#the solution to this problem is using one of those height chart comparison things but it literally never occurs to me to do that

[lelianaslefthand]

trying to figure out heights for oc's when my brain cant visualize them is so fun. like i dont know what 5'11 looks like but that sounds like a number lets do it

[fierykitten2]

So my current (as of writing this and btw I am writing this first part before attempting the plan) headcanon about F-Zero heights is Pico is the shortest member of the Original Four and the humans of the Original Four are in age order (Falcon is second shortest because he’s youngest, Dr Stewart is second tallest because he’s second youngest, Goroh is tallest because he’s second oldest and then there’s Pico). But I’m not 100% certain and I want to have a height comparison chart to compare their heights. Luckily, I have thought of a way to do this — I download their models from The Models Resource (where they will be ripped directly from GX) and import them into blender (modern problems require modern solutions). While I’m there, why don’t I do the X gang, AX gang and Deathborn as well?

I’m just gonna take a guess that the model heights are actually gonna be more accurate to their art from the SNES game — this means Falcon and Dr Stewart will actually be the same height as each other while not only is Goroh not the tallest, but he’s the shortest. Why have I been headcanoning that he was the tallest? Because I’m pretty certain I read somewhere that in a demo of GX he was taller than Falcon. If it weren’t for that, I would’ve headcanoned him as being the shorter one

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for (probably not but it's what this post is about even if it takes two and a bit paragraphs to get there):

Okay, slightly annoying thing here - the "centre" of the models is at their waists for some reason (I'm used to working with models where the centre is by their feet. Paws actually, usually when I play around with blender I use the Eeveelutions). This makes it really annoying to try and measure them. From what I can tell, Falcon and Dr. Stewart are about the same height but honestly, it's hard to tell. I think Robert is slightly taller. Not really surprised to be fair, it's pretty easy to assume he's taller than Falcon partly because he's thinner but also partly because he doesn't tend to manspread when standing up. Now that I think about it, with the exception of Dr Stewart and Kate Alen (and maybe a few others but those two are the ones I've noticed) it's kinda weird seeing them all with their legs together. Anyway, I got a bit distracted there. Pico and Goroh at first look like they're taller than Falcon and Dr Stewart but at the same time, their feet end higher up so it's harder to tell. Moving away from the Original Four for a second, I'm honestly surprised how tall Michael is. He's about three quarters (at least) of a square taller than Blood Falcon and therefore also Captain Falcon and I never really noticed the height difference between the two of them. Zoda also appears to be quite tall but his model wasn't present on the Models Resource so I had to get it from a OneDrive folder so the scale might be a little off but it was uploaded by the same person so hopefully scale problems shouldn't be an issue here. Also Phoenix's model came with two capes that sorta occupied the same place which is why he's got a weird checkmark pattern on his cape. The shortest seem to be Dai, San and Gen (Dai's the red one right? Because I think Dai's model was given Gen's name and Gen's file was given Dai's name. I think (although I could be wrong) that San was correctly named). The tallest is harder to work out. Excluding hair, horns and other accessories (not the right word), Deathborn, Bio Rex, Black Shadow and Spade all seem to be competing with each other for who's the tallest and honestly, the only one out of the four that surprises me is Bio Rex. Others like Draq and Don Genie come close. Another thing I'm kinda surprised at is the fact that Digi Boy (who is 8 years old) is one and a half squares taller than Dai Goroh (who is 10 years old). I mean, It's not unusual - I've (almost) always been shorter than my sibling who happens to be 2 years younger than me but still, it's a surprise

Okay, when counting the squares, Falcon is about 9 and a quarter squares tall, Dr Stewart is about 9 and a half squares tall, Pico is just under 10 squares tall and Goroh is also just under 10 squares tall. So much for my headcanon that Pico was the shortest of the Original Four. Also, I knew Falcon was the youngest of the Original Four, I didn't know he was the shortest as well. They're all between 9 and 10 squares tall though so they're still pretty close in terms of height

What we've all learnt from this is that I get surprised when humans are shorter than younger humans but sorta expect that in aliens

[shyrose57]

Brothers anon back again. I had a sort of writers block for the last like 2 days which made it really hard to do some questions, but I got em done finally. Sorry about the wait. This one is split between the numbered questions, and next ask is the other questions you asked!

I think I accidentally skipped a question in the last one. I honestly don't completely remember but in case I did skip it by mistake, the groups first travel out of the city's limits and even further beyond in a carriage. When they reach the end of how far the driver is willing to go they then get out and start walking. With Jackie screaming about how their finally going on a adventure. 

