Beat And Battered

Introduction:

Thirty years ago, most people did not have personal computers in their homes. Ten years from now, history is likely to repeat itself!

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Hey folks,

today I committed some stuff that will make a bigger impact on your Unit Testing development in CakePHP. It’s a much cleaner way of how you are able to test models. Up until now there was always a need to create a so-called test model that extends your model-under-test in order to overwrite its $useDbConfig setting to be ‘test_suite’. By that you ensured that your models run with the test_suite datasource when the tests are run.

Nate proposed ClassRegistry::config(), which allows you to tell the ClassRegistry class which datasource it shall use when
ClassRegistry::init() is used the next time (and thereby a model is instantiated). So what we are doing now in the testsuite is telling the ClassRegistry to use the test_suite db config whenever a new model is instantiated via ClassRegistry::init(). Doesn’t make sense to you? Well, let’s look at an example.

The following code is directly taken from the CookBook and shows the old way of doing things:

So far so good. The ArticleTest model extends the imported Article model to overwrite the datasource setting. Then it loads the ArticleTest fixture to use its data throughout the test. The drawback: A whole class that does practically nothing. In a bigger system with plenty of models and plenty of tests this can contribute to your hair loss - especially when you forget to name your fixture properly or provide the $name property in the Test Model.

With the new code in place, this will just work as well:

So we got rid of the ArticleTest class and can now use the normal ArticleFixture that we probably use throughout the system anyway to provide some standard data for the application. Via the $test_suite setting in your database.php file you can control where and how the test data is imported.

The only change to your code: Instantiate the subject under test via ClassRegistry::init() instead of instantiating directly via the new operator.

To me this seems like the proper way to do it. No need for further unnecessary classes. Everything clean and controllable. Do you agree?

– Tim Koschuetzki aka DarkAngelBGE

PS: Kudos again to Nate for ClassRegistry::config() !

What on earth is biotechnology? Think of it as ways that man controls nature. That could be read negatively, but it doesn’t have to be. Biotechnology comprises all of the ways that humans try to overcome natural limitations be more cost-efficient. Examples of biotechnology are pest-resistant crops, new animal breeding, or pharmaceutical research. Certainly some wings of the biotech industry are controversial – such as cloning – but humans can “manipulate” nature in positive ways as well: producing more nutritionally-complete crops on a larger scale, aiding third-world countries. Really, something so simple as fermenting grapes into wine is a form of biotechnology, so biotech casts a wide net. It’s not all about playing God with nature and trying to turn a profit.

Of course, what’s a burgeoning industry without talk of profits. Biotechnology is also one of the fastest-growing forms of investment. Chances are that a new investor wants to get involved in the new developments in the biotech industry. Sure, investing in wine can reel in some money, but that’s not what is commonly referred to in biotech investment. True biotech investment is based around new technologies, such as gene manipulation. Some of these methods are already being used and some are yet to be discovered: which is why it’s so wide open for investment.

Where is Biotech Today

The new wave of biotechnology is mainly centered around health issues and extending human life, though agricultural advancements are also a large part of biotechnology investing. But whereas the issue of manipulating crops is fairly straightforward and understood, human life extension via gene manipulation has a much larger ceiling. For instance, imagine a product that would reverse aging – this would be hugely profitable in a short amount of time. So while agriculture biotechnology (green biotechnology) is potentially lucrative, medical biotech (red biotechnology) has even more potential, as so many techniques have yet to be discovered. Gene therapy is in its infancy.

Other forms of biotechnology are white biotech, which is biotechnology applied to industrial practices – such as creating and utilizing an enzyme that will break down harmful chemicals. Blue biotechnology refers to ocean and water-based biotech, but this type of biotech is less prevalent. Put that all together and you get the Bioeconomy.

Investing in Biotech

Like all forms of investing, there are riskier forms of biotech investing than others. Generally, biotech investing is higher risk overall than other types of investing – but again, like other investing, the higher the risk also means the higher the payout. Are you interested in stock investing or becoming a major venture capitalist in the biotech industry? There are penny stock options available that can be found through a broker, or you could do this yourself if you’re not a newbie. It depends on the investor, but you’re going to want to choose a biotech company based on location, industry, proof of concept, niche market, good history, and lucrative potential.

