Whether it’s for music or movies, a subwoofer will improve almost any sort of audio. If you’re not familiar with them, it can be tough to choose the perfect subwoofer for you, which is what we’re here for.
FORT MEADE, Md. – The Pentagon has announced new password requirements to beef up security on all DoD networks, Duffel Blog has learned. According to a recent memo, the DoD has made it a top priority to protect members’ Personally Identifiable Information (PII) by using the following requirements: Passwords must be at least 54 characters but not more […]
We’ve talked at length about how to legally and safely fly your drone in the United States. Globally, however, the rules can vary quite a bit. This guide helps you find out what the rules are in your country.
There is literally a world of opportunity waiting for anyone with the skills to build for iOS. But like any journey to success, there is a path you have to take, and the question is, what’s the quickest (or shall we say “Swiftest?”) way from Point A to Point B? To answer that, let’s consider the beginning and end of the journey.
At Point A, you’re computer competent. You know your uploads from your downloads, and you set up your new phone yourself when it arrived. At Point B, you’re an iOS App Developer. You’re impacting lives on a global scale with the apps you build. Now, how long is the distance between these points?
That depends on a number of variables. The most critical is the question of whether you have programming experience. Traditionally this can be a real barrier, and that’s understandable. When you’re standing on the wrong side of the water from where the programmers are, it can seem really, really difficult to get across. To continue the water metaphor, you need stepping stones.
It’s that need that drove Udacity to create the Beginning iOS App Development Nanodegree program (BIOS NDP). A lack of programming experience shouldn’t be a barrier, and if you know iOS is where you want to be, then the opportunity to learn Swift (Apple’s custom programming language designed specifically for building iOS and OS X apps) is the first stepping stone you need.
Any stage of the journey has the potential to be difficult, but there is something unique to the early days; to succeed you need a really special degree of mentoring, support, and instruction. The suite of resources built into all Nanodegree programs becomes particularly important for those taking their first steps into programming. All Nanodegree programs feature:
An innovative online model that is accessible, affordable and inclusive.
A focus that is outcome-based and project-oriented
Intensive coursework, expert instructors, and cutting-edge curriculum
A compact and flexible model that allows for structured self-pacing
One-on-one coaching and facilitated peer interaction
Best-in-class project review that is both rigorous and timely
Empowering and informative career support
Combine all this with an explicit focus on transforming pre-programming students into adept coders with solid programming foundations, direct experience working in Xcode, and a growing facility with Swift, and suddenly there exists a very clear path forward to that next big stepping stone, the iOS Developer Nanodegree program (INDP). Think of the this as the advanced, career-track portion of the learning journey.
Retailers don’t always ship anywhere in the world. If there’s a product you want to buy that doesn’t normally ship to your country, you can get around this with a service called Parcl.
I could not think of a better place to start The Great Canadian Expedition, than the West Kootenay Mountains in British Columbia, a region bordered by rugged mountains, creeks, rivers and lakes. The first leg travels over-the-top of Reco Mountain to Cody, terminus of Kaslo & Slocan railway and on to Ghost Town of Cody and Sandon, once the commercial heart of the ‘Silver Slocan’. Starts with an easy drive up Jackson Basin, but those looking for a heart-stopping option can take the trail to the backside and top of 1891 Discovery Trail to the backside of Reco Mountain or explore several other more technical trails from Jackson Mine before taking the old wagon road that climbs over top and down the 28 switchbacks to Cody. Entire route provides outstanding views of the Goat, Kokanee and Kootenay Mountain ranges.
After taking the ferry at Crawford Bay, we found all kinds of serene roads once used as feeders from Sternwheeler Ports, to mines in the mountains above the lake.
This report is being provided by OverlandFrontier.com - a website dedicated to providing inspiration to on historical overland routes with interesting relics to explore along the way. We provide free scouting reports and Free GPS/GPX Tracklogs of routes scouted, as tools to help you to plan your own self-guided, vehicle dependent expedition. Thirty years ago, I started researching forgotten overland trails, with a storied past, that could be retraced in a 4WD vehicle, on foot, bike or horseback. I could always find historical records, some with old maps and photos, but very few with current topographic maps, photos and activities, all in one source – hence Overland Frontier.
