#I would have preferred him as a tech enthusiast who is less read in because that would be a different

[somegirlblr]

-

[that-bi-bitch-writes]

A Cursed Reality-JJK x M!Reader (Ch.2)

Question: Do you guys prefer longer chapters or shorter chapters? I’ve been making an effort to write longer chapters but if you hate reading them I’ll write them less.

Warnings: fluff, comparison of Inumaki’s speech to a disability/handicap, cursing. Dislike of Maki (Not me. wrong bitch. I love her)

Previous || Next

Chapter Two:

[Name] actively dislikes hanging out with the second years. Not that they’re bad people in any way, it’s just he’s anxious and awkward, and even after spending a year familiarizing himself with the school and the people in it, there’s like a small group of people he would invite to his birthday party.

That and he just doesn’t care for Maki Zen’in. And it is most definitely mutual. To him, she’s just pretty. She also won’t die in a battle between her and a curse below first grade. But that’s about the end of her appeal. Of course, Panda is fun to tease but he typically plays the peacemaker between the second years. [Name] would rather not care about people in peace.

There’s no dramatic reason to it all, it’s just [Name] didn’t really come to Jujutsu Tech by choice so he hadn’t intended on making friends. He obviously failed considering he befriended Inumaki within his first day and they have some homoromantic vibes going on in their friendship.

That’s not to say you can’t platonic cuddle with your best friend but when you longingly gaze into each other’s eyes and he’s the only friend you’ve made besides an annoyingly hyper 30-year-old because no one else understands you like he does… And it kind of goes both ways considering you’re the only person he trusts himself enough to have a full-on conversation with.

Yeah, it’s not looking very good for the argument that they’re not gay. They’re not though. At least not now.  

“[Name]”

“Yeah toge?”

“You look like you’ve got something on your mind” Inumaki responded. And although he had plenty of experience saying words, having a conversation without using safe words felt a little weird. It was an aspect of who he was now and [Name] being immune to the cursed speech wouldn’t erase the problems he had with talking and it didn’t make [Name] his savior or soulmate.

Luckily [Name] was both lonely and not a complete asshole because he had no problems adapting to the switch between Toge’s ‘onigiri glossary’. Learning it was actually a really fun experience because it turns out Inumaki did not have the exact translation of all his safe words. He would just say an ingredient and [Name] had to fill in the blanks. There was a lot of trial and error and a lot of [Name] smiling down at Inumaki’s concentrated face.

“I was just thinking.” [Name] broke the contemplative silence.

“Hmm”

“You know” [Name] started again “... They say it was believed people kept their souls in their throats” and as Inumaki gave a confused denial (“fish flakes”) [Name] was internally panicking on whether or not he should keep going with this specific train of thought or make a joke to deflect from the very real and emotional but corny statement he was about to utter.

“Ah fuck it. I want to exercise the curses in the world or at least enough to keep you safe so you don’t keep damaging your soul when you use your cursed technique”

“Sujiko”

[Name] looked at Inumaki. And as if breaking off pieces of his soul didn’t matter to him, Inumaki spoke, a short sentence that stunned [Name] into silence

“I love you”

If Gojo hadn’t come in, they might’ve kissed.

“[Name]-kun!!!”

Aaaand [Name]’s sentimental mood was gone. Don’t get him wrong, Gojo definitely would get an invite to [Name]’s birthday party, but the man was like 30 running around being overly cheerful and with that teasing nature he was definitely repressing some trauma. He also definitely had some of the worst timing

“What is it Gojo?”

“No sensei at the end? So mean!

“Fushiguro was sent out to find a cursed object but he’s been out all day with no calls back home or anything. Of course I plan on going to check on my beloved student, but I am busy for the next hour or so. Can you please check on him? For your favorite sensei?”

“My favorite sensei is actually Nanami and he’s not even a sensei but yeah I’ll check on the emo kid”

‘You’re pretty emo yourself dude’ Gojo thought to himself

“Ah Thank you [Name]-kun. You’re a lifesaver” Gojo called out behind him as he left to do whatever it is crazy white haired ‘old’ men do.

‘He’s/I’m totally not doing this for free’ both [Name] and Inumaki thought at the same time.

[Name] got up suddenly and started getting ready to leave paying no attention to Inumaki who watched him get ready with a casual interest. Before [Name] headed out, he turned to look at Inumaki with a serious and concentrated expression.

“Toge.”

“I love you”

“What the hell happened here?”

“....”

“Fushiguro-kun, if you please”

“Well I only know half of the story so it’s best if we hear it from Itadori”

All eyes whipped to the shirtless Yuji who had just gotten control of his body back from Sukuna, the apparent king of curses.

“I’d say it started when I went to school this morning but I think it started a little earlier for Fushiguro. Right Fushiguro?” Yuji asked

‘I swear I’m going to explode if someone doesn’t tell me the how we got this far I mean Fushiguro is bleeding from his head, this pink haired enthusiastic kid is possessed and I can’t tell if he’s too sweet to care or if he lost a few of his brain cells when he and the little emo first year wrecked this building’ [Name] thought to himself.

Clearing his throat he began “Well okay Fushiguro has a lot of really bad injuries so is it okay with you if he just quickly shares his part and then you take over?”

“Ohh Yeah that makes sense” Itadori awed and both he and [Name] turned their attention to poor Megumi who was bleeding from his forehead.

“Yesterday I was sent to retrieve a special grade cursed object and when I got there it was gone. Gojo sensei told me I couldn’t go home until it was recovered. The next day I stalked around the school and investigated when I saw Yuji for the first time.”

“Oh I remember that. It’s my turn to take over now. Uhh. I was in the occult club with my senpais Sasaki and Iguchi and we were asking the spirits about which animal the Student Council President was weaker than ( a fish) and then he burst in the room because he didn’t approve of our club-”

“Fast forward please” [Name] interrupted

“Fushiguro found me after my grandpa died and told me Iguchi and Sasaki were in danger because of the finger so I led him to the school where they said they were going to peel off the seal”

“And that’s why we’re here” [Name] surmised

“So what’s the situation”

“Gojo-sensei”/ “Old Man what are you doing here?” Megumi and [Name] called out

“I wasn’t gonna come but the higher ups got involved. I knew you’d all be fine though, I sent [Name] here to deal with it.”

“That’s true” Fushiguo mumbled

“I’m glad you all have faith in me” [Name] started “But that means I came here for absolutely nothing”

“... So did you find it?” Gojo asked

“Um sorry.... I ate it”

Gojo who didn’t hear the whole introduction and [Name] who didn’t quite get to the eating of the finger part in the story turned to Yuji in shock

“For real”

“For real”

“Haha you’re not kidding. They’re combined. How does your body feel?” Gojo asked Yuji

“Okay”

“Can you switch to Sukuna?”

“Sukuna?” Yuji asked

“The curse object you ate”

“Oh yeah. Probably”

“Ten seconds” gojo said “Take control again after ten seconds”

“I dunno about this”

“Don’t worry. I’m the strongest Jujutsu sorcerer”

Megumi looked to [Name] after hearing a curious “hmm” but [Name]’s face showed no anger or displeasure.

“Megumi hold onto this will ya” Gojo’s voice bled through Megumi’s thoughts of who would win between [Name] and Gojo. Give it a year or two and it might actually be [Name].

“What’s this?” Megumi asked

‘It better be a fucking weapon’ [Name] thought ‘Because if he sent me out because his important business was shopping he’s gonna regret it’

“Kikufuku Mochi” Gojo replied casually before feeling bloodlust leaking from [Name]. He’ll just have to make it up to the second year somehow

“Behind you” Fushiguro called out and [Name] sucked his teeth hoping Gojo would get hit at least once. He did not get his wish once

“I’ve got a student watching so..I hope you don’t mind if I show off a little bit” . And after that Gojo commenced kicking Sukuna’s ass. Sukuna tried to monologue a little as he sent out a powerful attack, but he missed Gojo on account of Gojo’s infinity dispelling the attack. By the time Sukuna realized Gojo was unharmed it was time for Yuji to switch back.

“Oh was everything okay?” Yuji asked as he came to his senses.

“Oh what a surprise” Gojo responded “You really can control it”

“Yeah, but he’s kind of annoying”

“It’s a miracle that’s the only side effect” Gojo said right before knocking Yuji out with one finger

“If he wakes up and isn't possessed, he might have potential as a vessel. Okay question for you two. What do I do with him?”

“Even if he is a potential vessel… He must be executed under jujutsu regulations…

“But I don’t want to let him die”

“Is that a personal opinion? Gojo asked

“Yes, a personal opinion. Please do something about it.

Gojo smiled and the two of them turned their attention towards [Name] who had been silent throughout the whole experience.

‘Besides being a little too excitable, he’s not bad. Like a puppy. I’d keep him as a pet.’ [Name] thought

“Don’t kill him” he said

“A precious student's request. And one from my favorite second year? Of course. Leave it to me!” Gojo said before lifting Yuji up.

[Name] still a little upset he was called away for nothing, raised his hand in front of his mouth so gojo couldn’t see what he was doing and whispered

“Fall over”

“Aak! [Name]-kunnn”

Fushiguro was shocked to see Gojo faceplant on the ground with Yuji on his shoulder. If the combination of Fushiguro’s wide eyed expression and the sight of Gojo in pain made [Name] giggle a little, he’d never admit it.

[azrcxlfatale]

under the cut you’ll find saint’s intro, its just a brief run down for now until i get bio pages up but it should help get a sense of the boyo all the same !! he is gentle and friend shaped is all i can say ajjdfg. THIS HAS NOW BEEN UPDATED WITH LIKE FIVE EXTRA LIL MORE CURRENT HEADCANONS! [ they r just like for his own growth nothing major has happened with saint and he’s still fundamentally the same as he was bc he’s always been a more laidback and less tragic muse but feel free to read em bc they do help contextualise how he’ll be career wise and with grandmami] : 

   CHWE SAINT: 

so for the best part of his life saint was raised with his ‘grandmami’ as he terms her, but she’s better known to the whole island as ajumma solmi. for this reason he’s very doting toward her and a real grandma’s boy. he bakes with her often and they can often be found on street corners selling cheap priced but some of the finest flowers to the citizens because it’s grandmami’s tradition and its mostly done in hope to uplift the islanders and bring joy to their day in a small way and act of love. 

when i say doting i mean doTInG, he will help her in and out of chairs, help her cross streets, hold the groceries for her as she crosses, open doors for her even if grandmami insists he stops fussing because ffs saint ur making me look ancient and i’ll have u know i am still fighting fit and could knock any idiot on his ass with a fliCk of my finger. ajdhf. she is v fiery, if saint is like the picture of elegance and good manners then grandmami is the sTARK contrast. she has one hell of a potty mouth and just a no time for ur shit attitude. if anything saint is keeping her in line, not the other way around. 

his quirk is warp gate. he rlly just uses it to entertain himself mostly and help give his pals quick escapes when a prank of some sort has gone wrong. he can basically create portals out of a dark fog which can either be emitted through his breath or openings at the end of his fingers which he can activate, anyone can also use his portals to travel so long as he’s given them permission.

he just exudes sunshine rlly. is well known round the island for his out of this world smile which has been known to charm many. he is a very eligible and sought after bachelor but saint is like...not interested mostly bc he just like has no romantic awareness ahdhfhf not bc he doesn’t want it. and also bc he doesn’t like the way it’s mostly super young girls and guys just like awestruck by him. it feels a little too much like he’s a collective childhood crush by his groupies so yeah he is OBLIVIOUS. 

very humble and incredibly polite. just really down to earth whenever spoken to but being raised by an elderly person kinda makes u a little outdated, for this reason saint is kind of demure and bad at conversation mostly due to the fact he can easily talk for hours about his plans for baking with grandmami later, the book he read her this morning, the lovely walk they took in that gorgeous spot which he rlly recommends etc but he is god awful at talking about like typical young people stuff. 

lot of ppl think he plays hard to get, this is not true, saint just fr does not know how to fuckin speak and is the most oblivious person in the world to how to flirt, he’s easily flustered but bad at knowing when he’s being flirted with or if this person is just rlly nice and is usually too shy and respectful to rlly push luck by flirting in response hfhfjkg. USELESS. 

very 70′s/80′s aesthetic bby boy, sweet summer child. he is obsessed with old classic black and white films, had a collection before he moved to the island which he misses like everyday but luckily he has memorised ten million quotes. also collected records. obsessed with anything retro, is a collector of gaming merch. but he didn’t get to sneak much to the island :-( the only thing he rlly snuck was a small record stash. liked roller skating, bowling, drive in movies. dresses very retro but refined and classy with lots of layering. rlly good knowledge of classic literature. 

most likely to find him at the arcade in the funzone now on the island, he is a master at all the games but esp the old retro ones, usually goes early morning or late evening so he can spend hours uninterrupted on them and beat his high score everyday a bit more. if not there then he’ll be at zen’s computer gaming instead. he likes all tech really but prefers retro, he’s still figuring out modern. before coming to the island he was rlly getting into VR. if he’s not in either of these places, he’ll be on the beach in a volleyball match or doing a jog. still v much into his sports. 

ultimate sike power cause people think he looks like ur typical jock fuckboy but jokes on u he is pure of heart and dumb of ass himbo just blessed with ethereal looks, he is the breed of good lil boyo and that is all. 

obsessed with milkshakes and popcorn at the diners if he’s ever there u can guarantee that is what he is snacking on or treating himself to. his weakness is churros he fucken thinks that shit SLAPS. he’ll do anything if the prize is churros.  sMH someone help his diet. also loves fiddling with the jukeboxes there ajdjd. 

has two pet geckos one is peach colored and called zelda, the other is black and white leopard spotted and named zeus and he also has a chonk of a fluffy grumpy white cat called yoshi. he is the best. saint is a huge animal lover but probably still not on nyx’s level of dog worshipper. 

weeb. not as big of a one as nyx but he likes haikyuu, kuroko no basket, given, fruits basket, free! and yuri! on ice. he is very into anything that is slice of life or sports anime. 

has the nickname ‘koda’ bc of the movie brother bear, nicknamed after the lil baby bear cause he just reminds people of a baby bear ahdhd. 

he studies art, spends half his life in the studio working, big art nerd. once he gets in the work mode, he just does not stop for anything but water and snacks and goes at it all day into half the night. usually does big projects bc he loves a challenge. mostly paints, sometimes sketches. u know those vids of people mixing paint colors like a swatch of gold and turquoise? saint fuckin loves those so bad unf he does that all the time to calm himself. 

still lives with grandmami currently, he’s looking at getting his own place bc everyone tells him if he ever wants to have his own life then he needs to but he’s just v anxious about leaving grandmami on her own bc she getting older by the day and she’s all he has sO she cannot get hurt!! 

also in a bit of a dilemma with his art bc he kinda wants to make something out of it, like maybe teach some classes sort of thing and use it more as a career but right now he does not have the confidence in his ability and is mostly just doing it for fun and as a calming thing ( he’s an idiot he’s rlly fucken good pls someone make him take himself seriously )

never cusses but does say bitchin a lot, only ever uses fuck in bed basically so if u ever hear him say it then u know something next level has gone down bc saint refuses to swear even if he stubbed his pinky toe.

looks like a cinnamon roll but HE FUCKS!! boy is a kinky freak however saint has no shame or embarrassment like he will discuss it as casually as a discussion of what to have for dinner not bc he is like lewd but purely bc to him its rlly natural and like another form of art and he does not get the embarrassment or secret nature of it all like it is just factual to him that we come into the world like that and ppl enjoy it sometimes ajsj. 

gardening enthusiast!! has a fascination with studying plants and insects tbfh. still uses 70′s and 80′s kewl kid slang like unironically someone help him pls. sjjdjf. cute bonus fact: has freckles all over his shoulders and down his back. UWU. 

