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  • How can I transition from being a "9-5er" to being self-employed?

    - by Stephen Furlani
    Hey, I posted this question last fall about moonlighting, and I feel like I've got a strong case to make to start transitioning from being a Full-Time Employee to being self-employed. So much so, that I find it hard to concentrate at work on the things I'm supposed to be doing. However, self-employment comes with things like no health benefits or guaranteed income... so I don't feel like I can just quit. (At least not in this economy with a house and family). I'm already working 40hrs/wk on my main job, going to school to get my MS, and trying to freelance on weekends and evenings, but I want to give it more time. If I can't take LWOP or just work less than 40hrs/wk I feel like I have to give up self-employment because I just can't give my day job all my best. Would it be reasonable to ask my employer if they can cut my hours (and pay)? Is there something else I can/should do? Has anyone done this transition and had it turn out well? or bad? I am in the USA and I understand answers are not legal advice. Thanks!

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  • Why do we keep using CSV?

    - by Stephen
    Why do we keep using CSV? I recently made a shift to working the health domain and despite the wonderful work in data transfer standards, all data transfer is in CSV, both for reporting to external organisations, and for data migrations when implementing new systems. Unfortunately the use of CSV is the cause of the endless repetition of the same stupid errors, with the same waste of developer time. (bad escaping, failing to handle null fields etc.) I know we can do better, and anything between JSON and XML (depending on the instance) would be fine. (Most of the time this is data going from one MS SQLserver 2005 to another!) I feel as if each time I see this happening I am literally watching one developer waste anothers time. So why do we keep shafting each other? When will we stop?

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  • Welch's Juices-up Its Inventory Management with Oracle Supply Chain

    - by [email protected]
    Supply & Demand Chain Executive published recently a great success story about Welch's implementation of "Take Supply Chain and G.SI to work with Oracle Process Manufacturing". The company says it's been able to improve operational control, inventory accuracy, visibility and order fulfillment by automating its processes across three production/warehousing locations nationwide. Improving warehouse and inventory management operations creates efficiencies across a high-velocity nationwide supply chain Welch's production facilities were collecting more information than ever before on the flow of materials and inventory, but the company needed an effective and accurate method to organize and manage these data.   Article found at: http://www.sdcexec.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=12256&pageNum=2     

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  • Welch's Juices-up Its Inventory Management with Oracle Supply Chain

    - by [email protected]
    Supply & Demand Chain Executive published recently a great success story about Welch's implementation of "Take Supply Chain and G.SI to work with Oracle Process Manufacturing". The company says it's been able to improve operational control, inventory accuracy, visibility and order fulfillment by automating its processes across three production/warehousing locations nationwide. Improving warehouse and inventory management operations creates efficiencies across a high-velocity nationwide supply chain Welch's production facilities were collecting more information than ever before on the flow of materials and inventory, but the company needed an effective and accurate method to organize and manage these data.   Article found at: http://www.sdcexec.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=12256&pageNum=2     

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  • Welch's Juices-up Its Inventory Management with Oracle Supply Chain

    - by [email protected]
    Supply & Demand Chain Executive published recently a great success story about Welch's implementation of "Take Supply Chain and G.SI to work with Oracle Process Manufacturing". The company says it's been able to improve operational control, inventory accuracy, visibility and order fulfillment by automating its processes across three production/warehousing locations nationwide. Improving warehouse and inventory management operations creates efficiencies across a high-velocity nationwide supply chain Welch's production facilities were collecting more information than ever before on the flow of materials and inventory, but the company needed an effective and accurate method to organize and manage these data.   Article found at: http://www.sdcexec.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=12256&pageNum=2     

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  • Out-of-the-Box Spatial Dashboards Improve Utility Outage Decisions

