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This is a post about a pattern which I`ve been noticing for quite a while on a subconscious level, but which recently became painfully obvious. It happened, as usual, at a client location. I`m talking about the fact that completing a project ahead of schedule is bad. Very bad. Let me explain. We all already know (and love) the typical atmosphere that management at most organizations create - an atmosphere that is super-conducive to getting real work done. Not. Further, from a project management perspective (and I`m not being facetious anymore), estimation is hard. It just is. Whatever methods and models you employ to try and make estimates accurate (how`s that for an oxymoron?), you just have to ultimately rely on heuristics. Bring in a bunch of experienced programmers/architects (after all, architects know best) into the room and have them give you an idea of how long the project will take and how many people need to be on it. Despite my biting sarcasm, I`m actually being serious about one thing - the fact that programmer heuristics is the best way to estimate. I say this more than just because I think that the people who are actually going to do the job should say how long it will take, but because they factor in the environment they`re working in. Load factors or project velocity depends on more than just the skills of the team members. If the environment (management, company policies, politics, "the system") make it hard to get work done, well then - less of it will get done. People working in such typical soul-crushing environments adapt to it - as any human will when faced with something less than perfect (and unchangeable.) They throw in the towel, and become part of the system. They behave the same way the system wants them to - and become risk averse and rule-following sheep with no enthusiasm left for anything other than doing what makes them look best for the year-end review. They adapt to the measurement process and also to the rule-keeping process. If this were an IT department of a large company (who would have made that connection?), what do you think will happen when a project comes in ahead of the schedule? Let me tell you what happened at a recent client - they were crucified. Why? Because it was clearly a case of rigging the schedule. Dishonesty. Everyone knows that projects can either be late, or they can be on time. Early? What? Huh? Everyone knows what early means - the project manager (and therefore the team) had bloated the estimates to begin with so that they can look good to upper management when they complete "on time". They should now be crucified because of this sin. And they do. So what happens next? The adaptation process kicks in. A project just can not come in early - a couple of days late (just fashionably so, leaving scope for last minute "heroics") becomes the norm. Or late, of course, for that is always allowed and accepted (with a knowing, friendly shrug and perhaps a nod). Scheduling and estimates are still bloated, but work expands to fill the available time, and the finish lines are always met appropriately. Works out nicely. Just never forget the old software development pattern - being efficient and coming out ahead of the schedule is considered harmful.

Everyone has heard of the Butteryfly Effect. (Maybe you`ve even seen the movie by that name - I`m sorry, if you have!). Anyway, according to WikiPedia - "The Butterfly Effect is a phrase that encapsulates the more technical notion of `sensitive dependence on initial conditions` in chaos theory. The idea is that small variations in the initial conditions of a dynamic system produce large variations in the long term behavior of the system." When a startup is founded, it is typically done so by a few friends. They`re like-minded or at the very least, focused on the same goal. They are also pretty good at what they do (despite the fact that most startups fail). Without me having to list a whole bunch of wonderful characteristics of this set of people, lets just agree that they all have some desirable characteristics. Not only that, but these folks make the bar that was set on the standard around these characteristics. When this company grows to the point where they need to hire more people, they are extremely careful in making sure that they hire people like themselves. They hire all the new folks themselves, because they want to preserve the quality of the people that work with them and are like the "model-employee" (geeky, brilliant, marketing genius, a combination of these, whatever). Being personally involved in hiring (interviewing - I use the term hiring to mean interviewing from here on) can continue upto a point - and then they can no longer do this. Already, because of the fact that no two human-beings are perfectly alike, they have no real model employees, just very smart people who have most of the desirable properties in sufficient amounts. Let us call this deviation from the model, d1 and label this set of employees who were personally picked out as wave-1. The moment someone other than themselves start doing the hiring (wave-2 and so on), the deviations start compounding. This is because everyone in their mind creates a mental model of the ideal employee that differs, atleast ever-so-slightly, from what they understood was the "model-employee" from the people that hired them. This is inevitable - these are all smart people who are empowered to draw inferences and make decisions. We now therefore have wave-2 and deviation d2. Total deviation at this point is not just d2, but d1d2. If wave-2 starts hiring further employees, deviations start compounding - d1d2d3...dN. There comes a time, when the total deviation from what was desired is now more than a tolerable threshold and things are different from what they were meant to be. This is a manifestation of the butterfly effect. This is because, in the end, everything (for eg. working at a company) can be reduced to the people involved. This is what probably happened to most large companies of today. What is my conclusion? People with as low a wave-number as possible, must stay involved in hiring. You can not expect wave-Z folks with a deviation of d1d2*d3...*dZ to be able to hire people who are like wave-1 or wave-2. ThoughtWorks as a company is at times, guilty of doing this and I think a part of the blame is attributable to the fact that its growing too fast - it has become less feasible to apply this conclusion. Of course, a lot of caveats apply - things change over time - models change and desirabilities change. But I think this hypothesis still holds good. At the very least, it is useful to recognize this phenomenon. To collaboratively create something that is as subjective and personal as "a great company" and to be able to stay as close as possible to this vision , it is imperative to keep people who buy-in and fit-in to the vision the most, completely involved in the inevitable expansion process. Easier said than done.

For a while now, I`ve been convinced that it is becoming increasingly important for regular software developers to really know Computer Science. Yes, the internals that you don`t really care about `cause all you care about is "business value". Yes, I`m talking about finite automata, algorithms, operating systems, compiler theory, artificial intelligence, functional programming... Without this knowledge and the deep understanding of where to apply it, it is very hard to progress to beyond journeyman. I`ve also realized that what many people claim is master-level of competence, is really not quite the truth. If someone who is supposed to be a master programmer doesn`t understand computer science internals, then he or she is really not all that masterful. Those who think that these are merely details left to the systems guys are just plain wrong. While you may not write the next RSA, the enlightenment that all this knowledge gives you, when coupled with actually applying this theory to "application development" will take you to the next level.