The less risky stocks are established companies, like large pharmaceutical companies. This is recommended if you’re also going to be investing in riskier ventures, as big pharma stocks are a more stable investment. Investing in biotech does take some significant research. A biotech research company is likely dealing with some very technical information. You want to make an informed decision about an investment and you need to make sure that a biotech’s company’s goals are achievable. They could rattle off a long list of technical details that sound impressive, but may actually be far-fetched. You need to be able to know what you’re reading, so a partnership with a science-minded investor may be necessary.

To get you started, here’s a list of the top 100 biotech companies, ranked by revenue. Here are the top biotech buzz stocks for 2008. As mentioned, you may want to invest in a start-up because these have the most earning potential per dollar (and also the greatest risk) but this of course means that the company does not have an established history. If this is the case, go with a biotech company run by people who have had proven success in the past. As with other forms of investing, diversification across industries and types of companies is recommended.

Check back tomorrow when I’ll talk about where to start investing in biotech.

Writer Auditions - Author Henry Brown - Offer Your Feedback

Alright, I have to admit I got caught by the 0% interest balance transfer game. We transfered part of loan a while back for about $4,000 on a credit card that had 0% interest for 6 months with no balance transfer fees. Sounded like a great plan since we would have the $4,000 paid off [...]

Time for another get together. Mark your calendars, cancel your trips, and tell the inlaws to buzz off.

This Saturday, August 2nd at 5pm
Shannon Rose - http://www.theshannonrose.com/
98 Kingsland Road, Clifton NJ

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From Bloomberg:

Hamptons Home Prices Fall on Wall Street Jobs, Economic Outlook

Home prices in the Hamptons, the summer haven of New York financiers and socialites, fell almost 12 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier as Wall Street firms cut jobs and the economy teetered near a recession.

Sales dropped 26 percent and the median price slid to $970,000 in the resort towns on the East End of Long Island, New York-based broker Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate and appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. said in a report today.

“We used to think of the Hamptons as insulated and that’s not the case,” said real estate developer Arthur Rauscher, who is trying to sell his four-bedroom custom-built East Hampton house for the second time in three years. He’s asking $1.3 million and hasn’t received any offers. “It’s not what it used to be.”

The housing slump is hitting the Hamptons as financial firms have announced more than 76,000 U.S. job cuts sparked by mortgage- related losses and writedowns. The nation’s economic expansion may slow to the weakest pace in six years in the fourth quarter, according to a Bloomberg News survey, and New York Governor David Paterson has said a 20 percent drop in securities industry bonuses this year will cut state revenue by $700 million.

Homes in the Hamptons — where billionaire Ronald Perelman, director Steven Spielberg and “Sex and the City” star Sarah Jessica Parker own — took an average of 143 days to sell in the quarter, up 18 percent from a year earlier, said closely held Miller Samuel. The company appraised more than $5 billion in property in the past year. Sellers in towns including Southampton, Quogue and Amagansett got an average of 9 percent less than their final asking price.

I Cdo non sono altro che obbligazioni strutturate.

Per essere più chiari sono dei pacchetti con un’obbligazione emessa dalla banca e con all’interno diversi debiti che cercano un investitore per coprirli.
Ma c’è un piccolo problema: all’interno contengono qualsiasi tipo di debito, anche i subprime.

Accade dunque che una banca che vuole dei finanziamenti emette questi Cdo cercando credito, promettendo di ripagare il tutto con relativi interessi.
Sicuramente essendo più debiti, alcuni fanno da tampone, ma quelli Subprime sono una vera spada di Damocle, infatti in caso di mancato rimborso la banca ci rimetterà i soldi investiti nel mutuato e i soldi da restituire all’investitore.

Il risultato è un rallentamento della finanza e una svalutazione di questi titoli e quindi anche del portafoglio delle banche.
Creando ulteriori problemi agli istituti di credito oltre a quelli già nati coi soli subprime.

