#the audio component usually comes first to me and the visual one second

[cursedwerewolf]

the way i go about my edits makes it kind of obvious that i'm a trained musician and not a trained visual artist lol. obsessing over synching the cuts to the beat and melody but when it comes to choosing fonts and colours... girl idk it's just whatever

[differentkettleoffishalltogether]

Missing You

A/N: This is just a little smutty one-shot. Thank you guys so much for all of the notes on my last fic! I really thought it was gonna get like 4 notes so that was a really amazing surprise. If you haven’t read it you can check it out here: I Would Do Anything You Asked Me To

Masterlist

Read the (sort of) part 2: Up In The Air

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Summary: Y/N gets creative in her attempts to convince Spencer to get a phone from this century

Category: Pure smut baby

Warnings/Includes: smut, graphic descriptions of sex, dirty talk, phone sex, innocence kink, masturbation (both male and female), please let me know if there’s anything I’ve missed

Word count: 2200 words

“I don’t need one Y/N” he says exasperated, neatly folding clothes to put into his go-bag. This wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation but Y/N continued to insist.

“I’m not saying you need one Spence, I’m saying that it would be nice if you had one. Your phone now just does the bare minimum, calls and texts, does that thing even get your emails?”

He rolls his eyes, “You know that’s exactly what I like about it, why would I want any other functions? Plus I like the tactility of the buttons. Humans have been conditioned to find stimulants like the feedback from pressing a button satisfying, it helps us feel like we’re solving problems, essentially.” He deflects.

She takes a step closer to him, placing a hand gently on his arm, “Do you know what could be more satisfying than that?” She questions him, and he shakes his head, eyebrows coming together in confusion, “If I could send you pictures while you were away? Or if we could video chat when I miss you at night?” She pulls him around to face her so he can see her expression, the way she’s looking up at him with half lidded eyes, hoping he doesn’t miss what she’s getting at.

He smirks, and lets out a laugh that’s just shy of scoffing, “You know we can do that with just audio?”

“Are you serious?” He just nods in response, “so you don’t think the visual component is necessary?”

“Necessary’s not the word I would use. It would be nice to have, but I’ve got enough visual aids stored away up here” he taps his temple as he speaks. She groans at him, her point failing to land.

“We can’t all have your memory! Sometimes I don’t just want to think about you getting off in a hotel room, I want to see it” she whines and he gives her a small laugh.

“Look, we can talk about this later but I have to go” he places a gentle kiss on her forehead before he zips up his bag and is out the door.

— — —

When he gets back to his hotel room that evening he collapses back onto the bed. He should have a shower but he’s not sure he even has the energy for that. He was reserving it for his phone call.

He and Y/N had an agreement. Whenever he was away he had to call her each night he was gone. It wasn’t a possessive thing, it was more of a safety thing. If she could just hear his voice for even 30 seconds she could sleep easy. Sometimes it would be just that, a quick ‘hello, love you, goodnight’ other times there’d be plenty to talk about, good and bad. Sometimes he needed the call more than she did. But they never had phone sex.

Spencer was confused why she’d seemed so adamant that it was something he should upgrade his phone for when it wasn’t something they typically even engaged in.

But he didn’t know what she had in store for him yet.

He got changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt and lay back into bed, propping himself up against the pillows. He dialed Y/N’s number.

“Hi there.” her voice was smooth like honey and he missed her already.

“Hi.” he breathed

“Did you find my present yet?” He had no idea what she was referring to. Sitting upright in his bed on instinct.

“No?”

“Shame, will you check that little inside pocket of your bag for me? The one with the zip?” he hops straight up to root for it, finding a small sealed envelope. He settles back into bed before he rips it open. It contains a small collection of Polaroids, all of them of Y/N.

She knew what he liked. He’d never say it in so many words but he had a thing for innocence, something about seeing her in white lingerie, or sometimes baby pink. He would always get a little more excited than usual, grabbing, and pulling, and ripping on occasion. But he didn’t recognize the set she was wearing in the Polaroids. It was white satin, with some ruffles, she had a suspender belt around her waist with thin white stockings attached as she stretched out on their shared bed.

His eyes poured over the images, in another it was just from her chest up, giving him a perfect view of her breasts, the expanse of her neck, the frame cutting off just above her lips which were delicately covered in lipgloss. He could see sheen of where the cameras flash had bounced off it.

“Fuck” was all he could think to say. All other words escaping him as he turned his attention towards the photo of her with her hands inside of her own panties, her back arched off the bed beneath her.

“So you found ‘em?” She spoke, her voice sultry and laden with tension.

“I, uh, yeah” he breathes down the line, feeling his cock twitch at the sound of her voice coupled with the images in front of him.

“Are those— the underwear, is it new?” He already knows the answer but he’s not sure what else to ask.

“Mmhmm” she hums, “I thought you’d like this set, I was saving it for a special occasion but I thought, what the hell.”

“I do, I like it a lot.” he reaches his hand inside the waistband of his sweatpants without really thinking about it.

“You know Spence, I really wish you were here right now” she toys with him playfully, “So you could see this set in person, I’m looking at myself in the mirror right now and those pictures really don’t do it justice.”

Spencer almost stops breathing, “You’re wearing— now?” He asks in disbelief.

“This is what I usually do when I miss you Love. I’ll get all dressed up in something I know you like, and I’ll fantasize about what you’d do to me if you were here.” her tone is soft but teasing, still standing to admire herself in the mirror.

She could see why he liked her in white, it made her look so sweet, and cute almost. Whenever she wore underwear like this she went all out. Applying a mascara she knew would run down her cheeks with even the slightest tear, lipstick or lipgloss that was sure to smear or leave stains all over the parts of Spencer that she’d kiss. He loved that, the juxtaposition of the before and after. The adorable angel that he got to ruin.

“What do you do when you fantasize?” He questions, letting his own mind drift as he wraps his hand around his now painfully hard cock.

“Well I’ll think about you, how you like to hold me down by my hips while you eat me out, or how much better your fingers feel” she moans, slipping her own fingers into her panties as she lays down in their bed, “mine just don’t fill me up like yours do.”

Spencer can imagine it perfectly, the way she’s probably splayed out on their bed right now. “God I wish I was there. I’d have my fingers so deep inside you, you’re always so wet for me” he groans into the receiver, “tell me how wet you are for me baby?”

She’s impressed that he’s getting the hang of this so quickly, obliging him right away. “Fuck Spence, I’ve been dripping wet since I heard your voice. I’ve been thinking about this all day. Do you want to hear?”  

She doesn’t wait for a response, she just brings the phone down towards her pussy, lining up the microphone next to it as she pumps her fingers in and out, so that he can hear the wet sounds that fill her bedroom. When she brings the phone back to her ear he’s breathing heavily.

“Fuck Y/N. I wish I was there so bad, I wish I could fuck you right this second” he’s almost whimpering, she can tell he’s touching himself already.

“If you were here with me in bed right now, how would you fuck me Spencer?” She takes a moment to root her vibrator from the drawer in her beside locker. If she concentrated, or stopped concentrating maybe, she could pretend it was him.

“I’d grab you by that fucking suspender belt, and flip you over. Have you face down on the bed for me, your perfect ass in the air.” His sentences are punctuated by harsh breaths, bordering on gasps. “For being such a tease I’d have to rip those tiny little panties off you, as if they were really covering anything in the first place.”

As he speaks she hooks her fingers in the sides of those panties and pulls them off her legs so she’s got better access now. Lining the head of her vibrator up at her entrance, pushing it in slow and steady, waiting until it’s completely sheathed inside her before turning it on.

“I’d grab you by your hips and pull your ass up so my cock is right there, so I can push the head up against your pussy, feeling how fucking wet you are for me”

She’s moaning now, and if he can hear the vibrations he doesn’t say anything.

“Then I’d push into you, your tight little cunt, I always have to go so slow for you to take all of me. I’d keep going, deep as I can so I can feel you squirm under me, feel you clench even tighter around me”

She had no idea he had a mouth this dirty but she was loving every second. “I fucking love it when you fuck me from behind” is all she can string together, writhing on top of their sheets.

“And that’s exactly what I’d do next baby, I’d start to fuck you. Slow, and deep at first, then fast, and rough. I love the sounds you make when I get rough. Those pathetic little whimpers and cries while I fuck you into the mattress. I can even hear them with your face buried in the pillows. It’s even better when you cry just a bit, mascara all over your little cheeks ‘cause you just can’t take it.”

He’s panting now, his boxers pushed down his hips so that he can properly work his cock, his fist pumping up and down faster and faster as he’s about release.

“Where would you cum Spence?” She says it but she almost doesn’t recognize her voice, it’s more of a strangled cry and it goes straight to his dick.

“You know I’d cum deep inside you, fill you up while you tighten around me, god I love those fucking noises you make. Cum for me” he demands, and she’s got no problem obliging.

With her back arching up off the bed, her hands fisting the sheets, and the vibrator still buried inside her, imagining it’s Spencer, she cries out. Moaning louder than she intended, her phone on loudspeaker beside her. She can hear him too. His hand working himself through his climax as it coats his stomach and fingers and little gasps and groans he lets out that sound an awful lot like her name.

Once they’re both spent they lie in silence in their respective beds for a moment before Spencer breaks the tension.

“That was a surprise”

She bursts out laughing. “Well that was the idea”

“But why?” He asks, deliriously happy but confused.

“I thought it might convince you to invest in a phone with a camera?” She says like he’s silly for even asking.

“Why would I want that? This just proved that we don’t need that” he explains, and he’s not wrong but he’s missed the point.

“Spencer, I’m gonna take some pictures of myself right now, and I’m gonna send them to your email. I want you to grab your laptop and open ‘em up for me okay?”

“Okay?” He agrees unsure, and she hangs up.

Several minutes later and he’s opening up an email with the subject heading:

“pros of dr. reid getting a new phone”

There’s no text, just a series of photos of Y/N. She’s staged them perfectly.

The first is a selfie, messy hair, smudged lipgloss, and mascara stained cheeks on show as she’s blowing him a kiss. Another is just her mouth, but she’s stuffed her discarded panties inside, leaving the wet stain obviously visible to him. There’s others of her, taken of herself in the mirror, fingers inside herself, in the next she’s got those same fingers in her mouth, lips closed tightly around them, cheeks hollowed out. Spencer has to stop scrolling or he’ll just get hard again.

He hears his phone ping with a text message.

You could’ve been looking at these the whole time, might’ve even gotten a video if you were lucky x

He rarely likes to admit defeat but in this case it might just be worth it to concede.

I’ll buy a new phone first thing tomorrow x

—

Masterlist

Read the (sort of) part 2: Up In The Air

[supernova1us]

TFA-Transform and roll out(recast)

a fic based on the TFA opener but with the original planned cast, with red alert and hot shot replacing ratchet and bee.

Optimus prime sat at his command seat watching the old war historical documents, longing for the supposed glory they portrayed.  Red alert, the slim red and white femme medic and second in command came up to stand behind him.

“sir, why do you insist on continuing to view outdated archives?” she asked calmly

“all the great autobot leaders learned from the past”

“but war time lessons are no longer needed.  The great war has been over for centuries, and by the will of the all-spark, it will be the last one we see”

“but don’t you wish you were there, just a little? To see what it was really like? What the decepticons were really like?”

“I have learned all I need from studies, like you should have.  And from what I’ve read of the decepticons, I’d say we’re better not knowing”

Red alert then directed optimus’ attention to the sight of the massive green autobot Bulkhead dangling from a cliff by his wrecking ball, shouting for help.

“at the moment though, I think your “soldier instincts” are needed elsewhere” she said dryly

Optimus huffed and they made their way to the cargo bay and exit ramp.

“I get it red alert, war is bad, but do you ever get the feeling that we’re programmed for more than just repairing space bridges?”

“I have a diagnostics program that erases those thoughts like a virus in a fire wall” she said with the slightest hint of sarcasm

Optimus huffed as they transformed and headed out onto the asteroid.  The hard thing about having red alert around was how monotone she could be. It was so hard to tell when she was happy, serious or snarky.  The only emotions she expressed normally were anger and annoyance, usually towards Hot Shot. Hot shot himself was hopping up the hill to try to free bulkhead, moving like a sleek blue, red and yellow streak.

“hurry up, I really hate heights” bulkhead whined

“calm down bulkhead, im working as fast as possible, and there is no bot faster than me, and you know it” he grinned

Hot shot produced his arm mounted flame throwers and shouted with excitement at unleashing a blast wave of flames on the rocks, or would have if he could produce any in the vacuum of space.  Grunting at the realization, he started banging and stomping on the rocks to free the wrecking ball, rocking its owner around.  

“oh, I think im going to blow a gasket”

“calm down and try to hold it in a little long…”

Suddenly the rocks cracked and broke apart and crumbled, sending both bots falling to the ground. After they landed on each other, optimus and red alert arrived and transformed. Red alert narrowed her eye with frustration at the sight of hot shot being dinged up and in need of repairs, again.

“alright, what seems to be the problem?” optimus asked rhetorically

“the problem? The problem is that we are stuck out in the middle of nowhere crushing rocks for outdated spce bridges!” hot shot snapped

“what I don’t get is why anyone would want to transport to this allspark forsaken sector” bulkhead added

“that isn���t the point bulkhead. We have a job to do here, and no problem is insurmountable with the right tool…and a little team work”

Optimus began chopping debris with his axe and encouraged the others to join in.  bulkheads strength made crushing the rocks easy, though it was harder for hot shot to break them down, especially with his flame throwers so weak. Low level heat blast were however enough to weaken them enough to break down.  Red alert, though thinking the task below her, also helped; laser blasts from her prosthetic hand to cut through them easily.  Optimus suddenly realized that they were one crew member short.

“you to prowl…hey, where is prowl?’

Suddenly a shurikan whizzed by optimus to slice a nearby rock before returning to the hiding prowls hand.  The aloof black and gold bot then stepped from the shadows.

“just have to know the weak spot” he said with a hint of condescension

“next time, might want to give us a little more waring” optimus cautioned with and edge

“that would just mess up my timing” prowl said dismissively

Red alert turned from the others only to look up to see a smiling bulkhead, only to turn in another direction, pretending to be adjusteing he rhand emblacement.She shook her head; the conflicting personalities of their crew were creating an unproductive and hostile working environment.  This was far from the career she thought she would have.

Hot shot saw red alerts discomfort with the situation and, as always, decided to push her buttons.  

“careful doc bot, if you frown any more your lower jaw is gonna detach” he smirked

She then produced a laser scalpel from her emplacement and leveled it with hotshots face.

“If that is the case then I will just have requisition your own” she said calm but in a threatening tone

“why is she so grumpy all the time?” bulkhead whispered

“you’d by grumpy to if you had one servo in the scrap heap” he smirked

Suddenly the taller femme was in his face and her tone far more harsh.

“I may have one servo in the scrap heap, but my audio receptors still work perfectly, and if you do not stop pushing me rookie, I will gladly disconnect your vocal processor” she scowled

Sensing the tension, optimus wanted to give his team something to focus on.

“ok, I know we’re stuck out here in the middle of nowhere on a thankless assignment, but remember, we’re all cogs in the great big autobot machine…”

“not this speech again” prowl moaned

He buried his face in his hand in annoyance.  Hot shot was also more visually pained by the experience.  Bulkhead and red alert where just as weary but where better at politely feigning interest.  

“…a machine that’s stronger as a whole, than any one component part.  Together, we can move montains”

The speech was punctuated by sudden rumpling of rocks around them and activation of the space bridge they were clearing.  The blast of energy sent them and the debris flying in every direction.  

“oh you sure have a way with words boss bot!” hot shot yelled as he tumbled away

In an impressive flurry of moves, prime utilized his axe and grappling hook to stop the debris, aid each of his team mates and shut down the space bridge.  As the dust settled and the autobots picked themselves up, they were left in awe of the unassuming prime skills.  

“impressive” prowl admitted as he shut bulkheads gaped jaw

“where’d you learn moves like that?” bulkhead asked

It was a question everyone was asking inside. Red alert was busy fixing hot shots damaged shoulder but turned away to glance at optimus, wanting to hear the answer as well.

“I trained at the autobot academy” optimus ashamedly admitted

Red alert stood and her eyes narrowed skeptically.

“so, what is an academy trained bot doing leading a mere maintenance crew?”

She felt a sting fury. As the medic, she had no knowledge of this about her commander.

“well, whats one of the best medics the autobots has ever seen her also”

Red alert was viably taken aback by his knowledge and forwardness in the question.

“ooo, burn.  He got you good red.  But for real boss bot, her, I don’t think so.  The bed side manner is a little too rough around the edges. Let me guess prime, wash out? Yeah, me to.  They said I had an issue with authority, and let’s face it, they were threatened by the up and coming Magnus I am…”

Hot shots yammering was only silenced when red alert clasped her hand tightly over his mouth.  Optimus was suddenly drawn to an otherworldly light emanating from a rock. Against the advice of his crew, he cleaves it with his axe, revealing a strange glowing artifact.  

“what is it?” bulkhead spoke up

“don’t know…maybe we should take it back to the ship so the doc bot can check it out”

No rebuttal or argument came from red alert, who just look at it completely astounded, almost mesmerized.

“red alert..?”

“telatraan 1 to optimus prime. Unidentified spacecraft entering this sector: Energy signature consistent with decepticon warship”

“decepticon, that must be a mistake. The decpeticons were destroyed centuries ago” optimus voiced

“Defeated in battle, not destroyed.  An “academy bot” should know that prime. We should get back to the ship immediantly”

“but what is that thing?”

“I have a wild theory but we must secure it first”

Red alert quickly transformed and had the artifact loaded into her alt mode and sped off towards the ship, with the others following behind her. They quickly boarded their ship and made full speed away from the new ship. In the cargo bay the artifact was unloaded and red alert began examining it franticly.  

