tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26050924508711355232024-03-13T05:18:36.539-07:00Revit UnpluggedStefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-3970230467924766242021-03-17T08:42:00.064-07:002021-03-17T08:42:00.200-07:00Robin Hobb Collection<p style="text-align: justify;">Robin Hobb Collection 3 Books Set Pack for children's. This is a nice series which contains the following books in the series: Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin's Quest.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u8ZpX6OgRlo/YE-CXlnmE_I/AAAAAAAAC0I/U-rDB_5vgkQ6a59Tol_JUAJp51ioxhAegCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Assassin%2Bbooks.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u8ZpX6OgRlo/YE-CXlnmE_I/AAAAAAAAC0I/U-rDB_5vgkQ6a59Tol_JUAJp51ioxhAegCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Assassin%2Bbooks.png" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Assassin's Apprentice</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A glorious classic fantasy combining the magic of Ursula Le Guin's The Wizard of earthsea with the epic Mastery of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Now reissued in gorgeous new livery. Fitz is a royal bastard, cast out into the world with only his magical link with animals for solace and companionship. But When Fitz is adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and learn a new life; weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly. Meanwhile, raiders ravage the coasts, leaving people soulless. As Fitz grows towards manhood, he will have to face his first terrifying mission, a task that poses as much risk to himself as it does to his target: for Fitz is a threat to the throne! But he may also be the key to the future of the kingdom.</div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Royal Assassin</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The second volume in Robin Hobb's internationally bestselling Farseer series, now reissued in gorgeous new livery. Fitz dreams of Red-Ship Raiders sacking a coastal village, leaving not a single man, woman or child alive. Tortured by this terrible vision he returns to the Six Duchies court where all is far from well. King Shrewd has been struck down by a mysterious illness and King-in-waiting, Verity, spends all his time attempting to conjure storms to confuse and destroy the Red-Ship Raiders. And when he leaves on an insane mission to seek out the mystical elderings, Fitz is left alone and friendless but for the wolf Nighteyes and the King's Fool with his cryptic prophesies.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">But more immediately, a world in which he finds he is utterly alone. Regal has stripped the kingdom of its riches and retired to the inland city of Tradeford. Of Verity, on his quest to find the legendary elderings, there has been no word Molly, Kettricken and the Fool have all vanished. Unless Fitz can find Verity and help him in his quest, the Six Duchies will perish and there will be no safe place to live.</p>Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-12666668920820214412021-03-15T07:51:00.008-07:002021-03-15T07:53:39.916-07:00Fall For Me by Sydney Landon - Book Review<p style="text-align: justify;">Beth has always lived in her outgoing sister's shadow, plagued by her own insecurity about her body. It's time for her to step out from the sidelines and experience what life has to offer then she's laid off from her teaching job, and has to rely on her sister to get her a job at Danvers International. Nick Merimon is gorgeous, wealthy, and a well-known playboy just the sort of man Beth has always avoided. But even she can't deny the sparks that are flying between them. He could be just the man to show her what she's been missing all these years. And after they share one heart-stopping night together, she is surprised when it leads to a relationship. But as their connection grows, and the realities of their romance begin to show, Beth will have to overcome both her own insecurities and her doubts about Nick's intentions if she's ever going to find lasting happiness.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-McAmGyMuGDA/YE90bdAYyTI/AAAAAAAACz4/BE1F-DqCaRgFI698mSpBbf_wyh1p9YCLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-McAmGyMuGDA/YE90bdAYyTI/AAAAAAAACz4/BE1F-DqCaRgFI698mSpBbf_wyh1p9YCLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Book.jpg" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">My opinion:<br />This is the third installment in to the Danvers Series. Weekends Required being the first and Not Planning on You the second. I found this to be a good read yet again and not too heavy considering the nature of the situation. All the characters in this series are very likeable. However, in this instance Beth, with her insecurities was not as appealing as she was in the previous book. Nick, he really became a great catch this time around with him stepping up when needed and proving Beth wrong. Beth's sister Suzy was still my favourite character though and while the story revolves around Beth and Nick, Suzy steals the show with her quirkiness.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The plot was not as interesting as I had expected and this is where this one loses its appeal to me compared to its predecessors. I also found less emotion floating off the page than the previous two books and their declaration of love seemed to lack the build up I thought it would have. Nonetheless, it is still a good read for lazy day. I understand that there are going to be six books in this series and i'm hoping that Ella and Declan's story is in the mix somewhere. Their relationship is already intriguing me. (Ella and Declan both work at Danvers international as well).</p><p style="text-align: left;">My rating for Fall For Me by Sydney Landon is: 4/5 stars.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Would I read this again: Yes</p><p style="text-align: left;">My recommendation: I recommend this to a mature audience due to adult content and language.</p>Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-83962161882528198682016-10-25T05:43:00.001-07:002021-03-15T07:58:24.807-07:00Final Emergency<div style="text-align: justify;">
