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douchebagbrainwaves · 3 years

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HERE'S WHAT I JUST REALIZED ABOUT PAY

Whereas if you start a startup. It's not something you have to be. I couldn't help thinking, how will this sound to investors? Anyone who has used the web for more than a couple hours, and you'll find you have much less spare time than you might expect. I may be an extremist, but I didn't have the smoothness of a good idea. There's no reason to do it. But Sam Altman is a very unusual guy. This is actually a rational response to their situation.

No, as it were. If you're going to have to work at something that pays the bills too, even though the advertisers are paying and users aren't. You could sense them squirming on the hook, but you need it in a way that doesn't suck. For practically its whole existence, that is. And it's a skill you can learn, though perhaps habit might be a good idea? Something is going on here. Really this just codifies what we do already. I didn't have the smoothness of a good novel wouldn't complain that readers were unfair for preferring a potboiler with a racy cover. At a good college you're concentrated together with a lot of people think we get thousands of applications for each funding cycle. I find myself repeating is pump out features.

Seattle owes much of its position as a tech center because it's the intellectual capital of the US and probably the world. In nearly every startup that fails, the proximate cause is running out of money. I haven't seen it. This is a rare case where being less self-centered will make people more confident. Ironically, Microsoft unintentionally helped create Ajax. I can say is, try hard to do it is to be undisciplined. The finance guys seemed scrupulous about reporting earnings. But if this is your attitude, something great is very unlikely to happen to you, because the locations of mines and factories were determined by features like rivers, harbors, and sources of raw materials. We officially launched in early 1996. There seem to be: that in the coming century is a huge one. But that doesn't make common stock a bad idea.

Nearly every startup that fails, fails by running out of money while you're trying to negotiate with them. By historical standards, that's something that's changing pretty rapidly. I'm sure the default will always be to get a job. In a technology startup, which most startups are, and assume that's how things have to be determined. So here is an even more striking statistic: 0% of that first batch had a terrible experience. This is particularly necessary in a startup hub. What do I mean by good people? The founders of Kiko, for example. Let's start with the obvious one: lobby to get Sarbanes-Oxley deters people like him from being CFOs of public companies, that's proof enough that it's broken. 064. A lot of startups worry what if Google builds something like us?

So what if some of the fund back to the institutional investors who supplied it, because it wasn't going to be negative. Usually a startup is more than you'd endure in an ordinary working life. That was her actual word. You can measure this in your growth rate. So not only does the desktop no longer matter, no one can make you do it. Industrialization didn't spread much beyond those regions for a while. The question is not whether you can afford to be passive. That will change if you get a zero otherwise. Enough of an effect to triple the value of what they create.

As usual, by Demo Day about half the startups were doing something significantly different than they planned. Just continue running your company as if this deal didn't exist. When you're a kid and you face some hard test, you may also be ready to start that startup. If your startup is doing a deal, just assume it's not going to be different is my approach. Everyone likes to believe that's what makes startups worth the trouble. So as long as you made a serious effort. Recently I suggested a potential shortcut: pay startups to move. I wouldn't be surprised if one day people look back on what we consider a normal job. No one likes schleps, but hackers especially dislike them. Maybe that's possible, but I don't think you'd want to; someone who really, truly doesn't care what his peers think of him is probably a running back.

Thanks to Paul Buchheit, Savraj Singh, Bob Frankston, Trevor Blackwell, Joel Rainey, and Joe Gebbia for sharing their expertise on this topic.

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daleisgreat · 4 years

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WrestleMania 35

As of this writing, WrestleMania 36 is set to air in two days, and due to the fallout from the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, will be airing taped from an empty arena a couple weeks prior, and over two nights. I have been advocating for two night ‘Manias since the WWE Network era of PPVs have caused WrestleManias having bloated cards and lasting nearly SEVEN hours when factoring in the pre-show matches. Since it is WrestleMania week, I am here to continue my annual tradition of watching the previous year’s installment on BluRay and break it all down here. I broke up watching the nine-ish hours of BluRay content over a few days, which lead for a more non-overkill experience, and I ended up enjoying the overall show exponentially more this way as you will soon read on. Now even though the BluRay has around nine hours of content on the disc, the cumulative total of content the BluRay unlocked for me was about 12 hours by including a digital copy of not only the PPV, but also a digital only copy of the Hall of Fame ceremony that preceded WrestleMania a couple days prior. For the second straight WrestleMania BluRay, the Hall of Fame is not included on the disc, and is instead replaced with the following night’s RAW in its entirety, which here is just over two hours when taking out all the ad breaks.

The Hall of Fame ceremony this year saw Jerry Lawler replaced as the host with Corey Graves & Renee Young, complete with grimace-caliber jokes of the stereotypical award show variety. The 2019 ceremony also saw a different setup with a ring in the center of the arena where all the speeches were delivered, and while it provided a nice visual, it also made it easier for an overzealous fan to run in and attack cancer and stroke survivor, Bret Hart during his speech. I recall getting the faintest look at the guy before cameras cut away and at first thinking because of the goofy hair that it was Enzo again up to shenanigans a few months after dancing in the front rows of the crowd at Survivor Series, but was then further perplexed to find out minutes later that Enzo and Cass did a worked shoot run-in at the G1 Supercard concurrently taking place. It turned out it was a fan with mental health issues, and obviously WWE cut out the run-in on the final Hall of Fame video cut, and the only thing apparent of something happening is that after a cut to the crowd, Bret Hart’s hair is suddenly tangled up. If you have not witnessed that brazen fan run-in, click or press here for fan-phone footage of proceeding to get pounced by countless wrestlers almost instantly. Bizarre fan attack aside, it was a much brisker ceremony (only three and a half hours!) thanks in part to no Hillbilly Jim speech this year (which was deservingly poked at this year), and a couple inductees not having inductions either, and the ones that did must have had strict time limits because I do not recall an inductor going longer than five minutes. Honkey Tonk Man set the stage with the fun-gimmick from the Rock ‘n Wrestling years, with a groovy entrance and exit, complete by singing his song on the way out and doing a noticeably better performance than Double J the year prior. Torrie Wilson’s speech felt more of a Ted Talk, but still heartwarming and inspirational and I will give her all the benefit of the doubt considering her father and former on-screen talent and Dawn Marie love interest, Al Wilson passed away two days prior. Also pleasant was seeing Stacy Kiebler break her 13-year WWE absence by inducting her.

The legacy class of 2019 had another ten inductees with brief 20-30 second video pieces on each. Most of them are more classic pre-cable TV era wrestlers, but some are more recently noteworthy and remembered like SD Jones, Bruiser Brody and Luna Vachon and in my opinion more deserving of traditional inductions. I hope if WWE keeps this up they will at least have a family member do a separate video induction and include it on their website for a more proper way to remember these legacy stars. The Hart Foundation was the next inductee, with Natalya accepting for her father, The Anvil. Bret and Naddie gave the successful Rock ‘n Wrestling era tag team a fitting induction, filled with classic stories from their days in one of the most successful periods of tag teams in WWE history. Brutus Beefcake gave a surprisingly good speech for his induction, as did the Hulkster for inducting him as he laid out how he broke Brutus into the business. Kind of surprising it happened considering the recent disparaging comments between the two with Brutus’s tell-all biography from a couple years earlier, but maybe it ‘was all a work brother!’ Props to Brutus for giving the Doctors who saved him from his terrible parasailing accident their kudos, and for calling out Shawn Michaels for still owing him for his barbershop window! The Warrior Award went to Sue Ajtheson, a backstage WWE official who is largely responsible for their Make-a-Wish efforts. Dana Warrior and John Cena gave heartfelt, genuine inductions for her, and Sue was a gem enlightening us about her philanthropic accomplishments.

Harlem Heat got inducted next, and after Booker T gave his brother Stevie Ray an outstanding tribute, it was then time for Stevie Ray sharing several stories of the trials of Harlem Heat breaking in before they finally found success in WCW. D-Generation X headlined the Hall of Fame, and as expected it was lengthy with X-Pac, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, Shawn Michaels and Triple H all giving speeches. They unleashed some vintage DX humor to start off with. Other highlights include giving Chyna her proper acknowledgement, Billy Gunn getting razzed for being with the new competition in AEW, X-Pac getting super jittery in his sea of notes and all of them busting out Super Soakers and dousing their colleagues in the crowd, especially Baron Corbin. Now onto the 16 match WrestleMania 35 card (guys….I am sorry, thank you so much for sticking with me!). If you have yet to watch WrestleMania 35 then before reading this recap, I recommend breaking it up into a two part watch, and give this strong recommendation of preferred matches for each night to make for a better experience that I guarantee you will not struggle to stay awake through: WrestleMania 35 – Day 1 Watch Order: Tony Nese vs Buddy Murphy, WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal, Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar, SmackDown Tag Titles Fatal Four Way, Miz vs. Shane McMahon, Triple H vs. Batista, Elias/John Cena ‘Concert’, Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley, Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan WrestleMania 35 – Day 2 Watch Order: Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins vs. Revival, Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton, Women’s Tag Titles Fatal Four Way, Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre, Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin, Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch Four of those matches were on the pre-show and are included on the BluRay as extras. In a rare move, WWE had the local have a feel good moment with Tony Nese winning the Cruiserweight Title from Buddy Murphy in a nice hybrid of strong style and high-flying that got the crowd hot by the end. In the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal, Carmella played the surprise last second sneak-in card to eliminate Sarah Logan and win the ‘prestigious’ hip/leg trophy. In a surprising second feel good hometown hero story, Curt Hawkins snapped his 269 match losing streak when him and his fellow bro-ski, Zack Ryder won the RAW tag titles from The Revival when Hawkins got the surprise inside cradle for the electric pop! In the final pre-show match, Braun Strowman won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal by eliminating celebrity entrants, SNL’s Colin Jost & Michael Che. A lot of hype on RAW built up the SNL stars, but the two hid under the ring until the end of the match in their failed efforts to surprise eliminate Braun.

In the official WrestleMania opener, Seth Rollins won the Universal Title from Brock Lesnar. Their follow-up match at SummerSlam is leagues better, because all there is to this is Brock getting an early attack on Seth and brutalizing him outside the ring for a few minutes, and then only a couple minutes into the actual match Seth low blows Brock and hits a few stomps for the victory. Last few years something about Randy Orton has made his stock rise higher for me. I appreciate his ring IQ and psychology that allows matches to breathe, and Orton’s skills blended perfectly with AJ Styles with some convincing sequences before Styles hit a Phenomenal Forearm for the win. The first of two four way tag title matches occurred next with the Usos, The Bar, Rusev & Shinske Nakamura and Aleistar Black & Ricochet vying for the SmackDown straps. All four teams brought it, and did not appear they were there for an easy payday with the creative spots they unleashed with an innovative tower of doom spot and Cesaro’s countless swings to the crowd’s approval until the Usos hit their double top turnbuckle splash on Sheamus for the W. I loved the buildup for The Miz and Shane McMahon’s Falls Count Anywhere match. Miz gradually won over Shane’s trust all in the name to win his dad’s precious approval, only to then see Shane turn on Miz and attack Miz’s dad! I was not disappointed with how they got Miz’s dad involved in the match with Shane shaming Miz’s dad’s ability to fight. The two had a pretty solid brawl all over the arena that ultimately saw Miz deliver a suplex from the tech area scaffolding onto a crash pad, but saw Shane conveniently laid out barely over Miz to nudge out a three count for the fluke upset. The newly established Women’s tag titles were on the line with Sasha Banks & Bayley defending against the Iconics, Nia Jax & Tamina and Natalya & Beth Phoenix. A lot of controversy was reported on the champs throwing a tantrum backstage hearing they were losing the titles, which happened when Billie Kay stole a pin with a blind tag on Beth Phoenix after she hit a top rope Glam Slam. Minus a handful of moments, Sasha and Bayley’s main roster runs have been beyond disastrous compared to their rise up the ranks in NXT.