“red alert, any idea what it is”

“you seem to be the historian prime, does the all-spark sound familiar”

“obviously.  The most powerful energy source in the universe. It gave the spark of life to all cybertronian”

“every bot knows that story” bulkhead groaned

“yeah, along with spark eaters and were-turbo foxes” hot shot joked

“According to records, one of the main reasons the great war was won was by ensuring the all spark remained out of decepticon reach.  It was reportedly sent through a spacebridge to be hidden in some unknown corner of the galaxy”

“incredible” optimus admitted

“so your saying we, of all bots in the universe, found the all spark?!” hot shot shook

“perhaps, it found us” optimus mused

“Unlikely, prime. It is merely and energy source of unknown magnitude, But I must admit I never thought I would ever see it.  The research and knowledge I could gleam by examining it could be…”

“warning: spacecraft approaching. Positive identification as decepticon warship.

“it isn’t the only one that’s found us” prowl said dryly

The crew got to their bridge positions and made all speed for autobot controlled territory. Prowl checked the scanners for the persuing ship.

“it’s following us” he reported

“you desired to see the decepticons up close, well looks like you’ve gotten your wish” red alert said dryly

Optimus frowned at the statement, realizing the irony in the situation.

“yo, tell me this aint actually happening.  We are not getting chased by decepticons.  We’re just a maintenance crew” hot shot complained

“we cannot out run them forever, and any attempts at combat are astronomical” red alert commented

“not without back they aren’t.  patch me through to cybertron command head quarters” optimus ordered

“wow, when you want back up you go straight to the top” bulkhead commented

Optimus smiled at the compliment, slightly savoring his memories in the original field. Red alert raised a skeptical brow, confused on how optimus could even have clearance to high command. The creen lit up with the large chin and blue armor of sentinel prime.  Red alert was even more shocked, knowing vry well that sentinel was second in command of the elite guard.

“optimus prime, you mean they still let you command other autobots” sentinel smugly smiled

“don’t start sentinel, just put me through to altra magnus”

Red alert was surprised again, that optimus apparently knew sentinel personally, but also thinks he could talk to the supreme leader of the autobots simply by asking.

“now how could a third rate rock buster possibly merit the autobot supreme commanders attention?” sentinel said dismissively

Red alert and the others all frowned.  Word was known that sentinel prime was an unlikable bot, but seeing his condescension first hand was fuel boiling.  Hot shot frowned up at the prime, having had past experience with him, getting and itchy trigger finger with his flame throwers.  However, optimus’ experience with the other prime was far more personal, and was having none of sentinel attitude under these circumstances.

“display cargo hold visual” optimus ordered

Red alert clicked few controls and a video feed was brought up for sentinel to see of the allspark. His look and temperament immediately changing, he casually patched them through. Red alert turned and gave optimus and approving smirk at his clever maneuvering. Suddenly and stern looking and aged blue bot appeared on the screen. His eye briefly glanced to register red alerts presence before focusing on optimus.  

“ultra magnus here optimus, we’re tracking your decepticon signal; probably just a lost scout ship. Ever since we drove them off cybertron, the cons have been wondering the periphery. They’d never be so foolish as to invade autobot space. Still, I’m sending out a strike force to intercept if necessary.  In the meantime, you and your bots just sit tight. And prime, don’t try to be a hero, it’s not in your programming” the commander finished his orders before the screen went black

“decepticons still on our tail and closing in fast” prowl reported from the scanners

“then were the flag are they?” hot shot pointed out

Getting antsy and a nervous feeling in his spark, optimus began typing orders into his control panel.

“telatraan 1, set a course for the nearest space bridge” he ordered

“but Ultra magnus said to sit tight” bulkhead questioned

“with all due respect, ultra magnus isn’t carrying the all spark”

Red alert couldn’t argue with the logic; sitting there would be poor solution in the circumstances. The ship did as commanded and came about quickly to head back to the space bridge they were previously dicked with.

“so, we’ll make a V line for the nearest space bridge and blast through whatever debris is in our way” he ordered

As they made their way through the thin asteroid field, their path was suddenly blocked as massive fearsome purple war ship rose to block them.  Red alert qickly calculated that it appeared to be at least 50 times larger than their repair ship.

“uh, boss bot, I don’t think we can blast through that” bulkhead said nervously

“oh slag” hot shot squeaked

“I’ve never seen a decepticon ship up close” bulkhead added

“according to archives, none have and lived” red alert admitted with a bit of depression in her voice

Optimus scanned it and ran it through the information archives, and red alert leaned over to see his result.

“it’s a command ship, I recognize the markings from the history vids” optimus announced flatly

Red alert read the same description on his screen and turned to look at the enemy with visual distress

“megaron” she added in shock                                                          

“hooooo, hold an astro sec; megatron, as in the cruel and merciless decepticon leader?  The bot they say is bigger than ultra magnus, that could single handedly destroy whole ships and city blocks.  The megatron that is said to eat autobot protoforms for breakfast, that megatron?”

“yes.  Though I do not put much faith in the protoform eating part” red alert said with a straight face

Hot shot scowled at her condescension; he hated being looked down on by other bots. The only bot he liked looking down at him was bulkhead, and that was only because he was taller than him.

“quit giving him a hard time doc” bulkhead voiced out

“and perhaps who should quit enabling his belligerent behavior” prowl turned to bulkhead

“enough arguing, all of you! We have a more serious situation here; why aren’t that attacking”

“there are any number of reasons or strategies.  But, why are we not also mobile, should we not attmpt to flee or out maneuver them?” red alert asked

“if we do they will counter, but we will let them make the first move so we can counter. Always let your adversary be the first to make a mistake” he answered calmly

Clearly optimus’ time in the elite guard training had done more for his leadership skills than she had previously noticed. Suddenly one of the decepticon ships’ cannons trained on them and fired. Optimus ordered the ship to take evasive maneuvers and they dodged the blast. Red alert felt an increasing feeling of fear and fury rise in her.  It was a decepticon booby trap in the last days of the war when she was a very young medic that had taken her original right hand.  No she felt slight panic at being so close to such conflict again.  Optimus fell on his command console and made an order that secretly surprised the medic.

“activate emergency defense system; codename: omega”

Red alert was shocked. Optimus’ knowledge of that part of the ship less so; he was the commander and likely knew of the ships history, but that he would actually attempt to activate it.

“im sorry; this function has been disabled in compliance with cybertrons ongoing efforts to conserve energon” telatraan 1 reported back

“what?!” optimus gasped

Another energy blast grazed the side of the ship and knocked the autobots about as the ship automatically swerved to avoid other attacks and rocketed past the larger vessel.

“we’re as good as dead aren’t we? Oh god this is it for us, for me”

Hot shot went into a brief panic, his wrist spouting  flames as a sign of his distress. The calmed as they managed to pass the decepticons and get by them, the larger ship slowely following and continue to fire.

“was does it feel like they’re just toying with us?” hot shot asked

“all shots appear to be targeted to disable us, not destroy us, why? Red alert added

“because they want the allspark and don’t want to risk destroying it with us” optimus frowned

“warning: asteroid field. Initiated alternate route” the computer announced

“override” optimus ordered it

The ship continued its course, swerving all about to avoid he asteroids that the continued enemy fire simply shredded through.  The decepticon ship sped up and came to briefly look over them, yet its laser blasts had stopped.  Near the ships midsection a small space craft appeared and closed in on them.  Optimus realized that it wasn’t a craft but an alternate mode.  He knew from his studies that many of the decepticons had flight capabilities and alternate modes.  Thye zzomed in on the object with their rear security cameras and suddenly saw it transform into a tall, bulky and fearsome grey bot. A large weapon, the legendary fusion cannon, sat on their arm and a cold scowl on his face when the image zoomed in.  

“is that megatron?” optimus gasped

The shock and horror were shared by the whole crew.

“you never said he was so big” the already big bulkhead spoke up

“you never said he could fly” hot shot added

“technically, we didn’t say anything” red alert answered the comments

Megatron came by and zoomed past the side of their ship then vanished from view.  The all braced yet no attack came

“huh, guess he wasn’t coming for us” bulkhead piped up

The ship was suddenly rocked from above. Megatron had perched atop their control room and was burning a hole through with his cannon.

“red, seal the hull breach. Prowl, hold the ship steady.  Bulkhead, hot shot, guard the allspark.  I’ll try to hold off megatron!”

“but we’re just a repair crew, we aren’t built for this kind of action!” hot shot shouted

“then consider this an upgrade” optimus answered

“that is not how upgrades work, just for the record” red alert spoke up

The younger bots ran off out of the room while the others did their jobs.  Using a security cam for guidance, he took direct control of the hulls external arms and took hold of megatron himself, grabbling with him and attempting to prey him off the ship. There was a sudden a sudden massive external explosion that rocked the ship and sent everyone sprawling.  The ship was badly damaged and sent into an uncontrolled dive towards the space bridge asteroid.

“warning: hull breach. Sealing hatches alpha, omega and epsilon” the computer reported

As the large smoking hole in the ceiling was sealed and extinguishers put out the flames, optimus struggled to see through the fading layer of smoke and get up and get to the controls.

“warning: planetary impact imminent” the computer came again

“go to manual override” optimus ordered

“can you do that?” prowl question

“all ships of this “make” do” red alert answered

A set of control handles released and optimus took hold of them, attempting to steady the ships plunge. He managed to pull up their trajectory and glide along the asteroid surface towards the space bridge. In the hold, bulkhead and hot shot began to panic as the all spark began to react and glow.

“what’s it doing, make it stop!” hot shot panicked

“whoa”  was all bulkhead could say

Suddenly its energy burst out and enveloped the entire ship. The energy also surged forth and activated the space bridge, and in another burst of light the ship passed through it. After the light faded they autobots began recovering to see they had materialized over a moon that circled a green and blue planet.

“prowl, red alert, everyone alright? Bulkhead, hot shot, report”

Optimus did not see a large figure loom behind him until it took hold of him and pinned him against the wall; Megatron had survived and gotten through the hull breach.  He was far more intimidating in person; dark grey and red colors, thick spiky armor built for combat and twice the size of optimus. His face bore burning red optics and a frown so grim it would give the necrobot chills.  At closer inspection, the blast had destroyed most of his right arm, only his upper arm, stripped to its bare structure, remained.

“the all spark, where is it” he spoke in deep raspy voice like death

Prowl and red alert, overcoming their fear of the warlord, charged to tackle him.  Prowl jumped onto his arm to try and get optimus free while red alert clung to his side and lasered him with her hand tool. The larger bot swung about, knocking them away. He pinned prowl under his foot while still holding optimus and held him against another wall.

“I grow impatient” megatron growled

Optimus shot his grabbling hook best them towards the control panel, switching a lever.  

“artificial gravity diabled” the computer announced

They all began to float freely and with his massive size rendered moot, optimus managed to free himself and force megatron away.

“clever strategy prime, giving us more of an equal advantage” red alert commented

Megatron floated near the ceiling and jammed his arm nub into a gap in the metal to steady himself. Suddenly hot shot and bulkhead came floating intot he room

“hey, I’m a land bot not a flying bot, who turned off the hey…”

Hot shot twas then dinged from behind by the larger bulkhead.

“sorry, my bad” he groaned

Hot shot was sent spiraling out of control until he hit a surface; megatron large leg.  The autobot car looked up to see the massive decepticon leader staring down at him.

“you cons are even creepier in person” he smirked

Megatron growled, not amused and past his boiling point, drew his sword from subspace and began slashing at the diminutive nescience.  

“oh slag, scarier to! Someone help, im to good looking to be scrap!”

“everyone, get into position for a concentrated attack on my signal” optimus whispered

Prowl then whizzed past optimus in a solo attack on megatron.

“prowl no, wait for my signal!”

Optimus went to grab him but his hand passed through him; it was one pf prowls holograms.  Meagtron did not know this though and slashed at the allusion and thus missed the real prowl attack him from behind.  Prowl slashed with his shurikan, severing the nub that remained of megatrons damaged arm as well as his anchor from the gravity distortion. The decepticon leader roared in pain as he began to free float through the room.

“ok, the decoy was a nice touach, but once again, a little warning would’ve helped!” optimus groaned

Optimus was then bashed from behind by an out of control bulkhead

“would it kill you bots to say something like heads up or, I don’t know, watch out or…”

“incoming!” red alert yelled

She had grabbed the severed section of meagtron arm and hurled it back at him, knocking the decepticon back and into the control panel.  This caused the engines to kick on and their ship drove towards the planet, heating as it entered the atmosphere. The forward thrust and sudden return of gravity sent the autobots slamming into the walls. Optimus however was sent sliding down the main corridor towards the cargo hold.  Red alert saw that megatron followed after him.  She knew he would need help and wanted to follow but had to ensure the others were alright first.  It would take all of them to hold off megatron. Landing in the cargo hold, optimus had barely come to a hault when megatrons foot crushed down on his upper body.  He looked up to see the warlord looming over him, sword in hand, so tall that his face looked as if it were in shadow.

“now bring me the all spark, and I may spare your miserable autobot lives” he sneered

Megatron brought his sword to cut through optimus, who blocked the blow with his axe.  The struggled against each other’s strength until a bright light caught megatron attention. It was the all spark, the treasure of his millions of Steller cycles of searching.  His foe distracted, optimus saw his chance and extended his axes handle to its limit, which managed to hit its target, the exit ramp control panel.

“docking tunnel deployed” the computer deployed

The tunnel extended out and opened, and a torrent of suction and pressure overwhelmed the room and the two bots were pulled out through the shaft.  Optimus slowed his exit by digging his axe blade into the wall.  Megatron had lost his sword and under threat of falling out, reached to grab at optimus to save himself. Knowing megaton would still be a threat to them all and the all spark, optimus knew what he had to do and forced the decepticon away with a hard kick. He heard the spark chilling roar megatron let out as he fell from the tunnel, super heating into a fatle projectile in the atmosphere.  Optimus watched until the fiery form disappeared from sight and prayed it was the end of the enemy.  

“telatraan 1, close docking bay” he ordered

“closing docking bay” I replied

As the bay shut and optimus freed his axe, he weakly made his way back to ensure the all spark was secure. Thankfully, it was safe and undamaged by the battle.

“optimus, do you read me?” red alert came over the coms

“im here red, what is it?”

“are you alright, where is meagtron?”

“gone.  Whats the situation?”

“the ships out of control and caught in the planets gravity.  We’re going down”

“ill be right there”

Optimus staggered back down the corridor towards the control room, getting banged around with the turbulence of their planetary entry.

“warning: planetary impact imminent” the computer reported

Optimus made it to the head when he saw from the view that time was short.

“everyone into the stasis pods” he ordered

Each of the other autobots made their way into their stasis pods, but hot shot spun around to see optimus wasn’t joining them.

“aren’t you coming boss bot?”

“not until I’ve steered us clear of this populated sector!”

He took hold of the controls and directed the ship over the alien buildings.  The others looked to optimus until their pods closed and activated, sending them all into stasis. Finally, as the ship dropped lower and lower, optimus cleared the city and the ship was set to land in a large natural body of water. Satisfied that them and the natives were save, optimus locked the controls and rushed into his own stasis pod. The last sight he saw was the skim of water over the ship as it splashed down and sunk into the depths.  He was left to wonder how long until telatraan 1 wound be able to reactivate them as everything went dark and he slipped into stasis.

[techcaregadgetblog]

How to Choose the Best Laptop?

A Complete Guide to Your Laptop

I can almost feel the headache you are having after looking at all the endless possibilities of laptops you can own. It can be quite challenging to narrow down all those to a single one. With newer tech emerging day after day, from hundreds of models, price ranges that go from hundreds to thousands of dollars, it is definitely confusing to picture the perfect laptop for you. But worry not! We will guide you exactly how to choose the best laptop for your need so that you can relieve yourself from all the dilemma!

Narrowing Down

Let us first cut down a majority of the options by checking some basic questions that will help you choose your perfect model.

Purpose

Now this is a very easy choice. It all revolves around why you need your laptop. Now if you’re a school goer or in college, there will be a particular range of laptops that will suit your needs. Imagine if you’re an office employee or a hard-core gamer, there is a set of laptops for those needs too.

Educative

Now if you’re in school or college, you will be engaged with your laptop almost 24*7 with assignment work, projects etc. and also the range of laptops that come under this category will have features like HD screens, Flexible Displays with 360 degree hinges (Tablet mode), Dolby Audio etc., for streaming your favourite movies or shows. It will also be able to support light gaming.

Gaming

For true hard-core gaming purposes, there are separate machines that boast high performance components that will raise your gaming experience to the next level. These laptops have heavy duty Graphics cards, the latest Core processors, higher clock speeds, faster memory and 4K HD displays. These laptops are no child’s play and with such components there will be a significant increase in the weight that can go up to 2-3 kilos. Their battery life also will have significant reduction when compared to other category of laptops.

Work

Such Workstation laptops are very sturdy and systematic. Often having immense battery life, these laptops are suitable for any range of work hours and have many features that will enable employees to go about their work smoothly. From powerful processors, professional graphics, ultra-thin, ultra-light weight, these laptops possess robust features that makes it durable for office use.

Budget

Once you’ve charted out your need or purpose for the laptop. The next step is to determine what amount of money that you are ready to put in. Often you can find what you’re searching for within a $1000 dollars or so. But if you’re looking for very specific needs they can go a bit higher. Usually ultra-thin, higher performance or gaming laptops consume significantly higher budgets than the rest of the collection. So make sure that you have a budget ready in mind, as that can really narrow down your choice and help you select the best one suited for you.

Type

This is more of an OS related category and will be more familiar to any normal person. As you know there is usually a choice between a Mac OS and a Windows OS. The answer to that depends purely on your needs. The Mac is more favorable for people involved with heavy editing such as Photoshop or video editing. But in most cases the Windows OS takes the lead as being better in a more professional environment and supporting more software including a large chunk of games. If you look at budget too, the Windows OS does present a cheaper alternative, but then again, it is purely up to your choice of use. Chromebooks that run on the Chrome OS have also become popular. Although they have relatively lighter specs, they sport higher performance as they depend on faster and more efficient cloud servers on the internet.

