or a bad one. And that's just one more thing that's so cool about this movie.

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Gary R. Smith

Senior Principal Analyst

Mr. Smith has over 30 years experience as a senior decision analyst and decision analysis software developer. He has developed decision analysis software tools that are widely used and that define the state of the art for multi-objective decision analysis. He also has wide experience as a decision analysis consultant, providing model development, group facilitation, problem definition and training to a wide variety of clients in business, government agencies and the military. Mr. Smith has worked with clients to define problems and scopes of work, developed methodologies, performed analysis and documented and presented results and performed training in decision analysis. Technical skills include decision and risk analysis, operations research methods, computer programming and others.

M.S., Engineering-Economic Systems, Stanford University, 1975
B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 1974

Selected Publications and Presentations

Smith, G.R., Logical Decisions Portfolio User’s Manual, Fairfax, VA, Logical Decisions, 2003-2012

Smith, G.R., Logical Decisions User’s Manual, Fairfax, VALogical Decisions, 1991-2012

Gary R. Smith, James Scouras, Robert M. DeBell, (2009) “Qualitative Representation of Risk” chapter in Wiley Handbook of Science and Technology for Homeland Security, April 2010.

Donald L. Buckshaw, Dr. Gregory S. Parnell, Willard L. Unkenholz, Donald L. Parks and Gary R. Smith “A Comparison of Aggregation Techniques for Mission Oriented Risk and Design Analysis (MORDA) Attack Values”,  Innovative Decisions Technical Report 2004-03, Vienna, VA, 2004.

Smith, G.R., Aggregation of Information in Large Projects Using Multi-attribute Utility Theory, ORSA/TIMS Joint National Meeting, Philadelphia, Nov 1990.

Keeney, R.L., Sicherman, A., Smith, G.R., Analyzing Radionuclide Emissions from Coal Fired Power Plants, Interfaces, Sept.-Oct. 1985.

Keeney, R.L., Smith, G.R., Evaluating the Implications of Possible MC&A Regulations on Employees in Nuclear Facilities, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Nov. 1982.

Coffey C., Smith D., Smith, G.R., Methods for Land Use Suitability Mapping, Computer Graphics World,Sept. 1982.

Smith, G.R., Textured Sets: An Approach to Aggregation Problems with Multiple Concerns,. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, April. 1980


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Poli Sci Professor Producers

New analysis draws attention to the influence of a relatively small number of programs -- and also points to doctoral programs that punch above their weight.

September 3, 2013

CHICAGO -- Last year, a study in Georgetown Public Policy Review exposed the extent to which a relatively small number of graduate programs in political science dominate placement in Ph.D.-granting departments. The study looked at the 116 universities ranked by U.S. News & World Report for political science graduate programs, and examined where all of the tenure-track or tenured faculty members earned their doctorates. The top four institutions in the magazine's rankings of departments -- Harvard, Princeton and Stanford Universities and the University of Michigan -- were the Ph.D. alma maters of 616 of the political scientists at the 116 universities (roughly 20 percent of the total). The top 11 institutions were collectively responsible for the doctoral education of about half of those in tenured or tenure-track positions at the 116 universities.

On Saturday, the author of that study -- Robert L. Oprisko of Butler University -- presented expanded findings here at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association. The paper argues not only that some departments may have more historical dominance but that others may be on the rise right now (judging from the number of assistant professors they have placed). While Oprisko is critical of a system that seems to place so much emphasis on Ph.D. pedigree, he also argues that this information needs wider circulation to help would-be graduate students make informed choices. (Oprisko earned his Ph.D. at Purdue University, not one of the dominant institutions). The paper -- also by Kirstie L. Dobbs of Loyola University Chicago and Joseph DiGrazia of Indiana University -- may be found at the website of the Social Science Research Network.

The data presented Saturday looked at the Ph.D.s of all faculty members who are tenure-track or tenured at institutions that grant Ph.D.s in political science, but also at how many of those placements are at the assistant professor level. Because assistant professors would have been recently placed, they reflect the current ability of department graduates to land good jobs at research universities.

Harvard tops both lists, but while it has a large lead over the second place University of California at Berkeley in total Ph.D. alumni at research universities, Harvard is ahead of Berkeley by only one in the assistant professor category. This suggests Berkeley is gaining ground on Harvard in what Oprisko argued is a key factor in graduate program desirability.

Oprisko acknowledged that the study does not count the many political scientists who find meaningful careers at teaching oriented institutions that don't award Ph.D.s (some of whom challenged him on this point at the session here) or in careers outside academe, but he said that Ph.D. programs have greater influence on the field (by training future professors) and that many who enroll in Ph.D. programs want research-oriented careers.

And the study finds that some institutions that may not have been historically at the very top in Ph.D. placement have been doing much better lately.

For example, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Cornell University are 12th and 13th, respectively, on the list in terms of number of Ph.D. alumni in political science working as tenured or tenure-track faculty members at research universities. But they have more placements of assistant professors than does the University of Chicago (ranked 5th).

And Florida State University, while ranked 30th over all in jobs held at research universities by its Ph.D. alumni, also has more assistant professor placements than all but three of the institutions ranked 15th to 29th, and several ranked above 15.

Oprisko stressed that he still thinks political science hiring is too focused on elite institutions -- and could benefit from less emphasis on hiring from elite programs. He said it is "possible, but very, very unprobable" that all of the best candidates come from the most highly ranked programs. And he said he believes others' perspectives are lost by this pattern.

Here are the top programs, by number of Ph.D. alumni on the faculties at the 116 universities that award Ph.D.s in political science.

Top Political Science Programs in Placing Ph.D.s in Tenure-Track Jobs at Research Universities

Rank (Total) University Total Ph.D. Alumni Placed Total Placements of Assistant Professors
1 Harvard U. 272 46
2 U. of California at Berkeley 216 45
3 U. of Michigan 170 32
4 Yale U. 165 27
5 U. of Chicago 155 21
6 Columbia U. 139 36
7 Stanford U. 137 43
8 Princeton U. 118 26
9 UCLA 100 31
10 MIT 93 11
11 U. of Wisconsin at Madison 93 18
12 U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 91 25
13 Cornell U. 87 24
14 U. of Minnesota - Twin Cities 84 17
15 (tie) Indian U. at Bloomington 74 12
15 (tie) Ohio State U. 74 22
17 U. of Rochester 64 16
18 (tie) Duke U. 61 23
18 (tie) Northwestern U. 61 11
20 Washington U. in St. Louis 56 12
21 U. of California at San Diego 53 25
22 Johns Hopkins U. 52 12
23 (tie) U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 47 12
23 (tie) U. of Texas at Austin 47 15
25 New York U. 42 11
26 (tie) U. of Iowa 41 9
27 Michigan State U. 41 10
28 U. of Virginia 40 7
29 Syracuse U. 39 6
30 Florida State U. 38 17

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by Enwork

Concurrence, with its subtle but sophisticated aesthetic, is one of Enwork’s newer technology-enabled table platforms. Featuring a domed, aluminum end cap, Concurrence tables and bases will blend with any architectural envelope.

