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David Gibson Wins 2016 North American Scrabble Championship

The North American Scrabble Players Association crowned David Gibson of South Carolina as the winner of the 2016 North American Scrabble Championship.

Gibson outscored 400 other Scrabble players, including previous champions Matthew Tunnicliffe and Joel Sherman, and holds the title for the second time, first winning in 1994. He won the championship trophy and $10,000.

Players proceeded through spelling ranks according to their records and points scored against opponents. Gibson defeated Dr. Ian Weinstein of Coral Springs, Florida by more than 26 points, leaving him with a final score of 397-371. The game-winning words were drearies, serrano, orcinolis, and spelter.

Ottawa Player Crowned 2015 North American Scrabble Champion

After five days of competitive Scrabble play, Matthew Tunnicliffe of Ottawa was crowned the 2015 North American Scrabble Champion. Tunnicliffe, a 28-year-old technical writer, defeated several top competitive Scrabble players, including last year’s champion Conrad Bassett-Bouchard. Along with the champion’s title and trophy, he earned a cash prize of $10,000.

[Read more...]

Scrabble Console Game Now Available for Xbox One and PlayStation 4

ScrabbleScrabble, a console game based on the classic word-spelling game, is now available for download in the U.S. through the Hasbro Game Channel online, or on Xbox Live for Xbox One and on PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 4.

[Read more...]

Coastal Student Scrabble Team Brings Home the W-I-N at North American School Scrabble Championship

School SCrabbleAfter two days of intense strategy and play, students Noah Kalus from New Paltz, N.Y., and Zach Ansell from Los Angeles defeated more than 55 teams to take home the coveted North American School Scrabble Championship trophy, the title, and the $10,000 grand prize at the 13th annual North American School Scrabble Championship. The tournament gathered the top Scrabble players from the U.S. and Canada in grades 4 through 8 at the Hasbro headquarters in Pawtucket, R.I.

[Read more...]

COMMENTARY: These Classic Games Are Full of Fun Trivia Facts

Scrabble, circa 1948

Covering the toy industry, you learn a lot of neat facts about toys and games. That especially rings true in a year like this one, in which some of the best-known brands are celebrating impressive milestone birthdays. Here are some games with names you’ll probably recognize, and some related trivia, which hopefully you won’t have known until now.

[Read more...]

CafePress Launches Holiday Giving Campaign for Toys for Tots

A collaborative effort launched today between CafePress, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation, Hasbro, and My Life Games LLC will help provide children in need with toys at the holidays.

Through this first-year campaign, CafePress will provide consumers with three different ways to support Toys for Tots, including $1 donated for every Facebook “Share” given to the video entitled, “Toys for Tots: Every Child Deserves a Little Christmas.” Other means include $1 donated from the final purchase price of all customizable Monopoly and Scrabble games sold on cafepress.com; and $2 donated from the sale of two special edition T-shirts, each priced at $7.

“We are honored to support Toys for Tots this holiday season,” said Fred Durham, CEO and co-founder of CafePress. “To be able to support their noble efforts by donating a portion of proceeds of games known for bringing families together is ideal.”

My Life Games to Offer Line of Customized Hasbro Board Games

Nov21.MyLifeGamesMy Life Games LLC has introduced a line of customizable Monopoly and Scrabble games under license from Hasbro Inc. and distributed by CafePress Inc. Consumers can personalize these official games with their own photos and text, choosing from a large selection of designs.

CafePress’s user-friendly interface enables customers to choose and arrange their photos from Facebook, Picasa, SmugMug, and Flickr, or to upload images from their desktop or mobile device. Users can also select from game board designs for various occasions: birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, vacations, graduations, and more. Each full-size game board is printed, packaged, and shipped with the classic game components.

COMMENTARY: Games, and Game-Players, Are Getting More Mobile All the Time

Nowadays, everything seems to be changing, from communicating to ordering dinner to dating. The same goes with the way we’re playing games.

We’ve known for years that games were becoming social. People (ahem, Gen X-ers) still send out Candy Crush and Farmville requests on the ever-dissolving Facebook. However, instead of these communally competitive games, new mobile apps are actually bringing players together to compete in a face-to-face (or screen-to-screen?) arena. For the most part, these apps are free (or cheap) to own, filling up the game cabinet without the expense of buying new extensions and themes of the same games.

1017181_150945871760166_378131469_nCards Against Humanity—a spin-off of the much more tame Apples to Apples card game—is a crowd favorite among my hometown friends. So when Evil Apples, a mobile version loosely based on both games from Evil Studios Ltd., was released for iOS devices, my hometown friends and I were brought back together in a competitively disturbing way. Users can prompt friends to download the app and join the game. Once everyone signs on, the game begins as players try to come up with the funniest–and most disturbingly wrong–phrases. There’s even a chat feature in the game for players to comment–or to remind stragglers that the game is waiting on their card. [Read more...]

Conrad Bassett-Bouchard Spells Success at 2014 National Scrabble Championship

Conrad_Bassett-Bouchard_Wins_National_Scrabble_Championship_3After five days of consecutive play, Conrad Bassett-Bouchard of Portland, OR was named winner of the 2014 National Scrabble Championship. Basset-Bouchard defeated several top Scrabble players, including defending four-time consecutive champion Nigel Richards, and receive a cash prize of $10,000. In the final round, he beat runner-up Jason Li with a final score of 478-350. Over 25 words were played, including “mar,” “annexe,” “naiad,” “florigen,” “aa,” and “barf.”

More than 500 Scrabble players played the tournament at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. Competitors played in 31 one-on-one games, and were ranked based on their victories and the number of points by which they outscored their opponents. [Read more...]

New Jersey and Texas Students Take Home Grand Prize at National School Scrabble Championship

SchoolScrabbleWinnersNew Jersey and Texas eighth graders outscored more than 65 teams to win the 12th annual National School Scrabble Championship, which took place this past weekend at One Hasbro Place in downtown Providence, R.I.

The team of Jacob Sass, of Magnolia, Texas, and Thomas Draper of Skillman, N.J., won six of seven preliminary games during the two-day tournament, and went on to win Sunday’s final match by a score of 378 to 320. Their highest-scoring word during the game was delaine, a type of fabric, for 76 points.

Sass and Draper received the Champion’s Trophy, and will split the grand prize of $10,000. The National School Scrabble Championship is a competitive event for school-aged Scrabble players in the United States and Canada, hosted by Hasbro Inc.


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NCAA Mulling Academic Changes That Would Affect High Schoolers

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(Courtesy of Education Week)

The academic landscape of the NCAA could be drastically different by this time next year, NCAA President Mark Emmert said Monday.

At a meeting with the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, Emmert discussed a number of proposals that will be finalized and sent straight to the Division I board of directors, which will meet Thursday in Indianapolis.

These proposals won’t just have an impact on current college athletes. High school student-athletes hoping to play at the collegiate level will need to keep a close eye on a number of these proposed changes, too.

One such proposal would raise the minimum GPA for incoming student-athletes from 2.0 to 2.3. Emmert stressed that this particular proposal hadn’t been finalized yet, meaning that the 2.3 GPA is still subject to change at this point.

Another proposal would require that students take rigorous courses all throughout their high school career, to end what Emmert dubbed the “summer miracle” phenomenon.

Emmert was referring to situations when student-athletes who haven’t completed nearly the required amount of coursework suddenly show up with 16 credits of straight A’s, all of which happened in the summertime.

“They need to get serious about academics when they’re a freshman in high school or a sophomore in high school, not in their junior year or senior year,” Emmert said. “They need to take courses in a respectable sequence that makes intellectual sense.”

Many of these proposed changes came about as a result of the presidents retreat that Emmert convened earlier this summer—”one of the best conversations we’ve had on any subject, not just athletics,” he said.

One such change that was already approved by the Division I board of directors: linking academic success to postseason performance.

Starting immediately, teams that fall below an Academic Progress Rate of 900 (which equates to roughly a 40 percent graduation rate) over a rolling four-year period will be ineligible for postseason play. Under the old rules, teams with an APR below 900 could participate in postseason play.

After two years, teams will need to achieve an APR of 930—roughly equivalent to a 50 percent graduation rate—to be allowed to participate in the postseason.

“If you’re going to be able to participate in postseason play, you need to do more than just win games,” Emmert said. “You have to win in the classroom as well.”

