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The problem I am facing can be considered a variant of the standard set packing problem. However; instead of being given a list of sets, I am given a function $\nu : 2^N \rightarrow \{0,1\}$ and want to find a partitioning $P$ of $N$ that maximizes $g(P) = \sum_{S \in P} \nu(S)$. This can be shown to require somewhere between $O(2^{|N|})$ and $O(3^{|N|})$ operations.
The above problem can (almost) be reduced to the problem of finding a partition $P_3$ of $N$ into three sets that maximizes $g(P_3)$. However there are still $O(3^{|N|})$ partitionings of $N$ into three sets.
Lets say we construct such a 3 partition $(S_1,S_2,S_3)$ as follows: For each element $i \in N$, we add $i$ to the first set with probability $x_i$, to the second set with probability $y_i$ and to the third with probability $z_i$, where $x_i+y_i+z_i = 1$ and $0 \leq x_i, y_i, z_i$.
It can be shown that the expected value of such a probability distribution, $x,y,z$, over the 3 partitions of $N$ is $f(x,y,z) = E[g(P)] = \sum_{c \subset N} \nu(C)\left[\Pi_{i \in C} x_i \Pi_{i \not \in C} (y_i+z_i) + \Pi_{i \in C} y_i \Pi_{i \not \in C} (x_i+z_i) + \Pi_{i \in C} z_i \Pi_{i \not \in C} (x_i+y_i)\right]$.
I am considering the situation in which we relax the constraint $x_i+y_i+z_i = 1$ to $x_i+y_i+z_i \leq 1$ and then using techniques akin to interior point methods for standard convex programming.
This relaxation clearly does not change maximum of $f(x,y,z)$ and with it in place $f(x,y,z)$ can be shown to be convex over our feasible set $0 \leq x_i,y_i,z_i$ and $x_i +y_i+z_i \leq 1$ for $i \in N$.
Given the above, my question is: Is there any general theory for maximizing convex functions over convex compact sets? (Apart from that the maximum must appear on the boundary?)
First time poster, so my apologies if I have tagged this inappropriately. I know of much work in convex programming (minimizing convex functions over convex sets) but haven't been able to find similar work for maximization.
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If you just need a numerical answer and you use simulated annealing, it will converge quickly and almost surely by convexity. – Steve Huntsman Mar 5 '10 at 15:06
I am not very interested in numerical answers. I am more interested in general techniques for solving such problems (steepest ascent, etc...). As well as any computational complexity bounds. For example, what sufficient conditions are there (if there are any) for Netwon's method, for example, to be guaranteed to converge? – Travis Service Mar 5 '10 at 16:19
I'm assuming that you still want heuristics? by the remark in your original problem, this problem is NP-hard. So do you want exact algorithms that run as quickly as possible, or are you willing to settle for approximations? – Suresh Venkat Mar 8 '10 at 4:21
2 Answers 2
up vote 3 down vote accepted
For one, the KKT conditions still apply. But in general even simple problems can be tough. For instance, maximizing a p-norm over a fairly nice type of convex polytope ("parallelotope") is NP hard -- see Bodlaender et al, "Computational Complexity of Norm Maximization." The general wisdom is: minimizing convex functions is easy; maximizing convex functions (equivalently, minimizing concave functions) is hard, though there are obviously exceptions.
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If you're willing to tolerate an approximate answer, there are some options, but there's nothing direct. One idea would be to write the packing problem as an (exponential-sized) integer program and then relax it to the linear program. Then, you might (by studying the dual and using the ellipsoid algorithm) be able to get a close-enough solution to the linear program.
Following that, you could use any number of rounding techniques to solve the integer program. For example, look at Aravind Srinivasan's work: Improved Approximation Guarantees for Packing and Covering Integer Programs, SIAM Journal on Computing, Vol. 29, 648-670, 1999
But for this program to be successful, you still have to solve the LP, and given that you have both exponentially many variables and constraints (one var for each set), that's where things get complicated (as opposed to set packing, where there are $n$ sets by defn). There are cases when the ellipsoid method can be used to solve such problems, but it's case by case. At least in your case, you know that any feasible solution has at most $n$ nonzero set variables.
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The 4th edition of Plumbing continues to provide the definitive single volume text on plumbing, heating and gas installation work, ideal for students working towards their Diploma in plumbing or NVQ/SVQ at levels 2 and 3. Highly illustrated and easy to read and understand, it tackles plumbing topic by topic, in double page spreads with text, full colour illustrations, and clear photographs, enabling the reader to grasp the essentials quickly and easily. This approach ensures it also provides a concise reference for the trained plumber.
Special features include:
- concise text
- many clear, full colour illustrations
- around 140 photographs
- topics focussed on the needs of NVQ/SVQ levels 2 and 3
- additional topics beyond levels 2 and 3
- a self-assessment section
- a problem-solving section.
This new edition has been thoroughly updated to take account of changes to the Building Regulations, including changes to the following approved documents: Part F: Ventilation; Part G: Sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency; Part H: Drainage and waste disposal; Part L: Conservation of fuel and power and Part P: Electrical safety. A significant new section on energy conservation & sustainability has been added, and additional related material introduced where relevant. The extensive coverage with new, full colour illustrations to enhance legibility and understanding, and the emphasis on safety in the work place ensure this remains the definitive single volume for both student and trained plumbers.

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POP TABS for Ronald McDonald Houses
Collecting pop tabs helps Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) pay the bills so moms and dads need not worry about where to stay while their children are in the hospital. The program is an easy way for people of all ages to support RMHC and make a difference for families and children.
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Deposit collected pop tabs in the collection container outside the front office at Sunflower.
Fun Facts
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Mobile Vision Mixer: A System for Collaborative Live Mobile Video Production
Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE creditsStudent thesis
Mobile phones equipped with video cameras and access to high-bandwidth networks enable a new generation of mobile applications: live amateur video production. There are already mobile technologies that allow capturing, editing and broadcasting live video from mobile phones; however some parts of production techniques still remain exclusively in the hands of professionals; multi-camera filming in a live broadcast of sporting events is an obvious example for such.
In this thesis, a system is described that is developed to address these needs for amateur video producers. Specifically, it focuses on providing a real-time collaborative mobile environment that can be used by mobile users who are interested in making live video from various angles only by using their phones.
A user study was also conducted to evaluate the system and see how people would use the system to collaboratively produce a live video. Results from the study prove that although producing a live mobile video is not always easy and straightforward, features like live preview and being able to actively communicate with each other are of great importance and help.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2011. , 52 p.
Engineering and Technology
IdentifiersURN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-44069OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-44069DiVA: diva2:450229
Subject / course
Computer and Systems Sciences
Master of Science - Interactive Systems Engineering
Kilander, Fredrik, Univ. lektor

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Proposal of Optimum Fishway System Based on Field Investigations
Proceedings of the International Symposium on Fishways '90
The purpose of this paper is to see what an optimum fishway system is, mainly, with water utilization facilities. To liquidate the dilemma between development and preservation, it is necessary to proceed with the design and construction of fishways, on one hand, and to seek, on the other hand, to secure fishery resources preserve the species by determining how far and how fast river development should go. This is only possible by developing optimum fishway systems according to field demonstrative studies. This paper describes the modelling of maintainable optimum fishway systems, mainly from the technical approach, and shows their predictability.
This document is currently not available here.


文章摘要
Environmental Conditions of Debris Flow Formation in Yangshugou and Its Control Measures
投稿时间：2018-04-28
DOI：13358/j.issn.1008-813x.2018.03.06
中文关键词: 泥石流 环境条件 拦挡坝 防护堤
英文关键词: debris flow environmental conditions block dam protective embankment
基金项目:
作者单位
郭巨 河北省地矿局第八地质大队, 河北 秦皇岛 066001
刘亮 河北省地矿局第八地质大队, 河北 秦皇岛 066001
吕菲 河北省地矿局第八地质大队, 河北 秦皇岛 066001
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中文摘要:
 杨树沟曾经发生过3次泥石流，威胁主沟下游村庄、道路，属于易发泥石流沟，具有局部降雨强度高的气象水文条件，主沟狭长、支沟多的地形地貌环境条件，以及山坡两侧和沟底丰富的物源条件等特点。通过分析泥石流区段冲於特征和基本参数，提出对该泥石流沟的防治对策是"上游拦挡"与"下游排导防护"相结合。上游拦挡工程主要为设置拦挡坝，下游对原有防护堤进行加高、加长，将物源进行导流处理，以防止上游来水直冲居民聚居区。
英文摘要:
 There have been three debris flows in the village of Yangshugou, which threatened the villages and roads downstream of the main gully, which belonged to the debris flow gully, with high local rainfall intensity, many landform and geomorphological conditions in the main gully and long narrow ditch, as well as the rich source conditions on both sides of the hillside and the bottom of the gully, and so on. By analyzing the characteristics and basic parameters of the debris flow section, the prevention and control measures for the debris flow ditch were put forward by the combination of "upstream block and downstream guide protection". At the same time, the upstream block project was mainly the valley dam. At the same time, the downstream protection embankment was lengthened and the source was guided to prevent the direct flow of water from the residential area.
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Europe's Energy Portal » Natural Gas and Electricity Prices From Past To Present
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You will need this approval to construct a dam or interfere with a water course to dam water. Approval can be grant by either:
- a development approval under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016
- a permit under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019
Approval via development approval is required in the following circumstances:
- the dam wall has a height of more than three metres above the natural surface of the ground and/or where the dam is to have a capacity great than five megalitres;
- a levee or mound is constructed in an area shown in the Development Plan as being subject to flooding; and
- retaining walls are to be constructed which retain a difference in ground levels greater than one metre
Where development approval is not required a Water Allocation Permit and/or Water Affecting Activity Permit must be sought and obtained from the relevant regional Natural Resources Management Board.


