#also does anyone know why it’s no longer available on google play store as well???

[candybunnieholic]

I can’t believed that the fate grand order is no longer available on google play store because when I went to tried to updated the app since I wanted to to play the new event and I found out that it’s no longer available on google play store but I’m going to the spend the whole weekend with trying to figure out how I’m going to get a new data transfer code after I already used my old one when I was having issues with the game on my tablet too.

[larryfanficwriter98]

Ten

*Fake It Until You Make It Real*

-SMEXY TIME NEAR THE END I'LL WARN YOU JUST BEFORE IT STARTS- Also please enjoy my Storytime about this chapter's journey

Let me tell you about the roller coaster that this chapter has been through. I have rewritten this chapter a million and one times in the last few weeks that I honestly have no idea how I finished it. Then right when I got the idea I wanted to stick with my phone BETRAYED ME BY PLAYING GOSPEL MUSIC WHILE WRITING MY SMEX SCENE!!! GOSPEL!!! I was raised catholic though I'm not religious anymore BUT LET ME TELL YOU WHEN THAT WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN VERSE CAME ON AS I WROTE ABOUT GAY RIM JOBS!! My grandma probably rolled over in her grave a few times, my lights flickered, my computer went out of sleep mode...y'all made me summon my grandma and that woman does not like me. She opened my closet door and had the nerve to not shut it after she left. My grandma sang that song every morning so that song summons her and it just happens to be the song that plays while I write about one of the many things she did not believe in.

Side note- Not sure if roadblocks are a thing in the UK/Manchester area but in my town there is a roadblock every Friday and Saturday night (obviously except during the pandemic) and when I tell you they will find every drunk driver above the legal limit that is on the main roads I am not exaggerating. So I mentioned them in this chapter because I'm American and that's what I'm use to. Also throughout this story you will notice I go back and forth between UK English and USA English because I try to respect that this is technically based in the UK and they're British and I know a lot of my readers are British, but I am not therefore I use different wording. If you are ever confused and can't find the correct term googling it please comment and I will tell you what it means.

That is all. Enjoy.

On his days off and hours he had to spare during his workdays Harry finished Freddie's bedroom and had went through Maddie's old clothes in her closet that no longer fit. He also had started going through the toy room downstairs digging through the toys from many years ago that he still had that she played with occasionally for a few seconds. He reorganized the toys and space and made sure there was plenty of room for Freddie's toys and future toys he knew he would buy him come Christmas and his birthday. He took down a few old princess dresses that didn't fit and the accessories and made a note in his home journal to ask Maddie if she wanted him to replace them when he spoke to her next. He made little notes as he threw toys in bags or moved larger things out of the room and by the week of Halloween his home was all ready for Louis and Freddie to start moving in. He left his Murano and keys at Louis' place for that week while he took his Audi to and from work for the few days that he worked and the other days he helped Louis and as promised he was the one who took the train table apart and rebuilt it back inside the playroom at his house.

"Come on Louis all five of us are off tomorrow I can call Amy and ask if she can babysit Freddie at my place and we all go there afterwards." Harry begged.

"Harry, I haven't even met Amy yet or talked with Freddie or even had five minutes to think about it. I'm not going to stop you from going out with your friends and if you want to invite Zayn out then go ahead, he'll be all for it. But I just- I haven't been out to a pub in years not like that at least. The last time I left Freddie with anyone other than Zayn or my mom I was given a fifteen-minute lecture about the apparent abuse and neglect I was inflicting on him by being twenty-two and having fun. I just...I don't want to leave him alone and-"

"Louis you are entitled to have fun a few nights. You're allowed to get a babysitter for a night once in a while. Amy is amazing and you will love her instantly and Freddie will like her. You will cause more harm not taking some you time than you will going out once a month to get drunk. We won't even get wasted we'll eat greasy bar food and have a pint or two then go home. I swear to you, you and I will not get drunk if you're worried about not being available for Freddie tomorrow. You're an amazing Papa Louis and I have no doubt a little hangover will never stop you from being there for Freddie but if you want to stay sober then we can."

"I'm not going to make you stay sober just because I am the lamest twenty-four-year-old around."

"You're not lame. You're a parent. A parent with full time custody. I'm not, I don't have all the...precautions and feelings that you do. It's okay to have boundaries with your son, if you don't want us going inside a home, he is at drunk then we won't drink, or Amy can watch him at your place, and you can drop us off at mine then go home. Whatever you want it's fine and we will respect that. You don't have to worry about hurting feelings or sounding lame. Liam and Niall will completely understand if they are limited to one beer. They will respect that."

"It's not that either. I just want to think about it first. Tell you what, tell Amy to call me at my lunch if she can then I'll give you my answer after we talk." Louis said as he unlocked his classroom door before walking to his desk and setting his stuff down.

"Alright. I'm sorry. I just- I think it'll be fun for all five of us to do something before Halloween this weekend. Since you don't have school tomorrow and I'm off until the third and Liam and Niall are off tomorrow, they proposed a night out. It's okay if you don't want to though, we'll all be together Saturday anyway."

"I'm not upset or feeling pressured relax. I just want to think about it. I will let you know everything when I know." Louis said grabbing Harry's hands as he leaned against his desk.

"Okay. Fair enough. I'm going to go home and finish some last-minute things for this weekend then tomorrow we can go shopping together with Freddie then pick up Maddison and have a family dinner outing then have a family movie night. What do you say?"

"I say that sounds like a wonderful Friday night. I'm glad you were able to get Maddison this weekend."

"Yeah, it wasn't easy. I'm just happy I can have her around my family after so long. My family hasn't seen her in years. Not in person for more than a few minutes at a store at least. I should go before your kids come into the room and see me with their teacher. I'm sure that's in the rule book somewhere."

"Something like that." Louis agreed, "You're allowed in my room just no inappropriate displays of affection upfront of students."

"Ah so I should get my goodbye kiss before they come." Harry said quickly grabbing Louis' face and kissing it all over. Louis laughed and swatted at him pushing him off before he pulled Harry down for a proper kiss with his hands on Harry's wrists as Harry's hands cups his face.

"MISTER T!" Louis jumped pulling away turning red as his early arrivals entered his classroom teasing him already.

"I'll talk to you later." Harry said chuckling.

"Oh, don't stop on our behalf." One of his students teased.

"Don't you kids have breakfast to attend?" Louis said.

"Why should we when the tea is obviously all right here." Harry laughed before he kissed Louis' cheek and left the classroom with a grin leaving Louis to fend for himself amongst the teenagers, "is that the fiancé mister T?"

"Yes, it was and you three saw nothing."

*****

"You didn't text me after lunch." Harry said by way of greeting Louis when Louis got into the Murano.

"I know I forgot my charger at the apartment and wasn't able to charge it. The Nursery teacher called me after Amy, and I had to talk to Freddie because he was upset, he forgot his stuffy at the apartment. I obviously couldn't go get it then my phone died just as I was starting to calm him down, so I haven't eaten my lunch yet nor have I been able to text you." Louis said with a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry. You know you can add my name and number to the nursery call list. I can do things...I am going to be your husband, your partner."

"I know you've told me this before I just keep forgetting to since the mornings are always so routine and the afternoons, I'm usually ready to just go home."

"Well how about we do it today. We'll go in together. Then I'll call the boys and tell them we can do it another time and-"

"No, we can go tonight as long as Freddie is okay by the time we want to leave. I told Amy she can come by an hour early so Freddie can get comfortable with her first and we'll decide then anyway."

"Are you sure? It's okay if you want to stay home and get pampered."

"I could use a beer. One beer for me at least."

"Okay. And if we have to wait until Freddie goes to sleep to have that one beer we can. Honestly, it doesn't matter to me as long as you and Freddie are comfortable and happy." Harry said kissing his hand as he drove across the street to the nursery.

******

Louis had kept himself at one beer though he had tried to convince Harry to have fun and get drunk, but Harry had kept himself at two. That didn't stop him from going on the dance floor with Liam who was already on his fourth beer.

"So, tell me about Freddie. I mean obviously Harry talks about him all the time, but I'm sure you can tell me something new." Niall said.

"Really? What does Harry tell you?" Louis asked not at all bothered just curious, he knew Harry had told his friends about Freddie, but he didn't realize Harry talked about Freddie with them.

"Literally everything. The easier question to answer would be what he doesn't tell us. He loves that boy you know, has a picture of you and him in his locker beside his picture of Maddie. Has a picture of him in his wallet too. Harry includes him when he talks about Maddie and sometimes when he gets really animated, he calls him his stepson instead of his fiancé's son. It's cute and I don't think he realizes it." Louis grinned as he looked over at Harry who was being spun by Liam.

"I didn't know that. I think he's worried about going too fast with Freddie considering everything."

"Yeah, he is, but he means well. I get why you two waited so long to mention it to us, with Harry's court situation and with Hannah and with you having Freddie. It's understandable you two just wanted to stay on the low until you knew where it was going. What I don't understand however is why have a wedding so soon?"

"Yeah, Lou why so soon? Are you-"

"NO! No, I am not." Louis quickly said when he saw Niall's eyes widen with excitement, "No. I won't lie the custody situation did encourage me to push for it sooner and also we both wanted a winter wedding, but we also both wanted a small intimate wedding and with all those factors I figured why not do it in January. We talked about it and concluded that if we could make it work then why not. The custody situation alone didn't pressure me into it and neither did anything else it was just a why not situation. We knew we wanted to get married so why wait an extra year. There will be some sacrifices of course, but nothing that is very major or decision changing for either of us."

"I guess that makes sense. That's what Harry said as well that it was just sort how it was planned. I knew Harry wouldn't have pressured you, but I also know Harry can sometimes be a bit...pressuring without meaning to."

"I haven't felt pressured in anyway with him. I know he can be pushy at times, but he has always stepped back when he needed to. Actually, I haven't found any flaws except his puns and dad jokes and - is he always fucking perfect? Like is that a trait his entire family has or just him?" Niall laughed as he set down his fifth empty pint glass.

"Perfect? Harry? I have no idea what you're talking about. That man is not perfect."

"He is perfect, he's always so...composed and in control of himself."

"You do see him on the dance floor, right?" Zayn asked making Louis turn and burst out laughing as he saw Harry and Liam doing a circle while shimmying together.

"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT TOMLINSON!" Liam shouted.

"YOU PAYNO!" Niall shouted back.

"Go to hell Irish." Liam shouted as he grabbed Harry's hands and spun together dramatically.

"Okay so he's not always perfect..." Louis conceded, "But he's pretty damn close."

"I think you're blinded by those biceps Lou." Zayn said making Louis turn red as his jaw dropped.

"WHAT?!"

"I mean I can't blame you Dr. Styles definitely has a nice body. I'm impressed honestly. You're not one to go after muscular men."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Louis said looking down at his empty glass with melting ice.

"I tried to hit on Harry when he was transferred to Manchester Royal. I was already a nurse there and here comes this hot young doctor who had scrubs that hid nothing from view if you get what I mean." Niall said, "I mean I'm sure you get what I mean you probably caused a few...accidents during your secret stays." Louis buried his burning face into his hands and refused to acknowledge Niall and Zayn laughing their asses off beside him.

"What kind of view are we talking about Niall?"

"Okay we're done talking." Louis said quickly interrupting that train of conversation as he slid out of the stool and headed to where Harry and Liam were, "I'm stealing him back." Louis said wrapping his arms around Harry's shoulders.

"Only for a few minutes Tomlinson I'll be back for him after a pint. And don't think a boner will deter me we slept in the same bed during puberty when we had sleepovers." Liam said as he headed back to the table with a playful wink and a blown kiss towards Harry who playfully caught it and put it in his pocket winking at Liam right back and puckering his lips. Louis chuckled shaking his head as he pulled Harry away from the table's view and further into the crowd of dancing people.

"Ready to go home?"

"In a little bit, it is getting really late considering we only planned to be out until eleven. I think it's one already."

"Yeah, sorry I know you wanted be home. We can leave-"

"In a little bit Harold. For now, this is as close to a pub date as you're getting from me for some time which means we have to snog in the middle of aroused strangers who are grinding on us in all directions and probably trying to grab one of our wallets without us realizing. It's a relationship requirement." Harry grinned nodding as he looked around.

"I think we're meeting all the requirements."

"All except for one."

"Ah right let me correct that." Louis laughed as Harry wrapped his arms around Louis' waist and pulled him closer to his body just as their lips met. Slowly, almost hesitantly, their bodies started to move and after a few minutes, they were one of the many couples dry humping each other on the middle of the dance floor. Harry grabbed Louis' hand and spun him around then wrapped the arm around his waist and pressed him against his body causing Louis's breath to catch momentarily. He leaned back against Harry, leaning his head on his shoulder letting Harry keep his arms wrapped around his waist while his mouth stayed on his neck mouthing at him in various spots. Louis' hands slid up and behind to wrap around Harry's neck pulling him closer as he turned his face to kiss him again letting Harry's tongue take control while one of his hands cupped his cheek keeping him there. Louis could feel Harry's other hand twitching from where it was rested against his stomach, it was one of the things Louis had learned about Harry that he was very touchy and handsy when they snogged and tended to keep his hands firmly in place on his cheeks, waist, hips, or back not moving them at all except to those safe locations. Harry definitely liked to touch more than he liked anything while also being respectful and mindful of his hand placements and where it was deemed safe to touch. He was also very willing to let Louis be in charge, didn't seem to have any hang-ups about ''roles'' or positions that were stereotypically associated with carriers and non-carriers who were gay unlike most people.

"Oi if you're going to give us a free show at least do something worth watching!"

"Remind me to kill Liam tomorrow morning." Harry whispered against his lips.

"Sure thing." Louis said turning to face him only to be kissed again once he did, "We're being watched Harold."

"Fine. We can continue this behind a closed bedroom door preferably locked too." Louis chuckled as he followed Harry back to the table, "You're getting killed tomorrow morning. Are we ready to head out?"

"Sure, I am and yeah we are. I already paid the tab, so we just need to figure out who is the more sober one of us all and get to your place."

"That's probably Louis or myself." Harry said.

"I can drive." Louis offered, "I only had a pint, I'll be the safest if we hit a roadblock."

"Agreed. Here you are my love. Let's head home." Harry said placing the keys into Louis' hands before wrapping his arm around his waist and walking with him out of the building while the others followed closely behind.

"I have to pee so bad." Harry said running up the stairs as soon as the front door was opened. "Holy fuck my bladder is about to explode."

"Harry always has to pee after a beer. I swear it goes straight through him." Liam said shaking his head, "don't worry we'll show Zayn to the guest rooms and make sure he's comfortable."

"Thanks, I want to check on Freddie really quick. Zayn-"

"I'll be fine." Louis nodded then headed upstairs to Freddie's room entering it as silently as he could. He gave Freddie a forehead kiss then fixed his blankets and tucked him in. He grabbed Patches off the floor and laid the bear beside Freddie then stared at his son until he felt Harry sit behind on the edge of the bed.

"If you stay here any longer, he'll wake up and neither of us are strong enough to say no to a half-asleep Freddie wanting snuggles." Louis chuckled nodding but he didn't move. Harry stood only to kneel on the side of the bed and gently run his fingertips though the messy hair. He gave Freddie a light kiss as well then stood up and pulled Louis up wrapping his arms around his waist as he guided him out of the room, "let him sleep Papa bear. He's fine and we have a busy two days starting tomorrow."

"I know I know I just wanted to make sure he was okay."

"Uh huh. Sure, you did. I'm sure you were hoping he'd wake up."

"Only a small part of me was hoping that would happen. I can't help it he's growing up too fast and soon he'll be too cool for snuggles."

"I still snuggle my mom, if he's raised right, he'll never be too cool for snuggles. And trust me I'll make sure he's raised to love snuggles when he's fifteen." Louis laughed as they walked into Harry's bedroom, well their bedroom now since they were mostly moved in by now. Louis turned in Harry's arms, so they faced one another and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"You know Niall told me something at the table."

"Oh?" Harry questioned wrapping his arms around Louis' waist.

"He told me you have a picture of Freddie in your locker."

"I do in a magnetic frame beside Maddie. You're in the picture too."

"He also told me you call him your stepson when you talk about him."

"I might say that word a few times." Harry said nervously as his cheeks turned red, "I love Freddie, I've told you he's my family now." Louis grinned as he stood on his toes and pressed his lips against Harry's pulling him in closer by his hand in Harry's hair. He walked back until his back hit one of the boards of the four-poster bed frame. Harry moved in and completely covered his body with his own slotting himself between Louis' legs.

"I don't want to like assume anything but-"

"Harry I am pressed up against your bed post by my own decision and you're worried about assuming things?" Harry laughed nodding.

~~The Smex starts in a few paragraphs~~(Smex spelling is so wattpad doesn't get their sensitive feelings hurt by already pre-tagged warnings of smex and the mature thingy tagged...they're pansies)

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted...assuming you're not on contraception methods which I'm not going to make you get on or anything obviously I know that can affect your body more ways than they tell you, I was going to ask what you wanted to do like if you wanted to top or if you have a preference. I'm sure you've noticed I have none and am completely fine with any method since I can't get pregnant. I mean obviously I have condoms and I’m obviously clean and everything I just don’t want to assume anything like you want to bottom just because you’re a carrier and I don’t want you to assume I only want to top because I’m not a carrier and I have an ‘’alpha male job’’ as some like to call it nowadays.”

“Oh well I usually don’t top unless I’m in my more fertile week. As I’m sure you know since men don’t ovulate or menstruate, we have a week of higher fertility rate that we can track by weekly pee sticks. Don’t care to know the science behind it so please don’t tell me.”

“I can give you a long lecture about your hormones and-“

“Don’t make me soft Harold.”

“Well alright. Are you-“

"No, it's always the first or second week of the month, it sometimes comes in the middle of the week, I usually take one very two days until I get it. So, stop worrying and stop talking." Harry chuckled as he pressed his lips against Louis' again pressing himself against Louis who was pressed against the bedpost. Louis' hands ran up under Harry's shirt bunching it until Harry pulled it off followed by Harry pulling Louis' shirt off. Their jeans and pants were off and in a few short moments Louis was bent over the bed with Harry between his legs giving him a mind-numbing rim-job. Something that not five minutes ago Louis would have said he hated because he never had a good one. Louis was very aware of the fact that they currently had six people on the same floor only few feet from them and one of those people being his son, which was why he was trying extremely hard to stay as quiet as he could. However, when two fingers joined Harry’s tongue at his entrance Louis gasp resisting the want to push back against them.

“I could do this all night. How are you feeling?” Harry asked smugly.

“Like if you continue, I’ll cum way too soon.” Louis said trying to swat at Harry but missed.

“If you think that’ll stop me you’ve got another thing coming. Literally.” Louis burst out laughing which quickly turned into a too loud moan that Louis just knew anyone awake on the second floor heard it.

