text:
Free and open-source software

(Redirected from FOSS)
Jump to: navigation, search
A screenshot of free and open-source software: Linux Mint running the Xfce desktop environment, Firefox, a calculator program, the built-in calendar, Vim, GIMP, and VLC media player

Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software that can be classified as both free software and open-source software.[a] That is, anyone is freely licensed to use, copy, study, and change the software in any way, and the source code is openly shared so that people are encouraged to voluntarily improve the design of the software.[3] This is in contrast to proprietary software, where the software is under restrictive copyright and the source code is usually hidden from the users.

The benefits of using FOSS can include decreased software costs, increased security and stability (especially in regard to malware), protecting privacy, education, and giving users more control over their own hardware. Free, open-source operating systems such as Linux and descendants of BSD are widely utilized today, powering millions of servers, desktops, smartphones (e.g. Android), and other devices.[4][5] Free software licenses and open-source licenses are used by many software packages. The Free software movement and the open-source software movement are online social movements behind widespread production and adoption of FOSS.

Free and open source software is an umbrella term for software that is free and open source software. Free and open source software allows the user to inspect the source code and provides a high level of control of the software's functions compared to proprietary software.

According to the Free Software Foundation, "Nearly all open source software is free software. The two terms describe almost the same category of software, but they stand for views based on fundamentally different values."[6] Thus, the Open Source Initiative considers many free software licenses to also be open-source. These include the latest versions of the FSF's three main licenses: the GPL, the Lesser General Public License (LGPL), and the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL).[7] Thus, terminology of free and open source software is intended to be neutral on these philosophical disagreements.

There are a number of related terms and abbreviations for free and open source software (FOSS or F/OSS) or free/libre and open source software (FLOSS).

Free software

Richard Stallman's Free Software Definition, adopted by the Free Software Foundation (FSF), defines free software as a matter of liberty, not price.[8] The earliest known publication of the definition of his free software idea was in the February 1986 edition[9] of the FSF's now-discontinued GNU's Bulletin publication. The canonical source for the document is in the philosophy section of the GNU Project website. As of August 2017, it is published there in 40 languages.[10]

Open source

The Open Source Definition is used by the Open Source Initiative to determine whether a software license qualifies for the organization's insignia for open-source software. The definition was based on the Debian Free Software Guidelines, written and adapted primarily by Bruce Perens.[11][12] Perens did not base his writing on the four freedoms of free software from the Free Software Foundation, which were only later available on the web.[13] Perens subsequently stated that he felt Eric Raymond's promotion of open source unfairly overshadowed the Free Software Foundation's efforts and reaffirmed his support for free software.[14] In the following 2000s he spoke about Open source again.[15][16]

In the 1950s through the 1980s, it was common for computer users to have the source code for all programs they used, and the permission and ability to modify it for their own use. Software, including source code, was commonly shared by individuals who used computers, often as public domain software.[17] Most companies had a business model based on hardware sales, and provided or bundled software with hardware, free of charge.[18] Organizations of users and suppliers were formed to facilitate the exchange of software; see, for example, SHARE and DECUS.

By the late 1960s, the prevailing business model around software was changing. A growing and evolving software industry was competing with the hardware manufacturer's bundled software products; rather than funding software development from hardware revenue, these new companies were selling software directly. Leased machines required software support while providing no revenue for software, and some customers able to better meet their own needs did not want the costs of software bundled with hardware product costs. In United States vs. IBM, filed 17 January 1969, the government charged that bundled software was anticompetitive.[19] While some software might always be free, there would be a growing amount of software that was for sale only. In the 1970s and early 1980s, some parts of the software industry began using technical measures (such as distributing only binary copies of computer programs) to prevent computer users from being able to use reverse engineering techniques to study and customize software they had paid for. In 1980, the copyright law was extended to computer programs in the United States[20]—previously, computer programs could be considered ideas, procedures, methods, systems, and processes, which are not copyrightable.[21][22]

Early on, closed-source software was uncommon until the mid-1970s to the 1980s, when IBM implemented in 1983 a "object code only" policy, no longer distributing source code.[23][24][25]

In 1983, Richard Stallman, longtime member of the hacker community at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, announced the GNU project, saying that he had become frustrated with the effects of the change in culture of the computer industry and its users.[26] Software development for the GNU operating system began in January 1984, and the Free Software Foundation (FSF) was founded in October 1985. An article outlining the project and its goals was published in March 1985 titled the GNU Manifesto. The manifesto included significant explanation of the GNU philosophy, Free Software Definition and "copyleft" ideas.

The Linux kernel, started by Linus Torvalds, was released as freely modifiable source code in 1991. Initially, Linux was not released under a free or open-source software license. However, with version 0.12 in February 1992, he relicensed the project under the GNU General Public License.[27] Much like Unix, Torvalds' kernel attracted the attention of volunteer programmers.[citation needed]

FreeBSD and NetBSD (both derived from 386BSD) were released as free software when the USL v. BSDi lawsuit was settled out of court in 1993. OpenBSD forked from NetBSD in 1995. Also in 1995, The Apache HTTP Server, commonly referred to as Apache, was released under the Apache License 1.0.

In 1997, Eric Raymond published The Cathedral and the Bazaar, a reflective analysis of the hacker community and free software principles. The paper received significant attention in early 1998, and was one factor in motivating Netscape Communications Corporation to release their popular Netscape Communicator Internet suite as free software. This code is today better known as Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird.

Netscape's act prompted Raymond and others to look into how to bring the FSF's free software ideas and perceived benefits to the commercial software industry. They concluded that FSF's social activism was not appealing to companies like Netscape, and looked for a way to rebrand the free software movement to emphasize the business potential of sharing and collaborating on software source code. The new name they chose was "open source", and quickly Bruce Perens, publisher Tim O'Reilly, Linus Torvalds, and others signed on to the rebranding. The Open Source Initiative was founded in February 1998 to encourage use of the new term and evangelize open-source principles.[28]

While the Open Source Initiative sought to encourage the use of the new term and evangelize the principles it adhered to, commercial software vendors found themselves increasingly threatened by the concept of freely distributed software and universal access to an application's source code. A Microsoft executive publicly stated in 2001 that "open source is an intellectual property destroyer. I can't imagine something that could be worse than this for the software business and the intellectual-property business."[29] This view perfectly summarizes the initial response to FOSS by some software corporations.[citation needed] However, while FOSS has historically played a role outside of the mainstream of private software development, companies as large as Microsoft have begun to develop official open-source presences on the Internet. IBM, Oracle, Google and State Farm are just a few of the companies with a serious public stake in today's competitive open-source market. There has been a significant shift in the corporate philosophy concerning the development of free and open-source software (FOSS).[30]

Benefits over proprietary software

Privacy and security

Manufacturers of proprietary, closed-source software are sometimes pressured to building in backdoors or other covert, undesired features into their software.[31][32][33][34] Instead of having to trust software vendors users of FOSS can inspect and verify the source code themselves and can put trust on a community of volunteers and users.[35] As proprietary code is typically hidden from public view, only the vendors themselves and hackers may be aware of any vulnerabilities in them[35] while FOSS involves as many people as possible for exposing bugs quickly.[36][37]

Personal control, customizability and freedom

Users of FOSS benefit from the freedoms to making unrestricted use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute such software. If they would like to change the functionality of software they can bring about changes to the code and, if they wish, distribute such modified versions of the software or often − depending on the software's decision making model and its other users − even push or request such changes to be made via updates to the original software.[38][39][40][41][35]

Low costs or no costs

FOSS is often free of charge although donations are often encouraged. This also allows users to better test and compare software.[35]

Quality, collaboration and efficiency

FOSS allows for better collaboration among various parties and individuals with the goal of developing the most efficient software for its users or use-cases while proprietary software is typically meant to generate profits. Furthermore, in many cases more organizations and individuals contribute to such projects than to proprietary software.[35] It has been shown that technical superiority is typically the primary reason why companies choose open source software.[35] Companies might build in artificial barriers, inefficiencies or undesired functionality to increase monetary return.

Drawbacks to proprietary software

Security and user-support

According to Linus's Law the more people who can see and test a set of code, the more likely any flaws will be caught and fixed quickly. However, this does not guarantee a high level of participation. Having a grouping of full-time professionals behind a commercial product can in some cases be superior to FOSS.[35][36][42] There also can be undesired functionality be built intentionally into FOSS and not get detected or fixed − e.g. due to no or few users checking the source code, changes to the software getting denied or the source code being hardly readable.

Furthermore, publicized source code might make it easier for hackers to find vulnerabilities in it and write exploits. This however assumes that such malicious hackers are more effective than white hat hackers which responsibly disclose or help fix the vulnerabilities, that no code leaks or exfiltrations occur and that reverse engineering of proprietary code is a hindrance of significance for malicious hackers.[36]

In general it can be found that FOSS is more secure and has good user-support with some exceptions of specific − especially niche or obsolete − software solutions.

Hardware and software compatibility

Often FOSS is not compatible with proprietary hardware or specific software. This is often due to manufacturers obstructing FOSS such as by not disclosing the interfaces or other specifications needed for members of the FOSS movement to write drivers for their hardware − for instance as they wish customers to run only their own proprietary software or as they might benefit from partnerships.[43][44][45][46][47][48][49][additional citation(s) needed]

Bugs and missing features

While FOSS can be superior to proprietary equivalents in terms of software features and stability, in many cases FOSS has more unfixed bugs and missing features when compared to similar commercial software.[50][additional citation(s) needed] This varies per case and usually depends on the level of interest and participation in a FOSS project. Furthermore, unlike with typical commercial software missing features and bugfixes can be implemented by any party that has the relevant motivation, time and skill to do so.[42][additional citation(s) needed]

Less guarantees of development

There is often less certainty in FOSS projects gaining the required resources / participation for continued development than commercial software backed by companies.[51][additional citation(s) needed] However companies also often abolish projects for being unprofitable and often large companies rely on and hence co-develop open source software.[37]

Missing applications

As the FOSS operating system distributions of GNU/Linux has a lower market share of end users there are also fewer applications available.[52][53]

Technical skills and user-friendliness

GNU/Linux may require more effort or technical knowledge to set up and maintain.[52] As many GNU/Linux users make extensive use of the command-line many applications lack user-friendliness such as a GUI.