I`ve decided that I have figured out why everything is so very expensive. IT is a major part of every industry today. This is because IT promises levels of productivity previously unimaginable. It also promises more reliable and easier ways of conducting business. However, IT costs a lot. People in IT are one of the highest paid lot in the world of salaried employees. Perhaps rightly so - IT is a knowledge driven industry. In theory. Here`s the thing. From the past few years of experience as a consultant and therefore having worked with IT people at clients` from different industries, I can say one thing with a fair amount of confidence: most IT people suck. Big time. Not only do they suck, but since most of them suck, they form a sort of syndicate of people who engage in pretend-work and who like to spend time in meetings. They create policies to help create the need for this type of non-work. They revel in getting nothing done and making it look like work. The net result, is that tens of billions of dollars is spent every year in keeping this non-work-force on the payrolls of these organizations. And since these people are incompetent and love non-work, in an ironic attempt at saving costs, they outsource to equally incompetent consulting organizations that do the same non-work (or only slightly better) and bill them more money. I have personally seen tens of millions of dollars go down the drain in failed projects. Where does all this money come from? In the end, from the consumers of the services or products of the orgnization, of course! That means, from you and me. This drives the cost per unit of these services or products up. This is what I mean. P.S. All qualifications apply. I know not all organizations are like this and that not all people working at these companies are like this. 95% are, though.

I`ve looked up this information in the Open Source Development With CVS book so many times that I decided to put it up here so others who might want it can get at it just as easily as I can. Creating a repository: cvs -d init Importing a module: cvs import -m Checking a module out: cvs checkout Adding and checking files in: `nbsp;`nbsp;`nbsp; `nbsp;`nbsp;`nbsp;`nbsp;`nbsp;`nbsp;cvs add -kb `nbsp;`nbsp;`nbsp;`nbsp;`nbsp;`nbsp;cvs -q commit -m `nbsp;`nbsp;`nbsp; Updating a module - be in the same directory as project: cvs update -dR More information can be got either from the cederquist manual or from the book mentioned above - its quite good, actually.

There is something to be said about an almost new kind of thinking about software development. Agile folks probably think of this in many forms subconsciously already for it almost forms the basis of the agile philosophy. This "new" idea is that of business goals - the somewhat quaint idea that any business software that is being developed is to meet some... well, business need. Or goal. Why quaint? Because in the everyday details of requirements, development, QA, deployment, bugs, bug-fixing, maintenance, meetings and what-not, people simply forget what the intent of the system was. Software is written to help improve business. This is the business goal - make more money by doing something in a more efficient manner or making certain people more productive. There is an important difference between these goals and the actual software that is being developed, and it is useful to keep this in mind. Why Agile works, is because of this unconscious essence of Goal Driven Development. The idea that people (business people) do not know what they want (quoted as a reason for changing requirements) is not entirely true. They are clear and quite knowledgeable about their business - it is hard to doubt that. What they may not be entirely clear about is merely the software - which is as it should be, because the software really is subservient to the end-goal - that of greater profitability, productivity or efficiency. They don`t care if a certain story card is implemented one way or another as long as it meets their needs - their business needs. This is fine - business people know their business well and technologists (developers, testers, UI folks, etc.) know technology. I am not implying that techies (used in an umbrella sense of the word - it includes all roles on a software development team) shouldn`t or can`t tell what is good for the business - they can and should. This is because they need to help make the software as good as possible to meet the business goals. What I am saying is that they shouldn`t get caught up in the software itself - so much so, that they forget the intent - the business goals. From the various consulting gigs I`ve been on, I can say with certainty that in many IT shops, this is precisely what happens. When business people (with the help of business "analysts") write out requirements - developers stick to these (or at least try to) to the letter. QA folks test against these and again, log bugs unless the software does everything as specified in the requirements spec. UI guys aren`t happy until the interface does things exactly as their plans had laid them out. They all make their activities about the software - what it looks like, what it does very specifically, etc. They forget about the actual goals. Do all the members on your team know what the business goals of the project you`re working on are? Do they know how it will improve the business of the stakeholders? Do they know what the real goal is? I bet you a dollar, most don`t. They probably don`t even care - since they`re not the business, they`re IT. This is why Agile works out better. The constant involvement of the customer makes it easier to perform constant checks that the software is going to (or already is) deliver business value. Not just that it is matching up to the spec. This is the reason you don`t need to do complete upfront design - in fact, it explains why you shouldn`t. The reason is that business folks don`t know about software! And why should they? They don`t care about much more than getting the desired results from the business point of view. It is the reason they have an IT department or the reason they hire highly paid consultants to come in and do the software. They can and do need help with the details of the software and how it should do what it is meant to. And that is really the industry you and I are in - it is our job to improve the usability of the software and leave it maintainable and extensible and all the good stuff - but most of all so that it achieves the goal it was meant to. Once again, that is why Agile is more successful than other methods of building software. The quick feedback loops with everyone (especially the customer, who doesn`t know much about software) helps in defining and refining the "requirements". This is the cause of changing requirements - they aren`t "changing", they are going through the natural and obvious process of discovery. (And most often, changes are really made to the way the software functions and not to the underlying business process and certainly not to achieve and entirely different business goal). This is what IT teams should allow and encourage, for that is their real jobs - not complaining about how requirements are constantly changing under their feet and that they can not get anything done. Any process that attempts to freeze requirements is therefore inherently flawed. This is what I try to do on project teams - encourage client IT folks to think in the systems-thinking 1 kind of way. It is the bottom-line that matters most, and everyone - the business and IT, needs to work together as a team, to make the company more profitable so that everyone wins. And by the way, the software may help to do that. It is more about the business and less about the system itself. That`s why Agile makes the difference - it helps this kind of thinking, making it possible to create business value faster and of higher quality, with everyone pushing in the same direction. P.S. All disclaimers apply - this is not always the case and there are business folks who understand software and there are technical people who get the business and all that stuff. The description applies to many typical IT shops, not all. I`m also saying only that Agile makes it easier - not that it is the panacea to all software development problems. [1] The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge

The ruby IRB comes with tab completion. Here`s how to enable it - Create a file (if it doesn`t already exist) in your home directory called ".irbrc". In it, cut and paste the following lines - IRB.conf[:AUTO_INDENT] = true IRB.conf[:USE_READLINE] = true IRB.conf[:LOADMODULES] = [] unless IRB.conf.key?(:LOADMODULES) unless IRB.conf[:LOAD_MODULES].include?(`irb/completion`) `nbsp;`nbsp; IRB.conf[:LOAD_MODULES] `lt;`lt; `irb/completion` end This should have you all set. When you start IRB the next time, you can press TAB and it will provide code completion. Woo hoo! Troubleshooting - If IRB spits out an error referring to its inability to load readline, then do the following - make sure you have libreadline5 and libncurses5 (dev for both) installed. You can do this using apt-get. Go into you ruby source code directory and then into the ext/readline directory. Type ruby extconf.rb; then make; then make install

I was having a discussion with a friend who asked what in my experience had been an effective way to improve team communication and enthusiasm in an agile project room. We discussed various ideas, but later that evening, I remembered this - Here`s a quick and easy way to improve team communication on a local team. On one side of the room, place a table. Place a supply of snacks - candy, cakes, drinks and coffee, fruits etc. Replenish this every time levels diminish. That`s it. People will gather around it to grab snacks and they will talk. People will talk as they eat, they`ll throw candy wrappers at each other and they`ll gel. The level of trust will go up and as people make the transition from colleagues to even friends, aided by the banter and the food, the level of noise in the room will increase somewhat (usually a good sign) and the team will become more effective. It worked for me...!

I`ve been busy, working on two very interesting projects these past several weeks (on the side - my current project for work is unbelievably mind-numbing). Both these projects are in Ruby and use Ruby On Rails. There, got that out of the way. I`ve always been in search of software designs that result in a clean DSL (Domain Specific Language)... lisp style, bottom up, bring the language up to the problem, rather than the other way around, etc. What I`ve managed so far is a set of mini-DSLs in my applications. One for each module, so to speak. And perhaps, that is the way things work in general; rather than the unrealistic goal of building one DSL which is supposed to capture your entire domain - build several, smaller ones, which each capture aspects of the domain.

I recently finished reading Getting Real by the 37Signals gang. After which, of course, I decided to chime in with yet another review. I enjoyed reading the book - and I agreed with most of what they said. I have, after all, been immersed in Agile for over 4 years now - and I`m also a firm believer in Interaction Design. An example of a part I disagreed with was about it being okay if team-mates are not co-located. I don`t care how they claim to have worked it out (DHH no longer lives in Copenhagen FWIW), I think team-mates should be in the same room - if possible. Anyway - it is a pleasant enough read, even if it simply re-iterates what many other books already say - the agile series, interaction design series, lean software, theory of constraints etc. If you want actual theory and a deeper understanding, read the full list. If you want instant gratification without the longer term benefits of understanding the concepts behind this stuff, read Getting Real. Heck, read it anyway - its kind of a fun book.

The Inmates Are Running The Asylum is a book that all software developers ought to read. It is about design - and don`t think architecture - but think interaction design. Interaction design is one of the most neglected subjects within the field of software engineering - and yet is the crucial piece that can make or break a consumer software product. Interaction design is a process of researching users, their needs, their likes and dislikes, their work patterns, their business needs, their goals, profiling all of this, to build software that is cognitively friction-free. Without interaction design, software usually feels raw and clunky - with users having to adapt to the way it works. Software should be soft - it should be malleable enough to adapt to its users. Interaction design provides a way to fulfill that requirement. Alan Cooper does a remarkable job in explaining this - and this book is a great prologue to his somewhat more prescriptive About Face. Check this book out, I`m hoping that if enough software people read it, software will stop being so darn frustrating.

I thought of one more use of Ruby. If you want to hire Java developers, hire ones who know Ruby. (Or Python (Definitely LISP))

(or why does Windows complain of low disk space when there is enough available?) This was an issue I was running into, trying to copy a large 17GB file onto my portable, external hard drive. It had about 60 gigs free, and yet, everytime I tried to copy the file, Windows would complain about lack of disk space. It was frustrating. Until I realized, that the external drive was formatted with FAT, which has a 4GB limit on file sizes. Really stupid error message, but what else could one expect from Windows? Anyway, changing that to NTFS fixed the problem.

Or why the "lack" of an "IDE" is not a big deal for Ruby programmers. Don`t get me wrong - I`d love to see an IntelliJ like IDE for Ruby. However, I`ve been working on a (personal) Ruby/Rails project for a while now - and I really haven`t felt that the lack of refactoring support or navigation support was holding me down in any way. The only thing I can attribute this to is that the design/structure of my application makes the importance of these tools somewhat diminished. I`m just able to design the application in ways that the limited OO capabilities of a language like Java doesn`t allow me to. Meta-programming and features like mixins and real closures increase the expressiveness of code making it possible to break down functionality into extemely small and very clear aspects. This makes the application code-base simply a collection of exremely local peices of functionality. And that makes all the difference. Update 1: One aspect of the above is that design doesn`t have to be restricted to a combination of a single-inheritence-based class hierarchy and composition-based delegation for reuse. Think about that. Update 2: I use Eclipse + RDT (+ RadRails) for editing the code.

