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blazehedgehog · 9 months

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I Love To Shoot At Trouble

During the Steam Christmas Sale I ended up buying Need for Speed: Most Wanted 2012 because it was like $6 or $7 and I'm in the mood for a new racing game to chew up. EA already gave the game away for free in like 2015, but that meant installing "The EA App". I figured having it on Steam would be more convenient.

You'd think so.

It's not! As part of the first time launch, it installs "The EA App" anyway, which also means it found and uninstalled whatever version of Origin I still had (I wasn't aware I'd ever reinstalled Origin since my HDD crash). As part of this process, it also asked me for my EA password, I misread Firefox's stored password incorrectly, and went through the trouble of resetting my EA account with a new password before linking it to Steam. To my surprise, EA's been sitting on my seven year old cloud save from the few minutes I played of this on Origin in 2017, and asks if I want to import it. Sure, I guess.

So that's ten minutes down the drain before I can even boot up the game. Okay, fine, the game finally launches. Gotta wait while it boots up The EA App each time before it boots into the game, gotta wait for the title screen logo animation, gotta wait for a 10-15 second load screen because even though this game came out in 2012 it's gotta ping some always-online "Autolog" leaderboard whatever. Once it connects, it has to do a slow cinematic pan across your car, telling you what your online rivals have done since the last time you connected, and what kind of equipment you have on your car.

All told, every time you boot up Most Wanted 2012, you're looking at a 30-45 second wait before the game actually hands over control and lets you start driving.

Pull the accelerator and instantly Most Wanted SCREAMS at me:

Fair enough. I'm using a Dualshock 4, and the Playstation 4 did not release until over a full year after this game. Click to the menu it's asking of me and see that the control binding menu is awful -- it's one of those super oldschool ones, like binding keys one by one in Doom 2. I have no idea what these buttons are supposed to be in terms of Xbox equivalents, and I realize that Steam has this thing called "Steam Input" that's supposed to be handling all of this anyway. Steam Input generally makes my Dualshock 4 look like an Xbox controller to most games.

I exit out of Most Wanted, force Steam Input to "on" (I was messing with its settings recently, so I thought maybe it was disabled), and relaunch the game again. Wait for the EA App to boot up, gotta wait through the title screen logos, gotta wait 10-15 seconds on a loading screen, gotta wait another 5-10 on the cinematic pan across my car. I have now spent a minute and a half total waiting for this game to boot while I troubleshoot this.

Pull the accelerator. Instead of it complaining about my controller, straight up nothing happens. That's weird. The Start button works, the analog stick seems to work in the pause menu, but the triggers do not. The face buttons also do nothing. Upon checking the settings, that's because Most Wanted has settled on keyboard mode, even though it's clearly accepting some controller input. After poking at it, it does not seem like there's any way to get it to see my controller.

This makes Most Wanted a special game, because a lot of games I play will happily accept that Steam Input is telling it I have an Xbox controller connected even when I absolutely do not. But this is the rare 1% that seems to be incompatible. It's time to bring in the big guns.

Mayflash makes a terrific little passthrough device called the Magic NS, and the general purpose of this device is that it lets you use any controller on any other platform. An Xbox controller on a Playstation? No sweat. A Playstation controller on the Switch? It'll handle it. If you upgrade to the Magic NS2, you even get full gyro support. Every NS device also doubles as a Bluetooth dongle, so you can stay wireless if that's your thing. I love it so much I bought two, because generally they're only about $20.

A Magic NS2 for my Switch... and Magic NS1 for my PC. Strictly for scenarios like this, where a game expects an Xbox controller and Steam Input fails its camouflage.

Plug the NS1 in, connect my Dualshock 4, and once again boot up Most Wanted and wait the 45 seconds to get through the EA app, logos, loading, and the cinematic pan across my car. More than two full minutes now looking at this junk, and that's not counting the time spent outside of the game troubleshooting this in menus or digging out dongles or whatever.

Pull the accelerator... and my car starts to drive! I can steer! It works! Of course it works. The Magic NS never lets me down. I pull up to the first race event...

Press J and K to start the event.

Those are, uh. Those are keyboard keys. I'm using a controller. The controller is fully functional. You don't need to tell me this in keyboard controls. This isn't going to be one of those games, is it? The kind that still tells you everything in the keyboard shortcuts no matter what?

I drop into the menus again and see Most Wanted is still stuck on Keyboard mode and won't let me switch to anything else, even though I'm clearly using a fully functional controller now. This can't be right. But then I remember: Steam Input is still turned on, and when I forced Steam Input to be on, Most Wanted got stuck in this keyboard mode.

Exit out of the game, tell Steam to turn off Steam Input for this specific game only, and relaunch. Wait through all that crap again. We're up to three minutes just waiting for the game to start, and probably closing in on 20 minutes since I first decided I wanted to try Most Wanted.

Pull the accelerator, it works, drive up to the first event, and...

Pull LT and RT to start the event.

FINALLY. HOLY SHIT.

On the plus side: this game controls a lot better than I remember. It's a decent middleground between Criterion's heavier-feeling Hot Pursuit (2011) and the snappier Burnout Paradise. Though I could do with a lot less full screen flashing or the fact that Autolog alerts hide the minimap for some reason.

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Not pictured, but the "always online" nature can also be frustrating if you pause, unpause, and find you have to quickly re-pause again a second time. That second pause will actually incur a loading spinner because it hasn't finished syncing with the server from the first pause, apparently. This game is going on 12 years old.

Anyway. This was a nightmare.

HOT BONUS

"The EA App" now starts up with Windows and is nagging me to enter the login credentials I already entered last night. I have to go through extra steps to get it to leave me alone and not do this

THE RIDE NEVER ENDS

#need for speed #most wanted #criterion games #ea #electronic arts #origin #the ea app #steam #valve #xbox #steam input #troubleshooting #mayflash #Youtube

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corvidaedream · 11 days

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unemployment week 4 has started: still no job, but my deposit from my previous apartment should be coming back to me soon. apartment is almost unpacked now. sort of familiar with the layout of my neighborhood. need to start working on revamping my online illustration portfolio & relaunching my prints for sale...

