#power quality testing instruments

[ashiprogoez]

Power Quality Testing Instruments: Essential Tools for Reliable Electrical Performance

In modern electrical environments—where sensitive electronics, variable loads, and renewable energy sources coexist—maintaining consistent and clean power has never been more critical. When power quality is compromised, even for a moment, the consequences can range from equipment malfunction and data loss to costly downtime or system failure. That’s why power quality testing instruments are indispensable for anyone responsible for electrical system performance and reliability. These instruments don’t just help identify issues; they empower engineers, technicians, and facility managers to understand, correct, and prevent power problems before they escalate. In this blog, we’ll dive into what power quality testing instruments are, what they measure, and how they support dependable, efficient electrical operations.

What Are Power Quality Testing Instruments?

Power quality testing instruments are specialized devices used to measure, record, and analyze electrical parameters that influence the quality of power within a system. They help assess how consistently electrical power is delivered and consumed across networks, facilities, and devices.

These instruments measure and detect conditions such as:

Voltage sags and swells

Transients (spikes)

Harmonics and distortion

Frequency fluctuations

Power factor

Load imbalances

Flicker and noise

By capturing and analyzing these factors, power quality testers help diagnose disturbances that impact performance, safety, and energy efficiency.

Why Power Quality Testing Matters

1. Protect Critical Equipment

Poor power quality stresses electrical equipment, causing premature wear, overheating, and failure. Testing helps identify and resolve the root causes before damage occurs.

2. Prevent Downtime

Unexpected outages or process disruptions often trace back to power disturbances. Testing instruments enable real-time monitoring and early detection to keep operations running smoothly.

3. Ensure Compliance

Many industries must comply with power quality standards like IEEE 519, EN 50160, or IEC 61000. Accurate testing is essential for documentation and regulatory audits.

4. Improve Energy Efficiency

Harmonics and poor power factor lead to energy loss. By identifying and correcting these inefficiencies, companies can reduce energy bills and avoid utility penalties.

5. Support Integration of Renewable Energy

Solar and wind systems introduce variability into power networks. Power quality testing ensures smooth integration and minimizes grid disturbances.

Key Types of Power Quality Testing Instruments

1. Power Quality Analyzers

Multi-function devices that measure voltage, current, power, harmonics, and transients in real time. Ideal for comprehensive system diagnostics and logging.

2. Harmonic Analyzers

Specialized tools for identifying and quantifying harmonic distortion, which can cause heating, interference, and equipment failure.

3. Digital Oscilloscopes with Power Analysis Software

Offer waveform capture and advanced visual analysis of transient events, flicker, and noise.

4. Data Loggers and Recorders

Designed for long-term monitoring of power trends and anomalies. Useful for troubleshooting intermittent or recurring issues.

5. Power Meters with Quality Modules

These combine traditional power metering with power quality assessment features, often used in building automation and energy management systems.

Important Features to Look For

When selecting a power quality testing instrument, consider:

Measurement accuracy and resolution

Number of phases supported (single, split, or three-phase)

Data logging and memory capacity

Harmonic analysis up to high-order levels (e.g., 50th harmonic)

Built-in reporting and compliance features

Connectivity (USB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Modbus, cloud access)

Portability for field use or panel-mount options for continuous monitoring

Common Applications

Power quality testing instruments are used in:

Industrial plants: Monitor motors, drives, and complex machinery

Commercial buildings: Prevent HVAC and lighting disturbances

Healthcare facilities: Ensure reliable power for sensitive medical equipment

Data centers: Protect servers and prevent data corruption

Utilities and substations: Maintain grid stability and support load balancing

Renewable energy sites: Verify inverter performance and grid compliance

Leading Brands in Power Quality Testing

Fluke: Known for rugged, field-ready analyzers and meters

Yokogawa: Offers precision tools for lab and industrial environments

Hioki: Great for portable power quality loggers and multi-channel testing

Chauvin Arnoux: Specializes in compact testers for panel and field use

Dranetz: Offers high-end analyzers with deep logging and reporting tools

Final Thoughts

Power quality issues are often invisible—until something goes wrong. But with the right power quality testing instruments, organizations can move from reactive fixes to proactive performance management. Whether you’re troubleshooting a sudden disturbance or monitoring power trends over time, these tools provide the insights needed to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient electrical systems. Power up your system’s potential—invest in the tools that keep your energy clean, stable, and under control.

[sphinx-n-friends]

△◬▲ Avengers' Hobbies ▲◬△

Here are some hobbies and interests that I think the Avengers will have when I shift, including my own that I already have here. I will probably update this when I shift and we'll see if I'm right! Some of these are canon, but I'm throwing them in here for fun anyway.

△◬▲◬△

▲ Tony

△ Rubik's cube (and other little puzzles) - That brain of his must have mastered it in a day, so he probably does it mindlessly while he thinks.

△ Formula 1 - As seen in the MCU. But it's SO fitting for him, I just have to put that out there.

△ Concerts - He loves a good party and, based on his t-shirts, he seems to love music. I wouldn't be surprised if he just hangs out on the side of the stages because he's Tony Stark and can.

△ Design - He's made quite a few suits, so I can see him really getting into the creative aspect of things. This applies to all of his inventions too. They have to look as "cool" as he does, right?

▲ Rhodey

△ Reading - Give this man a newspaper or a biography or something, he'll be set.

△ Pool & Ping Pong - Somehow, someway, he's just way better at both of these than 94% of the population. And yes, he will definitely rub it in your face.

△ Piano - I feel like his mother or grandmother taught him how to play when he was young so it's a very sentimental talent of his.

▲ Peter

△ Photography - Obviously. That little stinker is too talented for his own good.

△ Tinkering in the Lab - Based on his enthusiasm in the MCU, I think he spends a lot of his time just messing around in the lab, even if he's alone, though of course he prefers to have company. He gets so excited when an idea of his works.

△ Quality Time - Like I mentioned, he likes company. He might be a little awkward sometimes, but I think that's what makes that time with people mean so much to him. It makes him happy to know that people want to hang out with him.

△ Slacklining - Hear me out. He uses his webs to create a makeshift slackline across buildings or whatever. Maybe he's on a stakeout and gets bored, I don't know, but he's damn good at it.

▲ Bruce

△ The Opera - As we saw in the MCU, he uses music to calm himself down. But I think he has a deeper connection and fascination with it than most may notice. There's something about the harmony between all of the instruments and voices that mesmerizes him. He could go on and on about it, and I can't wait to listen to him rant when I shift!

△ Scientific Research - If he's not the one doing the research, then he's reading all about it. He loves hearing other people's discoveries and he craves getting all the knowledge he can.

△ Meditation - With all of the Hulk nonsense, he got into it to help his anger. Maybe it works sometimes and doesn't other times. I don't know, but I think he has grown to love the process.

▲ Thor

△ History & Storytelling - As we know, he loves sharing stories of his own, but I think he also enjoys hearing them from others. He might one up them afterwards... Still, though. He really likes learning about makes people and places the way they are: their history and experiences.

△ Tests of Physical Strength - He has strength, a lot of it, and he likes to show it. He loves competitions between the Avengers (and winning). Even tug of war, he'll be there.

△ Singing - He sings in the shower. There's no way he doesn't. And he's actually quite good. For some reason, I feel like he might not do it in public much (unless he's drunk or joking around). Maybe it's an Asgardian culture thing.

▲ Scott

△ Scott is just excessively talented for no reason. He can learn any skill. It's actually kind infuriating. Anyway, I'll list a few.

△ Magic, Drums, Arts and Crafts, Card Games, Juggling, etc...

▲ Pietro

△ Sports - He's ridiculously athletic. He has mastered every sport. He probably doesn't even need his powers to be good at them. He's just a boss man like that. I do think his specialty is soccer (football, I know; I'm American, I'm sorry), as in I think he probably played it as a child and was obviously the best.

△ Wii Sports - He's unstoppable. No one can beat him. He has set impossibly high records. Still, he loves playing them so much.

△ Just Dance - Yeah, it's the same situation as the Wii. Those hips don't lie. Unfortunately, this means that it's very hard to convince people to play with him. He happily plays by himself, but of course it's more fun with other people.

▲ Wanda

△ Cooking - As seen in the MCU, but I'm so excited to taste her creations, are you kidding? I bet she finds all sorts of cute recipes on Pinterest too.

△ Ukulele - I remember seeing a guitar in her room in the Compound (Civil War I think?), but I think she started with a little ukulele! Maybe her parents bought her one for her birthday and she was devastated that she lost it during the incident we shall not name. She's such a sweetheart, I can't.

△ Crochet - She could probably crochet using her powers with her eyes closed. I also think she likes doing it to practice her control of her powers for precision purposes.

△ Jigsaw Puzzles - Just like I previously mentioned, I think she enjoys it for practicing her powers, but I also think she likes the peacefulness of it.

▲ Clint

△ Pool - Remember when I said that Rhodey is better at pool than 94% of the population? Yeah, Clint is the one person he can't beat. His aim is unearthly.

△ Harmonica - This guy will whip out a harmonica out of nowhere (one of his many pockets) and give the crew a nice little tune. He's quite skilled too. Name any song and he'll learn it for you in an hour.

△ Card Games - He may act nonchalant or like he doesn't really care about the game, but he will turn around and win with one incredible move and blow everyone's minds, then shrug like it was nothing. That brain is bigger than we give him credit for, I'm calling it right now.