‘KofiMania’ emerged when Kofi Kingston vanquished that vile do-gooder, Daniel Bryan to become the first full blooded African American to win the WWE title in its near 60 year history. There were a couple of extended hold sequences in the front half that overstayed their welcome, but the back half amped up big time with some creative reversals, near-falls and clever use of the New Day and Erik Rowan on the outside. I was just as happy as the WWE locker room shown celebrating for Kofi after he hit the Trouble in Paradise to win the championship. He had a killer half year run as champ….until Brock Lesnar waffled him in seven seconds for the gold and Kofi immediately went right back to the midcard in his happy-go-lucky pancake thrower days of yore and acted like his championship run never happened. Samoa Joe finally got his overdue WrestleMania debut match against a recently returned Rey Mysterio. I presumed the two had an epic match lined up, but Rey got hurt the RAW before and was only capable of performing for about a minute before Joe locked in his trademark Kokina Clutch for the submission victory. Roman Reigns was up next in his first singles match coming back after overcoming a second bout of Leukemia for the heartwarming win against Drew McIntyre. I recall dreading the buildup for this because Drew had a variety of ‘you may have conquered cancer…’ type promos and hyped himself up as deadlier than cancer, when naturally everyone knew Roman was going to win, and that is exactly what we got in a formula Roman match. The read in the ardent fan crowd throughout the match was readily apparent, they were no longer booing Roman out of the building like they normally would, because what kind of person can boo a cancer survivor (please do not answer that)? However, there was no overwhelming crowd going wild reaction either, but more of a tempered, altruistic applause instead. That has primarily been Roman’s reception for coming back since, and that is kind of how I feel too.

Elias performed a one man ‘concert’ next complete with other hologram Elias projections playing in conjunction with him until John Cena interrupted. John came out in throwback Dr. Thugganomics form and laid down some rhymes before hitting a F-U to the crowd’s approval. The presumption going in by most was that Undertaker would make his requisite WrestleMania appearance here, but 2019 marked the first time since 2000 that Undertaker did not appear or wrestle in any form on a WrestleMania. Strangely enough, Undertaker did interrupt another Elias performance the next day on RAW. Triple H and Batista squared off in a No Holds Barred brawl next, and I recall being burnt out by this point in the card and nodding off throughout it. Match held up incredibly better on second viewing with the two busting out a wide variety of weaponry in too many gruesome spots to dissect, other than that grotesque nose ring spot that reverberated throughout everyone in the crowd. The finish saw Triple H hitting probably the slickest looking sledgehammer shot ever with some added trajectory by leaping off the stairs, and following it up with the Pedigree for the pin. Kurt Angle hit the end of the line in a few months of ‘farewell tour’ matches against Baron Corbin here. I was worried for Angle as his previous few matches saw him struggling to go through the motions, but a few weeks of added rest benefitted him here with him looking remarkably better and capable of several of his vintage suplexes and throws, and even busting out an impressive moonsault….that missed and lead him walking into an End of Days that netted Corbin the pinfall. Finn Balor faced Bobby Lashley in the penultimate match of the night, and the two delivered a short, but high energy match to help inject some energy into the understandably deflated crown by this point. Balor hit his Coup de Gras for the pin.

The 16th and final match of the night saw the women headline WrestleMania for the first time ever with the Women’s titles for both RAW and SmackDown on the line in a triple threat between Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. All three laid it in strong style in easily one of the hardest hitting women matches I have ever seen. All three were decorated with battle scars, especially Ronda’s leg! However, one significant botch tarnished the match, and unfortunately it happened right at the finish when Lynch countered Rousey’s Piper’s Pit slam with a crucifix for the pin. Rousey inadvertently popped her shoulder up during the pin, and the ref did not restart his count and continued with the controversial three count. Even the announcers did not turn a blind eye to it and questioned the ref’s call, and it turned out the ref was later fined for blowing the call. I am not going to recap the following night’s RAW, but I did watch it and will give a couple key takeaways since the RAW after WrestleManias are notorious for returns, and unpredictable fan reactions suffering from wrestling burnout. Rollins and Kofi teased a winner takes all title match, but it quickly morphed into a tag match after The Bar interfered to the crowd’s rightful disgust! The controversial Lars Sullivan debuted on the main roster, Sami Zayn returned and turned heel after nearly a year away from double rotator cuff surgery. Dana Brooke and Mojo Rawley both deliver bizarre backstage promos. There was the aforementioned Undertaker attack on Elias and finally Dean Ambrose’s final televised WWE match that did not officially get started because he brawled outside the ring with Bobby Lashley before getting sent through a table. There is one last BluRay bonus that has footage from after RAW went off the air, where Rollins called out Roman and Dean and brought them to the ring for one last curtain call from The Shield.

That puts a wrap on the yearly monstrous WrestleMania recap. Once again I give my heartfelt gratitude for sticking with me the whole way through this. It was a chore to get through the whole show live in one shot, but it definitely helped spacing it over a few days this second time around. Again, if there is any upside with WWE having to switch up their WrestleMania plans with the global pandemic currently happening, it is that them having WrestleMania transpire over two days will make it vastly more watchable, and decrease the burnout of trying to watch wrestling for seven hours straight. Throw in the wild cards of the empty arena and undisclosed filming locations for the gimmick matches, and well….check back with me here next year to see how it all played out.

Past Wrestling Blogs Best of WCW Clash of Champions Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 3 Biggest Knuckleheads Bobby The Brain Heenan Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes Yes Yes DDP: Positively Living Dusty Rhodes WWE Network Specials ECW Unreleased: Vol 1 ECW Unreleased: Vol 2 ECW Unreleased: Vol 3 Eric Bishoff: Wrestlings Most Controversial Figure Fight Owens Fight: The Kevin Owens Story For All Mankind Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Hulk Hogans Unreleased Collectors Series Impact Wresting Presents: Best of Hulk Hogan Its Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story The Kliq Rules Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman Legends of Mid South Wrestling Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story Memphis Heat NXT: From Secret to Sensation NXT Greatest Matches Vol 1 OMG Vol 2: Top 50 Incidents in WCW History OMG Vol 3: Top 50 Incidents in ECW History Owen: Hart of Gold RoH Supercard of Honor 2010-Present ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Scott Hall: Living on a Razors Edge Shawn Michaels: My Journey Sting: Into the Light Straight Outta Dudley-ville: Legacy of the Dudley Boyz Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank Anthology Superstar Collection: Zach Ryder Then Now Forever – The Evolution of WWEs Womens Division TLC 2017 TNA Lockdown 2005-2016 Top 50 Superstars of All Time Tough Enough: Million Dollar Season True Giants Ultimate Fan Pack: Roman Reigns Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe War Games: WCWs Most Notorious Matches Warrior Week on WWE Network Wrestlemania III: Championship Edition Wrestlemania 28-Present The Wrestler (2008) Wrestling Road Diaries Too Wrestling Road Diaries Three: Funny Equals Money Wrestlings Greatest Factions WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2017

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inquisition-curations-blog · 5 years

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Black Library: Damocles by ukitakumuki

artist’s commentary:

Black Library: Damocles

Check out the e/book here! : www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer… Illustration © Games Workshop Art director/producer: Karen Miksza ++++++++++++++++++++++ The brief for this one was a three-way melee between Kor'sarro Khan of the White Scars, Tau Commander Shadowsun, and Captain Kayvaan Shrike of the Raven Guard, amidst a mixed-force battle of White Scars, Raven Guard, and Cadian IG versus the Tau fighting atop a rocky promontory with jungle. The main focus of the show is Shadowsun, whom according to the reference and specs sent to me, often fields two shield drones. I thought that could be a perfect excuse to not end up in an awkward “2 on 1” prong attack. So that resulted in our assault marine captain Shrike pulling off a DFA and Kor'sarro timing a strike to take out her shield on one side. Given the hardback template/format I decided early on to have two back to back crisis suits behind the main trinary to visually frame the action and hopefully some narrative link to what was going on in the background. While sketching in comp ideas I was thinking of World in Conflict FMVs (yeah I watched a compilation vid of the different sequences but set to just Audioslave’s Shadow on the Sun… how apt for our Tau commander ) which inspired that jungle crossfire for the back cover (left of image), along with some physics logic I thought should be observed such as “if plasma based weaponry gets spammed in the general direction of a forest, there should be a moderate to high chance of a forest fire occurring” which kinda explains why we see the charred dirt and branches and hints of trees on fire in the back. Other favourite points of interest that I recall from half a year back: -Singed/scorched Imperial armour versus cracked/gouged tau armour -Drones buzzing a tree (near the sun) -Devastator Raven going head on with the battlesuit turned away from us, armour in the process of being seared off chunk by chunk. -White Scar reading poetry on the lawn in an admirable last stand -Unfortunate IG, now literally half the man he used to be. Courtesy of being in the open when Tau heavy artillery drops.

Check out the e/book by Joe Parrino here! :

www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer…

Illustration © Games Workshop

Art director/producer: Karen Miksza

++++++++++++++++++++++

This piece is, in my own way, dedicated to two very unique creatives whose achievements and trust in me have both inspired and helped me take my work to higher levels. Ghislain Barbe(

NOT because he is coincidentally now the art director on Eternal Crusade at BHVR

, but because when I was a kid I played a PC game called Heavy Gear by Dream Pod 9/Activision, and along with it came a printed game manual with wonderful mecha illustrations and diagrams that blew my little mind, and he was the illustrator of my favourite designs in the book.), and Peter Cooper(an incredibly kind and talented writer/director who years ago offered me the opportunity to do the illustrated set pieces for his HALO fan-film, Operation Chastity). Moreso because I think they might appreciate certain aspects of this image in their own capacities, like the pew pew lazars. Ok really its just about the lazars and the airburst munitions.

And my special thanks and apologies to my truly professional and patient producer, Karen Miksza, for enduring and evaluating a chickenscratch-sketch of mine that resembled more of a Rorschach exercise than anything. You rock!

As for the artwork:

Reading the brief, and visualising the narrative and technical approach, made me want to crawl under a rock somewhere and just go into a coma. But it dawned on me it was really about huge battlesuits and powered armour on bikes in a desert--the very stuff my favourite SF childhood memories were made of. So I put on some Bubblegum Crisis tracks to remind me of what I felt was special about the genre and what I would like to see happen again, and got back to work. "Say Yes!" by Maiko Hashimoto in particular, really helped bring back those memories.

Bearing in mind this is meant to be a triple-fold/paneled illustration; I was to illustrate a White Scars Stormseer fighting a Crisis Battlesuit with a tulwar on the front cover(rightmost third of image), looming Riptide in center third, and miscellaneous combatants filling up the remainder. The White Scars were to seem joyous in the midst of their hunt, armed with lances or tulwars in addition to the bolters on their bikes. All this was to take place on a dusty plain. I immediately thought that a scene showing a breached frontline would work best, to help put across just how fast moving and aggressive the White Scars are known to be, and for all the long distance planning of the Tau once up close and personal with Space Marines on bikes, it can quickly descend into unmanageable chaos. Troops having to divert their attention from the front to acquire stray bikers without hitting their friends, and crisis suits engaging their thrusters to quickly manoeuver along the ranks and train their guns on the bikes. Crisis suits... in a crisis of their own... aha..haha..h-

As a Chinese guy, I felt it got really hilarious at one point painting Fu Manchu 'roid mongols in sun-bleached white armour going to town on the Tau. So I just rode that wave as best I could Having my own front row seat and getting into the mentality of what it means to create a 40K flavoured illustration is making me more and more of a fan of what I think the franchise represents on different levels. When I say I find 40K really insane, I mean it in a sincerely optimistic way, and I think I am finally getting better at understanding where that balance point between grimdark outlook, cautionary tale/social commentary, and outlandish spectacle sits.

This reflection of what 40K meant to me, had me throwing out the idea that maybe in order for the Stormseer to even be in close combat with a Battlesuit twice his height, required he be presented in a way that could rival the nuttiness of the idea to begin with. So imagining a narrative, I assume these guys could have force-lances that they could also throw, using that as a medium range large-caliber stopping weapon (illustrated at bottom right) and then move into closer combat with their shorter range tulwars. (This of course sets up the visual excuse for the flapping blood-soaked hair plume on the end of the lance up front.) The stormseer would realise that his bolters might be ineffectual at getting him within close enough range so he would opt to just pop a wheelie off the frontline Tau and use the bolter riddled chassis of the crisis suit as a landing ramp and shield to buy him precious seconds to plan his next move. They're Space Marines. Seemed legit. "SAY YES!"

Other favourite details:

-Please excuse the slightly overdone prismatic effect on the Riptide's shield. I still think it looks nice and it makes some sense. Just riffing off similar idea in the previous Tau codex supplement. I also wanted to illustrate how the hexa-projection areas might be linked to individual projection nodes, and we would see how individual 'tiles' pulse under stress as opposed to having a continuous 'texture pattern'.