Concurrence was designed with structural beams to minimize the number of bases required. Its base and trough kits support up to a 14’ table on only two bases and up to a 20’ table on only three bases. Of course, longer sizes are available too.

The Concurrence platform includes Video Sharing tables to support collaboration and facilitate highly interactive meetings. Leveraging the same aluminum end caps, Concurrence VS Tables are designed as furniture, not rolling AV racks, with wires and cables neatly hidden between panels and in a structural trough under the top. Enwork’s video sharing technology is simple to use so the benefit for your project teams is immediate. Concurrence Monitor Walls are also available.

Concurrence Brochure

Manufacturer's Concurrence page


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The Latest ‘Color of the Year’ Looks at What’s to Come

December 11, 2017

Near the end of every year, companies release the color of the year for the coming year. The color of the year does depend on what you pay attention to. Fashion websites choose one, art websites choose another, but the “Color of the Year” that gets the most press is Pantone.

Pantone is an American-based company that focuses on standardizing color. They are most famous for their Color Matching System. It attempts to standardize colors, regardless of manufacturer or location.

According to Laurie Pressman, the Vice President of Pantone Color Institute, “The Pantone Color of the Year has come to mean so much more than ‘what’s trending’ in the world of design. It’s truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today.”

Recently, Pantone released their “Color of the Year” for 2018: Ultra Violet.

According to their release, Ultra Violet is “a dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade...Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.”

They go on to explain that “Ultra Violet” hints toward the mysteries of the stars and what lies ahead. “The vast and limitless night sky is symbolic of what is possible and continues to inspire the desire to pursue a world beyond our own.”

They mention the musical icons Prince, David Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix, who each used Ultra Violet as a way to express individuality. They state, “Ultra Violet symbolizes experimentation and non-conformity, spurring individuals to imagine their unique mark on the world, and push boundaries through creative outlets.”

Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2017 was “Greenery.” They claimed that Greenery is a symbol of new beginnings. It brings forward new life and unity.

Moving from 2017’s new beginning of Greenery to 2018’s future-looking Ultra Violet, Pantone is tracking many trends in society. People are beginning to lean on development and looking toward the future. It encourages people to find their creative outlets.

While I wouldn’t necessarily wear the color of the year, it’s a great move toward looking to the future and finding passions. What do you think of the latest Pantone color?

In other news, Prince Harry’s been stealing food from his brother for years. Check out the details here.

Next: Apparently, Prince Harry’s Been Stealing His Brother’s Food For YearsDec 01, 2017


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Join now

Coffee on Sunday June 8th (Casablanca)

Hi everyone,
Last time we had a brunch, this time we will have a coffee. It will take place on Sunday June 8th at 3:00PM at Chill'Out Café (Racine area). It offers full flavored and other hot and cold coffee drinks. It also put at the disposal of its customers journals, books and comics. I called the team of Chill'Out, they've booked a nice space for us.
The café is located between boulevard Al Massira Al Khadra and boulevard Bir Anzarane, next to College Badr. Details on the venue and the map can be found here: Protected content
As always, you can find the pictures of last coffees and brunches at this link: Protected content
Please have a look at this forum thread as place and date might be updated. Please try to be on time as space is booked for only a limited time.
Hope to see you guys there!

Casablanca Forum


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Join now

Cricket Players wanted! (Warsaw)

You may not be aware that Poland has an active cricket scene with T20 tournaments and a 50 over league tournament played by 6 teams over the season. The game is played competitively and with great spirit. The Polish cup played in mid June, complete with music, bollywood dancers and great cricket is not to be missed.

The Warsaw United Cricket Team started last year and is looking for players.

If you are interested or would like to know more drop me a line.

We hope to see some new people join our cricket community.

Warsaw Forum


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Bitcoins as Payment Method.

Level 1 Support
Staff member
Would anyone be interested in paying for their radio with Bitcoins ?

If you havent heard of them there is some more info here : What is Bitcoin? - We Use Coins

We are interested to know if anyone would like to use Bitcoins as an alternative to Paypal or Google Checkout.

Level 1 Support
Staff member
Cool 8)

If anyone would like to make payment with bitcoins (PAYG servers only) contact us and we will provide you with a bitcoin address to make payment. It will be done manually for the moment but if it proves popular we will automate the process.

Level 1 Support
Staff member
I really don't get how this works. Looks good but other than that Im at a loss to it, :D
Its difficult to explain and it did take us a bit of research before we understood enough so you're not the only one ;) The more we understood though the more we like the idea of Bitcoins. The parts about anonymity, speed, VERY low transaction fees and limited supply appealed to us. It could be very big in the future if it really takes off.

Essentially to get started you need to buy some bitcoins. This can be done by simple bank transfer at an exchange like this one (for the uk) : or

Once you have some bitcoins and want to pay for bandwidth with them contact us and we will provide you with an address to send them to. Once received (very quick) Very much a manual process at the moment though. We will automate it if/when it becomes popular.

General Lighting

Super Moderator
Staff member
I can see both side of this TBH.

Bitcoins are attractive to a small business like this due to the low transaction fees - but to the end user who wants to create a radio programme rather than become an ICT tech for finance (like me whose career path took me in exactly that direction!) its as labour intensive as paying your fees in any other foreign currency! OK maybe no worse or risky than online banking but still extra effort.

Some (not all) bitcoin mining is done using stolen resources and - the same greed fuelled tactics the conventional banking industry is berated for. however its becoming more resource intensive. but anyway if I had that many "spare" graphics cards (which you would have to purchase for conventional dosh anyway) to play with I'd use them to make cool pictures with instead :rofl:

As for anonymity, if you are making a sound broadcast then unless listeners are hidden in darkened mud huts using headphones its going to be heard by the "enemy" at some point and they will use conventional detection techniques to trace it. Detailed discussions of politics and sigint (two very complex subjects) are outside the scope of this forum but if there is anyone reading who wants to use sound broadcasting to put a dissenting political view in a "non western" country - my view is they would be no less unsafe and more effective doing it the "old style" way as a pirate broadcaster on analogue MF, HF or Band II (FM) radio frequencies!

