#8 bit stickers telegram

[snowmuttgetsweird]

3/8/23 (morning)

I was really tired last night so I didn't type a journal.

Coffee's brewing right now, should be done shortly. I've been getting back into coffee slowly since the panic attacks stopped coming along, so it's half-caffeinated, half-decaf.

Uhh I don't remember much of yesterday tbh. ADHD memory is pretty selective, so if everything feels more or less "business as usual" it's usually just a blank.

I've been waking up pretty late the last few days- I think I keep forgetting to put my alarm on or something. Half-Price Books doesn't open till 10 AM anyway though, so it's not all that bad. I went and picked up those two from the other day, since they were only $5 bucks altogether. Survive the Night and To Fetch a Thief. I'll start one of those after I finish The Way of Kings.

I think I just spent the whole day working. I've been kinda struggling with sketching lately, so it's been harder to get through these telegram stickers than I thought it would be. I keep getting those days where I sketch something, but it looks off- like anatomically off or off-style in a way that's like... "Why did I do it like that?"

It's hard to describe. It's the same kind of feeling as like... Skipping a step on the staircase, or you just woke up and your depth perception is a little off, so you reach for a door knob but miss. Basically like... You don't FEEL like anything should have gone wrong, but it did anyway, and you're not sure how.

I think I'm a little burnt out. I might have to try to take an extra day off this week or something, or just move one of my days off to the middle of the week and then work a weekend. We'll see how today goes. I've gotten pretty good at just working through that kind of stuff and eventually reaching an acceptable state, but it's probably not good to keep forcing it over and over again.

Been really tired lately, didn't really get to read last night cause I fell asleep on the couch for a bit after work. I hope I've still got the energy to read after work today. Oh, and I'm two or three episodes behind on The Last of Us...

[truthblockchain]

Decentralized Social Media Apps

Oxen is a privacy-focused platform built on top of a proof-of-stake (PoS) network. It has also built a secure and anonymous messaging platform Session.

The company’s chief technical officer Kee Jefferys talked to Cointelegraph about its platform, its technology and how important privacy and data protection are for the end-user.

1. Hello! Tell us about Oxen and Session.

OXEN is a private, stakeable cryptocurrency. The Oxen token (OXEN) has brought a lot of innovation to the CryptoNote space (CN), including instant transactions and a large-scale PoS system. However, the real magic is the service node network. It’s powering a whole range of decentralized privacy applications — all incentivized by OXEN.

So far, our shining star is Session.

Session is an encrypted messenger that takes an uncompromising stance on preserving user privacy. No phone numbers, email addresses, or any identifying information are needed to sign up for Session. The messenger lets people benefit from the best bits of blockchain without needing to run a node, hold any cryptocurrency, or even being familiar with what blockchain is. Because of that, it’s already getting mainstream adoption, and Session currently has over 200,000 active users. The app is available for free on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux.

2. What’s wrong with messaging giants like Messenger and WhatsApp?

Messenger and WhatsApp are both owned by Facebook, a company known for aggregating user data to be sold for profit to advertising companies at the expense of the end user’s privacy, putting very little energy into maximizing privacy and security for users.

So here’s what we know about Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp:

They are both owned by Facebook

They are closed source

They have “end-to-end encryption”

Their servers are centralized

They do not provide metadata protection

WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are the most popular messaging applications in the world, which technically means that encrypted messaging applications are the most popular form of communication. However, there is uncertainty about WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption implementation because their closed source code makes it impossible to verify the quality of their encryption.

In addition to this, the centralized servers used by WhatsApp give them a central point of failure. Apps like Session that are built on a decentralized network can be more resilient to attacks and have less downtime.

3. How does Session plan to get ahead in this competitive space?

A primary focus early on for Session was to reach out to journalists, activists and NGOs to test the app and provide feedback.

Now, the encrypted platform is used all the way from Boston to Baghdad by well over 200,000 people across more than 200 countries. Activists, journalists and human rights defenders rely on Session to be able to communicate safely and effectively and continue doing their pivotal work. Users are able to have conversations with their friends and family without worrying whether their conversation is secure.

4. Why is anonymity in messaging so important?

Anonymity is privacy, and privacy, according to the United Nations, is a human right everyone should be entitled to — see Article 12 of the UN’s Declaration on Human Rights.

Around the world, people are persecuted for their opinions, beliefs and conversations. And even if it’s not your job, anyone posting on social media these days can be a whistleblower, activist, or revolutionary. That opens a lot of people up to being targeted and makes anonymity a huge issue for every single person on the internet.

5. How many people currently use Session?

Session has been downloaded over 500,000 times and currently has over 200,000 monthly active users, according to recent estimations. Due to the decentralized nature of Session, we’re unable to see the exact number of users we have. Apps like WhatsApp and Telegram have access to more accurate information regarding user numbers and activity.

6. What are the premium paid features that Session is planning to offer?

We strongly believe that the app’s core functionality — a hardcore private messenger — should remain free. Secure messaging is an incredibly difficult challenge to solve, and the monetization features we add should improve the app’s user experience and not restrict it behind a paywall.

That said, some of the paid features that Session may offer in the future:

Permanent Oxen Name Service usernames

Increased closed group size

Increased file size transfers

Group calls

Simplified open group setup

Multi-account registration and management

Customer stickers and emoji sets

Manual region selection for nodes in the onion request path

Verified account badges

Encrypted account backup storage

All decentralized core components of Session are free. Some additional features and services that would consume OPTF resources to provide or put additional strain on the Oxen network will be included among Session’s premium features.

Session’s monetization strategy includes premium features that can be used to buy back and burn OXEN from the open market, adding additional deflationary pressure to the OXEN cryptocurrency.

7. Is it possible to migrate from other platforms to Session?

Community groups from other apps can easily shift from, let’s say, the centralized Telegram to decentralized Session. However, there is no means of porting users directly from Telegram to Session.

The platform’s open groups facilitate real-time group chats with an unlimited number of users, while the closed group feature where users can chat with up to 100 people with the same metadata protections as Session’s one-on-one conversations.

