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kyluxtrashpit · 6 years

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For the writing game, I couldn't decide which, all the colors please? They're so interesting!

Omg I was so excited when I saw this! You’re so sweet to enable my rambling

Red: What type of writer’s block do you experience the most?

I guess the most common one is I get stuck in transitions. Like I know how this scene goes and I know how the next scene goes, but I don’t know exactly how to get from A to B and it’s one of those cases where I can’t just put a line and jump to it. Scene transitions are one of the hardest things for me for some reason. The second most common for me is probably when my brain is being a shit and won’t let me be productive due to some sort of emotional crisis lmao

White: Are you a supporter/lover of fanfiction?

I mean, kind of obvious lmao, but absolutely. I think it’s great that there are people who are creating things solely out of love for something, and that’s really what fanfiction is, at it’s deepest core. It’s a community of people being so enthusiastic about and loving something so hard that they work their asses of and dedicate time to just… making more of it. For no real external benefit other than some social validation, if they’re lucky. Love and passion are the true motivators and idk that’s just really beautiful to me

Black: Would you want to live in one of the fictional worlds you’vecreated?

I don’t really do a lot of worldbuilding because I find it incredibly boring and I’m terrible at it lmao, but since I always write either canon-verse or modern au, I’m going to treat this as ‘do I want to live in the Star Wars universe?’. And the answer to that would honestly be no. As much as there’s cool stuff, like advanced technology and aliens and maybe I’d be lucky enough to be able to move shit with my mind, there’s also a lot of bad things. A lot of fascism, a lot of wars, and every once in a while some asshole builds a planet-destroying superweapon and blows up a planet (or 5) and like… I could live on one of those, you know

That said, if I didn’t die because the planet I was living on exploded, I would probably survive alright. I mean, my background is in science, so tbh I might have better opportunities there than I do here. While that could mean making chemical weapons or something if the Empire was in power, that’s at least more interesting than customer service at a chemical company lmao. I still wouldn’t choose to live there, but I think I’d manage okay if I had to

[More beneath the cut - my sincerest apologies to those on mobile]

Blue: What’s more important to you: characters or plot?

I mean, they both definitely matter, but if I have to choose? Interesting characters can save a dry plot, but the best plot ever written will still be mediocre at best if the characters aren’t compelling. Personally, I love character-driven stories more than anything. Event-driven plots can still be fun, but I prefer the focus to be on how the characters are dealing with said events, as opposed to them just being passively driven along by them. The best is when it’s the characters themselves driving the events of the plot, but that’s more difficult to execute than it sounds. Regardless, it’s the characters that usually draw me into a story in the first place and that keep me interested. And from the perspective of my own writing, I go character-driven, all the way. Sure, some event might happen that drives the plot sometimes, but I’m far more interested in how the characters react to that event than anything else

Yellow: What’s a common writing tip that you mostly ignore?

In terms of writing advice, nothing makes my blood boil more than those posts that say ‘get rid of this entire class of words’ or ‘if it’s not absolutely strictly necessary to the plot, cut it’. Fuck that shit. If you want your writing to look like Hemingway, sure, go for it, but a) Hemingway is overrated, and b) that’s not the only way to write well. Especially as someone who tends to focus on characters, passages that aren’t necessary to the plot may be necessary to establish characterization. Or they may add some emotion to the story that gets the reader invested. Same with wording choices; more or less words can drastically change the tone or mood of the scene. Are there times when you need to cut words and keep things concise? Absolutely, but any writing tip that says ‘remove every instance of [word] in your document’ is fucking bullshit and you should never listen to it

Grey: What’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

Tbh I think every writing tip you see should always be taken with a grain of salt, especially if it’s a ‘never do x’ because there is almost always a situation where doing x is the right thing to do, it’s just a matter of knowing how to do it correctly (looking at you, ‘never use the passive voice’). So really, there are very few I always follow, but I’ll give one that was foundationally helpful for me

Edit in a different format than you write. That can be changing the text size, or the font, or printing it out physically, or whatever. For me, I usually pop it into AO3′s preview function and take notes of things that need changing as I go. It forces your brain to notice things it’s been overlooking for the entire writing period. I only do my final edit this way, generally speaking, but I’ve found it to be incredibly helpful for catching typos and general weirdness in the writing

Orange: How many projects do you usually have going at once?

Because my fics are usually short, I tend to only have 1, but I think I’ve had up to 3-4 before. That’s basically me just popping between documents everytime I get stuck on one until one is finished lmao. But more than 2 gets to be a lot to handle

Currently, I’m really only working on my Big Bang fic, though I do have at least one one-shot I’m planning to write when I need a short break from it

Pink: Which of your characters would become your best friend?

This is so hard because like, I don’t get along with a lot of people generally speaking. I’m also going to treat this as the entire SW cast even though I only write Kylo and Hux, for the most part. And I’m not sure I’d be good friends with either of them. While Kylo would make an excellent self-destruction buddy, I think we’re too similar for the most part to get along. And while I also have an element of Hux in me that’s my anal retentiveness when it comes to organization (not to be confused with cleanliness; I’m talking more about my colour-coded work email and my nested folder system on my computer), I’m also very emotional, messy, and I’m not really equipped to verbally spar with him. I think I would actually do okay with Hux as a boss, not a friend, but with Kylo, I think we’d get along really well until we really didn’t. And then I would be dead lmao

Aaaand none of that was an actual answer. But like, I honestly don’t know? Most of the other characters I really like (e.g. Rey, Rae Sloane, Ventress), it’s because I would have a big huge crush on them which would manifest as my hovering in their vicinity a lot but never actually starting a conversation and then waxing poetic while crying about my unrequited love when I continue to go unnoticed lmao. Which is, well, still not friendship

Maybe Finn… I might get along really well with Finn. He’s one of my favourites as well and I think he’d be really interesting to talk to. Has a lot of interesting views on things, likely a good listener. Hm. I’m still not 100% solid on it, but after far too many words, that’s my answer lmao

Purple: Which of your characters would become your sworn enemy?

Okay, hear me out on this one because the reason isn’t what you think lmao. I’m also treating this less as ‘sworn enemy’ and more ‘person I’d least get along with’ and that’s actually Poe. And the reason is that highly extroverted, extremely friendly people who others call charismatic tend to rub me the wrong way. Like there’s nothing wrong with them, they’re perfectly nice, but they’re just too friendly and my socially-inept, introverted brain always responds to that with DANGER DANGER. And I think he would definitely fall into that category for me haha

Green: Pencil, typewriter, or computer?

Computer. I have written fic by hand before (I also sometimes do planning by hand, just because it can be a bit more visual; Fractured was planned largely by hand when I used to work evenings at a gym and had access to unlimited spare paper), but that’s usually only when I have nothing else to work with. I wrote most of a fic in the Halifax airport on a layover, once. I’ve also done it on my phone, but that’s too fucking annoying lmao. Typerwriters are super fun to use but also very impractical for me; my typing accuracy isn’t good enough

Brown: Do you have a set writing space? Or do you write everywhere?

Mostly I’m at home on my couch, but that’s really cause I have nowhere else to write. I do write at work sometimes (not smut though lmao), but only when it’s slow enough that I can get away with it. And there’s nowhere else I really go where I’m sitting with a computer for long periods of time

Silver: Are you comfortable writing in public places?

I am, yeah. I don’t know why I wouldn’t be tbh. Work is a public place and the only reason I don’t write smut there is because I don’t want to get fired lmao (slacking off is one thing, porn is another). I don’t really ever write in public, but that’s more because I don’t spend a lot of time sitting in public places by myself

Gold: Do your stories usually contain lessons or morals?

Not really… I can’t think of any at least. They always have some sort of closure, though, because I fucking hate open-ended stuff where everything isn’t worked out in the end lmao (or is at least on it’s way there). I’m too fragile for that shit haha

Clear: Do your characters control where the story goes or do youmaintain control?

I tend to write more like an rper than an actual author, based on conversations I’ve had with others, so my characters have a lot of control. That said, if you’ve got your plot and all the major points of it planned out and then you get halfway through and find it doesn’t work because of the characters, then that’s a failure in planning, not the characters taking control. Sometimes things do change and are reworked as you go, that’s the nature of writing, but that still means your plan needed some adjusting, you just didn’t know it at the time. I intentionally leave a lot of room in my plans for the characters (e.g. ‘and then they talk about [blank]. Hux says something mean and Kylo gets angry’ might be my only note for an entire scene), but if you’ve planned enough to actually start writing, your characters and plot should already work together. Characters control the minor details of the story, not the major plot

Tan: Are you open to co-writing a story?

I might be. I’ve never done it before and the Big Bang I’m doing now is the most collaborative thing I’ve ever done writing-wise. If someone approached me and was really interested in it, I might be willing to give it a shot. I’m not really sure how it works, though. I tend to envision it as basically an rp except it’s planned out beforehand and then edited afterwards, but in all honesty, I have no idea how it actually goes

#this was so fun thank you so much #also you're the only one who sent in an ask so it worked out really well lmao #I think it got a little incoherent halfway through but meh that's just how I work most of the time haha #I love to ramble and thank you again for giving me the opportunity to do so <3 #squire reblogs #ask tag #things I am tagged in #sort of but not really #long post #for the folks on mobile #my fic #because I can

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bloggerjoedoe · 4 years

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The new iPad Air.

Ever since its launch in late 2015, the 12.9” iPad Pro has been my primary computer. The combination of a large display – the largest Apple makes for iPads – with software that properly takes advantage of it (see: Split View, multiwindow, multicolumn) makes the 12.9” Pro an ideal blend of laptop-like usability and tablet modularity. If you’re looking for power and flexibility, the 12.9” iPad Pro is the ne plus ultra of the iPad line.

Before the iPad Pro, however, it was the iPad Air 2 that convinced me the iPad could be a suitable replacement for a MacBook. In my review of the iPad Air 2 in early 2015, which I published just a few months before the iPad Pro’s debut, I called the device a “liberating” experience, noting how it struck a balance of high portability and versatility that enabled me to get more work done from more places. In spite of the iPad Pro’s superiority – especially in terms of display size – I’m always going to have a soft spot for the iPad Air as the device where my modern iPad journey began.

For the past few days, I’ve been testing Apple’s latest iPad Air, which comes out this Friday starting at $599 for the 64 GB, Wi-Fi model. While the 10.9” Air won’t replace the 12.9” iPad Pro as my primary machine, I’ve been impressed by this iPad for a different reason: the iPad Air democratizes the notion of “pro iPad”, bringing key features of iPad Pro to more customers, while at the same time looking ahead toward the future of iPad with hardware not seen on the current iPad Pro lineup. The iPad Air sits at the intersection of old iPad Pro features trickling down to the rest of the iPad line and new ones appearing on this model first. This makes the iPad Air a fascinating device to review, as well as a compelling alternative to another iPad of similar dimensions: the 11” iPad Pro.

Five years after the iPad Air 2, I’m intrigued by an iPad Air again. Let me explain why.

Exclusive Wallpapers and More

Wallpapers for iPad and AppStories Episode

By subscribing to Club MacStories, you’ll gain exclusive access to a selection of wallpapers specifically designed for the iPadOS 14 Home Screen, including the new iPad Air.

Created by our designer Silvia Gatta and modeled after the iPhone wallpapers we shared in my iOS 14 review, these wallpapers feature colorful gradients and a special area dedicated to widgets. The wallpapers are available in five different color variations for the new iPad Air, iPad Pro (12.9” and 11”), and iPad mini and they’re optimized for the iPad Home Screen in landscape mode.

You can find screenshots of my Home Screen with these wallpapers in the story; if you’re a Club MacStories member, you can download the wallpapers in your member area at macstories.memberful.com.

We also recorded a special episode of our podcast AppStories all about my thoughts on the iPad Air. You can listen to the episode below.

Touch ID

The 2020 iPad Air experience starts with a contradiction: Apple has adopted the same industrial design of the 2018 iPad Pro with a Liquid Retina Display that extends into all four corners of the screen, replacing the physical Home button with a virtual Home indicator; however, the iPad Air doesn’t support Face ID authentication, which in 2018 was widely regarded as the reason for dropping a physical Home button and Touch ID. In fact, the iPad Air doesn’t come with a TrueDepth camera system for the front-facing camera, period. Instead, the iPad Air offers something that only certain MacBook models have offered so far: a Touch ID sensor built into the top button.