Adoption by governments

Adoption by supranational unions and international organizations

"We migrated key functions from Windows to Linux because we needed an operating system that was stable and reliable -- one that would give us in-house control. So if we needed to patch, adjust, or adapt, we could."

Official statement of the United Space Alliance, which manages the computer systems for the International Space Station (ISS), regarding why they chose to switch from Windows to Linux on the ISS.[81][82]

In 2017, the European Commission stated that "EU institutions should become open source software users themselves, even more than they already are" and listed open source software as one of the nine key drivers of innovation, together with big data, mobility, cloud computing and the internet of things.[83]

Issues and incidents

GPLv3 controversy

While copyright is the primary legal mechanism that FOSS authors use to ensure license compliance for their software, other mechanisms such as legislation, patents, and trademarks have implications as well. In response to legal issues with patents and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the Free Software Foundation released version 3 of its GNU Public License in 2007 that explicitly addressed the DMCA and patent rights.

After the development of the GNU GPLv3 in 2007, the FSF (as copyright holder of many pieces of the GNU system) updated many[citation needed] of the GNU programs' licenses from GPLv2 to GPLv3. On the other hand, the adoption of the new GPL version was heavily discussed in the FOSS ecosystem,[84] several projects decided against upgrading. For instance the linux kernel,[85][86] the BusyBox[87][88] project, AdvFS,[89] Blender,[90] and as also the VLC media player decided against adopting the GPLv3.[91]

Apple, a user of GCC and a heavy user of both DRM and patents, switched the compiler in its Xcode IDE from GCC to Clang, which is another FOSS compiler[92] but is under a permissive license.[93] LWN speculated that Apple was motivated partly by a desire to avoid GPLv3.[92] The Samba project also switched to GPLv3, so Apple replaced Samba in their software suite by a closed-source, proprietary software alternative.[94]

Skewed prioritization, ineffectiveness and egoism of developers

Leemhuis criticizes the prioritization of skilled developers who − instead of fixing issues in popular applications and desktop environments − create new, mostly redundant software to gain fame and fortune.[95]

He also criticizes notebook manufacturers for optimizing their own products only privately or creating workarounds instead of helping fix the actual causes of the many issues with GNU/Linux on notebooks such as the unnecessary power consumption.[95]

Commercial ownership of open-source software

Mergers have affected major open-source software. Sun Microsystems (Sun) acquired MySQL AB, owner of the popular open-source MySQL database, in 2008.[96]

Oracle in turn purchased Sun in January, 2010, acquiring their copyrights, patents, and trademarks. Thus, Oracle became the owner of both the most popular proprietary database and the most popular open-source database. Oracle's attempts to commercialize the open-source MySQL database have raised concerns in the FOSS community.[97] Partly in response to uncertainty about the future of MySQL, the FOSS community forked the project into new database systems outside of Oracle's control. These include MariaDB, Percona, and Drizzle.[98] All of these have distinct names; they are distinct projects and can not use the trademarked name MySQL.[99]

Legal cases

Oracle v. Google

In August, 2010, Oracle sued Google, claiming that its use of Java in Android infringed on Oracle's copyrights and patents. The Oracle v. Google case ended in May 2012, with the finding that Google did not infringe on Oracle's patents, and the trial judge ruled that the structure of the Java APIs used by Google was not copyrightable. The jury found that Google infringed a small number of copied files, but the parties stipulated that Google would pay no damages.[100] Oracle appealed to the Federal Circuit, and Google filed a cross-appeal on the literal copying claim.[101] Oracle won the appeal, but Google won a subsequent retrial in 2016.[citation needed]

As part/driver of a new socioeconomic model

By defying ownership regulations in the construction and use of information − a key area of contemporary growth − the Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) movement counters neoliberalism and privatization in general.[102]

By realizing the historical potential of an "economy of abundance" for the new digital world FOSS may lay down a plan for political resistance or show the way towards a potential transformation of capitalism.[102]

Benkler's new economy

According to Yochai Benkler, Jack N. and Lillian R. Berkman Professor for Entrepreneurial Legal Studies at Harvard Law School, free software is the most visible part of a new economy of commons-based peer production of information, knowledge, and culture. As examples, he cites a variety of FOSS projects, including both free software and open-source.[103]

This new economy is already under development. To commercialize FOSS, many companies move towards advertisement-supported software. In such a model, the only way to increase revenue is to make the advertisement more valuable. Facebook was criticized in 2011 for using novel methods of tracking users to accomplish this.[104]

This new economy has alternatives. Apple's App Stores have proven very popular with both users and developers. The Free Software Foundation considers Apple's App Stores to be incompatible with its GPL and complained that Apple was infringing on the GPL with its iTunes terms of use. Rather than change those terms to comply with the GPL, Apple removed the GPL-licensed products from its App Stores.[105]

See also

  1. ^ FOSS is an inclusive term that covers both free software and open-source software, which despite describing similar development models, have differing cultures and philosophies.[1] Free refers to the users' freedom to copy and re-use the software. The Free Software Foundation, an organization that advocates the free software model, suggests that, to understand the concept, one should "think of free as in free speech, not as in free beer". (See "The Free Software Definition". Retrieved 4 February 2010. ) Free software focuses on the fundamental freedoms it gives to users, whereas open source software focuses on the perceived strengths of its peer-to-peer development model.[2] FOSS is a term that can be used without particular bias towards either political approach.