Emmert also mentioned the possibility of creating an “academic redshirt” year for student-athletes who aren’t yet prepared to handle the rigor of a college workload. This designation would apply to student-athletes who can meet today’s NCAA academic standards, but who wouldn’t qualify under the NCAA’s new academic standards.

Students in an academic redshirt year would receive their scholarship money and could practice and train with the team, but would not be allowed to compete that year. They would become normal scholarship athletes the next season.

Full-Cost Scholarships on the Way?

Academics weren’t the only subject Emmert discussed with the Knight Commission today. Given the scandals that have plagued college athletics over the past year, the current state of the economy, and the ongoing pay-for-play debate, finances were bound to come up at some point.

Emmert told the audience that he’ll be endorsing a proposal later this week that would allow (but not mandate) conferences to offer student-athletes up to $2,000 in addition to the costs covered by their scholarships for tuition, room and board, and books and supplies, as long as it does not exceed the full cost of attendance at any one school.

“We have had the same basic model of funding student athletic grants—tuition fees, room and board, books and supplies—for 40 years,” he said.

That same package would give member institutions the option to offer multiyear athletic scholarships, according to Emmert. Currently, athletic scholarships are awarded and renewed on a year-to-year basis.

Emmert wants to leave the full-cost/multiyear scholarship decision up to each individual conference instead of making it mandatory, because he doesn’t want to put a conference in a position where it would have to cut scholarships or sports teams to afford full-cost scholarships.

Pay-for-play, on the other hand, is still a complete nonstarter, as far as Emmert is concerned. He thought that the professionalization of college athletics is akin to “throwing in the towel,” saying that he’s adamantly opposed to it.

He made sure to delineate between pay-for-play and full-cost scholarships, saying that full-cost scholarships are “unequivocally” not a pay-for-play system.

The full-cost scholarship proposal drew concern from some members of the Knight Commission and university presidents in the room.

Boise State University President Robert W. Kustra said he couldn’t support the current proposal, as it would only further the gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots.”

About Guest Writer

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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Outdoor Chalkboard in the Flowerbed

A couple of Halloween’s ago I made a chalkboard sign and then put it away in the garage.  You can see how I made it here.  I decided to pull it out and place it in my flowerbeds I have been working on these last few weekends.

I live in an older neighborhood full of snails.  I have to go snail collecting at night when they come out to try and keep their population down.  I use a flashlight to find them.

I think the drought last year cause a major decrease in snails.  When I cleaned out the beds I didn’t find as many as I thought I would.   I still put out snail bait that is safe for pets just in case.  I don’t want them eating all of my new plants.

I thought the sign would be a fun addition to my flowerbeds and a reminder for those snails to stay away.  Smile

Linking to

Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming

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Welcome Eagles to the New Crusade!
Will thou help defend the Fortress of Faith?

TradCatKnight- MOST VIEWED & FOLLOWED Traditional Catholic APOSTOLATE Worldwide!
As Seen on: Gloria.tv, SpiritDaily, Shoebat, Canon212, VeteransToday, Beforeitsnews & many other notable websites
BOOKMARK us & check in DAILY for the latest Endtimes News!
Welcome to my Nest. #EagleoftheFortress

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Nov. 1-8 visits to cemetery for Holy Souls

Nov. 1-8 visits to cemetery for Holy Souls

The current ecclesiastical regulations in force are as follows:
On All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2) a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Poor Souls, is granted to those who visit any parish church or public oratory and there recite one Our Father and one Credo.
On all the days from November 1 though November 8 inclusive, a plenary indulgence applicable only to the poor souls is granted to those who visit a cemetery and pray (even if only mentally) for the departed.

Rosary of one hundred Requiem with litany of the faithful departed

Conditions for both indulgences:
1.Only one plenary indulgence can be granted per day.
2.It is necessary to be in the state of grace, at least by completion of the work.
3.Freedom from attachment to sin, even venial sin, is necessary; otherwise the indulgence is only partial. By this is meant attachment to a particular sin, not sin in general.
4.Holy Communion must be received each time the indulgence is sought.
5.Prayers must he recited for the intentions of the Holy Father on each day the indulgence is sought. No particular prayers are prescribed. One Our Father and one Hail Mary suffice, or other suitable prayers.
6.A sacramental concession must he made within a week of completion of the prescribed work. One confession made during the week, made with the intention of gaining all the indulgences, suffices.
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine; et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Don’t forget your holy water.
Also for those unable to receive the Sacraments and can’t do a plenary indulgence, you are sure to at least gain a partial.

Pray for AND to the Holy Souls in Purgatory


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Monday 27 March 2017

Vasco to showcase banking security solutions

Zurich, April 2, 2014

Vasco Data Security International, a leading software security company specialising in authentication products and services, is set to showcase its latest innovative solutions for the financial community at a Bahrain conference.
The Arabian Banking Technology Exhibition and Conference 2014 will take place on April 8 and 9 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre.
Vasco provides a wide range of application security solutions and services that offer the right balance between security and user-friendliness.
The solutions to be showcased include Digipass 760 and Digipass for Apps.
Digipass 760 combines user convenience with a high level of security. The hardware scans transaction details encrypted in a graphical cryptogram, captures and decrypts the coloured cryptogram and the transaction details are presented on the Digipass colour display for user verification.
A signature is then generated on the Digipass 760, which the user will enter on the bank’s website to confirm the transaction.
With the Digipass for Apps, Vasco offers strong authentication with an added set of comprehensive features giving app developers all the necessary building blocks to secure an application at every level, from provisioning to human interface.
It makes it possible to secure all components of the application in a single integration and also secures the end user’s online profile by creating one user identity across multiple platforms and devices. - TradeArabia News Service

Tags: Bahrain | Security | Conference | Vasco |

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Ulises Serrano

Program Specialist

Ulises comes from the often forgotten part of California, the Central Coast, more specifically the cities of Santa Maria/Guadalupe in Santa Barbara County. As a first-generation, low-income student who is currently getting ready for graduate school, he is passionate about equity, diversity and inclusion in higher education for students of marginalized/underrepresented backgrounds. He is working during his gap year as a Transfer Student Center Academic Achievement Counselor/Program Specialist to continue his work of increasing access to higher education with a focus on transfer students. At the moment, he is excited to hear back from Higher Education M.A./M.Ed programs and hopes to use his Masters as a stepping stone into a Ph.D. or Ed.D program in the near future.

B.A., Political Science, University of California, Berkeley

B.A., Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley

A.A., Social & Behavioral Sciences, Allan Hancock College

Fun Facts:

Ulises likes to stay up to date with current political events domestically and internationally, loves video games and likes to read whenever he has time.


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The Tunnel

Dir: Carlo Ledesma
Star: Bel Delia, Andy Rodoreda, Steve Davis, Luke Arnold

Say what you like about The Blair Witch Project, it certainly proved influential. More than a decade later, we are still getting films like this, offering variations on the same, pseudo-documentary, found-footage theme. In this case, it's a film crew, whose interest is piqued by a government plan to pump water out of the underground tunnels beneath Sydney, a project that suddenly got spiked without explanation. Stonewalled at every turn, and increasingly convinced something is going on down there, journalist Natasha Warner (Delia), cameraman Steve Miller (Davis), producer Peter Ferguson (Rodoreda) and sound recordist 'Tangles' Williams (Arnold) mount a guerilla reporting expedition, breaking in through a maintenance entrance to explore the vast system, much of which has been officially abandoned since the end of World War II. However - and, I trust this isn't spoiling it for anyone - it is not as deserted as it appears, and the disappearance of Williams kicks off an increasingly-harrowing series of events, as the remainder of the crew first seek their missing colleague, then try to escape themselves from the subterranean maze.

This is most successful, and certainly most interesting, when it isn't going down the overly-familiar road of hand-held cameras, being clutched by people well past the point at which any sensible person would have given up filming. If it isn't quite as technically inept as some entries - you can still just about tell what's going on - the problem remains, that this still relies too much on what the viewer brings to the event, demonstrating a lazy approach to film-making. That's a shame, as there are sections that indicate the presence of cinematic skill: witness the interview with a homeless person, or even Natasha hearing again the audio footage from the expedition. As far as I'm concerned, the terror displayed there is a great deal more effective and chilling, than any blurred frame or two of something whizzing inexplicably across the camera's field of view. And that's something which has likely not changed over the years since the first unwitting cameraman wandered off in search of mystery.

[June 2015]

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Traveling Luck for Sungai Tigor, Perak, Malaysia

Malaysia flag

Where is Sungai Tigor?

