Category Archives: Evolution

For years, vendors have dictated innovations in networking. They developed and manufactured their own chips, appliances and network designs, and enterprises consumed what they produced.

Because of this traditional vendor-driven process, many enterprises got stuck with networks that were difficult to adapt and modernize, said Dinesh Dutt, engineer, book author and co-founder of Stardust Systems, a network observability company with a focus on open source software.

Recent networking innovations have battled the vendor-heavy model, pushing for open networking and scalability. While most of the prevalent developments have emerged in software, Dutt said the industry is also seeing an evolution in network hardware.

The major network hardware trends target changes in the following areas:

Some of the battles have already been won -- such as the rise of merchant silicon -- but Dutt said the outcomes of others haven't played out yet.

The use of merchant silicon for packet forwarding has largely become an industry standard, emerging from what was once a small trend.

Not long ago, networking vendors made their own chips and ran them on proprietary hardware. But those same vendors now often rely on merchant silicon in the form of commodity switching chips from companies like Broadcom and Marvell.

Arista, for example, built its business on a merchant silicon model, instead of "designing and building its own switching chip," Dutt said. Companies like Arrcus, DriveNets and Volta Networks have also based their business models around merchant silicon and white box networking.

Some networking vendors have even introduced their own merchant silicon. In 2019, Cisco announced its Silicon One chip that supports white box switches, in addition to its own hardware.

Dutt compared the rise of merchant silicon to the evolution of watches from Rolexes to commodity watches. At one time, a person had to buy an expensive Rolex watch in order to have a working watch. But, now, anybody can buy a cheap watch that tells the time accurately.

In the same way, he said, less expensive commodity chips have replaced traditional packet forwarding hardware, such as application-specific integrated circuits and processors. These chips are not only cheaper, but offer enterprises a broader range of options and flexibility in their network designs.

A related trend to merchant silicon is the development of smart network interface cards (NICs), functional accelerator cards (FACs) and data processing units (DPUs). These chips take on additional functions -- such as computing, routing, storage and firewalling -- to negate some of the processing load on servers.

Cloud providers have primarily led the charge with smartNIC adoption, benefiting from the opportunity to optimize computing and bandwidth costs on such a massive scale, Dutt said. Enterprises, however, usually don't have the same level of scale and wouldn't benefit as much from smartNIC adoption.

"SmartNICs are great at offloading," Dutt said. "The question becomes at what scale, at what performance and at what cost?"

That said, some analysts expect enterprises to find value in smartNICs, FACs and DPUs as more use cases emerge. In its 2020 "Hype Cycle for Enterprise Networking," Gartner listed FACs at the beginning of the cycle, likely to reach the "plateau of productivity" in five to 10 years. Gartner said it expected enterprise adoption to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 115% by 2024.

Most networking vendors have an appliance-driven ecosystem. As a result, enterprises have based their network designs and management around the appliances they've deployed and the specific configurations for them, rather than on their business requirements, Dutt said.

"Enterprise network operators not only learned how to type a command on a box, but they also learned network design from those same vendors," Dutt said. "This meant that the certifications issued were all structured around the strengths of a box rather than general network principles."

Instead, he added, vendors should move away from appliance models and focus more on providing a platform.

White box switches could help introduce a more platform-driven strategy. With white box switching, enterprises can buy commodity appliances that don't have pre-loaded OSes, enabling them to choose the network OS they prefer. Network teams could better customize their network designs for the applications they need to support and reduce Capex.

But white box adoption has lagged among enterprises, largely due to integration complexity and familiarity with legacy vendors. In some ways, the customization that white boxes offer acts as a deterrent because some enterprises don't know which OS to deploy or instead prefer brand names they recognize.

Another networking appliance trend Dutt mentioned is the move away from large, chassis-based switches to fixed form factor switches. Sometimes called pizza boxes because of their shape, these switches are small, flat and stackable. They are also easier to troubleshoot in the event of failure.

"Those fixed form factor switches have much simpler failures and are cheaper to buy and replace than the single monolithic software that was chassis," Dutt said. Because of their smaller size, fixed form factor switches can help reduce an organization's footprint, overhead and power consumption.

White box switching can't be successful without the ability for enterprises to choose which OS they want to manage their network hardware. OSes have experienced changes of their own, due in part to an industry push for interoperability and open networking.