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2008 - MX-5 - Engine
FUEL LINE PRESSURE INSPECTION [LF]
WARNING:
1. Follow "BEFORE SERVICE PRECAUTION" before performing any work operations to prevent fuel from spilling from the fuel system. (See BEFORE SERVICE PRECAUTION [LF].)
2. Remove the battery cover. (See BATTERY REMOVAL/INSTALLATION [LF].)
3. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
4. Disconnect the quick release connector (in the engine compartment).
(See QUICK RELEASE CONNECTOR REMOVAL/INSTALLATION [LF].)
5. Turn the lever of the SST parallel to the hose as shown in the figure.
6. Insert the SST quick release connector into the fuel pipe until a click is heard.
7. Verify that the quick release connector is firmly connected by pulling it by hand.
8. Start the fuel pump using the following procedure:
 Using M-MDS
 1. Connect the negative battery cable.
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 3. Start the fuel pump using the "FP" simulation function.
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9. Operate the fuel pump for 10 s.
10. Measure the fuel line pressure.
11. Stop the fuel pump using the following procedure:
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 1. Turn the ignition switch to off to stop the fuel pump.
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Determine the difference in age between your child and the adult.
Determine the difference in age, in months, between your child and the older individual or adult. If the contact is sexual and the age spread is sufficient under the law, your child's circumstance may be proper for law enforcement investigation and prosecution. For example, in Washington if your child is between the age of 14 and 16 and the older person is at least 48 months older, this is a sufficient age spread to support a charge of child molestation if sexual contact between the two has occurred and can be proven. If the contact has been criminal in nature, this will support a petition for an anti-harassment order (i.e., restraining order).
Identify the type of contact your child and the adult are having.
Even if there is not clear criminal activity, determine what the nature of the contact between your child and the adult actually is (this might not be easy). Do they meet, talk on the phone, email or all of the above? And what do they talk about and do? Is there drinking involved or are they associating at unsafe hours in unsafe places with unsafe people?
Document how the contact with the adult is negatively affecting your child.
Has your child had a change in behavior or performance? Has your child begun skipping school, have your child's grades been affected, has he or she been drinking or using drugs, or engaging in other risky or dangerous behavior? Has your child been harmed? Document what those changes are.
Petition for an Anti-Harassment Order Against the Adult
An anti-harassment order restrains an individual from contacting a protected person. In Washington, a parent may seek an antiharassment order to protect their minor child from a person over the age of 18 if it can be shown to the satisfaction of the court that contact between the minor child and the adult is detrimental to the welfare of the child and that the adult's course of conduct would cause a reasonable parent to fear for the wellbeing of their child.
Be Prepared for a Fight
Be prepared for the adult to fight the issuance of the order and, if an order issues, for your child to potentially disregard or undermine the order. In other words, the anti-harassment order may not be the end of the contact and you will have to have a plan for how you will deal with violations and how to manage your child's reactions and actions.


text:
Farminar recording available: Adding small grains to a large grain rotation
Tuesday February 21, 2012, a 90-minute farminar was held hosted by Practical Farmers of Iowa. Beginning farmer, Wade Dooley, of Albion, IA led questions to experienced farmer Tom Frantzen of New Hampton, Iowa. 20 others joined in to hear more about extending the rotation, adding more value to the same number of acres of land.
This latest Farminar was focused on adding a small grain crop to a a corn and soybean crop rotation.
- What markets are best for Iowa small grains?
- Oats, Barley, and Wheat are typical "small grain" crops, what ones work best on different soils?
- What equipment is needed to produce and harvest them?
- Can you improve marginal land with adding a small grain to the rotation on those soils?
- Can you grow your own seed for your farm?
Tom Frantzen highlighted the importance of small grains in this statement:
If fossil fuels go away, I'm still here, if combines and big tractors go away, I'm still here, but if you remove my small grains, my farm system doesn't work. That is how important they are to my weed management strategies and alfalfa establishment.
Next week, February 28, 2012, Kim Alexander and Garrett Caryl will lead a new Farminar on Pricing Poultry: Eggs, Broilers, and Turkeys. Join us online at 7:00PM CST! _URL_
Supported by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA, Grant # 2010-49400-21843


Images() -> [Image] {
 return frames.map { $0.loadImageIfNeeded() }
 }
}
#33 Using map to transform an optional into a Result type
🗺 Using map you can transform an optional value into an optional Result type by simply passing in the enum case.
enum Result<Value> {
 case value(Value)
 case error(Error)
}
class Promise<Value> {
 private var result: Result<Value>?

 init(value: Value? = nil) {
 result = value.map(Result.value)
 }
}
#32 Assigning to self in struct initializers
👌 It's so nice that you can assign directly to self in struct initializers in Swift. Very useful when adding conformance to protocols.
extension Bool: AnswerConvertible {
 public init(input: String) throws {
 switch input.lowercased() {
 case "y", "yes", "👍":
 self = true
 default:
 self = false
 }
 }
}
#31 Recursively calling closures as inline functions
☎ Defining Swift closures as inline functions enables you to recursively call them, which is super useful in things like custom sequences.
class Database {
 func records(matching query: Query) -> AnySequence<Record> {
 var recordIterator = loadRecords().makeIterator()

 func iterate() -> Record? {
 guard let nextRecord = recordIterator.next() else {
 return nil
 }

 guard nextRecord.matches(query) else {
 // Since the closure is an inline function, it can be recursively called,
 // in this case in order to advance to the next item.
 return iterate()
 }

 return nextRecord
 }

 // AnySequence/AnyIterator are part of the standard library and provide an easy way
 // to define custom sequences using closures.
 return AnySequence { AnyIterator(iterate) }
 }
}
Rob Napier points out that using the above might cause crashes if used on a large databaset, since Swift has no guaranteed Tail Call Optimization (TCO).
Slava Pestov also points out that another benefit of inline functions vs closures is that they can have their own generic parameter list.
#30 Passing self to required Objective-C dependencies
🏖 Using lazy properties in Swift, you can pass self to required Objective-C dependencies without having to use force-unwrapped optionals.
class DataLoader: NSObject {
 lazy var urlSession: URLSession = self.makeURLSession()

 private func makeURLSession() -> URLSession {
 return URLSession(configuration: .default, delegate: self, delegateQueue: .main)
 }
}
class Renderer {
 lazy var displayLink: CADisplayLink = self.makeDisplayLink()

 private func makeDisplayLink() -> CADisplayLink {
 return CADisplayLink(target: self, selector: #selector(screenDidRefresh))
 }
}
#29 Making weak or lazy properties readonly
👓 If you have a property in Swift that needs to be weak or lazy, you can still make it readonly by using private(set).
class Node {
 private(set) weak var parent: Node?
 private(set) lazy var children = [Node]()
 func add(child: Node) {
 children.append(child)
 child.parent = self
 }
}
#28 Defining static URLs using string literals
🌏 Tired of using URL(string: "url")! for static URLs? Make URL conform to ExpressibleByStringLiteral and you can now simply use "url" instead.
extension URL: ExpressibleByStringLiteral {
 // By using 'StaticString' we disable string interpolation, for safety
 public init(stringLiteral value: StaticString) {
 self = URL(string: "\(value)").require(hint: "Invalid URL string literal: \(value)")
 }
}
// We can now define URLs using static string literals 🎉
let url: URL = "_URL_"
let task = URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: "_URL_")
// In Swift 3 or earlier, you also have to implement 2 additional initializers
extension URL {
 public init(extendedGraphemeClusterLiteral value: StaticString) {
 self.init(stringLiteral: value)
 }
 public init(unicodeScalarLiteral value: StaticString) {
 self.init(stringLiteral: value)
 }
}
To find the extension that adds the require() method on Optional that I use above, check out Require.
#27 Manipulating points, sizes and frames using math operators
✚ I'm always careful with operator overloading, but for manipulating things like sizes, points & frames I find them super useful.
extension CGSize {
 static func *(lhs: CGSize, rhs: CGFloat) -> CGSize {
 return CGSize(width: lhs.width * rhs, height: lhs.height * rhs)
 }
}
button.frame.size = image.size * 2
If you like the above idea, check out CGOperators, which contains math operator overloads for all Core Graphics' vector types.
#26 Using closure types in generic constraints
🔗 You can use closure types in generic constraints in Swift. Enables nice APIs for handling sequences of closures.
extension Sequence where Element == () -> Void {
 func callAll() {
 forEach { $0() }
 }
}
extension Sequence where Element == () -> String {
 func joinedResults(separator: String) -> String {
 return map { $0() }.joined(separator: separator)
 }
}
callbacks.callAll()
let names = nameProviders.joinedResults(separator: ", ")
(If you're using Swift 3, you have to change Element to Iterator.Element)
#25 Using associated enum values to avoid state-specific optionals
🎉 Using associated enum values is a super nice way to encapsulate mutually exclusive state info (and avoiding state-specific optionals).
// BEFORE: Lots of state-specific, optional properties
class Player {
 var isWaitingForMatchMaking: Bool
 var invitingUser: User?
 var numberOfLives: Int
 var playerDefeatedBy: Player?
 var roundDefeatedIn: Int?
}
// AFTER: All state-specific information is encapsulated in enum cases
class Player {
 enum State {
 case waitingForMatchMaking
 case waitingForInviteResponse(from: User)
 case active(numberOfLives: Int)
 case defeated(by: Player, roundNumber: Int)
 }

 var state: State
}
#24 Using enums for async result types
👍 I really like using enums for all async result types, even boolean ones. Self-documenting, and makes the call site a lot nicer to read too!
protocol PushNotificationService {
 // Before
 func enablePushNotifications(completionHandler: @escaping (Bool) -> Void)

 // After
 func enablePushNotifications(completionHandler: @escaping (PushNotificationStatus) -> Void)
}
enum PushNotificationStatus {
 case enabled
 case disabled
}
service.enablePushNotifications { status in
 if status == .enabled {
 enableNotificationsButton.removeFromSuperview()
 }
}
#23 Working on async code in a playground
🏃 Want to work on your async code in a Swift Playground? Just set needsIndefiniteExecution to true to keep it running:
import PlaygroundSupport
PlaygroundPage.current.needsIndefiniteExecution = true
DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 3) {
 let greeting = "Hello after 3 seconds"
 print(greeting)
}
To stop the playground from executing, simply call PlaygroundPage.current.finishExecution().
#22 Overriding self with a weak reference
💦 Avoid memory leaks when accidentially refering to self in closures by overriding it locally with a weak reference:
Swift >= 4.2
dataLoader.loadData(from: url) { [weak self] result in
 guard let self = self else {
 return
 }
 self.cache(result)