This implementation of Touch ID is a first on iOS and iPadOS devices, which never offered a fingerprint sensor in the top button that is used for shutdown and/or Siri. On the new iPad Air, the Touch ID button is located in the top right corner of the device when held in portrait (with the USB-C port – also new in this generation – at the bottom). Compared to the iPad Pro model that this device most closely resembles – the 11” iPad Pro, which I’m going to cover below – the Touch ID button is thicker and elongated (it’s nearly twice the length of the top button on the 11” iPad Pro), features a glossy finish based on the device’s color (my review unit has a Sky Blue finish), and has a very slight bump compared to the same button on iPad Pro.

The new Touch ID button.

From a merely tactile standpoint, the longer shape and bump help in identifying the button by feel: on the 11” iPad Pro, I often find myself sliding my index finger up and down for a second to make sure I’m clicking the top button; on the iPad Air, the different texture, shape, and bump make the button impossible to miss at first touch. Speaking of clicking the button: the sound the iPad Air’s Touch ID button makes is more muted and less clicky than the top button on the iPad Pro; I’m guessing Apple went for a more muted sound signature given how many times people are going to click the button on a daily basis.1

The iPad Air’s Touch ID experience begins at setup with an updated onboarding flow that features new pages for Touch ID configuration. If you’ve ever configured Touch ID on an iPhone or iPad before, you won’t find anything revolutionary here: you’ll be asked to place your finger on the sensor for a first scan of your fingerprint, and after that you’ll have to repeat the process for a more granular scan that captures the edges of your finger. Besides the updated graphics showing the new placement for Touch ID on iPad Air, what’s different this time is that iPadOS’ setup process will prompt you to add a second fingerprint right away so you can more easily unlock the device in either orientation.

Setting up Touch ID on iPad Air.

When I set up my unit, I added both my left and right index fingers since I knew I was going to unlock the device with different fingers based on whether I was in reading mode (portrait, right index finger) or writing mode (landscape, left index finger). I think offering the option of multiple fingerprints at setup is a nice touch, and it shows Apple thought about how folks are going to be holding and using their iPad Air.

In terms of performance, I’ve found the Touch ID sensor fast and reliable in my tests and in line with the accuracy and speed we used to have in older iPhones with the second-generation Touch ID sensor a few years ago. The iPad Air unlocks in a fraction of a second when your finger is placed on the Touch ID sensor and works as expected. I haven’t run into any issues when using Touch ID authentication with the App Store, 1Password, and other apps that required my fingerprint.

I also tried using Touch ID in a different orientation from the one I used when I originally set it up, which is something I assume people are going to do since iPad can be used in all four orientations. My fingerprints were recognized in both landscape and portrait regardless of how they were initially set up, even after I rotated the device by 90 degrees. Touch ID only failed when the iPad was upside down, with the Touch ID button at the bottom and the USB-C port facing up. In that case, neither my left nor right index fingers were recognized – but I’m never going to use my index finger when Touch ID is facing down, so I think this is fine. If, for whatever reason, you want to use your iPad Air this way, I suggest adding your thumb as a Touch ID fingerprint instead. In everyday usage when working on iPad Air with the Magic Keyboard, Smart Folio, or holding it in my hands in portrait, Touch ID has worked well.

As happened before with similar biometric transitions on Apple devices, third-party apps worked with Touch ID out of the box without requiring a specific iPad Air compatibility update. The system automatically embeds a Touch ID indicator at the edge of the screen near the button’s location to suggest where you need to press; this is a UI element similar to the one we’ve seen before with Face ID on iPad Pro.

The Touch ID indicator displayed by iPadOS onscreen.

There are two different ways to unlock iPad Air while on the Lock Screen: you can either wake the display by touching the screen (or pressing the space bar on a connected keyboard) then rest your finger on Touch ID, or you can click the Touch ID button and rest your finger on it for a split second to wake and unlock the device. In either case, a ‘Rest to Open’ message is displayed onscreen near the Touch ID button, and the iPad unlocks as soon as your fingerprint is scanned successfully.

What makes the iPad Air’s new take on Touch ID interesting isn’t necessarily how well it performs (again, based on my tests, really well), but how the experience of using it compares to older iPad models with a Home button and the iPad Pro line with Face ID. This is where I’m torn on my judgement of Touch ID in the iPad Air, and why I believe it ultimately comes down to what you expect from an iPad in 2020.

If you’re coming from a previous-generation iPad Air or other iPad model with a Home button, the new iPad Air lets you keep the ability to unlock your device quickly while adding the fluid gestural interactions originally seen on the iPhone X and iPad Pro. You’re gaining a larger screen with a modern interaction vocabulary that doesn’t sacrifice the convenience of Touch ID. This is especially useful in 2020 if you’re planning to use iPad Air while out and about and wearing a mask. I don’t see any advantage to Touch ID in a Home button. The new placement takes minimal adjustment and you’re getting the real iPadOS multitasking experience entirely based on gestures in return.

It’s a different evaluation if you’re considering this iPad Air as an alternative to the iPad Pro with Face ID. I’ll cut right to the chase: I prefer using my iPad Pro with Face ID. As I wrote in my previous coverage of iPad Pro, the addition of Face ID removed the need to think about unlocking an iPad in the first place. These days, I mostly use my iPad Pro as a stationary device connected to the Magic Keyboard. When I sit down in front of my iPad Pro and open the keyboard case, all I have to do is press the space bar to leave the Lock Screen since Face ID authenticates me automatically. I don’t have to touch anything else. Here lies the aforementioned contradictory nature of the new iPad Air: it looks like an iPad Pro, and it works like an iPad Pro, but it still requires you to lift your fingers off the keyboard to press the Touch ID button. If I had to choose between Face ID and Touch ID for my usage of the iPad on a daily basis, I’d still pick Face ID.

However, my iPad usage isn’t representative of the iPad Air’s potential market, nor do I think existing iPad Pro customers are going to switch from a Pro to the new Air. For this reason, I consider the redesigned Touch ID an improvement over older iPad generations; more importantly, I’d love for Apple to bring this hybrid top button with Touch ID sensor to the iPhone line as an option in addition to Face ID next year. The new Touch ID works great, is well integrated with the device’s chassis, and it feels good not to worry about face coverings again.

The 10.9” Display and Comparisons to the 11” iPad Pro

At first glance, there is virtually no difference between the new iPad Air and the 11” iPad Pro. Both devices share the same rough physical dimensions, weigh basically the same, and look nearly identical when compared side-by-side or when held in one hand. If I didn’t know where to look, and if it weren’t for the different color of my iPad Air review unit, I’d easily mistake the 11” iPad Pro for an iPad Air, and vice versa. They look and feel like the same iPad, and, aside from performance (more on this later), the experience of holding and using them with iPadOS 14 is eerily similar.

The 12.9” iPad Pro (top), 11” iPad Pro (bottom left), and iPad Air.

The iPad Air (top) and 11” iPad Pro.

The iPad Air Home Screen.

The iPad Pro features an 11” Liquid Retina Display with a resolution of 2388 x 1668 pixels. In comparison, the iPad Air has a 10.9” Liquid Retina Display with a resolution of 2360 x 1640 pixels. The iPad Air’s slightly smaller display comes down to the fact that iPad Pro is 0.02 inches wider in landscape (7.02 compared to 7.0 inches) with slightly thinner bezels. The thicker bezels on the Air are noticeable upon a close inspection, but they’re not that much thicker, and they don’t make the Air feel like an old product. Everything about the iPad Air’s build quality feels as premium as the 11” iPad Pro; the increase in thickness (0.23 inches on the Pro; 0.24 inches on the Air) isn’t perceptible when using either device. Holding the new iPad Air feels like holding an 11” iPad Pro; the thicker bezels are the only factor that may break the illusion for the most attentive iPad owners.

The iPad Air (blue Home Screen) has slightly thicker bezels.

iPad Air (left) and the 11” iPad Pro.

As far as iPadOS 14 goes, the iPad Air behaves exactly like the small iPad Pro. As I noted in my review of iPadOS 14 and explanation of multicolumn, built-in apps such as Notes and Mail do not support three concurrent columns in landscape mode on 11” iPads. This is as true on the new iPad Air as it was on the 11” iPad Pro. While developers can code their apps to always support three-column mode in either landscape or portrait orientations, Voice Memos is the only pre-installed Apple app to support three simultaneous columns on smaller iPads such as the 11” iPad Pro and iPad Air. As a result, everything I wrote about iPadOS 14 and its implementation of multicolumn and sidebars in my review applies to the iPad Air, and I recommend reading this section if you’re curious about the technicalities involved. In terms of multitasking and multicolumn, the iPad Air, despite its slightly smaller display, lays out UI elements precisely like the 11” iPad Pro.

The principal display differences between the iPad Air and the 11” iPad Pro come down to the technology used in the high-end iPad Pro: ProMotion. The iPad Air does not offer a ProMotion display with a high refresh rate of 120Hz, and this is one of the areas where, in comparing the small iPad Pro to the iPad Air, a line needs to be drawn. Pitted against the iPad Pro’s ProMotion display, the iPad Air’s standard Liquid Retina Display feels sluggish and old. It feels like the past. Again, I don’t think most people will care about this comparison since they likely won’t switch from an iPad Pro to the Air, but if you’re in the market for a new iPad of this size and care about display fluidity, this needs to be mentioned.

The iPad Air’s display features colorful, vibrant tones (with support for True Tone and wide color) and extends to all four corners of the device, but animations on it aren’t as smooth as on a ProMotion display. If you’ve ever upgraded from an old iPad to a ProMotion-enabled one, you know what I’m talking about.2 The iPad Pro is also slightly brighter thanks to its extra 100 nits (600 compared to 500 on the Air), but, in my experience, this isn’t as noticeable as ProMotion.

In addition to the fluidity of animations and UI transitions (which you can notice right away by simply swiping across Home Screen pages), ProMotion also makes a difference in terms of Apple Pencil latency. As you can imagine, a high display refresh rate equals lower latency, which means that when using the Pencil in apps like Notes, virtual ink will follow the Pencil’s tip more closely. The ability to use the second-generation Apple Pencil with the iPad Air thanks to its flat sides and magnetic pairing is a victory in and of itself, but if you’re an artist or creative professional who wants to buy a new 11” iPad for drawing and sketching, you should keep in mind that ProMotion grants superior Apple Pencil performance on the iPad Pro.

The other differences between the iPad Air and 11” iPad Pro revolve, unsurprisingly, around the technologies and options included in the iPad Pro line that justify its higher price point. Let me break them down and make it easy for you:

Both the iPad Air and iPad Pro have the same 12 MP wide camera. The iPad Air does not offer an ultra-wide camera.

Due to its lack of Face ID, the iPad Air doesn’t come with a TrueDepth front-facing camera, which also means no Portrait selfies or Animoji/Memoji.

The iPad Air doesn’t have a LiDAR scanner.

The iPad Pro has a four-speaker audio system; the iPad Air features stereo speakers in landscape mode.3

The iPad Pro features the A12Z Bionic chip; the iPad Air comes with the A14 Bionic chip (the first built with a 5-nanometer process as opposed to the iPad Pro’s 7-nanometer process).

The iPad Pro’s USB-C port supports data transfers up to 10 Gbps; the iPad Air is limited to 5 Gbps (unless you’re a pro photographer or video maker who transfers heavy assets on a daily basis, you’re not going to notice any difference). The iPad Air supports mirroring to external 4K displays via USB-C as well, which I was able to test with my existing LG UltraFine 4K monitor.4

The iPad Air starts at $200 less than the 11” iPad Pro, but for half the storage: you can get a 64 GB Wi-Fi iPad Air for $599, while the cheapest 11” iPad Pro starts at $799 for 128 GB of storage. At the same storage size (256 GB), the difference between the iPad Pro and Air goes down to $150 ($899 for the Pro and $749 for the Air).

The iPad Pro offers up to 1 TB of local storage; the iPad Air maxes out at 256 GB.

The 2020 iPad Pro comes with 6 GB of RAM; the iPad Air is limited to 4 GB.

As you can see, even though the 11” iPad Pro and iPad Air look similar, there are a handful of differences between them that involve the additional technologies and power available in the iPad Pro line. This shouldn’t surprise anyone since iPad Pro is a machine designed for professional users, whereas the iPad Air is the new mainstream iPad for everyone.

