Another Trip to Arran

I know I've written about going to this island before! This time it was different. No really! I took George with me this time AND the weather was awful! The weather wasn't so bad that the ferries wouldn't run, but the stormy seas made the ferry roll a bit. While we were waiting for the ferry, George and I ate some E. Lots of E! We ate some other letters of the alphabet as well, but we focused most of our efforts on the letter E.Once we were on the island and I had finished my work we set about seeing the sights. It was too stormy for the seals to be viewed. I'm sure they hide when I come to the island with other humans. I only ever see them when I go to Arran with just Polly for company. Again we bought soap, cheese and chocolate but we also met up with one of the islanders.I called the day before and made arrangements to meet up with Sean Ferris a member of the Arran Subaqua Club. George and I met up with Sean in a little cafe at the end of Lamlash pier where divers, fresh from the boat and still in their dry suits are more than welcome! I was SO pleased I did this. Sean was so full of information and offers of assistance when asked about diving on the island. He had printed out a depth chart for Lamlash Bay and another section of water, just south of Lamlash Bay that has a spectacular dive associated with it. I got to keep these charts!!Sean's enthusiasm for diving on his little island was boundless. It turns out that we have a common interest in nudibranchs! (small world huh?) Sean is also keen to see the rare and endangered basking sharks that can be found around Arran in the summer. He has said that he'll text me if any show up this year. What a guy!This is the office for the ferry across to Holy Isle. This office can be found at Lamlash Pier mere steps away from the cafe where George, Sean and I had our tea.This is Lamlash Pier - with Holy Isle just off in the distance. I've never been there.If one looks a little to the left while standing near the pier one will see the part of Lamlash Bay that has been designated as the no-take-zone!I didn't take a photo of Sean for the purposes of this blog. I didn't want to confirm any growing suspicions he may have that I may be a nut job.I did try to take some photos of this miserable looking flock of oystercatchers with their cormorant buddy and some unidentified wading bird. It was hard to get a picture with the camera I have, a lack of a tripod and sideways rain. The flash kept highlighting rain drops. Here is the best of the bunch.I reported my meeting with Sean to the rest of our dive club in Dumfries. It has rekindled an interest in a diving weekend in Arran with members who have dived in the waters around the island in the past. Just now, the water is too cold for me, but I am really up for a diving weekend in the summer!

Offre d’emploi : développeur (h/f) informatique expérimenté sur les technologies du Web (CDD)

Dans le cadre du projet de Portail de la musique contemporaine (ouvert en 2007) qui fédère les ressources d’organismes culturels français et est partenaire d’Europeana, un CDD est proposé pour un poste de développeur informatique expérimenté sur les technologies du Web.
Description du poste
La personne recrutée sera chargée de poursuivre le développement du Portail :
Mise en place d’un service d’hébergement et d’entrepôts OAI statiques pour le dépôt de documents numériques et de leurs métadonnées par les partenaires du projet.
Nouvelles interfaces « sociales » (blog, annotations) et évolution des interfaces actuelles (modalités de recherche et de navigation).
Backoffice (gestion des moissons OAI, statistiques d’utilisation).
Ingénierie (gestion de versions, généricisation du logiciel, de son déploiement et des installations, documentation).
Profil recherché
Requis : expérience concrète (dans des projets déployés) des technologies suivantes :
Langages et bases de données : PHP, MySQL, Javascript, Smarty&
Protocoles : OAI, RSS.
Formats : XML.
Systèmes : Apache et un CMS (de préférence Drupal).
Souhaité : connaissance des technologies et formats suivants :
Flash.
MP3.
Mime.
Dublin Core, MODS, Unimarc.
Capacités
À rentrer rapidement dans un système complexe pour se l’approprier.
À structurer son code et sa documentation.
Haute productivité.
Travail en équipe.
Intérêt pour la musique.
Informations sur le poste
Lieu de travail : Ircam (Paris centre).
Durée : 9 mois.
Salaire : selon compétences et adéquation.
Disponibilité : immédiate.
Candidature
une lettre de motivation et un CV détaillant le niveau d’expérience/expertise dans les domaines mentionnés ci-dessus (ainsi que toute autre information pertinente).