△ Surfing - He just has that vibe. Not the stereotypical surfer dude, but a guy who will casually surf a forty-foot wave after he finishes a mission in Fiji or something. He's cool like that.

▲ Nat

△ Ballet - Despite all the trauma associated with it, I think she still has a soft spot for dancing. It was such a major part of her life for so long, so maybe she does it to heal her inner child.

△ Yoga - She has to stay flexible somehow, right? Also, I think she'd enjoy doing it to calm down after a mission or when she's stressed.

△ Aerial Silks - Speaking of flexibility... Same goes for this! She does all sorts of cool tricks too.

△ Hair - Her hairstyle changed like every movie, who has time to go to a hairdresser when you're a super spy? That lovely lady learned to cut and dye it herself, and I'm sure she'd happily do it for others if they ask. (*Nat and Steve will be together in my DR and I bet she cuts his every time!)

▲ Steve

△ Drawing - As seen in the MCU. He definitely doodles during meetings.

△ Calligraphy - Writing in cursive was way more common and just what everyone did. So, due to his physical limitations, I think he probably spent a lot of time practicing his penmanship and perfecting its art form, especially while he was sick. Drawing and writing were two of his major pastimes.

△ Running - Since he kind of couldn't, or rather, couldn't to the average extent or the extent he wanted to, he takes advantage of his abilities now. He loves the rush too. Can't relate, but go you, Steve!

△ Museums - He likes catching up on what he missed, but also enjoys the stories the world holds. He has always like history, so learning everything about the past seventy years and the rest of time keeps him busy.

▲ Sam

△ Cooking - As seen in TFATWS. But I also think he loves food and is totally a food critic, so obviously he wants to have the best cuisine on deck whenever he wants.

△ Psychology - Since he was a counselor for veterans, I think psychology interests him a lot more than some think. He may be a goof, but there's some wisdom inside him too.

△ Chatting - It's his favorite thing to do. He could talk for days straight. He loves it so, so much.

△ Board Games - He might get a little distracted during card games, thanks to the chatting, but if a board game is pulled out, he is completely invested. There's something about the map-like structure that makes his brain spark.

▲ Bucky

△ Reading - As seen in TFATWS. He loves a good fantasy book to take his mind to a different, sometimes better place.

△ Welding - He would be so good at this. I don't he did this exactly on Sam's parents' boat, but I'm sure he has the mechanical experience.

△ Repairs - As seen in TFATWS. I think he really likes fixing things, having the control to make something right and doing it, even if it's something small like a leaking faucet. It makes him feel helpful.

△ Gardening - Hear me out, stay with me. Imagine how much love and effort he would put into a couple plants, even if they're just houseplants. That nurturing side of him that he showed to Steve in the forties must still be in there. He wants to nurture something (and someone, aka me lol) in the way no one did for him when he was a slave for HYDRA. And once he masters it, he's damn good at it.

△ Games - As seen in TFATWS. There's playfulness in him past the brooding.

▲ Me

△ Abstract painting - I've been painting for a few years now and I love it! I just play some music and zone out, letting the paint take me away... I'm excited to make some art for people's birthdays and whatnot when I shift, just like I do here!

△ Baking - I definitely prefer baking over cooking. Give me a recipe and I can make anything. Plus, I have a major sweet tooth. My CR mom tells me that baking is my love language and she's not wrong.

△ Writing - Creative writing is my passion! I have so many possible book ideas, we'll see if I actually write any of them someday. I certainly want to!

[lonestarflight]

Proposal: Dyna-Soar/Little Joe II Suborbital Flight Test Program

Artist concept of Little Joe II/Dyna-Soar concept. (Convair)

"The X-20 Dyna-Soar program is often remembered as one of the biggest lost opportunities in the history of manned space flight. Evolving from the WS-464L Program, Dyna-Soar had great potential for use as a military space platform as well as civilian science laboratory. Unlike the earlier Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules that were single-use vehicles returning to earth under a parachute system, the X-20 was a winged vehicle, capable of landing on select runways, then refur- bished and utilized again.

Initial flight testing of the Dyna-Soar had the vehicle dropped from a modified B-52C, 53-0399, carrier aircraft to test atmospheric handling qualities and landing techniques. The USAF selected Ed wards AFB, CA, and White Sands Missile Range, NM, due to their natural runway surfaces. (AFTC History Office)

The initial phase of the X-20 flight test program had the vehicle dropped from high altitudes from a B-52C mothership to test atmospheric aerodynamic handing of the vehicle, as well as develop landing techniques at Edwards AFB, CA. The second phase of testing involved sending the X-20 on unmanned and manned orbital spaceflight test mis- sions powered by a Titan III rocket booster which left a large gap in the standard progression of flight testing. The Convair Division of General Dynam- ics proposed making suborbital test flights using a Little Joe II booster.

The Little Joe II was a clustered, solid-propellant rocket booster designed as unguided and controllable versions. The vehicle could accommodate one to seven, 40-inch diameter, 100,000-lb thrust, Aerojet Algol 1D solid rocket mo- tors. With minor modifications the im proved launch vehicle (IPLV) could ac commodate the more advanced 44-inch diameter Algol IIA motors.

Little Joe II had the reputation as a reliable work- horse of the early manned space program, testing Mercury and Apollo escape and recovery systems from various launch locations. The Little Joe II booster was a versatile rocket with capabilities not found on many systems of the day and could be adapted and configured for several different flight profiles.

This detailed dimensional drawing shows some of the modifications required for the Little Joe il booster in order to carry the Dyna-Soar test vehicle. In addition to the upper adapter fairing, the booster required larger aerodynamic stabilizing fins to compensate for the larger payload. (Convair)

Convair proposed making test flights of the Dyna- Soar/Little Joe II combination on an overland range between Edwards AFB, CA and the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Launching from Edwards AFB provided a lakebed in case of an aborted launch . and emergency landing. Range instrumentation was already in place at both sites, keeping the range support cost to a minimum.

Two different versions of the modified Little Joe II booster

The Dyna-Soar test vehicle would be mounted atop the Little Joe II booster with a two-part transition fairing, gloved over the X-20 to minimize drag and would be jettisoned prior to separation. This variation of the Little Joe II booster required movable aerodynamic fins, larger than those used on standard Little Joe II launches.

A Boeing/USAF X-20 Dyan-Soar is boosted skyward for a suborbital test flight from Edwards AFB, CA towards White Sands Missile Range, NM, aboard a Convair Little Joe II. The larger stabilizing fins and aerodynamic fair- ing around the Dyna-Soar are noteworthy. (Convair)

Utilizing a standard Little Joe II booster, the X-20 could be propelled to a maximum speed of 10,000 fps (approximately 6,800 mph) at an altitude near 170,000 feet. With the improved Little Joe II launch vehi- cle, those figures would rise to a speed of 15,000 fps (approximately 10,200 mph) and an altitude near 200,000 feet. The entire flight covered approximately 582 nautical miles, with the booster impacting the desert floor just over halfway through the flight. The Dyna-Soar test vehicle would experience considerable aerodynamic heating during the reentry phase with the final landing on the alkali flats of the White Sands Missile Range.

The Dyna-Soar suborbital program required a minimum of five test flights: two unmanned flights utilizing the existing automatic guidance, and three manned flights. Convair projected the total price of the five-flight test program at $12.2 million, considerably less than the projected $18 million per flight for a Titan III booster (figures are in FY 1965 dollars)."

AFMC History & Museums Program HQ AFMC/HO 4225 Logistics Ave, RM S133-Wright-Patterson AFB 45433-5006-DSN: 713-1797

source

NASA ID: 63-Little Joe II-3

SDASM Archives: 86914210, 47209426

[hirocimacruiser]

Honda Civic brochure pages.

CIVIC

The Super Civic was a new trend car with economy and dynamic performance suited to the 1980s.

1300 S

1500 SC

It perfectly combines the best fuel economy in the 1500cc class with powerful driving performance.

Resource and energy conservation are common themes around the world. The new CIVIC is available with a new engine system that takes advantage of the excellent combustion efficiency of the lean burn method, which is the greatest advantage of the CVCC engine. It offers not only excellent fuel economy, but also low maintenance costs and a low price.

10 mode driving, Ministry of Transport inspection value

1500CE model E-SR 18 km/l

60km/h constant speed test value

28km/l 1500CE, GF (5 door) Model E/SR, Model E-ST

And yet, it still has the powerful driving feel of a sports car. It's truly a Super Civic.

For example, the new cliff-cut panel in front of the passenger seat provides enough space that there is no need to push the seat back.

An aerodynamic body that provides a smooth ride.

The styling minimizes air resistance and is focused on practical aerodynamics. It is agile in urban areas and stable and smooth on the highway. The new suspension grips the road firmly.

The springs of the front and rear suspensions have been offset to provide a more comfortable ride. The rear also uses a new Honda-style strut system, a world first, to ensure sufficient compliance. The suspension is much tighter.

1300・5-door LX

A new instrument panel.

The functions necessary for driving are concentrated around the driver. The centralized target meter () that places the speedometer and tachometer in one view, as well as the newly designed rotary channel radio, are also standard equipment. The design is easy to see and use.

A large, international-sized interior designed for the world.

Compared to conventional 5-door vehicles, the interior length is 25 mm longer and the interior width is 35 mm wider. Furthermore, the clever use of each space has resulted in an amazingly efficient interior.

All models are fully open hatchbacks.