Equipment to do this can be picked up using national currency for cash no questions asked or scavenged from other scrap electronic items (i.e comms kit for transport and public services) the target listeners need only a normal analogue radio to pick up the broadcast. not all poor dissidents are going to be able to afford computers or broadband or might need them for work and not want to risk them being confiscated, whereas an analogue radio can be obtained for €1-€5 nowadays and doesn't store incriminating data...

Also they can't be traced and identified (whereas because of the way internet radio works listeners are not anonymous) its how you get your pretty picture with a flag and sometimes a google map on centovacast.

Ironically these days most nations Communications Ministries (even "liberal" ones) have loads of young, enthusiastic staff devoted to monitoring and regulating the Internet (working with the civillian, military and covert security forces) and the net in many nations is designed to facilitate this monitoring, whilst the numbers of specialist staff who can trace an analogue pirate broadcaster are dwindling (especially outside city areas or where there are aerodromes and seaports where interference is a safety issue). The equipment they require is specialist and expensive too!

In the case of an analogue station run by rebels in one country, it would be feasible (barring jamming by the incumbent authorities) for sympathetic refugees in a neighbouring nation within reception range to pick it up off air and then retransmit it via an internet radio server to the refugees in further away nations. It may then be understandable the refugee community would want a bit of privacy to avoid reprisals.

Maybe bitcoin would work for this, at least in the short to medium term.

in the future though a wider issue is how much "controversial" content businesses running servers would want to host as stuff like tactical purchasing/product boycotts as acvitism works both ways in a free market economy, and increasingly the Communications Ministries will start keeping an ear out for what is heard online..
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H&R Block
1,000 People Win $1,000

H&R Block sweepstakes winner in Chicago CTA station

Hitting the jackpot while amplifying brand awareness

Campaign Objective

H&R Block wanted to increase awareness of their brand and sweepstakes opportunities at tax time, while capturing social and video content to share across their channels.

Our Solution

H&R Block utilized Intersection’s exclusive relationship with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to enhance an existing marketing campaign with a multimedia blitz, deploying a unique mix of out-of-home executions and experiential extension. To create a shareable moment for H&R Block, Intersection helped design an engaging program that awarded 1,000 riders with $10 fare cards, courtesy of H&R Block. The lucky recipient of the 1,000th card received a $1,000 check. Simultaneously, brand buses, bus Ultra Super Kings, and a Roosevelt station saturation made an impact during peak tax season.

The Impact

  • 32.3MM

    Impressions generated over a month

  • 4+MM

    Social media–generated impressions

  • 1.1MM

    Video views

H&R Block, Geopath

H&R Block bus advertisement
Representatives pass out H&R Block flyers in Chicago CTA station
Chicago CTA bus interior with H&R Block advertisement


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Energy Saving with Variable Frequency Drives

Energy Saving with Variable Frequency Drives

One of the big advantages of using variable frequency drives is energy saving. Energy savings can also be made by careful motor selection; energy costs over the life of a motor are fifty or a hundred times the cost of the motor, so choosing a high efficiency motor (IE3 or better, IE4) makes sense. EU regulations now mean a new IE2 motor must be operated with a variable frequency drive in any case.

Constant torque applications (such as conveyers, mixers, machines) will save some energy, but savings really notice with variable torque loads such as pumps or fans. A reduction in speed of 10% here gives a saving of about 25% in energy; 20% will save about half. Fitting a sensor to monitor your process (temperature, pressure, flow rate etc.) and using the closed loop control built into the drive will improve the system performance and save money as well. Payback time is often in months, rather than years. Variable frequency drives such as Invertek’s Eco drive offer many special features to work with pumps and fans as well. All Invertek drives also have an energy saving function (P-06 on E3; P1-06 on Eco and P2 drives) which will save a little more.

Full Article

Using Closed Loop Control

We’ve already seen how closed loop control can be used in many applications to regulate temperature, pressure or flow rate. Most variable frequency drives have a built in closed loop control that can be used for this any many other applications.

In a closed loop system, the drive monitors the output (for example, pressure or flow rate) and continually adjusts the motor speed to try to maintain the desired value. Applications such as controlling temperature, pressure and flow rate in air handling systems, or pressure in pumping systems are well known and have been described in an earlier article.

But there are plenty of other possibilities. The drive can control a vacuum level in applications such as milking parlours; this has shown significant savings. Other closed loop systems control humidity in greenhouses (adjusting the water misting system) or Carbon Dioxide levels in buildings.

A neat application is shown in Figure 1. The conveyer feeds stones into the crusher; the crusher runs at fixed speed. The variable frequency drive monitors the load on the crusher (by measuring the crusher motor current) and adjusts the conveyer speed to bring supply or less stone. This allows the crusher to run at optimum load all the time, improving throughput. A real improvement in many applications such as sugar crushing, wood powdering etc.

Torque control and systems with encoders (such as cranes and elevators) are special applications of closed loop control. Getting the best out of solar panels (when used with a drive for remote irrigation pumps) is another application where closed loop control makes a big improvement.

Full Article

Find your local office or sales partner, covering 80 countries worldwide

Global Website


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NOT much cred in Tunisia. Photo: Neil Hall/BackpagePix

DOHA – Tunisia's national coach said Monday he will fear England's Raheem Sterling more than Harry Kane, when the two countries play against each other in the World Cup finals this year.

Nabil Maaloul was speaking in Doha, where the Tunisian national team are preparing for Russia with a 14-day winter training camp at the Aspire Zone.

Tunisia will meet England in their first game in World Cup Group G, which also contains Belgium and Panama.

Asked about his country's prospects in the opening match, and specific players, Maaloul pointed to the threat from the Manchester City star rather than the Tottenham forward and English captain.

“The most dangerous player for me is Sterling, I think he is one of the best players,” Maaloul said.

“People say that Harry Kane is the biggest risk but I think Raheem Sterling is the one. He is the biggest threat as a player.”

He added: “It's a young team, it's changed in recent years. The kind of English football has changed a lot after they hired coaches like Guardiola or Conte.

“It's a new kind of football, but we are going to be prepared.”

Tunisia will be appearing in their fifth World Cup in Russia.

Their first was in Argentina in 1978 where, despite beating Mexico and drawing with West Germany, they failed to make it out of the group stage.