Supramundane

AMBACH & RICE in Seattle is currently presenting Supramundane, a group exhibition guest curated by Elizabeth Burke. On view until May 31st are works in various media by Tomoo Gokita, Robyn O'Neil, Sara Greenberger Rafferty, Alison Elizabeth Taylor, and Whiting Tennis. Surpamundane is a Buddhist term that means "being situated above the world or above our system; celestial." This enlightened state is achieved through intense and committed training. Often when artists address notions of supramundane, their work implies they have already achieved such enlightenment. Burke suggests an alternative approach, stressing the artist's struggle leading up to this point. The show is intentionally open for interpretation, which is merely a reflection of the nature and process of supramundane. The organization of Supramundane suggests and encourages thought in the viewer, while restraining from shaping those thoughts specifically. The artists explore elements of the unknown through their preferred media, ranging from Rafferty's high contrast black and white prints on Plexiglas to Whiting Tennis' plywood creations. Burke attended Guilford College in North Carolina where she received her BA. Years later she was a founder of the late Clementine Gallery, in NYC, and currently teaches Graduate courses at the School of Visual Arts, NYC.

Twilight at Midnight? Not for Me! -- Jay

It takes me forever to finish reading a book. My word-speed isn’t necessarily slow, I just have a short attention span. Rarely do I flip through more than one chapter per sitting. And then, who knows when I’ll pick it back up again!For my birthday last September, Robin gave me a copy of Twilight. My goal was to finish the book before the movie came out. As you know, most theaters scheduled midnight showings for its release…which happens to coincide with this blog post going up. And I did it! I finished the book early! (Thirteen hours early, if you wanna know.)So I called Robin and said, “I did it! We can see the movie tonight!”And Robin said, “I’m not going to a midnight show.”“What? That’s the whole reason I read it so fast.”“Jay, I gave you that book in September.”So Robin, Eve, and I will more than likely attend the 1:20pm show. (That, I wanna tell you, is thirteen hours later than a true Twilighter should be seeing it.) And I can’t wait! I completely understand why the book became the phenomenon it did, even if Edward doesn’t make me swoon.If anyone’s looking to buy me a Christmas gift, mark me down for a copy of the Twilight sequel, New Moon. But does anyone know when that movie’s supposed to come out? Because my goal is to finish the book first…with hours to spare.- JayP.S. Robin, I’m not really that mad that we missed the midnight show. But…ahem…I won’t be upset if you offer to buy the popcorn.

Global Uncertainties: Security for All in a Changing World Programme

Fantasy Baseball Blog News of the Day - May 9th

Who doesn't enjoy a good fantasy baseball challenge? Arod on the DL, Tulowitzki out until mid-season, Gallardo out for the year, etc...But if fate didn't throw curveballs like these our way, what would be the point of actually playing out the fantasy season? We could just take our pre-season stat projections, apply them to all players drafted, and pick a winner without even playing a single game.But players really play, and players really get hurt. Enjoy these challenges, don't get frustrated (as it really is still early), and use your creativity when trying to find a way to keep your teams afloat.And without further delay, here is today's fantasy baseball blog news of the day:-Greener on the Other Side takes a look at some of the early season BABIP winners & losers-Roto Authority has updated their post on all closers in the league-Fantasy Gameday takes a look at the top K/100 pitchers-Crooked Pitch gives their week 5 fantasy MVPs-According to Razzball, you know your fantasy baseball team sucks when...I'll have some more juicy baseball thoughts for you this weekend, so stay tuned.