Consider network design independent of vendors. Consider a network design that is specific to your applications. Dinesh DuttEngineer, author and co-founder of Stardust Systems

Over the past few years, many organizations have worked to develop open source network OSes (NOSes) that can help reduce dependence on proprietary hardware. One example Dutt cited was the Software for Open Networking in the Cloud project, originally from Microsoft. Some networking vendors and startups have also tried to popularize open source NOSes, he said.

Despite the industry's move to support more NOS options, open source OSes face similar battles that white box switching has encountered, such as complexity and lack of support. And the fates of white boxes and open OSes are tied together.

"The lack of a NOS for white boxes hobbles the ability to consume a white box," Dutt said. For both to gain traction, Dutt said they require the same design shift from an appliance model to a platform model.

Ultimately, network appliances and OSes won't work if they aren't connected. Wireless and cellular connectivity have seen the development of Wi-Fi 6 and 5G, and enterprises have started deploying both in their LANs and WANs.

But data centers can't use wireless for connectivity, instead they need network cables. While network cabling has remained relatively quiet in terms of emerging trends, some changes have occurred, Dutt said.

Traditionally, when enterprises bought hardware from certain vendors, they also had to buy matching cables from the same vendor. But, just as network appliances and OSes have seen a shift toward openness and vendor-agnostic options, it's increasingly possible for enterprises to buy cabling from other providers.

"Originally, if you bought hardware from Cisco, you had to buy cabling that only Cisco provided," he said. "Now, it's not hard for you to find hardware from Cisco but cabling from Finisar directly."

With various changes in networking, enterprises might find it difficult to know which upgrades to make or how to design a new network.

Dutt advised enterprises to prioritize the following steps when considering network hardware changes:

Ultimately, Dutt encouraged enterprises to start simple.

"Go back to the basic principles," Dutt said. "Consider network design independent of vendors. Consider a network design that is specific to your applications. And work with the server team rather than sitting across the table from them."

Excerpt from:

4 trends spurring the evolution of network hardware - TechTarget

Donna Tartt, a subject of my new podcast, Once Upon a Time at Bennington College, attended Bennington from the fall of 1982 to the spring of 1986. (Sweating in the spotlight alongside her, shielding their eyes from the glare, are Bret Easton Ellis and Jonathan Lethem, also novelists, also class of 86.) It was at Bennington that she first lived a version of and then began a draft of the book thats defined the undergraduate experience for several generations of readers: The Secret History, a modern classic and our countrys Brideshead Revisited.

The Secret History, however, was not Tartts sole literary creation during her Bennington years, or even necessarily her most impressive. Theres also her literary self-creation, i.e., her persona, every bit as deliberate, every bit as theatrical, every bit as polished, every bit as ingenious as her fiction. In fact, Brideshead Revisited, written by Evelyn Waugh, an acknowledged influence on Tartt, about privileged (male) youths being passed at Oxford University just after World War I, was perhaps the model there, too. With her sleek bob, vivid ties and cravats, nattily tailored mens suits that emphasize the narrowness of her hips, the flatness of her chest, Tartt seems to have designed herself according to the specifications of a character in Waughs novel: Sebastian Flyte but without the British accent; a Bright Young Thing only with dark hair.

They dont make celebrity writers anymore, and yet Donna Tartt is one. She seized our attention back in 1992, when The Secret History was published, and hasnt loosened her grip since. (A public figure who ventures out in it sparingly, she may have misgivings about fame, but she sure is good at being famousadroit, you might say, expert even.) Donna Tartt is a literary icon, obviously and without doubt. She is also, though, an icon of style and glamour, of sexual sophistication and gender ambiguity. Dont forget, in 2014, the year she won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, she was named to Vanity Fairs International Best-Dressed List, the first twofer of its kind.

But Donna Tartt didnt start out as Donna Tartt, or, rather, as Donna Tartt, personage.

Before she remade herself as a starched and ruffled dandy from 1920s London, she was a shy-eyed bookworm from 1970s Mississippi. This is the oral and auralthe voices of the Bennington people are so full of intelligence and freshness and urgency and juice that I feel you ought to hear them as well as see themhistory of her evolution: from Donna Tartt to Donna Tartt.

LILI ANOLIK

Before we begin, though, I should, in the spirit of full disclosure, tell you that when, in the opening paragraph, I called Tartt my subject, I left out a key modifier: reluctant. She is my reluctant subject. (See this Page Six item if you want to know how reluctant.)