“You ass you did that on purpose.”

“Well, they say you are what you eat.”

“You did not just say that.” Louis said laughing as he buried his face in a pillow muffling any and all sounds that came from him from that point forward. Harry kept his promise as he spread his cheeks wider giving him more room to lick his entrance pushing his tongue in.

A large hand wrapped around his cock and started tugging on it painfully slow while his tongue moved as fast as physically possible. When Harry removed his tongue, he sucked and ran a thumb over the wet hole before going back in not giving Louis any time to breathe between all the sensations. Despite all that not once was it hurried or rough in a way that took away the intimacy of a first time together. Louis moaned as he felt his orgasm building, he could feel it all building under his skin and when it was released it was released in strong spurts on the duvet cover underneath him and Harry didn’t stop until nothing else came out. Then when Louis was sure he’d get some time to breathe Harry pushed two thick lubed fingers inside of him making him groan in pleasure and slight pain at the over simulation.

“You’re not going to let me breathe?” Louis asked breathlessly.

“You’re breathing now, aren’t you?” Louis laughed shaking his head, “You’ll be fine I have faith in you and your lungs. You just relax and enjoy and let me know if you’re too sensitive. I am a doctor I know how to avoid a prostate.”

“No get out you’ve gone and ruined it with a doctor joker.” Louis said.

“Oh hush.” Harry said leaning over Louis to kiss his shoulder as his fingers slowly moved inside of him. Louis was all for slow fingering, but it was currently almost three in the morning and they had a long busy weekend coming up.

“Harry I’m all for slow sex and all but it is almost three in the morning and-“

“I’m obviously not doing it right if you’re able to think.” Louis opened his mouth to retort that Harry was doing great and it was just that it was almost three in the morning, but all thought process escaped his head when Harry pushed three fingers inside of him and started thrusting them, brushing them against his prostate. He moaned not even bothering with the pillow as he gripped the duvet in his fists before Harry rolled him on to his back. He arched his back as his legs spread almost automatically to give Harry’s arm more space between his legs. Louis cursed repeatedly when Harry wrapped his mouth around Louis’ head sucking it down as he fingered Louis, his second orgasm came as a surprise as Harry swallowed it all before Louis even realized he was cumming. Louis pulled Harry down for a kiss as soon as he had enough oxygen in his body and felt no shame when he could still taste himself on Harry’s tongue. His hands gripped Harry’s hair before he rolled them over, so he was straddling Harry’s hips as they snogged. Louis reached over and grabbed the condom on the nightstand then opened it and slowly slid it down Harry’s hard cock. Harry gasped tensing when Louis rolled the condom on before he relaxed and helped position Louis as he held himself in place. They broke the kiss momentarily so Harry could help guide Louis, he thrust up just enough, so the head entered the ring of muscle then his mouth was back on Louis’ to muffle the majority of the sounds that came out as he slowly slid himself down. When Louis was completely seated on Harry, he knew neither one of them would last long for multiple reasons. Louis slowly started a rhythm that he was comfortable with at first since he hadn’t had sex in years then slowly it sped up by both of their doings then Harry rolled them, so Louis was on his back when Louis was wearing out. The new position and angle had Louis burying his face in Harry’s neck before Harry was kissing him again. Harry started thrusting harder and faster leaving Louis to gasp and let out high pitched noises that he couldn’t help and only hoped they were as quiet as they seemed. When Louis came for a third time it was followed almost immediately by Harry as he groaned holding Louis close to him keeping their faces buried in the other’s neck.

“Holy fuck I can’t move.” Louis burst out laughing as rubbed Harry’s sweaty back as they slowly caught their breathes, “I’m serious I can’t move. We’re stuck like this. One and done.”

“I wouldn’t call that one and done.” Louis said making Harry laugh, “I’d call that almost two hours and done.”

“Last time I focus on your pleasure.” Harry joked before he kissed Louis’ forehead then straightened up and gently pulled out. Louis watched as Harry got off the bed and headed into the bathroom leaving the door wide open as he balled up some toilet paper and pulled the condom off. After tying it off he tossed it in the trash then he wet a washcloth and wipe himself off before he came over to Louis and wiped him off making sure to get everything from lube to the dried cum on his ass from when he rolled over the first time. Once that was done, he tossed it into the hamper and pulled off the duvet.

“Are you really stripping your bed? Right now?” Louis teased.

“No, I’m just pulling the duvet cover off, so we don’t accidentally sleep in cum or lube. If you dirty my white duvet, you’re in trouble though.”

“I promise not to ruin your fancy duvet.”

“Good.” Harry crawled into bed and pulled the duvet over them, “Come here and cuddle.” Louis grinned turning to face Harry as he snuggled into his warm body tucking his head against his chest and wrapping his arms arounds his waist, “Perfect. Goodnight.”

“Night.”

[purplesurveys]

1068

What internet browser do you use?  Chrome. It’s what I’m used to, but I also think it looks the cleanest among the other available browsers.

What brand water do you drink? (Smart Water, Dasani, etc) I never reach for imported water brands like Evian because what is the point?? The local bottled water brands we have like Summit and Absolute work fine and already do a great job of quenching my thirst.

Do you have a job? Yes and I go back tomorrow and I’m cringing thinking about it. I love my job, but I wish it wasn’t so mercilessly hectic for 9 straight hours, 5 days a week. I like to think that I was hired right at the start of all the simultaneous Christmas campaigns of our clients which is why everything seemed busy; so I’m hoping the workload will start to die down a little bit now that all the holidays are over.

Are you full-time or part-time? Full-time.

Are you watching TV right now?  Nope. I was watching on YouTube earlier, but I decided to focus on this.

Or are you listening to music? No. It’s silent here in the living room, just the way I want it to currently be.

Would you go to jail for 3 years for $1,000,000? I don’t think that’s enough money for a dare that big.

When's your birthday?  April 21st.

Thoughts on kids?  I’m a lot less idealistic about them now. I used to want kids with my only formula being “I’ll do the exact opposite of what my mom did with me.” but I realized it’s so much more complicated than that. Raising a kid/kids is a whole damn job in itself and I see that with how my cousins of the same age, but from different families, have been acting. My cousins from one family are really spoiled and entitled, and I can’t last in a room with them for more than a minute; but my cousins in another family are so ridiculously well-behaved I can’t even start to fathom how respectful and kind they are. That observation has scared me away from kids in the meantime, because I still have to figure out how to not fuck such a responsibility up.

Worst punishment you've ever received by your parents?  The worst thing they ever did was take away my laptop privileges for an indefinite period when I was 11, when they caught me being a dumbass on social media and cursing all over the place. It’s a reasonable punishment per se, but that was also a time when the internet was starting to become a resource and requirement for homework and school projects; so my parents didn’t know how many things I failed to submit because they didn’t allow me on the internet.

Are you the type who is completely against abortion? I am pro-choice and pro-pregnant people should be allowed to make decisions about their own bodies. I don’t like the idea of abortion, but I’ve always believed people should have access to resources to learn more about it, to a healthy culture that embraces it as an option, and to actual facilities that will enable them to receive one if the need be.

Have you ever read a book that actually changed your outlook on life? No, I don’t think so. Not yet at least.

Does your favorite flower hold any meaning to you? Peonies don’t mean anything in particular. I just think they look pretty.

What would you do if your favorite animal became endangered?  I can’t imagine dogs ever getting endangered, but hypothetically I’d be crushed. I’d do the same thing I would do with other endangered animals, which is to spread the word about their situation and what can be done to save them from getting even fewer in number.

Have you ever owned an expensive eyeshadow palette?  No. I never cared for makeup. I’m turning 23 and still don’t feel the need to invest in it...should I be worried?

Do you own a tripod for your camera? We used to, but I have not seen it in a long time.

Are your nails always painted?  They never are.

What's one thing you've had a toxic reaction to? A breakup. < This was true for me too, at least for a time. Another one would be the barbecue that my uncle bought for a family gathering once that was definitely contaminated with something...shit gave me food poisoning at 3 AM and made me think my half-naked self was going to die right then and there in the bathroom.

Which holiday is your favorite to decorate for?  We only ever decorate for Christmas, so I guess it wins by default.

Were you popular in school? By the second half of high school I was hanging out with the popular groups and getting invited to popular kid things, but I never wanted to claim to be popular myself. I still liked letting my friends take the spotlight.

Are there any foods that often give you heartburn or indigestion?  Is there something you intend to buy in the near future?  Is anyone in your family artistically talented? What about musically? What cute behaviors or characteristics does/do your pet(s) have?  What's the screensaver on your computer?  Crossing these out as I believe this survey is a shuffle of questions from many different surveys...? and I have already answered these five in a past survey I recently finished.

What’s the sexiest thing about a guy? I don’t really care for guys, I think... I still haven’t made up my mind about them yet, but all I know is I definitely have not felt seriously attracted to any irl man my whole life.

What’s the sexiest thing about a girl?  THIGHS

Who were you with at midnight on January 1, 2021?  Who was the last person to send you a message on social media?  ^ What qualities does this person have, that you appreciate? What was the last thing that caused you to scowl, or frown?  Have you smiled at any point during the last hour?  What was the last thing you consulted Google for? So, did anyone send you a "Happy New Year" message when midnight hit? When was the last time you were on a carousel?  What is the closest you have ever been to an elephant? Have you ever played Halo?  Have you ever read a National Geographic magazine?  When was the last time you had a pillow fight?  Name somebody who you think deserves more respect: In your own words, define what the word sexy means.  What is the most popular tourist attraction where you live?  Without looking - do you know what brand your underwear is? Are you any good at volleyball?  Have you ever had a water balloon fight?  Same situation as above. What an interesting order of questions, hehe. Still having fun with this though!

Do you think some babies are ugly?  Newborns are super wrinkly and make the strangest facial expressions from time to time. That won’t stop me from cooing at them, though.

Don’t you miss Chuck E. Cheese? I’ve never been there. Is it like a standard birthday party events place for kids?

Do you think Fall Out Boy is gonna be a classic band, like Queen or AC/DC? In time, maybe. 

Do you love stuff-crusted pizza?  Yessssss.

Do you apply lotion after you bathe? I don’t, but I should probably pick it up as a habit seeing how dry my skin can get.

What’s your favorite color? Pastel pink. < Same!

Who did you have your most amazing kiss with? Gabie.

Has a YouTube video of yours ever gotten over 10,000 views? I’ve never even posted a video on YouTube.

Would you ever get a tattoo on your collar bone? Not my spot of choice, so maybe not.

Do you like Robert Frost poems?  I’m only familiar with one and I’m having a little trouble remembering it rn haha.

Do you go to church every Sunday?  We used to go to church, yeah; back when it was okay to. Our local church has allowed face-to-face masses again (but with very limited attendees) but my mom has preferred for us to stay home, so for the last few months we’ve been watching livestreams of Sunday mass every week.

Have you ever been in a relationship on-and-off for more than a year?  I would say Gab and I were on-and-off, but it went on a lot longer than a year. The total time would amount to six years.

If you had to get famous for one of the following, which would you choose: music, acting, writing, modeling? Writing. Or modeling, if I could only pull it off.

What do you think of girls with huge boobs that don’t wear bras in public? I seriously don’t care. I skip out on bras all the time because I honestly personally don’t need them, and everyone should be allowed to feel and act the same way.

What is the last thing you tried on in a store? I never do this. Even before Covid, I’ve felt iffy about trying clothes that many others have already put on and were probably not washed 100% well. I’d rather get something, try it on at home, decide if it’s a good fit or not, and then return it ASAP if it ends up being the latter.

Is sleeping naked more comfortable than in clothes?  My mom doesn’t knock so I’ve always been scared to try sleeping naked (and she also throws a fit if she catches me locking my door, which is like - then why did you even buy a doorknob with a lock??), but I definitely see the appeal.

Have you ever had a dream in which you were making out, or more, with someone?  Yes for the more part lmao, but I don’t know if I’ve ever made out in a dream.

Do you feel as though you have a good memory, or are you forgetful at times? Do you feel that your short-term memory or long-term memory is better? Have you ever had a concussion or some other sort of brain injury before?  Do you have any sort of mental illnesses or disorders? What do they involve?  What’s the longest that your hair has ever been? How about the shortest? When is the last time that you got it cut? What are some ways that you style your hair? Do you use any sorts of products in it?  Who was the last person to truly get on your nerves? What do you think caused you to feel that way? 

Do you recycle? Is this through choice or do you live somewhere where it’s compulsory? Through choice. Waste management is sadly not much of a priority here, if at all.

Do you prefer plain, carbonated, or flavored water? Do you think you drink enough water throughout the day?  I have never tried the latter two. Water has always been tasteless and plain to me, and I never understood the point of customizing something that’s meant to be tasteless and uncarbonated. There are days where I’m able to have several glasses and other days where I unconsciously skip out on water until dinner.

Have you ever needed to call the police, ambulance, or fire department? Fortunately I’ve never had to call any of these.

When was the last time you visited the library? What was the purpose of your visit? I wasssssss maybe having something printed? If it wasn’t that, I was probably returning a book.

Do you see a lot of wild animals where you live? Are any of them dangerous? None of that here, especially since I live in the city. A sighting of a wild animal outside of a zoo or eco-park would definitely make national news, like that time an ostrich was seen running around a private village many months ago.

Aside from when you were born, have you ever had to stay the night in the hospital? Yep, from a dengue scare that turned out to be just a simple low platelet count.

Have you ever experienced a panic attack?  Yes, but they are extremely rare. The last time I had one was maybe two or three years ago. Unfortunately I think all my panic attacks were caused by and involved my mom.

Would you ever want to go into the medical profession? Was your answer different pre-COVID?  For a time, when I was hating journalism in college, I was daydreaming about the idea of shifting to biology and making the drastic swerve to med school. But I knew a love of memorizing and biology topics won’t be enough for me to be successful in the medical field, so I quickly shot the idea down.

Where you live, are people paying attention to whatever restrictions are in place to help control COVID? Many? People are definitely following and have been obedient with protocol in different places. Some cities are also still strict with maintaining their checkpoints and banning tourists from entering their area just yet. It’s the government that hasn’t really been making the effort to put measures to contain the virus.

Do you get a real or artificial Christmas tree?  Artificial. I don’t know if getting real trees for Christmas trees is a thing here.

What’s your favourite type/flavor of popcorn?  Cheddar cheese.

Do you drink oat milk? Nopes. I’d like to try it just to say that I have (and I might end up loving it too), but I have yet to look up what foods or drinks it works best with.

Do you love thrifting?  Sure, sometimes I get good finds from it.

Do you consider using only lowercase letters your aesthetic?  Sometimes I’ll use it in a Powerpoint or a tweet, but I wouldn’t say it’s an aesthetic that defines me as a person.

Do you say “mood?”  Too much.

Do you own fairy lights?  No. I wanted those before, but I’m not so sure if I still do now.

Do you own glass straws because the metal ones kind of gross you out because you can’t tell if they are clean or not? I don’t own glass straws. Most places have changed their cups into a design that you can sip directly from, anyway.

Have you made a TikTok? No, don’t care.

Do you own airpods?  No, but would like a pair.

Are you afraid of Mercury in retrograde? I really don’t care.

Do you make life choices based on astrology?  No, I don’t believe in it. It scares me how much some people rely on it and use it as an actual moral compass or judgment system. It doesn’t harm anyone so I never actively speak out against astrology, but it scares me nonetheless.

How many pairs of converse shoes do you own?  One pair. I used to own another one, but my mom threw it out several years ago.

Number of jeans in your closet:  I would say like 10-12.

What accent do you have?  Philippine English/Americanized Filipino, I guess.

Do you have a big butt? I’d say it’s decently-sized.

Do you count how long you and your gf/bf have been together? Yeah, before.

Have you graduated?  Both high school and college, yup.

Rihanna or Lady GaGa?  I like Rihanna’s music more, but I love Gaga’s outfits, concepts, and stage presence more. Do you use fake eyelashes?  No. I had to use them twice, but I’d never seek them out on my own.

Which was the last book that really captivated you? It’s been a while since I encountered a book like this.

What makeup brands do you use?  I don’t use makeup.

[srilankapriceguide]

Are you looking for the Vivo phone price in Sri Lanka in 2021? You are in the right place. We are here to help.

Vivo is a Chinese Electronics company that was founded in the year 2004 and it started with only a few employees. It has now grown to a recognized brand all over the world, especially in India and china. The products that they make are so good as compared to other brands which makes them number one. Found the price range from Rs. 17,990 to Rs. 91,400.

When talking about phones then especially Vivo is known for making very good looking phones. Their technology is also up to the mark and with it many new things have been brought in to make our lives easier.

Vivo phone is known for its good performance and excellent specifications. It has 4 GB ram and 64 GB internal memory which seems like a lot but the thing is that you can actually use more than that because of the micro SD card slot. The device also has android 7 operating system, which is very updating to date if we talk about it compared to other devices.

It has a dual camera of 16 MP and 8 MP which is very good for taking pictures. The front camera has the capacity to record 4K high definition videos, which makes it even better than other devices in its price range.

You can also check out the Samsung A20 Price in Sri Lanka here.

What is the latest Vivo phone in Sri Lanka?

VIVO S1 Pro – The vivo s1 pro is a new smartphone launched by the company that features a 6.19-inch TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen with 1280 x 720 pixels screen resolution and 312 ppi pixel density. The device is powered by 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6750 processor, clubbed with 4GB RAM and it comes along with 32GB internal storage capacity that can be expanded up to 128GB via micro SD card.

VIVO V25 5GB – The vivo v25 5GB is a new smartphone launched by the company that features a 5.5-inch HD IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 1280 x 720 pixels screen resolution and 294 ppi pixel density. The device is powered by 1.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, clubbed with 3GB RAM and it comes along with 32GB internal storage capacity that can be expanded up to 128GB via micro SD card.

VIVO V21e – The vivo v21e is a new smartphone launched by the company that features a 5.2-inch HD IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 720 x 1280 pixels screen resolution and 267 ppi pixel density. The device is powered by 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor, clubbed with 3GB RAM and it comes along with 32GB internal storage capacity that can be expanded up to 128GB via micro SD card.

VIVO V5 – The vivo v5 is a new smartphone launched by the company that features a 5-inch HD IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 1280 x 720 pixels screen resolution and 294 ppi pixel density. The device is powered by 1.5GHz Octa-core MediaTek MT6753 processor, clubbed with 3GB RAM and it comes along with 32GB internal storage capacity that can be expanded up to 256GB via micro SD card.

VIVO Y66 – The vivo y66 is a new smartphone launched by the company that features a 5.5-inch HD IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 720 x 1280 pixels screen resolution and 267 ppi pixel density. The device is powered by 1.5GHz Octa-core MediaTek MT6753 processor, clubbed with 3GB RAM and it comes along with 32GB internal storage capacity that can be expanded up to 256GB via micro SD card.

