#and i may need to move my computer setup into my bedroom as its the one place that can be kept pet free

[terramassakin]

...

[stefciastark]

MIT ~ Webpril Day 5

A/N: This one was particularly hard for me to write, just considering generic semi-plotless one-shots were never my strong suit. So here is some really generic pointless IronDad and SpiderSon that's set in a bit of an AU where Tony survives the snap and comes out of it unscathed (because I just need some generic fluff). Sorry if there are any writing and/or continuity mistakes. Wrote this one quite late and haven't been feeling 100% today, but wanted to take a crack nonetheless :)  Also, I absolutely see Peter as the type that will bring his own pillow from home because he can't sleep as well on random pillows. Either that or I'm projecting again lmao

~Read it on AO3

~Read it on FFN

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Peter was glad the door opened automatically as F.R.I.D.A.Y. buzzed him through, arms full of enough duffel bags and pillows to make him look like he was going camping for a week. This was the first time he’d set foot in the new Avengers facility since Thanos levelled it almost two years prior. It’d taken almost that whole period to reconstruct everything from the ground up, and Peter was impressed at how nearly identical it looked to the last time he was there, pre-Snap.

Of course, leave it to Tony to want to build it back as it was. After all, it was one of his babies; practical and virtually perfection, the building just screamed ‘Tony Stark’.

Subtlety was the name of the game in the facility. Small lights soundlessly lit Peter’s path, quietly directing him to the part of the structure that Tony had territorially claimed as his. Tony had promised Peter his own bedroom, and Peter was more than excited to dump his numerous bags on the floor and just take a breather.

In the few months he’d had off since graduating from high school, he hadn’t had a single moment to himself. Not that he could really complain. Most of his time was occupied by Ned and MJ, whether that was both of them together or spending time one-on-one. He’d already told Ned that he’d gotten into MIT and would be moving interstate in a little over a month and a half, but there was one conversation he was absolutely dreading, and that was with MJ. Since Junior year, their relationship had been pretty perfect, if Peter said so himself, and he was loathe to see it end over him moving to Massachusetts. Sure, they could make it work – it wasn’t that far, and Peter really wanted it to work. After some deliberating, Peter decided he’d ask Mr Stark; he’d know the answer.

As he rounded the final corner, his eyes were met with a large glass cube-shaped room, windows tinted like charcoal that almost reminded Peter of the Tesseract. Not that he’d ever seen it in person, but he’d seen enough video footage courtesy of S.H.I.E.L.D. to vaguely know what it looked like. Aside from not glowing, not being blue, and not having the menacing aura of the little Shining Cube of Death, the resemblance was uncanny.

Peter froze in the centre of the hall as F.R.I.D.A.Y’s voice chimed overhead. “Welcome Peter, Boss is waiting for you in the lab when you are ready. You may drop your belongings in your room.”

Taking confident steps forward, Peter only then realised he had no idea where he was going. Pausing momentarily, he paused to ask the A.I, “Uh Fri, where -”

“It is the third door on your right.”

“Thanks!” Peter bounded down the hall, needing to gracelessly manoeuvre and shimmy the door handle down. There was no dignity in putting all his bags down only to pick them back up again while propping the door open with his foot, all the while looking as if he were developing a new yoga position. As the black door swung open, he marvelled for a moment at how despite it having been a high gloss lacquered finish, there wasn’t a single fingerprint from where he’d pushed it open along the lock stile.

Dropping his bags haphazardly at the foot of the queen bed (draped in the softest looking navy satin sheets Peter had ever seen and he had to stop himself right then and there from just passing out on top of them), he freshened up in the bathroom, changed from his T-shirt to a smart-casual button up, and made his way back to the Not Tesseract.

