Hyro Limited group company, Synergy Plus Pty Ltd (“Synergy”) has been named winner of the award for “Leadership in Optimizing IT Infrastructure” in the annual IBM Beacon Awards competition, honoring IBM Business Partners for their ingenuity, innovation, customer satisfaction and outstanding achievements in providing business solutions.

The Iron Dragon's Mother received a long, thoughtful, and positive review from Matt Hilliard in the March 30 issue of Strange Horizons. Rather than give you the usual pull-quote carefully excised from the corpus of the text, I thought I'd share with you one of Hilliard's observations:

That raises the question: what is Swanwick up to with this setting? If he wants to write fun faerie stories, why not just write about faeries the normal way? Or, since a valid way to describe this book is to say it’s “about a faerie fighter pilot, but it’s reallyabout living in a corrupt world and dealing with death,” why not just write about corruption and death in the real world where both can be found in abundance? To answer the second question, a common defense of genre fiction is that both fantasy and science fiction give us a different perspective on things that don’t change. They defamiliarize the world around us by situating us in the future or a past that never existed, and in doing so they can teach us things about humanity that we wouldn’t otherwise have known.

It’s been sixty-five years since J. R. R. Tolkien published The Fellowship of the Ring and spawned a host of imitators, and for most of Swanwick’s readers, fantasy has become deeply familiar. If it’s too familiar, it no longer defamiliarizes. What to do? Some authors, such as those of the New Weird, responded by moving away from Tolkien’s folklore influences, pushing into stranger territory. Swanwick has done the opposite, hewing closely to the peoples and monsters of folklore traditions from around the world (albeit with the occasional references to Tolkien himself, as with Caitlin’s brother, named Fingolfinrhod). But by mixing together elves and Gucci handbags, dwarves and cigarettes, or dragons and jet fighters, Swanwick continually shifts the context his reader must use. Whenever you find yourself getting comfortable, the novel suddenly sounds like this: “With the easy, racist phrasing of his class, her brother said, ‘Well, the kobold is in the henhouse now, to be sure’” (p. 289).

Overall, the review is positive, the sort of thing that warms a writer's heart. Hilliard has some negative things to say along the way, but since they're based on a careful reading of the book I actually wrote, I don't see that I have any right to complain.

You can read the whole review here.  Or go to Strange Horizons here and wander around, maybe read a story or two while you're there.

Above: Cleaning office, I came across the above photo of myself at age 23, when I was new to Philadelphia and determined to be a science fiction writer. It captures my mood then pretty well.

YouTube is one of the most important marketing tools out there when it comes to getting the message out about your business or your website. It’s currently the second most used search engine behind Google (which owns YouTube by the way) and is the biggest video sharing site in the world. Like it or hate it having videos on YouTube is a good way to promote what you have. But just having videos isn’t enough to get a tonne of traffic; you need to know how to optimize your YouTube channel and videos to get more traffic......................

This article with drawings is in these links https://www.academia.edu/40876793/Synchronizing_moving_GPS_clocks Word, PDF https://pengkuanonphysics.blogspot.com/2019/11/synchronizing-moving-gps-clocks.html PDF 1. Light pulse synchronization Can we synchronize clocks of a moving frame? Let us see Figure 1 where we have stationary frame F1 and moving frame F’2. The 2 clocks in the frame F1 are synchronized with the master clock through a...

This week: we go through the week's Potter news, including the new Wizarding World app as well as the upcoming release of the graphic edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!

This week's What About That: Arabella Figg is here to change all our SEO results. Who was she? What's her history? Was she married? Was she gay?

Also: squibs in the wizarding world: what does it mean to be a squib? What's the deal with the book and the quill? Why was it mean to Neville? WHY WOULD ANYONE EVER BE MEAN TO NEVILLE?

Also this week from Mischief Media: Listen to A Story Most Queer, now available wherever you listen!

Don't forget that we have a Patreon where you can get extra (sorting-related!) content!

By the way: never listen to what number we call the show inside the recording. We're gonna stop doing that.

Also, in the drums: John explains Brexit! 