It is a big opening that opens to the full width of the body from a low position, that is, just above the bumper. Moreover, the interior floor is low and flat. Large and wide objects can be easily loaded. The three-stage variable rear seat is extremely practical. It is a design that prioritizes ease of use.

1500 3door CX

Wild ride. CX

1500 3door CE

CIVIC

1500 5door CF

1300・3-door SE Model E-SL Engine model EJ ●CVCC・1,335cm2・Water-cooled inline 4-cylinder horizontally mounted OHC-68 horsepower ●Fuel economy 22km/ℓ(60km/h・flat road test value)●Front-wheel drive●Overall length 3,760mmOverall width 1,580mm ●Strut-type four-wheel independent suspension●Front-wheel disc brakes ●4-speed

1500, 3-door CE, Model E-SR, Engine model EM CVCC-1.488cm2, water-cooled in-line 4-cylinder, horizontally mounted, OHC-80 horsepower, Fuel economy 28km/ℓ (60km/h, constant speed test value), 18km/ℓ (10 mode running, Ministry of Transport review value), Front-wheel drive, Overall length 3,760mm, Overall width 1,580mm, Strut-type four-wheel independent suspension, Front wheels, Disc brakes with servo, 5-row

*1500-3 door SE is made to order.

If you're looking for a Civic, visit your local Honda dealer.

CIVIC VAN

Gentle on luggage and gentle on people. The capable Civic Van is born.

The luggage compartment is 1,520mm long (with two occupants), 1,270mm wide at its widest point, and 805mm high, making it spacious and easy to handle. Highly refined quality. Powerful and robust dynamic performance. Extremely quiet and safe, this is the birth of a reliable business car that pursues a high level of harmony between passengers and business.

1300-5 door SV, LV model J-VC Engine model EN 1,335cm * Water-cooled inline 4-cylinder horizontal OHC, 70 horsepower ● Fuel economy 18.5km/(60km/h, constant speed test value) ● Front wheel drive ● Overall length 3,995mm, overall width 1,580m, overall height 1,385mm ● Front wheel servo disc brakes ● 4-speed

[sexygaywizard]

Gonna go on a rant that will matter to precisely no one but me but I find it so annoying these "range tests" meant to determine what your voice type is, if you're a bass/baritone/contralto/soprano etc etc it's like the armchair psychology equivalent of vocal classification. "I can sing E3-E6 so what voice type am I?" "You must be a soprano because you can sing high" THat's NOT how it WOrKS... FIRST OF ALL.... ok... Your voice type for solo voice is not determined by your range it is determined by your vocal quality RELATIVE to your range. What is your comfortable singing range is comparatively more useful for classifying choral voice types (Soprano/Alto/Tenor/Bass) because you will be singing with a bunch of other people for long periods of time so you don't necessarily need to be singing in a range that brings out your strongest solo capabilities. You need to prioritize the range that is best for your endurance. But if you ever look up "what's the most common voice type" you're going to see everyone saying mezzo-sopranos even though every opera house in the entire world will tell you that by far the most heavily impacted voice type are lyric sopranos. This is because, if you pull any untrained girlie off the street, yeah, they're most likely going to have a middling range. Does that mean she's a mezzo? NO! Of course range is taken into account when classifying, but along with range is the location of your tessitura (most comfortable/clearest/powerful part of your range) and your passagio (the boundary between your low and high registers). Your vocal range can change over time and with practice, but your tessitura and passagio will probably not. These kinds of things cannot be determined without the assistance of a qualified vocal teacher, not to mention that even a vocal teacher will probably not be able to fully & accurately qualify your voice type until your late 20's or early 30's (and then your voice type may change again as you get past your 50's but that's a whole other discussion). I say this not to gatekeep, but because your voice is not only an instrument but part of your body and pushing yourself to sing an uncomfortable range because you are convinced that you are a certain voice type will physically damage your vocal chords. If you try to lift 200 lbs without having the muscles to do it, you will fucking hurt yourself. Many singers have destroyed their own careers by trying to sing parts that aren't suited to them to try and fill a certain niche, appear more marketable, or simply because they were misinformed.

As a small pro tip, the upper boundary of your range can generally be extended with (safe and proper) practice, but your lower range can not. Your comfort (and I mean comfort, that means without stress) in your low range is a much better indicator of where your tessitura and passagio lie and thus, voice type, than the upper boundary of your voice. HOWEVER. Everybody wants to be a contralto and a bass because they are the rarest voice types. But consistently pushing yourself to sing lower than is comfortable for you is the easiest and fastest way to damage your voice. As is pushing your voice to sound "bigger" than it actually is (most voice types are lyric, not dramatic-- but that's getting into fachs and that's a whole other mess). Sorry but the most common types are the most common types, find peace with your space in the universe. ANYWAYS sorry it's just a pet peeve please be safe and practice good vocal health thank you

[notamewsed]

Don't Blame Me - Chapter 10 (Preview)

Pairing: Enver Gortash x Tav (Original Female Character)

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Tags: Slow Burn, Eventual Smut, Power Imbalance

“Diplomacy is a useful tool,” he said, voice dipping lower, “but it’s not the only one in the arsenal. Sometimes, a blunt instrument achieves what a careful hand cannot.” 

Aurea tilted her head, her pulse flickering for a moment. Was it still strategy they were discussing, she thought?

“Fear might quiet rebellion for a time, but empathy and respect builds lasting loyalty and strength in other ways.” She paused deliberately before adding, “I prefer methods that don’t leave scars.”

“A noble sentiment,” he said, his voice smooth but edged with amusement. “Idealism has its place, but power demands results. Learn that, and you’ll find yourself far more formidable.”

Aurea tilted her head, a wry smile gracing her lips. “I didn’t realize this was a test.”

“Every conversation here is a test,” Gortash replied. “Especially when it comes to ruling. You seem especially eager to prove yourself. Or perhaps to challenge me.”

“I simply intend to understand the rules of this game you insist we play.” Aurea arched a brow. 

Gortash leaned forward, elbows resting on the table and fingers steepled. “And that, my dear, is where we differ. I don’t play games. I win them.”

“Bold words from someone whose grand plans failed.” Aurea jeered. 

He smiled thinly. “Plans are never meant to be perfect; the great ones are meant to evolve. Adapt, survive, grow stronger—and in the end, triumph.”

He was always thinking ahead, Aurea thought. The idea of catching up to him, trying to unravel his next scheme, felt both daunting and strangely intriguing. It was infuriating to know he always stayed a step ahead—but perhaps, it was also an invitation to dig deeper. If that meant spending more time with him, so be it.

“You have good instincts and a strong will. Two qualities I admire, Aurea.” The tops of his fingers brushed along her cheek. “You will do well here, if you can keep that attitude in check.” 

Aurea’s breath caught for a moment. She wanted to recoil, or at least told herself she did. 

He tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear, but his hand lingered, slipping through her hair until it rested at the nape of her neck. Then, his fingers curled tightly, not enough to hurt her, but firm enough to tip her chin upward, forcing her to meet his eyes.

She should shove him backwards onto his feet, should bite his hand, swear him off, anything. She wasn’t sure if it was instinct, defiance, or…something else. But she remained, her thoughts drowned out in his steady gaze. 

“Well then, you will have your hands full,” she managed to get out. 

“It seems I will.” He looked down at her, the hard lines around his eyes smoothing over for a moment. 

Gortash took a breath and straightened, posture shifting into his practiced pose of authority. 

"I trust you’ll make the right decisions, Archduchess. After all, the city’s future rests in your hands as much as mine now," He said distantly, attitude shifting like the breeze. 

Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode toward the door, cloak brushing the floor in his wake.

Check out the full chapter here:

[zosonils]

saw your tags on the special interest thing. do teach me about the soundtrack of sonic cd and its many fascinating production oddities...

YOU GOT IT BOSS o7

as most people know sonic cd has two [almost] entirely separate soundtracks - the original, used for the japanese and pal region releases, and a different one made for the american release. the jp soundtrack is your typical upbeat early sonic fare, with added flair and lots of fun sound samples thanks to cd audio quality, while the us one replaces most of that with super grungy and more atmospheric tracks. i'm not sure if there's ever been an official source on why the entire soundtrack was swapped out, and i'm too tired to check lmao [there are no sources for this post. it's all dude trust me], but the prevailing theory is that the localisation team thought that americans wouldn't care for the playful and energetic original soundtrack, since it was 1993 so everyone hated fun or something

the general consensus is that the jp ost is better and fits the gameplay more, and most future games to musically reference sonic cd use the japanese tracks as their basis [and the 2011 port of sonic cd defaults to the jp soundtrack no matter what region you're in, though it includes both versions and lets you swap soundtracks whenever], but the us soundtrack has its fans for its atmospheric style and uniqueness among sonic soundtracks. [personally i'm a huge sonic cd us soundtrack defender - tidal tempest present, all three metallic madness mixes, and the special stage theme are absolute hidden gems to me - but i do think it's weaker in the context of the game it's for by virtue of most of the good and bad future mixes not being tonally distinct enough from the present mix or from each other to immediately clue you in on which one you're in the way the jp songs do.]