1: It thankfully doesn't get to to bad before the others notice. And he immediately told them about Dream, wanting to be very clear with what happened and what they where getting themselves into. But they accepted him anyway and helped him. 

2: Isaac is the leader cause Cletus is too much of a wildcard and too impulsive to lead safely, Charles is too shy to lead, and while Benjamin is perfect for leading he doesnt really like leading and is more of a follower than a leader. But Isaac can joke around and gets along with everyone but also be able to take things seriously and know when something needs to be handled.

5: They do not, they last for a few minutes and unless its a healing or regeneration potion (in which it can take a few days for it to fully go away) they have no long lasting affects. They do know of eachothers past to an extent, they know enough to avoid triggers and enough to know what not to do when around eachother. They know through telling eachother, and they feel awful Grievous and Jackie had to deal with that, but leave it in the past and focus on making their current life better. 

6: Yes and no, while Jackie did mean to throw it at Ran, he ment for it to just hit nearby him, not directly hit him. It was ment to be more of a scare/intimidation tactic than anything else honestly. Grievous's luck is for basically everything, he has won the lottery twice before actually but only those 2 times, he's correctly guessed how many items are in a container more than a few times as well. 

7: I use the height charts and they help mostly for comparison, problem is I have trouble applying it to real world stuff and because of that I still have trouble knowing if something or someone is to tall or short. Jackie can get very mean, like he can make fun of someone who just lost a loved one or experienced a traumatic event at the worst. But he usually doesn't get nearly that mean, most he does normally is making fun of how someone looks or how they do certain things. The others comfort him the best they can when he gets sad, and when he gets mean they either encourage it (Grievous), or discourage it and stop him (Watson. Ran is between either encouraging or discouraging it).

8: He was! He spent most of his life adventuring actually! He misses it somedays now since he lives in Subbin, but he believes giving up his adventuring life for a family and friends who needed him is a more than far trade and would happily pick his family over adventuring again. For around 4 years after Ran left Mizu (including the day he left), Ran traveled everywhere, and learned how to survive himself and taught himself different things, like sewing. Ran has made new socks, fixed clothes, and made blankets for everyone at least once. Watson also designs bows and arrows for show, for top functionality, and for just simple (training) gifts to the others. Ran (and Watson) has visited the nether, though Ran tended to stay in it longer than Watson cause he could withstand the temperatures better. And while digging a new tunnel across the nether he ran into ancient debris, which he then messed with until he figured out to mix it with gold and coat his sword in it. He tried to find more ancient debris but sadly hasn't found any, leaving his sword permanently damaged and at risk of breaking. Jackie isn't good at all at painting, its more of a hobby he's trying out. They try to camp out there at least once a week, where Grievous will sometimes build a pillowfort and either force everyone inside or play a game of capture the fort with them. Sometimes Ran will also read during the pillowfort nights, but not to often. Jackie wants to vist a Snow, Savanna, Jungle,  Tagia, and if possible, a Ice Spike biome. He also wants to vist the nether but he'll have to fight Ran on that. Ran and Jackie's secondary titles are in Javanese!

9: Ran just kinda went "Hey Jackie, stand still for a second." "Ok?" And then he just picked him up and threw up. 

10: When he's first given dinner after already eaten lunch, he just kinda stares at the food. Then asks if they meant to give him food, and when the others say yes, he asks why because he thought people only ate once every few days. His answer shocked the others and they ask him to explain, and he explains futher that he was only allowed to eat and drink once every 3 days. Their horrified by this answer but explain to him how theres 3 meals a day and he can drink whenever, he doesn't believe them at first but eventually accepts it. 

11: When the fishermen first come to Ranbob about their worry, he expresses the same worry as them. But says that it's unlikely Ran will hurt the fishermen specifically, because Rans haunting are already friends with them, and Ran wouldnt risk breaking the friendship unless he deemed it necessary for their safety. 

12: Ranbob is sad that Ran goes to such lengths to avoid him and keep people away from him, but he has resigned himself to it. As he knew that if Ran was alive it was greatly unlikely that he would trust him and knew he would be avoided. Which is actually particularly why he believes Ran will never trust him again and why he views Ran as a kind of lost family member. One he'll never get back no matter what he does.