Performance

Those who have read my hardware reviews know that I typically don’t care about benchmarks and raw numbers since they’re not representative of the experience of using an Apple device. I’m making a brief exception in this review because I find the performance story surrounding the new A14 Bionic chip interesting enough to warrant some additional comparisons with the iPad Pro’s A12Z Bionic chip.

The A14 Bionic is a new SoC built on a 5-nanometer process, which is a first for Apple this year on the iPad Air and iPhone 12 lines. The A14 Bionic is packed with 11.8 billion transistors (compared to the A12Z’s 10 billion) and has been touted by Apple with numbers such as “16-core Neural Engine that is twice as fast”, “10 times faster machine learning calculations”, and “40% boost in CPU performance”. I have always trusted Apple with these numbers, but I honestly have no idea what they mean. I’m more interested in the practical advancements that the company’s machine learning improvements have delivered in apps, such as faster indexing in Photos over the past couple years or intelligent photo adjustments powered by Core ML in Pixelmator Photo.

Numbers don’t tell the full story, particularly when it comes to tasks that are challenging to measure in everyday workflows. What I do find interesting, however, is how the A14 Bionic comfortably beats in single-core performance (according to Geekbench) both the 2018 A12X and 2020 A12Z SoCs. As you can see in the table I compiled below, the A14 is behind in multi-core performance, but not by much.

iPad Air, A14 2020 iPad Pro 12.9”, A12Z 2018 iPad Pro 11”, A12X 2018 iPad Pro 12.9”, A12X Single-Core 1583 1128 1118 1118 Multi-Core 4279 4720 4647 4561 RAM 4 GB 6 GB 4 GB 6 GB

I also ran some tests to measure performance of the A14 Bionic in a notoriously CPU-intensive task: exporting 4K video. First, I created an iMovie project on the 2020 iPad Pro 12.9” and iPad Air with a video that is 4 minutes and 30 seconds long. Here’s how long it took both iPads to export that project as a 4K video to the Photos app:

2020 iPad Pro, A12Z: 2 minutes and 33 seconds

iPad Air, A14: 2 minutes and 50 seconds

A 17-second difference isn’t too shabby for a device that doesn’t have ‘Pro’ in its name. I then doubled the project and attempted to export a 9-minute video in 4K:

iPad Pro: 5 minutes and 7 seconds

iPad Air: 5 minutes and 39 seconds

This is an example of a common task people may find themselves performing on their iPads, and I’m sure other users will find more accurate and creative ways to measure performance differences between the A12Z and A14, but these numbers sum up the iPad Air’s performance story well. The A14 is a beast, and I have to wonder about the kind of performance we’ll be able to squeeze out of the (inevitable?) A14X in future iPad Pro models (or upcoming Apple Silicon Macs?).

In terms of everyday usage, the iPad Air (lack of ProMotion notwithstanding) feels just as responsive and fluid as my 2020 iPad Pro. I haven’t yet run into any scenarios where the two extra GBs of RAM on the iPad Pro enabled functionalities that weren’t possible on iPad Air5, but this is still something you should be mindful of if you’re someone who leaves complex shortcuts running for long periods of time or cares about keeping dozens of Safari tabs preserved in memory. Generally speaking, the only difference I notice when using the iPad Air in a normal workday (browsing Safari, chatting in Slack, writing in iA Writer, programming in Shortcuts, etc.) is the lack of a high display refresh rate. Considering this isn’t an iPad Pro, this says a lot about the performance provided by the A14 in real-life scenarios.

Accessories

Apple provided me with the following accessories for iPad Air: a Magic Keyboard, second-generation Apple Pencil, and “matching” Smart Folio in the Deep Navy color.

There isn’t much to say about the Apple Pencil that I haven’t already covered in previous stories on my experience with iPad Pro. This is the same second-generation Apple Pencil that attaches magnetically to the side of iPad Pro, which can now be paired the same way with iPad Air thanks to its redesigned chassis and inner magnetic configuration. As I noted above, the only difference between using the Pencil on the iPad Pro and iPad Air is the performance granted by the ProMotion display on the Pro line. In any case, as I also wrote in my iPadOS 14 review in the Apple Pencil section, I primarily work on my iPad with the keyboard and my usage of Apple Pencil is very limited, so take my advice with the proverbial grain of salt.

The Magic Keyboard for iPad Air isn’t really an iPad Air version of it. Because of the physical similarities between devices, the iPad Air uses the same Magic Keyboard model of the 11” iPad Pro – it’s not a new version of the keyboard introduced last March. It’s literally the same product: on the Apple online store, it is listed as Magic Keyboard for iPad Air and iPad Pro 11”. The label on my review unit says ‘Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 11-inch’. Since the iPad Air doesn’t have the same rear camera module as the 2020 iPad Pro with an ultra-wide lens and LiDAR scanner, the single rear camera looks as lonely inside the Magic Keyboard camera slot as it does when using an old 2018 iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard. You can tell the case was designed for a later generation of iPads, but it looks fine.

The iPad Air, Magic Keyboard, and Apple Pencil.

Sometimes, it gets lonely in there.

As for typing on the Magic Keyboard itself, the same considerations of the 11” iPad Pro apply here: I personally prefer typing with a 12.9” Magic Keyboard because I have relatively large hands and I find the wider keyboard more comfortable to use, but I know plenty of iPad users who are absolutely fine with the 11” form factor. Whether you’re going to enjoy typing on the Magic Keyboard for iPad Air depends on your relationship with 11” tablets and the ergonomics of this keyboard for your hands and wrists. Since Apple reused the same Magic Keyboard introduced a few months ago for this iPad, I suggest reading my story about the Magic Keyboard here and my thoughts on the system-wide iPadOS pointer here in case you missed them.

You may have noticed the quotes I put around “matching” color for the Smart Folio above. In short, I’m not a fan of the color options for the iPad Air’s Smart Folio models since there’s a clear color mismatch between the iPad Air’s hardware and the cover. The iPad Air’s new Sky Blue color is bright, fun, and subtle; I find the Deep Navy Smart Folio, well, navy and somewhat boring. That’s not to mention the cool, fresh, minty ‘Green’ variation of the 2020 iPad Air and the utter disgrace that is the ‘Cyprus Green’ version of the Smart Folio.

The Deep Navy Smart Folio.

Why are the iPad Air colors so fun and the Smart Folio flavors so dull and uninspired? Why couldn’t the iPad Air also have the same Pink Citrus, Cactus, and Surf Blue colors for the Smart Folio for iPad Pro? The Smart Folio gets the job done, and I don’t think there’s anything I need to say about it in 2020 that I haven’t already shared several times before; however, I wish the available color options matched the iPad Air’s fun aesthetic.

Everything Else

Here’s a collection of miscellaneous notes and tidbits about the new iPad Air based on my experience with the device.

Four-speaker audio vs. the iPad Air’s two-speaker system. Unlike the iPad Pro, the new iPad Air comes with a two-speaker system that doesn’t sound nearly as good as the iPad Pro’s four-speaker one. This isn’t surprising, I guess, but sound coming out of the iPad Air’s speakers isn’t as full or rich as the iPad Pro. The best way to describe the iPad Air’s audio is that it sounds washed out. These aren’t bad speakers per se, but while I would easily recommend using an iPad Pro as a decent-quality portable speaker around the house, I wouldn’t say the same about the iPad Air’s speaker system. It sounds okay, but I wouldn’t listen to a full album on it.

The iPad Air comes with a 20W USB brick. Apple didn’t remove the USB adapter from the iPad Air’s package like they recently did for Apple Watch and iPhone. Inside the box, you’ll find a 20W USB-C adapter and standard USB-C cable. Alas, as with previous iPad Pro models, this is a “thin” USB-C cable that doesn’t support fast data transfers or mirroring to external 4K displays.

The iPad Air’s USB-C port.

The Sky Blue color. I received a Sky Blue review unit from Apple, and the blue tone is more subtle than I expected. In broad daylight, it is light blue, but it doesn’t look nearly as blue as the two blue tones of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, for instance. It’s more like a light blue/grayish color. While I was testing the iPad Air indoors with standard fluorescent light bulbs illuminating my living room, my friends thought it was silver. I’m curious to see if the green model looks greener in practice.

Apple’s Sky Blue color.

Which version of iPadOS was it running? My review unit was running iPadOS 14.0 out of the box. Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t able to restore from the backup of my primary iPad Pro since that was already running the iPadOS 14.2 developer beta, and there was no iPadOS 14.2 restore image for me to download from the Apple Developer portal for the iPad Air. I set it up as a new iPad and updated to iPadOS 14.1 yesterday.

The 2020 iPad Air

The 10.9” iPad Air is a fascinating new entry in the iPad lineup. On one hand, this iPad clearly resembles the 11” iPad Pro but lacks some of its more advanced features and options to hit a lower price point; on the other, because most iPad users aren’t going to require those extra niceties, the iPad Air feels like an ideal mix of mainstream and pro – a distillation of what makes the modern iPad Pro experience great, but offered in a more affordable package that covers the essentials, from support for the second-generation Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard to the Liquid Retina Display and gesture-based multitasking. And the iPad Air does all this while looking forward at the future of iPad as a computer for everyone, with new technologies such as the A14 Bionic chip and Touch ID embedded in the top button that I would like to see find their way to more iPad models soon.6

The iPad Air raises the baseline for what we should expect from iPad as a portable, versatile computer for everyone.

Using the new iPad Air begs the question: what does the future hold for the 11” iPad Pro?

As I’ve noted multiple times in this review, the comparison between the 11” iPad Pro and iPad Air is probably an unfair one given the different markets the two devices are targeting. However, it is a comparison I wanted to make because these iPads look so similar, and because I feel like a lot of readers will ask themselves whether they should purchase the new iPad Air rather than an 11” iPad Pro. Arguably, the options still exclusive to the iPad Pro are nice extras, but unless you have precise requirements in terms of performance, display quality, and size, I think the iPad Air is a better deal than the 11” iPad Pro for most people.

It’s important to note how, in relaunching iPad Air as a device inspired by the iPad Pro’s fundamental traits, Apple didn’t use the 12.9” iPad Pro as their template, but they started from the smaller, and more manageable, 11” iPad Pro. At its core, the modern iPad experience is all about striking a fine balance between portability, power, and modularity. The iPadOS experience in 2020 is rooted in the idea that you should be able to hold a screen in your hands and use it with multitouch, or scribble on it with a Pencil, or dock it in a Magic Keyboard and use it as a laptop. The inherent flexibility granted by a compact form factor made the 11” iPad Pro the ideal blueprint for a reimagined iPad Air, which, on balance, is a more flexible, accessible iPad than a 12.9” iPad Pro for all kinds of tasks, contexts, and workflows.

I wouldn’t be surprised if making the iPad Air so similar in specs and feel to the 11” iPad Pro is a way for Apple to further differentiate the iPad Pro line in the future with even larger models and additional pro options. Right now, I believe the most important consideration as to whether you should buy an iPad Pro isn’t about the technical differences between the Air and 11” Pro I highlighted in this review: it’s about whether you need a 12.9” iPad Pro in your life. Ultimately, this is why I find Apple’s new iPad Air a forward-looking device: it gives us a glimpse of what to expect from the future of the iPad family (more iPad Pro-inspired models), but it also gives us a hint at where the iPad Pro line may be headed next. With the arrival of iPad Air, I feel like the market for the 11” iPad Pro just shrunk considerably.

The iPad Air raises the baseline for what we should expect from iPad as a portable, versatile computer for everyone. If you’re looking for an 11” tablet and think you can live without ProMotion and larger storage options, this is the iPad I recommend.

Or maybe it’s just the byproduct of adding a Touch ID sensor to the top button. I’d love to know. ↩︎

When I did, I wrote about it in my coverage of the 10.5” iPad Pro in 2017. ↩︎

There’s one speaker at the top, and another at the bottom of the device. The iPad Air featured stereo speakers before, but sound was always coming from one side; now, the two speakers can properly output left and right channels in landscape mode. ↩︎

In theory, as I covered a while back, the iPad Pro supports mirroring to external 5K displays. However, I’ve never been able to find an external 5K display that supports iPad Pro mirroring over USB-C. ↩︎

But I’m also not an animal, and I clean up all my Safari tabs on a daily basis. ↩︎

Imagine an iPad mini with an A14 Bionic, Liquid Retina Display, and Touch ID. That’s the dream. ↩︎

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lazualazua · 6 years

Text

Aren’t You Not Charming

Pairing: Subaki/Hana

It looks like I was your secret santa @sshining for @fe-holiday-exchange and I really hope you enjoy it. I haven’t written a fanfiction in more than a year hopefully this is somewhat decent and I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.