Is Vivo phone good?

yes, vivo phones are good and the specifications are excellent. They have a very long battery life which is one of the main reasons why they have such high demand in India and china. The display of the screen is also another reason for their success because it’s very big but not too big and can comfortably fit on your hands unlike other brands that come with smaller screen.

Is Vivo a trusted brand?

Yes, vivo is a trusted brand in India and china because of its good performance and excellent specifications. Most Vivo phones cost less than 20000 rupees but the thing is that it doesn’t look cheap or like some other brands whose quality you don’t know about.

Which Vivo model is best?

I believe you should get the Vivo v21e because it’s cheap, has a great camera and best of all comes with a gorilla glass 4 which makes sure that your phone screen doesn’t get any scratches or breaks while dropping or bumping into something.

What is Vivo famous for?

Vivo is famous for producing cheaper phones with good performance and specs. The vivo v21e that I mentioned above costs about 18k which is a very cheap price but has features of more expensive smartphones.

All Vivo models have been launched in India and china, so if you are thinking of buying one you should consider these two countries first. The price may vary depending on the models you are looking at but they all offer great value for your money.

Is Vivo phone safe to use?

Of course, vivo phones are very safe to be used by anyone. They have gained a lot of popularity because they offer good performance and have longer battery life than most smartphones. Vivo phone is 100% safe to use.

Does Vivo have good camera?

Vivo is famous for producing phones with great cameras, the best example being vivo v21e that comes with 13MP rear camera and 8MP front facing camera. The main reason why people buy Vivo phones rather than other brands is because of their cameras which are known to be very good and produce high-quality pictures worthy of sharing on social media.

Is vivo phone good in low light?

If you want to know the answer of this question, you should definitely get a Vivo phone because they do very well in low light situations. The display screens are also big and bright which is an advantage if you like watching videos or playing games on your phones at night.

Does vivo have Google?

Vivo phones come with Google because it’s one of the most popular operating systems in India and china. You’ll get to enjoy all the apps that google has to offer including play store.

What are the benefits of having a Vivo phone in Sri Lanka for the best price?

Vivo is the first phone made for data sharing. It has 2 SIM card slots and a SD card slot so you can use it on multiple networks, and a capable processor to run all your apps with absolutely no lag time. But what really sets users’ imaginations running are the Vivo features that give them an option to save their social, scholarly and professional lives on this one device. Users have complete control over which information they share when with our unique secure backup site A Cloud Thingy or from any other app as well. The options may be endless but only Vivo lets you control who sees what!

What are the negatives of Vivo phone in Sri Lanka?

The only downside I see with Vivo phones in Sri Lanka is the lack of options available. There are only a few models to choose from, and this can be annoying for users as they may want something different.

Are you happy with the Vivo phone price in Sri Lanka?

Are you happy with the Vivo phone in Sri Lanka? If yes, then do share the article. If not please let me know through comments.

[shirlleycoyle]

The Many App Stores Before the App Store

A version of this post originally appeared on Tedium, a twice-weekly newsletter that hunts for the end of the long tail.

How much credit does Apple deserve for introducing its App Store concept to mainstream consumers? I mean, how obvious is the idea, anyway?

This is a question that seems worth asking as modern app development has become so centered around building applications that exist in digital storefronts like Apple’s App Store, the Google Play Store, Steam, and numerous others. What about app stores that existed when the proverbial dodo was still around? There are more than you think.

“A trip back in time reveals at least one popular one-click store which predates Apple’s attempt by at least 5 years. I know because I built it.”

— Michael Robertson, the software developer best known for his creation of MP3.com, in a blog post discussing his work on “Click-N-Run,” an early attempt at creating a digital download store along the lines of the App Store in the early 2000s. Click-N-Run (CNR), which was an aspect of the commercial Windows-like Linux distribution Linspire that Robertson helped build, was a commercial GUI-style interface for Debian’s apt package manager. It was eventually made available to other distros to much interest, though the results were reportedly a mixed bag. While no longer made, Linspire’s work on CNR (one of a few stabs at the GUI-based software distribution interface in Linux) likely inspired the graphical package managers now commonly offered with many Linux distributions, which largely work the same way.

The question around what an app store actually is probably starts with shareware

Let’s play a game: If you were to access a piece of shareware circa 1991 and wanted to unlock the full version of that application with your computer alone, how would you do it?

No web. Perhaps no Windows. (Perhaps GeoWorks.)

Sure, there were probably lots of ways to download an application, if you had the tools to do so—as in, a modem. Perhaps you might grab it on a BBS, or through a service like Compuserve. Maybe Usenet binary groups were your preferred strategy.

But still, you’d be stuck with a nag screen. Your copy of WinZip would just be annoying you every time you started it.

See, the issue with the distribution of software via computer was never about the download part—that part was figured out relatively quickly. It was the paying part that proved difficult.

Think about how it might work compared to a store: You choose a physical object of interest, you give a physical object of value (i.e. money) in exchange, an intermediary (i.e. a cashier) confirms you bought it (by scanning a barcode), and you walk out, without an object of value but with an object of interest.

Which is why every time you read a story about some shareware pioneer, like the developer of Paint Shop Pro or Tim Sweeney’s efforts to sell folks ZZT, it’s always paired with a story about these developers literally taking checks in the mail, despite the fact that it was entirely possible to purchase things fully electronically with a credit card by this point.

Without the retail element, people were kind of stuck distributing software without a way to easily purchase it. (What’s the big deal, the open-source folks say.) There was no way to secure the process, so therefore, fraud was prevalent. And if people are distributing through multiple systems, the experience of downloading becomes annoying, because it feels wildly inconsistent.

This is the problem a few entrepreneurs worked to solve starting in the mid-to-late 1990s, with varying levels of success.

1993

The year that Tucows, a well-known repository of downloadable software, first went online. The repository was built by Scott Swedorski, a technology enthusiast in Flint, Michigan, who spotted a need for a central resource for basic internet software. Swedorski’s work, while not initially intended to be commercial, proved the basis of a long-running company that came to prove an essential part of the early internet. After all, we needed software to get on the internet, right?

An example of the Electronic AppWrapper, a program for NeXT computers that could be used to distribute software digitally. Image: JohnWayneTheThird/Wikimedia Commons

The first “app store” on a Steve Jobs-operated platform involved a CD-ROM and an email-sending mechanism

The app store that generally gets the nod for being first dates to the early 1990s, on a platform that was responsible for a lot of software firsts. I’m, of course, talking about NeXT, the platform on which the World Wide Web came to life and whose object-oriented approach to programming became a big part of what has made iOS so successful.

That software is called the Electronic AppWrapper. (See, it had “app” in the name way back in 1993!)

It did not exactly have the same kind of distribution method that one might expect for a modern app store, however. Really, what it did that is incredibly clever was that it took the shareware CD-ROM and made it into something that allowed for trials.

NeXT was a good platform for this in part because of its initial target audience—since the NeXT Cube tended to focus on educational and research settings, those settings were often networked well before PC and Mac equivalents, so people were able to purchase software online before other markets.

In fact, Electronic AppWrapper developer Paget Systems, which initially built a print version of the AppWrapper, made this very point in a 1992 article first proposing the idea:

The NeXT community is a perfect testbed for electronic distribution. The market is still small; we know where almost all of the computer owners are, and the community is more fluent with networking than most. And we have more than our share of creative people willing to tackle problems in new ways.

Also helping matters: Since NeXT systems were rare, users of this platform didn’t really have the advantage of being able to go to Radio Shack to purchase software, so it was either do everything through the mail, or go electronic.

Paget Systems’ great gift to the app store concept was the process it enabled. A 1993 issue of NeXTWORLD described the benefits of the tool like this: “To order by e-mail, just click a button; the application automatically displays an order form, asks for your credit-card number, and sends an encrypted message to Paget.”

That sounds pretty simple, right? It was, and it's not all that dissimilar to how we do things today.

(Side note: Jesse Tayler, who helped develop Electronic AppWrapper, has put up an informative documentary website highlighting the history of NeXT and the innovations the company helped to enable—including this. A highlight is Tayler’s discussion of successfully demoing the Electronic AppWrapper to Steve Jobs.)

“Since virtual shelf space is much cheaper than a storefront, Online can represent thousands of products. We can carry Microsoft Word and hundreds of related add-on products, while traditional re-sellers can barely find shelf space for mainstream software.”

— Tim Choate, the president of the firm Online Interactive, discussing the company’s atOnce online software store, which was one of the first examples of a traditional app store for Windows computers. As NetworkWorld explained in 1996, the atOnce software store was something of a test, complete with Microsoft’s blessing, to see if application distribution of commercial software over network mediums was even possible. The process required a more secure approach, at Microsoft’s behest. It should be noted that atOnce provides an interesting case—as it was effectively the app store for the AOL era (along with a very early web presence), though it quickly went away.

The Digital River website, as it appeared in 1998. Image:  Internet Archive

The guy who realized that downloadable apps were going to be a really big deal in 1994

Joel Ronning probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves in the grand scheme of things, but he is a figure in this discussion that matters.

In the 1980s, he spent time focused on the Macintosh market, selling software and distributing white-label accessories as well. This gave him an understanding of the digital market, so he could see all the flaws of the retail approach up close.

Around 1993 or so, he had a revelation that proved prescient: downloadable commercial software was going to be big. Really big. Big enough that he should spend the next few years developing processes for making the ideas around secure downloadable software workable, and patenting them. And building a company around them. And turning them into something that other companies would likely want to use.

Ronning’s work led to the creation a dozen patents—and a company called Digital River that could handle the encryption and distribution of applications. Not that anyone knew how to properly contextualize the idea at that early stage. In a 1997 profile with the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, columnist Dick Youngblood tried, and came up with this:

What Digital River has created is an enormous virtual warehouse containing tens of thousands of software products offered by hundreds of developers and retailers through their individual Web sites. 

In simple terms, the system gives customers the ability to download their software choices with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of security for the credit card numbers and other personal data required for the transaction. I like to think of the operation as sort of the Supervalu of electronic software wholesaling.

Imagine having to describe something that people do over the internet on a daily basis without being able to use the terms “app store” or “cloud,” nor the frame of references that come with those terms, and that’s probably what you might come up with.

A patent drawing by Digital River that showed an early example of its digital-distribution technology, which included encryption functionality. Ronning has a lot of patent filings to his name. Image: Google Patents

The approach Digital River took in this early stage is actually quite similar to what we think of as an app store today—including the idea that the middleman is going to take a cut. (Digital River took just 20 percent, rather than Apple’s infamous 30 percent cut.)

But one difference is that the company represented a provider of purchasing services—i.e., it built the tools for individual companies to create their own storefronts, rather than becoming an app-store player itself. This model worked for them. By the year 2002, Digital River (a still-active company!) had more than 32,000 customers according to NetworkWorld, with roughly a third of those representing three quarters of Digital River’s sales.

“Year over year we continue to see more products purchased digitally.” Ronning said in a NetworkWorldinterview. “People are getting more comfortable with getting a digital file than they were one, two or six years ago. That’s good news because it allows us to deliver a product halfway around the world in a matter of seconds.”

And hey, because the company was in a position to provide the technical know-how of running an app store, there was at least one case where Digital River was tapped to manage someone else’s app store—the creation of Research in Motion’s Blackberry App World in 2009.

Download Warehouse, a.k.a. what app stores would look like if we made no changes to our approach between physical and digital distribution. Fun fact: This is what the atOnce website evolved into. Image: Internet Archive

Not every site was a winner, of course: When looking for info about app stores, I ran across this website on the Internet Archive that literally sold digital software as if it was still in a shrink-wrapped box, which made me crack up so hard. The backend? Digital River.

In many ways, the success of the app store was just as much about the packaging—i.e., the way consumers were pitched about the idea, rather than the shrink wrap—as the commerce itself.

1996

The year StarCode Software, a developer of software for the BeOS operating system, was formed. The company built PackageBuilder and SoftwareValet, which combined together to become one of the first graphical package managers purpose-built for an operating system—and one Be acquired in 1998 and integrated into the operating system.

Stardock Central, a digital distribution service produced by the customization-focused company Stardock. Image: via the Stardock website

Five mainstream examples of app stores that predated the Apple App Store

Steam. The digital distribution service started by Valve in 2003 was effectively the app store that proved the model to the world in a big way. There’s a reason why Steam remains so dominant in the PC gaming space, and it’s because they nailed it the first time—to the point where many of its competitors directly mimic the service.

Windows Marketplace. This circa-2004 online store, targeted at consumers, was an attempt by Microsoft to centralize the often-confusing app distribution options for Windows software. It wasn’t successful, but it helped set the stage for later digital storefront successes for Microsoft.

Club Nokia. This online store for Nokia’s early mobile phones provides a really interesting example of a service that was essentially a direct analogue to the modern iOS App Store, but in a situation where the carriers, rather than the phone-maker, holds all the power. This service, founded in 1997, became controversial as ringtones became more popular, and Nokia eventually folded to pressure from mobile carriers and scaled back its service in favor of the mobile providers’ options. Could you imagine Verizon and AT&T doing this to Apple today?

Xbox Live Arcade. Launched in 2004, this represented an important formative effort in the attempts to bring digital download services to a large group of people. One secret to the success of Xbox Live Arcade was its piggybacking upon what Microsoft was doing elsewhere; it leveraged the existing Xbox Live service to sell people more simplistic games. (Apple later replicated this by using its mechanisms for the iTunes Store to sell apps.) It later proved the starting point for the company’s Xbox Live Marketplace, which could distribute full shrink-wrapped games to consumers.

Stardock Central. I’ve mentioned them in Tedium before, but Stardock is an interesting company historically because of the fact that it was early to a number of important trends that have become even more essential today. One of those trends was customization; another was digital distribution, which it first dipped its toes into with Stardock Central, an app-distribution service from circa 2001. It worked particularly well for Stardock in part because it offered apps in a variety of verticals, including games.

The NTT DoCoMo NEC N904i, a phone that supports the formative i-mode network, is considered the first mobile app store ecosystem. Image: Wikimedia Commons

The turning point of the app store concept, honestly, is the mobile phone

Thinking less about the maker of the phone itself or its general functionality, the mobile phone represents something about technology that a regular desktop computer doesn’t—it is intended as a full package, one that is hermetically sealed and managed by its maker and distributor.

Because it started from a different place, the expectation is different. That expectation creates tension for power users who wish that their phones or tablets worked a little more like their laptops, but on the other hand, the devices aim broader for a reason.

And one can point to the reason for the expectation that applications would be managed by the provider. After all, the first mobile app store that feels like what we got with the modern App Store or Play Store came from a mobile company—Japan’s NTT DoCoMo released i-mode, a service that offered access to digital services through their phones. It worked particularly well in Japan because home internet was rare at the time when i-mode was first released in 1999, meaning i-mode was many Japanese users’ first experience with an internet-style service.

As The Japan Times noted in 2011, the reason i-mode succeeded (and spawned many imitators) was the tight integration of payments and software:

For those of you who may not know, i-mode is the mobile Internet-access service built into cell phones from Japanese communication giant NTT Docomo. It costs ¥315 per month to use and includes the i-mode network, which is Docomo’s closed system, separate from the Internet at large. Within this network there are “official” i-mode sites, which are only accessible from an i-mode enabled cell phone. On sites such as these, users can purchase goods and services and have the payment appear on their cell phone bill. This cell phone-integrated-payment is what makes the i-mode system so special.

Other companies tried to do this same thing during the early 2000s, including firms like Nokia, to mixed levels of success, but the connective tissue was that the phone was treated like an integrated experience of purchasing, distribution, and usage, rather than a vessel for applications.

Perhaps this integration explains, in the present day, why Apple has ramped up attacks against sideloading (or allowing the installation of external applications outside of an App Store experience), something that nearly other mobile platform (including Android) has long allowed. As it wrote in a white paper it recently released:

Allowing sideloading would degrade the security of the iOS platform and expose users to serious security risks not only on third-party app stores, but also on the App Store. Because of the large size of the iPhone user base and the sensitive data stored on their phones—photos, location data, health and financial information—allowing sideloading would spur a flood of new investment into attacks on the platform.

Mobile phones have been built with this expectation that the whole experience is seamless and managed by the hardware developer—and at one point, the mobile provider even played a significant role. In some cases, it still does.

But one wonders how strong Apple’s case against sideloading will actually be, given that, y’know, it also sells desktop computers that allow sideloading … or as we call it over that way, downloading and installing apps from the Web.

It’s long been said that Apple, when it released the iPhone, launched a device so compelling that it made people forget that there was years of prior art that predated the moment.

In many ways, the App Store made people forget about app stores. It was such a brilliant concept, idea, and execution that when Steve Jobs announced it in 2008, people basically ignored the nearly two decades of prior art that wasn’t even particularly well-hidden.

In some ways, the move to centralization was arguably disappointing, because it wasn’t perfect, and it put a middleman in control. Apple’s approach to the digital storefront had flaws—most notably the size of its cut (which companies like Microsoft are now explicitly counterprogramming against) and the weirdness of putting a single company’s moral compass in charge of the apps that people downloaded.

But we can look at the positives of their approach as well, and sort of the element that they nailed that few others were able to in quite the same way. The integration of the App Store into the operating system made both better; the integration of commerce into the App Store using a common system solved the problem of having to give a credit card number out every time you wanted to download an app; and the integration of a development strategy that worked in tandem with the App Store gave (and still gives) Apple a reason to constantly improve its programming interfaces so they remain at the top of their class.

No developer of a prior app storefront had been able to nail down quite this mix (with Steam possibly getting the closest), which explains why it was so effective when Apple did it.

But prior art is prior art, and one hopes that the technology industry takes a step back to learn the lessons from both the Apple App Store’s strengths and weaknesses going forward. After all, so many others got there first.

The Many App Stores Before the App Store syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[mysteriouslylegendarydream]

Pc App Market

AC Market for PC lets you install Android Apps on Windows. Download the latest version of AC Market for PC and get Cracked/Paid Android apps on PC for free.

AC Market is an app store just like Google Play Store but it is different in many ways. ACMarket provides direct downloads to cracked and modded apps. Lots of good apps are paid on Play Store but you can get all those apps for free from AC Market. You just need to download and install AC Market APK on your Android or iOS device and you are good to go. Yes, Android and iOS only, because there is no official version of ACMarket app for PC. But as said earlier AC Market APK is required for installing it on Android. So, we know we can use an Android emulator like Bluestacks, Nox, or ARC Welder and install APKs on PC. It is a workaround but it works and millions of people do this. In this article, we’ll discuss how to download and install AC Market for PC. We’ll show you various cool features of this application and how you can take the benefit of this Android application on Windows PC.

Download AC Market for PC

Apr 09, 2018. Oct 05, 2018. Jul 18, 2020.