What's around Sungai Tigor?
Wikipedia near Sungai Tigor
Where to stay near Sungai Tigor

The timezone in Sungai Tigor is Asia/Pontianak
Sunrise at 06:16 and Sunset at 18:24. It's light

Latitude. 4.0833°, Longitude. 101.3500°
WeatherWeather near Sungai Tigor; Report from IPOH, null 112.6km away
Weather :
Temperature: 33°C / 91°F
Wind: 3.5km/h North/Northeast
Cloud: Few at 2000ft Broken at 28000ft

Satellite map around Sungai Tigor

Loading map of Sungai Tigor and it's surroudings ....

Geographic features & Photographs around Sungai Tigor, in Perak, Malaysia

a body of running water moving to a lower level in a channel on land.
populated place;
a city, town, village, or other agglomeration of buildings where people live and work.
a large commercialized agricultural landholding with associated buildings and other facilities.
an elevation standing high above the surrounding area with small summit area, steep slopes and local relief of 300m or more.
a rounded elevation of limited extent rising above the surrounding land with local relief of less than 300m.
nature reserve;
an area reserved for the maintenance of a natural habitat.
administrative division;
an administrative division of a country, undifferentiated as to administrative level.

Airports close to Sungai Tigor

Sultan azlan shah(IPH), Ipoh, Malaysia (112km)

Airfields or small airports close to Sungai Tigor

Kuala lumpur, Simpang, Malaysia (213.2km)

Photos provided by Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners.


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Traveling Luck for Debeli Brijeg, Montenegro (general), Montenegro

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Where is Debeli Brijeg?

What's around Debeli Brijeg?
Wikipedia near Debeli Brijeg
Where to stay near Debeli Brijeg

The timezone in Debeli Brijeg is Europe/Belgrade
Sunrise at 05:36 and Sunset at 18:04. It's light

Latitude. 42.4931°, Longitude. 18.8500°
WeatherWeather near Debeli Brijeg; Report from Tivat, 17km away
Weather :
Temperature: 12°C / 54°F
Wind: 2.3km/h
Cloud: Broken at 8000ft

Satellite map around Debeli Brijeg

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Geographic features & Photographs around Debeli Brijeg, in Montenegro (general), Montenegro

populated place;
a city, town, village, or other agglomeration of buildings where people live and work.
a rounded elevation of limited extent rising above the surrounding land with local relief of less than 300m.
a low area surrounded by higher land and usually characterized by interior drainage.
a minor area or place of unspecified or mixed character and indefinite boundaries.
karst area;
a distinctive landscape developed on soluble rock such as limestone characterized by sinkholes, caves, disappearing streams, and underground drainage.
a long narrow elevation with steep sides, and a more or less continuous crest.
a pointed elevation atop a mountain, ridge, or other hypsographic feature.
a cylindrical hole, pit, or tunnel drilled or dug down to a depth from which water, oil, or gas can be pumped or brought to the surface.
an elevation standing high above the surrounding area with small summit area, steep slopes and local relief of 300m or more.
an underground passageway or chamber, or cavity on the side of a cliff.
rounded elevations of limited extent rising above the surrounding land with local relief of less than 300m.
water tank;
a contained pool or tank of water at, below, or above ground level.
a surface with a relatively uniform slope angle.

Airports close to Debeli Brijeg

Tivat(TIV), Tivat, Yugoslavia (17km)
Podgorica(TGD), Podgorica, Yugoslavia (43km)
Dubrovnik(DBV), Dubrovnik, Croatia (57.4km)
Mostar(OMO), Mostar, Bosnia-hercegovina (142km)
Tirana rinas(TIA), Tirana, Albania (166.6km)

Photos provided by Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners.


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Traveling Luck for White Pine Camping Area, North Carolina, United States

United States flag

Where is White Pine Camping Area?

What's around White Pine Camping Area?
Wikipedia near White Pine Camping Area
Where to stay near White Pine Camping Area

The timezone in White Pine Camping Area is America/Iqaluit
Sunrise at 07:25 and Sunset at 19:48. It's Dark

Latitude. 35.2919°, Longitude. -82.7386°
WeatherWeather near White Pine Camping Area; Report from Asheville, Asheville Regional Airport, NC 29.2km away
Weather :
Temperature: 14°C / 57°F
Wind: 3.5km/h South/Southeast
Cloud: Broken at 2300ft Broken at 3100ft Solid Overcast at 4600ft

Satellite map around White Pine Camping Area

Loading map of White Pine Camping Area and it's surroudings ....

Geographic features & Photographs around White Pine Camping Area, in North Carolina, United States

a body of running water moving to a lower level in a channel on land.
an elevation standing high above the surrounding area with small summit area, steep slopes and local relief of 300m or more.
an elongated depression usually traversed by a stream.
Local Feature;
A Nearby feature worthy of being marked on a map..
a low place in a ridge, not used for transportation.
a long narrow elevation with steep sides, and a more or less continuous crest.
an artificial pond or lake.
a barrier constructed across a stream to impound water.
an area of breaking waves caused by the meeting of currents or by waves moving against the current.
an area, often of forested land, maintained as a place of beauty, or for recreation.
populated place;
a city, town, village, or other agglomeration of buildings where people live and work.

Airports close to White Pine Camping Area

Anderson rgnl(AND), Andersen, Usa (111.8km)
Mc ghee tyson(TYS), Knoxville, Usa (160.2km)
Hickory rgnl(HKY), Hickory, Usa (166.1km)

Photos provided by Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners.


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Everything About the Southwest Companion Pass

It’s the time of year to talk about the Southwest companion pass, which may be the best airline benefit you can earn from credit cards. (See How Long The Southwest Companion Pass Lasted Us).

By earning it at the beginning of the year you can have free flying for almost two years.

If you earn 110,000 Southwest points within a calendar year, you get free flying for a companion through the next calendar. A companion will get to fly with you for free on any Southwest flight you take, whether it’s paid for with cash or points. And 110,000 Southwest points will last a long time!

This post will outline:

  • Earning the Southwest Companion Pass from Southwest credit cards
  • Alternative ways to earn the Companion Pass (going away soon)
  • How to use the Companion Pass

Earning The Companion Pass

The goal is to earn 110,000 Southwest points from credit cards.

Luckily the southwest credit card signup bonus is often 50,000 points and there are different versions.

It’s pretty simple, signup for a Southwest personal card, and a Southwest business card… each when the bonus is 50,000 points. (Here are tips to get approved for a business card).

Of course, you have to spend $2,000+ in the first few months of opening the card to get the 50,000 point bonus. Once you do that with each card you’ll have 104,000+ Southwest Points.

Almost there!

I hear lots of complicated advice on earning the last 6,000 points… but, I think the best option is to just spend another $6,000 on your Southwest card. You can do this by buying debit gift cards and then turning them back into cash. See here.

Other ways to earn (going away soon):

Until March 31 Southwest will allow points transferred from hotels to Southwest to count towards the Companion Pass.

Normally transferring from hotel points to airline miles is a really bad idea, but Marriott Rewards has a particularly great way of transferring 120,000 Southwest points.

For 270,000 Marriott Points, you can get 120,000 Southwest points and 7 nights in a Category 1-5 Marriott!

Screen Shot 2017-01-14 at 1.11.26 PM

It is a great deal for those who have a ton of Marriott points. Perhaps you’re a Marriott traveler, or have gotten the Marriott cards (the Marriott business card apparently doesn’t have the 5/24 rule).

Not only would you get 7 nights at a Marriott, but you’d get 120,000 Southwest points and the Southwest Companion Pass.

To read more about it, see my post on Marriott’s Hotel & Air Package, or Marriott’s page.

Remember, this is going away 3/31, so if you wanted to go for this, know it can take a couple weeks to get a new card, and even if you meet the spend requirement right away, it can take up to a month for the points to post. And then the points would have to be in your Southwest account before April.

Due to Chase’s 5/24 rule, this was a great way to re-earn the Companion Pass, since the Marriott Business Card and Ritz Carlton card aren’t effected by 5/24. And remember, 30,000 SPG points can transfer to 90,000 Marriott points. That’s 4 cards you can earn not effected by 5/24 (2 with Amex).

Plus, I believe Marriott allows you to combine points with a spouse at the time of redemption.

Unfortunately, I can’t currently find any Ritz cards at the moment with a points signup bonus, instead of free nights.

How To Use The Companion Pass

You can add a companion to a flight you are booking, or to a flight you have booked (for yourself).