With the festival picking up, an exhausted Hana walks out of the booth ready to have fun with her shift ending. She loves helping Sakura, she does, but carrying lots of boxes just hits the limit. Hana can feel her back aching, but who cares she’ll forget it once she gets some adrenaline from the games. Taking her hoodie from the table, she wears it before heading out the door.

Hana is glad that she brought the hoodie as she shivers from the brief gust of wind. The brunette just isn’t used to the cold like some of her friends are. The colorful lights illuminate the place, and each attraction is just as eye-catching as the next. As she wanders around her eyes pick up on a booth with a pink neon sign with the title “Kissing Booth” and her eyes land on the last person she expects to work there other than Sakura.

“Subaki, you’re working here?!” Hana exclaims at seeing the “perfect” man at the kissing booth.

Sure, she knew that there was going to be a kissing booth, but Hana would never expect him to be the attraction. It is such an absurd idea that she blinks twice trying to make sense of it.

“Why should you be surprised? The others agreed I’d be the best for this attraction especially with my charms.” Subaki flaunts as usual. Does the man never get bored of praising himself?

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s the case. Not because your partners wanted to get rid of you and pile all the work on you.” Hana lamented.

The red-haired man rolls his eyes and makes a gesture of shooing her away.

“Whatever, I was going to play some games anyway,” Hana says.

“You’ll run out of money before you even win a single game. You suck at them.” Subaki comments just before applying the chapstick. He has to always be ready for any potential customers especially with his shift being at the peak.

“As if you don’t too. Last time you played you kept losing until you didn’t have enough money to get home.” Hana reminds him of a previous incident.

“Can we stop bringing that up.” Subaki always tries his damn hardest to forget that memory, but someone like Hana would never let him live it down.

“Nope.” Hana pops the p with emphasis smiling at him with her “angelic” smile. Subaki believes that if the devil ever took a form of a human, it would be Hana.

“Some customers are coming so you better get out of the way.” The long-haired man presents a different demeanor when he turns to face the incoming people.

Hana moves but watches out of curiosity to see who’s in line. She bets that most of the people in the line are people who are forced to do this as a dare or a loss of a bet.

The first one was a girl in her class. She’s the tallest girl the brunette’s ever met, and the girl’s wavy hair almost obscured the moment the kiss takes place as the lady bent down to kiss him. Hana placed a hand over her mouth stifling her laughter when she notices the long-haired man’s shaky hands after the kiss. Hana’s got to give it to him, he manages to compose himself and keeps up with the customers whether he or she was frivolous or not. As soon as the kiss hungry people leave the short girl sees the taller man slump in his seat placing his hands in the pockets of his jackets; seemingly worn out. Their eyes meet and she couldn’t help herself but smirk at how the usual confidence has disappeared into thin air.

“Are you just going to stand there and mock me,” Subaki asked trying not to get angry then after a pause his confidence reemerges his smile broad and continues, “Unless you’ve wanted to kiss me. It’s a cheap service for once in a lifetime chance.”

Hana lets out an unrestrained laughter, and it further embarrasses Subaki. She clutches at her stomach as tears formed in the corner of her eyes.

“Oh, that’s the best thing I’ve heard all day. Repeat that please, I need to record this.” The brunette asks taking out her phone.

“Forget it, can you just go away,” Subaki mutters and looks away scowling. The guy just feels exhausted after trying to present a calm persona towards many people and Hana is not helping.

“Aww, fine as a little apology gift why don’t you come with me and play the games. I want to find someone to utterly demolish at these games.” Hana offers leaning against the booth support.

“I guess I can make time for you. I’ll just let someone else take over.” The taller of the two says getting up. A few games surely will help the man out, and he seizes the opportunity faster than Hana seizes the first dumpling.

Subaki leaves his post and came back with someone else to take his place.

“C’mon let’s go. I’m ready to kick your butt. Let’s start with a game of knocking pins.” She urges and gets to the booth before he could utter a word and paid for the first game too.

With a game of rock, paper and scissors the first to go would be the taller of the two. He takes the ball in his hand and shot with accuracy, and his smug grin wipes off his face when it fails to barely knock one pin off. The other two times he managed to get more down, but still, half the number of pins are still standing.

“Let me show you how to actually play this game,” Hana claims taking the ball and pulls her hand back and uses a lot of force similarly to how a pitcher would with a baseball.

“You’ll only mi-,” He didn’t complete his sentence as the ball hit its mark knocking all the pins down.

Luck is not in his favor at all. The loser sighs and accepts his defeat, and the winner receives a cherry plushie. Subaki looks around thinking of the next game that they’ll play and spotting the dart game he just knew he was going to wipe the floor with her.

“I bet you wouldn’t be able to win a dart game. You have the aim of a drunk person, and still, that drunk person would win over you.” Subaki taunts her knowing that it’ll rile her up.

“You’re on; I’m not losing especially not to you.” Hana declares following him to the place.

Subaki pays the poor bloke managing the place and notices a couple of bandages on the guy. Probably from the mishaps. The brunette grabs the darts from his hands and clenches the first dart. The first two shots bounce and hit the edge of the dart board, and just before the last shot, Subaki holds her hand back.

“You monkey here let me show you how to actually shoot one.” Subaki positions her hand to help her throw the dart.

“You know what I’ll let that insult slide. Let’s just get on with it.” Hana replies just trying to get him to shut up by not making a fuss.

Usually, in this circumstance, there would be an occurrence where the female protagonist such as Hana would blush and stutter. Instead, she focuses on how to position her arm to beat him at his own game. Her competitiveness was overpowering the cliché of a romantic comedy. This moment really highlights the reason Subaki is often called a perfect man proving his claims. The position and angle are adequately coordinated, and she could see his eyes switch between the dart and her hand. With a push, the dart manages to land right on the bullseye thus winning the game. Subaki ultimately won, and when given the plushie that was of a creature with buggy eyes he hands it to Hana straight away.

“Why did you give it to me when you won?” The shorter of the two asks.

“Toys are for kids, and I know just how much you love cute stuff.” The red-haired guy replies.

The brunette shrugged and held it close to her. The two walk around, and it became packed to the brim to the point that they are sweating in this weather. Escaping from the crowd the two go behind one of the tents and into a vacant area. The two didn’t really pay attention to their surrounding rushing to get out of the place. Subaki trips and falls over from the wire that extended from the tent. He groans not from pain but that Hana will never let him forget this incident. He groans even louder when he hears her laughing.

“Here take my hand,” She says as she extends her arm towards her.

He does something unexpected and pulls her down next to him and she grunts but the ground was surprisingly softer than one would expect.

“You’re such a child,” The brunette laments.

“Look who’s talking,” He retorts exasperated by her usual behavior.

Hana rests her chin against his chest and looks directly at him as he stares at the star. She could feel his heart thudding and slowing down as the adrenaline wears off. It’s a beautiful feeling.

“It’s too bad we can’t see the stars properly from light pollution. Not like in tv shows where the two love interests just lay and look at the star-filled sky,” The man mentions as he extends his arm before placing it back down.

“But there’s always one star I can always see even with light pollution,” She says looking straight at him.

Something is compelling her to say those things. A moment of emotional courage if one had to name it.

“Obviously some stars are brighter than others,” He informs offhandedly.

“I meant you,” The words escape the brunette’s mouth and there was no going back.

Subaki suddenly choked on his saliva not expecting what she said at all. Hana pats his back, and he sits up. She chuckles as he tries to compose himself. Although her heart is thudding from anticipating his, she still manages to look calm.

“Do you hear yourself. That’s so cheesy, I’m going to throw up,” Subaki says with fake disgust, but the look on his face made Hana calm down. At least she isn’t the only one feeling embarrassed.

“But it got a reaction at least. I’m sure your heart is racing isn’t it,” She teases getting closer to him.

“Regardless of those horrible lines taken out of a drama, I do want to go out with you,” Subaki admits tilting his head as he looks at her.

“I accept as long as you don’t act any different with me. With a bit of romance of course, but you’ll never catch me repeating that,” Hana replies.

The two decide to go back and to see who really will be the superior at the festival’s games. Although that's what they claim is their current reason for doing so instead of their actual intention to just have fun together.

#Rainy Writes #subaki x hana #subaki/hana #fire emblem 14 #fire emblem fates #fire emblem fanfiction

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fieldnotesconfidential · 4 years

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Obviously Secure (Evacuate?) Chicago Eventually???

🐲Agent, what’s your love language?🐲

I don’t have one, believe it or not. My love language is that if you get too close to me I will find out your love language and use it against you to repel you for your own safety and my sanity. Also, I care even less about that than whatever genealogy people feel compelled to unload onto you at any given moment.

🗿I AM 32.456 PERCENT PAPA NEW GINEE🗿

🐲You may want to check the spelling on that.🐲

*from the other room* Alright people! What are threat levels given Illinois’ new laws?

Well, obviously the internal terror cell has already identified who can be manipulated. Pot has a messed-up affect on some people. Remember Colorado? The movie theatre disaster? Why weren’t you watching his every move online to track the source?

*from the other room* Yes, aware of that now. Is Chicago the main target because of the water routes?

Uh, no. It is due to several key economic decisions pending. A LOT of it is because of the legalization thing. And the Southside gang influence. Do you guys even read my reports? You would not believe what people are doing online.

*from the other room* People have been going in and filing false reports in your name so it took awhile to secure your IP addresses to determine which were you and to initiate surveillance on the imposters. Track and log what you know so we can investigate for accuracy.

I am just verbally telling you what I know right now.

🐲Is this only once we strike back for the missle scare?🐲

*from the other room* At this point the homegrown cell assumes it has a checkmate and will strike regardless depending on the next set of situations.

🗿IS IT THE SAME GROUP WHO STARTED THE AUSTRALIAN FIRES🗿

*from the other room* We are still investigating that but there could be a connection.

👹Is this, like, serious?👹

*from the other room* It is definitely not good.

How much longer do I have to occilate between pretending to be a lesbian, mentally ill, mentally handicapped, sociopathic or suicidal.

*from the other room* Just listen to your intuition and go with whatever you need to in order to stay safe and keep threats at bay. Don’t go through what you’ve been through already. Also, we can’t have you getting tangled up with another psycho, who at this point you’ll murder prematurely which will cause us to lose foothold on their involvement.

There are a lot of them. A very large organized sect. It’s terrifying.

*from the other room* Your advantage is your skills in dialect and understanding so continue to use those. I will get the Chicago team online.

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tvserieshub · 7 years

Text

Mapmakers of old had a specific warning of known dangerous areas. They would annotate either unknown or proven dangerous territory on maps with the phrase "Here there be dragons." Eros DEFINITELY would have warranted this, if it hadn't been flung into Venus. And, now maybe they need that sign on Venus. Episode 11, in many respects, is about loss. We find out that Naomi had and lost a child. Bobbie loses her faith in Mars. Holden continues to lose his balance between two competing "honor interests."

I’ve generally done detailed recaps BUT, I am reminded that the Syfy website has a lovely recap of its own, so instead I’m going to comment on significant events. Go here for the syfy.com recap: http://www.syfy.com/theexpanse/episodes/season/2/episode/11/here-there-be-dragons.

During the flashback, it’s interesting that Mei (Leah Jung) seems to like Dr. Strickland (Ted Atherton) and also that he grabbed milkweed. More importantly, it has a chrysalis attached to it. Amos (Wes Chatham) recognizes that not only did Holden (Steven Strait) not stop him from killing “Chicken Boy” but might have liked to do it himself. Holden justifies that behavior by what he thinks he is preventing.

It’s a critical plot point that Naomi (Dominique Tipper) actually has a baby boy that she lost.