#messages from the ouija board

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aghostrandom · 1 year

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W.I.T.C.H., interview with the creators

Some time ago, I made a post about "the original Elyon being a guardian," and since everyone was confused, I thought I'd translate the interview from which I read this information.

I don't know if someone else has already done it, but since I didn't find anything online, I decided to do it myself. I will translate the entire interview with the help of an online translator and a friend of mine.

Just remember that this interview was published in April 2021, marking 20 years since the release of the first volume.

Enjoy!

Here the original link in italian: https://heroica.it/w-i-t-c-h-20-anni-barbucci-canepa-intervista/

It is April 3, 2001 when Italian newsstands are hit by a small earthquake, which will soon transform into a hurricane...

The first issue of W.I.T.C.H. is released, a comic magazine that will shatter every sales record in a matter of months, embarking on a quest to conquer the world.

It all begins in Milan, at the headquarters of Walt Disney Company Italy, with an intuition of the then-director of the company's women's periodicals, Elisabetta Gnone, and the talent of two young artists, Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa, whom I have interviewed for you.

Interview with Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa

Let's start from the origins: How was W.I.T.C.H. born?

Alessandro Barbucci: It was 1997, Sailor Moon was still fresh in everyone's memory [the last series had been broadcast in Italy between March and May of that year, editor's note]. And then there were the Spice Girls...

"Sailor Moon was ironic, arrived at the right moment; the Spice Girls were five purely pop characters, worthy of a cartoon - during that period, we were big fans, we even went to see the movie in the cinema!" Alessandro revealed to me.

Elisabetta Gnone, who was then in charge of the women's periodicals at Walt Disney Company Italy, had a great intuition: she realized that there was a missing product for teenage girls, an audience segment that had never been considered by the major company before. When thinking about teenagers, one couldn't ignore what was happening in pop culture at that moment...

Barbara Canepa: During that period, a passionate fanbase for manga was beginning to take shape. it was clear how this new language was able to respond to the tastes and needs of teenagers - not just boys, but girls as well!

In fact, up until that moment, it was believed that girls didn't read comics. It was precisely with shoujo manga (like Sailor Moon, but not only) that this belief began to falter.

Canepa: Exactly. I had already been an avid manga reader since the days of Candy Candy: we're talking about 1986 when Mondadori released the first monthly editions at newsstands. I started reading my first manga at the age of 12, and at 16, I saw Akira (1988) for the first time in theaters. In fact, I was the one who got Alessandro passionate about this style, even though he already had some knowledge of it. We felt that the language of manga was the best way to visually "tell" this story.

Barbucci: Initially, I proposed girls in a steampunk, military style. I was a big fan of Tank Girl by Hewlett and Martin.

In my mind, Hay Lin had already existed for a long time: I had been drawing her since high school, but she was a punk with military boots," Alessandro revealed to me.

Elisabetta Gnone told me that the concept was considered too "masculine," so she proposed the idea of the five witches, which directly connected us to manga. Some people at Disney Italy were afraid that, given the theme, it would veer into Satanism, but their greatest fear was the manga-style big eyes!

Canepa: For them, it was inconceivable to publish a comic even vaguely inspired by manga, which at that time were their direct competitors in the market.

Barbucci: At one point, they considered investing in the relaunch of Daisy Duck by introducing our five characters as anthropomorphic animals. It was an attempt to somehow connect with the Disney universe.

Canepa: Yes, exactly. The project was called Daisy D. and it was intended for the monthly magazine Minnie Mag. The story featured Daisy Duck as a private investigator, accompanied by our W.I.T.C.H. characters, who in this version would have had snouts and gloves, just like Minnie and Mickey! I still have the first page done in watercolors, as we wanted to make it like the pages of Paperinik's Trip...

The scriptwriter, Ilaria Isaia, revealed to me that the inspiration for Daisy D. came from the success of "Minnie and the Magnificent Five," a story published in Minnie & Company in 1993. It featured Minnie in the role of an investigator, solving a mystery connected to five girls. Daisy D. wouldn't have been very different: "It revolved around Daisy Duck as an investigator, called by her friend to investigate mysterious events happening in a college attended by five students with magical powers," explains Ilaria.

Barbucci: Fortunately, nothing came of it.

Canepa: We were well aware that a story starring Daisy Duck wouldn't resonate with teenagers. We needed five normal girls that the readers could identify with...

Barbucci: So, the W.I.T.C.H. characters returned to being human.

For Will's design, Alessandro Barbucci Alessandro Barbucci was also inspired by "Alita" (1990) by Yukito Kishiro.

The graphic style of W.I.T.C.H., while drawing inspiration from manga, remains a hybrid of the West and the East. It doesn't stray too far from certain Disney characters, starting with Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" (1989).

Barbucci: I can tell a funny anecdote about this! As we mentioned, Disney Italy opposed W.I.T.C.H. in every way possible: they particularly disliked those manga-style big eyes. Together with Elisabetta Gnone, we came up with a game, a kind of bet with the top executives of Disney Italy. I drew a series of eyes, including manga characters, Disney characters, and our W.I.T.C.H. characters. Only the eyes were visible, nothing else. "Since you have so much to say about these manga eyes, guess which ones belong to the W.I.T.C.H. characters!" That was the bet: they could no longer complain. Well, they were wrong: they chose the eyes of Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" (1989), the protagonist of the Italian magazine of the same name, directed by Elisabetta herself, and successfully published by them for years. They didn't take it well...

Indeed, Ariel broke the Disney graphic conventions with the proportions of her face.

Barbucci: It was a "graphic shock," something that had never been seen in Disney until that moment. It was certainly a step towards manga aesthetics, with these very large eyes that we later found in the design of many subsequent characters, from Belle and Jasmine to Anna and Elsa.

We remember that you and Barbara worked on the magazine "The Little Mermaid" in the 1990s, just before W.I.T.C.H. started. In the covers drawn and colored by Barbara, I can already perceive some hints of manga style. Was it intentional?