8. What are Session’s plans for the coming 12 months?

Our main objectives for the next 12 months are to increase the number of users and improve the monetization model. We’re planning to add user-generated sticker packs, increase file size limits, remote device wiping, local message editing and more.

The biggest upgrade on the horizon is Lokinet integration, which will bring lower latency communication and better, non-Apple/Google-like push notifications as well as onion-routed voice and video calls.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/no-outages-no-data-leaks-the-new-whatsapp-killer-built-on-the-blockchain-creates-privacy-focused-encrypted-messenger

[navicosoftpvtltd]

The recent surge of WhatsApp Privacy Policy update 2021 has given way to the WhatsApp vs. Telegram vs. Signal debate. Let's compare!

 Data is the king, and it is too hard to maintain your privacy. Let's find out which messaging app in WhatsApp vs. Telegram vs. Signal suits you the best.

 The recent WhatsApp Privacy Policy update 2021 has stirred up rage and unreliability among WhatsApp users. Not only your Phone Number, WhatsApp status, and your media, now WhatsApp will be accessing much more about you. Your hardware information, mobile network, connection information, location, IP address will all be accessible to WhatsApp. For users, the most condemnable part of this notification is that they do not have any choice. This has made the users think about WhatsApp vs. Telegram vs. Signal to choose the best. 

In 2016, just after two years after it Facebook-owned it, WhatsApp allowed its users to choose to share their data with the other connected Apps. But now, WhatsApp Privacy Policy update 2021 will be effective from 8 February, and if you do not accept the in-app notification, you will lose access to your account. For this reason, several users are concerned about privacy breaching and are thinking of switching to other apps and analyzing WhatsApp vs. Telegram vs. Signal. 

Recently, WhatsApp has rolled an explanation to the issue that this information will only be collected if conversing with some business account. It indicates that it is just for a digital marketing agency to provide a more robust and accurate approach to the customers. However, people continue to report otherwise. For the same reason, Telegram is reaping the benefit of the outrage against WhatsApp Privacy Policy update 2021. There have been 25 million users who have joined Telegram in the last 72 hours. About 4.6 million users have joined the BIP app in just3 days, and Signal has 525 million monthly active surfers. Are you confused with WhatsApp vs. Telegram vs. Signal? 

Let's take a walkthrough.

Privacy comparison

WhatsApp 

WhatsApp is the weakest of all four applications in terms of privacy. It will be accessing your User and Device ID, call log and contacts, purchase history, coarse location, crash data, performance data, and advertising data. 

Telegram

Telegram is a bit better than WhatsApp as all that it collects is your User ID, name, phone number, and contact. However, Telegram has announced its model for revenues indicating that it will be serving the giants of the market. Though it promises the privacy policy's sanctity, it is quite hard to believe for users after the WhatsApp Privacy Policy update 2021.

Signal 

Signal stands out in WhatsApp vs. Telegram vs. Signal with its user-based privacy policy. Even their tagline is "Say hello to privacy." It does not collect any data associated with your identity. It is a nonprofit app based upon the donation from partners and users. It does not monetize your data for money.

Concerning privacy, Signal wins the WhatsApp vs. Telegram vs. Signal!

Feature comparison 

It was relatively easy to decide based on privacy. However, it may be a bit difficult for you to choose one considering each app's features.

WhatsApp

Undoubtedly, WhatsApp is famous for all and has the largest market. It has a lot to offer, such as online status, last seen time, the choice to disable/enable read receipts, disappearing messages, group chats, and stories. 

Telegram 

In a fair WhatsApp vs. Telegram vs. Signal, Telegram leads the comparison in terms of features. It allows the largest number of participants in a group, perfect for a community or a class. Two hundred thousand participants can join a group, making it ideal for a social media marketing company to target an audience. Group chats are great in Telegram. Moreover, it shows your online status and last seen. It allows you to hide contact numbers from contacts, and you can share your user Id instead of your phone number. It also offers the features of disappearing messages, message edit after you send it, animated stickers, secret chats. However, it lacks read receipts and adds a story segment.

Signal    

Signal lies between the two extremes. 

In comparison to Telegram only, one thousand participants can join a group. It offers you the read receipt feature, disappearing messages, and animated stickers compared with other apps. However, having the best privacy policy, Signal lacks in editing the text, online status, last seen time, and secret chats. 

[technologyreviewsgadgets]

New Post Vivo Z1 Pro Review - The Killer Smartphone for Killer Price! has been published on https://www.reviewcenter.in/9122/vivo-z1-pro-review-the-killer-smartphone-for-killer-price/

Vivo Z1 Pro Review - The Killer Smartphone for Killer Price!

Vivo India which has primarily been an offline brand with a strong network all-over India for sales and after-sales service now projects to dominate the online market by offering price-competitive specs loaded smartphones. To take on the likes of Xiaomi and Realme, Vivo launched the all-new Z1 Pro at very aggressive pricing with specs which most of the brand couldn’t match. Not only Vivo Z1 Pro is a strong offering pricing wise, but it is also equipped with excellent hardware, an attractive design, and packs really cool features. This is why it is now of the best phone you can buy under Rs 20,000 range.

Quick Specs of Vivo Z1 Pro

Display Size 6.53 Inch Resolution 1080 x 2340 pixels Performance CPU Dual core, 2.3 GHz + Hexa Core, 1.7 GHz, Snapdragon 712 RAM 4 GB Storage Internal memory 64 GB External memory Up to 256 GB Battery Capacity 5000mAh, Li-ion, Non-removable Camera Primary camera 16 MP Secondary camera 32 MP Connectivity Network support Dual SIM 4G Other options Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS Others Battery Capacity 5000 Operating system Android 9.0 Pie

  Vivo Z1 Pro is the first device in India which comes with Snapdragon 712 Chipset. This processor offers 10% better performance compared to Snapdragon 710 chip and consists of two quad-core clusters tuned at 2.1GHz and 1.7GHz respectively. Along with it, there are different variants with 4 GB and 6 GB of RAM. This is something that no other phone makers could provide to consumers at this price.

