au Apple reportedly releasing a wall-mounted smart home tablet in 2025 - and yes, it does AI - Yahoo Finance Australia By news.google.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 23:53:38 GMT Apple reportedly releasing a wall-mounted smart home tablet in 2025 - and yes, it does AI Yahoo Finance AustraliaApple’s next device might make your home a lot smarter Sydney Morning HeraldApple's Next Big Move Could Be Home Security Cameras PCMag AU Full Article
au ASX falls as banks drop; MinRes sinks, James Hardie rallies - The Australian Financial Review By news.google.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 05:28:00 GMT ASX falls as banks drop; MinRes sinks, James Hardie rallies The Australian Financial ReviewWages growth slows, CBA logs flat first-quarter profit, ASX falls — as it happened ABC NewsMarkets today: ASX slides as ‘Trump trade’ peters out on Wall Street; miners, banks fall Sydney Morning Herald Full Article
au NSW nurses strike heaps wage pressure on Minns government - The Australian Financial Review By news.google.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 08:16:00 GMT NSW nurses strike heaps wage pressure on Minns government The Australian Financial ReviewHundreds of elective surgeries cancelled as 10,000 nurses and midwives walk off job in NSW ABC NewsNurses took to the streets after ‘insulting’ pay offer. Next stop, court Sydney Morning HeraldAlmost 700 surgeries cancelled as 12,000 NSW nurses strike for better pay 9News Full Article
au As it happened: Donald Trump ally taunts Kevin Rudd; WiseTech shareholders launch class action - Sydney Morning Herald By news.google.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 07:01:11 GMT As it happened: Donald Trump ally taunts Kevin Rudd; WiseTech shareholders launch class action Sydney Morning HeraldDitching Rudd over Trump insults would be ‘worst possible signal’: Turnbull Sydney Morning HeraldSenior Liberal calls for Rudd to be sacked after Trump advisor suggests US ambassador is on thin ice 9News Full Article
au Elon Musk’s job as Trump’s bureaucracy buster could be just the start - The Australian Financial Review By news.google.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 03:47:00 GMT Elon Musk’s job as Trump’s bureaucracy buster could be just the start The Australian Financial ReviewElon Musk tapped for ‘government efficiency’ role by Donald Trump Sydney Morning HeraldEvening News Bulletin 13 November 2024 SBS NewsDonald Trump wants Elon Musk to slash regulations as he reveals his role ABC News Full Article
au Autumn 2022 issue of Agapé available By oto-usa.org Published On :: Mon, 03 Oct 2022 00:08:24 +0000 The Autumn 2022 issue of Agapé, the official journal of U.S. Grand Lodge O.T.O., is now available. This and all previous issues can be found here. Full Article Agape
au Of all homonymic months, August is the most majestic By radar.spacebar.org Published On :: Sat, 31 Aug 2024 10:11:27 -0400 I’m traveling for the long weekend. Either I’m having bad luck with the epic heat waves or there have been a lot of epic heat waves, because again the short road trip threatens to be tyrannized by the hot air. It did at least touch 100°F this time, so at least it is a proper respectable heat wave. We are in a place called Hocking Hills, whose AirBnB has these OBX-style stickers that say “HHO”, which could either be confusingly “Hills, HOcking,” or perhaps “Hocking Hills, Ohio”, but not “Hocking hills OHio” as one might expect. I plan to stick the sticker upside-down for “OHH”, as in “Ohh yeah, I need to write a post on Tom 7 Radar for the month of August, and I need to do it on this mediocre wi-fi which Google Internet Speed Test describes as ‘fine’ while everyone else drinks beers outside.” Fair enough: This is a self-imposed curse and one that’s easily tended to at any time during the month. During the month: I worked again on making my own video codec, which is a very bad way to spend one’s time, but I don’t think there are any modern lossless codecs that would be suitable for my use case. And I do like a data compression project because of the inherent benchmarkability. The use case is for the increasingly common situation where I have a program generating a series of video frames (e.g. BoVeX is making an animation), which I usually do by writing a sequence of PNG files to disk. I’m way ahead of PNG files so far even without doing any inter-frame stuff, which is not impressive, but does make me feel like it’s at least not totally pointless. (Still, it’s quite pointless: Sure I can make these files smaller at significant cost of complexity and encoding times, but these animations typically use space similar to like one second of 4K 60fps XF-AVC footage.) Sometimes programming your own lossless video codec is a bit too fast-paced so you need to write a Wikipedia article from scratch about Clairton Coke Works by digging through newspaper archives. I haven't even gotten to the last 30 years of its history yet! I also rounded out the Cyrillic in FixederSys though I don't think I've uploaded a new version of that yet. As usual I did some hacking on secret projects. UHH, elsewise, I did finish off Animal Well which I liked very much. My spoilerless advice to you is: Don't try to 100% this game without at least looking at a spoiler-controlled guide! But I did have fun once I felt like I was stuck-ish finishing the remaining postgame puzzles. I have also been playing Chippy, a bullet-hell twin-stick shooter that is quite hard (I usually feel good at this genre) and has several new good ideas in it. It's essentially all boss fights, and the chief innovation is that you fight the giant bosses by disconnecting pieces of them. I'm on the last boss so I will probably finish that one soon. As I have confessed many times, I like dumb first-person shooter games, and I played through Trepang 2 this month as well. It does have a few moments, but it was mostly pretty dumb, like I wanted. And then I started Touhou Luna Nights, which is a "Metroidvania" fan-game with great pixel art and music. OK, I should get back to this vacation! Full Article
au Book Review: THE EERIE BROTHERS AND THE WITCHES OF AUTUMN By hellnotes.com Published On :: Wed, 06 Nov 2024 20:04:20 +0000 The Eerie Brothers and the Witches of Autumn Sheldon Higdon Scary Dairy Press LLC (September 4, 2023) Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy The Eerie Brothers and the Witches of Autumn finds Horace and Edgar, the twin Eerie brothers, battling monsters to stop Hex from collecting one of the four globes to absorb the abilities of […] The post Book Review: THE EERIE BROTHERS AND THE WITCHES OF AUTUMN first appeared on Hellnotes. Full Article Book Reviews Hellnotes Reviews Horror Authors / Books Horror News