    - by stephen.garth
    Oracle Utilities Advanced Spatial Outage Analytics leverages the capabilities of Oracle Business Intelligence with map visualization and geospatial analysis of outage data from utility network management systems, providing BI dashboards to support utility executives and other decision makers throughout the enterprise. This excellent article by Oracle's Guerry Waters, published by Directions Media, gives details. Read the article here. Get more information: - Oracle Spatial - Oracle Utilities - Oracle Business Intelligence

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  • Going For Gold: AngloGold Ashanti and Oracle Spatial 11g

    - by stephen.garth
    Last chance - Register Now for Free Webinar Date and Time: Thursday May 6 at 11:00am PDT (2:00pm EDT) Check out this 1-hour Directions Media webinar to learn how the world's 3rd largest gold miner has implemented a unique geospatial data infrastructure based on Oracle Spatial 11g to streamline their business processes for gold exploration. Terry Harbort, Exploration Systems Architect with AngloGold Ashanti, will provide insights into the company's use of Oracle Spatial 11g GeoRaster, 3D visualization techniques, Real Application Clusters, and more. The presentation is followed by a live Q&A session. Register Here

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  • Why is String Templating Better Than String Concatenation from an Engineering Perspective?

    - by stephen
    I once read (I think it was in "Programming Pearls") that one should use templates instead of building the string through the use of concatenation. For example, consider the template below (using C# razor library) <in a properties file> Browser Capabilities Type = @Model.Type Name = @Model.Browser Version = @Model.Version Supports Frames = @Model.Frames Supports Tables = @Model.Tables Supports Cookies = @Model.Cookies Supports VBScript = @Model.VBScript Supports Java Applets = @Model.JavaApplets Supports ActiveX Controls = @Model.ActiveXControls and later, in a separate code file private void Button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e) { BrowserInfoTemplate = Properties.Resources.browserInfoTemplate; // see above string browserInfo = RazorEngine.Razor.Parse(BrowserInfoTemplate, browser); ... } From a software engineering perspective, how is this better than an equivalent string concatentation, like below: private void Button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e) { System.Web.HttpBrowserCapabilities browser = Request.Browser; string s = "Browser Capabilities\n" + "Type = " + browser.Type + "\n" + "Name = " + browser.Browser + "\n" + "Version = " + browser.Version + "\n" + "Supports Frames = " + browser.Frames + "\n" + "Supports Tables = " + browser.Tables + "\n" + "Supports Cookies = " + browser.Cookies + "\n" + "Supports VBScript = " + browser.VBScript + "\n" + "Supports JavaScript = " + browser.EcmaScriptVersion.ToString() + "\n" + "Supports Java Applets = " + browser.JavaApplets + "\n" + "Supports ActiveX Controls = " + browser.ActiveXControls + "\n" ... }

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  • How to backup BOINC

    - by Stephen Judge
    I have BOINC Manager installed from the PPA, version 6.10.17, and I am about to upgrade my Ununtu install with a clean install. I would like to know how I can backup my work done on BOINC so I don't loose what I have already done and have to start from scratch again. For example I am running the Climate Prediction project and it runs for a year or so, I'm at 30% work done so I want to backup that 30% work done. Also as an addition to this, can someone advise me the best way to upgrade BOINC when new versions are released on their website but are not available on the PPA yet. I know you can install BOINC anywhere, but I want to install it to the same place the PPA install does so all my settings and work done is recognised. Thanks in advance.

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  • And What's Your Brand Worth? ...anything?