 ...
Swift < 4.2
dataLoader.loadData(from: url) { [weak self] result in
 guard let 'self' = self else {
 return
 }
 self.cache(result)

 ...
Note that the reason the above currently works is because of a compiler bug (which I hope gets turned into a properly supported feature soon).
#21 Using DispatchWorkItem
🕓 Using dispatch work items you can easily cancel a delayed asynchronous GCD task if you no longer need it:
let workItem = DispatchWorkItem {
 // Your async code goes in here
}
// Execute the work item


Flowering desert: How does this nature phenomenon happen?
Flower Atacama Desert
There are only a few places in the world where the natural phenomenon of the flowering desert occurs: Australia, United States, Peru and Chile are some of them. However, it's in Chile where this nature show draws the most attention; this is due to its purple, yellow and white flower beds that cover the surface of the driest place on earth: the Atacama desert.
During the Chilean flowering desert, which mainly occurs in the coastal area of the Atacama region, an average of 200 different species bloom, many of those are considered endemic, such as the "garra de león" (Bomarea ovallei) or the delicate red Añañuca (Myostemma phycelloides). But this spectacle is not something you see everyday. In order for this massive blooming to happen, certain conditions are necessary, such as the right temperature and humidity that allow the seeds to sprout.
For more information click here.
To visit Chile check Our Tours


text:
This Lottery Simulator template will generate a random set of lottery numbers in Excel! Let's create your favorite lotteries with a click.
This Lottery Simulator Excel template will help you to bet some of your favourite lottery games. A lotto simulator will draw random numbers for you. This tool works as a quick pick for any game of your choice. After you decide which game you want to play, click a single button to run dummy generator. If you are feeling lucky about the numbers and don't want to lose, you can save them in a database. Moreover, you will be able to add a lottery you want to play by yourself. It's easy and allows you to add up to 50 different types of lotteries.
Lottery Simulator Excel Template Features:
Draw your Numbers Section:
- To begin your game, choose a Lottery from the dropdown list. You will also see the description below of that game.
- After you choose it, click the prepare boards button to update the board before you draw the numbers.
- The next step is to draw numbers by clicking the related button. You will get drawn numbers that are highlighted on the boards, and below boards, the same numbers presented in a more ordered way.
In case you haven't found the game that you want to play, you can add your own by clicking Add a New Game button and fulfilling all the necessary information. Remember the maximum range of the lottery game board is 100 and maximum numbers to be drawn are 10.
Saved Numbers Section:
In the save numbers selection, you can track all the previous numbers that you already have drawn. All the data; like the name of the lottery, drawn numbers, and also the date of being saved here. You can additionally write by yourself extra comments in each row.
Lottery Simulator Template Features Summary:
- Free Lottery Simulator in Excel
- Full Print Ready
- Informational notes included
- No installation needed. Ready to use.
- Works both on Mac and Windows
- Compatible with Excel 2007 and later versions


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Whoops! Maybe you were looking for Lego Bricks?
Whoops! Maybe you were looking for BIONICLE?
Just let me masturbate!!
~ Sexually frustrated teenage Lego person
For those without comedic tastes, the so-called experts at Wikipedia have an article very remotely related to LEGO.
LEGO is a play set, originally made in Denmark, that depicts the almost-perfect Communist society. Everything and everyone in this society looks and behaves almost exactly the same. The people are all very short, lack any type of genitalia and also lack any capability of free thought. As such, they are frequently mistaken for North Koreans. This confusion is not helped by the fact that they do not talk to foreigners. They also hate America (a fact which led them to assassinate JFK.) Furthermore, since their original creators were danes, all Lego people are programmed to hating Sweds.
edit A typical day in the life of a Lego
DFRLego 045
A typical Lego day involves Lego people driving around in various Lego vehicles made entirely out of Lego bricks, talking to each other in the street and then returning to their Lego home. They may also visit other Lego people in their Lego homes to sit down and chat. They do not have the ability to do anything that would actually be fun to a real person, like going to strip clubs, giving birth, and having sex.
edit Jobs
Lego people do have jobs, but they have to work all day and night at their job because they are permanently dressed in relation to the job (example: if a Lego person is a doctor then he/she wears a doctor's uniform but they cannot take it off, see below.)Furthermore, due to a severe condition only found among Lego people, they are unable to sleep(see below).
edit Fashion
They have a wide variety of fashions, however, they cannot take their clothes off because their clothes are fused to their bodies. If they were to change clothes, they would have to tear their bodies apart, effectively killing them. However, if they somehow do put their bodies back together, they will be reincarnated as a completely different person.
edit LSD
Lego Sleeping Disorder is a virus which tends to attack Lego people, Refugees and Marine soldiers on duty. It is quite simply the lack of chromosones and semen that prevents the brain from sleeping. Due to it's nature, their are two knows cures, of which the first the infected would have to be Chuck Norris, and the second would require you'd kill a virgin. The first of the cures is quite simply to steal chromosones using the electronegativity of the body to rip them off a person, with a weaker electronegativity, taking them to yourself. The second is the injection of sperm cells into the infected's Testicles, and as any European knows, virgins have the largest sperm count of all people, as they will generate 12 years of sperm cells before they begin releasing their seed. People infected with LSD who choose to live with the condition, either due to weakness (Pity Yo' Fool) or human morals (pffh), will often find themselves excluded from the world, as people believe them to be Twilight vampires (see Edward Cullen).
edit Lego Puberty
Puberty for Lego people is generally an extremely frustrating experience. Without even the free will to reach their crotch, male teenage Lego men suffer from extreme sexual frustration and boredom as they do not know how to fill 90% of their time. As a result, extensive sex education programmes have been campaigned for by the Rights Association for Things That Aren't Alive.
edit In women
Basically the same thing, except they cannot reach their vagina and cannot have sex.
Personal tools


Periodic investment
Investing automatically at regular intervals
Periodic investment
Investing automatically at regular intervals
What is periodic investment?
Investing automatically at regular intervals
Periodic investment means automatically investing an amount of money at regular intervals. It is the ideal way for (beginner) investors to gradually accumulate a tidy amount of capital, as everything takes place automatically and without any emotional influence. This significantly reduces the risk of poor timing.
All the benefits in brief
1. Reduced risk of poor timing
It's difficult to recognise the perfect time to invest, and even professional investors are seldom successful in this. Systematic investment significantly reduces the risk of poor timing.
2. Take advantage of price fluctuations
As a periodic investor, you can buy more shares with the same amount of money when the price falls. This allows you to accumulate your investment capital at below-average prices.
Periodic investment
3. The power of capitalisation
The longer you can invest your savings for, the greater the beneficial effect of capitalisation. That means that a smaller amount invested at a younger age will achieve a better final result than a larger amount invested when you are older. In other words, the key message is to start young and invest your savings over a long period.
4. You set the pace yourself
Periodic investment is a flexible formula. That means you can choose the frequency yourself, i.e. every month, every quarter or every year.
5. Put your emotions to one side
Our emotions make it even more difficult to invest at exactly the right moment. Greed prompts people to buy shares when the stock markets are high, while fear keeps them away when prices are low. By investing periodically, you can prevent your emotions from influencing you over the stock market price.
How does periodic investment work?
Periodic investment is simple. and you don't need to follow the stock markets closely. All you need to do is:
 1. choose the amount you want to invest
 2. specify how often you want to invest it
 3. decide what investment fund(s) or class-23 investment-type insurance policy/policies you want to invest in
Want to learn more about investing?
Get personal investment advice from us on your phone. We'll suggest to you how to invest and save for things like your pension in keeping with your risk profile and budget. Want to take more risk or save more? You're in control. You can make changes afterwards. Happy with the result? Open an investment plan and start investing in less than 15 minutes!
The investment plan allows you to periodically invest in capitalisation units in investment funds1. That means you can invest at your own pace without having to actively follow the stock market.
 Spare change investing
KBC Brussels Investment Plan Mobile investing with advice
Regularly invest small sums of money
We collect the roundups and invest them for you. On top of that, you can invest a set amount at regular intervals
Periodic investments of 25 euros/month
Periodic investments starting from 50 euro/month
Specialised fund managers do the work for you
Easy to get started in KBC Brussels Mobile
Socially responsible investment
Get personal advice
 Invest your spare change Invest through an investment plan Invest advised on your mobile
You invest in the fund on your own initiative without investment advice from us. That means we don't assess whether the fund is a suitable investment for you and are unable to fully check whether you belong to the fund's target market. Contact your branch or KBC Brussels Live to learn more about getting investment advice from us.
Prefer personal advice? Not with us yet or don't have KBC Brussels Mobile?
1 The term 'investment fund' refers to a sub-fund of an open-ended investment company under Belgian or Luxembourg law, or a mutual fund.
More information