Premium in Looks & Design

Vivo is known for its features loaded premium smartphones, and in Vivo Z1 Pro too, they followed their same premium design philosophy with no compromise even when they packed a 5,000 mAh battery in it. I had the Sonic Blue colour variant for review and the other two variants are Sonic Blank and Mirror Black.

I absolutely loved the phone looks and if you like funky colours, you’re totally going to appreciate the appearance of Sonic Blue Variant. The mixture of blue and bottle green on the back panel with a smooth transition all over enhance the aesthetics of the smartphone. Although it has a polycarbonate back, it doesn’t feel cheap at all and keep the phone light as it already has a huge battery which adds to the weight.

Even when this phone packs such big battery, it doesn’t feel thick, so that’s a quietly commendable step taken by Vivo for the design of the phone. It’s a big phone and those who need bigger phones or are in the habit of using longer phone are going to love it.

There is no notch on the phone because there is an in-display camera on the top-left corner of the display. The right edge of the phone has got the power and the volume rockers, while the left edge has the SIM-tray (Dual SIM + MicroSD slot) along with a dedicated Google Assistant button. Vivo calls it Smart Button though because it is programmable. At the bottom, there is the single speaker grille, 3.5mm audio port, and the micro USB port for charging the device and data transfer. Overall, the phone is a combination of great design and great hardware.

The Ultra FullView Display is a Treat

Vivo Z1 Pro packs a huge bright 6.53-inch Ultra FullView display with slim bezels. Since Z1 Pro is a gaming focussed phone, because of a bigger display, it offers great gaming as well as the multimedia experience. The display is quite bright and I didn’t face any issue in visibility under sunlight. But the biggest highlight here is the in-display selfie camera which doesn’t take up much space and sits nicely in the corner.

The viewing angles on the display were great, colours were punchy and the contrast was just right. Overall Vivo Z1 pro offers a great content viewing experience, so no matter if you watch visual content or play games, Vivo Z1 Pro has got you covered.

Great Camera for the Price

The Vivo Z1 Pro packs a triple camera setup on the back and a single 32-megapixel on the front. Now, the triple camera set up on the back consists of a 16-megapixel primary sensor with an aperture of f/1.78. Along with that, a super-wide 8-megapixel sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor are there.

The super-wide lens lets you capture shots with a different perspective providing a very large field of view, making it possible to fit a group of people in frame or capture large objects without going far away from it. The 2-megapixel camera is used only for depth sensing and it helps you capture portrait shots. The rear camera setup is also powered by AI, that makes adjustments while taking photos and there are tons of features like Night Mode, Portrait Light Effects, Live Photo, Backlight HDR, AR Stickers, Slow Motion, Time Lapse and many more other modes.

Now, in terms of camera quality, the Vivo Z1 Pro is actually a very good choice in my opinion as I tested its camera thoroughly for quite some time. I tried capturing photos in all kinds of lighting scenarios, and well it performed really well, compared to phones that cost almost the same or even costlier than the Vivo Z1 Pro.

In good lighting conditions, the Vivo Z1 Pro clicks detailed and sharp pictures, that is pleasant to view with very accurate colours and perfect saturation levels. The wide-angle camera is superb too. It holds all the details, maintains saturation level well and the photos taken with it are near perfect with no bending at the edges.

In low lighting conditions, the Vivo Z1 Pro performs fairly well, thanks to the Night Mode available on the phone. Even without using night mode I clicked a few shots, which were kinda good but lacked details. But when it turned the Night Mode on, it completely got rid of grains and washed out colours. The separation between light and dark was perfect and the shots turned out really good. The portrait mode works well on the phone with good edge detection and natural blur.

The front-facing camera on the Vivo Z1 Pro is a 32-megapixel shooter that holds plenty of details, and this time looks like Vivo has decided to lower down the beautification a bit so that the shots are well detailed, showing all the blemishes on face and many people, including me, prefer that rather than a softened photo that lacks detail.

Performance for Every Kind of User

No matter whether you’re a power user who pushes the phone to its limits or a regular user or a gamer, the Vivo Z1 Pro can fulfil the needs of every kind of users, even those who want a phone that lasts all day. I’m kinda a versatile user and to test phones, I usually use the phone in different ways.

When I first got the phone, I just set it up and installed the apps I use most like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Telegram along with the most essential apps I use. The multitasking experience was great, there were no lags, web browsing was smooth. Then I moved on to a different usage pattern which included the apps I always use, along with streaming apps like Netflix, Hotstar, and games.

The #VivoZ1Pro is a killer offering by @Vivo_India. It has all the things one ask for like:

SD 721 Powerful processor Triple rear Camera 5K mAh battery FHD+ Display 32MP In-display front camera, Literally the best phone for Pubg Price: Rs 14,990

Truly it's a #FullyLoaded phone! pic.twitter.com/iY8GYSlpHG

— Ankit Chugh 🌪️ (@luckyankit) July 3, 2019

I was usually streaming cricket matches and TV shows, playing games like PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9, which are quite power hungry games. The Vivo Z1 Pro was able to handle that very well. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 712, coupled with Adreno 616 GPU handled everything well, be it gaming, streaming or multitasking!

Full of Useful Features

The Vivo Z1 Pro runs Android 9.0 Pie out of the box, which is a good thing, but it has got Vivo’s own Funtouch OS skin on top of it. The Funtouch OS transforms Android 9 into something that looks quite similar to iOS, but it works like Android as it is supposed to be.

Highest in battery, best in display, camera & gaming – @Vivo_India #VivoZ1Pro is the handsdown winner among its competitors like Redmi Note 7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy M40!

Not only by specs, the OS optimizations & the features it offers, this #FullyLoaded phone is a clear winner! pic.twitter.com/vbmtJ8Msal

— Ankit Chugh 🌪️ (@luckyankit) July 3, 2019

The quick settings are at the bottom, which may make sense for many, but is exactly the opposite to how it is supposed to work on any Android phone. However, Funtouch OS has got some features that you might miss on many other phones. One of them is Dark Mode, which turns all the popular apps dark.

There is the Game Cube feature, which is kinda like a Gaming assistant. It can be configured to start up as soon as a game is launched. It lets the user block incoming calls, notifications, and tweaks many other settings to get the best gaming experience.