Detroit Tigers Team Report

INSIDE PITCH Listening to Dontrelle Willis, he's anxious to get talk about his anxiety disorder out of the way. The Tigers don't want to go into details about the problem, which was diagnosed in spring training. The Tigers put the struggling left-hander on the disabled list and let him quietly work his way back. Legal issues might be a factor, but from listening to Willis it does not appear he is exactly clear about what was going on, either. "I have no condition," he said after rejoining the team Friday in Cleveland. "My condition is me going out there, playing baseball and having fun. If God doesn't want me to do this, I'll find something else. I'm fine with that. "Right from the time they put me on the DL, I was constructive about it. I didn't mope. I handled it like a professional. I worked hard all the way up the ranks, and at each level, I told them if I haven't earned moving up, don't move me up. It's been a traveling circus, but it's been a good one. They liked the way I handled my business, even on the days I didn't pitch." Willis has been around the plate even when he walked hitters during his rehab starts. His hit total has been good and he's been stingy with runs. He credits the organization and everybody around him for being helpful. "Everybody worked with me, not just doctors, but the coaching staff and everybody," he said. "I'm happy they're happy with my productivity, but mostly I'm happy with myself and the way I went about everything. My body feels good. It all feels good. "I know I've been terrible, but that was yesterday. I'm a guy that shoots from the hip. I was just playing bad." Now it's come down to getting results on the mound. Willis hasn't won a game for the Tigers since they obtained him from Florida two winters ago.NOTES, QUOTESRHP Rick Porcello was struck by a thought during the weekend as he got his first look at Cleveland's Progressive Field: "It was cool to be in the same town where my grandfather played," Porcello said. His mother's father was Sam Dente, a shortstop who played on the Indians' 1954 squad that won 111 games and lost in the World Series to the New York Giants. Dente died in 2002, when Porcello was barely a teen-ager. "I only met him twice," Porcello said. "I was real young, so I never got to talk to him about baseball. I'm kind of disappointed in that regard, but it's still pretty cool to have a grandfather that played in the big leagues."C Gerald Laird is one of several Detroit players fighting through a hitting slump. The veteran catcher was hitless last week and now has just one hit in his last 32 at-bats after Sunday's 0-for-3. But he contributed to the Tigers' 4-0 victory at Cleveland on Saturday night with a simple groundout. It came with one out and runners at second and third, however, and drove in the first run of the game. "I know I've been struggling," Laird said, "but you have to continue to grind it out and bear down. I was able to muscle it to short to score a run." A prolonged at-bat that included several barely foul liners to right his last time up might be a prelude to the slump's end later this week.1B/3B Jeff Larish is seeing the benefits of making a short return to Class AAA Toledo. The reserve corner infielder was Detroit's DH Sunday and hit his second home run of the season after collecting his first major league triple the night before. Larish got a rare start at first base Saturday night with 1B Miguel Cabrera serving as Detroit's designated hitter. "I really think with Larish, you're seeing the benefit of him going to Toledo and getting to bat for two weeks," manager Jim Leyland said. "I know that was part of the reason they sent me down, to get comfortable at the plate and help whenever I can," Larish said. LHP Bobby Seay had a tune-up performance Sunday in Cleveland. Seay, who if he's used will be facing the left-handed hitting sluggers in the heart of Minnesota's lineup Tuesday and Wednesday, worked a 1-2-3 seventh against the Indians and then retired the two batters he faced in the eighth before being relieved.BY THE NUMBERS: 25 RBI by Detroit's two shortstops through Sunday, most of any team in the majors. Backup SS Ramon Santiago had 13 and regular SS Adam Everett 12. QUOTE TO NOTE: "This is not experimental and it's not developmental. This is the big leagues. He's going to the rotation and we expect everybody there to help us win games. The expectations are no higher on him than anyone else." Manager Jim Leyland, on the scheduled return Wednesday to the Detroit rotation of