 weekend off from working on the screenplay I’m writing for Juan Carlos Hernandez and his team at Popcorn Sky Productions. I need to recharge my batteries before I can get more into the story I want to tell, and since I can’t go out and hang out with friends here, I can either (a) watch movies, (b) read books while listening to classical music, or (c) play games on my computer. This weekend, as you can see, I opted to play computer games.
Late yesterday afternoon I started a campaign on Cold Waters called U.S. vs. China in the South China Sea 2000. In an alternate version of the late 1990s, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics never collapsed; impoverished by its Cold War military spending and lackluster civilian economy, the Soviet Union has reluctantly entered a vassal-like relationship with the People’s Republic of China. It no longer controls Eastern Europe and has withdrawn its armies from the now-irrelevant Warsaw Pact, but to earn hard currency, the Kremlin not only sells arms and materiel to Beijing, but it also “lends” Red Navy warships and subs to China, complete with officers and crews that serve as “advisers” to the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
In this version of history, China is far more assertive and militarily aggressive than it really was in the last years of the 20th Century. As a result, Taiwan declares its independence and Great Britain postpones the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China. This strains the relations between the Chinese government and the West, and eventually, several political and economic crises arise in East Asia. Inevitably, diplomacy fails, and these rising tensions lead to war between China and the United States.
I started the Sino-American War as skipper of USS Seawolf. And although I did a decent job against PLAN surface ships and subs during my first war patrol, my boat – the most expensive nuclear-powered attack sub built for the U.S. Navy – was lost when I attacked an enemy convoy near its home port on the East China coast. Seawolf was badly damaged by an enemy torpedo and had to be scuttled when she landed on the sea bottom and could not be freed.
Luckily, I was one of the survivors of that disaster and was rescued with most of my sub’s crew by U.S. Navy ships that were close enough to render assistance. And because I managed to achieve my last assignment – I destroyed an enemy supply convoy and an escorting Kilo-class diesel sub – I was assigned to command the Los Angeles-class boat USS New York City.
Unfortunately, even though I have successfully accomplished some of my assigned missions, the war is not going well for us.
Although my two boats have sunk quite a few enemy ships and submarines, including Russian and Chinese merchant vessels used to resupply the enemy, I did lose the Seawolf and failed far more missions than I would have liked. Part of it is that the enemy sends out many task forces and small groups of subs at the same time. So when Pacific Fleet HQ at Pearl Harbor says, “Hey, we need you to attack a Chinese amphibious force that is leaving Point X and is heading for Point Y, intercept it ASAP!” it is not that easy. My boat might not be anywhere close to either location, and making the transit involves trying to figure out where the target group is, what course is it taking, and where is the best intercept point for my boat to be before the enemy accomplishes its mission.
This means that when I am in the Transit map I have to not only know where the enemy is sailing from, but where it is heading to. And because Transits are made in accelerated time, a navigational error on my part can give the enemy several opportunities to give me the slip and accomplish his mission before I can accomplish mine.
From where I sit, it does not look like I will win the war at sea for the United States. Yes, I’ve sunk 20 warships and 11 subs. I’ve also destroyed eight merchant vessels. And I have earned three decorations, including the the Navy Commendation Medal and the Distinguished Medal. But I have only completed only six of my assigned missions – and I lost a pricey piece of hardware when I scuttled the Seawolf.
Good thing this is only a game!I have to agree with you. Maybe we get a different / less biased perspective from the media here in europe, but I seriously dont get all the bitching about Obama. (And yes, I have been following what he has been doing and has or hasn't accomplished.)

Most presidents only care about whats good for them to be re-elected, so they set short term goals that they can fulfill. Jesus, you guys should be thankful that Obama isnt doing that, but is instead setting up the basis for a prosperous america in the next few years / decades. 

Oh, and thank god you guys still have Jon Stewart, at least thats a reliable, unbiased news source. Damn I wish i could go to the rallyRepo UPDATE: go-ethereum develop branch will become inoperable on the test-net!

Want to give you a heads up that in a few hours the develop branch of the go-ethereum repo will become completely useless on the current testnet, that is; it will no longer sync. This is due to the changes necessary for the Frontier release :-)

*The master branch will continue to serve the testnet for the time being*

**EDIT**: the repo has been updated, develop and test net are now no longer friendly &gt;:-). This does **NOT** mean ethereum has launched.- Why Choose Us
- The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme at Leyton Sixth Form College
In an increasingly competitive market for jobs and university places, here at LSC we believe all-round achievement should go hand-in-hand with academic attainment.
That’s why for the past 10 years the College 500 students successfully complete the expedition section of the Award and a 99.9% pass rate on all 3 levels. Tracey Rogers, Outdoor Pursuits Manager tracey.rogers@leyton.ac.uk"I wear this Crest around my neck like a christian wears their cross... just without the believing in fairytales part of it. Though it has evolved over the years, I originally created this symbol in 1991. Since that time, it has been tattooed on countless dedicated supporters from every corner of the earth. It represents an undying commitment to one's artistic and creative pursuits, relentless dedication to furthering one's skills and talents, and among other things, staying true to one's self and the integrity of their art. This serves me as a Talisman of sorts."Stuck In a Rut With Your Guitar Playing?


That's how I felt about the guitar... I was so frustrated.
Hi, I'm Darryl Powis...
I am the owner and a teacher at Guitar Tuition East London.
It's a guitar school I founded to help people really learn guitar.
I struggled to learn to play how I wanted for a LONG time...
And through my quest to improve my own guitar playing I've developed a system to help others.
I've tested it with hundreds of my clients, and it really works for them.
I've a had a long road to being able to play how I want on guitar..
Keep reading for the 'BIG 3' mistakes I made... and how to not make the same mistakes as me!
Me hanging and my guitar students hanging out in London at our Christmas party.
Thinking "Guitar Lessons Are All The Same"
I had a teacher who struggled to help me with my guitar playing - and I made the mistake of thinking all teachers would struggle.
He was a nice guy... we had a lot of fun... and I did learn things...
But.. I felt like I had unanswered questions. There were things other people could do that I couldn't, and I didn't know why.
Eventually I stopped those lessons. I assumed that if he couldn't help me, no one could.
That stopped me from trying out other guitar teachers for several years.
Different guitar teachers have different strengths.
Finding a guitar teacher is not like buying a can of Coco cola...
With coke all you need to care about us "where an how much".
Thinking "I'm not talented enough to play how I want."
I didn't want to admit it to myself.. and I wouldn't say it out loud. But I wondered if there was actually something wrong with me.
If I was really the problem.
Then someone showed me a strange video...
A man playing guitar with his feet...
He could play and sing... and do it with his feet.
I thought it was pretty cool.. It must have taken a lot of work!
This one left me gobsmacked...
He can play fast. His phrasing sounds beautiful. And he performs it with total comfort.
All with only his feet!
Any time I think I can't do something on guitar now - i go and watch those videos again.
And how it is possible for you too....
Have you ever been down the rabbit hole?
It starts with one youtube video... which turns into another...
And before I know it, it's 4am and I'm watching a Korean 8 year old shredding metal songs with his eyes shut...
There's a lot of videos out there... But it's easy to get distracted