okay now we've gotten the basics out of the way we can get to the fun stuff. my absolute favourite Sonic CD Music Fact is that for every stage's set of four tracks, the present, good future, and bad future mixes are stored as streamed audio, but the past mix is *always* sequenced music, relying entirely on the sega genesis' sound chip. when you send sonic back in time in the game, the music itself goes back in time with you by virtue of being both composed and played back with less powerful tools! isn't that cool?? they did meta stuff in their video game! in 1993!! they had the constraint to do that with the music on their game for the console addon that was all about better audio and video quality, over a decade before faux-retro caught on and most developers were willing to adhere to any limitations they weren't absolutely forced to by the hardware they were working with! they willingly kneecapped a quarter of their soundtrack for an incredibly small detail that most players at the time of release wouldn't understand and it STILL sounds good as fuck! it's so cool!!!!

the past tracks being sequenced is also why i say that the two soundtracks are *almost* entirely different - while replacing streamed audio is just a matter of composing a new track and swapping out the files, sequenced audio for a console like the sega genesis/cd is as much a programming task as a composing one. manually unravelling the old tracks, replacing any needed instruments and programming in new ones, sequencing all the new tracks properly, putting it all back together, and then testing to make sure that all that replaced code didn't accidentally fuck up anything somewhere else in the program would've taken more time than the localisation team had to get the game on american shelves. as a result, the past tracks in the us release are unchanged from their original versions, for better or for worse. as far as i know, no official past versions of the us soundtrack have ever surfaced, and we have no idea if any were even composed in the first place

lastly, both versions of the soundtrack had some form of physical album release in 1994, presumably independently of one another. the us version got sonic the hedgehog boom, which contained higher-quality extended versions of the cd soundtrack as well as a couple arrangements from spinball, whereas japan got sonic the hedgehog - remix, which true to its name was a remix album. i haven't fully listened to boom yet so i can't tell you if anything particularly interesting pops up in it, but remix is a REALLY cool listen! if you're listening for the sonic cd music it's pretty easy to pick out, but they get so creative with the original compositions now that they aren't constrained to seamless loops or fitting on the same disc as an entire video game that it's an entirely different experience. it's also just a really delightful microcosm of the sort of music that sonic tended towards early on, before sonic adventure made hard rock the standard lyrical genre and sonic generations gaslit us all into associating classic sonic with near-exclusively instrumental faux fm synth. i love you mid-90s classic sonic visual and musical aesthetic!!!!

[beyondthesweetspot]

Don't Know Why by Norah Jones

The Sonic Elegance of Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why": A Timeless Recording

In the early 2000s, the music industry was awash in a sea of pop and R&B, with production techniques increasingly favoring digital clarity and electronic elements. Yet amidst this backdrop emerged Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why," a song that seemed to defy the zeitgeist with its understated elegance and acoustic warmth. Released as part of her debut album Come Away with Me in 2002, the song quickly became a beacon of musical authenticity and sonic purity. Its success was unexpected, yet perhaps inevitable, given its timeless quality and impeccable production.

At the helm of this production was Arif Mardin, a legendary producer known for his work with artists such as Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan. Mardin, along with recording engineer Jay Newland, crafted a sound that was intimate and organic, a stark contrast to the polished, synthetic productions dominating the charts. Recorded at New York's Sorcerer Sound and Allaire Studios, the sessions were characterized by their live, ensemble approach, capturing the spontaneity and synergy of the musicians in the room.

The production of "Don't Know Why" is a masterclass in subtlety and nuance. The track's instrumentation is stripped down yet richly layered, featuring Jones on piano and vocals, Jesse Harris on guitar, Lee Alexander on bass, and Dan Rieser on drums. The mix is a study in balance, with each element occupying its own space in the stereo field, allowing the warmth and clarity of the acoustic instruments to shine through.

The recording exudes a natural reverb, likely a result of the room acoustics at Allaire Studios, complemented by judicious use of outboard gear to enhance the lush, inviting atmosphere. The gentle compression applied to Jones' vocals allows her breathy, emotive delivery to remain front and center, drawing listeners into the song's intimate narrative. It's likely that classic microphones such as the Neumann U47 were used to capture the nuances of her voice, paired with analog consoles that added a touch of vintage warmth to the overall sound.

"Don't Know Why" stands as a testament to the enduring power of acoustic music and meticulous production. Its success paved the way for a resurgence of jazz-influenced pop and helped to redefine the mainstream's appreciation for organic soundscapes. Audiophiles continue to celebrate the track for its sonic integrity and emotional resonance, often citing it as a reference for testing high-fidelity audio equipment.

What to Listen For:

Vocals: Notice the clarity and presence of Norah Jones' voice, with its subtle vibrato and delicate phrasing, enveloped in a natural-sounding reverb.

Piano and Guitar: Pay attention to the interplay between the piano's mellow tones and the gentle strumming of the acoustic guitar, each occupying distinct spaces in the stereo field.

Bass and Drums: Listen to the warmth and roundness of the double bass, complemented by the soft brushwork on the drums, creating a laid-back yet rhythmically engaging foundation.

Dynamics and Space: Observe how the song breathes, with dynamic shifts that enhance its emotional depth, and the spaciousness of the mix that allows each instrument to resonate clearly without clashing.

In an era where music often leans towards the synthetic and the loud, "Don't Know Why" remains a quintessential example of how subtlety and craftsmanship can create a recording that is both captivating and enduring.

[sngl-led-auto-lights]

Why do my headlights keep going out?

The following is a systematic analysis and solution based on the problem of frequent headlight extinguishing of your vehicle:

I. Core fault causes 1. Circuit overload causes fuse to blow

Short circuit or overload: Damage to the insulation layer of the wiring harness (such as friction between the wiring harness and metal parts in the engine compartment) will cause a short circuit, or the modification of high-power LED bulbs (such as 100W) exceeds the original circuit design capacity.

Detection method: Use a multimeter to measure the resistance at both ends of the fuse. If it is close to 0Ω, there is a short circuit; if the resistance value is normal but the fuse blows repeatedly, it is necessary to check whether the load exceeds the standard.

2. Relay/switch aging failure

Relay contact adhesion: Long-term current shock causes contact oxidation, and the circuit cannot be disconnected normally, which may cause intermittent power outage of the headlight.

Carbonization of the combination switch: The internal contacts of the headlight switch form high resistance (>5Ω) due to arc erosion, resulting in voltage fluctuations that cause the light to flicker or go out.

3. Poor connector contact

Plug oxidation: When the headlight socket is damp, the metal contacts generate copper oxide (especially in rainy areas), the resistance increases to more than 10Ω, and the current transmission is unstable.

Wiring harness is not connected: The terminal is not tightened during maintenance or the vehicle vibration causes the connector to loosen (common in off-road vehicles), and the measured voltage fluctuation can reach ±3V.

4. Bulb and circuit compatibility issues

Poor quality LED modification: Non-automotive grade LED driver EMC is unqualified, generating high-frequency harmonics to interfere with BCM control signals.

Halogen filament breakage: After the filament is partially melted, it may be briefly overlapped, showing random extinguishing (typical symptoms at the end of life).

II. Diagnostic process and tools Step-by-step troubleshooting table: Step Operation Tool/parameter Normal value range 1 Check fuse specifications and blown state Visual inspection + multimeter Original rated current (usually 10-20A) 2 Measure headlight socket voltage (ignition switch ON) Digital multimeter 11.5-14.2V 3 Shake the wiring harness to observe light changes (simulate vibration interference) Manual test Voltage fluctuation should be <0.5V 4 Replace relay test Relay of the same model Contact resistance <0.1Ω 5 Read BCM fault code OBD-II diagnostic instrument (such as Autel) No U0100/U0155 code

III. Targeted solutions 1. Circuit protection upgrade

Replace slow-blow fuses (such as ATO series), which have a surge current resistance 300% higher than fast-blow fuses.

Install ceramic insulation sleeves to protect the wiring harness in the engine compartment, which can withstand temperatures up to 1000℃.

2. Connection reliability optimization

Replace the original tin-plated plugs with gold-plated terminals, and the contact resistance is reduced to below 0.02Ω.

Apply conductive silicone grease (such as Dow Corning DC-4) in the socket to prevent oxidation and enhance sealing.

3. Control module reset

Perform a hard reset on the BCM: disconnect the negative pole of the battery for 10 minutes to clear the historical fault memory.

Update BCM firmware: Some models (such as Volkswagen after 2018) need to be upgraded to SW026 or above to fix the lighting control BUG.

Fourth, repair costs and suggestions Fault type Typical repair solution Cost range (RMB) Fuse/relay replacement Original spare parts + labor ¥80-200 Wiring harness repair Partial wiring + heat shrink tube insulation ¥300-600 BCM programming 4S shop special equipment matching ¥500-1,200 Full vehicle lighting system detection Diagnostic instrument + load test ¥200-400

Operation warning:

Do not use copper wire instead of fuse, which may cause the wiring harness to melt (case: a car owner caused a cabin fire).

LED modification requires simultaneous upgrade of the cooling system, and it is recommended to choose an integrated assembly with IP67 protection level.

If self-diagnosis fails, it is recommended to use an infrared thermal imager to scan the circuit (abnormal heating points are often the source of the fault), or contact a professional technician to perform oscilloscope waveform analysis (capture power ripple and relay control signals).

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

The most distant twin of the Milky Way ever observed

An international team led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has discovered the most distant spiral galaxy candidate known to date. This ultra-massive system existed just one billion years after the Big Bang and already shows a remarkably mature structure, with a central old bulge, a large star-forming disk, and well-defined spiral arms. The discovery was made using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and offers important insights into how galaxies can form and evolve so rapidly in the early Universe. The study is published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Large spiral galaxies like the Milky Way are expected to take several billion years to form. During the first billion years of cosmic history, galaxies are thought to be small, chaotic, and irregular in shape. However, the JWST is beginning to reveal a very different picture. Its deep infrared imaging is uncovering surprisingly massive and well-structured galaxies at much earlier times than previously expected – prompting astronomers to reassess how and when galaxies take shape in the early Universe.