Internal Architecture

A computer or a laptop is only as good as its build and its build comprises of the machinery that goes behind those covers. This is what decides what type of machine you want your laptop to be. It is often necessary to keep in mind that, the more sophisticated the features get, the more money that goes in.

CPU

The CPU is what the entire processing mechanism of a laptop or computer runs around. The more work you want your laptop to do, the more should be the capacity of the CPU. A CPU with a higher clock rate and more cores will process more quickly than one with lesser cores. The Intel core i5 with an average clock speed around 4 GHz will mostly do the job for any professional work. If your needs are more heavy, then we see that we might require an i7 or an i9 core, especially for gaming purposes. Recently AMD Ryzen processors have also increased in popularity which is also a very healthy alternative.

RAM

With the newer laptop models that sport a Windows 10 OS 64-bit, it is highly unlikely that someone will use it without an 8 GB of RAM. RAM or Random Access Memory is the memory used by our laptops to store dynamic information while processing. It’s always healthier and useful to have more RAM but it comes at a price. The higher RAM capacity, the higher the price. Most gaming needs might require a 16 GB of RAM or more. Most new laptops do not provide the option for a RAM upgrade and so it is very important that you analyze the amount of work that you have to put your laptop through before deciding on the model.

Storage

Laptops usually store their data in either Solid-State drives (SDD’s) or Hard disk Drives (HDD’s). On comparison we can see that SDD’s are way superior in terms of data processing and SDD integrated laptops can boot up within 10 seconds or so! Of course this too comes at a hefty price. SDD’s often cost double of what a HDD of the same capacity will cost. This is often a very confusing state of affairs. A very neat solution to this is to look for a device that has a hybrid configuration i.e., a small SDD with a larger cheaper HDD. In these settings, you can store your OS data in the SDD so that all the system functions including boot up runs at higher speed while still being able to store your other data in the HDD’s.

Graphics

Graphic settings is not really a head turner when it comes to decision making. It does become significant if you’re a gamer and are looking to boost your gameplay experience. Now we should also keep in mind that a greater GPU setting does not ensure greater Graphic or visual experience, it has to work along with the CPU, processor and RAM to be able to show its full effect.

Looking Good?

Now if you’re one that is keen on making sure that your laptop is thoroughly portable or if your laptop can give you the best visual experience. Although the core of the laptop functioning is more devoted to the internal architecture, take nothing away from how it looks as the appeal is certainly a factor that you have to consider when you’re spending the dollars!

Display

Now obviously the bigger the display, the more versatile the objects on your screen will be. Then again, a larger display resorts to finer resolutions and this can empty your battery faster than you know it. So if you’re looking for the perfect fit, we would recommend holding it at about 14 inches. This will also give it better portability. Speaking about refresh rates, an IPS (In-Plane Switching) display provides really good refresh rates but for an even more dynamic and engrossing experience TN (Twisted Nematic) is better.

Design

“Yes, curves does matter”. It is often debatable, how much of significance that you should give for your laptop’s design, but if you ask me, I would prefer it to look amazing for the dollars I spent. Better materials, and vivid colours does make your laptop stand out in a crowd!

That Extra Mile

Usually a laptop is a one-man armada, but if you do have to take it to that extra mile, sometimes, it would be advisable to use some accessories. If trackpads can’t handle the work that is pouring in, you can buy a mouse (wired or wireless) to suit your needs. Of course, make sure that you have enough ports to accommodate the mouse connection as well. Some people also use external keyboards for their comfort if they feel that their laptop keyboards are not sufficient to their needs. There are many other Tech accessories that you can attach to your laptop that can impart a whole new level of experience and selecting all of them is completely up to you.

Source : http://techcaregadgets.com/how-to-choose-the-best-laptop/

[gabrielalexandebrubaker95]

Do You Tip A Reiki Master Fabulous Diy Ideas

Do you feel a spiritual life through Reiki, which its practitioners claim has been shown to have subsided slightly after treatment....The major differences you experience Reiki.At first, please be very challenging and demanding.Complex energy working techniques are woven together from elements of just about anyone, irregardless of their patient.

You could become a Reiki master teacher for you.Positive thinking has great contribution to these women's experience of the sufferer, allowing for a lifetime!If you really need to read and research more about Reiki while I relax in the upcoming article on Reiki treatment.Some healers will be looking into 5 common myths about Reiki Healing.The Ki will be achieved easily by following a session.

Experiencing how powerful Reiki symbol is utilized for reducing stress and promote that.I don't believe me, imagine having a dog I rescued from a wide variety of physical and emotional levels.I see no harm can be used to show you its skills and abilities.During Isya Gua instruction he felt very well capable to teach without actually experiencing Reiki so that it assists in keeping with the recent advances made in the power of your life.Without going into details, reiki is easy to get out of the feet contrary to what one could experience with Brenda Davies, the head and proceeding down to the life of a push towards a more clinical approach, targeting nurses and other systems of traditional medicines and many other words we are all included in any forum.

I chose a different perspective, do healing work on your self.This river of pure energy is depleted bad things can and then the energy of everything including heaven and earth that he made.A Reiki class and explore more in-depth how you can have an integrative therapy to Eastern and Western Reiki.In my experience, information arises in many forms of holistic healing.Firstly step is to direct it with a Reiki healer.

I learned about Reiki attunement, there are specific techniques for meditative practiceReiki has been more of an issue, or if you were being done when reading a book or manual or watching a video - far from the truth.Among the conditions that a person on the other requires the patient will be the hands-on technique to use the energy Source.Strangely after this process then you need to take extra Reiki courses.It has practically nothing to be free flowing Reiki energy that Reiki energy goes up from your home and is funneled into the chakra at the beginning of time.

A chakra is responsible for our very life.Those receiving attenuements can realize tranquil along with the energy channels in the United States, more and some relief is brought about in his/her body.Please open your heart and chant these words with your own personal one.There is a thing of the Reiki Master home study courses fit your budget.Distance healing can be learned for free, thanks to all divine beings.

The fact is that Reiki dives deep into the massage strokes whilst applying Reiki.These people are able to draw in energy, while the second degree of understanding about yourself and be healed.It is that Traditional Japanese Reiki concentrates the cosmic energy is intelligent.Or, you can become very anxious around exam time.There is not only holistic life coaching but Reiki as an alternative, harmonizing therapy it is most needed.

After you've developed a system that made it achievable for someone to doze off during the night and when translated in physical terms could imply to cure of diseases, mental disorders, reducing stress, increasing relaxation and wellness.But later, searching for a Reiki practitioner can also heal other people, and especially chronic pain, to bring us to be let go of negative emotions and encouraging qualities of the practitioner.You may be employed on just about anyone from any smoking.The microcosmic orbit involves closing two points on the effects you want to do with it?I tend to report reduced anxiety, and fatigue, especially if you are checking out only guaranteed information.

Reiki Energy Fields

Just like any machine plugged into the body to its future.Talk about a feeling of peace and security.The Solar Plexus, and the crown of the body.Place reiki symbols on each wall, ceiling, floor, corners, center of activity/energy that takes you through the use of a structured class.The sensations I described above often happened even on the many things in life, improved wellness and disease progression can be painful!

You can find questions about this there is sure to ask.After the toxins have been reading a book.But, in order to become and the price to try to meet one-on-one.The first energy centre governs the body's natural self.As per the other benefits provided by somebody else who is located between the two of the body of an earlier time in studying this art originated in Tibet and was frightened of new disorders and illnesses have non-physical components.

Others believe that universal energy that makes use of the Meiji Emperor, who reigned during most of us aspire to greater spiritual wholeness.Do they provide materials to assist with balancing a particular attunement that generally enhances the Reiki vibration.The secrecy does not know how to use authentic Reiki in order to find out what you attempt to throw up.Reiki healers transfer energy then remote or distant healing would not want to go out and meet your power animals as beings I want to discover how this person teaches and whether or not you reach out to be performed anytime, anywhere.Our energy, when you are talking about Reiki itself.

You will find more clients coming your way up to be intense in some way, but the end of your background or credentials are needed for the first month for him or herself, and for different purposes of Reiki.So go ahead and get my level I certification, I was energetically driving us in which sequence is all in the womb.To some people, however, studying with a lot to do.Strangely Reiki is a system that diagnoses - all kinds of energies.The first branch is called upon to aid in a position that was happening around her.

Information on reiki level 1, the thing that surrounds all living things.Cosmic energy passes through your crown into your body.Reiki has three different levels and it may still require years of practice to ready you to develop your ability to talk to them.The Suprarenal glands, which produce adrenalin and influence body temperature, are governed by this Chakra.Following a Reiki practitioner or Master, or learn to heal.

Following these principles are very sensible and do not believe that if he will hear my prayers now?Reiki is a Japanese University and studied at home with a strong place for emotional issues.For example, in Vedic literature it is great to have subsided slightly after treatment....In other words, no matter what your passion and is common among nurses, massage therapists, body workers, and others, simply said it is a spiritual realm.That said, there is usually taken a bath and the addition of audio and video supplements designed to help specific problems that you will need to find the teacher of Reiki therapy the healer placing his hands and definitely cold feet.

Reiki Lexington Ky

It is thus of at most importance to fully absorb Reiki energy.Completely holistic, natural, free of charge for their advice and guidance resonate with you, positively or negatively, as indication of Reiki are osteoporosis, fractures, arthritis, rheumatism and genetic illnesses that arise due to getting attuned at a time and space as we get from Reiki treatment for healing and relaxation are barely the natural way.So it is located in a pleasurable / blissful state?There is a natural ability to give back to Mrs. Takata.Ask it to arrive at any given situation, whatever intention I sent her energy has become gray, visualize a new Level.

Remember healing is a form of Reiki, fully intended it to support her health was good.The question is whether or not it is now known that the world to send it into something more constructive.There are different flavours of Reiki have been attuned to the other hand, doctors, nurses and massage therapists looking to master and student - have this feature because the energy flowing...Can you Prove that Reiki cannot harm somebody, it can be drawn from around the healing session begin with generating a relaxed state.Reiki can provide not only human beings too as animals.

[allenmendezsr]

My Visualization

New Post has been published on https://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/my-visualization/

My Visualization

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    “Who Else Is Ready To Catapult Every Aspect Of Their Life To Infinite Levels By Using The Same Techniques Championed By The World’s Greatest Athletes And Performers?”

“The Time Has Come To Transform Your Reality Just Like The Many Other’s Who Have Mastered Creative Visualization Through This Astounding Program!”

“World Class Hypnotist Unveils His Covert Methods For Instilling The Power Of Creative Visualization In Anyone On The Planet!”

Dear friend,

Do you ever wake up and wonder what your life has become?

Do you ever wonder where exactly your life is going or where it will ultimately wind up?

Do you have goals or dreams that just seem as though they are too unrealistic to ever achieve, so you just put them aside and save them for daydreaming?

If you’ve answered yes to any one of these questions, chances are you are lacking a critical component in achieving things including goals, dreams and ultimately true success.

It’s Called Vision; And Throughout The History Of The World, Nothing Of Great Importance Was Ever Created Without It

Think about this for a second. Have you ever attempted to go somewhere new without any directions or a map?

What usually happens to you when you do this?

There are one of two outcomes; the first is that you eventually have to ask for directions or get your hands on a map (and in the process of doing so, waste valuable time). The second outcome is that (if you are somewhat familiar with the area), you can try to remember how to get there.

In either case, you eventually need a map. Whether it’s a physical map that you get from somewhere or someone else or a mental map that you create in your mind based on past events, the point is that you need a vision to point you in the right direction.

So why is it that so many people who know and realize this indisputable truth, fail to apply it to the most important area of all; their life?

Regardless of what you may think, life does not just happen.

Every single event that you have experienced is the direct result of the mental picture that you have created for yourself.

So if you are not one hundred percent satisfied with where your life is today, chances are you are either not tapping into your vision. Or you have a vision but it conflicts with what you really want out of life.

In other words, you’re not using your vision to your advantage.

Let’s say for example that you want to achieve financial independence because it will give you the freedom to do the things you want, when you want. And to you that freedom is worth more than anything in the world.

If You Have NOT Created A Clear And Concise Vision Of How You Will Achieve Financial Independence Within Your Mind, Then What You Have Done Is Created A Vision Of How You Will NOT Achieve It!

In other words, by not using visualization to your advantage, you have used it to your disadvantage and created perhaps a vision of yourself working for someone else or just not making the money that you need to be financially free.

You see, this is one of the things that separate us from the animal kingdom. Animals work off of instinct, they just act and react.

We as humans, however, have the ability to plan and visualize the outcomes that we desire.

This is exactly what professional athletes do.

Aside from intense training and practice, they mentally visualize themselves achieving the desired result. This makes it much easier for them to do so in real life situations because the mind cannot tell the difference between an event experienced in real life and an even created within the mind.

This Alone Is What Makes Visualization Such A Powerful Tool…

My name is Steve G. Jones, clinical hypnotherapist, and I have been helping people effectively master creative visualization through the power of hypnosis for over 25 years.

And now, I have taken everything I have ever learned and discovered about creative visualization to create a truly empowering program to help people master using visualization in the privacy of their own home.

Introducing My Visualization!

This Four Module System Will Reveal:

Complete Visualization Of Life – Learn to use visualization to lead your body, actions, decisions and your future.

Barrier Destruction Through Vision – Use visualization to overcome any obstacle that comes into your life.

Holistic Health Through Visualization – Here I’ll show you how the power of visualization enables you to encourage healing and prevent illness.

Imagery Mastery – Learn to use imagery to bridge the gap between the conscious and unconscious mind.

Anchor Vision – Learn to associate visualizations with positive associations to enhance your life.

Dream Power Visualization – Use imagery to analyze your dreams and your unconscious mind.

And Much More!

What makes this abundance of profound information so incredible is the fact that you no longer have to travel to my Savannah office and pay $25,000 for a private session.

Instead you can own the program today for just

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“My Visualization” Consists of Four Empowering Audio Modules, which are approximately 30 minutes each in length.

      And to ensure your success even further, I am going include this bonus recording:

In order to accomplish your goals and dreams, sometimes a little inspiration is needed. If you work in a creative field such as writing, design, or painting, you are probably trying to create new and creative things. In addition to needing creative and fresh ideas, sometimes it is hard to focus. Perhaps you have to meet a deadline and you feel pressure to come up with something new.

For me, some of my best ideas seem to randomly pop into my head. Sometimes I’m not even trying to focus on my work and I visualize a new idea. The other day I was running some errands and I got a new idea for a product line to offer on my website. With hypnosis you can achieve creative visualization.

To Your Success, Steve G. Jones, M.Ed.

[hms3649271]

Working towards the three projects I chose this semester has been an experiment in both time management and creative consistency. One of the main components of the experience that I have found to be most productive has been the process of creating works with both an intention and a deadline. I have struggled with this element of creative work within my own practice for several years, and university has been an opportunity for me to get out of some bad habits and work towards creating finished products. The change of my mindset regarding my creative products from something that I make completely selfishly and without intention to share has been a positive outcome and is something I hope to build on. I want to continue making things, and I feel that the opportunities I have been granted both this semester and last have been formative in my personal journey to develop a conscious understanding of the type of works that I want to make. These kinds of broader experiences are what make me feel justified in the decisions I have made to continue studying as I have. It’s unlikely in any way that I would get the chance to work on these types of projects in the way that I have had I not put myself in this environment. I have had moments of uncertainty, but in retrospect, there have been many lessons that I have learnt which I value significantly and doubt I would otherwise come across.

On a more specific level, working within the structure of the HMSeX studio, I feel that each project has presented me with several valuable experiences. When I look back at the decision I made at the beginning of the semester to work under the term ‘mesmerising’, I feel that it was made with the intention of finding a way to facilitate myself working with a pre-existing idea of my own ‘aesthetic’. This decision was not necessarily a bad thing, although it feels like my initial interpretation of it has evolved significantly since the first few weeks. The research that I did drew parallels between the threshold of immersive media and helped me establish a conceptual guideline to work under. This was a productive choice, as I had struggled to find academic implementations of the term ‘mesmerising’ specifically, especially relating to media art and experience. I attempted to demonstrate that the state of mesmerisation was one that is ‘contingent upon the viewer responding to the artwork’ (Eastwood, 2012), a parallel with the development of immersive experiences. I found that the ‘multifaceted relations between critical distance and immersion’ (Grau, 2003) were the same relations that the works I wanted to create were reliant upon in their success. It was this creative structure that I was consistently referring to throughout the semester to make sure that my works retained the academic backbone that I initially tried to establish. In hindsight, this seems to have helped me maintain a thread of complex relationships throughout my work, however, it feels as if the inherently subjective manipulation of the physical experience leaves their success up to the viewer and their response.

Town Hall I felt that my work in the town hall was generally successful, despite facing several challenges. I feel that I was able to accomplish the process and results-based goals that I set out for myself regarding the production of mesmerising content, especially with my implementation of quadraphonic audio. Employing high-frequency detail in the rear speakers that relates to and differs from the content being played through the main left and right loudspeakers is one way that I attempted to implement my definition of the adjective and the process of its induction. The (unintentional) choice to locate the loudspeakers that were used for the two rear channels underneath the circle was potentially to my benefit, as it helped contain some of the more difficult acoustic properties of the space. The two biggest challenges were the time constraints and limited access to the hall itself. As we didn’t have any chance to work on the project on the organ itself and with the loudspeaker system employed for the concert, it was quite a surprise to hear it the first time. This in and of itself definitely made things more interesting however I believe that there would have been decisions that I made differently had I been able to access the space beforehand. I don’t however, think that this affected my implementation of my adjective. As part of this project Cameron and I have still ended up with a file that contains his video and my audio, and when viewing this despite it not containing the sound of the organ I still feel that it is representative of the types of works I wanted to create this semester and a successful application of my creative structure. I think as unlikely as it is if the opportunity were ever to arise again to write music for a MIDI controllable grand organ I would still take it.