Since Southwest flights are cancelable, I would sometimes make speculative bookings and add the companion later. It served no purpose, but my point is that I could add a companion even when the prices of the flights have gone up. It doesn’t matter, the companion only pays the taxes.

(In fact, 3 times now we’ve shown up at the airport without the companion booked yet… oops.)

As long as there is a seat on the plane, regardless of the price, the companion can be added to your flight.

Simply go to your booking and click to add a companion.

Changing The Companion

You can change your companion 3 times in a calendar year.

You can change back to a previous person. So you could start with the companion as person A, but then change it to person B, and then later change it back to person A. That counts as 2 changes.

I actually have a post on the Rules For Changing Your Southwest Companion Pass.

Best Use of Southwest Companion Pass

If you didn’t know Southwest points flights are based on revenue prices. Therefore cheap flights or sales on cash tickets are also sales on points flights.

A rule of thumb is that Southwest prices start increasing a couple weeks out. A Southwest flight only a few days out can be very expensive.

My strategy is simple: watch sales, use the low-fare calendar, and book ahead without fear – knowing things are cancelable.

As I say in the post about How Long The Southwest Companion Pass Lasted Us, the same number of flights that we took with 101,000 Southwest points would have cost us 440,000 United miles (or AA, or anything similar).

It is a phenomenal value that you can potentially get with cards.

Related Posts:

  1. Good to have you posting again. You are very informative.

  2. I’d have to say the easiest way to get to the additional 6k points would be to sign up a friend via the refer a friend link for your southwest cards (5k per card).

  3. Thanks for the useful and informative post

    For those eligible SW BUSINESS CARD available with 60k signup bonus points.

    few tips for those not in to MS for last 6k points

    1. signup for rapid rewards dining and visit one restaurant within 30 days (up to 1000 points)
    2. signup for e rewards and complete one survery for 500 bonus points.
    3. u can also buy wine or flowers (1k to 2k points)
    4. spend remaining or buy choice hotels and transfer.
    5. if u have Chase UR, UR -> Hyat -> RR . (2.1 to 1 ratio).
    6. refer a friend for 5k points.

    Interested in referrals for personal cards, shoot a mail to sdb4u99 @ gmail.com

    • Buy SW gift cards with your SW credit cards. You’ll be using them once you earn the companion pass, as each flight will cost at least $11 in fees per couple and more if you plan on flying to the Caribbean or Mexico ($20- $50 each way).

      Can’t recall if buying GC direct from SW counts as 2x point on a SW CC though. Do a small value test and see.

  4. @sdb4u: I thought UR transfers do not count for Companion Pass.

    • Direct transfers from chase URS wont count. But hotel transfers are accepted till *march*.

      So chase UR to Hyat , then Hyatt to SW RR would count.

    • Direct UR to SW transfers do not count. Need to transfer UR to Hyatt first (1:1) then to SW (2.1 Hyatt to 1 SW) As the article states though, this method is gone at the end of March

  5. Another awesome aspect of the Rapid Rewards program is no change fees on award flights (or paid flights either). If you book a flight with miles and later it costs less, simply change the flight to the *same* flight (weird, I know) and the mileage difference gets credited back to your account.
    I saved enough this way last year to book a couple additional free trips.

  6. I already have SW companion pass, it’s gonna be expired at the end of this year. If I acquire 110 k points now, my companion pass should be end at 12/31/2018 or 12/31/2019? Thank you.

    • I would wait until next year to get it again

  7. Best deal in the points game!!!

  8. Would it be too late at this point to feasibly get all the points?

  9. I got both Chase Southwest PREMIER and PLUS Credit Cards earlier this year (50K+50K). Just done with minimum spending. Meaning I will have 104,000 points posted soon. I just need a referral for 5K +1K spending or 6K additional spending before I can get my Companion Pass. We will see how long 6K spending will take.

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We have spent the majority of our marriage traveling full time, living out of hotels.   All the while, we list our expenses publicly, budgeting $25,000 a year for our nomadic life while still staying in mostly 4 or 5 star hotels across ~20 countries a year.
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Spain Travel Junkie Diary of

Bashar Alaeddin

Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Bashar AlaeddinLike0

Bashar Alaeddin runs his own photo/video studio called Adasat that is based in Amman, Jordan. The site is being re-designed as of this article at and he is in the process of launching his travel blog soon!
“After studying in Lebanon, then London and getting my last degree from Vancouver and with 3yrs work experience, I decided to start my small business in 2010 and the reason why I chose Adasat (which means Lenses in Arabic) as the name is because I believe lenses are more important than the camera. The sensor is just a recording device in the end and its the quality of the glass that lasts much longer than a camera would. It’s been 4yrs now and I’m hoping to expand to the gulf region by next year.”

We are thrilled to have him part of Travel Junkie Diary and share his favorite travel destination.

Here is his diary

Destination Spain

Because of everything you can think of. From the life to the food to the vibe to the street to the landscape. I have this rule when traveling that I wouldn’t want to go to the same place twice. If I get the chance, go someplace new. Spain was the first country I’ve visited that, even when I was at the airport leaving back home, I was on my laptop planning my trip back there. It was phenomenal.

Stayed in In San Sebastian I stayed at the Costo Vasca Hotel and in Barcelona was in the H10 Art Gallery. Both hotels were great and my most important aspect was location and both were situated very close to all the happenings. Oddly enough I must say the rooms in both hotels were pretty tiny, felt a bit cramped in a way. But then again I didn’t stay in the hotel at all as I was out getting lost exploring as much as I can. In terms of price and cleanliness and all the default stuff, I recommend both hotels. The friendliness of the staff when checking-in and out was great. I usually don’t book my rooms with breakfast as it forces me to get up early to go eat out instead. I did try the spa at the Costo Vasca and it was amazing, great price and great facilities. In Barcelona, I never even ordered room service because I was out all day. I really can’t find anything bad or negative to say as I’m a very easy-going kind of traveler. Even when ordering a taxi from the lobby, they were very friendly and I’d wait 2-3min. till the taxi came. Both hotels had free wifi (bit slow but didn’t matter) and the cleaning ladies helped me practice some of my Spanish when greeting them in the halls.

In your suitcase  I had two bags. One bag of shorts, swimsuits, t-shirts, nice shirts, flip-flops and my trusty low-top converse. My other bag was my camera-gear backpack and my tripod of course

Diary It was all about walking. I have this Jawbone bracelet and I was covering at least 20,000 steps per day. And every day I wanted to beat the record of the day before. In San Sebastian I literally covered almost the whole city. From the sea-walk to downtown to Mt. Urgull. I won’t usually have a detailed plan but I’d research some places to see and visit and I’d just take it from there. I let my feet guide me. I had a few friends with me so we tended to hang and explore together and the people we’d meet would be at night when having drinks and we’d literally just spark a conversation with people next to us. Sometimes we’d exchange contacts, some we’d just do a cheers and move on. I found myself amazed at how, and this was in San Sebastian, the streets and organization was so perfect. Not just were they lanes for cyclists and skateboarders, but those lanes had two lanes from coming and going. The people were oh so friendly and relaxed and chilled. I felt myself so at ease. Whatever stress or negative though I thought I may have was just washed away by walking there. The landscape was heavenly, food was phenomenal, people were nice and friendly, hard to believe but there’s really nothing bad I would say about San Sebastian, streets were so clean as well, no garbage or littering anywhere. I went there specifically to surf as it is a hobby of mine but unfortunately the waves weren’t big enough, but I didn’t care, I soaked up the sun and enjoyed one of the best trips I’ve ever been on. I learned a lot about the basque region, the wine, the history. I honestly can not wait to visit it again.

Dined in One place stands out from the rest was the Atari Grostrotka. A nice pintxo’s place in San Sebastian. I can not explain how delicious the food was. And the best part, you just walk up to the bar, take a plate and start putting a whole bunch of tapas. Two I distinctly remember was red pepper filled with a tuna-mix that was to die for, and another was of course a chorizo-based one which I have no idea what was in it but I ate three of them! Also, they had a grilled octopus which you had to order from the menu (see photo attached) and I’m not a huge fan of octopus, but hey, you have to try things if you know you may not like it, but I did, and my friends and I actually ordered a 2nd plate!