The Slocan “Valley-of-the Ghost “ Trek Series (Trek Leg 7, 8 & 9) retraces paths blazed deep valleys by two railways racing to the heart of the 1890’s ‘Silvery Slocan’ mining district as well as the wagon roads built as feeders to the mountain mines above. The little American Kaslo & Slocan short line was built at a time when narrow gauge were being replaced by standard gauge, but it was the perfect silver bullet required to beat the Canadian Pacific Railway to the richest mines.
It turned out to be a battle of egos between James Jerome Hill of the American based Great Northern RR and William Cornelius Van Horn of the Canadian Pacific RR. Ironically Hill was Canadian and Van Horne an American.
The K&S was first to arrive to Sandon, on October 23, 1895. While feverishly extending its line from Three Forks the CPR sent another work crew to Sandon to lay rail lines within the town, and construct a station. The K&S claimed it was taking place on their right-of-way. When the CPR continued, the K&S wrapped a cable around the station, and promptly pulled it down with their steam engine. Lines were drawn, shots fired, but all walked away and the CPR did not try to rebuild on this ground.
The story became one of the most exciting railway and steam ship rivalries in North American. The trails, tales and relics make great fodder for Overlanders, and the scenery is spectacular.
Getting to the trailhead is, pleasantly, off the beaten path. Sternwheelers provided the only access during the boom years, and for some communities as late as 1957 and three of the five gateways still require a ferry. This helps explain why this region is still insulated from the outside world.
Trek Leg 7 of 11 Leg loop: We start this report in middle of the eastern gateway to the Silver Slocan, because its late summer; the best time to take the Retallack to Cody “Over-the-top” wagon road. Earlier, trails are often blocked by snowpack in shady areas. Late summer/early fall can be ideal. The following photo was taken after cresting the saddle, before dropping down the Northeast side of Reco Mountain.
While researching old mining records I discovered a 1927 mineral reference map (see page 26 of Scouting Report). It illustrates the fever of a rush where every possible piece of ground in this region of the ‘Silvery Slocan” was staked, claimed and prospected, but only a small percentage were successful in striking it rich. The trails blazed by prospectors, the wagon roads built by working mines through rugged wilderness to bring in supplies and take out the payloads, pepper both sides of the canyon, leaving an incredible wealth of paths to explore.
We explored a heart-stopping trail to the backside and top of Reco Mountain, the site of the original discovery trail of 1891 that travels along the peak ridgeline to the rich silver mines that opened this country.
Doubling back to Jackson Mine, we climbed steeply over top the saddle before dropping down the 28 switchbacks to Cody. The entire route provides outstanding views of the Goat, Kokanee and Kootenay Mountain ranges.
Dropping down the Cody side, we encountered 28 switchbacks, a number are particularly tight, requiring a multi-point turn, even for short wheel base vehicles. A look a the historic photos of the treeless Reco Mountain, as it looked in the 1890’s, provides a better appreciation of the steepness of the mountain and why 28 ledge road switchbacks are required to make your way down.
Views are amazing but keep your eyes on the road while traveling. The road is generally in good condition, assuming there are no spring break-up washouts. We rate the south side Moderate but seasoned drivers will find it easy. Most of the shelf road is insulated with trees, but there are several places that remind you how steep the drop is.
Be prepared to encounter deadfall particularly early spring or just after a storm, as was the case during one trip where we had to clear two downed trees.
The most exciting discovery made while exploring Reco Mountain trials, was coming across the mining tram line that would lead me to the historic mine where the major discovery party staked 26 claims under the Noble Five name.
We reached the ghost town of Cody, at the valley bottom, terminus to the Kaslo & Slocan Railway, where we camped beside the last remaining K&S station.
From here, it is just a short drive to Sandon ghost town, the heart of Silvery Slocan, but that is whole other story, we will save for another post.
In the meantime, if this trail and region interests you, go to our website and download the free 43 page Scout Report full of photos, route history, old and new maps. You can also download our Free GPS/GPX Tracklog file to help plan your won self-guided expedition:
We are just trying to get Overland Frontier off the ground. If you find this type of information interesting and helpful, we could use your support; please Like us on Facebook.
An order last month of new M45 Close Quarter Battle Pistols for the Marine Corps is the first purchase of any Colt handgun in almost three decades by any branch of the U.S. military, though .45-caliber Colts were a trusty sidearm of the Army and Marines for most of the 20th century.
