a student's notes

Patrick Stewart

2010-10-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

Good.is has a nice list of best sesame street guest appearances (via Digg). Among them I found Sir Patrick Stewart appearing in a skit called "Soliloquy on B".

It's an amazing find, and it led to an even funnier find - a skit called "Make it so Number one".

Voice recognition elevator in Scotland - "Eleven"

2010-05-20T02:37:00.000-07:00

A great skit about a voice recognition in Scotland:

Piano stairs - The Fun Theory

2010-05-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

The Piano Stairs are a fun innovation to the normal mundane stairs. By transforming the stairs into piano keys, which activate when people walk on them, make the experience of going up or down the stairs completely different.

Firefox downloaded 1 billion times

2009-08-01T05:35:00.000-07:00

Firefox, the ultimate web browser, has reached an incredible milestone - 1 billion downloads since its launch in 2004.

See the PCWorld article about it, The Guesstimater, the official notes at One Billion plus You and the Spreadfirefox page.

The future of DRM

2009-08-01T04:48:00.000-07:00

Where lies the future of DRM? Is DRM dead? Has the community's voice finally been given a proper listen to?

Only time will tell where or not the DRM will cease to exist.

VLC player hits 1.0.1

2009-07-30T04:43:00.000-07:00

VLC is an open source media player which supports a wide variety of formats. Just a few days ago it reached the version 1.0 milestone, which is great for all of us.

VLC is a great alternative to many proprietary media players, and usually provides wider format support, making it the media player of choice for many novice and proffesional users.

See the official notice here and also the discussion on Digg about it.

Frank Herbert's Moisture traps

2009-06-11T01:33:00.000-07:00

Dune is a great novel. If you haven't read Dune by Frank Herbert yet - go and read it! Even though I've read it quite a few years ago, and read some of its sequels, it is very interesting to read that some of Herbert's ideas might become a reality.

This Slashdot article is very interesting as it points to a possible use to the moisture traps described in Dune.

This is yet another example of how ideas spawned in the SciFi world might make its way into the real world.

From the pages of a SciFi novel to concept works and perhaps later into real-life versions of the inventions, the ideas of our SciFi authors are making their way over.

See also the reference from Stanford.

Is Laserbeak about to be invented?

2009-06-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

When I started reading this article I thought "hey, that could be cool". Just a few miliseconds later - that could be REALLY cool, since that is exactly what Laserbeak from the Transformers used to do.

Sure, it might still be in the development stage, but it's cool that during you lifetime, characters and ideas from the cartoons you grew-up with are becoming reality.

Last.fm shuts down the cool webapps

2009-06-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

Last.fm used to be a great site for music fans. It used to be a great way to listen to music online, without having to fret over logging in or doing anything other than picking a musician or artist you like, and it would just play.

I liked it so much that for a long time I've had a web-app as part of the main page of the blog. The web-app was simple: if you click on it, it would start playing songs by Norah Jones and other similar artists.

It's really sad that they have taken the whole web-apps off the net. I've heard a lot of rumors, and read a lot of things online as to what's been happening over there in the past several months.

Perhaps some day, the site will regain its old reputation as being a cool music website online. For now, the need to log in, and the shutting off of the web-apps are complete disappointing.

Sugar Delirium

2009-05-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

Sugar Delirium is an interesting site that shows you different foods and how much sugar (or the equivalent thereof) is in that food.

It actually is very informative in the way it conveys the information - the picture of the product along with sugar cubes to represent the amount of sugar in that product.

100 DVD's on 1 disc

2009-04-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

When the new data storage standard that GE is working on will get to mass production, the world of data storage will never be the same. Think about it - 100 DVD's worth of information stored on one disc.

Sure, discs aren't the best media to store data on - the are susceptible to rust and decay, and have a lifespan of only a few years, but as a temporary or short term data storage - they do wonders.

Just thinking about the scale - 100 DVD's on one disc, is astounding.

That is, of course, only as long as it will reach mass production any time soon. With the new standards for SD that are due to arrive in a year or two (according to some reports), and allow huge amounts of data storage on a single card, discs as storage devices will have a hard time, to say the least.

Susan Boyle gets a standing ovation

2009-04-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

If you have yet to see the amazing performance Susan Boyle gave on the show Britain's Got Talent, you have to see it ASAP.

Why? Her performance gives us all an example of so many things we have forgotten. Starting from 'You can't judge a book by its cover' to how we perceive ourselves, the spectacular performance by Susan Boyle leaves you with your mouth open in awe, and a tingling sensation in your spine.

When she was asked about who she is and where she's from, how old she is, and the TV cameras took notice of various faces and frowns in the crowd, no one guessed or expected for Susan to actually live up to her own high standards (as famous as Elaine Paige).

That look on peoples, the look you saw in the audience as well as in the judges own faces, when they heard Susan start to sing, is a testament to many things we have forgotten.

We have forgotten to give people a chance, regardless of anything we might think of them, where they are from, or how old they are.

We have forgotten that people can succeed in what they do, that they can make their dreams come true, no matter how old they are and how many naysayers they have to face along the way.

This is a definite slap-in-the-face, a wake-up call of sorts. We need to smarten up, and sooner so, the better.

You can see the standing ovation yourself, at the link, or just have a look at all the views she's getting on Youtube alone.

If you are interested in reading more about it, I found an article about it by Tanya Gold in the Guardian.

Textual designs

2009-03-14T00:31:00.000-07:00

I found an interesting link about 3D text designs which could be very inspirational to any designer and webbuilder.

There are many different styles on display, though some share common factors.

Ways to make your laptop's battery last longer

2009-02-22T23:48:00.000-08:00

A post on TechRadar about 7 ways to make your laptop battery last longer (found via Digg) is an interesting list, and brings forward something we might be taking for granted - A lot of people are using their laptops as main computers. Has this changed the way we use computers?

Firstly, there is the fundamental change - the mobility. You can take your computer with you in a backpack, and pop it on in a Starbucks near you, and work there. You can go and sit at any place that offers free Wi-Fi access.

That mobility is dependent on power supply, be it battery or a wall socket. Since one cannot depend on finding a free power socket in every coffeeshop with Wi-Fi access, laptop users most times have to depend on their battery for power.