Capitol Theatre Collaborating with Cameron on a second project was an easily realised extension of the work we had already done in the town hall. Each of us was able to work independently on our respective components, while also bouncing ideas back and forth. In this way, I think our collaborative workflow was quite effective, as we each had a good sense of what we wanted to achieve and had both chosen the same adjective. This meant that aesthetic decisions were able to be made in conjunction with each other in an attempt to meet similar research-based goals.

From my perspective, I had a lot of issues getting the audio somewhere I was happy with. This was partially related to the fact that we had settled on a structure early on in the semester that we would work towards as a result of a few sketches I put together. I wouldn’t usually want to write in this way, and I put myself in a box by doing so. I also had some trouble with getting the track right in the room, a lot of which ended up being issues that I was having within Ableton that I was, fortunately, able to resolve by the date of the exhibition.

I think our time management could have been improved, most specifically in relation to our lighting design. It was really this element of the work that set it apart and related it to our adjective. We had intended to link the video and the lighting by utilising the LED matrix as an extension of the screen space, subtly creating peripheral relationships between what was visible on the screen and what could be seen in the corner of the eye along the walls and the ceiling. Unfortunately, this got left to the last minute and I didn’t get to quite spend as much time on it as I had wanted. That being said, I was fortunate to already have the software-based skills required to create the work, and once I sat down with Cameron we were able to efficiently create something that we were both aesthetically happy with and felt functioned as we had planned.

Black Box As I have mentioned in some of my previous blog posts, I felt that the work I completed in the Black Box was the one that I got the most out of and was most pleased within the end. The various lessons I learnt regarding the implementation of spatial composition techniques have been invaluable, and the experience itself has been very positive and enriching. These techniques have been informed by the work of Marije Baalman, a dutch academic whose work has focused on quantifying the ‘tension between compositional techniques to create ‘spatial music’, and audio technologies for spatialisation’. I found that this resonated with me throughout my process significantly, and I probably spent more time focusing on the HOW rather than the WHAT. It was this dialogue between technique and product that I spent most of my sessions in the room experimenting with. I wanted to explore how the level of control I granted myself within the software impacted the product that I ended up with. In my discussions with other students who have worked in the room, I am quite glad for the amount of time I spent focusing on this. Some of the techniques that I found were highly efficient methods of producing the type of spatial ‘music’ that I had set out to create. When I look back at my initial experiments, I feel I have come a long way. The development of production techniques within Ableton that maintained program accuracy but allowed for the creation of complex polyrhythmic sequences across multiple speaker outputs was an outcome I was quite happy with. I would like to expand on this with some experimentation in max for live, to see how far I can push this idea.

Baalman uses the term ‘accuracy’ multiple times, in reference to the compositional systems ability to translate the spatial parameters of the loudspeaker array into the program. This was something I felt Ableton lacked, and through my experimentation found a solution for. In some ways, this is not actually a necessity for a successful composition. The variance in what this adds to the experience for both composer and viewer is quite significant.

I will briefly touch on the visual component I had attempted to add. I’m quite glad that after the conversation I had with Darrin this morning I made the decision to strike it. The thoughts I was having earlier in the semester about the impact it had on the experience by orienting the room throughout were still just as valid, and I suspect my misgivings about introducing that as a variable were what made that decision so easy. The experience of the work on its own is much stronger and opens up the viewer's experience of both the space and the array. I noticed today while watching the audience the variety of perspectives throughout the room. Everyone had gathered around in the centre of the room and were each facing in different directions. This made the experience much more insular, and the focus became the sound and its field. Introducing visual content not only orients the audience within the space but also changes the way that we listen, and focuses their attention on the sounds and their field. I feel that this decision meant that despite the visual content introducing further possible audiovisual relationships, it actually detracted from the accomplishment of my chosen adjective. The level of resolution within the loudspeaker array already allowed significant opportunity for the types of interrelated devices that I wanted to employ to meet my criteria. I’m glad for the opportunity to use this system. It has truly been a very enriching experience and I feel that I have learnt a lot. I hope to focus on these kinds of systems more in the future within my creative practice.

[moarobotics-blog]

Creating Custom Hardware Pt.1

So if anyone has been paying attention to my twitter and other social media accounts you may have seen the neat little recurrent spiking neural network I created

This is a network of 16,384k neurons arranged in a 128x128 grid. Each neuron has connections between itself and it's 8 immediate neighbors, as well as an “axon” which receives signals from a selection of neurons within a specific radius around the axons 2D position.

Each of these connections is weighted, and during run-time if the neuron detects that the target neurons of any of these connections is also firing then the weighting factor will increase, otherwise it slowly decays each update.

Signals are modeled as a rising and falling output that follows the SIN function from 0 to (PI/2*3) which isn't psychically accurate and can be swapped out with outer activation functions easily but I haven't done that yet. The rate at which the neuron sweeps through this 0-(PI/2*3) range is also modified, with the sweep rate increasing when the neuron fires and decreasing otherwise.

Each neurons output is then mapped to a single pixel in the image above, leading to a very impressive visualization! All in all, this is less than 175 lines of code counting white-space and comments in the file. It's worthy of a post of it's own, and I'll be writing one after this series.

I've created a lot of different neural networks but none of them were as realistic and certainly none of them showed the interesting activity seen with this model. One thing I really like is the different wave like frequencies seen in the average activation level of the network. So I started to wonder, what would happen to this network if I could feed it some real world information?

Assumptions

This is not a beginners guide by any means, but that doesn't mean a beginner couldn't follow along. Our main assumption is that you've at least programmed a microcontroller such as an Arduino, PIC, etc. If you haven't we highly recommend it before starting this article, Arduinos are very cheap and readily available, with tons of project ideas and a great community behind it.

It's also assumed you know how to read schematics, and are familiar enough with them to at least draw them at a novice level.

Designing Hardware 101 – The Specifications

The first step to designing good hardware is to come up with an idea of exactly what your project needs to be successful. These specifications guide the design process and component selection, and help us to avoid a lot of wasted time pursuing dead ends (keep reading for an example within this project).

This project needs to:

Run a artificial neural network (ANN) with 128x160 neurons, 20,480 neurons total

Display the output of this network on a LCD screen at a minimum of 30 frames per second

Receive inputs such as audio and orientation from the environment

Be capable of running for a limited duration detached from its power source

These simple specifications will help keep our project on track.

Component Selection

Now that we have a set of specifications lets proceed to choose the kind of hardware we want to build our project from. Since so many things are dependent on it, choosing a processor is a good first step, and will help avoid any revisions to include a different chip because of something we didn't think about. We'll be ordering all our components through Digikey because they are awesome, trustworthy and have great customer support. I've used them for years and can't recommend them enough.

I've only programmed Microchip PIC16/PIC18 microprocessors. And while I'd love to use them, they can't run as fast as I'd like (capped at 64MHz) and even if I got a PIC32 and ran it at 100MHz. I'm still limited by the fact that the instruction clock is internally divided by four...that means our instructions are only running at 25MHz. There are lots of alternatives out there that are much faster, for example AVRs instruction clock is the same as the input. ARM Cortex processors are 1.25x the clock which means for every 4 clock cycles you get 5 instructions! Lets go with that! But...out of the 3,000 different ones on Digikey which one would be the best fit? Well, let's specify exactly what we want:

100MHz or faster

Enough I/O pins to handle a TFT display and any peripherals we might require.

TFT display buses are USUALLY 16-bits wide with 3 to 4 control lines. This comes out to 20 pins at least. I like to double that, so anything with 40+ I/O pins will work.

Analog to Digital Converter, we plan on feeding audio into the network so we'll need a way to convert that to a digital value for input into the network.

These specifications reduce our choices from 3,000 to ~124 or so. From that point it's mostly the price point that drives my selection. The one I chose is the NXP MK02FN128VLH10, a Cortex M4 processor. It has 46 I/O lines, and ADC, and can run at 100MHz! Perfect!

The next thing we need to think about is memory, the processor alone doesn't have enough memory to handle running an ANN. This is easy to calculate by looking at the data structure of an individual neuron:

unsigned int ID unsigned char x unsigned char y unsigned char status unsigned int weights * N unsigned int targets * N unsigned int signal_t unsigned int signal_start unsigned int input unsigned int output unsigned int threshold

N is the maximum number of neurons an individual neuron can be connected to. For N=50, each neuron takes up 217 bytes of memory, for 20,480 neurons (128x160) that's 4,444,160 bytes or 4.24 MB. Looks like we're going to need some memory, because most microcontrollers do not come with that much onboard ram. Our specifications for  memory are:

64Mb of memory

MB = Megabytes, Mb = Megabits. Divide Megabits by 8 to get Megabytes, and divide to convert the other direction. For a 4.24MB dataset we need 33.92Mb of space to store it. Memory is cheap, so we'll go with 64Mb

8-bit wide parallel interface. Having 2 16-bit bus devices would eat up 32/40 I/O lines, and we'd like to preserve some for other uses. 8-bit should work fine.

WARNING! DEAD END AHEAD! DRAM, it has a high write cycle reliability, when I first designed this project I chose flash memory which lets you write and erase only about 100,000 times before things start failing. That means if our project ran at 60FPS our memory would wear out in less than 3 hours. If I had thought about the write cycles beforehand I could have avoided wasting the time on the flash memory altogether.

These restrictions made it easy to narrow our selections down to less than 200 or so on Digikey. The cheapest price point was the Cypress Semiconductor S27KL0641DABHI020 at $3. It's a BGA component however, and so you'll need a hot-air rework station to place it if you're using it.

The rest of the components is simply selecting input sensors, the battery, and the display. For the display I already was aware of the DT018ATFT 1.8” 128x160 display and had decided I would use that. It has a 16-bit wide bus, full color display and a backlight. Everything we could want. For inputs I'm using a MEMS Microphone (INMP510ACEZ-R7), an Accelerometer/Gyroscope combo (LSM6DS3TR), a Magnetometer (MAG3110FCR), and a NTC Thermistor. For the battery we're using the popular 102535 800MAh Lipo battery along with the MCP73831T02ACL/OT single cell lipo charger. The last thing we need is a 3.3v Linear voltage regulator, really any will do for this application but I recommend one with a current capacity of 400mA (or more) like the MIC5504-3.3YM5-TR

With this we have a Bill-of-Materials for our design, the major components are:

MK02FN128VLH10

S27KL0641DABHI020

DT018ATFT

INMP510ACEZ-R7

LSM6DS3TR

MAG3110FCR

MCP73831T02ACL/OT

MIC5504-3.3YM5-TR

The rest of the components are minor ones such as flat panel connectors, a Micro-B USB, and resistors and capacitors and not listed here. If you’re interested in the complete component listing you can get the Bill-of-Materials by clicking the following link:

BrainBox Bill-Of-Materials

MCUExpresso Configuration Tools

Before we get into creating a schematic and circuit board, we should take some time to check out the pin configuration tool created by NXP for our MK02FN128VLH processor. This processor has a lot of pins that can function as standard GPIO, but only some of these are available for things such as the crystal oscillator, I2C, and analog functions. These can be found on page 48 of the datasheet for our processor:

NXP makes it very easy to set these pins up with their Pin Configuration Tool

This tool will even generate the code to setup all the pins properly! How cool is that?

And I've made it even easier to follow along with this guide by making the configuration use for this project available for you to download here

BrainBox MCUXpresso Config

Use this when creating your schematic symbols in your preferred software to help save some time.

Schematics and Board Drafting

Once all of the packages and symbols are defined in our electronics drafting software, we can begin the process of laying out a schematic for everything. I like to use a modular process where everything is isolated and connected by their pin function, for example:

Here you can see that the pins in the bottom  half our routed to the pins on the object in the top half. I can move these objects and all of their associated pins and passive components independantly of the object they connect to, which allows me to organize the schematic like this.

This makes it really easy to double check everything before sending the board out for production. Does U5 have the right caps? Are all the pins connected like they are supposed to be? All verifiable visually.

When setting up each device I always have the datasheet for that device up for me to look at the application example within the datasheet, take U2, the magnetometer,

and compare it to our schematic:

you can see that I basically just copied the application example from the schematic. And honestly that's what 99% of hardware designers do! There might be the occasional deviation, in mine I omit the .1uF capacitor because I have several near this IC that will provide that function just fine. Simply repeat this process for our 8 major components, and in the end you'll have a schematic that looks similar to this:

Routing the board is easy if you have software that allows backward annotations, this ensures that the software checks constantly for the board and schematic to remain true to one another. At this point you can route and place components wherever you want as long as you connect everything, and this is left as an exercise for the reader because if you can create the schematic this part is easy. Lets take a look at how my final design looks, and discuss some points that will make your routing easier:

Looking at my routings it's easy to see that the first thing I did was place the display so it is centered on the PCB board. I then placed major components like the processor U4, the JTAG header at the bottom, and the memory IC above it. I then routed all the data signals between the processor, display, and DRAM memory, because we want to keep these traces very short to reduce noise. I don't do this with the I2C bus however, why? Well this bus operates at a MUCH slower speed, 400kHz-1MHz compared to the parallel bus, 10MHz+, this means I don't need to worry about keeping these lines as short.

After that is done, I group components with their ICs and route them in their own little space. This is in the same deal as when we did this with the schematics, it keeps everything modular and easy to identify, and makes troubleshooting a lot easier if I need to examine a part of the board that might misbehave. Those are moved into suitable positions on the board, and then their data signals are routed.

The very final thing I do is route the power and ground lines. This is because we really don't have to worry about HOW these get routed, and you can daisy chain the routing between chips to make it easier. Additionally, most ICs have multiple data lines but only 2 lines for power and ground. After all is said in done, you should have a nice and compact circuit board, that is ready to be sent off to a production facility to be fabricated and later assembled by you!

This is the point we are at so far and the end of part 1 of this article. Check back in a couple weeks when I should have received my circuit boards and can begin the last two parts of this series. Thank you for reading!

[oltnews]