NEW YORK — A US Navy SEAL has released a tell-all book detailing the daring raid into Syria last month by the Army’s highly secretive Delta Force. The book, “Silent Warriors” by Lt. Cmdr. Hal Jacobs, discussed the raid that resulted in the death of ISIS resource minister Abu Sayyaf and the capture of his wife, according to Jacobs’ publicist. […]
Late in 2013, Paul Hansmeier, formerly of Prenda Law'sLegal Buffoonery on Wheels Copyright Death Suicide Squad, realized that participating in a multi-jurisdictional legal train wreck had left him oddly unfulfilled. If the promise contained in his law degree was ever to be fulfilled, he would need to reassess his shakedown-focused lawyering.
After an indeterminable amount of thought, Hansmeier apparently arrived at the conclusion that -- unfulfilled promise or no -- he was really only good at one thing: shaking people down. And, sadly, he wasn't even all that great at that. But "sue what you know," as they say, and Hansmeier went about rebranding himself as a Champion of the Weak and Underprivileged.
No longer would he be throwing shaky demand letters and even shakier lawsuits at Household Members Voted Most Likely To Download Porn by the loose confederation of shakedown artists d/b/a An Actual Law Firm ("Come see our letterhead!"). That was the old Paul Hansmeier.
The new Paul Hansmeier would instead be throwing shaky lawsuits and demand letters at any company whose towel racks were located more than 32" above the ground or whose entry threshold was a ¼" above the legally-mandated height. The smaller the company the better, as they rarely even bothered to show up in court and would instead settle for a small fee.
The new Paul Hansmeier's operations were so efficient he could barely keep himself stocked in A4. Filings were submitted so fast not even the plaintiffs were aware they were listed as plaintiffs. And it was working, to a limited extent. Hansmeier was able to knock over a few mom-and-pop businesses for a few grand each. But now he's run into Kahler Hotels, which not only isn't interested in his ADA shakedown claims, but is countersuing him for $50,000+. (h/t to Dan Browning of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
1. Defendants are owners of real property located in Rochester, Minnesota.
2. Plaintiffs filed and served the instant action alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act and unfair discrimination.
3. Plaintiffs have an ulterior purpose in pursuing the claims set forth in their Complaint.
4. Plaintiffs’ Complaint misuses and perverts the purpose of a civil action.
5. As a direct and proximate result of Plaintiffs’ abuse of process, Defendants have sustained damages in excess of $50,000.
COUNT II - CIVIL CONSPIRACY
6. Defendants incorporate in this paragraph the allegations set forth in Paragraphs 1 through 5 as though they were fully set forth herein.
7. The Plaintiffs are engaged in a civil conspiracy to accomplish some concerted action, which injures Defendants.
8. The Plaintiffs did commit, and executed certain acts in pursuance of certain torts as previously delineated against the Defendants.
9. That as a result of the Plaintiffs’ tortious conduct alleged herein, Plaintiffs did conspire and agree to commit such acts.
10. As a direct and proximate result thereof, Defendants have sustained damages in excess of $50,000.
WHEREFORE, Defendants pray for entry of judgment as follows:
1. Plaintiffs take nothing by their Complaint as alleged;
2. Defendants are awarded damages in excess of $50,000 together with interest, costs, disbursements and attorney’s fees; and
3. The court order such further relief as it deems just and equitable.
Whether or not the counterclaims (which are really, really vague) hold up remains to be seen, but this motion should give Hansmeier second thoughts about trolling this particular venue for easy ADA cash.
We've got your back. Check out our handy TL;DR guide to the five most basic factors that make up the "Front Page of the Internet."
1. Voting
At its most basic, Reddit is a message board where users submit links — photos, videos, articles or text. Other Reddit users who find these posts valuable can give them an upvote; those deemed unworthy are downvoted. The number of upvotes minus the number of downvotes determines a post's score. The most upvoted content eventually makes its way to the coveted Front Page (cue the "oohs" and "ahhs".) Read more...
I’m not writing this with a “why didn’t I get to do this article”
axe to grind. I’ve worked with Apple for years and have some
wonderful media contacts there, but Apple publicity is a very
specific machine. Apple chooses who it wants to feed information
to, and has been known to blacklist writers and outlets for years.
No, I’m annoyed at several specific fumbles, mostly in wording,
that expose this interview as ill-informed puff.
Well done, and I thought much the same as I read it. I’m glad Carlson saved me the effort of documenting them all.