We get a hint of Bobbie’s (Frankie Adams) complex backstory in her dialog with Martens (Peter Outerbridge), where he discusses how wonderful Bobbie has been (until now) and how proud Bobbie’s father was. But, the generational gap is displayed in Martens disdain for Bobbie’s concern over Mars’ actions and even her appreciation of Earth’s ocean. It’s worth wondering about what is “eating” the probes that the Arboghast is launching into Venus. Doctor Iturbi (Ted Whittall) knows that to simply launch the last two probes will not get them any results. He also notes that SOMETHING is happening on Venus. The structures around the impact crater can’t be natural. Colonel Janus (Conrad Pla) notes what sailors of old said, and he clearly is worried about what they might find OR stir up. Avasarala’s (Shoreh Agdashloo) discussion with Errinwright (Shawn Doyle) is crucial. Because she still likes Errinwright, she gives him a head’s up. This is a risky action and perhaps a rare misstep in Avasarala’s assessment of people. It clearly bugs Sadavir more than he lets on, that Avasarala won’t “stand up” for him, but she’s horrified at his actions connected to the protomolecule weapons program. We see that Avasarala is making a play to keep Bobbie by interfering with the shuttle. When they left that platform, I wanted to punch Martens in the face for his dissing of Bobbie.

Sometimes Alex’s (Cas Anvar) character, although integral, doesn’t seem quite as significant as the others. This episode allows us to truly appreciate his intuitiveness and his actual brainpower. He figures out that there’s something significant about the ship Karakum, which is being allowed “unmolested” access to Ganymede that no other ship is being granted, and he reasons out quite a clever little plan to allow him to get to Ganymede to rescue the team. (Note that because the show is extremely concerned with science realism, they actually devoted a blog entry by Naren Shankar, the showrunner, to explaining why the science involved in Alex’s maneuver can’t work within the confines of the timeline. That’s dedication!). Regardless of pure accuracy, the trajectory plotting is graphically awesome.

Dr. Strickland is in many respects one of the most creepy characters, because he seems kind and utterly rational, but what he is discussing with Mei about the Chrysalis is HORRIFYING, especially since he asks Mei “doesn’t she want to change?” And, we know what the protomolecule is capable of.

I love Amos’ ability to cut through the bullshit: “It means the station is fucked. It just doesn’t know it yet.”

Bobbie demonstrates that SHE isn’t the one that is “weak.” Ultimately, she points out that Martens clearly didn’t know her father or her family that well, because the story he relayed wasn’t about her, it was actually her father. And, this means that Bobbie’s father clearly wasn’t all that proud of her. This conversation is critical, because it demonstrates the depth of loss of Bobbie’s faith in what the Martian Congressional Republic actually stands when she sees its willingness to sacrifice her team for the sake of a deadly weapons system. There are critical areas in the book series which show the risk of Nationalism, and in some cases, Worldism (to include the OPA) and Species-ism. Martens demonstrates the influence of the HATE he still carries based on the war that Mars and Earth carried out.

One of my favorite scenes is Bobbie hitting Martens in time to her “What (smack) killed (smack) my (smack) team (smack)!?” That was viscerally satisfying. She gets to the root of the actual circumstances of the Ganymede attack. Martens doesn’t realize how easy he made it for Bobbie to go to the UN, because he strips her of her soldier identity, as well as her faith in the Martian vision. What does Mars hold for Bobbie? She’s disillusioned. I love that the UN building looks like it was built in the 1970s. Love that cement bunker style.

Cotyar (Nick Tarabay) meeting Bobbie for the first time and sizing her up is hilarious. Bobbie: “What the fuck are YOU looking at?” “I’m not entirely sure.” It’s interesting that while Bobbie is horrified at this weapons transaction, Avarsarala doesn’t seem to have the same level of disgust at the UN’s sickening actions, even though they are equally appalling. Bobbie hands over Martens data unit – I liked how it was see through. I love that when Alex arrives, he notices that poor Amos got shot again. This is another area in which I which I respect the show, because Amos is not instantly “better” or able to operate magically at 100%. Note that we found out more about JP Mao’s (Francois Chau) family, in particular that he has another daughter, Clarissa.

It took a lot of courage for Prax (Terry Chen) to open the container in the incinerator, knowing it might have been his daughter, Mei. And, it was lucky that the energy of incinerating the hybrid child didn’t create a protomolecule creature! And, the thought of a child in an INCINERATOR! ACK. So, yes, I’m glad that Holden let that doctor die, although the loss of any information that she might have been compelled to give up is regrettable. Naomi was forced for her own piece of mind to stay behind. She has a point about how much more of the protomolecule there could be, but Holden is locked on target about destroying what he KNOWS exists. And, the look on Holden’s face when he watches P-man look at them and run away is sheer determination.

Grade: A-

Next episode: “The Monster and the Rocket” airs on April 12, 2017 at 10pm on Syfy

The Expanse (S02E11) “Here There Be Dragons” Mapmakers of old had a specific warning of known dangerous areas. They would annotate either unknown or proven dangerous territory on maps with the phrase "Here there be dragons." Eros DEFINITELY would have warranted this, if it hadn't been flung into Venus.

#Holden #Naomi #Protomolocule #Rocinante #The Expanse

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awebhostingfixpagex · 4 years

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Reliability is one more key issue to question while picking colocation room. Normally, in web hosting reliability is measured as uptime. A relied on provider should have uptime of concerning 99.999%. Other things that matter being the reliability concerns are personnel certifications, consumer responses, and on-site assistance.

Deployment Efficiency:

Ask the carrier exactly how fast he can set up and run your infrastructure at his center. Deployment effectiveness deals with the speed and accuracy company provides while using a brand-new cross attach or extra rack area in the future for colocation cages. Like your rivals, you'll also be wanting new space established as promptly and also successfully as feasible. Measuring or measure deployment efficiency is hard, possible vendors need to plainly communicate their timeliness to you.

Financial Stability:

Of program, funds do matter regardless of business you remain in. While examining in to the facility of various other hosting company for your demands, examine his economic security deeply. You can't pay for renting out colocation area at an information center that winds up operations within a couple of years. While organizing the bargain with the firm, check via the company's financial security.

#vps

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mohamadpros · 6 years

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We have made considerable progress since the starting points of straightforward woven loincloth. Our weights with awkward, larger than average and over warmed clothing our extraordinary grandmas needed to persevere through apparently broke down with "the vote.'' Opting for more agreeable styles, we at that point advance "freed" ourselves to express our womanliness and sexuality and maybe as some say relinquishing solace again for the development towards the G-string of today. Our lingerie were about articulation and solace until the point that the researchers came. Yes...invite a couple of researchers into any blend and now we're talking a radical new boudoir! Here's five ways the researchers intend to mess about in your clothing cabinet.

1...Surf and turf... We are really living in an expendable world, obviously directly down to our pants. However on the other hand there are some exceptionally useful applications for dispensable clothing. Beside the accommodation consider the producer's claim connection to movement they do give a sterile and ameliorating choice in catastrophes and crises. Keep in mind your mom instructing you to wear clean clothing on the off chance that you have a mishap and need to go to the healing center? Well hurl that colloquialism out the window, since now there is no motivation behind why healing facilities can not serenely reestablish your respect with these moderate expendable options. Moreover, what survivor of a catastrophic event should wear hand-me-out clothing since that was every one of that was accessible? After the Katrina outcome, this option may have the Red Cross reasoning about these items! They were going out restorative consideration, nourishment and solace... however crisp clothing was apparently neglected and an extremely valuable item for anybody included. These choices normal around a dollar a piece, and you can buy them in an assortment of styles: great briefs, swimsuit briefs, boxers and hello they even come as lower leg socks as well! Touted as common, breathable and cool: this world neighborly bio-degradable piece of clothing is made of light weight, delicate, breathable cotton. What's more, if the thrifty side of you kicks in, they can even be washed a couple of times. There are not hard at all to discover, there are a couple of North American outlets you can buy them from, simply scan for "expendable clothing" on the net. 2...Save vitality, wash them once every month... Truly, you heard me accurately and once you get over the "yuck" factor, again everything considered there are to be sure some exceptionally down to earth applications. I am conversing with any of you women who has ever needed to open a duffel bag without precedent for who knows to what extent. You will be appreciative for this kind of texture creation whose model coincidentally, was tried on the space station and kept on the butt for 30 days with no foul protests. After all repulsive force and grimy pants simply don't blend. I am discussing another hostile to bacterial clothing called J-wear intended to keep foul smells under control and in addition repulse static and wick away water. It leaves a young lady to ponder what previous space station visits were really similar to require such a specific development. Made by the all inclusive based Toray Industries Inc and right now not on the "in-this-world" market presently, however you know it is coming soon.... possibly without a moment to spare for the 2010 Olympics, where the texture's wicking traits will be all around required! 3... They are our companions... We would profoundly question that our underwear are definitely not our adversary each time they "ride up" on us and we wind up squirming in our seats awkwardly; however nano-innovation bound undies gives a claim as "young lady benevolent" briefs ready to rub away muscle to fat ratio truly. Teijhn Fibers Ltd. has concocted a polyester called Nanofront(TM) initially intended to clean mechanical devices. This same texture additionally asserts the uncanny capacity to buff away undesirable muscle to fat ratio too! Say what? The organization asserts that, "the surface feels delicate to the skin, and lessens bothering radically. It is appropriate for an assortment of uses, including useful sportswear, internal wear, healthy skin items, antibacterial channel, accuracy crushing material, and so forth." (Only a researcher would feel great clustering those traits together in one attempt to close the deal without so much as a second thought.) Teijin makes additionally guarantees that in test thinks about, individuals who have worn the Nanofront(TM) clothing for 40 back to back days have encountered brought down muscle versus fat by a few percent and therefore a diminished midriff estimate by a few centimeters. Regardless of chuckling, this texture has really astounding qualities. A solitary strand of this fiber is 7.5 thousand times littler than a strand of hair, yet the unevenness of the fiber's surface produces a more noteworthy grating taking into consideration next to no slippage or development. Your briefs will stay put! Nanofront is additionally 200,000 times more adaptable than consistent polyester strands and it has astounding cooling properties, and in addition it engrossing and diffusing sweat rapidly. Presently we're talking young lady well disposed clothing, pass the nano-briefs please... be that as it may, avoid the bra, I have to clutch what little I have, much obliged! 4...Saving you on nail clean... Moving onto a clothing of an alternate kind yet no less baffling; our researcher companions may have the arrangement in progress to manage those troublesome keeps running in the nylons. Who hasn't noiselessly pressed together their lips when a fingernail tore through a fresh out of the plastic new match of tights being pulled on and were compelled to touch on nail clean with expectations of ending the run. We could just ask right then and there that it wasn't our last combine! Wishing there would be a more sturdy nylon that was as yet lightweight and agreeable. How does a self repairing material sound? It isn't available yet, yet it is demonstrating some shockingly positive outcomes in the lab at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA It comes as a poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic corrosive) copolymers (EMAA). In less complex terms it is a plastic and generally modest to create, with this one of a kind and energizing capacity to recuperate itself. This plastic holds the potential for changing the way materials are designed for various applications and it is quick stuff, snappier than you can whip out a container nail clean. Researchers attempted to catch the recuperating procedure utilizing a fast camera, however the occasion happens promptly. Beside nylons, (which is right now low on the need scale) there is an enthusiasm for this texture being consolidated in space innovation, and projectile verification coats too. 5...Tights on an alternate scale... As though nano-texture, self mending polymers, and hostile to bacterial strings weren't sufficient a mechanical ponder to get any young lady's head turning, what about a texture that transmits infra-red beams that lessens cellulite? I wager that has your eyebrows raised! What's more, this wonder is available right now, yet is such a hot item you would do well to cross your fingers it isn't sold out right now. These underwear are called Scala Bio-Fir stockings, (they additionally come in pants) and as of now sold at John Lewis who reports that the counter cellulite pants sold out inside 30 minutes of going on the web. The Bio-Fir hosiery is said to have the ability to smooth out orange peel skin. It's logical clarification goes as takes after: the texture contains precious stones that transmit infra-red beams and once they come into contact with the skin these infra-red beams instigated an expansion in the digestion in the skin cells by warming them up. This makes an expansion in the blood stream in the skin which thus causes the fat layers that make up the cellulite to soften into a fluid, which the body can wipe out. The stockings are guaranteed to be best if worn for six hours every day for a nonstop 30 days. Presently as winter approaches, there are a few women in the north with a major grin on their appearances right now. I don't know how you women of the south will take to such an item however. There is no conclusion to the misery and continuance required for the sake of magnificence, right? For sure, science has made considerable progress with down to earth applications for materials of today. It is similarly astounding that in their quest for aviation progression and big guns assurance, that they have not overlooked the better things in life also... us women and our lingerie. Which just demonstrates that we do fit very high on the need scale, and one may have the capacity to contend that as long as we make our voices heard, it is not any more a man's reality.