COUPLE OF CONNECTION IDEAS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD??: 

i would love for him to have a muse for art and/or to be someone’s muse. also and maybe interchangeably someone to kinda be his art mentor and be like saint u could pursue this fr if thats ur dream, then do it pls share this talent dont let ART DIE!!

someone he does gardening and insect studies with who gets his nerdy enthusiasm over it. 

a regular who gets flowers from him and grandmami, maybe he makes a special bouquet for them every day which always has a different meaning in the flower language bc he is soft like that ajjfl

someone who he can take on loads of cute lil platonic diner dinner dates bc he is a huge foodie as we can tell. this one is super fun like I imagine they scam tf outta restaurants that are over priced and for the elite by being like we all kno married couples or people getting engaged, celebrating anniversaries etc tend to get better deals on their meals. so he’s essentially doing this one bc he likes ur muses company and enthusiasm for food but also bc it means cheaper high quality meals for both and a guaranteed good time.

someone to nerd out with him over classic literature or films bc that would be hella cute

maybe someone who is also close with his grandmami and rlly loves spending time with her as well so he kinda trusts them to take care of her and trusts their judgement when they r like saint chill let the lady live okay go and do ur own shit akskf

he usually jogs alone but it would be cool for him to have someone to do that with and like table-tennis and shiz cause he just loves fitness activities and active leisure stuff too. 

maybe someone who is tryna teach him a little more about how to uH TALK LIKE SOMEONE HIS DAMN AGE AND STOP BEING SOME RETRO MAN STUCK IN MODERN TIMES AJDJD

UPDATES:

so a lot about saint hasn’t overly changed because like he just is and has always been a very wholesome laidback boyo but just a few bits of like additional info for his personal growth can be added:

he’s owner and manager of the florist now, grandmami is also there most of the time and handles a lot of stuff when she’s feeling up to it but with her getting more tired more easily from her illness saint needs to head everything really.

he grew up in a neighbourhood on hosu which like consisted of his entire street pretty much being full of his aunts and uncles so now like it’s a street just littered with all his tiny cousins who like to follow him about everywhere and play ball games etc on the street with him and kinda take it over shs. you can hear their joyful playing from like streets over it’s very cute.

his mother gave him up when she realised she was pregnant with him and too young to raise him and that it would hinder her from pursuing the life she wanted with his father. saint doesn’t hold any resentment for her choice, it only bothers him that his grandma has always had a serious illness since the early days of talks of her having no choice but to take him on and that despite this his mother allowed him to be left to her care and another burden on her when she was already so ill.

grandmami is now at a point where she’s hanging in there but she won’t have long left and saint is essentially now her live in carer till her final days which is hard af for him but he refuses to let it show. he’s not sure how he’ll function when he loses her. right now he’s trying to extend the florist business into a wellness one as well and more of an apothecary so he can keep himself stable and busy.

this is more just a cute fun fact but he’s a Christmas Eve baby. uwu lil boyo was born on the night before Christmas bc of course he was sdjdj.

[vapormaison]

2019 Best Press 3/4:  カタカナ・タイトル + Kanji Title by TANUKI

While for many vaporwave vinyl is doubtless equal parts collector’s item and audio source, I don’t want to lose sight of the goal of this blog here: developing a canon of the genre for high fidelity enjoyment. That said, when I come across something remarkable or noteworthy about a particular piece of wax, even if it is not a “purely audiophile” object, I want to make mention of it.

And TANUKI’s カタカナ・タイトル + Kanji Title wax release is not only noteworthy, but contends for hi-fi consideration despite it’s status as a picture disc.

But let’s back up slightly.

Going back to the previous thesis on why we buy records, sometimes you just want to own a vinyl just because. Just because you’re a collector trying to compile a discography on wax — or, better yet, just because you truly love the album art. For me, カタカナ・タイトル + Kanji Title (Double EP) was undoubtedly all of the three “just be-causes”.

A while back, I noticed that the LP was going into its 3rd press, and decided to snap up a copy because I like Tanuki, I like Lum, and because of those other just becauses. Unfortunately the only format available was not the pink vinyl, but the picture disc. As I’m sure is well-known (because audiophiles are very loud about things they dislike), picture-discs are a big no-no in the audiophile community. This is because while a beautiful objet d’art, a serious listening session of a picture disc release will usually produce greater amounts of surface noise than any other type of vinyl. You can, of course, with the right system, neutralize and mitigate this process slightly, but true-blue hi-fi heads pursuing that elusive muse of “pure sound” would never give a picture disc a second look.

I’m not one of those people.

Tangentially, I’ve heard whispers of ghosts of rumors from when I was living in Shenzen, China — that various record suppliers (small batch Makers) are working out manufacturing and material processes that minimize these issues on pic discs to create appealing records that cover all the bases: hi-fi suitability, collector oriented visual esoterica, and price. I should also admit I have no idea where those companies are in terms of R&D and/or producing these. I end up catching a lot of very fast talk from extremely motivated enthusiasts, but Chinese is still as elusive a language to me at times as “pure sound” can be. With that in mind, however, it’s logical to surmise that advances in technology will eventually render the differences between picture discs and traditional black wax undistinguishable. So long as the world isn’t destroyed in some cataclysmic climate disaster (very real possibility), or -- as we are watching evolve now: World War 3. My view is that it’d be pointless to dismiss the format out of hand when there are active attempts to innovate it as we speak.

That all said, I know what to expect when a contemporary, big-label picture disc plays. During my college days, I used to spin wax at the university radio station. One of the previous catalog managers had a fetish for this “collectible” format, and was convinced he was doing the station a favor by purchasing all these vinyls, noting a pre-supposed resale value later. I remember throwing these on the well-worn Technics SP-10 we had as our main turntable, and listening to the occasional scratch, frequent popping, and constant surface noise, that for the uninitiated (bless you), sounds like a sustained “cracking” in your Rice Krispies — or for those born in the analog age, CRTV static.

So when I sat down with the Tanuki picture disc, I had this laundry list of preconceptions and prejudices about the format. I thought that I could listen to a moderately scratchy record once or twice, keep it as more a visual boutique item and then eventually include in an article where I bemoan the poor quality of the genre’s releases.

But then, I actually listened.

And it sounded… well, I won’t get ahead of myself. Here’s the full review:

THE MUSIC

BABYBABYの夢 — is doubtless the reason why many of us have bought the EP from a sonic perspective —especially if the band-camp reviews are indicative of trends. I still maintain that this is the Mariya Takeuchi sample/remix work par excellence. Tanuki hits all the essential notes here, a genuine respect and love for the sound-staging of its original source, Yume No Tsuzuki. I still get echoes of the original arrangement in my system, (ever so slightly) with a bright and dance-infused collection of unique sounds — particularly in that delicious, wide mid-range — that flesh out the track into its own sort of masterpiece.

何がGoin' On — the curatorial and conspiratorial side of my brain tells me that Goin’ On will probably go down as one the under-appreciated vintage bangers of this era of future funk. I can envision hipsters two or three decades from now sussing out a neophyte with pretentious questions about this track’s pitch-shifted sample draws from. It has that sort of vibe that you know hits with a certain subset of electronica fans — rich & vibrant, making the tweeters on your system work out in all the best ways — it’s just great.

がんばれ — Tanuki is at his best when he gets playful with brass samples. I firmly believe that the titans in this genre each have their go-to piece in their best arrangement — like Dan Mason’s creative vocal array, or greyL’s manipulation of micro-samples. For Tanuki, it’s whenever her gets a horn — synthesized or otherwise, into his production workflow.

ファンクOFF — continues Tanuki’s magic act, taking another city pop track more iconic for its soulful electric guitar riff and turning it into the most slap-worthy single on this EP. I prefer it when Japanese pop samples are fundamentally re-imagined, although I can see how the perfectionist tweaking of someone like Yung Bae is more appealing for some. Tanuki is undoubtedly one of the innovators of this genre, and there’s no more solid evidence of that talent than this track.

腕の中でDancin’ — if I ended up hosting a sort of mythical vaporwave grammies or something like that, (I’m available, folks!) I would probably go off on a Ricky Gervais style rant on how artists aren’t in touch with “the people” (read: me) because all we really want are more remixes of Meiko Nakahara songs — who given her impact on City Pop should have way more play in this genre than she does. This one, like most of the Meiko mixes I’ve heard, is a banger with an absolute fire bass riff punctuated throughout.

Radiant Memories — this might be my first certified “hot take” in the publication (they’ll be many more, I imagine) — but as far as I’m concerned this is the superior Plastic Love edit. I’ll just leave my thoughts there, so they can soak in with a portion of the fanbase who split my reddit account on an open fire of downvotes for suggesting that other artists than Macross 82-99 (Praise be upon him!) are allowed to touch this song as well. While Macross’s mix is definitely the more up-temo of the two, and that for some is the very essence of the genre, this slightly down-mixed version is both the perfect conclusion for the EP and ideal antithesis.

THE LISTENING EXPERIENCE

Signal to Raise ratio on the following albums:

カタカナ・タイトル + Kanji Title:  ~61.9db (1 db MoE)

Tron Legacy, Daft Punk:  58.4db

Love Trip, Takako Mamiya, Kitty Records Press: 65.8db

(ratings based on averages 5 minutes of sustained play on the testing unit, the machine actually complied this data on its preset, which is another fascinating part about this sort of vintage press-testing tech). The margin of error is because the machine, according to my mentor Dr. Juuso Ottala formerly of Harman International, informs me it was never meant to give accurate readings of picture discs, and to add about a dB of error margin.

One of the benefits of growing up in New England and, subsequently, New York, is that there are no shortage of heritage professional audio brand HQs in operation around a 200 mile radius from Manhattan to Boston. Off the top of my head, there’s Harman/Kardon, Boston Acoustics, Bose, NuMark, Marantz, and Rane headquarters within an hour’s drive from my two hometowns. Early on in my audiophile quest, I got my hands on some cool vintage gear — vinyl lathe testing equipment that has collected dust in both an old Harman technician’s storage unit, and now my parent’s basement. Over the holiday, I recently brought it out to do some surface noise testing on it to get a rough confirmation of what I was explaining in yesterday’s hi-fi guide. The innards of the machine looks eerily like a plinth-less linear tonearm and plate pair attached to a monitor. After making sure I’m not violating some kind of Harman International trade secret, I’ll post it on instagram.

Wanting to also get a firm idea on just how good my ear-test sounded, I grabbed another picture disc vinyl I had received as a gift a few years ago from my brother — the Tron Legacy OST. While I found the film passably enjoyable, my own preconceptions about pic discs, and a general exhaustion with french house — left me with no discernible desire to spin the thing. I hadn’t even broken the seal on the plastic wrap, so it seemed like as good as a blind test as any. I also grabbed what my ears tell me is a “good”, “heavy” press, a 1982 original dead-stock copy of Takako Mamiya’s Love Trip LP pressed by Kitty Records Japan. I’ve played it maybe a half dozen times since I bought it, so it’s as close to “new” 80s audiophile pop record as you can get. The Japanese are infamously anal about low SNR on their vinyl.

And, well, the results speak for themselves. The sweet spot for most black vinyl records is between 60-70db depending on age, weight, and a host of other frankly uncontrollable factors that aren’t worth getting into detail here, as I’d go on forever. The main takeaway here is that Neoncity’s and Tanuki’s record sat at the low end of the audiophile vinyl reference spectrum. Which in itself is a remarkable achievement for a pic disc. It’s worth taking a look at Tron Legacy, which just barely scratches 8db above a cassette tape, and 7db a Japanese vinyl from 1982.

This is all in an effort to say: damn, this is pretty good.

This also somewhat counters the usual “picture discs sound like shit” narrative that’s prevailed pretty consistently in the audiophile community. Tron Legacy? Yeah, that probably sounds like shit if I could bother to suffer through a listen. But whoever Hong-Kong based Neoncity is using actually makes “good” — if such a qualifier needs to be attached — image-pressed records. And that devotion to audio fidelity should be rewarded.

It might be time for me to re-asses picture discs on the whole, and that mind-expanding moment is something I owe to the fine folks at Neoncity.

[oliwiawidutoresearch]

User Research: Learning Support

As of this week, the 1st of October, I have started out on a journey to test the viability of my major project idea: Educational Templates.

Today I met with Gosia, who is a Learning Support Worker. She very kindly agreed to give up 2 hours of her time to talk all things education with me.

Things we discussed:

Lockdown

During lockdown Gosia’s institution used Exemplar Education to upload learning resources, which would be comprised of 3 parts:

a tutorial

practice exercises

an exam

The exam would have a threshold which the teacher could move up and down. The student would have to pass this to get to the next lesson, where they would repeat this process.

Below is a screenshot of Exemplar Education which I was able to find online.

Source: https://whattheredheadsaid.com/supporting-learning-home-exemplar-education/

The Problem With Distance Teaching: Accountability

Gosia told me there was very little engagement from students who wouldn’t access the portal due to a lack of accountability from teachers and parents.

She told me she had written down login information for students in their homework diaries, however students still claimed they couldn’t log in. There could genuinely have been issues with students’ credentials as reported, however it’s very likely that students lost and binned their homework diaries which became redundant when not attending school, losing their login details. 

Moreover, as trending on social media, one of the biggest issues of lockdown was being ripped out from our social circles which caused many adults across the world to lose sight of their goals and dreams, despite having to pay rent. As adults, we receive the payoff of our efforts once a month, giving us the motivation to keep pushing with cognitively straining tasks. Earning money opens up options; granola from the higher shelf, a downpayment on a home which we can make our own. Earning money is dreaming.

We must therefore ask ourselves, how to motivate for example, a 2nd year student. They will not be incentivised with money (options) for another 5 - 8 years depending on whether they decide to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Further complications arise from a deeply rooted compulsion for instant pleasure planted in us by the internet and an economy of instant services and cheaply made goods. 

When we want to see a friend we no longer take a 20 minute bus: we retrieve our phone from our pocket in less than 1 second.

Clothes are a mouse click away with 52 micro seasons instead of 4.

It is no surprise that students don’t have the mental stamina to motivate themselves to get up and work.

The Problem With Distance Teaching: Devices

Another issues Gosia mentioned, was access to the internet.

96% of people in the UK have access to the internet. In a school of 700, 28 people are unable to do their work. 

But it’s not that simple. To access Learning Management Systems such as Exemplar Education, you will need a computer. In 2018, 88% of UK households owned a computer. That means in a school of 700, 84 children are physically unable to do their work.

However, 99% of 16-24 year olds own a smartphone.

If we want to give kids the ability to do their homework, we need to ensure they can access it through their mobile device.

The Problem With Distance Teaching: Contact

Relating back to accountability, the school and it’s teachers must remain in contact with the parent body.

Gosia mentioned the only way her school was contacting parents to notify them about work was through auto generated emails. Between 70-80% of people aged 25-64 in the UK check their emails.

Between us: who checks automated emails?

Furthermore, Gosia told me that most of the emails sent out were not related to the work students have been doing. She, herself, would leave the majority of emails from her kids’ school unread.

It is as simple as linking up emails with a tool like IFTTT to send out customised emails to all parents per form group, per subject. For example:

Dear Parent of <student name>,

Today <student name> was assigned <tasks>

Please ensure these were completed.

All the best, <name of teacher>, teacher of <name of subject>

The Life of a Learning Support Worker

Gosia teaches kids with learning difficulties. This can range from dyslexia, selective mutism to hearing problems and beyond. She runs 1-to-1 sessions as well as facilitating space for other teachers and helpers to run their own.

Tools

Having spent 5 years at the school where Gosia now teaches, I can ascertain that all subjects are taught by a teacher preaching alongside a slide deck, followed by practical tasks and exercises: namely, writing things in a notebook.