Once he found the entrance – after checking three out of its four sides – the door slid open, and he was greeted by a room that could aptly be described as every tech geek’s fantasy. Peter wasn’t quite sure if he was hallucinating, what with the numerous colourful and interactable holograms floating in various parts of the room, a few artificially intelligent robots doing their own thing because of course they were, and Tony Stark standing as enigmatic as ever bent over his latest project that looked an awful lot like a new Spider-suit upgrade. Peter only hoped that one day he would be able to exude the same confidence and charisma that Tony managed to accomplish just by breathing.

Tony looked up at the sound of the door sliding shut behind Peter and shot him a smile that bled with pride. “Congratulations on MIT, kid. You know,” Tony removed his reading glasses (since when did Tony wear reading glasses?), “I always knew you had it in you. Then again, I’m usually right about these things.” He paused in front of Peter, and Peter forced himself to smile in return.

Truth be told, Peter had been struggling with some Imposter syndrome after receiving his acceptance letter. It wasn’t that he felt he didn’t do well enough in school, he absolutely did. He didn’t want to say anything for being afraid of what the answer would be, but he had a nagging feeling that Tony may have pulled some strings on his behalf, what with being one of MIT’s greatest alumnus and all. Over the years it had come up in conversation, subtly woven in between how he was doing in school, how his relationship with MJ was faring, and who was definitively going to be named New York’s best pizzeria – it was a topic of conversation which had gotten quite unabashedly heated, and they still could not come to a conclusion.  

All Peter ended up saying in response, quite pathetically in his opinion, was a half muttered, “Thanks, Mr Stark.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed, and Peter made as much effort as possible to look anywhere but straight into the eyes of his mentor.

“That didn’t sound happy. What’s going on?”

Peter was naïve to think that Tony wouldn’t notice his subdued response to getting admitted to the university of his dreams. He was following in the footsteps of his mentor, a man who became like his father, but Peter was torn between feeling honoured at being Tony Stark’s legacy, and between wanting to be his own man and achieve out of merit and not just affiliation. Maybe that made him sound ungrateful, but to almost everyone at school, he’d been Peter Parker: that kid doing the Stark internship. Peter Parker: that kid who hung out with Captain America a few times. Peter Parker: Anthony Stark’s prodigious ‘adopted’ son.

“N-nothing, I was just uh,” Peter decided any other dumb excuse would be better than ‘hey, so I feel like my acceptance into MIT is one big joke and so am I.’ He eventually settled on, “I was actually wanting to study Biophysics, if that’s okay with you.”

Tony looked unconvinced, but to Peter’s relief, he let it go. “Do whatever you want, it’s your life, kid. Have you picked your subjects yet?” Tony walked back towards the largest and most central computer station, summoned a large projection of Google on the far back wall that was surrounded by a mini bar setup and black leather couches, and handed Peter a tablet after he had shook his head ‘no’ in response.

“C’mere,” Tony said, having made his way over to the kitchenette. He poured an ounce of liqueur the colour of butterscotch from a crystal decanter that looked as if it cost more than Peter’s whole apartment into one crystalline glass, and only put a smidgeon of the liquid caramel into the other. Peter took a crack and guessed that it was scotch. Gesturing for Peter to sit next to him on the couch, he handed Peter one of the glasses.

Peter took hold of it, setting the tablet on top of his thigh. At some point, the display must have changed over to MIT’s Biological Engineering ‘Courses Offered’ page, and Peter’s breath caught in his throat. He didn’t realise how nervous he was about his future, how much weight he had put on himself to pick the right subjects and pursue the right major. It was the first time he’d really felt like a normal kid his age in a long, long time.

“I’m not promoting underage drinking, so you better not say anything to your Aunt May, okay?” Despite the stern look on Tony’s face, Peter knew Tony for long enough to detect the mischievous undertone to his words.

Despite his best attempts, Peter felt the prickle of tears behind his eyes. He had never known his father, and he hadn’t really entertained the thought that he would ever be able to share his first drink with someone who he considered to be his ‘dad’ in any sense of the word. Yet here he was.