13: Their first stop is a nearby flower biome, and after that Watson has planned to lead them to a waterfall he found with a shattered Savanna somewhat close to it. They plan to travel for a minimum of 6 months, they can actually travel for as long as they want to, but Prokius made them agree that they must be back before the next General Pit Battles (which happens once every 5 years). 

14: He would 100% run himself into the ground until he's barely alive while searching for them. Benjamin compares Ranbob wanting to go back to Dream, to an abused person wanting to go back to their abusive lover. They believe they've changed and that they truly do love them and want the best for them, but in reality that's not it at all and others have to help them see thats not true and help them save themselves. So it doesn't surprise Benjamin or Isaac that much (it surprises Charles and Cletus though), and after its explained to them, their all more than willing to help Ranbob get over Dream and help him be himself again.

15: Oh definitely. Once they hear the Green-Eyed Enderman is back from hiding they all set out again, and after the group gets attacked and once word spreads that its in a group and there's another enderman with them, they all get targeted. With the Gladiators and Fishermen being targeted as bait or hostages to try to trick the enderman into following a trap. Ran wasnt affected like his brother was. Im talking about trauma and maybe even a bit of PTSD that came from Mizu, caused by Dream. Though both of the brothers have gained different amounts of trauma and PTSD from Dream. I may give the raven to either Watson or Ran, I think its fits both of them really well. I want to have them come across ruins of other Tales but im not sure which ones. Maybe they could find the remains of the Wild West Tale and the Haunted Mansion?

Glad to see you, Brothers Anon, and excited to read!

1: The perfect start to an Adventure. And a funny mental image. Imagining these two groups cramped into carriages is pretty amusing. How ready was everyone to get out by the time they could?

2: The fishermen are really great, and Ranbob is very lucky. I love them.

3: Isaac sounds like he’s a pretty good fit for it then. But nobody’s perfect! What are some flaws of his, leadership-wise?

5: Interesting. What makes Regeneration and Healing last longer? I suppose it’s not relative to the AU, but I am a bit curious. What’s the world’s potions mechanisms, if you don’t mind me asking? And that’s good! They may not know everything, but they know what to avoid, and that’s important. Everyone’s moved forward and are making the best of life, and honestly, that’s pretty cool of them.

6: Welp, Jackie, it seems intimidation tactic failed. However, you have managed to anger Ran, so..there’s that. He won the lottery? Dang. Well, if they ever need money, they can just send him to the nearest casino, I suppose.

7: Aight, so I may have a solution for you there. Whatever height you’re going for, find something in real life that’s just about the same height. Like a tree, or something. Or not, we can always just leave it at short enough to be tossed and tall enough to be the tosser. Jackie sounds like he knows where to hit to make it hurt, honestly. It’s good that they comfort him, though I am curious why they all react as they do to him being mean. Why does Grievous encourage it? And is it more of a depends on the day thing for Ran, or a depends on what was said to Jackie, and what Jackie’s saying thing?

8: Nice! What kind of places did he go? Does he have any particularly interesting knickknacks from that time period? And Ran personally sounds like he knows what he’s doing. Watson’s weapons sound really cool, where did he learn to make them? Is visiting the Nether not a common occurrence these days? Or is it simply that the others never got around to it before? Well, hobbies are always fun to try. Does Jackie keep at it and get better or get bored and try something else? How does Capture the Fort go with these guys, considering they’re gladiators? Why does Jackie want to visit those particular biomes? Is there a reason, or do they just sound cool to him? And why would Ran not want them going to the Nether? Because of the danger?

9: FDXGHJ- He just- tossed him?? No warning?? Oh my gods, I’m dying. How did Jackie react to that? Heck, how did Porkius react to that? I doubt anyone was expecting that display.

10: Oh, no. Now I really want to punch Dream in the face. What the heck, Dream?! He legit asks if they meant to give him food...If one of the fishermen or gladiators doesn’t eventually find a way to punch Dream, I will be forced to travel realities and do it myself. 

11: Kind of sad that Ranbob was equally concerned about it. But hey! He won’t have to be, one day!

12: Poor Ranbob. I hope he’s proven wrong, eventually. Do the fishermen know that he thinks this? If so, how do they feel about it? Or does he kind of just keep those thoughts to himself?

13: Flower biomes are really pretty. What did everyone think about it? Did they bring any flowers with them? So this roadtrip could possibly go on for a few years. Did they leave just after a General Pit Battle, or do they have like, less than five years? Speaking of General, is Jackie still the General in this AU? Does he have extra duties because of it? Or is that not something that happened in this AU?