Canepa: Absolutely yes! At that time, I bought Japanese magazines like Newtype and Animage to get inspiration. In one of the illustrations I made, there's Ariel with a straw hat: I think I took inspiration from an image of Nadia from "The Secret of Blue Water" (1990-91), or maybe from some other cover. The close-up of the face, as well as the fluttering leaves [like flowers in shoujo manga, editor's note], the pose of a model on the cover of a fashion magazine... it was all too innovative and "manga" for Disney Italy at that time, which often had something to say about my work! Even before W.I.T.C.H...

The scan on the left is taken from the website www.onlyshojo.com.

Walt Disney Company Italy didn't want anything to do with W.I.T.C.H., as we mentioned. What made them change their minds?

Barbucci: We worked on it secretly for at least a year, even at night. Then, finally, a ray of light... At the time, the main headquarters of Disney would send representatives around to other offices to find out what was being done in the rest of the world. Elisabetta was lucky to come across an American manager who was a big fan of Wicca. [Secretly from the top management, editor's note], she presented W.I.T.C.H. to him: he fell in love with it and financed the project, ordering Walt Disney Company Italy to proceed with its production.

Concept art created by Barbucci and Canepa between 1998 and 1999. Notice the homage to Minnie in the first illustration!

Images provided by W.I.T.C.H. Italia.

The project then gets underway. How did you divide the work?

Canepa: It's hard to say. Officially, Elisabetta wrote the plot, Alessandro created the character design, and I took care of the color and atmosphere. In reality, the three of us worked together on the concept, characters, and the world they would inhabit. We drew inspiration from our personal lives when creating these five girls. The city of the W.I.T.C.H., Heatherfield, is a mix between our hometown of Genoa and San Francisco, which we had visited together. Will shares my birthdate, while Elyon shares Alessandro's. At the time, I was a big fan of frogs, just like Will! Cornelia's cat is named Napoleon, just like mine - I also gave the same name to Elisabeth's cat, the protagonist of the first volume of END, the comic I created with Anna Merli. For Hay Lin's restaurant, we were inspired by a small Chinese "hole in the wall" where we often ate near our apartment in Milan... In short, W.I.T.C.H. was built and conceived based on our personal experiences: friends, memories from adolescence, and more.

Based on these characterizations, I created the character profiles that you can find in the first five issues of the magazine, as well as some internal editorials.

The character of Irma is inspired by Barbara Canepa in terms of design and personality, while Will is inspired by Elisabetta Gnone: with her, she shares an introverted personality and the detail of touching his hair when she is embarrassed.

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

Elisabetta chose the ethnicities and names of the girls, coming up with the acronym W.I.T.C.H., while Alessandro created the symbols of the Guardians. To draw the Heart of Kandrakar, Alessandro was inspired by a pendant, a unique piece that I was very attached to and still possess to this day!

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

Lastly, I'll reveal something you may not know: I was the one who designed the Witch's transformed costumes! I remember when Elisabetta jokingly scolded Alessandro, telling him to draw them less provocatively... (laughs). As for their everyday costumes, Alessandro created them, often drawing inspiration from his and our friends.

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

Another significant responsibility of ours was to form a team of artists who would work on W.I.T.C.H. alongside us. In fact, Alessandro and I couldn't have done it all by ourselves: W.I.T.C.H. was becoming a massive and important project, especially since it would be released on a monthly basis! Therefore, we conducted courses at the Disney Academy: Alessandro taught how to draw the Witch, while I taught manga techniques, coloring, and graphic design.

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

Did you encounter any other issues with Disney Italy during the production?

Canepa: There were some controversies, but at that point, the project was already underway. There were several delays, actually: the first issue was supposed to be released on Halloween in 2000. I remember that they criticized the covers: they didn't like the white background, and in the first cover, they didn't like the difference in proportions between Will and the others, which is another typical graphic characteristic of manga.

Barbucci and Canepa created the first five covers of W.I.T.C.H. and the corresponding chapter opening pin-ups.

You create the comic of the first issue: On the third page, there's a very intense panel with Will partially nude (without nipples); she appears like that later during the Sailor Moon-style transformation as well. These are not erotic images, but they certainly deviate from the Disney style. Did you face any issues regarding this?

Barbucci: Strangely, no. Maybe they had already given up at that point...

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

You left the project after the sixth issue. What happened?

Barbucci: The back and forth with Disney to bring W.I.T.C.H. to newsstands was incredibly exhausting. By the year 2000, we were drained from the continuous meetings, discussions, and delays... Moreover, both Elisabetta and we had realized our potential as authors. She was the first to leave: she left the world of magazines to fulfill her dream of becoming a novelist. And she succeeded greatly, as a few years later, she created the Fairy Oak series of novels, which sold millions of copies worldwide! Barbara and I were already in contact with various French and American publishers. In France, they allowed us to express ourselves artistically in a completely free way. It felt like a dream! There were so many things we wanted to talk about, things that weren't even proposable in Disney: sex, religion, politics... Sky Doll was born during this period. Furthermore, there were legal disagreements with Disney regarding the moral rights of the Witch characters. In short, after a few years with the multinational company, it was time for us to move on to other things. We needed a change of scenery!

The story you had in mind for W.I.T.C.H. was different from what we later read in the issues after your departure?

Canepa: Yes, it was darker, introspective, and more complex. It was a glimpse into teenage life presented through five very different girls. The plot had different layers of interpretation, including ecological aspects. It was certainly closer to manga in terms of themes: there was more focus on the girls' personal lives, their adolescent struggles. There wasn't a clear division between good and evil: the girls would be drawn to the Metaworld and tempted to join, crossing over to the other side of the barricade. Elyon would be the first to succumb, but they would all do so to some extent, even fighting against themselves.

Moreover, the Metaworld was a fascinating place, a natural paradise that was quite different from the medieval setting that Disney eventually created. At the heart of it all was the concept of growth and transformation, which is so dear to adolescence: the girls would have had the ability to transform into fantastic animals! Like teenagers who find themselves caught between childhood and adulthood, the W.i.t.c.h. would have been caught between two worlds, remaining trapped in one or the other, by choice or against their will. It wasn't always clear...

The W.I.T.C.H. transform into adult versions of themselves, adhering to the main theme of many majokko ("magical girl") anime.