I said "wow ok!" and just rubbed my head! I was seriously tempted to put the dog in a crate and walk out. Jerk! He said it very nasty. I paused for a minute and said "How about this. Let's give her IV fluids b/c she is clearly dehydrated and some medicine just to get her through the night. is that an option? would that be ok?" I did want to seem like an a-hole and tell the many who spent 7 years in vet school what to do but come on I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday! My vets are way awesome and tell me stuff and how to handle things and I pay attention when they do stuff so I am not an idiot. I understand he doesn't know that so I did phrase my question / statement so that I didn't come off like a I know more then you person. I hate those type of people. His response was "Yes that should get her through the night. Lets do that." He asked if i had any (don't know the spelling) medicine at home. I said no I think I am out. So he gave her some of that and a sub q fluids and off we went home. I was in bed by 2am. Then this morning I had to take the dog to my regular vet so they could figure out what is going on with her. I left her there for them to run tests and put her on IV.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MDacmDw9OBM/YE92AmvaueI/AAAAAAAAC0A/ifwsU7XOko0FdKJpbT7k3MdXMIkAeK5rwCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Abstract%2B%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MDacmDw9OBM/YE92AmvaueI/AAAAAAAAC0A/ifwsU7XOko0FdKJpbT7k3MdXMIkAeK5rwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Abstract%2B%252811%2529.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-63540188186506945252016-10-21T05:43:00.001-07:002016-10-21T05:43:34.686-07:00Emergency Department<div style="text-align: justify;">
The roads were kind of bad with this slippery slushy rain / snow combo that was coming down. She said she had internet access and would look for another place for me. She suggested Animal Clinic Northview. She came me the number and I called them. The lady on the phone was very nice and said come on in. I got there and they were nice. Then the vet came in, looked over the dog and said "Ok we have a few options. We can keep her, put her on IV fluids, medication and run blood work. That is going to start at $700." Mind you I am paying over $100 to just walk in the door. I said "this is a rescue dog and we are a non profit. I am just looking to get her through the night so I can take her to my regular vet." He said very snotty "I am just trying to give you all the options and that is why I am telling you price." Mow keep in mind I told them when I called and when I was there I am a rescue, blah blah blah, just like I told 57. So really you are going to start with a $700 option! Whatever. </div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-38873434981541024652016-10-14T05:40:00.000-07:002016-10-21T05:42:39.201-07:00Today Emergency<div style="text-align: justify;">
I called one emergency vet, lets call that one 57. The lady answer the phone and I said "HI, my name is Amy and I have a rescue dog in a foster home and the foster home said she is pooping a lot of blood. What do I need to do to bring her in?" The women said "it is $99 just to walk in the door." I said "Ok that is fine I don't care." She then said "then from there it is going to be 100's and 100's AND 100's of dollars" I said "Ok. Well I really don't have an option do!" She said "I am just letting you know it will be 100's of dollars." She acted like she didn't want me to bother coming in. That rubbed me the wrong way so I called West Park Animal Hospital. I really like them and they have always helped me out when needed it and done a really great job. Of course the lady that answered was very nice and I told her what was going on and my most recent experience with 57. She said yes, I have heard they aren't very nice there so don't worry it isn't just you, it's more people she said. We both laughed. She said they close at 1pm and neither of us were sure I could make it on time. </div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-83468411797694655732016-10-12T05:40:00.000-07:002016-10-21T05:40:40.843-07:00Yestterday Emergency<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yesterday around 7:30 I get a phone call from a foster home that the dog they are fostering has been sick. We talk a bit and decide the dog will go to the vet today b/c we are both worried about her. I worked with the Pits for a few hours with some basic training as I do every night. They make me so tired. I love it but they make me tired b/c it is like watching a toddler. They don't know anything so you don't want them to do something bad or something that will hurt them and I have to "watch" so closely so I can catching them trying to potty and make them go outside. When I went to put the Pits to bed in their crates mom dog Jessie the JRT had a baby she was giving birth too. So the puppies starting arriving around 9:30pm last night and this morning we had 4. Then at midnight the foster home called me to say that the dog that wasn't feeling well is now pouring blood from her back end. I got up, picked her up and took her to an emergency clinic, but let me tell you about that tomorrow.</div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-25154319833883184762016-10-11T05:30:00.000-07:002016-10-21T05:30:48.909-07:00Emergency Emergency<div style="text-align: justify;">
On Monday night I get a panicked messaged from a foster home that the dog they were fostering attacked one of their dogs and 2 of their dogs are injured. "What the hell"? Was my reaction this foster dog has been living there for a few weeks. Well turns out he wasn't living all that peacefully with the one dog and things just came to blow on Monday night. The foster dog is now under evaluation with a rescue friend. We will see what decision we come to with him. He has a very strong prey drive and has killed cats, hence he is in rescue right now, he was was adopted as a puppy and returned for killing cats. The two dogs that he attacked both went to the vet on an emergency visit yesterday morning at the tune of $360. Then yesterday I go to a dog shelter who wanted me to evaluate a JRT mix. I evaluate him and they say if you don't take him he is getting put down tomorrow. Really! I was on my lunch break from work and he smells! Ok, fine. So $90 for a dog that has nothing but vaccinations (not rabies) and was wormed once. Great deal! It is going to cost me over $100 to him neutered and rabies. Come on people we are a non profit. We don't have money pouring out of our wallets.</div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-1238076587015179052015-12-12T06:30:00.000-08:002015-12-12T06:30:00.640-08:00This Incredible Difference<div style="text-align: justify;">