au BORROWED TIME release and launch photo report! By greglsblog.blogspot.com Published On :: Mon, 16 Nov 2015 14:57:00 +0000 As of November 10, 2015, BORROWED TIME (the sequel to CHRONAL ENGINE) is now available in bookstores everywhere as well as online (in hardcover and ebook)! Signed copies are available from BookPeople. In an article titled, 'Borrowed Time' mixes paleontology and fantasy, Saturday's Austin American-Statesman had a great review of BORROWED TIME, stating it's "a slam-dunk for dinosaur aficionados and will appeal as well to those who are fans of literary time travel and outdoorsy adventure." Sunday was the launch party at BookPeople! I had great fun doing a presentation discussing the connections between the book, Charles Umlauf, dinosaurs, Johnny Weissmuller, and me (really). The dinosaur standees for the photo booth were a hit, as were the refreshments including water, soft drinks, wine and cheese, and crackers. (The wine, from the Languedoc region of France, is made from grapes grown in Cretaceous clays where dinosaur fossils have have been found). But the real eye-opener was the mosasaur cake by author/cakelustrator Akiko White. About two feet high, it featured a mosasaur sculpted from modeler's chocolate on a chocolate cake base with buttercream frosting! She'll be doing a youtube video on the making of it soon (and I'll link when it's available). Suffice to say that still pictures don't do it justice -- it was mounted on a motorized turntable and illuminated with a blue strobe that made it look like it was underwater! Here are the pics: Me and cake Carmen Oliver and T.rex Akiko assembles! (photo courtesy Akiko White) Presenting (photo courtesy Akiko White) Cake! Refreshments Signing Frances Hill and Lindsey Lane (photo courtesy of Shelley Ann Jackson) Shelley Ann Jackson and Lindsey Lane (photo courtesy Shelley Ann Jackson) Many thanks to BookPeople for hosting the event, to everyone who came for the event, and to everyone who helped out: Akiko, for making the awesome cake; Cynthia Leitich Smith; Carmen Oliver; Lindsey Lane; Shelley Ann Jackson; and Cory Putnam Oakes! Cake topper in its natural habitat Full Article book launches Borrowed Time Chronal Engine dinosaurs
au Pizza a Day Diet: Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. (The ABGB) By greglsblog.blogspot.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Jan 2016 23:23:00 +0000 Today's pizza a day diet pizza came from the Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. at 1305 W. Oltorf (right next to the train tracks). I hit the place in mid-afternoon, so it was pretty empty (Happy hour is from 3 pm to 7 pm, though, so it filled quickly :-)). You order food and beer at the bar and they bring it to your table. Inside are long wooden tables with benches, for social/communal beer-gardening in the Bavarian tradition. Outside are round tables under the live oaks for beer gardening in the Austin tradition. :-). I ordered a sausage pizza (boring, I know :-), but I like to try new places out on the basics). It was delivered hot and fresh; the crust was somewhat soft but firmed up after I let it cool a little. It had a nice chew and stood up to the ingredients. The sausage had a more subtle flavor than I was expecting, but I really liked it and its freshness. The cheese and sauce were also quite good. One of their "by the slice" choices had also caught my eye, so I ordered it as well. This was venison, spinach, pesto, white bean, roasted tomato, roasted garlic, and ricotta. This one was amazing (not that the sausage was bad). The crust had just the right amount of crispness and chew, but the combination of toppings really made it. It had a richness from the venison without being gamy or overwhelming, and the remaining ingredients provided a terrifically contrasting texture in every bite. Oh, and the beer was darn good, too. :-). Full Article pizza a day Pizza a Day Diet
au Austin Distance Challenge! By greglsblog.blogspot.com Published On :: Thu, 26 May 2016 16:59:00 +0000 The famous Distance Challenge fridge magnets It's been a few months, but I finally have some time to sit down and blog my having completed the Austin Distance Challenge (long course), sponsored by the Austin Runners Club. I'd done most of the events before, but decided to do the challenge itself (six races, culminating in the Austin Marathon), because I wanted to put more structure into my training for the marathon. I'd done several in the 90s, but this was my second of the century and I wanted to do better than my last one (2013). The first race was the Run Free Texas 80s 8k (for those who don't think in metric, that's about five miles) up in Cedar Park. Naturally enough, there were a couple of DeLoreans, each outfitted with a flux capacitor. Time travel being what it is, they were obviously the same car but from different time periods. :-). The course was through residential neighborhoods and parks and had some rolling hills -- nice for a beginning of the season race. Back to the Future! The second race of the Challenge was the Run for the Water Ten Miler. The course was along Lady Bird Lake and up through Tarrytown and then back downtown, There were some great hills on this course and let me know I needed more hill work...And, ironically enough, it was raining. :-) Rain and hills Race three was the Decker Challenge, a half marathon in early December with a course around Decker Lake. It's notorious for hills and really bad weather. (The last time I ran it, it was in the 40s and pouring rain). If anything, last year, it was a bit too warm. The hills were pretty brutal, though. My face when attacking the hills But Santa was there! After that, we had a month break until the Rogue Distance Festival 30k (about 18.6 miles) in early January. This one was fairly cold and probably my least favorite of the events. It was up in Cedar Park again and ran through residential neighborhoods which was fine. There was an issue with marking the course, though, so most of us got off track, which meant the mile markers were out of order so it was impossible to figure out a pace. (I think at some point, we were going in circles -- and ended up going about a mile farther than we should've.). Still, it was my longest run before the marathon and I was kind of glad it happened that way. Yay! I'm done! :-) With four events done, it was all downhill from there. Literally. The 3M Half Marathon starts up in the Great Hills area and runs a straight line down to downtown. It also has a swag bag filled with useful (and not so useful) 3M products.:-) Leo checks out the swag bag This one also started out pretty cold and way too early :-). Before dawn, in the warm car before the cold race. I really enjoyed this one, though, and it was a nice preview of many of the neighborhoods on the marathon route. Finisher! The piece de resistance, of course, was the Austin Marathon in mid-February. I like the course, but the first time I ran the Austin Marathon, it was all downhill, starting up north and snaking its way downtown. Now, there's a good bit of uphill until around mile 18. I still like the course, though, and it's not like the hills from the Decker Challenge or the Run for the Water races. I was pretty happy with my time -- my second fastest of the century! I did it in under 4 hours, which had been my goal. Next year, I'll work more on speed, but this time, I just wanted to not have my quads seize up in the last two miles :-). Running through UT campus Made it! Best time of the century! Anyway, thanks to everyone involved in putting on the races and the challenge itself: organizers, volunteers, emergency personnel, and all the rest! You keep Austin running! Full Article Austin Distance Challenge Austin Marathon Austin Runners Club races