Tips When you walk up Mt. Urgull all the way up to the Jesus Christ statute, make sure you have a hat and water. There’s not little shops or anything, you have to carry everything with you. It’s a good exercise up, you will break a sweat but the view is totally worth it, especially at sunset! If you’re looking for nightlife, you won’t find much, I think there’s only one club which is nice but having a drink in the little alleyways meeting and mingling with locals is more fun. If you take a cab to anywhere, the maximum you would pay is maybe €10 as everything is close and not far off. When going to the beach, also, get your cups and food with you as there’s only maybe one little snack bar across the whole beach. And although I couldn’t make it, my friends went to Michelin-star restaurant there and had a very unique cuisine experience but you have to book over two months in advance if you want to eat there. And that’s it

Shopped Didn’t shop much while in Spain. Only bought bracelets as I have this thing where I get one bracelet from the city I visited. I should have over 22 by now but there’s only 6 on my left arm now. Shopping wasn’t much on my mind or something that’s on the top of my list when traveling. I usually just want to get souvenirs as reminders of the trip that put in my home or office.

Mode of Travel I flew on Royal Jordanian from Amman to Madrid, spent 3 nights there then took an internal flight from Madrid to Bilboa airport which was only 45min away. I wasn’t happy I had to pay €60 to check-in my second luggage. Then I took a train from San Sebastian to Barcelona which I completely recommend. Buy it online and get the VIP/First class one, it’s about €70-80 if you can afford it. Sit by the window and enjoy the diverse landscapes and terrain on that 5hr journey. Just. Beautiful. Keep in mind though the over-ground train does get shaky sometimes which did not help with my motion-sickness. I just wished at some points I could tell the train driver to stop for a minute so I can take pictures of the scenery. Then took a Royal Jordanian flight back home to Amman.

TJD_Interview-1 TJD_Interview-2 TJD_Interview-3 TJD_Interview-6 TJD_Interview-8 TJD_Interview-10 TJD_Interview-11 TJD_Interview-12 TJD_Interview-13 TJD_Interview-14 TJD_Interview-15 TJD_Interview-16 TJD_Interview-17

Travel Junkie Diary

A bohemian traveler

  1. Tania says:

    The images make me wanna go there so badly!

  2. Samantha D. says:

    WOW!!! I love spain!!

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Travel Guides

Explore the Globe With Our Travel Guides

The Earth may be a huge place, but the world is shrinking around us. Why not Explore the Globe With Our Travel Guides.

Explore Planet Earth

Explore the Globe With Our Travel Guides

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Never before have we been so able to move between countries, regions of the world and to experience all that the various cultures and societies can offer.

Traveling across the globe brings is certainly exciting and fulfilling, but the richness of travel is hugely beneficial in other ways as well – new languages, new social understandings and next experiences make international travel one of the best ways to enhance your personal life, your spirit and even your career.

Among the many destinations on the planet, you can be assured that there is always somewhere and something new to explore and enjoy.

North America Travel Guide

United States of America Travel Guide

Comprised of the United States of America, Canada and Mexico, North America is a collection of fun family destinations, impressive natural structures and easily the best theme parks on the planet. Travel to North America to experience the beach resorts of Mexico or perhaps visit the original Disney Land with your family. Adventure and the spirit of discovery is at the heart of North America and visitors embrace this pioneer spirit as easily as the natives.

Tour the Pacific Northwest where ancient trees grow as tall as skyscrapers or enjoy the thrill of nightlife in cities like New York and Miami. Every corner of North America holds a different experience and adventure – the Wild West, Rocky Mountains, Broadway and the magic of Hollywood beckon to natives and visitors alike.

Central America Travel Guide

The brilliance of the rainforest and the natural wonders of Central America call out to even the most hesitant explorer. From white sand beaches to dense rainforests, the tiny area of Central America has more to offer visitors than you might suspect just by looking at the area on a map.

Water sports are hugely popular in Central America as countries like Belize, Costa Rica and Honduras have beautiful beaches and impressive coral reefs as well making diving and snorkeling popular pastimes. The amazing scenery, the ancient Mayan ruins and the colonial cities dating back to 16th and 17th century explorers are simply stunning as well.

South America Travel Guide

If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary take a trip to South America. This collection of thirteen countries makes the choice of where to start exploring as interesting as the scenery and culture. You might choose to start your trip through South American in the snowy Andes Mountains or perhaps relaxing on a stunning beach complete with clear blue waters and white sandy beaches.

South America is home to Brazil and the famous Carnival as well as Buenos Aires and the sultry salsa dancing you’d associate with Argentina. The spirit of the people of South America is impossible to ignore, and the easy way of life and passion for adventure and fun is simply too tempting to pass up.

Middle East Asia Travel Guide

The birthplace of the modern world is located in the heart of the Middle East. Middle East Asia is the place of legends – it is where Christianity, Judaism and Islamic beliefs all began and where you’ll find priceless treasures and artifacts of the ancient history that is experienced in every step through countries like Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Libya.

Visit the Great Pyramids of Egypt or the ruins of epic cities near Baghdad, Jerusalem and Istanbul. As you sit in the courtyards of timeless cities you can watch history blend with modern innovation all around you. Dedicated global travelers would never fail to see the beauty and amazing culture that the Middle East offers to visitors.

Central Asia Travel Guide

Located in the center of the Asian continent, the region of Central Asia is especially notable for the similarities in the names of the seven countries that call it home. Central Asia is home to the “stans” including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. While Afghanistan may not be highly sought after by tourists due to ongoing war in the nation, the other countries are truly stunning and highly sought after by tourists ready to see something beyond beaches and modern cities.

The region of Central Asia is rugged, beautiful and certainly not crowded. The people of these nations are primarily nomadic. This region includes everything from deserts to seascapes along the Caspian Sea. Travel across the steppe or marvel at the scenery of the arid mountains. Fertile valleys rich with Persian history and artifacts compete with the complex politics of the regions at times.

Indian Sub Continent Travel Guide

The Indian Sub Continent may have once been a free moving landmass of its own accord, but today, this region of the world is home to a collection of intriguing scenery, engaging locals and ancient history and artifacts. The steep Himalaya mountains separate the Indian Sub Continent from the rest of Asia, and provide a stunning backdrop for all that this region has to offer to visitors.

As you tour the Sub Continent you’ll find more than India. While the country of India dominates the land here, it is in good company with Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh as well. The culture of these countries is truly distinct and outrageously inviting as well. Sample some of the world’s most delicious food in India while enjoying one of the many festivals before moving on to the monasteries of the mountains and elephants and temples near the ocean waters.

Far East Asia Travel Guide

Once you step foot in Asia you’ll have a hard time determining where to look – the steep mountains of Mongolia and the Great Wall of China blend with the ancient temples and shrines to create an environment rich in culture and deep, millennial old history. But in the same glance you’ll see the futuristic skylines of cities like Hong Kong and Tokyo competing for your interest and time.

The history and artifacts of Far East Asia stretch back thousands of years, making the hills, towns and valleys a joy to explore. This is a place of peace and serenity, but not far from the lush rice paddies are the cities with intense night light, exciting innovations are global hubs ready to welcome tourists for an experience they will truly never forget.

Africa Travel Guide

The dense, raw natural elements of Africa make this a heavily sought after tourist destination. In a large continent, there is truly something for every taste to be found. The modern conveniences and natural wonders of South Africa blend with the deserts and savannahs to make Africa a place of adventure, comfort and warm-hearted people.

The continent of Africa includes remote lakes, impressive river tours and the cities made famous in films including Casablanca, Dahab and Hammamet. Explore the sights of the Red Sea or take in the villages and wildlife of central Africa on a safari. Travel the Nile and take in crocodiles, hippos and the occasional lion that embrace the wilds of Africa that call to so many world travelers.

Europe Travel Guide

UK Travel Guide

One of the most heavily sought after tourist destinations, Europe is heavy on culture and history while embracing the modern traveler with delicious foods, thrilling entertainment and plenty of fantastic shopping. Europe is home to a great number of countries that are all popular with tourists – Great Britain, France, Germany and Spain are among the most popular destinations.

But Europe contains so much more than just these, the most popular cities. Travel to Greece to see the birthplace of democracy or perhaps Rome where the ancient ruins spread far beyond its borders. Seek out ancient history in Turkey and Venice or see more modern history in Poland and Berlin. When you’ve had your fill of history, Europe still has so much to offer with modern fashions of Paris and Milan and cutting edge art and music in almost any town you visit.

Australia Travel Guide

A large landmass that is both a continent and a country, Australia is unique is so many ways. No matter which way you turn in Australia there is something to see and explore. The continent is home to some of the best diving and surfing in the world as well as some of the most impressive modern cities and wild life preserves.