That was nightmarish! All I wanted was SQLite working with Rails. That`s all. And it was quick and easy - on my Ubuntu workstation at home, that is. And then, began 2 hours of gruesome agony - as I tried desperately to get the damn thing to work on my RHEL staging box. I only have shell access to this machine - so no fancy graphical package manager. If I had a package manager, I would have selected libsqlite0-dev (the missing item) as well as libsqlite3-dev just to be safe, and would have saved myself the afore-mentioned two hour hair-pulling. Here are the steps to get SQLite working with Rails - Download sqlite from http://www.sqlite.org/download.html. Compile and install the usual way. Or just get the compiled versions. Install libsqlite-dev (both libsqlite-dev3 AND libsqlite-dev0-> AAARGH!) Download, compile and install swig -> http://www.swig.org/download.html Install the sqlite3-ruby gem Downlad ruby-dbi and follow instructions on http://ruby-dbi.rubyforge.org/ Everything should work now! I tested this with Typo 4.0.3 and it works. Phew!

Featuring 2/3 in. image sensor, C-mount lens flange, and ability to capture 1,392 x 1,040 resolution images at 30 fps, Model TM-1327GE CCD camera. Contained in 50.8 x 50.8 x 84.8 mm housing, camera`s dynamic range covers visible and NIR portions of spectrum. Interline transfer CCD permits full vertical and horizontal resolution with shutter speeds up to 1/21,000 sec. Asynchronous reset and

A sweeping, epic history that ranges from the defeat of the Spanish Armada to the War on Terrorism, War Made New is a provocative new vision of the rise of the modern world through the lens of warfare.

In less than a month, Scottsdale`s six Loop 101 cameras will stop clicking. The city`s photo enforcement test along an eight-mile stretch of the freeway will conclude Oct. 23, effectively putting a lens cap on the controversial cameras for at least several months while a panel reviews the data and makes a recommendation on their effectiveness.

One of the great tag lines of the first year of Saturday Night Live was Chevy Chase proclaiming on "Weekend Update," "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!" (He died in 1975.)

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A Mesa firefighter puts down his camera after years of documenting the department.

FILMMAKER AIMS LENS AT AIR SAFETY LAPSES You might call Enrique Piñeyro the Michael Moore of Argentina`s airspace. The first movie he directed, a dramatic re-creation of his experience as a whistle-blowing pilot and a deadly LAPA Airlines crash, became a local and international film-festival hit.

One of the biggest surprises in this round of the UEFA Cup is Mlada Boleslav`s elimination of Marseille. Lens, Auxerre and Paris Saint-Germain do advance to the next round.

Filed under: Digital CamerasSure, you might have an exorbitantly expensive DSLR, or maybe you`ve forked out for a digicam touting OIS, but even the most brilliant photographs can`t truly shine without a little TLC in the post-processing lab. While a bit of Photoshop or Aperture work can go a long way, the process itself can become a bit grueling, and Tribeca Labs is aiming to take time out of the equation and make touchups as good as automatic. Its PhotoBot software runs in the background of any Windows XP / 2000 PC (better fire up Boot Camp, dear Mac users) and automatically sniffs out freshly loaded pictures. Once located, the `Bot works its magic without so much as a confirmation click, and Tribeca claims the program will brighten dark images, reduce red-eye, enhance colors, and take the guesswork out of perfecting a photo. Additionally, it will upload your pics to a "Swiss Picture Bank" (for a $5 / month fee, of course), so you can presumably rest easy knowing your precious files are residing safely on redundant storage halfway across the world. While we can`t say for sure how well this contrivance actually works, nor how heavy it relies on system resources, you might as well give it a spin while it`s still in beta (read: free). [Via CNET] Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | CommentsSPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Misc. Gadgets Those crafty Canadians, they`ve invented everything from the beloved BlackBerry to medicalbots. Well, let`s add another really sweet creation (DIY-style, this time) to the mix: a radio-controlled airplane with an on-board wireless pan-tilt camera that`s linked up to a pair of VR goggles to show what the cam sees. When the terrestrial-bound viewer wears said goggles and moves his or her head, the plane-based cam will adjust accordingly -- if the viewer looks up, the cam looks up, and if the viewer looks to the left, the cam looks to the left, et cetera. Just check out the video linked below, for an amazing aerial tour of the "Club de golf Royal" in Bromont, Qu,eacute;bec (near Montreal).[Via digg] Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | CommentsSPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, GPS For those of you who need that oh-so-critical GPS meta-data while shooting in the field -- and you`re one to change cameras more frequently than clothing -- Ricoh`s GPS-integrated digicam doesn`t do you a whole lot of good, and while Sony`s GPS-CS1 was a start, Jelbert`s GeoTagger ups the ante by providing real-time location / date data via the strapped on Garmin Geko 301. The less-than-sleek contraption most conveniently attaches to the hot shoe of any SLR / DSLR, but can supposedly be used with any manual focus cam in some form or another; depressing the shutter button triggers the stamping action, which saves the GPS information (including your current direction) to a dedicated SD card that can be merged with your photos using third-party software (such as RoboGEO). So if you`re looking for some precision tagging to go along with your pointing and shooting -- and don`t mind the, um, unpolished look -- the GeoTagger can be picked up now for £149 ($284).[Via The Raw Feed] Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | CommentsSPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, HDTV The in-laws have been pestering you to do a little video chatting so they can see their grandkids a bit more, right? But we`re sure the thought of digging out the `ol webcam from 2001 brings up repressed memories of jerky, tiny video chatting. Well Sony may have the solution -- albeit an uber-pricey one -- but still, it`s a high-def solution in the form of its new IPELA package. The large pictured box (PCS-HG90) converts the captured HD video stream to H.264 (1,280 x 720 at 60fps) and shoots off the data to the receiving box via the Internet -- sending the video of your child`s smiling face to his/her grandparents` HDTV. Plus, there isn`t a cheap webcam in the system: Sony has bundled a 1.12 megapixel, 3CCD camera to get the best picture quality possible. While this system could theoretically work for remote family reunions, its $42,000 pricetag (you need two of each component, after all) would indicate that these units are aimed more towards the corporate market. Then again, you simply cannot put a price on your parents seeing every last feeding, diaper change, or spit up, now can you? Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | CommentsSPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

A Portland, Ore.-based investment management firm acquired its first property in the Denver area, it was announced Tuesday.