By process of elimination, students who are deemed to have learning difficulties are those for whom this teaching style doesn’t work. For example, while teachers are forced to wear masks, deaf students can’t lip read.

I asked Gosia what techniques she uses to connect with her students.

“I mostly try to create links and associations between things my students already know, and those they don’t. For example, I have a dyslexic student with illiterate parents. He has trouble understanding letters and guesses words when he sees them in sentences. To teach him the letter B, I would draw it out and tell him it has a big belly so that he remembers the sound.

He learns by talking and doing, not reading - so I try to get him talking as much as possible. 

He is also a kinaesthetic learner. Sometimes I will give him words, and ask him to draw their outlines so that he can guess them by the general shape and not letter by letter.”

Gosia worried that adding more digital learning to the curriculum discourages students from doing their own thinking. She explained that Googling for synonyms removes the hard but vital work of getting up, getting a dictionary, going through the alphabet to get to the desired word and then reading about the word and other words by proxy. She believes these processes are key developmental tools.

Concentration

I asked Gosia what traits she notices in her students which may cause them to underperform. She mentioned that many students find it very hard to concentrate- they rush to get answer without doing the working out, per se. This causes them to miss out on learning the methods of getting from A to B.

Interestingly, she linked this to bad behaviour on the playground - rushing into doing things, without prior consideration.

She mentioned many of her students come in under slept and the lesson becomes a fight to keep them awake.

When I asked her what she does to combat concentration problems, she told me she puts on quiet piano music to get all students in the room on the same wavelength. She added she puts heavy emphasis on varying the worksheets and learning styles she uses to make sure that the students and herself are excited by the content. I strongly agree with this approach - it reminds me of A/B testing in the tech industry, whereby different ways of fulfilling the same tasks are tested with users until the best one is found.

My learning experience is best when the teacher clearly has love and passion for the subject. -Gosia’s Daughter

Gosia added that human connection and humor are key. Sometimes she reads to her students and they all have a laugh when she mispronounces something which helps them remember the word.

I found it very moving in the interview when Gosia explained that many students disassociate with learning when their self esteem plummets after getting their answers wrong.

She gave an example of a girl who was very clever but would score 20% on her exams because she was dyslexic. Gosia fights very hard to encourage her students every day and explain to them that they are not stupid - however this seems to be a very deeply engrained feeling.

Resources

Following on from the conversation about switching up teaching resources, I asked Gosia where she finds those which she uses.

She told me a recent favourite is the Facebook Group NI Teachers Collaborate.

She was clearly very passionate about the group, mentioning her favourite features are that resources are easily accessible at a subdomain of the page where they are organised under different folders by a moderator. She felt very strong that resources had to be approved and moderated.

Gosia repeatedly used the word ‘organised’ which led to believe that organisation is essential in her line of work.

I asked if she would be willing to spend money on resources and she enthusiastically agreed as well as saying that she has spent money in the past. She mentioned she would much rather prefer a subscription model where new content is continually uploaded as she worried that set content may not suit her needs and quickly become stale.

Gosia told me she liked taking notes - when I floated the idea of a book, once again she was very enthusiastic and added that after every chapter she would like some blank pages for taking notes. I decided that if she likes a lot of new content, it would be best to try a model such as YouTube videos with links to resources and a PDF explanation so that she can organise and print these into her own book. This way she can learn through a video lesson now, and reference her notes later on, in the classroom for example. 

She mentioned she doesn’t like using a computer so I imagine flicking through tabs of resources would cause a lot of cognitive strain. Though I haven’t tested, I would guess most teachers prefer offline resources so I will need to focus heavily on creating a seamlessly blended approach.

[clairekatswritingcorner]

Unexpected Guests

Word Count: 2,010

Summary: A few years after the Great Race of Oban, Spirit reconnects with Eva and Aikka to hear the big proposition Eva has planned for them.

*Author’s Note*: This doesn’t have much of a plot, but it’s a scene I wanted to write for my idea of what an Eva/Aikka/Spirit reunion might look like in the new Oban series! I know we know absolutely nothing about the plot or why any of the characters that have reconnected have done so, but that’s part of why fanfiction exists, right? I also just wanted to take the opportunity to write more Spirit stuff for @aepaex because she deserves it. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

(also available to read on my Ao3, which can be found in my blog links)

Spirit observed the vehicles, both flying and grounded, that crowded the busy city center. Most of the buildings were tall and glossy, surrounded by intricately woven roadways indicative of the futuristic feel Eva had informed him most of humanity, at least those building a majority of Earth's big cities, preferred to use. There wasn’t much to do to pass the time as he waited to meet her and some other unnamed parties she’d yet to reveal the identity of.

He wandered from the monument in the city square to a bridge overlooking a clear waterway, leaning over the railing to see if the water was too far away for him to see his own reflection. He eavesdropped on the people that periodically passed him on foot, some discussing indistinct topics that he knew little about while others whispered about him. Earth had received an uptick in interplanetary traffic in the years following the Great Race, but it was clear humans hadn’t become entirely accustomed to seeing less than human forms on their city streets, especially in regards to more traditionally monster looking species like the Phils.

Spirit didn’t mind the passing comments, though, especially since he was used to them. After his years of experience with other species first reactions to and interpretations of him, Spirit had come to recognize that some things didn’t really change until you got to know an alien, and he had much more important things to be considering anyway. Unfortunately, the water was too distant for his image to even appear as distorted colors in its sloshing waves, and he turned back towards the street just in time to hear a familiar voice calling out to him. Her voice traveled from above him, and Spirit looked up to see Eva flying over the square, a little stunned to see exactly what she was riding and who she was riding with.

“Hey, sorry to keep you waiting!” Eva greeted, waving enthusiastically as she slipped off the giant beetle’s back. Spirit had recognized G’dar in an instant, and as if to reinforce this recognition Aikka leaned forward a bit from the great bug’s back, giving Spirit a small wave.

Spirit returned Eva’s greeting with a nod, and before he knew it she had her arms wrapped around his waist in a friendly embrace. He was still a little caught off guard that the unnamed friend Eva said she was bringing along turned out to be the now proud Nourasian king, Aikka. The last Spirit heard, Aikka had had his hands full with diplomatic affairs and the protocol of transferring power from the previous king to himself, not to mention sorting out the Nourasian’s old and forced alliance with the Crogs. The fact that he had come all the way to Earth, and moreso had apparently been roped in to whatever scheme Eva had concocted that even Spirit knew nothing about yet, was peculiar but not altogether unexpected. After all, Eva and Aikka’s relationship had only strengthened following the Great Race, something they had both meticulously maintained even with the distance between their planets.

Spirit observed the myriad of differences Eva and Aikka displayed since the last time he had spoken with them face to face. There were certain things that remained staples of their physical presentations, such as Eva’s dyed hair, the bright pink music player that never left her hip, and the distinct racing goggles that she never went anywhere without. It appeared that she’d updated her arsenal of technology with a new high tech visor, and her clothing looked fitting for everything from space travel to mechanical maintenance.

Aikka’s clothes reflected a similar purpose, which was surprising considering his newly esteemed royal position. Spirit wondered just how much trouble the new king would be in if his attendants knew the details of his trip across the galaxy in civilian clothing to take part in some sort of assembly orchestrated by a simple Earth girl. His hair was much longer than it had been during the Great Race, fashioned into a high ponytail to keep it out of the way.  Spirit considered that both of them looked like intergalactic bandits or bounty hunters, ready at any moment to board a space faring craft and plunge into the cosmos looking for the next big adventure. Knowing Eva, that might be what she had planned anyway.

Spirit patted Eva on the back, making sure she was aware that he was going to connect with her telepathically before asking her through this channel of communication exactly what was going on. He wasn’t necessarily the type who had to be privy to all things at all times, but with the esteemed company she had roped into whatever excursion she was planning on pursuing, Spirit had an inkling that something larger was at play. Eva smiled and released him from her grasp, both of them moving out of the way a bit as Aikka slid off G’dar’s back to join them.

“We had a little bit of navigation trouble once we got into the city,” Aikka explained, filling in the blanks from Eva’s apology for their lateness. “G’dar isn’t exactly skittish when it comes to crowded places like this, but it seems like most of the locals aren’t used to anything more than shiny flying vehicles soaring through the sky. We were lucky we didn’t get arrested for flying a foreign object.”

“Yeah yeah, but what’s important now is that we’re all here together!” Eva replied, patting Aikka on the back. “Your flying has gotten a little rusty though, your Highness. Seems like it was more urgent to get you out of that palace than I thought.”

Aikka opened his mouth to protest, but Eva swiftly switched topics. “So, now that we’re all together, I can elaborate on my proposal.”

Something she had to tell us in person…Spirit thought, noticing the exuberant shine in her eyes. Or perhaps she just really wanted to see our reactions.

“I think we oughta get some more old friends back together,” she began, stretching her arms out behind her and leaning against the bridge’s railing. “I mean, we already have the three of us, and I’ve been able to contact a few others, like Rush. A lot has happened since the Great Race, a lot that’s only shared between those of us that actually experienced it…while I definitely don’t want to return to that, I think it would be fun to hang out together again. A lot of us, all at once, and maybe we can even have some racing meets to see who’s still got their racing fire lit.”

Spirit rested his hand on Eva’s wrist. Doesn’t this seem a little spontaneous? Although both Aikka and I had the time and the means to make this meeting happen, I’m not sure what gathering us all together again really accomplishes.

“You don’t have to worry about that, I don’t really have a sure fire plan anyway,” Eva less than reassuringly replied. “I just…it’s been lonely, and so much has changed. We’ve all grown, undoubtedly become different people than we were during the Great Race. But that experience still lingers within us. None of us will ever truly be able to get rid of those memories, good or bad. I figured it was time to make some sort of impromptu reunion, even if it’s only for a day. You guys are both here already, right? Can’t you humor me with this?”

Spirit had to admit that he knew where Eva was coming from. There were certainly things he had seen, and even more he had heard about after the fact from racers like her, that shook him to his core. Although he sometimes felt tempted to share his feelings or thoughts on the matter with his family or friends, he knew that not only was it a dangerous idea to involve them in such a dreadful affair, but they would never be able to truly understand. The only people who could offer support for and relate to the pilots who participated in the Great Race of Oban were fellow pilots and various other individuals who had shared the experience with them. Spirit mimicked Eva’s relaxed posture, extending a hand to Aikka to ask him what he thought about all this.

“Well, I’m not here because I don’t want to be,” he began, an unmistakable blush coloring his cheeks. “I think there’s merit to what Eva says. Apart from needing a break from my duties, I think there are bigger things that need to be discussed. Some things…that although they may never be completely dealt with, they can at least be worked through. All of us have suffered at the hands of the Great Race in one way or another, some deeper than others. I have questions, many of which I’m sure have no hope of being answered, but maybe the more of us that join together, the closer we can get to uncovering the truth.”

So a mixture of a research expedition and a friendly support meetup. That sounded like about as Eva an idea as any of the ones Spirit had already heard or been apart of throughout the years. After the Great Race, while many racers had gone their separate ways, Eva and the group of those who had been with her through her roughest patches and knew about the deepest pains of her past had remained in consistent and close contact with her and each other.

Eva had come out of the Great Race with an altered perception of fate, a new set of friends, and an infinitely widened view of both life and the universe. Spirit still didn’t know every detail of what transpired on Oban with her, her faithful racing team, and King Aikka. Although part of him would always be achingly curious to have her divulge the full story, another part knew that it would be detrimental both to him and the parties involved to plunge them too deeply into territory they weren’t properly armed to tackle.

Spirit simply nodded in agreement then, knowing that no matter what came next, it would surely be an adventure he didn’t want to miss. He wanted to uncover more about the Great Race for himself, as well as catch up in person with racers who understood him for more than the enigmatic Phils champion that many assumed him to be. Even just being around Eva and Aikka again brought him a peace that he hadn’t known since he had last had the pleasure of sharing their company. There was a deep, unspoken camaraderie between many of the racers who participated in the Great Race. Whether it was fate, or trauma, or the simple desire to reconnect with those Spirit once saw as nothing more but fellow competitors, he had a yearning to join Eva’s expedition. He ruffled her hair, cut shorter than she had worn it when she was younger, and in the gesture passed along his thanks for her kindness in reaching out to him.

Eva laughed, grabbing his hand with one of her own as she smoothed her hair with the other. You don’t need to thank me, it was a no brainer. It wouldn’t be the same without one of my best friends.

Spirit felt the wellspring in his chest expand, doing his best to keep his composure while also sharing the elated feeling with her. She considered him a friend, a sentiment that made him feel more than he felt he would ever be able to share or communicate, even with telepathy. Aikka smiled gently at them both, and Eva yanked him over to them, pulling them all into a group hug that made Spirit feel like he was truly at home. This was the beginning of a grand adventure, one that had no perceivable direction. But spontaneity was what Eva did best, and with her at the helm, Spirit was sure they would make it out of even the darkest recesses of space they might dare to traverse.

[gay-la-v]

What do you think Minako's Enneagram is? I'd definitely put her as a mixture of primarily a 1, 3, 7 and 8 with some shades of 4, 5 and 6 what do you think? For reference 1 = Reformer, 3 = Performer, 7 = Enthusiast, 8 = Challenger, 4 = Individualist, 5 = Investigator and 6 = Loyalist (lol the only ones she's not on the list is 9 and 2 which are the passive Peacemaker and the soft-hearted, Open caregiver, such is the contradictory enigma that is Aino Minako, because: MINAKO!)