Cities like Sydney and Melbourne are known world-wide for the collection of music, fashion and fun that they contain. But not far from any major city is the bush, or wilderness of Australia. Take a (long) drive along one of the many roads that cuts across the country so that you can see the wild open spaces, the kangaroos and perhaps even the crocodiles that have made this space so well-known and unique.

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Many of Chicago's buildings are icons in the architectural world. The city is home to North America's tallest building, the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower; a collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings and homes; the legendary Water Tower, which survived the 1871 Chicago fire; several buildings designed by other famous architects and a collection of buildings designed in the art deco style. The city's architectural foundation and tourism office both offer tours of the city's most distinctive buildings and neighborhoods.

Visitors can tour Chicago's architecture via boat, bus, trolley, kayak, bike, Segway and even on foot. The Chicago Architecture Foundation and the Explore Chicago Office presents various types of tours on different conveyances, as do independent tour companies. Audio walking tours are available in four languages.

Time Frame

Specially-designed Chicago architectural tours can be taken at specific times of day. Lunchtime tours last about an hour and focus on the stories behind the city's most well-known skyscrapers, or on different architectural periods and features.

Special Interest Tours

Special interest tours entice those who want to see certain types of buildings. They include the Frank Lloyd Wright Tours; the Downtown Deco walking tour; the Daring Design Tours, which feature buildings designed by architects like Mies Van Der Rohe who were innovative in their time; Building Beautiful Tours, which focus on the artistic aspects of buildings like deco architecture featured downtown or buildings decorated with Tiffany's art glass; and Hidden in Plain Sight, which points out buildings that feature unusual architectural aspects. Chicago Architecture Foundation 224 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago IL 60604 312-922-3432

Historic Neighborhoods

Chicago Neighborhood Tours offers 15 different tours that highlight the city's past. These tours are done by motorcoach and by foot, visiting sites such as the Bungalow Belt, Hyde Park, Devon Avenue, Little Italy, Jefferson Park, Bronzeville, and more. Chicago Neighborhood Tours. 78 E. Washington St. Chicago, IL 60602 312-744-2947

Individual Building Tours

Visitors can tour individual buildings by booking tours directly with them. These include the John Hancock Observatory, the Chicago Cultural Center, and the Newberry Library, which was featured in the film "The Time Traveler's Wife." Tours also are offered for the Auditorium Theater, the Charnley-Persky House Museum and the Chicago Center for Green Technology. Contact the building of your choice for more information and to plan a visit.

About the Author

Susan Miller has been a professional journalist since 1990. She edited two weeklies for a chain of suburban newspapers and has written for the "Indianapolis Star," the "Indianapolis Business Journal" and several magazines, among other publications and websites. Miller studied design, photography and technology at Purdue University and Central Piedmont Community College.

Photo Credits

  • Looking up at the Hancock Center in Chicago image by painless from

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Franklin Regional fortunate in win over Hollidaysburg

| Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, 11:24 p.m.
Franklin Regional running back Matthew Yurko (38) eludes Hollidaysburg defenders on his way to the endzone on a 3rd quarter touchdown run during their WPIAL Class AAA Greater Allegheny Conference game at Franklin Regional's Panther Stadium on October 12, 2012. Franklin Regional shutout Hollidaysburg 35-0. Barry Reeger | Tribune-Review

Two of Franklin Regional's worst plays turned into the biggest swings in the Panthers' favor Friday night.

Dane Brown led No. 6 Franklin Regional with 150 total yards and two touchdowns, and the Panthers' defense recovered three fumbles to give Franklin Regional a 35-0 Greater Allegheny Conference win at home against Hollidaysburg.

The Panthers (6-1, 5-1) were holding a 7-0 lead and had Hollidaysburg (3-4, 3-3) pinned back on its 6-yard line with 1:54 left in the first half. On a third-and-11, Hollidaysburg quarterback Brian Urban broke a designed run down the left side past midfield.

Defensive back Chris Colucci chased him down at the 34-yard line and hacked the ball out of the Urban's hands, which allowed the Panthers to recover after a 60-yard run.

“One of the best linebackers I've ever had, Carter Henderson, made just about his only mistake. He read the play wrong, went the wrong way, and they hit it,” Franklin Regional coach Greg Botta said. “Colucci gave a great effort. He made a big play to strip that ball. He did exactly what he needed to do to get the ball back and change the momentum.”

Two plays later, Brown took a screen pass from quarterback Nico Lodovico for a 51-yard gain, which set up Lodovico for an 11-yard touchdown scramble with 12 seconds remaining before halftime.

On the Panthers' second play from scrimmage in the second half, Lodovico was hit as he threw a deep pass, and Urban intercepted the underthrow.

But on the next play, the Panthers turned another negative into a positive, as Urban fumbled in the backfield and Franklin Regional recovered.

“We've got to stop shooting ourselves in the foot,” Hollidaysburg coach John Barton said.

“Offensively, that's been one of those things that we've got to shake, but in the same vein, when you've got a great team like Franklin Regional, they create some of those opportunities, too.”

Franklin Regional kept control from there, with rushing touchdowns by Brown, Matt Yurko and Paul Emanuele on its next three drives.

“If we execute and do the things we need to do, we'll be successful,” Botta said. “I think we got the message, and we played a lot better in the second half.”

Matt Grubba is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-388-5830 or mgrubba@tribweb.com.

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Woodward West Shootout. Black Label Skateboards. Edit: Trimm

I filmed and edited this video for Black Label Skateboards. It is in the woodward west shootout, a video contest between Black Label, Real, Foundation, and Birdhouse. Check it out on theskateboardmag.com

Mumma called me up. I jumped in a huge van. we drove to mohave desert. we went to woodward west which is just a bunch of skateparks in the middle of nowhere. It's like summercamp for skate groms. They put us up in this abandon lodge on the hill away from the kids because they were scared of us. we drank beer and skated the whole time. It's pretty dam fun. I filmed, Along with the other black label skaters. Look for an article about our trip in the skateboard mag issue 86.

Korduroy.tv blog: George Trimm Filmmaker Feature

Thanks Cyrus for featuring me and my work on the Korduroy.tv blog.
Also La Femme rules for giving me the opportunity to work with them.
As this might be the last post about this music video I want to take the time and thank everybody who helped out with the project, because it definitely wasn't only me who made this thing. Danica Elbertse is a major reason why this video ever got finished. She was not only the star of the short film, but also provided a place for La Femme to stay and also a creative hub for us to do our thing. She also had a lot of helpful insight about the project. THANK YOU! Isaac Zoller got some amazing shots in this video. He has skills that pays his bills. La Femme as a band is major influence on this video. They came to me with an interesting concept and had a huge influence on the edit. I applaud their vision. We had a lot of laughs and great meals together. Sam is a really good cook. Meredith Ambruso came through huge when she picked up the prop gun and provided costumes. Heather Rosenthal also helped as an extra, she has a bunch of short clips throughout the edit. And also I want to thank Deano and Linda Michael for providing the rad spear gun for a measly 8 bucks. Can't wait to do another one. My crew rules.

Creating the music video for La Femme's track titled Sur La Planche was definitely a multi-national melting pot from Hell, and I say that meaning it was the best thing to be involved with ever. La Femme is a French band. They love baguettes and smoking cigarettes while wearing berets. Plus they make really bitchin’ music. So when I realized I was going to work with them during their American “So Frenchy Tour” I bought a beret and a striped shirt and sat with my legs crossed savoring the idea. When I decided to start the video off with a night shoot on a U.S. military base, the implications of our actions must have slipped my mind. 10 people dressed as black spies, four french nationals, a bunch of hijacked power for lights, and 2 hours of trespassing later we had ourselves a pretty eclectic set of clips to work with. Luckily we survived to shoot a couple more days, and none of them got deported which was a good thing. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE VIDEO!

Vans/Thaila Grand Opening party.

I DJed the Vans Grand Opening in Laguna Beach, such a fun event. Read More, or Check out more Photos

Von Zipper Rules.

Thanks to Chris Zamoscianyk, I got to help film and edit these shorts for Von Zipper's new sunglasses campaign. Probably the best shoot i've been a part of. Currently working on their optical campaign video to be released soon.

Be sure to check out some of the stills on SurferMag.com

I've worked on the last two Forum Snowboarding films.