Even Elyon, who in the version you have read is the princess of Meridian, was a very different character in our story. She was the Guardian of the Metaworld and had powers related to time, wild nature, and death. She would have tried to bring the other girls to the dark side and then redeem herself: in the last issue, she would have sacrificed herself to save the lives of her friends.

In W.I.T.C.H. #2, you can perceive some traces of the original Elyon, who at a certain point addresses the girls repeating, "Come to me, come to me..." as if trying to lead them to the dark side.

I transferred her main power, the ability to "bestow" death, to the protagonist of END, Elizabeth: with this character, I have done and will do everything that I couldn't do with Elyon, who was initially supposed to have white hair like her.

Barbucci: What was actually realized was a harmless mythology, closer to fairy tales and therefore to the Disney style. There is no mention of witches anymore... We would have focused on a more New Age aesthetic, with references to Wicca, which was very popular in those years.

After leaving W.I.T.C.H., you left Italy for France, from where you embarked on various successful projects, with Sky Doll first. It can be said that you found your dimension and creative freedom. Now that 20 years have passed, what is your relationship with W.I.T.C.H.?

Canepa: It's needless to say that the bond has always been very strong and still is today. It was our own creation for a long time: seeing it succeed worldwide brought joy, but also suffering because we felt disconnected from it.

Barbucci: It was a love-hate relationship, but I must say that it gave me the greatest satisfaction of my life: seeing dolls of the characters I drew being sold in supermarkets!

Some sketches made by Alessandro Barbucci at the beginning of 2021, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of W.I.T.C.H.

Canepa: After twenty years, perhaps it can be said that we have made "peace" with what happened. The hardships we endured have now drifted away with the wind, and that's how it should be. Today, I can talk about W.I.T.C.H. with more tranquility, almost with tenderness. For many years, I didn't even want to face it. Initially, leaving Italy helped, but then W.I.T.C.H. reached France and the rest of the world. Over time, this forced me to look at it with more "serene" eyes, so to speak. If I hadn't left W.I.T.C.H., I would never have created Sky Doll and END, and perhaps I would have never become the director of a French series that, today, celebrates nearly 100 books 12 years after its creation. Destiny, then? I believe so. Fate wanted to take something away from me to give me something else. In hindsight, I truly believe there was a magical thread in all of this... or rather, a true witch's touch! There is a happy ending to it all: today, history reminds us that we are the true creators of W.I.T.C.H. The readers know it, and so do industry professionals. Even Disney, in the end, acknowledged us. Every now and then, Elisabetta, Alessandro, and I talk and, laughing, we say, "What if we got back together and remade W.I.T.C.H. in our own way?" In any case, this remains and will always be the most important project of my life. And to have touched so many hearts around the world... well, there's nothing more beautiful and satisfying. So, thank you all. I was happy to give you these five girls.

For Women's Day 2021, Barbucci drew again the famous pinup from the first issue, Halloween.

Current and Future Projects

Alessandro Barbucci His most recent work is "Le Sorelle Grémillet" where he returns to portraying teenage girls ("it's a bit like how I would have liked to create W.I.T.C.H. back then, but it wasn't possible"). Additionally, Alessandro continues to work on "EKHÖ" and other projects. Follow his Instagram and Facebook to stay updated!

Barbara Canepa For over 12 years, Barbara Canepa has been the editorial director of the Metamorphose series for the French publisher Group Delcourt, with over 100 published books. She has several projects in the works, including "MINA's Diary," where she will serve as the writer, while Isabella Mazzanti will handle the artwork and coloring. The work is a free interpretation of Stoker's Dracula, introducing a new way of conceiving vampires. For the past two years, she has been finishing the writing of 12 volumes of a new jeunesse series, "GREENWOOD," aimed at rediscovering and respecting nature to the fullest. Stay updated on her activities by following her on Instagram and Facebook!

#w.i.t.c.h.#interview #alessandro barbucci #barbara canepa #disney #witch #elyon escanor #will vandom #irma lair #taranee cook #cornelia hale #hay lin #end

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muspeccoll · 7 months

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This week's #BlackHistoryMonth feature from the Husni Collection: Ebony. Together with Jet, Ebony was the foundation of the Johnson Publishing Company’s success. It ran from November 1945 until May 2019, at which point it shut down for a few years and relaunched in 2023 as an exclusively online publication. Until its sale to the private equity Clear View Group in 2016, it was probably the most prominent Black-owned publication.

#black history month #black history #ebony #magazines #history of journalism #mizzou #special collections #libraries #university of missouri #rare books #bookhistory #wordy wednesday #john henry #husni collection

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scotianostra · 10 months

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On December 4th 1937 cartoon character Desperate Dan first appeared in the Dandy comic. on it's launch day.

The face of Desperate Dan was sketched out as Dudley Watkins sat at his desk in Dundee, combining inspiration from the Wild West and English polismen.

The artist originally saw his cartoon character as an outlaw and gave him a stubbly lantern-jaw, the strength to lift a cow with one hand, and an appetite for cow pie, complete with horns. But as the anti-hero of the Dandy caught the imagination of thousands of young readers, Watkins evolved his persona into a champion of the underdog.

Dan made his appearance in the first issue of the Dandy on December 4th 1937. He survived until the comic closed in 2012, reappearing in a short-lived app.

He was just one of many comic book characters which Watkins created for Thomson’s Dundee publishing house. The success was huge, and Oor Wullie and The Broons, written in broad Scots, soon followed and became an essential part of school bairn’s lives.

A devout Christian, Watkins lived in a substantial house in a village near Dundee. It was his ambition to adapt the whole Bible into illustrated format, but that dream was never realised.

On the morning of August 20th, 1969, his wife found him at his desk, a half-finished Desperate Dan strip on his desk. He had died of a heart attack. His strips Oor Wullie, The Broons, Desperate Dan and Lord Snooty continue to be popular to this day.

In a 2006 BBC documentary marking 70 years of Oor Wullie, it was claimed that, due to his frequent mocking of Axis leaders in his comics before and during World War II, Watkins’ name was on a list of enemies of the Third Reich.

The final printed edition of The Dandy was issued on 4 December 2012, the comic’s 75th anniversary, after sales slumped to 8,000 a week. On the same day, The Dandy relaunched as an online comic, The Digital Dandy, appearing on the Dandy website and in the Dandy App. The digital relaunch was not successful and the comic ended just six months later.