I see this response in a lot of people, so I guess I am perfectly average and normal for even thinking I don’t measure up. But look at the other side of this feeling. Why does it matter that there are people I fully expect to apologize to me for their behaviors? Why should they? Why should I be significant enough to them that they should care? Why should it matter to them that they did something to hurt me? Why is it that I want to be significant to them? The guy who says he is just a guy, one of billions, who probably doesn’t deserve one person’s love and devotions, suddenly feels that he should be significant. That he should matter to someone else. How do I reconcile this incredible difference? How do I accept that someone cares for me as deeply as they do? Or how do I accept that I am not significant? That there are people who will hurt me and I won’t matter to them? How do I accept that there are people who will not care about me? Maybe there are just billions of crazy people on this rock, and maybe I am just one of them.</div>
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Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-62560360228504885982015-12-03T06:29:00.000-08:002015-12-03T06:29:00.172-08:00Billions People<div style="text-align: justify;">
Billions. As in the number of people who inhabit this fair planet (we don’t have any other choice). Estimates put the number of humans on the planet somewhere around 6,867,800,000 (I have no idea how we managed an even number). I could go on and on about how big that number really is. The point here is not about the astounding number of people walking on this rock. It is about the significance of one person on this rock. I don’t mean celebrity or leader significance either. I am talking one perfectly normal average person (like me or the majority of my readers) who does not stand in front of millions for whatever reason a person chooses to stand there. How does one perfectly normal average person become someone incredibly significant? I don’t mean just a little significant. I mean like the entire world to someone else? If you think there is some personal experience happening here, you are on the right track. Giving birth to a child makes a woman the entire world to that child and that child has the potential to become so significant...</div>
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Significant to that woman that she will willingly give her life to insure the child is not even harmed. What about adults who are not related? How do we become so significant to each other that we would do the same thing? Or even lesser significances. I hate causing harm to anyone anywhere. I hate that I did something that caused someone intense emotional pain. I was that significant to her. But who am I actually? What sets me apart from the billions of other men to her? Why did I matter so much? I try to tell her I am just a guy. It does not matter. To her I become someone truly significant and I was unable to be what she wanted and needed. I feel certain if I had stayed with her I would have hurt her far more than she could handle and I could not live with myself if I had done that. I have difficulty seeing myself as a person who deserves to have someone love and care me for so much like that. </div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-62629255626104649402015-11-27T06:02:00.000-08:002015-11-27T06:05:57.951-08:00Good Bye Steel Horse<div style="text-align: justify;">
That is what he looked like at the shop where I found him. Well, in person, he looked much clearer, but I didn't have my good camera with me. I didn't make a good decision financially that day. But I still got that steel horse. Today I contacted the creditor and we are making arrangements for them to come and pick him up. I don't know how much longer I will get to keep him, but there is nothing I can do to change what will happen. I will get a new steel horse at some time in the future. Of that I am certain. I will make a better financial decision between now and then, and I will make a much better decision when I get to that point. For now, I find myself wondering if I should still call myself The Steel Horseman. I have already made a decision to move away from blogspot. As I mentioned a year or two ago, I no longer wish to be "stalked". I won't tell the "stalker" or her friends where to find me. Since at least one is a friend of mine, I guess that would not make me a good friend. So it will be. Looking forward. I will contact, through email, everyone who I know reads this blog regularly. I will let you know where to find me. If I miss anyone, please leave me a comment and a means to contact you, and I will be sure to let you know where to find my new blog. I promise, it will be much better.</div>
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Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-90657862879431788702015-04-30T07:05:00.000-07:002015-04-30T07:07:22.952-07:00What is Great about Hypnosis?<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hypnotherapy is a form of therapy using hypnosis, with scientifically proven results in helping people to solve their problems in a creative way. Some theories see hypnosis as an altered state of mind using an enhanced ability to respond to suggestion. If you didn’t know, the phrase <a href="http://www.adrianrusin.com/" target="_blank">Hypnotherapy Dubai</a> is very popular in this country due to the number of people that are searching for it every day. In my opinion, the word hypnosis is a very mysterious word which can mean a lot of things for a lot of people. The first thing I can think of when someone brings up the word “hypnosis” is the mystification of this practice. However, today’s science is proving how beneficial it is to our every-day life. Hypnosis is a practice often associated with trance state. Although trance has connotations of glassy-eyed automatism, it means only a superior level of attention and concentration.<br />