-I keep reading in the fluff how much advanced targetting tech the Tau pack, technically a Fire warrior would have onboard sensors and targetting aids, that eventually gets meshed with higher level networked data from sensor drones, add on to that markerlight data and more... basically it just sounds like a Tau shooter could be drunk, falling over, and still hit a fly in between its eyes having accounted for atmospheric disruption from 600 meters away. So that I felt gave me the right to imply that they can shoot incoming rounds out of the sky. Which we can see to great effect in the background and right behind the Stormseer. There of course is the consideration for fans who think its unreasonable, so they also look like they could be randomly hit because the relatively slow moving missiles are travelling through a firestorm of plasma. But I just wanted to say what the original intent was Also to the left is a inverted Phalanx-CIWS looking burst cannon drone that seems to be in charge of clearing the skies for ground troops (when I saw that design I almost stood up and clapped at the screen). And for those of you who absolutely do not buy any of that, there's this:

warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Ai…

-Poor Tau loses his head in the background-The bikes were initially block-modelled in Sketchup to help me give a sense of their geometry and what I could do with them.This took over a week to do, the longest I've spent on any of the illustrations to date and burnt a weekend or so (gladly so) getting it done. I hope it makes the Tau and White Scars fans amongst you happy and rooting for your favourites and for mech heads in general

#warhammer 40k #40k #tau #space marines #imperium #raven guard #white scars #battlesuits #ukitakumuki #combat

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your-dietician · 3 years

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Monday, June 28, 2021 | California Healthline

New Post has been published on https://depression-md.com/monday-june-28-2021-california-healthline/

Monday, June 28, 2021 | California Healthline

Without Enough Boots on the Ground, California’s Vaccination Efforts Falter

California’s vaccination rates have stagnated, particularly in Black and Latino inner-city neighborhoods and in rural towns. County health officials, who say trust is their most important commodity, need more money for one-on-one interactions with holdouts, but the state has instead largely funneled money to advertising firms and tech companies. (Angela Hart, 6/28)

The New York Times: A Study Finds That The Pfizer And Moderna Vaccines Could Offer Protection For Years The vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna set off a persistent immune reaction in the body that may protect against the coronavirus for years, scientists reported on Monday. The findings add to growing evidence that most people immunized with the mRNA vaccines may not need boosters, so long as the virus and its variants do not evolve much beyond their current forms — which is not guaranteed. People who recovered from Covid-19 before being vaccinated may not need boosters even if the virus does make a significant transformation. (Mandavilli, 6/28)

Bay Area News Group: California Now Averaging Fewer Than 100,000 Daily COVID Vaccinations California’s rate of vaccination against COVID-19 keeps slowing down, with more than a quarter of eligible residents still not vaccinated. California is averaging 91,783 daily shots as of Thursday, according to data from the state’s Department of Public Health. That’s a 26 percent decline from the previous week’s average, and a significant drop from April 24, when the state was averaging 365,686 daily shots. California’s daily vaccination average increased slightly shortly after introducing its vaccine lottery, which included cash prizes for inoculated residents. (Castaneda, 6/26)

The Bakersfield Californian: Lost Hills Reaches Exceptional Vaccination Rate With Help Of The Wonderful Co. A sustained effort by one of Kern’s largest private employers has helped produce one of the county’s highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the remote town of Lost Hills. The county Public Health Services Department on Friday credited Los Angeles-based grower The Wonderful Co. for Lost Hills being one of only five areas in Kern that has achieved U.S. President Joe Biden’s goal of having no less than 70 percent of adults receive at least one shot of the vaccine by Independence Day. (Cox, 6/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: This Bay Area County Sorts COVID Into Vaccinated And Unvaccinated. It’s ‘a Tale Of Two Counties’ Contra Costa is the first county in the Bay Area to publicly break out new coronavirus cases among vaccinated and unvaccinated residents, and the numbers show a stark disparity — virtually all those now being infected have not gotten their shots. As of Friday, the daily average of new cases in Contra Costa County over the previous week among those who have been fully vaccinated was 0.6 per 100,000 residents. But it was 6 per 100,000 among those who are not inoculated — 10 times higher. (Vaziri, 6/26)

Southern California News Group: Younger California Kids: To Vax Or Not To Vax? That Is The Question Come fall, parents of elementary schoolchildren will make a decision that’s weightier than which backpack to buy for the new school year: Deputize Junior as a foot soldier in the war against COVID-19’s spread in the U.S. and get the child vaccinated? Or sit this one out with the knowledge that younger kids are far less likely to get severe illness than their grandparents? As school bells ring in September, data from clinical trials of the Pfizer vaccine on children ages 5 to 11 are expected to go to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization. Moderna’s trials in younger kids are not far behind. (Sforza, 6/28)

The Bakersfield Californian: Kern County Superior Court Won’t Require Masks For Vaccinated Starting Monday, Kern County Superior Court will no longer require people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to wear a face mask to enter the courthouses, but still encourages masks. People entering courthouses without a mask will be considered to have self-attested that they are fully vaccinated; proof can be requested, according to a court news release. (6/26)

inewsource: Three Post-Vaccination COVID Deaths Confirmed In San Diego County At least three San Diego County residents have died of COVID-19 after being vaccinated, according to county officials and medical examiner records. The county announced earlier this month the death of a fully vaccinated woman. She was 70 and died in March after being hospitalized. At the time it was considered the first such death, but medical examiner records obtained by inewsource show a 73-year-old vaccinated man at the county-run Edgemoor Hospital in Santee died of COVID-19 on Feb. 2. (Plummer, 6/26)

LA Daily News: LA County Reports 239 New Coronavirus Cases; Concern Endures Over Infectious ‘Delta’ Variant Los Angeles County reported 239 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths on Sunday, June 27, though the number of cases and deaths likely reflect reporting delays over the weekend. Sunday’s figures brought the county’s totals to 1,249,304 cases and 24,477 fatalities since the pandemic began, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said. According to state figures, there were 238 people hospitalized in the county due to COVID-19 as of Sunday, up from 231 on Saturday. There were 52 COVID patients in intensive care, down from 55 the previous day. (6/27)

Orange County Register: Disneyland Brings Back Single Rider Lines For Most Popular Attractions Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have brought back single rider lines on some of the most popular rides for the first time since the Anaheim theme parks reopened. Single rider lines returned today, June 26 at Disneyland and DCA. State guidelines discouraged the use of single-rider lines when theme parks initially reopened starting April 1 because they were “likely inconsistent with physical distancing,” but capacity limits and social distancing requirements were lifted June 15. (MacDonald, 6/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: Coronavirus: Timeline Of The COVID-19 Outbreak Across The Bay Area, California, U.S. The Chronicle began covering the coronavirus crisis before the first cases were reported in the Bay Area and a pandemic was declared in 2020. We reorganized the newsroom to dedicate nearly every resource toward stories focusing on the health and economic disasters. Every day we have published live updates to reflect the most critical local, national and global updates on COVID-19 in an effort to keep our community safe and informed. Below is a comprehensive timeline of The Chronicle’s live updates coverage of the coronavirus outbreak, which includes thousands of news items as they happened. (6/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: Where Are Drugs To Beat COVID – And The Next Pandemic? Even with powerful vaccines in hand and the coronavirus waning across most of the United States, there’s still an urgent need for drugs to treat COVID-19 — and that could lay the foundation for the next generation of therapies for pandemics, say Bay Area scientists conducting such research. Drug therapies were an early focus in the pandemic, when it wasn’t clear how long it would take to develop effective vaccines. But while vaccine development has been enormously successful, thanks in large part to the federal government’s $18 billion investment, drug treatments have been disappointingly elusive. (Allday, 6/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: California’s Power Grid May Issue Flex Alert As Scorching Temperatures Hit California Scorching temperatures baking some parts of California may mean that state residents will be asked to voluntarily conserve energy, officials said Sunday. A heat bulletin from the California Independent System Operator said officials might issue a flex alert and ask consumers “to reduce electricity use during critical times of stress on the [power] grid.” (Flores, 6/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Far North Residents Told To Be Ready To Flee Fire As Needed The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office alerted people living north of Weed to be prepared to evacuate the area as the Lava Fire grew Sunday to 410 acres. One of four fires started by lightening in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest late last week, the Lava Fire was initially contained but then broke out and began spreading, according to Suzi Johnson, a spokesperson with the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. (Dizikes, 6/27)

Sacramento Bee: California ISO Won’t Issue Flex Alert Monday Amid Heat Wave California’s largest electrical grid operator changed course Sunday after saying it could issue a Flex Alert on Monday, which would have asked residents to voluntarily conserve energy as a heat wave pushes demand on the grid. The California Independent System Operator, which manages about 80% of the state’s energy supply, said in a statement issued Sunday afternoon that it was “poised to call” a Flex Alert on Monday due to high temperatures which have been pushing residential air conditioning units into overdrive this month. (Moleski, 6/27)

CalMatters: A California Town Is Without Running Water Amid Drought This is how California’s water crisis is going these days: The only functioning well in the rural community of Teviston broke in early June, leaving more than 700 residents without running water as temperatures in the Central Valley soared to triple-digits in a drought. “It’s day to day” for the people of Teviston, said Frank Galaviz, a board member of the Teviston Community Services District, in an interview with The Fresno Bee. (Montalvo, 6/28)

AP: California Budget Boosts Health Care For Older Immigrants California will soon pay the health care bills for low-income people 50 and older who are living in the country illegally, part of an expansion of Medicaid that aims to inch the nation’s most populous state toward Democrats’ goal of making sure everyone has health insurance. The new coverage will eventually cost taxpayers about $1.3 billion per year, money that’s part of the new state operating budget that Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislative leaders unveiled Friday night. The budget is scheduled for a vote in the state Legislature on Monday, with Newsom likely signing it into law before the state’s fiscal year begins Thursday. (Beam, 6/26)

Sacramento Bee: CA Lawmakers To Vote On Budget With Surplus, Stimulus Checks California lawmakers plan to pass a 2021 state budget that reflects a partial deal with Newsom on most key issues, including $8 billion in stimulus checks for middle-income Californians and expanded funding for homeless aid. Newsom and lawmakers have not yet announced a final deal on the state budget, but legislative leaders released a summary document Friday that says they’ve reached agreement on most areas, including on expanding coverage to more undocumented immigrants. (Bollag, 6/28)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Palomar Health Signs Doctor Contract Palomar Health said in a statement Friday that its chief executive officer has signed an emergency department staffing agreement with Emergent Medical Associates and expects to complete two additional agreements early next week. Palomar said that 32 of its 50 staff emergency doctors have signed on with EMA, quite a development given no-confidence votes Wednesday from physician leadership at the health system’s hospitals in Escondido and Poway. (Sisson, 6/25)

Daily Breeze/Orange County Register: How This Mobile Healthcare Unit Represents The Last Mile Of The Coronavirus Pandemic As vice president of operations for a shipping company in Valencia, Marco Pelaez did everything he could to keep his employees safe during the coronavirus pandemic, from mandatory testing, social distancing, issuing personal protective gear and allowing employees to take time off for even the slightest illness. But when it came time to get vaccinated, many of the 400 employees at AMS Fulfillment were resistant for various reasons, Pelaez said. (Rosenfeld, 6/27)

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Healdsburg Nonprofit Doubles Down On Health Equity Vaccination clinics. Mental health awareness. Care for the unhoused. Grants for grassroots groups. In Healdsburg, one nonprofit has spent the better part of the COVID-19 pandemic managing all these important programs. The nonprofit, the 20-year-old Healthcare Foundation of Northern Sonoma County, now finds itself at the center of a series of collaborations with health care providers all over the north county — partnerships that are having major impacts on county residents who need services most. (Villano, 6/26)

KQED: There’s Only 1 Drug For Postpartum Depression. Why Does Kaiser Permanente Make It So Hard To Get? When Miriam McDonald decided she wanted to have another baby at age 44, her doctor told her she had a better chance of winning the lottery. So when she got pregnant, she and her husband were thrilled. But within three days of giving birth to their son, everything turned. As the weeks went by, her depression got worse. She felt sad, but also indifferent. She didn’t want to hold her baby, she didn’t want to change him. She said she felt no connection with him at all. (Dembosky, 6/28)

Los Angeles Times: California Governor Candidate John Cox’s Homelessness Plan Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox is revealing his plan to reduce homelessness as he launches a statewide bus tour Monday in Los Angeles. Unlike his last major media effort, this one won’t feature a 1,000-pound Kodiak bear; rather, Cox plans to bring along an 8-foot ball of garbage as he lays out how he would cut homelessness in half over the next decade. (Mehta, 6/27)

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livingthescilife · 4 years

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329 - Long Naps and Near Misses

00:00:00 - Joe begins the show by explaining how we all just nearly died last month but didn’t as an asteroid had the closest flyby of Earth ever detected thanks to some pretty cool new observation tech at the Zwicky Transient Facility in CA paired with machine learning.

00:23:08 - After a near-miss of an asteroid impact, it’s only natural to want a drink. Ryan begins with some Still Hollow Spirits unaged corn whiskey, aka moonshine. Joe corrects the record on his White Russian recipe by making another White Russian according to the recipe posted from the last time he had a White Russian. Abe enjoys some Triple Space Diamonds from Other Half Brewing Co.