au 2017 Books by Austinites By greglsblog.blogspot.com Published On :: Mon, 15 May 2017 12:12:00 +0000 I'm a bit late this year, but here is a preliminary listing of books written and illustrated by Austinites with releases in 2017! Note that publication dates may change and/or slip... For books from earlier years, go here. Picture Books BOOK OR BELL, by Chris Barton, ill. by Ashley Spires (Bloomsbury 2017). MIGHTY TRUCK: MUDDY MANIA, by Chris Barton, ill. by Troy Cummings (HarperCollins 2017). DAZZLE SHIPS: WORLD WAR I AND THE ART OF CONFUSION, by Chris Barton, ill. by Victo Ngai (Millbrook 2017). WHY AM I ME?, by Paige Britt, ill. by Sean Qualls & Selina Alko (Scholastic Press, Sept. 2017). WHOBERT WHOVER, OWL DETECTIVE, by Jason Gallaher (@DraftingJason), ill. by Jess Pauwels (Margaret McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, July 2017). CINNAMON, by Neil Gaiman, ill. by Divya Srinivasan (HarperCollins, May 2017). THE YOUNGEST MARCHER; THE STORY OF AUDREY MAY HENDRICKS, A YOUNG CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST, by Cynthia Levinson (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster 2017) BOB, NOT BOB, by Liz Garton Scanlon, ill. by Audrey Vernick (Disney Hyperion, Winter 2017) ANOTHER WAY TO CLIMB A TREE, by Liz Garton Scanlon, ill. by Hadley Hooper (Neal Porter Books/Roaring Brook Press, Aug. 2017). STRONG AS SANDOW: HOW EUGEN SANDOW BECAME THE STRONGEST MAN ON EARTH, by Don Tate (Charlesbridge, Aug. 2017). WHAT THIS STORY NEEDS IS A BANG AND A CLANG, by Emma Virjan (HarperCollins 2017). Middle Grade/Tween THE GREAT HIBERNATION, by Tara Dairman (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, September 2017). GNOMEAGEDDON, by K.A. Holt (McElderry Book/S&S, Fall 2017) TUT: MY EPIC BATTLE TO SAVE THE WORLD, by P.J. Hoover (Tor 2017). FAULT LINES IN THE CONSTITUTION: THE FRAMERS, THEIR FIGHTS, AND THE FLAWS THAT AFFECT US TODAY, by Cynthia Levinson and Sanford Levinson (Peachtree 2017). IF THE SHOE FITS, by Mari Mancusi (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster, Fall 2017). IN A DARK LAND, by Christina Soontornvat (Sourcebooks 2017). REVENGE OF THE HAPPY CAMPERS, by Jennifer Ziegler (Scholastic 2017). Young Adult THIS IS NOT THE END, by Chandler Baker (Disney-Hyperion, Aug. 2017). WITCHTOWN, by Cory Putnam Oakes (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Oct. 2017). THE SANDCASTLE EMPIRE, by Kayla Olson (HarperTeen 2017). AVENGED, by Amy Tintera (HarperTeen May 2017). Full Article Austin author Texas author
au Austin Distance Challenge 2016-17 By greglsblog.blogspot.com Published On :: Mon, 22 May 2017 14:44:00 +0000 This past year, I signed up for the Austin Distance Challenge again, because it was intrinsically fun, but also to ensure that I would get enough running in for the Austin Marathon. The Distance Challenge, sponsored by the Austin Runners Club, involved five races: The Run Free 8k, the Run for the Water 10 miler, the Decker Challenge half marathon, the 3M Half Marathon, and the Austin Marathon. The Run Free 8K is out in Cedar Park, a considerable distance from downtown. It leaves from one of the high school football stadiums and winds through residential neighborhoods before returning to the starting line. It's a nice start to the fall training season. The first piece of the puzzle Run for the Water goes through downtown and along the lakefront. It's one of the prettiest routes in the challenge and much of it is along routes I train on. Starting line on Cesar Chavez The drum group at the finish line A friend got this shot of me at the starting line. After that came the Decker Challenge -- a hilly route just east of Austin in Decker, and notorious for terrible weather. This year, it wasn't bad --- a bit misty with a steady drizzle. By the finish line, my glasses were so fogged up I had to take them off to see anything at all. Which made it difficult to see things like potholes... Glasses fogging up as I climb the hills Blindly crossing the finish line Not on the Challenge, but still an Austin staple was the Turkey Trot! One of the more fun races, it usually features a good number of costumes and a large helping of whimsy. After the holidays, the next race was the 3M Half Marathon. It's almost the exact opposite to the Decker Challenge, because it's all downhill. It starts up in the Great Hills area and winds its way downtown. This year it was a particularly fast run because there was an incredible wind out of the north. Several folks, including myself, were nearly blown over as we ran past the UT football stadium. A selfie at the starting line the 3M photographer got a shot of me taking my selfie After the finish in sight of the Capitol And the last race was the Austin Marathon! But. About three weeks before the race, in the middle of the night, I slipped and came down on the edge of my entertainment console and tile floors. Result? A nice set of bruised ribs and a strangely linear scar on my right side. By race day, I could still feel it a bit but had gone on short runs with only minor discomfort, so I decided to go for it. The first half went pretty well, but the second was less pleasant. But I'm still glad I did it... Looking all chipper and optimistic before the race starts Vulcan salute for the photographer Gritting it out with a hundred yards to go Finished! So my time for the marathon ended up being a personal worst, although I did make it under five hours :-). Anyway, thanks to all the organizers, volunteers, emergency personnel, and everyone else involved in putting on these races! You keep Austin running! Next up? The Capital of Texas Triathlon! Hopefully there won't be rain... Full Article Austin Distance Challenge Austin Marathon races