Indeed, Tunisia have yet to reach the knockout stages and Russia could prove tough with top seed Belgium ranked number five in the world and England at 15.

“We are going to be in a very difficult group,” said Maaloul.  ”We are going to play Belgium and England but we have started our preparations.

“For both teams we have preparations we are thinking about.”

Tunisia, ranked 27, will play Belgium in their second group game.


text:
• Curious about our work?
    ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17
    IPFN's highlights in research, education and outreach
    More Information Here
  • IPFN is proud to present a
    This new laser creates ultra-short and ultra-intense infrared light sources
    More Information Here

About Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear

About IPFN

Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear (IPFN, Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion) is a research unit of Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) with the status of Associated Laboratory granted by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia.
IPFN ensures the Portuguese participation in EUROFusion, the European Consortium for the Development of Fusion Energy.
The role of the research unit at national and international level was recognized in the last FCT evaluation of R&D units, where IPFN was awarded the classification “Exceptional”.

The main activities of IPFN are centered on Research and Education:
Research is organized into two Thematic Areas: Controlled Nuclear Fusion and Intense Lasers and Plasmas Technology, divided into seven scientific groups in total. The research activities of the IPFN are monitored by an External Advisory Panel.
Education encompasses a broad range of activities, including coordination and participation in Doctoral Programs and Master Degrees, training of young researchers in advanced facilities, and outreach activities for pre-university students and teachers.

Research areas

Our research program is carried out in the scope of seven groups, focused in specialized fields of study.
Nuclear Fusion: Engineering and Systems Integration, Materials Processing and Characterisation, Experimental Physics, Theory and Modelling
Plasma Technologies and Lasers: Lasers and Plasmas, N-PRiME, High Pressure Plasmas.

Location and Laboratories

IPFN is based at the Alameda campus of IST in Lisbon. We operate several experimental facilities both at this campus and at the Loures campus.
ISTTOK Tokamak | L2I Laboratory for Intense Lasers | PEL Plasma Engineering Laboratory | MotLab Ultra-cold Atoms Laboratory for Ultra-cold Atoms and Quantum Plasmas | ESTHER European Shock Tube for High-Enthalpy Research | LATR Laboratory of Accelerators and Radiation Technologies

IPFN is one of the largest Portuguese research units in Physics. Our passion is Plasma Physics and Technology! I am very pleased to welcome you to IPFN webpage, we are very proud to share who we are and our achievements.

Bruno Gonçalves

Bruno GonçalvesDirector - IPFN

Recent News


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Happy New Year!

We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Everyone’s support through out 2010 as been greatly appreciated and hope that you all will continue with that support in 2011. The blog as grown greatly over the pass 12 months and we are hoping to expand more this year.

I also want to take the time to welcome our new writer, James. We have already seen some articles from him and we will be looking forward to more.

Once again thank you all for your support and Happy New Year!


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Scorpion in Sand

Cricket & Scorpion Pest Control in Phoenix

While hosting a bevy of cheerful chirping crickets in your yard may not seem all that bothersome, the truth is that when cricket infestations take place, scorpion infestations soon follow. Scorpions are natural predators of crickets, so it stands to reason that they’ll hunt for any hoppers making their way into your home. With the onset of Arizona’s sunny season comes a regular influx of pest infestations throughout Phoenix. When crickets and scorpions try to lay claim on your home, don’t put up with it: Call the extermination experts at IPM Intelligent Pest Management. Led by expert entomologists, our team has a special understanding of how these pests live and operate. We pride ourselves on providing the highest level of service in town while ensuring our clients and their pets stay safe during the extermination process. When you call us, you can expect us to respond promptly, diagnose your pest issue thoroughly, and eliminate the problem effectively. We stand behind our work, and we’ll ensure we exceed your expectations.

Signs of a Scorpion Infestation

Other than visual sightings, scorpions do not usually leave signs of infestation. They are solitary creatures by nature, but a female scorpion can give birth to 25-35 young at a time, making the population in your home quickly explode. Scorpions commonly use gaps under doors, ground level windows, cracks in the foundation, or gaps surrounding plumbing or utility pipes to enter the home. They have also been known to hitch rides on boxes, firewood, potted plants, and outdoor furniture. Once inside the home, scorpions seek out cool, quiet places to live such as under kitchen cabinets, in dark basements, or damp bathrooms. Make sure to periodically check places in which scorpions might thrive, and if any are found, utilize the effective scorpion extermination services of Intelligent Pest Management.

Symptoms of a Scorpion Sting

While painful, most scorpion stings that occur in the area are harmless. If you notice the following symptoms, you or a member of your family may have been stung by a scorpion:

  • Immediate, sharp pain
  • Numbness, tingling, and swelling around the sting site
  • Hypersensitivity to touch
  • Uncoordinated eye movements
  • “Swollen tongue” sensation
  • Slurred speech
  • Muscle twitching
  • Vomiting
  • Sweating
  • High or low blood pressure
  • Accelerated heart rate!

Don’t risk getting stung by a scorpion! Our professional team would be happy to provide more information about our pest management services. Call us at (623) 581-9646 for a free estimate or talk with our Entomologist.

Scorpion Extermination Experts

At Intelligent Pest Management, we are dedicated to complete scorpion removal. For over 40 years, our reliable pest control exterminators have been eradicating scorpions from homes all across Phoenix, and our resident Entomologist has the knowledge and skills to ensure the best results. At your initial inspection, our technicians will carefully search for any signs of a scorpion infestation, even utilizing “blacklight” technology to make any present scorpions glow. If evidence of an infestation is uncovered, our pest management professionals will ensure complete scorpion extermination.

A few tricks for preventing a scorpion infestation include:

  • Sealing or caulking cracks in door and window openings and repairing ripped screens
  • Dusting and vacuuming in corners or other normally undisturbed places where scorpions may hide
  • Keeping your home free of spiders, crickets, and other insects that scorpions like to eat
  • Remove trash piles, rock piles, or decaying wood from your yard
  • Cutting the grass close to the ground and keeping all landscaping plants at least 2 feet from the house

Maintain a scorpion-free home with the excellent scorpion control services of Intelligent Pest Management. Our family owned and operated company is proud to serve the entire Phoenix Metropolitan area.

To schedule your free scorpion removal estimate, call (623) 581-9646!

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  • Environmentally Safe Products


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King of the bargain basement winner

By Daragh Ó Conchúir

Clare is not a hotbed of horse racing, in terms of trainers at least, but Newmarket-on-Fergus is where Aengus King holds a restricted licence, meaning he is allowed train four horses under NH Rules.