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It is a fact that our brain is naturally designed to go into trance every 90 minutes or so. The people in general are very scared about this concept because of their misunderstanding andignorance. Instead of being afraid of hypnosis, you can easily discover this science and learn more about trance that involves the concept of focused attention. More and more people are using hypnosis for various purposes like quitting smoking, losing weight, memory and recall, increasing focused attention at work or school, and so on. In my opinion, this is the greatest thing about hypnosis and I’m happy to hear that more people today are appreciating it, like a unique, but safe practice of meditation. In conclusion, we can say that hypnosis, even if it’s not used at a large scale to help people,may be an important form of evolution reflected in our state of mind from a spiritual point of view.</div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-13255749358706368702014-10-20T02:04:00.001-07:002015-04-30T06:46:46.111-07:00False Trailer Relief Alert<div style="text-align: justify;">
When I took in a matinee yesterday (it was great, 2 features, a cartoon, and a Hitler news-reel, for 5 cents) of Super 8, I was subjected not once, but twice and 1/2 times to the trailer for The Zookeeper: a grim, hyperlame, cancerous direct-to-video production that somehow, despite all mankind has learned, is being printed onto helpless 35mm filmstock as we speak. Which is why I was totally relieved to learn it was all some kind of pranky trick by unknown internet fellows. Mike Stoklasa and Company break the good news, and we can all mop our brows and get back to living. I stopped watching directly after Mike hung up the phone. I hope it was about the movie Transformers 3 being either a joke, dream, joke-within-a-dream, or maybe a fake trailer with a self-parodying Shia LaBeouf, a guy I have to google every time I type his name. Seems ethnic) James and LaBeouf, such good sports!</div>
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Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-88266243754404143902014-08-12T02:36:00.002-07:002014-08-12T02:37:52.256-07:00Wreck-it Ralph<div style="text-align: justify;">
He is gonna wreck it. Wreck-it Ralph is exactly like a Pixar movie, except in those frequent moments where it is better. It managed to foil my savvy plot predictions and win me over. While it seems standard-issue from the marketing, the clever little things keep adding up until it is in surplus. It also avoids a ton of typical plot points which most animated/kids/regular movies would include by default. It left me wanting to see it again immediately. Who cares about the obscure video game references? I'm sure I missed a ton of them. Wreck-it Ralph is an actual movie. It deserves its success.<br />
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Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-16329205481000712632014-04-23T05:33:00.000-07:002014-04-23T05:33:25.691-07:00The Rent-a-Car Essential <div style="text-align: justify;">
It is nothing complicated about renting a car, either yours just got out of order or you're in another city or country and you need a car to move fast and convenient. You don't have to meet special requirements to be able to benefit from the services of a <a href="http://www.rentcarbucharest.com/" target="_blank">rent a car Bucharest</a> company, such services being available to any holder of driving licence. Even the prices are more and more low and accessible, due to the high number of such companies always competing one another. The time when only important business men had access to such services has passed for ages and, therefore, you should not by-pass them being afraid of huge taxes. To be able to enter in the possession of the wanted car, first you'll have to make a deposit to the company's account, which represents a part of the rent fee and that varies depending on the period for which you need the car and on the rides to be taken, inside the country or abroad. </div>
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Still depending on the renting period, some companies offer bonuses or promotional prices and so it is good practice to first look into the market's offer with the due care and to find out where from you can win the most. Besides payment, you just have to make the proof that you hold a driving licence and to make available to the rent-a-car company your personal details, a copy of the identity card and a telephone number, in most of the cases being enough to track you down in case of emergency. Following such steps, the car will be delivered to the residence specified by you, at the requested time, or you can pick it up from one of the company quarters that you are renting the car from. Still you should know that you must check the car when you're picking it up, as to not be damaged and to have regular documents. Otherwise, you might be made responsible for various damages or problems that you haven't caused, which is not advisable.</div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-46240321240281293932014-03-17T06:30:00.000-07:002014-03-17T06:30:01.608-07:00It is all About the Dog<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is hard to try to figure out what is going to be the best home for a dog. A lot of it is just getting to know the dog and going with your gut. Trust me telling someone that they can't adopt a dog isn't a fun thing to do. I don't want to disappoint anyone but too many times I have let the adoption go through and found out in the end I was right. I have the most amazing dog right now. I love him! And this young lady sent in an application for him. Honestly she would probably make a great pet owner. Her family has two <a href="http://www.cartoon-coloring-page.com/dogs-coloring-pages/" target="_blank">dogs</a> now and take great care of them, their vet gave them a good reference. However, I don't think this dog is a good match for the ones she already has. She emailed me 3 times in the course of a few hours last night and then had her mom send in an application. I almost want to say, your reaction is part of my gut feeling... your not mature enough to handle the responsibility of a dog who has special needs. Well hopefully my last email to her "mom" will help her understand. If I had another dog that would be a good match for them I would be happy to adopt to them. I just don't feel this particular dog is a good match and I am not going to let my dogs just go to whoever. They need to be happy. End of discussion.</div>