I have NEVER heard of an Enneagram before, so forewarning that I could be doing all of this COMPLETELY WRONG and I'm just gonna work off of the descriptions on this site (god, there is no good way to hyperlink on mobile): https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-descriptions/ PGSM spoilers abound.1 - The ReformerThis one I think gave me the most trouble so WHAT BETTER PLACE TO START. It definitely hits some key Minako-points. Having a "sense of mission" to improve the world. Striving after "higher values" despite self-sacrifice. And hello "instinct and passion controlled by conviction and judgement" if that doesn't sound like Minako "constantly make observations so you can adequately make snap decisions" Aino idk what does. A lot of these points tie in to Minako's sense of duty and dedication to being a senshi. She's left behind her personal dreams for the sake of saving the world, and what "higher value" is there than saving the ENTIRE PLANET??? Between building utopia-esque Crystal Tokyo and just trying to make people happy with her music, Minako definitely has a drive to improve the world, but I have to point out: who DOESN'T?? There are a lot of points in being a 1 that really drive me away from it for Minako too, and I think looking at them makes Minako's similarities to a 1 seem less like "this is her personality type" and more like "these are pretty common values".First and foremost 1's are super morality-driven. They feel a need to justify their actions, are overconcious of contradicting their morals,  and are super hung up on right versus wrong. I'm not saying Minako is perfectly a-okay with all wrong-doers ever, but she herself has no issues going into morally gray areas to get what she wants. She will absolutely flirt some concert tickets out of some poor sap just so she can see her favorite idol for free. Moral superiority does not a Minako make. 1's also have this need to stay rigid and I QUOTE "keep the lid on passion" and HAHA NO. NOT MINA. Further the 1's need to "make the world a better place" can also really deal on a personal, "I'm going to teach you better level" that doesnt fit Minako. Let's look at anime Jadeite (I know Mina didn't interact with him sh). A 1 would look at his "women suck" nonesense and feel a need to educate him, improving the world by making this guy less of an asshole. Minako would crescent beam his ass and move on. So reevaluating my earlier points. Minako's self sacrifice and efforts to change the world don't seem to line up with the Morality aspect of a 1. PGSM Minako gets a great deal of joy wheb her songs make others happy, it's  GREAT and she LOVES THAT. But lbr she also gets off on the attention and the performing aspect of being an idol. CT is less a pillar of Minako's "deep need to improve the world" and more an offshoot of her dedication to duty and her own personal need to be fulfilled. So while Minako can exhibit 1-like behaviour, I don't see think she has 1-like intentions.2 - The HelperAgain we have the idea of self-sacrifice but this time for the sake of others, still in line with Minako, but the 2 takes this to the extreme of "people pleasing" and sacrificing your needs for everyone else's and that diverges from Minako. Is Minako gonna put herself behind her girls? for big things like emotional distress and physical well-being? Absolutely. For little things like who gets the best slice of cake? Hell no. And anyone BESIDES said girls can kiss Minako's ass. So is Minako an empathetic people-person? Yes. Does Minako value others more than herself? Not really. Girl might make a few slight image changes to help her career, but if millions of fans love a falsley constructed Minako instead of the True Authentic Aino Minako? What's the point? Not a 2.3 - The AchieverHELLO YES THIS IS VERY MUCH TRUE TO THE MINAKO WAY. Almost everything I read about this got a check mark on the Minako list. Adaptable, charming, energetic, "the 'stars' of human nature" if that doesn't make you think "Minako" then Minako thinks you're living your life wrong. 3's have "problems with workaholism and competition" *POINTS ADAMANTLY AT PGSM* REMEMBER WHEN MINAKO WAS STUCK IN A HOSPITAL BED AND STILL WORKING? REMEMBER WHEN MINAKO TRIED TO GIVE UP BEING AN IDOL TO FOCUS EXCLUSOVELY ON SENSHI DUTIES? WORKAHOLIC. REMEMBER WHEN THE ONLY WAY TO GET MINAKO TO /NOT/ QUIT IDOL WORK WAS FOR REI TO GOAD HER INTO COMPETITION. THIS IS MINAKO'S LIFE. Further, 3's desperatly seek to succeed in order to get positive attention to the point that they will abandon their own desires to reach whatever is defined as "success" Gosh, if that doesn't sound exactly like Minako giving up volleyball, giving up her dream of being an idol, and giving up her normal life, for the sake of living as Venus. For a 3 this goes to the point that they will put all of their feelings in a box labeled "deal with never" for the sake of success. And I again want to point out dying PGSM Minako, who decided it was okay if she died early so long as the past mission was completed. AT THE AGE OF 14. DEFINITELY NOT AFRAID OF SURGERY, NOT AFRAID OF HELPLESSLY DYING, NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING. WHO HAS FEELINGS??? NOT MINAKO, SHE HAS A MISSION. At the end of the day a 3 wants to be distinguished and wants to be praised, and when you break it down, what more does Minako really want than that? She is absolutly a 3 in my book.4 - The IndividualistReading through this, I'm getting that a 4 is very socially withdrawn, struggles to relate to others and always puts themself first, and it's just really NOT Minako to me. Minako is CAPABLE of being by herself (see Sailor V) but the only instances I can think of where Minako would PREFER to be by herself is when her being with a team is going to cause pain to said team (ie PGSM Minako staying away from the senshi so they won't be sad about her inevitable death). 4 is not a team player and Minako is a team LEADER. Minako has a few qualities here, but overall this just isn't her.5 - The Investigator This one is all about gaining information: observing things, learning things, and all with the intent of using said knowledge to protect yourself. Now Minako is all about getting info to fight against the enemy, but this still really isn't feeling very Minako to me. A 5 needs information and they need it on their terms, if you tell a 5 how something is, they aren't liable to believe you until they can discover it to be true on their own. Further, a 5 tends to self-isolate rather than engage in things actively. Minako first and foremost uses her knowledge SPECIFICALLY to actively use it in conflict with others. A 5 wants to learn how to order a coffee so that when they actually go order a coffee they don't make a mistake and look stupid. Minako doesn't give a shit, she'll talk at the barista for 30 minutes about why they have to say "tall" instead of small. Minako will feed you salty porridge and blow up your radio because she didn't take the time to actually LEARN how to take care of a sick person. A 5 needs knowledge to feel useful, Minako wants knowledge to destroy her enemies and get ahead of others. Reading all of this, 5 jumps out to me as an Ami. Ami is the one who is going to self-isolate and spend 30 days studying moon technology so the senshi can utilize. Minako doesn't actually care HOW said moon tech works, she just cares how she can use it to protect the kingdom. Ami's job is to get knowledge, Minako's job is to trust Ami's knowledge and translate it into immediate action. 6 - The Loyalistthis one was quick n easy. Yes Minako is loyal to her god damn duty. But a 6 is a follower, not a leader, someone who depends to much on what others are doing. A 6 has no confidence in their judgement and avoids making important decisions. Minako is nothing if not decisive and girl COMMITS to her decision. If she starts out the night thinking karaoke is the best way to spend the evening, and ends the night in a jail cell? Worth it. She stands by her choice all the fuckin way. Not a 6 for me.7 - The Enthusiast this is another one that clicked a lot of good points for me. Extroverted, playful, versatile. A 7 has an incredibly quick mind and tries to cram as much life as they can into every minute. Sound familiar? Minako is all about stuffing as much as she can into a day, and on a fun, flighty level Minako is very much a 7. Because of their quick mind, a 7 can be so great at so many things, but very removed from what they actually want out of life. Their response to not knowing what they want is to just try more of everything, and this is exactly how I see Minako's life playing out IF SHE WASN'T A SENSHI. Senshihood is the one place that truly challenges Minako, and relys on absolutely all of her talents. I see Minako as getting a great deal of fulfillment out of being a senshi, even if it comes at personal costs, and I see non-senshi Minako running herself in the ground trying find that sort of fulfillment elsewhere in the world. She's going to have goals. She's going to achieve them. She's going to get bored. She's going to move on. Our Minako certainly has a lot of 7 in her, but she wouldn't be our Minako without also being Sailor Venus.8 - The ChallengerThis one was also quick for me. Minako loves a challenege, and she sure as hell loves to challenege others, but beyond that, an 8 has an overwhelming need to control everything. And while Minako certainly likes to have control, she can recognize when it might be better to let it go (see: letting Ami take charge of gathering information). Minako has a defined role as a leader, but a good leader isn't controlling, a good leader is decisive and delegates control and that's the kind of leader I see Minako as.9 - The PeacemakerThis whole thing talks a bunch about spirituality and cosmicness and blah blah not Minako. From what I gather, a 9 would rather focus on the qualities of other than the qualities of themself, and Minako has too much fuckin ego for that.So I put our girl as a solid 3, with a lot of leaning towards 7. She has lot's of qualities that fall in line with the other categories too (because OF COURSE SHE HAS TO MAKE THIS DIFFICULT) but I think at the end of the day she's using those qualities the way a 3 would.

[anneedmonds]

Christmas Gift Guide 2019: Men

I’m going to start with the men’s gift guide, this year, so that it doesn’t come across as an afterthought. Don’t you think that a lot of the time men’s gift guides are just far less exciting and inspirational than the women’s ones? I find them so difficult to put together – but then I find buying things for Mr AMR quite complicated, so I suppose it’s not surprising. What I think he might like is always so far from the truth – in my mind, he wants a swanky new Tom Ford wallet, in reality he is in his element going around the garden with his battery-operated leaf-blower.

True story.

So here are some ideas for men’s Christmas presents. I’ve tried to cover all bases and price points but let it be known that it is hard not to be drawn into featuring the usual suspects. A shaving set. Novelty socks. Some funky-looking vodka. A soap that looks like a turd…

OK, the first thing I want to talk about is something called Masterclass. Have you seen this advertised? It’s so good. It’s basically a series of video masterclasses from leaders in their fields – so you can have, for example, a film-making masterclass with Jodie Foster, makeup lessons with Bobbi Brown, beat-making classes with Timbaland and high-powered, motivational business classes with some of the world’s highest achievers. It’s such an excellent gift idea and a full access pass, which gives you access to all of the lessons from violin-playing to haute cuisine-cooking, is £170. And it’s currently buy one get one free. One for them, one for you. What’s not to like?

I think that this is the perfect gift whether you’re happy in your career and just want to broaden your interests or dying for some inspiration to turn your life around. I’ve already joined and I think it’s absolutely genius – I’ll be reviewing soon, so watch this space!

Masterclass, £170 for 12 months here.

Mr AMR wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t talk about his battery-powered leaf-blower, so here it is: the Ego Power Plus blower. Mr AMR would also like it to be known that all of the Ego garden tools are very good, including the lawnmower. You have a rechargeable battery pack that fits into all of them and is interchangeable, so you can go from mowing to blowing at the blink of an eye. He bought all of his many, many, many tools from Ego Power Plus here.

Note that the backpack blower makes whoever’s wearing it look like a character from Ghostbusters. Which is a comedy bonus.

Something else from Mr AMR’s list of favourites; the Samsung Frame TV. In all fairness, this would be on my own favourites list because it has completely changed the look of my living room. I think we have the older model now, but they look pretty much the same; it’s a TV with a wooden bezel (frame) that sits absolutely flush with the wall so that it looks like a gallery-hung picture. The screen displays a picture whenever the TV is off and it looks completely realistic. I can’t recommend this TV enough, especially if you – like me – absolutely detest the look of televisions on walls.

Find the Frame at John Lewis here* – from £999.

One last thing from Mr AMR before we move on to gifting pastures new: the Bed of Nails, which has been featured many times in the past. It’s one of his most prized possessions, this mat-with-spikes and he slides it out from its hiding place beneath the bed whenever he has a headache or can’t sleep properly. I have no idea whether it actually cures headaches or helps you to sleep properly but he swears by it for just about every ailment and sense of discomfort. He says that he enjoys the pain of the spikes – “it’s a nice pain”. Worrying.

Find the Bed of Nails online at Cult Beauty here* – it’s an unusual – but hopefully very useful – present.

Oh, OK, one more idea from Mr AMR because he did spend ages lying in the bath writing his list to help me out… Brace yourselves for this one people… Third on his list? The Bose Frames Audio Sunglasses*. Sunglasses that play your audio through the sunglasses. Sounds weird, doesn’t it? It is totally and utterly weird. But Mr AMR has tried them and can vouch that they do indeed play music via the material of the sunglasses and that it somehow magically ends up inside your ears. Who knows how? Who cares? Surely this is the future! Buy these and he can wear them when he’s riding his hoverboard to work…

Bose Frames are £199 at Amazon here*.

Whilst we’re Back to the Future, let’s take a look at the Apple Air Pods Pro, £249 from Apple here*. Currently with free engraving, which perhaps makes it a bit more of a thoughtful, personalised gift – tech always feels quite sterile to me! Anyway, these noise-cancelling, fully-immersive in-ear pods are the absolute bees knees – even if they do make it look as though you’re talking to yourself when you take a call on them…

If Apple’s enthusiastic pricing is a little too – er – steep, then plump for these noise-cancelling headphones from Sony. They’re comfy, effective and are a comparative snip at £79. Find them at Amazon here*.

Now we’re really cooking on gas! Or charcoal… The Everdure BBQ by Heston Blumenthal is compact and perfect for stowing away on camping trips. For some reason I can’t imagine Heston Blumenthal cooking on a BBQ, I only see him lifting heavy pans in the kitchen, but still: the BBQ is really cleverly designed. Find it at Amazon here* – it’s £149.

Continuing along the catering line of thought, I’d like to introduce you to a really excellent coffee machine. I know it is because I bought it for Mr AMR last year and he makes coffee for anyone who passes within a three mile radius of the house, because he seems to have an easily triggered hospitality reflex, so it has been tested to its limits. It’s the De’Longhi Magnifica and it’s robust, reasonably compact and makes great coffee. I’ve been told. Don’t touch the stuff – I prefer wine. Find it at Amazon here* – it’s currently £249.99 in the Black Friday sale.

Random quirky-luxe item: the Burberry Cow Print Leather Wallet, £280 at Liberty here*. I rather like this for myself!

Random quirky-luxe item 2: the Crocodile Letter Opener, £45 at Liberty here*.

I am adamant that Taschen’s Helmut Newton book is one of the best coffee table books (if not the best) that money can buy. It’s sexy, it’s fascinating and it’s absolutely HUGE – they don’t call it the Sumo for nothing! This one is a total showstopper and costs £100 here* but I see that there’s a newer edition that’s a standard book size. You can find the slightly smaller one here* for £55. Helmut Newton is one of my favourite photographers, there’s just always something new to pick up on in the images. He’ll never grow tired of this book…

And for those who would rather do some downstairs loo learning than look at glossy nudes, there’s I Used To Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School, £5.24 at Amazon here*. He’ll be boring you with academic facts for the entire holiday season…

A rocket vodka decanter. Because who doesn’t need a Vodka Decanter? Jonathan Adler, always the King of Fun… Find it here* at Selfridges, £150. So cool. There’s also a gin and a whiskey one, if you fancy a Starfleet moment.

I’ve been dying to include this in my gift guides: I, Robot: How To Be A Footballer 2, by Peter Crouch. Perhaps an unusual choice for someone who has absolutely zero interest in football or footballers, but I read an extract in The Times a while back and it was really quite excellent. I bought it straight away and it’s on my book pile waiting to be started. Yes, I’m going to read a book about football. The world must be ending. Find Peter Crouch’s second bestseller on Amazon here*.

Could this be the world’s hottest chilli sauce? It’s called, simply, Regret. Made on the Wiltshire Chilli Farm, I can’t think of a more worthy grocery item for filling a stocking… Find it on Amazon here*, it’s £14.95.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea: this’ll keep his pens in order. I love these pen pots from Quail – they also do egg cups and vases, all of them slightly kitsch and offbeat. Find the tiger one at Liberty here* – it’s £25.

Beatles Monopoly – the classic Christmas game gets a rock ‘n’ roll update. £45 at Selfridges here*.

Can’t find the perfect trainers for him? Why not take my very risky and potentially quite dangerous route and customise him a pair? This is probably the worst suggestion I’m ever going to make and you’ll have to forgive me in advance – sometimes unlimited choice isn’t the best thing… Haha. Go crazy, go wild, he’ll hate them but he can’t take them back! If only you could have your face printed on them… £85 at Nike here*.

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood; a classic, chic stocking filler with a gorgeous vintage feel. This’ll keep him occupied over the holidays, when he’s not leaf-blowing or puking over your customised trainer design. £6.47 at Amazon here*.

Finally, the Drop Wireless Charger from Native Union is a sleek, chic phone charger that looks space-age and takes up hardly any room. This is currently £26.99 on Amazon* but is almost fifty quid on one of my much-frequented luxury websites! A slick piece of tech that won’t break the bank…

The post Christmas Gift Guide 2019: Men appeared first on A Model Recommends.

Christmas Gift Guide 2019: Men was first posted on November 26, 2019 at 4:39 pm. ©2018 "A Model Recommends". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at contact@amodelrecommends.com Christmas Gift Guide 2019: Men published first on https://medium.com/@SkinAlley

[cryptobully-blog]

In This Italian Mountain Town, Everyone Knows About Bitcoin

https://cryptobully.com/in-this-italian-mountain-town-everyone-knows-about-bitcoin/

In This Italian Mountain Town, Everyone Knows About Bitcoin

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "cryptobully-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "My Amazon Picks"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B018Y1Q71M,B06XHTKFH3,1973884852,B00PCMSJQS"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "4356926c226bfe54ba2aa66ea72eea8b"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";

He’s scribbling a series of 12 words on the blue paper handed to him by one of the two women at the other side of the desk. Marco is his name. Graying hair, blue jeans, and still wearing the fat, black winter coat that protected him against the cold Alpine air outside, he just drove 80 kilometers from his hometown and is now in the process of installing the Altana Bitcoin wallet, as recommended.

“I had heard of Bitcoin but didn’t own any,” he explains, when asked why he didn’t just buy bitcoins on an online exchange. “I prefer the human contact if I’m going to purchase some.”

The other of the two women walks him to the white mailbox-sized machine in the corner. “Compro Euro,” it reads, the same words that are plastered across the wall and the window of the small shop. And “Bitcoin ATM.”