Donna Tartt was born on December 23, 1963 in Greenwood, Mississippi; raised in Grenada, Mississippi, a hill town in the north central part of the state. Her mother, Taylor, was a secretary. Her father, Don, ran a Southland Service Station before switching to local politics. Tartt was educated at a segregation academy, that is, a school founded in response to the integration of public schools, called Kirk.

Jan Gray Walton, a childhood friend and classmate of Tartts, recalls how Kirk kids got their kicks:

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

In other words, its a small-town Deep South world that Tartt was coming of age in, and provincial in the extreme. The closest big cities were Jackson and Memphis, both two-and-a-half hours away by car. And yet her schoolmates, like teenagers everywhere, cared passionately about clothes and fashion. Jan Gray Walton recalls how Kirk kids dressed to impress:

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Youd think that Donna Tartt in the halls of Kirk Academy would be as incongruous as Oscar Wilde on the set of The Dukes of Hazard. Only youd think wrong. In the 1981 Kirk Academy yearbook, Tartt looks nothing like a Victorian-era fop-aristocrat; instead looks every inch the pert Southern Miss, a suburban Scarlett OHara, same as all the other girls in her class.

Tartt applied to and was accepted at the University of Mississippi, better known as Ole Miss, where she spent her freshman year: fall of 1981 to spring of 1982. Playwright C.C. Henley, a few classes ahead of Tartt, recalls sorority life as the only life worth living at Ole Miss:

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Surely Tartt dismissed such a scene as hopelessly cornfed and cornball, wouldnt have gone near it if you paid her. Turns out, though, you didnt have to pay her. She went willingly. Was a Kappa Kappa Gamma, as a matter of fact. Ben Herring, day manager of the Daily Mississippian, the student paper for which Tartt occasionally wrote, and Tartts on-again-off-again boyfriend at Ole Miss, recalls her look and mindset during this period:

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

ULF ANDERSENGETTY IMAGES

Tartt transferred to Bennington in the fall of 1982 on the advice of writer Willie Morris, her Ole Miss mentor. Technically she entered as a sophomore, but shed stay at Bennington for four years, graduate the same year as her friend Easton Ellis and her ex-friend Lethem (well, the year Lethem wouldve graduated had he not dropped out). Lethem, who would write about Bennington, fictionalized as Camden, in his 2003 novel The Fortress of Solitude, describes it thusly: One part experimental arts college, founded in the 1920s by passionate Red-leaning patrons and one part lunatic preserve for wayward children of privilege, those too familiar with psych counseling and rehab to follow older sibling to Harvard or Yale, and which recapitulated in junior form the tribal rituals of Mediterranean resorts and East Hampton summers and the VIP room of Studio 54.

A student who prefers not to be namedStudent X, I dub her, class of 82recalls how the campus broke down by social groups:

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Tartt was one of the khaki-wearing regular kids. Paula Powers, class of 86, recalls an encounter with Tartt that took place shortly after orientation week:

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

There was a group not listed by Student X, perhaps because it was so small it barely qualified as a group. It was made up of three students, all young men, all class of 83. They were Claudes Boys, as Matt Jacobsen, Todd ONeal and Paul McGloin were known informally on campus since they studied Ancient Greek with Literature and Classics professor Claude Fredericks. Student X recalls the groups mysterious ways:

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Claudes Boys made an impression just with their manners, but also with their clothes. Nancy Morowitz, class of 86, recalls seeing them for the first time:

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Jacobsen, one of Claudes Boys, recalls his and his cohorts taste in matters sartorial:

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

It was when Tartt became romantically involved with another one of Claudes Boys, McGloin, that she had her moment of aesthetic revelation. Finally shed found her style, her look: it was their style, their look. ONeal, the third Claudes Boy, recalls Tartts transformation, which occurred sometime during her second semester, the spring of 1983:

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

What shed been becoming, she now was: Donna Tartt, at last, was Donna Tartt. Morowitz recalls the day she noticed the change:

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Androgyny was, you could argue, essential to Donna Tartt at a personal level (in Episode 6 of the podcast, Donna Lou, I get deeply into the my lad aspect of her relationship with McGloin); but its at an artistic level that androgyny was truly indispensable, her sine qua non. Also: her viewpoint. As Easton Ellis notes:

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Including The Secret History, which Tartt would start writing the following semester, in the fall of 1983, using Claude and Claudes Boys as her main cast of characters: Fredericks serving as the basis for the charismatic yet possibly sinister Classics professor, Julian Morrow; Matt Jacobsen as the murder-ee with the voice like W.C. Fields with a bad case of Long Island lockjaw, Bunny Corcoran; Todd ONeal as the hero/anti-hero, Mr. Sangfroid, Henry Winter.