“Congratulations.” Tony looked at Peter as their glasses clinked together. His dark eyes were warm with pride and a special type of second-hand excitement only a parental figure could experience, eager to be a part of the next chapter of life Peter was about to embark on.

“Thanks, but couldn’t’ve done it without you.” The liquid burned its way down Peter’s throat as he took his first and only sip from the glass, Tony having only put just enough to taste. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand not knowing how much Tony pulled strings for him at the MIT admissions.

Peter groaned internally when Tony didn’t correct him on his comment, hoping that he would have taken the bait and saved Peter the awkwardness of asking straight up whether his achievements were based on his own merit or his fortunate affiliations.

“Right, let’s have a look at your classes.”

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The time displayed on the projection was now showing 12:48am. Peter’s eyes had begun burning about an hour prior. While his usual bedtime was usually the early hours of the morning, the exhaustion of having to manage his anxiety and responses while in the observant company of Tony Stark left him feeling withered and needing to enter the void that was the realm of sleep.

“Thanks so much for tonight Mr Stark,” he was cut off by a yawn as he made a move to head back to his welcoming satin sheets, “but I’m gonna head to bed and get some of those sweet -” and once more, “- sweet dreams.”

Tony just gave Peter a closed-lipped smile and nodded his head towards the door, the bags under his eyes telling Peter it wouldn’t be long before he went to bed too. Peter wondered with some concern how long it had been since Tony had a good night’s sleep, and if this was day two on what might end up being a three-day long passion-project fuelled bender. If the slowly rotating blueprints of what looked like a newly designed Spider-suit gauntlet were anything to go by, there was a higher chance than Peter initially thought that Tony would not be sleeping tonight.

Disappointed in himself that he couldn’t muster the courage to ask Tony if his Imposter syndrome regarding MIT was founded, he made his way to exit the room, fully prepared instead to pursue the subject tomorrow when he was far less tired. As the door automatically slid open as Peter approached it, he couldn’t help the grin that spread across his cheeks as he heard Tony call out from where he had just stood up from the settee. Maybe he didn’t have to get his answer tomorrow after all.

“In case you were wondering, it was all you, kid.”

[crystalninjaphoenix]

The Haunted

A Horror Septics Story

(A fun thing for Halloween. Well, fun for the writer and readers, not so much fun for the character going through it. Enjoy >:) )

—————

There was a face in the mirror.

It almost looked like him. Almost. There were too many eyes. Too much blood. And it juddered and shivered, breaking into pieces like a video with bad connection. But it was real. No, it couldn’t be. As he stared at what should have been his reflection, this was all he could think. “You’re not real,” he whispered. “You’re not real.”

The face seemed to smile. His eyes remained locked with it.

It lunged forward, broken hand reaching through the class. He cried out and jumped backwards, covering his head. After a moment of tense anticipation, he lowered his arms and looked at the mirror. It was just him.

He exhaled slowly, and left the bathroom, hands shaking as he pushed the door open. He headed back towards the room he’d just left. There was a table in there, a table that wasn’t usually there but that he’d dragged in for today. On top of the table was a half-carved pumpkin and a few knives. In front of this setup was a camera on a tripod. He walked over to stand behind the table and smiled for the camera. “Sorry about that, that was just—actually let’s edit that out. Okay. Back to this. What you’re gonna want to do...”

* * * * * * * * *

His phone was vibrating violently; the sound of it clattering against his nightstand was enough to wake him up. Blearily, he blinked up at the ceiling, then turned his attention to the phone. It had stopped vibrating. He picked it up and saw a couple missed calls, as well as a text message from a friend asking him to call. So he dialed the number. “Hey what’s up?”

“Hey ŝĺňŦèŸ, were you planning on uploading a different video today?” his friend asked.

“Huh? What d’you mean?”

“I mean, I went to post the edited version of Pony Island, and there was already a video up.”

He sat up straight. “What? What was it?”

“Uh, it was something like ‘pumpkin carving unedited.’”