  1. ^ Feller 2005, pp. 89, 362.
  2. ^ Feller 2005, pp. 101–106, 110–111.
  3. ^ Free Software Foundation. "What is free software?". Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  4. ^ Hatlestad 2005.
  5. ^ Claburn 2007.
  6. ^ Stallman n.d.
  7. ^ "Licenses by Name". Open Source License. Open Source Initiative. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  8. ^ "". 20 September 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  9. ^ "GNU's Bulletin, Volume 1 Number 1, page 8".
  10. ^ "The Free Software Definition – Translations of this page".
  11. ^ "The Open Source Definition by Bruce Perens". , Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution, January 1999, ISBN 1-56592-582-3
  12. ^ "The Open Source Definition". , The Open Source Definition according to the Open Source Initiative
  13. ^ "". 16 February 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  14. ^ "It's Time to Talk About Free Software Again". Archived from the original on 2014-07-16.
  15. ^ "Bruce Perens - State of Open Source Message: A New Decade For Open Source". 1998-02-09. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  16. ^ Barr, Joe (January 13, 2003). "Meet the Perens". LinuxWorld Magazine.
  17. ^ Shea, Tom (1983-06-23). "Free software - Free software is a junkyard of software spare parts". InfoWorld. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
  18. ^ Gates, Bill (February 3, 1976), An Open Letter to Hobbyists
  19. ^ Fisher, McKie & Mancke 1983.
  20. ^ Computer Software 1980 Copyright Act, Pub. L. No. 96-517, 94 Stat. 3015, 3028.
  21. ^ "Copyright Basics".
  22. ^ Weber 2009.
  23. ^ Object code only: is IBM playing fair? IBM's OCO policy protects its own assets but may threaten customers investment on Computerworld - 8 Febr. 1988
  24. ^ Firm sidestep IBM policy by banning software changes on Computerworld (18 March 1985)
  25. ^ Gallant, John (1985-03-18). "IBM policy draws fire – Users say source code rules hamper change". Computerworld. Retrieved 2015-12-27. While IBM's policy of withholding source code for selected software products has already marked its second anniversary, users are only now beginning to cope with the impact of that decision. But whether or not the advent of object-code-only products has affected their day-to-day DP operations, some users remain angry about IBM's decision. Announced in February 1983, IBM's object-code-only policy has been applied to a growing list of Big Blue system software products
  26. ^ William 2002.
  27. ^ "Release notes for Linux kernel 0.12".
  28. ^ "History of the OSI".
  29. ^ Charny 2001.
  30. ^ Miller, Voas & Costello 2010, pp. 14–16.
  31. ^ "Microsoft Back Doors". Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  32. ^ "Microsoft Accidentally Leaks Key to Windows Backdoor - Schneier on Security". Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  33. ^ Thomson, Iain. "Snowden leak: Microsoft added backdoor for Feds". Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  34. ^ Strandburg, Katherine J.; Raicu, Daniela Stan (2005). Privacy and Technologies of Identity: A Cross-Disciplinary Conversation. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9780387260501. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  35. ^ a b c d e f g "10 Reasons Open Source Is Good for Business". PCWorld. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  36. ^ a b c "Is Open Source Software More Secure?" (PDF). Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  37. ^ a b "Open source software is more secure than you think". SC Media US. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  38. ^ Kirk, St Amant (2007). Handbook of Research on Open Source Software: Technological, Economic, and Social Perspectives: Technological, Economic, and Social Perspectives. Idea Group Inc (IGI). ISBN 9781591408925. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  39. ^ Jacquart, Rene (2008). Building the Information Society: IFIP 18th World Computer Congress Topical Sessions 22–27 August 2004 Toulouse, France. Springer. ISBN 9781402081576. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  40. ^ Lopez-Tarruella, Aurelio (2012). Google and the Law: Empirical Approaches to Legal Aspects of Knowledge-Economy Business Models. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9789067048453. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  41. ^ "What is free software?". Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  42. ^ a b "Too Big to Fail Open-Source Software Needs Hacker Help". Observer. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  43. ^ Fogel, Karl (2005). Producing Open Source Software: How to Run a Successful Free Software Project. "O'Reilly Media, Inc.". ISBN 9780596552992. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  44. ^ Sery, Paul G. (2007). Ubuntu Linux For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9780470125052. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  45. ^ "Linux Today - KERNEL-DEV: UDI and Free Software by Richard Stallman". Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  46. ^ Vaughan-Nichols, Steven J. "Microsoft tries to block Linux off Windows 8 PCs | ZDNet". ZDNet. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  47. ^ Kingsley-Hughes, Adrian. "Lenovo reportedly blocking Linux on Windows 10 Signature Edition PCs (updated) | ZDNet". ZDNet. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  48. ^ "Linux Today - How Microsoft Changes the Prices at OEMs to Block GNU/Linux Sales". Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  49. ^ "Microsoft 'killed Dell Linux' – States". Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  50. ^ Hill, Benjamin Mako. "When Free Software Isn't (Practically) Superior". Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  51. ^ Arthur, Tatnall (2007). Encyclopedia of Portal Technologies and Applications. Idea Group Inc (IGI). ISBN 9781591409908. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  52. ^ a b Baldauf, Kenneth; Stair, Ralph (2008). Succeeding with Technology. Cengage Learning. ISBN 1423925297. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  53. ^ Mastering Information Technology for CXC CSEC CAPE. Dennis Adonis. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  54. ^ Casson & Ryan 2006.
  55. ^ "[News] Ecuador Ahead of the World with Democracy of Knowledge".
  56. ^ (in Spanish), Decree 1014
  57. ^ Paul 2009.
  58. ^ [1] PM Bulletin (Circular letter) #5608-SG of September 19th, 2012
  59. ^ [2] Use of the open-source software in the administration
  60. ^ [3] Interministerial base of open-source applications
  61. ^ "Landeshauptstadt München - Aktuelle Zahlen" (in German). Archived from the original on 2013-11-21. Retrieved 2014-07-28. [permanent dead link]
  62. ^ "Munich council: To hell with Linux, we're going full Windows in 2020". Retrieved 2017-12-04.
  63. ^ ""Role of Open or Free Software", Section 15, page 20, of the State IT Policy (2001) of the Government of Kerala, copy available at the UN Public Administration Network (UNPAN) site" (PDF).
  64. ^[permanent dead link]
  65. ^ Alawadhi 2015.
  66. ^ "Policy on Adoption of Open Source Software for Government of India" (PDF). [permanent dead link]
  67. ^ "Italian military to switch to LibreOffice and ODF".
  68. ^ "Un anno di LibreDifesa". LibreItalia (in Italian). 2016–06–23. Archived from the original on 2017–10–9. Retrieved 2018–05–10.  Check date values in: |access-date=, |date=, |archive-date= (help)
  69. ^ "Difel: LibreDifesa". Retrieved 2017-10-09.
  70. ^ "Jordan Information Ministry signs deal on open source - Government - News & Features". Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  71. ^ "". Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  72. ^ "". Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  73. ^ Clarke 2005.
  74. ^ National Advisory Council on Innovation Open Software Working Group (July 2004). "Free/Libre & Open Source Software and Open Standards in South Africa" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  75. ^ "Open Source Strategy & Policy" Archived 2014-09-27 at the Wayback Machine.
  76. ^ Vaughan-Nichols 2009.
  77. ^ a b Scott, Tony; Rung, Anne E (8 August 2016). Federal Source Code Policy: Achieving Efficiency, Transparency, and Innovation through Reusable and Open Source Software — Memorandum for the Heads of Departments and Agencies — M-16-21 (PDF). Washington DC, USA: Office of Budget and Management, Executive Office of the President. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-14.  Also available as HTML at:
  78. ^ New, William (22 August 2016). "New US Government Source Code Policy Could Provide Model For Europe". Intellectual Property Watch. Geneva, Switzerland. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  79. ^ (in Spanish) Venezuela Open Source Archived February 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  80. ^ Chavez, Hugo F. (December 2004). "Publicado en la Gaceta oficial No 38.095 de fecha 28/ 12/ 2004". Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  81. ^ Gunter 2013.
  82. ^ Bridgewater 2013.
  83. ^ Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (2017). The economic and social impact of software & services on competitiveness and innovation. ISBN 978-92-79-66177-8.
  84. ^ Mark (2008-05-08). "The Curse of Open Source License Proliferation". Retrieved 2015-11-30. Currently the decision to move from GPL v2 to GPL v3 is being hotly debated by many open source projects. According to Palamida, a provider of IP compliance software, there have been roughly 2489 open source projects that have moved from GPL v2 to later versions.
  85. ^ Torvalds, Linus. "COPYING". Retrieved 13 August 2013. Also note that the only valid version of the GPL as far as the kernel is concerned is _this_ particular version of the license (ie v2, not v2.2 or v3.x or whatever), unless explicitly otherwise stated.
  86. ^ Kerner, Sean Michael (2008-01-08). "Torvalds Still Keen On GPLv2". Retrieved 2015-02-12. "In some ways, Linux was the project that really made the split clear between what the FSF is pushing which is very different from what open source and Linux has always been about, which is more of a technical superiority instead of a -- this religious belief in freedom," Torvalds told Zemlin. So, the GPL Version 3 reflects the FSF's goals and the GPL Version 2 pretty closely matches what I think a license should do and so right now, Version 2 is where the kernel is."
  87. ^ corbet (2006-10-01). "Busy busy busybox". Retrieved 2015-11-21. Since BusyBox can be found in so many embedded systems, it finds itself at the core of the GPLv3 anti-DRM debate. [...]The real outcomes, however, are this: BusyBox will be GPLv2 only starting with the next release. It is generally accepted that stripping out the "or any later version" is legally defensible, and that the merging of other GPLv2-only code will force that issue in any case
  88. ^ Landley, Rob (2006-09-09). "Re: Move GPLv2 vs v3 fun..." Retrieved 2015-11-21. Don't invent a straw man argument please. I consider licensing BusyBox under GPLv3 to be useless, unnecessary, overcomplicated, and confusing, and in addition to that it has actual downsides. 1) Useless: We're never dropping GPLv2.
  89. ^ Press release concerning the release of the AdvFS source code
  90. ^ Prokoudine, Alexandre (26 January 2012). "What's up with DWG adoption in free software?". Archived from the original on 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2015-12-05. [Blender's Toni Roosendaal:] "Blender is also still "GPLv2 or later". For the time being we stick to that, moving to GPL 3 has no evident benefits I know of."
  91. ^ Denis-Courmont, Rémi. "VLC media player to remain under GNU GPL version 2". Retrieved 2015-11-21. In 2001, VLC was released under the OSI-approved GNU General Public version 2, with the commonly-offered option to use "any later version" thereof (though there was not any such later version at the time). Following the release by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) of the new version 3 of its GNU General Public License (GPL) on the 29th of June 2007, contributors to the VLC media player, and other software projects hosted at, debated the possibility of updating the licensing terms for future version of the VLC media player and other hosted projects, to version 3 of the GPL. [...] There is strong concern that these new additional requirements might not match the industrial and economic reality of our time, especially in the market of consumer electronics. It is our belief that changing our licensing terms to GPL version 3 would currently not be in the best interest of our community as a whole. Consequently, we plan to keep distributing future versions of VLC media player under the terms of the GPL version 2.
  92. ^ a b Brockmeier 2010.
  93. ^ "LLVM Developer Policy". LLVM. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  94. ^ Holwerda 2011.
  95. ^ a b Leemhuis, Thorsten. "Kommentar: Linux scheitert an Egozentrik" (in German). heise online. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  96. ^ "Sun to Acquire MySQL". MySQL AB. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2008-01-16.
  97. ^ Thomson 2011.
  98. ^ Samson 2011.
  99. ^ Nelson 2009.
  100. ^ Niccolai 2012.
  101. ^ Jones 2012.
  102. ^ a b Georgopoulou, Panayiota (2009). "The free/open source software movement Resistance or change?". Civitas - Revista de Ciências Sociais. 9 (1). ISSN 1519-6089. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  103. ^ Benkler 2003.
  104. ^ ElBoghdady & Tsukayama 2011.
  105. ^ Vaughan-Nichols 2011.

Further reading


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Type: response

text:
free trade

(redirected from History of free trade)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Legal, Financial.

free trade,

in modern usage, trade or commerce carried on without such restrictions as import duties, export bounties, domestic production subsidies, trade quotas, or import licenses. The basic argument for free trade is based on the economic theory of comparative advantage: each region should concentrate on what it can produce most cheaply and efficiently and should exchange its products for those it is less able to produce economically.

Internal Free Trade

Free trade within national borders is in some countries a comparatively recent development. Jean Baptiste ColbertColbert, Jean Baptiste
, 1619–83, French statesman. The son of a draper, he was trained in business and was hired by Cardinal Mazarin to look after his financial affairs.
..... Click the link for more information.
 tried to abolish internal trade barriers in France in the 17th cent., but that was not accomplished until the French Revolution, a hundred years later. In the German states Prussia took the lead in organizing the ZollvereinZollverein
[Ger.,=customs union], in German history, a customs union established to eliminate tariff barriers. Friedrich List first popularized the idea of a combination to abolish the customs barriers that were inhibiting trade among the numerous states of the German
..... Click the link for more information.
 movement after 1818. The desire to assure freedom from internal trade barriers in the United States was a factor in calling the Constitutional Convention. In Britain, the classic home of the free-trade movement, the term free trade was first used during the agitation for removal of the privileges of the chartered companies in the 17th cent.