The woman explains how the machine works, pointing to the small black window that hides a camera and then to the QR code on Marco’s phone screen. Marco nods and gets out his brown leather wallet.

Buying bitcoin in Rovereto

As the woman retakes her seat at the desk in front of the bookshelf with copies of Mastering Bitcoin and Antifragile, Marco starts shoving orange 50 euro notes into the Bitcoin ATM. The machine responds with a buzzing and clicking sound for every slip inserted. This goes on for several minutes before Marco puts his wallet and phone back in his jean pockets and walks back to the desk to give a final handshake to both women.

“I’d like to get some of my money out of the bank, and bitcoin seemed like a good option,” he says, briefly explaining his investment decision before leaving the shop with a thankful smile.

Bitcoin Valley

In the same northern Italian town about four years ago, another Marco, Marco Amadori, was discussing Bitcoin with some fellow local enthusiasts. Working on tech projects for the province of Trento, Amadori pitched them a dream. Schooled as a developer, in his late thirties at the time, Amadori wanted to turn Rovereto — the name of his town — into a “Bitcoin Valley,” with Bitcoin companies, bitcoin-accepting merchants and, of course, Bitcoin users.

Marco Amadori overlooks the town of Rovereto in “Bitcoin Valley.”

Four years later, Amadori and his fellow enthusiasts own and run two Bitcoin businesses in Rovereto, with a nearby education center and a communication company coming up. Inbitcoin, Amadori’s first Bitcoin business, is a research and development company, working on various bitcoin-related software applications, including point-of-sale payment solutions for merchants and the Atlana wallet.

The second, Compro Euro (Italians will understand the pun), is a brick-and-mortar exchange, the first of its kind in Italy. Anyone can walk in to buy or sell up to 3,000 euro worth of bitcoin, on the spot. The service applies full Know-Your-Customer (KYC) identification and charges a 12 percent markup to boot. Italians in and around Rovereto don’t seem to mind.

“It has calmed down a bit now, but last December was crazy,” says Compro Euro cofounder Alessandro Olivo. “The shop was full, and we had people waiting in line to use the Bitcoin ATM.”

A bit younger than Amadori, Olivo quickly got involved with the Bitcoin Valley project when it was pitched to him. “A second Compro Euro brick-and-mortar exchange is about to open in Pordenone next month, and there are concrete plans for Bologna and Carpi as well. All together we’ve had hundreds of requests from cities across the country. Demand is huge.”

Inbitcoin and Compro Euro are now at the heart of Bitcoin Valley — very literally so, in the case of the exchange: it’s situated right in the center of town, where three streets meet. Hard to miss for anyone strolling around the old brick streets of Rovereto.

But they are also at the figurative heart of Bitcoin Valley: Inbitcoin and Compro Euro stand out as the flagship enterprises in the town that has come to be known as the Bitcoin capital of Italy. With about 30 bitcoin-accepting merchants and less than 40 thousand people, it is one of the most Bitcoin-dense cities in the world. (Arnhem, in The Netherlands, is probably still in the lead.)

Pizzeria Da Papi

Amadori, Olivo and other enthusiasts are trying to get a bitcoin economy going in Rovereto. The Inbitcoin and Compro Euro teams get paid in bitcoin and tend to visit the establishments that accept bitcoin more than most others. Their restaurant of choice is often Pizzeria Da Papi, owned by Ivan: a tall, slim man with friendly eyes.

  Ivan is one of a growing number of Rovereto merchants who accept bitcoin.

Ivan started accepting bitcoin in early 2017 and has kept most of his coins, he says with a wide smile. The price has gone up significantly. But for Ivan, Bitcoin is not just a new payment method or even just a form of money. Having been introduced with the digital currency (and possibly inspired by a thieving former employee, Olivo suggests), Ivan imagines a world wherein the flow of money across supply chains can be traced and automated.

“I would like to set up a system where my suppliers — those that sell me cheese or vegetables — get paid their share automatically when I sell a pizza,” he explains. The last customers have left the restaurant, so he’s locked the doors and is lighting up a cigarette as he sits down to talk Bitcoin. “This solves a liquidity problem. I would no longer need to put investment up front, and instead, automatically forward a part of any payment I receive.”

Ivan admits he hasn’t worked out the details. He’s not yet sure how his system can prevent him from lying to his suppliers about the number of pizzas sold, or why his suppliers would want to take the risk that he might not sell any. But that’s not the point, he says. “It’s early days, Bitcoin is just starting. It’s about what will possible in the future.”

As a first step in the shorter term, the pizzeria and Inbitcoin are working on an accounting system. Even if the pizzeria accepts bitcoin for payment, Ivan needs to pay tax in euros. The Inbitcoin payment terminal — a software layer on top of BitPay — lets him convert a percentage of the bitcoins into euros automatically and keeps track of how much tax he needs to pay at the end of the day.

The Trust Factor

Ivan may be more interested in Bitcoin than most shop owners — but in Rovereto he’s no fluke. From the local extreme sports store (most bitcoin payments are for ski and snowboard gear) to the horse meat butchery, to the newspaper stand at the edge of the town square, the “Bitcoin accettatti” stickers pop up on store fronts across the intimate city center.

A cornerstone of the local scenery

And while the amount of commerce that takes place in the cryptocurrency is still relatively small, Rovereto has received lots of attention from Italian media. As such, everyone in town is aware of its status as the Bitcoin Valley — even those that don’t care about Bitcoin at all.

Merchants were open to Bitcoin in Roverato exactly because it is a relatively small town, suspects Claudio Gobber, the thirty-something chatty senior business development manager for Inbitcoin. It has proven to be such a fertile breeding ground, he thinks, because the small-town familiarity gave local merchants the confidence they needed; Amadori’s family in particular has been living there for generations.

“When people first hear about bitcoin they start asking questions — about the technology, about mining. But what they really want to know is if they can trust it. We were able to skip this step because people trust us. We have familiar faces,” Gobber explained. “This is how we grow Bitcoin: We start small and have it spread from there.”

And that’s what makes it special, he thinks.

“Bitcoin is a bottom-up revolution; that’s what gets me excited. It’s local pizza shop owners like Ivan that come up with ideas; they tell us what problem they encounter so we can solve it. Bitcoin is all about openness and permissionless innovation. The tax-accounting solution is only one example.”

Mani al Cielo

The very first establishment in Rovereto to accept bitcoin was the local bar, Mani al Cielo, back in 2015. It’s still the establishment that receives most the bitcoin payments in town today.

Mani al Cielo Bar

“I also pay my employees in bitcoin now,” Gianpaolo Rossi says, while he pours four spritzes for the girls that just walked in. He’s the owner of the bar, in his late thirties with a black crew cut. He chuckles a little when asked whether his employees are happy with that arrangement. “I’m not leaving them much choice.” He pays them through Bitwage, he says, which converts euros into bitcoin. “But if they don’t want to keep the bitcoin, I will offer to buy it back.”

Like Ivan, Gianpaolo doesn’t see bitcoin as just a payment method. He is an enthusiast, trading altcoins in his free time to try and increase his holdings. Bitcoin’s volatile nature doesn’t bother him — he enjoys it.

“If you don’t like the roller coaster, go with the Caterpillar,” he had told an Italian television crew two weeks prior, comparing the stability of the euro with a kiddy ride in a nearby theme park. “No one is forcing you.” It made him a local Bitcoin celebrity. He’s now having the sentence printed on a shirt like a catchphrase, he says.

If you don’t like the roller coaster, go with the Caterpillar.

Rovereto is probably getting closer to establishing a circular Bitcoin economy than anywhere else in the world — with Mani al Cielo at the center of the payment carousel. Not only does Gianpaolo take bitcoin from the Inbitcoin crew, who will often drop by after work, but the bar owner has also convinced a local beer producer to accept bitcoin from him.

“But I’m not paying them in bitcoin right now,” he says emphatically. “Not now — now is the time to hold!”

Gianpaolo acknowledges that, for bar owners like him, Bitcoin does have one problem: Fees can be high sometimes. “In November and December almost no one paid with bitcoin,” Gianpaolo says. “Even my mom complained about fees. If my mom starts to notice, that’s not good.”

Yet there was no way Gianpaolo would accept Bitcoin’s cheaper offshoot, Bitcoin Cash, he said.

“Nah, that’s Roger Ver’s coin, and that of a few Chinese miners. I’m not interested. And with Bitcoin — my team — it’s like a football derby. I would never switch sides.”

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "cryptobully-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "My Amazon Picks"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B018Y1Q71M,B06XHTKFH3,1973884852,B00PCMSJQS"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "4356926c226bfe54ba2aa66ea72eea8b"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";

Bitcoin

[ellahmacdermott]

“Real Users”: In This Italian Mountain Town, Everyone Knows About Bitcoin

He's scribbling a series of 12 words on the blue paper handed to him by one of the two women at the other side of the desk. Marco is his name. Graying hair, blue jeans, and still wearing the fat, black winter coat that protected him against the cold Alpine air outside, he just drove 80 kilometers from his hometown and is now in the process of installing the Atlana Bitcoin wallet, as recommended.

“I had heard of Bitcoin but didn’t own any,” he explains, when asked why he didn’t just buy bitcoins on an online exchange. “I prefer the human contact if I’m going to purchase some.”

The other of the two women walks him to the white mailbox-sized machine in the corner. “Compro Euro,” it reads, the same words that are plastered across the wall and the window of the small shop. And “Bitcoin ATM.”

The woman explains how the machine works, pointing to the small black window that hides a camera and then to the QR code on Marco’s phone screen. Marco nods and gets out his brown leather wallet.

Buying bitcoin in Rovereto

As the woman retakes her seat at the desk in front of the bookshelf with copies of Mastering Bitcoin and Antifragile, Marco starts shoving orange 50 euro notes into the Bitcoin ATM. The machine responds with a buzzing and clicking sound for every slip inserted. This goes on for several minutes before Marco puts his wallet and phone back in his jean pockets and walks back to the desk to give a final handshake to both women.

“I’d like to get some of my money out of the bank, and bitcoin seemed like a good option,” he says, briefly explaining his investment decision before leaving the shop with a thankful smile.

Bitcoin Valley

In the same northern Italian town about four years ago, another Marco, Marco Amadori, was discussing Bitcoin with some fellow local enthusiasts. Working on tech projects for the province of Trento, Amadori pitched them a dream. Schooled as a developer, in his late thirties at the time, Amadori wanted to turn Rovereto — the name of his town — into a “Bitcoin Valley,” with Bitcoin companies, bitcoin-accepting merchants and, of course, Bitcoin users.

Marco Amadori overlooks the town of Rovereto in “Bitcoin Valley.”

Four years later, Amadori and his fellow enthusiasts own and run two Bitcoin businesses in Rovereto, with a nearby education center and a communication company coming up. Inbitcoin, Amadori’s first Bitcoin business, is a research and development company, working on various bitcoin-related software applications, including point-of-sale payment solutions for merchants and the Atlana wallet.

The second, Compro Euro (Italians will understand the pun), is a brick-and-mortar exchange, the first of its kind in Italy. Anyone can walk in to buy or sell up to 3,000 euro worth of bitcoin, on the spot. The service applies full Know-Your-Customer (KYC) identification and charges a 12 percent markup to boot. Italians in and around Rovereto don’t seem to mind.

“It has calmed down a bit now, but last December was crazy,” says Compro Euro cofounder Alessandro Olivo. “The shop was full, and we had people waiting in line to use the Bitcoin ATM.”

A bit younger than Amadori, Olivo quickly got involved with the Bitcoin Valley project when it was pitched to him. “A second Compro Euro brick-and-mortar exchange is about to open in Pordenone next month, and there are concrete plans for Bologna and Carpi as well. All together we’ve had hundreds of requests from cities across the country. Demand is huge.”

Inbitcoin and Compro Euro are now at the heart of Bitcoin Valley — very literally so, in the case of the exchange: it’s situated right in the center of town, where three streets meet. Hard to miss for anyone strolling around the old brick streets of Rovereto.

But they are also at the figurative heart of Bitcoin Valley: Inbitcoin and Compro Euro stand out as the flagship enterprises in the town that has come to be known as the Bitcoin capital of Italy. With about 30 bitcoin-accepting merchants and less than 40 thousand people, it is one of the most Bitcoin-dense cities in the world. (Arnhem, in The Netherlands, is probably still in the lead.)

Pizzeria Da Papi

Amadori, Olivo and other enthusiasts are trying to get a bitcoin economy going in Rovereto. The Inbitcoin and Compro Euro teams get paid in bitcoin and tend to visit the establishments that accept bitcoin more than most others. Their restaurant of choice is often Pizzeria Da Papi, owned by Ivan: a tall, slim man with friendly eyes.

 Ivan is one of a growing number of Rovereto merchants who accept bitcoin.

Ivan started accepting bitcoin in early 2017 and has kept most of his coins, he says with a wide smile. The price has gone up significantly. But for Ivan, Bitcoin is not just a new payment method or even just a form of money. Having been introduced with the digital currency (and possibly inspired by a thieving former employee, Olivo suggests), Ivan imagines a world wherein the flow of money across supply chains can be traced and automated.

“I would like to set up a system where my suppliers — those that sell me cheese or vegetables — get paid their share automatically when I sell a pizza,” he explains. The last customers have left the restaurant, so he’s locked the doors and is lighting up a cigarette as he sits down to talk Bitcoin. “This solves a liquidity problem. I would no longer need to put investment up front, and instead, automatically forward a part of any payment I receive.”

Ivan admits he hasn’t worked out the details. He’s not yet sure how his system can prevent him from lying to his suppliers about the number of pizzas sold, or why his suppliers would want to take the risk that he might not sell any. But that’s not the point, he says. “It’s early days, Bitcoin is just starting. It’s about what will possible in the future.”

As a first step in the shorter term, the pizzeria and Inbitcoin are working on an accounting system. Even if the pizzeria accepts bitcoin for payment, Ivan needs to pay tax in euros. The Inbitcoin payment terminal — a software layer on top of BitPay — lets him convert a percentage of the bitcoins into euros automatically and keeps track of how much tax he needs to pay at the end of the day.

The Trust Factor

Ivan may be more interested in Bitcoin than most shop owners — but in Rovereto he’s no fluke. From the local extreme sports store (most bitcoin payments are for ski and snowboard gear) to the horse meat butchery, to the newspaper stand at the edge of the town square, the “Bitcoin accettatti” stickers pop up on store fronts across the intimate city center.

A cornerstone of the local scenery

And while the amount of commerce that takes place in the cryptocurrency is still relatively small, Rovereto has received lots of attention from Italian media. As such, everyone in town is aware of its status as the Bitcoin Valley — even those that don’t care about Bitcoin at all.

Merchants were open to Bitcoin in Roverato exactly because it is a relatively small town, suspects Claudio Gobber, the thirty-something chatty senior business development manager for Inbitcoin. It has proven to be such a fertile breeding ground, he thinks, because the small-town familiarity gave local merchants the confidence they needed; Amadori’s family in particular has been living there for generations.

“When people first hear about bitcoin they start asking questions — about the technology, about mining. But what they really want to know is if they can trust it. We were able to skip this step because people trust us. We have familiar faces,” Gobber explained. “This is how we grow Bitcoin: We start small and have it spread from there.”

And that’s what makes it special, he thinks.

“Bitcoin is a bottom-up revolution; that’s what gets me excited. It’s local pizza shop owners like Ivan that come up with ideas; they tell us what problem they encounter so we can solve it. Bitcoin is all about openness and permissionless innovation. The tax-accounting solution is only one example.”

Mani al Cielo

The very first establishment in Rovereto to accept bitcoin was the local bar, Mani al Cielo, back in 2015. It’s still the establishment that receives most the bitcoin payments in town today.