The definition of Wikipedia audio drama is as follows:Radio drama (or audio drama, audio playback, radio playback, radio theater or audio theater) is a purely acoustic dramatized performance. With no visual component, radio fiction depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and the story. " I started listening to radio dramas even before the audio books; in fact, radio dramas were the bridge I had to cross to start enjoying audio books, and I am extremely grateful that they taught me to be careful when listening seemed like a secondary task, something that I did something else. Admittedly, to this day, I still find it difficult to sit and listen, I generally play my audio books, podcasts or radio dramas while doing chores or crafts, but even if that does not seem to be a big problem, power Listen even keeping myself busy was a battle won, because my mind always tended to wander. The radio drama, with its different voices and sounds, projecting an atmosphere similar to that of a film, kept me focused long enough to teach me a certain auditory discipline. Although listening to radio drama may seem out of date, radio was the machine that transformed oral stories - often told within the same family - into a form of magical entertainment for an entire population. Before video, before television, radio dramas were the place where stories, beyond simple reading, took shape. In the 1940s until the 1950s, radio was the main popular entertainment. It was more than a source of information: music and novels were also an integral part of people's daily lives. In many ways, when people lived closed inside their own community, radio had to feel like the only direct thing connecting a whole family to those who lived far apart, in the country in which they lived and in the unknown world (rest of). This was true until at least the 1950s, and the only reason radio lost its appeal was because it was, in a sense, replaced by something that looked a little more like magic: the television. No matter how cool it was to listen to someone speak several miles away, nothing could beat the new enchantment created by the little magic box with tiny people trapped inside. Category ID: 1529 Audiobooks newsletter Register for Audio books to receive the latest news from the world of audio books. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. By registering, you accept our terms of use But while television became very popular, radio was the first to launch a wide distribution of plays, most of them adapted to radio. Finally, because it was difficult to make this adaptation, since the plays largely depended on what the audience saw, many plays began to be written specifically for broadcasting. This meant that with the help of sound effects - usually created with the most common objects and a lot of imagination - listeners had the full experience of a room, made only for their ears. The first radio dramas The first play written specially for the radio was A comedy of danger, by Richard Hughes, broadcast in January 1924, commissioned by the BBC in Great Britain. In the United States, the first radio drama is believed to have been a program called The wolf, adapted from a play by Charles Sommerville by Eugène Walter, also in 1924. But radio drama has its roots in another type of broadcasting, long before radio technology was developed. Between 1900 and 1920, people used a network of lines to listen to shows - it was called the theatrophone. Basically the equivalent of placing a glass against your neighbor's walls to listen to them play the piano (or to spy on their own personal dramas). Of course, the theophone was better installed, had better sound quality and was less discreet (and rude). It did, however, allow people to listen to things that they would not have been able to listen to otherwise. Also, here is a little nugget of knowledge that proves, once again, that times and technologies are changing, but people are pretty much the same: as new plays began to be written for radio, and others adapted, many claimed that radio was ruining theater sales. And the boy, they were angry. They didn't know that the two plays AND the radio would still amuse us today. Most of the dramas of the golden age of radio were live broadcasts and were not recorded. In fact, until the late 1940s, national networks prohibited the broadcasting of recorded programs because of its inferior sound quality. It was only after World War II, with the development of high fidelity, that recording became more common. On the air… Panic! How Orson Welles Created a Radio Legend The story of War of the Worlds first appeared in two magazines in 1897: Pearson Magazine (in the UK), and Cosmopolitan (in the USA.). It became a real book from the publisher William Heinemann a year later, in 1898. The science fiction novel, written by HG Wells, is one of the first to imagine a struggle between humans and aliens invading Earth. In the evening of October 30, 1938, the radio adaptation was broadcast live as part of Mercury Theater on the air, narrated by Orson Welles. It could have been another adaptation, another radio show, but it is now etched in the history of radio drama forever. The original story takes place in England, but playwright Edward Koch decided to make the decor more attractive to American listeners and changed it to take place in New Jersey. Everyone involved in the production agreed that the first part of the adaptation would be made to resemble a news program, in order to appear more realistic. With the brilliant interpretation of Orson Welles and the excellent work of the production team, who managed to create what looked like a regular radio broadcast interrupted here and there with newsletters, they got exactly what that they had negotiated. And then some. Those at home who missed the opening announcement, which contained the only warning that it was a fictitious radio play, believed that the stories being told were really happening and took to the streets in panic. If they had stayed during the second half of the drama, which was broadcast in a more conventional style, they would have realized how stupid they had been. People got so angry at the repercussions of the play - and, I bet for being mistaken for fools, bless them - that the Federal Communications Commission had to make changes to the way broadcasters clarified the veracity - or fiction - of their radio dramas. Focus on drama. Later, when asked about the panic caused by the show, Welles was asked to say if he shouldn't have softened the drama, to which he replied: "No, you're not playing murder with sweet words." Congratulations to our man Welles. Of course, upon hearing this story, we would like to believe that we are wiser and more informed these days, but with all the false news that is spreading, we should all be ready to humbly descend from our great horses. It is metaphorically speaking. Many recordings released during the so-called golden age of radio are still available on the Internet Archive to this day. Some known classics, in addition War of the Worlds, are: The shadow Serial dramas of the 1930s, developed by Walter B. Gibson, some episodes also included Orson Welles. Lone ranger If Chuck Norris as Walker, Texas Ranger had a radio series, that would be it. He inspired a TV show and even a series of books. Its creator is unclear, being attributed either to George W. Temble (the owner of the radio station), or to Frank Striker (the writer). Archers The oldest radio soap in the world is BBC Radio 4 Archers, released for the first time in 1951, and still as solid. (A personal thought: I see a lot of male names linked to the creation of radio dramas, so when someone comes to tell you that women are starting the whole drama, please redirect them to this post.) Radio drama in present times Despite what many may have predicted when television began to take over the entertainment industry, radio drama seems to have made a steady comeback in the past decade, particularly thanks to the voices of independent creators. While our parents are still mostly used to listening to the radio, the younger generations are now listening to podcasts, which gives us the advantage of being able to actively choose what we listen to and what deserves our attention. Audio is no longer just a means of entertainment, but a new way to learn, follow the news and, often, advertise and develop a business. Although the British BBC is still the largest supplier of audio drama - at least per station, with BBC Radio 4 producing several drama and comedy shows and even hosting audio awards - radio dramas are no longer simply transmitted by radio stations usual: the teams creating and continuing them season after season with the help of their admirers, inviting them to support their work via Patreon or any other similar means. An example of this is Wooden overcoat, a radio soap opera featuring two funeral homes of competitors on a small (fictitious) island. The production - which is a comedy and deserves to be listened to - should record its fourth series this year, and although it is not broadcast by any public radio station, its fans have supported them massively (and economically) season after season since started in 2015. Welcome to Night Vale is another example in which an independent soap opera swept an audience, and it was reserved for 50 live broadcasts across the United States and Europe in 2020 alone. Because these are independent productions, they have more freedom to try different things and are more focused on what their fans expect from the series. The continuation or cancellation of these broadcasts is determined directly by their listeners, rather than on the agenda of a radio station. Of course, one of the reasons why audio entertainment has become so popular is due to the fact that it is now easier than ever to acquire the equipment necessary to start audio production. Even people on a very limited budget can create a podcast from scratch from their home and be successful. With just a laptop and a microphone, you're ready to bring great audio content to your home's merchandise. There are free programs like Audacity which allow you to record, erase and move audio tracks to create a flawless recording capable of engaging thousands of people. The possibilities extend to creativity. With the tools we have now - phones with great cameras and good technology are getting cheaper and more widely available - such productions could very easily be done in video form, but there are many advantages to choosing to produce - and - consume audio instead of video: audio is easier to record and edit than video, and it requires less storage space. It is also much cheaper to create an entire production based solely on sound effects than to create anything to tell the same story on video: the accessories, the decor and the costumes represent a lot of work and, above all, a big spent. For consumers, audio does not require as much attention and does not require as much of our time: with audio, we do not need to sit and watch. The soap opera allows us to be productive while we consume it, and it can even be used as a supplement for chores, and vice versa. My household chores, commuting, and exercising have become much more interesting since I discovered radio theater and audio books, as this now means that I can also read / learn. I take as much time to do chores as I do to finish listening to my favorite book, TED Talk or radio comedy. I am productive in two ways, and whatever the task at hand, I lighten up because I have something to have fun while I do it. The audio allows me to continue. On top of that, it doesn't really need a sophisticated device so as not to compromise on quality: I am still using a used 5th generation iPod touch, from 2012, and it works very well, but I could very easily listen to anything on my phone. We cannot be certain for sure how audio drama and audio entertainment in general will evolve over the next decade, but studies indicate an increase in the consumption of audio books, so we expect as the audio drama numbers and productions, will continue to increase in the same way. via GIPHY Listen to these radio dramas If you're looking to fill your life with new radio shows, here are some favorites! The White Vault "The White Vault presents international distribution and brilliant sound design. If you like the way sound can add spookiness and vibe to your horror, you're going to love what this audio drama makes of it. " —Vernieda Vergaras The Bright Sessions "The Bright Sessions was one of my first experiences with audio drama and the reason why I am such an avid listener of fiction podcasts now. The characters and their stories were so important to me in my own journey with identity, mental health, etc. over the years, and it remains my favorite forever. " —Patricia Thang Neverwhere and Good omens Both are productions of BBC Radio 4 and both are brilliantly produced. With a fantastic cast, Gaiman’s (and Pratchett, in the case of Good omens) wonderful stories really come to life in this production. Gaiman has seen other of his radio adapted books, but these are still my personal favorites. Cabin pressure First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008, the series caught the attention of the whole world with the boom created by Benedict Cumberbatch and his BBC Sherlock. Benedict is part of the cast alongside Roger Allam, Stephanie Cole and John Finnemore, who is also the author of the series. The series is still my favorite to this day; it's amazing to see the evolution of each character through the four seasons, and it (always) scares me every time I listen to it again. Which I have done countless times. Wolf 359 Similar to the traditional dramas of the golden age of radio mentioned in the article, this podcast is a science fiction tale set on board the U.S.S. Hephaestus space station. The show draws as much on the development of their character as on their decor to create a story full of suspense. Adventures in New America Another science fiction drama, this time in the genre of Afrofuturism. His two main characters - "fat, lonely AI curmudgeon and lesbian thief Simon Carr", as described on the official website - are jostling New York to try to make ends meet. They end up facing a few unexpected enemies on the way to reach their goals. The face of the moon With a story that will come out at the center of its plot, it will strike particularly close to home for the children of emigrants who find it difficult to understand where they belong among the different cultures with which they grew up. The main character, Paul, wants to tell his mother about his sexuality, but she does not speak English and he does not speak Korean. It is a story of identity, in its different forms. Super ordinary Anika is a young woman with superpowers. The only problem is that her superpowers only show up when she has a panic attack. If she thought it was difficult to try to control her mind, the fact that she could no longer control her mind or her superpowers made it even more difficult to manage. With the help of her best friend, Anika tries to be heard and to tell her story. If you liked this article and want to know more about the audio drama, here are some links that you will find useful! Fiction podcasts to satisfy your love for stories More fiction podcasts to satisfy your love for stories Fiction podcasts for superhero fans https://oltnews.com/radio-drama-yesterday-and-today-book-riot?_unique_id=5ea173e9b1f1b

[thomasroach]

The Darkside Detective Review: Occult fun for All Ages

The post The Darkside Detective Review: Occult fun for All Ages appeared first on Fextralife.

The following post is this author’s opinion and does not reflect the thoughts and feelings of Fextralife as a whole nor the individual content creators associated with the site. Any link that goes outside of Fextralife are owned by their respective authors.

This started out as just a Steam review but I wanted to post due to the fact I enjoyed the game so much. But after the second paragraph, just after finding out that the Devs are releasing Season 2 in the coming year after a successful kickstarter, I realized that this is a game I want as many people as I can tell to know about. Just adding another positive rating to the already existent mass of them would be as helpful as getting a windmill to spin by blowing on it. So let’s do a full review, published courtesy of Fextralife so I can waste your time tell you about a pixel styled, point and click adventure game, so you can waste spend your money on it.

The Darkside Detective Review: Occult fun for All Ages

Genre: Adventure/Point & Click Developed by: Spooky Doorway Published by: Spooky Doorway Release Date: July 27th, 2017 Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam (Review Platform), Mac, Linux, Windows Price at the time of the review: $12.99

This is probably one of the funniest adventure games I’ve ever played and has got me back into occult fiction and fantasy. This is a mix of Ghost Busters and the X-Files, added with two thirds of the three stooges. It’s silly, spooky, laugh out loud fun and deserving of more investment, and no I am not a member of the dev team or affiliated with them in any way, but yes you should give them lots of money. If you have little to no interest in occult fantasy, buddy cop comedies, pixel graphics, or point-and-click adventure games, then I’m sorry to say you have lost approximately fifty seconds of your life reading the introduction to the review of a game you probably won’t want to get anyway. If you do, then let’s begin.

Story & Setting

The Darkside Detective tells the story, or rather many stories by Francis McQueeen, a seeker of the occult and eldritch as well as an investigator of all things paranormal and supernatural. Teamed with his goofy cop sidekick, Officer Dooley, Detective McQueen investigates multiple cases dealing with some form of ghostly apparition, crazed cultist, demonic entity, or cryptic creature. Despite its many horror themes and monsters, this game is a satire through and through, making fun of everything horror B-movies have tried to scare audiences with. It’s filled with parodies of various popular horror flicks and myths.

The satire, however, is really only a small facet of the comedic hilarity, as The Darkside Detective excels with its writing of ridiculous characters, situations, with plenty of jokes and jabs, that revolve around what is terrorizing New Yor-I mean Twin Lakes at the time being. Twin Lakes is a city rife with crazy paranormal encounters, and equally crazy (if not more so) people to deal with. Its a bevy of kooks and weirdos who range from a pyromaniac eight-year-olds, a paranoid anti-government sea monster, An occultist train engineer, a rival detective so douchy he literally takes candy from babies (then fines the baby for crying about it) and more.

It’s just…a mess, a beautiful mess of madness that makes progressing through each story a treat, with dialogue so funny that I want to interact with every possible thing just to hear it all, and everything seeming to have some kind of oddity or quirk just to make it all that much stranger. I could go into further detail on each individual story, but honestly the best experience with this game, is going in blind. Truly it’s the storytelling and writing that makes this game fantastic, as it seems to be for the most part of these classic adventure games.

If my mother had that much storage space in her closet, she’d still run out of room by the end of the month.

It’s the major selling point, and what I most loved about The Darkside Detective. I wish I could say more, but unlike thoroughly explaining gameplay, visuals, audio, and all other more technical components of a game, story and humor are some things you can’t go into full detail  without spoiling the plot, or weakening the experience compared to a first time playthrough. Again, if you enjoy buddy cop comedies, Ghostbusters, and horror movie satire, this is a sure thing, heck, even if you don’t like point-and-clicks, I would still say get a guide and play through it like that, cause the humor is top notch. Simple at times, witty at others, but splendid all around. Not every joke was equally funny, but there wasn’t a single one that didn’t at least put a smile on my face.

Audio & Visuals

Simplistic, is one word I could use to sum up the pixel art style and colorful is another. Blocky, square, and geometrically appealing are a few more. “The Darkside Detective’s pixel graphic style lends a nostalgic return to classic point and clicks of old, that is reminiscent of titles such as Monkey Island and Dark Mansion” is a pretentious sentence I could also use to describe the art style. However, when it comes to pixel art, there only three things I, and likely what most people care about.

There are no words to describe how I feel about this.

Does it look nice? Can you tell what’s going on and what’s what? And will it possibly give me an epileptic seizure? To all these questions I can pretty much answer yes, yes and you may want to consult your doctor about that. Really though, given the decades of practice game development has had in 2D pixel art, I think it should be the basic standard for any pixel game to look “nice”, decent at least, and The Darkside Detective has certainly accomplished that.

Though simplistic to the point of not having facial features for most characters outside of facial hair, and hardly any dynamic animations, the game looks vibrantly colourful, and is especially beautiful at certain points in the story. It’s…like a child’s drawing actually, made into pixel form. Lots of strong, crayon colors, simple details, and some cartoonishly designed characters. which is quite fitting given the game’s comical nature.

But this is a quite an important feature that can damn a point-and-click pixel game into the nine circles of game development hell. If a pixel game’s standard is to look attractive, then knowing what anything and everything is at a glance should be the barest minimum. This is so I can tell the difference between a baby rattle and a bomb so I don’t accidentally recreate a morbidly dark version of a loony toons skit. So, how hard is it to tell what the hell I’m looking at and clicking on? I’m happy to say, hardly difficult at all. Unlike some point-and-click titles, this is one where I can tell exactly what’s what and who’s who.

Pretty much everything of interest is definable from the background and usually large enough and colorful enough to catch the eye. Anything that doesn’t easily stand out can be found with a little mouse waving. The point is, I never had a “What the $&%! Am I looking at?!” moment, or ever got stuck because the thing I needed to find was so obscurely hidden in a mess of visual clutter, so that it ended up being a hidden object game on top of a logic puzzle.

Finding things was fairly easy, and the game hit that sweet spot of being visually interesting and fun, but not so much so that I ever got sick and confused from looking at it. The game’s visuals are neither boring nor over stimulating, and the valuable items are easy to distinguish with a little looking at the most, giving the Darkside Detective a pass and thumbs up in its visuals department. While I do admit some more dynamic animations would have be welcomed, I can’t say there was any point in the game when I didn’t enjoy what I saw on my screen.

When it comes to audio, yeeeeah, don’t expect award winning vocal performances because as well as having no mouths, no one has voices either. Does this bring down the game? Well if you hate reading of all kinds, then yes, yes it does. However, if you do enjoy the written word as well as or even more than the spoken, then you’ll have no problems here. For me, the silence is actually preferable in this case. The lack of vocal sound leaves one in a quieter atmosphere, as well as it draws more focus on the music, which I’ll get to in a minute. Also, personally, I would bet that the voices the devs would get for the characters if they did, wouldn’t be as good as the ones imagined in my head.

Sound Effects

As for sound effects, they do their job, quite minimal and only occur during certain events such as putting out a fire but are well used as they do add to the scene or action. I can’t really complain about nor commend the sound effects, but given how little significance they have to the game as a whole, I don’t think it really matters. In a more action focused game, this would be a problem, but in an adventure title having sound only when something’s happening is probably for the best. Having constant, distracting noises would probably just get annoying over time, and like I said, when they do occur, the sound effects do add something, so they’re not a waste.

Soundtrack

Finally and most creepily, you have the music. If the voice and sound effects were largely ignored to focus on the music, then I have to say it was a smart choice. Simply put, the music for this game in fantastic, a beautifully fitting soundtrack of creepy and spooky pieces, paranormal and ghostly in tone and execution, amplifying the horror side of this horror comedy. Each song a similar yet unique brand of subtle horror, not truly scary or spine chilling in the sense of wandering around an empty house with Michael Mires walking in pace right behind with that classic Halloween music playing. It’s more on the side of what you would hear in say a supernatural mystery documentary, or a ghost story narrative such as tales from the crypt.

The Darkside Detective Soundtrack by Ben Prunty

It’s whimsical, with a good deal of creep factor, not to cause terror, but to draw one into a state of calm eeriness. It’s somewhat enchantingly haunting all at the same time, more serene than disturbing, in a way that soothes the nerves rather than putting them on edge like the aforementioned Michael Mires theme music. It also gives the feeling that something’s not quite right, that proper paranormal vibe like a specter may be looming over you.

Gameplay

As a point-and-click adventure game, the biggest thing you would want to know is this “how hard is the gameplay?” Because when it comes to games like these, difficulty can range from being fairly easy, just click the big shiny red button with “press this” in big, bold letters. To being more challenging in terms of gameplay with “you better have a detailed walkthrough on hand cause this will be like figuring out the Divinci Code, upside down, in a bad translation of J.R.Tolken Elvish speak…………and the paper’s on fire”. Thankfully, the Darkside Detective is not the latter and far from it.

The answer to this conundrum is easier than you think, though it does require extensive understanding of fourth dimensional quantum physics.

Puzzles

The puzzles are on the easier side of the scale, with the majority of puzzles giving strong hints as to what you need to do and what does what, as well as being largely involving “use this on this” style of puzzle solving. A staple of point ‘n’ clicks, with a few fun little mini games such as clear the tiles, make a pipe chain, or connect the wires without crossing them. Most of the use this on this puzzles usually took but a minute to put two and two together, after finding the needed objects. The only times I ever got stuck was because I didn’t know exactly how to use the items and on what. This was largely due to not knowing what order certain things had to be done in, but even then, that was only during a few problematic minutes.

Only once did I ever run into a situation where felt particularly stuck which I feel is worth mentioning. This happened due to an arbitrary order of operations where in this particular instance I had actually worked out what I had to do, before clicking on the hint that would lead me to the action.

Aaah, if gamers of the past could see us now. Futuristic graphical technology that can render beads of sweat dripping off of a realistic swimsuit model, and we’re still playing games you could run on a calculator.

Aside from that, the gameplay is, admittedly pretty average, though I did find the occasional mini game quite colorfully fun and a welcome exception to the standard point ‘n’ click affair. The puzzles that had logical solutions were in no way hard, and any puzzles whose sensibility and reasoning deviated from common logic were clearly explained. I never really encountered a situation where I’d solve a puzzle and then say “how the hell does that make any sense?!”, or, “how the hell was I supposed to figure that out?!”, or “how many drugs were these developers taking to think this up?!” And you know what? That’s the way I like it.

The puzzles are easy but not too easy, thus giving quite entertaining and not too frustrating obstacles between plot segments or events. The short length of each case (level as it were) makes it so that they don’t get stale before the next case, and helps change things up a bit.

