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Monday, September 3, 2012

A Winter Alaska Vacation? Why Not?

Summer is quickly coming to an end here in the Last Frontier.  In fact, the first kiss of real color is decorating the trees, turning the landscape into a beautiful kaleidoscope of red, orange, yellow, and green.  All too soon, the freezing will begin - we expect that to happen in just over a month in mid-October!

Have you ever thought about a great winter Alaskan bed and breakfast getaway?  What?  You say that you don't have the time? You say it's too cold?  You say there's just too much snow?  You say that it's dark 24 hours a day?  You say there's nothing to do?  Well the member inns of the Bed and Breakfast Association of Alaska would like to convince you to give us a try in the winter!

Photo from A Moose in the Garden B&B
An Alaskan vacation is an actual vacation!  When most people plan a vacation, they plan on several days away from home/work/their usual lives.  While we are a bit off the beaten path, making a quick 3-day weekend trip impractical, 5+ day vacations are the perfect option for an Alaskan getaway!  Direct flights to the state (usually to Anchorage or Fairbanks) are available from many U.S and Foreign cities.  So it really isn't a big deal to just come on up to Alaska from just about anywhere!  Flights to Anchorage take approximately 2.5 hours from Seattle, 5 hours from Denver, 5.5 hours from Phoenix, and 6 hours from Chicago.

The popular belief of many lower-48-staters, and even of those throughout the world, is that it never stops snowing here in the winter.  But believe it or not, many place in our great state actually get LESS snow than, say, Buffalo and some portions of upstate New York!  Even Minneapolis gets more snowfall than some areas in our state!  Let's compare NOAA's 1981-2010 total numbers (in inches):

        Yakutat, AK    143.4
        Rochester, NY    99.5
        Buffalo, NY    94.7
        Anchorage, AK    74.5
        Juneau, AK    69.8
        Kodiak, AK    68.9
        Cleveland, OH    68.1
        Fairbanks, AK    65.0
        Salt Lake City, UT    56.2
        Minneapolis, MN    54.0
        Denver, CO    53.8
        Homer, AK    47.4
        Pittsburgh, PA    39.6
        Barrow, AK    37.7

Granted, just like there are areas in the lower US that receive little to no snow each year, there ARE places in Alaska that receive an exorbitant amount of snow - (anyone interested in Valdez at 326.3 inches and Haines at 262.4 inches per year on average?).  However, this is the extreme end of Alaska's snowfall.  The general average for much of the state is between 40 and 75 inches per year!

Photo from Hatcher Pass B&B
We could go through the same comparisons in temperature, but we'll sum it up.  The average temperatures between November and March are between 20 and 30 degrees Fahrenheit.  Not bad, really!  Again, we have our extremes, but this is true anywhere!  And our dry air makes 25 degrees seem a lot warmer than it seems in much of the lower 48 states!

You think it's dark here all winter?  We beg to differ!  Some of the northernmost parts of the state DO have an extreme 2-month period during which the sun does not rise.  However, most of the state does have sunlight during at least part of the day:  between 5-7 hours of full daylight during our shortest daylight months of December and January.

Now we can talk about what there is to do in our great state during the winter months.  The question might be:  what ISN'T there to do, swimming and sunbathing aside?

Winter Activities
We've already talked about the Aurora Borealis.  Winter is certainly the time to catch this beautiful nighttime light show!  However, let us offer a few suggestions as to daytime activities:

Whale Watching
It doesn't have to be summer to catch a glimpse of our Beluga Whales!  Because these mammals live on the coast of Alaska year-round, you can watch them in action during the winter - most often in Kachemak Bay.

Whether you enjoy cross-country or downhill skiing, there are ample opportunities for both!

World-class downhill skiing is available in Girdwood at the Alyeska Ski Resort, just 40 miles south of Anchorage.  Most major cities are also home to at least one smaller, local resort including Alpenglow and Hilltop areas in Anchorage, Egale Crest in Juneau, and Moose Mountain in Fairbanks.  Your bed and breakfast innkeepers can direct you to the local ski spots in their area.

Girdwood's Nordic Ski Club is committed to "developing and maintaining a sustainable Nordic/multi-use trail system in the Girdwood Valley," meaning that this is also a great place for cross-country skiing as well!  Other cross-country skiing areas can be found throughout the state.  Don't forget to check the reports on each area before you go!

Another quickly-growing ski pastime in Girdwood AND in places like Valdez is heli-skiing.  You've probably seen it on TV:  a helicoptor drops you off at the top of a mountain for an extreme downhill adventure.  However, the inherent dangers of becoming lost, getting hurt, and even avalanches mean this sport is only for the best-prepared skiiers!

Snowshoeing is basically a hike over the snow.  Most major trails in the state are perfect for showshoeing after it snows!  Of course, in the winter you can snowshoe OVER the lakes instead of around them... but do be careful if the area has not had a good freeze for several weeks before you go stepping out onto the water!

It's true that many Alaska residents use a snowmachine (a.k.a snowmobile) to get around once snow covers the ground.  It's only practical!  However snowmachine tours are readily available for everyone who wants to experience the thrill of zooming through the snowy land!

Ice Fishing
Interested in catching your dinner?  Or maybe you just want to do some catch-release fishing?  Available on most lakes, this sport is best done on lakes that are stocked for fishing and offer resources like equipment rental and warming huts.  Popular lakes for fishing are Quartz Lake (about 40 miles southeast of Fairbanks); Delong, Jewel, Sand and Campbell Lakes (in Anchorage); Lake Clunie (near Chugiak and Eagle River); and several lakes near Ketchikan in the extreme SE part of the state.  However, lakes dot our entire state, so as long as there has been a good freeze cycle and an outfitter for equipment, there is the chance to ice fish!

Dog Sledding
Whether you just want to visit the dogs themselves to see how they are trained, or if you want to experience a trip yourself, there are tours offered all over the state.  A dog sled is pulled by 12-16 dogs at speeds of 10-12 miles per hour.  Actual sledding tours can occur on trails nearby to where the dogs are raised, or opt for a thrilling adventure where you are dropped off via helicopter onto a glacier with dogs and sled waiting to take you around the glaciers!

Photo From Rose Ridge Vacation Chalets
Glacier Viewing
Speaking of glaciers, there is way more frozen water in the winter!  Some are actually visible by land:  car, snowmobile, skis, snowshoes, etc.  If you visit a coastal town, boat tours are popular ways to see these frozen behemoths.  Of course, the more thrilling way is to take an airplane or helicopter tour, sometimes even landing on a safe area of a large glacier for a closer look!

Ice Climbing
For the more adventurous, you can CLIMB a glacier!  Somewhat similar to rock climbing, but much easier to find your grip because you're using climbing pick hammers and boots outfitted with ice cleats, this sport can be just as easy as climbing a ladder.  No matter what your skill level, you will be taught the basics and techniques (which are much more important than strength, just like in rock climbing), and you will be top-roped on anything from a slope to a vertical surface.  Whether you're young or older, a beginner or experienced, anyone can ice climb!

Hot Springs
Okay, okay, we said you couldn't swim during the winter.  Well, that's only partially true!  There are over 100 known hot springs in the state, and several are near roads and highways!  Your innkeeper will probably know the closest warm water in the area!  Of course, there may be nudity issues if visitors want to actually "bathe," so please keep that in mind.

Other Activities
Of course, there's always the old-fashioned sled ride down an area hill for those who want to stick closer to the warmth of their chosen Alaska inn!  Your host(s) may have some available, or local stores will probably have a good supply throughout the winter!  You may also run into a snow or ice-sculpting competition being held in the area, or find any other number of other events throughout the winter months.

No matter what you choose to do here, your innkeepers can point you in the right direction for an area tour, a guide, or activity.  All you have to do is book your winter getaway to your favorite BBAA Inn to find out for yourself all we have to offer during those "cold months" of the year!

Photo From A Room With A View B&B
Warning:  Wildlife
If you encounter wildlife during the winter (moose, beaver, wolf, coyote, wolverine, or even polar bear, etc.), try your best to admire from afar.  And never, under any circumstances, come between a mother animal and her babies!  Ski poles can be used as a form of defense, but if it comes to you trying to outrun a wild dog or a bear, you can guess who will win.

Marc Zee said...

Alaska does indeed have many great and unique outdoor activities for visitors. Dog Sledding and Ice Climbing sound like some exciting activities, while whale watching and snow shoeing sound like some good lower impact options.What an amazing region.

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The Missing Manual

David Pogue's Mac OS, The Missing Manual: Tiger Edition, is an interesting, enjoyable, and useful read. At 845 pages, it might not cover everything one needs to know about the latest Mac OS, but it filled in the gaps for this new Mac user. One might have done through this book with computer on lap. I did not. I read it a bit at a time, and dog-eared pages that I thought were of special interest. Then I went back, with computer on lap, trying the things he suggested.

I like Pogue's style and the book, more than a manual, held my interest. Buy it, enjoy it. You can get it from O'Reilly, but if you order from Amazon, below, I get a few cents.

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Tag Archives: UI Grid

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Part I: ng-grid and a Simple REST API

Posted by on Sep 11, 2014

A Quick Note – with version 3, NG Grid changed its name to UI Grid. As such, we will refer to the library as UI Grid in the following text.

UI Grid is pure AngularJS and it comes with excellent documentation. It has pagination, sorting, filtering, and local data model binding/editing built-in, allowing for quick and easy integration with any AngularJS application. In this post we will demonstrate how to perform each of these tasks in an Angular application by using a RESTful API to interact with a remote data model over HTTP.