Just as Colorado quarterback Bernard Jackson is settling into his new position as a starter, former Colorado quarterback Brian White is settling into new digs as well. At Portland State.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Chris Agnello resigned Tuesday as coach and general manager of the Portland Timbers, and the team elevated assistant coach Gavin Wilkinson to both jobs.

Coxmoor`s Portland Cup turned out to be a lot closer than the Ryder Cup with the top three all returning rounds of nett 70. (27/09/2006 11:52:59)

Seattle, September 27, 2006 - Seattle Thunderbirds General Manager Russ Farwell today announced the team has traded left wing Robert Klinkhammer to the Portland Winter Hawks for a fourth round bantam pick in 2007.

The Maine Principals’ Association is poised to move the Western Maine Class A and B boys and girls basketball quarterfinals from the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland to the Portland Exposition Building beginning next February.

A University of Portland researcher has been granted her third patent in her work on developing anti-cancer drugs.

TUALATIN -- The Portland Trail Blazers have invited guard Aaron Miles to training camp, pending the outcome of a physical. The 23-year-old will be with the team when it opens training camp on Tuesday, October 3. Miles is a Portland native and Jefferson High School graduate.

If you`re looking for a vacation destination with variety, try a little Internet research to learn about Portland, Ore., and its surrounding mountains, forest, farmland and scenic Pacific Ocean coast.

Kristen Ramirez paints her wardrobe with a wild palette.

70’s Aussie pop band Sherbet have released their first new single in more than two decades. The songs ‘Hearts Are Insane’ and ‘Red Dress’ were recorded earlier this year as the band rehearsed for their reformation shows on the Countdown tour.

Silverchair will play a New Year’s Eve show this year in their hometown Newcastle, north of Sydney. The gig will be a one-off for the band, before they release their new album in the new year.

The much talked about Green Day/U2 collaboration took place in New Orleans yesterday (September 25). The two bands joined forced to perform a cover of The Skids ‘The Saints Are Coming’ for The Edge’s music charity Music Rising.

Oasis will preview their forthcoming ‘Stop The Clocks’ compilation with an EP featuring the song ‘Acquiesce’, the track they claim was their best song ever to never be a single.

Toni Collette will take a break from acting to release her debut album ‘Beautiful Awkward Pictures’ on October 7.

The hugely successful Australian Music Prize is returning for a 2nd year, with a few of the kinks ironed out of last year’s ceremony.

Thomasville- A man who helped found the Thomasville On Stage and Company theater, could now help its future even after his death. The theater`s Board of Directors established the Ron E. Shank Endowment Fund. Money donated to the endowment will help pay for long-term theater projects.

BY JAMES A. MEROLLA/SUN CHRONICLE THEATER WRITER Monday, September 25, 2006 11:23 PM CDT PROVIDENCE -- How`s this for a debut?

Best Musical: "Cats," Memorial Theatre Company; "Cinderella," Marian Theatre Guild; "Clue" and George M!," Memorial Theatre Company; and "Man of LaMancha," Towle Community Theater.

First a team of workers rolled up to the Skirball Cultural Center and dumped 220 bags of rice. Then the provocative British theater troupe turned up, scoops in hand, sums in mind.

An official at the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing has said that travel firms are cancelling holidays to Dubai because there aren`t enough hotel rooms to meet demand, reported Gulf News. The DTCM revealed that Dubai has 30,000 hotel rooms, with 8,000 hotel apartments, and 18,000 more rooms will become available in the next two years.

Dubai, Sept 25: French retail giant Carrefour, is in talks with Dubai-based Landmark Group to open approximately 200 stores throughout India in the next 10 years, though a final agreement is yet to be reached.

The Automobile and Touring Club for the UAE is to have a new headquarters in Dubai to centralise its control of motor sport in the country as well as its services for motoring tourists and travellers.

APTEC Holdings, the leading regional provider of IT and telecom products, solutions and services, today announced the opening of its new headquarters in Dubai Internet City (DIC).

The Dubai Land Department has fully digitalised all its documents by implementing a document management solution from FileNet.

Sama Dubai, the real estate and investment arm of Dubai Holding, today announced it has won the coveted `World`s Leading Tourism Development Project` award for `Salam Resort and Spa - Bahrain`, one of the finest integrated, luxury resort developments in the world.

French retail giant Carrefour is in talks with Dubai-based Landmark Group to open approximately 200 stores throughout India in the next 10 years, though a final agreement is yet to be reached.

0859 GMT [Dow Jones] Hanson (HNS.LN) shares spike on speculation of a bid from a Dubai consortium, thought to be worth 800p/share, say traders. This follows weekend press speculation of a potential bid. Hanson was not immediately available to comment.

Palm Water LLC today announced that it had been awarded an AED 1 billion DBOO contract by Nakheel to design, build, own and operate (DBOO) a sewage treatment plant as well as sewage and irrigation networks that service the latter`s prestigious development at International City, Dubai.

Plans to set up a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Storage Hub in Techno Park Dubai moved a step closer to completion, with a closed-door meeting of gas industry leaders and the main sponsors of the project.

Straffan, Ireland- Tom Lehman gently pressed his index finger against pursed lips, calculating the best-case scenario for an American team that kept settling for the worst in the Ryder Cup.

By Tony Jimenez and Jodie Ginsberg

Watch highlights of today`s action on RTÉ Two from 6.00pm this evening. Europe`s hopes of Ryder Cup success could rest with Padraig Harrington after the Dubliner was named in the final singles match by team captain Ian Woosnam.