A Battery That Lasts All Day

The Vivo Z1 Pro packs a huge 5000mAh battery and even during the intense usage, I was able to get one full day battery life easily. If you’re a regular user and don’t play games, the battery could last one and a half day. The battery, despite being a huge one charges quite fast when you need that little extra juice, thanks to the 18W charger included in the package itself. But well, for a full top-up, the phone takes almost two hours to get fully charged from 0%-100%.

Final Thoughts?

The Vivo Z1 Pro is a near perfect phone at this price, I would say. There is a minor shortcoming like micro USB instead of USB-C but that’s not any deal breaker. Apart from that, I don’t see any reasons why you shouldn’t buy this phone and micro USB is sometimes still better for heavy gamers than USB-C because if you forget to carry your own cable, you may not find a USB-C cable around easily.

Apart from that, the Vivo Z1 Pro checks all the boxes where phones are expected to perform well – Display, Design, Camera, Performance, and Battery. The Vivo Z1 Pro comes with a starting price of Rs. 14,990 with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage costs Rs. 16,990. The top variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage is priced at Rs. 18,990. At these price tags, all the variants of the phone are worth spending your money on and if you need everything to be good on a phone, the Vivo Z1 Pro is definitely a choice!

[aimeeparnala]

He’s the one. NOT.

Paulo. Yeah yeah that’s the name of the guy who broke my heart. Or should I say gay who broke my heart. I’m not gonna hide anything here. Unlike my fake ass ex bf, who is a cheater, a liar, a selfish bitch, a jerk and an asshole who manipulates people and always plays the victim. True, I loved him. Not sure if I loved him because I loved him, or I was just in-love with the feeling of him loving me back, and accepting me for who I am unlike any other person. I don’t know. I’m writing this two months after our breakup, so Idk what Im really feeling right now. Kind of happy cause I found out that it was all his fault and I was able to escape depression. At the same time, mad because I was blinded and used by an ugly ass motherfuvker.

I wouldn't be wasting my time writing this piece of shit if I wasn't hurt at all. I was hurt. I felt depression but not for a long time, cause I know God loves me and he doesn't want me to be hurt so much. He knows I would never be able to take it. God knows how much I loved that gay whore and what Im capable of doing when im not in my right mind.

It started 3 years ago in the dance room. DMCI’s dance room. I saw him dancing alone in front of the mirror wearing black shorts and a white shirt with aeropostale written on it. He looked like the cliche feminine kpop member of a kpop group. I am really hella into feminine guys. I find them real cute. So as stupid as it was, on a snap of fingers, I think I fell inlove with him. He was really nice but really sassy. I remember one time he asked me to buy a frame border for his project at dollarama. I bought him one, I didn't know what it was for before I called it superman stickers  cause Im a dumb bitch. Like, look how shitty that was! He made me buy something for him after knowing each other for a short period of time. Back to DMCI’s dance room, saw him there dancing alone, I fell inlove and after that day I told Denisse that I think I have a crush on Paulo. I asked Abby about Paulo cause that time, they would always hang out at the cafeteria. I have Abby in one of my class, that’s why were pretty close. After that I stalked him for a bit, messaged him on twitter and finally got the chance to talk to him. We talked on Blackberry chat, Imessage and finally telegram. It was fun! he would always ask me how my day went and just say hi, here and there occasionally. Until one time, he confessed to me. I was talking to my friends that time, I sent them screenshots of him saying that he thinks he had a little feelings for me so, they all know what happened. I was shook moma, i didn't know that even though Im not that pretty someone would actually confess to me. Let me rephrase that, “someone that I like, would actually like me back”. There you go. I said it. That’s why he was prolly special for me. Other than that all I felt was heartbreak and I think I thought of it as love. I thought that was how love was supposed to be, or moreover to feel like.

Long story  short, he never asked me out whatsoever until one day he asked me when is our monthsary. That was really unusual. Tbh. I liked him and he liked me, so I thought there’s nothing wrong if he doesn't ask me out because what does that mean? We decided that it’s gonna be on the 21st of December, just idk, randomly? Lol. He said that we started talking on his sister’s birthday. So we both paddled on the flow. February 8 2017, after 3 years of fighting, arguments, love and hate relationship, jealousy we broke up.

My last words was that if were meant to be together, we will see each other again and maybe fall inlove again. But no. I told myself he is the one, NOT.

HIM AND I, WERE MEANT TO BE. WERE A BIG LESSON FOR EACH OTHER.

[aviyinglet]

Workflow Issues, Potential Solutions

I've lately grown dissatisfied with a few aspects of my long-form comicmaking process! Here's a lengthy, technical post explaining why, and what I plan to do about it:

(tl/dr: I get too bogged down in art details/grow too frustrated with the earlier bits of a long story as I produce it; I plan to shift my focus to VN-style indie games, the first of which you might be seeing from me soon.)

My story ideas usually begin with a script, and that script is usually heavily focused on dialogue, with very little in terms of prose or stage direction to frame it. As a result, many of my comic ideas -- my most cherished ones, the ones I’ve repeatedly rewritten and refined -- can be summed up as the adventures of a pair of emotive talking heads. Because of this, there are a lot of times I am completely unsure how I'm going to lay my pages out. Visualizing interesting methods of framing two people talking is pretty difficult, it turns out!

Some other webcomic artists overcome this in a few ways:

They always use a four-panel template, and pace the conversation around little jokes and cute moments on every page's fourth beat.

They restrict background details to establishing shots, and have most of the character interactions take place in empty space.

They render their characters exclusively from a perfectly flat, side-on perspective.

I should make it clear: each of these shortcuts are perfectly valid ways to tell a story in sequential format. But I usually don't do those -- at least, not to the prolific level of my more successful peers -- because I have very exacting standards. In a finished, long-form, professionally-presented story, I feel like I must vary my layouts/camera angles and include a background in each panel whenever possible. I believe these are high standards for any comic artist, but especially so for one who diversifies their creative interests and handles the entire workload themself. Visual art is ultimately just one part of how I’d like to express myself, and as far as my stories are concerned -- unless it's very specifically a story dependent on character movement (lewd stories like TCS or ASDR) -- it's not exactly the primary focus.