Before we get started, you will need the following packages installed:

Client side:

  • angular.js, version 1.4.3
  • angular-touch.js, version 1.4.3
  • angular-animate.js, version 1.4.3
  • ui-grid.js, latest version
  • ui-grid.css, latest version

Server side:

  • A REST API for a data model. This API must have the following actions:
    • a GET action with paging, filtering, and sorting
    • a PUT action for updating an object

In this article, we’ll be using Backand’s back end service. This provides a quick-and-easy REST API for any data model you desire, and meets all the requirements for server-side interactions.

There are 6 steps in this project, each with a jsFiddle example:

  1. Basic grid bonded to a local data model – edit in jsFiddle
  2. Connect to REST API – edit in jsFiddle
  3. Add paging – edit in jsFiddle
  4. Add sorting – edit in jsFiddle
  5. Add filtering – edit in jsFiddle
  6. Add editing – edit in jsFiddle

We will cover each step in more detail below.

Basic grid   edit in jsFiddle

This section details how to bind UI Grid to a local data model. It should be fairly straight-forward, and will allow us to bind the model to the REST API quickly. To set up the basic UI Grid, add the following into the indicated portions of your application:

HTML (for rendering the grid):

JavaScript (for binding the grid to your data model):

Connect to REST API   edit in jsFiddle

Next, we’ll build an Angular data service that performs all of the relevant REST API work. This allows us to have a clean controller that handles the display of the data. Add the following JavaScript code to your application to create the data service:

The above service provides full CRUD capability for your data model, but in this example we will primarily focus on the ‘readAll’ and ‘update’ functions. This functionality is handled through Backand’s REST API service, and ties directly into a Backand application.

Now that we have the data service, let’s change the controller to integrate the service with our local data model. Add the following JavaScript into your application:

Notice that the above code service uses Angular’s asynchronous $http, which returns a promise to sync the response. Building off this patterning, we use the promise callback to bind the response data. And with that, we have a controller that pulls its data from our ProductsService, and ties it to the variable gridOptions in $scope. From here on out, we will be using the gridOptions property for grid binding and display, we will be able to quickly update the UI Grid with the latest server data.

Paging   edit in jsFiddle

UI Grid’s built in pagination works with a local object. Since we are using a remote data model, we need to provide the pagination parameters to the REST API. To do so we will build our own simple pagination object and UI, and we will set the UI Grid’s enablePaginationControls property to false. By doing this, we will override UI Grid’s local pagination in favor of our server-based approach.

Start by adding the following JavaScript to your application:

Next, add the following HTML elements for the pagination UI:

With the above entered, all that is left is to add pageSize and pageNumber to the data service class. The service will then add these values to the REST API via HTTP query string parameters. To accomplish this, we modify the readAll function in the data service as follows (note: the highlighted code represents changes from the original):

Sort   edit in jsFiddle

UI Grid’s sorting functionality, by default, works with the local app data model. As we are using custom pagination to load the data model, the sorting functionality will thus only sort the portion of the data that has been loaded locally, which is obviously not desirable. To fix this, we need to use a server side sort that ties in with our pagination, allowing us to return the correct data with respect to the entire data set. To do this, we’ll set UI Grid’s useExternalSorting property to true, then add an array of fields with a sort direction (either ascending or descending) to provide to the REST API as a query string parameter. Finally, to populate this array we will register for the sortChanged event on the grid, using the event to call our custom data service.

First, add the following JavaScript to your application:

Next, we modify the data service to accommodate the new ‘sort’ parameters. Once again, the highlighted code represents the changes to the existing data service code:

Filter edit in jsFiddle

UI Grid’s built-in filter functionality has the same restrictions as the Sort functionality above – it only operates on the local dataset, which is not particularly useful with our REST-based data service. To fix this, we’ll use the same general process – enable external filtering on UI Grid, then send the filter parameters through as URL query parameters from our data service. To do this, we set UI Grid’s useExternalFiltering property to true and the enableFiltering property to true. This allows us to use UI Grid’s filtering interface, but not the local filtering itself.

A quick note: Filtering can be very sophisticated, and highly app-dependent. Below, we intentionally use some very simple filtering in order to demonstrate the functionality. Our purpose is to build a basic remote filtering infrastructure, which you can later build upon to add additional complexity as necessary.

Similar to the Sort functionality above, we’ll subscribe to the filterChanged event of the UI Grid. We’ll use this handler to populate a set of filter fields, as well as the operators and the specific filter values. As this functionality is API-dependent, you’ll want to make sure you understand the filtering functionality available on your REST API service. You can find the full REST API documentation for Backand’s REST API Service here. To tie in with this functionality, we will set all of the text field operators to ‘contains,’ the id field’s operator to ‘equals,’ and the pricing field’s operator to ‘greaterThanOrEqualsTo’.

Use the following JavaScript to register for the filterChanged event:

Now, we modify the data service again with the highlighted code:

Edit   edit in jsFiddle

With pagination, sorting, and filtering added, it’s finally time to handle editing. Below we will implement basic cell editing, but you can easily add dialog-based and row-based editing on your own. First, enable editing of the individual cells by adding the ui-grid-edit attribute to the UI Grid element. Once this is completed we’ll register for the afterCellEdit event and use the event handler to call the update function of our data service. Finally, we reload the entire grid in the edit event’s callback promise. This is done in case editing the cell on the server results in additional changes to the data (such as those that might be triggered by a customer server-side action in your Backand application, or any calculated values that appear in the grid that might depend upon the cell). The code below also uses Backand’s __metadata.id field to obtain the ID needed for the update function. This is advised for cases when the ID field is changeable, and allows you to quickly reference the original row’s ID instead of having to save it off before modifying the existing value. You can leave this as-is, or choose to use rowEntityId and make the associated code changes in your project.

To make these changes, we perform all of the relevant tasks in UI Grid’s afterCellEdit event handler:

With the above completed, we now have a UI grid that has paging, sorting, filtering, and editing – all tied in to a remote database. While this operates on a fairly basic data set, you can quickly add new elements and functionality to handle more complex use-cases by following the same patterns used above. In any case, the above should serve as an excellent template for constructing a dynamic UI Grid based upon server-side REST APIs.

You can find more information on each of the components below at the provided URLs:


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Tag Archives: webhook

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How to Build a GitHub Webhook with node.js

Posted by on Nov 18, 2014

GitHub Webhooks

Every GitHub repository can easily communicate with a web server whenever the repository is pushed. This communication is called a webhook.  Webhooks are used for many reasons, including updating an external issue tracker, creating a backup mirror or triggering a continuous integration build.

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It may sound strange, but David Reese, president and chief executive officer of the East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI), isn’t interested in helping children escape their impoverished neighborhood: “I want this to be the kind of place that people don’t want to escape from. I want to change people’s way of thinking so that they’re not desperate to get away from here – they’re desperate to come back after they’ve completed their education, to help make this a more vibrant community.”

David – honored BCBSNC as a Community Champion during this Month of Thanks – sees himself as a “traffic cop” of community services in the 120-block area served by EDCI, a community agency that aims to help children successfully graduate from high school, fully prepared for college or a career. “We want to do things the Durham way,” he explains. “That means bringing together the agencies and the people who are good at what they do and putting them in a pipeline within a geographic area in need. Let’s all agree to set aside ego and put kids first.”

EDCI’s partners span a broad spectrum of services, from early childhood interventions, parent and family support, after-school and summer programs, literacy assistance, health and nutrition services, arts programs and community outreach.

Since David took on his leadership role at EDCI, the agency’s 1.2 square-mile service area has seen significant positive change, with test scores and other measures on the rise. “When EDCI started implementing programs in 2011, this neighborhood was #1 on the kinds of lists that nobody wants to top: crime, substance abuse, child abuse and neglect,” David says. “We knew that education was the key to creating opportunities for success and leadership. The first step in creating those opportunities is making sure children are healthy and ready to learn.”

The EDCI team knows that’s more difficult than it sounds. “This process takes a lot of work by a lot of people,” David says. “But the poverty cycle isn’t inevitable. Just because you grow up poor doesn’t mean that’s your destiny – I don’t care what the research says.”

David and the staff of EDCI aren’t deterred by the task facing them. In fact, David relishes the challenge: “You should wake up every morning excited to go to work. If you aren’t, you should question why you’re doing what you’re doing.”

Congratulations to Community Champion David Reese of Durham. To find out how you can help EDCI through a donation or volunteering, visit http://edci.org/donate/.

Chris Privett

About Chris Privett

Chris Privett is a communications specialist at BCBSNC, assisting the company’s leaders with speeches and presentations. Chris has a particular interest in sharing stories about BCBSNC’s role as a committed partner in North Carolina’s communities. His communications career began in 1990 in television news, later transitioning to public relations roles in nonprofits.


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Tag: italian

Bartender offers made-to-order experience

With more than 200 locations across the country, Carrabba’s restaurants have made a mark in our dining-out lifestyle. Everyone in my immediate circle of friends, family and coworkers all has positive

Find savory Italian favorites at Romano’s

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Gino’s carries on a delicious family tradition

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A taste of Sicily at Colichia’s Italian Village

The menu: boasts a fine collection of classic Sicilian favorites. In case you haven’t heard, what many of us Americans consider spaghetti sauce is more savory, and the Sicilian version is definitely


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SBG Express: I've got a ticket to ride

I mentioned it in my last post, and I'm officially announcing it here. My ticket is punched and I'm on board the SBG Express1 for the 2010-2011 school year!

I've spent the last few weeks reading and rereading several teachers' explanations and reflections on standards-based grading (including, but not limited to Shawn Cornally, Jason Buell, [...]

Ready for day 1

Despite the problems I've been having lately with my new position, I feel (mostly) ready to go for day one. As part of my continuing crusade against my previously poorly designed presentations and handouts, I decided to peruse what my blogosphere (the one in my aggregator) had to say about the matter. I found plenty [...]