Watch highlights of today`s action on RTÉ Two from 6.00pm this evening. Listen live on RTÉ Radio 1.

The atmosphere on the first tee of a Ryder Cup doesn`t only affect the golfers. On Friday, it even brought a stumble from Ivor Robson, who introduces each pairing before teeing off.

ENTEBBE club chairman Emmanuel Mugamba will tee off first at the Dan Nkata memorial golf tournament today.

With Europe leading the USA 10-6 heading into the final day of Ryder Cup singles, the atmosphere on the first tee was absolutely electric, with scenes and sounds more akin to a football match than a golf course.

"Though small, dwarf shrubs can have giant effects," says Doug Welsh, professor and extension horticulturist at Texas A & M University. "Dwarf shrubs and trees require less trimming and maintenance while giving your landscape a natural, less formal look," he says.

This eight-session course will teach beginners the rudiments of embroidery while expanding the skills of those proficient in the craft. Students start from the basic cross stitch and advance to little-known stitches and intricate cut-work techniques.

AN orphanage volunteer gets the surprise of her life on TV when Sharon Osbourne donates £10,000 from her own pocket to help her cause. Carla McBride, from Davyhulme, will be seen being interviewed by the X Factor judge on her ITV show.

A MANCHESTER man has appeared in court on terror charges alleging that he collected or made a record of information about potential terrorist targets and travelled to Pakistan for weapons training.

WARRING bus bosses were due to appear before the Traffic Commissioner today to plead for a bigger share of passengers on the route which has brought the centre of Manchester to a standstill.

TOP Gear presenter Richard Hammond suffered a “significant brain injury” when he crashed a high-speed car while filming for the show, a hospital said tonight.

A LAPTOP containing security details for next week`s Labour Party conference in Manchester has been stolen from an army chief`s car. The computer is thought to hold information about the location of security cordons and arrangements for searches of conference venues where Tony Blair and the rest of the Cabinet are due for their annual summit which begins on Sunday.

POLICE are to investigate whether the shooting of a man last night may be linked to the murder of Manchester teenager Jessie James. The 20-year-old was shot in the knee in Langshaw Street, Old Trafford just after 9.40pm.

A CHEF from the has won the prestigious National Chef of the Year award, one of the industry`s biggest honours. Eyck Zimmer from the hotel`s River Restaurant beat off competition from dozens of other cooks to collect the prize.

FOR the first time, everyone on this year`s Forbes rich list is a billionaire, it was announced.

CHANNEL 4 is to show a human corpse hanging on a cross in a documentary that has sparked outrage from Christian groups.

MORE children are missing classes in Manchester than anywhere else in England. Government statistics released yesterday show city pupils have the poorest attendance levels in the country for the third year running.

THERMAL imaging has captured the amount of heat escaping from G-Mex, Manchester Town Hall and buildings on Deansgate.

THE security operation for the Labour conference will be the biggest ever mounted by Greater Manchester Police, costing £4.2m and involving 1,000 officers every day.

HE may have been mocked for his fashion sense, but David Beckham has been ranked with Marilyn Monroe as all-time style icon of the past 50 years.

TENS of thousands of motorists across Greater Manchester may have been given parking tickets which are not valid, it is claimed. Campaigners say it could have a serious financial impact on some local councils.

EATING a packet of crisps a day is the equivalent of "drinking" almost five litres of cooking oil every year, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has revealed.

THERE`S something fishy going on at Manchester University and here is the picture to prove it. Most pilchards come in tins, but these three minnows seem to have achieved the impossible - being born into a duck egg.

FOR one man, beanz definitely meanz Heinz after he forked out £1,000 to advertise his love for baked beans.

A FORMER Labour Party high flyer kissed and cuddled a 13-year-old boy in bed after they exchanged messages on an internet chat room, a court has heard.

TOP Gear presenter Richard Hammond has been moved out of intensive care and is making "satisfactory progress", doctors at Leeds General Infirmary said.

A GRAFFITI artist who helped cause more than £15,000 worth of damage was filmed at work for a trendy DVD. Christopher Thomas, 24, from Manchester, was shown spraying trains, buses and railway stations in the film Indelible TV Hip Hop Magazine, Episode Three.

AN anti-war "peace camp" set up by soldiers` relatives has pitched its tents in Manchester. The camp caused huge controversy when the organisers were refused permission by the city council to use Albert Square on health and safety grounds.

A PENSIONER who risked financial ruin in a High Court battle to save services at her local hospital has won in principle and may still see disputed wards reopened.

POLICE have pledged to deal "quickly and firmly" with extremists if they attempt to exploit tomorrow`s huge anti-war march in Manchester. Groups set on causing disorder could try to infiltrate the peace rally, which is expected to draw up to 30,000 people. But about 1,000 Greater Manchester Police officers will be patrolling the event.

Hardwood floors look beautiful - especially seen from a foot away as you scrub them the night before your mother-in-law arrives for a visit.

SOUTH BEND -- Danny Bauters has made the smooth transition from the hardwood to the gridiron. "When I was in grade school, I guess I was more of a basketball guy," recalled the 6-foot-1, 185 pound senior quarterback. "That all changed once I got into high school, though.

Last Wednesday`s match against Umpqua College of Roseburg, Ore. was the first on home hardwood with fans in the stands for most of the members of this year`s College of the Siskiyous` volleyball team.

sutton group – professional realty inc. 41 Broadway, Unit 3 ORANGEVILLE 519-940-0004 1-866-506-1116 David Baker SALESREPRESENTATIVE dabaker@trebnet.com Model Home Former model home offering many upgrades including pot lighting throughout, hardwood and ceramic floors, skylight, and builder finished basement apartment with separate entrance.