And then there is Tartt herself, the fourth Claudes Boy, asor so I contend in my podcastthe protagonist, the outsider who longs to be an insider, Richard Papen. Its as if the work could only be attempted once the persona was established, a necessary prerequisite.

Vittorio Zunino CelottoGetty Images

Donna Tartt couldnt write The Secret History. Donna Tartt, though, couldand did so brilliantly.

New episodes of Once Upon a Time at Bennington College, a C13Originals production, drop every Wednesday.

View post:

Donna Tartt's Style Evolution, From Ole Miss to Bennington to Today - TownandCountrymag.com

Meeting customer expectations has always been a crucial element to the success of any organisation. In the digital age, this has become even more critical as competition in the business landscape increase and customer preferences evolve.

Today, consumer behaviours are driven by information, which influences their choices, decisions and loyalty. One of the most effective ways businesses can provide customers with relevant information is via loyalty programmes. So, what makes a good loyalty programme?

Modern consumers expect a relationship with the brands that they interact with. This means that they want a brand that knows them and provides personalised experiences. They also expect immediacy with real-time offers and instant communication. Additionally, they want to feel empowered with their choices and be able to share good experiences on platforms such as social media.

WEBINAR ALERT Comarch: Customer Loyalty Market Overview

This being said, a good loyalty programme does not only efficiently analyse customer data to provide enhanced experiences but also constantly evolves with market shifts to better connect with customers. An ideal programme is not just about the incentives, discounts or rewards. Its focused on forming a connection between customers and brands across every interaction and touch-point of a certain service or transaction. According to a KPMG report, The Truth About Customer Loyalty, one in five consumers in the UAE saw personalisation, be it in terms of service, communication, or promotions and offers, as a leading benefit of loyalty programmes.

Furthermore, a good loyalty programme focuses on innovation. Over the last few years, we have seen various organisations leverage tools such as gamification to boost customer engagements. Additionally, the global pandemic has spurred customers need for contactless services, driving brands to ramp up investments in artificial intelligence and machine learning tools such as chatbots and virtual assistants. The KPMG report also revealed that 94% of UAE consumers would prefer if organisations explored new ways to compensate repeat shoppers. Therefore, the emergence of advanced technologies such as AI and ML present tremendous opportunities for brands to deliver unique experiences to their customers.

To help organisations gain deeper insights into the biggest market trends, latest technological innovations and upcoming policies and regulations that are driving customer engagement and loyalty,global software firm Comarch is hosting an exclusive webinaron 25th November 2021 at 9:00 AM GST.

The virtual event will feature exclusive content from the companys top executives including Bartosz Demczuk, Managing Director, Comarch Middle East. Demczuk will discuss how social media platforms build their own loyalty programmes and how marketplaces and aggregators can change the customers perception.

Other speakers include Comarchs Head of Data Science Team, Maciej Tyczyski; CRM & Loyalty Consultant, Marlena Polrola; and Senior Business Consultant, Wojciech Kempny.

It will also feature a high-level panel comprised of Suryaveer Singh, Head of Loyalty, ENOC; and Dharmesh Bhana, Head of Loyalty and Rewards Nedbank; and Widyantoko Utomo

Key Account Manager, XL Axiata Indonesia. The panel discussion titled, Customer Loyalty in the Post-Covid Reality, will delve into the current state of the customer loyalty market and how the principles of consumer behaviour have changed during the pandemic.

Customers have always been at the core of any successful business strategy. In an ever-evolving business landscape, brands need to always listen to their customers and constantly reinvent their loyalty programmes to differentiate themselves.

Read this article:

Customer is always king: The evolution of loyalty - ITP.net

Eddie Howe is promising change at Newcastle United, to imprint his footballing philosophy onto a struggling side.