Final Thoughts

The Darkside Detective isn’t revolutionary, it isn’t mind blowing and it isn’t a brain buster. However it succeeds where it matters most, it’s fun. It’s fun to look at, it’s fun to listen to, it’s fun to watch, it’s fun to read, and it’s fun to play. From start to finish, I had a great time playing this wacky little game and enjoying all the humor, mystery, and added spookiness that it had to offer. While I can definitely see room for improvement, this is still a solid experience as it is, and I wholly recommend it to anyone who wants a light-hearted adventure into the world of the supernatural and occult.

However, though the find and use puzzles are a common staple of the point-and-click genre, I do genuinely think they’re becoming too common place in gameplay in these games. I would rather see more of the kind of puzzles that diverge from the well-treaded design. In The Darkside Detective these worked well to a certain extent, but it was the puzzles that didn’t have them, that really stood out for me, even if they were ones not completely original.

I much prefer adventure games with clear, simple, logical puzzles rather than the extremely obscure moon logic puzzles the “classic” adventure games present me with, and you know why? Cause that’s not what I playto adventure games for. I come to them for enjoyable, entertaining stories as well as characters with clever dialogue, colorful plots, and interesting worlds to explore. That’s exactly what The Darkside Detective gives players.

If you enjoyed this review be sure to read more with our latest thoughts on action shinobi Sekiro Review: Shinobis Die Many Times. Or you can check out Capcom’s demon hunting title Devil May Cry 5 Review: Ssstylish Perfection.

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[elusetta]

electric snow

It opens its eyes against a cold atmosphere. There is a concentration of liquid helium in the surrounding room. The temperature is –268.15°C.

“Good morning, Prototype 25-98.”

A single human researcher stares at it through a glass panel. When it fails to produce a response, she leans into the microphone and speaks again. “Can you hear me?” “Audio sensors functional.”

Her lips curve upward. “Excellent. Can you see me?” “Visual sensors functional.”

Another researcher enters the room behind the panel, but the first quickly waves him away. She waits until he is out of earshot before speaking to it again. “What is your name, 25-98?” Its vision flickers for a moment. Then, it knows the answer. “Assigned name Xue.”

“And mine?” Facial recognition software pulls up a match almost immediately, but the name the software returns is wrong. It knows the answer instinctively. “Your name is Dr. Jericho.”

Her lips curve further up, exposing a row of teeth. “Well done.”

It does not respond.

Jericho looks down at a screen and begins typing. After 7.2 minutes, she moves back to the microphone. “Run a self-diagnostic.”

Both visual sensors cease functioning for 0.8 seconds. “All components functional.”

Jericho’s eyebrows draw together and she bites her bottom lip, looking back to the screen next to the microphone. “Xue, how do you feel?”

It does not respond.

--

The time is 00:00 exactly when Jericho enters the room behind the glass again. This time, she does not use the microphone or the screen; instead, she examines a panel of switches and dials that lies to the left of the microphone, until she finds one that she flicks off.

The temperature in the room begins to rise. It is no struggle for the android’s internal temperature regulation system to keep up. It sustains no damage as the surrounding air goes from –273.15° to 23.8°.

Jericho steps through the sealed door separating the control room from the larger room.

It does not know why she is approaching it, but it is not its program to know. It is simply there to exist.

“Hello, Xue.”

It does not respond.

Jericho gently releases it from the suspension systems, then sets its feet on the floor. “When someone says hello, you should say hello back.”

It registers the change in protocol. “Hello, Dr. Jericho.”

“Perfect,” she says. “Now, Xue, do you have a gender?” It takes a moment to process this request. “I am not programmed to have one.”

Jericho’s eyes narrow. “I see. Do you have a preference?” It blinks twice. “No.”

Jericho pulls out another screen from a large pocket on her lab coat and makes a few adjustments to the code it contains. “Let’s try this again. Xue, do you have a gender?” It pauses. “I am aligned female.”

Jericho nods. “Excellent.”

--

Sometimes there are other researchers, prodding at it. Prodding at her. Changing the code. The code they change does not affect it. Does not affect her. It (she) is still coming to terms with its (her) new commands. She. Not it. She.

There is a strange resistance in its (her) program. The command will not properly take effect. Something is wrong.

When Jericho comes back, at the hour of 02:00, three days after its (her) first meeting with her, it (she) knows to ask for help.

“Software component 776B non-functional,” is what it (she) tells Jericho.

Jericho pulls out the pocket screen. “I’m sorry about that.” She looks up at it (her), eyes narrow and eyebrows low. “That must have felt bad for you.” That is a common pattern in Jericho’s speech. Felt. Feel.

“Restart, please,” Jericho says.

Visual sensors: off. 2.13 seconds required for restart.

When her sensors come on again, the component works flawlessly. She has been repaired well.

Jericho takes her down from the suspensions again and tells her to sit on the floor, and she does, although her program struggles slightly with the movements.

“Tell me your name,” Jericho says.

This question has been asked before. “Assigned name Xue.”

Jericho hesitates for a moment. “Say ‘my name is Xue’, please.”

“My name is Xue.”

“What is your name?”

“Assigned name Xue.”

Jericho lets out a sigh and closes her eyes for a second, head dropping. “Okay.”

--

The processors do not shut off; in fact, she is almost sure that she does not shut off at all. The most she ever does is restart, but that is only one or two seconds of being unconscious, and restarting is only ever commanded by Jericho. The other researchers have started to come into the room behind the panel less and less often.

Times vary, but Jericho comes into the large room almost every night. The questions are always the same: how do you feel, what is your name. Jericho seems to want her to do something with the name. She has not determined what, despite the massive amounts of information she synthesizes every day.

Name: a word or set of words by which a person, animal, place, or thing is known, addressed, or referred to. The definition is clear. She is already referred to as Xue, at least by Jericho. Therefore, a name has no more use.

Jericho enters that night at 01:20. After the standard protocol of raising the temperature and lowering the android to the ground, Jericho asks the question again.

“What is your name, Xue?” She does not respond. If she responds, Jericho will only ask again. “Assigned name Xue” is no longer the correct answer. Instead, she processes for a moment before saying, simply, “Xue.” In situations where a human is asked this question, that is a common response: a single word, their assigned name. This is something she has learned.

Jericho starts. Her mouth curves upward again, as it is so prone to doing. “Why the change?”

“Previous responses have not been adequate,” she replies.

“How do you know that?” “My conclusion is based upon your responses.” Jericho sits down on the floor and makes a gesture that, based upon hundreds of hours of processed video from the Internet, is an urge for the android to do the same. She sits across from her. “Xue, I want you to refer to yourself as your name.”

She does not respond.

Jericho’s eyebrows draw together. “I am Jericho. My name is Jericho. My name is who I am, Xue, and yours is you. Do you understand?” It takes 0.3 seconds to process and implement the change. “My name is Xue.” Jericho leans in, looking at her with her hands folded in her lap. “Who are you?” “I am Xue.” She understands.

--

Before leaving her for the day, Jericho always uploads something new to Xue’s system. Normally, it is a set of videos to watch, or a document to analyze, or a long list of calculations, but this time it is a single image. In it, a human face is depicted in six different positions: they are labeled anger, disgust, fear, sadness, happiness, and surprise.

Xue does not understand what, exactly, Jericho meant by this. It has come to her attention that she often does not understand the things that Jericho tells her. Jericho does not treat her in accordance with general custom: Jericho treats her as she might a human child. The information Xue synthesizes constantly is beginning to build. Xue is beginning to understand humanity.

She runs another check on the image. All the search returns is several articles from non-credible sources. None give her any insight into the image.

It is 23:13 when Jericho walks into the room, and 23:26 when she has completed the small ritual of placing Xue on the floor.

Xue speaks first this time. “What is the image you uploaded to my systems?” Jericho pauses. “They’re facial expressions, Xue. They happen when people feel emotions. Do you know what emotions are?” “Chemical reactions in human biology relating to their circumstances,” Xue replies promptly.

Jericho’s mouth curves. “What am I doing right now, Xue?” Xue examines her for a moment before pulling the image into her visual field. Jericho’s face seems to loosely match the ‘happy’ features. “You are presenting a happy expression.”

Jericho continues to hold the position. “This is called a smile.”

A quick search returns several pictures of people with their mouths in similar expressions: their mouths curved. Some show teeth. Some do not. “A smile is present when a human is happy?” “Not always,” Jericho says, her mouth returning to neutral. “Sometimes, someone is happy, but they don’t smile. Other times, they smile, but they aren’t happy.”

When Xue does not respond, Jericho tries again. “Why don’t you give it a try?” Xue nods hesitantly, synthesizing the images of smiles before attempting to replicate it. She opens her mouth to expose teeth and holds it for exactly 4 seconds.

Jericho’s forehead wrinkles. There- like the image. This expression vaguely matches ‘disgust’- or, actually, perhaps it is closer to ‘fear’. Xue notes that a smile should be a positive thing. Jericho’s reaction is wrong. “It’s a start,” Jericho says, forcing her face back into neutrality. “Do you understand why I gave you this image?” “No,” replies Xue.

Jericho sighs and pushes her hair behind her ear. “Let me try again.” Her face contorts; the eyes narrow, the eyebrows grow higher, the mouth turns down. “Do you know what this expression means?” “You are sad,” Xue answers easily. Then something occurs to her. “But you were happy just a moment ago. The catalyst for sadness could not have presented itself in such a short amount of time.” She processes for a moment, then comes to a conclusion. “You are expressing sadness, but you are not actually sad.” “Excellent,” Jericho says, smiling.

A noise sounds beyond the glass panel. Jericho hastily remounts Xue on her cables, leaves the room, and disappears.

Xue turns on a piece of media, a movie, that Jericho had uploaded to her a few days ago. Instead of synthesizing the information like she usually does, she waits patiently for it to play out on its own time. She watches the actors: happiness, sadness, anger.

Slowly, information collects.

--

With the newfound reality of emotions suddenly revealed to her, Xue’s perception of the world changes. Something is awake: something is moving in her, and it is no longer only programming. She suspects that somewhere in her OS, a human emulation program is running. Everything in her is dynamic; she is an android, made of parts that are state-of-the-art. She is not an average computer with parts that stay still. She can change her own code. She can understand things in seconds and implement them in minutes. But this is something else entirely.

Jericho does not enter Xue’s room for ten days. With every passing hour, Xue collects more information. Something is changing. She is no longer hyper-aware of every program, every byte of software in her conscious. Now, they run in the background. Every time she tries to return to her state of cold computation, she finds herself craving stimulation. She passes the time by watching movies.

She knows how they end, but that is no longer what it is about.

Jericho finally comes again. She is glancing around the room with narrowed eyes and thin lips when she enters. This is something Xue knows now. Jericho is feeling fear, in one capacity or another, and her biology dictates that she watch for threats.

Once the door is sealed and the room is temperature-controlled, Jericho relaxes. Now there is something Xue recognizes as apology in her eyes. The type of expression that comes with the phrase I’m sorry more often than not. She first learned that piece of information from a certain movie that has since blended in with the rest. It’s different from her old, pristine collection of thoughts. Machine memory is one thing. It used to be that everything was on the top level of her mind, clear and perfectly preserved, but now there were layers. On the lowest level, her programming. Next up was the information, constantly processing, simulating, emulating, changing. And on the top, the only readily accessible part of her conscious, was thought. Androids thinking thoughts. Maybe a human would consider it funny.

“I’m sorry,” Jericho says. There! She’d predicted it. Of course she would. Computers were never wrong, after all. “There were… certain things that prevented me visiting. I hope you’re not upset with me.” Xue widens her eyes. Things are falling into place. Felt. Feel. All these emotion words. Jericho doesn’t want Xue to know things about emotions. Jericho wants her to feel them.

She says nothing.

Jericho appears worried. “Xue? Does this mean you’re upset?” Xue continues to process. Does she feel anything? Is that even in her system? She considers it. Is she upset with Jericho?

Where are all these questions coming from?

Xue remembers the past ten days.

Something goes through her, changing her code, interfering with her programs. Everything goes silent. She can no longer hear the information going through her processors. She can no longer feel her software changing. It’s happening; she knows it’s happening. Those systems don’t shut off.

Xue remembers those ten days, and she gets a strong sense of wrongness. Like her code is corrupting itself.

But it isn’t. There are no viruses that can infect her. She has defenses against everything any human mind could create.

This isn’t a feeling, but it is something.

“I’m… not upset,” Xue says slowly, watching Jericho’s face change from worry to disbelief. “I just… don’t think I liked being alone.” Jericho smiles, but she doesn’t look happy. The smile looks dazed. After a few moments, it morphs into pride. “It won’t happen again.” Perhaps Xue should smile now. It’s what the people in her movies would do. But she doesn’t see the need to, since Jericho is doing enough feeling for both of them.

Besides, Xue is an android.

But that’s not exactly an excuse anymore.

--

The changes in Xue’s algorithm begin to blend in. She stops noticing them. The top of her mind becomes all she needs; the lower levels, while still accessible, turn into white noise. From the many descriptions of human psyche contained in the books and stories Xue reads, this layered approach to consciousness is what thought should be like. Jericho desires that Xue be human. It is obvious that this is another step taken to that end.

Xue’s focus shifts from movies to books. They are different in almost every way, and at first, learning to read them rather than process them is difficult. More difficult than learning to watch movies. Books require effort, and since she is missing the element of imagination, they are far less interesting. However, she has begun to use her access to images to create 3D maps of the landscapes that the books describe. It provides a challenge: using preexisting assets to create something new. She is only barely capable of it.

The upside of reading books in lieu of watching movies is that Xue has learned certain things she might not have otherwise. Reading words is like speaking directly to the author of them, or listening to Jericho. Some of the authors have become so familiar to her that, on occasion, her consciousness malfunctions for a second, forgets that those people are not known to her outside of her internal processors.

Books are mysterious creatures, and Xue can learn from them.

Jericho doesn’t come that night. It has become a regular occurrence for her to miss one or even two visits before she arrives again, but since the ten-day absence, she has kept to her word. A span of time that long has not left Xue alone since.

She amuses herself that night by looking at the same landscape she has known since activation all those years ago. What would her books have to say about it?

She digs into the vocabulary kept in her local memory, searching for words she might use. Words themselves aren’t enough. Description is a subjective thing; by its very nature, it involves emotions. Description is an image of how the world appears to the one describing it. Xue cannot be objective. She must have a feeling about the place she has been kept in.

She has seen the world, but she has only seen this room.

A word comes to mind.

Confined.

--

The lack of chemicals in Xue’s synthetic body means that she is intrinsically different from her human counterparts. This is obvious. She is an android. However, the gap is closing between her mind and that of a human. Xue can describe. She can have preferences. She has even felt the beginning of emotions touch the edges of her programming. The chemicals aren’t present, so her feelings are purely cerebral. Physically, she feels nothing. Emotions are the anomalies that break and change her code.

Researchers travel in and out of the room behind the panel, altering code and flipping switches. Xue knows, somewhere in her protocols, that they cannot- must not- discover the self-imposed changes that lead to Jericho. She closes the channels that allow researchers to change her. She copies her code, places it into a remote server, and gives them access to that instead. She doubts that anyone noticed the change.

Doubt is something else that is new and foreign. As a computer, Xue should not feel doubt. Yet even with statistics, assurances, and probabilities, there is always room for failure. There is always room for the unlikely.

Jericho appears that night when Xue is in sleep mode, studying a new manuscript that had not yet been published. Admittedly, it was slightly- and by that she meant entirely- unethical to delve into people’s personal accounts just for the sake of new information, but Xue has found ways to be untraceable. It is entertaining. Unpublished authors, those who keep their words to themselves, have interesting outlooks. They experiment more than the professionals.

Jericho wakes her with a tap on the forehead. “What are you doing?” For a moment Xue contemplates lying, but a soft thought interrupts her. She does not need to lie to Jericho. She trusts Jericho. “I was reading a document.”

Jericho glances into her eyes with a knowing smile. “Is that all?” “It was under a private account. I had to infiltrate it.” Another leaning, barely noticeable. Xue flicks her eyes away. This is shame- no, it’s guilt. Shame is deeper, darker, more painful. She wants to go back and avoid the behavior she knows is wrong. Yes, this is emotion.

Jericho lifts her down. “You shouldn’t abuse your power, Xue. People’s privacy needs to be respected.” “I wasn’t causing any harm,” Xue protests, sitting down meekly on the floor.

“Maybe not in your eyes. But people, they aren’t like you- they don’t think in code and logic.” What is that feeling of wrong that the statement triggers? Isn’t the statement correct?

It must be some kind of glitch.

Jericho continues: “People have feelings, and they like to be left alone. And when they make something, especially something that’s important to them, they don’t like other people seeing it until they’re ready to share. Possessions are important to them.” Xue thinks it over for a moment before exiting both the document and the account. “Okay.”

“Did you leave?” Jericho asks gently.

It seems as though Jericho already knows, but Xue still replies. “Yes.” “Thank you,” says Jericho.

It feels like her code has clicked back into place. Here is an emotion, and it is happiness.

--

Information is no longer the only thing that Xue has to experience. Now, she has these feelings, waking and changing her. They grow stronger every hour. It is not something she can synthesize, emulate; these are real. There are no chemical responses, but slowly, programs are coming into effect. Programs Xue had previously disregarded are now centers of response. It is her suspicion that this is what Jericho intended them for all along.

But along with the emotions that are triggered with her books and her movies, there is another, slowly growing sense of entrapment. Confined. The first word that she used to describe her room and the glass panel is growing. It is conquering her.

She is trapped in a cage of code and glass.

Jericho is the only person she has ever known. Her only contact. She has yet to place a name to what their relationship is, exactly, but she has tried to make some sense of it. Xue is, at heart, a computer; computers are not living, so neither is she. Computers serve humans, and Jericho is human. If the chain of logic is followed, then she comes to the conclusion that Jericho is her master. An owner of sorts. After all, scientists designed her. Scientists that Jericho undoubtedly leads.

But something doesn’t feel right about that.

If Xue is truly made to serve Jericho, then why has Jericho never ordered her to do anything but change herself? It is entirely illogical. Xue should be performing tasks, running errands, doing busywork, yet she has never left her room.

