The Devil in Amber

The adventures of dandy secret agent Lucifer Box, read by author Mark Gatiss
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00txjvg

episode1
episode2

episode3
lucifer box finds out his sister pandora is the target,who is thought to be "lamb of god" by the gang.box gets chased by police dogs before that and comes closer with a girl, a member of the gang.gang plans to sacrifice possibly pandora to satan planning some ceremony and use some rituels.


Episode 4
Dandy spy-hero Lucifer Box must rescue the perfect victim to foil Olympus Mons' plan to raise the devil. Read by the author.
box wants to first save rescue agnes
tommy appears
prof of metropolitan museum
box is kidnapped
tax evasion
jerussalem prayer,everybody is after it

How to Overcome the Egocentric Bias

People don't mind hearing the advice, they just hate to take it.  This is one facet of what psychologists call the 'egocentric bias': the general rule that we think we know better.


We can't hope to know everything ourselves.


perspective-taking. You simply imagine someone who is like you faced with the same question and then you ask yourself what they would do.


taking another imaginary person's perspective had the desired effect of encouraging participants to take other people's advice.




http://www.spring.org.uk/2012/05/how-to-overcome-the-egocentric-bias.php

How To Encourage People To Change Their Own Minds

When a parent wants to change a child's behaviour they might ask them why it is wrong, rather than just telling them it is wrong.


When we're encouraged to take part in role-playing exercises, we might espouse attitudes and values we don't believe in.


When we want to change our behaviour, say, to healthier eating, we might try to convince ourselves we don't like the forbidden foods as much as we do.


We see the same effect for self-confidence. When people are told to present themselves in a self-confident way to others, they actually feel more self-confident themselves.


So if you want someone to persuade themselves, you can try asking them to put aside their own attitude for a moment and try getting them to generate their own arguments for the point you want to make.


http://www.spring.org.uk/2012/05/how-to-encourage-people-to-change-their-own-minds.php

Do Posh People Cheat More Than the Lower Classes?

Let's say our lower class individual works in a factory, lives in a small house in an average area and receives a relatively small salary.


Our upper class individual, though, has inherited money, lives in a large house in a beautiful area and doesn't need to work for money.


 the stereotype of the money-grabbing Mr Burns-type has some truth after all


Upper class people are more insulated from ordinary society and tend to think the rules don't apply to them.


Upper class people have the resources to make problems 'go away', so they are less exposed to the adverse consequences of their unethical behaviour.


They care less about what other people think.


http://www.spring.org.uk/2012/04/do-posh-people-cheat-more-than-the-lower-classes.php

How To Be a Great Leader (in under 300 words)

Decisiveness: good leaders make frequent decisions and stick with them. 
 Nowadays being competent often means having the knack of influencing others.
Integrity: leaders you can trust increase followers' performance, satisfaction and commitment. 
Vision: projecting a vision of the road ahead is vital, this gives people a common purpose and motivation to persevere.


Modesty: the most effective leaders weren't grand-standing show-offs; they were incredibly modest and humble.
Persistent: the leaders who transformed their organisations the most never gave up. That doesn't mean they were inflexible, but that they never stopped pushing towards their goals.


http://www.spring.org.uk/2012/03/how-to-be-a-great-leader-in-under-300-words.php

The Upside of Anger: 6 Psychological Benefits of Getting Mad

Not only does it make you feel bad, it makes you do stupid things without noticing the risks and it can be self-destructive.


As a result civilised people do their best to suppress, redirect and mask their anger. 


when used right, constructive anger can make you feel strong and powerful and help push you on to get what you want.


If you're still not convinced that anger might reduce violence, imagine a world without anger where people had no method for showing how they felt about injustice. Might they jump straight to violence


http://www.spring.org.uk/2012/03/the-upside-of-anger-6-psychological-benefits-of-getting-mad.php

Our Greatest Source of Sexual Creativity

The cross-cultural online behavioral data of a billion men and women reveals there's nothing atypical about getting turned on by wanting to be dominant or submissive in the bedroom


So what is the most common theme in a sexual medium without any pictures or videos, that's limited purely to voice? Submission. The single most popular request in phone sex is for the male caller to be dominated by the female operator


http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/billion-wicked-thoughts/201205/our-greatest-source-sexual-creativity-0

"dem" als genetiv

"wenn sie stimmte,konnte es sich bei dem Mann,dem das Bein agbeschlagen oder abgerissen worden war..." 


It mans the same as ...dessen Bein abgeschlagen war.