00:37:15 - Winter is coming, so have a nap. A new analysis of the Therapsid Lystrosaurus comparing African specimens to those from Antarctica suggests that the more southerly critters may have hibernated much as their mammalian relatives do today. Torpor for the win!

01:00:42 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like torpor, sometimes it’s the best way to survive. Ryan reads a castigation from Zoll S. regarding improperly categorized literature in episode 117. An e-mail from Jeff S. prompts a discussion of whether or not it was aliens aka the origin of the gray alien mythos. And we team up to bestow a BSso on Patreon supporter Josh R. who has written up a thesis entitled: Underneath Falling Objects (UFO): A Novel Method for Surviving Extraterrestrial impactors via a state of torpor modeled after Antarctic Lystrosaurs. Thanks, Josh!

More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

Audio Production by Rob Heath and Ryan Haupt Music credit: Between Stones - Blue Dot Sessions

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sciencesortof · 4 years

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329 | Long Naps and Near Misses

More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

Audio Production by Rob Heath and Ryan Haupt Music credit: Between Stones - Blue Dot Sessions Image credit: Homlife

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shonbellenoire · 4 years

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Online Dating - Quarantine Edition 2020

Not a fan of online dating, People are always way more interesting and bold online rather in person. Online makes it too easy. I prefer the boldness of the approach. Even still, I found myself 3 years ago falling in love with a man I met online. I’m not against it but I am saying I prefer the old fashion way.

People always portray themselves differently online. Using pictures from 10 years ago, not much thought in what is written in the bio and most just want you to follow them on other social media accounts. Needless to say.....during quarantine I was poppin online. My profile was 3 sentences but it was witty and highlighted my personality. The niggas ate it the fuck up!! In box on triple full. Though not optpmistic about the process and not even expecting to do it for a long time, I put up only 2 pics. One with minimal makeup, the other full on glam.

The Trucker bka Bubba

The first guy to inbox me that I matched with. A northerner, 29 new to the area looking for a thrill. So damn cute with a full time job. Ambitious rapper in the making with a lil dental dysfunction but he cute. We met at a restaurant practicing social distancing,went to the airport and watched plans take off while smoking blunts and listening to his mixtape. Lets just say we met and he friend zoned me. lol

The 29 yr old too old to know better to young to still be a dumb nigga.

Flashy ass navy vet...well he was a cook on a submarine. It was all good when we met until he got upset when we talked music. He started playing music from a British rapper whose lyrics were worst than a mumble rapper on a mediocre beat. I wasn’t impressed and honestly when exposed to dummy shit for too long my head hurts and I get the urge to want to pick up a book. I was like “Enough is enough please change to an artist who reads books.”, that set him off. We went from falling in love to instant hate in the matter of minutes. He screamed and yelled and got into a verbal shouting match about rappers. I exited immediately. “I’m out! I’m gonna go read, I’ll leave you with the writer who raps about seasoning a girl like shes chicken.” The nigga must of thought that line was so cold cuz he said it twice.

The Porn Star

An army vet and personal trainer at the local L.A Fitness. Recently divorced with 2 daughters old enough to jump me and film it and edit it to upload on Instagram. I remained on my best behavior to keep from becoming the next Katt Williams even though I was ready to devour him like the chocolate drop he is.

This barbie plays with G.I Joe

We sent pictures back and forth via text. He cute and could dress. Then pictures morphed to videos and to my surprise...they were explicit....or was I surprised. Snippets of him half naked morphed to butt ass naked. Well ok than fat dick daddy, show me all the goods! So i asked questions and got a link to a few videos and really got to see what Fat Dick G.I Joe was working with. Thank you. So he asked me out but when we met I noticed his body was better in person. Total body babe. But....he looked better from a distance or with a hat on. We went to the drive in, it was his first time. We attempted to make out, which lead to attempting to ride his face but the damn console was in the damn way of his BMW coupe.

The Help Desk Customer Service Rep...who thinks hes the smartest in the room and loves to play devils advocate.

My issue is how every conversation got sexual, but he never sent no dick pic or print. Don’t talk about it be about it. On our first date we went to the park. We discovered a park neither of us have been too. New to the city from Miami, the chocolate dread head with a rapper name was comfortable around me. Not afraid to reach for my hand nor place his hand around my waist. However, the good comes with the bad and at times he got too comfortable. Standing behind me with his dick pressed up on my ass like we posing for a mall photo graph with matching air brush tees. We don’t go together, fuck is you doin? Back the fuck up. Talking to him at times would be just too much. Asking him about his job got so technical. He gave me the run around but using my context clues, I’ve come to the conclusion that he works remotely as a tech help desk rep. Needless to say, every convo was either about sex or just overly complicated.

The Virgo

Successful entrepreneur feeling the pressure of the Chinese virus, the flashy Nigerian was handsome and well dressed. Pulled up in a smooth white Mercedes SUV. Literally called me up and said “Hey! Wyd? Lets link up.” Excited, he went on to encourage me to get out the house. “Come on, lets be spontaneous.” No usually I don’t do this, I require a minimum of 24 hr advance notice,but I wasn’t do a damn thing. Wine and good convo. I won’t say we hit off in love but we defiantly had a good time.

My Girl Gotta Girlfriend

......and y the fuck not cuz these niggas ain’t shit. She cute and got a fat ass. I’m so inexperienced I wouldn’t know what to do with it but curiosity scissor with 2 fat wet cats. A married flight attendant and drama nerd. No kids and 2 incomes....y'all lookin for a third? “Sure!” she texted back, “If you don’t mind a nerd with a beard.” Suga moma is that you? Spoil me, please. “Are you interested in being the third?” Possibly.

The Poet

Mid 40′s with 3 kids. Sends poems filled with emojis and giphys like an millennial. He gets mad if I don’t text him daily. He wants me to chase him and call him. Wants me to be all in my feelings over him and i have zero reason to. He has put the least amount of effort into pursuing m. He acts like he wants a boyfriend. He is sensitive, a little 2 sensitive to be the father of 3.

#dating #online dating #online dates #guys #relationship #love #lovers #Girl Talk #girl problems #dating problems #quarentine #covidquarantine #covid2019 #bumble #tender #eharmony

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corellianangel · 7 years

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When they don’t stay dead. Part 2

A/N: Never mind Force-ghosts and the odd nightsister… Star Wars is full of the undead. These are bits and pieces based on the old canon derived from the novel “Death Troopers” by Joe Schreiber, published in 2009. It established a zombie plague in the Star Wars old canon universe. It takes place about a year and half before episode IV, featuring Han and Chewbacca in a classic escape the Zombie hordes scenario. A fun romp if you have a mind to read it.

Zombies have carried over to the new Disney canon in the pre-ESB era to include all of our ANH heroes in the video game Star Wars: Commander. Which might be explored here. Along with the vampiric Crimson Queen of Ktath’atn, presented in the new Marvel Doctor Aphra series; there will be plenty of zombies for an intrepid smuggler to deal with.

So as this is a horror romp: Lots of warnings apply. Gore, angst, violence, etc. No Beta readers were harmed in its production, as it’s impossible to find someone to Beta cheezy horror fics.

Timeline: Star Wars Rebellion era within canon (including old and new canon) ...more or less.

When they don’t stay dead. Part 2

1.5 BBY - after the evacuation of the Imperial Star Destroyer Vector

The abandoned Imperial prison barge Purge’s former chief medical officer Doctor Zahara Cody wrapped up the medisensor of the stolen Imperial shuttle. Disconnecting the leads from the module, she tossed the probe’s sanitary covers into the disposal receptacle at her feet. She pushed up her visor and noticed a shallow scrape on her patient’s shoulder. Touching it with gentle prodding fingers, she gave it last look, ensuring it was not greying at the edges like a claw or bite mark from an Infected. One of those, from where they had just escaped; would be a quick death sentence for the young smuggler, and perhaps anyone eventually within reach. But it was healing well under the bacta salve, and Cody began pulling off her gloves in satisfaction.

“The I71A virus pathogen in your bloodstream, has fallen to levels undetectable by this set of equipment. “ She tossed the gloves in the disposal, taking a step back to allow Solo to stand up from the examination table. As the Corellian reached for his trousers and shirt, Cody’s eyes raked over Solo’s lean form appreciatively. Doctor or no, she was still a woman, one who could and did separate duty from pleasure; but as humanoid males went, the smuggler captain Han Solo was easier on the eyes than most. Zahara tucked away a small smile, thankful for the brief distraction from the horrors they’d just been through mere days earlier. She made a show of packing up the sensor module, while pretending not to watch him.

“‘Undetectable,’ not gone, though...Right Doc?” Solo asked, muffled by the cotton fabric he was pulling over his tousled brown head of hair. Bronzed muscle bunched and flexed across his scarred torso. Doc turned her back to him as his hazel eyes caught hers, glittering with amusement at her attention. “Any chance it might come back? Could I infect others...Or-, or change like those-, those zombie things.” Solo gestured with his thumb behind him, indicating the undead hordes they’d escaped a few days earlier.

“No.” Doctor Cody interrupted. “ Shouldn’t anyway. The Sickness was a local hive virus. It would need to replicate enough of itself to attain that self-awareness it requires to ‘wake up.’ Since the four of us are hardly enough sustainable infected cellular biomass for activation, it should be safe. Though it’ll be safer if we split up, as suggested.”

“So, it’s not liable to mutate. Letsay like a cold or flu?”

Doctor Cody paused, thinking. Solo had a point. She’d used the onboard computers patched into the med-bay to perform analysis after analysis - running it through the medical simulators. She’d been looking for mutations that could result in different infection vectors. The chances were low, to the point of one in quadrillions. The virus degraded, as it was dependant on that core sentient bio-mass. Though, as in all things there was always a chance.

“Of course. Yes it almost certainly will, if given chance. But as for a more virulent strain, or easier vectors - I’m not sure it can get worse. Odds are pretty low.” she muttered. “BUT, You are not a naturally immune individual, only immunized. There’s always the chance the immunity may fade with time.” Cody waggled a finger in Solo’s face for emphasis.

“Odds have a way of catching up with me, or me with them. Not a big believer in ‘em.” Solo grunted, tugging on a tattered pair of second-hand trousers that hung off his narrow hips, yet remained centimeters too short for his long frame. Solo puffed at it in exasperation, “Damn pants…” He sniffed, then scowled at the rough tan workboots he’d scavenged from a tech's locker onboard the stolen vessel. “I don’t need to worry about-, y’know- dyin’ in the wrong place, and um...comin’ back.”

Cody rolled her eyes and snatched the boots from him, spraying the interior with a readily available disinfectant. She handed them back, dangling them off her pinkie by their bindings.

“Not unless the virus mutates and adapts. It's DNA chain - as it is, is very fragile. It's showing signs of breaking into unduplicatable segments in your bloodstream, despite persistent attempts to bond to your human DNA. Unless your body somehow harbors the virus in some reservoir like your lymphatic system, or your liver, or in the dense bundles of neurons...” Here Doctor Cody lost her patience, “It can change, okay. It might. It might not. It’s so hard to know….Whatever! I can't predict everything.” She slammed the lid shut on a medical equipment case harder than she intended. A piece of plastic broke off the hinge and now the lid wobbled. Cursing, she shoved it into its resident compartment. Her body was numb, her mind on hyperdrive with guilt and what-if scenarios. Her eyes stung, and she swiped at them with the heel of her palm. Cody collapsed onto a nearby stool, barely holding herself together.

The doctor in Cody would immediately suggest counselling, anti depressants— probably antipsychotics if she'd heard the resultant story without knowing better. Actually she’d most likely recommend sedation in case of another violent psychotic episode - under Imperial medical protocol, of course.

Doctor Cody silently filed her self-diagnosis away for later.

“Hey-,” Cody jumped. Warm, not the terror of icy fleshless hands, closed around the curve of her shoulder. “You did good Doc.” Solo said in a surprisingly soft voice. “You saved who you could. And Chewie and me really owe you one.”

“ I don't want to be responsible for the next outbreak.” Cody admitted quietly. She marvelled at how the smuggler was coping. How any of them were holding themselves together? How many thousands died on that Star Destroyer? How many millions if this got planetside somewhere?

Could any of them ever be safe? Or were they themselves now the biggest risk?

“You won't be. Chewie‘n me made a deal ‘tween us. One takes out the other if something happens with this virus. It's the only deal we got like that. Y’see it violates his life-debt. But even the Wook thinks this is too important.” Sensing, that Cody had calmed, Solo stepped back. He did a quick spin on his heel, displaying his array of sagging, mismatched cast offs; which made Cody choke back a laugh.