Chris Owens, a 27-year-old power forward from Duncanville, Tex., who recently signed with ALBA Berlins, a professional basketball team in Berlin, returns to the city in which his great uncle Jesse Owens won four gold medals under the cloud of Nazism during the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Kelsey Gallagher has a knack for making her coaches smile. The junior at East Stroudsburg South shines on the basketball hardwood in the winter and the soccer pitch in the spring, but for now it`s field hockey coach Jyl Conner`s turn to watch in amazement.

Elisa Monte Dance - Where: The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave. at 19th Street, ManhattanWhen: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. SundayHow much: $40. Call (212) 242-0800 or visit www.joyce.org.

You read our review of the excellent GPS-enabled HP iPAQ hw6915 Mobile Messenger Pocket PC phone running Windows Mobile 5.0 back in May. Well, it`s been a long time coming, but the iPAQ is now available in the US ...

Electronic Arts today announced The Godfather The Game for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and The Godfather Mob Wars for PSP (PlayStationPortable) handheld entertainment system have shipped in North America and Europe and are now available on ...

Further strengthening its portfolio of 3G devices, Nokia today unveiled the new Nokia 6288, a 3G slide phone that adds high-quality video playing capabilities to its mix of features. With real-time video sharing and video ringtones, the Nokia ...

Sprint and Research In Motion (RIM) today introduced the BlackBerry 8703e from Sprint with updated features, including EV-DO support and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) capability in a sleek and light design. The BlackBerry 8703e is the latest BlackBerry handset ...

Delphi Corporation`s new portable navigation system, NAV200, will be available for sale in October, company officials announced today. First time users of navigation will find this unit, which is not much bigger than your hand, less intimidating and easy-to-use. ...

We saw a lot of phones, really cool phones at CTIA in LA last week. The coming months and Q1 2007 will be exciting times for those of us in the US and abroad who use PDA and smart ...

Joseph Silverstein, the distinguished former concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and an experienced conductor, did a nice job of opening the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra`s 15th anniversary season Sunday at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria. The ensemble, drawn...

Heath Masonic Breakfast: 8:30 a.m.; Heath Masonic Complex, 875 Irving Wick Drive W, Heath; $5. Vintage Voices Choral Group Practice: 9:30 to 11 a.m.; Centenary United Methodist Church, 102 E. Broadway, Granville; (740) 366-5042.

NORTH ADAMS — The North Adams Masonic Association and the New England Ghost Project, together with the Berkshire Paranormal Group, will sponsor Contact II, the second annual Berkshire Paranormal Conference.

History was made at the 92nd annual installation ceremony at Gloucester`s Masonic Lodge recently when the grand master of NSW and the ACT Raymond Brooke attended the ceremony.

The Masonic Grand Lodge of Kansas will again be holding an Essay Contest. This is the 48th consecutive contest for junior and senior class students in the tax-supported public high schools in Kansas. The topic of this year`s contest is entitled, “How is Trade With China Affecting Life in America?”

Members of Carrollton Masonic Lodge 1400 are raising money for scholarships to be provided for eligible seniors who will graduate from any of Carrollton’s four high schools.

SEMPER FIDELIS Masonic Lodge will have an Emergent Communication at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 for work and instruction in the 1st Degree. ONSLOW COUNTY Teen Court at 6:15 p.m. Sept. 21. Sign-in at 5:45 p.m. E-mail onslowteencourt@yahoo.com .

We report an improvement in the PGD test for fragile X syndrome (FXS). Recently, multiple displacement amplification (MDA) has been reported to yield large amounts of DNA from single cells. Taking into account this technique, we developed a new PGD test for FXS, enabling combined analysis of linked polymorphic markers with the study of the non-expanded CGG repeat. Single cell amplification efficiency was first assessed on single lymphocytes. Amplification rate of the different markers ranged from 85 to 95% with an allele drop-out (ADO) rate comprised between 7 and 34%. Using this test, eight PGD cycles were carried out for six couples, and 37 embryos were analysed after preliminary MDA. Amplification rate was increased by this technique from 41 to 66% so that embryos with no results were rarer (14 versus 45% without MDA). Reliability of the test was considerably improved by combining direct with indirect genetic analysis. Furthermore, in cases of fully expanded alleles too large to be amplified by PCR, this test gives an internal amplification control. Embryonic transfers were carried out in all but one PGD cycles. One biochemical and one clinical pregnancy resulted, and a healthy child was born. This single diagnosis procedure could be suitable to most patients carrying FXS.

Recently, mutations in the X-linked ubiquitin protease 26 (USP26) gene have been proposed to be associated with male infertility. In particular a 371insACA, 494T>C and 1423C>T haplotype, which results in a T123andash;124ins, L165S and H475Y amino acid change respectively, has been reported to be associated with Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) and an absence of sperm in the ejaculate. Here, we demonstrate that two of these changes actually correspond to the ancestral sequence of the gene and that the USP26 haplotype is present in significant frequencies in sub-Saharan African and South and East Asian populations, including in individuals with known fertility. This indicates that the allele is not associated with infertility. The pattern of frequency distribution of the derived haplotype (371delACA, 494T), which is present at high frequencies in most non-African populations could be interpreted as either a result of migration followed by simple genetic drift or alternatively as positive selection acting on the derived alleles. The latter hypothesis seems likely, because there is evidence of strong positive selection acting on the USP26 gene.

The induction of the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their extracellular activation are key processes in connective tissue degradation in the chorioallantoid membrane during rat labour. However, the regulatory mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we report the identification of a calcium-dependent high molecular weight complex composed of MMP-9, MMP-3, MMP-2, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) and TIMP-2, identified by zymography and western blotting. Molecular sieve chromatography confirmed the presence of a complex of MMPs and TIMPs with an exclusion volume >670 kDa. Differential scanning calorimetry of the complex confirmed the existence of a macromolecular complex that unfolds with a broad transition; it is denatured over a wide range of temperatures and has a Tm of 72 deg;C in the presence of Ca2+. When denatured in the absence of Ca2+, there were at least eight transitions with Tms that corresponded to pro-MMP-9, MMP-9, pro-MMP-3, MMP-3, pro-MMP-2, MMP-2, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2. Co-localization of the same molecular components was demonstrated by confocal microscopy using cell-depleted chorioallantoid membranes. The assembly and disassembly of the complex can be reproduced at physiological concentrations of Ca2+. This complex provides a potential mechanism for the enzymatic regulation of MMPs, which may participate in connective tissue degradation leading to the rupture of the fetal membranes during labour.