Grammatically, the dem is the same syntax as the mir in Ich ziehe mir die Handschuhe an---a dative of the person affected by an action. German tends to use such a dative instead of the genitive if the relationship between possessing person and possessed object is obvious.




Let's start with an active verb in a main clause: Sie haben ihm das Bein abgeschlagen "they hacked off his leg", literally "they hacked off the leg, and it affected him". The dative ihm specifies the person affected by the action of the verb, and German doesn't say sein Bein, because it's obvious from the ihm whose leg is being cut off.

Now let's make it passive: Ihm wurde das Bein abgeschlagen.

Now let's take the passive main clause, and turn it into a relative clause: der Mann, dem das Bein abgeschlagen wurde.

What Your Facebook Account Says About Your Brain

Establishing and maintaining many social relationships requires a great

deal of brainpower. One must remember many names and faces, keep many

individual memory files with information about what these people did in the

past, and how and when they did it, constantly update information about the

quality of the relationships with these people

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/games-primates-play/201203/what-your-facebook-account-says-about-your-brain

Online Dating May Lead to Love, But Has Its Perils Too

While the guidelines are not legally enforceable,

    Check potential registrants against national sexual offender databases

and ban sexual offenders from having online profiles.
    Institute systems for rapid reporting of abuse by consumers.
    Provide online safety education for consumers covering such topics as

meeting offline, identity fraud, and so on.
    Check for fake profiles.



dating strangers involves some level of risk, and the anonymity provided by

the internet can make it easier for scammers and individuals with a history

of violence to hide their true identities and motives.


Below are a list of online bad guys to be worried about:

    Identity Thieves
    Violent Individuals and Criminals
    Con Artists with Fake Identities
    Stalkers


What You Can Do to Help Protect Yourself


Don’t give out personal information when you first connect. Use a service

such as Google Voice to have calls sent to your mobile and home phones

without disclosing these numbers to callers. Use call screening to see who

is calling, and block undesirable people. Don’t reveal your place of work

or home address, and use online and email IDs that don’t contain your real

name.


Do a Google search entering your own name to see what identifying

information exists about you online and remove anything you don't want to

be seen. Also search the potential date’s name and Facebook profile to

learn more about them, and if the information they have given you matches

up.



Don’t hurry to meet in person. Take time to ask questions online, and pay

attention to any answers that don’t seem to add up or give you an

uncomfortable feeling. Whether online or in person, always trust your gut!

It’s more important to be safe than polite. Block and report anybody who

acts inappropriately or in a threatening manner.



When you do meet, choose a place you don’t normally go to, and let a friend

know who you are meeting, when, and where. Arrange to call or text the

friend to let them know you are safe. Don't get into a car with the date or

have them pick you up.


Don’t fall in love until you’ve met the person. They may not be who they

claim to be,


Beware of people who try to rush the pace of the relationship, pressure

you, threaten to end the relationship if you don’t do what they want, try

to make you feel guilty, or treat you disrespectfully. These can be red

flag signs of potentially abusive or manipulative types.


Speak by phone before meeting in person

With employers checking Facebook, there may be additional risks to your

livelihood.
Don’t use overly suggestive language or photographs in your online profile

or come across like a drunk


Treat your online encounters as potential opportunities to get to know different types of people and learn more about yourself


http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201203/online-dating-may-lead-love-has-its-perils-too

Why Atheism Will Replace Religion

Atheists are heavily concentrated in economically developed countries,

particularly the social democracies of Europe. In underdeveloped countries,

there are virtually no atheists. Atheism is thus a peculiarly modern

phenomenon

Belief in God declines in more developed countries and is concentrated in

Europe in countries such as Sweden (64% nonbelievers), Denmark (48%),

France (44%) and Germany (42%). In contrast, the incidence of atheism in

most sub-Saharan countries is below 1%.

Anthropologist James Fraser proposed that scientific prediction and control

of nature supplants religion as a means of controlling uncertainty in our

lives


the more educated countries have higher levels of non belief and there are

strong correlations between atheism and intelligence


Atheists are more likely to be college-educated people who live in cities

and they are highly concentrated in the social democracies of Europe.

Atheism thus blossoms amid affluence where most people feel economically

secure


It seems that people turn to religion as a salve for the difficulties and

uncertainties of their lives. In social democracies, there is less fear and

uncertainty about the future because social welfare programs provide a

safety net and better health care means that fewer people can expect to die

young.