That is where the longevity of your battery kicks in. If it lasts a long time, enough for your surfing needs, you will not need a power socket at all. However, if it fails in the middle of your use, you would want to find an alternate power source as soon as possible.

So, what can you do? Well, you can start by checking the list on TechRadar. Another thing you can do is to check the battery life expectancy before buying a laptop, and let that be one of the determining factors of which brand and model to buy.

Firefox addons revisited

2009-01-19T07:16:00.000-08:00

Since the launch of Firefox 3, I haven't given much blogspace to rethink the addons I use. A post in TechRadar brought it to my attention, along with some more ideas for cool addons to use.

Some of you may recall that I've described the addons I think are reccomendable a few months ago. Back then, Firefox 2 was still around for another patch or two, before the announcement came that it will no longer be patched, and all users are encouraged to upgrade to Firefox 3.

I've tried myself some of the addons in the TechRadar post, such as Tab Mix Plus, IE view, Greasemonkey and more.

However, I am unsure at how much they add to the regular user. Since the TechRadar post is aimed at power users, I can understand why they would be there. I do not, however, think that I would recommend all of them to regular users, who might question whether they should have these or not.

The resolve in this matter to the techy person in all of us is quite simple - do not hesitate to try the addons, after you've read everything there is to know about them, just because you may not necessarily consider yourself a power user. That's part of the fun that firefox is - you can install addons and uninstall if they don't suit you. In fact, you can even install an addon for a while, and later when it no longer suits your need, you can disable it or uninstall it.

Earbud Tie

2009-01-17T22:06:00.000-08:00

Link to a clever tie, that makes you look as if you are wearing earbuds. Genius.

Not that everyone has an Ipod, or Iphone, but it's a refreshing approach to what you can wear on a tie, and how a tie can still look cool.

Klingon Keyboard

2009-01-13T22:56:00.000-08:00

Boinboing.net has a funny article about a Klingon keyboard. Just in case having a virtual Klingon keyboard or font aren't enough for you, you can check out the keyboard there that has Klingon type letters instead of any other language you might expect.

The Fish Volvo

2009-01-13T21:45:00.000-08:00

Gizmodo have a funny post (with picture!) about a guy who turned his Volvo into a fish-mobile of sorts.

Really funny.

Gingerbread geeky creations

2009-01-06T07:27:00.001-08:00

Food can be a great outlet to express one's self in a creative sort of a way. These examples of gingerbread creations are excellent examples that with a bit of imagination (and quite a bit of talent) you can create real-world items, or maybe just a Deathstar.

One of my favorites from the photostream of gingerbread creations is the picture of the gingerbread Tardis (pics number two).

Checkout also the thread on Digg about it.

You may remember I've blogged about Adam Newbold's Muppet Cake. His creations were really amazing.

It's really outstanding what creative people can do with food and art.

Blame it on the rain - Milli Vanilli

2008-12-21T04:04:00.000-08:00

Milli Vanilli were a very interesting singing duo, which had quite a few number one hits in the late eighties and early nineties. Songs like "Blame it on the rain", "Girl you know it's true, "Baby don't forget my number" and "Girl I'm gonna miss you" were very successful.

It is too bad that just a few years after their meteoric success it was discovered that they were not the people behind to vocals being heard. It was revealed that they had used another one's voice to sing and dance to, pretending to sing with their own voice.

Still, the songs they've created still echo in the music hall of fame as some of the number one hits of the late eighties and early nineties.

Blame it on the rain

Baby don't forget my number

See also the article on them at Wikipedia.

The Big Three

2008-12-10T02:19:00.000-08:00

Treehugger has an interesting ad about the big three car manufacturers in the US, and the bailout plan.

The ad is satirical, and the design is similar to that which is used by the companies themselves to sell cars.

It's an interesting example of satirical use, in my view. Check it out for yourselves.

edit: the credit in treehugger goes to Buffalobeast.com via Boingboing.net.

Save the Planet - it's the only one with beer

2008-12-10T02:14:00.000-08:00

This funny picture tells just why we should try and save the planet, and gives a pretty good reason why we should get our act together.

If you liked that one, you'd probably like this one too, and this one.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

2008-12-01T00:14:00.001-08:00

One of the TV shows I remember from when we were young was Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was another one of the cartoons abundant in the late 1980's, and were joined by others, such as Bravestarr, Scooby Doo, Beetlejuice and many more.

link to the movie

The show was about three brothers growing up together and having their own band. Nothing fancy about it, it was pretty simple. Perhaps that is what made it very enjoyable when we were young.

How many blogs does the world need?

2008-11-24T23:13:00.000-08:00

Time is asking just that, how many blogs does the world need.It's an interesting read in this day and age, found via Digg, and though I may not agree with all things said, it still provides an interesting point of view for this current wave/phase of the Information Age.

Bruce Lee plays Ping Pong and other assorted goods

2008-11-23T02:39:00.000-08:00

There's a movie about showing Bruce Lee playing ping-pong versus one player, then two players, while he's using nunchuckus.

link to the movie

Another interesting find in Digg was yet another photoshop FAIL ad. The picture showed Eva Avila holding one hand in the air and another hand holding a music player. The hand in the air has only four fingers, instead of the five fingers she has.

FAIL Blog

2008-11-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

Funny pics found across the web usually give you a good laugh. Some people say that if whatever happen is really bad, then it could be even funnier (though I don't share that sentiment).

Those of you that appreciate a good laugh here and there might like to know about the FAIL Blog, which is a funny repository of "FAIL" pics and videos from many different genres. For example, the chicken vs. real chicken I found quite funny.

Check out the ice fail" and more on the FAIL Blog.

More Perler beads and art

2008-11-21T02:46:00.000-08:00

After discussing the Perler beads last time, I found this nice tutorial about how to make some more of them.

The tutorial is about making World of Warcraft related art, and is part of a website I like called WoWInsider. Be sure to check it out.

Google to host LIFE photos

2008-11-19T01:59:00.000-08:00

Lifehacker reports that we'll be able to search a huge collection of LIFE photos via Google. Those are some 10,000,000 photos for you to view and search through.

You know how much I enjoy Lifehacker, so go check them out too.

Last.fm UI facelist

2008-11-19T01:54:00.000-08:00

Last.fm gets a new face-lift as UI gets revamped graphics.