au 2018 Releases by Austin Authors and Illustrators By greglsblog.blogspot.com Published On :: Fri, 03 Nov 2017 14:06:00 +0000 It's the eve of the Texas Book Festival so make sure you check out the festivities on the Capitol grounds! And here's a tentative list of projects from Austin authors and illustrators releasing next year! For previous years, go here. Picture Books, Easy Readers, and Board Books WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A VOICE LIKE THAT? by Chris Barton, ill. by Ekua Holmes (Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane 2018). MIGHTY TRUCK: ON THE FARM, by Chris Barton, ill. by Troy Cummings (HarperCollins, May 2018). MIGHTY TRUCK: THE TRAFFIC TIE-UP, by Chris Barton, ill. by Troy Cummings (HarperCollins, May 2018). PENGUIN AND TINY SHRIMP DON'T DO BEDTIME, by Cate Berry, ill. by Charles Santoso (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins 2018). ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S DUELING WORDS, by Donna Janell Bowman, ill. by S.D. Schindler (Peachtree, 2018) THE BOOK THAT JAKE BORROWED, by Susan Kralovansky (Pelican 2018). COUNTING COLORS IN TEXAS, by Susan Kralovansky (Pelican 2018). KATE, WHO TAMED THE WIND, by Liz Garton Scanlon, ill. by Lee White (Schwartz & Wade, Spring 2018). FRANCES IN THE COUNTRY, by Liz Garton Scanlon, ill. by Sean Qualls (Neal Porter Books/Roaring Brook Press, Summer 2018). DEAR SUBSTITUTE, by Liz Garton Scanlon, ill. by Chris Raschka (Disney-Hyperion, Summer 2018). STALEBREAD CHARLIE AND THE RAZZY, DAZZY SPASM BAND, by Michael Mahin, ill. by Don Tate (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018). PAR-TAY: DANCE OF THE VEGGIES (AND THEIR FRIENDS), by Eloise Greenfield, ill. by Don Tate (Alazar Press 2018). POTATO KING: THE STORY OF JUNIUS G. GROVES, by Don Tate (Knopf 2018). Middle Grade THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST, by Samantha Clark (Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster, Summer 2018). KNOCKOUT, by K.A. Holt (Chronicle, Spring 2018). DEAR ME (tent. title), by K.A. Holt (Scholastic, Summer 2018). THE PARKER INHERITANCE, by Varian Johnson (Scholastic, Spring 2018). THE CAMELOT CODE: THE ONCE AND FUTURE GEEK, by Mari Mancusi (Disney-Hyperion, Oct. 2018). GIRLS WHO CODE: LIGHTS, MUSIC, CODE, by Jo Whittemore (Penguin Workshop, Spring 2018). REVENGE OF THE TEACHER'S PETS, by Jennifer Ziegler (Scholastic, June 2018). Young Adult HEARTS UNBROKEN, by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick Press, 2018). AVENGED, by Amy Tintera (HarperTeen, May 2018). Full Article Austin author Texas author
au Austin Ironman 70.3! (The training post) By greglsblog.blogspot.com Published On :: Wed, 08 Nov 2017 13:25:00 +0000 Never actually saw anyone on a horse So after having completed my first triathlon in 20 years, I decided to sign up for the Austin Ironman 70.3 on October 29! It's a "half Ironman" distance race, meaning it's a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 mile run. I figured the swim's only a little longer than an Olympic distance tri and the bike and the run are only about twice the distance, so why not? Even better, the race was just outside Austin, so I wouldn't have to travel. The swim was in Decker Lake (Walter E. Long Lake), the bike was a 56 mile loop almost out to Elgin, and the run would be in the park by the lake and up to the Travis County Convention Center. I was a little concerned about the hills (having run the Decker Challenge Half Marathon more than once) but decided that that was what training was for. That started in June, not long after the Capital of Texas Triathlon. Yes, training would be through the height of a Texas summer. And every time I went out, I would remember Noel Coward's line that "[m]ad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun..." My training program was based Triathlete Magazine's Week by Week Training Guide and involved nine workouts a week. I didn't completely adhere to all of the mileage suggestions (some weeks doing more, some less), but mostly kept to the program of two a days. By early August, the mileage was starting to pile up but it didn't seem particularly efficient (and also was getting a little tedious), so I decided to join the triathlon training/masters swim group at Pure Austin Gym and, really, it was the best decision I made in the entire process. The awesome Coach Peri Kowal leads two swim workouts a week, mostly in a pool but also including two a month in the Quarry Lake, so participants can get used to open water swimming. (Also, during the summer, the gym does a Splash N Dash (Swim 750k, then run 2k) once a month; it's good practice for the whole "group of people in the water, don't get kicked in the face" thing). Quarry Lake Somewhat to my surprise, the group was a mix from beginning triathletes to multiple Ironman (and Kona) finishers. Everyone was enthusiastic and supportive, even when insufficiently caffeinated during the Thursday morning (6 AM) workouts. Insufficiently caffeinated Best of all, there were a number of folks for whom the Austin Ironman 70.3 was to be their first half Ironman, as well, so we fell into an ad hoc training group of the equally blissfully ignorant, typically doing our long bike rides and BRicks together on weekend mornings. It was great having a mutual support group and not just when we got flat tires...(Incidentally, if you get a flat in Texas, watch out for fire ants). Anyway, here are some pics of the process: Training happens even when you're away on business Igloo coolers are our friends! Monkey Road really needs to be resurfaced Don't drive off with your cell phone on the roof of your car The gang poses after a long BRick Starting the run after a 40 mile bike ride... Kevin and Alec hamming it up... My first shoes to come with an instruction manual Celebrating Coach Peri's birthday! Sights you see along Town Lake More sights... About to test out a wetsuit Went through a lot of these... Feeling punchy three days before the race... On the whole, training took a lot of time and work and there were moments in early October when I was really ready for race day to arrive. OTOH, I'm also happy I had that extra three weeks of training.... In the end, I was really glad to have been able to do race-distance open-water swims in the Quarry Lake and to bike the race route. I think we ended up riding the route about 5-7 times altogether and it was helpful not just for putting in mileage but in learning where the potholes and seams were. Also, the BRick workouts were really helpful -- when I had done triathlons in the 90s, the bike to run transition was always terrible. This time, not so much...but that's for another post :-). I finished training feeling cautiously optimistic -- I'd put in the time and the mileage and the BRicks and the intensity and worked out my nutrition and hydration requirements and figured out how to change a flat tire without getting bit by fire ants in under ten minutes. We had generally accounted for every possible variable and had kept in mind the mantra, "Don't try anything new on race day." Except that having trained through blistering heat and humidity of Texas in the summer and fall, the weather was forecast to be 39 degrees at race start... So, how did that go? Well, I'll do Race Day Weekend in another post... Full Article Ironman races running triathlon triathlons