    - by [email protected]
    100 Best Global Brands from Business Week Story: The Great Trust Offensive Slide Show: Top Brands 2009 Methodology: Picking the Winners The recession has presented marketing executives around the world with the toughest test of their careers. Some brands have prospered amid the hard times--or at least held their own. Others have slipped a surprising number of places on our ninth annual ranking, compiled by consultancy Interbrand. But for seven brands, impressive performances saw them race up the charts to take their place on this year's list. Here are the numbers behind the rankings Rank 2009 Rank 2008 Employer 2009 Brand value($millions) 2008 Brand value($millions) Percent change(%) Country of Ownership 1 1 Coca-Cola  68,734  66,667  3 U.S. 2 2 IBM  60,211  59,031  2 U.S. 3 3 Microsoft  56,647  59,007  -4 U.S. 4 4 GE  47,777  53,086  -10 U.S. 5 5 Nokia  34,864  35,942  -3 Finland 6 8 McDonald's  32,275  31,049  4 U.S. 7 10 Google  31,980  25,590  25 U.S. 8 6 Toyota  31,330  34,050  -8 Japan 9 7 Intel  30,636  31,261  -2 U.S. 10 9 Disney  28,447  29,251  -3 U.S. 11 12 Hewlett-Packard  24,096  23,509  2 U.S. 12 11 Mercedes-Benz  23,867  25,577  -7 Germany 13 14 Gillette  22,841  22,069  4 U.S. 14 17 Cisco  22,030  21,306  3 U.S. 15 13 BMW  21,671  23,298  -7 Germany 16 16 Louis Vuitton  21,120  21,602  -2 France 17 18 Marlboro  19,010  21,300  -11 U.S. 18 20 Honda  17,803  19,079  -7 Japan 19 21 Samsung  17,518  17,689  -1 S. Korea 20 24 Apple  15,443  13,724  12 U.S. 21 22 H&M  15,375  13,840  11 Sweden 22 15 American Express  14,971  21,940  -32 U.S. 23 26 Pepsi  13,706  13,249  3 U.S. 24 23 Oracle  13,699  13,831  -1 U.S. 25 28 Nescafe  13,317  13,055  2 Switzerland 26 29 Nike  13,179  12,672  4 U.S. 27 31 SAP  12,106  12,228  -1 Germany 28 35 Ikea  12,004  10,913  10 Sweden 29 25 Sony  11,953  13,583  -12 Japan 30 33 Budweiser  11,833  11,438  3 Belgium 31 30 UPS  11,594  12,621  -8 U.S. 32 27 HSBC  10,510  13,143  -20 Britain 33 36 Canon  10,441  10,876  -4 Japan 34 39 Kellogg's  10,428  9,710  7 U.S. 35 32 Dell  10,291  11,695  -12 U.S. 36 19 Citi  10,254  20,174  -49 U.S. 37 37 JPMorgan  9,550  10,773  -11 U.S. 38 38 Goldman Sachs  9,248  10,331  -10 U.S. 39 40 Nintendo  9,210  8,772  5 Japan 40 44 Thomson Reuters  8,434  8,313  1 Canada 41 45 Gucci  8,182  8,254  -1 Italy 42 43 Philips  8,121  8,325  -2 Netherlands 43 58 Amazon  7,858  6,434  22 U.S. 44 51 L'Oreal  7,748  7,508  3 France 45 47 Accenture  7,710  7,948  -3 U.S. 46 46 eBay  7,350  7,991  -8 U.S. 47 48 Siemens  7,308  7,943  -8 Germany 48 56 Heinz  7,244  6,646  9 U.S. 49 49 Ford  7,005  7,896  -11 U.S. 50 62 Zara  6,789  5,955  14 Spain   Valuations do not represent a guarantee of future performance of the brands or companies. Data: Interbrand, BusinessWeek

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  • First-Global-Teach for the Oracle Imaging and Process Management 11g: Administration: San Francisco

    - by stephen.schleifer
    First-Global-Teach for the Oracle Imaging and Process Management 11g: Administration: San Francisco | June 23-25 This course enables participants to use Oracle Imaging and Process Management (I/PM) 11g to access, track, and annotate documents. In addition, they also get an overview of the product architecture of Oracle I/PM running on Oracle WebLogic Server.The course also delves into administration tasks such as security permissions, configuration such as creating BPEL connections, and procedures for creating applications, searches, and input mappings. Customer and partners can register by looking up the course (#D61575GC10) on http://education.oracle.com

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  • Leverage Location Data with Maps in Your Apps