(& more recently)
Fuck It

We took Transworld Video of the Year award two years in a row. It was Jeremy Pettit and Mike Bishop's movie magic that created these masterpieces. Bob Hoste also rules. Thanks guys for including me on these projects. "Fuck It" premiered at the Lido Theatre in Newport. Buy a bunch of copies here.

travels south of the border

We cruised down to mex. It was fun. Its so dangerous you probably shouldn't do it. Photos by Christian Yeager. Look for footage in the new Canvas video coming out soon.

LEAF PRESENTS No. 51 @ Laguna Beach Regency Theatres

The Leafers made a U.S. Open Documentary which premiered at the Regency South Coast Theatre in downtown Laguna Beach. It was rad to see our work on the big screen. Thanks Hurley.

My good friend Tyler Warren creates amazing art, and sometimes I get the opportunity to DJ at some of his openings. I've spun the last two, and they are only going to get better. Last time was so fun. Read about it on ESPN.com

LEAF had a show at Mesa. It was apparently sophisticated. The self-proclaimed "Sophisticates United Network" helped us throw this art opening. Thanks to The Growlers for playing, and some dudes from Wu-Tang showed up. Brook's pulled out the Pee-Wee Herman tequila dance on the bar, it might have been too outlandish for the exquisite nature of the sophiticates united network, as their martinis were knocked onto their new cardigans and expensive shoes. We apologize with the upmost sincerity. Anyway's it was a sick party thanks for everyone who allowed it! BusterBones and I got to spin some records too which was fun. This is the work I contributed, a series showing Adrian Tulbure's different hair doo's. Seth Barnard and I collab'd on the big one which spanned 12x4 feet. You have to check out these photos to believe the madness that went down this night.

Check out the rest of the installation on the Leaf Blog. Thanks dudes
A video I made for Tyler Warren

JE NE SAIS PAS, art by George Trimm and Meredith Ambruso at Shelter Surfshop

Thanks to Graham at Shelter Surfshop for letting us put our work up. GANTEZ WARRIOR and TRMRS played along with records by DJ BUSTER BONES ( Edgar Obrand ) Check out some of my work below.

Random DJ gigs, Cali/Australia

Both of these flyers were design by me.

flyer by Trimm

Over the last couple, LEAF has thrown a bunch of fun parties at The Upper Gardens in down town Laguna Beach. We want to hear our friends bands play locally, and the upper gardens is the place that happens. Unfortunately the cops like to break these up, but regardless... Thanks to everyone involved.
Photos: Isaac Zoller

Thanks to Popular for involving me on this one. I got to hang out and film Diplo, who is a major inspiration. I also edited this short for the MadDecent Block Parties with help from Jeremy Pettit and Mike Bishop. They shred at surfing. Check out more videos from them HERE

Flyer by me :)

We got to put on a show at the World Gallery with Sea Jive and Tommy Stewart.
Tomorrows Tulips, Allah Lahs, TRMRS, Tijuana Panthers and GANTEZ got to play.
I got to play some records. A fun one minus a broken leg that happened late night
:( sorry Tay.


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Tag Archive | "ds3234"

Tutorial: Arduino and the SPI bus part II

This is chapter thirty-six of a series originally titled “Getting Started/Moving Forward with Arduino!” by John Boxall – A seemingly endless series of articles on the Arduino universe. The first chapter is here, the complete series is detailed here

[Updated 10/01/2013]

This is the second of several chapters in which we are investigating the SPI data bus, and how we can control devices using it with our Arduino systems. If you have not done so already, please read part one of the SPI articles. Again we will learn the necessary theory, and then apply it by controlling a variety of devices. As always things will be kept as simple as possible.

First on our list today is the use of multiple SPI devices on the single bus. We briefly touched on this in part one, by showing how multiple devices are wired, for example:

Notice how the slave devices share the clock, MOSI and MISO lines – however they both have their own chip select line back to the master device. At this point a limitation of the SPI bus becomes prevalent – for each slave device we need another digital pin to control chip select for that device. If you were looking to control many devices, it would be better to consider finding I2C solutions to the problem. To implement multiple devices is very easy. Consider the example 34.1 from part one – we controlled a digital rheostat. Now we will repeat the example, but instead control four instead of one. For reference, here is the pinout diagram:

Doing so may sound complex, but it is not. We connect the SCK, MOSI and  MISO pins together, then to Arduino pins D13, D11, D12 respectively. Each CS pin is wired to a separate Arduino digital pin. In our example rheostats 1 to 4 connect to D10 through to D7 respectively. To show the resistance is changing on each rheostat, there is an LED between pin 5 and GND and a 470 ohm resistor between 5V and pin 6. Next, here is the sketch:

Although the example sketch may be longer than necessary, it is quite simple. We have four SPI devices each controlling one LED, so to keep things easy to track we have defined led1~led4 to match the chip select digital out pins used for each SPI device. Then see the first four lines in void setup(); these pins are set to output in order to function as required. Next – this is very important – we set the pins’ state to HIGH. You must do this to every chip select line! Otherwise more than one CS pins may be initially low in some instances and cause the first data sent from MOSI to travel along to two or more SPI devices. With LEDs this may not be an issue, but for motor controllers … well it could be.

The other point of interest is the function

We pass the value for the SPI device we want to control, and the value to send to the device. The value for l is the chip select value for the SPI device to control, and ranges from 10~7 – or as defined earlier, led1~4. The rest of the sketch is involved in controlling the LED’s brightness by varying the resistance of the rheostats. Now to see example 36.1 in action via the following video clip:

(If you are wondering what I have done to the Freetronics board in that video, it was to add a DS1307 real-time clock IC in the prototyping section).

Next on the agenda is a digital-to-analogue converter, to be referred to using the acronym DAC. What is a DAC? In simple terms, it accepts a numerical value between zero and a maximum value (digital) and outputs a voltage between the range of zero and a maximum relative to the input value (analogue). One could consider this to be the opposite of the what we use the function analogRead(); for. For our example we will use a Microchip MCP4921 (data sheet.pdf):

(Please note that this is a beginners’ tutorial and is somewhat simplified). This DAC has a 12-bit resolution. This means that it can accept a decimal number between 0 and 4095 – in binary this is 0 to 1111 1111 1111 (see why it is called 12-bit) – and the outpout voltage is divided into 4096 steps. The output voltage for this particular DAC can fall between 0 and just under the supply voltage (5V). So for each increase of 1 in the decimal input value, the DAC will output around 1.221 millivolts.

It is also possible to reduce the size of the voltage output steps by using a lower reference voltage. Then the DAC will consider the reference voltage to be the maximum output with a value of 4095. So (for example) if the reference voltage was 2.5V, each increase of 1 in the decimal input value, the DAC will output around 0.6105 millivolts. The minimum reference voltage possible is 0.8V, which offers a step of 200 microvolts (uV).

The output of a DAC can be used for many things, such as a function generator or the playback of audio recorded in a digital form. For now we will examine how to use the hardware, and monitoring output on an oscilloscope. First we need the pinouts:

By now these sorts of diagrams shouldn’t present any problems. In this example, we keep pin 5 permanently set to GND; pin 6 is where you feed in the reference voltage – we will set this to +5V; AVss is GND; and Vouta is the output signal pin – where the magic comes from 🙂 The next thing to investigate is the MCP4921’s write command register:

Bits 0 to 11 are the 12 bits of the output value; bit 15 is an output selector (unused on the MPC4921); bit 14 controls the input buffer; bit 13 controls an inbuilt output amplifier; and bit 12 can shutdown the DAC. Unlike previous devices, the input data is spread across two bytes (or a word of data). Therefore a small amount of work needs to be done to format the data ready for the DAC. Let’s explain this through looking at the sketch for example 36.2 that follows. The purpose of the sketch is to go through all possible DAC values, from 0 to 4095, then back to 0 and so on.

First. note the variable outputvalue – it is a word, a 16-bit unsigned variable. This is perfect as we will be sending a word of data to the DAC. We put the increasing/decreasing value for a into outputValue. However as we can only send bytes of data at a time down the SPI bus, we will use the function highbyte() to separate the high side of the word (bits 15~8) into a byte variable called data.

We then use the bitwise AND and OR operators to set the parameter bits 15~12. Then this byte is sent to the SPI bus. Finally, the function lowbyte() is used to send the low side of the word (bits 7~0) into data and thence down the SPI bus as well.

Now for our demonstration sketch:

And a quick look at the DAC in action via an oscilloscope:

By now we have covered in detail how to send data to a device on the SPI bus. But how do we receive data from a device?