au Austin Ironman 70.3! (Race Weekend!) By greglsblog.blogspot.com Published On :: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 21:06:00 +0000 Okay, it's been a while, but I thought I'd finally post about the 2017 Austin Ironman 70.3 race weekend. :-). Like I mentioned in my last post, I felt fairly optimistic -- if anything I was a bit burned out on training. The big kicker, though, was that the weather was forecast to be 38 degrees race morning, which resulted in a bit of last-minute anxiety, mostly due to the mantra, "Don't do anything different on race day." That is, it is unwise in the extreme to test out new equipment or clothing on race day. Unfortunately, faced with the prospect of a 38 degree swim and bike ride (and the fact that it would warm up quickly), we had to make some last minute adjustments. The week before the race, I picked up a triathlon jersey that had sleeves, and borrowed some arm warmers from one of my training partners. Saturday morning, I went for a five mile test ride and realized I needed gloves, which necessitated a trip to Austin Tri-Cyclist, where I was not the only one making such a purchase :-). I was still a bit concerned about the swim, but I had a wetsuit, so I figured I'd done all I could do. Still, I was coveting one with sleeves... I next headed over to the Travis County Expo Center to pick up my swag bag, drop off my bicycle and gear, and check out the transition areas. Our happy faces before we get out of the car into the cold... Next morning, three of us drove out together and arrived in the cold dark of the Travis County Expo. Center at around 5:30. Did I mention that it was cold? Eventually, we got on the bus to take us to the staging area at Walter Long (Decker) Lake. There, we put on wetsuits, met up with our other training partners, and shivered a lot. Eventually, though, as the sun started to peak above the horizon, we lined up according to our projected swim times and prepared for the start of the race. I was still worried about the swim and the cold -- even though I was wearing socks (to be discarded just before start), my feet were starting to go numb and my arms were not happy either. But then it was time! I ran into the water and dived in as soon as I could. To my surprise, it was actually pleasant -- the water itself was around 68-72 degrees, so compared to the air temperature, it was balmy. The only real problem was that fog on the water and the glare of the sun were making it hard to see the buoys. About halfway through the swim I began thinking that the temperature really wasn't bad -- if anything, it was a bit too warm. Emerging from the water... But then I finished the swim and stood and was confronted by the reality of confronting an air temp of around 40 while being soaking wet. I grabbed my glasses from the special needs table and a nice man helped me get the wetsuit off. (This basically involved lying back on the wet ground, sticking my feet in the air and having him pull. Thank you, sir.). My time was a little slower than I would've liked, but I was fairly happy with it. I made it to transition, took a big swig of water, swallowed the contents of an energy gel pack, and put on my winter cycling garb. Then I was off! And it was frickin' cold. Contemplating that wind chill... It was this weird Catch-22 where you want to go as fast as possible (for the race, of course, but also so you warm up), but also kind of are thinking that if you slowed down a touch the wind chill wouldn't be quite so bad. I ended up spending the next hour shivering until the ambient temperature and I warmed up. Now, I actually kind of like the bike route -- it's mostly country roads with little traffic, and I rode the route about a half-dozen times in training. The problem with it is that a number of the roads are not exactly well=paved. Bumps and potholes and patches proliferate, especially on Monkey Road. In fact, the dip where it crosses a creek is so bumpy that by the time I got there, there were at least a dozen water bottle scattered on the ground. There were way too many hills, however :-). Beyond that, the ride felt fine, although my back began to hurt about halfway through -- I wasn't used to spending that much time in the aero position, so most of the second half of my ride was with hands on the brake hoods. I made sure to stick with my hydration and nutrition plan, so I felt pretty good by the end of it. Again, my time wasn't quite what I wanted it to be, but I was not displeased. By the time I finished the ride, it was around noon and fairly warm, so I took the time to change from my sleeved singlet to a sleeveless one (Ironman rules require that you wear a shirt). Starting to feel the legs... The run wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, although there were again too many hills :-). I was pleased at the number and size of the aid stations -- water, electrolyte drink (Gatorade, iirc), Clif energy gels, Coca-Cola, and Red Bull were all available. I was definitely feeling my legs, but my quads didn't feel like they were going to seize up like they had when I did triathlons in the 90s -- all that training paid off, I guess :-). I managed to make it through without slowing to a walk (other than at aid stations, because I can't drink and run at the same time) and ended up with a run time that was comparable to my stand-alone half-marathon times. At the finish line! My final time was 5:50:36, which I'm pretty happy about. My goal had been 6:00:00, although I did think that 5:45:00 was not out of the question. :-). Finisher photo! And medal! The gang... All in all, it was a great experience. I got out of my comfort zone, made some terrific friends, learned how to most efficiently change a bike tube, and never once thought, "I can't believe I'm paying to do this." (Okay, maybe once...). After the race! Celebrating the next day with Coach Peri! Full Article 70.3 Ironman races triathlon
au To the Moon, Mars, and beyond with the 2024 NASA Authorization By www.planetary.org Published On :: Fri, 12 Jul 2024 10:27:00 -0700 If passed, it would be the first standalone NASA authorization since 2017. Full Article
au The Europa Clipper launch: What to expect By www.planetary.org Published On :: Thu, 19 Sep 2024 07:00:00 -0700 NASA is preparing to launch its flagship mission to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa. Launching sometime in October 2024 and arriving in 2030, the mission will explore the icy world with a subsurface ocean that scientists think could have conditions favorable to life. Full Article