The new model comes after a large makeover was done a few months ago, and changes the layout of the different elements on the screen, as well as the placement of the search bar.

Last.fm is still one of the best online streaming music services around the web, with competitors still lagging behind.

guy builds a scaled F-35

2008-11-03T00:18:00.000-08:00

Gizmodo have an article (+movie!) about a guy who's built he' own scaled down F-35 fighter jet.

Scaled down, and doesn't leave the ground, but it is still really cool.

Shadow Priest in Outland following patch 3.0.2

2008-11-02T23:59:00.000-08:00

With the introduction of the new talent trees, towards the release in November of the Wrath of the Lich King (WotLK for short), all players have had their talent point reimbursed.

This enables everyone to re-spec to a build of their own fancy, and for new outland players just passing level 60 to be able to choose their talents in quite a different way.

With the new trees, we can now use all our talent point on the Shadow tree alone, and forgo the need to invest any point in the other tree builds. That is to say, that one can reach level 70 and still have point only in the Shadow tree, and advance to the other trees only once passing level 70.

For those that do want to have a build that's mostly shadow, but still has a few points in the others, you can invest 51 points in the Shadow Tree, and take the rest to the either the Holy or the Discipline trees.

What is important is to take at least 51 points and invest them in all the dps related talents there are on the Shadow Tree. That way, you can maximize your ability to preform as a DPS caster.

One idea is to invest point in "Twin Disciplines", or you could choose "Unbreakable Will", or any other 1st tier talents that strike your fancy.

What's important, though, is to make sure you've made use of all the points you can that are related to generating damage.

If you liked this post, you might be interested in a few short posts I've written on the Shadow Priests. Part 1 starts here.

Beads and Pixel art

2008-10-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

A search in google got me to this article about Perler beaded pixel art. The examples there are really nice, and the links to Flickr really take you one step forward.

Reading about them, and seeing the discussion in Digg about it, is informant too. The fact that is was written more than eighteen months ago does not take anything away from it.

Sifting through the info, I also found a link about how to make your own sprite coasters, which was interesting and very colorful.

From there I got to an even more colorful site, full of game sprites, called videogamesprites.net.

The Fall (2006) - a movie to see

2008-10-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

Last week I saw the movie "The Fall". The movie was screened as part of a fiction and sci-fi festival.

One of the first things I liked about the movie is the fact that it's not your average fiction/fantasy/sci-fi movie, in a sense that parts of the plot were happening in early 20th century, rather than a future or alternate universe.

The cast is splendid, and Catinca Untaru does an amazing job in lifting the movie beyond any other movie I've seen in a while. Her ability to play the role, and interact with the main characters, including actor Lee Pace's two characters, make a difference in the movie and help transcend the movie beyond being a "regular" movie.

The fact that the movie was released in 2006 did nothing to affect my appreciation of it. Something about it seems to transcend beyond.

Grocery List picture ad

2008-10-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

The Grocery List picture ad is, in my view, a great example of popular content approach to art. It features all you have to buy in an artistic way.

Found in Digg.

Sarah Silverman and lots of Celebrities in an ad for "Don't Vote"

2008-10-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

The discussion in digg that leads you to the "Don't Vote" video, is just amazing.

There are so many famous actors participating in it, that it is fun to watch just by itself.

I'm not sure who's behind this movie (Sarah or someone else), but it sure reminds me of The Great Schlep, which appeared a few weeks ago.

Wordpress tips

2008-10-05T02:43:00.000-07:00

Getting 30+ tips, tricks and hacks for wordpress is something you'd surely like to know about, whether you have a wordpress blog at the moment or not.

Some of the tips are cross platform, and can be benefitial for all bloggers out there. Others are a bit more specific, but you can check that out after the jump.

The Hongkiat blog itself is very interesting, and has quite a few things of note.

Making music in Linux

2008-10-05T02:06:00.000-07:00

Linux can provide us, the users, with many great alternative programs to fill our everyday needs. Digg brought my attention to a post in hehe2.net about free and professional music production software for Linux.

The fact that the programs in question are made for the Linux platform might have been a deterant for some people about ten years ago. As Linux becomes more mainstream, whether Ubuntu, Mandriva, Redhat or any other distrobution, many people can see its advantages and use it for their own befenit.

What I find unique about the post at hehe2.net is that it is not often that you get a real chance to see how a transition to Linux can benefit you in more than just switching an OS.

What's more, now that the post has been featured on Digg (and by now probabaly in other social news networks), there are many comments left by visiters, some with more valuable links, tips or advice.

Drupal developer's tools

2008-09-28T07:27:00.000-07:00

Smashing Magazine is one of my favorite sites when it comes to design. The site is always insightful, and has an abundance of tips, links and ideas that you can be inspired by.

A few days ago they published a Drupal Developer's Toolbox. It has a lot of tips, tools and ideas, from novice and basic to the expert and customized.

I think that any drupal developer can find useful information and ideas in the article itself and the links attached to it.

Firefox Addons

2008-09-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

There are many good addons to use with Firefox. There have also been many lists containing the top 10/20 addons to use.

Over the past several years, I've come to appreciate several addons. Here is a list of some of the more useful addons I've found so far:

NoScript - prevents any scripts from running unless you okey the domain from which they originate.

DownloadThemAll - help to batch download elements from a webpage.

PDFDownload - helps dealing with PDF docs that you want to view/download while surfing the web.

DownloadStatusBar - an amazing feature, one that comes so natural you'll have a hard time thinking how things were before it. It displays the downloaded file and its information in the bottom part of the browser.

FlashBlock - prevents any flash content from downloading or running unless you okey the domain.

Noia 2.0 Extreme - a nice theme with great looking buttons.

Wizz RSS - an RSS extention.

FaviconizeTab - a usefull tool for the firefox poweruser that enables one to minimize the size of the tab in the tab bar to the size of the favicon.

RSS Ticker - an RSS ticker that runs your live bookmarks in the bottom part of the browser.

Coloful Tabs - colors each tab in a different color.

Bookmark Duplicate Detector - warns you when you are about to create a duplicate bookmark.

That's the list so far. I'll probably add a few later on.

another Pixel Art creation

2008-09-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

Reddit spawned another Pixel Art creation, described as "Probably The Best Pixel Art on the Web". I highly disagree with such a statement.