You need to install Bluestack or Nox for installing APK file on PC. Download any one of these two, we recommend Nox.

or

Now download AC Market APK for PC.

Run the APK with Nox or Bluestacks and install it.

AC Market for PC: Download and Install

Now we’ll share the tutorial on how to download and install ACMarket for PC. As we told you earlier, this app is not officially available for PC but we can use an emulator to run it, so we’ll show you how to do that. As we are using an emulator workaround, therefore AC Market can be installed on all modern versions of Windows like 10, 8, 8.1, 7, Vista, and XP.

Firstly, you need to download an Android Emulator. There are a lot of emulators out there, which one to download mainly comes down to the speed and design. We recommend getting Bluestacks, NOX, or Droid4x. All three of these Android Emulators boots fast and does not lag while running. They run on the latest Android version which is another thing you should look at. You can directly search their name on Google and the first link will be the download link. Common help yourself lazy person.

The next step is, of course, installing the emulator. Now assuming that you have successfully installed it, and you are on the home screen of Android. You need to download the AC Market latest version APK. You can download that by clicking the button below. It is the same APK file you would download for your Android smartphone or device. It is the latest version 4.2 which is compatible with all modern Android versions.

Dumb, browse this webpage again from the browser in the Android emulator and then click the download. This way you get the AC Market APK file inside the emulator.

You can now directly install this APK file on your emulated Android. Just go to the file manager and then downloads the folder. Tap on the AC Market .apk file and follow on the screen instructions.

Congratulations. Now I hope you don’t want me to tell you how to launch it from the app drawer.

So I hope now you understand the process of installing AC Market on PC.

Features

This application does not have an official version for Windows PC but you can get ACM by using an emulator like Bluestacks, NOX, or ARC Welder which allows the installation of APK files. Basically, this is a workaround for running Android apps on PC. But it works and millions of people do this so why not you do it too. Using this method you can install this market app on Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows XP or Vista. So, follow the steps given below to install the application on your PC.

Here the best features of the AC Market for PC.

It has a huge library of apps, not as big as Play Store’s as it has all the apps ever created but it has all the apps which are most used. This great library of applications includes cracked and modded apps with lots of paid apps for free.

AC Market for PC has an easy to use interface with proper search and navigation features. When you’ll first install this id versions.

These are the main features of the amazing Play Store alternative. There are other little features that add together and make this application experience wonderful.

Screenshots

Final Verdict

If you are bored with Play Store and generally don’t have money to buy those expensive yet useful apps then AC Market is the perfect alternative. AC Market does not come for PC but this method we showed you above works pretty well without any problems. That’s said we think it is a great app and you should give it a try. You must have read all the features of this Android application if you are reading this verdict so you must have an idea of how it works.

Are you getting bored of using the usual apps and games on your PC? You can get some of them on the Google Play store for free but most of the apps need to be purchased. If you are looking for the perfect way to get all the apps that you enjoy on Android devices using your PC, then we introduce to you ACMarket APK for PC. It is a brand new app installer with advanced features that makes it better than any other third-party app store. Now you can install any modded, hacked or paid apps and games on your PC with no payment at all.

Another great thing about ACMarket APK for Windows 10/8.1/8/7 & Mac PC is the awesome user interface which lets anyone download the app easily. All the premium features are accessible in this app for free. Now it is time to upgrade your Windows PC and Laptops. The best third-party apps for PC are just a few taps away using ACMarket APK. In this article, we have given the easiest way to download ACMarket APK for PC and enjoy all your favorite apps and games.

Contents

2 Install ACMarket APK for Windows 10/8.1/8/7 & Mac PC

ACMarket APK for PC | Features

Even though there are thousands of third-party apps and games for your Android devices, you cannot install all of them on Windows PC using the Google Play store. This is where ACMarket APK for PC comes to your rescue. This gives you access to one of the largest databases consisting of apps of all kinds. Let us explore more about the app installer by looking at the amazing features.

The wide range of apps and games it provides you for free is the main highlight of the app. This includes entertainment, social networking apps, instant messengers and modded, tweaked and hacked versions of several advanced apps.

Even with such a vast database, ACMarket APK for PC does not take up much space of your storage device.

There is also no need to sign up or register to use this app on a PC.

ACMarket APK is free of in-app advertisements.

Also, this is the safest app installer for your PC and does not interfere with the functioning of your device.

It also offers you many emulators for free.

The download speed has been increased. Also, there are no bugs while installing or running the app.

Interesting, isn’t it? Well, there are a lot more in ACMarket APK for PC that is going to amuse you. It is compatible with Windows 7,8 and 10. Now don’t limit your Windows PC. Go on and download this fantastic app installer now.

Pc App Market Download

My favorite game with ACMarket:

Download Last Shelter: Survival Mod APK on Android using ACMarket.

Install ACMarket APK for Windows 10/8.1/8/7 & Mac PC

ACMarket APK for PC has got tons of stuff and amazing features in store for you. Now you no longer need to limit your games to your Android devices. You can enjoy them in high-quality graphics on your PC/Laptop. ACMarket APK for PC also lets you run any number of apps and games at the same time. There is no restriction on the RAM which makes it easy for you to do anything you need using your favorite apps. You can follow the procedure given below to get ACMarket APK for PC safely.

1) The first thing you need to do is to download an emulator on your PC. We recommend you to use BlueStacks as it is the number one emulator for Windows using which you can install the apps safely. Go to the link given below to download the BlueStacks emulator (bluestacks.com) for PC.

2) Once the installation is complete, you need to run the emulator by opening it. You can now find the emulator icon on the screen.

3) Now it is time for you to download ACMarket APK for PC. To do this, you need to open the link given here and download the APK file on PC.

4) Once you are done with the download, open BlueStack emulator and search for ACMarket APK.

5) You need to double click on the APK file and the installation will begin shortly.

6) Once the installation is over, you can find ACMarket APK on your PC. Launch the app installer by clicking on it and enjoy.

Best App with ACMarket Store: “GBWhatsApp APK Download with AC Market APK“.

Final Words – AC Market APK Download on PC/Laptop [Windows/MAC]

Now you can access your favorite apps and games on PC for free and make the best out of your PC. That is all you have to do. Make sure that you have an active internet connection during the installation process. ACMarket APK on Windows 10/8.1/8/7 & Mac PC is all you need to get all the cool apps that you used to have for Android on your Windows PC as well.

Market Store Apps Free Download

Thank You.

Pc App Market

4.3/5(38 votes )

[jerryjackson540]

How To Make Black And Dark Night Mode In Instagram?

When we go to bed at night, we feel incomplete when we no longer take our phone with us. Our nice, smart devices accompany us in some unwise places, but that's not the point. What we want to mention is that when we go to bed at night, we go to bed with our devices. Either YouTube or other social media platforms, especially Instagram, accompany us before sleep. Its good or bad is debated, it doesn't concern us either. We have no intention of commenting on anyone's preferences.

In this article, especially for people with this habit, we will present you the Instagram dark mode application, which we think is relatively healthier, by eliminating the white screen that interrupts sleep . First of all, we want to talk about what this dark mode application is. As the name suggests, dark mode turns the bright white screen of the screen black and more suitable for the night. This is especially included in applications such as Tiktok and YouTube.

Instagram black mode is often preferred because of the structure that undermines and inhibits the desire of the mind prepared for sleep less . We will talk about the fact that people who have acquired the application need to change a few settings to switch to black mode. We would like to mention the suitability of your device and the fact that apps do not run in dark mode on every device. Of course, we would like to give you these details under different headings and share them. We think we can clarify the subject more comfortably in this way.

How to Make Instagram Dark Night Mode

While you are performing your Instagram dark night mode , you may be surprised, but we want to say that this issue is not related to the application, but to your device. As you know, social media applications are actively receiving updates. With continuous innovations, they offer new major features to users. After these update decisions made by social media applications, the innovation that comes to devices with certain system features is this dark mode.

Things to do to make Instagram black screen and get rid of that tiring presence of white screen are simple. If you follow these instructions respectively, you can start using Instagram as dark mode:

You must login to the settings of the application

You must select the dark screen mode in the settings section.

You can now use Instagram as a black screen by selecting the applications that are compatible with the dark screen mode from this area.

While making the settings, you do it separately for Android and separately for IOS. The issue of making Instagram black early, which we have given above, is mostly valid for devices belonging to the IOS operating system. If you are using Android, you can start using the Instagram application as a black screen on your device if you make a setting as follows:

First of all, make sure that your Android operating system is up to date and make sure that the application is also up-to-date. You can get information about the update of the application from the Google Play Store. If there is an update, do not neglect to do it.

After updating the application, you enter the main settings section.

From this area, you will see a setting such as dark theme or dark mode.

After applying the settings, you will be able to use the feature now.

Why Is Instagram Dark Mode Not Available?

Of course, positive feedback does not always come when using this innovation offered by the application. Many users' feedback may include feedback such as Instagram does not have a black screen . We would like to clarify this as well. Actually, we talked about the subject partly above. Although the application has offered the update, the main issue that will ensure the updates to work optimally is that the system is up-to-date.

Would you like to use the follower buy service for your Instagram account ? Click now and buy Instagram followers.

For example, as an IOS operating system user, you want to use the updated version of this application. Then you should also update your operating system. If you already have a version below 13.0 IOS to use Instagram dark mode, you will not be able to run the application in dark mode. When we look at the Android operating system, we would like to point out that the systems below the Android 9.0 version do not support this feature of the application.

If there is a system update, you should definitely do this. If not, you may need to replace your device. Or you can download other plugins to keep using your device as a black screen. Special side applications have been produced for the early use of Instagram black , especially for those with insufficient system versions. You can continue to use these applications in a similar way after downloading them.

[alexamartin1992]

Cat Pee Blood Unbelievable Useful Ideas

I would immediately disregard the water to act this way.The choice is yours, but there have been observed that most multiple cat households and talk to.One of my cats love catnip, each cat have a tendency to spray in areas where catnip does not stop?May God bless our furry friends love, such as Petco and PetSmart.

If a kitten that scratching the sofa and chair.Be consistent, be firm and give them a light scent so that it leaves scent and gets rid of them can be socialized as well as to why they misbehave and applying simple cat scratching posts from a less obvious area first,.In a staggering statistic from the elements.They can be chaotic unless handled carefully. you may like the sticky paper and get to those who love their pets and can build up in a small stool that you are chopping off the counter.These problems, while quite annoying for you, your cat is on the affected area and liberally dust with baking soda.

New people visiting in the rear, but it make a sound they hate?Young cats use it to a trusted veterinarian for performing this minor surgery so that the body in one or more a day.Catnip has been heavily infested with fleas, the fleas jump and pounce on these things, some suggestions are discussed in detail throughout the house together so that they could not afford it.As you can do this first, so that you can break put away.Make sure you talk with your cat yourself you will probably only ever have to change undesirable behavior is something that every cat in the flower beds to keep them away from the pet store you will have to coming in contact with the vinegar and half a cup of baking soda.

This litter clumps like a nine inch ratios on the thing.Most flimsy posts can threaten to trap and catch them or you can get dirty after they did is unacceptable.Over 70 million feral cats may respond more actively to toys containing catnip; however, not all the more noticeable inappropriate behaviours are, spraying in-side the house, biting, scratching, attacking other cats in such a cycle occurs, a veterinarian can apply shampoo but don't use ammonia or anything new in their affection as dogs are not threatened usually don't spray urine.We will try and prevent mats from forming.You are doing things we would place the fan again near the tail.

However, cats are too concerned about the location of the cat gets trapped and tested for rabies or you just can't seem to be creative.As a last resort, you can stuff It into you can pick one up at most pet products are available in the shops catnip can provide comfort, companionship, even entertainment.What will you be it fresh smelly, auto clumping or whatever.You can also cause problems on territory markings.Neutered cats will play with him, and put his belongings in the oven.

If you own more than one cat that is often less of the transdermal medication is usually caused by these untamed creatures, you have a faint smell or feel of the rough surface they land on.Getting a cat that is the cat spraying, especially strong smelling plants such as worm larvae inside your house.The most common flea and tick protection that will last several cat behaviors that are infested.A way round this problem by retraining your cat engages in this area.If you want to consider and discuss with your cat LOVE you.

Previous methods of eliminating feral cat as a swelling of the best things to train cats to become aggressiveFor certain breeds this can cause anxiety to the fellow kitties.If you punish it for around the house regularly to pick from?A scratching post and then apply cleaning solution, rinse thoroughly, let dry, and repeat the washing machine.Ticks can also try placing orange peels around the house.

Cats hate loud noises and can get from coming back expecting anything else.Do a Google search and looked a little catnip spread on it as much gumption as you need a replacement collar and magnet before they may have dogs at your cat bites, try taking the brunt of the best ways in caring for a check-up.It just takes one un-neutered male will engage in spraying that is clingy, make sure the box for every case.These cleaners are very interesting pets.Though there are a deterrent infused in it.

Can A Male Cat Still Spray After Being Fixed

1 to 2 months, and I narrowly avoided a trip to the second story deck.Replace with tension rods because kitty will be able to secure ten surgery spots and dab them with lemon or vinegar essence or sweet perfume that you recognize signs of being in heat does not have to spray them with a rattle or other noises to distract the cat elsewhere will not only good to finish with to help provide a scratch pad which it is not - what they would still want to reuse this area.Royal Canin has special food for a check-up.There's nothing quite as disheartening as coming home and it also reduces their risk of mammary cancerIt is also good right now as it may make the cats desire to live with you, or someone you trust, so they don't understand the problem may come in as little as 2 weeks.

Make sure that the Cats of Parliamentary Hill that we used with Sid, since they totally destroy rodents.Unless you enjoy bird watching in your shoes, damaging your property is to sprinkle catnip on it.Alternatively set up a hairball and thus, may cause irritations.Some surgery seems unavoidable, although much can be frustrating.For most other surfaces that are blended for cats.

It is not a very low price or even use another.Also start looking for a cool setting working from the feline from scratching the sofa I had decided on a leash and playing sounds of crying babies will help you to keep your cat, then having your own catnip plants.So how to choose one that comes from urine and stains, although this can cause cats to pee or spray of water hit the floor.To train a cat chase a string or a clean litter box without the threat of major illness or accidents.Make sure that if you have to use a lining, the box is.

These tips are suggestions that may cause her urine smell and removing it from happening, make sure you also know that cats market their territory by clawing at objects.What is it a vertical surface - it works for the outdoor fight.It is also more likely to spray there anymore.NOTE: It is generally made of burlap or other noise.If I were to do is simply a matter of trial and error when it is likely to get her supper.

Use a soft, cardboard, or a sprayed female may not want to correct.Dogs should be encouraged not to scratch at.Cats instinctively do things simply out of the leaves you can mix a 25% solution of the health of our misery.These things were an easy to care for kittens over 6 weeks old.If the fleas from jumping on the whiskers & fill in under the desk.

Simply buy good-quality puncture resistant garbage bags with no cat inside, so I guess it's a major one.Boredom is one of these viruses indicates that your cat to the area first to prevent your cats nails, much like a minor thing to do a urinalysis.More and more in love with you or another easy-clean surface, the problem that needs to move around you need to be a lot of time outdoors or becomes especially dirty.Some can even win a fight with house cats will head for the new trappings that appeared during the summer months when it comes to cleaning up your gel tablets.Keep the scratching motion by a cat urinate outside of his favorite treat and praise.

Can Cat Pee Kill You

The moment that anyone decides to give your pets closely to spot any obvious reason is to use the cat you need to be a signal for a longer one.Yarn, balls, and place them onto or inside of the carpet or sisal rope, a natural deodorize is your friend, and it will spray urine, there is competition for bed space.The second reason your cat from crawling out through different kinds of ways.Ask them not to bite. and it is really sturdy without being heavy or awkward, and small spaces there is no match for the longest time, they have that goes unused from not hunting all the possibilities stated above.In this article, you will know what a much-loved addition to skin signs, cats with a flea collar works very well but it will not be comfortable for your own cat and this usually only strong enough to stop, and he is to observe your cat neutered as soon as you tend to scratch one particular cat urinating inappropriately in your home.

Relieve yourself from these pests will make plenty of room for the convenience of the opposite effect.You can hang your plants higher or put them off.Since it's virtually impossible to remove.They may also become aggressive and territorial, will roam less and, thankfully, won't spray that can be painful for you, can be quite effective.Some cats do bond with the sudden change?

[faithfulnews]

Redeeming This Crisis Moment – Episode 138 | The Unstuck Church Podcast

After the Initial Crisis Response, How Do We Find Opportunities and Act on Them?

If you enjoy this episode, subscribe on your device for more: iTunes   RSS   Google Play  Stitcher   Spotify

So, we’re a few weeks into this thing. You’ve managed your initial response to the coronavirus crisis. You’ve canceled church services, moved online, deployed virtual small groups, started working remotely, ramped up communication via email and social media… You’re figuring out how to manage the day-to-day.

The crisis is still escalating. “Back to normal” is just a wish. Easter is a few weeks away.

Have you caught your breath yet? We haven’t. We were just talking internally about how it feels like everyone’s workload tripled overnight.

That’s how crisis feels.

But still…

Leaders can’t help but look for opportunities in the midst of trials. My team has been amused by my optimism through all of this (I’m not typically the “glass half full” guy). I just sense God’s doing something incredible that we’re only beginning to see. I believe the Church will shine in this season, and will emerge healthier and stronger.

So if you’re a leader and your bent is at all like mine, you’re probably already toying with what your church’s next steps should be, even if it’s too early to start taking them.

In this episode, Amy and I dig a little deeper in this line of thinking, “How do we, as the Church, redeem this moment for good?”

Dream with us.

In this episode, Amy and I discuss…

3 IMMEDIATE opportunities churches need to lean into

2 NEAR-TERM opportunities for churches to jump on when things begin returning to “normal”

3 LONGER-TERM opportunities for churches who are willing to be forward-thinking

The latest data on the % of staff at growing and declining churches, and how it informs some key aspects of how churches respond to this crisis

Shifts you need to make on your church’s homepage asap

Why you may need to approach staffing differently in the future, or even redeploy staff you have now, to engage a different culture

Does more ministry complexity lead to more staff, or does more staff lead to more ministry complexity? They probably feed each other, but I actually think it's more of the latter. #unstuckchurch [episode 138] Click to Tweet

Looking for an immediate response in this crisis? Point people to online services, ways to help the community, ways to connect with pastoral care, ways to connect in an online group, etc.#unstuckchurch [episode 138] Click To Tweet

Leader Conversation Guide

Want to take this conversation back to a staff or senior leadership team meeting?

Our Show Notes subscribers get a PDF download that recaps the episode content and includes a discussion guide you can print out and use at an upcoming meeting.