au The Hera launch: What to expect By www.planetary.org Published On :: Thu, 26 Sep 2024 07:00:00 -0700 The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing to launch a mission to study the aftermath of DART's impact on the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos. Full Article
au Hera launches to study the aftermath of an asteroid deflection test By www.planetary.org Published On :: Mon, 07 Oct 2024 07:58:00 -0700 The European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft launched on Oct. 7, 2024, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will travel to the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system to study the aftermath of the first-ever field test of an asteroid deflection technique. Full Article
au Europa Clipper launches on its journey to Jupiter’s icy moon By www.planetary.org Published On :: Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft launched today aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Full Article
au Why Taylor-Serrano deserves top billing over Tyson-Paul carnival By www.bbc.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 08:10:57 GMT How the inclusion of Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano on the bill legitimises the carnival of Mike Tyson v Jake Paul in Texas Full Article
au The James Brand × Timex Automatic GMT Watch By uncrate.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 12:18:54 -0500 Full Article Watches
au Creating Draugr By iron-mitten.blogspot.com Published On :: Sat, 05 Oct 2024 15:48:00 +0000 I have an idea of making a few stands of Draugr, the Viking dead. I have bought some nice Colin Pattern sculpts but thought I'd have a go at making some.I have loads of Viking sprues left over from the Lake town project, these I mixed with some Oathmark undead sprues. I will add some greenstuff to these to make them a little more Viking. Full Article Celtic Mythology
au Diepenbeek start onderzoek naar fraude door adjunct-financieel directeur: geld van lokaal bestuur verduisterd - Het Nieuwsblad By news.google.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 06:32:27 GMT Diepenbeek start onderzoek naar fraude door adjunct-financieel directeur: geld van lokaal bestuur verduisterd Het Nieuwsblad Full Article
au Meet BRAD (Berkeley's Ridiculously Automated Dorm Room) By cheezburger.com Published On :: Fri, 04 May 2012 12:00:00 -0700 Party the absolute hardest you can imaginably party! Full Article dorm room Video
au colo(u)rful sauces By separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com Published On :: Sun, 24 Mar 2024 22:45:00 +0000 In 2009, my parents came over from the US and we took a trip to Italy: Florence, Pisa, and Rome. The food, of course, was gorgeous, but often clashed with what my mother thought of as "Italian" food—the type that one gets in the northeastern US, where Italian immigrants brought over a lot of southern Italian dishes, which were then adapted as tastes and ingredients changed. Because of this, she repeatedly asked "Is it in a red sauce?" Many of the waiters found this a strange question, but they could deal with strange questions from paying foreigners. My British spouse, however, found it too annoying: "What do you MEAN?" And Mom would say "You know, a red sauce. Like [AmE] spaghetti sauce". But he didn't necessarily know, because naming sauces by colo(u)r seems to be a peculiarly monocultural thing. red sauceRed sauce was only added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in 2005, so its definition is pretty up-to-date and shows the American sense:(a) n. Any of various sauces that are red in colour, esp. (in the United States) a tomato-based sauce of southern Italian origin; (b) adj. (attributive) U.S. of or designating a type of Italian American cuisine characterized by the use of tomato-based sauces.Wikipedia tells us:Red sauce may refer to:Marinara sauce, in the United StatesKetchup, in the United Kingdom and IrelandSalsa roja, in Mexican cuisineRed curry, in Thai cuisineThat list demands a translation and a synonym. Marinara sauce in AmE refers to a rather plain tomato sauce for pasta—the default pasta sauce in the US. It is so-called because it was reputedly the kind of simple sauce made or eaten by Neapolitan sailors. In the UK, one sees the word marinara on Italian menus referring to seafood sauces.An Australian ketchupAn American passataAs far as red sauce referring to ketchup in the UK, I have heard it, but not often. Ketchup is the most common word for it in both countries, though Britons are six times more likely than Americans to call it by the full tomato ketchup (six times more likely in the 2012–13 GloWbE corpus, eight times more likely in the more recent NOW corpus). You sometimes hear in BrE the more AusE tomato sauce. In AmE, that doesn't mean 'ketchup', but is the equivalent (more or less: see comments) of the stuff that in BrE is usually called passata.brown sauceThe British have brown sauce, of which HP Sauce is the original and most famous example. It's a condiment one buys in a bottle, made with vinegar, fruits, and some form of sugar. It is most often used with breakfast, and we've seen it before in my opus about bacon sandwiches.Wikipedia's photo at brown sauceIn this vein, Americans have A.1. Sauce, which we never call brown sauce. Since the 1960s, it's been marketed as A.1. Steak Sauce—which points to another American sauce term. Steak sauce, Wikipedia tells us, is:a tangy sauce commonly served as a condiment for beef in the United States. Two of its major producers are British companiesThat last bit was news to me. I import A.1. from the States because I love it so. (I find it spicier and less treacly than HP sauce. It's also much darker.) In the UK, I've only ever seen it in Fortnum and Mason (extremely chichi shop), where they charged in the double digits for a bottle, apparently imported from the US. But A.1. (in some formulation) may still be being made in the UK for export to Asia! (The most recent reference to this I've found is 2018.)Back to brown sauce. The OED definition has not been updated since 1888, and it has only the French-cuisine inspired meaning, akin to gravy: "A brown-coloured savoury sauce, esp. one made with browned fat and flour." When I was a(n American) child in the 1970s–80s learning about cooking, I learned this among other sauce terms—though I can't say I've ever heard it in my adult life. But brown sauce was another bit of my mother's terminology that didn't help when travel(l)ing: she'd talk about her Chinese food preferences in terms of preferring brown sauce over white sauce, and British Spouse didn't understand what she meant. But, she knew what she was talking about. Goodcooking.com has a story about a sauce master at a Chinese restaurant which includes (with recipes): Two basic sauces are the brown sauce and white sauce. Brown sauce