Sure, the huge picture (broken into several medium sized ones) is nice, its total size is huge, but just that by itself does not qualify, in my view, as supreme over other Pixel Art projects out there.

There are many styles of Pixel Art. And I will credit the creators of this one as doing a most elaborate job (which takes a bit too long to download, if you don't mind me saying), which probably took many hundreds or even thousands of hours of work to get done.

That being said, I encourage such work and creations, as they are rather rare to find, even on the web.

I will add, however, that I find I like the works of the people at www.eboy.com a bit more to my taste, and not just the fact that they let you download their images (different elements).

You be the judge, check them out both.

Star Trek's PADD revisited

2008-09-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Will new eReaders bring the long lost hope to see a PADD sometime in our lifetime to mainstream life? A news article in the New York Times talks about new E-Newspaper Reader that will enable readers to view news and other contents from the electronics device. The device might mimic the look of paper, but it is yet another attempt of real-life to get a hold of a pure sci-fi piece of technology.

Star Trek has had it's own information reader, in form of the PADD. Besides being a Personal Access Display Device, the PADD was a portable method to move information around, a convenient way to carry it, and a mechanism of dictating and recording information.

You can read more about the debate at Digg about it.

More information on the PADD and also here.

Wordle

2008-09-08T02:30:00.000-07:00

I found Wordle mentioned in a Wired article that, amongst other things, tries to represent text in a new way, to shed some light on the texts we take for granted.

By using this tool, one is able to get a different representation to the important and repeated words that there are in a text, be it a speech or any other text, something like a "word cloud".

I've done three examples with it, all very interesting, using my posts on the World of Warcraft Shadow Priests:

Part1

Part2

Part3

The Shadow Priest - Part 3

2008-09-07T04:02:00.000-07:00

Shadow priests play a versatile roll in levels 60-70 in World of Warcraft. In the previous parts (part 1,part 2) we discussed how a Shadow Priest can both DPS and heal, sometimes at the same time, using abilities unique to him. In this third part we will review some of the better uses and abilities of the Shadow Priests in Outland as levels 60-70.

Shadow Priests are a proper DPS class casters. That means that the damage they do is by using magic spells. There are many different spells at their dissposal, but safice us to say that they are casters (unlike hunters, rogues or paladins who can DPS without casting).

When leveling 60-70, either by questing or by doing a lot of dungeons, the Shadow Priest is a sought after party member as a DPS. As a healer, the Shadow Priest has many rivals who are proper healers (holy priests, healer paladins, druids and more). Therefore, the Shadow Priests' uniqueness is in their ability to DPS, and aid the main healer as a secondary healer to heal all the group via Vampiric Embrace, at the same time as dealing damage.

While questing, the DPS role is vastly superior. It is also preferable when doing most dungeons, but there could be instances when a Shadow Priest will be main healer. This can be achieved by the Shadow Priest having a high healing bonus, and able to properly heal the tank. Sometimes, Vampiric Embrace can also be useful, but when healing a tank the healing bonus takes more affect.

More information can be read at WoWWiki on their post about the Shadow Priests.

The Muppet Show cake

2008-09-07T03:34:00.001-07:00

The Muppets was one of the better TV shows of the 1980s. Featuring rememberable muppets from the great hands of Jim Hanson's workshop, we remember Kermit the frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fossie Bear, and many more.

Digg's got a link to an amazingly detailed Muppet cake that has nearly 20 unique characters on it (direct link to the flickr slideshow). The cake is part of Adam Newbold's slideshow.

I'm sure it's taken a lot of hard work to make all those characters for the cake, and it sure look like they've made an effort.

London at night, from above

2008-08-30T11:04:00.001-07:00

When you first look at the photos of Jason Hawkes posted at www.boston.com, you just feel like the word "wow".

Moving from picture to picture, it's hard to keep up with the amazing photography.

These are definite candidates for new wallpapers on the computers I work on.

Cool USB gadgets

2008-08-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

The link to 21 cool USB gadgets can be quite an eye-catcher. The list is diverse and allows for both play (dart launcher) and functionality (Podcast Studio).

The people at ThinkGeek have been presenting cool gadgets for years and years now, and it is always a lot of fun to check out what they have in stock today (e.g. the powered by USB list).

The Plug and the disposable camera

2008-08-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

The Plug has a very interesting feature about a disposable camera that was left on a bench for people to use, and the owner would return at a later time to reteive it.

First, I must admit I have not read or seen The Plug website prior to their latest Digg, the one that sent me there now.

It seems like a nice site/community, and yes, I had to have a look around after seeing this idea of theirs take shape and form.

It is their installment with the camera that I find most interesting - would it work in other places around the world? would it work in other cities? Is the kind response and participation of the chosen ones who've used that roll of film a unique phenomenon native only to the location in which that was tried?

I found another fun article in that same issue (March 2008), about tiny bumber stickers

Fractal Art

2008-08-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Digg has had another surprise for me in relation to Fractals. I've come across this link to Fractal Art, which features (after the jump) a collection of beautiful Fractal Art.

In the link above, you will also find a link to a GPL Fractal picture generator of sorts, called Apophysis. I never thought I'd see an Open Source, GPL Licensed Fractal program like that, and it's definitely a good surprise.

Myself, I still have a special place for Mandelbrot Set, the first Fractals I saw and was taught about.

The Shadow Priest in World of Warcraft - part 2

2008-08-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

In World of Warcraft, there are three talent "trees" that your priest character can choose talents from. Choosing most of your talents from a specific tree would render your character to be called by that tree; i.e. a Shadow Priest, a Discipline Priest and a Holy Priest.

Most players pick their main talent tree as either Shadow or Holy, and pick up some talent from the Discipline, as they see fit. Therefore, most priests you see playing are either Holy Priests (vast majority) and Shadow Priests.

Priests are a relatively rare character choice, as they are mainly healers. They are equipped with the best healing spells and incantations around, and therefore preform the "Healer" position when questing in a group or in raids. Other healers of note include Paladins and Druids which can build their own talent trees to be healers.

Shadow Priests preform the DPS role in a group/raid. They can deal a lot of damage, and they have the advanage over other types of DPS that they can also heal very well and aid the main healer if they need.