Maslow's hierarchy of sorts

The Setting Where: Small classroom When: 6 hours (with a one hour lunch break) Environment: 15 other new hires Format: professional development lecture supported by PowerPoint PPT format: 87 slides. White background. Black text. Bullets. Bullets. Bullets. Text. Text. Text. Maslow's (modified) Hierarchy of Needs

If I don't have access to my room, colleagues who [...]

Don't worry (Just fake it)

New school, new district, new state, new region. I was hired at the end of May and moved to Connecticut the end of June. In mid to late July, I started my attempts to contact my new high school to get information about my new position. What is the curriculum? Who am I teaching it [...]


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Canadian singer Bryan Adams gets star on Walk of Fame

Bryan Adams is now enshrined in concrete.

The Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist, bassist and producer got his Hollywood Walk of Fame star Monday in front of the Musicians Institute.

His hits included “Cuts Like a Knife,” ”Summer of ’69,” ”Run to You,” and “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You.”

Adam recalled visiting Hollywood Boulevard at 16 and marveling at the stars. He said he was humbled by seeing his own star.

Retired hockey star Wayne Gretzky was on hand for the dedication. Adams sang Canada’s national anthem’ before Gretzky’s final game.

The Grammy-winning singer is currently on tour.

His charitable foundation, The Bryan Adams Foundation, provides grants for projects supporting the elderly, victims of wars and natural disasters, and those suffering from mental or physical abuse.

— WENN Newsdesk


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Does Speed Kill (Insights)?

Posted by Mark Doherty on Tue, Mar 25, 2014

Speed and CMBWill big data destroy primary research? I’ve read dozens (hundreds?) of articles that argue both sides, but despite a lot of speculation, I see very little attention paid to what may be the real killer of a lot of primary research: the “need for speed.” The increasing velocity of business (compressed product development cycles, social media and the desire for real-time marketing) often means not having the 6-10 weeks a typical quantitative research project needs. For many, the availability of big data is seen as “good enough” given the time constraints. So big data may be an accomplice, but tightened timelines are what researchers really need to address.

It’s the research vendors who don’t specialize in more strategic research I see hit the hardest by this reality. Big data is already eating into their more basic projects—answering the “who,” “what,” and “where” questions. At least for now, clients are more comfortable with (or at least tolerant of) longer timeframes for the complex, strategic work that CMB focuses on. The good news for us and for our clients is that so many of those projects benefit greatly from primary and big data playing together. In our Segmentation work, for example, our modeling usually integrates third party data, our clients’ CRM data, and the need/preference/attitude-based data we get from primary research. The combination of these data sources nearly always results in a much more robust—and actionable—Segmentation for our clients.

But the truth is we understand our clients are still looking for us to help them make decisions faster. Here are a few of the timesaving strategies we use to address this reality:

  • For starters, we work with our clients to dig into the specifics of their timing needs. And for many projects, they don’t need a formal report to help inform their decisions—they just need to know the “answers” to guide their decisions. So we will hold “data parties” (they sound fun, don’t they? :)) where we all roll up our sleeves to review what the data is telling us and more quickly get to the answer together. We can then write up a focused summary before we put together the formal report.

  • We’ve recently invested quite a bit of money in a technology solution that helps us move from questionnaire programming through to clean data (and even the inevitable PowerPoint slides) more quickly than we have in the past. This streamlined our processes and helps get us more quickly to those data parties.

  • We also make sure we do a great job in delivering compelling and easy-to-understand deliverables that are “ready to use,” and don’t require lots of time for our clients to redo anything for their own internal use.

So is the need for speed going to go away? Not a chance. Our clients face more and more pressure to get insights and results faster and we need to keep up. And although we’ll always keep looking for ways to leverage data and people to get our clients the insights they need, we’ll never do it at the cost of meaningful decision-focused insights.

Mark is a Vice President at CMB. He can't help but note that despite the between the increasingly fast speed of business he writes about and the increasingly slow speed with which WIRehe competes on the basketball and tennis courts.

In Boston tomorrow? Join the women of CMB as we host a WIRe networking event at the Globe Bar & Café from 6 to 8pm. Register here.

Topics: big data, consumer insights


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Four Places to Use Market Research in the Product Development Cycle

Posted by Kristen Garvey on Thu, Aug 26, 2010

While many companies only think of conducting market research at single points in the product development cycle, we believe it has a home throughout the entire process. Here are four opportunities for research throughout the product development cycle:

1. During Idea Generation: In the initial stage of idea generation, taking a multi-method, multi source approach helps to understand the issues people are facing surrounding your offering(s), not just the offerings themselves. There’s an opportunity to listen to customers and prospects as they talk with each other and directly to you. Combining methods from traditional (e.g., survey research, focus groups, bulletin boards) and non- traditional methods (e.g., social media listening) will give you a much clearer picture as you gather and evaluate ideas.

2. During the Concept Testing Phase: Concepts need to be evaluated based on customer and business goals, not simply on appeal. Using trade-off techniques at this stage can help you understand which concepts best speak to both the customer and business needs. It can also help you see how well this new offering fits within your brand. As a way to measure concept appeal, trade-off techniques are especially useful because they derive the preferences of respondents rather than asking directly, eliminates halo effects, and it can handle a large number of features.

3. During the Product Configuration Phase: Many times companies use their best guess so they can get to a test market or rely on slight changes to a competitive product that is already seeing success. Conducting primary research using Discrete Choice or Adaptive Choice, however, can more accurately predict market share under competitive situations, identify dollar value of product features and identify a price and demand curve. And this approach can serve as the data for a market simulator that lets you run scenarios of different product configurations to evaluate relative market acceptance.

4. During the Message Development Phase: Doing the substantive research during this final stage of the product development cycle ensures the product messaging is likely to drive action, accurately presents the product, is differentiating , and is not in conflict with your over arching brand message.

Want More Tips and Best Practices for Product development? Prodcut Development Research

Check out CMB’s Rich Schreuer and Amy Modini as they share best practices and case studies from their years of conducting product and service development research across verticals. Watch here.

Topics: product development, webinar


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This Week’s Films (03/08/14)

London River

Billy Bathgate (1991)Billy Bathgate

Two-time Academy Award(R)-winner Dustin Hoffman (Best Actor — KRAMER VS. KRAMER, 1979; RAIN MAN, 1988) stars in the action-packed gangster epic detailing the rise and fall of notorious mobster Dutch Schultz as seen through the eyes of his young protege, Billy Bathgate. Billy, an ambitious streetwise kid seduced by the power, money, and glamour of crime, soon begins to seriously question if his passport to the good life is going to come from the fiery Dutch and his gang! Critically acclaimed and co-starring Bruce Willis (ARMEGEDDON) and Nicole Kidman (MOULIN ROUGE), BILLY BATHGATE delivers motion picture excitement you won’t want to miss!

Verdict: 5/10

HadewicjhHadewijch (2009)

Céline, a theology student, takes the name of Hadewijch, a 13th century mystic from Brabant, as her name for her novitiate. But shocked by the blind, ecstatic faith of Hadewijch, the mother superior tells her she must leave the convent and find her vocation in the world. Hadewijch once again becomes Céline, 20, the daughter of a French minister. She meets Yassine, a North African from the banlieues, who introduces her to his brother Nassir, a committed Muslim and religious instructor. Her passionate love of God and her despair at God’s invisibility, her rage, and her desire for self-sacrifice lead her, between grace and madness, off along dangerous paths.

Verdict: 8/10

Restless (2011)Restless

From acclaimed director Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) comes a quirky, coming-of-age love story between a young man (Henry Hopper) who has given up on life and a beautiful, charming young girl (Mia Wasikowska) who possesses a deep-felt love of life and the natural world. When these two outsiders chance to meet at a funeral, they find an unexpected common ground in their unique experiences of the world. Produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Bryce Dallas Howard and Gus Van Sant.

Verdict: 6/10

A Belfast StoryA Belfast Story (2013)

What is peace? Is it when the bullets stop or the wounds heal? A Belfast Story explores life after terrorism. Set in a city which has weathered hundreds of years of hatred, 30 years of bombs, and a war without winners, just victims. A new era brings new risks. There is peace, but that can also be deadly. Colm Meaney stars as a man weary of doing right. Times are changing, car bombs are less common and terrorists find themselves out of work, but old habits die hard. And while most go quietly into the night, he must find the few who won t comply. Haunted by his own past failures, he knows that he may only get one last chance to repeat the same mistake, and this time, the blood will be on his hands. When a series of murders awaken dormant memories, many fear the worst. A greying assassin has stopped walking his son to school, purely precautionary. And his old comrades are also refusing to die gracefully. Someone is laying plans for the future, but first they must secure the present. Gripping characters, fiercely intelligent action, and deadly consequences, A Belfast Story is a film about the passing of a way of life and the dangers that brings, because in Ireland, someone always has to buy the last round.

Verdict: 6/10

Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary (2002)Dracula

After garnering widespread acclaim with his mini-masterpiece THE HEART OF THE WORLD, red hot cult auteur Guy Maddin (THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD) has taken on the world’s most adapted horror tale and concocted his most original and ravishingly stylized cinematic creation yet. Beautifully transposing the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s interpretation of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire yarn from stage to screen, Maddin has forged a sumptuous, erotically charged feast of dance, drama and silent film techniques. The black-and-white, blood-red-punctured DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN’S DIARY is a Gothic grand guignol of the notorious Count and his bodice-ripped victims, fringed with the expressionistic strains of Gustav Mahler.

Verdict: 8/10

MeatballsMeatballs (1979)

Bill Murray is at his hilarious best in this classic comedy that’s ‘Animal House goes to summer camp’ – (Newsweek). Murray plays Tripper, the wisecracking, rule-bending head counselor at Camp North Star. Whether playing pranks on Camp North Star’s clueless director, wooing a female counselor, or scheming against the rich brats of a rival camp, Tripper delivers fun and mayhem in a laugh-filled summer his campers will remember forever!