LHP Dontrelle Willis, who has been out all year with an anxiety disorder.ROSTER REPORTLHP Dontrelle Willis, diagnosed in spring training with what the club called an anxiety disorder, comes off the disabled list Wednesday to make his first start of the season for Detroit, in Minnesota. "I'm not trying to be a doctor. I'm a baseball player," he said. "Even on the disabled list, I felt fine. I'm not a depressed guy. Maybe I'm hard on myself, but I wouldn't have gotten here if I wasn't." RHP Rick Porcello came out after five innings of one-run ball Sunday because he'd thrown 95 pitches. "We could have lasted longer," manager Jim Leyland said, "but he wasn't going to. He pitched fine, but he's a young guy, and I'm going to take care of him. That's the promise I made myself in spring training. It's what we all agreed upon. He deserved to be on the team, but he's someone we watched very closely last year. He didn't throw a lot of pitches, and that explains why I took him out. Could he have gone more than 100? Sure, but suddenly you're asking something of him I don't want to ask right now. I'm not going to do it. He's very young, not real experienced, and he's very good," Leyland said. "It will take him time, just like we knew it would. We're not going to get away from the plan, no matter what anybody thinks." 3B Brandon Inge has a modest three-game hitting streak after going three straight games without one last week. Inge reached base in the first 24 games, the most since 1976 for the Tigers, but went 0-for-11 after that streak ended. He hit in each of the Tigers' games in Cleveland during the weekend, however, going 3-for-10.RHP Edwin Jackson seems in the process of lowering his walk ratio for the third straight year, one of the key reasons manager Jim Leyland cites for his success. Jackson walked just one batter Saturday night in his seven innings in a 4-0 win at Cleveland. He is walking just 2.7 batters per nine innings so far this season after a 3.8 ratio last season. His walks-per-nine-innings mark was 6.2 in his first season with Tampa Bay in 2006, but 4.9 the following season. "The control is about getting more of a feel, more of a rhythm," Jackson said. "It's repetition, and you get better the more you throw. It's no big secret, just getting a feel for throwing strikes." Jackson is 2-2 with a 2.60 ERA.RHP Fernando Rodney worked consecutive non-save ninth innings on Saturday night and Sunday. His first game wasn't clean but it was scoreless. The second was a little messy because Rodney couldn't put hitters away with two strikes, giving up two runs on an RBI double and a wild pitch in a 5-3 win. "I thought it was perfectly fine to bring him back because we're off (Monday)," manager Jim Leyland said. "If we weren't, it might have been different. Rodney was tremendous, other than the fact that when he got a chance to go for the kill, he tried to run right through them instead of continuing to pitch. He threw a couple of pitches as hard as he could, and that's not good, because he's pitching all year." MEDICAL WATCH: LHP Dontrelle Willis (anxiety disorder) went on the 15-day disabled list March 29. The disorder was diagnosed through blood tests. He made a rehab start for Class A Lakeland on April 21, and he started for Class AA Erie on April 26. He pitched for Class AAA Toledo on May 1 and May 6, and he will be activated to start for Detroit on May 13. LF/DH Carlos Guillen (left shoulder inflammation) went on the 15-day disabled list May 5. C Matt Treanor (torn labrum in right hip) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 24. He had surgery April 30, and is likely out for the season. DH/OF Marcus Thames (left ribcage muscle strain) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 19. He won't begin any physical activity for two to four weeks, and he will need a rehab assignment before returning to the Tigers. RHP Jeremy Bonderman (right rib removal, blood clot surgery in June 2008) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 30. He might begin a rehab assignment in mid-May. ROTATION: RHP Justin Verlander RHP Edwin Jackson RHP Armando Galarraga RHP Rick Porcello BULLPEN: RHP Fernando Rodney (closer) RHP Joel Zumaya RHP Brandon Lyon LHP Bobby Seay RHP Juan Rincon LHP Nate Robertson RHP Ryan Perry RHP Zach Miner CATCHERS: Gerald Laird Dane Sardinha INFIELDERS: 1B Miguel Cabrera 2B Placido Polanco SS Adam Everett 3B Brandon Inge INF Jeff Larish INF Ramon Santiago OUTFIELDERS: LF Josh Anderson CF Curtis Granderson RF Magglio Ordonez DH Clete Thomas OF Ryan Raburn