    - by stephen.garth
    Free Webinar: "Add Maps to Your Java Applications - The Easy Way" Wednesday May 26 at 9:00am Pacific Time Putting maps in your apps is a great way to put your apps on the map! Maps provide a location context that can trigger those "aha" moments leading to better business decisions. Tune into this free webinar to find out how easy it is to leverage spatial and location data, much of which is already in your Oracle Database. NAVTEQ's Dan Abugov and Oracle's Shay Shmeltzer combine their considerable experience with Oracle Spatial and Java application development to demonstrate how you can quickly and easily add maps to your Java applications, leveraging Oracle Spatial 11g, Oracle Fusion Middleware MapViewer, Oracle JDeveloper and ADF 11g. Register here. Learn more about Oracle spatial and location technology var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-13185312-1"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}

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  • Database Developers Can Now Save 20%

    - by stephen.garth
    Database developers can now increase productivity and save money at the same time. For a limited time, Oracle Store is offering a 20% discount on Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler. Just enter the code SQLDDM at checkout to get the discount. Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler is an independent, standalone product with a full spectrum of data and database modeling tools and utilities, including modeling for Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERD), Relational (database design), Data Type and Multi-dimensional modeling, full forward and reverse engineering and DDL code generation. SQL Developer Data Modeler can connect to any supported Oracle Database and is platform independent. Save 20% on Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler at Oracle Store - Discount Code SQLDDM Find out more about Oracle SQL Developer and Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-13185312-1"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}

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  • In Google webmaster tools, can a "soft 404" be triggered by the text on the page?

    - by Stephen Ostermiller
    I just ran across an error in Google Webmaster Tools that I have never seen before. I manage the website for my local community band (I play trombone). One of the pages on the site is a list of our upcoming performances. It is powered by a WordPress events plugin that uses a database of upcoming events that are entered through the administration interface. We just finished up our summer and fall concerts and our next performance will be our Christmas concert. I hadn't gotten around to adding that into the website yet, so there are no upcoming events shown on the page. In fact the text on the page says: No upcoming events listed under Performance. Check out past events for this category or view the full calendar. Then in Google Webmaster Tools, this page is showing up as a "soft 404": The page is returning a 200 status and Google is indicating that he 404 is "soft". I wouldn't have expected Googlebot to be as sophisticated to parse that particular sentence. Is Googlebot able to detect that the text on the page indicates that there is currently not content and then treat it as a 404 page because of that? If Google is treating this page as a soft 404 because of the text on the page, does that mean that like regular 404 pages, the page won't show up in search results?

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  • What is a good way to store tilemap data?

    - by Stephen Tierney
    I'm developing a 2D platformer with some uni friends. We've based it upon the XNA Platformer Starter Kit which uses .txt files to store the tile map. While this is simple it does not give us enough control and flexibility with level design. Some examples: for multiple layers of content multiple files are required, each object is fixed onto the grid, doesn't allow for rotation of objects, limited number of characters etc. So I'm doing some research into how to store the level data and map file. This concerns only the file system storage of the tile maps, not the data structure to be used by the game while it is running. The tile map is loaded into a 2D array, so this question is about which source to fill the array from. Reasoning for DB: From my perspective I see less redundancy of data using a database to store the tile data. Tiles in the same x,y position with the same characteristics can be reused from level to level. It seems like it would simple enough to write a method to retrieve all the tiles that are used in a particular level from the database. Reasoning for JSON/XML: Visually editable files, changes can be tracked via SVN a lot easier. But there is repeated content. Do either have any drawbacks (load times, access times, memory etc) compared to the other? And what is commonly used in the industry? Currently the file looks like this: .................... .................... .................... .................... .................... .................... .................... .........GGG........ .........###........ .................... ....GGG.......GGG... ....###.......###... .................... .1................X. #################### 1 - Player start point, X - Level Exit, . - Empty space, # - Platform, G - Gem

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  • Farseer Physics Engine and the Ms-PL License

    - by Stephen Tierney
    Am I able to produce code for a game which uses the Farseer engine and release my code under an open source license other than the Ms-PL? My concern is with the following section from the license: If you distribute any portion of the software in source code form, you may do so only under this license by including a complete copy of this license with your distribution. If you distribute any portion of the software in compiled or object code form, you may only do so under a license that complies with this license. If I do not include Farseer in my source code distribution does this give me an exemption from this clause as I am not distributing the software? My code merely uses its functions. No where in the license does it force you to provide source code for derivative works or linking works, it simply gives you the option of "if you distribute".