Verdict: 5/10

A Bug’s Life (1998)A Bug's Life

Journey inside the world of bugs in this Epic of miniature proportions. Crawling with imaginative characters, hilarious laughs and colorful animation, Walt Disney Pictures’ Presentation of A Pixar Animation Studios Film, A BUG’S LIFE, will “delight everyone — young, old or six-legged.” (People Magazine). In this 2-disc set you’ll step behind the scenes for a look at the innovation and teamwork that resulted in this ingenious film. Loaded with bonus features — including animation not seen in theaters, abandoned sequences and multiple surprises — A BUG’S LIFE COLLECTOR’S EDITION offers something for everyone from families to film lovers!

Verdict: 7/10

A SecretA Secret (2007)

A 15-year-old boy unearths a shocking family secret.

Verdict: 8/10

Krull (1983)Krull

When an evil beast captures his new bride, a brave prince embarks on an adventure-packed quest to save her.

Verdict: 4/10

LourdesLourdes (2009)

A wheelchair-bound young woman makes a pilgrimage to Lourdes in hope of finding a cure at the sacred site.

Verdict: 7/10

Guilty of Romance (2011)Guilty of Romance

Japanese cinema’s enfant terrible Sono Sion takes audiences on a perverse journey into the darkest corners of Tokyo with Guilty of Romance. Like Love Exposure and Cold Fish before it, Guilty of Romance is inspired by a real-life crime, a murder committed in the love hotel district of Shibuya. From there, Sono concocted an epic exploration of sexuality and depravity surrounding the lives of three women – the repressed wife of a famous author, a university professor with a secret life, and the detective assigned to investigate a grisly murder. The result is a twisted and disturbing black comedy-thriller that could only come from the mind of Sono Sion. A dead body has been found in a run-down building in Shibuya’s love hotel district, and police detective Kazuko (Mizuno Miki) has been assigned to the case. From the clues left behind, the cops begin to suspect the body is that of Izumi (Kagurazaka Megumi), the wife of a respected novelist. Repressed by her husband to be an obedient wife, Izumi tastes freedom for the first time when she decides to take a part-time job and is scouted to star in an adult film. Her sexual liberation is taken to extremes when she meets Mitsuko (Togashi Makoto), a professor of literature who also moonlights as a prostitute at night. Over the course of the investigation, the happily married Kazuko also seems to be hiding a perverse secret life of her own…

Verdict: 8/10

Terror 2000Terror 2000 (1994)

Just as there are wide-angle lenses and wide-spray shotgun shells, there are broadly aimed spoofs, and this is one of them. Left, right, neo-Nazis and do-gooders all come in for brickbats in this equal-opportunity slam. Even the reunification of Germany falls under the category of “tasteless modern inventions.” In the story, a secret service agent and his female partner are given the job of investigating the murder of some people seeking political asylum in Germany. In the vision of the world that emerges while they chase the very baddest bad guys, the powerless enjoy being messed with by bullies and rapists, and mental health is a nonsensical idea. This dark, nihilistic view of life reportedly suited this film’s largely teen male target audience to a “t,” but more sensitive sorts (almost anyone else) is liable to find it offensive. Nonetheless, this is a fast-paced, expertly made thriller in addition to being a spoof, and it can readily be appreciated on that level.

Verdict: 5/10

London River (2009)London River

Set against the backdrop of the July 7th terrorist attacks in 2005, LONDON RIVER follows Elizabeth (BAFTA winner, Academy Award® nominee Brenda Blethyn) from a small farming community in Guernsey as she travels to London in the immediate aftermath of the bombings after failing to hear from her daughter. Elizabeth is disturbed by the confusion of the metropolis and above all, by the predominantly Muslim neighborhood where her daughter lived. Her fear and prejudice escalate when she discovers her daughter was converting to Islam as she keeps crossing paths with Ousmane (Berlin’s Silver Bear winner, Sotigui Kouyaté), a West African who has come from France to find his missing son. Although they come from very different backgrounds, Elizabeth and Ousmane share the same hope of finding their children alive. Putting aside their cultural differences, they give each other the strength to continue the search and maintain their faith in humanity.

Verdict: 8/10

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Dave Brown

I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school. In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu's Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I'm a lover of films, games, books and blogging. I live in Barnsley, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats - Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.
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Archive for the ‘Stories from customers’ Category

I’m building a bankroll from scratch at poker [Guest blogger]

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

Hey everyone! I’m SWeNetty, the guest-blogger here at I’m from northern Sweden now living in England and I have been playing poker ever since. Well time of dawn. At least it feels like that from time to time.

I started up by playing Chicago, you know another name for 5-card draw but without the betting between rounds, with my brother and something we called knuckle-poker in school. That’s pretty much 5-card stud but with a twist. The winner gets to punish the looser depending on what card the looser is drawing. Well needless to say you had to progress strategically, become a better player OR go home with bruises on you knuckles or arms. :D

My favourite games are 5-card draw and lowball. It’s just that it’s really hard to find a decent game of 5-card draw or lowball. 7-card stud is another game. I’m more than happy to sit down to play, find these games challenging since you’re completely lost if you don’t pay attention to what’s going on at the table.

I’ve been blogging about my poker-experience and other worldly stuff for a couple of years now at so you can catch up on me there too.

About 1.5-2 months ago I got challenged to see if I could make myself a bankroll at poker from absolute zero, I gladly accepted the challenge and planned to write about it in a blog, to document it. On top of that I have a new challenge going on which include the mini ECOOP events to be documented as well.

Since is having this really good deal for new customers, 90 days of freerolls to help you build your bankroll 5 times per day, in total 450 freerolls. It makes it a bit easier to get started as a poker player. The freerolls are capped at 500 registered and pays top 33 a ticket into a $0.60 sitngo where you can win $2.50. So if you calculate your odds there they’re pretty damn good, don’t you think!

The perfect scenario if you’re that good and have that much luck (which wouldn’t be much of a challenge and just theoretical but for the sake of calculation) you can make in 90 days time $1125 for your bankroll. More plausible would be something in between if you take this seriously. So far I’ve made 22 tickets. I’ve used 2 tickets winning me the first in both for a total of $5. Now I’m just using those $5 to just get my bearings around the sitngo-tables and up my game there.

Poker freerolls

To get familiar with the structure, players and more. I decided for this bankroll-challenge to use the 5% rule strictly, to have a bankroll-management that’s not going to ruin it for me when I run cold, I’m aware of that’s going to happen sooner or later realistically. well that’s pretty much all for now but the story will continue for everyone that are interested…

Play well and most of all have fun playing well. PS. You can follow me on twitter @SWNetty.

I’ve been making quite a good profit in the last days [Guest blogger]

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

After watching Senators vs Penguins last night I might just have had an od of hockey for a while, at least until Red Wings goes on the ice this morning :) Tonight I place my bets on Washington to knock out Montreal and Detroit to win together with draws in the other two games that’s on in a Yankee (if you don’t know what this is just click “bet system“) and if that fails I bet on Wings to win.

Thanks to swedish trotting and the snooker championship (an 8-fold on only favourites quadrupled my stake) I’ve been making quite a good profit in the last days even if my bets on the NHL didn’t go that well the last two nights. The 40-something ranked Martin Gould which I mentioned before as winning against Marco Fu in the snooker championships seems to be this years sensation as he now is on his way to knock out Neil Robertson but the big talkie is of course veteran Steve Davis that might be on his way to knock out reigning champ John Higgins! (This match is on right now while I’m writing with and 8-4 lead for Davis)

I haven’t checked out all the bets there is to choose from this weekend but I must raise a warning for Xeres in spanish Primera – they have lost only two of their last ten games (one in the last five) and Barca is too big of a favourite here. They have the CL title in their heads and before their eyes and things have gone too smoothly for them all season which showed not least in the derby against Espanyol last weekend as well as in their loss against Inter. Good Luck!

Betting predictions for the NHL play-offs are getting harder [Guest blogger]

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

As I have been watching the NHL play-offs I must say the predictions of who is going to win their series is just getting harder to do. If anyone had told me during the last games of the regular season that Boston Bruins would stand a chance getting through I would have told that person he just have to be crazy – almost as crazy as the ones who predicted that Porto would stand as winners of the Champions League once upon a time and which brings me to tonights battle between Inter and Barcelona and my bet will be on “The Special One” to win the first leg as I am a big fan of expert Glenn Strömberg and his not so seldom used words “remember this is just first half” and this is just what it is also in this semi-finals.

Watching Glenn Strombergs latest video blog I can only say I’m with him all the way with my bets on the Champions League – I can’t see how Bayern Munchen will lose against Lyon at home and there will not be many goals in tonights game. My bet will be on a double with under 2.5 goals in Inter – Barca combined with a win for Bayern to triple my stake and one for just tonight on no goals for Barca to 3.65 and of course a livebet if/when Barca scores ;-) My bets on the NHL has been giving me quite a lot of winnings as I always bet on draws in tight games and together with draws in Finnish, Swedish and even norwegian ice-hockey my systems have been winnings almost all the way except for last night and the three-fold I mentioned in my last blog was as good as I thought.

My analysis of the World Snooker Championship was right as only favourites has won so far EXCEPT for Marco Fu who ruined my bet and believe it or not – this was the third time EVER I lost betting on snooker and the third time on Marco Fu, this time he lost against a part-time pro ranked 40-something and this was my last bet on him – ever! At last – if you have the possibility to watch the next Bruins vs Sabres game of the NHL play-offs you just have to do so: Boston is pure rock’n’roll as a city as well as a team and their fans rocks, their arena rocks, the music the play at their home rocks… everything rocks!