One of his quartet, Braize, is owned by Mike Neville, who is happy to have his charge with a long-time friend. King, in turn, has no issues with training the seven-year-old, because Neville is long enough in the sport to understand the percentages.

Primarily though, King has the licence so that he can train his own horses. As founder of the delivery service Cargo King, it might be assumed that he has the resources to buy at least at the middle end of the market but his sights are set much lower.

Capture The Drama has won eight times on the track and once in point-to-points but cost just €1,800. Four-time victor (including once between the flags) Change The Rules was purchased for €1,200. Sunday’s Galway winner, Well Tom, cost the same.

“I bought them all in the August Sale at Tattersalls as that’s the cheapest sale. If I go to the Derby Sale or the Land Rover, I just go for the day out. I might see something but I wouldn’t be buying it. It’s all a bit of education. I know there’d be no horse for me to buy.

“When I got to the August Sale, I get a catalogue and mark up the ones I think that would make the kind of money I’d be talking about. There’d be about 40 or 50 and I’d look at those.”

Horses available for such relatively meagre sums are either usually without talent or have physical or temperamental problems. With bargain-basement shopping, you have to forgive a lot but there are some non-negotiables nonetheless. After that, it is about what King applies from his experience built as a point-to-point rider, in hunting and from show jumping. The results are stunning.

“The work I do would be different to all the other trainers. When I break them, I ride them a lot. When I break them, you could ride flat work with them. I’d have a bit of experience in show jumping, would be a very good friend of Edward Doyle, so I understand flat work and when a horse is moving and carrying himself properly. If he doesn’t have those advantages, he has no chance of beating a better horse. I beat better horses because my horses are better prepared. Not because they’re better horses.

“When you buy horses at that level they have problems and there are certain problems I won’t touch. If he doesn’t have a good walk or if he has a bad heartbeat, I wouldn’t touch them. Other ailments I don’t mind about,” he says laughing.

He is quick to praise Eoin Mahon (schooling), John Staunton (at the track) and Anthony O’Gorman (cleaning stables) for the work they put in.

But patience is required too and King’s policy of not allowing the use of whips at home is part of that. Take Well Tom.

“We always thought he was a nice horse from the day we got him. Those Well Chosen horses have a lot of ability but a lot of people don’t get it out of them because they’re very gregarious. They’re like young lads. They don’t mature fast. They’re very hyperactive. You can’t chastise them.”

Capture The Drama wasn’t the most amenable initially either but has been a model of consistency since landing his maiden at Gowran Park in March 2016 at huge odds.

“You’d have to come and see him to appreciate what we do with him. The time he won at 100/1, I hadn’t ridden in five or six years and at my age, I shouldn’t be riding anyway — hunting alright but not riding a racehorse.

“How I didn’t get killed off him is a miracle, but anyway, I got him to relax. I knew he’d improved going to Gowran that day. It wasn’t a super maiden that he won, but he won it. We were in shock more than anything else. To be honest with you, our mouths were open. We didn’t even shout him up the straight. We thought we’d be beaten a cricket score.

“We had an awful problem in the stable with him. He was never happy so I painted a mural on the wall of the countryside, but there’s depth in it. It makes the stable seem three times bigger than it is. When you’re standing at the stable door you think you’re looking up the field.

“You know the way a horse rubs off the walls with their covers. He’s never touched the mural since it went up a year and a half ago.”

Now 63, King still rides out though he doesn’t school horses over fences anymore. His morning starts at 5.30am and finishes at 9am, giving himself an hour to gather his thoughts before he moves on to the day job.

Well Tom will continue to improve he maintains, having benefitted from a hobday procedure to address a breathing difficulty that had been preventing him from seeing out his races. Once the ground turns winter soft, he will be taking a break.

That will be the signal for the mudlarks Capture The Drama and Change The Rules to return. The latter has recovered from a bad injury and then a freak accident when on the comeback trail. Some birch from a fence lodged into his hind foot and the resultant infection almost claimed his life.

“He was on a drip for 10 days. If you saw what came out of the leg. The vet said if I’d waited, he’d have been gone.”

King also owns four horses that he is allowed train for the point-to-point circuit. Sales from this sector have combined with his success rate to ensure that he hasn’t had to dip into his pockets for the past three years.

He has a remarkable strike rate on the track, revelling in bettering even the man he reveres, Willie Mullins, in that regard when hitting 35 per cent (six winners from 17 runs) in 2016/2017, thanks largely to Capture The Drama’s five triumphs.

Would he call what he does a hobby?

“It’s called lunacy. What I do now, unless you loved it, you wouldn’t do it. And the day I won’t like it, I’ll close shop.”

That’s a while away yet.

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Now James Corden agreed that the story of Paul Potts might not at first appear to be the stuff of the big screen.

But in the hands of The Devil Wears Prada director David Frankel and his own assured performance it has been touted as the new Billy Elliot, charting how a bullied kid from Port Talbot, South Wales, dreamed of becoming an opera singer.

James says: “I think I had the same reaction as everybody else does when you hear that there is going to be a film made about Paul Potts’ life.

“You go, ‘Really?’ Then I met David Frankel and he said this isn’t a film about someone who wins Britain’s Got Talent, this is a film about a boy from an industrial steel town who dreams of being an opera singer in a world where no one listens to opera let alone dreams about being a singer.

"So it’s not about a talent show, it’s about this guy. It is an underdog in the face of adversity who succeeds. I can’t imagine what it’s like to grow up wanting to do something so much in a world where everyone tells you you are stupid and silly and not to try.

“It’s a huge credit to him that he didn’t give up. He must have felt like it so many times. I auditioned a lot myself so I know what it’s like.

“What I like about Paul is that he is testament to the fact that the world doesn’t care how many times you are knocked down so long as it is one less than the amount of times you get back up again.”

Once Chance will premiere this evening in London.

One Chance is released on October 25


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My Study Abroad Adventures: Weekend Camping Trip

May 23, 2016

ISEP student Catherine M. is a student blogger and part of our new ISEP Voices program. She is a chemical engineering major from American University of Sharjah, and is currently studying abroad at Virginia Tech.

When spring finally arrives in the East Coast, you take advantage of it. So last week, I decided to go on a camping trip with Virginia Tech’s rock climbing and whitewater rafting clubs. I can safely say that it was the greatest decision I made since I started my study abroad journey!