“Very lovely. Ready for a Royal ball.” Cody teased. “It might be an improvement on the prison uniform,” she observed wryly, crossing her arms and leaning against the narrow bulkhead. “ At least you won’t get arrested as soon as we land.”

“That bad? Huh…” Solo grimaced down his secondhand clothing. He fetched the salvaged blaster from his dwindling pile of undonned gear. Twirling the weapon around his finger with a flourish, he dropped it into the dipped hollow between his hip and belt, and held out his hands - palms up and hip-cocked like the rogue he was. “Good thing, there’s no royalty in my future. Huh?”

The doctor let out a sarcastic laugh, “Not likely. Especially if you don’t get up to this shuttle’s wreck of a cockpit so we can get to a decent port.”

The smuggler tossed Cody a smirk and a wink. With a sharp salute, Solo then bowed gallantly and swung out into the hall in a swaggering canter, intent on getting them all to safety. Despite his performance, Cody was still hesitant about their prospects. They could never reveal what they'd been through. To anyone–ever. Nobody in their right mind would believe them. And individuals who carried knowledge of a hideous failed Imperial bio-weapon would be quickly silenced before they could fancy getting anyone to believe them in the first place. And then there was that stigma of potentially being carriers of future infection.

Cody would remain with the naturally immune boy, Trig Longo. The two immunized smugglers would carry on together. For the most part, they would never speak of the Purge and the Star Destroyer Vector again, unless it was a confession well-greased by triple-digit proof alcoholic spirits.

It was a secret they all would die with.

Assuming they actually stayed down and dead when that time came.

#sw #fanfiction #zombies #Han Solo #blackwing #pre-ANH

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riskhedge · 5 years

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The Best “Pick-and-Shovel” Play for the Online Grocery Boom

By Justin Spittler

Everyone knows online shopping revolutionized how we buy clothing, electronics, and other merchandise.

Many malls across the country have closed their doors because people simply don’t shop at malls like they once did. Instead they buy things online. After a few days, the things show up at their doorstep.

The media nicknamed this phenomenon the “Retail Apocalypse.” And it has led to…

The “Rewiring” of American Real Estate

Amazon (AMZN) alone ships 5 billion packages a year. That’s more than 13 million packages per day.

To ensure these packages make it to their destination, a whole new network of infrastructure was built out. Industrial warehouses and distribution centers form the heart of this network.

These facilities store, process, and ship the packages you order online.

You might drive by an industrial warehouse on your way to work. They’re generally non-descript cement buildings, located off highways. They can stretch over a quarter mile long. And they usually have dozens of trucks docked outside.

Without these centers, online shopping would be impossible. And the stocks of companies that operate them have been great investments. Just look at the returns you could have made…

Terreno Realty (TRNO)—a company that owns a portfolio of warehouses—has surged 187% since the start of 2014.

First Industrial Realty (FR), another warehouse operator, is up 111%. Prologis (PLD) is up 117%. And Duke Realty (DRE) is up 105%. The S&P 500 rose just 67% over the same period.

If You Missed Out on This Run, It’s Not Too Late

There’s a second real estate transformation happening now… thanks to the boom in online grocery shopping.

In just the last five years, online grocery sales have tripled. By 2023, the market is expected to quadruple again.

It’s easy to see why. Visiting the grocery store is a chore. The typical American family spends over a hundred hours a year shopping for groceries. A lot of that time is spent in the car and waiting in the checkout line.

Online shopping eliminates all that. It leaves you with more time to spend with your family, friends, and doing things you like.

This might surprise you, but…

The US Lags Behind Many Countries in Online Grocery Shopping

Last year, groceries accounted for just 1.6% of total US online sales. In China, they accounted for 3.8%. In Japan and South Korea, they accounted for 7.1% and 8.3% of total online sales.

You don’t see this often. Normally, the US is a leader in tech trends. In this case, it has some catching up to do.

There’s every reason to believe online grocery shopping will catch on soon in the US. The Food Marketing Institute and Nielsen predict 70% of consumers will try buying groceries online within the next four to six years. This should push grocery sales to 3.5% of total online sales by 2023.

Will Grocery Stories Disappear?

We’re not necessarily headed for a “Grocery Store Apocalypse.” But much like retail did, the industry will evolve.

Grocery stores will shrink because there will be fewer people walking up and down the aisles. They’ll store more food and beverage offsite.

As you can imagine, regular warehouses aren’t adequate for storing and processing groceries. Unlike most of the things you might buy on Amazon, groceries go bad.

A grocer can’t place a frozen chicken or a bunch of broccoli in a box and mail it to you. They have to keep the food fresh.

Cold storage warehouses store frozen and fresh food before it reaches a supermarket. About 96% of frozen food stops by one of these warehouses before reaching the grocery store.

Cold storage warehouses are specialized facilities. They aren’t cheap or easy to build. They require extensive piping, large HVAC systems, and a whole lot of refrigeration.

So, it’s unlikely Amazon, WalMart, or any other online grocer will build their own. Instead, they’ll leave cold storage to the pros.

I Like Americold Realty Trust (COLD)

Americold is a leader in cold storage. It owns and operates 156 warehouses and about 928 million cubic feet of temperature-controlled storage.

The company has been around for decades. But it went public back in January 2018… and it’s been on a tear since then, as you can see here:

Americold’s stock has rocketed 112% since its IPO. I expect it to climb much higher as online groceries catch on.

About 82% of Americold’s sales come from the United States. And Americold commands a 23% market share in the US. Lineage Logistics is the only bigger player in the space, and it’s private. You can’t buy its stock.

Americold serves some of the biggest players in the food and beverage space. I’m talking Walmart, Kroger, Trader Joe’s, and Beyond Meat.

Finally, Americold pays a 2.5% dividend. The S&P 500, for perspective, yields 1.9%.

Americold is a unique and safe way to capitalize on the emerging online grocery market. But it also offers plenty of upside. I wouldn’t be surprised if its stock doubles over the next two to three years as online groceries take off.

Download our free report The Great Disruptors: 3 Breakthrough Stocks Set to Double Your Money. These stocks will hand you 100% gains as they disrupt whole industries.

#online grocery shopping #online grocery #online grocery delivery #online grocery storage

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ladystylestores · 4 years

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Why Isn’t the ‘Southern Strategy’ Working?

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Good morning. There are long lines for coronavirus tests. Tech companies are pulling back from Hong Kong. And President Trump’s racial appeals don’t seem to be working.

The so-called Southern strategy — appealing to white voters by focusing on racial issues — has worked very well for the Republican Party. It has helped the party persuade many frustrated white working-class voters that the Democratic Party doesn’t care about them.

Richard Nixon’s campaign invented the strategy, and he won the presidency twice. Ronald Reagan praised “states’ rights” in a tiny Mississippi county known for a Ku Klux Klan triple murder. George H.W. Bush ran the notorious Willie Horton advertisement. The Southern strategy has been “the most successful strategy in the history of modern politics,” Cornell Belcher, a Democratic strategist, told me.

The basic bet has been that Republicans win when voters focus on race. Steve Bannon, who helped run President Trump’s campaign, described the flip side of the idea, in 2017: “The Democrats,” Bannon said, “I want them to talk about racism every day.”

Sure enough, Trump has put race at the center of his re-election message. He did so in two aggressive speeches over the weekend and defended the Confederate flag yesterday. “Almost every day in the last two weeks, Mr. Trump has sought to stoke white fear and resentment,” Maggie Haberman writes. (She’s also on today’s episode of The Daily.)

And yet this time seems different: The strategy isn’t working. Trump’s poll numbers are slumping, and some of his 2016 supporters cite racial issues as a reason they plan to vote for Joe Biden.

Why is the Southern strategy suddenly flailing? I count four main reasons:

The country is changing. It becomes more racially diverse each year. And most Americans under age 35 are quite liberal. The horror of the George Floyd video and the ensuing protest movement have also changed the minds of many Americans.

People are afraid. Historically, many white Americans didn’t see how racism hurt them, Belcher said. But he now hears white voters in focus groups say they’re worried that the country is coming apart. “They talk about, if we continue on this trajectory, it’s going to be dismal for our kids,” he said.

Trump has gone too far. Most white Americans remain moderate to conservative on immigration, affirmative action and more. But many also believe police departments are biased, and many don’t like symbols of slavery. Reagan offered an optimistic, patriotic message that let many voters downplay or overlook his racial appeals. Trump is practically forcing voters to take sides on racism, Terrance Woodbury, another Democratic strategist, told CNN’s Ron Brownstein.

Voters are simply too unhappy with Trump’s handling of the coronavirus. “As long as that’s true,” The Times’s Nate Cohn told me, “I don’t see how he has the freedom to employ wedge issues.”

Of course, the usual caveat applies: The campaign still has four months left.

For more: FiveThirtyEight’s Clare Malone has written a brief history of how the Republican Party “spent decades making itself white.” And The Times’s Emily Cochrane reports from Maine on Senator Susan Collins’s effort to win re-election despite Trump’s unpopularity there.

THREE MORE BIG STORIES

1. Testing troubles

As the United States nears three million coronavirus cases, many cities and states are still struggling with testing. Sites in New Orleans have run out of tests five minutes after doors open. In Phoenix, where temperatures have topped 100 degrees, residents have waited in cars for as long as eight hours to get tested.

While testing has increased considerably since April, it has not kept pace with the recent explosion of the virus. Some experts blame the lack of a federal system, which has led cities to compete for testing labs and supplies.

In other virus developments:

2. Plans for the fall semester

The fall semester is starting to take shape, with most colleges planning to open — but not with business as usual. Harvard will teach all courses remotely and no more than 40 percent of undergrads will live on campus. Georgia Tech plans to resume in-person classes without requiring face masks, leading more than 850 faculty members to sign a letter expressing concern.

One deterrent for going online-only: Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced yesterday that international students enrolled at universities without in-person classes would have to leave the country or transfer to another college. It’s part of the Trump administration’s continuing crackdown on immigration.

3. Unrest over Phoenix police shooting

Another video of a shooting by police — this time with officers in Phoenix fatally shooting a man in a parked car over the weekend — is leading to protests.

Police officials said the victim, James Porter Garcia, had pointed a handgun at one of the officers before he was shot. But a friend told local news media that Garcia was unarmed, and activists have demanded the release of body-camera footage from the officers who shot him.

IDEA OF THE DAY: Pop culture at the Supreme Court

In a unanimous Supreme Court decision yesterday — holding that members of the Electoral College cannot vote for whichever candidate they want — Justice Elena Kagan referred to both the musical “Hamilton” and to the television show “Veep.” We asked Adam Liptak, The Times’s Supreme Court reporter, for some context, and he replied:

The two best writers on the Supreme Court are generally thought to be Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Elena Kagan, and neither is a stranger to pop culture references.

In 2008, Chief Justice Roberts quoted (some say misquoted) Bob Dylan in explaining why the plaintiff lacked standing in a dispute between two phone companies. Instead of citing a case to back up a legal proposition, he cited a lyric: “When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose.” (What Dylan actually sings, of course, is, “When you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose.”)

The chief justice, 65, also drew on the classic rock canon at the argument of a copyright case in 2011. “What about Jimi Hendrix, right?” he asked. “He has a distinctive rendition of the national anthem.”

Justice Kagan, 60, has made her own contributions. In a 2013 case concerning signs on trucks, she gave a hypothetical example of one: “How am I driving? Call 213-867-5309.” That was a sly reference to “867-5309/Jenny,” Tommy Tutone’s indelible 1981 hit, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and will still get people of a certain age onto the dance floor at college reunions.

PLAY, WATCH, EAT, CHEER

Get baking

Maple-blueberry scones are “the perfect thing to bake when you’re looking to funnel some angst into something delicious,” writes the cookbook author Dorie Greenspan.

They are big and glazed and possess a unique texture — tender and flaky at the same time — thanks to a technique for mixing the butter with flour. Created by the chef Joanne Chang for her Flour Bakery + Cafe in Boston, you can find the recipe here.

Read a timely new memoir

“The Beauty in Breaking,” written by Michele Harper, chronicles her life as an emergency room physician through the lens of the patients she has treated. Each chapter highlights a different case, like a newborn baby who isn’t breathing. Along the way, Harper tells her own story — of experiencing abuse, divorce, racism and sexism, and of becoming a doctor. Elisabeth Egan, an editor at The Times Book Review, called the book a “riveting, heartbreaking, sometimes difficult, always inspiring story.”

Baseball sets a date

Major League Baseball announced that its season would begin on July 23 with a game between the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals. But will it actually happen? Some players and managers are skeptical.