A Milky Way Twin in the Early Universe

Among these new findings is Zhúlóng, the most distant spiral galaxy candidate identified to date, seen at a redshift of 5.2 – just 1 billion years after the Big Bang. Despite this early epoch, the galaxy exhibits a surprisingly mature structure: a central old bulge, a large star-forming disk, and spiral arms – features typically seen in nearby galaxies.

‘‘We named this galaxy Zhúlóng, meaning ‘Torch Dragon’ in Chinese mythology. In the myth, Zhúlóng is a powerful red solar dragon that creates day and night by opening and closing its eyes, symbolizing light and cosmic time,’’ says Dr. Mengyuan Xiao, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Astronomy of the Faculty of Science of UNIGE and lead author of the study.

“What makes Zhúlóng stand out is just how much it resembles the Milky Way – both in shape, size, and stellar mass,” she adds.  Its disk spans over 60,000 light-years, comparable to our own galaxy, and contains more than 100 billion solar masses in stars. This makes it one of the most compelling Milky Way analogues ever found at such an early time, raising new questions about how massive, well-ordered spiral galaxies could form so soon after the Big Bang.

A serendipitous discovery 

Zhúlóng was discovered in deep imaging from JWST’s PANORAMIC survey (GO-2514), a wide-area extragalactic program led by Christina Williams (NOIRLab) and Pascal Oesch (UNIGE). PANORAMIC exploits JWST’s unique “pure parallel” mode – an efficient strategy to collect high-quality images while JWST’s main instrument is taking data on another target. “This allows JWST to map large areas of the sky, which is essential for discovering massive galaxies, as they are incredibly rare,” says Dr. Christina Williams, assistant astronomer at NOIRLab and principal investigator of the PANORAMIC program. “This discovery highlights the potential of pure parallel programs for uncovering rare, distant objects that stress-test galaxy formation models.”

Rewriting the Story 

Spiral structures were previously thought to take billions of years to develop, and massive galaxies were not expected to exist until much later in the universe, because they typically form after smaller galaxies merged together over time.  “This discovery shows how JWST is fundamentally changing our view of the early Universe,” says Prof. Pascal Oesch, associate professor in the Department of Astronomy at the Faculty of Science of UNIGE and co-principal investigator of the PANORAMIC program.

Future JWST and Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations will help confirm its properties and reveal more about its formation history. As new wide-area JWST surveys continue, astronomers expect to find more such galaxies – offering fresh insights into the complex processes shaping galaxies in the early Universe.

IMAGE: With its spiral arms and large star-forming disc, Zhúlóng resembles the Milky Way. NASA/CSA/ESA, M. Xiao (University of Geneva), G. Brammer (Niels Bohr Institute), Dawn JWST Archive

[scotianostra]

8th February 1928 saw John Logie Baird demonstrate his invention, the television, transmitting from London to New York.

A man and a woman sat before an electric eye in a London laboratory tonight and a group of persons in a darkened cellar in this village outside New York watched them turn their heads and move from side to side.

The images were crude, imperfect, broken, but they were images none the less. Man’s vision had panned the ocean; transatlantic television was a demonstrated reality, and one more great dream of science was on the way to realisation.

The demonstration was made by the Baird Television Development Companyof London, using short-wave radio sets for transmission of the “vision sound” and the televisor invented by John L.Baird – who has also invented an instrument for seeing in the dark – for turning this sound back into vision after its ocean hop.

The transformed vision of the man and woman in the London laboratory came through the ether in the form of a bumblebee’s hum, a musical buzz or irregular cadence representing in sound the lights and shadows of their faces – all that was transmitted in the test.

When the televisor, a black box compact enough to be carried around in a taxi, had done its work with this rhythmic rumble from across the sea the visions gradually built themselves up of tiny oblongs of light suspended in a whirling rectangle of brilliance in the machine’s gaping mouth.

The vision of the woman appeared broken and scattered, but it was still plain that she was a woman and that she was showing first the full face and then the profile.

The demonstration was attended on this end by Captain O.G.Hutchinson, managing director of the Baird Company, who came to this country especially for the purpose; Benjamin Clapp, who has been working on secret tests of the televisor; R.M. Hart, owner of short wave radio station 2CVJ, who has done the receiving of the vision sound; and an Associated Press reporter.

The vision sound was sent across the ocean by short wave radio station 2KZ, of only two kilowatts power.

In the following years he also gave the first demonstration of both colour and stereoscopic television. The basis of which later would form the basis of the technique used by NASA to bring live colour TV pictures from the moon (he continued to be fascinated by colour television, and in the 30s and 40s demonstrated colour pictures that were of outstanding quality

[partial extract from leader in New York Times, February 11th 1928]

…His success deserves to rank with Marconi’s sending of the letter “s” across the Atlantic – the first intelligible signal ever transmitted from shore to shore in the development of transoceanic radio telegraphy. As a communication Marconi’s “s” was negligible; as a milestone in the onwards sweep of radio, of epochal importance. And so it is with Baird’s first successful effort in transatlantic television. .… Whatever may be the future of television, to Baird belongs the success of having been a leader in its early development.

[usafphantom2]

XB-70 Valkyrie

XB-70 Valkyrie in Cruise Configuration

The No. 1 XB-70A (62-0001) is viewed from above in cruise configuration with the wing tips drooped for improved controllability.

The XB-70 Valkyrie, with a planned cruise speed of Mach 3 and operating altitude of 70,000 feet, was to be the ultimate high-altitude, high-speed manned strategic bomber. Events, however, would cause it to play a far different role in the history of aviation.

To achieve Mach 3 performance, the XB-70 was designed to “ride” its own shock wave, much as a surfer rides an ocean wave. The resulting shape used a delta wing on a slab-sided fuselage that contained the six jet engines that powered the aircraft. The outer wing panels were hinged. During take off, landing, and subsonic flight, they remained in the horizontal position. This feature increased the amount of lift produced, improving the lift-to-drag ratio. Once the aircraft was supersonic, the wing panels would be hinged downward. Changing the position of the wing panels reduced the drag caused by the wingtips interacted with the inlet shock wave. The repositioned wingtips also reduced the area behind the airplane’s center of gravity, which reduced trim drag. The downturned outer panels also provided more vertical surface to improve directional stability at high Mach numbers. Attached to the delta was a long, thin forward fuselage. Behind the cockpit were two large canards, which acted as control surfaces.

XB-70: World's Largest Experimental Aircraft in the 1960s.

The figure standing on the ramp provides a size comparison with the XB-70A aircraft.

As impressive a technological feat as the XB-70 represented, the aircraft was under development at a time when the future of the manned bomber was uncertain. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, many believed that manned aircraft were obsolete, and the future belonged to missiles. As a result, the Kennedy Administration ended plans to deploy the B-70. Two experimental XB-70A prototypes were under construction at North American Aviation when the program was canceled.

At the same time there was growing interest in an American supersonic transport (SST). Jet airliners had cut flight times by more than half in comparison to propeller-powered aircraft. A Mach 2 or 3 SST would make a similar improvement over the new subsonic jet airliners. The Flight Research Center (FRC-now the Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA.) had several SST studies underway during the early 1960s. NASA’s Douglas F5D-1 was used for landing studies, a North American F-100C was modified to simulate SST handling qualities, a North American A-5A was used to simulate an SST for tests of the air traffic control system, and a Lockheed JetStar was modified as an in-flight SST simulator.

On the Ramp: XB-70

The XB-70A is shown parked on a ramp at Edwards, California, in 1967.

The XB-70 Valkyrie seemed to be a perfect testbed for SST research. It was the same size as the projected SST designs, and used similar structural materials, such as brazed stainless steel honeycomb and titanium. Thus, the XB-70A’s role changed from a manned bomber prototype to one of the most remarkable research aircraft ever flown.

The XB-70A number 1 (62-001) made its first flight from Palmdale to Edwards Air Force Base, CA, on Sept. 21, 1964. Tests of the XB-70’s airworthiness occurred throughout 1964 and 1965 by North American and Air Force test pilots. The Flight Research Center prepared its instrument package. Although intended to cruise at Mach 3, the first XB-70 was found to have poor directional stability above Mach 2.5, and only made a single flight above Mach 3. Despite the problems, the early flights provided data on a number of issues facing SST designers. These included aircraft noise, operational problems, control system design, comparison of wind tunnel predictions with actual flight data, and high-altitude, clear-air turbulence.

NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, wind-tunnel studies led engineers at North American Aviation in Downey, CA, to build the second XB-70A (62-207) with an added 5 degrees of dihedral on the wings. This aircraft made its first flight on July 17, 1965. The changes resulted in much better handling, and the second XB-70 achieved Mach 3 for the first time on Jan. 3, 1966. The aircraft made a total of nine Mach 3 flights by June.

At the same time, a joint agreement was signed between NASA and the Air Force to use the second XB-70A prototype for high-speed research flights in support of the SST program, selected due to its better aerodynamics, inlet controls, and a much superior instrument package, compared to the first aircraft. The NASA research flights were to begin in mid-June, once the North American Aviation Phase I tests of the vehicle’s airworthiness were completed. NASA research pilot Joe Walker was selected as the project pilot. The flights were to evaluate the aircraft on typical SST flight profiles, and to study the problems of sonic booms on overland flights.