Esistono tuttavia delle assicurazioni valutate con una tripla “A”, che in termini di finanza significa “garanzia”.
Ora però stanno facendo fatica anche loro a garantire questi debiti.
Dovessero non farcela, la crisi economica subirebbe un altro scivolone!!

Fonte Lamiaeconomia.blogspot.it,pattichiari.it

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Le carte di credito e di pagamento entro il 2010 dovranno tutte possedere un chip.
L’idea è quella di potenziare il loro servizio non limitandolo solamente all’utilizzo nei POS, ma anche all’interno delle metropolitane, degli stadi ed ovunque sia possibile.

Il sistema di pagamento negli ultimi anni è stato reso anche più sicuro, cercando di eliminare tutte le opportunità da parte di truffatori di clonare la carta o eventualmente di prelevare illegalmente denaro dal nostro conto.

Comunque sia in caso di problemi di questo genere si applicherà il sistema “liability shift”.
Questo prevede che l’anello più debole dovrà pagare il danno.
Se il commerciante utilizza dei POS vecchi ed a causa di questi sorgono dei furti o truffe, quest’ultimo dovrà pagare per il danno causato.

Non mi sembra molto corretto, ma sicuramente è uno stimolo ad adeguarsi sempre ai nuovi standard di sicurezza.

Fonte Guidaaiprestiti.blogspot.it

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Per quanto possiamo criticarle a quanto sembra le nostre banche sono le migliori in Europa.
A questo punto ci staremo chiedendo…chissà allora all’estero come son conciate.

Attenzione! Questa analisi non è stata fata in relazione al cliente, ma in relazione alla banca.
Ovvero si è valutato la qualità della banca, non il servizio erogato.
L’ EBR (European Banking Report) scrive:

Gli analisti e gli investitori internazionali promuovono le banche italiane. Nonostante le turbolenze che
agitano i mercati finanziari e la congiuntura economica non brillante, infatti, gli analisti delle maggiori
banche d’affari internazionali considerano le banche italiane tra quelle con le maggiori potenzialità di crescita
d’Europa, per tre motivi principali: la scarsa esposizione verso il mercato dei mutui subprime e verso gli
strumenti finanziari ad esso collegati; le rilevanti potenzialità di crescita del business retail che in Italia è
ancora sottodimensionato; l’opportunità di contenere ulteriormente i costi operativi dopo le recenti
operazioni di aggregazione. Restano però le incertezze dovute alla debolezza dell’economia reale italiana e al
peggioramento del clima di fiducia delle famiglie per via dell’aumento dei tassi di interesse e dell’inflazione.
Utili e redditività delle banche italiane, inoltre, restano ancora ridotti rispetto a quelli delle banche di altri
paesi.
A tracciare questo quadro, raccogliendo le opinioni degli analisti e degli investitori internazionali, è EBR -
l’European Banking Report creato dall’ABI – nel corso della presentazione dell’Osservatorio dei risultati
economici delle maggiori banche europee agli addetti ai lavori del credito e della finanza italiani e stranieri. “Le
caratteristiche peculiari del mercato bancario italiano – ha detto il direttore generale dell’ABI, Giuseppe
Zadra - rappresentano punti di forza che ci rendono attraenti per gli investitori esteri, come confermato
dalle valutazioni delle banche d’affari internazionali sulla crescita futura dell’industria bancaria italiana,
superiore a quello delle concorrenti europee”.

Riassumendo le banche italiane hanno opportunità di crescita, ma sono frenate dalla crisi economica italiana e la sfiducia sui mercati.
Vorrei però precisare una cosa:
Sicuramente la bassa esposizione ai Subprime in questa crisi ha poco esposto il nostro sistema bancario, ma è anche vero che permettendo qualche prestito in più, forse anche la crisi economica aveva meno impatto sui cittadini o più precisamente sulle imprese.

Fonte Abi.it

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When forming a plan to eliminate your debt, transferring your credit card balance from a higher interest rate card to one with a lower rate can make your debt repayment move a lot faster. The lower your interest rate, the lower the finance charges and the faster you can pay it off.