I wont come here and deviate too far from my style of football, Howe said at his unveiling earlier this month. But I recognise there are certain limitations and it will take gradual steps.

A fresh approach is certainly welcome at a club that has been mired in relegation battles for years, are winless this season and are already five points adrift of safety. But after two years of constant chopping and changing under Steve Bruce, it will take time for the Newcastle squad to acclimatise to a new outlook.

So, what exactly does the new head coach want from his players? What should Newcastle fans expect from an Eddie Howe side? And how quickly can he implement his ideas?

Howes style and preferred formation

For the majority of Howes Bournemouth tenure, his preference for offensive football was evident.

For those peak years, we were fearless, says Simon Francis, the former Bournemouth right-back. We were progressive and front-foot. We pressed, our first pass had to be forward and we thought we could beat anybody. That might sound naive, but we had to have that mindset.

Howe says his style is based on what I like to watch myself. But by the end of 2019-20, his Bournemouth side, who had become reliant on counter-attacking, were not immediately recognisable as the same team that surprised the top flight with their brave play following promotion in 2015.

View original post here:

Newcastle's tactics under Eddie Howe: Will it be evolution or revolution? - The Athletic

Country

United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth ofAustria, Republic ofAzerbaijan, Republic ofBahrain, Kingdom ofBangladesh, People's Republic ofBarbadosBelarusBelgium, Kingdom ofBelizeBenin, People's Republic ofBermudaBhutan, Kingdom ofBolivia, Republic ofBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana, Republic ofBouvet Island (Bouvetoya)Brazil, Federative Republic ofBritish Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)British Virgin IslandsBrunei DarussalamBulgaria, People's Republic ofBurkina FasoBurundi, Republic ofCambodia, Kingdom ofCameroon, United Republic ofCape Verde, Republic ofCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChad, Republic ofChile, Republic ofChina, People's Republic ofChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombia, Republic ofComoros, Union of theCongo, Democratic Republic ofCongo, People's Republic ofCook IslandsCosta Rica, Republic ofCote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of theCyprus, Republic ofCzech RepublicDenmark, Kingdom ofDjibouti, Republic ofDominica, Commonwealth ofEcuador, Republic ofEgypt, Arab Republic ofEl Salvador, Republic ofEquatorial Guinea, Republic ofEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaeroe IslandsFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Fiji, Republic of the Fiji IslandsFinland, Republic ofFrance, French RepublicFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabon, Gabonese RepublicGambia, Republic of theGeorgiaGermanyGhana, Republic ofGibraltarGreece, Hellenic RepublicGreenlandGrenadaGuadaloupeGuamGuatemala, Republic ofGuinea, RevolutionaryPeople's Rep'c ofGuinea-Bissau, Republic ofGuyana, Republic ofHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)Honduras, Republic ofHong Kong, Special Administrative Region of ChinaHrvatska (Croatia)Hungary, Hungarian People's RepublicIceland, Republic ofIndia, Republic ofIndonesia, Republic ofIran, Islamic Republic ofIraq, Republic ofIrelandIsrael, State ofItaly, Italian RepublicJapanJordan, Hashemite Kingdom ofKazakhstan, Republic ofKenya, Republic ofKiribati, Republic ofKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwait, State ofKyrgyz RepublicLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanon, Lebanese RepublicLesotho, Kingdom ofLiberia, Republic ofLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtenstein, Principality ofLithuaniaLuxembourg, Grand Duchy ofMacao, Special Administrative Region of ChinaMacedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascar, Republic ofMalawi, Republic ofMalaysiaMaldives, Republic ofMali, Republic ofMalta, Republic ofMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritania, Islamic Republic ofMauritiusMayotteMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonaco, Principality ofMongolia, Mongolian People's RepublicMontserratMorocco, Kingdom ofMozambique, People's Republic ofMyanmarNamibiaNauru, Republic ofNepal, Kingdom ofNetherlands AntillesNetherlands, Kingdom of theNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaragua, Republic ofNiger, Republic of theNigeria, Federal Republic ofNiue, Republic ofNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorway, Kingdom ofOman, Sultanate ofPakistan, Islamic Republic ofPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanama, Republic ofPapua New GuineaParaguay, Republic ofPeru, Republic ofPhilippines, Republic of thePitcairn IslandPoland, Polish People's RepublicPortugal, Portuguese RepublicPuerto RicoQatar, State ofReunionRomania, Socialist Republic ofRussian FederationRwanda, Rwandese RepublicSamoa, Independent State ofSan Marino, Republic ofSao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic ofSaudi Arabia, Kingdom ofSenegal, Republic ofSerbia and MontenegroSeychelles, Republic ofSierra Leone, Republic ofSingapore, Republic ofSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSolomon IslandsSomalia, Somali RepublicSouth Africa, Republic ofSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSpain, Spanish StateSri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic ofSt. HelenaSt. Kitts and NevisSt. LuciaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesSudan, Democratic Republic of theSuriname, Republic ofSvalbard & Jan Mayen IslandsSwaziland, Kingdom ofSweden, Kingdom ofSwitzerland, Swiss ConfederationSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailand, Kingdom ofTimor-Leste, Democratic Republic ofTogo, Togolese RepublicTokelau (Tokelau Islands)Tonga, Kingdom ofTrinidad and Tobago, Republic ofTunisia, Republic ofTurkey, Republic ofTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUganda, Republic ofUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain & N. IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe

Read more from the original source:

Just for the birds: The trumpet in the orchestra of evolution - Idaho Press-Tribune

HAVING trouble getting hold of a PlayStation 5? Worried Santa is not going to deliver this Christmas? Well, this competition is for you!

Thanks to Frontier Developments, we have a PS5 console to give away, plus a copy of their hot new construction and management sim, Jurassic World Evolution 2.

4

4

Jurassic World Evolution 2: A World Evolved is as close as you're going to get to running your own dino-filled park - and hopefully you'll do a better job than John Hammond.

A sequel to 2018's popular sim, there's a massive amount of improvements and new content to seek your teeth into here.

There's breath-taking new dinosaurs (now 75 species in all), an all-new campaign, expanded construction options and more customisation than ever.

It even has actors from the film franchise providing voices for their iconic characters - Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing.

Out now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Windows, Jurassic World Evolution 2 has been gaining glowing reviews all round.

Hot Deals

Our lucky winner will recieve a physical copy of the hit game on PS5 - plus a highly sought-after PS5 console (disc edition), worth 449.99, to play it on!

The nice people at Frontier have also thrown in some Jurassic World Evolution 2 merch, including a backpack, water bottle, mug, notepad and badges.

To be in win a chance of winning this awesome bundle and making your Christmas extra special, just answer the easy question below and enter your details.

Entrants who answer correctly will be submitted into the prize draw, which will take place on Friday 17 December, with our winner notified soon after.

It could be you! Good luck!

Open to UK & ROI residents, aged 18+ only. One entry per person. Competition ends 9am on December 17, 2021. Seefull terms & conditions.

Can't see the competition module above? Click/tap here to open this article in a new tab/window.

4

4

All the latest Gaming tips and tricks

Looking for tips and tricks across your favourite consoles and games? We have you covered...

Fortnite Nindo challenges and how to unlock Naruto Kurama Glider for FREE.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl differences explained.

Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific Caldera map release date, season one content, and more.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk

Originally posted here:

Win a Sony PS5, Jurassic World Evolution 2 and a ton of themed merch in time for Christmas!... - The Sun

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall may not be the first royal who springs to mind when you consider fashion icons Jordan's Queen Rania, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, have the proverbial style crowns but there is no doubt she has grown into her role in the public eye with grace.

Married to Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, the duchess is rarely seen off duty. A hard-working but approachable royal, she dresses for the occasion when it comes to her engagements.

Tartan and tweed coats, to protect her from brisk British weather, are favourites of Camilla's, and in recent years, relaxed floral dresses have been a go-to for daytime commitments.

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wearing Anna Valentine, leave St George's Chapel in Windsor following the church blessing of their civil wedding ceremony, April 9, 2005. AFP

This week, she is in Jordan and Egypt for a four-day royal tour. During the visit, Camilla has sported a design by British designer Fiona Clare, paired with pale high heels and a beige handbag by Bottega Veneta.

Anna Valentine is a favourite designer of the royal. Not only did Valentine design the two outfits for her 2005 wedding to Prince Charles, but the designer is also behind the all-white flowing trouser and top ensemble she wore on day two of her Jordan trip, when she attended the Centenary Celebration of the founding of the Jordanian state in Amman, and the pink look she wore to arrive in Cairo, Egypt.