How it all began

There will come a time in your study abroad period where you think you’ve done everything there is to do, especially if you’re studying in a small college town. But thankfully for me, I couldn’t be more wrong.

I noticed that an international friend of mine had posted several pictures of her rock climbing around Virginia so I asked her how she’d found and traveled to all these great places. She referred me to the school’s rock climbing club and told me about a camping trip they were having in a few days. I immediately emailed the club coordinator (who was coincidentally from my hometown, Dubai) and luckily for me, I got a spot on the trip at the last minute!

The day before

For a 21-year-old girl who’d lived in the Middle East her whole life, I didn’t have the slightest clue about camping and all the gear you need just to take on the great outdoors. I asked around and was directed to one of Virginia Tech’s recreational sports units: Venture Out. There they offered rentals for camping gear like sleeping bags, tents and camping backpacks, all for a reasonable price. After some thorough web-surfing, I packed my bag with the camping essentials and actually managed to ensure that I “travel light” for the first time in my life.

Venture Out

Venture Out at Virginia Tech

Day One

The day was off to an early start and we began our drive from Blacksburg, Virginia to Lansing, West Virginia at 6:30 a.m. Two hours later, we arrived at the campsite and were ready to set up our tents.

2 Setting up our tents at Cooter’s Cabins & Campin’

We then drove down to the New River Gorge Trails where my fitness was definitely put to the test. Once we parked the van, we hiked for what felt 100 miles, on possibly the most exhausting terrain I’d ever walked.

3 The New River Gorge Trails’ elaborate guidebook

4 The uphill (and downhill) hike to the climbing trails in the New River Gorge area

Soon after, we reached the first climbing spot and the excitement was enough to totally erase my exhaustion. I semi-climbed four different trails.

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

Image from Catherine's Instagram: Taking on one of the climbs

6 Climbing upwards wasn’t always the way – a little cat re-enactment was sometimes necessary

Climbing was definitely a fun but not entirely easy experience. Though you’re held by a rope, it’s hard to trust that there will be something to catch you if you fall. I probably wouldn’t have had the guts to go through with many of these climbs if it weren’t for the climbing crew’s occasional, “You’re killing it!” or, “Keep going!” – they definitely knew how to keep someone motivated.

7 My friend Marie nailing her climb

Humans weren’t the only climbers around – if you look hard enough, you’ll find a giant spiderweb to prove it!

By sunset, it was time to head back to the campsite. We set up a small bonfire, and we sat there for a few hours laughing, talking, eating and all the usual camping shenanigans!

Image from Catherine’s Instagram: Setting up the bonfire

Day Two

I woke up feeling like a true hero – and I believe it was well deserved because I managed to get through a night of sleeping on an incline (and therefore slipping in the tent), as well as cuddling with a few cute bugs.

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

Image from Catherine’s Instagram: Waking up to pretty views

Our second day was all about rafting in the New River Gorge. After a two hour scenic drive, we reached the starting point, inflated the rafts, put on our wet suits and got ready to take on the river. I can safely say after hearing the basics from my raft guide, rafting was a lot easier than climbing. The only tricky parts were the river rapids where you could fall into the river and hit the rocks below, but that’s what helmets are for, right?

All in all, rafting for four hours down the beautiful River Gorge was more relaxing than anything, and I’d definitely do it all over again.

12 My friend Marie posing with the rafts

13 A view of the river from the starting point

After this, it was back to pretty Blacksburg, Virginia and it was time for the longest sleep I’d had in a while.

The Overall Experience

I started the trip thinking, “I’m definitely going to get hurt.” Though it did happen, I’m so glad I got a chance to do this. Growing up, I always wanted to go on outdoor adventures, but never thought it was possible in the Middle East. On my trip, I met another student at Virginia Tech from Dubai who told me all about some great campsites and climbing trails in the United Arab Emirates, which I definitely want to try out once I get back.

Now I have one new adventure and story to tell and two new hobbies, all thanks to this study abroad program. I couldn’t be more grateful.

Here’s to discovering yourself in new places!

Like reading posts from our ISEP bloggers? Learn more about our ISEP Voices Spring 2016 group here.

Are you ready to study abroad? Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll work to match you with a program.

Like this Story? Also like us on Facebook.


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MICHAEL ROGATCHI.ZION WALTZ. Original Art Series 1995-2016 (C).

Musical video-essay by Inna Rogatchi features Michael Rogatchi’s ZION WALTZ original art series. In the series, renowned European master of the metaphorical expressionism relays his loving attitude and his artistic thoughts to the Jewish theme which is essential to his art. The series has been invited by the Ministry of Culture of Israel for the special exhibition in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the re-unification of Jerusalem.

The title work of the series, Zion Waltz, is dedicated by the artist to his and his wife’s dear friend and mentor Leonard Cohen. Cohen loved and owned the Michael’s work on the same theme, Zion Waltz, made by the artist in different technique. Upon receiving that work from Michael back in September 2013 for his 79th birthday, Leonard wrote to Michael: “Well, my friend, I am in the age when I am busy with giving things away; but not this one, your so fine, exquisite work which I love”.

Published: February 16, 2017
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Blog Posts by kmwhiten12

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Java JRE 7 Update 15

Here is a way to deploy Java 7 Update 15 through a MSI and using LANDesk

First download Java from Internet Explorer at http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp both the 32-bit and 64-bit

Run the .exe on your computer then go to the Users folder C:\Users\"username"\AppData\LocalLow\Sun\Java

Underneath you will fine two folders names  jre1.7.0_15 and jre1.7.0_15_x64. Inside these folders you will find a MSI and a Data1.cab. Move these to your server share or wherevere you store your packages and then open LANDesk and make your MSI package. Make sure that you incude the Data1.cab in the Additional files tab.

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Intel's profits drop as Windows 10 sales fail

Whoever believed Windows 10 would shake up the falling PC market was wrong. Intel was one of such companies, and it saw its profits decrease.

According to a report by V3, Intel has posted revenues for the third quarter of the 2015 fiscal year, and basically, the company hasn't moved an inch. Its revenues are $14.5bn (£9.43bn) – while the same time last year they were $14.6bn (£9.5bn).

Profits for the quarter have changed, slipping six per cent year on year – last year they were $3.3bn (£2.15bn), and this year they were $3.1bn (£2.02bn).

The fall in profits appears to have been caused by an underperformance in the firm’s newly created Client Computing Group, which incorporates mobile and PC sales performance, V3 says.