text:
Dwyer Instruments, Inc. Solves the Wall Mount – Relative Humidity Error MysteryWall mount humidity sensors for building automation system (BAS) applications are produced and sold by several different companies and have a reputation of poor accuracy despite specifications from suppliers. There is a rational reason why these instruments appear to read outside of their stated accuracy, which in turn causes users to be frustrated with the results.
Most wall mount units for BAS applications are multi-variable instruments and often measure temperature and/or CO2 level in addition to relative humidity. The output signals are also more complex and may include BACnet and Modbus® communication protocols in addition to analog current and voltage outputs. Optional LCD displays for local indication of measurements are also commonly found in these devices. All electronic components included provide the parameter measurement, output, and display, which create additional heat inside the wall mount housing where the humidity sensor is located. Since relative humidity is the ratio of the partial pressure of water in the air divided by the saturation pressure of water in the air (of which the latter is a function of temperature), relative humidity is inversely proportional to the local temperature. This means that as the temperature inside of the wall mount housing increases relative to the room temperature, the internal humidity sensor will read lower values compared to the actual room humidity found in a stagnant airflow environment, such as an office. The stagnant airflow here is key. Humidity calibration chambers always have moving air systems to maintain uniform humidity throughout the chamber, so they do not reflect the stagnant environments that the wall mount sensors will later be expected to measure. When the wall mount units are returned to the manufacturer due to poor accuracy, they are inserted into a humidity chamber where the moving air ventilates the heat out of the wall mount housing. The humidity sensors are calibrated without the internal heat seen in a real world office environment. The wall mount sensors are then sent back to the customer who finds the units are still reading low when installed.
Dwyer engineers discovered this calibration conflict and devised the following solution which has been incorporated and is currently standard in the latest North American and European housing design options of the Series CDTA and CDTR wall mount products.
Solution: A separate temperature sensor is mounted on the outside of the wall mount housing and thermally isolated from the internal housing wall (see figure A). The internal humidity temperature sensor inside the housing is carefully calibrated to the outside temperature sensor so that minor variations in temperature between the inside and the outside of the housing can be determined. The saturation pressure of water is a well-known, complex function of only temperature. The humidity and temperature inside the wall mount housing is measured, and is always higher than the temperature outside of the housing. The difference of these two temperatures is used to compensate the humidity so that it indicates an accurate humidity measurement for the room. There are several other factors required to make this work in the real world, but this is the fundamental principle of the Digital Intelligent Temperature Compensation Algorithm (DITCA™) in the new carbon dioxide family of product lines now available for sale exclusively from Dwyer Instruments.
Note: Details of the Active Humidity Compensation are U.S. Patent Pending by Dwyer Instruments.


text:
Tunni Lines menu item to toggle the Tunni Lines mode. With Tunni Lines on, you can move both handles on a curve in sync. The results will balance their proportions and tune the curve tension.
Canvas (drawing area)
- Alt-click near a segment to select the entire contour.
- ShiftAlt-click near a segment to add the entire contour to the previous selection, or remove it from the selection.
- CtrlAlt-click near a line segment to convert the segment to a curve segment. CtrlAlt-click near a curve segment to Balance the segment.
- To perform a rectangular marquee selection, Drag on the canvas to select multiple Nodes and/or Handles. Alt-drag for a freeform marquee selection. You can also hold down Shift, to add to the previous selection or remove from it.
- Click on the canvas to deselect.
- Drag on an unselected segment to edit the segment.
- Click on a segment to subselect the segment, i.e. select only the segment, not the entire contour.
- Alt-click on a segment, or double-click on a segment to select the entire contour.
- ShiftAlt-click on a segment, or Shift-double-click on a segment to add the entire contour to the previous selection or deselect it.
- CtrlAlt-click on a segment to add a Node in that position.
- ShiftCtrlAlt-click on a segment to add an extremum Node to that segment (if it's needed).
- Alt-drag on a selected segment to duplicate it.
- With one or more segments selected, tap Backspace to merge their adjacent Nodes, i.e. remove them and try to keep the path unchanged.
- With one or more segments selected, tapping Del or FnBackspace will break the contour at the Nodes adjacent to the segments and delete these segments.
- Click on a Node to select it. Shift-click on a Node to add to the selection. Alt-click on the selected Node to remove from selection.
- Double-click on a Node to convert it between Sharp and Smooth. If the Node is between a Curve and a Line segment, a Sharp Node will be converted to Tangent.
- Alt-double-click on a Sharp Node to Normalize its sharpness. This will change all Handle positions on both adjacent segments so that you get a "natural" corner.
- ShiftAlt-double-click on a Sharp Node to convert the node into a Smart Corner. A Smart Corner can produce a rounded corner or an inktrap. It's live and non-destructive, and you can change the radius of the Smart Corner. If you double-click on the Smart Corner, you can change the radius of all Smart Corners in the current element. Right-click on a smart corner to Apply it, i.e. convert it to a regular contour with the rounding or inktrap applied.
- Alt-double-click on a Smooth Node to Harmonize its position i.e. equalize the Curvature on both sides of the Node.
- ShiftAlt-double-click on a Smooth Node to convert the Node to a Genius Node (one that will always remain harmonized even if you move the handles).
- Drag a Node to move it and its associated Handles. This also works with multiple selected Nodes.
- Shift-drag a Node to move it and its associated Handles along the horizontal or vertical axis. This also works with multiple selected Nodes.
- Alt-drag a Node to move it but keep its Handles in place (also works with multiple selected nodes).
- CtrlAlt-drag a Node to move it, and proportionally nudge all Handles of both adjacent segments. This also works with multiple selected nodes.
- AltCmd-drag a Smooth Node to move it and Normalize its smoothness. This also works with multiple Smooth Nodes. When smoothness is normalized, all Handles of both adjacent segments are recalculated so that "best" smoothness is achieved. This is equivalent to Fontographer's "Auto-Curvature" functionality. Note that this doesn't work for editing TrueType curves.
- ShiftAlt-drag a single Node to slide it along a segment. The Handles will be recalculated to keep the current form of the segment. If it's a Smooth Node, you can slide it only within the current segment. If it's a Sharp Node or a Start/End Node of an open contour, you can continue sliding it outside the current segment (i.e. smartly extend the segment). This does not work for multiple Nodes.
- With one or more Nodes selected, tap Backspace to merge these Nodes, i.e. remove them and try to keep the path unchanged.
- With one or more Nodes selected, tap Delete or FnBackspace to Break contour at these Nodes, or to break the contour and delete the adjacent segments. This is controlled in File > Preferences > Editing. We recommend the first setting ("break contour") because with this setting, if you select some nodes and tap Del once, the contour will be broken, and if you tap Del again, then the segments will be deleted.
- Click on a Handle to activate it. Shift-click on a Handle to add to the selection.
- ShiftAltclick on a Handle to retract it.
- Double-click on a Handle of a Sharp Node to align its angle to the opposite Handle.
- Shift-double-click on a Handle of a Sharp or Smooth Node to align its angle to the closest horizontal or vertical axis.
- Alt-double-click on a Handle of a Smooth node to slide the Node to the closest extremum.
- Drag a Handle to move it. Also works with multiple selected Handles.
- Shift-drag a single Handle to move it without changing its angle. This does not work for multiple Handles.
- Shift-drag multiple selected Handles to move them along the horizontal or vertical axis.
- Alt-drag a Handle to also move its opposite Handle. For a Sharp Node, it aligns the opposite Handle to the same angle. For a Smooth Node, it also puts the opposite Handle at the same distance to the Node. Also works with multiple Handles.
- With one or more Handles selected, tap Backspace or Delete to convert a Curve Segment to a Line Segment.


text:
Loving-kindness meditation might slow the aging process in women, based on a small study by researchers at Harvard Medical School.
In the new study, scientists analyzed white blood cells from 37 adult men and women, of whom 15 had practiced loving-kindness meditation almost every day for at least four years.
The researchers measured length of participants' telomeres — regions at the end of chromosomes. Shortened telomeres have been linked in humans to chronic stress, mood disorders and accelerated aging.
The scientists found that women who practiced lovingkindness meditation had significantly longer telomeres than women who did not. But telomere length in men was the same whether or not they practiced loving-kindness.
The results for women remained significant when researchers controlled for differences in body mass index (BMI) and history of depression between meditators and nonmeditators. (The groups resembled each other in terms of age, gender, race, education level and history of trauma.)
Why was the positive result seen only for women? The study's authors noted that female participants had practiced lovingkindness meditation longer than their male counterparts, although the difference wasn't statistically significant.
"We could also speculate," they wrote, "that [loving-kindness] practice leads to greater psychological, and therefore physiological, changes in women because they are able to utilize it better."
Loving-kindness focuses on emotions, not thoughts, and brain scans of women show they rely more on the "emotional" parts of their brain for performing certain tasks. When women are shown pictures and asked to label and assign emotions, for example, they use their amygdalas more than men do. The amygdala is a brain structure that helps regulate and interpret emotions.
The study's limitations included its small sample size and the fact that the loving-kindness practitioners also practiced insight meditation. In addition, researchers did not measure participants' self-reported stress levels, only telomere length.
The study appears in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
Family historians are frequent users of ARCAT.
While ARCAT staff does not conduct genealogical research on behalf of individuals, we welcome all researchers who are tracking their ancestors through Catholic church records.
Researchers may access microfilmed and digitized parish registers up until the year 1911. Available sacramental records for this time period are mainly Baptisms and Marriages, however some registers also list First Communion, Confirmation and Deaths. Please see our Parish Registers page for more information.
To determine which parish holds the earliest records for an area, please see this
Master List of Parishes and Churches.
To decipher place names which have changed over time, see our
Index of Town and Place Names in the Archdiocese of Toronto.
In addition, our reference library has copies of OGS headstone transcriptions from various Catholic cemeteries within the current boundaries of the Archdiocese of Toronto.
Please visit the Catholic Cemeteries website for information regarding the history of our cemeteries and access to cemetery grounds.
Records kept by parishes and other Church agencies. Please contact ARCAT to access:
St. Paul's Parish: Publication of Banns 1849. List of farmers from Adjala Township requesting orphans 1848.
St. Michael's Cathedral: Records of subscribers to:
Phelpston, St. Patrick's Parish: Receipts and Expenses Book _PHONE_. Includes subscription list for 1855 and 1856
Separate School - Supporters' List, 1863
Petitions addressed to the Bishops of Toronto
Liverpool Society - Names of children admitted into Sacred Heart Orphanage, House of Providence and St. Nicholas Home _PHONE_, administered by the Sisters of St. Joseph
Directories from 1853 to present day listing clergy, parishes and missions of the archdiocese
Please contact ARCAT to access the following records:
Vital Statistics Records (Registrations of Births, Deaths and Marriages) come under the jurisdiction of the Province of Ontario. Often these government records (or 'civil records') contain more genealogical information than church records.
Vital Statistic Records are transferred from the Office of the Registrar General to the Archives of Ontario after a certain date. A new year is released to the general public on an annual basis.
Visit the Archives of Ontario website to find out more about accessing Vital Statistics Records.