These plans went awry on June 8, 1966, when the second XB-70 crashed following a midair collision with NASA��s F-104N chase plane. Joe Walker, F-104N pilot, died in the accident. North American test pilot Al White ejected from the XB-70 in his escape capsule, but received serious injuries in the process. Co-pilot Maj. Carl Cross, who was making his first flight in the XB-70, was unable to eject and died in the crash.

The deaths of Walker and Cross, and the destruction of the second XB-70 had major consequences for the research program. The second XB-70 had been selected for the Phase II tests, which were to be conducted jointly by NASA and the Air Force. With this aircraft now destroyed, only the first aircraft was available. Given the aircraft’s shortcomings, the Air Force began to doubt that it would be able to meet the Phase II test goals.

The first XB-70 was undergoing maintenance and modifications at the time of the accident to its sister ship. It did not fly again until Nov. 3, 1966. Col. Joe Cotton piloted it, while NASA research pilot Fitzhugh Fulton served as co-pilot. The flight reached a top speed of Mach 2.1. Between November 1966 and the end of January 1967, a total of 11 joint Air Force/NASA research flights occurred. Cotton, Fulton, and Van H. Shepard of North American Aviation were crewmen on these flights. A top speed of Mach 2.57 was the highest attained during the remainder of the XB-70 program.

These flights were made as part of the National Sonic Boom Program. The XB-70 flew at differing altitudes, Mach numbers, and weights over an instrumented test range at Edwards. The “boom carpet” area was determined and the overpressure measured on two specially constructed housing units. The tests showed that a large aircraft, such as the XB-70 or the projected SST, could generate overpressures high enough to cause damage. Moreover, when the XB-70 made a turn, its shock waves converged, and often doubled the overpressure on the ground.

Following these tests, the XB-70 was grounded for maintenance that lasted 2 1/2 months. The Air Force had concluded by that point that the XB-70 program should be turned over to NASA as soon as possible. FRC director Paul Bikle and Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) commander Maj. Gen. Hugh Manson created a joint FRC/AFFTC XB-70 operating committee on March 15, 1967. This was patterned on similar committees established for the X-15 and lifting bodies. The NASA XB-70 program continued to receive Air Force assistance, in terms of aircraft support and Air Force test pilots.

The first NASA XB-70 flight occurred on April 25, 1967, by Fulton and Cotton. By the end of March 1968, another 12 research flights had been completed. The pilots included Fulton, Cotton, and Shepard, as well as Lt. Col. Emil Sturmthal and NASA research pilot Don Mallick. The flights acquired data to correlate with an Ames ground-based SST simulator and the JetStar in-flight SST simulator at FRC. Other XB-70 research goals were to measure its structural response to turbulence; determine the aircraft’s handling qualities during landings; and investigate boundary layer noise, inlet performance, and structural dynamics, including fuselage bending and canard flight loads.

The XB-70 underwent modifications after a final flight on March 21, 1968. During research flights, the XB-70 pilots had frequently experienced trim changes and buffeting during high-speed, high-altitude flights. These resulted from clear-air turbulence and rapidly changing atmospheric temperatures. For a specialized research aircraft, these characteristics were little more than annoying; on a commercial SST, however, they would be uncomfortable for the passengers, increase the pilots’ workload, and shorten the structural fatigue life of the SST.

XB-70A Rolls Out After Landing

The XB-70A No. 1 is shown rolling out after landing, employing drag chutes to slow down.

The XB-70 was fitted with two small vanes for the Identically Located Acceleration and Force (ILAF) experiment. The vanes rotated 12 degrees at a rate of up to 8 cycles per second. This induced a structural vibration in the XB-70 at a known frequency and amplitude. The XB-70’s accelerometers detected the disturbances, then signaled the aircraft’s stability augmentation system to damp out the motion. When XB-70 research flights resumed on June 11, 1968, the ILAF proved its ability to reduce the effects of turbulence and atmospheric temperature changes.

Despite the accomplishments of the XB-70, time was running out for the research program. NASA had reached an agreement with the Air Force to fly research missions with a pair of YF-12As and a “YF-12C,” which was actually an SR-71. These represented a far more advanced technology than that of the XB-70. In all, the two XB-70s had logged 1 hour and 48 minutes of Mach 3 flight time. A YF-12 could log this much Mach 3 time in a single flight.

The final XB-70 research flight occurred on Feb. 4, 1969. Fulton and Sturmthal made a subsonic structural dynamics test and ferry flight. The XB-70 took off from Edwards and flew to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH, where the aircraft was put on display at the Air Force Museum. The first XB-70 made 83 flights totaling 160 hours and 16 minutes, while the second XB-70 logged 46 flights in its brief life, totaling 92 hours and 22 minutes.

@kadonkey via X

[orbitresearch]

Orbit research Introducing The Surface Tension Instruments

Orbit research introduces a variety of Surface Tension Instruments that blow your minds.

MANUAL TENSIOMETER, K6:

The manual tensiometer for reliable basic measurements

A tensiometer is used for the rapid determination of interfacial tension and the surface tension of liquids, and it is a very successful instrument wherever necessary to test the effectiveness of emulsifying agents, soaps, and wetting agents. As well as It is also used to indicate the presence of oxidation and polymerization in fats, organic and inorganic oils, fuels, etc.

K6 is also suitable for training purposes in schools and universities for demonstrating the action of the surface tension force in a comprehensible manner.

FORCE TENSIOMETER, K20:

The versatile semi-automatic tensiometer for quality control

It is the specialist for quality control everywhere that surfactants are used and for measuring surface and inter-facial tension of liquids using the Wilhel my Plate or the Du Noüy Ring method. In addition, it can determine the density of liquids.

The motorized sample stage can be manually as well it is driven smoothly by an electric motor for quick measurement. It can be powered by rechargeable batteries, so it is suitable for flexible use as a portable stand-alone instrument.

It is available as the manual standard version K20S and the semi-automatic instrument K20.

TENSÍÍO:

The new generation tensiometer for liquid and solid surfaces

Theoretically, building a tensiometer is simple: putting a moveable sample stage underneath a force-measuring device. But developing the best-in-class tensiometer is something completely different. It takes more than just using an utterly precise force sensor (which we did) and the most sample positioning with the widest dynamic range (which we developed). It takes a change of perspective that focuses on the user and his task – you and your task. It takes the will to make your lab work as convenient, flexible, and time-saving as possible. We believe that Tensíío is that kind of instrument.

SPINNING DROP TENSIOMETER:

The SDT Spinning Drop Tensiometer measures interfacial tension with a high degree of accuracy and a particularly wide range down to very low values. The SDT is the ideal solution for the quality control and development of emulsions and surfactants thanks to its enormous bandwidth, small sample volumes, and simple handling during preparation. The instrument is particularly well-suited for analyzing the interfacial behavior of mini- and microemulsions, e.g. for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) or the pharmaceutical and cosmetics branches.

BPT MOBILE:

Immerse – click – read: Capture the surfactant concentration of your bath within seconds using surface tension (SFT) with the BPT Mobile Bubble Pressure Tensiometer. The quality inspector using it knows immediately if the bath is okay thanks to an ad-hoc evaluation. Moreover, for proactive adjustment of the bath, the BPT Mobile shows how the surfactant content decreases over time.

BUBBLE PRESSURE TENSIOMETER:

The Bubble Pressure Tensiometer from KRUSS helps to characterize the surfactant's efficiency as never before. This instrument is used to get information about wetting and drop formation in rapid processes. It measures dynamic surface tension with high accuracy.

BP100 measures the behavior of a surfactant over a wide speed range as part of a single, fully automatic measuring process. This enables you to find out how quickly a surfactant acts and when the required surface tension has been reached.BP100 is also suitable for checking the surfactant content of cleaning or galvanic baths. The dynamic surface tension responds particularly sensitively to changes in the surfactant content in the concentration range of such baths, thus enabling these changes to be reliably determined.

For more details contact :

website :www.orbitind.com

Contact: 011 – 42420858 | 45578977

Mail: info@orbitind.com

[quindirecords]

Dead Bandit - Memory Thirteen [QUI011]

Three years on from the desolate beauty of their debut, Quindi Records is proud to present the second album from Dead Bandit. The ghosts of their past endeavours still haunt their guitars, but on Memory Thirteen the duo’s delicately dishevelled Southern gothic feels tonally distinct from their prior outing.

Dead Bandit is Ellis Swan and James Schimpl — the former a noted solo singer-songwriter from Chicago with a penchant for eerie, witching hour murder ballads and the latter an accomplished Canadian multi-instrumentalist with a bias towards heartworn, roaming soundscapes. Their instrumental collaboration has an open, lyrical quality which says as much as any spoken line, and on this album they’ve especially embraced the power of contrast as we’re guided between scenes, sometimes within the confines of one track.

‘Peel Me An Orange’ is especially instructive in this regard, beginning as a blown-out paean to sonic degradation and the acute sense of hopelessness it projects, only to yield to a lilting tape loop of twanging guitar before entirely widening out in an emphatic burst of post-rock optimism. Post-rock isn’t noted for its banal cheeriness as a genre, and Dead Bandit aren’t about to lay down feel-good drive-time anthems, but the sense of pulling at extremes of energy and introspection show Swan and Schimpl to be testing the emotional limits of their weatherbeaten sound. The cautiously sentimental mood of ‘Blowing Kisses’ hints at the hard-won light which can be encountered while pointedly driving into darkness.