No stranger to a hat, Camilla often chooses to top her outfits with a little millinery, opting for larger-than-life designs, often by Philip Treacy, for formal events.

Updated: November 19th 2021, 6:50 AM

Excerpt from:

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall's style evolution in 38 photos: tweed, tartan and two pieces - The National

The man, the myth and the mullet himself, Mike Gundy, said the magic words every OSU fan has (probably) been dying to hear all season Wednesday in a media appearance with Joel Klatt.

Im looking forward to signing [Jim Knowles] to a long-term contract after this season and keeping him with us. Hes settled in here in Stillwater, really likes the community, and obviously the people here are really fond of him, said Gundy. [Jim] has been with us four years. Weve made changes. Coach Knowles understands concepts, schemes, and he has been able to adapt. Hes changed concepts and schemes based on our personnel and the teams we play. Hes done a great job.

Of course, Knowles will have to agree to the new deal no guarantee given how hot his stock is right now but Gundy did strike an optimistic tone talking about locking up his defensive coordinator.

Here are a few other highlights from his conversation with Klatt (which you can watch here.)

Read the rest here:

Mike Gundy on Extending Jim Knowles, Team Evolution and More With Joel Klatt - Pistols Firing

USI is no longer the new kid on the block. In fact and I had to look this up weve been talking about USI since mid-2019. For over two years, weve watched as USI went from a thing that we were waiting impatiently to arrive to a pretty standard inclusion in the modern Chromebook. As a matter of fact, at this point you cant have stylus support on a new Chromebook without at least including USI.

That sort of standardization is exactly what we were hoping for with USI: a clear set of rules to govern how a simple input device should work with a laptop on a consistent basis. Ive said it before but the metaphor works: you dont buy a mouse that works only on one, specific laptop. Why would you feel the need to buy a stylus that only works with one device? We needed a standard and we got one in USI. And now that its been here for a bit, were starting to see some nice maturation in not only the selection of pens available, but their unique abilities as well.

The last time we took a look at the state of USI, things were really just getting started. Sure, it was just 6 months ago, but for emerging tech, thats a decent amount of time. Back then, the pens we had on us were all basically the same. They are all fine and worth buying, but there was little to set one apart from the other. We had one pen with some side buttons, one with no buttons, and we cant forget that wild Ufro pen that is still in development that picks colors from real-world objects and lets you use them digitally. But without any real functionality on the custom buttons or a retail model of Ufros pen on the market yet, things have basically stayed the same for a while in the USI world.

Dont get me wrong: thats not really a bad thing. As more pens began showing up, more Chromebook makers started shipping their own take on a USI pen, and there are now enough available that prices have remained competitive. That part is great, but for the better part of 2021, there simply wasnt much changing in the USI space. At the end of the day, we needed more people using more USI pens so more apps would be made to fully leverage them. We got that, and thats awesome. But theres more to USI than just good pens.

There have been a few developments in the past couple months that have me feeling like theres fresh life in the USI competition again. Take HPs cool, wirelessly-charging, included-in-the-box USI pen that clicks onto the side of the HP Chromebook x2 11 with ease, stays put, and tops up while there. Thats not a boring, round USI pen. Its some pretty sweet tech.

Then theres the newest USI pen from Penoval that really stands out as a 3rd-party pen in some very cool ways. We need to mention that Penoval is sponsoring this post/video, by the way, and sent over their sweet new pen for us to check out. Though there arent many out there like it yet, it feels like a peek at things that are coming in the 3rd-party USI pen accessory space.

What do I mean by that? Well, from the get-go, this new Penoval USI pen just feels different than other USI pens that have come before. To be honest, weve had our fill of round, metal pens that do the job just fine but dont offer any new features. Again, USI is a very robust standard with lots of tech to offer again, Id reference the real world color-grabbing Ufro pen, here and up to this point, it has simply felt like all that potential hasnt been fully realized. Though this new pen from Penoval doesnt do every single thing USI is capable of, it brings new features in that weve not yet seen.

First up, it seems to handle palm rejection better than most. There are tons of technical things that happen in the exchange of info between a pen and the screen, so Im not completely sure if there are hardware tweaks that can make a single pen better or worse at palm rejection, but this one seems to be better than most.