At least four teams have canceled workouts this week because of virus-testing delays, and several players have already said they will sit out the season. “We haven’t done any of the things that other countries have done to bring sports back,” Sean Doolittle, the Nationals’ closer, told The Washington Post. “Sports are like the reward of a functioning society.”

Diversions

Games

Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Guacamole ingredient (five letters).

You can find all of our puzzles here.

Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David

P.S. Dana Canedy, the administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes and a former Times journalist, will run the namesake imprint at Simon & Schuster. It is one of the biggest jobs in book publishing, and she is the first Black person to hold it.

You can see today’s print front page here.

Today’s episode of “The Daily” is about Trump’s re-election campaign.

Subscribers help us report stories from around the world. Please consider subscribing today.

Ian Prasad Philbrick and Sanam Yar contributed to The Morning. You can reach the team at [email protected].

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warninggraphiccontent · 4 years

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15 May 2020

Losing the plot

When it comes to data visualisation, we all make mistakes. We all need to make mistakes. And the recent revolution in data visualisation is still new enough that it's wonderful to see people trying to use and visualise data. There's a balance to be struck between perfectionist pedantry (I'm still often guilty) and encouraging people to have a go. Therefore, I try not to criticise people for slightly substandard charts.

I made an exception this week. We should expect better from government. And poor visualisation is just one aspect of the government's muddled communication of the numbers.

Elsewhere:

The government's coronavirus recovery strategy had (only) a couple of interesting references to data: a vague reference to 'robust safety measures' when it came to contact tracing - we should expect more, quickly, especially since (as Peter points out) the reference to Asian countries raises more questions than it answers - and a vague reference to rewiring the state. Much more from the IfG on the coronavirus crisis and lifting lockdown restrictions here.

People are still updating our collaborative spreadsheet on data-related developments, transparency things and mortality stats (thank you!). Find it here - further additions always welcome.

My former colleague Nicole is now at the Royal College of Nursing, and she's recruiting - take a look at the ads for Digital Content Officer and Senior Media Officer.

On the subject of nursing... it was Florence Nightingale's birthday this week, the Lady with the Lamp also being a pioneer in the use and visualisation of data. Some bonus links below.

And another anniversary - it was International Dylan Thomas Day yesterday, marking the premiere of Under Milk Wood. Which is as good an excuse as any to revisit the West Glamorgan Youth Theatre Company's lockdown production of the opening scene, starring various people who can actually act, and me.

Have a lovely weekend

Gavin

Today's links:

Flo charts

Happy 200th birthday #FlorenceNightingale! (Royal Society)

Florence Nightingale is a Design Hero (Nightingale)

Florence Nightingale the Angel of the Crimea (British Library)

International Nurses Day: what would Florence do on the COVID-19 front line? (Nursing Standard)

Special issue: Florence Nightingale (Significance)

Tips, tech, etc

The new rules to living in lockdown (The Observer)

Presentations post-Covid? (Matt Jukes)

Free-Range Working (Convivio)

In cycling there’s a thing called a “false flat” (@Lesley_NOPE)

Easing physical and mental strain in the workplace (Open Access Government)

Keeping our employees and partners safe during #coronavirus (Twitter)

What we’ve learned about mental health during lockdown (Prospect)

Graphic content

Viral content: cases

Coronavirus tracked: the latest figures as countries fight to contain the pandemic (FT)

NHK conducted an experiment to see how germs spread at a cruise buffet (via Spoon & Tamago)

Where U.S. coronavirus cases are on the rise (Reuters)

Without A Vaccine, Herd Immunity Won’t Save Us (FiveThirtyEight)

Majority black counties see triple the Covid death rate* (Bloomberg)

Coronavirus Australia data update: Covid-19 active and new cases, numbers, map and statistics (The Guardian)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) related deaths by occupation, England and Wales: deaths registered up to and including 20 April 2020 (ONS)

Russia’s Covid death toll could be 70 per cent higher than official figure* (FT)

Nowcasting and Forecasting of COVID-19 (MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge)

Viral content: the economy

How bad is unemployment? Literally off the charts* (New York Times)

Invidious choices await Sunak in tackling cost of virus crisis* (FT)

One month, 20.5 million jobs lost (Reuters)

Why 1.4 Million Health Jobs Have Been Lost During a Huge Health Crisis* (The Upshot)

Viral content: lifting lockdown

Disease modelers are wary of reopening the country. Here’s how they arrive at their verdict.* (Washington Post)

Americans’ Commitment to Social Distancing Is Eroding* (Bloomberg)

Lifting lockdown: what Britain can learn from the rest of the world* (The Times, via Cath)

London is most vulnerable to coronavirus outbreak in the UK* (FT)

Phone data identify travel hubs at risk of a second wave of infections* (The Economist)

Britain on the move even before Johnson eased lockdown, data show* (FT)

Getting Britain working (safely) again (Resolution Foundation)

What would happen if Londoners tried to go back to normal on a socially-distanced Underground? (The Guardian)

Viral content: everything else

This is live @CitizensAdvice web traffic from 7- 7:35 pm (i.e. #borisspeech) (Gemma)

A Study Said Covid Wasn’t That Deadly. The Right Seized It.* (New York Times)

COVID19 Grants Tracker (360Giving)

A Pandemic That Cleared Skies and Halted Cities Isn’t Slowing Global Warming* (Bloomberg)

Facemasks: would you wear one? (Behavioural Insights Team)

Anti-viral content

GDP first quarterly estimate, UK: January to March 2020 (ONS)

Freedom of information (Oliver for IfG)

The civil service after Brexit: lessons from the Article 50 period (Maddy, Haydon and Joe for IfG - charts here)

What Does Opportunity Look Like Where You Live?* (New York Times)

What's at stake in Britain's post-Brexit trade talks? (The Guardian)

#dataviz

Poor chart rating for the government’s coronavirus communications strategy (me for IfG)

The dataviz in the PM's statement... (Mark Edwards)

Someone who is good at equations please help me (Policy Sketchbook)

Counting the human cost of Covid-19: 'Numbers tell a story words can't' (The Guardian)

Visualising Odds Ratio (Henry Lau)

A plan for accessible charts (Benjy Stanton)

How data journalists became the rock stars of news (BBC Sounds)

EXPLORE EXPLAIN S1 E3: JOHN BURN-MURDOCH (Visualising Data)

Meta data

Viral content: contact details (UK)

The code behind the NHS Covid-19 App (NHSX)

Also FAQs, DPIA (via Jim Killock)

UK starts to build second contact tracing app* (FT)

UK could switch to a different contact tracing app, says minister* (FT)

NHS coronavirus advisory board split over ditching government app (The Guardian)

Just how anonymous is the NHS Covid-19 contact tracing app?* (Wired)

Secret NHS files reveal plans for coronavirus contact tracing app* (Wired)

To trust the contact tracing app, we need safeguards* (Harriet Harman for The Times)

Harman seeks to bring private member’s bill over contact tracing* (Computer Weekly)

Analysis of the NHSX Contact Tracing App ‘Isle of Wight’ Data Protection Impact Assessment (Michael Veale)

Who governs? Platform privilege, contact tracing and APIs. (Richard Pope)

The tech firms getting their hands on NHS patient data to fight coronavirus (The Bureau of Investigative Journalism)

Coronavirus: Send virus alerts within 24 hours or risk second wave, scientist warns (Sky News)

Coronavirus contact tracing at risk unless vital info shared with councils (Local Government Association)

Only 50% of Britons would download NHS tracing app – poll (The Observer)

Workplace testing – guidance for employers (ICO)

Viral content: contact details (international)

How Europe splintered over contact tracing apps* (FT)

A flood of coronavirus apps are tracking us. Now it’s time to keep track of them.* (MIT Technology Review, via Alice)

India made its contact tracing app mandatory. Now people are angry* (Wired)

Nearly 40% of Icelanders are using a covid app—and it hasn’t helped much* (MIT Technology Review)

How Google and Apple outflanked governments in the race to build coronavirus apps (Politico)

Viral content: lies, damn lies, and...

The government’s daily briefings on #Covid_19 are "not trustworthy communication of statistics" says Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter (Andrew Marr Show)

Boris Johnson’s Covid-19 threat alert system is a parody of mathematical precision* (New Statesman)

Sir David Norgrove letter to Matt Hancock regarding COVID-19 testing (UKSA)

There’s always a “but”: why Covid-19 statistics never tell the whole story* (Prospect)

The armchair epidemiologists (Office for Statistics Regulation)

Viral content: what's a pirate's favourite epidemiological number?

R: A thread on real-time estimation and false precision... (Adam Kucharski)

The R-number – and the danger of false certainty* (The Spectator)

We should be very wary of the R value (UnHerd)

Viral content: everything else

Understanding the impact of coronavirus on the workforce (ONS)

Coronavirus: record ethnicity on all death certificates to start building a clearer picture (The Conversation)

Want to know how relevant the new government guidance on walking and cycling is to your area? I've got census data and ranked local authorities by public transport to work mode share (Jack Maizels, via Lee)

UK Data for Assessing COVID-19 Activity (CEBM, University of Oxford)

Why we cannot afford to leave technology to the experts – the case for public engagement at times of crisis (Ada Lovelace Institute)

Exclusive: Test data from commercial labs going into ‘black hole’ (HSJ)

Goodhart’s law comes back to haunt the UK’s Covid strategy* (FT)

The pandemic has spawned a new way to study medical records* (The Economist)

Viral misinformation

This Woman Says Her Photos Were Stolen In A Viral Post About The COVID-19 Death Of Her Uncle David. She Doesn’t Have An Uncle David. (BuzzFeed)

‘Conspiracy bingo’: Trans-Atlantic extremists seize on the pandemic (Politico)

Platform announcements

How Government as a Platform is meeting challenges posed by coronavirus (GDS)

Scaling up GOV.UK Verify to help during coronavirus (GDS)

DWP takes centre stage in future of Gov.uk Verify (Computer Weekly)

HM Treasury tells GDS: No further online services can use Gov.uk Verify (Computer Weekly)

Anti-viral content

People, Power and Technology 2020 (Doteveryone)

Launch event video (Doteveryone)

Better Redress for the Digital Age (Doteveryone)

The Online Resolution Service: a prototype of a shared platform for online complaints (Doteveryone)

UK police adopting facial recognition, predictive policing without public consultation (Verdict)

Machine Intelligence Garage Ethics Framework (Digital Catapult)

Facebook is quietly helping to set up a new pro-tech advocacy group to battle Washington* (Washington Post)

Rest of World: Reporting Global Tech Stories

Smart Cities in a time of crisis - London calling with an open data focus (diginomica)

Alphabet Spinoff SIP Aims To ‘Future Proof’ Infrastructure With Tech & $400M Series A (Crunchbase)

Don’t Regulate Artificial Intelligence: Starve It (Scientific American)

Digital transformation in the NHS (NAO)

Using FOI to protect social housing and council property (mySociety)

Opportunities

JOB: Data Journalist (DfT, via Quantum of Sollazzo)

JOB: Beneficial Technology, Analyst (Omidyar Network)

JOB: Help us be bolder using technology for good (Citizens Advice)

JOB: Lead User Researcher (Parliamentary Digital Service)

Call for IRM Local and National Researchers (Open Government Partnership)

GRANT: Next Generation Internet (NGI) Policy-in-Practice Fund (Nesta)

EVENTS: REIMAGINING GOVERNMENT: AN ANZSOG AND CENTRE FOR PUBLIC IMPACT SERIES

EVENT: Public Health Interventions, Data, and Privacy: Countering COVID-19 with Technology and Trust. (The Alan Turing Institute)

And finally...

Viral content

School teacher hilariously marks government’s lockdown chart (The London Economic, via Pritesh)

Things to do while #StayingHome... (Microsoft 365)

DIY hairdressers under covid-19 lockdown tend it like Beckham* (The Economist)

Anti-viral content

Global population density (Alasdair Rae)

State topographic maps (via Randy Olson)

I was bored. (Stephen Bush, via Alice)

Enormouse data (Martin Lewis)

colors.lol

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josephlrushing · 5 years

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2019 Holiday Gift Guide: There’s Something for Everyone and for Every Budget!

2019 is quickly zipping by, and you know what that means — the holiday season is now upon us! If you’re now faced with trying to figure out what to get for the people on your gift-giving list, take a look at these items we’ve rounded up; we have something for everyone and for every budget!

Activ5

The Activ5 is a $129.90 (and up) portable isometric fitness device that allows you to get in a workout regardless of where you are. Paired with a smartphone and the companion training app, you can reach your personal fitness goals in as little as five minutes per session in your home, office, or even sitting in an airplane (I’ve tried it!). This would be a perfect gift for anyone who is interested in fitness but has a hard time making time for it, and it’s great for those New Years’ resolutions to start off 2020.