14: Yikes. Reactions to this? Why does Ranbob believe Dream’s changed, as you put it? Is Dream still able to talk to him, or is it because he just misses being there? So Benjamin and Isaac aren’t all that surprised about it. Do they take the reins in helping out? And how do they all do so? It’s good that they’re helping him though.

15: Well, this sounds like it can’t end well. They try to use the hauntings as bait? Is anyone actually captured? Rescue missions? And alright, that makes a bit more sense. I can see how they’d both be effected differently, and honestly, they’d probably both have very different perspectives of the event, all things considered. Ravens for the win! And it’d be really cool for them to come across the ruins of old Tales buildings. Can you imagine the kind of things they’d find? Diaries, faded photographs, moth-eaten clothes, blood stained floors...Like a walk in the past, but they’ll never know what came to be for the people of that time.

[alethia000]

[TRANS] 190911 Nichkhun’s Interview with The Cloud  

Virtue

Story by Chernporn Kongma

11 September 2019

[Thai-Eng Trans by Daffodil0624]

A conversation with Nichkhun Horvejkul, a shy boy who has become a member of a popular Korean idol group 2PM, on his role as Friend of UNICEF who encourages children to be fascinated by letters in ‘Every Child Can Read’ Project.

“Eleven years of hard work is not worthless. Fame I have gained can help make our society a better place. It is my way of giving back to society and I consider that virtue or merit of my life.”

These are what Nichkhun Horvejkul has told us. Nichkhun has worked in the entertainment industry in Asia for more than a decade. He has also done volunteer work as Friend of UNICEF for six consecutive years.  

Growing up in overseas entertainment industry has given him an opportunity to see the big, wide world. It has opened his eyes and widened his perspective while he has accumulated diverse experiences. However, doing volunteer work in his homeland has broadened his viewpoint and made him aware of various hidden social problems in Thailand that have been mostly overlooked.

Success and fame may have turned a shy boy into a beloved superstar. Yet, doing volunteer work has shaped and changed his heart, his mind, and his perspective on life. Nichkhun has redefined success, understood the truth about work and entertainment industry, and determined to take part in solving social problems in Thailand.

Every story he has told us indicates that today Nichkhun has a clear understanding of the true value of life.

Little things that have been overlooked

From the moment JYP Entertainment has chosen Nichkhun to be a member of 2PM, this shy boy’s life path is no longer the same. Becoming a popular singer and an idol in South Korea, he has an opportunity to work in different places every day. Sometimes, he travelled to 3 countries in a single day and rarely had a chance to take a break.

Nichkhun’s fans have collected statistical data about his flights. In 2014, his total flight distance (195,540 kilometres) equals travelling around the world for 4.88 times or almost halfway to the moon.

Nevertheless, in the whole wide world he has travelled, nowhere has been able to unforgettably touch his heart and move him like a particular area in the capital city of Thailand. Various forms of social inequality have been concealed beneath the city’s civilisation.

“Among high-rise buildings and luxurious neighbourhoods in Bangkok, there are places we don’t see or have chosen not to look at. When we drive on the expressways past these places every day, we have rarely acknowledged that there are big communities down there. People in these communities suffer from impoverished living conditions.”  

The areas Nichkhun talked about are Klong Toey communities and their numerous social problems.  

Participating in various campaigns to advance children’s rights, Nichkhun visited children in these communities and had firsthand experience of what their living conditions were like. Because of this memorable experience, Nichkhun has promised himself to find a way to help improve these children’s lives.  

“I still remember those children in Klong Toey communities, the overwhelming smell, the poor environments, the rats, and the cockroaches. I don’t know how can we let those children live like that. It is not their fault that they were born there. I think we have to help them, as fellow Thais and human beings that live in the same world.”    

Nichkhun does not live or work in Thailand often. However, whenever he has come back to Thailand, he has dedicated his free time to help children by working with UNICEF and supporting their campaigns.

“I feel very guilty because I often work overseas. I don’t have a chance to visit children in faraway provinces. I will try to find time to work with UNICEF more often. Previously, what I can do best is being a spokesperson who tells people about these problems on social networks and other media channels. I want people to pay attention and help each other. That is what I have to do.”

Shaping his mind and thoughts

Nichkhun admitted that having worked with UNICEF and learned about various social problems affected his thoughts and mind. These experiences have changed the way he looks at the world. He has realised the importance of ‘giving’ more than ever.