In addition, I've also grown frustrated with the permanence of the comic workflow process! Those who've followed me when my Patreon was active know of a comic project from 2015 I've produced 8 pages of, and subsequently stalled on before I could finish and release it. What many of you don't know is that the story has been completely rewritten several times, with each rewrite stemming from the most recent page I’d fully finished and uploaded. The script, originally meant to be my own playful version of a specific type of comic story, ended up having an original script and ending I simply couldn't be proud of. I had to clarify additional backstory and motivation, give one conversation a more thoughtfully-considered angle, and rewrite the ending entirely -- and given the implied permanence of uploaded art, they could only be rewritten through the lens of the pages I'd already completed and uploaded. This is fine for an ongoing webcomic with a consistent update schedule, but for a 26-page story I was only a few pages into, it simply didn't work.

So, if not through comics, then what other storytelling format would work for me? Followers of my public Twitter might know that I’ve been thinking about doing this through software. As an example, I'd like to point you to a spritesheet for the GBA/DS game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

For those unfamiliar: The above-linked sheet is every single graphic used for the main character of a story-focused adventure game that lasts several hours. The process of drawing and animating a character to this level of detail is -- compared to a full-length, full-color comic, assuming a quality level typical of my art -- a Telegram sticker pack's worth of visual art work. This character is exclusively depicted from the exact same angle, on a static background that is rendered once; throughout the game, his poses are extensively reused. Repeatedly copy/pasting character art in a comic is a cardinal sin to many people, because readers expect a certain level of dynamism in the way characters are depicted from panel to panel; in a game like the Ace Attorney series, since the events play out in linear real-world time, very few people mind this at all, just because the game format comes with different expectations.

There are, of course, points in every Ace Attorney (/Professor Layton/Dangan Ronpa/etc.) where more complex poses than a character's defaults are required -- at which point the game either tells it through descriptive text, special effects, or (during especially plot-critical moments) by switching to individual fullscreen illustrations of the actions taking place. This graphic storytelling method is typical among visual novels, but a few other games have implemented methods I wouldn’t mind eventually adding in.

An exclusively VN-style approach would've been more than enough for me, had I come to consider all this in early 2015. But the release of Undertale (which uses expressive face portraits juxtaposed alongside its text) had me thinking about my fondness for games like EarthBound and Final Fantasy VI, where an overhead view gives ample opportunity for characters to animate and interact with one another in limited yet effective ways; it makes me think that some stories might be best off with a similar overhead-view mode, in addition to the typical VN interface, to allow for a greater level of direct interactivity. (Modern 2D games like LISA and Stardew Valley also employ these techniques; their success makes me think I'm on the right track.)

Is all this actually feasible for me? Well: I've recently been messing around with Lexaloffle's PICO-8 fantasy game console, which has turned out to be a surprisingly fruitful endeavor so far -- fruitful enough that if I replicate the progress I've made in it in a more versatile platform (like MonoGame), I'll have a visual novel framework I can not only add features to piece-by-piece (as each project's needs demand it), but that I could also potentially export to other platforms, should I ever end up producing something appropriate for them.

I should again make myself completely clear: I am under no assumptions that this new approach will lessen my workload, nor am I assuming it will be easy -- but I am hoping that it will instead allow me to depict longer stories in a more economical way that fits my writing style, and to more effectively be able to release each one as a contiguous story I can refine from beginning to end until the moment the finished work is uploaded. Assuming this approach continues to work the way it already has been, I’ll be sure to keep you all apprised of the results.

[tech-latest-blog]

Telegram is a really useful messaging app to a point that it goes a little bit beyond the “messaging” aspect of it. Telegram has some really cool features and for the majority of us, it is our Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and whatnot. Another useful thing in Telegram is the Unique Telegram bots that you can use for various purposes.

There are many Telegram bots available out there that have a lot of functionality but here we have listed some of the unique Telegram bots that you can try and they are really good.

8+ Unique Telegram Bots

Hotstar Bot

This is one of the most useful bots that can be accessed in Telegram. The bot gives you free Disney+ Hotstar accounts with guaranteed login. This bot works and offers the premium, VIP, and sports pack from Disney+ Hotstar. So if you are looking for a free Disney+ Hotstar account, just search for ‘HotstarBot”, username is “@hottstarbot” and type “/start”.

Visit Here

Hodor Bot

The game of thrones fans will relate with this one. So if any of you dummies have not watched GOT for some reason only the great lord know, then Hodor was a very beloved character and only spoke one thing during the entire show, “Hodor!”. The bot pretty much does the same thing, it replies with “Hodor” to anything you say. It is a fun time pass.

Visit Here

Group Butler Bot

If you manage a group with over 200 members, it becomes very hectic for the admin to manage the group. So with this bot, you can manage your group. You can set group rules and the bot will automatically ban the violators. It can also set some custom triggers. This bot will also welcome new users.

Visit Here

Voicy Bot

In a closed space and can’t listen to audio or voice messages for some reason, this is where voicy comes in very handy. This bot converts audio and voices messages into text all you need to do is forward the audio files to the bot and it will do the rest.

Visit Here

Grocery List Bot

If you are one of those people who keep forgetting the grocery list, this bot is actually good for your you can make a list, add, delete items, and then also share it with your friends and family. The bot has some cool customizable options.

Visit Here

BotList Bot

BotList Bot is also one of the most useful bots available out there. This is basically a pathway to get a bot of your choice. This bot brings you a list of bots available on Telegram. This bot gives you personalized bots for news preferences, tech news and what not. So you can use this bot to get some useful bots.

Visit Here

Instasave Bot

This bot will let you save photos or videos from Instagram. All you need to do is just copy and paste the links of the photos or videos you want to download from Instagram to the bot chat and it will do the rest.

Visit Here

PollBot

By adding this bot you will be able to create some simple polls. This is really fun to use and if you want to do some short survey, this will be very handy.