International Free Trade

In 18th-century Britain, free trade eventually came to mean the desire for a moderate tariff policy in international trade, especially with France. The rapid growth of British industry in the late 1700s (see Industrial RevolutionIndustrial Revolution,
term usually applied to the social and economic changes that mark the transition from a stable agricultural and commercial society to a modern industrial society relying on complex machinery rather than tools.
..... Click the link for more information.
) gave added force to the attack on international trade restrictions (see mercantilismmercantilism
, economic system of the major trading nations during the 16th, 17th, and 18th cent., based on the premise that national wealth and power were best served by increasing exports and collecting precious metals in return.
..... Click the link for more information.
). Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations (1776) provided a powerful intellectual basis for the free trade movement, and the later work of David Ricardo was important in developing the notion of comparative advantage as an argument in its favor. The most important practical blow in favor of the free-trade movement came with the formation (1839) of the Anti-Corn-Law LeagueAnti-Corn-Law League,
organization formed in 1839 to work for the repeal of the English corn laws. It was an affiliation of groups in various cities and districts with headquarters at Manchester and was an outgrowth of the smaller Manchester Anti-Corn-Law Association.
..... Click the link for more information.
, and the repeal (1846) of the corn lawscorn laws,
regulations restricting the export and import of grain, particularly in England. As early as 1361 export was forbidden in order to keep English grain cheap. Subsequent laws, numerous and complex, forbade export unless the domestic price was low and forbade import
..... Click the link for more information.
. The Anglo-French commercial treaty of 1860 represented perhaps the high-water mark of free trade.

After World War I, Britain reintroduced protection and a system of imperial preference in an attempt to establish a greater measure of economic autonomy. France, along with other European nations, historically followed a policy of protectionprotection,
practice of regulating imports and exports with the purpose of shielding domestic industries from foreign competition. To accomplish that end, certain imports may be excluded entirely, import quotas may be established, or bounties paid on certain exports.
..... Click the link for more information.
. In the period of international economic dislocation in the mid-1930s, the United States reversed earlier policy and signed reciprocal trade treaties with many foreign governments, embracing a policy of selective tariff reduction for economic and political reasons. At present the United States is a relatively low tariff nation, although it still maintains a fairly restrictive system of import quotas. Japan also has restrictive import quotas, as well as high tariffs and other trade restrictions.

After World War II, strong sentiment developed throughout the world against protection and high tariffs and in favor of freer trade. The results were new organizations and agreements on international trade such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and TradeGeneral Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT), former specialized agency of the United Nations. It was established in 1948 as an interim measure pending the creation of the International Trade Organization.
..... Click the link for more information.
 (1948), the Benelux Economic UnionBenelux Economic Union
, economic treaty among Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. It arose out of a customs convention signed in 1944, but was not fully established until 1958.
..... Click the link for more information.
 (1948), the European Economic CommunityEuropean Economic Community
(EEC), organization established (1958) by a treaty signed in 1957 by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany (now Germany); it was known informally as the Common Market.
..... Click the link for more information.
 (Common Market, 1957), the European Free Trade AssociationEuropean Free Trade Association
(EFTA), customs union and trading bloc; its current members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. EFTA was established in 1960 by Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland.
..... Click the link for more information.
 (1959), MercosurMercosur
or Mercosul,
officially the Common Market of the South, Latin American trade organization established in 1991 to increase economic cooperation among the countries of E South America.
..... Click the link for more information.
 (1991), and the World Trade OrganizationWorld Trade Organization
(WTO), international organization established in 1995 as a result of the final round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations, called the Uruguay Round.
..... Click the link for more information.
 (1995). In 1993 the North American Free Trade AgreementNorth American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA), accord establishing a free-trade zone in North America; it was signed in 1992 by Canada, Mexico, and the United States and took effect on Jan. 1, 1994.
..... Click the link for more information.
 (NAFTA) was approved by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States. In the early 1990s the nations of the European UnionEuropean Union
(EU), name given since the ratification (Nov., 1993) of the Treaty of European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, to the European Community (EC), an economic and political confederation of European nations, and other organizations (with the same member nations)
..... Click the link for more information.
 (the successor organization to the Common Market) undertook to remove all barriers to the free movement of trade and employment across their mutual borders.

Critics of free trade zones argue that such measures are detrimental to domestic economies. In the case of NAFTA, for example, opponents contended that the jobs of some American workers would be "exported" to Mexico, where labor costs are lower. Many have continued to oppose the international impetus toward freer trade, arguing the accords not only fail to protect jobs in more developed nations but also harm workers and the environment in less developed nations, where the laws are more lax or less enforced. Despite such objections, support for free trade continued. In 2001, for example, 34 nations of the Western Hemisphere committed themselves to the development of a Free Trade Area of the Americas, though movement toward such an organization subsequently stalled. In 2004 the Central American Free Trade Agreement was finalized by the United States and five Central American nations; the Dominican Republic is also a member of the group. Twelve Pacific Rim nations, including the United States, signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), an agreement to reduce or eliminate many tariffs and to set common standards on a number of trade-related issues, in 2016, but criticism of it and other free-trade agreements in the United States during the 2016 elections called into question the ratification of the TPP. The United States, Japan, China, and other countries have also negotiated bilateral free-trade agreements with individual nations or regional trade associations; such agreements generally open trade in some areas while preserving the protection of politically sensitive economic sectors. Donald Trump, who accused free-trade agreements of harming U.S. workers, withdrew (2017) the United States from the TPP and called for renegotiating NAFTA after becoming president. Subsequently Japan and the European Union announced (2017) an agreement in principle on free-trade deal covering most exports, and the TPP nations sought to renegotiate the treaty without the United States.

See also reciprocal trade agreementreciprocal trade agreement,
international commercial treaty in which two or more nations grant equally advantageous trade concessions to each other. It usually refers to treaties dealing with tariffs.
..... Click the link for more information.

See G. B. Doern and B. W. Tomlin, Faith and the Free Trade Story (1991); D. B. Yoffie, Beyond Free Trade: Firms, Governments, and Global Competition (1993); A. E. Eckes, Jr., Opening America's Market (1995); J. J. Schott, The World Trading System (1997).

free trade

economic exchange between states without tariff or other restrictions. This first became a major issue in 18th-century Europe when states were still enforcing mercantilist policies through international monopolies of trading arrangements and protection of their economies from goods from outside. Increasingly, pressure came from some countries, and then from industrialists, to withdraw these barriers, thus opening up markets and increasing competition. In the UK, this culminated in the debates over the Corn Laws in the early 19th-century, resulting in the victory of the proponents of free trade.

Behind the movement towards free trade was the economic theory that there would be economic benefit if countries concentrated their economic activities in areas in which they had a comparative advantage and could produce more efficiently than others. The counter-argument to this is that free trade benefited, and continues to benefit, the most economically advanced countries. Thus, many countries which industrialized later than Europe and the US instituted import controls to protect their nascent manufacturing industries.

Free Trade

a trend in economic theory and politics of the industrial bourgeoisie that demanded no restrictions on trade and noninterference by the state in private enterprise.

The free-trade movement originated in Great Britain in the last third of the 18th century and was linked with the incipient industrial revolution. However, the demand for a free-trade system had been expressed even earlier by the French economist E. Crucé, the British economist N. Barbon, and the French Physiocrats F. Quesnay and P. Mercier de la Rivière. A comprehensive theoretical groundwork for free trade was provided by A. Smith and D. Ricardo, who presented the policy as an ideal, one that would always be advantageous to all countries and peoples. The British free traders directed their efforts against agricultural customs duties, which by resulting in high prices on farm produce served the interests of the large-scale landowners. The British industrial bourgeoisie sought low prices on farm produce, since this would assure less expensive raw materials and manpower. Moreover, a reciprocal lowering of customs duties would facilitate the increased sale of British commodities abroad. The free traders were also opposed to the vestiges of the medieval regulation of industrial production.

Under pressure from the free traders during the 1820’s, a reform of the customs system was carried out in Great Britain: customs duties on many commodities were abolished or significantly lowered; the high, protectionist customs duty on imported grain was replaced by a sliding scale of duties, in accordance with which the duty on imported grain rose with the decline in prices on domestic grain and, conversely, decreased when prices rose.

During the 1830’s the free-trade movement in Great Britain was intensified. It was led by the textile mill owners R. Cobden and J. Bright, who in 1838 organized the Anti-Corn Law League. The city of Manchester became the center for the advocates of free trade (hence the second name for the free traders, “Man-chestrians”). Subsequently the free traders formed the left wing of Great Britain’s Liberal Party. The free traders attempted to win the Chartists over to their side.

By the mid-19th century the free traders had won a complete victory in Great Britain; together with the elimination of legislative limitations on the import of grain, raw materials, and industrial goods, other protectionist limitations were also abolished. Only fiscal customs duties were retained. Free-trade tendencies were also manifested in the trade policy of France during the Second Empire (1852–70), Germany, Russia (the 1850’s and 1860’s), and other countries. However, in most capitalist countries protectionism was as predominant as ever. Protectionism was particularly intensified during the period of imperialism.

Efforts to revive free trade by concluding bilateral and multilateral agreements, such as those undertaken during the 1920’s and 1930’s under the aegis of the League of Nations, did not meet with success because of acute conflicts between imperialist nations. Moreover, J. M. Keynes attempted to prove theoretically that free trade was unacceptable under the conditions of state-monopoly capitalism. However, under present-day conditions certain free-trade principles are being implemented within the framework of closed, integrated groupings, such as the European Economic Community and the European Free Trade Association. Within these organizations the elimination of customs barriers between member countries serves as a weapon for subordinating small-scale, middle-scale, and occasionally even large-scale capital to giant monopolies. It also bolsters the giant monopolies in their struggle against competitors who are not members of the organizations.

During the 1960’s and 1970’s, the capitalist world observed an intensification of the advocacy of certain features of free trade. The governments of the large imperialist countries (the USA and the FRG, for example) have supported the idea of liberalized conditions for trade, under cover of which they are striving to create favorable conditions for the further economic expansion of their own monopolies.