#scotland #scottish #history #dundee #comic character

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fafos · 1 year

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IL MUSEO SOTTO LE STELLE DI "CASOLI PINTA" - THE OPEN AIR MUSEUM OF "CASOLI PINTA" Alcune suggestioni da "Casoli Pinta", il museo all'aperto nel borgo storico di Casoli di Atri, in Abruzzo.

Grandi quadri appesi qua e là da scovare e ammirare tra i vicoli, nelle piazzette, lungo il corso principale del paese. Una forma di Street Art prima della Street Art e dei murales a tutta parete, un'idea che ha preso forma negli anni '90 e che prosegue tuttora dando un nuovo aspetto e forse un nuovo spirito al luogo. Come altri esempi più noti in Italia, anche in questo caso un progetto che attraverso l'Arte ha rilanciato un piccolo borgo.

Nelle foto alcune delle installazioni che mi hanno più colpito e un "ritratto" sul mio taccuino di viaggio della piazzetta di Casoli, entrato a far parte di #viaggievillaggi: luoghi, paesaggi, viaggi illustrati per raccontare l'Italia meno conosciuta, e non solo. Per visitare "Casoli Pinta" e seguirne le iniziative, questo è il loro sito: www.casolipinta.it Altri disegni e illustrazioni della serie "Viaggi e Villaggi" sul mio account instagram @fabio_pass_cioffi

Per sostenere il progetto potete acquistare le stampe illustrate nel negozio online - - - - > "Viaggi e Villaggi" Eng Some suggestions from "Casoli Pinta", the open air museum in the historic village of Casoli di Atri, in Abruzzo.

Large paintings hanging here and there to find and admire in the alleys, in the squares, along the main street of the village. A form of Street Art before Street Art and wall-to-wall murals, an idea that took shape in the 90s and that still continues giving a new look and perhaps a new spirit to the place. As others known examples in Italy, also in this case a project that through Art has relaunched a small village.

In the photos some of the installations and a "portrait" on my travel notebook of the square of Casoli, which became part of #viaggievillaggi series: places, landscapes, illustrated trips to tell the least known Italy, and not only. To visit and follow "Casoli Pinta" that's their site: www.casolipinta.it

Check out the others drawings of the "Viaggi e Villaggi" series on my instagram account: @fabio_pass_cioffi

To support the project buy one of the illustrated prints on sale on the Viaggi e Villaggi shop

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usa-town-talks · 1 day

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Tamagotchi Makes a Comeback: First UK Store Opens as Global Sales Surge

Tamagotchi is experiencing a resurgence, with global sales more than doubling from 2022 to 2023, as the iconic virtual pet brand opens its first store in the UK—a move that didn't occur even during its original 1990s craze.

Originally launched in 1996, Tamagotchi captivated a generation with its egg-shaped design and digital screen. The latest version retains its nostalgic appearance but boasts enhanced functionality. "Now you can connect with friends, play on Wi-Fi, and download various items, which combats the fatigue associated with earlier models," explained Priya Jadeja, Tamagotchi brand manager.

The brand relaunched in the UK in 2019 and has attracted a diverse audience, surprising its owners at Bandai Namco. "We initially thought the relaunch would appeal primarily to millennials," Jadeja noted. "However, it’s exciting to see kids who have never encountered this type of device before embracing it."

The current landscape is filled with competition from other virtual pets. For instance, Bitzee by Hatchimals features a flexible display that responds to touch and movement, while Punirunes allows users to "stroke" virtual pets directly on the screen. Additionally, Digimon virtual pets, another 1990s relic also owned by Bandai Namco, cater to a slightly different audience.

Interestingly, the lines drawn along gender in the past appear to have blurred. Jadeja observed that there’s no significant difference in the demographics of who buys Tamagotchis today.

For many fans, nostalgia plays a crucial role in their renewed interest. Emma, known on YouTube as Emmalution, recalls her first Tamagotchi from primary school and the joy of sharing the experience with friends. "I started craving some of that nostalgia," she said. After not keeping her original device, she purchased a modern Tamagotchi last year, leading to a newfound obsession and collection.

Koby, who goes by Lost in Translationmon on YouTube, echoed this sentiment. "Playing with my Digimon or Tamagotchi gives me a snapshot of my childhood," he shared, noting the sense of community that comes from sharing experiences online.

Emma highlighted another aspect of the appeal: escapism. "With how the world is at the moment, it’s nice to look down at your little pixel pet and forget everything for a moment, remembering a much simpler time," she said.

As Tamagotchi continues to evolve, its blend of nostalgia and modern technology is captivating a new generation, making its comeback all the more remarkable.

#Nostalgia #Virtual Pets #Bandai Namco #Toy Store #UK #1990s #Escapism

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fearsomeandwretchedandwrong · 1 month

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E-Mail from Big Finish:

AN UPDATE AND AN APOLOGY

Last week I wrote to you about all the changes we’ve been making at Big Finish. Over the past 18 months, we have overhauled our business-critical systems, to ensure we can continue to provide top quality audio dramas now and in the future.

Big Finish is a company of two halves; not only do we make exciting audio adventures to thrill and entertain you, but we are also responsible for selling and delivering them directly to you, the customer. To continue doing this, on a larger scale, requires essential upgrades.

So, here is what we did: we asked experts to help us build a new “store front” to equip us for the future and, while many of our behind-the-scenes operations are now much improved, not all the functionality of the new website and app are working as intended.

I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience so many of our loyal listeners have experienced over the past two weeks.

We have listened to all your feedback in relation to the new website and app and it is clear that your confidence in Big Finish has been shaken. In order to restore your faith, I have decided that, until the new website and app are ready to be relaunched, we will roll back to the previous versions in the coming days.

To address some of the queries that this may raise, please let me reassure you that all historic purchase, order and release data from the previous website was backed up and the Big Finish team has also carefully recorded all purchases made through the new website since then.

All this information will be merged and made available, via the familiar interface of the previous website and app when this is restored.

There may be a brief outage while we migrate the date back to the previous website and app, to ensure everything is checked and double-checked before the website is brought back online.