Visit here

PDFBot

As the name suggests, this bot helps you to convert your documents or images into PDF format and it is also very useful as you won’t need a separate app to do all of this stuff.

Visit Here

So these were some of the unique Telegram bots that you can use and have some fun time on Telegram. If you do know about some other unique Telegram bots, do let us know in the comments.

[su_box title="More Like This" box_color="#000000"]

7+ Cool Tips and Tricks for Telegram

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via TechLatest

[jackasplat]

Tentative scheduling

Guess I’ll actually blog here for a little bit to map out what I’m planning for the next few months or so (under the cut for your convenience)

So far off the list I’ve launched my personal website, patreon, ko-fi, and I’ve applied for a table at the Dealer’s Den at my local furry convention, Anthro Weekend Utah.

For the rest of December I’m just going to start cranking out all the personal art I’ve been wanting to do all year, namely add to my telegram stickers, design two characters I’ve been developing, making more example pieces for things I want to offer as commissions when they open in January, and narrow down some merch designs. No actual merch progress will begin until January, but I’m planning on stickers, buttons, perler bead art, and maaaaybe a few prints. This all of course relies on if I get accepted into AWU’s DD in August. If I don’t make it into the DD, things might change a little bit regarding how much work I’m putting into all of this.

I’m still on the fence about whether or not I actually want to take next semester off, and a lot of it depends on how I did on my finals. If I didn’t do as well as I had hoped, I’ll most likely be taking a semester off, and I’ll be going hardcore with this furry freelance artist stuff for a while. But if I do pass my classes, I may just keep my momentum going and stay with school for a little while longer, and I might even take up an out of state summer internship. but we can get into that later. At the very least, progress will be made one way or the other going into the new year.

Starting January 3rd, commissions will open! Details are further listed on my weebly website. I still need to decide how many commissions I will be taking at one time based on how much traction I can get in the next few weeks. I expect it to start very very slow if I’m being honest, if at all. I’ll hype it up as much as I can myself, but the real determining factor is going to come from how much art I can punch out before commissions open, because frankly the best way to get noticed is to post frequently, and posting more means I’m drawing more, which means I’m following some sort of drawing schedule, which means I’m getting more practice and making myself more viable to offer higher quality commissions, etc. etc. It all comes back around is what I’m trying to get at.

The main form of commission I want to focus is badges for conventions, so I have to keep in mind the big cons that happen during the first half of the year, even though I’m only attending BLFC in May. I might apply for the Artist Alley there once apps open for it, but we’ll see. I kind of like the openness of August to be my deadline for a having a fleshed out line of products in order to fill up a whole 8′ table (if I get accepted, of course).

I will also begin designing stickers and buttons starting in January, and I hope to at least have which designs I want solidified by the middle of February, and for them to be done and ready for printing the end of February.

In March I want to start experimenting with making prints, because it’s something I really want to offer that I know nothing about.

April is my birthday month, will probably take things slowly here, maybe figuring out summer classes to take.

I’ll be taking a week off for BLFC in the beginning of May, and at this point I’d like all the products I’d like to potentially sell at AWU to be ready to print, and at this point I should have money saved up so I can do just that.

June onward will be planning out my table space, getting set ups, business cards, eye catching things, etc., and just continuing to crank out art. Although, if no dealer’s den happens I may just end up in Missouri on that out of state internship I mentioned earlier, and if that does happen, well, either commissions will pick back up in August or they won’t. 

That’s kind of the catch-all with this whole thing. If I end up loving my major again and I do go out of state working as a food quality assurance intern at a cheese factory 1,243 miles from home, my time as a freelance artist will most likely be put on hold indefinitely. 2020 is going to be a very experimental year for me, and I’m willing to take that risk. If I end up not liking my degree, I’ll probably switch to a visual arts major/minor and keep freelancing, who knows?

All in all I feel really good about the direction I’m heading. My questionable finals aside, whether I go back to school or not, I feel good about this. And most importantly, I WANT to do this, I’ve been thinking about these kind of what-ifs for three years now. And I need to start learning to do what I want to do, not what I think I should do. Thinking like that has held me back too many times, I just can’t let go of the “what-ifs” for my future. What if I don’t like this, what if I’m just wasting time, what if nothing turns out the way they should, what if I worked harder then I would be happy, ad infinitum. I’m tired of holding back, I want to go all in, teeth bared, ready for the worst, balls to the wall... you get the idea. And I think, for the first time, I’m ready to try. All or nothing.

[pamelahetrick]

9 steps to managing a remote freelance team effectively

Whether you’re first starting out in your business—or maybe you just want to keep your team small and flexible—freelancers can be a fantastic asset alongside an in-house agency team. Benefits to you and your agency include: only having to pay on a per-project basis instead of being tied into an ongoing salary; being able to choose different freelancers with different specializations; and hiring and ‘firing’ as you need to.

design by BATHI

Of course, there are also challenges: freelancers won’t be as familiar with your brand; they are often remote and won’t be present in face-to-face meetings; and you can’t easily switch their priorities around as you would with someone in-house. When you have a diverse team made up of all kinds of different backgrounds, languages and locations and limited or no in-person contact it’s incredibly important to learn to manage your team effectively.

Here are our 9 tips on managing a remote freelance team: —

Before you hire your freelancers

If you haven’t gotten your freelancers together yet, here’s how you can set them (and you) up for success:

1. Get organized

Documenting how things work in your team and business will save a lot of time and hassle as things get very messy. Design by LittleFox

When you’re starting out as a solopreneur or small team, you usually just get on with things. You don’t stop to think about why you’re doing them or how. As you start working with more people, whether they’re remote freelancers or in-house team members, you need to get all that stuff out of your head and down on paper (well, on virtual paper in Google docs, at least). This can include your business processes—think editorial calendar, sales funnels, customer FAQs—as well as your internal systems, like meetings, ways of working and so on. Get started with a simple list where you note down the steps you’re taking as you do them and you’ll soon find you’ve got a nice set of documented processes!