“Participation in voluntary or charitable activities has become another motivation for me to keep working in the showbiz and moving forward. I know all the fame I have gained is not futile. I can use fame and my status as a star to give back to society.”  

“I always tell my fans they don’t have to buy me any gifts on my birthday. Please make a donation instead. My fans have often made donations and sent me the donation certificates from UNICEF. They have made me very happy and delighted. I have told my fans we have done good deeds together and we will be born to meet each other again in our next lives.” Nichkhun ended the sentence with a sincere smile.

Life is like a wave.

“In the past, I might measure my success by saying “Which rank will I get?” The songs I released had to reach number one on charts. So many billboards at metro or skytrain stations in Thailand showed my face and products I endorsed that Koreans sent me messages that they saw me again. Now I don’t think about these things anymore.”

Nichkhun reflected back on the period when he spent his life focusing on chasing rankings. At that time, he cared about the quantity of his work and believed that it guaranteed his success.

“Today I don’t think about how popular I have to be.” Nichkhun pondered and continued to say, “I am not worried how many followers I have. I don’t think I have to be more popular than anyone. It’s not necessary that 15,000 audience members have to attend my concerts. I performed in front of two or three thousand fans in my latest concerts. My fans and I were happy. I could see everyone’s face in the halls. That is a success for me.”  

“Thus, at the moment, success means doing what I love and making people who love me proud and happy. That’s enough.”

Nichkhun summed up his definition of success that has changed.

We asked if it was because he has grown up and has a better understanding of the truth about life.

“I understand that being a star is merely a job, not my heart and soul.” Nichkhun promptly said.

“We can be mentally ill if we think we have to be a star at every single moment,” Nichkhun explained. “When we go up to the highest height, we will come down eventually. Clinging to being a star can make us depressed. For me, I have already known being a star is a job. I will keep doing this job until I want to stop. If my fame fades away, that’s the way it goes. If people still want to hire me, I will keep on working. If not, that’s all right. I will find other activities to do.

“My parents have taught me, “Don’t cling to anything too much.” My father has always told me to live sufficiently. My mother has made me understand that life is like a wave. It goes up and down. New and stronger waves keep coming constantly. The next waves will keep bashing into us. We can’t beat them and we can’t stop them. ”

At 31, Nichkhun has understood the true essence of life and has let go of things he used to cling to. We wanted to know what his ultimate happiness is at present.

“Taking a trip with my family,” Nichkhun replied immediately with sparkling eyes. “At the beginning of this year, I took a road trip with my siblings in America. I am thinking about where should I take my mother to next year.” He turned and smiled at his mother. Nichkhun said taking care of his family gave him incomparable and profound happiness.

“We are building a new house. My sister who is an interior designer has been designing and decorating our house. It should be finished soon.” Happiness radiated from his smile, his eyes, and his face.

From the smallest unit of society to tremendous results

This year, Nichkhun has participated in “Every Child Can Read” Project to raise awareness of the importance of reading.

“I think this is UNICEF’s best project. Reading is really a part of our life.”

Growing up with parents who encouraged him to love reading, Nichkhun read cartoon books about the Buddha’s biography instead of watching television. As a result, Nichkhun has been fascinated by books and can confidently say, for him, reading is like magic. He has astonishing experiences because of reading.

“Paulo Coelho who wrote “The Alchemist” is one of my favourite writers. One day he followed me on Twitter because I frequently tweeted about this book. Later he sent me a signed copy of “The Alchemist.” I can say this is the most magical thing that has happened to me.”  

“I sit down to read his book without getting up. When I looked at the clock, I realised several hours passed. He is an exceptional storyteller. I can imagine what he described, the physical traits of his characters, the scents, sounds, and colours of situations. It is like making a movie in our mind. This is the appeal of reading.”

We know that reading is an essential part of a child’s growth. However, in this day and age, digital media is easily accessible. Children are entertained by contents and stories on social networks. Nichkhun believed there are still solutions to these enormous challenges.

“Besides me and other social media influencers, I hope people will help recommend good books for others. Cultivating and nurturing a good reading habit should start from family, the smallest unit of society. Parents should buy books and read them for their kids. These children will remember how enjoyable a book can be. When they are accustomed to reading and want to read a book by themselves, the outcome will be substantial.”  

“It is like throwing pebbles into the water, ripples keep spreading out across the surface endlessly,” Nichkhun concluded with a hopeful smile. The comparison he made demonstrates his determination to truly give back to society.