So – I’ll rely on Mourinho to make my (birth)day even though he and I don’t have a very nice betting history. I bet against him when he coached Porto and with him when he was in Chelsea but maybe we will both be winners at the same time tonight…? Good Betting Fun!

NHL Boston

I’m not all that worried about my bets on Red Wings and Penguins [Guest blogger]

Friday, April 16th, 2010

The NHL play-offs didn’t start up that well for me, even though I made break even, as well as making a minor plus in total betting on the draw between Canucks and LA Kings this morning.

However I’m not all that worried about my bets on Red Wings and Penguins as champions, even though they both lost in their first games. Sid the Kid and Malkin looked nice on the ice and goalie Fleury must be luckier in some of the games to come. The Wings were in control of their game most of the time and even if these series most probably will go to seven games I feel confident with my bets and I haven’t seen anything worth mentioning from the other series except that Capitals, Vancouver as well as Sharks (!) will all have a hard time getting through to the next round.

This weekend the World Championship in snooker starts and this is usually a good tournament to bet on the favourites in the first rounds. There is a huge difference in playing best of 19 frames in a tournament which is The One everyone wants to win then playing in the different tournaments during the year. My bet will be on a three-fold with wins for Higgins, Hendry and Marco Fu and they will hopefully double my stake.

Tonight I will also put some money in on Pens and Sharks as they can’t afford to lose another game playing at home and together with Wings, all on Double Chance, this will double my stake as well according to my plan. A lot of good football in the major leagues is on this weekend but as I haven’t followed almost any soccer games for the last two or three weeks except the Champions League and a couple of Primera games (couldn’t miss El Classico…) I will just bet on the games I might watch and then most likely live.

A friend of mine has a “no lose tactic” when it comes to this way of betting and that is calculating his bet as paying for the ticket for the match he

I bet on the Stanley cup at Expekt

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Although my betting season soon is coming to an end, the swedish summer is just too great to miss sitting in front of a TV or a PC despite the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the swedish elite fotball league allsvenskan is on the contrary just too crappy to follow – I will have some great betting fun in front of me in the weeks to come during the race for the Stanley Cup.

As a customer with I have, during the last three winters, succeeded in winning a couple of their NHL Challenges and each time it took me to NY and Madison Square Garden together with first my ex-girlfriend three years ago and this winter a friend and of course: Mr Hockey himself, Niklas Wikegård.

Some may argue this is just bragging and that it all was due to sheer luck but somewhere along the line I just got fed up with people who don’t seem to get that there’s a pattern in my winnings and I guess I just have to win a third time to make it a habit then ;-) This brings me to why I’ve been sticking to as my main betting site as they are one of the best sites when it comes to fairness, straightness and their customer-friendly style in giving each and everyone of their customers, big spenders as well as not so big, a fair chance to win in their competitions.

The one during the Winter Olympics was the latest in the (continuing, I hope) row and if the ice-hockey final Canada – USA had ended 3-3 instead of 2-2 in regular time I would have won that one too… But that’s history now and my up-coming winnings will come in betting on a third-in-a-row final between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penquins. I’m not sure that’s possible but as they finished 4:th and 5:th in their conferences I guess the road for a third Clash of the Titans is open. In my opinion these two teams are totally out-standing in the NHL and with Crosby-Malkin-Staal and the Red Wings swedes fit for fight teams like Capitals and Sharks will not stand a chance in the long run for “Mr Stanley”.

My guess is that Red Wings will lift the Cup this year as they now have a great rookie goalie in (most probably “best of the year”…) Jimmy Howard and has been able to put their best team on the ice for the last weeks which also has shown in their great finish for the play-offs.

Other markets of interest is of course first of all the last games of The Premiership and the CL semi-finals, spains Primera and maybe italy as well. This brings me to the one thing I really miss betting with and that is to be able to bet on combos with winners of different leagues as well as being able to bet for league or play-off winners during the on-going season.

But now I’m mostly awaiting the next Expekt Challenge but my fear is that it will come during the FIFA World Cup and, good for you out there who don’t want the competition from me ;-) , then I will not participate with any real effort for the reasons I’ve described earlier. So – Go For It!!! And OF COURSE the Cup will find it’s way back not only to “Hockey Town” but also to Njurunda, Sweden – home of Henrik Zetterberg and Fredrik Modin! Good Betting Fun, Folks!!!

Hippie Hockeydynamit, dedicated customer and Timrå IK fan and follower!

Hippie Hockeydynamit and Henrik Zetterberg

Student won on a Nine-fold at 8720.60

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Nine is a magic number – ask the student
who won on a Nine-Fold at 8720.60 (!) in odds

Could this be the bet of the year? A Swedish student placed a bet on all nine NHL matches that were played in one night – and the Nine-Fold paid back an amazing 8720.60 (!) times the money at

- I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that I had won on this bet, says the happy winner, 29-year-old Swede Johan Putsén.

Match after match went in for Johan (pictured) who got the great surprise on Thursday morning that he suddenly was close to €9,000 richer from a €1 stake.

He tells us about the magic bet:

- I had made a winning single bet on a Swedish ice hockey match and took out that amount, but I saved €1 and put that on all nine NHL matches that was played that night in a Nine-Fold.  I filled in match after match after how I thought they would end, without looking at the odds to much, but the total odds ended up quite okay.  After that I went to bed and as usual in the morning when I woke up I switched on Teletext and checked the NHL results. I got a strange feeling that all results looked familiar, so I logged onto my account and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw my account balance.

The coupon proved to be a jackpot. Among the nine matches two was draws and two other matches was upsets with the odds 3.30 and 3.70 respectively. The lowest odds were 1.68 on Philadelphia Flyers to beat lowly New York Islanders. Favorites Flyers was 1-2 down ahead of the last period but eventually scored the winning 3-2 goal with six minutes to play. In the last match of the nine, underdog Columbus needed to beat Anaheim away at 3.70 in odds. Columbus won 5-2 after scoring the two decisive goals in the last minutes of the match.

To bet on the North American ice hockey league NHL is a challenge and experienced bookmakers couldn’t believe their eyes when they discovered the winning coupon.

This is how the  winning coupon looked like:

Date Match Tips Result Odds
Wed 2010-03-10 01:00 Detroit – Calgary 2 (2-4) 3.30
Wed 2010-03-10 01:00 Toronto – Boston X (3-3) 4.05
Wed 2010-03-10 01:00 Atlanta – Nashville 2 (1-2) 2.50
Wed 2010-03-10 01:30 Philadelphia – Islanders 1 (3-2) 1.68
Wed 2010-03-10 01:30 Montreal – Tampa Bay 1 (5-3) 2.20
Wed 2010-03-10 02:00 Minnesota – Florida X (2-2) 4.10
Wed 2010-03-10 03:00 Colorado – Vancouver 2 (4-6) 2.45
Wed 2010-03-10 03:30 Edmonton – Ottawa 2 (1-4) 1.90
Wed 2010-03-10 04:00 Anaheim – Columbus 2 (2-5) 3.70
Odds: 8720.60
Stake: €1.00
Win: €8,720.60

Want to bet on NHL hockey? has the odds

Meet our Hockey Challenge Winners in New York

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

A cold beer welcomed the Hockey Challenge winners, an exclusive NHL trip for 14 people, in the hotel lobby at the Time Square hotel in New York, ahead of a busy weekend with hockey, sightseeing and relaxation. Niklas Wikegård at named as Mr. Hockey also hosted the event.

Mr. Hockey is a famous former coach of a number of teams in the Swedish top division, he is also known as the Hockey expert in the Swedish national television. Mr. Hockey had prepared himself well by watching both NY Rangers – Washington Capitals as well as New Jersey Devils – Toronto Maple Leafs game. He then took the winners through a detailed pre-match talk as the coach he was, together with his fellow friend and NHL merited Robert Nordmark with not less than 236 matches with the Vancouver Canucks and St Louis Blues.

The big derby between NY Rangers and New Jersey Devils was the main attraction and Mr. Hockey and Nordmark had told us to keep close eyes on Rangers goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist, Devils Parise and the just appointed Kovalchuck while trying to eat a 400 gram large New York strip loin steak!

The experts was right as the Rangers fans had reason to sing HEN-RIK, HEN-RIK during the whole game, Henrik Lundqvist won the game for his Rangers by stopping 41 shots! The Challenge winners were over the moon as it’s reached them we will meet with the star goalkeeper and also Olli Jokinen after the game. Autographs, photos and a hand shake will be memories for life!

Niklas “Mr. Hockey” Wikegard in New Yersey with customers

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Niklas Wikegård, Mr. Hockey himself is with in New York with a couple of happy customers who won an all inclusive trip with NHL tickets. Mr. Hockey will be with us during the Olympics in Vancouver next week.


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Healthiest Fast-Food Menu Items

by in Dining Out, July 10, 2012

wendy's chicken wrap
Car trips are a fun way to spend time with your family, but with most rest stops fronting fast food joints, healthy eating can seem impossible. If you’re tired of continually saying NO to fast food—ease up, there are healthier choices you can make. Check out our list so you’re prepared on your next trip.

It was refreshing to see several healthy options provided on the Wendy’s website including the Grilled Chicken Go Wrap (pictured above) with a side of small chili (totaling 470 calories for the meal). The problem is, I’m not sure I’d want to be in a car with someone who just had chili! Luckily, you can opt for the baked potato instead or even the wrap with a small side salad (also for 470 calories). Looking to cut calories down? Wendy’s allows you to hold ingredients (like cheese or sour cream) so you tailor the meal to your liking.

Check out more healthy Wendy’s options.

In my neck of the woods, Arby’s seems to be at every rest stop. For a filling meal, opt for the Chopped Farmhouse Roasted Chicken Salad with chopped lettuce, diced tomato, red onion, pepper bacon, shredded cheddar and roasted chicken. The calories without the dressing are 250 calories, 14 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat and 670 milligrams sodium. Add the light Italian dressing for an additional 20 calories.