is mainly for meat dishes; beef, lamb, duck, yet he also used it in his Chendu Fish dish, to bind together moo shu and one of his tofu dishes. The white sauce was for fish and seafood, chicken and vegetable dishes. Other ingredients such as black beans, chili with garlic, preserved vegetable, ginger and garlic were added as items cooked and then his sauces were added, seconds before service to bind everything into a flavorful dish. From the spelling of flavorful, we can guess that this Chinese restaurant was in the US, and from a little knowledge of Chinese food in the anglosphere, I would guess that (a) this might be based in some specific regional Chinese cuisine, and (b) the term is not much used in British Chinese cuisine. Having had a lot of Chinese takeaways/takeout in the US, UK and South Africa, I can report that even if you're ordering a dish of the same name (chicken in garlic sauce, sweet-and-sour pork, General Tso's chicken etc.), they are very different in different places. (Let's just say: my English family always makes a point of having Chinese food when we're in the US.) Yummly.co.uk has many recipes for Chinese brown sauce, but, despite the 'uk' in its URL, all the brown-sauce recipes I checked there have American terminology (cornstarch, scallions, chicken broth/bouillon etc.). If there were any urge to call Chinese sauce base brown in British English, it would probaby be blocked by the clash with the breakfasty condiment. white sauceWhite sauce has at least the following meanings: In (US, at least) Chinese cuisine, it's the opposite of brown sauce. (This site says it's typical of Cantonese cooking.)A sauce base made of "roux of butter and flour combined with milk or cream" (OED). The OED's (2015 updated) entry includes only the last of these, which is often used in French cooking. It's also what my mother used as the opposite of red sauce in Italian cooking, so an Alfredo or similar. Speaking of white sauces in Italian cooking—I grew up hating (AmE) lasagna/(BrE) lasagne because I couldn't stand the ricotta cheese. Well, it turns out, British people don't make lasagne with ricotta (nor do many in Italy). Instead it has a béchamel sauce. Meanwhile, I've outgrown my hatred of ricotta. Still, lasagn{a/e} is the last thing I'd order on any pasta menu.Finally,for the fun of it, a Venn diagram of sauces by Zoe Laughlin, recently discussed on BBC Radio 4 and pointed out to me by one of my writing group pals: Full Article colo(u)rs food/cooking
au Trump Posts a Photo of Himself Working on His Inaugural Address and it Gives Spark to a New Meme By cheezburger.com Published On :: Mon, 26 Aug 2019 19:00:00 -0700 Yesterday Trump tweeted a photo of himself hard at work on his inauguration speech and the internet has been having a field day with it. It started on twitter with people guessing at what The Donald might be drawing. Shortly thereafter it got a small photoshop battle. 'What's Donald Drawing' definitely has the potential to catch on.Get More Trump Memes that are simply tremendous, people tell me how amazing these memes are all the time. Full Article twitter photoshop battle donald trump funny tweets trump memes
au Iowa Caucus's Delayed Results Have Churned Up Some Anxious Reaction Memes By cheezburger.com Published On :: Tue, 04 Feb 2020 16:00:00 -0800 Last night the 2020 Iowa Democratic Caucus stirred up quite the controversy when it was announced that the results would be delayed due to "inconsistencies" in a new app meant to speed up the reporting results of the caucus. Ironic, to say the least. But hang tight, because they're set to be released at 5 pm Eastern Time.Ahead of the results being released, Pete Buttigieg gave what appeared to be a victory speech last night to the confusion of many. The bizarre move has lead many to believe that the system may have been rigged in Mayor Pete's favor.As always, we have to give the disclaimer that we're not picking sides; we're merely reporting on what the internet has been saying, so scroll down to see some of our favorite reaction memes and tweets while we all wait impatiently for the results. Full Article twitter iowa caucus 2020 bernie sanders funny memes presidential election Iowa reaction memes politics
au The Shadow Team Gets Roasted For Being Shady During The Iowa Caucus By cheezburger.com Published On :: Thu, 06 Feb 2020 07:00:00 -0800 Meet the Shadow team in charge of developing an app meant to help tally the votes from the Iowa caucus on Monday night. The purpose of the app was to help the process run more smoothly, but in the end it proved to be a complete and utter disaster, as precinct chairs supposedly couldn't get the app to actually work, in turn causing a delay in reporting.The delay was blamed on "inconsistencies" in reporting, but honestly, who really knows what the truth is.The team is reportedly run by people who worked on Hilary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016. Additionally, 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg's campaign paid the tech firm over $40,000 in 2019 leading many to suspect foul play.But this is America, and we can't possibly have problems with corruption, right?As of right now, we still don't have all the results from the caucus, so while you continue to anxiously refresh the New York Times page, have some hot Twitter takes on the people (rats) behind Shadow, Inc. Full Article shady political shadow funny memes presidential election Iowa reaction memes corruption
au Best Memes From Last Night's Audience-Free Democratic Debate By cheezburger.com Published On :: Mon, 16 Mar 2020 19:00:00 -0700 Last night Americans tuned in to watch the audience-free live democratic debate between remaining candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Topics of discussion included the Green New Deal, Donald Trump, and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. You can watch the debate here to decide for yourself who won, and click here for more political memes! Full Article twitter political debate bernie sanders funny memes funny tweets election 2020 joe biden politics
au NFPA President Jim Pauley addresses Grenfell Tower fire as evidence of shortfalls in addressing today’s global fire problem By www.nfpa.org Published On :: 21 Jun2017 19:37:24 GMT In the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire in London, where 79 people died or are presumed dead and many more were injured, serious concerns and questions around flammability of exterior cladding, the lack of fire sprinklers and the notion of “shelter in place,” among other subjects, have been brought to the forefront by the news media and the public at large. Jim Pauley, president and CEO of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), addressed these troubling fire safety issues in the upcoming edition of NFPA Journal, the association’s membership publication, which will be officially released next month. Full Article