Then we have to talk about the packaging, look and feel of this device. The box is slick, the presentation out of the package is refined and clean, and the pen itself is light, comfy, and flat on two sides. This makes it nice to hold, but also keeps it from rolling away on a desk. Theres USB Type C charging no AAAA batteries, here and a pen tip that feels far more Apple Pencil-like without much of the give you get in other USI pens. It feels great to write with on the screen.

But the best feature this pen offers is the eraser tip on the top that behaves just like youd expect. I tested in Google Keep, Squid, Cursive and Canvas and the eraser picked up on the first try no settings, no tweaks, no extra effort necessary. And this is the clear and amazing promise of USI: a standard that works the way you expect it to work every single time, regardless of the device you use it on. To repeat the metaphor: you dont plug in a mouse and cross your fingers that a left-click will select items on the screen. Its a foregone conclusion, and this is where were getting to with USI on Chromebooks. Open the Chromebook, pick up the pen, and get to drawing.

With more pens, more supported apps, and more devices that use this new standard, things will only continue getting better. More pens like this new one from Penoval will emerge with even more new feautres and these pens will be able to be made by 3rd parties, bought on multiple marketplaces, and be expected to simply work right out of the box on all USI supported Chromebooks. It feels like another big step forward for USI, and if this new Penoval pen is anything to go by, the future of this tech looks really promising.

Read this article:

As USI becomes the standard, the USI pen evolution continues to move forward [VIDEO] - Chrome Unboxed

Pankaj Tripathi Shares His Views On The Rapid Change In The Audience Over The Years(Photo Credit: Ians)

The landscape of our cinematic stories has rapidly changed over the years as now unconventional stories too are making inroads into the mainstream sphere. Pankaj Tripathis astronomical rise has been synonymous with the audiences changed tastes.

The actor holds an equal prowess when it comes to mainstream and middle of the road cinema and films like Masaan, Gangs of Wasseypur, Newton, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Fukrey Returns, Ludo and several others serve as testimony to the fact.

In a recent conversation with IANS, the actor spoke about the change in audiences sensibilities towards our stories and the blurring lines between mainstream and parallel cinema. Tripathi says, I feel the lines between mainstream and parallel cinema will keep getting blurred and that shows the growth and evolution of our audience, they are now open to a broad range of subjects.

He credits the internet for bringing in a new wave of content as he says, Because of the access to the internet and the audience has now an option of watching a lot of content they are now witnessing content pieces from across the globe. A lot of young energy is entering the content medium, a lot of new directors and writers have entered the system and are pushing the envelope with their creative choices. The evolution of the audience has made it easier to tell different stories and has enabled us to make some brave creative choices.

The conversation then takes a turn down the sunset boulevard of memories where he speaks about his alma mater the National School of Drama. NSD, which is Asias biggest acting institute was established with the vision of strengthening the space of theatres across the country but, with plays happening in just two languages majorly; the global language of English and the nationally popular language of Hindi, a lot of students coming from remote areas of northeast or down south find it a bit challenging.

When probed if theres a language barrier that makes the vision of NSD incongruent with its functioning, the actor explains it through an analogy.

Pankaj Tripathi says, See, a doctor can study medicine in either Hindi aur English but when it comes to application, practise or talking to patients, they do it in their local language. Similarly, one learns the craft in NSD and that can be easily learnt in English or Hindi. An artist can then use that craft to his strength in their local language. Ratan Thiyam, an NSD alumnus has been doing plays in Manipuri for years together and has been strengthening the Manipur theatre ecosystem with his work.

However, he does admit that the language barrier can pose a challenge to some actors as he says, I agree that the actor might face some troubles initially in terms of the language like I remember there was my batchmate Abdul Qadir, he was a brilliant actor but since he wasnt well versed in Hindi, he didnt get meaty roles. But, he was acquiring the training, its just that for him performing on stage became a little difficult because of the language barrier. But, eventually he coped up and did well.

I think, NSD is now also coming up with regional centres across the country. When students would learn the craft of theatre and acting in these regional centres I am sure the mode of teaching will involve native languages. NSD was established when there used to be 20 students from 20 states, Pankaj said.

Must Read: Amitabh Bachchans Pan Masala Ad Continues To Stream Despite Terminating Agreement, Actor Sends A Legal Notice

Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube

See the original post here:

Pankaj Tripathi: Evolution Of The Audience Has Made It Easier To Tell Different Stories - koimoi