Do you eat gluten-free? Arby’s also has an extensive gluten-free menu to choose from.

Choose any of the 10 6-inch sandwich options for 6 grams of fat or less and your sandwich will be between 230 to 380 calories. One of my favorites is the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki—my pick for a family car trip. Pair with a water and small bag of Baked Lays for 130 calories more.

Check out more healthy Subway options.

Order Franks RedHot Chicken Sandwich for 340 calories, 16 grams of fat and 8 grams saturated fat, or if you really want a burger, the kids’ burger has 280 calories and 12 grams of fat. Unfortunately, the only veggie on the menu is the fries with a small weighing in at 300 calories—if you really need some, then share.

Taco Bell
You definitely have many calorie-friendly choices at Taco Bell. My basic rule of thumb is no bean dishes in car rides (unless you are driving by yourself). Keeping that in mind, you can order 2 Fresco Chicken Soft Tacos or Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Tacos for 150 calories and about 4 grams of fat each or a chicken or steak Gordita Extreme for 270 calories and between 10-11 grams of fat each.

Find more healthy choices at Taco Bell.

TELL US: How do you choose healthy fast food on the road?

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Posts Tagged ‘Penang Island’

Hop on board the Borneo Adventure

FP_Borneo_Petronas.jpgThere aren’t many places in the world that can compare to the island of Borneo, Malaysia, where a mosaic of indigenous tribes, intriguing history, ancient rain forests, winding rivers, and diversified wildlife await.

Imagine a day spent exploring an electric city, making your way through bustling exotic markets in the shadow of looming skyscrapers. Stroll down lantern-lit streets, haggle with street vendors, and visit temples and other ancient remnants of Malaysia’s unique and colorful heritage, tucked among the sky scrapers, shopping malls, restaurants, nightlife, and other icons of modern life.

 FP_Borneo_Canopy Walk.jpg

Then, spend the next day knee-deep in local umbrage as you follow your guide past shrieking monkeys and luminescent birds on a tour of one of Borneo’s national parks. Take a guided canopy walk hundreds of feet above the forest floor. Explore incredible cave formations, and take a dip in the ocean at one of the country’s beautiful white sand beaches.

Our 15-day Borneo Adventure for $2,899 offers the chance to see and do all this, and so much more. This trip is truly a fantastic journey of discovery for a price that is as amazing as the destination itself.

Travelers explore Kuching, Batang Ai, Mulu, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuala Lumpur, with an optional Penang Island extension. As always, the $2,899 price includes airfare, fuel surcharges, great hotels, transfers, many meals, touring, and more.

The remaining 2009 departure is already sold out, but we still have spots available on all three of our spring 2010 departures: March 24 – April 7, April 14 – April 28, and May 12 – May 26. For more information on the Borneo Adventure, have a look at our Web site. And if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Photo credits: and Wikipedia


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5 Scary Social Media Myths – And The Truth Behind Them

Happy Halloween! From all of us here at Full Slate, we hope you enjoy the holiday and perhaps book some special holiday appointments – or enjoy your day off! Today we wanted to share 5 scary social media myths that

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Erin Opsahl, contributor

Erin Opsahl is a busy wife and mother of two playful toddlers.Growing up in the California Bay Area, she is a true lover of the ocean, sunshine and flip flops. Marriage brought her out to Colorado nine years ago, and she has called Summit County home for the past six. She often tells people she didn’t own a real coat or shoes until moving here.

Being a new mom in a mountain area that felt isolated, Erin realized she needed to connect to other moms and the community. Out of this need, Erin found her passion. Combining her psychology degree from the University of Colorado at Denver with her love of connecting people and resources (and finding a bargain), she focuses on promoting networking, friendships, fun ideas and local resources to both strengthen and build personal relationships and families.

Erin spends as much time as she can being “Mommy” and participating in fun family events around Summit County — on a budget. Erin believes an informed mom is a better mom!

Erin’s  websites:

Breck Moms – Summit County Moms:
Erin’s Pinterest:
Summit County Moms Facebook Page:
Erin’s Linkedin Page:

Check out a few of Erin’s recent posts below, or see all of them here.

  • Best Summer Events in Breckenridge - Deutsche __________ Updated: Feb. 13, 2017 It’s no secret that Breckenridge knows how to party. The summer brings big events, each celebrating a Breckenridge best-of. Join us to celebrate history, bikes, beer and more. Read on for tips and local favorites at these top summer (June through August) events. The fun continues as the seasons change, so […]
  • Breckenridge Spring Break Survival Guide Part 1: On the slopes - UPDATED: Feb. 17, 2017 The first in a series of spring break survival guides, today we focus on tips, tricks and suggestions for your time on the slopes in Breckenridge, Colorado. Go forth and conquer. 1. Hit the midday sweet spot This spring break, sleep in and prepare for the day with a yummy breakfast. […]
  • Best Winter Events in Breckenridge - Deutsche __________ Updated 10/20/16 When the snow flies, Breckenridge locals come out to play, and it’s not just on the slopes. A winter-long calendar of events keeps the lively atmosphere rolling through spring. Check out a few top winter festivals and some local’s knowledge on how best to partake. The fun continues all year with summer […]
  • Summer Parking in Breckenridge - Update Nov. 28, 2016: With the recent changes in winter parking, we expect to see some changes in summer parking, too. Information will be updated as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, check out for the most current information. ________ Summer is a great time to explore Breckenridge on foot, and often that […]
  • Breckenridge Dining Passport: Fill Up for a Cause - UPDATED: March 15, 2017 The Breckenridge Restaurant Association (BRA) will again offer the spring Dining Passport April 15 through June 15, 2017. The discount booklet offers specials at dozens of Breckenridge restaurants. Passports will be available during the offer dates for a $10 donation at participating restaurants and the Breckenridge Welcome Center (203 S. Main Street, 877-864-0868). The booklets also provide information on spring […]

About The Author

Kimberly Nicoletti always knew she was meant to escape gray Chicago winters and spend her days skiing the Colorado Rockies. So, two months after she turned 18, she moved to Breckenridge to be a ski bum "for a season," assuring her parent's she'd return to Illinois to finish college. But, the ski bum life stuck. After three years of full-time skiing in Summit County, she decided to finish her degree at CU-Boulder in Creative Writing (granted, she took a semester off to ski). Once free of classes, she took yet another year off to ski in Summit (do you see a pattern here?). Then, she moved back to Boulder to earn her master's degree in Somatic Psychology/Dance Therapy. Upon graduation, she spent a winter teaching skiing at Mammoth Mountain. (Surely you see the pattern now.) In 2002, she moved back to Summit full time, to work at the Summit Daily as the arts and entertainment editor. She stayed with the company for 10 years, enjoying Summit's great events and later working as the managing editor of magazines covering the High Country. She still revolves her life around adventure and creativity, taking time to travel, ski, paddleboard, dance, ice skate, play with her dogs, learn new things and generally enjoy life. She's highly addicted to powder skiing and keeps her winter mornings commitment-free so she can indulge in "deep play" when Mother Nature cooperates. Off the mountain, she's a freelance writer and editor and teaches fitness and mind/body classes throughout Summit County.

Related Posts


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Author Archives: KHolmes

Success, as defined by John Wooden is “peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”  It’s hard to believe there are many other … Read More »

KHolmes Author: KHolmes
1 Comment

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

The theory that when there’s no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth was put to the test recently in New York City, thanks to the ongoing feud between AMC and Dish Network. I don’t seem to be the only one out … Read More »


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Posted in: Mobile phones, Mobile software

Éclair becomes the Android community favorite dessert, fragmentation is still strong

The Android OS development continues to amaze the mobile world – more than 10 thousand applications joined the Android market last month alone and about 12 000 more are expected in May. However the main weakness of the platform developed by the Open Handset Alliance remains its fragmentation.

The last two weeks saw the Android latest version (2.1 a.k.a. Éclair) become most popular which sounds encouraging. The thing is that 37.2% of all Android users were enough to make it the leader, and that still leaves 34.1% for Android 1.5 and 28% for Android 1.6. Additionally there is a tiny percentage (0.7% to be specific) of users, which are still stuck with Android 1.1, 2.0 or 2.0.1.

Granted, most of the devices running Cupcake (1.5) and Donut (1.6) will eventually be upgraded to Éclair but this process takes months and this leaves mobile app developers with a hard task, making their apps compatible with the different versions.

And things are only going to get messier tomorrow when Android 2.2 (Froyo) pops up. Google and Co. need to think of a solution to this problem before it’s too late. It can’t be easy with so many manufacturers and carriers involved but the Open Handset Alliance isn’t short of resources either.

Rules for posting


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Monit and Phusion Passenger

April 30th, 2011 No Comments »

While there’re multiple tools available for monitoring, ranging from Dan Bernshtein’s daemontools to God, I found that Monit is a pretty balanced solution. On one hand, it’s quite powerful, and on the other – it’s not resource hungry. The only drawback that I found, is that for monitoring a process, the process must have a pid-file saved somewhere. The Monit FAQ states that the programs which don’t have pid-file support should be run with some wrapper which will create it on their behalf.

I wanted to use Monit to monitor Rails’ instances, so if they grow too fat, Monit will take care of that. The problem is that the pid file that the Passenger creates a) doesn’t have a predictable location (there’s something called “generation” or something like that), and b) doesn’t have children, as those processes are detached.

Of course there exists a possibility of patching Passenger for providing such pid files. But, luckily, Passenger provides extension points in form of callbacks which are fired when the application instance is created and when it’s taken down.

It was trivial to use this API to provide pid-file managing. The result of this work was the “passenger_monit” plugin.