* The title of the interview “Virtue” has the same meaning as Nichkhun’s nickname in Thai (คุณ or Khun).

Source: https://readthecloud.co/nichkhun-horvejkul-unicef-thailand/

Please take out with full credit.

[whatchamagadget]

This Scale Doesn’t Tell Me My Weight—and That’s Just Fine

In high school, I didn’t have a scale in my house, but my friend Eliza did. A typical Saturday night for us was to eat a bunch of cookie dough and then marathon a season of Friends. When I used the bathroom at her house, I couldn’t help but step on the scale. As soon as it registered my weight, I’d realize my horrible mistake of ever going near sugar, and then return to the TV den and insist on doing crunches, as though I could remove all the fat I didn’t want right then and there, while three women of varying degrees of “extremely skinny” engaged in hijinks on screen. “The scale is bad news,” says Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist at Duke University. Weight fluctuates naturally, and people are just not good at taking the data a scale provides and using it to make rational choices. Say one day you exercise a lot, and then the scale declares that you’ve gained half a pound. Feels bad, right? For all the overwhelming guilt or grim success a single measurement can make someone feel, each individual weigh-in is just not that meaningful—carb intake, water retention, hormone levels, and even the amount of sleep you get can affect your day-to-day weight by as much as a few pounds. Ariely’s proposed solution is the Shapa (“shape-ah”), a scale without numbers. It looks like a small flying saucer, and in lieu of showing your weight in pounds or kilos, it has a glowing S in the middle that lights up in a color corresponding to how your weight is trending relative to the past three weeks, from gray to green to blue. [newsletter] Ahead of the Shapa’s release in December, I was able to try one out. I installed the accompanying app on my phone, answered dozens of questions about my habits, and began stepping on the Shapa twice a day, as the app mandates. Ariely’s inclinations to bring the focus away from individual data points track with my own experience learning to be dispassionate about my literal weight. My obsession with scales took off in college. I was bad at feeding myself regular meals, so I’d often have the majority of calories for the day in, say, a single pint of Ben & Jerry’s, always unable to stop until I finished the whole thing. The next day, I’d go to the YMCA, get on the scale—I knew enough to keep the thing out of my own home—and notice either a small dip in weight (and feel relief) or a jump in weight (and feel terrible). I’d exercise and then get back on the scale again a whopping hour later to assess my “progress.” The other problem is that I hated my weight. When my therapist suggested I had habits and accompanying thought patterns that represented disordered eating (I never threw up after binging, but not for lack of trying), I felt heard and relieved. She signed me up for group therapy, a weekly session with a dietician, and a regular appointment with a scale in her office. [pullquote]My obsession with scales took off in college.[/pullquote] The idea with that scale was for me to learn to treat my weight like any other metric about myself, such as my height or age. (The concept that one’s weight stays within a general range despite even solid efforts to change it is called set-point theory [PDF].) My therapist kept a log of my weight with a little arrow or dash next to each number: up, down, up, up, up, down, the same. And so on. We’d start the session off talking about how it made me feel. At first: “Bad.” “Triumphant.” “Triumphant.” “Meh.” “Bad.” But then: “I don’t know, we’ve been doing this for weeks, I am kind of used to it?” I even learned not to hate the underlying number—about 160 pounds—itself. Last spring I set up a line of scales in my bathroom to test for Wirecutter’s guide. My roommate came home to find me marching on and off them. “I’m bored!” I declared. Once, it would have felt like walking a tightrope. While the Shapa does away with weight in numbers, the goal is decidedly not dispassion toward weight as a concept. Ariely made the scale to address obesity, and he has measured its success in pounds lost. In a 12-week pilot study with 645 participants, Ariely found that participants who used the Shapa (app and all) lost on average 0.61 percent of their weight per month (for a 200-pound person, that’s 1.2 pounds for the first month), while the group of regular numerical-scale users gained 0.91 percent. (Treat these numbers lightly: The study was not peer reviewed.) For rough comparison, in a study on (and also funded and designed by) Weight Watchers, participants lost about 2 pounds a month for three months using the online program. However, the Shapa is far more expensive than other scale