I've described this in detail in my previous post on the Shadow Priest. In this post I'd like to comment on its role in BG's from 50-60 and the way a Shadow Priest can level and aid in groups/raids.

As mentioned before, being a Shadow Priest means your are a DPS and therefore can deal a lot of damage to your opponents. You can level your priest by questing and by doing dungeons. Both will generate the experience points you need to get to your next level. Usually, both will also get you reputation with a certain faction, which is good for you for future use.

It is probably better to quest as much as you can if you want to level faster. Dungeons are great fun, but as you just kill mobs and bosses and don't complete any quests there (unless you have a quest to do in a dungeon, which is also common), then you can get more experience points by questing. You can still level via dungeons, but it might take longer and prove a bit more tedious than mixing questing and doing dungeons every so often.

Also, remember that when questing you will also kill a lot of mobs (most quests) and by doing so you will be able to get more loot (which you can sell for silver to a vendor) and by completing the quest you will get an experience points compensation for your trouble, which is in most times better than just killing mobs inside a dungeon without a quest to do so.

That is also why when you go into a dungeon, you should ask all your party members to share any quests they have for that dungeon with you.

When you get to level 58-60 and have the Burning Crusade, you will consider moving to the Outland. Questing in Outland is superior to questing in Azerroth or in Eastern Kingdoms, the loot is better, the rewards are better, and the honor and experience bonuses from quests are better.

As can be expected, the Outland dungeons are also a lot better than the ones in Azeroth/Eastern Kingdoms.

In all dungeons, Shadow Priests are worthy secondary healers and are very good at spamming mass-healling for the whole group with the aid of a spell called "Vampiric Embrace" (see also in wowwiki). Using this spell the Shadow Priests can help the team by healing the whole group through DPSing the target.

That is one of the unique features I found the Shadow Priests have that make them an excellent addition to any 5 men group, let alone a raid.
--End of Part 2.

In Part 3 we will discuss the importance of the Shadow Priest in levels 60-70 and questing and raiding in Outland.

Jogli - The Next Frontier in Streaming Playlists

2008-07-21T01:36:00.000-07:00

Listening to streaming music on the web is one of its best daily uses. Over the last several years there have been quite a few sites that offered different services of streaming music. Pandora.com was one of the first noticeable ones that took it a step further and offered you to get acquainted with music similar in style to the one you like, by taking the artist you like and playing for you his/her music along with music by similar artists.

After Pandora shut its doors to the world(i.e. anyone who's not in the US), a new contender proved supreme. Last.fm came to the rescue and provided a much needed alternative to Pandora, with a much better service. No longer do you need to register with the site just to enjoy it to the fullest, and the music selection is huge.

All the while, there have been a few out shoots that sprung up. Musicovery.net and Musicmesh.net to name a few. While Musicovery took the same style of operation of Pandora and Last.fm, it added extra features that are not available in either of its predecessors.

Jogli came to my attention when TechCrunch reviewed them. After reading the review, I had to try it myself.

I found the site to be very well versed in most of the music I was looking for. I think only one band or two were not found, and all the rest were easily brought up to specs.

What's nice about Jogli, in my opinion, is found within two fronts, both important. First, it plays the songs continuously without pausing for you to press play again (just like Last.fm does). Secondly, it allows you to save your own playlists of the specific songs that I like, without any addons or stipulations.

Being able to save myown playlist and build it any time I want is a great service for a person to use. You can build it at home in the morning, and hear it at work, rebuild in the afternoon and hear at home, and so on.

So far, I've come to realize that Jogli is one of the long anticipated music reliefs I was hoping for, but didn't know how to put it in words. If they keep it up, add more features and music into their structure, I am confident it will change the way we stream our music online.

UPDATE: Well, like all new sites and services, Jogli has its share of bumps and quirks. Over the past week, about have of my playlist doesn't play. It's as if the movie was taken down in Youtube, and Jogli haven't yet synchronized it yet with another video. So, as you can imagine, I am back to good-old Last.fm, where at least I know the music will keep on playing.

I do hope they solve that problem. The site has a lot of potential, but if half of my playlist is non-functional, I can't make any use of it, and there is no point in using it.

I will check out the site some time later to see they've solved the problem.

Game making

2008-07-08T01:20:00.000-07:00

Game making is one of those wishful thinking that I think most gamers have - to be able to create your own game, yourself.

A rescent thread in Digg started me thinking about it again. While there could be quite a few tutorials(see also here) on game making for the coding-challanged gamer, most tools leave much to be desired when you look under the hood.

An example of that is Gamemaker, which like many others, provides many options, tools, and customization options for the user in making computer games.

However, one important and often overlooked criteria on choosing your prefered tool is what rights will you have when you've completed a game with a certain software.

Intellectual Property rights are very important, not only to the developers of game-making tools, but also to the creators themselves. It is how we, as creators of our works, can assert our rights, both to be recognized as the authors of our works, and also affect how we use the game we have just created, to our own benefit.

Not many novice game-makers want to immidately run and sell their game. Not many would send it off to large game/software firms as an attempt to pitch for a job. Not many would even want to do anything with it, other that have it on their computers, and know that they've created a game. But some of them would.

Those people who would like to do something with the game, will need to read the many terms and conditions, licenses and other legal banter ubundantly crammed into a proprietary game-making software, and even open-source software.

Before making a game using a certain platform (this game-making software or the other), one must first look into the restrictions it has in its licenses on the users/game-creaters, and thus, on any games created by it.

Only by looking at the legal limitations that accompany a game-making software, will we be truelly able to pick our most suitable tool for creating games, and having the freedom we want to do as we please with them (or at least as close as we can).

You know it's summer when...

2008-07-02T23:31:00.000-07:00

You know it's summer when Gizmodo reviews water guns and try them on their intern, just to report which is better for the next water fight.

Firefox 3 sets a new world record

2008-07-02T23:19:00.000-07:00

Mozilla has set a new world record for largest number of software downloads in 24 hours with Firefox3 (see also debate at digg).

With so many people eager to try out Firefox, it's no wonder they were able to achieve so many downloads in just 24hours.