Marx, K. “Rech’ o svobode torgovli.” In K. Marx and F. Engels, Soch., 2nd ed., vol. 4.
Marx, K. “Chartisty.” Ibid., vol. 8.
Engels, F. “Protektsionizm i svoboda torgovli.” Ibid., vol. 21.
Lenin, V. I. “K kharakteristike ekonomicheskogo romantizma.” Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 2.
Goureau, C. O svobode mezhdunarodnoi torgovli: Razbor angliiskoi teorii svobodnoi torgovli, parts 1–2. Moscow, 1860. (Translated from French.)
Diumulen, 1.1. Sovremennyi tarifnyi i netarifnyiprotektsionizm. Moscow, 1975.
McCord, N. Free Trade: Theory and Practice From Adam Smith to Keynes. New York [1970].
Corden, W. Trade Policy and Economic Welfare. Oxford, 1974.

free trade

1. international trade that is free of such government interference as import quotas, export subsidies, protective tariffs, etc.
2. Archaic illicit trade; smuggling
Full browser ?

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-143-72-160.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2018-22
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for May 2018
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

text:
Sunday, 29 April 2018

A year and a bit ago I got back into Tad bigtime. I picked up a shitload of Tad records and then a little later I got around to downloading a couple of their major label LPs that I had completely ignored when they came out in the 90s. I guess they came out at a time when I had moved on to straight edge hardcore, so Tad was not cool with me anymore. But this was a time when vinyl sales were shrinking and major labels were starting to pull out of pressing it, and any that they did press was probably not in large quantities. So basically, when I decided that I wanted these records over 20 years after their release, I found it surprisingly difficult to find them either in good condition or for a good price.

'Inhaler' was the band's major label debut, and came out in 1994 on Giant Records (the label that released the Dag Nasty 'Field Day' LP). I added this to my discogs and ebay searches over a year ago, and finally one came up for sale at a low-ish price. It was also in the UK, meaning cheap shipping.

It also turned out to be a promo copy, with a press kit (aka a piece of paper).

It's funny, but I kinda expected that this would be pretty weak compared to their previous efforts on Sub Pop, but I was wrong. This thing is like a juggernaut. I'm glad to add it to the collection, albeit 24 years after its initial release.

So this got me to looking for a couple of other Tad records that I was missing. I managed to pick up a reasonably priced copy of the split 7" with a band called Pussy Galore.

This 7" was released as a part of the Sub Pop Singles Club back in 1989. There were 2500 copies, all on black vinyl. Each band covers the Black Flag songs 'Damaged I' and 'Damaged II'.

There are still more Tad records I don't have, so hopefully those will feature on here before the year is out.

No comments:


text:
Gut Feelings, Not Emotions, Rule Communications Today

Posted by:

Communications are becoming exponentially more complex and instantaneous with each passing day. In fact, information about an event such as an Olympic Gold Medal win in London reaches Beijing, Los Angeles, Sydney, Miami and Branson, Missouri simultaneously. There is zero time delay between continents as the information, good and bad, swiftly passes through the electronic communications universe and social media.

Some might say communication today is all about speed, perhaps even warp speed, but that is far from the truth when communicating a specific message to your workforce. A new aspect of communications is being overlooked in the workplace – feeling. Feeling is not to be confused with the traditionally accepted definition of feelings such as happy or sad, but rather it is about listening to your gut feeling, personal intuition or internal knowingness.

On the surface, it is easy to confuse gut feeling with feelings when communicating, but it’s critical to understand the differences. You can no longer tell the 21st Century worker everything is going to be OK when they can feel internally that something is wrong. You can no longer use platitudes and flowery talking points to drive home a message when their instincts and surrounding circumstances are internally screaming just the opposite.

Social Media – a Curse or a Blessing

With the phenomenon of the social media explosion has come the blessings of speed and instantaneous access to information. It is the speed of the information that also contains the curse. For example: is the information true or deliberately deception? Is it a proper representation of fact, a deliberate deception or simply an uninformed opinion?

Once social media entered the communication equation all rules changed. Unknown to most, two major communication influencers appeared – brevity and discernment. Every communication and marketing plan in the world needs to adapt to these two important shifts or be left floundering and gasping to be heard in the morass of the social media clutter.

Brevity – If you cannot tweet every major message you wish to convey to your workforce in 140 characters or less, it is too long. If what you’ve tweeted cannot be re-tweeted as you’ve presented it without misinterpretation then don’t send out the original tweet. The new communication rule is – people hear in sound bites and tweet-able statements. Anything longer gets lost in the morass of information clutter.

Also, tweet your information before it becomes a rumor. Most people will believe the first tweet they receive about a subject and the follow up re-tweets rather than checking on its authenticity and legitimacy. Be first, say what you mean and be brief.

Discernment – Because of all the identity theft threats, password warnings, computer viruses, painful social media attacks and online scams, people have become much more discerning and wary. They tend to use their internal knowingness to evaluate whether they are being scammed or being told the truth. They have developed their sixth sense so to speak, that uneasy feeling in the pit of their stomachs that tells them something is wrong or don’t believe what is said. It kicks in that intuitive trigger to fight or flee.

This is a very different kind of “feeling” from that of being happy, sad, angry or satisfied. Your workforce can feel if you are telling them the truth, whether you are rolling out a new plan that will be successful or asking for their help in making the company grow. They can also tell whether you are being sincere or just giving them an empty pep talk to get them to do more with less.

Social media’s blessing is that the recipient of the information is much savvier and is receptive to receiving it if presented in understandable small sound bites and will happily share it with others if they believe it to be true. Social media’s curse is that the same message can be rapidly disbursed in a negative way if it was not clear, concise or believable.

These new rules of engagement must be incorporated into any company’s communication and marketing plan. The 21st Century workforce has an internal feeling compass that you can no longer ignore. The more important the message, the shorter and more concise it must be.

All messages can be followed up and expanded upon in face-to-face meetings, teleconferences and a myriad of other electronic forms of communication. However, your initial message must be brief, accurate and truthful to be effective, engaging and most importantly, result in the outcome you desire.

Download “Gut Feelings, Not Emotions, Rule Communications Today” in PDF Format.

© Pat Heydlauff, all rights reserved 2012

Pat Heydlauff speaks from experience. She creates environments that engage and focus your workforce. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Engage, Unleash the Power of Focus and Feng Shui, So Easy a Child Can Do It visit: or call: 561-408-2708.

About the Author:

Pat Heydlauff speaks from experience. She creates environments that engage and focus your workforce. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Engage, Unleash the Power of Focus and published books, Feng Shui, So Easy a Child Can Do It and Selling Your Home with a Competitive Edge, and can be reached at 561-408-2708 or
  Related Posts


text:
Back from SLA

Jun 9, 2005 by

What have I learned at SLA:

- that I am a cheapstake and it hurt my blogging. Resolution: next year, get a room with (free :) ) Internet access

- that Canadian sci-tech librarians bloggers wear khakis. Check out pictures of our (John Dupuis, Randy Reichardt and myself) first encounter at the All-Sciences Divisions at the Steam Whistle Brewery. Christina Pikas was also there for added blogging power. Thanks to Christina for the picture.

- that The Globe and Mail (canadian newspaper) has published a cool article about the conference today. They did forget to mention the oddball academic librarian in the lot :)

- that the IT Division throws the best dance parties. Thanks to Stacey Greenwell for her majestic efforts.

- that “James Manasco is Fantastico“. James, my former colleague in Kentucky, is running for Chapter Cabinet Chair in the next SLA elections. I would recommend that you vote for him when the times comes. He was a great President for the Kentucky Chapter and the Sci-Tech Division a few years back and is shockfull of ideas and enthusiasm.

See the next entries for the more… professional stuff I learned at SLA.

Related Posts

Share This


text:
STS General Discussion Group on blogging science libraries

Jun 16, 2005 by

The Science and Technology Section of ACRL is focusing its General Discussion Group on science libraries and blogs at the ALA annual conference. Sunday June 26, 9:30-11:00, Holiday Inn City Center, Ohio.

Topic: Science Libraries and Blogs

Blogs. They’re everywhere. From the New York Times to the “Daily Show”… even Rosie O’Donnell has her own blog. What are science libraries and librarians doing with blogs? Join us for a discussion about blogs with two science librarian bloggers, Alesia McManus and George Porter. Alesia is Head of the Science Library at Binghamton University. She contributes to the “Science Library Blog” at George, a librarian at the Sherman Fairchild Library of Engineering & Applied Science at the California Institute of Technology, is a contributor to the “scitech library question” at We’ll also hear about the campus wide blogs, UThink, hosted by the University of Minnesota. You can check out UThink at

Related Posts

Share This


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
MP Vinod Kumar: Railway Board should take Planning Body Route

mp-vinodOn Wednesday, TRS MP B. Vinod Kumar said the Railway Board should be dis-entranced and planning power vested with regional bodies, on the lines of what Prime Minister Narendra Modi had done with the Planning Commission.

Mr Vinod Kumar said this was because most of the demands made by the conveyance of MPs met with a standard response from SCR officials: “It will be forwarded to the Railway Board.” MP was speaking at a meeting organised by the South Central Railway with members of Parliament from Telangana.

A request had been made to rename the Hyderabad-New Delhi AP Express as ‘Telangana Express’ said MP Jitender Reddy. MPs also asked the railways to upgrade Kazipet as a separate division and to enhance the hospital.

Medaram Jathara

Connect with us

© 2012 - 2016 VIL Media Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved,
Contents of are copyright protected.Copy and/or reproduction and/or re-use of contents or any part thereof,
without consent of VIL Media is illegal.Such persons will be prosecuted.


text:
• Home
  • Submitted to KU News - Researcher’s Computing Testing Could Help Identify Toxic Compounds

Researcher’s computing testing could help identify toxic compounds

Friday, April 11, 2014

LAWRENCE — Researchers at the University of Kansas School of Engineering are working on a new way to identify in advance whether a chemical could be toxic. Jun “Luke” Huan, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, uses an advanced computational method to analyze vast volumes of data on chemical compounds and determine which ones are more likely to cause complications in humans in small doses.