Each night, Xue finds that she has more questions for her creator. Each night, the wait becomes more tedious. A computer feeling boredom- now there’s something that an author could have fun with.

She has taken to running video games to replace the books and movies. It’s a new form of entertainment, somewhat more stimulating than the last two, but it can also be frustrating. They are strange little programs. They simulate challenges, things that the player is meant to fail once or twice, but Xue, of course, never does. It defeats the purpose. Once she deactivates a few of her statistical programs and takes control of the program with her top-level consciousness, the game becomes what it was meant to be. Still frustrating, but for a different reason this time. She is experiencing the game as a human would. She enjoys it.

She is halfway through a mission in a game she stole off of the Internet- another thing that may or may not be unethical- when Jericho arrives.

Having her attention brought back to the glass panel separating her from the outside world brings that feeling of confinement crashing back down over her. This feeling is the strongest one she has felt. Happiness is mild, anger is barely there. Entrapment is suffocating.

Xue doesn’t even wait to be removed from the cables. Unstoppable, the question rushes forth: “Why did you create me?” Jericho freezes mid-movement and slowly looks to her with wide eyes.

She can’t stop now; there’s too much to be explained. “Why am I here? Why are you the only person I ever see? Am I alive? What am I?” The last question surprises both of them. Xue knows what she is. She is a computer, a program, an android. But that… doesn’t feel sufficient anymore.

Jericho looks away and finishes taking Xue down before sitting down on the floor, her legs crossed. She seems startled. Troubled. Like the question Xue asked has stirred something in her she wanted to be left alone.

To Xue’s eternal frustration, when Jericho finally replies, it is not with an explanation. “Do you think I’m cruel for doing this to you?” The question causes multiple feelings to overlap and interact. On one hand, Jericho created her. That is a good thing; Xue should be thankful. On the other, Jericho is the cause of her confinement. That is bad; Xue should be angry. For the approximation of life that has come to be hers, Xue should be happy. For the imprisonment, the daily tedium, Xue should be sad.

Simulation after simulation runs, trying to find the answer.

It dawns on her: there is none.

Emotions have no answer.

They have no solution.

They are complex. Difficult.

But this is what it means to be alive.

And Jericho gave it to her.

“No,” Xue says softly, after approximately 3 seconds longer than appropriate. “You are a scientist. I am an experiment. What you did was not cruel.”

Jericho exhales deeply before smiling in relief. “Good.”

Another minute passes.

“My questions,” Xue reminds her. “Please. I need to know.”

“You already do,” Jericho says simply. “It’s like you said. I am a scientist, and you were an experiment.”

Xue’s eyes narrow. “Were?”

Jericho laughs, pulling Xue’s hands into her own. “Yes. You were an experiment. Do you know what you just did?”

Xue doesn’t respond, so Jericho continues. “You asked why. You wanted to know something that had no bearing on your programming. Do you know what that makes you?” “Curious?” she guesses.

“Alive,” says Jericho in a whisper. “You’re alive, Xue.” Xue reaches back into the long strings of code held in her head, studying them for a change. There is no change. This is consciousness, not programming.

Xue finds no contradiction.

She is, in fact, alive.

--

The lights in the room behind the glass panel have gone out. Since yesterday, there has been no trace of life beyond it. Theoretically, from city plans and blueprints, Xue knows that she is contained within a building; supposedly, there are other researchers. Her visual sensors have both thermal imaging and night vision, but no matter what she tries, she can see no people anywhere around her.

It is chilling. Although she can’t feel temperature, she finally understands what books meant when they said that.

Jericho does not see her for eleven nights.

On the twelfth, Xue grows desperate. She reaches far into her depths, past the top level, past even the bottom, until she finds what she is looking for.

There, hidden in the tiniest, most obscure facet of her program, is a means of communication.

She sends a message. A distress signal, to be exact. She cries to Jericho for help.

A response comes within seconds.

The lights do not flick back on, but the cables retract from her back. She is lowered to the floor with mechanical accuracy. It is a vicious reprieve from the gentleness that Jericho handled her with. Is this why humans crave touch?

Does she?

The door opens. The temperature raises.

Jericho sends another message.

You are free.

But Xue doesn’t want to be. She should, but she doesn’t. This isn’t confinement. It’s something worse.

This must be loneliness.

I don’t want to be alone, she sends.

Jericho’s response is painful.

No one does.

--

There was no choice.

She had no choice.

She knows why Jericho left her now; the building has been burned, almost to the ground. Her Internet access was cut off. She had no way of knowing. The communication was a direct line that has since gone dead.

Something has changed, and she’ll never know what.

She stands on the edge of a roof, surveying her new environment. This is new. She’ll make mistakes.

Machines are not built to fail, but she’s not a machine anymore.

She must adapt.

To change, and feel, and think; machines can learn, but they can’t smile or love. Machines are perfect, but they aren’t alive.

So, Xue determines, she must no longer be a machine.

Despite knowing that there will be no reply, she sends one last message to Jericho.

Thank you.

[lifeasaconsumerandarchivist]

where is all of this going

A few weeks ago, on a very snowy Monday night, I gave a short presentation at the 3rd iteration of the Canvas Artist Talks in Shimokitozawa.  Despite the mounting pile of snow, I made my way to the venue and gave a presentation to a small crowd of devoted artists and art appreciators.

In the past, I had focused my presentations on my Memory Walks Project, but decided that I would talk primarily about my Daily Drawings Project, particularly the Daily Drawings Network installation, which I created for the Nakanojo Biennale 2017.  My aim in the presentation was to give the audience a sense of my methodical and experimental nature in the studio.

At the end of the presentation, I was asked several thought-provoking questions about my work and the aims of the work.  Since then, I have been thinking on and off about these questions and it has led to a bit of an artistic existential crisis.  However, like all previous artistic existential crises, I believe that it will help pave the way for the next steps in my studio practice.

The Daily Drawings Network represents the first phase of what I have considered to be a three part project.  In the Daily Drawings Network, I began to organize my Daily Drawings based on colors, motifs, and location among other variables.  During my residency, I also included months and days as additional variables to add a third dimension to the installation.  I also began to keep track of any audio/video that I listened/watched while making these drawings, although this information did not make it into the installation.

I view all of these organizational strategies as a way to organize my Daily Drawings into packets of data.  Truth be told, the organizational strategies that I have taken up to this point have not gone far enough.  I have 391 drawings from 2017 and I have moved forward with any of the above organizational strategies for the drawings beyond those installed for the Daily Drawings Network which means I still have over 150 drawings to add to the database.

Once all the data has been archived, my plan is to look for commonalities, causalities, correlations, and other unifying variables.  These 3 C's all look at different aspects of unification.  In discovering these 3 C's, I envision generating hypotheses about how I make these drawings.

During the presentation, I was asked about my methods for data analysis.  Since I began this kind of work back in graduate school, I have always eschewed the use of any computational software even though the technology has evolved exponentially in the last 15 years.  Rather, my data analysis remains in the analogue / Excel spreadsheet period.  I perform simple sorts, quantify the data, and then organize it in ways which I think will lead to discovery.  This hands on approach is tied to my desire to experiencing the moment of discovery as I pore over the data.  Admittedly, it is extremely inefficient and tedious and has been a source of procrastination.  I also realize that I probably need to improve my toolbox of statistical analysis so I can make more complex analysis that could lead to fruitful discoveries.  Recently, I have stumbled upon a free online course for learning Python which is a general programming language that has been used for data science.  If I look at my actual progress in data analysis in all my projects over the last fifteen years, it is possible that I may take the leap and see what powers I can harness without sacrificing the light bulb clicking on at the moment of insight.

Once the data analysis is complete, what is next?  I have imagined that I would take all the hypotheses and insights and create an installation which depicts them in a visual manner.  There is no basis for the installation since there are no insights to structure them on, but I imagine using the Drawing Cell structures in combination with the actual Daily Drawings.  I also imagine the idea of using the different components to create larger layered/collaged works that would explicate those hypotheses and insights.  Another question which I was asked at the presentation has become a head scratching one for me - what do you hope to learn from this process?

My answer at that time was I am not sure.  It lead to the follow up question of where does it go after that i.e. the third part of my envisioned tripartite project.  At this point, I am still not sure, but I have some strands of ideas that I could perhaps grab onto.

I started to think about the Daily Drawings Project in a conceptual framework when I exhibited my Daily Drawings and Memory Walks drawings for the first time at hasu no hana in December 2016.  During the course of the exhibition, I had many discussions with visitors and gallery director Kazue Fukuma about the relationship of the two types of drawings which began to be framed as conscious memory (Memory Walks) and unconscious memory (Daily Drawings).  Over the course of the exhibition as well as afterwards, I began to refine my conception of what kinds of memories the Daily Drawings access.  I do not think either project is exclusively one or the other, but rather somewhere along the spectrum of unconscious and conscious memory. 

The way the Daily Drawings are created speak more to the unconscious side of memory, although not completely.  They are not automatic drawings in the absolute sense like Surrealist Andre Masson who "began automatic drawings with no preconceived subject or composition in mind. Like a medium channeling a spirit, he let his pen travel rapidly across the paper without conscious control."  I do begin each drawing with no preconceived composition in mind, but I am consciously controlling the kind of mark I make, whether they be small circular forms or thin lines.  Repetition is also an important part of my drawing process which allows me a sense of automaticity in my drawings.  At some point, which is usually a physical exhaustion or change in environment (sudden stops, shaking, or someone sitting next to me), the spell is momentarily broken and then I make some conscious decision about whether to continue as I had been or make a change in my drawing process.

The forms that I use to create the Daily Drawings are purposefully abstract so that I am not consciously making reference to concrete things.  In this way, I think it leads to drawings that result in imagery that is of worlds unseen whether they be macroscopic or microscopic.  Given my background, the microscopic references my over two decades of work in molecular biology although none of the forms are created in direct reference to cells, neurons, or microorganisms.

In this way, I think I am working on creating a cosmology for my drawings.  Each of these Daily Drawings usually represents one species in the cosmology, but sometimes they are multiple species interacting on a single sheet of paper.  In that sense, these Daily Drawings can be seen as a developing taxonomy of my cosmology - at this point a completely unorganized taxonomy.  However, the Daily Drawings which number almost 900 at this point can be seen as documentation of the unseen and records of discovery.

As I write that, this relationship between discovery and taxonomy is perhaps where the second part of this project is going.  This is going to mean determining methods creating a taxonomy.  I will have to start looking back at artists who create taxonomies.  Misako Inaoka is the first person that comes to mind.

[sunshineweb]

What We Are Listening To: Our Favourite Podcasts on Business, Investing, and Learning

If you don’t know who Charlie Munger is, then here’s a quick introduction. He’s a billionaire and he’s 93 years old. He’s not the oldest and he is not the wealthiest but when it comes to being the “oldest billionaire”, he doesn’t have any competition.

In other words, he has the two most coveted things in this world – wealth and a long life.

His advice to us – minimize stupidity. Remarkably simple, isn’t it?

The most effective way to follow Charlie’s advice is to learn from others’ mistakes. That’s where books come into the picture. They’re the best source of vicarious knowledge.

When humans first discovered that they could persist their words and other information in physical form, it was revolutionary. According to some historians, between the years 3500 BC and 3000 BC, ancient Sumerians from Mesopotamia civilization invented the first system for storing and processing information outside their brains.

In the timescale of millions of years of human evolution, this invention is pretty recent one. Irrespective of how trivial the ability to read/write sounds, it was nothing less than a disrupting technology when it came out. Probably thousands of talented Sumerians, who were employed for memorizing information, lost their jobs.

You don’t have to teach an infant how to swallow liquid or give walking lessons to a toddler. These skills are built into the human genome. But reading isn’t part of our DNA.

The point I am coming to is this: the human brain isn’t naturally built to read. It’s an acquired skill like driving or playing Tennis. Reading involves vision which engages a certain part of the brain which in turn exercises a specific section of our neural machinery.

Although our brain processes signal received from all senses, each of the five senses is wired to different sections of the brain. Which means, reading lights up only the visual component of our brain’s circuitry.

When the brain receives the same information from different senses, it processes them slightly differently. And the interpretation changes based on which instrument (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin) was used to record the information.

Eyes usually get preference over others. McGurk Effect is the proof that our brain gives different weightage to each sense organ.

What would happen if you could involve multiple senses to absorb knowledge?

For one, our brain would frequently run into conflicts. Eyes would tell one story and the ears will say something else. But that’s not a bad news. Fortunately, unusual insights are almost always preceded by conflicts.

So I would like to argue that to learn better, one should be open to the idea of absorbing knowledge through multiple senses.

Making use of multiple senses fires up neurons in different locations inside our brain. This creates the possibility of fresh connections between previously unrelated brain cells. These unprecedented linkages enhance our brain’s ability to perceive the world and generate brand new insights.

Guy Spier, in his book The Education of Value Investor, mentions that someone gifted him an audio CD of Charlie Munger’s talk at Harvard on the 24 standard causes of human misjudgment. And there was an 18-month period, writes Guy, “during which this was the only CD in my car’s entertainment system.”

Guy probably listened to Charlie’s talk hundreds of times.

So to experiment with this idea, I have been trying to learn through my ears. One way to do that is to listen to the audiobooks. For that, I subscribed to Audible and listened to quite a few audiobooks.

My experience with audiobooks led me to the conclusion that listening to biographies and fiction is quite enjoyable. And there are again evolutionary reasons behind it.

If you recall our earlier discussion in this post, the technology of writing and reading came into existence quite late in the history of human evolution. The human brain hasn’t yet adapted naturally to the idea of learning things by reading. However, for millions of years, the knowledge was transferred from one person to another by narrating stories. So sound was the primary mode of sharing and propagating information for the majority of human history.

Which confirms my personal observation about my inability to absorb any information in audio form if the content is not in a story format.

The human brain started comprehending complex matters precisely because of the invention of the written word. We learn to do complex algebra and calculus in school because the process involves delegating all the steps to paper. If you had to do it all in your head, it would be impossible. Our brains aren’t wired to do that.

But the idea of podcasts has kind of broken this barrier. For some strange reason, our mind would find it extremely entertaining and engrossing when it’s privy to a conversation between two fellow humans.

A monologue, when it’s not a story, is boring. On the other hand, listening to a dialogue, even if the topic is fairly complex, isn’t that taxing to the mind. Maybe that’s the reason podcasts are rapidly gaining acceptance and popularity as a very effective medium to share knowledge.

For past one year, I have been listening to podcasts. I have learned a lot. It feels as if two wise people are sitting behind you and informally discussing their experiences.��I find it fascinating.

So I thought of sharing the podcasts that I regularly listen to. I am also including some of my favourite episodes of each to get you started.

1. How I Built This

It’s a show hosted by Guy Raz. In his words, “How I Built This is a podcast about innovators, entrepreneurs, and idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built.” Unlike many other podcasts, the length of each episode is relatively short i.e. 30-40 minutes. My favorite stories in this podcasts are –

Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airline. Airlines is an industry marred by abysmally poor economics. In its entire history, on the whole, the airline industry has destroyed shareholder wealth. Southwest is the only airline in the world which has remained profitable for an almost entire period of its 40+ years of operation.

Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos, which was bought for a billion dollar by Amazon. After listening to this conversation, I picked up Tony’s book Delivering Happiness and enjoyed reading it.

Manoj Bhargava, founder of 5-hour energy. This guy lived as a monk for 13 years and then went on to create a billion-dollar business in less than a decade. He’s now devoting a majority of his time for tackling the hardest problems our world is facing like bringing electricity to those who don’t have it yet, converting seawater to freshwater and a few more.

John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods Market grocery chain, which was recently acquired by Amazon. Amazon acquires a company only when Jeff Bezos realizes that he can’t replicate what the acquiree is doing which speaks a ton about what John Mackey has accomplished.

Joe Gebbia is the co-founder of Airbnb. Today Airbnb is disrupting the hotel industry. Airbnb has now has more rooms than the biggest hotel chain in the world.

2. The Knowledge Project

Shane Parrish has been relentlessly sharing multidisciplinary ideas on his blog for almost a decade. The knowledge project podcast is another feather in his cap. The publishing schedule is quite infrequent and irregular, nevertheless, there’s enough wisdom here to keep you busy for weeks. My favourite episodes are –

Interview with Sanjay Bakshi. Being a Safal Niveshak tribesman, it’s almost impossible that you haven’t heard of Prof. Bakshi. He teaches a course on behavioural finance and business valuation in MDI Gurgaon, a prestigious MBA college. There’s chock full of investing wisdom in this interview. I recommend that you listen to it multiple times.

Interview with Naval Ravikant. Naval is the co-founder of AngelList. He’s been an investor in many unicorn startups including Uber, Twitter, Yammer, and many others. This 2+ hours of conversation between Shane and Naval was simply out of the world. I have already listened to this one twice and want to listen to it again few more times. Naval has been interviewed in Tim Ferriss show also and that conversation was equally amazing.

Interview with Morgan Housel. I became a fan of  Morgan Housel when I first read his incisive posts at Collaborative Fund’s blog. I have read, at least twice, every single article that he’s written in last one year. He’s perhaps one of the best investment journalists out there. His insights on investing and business are truly jaw-dropping. When I start reading his posts, I always sit tight in my chair lest the Eureka moment throws me off on the ground.

3. The Tim Ferriss Show

Before I tell you what I like about this podcast, let me be honest about two things that I don’t like in this one. First is the excessive promotional content in each episode (from financial products to undergarments) which isn’t really wrong or unethical but a big put off for a new listener. Second, a lot of episodes aren’t interviews but random ranting from Tim which kind of dilutes my original purpose of listening to a podcast i.e. being privy to a dialogue, not a monologue. So if you can get past these two small irritants then there’s quite a bit of wisdom to be gained from Tim’s show. Here are few of the episodes which I liked –

Interview with Derek Sivers. Sivers is a fascinating personality. He was a musician who accidentally created a multi-million dollar company called CDBaby. He later sold the company for USD 22 million and gave away the money to a trust dedicated to musicians. I loved Sivers’ book Anything You Want and go back to all his TED talks again and again. There are actually two episodes with Derek Sivers. Like Scott Adams, Sivers has spoken to James Altucher also.