Produced by Adam Molina // Assoc. Produced by Kylie Madden

  COVID-19 is having an immediate and drastic impact on the construction industry with job sites being abandoned and workers being furloughed. A byproduct of these unprecedented pandemic-related changes has been the demobilization of

Today, May 4th, is International Firefighters’ Day. Each year on this day, firefighters are celebrated – and rightly so.   Most people have an image of firefighters clad in heavy coats, over-sized boots and sturdy helmets, rushing into

Today, May 4th, is International Firefighters’ Day. Each year on this day, firefighters are celebrated – and rightly so.   Most people have an image of firefighters clad in heavy coats, over-sized boots and sturdy helmets, rushing into

Sociologists studying emotion have opened up the inner, private feelings of anger, fear, shame, and love to reveal the far-reaching effects of social forces on our most personal experiences. This subfield has given us new words to make sense of shared experiences: emotional labor in our professional lives, collective effervescence at sporting events and concerts, […]

Today, May 4th, is International Firefighters’ Day. Each year on this day, firefighters are celebrated – and rightly so.   Most people have an image of firefighters clad in heavy coats, over-sized boots and sturdy helmets, rushing into

The best grilled cheese sandwich recipes ever! A perfectly grilled/toasted cheese sandwich is one of the best things in life and a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich is even better! April is National Grilled Cheese Month and I have 30 amazing grilled cheese sandwich recipes for you, one for every day of the month! Grilled cheese...

Read On →

The post 30 Amazing Grilled Cheese Sandwiches appeared first on Closet Cooking.

The key to success in freelancing is realizing how to find the right clients - the people who are not only great to work with, but actually have money to pay you. 

Alison Knott is a web consultant who mentors creatives, and she knows all the mistakes that freelancers make: targeting the wrong clients, the wrong platforms, the wrong rewards. In this episode, she shares the decisions you have to make right now to start making money! 

Today’s links: 

• https://eraserheader.com/
• https://twitter.com/Eraserheader
• https://e3chalifax.ca/
• https://easel.ly/infographicdesign
• Theme song by topmen.bandcamp.com!

Want to support the show?

Order a custom infographic from Easel.ly! Use this link (https://www.easel.ly/infographicdesign/) for a great price! 

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Download here!

How should the design of incentives vary with agent time preferences? We develop two predictions. First, “bundling” the payment function over time – specifically by making the payment for future effort increase in current effort – is more effective if individuals are impatient over effort. Second, increasing the frequency of payment is more effective if individuals are impatient over payment. We test the efficacy of time-bundling and payment frequency, and their interactions with impatience, using a randomized evaluation of an incentive program for exercise among diabetics in India. Consistent with our theoretical predictions, bundling payments over time meaningfully increases effort among the impatient relative to the patient. In contrast, increasing payment frequency has limited efficacy, suggesting limited impatience over payments. On average, incentives increase daily steps by 1,266 (13 minutes of brisk walking) and improve health.

With the current trend toward de-cluttering and downsizing, there are plenty of books about how to winnow down possessions to the few that are truly necessary and loved. This book shows how you can live well once that's done.

Freezing soap bubbles look like snow globes. This whimsical effect could help us improve biological freezing techniques—and is incredibly fun to watch.

The NBA fined Clippers forward Paul George $35,000 on Thursday for publicly criticizing officials after a loss in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Power-hitting outfield prospect Zak Reks has packed a lot into his 26 years, and now he is focused on contributing to the Dodgers.

What you need to get started in exploring the night sky. Even basic binoculars will do

Owen Bieber, who shepherded the UAW through a recession, the Reagan era, industry downsizing and rapidly expanding global competition, dies at 90.

Rita Walters advocated fiercely for equality through school integration and hiring practices, first as a member of the L.A. school board and then on the L.A. City Council

"Hair Love" filmmakers Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver discuss their animated short, which is nominated for a 2020 Oscar.

From classic culture to stylish food, enjoy being pampered in Greece.

Whether you’re looking for Islands, nightlife or cultural experiences, those best things to do in Thailand have you covered. Thailand is one of the most popular backpacker destinations in the world. This special place has...

The post 7 Amazing things to do in Thailand appeared first on Geeky Traveller.

BRITONS saw temperatures climb yesterday into the 20's as many welcomed the early Bank Holiday sunshine, however this weekend a dramatic change will take place as cold Arctic air will sweep snow in.

TEMPERATURES are to plummet as freezing Polar air descends upon the UK this week bringing an end to the glorious sunshine much of the country experienced on Friday and Saturday.