Sometimes noise is a subtle device – a looming bed of unease under the forthright pluck of Swan’s distinct guitar tone or the cracking round the edges of a beaten up drum machine. On ‘Memory Thirteen’ the distortion on the bass becomes a central figure in its haggard waltz, while ‘Staircase’ and ‘Perfume’ leave the signal wet until the delay feedback becomes the body of the riff. Either way, the sound is never left untouched as Swan and Schimpl grow more comfortable in their exchange, blurring their respective sonic languages as they expand their shared vocabulary to create an album of depth, difference and devoted distortion.

Credits releases February 9, 2024 All tracks written, recorded and mixed by James Schimpl & Ellis Swan Quickscene recorded live 3/19/2023 in London by Ivan Muela Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi Artwork by Karolina Kolodziej Photos by James and Ellis Collages by Stella Laurenzi and Leo Calder Vinyl Manufactured at R.A.N.D. Muzik, Leipzig, DE and assembled at Quindi Studios Special Thanks: Rachel, Leo, Rowan, Hazel, Jason, Katherine and Jolene

License c + p Quindi Records 2024

[opera-ghosts]

She was the daughter of a Jewish family named Negri, born at Saronno, near Milan, in the year 1798. The records of her childhood are slight, and beyond the fact that she received her first musical lessons at the Cathedral of Como and her latter training at the Milan Conservatory, and that she essayed her feeble wings at secondrate Italian theatres in subordinate parts for the first year, there is but little of significance to relate. In 1816 she sang in the train of the haughty and peerless Catalani at the Favart in Paris, but did not succeed in attracting attention. But it happened that Ayrton, of the King's Theatre, London, heard her sing at the house of Paer, the composer, and liked her well enough to engage herself and husband at a moderate salary. When Pasta's glimmering little light first shone in London, Fodor and Camporese were in the full blaze of their reputation—both brilliant singers, but destined to pale into insignificance afterward before the intense splendor of Pasta's perfected genius. One of the notices of the opening performance at the King's Theatre, when Mme. Camporese sang the leading role of Cimarosa's " Penelope," followed up a lavish eulogium on the prima donna with the contemptuous remark, " Two subordinate singers named Pasta and Mari came forward in the characters of Telamuco and Arsinoe, but their musical talent does not require minute delineation." There is every reason to believe that Pasta was openly flouted both by the critics and the members of her own profession during her first London experience, but a magnificent revenge was in store for her. Among the parts she sang at this chrysalis period were Gherubino in the " Nozze di Figaro," Servilia in " La Clemenza di Tito," and the role of the pretended shrew in Ferrari's " II Sbaglio Fortunato." Mme. Pasta found herself at the end of the season a dire failure. But she had the searching self-insight which stamps the highest forms of genius, and she determined to correct her faults, and develop her great but latent powers.

Suddenly she disappeared from the view of the operatic world, and buried herself in a retired Italian city, where she studied with intelligent and tirelesszeal under M. Scappa, a maestro noted for his power of kindling the material of genius. Occasionally she tested herself in public. An English nobleman who heard her casually at this time said : " Other singers find themselves endowed with a voice and leave everything to chance. This woman leaves nothing to chance, and her success is therefore certain." She subjected herselfto a course of severe and incessant study to subdue her voice. To equalize it was impossible. There was a portion of the scale which differed from the rest in quality, and remained to the last " under a veil," to use the Italian term. Some of her notes were always out of time, especially at the beginning of a performance, until the vocalizing machinery became warmed and mellowed by passion and excitement. Out of these uncouth and rebellious materials she had to compose her instrument, and then to give it flexibility. Chorley, in speaking of these difficulties, says : " The volubility and brilliancy, when acquired, gained a character of their own from the resisting peculiarities of her organ. There were a breadth, an expressiveness in her roulades, an evenness and solidity in her shake, which imparted to every passage a significance beyond the reach of more spontaneous singers." But, after all, the true secret of her greatness was in the intellect and imagination which lay behind the voice, and made every tone quiver with dramatic sensibility.

The lyric Siddons of her age was now on the verge of making her real debut. When she reappeared in Venice, in 1819, she made a great impression, which was strengthened by her subsequent performances in Rome, Milan, and Trieste, during that and the following year. The fastidious Parisians recognized her power in the autumn of 1821, when she sang at the Theatre Italien ; and at Verona, during the Congress of 1822, she was received with tremendous enthusiasm. She returned to Paris the same year, and in the opera of " Romeo e Giulietta " she exhibited such power, both in singing and acting, as to call from the French critics the most extravagant terms of praise. Mme. Pasta was then laying the foundation of one of the most dazzling reputations ever gained by prima donna. By sheer industry she had extended the range of her voice to two octaves and a half—from A above the bass clef note to C flat, and even to D in alt. Her tones had become rich and sweet, except when she attempted to force them beyond their limits ; her intonation was, however, never quite perfect, being occasionally a little flat. Her singing was pure and totally divested of all spurious finery ; she added little to what was set down by the composer, and that little was not only in good taste, but had a great deal of originality to recommend it. She possessed deep feeling and correct judgment. Her shake was most beautiful ; Signor Pacini's well-known cavatina, " II soave e bel contento"— the peculiar feature of which consisted in the solidity and power of a sudden shake, contrasted with the detached staccato of the first bar —was written for Mme. Pasta. Some of her notes were sharp almost to harshness, but this defect with the greatness of genius she overcame, and even converted into a beauty ; for in passages of profound passion her guttural tones were thrilling. The irregularity of her lower notes, governed thus by a perfect taste and musical tact, aided to a great extent in giving that depth of expression which was one of the principal charms of her singing ; indeed, these lower tones were peculiarly suited for the utterance of vehement passion, producing an extraordinary effect by the splendid and unexpected contrast which they enabled her to give to the sweetness of the upper tones, causing a kind of musical discordance indescribably pathetic and melancholy. Her accents were so plaintive, so penetrating, so profoundly tragical, that no one could resist their influence.

Her genius as a tragedienne surpassed her talent as a singer. When on the stage she was no longer Pasta, but Tancredi, Romeo, Desdemona, Medea, or Semiramide. Ebers tells us in his " Seven Years of the King's Theatre " : " Nothing could have been more free from trick or affectation than Pasta's performance. There is no perceptible effort to resemble a character she plays ; on the contrary, she enters the stage the character itself ; transposed into the situation, excited by the hopes and fears, breathing the life and spirit of the being she represents." Mme. Pasta was a slow reader, but she had in perfection the sense for the measurement and proportion of time, a most essential musical quality. This gave her an instinctive feeling for propriety, which no lessons could teach; that due recognition of accent and phrase, that absence of flurry and exaggeration, such as makes the discourse and behavior of some people memorable, apart from the value of matter and occasion ; that intelligent composure, without coldness, which impresses and reassures those who see and hear. A quotation from a distinguished critic already cited gives a vivid idea of Pasta's influence on the most cold and fastidious judges : " The greatest grace of all, depth and reality of expression, was possessed by this remarkable artist as few (I suspect) before her—as none whom I have since admired—have possessed it. The best of her audience were held in thrall, without being able to analyze what made up the spell, what produced the effect, so soon as she opened her lips. Her recitative, from the moment she entered, was riveting by its truth. People accustomed to object to the conventionalities of opera (just as loudly as if all drama was not conventional too), forgave the singing and the strange language for the sake of the direct and dignified appeal made by her declamation.

Mme. Pasta never changed her readings, her effects, her ornaments. What was to her true, when once arrived at, remained true for ever. To arrive at what stood with her for truth, she labored, made experiments, rejected with an elaborate care, the result of which, in one meaner or more meager, must have been monotony. But the inrpression made on me was that of being always subdued and surprised for the first time. Though I knew what was coming, when the passion broke out, or when the phrase was sung, it seemed as if they were something new, electrical, immediate. The effect to me is at present, in the moment of writing, as the impression made by the first sight of the sea, by the first snow mountain, by any of those first emotions which never entirely pass away. These things are utterly different from the fanaticism of a laudator tenporis acti"

When Talma heard her declaim, at the time of her earliest celebrity in Paris, he said : " Here is a woman of whom I can still learn. One turn of her beautiful head, one glance of her eye, one light motion of her hand, is, with her, sufficient to express a passion. She can raise the soul of the spectator to the highest pitch of astonishment and delight by one tone of her voice. * O Dio !'as it comes from her breast, swelling over her lips, is of indescribable effect." Poetical and enthusiastic by temperament, the crowning excellence of her art was a grand simplicity. There was a sublimity in her expressions of vehement passion which was the result of measured force, energy which was never wasted, exalted pathos that never overshot the limits of art. Vigorous without violence, graceful without artifice, she was always greatest when the greatest emergency taxed her powers.

Pasta's second great part at the Theatre Italien was in Rossini's " Tancredi," an impersonation which was one of the most enchanting and finished, of her lighter roles. " She looked resplendent in the casque and cuirass of the Red Cross, Knight. No one could ever sing the part of Tancredi like Mme. Pasta : her pure taste enabled her to add grace to the original composition by elegant and irreproachable ornaments. ' Di tanti palpiti ' had been first presented to the Parisians by Mme. Fodor, who covered it with rich and brilliant embroidery, and gave it what an English critic, Lord Mount Edgcumbe, afterward termed its countrydance-like character. Mme. Pasta, on the contrary, infused into this air its true color and expression, and the effect was ravishing."