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Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-69706831223223750312013-11-22T10:52:00.001-08:002013-11-22T10:52:34.435-08:00The Thing about Figureheads<div style="text-align: justify;">
The thing about figureheads is, they don’t really lead, per se, they just give you a large papier mache puppet you can easily see from a distance to see which way the parade is going. Leaders inspire us to demand more of ourselves. Leaders inspire loyalty because of how much of themselves they are willing to risk on behalf of those following them. Leaders make decisions decisively; they don’t triangulate. And if they mess up they own it and handle it. Leaders are never tyrants; they put themselves in the direct line of fire of their decisions. Leaders used to charge into battle at the head of their armies, not send them to fight while waiting for the outcome someplace safe. Leaders go hungry so that others may eat. Leaders tirelessly seek out people smarter than them to do things they themselves cannot. Leaders beget leaders; anyone who spends any amount of time following them end up eventually leading something. Those are some of the ways one tells the difference. And yes, I am putting all of this in a book. That is, if “books” still exist by the time I am done.</div>
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Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-3764250040232411132013-10-17T07:56:00.000-07:002013-10-17T07:56:08.702-07:00Apple TV era Finally Dawns<div style="text-align: justify;">
Can Apple do to the television market what it did to music and movies? As rumors about Apple's widely expected move into the murky TV market continue to swirl, it's a logical question to ask. It's also logical to ask why Apple is getting into the space in the first place. The answer is simple: Apple can't afford not to. As the evolution of online distribution and consumption continues to break down traditional barriers between conventional media, companies looking to plant a stake in the ground here can't afford to pick and choose which media they will or will not cover. The era of the pure-play music distributor, for example, is over thanks to seamless, Internet and mobile-driven convergence. The pop radio star of yesterday long since evolved into a video-recording, television-appearing, Internet-tweeting multi-platform entity. Consumers, in turn, now experience these properties via whatever medium makes the most sense at any given moment. The companies that control this process must adapt to this reality, and Apple, which aims to lead them all with a common platform that serves up a full palette of entertainment-related content, can hardly afford to not be a player in any given medium. If it doesn't make a move to control how we consume televised content, someone else will. Against that backdrop, Apple's efforts to-date have been less than spectacular. Its Apple TV product has been available since 2006 and redirects downloaded and streamed content to a conventional television set. </div>
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Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once called the product a "hobby", but before dying in October reportedly told his biographer, Walter Isaacson, he had finally figured out the secret to next-generation television. "I'd like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use. "It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud," Jobs told Isaacson. "It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. "I, finally, cracked it." He may have cracked it long ago, with the first iteration of the iTunes Music Store, as the basic ingredients for turning formerly complex consumption processes into seamless ones were all there. Before iTunes, the process of purchasing, downloading, managing and interacting with music was best left to the geek set. Combining feature-limited, cleanly-interfaced devices, iPods, with similarly seamless software and online retail capability made for an end-to-end process that anyone could take advantage of. The recipe made the iPod a mainstream success story, and iTunes the standard for simple, effective, online fulfillment. Subsequent extensions into movies and apps further validated the model. Sales of television episodes have opened the door for Apple into an even broader range of coverage, but it's a big leap from selling individual shows to controlling the end-to-end process. Lessons learned as it built its iTunes brand into a global powerhouse of content distribution could certainly be applied here. There are gotchas in the television business Apple couldn't have dreamed of when it was first entering music and movies, peculiarities to the TV industry that could make this next expansion the most delicate in the company's history.</div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-28275387825088753852013-09-20T06:32:00.000-07:002013-09-20T06:32:36.342-07:00Dungeon Delve Challenge Sketches<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've been wandering through the sketches for the Dungeon Delve challenge, 97 pages when I last checked. Amazing! I'd like to throw out a big "thank you" to those members of the community that have waded in and given constructive feedback. While I have tried to stay involved, the shear amount of entries and all the travel I've been up to have hampered my ability to get as involved as I would like. I'd like to toss out a few thoughts while everyone is gearing up for the final stage. Remember the brief. I've made a number of comments about the balance between character and environment. If you reread the brief, pay attention to the phrase "I'm looking for a piece that captures the concept of being lost in dangerous territory." For me, it's tough to capture the concept of being "lost" when I have a close-up of the character. So it you are stuggling with the concept of "lost" pull back and show some more of the environment. Push the perspective or pov. Take a cue from the thriller and horror genre, pushing yout perspective or pov can really create a sense of drama and tension. </div>