The new division posted an overall income of $8.5bn (£5.58bn), which represents a seven per cent fall down from $9.19bn (£5.98bn) same time last year. Overall operating income was $2.43bn (£1.58bn), down from $3.05bn (£1.98bn) in the same quarter last year.

At the same time, the Internet of Things division did better, rising in income from $145m (£94.3m) to $151m (£98.25m) on revenues of $581m (£377.9m). The Data Centre Group rose from $1.94bn (£1.26bn) to $2.12bn (£1.38bn).

Commenting on the decline in hardware profits, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich explained that he hoped the growing number of high-quality devices on the market running Windows 10 and powered by Intel’s new Skylake processors will turn this around.

"So if you take a look at it, there is the ability to do Windows 10 upgrades today, but it’s not until later this month that actually you can walk into the store and get an on-shelf system with Windows 10," he said during an earnings call to discuss the results.


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Telkom foresight delivers future-proof LTE

Read time 3min 10sec

Telkom's early calculated risk in backing TD LTE infrastructure is set to pay off, as burgeoning bandwidth demand and a changing technology environment prove TD-LTE is best placed to meet many of SA's mobile data needs in the next few years.

Telkom is currently going live with LTE services at points across the country, and is also trialling LTE advanced - technology which is set to reshape the mobile broadband arena. LTE advanced was demonstrated to an appreciative audience at the recent MyBroadband Conference, where 11 people ftping - or downloading the same data simultaneously - experienced download speeds varying between 35Mbps and 80Mbps.

Amith Maharaj, Senior Managing Executive of Operations at Telkom Mobile, explains that currently, the capacity for LTE advanced is mainly theoretical, since most major media download sites do not make pipes of more than 20Mbps available for downloads. But delegates were impressed, he notes: "Twitter went crazy - it was the fastest speed yet seen in Africa on mobile devices."

Maharaj explains that when Telkom began rolling out its LTE infrastructure, its choice of TD LTE based on the 2300MHz spectrum flew in the face of what was popular in many European nations at the time. However, it was favoured by many Eastern nations, and lent itself to compatibility with lower cost devices, as well as more efficient use of spectrum, he says, because of its asymmetrical splitting properties. Telkom LTE is implemented in a 75% download, 25% upload split, unlike FD LTE, which must be split equally. Telkom LTE can support three x 20MHz carriers for a total of 60MHz capacity.

With the iPhone S5 having just come to market supporting TD LTE, Maharaj expects other major manufacturers to follow suit rapidly, making the TD LTE 'a smart bet', he says.

Telkom LTE is just part of the bigger picture Telkom is developing - the company aims to ensure that whatever users' data needs and connectivity preferences, Telkom will be able to deliver a seamless, customised broadband experience, with the best possible access quality.

"Some users may want fibre to the home, supplemented by LTE when they are mobile. Others may be purely mobile and require large LTE bundles, while yet others might be satisfied with a 3G connection," says Maharaj. By supporting all forms of connectivity, Telkom has positioned itself to offer packages and solutions that grow and change as the customer's needs do.

In addition, Telkom envisages growing numbers of users and communities seeking the benefits of WiFi connectivity. To meet this growing demand, Telkom is building out its nationwide WiFi network, which currently has over 1 500 hotspots live of the 4 000 it has acquired nationally.

With data consumption on an upward spike and expected to grow 12-fold in the next five years, networks are under pressure to deliver, Maharaj says. "Even the expected digital dividend from digital migration will likely not meet this demand." Through measures like building out WiFi networks and increasing access speeds to reduce the time users need to remain online, downloading, Telkom aims to optimise the use of its networks and so meet the projected data needs.

"Telkom is lowering the barriers to entry - like coverage and data prices - and growing product consumption incrementally," says Maharaj. "We have long been gearing our networks for the future, and are now positioned to offer solutions across the board."

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If you are considering a video card upgrade, look at your monitor first

GPUs get faster and faster with each generation. Now they are at the point where they no longer give a benefit to certain monitors.

Image credit: flickr/Martin

While CPU performance seems to be leveling off, GPU performance continues to rise at a considerable pace, with each generation leaving the last generation in the dust. That may be great for gamers and graphics professionals, but depending on the monitor you use, there might be no point in upgrading any more.

Desktop monitors (I'm not talking laptops except for the high-end laptops) tend to vary in size from 20 to 24 inches for mainstream/standard monitors, and 27 to 30 inches for the high end. One thing all of the sub-24" and many 27"+ monitors have in common is the resolution. They have pretty much standardized on 1920x1080. That's because 1920x1080 is the resolution for HDTV, and it fits 20 to 24-inch monitors well. Virtually all 2560x1440 monitors are 27-inches and larger.

Here's the thing: at that resolution, these new GPUs are so powerful you get no major, appreciable gain over the older generation. Unless you are using the next step in monitors, 2560x1440, upgrading to the new AMD R290 or Nvidia GTX790 is a waste of $500+. Yes, those cards really cost that much.

The more pixels on your screen, the faster the GPU needs to be. With most everyone locked at 1920x1080, current GPUs are simply fast enough. When you jump from 1920 to 2560, that means millions more pixels to animate, and that's where the new, high-end GPUs see a notable jump in performance.

"The current high-end of GPUs gives you as much as you'd need for an enjoyable experience," said Chris Angelini, editorial director for Tom's Hardware Guide. "Beyond that and it's not like you will get nothing, it's just that you will notice less benefit."

Frame rates may get faster with a R290 or GTX 780, but your eye can't detect it. There is considerable debate over what is the limit of the human eye when it comes to frame rate; some say 24, others say 30, while others say it's higher. But one thing is certain: a game with a frame rate of 90 is not really different from a frame rate of 80.

Angelini places the sweet spot on performance at 1920x1080 as AMD's Radeon R280x, a $300 card, and the Nvidia GTX 770, which has recently seen a price cut and is now around $400. As for integrated GPUs that come with Intel and AMD CPUs, there's plenty of room to grow.

"Integrated GPUs are still too slow for 1080p games. They max out at 720p. We're still a couple of generations from them maxing out 1920 monitors," he said.

For graphics professionals, things are different. Apps like Photoshop and AutoCAD come with filters and renderers that utilize the GPU and they can always do better, since this is background computation. The frame rate article is moot anyway since if you are a graphics professional, chances are very good you already have a 2560x1440 monitor on your desk.

Angelini said 2560 is the next big barrier to cross, and the prices are coming down. The Nexus 10 tablet is $399 and it features a 2560x1600 screen. Most 2560 monitors sold at NewEgg.com are at least $500, but there is one vendor, Auria, that has a $399 monitor.