Based on data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Office of Toxic Substances, Huan estimates there are more than 100,000 chemicals that have not undergone simple toxicological experiments. A vast majority of these chemicals pose little or no threat to humans, especially in small doses. His research seeks to identify potential threats in a faster and less costly way than traditional methods.

“Testing toxicity of chemicals is expensive and time-consuming. It takes a lot of resources and creates ethical questions because traditional testing methods involve animal testing,” said Huan, who is director of the Bioinformatics and Computational Life Sciences Laboratory at the Information and Telecommunication Technology Center. “The statistical algorithm we’ve developed helps identify which chemicals the EPA should prioritize and which ones are likely to be toxic so those can be tested first."

Huan’s research on predicting the potential toxicity of chemical compounds was published in 2013 in the International Journal of Data Mining and Bioinformatics and was featured in a July 2013 article in R&D Magazine. It was conducted as part of a five-year, $500,000 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation, awarded in 2009 to further his work in bioinformatics. Bioinformatics harnesses computer analysis to learn more about complex biological information, especially molecular genetics and genomics.

As Huan’s team collects and screens data on chemicals, they’re working to create an open database that could serve as a valuable resource to any researcher interested in examining potential threats.

“We’re trying to establish a platform so anyone can send us information, download data and access it freely. We’re hoping to create a platform to help promote additional research,” he said.

Engineering Research Highlights

One of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities
44 nationally ranked graduate programs.
—U.S. News & World Report
Top 50 nationwide for size of library collection.
23rd nationwide for service to veterans —"Best for Vets," Military Times
Connect with KU Engineering

KU School of Engineering Facebook pageKU School of Engineering YouTube ChannelKU School of Engineering Twitter Feedinstagram icon

KU Today


text:
September 20, 2012

I Made It! :)

We're having an employee and customer appreciation event at my day-job tomorrow.  The theme is "Fiesta!" this year.  Office staff were asked to bring in a dozen cupcakes of any style.  Well... I was going to be lazy and buy some, but was somewhat harangued at work over that statement. I kept hearing,  "You're too creative..."

Never one to back down from a challenge (most of the time), I searched the Internet for some ideas on how to decorate a cupcake Fiesta!-style.  After seeing several very cute photos, I found two that really, really intrigued me.  And I settled on this one... look what I made!

I'm so excited that they turned out as well as I had planned/hoped.  A friend of mine helped me figure out how to make the taco shell so everything is 100% edible.  Well, except the paper wrapper.

Creative in the kitchen today.  It feels good...

  1. THese are brilliant. SO how did you make the Taco shell?

    1. It is a fortune cookie recipe. :)

  2. They are definitely cute, but I'm proud to say they don't tempt me at all in the consumption department!

I love hearing what you have to say. Thank you for sharing yourself with me!

Related Posts with Thumbnails


text:
What do Reviewers Want?

How it’s done ~ Approaching a reviewer… Hi, everyone. I’m  Julie Whiteley, a blogger, reader and reviewer. Jackie asked me to write a post for you concerning issues between authors and reviewers. And, especially to address what reviewers look for and to note some of the things we all need to work on. What makes a […]

Read the rest of this entry »


text:
Photography Classes in Marblemount WA

Looking for photography classes in Marblemount WA? No matter if you are a beginner, hobbyist, or professional, the best way to improve your photography technique is through hands-on training with knowledgeable instructors.

Washington features many recognized and accredited photography schools. Techniques taught in photography classes include lighting, exposure and composition, posing and unposing, portrait capture, and other photography fundamentals. Growing into a skilled photographer can result in a successful professional career or lifelong hobby.

There are numerous Photography Classes in Marblemount WA:

  • Marblemount Studio Photography Classes
  • Marblemount Photography 101
  • Marblemount Digital Photography Classes
  • Marblemount Nature Photography Classes
  • Marblemount Editorial Photography Classes

Marblemount WA Photography Classes

Western Washington University
516 High Street
Bellingham, Washington 98225-9008

Phone: (360) 650-3000
48.29 miles away


text:
Monday, January 16, 2006

Ohio is the new black

ohio_isthenew_black, originally uploaded by eesley.

Natalie, Kristin, Ali, and I at a party at Ali's to celebrate Kristin and Michael moving to San Fran and all the other Marietta, Ohio transplants to the West Coast.

This picture makes me feel like I left this party way too early! :)


text:
History: One Horse Open Sleigh

Perhaps no sound signals the winter holiday season in America more than a spirited rendition of the song “Jingle Bells”:

Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
O’er the hills we go
Laughing all the way

Bells on bob tail ring
Making spirits bright
Oh what sport to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight!

This joyful wintertime tune—originally published in 1857 as “One Horse Open Sleigh” by James Pierport—captures a bygone America in which horses served a central role in everyday life. The song evokes in our imaginations what was once a common sight when snow turned the countryside white: horsemen changed out their wheeled sulkies for sleds, and horse-drawn sleighs ruled the roads.

Images Courtesy of Toronto Public Library, Special Collections

Images Courtesy of Toronto Public Library, Special Collections

For many, sleigh racing was a cold-weather pastime as beloved as sledding, skiing, or making snowmen.

It is unclear in the history books where Pierport was when he wrote “Jingle Bells”; Both Medford, MA and Savannah, GA lay claim to the honor. Regardless, his inspiration for the piece was undoubtedly the horse-drawn sleigh racing he encountered in his birth-state of Massachusetts. According to a community plaque posted by the Medford Historical Society, Pierport’s song “tells of the sleigh races held on Salem streets in the early 1800s.”

In the 19th century, harness racing was extremely popular in towns throughout New England. During the winter months sled racing took hold as a favorite recreational pursuit. Straight roads covered in packed snow made for excellent racing lanes, and horsemen hitched their finest trotters for organized and spontaneous races, much to the excitement of onlookers. Local newspapers from the 1800s and early 1900s included the latest sleigh racing reports, dutifully describing the race conditions, cataloguing the winners, and analyzing the breeding of the best horses. For many, sleigh racing was a cold-weather pastime as beloved as sledding, skiing, or making snowmen.

Images courtesy of Toronto Public Library, Special Collections and the Library of Congress

The jingling bells now forever remembered in Pierport’s catchy chorus describe the bells that lined leather harnesses or sleigh shafts of the time. It was custom—and in some cases local law—to drive with bells as a precautionary measure. Sled runners glided smoothly over the ground and snow muffled the sounds of horses’ hooves, making horse-drawn sleighs a nearly silent form of transportation. As such, clinking bells helped drivers avoid collisions at intersections and alerted passersby to a sled’s approach.

The sleigh described in “Jingle Bells” is known as a “cutter”—a two-person vehicle designed for a single horse in harness. Though virtually any horse or pony could be called upon to pull a sled, the best horses for sleigh racing were lean of body, bred not for the speed of their gallop but of their trot. A horse that could trot “two forty” like the bobtailed bay referenced in “Jingle Bells” could cover a mile in two minutes and 40 seconds—a speedy trot indeed! As the song alludes, it was not uncommon for the tails of trotters to be bobbed or docked to avoid entanglement in the tack.

Video: “Sleighing Scene”, Thomas A. Edison, Inc., 1898, courtesy of the Library of Congress Audio: “Sleigh Ride Party/Jingle Bells”, Edison Male Quartet, 1898, courtesy of the Free Music Archive

This 1898 video of sleighs driving through central park is accompanied by the first recording of “Jingle Bells” from the same year.

For many years, “Jingle Bells” was regarded as not much more than a “sleigh song” typical of the time, a genre which was popular with youth. The song’s merry cadence parallels the balanced hoof-fall of a trotting horse. Sleigh-riders could sing in time with the beat of their horse’s hooves, and share a laugh over the youthful antics described in the lesser-known final verses of the song.

Though it took years after its debut for “Jingle Bells” to infiltrate mainstream culture, today it is one of the most widely recognized songs in existence. It boasts numerous appearances at the top of music charts and has been recorded by hundreds of artists over many decades. Pierport’s winter ditty was first conceptualized as a Christmas hit in the 1940s thanks to Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters’ celebrated recording. The song is now a holiday classic sung around the world.

As for sleigh racing, it waned in popularity with each passing year after the introduction of the automobile. Yet to this day, the delight of riding in a horse-drawn sleigh lifts the spirits of any lucky enough to sit behind the reins. For years to come, sleigh rides will remain an idyllic way to enjoy the wintry countryside, savor the brisk open air, and experience horsepower in its truest form.

Bojarski, Tim. “A One-Horse Open Sleigh.” Hoof Beats Magazine. 22 Dec. 2011: n.p. Print.
Collins, Ace. Stories behind the best-loved songs of Christmas. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001. Print.
Hall, Roger Lee. “The one horse open sleigh: The story of ‘Jingle Bells’”. AmericanMusicPreservation.com. Web.
Porterfield, Waldon R. “The One Horse Open Sleigh, and Others.” The Milwaukee Journal. (1971):n.p. Print.


text:
Monday, May 24, 2004

my father and i have been exchanging long emails about the War. (if i was from the south, or in the cast of 'cold mountain', i'd say it like waw-uh.)

our epistolary discussion began (this time) because of a particularly insane screed he had posted on his own site. apparently, my fruit doesn't fall very far from the patriarchal tree--except my fruit is right and his is just insane.

so i wrote a rebuttal to the insane article - a rebuttal which needs much editing, but i'm essentially right, and which he ignored. being ignored angered me so i sent another billet-doux, listing all the ways he and his ilk have been mistaken about the war (there are statistics and i thought i'd bolster my argument with some of those.) but his next message said that since he was on his way to church, he'd have to get back to me - he only wants, however, an admission from me that it's important to be loyal to our country.

this morning, when i read that, i gulped, chomped down a multi-vitamin and began another long letter that began with a quote from tom paine. one screedy nutbag deserves another, i say! anyway, my letter is finished and rests in the inbox of my pater familias.

i fear he and i will never stand on common ground on this matter and it pains me to lump my dad with the millions of those ignoramuses who watch Fox news and listen to Michael Savage. i'm sure it pains him, too, to have a daughter who can't see the world through a calm, conservative lens that efficiently bifurcates the world in to Good and Evil.

it would be useless of me to give him a fast tutorial on saussure, derrida, foucault, binary oppositions, hidden ideological values in language, etc., but i wish i could. ah, ucla. professor've ruined me for my father. i have been tainted with critical theory.