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Like the overall narrative in your piece, but feel it is a little pedestrian, tilt your horizon line or get the image off eye-level. Think about your palette! Your underground, sure. But that doesn't mean that everything has to be complete blackness. There are all sorts of natural bio-luminescence in caves. Help add a little drama and color to you scene by taking some cues from nature. Remember that highlights are warm, and shadows are cool. Add some sophistication to you color scheme by modeling with warm and cool, not black and white. It's all about the composition. You can have a great environment, an amazing character, cool perspectives like on <a href="http://www.cartoon-coloring-page.com/" target="_blank">www.cartoon-coloring-page.com</a> or pov, and if you composition sucks, the whole thing falls apart. Make sure you spend a little time looking over your composition. Cover elements and see if they are adding to the composition or detracting from it. Simplify your narrative and tell your story with just the right amount of elements. It's a whole lot easier to create a strong composition when you aren't trying to include the kitchen sink.</div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-31668508822024893722013-09-18T04:36:00.001-07:002013-09-18T04:39:31.128-07:00Hypothetical Situation<div style="text-align: justify;">
Okay. So, let’s say that, a lifetime ago, you ran a... hotdog stand. And you had, oh, I don’t know, 6 or 7 business partners. You break with them for the usual reasons, somebody was stealing the saurkraut, somebody was trying to pass off tofu dogs as all beef, someone stuck their wiener in the water, whatever... and then, like 20 or 30 years later, you find that one of the guys you started the hotdog stand with, who you always liked, is still in business with, uh, others operating the hotdog stand... who are not bad people mind you, but with whom you have found with absolute finality that you cannot interact on any level… but you want to tell the first guy about this new hotdog recipe you’re working on. But you definitely don’t want to get emails or commentary or anything from these other guys… and you sure as hell do not want them to get their stinking hands on your new hotdog recipe... So do you just write your old pal off as being dumber than a post for still hanging around with those wieners? Or do you trust him to honor a “mum’s the word”? Or is it all simply a sign that you are putting off doing more important things, like shaving?<br />
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Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-3583320316575494912013-07-18T07:43:00.002-07:002013-07-18T07:43:36.847-07:00Man Arrested for Falsely Telling Police He Had Committed Murder<div style="text-align: justify;">
A man who thought his story that he murdered someone would get him a faster response from police got his wish. However, police did not appreciate the lie and tossed him in jail. Tyler police said they received a 911 call about 7 p.m. Monday from 38 year-old Mark Anthony Johnson stating he had just committed a homicide and was armed with a weapon at 1007 NNW Loop 323. “Several officers with the department responded “Code 3” (running full speed with lights and sirens) to the scene,” a statement read. Officials said Johnson then told officers he had not killed anyone and explained he was as-saulted earlier and that he thought the police would get to the scene quicker if he reported he had killed someone. Officers arrested Johnson for the false report and booked into the Smith County Jail on the misdemeanor crime. Officers did take a report from Johnson concerning the assault and will investigate that case. Tyler Police Department Public Information Officer Don Martin said giving a false claim to police is not a common occurrence.</div>
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“This is not the norm and especially to this degree. We've had people report false crimes, but for someone to call saying they have committed a homicide just to get us there quicker is not the norm,” he said. Martin said Monday night's incident could have proved deadly because officers rushing to the scene could have had an accident or the suspect could have been injured by officers responding to what they believed was a scene with a shooter. “During a call like that they're all in the frame of mind they have an active shooter who has killed someone. They don't know what the person is thinking or what might happen,” he said. Martin said if a person is a victim of a simple assault which has occurred and the suspects are gone, then it is not an immediate response. However, if the assault is aggravated and someone is seriously injured or threatened with serious injury, then it is a priority call. Smith County records show Johnson has been arrested multiple times on charges, including felony drugs and theft.</div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-37824917919024521772013-05-17T04:02:00.001-07:002013-05-17T04:02:07.626-07:00New and Improved Burglar Alarms<div style="text-align: justify;">
New and improved burglar alarms purchased! Be afraid thieves! Be... very
afraid! Last week, after seeing the neighbor’s house sacked, I went on
and decided to purchase and install burglar alarms connected to my
living perimeters and garage. What was supposed to be a very easy task,
turned out to be... well... let’s definitely not call it a “walk in the
park”, you can read into where I’m going with this! I would have never
thought there are so many types of product referrals and, well, such a
vast offer , when it comes to security systems. Basically you need
something easy to install, not to expensive but then again not to cheap
either, because I have to say that great technology always comes at a
pretty spicy price. You will want to choose a regular alarm system for
your car for example but when it comes to your home and the safety of
your loved ones, you may want to go for something that’s pretty much
“state of the art”.<br />
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Now, there is a multitude of these awesome security systems you can
choose from, and the more money you can afford to spend on them , the
better! Some alarm designs are keeping it really simple and serve the
sole purpose of preventing intrusion with sounds or automatic calls to
the nearest police station or to the guard unit that provide you
security services, but others come with sound alarming systems and video
surveillance, plus smoke detectors! I’ve decided to go for a sensor