options. It costs $130 for the physical device, plus $10 a month for the subscription accompanying the app; for comparison, our top smart-scale pick, the Eufy BodySense, typically costs $50. That Eufy model charts out your body weight on a graph so you can see the overall trend and choose to respond to that rather than the number on any given day. (That concept is admittedly trickier than having the Shapa mask the figures for you.) The Shapa system is more comparable to something like Weight Watchers, which costs about $20 per month for a basic online subscription, or about the same for one year once you factor in the price of the Shapa scale. (Due to overwhelming demand from participants in a pilot study, a future version of the Shapa will have the numerical weight buried somewhere in its app.) If you’re committed to using the Shapa scale as part of a weight-loss program, it sends reminders. When I was about to miss a weigh in, the Shapa app sent a notification congratulating me on my streak so far and encouraging me to keep it up. I haven’t seen anything else that will do the same thing (as seamlessly with the scale, at least—it’s easy to set up a daily reminder on your phone’s calendar and track your habit with a free app). Part of the way the Shapa system justifies its subscription cost is through a barrage of general health tips and push notifications from its app. The Shapa app gave me daily missions to help me eat less—such as to drink more water, or use smaller plates at mealtimes—or to simply continue engaging with the app and my ostensible goal of losing weight, like decluttering my room or sending a silly selfie to a friend. I lied and told the Shapa app that I decluttered my room, and it sent me a notification: “You are terrific” followed by a heart-eyes emoji. The app’s daily missions are not that beneficial, per Ariely’s study: Participants who used the Shapa scale without them lost an average of 0.57 percent of their weight per month, essentially the same amount as the group that did receive them. While the notion of using smart features to focus on the value of body weight as a trend is a promising application of tech, the Shapa is still narrowly focused on the concept of losing weight, which cuts out potential owners who may want to maintain weight or even gain it. (The Shapa website currently suggests that the scale can accommodate all kinds of health goals, but the actual system accommodates only weight-loss goals for now.) For those people, the daily missions and reminders might even be counterproductive. Focusing singularly on weight as a metric of health isn’t the best route even for obese people; losing weight and keeping it off can be monumentally challenging, and ultimately not as connected to healthy behaviors, even in the long term, as people might like. If someone—no matter their size—has perfected their diet and exercise routine to the point that they feel healthy, but they then see a light telling them to try harder when they weigh in, it might be discouraging. Likewise, someone could tumble down a rabbit hole of restrictive eating and exercise, cheered on by a blue light from the Shapa; being overweight by BMI standards doesn’t preclude a person from developing an eating disorder. This problem is hardly unique to the Shapa. Even the best smart scales fail to give owners the ability to set—and be supported by—their own goals. For instance, you have no way to prevent the Eufy BodySense from displaying that your weight is “normal,” “high,” or “excessive” based on your BMI, regardless of how the number fits into your overall health. Even with expanded goals, the Shapa won’t be for everyone: Ultimately, the whole thing is about controlling your body, not observing it for what it is. Ariely knows weight isn’t the be-all and end-all, and he has ambitions to expand the approach to other devices and metrics of health, including blood pressure and cholesterol. And his scale seems to be evolving on the issue, too: In a version of the app that I tried prior to the scale’s launch, a bright green light from the scale indicated weight loss. Now, green corresponds with no change in weight. “Shapa is celebrating for the users even if they are just maintaining their weight,” explain the press materials. As it is, the Shapa is too narrowly focused to be useful for anyone who isn’t trying to lose weight, and it’s possibly damaging to anyone who has anxieties about their weight. Even if it weren’t, a subscription would be hard to justify. On top of that, the Shapa scale takes three weeks of twice-daily weigh-ins to calibrate to your weight. After weeks and many weigh-ins, I still failed to use the Shapa consistently enough to even calibrate it. Even though the current device misses the mark, Ariely is on to something in making tech that looks beyond the fine-grained data toward something more meaningful.