common import *
import sqlite3
# Connect to database
conn = sqlite3.connect("Sales Data.db")
cursor = conn.cursor()
# Get all the table names in the database
cursor.execute("SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table';")
tableNames = [name[0] for name in cursor.fetchall()]
# Create an Excel file
workbook = Workbook()
workbook.Worksheets.Clear()
# Iterate through each table in the database
for tableName in tableNames:
 # Get the column names of the table
 cursor.execute(f"PRAGMA table_info('{tableName}')")
 columnsInfo = cursor.fetchall()
 columnNames = [columnInfo[1] for columnInfo in columnsInfo]
 # Get the data of the table
 cursor.execute(f"SELECT * FROM {tableName}")
 rows = cursor.fetchall()

 # Create a worksheet
 sheet = workbook.Worksheets.Add(tableName)

 # Write the header to the worksheet
 for i in range(len(columnNames)):
 sheet.Range[1, i + 1].Value = columnNames[i]

 # Write the data to the worksheet
 for j in range(1, len(rows)):
 column = rows[j]
 for k in range(len(column)):
 sheet.Range[j + 1, k + 1].Value = column[k]

 # Format the worksheet
 sheet.AllocatedRange.Style.Font.FontName = "Times New Roman"
 sheet.AllocatedRange.Style.Font.Size = 12.0
 sheet.AllocatedRange.AutoFitRows()
 sheet.AllocatedRange.AutoFitColumns()
# Save the Excel file
workbook.SaveToFile("output/DataBaseToExcel.xlsx", FileFormat.Version2016)
workbook.Dispose()
conn.close()
Python: Export and Import Data Between Excel Files and Databases
Export Data from an Excel Worksheet to a Database with Python
Spire.XLS for Python can also assist developers in reading various types of data from Excel files, and then developers can use sqlite3 to write the data to a database. Below are the detailed steps:
 - Create an instance of Workbook class.
 - Load an Excel workbook using Workbook.LoadFromFile() method.
 - Connect to a database.
 - Iterate through the worksheets in the workbook.
 - Get a worksheet using Workbook.Worksheets.get_Item() method and get the name of the worksheet using Worksheet.Name property.
 - Get the data in the header row through Worksheet.Range[].Value property.
 - Create a table in the database with the worksheet name as the table name and create columns in the table with the header row data as the column names.
 - Get the values from the worksheet cells through Worksheet.Range[].Value property and write them to the corresponding position in the database table.
 - Commit the changes and close the connection.
 - Python
from spire.xls import *
from spire.xls.common import *
import sqlite3
# Create an instance of Workbook
workbook = Workbook()
# Load an Excel file
workbook.LoadFromFile("Sample.xlsx")
# Connect to database
conn = sqlite3.connect("output/Report.db")
cursor = conn.cursor()
for s in range(workbook.Worksheets.Count):
 # Get a worksheet
 sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get_Item(s)
 # Get the sheet name
 sheetName = sheet.Name
 sheetName = sheetName.replace(" ", "")
 # Get the data in the header row
 header = []
 for i in range(sheet.AllocatedRange.ColumnCount):
 headerValue = sheet.Range[1, i + 1].Value
 headerValue = headerValue.replace(" ", "")
 header.append(headerValue)
 # Create a database table
 createTableSql = f"CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS {sheetName} ({', '.join([f'{header[i]} TEXT' for i in range(len(header))])})"
 cursor.execute(createTableSql)
 # Insert data into the database table
 for row in range(1, sheet.AllocatedRange.RowCount):
 data = []
 for col in range(sheet.AllocatedRange.ColumnCount):
 # Get the cell value
 value = sheet.Range[row + 1, col + 1].Value
 data.append(value)
 # Insert the cell values into the database table
 insertSql = f"INSERT INTO {sheetName} ({', '.join(header)}) VALUES ({', '.join(['?' for _ in data])})"
 cursor.execute(insertSql, data)

# Commit the changes and close the connection
conn.commit()
conn.close()
workbook.Dispose()
Python: Export and Import Data Between Excel Files and Databases
Apply for a Temporary License
If you'd like to remove the evaluation message from the generated documents, or to get rid of the function limitations, please request a 30-day trial license for yourself.
Thursday, 27 June 2024 06:55
Spire.Office 9.6.0 is released
We're pleased to announce the release of Spire.Office 9.6.0. This version adds many new features, for example, Spire.Doc supports AI features and saving the XML of the document's default font replacement rules; Spire.XLS supports converting Excel to Markdown format, Spire.PDF supports converting PDF to Markdown format. Meanwhile, a series of issues occurred when converting, manipulating and printing Word, Excel and PDF files have been successfully fixed. More details are given below.
In this version, the most recent versions of Spire.Doc, Spire.PDF, Spire.XLS, Spire.Presentation, Spire.Email, Spire.DocViewer, Spire.PDFViewer, Spire.Spreadsheet, Spire.OfficeViewer, Spire.DataExport, Spire.Barcode are included.
DLL Versions:
 - Spire.Doc.dll v12.6.10.0
 - Spire.Pdf.dll v10.6.25.0
 - Spire.XLS.dll v14.6.6.0
 - Spire.Presentation.dll v9.5.3.0
 - Spire.Barcode.dll v7.2.9.0
 - Spire.Email.dll v6.5.10.0
 - Spire.DocViewer.Forms.dll v8.7.10.0
 - Spire.PdfViewer.Asp.dll v7.12.14.0
 - Spire.PdfViewer.Forms.dll v7.12.14.0
 - Spire.Spreadsheet v7.4.6.0
 - Spire.OfficeViewer.Forms.dll v8.7.12.0
 - Spire.DataExport.dll v4.9.0.0
 - Spire.DataExport.ResourceMgr.dll v2.1.0
Click the link to get the version Spire.Office 9.6.0:
More information of Spire.Office new release or hotfix:
Here is a list of changes made in this release
Spire.Doc
Category ID Description
New feature - Adds the Document.SaveFontFallbackRuleSettings() method to save the XML of the document's default font replacement rules.
Document document = new Document();
document.LoadFromFile(inputFile);
document.SaveFontFallbackRuleSettings("FontReplacementRuleSettings.xml");
New feature - Adds the Document.LoadFontFallbackRuleSettings() method to load custom font replacement rules in XML format for conversion.
Document document = new Document();
document.LoadFromFile(inputFile);
document.LoadFontFallbackRuleSettings("CustomFontReplacementRuleSettings.xml");
document.SaveToFile(outputFile, FileFormat.PDF);
New feature - Supports AI features: document generation, document polishing, document translation, abstract generation, summary creation, spelling check, object recognition, article continuation, as well as questions and answers.
Bug SPIREDOC-10196 Fixes the issue that the layout was incorrect when printing Word documents.
Bug SPIREDOC-10211 Fixes the issue that the fonts were incorrect after converting Word to HTML.
Bug SPIREDOC-10221 Fixes the issue that the contents were incorrect after converting Word to OFD.
Bug SPIREDOC-10353 Fixes the issue that the program threw a "System.NullReferenceException" when loading a Word document.
Bug SPIREDOC-10515 Fixes the issue that the program threw a "System


text: This second edition of European Basic Treaties contains the texts of the Treaty on European Union, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (including the latter's 'Explanations'). This edition incorporates all rectifications and treaty amendments, up until 1 July 2013, including those that follow from the accession of Croatia to the EU on that date. It also contains the provisions of the Treaty of Lisbon that exist alongside these three core texts. Furthermore, a selection of the Protocols and of the most important Declarations has been added. The numbers of provisions of the former EC Treaty and EU Treaty before they were renumbered by the Lisbon Treaty are also included. Thus, older jurisprudence, legislation and literature remain accessible. Finally, this edition introduces an extensive set of concise keywords to the provisions of the European Treaties as well as an Index.


Statistical and phase properties of displaced Kerr states
A. D. Wilson-Gordon, V. Buek, P. L. Knight
Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review
71 Scopus citations
Abstract
We study the statistical and phase properties of the output states of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a nonlinear Kerr medium in one of its arms. The combination of nonlinearity and displacement produced by the interferometer generates output states (displaced Kerr states) that, unlike those derived from a Kerr medium alone (Kerr states), do not necessarily retain the photon statistics of the initially coherent field. As the parameter characterizing the nonlinear medium is varied, the statistics of the output field vary from sub-Poissonian to super-Poissonian. The photon-number distributions of these states are rationalized by examining their quasiprobability distributions, which vary from banana-shaped for sub-Poissonian statistics to complicated interference structures for highly super-Poissonian statistics. The number-phase properties of the Kerr and displaced Kerr states are studied for the case of small photon numbers (relevant to cavity quantum electrodynamics) using a methodology based on the Pegg-Barnett formalism. In particular, we determine the range of parameters for which the states are minimum-uncertainty states and whether they are squeezed with respect to photon number and phase, drawing a distinction between a sub-Poissonian nature and number squeezing. Finally, we find that sub-Poissonian statistics can coexist with quadrature squeezing for a range of parameters.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)7647-7656
Number of pages10
JournalPhysical Review A
Volume44
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - 1991
Externally publishedYes
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text:
At DelightedCooking, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.
One of the oldest frontier foods, cornmeal mush ranks right up there with beef jerky and pemmican for foods that were common and had some nutritional value. It is a type of porridge made with cornmeal, eaten not only for breakfast, but as an economical side dish. It has been around, in one form or another, since corn has been growing in the Americas.
Cornmeal mush is simple to make, needing only yellow cornmeal and water. Both the Confederate and Union armies traveled on mush from time to time during the American Civil War, when supplies were scarce, or the cooks didn't have enough time to prepare any other kind of hot meals. The soldiers themselves also cooked it over their bivouac fires and the concoction carried them many miles when little other food was available.
American frontier travelers also relied on cornmeal mush, since cornmeal was relatively easy to find, as well as cheap to eat. It was well known in the East as being a food primarily eaten by lower income people, but on the frontier, one ate what was available or one starved. No doubt, this mush saved the lives of many American pioneers.
There are two ways to eat cornmeal mush. One is to eat it as a hot porridge right out of the pot. The other method involves allowing it to chill overnight, then slicing and frying it, rather like polenta. If sliced and fried, it is often eaten with jam, honey or preserves, like toast.
A basic recipe for cornmeal mush calls for 1 cup of yellow cornmeal; 1 cup cold water; 3 cups hot water; salt to taste. The cook combines the cornmeal with the cold water and allows it to sit for a few minutes, mixing the cornmeal with the water. Bring the 3 cups of water to the boil, and while it is heating, add the cornmeal mixture, stirring thoroughly. Add the salt and keep stirring until the mixture boils. Then, turn down the heat to low and allow it to simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Some cooks add a teaspoon of sugar, but this is to the cook's taste.
To serve as fried cornmeal mush, empty the hot mush into a heatproof dish and smooth the top with a spoon. Cool. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. Cut into slices and fry in a skillet with oil, until crispy.
Although not commonly seen these days, cornmeal mush is still eaten, mostly in the southeast and western parts of the United States. It is a nutritious food and can be a lifesaver for a mom attempting to feed a family on a small budget. It certainly has a place in the food history of America.