" Tancredi " was quickly followed by " Otello," and the impassioned spirit, energy, delicacy, and tenderness with which Pasta infused the character of Desdemona furnished the theme for the most avish praises on the part of the critics. It was especially in the last act that her acting electrified her audiences. Her transition from hope to terror, from supplication to scorn, culminating in the vehement outburst " sono innocente" her last frenzied looks, when, blinded by her disheveled hair and bewildered with her conflicting emotions, she seems to seek fruitlessly the means of flight, were awful. The varied resources of the great art of tragedy were consummately drawn forth by her Desdemona, in this opera, though she was yet toastonish the world with that impersonation imperishably linked with her name in the history of art. " Elisabetta " and " Mose in Egitto " were also revived for her, and she filled the leading characters in both with eclat.

In January, 1824, Mme. Pasta gave to the world what by all concurrent accounts must have been the grandest lyric impersonation in the records of art, the character of Medea in Simon Maver's opera. This masterpiece was composed musically and dramatically by the artist herself on the weak foundation of a wretched play and correct but commonplace music. In a more literal and truthful sense than that in which the term is so often travestied by operatic singers, the part was created by Pasta, reconstructed in form and meaning, as well as inspired by a matchless executive genius. In the language of one writer, whose enthusiasm seems not to have been excessive: " It was a triumph of histrionic art, and afforded every opportunity for the display of all the resources of her genius—the varied powers which had been called forth and combined in Medea, the passionate tenderness of Romeo, the spirit and animation of Tancredi, the majesty of Semiramide, the mournful beauty of Nina, the dignity and sweetness of Desdemona. It is difficult to conceive a character more highly dramatic or more intensely impassioned than that of fedea; and in the successive scenes Pasta appeared as if torn by the conflict of contending passions, until at last her anguish rose to sublimity. The conflict of human affection and supernatural power, the tenderness of the wife, the agonies of the mother, and the rage of the woman scorned, were portrayed with a truth, a power, a grandeur of effect unequaled before or since by any actress or singer. Every attitude, each movement and look, became a study for a painter ; for in the storm of furious passion the grace and beauty of her gestures were never marred by extravagance. Indeed,her impersonation of Medea was one of the finest illustrations of classic grandeur the stage has ever presented. In the scene where Medea murders her children, the acting of Pasta rose to the sublime. Her self-abandonment, her horror at the contemplation of the deed she is about to perpetrate, the irrepressible affection which comes welling up in her breast, were pictured with a magnificent power, yet with such natural pathos, that the agony of the distracted mother was never lost sight of in the fury of the priestess. Folding her arms across her bosom, she contracted her form, as, cowering, she shrunk from the approach of her children ; then grief, love, despair, rage, madness, alternately wrung her heart, until at last her soul seemed appalled at the crime she contemplated. Starting forward, she pursued the innocent creatures, while the audience involuntarily closed their eyes and recoiled before the harrowing spectacle, which almost elicited a stifled cry of horror. But her fine genius invested the character with that classic dignity and beauty which, as in the Niobe group, veils the excess of human agony in the drapery of ideal art."

In 1824 Pasta made her first English appearance at the King's Theatre, at which was engaged an extraordinary assemblage of talent, Mesdames Colbran-Rossini, Catalani, Ronzi di Begnis, Vestris, Caradori, and Pasta. The great tragedienne made her first appearance in Desdemona, and, as all Europe was ringing with her fame, the curiosity to see and hear her was almost unparalleled. Long before the beginning of the opera the house was packed with an intensely expectant throng. For an English audience, idolizing the memory of Shakespeare, even Rossini's fine music, conducted by that great composer himself, could hardly under ordinary circumstances condone the insult offered to a species of literary religion by the wretched stuff pitchforked together and called a libretto. But the genius of Pasta made them forget even this, and London bowed at her feet with as devout a recognition as that offered by the more fickle Parisians. Her chaste and noble style, untortured by meretricious ornament, excited the deepest admiration. Count Stendhal, the biographer of Rossini, seems to have heard her for the first time at London, and writes of her in the following fashion:" Moderate in the use of embellishments, Mme. Pasta never employs them but to heighten the force of the expression ; and, what is more, her embellishments last only just so long as they are found to be useful." In this respect her manner formed a very strong contrast with that of the generality of Italian singers at the time, who were more desirous of creating astonishment than of giving pleasure. It was not from any lack of technical knowledge and vocal skill that Mme. Pasta avoided extravagant ornamentation, for in many of the concerted pieces—in which she chiefly shone—her execution united clearness and rapidity. "Mme. Pasta is certainly less exuberant in point of ornament, and more expressive in point of majesty and simplicity," observed one critic, " than any of the first-class singers who have visited England for a long period. . . . She is also a mistress of art," continues the same writer, " and, being limited by nature, she makes no extravagant use of her powers, but employs them with the tact and judgment that can proceed only from an extraordinary mind. This constitutes her highest praise ; for never did intellect and industry become such perfect substitutes for organic superiority. Notwithstanding her fine vein of imagination and the beauty of her execution, she cultivates high and deep passions, and is never so great as in the adaptation of art to the purest purposes of expression."

We can not better close this sketch than by giving an account of one of the very last public appearances of her life, when she allowed herself to be seduced into giving a concert in London for the benefit of the Italian cause. Mme. Pasta had long since dismissed all the belongings of the stage, and her voice, which at its best had required ceaseless watching and study, had been given up by her. Even her person had lost all that stately dignity and queenliness which had made her stage appearance so remarkable. It was altogether a painful and disastrous occasion.There were artists present who then for the first time were to get their impression of a great singer, prepared of course to believe that that reputation had been exaggerated. Among these was Rachel, who sat enjoying the humiliation of decayed grandeur with a cynical and bitter sneer on her face, drawing the attention of the theatre by her exhibition of satirical malevolence.

Malibran's great sister, Mme. Pauline Viardot, was also present, watching with the quick, sympathetic response of a noble heart every turn of the singer's voice and action. Hoarse, broken, and destroyed as was the voice, her grand style spoke to the sensibilities of the great artist. The opera was "Anna Bolena," and from time to time the old spirit and fire burned in her tones and gestures. In the final mad scene Pasta rallied into something like her former grandeur of acting ; and in the last song with its roulades and its scales of shakes ascending by a semitone, this consummate vocalist and tragedienne, able to combine form with meaning—dramatic grasp and insight with such musical display as enter into the lyric art—was indicated at least to the apprehension of the younger artist. "You are right ! " was Mme. Viardot's quick and heartfelt response to a friend by her side, while her eyes streamed with tears—" you are right. It is like the ' Cenacolo ' of Leonardo da Vinci at Milan, a wreck of a picture, but the picture is the greatest picture in the world."

From Great singers by Ferris, George T. (George Titus)

[fantastickkay]

Album Review of the Week: St. Vincent - All Born Screaming (2024)

After Daddy's Home (2021) fell flat for me, I was cautious going into a new St. Vincent release. However, All Born Screaming blew that album out of the water and then some! The first time I listened to this album through my nice headphones, it was a total journey and I was completely impressed. I saw others online declare that St. Vincent is the David Bowie of today and I cannot argue with that! She dubbed this album's style "post-plague pop" and that it is like "walking alone in the woods" to find the inner messages of your heart. This album does a great job of melding together different genres while remaining fairly cohesive - as well as being sonically adventurous while maintaining some pop sensibility so that it is still accessible to someone like me, for example. This is also the first in her discography to be entirely self-produced.

The album opens with a deep pulsating beat and ethereal vocals on Hell Is Near which then leads into light and groovy instrumentals. I really enjoy the guitar that moves along the track in a soft wave.

Reckless is quite slow and boring for my taste. After a couple of minutes, the intensity does build up a good amount to bring some drama into it so that it doesn't end up a complete bore at least!

Broken Man was the lead single and I think it was a great choice. The instrumentation is really unique and the sound blasts during the chorus really grab your attention! Just don't play this if you are trying to be quiet! I love how it is industrial and funky at the same time and her vocals are aggressive with a touch of desperation.

Flea has really great percussion at the start, then the chorus bursts into an anthemic climax. The difference between the verses and chorus are a little drastic and jarring but that doesn't take too much away from the quality of the track.

Big Time Nothing is one of the big standouts, I love how the synth snakes around and the deadpan chant of the verses adds to the mood.

Violent Times is one of the few tracks that feature her classic vocals that I know and love, which points out that she is very vocally adventurous in this album! This song is also much more chill compared to the others so far (ironically). Even still, the song ends with a dynamic climax with some dreamy vocals.

Things get more somber with The Power's Out, still with the dreamy vocals. The lyrics are quite poetic, so I don't quite get what is being said but it is an engaging ballad.

The last 3 tracks are my favorites and led me to deciding to buy the album! Sweetest Fruit is probably the poppiest song of the overall bunch and it sounds great although the lyrics are a little bit awkward. It talks about how Sophie died and then says "you're a natural, baby, you don't have to quit" I am not quite sure the message on this one landed as intended.

So Many Planets is quite reggae, which is a big departure from the sound so far. This one isn't too exciting on its own, but it is fun background music! The vocal delivery in the verses is interesting, a little on the lazy side.

All Born Screaming tends to drag on towards the end, but the beginning is super fun. I like the plucky, bouncy instrumental and melody.

While I don't believe this is quite a masterpiece, it will definitely stand the test of time and is one of St. Vincent's most creative works to date! Definitely one of the best albums to come out so far this year.