Large families are preferred in agricultural countries as a source of free

labor. In developed "atheist" countries, women have exceptionally small

families and do not need religion helping them to raise large families


when people experience psychological difficulties they turn to their

doctor, psychologist, or psychiatrist. They want a scientific fix and

prefer the real psychotropic medicines dished out by physicians to the

metaphorical opiates offered by religion.


with better science, and with government safety nets, and smaller families,

there is less fear and uncertainty in people's daily lives and hence less

of a market for religion


http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/201005/why-atheism-will-replace-religion

Why Facebook Is Killing God

The gist of the argument is that religion helps people to cope with

anxieties related to hunger, disease, disasters, and other threats to

survival and is less in demand in societies where people expect to live

long healthy lives


Ironically people in developed countries are more anxious than ever before

but their unease is social rather than existential and religion has no

remedy for wounded narcissism.

religion serves as a sort of psychological security blanket that helps

people to deal with the pain of uncertainty.


That is why people who live in miserably poor countries where life is

dangerous and short are highly religious (1). This explanation is called

the existential security hypothesis.

some of the least religious countries, like Denmark, are also consistently

scoring as among the happiest in the world.

The main cause of rising anxiety in developed countries is concern over

what other people think about us rather than threats such as hunger,

disease, or violence.


Apart from anti-anxiety drugs the only answers for frustrated vanity are

good friends who support the ego, endless self-promotion, or old-fashioned

career striving.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/201203/why-facebook-is-killing-god

LSD helps to treat alcoholism

In the last decade or so, however, a new generation of researchers have

been interested in harnessing the therapeutic benefits of illicit drugs
— such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) for post-

traumatic stress disorder, ayahuasca for drug and alcohol dependency, and

psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms, for smoking

cessation.
Psychedelics probably work in addiction by making the brain function more

chaotically for a period — a bit like shaking up a snow globe — weakening

reinforced brain connections and dynamics,”
http://www.nature.com/news/lsd-helps-to-treat-alcoholism-1.10200

Can Coffee Get Rid of Your Belly Fat?

Coffee drinking has many health benefits; reducing belly fat is not one of them.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-brain-food/201203/can-coffee-get-rid-your-belly-fat

Procrastination: Ten Things To Know

Procrastinators sabotage themselves.
They put obstacles in their own path.
Procrastination is learned in the family milieu, but not directly.
It is one response to an authoritarian parenting style
procrastinators turn more to friends than to parents for support, and their friends may reinforce procrastination because they tend to be tolerant of their excuses
They distract themselves as a way of regulating their emotions such as fear of failure
Procrastination destroys teamwork in the workplace and private relationships.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200308/procrastination-ten-things-know

There's Nothing Wrong With Turning Red: How Embarrassment Helps Us

Part of what makes embarrassment so embarrassing is the fact that it’s a dead giveaway of a private internal state. Feelings we would rather not display for all to see

become readily apparent.

embarrassment reveals that a person cares about others and values relationships. In other words, it's a way of saying, "I feel bad for messing up, and I want to do

better next time because this relationship matters to me.

Importantly, embarrassed targets did not evoke greater compassion, nor did they appear weaker than other targets. Rather, they evoked more trust because they were judged to be more prosocial.


embarrassment when interacting with a romantic interest may also be functional in that it signals fidelity and the potential to be a "high-quality mate."
Consistent with this idea, in one study they found an association between embarrassment expression and support for monogamy.
Perhaps, they suggest, online daters who look embarrassed in their profile pictures are more popular


http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-love-and-war/201205/theres-nothing-wrong-turning-red-how-embarrassment-helps-us

The Drowned Men's Inn

The Drowned Men's Inn

Georges Simenon's famous French detective Inspector Jules Maigret investigates a seemingly ordinary car crash
episode1
episode2
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lnmwq

The Shadow Over Innsmouth

The Shadow Over Innsmouth
Young historian Robert Olmstead journeys to the mysterious, shunned town of Innsmouth in New England. Read by Richard Coyle.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b015flrz

Jagged Prayer

Jagged Prayer
Murder brings Detective Inspector Cromwell and Mother Helen together to try and solve a mystery. Robert Smith's comedy drama

Where's Father Jack?
A murder unites DI Cromwell and convent Mother Helen. Robert Smith's mystery with Cheryl Campbell and Timothy Spall.