Agustina Series: Novas leituras, outras Metamorfoses
The polyhedral project entitled Agustina: novas leituras, outras metamorfoses, coordinated by Prof. Doctor Ana Paula Coutinho, originated a concert and an exhibition, developed in partnership with Prof. Doctor Dimitrios Andrikopoulos from ESMAE and Prof. Doctor Graciela Machado, from FBAUP, respectively.
In the first video, we spoke with the students of ESMAE's composition course, who approached the creative process that led to the composition of their works.
In the second, we heard two students who participated in the exhibition entitled "More than words spoken" with works of Engraving-Calcography.
Both initiatives were part of the scientific journey that counted with the participation, among others, of painter Graça Morais and film specialist António Preto.


text:
MOBA Game UI design
- 2 hours on-demand video
- 5 downloadable resources
- Full lifetime access
- Access on mobile and TV
- Certificate of Completion
Get your team access to 4,000+ top Udemy courses anytime, anywhere.Try Udemy for Business
- Design a MOBA UI inside Photoshop
- Understand using tools and layers inside photoshop
- Photoshop Layer Styles
- How to design a clean user interface
- A basic understanding of photoshop and its tools
- An appreciation of Moba genre Games
- Simple Gaming Knowledge
This course covers the basics of designing a game user interface or concept inside Photoshop. It details the tools used and also the use of layer styles to create your concept/design.
This course will help you learn the uses of certain Photoshop tools, shortcuts and layer styles at a beginner level and hopefully help you to advance your skills within this area and grow your understanding of a very powerful peice of software with a variety of uses.
This course includes the design psd as well as free resources and textures that were used in the creation of the design.
- Suited for Indie Game developers
- Esports Graphic Designers


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For those space tweeps that live in New York City or will be there, check out the upcoming lecture series courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History!
Frontiers in Astrophysics Lecture Series
Strange New Worlds with Ray Jayawardhana
When: October 3, 2011 | 7:30 pm
Where: American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium Space Theater (Enter at 81st Street)
Price: $15 ($13.50 Members, students, seniors)
Soon astronomers expect to find alien "Earths" by the dozens in orbit around distant suns. Before the decade is out, telltale signs that these planets harbor life may be found. If they are, the ramifications for all areas of human thought—from religion and philosophy to art and biology—will be breathtaking. In Strange New Worlds, renowned astronomer Ray Jayawardhana brings news from the front lines of the epic quest to find planets—and alien life—beyond our solar system.
A book signing will follow.


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We're On A Mission To Achieve Water Independence For 3 Million People.
The mission of the Water Independence program is to help our partnered communities fortify their water systems against breakages and abandonment. Water Independence is a commitment between Water Collective and a partnered community to ensure lasting clean water. We commit to rigorous training, deep involvement, and customization to work towards sustainable ownership. Communities are given guidance and directional growth, while still possessing the freedom to adapt clean water care as they see fit. Once communities have surpassed the two-year mark (a time statistically shown to result with broken water projects), Water Independence is declared on the third year of clean flowing water.
Our goal is to build water independent communities that can sustain their water systems with local resources. We believe that failure reformation won't materialize until we invest in making water maintenance a cultural and social movement. We want to shift communities away from reliance on foreign aid and make autonomous, water independent communities the norm.
Communities not only work towards Water Independence with their neighbors, but they also work towards it with other communities working towards the same goal. The network of Water Independence connects villages throughout our operating countries so that they can share resources, problem-solve, and keep water flowing together. In the world of Water Independence, no one is left to fend for themselves, clean water is forever.
Help us further our work, become an Independence Guardian today:


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Call of the Wild: Largest Animal Sound Archive Goes Digital
CREDIT: S.A. Sonsthagen/USGS
An archive of tens of thousands of animal sounds has just gone online.
The searchable Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology boasts nearly 150,000 digital audio recordings, covering about 9,000 noisy species, with a total run time of 7,513 hours. Though there's an emphasis on birds, the collection contains sounds from across the animal kingdom, from elephants to elephant seals.
Some of the highlights of the collection include recordings of the curl-crested manucode, a bird-of-paradise in New Guinea, whose otherworldly calls sound like UFOs landing in a sci-fi movie. There's also a clip of a song sparrow recorded in 1929 by Cornell Lab founder Arthur Allen, which is the earliest recording in the collection.
"Our audio collection is the largest and the oldest in the world. Now, it's also the most accessible," library director Mike Webster said in a statement. "We're working to improve search functions and create tools people can use to collect recordings and upload them directly to the archive. Our goal is to make the Macaulay Library as useful as possible for the broadest audience possible."
"Now that we've digitized the previously archived analog recordings, the archival team is focusing on new material from amateur and professional recordists from around the world to really, truly build the collection," audio curator Greg Budney said. "Plus, it's just plain fun to listen to these sounds. Have you heard the sound of a walrus underwater? It's an amazing sound."
You can check out the sounds of walruses and other animals here: _URL_.
MORE FROM LiveScience.com


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- Define "public policy" and describe the policymaking process as it applies to American national government institutions.
- Explain the principles underlying the American health-care system and the issues facing that system.
- Describe the environmental policies of the United States and the role of the Environmental Protection Agency in implementing these policies.
- Analyze American energy policy and discuss how it encourages energy independence.
- Describe the national policies for ending poverty in the United States and alleviating the issues caused by economic downturns.
- Discuss the issues raised by immigration into the United States and the proposed reforms to the immigration system.


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FREE SHIPPING on ALL Orders!
Angelica 14 is a pain relieving formula, mainly intended for treatment of headache, neck pain, and other upper-body pains. The formula is based on several traditional prescriptions: Ophiopogon and Asarum Combination, Cnidium and Tea Formula, and Chiang-huo Combination. The traditional description of the pain syndrome is stagnation due to invasion of wind. This is a condition in which the blood vessels contract, producing the pain sensation. The upper body is most susceptible to wind. Several of the herbs of this formula are said to dispel wind and relieve surface congestion, including angelica, chrysanthemum, cnidium, chiang-huo, siler, and vitex. Except for chrysanthemum, these herbs have a warming quality: the warming nature of the herbs is a contributor to the desired rapid effect, which is a strong dispersing action. Scute, rehmannia, and chin-chiu clear internal heat and prevent heat agitation from exacerbating the surface wind. Although this formula is intended for short-term use in treating individual bouts of wind invasion, with appropriate accompanying treatments it can be utilized as a preventive agent for those who experience repeated wind invasion. Easy susceptibility to wind invasion suggests that the vessels are not richly supplied with qi and blood. In cases of blood stasis causing headache, add or substitute Cnidium 9 or Upper Palace Tablets; for wind-heat, try Chrysanthemum 9, and for liver fire headache, try Long Dan Xie Gan Wan.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.


Two: Description of the Metres
2.2 The flexible syllabic metres, vaṇṇacchandas
(varṇacchandas) type 1
(a.k.a. akkharacchandas [Skt: akṣaracchandas])
In these the line length is determined by the number of syllables there are in a line, e.g. Siloka normally has 8; Tuṭṭhubha 11; Jagatī 12. These metres have a more or less fixed cadence (i.e. the closing rhythm of a line), but allow a greater freedom in the rest of the line, in which they differ from vaṇṇacchandas type 2. The syllabic metres are the most common type found in the canon.


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One important goal of the SAS project was to develop an educational outreach component. The team decided to use Ocean Acidification
as the theme for a project based learning curriculm. Lesson plans were created to introduce the fundamental chemical principles that
explain ocean acidification and to show how technology has been developed to advance our scientific research. The final lesson plan involves students building their own
simplified water sampler (or Mini-SAS). This lesson is a great introduction to the new'maker movement' and provides students with a simple and guided introduction into becoming an engineer.
Lesson 1: Introduction to Chemistry and Ocean Acidification
The goal of this lesson is to reinforce basic scientific principles taught in the classroom and apply them to increase students' comprehension of ocean acidification, an environmental issue that is threatening marine ecosystems. Students will first learn about pH and buffering capacity of solutions such as oceans. They will then explore the influence of humans and marine animals and plants on the acidity of the oceans. Lastly, students will learn how natural resources and the historical rise in the use of fossil fuels has contributed to increasing atmospheric CO2 and ocean acidification.
Lesson Plan 1:
Introduction to Chemistry and Ocean Acidification
Supplement presentation to introduce ocean acidification
Lesson 2: Science and Technology
In this lesson students will be introduced to the concept that science and technology go hand-in-hand. It is a simple concept but one that is becoming more apparent as new breakthroughs in science are often brought about by new technologies. In return, scientific discoveries are often the foundation for developing new technologies. Students are also introduced to the Engineering Design Process, which is similar to the scientific method. There is a brief activity outlined in the lesson plan to give students some inspiration for STEM projects.
The activity is a presentation based on important milestones in the ocean science and technology fields that have brought NOAA to the forefront of marine research around the world.
Lesson 3: Build a Mini-SAS
A lesson plan and material list are provided to allow students an opportunity to build a simplified sampler, or Mini-SAS, of their own. The design is based on the circuitry of the SAS, but made with a Sparkfun kit and a few accessory parts. Students work in groups to assemble the components on a breadboard and connect the Arduino microcontroller to that. There is an exciting challenge for the students to sample water from one vial and transfer it to another by customizing the delay and volume of water sampled.