You will be able to login to the “previous” website and app with the same password you used before.

All purchases made on the new website have been logged and will be honoured in your account when the previous site is reinstated. No additional changes will be made to the pricing of pre-orders, multi-buy discounts or postage; whatever you have paid for/downloaded remains yours.

Once all the above has taken place, we will publish a revised schedule for the postponed August releases, plus some sales promotions.

I hope you will understand that the changes made to our website and app were undertaken with the sincere ambition to make things quicker, easier and more efficient for our customers. Clearly that ambition has been momentarily thwarted.

The rollback to the previous versions of the website and the app are not permanent. While familiar, the Big Finish website and app cannot remain as they were while our audience grows, and new listeners discover our great and ever-expanding catalogue of audio dramas. We need to adapt, and we cannot do that without upgrades to the technology that underpins our online store.

That said, we have listened, and we have learned.

In the future, I promise we will seek out more involvement from our loyal customers up front and we will be clearer about what we are trying to achieve when it comes to website and app development so that you are prepared when they inevitably regenerate into something bigger and better.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Very best wishes

Jason Haigh-Ellery

#well here we go again #big finish

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realestatencrs · 2 months

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ATS Pious Orchards Noida Home to Future Investment

The first thing you need to know about buying properties from bankruptcy auctions is that, given in hand, it is one of the most profitable forms of investment that the modern market can offer us. A concept, this, which seems obvious for the numerous professionals but which, at the same time, is precious for all those entrepreneurs or private citizens who appear for the first time in the world of buying property for investment properties in Noida. ATS Pious Orchards, And it is to them, to all those who intend to understand where to invest in real estate, that the advantages that can be used by participating in a bankruptcy auction of real estate must be as clear as possible. ATS Pious Orchards Price / ATS Pristine Golf Villas Price / ATS Happy Trails Price / ATS Picturesque Reprieves Phase 2 Price

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#ATS Pious Orchards #ATS Pious Orchards Noida #ATS Pious Orchards floor plan #ATS Pious Orchards price list #ATS Pious Orchards resale #ats noida flats #ats luxury flats

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bullzeyemedia · 2 months

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How E-Commerce Brands Have Adapted to COVID-19

The COVID-19 has impacted consumers’ behaviors and placed huge pressure on e-commerce brands for change. Here are some strategies brands have used to maximize sales during these challenging times: 1. Enhance Bottom-Funnel Tactics: Companies have expanded on SMS marketing, and have made adjustments to cart abandonment flow as to keep more sales. 2. Revamp Paid Search Campaigns: Safeguarding the market share from wholesalers through relaunching the branded campaigns has been crucial. 3. Communicate Changes: They have remained engaged based on the frequent communication regarding store closures and or new business hours as well as focusing on online ordering. 4. Shift Staff Roles: Employees, who worked in the physical stores, are now taking online customer service, and live chat positions. 5. Offer Financing: Options such as Affirm and AfterPay have helped in satisfying the new generation consumer demands. 6. Expedited Shipping: Demand for 1 day and 2-day delivery options must be met has been essential agenda. 7. Promote Low-Return Items: Brands have honed the object that retains a low return rate as well as have urged customers to clean their hands when touching the products. 8. Reframe Marketing Messages: Keeping occupants at home with comfortable products has been something that consumers appreciate. 9. Charitable Campaigns: Promotions involving giving some percentage of the profit to societal recognized institutions such as the Red Cross or WHO has been efficient in reaching to the customer. 10.Test Website Functionality: Making sure that both the normal version of sites and a mobile-enabled version work has stopped cases where technical problems lead to the loss of sales. Such strategies can be useful for the e-commerce brands to survive in the new normal.

Read more: E-Commerce Brands Have Responded To COVID-19

#ECommerce #COVID19 #DigitalMarketing #RetailInnovation #OnlineShopping #CustomerExperience

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zannatykhatun · 8 months

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This project has been piloted in Shenzhen and Beijing, and Meituan has also given great resources to it.

What needs to be understood is that compared to other consumer categories, local catering is a more regional and dispersed industry, and it is not easy to increase the conversion rate among a limited number of customers. As competition in local life becomes more and more fierce and Internet traffic becomes more and more expensive, the cost of acquiring customers for merchants on Meituan is also getting higher and higher.

Based on this, Meituan’s logic for live broadcasting is very clear. On the one hand, it caters to consumers' decision-making needs and allows consumers to understand nearby stores and products more intuitively; on the other hand, it provides local merchants with a lower-cost and more efficient live broadcast customer acquisition channel.

According to third-party data, the average conversion rate of orders for local merchants’ live broadcasts on Meituan exceeds 30-40%, and the write-off rate of these orders ultimately converted into store sales exceeds 90%.

This year’s 618 promotion, Meituan Live HE Tuber participated in the Shenquan Festival for the first time. Catering merchants that have been absent from annual promotions in the past due to geographical location, traffic and other factors have used the event to gain new growth this time. For example, Starbucks launched a new product exclusively for Meituan takeout in the live broadcast room for the first time. The sales volume of Frappuccino series products increased by 370% year-on-year, and the brand's new customers increased by 159% year-on-year. Weekly sales of Haidilao, a dinner brand, increased by 51% year-on-year. A year-on-year increase of 64%.

Meituan Takeaway 18th Voucher Festival live broadcast room

A series of actions prove that Meituan has now extended its tentacles to the opponent's advantageous areas from waiting quietly at the beginning to passive defense. If Meituan Live can successfully break through, it will become a weapon for Meituan in the local life battlefield in the future.

In addition to Meituan, veteran players Ele.me are also making secret efforts.

On June 20, at the 2023 Summer Merchant Conference, Ele.me announced six major aspects of merchant support measures: for example, it will support good stores and good products, increase investment in Sunshine series merchants, establish local merchant academies, and establish open platforms , focus on supporting exploration and innovation in subdivided industries, and relaunch summer consumption promotion activities, etc.

At the same time, Ele.me has launched a series of support policies for new stores. For example, the platform will guide stores to actively participate in popular activities such as the 18th Red Envelope Festival and live broadcasts.