#IFTTT #Blogger

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thegolfrangefinders-blog · 7 years

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Leupold GX3i2 Rangefinder Review

The new

GX-3i2 Golf Rangefinder

is fueled by Leupold's DNA® motor, It is super-quick and to a great degree exact. You get determination to inside 1/tenth of a yard against an assortment of foundations and surfaces. PinHunter® innovation is Leupold's restrictive laser shaft geometry that isolates returned foundation readings from target readings to guarantee you are getting the correct perusing to the correct target. With PinHunter 2™ Laser Technology you can focus in on an objective quick and simple regardless of the possibility that you are somewhat insecure. Cooperating with Prism Lock Technology™ you get a moment estimation from anyplace on the course.

No compelling reason to go to the clubhouse or conceal this infant when the climate gets unpleasant. The GX-3i2 is sturdy, extreme and tough. It is weatherproof and will stay and play in that spot with you, through every one of the components. The fast set up menu is discerning and sharp. It's anything but difficult to utilize, quick and won't mess your field of view paying little respect to the mode or what highlights you are utilizing. Get on the course and appreciate a simple drive to the green.

Advantages:

PinHunter® and Prism Lock™: Every GX golf rangefinder has been accurately aligned to flame a laser bar precisely at the objective in the line of sight.

Optical System: Leupold engineers consolidate accuracy glass, forefront covering innovation and rough basic segments to make probably the most wanted optical items available.

Output Mode: When you need numerous readings in one fast compass, simply hold down the power catch on your GX-3i2 and the show will persistently refresh with precise line-of-site estimations.

Components:

Red OLED readout

DNA Technology

Legitimate for competition play

One-touch Scan Mode

PinHunter 2™ Laser Technology

Crystal Lock Technology™

Haze Mode slices through the climate and guarantees you will dependably get the best possible estimations you require

Precision inside 1 foot at 400 yards to the stick, 800 yards to a tree

Weatherproof

The Leupold GX-3i2 is the best laser rangefinder available.

Presentation

The mouse trap, the wheel, cut bread, and Leupold's GX-3i laser rangefinder. That is the rundown of items that I was almost certain couldn't be enhanced. Be that as it may, I considered the first GX-3, so I shouldn't be excessively astonished that Leupold has discovered another approach to enhance flawlessness.

Leupold's new

GX-3i2

keeps every one of the things that players adored about its forerunners – splendid optics, solid development, convenience – and includes PinHunter 2 innovation that makes it less demanding than at any other time to focus in on the banner.

Usability and Set Up

Embed battery, push catch, get yardage. It couldn't be simpler.

The format of the GX-3i2 is indistinguishable to the GX-3 and GX-3i with one catch on the highest point of the unit and the "Mode" catch as an afterthought. The Mode catch has 4 capacities: turning Fog Mode on and off, exchanging amongst yards and meters, changing the reticle, and flipping the Prism Lock beep. Once you've set the gadget the way you like it, you presumably won't ever touch the Mode catch again. I haven't touched mine in more than 3 years.

Precision and Performance

How about we begin with what's new: PinHunter 2 innovation. PinHunter 2 is intended to make it less demanding to bolt on to a banner stick, notwithstanding for those with flimsy hands. This has for quite some time been one of the primary worries about laser rangefinders – golfers' powerlessness to hold the laser unfaltering – however PinHunter 2 dispenses with it. Notwithstanding when I utilized my left hand or endeavored to misrepresent my flimsiness, the GX-3i2 secured on the banner quickly.

The "old" components that made the GX-3 and GX-3i awesome are largely still here. We'll begin with the development. The GX-3i2 weighs under 8 ounces and fits effectively in the palm of your hand. It's made of aviation review aluminum and feels sturdier than some other laser available. My GX-3 has been dropped, kicked, and crushed inside travel sacks could at present go for new. It's outlived each club right now in my sack. It's likewise weatherproof, so you don't need to infant it in the rain.

The GX-3i2 is additionally absurdly quick. You will see a yardage showed on screen practically before you're finished pushing the catch. On the off chance that you have that companion who grumbles that lasers back off play and you need to quiets them down, demonstrate to them the GX-3i2.

At long last, the most observable distinction between the Leupold GX-3i2 and lasers made by different organizations is the show. Leupold utilizes an OLED show that demonstrates the reticle and yardage in red instead of dim. This is considerably simpler to see, especially in early morning or dusk conditions.

Obviously, this is immaterial on the off chance that it isn't precise… however it is. Lethal precise. It gives you separations to the tenth of a yard. Give me a chance to put it along these lines: when the US military needs precise optics, they put stock in Leupold. You ought to as well.

Esteem

The

Leupold GX-3i2

conveys a retail cost of $400, much the same as the GX-3 and GX-3i preceding it. $400 is the business standard cost for a top of the line, competition legitimate rangefinder. Since I firmly trust this is the best rangefinder available, I think the GX-3i2 speaks to a decent esteem.

Leupold GX-3i2 Review

Conclusion

In the event that you need a laser rangefinder, the discourse begins and stops with Leupold. Quality, exactness, sturdiness, usability… their lasers basically have everything that you could need. With the expansion on PinHunter 2, which makes it simpler than any time in recent memory to secure on the banner, there's no explanation behind any player to figure about their yardages.

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raystart · 7 years

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Brooklyn Music Label Fool’s Gold Records on Turning 10

When you meet Nick Catchdubs and A-Trak, the DJ founders of Brooklyn-based record label Fool’s Gold Records, you realize that for some people, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

The self-proclaimed music nerds started down this path young. A-Trak, a.k.a. Montreal-born Alain Macklovitch, had his first record label after winning the World Turntablist title at age 15 – the youngest winner ever – and Nick, whose given name is Nick Barat, helped launch online magazine The Fader as a writer. Today they somehow manage to juggle their independent music careers with the demands of their joint business, and seem to relish the challenges of pursuing whatever it is that catches their eye or ear: Stoking the rigorous love of their craft that has given Fool’s Gold the cult following it has today.

Ask them about starting a record label and both will reply, “Don’t do it unless you’re ready for it to consume your whole life!” – while grinning from ear to ear. Carving an authentic path rather than following trends, Fool’s Gold has always danced to the beat of its own drum machine. The duo’s collaboration started out with their groundbreaking art of mixing hip-hop and dance music together; now it means opening up a brick-and-mortar store with a long lease – in Williamsburg, naturally – while everyone else is running temporary pop-up shops.

A-Trak (on the left) and Nick Catchdubs (on the right)

Always driven with a genuine goal in mind and motivated by what they call DHM (Deep Hidden Meaning), Nick and A-Trak have never shied away from diving headfirst into ventures that don’t necessarily make sense on paper but succeed through sheer determination and passion. On first impression it looks like Fool’s Gold Records has reached the pinnacle as the duo celebrates 10 years in business. But look a little closer at their worldwide hip-hop festival tour and the opening of their beautiful new store and you realize they are just getting ready for the next phase.

99U Contributing Editor Dave Neslon figured it was time to sit down with the creative partners and learn about their ever-evolving path to success.

How did the two of you meet?

A-Trak: We met deejaying some parties together in New York. I grew up in Montreal and was on the road with Kanye, but I was discovering a new scene in New York that grabbed my curiosity. I would play these cool little parties, and at a bunch of them promoters would pair Nick and I up together, and we struck up a friendship from there. That was around 2005.

Nick: As much as our friendship was started amongst changes in the DJ world, there were probably changes going on in the media and cultural world, too, which made a fertile ground for the seeds of Fool’s Gold, as the big companies hadn’t figured that out yet. And being on the ground floor allowed us to see that before they did.

A-Trak: This can’t be overstated. In the mid-2000s, music magazines couldn’t figure out their online presence. The reality we know now, where music gets posted every day and the internet is faster than print press, hadn’t been figured out yet at that time. As DJs, we were living in an online reality where we were finding new music every day.

How does always looking for the “next big thing” flow into the ethos of Fool’s Gold?

A-Trak: When we started, it was considered novel to have a hip-hop song and a dance song together. Now it’s par for the course. It used to be dismissive to call a rising artist an “internet rapper.” Everyone’s an internet rapper now! The things that were new and weird when Fool’s Gold started – the rest of the world has caught up with that now. So it’s less about finding new variations and permutations and more about the quality level. For us, the challenge is taking what people are putting out there and making it better. We gravitate toward personalities that are compelling and look at how we can make them the best version of themselves.

Nick: When Fool’s Gold started, having good artwork was rare, so it was easy for us to stand out. Now we are living in a time with an aesthetic generation, raised on Tumblr and Instagram. Most people have it together in terms of presentation and art. Almost everything is good. Fool’s Gold’s job is to make it stellar. Anyone can make a record sleeve, but that stuff is worthless unless there is a bigger idea behind it. We often talk about this idea of “DHM.” It comes from a Nile Rodgers’ book where he talks about all his songs with artists, and making sure there was a “Deep Hidden Meaning” behind the things he did.

You have both been in the music business since you were young. When did you realize you wanted to start a label and why?

A-Trak: I had another label before with my brother Dave [a musician in the band Chromeo], called Audio Research. We would release one single a year. We were really interested in the DIY reality of pressing vinyl and putting out our friends’ music. It was about not waiting for someone else to give you the keys to do something. It instilled a reflex in my brain where if you are working on a song and it’s great, you end up having this natural inclination to press it up and put it out. You don’t just stop with a piece of music sitting on a hard drive. I was trained to do that from running Audio Research. When I started touring with Kanye, my first label went dormant, so when I met Nick I remember having some conversations with him about putting some new stuff out, but it was a different sound from what I did on my old label. We started exchanging MP3s and it felt like a fantasy baseball version of having a label – and that just turned into us deciding to start something new ourselves.

Nick: For me, I just felt like it was interesting and at the intersection of all the stuff I had a passion for. It’s funny, because now when kids ask what advice I have for starting a label, it’s “Don’t!” But you need some of that naive “Fuck it, I’m doing it” to get it started, as logically there are so many warning signs telling you not to do it. If you can disregard those it means you still have the fire to keep it going when things get tough. You have to have something beyond a logical sense of it being something that can sustain itself.

A-Trak: Running an independent business takes up every minute of your life. It’s a constant challenge every single day just to balance out the time for creative endeavors you want to do yourself as an artist and running a company with friends. But the stuff I’m proudest of in my whole life are instances of going where you are not supposed to go and breaking ground in some way. There are reasons why it’s rare to break ground. It’s not easy. It will drive you crazy. But I kind of love it.

Nick: If you can see it’s nuts and still want to do it, that means you should do it. It’s kind of like the difference between the person who goes into the cave to find treasure and the person who says, “Fuck that, something’s going to eat me.” I know a lot of talented people who just opted out, thinking, “This is going to be a hassle; I’m going to hit the bong now.” At the very least we can say we have this beautiful store.

What was the biggest lesson learned operating the label over the past 10 years?

Nick: I think one of the biggest recurring lessons has involved a certain amount of planning and rigorous structure outside of our creative impulses. Our first couple of releases made money straight away, and then we found ourselves in year three or four where there was a big stash of money in the bank account. But we were losing money on all the subsequent ones and not realizing it until two years later. Everything was by the seat of our pants, and every couple of years we would realize we needed to tighten different areas. Even just having staff: There have been iterations of the staff over the years that have been progressively more professional.

Nick: The thing no one tells you about working with other people is that the key to that sentence isn’t “working” but “people.” Regardless of what your goals are, if you can’t nail the interpersonal aspect of it, you’ll never be able to get to the philosophical mission side. We are so used to just doing things ourselves, but Fool’s Gold is greater than any one person. It’s cool to look back and see how everyone has played their part.

A-Trak: In the last six months or so I have gotten more interested in the biz dev side of Fool’s Gold, and there is one record mogul in particular who was giving me advice a couple of months ago. I went to him and said I wanted to hire a COO for the company, and his response was “I could give you names all day long, but the most important thing is that whoever you get to hire has to hang out with the rest of your team and have chemistry with them and respect them.”

At a company like Fool’s Gold, with just 10 people, the interpersonal jelling between every single one of us is just as important as the actual accuracy of our work. We are all perfectionists and like to think our attention to detail is what makes us stand out, but I think there was a time when it took us too long to get anything out. In any creative field, there is this feeling that you have to get shit out there into the world. Learning how to fine-tune things to get stuff out the door regularly enough has been a big lesson for us.