To be fair, I must admit that I, myself, have not yet made the move from Firefox 2 to Firefox 3. A few reasons exist, but beyond them all is a fear to abandon my beloved firefox 2 and advance to the great unknown of a new software. I am aware of all the debates that have been taken place, and that the official version is only out after all the kinks and quirks were dealt with and ridden of, but still there remains that back-of-your-throat feeling that perhaps holding on to the known and the familiar will ease the transfer, in the future, to the newer model.

WoW Hobbs' Blog

2008-05-13T00:48:00.000-07:00

If you recall my last post about WoW Hobbs, then you remember how much fun it was to watch his movies, let alone hear his tips on all things WoW.

I've noticed today that I haven't linked you myself to his own blog, here, even though the video's do have the address. I strongly recommend visiting it.

You might also like to check his YouTube Channel and see his movies there.

LifeHacker's Canon digicam hack

2008-05-12T03:25:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite sites around is, of course, "LifeHacker". I've come across an interesting post they have on Canon digicams and a way to improve the camera's abilities, without erasing the original firmware.

When all is said and done, it they way suggested seems to be a rather simple one, and what's even more important - you can undo any changes you've made in a very simple manner, so the usual worries of wrecking your camera melt away (or at least they shrink a bit).

Link.

The Redneck Swing

2008-05-12T03:06:00.000-07:00

I spotted this swing on Digg, titled "Redneck Swing", and you have to admire the ingenuity behind it. I mean, yeah, the first look it a good laugh, but after a moment you can't help but wonder how comfy it must be.

What a month

2008-04-29T03:04:00.000-07:00

April has certainly been quite a month. I've been ever so busy, and haven't really been able to post to the blog.

But, I hope to have cleared the slate on some things that needed be done, and thus can now allocate some more time to my other interests, including the Blog.

The Three Hundred Threshold

2008-03-12T02:53:00.000-07:00

It might not seem much, but the three hundred threshold has finally been broken. Over three hundred posts have been written for the blog, and to be honest - I am a bit proud.

I remember way back in 2005 when I've noticed the first blogs appear, and I couldn't really understand what they were or what they meant for their creators. It eluded me how writing a blog would be a good use of someone's time, let alone what they might get out of it.

Times have certainly changed since then. Blogging has become so common, so mainstream, that we sometimes take it for granted. O'Reilly has even pointed out as part of his definition of What is Web 2.0 that the personal webpages of the first years of the Internet have transformed and meta morphed into Blogs.

The Internet is in a constant state of flux, for better or worse. This new era, the one we currently live in, seems to be the one were blogs rule, their content read, and they make a vast quantity of the internet's active content community.

It is my hope to be able to continue writing about fun and interesting stuff, for university students and websurfers alike.

WoW - The Shadow Priest

2008-02-05T01:40:00.000-08:00

Of the three alternate talent trees available for the Priest in Blizzard's World of Warcraft(a.k.a. WoW) is the Shadow discipline.

Of the three available, both Holy and Shadow are formidable. Reading many forum posts and scanning through sites along the web, both have many strengths. The Holy Priest is highly sought after, especially in BG and dungeons, and any PVP conflict. The Shadow Priest, that can be a very successful healer in a party/group, is also able to do a lot of damage.

As a DPS, the Shadow Priest is not too bad. He is easier to level than a Holy Priest, and can contribute to the general damage-generating ability of the group. That is was a Shadow Priest is a good first choice, in my view.

One of the forum posts I've read was that after leveling the Shadow Priest to the higher levels, one can switch to the Holy tree, with a price of gold (in-game currency). However, we must remember that often high level player have a lot of gold, and thus could have no difficulty making the transfer.

It is my opinion that for the first 40-50 levels, the Shadow Priest is a more fun option to choose. In those levels most of one's time is spent soloing around the WoW universe.

During level 40 and beyond you start allocating more and more time to the dungeons and BG's available. Playing there becomes more and more enjoyable, though for a priest the BG is not the favorable option. In contrast, the Priest excels in the dungeons, and is a highly sought-after party member. Playing the role of the healer of the group, and priest would have no problem in most dungeons, finding other party members or on-going parties that would love for him to join them.

The advantages of the Priest as a Holy Priest start to become dominant in the later levels, 45-50 and beyond. Then, the Holy Priest is able to be a better team member in the dungeon and do his job as a healer in a much better fashion.

This could lead one to consider to leave the Shadow talents and switch over to the Holy talent tree, once enough in-game currency accumulates.

-end of part 1.

Click here for part 2.

How glasses affect your look

2008-01-29T03:56:00.000-08:00

One of the funny and so-true pictures I've come across deals with the way glasses change your look. Of course it's all in a humorous way, and that's the only way to take it.

See it here.

Note: Although I found it via Digg, I do not put the link here since I've come to realize that there could be a problem with the site that was linked via Digg. FYI.

Helvetica - typography movie

2008-01-24T02:22:00.000-08:00

I came across this link to the movie, dealing with typography.

I haven't seem it myself, but it is definitely added to the "soon to be watched" movies.

The movie is 1 hour, 22 minutes. You can read more about it in the details about it in its page on IMDB page and in the Helvetica official homepage.

WoW ads

2007-11-25T12:20:00.000-08:00

Mr.T and Star Trek's William Shatner did cool ads for World of Warcraft. You can check them out here:

Wowhobbs

2007-11-20T12:34:00.000-08:00

A cool walkthrough with tips along the way for the WoW player. Thought this is not the first of the series, this is the first one I saw of Hobbs:

Here is another interesting one:

UC Berkeley First to Post Full Lectures to YouTube

2007-10-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

UC Berkeley is taking the Open Courseware one step further offering lectures through Youtube. The report about it was found on Digg (click the link to read the comments there) and leads to an article in News.com.

You can also checkout what the guys over at Reddit had to say about it.

You might remember my post from last year about Berkeley and iTunes, and I'm happy to read that they've taken us all one step further towards Open education.

Update: I've also found a great list of all 177 Berkeley Video Courses complied to one list.

New Firefox ad

2007-09-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

A new Firefox ad has popped up on the "Social Daily News" website, be sure to grab a look.

One of the things I like about Firefox is the ingenuity of the advertisements for it. This is just one small example.

And don't forget, if you enjoy Firefox, pass it on :-).

Weekly round up Sept 25th

2007-09-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of days there were quite a few interesting stories popping up around the net. Here are a few of them.