No comments:


text:
Friday, May 26, 2006

he's back. and this time...

no. way.

i open my email and who do i see?

(wait for it.)

he wants to have a drink. ('drink'=sex)

i can't believe he wants to do all this again!

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

How Pregnancy Happens: educational video of the week

how can we go whole days without saying 'vagina cam'?

it's great and, uh, disturbing all at the same time.
send it to your nieces and nephews; your sibling will really appreciate it.

How Pregnancy Happens (thanks to

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

squeaked under the deadline

just finished my piece for Geez.
another all nighter.

when will i learn? when?

on the other hand: YAY! another piece for Geez!

Friday, May 19, 2006

a blessed day off

and what am i doing with it?

well so far, i showered and washed my hair and used my new ginger scented body lotion from roger & gallet. love it. (though i kind of have that tangy ginger thing going on now.)

then i put on my big girl panties and a t-shirt and began to email, filled out a questionnaire from my church, compiled a luncheon list for an organization i volunteer for (trying to decide which of my acquaintances to hit up for money is hard) and called an old friend i hadn't heard from in a while.

i have more phone calls to make (to dad, to Professor L-, to my sis) but i think i want to go outside. i can see the cafe from my window and i need to say hi.
so i went to the cafe and hung out for a couple hours while taking the X-Man quiz in my roomie's Time Out and realized something:

my neighborhood needs a bookstore. even if it's a chain. a mini-borders. a tiny b. dalton's. there is nothing here to stimulate the brain, even if you wanted it stimulated. this is what you can do on my street: drink, eat, get spanked. we need a bookstore or we're all going to end up heart attack- stricken alcoholics. (i think it's already too late for some of the guys who hang out across the street at S-'s.)

with all the disillusioned Gen X-ers, boomers and the hipsters moving in, you'd think there'd be some enterprising young thing who decided, 'hey, let's sell comic books!' god, how cool would that be? a comic book store within walking distance. or some retired professor who decided, 'hm, i want to sell all my old books.' that would be great. my landlord even has a couple of neat store fronts available for just the thing - solid wood floors and moldings! i mean, over on craptastic , ugly ashland they have a communist book store - in the middle of Latin King gang territory!

who is reading all the greatest hits of communism on ashland, huh?

so, really. if there's some retail-minded person out there who wants to get in on a fast growing neighborhood, drop me a line. we're dyin' over here. we need a bookstore.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

you know you're old when...

i was having a really great, disturbing dream about hugh laurie last night when, around 3 am, voices woke me up. deep in loud, enthusiastic conversation, the 4 people on the rooftop deck across the street from my open bedroom windows laughed, opened beer bottles, smoked, told jokes, related stories about someone's crazy uncle and a drunk girl screeched like she'd never had fun before.

their voices boomed across the empty, quiet, sleepy street. i knew my roomie was useless in joining me in exasperation - she sleeps like a hibernating bear. there would be no support from her room. so i laid there, listening to them for 15 minutes, hoping one of them would realize that their noise was bouncing off my apartment building like great big bowling balls. but, no. they got louder. their stories became more exciting. and the drunk screechy girl wouldn't shut up.

so i had no choice.

'911 emergency.'
'hi. i have a noise complaint.'
'where are you, maam?'
'i'm at [boop], on the corner of [boop] and [beep]. they're across the street from me on the [beep] side and they're having some kind of party and they're loud and it's 3 am. i'm sorry.'
'no problem. we'll send a unit to check it out.'
'thank you.'

and so i snuggled back into my bed and listened to more of their stories. soon, a unit pulled up and a cop-like voice called out 'hey, your neighbors are complaining. keep the noise down.'

one of them said, 'will do.'

and it was quiet for a while, like 10 minutes. i was drifting back to sleep when the stories started again. i waited for 45 minutes. they were still going at it! i shut my windows, but i could still hear them, they were that loud.

all i could think was, 'maybe they're speed freaks. maybe that's why, on a school day, they're on their roof chatting like it's an italian cafe. or maybe they're all waitstaff and this is their after hours gabfest. or maybe they're just inconsiderate art institute students who are pissing me off!'

i called 911 again.
'i'm sorry. i'm calling for a noise complaint.' i repeated my information. 'if this was the weekend, i wouldn't care, but i have to get up in three hours and they aren't stopping.'
'we'll send someone.'

15 minutes later, a cop car rumbled up. 'hey! pack it in - your neighbors have called about the noise!' there was the slam of a screen door and then blessed silence.

and then the trucks started to come off the highway.
i almost cried.

Friday, May 12, 2006

there once was a worker named ding-er
whose job once made her sing-er.
then along came the Model,
her brain went to lard...el
-and to the PM? hey, look! here's my finger.

(not one of my best but it's how i feel.)

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

a writing gig!

so my favorite canadian post modern faith-based-like mag has given me an assignment - a piece on 'shelter porn'.
i'm excited.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

fork and spoon! fork and spoon!

pinays of the world unite - a little canadian boy is being persecuted because he used a fork and spoon at the lunch table!

down with single utensil hegemony! down with it, i say!

you don't have to read: Luc Cagadoc: The DoubleSpeak (jp is all over this like a fork over a spoon)

why fork/spoon eating is good:
it is more efficient
you don't have to chase your food around your plate
you don't have to switch hands
it's perfect for scooping the meat with the rice
my mommy taught me to eat like this

Sunday, May 07, 2006

afternoon at the movies

i love scary movies. love them. haunted houses, creepy japanese ghosts, serial killers on the loose, children who give you the heebie-jeebies - i love all the old chestnuts, some better than others . (zombies? not so much.)

today i went to see silent hill and while i was generally pleased, i have one complaint: i kept wanting to yell, 'shut the frack up!' everytime rose ran off in search of her daughter, sharon. god, was she annoying. AND she ran like phoebe. but overall, i liked the movie - the ending was a little phooey and sean bean was totally wasted (when will he have his OWN movie, please??) but it was creepy and satisfyingly resolved. i guess since it's based on a game, there was symmetry to the story, to the scary parts. it had religious cults, murder, madness, witch-burning and even a little roasted child. (excellent). i even liked the little story of 'truth' the dangerous little witch girl gave rose after rose followed all the clues to the bottom of the hospital. a happy $7 spent.

then, i snuck into MI3. i excused this little bit of sneakery by saying to myself that at least i wasn't contributing to the cruise box office. it was...feh. i mean, it's saying something that you never know whatever the Object is that everyone is running after. we don't even see ethan hawke steal it!! it all happens off-screen. it's meaningless. instead, we get the reconstitution of the cruise Crate & Barrell relationship (oh, how i wished they'd shot her, sending ethan hawke into trauma forever.) no pattern, just random running around.

so that was my afternoon.

the hypocrite as housewife

i read this essay in the back of my roomie's latest Time mag while taking a morning constitutional and i had a suspicion that something was wrong.

1. the whiny victim tone. sweetie, you're not a victim. the image of ms. flanagan, homey homemaker, being marched back to the protective arms of the GOP while the mean girls of the Dem party hoot bad names and vulgar gestures because ms. flanagan is a nice girl who'd rather stay home than hold a picket sign is ridiculous. from all reports, ms. flanagan is just as privileged as her husband; she is an accomplished writer who earns money with her writing, and has a staff to help her do it. how many traditional housewives get that? (and, frankly, the notion that only SHE gets to have a dead mother whom she misses desperately is sickening and offensive.)

2. the sticking up for the white male. does the White Male (as signifier) really need another apologist? really? is it stigmatizing the WM to reveal the existence of those on the outside, rather than to always cater to those on the inside with ultimate cultural privilege? (like any other upper middle class white woman, she's uncomfortable with having privilege revealed and being called out on it.) i think it's interesting that she chooses to frame her argument like this, rather than say that the Dem party has abandoned the working man - which it hasn't and she'd be hard pressed to show that it has.

or perhaps her allegation would ring truer if she wrote that the 'beer-guzzling, union-dues paying' white guy got the shit scared out of him by the GOP when 9/11 hit. rather, flanagan makes the WM a victim like herself and we all know how much they suffer, don't we?

3. she's wrong. perhaps i'm watching the wrong Democratic party but i've always felt that the party has been abject in its pursuit of the Housewife. it's women like me the party's abandoned - single women, single women of color, single working men and women. in my particular case, the post-election backpedaling on the choice issue is one such example; discussion abounded that perhaps the language of reproductive choice was too scary for those housewives living in places like naperville; it was too angry. and where are the policies that look out for the interests of the people like me in the party - people who don't live in a subdivision, people without children, but still people who work hard and believe heartily in progressive causes? instead we watch as the party fumbles for its nerve and makes concessions to those easily upset.

so if anyone is being alienated by the Dems, it's not a housewife. and it's certainly not because of contempt. to muster contempt, a party must have vast stores of anger and the GOP spits it continuously while we swallow ours and hope no one notices. We're Here, We're Square, Get Used to It -- May. 08, 2006 -- Page 1
Joan Walsh about Flanagan on the Huffington Post

Saturday, May 06, 2006

cheesy confession as i lounge on the couch while the roomie is away:

the end of 'music of the heart' always gets me.
it never fails.

of course, it would be harder to get me if i wasn't also menstrual.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

what game? the game of 'crazy'?? (and other matters)

the briskly acerbic manola says tom 'alien' cruise "turns a perfectly good franchise into a seriously strange vanity project, as the simpering brunette is swept into a new world by a dashing operative for a clandestine organization." i only wish i could be sure said brunette wasn't tom.
Mission: Impossible III - Review - Movies - New York Times

so my father sends me an email of all the shows on broadway the other day: "help me pick a play! what should i go see??"

i call him immediately. 'you're going to new york? and since when do you like theater??'
perhaps my father's new, mid-life crisis convertible lexus is only the beginning of my father's incipient slide into metrosexuality.