Mani al Cielo Bar

“I also pay my employees in bitcoin now,” Gianpaolo Rossi says, while he pours four spritzes for the girls that just walked in. He’s the owner of the bar, in his late thirties with a black crew cut. He chuckles a little when asked whether his employees are happy with that arrangement. “I’m not leaving them much choice.” He pays them through Bitwage, he says, which converts euros into bitcoin. “But if they don’t want to keep the bitcoin, I will offer to buy it back.”

Like Ivan, Gianpaolo doesn’t see bitcoin as just a payment method. He is an enthusiast, trading altcoins in his free time to try and increase his holdings. Bitcoin’s volatile nature doesn’t bother him — he enjoys it.

“If you don’t like the roller coaster, go with the Caterpillar,” he had told an Italian television crew two weeks prior, comparing the stability of the euro with a kiddy ride in a nearby theme park. “No one is forcing you.” It made him a local Bitcoin celebrity. He’s now having the sentence printed on a shirt like a catchphrase, he says.

If you don’t like the roller coaster, go with the Caterpillar.

Rovereto is probably getting closer to establishing a circular Bitcoin economy than anywhere else in the world — with Mani al Cielo at the center of the payment carousel. Not only does Gianpaolo take bitcoin from the Inbitcoin crew, who will often drop by after work, but the bar owner has also convinced a local beer producer to accept bitcoin from him.

“But I’m not paying them in bitcoin right now,” he says emphatically. “Not now — now is the time to hold!”

Gianpaolo acknowledges that, for bar owners like him, Bitcoin does have one problem: Fees can be high sometimes. “In November and December almost no one paid with bitcoin,” Gianpaolo says. “Even my mom complained about fees. If my mom starts to notice, that’s not good.”

Yet there was no way Gianpaolo would accept Bitcoin’s cheaper offshoot, Bitcoin Cash, he said.

“Nah, that’s Roger Ver’s coin, and that of a few Chinese miners. I’m not interested. And with Bitcoin — my team — it’s like a football derby. I would never switch sides.”

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.

from InvestmentOpportunityInCryptocurrencies via Ella Macdermott on Inoreader https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/real-users-italian-mountain-town-everyone-knows-about-bitcoin/

[ecodigenousworld]

The first white man to challenge the jungles of Columbia : 12 years ...connecting with nature. By Cynthia Logan

DaVeed Forrest's resume must cover more than one lifetime. The bio goes like this: "Public speaker, international seminar leader, documentary writer and producer, musician, songwriter and music producer, body worker therapist, iridologist, book author, reflexologist, electronic acupuncturist, aromatherapist, Tantric yoga teacher, designer of herbal elixirs, nutritional and medicinal formulas and creator of exquisite perfumes." Author of Miracles From the Rain Forest, he would describe himself more simply as a "Pioneer explorer of the intimate connection between spirit, mind and body." A more mainstream description may read "a real-life 'survivor' of the rainforest"-and he may be the only white person on the planet who is. Searching for the secrets of immortality, Forrest spent ten years in the deep forests of southern Columbia, facing starvation, malaria, elephantiasis, poisonous snakes, killer cats and every type of tropical pestilence imaginable. Like Sean Connery in "Medicine Man," Forrest had shamanic mentors; when he "emerged from the jungle" in 1988 he was a different person-secret teachings and experience had made him a real life Medicine Man.

Though his re-entry into modern civilization was "a major culture shock," Forrest is now enthusiastic about sharing the wealth of knowledge he's gleaned and is using his many talents to let people know how to be "eternally young at any age."  Forrest grew up the middle of seven children near an oil ranch in southern Texas. He drove cattle, pitched hay and pursued his father's dream for him, attending the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Tech to get a law degree. But apprenticing with an oil-lobbyist in Washington during the Watergate trials so "disillusioned and devastated" the conservative cowboy ("friends would tease me because I wouldn't take pot") that he re-evaluated his career path, "broke off school" and sought to discover how he could become what his mother and grandmother had always wanted him to be-a gentle-man.

He grew his hair and beard long, traded his ten gallon for a turban and became a fruitarian, studying archeology and anthropology at West Texas in Alpine, where books there stimulated a passion to connect with Mayan and Incan cultures. He planned to take a few weeks between semesters and make a pilgrimage to sacred sites, but the night he left the country he was in a near-death auto accident. "I remember sitting in council with angelic beings," says Forrest. "They told me I'd really messed up and was dead." Forrest says he "begged for the opportunity to come back" and, suffering from a broken leg, cracked coccyx and jammed vertebrae, "crawled" onto a train headed for southern Mexico, in search of native healers he thought could help him.

The beaches there offered manna in the form of mangoes; declaring himself on "mango safari," he headed for the mountains of Oaxaca. There, Mazatec healers got him on his feet and sent him to Lake Attitlan near Guatemala, where, he says, "humble peasant people working with ancient Mayan teachings introduced me to the connection between nature and herbs." He also made a connection with Shandara, a Transpersonal Psychologist on sabbatical from California. "It was an instantaneous 'Soul Mate' kind of recognition," he says. They soon married and began the adventure that would shape his future and claim her life. Heading towards the Andes, they hitchhiked across the continent with the dream of establishing a fruitarian community in Ecuador. Climbing steep mountains to the Sierra Nevada, they reached one of the few ancient civilizations untouched by white culture, the Cogi Indians. "We were some of the very few white people they allowed near them," says Forrest. "It was a rare honor to share their shamanic medicine practices and herbal healing techniques," he adds. As they continued their journey, peasants "came out in droves," eager to hear about traditional ways that had been taken from them (by deals made between multi-national corporations, missionaries and the military-deals that pushed agricultural chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs). Police ("seventeen year old boys running around with guns and badges") would show up and intimidate the couple for infringing on their territory; after being pistol whipped and threatened with machine guns, they headed towards a valley where only ruffians and outlaws went, a valley where the police were afraid to go. "That valley," says Forrest, "was an incredible paradise."

The awesome beauty was soon eclipsed by rain that fell for the next eleven months, bringing them to the point of starvation. Less than a year later, Shandara died of elephantiasis. "I was on my deathbed for a year with it," says Forrest, "but local peasants sent in a shaman with herbs to keep me from being consumed by the parasites." Before he could get his strength back the cocaine wars began and, barely able to stand, he was forced into cooking and cleaning for the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolutionarios de Columbia) revolutionaries. Simultaneously as the United States government started spraying a type of "agent orange" on the coca plantations cultivated by the peasants, he was abused and tortured. Left for dead, at times he needed to hunt and fish to stay alive, always with the reverence for life his father had instilled in him.

Without a gun, he used flutes and harmonicas to ward off wild cats and large snakes. "I learned to hear and sense their 'voices', and communicate with them in unprecedented ways," Forrest says. "I would serenade them with music and pile up stacks of ripe plantain bananas; even the carnivores would come within three or four feet of me, preferring the fruit to flesh." He also tuned into the spirit voices of rainforest herbs, fruits and flower essences, and studied with indigenous shamanic healers. "The rainforest and Native American peoples taught me that plants are representations of an invisible frequency with spiritual significance," Forrest says, adding that, "traditional peoples I lived with always acknowledged the spirit force and could do miraculous things just by boiling the herbs in water and applying them to the skin."

According to Dr. Marcus Laux, a rainforest expert, modern pharmaceutical companies owe much of their success to native healers who share the names and medical applications of various plants with scientists and researchers. Forrest says that, "Indigenous peoples have a deep understanding of mixing herbs synergistically; it's the whole basis of Amazonian/Andean shamanism-potentiating the herbs using vines, roots, leaves, barks, flowers, fruits." Interestingly, many South American myths and shamanic practices coincide with those of ancient India. Forrest is an initiate of the Viracochans, an Andean forest people whose sacred teachings mirror almost identically those of ancient Indian Vedics. He is currently working to introduce Ayurvedic products for agriculture and medicine. Among the products soon to be available are insect and pest controls with bases of essential oils (such as neem) that are not only non-toxic, but biodegrade into excellent fertilizer. Ayurvedic scientists have tested some micro-organisms in India that appear to neutralize all but radioactive environmental toxins and, says Forrest, "They are on the verge of discovering micro-organisms that have the potential to quickly eat up the life cycle of radioactive pollution. At least our children will have the hope that the poisons we're spewing out now will be able to be turned back into biodegradable substances that won't keep compromising our immune systems." In the meantime, we can enhance our well-being with herbs such as Una de Gato, or Cat's Claw, which has been used traditionally as a tonic and blood cleanser. Formal research is now proving it efficacious in building immune response. A more controversial herb, Guarana, is an effective vermifuge, eliminating worms. And, although it contains caffeine, the amount compared to coffee is low and it makes a non-acidic substitute for people trying to break the coffee habit. Perhaps the most well known rainforest herb is Pao d'Arco/Lapacho.

Forrest notes that the purple flower variety has anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-cancer qualities that the white flower Pao d'Arco doesn't have. "It's a very different frequency," he explains; then cautions that, "It's important for people to know whatever they're buying is certified. There's a lot of bogus Pao d'Arco out there on the market and, in the case of Cat's Claw, there are more than 60 varieties, most of which do not contain immune enhancing agents. According to Forrest, millions of peasants have become dependent on "raping and plundering" their native environment, due to policies that were (ironically) implemented during the "Green Revolution" of the '60s. "Transnational corporations have been reaching into rainforest countries for at least the last forty years," he says. As detailed in the eye-opening book Thy Will Be Done (recently published by Harper Collins), they clearcut to exploit the mineral resources, establish lumber sources, graze cattle and plant crops, which struggle to grow in an environment ill-suited for such purposes.

Without the trees spiraling up to pull in moisture, rainfall is less each year and much of the land once fertile has become desert; rain that does fall erodes the bare soil, leading to a vicious cycle that has world-wide ramifications. Global weather patterns are radically altered due to changes in wind and ocean currents and the planet may even spin faster. Even worse, there has been no regard for the bio-systems of plants, animals and micro-organisms. "Insects and micro-organisms are mutating and proliferating so fast," states Forrest, "that antibiotics are proving less and less able to fight them." The effect on the human population has been just as devastating. "Indigenous peoples have been bought off, rounded up off their lands and put in environments with forced education, a new religion and a new way of being," says Forrest.

The result is that very few of the forest people have any traditional knowledge left; most of the younger generation can produce only a mono-crop (rice or sugar cane, for example) using pesticides and chemicals. At 47, Forrest claims to have "more energy and enthusiasm than I did at sixteen," energy which he dedicates towards "waking people up to the plight of our rainforests, the wealth within them and what can be done to save the few that remain." Over half of the world's rainforests, which circle our planet for twenty degrees of latitude on either side of the equator (like a green belt worn by Mother Earth) have already been destroyed by chainsaws, torch fires and bulldozers for cheap burgers and lumber. According to Forrest, by the time it takes to read this sentence, another two football fields of rainforest will have disappeared.

The organization he co-founded, Millenium Alchemist and Friends, is attempting to "educate the right people"; they hope to persuade monied interests to cultivate the rainforest as a garden. Through the International Rainforest Preservation Society, investors can "adopt" an acre of rainforest on a private reserve for just $35.00 per year. Forrest is also in the process of setting up a non-profit foundation to establish "One World International Healing Centers," which will train practitioners from all over the world in holistic healing therapies. He already offers herbal detoxification programs and "Trance Dancing," an ecstasy rite which he says allows participants to experience blissful states of consciousness without drugs; dancers are inspired by the "neo-shamanic fusion" music he provides, sometimes in concert with native healers.

Forrest leads "Jungle Excursion" retreats to sacred sites, and brings representatives from such sites to the United States, assisting them in presentations which educate the public about their traditions and about the role they say ancient teachings play in coming world changes. "From a Shamanistic perspective," says Forrest, moving into the Millenium is a really major event-this is going to be one of the most powerful moments that's ever been on this planet. It's not only the end of a decade, a century, a millenium-the cycle keeps going, bigger and bigger. It's the end of a cycle for our solar system, for the star system that our solar system rotates around, on ad infinitum." As vortices of ancient energy, old growth forests play an integral role in this unfolding drama, focusing healing and protection for the planet. "Think," says Forrest in awe, "of the lifeforce a 3,000 year old redwood tree is drawing in. Trees are beings of cosmic consciousness and are growing and expanding into deeper levels of their divinity-they are antennas reaching out from the planet, striving to collect the solar energies of the heart of our sun. Their vitality is almost explosive as they stretch their plant-forms out towards heaven. Coming within 100 feet of them you can feel the majesty and power of their collected cosmic force-it's as close to a pure healing force as there could be." And, says the son of a cattle rancher, "I can't think of a greater crime against future generations and nature than to cut down these few remaining forests for lumber and cattle grazing!"

The last thirty years of my life I have spent searching for the secrets of immortality among the remote temples and non-christianized cultures hidden deep in the South American jungles. No other place on earth is as shrouded in mysterious controversy and as rich in unrevealed natural enchantment as these remote forests. In truth, when one looks into the facts that do exist, the stranger and more mysteriously bizarre they become. I am currently promoting my book entitled “A Song for Shandara”, an accounting of the saga of my twelve years spent in the remote rainforests of Mexico and Columbia. I left my job in Washington D.C. to live and study among the contemporary cultures in the out-back of the tropical Americas to see for myself first-hand what was left of their archaic healing wisdom. I’d been working as an aid to a powerful oil lobbyist in Washington, a job that plunged me into the “back room” politics of the major oil companies. That experience caused me to quickly loose all interest in pursuing a political career and I made the decision at that point, to roam the deep forests of the tropical Americas. I was to embark on a journey that would take my new wife and me far away, from the culture that we felt had not been able to bring us an experience of a way of life that was more consistent with our heart’s desire. A sense of well being was missing in the culture that we were born into: military/industrialized social conditioning left exposure to sensitive aspects that give life true depth far from our view. Over the course of the next twelve years, we wanted to explore possibilities that might be hidden in the tropical Americas.

After two years in the jungle, my wife and I soon contracted malaria, and other deadly tropical disease. During this same time, we were contacted by mysterious indigenous shamanic healers who promised us we were protected by angelic nature beings. My beloved though soon died from these diseases and starvation as a result of our being harassed by the Colombian F.A.R.C. revolutionaries. For the next seven years, I was mostly alone, resolving the mystery of our contacts with the deep forest dwellers and what my relationship to them was. While some have spent time in these forbidden regions, I suspect that I am the only modern-day white man who has lived among these inaccessible “Green Hells” for such an extended period of time and survived to tell about it. During my early solitary years in this far-away land, I was ostracized to live alone many miles from civilization in this remote malaria-ridden tropical valley, where I was told by my captors that if I survived, one day I might be allowed to return to civilization. Forced into slave labor, I got a rare glimpse of the destruction of the forest’s fragile ecosystem at the hands of the revolutionary-backed cocaine peasants, who dump vast amounts of deadly chemicals into the pristine rivers, as they process the coca leaves into cocaine. My life was in constant jeopardy by gringo-hating humans as well as being assaulted by jungle diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, elephantiasis and starvation. Surrounded by predator cats, masses of marching army ants, poisonous snakes and wild mountain killer boars, these obstacles became opportunities to experiment with the medicinal forest plants in order to heal myself and create harmony with the natural world. The drive to live became a master motivator. Since I didn’t have a gun, I used my flutes and harmonicas to ward off the dangers of attack by wild animals and large snakes. I learned to hear and sense their “voices’ and communicate with them in unprecedented ways.