I recently bought a new 24" LED monitor for $180 because my six year old LCD monitor was experiencing color bleed. It's beautiful and functions perfectly. If I get six years out of this one, I fully expect my next display will be a 2560x1440, and for roughly the same price.

On a side note, my new monitor is an Asus, while the old one was Viewsonic. I stood at the wall of monitors in my local Fry's for several minutes and walked the PC aisles and didn't see a single Viewsonic. It was all Asus, LG and Samsung. The rep I spoke to actually had a clue (rare for Fry's) and said he couldn't remember the last time they sold a Viewsonic monitor. How the mighty have fallen.

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Facebook Messenger is now open for business

Facebook is throwing open its Messenger app to third-party developers, letting them add new functions that will make it much more than a tool for communicating with friends.

At Facebook’s F8 conference on Wednesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg described two ways that Facebook is opening up Messenger, but many more will follow.

To start, it will allow businesses to use Messenger as a way to connect with customers, so after you buy something on a website, for instance, you’ll be able to contact the business via Messenger to tell them you ordered the wrong item, or to track delivery of your package.

It’s a better way to do it than having to pick up the phone, according to Zuckerberg. “I don’t know anyone who likes calling businesses; it’s not fast and it doesn’t feel like the future,” he said.

Facebook will also allow third-party apps to integrate with Messenger, so people can send more feature-rich messages. He gave the example of JibJab, an app that lets you create animated messages, but the list includes Bitmoji, Legend and many more.

Those are just a few ways Facebook is opening Messenger, and there will be more.

“We want to start small and focused,” Zuckerberg said.

Facebook started requiring people to use Messenger last year, when it removed the messaging functionality in its main mobile app. A lot of people were unhappy about that, but it means Messenger now has 600 million users.

The news had leaked ahead of time that the company was expected to turn Messenger into a “platform” open to third parties.

By adding the new capabilities, Facebook can ensure people spend more time in its app. It has the potential to become “a really important communications tool for the world,” Zuckerberg said.

It’s also a threat to rivals like Yelp, which provides ways for people to contact businesses directly through its app.

Also at F8, Zuckerberg announced that Facebook will allow people to post 360-degree videos in their News Feeds. It’s a type of video akin to virtual reality that’s filmed on devices that have multiple cameras, like Samsung’s Project Beyond.

While video is the big growth area on Facebook today, tomorrow it will be augmented reality and virtual reality, Zuckerberg said.

F8 runs Wednesday and Thursday at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. The keynotes and some of the sessions are being live streamed here.

Facebook says there are nearly 3,000 developers at the event, up from 750 when it held the first F8 in 2007. Back then, developers had built around 100 apps for the Facebook website; today, millions of websites and apps use services like Facebook login.

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If we think of the operation of IT being a lot like that of a complete business, it is important to think about the various types of skills and management styles beyond the typical functional areas, like apps and infrastructure. While it may be sufficient to develop a perspective on your team’s strengths organically, a more measured and proactive approach should yield a higher-performing team.

For example, some of your team will be better suited to drive the analytical thinking required to measure IT’s effectiveness, while others will be better fits for broad communications to customers and business leadership. Configured properly, the set of complementary strengths represented by your leadership team are very powerful–but you have to know who is really good in specific areas.

You can either guess at your team members’ strengths or you can use a more scientific method. This theme came up at a recent CIO conference when organizational psychologist and leadership coach Bill Rollwitz discussed “Now, Discover Your Strengths,” a book by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton that focuses on enhancing people’s strengths rather than eliminating their weaknesses. The book describes 34 positive personality themes and, through a Web-based tool, readers can complete a Gallup Organization questionnaire and instantly discover their own top-five inborn talents.

I am a firm believer in the uncanny accuracy of the well-established behavior tests, such as Kolbe A and Myers-Briggs. With a formal or informal view of your team, there are two questions to ask:
1. Is the team balanced across leadership and behavioral traits?
2. Is each member’s role a good fit with his or her inherent behaviors?

A colleague of mine thinks of it in terms of building a “renaissance team” as opposed to seeking out “renaissance people.” He says it feels as if there are two parts of the organization where this is most important and where the typical gaps happen. The first is between IT and the business. The second–and less obvious–area lies between the application team and the infrastructure team. In many cases, these individuals aren’t only on different teams they are in different cities and may even work for different companies. They often form their identities based on functions rather than the projects they work on.

The System Quarterback CIO

In football circles, it’s common to hear the term “system quarterback,” which is a way of saying that a solid, if not spectacular, quarterback can flourish if he is part of a well-defined system of coaches, culture, personnel, and offensive philosophy. That same quarterback may go to a different team and never have the same level of success. Many analysts attribute this disconnect to the idea that team management and the coaching staff can established a successful system, as opposed to assembling talented pieces and hoping they mesh.

Could a similar situation exist for senior leaders in top companies? Could some companies have a system that combines coaching, culture, personnel, and a set of core processes (“plays”) that could make its leaders better?

General Electric comes to mind. It’s generally accepted that GE knows how to build good general managers, particularly CEOs. Diamond’s founder and chairman, Mel Bergstein, describes this kind of company as an “academy firm” and talks about Goldman Sachs as having a similar capability. A University of Western Ontario study found that GE has an exceptional management development process and that ex-GE managers bring significant enterprise value to their new companies.

In understanding exactly what kind of system GE has built and the value it adds, they used the VRIO framework to analyze it:
• Value – Can it directly address opportunities and be applied to threats?
• Rarity – Do other firms have this resource?
• Imitability – Can other firms quickly/inexpensively replicate it?
• Organization – Is the firm organized to take advantage of the resource?

Using the VRIO lens, the Western Ontario team concludes that GE’s management development program adds sustainable competitive advantage. While not easily replicable, HP, Johnson & Johnson and a few other companies are also known for leadership development. Within these companies, the CIOs and CIOs-to-be take advantage of their general management program along with their peers across the organization.

Few companies can match GE’s program and culture. But innovative companies that have information-based products or “wrappers” around products–companies in which the CIO is a core member of the executive team with clear responsibility and accountability–can build systems that are particularly well-suited to help a CIO excel.

Chris Curran is Diamond Management & Technology Consultants’ Chief Technology Officer and managing partner of the firm’s technology practice. He writes the CIO Dashboard blog at www.ciodashboard.com, and can be reached at Chris.Curran@diamondconsultants.com or @cbcurran on Twitter.

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