Icon, or A Pocketful of Nuns
The theft of a treasure from her convent reunites Mother Helen with DI Cromwell. Stars Cheryl Campbell and Timothy Spall.

auto-boxing, boxing, unboxing

• Lesson3 Boxing & Unboxing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujbeM5MD84M&feature=autoplay&list=ULr_jhKrpDD5c&playnext=1

• java 09 - Wrappers and Boxing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUdvCjLqP_0
wrapper class wraps primitive type into an object

• Java Tutorial 7.1 Autoboxing Part 1/3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPIN1vZBM8M&feature=relmfu

• Java Tutorial 7.2 Autoboxing Part 2/3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGLoHyjURtc&feature=relmfu

• java Tutorial 7.3 Autoboxing Part 3/3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqKn_dCBU20&list=UU77mSrM47r2NgFoxGSl4DXw&index=154&feature=plpp_vide

• Autoboxing

Autoboxing and unboxing is introduced in Java 1.5 to automatically convert primitive type into boxed primitive( Object or Wrapper class).
before Java 1.5 then you are familiar with the issues like you can not directly put primitives into Collections, instead you first need to convert them into Object only then only you can put them into Collections. Wrapper class like Integer
With the introduction of autoboxing and unboxing in Java this primitive to object conversion happens automatically by Java compiler which makes code more readable


it becomes even more important because they are automatic and can create subtle bugs if you are not sure when autoboxing  in Java code occurs and when unboxing happens.

When Java automatically converts a primitive type like int into corresponding wrapper class object e.g. Integer than its called autoboxing  because primitive is boxed into wrapper class while in opposite case is called unboxing, where an Integer object is converted into primitive int.


All primitive types e.g. byte, short, char, int, long, float, double and boolean has corresponding wrapper class e.g. Byte, Short, Integer, Character etc and participate in autoboxing and unboxing.


During autoboxing boolean is converted to Boolean, byte to Byte, char converted to Character, float changes to Float, int goes to Integer, long goes to Long and short converts to Short, while in unboxing opposite happens like Float to float.

for example In method invocation where an object argument is expected,  if you pass primitive, Java automatically converts primitive into equal value Object.

Autoboxing mainly occur in two places one is during assignment and other is during method invocation


One of the danger of autoboxing is throw away object which gets created if autoboxing occurs in a loop. Here is an example of how unnecessary object can slow down your application


Integer sum = 0;
 for(int i=1000; i<5000 i="i" p="p">   sum+=i;
 }

In this code sum+=i will expand as sum = sum + i and since + operator is not applicable to Integer object it will trigger unboxing of sum Integer object and then autoboxing of result which will be stored in sum which is Integer as shown below :

sum = sum.intValue() + i;
Integer sum = new Integer(result);    
   
here since sum is Integer, it will create around 4000 unnecessary Intger object which are just throw away and if this happens on large scale has It potential to slow down system with frequent GC for arithmetic calculation always prefer primitive over boxed primitive and look for unintentional autoboxing in Java

autoboxing is error prone e.g. equality operator "==". Since equality operator can be applied on both primitive and Objects it leads to confusion and can cause subtle issues

When you compare two object using "==" operator it compares object's identity and not value and also no auto boxing occur.
its not best practice to use  equality operator to compare Objects, use equals method instead

if we compare one primitive with another object than unboxing of object is occur which could throw NullPointerException if object is null e.g.

Since autoboxing creates unnecessary object and if that goes beyond a limit usually outside the range of cached value it can potentially slow your program by frequently causing garbage collection.



http://javarevisited.blogspot.com/2012/07/auto-boxing-and-unboxing-in-java-be.html#ixzz22r1HOohK

what is transaction?

• Lesson6 Transactions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_jhKrpDD5c&feature=channel&list=UL

• transaction

In computer programming, a transaction usually means a sequence of information exchange and related work (such as database updating) that is treated as a unit for the purposes of satisfying a request and for ensuring database integrity.

A typical transaction is a catalog merchandise order phoned in by a customer and entered into a computer by a customer representative. The order transaction involves checking an inventory database, confirming that the item is available, placing the order, and confirming that the order has been placed and the expected time of shipment. If we view this as a single transaction, then all of the steps must be completed before the transaction is successful and the database is actually changed to reflect the new order. If something happens before the transaction is successfully completed, any changes to the database must be kept track of so that they can be undone.
http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/transaction

• What Is a Transaction Processing System?

Transaction processing system is a program or software that processes all transactions that go in and out of a business or a company.
The system goes over the transactions one by one, like in an automated teller machine (ATM) that permits only one user at a time
The term “transaction,” in this case, does not only refer to financial aspects, but to requests for information as a whole, such as booking a flight or just logging into an online bank account.

In direct contrast to a transaction processing system is a batch processing system.
This system processes multiple transactions—or a “batch” of transactions—simultaneously.
The main disadvantage is that the processed transactions do not return immediate results.

A modern analogy is a torrent file connected to a folder of files.
The user cannot immediately access a file until all the files in the folder are completely downloaded.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-transaction-processing-system.htm