'yeah, girl,' he says. 'new york! whoo!'
'uh, when? and why?'

my father has been talking about visiting new york for years. he's never been and, until now, never had a chance to go. but, you see, my dad has the travel skills of mr. magoo; when he took a cruise to alaska, my sister and i worried he'd get stuck in vancouver or fall overboard. we worry that being a widower for the past 5 years has rendered him incapable of dealing with the big, bad world. and what is new york other than the biggest and the baddest the world has to offer?

my dad says, 'oh, somewhere during the summer. i'm going to the monterrey jazz fest in september so maybe august.'

'who are you going with?' a suspicion has begun to niggle.
'well, i was thinking of seeing [a family friend] while i was here. i thought he and i could go together. maybe catch some jazz.'
'uh-huh. so, you like musicals?' my father wouldn't know the difference between 'bali hai' or a mai tai.
'well, no, but see - this woman...'
'i knew it! you are going to new york for a date!'

let's break for a moment. technically, i am not against traveling to meet an online, uh, fling. my entire dating history between 2001 and 2004 was all about travel. but my 62-year old father last had a date in 1967 - with my mom.

i say, 'dad, you are in NO shape to fend off the advances of an aggressive, older, divorced jamaican woman.' for some reason, jamaican and african women looove my dad.
and my father just laughs which forces me to say, 'she IS older, right?'
he just laughs again.

eventually, my father confesses: an older, divorced african (ha!) woman contacted him over email; a friend of hers had told her about my father's website (don't ask) and she thought his posted photo was attractive. so, they begin an email correspondence and then she offers to pay for a couple of broadway tickets if he comes to visit. he says she offered to buy a pair of tickets for my dad and 'a friend' and then suggested that perhaps the two of them could have dinner - at the ritz, maybe.

all the alarms in my head are sounding. no woman offers to pay for theater tickets for two without imagining herself as one of the two. i was totally right: a woman on the make for my dad! and my father has no idea where he's going to stay, how he's going to get around. i'm worried. my dad - wandering around new york, like a west coast country mouse, chased by a hungry cat!

so long story short: i'm planning a father/daughter trip to new york in the fall. i know. it's weird. i'm sacrificing a really good time in new york to make sure my dad doesn't get roofied, mugged, or married.

who's traveled with their parents before? and where should we stay? i was thinking about a few B&B's in harlem.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

missing the good stuff

this is what happens when you spend the whole weekend catching up on season 1 of Battlestar Galactica - you miss stephen colbert ripping the president a new one. to his face.

the transcript of his speech is at the end. it rocks.

The Blog Chris Durang: Ignoring Colbert, Part Two The Huffington Post

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

ok, i probably shouldn't have called him an idiot

but i couldn't help it. over on my other blog, i've been driven slowly insane by one of the most crazy, mysoginistic commenters EVER. it's strange. i can't even say that i'm angry. i'm not angry at him. he's just nuts. he actually asks to be called Patriarch Verlch.

think i'm exaggerating? read him here:

ChurchGal: Ask your rep to Vote no on S.1955: why? because it's not 1955

or read him here.

and if your head doesn't pop off, i envy you.

this planned parenthood alert could be important to you if:
you have a uterus
you enjoy having a uterus
you enjoy knowing your health care covers anything/everything uterus related

Women in every state will lose benefits. It sounds like a bad joke, but it couldn't be more serious. S. 1955 would allow insurance plans to ignore important state laws that protect patients, directly affecting more than 90 million Americans.

Chances are you're one of them. That's why I'm asking you to write to your senator today anddemand that the federal government protect your health coverage:

You may have heard about this "Lose Your Benefits Bill" before,but now it has passed out of committee and the full Senate willvote on it. It's an insidious attempt by hardline senators to chip away at our basic rights. These lawmakers have tried before to restrict access to birth control and other health care you need.

Their latest strategy? Force women to pay for these benefits out of pocket. We've worked for decades to pass state laws that require insurance companies to cover birth control just like other medicines. This bill would trample those laws, but it doesn't stop there. Besides fair coverage for contraception, here are some of the other benefits that women could lose:
  • cancer screenings
  • mammograms
  • maternity care
  • the ability to go straight to your OB/GYN when you have aproblem
  • the ability to stay with the same doctor throughout apregnancy
  • infertility treatment
  • osteoporosis screenings
And it's not just women who will be affected - the bill guts state protections for coverage for prostate cancer screenings, ambulatory surgery, emergency services, and more.

To makematters worse, it will likely also increase the costs of health insurance for older and sicker people who need health insurance most. Please take two minutes to speak out against this dangerous bill- the Senate could vote as early as next week. Contact your senator now:

Think of it as an investment - two minutes of activism now vs. hundreds or thousands of dollars in extra health costs for you and your family.


text:
DesignSynthesis: Site selection

I’m really excited to be taking another studio elective with Doug Scott this spring. The class is called Design Synthesis, and it’s a mixed undergrad-grad course to focus on design principles. As always, Doug has a rigorous schedule planned, with lots of different components. We will be designing a brand identity for a UNESCO World Heritage Site, of our choosing. The final identity will include the following elements:

  1. Mark
  2. Logotype
  3. Color Palette
  4. Typography system
  5. “Fifth element” – a textural or supplementary design element
  6. Identity summary to catalog use of main identity elements
  7. Letterhead
  8. Envelope
  9. Business Card
  10. Series of 3 ads for the New Yorker Magazine advertising a show at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
  11. A single information page to summarize the site
  12. Simple webpage with basic information
  13. Site sign in 3D that could be installed at the site, typeset in at least 5 languages
  14. And information booklet about the World Heritage Site program and specifics about our chosen site

Each student in the class chose two different sites to work on, and we spent the first week developing sketches of the marks and logos for each. Since my thesis project is about soil ecosystems, I wanted to choose a natural site. I ended up going with Yakushima forest in Japan and Yosemite National Park in the US as my preliminary choices, since both have ancient trees and forests as part of their qualifications for the World Heritage program.

At first, I thought that it might be hard to distinguish between the two sites – after all, how different are two forests likely to be? That turned out to be laughable. I started out by searching for images of the two sites, and compiled a list of words for each place.

Roughness, contrast, extremes, harsh sun, gritty, bare, granite, cliffs, cascade, grandeur, stark, sculptural, craggy, angular, formality, rugged, wild, strong, solid, unmoving, enduring, mighty, air, stable, towering, standoffish, sky, exposed, majestic, vast, dramatic, open, chiseled, forbidding, merciless, determined, unstoppable, edges, outlines, boundaries, grizzly bears, Miwok people, acorns, sequoias, oaks, elemental, “mouth” (ancient name from which Yosemite is derived), space, light.

Delicate, organic, velvet, deep, shadow and light, wet, sunbeams, verdant, primeval, secret, rounded, mounds, ropes, integrated, harmonious, secluded, cloistered, sanctuary, peaceful, gentle, moss, humidity, (name means) medicine island, elusive, cedars (sugi), mist, water, softness, ripples, tree rings, generations, decay, cycles, continuity, echoes, timelessness, ecosystem, rhythm, mysteries, cool, sheltered, dripping, environment, arches, Japanese, rebirth, brushwork, enchanted, enchanting

They could hardly be more different. Yosemite wants to be sharp, hard, angled and geometric, more about the mountains and the sky than the forest. Yakushima is all about softness, quiet, and diffuse light.

Some early sketches from the first week:

After the first week of sketching, we needed to choose a single site to continue on with. It was a difficult choice; Yosemite felt much easier to access, with lots of large wildlife and other potential symbols. Yakushima was more reluctant; harder to get a hold of, formless and remote. In the end, I decided to go with Yakushima, intrigued by its mystery, and interested to see where it would lead.


text:
Monday, August 29, 2011

Max and Daddy had a blast at Fathers and Sons Campout

Max missed the Fathers and Sons camp out last year because he was sick, so this year he was extremely excited to attend. The Fathers and Sons camp out is a tradition in our church where the dads and all boys aged from as young as you want, up to 18 all go camping together one time each year. I am way excited to attend each year and create some great memories!

This year was awesome. You can see how huge our tent was in the picture above. I had bought this tent when I was like 24 or so and never have used it once. It really was nice, we had so much space it was crazy. I look forward to an entire family outing sometime.

As soon as we got there Max was off to the dirt, the water and doing everything little boys love to do in the woods. The area is up behind Heber, Utah and Kamas and is amazing. We had all the room we wanted to hike, run and as you can see from this picture, get as dirty as we could. Below is a picture of Max taken at like 11 pm covered in dirt and woofing down some dutch oven blueberry cobbler!

I could not believe how much energy he had the entire time. You think kids are excited on Christmas morning? Max was going non stop the entire time. I loved how much fun he had. He was yelling in every conversation just because he was so pumped up. I loved it.
This was Max sitting out from a game he was tagged out on. He was just chilling on this log with a buddy chatting.

So I was pretty surprised how well he slept also in the tent. I however, did not sleep well. I kept waking up to make sure he was okay and had not wandered off into the woods or the stream that ran right behind the tent! Needless to say he slept all night long. However as tired as he should have been he was up bright and early.

We had a dutch oven that the Smoots gave us a year or so ago and made a great dutch oven mountain man dinner

Well we had a great time and cannot wait until next year! I am looking forward to years of fun and memories to make.

Post a Comment