The first story is about a child in Russia that survived a plane ride on a the outside of boeing 737 by holding on to its wing. Though that sound questionable, the story is interesting and seems legit.

Another interesting story is about the M-16 and M4 and how they are pretty much obsolite, as the gun hasn't been changed or upgraded much since the 1960s when it was invented. In the link you'll find a movie article from PBS with the story and some interesting interviews and discoveries (e.g. did you know someone invented a 100 bullet magazine for the M-16?...).

Michael Winslow, the actor who starred in Police Academy (1984) (more info about him in his IMDB file) and also Spaceballs (1987) does a short skit in the neighboring blog Fuzbooo.

The movie poster is (c) of its respective owner.

Speaking of Spaceballs, I came across this fan site and noticed the ad that there's an animated series of Spaceballs coming this Fall to G4!

Amazing cloud formations can be seen a the link, though I must admit that those look too good to be real clouds, and if they are (i.e. assuming they are), well, they are just beautiful.

One more list of great Open Source tools for you to choose from, whether you're a student, an educator, or just a regular computer user. Open source provides you with free software alternatives to programs you would otherwise pay money for. Not only that, but for the same free-price you also get the source code, so that you'd be able to adjust the program to your own needs. For more information about open source, you can check out the list of articles I've written about them and also be sure to read more at the Free Software Foundation website.

Gmail - Behind the scenes video

2007-09-17T05:40:00.000-07:00

This is another fun video I found on the net, this time about Gmail.

Internet People

2007-09-15T05:30:00.000-07:00

This is a funny video from Youtube, a tribute to the Internet People of 2007:

Try and recognize the videos and people involved.

Tron Sequel in the works

2007-09-12T03:19:00.000-07:00

One of the better 1980s classics might be coming back - Tron! One of my favorite sci-fi movies might actually get a sequel, as reported in Digg and here.

Copyright notice: This movie poster is copyrighted by its owner and is shown here under fair use, which enables a review of the movie to show the poster along with it. If you think this is still in error, please mail me and I will take it down.

The first movie proved to be original and unique in its incorporation of CG environments as entire movie sets. It was one of the first movies to do that, even though nowadays we take that sort of a thing for granted.

Tron was also a fun to watch, even though I was a bit to young to understand the tech speak (remember that Personal Computers arrived in the mid 1980s).

Making of - a short animated video

2007-09-10T02:00:00.000-07:00

The following is a funny short animated video called "Making of":

400 million downloads for Firefox

2007-09-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

Firefox has reached a great milestone of 400 million downloads. Though that number does not neccesarily mark 400 million users, it still is an important benchmark for the Firefox team and the Open Source community as a whole.

The official release about it can be found here and you can also read about it over at CNET.

Ethan the laughing baby

2007-09-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

This is an amazing clip about Ethan, the baby, laughing in front of the camera. Absolutely hilarious:

If you liked that one, here's another short round of more laughing babies:

Sigg Jones

2007-09-03T01:23:00.000-07:00

A funny short animated vid of Sigg Jones that I've found online:

From the Sigg Jones website: "... a short movie made by three students from Supinfocom School in France".

A subway map of Web2.0 trends

2007-09-01T02:25:00.000-07:00

A nice map of the Web2.0 scene popped out and can be viewed here. The map is a subway-like representation of the web2.0 technologies and trends.

I think it's a nice representation of many components of the Web2.0 and how things have now become since the declaration of Web2.0 by Tim O'Reilly back in 2005.

Open Source and Education

2007-09-01T02:00:00.000-07:00

Dana Blankenhorn writes about Open source in the K-12 education system, its difficulties and achievements, and how it copes with Internet restrictions in the education system.

See also the discussion in Digg.

Google Earth hidden Flight Simulator

2007-09-01T01:56:00.000-07:00

Marco reports in his blog about a hidden feature in the new version of Google Earth - a flight simulator.

Instructions on how to activate the hidden simulator, along with screenshots after the link.

Cool logo generator

2007-08-30T01:48:00.000-07:00

Looking for an online logo generator I've come across the cooltext.com which let you render your logo with custom text, colors, and a customized font out of their large collection of many fonts (I've stopped counting after about 100...).

Another alternative I've found online is the coolarchive.com logo generator.

TWiT with Leo Laporte

2007-08-30T01:11:00.000-07:00

One of the best Podcasts (a.k.a. Netcasts) around the Net is TWiT. I really enjoy listening to it, and I've often found that during the weekly show it is not uncommon that you hear a news item you won't hear anywhere else.

On one of the last shows Leo had a funny quote regarding the security, or lack thereof, in windows base systems: "Nobody got a virus from papyrus".

Be sure to checkout all the different TWiT Netcast Network shows.

Free Software Sticker Book - update

2007-08-18T00:32:00.000-07:00

After so many downloads, some of the mirrors were down, as you've noticed. There are now more mirrors, and one of the nice things about the Open Source community is that there are more and more people contributing to the project. The book has been updated with more and more new stickers.

You can check out the Free Software Sticker book here or here, and don't forget to read my original post here.

Linus explains why Open Source works

2007-08-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

The people over at Linux.com have an article about Linus explaining why Open Source works.

It's worth a read, especially if you're into Open Source.

See also the comment on Digg.

New scooter zips along nicely for pennies per mile

2007-08-12T01:45:00.000-07:00

The San Francisco Sun reports on this new electric scooter. Even though it's a bit costly ($11,000), you have to look at the pictures (e.g.=1=).

This is not the first electric scooter, but its definitely a step closer to be a valid replacement for gasoline driven cars and scooters.

Windows Power Tools

2007-08-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

Lifehacker have a great list of power tools for the savvy power user, that will supplement and/or replace the windows regular tools.

I've been really enjoying Notepad++, and have already read about the Explorer alternatives they have to offer, and I've read about the Networking tool.

Notepad++ is a great Open Source alternative to proprietary software of its kind. It is suited for typing, as well as programing which is why I find it so powerful.

Free Software Sticker Book

2007-08-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

What a novel idea! a book full of stickers for you to print, and all you have to do is download it, and print away.

So simple. So good.

Pictures include Linux, Drupal, Gnu and many more.

Also, see discussion on Digg regarding the book.