Google Nest Hub Max

If you’ve been looking for a great ecosystem for your home that works with an unlimited amount of third party accessories, Google’s Nest products are a fantastic start, but most specifically the $229 Google Nest Hub Max. Great for the nightstand or even your kitchen, its built-in Nest cam can recognize your face to give you personalized messages, including how long it will take you to get to work, the weather for the day, and more. And if you are one to cook in the kitchen, you can follow Youtube recipes, or just play Spotify to set the right mood.

Ninja Foodi Grill

A do-all kitchen device that’s shown its value just in a few months, the $199.99 Ninja Foodi Grill is a perfect gift for someone who has everything else. Even if they have an Air Fryer, or a Sous Vide, the Ninja Foodi Grill is a 5-in-1 device that looks incredible on your countertop all while making your food be the highlight. The Food Grill is virtually smokeless, allowing you to Grill, air crisp, bake, roast or dehydrate your foods with ease. If you or someone you know is an apartment dweller but wants that char-grilled taste to their meats, or simply want to eat a bit healthier, the Ninja Foodi Grill is the device to have in your checkout bin.

Helm Audio True Wireless 5.0 Headphones

Named the most awarded headphone brand at CTA, the Helm Audio True Wireless 5.0 are the only headphones on the market that not only feature Qualcomm APTX with AAC low latency audio, but feature noise isolation, deep bass, Bluetooth 5.0, and a secure fit that doesn’t hurt after wearing for hours (averaging 9 hours on a single charge). Did I mention that at $89.99, they are significantly cheaper than any of their competitors including Jabra and AirPods?

Gourmia GCM7000 Coffee Maker

Whether you like to use Nespresso pods, Starbucks Verismo pods, or even your own freshly ground espresso beans, the $129.99 Gourmia E-Z Espresso Machine can handle it! The E-Z Espresso has four adapters so that one machine can do it all with two cup sizes. Brighten someone’s mornings and afternoons with a properly made cup of joe!

Philips 3200 LatteGo Super Automatic Espresso Machine

For the espresso connoisseur in your life, the Philips 3200 LatteGo may be the way to their heart. At $799, it’s not an inexpensive gift, but it makes a damn fine espresso as well as many other espresso drinks, including lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiatos all with the push of a button. Our full review is coming soon, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t recommend it for the holiday gift giving season.

Soul Ultra Wireless

An affordable over-ear pair of headphones, the Ultra Wireless by SOUL Electronics are headphones whose sound and price will knock your socks off. At only $69, the Ultra wireless headphones boast 36 hours of playtime on a single charge, dynamic sound, and Bluetooth 5.0 for superb connectivity to your devices. These would be the perfect gift for a student in your family to have waiting under the tree!

Saxx Underwear

Perfect for the man of the house, or even the active teen in your home, Saxx Underwear has been voted the World’s best underwear and for good reason. Saxx Underwear feature a “Ballpark pouch” to separate the “meat from the potatoes,” they feel incredible, they don’t chafe, and they won’t rise up inexplicably. You can pick up singles for as low as $25 a pair, or get a multi-pack for as low as $40.

Cleer Ally

Nowadays the standard for truly wireless listening is about 4.5 hours on a single charge. But what if I told you that there’s a pair of headphones that could get you through an entire workday without needing to be charged? That’s the $149.99 Cleer Ally. With ten hours on a single charge and touch-controls, the Ally are designed for every situation. Since they’re also IPX5 water and sweat proof, you can rock them in the gym; they won’t fall out thanks to the Freebit ear wings that give a secure fit so they don’t fly out when you shake your head.

Huawei Watch GT 2

Last year I reviewed the Huawei WatchGT, and I really enjoyed the experience. The $299.99 Huawei Watch GT 2 is the successor to that watch, and I’ve been wearing one for the past month — my review is coming soon. The Watch GT 2 builds upon the features I liked (like the 2 weeks of battery life), and it adds storage capacity for up to 500 MP3 songs to listen to during workouts, Bluetooth connectivity for calls at up to 150 meters, sleep tracking and analysis, and movement tracking with analysis. The watch looks great, and it’s a good fitness tracker with extra tricks.

Cleer Enduro 100

There are a lot of over-ear headphones on the market, but how many of them can boast over 100 hours of use on a single charge? Only one, and that’s the Cleer Enduro. Great for any audiophile, at only $179.99 the Enduro comes with Google Fast Pair, and the ability to be charged quickly with Fast Charge is also a highlight; ten minutes of charging will give you up to 13 hours of listening. Cleer Enduro’s lightweight design make these headphones great for listening in the office, or on the go. Definitely consider these for that family member who wants to tune out the world but often forgets to charge their cans.

Corkcicle

This is the Poketo colorway.

Corkcicle’s long been one of my favorite ways to carry my hot and cold beverages every day. With the ability to keep items hot for six hours or cold for up to 12, the triple-insulated canteen or tumbler comes with over 25 different designs to fit you or a family member’s style; they are completely dishwasher safe and are modestly priced starting at $23.95. Personal suggestion: The Unicorn Magic colorway looks great, but if you’re feeling a bit artsy, grab yourself the Basquiat.

FIFA 20

With plenty of days off around the holidays, get your football fan the 27th installment of FIFA for virtually all platforms including PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. With lifelike gameplay, at $59.95, FIFA 20 raises the bar by offering the new VOLTA FOOTBALL mode, that allows you to customize your player and gear to express their own personal style.

Hex 4-in-1 iPhone 11 Pro Max case

Yes, you can have it all! If you want an iPhone 11 case that can operate as a protective case, a folio, and as a wallet, you’re going to love the $99.95 Hex 4-in-1 iPhone 11 Pro Max case. It has 4-in-1 Functionality; you can use it as a Hybrid Case (Hybrid Case alone), a Wallet Case (Hybrid Case + Card Wallet), a Folio (Hybrid Case + Folio), and a Wallet Folio (Hybrid Case + Folio + Card Wallet). The Hybrid case even works with most magnetic car mounts and stands. The Card Wallet has 3 card slots with RFID blocking for fraud protection, and the offset magnet design allows for wireless charging when using the Hybrid Case. Perfect!

Madden 20

Even though we are more than halfway through the NFL season, there’s going to be plenty of opportunities to play the $59.95 Madden 20 over the Christmas Break when your favorite team isn’t playing. You can become the Face of the Franchise and control their NFL superstar’s journey starting in the College Football Playoff, competing against or with friends online or side by side. Players can take the league by storm, leading their team from pre-season to the Super Bowl at the center of every play. The brand-new X-Factor features let players feel the power of NFL Superstars, unleashing unique abilities that make stars feel like stars.

Traeger Pro Series 575 Pellet Grill

The $799.95 Traeger Pro Series 575 Pellet Grill combines a high-quality smoker with state of the art technology to create an amazing product. WiFi with WiFIRE technology will connect your grill to the internet allowing temps to be monitored and changed from a device anywhere in the world. The new D2 Direct Drive includes a direct drive variable speed fan and auger to compliment the Pro D2 Controller to provide consistency and precision which are integral in making great food. 575 sq. in. of cooking space should provide plenty of area to cook for the family or small party. Dad wants this.

NHL 20

Available for PS4 and Xbox One, NHL 20 introduces cutting-edge gameplay, revealing the next major innovation in RPM Tech-powered gameplay with Signature Shots. NHL stars now look and feel truly authentic with the trademark shooting-styles. New gameplay modes, including the battle royale-inspired Eliminator Mode, provide more ways for players to become kings of the ice. The $59.95 game is now available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Metomics

Metomics designer building blocks are made from precision-cut anodized aluminum; they connect together to form creations that are only limited by the number of building blocks you have and your imagination. Metomics blocks are colorful, fun to build with, and they articulate so that you can pose your creations. There are multiple sets and colors available — this $69.99 kit is for the gold T-Rex 3-in-1; the same kit will also build a Mecha (robot-looking dude) and a sparrow. T-Rex plans are included in the reusable box; you can scan the in-pack QR code to access digital instructions for the Mecha and Sparrow. Also, if you buy before December 2, you can take advantage of their Black Friday deals:

• Get 20% off everything with code BLACKFR19• Free shipping on all orders over £65 / US$85 (automatically applied after other discounts)

The Sims 4: Realm of Magic

Something magical is brewing this holiday season in The Sims 4: Realm of Magic game pack ($19.95). Sims fanatics can step into the spellbinding world of Glimmberbrook and experience the magic this supernatural pack has to offer: master the art of wizardry by learning to cast spells, summon a familiar for protection, collect and cast spells, or create various potions on platforms such as Origin for PC and Mac, and consoles like the PS4, and Xbox One.

Ooler Sleep System

Using the latest hydro-powered technology, Chili’s OOLER Sleep system ($699) is one of the best holiday gifts for couples. The mattress topper allows you and your spouse to adjust their own side of the bed to their desired temperature. So if you sleep hot, but your wife wants her side of the bed to feel like a freezer, the Ooler Sleep system can do this with a simple tap of the control unit or through the companion Ooler app.

Braven Flye Sport Rush

A truly wireless spin on their popular Flye cordless headphones, the $79.99 Braven Flye Sport Rush not only do away with the cable but boast a total of ten hours of playback time with two additional charges in the case, totaling 36 hours. Available in Black, White, or Blue, these are great wireless headphones.

Braven BRV-X/2

If you know someone in need of a Bluetooth Speaker, Braven’s BRV series is a GREAT purchase for yourself, or a gift for someone else. The $99.99 Braven BRV-X/2 is one of the few speakers on the market that floats in water thanks to its IPX7 waterproof rating. Perfect for sitting poolside or a winter tailgate, you can even pair it with another BRV-X/2 speaker for room rocking sounds for up to 18 hours.

Soundboks

If you’re looking for a larger speaker that is fitting for any Christmas Party this year, it has to be the all-new Soundboks. At $999, it’s not the cheapest speaker on the market, but you certainly can say its the loudest. The only PERFORMANCE portable speaker on the market, the Soundboks will blow you and your party guests away. With a swappable battery, you can keep the party going even when the juice is almost gone. Soundboks is also extremely durable, with its steel honeycomb grill, ball corners, and IP65 coating, it will easily fit in your car or trunk for easily transporting to a friend’s house for a house party.

V-Moda CrossFade M-100 Master – $249.99

V-Moda has long been known as “the high-fidelity headphone brand with a dynamic soundstage”, and there’s no better way to showcase that than with the $249.99 V-Moda CrossFade M-100 Masters. Co-engineered by Roland, the V-Moda CrossFade M-100s were created via crowdsourcing and fine-tuned by audiophiles, producers and DJ’s alike and the result is headphones that feature natural and active noise isolation, guaranteed fatigue-free listening for hours, a multitude of cables for virtually every occasion including a boom microphone which is great for phone calls and podcasters alike. It’s also worth noting that the V-Moda M-100s can be personalized with your name or logo so you can fully “Endorse” you or your brand. Now, if only your job gave these away as Christmas gifts!

Nomad Slim Wallet

Dad might tell you he doesn’t need a new wallet, but don’t believe him. The $59.95 Nomad Slim Wallet is a gift that eliminates a problem most men have — a bulging wallet that carries way too many cards. With the ability to hold four cards as well as space for cash, the slim wallet also comes complete with a quick access pocket for your ID or most important card. But what’s worth mentioning is that the wallet has a pocket that’s hidden and dedicated for a Tile Bluetooth tracker; perfect for that special someone who always misplaces their wallet in their jeans, they can easily find it using the Tile app on their phone.

Zippo HeatBank 9s

With a run time of nine hours and six heat settings, you can get warmth from both sides of the $49.95 Zippo HeatBank 9s hand warmers. Not only that, there’s a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and it can charge any USB device, truly a double threat.

Zippo Fight Fire With Fire

A new windproof lighter, Zippo joins forces with WOODCHUCK USA creating 10 unique designs including a brushed chrome lighter with real wood cedar emblems. Not only will you get a great lighter, but you will contribute to the restoration and protection of forests around the world by just purchasing one. The Zippo Fight Fire with Fire Collection ranges between $45.95-$62.95.

Anker Wakey

A fantastic alarm clock for anyone in the family, the $99.99 Anker Wakey not only comes complete with a wireless charger on top for any Qi-enabled device but has additional ports for your Apple Watch or any external device. It’s also one of the few Alarm clocks I’ve seen that has a built-in FM Radio.