TEMPERATURES are to plummet as freezing Polar air descends upon the UK this week bringing an end to the glorious sunshine much of the country experienced on Friday and Saturday.

We all must work together to dismantle the barriers and empower our neighbors for a truly inclusive city, a letter to the editor says.

Now is the time to stay at home and allow us to bring much needed supplies to your front door.

From pre-race festivities to that sweet swig of milk.

Purdue and Indiana have prioritized the Valparaiso product for their 2019 class, but they aren't short on competition.

Purdue, along with Notre Dame, Gonzaga, Louisville and Kentucky are recruiting Dickinson. Duke is also in the mix but has yet to offer Dickinson.

For 2020 "Sports Mom of the Year," Kyle Neddenriep received heartfelt nominations from fathers, mothers, husbands, sons, daughters and friends.

Take a look at a variety of crepes being created at T-Swirl Crepe, a new place to eat in Downtown Indianapolis.

Take a look at a variety of crepes being created at T-Swirl Crepe, a new place to eat in Downtown Indianapolis.

For 2020 "Sports Mom of the Year," Kyle Neddenriep received heartfelt nominations from fathers, mothers, husbands, sons, daughters and friends.

Pulitzer-winning cartoonists use humor to peer behind all the political posturing.

Three Pulitzer-winning cartoonists say covering the crisis requires careful aim.

Money needs to get spent fast. Money needs to get spent well. To some extent, those objectives are in tension.

The following article, Legal Immigrant in Michigan Sends a Message to MI Gov Whitmer and Media Criticizing Freedom-Loving Protesters, was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

The media and even some governors are trying to paint the Americans who are protesting to open businesses up as racists and even Nazis. The Governor of Michigan recently made a derogatory statement about the protesters implying they are racists. Painting a negative picture of the people who want their freedom and businesses demonizes our […]

Continue reading: Legal Immigrant in Michigan Sends a Message to MI Gov Whitmer and Media Criticizing Freedom-Loving Protesters ...

14 July 2016

The strategic case for TTIP is greater – and the stakes higher – now that the UK has decided to leave the EU. But TTIP will create new risks for the West whether it succeeds or fails.

The dextransucrase DSR-OK from the Gram-positive bacterium Oenococcus kitaharae DSM17330 produces a dextran of the highest molar mass reported to date (∼109 g/mol). In this study, we selected a recombinant form, DSR-OKΔ1, to identify molecular determinants involved in the sugar polymerization mechanism and that confer its ability to produce a very-high-molar-mass polymer. In domain V of DSR-OK, we identified seven putative sugar-binding pockets characteristic of glycoside hydrolase 70 (GH70) glucansucrases that are known to be involved in glucan binding. We investigated their role in polymer synthesis through several approaches, including monitoring of dextran synthesis, affinity assays, sugar binding pocket deletions, site-directed mutagenesis, and construction of chimeric enzymes. Substitution of only two stacking aromatic residues in two consecutive sugar-binding pockets (variant DSR-OKΔ1-Y1162A-F1228A) induced quasi-complete loss of very-high-molar-mass dextran synthesis, resulting in production of only 10–13 kg/mol polymers. Moreover, the double mutation completely switched the semiprocessive mode of DSR-OKΔ1 toward a distributive one, highlighting the strong influence of these pockets on enzyme processivity. Finally, the position of each pocket relative to the active site also appeared to be important for polymer elongation. We propose that sugar-binding pockets spatially closer to the catalytic domain play a major role in the control of processivity. A deep structural characterization, if possible with large-molar-mass sugar ligands, would allow confirming this hypothesis.

Researchers: Christopher Brinton, Zoomi, Inc. and Princeton University, and Mung Chiang, Purdue University Moment: http://www.ams.org/samplings/mathmoments/mm139-netflix.pdf Description: Christopher Brinton and Mung Chiang talk about the Netflix Prize competition.

ssm euromicron GmbH, a system house subsidiary of euromicron AG, is involved in a project to provide the technical equipment for the new building for the Institute of Geosciences at Kiel’s Christian Albrechts University. The seven-story new building is part of a campus-wide modernization initiative that is one of the largest public high-rise projects in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Global action is also a matter of self-interest for developed economies.