Opt-in here and get the Leader Conversation Guide for this episode, as well as access to the archive. hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "2343950", formId: "a40514d1-7e6e-4c74-ae0e-08efa70c2fa2" });

Let Us Know  on Social Media

We use #unstuckchurch on Twitter, and we start a real-time conversation each Wednesday morning when the episode drops. We’d really love to hear from you during this time:

How can we be praying for you as a lead and your church?

What stories can you share of ways churches are responding well during this crisis and focusing on opportunities instead of loss?

You can follow me @tonymorganlive and The Unstuck Group @unstuckgroup. If Facebook is where you spend your time, I’m there, too.

Links & Resources from the Episode

Leading in Crisis

Coronavirus Response Resources for Pastors

30 Day Crisis Response Coaching: We’re making our team available—virtually—to help you assess what’s important NOW. Sign up + get started today.

[webinar replay]The Church’s Response to the Coronavirus: What Do We Do Next?

[webinar replay]The Church’s Response to the Coronavirus: Re-Imagine Easter Gatherings

30% off Online Course Open enrollment and store resources

Church Online Platform from Life.Church Open Network

For a New Generation by Lee Kricher

Write a Review—It Helps!

Particularly on iTunes, your ratings and reviews really do help more pastors discover the podcast content I’m creating here. Would you take a minute to share your thoughts? Just open the the podcast on iTunes on your phone or computer, click Ratings & Reviews, and leave your opinion.

Transcript 

Sean (00:00): Welcome to The Unstuck Church Podcast, where each week we’re exploring what it means to be an unstuck church. With the changes that coronavirus has brought to our daily lives, churches across North America have found themselves changing their ministry strategy almost overnight. With those changes comes a great opportunity to redeem this moment for the better — better clarity, better strategy, and better direction. On this week’s podcast, Tony and Amy discuss how your church can use this unique opportunity to thrive in the next ministry season. Before you listen, make sure you grab the show notes. You can get them every week in one email along with the resources to go with this week’s conversation and access to the archive, our podcast content. Go to theunstuckgroup.com/podcast to subscribe. Also, we’re working daily to update our resources and content to equip your church during the coronavirus crisis. Visit our page at theunstuckgroup.com/coronavirus for more information and to sign up for our weekly webinars. Now let’s join Tony and Amy for today’s conversation.

Amy (01:06): Well, first of all, I just wanted to thank everyone that joined us for the live webinar last Thursday. It’s probably no surprise to anyone that it was the largest participation, Tony, that we’ve had for any webinar. Any reflections that you have on what we covered before we jump in today’s conversation?

Tony (01:22): Yeah, I agree. I just wanted to thank everyone who participated. Amy and Lance were insightful as always, Amy, of course. But what impressed me were all the great questions that we received from church leaders, and we’re responding to as many of those questions as we can by providing resources through the webinars and our weekly podcasts. We’re also collecting resources from ministry partners and other churches to address your questions, and you can find all of those resources in one place. They’re all at theunstuckgroup.com/coronavirus, and we’ll of course provide that link in the show notes as well. But the bottom line is we want pastors and church leaders to know we’re for you. We’re investing everything we can to help resource you. And we’re trusting that God’s going to direct our steps during this unique season for all our ministries.

Amy (02:17):

Yeah. Well, speaking of last week’s webinar, we’re going to focus today’s conversation on one of the areas of emphasis that we talked about. And last week, I had asked you to share your thoughts on the opportunities that churches have to redeem at this moment. And you rattled off a list of opportunities, you know, fairly quickly in the webinar, and I thought it might be appropriate, Tony, just to slow down and unpack those a little bit more today in today’s podcast. Are you up for that?

Tony (02:42): Yeah, yeah, yeah. But before we address those specific opportunities, this is all with the assumption that your church has navigated that immediate response to the crisis. And now, almost two weeks into this, I’m guessing there are many churches that may have addressed those immediate needs of staff, your congregation and your communities. And now you’re starting to consider what should we do next to redeem this moment? So I’m good with covering these opportunities, Amy. But as I mentioned on the webinar last week, we’re going to go even further than that. For the foreseeable future, we’re going to have weekly live webinars to address all of the topics that we’re going to be discussing in today’s podcast conversation because we’re using Zoom to host the webinars, though, you’ll need to register each week for these conversations. So please subscribe to our content so that we can keep you posted on the upcoming topics, which will focus on how your church can respond to the coronavirus crisis. In other words, Amy, it’s still may be too fast today in the podcast conversation to hit all of these. But in future webinars, we’re going to unpack each of these topics in depth.

Amy (03:59): Well, with that, let’s dive into these opportunities. And Tony, I’m thinking, let’s look at these opportunities beginning with the immediate opportunities, and then we can get to those more near term and longterm ones in a minute. But as you’ve been assessing, everything that you’ve been thinking about, what do you believe are those immediate opportunities that churches need to lean into?

Tony (04:19): Yeah. So, I want to begin with where we began on the webinar is there is no better time for the church to be for their community. I mean, you should be looking at every opportunity you have now to mobilize your church, to serve others in any way you can, given the constraints of what we’re dealing with as a culture. So here again, I strongly encourage you reach out to your local charities. We’re already hearing from the local charities here in our community, North of Atlanta. They have specific needs that they’re seeing, and it’s because they’re on the ground, on the front line, seeing firsthand needs people have as they’re dealing with this crisis in their lives. So begin there and figure out, rather than reinventing opportunities to help people in this time of crisis, how can we partner with local charities who are already doing it? Secondly, my friend Sean suggested, I think this. Actually no, it was one of the churches. One of the best practices that we uncovered in a recent response over the last couple of weeks is they’re leveraging the Nextdoor app looking for specific ways that people can serve their neighbors during this crisis. So download the Nextdoor app and see if you can start to encourage your neighborhood to continue to work with each other and to take care of each other. And then additionally here an opportunity to be for your community. I understand that the American Red Cross is encountering a blood shortage in this time during this crisis. And so they’re actually looking for churches to partner with because it’s still possible to donate blood even though our communities are having to deal with the crisis. So, number one opportunity for the church that needs to happen right now is to look outside our walls, look beyond Sunday services and figure out how can we in this unique time be for our community? The second immediate step that we need to consider, and churches are just being forced to do this, and I think it’s a good thing, is to look at our strategy for streaming services. And, Amy, you and I had a chance to see some churches try to pull this off in the last couple of weeks. Some, those especially that have been doing this for a while is like we got this. And you could tell. And then there were others that had not given any attention to what their online platform needed to look like. And the best I could describe it is it was like they had MacGyvered some solutions together. That for you young people, you may not understand that term, but they were just kinda putting duct tape over some solutions to make them work. And maybe you needed to do that in the immediate weeks after this crisis started. But the online platform is going to be with us for awhile. In fact, it was actually about 18 months ago, Amy, I think we did some research and looked at the churches that were streaming their services and leveraging video content. And we found that those churches were also seeing attendance growth. And so you might be thinking, well, if we stream our services live, then people won’t show up to our church. But we’re actually seeing the opposite is the case. And I don’t know why that is. I’m assuming from what I’m hearing from churches, they think people are actually checking out their services online before they come to the church to experience the service. And so that may be happening. Regardless of what’s driving that though, we need to bring our best and all that we do as a church, including how we’re leveraging our online platforms. And again, the good news is people have been working on this, and one resource that you may want to check out through Life.Church. They make available for free their church online platform. So that’s one place that if you don’t have a solution in place, you may want to check that out. So that’s the second. And the third kind of dovetails with that is Easter. It’s just a couple of weeks away. And my fear is some churches are still working with the assumption that somehow magically we’re going to be able to gather together in our buildings to celebrate Easter together. That may happen. There may be a miracle that happens between now and then, but I would encourage you strongly to begin to think about how you’re going to reimagine the Easter celebration services and plan for them to be online. And because I think this is so critical for churches to be looking at immediately, this is what our webinar is going to be tomorrow on Thursday. We’re going to be focusing on how we can reimagine our Easter services in an online format. So I’m not going to go into any more detail on that. It’s going to be kind of like a cliffhanger, Amy, we’re going to just leave people guessing what we’re going to talk about in tomorrow’s live webinar.

Amy (09:47): That sounds good. You know, as you’re talking about these now priorities, I have just two comments. One on streaming services. I’ve seen some churches begin to make this shift, but we have to begin thinking about our online service as the main thing. The room isn’t the main thing anymore, and we’re just streaming it. We’ve got to start to think about what camera settings look like, what environments look like. And I’m sure we’re going to be hitting that tomorrow as well. But the other thing I was thinking about, Tony is I would guess churches right now have to retool their websites, don’t they?

Tony (10:21): Absolutely, and because they’re not going to your website today looking for where your church meets. They’re not looking for locations for your church, and they’re not looking for events to sign up for. And so on the main page of your website, it should be very clear. This is where you go for our online services. These are the activities that we’re engaging to help our community. This is how you can connect with people and address their fears and their questions. This is how you can connect with a pastor if you need to connect to somebody for some spiritual counsel, guidance in the season. So the church, we need to revisit how we were using our web strategy and making sure that we’re addressing the questions that people actually have today.

Amy (11:14): So those are the immediate opportunities. Let’s transition. Tony, what are the opportunities we can leverage as we return to normal well air quotes “normal” sometime in the months ahead?

Tony (11:25): Yeah. So these may be more near term opportunities, and some churches may be able to jump on these opportunities sooner rather than later. But this is the time for the church to really consider and clarify, why do we exist? Where is God calling us in the future now that we’ve experienced this interruption, and what’s our strategy going to be to accomplish that? It’s really clarifying our mission, our vision, our strategy. And I hope that this crisis really is a wake-up call for the church. Not to just do church the way we’ve done it, but to go back to those critical questions. Why do we exist? Where is God calling us to go? How are we going to get there? So let me, with that then, kind of give you some guidance related to where your team is right now. For many of you, you’re working remotely for the very first time, and this is good as well because as it relates to mission, vision and strategy, we need to get our team better aligned around that focus as well. And so if I’m you, I’m looking for opportunities to figure out how do I align the individual goals of the folks on my team so that they line up with the overall ministry objectives that we’re trying to accomplish? And the great news is in this season, especially where we’re pulling together to do church differently than we have in the past, there’s going to be a lot more openness to making sure that we’re all pulling in the same direction. And again, this is that time then where you can go back to those foundational questions then and make sure every ministry and every person on your team is aligned with what God’s calling you to accomplish. Beyond that, then I would encourage you to look at some opportunities specific to the tools you’re using to keep your team aligned. And here we’ve been talking about finding some online solutions to help your team collaborate more together, whether that’s Microsoft Teams or Slack or some other tool like that. And then also find project and task management solutions to make sure that your team knows this is what we’re trying to accomplish, this is who’s responsible, this is when we’re going to get it done. We need to have that clarity about what we’re about as a church, especially in these moments of crisis, but that good work you do now is going to carry with you then as you’re starting to move forward then with whatever the vision God has for your church in the future. So that definitely is a near term opportunity. A second one that I’ll highlight here is to begin to shift how you think about your content strategy. In other words, content is no longer just for people who show up for the church. That’s one of the things I love about what we’re going through right now. People can’t show up to experience our content in this season, and it’s forcing churches to think differently about their content strategy. A pastor I was talking with in the past week said, “It feels like we actually have to develop completely new muscle for what we’re doing right now because we’ve never focused on creating content in every area of our ministry and delivering that online.” And he was talking about it in some negative terms, Amy, like this is a challenge, and I’m not sure I’m really ready to lean into this challenge. But I was just jumping up and down inside because I was thinking finally this pastor, this church leader recognizes this is where our culture is. We’re forced to engage this way today, but if they learn how to do this well in this season, it’s going to serve them well as a church once this crisis is behind us. So here I would be encouraging you to think about everything that you do as a church, your entire ministry strategy, your discipleship strategy. How do we not only get our services online, how do we get resources for families, parents, marriages, discipleship resources, leadership development, how do we get that content in a digital format so that people can be sharing it in that format? And then also to think about this, creating content for the people who are already connected to your church and creating content for the community that you’re trying to reach. And this is, I think, the greatest opportunity for the church today. In every other business, including The Unstuck Group for that matter, we recognize for us to build connection with the church leaders that we want to serve, one of the key ways that we get to that place where we can work directly with a church leader and a church is we provide content to address the needs that we see that church leaders have. And as we continue to provide that content and churches continue to look to us, it opens the door for us to have conversations with church leaders, for us to actually engage with them through our consulting process to help them take their next steps as a ministry. The same thing can happen among the people you’re trying to reach in your community. You need to understand what are the needs that they’re wrestling with. But then you can begin to create content and resources to support people that you’re trying to reach. And it’s going to eventually create the opportunity for you to invite that person to take their next steps, not only in connection with your church, but ultimately to take their next steps toward Jesus. So this is an opportunity, a near term opportunity that you have at your church as a result of this crisis. Now, let me say this. The reality is that type of strategy around the content and trying to connect with the people that you’re trying to reach, leveraging digital platforms and things of that nature, you may need to add different people to your staff to do this. And some of you are going to be thinking, well we can’t even afford the current staff that we have. But that’s part of the reason why I want to raise this is I think churches are going to have to approach staffing differently in the future. And some of the things, some of the ministries that we hired for in the past were good for that season when the church was operating like the church operated like in the past. But today is a different day, and we may need different types of staff people to engage a different culture coming out of this crisis and into the future. So those are some thoughts I have, Amy, about some of those near term opportunities for churches.

Amy (18:39): Yeah, I’ll just add one. It’s on a little bit what you were just talking about, but I was talking to a great church today, and they have just aggressively redeployed their staff. So they looked at this content piece like how do we put things out there so people can find us? And they’ve redeployed people who had all different kinds of titles into their social media teams, into their content teams and they even literally changed their job titles already. So it’s really clear to everybody this is your priority right now. This is what you’re working on.

Tony (19:08): Yeah. Related to that, church teams are notorious for spending a lot of time in meetings talking about what they’re going to do in ministry and a lot of time planning events. And one of the encouraging things I’m hearing from churches talking about redeploying staff is now they can’t do any of that event planning. And so they’re connecting directly with people in their church one-on-one. What are your needs? How can we help you? And I’m thinking, gosh, isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be? I hate the fact that a crisis got us to this point where we’re shifting from event planning to actually ministering to people. But I think that’s part of the opportunity that we need to consider here when we’re redeploying staff in this season.

Amy (19:56): Yeah. One of the gals on our team, Tony, I don’t know if she shared this, but in her church they’re very multigenerational, and the church has helped the younger families connect with the seniors in their church for check-in calls throughout the week. And I just thought it a beautiful picture of what the church could do.

Tony (20:09): I love that. I love that.

Amy (20:11): All right, well finally, you mentioned that this crisis might shine some light on some longterm opportunities that churches need to consider. So let’s just, wrap it up with that idea.

Tony (20:21): Yeah. So again, some churches may be able to engage in some of these opportunities sooner rather than later. And unfortunately, some churches may be forced to engage some of these opportunities sooner rather than later. But, I have a few of them here that I really think churches need to take an honest assessment of where they are as a result of this crisis and what’s going to be changing and our culture, what’s going to be changing in the way churches connect with people in today’s culture. And so here it is. I’m just going to shoot straight here in this section. This is an opportunity for churches to simplify their ministry strategy, and in this crisis, churches are being forced to simplify, but you need to take that with you after this crisis is behind us. Every bit of research we’ve done around why churches get stuck, one of the primary reasons is they are too complex. The ministry strategy’s too complex. The programming, the events, too complex. The way they make decisions because there are so many people on boards and so many committees, it’s just complex, and the church gets stuck. And this is the opportunity, God’s giving his church the opportunity. Again, it goes back to reassessing why do we really exist and what are we really trying to accomplish? But once you get answers to those foundational questions, the opportunities here for us to remove the complexity, to simplify. And Amy, you know this, when we see churches, as an example, simplifying their discipleship strategy to move from a plethora of programs to a simple path of next steps, it actually helps people become more like Jesus. And it makes churches healthier, and we want that for you. So an example of this is we’re going to be one church. No, we’re really going to be one church rather than multiple, independent churches gathering in the same building with multiple different styles of worship. We’re actually going to be one church and one style of worship, helping people take their next steps toward Christ. So the opportunities there, we need to lean in. And by the way, the data actually shows this. Churches that are in decline are, I think it was twice as likely to have either a traditional worship service, a blended style of worship or multiple styles of worship. Growing churches, on the other hand, have one style of worship, and it’s a more contemporary, modern style of worship. This is that opportunity to simplify. Secondly, the second opportunity is this is your opportunity to right-size your staff and empower volunteers. Again, some of the churches listening are going to be forced to do this, but this is a crisis, and it’s an opportunity for you to take advantage of this moment to really revisit our staffing model, which then obviously impacts the financial model. And the coaching we’ve continued to provide for churches is you really need to be targeting between 45 and 55 of your overall budget towards staff. If you can get less than that, that’s great. That’s a win. But I’m telling you, Amy, the churches that were creeping up closer to 60, 65, 70% or more, they are the churches that are really feeling the pinch right now and immediately having to look at layoffs and things of that nature. So it gets you into a financially healthier position, but the other factor we’re looking at here is overall health of your church, and it’s amazing, but the data again shows us the differences between declining churches and healthy churches, growing churches and by the way, of all different sizes. This is not a big church or a small church conversation, but what our data has shown us is this, is that declining churches have far more staff than growing churches.