Eventually, I began to roam these deep forests alone, subsequently encountering forest dwellers who taught me their ancient teachings, that still survive in the ceremonies and rituals of the indigenous shamanic healers. They also indoctrinated me into the preparations of their mysterious synergistic blends of plant medicines, and with this knowledge, I was able to heal myself from these normally fatal diseases. Ten years into my banishment from civilized people, I was approached by a regional leader of the F.A.R.C. He wanted me to marry his daughter so that he and his family could immigrate to the U.S. in order to escape the escalating violence in Columbia. In return, he promised to smuggle me back to Bogata and help me to arrange contact with both the Colombian immigration officials as well as the American Embassy, to straighten out my papers, which had expired over ten years before. In addition, he told me that the D.E.A. (Drug Enforcement Agency) and the C.I.A. had recently joined with the Colombian government and the military to begin spraying these remote valleys with poisonous herbicides, supposedly to kill coca bushes. Instead, they were killing the indigenous peoples and the most rare and valuable medicinal plants on the planet.

I knew then that I must return to civilization and do something to stop this madness. My subsequent escape from these forests back into the heart of the Colombian drug wars, was with the help of this war-weary revolutionary family. My health had deteriorated from so many years of near starvation and malaria, that I was unable to move at the pace necessary to get back to more civilized areas. Consequently, this journey began with me being carried for 20 hours through the rain-drenched mountains, wrapped in a hammock. By the time my band of saviors reached the nearest horse trail, I had almost died from exposure to the wet and cold, and the near disastrous falls down deep ravines. Still many miles from the nearest village, I was miraculously nourished back to health by the local medicine people. When I could move again, I was smuggled to the nearest mountain village where I contacted the American Embassy. Arrangements were made to smuggle me into the nearest city, Popayan, knowing full well that if my friend was found out, both his family and I would be killed by the hostel revolutionaries or members of the cocaine cartel who would see him as a traitor. For months, I could barely sleep as we plotted my secret departure, keenly aware of the ever-vigilant presence of the conniving death squad killers and gringo kidnappers nearby.

With much trepidation, I eventually made it to Bogota, where the exposure to so many people at once after so many years in jungle isolation assaulted my immune system, once again, nearly killing me with severe whooping cough. Weakened, but determined to make it back to the U.S., I persisted in resolving my illegal alien status. At the last moment, my intended bride, the 18-year old daughter of the revolutionary – turned coward on our last day in Colombia and refused to accompany me to the U.S. Fearing reprisal, I immediately left the country and flew back to the U.S.A. Because of my extensive knowledge of the rare deep jungle tribes in these remote regions, as well as my concern about the destruction of the rainforests which continues unabated, my commitment to these peoples who helped keep me alive there is paramont. It is time to expose my extraordinary discoveries found in these remote lands, which so few industrialized people have any knowledge of, with the masses of eager minds that, at last, seem to be receptive to the integration of the mystical and the practical realities that are represented by these remaining forest.

I learned to hear and sense their “voices’ and communicate with them in unprecedented ways. Eventually, I began to roam these deep forests alone, subsequently encountering forest dwellers who taught me their ancient teachings, that still survive in the ceremonies and rituals of the indigenous shamanic healers. They also indoctrinated me into the preparations of their mysterious synergistic blends of plant medicines, and with this knowledge, I was able to heal myself from these normally fatal diseases. Ten years into my banishment from civilized people, I was approached by a regional leader of the F.A.R.C. He wanted me to marry his daughter so that he and his family could immigrate to the U.S. in order to escape the escalating violence in Columbia. In return, he promised to smuggle me back to Bogata and help me to arrange contact with both the Colombian immigration officials as well as the American Embassy, to straighten out my papers, which had expired over ten years before. In addition, he told me that the D.E.A. (Drug Enforcement Agency) and the C.I.A. had recently joined with the Colombian government and the military to begin spraying these remote valleys with poisonous herbicides, supposedly to kill coca bushes. Instead, they were killing the indigenous peoples and the most rare and valuable medicinal plants on the planet.

I knew then that I must return to civilization and do something to stop this madness. My subsequent escape from these forests back into the heart of the Colombian drug wars, was with the help of this war-weary revolutionary family. My health had deteriorated from so many years of near starvation and malaria, that I was unable to move at the pace necessary to get back to more civilized areas. Consequently, this journey began with me being carried for 20 hours through the rain-drenched mountains, wrapped in a hammock. By the time my band of saviors reached the nearest horse trail, I had almost died from exposure to the wet and cold, and the near disastrous falls down deep ravines. Still many miles from the nearest village, I was miraculously nourished back to health by the local medicine people. When I could move again, I was smuggled to the nearest mountain village where I contacted the American Embassy. Arrangements were made to smuggle me into the nearest city, Popayan, knowing full well that if my friend was found out, both his family and I would be killed by the hostel revolutionaries or members of the cocaine cartel who would see him as a traitor.

For months, I could barely sleep as we plotted my secret departure, keenly aware of the ever-vigilant presence of the conniving death squad killers and gringo kidnappers nearby. With much trepidation, I eventually made it to Bogota, where the exposure to so many people at once after so many years in jungle isolation assaulted my immune system, once again, nearly killing me with severe whooping cough. Weakened, but determined to make it back to the U.S., I persisted in resolving my illegal alien status. At the last moment, my intended bride, the 18-year old daughter of the revolutionary – turned coward on our last day in Colombia and refused to accompany me to the U.S. Fearing reprisal, I immediately left the country and flew back to the U.S.A. Because of my extensive knowledge of the rare deep jungle tribes in these remote regions, as well as my concern about the destruction of the rainforests which continues unabated, my commitment to these peoples who helped keep me alive there is paramont. It is time to expose my extraordinary discoveries found in these remote lands, which so few industrialized people have any knowledge of, with the masses of eager minds that, at last, seem to be receptive to the integration of the mystical and the practical realities that are represented by these remaining forest.

[junker-town]

2007: The inside story of the greatest season in college football history

Les Miles and 2007 were made for each other all along

Hello. This is a project all about the 2007 college football season, the wildest season ever. We've included dozens of interviews, stories, and other fun stuff in this package (take a look around!), but first, let's talk about Les Miles.

Maybe the problem with every other team in 2007 was this: they insisted that things make sense, while Les Miles and LSU never did. In a season of gambles and black swans, Miles was wearing a ghillie suit at the roulette table. It’s not that he had planned it that way, mind you. It’s just what he always wore, and one day, the perfect moment would come along for the outfit.

Consider that LSU might have had another unfair advantage from the start: being three teams at once.

One was the LSU that destroyed Mississippi State and Virginia Tech to start the season, a physically superior crew of crowbar-wielding sprinters and trench monsters so frightening, they scared poor Michael Henig of Mississippi State into throwing six interceptions in a single game.*

*Full disclosure: by the time he threw his fifth, everyone watching wanted him to throw six, because ... well, his public failure had come full circle to a kind of valiant achievement, hadn’t it?

Another LSU was a defense-averse scoring machine bent on playing deep into triple overtime. That team lost twice — twice! in a national title year! — to Arkansas and Kentucky and roared to victory in a shootout with Alabama.

The final LSU was the one everyone remembers best, the LSU that passed with one second left against Auburn or pulled off fourth down conversion after fourth down conversion against Florida in a comeback win or called a bizarre fake field goal for a TD against South Carolina or needed a pick six to win the SEC Championship Game.

It’s hard to beat three teams, but it’s also hard to be three teams. Fortunately, Miles mostly won with all three, though it was clear which one he preferred, even if that version was the one that forced LSU fans to drink even more after victories, simply to take the edge off what they’d just seen.

***

Take a chunk out of the cult of coach by pointing out how many of LSU’s biggest plays of 2007 happened because of perfectly timed individual contributions, usually in well-portioned turns. Craig Steltz popped up with pass breakups and interceptions exactly when required. Trindon Holliday, all five-foot-nothing of him, would snap a game open with a kick return. Cornerback Jonathan Zenon turned into Erik Ainge’s best receiver at the worst possible time for Tennessee, returning an INT for a conference-winning score.

LSU was a team of five-star talent and two-star heart, and the peak example was running back Jacob Hester. With a corps of fearsome locals, LSU’s leading rusher would be a fullback with male pattern baldness at the age of 22. Hester wasn’t supposed to end up where he did, but when you keep ending up across the first down line, it’s hard to take you out of the lineup.

It was hard to say exactly who would fall from the rafters at exactly the right moment and save LSU’s ass.

It was easy to say who was fine with that and would openly dare probability not to cough up a positive return on a gamble, even when the gamble was mathematically insane. Whether it was because he was a bullshit artist too scared to ever admit it or so ebulliently confident he infected his whole team, he thrived in it.

And for one year, Miles turned up exactly where he was supposed to, every time, with exactly the right answer.

He was perfectly on time when he called the fake field goal.

He did not just call a fake field goal. He called a flip toss by the starting QB over his shoulder to LSU’s kicker. The burn on trick play enthusiast Steve Spurrier, standing on the opposite sideline, was so precise, Miles made the noise "heheheheh" when watching a replay at Tiger Stadium.

heh

He could have made the same noise all five times he decided LSU was going for it on fourth down against Florida, a backbreaking series of gambles that completed LSU’s 28-24 comeback at home. Miles might have chuckled his way through that whole second half, for all we know. It was very loud in there, and I couldn’t hear my own heartbeat, much less a coach laughing several hundred yards away.

He was on time when LSU was tied with Auburn, with the clock burning down and everyone in the stadium assuming LSU would try to win 26-24 with a Colt David field goal.

When Demetrius Byrd brings down the TD, listen to the crowd’s screams and hear everything all at once: that LSU passed up the obvious answer, nearly blew the last second it could’ve used to kick if the pass had fallen incomplete, and scored despite risking an interception.

You can read some inspired defenses of this play, if you want to go deep enough into the archives. Don’t. It makes no sense, never will, was late, and ... was right. This is a horseshit play, and it worked. Later in his career, Miles and LSU would get in serious trouble with clock management, and this would all seem less than cute, but in 2007, LSU was unstoppably lucky.

They pressed that luck, even when they became phenomenally unlucky. The Tigers spit the bit at Kentucky and at home to Arkansas. The Kentucky game seemed like enough of an anomaly, the kind voters could forgive. True to bizarro form, LSU outgained Kentucky in yardage, had fewer turnovers, and still lost in triple OT.

Arkansas was worse. A sleepy, 7-6 game at halftime caught fire in the second half, and the three-headed backfield with three future NFL starters — Peyton Hillis, Felix Jones, and Heisman finalist Darren McFadden — ate up yardage until another triple OT loss* surely destroyed LSU’s hopes for a title run.

* There is another achievement LSU can claim, in addition to being the first two-loss AP champ since 1960: the only title team to ever lose two games in overtime, let alone triple overtime. Not that anyone would ever want to claim that, knowing what it’s like to chug rubbing alcohol at 11:45 p.m. while watching your team do this again.

***

Miles showed up when he was supposed to show up, even when he wasn’t supposed to.

2007 was my first year covering college football for money, and the 2007 SEC Championship was just my second game as credentialed media. I still did not know how anything worked, so during pregame, when LSU informed the collected media that "Coach Miles wishes to make a statement," I assumed this was normal.

The SEC

Have a great day

I was informed it was not.

Set this all in context. LSU had just lost a shot at the BCS Championship and would be starting its backup QB in a conference title game against a dangerous, 9-3 Tennessee. The SEC title seemed like a consolation prize, and reports of Miles, a Michigan alum who played and coached under Bo Schembechler, talking to the Wolverines about their coaching vacancy were everywhere.

Whether it was ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit reporting on TV that morning that Miles was as good as gone, or whether a fourth cup of coffee hit Miles sideways in the Georgia Dome locker rooms, or whether years of the accumulated WCW in the air possessed him, Miles felt the need to cut a wrestling promo live on the carpet in Atlanta.

When Miles was done with his speech to a room of baffled and bemused reporters, he appeared again exactly where and when he was supposed to appear. He had told ESPN to kiss his ass and made ESPN show it live on ESPN. He proclaimed in what was suddenly the thickest of Ohio accents that he had a "damn strong football team." He did it for himself, he said, and I believe it; his team, sequestered in the locker room, didn’t see the speech live and couldn’t have used it as some kind of motivational tool.

Miles punctuated his speech with the most truculent "have a great day" ever. Later, after the national championship and grown men from the Bayou running naked down Bourbon Street, the Tigers would put the phrase on the back of their equipment truck, so the whole world could kiss their gear’s ass as it rolled down the highway.

Starting the backup QB in a mop-up game, LSU let Ainge throw the winning TD to LSU’s Zenon. Everyone kept showing up in the right place at the right time, even people who were on other teams.

So when West Virginia lost to "the shittiest fucking team in the fucking world," Oklahoma couldn’t muster the votes to overcome losses to Texas Tech and Colorado, Georgia couldn’t make the case because it didn’t even get to the SEC Championship, an undefeated Kansas lost to rival Mizzou at the worst imaginable time, and Mizzou lost again to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship, it only made sense that LSU would suddenly face its third chance at a national title.

Getting to do it in New Orleans might have been a little heavy-handed, but the script was the script.

***

There are people who cannot thrive in normal circumstances, who struggle to make basic schedules work and whose only optimal working environment would madden a normal person to the point of tears.

Those people, 90 percent of the time, barely manage to fit into a lane. The really gifted and adaptive ones might become functional, with enough coaching. Others find themselves in much worse situations, often flagrantly so.

Miles is one of those people. After 2007, it became clear that quiet order would do Miles no favors. He’d recruit brilliantly but squander talent, particularly on offense. His carefree approach to clock management would become a running gag, his fake field goals would eventually only work on Florida, and LSU would wane as Nick Saban categorized, analyzed, and systematized the SEC into little more than Bama’s strip mine.

2007 was Miles at his best, but the flip side was 2011, when a phenomenally talented LSU showed up to the BCS Championship without anything resembling an offensive game plan. What Miles could profit from in chaos, he could waste in order. The decline began in earnest; by the time Miles was fired in 2016, quirks that were endearing had become intractable frustrations, even when his teams were still competitive.

If chaos-compatible people are lucky, sometimes they fall into exactly the right, irregularly shaped spot at exactly the right time and work where few others would. Miles fell into the right spot not once, but twice.

Getty

In 2005, after beating Auburn in OT

The first came after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, his first season as LSU’s head coach, when the chaos-compatible new guy helped steer an entire school through a natural disaster. Fats Domino was sleeping on QB JaMarcus Russell’s couch, Baton Rouge turned into a refugee camp overnight, and helicopters were flying over Tiger Stadium at all hours, but LSU managed not only to play a full season, but to thrive. In the year of Katrina, the Tigers somehow won 11 games. Almost everyone involved with that season agrees Miles was the person the program needed, when everything else fell apart.

There is a tendency to lionize coaches, overstate their importance, and diminish players in the name of using a single authority figure as a catch-all for a group of ever-changing faces.

That said, there was no one more suited to step into college football’s slipperiest, least predictable season. And once he and LSU stepped into it, they took everything, even well after reason said they were finished. In 2007, when throwing deep into the end zone with no time left made more sense than a field goal, Miles was the safest bet.

***

And at no point did that Ohio State team, or any Ohio State team coached by Jim Tressel, stand a chance in any universe’s 2007 title game, against any team.

2007 had already bit the Buckeyes once — losing to a Ron Zook-coached Illinois counts — but in a year of festive arson and freewheeling nonsense, Ohio State was doomed from the start. The Buckeyes didn’t understand the language on a spiritual level (and on a physical level, could not compete with LSU’s defense). Ohio State ran on a clock, and 2007 was too surreal for anything but melting pocket watches.

LSU won, but all I really remember was the aftermath, a French Quarter bursting at the seams with astronomically intoxicated LSU fans. Almost all of them were clothed.

Miles showed up at one point, too. I don’t remember exactly what time he appeared, but whatever time it was, I have to assume it was the right one.