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Common Mistakes to avoid when using Vinyl Cutter machine

When it comes down to using vinyl cutters, it doesn’t matter much that whether you are a noob entering the vinyl print business or a highly skilled professional as everyone makes a few mistakes. When you are still learning the basics of vinyl cutting, making the similar kind of errors is quite frustrating. In case of a professional, it creates havoc when you need to deliver the project ASAP, and you accidentally make a mess of the substrate. Today we will learn how to avoid such common mistakes while using vinyl cutters.

It’s a human tendency to make a mistake, and there is very little that you can do about it. But to repeat the same error is considered as a crime in the professional world. We have a couple of tips and tricks that would help you to avoid such mistakes, and in some cases, that can minimize the effect of the error.

Based on the occurrences and the user who commits these mistakes are classified into two general categories; the learning mistakes and the cutting mistakes.

Learning Mistakes: These are fundamental kind of mistakes which are committed by the new users, as you gain exposure and knowledge about vinyl cutter you won’t make such mistakes again. Let’s have a look at some of the fundamental mistakes which a newbie makes and how you can avoid them.

Wrong selection of vinyl cutters: For starters what more can go wrong than purchasing an entirely different vinyl cutter than what you need based on the posts and advice made by your trust worthies. Based on various comparison charts and tables you concluded that the X cutter is very best in its class but what if you don’t need all those features. Check out some of the best vinyl cutting machine reviews.

First of all, try to identify your business needs, make some research that what kind of material you will be dealing with or what sizes of cuts are required by your client. Then accordingly choose the best suitable vinyl cutter from the options available at your disposal.

Afraid of mistakes: Most of the learners that we came across have a fear of making mistakes, which is not a good thing. When you are scared of making mistakes, you avoid trying new thing thus you fail to learn the new techniques.

You need to have patience, try to analyze that why such mistake happened and most importantly do fear that you will make such mistakes again. Once you have analyzed the situation try the process once again, you will surely upskill yourself.

Believing everything that Google offers: I don’t blame you for this one as today no one gives a rat’s eye to the user manual. If you face a problem, just Google your way to get the solution. But it’s not sure that every piece of information available online is correct. There are cases where you get a more expensive solution.

To avoid such situation what you can do is have a chat with an expert with first-hand experience. They will always have clearer and quicker fixes for your problem.

Ignoring the User Manual: I know that user manuals are quite thick these days and I don’t expect everyone to read the entire thing. But what you can do is just go through a couple of pages that describe optimum settings, calibrations, and other troubleshooting guides. Your most of the simple problems can be sorted out via the user manual.

Purchasing additional software packages: I have observed the fact that if the new users are not getting desired cuts, they tend to blame it on the software package. While the mistake is on the designing part. Most of the people like to go for a more premium software which would offer more designs and artwork collection.

The very first thing that you need to do is to understand the functionality of the preloaded software. Genuinely speaking, the bundled software is more than enough to take care of all your cutting needs.

Incomplete information regarding the problem: This is one of the most common mistakes that a new user commits when in a problem, you call the tech support team and are unable to give them the correct details about your query. Without the proper information, no one can help you doesn’t matter how small the issue may be.

To overcome this try to understand the situation which you are facing and then appropriately answer the questions asked by the technical guy.

  Cutting Mistakes: There are some mistakes which a user tends to commit while cutting the vinyl even after getting much experience and exposure in using the vinyl cutter. Let’s see some of the important ones and how to avoid them.

Avoiding the test cuts: It is the most common mistake found among the professionals. If you avoid test cuts then at some point in time some of your vinyl sets get damaged causing wastage of materials. You think that you know your machine pretty well and do not want to waste vinyl or time on test cuts.

The ideal way to avoid such wastage is to make a habit of test cutting on a smaller section of the substrate. The cuts sometimes get spoiled because of wear and tear of the machine, blades getting blunt or the mat condition.

Avoiding calibration while change cutting materials: You may have got a new cutting tool which was working perfectly up until your last project. All of a sudden it stop giving that excellent quality cuts. The machine may provide partial cuts, tearing or even no cuts and you would be blaming the software and cutter.

To tackle such a situation, first of all, identify the material you are working with and then accordingly check the blade exposure, blade height, speed, force and no of pass required to cut the stuff. If you set all these parameters correctly then cutting will great.

Cutting without a mat (Stabilizing): You need to stabilize your media before you are ready to start the cut, this can be done by using an adhesive mat as the base. If the substrate is not adequately adhered to the mat it will cause snags, tears or vinyl may even get stuck in

While using a new mat, then you won’t face such issues, but if your mat is quite old, you need to be sure that vinyl adheres to a mat. If the problem persists, get a new mat. Cutting without a mat causes the chipping of your blades.

Avoiding blade maintenance and settings: If desired cuts are not obtained, then most of you think that the blade if not sharp enough and it’s time to change the blade.

To avoid such a situation, look at the blades and try

adjusting the increasing the force if possible, this will give you good results

check the blade exposure; it should be slightly higher than the thickness of material which you are about to cut

adjust the blade offset setting according to the cutting requirement

These are some of the most common mistakes made by the users when using a vinyl cutter. Now you know how to handle such problems and mostly avoid them. There are some other points which were worth mentioning; those will be covered at some later point in time.

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