He threw aside his blankets and rushed to the computer, dropping his phone and not bothering to pick it up. Booting up the computer and going over to his channel, he saw a video with that exact title...except something was a little weird with the letters. The title read “pu̵m̶p̵k̀in c̸arv̕ing̛ u͡ne͟d́i͢ted.” Dread pooled in his stomach. He wasn’t going to upload that. He’d been planning to, but it hadn’t...worked out. The footage never even left the camera.

Uneasy, he clicked it. The video was over an hour long, and he watched it all. It really was unedited. Nothing was cut out. He watched with a sinking stomach as the version of him onscreen trailed off in the middle of a sentence, staring at the knife for a full minute. The part with the bleeding eye was included, when it just started leaking blood for no apparent reason. And all those morbid jokes, pretending the pumpkin was a person he was stabbing, and grinning hysterically right after that...it was all there. Up until the moment he said “I can’t do this” and turned the camera off. The reactions in the comments seemed...mixed. He read through them, his heart frozen. Some wondered if this was a joke, some thought he was doing it for attention, some wanted to know if he was okay. They were all confused.

Quickly, he stood up and ran over to grab his phone. He turned on the camera and started recording a video. “Hey guys. So you, uh, probably noticed the weird footage that got uploaded today. I just want to say...that wasn’t me. I actually have no idea where it came from.” He stammered through a short explanation, finishing it off by saying he’ll be taking a month-or-two-long break from recording anything, for his own mental health. Then he quickly uploaded that.

He glanced towards his computer monitor, which was still turned on. As he looked, the screen suddenly dissolved into static, distorted noise coming through the speakers. There was a face in the white noise.

An hour later, he was out on the street, smashing his computer and all his recording equipment with a baseball bat he’d found in his closet.

* * * * * * * * *

Despite his hopes, he had to conclude that it was real. Something was there, something was watching him. It sent him strange texts every so often, the words a bunch of scrambled symbols with the occasional threat. He kept the phone, though. To keep in contact with his friends and family.

He got rid of the TV, though. It kept switching on, making those same distorted sounds. One day in a panic, he opened the window and threw it out, watching it shatter on the ground below.

People kept asking how he was. Despite his best attempts to resist, he couldn’t help but check social media every so often. Some of his viewers thought this was a game, a fun horror-based thing to celebrate the end of the spooky season. Some of them were genuinely concerned.

Friends and family called and texted him. Some asked if he wanted to “see someone.” He considered it, he really did. Maybe he was just losing it. Waking up in the middle of the night, staring at eyes in the ceiling? That certainly seemed as though it was in his head. But he knew it was real. Because nobody could have uploaded that footage.

He got another text one day. Ŗæ¬YouareÈñħ»źmineÓŶğÙ´ÛIwillěġİťämakeĨÅęţyouþÚÆómyéªŕîijöÀ×í¸ĪºÎtoyðŦłĈForeverů¿ŭŪʼnĺĂķ=)

He threw his phone on the floor until its screen shattered and its case was broken. Then he dropped the remains down the nearest sewer grate.

* * * * * * * * *

He saw the face in his nightmares. Usually they just involved those eyes, those strange green eyes, all staring at him. He’d dream he was trapped in a box, all of them staring at him as it filled up with a red liquid that tasted metallic. Or he’d dream he was running down a street, the eyes watching him from looming buildings, his feet getting stuck as something that screeched with static grew closer and closer. The nightmares with the face were the worst. Because then it could touch him. And he’d wake up, unable to move, panting heavily as those eyes stared at him from his bedroom walls.

The lights would flicker, and more often than not they would turn off completely. His landline kept ringing. At first he’d pick up the calls, hoping to hear familiar voices. But all it turned out to be was distorted, laughing static.

He couldn’t stay here. It knew he was here.

It was a lovely spring day when he packed a suitcase and a duffel bag and headed to the nearest bus stop out of town.

* * * * * * * * *

There was a face in the crowd.