Carlson missed a big one, though. Arlidge wrote (bold emphasis added):
Since Jobs died, Apple has hit a rough patch, at least by its
ludicrously high standards. It has not had a break-out hit. There
has been no Apple TV set to revolutionize home entertainment. No
spiffy watch. (Yet.) The firm’s share price has slumped and it
has lost its title of the world’s most valuable firm. Some
speculate that, without Jobs, Apple has lost its golden touch. An
acclaimed new book by the former Wall Street Journal technology
writer Yukari Iwatani Kane dubs the company “the haunted empire.”
Leave aside Arlidge’s description of Haunted Empire as “acclaimed” (Carlson does touch on that.) Instead, let’s consider his claims regarding Apple’s stock price.
Jobs died on 5 October 2011. Apple’s stock closed at $378.25 that day. On Friday 14 March 2014 (last day of trading before the interview was published), Apple’s stock closed at $524.69. (Even if The Sunday Times Magazine has a two-week lead time, Apple’s price has been hovering around $525 for several weeks.) Apple’s stock was, therefore, as of publication of this interview, up 39 percent since Steve Jobs died.1 I repeat: up 39 percent.
Now, it is true that Apple’s stock price today remains significantly below its peak value. But that peak occurred in September 2012, eleven months after Jobs’s death, and over a year since Tim Cook took over as CEO. It’s fair to say Apple’s share price has slumped, but you can’t say it has slumped “since Jobs died” — and that is the clear implication in Arlidge’s piece.
But even more damning is the second half of Arlidge’s claim, regarding Apple’s market capitalization. Apple, right now, today, is the world’s most valuable firm, and has been for the last eight months or so.Apple was not the most valuable firm in the world when Jobs died, but is now. It’s true that Apple and Exxon have traded places a few times, but Apple is now significantly ahead. In fact, last month Google nipped past Exxon and they’ve been neck-and-neck for second place since.
This is not even to say that market cap is all that valuable a metric of a company’s health — subject as it is to the whims of the often irrational Mr. Market. The point is, share prices and market cap values are easily fact-checked. It took me about five minutes to look up all the numbers in this piece. Yet both The Sunday Times and Time Magazine published the above statement, which is both false and deeply misleading.
But, it fits the narrative that Apple is in decline (or as Arlidge puts it, “has hit a rough patch”) since Steve Jobs died. Who needs the truth when you’ve got truthiness on your side?
In 2011, Brad and Sheena Van Orden departed from Flagstaff, Arizona in their VW van, Nacho. With a loose plan to travel the world over the course of three years, their travels have produced a stunning travel blog and a captivating book, Drive Nacho Drive. We caught up with them in Mumbai for a quick interview:
You've been driving around the world for the last two years. Was it intimidating driving out of Flagstaff that first day?
Yesterday we went to the cinema here in India and saw this film called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In the film, Walter is a regular guy with a regular job and a boring life. The only trip he's ever taken was to Phoenix. In a moment of desperation he makes a decision, and next thing he knows he finds himself in a bar in Greenland drinking beer out of a boot-shaped glass. After imagining his friend singing Captain Tom at a karaoke bar, he summons the courage for one split second to throw himself onboard a departing helicopter with a drunken pilot heading out to sea. When you watch this film, and you see Walter standing there on the helicopter headed out to the North Sea in the middle of a storm, and he has that moment when he realizes what he's just done, that's what it felt like when we left Flagstaff. The word "intimidating" is the wrong word for it. I'm not sure there is a word for it. We just got in the car and started driving, but the moment we left the driveway we knew that our lives had changed forever and we were doing something that nobody we knew had ever done before. It's a strange feeling to recognize the moment that your life changes forever. It's a good feeling.
When you create a new email message in OS X Maverick’s Mail app, you can choose–assuming you have more than one email account in there–which account you’re sending the email from. For example, you might want to send an email…
It’s been a week chock-full of news in the tech world, so what better way to cap it off than by watching a brand-new episode of CrunchWeek, the show that brings a few of us TechCrunch writers together to talk about the most interesting stories from the past seven days.
FORT MEADE, Md. – The Pentagon has announced new password requirements to beef up security on all DoD networks, Duffel Blog has learned. According to a recent memo, the DoD has made it a top priority to protect members’ Personally Identifiable Information (PII) by using the following requirements: Passwords must be at least 54 characters but not more […]
NEW YORK — A US Navy SEAL has released a tell-all book detailing the daring raid into Syria last month by the Army’s highly secretive Delta Force. The book, “Silent Warriors” by Lt. Cmdr. Hal Jacobs, discussed the raid that resulted in the death of ISIS resource minister Abu Sayyaf and the capture of his wife, according to Jacobs’ publicist. […]