2. Hire carefully

You want people on your team who you’d be happy to have a drink with. (Even when you can’t because they’re far, far away.) Design by BATHI

Trust is going to be key when you work with a remote freelancer team. You’ll want to be super clear on the kind of person you need and what they’re going to be doing and be sure of their competence, experience and communication skills before you bring them onboard. Even though they won’t be in your office—or maybe especially because they won’t be in your office—you’ll also want to find people you click with and who you know you’ll have fun with! You can use sites like 99designs to vet people, especially if it’s just for a one-off job. These pages screen designers so you can be assured that there is already a good level of quality and trust.

Getting started with new freelancers

3. Do a proper onboarding

All aboard! Design by 1NS@NE Media

Make sure you invest time and energy in onboarding any new freelancers and you don’t rush straight into the details of all your urgent projects. If it’s just for a one-off project then you can do this quite quickly but if you plan to work together over a longer period then that means spending time getting to know them, introducing them to other team members and explaining your company values and culture. It also means agreeing on principles like how often you’ll check in with each other, how best to communicate (e.g. email, phone, Slack, etc.) and being super clear on what your expectations are.

4. Brief them on your brand

Design by Design House

Before you let them run wild with your designs and projects, you’ll also want to take your new freelancers through your brand strategy. Depending on their role, you’ll want to spend more time on some elements than on others: if it’s a graphic designer, then you might focus on your style guide; if it’s a copywriter, then make sure they understand your tone of voice. Of course, you’ll also need to give them access to all the materials they’ll need, like logos and other brand images and content.

5. Set clear expectations

The best working relationships and outcomes are when you balance clear guidelines for working together with the freedom to be creative and have fun! Design by LittleFox

What specific goals do you have for the relationship? What tasks are included and not included? Do you have a preference for how you want things done? Be as clear as possible with what absolutely has to be included or done in a certain way and where there can be more flexibility. Creative work requires freedom and space to explore so don’t be too prescriptive unless absolutely necessary (and, if so, it helps to explain why!).

Managing your team ongoing

6. Set reasonable deadlines

Packaging design by FORTUNA Design

Good work, and especially creative work, takes time. Don’t be a tyrant with last-minute deadlines that’ll mean working outside normal hours. In any case, freelancers will have multiple projects going on, so they might not even be available to work at all at the last minute. This also means that you need to stick to your own deadlines—if they need something from you on a certain date and you don’t deliver, then you can’t expect them to either.

7. Use tools to your advantage

A truly virtual team? Via Pixabay.

The whole idea of a virtual team is made possible thanks to technology, so use that technology to make your lives easier. Effective communication and collaboration are so important when you’re working in a virtual team. For instance, you might consider a project management tool like Asana, Trello or Basecamp, or something like Skype or Zoom for doing video chat. Emails and texts can often be misunderstood so try to speak to each other as much possible. Find smart ways to make working together easier—and more fun!

8. Set up a tracking and feedback system

Setting clear goals and tracking progress against them will help to keep your team—and your projects—on track. Design by LittleFox

Since you won’t be directly overseeing their work and you can’t just have a quick chat by the water cooler, you’ll need to find a way to track how each team member is performing. This is just as important for them as it is for you. With clear expectations and deadlines set ahead of time, you can check in regularly to make sure things are on track and catch any issues before it’s too late. A quick call once a week is a great way to have the personal contact, if it works with time zones. Otherwise, you can use something like Telegram or Slack to stay in touch. Emojis, gifs and stickers keep the tone lighthearted when you’re communicating only in writing.

9. Make them feel valued and supported

Try a feedback sandwich: one positive piece of feedback, then an area to improve and then finish with another positive! Design by Warlourd arts

If you find a good freelancer and you want them to stay—or if you just want to be a good employer and an all-round decent human being—then you need to make each member of the team feel valued. Be an inspiring leader even from afar and involve them in your vision. Be a good manager and give them mentoring and coaching to help them improve and grow, just as you would your direct reports. Give them regular constructive feedback on what’s working and what can be improved, while allowing them to do the same to you. You’ll reap the rewards in the form of a stronger and happier team and some good karma doesn’t hurt, either.

Are you ready to manage your remote team? —

Some of these steps can feel a bit tedious and overwhelming the first time you do them—especially documenting your processes and putting together an onboarding pack—but the good news is that when you’ve done it once, it’s all there when you need it next time! Getting organized, choosing the right people for your team and being clear on how you’re working together will make things run so much more smoothly. You’re likely to see benefits not just working with your new freelancers but also with your in-house team. Soon, you’ll wonder how you did it without them.

Check your inbox

An email with more information should be arriving in a few minutes.

Want to see how 99designs can help your agency grow?

Enter your email to learn more about 99designs Pro for Agencies.

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The post 9 steps to managing a remote freelance team effectively appeared first on 99designs.

via 99designs https://99designs.co.uk/blog/business-en-gb/manage-freelancers/

[myongfisher]

9 steps to managing a remote freelance team effectively

Whether you’re first starting out in your business—or maybe you just want to keep your team small and flexible—freelancers can be a fantastic asset alongside an in-house agency team. Benefits to you and your agency include: only having to pay on a per-project basis instead of being tied into an ongoing salary; being able to choose different freelancers with different specializations; and hiring and ‘firing’ as you need to.

design by BATHI

Of course, there are also challenges: freelancers won’t be as familiar with your brand; they are often remote and won’t be present in face-to-face meetings; and you can’t easily switch their priorities around as you would with someone in-house. When you have a diverse team made up of all kinds of different backgrounds, languages and locations and limited or no in-person contact it’s incredibly important to learn to manage your team effectively.

Here are our 9 tips on managing a remote freelance team: —

Before you hire your freelancers

If you haven’t gotten your freelancers together yet, here’s how you can set them (and you) up for success:

1. Get organized

Documenting how things work in your team and business will save a lot of time and hassle as things get very messy. Design by LittleFox

When you’re starting out as a solopreneur or small team, you usually just get on with things. You don’t stop to think about why you’re doing them or how. As you start working with more people, whether they’re remote freelancers or in-house team members, you need to get all that stuff out of your head and down on paper (well, on virtual paper in Google docs, at least). This can include your business processes—think editorial calendar, sales funnels, customer FAQs—as well as your internal systems, like meetings, ways of working and so on. Get started with a simple list where you note down the steps you’re taking as you do them and you’ll soon find you’ve got a nice set of documented processes!