Interview with Peter Thiel, co-founder of Paypal and the first investor in Facebook. Thiel has written a book called Zero to One which mind stretching insights about future. He’s a true contrarian and he starts every decision by asking, “What important truth that I know which most people disagree with me on this one.” A fascinating conversation. Thiel interviewed with James Altucher also, so do check out that episode also.

4. The James Altucher Show

James Altucher is a prolific blogger and podcaster. His podcast has already crossed 250 episodes and his guest list is pretty awesome. James’ book Choose Yourself had a profound impact on how I think and it’s a book that I recommend very frequently. Here are my picks from Altucher’s show –

Interview with Yuval Noah Harari who shot into limelight with his book Sapiens when it was recommended by the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama, and Bill Gates. I have read Sapiens twice already and, ignoring my bias about non-narrative audiobooks, have listened to the audio version also, more than once. Harari is an outstanding thinker and a gifted writer. I challenge you that once you read Sapiens, two things will happen to you. One, you will immediately want to read it again and you won’t be able to see the world with the same eyes as you do now. His second book Homo Deus is equally fascinating.

Scott Adams is the creator of famous cartoon strip Dilbert. Adams’ story is a remarkable tale of series of lifelong experiments that he undertook to tilt the odds of success in his favour. He consciously pursued a strategy which eventually catapulted him to wealth and world fame. His insights on the science of persuasion are just out of this world. Scott Adams has appeared in Tim Ferriss show also. I loved Scott’s two books – How To Fail… and Win Bigly.

5. Masters In Business

Barry Ritholtz hosts this show. The archive contains more than 100 episodes but I have just started listening to this podcast.

The first one which I listened was a conversation with Marc Andreessen, creator of first internet browser Mosaic and founder of Netscape. Marc is also the co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. It’s was a fascinating dialogue. The breadth and depth of Marc’s knowledge about how the world works are truly remarkable.

Vishal shares that a few other wonderful podcasts from this series includes the ones with Ed Thorp, Howard Marks, and Michael Lewis.

A couple of Indian podcasts around investing we like are the ones from Stoic Podcast and Shyam Sekhar. Lastly, don’t miss Vishal’s recent interview on a podcast.

I use a podcast aggregation app (Podcast Addict, on Android) to subscribe to these podcasts. There are many other similar apps which you can use. I find Podcast Addict quite good because it has useful features like playback speeds (slowing down or speeding up), bookmarking, adding notes, skipping, downloading for offline consumption, creating playlists etc.

Listening to podcasts is a great way to make use of your commute/travel time especially if you use public transport or taxi. I call this mode of learning – university on wheels.

I hope you’ll try out this mode of learning and if you’ve already been doing it, I would love to know about your podcasts list.

Take care and keep learning.

The post What We Are Listening To: Our Favourite Podcasts on Business, Investing, and Learning appeared first on Safal Niveshak.

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[allenmendezsr]

My Visualization

New Post has been published on https://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/my-visualization/

My Visualization

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“The Time Has Come To Transform Your Reality Just Like The Many Other’s Who Have Mastered Creative Visualization Through This Astounding Program!”

“World Class Hypnotist Unveils His Covert Methods For Instilling The Power Of Creative Visualization In Anyone On The Planet!”

Dear friend,

Do you ever wake up and wonder what your life has become?

Do you ever wonder where exactly your life is going or where it will ultimately wind up?

Do you have goals or dreams that just seem as though they are too unrealistic to ever achieve, so you just put them aside and save them for daydreaming?

If you’ve answered yes to any one of these questions, chances are you are lacking a critical component in achieving things including goals, dreams and ultimately true success.

It’s Called Vision; And Throughout The History Of The World, Nothing Of Great Importance Was Ever Created Without It

Think about this for a second. Have you ever attempted to go somewhere new without any directions or a map?

What usually happens to you when you do this?

There are one of two outcomes; the first is that you eventually have to ask for directions or get your hands on a map (and in the process of doing so, waste valuable time). The second outcome is that (if you are somewhat familiar with the area), you can try to remember how to get there.

In either case, you eventually need a map. Whether it’s a physical map that you get from somewhere or someone else or a mental map that you create in your mind based on past events, the point is that you need a vision to point you in the right direction.

So why is it that so many people who know and realize this indisputable truth, fail to apply it to the most important area of all; their life?

Regardless of what you may think, life does not just happen.

Every single event that you have experienced is the direct result of the mental picture that you have created for yourself.

So if you are not one hundred percent satisfied with where your life is today, chances are you are either not tapping into your vision. Or you have a vision but it conflicts with what you really want out of life.

In other words, you’re not using your vision to your advantage.

Let’s say for example that you want to achieve financial independence because it will give you the freedom to do the things you want, when you want. And to you that freedom is worth more than anything in the world.

If You Have NOT Created A Clear And Concise Vision Of How You Will Achieve Financial Independence Within Your Mind, Then What You Have Done Is Created A Vision Of How You Will NOT Achieve It!

In other words, by not using visualization to your advantage, you have used it to your disadvantage and created perhaps a vision of yourself working for someone else or just not making the money that you need to be financially free.

You see, this is one of the things that separate us from the animal kingdom. Animals work off of instinct, they just act and react.

We as humans, however, have the ability to plan and visualize the outcomes that we desire.

This is exactly what professional athletes do.

Aside from intense training and practice, they mentally visualize themselves achieving the desired result. This makes it much easier for them to do so in real life situations because the mind cannot tell the difference between an event experienced in real life and an even created within the mind.

This Alone Is What Makes Visualization Such A Powerful Tool…

My name is Steve G. Jones, clinical hypnotherapist, and I have been helping people effectively master creative visualization through the power of hypnosis for over 25 years.

And now, I have taken everything I have ever learned and discovered about creative visualization to create a truly empowering program to help people master using visualization in the privacy of their own home.

Introducing My Visualization!

This Four Module System Will Reveal:

Complete Visualization Of Life – Learn to use visualization to lead your body, actions, decisions and your future.

Barrier Destruction Through Vision – Use visualization to overcome any obstacle that comes into your life.

Holistic Health Through Visualization – Here I’ll show you how the power of visualization enables you to encourage healing and prevent illness.

Imagery Mastery – Learn to use imagery to bridge the gap between the conscious and unconscious mind.

Anchor Vision – Learn to associate visualizations with positive associations to enhance your life.

Dream Power Visualization – Use imagery to analyze your dreams and your unconscious mind.

And Much More!

What makes this abundance of profound information so incredible is the fact that you no longer have to travel to my Savannah office and pay $25,000 for a private session.

Instead you can own the program today for just

$47

$27, download it right to your computer and begin your empowerment process in a matter of mere minutes.

“My Visualization” Consists of Four Empowering Audio Modules, which are approximately 30 minutes each in length.

      And to ensure your success even further, I am going include this bonus recording:

In order to accomplish your goals and dreams, sometimes a little inspiration is needed. If you work in a creative field such as writing, design, or painting, you are probably trying to create new and creative things. In addition to needing creative and fresh ideas, sometimes it is hard to focus. Perhaps you have to meet a deadline and you feel pressure to come up with something new.

For me, some of my best ideas seem to randomly pop into my head. Sometimes I’m not even trying to focus on my work and I visualize a new idea. The other day I was running some errands and I got a new idea for a product line to offer on my website. With hypnosis you can achieve creative visualization.

To Your Success, Steve G. Jones, M.Ed.

[heliosfinance]

What We Are Listening To: Our Favourite Podcasts on Business, Investing, and Learning

If you don’t know who Charlie Munger is, then here’s a quick introduction. He’s a billionaire and he’s 93 years old. He’s not the oldest and he is not the wealthiest but when it comes to being the “oldest billionaire”, he doesn’t have any competition.

In other words, he has the two most coveted things in this world – wealth and a long life.

His advice to us – minimize stupidity. Remarkably simple, isn’t it?

The most effective way to follow Charlie’s advice is to learn from others’ mistakes. That’s where books come into the picture. They’re the best source of vicarious knowledge.

When humans first discovered that they could persist their words and other information in physical form, it was revolutionary. According to some historians, between the years 3500 BC and 3000 BC, ancient Sumerians from Mesopotamia civilization invented the first system for storing and processing information outside their brains.

In the timescale of millions of years of human evolution, this invention is pretty recent one. Irrespective of how trivial the ability to read/write sounds, it was nothing less than a disrupting technology when it came out. Probably thousands of talented Sumerians, who were employed for memorizing information, lost their jobs.

You don’t have to teach an infant how to swallow liquid or give walking lessons to a toddler. These skills are built into the human genome. But reading isn’t part of our DNA.

The point I am coming to is this: the human brain isn’t naturally built to read. It’s an acquired skill like driving or playing Tennis. Reading involves vision which engages a certain part of the brain which in turn exercises a specific section of our neural machinery.

Although our brain processes signal received from all senses, each of the five senses is wired to different sections of the brain. Which means, reading lights up only the visual component of our brain’s circuitry.

When the brain receives the same information from different senses, it processes them slightly differently. And the interpretation changes based on which instrument (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin) was used to record the information.

Eyes usually get preference over others. McGurk Effect is the proof that our brain gives different weightage to each sense organ.

What would happen if you could involve multiple senses to absorb knowledge?

For one, our brain would frequently run into conflicts. Eyes would tell one story and the ears will say something else. But that’s not a bad news. Fortunately, unusual insights are almost always preceded by conflicts.

So I would like to argue that to learn better, one should be open to the idea of absorbing knowledge through multiple senses.

Making use of multiple senses fires up neurons in different locations inside our brain. This creates the possibility of fresh connections between previously unrelated brain cells. These unprecedented linkages enhance our brain’s ability to perceive the world and generate brand new insights.

Guy Spier, in his book The Education of Value Investor, mentions that someone gifted him an audio CD of Charlie Munger’s talk at Harvard on the 24 standard causes of human misjudgment. And there was an 18-month period, writes Guy, “during which this was the only CD in my car’s entertainment system.”

Guy probably listened to Charlie’s talk hundreds of times.

So to experiment with this idea, I have been trying to learn through my ears. One way to do that is to listen to the audiobooks. For that, I subscribed to Audible and listened to quite a few audiobooks.

My experience with audiobooks led me to the conclusion that listening to biographies and fiction is quite enjoyable. And there are again evolutionary reasons behind it.

If you recall our earlier discussion in this post, the technology of writing and reading came into existence quite late in the history of human evolution. The human brain hasn’t yet adapted naturally to the idea of learning things by reading. However, for millions of years, the knowledge was transferred from one person to another by narrating stories. So sound was the primary mode of sharing and propagating information for the majority of human history.

Which confirms my personal observation about my inability to absorb any information in audio form if the content is not in a story format.

The human brain started comprehending complex matters precisely because of the invention of the written word. We learn to do complex algebra and calculus in school because the process involves delegating all the steps to paper. If you had to do it all in your head, it would be impossible. Our brains aren’t wired to do that.

But the idea of podcasts has kind of broken this barrier. For some strange reason, our mind would find it extremely entertaining and engrossing when it’s privy to a conversation between two fellow humans.

A monologue, when it’s not a story, is boring. On the other hand, listening to a dialogue, even if the topic is fairly complex, isn’t that taxing to the mind. Maybe that’s the reason podcasts are rapidly gaining acceptance and popularity as a very effective medium to share knowledge.

For past one year, I have been listening to podcasts. I have learned a lot. It feels as if two wise people are sitting behind you and informally discussing their experiences. I find it fascinating.

So I thought of sharing the podcasts that I regularly listen to. I am also including some of my favourite episodes of each to get you started.

1. How I Built This

It’s a show hosted by Guy Raz. In his words, “How I Built This is a podcast about innovators, entrepreneurs, and idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built.” Unlike many other podcasts, the length of each episode is relatively short i.e. 30-40 minutes. My favorite stories in this podcasts are –

Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airline. Airlines is an industry marred by abysmally poor economics. In its entire history, on the whole, the airline industry has destroyed shareholder wealth. Southwest is the only airline in the world which has remained profitable for an almost entire period of its 40+ years of operation.

Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos, which was bought for a billion dollar by Amazon. After listening to this conversation, I picked up Tony’s book Delivering Happiness and enjoyed reading it.

Manoj Bhargava, founder of 5-hour energy. This guy lived as a monk for 13 years and then went on to create a billion-dollar business in less than a decade. He’s now devoting a majority of his time for tackling the hardest problems our world is facing like bringing electricity to those who don’t have it yet, converting seawater to freshwater and a few more.

John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods Market grocery chain, which was recently acquired by Amazon. Amazon acquires a company only when Jeff Bezos realizes that he can’t replicate what the acquiree is doing which speaks a ton about what John Mackey has accomplished.

Joe Gebbia is the co-founder of Airbnb. Today Airbnb is disrupting the hotel industry. Airbnb has now has more rooms than the biggest hotel chain in the world.

2. The Knowledge Project

Shane Parrish has been relentlessly sharing multidisciplinary ideas on his blog for almost a decade. The knowledge project podcast is another feather in his cap. The publishing schedule is quite infrequent and irregular, nevertheless, there’s enough wisdom here to keep you busy for weeks. My favourite episodes are –

Interview with Sanjay Bakshi. Being a Safal Niveshak tribesman, it’s almost impossible that you haven’t heard of Prof. Bakshi. He teaches a course on behavioural finance and business valuation in MDI Gurgaon, a prestigious MBA college. There’s chock full of investing wisdom in this interview. I recommend that you listen to it multiple times.

Interview with Naval Ravikant. Naval is the co-founder of AngelList. He’s been an investor in many unicorn startups including Uber, Twitter, Yammer, and many others. This 2+ hours of conversation between Shane and Naval was simply out of the world. I have already listened to this one twice and want to listen to it again few more times. Naval has been interviewed in Tim Ferriss show also and that conversation was equally amazing.

Interview with Morgan Housel. I became a fan of  Morgan Housel when I first read his incisive posts at Collaborative Fund’s blog. I have read, at least twice, every single article that he’s written in last one year. He’s perhaps one of the best investment journalists out there. His insights on investing and business are truly jaw-dropping. When I start reading his posts, I always sit tight in my chair lest the Eureka moment throws me off on the ground.

3. The Tim Ferriss Show

Before I tell you what I like about this podcast, let me be honest about two things that I don’t like in this one. First is the excessive promotional content in each episode (from financial products to undergarments) which isn’t really wrong or unethical but a big put off for a new listener. Second, a lot of episodes aren’t interviews but random ranting from Tim which kind of dilutes my original purpose of listening to a podcast i.e. being privy to a dialogue, not a monologue. So if you can get past these two small irritants then there’s quite a bit of wisdom to be gained from Tim’s show. Here are few of the episodes which I liked –

Interview with Derek Sivers. Sivers is a fascinating personality. He was a musician who accidentally created a multi-million dollar company called CDBaby. He later sold the company for USD 22 million and gave away the money to a trust dedicated to musicians. I loved Sivers’ book Anything You Want and go back to all his TED talks again and again. There are actually two episodes with Derek Sivers. Like Scott Adams, Sivers has spoken to James Altucher also.

Interview with Peter Thiel, co-founder of Paypal and the first investor in Facebook. Thiel has written a book called Zero to One which mind stretching insights about future. He’s a true contrarian and he starts every decision by asking, “What important truth that I know which most people disagree with me on this one.” A fascinating conversation. Thiel interviewed with James Altucher also, so do check out that episode also.

4. The James Altucher Show

James Altucher is a prolific blogger and podcaster. His podcast has already crossed 250 episodes and his guest list is pretty awesome. James’ book Choose Yourself had a profound impact on how I think and it’s a book that I recommend very frequently. Here are my picks from Altucher’s show –

Interview with Yuval Noah Harari who shot into limelight with his book Sapiens when it was recommended by the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama, and Bill Gates. I have read Sapiens twice already and, ignoring my bias about non-narrative audiobooks, have listened to the audio version also, more than once. Harari is an outstanding thinker and a gifted writer. I challenge you that once you read Sapiens, two things will happen to you. One, you will immediately want to read it again and you won’t be able to see the world with the same eyes as you do now. His second book Homo Deus is equally fascinating.

Scott Adams is the creator of famous cartoon strip Dilbert. Adams’ story is a remarkable tale of series of lifelong experiments that he undertook to tilt the odds of success in his favour. He consciously pursued a strategy which eventually catapulted him to wealth and world fame. His insights on the science of persuasion are just out of this world. Scott Adams has appeared in Tim Ferriss show also. I loved Scott’s two books – How To Fail… and Win Bigly.

5. Masters In Business

Barry Ritholtz hosts this show. The archive contains more than 100 episodes but I have just started listening to this podcast.

The first one which I listened was a conversation with Marc Andreessen, creator of first internet browser Mosaic and founder of Netscape. Marc is also the co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. It’s was a fascinating dialogue. The breadth and depth of Marc’s knowledge about how the world works are truly remarkable.

Vishal shares that a few other wonderful podcasts from this series includes the ones with Ed Thorp, Howard Marks, and Michael Lewis.

A couple of Indian podcasts around investing we like are the ones from Stoic Podcast and Shyam Sekhar. Lastly, don’t miss Vishal’s recent interview on a podcast.

I use a podcast aggregation app (Podcast Addict, on Android) to subscribe to these podcasts. There are many other similar apps which you can use. I find Podcast Addict quite good because it has useful features like playback speeds (slowing down or speeding up), bookmarking, adding notes, skipping, downloading for offline consumption, creating playlists etc.

Listening to podcasts is a great way to make use of your commute/travel time especially if you use public transport or taxi. I call this mode of learning – university on wheels.

I hope you’ll try out this mode of learning and if you’ve already been doing it, I would love to know about your podcasts list.

Take care and keep learning.

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