On the consumer side, Wired Insight found that Ele.me’s free order campaign is quite strong. Specifically, the free order event will be held once at noon, afternoon, and evening. By answering questions, the first 20,000 users can enjoy the free order. For different cities, Ele.me also launched free city orders. For example, the Beijing area launched a campaign of "reach 36 degrees and get free ice cream".

Ele.me offers free ice cream in Beijing area

It is foreseeable that Meituan and Ele.me are ready for a protracted war. This is a country they spent ten years building. Being vigilant and guarding the market is what they have to do all the time.

The rising dimension of competition will test both capital and manpower.

What kind of market will cause competition among giants?

According to iResearch Consulting data, the scale of the local lifestyle market is expected to grow to 35.3 trillion yuan in 2025, but the online penetration rate of local lifestyle products in 2021 is only 12.7%.

There is no doubt that this is an enviable gold mine, closely watched by players from all walks of life.

In the more segmented takeout market, it can be divided into catering takeout and retail takeout. The former is the takeaway business we discussed above, while the latter can be understood as instant retail.

The "2022 China Instant Retail Development Report" released by the China Chain Store and Franchise Association shows that the market size of "instant retail" has grown at 81% in the past five years; it is expected that in 2025, the scale of the "instant retail" open platform model will exceed the trillion threshold , reaching about 1.2 trillion yuan.

With the addition of Douyin, WeChat, and more giants, competition has become more intense in both the takeout market and the instant retail market.

The focus of the multi-party competition is who is faster and who is cheaper.

According to iResearch data survey, the current importance consumers attach to the delivery time of instant retail platforms has increased from 43.6% in 2019 to 48.3% in 2020. Simply put, when it comes to delivery, nothing matters more than fast delivery.

If they want to do a good job in home-delivery business such as takeout and instant retail, new players have to solve many problems. The first is the delivery link.

To deliver a takeaway to the user, the required process includes purchase, payment, and delivery. Among them, the most important link involved and what affects the user experience is delivery. It can be said that it is the riders and platforms that connect merchants and consumers, thereby forming a closed loop of online consumption and offline services.

This is why Meituan and Ele.me insist on building their own delivery teams. A good distribution system can not only improve customer consumption experience and enhance consumption stickiness, but also increase merchant order volume. On the contrary, merchants and customers may have conflicts due to distribution issues, thus abandoning the platform and merchants.

For new players such as Douyin and WeChat, if they want to be faster, they will need to spend more real money on the delivery system in the future.

In addition to being fast, who is cheaper is also a key factor affecting the number of orders on the platform and the number of times users consume. If you want to be cheap without harming the interests of merchants, platform subsidies are essential.

In the past, the subsidy war between Meituan and Ele.me is still fresh in the market’s memory. Now that there are more players, the subsidy war will continue.

Since the second half of last year, Douyin has started a price war with other platforms and has begun to frequently issue "9.9 yuan coupons" for group purchases, using a low-price strategy to compete for users. At the same time, in order to compete for B-side merchants, Douyin has attracted a group of catering merchants with a service rate of 2.5%. The average service rate for various product categories is 3%, and the highest does not exceed 8%.

On the other side, Meituan followed closely behind. This year, Meituan’s in-store business group has set its strategic focus on “more merchants, better products, lower prices, and a more efficient operating system.” According to LatePost, multiple Meituan sources revealed that Meituan’s in-store and Meituan delivery businesses will not pursue profit growth this year and will use more budget to compete with Ele.me and Douyin.

In addition, Meituan’s in-store business unit’s goal this year is to achieve 60% growth in GTV, and its main task is to retain and increase merchants and increase transaction volume. In order to achieve this goal, Meituan is continuing to launch the lowest-priced products and has also increased incentive plans for merchants. For example, if you reach the GTV target, you can get rebates.

What cannot be ignored is that as major giants are adapting to the theme of cost reduction and efficiency improvement, how to balance this asset-heavy business with the overall market of the company is also a difficult problem and requires determination.

In the short term, the war in the local life market will not end. As the market structure changes, each company is also changing its response strategies. Behind the breakout and defense, what is tested is the comprehensive strength of each company. It is not easy to have the last laugh.

Author: Wang Huiying; Editor: Ziye

Original title: Douyin and WeChat "attack", Meituan and Ele.me "defend", the war in the food delivery arena escalates | Midfield war

Source public account: Insight (ID: lxinsight), a gathering place for innovators in industrial upgrading.

This article is published with the permission of Everybody is a Product Manager’s cooperative media@WiredInsight. Reprinting without permission is prohibited.

The title picture comes from Unsplash, based on the CC0 agreement

The opinions in this article represent only the author's own. The Renren Product Manager platform only provides information storage space services.

#HETuber #Music #Gaming #Entertainment #Sports #Science And Technology

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evrigsolutions · 11 months

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Magento MVP: Fast results in e-commerce with low investment

Investments require careful consideration: minimal risk, swift results, and early return on investment – all these factors need to be weighed carefully. For an e-commerce manager in today’s competitive landscape, this task isn’t simple. However, an MVP project with Magento provides a viable solution. It’s the perfect approach to initiate an online presence, venture into a relaunch, or implement minor enhancements. In our blog post, we delve into the reasons why an MVP project is invaluable in the realm of e-commerce.

Magento MVP, I ensure your online store’s future is secure, keeping risks at bay.

In today’s economic situation, e-commerce decision-makers are under pressure to carefully analyze the return on investment (ROI) for digital projects before making significant investments. This often leads to the delay of important digitization or e-commerce initiatives. Simultaneously, the need to boost sales and keep up with digital advancements is growing. So, how can you, as a responsible e-commerce manager, achieve tangible results during these challenging times? Our solution: by implementing a well-planned MVP project (Minimum Viable Product).

What is MVP?

An MVP, which stands for Minimum Viable Product, is the most basic version of a product that allows you to test essential functions and gather user feedback without including all planned features. In the realm of e-commerce, this means launching an online store with core functionality, excluding advanced features envisioned for the future. Adobe Commerce (Magento), being a robust and flexible platform, serves as an excellent foundation for such a project that can expand alongside your needs.