UPDATE: You can find a mirror of the original site here. You can also visit the project's page on the Google Code at this address.

The Next Step Towards a Holodeck

2007-08-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

This interesting article I've found on Digg discusses a technology that could be a step closer to holodeck technology.

The technology itself is not hologram related, but rather related to the physical barrings of an individual.

This is yet another technology related to that which is described in Star Trek, taking us another step closer to the technological advancement that was described in Gene Roddenberry's vision of the Future, as it was portrayed in Star Trek.

The article link is to the discussion on Digg about it, and from there you'll find a link to the article itself.

To catch a mole: Undercover Dateline NBC reporter outed at DefCon

2007-08-04T04:52:00.000-07:00

Found at Reddit, this report of an NBC Dateline reporter who tried to pose as a regular attender (i.e. not wearing the PRESS badge), taking pictures and recording people without warning them that in fact she is a reporter and that they may be on the record.

Read more about it here or on the wired blogpost about it.

This is the movie I first found about it, showing how it all came to be:

top 10 science fiction authors

2007-08-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

This link for the top 10 Sci-Fi authors and their novels sure gives a lot of ideas of what Sci-Fi books might be good to read. Don't get this wrong, I'm all for lists like this, but you have to remember it's different strokes for different folks.

I think skimming through it and checking it out, might be a good idea as you might find a nice book there you'd like to read.

Two New Compiz Fusion Plugins: Screensaver and Aquarium

2007-07-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Amazing video of the plugins (Screensaver and Aquarium) found here:

RC B-29 with X-1

2007-07-11T05:28:00.000-07:00

I found this great video footage of a remote-controlled B-29 with a X-1 that both fly!.

The X-1 separates from the B-29 in mid-flight to continue on its own. Amazing.

The house that helped build Google

2007-07-06T02:22:00.000-07:00

An interesting article I found today at USATODAY about the house where Google first started. It tells the story of what happened with the owner, who let two Stanford guys rent out her garage.

Real Web 2.0

2007-07-06T00:35:00.000-07:00

It's nice to see that two of my favorite Web2.0 sites, Digg and Reddit, have gotten the recognition of the people over at Big Blue (a.k.a. IBM).

Uche Ogbuji wrote an interesting article about both Social News sites with explanations on what they have to offer for the tech savvy surfer, along with some interesting options of mashability, like Doggdot.us and more.

The effects of the Social Web

2007-07-06T00:27:00.001-07:00

One of the latest examples of the success of the Social Web (i.e. Social Networking sites, Web2.0) is the fkae MPAA site that was setup in order to catch people who'd want to download illegal content.

Well, as reported on Zeropaid, the site has been taken offline.

This is yet another example of the new age that has been brought by the Web2.0 revolution. In the Social Networking age, we, the surfers and web users, have a lot more power than ever before. By broadcasting information in a multitude of social bookmakring and networking sites, user generated content is reaching exposure levels equal to or greater than regular media. It has evolved into such a stage where users now are able to rally and make a difference, not only for themselves, but also for their peers worldwide.

Big Wendy the muscular whippet

2007-07-06T00:08:00.000-07:00

This article in Canada.com is about a VERY muscular dog. In fact, Wendy the dog is the most muscular I've ever seen. [picture included after the link and also here on this flickr account].

Actually, I've seen a dog not dissimilar to Wendy about two years ago. It was about 2.5-3 feet tall, less muscular than Wendy, but with the same head shape and very similar coat. Up until now, that scary dog that I saw that night, roaming the street without an owner and without a leash, was considered a Wolf that somehow might have made it into the cityscape, but now after seeing a picture of Wendy I think it may have been a dog after all.

Checkout what Digg users had to say about Wendy here.

Researcher spots China's new nuclear sub on Google Earth

2007-07-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

This article in the World Tribune is a fun example of how good the civilian satellites have become, and also how much we can learn from using them.

Applications like NASA's World Wind and Google Earth are enabling the average surfer an opportunity that was once a privileged of military personnel alone, an opportunity to see the world via satellite imagery.

Redbull?

2007-07-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what the Redbull powerdrink has inside? The people at Wired made it their business to find out and you can checkout their findings at the link.

Mac vs. PC

2007-07-04T02:03:00.000-07:00

A round-up of 15 Mac vs. PC ads follows, along with a cool Rap song about them that I got from Rotem.

And now the rap:

Landing with a crosswind

2007-07-03T00:12:00.000-07:00

Up-wind and cross-wind can be VERY tricky to tackle when you're trying to land a plane. Here are a few videos of planes trying to land with strong winds

First one, called "Blowing in the Wind":

The second one is called "Crazy Ass Approach at New York's LaGuardia":

One Student Does the Incredible: Gets Law Passed for State to Pay Off College Debts

2007-06-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

This incredible story of a student who had a law passed for the State to Pay Off College Debts is just unbelievable. A MUST READ.

Learn some Latin phrases

2007-06-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

Some Latin phrases have entered the common language with ease, while others are used by people who want to sound smart and/or are smart (no pun intended :-)). I've come across this great list of Latin phrases and what they mean, by Alex from "Neatorama".

For someone who will probably not take Latin lessons any time soon, this list is a great source of info about the Latin phrases and their origins, and I have certainly learned a few new ones from it.

iPhone vs. Newton

2007-06-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

Engadget compared the Apple Newton vs. the new iPhone. The sheer size differential between the two is amazing, though I'm not sure whether the iPhone is not an inch too small for my personal taste.

My personal cellphone is a small one, and I've come to realize that small can sometimes be too small. In hindsight, I'd prefer a bigger phone (or slightly bigger) rather than a miniature phone.

Daily roundup

2007-06-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

Today I happen to come across several good links, all great reads and provided below:

A Norwegian study claims that first-born children are smarter than their siblings. I never thought that there would ever be such a claim, but the reasoning they suggest would sound plausible.

I'm a fan of rock-paper-scissors, as it always brings up fond childhood memories. However, it gets a totally cool vibe to it when you get a 1$ discount per item if you can beat the cashier at it. I read about it here.

"A Friendly Reminder from your IT Department" is a great reminder that IT guys really count. I mean, you really do NOT want to be on their black list. The reminder lists several do's and don't do's for the rest of the people in the office, from their local IT department.