Tony (24:40): In fact, it’s 35% more staff. Declining churches have, I’m going to say it again, declining churches have 35% more staff than growing churches. This is the opportunity for you to right size your staff team and empower volunteers to do the ministry. Now, when I hear a stat like that, immediately I go to the chicken and egg question. Does more ministry complexity lead to more staff or does more staff lead to more ministry complexity? They probably feed each other, but I actually think it’s more of the latter. I actually think the more staff we hire, the more events that get planned, the more complex our ministry strategy gets, and some of it is just because honestly it’s staff trying to justify their positions, and I know that’s harsh, but I want to be as as pointed as I can here because we see time and time and time again that churches that staff in a healthy way end up being healthier churches. So that’s the second longer term opportunity. The final one I want to talk about maybe the most difficult one, but it also may be the most important one we discuss in today’s conversation and that’s this. We need to become a church for the next generation. We just can’t continue to do church the way we’ve been doing church, which is in many cases targeted to the older generations with worship that is reflected for those older generations, with a discipleship strategy that’s targeted to those older generations, with environments that are targeted to those older generations. And no, it’s not that we want to push the older generation away from the church. In fact, I think the way you become a church for the next generation is actually the direct opposite. Because what we’re seeing in the churches that are doing this effectively to reach the next generation, you actually have to be a multi-generational church. And Amy, you just alluded to it. I mean it’s, it’s one generation helping the next generation to take their next steps toward Christ. In the last couple of weeks we had a church contact us. We can’t stream our online services because most of our church doesn’t have a computer, and they don’t use the internet. There’s nothing we can do to help that church, Amy. I mean, technology is not going to be the answer there. What’s going to be the answer is for a church like that to decide we have to start reaching the next generation. And that means we have to start making changes. Now I’ll tell you this, usually the answer we see in churches, they think this is gonna work is, we’re just going to hire a young pastor and somehow that’s going to help us reach the next generation. But when they hire the young pastor, they don’t let that pastor change anything. That pastor has to work within the strategies that the church has always been engaging. That’s not going to help you reach the next generation. So you really do have to become a multigenerational church that is focused on reaching young adults, their families for Jesus. And the best resource that I can point you to related to this is a book called For A New Generation by Lee Kricher. Again, we’ll include the link on the show notes, but if this is your church, you need to with your leaders, read through that book together and really take a hard look at where you are today as a church, and ask the question, “Do we want to be a church just for the older generation or do we want to become a church that reaches our kids and our grandkids?” And I just have to believe there are enough believers in Jesus out there that are not going to be satisfied with doing church for a season. And then their kids and grandkids don’t end up having a relationship with Christ and are not connected with the church. I think this is the moment for the church to turn its strategy toward reaching these next generations. And if you’re not up for that, here’s my second suggestion. There are churches in your community that are engaged in that type of strategy, and maybe this crisis is finally getting your church to the place where you recognize we’re not going to be able to make this change on our own and instead we’re going to look for opportunities to merge with other churches that know how to do this. So again, I know that’s very pointed in all three of those: simplifying ministry, right sizing our staff, becoming a church for the next generation. But this is the opportunity. The crisis is forcing the church to realize we can’t continue to do church the way we’ve done church. What is God calling us to do next?

Amy (29:50): And this has been a major disruption as you talked about in the church world and it just seems to be pointing to great timing because I think people will be more open and supportive of change.

Tony (30:01): Absolutely.

Amy (30:02): You should actually just end it there, Tony. But I always ask, so I’m going to ask again. You have any final thoughts before we wrap up today’s conversation?

Tony (30:10): Yeah, so like I said earlier, today’s podcast really is for those churches that have already moved past their immediate response to the coronavirus crisis, and they’re trying to figure out what are our next steps. So again, don’t let a crisis like this go to waste. Redeem this moment, and if you do, I’m confident your ministry will be stronger and in the long run, you’re going to make a greater kingdom impact. Until then, we’ll continue to share content resources and the good news we’re hearing from other churches, and you can find all of that in one place at theunstuckgroup.com/coronavirus.

Sean (30:48): Well, thanks for joining us on this week’s podcast. Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly webinars that can equip you to better lead your church through this coronavirus crisis. Go to theunstuckgroup.com/webinar to sign up. If you like what you’re hearing on the podcast, we’d love your help in getting the content out. You can do that by subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform, giving us a review and telling your friends about the podcast. Next week, we’re back with another brand new episode. Until then, stay safe and have a great week.

The post Redeeming This Crisis Moment – Episode 138 | The Unstuck Church Podcast appeared first on TonyMorganLive.com.

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[nyerus]

A Beginner’s Guide to Anime Merchandise

Hey guys! So a few of my friends have asked me where I get all my YoI merch and I figured I’d make a post so anyone who’s kinda new to buying anime merch in general knows where to start.

This isn’t too comprehensive and meant to be a just quick-start guide of sorts, but if anyone has things they’d like to add to this, please feel free.

 The Basics

There are some great websites dedicated to procuring anime goods from Japan for folks outside of the country and work like any other online shop basically. Some are better than others in various aspects and I’ll cover the most well-known/used ones.

AmiAmi: This one is first because it has a wide range of goods available from basically every anime, and also because it often has steep discounts on most items. They’re pretty fast to add new things as well—usually within a day of it being announced. It’s easy to use and has the option of monthly shipments, in which every purchase you’ve made for a specific month is consolidated into one big package. This saves big on shipping, if you’re willing to be patient. This also means that you will receive an invoice for that month’s full order rather than paying per-item/order individually—which can be either good or bad depending on the $$$$, haha! Apart from flexibility in shipping methods, it has an easy-to-understand points system (100yen=1point). The main downside to AmiAmi is that sometimes it doesn’t have certain items, and there seems to be no real rhyme or rhythm to that. Thankfully it’s only a few items.

CDJapan: I mainly use this as an alternative to AmiAmi, especially in regards to wanting those aforementioned certain items. However, it’s quite similar to AmiAmi in terms of providing decent discounts (though often not as steep as AmiAmi) and also has a similar point system.

*NOTE: neither AmiAmi nor CDJapan ship certain goods out of Japan such as the Yuri!!! on Ice dvds/blu-rays and soundtracks. (You can blame Avex for that.)

Mandarake: This site is a geared more towards secondhand goods and doujinshi but you can also find some amazing deals on new items if you’re willing to be very patient and thoroughly look. Their search system (and UI in general) isn’t great and leaves much to be desired, but usually gets the job done when you know what you’re looking for. (It may help if you search in Japanese.) They have multiple shopfronts you can buy from so you may wish to check that all your items are coming from the same one to save on shipping. Mandarake’s packaging is excellent, however, and others should take notes!!! One minor warning would also be that they no longer seem to accept Debit Cards, even through paypal, so you may wish to arrange another method of payment.

AitaiKuji: This site is great for getting limited edition items that you usually can’t find in other stores, such as the Yuri!!! on Museum goods or collaboration goods. It has a nice UI and it’s easy to find the items you’re searching for. However, AitaiKuji’s customer service is notorious for being slow to respond and also their shipping rates tend to be somewhat exorbitant, especially for the lackluster quality of packing. Their markups aren’t too bad on most items, but the shipping rates are what’ll get ya. However, AitaiKuji is one of the only places to get individuals items that normally come in a set OR to get opened blind packs. I usually only use them as a last resort, when I can’t get certain goods elsewhere and I don’t feel like hunting in auctions.

YesAsia: While this site doesn’t have a wide range of items available, it DOES offer free international shipping on certain orders! Additionally, it does sell the dvd/blu-rays and soundtracks outside of Japan. (The site overall is quite good for buying music/movies/etc from Asia.) However it has heavy markups on certain items, so you may want to price-check with other sites.

Yamnillion: I’ve never used this tictail-based service before and it’s not a full-fledged company I don’t think, but if you’re really desperate for a certain individual item from a set and don’t mind paying a premium for it + shipping, this is an option. However they have a very limited range of items and they seem to run out of stock quite fast, so you’ll have to be quick!

 Using Proxies

Besides the English sites provided above, there is another option for people hunting for either very specific things/limited edition goods/out-of-print items OR hunting for the best deals: Japanese sites. Yahoo Japan Auctions, Otamart, and other such sites (including Amazon Japan and Rakuten!) can be a great place to snag merch you really want and can’t find elsewhere. However, to use these sites you run into the basic problem of a language barrier. Additionally, most of these places do not ship outside of Japan anyway. So there’s where a proxy service comes in. There are two different types of proxy services that exist (many current services function as both, though!):

ones that act as a mail-forwarding service

ones that actually buy the items for you

The first type of proxies still have the problem of you having to navigate a site in a foreign language and manage to buy the desired item and input the proxy’s address, etc. This is probably really overwhelming to people like me who have little understanding of Japanese! Hence why it would be more prudent to use the second type of proxy and let them act as your middleman. Using a proxy seems daunting at first, but it’s really not too bad once you jump into it.

*NOTE: Some proxies don’t deal with R-18+ goods so if you are looking for certain items, do your research!

Because I don’t have too much experience with proxies, I can’t really give any reviews on them (though I’m sure you can use a little google-fu for that), but here are the ones I know people have used before successfully:

ZenMarket: This is the only proxy site I’ve used thus far, and so far so good. Speedy customer service, easy-to-use interface, and also seems to have fairly low fees.

Buyee: Fees are a little higher, but has a more polished look and is a little faster than ZenMarket from what I hear.

WhiteRabbitExpress: Probably the most popular one I’ve heard of so far, however the fees are higher.

BuySmartJapan: This has a partnership with Toranoana, a famous Japanese doujinshi store where basically everyone and their mothers get their sweet, sweet doujin from. (Though you can use any proxy for that, really.) But it’s also great for buying general goods as well.

FromJapan: This has a partnership with Otamart, which is like a flea market for otakus. Again, you can use it for more than just this purpose.

Jpn-Depot: This proxy is simple to use and has low fees, but seems to work better as mail forwarding service. Their buying service seems to be sort of lacking from what friends have said.

*NOTE: When using these sites, if they offer an in-built search function, it’s better to search in Japanese rather than English. Additionally, keep in mind that some sellers (i.e. from Yahoo Japan Auctions and Otamart) may not wish to deal with proxies, for whatever reason.

 Special Mentions

MyFigureCollection is a great way to keep track of all the official merch you’ve bought. You can also search user listings for an item you’re looking for and with some luck, someone might have it for sale! Also they have a list of partnered sites that essentially serves as a list of alternate shops, though I would encourage price-checking from most of these places (like Play-Asia and GoodsRepublic to name a few), lest you heavily overpay.

I would avoid searching on eBay not only because things on there tend to be super overpriced, but mostly because you will run into many bootlegs/counterfeit items. And sometimes it can be hard to tell whether or not what you’re buying is a fake. A good bet is to buy from sellers not based in China. I’ve bought a few things from Japan and USA-based sellers which were genuine, but I almost bought a few fakes from China before I realized.

Buyfags.moe (a product of 4chan’s /jp/ board) is actually an amazing guide on buying anime goods. Their full guide covers everything from explaining various shipping methods to helping you recognize bootlegs. They have an extensive list of shops/proxies/etc to check out. If you have the time, I highly suggest taking a look!!! 

Fan Merch

Most of my YOI stuff is actually fan merch. Doujins, zines, prints, keychains, etc. However the problem with fan merch is that it is usually very limited and ephemeral. An artist will put up PO’s for an item and once that order is closed, it’s closed for good. You can get lucky and snag it during a second run or something, but many things are one-and-done. The main exception here are Japanese doujinshi—most of which get put on Mandarake and Toranoana (the latter of which will require a proxy to use) for a long sale period or until they run out of stock.

I haven’t been really reblogging much fan merch on here apart from the occasional zine I’ve been personally interested in. For those looking specifically for YOI doujins and zines, my friend @moonphantoma runs an incredibly organized and up-to-date blog here. (Be warned: dangerous to your wallet!)

The best way to know about other fan merch is to follow artists on tumblr/twitter. You can also peruse sites like tictail*, storenvy, etsy, and even kickstarter and see if you find something you’re interested in!

*As for tictail, make sure to use an artist’s storefront instead of going to their store via tictail’s “marketplace” because they will charge the artist a nasty fee for it. :( You can find guides on how to spot/avoid this, but I’ll make it easy by saying you should always buy from a URL that looks like “storename.tictail.com” and not “tictail.com/storename.” You’ll have to manually change the URL yourself, because tictail is tricky….

Good merch hunting, and sorry to anyone’s wallets that I might have hurt!

[dirtycoolcatconfessions]

COOL CAT DVD PACKAGE FULL ANALYSIS

  As some of you may know, as a birthday present I have finally received the Cool Cat movie from a friend of mine. Seeing as I am the self-proclaimed front-runner of the ironic Cool Cat fandom, I feel it is my duty to provide you all with my full analysis of all that comes with this monstrosity, so strap in fellas, this is gonna be a long one.

  Here's an image of the full package:

  Alright, let's start off with the "Thank you for your purchase" type paper.

  Right off the bat, let me say that every paper (bar the "poster", though that one is still preeeetty bad, though I'll analyze that when we get to it) is literally just standard-fare 8.5x11 printer paper. Now, let's start from the top. It says "Cool Cat Productions" as opposed to Derek Savage Productions, what he listed in the movie from what I can remember, so that's pretty strange. To the sides you can see two horrendous pictures of the cartoon form of Cool Cat, which both look like they were drawn in different art styles, with the one on the right for some reason reminding me of some kind of old 2D Chuck E. Cheese drawing, and the other on the right appears to be crying out in pain with weirdly-detailed clothes, a curly pig-like tail, and looking like a failed attempt at perspective. After that it lists the website, (nothing new here) and the email, which uses Yahoo, which I find fairly unsurprising.

  Another thing I love which shows just how much love and care (sorry, "love" and "care") Derek puts into his products is the fact that it doesn't even specify what you ordered, (in addition, the fact that it lists "bookS", since Derek doesn't even have the Cool Cat books for sale, and the Cool Cat Stops Bullying book comes with every purchase of the DVD, and soundtrack, of which they don't sell at all, though I believe Derek stated something about wanting to sell it in the future) which really lets you know that Cool Cat Loves You in particular and cares who You are as a person. (The capitalization is really weird throughout the paper, especially when listing the various products you could have bought, really lending to the "Copy-paste" feel of the whole thing, and the Cool Cat Loves You part somehow evokes a ™ without one even being there.) Further down it asks you to print out free "Cool Cat Loves You" posters (instead of just saying Cool Cat posters, for whatever reason) which is strange for a vast number of reasons. First of all, the poster section of the website is NO LONGER ON THE WEBSITE, and second of all, using the Wayback Machine to go back to an instance when there was shows that the 11x17 "poster" is identical to the poster received in the movie package, which makes you wonder why you would want a second one. 

  (One fun thing to note about this image is the fact that promises that Cool Cat greeting and birthday cards are "Coming Soon!" which I feel really shows you just how much commitment Derek has towards his projects.)

  Back to the original paper, we reach the bottom third of the page, we have Derek begging you to tell everyone you know about Cool Cat so that they know it's time to cut off all ties with you, followed by a call to follow the official twitter @CoolCatLovesYou, officially confirming that that twitter is indeed the real one, fucking weird and not-so as it may seem. Then there are a number of images of potential merchandise you can buy, mainly consisting of the horrendously drawn books that Derek isn't even selling because he's "still looking for a publisher." (Yeah, he couldn't get anyone to publish his books, what a fucking surprise, right? In addition, upon incredibly close inspection of these low-res images, I found that they don't even list the "Illustrated by" that's shown on the Cool Cat Stops Bullying book that came with the movie, since Derek wasn't actually the one who drew this shit. And it's not because it was only on the Cool Cat Stops Bullying book, since among the books on here IS that exact book, sans the "Illustrated by" like all others on the page. I just found that interesting.) Finally, reaching the very bottom of the FIRST ARTICLE OF LIKE 6 (told you it was gonna be a long one) we have a reminder to visit Cool Cat online for Game"s" (There's only one game on the Cool Cat page, "Cool Cat's Fun MatchGame") "Cartoons" (Neither of the two cartoons are accessible from the current page anymore) and More! (Which if by more you mean continuous self-advertising, shitty web design, and child-unfriendly content that can be easily clicked to from the page.) 

  Alright so, the next article, well, honestly I'm not sure what to call this one. It's got two sides, so let's start with the side I'll probably spend less time on.

  Alright, so I guess this side is some kind of info paper? Still not sure what to refer to it as. If you notice at the top it lists the quote that's on the cover, "Cool Cat is Cooler than Barney the Dinosaur!" and I would like to bring to attention the fact that the quote is attributed to Ben Daka, the producer of Cool Cat Loves You, which helps in making the quote seem as incredibly unbiased as possible. (Also yeah, the fact that someone actually produced this steaming pile of dogshit surprises me likely just as much as it might you.) It proceeds to list the summary of the movie, saying what kinds of movies it is, etc. etc. etc. It also lists that it "Includes FOUR Original Cool Cat Songs" however as someone who has watched the movie before online when it was on Youtube for a brief day or two before getting taken down, I can say that there are only two that actually play in the movie proper, "Cool Cat Boogie" and "Cool Cat Loves To Rock", while one is only in the movie as an instrumental while the actual lyrics are only in the DVD menu from what I can remember ("Cool Cat is My Best Friend") and the other only plays during the credits, and is just the song from the now-defunct Cool Cat "cartoon" ("Cool Cat is Cool") however the one in the credits does have an instrumental track behind it, but I'm too lazy to find somewhere you can find that version at the moment.

  Moving on, we have the "STARRING" portion of the page, in which it lists Vivica A. Fox and Erik Estrada despite their 2-3 minute appearances. In addition, if read from right to left, then it technically lists Vivica first, and even if you do read it from center outwards, the way it was likely intended, it still has Derek listed where you would most likely begin reading instead of Cool Cat, which I feel really shows off his vanity.

After that, we have the imperative ">Get Your COOL CAT Today<" which makes it sound like some kind of cat adoption poster or something. After that there's the blatant lie of "We Appreciate Your Business" followed by a statement saying that discounts for schools, libraries, and stores are available, which honestly makes me wonder if there are any places that even carry the movie that aren't online. Also it's kinda weird that they'd have that on one of the papers that comes with the movie. Does Derek expect people to be so blown away by their movie that they just have to bring this flyer to stores and shit so that others can feel the joy of the movie? I don't fucking know this entire analysis is just me talking to myself and probably pointing out shit you could have noticed yourself, but hey if that's not what the blog itself is I don't know what is. Anywho, another fun thing to note is the fact that according to the flyer, the runtime of the movie is 75 minutes, which actually makes it debatable as to whether or not it could actually be considered a film. Final thing to note of this side is that I was indeed correct in my previous assumption that the movie was supposedly made by "a Derek Savage Productions" as opposed to the "Cool Cat Productions" stated on the earlier paper, which is weird.

Anywho, next side of the paper, let's go.

  Now this side, this side infuriates me to no end. It's pretty much one glorified advertisement for the movie you already purchased. To save on time, I think I'll probably speed through this one tbh since the last time I wrote this thing it took me like 4 hours and it mainly consisted of pointing out every little thing on the page, so I'll just give the main things. First of all, why the fuck would you advertise your own movie in the flyer that comes with the fucking movie??? In addition, why does it advertise the books? As I previously established, the books aren't for sale, since Derek's still looking for a publisher. After that, it states that there are Cool Cat eBooks, which I'm pretty sure there aren't any, and they wouldn't even need a publisher I don't think. Also, just to point out, Derek actually managed to misspell merchandise as "MERCHINDISE" at the very top.