So, go ahead, add ‘gem “passenger_monit”‘ to your Gemfile and give it a try!

The source is available from:

April 5th, 2011 No Comments »

Logging line numbers in Ruby Logger can be done with a simple decorator:

  class LoggerDecorator
    def initialize(logger)
      @logger = logger
    %w{debug info warn error fatal}.each do |method|
        def #{method}(msg)
          @logger.#{method}(position) {msg}
    def position{.*/},'').sub(%r{:in\s.*},'')

MongoDB DLR support for Kannel

April 3rd, 2011 No Comments »

I wrote some code to make use of MongoDB as a DLR storage for Kannel SMS gateway.

The code is available on github:


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Venice - people in costume at Caffe Quadri in St. Mark's square, landscape color photo
© 2013 Fabio Thian. All rights reserved.

#66 A blast from the past

• A shot that can often happen to take during carnival in Venice, where situations just happen without any planning. This image seems pretty much being setup on purpose; instead I just catched the lucky combination of people wearing costumes of same age, gathering at the same time in the same place.

⇒ Visit

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New York City Glamour Photographer | New York City Wedding Photographer | Jasmine E. Photography » Jasmine E. Photography is boutique photography studio providing contemporary glamour portraits and beautiful wedding photography in New York City and Long Island, NY

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New York City Glamour Photographer | New York City Wedding Photographer |  Jasmine E. Photography bio picture
  • I’m Jasmine

    With over 7 years experience in the modeling industry as a "Plus Size" model in New York City, I have learned and practiced all of the TOP-SECRET fashion and beauty techniques to creating stunning and mesmerizing images of women with REAL bodies.

    Jasmine E. Photography, LLC provides a one of a kind experience and unique one-on-one service for women and brides.

You’re Perfect the Way You Are

You’re perfect the way YOU are RIGHT NOW and life is good. Every now and then we all need a little reminder …

We’re women … women are complex creatures and we are very hard on ourselves. We do it all the time and not even science can give a true clarification as to why. No matter what the reason, women always think that if they could be “better” in one way or another they would be “happy”.  I myself am guilty of it here and here.  We as women  need to remember to think about all the good things we have going on, and think about all the things we’re blessed to have in our lives right now … today.  You have to love yourself  now, not 10 lbs from now. And we have to remember we can have anything we put our minds to. Last night I heard a song on the radio that reminded me how blessed I am today to have the experiences I’ve had and be where I am at this point in my life.  Everything is FINE and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Jennifer Lopez in Vouge – New York City Glamour Photographer

Jennifer Lopez is on the Cover of Vouge this month, and I am giddy with GLEEE! I don’t know why but Jenny from the Block is like my home girl (in my head). She’s gorgeous, she’s sexy, she’s fierce, she’s gorgeous … she’s gorgeous! Haha, yes I’m a groupie. I have to give JLo credit where credit is due. Jenny grew up in the Bronx and worked very hard to get where she is today. Even with all the recent turmoil in her personal life, she still finds time to look and feel good.

This brings me to a certain point … With everything most of us having going on in our personal daily lives, most of us if not ALL of us (women, girls, young, old, married, mother, divorced, grandmother etc) want to look and feel as beautiful as this. Why can’t we all have this glamorous experience? Hair, makeup, wardrobe and photos of ourselves looking beautiful? Mainstream media, and fashion has brainwashed women and young girls to think we can’t be this beautiful or this glamours if we’re not 5’11 and wear a size 2 dress. You don’t have to be famous, or even a model to attain it. All you need to find is the photographer with the eyes to see the beauty in you.  Whats stopping YOU from making it happen?

I’m very excited to open up a new project – in the works, this Spring! I really think you’ll like it too. 😉

Jennifer Lopez, Vouge - NYC Glamour Photographer

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50 and Fabulous || New York City Portait Photographer

Who says you can’t be fabulous at 50 ? This is Doreen. When I first spoke with Doreen, she told me she was throwing a 50 and fabulous birthday party to celebrate her big Five-O. Of course she wanted someone to photograph the celebration but even more important to her, she wanted a picture that made her feel like super model. Something she could hang in her house and feel proud of and most importantly, something she could look at every single day to remind her how amazing she felt at 50. Like a fine wine, right? There are two things we can learn here from Doreen and those are 1. Age is nothing but a number and 2. You’re only as old as you feel on the inside. Think young, feel young, be fabulous!

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March 12, 2012 - 9:45 AM

Tena - She is absolutely georgeous!! I hope to look half that good at 50!

Plus Model Jasmine E. by J. Clynes Photography || Jasmine E. Photography || NYC Wedding Photographer

I’ve been pretty quiet the last couple weeks, but that’s because I’ve been a bit busy thinking about my 2012 and how I want the next year to go. So far, I have to say things are off to a great start! Coming into 2012 I decided it was really time to update my modeling portfolio. Just recently, I had a fun shoot with fashion photographer Justin Clynes of J Clynes Photography. Justin and I are kind of on the same journey …  Models with Cameras! We’re both represented by Click Model Management in New York, and we’ve both transitioned to photography after 5+ years in front of the camera. Although he’s mainly a head shot fashion photographer and I mainly photograph weddings I found that we both have the familiar struggle of trying to balance our work in front of and behind the camera, yet we both find work on each side of the camera wildly fulfilling for 100 different reasons.

It was a breath of fresh air working with Justin. Like, we were on the same page. He’s an amazing and talented artist, with a big spirit and a bright outlook on life. It was great to connect with him the way I did. Not all photographers are created equal, but shooting with photographers like Justin always reminds me of why I decided to pick up the camera in the first place. Justin helped me to find my inner beauty, again …

although I gained almost 20 lbs since my last portfolio photo shoot …

although I don’t work out 10 hours a week like I used to …

although my husband tells me I’m beautiful every single day …

and although despite being a model for over 6 years, lately I haven’t been feeling at all confident in myself …

Justin helped me find it all again. The experience has reminded me why I do what I do behind the lens. I want all my clients and couples to feel this very same way. I understand the power of a picture … the emotional power strong photographs hold. Not just for the person looking at the photograph, but for the person IN the photograph. This is me and I am “gorgeous, hot, beautiful, sexy” or whatever the case may be when you see yourself in a photograph you LOVE. The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is so true, in fact … a strong picture is worth way more than a thousand words, its Priceless. It takes a special kind of photographer to create this power in an image.

How do you think I did? One thing’s for sure, I’m ready for 2012 and I’m SO ready for the gym tonight!

Photos by my amazing Photogra-friend – J. Clynes Who is a gorgeous model too – Justin Clynes

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February 28, 2012 - 9:49 AM

Abbey - Are you kidding me??? You are gorgeous Jasmine! Work it girl!!!!! We’ve gotta meet up one of these days!

February 28, 2012 - 10:25 AM

Emily Nolan - You look fantastic Jasmine!

February 28, 2012 - 11:53 AM

Erika - Gorgeous!! I’m happy you got your sexy back!

February 28, 2012 - 12:56 PM

Jasmine - Aww shucks! You ladies are too, TOO awesome. Thank you for tuning in!

February 28, 2012 - 5:07 PM

Wendy - Beautiful!

March 1, 2012 - 8:51 AM

beaglin - Jasmine…One word – “Lovely”, Well 3 words…Awesome Photography Also….

January 20, 2013 - 4:41 PM

A little reminder | Portrait Couture, Beauty, and Contemporary Glamour | New York City Wedding Photographer | Manhattan, NYC Portrait and Wedding Photographer - […] in one way or another they would be “happy”.  I myself am guilty of it here and here.  We as women  need to remember to think about all the good things we have going on, and think […]

January 14, 2014 - 9:28 PM

rogar - mami estas muy pero muy ricaa

Spending Time with Grandma on Valentine’s Day || Jasmine E. Photography || NYC Wedding Photographer

Happy Day AFTER Valentine’s Day!! Anyone have a chocolate hangover?? 😛

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re married, just fell in love or you’re single and ready to mingle, Valentine’s Day should be celebrated by everybody. Valentine’s Day is not just about chocolate and roses, its amount reminding the most important people in your life how much you love them. This was our first Valentine’s Day as husband and wife and Valentine’s day couldn’t have been MORE perfect. Aloysius and I spent Valentine’s Day with my Grandma. I love my grandmother … I just adore her. Grandma is 89 years old ….. Eighty-Nine! After Aloysius and I swapped cards, cupcakes and shared a glass of wine, we picked up my sister, Sapphire and drove over to Grandma’s for a Valentine’s Day Surprise! Grandma’s are simple … they enjoy the little things in life. Family and Hugs and lots of little kisses. My grandmother loves a good hug. We shared another bottle of wine (oh yes, we got grandma to have a sip), she served us her most notorious rice and beans and we enjoyed each other. Simple as that. I couldn’t ask for anything more on Valentine’s Day.

I’m so happy my Grandma was able to share in my wedding day. These images mean so much to me right now, but they will be absolutely priceless the day I show my future children who their grandmother was …

Yes, Grandma got her makeup done by Cari R. Duprey too!

I love her dearly.

My mother and my grandmother waiting before the ceremony …

I love the last  picture because it represents three generations of the women in our family together. My Grandmother with her daughter and grandchildren.

My mother to the far right, my younger sister Sapphire to the left … and of course our Grandma.

My wedding photographs were taken by my awesome photogra-friend: Katie Jane Photography

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February 15, 2012 - 9:50 AM

Julian Reyes - Jasmine,
Congratulations on your wedding.I wish all the happiness in the world to you and your husband.

You inspire us to be better each day and you have a beautiful family.

Your grandmother is amazing. Thanks for being a blessing in your personal life and your work.

February 15, 2012 - 10:20 AM

Jasmine - Hi Julian! Happy Belated Valentine’s Day! I hope you shared it with someone special! 🙂 Thank you for reading and for leaving such up lifting words. I truly feel blessed to have reader like you!