How does running Fool’s Gold now compare to running it in the beginning?

A-Trak: Having an office is nice; I remember when our mailing address was Nick’s apartment. There’s a larger scale pattern with Fool’s Gold where we try to find the next move when everyone is stuck doing something else. In the mid-2000s, when we were founded, the major labels were terrified by what downloading was doing to their economy and didn’t know how to market their music. We founded a record label the year everyone thought the industry was failing.

Similarly, we founded a store with a five-year lease just when everyone else is doing a temporary pop-up. It’s just like when Eminem was first blowing up and every record label wanted to sign up a white rapper. That’s the opposite of what Fool’s Gold tries to do. We are never looking for a thing that already exists. We are just looking for stuff that catches our attention. Myself, Nick, and my brother Dave are the creative heads of the company, and we are hip-hop kids at heart.

And the braggadocio of hip-hop is the idea of stunting and making everyone around you go “Oh shit.” Everything we do here at Fool’s Gold has to have an element of that – whether it’s the lineups we put together for our events and finding an artist no one has thought of for the last 10 years and putting them together with the latest kid, or the architecture of the store itself, or Nick’s awesome accessories that he comes up with. It always has to have the “Oh shit” factor.

Fool’s Gold is a record label with a high aesthetic value. Where did that come from?

Nick: It boils down to taste. If you have good taste it extends to musical choices and visual ones alike. When we began, our art director, Dust La Rock, had a personal style that was very illustrated and detailed and highlighted his own esoteric interests in the Illuminati, etc. It became the early Fool’s Gold identity, but we evolved over the years and the artwork evolved with it. Our changing digital side has always been in response to the music primarily, but also the culture at large. We’ve never really followed trends or bucked them. If you have good taste, you have a sense of when your stuff needs to be refreshed or shaken up.

You both have a broad sense of style. How do you know something is authentic to the Fool’s Gold brand?

A-Trak: I wish we could put that in words, because every time we hire someone, that is the toughest part of the process.

Nick: At times it comes down to a level of intent, and you can tell who is sincere about what they are doing versus who is wearing the costume. That authenticity takes things to the next level. The idea of something being middle-brow is kryptonite to us. Of all the things that go into a professional career – you can learn the tech side and the business side, but you can’t learn to be cool. You can’t be a corny person and practice really hard and stop being corny! Charisma is natural, and we gravitate toward people with that charisma.

Of all the tracks the label has put out, which are your favorite and why?

A-Trak: It’s funny, because last night I was deejaying in Washington, D.C., and dropped an old Fool’s Gold classic, Treasure Fingers’ “Cross the Dance Floor.” Specifically, a Laidback Luke remix. Getting that Laidback Luke remix represented a time when some of these subscenes in dance music started intersecting. Up until the early years of Fool’s Gold, people rarely crossed those lines. When you go back to the older catalog there are odd choices that didn’t sell at all that I’m still fond of. The other day I saw the cover for an old Alexander Robotnick single and remembered getting the rights to a song by this Italian disco god and releasing it and losing money on it, and I am still so happy we did it.

Nick: Sometimes the misses are more interesting storywise than the hits. I love that we put a record out by the Susan, because we exposed people to it even if it didn’t sell well. The records I’m proudest of are the ones where we made something that is greater than the sum of its parts. The challenge of being attracted to such one-of-a-kind personalities is that some of them are particular, so you can’t always nudge people in the way you want to, so sometimes you just have to take what you get. My attitude to remixes is that they have to justify their existence.

We got GTA to do a remix for Giraffage–he makes Nintendo music, but it’s not a club thing. GTA is one of the best club music groups out there. So I thought if they remixed Giraffage it would be great. It was a challenge getting everyone into the idea, but they did the remix and it was phenomenal. GTA still plays that remix. I love that there is something that exists because I was stubborn enough to say, “Trust me, let’s do it.”

Fool’s Gold has grown beyond a music label. Why did you enter the clothing and events business?

Nick: It’s a very natural extension of what we’ve been doing. It’s cool that fans are educated, and the same person who cares about who produced a record cares about where the denim in their jeans came from. Record nerds are probably sweatshirt nerds too! We appreciate when craftsmanship goes into anything, and we want our product offering to reflect our sensibilities and respect our audience. We can bring in outside ideas in ways we can’t for an album project.

As a label owner, is there ever a situation where you see a big-dollar opportunity but know it doesn’t fit the brand?

Nick: That presents itself less on a signing level and more on a sponsorship level, as that’s the money that comes with strings attached, and we have to balance staying true to our values with the realities of our business. We have always had a very healthy respect for our fans and audience and would never do anything that felt like a sellout.

How do you focus when you have more ideas than money?

Nick: There’s no right or wrong way to do it. I think you need to be ambitious and realistic at the same time, and sometimes that’s easier said than done. You have to be crafty. I feel like we do more with less in certain ways, because the most important currency is ideas. Sometimes it’s better to have more ideas to get out of a situation than to just have a budget. For us it often boils down to outthinking people rather than outspending them.

As DJs and producers, how do you find time to run a business?

A-Trak: I have a natural tendency to take on too much, and I think it’s been a gift and a curse in my life. The challenging thing with that is finding the hours in the day, let alone the energy, to see through multiple projects. I believe that balancing multiple projects is why I have never gotten bored in my 20-year career and have stayed inspired. The thing that is fun and actually effective about having a music career and balancing that with Fool’s Gold is that there are all these synapses that feed each other.

As I’m researching music, I can find someone to sign to Fool’s Gold. As I’m out in the field deejaying, the opening DJ might tell me about his friend who is a rapper that is really killing it in that city, and I might end up signing them or collaborating with them. Nick is my partner, but for all intents and purposes he is my brain trust on the A-Trak side of things. I get access to one of the best brains when I am brainstorming for the next iteration of an A-Trak project. Everything is connected.

We are living in a time when the marketing ideas and the presentation are as important as the substance. There are a lot of lessons I have learned on the A-Trak side that will benefit Fool’s Gold, and the other way around. The biggest challenge is flicking off the giant switch in my mind. Most of my days are filled with the “hustle” work – the emails and the texts and project moving – until midafternoon. I try to dedicate the latter part of my day to some of my own projects and working on music. Going from Fool’s Gold email to trying to come up with an idea for a song are challenging persona switches.

What do you have planned to celebrate your 10-year anniversary?

A-Trak: The opening of the store is part of it, and we have events sprinkled throughout the year. The events side has become practically as big as the record label side of the company. We are hitting six cities with Fool’s Gold Day Off. At the same time, we are doing a new series of underground showcases in New York called “New York’s Loudest.” Even that sort of touches on part of our recurrent theme at Fool’s Gold: That when one thing gets big we try to nurture the next thing. The Day Off festivals have gotten big, so we want to do these little showcases. We are always mindful to have that three-dimensional approach to what we do.

Nick: We are working on a book. I’ve been a little like the keeper of the scrolls here when it comes to the label. There has been shit we’ve done that is almost like a surprise to me that we did it. The ups and downs of the label and the things we’ve released make it such a weird thing in a way. We have some weird little wavy sidebars that are important to the history of what we do. So with the book, I like that we’ll have this tome which you can go through chronologically, and it’s a thing I look forward to handing to a new employee that embodies the spirit of what we do. Right now I’m just going through everything and organizing, but the book part will come quickly, and it’s important that this 10th year ends first, as there is so much we are doing. As 2017 comes to a close, we will piece the actual bits together.

#startups #text #startup #advice #busieness #howto #news #tech #love

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howtechpress-blog · 7 years

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Bullseye from 1,000 yards: Shooting the $17,000 Linux-fueled rifle ARM CPUs, lasers, and Wi-Fi make shooting this weapon an affair like no other.

My picture taker, Steve, squints through a mechanized degree hunching down on a major chasing rifle. We're outside at a range only north of Austin, Texas, and the wind is blowing like—sufficiently insane with the goal that we're dialing in more twist change on the rifle's PC. The spotter and I screen Steve's sight through an iPad connected to the rifle by means of Wi-Fi, and we can see precisely what he's seeing through the degree. Steve lines up on his objective downrange—a tenderly swinging metal plate with a fluorescent orange hover painted at its middle—and discourages a catch to enlighten it with the rifle's laser.

"Great label?" he asks, delicately.

"Great label," answers the spotter, viewing on the iPad. He leaves the gadget in my grasp and looks through an ordinary powerful spotting degree at the objective Steve has chosen. The wind stops immediately. "Send it," he gets out.

Steve pulls the trigger, however nothing promptly happens. On the iPad's screen, his reticle shifts from blue to red and floats toward the stamped target. Despite the fact that I'm expecting it, the rifle's report is startling when it shoot.

A moment later, the spotter gets out, "That is a hit!"

Steve has recently conveyed a .338 Lapua Magnum round straightforwardly onto an objective about the measure of a major supper plate at a scope of 1,008 yards—that is ten football fields, or a tick more than 0.91 kilometers. It's his initially attempt. He has never shot a rifle today.Through the shooting glass

Obviously, Steve isn't some sort of super mutant marksman—he had a touch of offer assistance. We were plinking focuses with $17,000+ Linux-controlled chasing rifles, made by a little Austin organization called TrackingPoint. Recently, Ars written about TrackingPoint's "Exactness Guided Firearm" at CES, where the 59-worker organization was giving the press a sneak-crest at their item before its official presentation at the Shot Show tradition seven days after the fact.

The Precision Guided Firearm is an "entire gadget" sort of thing—it's not only a favor scope on top of a favor weapon, but instead a firmly incorporated framework coupling a rifle, an ARM-fueled degree running a changed variant of Angström Linux (with some custom BitBake formulas and bit modules to bolster the rifle's restrictive equipment), and a connected trigger system whose weighting is controlled by the extension.

TrackingPoint really makes three diverse Precision Guided Firearms, two of which fire .300 Winchester Magnum rounds and one of which flames a bigger .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge. The weapons themselves are made by Surgeon Rifles, and TrackingPoint includes the degree and trigger instrument to the rifle and after that offers it as a bundle. Since dispatch, TrackingPoint's deals have been exceptionally lively: the organization has about sold out of their whole distribution of PGFs for all of 2013.You may be directed to surmise that the lighter XS3 is the most famous of the three rifles, yet TrackingPoint VP Bret Boyd really says that they've sold a greater amount of the .338 LM XS1 than any of alternate models. This bodes well: the XS1 has the longest viable scope of the three PGFs, up to 1200 yards, and the kind of client ready to buy TrackingPoint's high-dollar items is likewise the sort of client who likely does a mess of chasing, at home and abroad. The XS1's flexibility is likely worth more to that sort of purchaser than its value contrast (about $22,000, contrasted with the XS3's $17,000).

What's it get a kick out of the chance to shoot?

I've discharged few jolt activity rifles some time recently, however nothing as large as the .338 LM-loaded XS1, on which we invested the vast majority of our range energy. The most peculiar thing about shooting TrackingPoint's rifles, the thing fiercely not quite the same as a standard chasing rifle, is the trigger system. The rifle's "Label Track-Xact" innovation implies that there is a postponement between when you pull the trigger and when the rifle shoot—once in a while a few seconds of deferral, contingent upon how consistent your point is. This distinction between trigger draw and terminating can be abnormally vexing.

The majority of the cooperation with the rifle's PC is done through the mechanized following extension, which shows a picture of the world before the rifle, overlaid with information. It's reminiscent of a contender stream heads-up display.Through the following degree, you find the thing you need to shoot, regardless of whether it's a metal plate like we were hitting on the range, an amusement creature, a tree, or whatever. You put the middle reticle over the objective and discourage the red labeling catch simply forward of the trigger, which causes the following degree's range discoverer to quickly enlighten the objective. The range discoverer is an intense laser, evaluated at 75W and beat for a normal energy of 1mW, which measures the separation to the objective in yards (1 yard is 0.9 meters, for metric perusers) and showcases that number in the upper left half of the degree's field of view. Once "labeled," the objective picks up a red pip. The degree picture likewise reorients itself in a move that can befuddle the initial couple of times it happens.The reorientation is to consider the "drop" of the shot. As exhibited by MythBusters, a slug is influenced by gravity as it flies, losing tallness at an indistinguishable rate from it would if dropped specifically out of your hand. At 1000 yards, the shot loses around 20 feet (6 meters) of stature, thus when you tag an objective with the following extension, the field of view quickly moves down, by a sum relative to the objective's separation. This is so that the focal point of the degree precisely demonstrates to you where the round will go, as opposed to some point far above it. Somebody discharging a long-extend shot with a conventional extension must make a similar change physically, however here the ballistic PC deals with it.