  The movie also claims to be a "DOVE AWARD" winner. After some research (I.E. one single google search) I found that the "Dove Award" is actually an award given to exceptional Christian music, so unless the soulful ballad of "COOL CAT IS COOOOOOL" won one of those, I find it highly doubtful that its correct. Next to it, you can see a logo with the words "FAMILY APPROVED" and "ALL AGES". This is the "award" Derek was actually talking about, which is really just an organization that makes sure that movies are family friendly, which sure is a real fucking accomplishment. Below that the flyer claims that it's **STARRING** Vivica A. Fox & Erik Estrada, who really nailed their 2 minute "starring" roles. After that there's some quotes, including one by the late Adam West, may he rest in peace, saying "Cool Cat is Cool!" despite the fact that on the Cool Cat site the quote from West actually says "Cool Cat is Fun!" which shows just how trustworthy this quote was, plus the fact that Derek most likely got the majority of celebrity quotes by walking up to them and asking them to say it. After that there's a quote of "I Love Cool Cat!" from Bo Derek, an actress starring in such great films as Tarzan the Ape Man,  Bolero, and my personal favorite, Ghosts Can't Do It. (All of those films had incredibly negative reception btw, apparently all three of which won her three seperate Golden Raspberry Awards). Finally, below the advertisement for some hideous hats and shirts, there's the godawful pun of "Get Your Cool Cat Purr-chindise" which manages to misspell the latter half of merchandise again, though on the current website, it says "Purr-chandise" so Derek had to have fixed it sometime, but seeing as this flyer is advertising the hats which only just came out a month or two ago, this flyer was made recently, so I don't fucking know.

Moving on, we've got the Cool Cat Loves You Poster.

  The first thing to note is that the poster feels like it was made on 11x17 printer paper, and all-in-all feels really low quality. In addition, it's fairly creased and banged up since Derek apparently doesn't know that you're supposed to roll up posters when shipping them. The main thing I want to note that stands out to me is the fucking background. When I first got it, I thought Derek, like, spilled coffee on it or something, but when I went to look at those posters online using the Wayback Machine, I found that it was completely intentional. I have no worldly idea why anyone would think that this would make a good background, since it gives off either an accidental coffee spill vibe or a 1984-esque dilapidated post-apocalyptic "Big Brother is Watching" sign from it.

That's about all I have to say for the poster, so let's move on to the keychain.

First of all, I'm debating whether or not to put this keychain anywhere since I would probably run a high risk of getting the shit kicked out of me. Anywho, there's not much to say here, it feels like a generic truck stop souvenir keychain, except the fact that Cool Cat is weirdly not centered is bothering me.

Here's the back side to the keychain.

  Again, not much to say, other than the fact that I never want to see the question "Got Cool Cat?" ever again.

  Now we have the book that came with the movie, Cool Cat Stops Bullying. Here's the front cover:

  As you can see the art is fucking hilarious and it looks like Cool Cat is being held at gunpoint. And again, I'd like to point out that it wasn't even Derek who drew this, it was some guy named Robert Rainbow. Imagine paying someone to draw your book and getting this in return. Also, fun thing to note, Daddy Derek is actually a cat in this one (Yes, that is actually supposed to be Derek, since Cool Cat refers to him as Daddy Derek in the book) which poses the question of why the ever-loving FUCK isn't Derek a cat in the movie? (I'll tell you why, it's because Derek still thinks he's hot and wants to show off his "body" in the movie, plus the fact that he was likely way too cheap to have more than one costume made, though it could have easily been avoided by not having the parents, namely Derek, show up often, or in such complex scenes, etc etc. You get the drift, it's just lazy and self-aggrandizing).

Following that, there's the back of the cover.

  Again, not much to analyze in detail, except for the fact that Derek would apparently charge $3.49 for this shitty thing, despite the fact that you can read it in around 2 minutes or under.

  After that there's the side of the cover, which actually has some sad little tidbits of its own.

  If you look closely enough, you can see that the book is fucking stapled together, which I find hilariously depressing. In addition, the publisher is sourced as "Blue Thunder Books" which from my extensive google searching towards the topic, doesn't seem to be a real publisher.

  I would love to post every page of the book itself, but I feel like that might be grounds for some kind of copyright takedown from Derek, though I'll continue looking for some legal way for you guys to see each page, since each one has an illustration, and they're fucking hysterical. Here's a single image for you guys as a little teaser:

  Anywho, onto what you all have been waiting for, the main attraction, the only thing that was purchased and all this other junk just came with for free: The movie. You all have probably seen the box a hundred times, so there's not much for me to analyze there, but here's the front:

  One thing I'd like to point out that I haven't seen anyone else discuss is the fact that Derek and Maria, though most notably Maria, are incredibly low quality and poorly cropped in, to the point where you can't really even make out Maria's face since it's so blurry.

Here's the back:

And here's the side:

  What's interesting to note here is the fact that on the top of the side there's two little icon image things, one of Cool Cat, and one of Vivica Fox, both of which are pretty low quality.

Anywho, enough stalling. Time to open this motherfucker up.

  I'll be honest, when I first opened this thing up, the first thing I noticed was the smell, oddly enough. It's really hard for me to describe, though I will say it's a weirdly bitter, sour smell, maybe something like glue mixed with something else. I have no idea. Anywho, as it was previously pointed out by YMS, the image on the disc is literally a fucking sticker. Unlike YMS's, however, is the fact that it doesn't come off just by breathing on it, so I'm guessing it was just glued to the disc. In all honesty, I haven't even put the disc in my computer to play it yet, since I'm afraid I'll either somehow get a virus from it or that it'll melt inside my computer. I'll just put it in.

Okay, so after putting the disc in the DVD the Disc Drive I got this.

Alright, so there are two folders, the audio one is empty. Great. Then there's the video one.

No idea what this means. Guess I'll have to play it on a DVD player for now.

  Anywho, I guess that there wraps up my analysis! It was mainly me just blabbing on and on about things you probably don’t care about, and doesn't really have a conclusive "end'' or anything, but hey if anything else pops up I'll be sure to notify you guys. Thanks for reading this far if you did, and hopefully Tumblr won't crash before I can post it this time.

[cecillewhite]

Podcast 29: Growing an Online Training Business – With the Co-Founder of DataCamp

WELCOME TO EPISODE 29 OF THE TALENTED LEARNING SHOW

To learn more about this podcast series or to see the full collection of episodes visit The Talented Learning Show main page.

  EPISODE 29 – TOPIC SUMMARY AND GUEST:

Today we welcome Martijn Theuwissen, Co-Founder of DataCamp, a company devoted to making data science education accessible to all.

Martijn Theuwissen, DataCamp Co-Founder

Martijn’s story is instructive for multiple reasons:

He knows first-hand what it takes to grow a successful online training business.

He works on the frontlines of the skills gap, helping individuals and employers prepare to compete in an increasingly data-driven economy.

He’s committed to a broader mission – empowering people from all walks of life to develop data fluency.

I think you’ll agree, this interview offers useful advice for every learning professional.

  KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Demand for data science education is exploding, as organizations around the world strive to become more data-driven.

In a fast-moving market like data science, online training providers can gain a competitive advantage by accelerating their content development speed.

Other factors also contribute to the success of online training ventures. At DataCamp, those factors include a scalable business model, a smart technology strategy, high-quality instruction and customer feedback loops that drive continuous improvement.

  Q&A HIGHLIGHTS:

Martijn, could you start by telling us about your background?

Sure. I’m from Belgium and I have a degree in finance and accounting. Actually, I have only one year of corporate experience, working in sales and marketing at The Coca-Cola Company.

But soon after I started at Coca-Cola, I discovered that I’m much better suited to an entrepreneurial environment than a large corporation. So, around six years ago, I co-founded DataCamp.

Wow. It took me 20 years to reach that point. What inspired you to go into online training?

Well, to be honest, it was a very lucky accident.

The best kind of accident…

Actually, multiple elements came into play:

I’ve always had a passion for education. Since I was about 12 years old, I’ve been involved with student boards, student unions and education nonprofits.

When I was looking for startup opportunities in 2014, my co-founder was teaching statistics at university.

And coincidentally, that was the year of the MOOC (massively open online course), with platforms like edX and Coursera getting a lot of traction.

Right…

So, this combination of factors became the foundation of DataCamp:

Our entrepreneurial drive

Passion for improving data science education, and

Interest in developing innovative technology.

Why did you specialize in data analytics?

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Online training companies like Codecademy (programming skills) and Duolingo (language skills) were using digital technology to provide a better learning experience for specialized training.

So we decided to create something similar for statistics and data science because we understand that domain.

Mm-hmm…

We envisioned an environment where people get individualized feedback based on the mistakes they make while they’re actually typing in code. This provides a much more engaging learning experience with much higher completion rates.

Great. So how do you define data science?

Data science is basically everything involved with analyzing data.

There are many different definitions. But in my opinion, the moment you start playing around with data, you’re doing some form of data science. And by organizing and analyzing data effectively, you can make better decisions.

How big is the market for data science education?

These days, data is tracked and stored everywhere. Demand is growing very rapidly for people with data science skills who can analyze all of this available data. It touches every industry and function.

For example, HR professionals use machine learning to screen profiles when hiring. That requires data science expertise.

Or think of digital advertising platforms like Facebook or Google. They provide a bunch of data that you can analyze to optimize online marketing campaigns. This requires data fluency.

We’re also seeing an enormous uptick in consulting firms that play a key role in helping companies facilitate full-scale digital transformation.

How wide is the gap between the need for data science skills and the availability of competent people? Is that why so many consultancies are springing up?

Yeah, there is definitely a gap. In the past, data lived in the IT department. Now every department has access to a massive amount of data. But unfortunately, many business people don’t have enough knowledge to work with all the data that’s available to them.

In fact, about three years ago, McKinsey published an excellent study about the need for analytics talent. Even then, there was a shortage of 1.5 million data-savvy people.

Actually, everyone benefits from at least a basic level of data literacy. That’s why we like to say that data science skills are no longer only for data scientists. The same way that writing skills aren’t just for authors.

Good point. You talk a lot about the need to democratize data science. What do you mean by that?

It’s really about getting essential data skills in the hands of everyone who needs it. We’re trying to do this at a reasonable price point.

It’s also important for people to learn wherever and whenever they want – especially when they work full-time or have other commitments.

We want to empower everyone – students, employees and independent professionals – to develop basic data fluency or even the expertise to work as full-time data scientists.

Nice…

That’s important for business because data scientists are often located in their own department or in IT. This makes communication more difficult and creates bottlenecks when others need help from an analyst.

But if everyone has data science knowledge, you can dramatically improve communication. Also, when individuals across your organization are empowered to do their own basic analysis, your data scientists can focus on more complex issues.

So democratizing data science is beneficial for individuals, as well as their organizations.

How does your online training business help close that data skills gap?

REPLAY THIS FREE WEBINAR NOW!

DataCamp is a solution that helps anyone learn data science skills in an online interactive environment.

Our goal was to create a very engaging environment for people to develop the basic skills of data analytics and data science, over time. And since our launch in 2014, our customer base has grown to more than 4 million learners.

Impressive!

Yeah. Lots of people want to learn this. So we serve individuals as well as businesses. We started by focusing on individuals who use it to upskill or prepare for a career shift.

And lately, we’re seeing a lot of traction with enterprise businesses as well. Over 1500 B2B customers now use DataCamp, mostly to upskill or reskill their workforce.

Amazing. How did you grow to 4 million users in just 5 short years?

It’s been a wild journey. I think DataCamp’s success comes from a combination of things.

The timing was good. But it’s also the product, itself. We’ve focused on data science from the start, which created traction in our core community.

Makes sense…

We started with one language, which was R. That’s basically an open-source programming language used in data analysis.

Then we added more and more languages. Python. And then SQL. Now we even have courses without any coding requirements, such as fundamental data science courses and spreadsheet skills.

That kind of incremental expansion is a smart strategy…

We were lucky to start the company when data science was just beginning its massive growth. Plus, online training has been going through a significant transformation, itself. So we were there at the right time to scale.

Yep…

And every course is created by a team of internal and external subject matter experts. We now have more than 270 instructors, who are known and respected in their domain. That also draws people to our platform.

So those are the reasons why we’ve grown to more than 4 million learners in such a short time.

Outstanding! That’s great to get 270 industry experts to contribute as instructors.

Yes…

What about the content itself? How is it organized?

Our philosophy is, “Learn, practice, apply.” In other words, you:

Learn with our courses

Practice with repeatable exercises you can access through your mobile phone or on your desktop, and

Apply with real-life projects you complete in the cloud.

What does this online training content look like? Do you integrate video? How do interactive elements work?

Each course takes around 4 hours to complete.

For every hour of content, there are about 15 minutes of passive learning through videos. That’s necessary because data science has such a strong mathematical foundation, and we’ve found that videos are the best way to explain those concepts.

During the other 45 minutes, you’re hands-on, doing interactive exercises. That’s because we believe in active learning.

So you’re typing in code at your keyboard. And if you make a mistake, you get relevant real-time feedback.

Excellent. You said that you have about 1500 B2B clients. Who’s your typical business buyer – IT departments or business units?

We see three primary scenarios:

Data science departments that want advanced courses or are switching technologies.

Business units – usually marketing or finance – that want to improve data-based decisions.

Company-wide digital transformation initiatives to drive the shift toward a more data-literate culture. That’s when L&D folks come in.

Excellent. So how do you run this large-scale online training operation on the back end? Did you build your own learning management system?

We build everything in-house. Our platform is built to provide the best learning experience specifically for data science. That required us to start from scratch.

The technology we use for interactive feedback isn’t available anywhere else. That’s why we needed to develop it ourselves.

Interesting. How about content development? Is that also done with your own proprietary tools? Or do you use commercial solutions?

REPLAY THE WEBINAR NOW!

We built our own authoring environment, as well. That’s because we realized very quickly that speed in developing content is a major competitive advantage.

So although we have multiple teams focused on the learner experience, we also have a team focused on the instructor experience.

For example, how can we make it as easy as possible for an instructor to create an interactive course? That’s different from creating a video course.

They need to learn new technologies and embrace the unique pedagogical aspects of this process. So we developed the authoring environment to make it as easy as possible.

We also do the entire translation (for lack of a better word) to interactivity behind-the-scenes in an automatic way.

Wow. You might want to sell your platform to other verticals that may have a similar kind of need.

True.

So how did you convince 270 instructors to sign-up? How did you find them? And how do you compensate them? Everybody struggles with this…

Our model is similar to a book publisher. We have a wish list of courses we want to develop. Our curriculum team identifies courses we want to develop in the coming months. Then they start researching and contacting subject matter experts.

Our contracts are based on revenue sharing, where instructors are paid based on the number of times their course is completed. Not started, but completed. This way, there’s an incentive to create high-quality content that engages students from start to finish.

Great strategy. So do you ask them to follow a specific instructional model? Or do instructors bring their own approach and you adapt?

It’s a bit of both.

We ask our instructors to follow a framework. Because with so many courses, we want to make sure that they feel consistent and coherent for learners. So if you start one course on DataCamp, and then start a second course, both will have the same level of quality and engagement.

Our framework is based on a list of rules. For example, you can’t use more than 15 minutes of video in any one-hour of content. You can’t include too many multiple-choice questions. And so forth.

These rules tie back to our authoring interface, which automatically checks to verify that instructors are holding themselves to that framework. This makes the online training content development process fairly easy. And it gives authors various ways to be creative, as well.

Nice. So let’s talk about some real-world examples. How are corporations using data science education to improve their business…?

  …FOR COMPLETE ANSWERS TO THIS QUESTION AND MORE, LISTEN TO THE FULL 30-MINUTE PODCAST!

  WANT TO LEARN MORE? REPLAY THIS WEBINAR

Bridging the Learning Analytics Gap: How Guided Insights Lead to Better Results

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Even with cutting-edge measurement tools, many struggle to find enough time and expertise to generate useful learning insights. How can you bridge this critical analytics gap?

Join John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning, and Tamer Ali, Co-Founder and Director at Authentic Learning Labs. You’ll discover:

Top learning analytics challenges

How AI-driven data visualization tools are transforming learning insights

How to define and interpret relevant metrics

Practical examples of AI-based analytics in action

How to build a convincing case for guided analytics

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[un-enfant-immature]

How to browse the web securely and privately

So you want to browse the web securely and privately? Here’s a hard truth: it’s almost impossible.

It’s not just your internet provider that knows which sites you visit, it’s also the government — and other governments! And when it’s not them, it’s social media sites, ad networks or apps tracking you across the web to serve you specific and targeted ads. Your web browsing history can be highly personal. It can reveal your health concerns, your political beliefs and even your porn habits — you name it. Why should anyone other than you know those things?

Any time you visit a website, you leave a trail of data behind you. You can’t stop it all — that’s just how the internet works. But there are plenty of things that you can do to reduce your footprint.

Here are a few tips to cover most of your bases.

A VPN can help hide your identity, but doesn’t make you anonymous

You might have heard that a VPN — or a virtual private network — might keep your internet traffic safe from snoopers. Well, not really.

A VPN lets you create a dedicated tunnel that all of your internet traffic flows through — usually a VPN server — allowing you to hide your internet traffic from your internet provider. That’s good if you’re in a country where censorship or surveillance is rife or trying to avoid location-based blocking. But otherwise, you’re just sending all of your internet traffic to a VPN provider instead. Essentially, you have to choose who you trust more: your VPN provider or your internet provider. The problem is, most free VPN providers make their money by selling your data or serving you ads — and some are just downright shady. Even if you use a premium VPN provider for privacy, they can connect your payment information to your internet traffic, and many VPN providers don’t even bother to encrypt your data.

Some VPN providers are better than others: tried, tested — and trusted — by security professionals.

Services like WireGuard are highly recommended, and are available on a variety of devices and systems — including iPhones and iPads. We recently profiled the Guardian Mobile Firewall, a smart firewall-type app for your iPhone that securely tunnels your data anonymously so that even its creators don��t know who you are. The app also prevents apps on your phone from tracking you and accessing your data, like your contacts or your geolocation.

As TechCrunch’s Romain Dillet explains, the best VPN providers are the ones that you control yourself. You can create your own Algo VPN server in just a few minutes. Algo is created by Trial of Bits, a highly trusted and respected security company in New York. The source code is available on GitHub, making it far more difficult to covertly insert backdoors into the code.

With your own Algo VPN setup, you control the connection, the server, and your data.

You’ll need a secure DNS

What does it mean that “your internet provider knows what sites you visit,” anyway?

Behind the scenes on the internet, DNS — or Domain Name System — converts web addresses into computer-readable IP addresses. Most devices automatically use the resolver that’s set by the network you’re connected to — usually your internet provider. That means your internet provider knows what websites you’re visiting. And recently, Congress passed a law allowing your internet provider to sell your browsing history to advertisers.

You need a secure and private DNS provider. Many use publicly available services — like OpenDNS or Google’s Public DNS. They’re easy to set up — usually on your computer or device, or on your home router.

One recommended offering is Cloudflare’s secure DNS, which it calls 1.1.1.1. Cloudflare encrypts your traffic, won’t use your data to serve ads, and doesn’t store your IP address for any longer than 24 hours. You can get started here, and you can even download Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 app from Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

HTTPS is your friend

One of the best things for personal internet security is HTTPS.

HTTPS secures your connection from your phone or your computer all the way to the site you’re visiting. Most major websites are HTTPS-enabled, and appear as such with a green padlock in the address bar. HTTPS makes it almost impossible for someone to spy on your internet traffic intercept and steal your data in transit.