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Monday, July 18, 2016

Gadget fair at JEC.

I am buying a brand new gaming PC.

Hahahaha I know above is a really huge dream that it scares me, but I know I am going to buy it! I have even written the specs I really want and I want to invest to it a little bit more since I have expected to use this PC for at least 5 years. #lawofattraction

So upon long thoughts and calculated it so many times with my friends, I have settled down to a $1,600 (IDR 16,000,000) worth of gaming PC set.

I know it sounds crazy but no matter what I will get it. I have even planned the brands, the arrangement and what I am gonna do with it.

So to draw me closer to achieve this dream of mine, I attended a Gadget Fair at JEC after work for researching purpose.

Bright moonlight!

The fair consisted of two rooms: Gadget fair and Food fair. Visited both! Entrance ticket was $.8 (IDR 8,000).

Spotted this funny and somewhat cute Indomaret truck! XD

Also spotted Alien vs. Predator human-sized figures. Love figures!

And cheapo USB sticks. But since I already have one for $3 (IDR 30,000) so I didn't take a look further, although some of the sticks there were much prettier with not so much different price from mine.

Lots of love ♥

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Sentiment analysis in Spanish

Note: (This is a continuation of a previous article in which I explained how to download and plot a heatmap of thousand of tweets sent from my hometown.)

You can find the code I used for this tutorial in github. I also uploaded the tweets file so you can follow along without having to download the tweets by yourself.
On this post, I will focus on how to perform Sentiment Analysis on a Spanish corpus.

In terms of SA, currently is very easy to apply it on English corpus. The TextBlob package comes with a pretrained model, as well as word2vec.

However, as far as I can tell, there are no pretrained models in Spanish.

So I decided to build the model by myself.

In order to do so, I needed a labeled dataset. I used the TASS DATASET.

TASS is a Sentiment Analysis in Spanish Workshop hosted by the Spanish Society for Natural Language Processing (SEPLN) every year. To use it you have to request permission (send an email to ), hence I can't share the corpus here. Reach out to them if you are interested, I'm sure they will help you out.

They have multiple XML files containing thousands of tweets in spanish with their associated polarity. Some of the files are focused on a specific topic, such as Politics or TV.

The structure of one of the files looks like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  <content><![CDATA[Portada 'Público', viernes. Fabra al banquillo por 'orden' del Supremo; Wikileaks 'retrata' a 160 empresas espías.]]></content>

So we are mostly interested on the content field and the sentiment.polarity.value.
Be aware that the schema varies depending on which year's dataset you are reading.

After parsing and joining all available datasets, that left me with a dataset containing over 48,000 tweets with an associated sentiment. Sentiment is encoded as an ordinal variable containing one of the following: N+ (very negative), N (negative), NEU (Neutral), P (Positive), P+ (very positive).

The goal is to predict the polarity of the tweet file we processed on the previous blog post by using our labeled dataset.

However, before doing that, there is another step we have to take.

If we start browsing downloaded tweets, we will notice that something is wrong. We cannot use the TASS corpus to predict sentiment on tweets that are not in spanish.

Which means we have to perform language detection on the tweets.

Language detection

To do so, I used 2 different libraries langdetect and langid, and kept only those tweets which both libraries classified as being written in Spanish.

import langid
from langdetect import detect
import textblob

def langid_safe(tweet):
        return langid.classify(tweet)[0]
    except Exception as e:

def langdetect_safe(tweet):
        return detect(tweet)
    except Exception as e:

def textblob_safe(tweet):
        return textblob.TextBlob(tweet).detect_language()
    except Exception as e:

#This will take a looong time
tweets['lang_langid'] = tweets.tweet.apply(langid_safe)
tweets['lang_langdetect'] = tweets.tweet.apply(langdetect_safe)
tweets['lang_textblob'] = tweets.tweet.apply(textblob_safe)

tweets.to_csv('tweets_parsed2.csv', encoding='utf-8')

tweets = tweets.query("lang_langdetect == 'es' or lang_langid == 'es' or lang_langtextblob=='es' ")

That left me with 48,606 tweets geocoded and written in Spanish ready to be analyzed.

Like I said above, the data set contains 'levels' of sentiment, not only positive/negative. However, since some of the files from older TASS only have Positive or Negative, I binarized the sentiment. So instead of having a 5-class classification problem we turn it into a binary one (Positive=1, Negative=0).

Text processing

To be able to manage the tweets, we need to extract information from the text. To do so, we will use scikit learn's CountVectorizer.

It will turn text into a matrix of token counts, (token being the text's words).

So for example, if we have a tweet like:

Machine Learning is very cool

CountVectorizer will turn it into:

tweet machine learning is very cool
0 Machine Learning is very cool 1 1 1 1 1
1 Machine Learning is cool 1 1 1 0 1

This way we wan work with those vectors instead of with raw text.

We will do some processing to the text as well, namely:

  1. Tokenize. This means applying a function that splits a text into a list of words. We will use a custom tokenizer that not only tokenizes (using nltk.word_tokenize), but removes puntiation. In this case it is important to include ¿ and ¡ (spanish exclamation points).
  2. Turn all words to lowercase
  3. Remove stopwords. Stopwords are that set of common words that have little semantical meaning. Examples of stopwords in english would be of, in, or, at ...
  4. Stem the words. This means that for each word, we just keep the stem) of the word. For example, beautiful, beautifully and beauty would be turn into their stem, beauti.

Here is the code to process the text.

#You have to download the spanish stopwords first with
import nltk
from nltk.corpus import stopwords
from nltk import word_tokenize
from import load
from nltk.stem import SnowballStemmer
from string import punctuation
from sklearn.feature_extraction.text import CountVectorizer

#stopword list to use
spanish_stopwords = stopwords.words('spanish')

#spanish stemmer
stemmer = SnowballStemmer('spanish')

#punctuation to remove
non_words = list(punctuation)
#we add spanish punctuation
non_words.extend(['¿', '¡'])

stemmer = SnowballStemmer('spanish')
def stem_tokens(tokens, stemmer):
    stemmed = []
    for item in tokens:
    return stemmed

def tokenize(text):
    # remove punctuation
    text = ''.join([c for c in text if c not in non_words])
    # tokenize
    tokens =  word_tokenize(text)

    # stem
        stems = stem_tokens(tokens, stemmer)
    except Exception as e:
        stems = ['']
    return stems

vectorizer = CountVectorizer(
                analyzer = 'word',
                tokenizer = tokenize,
                lowercase = True,
                stop_words = spanish_stopwords)

Model Evaluation

On this step we try multiple Machine Learning Classifiers and measure their performance. Tools like SciKit-Learn Laboratory (SKLL) can help accelerate this step.

One thing we have to consider is the measure that we will use to determine wether a model is better than other. In binary classification problems a good metrics is the Area Under the Curve, which takes into account the True Positive Rate as well as the False Positive Ratean awesome measure that you should totally read about.

In my case I chose a Linear Support Vector Machine Classifier, since I have found it performs pretty well in this kind of problems.

Once we have our Vectorizer and Classifier, its a matter of fine tuning their hyperparameters to find those that perform best.

To do so, we go ahead and perform a grid search using scikit-learn GridSearchCV.

This method perform an exaustive search of the parameters specified and return a model with the best performan parameters.

This is the code that performs the search:

vectorizer = CountVectorizer(
                analyzer = 'word',
                tokenizer = tokenize,
                lowercase = True,
                stop_words = spanish_stopwords)

pipeline = Pipeline([
    ('vect', vectorizer),
    ('cls', LinearSVC()),

# here we define the parameter space to iterate through
parameters = {
    'vect__max_df': (0.5, 1.9),
    'vect__min_df': (10, 20,50),
    'vect__max_features': (500, 1000),
    'vect__ngram_range': ((1, 1), (1, 2)),  # unigrams or bigrams
    'cls__C': (0.2, 0.5, 0.7),
    'cls__loss': ('hinge', 'squared_hinge'),
    'cls__max_iter': (500, 1000)

grid_search = GridSearchCV(pipeline, parameters, n_jobs=-1 , scoring='roc_auc'), tweets_corpus.polarity_bin)

You can see that we can not only find parameters for the LinearSVC Classifier, but also for the Vectorizer itself.

This step will take some time. After it's done, it will return the set of parameters that return the highest AUC score. In this case, the highest AUC was 0.92. Which it is ok.

After that, we just need to train the model on the TASS corpus, load our tweets and predict the sentiment.

After that, we save the tweets latitude, longitude and polarity to a file and plot the heatmap following a similar method than what I explained on the previous post.

You could do that by using the grid_search object you used for the parameter search.
In my case, my laptop ran out of battery before I saved the model so I just recreated it by building a pipeline with the vectorizer and the LinearSVC tuned with the best params provided by the grid search.

from sklearn.svm import LinearSVC
from sklearn.pipeline import Pipeline

#we build a Pipeline object
pipeline = Pipeline([
    ('vect', CountVectorizer(
            analyzer = 'word',
            tokenizer = tokenize,
            lowercase = True,
            stop_words = spanish_stopwords,
            min_df = 50,
            max_df = 1.9,
            ngram_range=(1, 1),
    ('cls', LinearSVC(C=.2, loss='squared_hinge',max_iter=1000,multi_class='ovr',

#we fit the pipeline with the TASS corpus, tweets_corpus.polarity_bin)
#now we predict on the new tweets dataset
tweets['polarity'] = pipeline.predict(tweets.tweet)

Once we have the tweets with their polarity, we follow similar steps than we did on the previous twitter heatmap tutorial and we get the following heatmap of positive and negative places in Murcia (the image is pretty big, you might want to zoom in):

murcia sentiment heatmap

Neat, isn't it?

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