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Let's get started with creating our first form using the powerful Kali Forms plugin.
Step 1. Access your WordPress admin panel
You can access the admin section of your WordPress installation by adding /wp-admin to your website URL.
Step 2. Navigate to the Kali Forms page
Use the admin panel sidebar in order to navigate to the KaliForms main section.
Step 3. Add a new form
Create a new form by clicking the Add new button.
Step 4. Set the general form options
Here you can choose to use one of our pre-defined form templates, these come with a complete configuration of the form fields, layout and email notifications. The current templates available are:
Kali Forms Lite
Contact form, Employee information form.
Kali Forms Pro
Appointment form, Customer feedback form, Art contest, Job application, Gaming tournament registration.
If these do not meet your needs, you can also opt to start building the form from scratch.
The general form settings are:
- The Form Name: this can be typed in directly in the top-left corner of your browser.
- Required field mark: with this option you can control the sign used to highlight required fields, the most common mark being *.
- Multiple selector separator: when using fields that allow multiple options, for example checkbox groups, this will be used to separate the values.
- Remove CAPTCHA for logged in users: speed up the form submission process by disabling the reCAPTCHA field for logged in users.
- Global error message: a global message displayed when any validation error occurs. This message is separate from the field validation message.
- Show thank you message: choose to show the thank you message after the form is submitted.
- Save form submissions: you can opt out of storing form submissions in your database with this option and only have the information send via the email notifications.
- Submissions view page: the URL of the page that will display the form submissions, these will be shown through the [kaliforms-submission] shortcode.
- Thank you message: the message displayed after the form is successfully submitted.
- Redirect URL: after submitting the form you will be redirected to the URL configured in this field.
- Form CSS ID: with this option you can add an extra CSS ID to your form.
- Form CSS Class: here you can add an extra CSS class to your form.
Step 5. Add the form fields
Use the Drag & Drop builder in order to start adding fields to your form. The fields available in the basic package are: textbox, textarea, freetext, divider, dropdown, radio group, checkbox group, date picker, file upload, reCAPTCHA, submit button.
Step 6. Configure the email notifications
After setting up your form, you can enable one or multiple email notifications on each form submission. You can read an in-depth presentation of the email configuration in the following article.
Step 7. Save your first form
The most important action during the form creation process is to save your changes, it is recommended to do this after configuring each section of the form.


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Problems
Ugly Number II
Problem
Write a program to check whether a given number is an ugly number.
Ugly numbers are positive numbers whose prime factors only include 2, 3, 5. For example, 6, 8 are ugly while 14 is not ugly since it includes another prime factor 7.
Note that 1 is typically treated as an ugly number.
Online Judge


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This project established a production hub of rice seeds that are improved and appropriate for the local conditions in Hoa Tien commune, Hoa Vang District. It contributed to enhancing agricultural yields, strengthened rice cultivation and enhanced the post-harvest processing methods.
- Rice productivity at the project site increased to 6.63 tons/ha, representing an increase of 0.78 ton/ha; the cost of production materials was reduced significantly; organic fertilizers introduced and substituted for chemical fertilizers.
- 249 households trained in seed production, irrigation, fertilization, integrated pest management, and impurity elimination and monitoring.
- 100 households engaged in the demonstration of new techniques in rice fertilization, plant protection and water saving for 6.2 hectares of paddy land; seed-testing laboratory renovated, 12 new rice-seed varieties tested, and 2 successful varieties identified.
- A marketing strategy for the new seed varieties developed with the support of the public and private sectors.


Hann or Hanning or Raised Cosine
The Hann window (or hanning or raised-cosine window) is defined based on the settings $ \alpha=1/2$ and $ \beta=1/4$ in (3.17):
$\displaystyle w_H(n)=w_R(n) \left[ \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{2} \cos( \Omega_M n) \right] = w_R(n) \cos^2\left(\frac{\Omega_M}{2} n\right) \protect$ (4.18)
where $ \Omega_M \isdeftext 2\pi/M$.
The Hann window and its transform appear in Fig.3.9. The Hann window can be seen as one period of a cosine ''raised'' so that its negative peaks just touch zero (hence the alternate name ''raised cosine''). Since it reaches zero at its endpoints with zero slope, the discontinuity leaving the window is in the second derivative, or the third term of its Taylor series expansion at an endpoint. As a result, the side lobes roll off approximately 18 dB per octave. In addition to the greatly accelerated roll-off rate, the first side lobe has dropped from $ -13$ dB (rectangular-window case) down to $ -31.5$ dB. The main-lobe width is of course double that of the rectangular window. For Fig.3.9, the window was computed in Matlab as hanning(21). Therefore, it is the variant that places the zero endpoints one-half sample to the left and right of the outermost window samples (see next section).
Figure 3.9: The Hann window (hanning(21)) and its DTFT.


players—produce an audible 60-cycle hum when in the presence of certain types of lights, transformers, and other electrical fields
 - Humbucker pickups feature two coils wrapped opposite from each other such that they cancel annoying 60-cycle hum. Since the humbucker samples the string in two places—once for each coil—it generates a smoother, rounder tone. And since there are two magnets involved, humbuckers usually generate a more powerful signal, giving the amplifier more to work with. Humbuckers tend to generate more sustain than single-coils but with less note definition and high end. Some humbuckers are available with a coil-tapping control, which allows you to opt to use only a single coil in the pickup, thus generating the characteristic single-coil sound.
 - Piezo pickups are made of a non-magnetic crystalline material that generates an extremely weak signal when compressed in the string saddle. This faint signal requires preamplification before it's ready for a normal amplifier. Usually onboard active electronics are used to boost the signal. On electric guitars piezos are typically individual elements incorporated in the string saddle. Some electric guitars with piezos have special 13-pin outputs for synth guitar, in which the guitar's signal triggers purely synthetic tones as on a keyboard. Otherwise, the piezo tone is often used to approximate the sound of an acoustic guitar.
_TAG_ guitar wiring
The point of mounting pickups at various spots on the guitar's body is to facilitate different kinds of tone. Pickups located near the bridge sample the strings where they have the least overall motion. The result is accentuated treble sounds or "bite." Pickups located nearer the center of the strings—closer to the neck of the guitar—produce a tone characterized by more midrange and bass sounds. There have been hundreds of different wiring schemes for generating different tones from a guitar's pickups, but the following are the most common:
 - The blade selector is a flat bar (hence the name) that slides in a slot and usually has five detent positions. (Vintage models and guitars with two pickups often have only three.) In a standard three-pickup configuration, such as that on most Fender Stratocasters, the forward position activates the pickup nearest the neck, the second position activates both the neck and middle pickups, the middle position activates the middle pickup only, the fourth position activates the middle and bridge pickups, and the rear position activates only the bridge pickup. The blade selector is commonly accompanied by a master volume control and two tone knobs that allow you to add or subtract treble tones. The front tone knob controls the neck pickup and the rear tone knob controls both the bridge and middle pickups.
 - Guitars featuring only two pickups—such as the Gibson Les Paul, SG, and ES-335—often feature a 3-way toggle switch that selects among neck, both, or bridge pickups. For most such configurations, each pickup has its own independent volume and tone controls that allow you to control the level and treble on each pickup precisely.
_TAG_ guitar woods
Because the sound of an electric guitar with magnetic pickups comes purely from the interaction of the strings with the pickup, you might wonder why wood is important at all. The reason is that the wood from which a guitar is constructed determines how long the strings vibrate and affects the shape of their motion. A resonant wood also allows the pickup itself to move. The combination of these two types of motion means that a guitar's wood and general construction have a great deal of impact on the tone.
 - Maple is generally used to make guitar necks. It is a very dense, hard wood that is not rare and often displays brilliant figuring when milled. It's figuring, its white/blonde color, and its tonal characteristics make it a favorite wood for a veneer or top laminate on more expensive solidbody guitars. It is also found as a top wood in some archtop guitars, where it is usually laminated. Its hardness brings out the trebles in a guitar's sound. It is sometimes used as a fretboard wood where it adds definition to the sound.
 - Mahogany is a very dense, strong, but not terribly hard, hardwood used in all parts of guitar manufacture except fretboards and bridges, which require harder wood. A mahogany neck and back is a common combination on short-scale guitars with maple tops such as the Gibson Les Paul. Another common combination is an all-mahogany body and neck (except the fretboard). Since mahogany is not very hard, it tends to emphasize the midrange and bass tones for a mellower guitar sound. Mahogany is a very resonant wood that enhances a guitar's sustain. It is generally a uniform rich brown color.
 - Rosewood is the most common wood found on electric guitar fretboards. It is very dense and hard and can be quite beautiful, ranging in color from almost black to variegated brown and blond.
 - Ebony is a very hard, dense wood that is used primarily on fretboards of more expensive guitars. It imparts a silky feel to the fretboard and is usually almost entirely black.
 - Ash is a common body material in solidbody guitars. It is harder than mahogany and very resonant, imparting both ringing sustain and bright tone with a well-defined midrange. An attractive, blondish wood, it is often used as an alternate for models with see-through finishes when alder would be used for opaque finishes. Swamp ash is a particularly well-figured and beautiful wood used on higher-end guitars.
 - Alder possesses similar tonal characteristics to ash but is less costly and not as pretty. It is perhaps the most common body wood on solidbody electric guitars. It is generally light tan in color.
 - Agathis is similar to alder in appearance and tonal characteristics, though not quite as resonant. It is commonly found on affordable guitars of recent manufacture.
 - Nato, also known as Eastern mahogany, has a warm resonance, is very strong, and is often used in the necks of less expensive electric guitars because it's not as costly as mahogany.
_TAG_ guitar neck construction
Electric guitar makers use three different methods of attaching the guitar neck to the body:
Bolt-on Neck
Bolt-on Neck
Set Neck
Set Neck
 - Bolt-on necks are attached into a fitted slot in the body by means of three or four wood screws running through the back of the body and into the back of the neck. This method of attaching necks was critical in the development of the electric guitar because it reduced production costs, making electric guitars very affordable. A bolt-on neck can be replaced, adjusted, or repaired with far less skilled labor than is required for other neck types. Most Fender guitars (among many others) employ this neck style, and some of the world's most sought-after vintage guitars feature bolt-on necks.
 - The neck on a set neck guitar is glued into the body and sometimes has an extension, called the tenon, which reaches past the fretboard and deeper into the body. This type of neck is used on Gibson guitars (among many others) and produces a very tight neck joint that freely transfers vibration between the body and neck. A set neck is more expensive to fashion and much more difficult to repair or change.
 - Neck-through guitars are built around a single column of wood that extends from the tip of the headstock through to the strap button at the tail. This column can either be a single piece or several pieces laminated together side-by-side.
 - The "wings" of body wood are glued onto the sides of this central column of wood. Neck-through bodies produce maximum sustain and have the huge advantage of no large heel where the neck meets the body, thus providing the freest access to the higher registers. Neck-through guitars are expensive to manufacture, but there are some amazingly affordable models such as the ESP H-250.
_TAG_ guitar bridges
Tune-o-Matic Bridge
Tune-o-matic Bridge
Two-point Rocking Tremolo
Two-point Rocking Tremolo
Locking Vibrato
Locking Vibrato
Stop-bar Tailpiece
Wraparound Stop-bar Tailpiece
Six-point Rocking Tremolo
Six-point Rocking Tremolo
Brass Barrel Saddles
Brass Barrel Saddles
The bridge is the part on the body of the guitar over which the strings run before they terminate on the body or tailpiece. Electric guitar bridges are important for two primary reasons. First, they are often used to intonate the strings, varying the string length to compensate for slight differences between the strings (gauge, material, and so on) and assuring that each string remains in tune when fretted on the higher frets. A second, much more fun, feature of some electric guitar bridges and string terminations is that they rock, allowing the player to introduce vibrato into his or her playing by means of wiggling a vibrato arm or whammy bar. The note or notes can be slightly or radically bent down and/or up by rocking the bridge. Bridges which serve this function are often called tremolos. This is musically incorrect (tremolo means a repeating variation in volume, not pitch), but has been used so long it is accepted terminology. Only specific models allow you to pull notes up. Here are the most common types of bridges and string terminations:
 - Tune-o-matic bridge—originally developed by Gibson in the 1950s, this is a very common design that allows for individual intonation of strings and overall adjustment of string heights
 - The two-point rocking trem, or fulcrum vibrato, features individual string saddles that are adjustable for int