alarm that when going off (hence some entity has disrupted the sensor
system) issues an automatic call to the security company! There a
handful of sensor alarm types you can choose from: passive infrared
detectors, ultrasonic detectors, microwave detectors, photo-electric
beams, vibration or inertia sensors, e-fields, microphonic systems,
h-fields etc. My suggestion is you go for a passive infrared movement
sensor alarm, combined with a heat and smoke detector! That combo cannot
go wrong against intruders who if caught in between such a messy
situation, will often find themselves baffled by all the noise,
frightened and confused. Enough time for the police to cuff’em! More
informations about burgler alarms you can find here: <a href="http://www.electroschematics.com/alarm/" target="_blank">www.electroschematics.com/alarm/</a></div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-25204771588489209812013-03-20T00:09:00.000-07:002013-05-14T00:16:36.869-07:00Stop What You're Doing and Read This!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hundreds of years ago, Socrates feared that changing from an oral society into a literate society would shallow the human brain’s ability to explore. He believed that printing wisdom and asking students to read it would encourage them to simply decode the print without ever realizing the wisdom personally. They wouldn’t have to work out for themselves why a piece of wisdom was true; they would simply read it, take it as fact, and move on. The vital exercise required to process data and come to a conclusion would become archaic in the face of books, and society would weaken intellectually. Now, with the development of e-readers, the Internet, Google, etc,
scientists and readers are beginning to wonder if society will decline
still further. Now students needn’t even search for a word to understand
its meaning; they can simply Google the definition. They needn’t
analyze a piece of literature; they can Google an analysis. Stop What
You’re Doing and Read This! is a compilation of ten essays by reading
advocates who argue that literature must continue to be a backbone in
our society, and that it can survive to enrich thinking in the 21st
century.</div>
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Stop What You’re Doing and Read This! opens with a foreword that offers a few disheartening facts about the literary life in Britain today (a Britain that once housed Mr. Charles Dickens, and Ms. Jane Austen) These days in Britain (according to the book), one in three teenagers read two or fewer books a year; only one in six children reads books outside of class; many homes do not contain books; and reading to children at bedtime, according to this book, is becoming a novelty rather than a habit. Video games and the Internet are making mush of the minds of people whose great-great-grandparents rushed for the latest paper of a morning, not to get the latest score on a favorite team, but because they were mad to know what would happen next for Dickens’s unhappy orphan in Oliver Twist. Add is addressed with a handful of pills rather than the direction to "sit down and read a book", because who can focus on books these days? Why would anyone read this book? There is TV and web-surfing to be had, and that’s entertainment enough for our generation. </div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-88241177422069140102013-02-23T11:34:00.002-08:002013-06-11T13:51:44.319-07:00Weight Loss Through a Sensible Diet<div style="text-align: justify;">
For many people weight loss is the biggest challenge they will face, but what people don't realise is that it does not have to be that hard. Most people know what they have to do to lose weight. Eat less and exercise more. We all know that, but how much do you need to exercise and how much less do you need to eat. Weight loss all comes down to the calorie differential between the calories you eat compared to the calories you burn. When you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight. So then next question that needs to be asked is, how many calories does my body burn? Most of you will be pleasantly surprised at how many calories you burn each day for doing nothing. Let say for instance you were a female that weighs around 70kg, you will burn around 1900 calories per day. This is without any exercise! For weight loss, throw in some light exercise and restrict your calorie intake to around 1500 calories per day and you will lose around 0.5kg a week. The biggest key in weight loss then becomes a proper diet. Did you know that there is over 250 calories in a bottle of coke? Or that there is over 300 calories in a slice of chocolate mud cake?</div>
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You can certainly keep the foods you love in your diet, however for weight loss, moderation is the key. You need to be clever about food substitutions. Instead of having a slice of cake, have a healthy muffin. Have a can of tuna or some vegetables with dip. You need to come up with between 5 to 10 healthy snacks that you know you like and have the pre-prepared that way when the cravings come on you can go straight for your healthy snacks. It is the binge eating that really hinders weight loss progress so it is important to keep your body fuelled regularly with heavy food so you are not feeling hungry all the time. Make sure you write out your goals. Studies have shown that people that write out their goals are twice as likely to succeed with reaching their weight loss goals. Start off by making them reasonable and something you know you can achieved. Then, when weight loss actually happens, you can reset your goals and make them more challenging. The key for weight loss is keeping your energy balance in check. A great site that does all this for you is <a href="http://www.weightshapes.com/" target="_blank">Weight Shapes</a> that provides weight loss diet plans for men and women. They have a range of weight loss diets that allow you to keep track of all aspects of your health and fitness, and keep you motivated for sustained weight loss.</div>Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-27644962307197295862013-01-24T05:16:00.001-08:002013-02-23T11:44:44.820-08:00Short Love Poems<div style="text-align: justify;">
"I love you baby, and if it's quite
all right, I need you baby to warm a lonely night, I love you baby...