There are a lot of 0% and low introductory rate credit card offers out there. If you are like me, you probably receive quite a few of them in the mail each month. However, finding a good card can take a bit of work.

When you are looking for to pay off your debt, time is often quite important. But you should take the time to find the best credit card balance transfer for your financial situation.

Most credit card issuers will offer you a 0% or a very low introductory interest rate on balance transfers. These intro rates often last for a period of time between 6 months and 12 months. After the intro period is over, the interest rate will increase. Some cards will offer an extension on the introductory rate as long as you make regular purchases on the card. Some are even beginning to offer a fixed interest rate on the balance transfer until it is paid off.

Take the time to shop around for the card that offers you the lowest interest rate, the longest introductory time period and the fewest extra conditions. You absolutely must read the fine print; it can contain provisions that affect your balance transfer, such as the fee of 3%-5% of the total amount transferred. The fee will be charged to your account as a purchase, which means you will pay interest on it.

Keep in mind that opening a new credit card account can temporarily lower your credit score, as will closing your old account. This can affect your ability to borrow other money or find affordable insurance premiums. You should thoroughly consider your financial goals before you open new accounts. For example, if you are looking to purchase your first home, you shouldn’t take out a new credit card or other type of loan.

Balance transfers often take between 4 to 6 weeks. You will need to pay your minimum payments on your credit cards until the transfer goes through.

You should take the time to cut up your old card and close it. Then you need to pay it off. If you continue to use your card, you are simply adding more debt. You are just acquiring new debt, not paying it off.

Be aware that if you make a late payment on your new credit card will absolutely guarantee that your introductory rate will turn into the default rate, which could be as high as 30%.

Credit card balance transfers are a great work to reduce your monthly minimum payments in order to pay off you debt faster. If you are unable to transfer your entire balance, take the time to go ahead and transfer as much as you can. You will be paying a lower rate on every bit you can, which is a goal of paying off your debts.

by Martin Lukac

Hey folks,

Tim and I are very thrilled to announce the very first two-day workshop for everybody who is interested in mastering the CakePHP framework. The event is a collaboration between Debuggable Limited and the Cake Software foundation.

Special thanks goes to Credit Risk Management L.L.C. for sponsoring the rooms and catering!

Overview

• Event Info: Raleigh, NC (4140 Parklake Ave)
• Date: September 6 + 7 (Saturday + Sunday)
• Seats: max 25
• Costs: 600 USD / seat (Students pay 100 USD less)
• Signup: Signup page

Speakers

• Garrett J. Woodworth (President of the Cake Software Foundation)
• Nate Abele (Cake Lead Developer)
• Felix Geisendörfer (Cake Core Developer)
• Tim Koschützki (Cake Core Contributor)

What to expect

This workshop is going to be very different from standard programming workshops. There will be two tracks in two different rooms. The main track will teach you everything you need to know in order to build great applications in CakePHP. You will be introduced to the MVC Pattern, learn how to setup CakePHP projects and watch a full application being put together over the course of two days. All sessions are delivered by the core developers of CakePHP so the information you get will be top quality and allow you to do things right from the beginning. This way you will save lots of time and money in the long run.

The second track is the most unique however. Instead of having a fixed schedule and sessions you will have the opportunity to directly pick the brains of the people who wrote CakePHP in a personal and informal manner. There is also a good amount of topics we are prepared to speak on like: git, javascript, cake internals and project management - just let us know what you want to learn and we will deliver : ).

In the second track you will also find out about some secret cutting edge things all of us are working on, including some early insights into Cake 2.0 and other unreleased additions to the cake core.

So all in all you get two days full of talks and chatting with the core developers that will be worth your while, including lots of fun in the evenings.

Schedule

Saturday, September 6th, 2008

Sunday, September 7th, 2008

Come and join us!

If the above sounds interesting to you, we are looking forward to see you in Raleigh:

Sign up for the Raleigh workshop on September 6-7

Questions

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at workshops@debuggable.com.

– Felix Geisendörfer aka the_undefined