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  • WPF or WinForms for Game Development and learning resources?

    - by Stephen Lee Parker
    I'm looking to create a game framework for my own personal use... I want to use WPF, but I'm unsure if that is a wise choice... The games I will be writing should not require high performance graphics, so I am hoping to build on native classes... I do not want to rely on external DLL's unless I generate them myself. The games will be for young children, say 4 to 8. Most will be learning puzzles or simple shooters. The most advanced will be a platform game (non-scrolling screen like the old Atari Miner 2049er game). I think I know how to write something like the old Atari Chopper Command (partially written and my 4 year old loves it, but I used WinForms and GDI), Pac-Man, Tetris, Astroids, Space Invaders, Slider Puzzle, but I do not really know how to write the platform game... In my mind, I'm getting caught in collision detection and how to make a character jump and how to make a character walk up a slope or steps... Can anyone point me to information on developing a platform game in C#? Would you suggest WinForms or WPF for game development? I'm not looking for great graphics and speed, just entertaining game play...

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  • AMR's 2010 Supply Chain Top 25 Report: Early Predictions

    - by [email protected]
    On April 6th, AMR's Debra Hoffman and Kevin O'Marah presented their annual 'Top 25 Supply Chain' predictions.  For supply chain professionals, it was a 'must-hear' event especially with the new focus on both operational excellence as well as innovation excellence.  Most people think of R&D as the primary driver for innovation, but in today's 'new-normal' firms need to constantly review, evaluate and update their workflow procedures and business processes to maintian a sharp-blade on the leading edge.  Having the right tools in place to be able to monitor supply chain effectiveness becomes paramount to firms as they compete in the global marketplace. Organizations need  user-friendly and role based dashboards with early alerts to contextualize activities and post the best-options for managers to make better and more informed decisions. 2009 Winners were 1.Apple 2.Dell 3.P&G 4.IBM 5.Cisco 6.Nokia 7. Walmart 8.Samsung 9.PepsiCo 10.Toyota 11.Schulmberger 12. J&J 13.Coke 14. Nike 15.Tesco 16.Disney 17.HP 18.TI 19.LockheedMartin 20.Colgate 21.BestBuy 22.Unilever 23.Publix 24.SonyEricsson 25.Intel    

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  • Oracle SCM at APICS Denver Oct 14-16

    - by Stephen Slade
    Join us in Denver, October 14–16, 2012, for the 2012 APICS International Conference & Expo. One of the world's largest gatherings of supply chain and operations management professionals, APICS provides an annual interactive learning environment for operations and supply chain professionals to lead and apply best practices. For those of you considering attending APICS  next month, be sure to keep Oracle Supply Chain applications on your radar. Oracle will again have a prominent position at the annual global conference. Our product booth with have supply chain demonstrations for manufacturing, value chain planning, value chain execution and Agile product lifecycle management offerings. Stop by our booth to register for one of numerous prizes and awards and chat with one of our supply chain product experts. Oracle customers will be presenting at various sessions throughout the event.  One of the great stories to be shared is the SUN supply chain transformation. For those interested in moving costs down to the bottom line, this is the session you should attend. http://www.apics.org/sites/conference/2012/home

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  • "Are You There?".. India Tops Logistics List of Emerging Nations