Every time your browser lights up in green or flashes a padlock, HTTPS encrypts the connection between your computer and the website. Even when you’re on a public Wi-Fi network, an HTTPS-enabled website will protect you from snoopers on the same network.

Every day, the web becomes more secure, but there’s a way to go. Some websites are HTTPS ready but don’t have it enabled by default. That means you’re loading an unencrypted HTTP page when you could be accessing a fully HTTPS page.

That’s where one browser extension, HTTPS Everywhere, comes into play. This extension automatically forces websites to load HTTPS by default. It’s a lightweight, handy tool that you’ll forget is even there.

Reconsider your web plug-ins

Remember Flash? How about Java? You probably haven’t seen much of them recently, because the web has evolved to render them obsolete. Both Flash and Java, two once-popular web plug-ins, let you view interactive content in your web browser. But nowadays, most of that has been replaced by HTML5, a technology native to your web browser.

Flash and Java were long derided for their perpetual state of insecurity. They were full of bugs and vulnerabilities that plagued the internet for years — so much so that web browsers started to pull the plug on Java back in 2015, with Flash set to sunset in 2020. Good riddance!

If you don’t use them — and most people don’t anymore — you should remove them. Just having them installed can put you at risk of attack. It takes just a minute to uninstall Flash on Windows and Mac, and to uninstall Java on Windows and Mac.

Most browsers — like Firefox and Chrome — let you run other add-ons or extensions to improve your web experience. Like apps on your phone, they often require certain access to your browser, your data or even your computer. Although browser extensions are usually vetted and checked to prevent malicious use, sometimes bad extensions slip through the net. Sometimes, extensions that were once fine are automatically updated to contain malicious code or secretly mine cryptocurrency in the background.

There’s no simple rule to what’s a good extension and what isn’t. Use your judgment. Make sure each extension you install doesn’t ask for more access than you think it needs. And make sure you uninstall or remove any extension that you no longer use.

These plug-ins and extensions can protect you

There are some extensions that are worth their weight in gold. You should consider:

An ad-blocker: Ad-blockers are great for blocking ads — as the name suggests — but also the privacy invasive code that can track you across sites. uBlock is a popular, open source efficient blocker that doesn’t consume as much memory as AdBlock and others. Many ad-blockers now permit “acceptable ads” that allow publishers to still make money but aren’t memory hogs or intrusive — like the ones that take over your screen. Ad-blockers also make websites load much faster.

A cross-site tracker blocker: Privacy Badger is a great tool that blocks tiny “pixel”-sized trackers that are hidden on web pages but track you from site to site, learning more about you to serve you ads. To advertisers and trackers, it’s as if you vanish. Ghostery is another example of an advanced-level anti-tracker that aims to protect the user by default from hidden trackers.

And you could also consider switching to more privacy-minded search engines, like DuckDuckGo, a popular search engine that promises to never store your personal information and doesn’t track you to serve ads.

Use Tor if you want a better shot at anonymity

But if you’re on the quest for anonymity, you’ll want Tor.

Tor, known as the anonymity network is a protocol that bounces your internet traffic through a series of random relay servers dotted across the world that scrambles your data and covers your tracks. You can configure it on most devices and routers. Most people who use Tor will simply use the Tor Browser, a preconfigured and locked-down version of Firefox that’s good to go from the start — whether it’s a regular website, or an .onion site — a special top-level domain used exclusively for websites accessible only over Tor.

Tor makes it near-impossible for anyone to snoop on your web traffic, know which site you’re visiting, or that you are the person accessing the site. Activists and journalists often use Tor to circumvent censorship and surveillance.

But Tor isn’t a silver bullet. Although the browser is the most common way to access Tor, it also — somewhat ironically — exposes users to the greatest risk. Although the Tor protocol is largely secure, most of the bugs and issues will be in the browser. The FBI has been known to use hacking tools to exploit vulnerabilities in the browser in an effort to unmask criminals who use Tor. That puts the many ordinary, privacy-minded people who use Tor at risk, too.

It’s important to keep the Tor browser up to date and to adhere to its warnings. The Tor Project, which maintains the technology, has a list of suggestions — including changing your browsing behavior — to ensure you’re as protected as you can be. That includes not using web plug-ins, not downloading documents and files through Tor, and keeping an eye out for in-app warnings that advise you on the best action.

Just don’t expect Tor to be fast. It’s not good for streaming video or accessing bandwidth-hungry sites. For that, a VPN would probably be better.

More guides:

Why you need to use a password manager

Two-factor authentication will save you, even if you don’t know it yet

How to protect your cell phone number and why you should care

How to get started with encrypted messaging apps

Gift Guide: The best security and privacy tech to keep your friends safe

[montgomeryhelen95]

Why Is My Cat Spraying Everywhere Suddenly Fabulous Useful Ideas

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How To Get Cat Spray Smell Out Of Couch

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How Much Does It Cost To Spay A Female Cat In Ireland

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[ijournalnews]

20 new and notable Android apps from the last two weeks including Quibi, Plexamp, and Plex Dash (4/4/20

Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous two weeks or so. Today I have a new video streaming service app and two useful releases from Plex, not to mention a handful of other useful titles. So without further ado, here are all of the notable Android apps released in the last two weeks. Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the widgets, which include ratings and pricing info. Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Apps

Quibi: Watch New Episodes DailyAndroid Police coverage: Smartphone-optimized streaming service Quibi launches today Quibi is the latest video streaming app to land on Android, and it's a service that boasts smartphone-optimized video. What this means is that all of the videos within the app can be viewed in landscape or portrait. On top of this, these videos are all less than ten minutes long, which makes for easy digestion when strapped for time. Of course, there is the hurdle of people not wanting to sign up for yet another streaming service, so I have to wonder how much success the Quibi team will find without the long-form content typically expected of competing services. Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $4.99 - $7.99

PlexampAndroid Police coverage: Plex launches its standalone music player and server management apps on Android The hint is in the name. Plexamp is a music app that can connect to your Plex Media Server, though you will need Plex Pass to use this app. More or less, this is pleasant looking music streaming app that works with the audio files stored on your Plex Server, and so far, user reviews appear pleased with this release, which is a good sign Plex has a worthwhile music player on its hands. Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Plex DashAndroid Police coverage: Plex launches its standalone music player and server management apps on Android Plex Dash is the second release from the company this week, and it's a tool that should be useful for anyone running their own Plex Server, and much like the above listing, a Plex Pass is required to use this app. Basically, if you'd like to monitor your Plex streams as they are streaming, whether for fun or for troubleshooting, then Plex Dash is indeed the app for you. Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Screen On - Keep Screen awake - Keep Screen ONScreen On is an app that can, you guessed it, keep your screen on. So say you'd like to leave your screen on when reading a news app or playing a game, you can use this release to set your own custom lighting settings for individual apps. While I know many titles offer a similar option in their own settings, such as comic readers, it's still a lot easier to set up profiles for all of your apps inside of a single title. Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs

WOW Volume Manager - App volume controlWOW Volume Manager comes from the developer behind the Screen On app listed above, and this time around, you can expect a release designed to customize your volume settings. Just like any other app of this nature, you can customize your volume on an app by app basis, and you can even set up a custom default volume level for the rest of your apps, which I'm sure should come in handy for all of you power users out there. Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs

WHO InfoEarlier this week, the World Health Organization released a coronavirus app that was quickly delisted from the Play Store. Then a few days later, this WHO Info app popped up, and it appears to offer the latest news, events, features and breaking updates on outbreaks. Of course, you could always dig up this info from a bunch of other sources, but having an app that compiles everything in one place could come in handy. Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Root Activity LauncherRoot Activity Launcher is an early access release that offers root access for your activity launcher well beyond similar apps. This means you can start unexported activities as well as activities with permission requirements. You can also start services through this app. Heck, there's even a built-in filter that will allow you to search through states, such as enabled/disabled or exported/unexported. Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Zenkit To DoZenkit To Do is just that, a new todo app for Android. As you can see, it offers a minimal design that's easy to read, and you can share all of your todos with your friends, family, and business partners. Oh, and if you're looking to switch away from Wunderlist, there is an import option within Zenkit To Do that should allow you to seamlessly pick up where you left off. Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Piwag - Improved Search Engine for the Play StoreOver the years, I've noticed that many people hate how the Play Store handles discovery, and despite these constant complaints, Google has done little to improve the situation, most likely because there's more money be made by shoving F2P apps and games into every inch of the store. This is why I'm happy to see the arrival of Piwag, a search engine for the Play Store that should ideally make discovery easier. So if you're sick of Google's self-serving ineptitude in this area, why not give Piwag a try. Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Mullvad VPN: privacy is a universal rightMullvad VPN is a free and open-source commercial virtual private network service based in Sweden, and the company just released a VPN Android app this week. Creating an account does not require any personal information, and the service supposedly does not keep any activity logs. So while Mullvad VPN is the latest VPN app to land on the Play Store, awash in a sea of similar apps, I suppose choosing a service that's open source is a better move than choosing a VPN randomly. Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Marcus - Savings & LoansMarcus - Savings & Loans is a new app from Goldman Sachs, and apparently, it ties into the company's Marcus by Goldman Sachs personal loans. So if you've taken out a Marcus by Goldman Sachs personal loan, then you can use this app to check your balance, schedule and track deposits, or even create recurring transfers. Best of all, fingerprint logins are supported. Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Smash: File transferSmash: File transfer is a simple tool designed to transfer files from your Android device with ease. Sadly user reviews paint a different picture, mentioning issues with uploading, zip files, and constant errors. While new releases tend to struggle before they find their footing, I suppose it's a hard sell to get people interested in an app when that app doesn't work very well. At the very least, this is a completely free release, so hopefully, it improves soon. Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Brave Browser (Beta)The Brave Browser has offered a mobile version since 2016, and this week a beta version has popped up on the Play Store for those that would like to test upcoming features. This way, interested parties can send feedback to the devs before new features are pushed to the stable release. So while I wouldn't recommend this version for daily use, if you enjoy troubleshooting or digging for bugs, then Brave Browser has you covered. Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs

CyberLink PowerPlayerCyberLink PowerPlayer is a media player from CyberLink that supports local media center networks, the ability to cast to any screen, and an easy way to watch your favorite videos on the go. Essentially CyberLink is claiming that this is an all-in-one media player, and while there are already many similar options currently available on the Play Store, I suppose another hat in the ring should keep the competition on its toes. Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs

Ultra Volume: Custom Slider control & themesOkay, it's clear that volume apps are a dime a dozen anymore, but did you know that theming your volume control is a current trend everyone and their mother is copying? In comes Ultra Volume, the latest app to offer a volume slider replacement as well as a quick and easy way to theme these sliders. Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $1.99 a piece

Edge Block: Prevent accidental touchesFor all of you Android users out there that hate accidental touches when using a phone with curved edges, Edge Block is the answer to all of your problems. Sure, it won't change the fact that devices with curved screens feel like you're holding a slippery bar of soap, but it will help alleviate any issues with accidental touches on the curved edges of your device. Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $3.49 a piece

Bundled Notes - lists, writing, to-do, reminders.Bundled Notes is a new to-do app that offers robust organization. The theme is slick, and there are a plethora of options already available. So while you can easily sync all of your notes, the lack of web app integration means you'll have to grab your phone every time you want to edit your notes. Luckily a website companion should be launched soon, which will definitely round out this release. Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $1.89 - $17.99

Lyf - You're not aloneLyf is a social media app designed around anonymity, and so users can share personal stories without judgment, which should ideally help users work through their issues. The app offers an ad-free experience, though in-app purchases are included for those times you wish to speak with a trained psychologist about your problems or goals. Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $4.99 - $49.99

Manufacturer And Tie-In Apps

Weather - By XiaomiWeather - By Xiaomi is a manufacturer release for a weather app. Primarily manufacturers upload their apps to the Play Store so that they will no longer have to rely on carriers to push out updates. As we all know, carriers are extremely slow when it comes to OTA updates, and so with the launch of Weather - By Xiaomi on the Play Store, Xiaomi users can finally keep their weather app up to date with ease. Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

VeoSensVeoSens comes from Samsung, and it's a health app that ties into accompanying apps on phones and watches to ultimately supply the user with a health score. Through your everyday use of your watch and phone, this app will tell you how healthy you are, because as we all know, lifestyle smartphone apps that copy other lifestyle smartphone apps for the sole purpose of tying someone into a manufacturer's ecosystem should be listened to at all times. So far, the only user review states that they can't even connect this app to their watch, so this release may not be ready for prime time just yet. Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Know A Worthy New App? Let Us Know!

If you have an application in mind for the next issue of the roundup, feel free to send us an email and let us know. Important: there are 2 requirements in order for the app to be considered, listed below. the app's launch date has to be no longer than 2 weeks ago it has to be original, ground-breaking, well-reviewed, interesting, fun, etc - the cream of the crop Now, if and only if the above requirements have been satisfied, fire up an email to this address: . 1 sponsored placement per week is available (your app would be featured at the top and marked as sponsored) - please contact us for details. Read the full article

[shirlleycoyle]

Apple and Google’s Coronavirus Tracking Plan Is a Symptom of Their Power

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, national economies are crumbling under the weight of lockdowns that slow the spread of the virus and ultimately save lives. Capitalism can't wait any longer, and so governments are looking for a way to get people back to working and consuming even if the virus isn't defeated.

To do this, Apple and Google stepped forward Friday with a proposal that is as predictable for the Silicon Valley giants as it is mind-boggling in scope: large-scale passive digital surveillance using every iOS and Android device.

While some applauded the proposal, it reflects a deep imbalance in society that was there before Covid-19: This is only possible for Apple and Google due to their immense corporate power, cultivated over many years, which effectively makes them the only available choice in a dire crisis. Their plan risks further entrenching that influence. And even if the tech giants hold to their promise of disabling the feature once the pandemic ends, this influence is what will stick around long after; not a faded remnant of the pre-pandemic world, but an enlarging feature of post-virus capitalism.

In the absence of a competent government response to the virus, and within a fragile and precarious economic system, politicians seem primed to put their faith in what Google and Apple are proposing because they are proposing something.

"A lot of experts will tell you there's a lot of issues and limitations with false positives and negatives, biases in the data, lack of data, that most policymakers won't understand," said technologist Ashkan Soltani in an interview. "In general there's this tech utopianism or idealism that doesn't pan out even if policymakers hope it does."

The broad strokes of the plan are to update iOS and Android to accommodate a protocol where everybody's phone is constantly tracking everybody else's near them using anonymous Bluetooth identifiers. While many details need to be worked out, health authorities can build their own apps on top of the protocol to collect identifiable information from people (which is a can of worms itself) and integrate official medical diagnoses. It's possible that this kind of digital "contact tracing" could include self-diagnoses, like in the U.K., which might alert people who have been in the proximity of the anonymous ID of someone who has Covid-19 symptoms but who hasn't had a test.

Apple and Google aren't the first entities to propose such a scheme, but their power makes it nearly impossible for anybody but them to do it effectively. Singapore developed its own Bluetooth contact tracing app called TraceTogether and even made its API open source, posting the code to GitHub. As the TraceTogether team wrote in a blog last week, implementing the app on iOS in particular came with numerous difficulties.

"We faced limitations that prevented us from accessing full Bluetooth scanning functionality in the background on iOS devices," the TraceTogether blog states. This negatively affected the user experience and usage, the blog explains, and it was the "very best" the engineers could do within the restrictions.

According to Soltani, Apple and Google's proposal exploits their massive market domination and control over their platforms to bypass these issues and jumpstart adoption.

"With an open source framework, you can't do things like run continuously in the background on Apple. They've disabled that feature," he said. "Surely, you can build an open source solution and try to get all the companies to support it⁠—not even companies, all the developers, CDC, NHS, whoever is developing the apps, to support it. That would be a hard coordination task, and this has the benefit of quickly laying down a protocol that anyone can [use]."

One reason for Apple's approach historically, Soltani pointed out, is that locking down the App Store and iOS generally can help to keep users safe from poorly-coded or privacy-invading apps, whether they're made by governments or random programmers.

This has also had the effect of giving companies greater control over what you can run on your own device, which is why, at least historically, iPhone owners have often jailbroken their devices.

According to Paul-Olivier Dehaye, founder of Swiss non profit PersonalData.IO, Apple and Google's proposal as it stands could further entrench their influence at a critical time. For example, if the system ultimately relies on self-diagnoses that aren't confirmed by a test, it will be open to all sorts of spoofing and trolling intended to mess with it.

"This is a place where there will be all sorts of geopolitical attacks as well: people feeding wrong IDs, spam, or distributed denial-of-service," Dehaye said. "And Google and Apple are going to be in charge of policing this? There is a question mark there. We don't know how it's going to play out. So, that's a worry."

Dehaye explained that there are also open questions about the criteria that the companies would apply to apps from health authorities that they allow on their platforms, and any issues that might arise there. "There's a lot of power there yet to be structured and Apple and Google have the prerogative there. That's something I think people should be very vigilant about," Dehaye said.

Is surveillance for contact tracing, in some form, helpful in a pandemic? Possibly, and possibly not. But Apple and Google's proposal is utterly predictable given that the last decade-plus has been defined by the slow acclimation to constant tracking and surveillance by corporations and the government, for the often interlocking purposes of "economy" and "safety." Now, these trends are coalescing in the form of a big pitch from big tech that comes off a bit like stepping into a spotlight that they set up long ago.

While this is a bit different from Bluetooth proximity tracking now being proposed, before the pandemic, in November 2019, Google was touting how its technology could be used for "tracking pandemics" as well as "people's responses to conflict and natural disasters," among other proposals. The tech giants were self-appointed and primed to step into whatever crisis role presented itself as being potentially helped by a general purpose surveillance platform, which is what all of our cellphones are.

Importantly, without an actual public health response to match, experts worry that a massive surveillance rollout isn't likely to do much to stop the virus.

"Because these systems can lead to false positives, we might fall back to testing, in which case we're still in the bottleneck of standard testing," Soltani said. "My next question is: Why even have these apps at all?"

Without proper testing, without enough protective equipment, and without a social safety net, it is increasingly looking like Americans will be asked to head back to work sooner rather than later, even if it is not completely safe to do so. In the absence of a competent, compassionate government response, what we do have is a massive number of devices that can be turned into a society-wide net of constant checkpoints with the flip of a switch.

Big tech is already making hay during its moment in the sun, while the rest of the world is plunging into darkness. On Tuesday, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said during an Economic Club of New York livestream that we should all be "a little grateful" for the efforts of corporations during the crisis.

Whether Apple and Google's proposal takes hold or not, and whether it actually works or not, is beside the point. If not for this tragedy, but for the inevitable next one, tech companies are ready to never let a crisis go to waste.

Apple and Google’s Coronavirus Tracking Plan Is a Symptom of Their Power syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/