Also Read: https://www.evrig.com/blog/5-quick-fixes-for-your-slow-magento-site/

Quickly Launching Your E-commerce Venture with an MVP Project

In the business world, efficiency is paramount for success. Particularly in today’s fast-paced environment, being swift and adapting to the ever-changing needs of your audience is crucial. You want to minimize risks while ensuring your digital presence remains current. In such circumstances, opting for a Magento MVP proves to be an excellent solution, perfectly aligning with the demands of the situation. Here are compelling reasons in favor of an MVP project in e-commerce:

Fast time to market

An MVP enables a company to swiftly enter the market, introducing new features, designs, and more, and start earning revenue immediately, bypassing the wait for full implementation.

Gathering Feedback

Before committing substantial investments, testing optimizations is essential. An MVP project offers valuable feedback that can directly inform ongoing development. More Info: https://www.evrig.com/blog/magento-mvp-fast-results-in-e-commerce-with-low-investment/

#magento #magento 2 #ecommerce #ecommerce business #magento mvp #EvrigSolutions

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imemon-blog · 1 year

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The Affiliate Launchpad Pad PLR Review + OTO

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olko71 · 1 year

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New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on https://yaroreviews.info/2023/08/crystal-bar-vape-giant-deletes-tiktok-after-giveaway-with-no-age-verification

Crystal Bar vape giant deletes TikTok after giveaway with no age verification

By Ben King

Business reporter, BBC News

The UK’s second-largest vape company took down social media accounts after sending vapes to reporters in an online giveaway without age verification.

Chinese government-owned SKE has seen rapid growth in sales of its Crystal Bar disposable vapes, which have been criticised for appealing to children.

In an exclusive interview SKE marketing director Serge Davies said the accounts were taken down for a “review”.

SKE also apologised for not signing up to government recycling schemes.

In supermarkets, newsagents and vape shops, Crystal Bar disposable vapes are everywhere in the UK. Designed to deliver a few hundred puffs of nicotine-containing vapour and then be thrown away, disposable vapes have seen astonishing growth in recent years.

SKE, the partly state-owned Chinese company which makes Crystal Bar, is now the second biggest seller of vapes in the UK, according to new figures from data provider NielsenIQ, selling more than 30 million in the past year. Nielsen’s figures don’t include independent retailers and vape shops – SKE’s true sales figure is thought to be over 100 million.

Giving away free samples has been a key part of its rise – last month it ran an online giveaway on the Discord instant messaging platform, promoted via its Instagram feed. Discord began as a platform for gamers, and has a large number of under-18 users.

SKE/Discord

BBC reporters entered the competition. They were asked to state that they were over 18, but no further verification was required. Two vapes were then sent in the post.

It is illegal to sell vapes to anyone under 18.

After the BBC contacted SKE, some of its social media accounts were taken down pending a “review”, including its YouTube and TikTok channels.

“We’re looking to relaunch them with a local social media company that has more of an understanding of the local laws, the local customs,” Serge Davies, SKE’s European communications director, told the BBC.

SKE’s two biggest rivals, the Chinese company Elfbar and UK-listed BAT, which makes Vuse vapes, both say they don’t publish on TikTok. That’s partly because the risk of appearing on children’s phones is too great.

SKE, however, is committed to the platform. “We will be looking to relaunch with an exciting new strategy on TikTok,” said Mr Davies. It is also committed to continuing with vape giveaways. “It does seem to create a lot of interest in the brand and a lot of excitement for all,” he said.

When asked whether he could defend one particular video from SKE’s TikTok feeds, which saw a Crystal Bar being opened to a soundtrack saying, “I wish that I could be like the cool kids,” Mr Davies said: “None of our policies are geared towards marketing to children. So what we try and do with the [social] media accounts is just try and build up a bit of a buzz really.”

MP Steve Brine, chair of the health select committee, said: “It is extremely concerning to hear that vapes could easily fall into the hands of children because proper checks are not being made.

“Responsible manufacturers should not be using giveaway schemes that can act as a green light to children to begin vaping when what they need is protection from potentially harmful effects.”

Recycling

Disposable vapes contain electronics, including a small battery, which are difficult and expensive to recycle. Discarded vapes are a common sight, and local councils have called for them to be banned.

Like all makers of electronic goods, vape companies are legally obliged to register with recycling schemes under which producers contribute to the cost of recycling. Until this month, SKE had not registered with these schemes, or paid the contributions, estimated at about £100,000.

Mr Davies said the firm apologised for this, which he blamed on a “communications issue”.

“We’re glad you highlighted that and we have now signed up to the relevant schemes,” he said.

SKE set up a UK company for the first time this month, and the paperwork at Companies House shows that the Shanghai State-owned Assets Supervision And Administration Commission (SASAC) has “significant control”. The SASAC administers investments on behalf of the Chinese state.

SKE is owned by Shenzhen Yinghe Technology Co, whose largest shareholder is Shanghai Electric Co, which is in turn more than 50% owned by entities linked to the Chinese state, according to its annual report.

In a report to shareholders last year, Yinghe said it had missed vape sales targets due to a government crackdown in China, and was focusing on international expansion to make up the gap. The UK is now its largest market in Europe.

Gummy Bears

In China, only tobacco or menthol flavoured vapes are legal, but in the UK SKE sells a dazzling variety or flavours. In the Discord giveaway BBC reporters were sent Watermelon Ice and Vimbull Ice – combining the tastes of Red Bull and Vimto.

Some flavours, such as Gummy Bear, are named after sweets, which have been criticised as likely to appeal to children. Mr Davies said SKE would continue to sell them. “You’ve got to consider that many Gummy Bears are sold to adults,” he said. It was down to enforcement to prevent vapes being sold to children, he added.

Health committee chair Mr Brine said: “We’ve taken evidence from the vaping industry and do not believe it has gone far enough to ensure that its products don’t appeal to children.

“Marketing is designed to target exactly this age group with the bright colours and flavours that refer to unicorns, sweets or popular fizzy drinks. We want to see restrictions on packaging and marketing practices in line with those that apply to tobacco products.”

Despite many who believe that disposable vapes will be banned, Mr Davies said SKE had set up a headquarters in Manchester, was hiring new staff and expanding.

“We are here to stay,” he said.