    - by [email protected]
    It's just amazing how far, wide and deep modern supply chains are extending. AMR reported on 15 Apr (M.Burkett, A.Reese) in a SCM webcast that 'Penetrating Emerging Markets" was the top priotiy for organizations based on a recent survey. I took this as both adding new consumers to their prospect-list as well as leveraging 'lower cost labor arbitrage". (Read '3 Billion Capitalists") Supply Chain Quarterly reports that India and Brazil received the highest ranking of the logistics markets in developing nations India tops the list of emerging nations that scores the attractiveness of logistics markets to foreign investors. Developed by the UK-based research firm Transport Intelligence, the new  Emerging Market Logistics Index rated 38 developing countries on 3 factors. 1. "Market size and growth attractiveness," considered a country's economic output, projected growth rate, and population size.  2. "Market compatibility," which examined how well-matched a nation was with the services offered by global logistics providers. This includes a country's security levels, market accessibility, foreign direct investment, distribution of wealth and population, and development of its service sector. 3. "Connectedness," which rated the efficiency of customs and border controls, liner shipping connections, and transportation infrastructure. India claimed the top spot due to its market size and growth prospects. Brazil is second because of its economic performance, good levels of market accessibility, and improving domestic and international transport connections. Are you there? For more information see www.transportintelligence.com/articles_papers. The top 10 emerging countries India Brazil Indonesia Mexico Russia Turkey United Arab Emirates Egypt Saudi Arabia Malaysia Source: Transport Intelligence, The Emerging Markets Logistics Index, March 2010

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  • ArvinMeritor Sees Business Improvement: Uses Oracle Demand Management, Supply Chain Planning and Tra

    - by [email protected]
    As manufacturers begin repositioning for the economic recovery, they are reevaluating their supply chain networks, extending lean into their supply chains and making logistics visibility a priority. ArvinMeritor leveraged Oracle's Demantra, ASCP and Transportation Management applications to: Optimize operations execution by building consensus-driven demand, sales and operations plans Slash transportation costs by rationalizing shippers, optimizing routes and improving delivery performance Demantra for demand management, forecasting, sales and operations planning and global trade management Advanced Supply Chain Planning for material and capacity planning across global distribution and manufacturing facilities based on consensus forecasts, sales orders, production status, purchase orders, and inventory policy recommendations Transportation Management for transportation planning, execution, freight payment, and business process automation on a single application across all modes of transportation, from full truckload to complex multileg air, ocean, and rail shipments Oracle hosted an 'open-house/showcase" on March 30th, 2010 atArvinMeritor Global Headquarters 2135 West Maple RoadTroy, MI 48084 

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  • Oracle R12 Inventory Management New Features Wrap-Up

    - by [email protected]
    Webcast: Oracle R12 Inventory Management New FeaturesHeld March 31st, 2010 Oracle Inventory management is an integrated part of Oracle SCM (Supply Chain Management). In this session you will see a comprehensive look of changed feature in Oracle R12 Inventory Management. This session will highlight about the new features added and also explore there functionalities. This webinar recording will introduce you to the built-in features of Oracle R12 Inventory Management such as: OPM Inventory Convergence Multi-mode Inventory Management Material Traceability Fulfillment Optimization Extended Best Practices View Oracle R12 Inventory Management New Features Webinar Online, Click Here: http://www.iwarelogic.com/oracle-r12-inventory-management-new-features.htm

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  • Did You Miss It? Replay of the Value Chain Transformation now available.

    - by Stephen Slade
    This very informative webcast on transformation of the value chain is now available for replay. Hear from leading authorities in business,  journalism  and academia on how traditional supply chains have been converted into high performance value chains. Jeff Moad of  Managing Executive chairs this panel of experts including Steve Tungate, VP at Toshiba Business on how they overcome tremendous challenges in a global competitive market in the print industry. Dr. Larry Lapide of MIT discusses Strategic Demand Management from a consulting perspective and Maha Muzumdar, VP of Supply Chain Apps Marketing at Oracle presents the roadmap and tactical approaches that leading firms take. A case study on Sun’s Supply Chain Transformation is highlighted.  For those considering leveraging their supply chain and using it as a strategic tool, this 50 minute webcast will be very informative. link for the webcast:  https://thomaswebinar.webex.com/thomaswebinar/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=EC&rID=5299632&rKey=10b6e6d17448c78d

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  • 2D Tile Map files for Platformer, JSON or DB?