Once the objective is labeled, the laser stops enlightening and the inserted framework's picture acknowledgment schedules assume control. On the off chance that the objective is an amusement creature, the degree will track the creature's development in the field of view, and the red pip will stay adhered to the point on the objective where it was initially labeled. This level of accuracy clearly assists at the range, yet it additionally empowers a seeker to all the more morally gather creatures by exactly focusing on particular regions—the labeling instrument incredibly disentangles the way toward slaughtering the amusement creature with a solitary shot, as opposed to injuring it and causing pointless enduring.

After the objective has been labeled, the extension's reticle changes to a vast blue "X," and the weapon can be shot. To really send a round downrange to the objective, you discourage the weapon's trigger. This doesn't make the weapon promptly discharge, however—the reticle turns red, and keeping in mind that holding the trigger held down, you should adjust the reticle to the labeled pip. Once the pip and the reticle match, the weapon fires.Yeah, however how can it feel?

The weighty Surgeon rifle feels like a quality gun ought to—it's strong and its jolt works with a consoling ka-piece ka-lump. Like most guns, it works best when worked legitimately—you immovably situate the magazine and solidly shut the dash to put the weapon in battery. We invested less energy in the .300 Winchester Magnum-loaded XS2 and XS3 rifles, however the operational emotions were comparable. The XS2 and XS1 are shut in appearance, with the fundamental visual distinction being the barrel length. The XS3 is littler, with a more conventional rifle stock grasp rather than a gun style hold. The greater part of the rifles accompanied forward bipods connected so they can be shot from an upheld position without requiring sandbags or whatever other sort of support.

Pretty much everybody who shoot a gun or rifle experiences a modification period where they suspect and overcompensate for the backlash the weapon produces when discharged. The overcompensation is a practically oblivious adjustment that the body makes. Conquering it is a piece of figuring out how to shoot. Guns are uproarious, and when they are shot they bounce back in your grasp. Along these lines, less-experienced shooters adapt to the backlash by bringing the weapon's barrel descending against the expected compel—regularly before they've even shot the weapon.

The best way to figure out how to adapt viably to a weapon's backlash is to hone, and the modification time frame keeps going an alternate time span for each individual. There are things you can do to help (I've had educators in the past prescribed adjusting a penny on your weapon's front sight and dry-shooting until the penny doesn't move as an approach to instruct a relentless trigger draw), however somehow it's something everybody needs to manage.

TrackingPoint's rifles, however, expel overcompensation from the condition by absolutely isolating the demonstration of pulling the trigger from the weapon's discharging. Additionally no longer important is holding your breath to abstain from irritating your sight picture or timing your shot to your pulse or other long-extend traps—the rifle's PC picks the most ideal time to discharge. You force and hold your trigger, and after that painstakingly adjust the reticle to the gliding red pip.

There is a symptom, however. Instead of overcompensating for trigger force, I ended up shying once again from the rifle after I'd pulled the trigger. One issue with the preproduction PGFs we were shooting was that there was no eyepiece on the degree, thus you expected to physically judge how far back to position your eye so that the extension didn't bash you in the face when the rifle was shot (something that TrackingPoint over and over let us know will be cured on the generation PGFs). Be that as it may, something other than not needing a bruised eye, the evacuation of the moment input between trigger draw and terminating disposes of one sort of expectant flinching and presents another.

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howtotechpress-blog · 7 years

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Ars does Soylent, Day 2: My God, what is this disastrous situation I no longer need to put any substances of any sort into my mouth ever again.

Two days back, Senior Reviews Editor Lee Hutchinson took a promise to spend seven days eating only Soylent, a nutritiously finish feast substitution made by architect and business visionary Rob Rhinehart. He's archiving his flexibility from strong sustenance by day. Perused about Day 1 here.Day 1 recap: Like trench fighting in France

I finished the past passage saying that I would take off running, yet that did not occur. As it got closer to 7pm, I began feeling dismal thunderings in my stomach—the kind that could either be the indication of some safe gas or the harbinger of the poopocalypse. I remained in, rather watching a few scenes of The Wire with my significant other, who had a fine solid supper while I tasted my Soylent with a constantly souring gut. Somewhat after 8pm, the gas began.

It was terrible. These weren't unimportant ha-ha toot sorts of discharges; this was hair-raising. It was room-clearing, horse-slaughtering, World War I mustard gas-sort gas. I moved from space to room in the house like I was surrendering domain to the Kaiser, my face settled in a look of frightfulness as green hellfire vapor trailed behind me, peeling paint and withering plants. My significant other, favor her heart, said nothing. Eventually, I advanced back to the PC and pulled up the email correspondence between Soylent organizer Rob Rhinehart and me.

"Other than a touch of gas at first (a few people's gut microorganisms are not acclimated to the dissolvable fiber) there have been no unfriendly responses," he wrote in light of my question about potential versatile reactions. At that point my eyes begun to water from the gas and I needed to keep running once more into the parlor.

Substance fighting farts aside, I finished off Day 1 with completely zero issues with appetite. Truth be told, other than a couple brief twinges, I didn't feel real for-genuine craving even once. It even felt like there was excessively Soylent in the pitcher—it was a test to eat every last bit of it.

Day 2, 07:30

I woke up with a light migraine, which is surprising for me. I haven't gone off espresso, and it doesn't feel like a caffeine cerebral pain—it's quite recently sort of a scarcely there disturbance. I trundle into the workplace, get up to speed with overnight email and tweets, and consider my breakfast presenting with expanding fear.

My stomach has never been especially responsive to breakfast, and right now we have the most uneasy of détentes going on—any wrong move could start an episode. As I taste espresso, a few Soylent flatulates issue forward and I pull my shirt up over my nose. My better half has somewhat of an icy and dozed in the visitor room the previous evening, and I'm in reality quite thankful. In case I'm as yet gassy now, I was likely gassy throughout the night. Luckily, I was oblivious and did not take note.

The inescapable part where we discuss crap [skip to the following subhead if squeamish]

Consistency has never been an issue for me—even as I push ever assist into my late 30s, I keep on being honored with accuracy guts. My first post-Soylent crap happens ideal about at the typical time—8:30-ish—and it feels like the same old thing: neither a wild splash nor a rough hard press. I'd give it a four on the Bristol scale. From an amount point of view, it was unquestionably less, yet it wasn't especially unique. Perhaps a couple shades lighter than regular, yet at the same time a typical darker.

The lavatory business is joined by quite roused tooting also. I envision my gut microscopic organisms are altogether wired up and moving their little gut microbes hearts out. My digestive organ is murmuring and pounding like a Soylent-filled discotheque.

Day 2, 09:00—Soylent Green

I enjoy my some espresso, putting off the Soylenting to the extent that this would be possible, however as 9am gravitates toward I can put it off no more. I approach the sack and blender gradually, haggling with myself. Only a little glass at the beginning of today, I think, my canyon ascending as I envision bringing down another extensive serving like I had on Day 1.

Once more, the custom: pack in bowl, blend substance. One liter of water in blender, half of powder into blender, half of a vial of oil. This time, I include a capful of vanilla concentrate and a dash of green sustenance shading. I have now gotten roughly nine hundred hillion jillion squintillion remarks, messages, and tweets discussing "SOYLENT GREEN LOL." So on Day 2, my Soylent will surely be green. This time, I utilize super cold water and the most minimal setting on the blender, giving the blend a chance to rest after a couple seconds.Out of the blender and into the pitcher, then rehash with second liter. The pitcher has no foam today, for which I am grateful. Gradually, I pour an espresso mug-sized serving and taste.

The vanilla has a gigantic effect in taste discernment. The strange non-specificity is gone, similar to the yeasty breadiness—in its place, there's essentially an indication of vanilla. The sweetness is a great deal better now as well, feeling like some portion of the light vanilla flavor as opposed to a simulated idea in retrospect. There's very little to be done about the sticking pastiness however, and the dregs coats my mouth like mud in a riverbed. Still, I control through the mug of thick pistachio-green slurry and really feel OK about it.Day 2, 10:00: Second breakfast

This is turning into a standard hold back: I'm not eager, but rather on the off chance that I don't drink the Soylent, I won't complete the pitcher. Since the calories are incorporated with the sustenance, I have to complete the entire day's serving keeping in mind the end goal to get everything my body clearly needs to work.

The green shading isn't especially off-putting—it looks sort of cool, really, similar to it ought to taste of peppermint. My stomach reels at the possibility of peppermint-enhanced Soylent.I don't especially make the most of my second glass. I am drinking it while I work, similar to a quick paced present day kind of fellow, however regardless i'm full from breakfast and the more I drink of the second glass, the heavier I feel. It takes me 30 minutes to traverse the container, and the prospect of that whole pitcher as yet holding up in my ice chest is truly weighing at the forefront of my thoughts. Now, a light lunch of a modest bit of flame broiled chicken sounds appallingly, unpleasantly engaging. No, scratch that—now, not eating for whatever is left of the day sounds shockingly better.

I'm additionally feeling lovely darn uncreative. Morning is generally when I chip away at short news things and reports, and concentrating on a site sufficiently long to peruse something beyond a couple sections sounds like a preposterous measure of work. Reports of Soylent bringing on mental lucidity and enhanced execution and vitality can be discovered somewhere else on the Web, yet I feel the inverse: drowsy. The cerebral pain from today is starting to strengthen.

I pop some ibuprofen to help with the cerebral pain, and the little piece of water to make the pills goes down makes my stomach feel much more full. I attempt to disregard it and compose.

Day 2, 13:30: I am compelled to eat

The migraine has kindly blurred, and all the more reassuringly, I'm really feeling a little, exceptionally black out measure of craving. I'd love to give it a chance to stew longer and check whether it blooms into a real undeniable yearning to eat, however I don't have time. There's around 1.5 liters of green vanilla Soylent that I need to traverse.

The pitcher has stratified significantly less today than it did on Day 1, as well, for which I am thankful. I feel...odd, is the most ideal way I can put it. It's neither a decent odd nor a terrible odd—I simply feel a little off kilter. I get a decent whiff of Soylent as I whisk away its layers and I feel all the while queasy and hungry, however significantly more queasiness than craving. When I begin drinking it, it's not shocking, but rather I'd truly recently begun to shed the overwhelming feeling from breakfast and I'm not especially anticipating jumping again into feeling so weighted down and un-hungry.There's a considerable measure of gut moving as I drink this specific serving, as well—my digestive organs have been for the most part calm since breakfast, however evidently that is not going to last. When I'm finished with the glass, I've completely demolished any sentiments of yearning I may have been feeling and I truly have confidence in my heart that I will never need to put anything sustenance related in my mouth again for whatever is left of my life.

This sounds like overstatement, however man, Saturday is resembling it's a long, long way away.

As I come back to work, I need to accomplish something to consume through the Soylent funk I feel myself falling into. The previous evening's prematurely ended endeavor at running truly annoys me and I frantically need to get retreat there today, yet there won't be a shot in damnation if my gut doesn't quiet down and my mind remains this foggy.

It's conceivable this is a self-propagating cycle I'm in—Soylent's 2400 calories are more than I requirement for my standard "sit in this seat and compose throughout the day" level of action. Perhaps in the event that I get up and accomplish something, the action will jumpstart things and I'll get more empowered.

Running needs to hold up until some other time at night however, in light of the fact that I live in what might as well be called overwhelm hellfire. Furthermore, I have meetings and due dates and things—flying out for two or three hours today truly isn't an alternative. As the evening extends on, my gut cycles into high action, having a craving for seeming like an organization of dump trucks snarling and slipping their way through an Ice Capades execution. It's unsettling.

Day 2, 17:00: Do not need

Shane Snow, composing for Tim Ferris' blog, talks through his two week Soylent travel with mind and talkative, bypassing the days and clearly feeling great through it all. He describes that by Day 2, he's getting the fragrance of sustenance all over the place and envisioning about eating, about gnawing into a brownie.

I don't feel anything like that. Not by any means remotely. Sustenance is terrible. I have an inclination that I need to sew my mouth close. I would prefer not to ever expend anything again. No water, no Soylent, no chicken, no steak, no lager, no nothing. My stomach is finished. I have broken it.

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