10 Times Packaging Went Overboard
Whether it's a tiny item in a big box or an insane amount of Bubble Wrap, some retailers take packaging too far.
If you do as much online shopping as we do, you've probably run into over-packaging before. You ordered something small, and it arrived at your house in a box large enough to store your entire wardrobe (with the Bubble Wrap to match). Or you ordered 10 things, and they all came in individual boxes.
Over-packaging isn't just frustrating; it's creating a big problem. Packaging materials make up more than 40% of the solid waste stream in the United States, according to Packaging Digest. Most of that ends up in a landfill.
We all know the drill: reduce, reuse, recycle. But why aren't our favorite online retailers on board? We found 10 examples of ridiculous packaging that prove it's time for retailers to rethink how products are shipped.
memory card packaging
The Nesting SD Card
It started out as an SD card. Then it got shoved into a plastic protective case. Then the plastic protective case got its own plastic clamshell cover. Finally, it shipped to the consumer in a massive box, complete with a seemingly endless roll of wrapping paper. Maybe nesting SD cards are the new collectors' items?
toy set packaging
Maybe Amazon Thought It Was a Real Car?
Our second example appears to be a child's small toy car set. These sets are typically lightweight and come in very small boxes, but the toy was shipped in a box large enough to fit a small car.
Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration. Nevertheless, the box and packing materials are a little much.
packaging for phone
Or Maybe It's Nesting Boxes?
In our next example, we can place the blame squarely on the retailer. This Flickr user ordered a new smartphone. You know, those fancy, streamlined, thin-as-a-piece-of-paper things you can fit in your pocket? The phone was packaged neatly into a tiny box, which was put into a slightly larger box, which was then put into a huge box.
box with SD card
The SD Cards Are Back
Maybe the real lesson here is to never order an SD card online unless you need a huge box for moving. Here's another example of a small, lightweight SD card being shipped in a box that's big enough to almost cover an entire desk.
packaging for ruler
How Many Air Bags Does It Take to Keep a Ruler Safe?
We count 20. A customer ordered a single ruler off of Amazon. The ruler does fit lengthwise in the bottom of the box, and technically the 20 pieces of protective packaging fit, too. We're just not sure they were necessary.
packaging for paring knives
Don't Play With Knives, Kids
Knives should probably be packaged pretty securely — even if they're plastic — but this might be too much. Each paring knife was wrapped in protective cardboard and placed in its own box. Then the three boxes were placed in another even larger box and wrapped with air cushions. Overkill? We think so.
packaging for maple syrup
Sometimes It Isn't the Size of the Box
One of our biggest gripes? Not just getting too large a box, but getting too many shipments. This plastic container of maple syrup was shipped separately from the rest of the order. With plenty of space in that huge box, it looks like the items could have been shipped together.
packaging for socket organizers
Organizing Your Organizers
Maybe Sears knew this customer was pro-organization? The person did buy socket organizers, after all. Perhaps the company was just trying to show off its skills to a fellow enthusiast by packing each organizer neatly in its own box?
box with inflatable packaging
A Tranquil Sea of Bubbles
We're not sure what's going on here. The item is clearly unprotected on one side, but oh-so-protected on the other. In fact, there is so much inflatable packaging perfectly in place, it's almost peaceful to look at. If only all that plastic wasn't going to waste.
packaging for padded envelopes
Padding for Your Padding
How do you ship padded envelopes? With even more padding, of course! This customer's set of padded mailers were placed in a box, wrapped with inflatable packaging, and then placed in another box. If only a padded envelope had a way of protecting itself.
Readers, what examples of ridiculous packaging do you have to share? Let us know in the comments below!
DealNews Contributing Writer
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In the past year, I have had the opposite problem with Amazon's shipments of paperback books. They have been under-protected and as such, I have had to return most, if not all, of them.
I have the name of a merchant who is the perfect example of all of the above. Jet.com, I love you, but your packaging skills need work.
I buy a lot from Ebay when i'm not in a hurry and Ebay sellers know the bigger a package the less profit. SD cards come in envelopes, boxes are filled with product not air.
like the person below me I used to think Prime was the answer. However, I'm starting to see a lot of items change to "add on items" this is a marketing strategy to get consumers to spend more to get stuff to ship. Prime members are not excluded from having to pay $25 or more for it to ship.
I once had to get something for amazon but was just less than a dollar under the free shipping threshold. I searched for something as a filler, I found an item that was perfect. It was some product manual. I expected it to be shipped together. But amazon shipped it separate (why then enforce, with the paper manual in its own box, not an envelope. I kept that box unopened for a long time to be reminded of the waste that comes along with online shopping. Later I got Prime and don't need to worry about fillers.
send extra packaging to texas.


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Subquery and JOIN
Here you are shown how to convert subqueries into JOIN functions this would be done as using subqueries that contain no aggregate functions unnecessarily causes the response speed of the query to slow down.
DROP TABLE jobs; DROP TABLE ranks; DROP TABLE salary;
CREATE TABLE jobs( employee VARCHAR(40), title VARCHAR(40)); INSERT INTO jobs VALUES ('Gordon Russell','Lecturer'); INSERT INTO jobs VALUES ('Andrew Cumming','Teaching fellow'); INSERT INTO jobs VALUES ('Jim Smith','Technician'); CREATE TABLE ranks ( title VARCHAR(40), rank VARCHAR(40)); INSERT INTO ranks VALUES ('Lecturer','LECT1'); INSERT INTO ranks VALUES ('Teaching fellow','LECT2'); INSERT INTO ranks VALUES ('Technician','TECH1'); CREATE TABLE salary ( rank VARCHAR(40), payment INTEGER); INSERT INTO salary VALUES ('LECT1',2000); INSERT INTO salary VALUES ('LECT2',3000); INSERT INTO salary VALUES ('TECH1',5000); INSERT INTO salary VALUES ('TECH2',6000);
SELECT payment FROM salary WHERE rank = (SELECT rank FROM ranks WHERE title = (SELECT title FROM jobs WHERE employee = 'Andrew Cumming'))
This subquery would be more efficient if it was changed to a
JOIN as there are no
aggregate functions in the queries.
- Use the following steps to change a subquery into a
- Mark all columns with the table name they came from
- If you use the same table in two different
FROMclauses, use aliases
- Move all
FROMstatements together to form a single
- Delete all occurrences of (
WHEREfor AND after the first occurence of
SELECT payment FROM salary, ranks, jobs WHERE salary.rank = ranks.rank AND ranks.title = jobs.title AND jobs.employee = 'Andrew Cumming'
JOIN ONfunctions would also work with:
SELECT payment FROM salary JOIN ranks ON (salary.rank = ranks.rank) JOIN jobs ON (ranks.title = jobs.title) WHERE jobs.employee = 'Andrew Cumming'