    - by Stephen Tierney
    I'm developing a 2D platformer with some uni friends. We've based it upon the XNA Platformer Starter Kit which uses .txt files to store the tile map. While this is simple it does not give us enough control and flexibility with level design. Some examples: for multiple layers of content multiple files are required, each object is fixed onto the grid, doesn't allow for rotation of objects, limited number of characters etc. So I'm doing some research into how to store the level data and map file. Reasoning for DB: From my perspective I see less redundancy of data using a database to store the tile data. Tiles in the same x,y position with the same characteristics can be reused from level to level. It seems like it would simple enough to write a method to retrieve all the tiles that are used in a particular level from the database. Reasoning for JSON: Visually editable files, changes can be tracked via SVN a lot easier. But there is repeated content. Do either have any drawbacks (load times, access times, memory etc) compared to the other? And what is commonly used in the industry? Currently the file looks like this: .................... .................... .................... .................... .................... .................... .................... .........GGG........ .........###........ .................... ....GGG.......GGG... ....###.......###... .................... .1................X. #################### 1 - Player start point, X - Level Exit, . - Empty space, # - Platform, G - Gem

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  • Character Stats and Power

    - by Stephen Furlani
    I'm making an RPG game system and I'm having a hard time deciding on doing detailed or abstract character statistics. These statistics define the character's natural - not learned - abilities. For example: Mass Effect: 0 (None that I can see) X20 (Xtreme Dungeon Mastery): 1 "STAT" Diablo: 4 "Strength, Magic, Dexterity, Vitality" Pendragon: 5 "SIZ, STR, DEX, CON, APP" Dungeons & Dragons (3.x, 4e): 6 "Str, Dex, Con, Wis, Int, Cha" Fallout 3: 7 "S.P.E.C.I.A.L." RIFTS: 8 "IQ, ME, MA, PS, PP, PE, PB, Spd" Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (1st ed?): 12-ish "WS, BS, S, T, Ag, Int, WP, Fel, A, Mag, IP, FP" HERO (5th ed): 14 "Str, Dex, Con, Body, Int, Ego, Pre, Com, PD, ED, Spd, Rec, END, STUN" The more stats, the more complex and detailed your character becomes. This comes with a trade-off however, because you usually only have limited resources to describe your character. D&D made this infamous with the whole min/max-ing thing where strong characters were typically not also smart. But also, a character with a high Str typically also has high Con, Defenses, Hit Points/Health. Without high numbers in all those other stats, they might as well not be strong since they wouldn't hold up well in hand-to-hand combat. So things like that force trade-offs within the category of strength. So my original (now rejected) idea was to force players into deciding between offensive and defensive stats: Might / Body Dexterity / Speed Wit / Wisdom Heart Soul But this left some stat's without "opposites" (or opposites that were easily defined). I'm leaning more towards the following: Body (Physical Prowess) Mind (Mental Prowess) Heart (Social Prowess) Soul (Spiritual Prowess) This will define a character with just 4 numbers. Everything else gets based off of these numbers, which means they're pretty important. There won't, however, be ways of describing characters who are fast, but not strong or smart, but absent minded. Instead of defining the character with these numbers, they'll be detailing their character by buying skills and powers like these: Quickness Add a +2 Bonus to Body Rolls when Dodging. for a character that wants to be faster, or the following for a big, tough character Body Building Add a +2 Bonus to Body Rolls when Lifting, Pushing, or Throwing objects. [EDIT - removed subjectiveness] So my actual questions is what are some pitfalls with a small stat list and a large amount of descriptive powers? Is this more difficult to port cross-platform (pen&paper, PC) for example? Are there examples of this being done well/poorly? Thanks,

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