We have investigated the hypothesis that the expression of the enzymes involved in PGE2 synthesis in the human uterus is co-ordinated. We have studied (i) the mRNA expression of the enzymes involved in PGE2 synthesis [phospholipases (cPLA2 and sPLA2), prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS)-2 and PG E synthases (PGES-1 and -2)] and their relationship to the expression of inflammatory cytokines in samples of myometrium obtained from pregnant women undergoing caesarean section (LSCS) either before or after the onset of labour at or before term; and (ii) the effect of IL-1ßbeta;, IL-6, TNF-, PGE2 and stretch on PGE2 enzyme mRNA expression. We found that cPLA2, sPLA2 and PGHS-2 mRNA expression were greater in labour samples; cPLA2, sPLA2, PGHS-2, PGES-1 and -2 mRNA expression were greater in lower- than upper-segment samples; and there was no effect of gestational age. PGHS-2 mRNA levels correlated with those of PGES-1, cPLA2, IL-1ßbeta; and IL-8; PGES-1 mRNA levels correlated with those of IL-1ßbeta;, IL-8 and cPLA2. In primary cultures of uterine myocytes, cPLA2 mRNA expression was increased by IL-1ßbeta; and IL-6; PGHS-2 mRNA expression was increased by IL-1ßbeta;, PGE2 and stretch; and PGES-1 mRNA expression was increased by IL-1ßbeta; only. These data show that labour is associated with increased expression of the enzymes involved in PGE2 synthesis and their expression is greater in the lower uterine segment. The presence of associations between the levels of PGE2 enzyme mRNA expression and the effects of IL-1ßbeta; suggest that their expression is co-ordinated and that IL-1ßbeta; is the responsible factor.

Maspin, a tumour suppressor gene, is differentially expressed in the human placenta. Decreased expression of maspin in the first trimester corresponds with the period of maximum trophoblast invasion, suggesting a role in cell invasion and motility. Although methylation of CpG islands regulates maspin expression in cancer cells, the mechanism of maspin regulation in the human placenta is unknown. Our objectives were to determine the role of epigenetic alterations in the regulation of maspin expression in the placenta. Placental samples obtained from 7 to 40 weeks’ gestation were used for bisulphite sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) PCR. There was no significant change in the methylation indices in the promoter region of maspin throughout gestation. The levels of histone modifications associated with transcriptionally active chromatin were significantly different in placental tissues from second and third trimester relative to those from first trimester. Addition of trichostatin A (TSA) to placental explants increased the maspin mRNA expression (8- to 20-fold), whereas addition of 5-aza-cytidine (5-AzaC) had no effect on maspin expression. Our data suggest that maspin expression in the human placenta is regulated by changes in histone tail modifications. This is the first report of selective histone modifications associated with differential placental gene expression in human gestation.

Growth factors expressed at the fetal–maternal interface modulate hormone expression of placental trophoblasts. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different cytokines on hCG subunit mRNA expression in differentiating villous cytotrophoblasts. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed a 1.8- and 6.9-fold increase of hCG- and hCG-ß mRNA levels, respectively, between 36 and 60 h of term trophoblast syncytialization. Compared with controls, neither interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13 and IL-15 nor tumour necrosis factor (TNF)- significantly altered hCG- mRNA expression. Similarly, the ILs did not affect hCG-ß transcript levels. In contrast, TNF- suppressed hCG-ß mRNA 3.8- and 1.8-fold at 36 and 60 h of term trophoblast differentiation. Accordingly, hCG secretion was impaired by TNF- but not by the different ILs. Moreover, TNF- reduced luciferase expression of reporter plasmids harbouring the proximal hCG-ß5 promoter to 35 and 77%, respectively, in primary term trophoblasts and trophoblastic SHGPL-5 cells. In addition, counting of nuclei in syncytialized, desmoplakin-negative areas revealed a 1.9-fold reduction of term trophoblast fusion in the presence of TNF-. Similarly, floating explant cultures prepared from first trimester-denuded villi recovered the syncytium 2.8-fold less efficiently during 72 h of cytokine treatment. Concomitantly, TNF- impaired induction of endogenous and secreted hCG-ß protein levels in these cultures. The data suggest that TNF- decreases hCG-ß mRNA and protein expression by reducing gene transcription and trophoblast cell fusion. Suppression of these processes by TNF- could partly explain the adverse effects of the cytokine on placental function and pregnancy outcome.

LH and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) share many similar effects on the pre-ovulatory follicle. They can induce independently cumulus expansion, the resumption of meiosis and progesterone production. However, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors were found to hinder most of the LH-induced effects. Recently, EGF-like growth factors amphiregulin (Ar) and epiregulin (Ep) were found to be produced in response to LH stimulation and to induce cumulus expansion and oocyte maturation. We aimed at evaluating whether PGE2 induces Ar and Ep syntheses in human granulosa cells and whether the inhibition of PGE2 production by selective COX-2 inhibitor, nimesulide, affects LH-induced Ar and Ep biosynthesis. Ar and Ep mRNA levels increased following PGE2 stimulation, in a dose- and time-dependent manner, which resembled those of LH. The blockade of protein kinase A (PKA) (by H89) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) (by UO126) reduced the expression of PGE2-induced Ar and Ep biosynthesis. Although the stimulation of the cells with LH in the presence of nimesulide did not change the progesterone levels, it resulted in a significant reducti