[bestnewsmag-blog]

New Post has been published on Bestnewsmag

New Post has been published on https://bestnewsmag.com/how-dating-apps-have-prevented-me-from-actually-dating/

How Dating Apps Have Prevented Me From Actually Dating

Despite the fact that courting apps are most famous amongst Millennials, consistent with a current SeatGeek survey of one,000 singles, 95 percentage could rather meet human beings IRL versus on-line or on an app.

It is why for the second year in a row, Bustle is deeming April, “App-much less April” and inspiring our team of workers and readers to delete their relationship apps for 30 days and meet people the a82ee8a4ee179e54beacaecce0423cb2 manner: offline. With members monitoring their development and hints and recommendations from relationship professionals, we’re going to be assisting you to sense empowered to meet people IRL all month lengthy.

“I can’t inform if you’re just the type of character who has a very good time playing out with everybody otherwise you truly like me.”

That become a textual content message I were given from a Dan* from Tinder after dates. He became smart, cute, funny and exciting, but it changed into best two dates, and I felt like I rarely knew him. Also, I used to be going on dates with different people on the time and that I wanted to continue seeing them, so I by no means went out with Dan again.

“You don’t seem very enthusiastic about *Ben.”

That’s what one of my pleasant friends stated to me about Ben from Hinge, who I had long past on approximately six dates with. The issue is, even after that many dates, I felt like I infrequently knew him.

“What are you looking for?” That’s what *Mike from The League asked me on our first date as we sat on a bench in Relevant Park this October. I didn’t have a solution for him — or for myself.

I began App-much less April, a challenge to delete your relationship apps, last 12 months with the purpose of meeting humans offline, something I had completely forgotten a way to do after years of swiping. Yet, for the second yr in a row, as I look lower back on how I spent the ultimate 30 days, assembly a person IRL *wasn’t* my recognition at some stage in my detox. It is something I’ve honestly gotten better at because of closing yr, however, nevertheless, I used this app much less time to reflect on my dating app behaviors over the previous few years, like a spring cleansing of my relationship existence. On apps, I used to be distant. Distracted. Full of courting FOMO. I wasn’t humanizing people. I wasn’t inclined. I failed to want to be susceptible.

but all for the duration of my time on dating apps, I hardly ever idea about why I was on them and what I desired from them. Perhaps meeting people IRL Additionally wasn’t a focus for me due to the fact I used to be courting a person for the duration of last year’s App-much less April and then this April, I continued placing out with a person I met earlier within the year. I do not think It’s an accident that during each App-less Aprils, I persisted seeing people longer than I’ve for the past 4 years. Without apps there to distract me, I may want to in reality date. “That’s how it’s miles with relationship apps — it’s created this impersonal element that’s purported to be private at the same time,” Dr. Emily Morse, a sex and dating professional and the host of sex With Emily, tells Bustle. “This way of speaking creates a ‘faux’ intimacy because we’re exchanging all of this statistics, But we don’t have any concept what this individual is actually about.” Newly unmarried and feeling like I have to likely ~mingle~, I downloaded Espresso Meets Bagel four years ago. Then Tinder. Then Hinge. Then Happy. Then The League. You already know the relaxation. After about a 12 months on apps, they speed went from being a supplement to my dating lifestyles to becoming my relationship existence. however all in the course of my time on apps, I hardly ever notion approximately why I used to be on them and what I simply wanted from them.

back after I joined them, I wasn’t searching out a courting, or even during the instances I concept That’s what I was seeking out, I Also by no means felt fully geared up —or felt like it could manifest on there. I used them while I used to be enthusiastic about being single, jaded, devastated after an encounter with an ex, and so forth. courting apps were high-quality tools for me in terms of meeting new humans and going on dates, however, I in no way genuinely felt like it is able to cause anything greater — and that’s probably because I was so wrapped up in the use of them to take everybody significantly. I’ve long gone on likely near seventy-five dates from courting apps in the last few years, but I have not in reality been the relationship.

whilst a very good first date did lead to extra dates, I might eventually count on that I just didn’t need a courting at that point or the timing becomes off. Maybe I’m just no longer emotionally to be had right now. Maybe I am just taking part in being single. Maybe I’m no longer equipped for a dedication. It turned into still amusing to fulfill humans, so I stayed on apps, went on first, 2d, and 0.33 dates, and endured to “date” Without transferring beyond the interview-like questions and honestly studying everybody. It felt formulaic, and I used to be so distracted via the countless alternatives that I never felt glad about the choices I made.

I’m not blaming the apps themselves because they’ve been a hit in phrases of what I used to be the usage of them for. I’m blaming how I — and in all likelihood, many other relationship apps addicted Millennials — have been the usage of them to keep away from dating.

Without courting apps distracting me, it made me realize that I am yearning connection, however, I have been so scared of it. “It’s now not necessarily their fault, however, relationship apps give the illusion that there may be a countless supply of capability mate alternatives, so why settle for one person when you could keep swiping (and quite simply avoid making an investment time and actual emotions in a single individual) while there may be just some other character a swipe away,” Camille Virginia, offline courting professional, tells Bustle. “However the fact is there may be a finite variety of human beings, not certainly one of them is ideal, and in some unspecified time in the future simply you decide and attempting to get invested in one character is what you need to do — otherwise, prepare to journey the relationship app rollercoaster indefinitely.” This App-much less April, I didn’t certainly miss being on my dating apps. Certain, I used to be curious about what forms of messages I was getting and who changed into contacting me to begin with, but in the direction of I pretty plenty forgot that desire overload, right swipes, and witty one-line bios was once a part of my daily recurring by using the stop of the month. I think the toughest part of being off them turned into figuring out how I was using them so mindlessly.

Being off apps and having a danger to take inventory of my dating life has made me understand that I’m craving connection but I’ve been so fearful of it. now not being distracted by way of my apps makes me need to do the 36 Questions That lead to Love and communicate about the five Love Languages on the first few dates — both of which I have achieved lately. Being app-less, present, and centered makes me want thus far. I experience like in terms of my relationship life, I just woke up.

I went into this yr’s App-much less April thinking it would result in some other wake-up call about how tons I love being single regardless of the stress I sense being on dating apps sometimes. And while of direction It is always a welcome lesson in my e-book, I Additionally found out that after four years on relationship apps, I am prepared to begin courting.

History of Computers – When Floppy Disks Actually Flopped

With the advent of early computers as far as the 80’s and beginning of 90’s, floppy disks were popular to store data. Everyone who handled computers also had access to these floppy disks. But technology advances all the time and it was time for floppy disks to flop. What did people prefer instead? Read on to find out.

Floppy disks could only store KB’s of data. But peoples’ demand for storing data was catapulting higher and higher. And CDROM disks were born. They could store several megabytes of data.

Now CD’s are also getting obsolete. It is the era of GB’s of data in flash drives and terabytes of data in portable hard disks.

So how did floppy disks which were once in great demand and popular become outdated? One reason I mentioned earlier is their much less storage capacity. The other reason is people no more found them enticing. CD’s, flash drives and portable hard disks seemed more promising and sophisticated.

I myself don’t like using CDs anymore. I only download whatever I need from the vast resource of an internet and if I have any data to store, I use flash drives.

So the trend was floppy disks, CDROM disks, flash drives and portable hard disks and yes in that order. What’s next? What have the great Tech guys out there have in mind? I am curious, really curious.

Surely, something more attractive and user-friendly with three-in-one facilities will turn up. For example, they can be connected to digital camera, laptops or computer and cell phones with the same size and design. Now that would be interesting. One gadget being able to do all three would be great. I am in anticipation of that day.

Summing up, this article’s focus was not actually on the history of computers but that of the accessories that can be connected to them. I hope Actually How to Prevented value in what I portrayed here.

[anneedmonds]

Christmas Gift Guide 2019: Men

I’m going to start with the men’s gift guide, this year, so that it doesn’t come across as an afterthought. Don’t you think that a lot of the time men’s gift guides are just far less exciting and inspirational than the women’s ones? I find them so difficult to put together – but then I find buying things for Mr AMR quite complicated, so I suppose it’s not surprising. What I think he might like is always so far from the truth – in my mind, he wants a swanky new Tom Ford wallet, in reality he is in his element going around the garden with his battery-operated leaf-blower.

True story.

So here are some ideas for men’s Christmas presents. I’ve tried to cover all bases and price points but let it be known that it is hard not to be drawn into featuring the usual suspects. A shaving set. Novelty socks. Some funky-looking vodka. A soap that looks like a turd…

OK, the first thing I want to talk about is something called Masterclass. Have you seen this advertised? It’s so good. It’s basically a series of video masterclasses from leaders in their fields – so you can have, for example, a film-making masterclass with Jodie Foster, makeup lessons with Bobbi Brown, beat-making classes with Timbaland and high-powered, motivational business classes with some of the world’s highest achievers. It’s such an excellent gift idea and a full access pass, which gives you access to all of the lessons from violin-playing to haute cuisine-cooking, is £170. And it’s currently buy one get one free. One for them, one for you. What’s not to like?

I think that this is the perfect gift whether you’re happy in your career and just want to broaden your interests or dying for some inspiration to turn your life around. I’ve already joined and I think it’s absolutely genius – I’ll be reviewing soon, so watch this space!

Masterclass, £170 for 12 months here.

Mr AMR wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t talk about his battery-powered leaf-blower, so here it is: the Ego Power Plus blower. Mr AMR would also like it to be known that all of the Ego garden tools are very good, including the lawnmower. You have a rechargeable battery pack that fits into all of them and is interchangeable, so you can go from mowing to blowing at the blink of an eye. He bought all of his many, many, many tools from Ego Power Plus here.

Note that the backpack blower makes whoever’s wearing it look like a character from Ghostbusters. Which is a comedy bonus.

Something else from Mr AMR’s list of favourites; the Samsung Frame TV. In all fairness, this would be on my own favourites list because it has completely changed the look of my living room. I think we have the older model now, but they look pretty much the same; it’s a TV with a wooden bezel (frame) that sits absolutely flush with the wall so that it looks like a gallery-hung picture. The screen displays a picture whenever the TV is off and it looks completely realistic. I can’t recommend this TV enough, especially if you – like me – absolutely detest the look of televisions on walls.

Find the Frame at John Lewis here* – from £999.

One last thing from Mr AMR before we move on to gifting pastures new: the Bed of Nails, which has been featured many times in the past. It’s one of his most prized possessions, this mat-with-spikes and he slides it out from its hiding place beneath the bed whenever he has a headache or can’t sleep properly. I have no idea whether it actually cures headaches or helps you to sleep properly but he swears by it for just about every ailment and sense of discomfort. He says that he enjoys the pain of the spikes – “it’s a nice pain”. Worrying.

Find the Bed of Nails online at Cult Beauty here* – it’s an unusual – but hopefully very useful – present.

Oh, OK, one more idea from Mr AMR because he did spend ages lying in the bath writing his list to help me out… Brace yourselves for this one people… Third on his list? The Bose Frames Audio Sunglasses*. Sunglasses that play your audio through the sunglasses. Sounds weird, doesn’t it? It is totally and utterly weird. But Mr AMR has tried them and can vouch that they do indeed play music via the material of the sunglasses and that it somehow magically ends up inside your ears. Who knows how? Who cares? Surely this is the future! Buy these and he can wear them when he’s riding his hoverboard to work…

Bose Frames are £199 at Amazon here*.

Whilst we’re Back to the Future, let’s take a look at the Apple Air Pods Pro, £249 from Apple here*. Currently with free engraving, which perhaps makes it a bit more of a thoughtful, personalised gift – tech always feels quite sterile to me! Anyway, these noise-cancelling, fully-immersive in-ear pods are the absolute bees knees – even if they do make it look as though you’re talking to yourself when you take a call on them…

If Apple’s enthusiastic pricing is a little too – er – steep, then plump for these noise-cancelling headphones from Sony. They’re comfy, effective and are a comparative snip at £79. Find them at Amazon here*.

Now we’re really cooking on gas! Or charcoal… The Everdure BBQ by Heston Blumenthal is compact and perfect for stowing away on camping trips. For some reason I can’t imagine Heston Blumenthal cooking on a BBQ, I only see him lifting heavy pans in the kitchen, but still: the BBQ is really cleverly designed. Find it at Amazon here* – it’s £149.

Continuing along the catering line of thought, I’d like to introduce you to a really excellent coffee machine. I know it is because I bought it for Mr AMR last year and he makes coffee for anyone who passes within a three mile radius of the house, because he seems to have an easily triggered hospitality reflex, so it has been tested to its limits. It’s the De’Longhi Magnifica and it’s robust, reasonably compact and makes great coffee. I’ve been told. Don’t touch the stuff – I prefer wine. Find it at Amazon here* – it’s currently £249.99 in the Black Friday sale.

Random quirky-luxe item: the Burberry Cow Print Leather Wallet, £280 at Liberty here*. I rather like this for myself!

Random quirky-luxe item 2: the Crocodile Letter Opener, £45 at Liberty here*.

I am adamant that Taschen’s Helmut Newton book is one of the best coffee table books (if not the best) that money can buy. It’s sexy, it’s fascinating and it’s absolutely HUGE – they don’t call it the Sumo for nothing! This one is a total showstopper and costs £100 here* but I see that there’s a newer edition that’s a standard book size. You can find the slightly smaller one here* for £55. Helmut Newton is one of my favourite photographers, there’s just always something new to pick up on in the images. He’ll never grow tired of this book…

And for those who would rather do some downstairs loo learning than look at glossy nudes, there’s I Used To Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School, £5.24 at Amazon here*. He’ll be boring you with academic facts for the entire holiday season…

A rocket vodka decanter. Because who doesn’t need a Vodka Decanter? Jonathan Adler, always the King of Fun… Find it here* at Selfridges, £150. So cool. There’s also a gin and a whiskey one, if you fancy a Starfleet moment.

I’ve been dying to include this in my gift guides: I, Robot: How To Be A Footballer 2, by Peter Crouch. Perhaps an unusual choice for someone who has absolutely zero interest in football or footballers, but I read an extract in The Times a while back and it was really quite excellent. I bought it straight away and it’s on my book pile waiting to be started. Yes, I’m going to read a book about football. The world must be ending. Find Peter Crouch’s second bestseller on Amazon here*.

Could this be the world’s hottest chilli sauce? It’s called, simply, Regret. Made on the Wiltshire Chilli Farm, I can’t think of a more worthy grocery item for filling a stocking… Find it on Amazon here*, it’s £14.95.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea: this’ll keep his pens in order. I love these pen pots from Quail – they also do egg cups and vases, all of them slightly kitsch and offbeat. Find the tiger one at Liberty here* – it’s £25.

Beatles Monopoly – the classic Christmas game gets a rock ‘n’ roll update. £45 at Selfridges here*.

Can’t find the perfect trainers for him? Why not take my very risky and potentially quite dangerous route and customise him a pair? This is probably the worst suggestion I’m ever going to make and you’ll have to forgive me in advance – sometimes unlimited choice isn’t the best thing… Haha. Go crazy, go wild, he’ll hate them but he can’t take them back! If only you could have your face printed on them… £85 at Nike here*.

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood; a classic, chic stocking filler with a gorgeous vintage feel. This’ll keep him occupied over the holidays, when he’s not leaf-blowing or puking over your customised trainer design. £6.47 at Amazon here*.

Finally, the Drop Wireless Charger from Native Union is a sleek, chic phone charger that looks space-age and takes up hardly any room. This is currently £26.99 on Amazon* but is almost fifty quid on one of my much-frequented luxury websites! A slick piece of tech that won’t break the bank…

The post Christmas Gift Guide 2019: Men appeared first on A Model Recommends.

Christmas Gift Guide 2019: Men was first posted on November 26, 2019 at 4:39 pm. ©2018 "A Model Recommends". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at contact@amodelrecommends.com Christmas Gift Guide 2019: Men published first on https://medium.com/@SkinAlley