Doing so is quite simple, but some information is required about the particular device. For the rest of this chapter, we will use the Maxim DS3234 “extremely accurate” real-time clock. Please download the data sheet (.pdf) now, as it will be referred to many times.

The DS3234 is not available in through-hole packaging, so we will be using one that comes pre-soldered onto a very convenient breakout board:

It only takes a few moments to solder in some header pins for breadboard use. The battery type is CR1220 (12 x 2.0mm, 3V); if you don’t have a battery you will need to short out the battery holder with some wire otherwise the IC will not work. Readers have reported that the IC doesn’t keep time if the USB and external power are both applied to the Arduino at the same time.

A device will have one or more registers where information is read from and written to. Look at page twelve of the DS3234 data sheet, there are twenty-three registers, each containing eight bits (one byte) of data. Please take note that each register has a read and write address. An example – to retrieve the contents of the register at location 08h (alarm minutes) and place it into the byte data we need to do the following:

Don’t forget to take note of  the function SPI.setBitOrder(MSBFIRST); in your sketch, as this also determines the bit order of the data coming from the device. To write data to a specific address is also quite simple, for example:

Up to this point, we have not concerned ourselves with what is called the SPI data mode. The mode determines how the SPI device interprets the ‘pulses’ of data going in and out of the device. For a well-defined explanation, please read this article. With some devices (and in our forthcoming example) the data mode needs to be defined. So we use:

to set the data mode, within void(setup);. To determine a device’s data mode, as always – consult the data sheet. With our DS3234 example, the mode is mentioned on page 1 under Features List.

Finally, let’s delve a little deeper into SPI via the DS3234. The interesting people at Sparkfun have already written a good demonstration sketch for the DS3234, so let’s have a look at that and deconstruct it a little to see what is going on. You can download the sketch below from here, then change the file extension from .c to .pde.

Don’t let the use of custom functions and loops put you off, they are there to save time. Looking in the function SetTimeDate();, you can see that the data is written to the registers 80h through to 86h (skipping 83h – day of week) in the way as described earlier (set CS low, send out address to write to, send out data, set CS high). You will also notice some bitwise arithmetic going on as well. This is done to convert data between binary-coded decimal and decimal numbers.

Why? Go back to page twelve of the DS3234 data sheet and look at (e.g.) register 00h/80h – seconds. The bits 7~4 are used to represent the ‘tens’ column of the value, and bits 3~0 represent the ‘ones’ column of the value. So some bit shifting is necessary to isolate the digit for each column in order to convert the data to decimal. For other ways to convert between BCD and decimal, see the examples using the Maxim DS1307 in chapter seven.

Finally here is another example of reading the time data from the DS3234:

So there you have it – more about the world of the SPI bus and how to control the devices within.

In the meanwhile have fun and keep checking into tronixstuff.com. Why not follow things on twitterGoogle+, subscribe  for email updates or RSS using the links on the right-hand column? And join our friendly Google Group – dedicated to the projects and related items on this website. Sign up – it’s free, helpful to each other –  and we can all learn something.

Posted in arduino, BOB-10160, dac, DS3234, education, learning electronics, lesson, MCP4162, MCP4921, microcontrollers, SPI, tutorial, UncategorizedComments (14)

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Saturday, March 23, 2013

Belated Friday Song With Callie: Meowing Kitty Style

Kitties - lately Mommie has been listening to this song "Gangum Style" by Psy.  I am not sure why exactly since it is not in English and the only words she can almost make out are "Oppa gangum style" and later on in the song "Eh, sexy lady".  What is this "Gangum Style" the song talks about?  I think that this song needs some Callie intervention.  Are you ready to sing along kitties?

Meowing Kitty Style,
Kitty Style

Meowing Kitty Style
eh, Sexy ManCat Meowing Kitty Style
eh, Sexy Kozmo, oh, oh, oh, oh
(here you can insert any kitty name,
Sassy says it should be Austin)

Meowing Kitty Style
Kitty Style
Remember to Sing Loud,
Sing Long and Sing Often!!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Glogirly Give Away

Kitties - Katie and Waffles Too are have a great giveaway on their blog.  Glogirly Designs now has its own website. Recently Katie (and okay, maybe Glogirly a little bit) designed our new "Sexy Ladycats of the Blogosphere" badge.

We hope to win - our blog NEEDS a Sexy Makeover!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Request for Cat Food Suggestions

Kitties - the Mommie here.  I need some advice please.  On the advice of the vet I have always feed Callie and Sassy Science Diet Indoor dry cat food.  This seemed to work good both with nutrient wise and with Sassy delicate stomach (the phrase delicate stomach is my polite way of saying that I now know every possible way of cleaning up kitty vomit known to mankind!).

Well recently Science Diet Indoor changed their formula and the cats DO NOT approve (not to mention Sassy's stomach which definitely does not approve).  My vet has recommended the following foods (but said that almost any sensitive stomach brand would be good).  Have any of you had any experience with these formulas or suggestions for "delicate" stomach food?  Thank you for the help.

Royal Canin Special 33

ProPlan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Formula

Iams Proactive Health Adult Digestive Care

Hills Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach

Monday, March 18, 2013

Too Sexy For My Furs Tuesday

Hi Kitties - Callie here.  Last year Sassy got to do the "Hot Mancats of the Blogosphere" series.  Personally I did not find this series that interesting because my boycat friend Kozmo is of course THE Hottest Mancat of the Blogosphere, so you know, whatever!  But now we are going to do a "Sexy Ladycats of the Blogosphere" series.  Being as how I am a international fashion model, I am a much better kitty to do this than Sassy!  Here is a picture of me doing one of my "too sexy for my furs" pose.

We are going to start this series up in mid April - if you would like to be a Sexy Ladycat of the Blogosphere please contact me at loca4gato at gmail dot com
For all of those mancats out there, what are some burning issues you would like to see answered by our Sexy Ladycats?

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Monday Musings With Sassy: Texas Weather

Kitties - Sassy here.  Unfortunately, I can't tell you if I am sitting here feeling nice and warm or cool and comfortable.  That is because see I live in Texas and in Texas the saying is "If you don't like the weather, wait around for another five minutes and it will be different".  That has really been the case lately.

See the blankie that the Spotted Airhead and I are laying on?  Well, let's see, in the last week, Mommie has removed it because it was so hot outside that she got sunburned planting stuff in the garden.....then she added back on because it rained the next day.....then removed it when it got hot again...and now they are saying that a evening freeze in going to happen next week.....
How is a cat supposed to get her sleep if the blankie keeps moving around?

Friday, March 8, 2013

Winnie's Wish Gifts - Thanks Kozzie!

Kitties - Callie here.  Today I got a wonderful surprise in the mail. My Sweet Ba-Boo, Kozmo from the Cat From Hell sent me an anniversary gift from Winnie's Wish.  A handsome, brave boycat friend who is also generous to kitties in need - what more could a kitty ask for???  I loved them and unfortunately so does Sassy!  Unfortunately, Mommie made me share!

Thanks Sweet Ba-Boo - you are the bestest!

P.S. We kitties LOVED these toys.  They came soaked / stuffed / sprayed or something in the most wonderful scent in the world!  You should definitely steal your human's credit card and get some of these!

Sunday, March 3, 2013

The Most Wonderful Boycat Friend EVER!!

Kitties - Callie here.  Monday is the one year anniversary of the bestest day of my life!  It is the day that my handsome and brave Kozmo asked me to be his girlcat friend!  Oh my what a year we have had - parties, stinky eggroll kidnappers, song duos, visits to London and so much more!

I made this video just especially for my Sweet Ba-Boo.  I even had Mommie take off my bling-bling collar first so that I could appear in it au naturale <blush>.  Now two things to keep in mind before watching this video.  Number One is that since unfortunately my video budget is very low, I had to hire cheap labor for the camera work.  Hah - last time I hire anyone from the Clown College of Video Making!  And number two, you will need to turn your computer volume up to high.  I am a gentle Southern lady with a soft voice...Mommie why are you looking so surprised?

We Are On Pet Blogs United

Kitties - Sassy here.  We are featured this week on Pet Blogs United!  Callie spends most of her time blabbing on endlessly about her "Sweet Ba-Boo" - pretty much like she does all of the time!  I of course discuss much more important issues such how much I am abused by my sisfur.

On another note, Callie wanted me to be sure and tell everyone to check out the blog tomorrow.  It is her and Kozmo's (I refuse to use the name Sweet Ba-Boo- ugh) 1st anniversary as a couple and she has a special message planned for him.