la la la la", here's what song I had in mind when the alarm went off
this morning. It never happened to me, waking up like this, so I had two
possible explanations: it was either this girl I started seeing lately,
or I was really in a mood for a beer. Considering I haven't seen the
beer commercial in a while, let's go with A, it was the girl. So, I
took a shower, dressed up, and skipped breakfast. I did it all with
Gloria Gaynor in mind. Ok, that went out wrong, but you know what I
mean. As if the corny song wasn't enough, I spent my day at the office
listening to love ballads on youtube and reading short love poems that
you may find <a href="http://www.shortlovepoems.eu/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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"My
name is Adam, I'm 28 years old and I'm addicted to corny song and short
love poems", there's a line I could use to introduce myself at the
annual freaks meeting. I mean, what is wrong with me? Ok, she's pretty,
and smart, and sweet, and hot, and a great cook, and... oh my God, I am
doing it again. She really got me hooked. I never thought of myself as
the "puppy" type in a relationship but this is stronger than me. Could
it be that I am discovering what being in love feels like, after making
fun of all my early married friends? If so, is there a cure? Don't get
me wrong, she is everything I want in a girl, but I'm not letting her
change me in everything I hate in a guy. What if this is her evil plan? I
heard rumors about women and their power to manipulate men but I
thought I was immune. Now, instead of feeling the urge to run away, I
can't wait to see her tonight. Maybe this is not that bad after all.
Maybe I'm just freaking out. You know what would help me out? Getting
all of the singing divas out of my head!</div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605092450871135523.post-29336444185402475232012-12-30T06:01:00.000-08:002013-01-24T06:03:52.907-08:00A Promise and The Apology<div style="text-align: justify;">
Promises like apologies are acts of free will. They are given uncoerced. Given, not simply offered. A promise is a commitment, a pledge to do something or refrain from doing something. It is an act of honesty. It gives the person to whom the promise is made the confidence that something will be done or not done, in other words the promise will be kept. An apology is offered in the same way. It's an admission of error. It's an expressed regret for something we did that we deem wrong, incorrect that we will regret later. It is offered, should be offered, sincerely because the person truly feels remorseful for their actions. It is not offered because it's expected but because it's felt. <br />
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An apology is not offered to get something back, it is offered because we sincerely regret an action that caused harm. Even if after we apologize we might err again. Promises and apologies are made with the desire to right the wrong without expecting anything in return. A promise is not made to get something in exchange, it is made because we simply want to make a promise that will yield a positive benefit. Promises... promises are made with the intent to be kept. They are not conditioned to "unless" Or "only if". They are made to be kept. I have made promises that I intended to keep and many I have not kept. Many of the ones I failed were/are about my temper. Some made to my kids "I promise I won't yell again". And when I have failed I have felt like crap. I have not rested until I apologized. Isn't that the way we should feel when we break a promise? <br />
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We can't simply wipe our hands in our pants, shrug our shoulders and sigh "oh well, I couldn't keep my promise". It is more than that. I have failed myself more than I have failed others. We are breaking not only a promise but the trust a person put in us. Breaking a promise is damaging. It hurts the person who trusted our promise will be kept. It damages the trust we have in them or they have in us. Promises and trust are not resilient. They cannot be broken and renew each time. Promises and Apologies are acts of honesty, if honesty is not present, they should not be made at all. They'll only cause damage. </div>
Stefan Valinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05946768935825862114noreply@blogger.com