au NFPA and ESFI work to reduce fatalities caused by electric shock drowning in pools and at marinas By www.nfpa.org Published On :: 22 Jun2017 19:37:24 GMT With summer in full swing, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) are joining forces to remind people about the potential electrical hazards in swimming pools, hot tubs and spas, on board boats and in the waters surrounding boats, marinas and launch ramps. Full Article
au NFPA launches Policy Institute to support fire and life safety efforts By www.nfpa.org Published On :: 14 Sep2017 19:37:24 GMT Citing the need to have an arm’s-length view on policy issues that impact fire, life and electrical safety, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced the launch of the NFPA Fire and Life Safety Policy Institute. The Policy Institute will study a range of issues and provide guidance and information to policymakers on the best approaches governments can take to improve safety for the citizens they serve. Full Article
au Megan Staffel’s Book Notes music playlist for her novel The Causative Factor By largeheartedboy.com Published On :: Mon, 11 Nov 2024 22:55:40 +0000 "...while I’m writing I need total silence, but even so, the music shares such a similar landscape with the text it’s hard to believe it wasn’t present from the beginning." Full Article Author Playlists books Megan Staffel music playlists
au Creative Commons Launches TAROCH Coalition for Open Access to Cultural Heritage By creativecommons.org Published On :: Fri, 01 Nov 2024 13:34:45 +0000 Creative Commons (CC) is proud to launch the TAROCH Coalition (Towards a Recommendation on Open Cultural Heritage), a collaborative effort to achieve the adoption of a UNESCO standard-setting instrument to improve open access to cultural heritage. We are grateful to the Arcadia Fund for supporting this initiative. Below we share an overview of TAROCH and… The post Creative Commons Launches TAROCH Coalition for Open Access to Cultural Heritage appeared first on Creative Commons. Full Article Open Culture Open Heritage open culture open heritage TAROCH
au VW launches $5.8bn partnership with Tesla rival Rivian By biztoc.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 05:13:51 GMT VW launches $5.8bn tie-up with Tesla rival Rivian Volkswagen Group (VW) and Tesla rival Rivian have launched a joint venture, with the German car giant increasing its investment in the partnership. The two companies say the the deal is now worth $5.8bn (£4.55bn) - up from an initial pledge from VW… Full Article
au Infowars auction could determine whether Alex Jones is kicked off its platforms By biztoc.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 05:13:58 GMT Conspiracy theory purveyor Infowars and most of its assets are set to go on the auction block Wednesday, with Alex Jones waiting to see if he will be allowed to stay or if he will get kicked off its online platforms. The private auction is being held as part of Jones' personal bankruptcy, which… Full Article
au Morning Bid: 'Trump trades' pause for breath before US CPI By biztoc.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 05:46:03 GMT A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Kevin Buckland Full Article
au Startup CEO says humans won't be needed for translation in 3 years as it launches AI app By biztoc.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 06:07:56 GMT Unbabel on Wednesday announced an artificial intelligence-powered translation service, adding another rival to a highly competitive space. Full Article
au Saudi Arabia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Trims Nintendo Stake Again By biztoc.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 06:40:33 GMT Full Article
au AltLayer unveils ‘Autonome,’ a platform to create and deploy autonomous AI agents By biztoc.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 06:40:15 GMT This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the… Full Article
au Australia plans to ban social media for under 16s — and experts have called it a ‘momentous step’ By biztoc.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 06:40:24 GMT One expert says Australia is "on the verge of reclaiming childhood after it had been stolen for 15 years." Full Article
au FTSE 100 Live: Pound Sinks Further to Lowest Level Since August By biztoc.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 07:02:02 GMT Full Article
au Australian Buyout Financing Activity Gets Boost From Lumus Deal By biztoc.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 07:32:31 GMT Full Article
au Europe Needs Stronger Autonomy After Trump Win, Greek PM Says By biztoc.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 08:03:10 GMT Full Article
au Spamming is out of Control Because of Cheap Blogs, Link Building and Cheap SEO Company’s By linkworxseo.wordpress.com Published On :: Thu, 29 Nov 2012 18:19:46 +0000 Blog Creation for Link Building In the effort to create links for back link profiles and more results, individuals and companies have resorted to tactics of duplicate profile creation, multiple fake profiles and an unsurpassed amount of blog sites with little or no use to anyone looking to gain valuable information. Some examples are WordPress […] Full Article BLOGGING LINK BUILDING OFF PAGE OPTIMIZATION back-links blog-post blogs cheap-seo cheap-seo-company link-profiles links seo-company seo-link-building wordpress
au Duplicated Web Content – Google Authorship and Article Directories By linkworxseo.wordpress.com Published On :: Sat, 29 Dec 2012 14:26:12 +0000 The Role of Google Authorship If you are the author of the article, can Google tell the difference when using article submission services? The facts point to no at this point, but there are more and more sites starting to follow the same authorship standard and business site verification standards. With authorship being more common […] Full Article BLOGGING OFF PAGE OPTIMIZATION WEB CONTENT article-directories article-submission content-duplication duplicate-content google-authorship panda web-content
au Long ago, Voyager 2 might have caught Uranus at a bad time By www.space.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 21:22:27 +0000 A new analysis of Voyager 2 data reveals a fresh theory about Uranus's unique magnetosphere. Full Article Uranus The Universe Solar System
au 'I weigh the same': NASA astronaut Suni Williams refutes tabloid health claims (video) By www.space.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 23:00:38 +0000 NASA astronaut Suni Williams says her weight is stable aboard the International Space Station, rebutting tabloid claims that her orbital stay has made her emaciated. Full Article International Space Station Space Exploration Missions