CLEER Halo

A wearable neck speaker, the $149.99 Cleer HALO is great for someone who is always on the phone around the house, or that teenager who tends to lose their AirPods. With a great soundstage, the Halo is great for gaming; they pair easily to that new Nintendo Switch and with 12-hour battery life, it’s designed to give you all of the immersive sound a normal pair of headphones would give you without blocking your ears.

Logitech MX Master 3

Logitech’s latest flagship in the MX Master series offers instant precision thanks to its new MagSpeed scroll wheel that can scroll through 1000 lines in less than a second. Great for a student, or even in your study, the $99.99 MX Master 3 is the most advanced mouse yet.

Blue Yeti X

Perfect for any beginning Podcaster or Gamer, the $169.99 Blue Yeti X is a USB microphone allows you to stream all of the things. With a new four-capsule condenser, you can get broadcast sound with a crystal-clear focus with each of the four pickup patterns. You can “switch between cardioid for recording and streaming, omni for conference calls, bi-directional for podcast interviews and stereo for immersive experiences like ASMR recordings,” with Blue’s latest microphone.

Jaybird Tarah

With six hours of battery life on a single charge, the $99.99 Jaybird Tarah is a great gift for the active person in your life. Designed for fitness, the Tarah is fully waterproof and comes complete with one-touch access to Siri or Google Assistant, allowing you to manage calls in the middle of any activity.

Jaybird Vista

A truly wireless headphone, the $179.99 Jaybird Vista cuts the cord completely, allowing 16 hours of battery life in-ear, with two additional charges from the case. If you’re running late to the gym, the Vista will give you an hour of playtime with a quick five-minute charge making these sweat and waterproof headphones a MUST-have in any gym bag.

Ultimate Ears myBoom 3

Probably one of my personal favorite Bluetooth speakers, the $179.99 Ultimate Ears myBOOM 3 can be personalized with a range of cool fabrics and patterns so you can truly make the speaker your own. The myBOOM 3 is made to order, and if you order now, the order should ship right in time for Christmas.

Jackery Explorer 500

A Do-All portable power station, the $499.99 Jackery 500 can charge ALL of the things. It will be a great emergency device for the car or as a home backup power source; the 518Wh lithium power station features three USB ports, an AC outlet, and a 12V car output, which makes this an item great for ANY circumstance. In bad weather, the last thing you’d want is for the power to go out and for your loved one to be unable to stay connected; the Jackery Explorer 500 will give your loved one (and you) peace of mind.

Crossrope

If you have aspirations of getting back in shape with the new decade approaching, the $88 Crossrope might be a great way of getting things done. Possibly the quickest way to burn calories, it’s said jump roping for 15 minutes with a weighted rope can burn up to 300 calories for you, and with Crossrope’s weighted ropes, you can easily get yourself in tip-top shape with their “Get Lean” starter set.

Nokia Beacon

There’s nothing worse in a home than spotty WiFi, and the $99.99 Nokia Beacon wants to be the solution for you and your family this holiday season. A whole-home mesh router, it works in tandem with your existing router, or separately if you opt to save a few bucks. Combined with the Nokia WiFi app, you’ll get intelligent WiFi coverage for your entire home that you can monitor anywhere, as well as send the WiFi code to your Christmas guest that you plan on hosting.

TCL 6-Series 4K TV

Photo courtesy of TCL

To go with that new Disney+ subscription, don’t you think you need a nice new ultra high definition TV? The TCL 6-series 4K TVs start at $529.99 giving you a lot of bang for your buck thanks to its great picture and its incredibly easy to use smart TV features with Roku built-in. You can quickly and easily get that Disney+ app on your TCL and start streaming.

Vizio M-Series Quantum TVs

Speaking of great 4K TVs, here’s one that we plan to review in 2020. The Vizio M-Series Quantum offers up 80% more color than standard 4K TVs while featuring brighter LEDs, 90 local dimming zones, and deeeeep blacks. They also feature a 120Hz refresh rate so you can play video games to your heart’s content without the picture blurring. Prices for the Vizio M-Series Quantum TVs start at $349.99.

Vizio 36″ 5.1.2 Home Theater Sound System with Dolby Atmos

If you’re gaming, you’ll want immersive, surround sound audio to help you stop someone from creeping up on you. Vizio is here to help with their 36″ 5.1.2 Home Theater Sound System with Dolby Atmos; it retails for $499.99. This new soundbar provides immersive new dimensions of surround sound for cinema-inspired sound from every angle so you don’t miss a thing.

Crate Club Subscription

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Crate Club is the perfect gift for the outdoors person in your life, featuring curated gift boxes chock full of tactical, survival, and outdoor adventure gear. The boxes come in three levels, including Lieutenant, Captain, and General. Lieutenant crates come with smaller gifts for the home or auto for $49.99. Captain crates come with great gear for outdoor adventures, including hiking and camping for $99.99. General crates are the holy grail of subscription boxes, coming with really cool and practical custom gear like lightweight bulletproof bag inserts, travel bags with hidden pockets, tools, and much more for $399.99 per delivery.

PureCo Socks

There is NOTHING like a good pair of socks, and PureCo does good … GREAT. Regardless of whether you’re playing sports or just need a bit of warmth while in the house on a wintery day, PureCo’s socks are available in multiple styles both long or short. All of their socks are created to prevent sprains thanks to their multisport halves, with grip zones that are great for athletes or anyone who wants a bit more comfort; they start at €30.00.

APL Shoes

A great shoe option for women, men or children — Athletic Propulsion Labs has created a variety of comfortable, affordable footwear that’s sustainable build quality and stylish aesthetic. I personally suggest the $250 TechLoom Breeze.

from Joseph Rushing https://geardiary.com/2019/11/27/2019-holiday-gift-guide/

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olivereliott · 5 years

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Building a Street Bob custom using Harley’s rulebook

More Harley-Davidsons go under the grinder than any other make of bike. But surprisingly, The Motor Co. seldom commissions customs from big-name builders.

Instead, it has developed the annual Battle of the Kings contest—where dealers customize a bike within a very strict rule set. To get a taste of how hard that is, we flew to Milwaukee for the second Harley-sponsored ‘Brewtown Throwdown’ event.

The Brewtown Throwdown is a build-off between teams, made up of people from different walks of life. Last year, our team was tasked with building a Sportster café racer. This time around, I was on a new team with a new donor: a fresh-out-the-crate Street Bob.

We had to operate within the BoTK rulebook—which means a set budget, and a specific quota of H-D aftermarket parts. But we only had a couple of weeks to prep, and a mere two and a half days for hands-on wrenching. So it didn’t take long to settle on a team name: Quick ‘n Easy.

My teammates included an X-Games gold medalist, a rock climber-slash-fitness model, a Harley-Davidson engineer, and a couple of guys from Vice. Our HQ was Milwaukee Harley-Davidson, with shop boss Goran Zadrima leading the team, techs John (below) and Carlton showing us the ropes, and Harley PR guy Joe Gustafson keeping a watchful eye over us.

The style brief was simply “dirt, chopper or track.” We picked track, and started refining our ideas via Skype calls, a Google Drive folder full of inspiration pics, a comprehensive parts list and rough Photoshop mockups.

The classic XR style is de rigueur for Harley flat trackers, but it’s a tall order for the Street Bob’s proportions, and building a new subframe would have been a push on our timeline. After healthy debate, we reached into Harley’s history for inspiration—all the way back to the 1946 Harley-Davidson WR racer.

Those racers were stripped down for going fast on sketchy dirt tracks. By taking advantage of the Street Bob’s pseudo-hardtail frame and minimal styling, we knew we could create a contemporary re-interpretation of the iconic WR.

The first step was to get as much prep work done as we were allowed. So Milwaukee Harley-Davidson quickly chopped the rear fender, then sent the bodywork off to Aces Auto Body for paint. They knocked it out the park in a deep vintage red with gold scallops.

By the time we’d all congregated in Milwaukee, Goran and his crew had installed a new rear shock from suspension experts RWD. It’s a custom-built unit; 1” longer than stock, with a remote reservoir and full adjustability. We started ripping everything else off the bike.

Our new rear wheel was a skinny 19” rim laced up to the stock hub. The guys spooned on Dunlop dirt track rubber, and hooked up the massive 60-tooth sprocket for our chain conversion kit. With the wheel on, our vintage tracker’s stance came together quickly.

The Street Bob’s engine is mostly black, and our style guide called for a little more variation. Most H-D customers would probably have picked an all-chrome setup, but we opted for the ‘Dominion’ collection instead; bronze parts with contrasting brushed aluminum bits. The rocker box covers, transmission side cover and derby cover were all swapped out.

Harley’s parts catalog also had just the seat kit we needed—a solo setup with a mount kit that can run either rigid, or with springs. Goran has great contacts, so we had Milsco custom-make the pan and upholstery for us, with a stunning triple-stitched diamond pattern using gold thread.

Clearly the seat’s meant to be installed by an expert, because we couldn’t make sense of the instructions. But we eventually figured it out, swapping the springs out for the rigid setup at the last minute, so that the bike wouldn’t feel spongy to ride.

The kit comes with a cover plate to hide the wiring—but it also hid away the beefy Eibach spring on our custom shock, so we left it off. (I’m not admitting we used a rattle can, but I will say that there was one non-black part under the seat that is now black.)

It was decided early on to give our vintage tracker a few modern touches. So we ordered a set of mid-mount foot controls from Speed Merchant, Thrashin Supply Co. pegs and shifter nubs, and a set of chrome Thrashin mid bend bars.

Those bars aren’t as wide and high as traditional flat track bars, and when combined with the peg position, they create an aggressive riding stance. But getting the pegs to fit was our biggest snag.

All credit to Speed Merchant—they’re very well made controls—but they’re designed for the Fat Bob, and they’re designed to work with stock engine covers. And since the Street Bob’s stock shifter is mounted different to the Fat Bob’s, we had to mod the setup slightly.

Hiccups are all part of the game though. Ask me how I finished installing the new Screamin’ Eagle air filter, only to realize that we’d ordered the wrong backing plate. Or how Milwaukee H-D’s parts manager had to drive to Janesville in the snow to pick up last minute parts, like shorter brake hoses. And that moment we finished weaving the wires for the switches through the new bars, the wrong way round.

Still, John and Carlton had plenty of experience between them to make sure we didn’t screw anything up too badly. And everyone was stoked to be turning screws—not least of all American Ninja Warrior contestant, Ninja Natalie, who wielded a grinder for the first time to cut the rear struts down to size.

Bill Davidson (above left) even popped in during the build, and helped us figure out where to put the rear license plate. Both plates carry the same number X-Games medallist Lance has raced MX with since age six: 54.

The Street Bob will eventually go up for sale, and needs to be street legal. So even though we ditched the lights and turn signals, they all unplugged from the wiring loom without any cutting, and the speedo is still in play. We also left the front brake mounted and the ABS intact, and mounted the front board on quick-release H-D windshield mounts.

On went a Vance & Hines two-into-one race pipe—another modern touch that sounds as good as it looks. Carlton installed Vance & Hines’ Fuelpak fuel management system too, allowing him to fine-tune our bike from his smartphone.

We also swapped out the fork lowers for a pair of Low Rider items, to change the look up front from black to brushed aluminum. The tank got a bronze gas cap, and the radiator a color-matched surround. And we left the sides of the tank bare, relying on a super-minimal air filter cover plate to get the point across.

The tank does sport our team name on top of the tank though, thanks to artist Allen Beck. We asked him what style he was feeling, and he replied “70s shag-wagon,” so we left him to do his thing.

As we buttoned it all up, Natalie, Lance and I took turns trying out the riding position. Without fail, each one of us cracked massive, dorky smiles as we hopped on. Quick ‘n Easy’s set up for hooliganism for sure; it’s less of an all-day ride, and more of a mental taco chaser.

As day two wrapped (yes, we finished a half day early) we fired it up. We high-fived. We rolled it into the parking lot for burnouts in the snow. And we all wished we could take it home.

With thanks to Harley-Davidson | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Wes Reyneke

Team Quick ‘n Easy Lance Coury (X-Games gold medallist, Thrashin Supply Co. owner) ‘Ninja Natalie‘ Duran (Pro rock climber and fitness model, American Ninja Warrior contestant) Marko Lazarevic (Harley-Davidson engineer) Dan Meyer and Billy Voermann (Vice) Joe Gustafson (Harley-Davidson PR and team mom)

Milwaukee Harley-Davidson Goran Zadrima (General Manager) John Gaedke (Service Technician) Carlton Harris (Service Technician) Alex O’Malley (Parts Manager)

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sheminecrafts · 5 years

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VCs aren’t falling in love with dating startups

Joanna Glasner Contributor