2. Hire carefully

You want people on your team who you’d be happy to have a drink with. (Even when you can’t because they’re far, far away.) Design by BATHI

Trust is going to be key when you work with a remote freelancer team. You’ll want to be super clear on the kind of person you need and what they’re going to be doing and be sure of their competence, experience and communication skills before you bring them onboard. Even though they won’t be in your office—or maybe especially because they won’t be in your office—you’ll also want to find people you click with and who you know you’ll have fun with! You can use sites like 99designs to vet people, especially if it’s just for a one-off job. These pages screen designers so you can be assured that there is already a good level of quality and trust.

Getting started with new freelancers

3. Do a proper onboarding

All aboard! Design by 1NS@NE Media

Make sure you invest time and energy in onboarding any new freelancers and you don’t rush straight into the details of all your urgent projects. If it’s just for a one-off project then you can do this quite quickly but if you plan to work together over a longer period then that means spending time getting to know them, introducing them to other team members and explaining your company values and culture. It also means agreeing on principles like how often you’ll check in with each other, how best to communicate (e.g. email, phone, Slack, etc.) and being super clear on what your expectations are.

4. Brief them on your brand

Design by Design House

Before you let them run wild with your designs and projects, you’ll also want to take your new freelancers through your brand strategy. Depending on their role, you’ll want to spend more time on some elements than on others: if it’s a graphic designer, then you might focus on your style guide; if it’s a copywriter, then make sure they understand your tone of voice. Of course, you’ll also need to give them access to all the materials they’ll need, like logos and other brand images and content.

5. Set clear expectations

The best working relationships and outcomes are when you balance clear guidelines for working together with the freedom to be creative and have fun! Design by LittleFox

What specific goals do you have for the relationship? What tasks are included and not included? Do you have a preference for how you want things done? Be as clear as possible with what absolutely has to be included or done in a certain way and where there can be more flexibility. Creative work requires freedom and space to explore so don’t be too prescriptive unless absolutely necessary (and, if so, it helps to explain why!).

Managing your team ongoing

6. Set reasonable deadlines

Packaging design by FORTUNA Design

Good work, and especially creative work, takes time. Don’t be a tyrant with last-minute deadlines that’ll mean working outside normal hours. In any case, freelancers will have multiple projects going on, so they might not even be available to work at all at the last minute. This also means that you need to stick to your own deadlines—if they need something from you on a certain date and you don’t deliver, then you can’t expect them to either.

7. Use tools to your advantage

A truly virtual team? Via Pixabay.

The whole idea of a virtual team is made possible thanks to technology, so use that technology to make your lives easier. Effective communication and collaboration are so important when you’re working in a virtual team. For instance, you might consider a project management tool like Asana, Trello or Basecamp, or something like Skype or Zoom for doing video chat. Emails and texts can often be misunderstood so try to speak to each other as much possible. Find smart ways to make working together easier—and more fun!

8. Set up a tracking and feedback system

Setting clear goals and tracking progress against them will help to keep your team—and your projects—on track. Design by LittleFox

Since you won’t be directly overseeing their work and you can’t just have a quick chat by the water cooler, you’ll need to find a way to track how each team member is performing. This is just as important for them as it is for you. With clear expectations and deadlines set ahead of time, you can check in regularly to make sure things are on track and catch any issues before it’s too late. A quick call once a week is a great way to have the personal contact, if it works with time zones. Otherwise, you can use something like Telegram or Slack to stay in touch. Emojis, gifs and stickers keep the tone lighthearted when you’re communicating only in writing.

9. Make them feel valued and supported

Try a feedback sandwich: one positive piece of feedback, then an area to improve and then finish with another positive! Design by Warlourd arts

If you find a good freelancer and you want them to stay—or if you just want to be a good employer and an all-round decent human being—then you need to make each member of the team feel valued. Be an inspiring leader even from afar and involve them in your vision. Be a good manager and give them mentoring and coaching to help them improve and grow, just as you would your direct reports. Give them regular constructive feedback on what’s working and what can be improved, while allowing them to do the same to you. You’ll reap the rewards in the form of a stronger and happier team and some good karma doesn’t hurt, either.

Are you ready to manage your remote team? —

Some of these steps can feel a bit tedious and overwhelming the first time you do them—especially documenting your processes and putting together an onboarding pack—but the good news is that when you’ve done it once, it’s all there when you need it next time! Getting organized, choosing the right people for your team and being clear on how you’re working together will make things run so much more smoothly. You’re likely to see benefits not just working with your new freelancers but also with your in-house team. Soon, you’ll wonder how you did it without them.

Check your inbox

An email with more information should be arriving in a few minutes.

Want to see how 99designs can help your agency grow?

Enter your email to learn more about 99designs Pro for Agencies.

Zionks! Looks like something went wrong.

Get more info

View our privacy policy

The post 9 steps to managing a remote freelance team effectively appeared first on 99designs.

9 steps to managing a remote freelance team effectively published first on https://www.lilpackaging.com/

[jumatberkah1]

Alasan Telegram Kena Blockir

Alasan Telegram Kena Blockir

Tiba-tiba saja aplikasi telegram diblokir oleh beberapa penyedia jasa internet. sebenarnay apa alasan pemblokiran tersebut. mari kita cari bersama-sama, bahayakah aplikasi telegram ini?

Related Search :

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[jumatberkah1]

Tenang! Telegram Masih Bisa Digunakan di Provider Ini

Tenang! Telegram Masih Bisa Digunakan di Provider Ini

Jeritan netizen tentang diblokirnya Telegram menjadikannya sebagai top topic di timeline twitter. Namun sebenarnya masih ada juga provider atau penyedia jasa internet yang masih memperbolehkan akses telegram tanpa ada blokir. Masalahnya jika si penrima pesan via telegram tidak dapat mengakses telegram, maka kesempatan bebas dari blokir tersebut hanya sia-sia bagi yang ingin mengirim pesan via…