He was sitting on the train platform, waiting for the next one to come. People passed by, rushing quickly about their business and not paying him a second glance. Busy, busy, busy. But out of the sea of faces, one was staring at him.

His breathing sped up. He couldn’t look away. He was frozen, watching the figure in the crowd. People walked around it, not even looking in its direction. Nobody saw the twitching, bleeding, shuddering figure except for him. It wasn’t moving. But when he blinked, it got closer. What was once too distant to make out clearly slowly approached until he could see the green scleras of its many eyes.

“Go away!” He shot to his feet, knocking over his suitcase. “Leave me alone already!” People around him stared. He didn’t blame them. If he saw a man screaming at nothing in a train station, he would stare too. “What will it take?! Leave me the fuck alone!”

Luckily the train came before it got too close. But he stared at the station until it passed into the distance.

* * * * * * * * *

“I’m sorry young man, but t’ere’s nothin’ I can do to help you.”

It was raining outside, and he was glad the old woman had opened the door to let him inside. He sat curled up in one of the chairs in the living room, listening to her. “There—there h-has to be some way,” he stuttered. “You don’t know...anything?”

“T’is isn’ a creature I’ve seen before,” she said. “And I’ve seen plenty in my time. The best ye can do is to continue t’is path you’re on.”

Running forever? Switching from country to country at random? Always looking over his shoulder for those eyes or that face to be behind him? He shuddered. “What about the one in the forest? There’s supposed to be something there, right?”

“You didn’ see in on your way through?”

“Um...I saw it from a distance, but it didn’t get close.”

The old woman shook her head. “T’hear it didn’ approach you...when ye were all alone and most vulnerable...it doesn’ want anyt’ing t’do with you.” She gave him a sympathetic look. “You may stay here for as long as you like.”

He nodded slowly, and stared out the window. Waiting for it to appear.

* * * * * * * * *

The hotel room wasn’t one of the better ones he’d stayed in in his life. If he had to guess, it was probably a two star. But it had a bed and a shower, and that was all that mattered.

The clerk greeted him with a half-hearted wave and a monotone voice: “Bienvenue à l'historique Hôtel de la Soie. Comment puis-je vous aider?”

He stared at him blankly. “Uh...I need a room. Um...une neht—une nuit?”

The clerk scoffed a bit under his breath. He jabbed a finger at a sign hanging on the wall with the prices for a stay. An unusual thing to have in a hotel, but it worked out. He handed a stack of ten-euro notes over to the clerk, who took only a brief moment to count all of it before handing him a key in return. He nodded, and headed upstairs.

Later that night, he lay down on the bed, on top of the blankets. There was a single window into the room. Though he was on the third floor, he kept staring at it, waiting for a face to appear. He didn’t know what time it was when he finally drifted, having unplugged the digital clock and shoved it in the closet. But fall asleep he did.

Only to jolt awake barely two hours later, hearing the slightest sound of static coming from the old television speakers. He sat up straight, staring at it. The screen flipped on, showing rows of colored bars.

Outside, the sky was beginning to lighten. He grabbed his duffel bag and ran out the door, not bothering to check out. He’d never be coming back here anyway.

* * * * * * * * *

“Please! I know you can help me! I know it!” He grabbed the back of the red hoodie, clinging to the fabric.

Hands grabbed his wrists and yanked him away. The creature looked very annoyed to be bothered, but in its featureless face, he could’ve sworn he saw fear as well. “I can’t,” it hissed. “Leave me alone.”

“I know you can,” he repeated bleakly. “I-I know you...you’re much older, right? I’m sure you can—can—”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence, but you’re wrong,” it said bluntly. “Usually you would be right. Not in this case.”

He stared at it, letting a few tears slip from his eyes. “Please...”

It dropped his wrists and walked away. He didn’t bother to follow it, sinking to his knees, watching as the creature approached someone and started chatting away. They both ignored him. A desolate feeling overcame his heart. Not even things like this could help him...

“Hey signore! Stai bene?” A teenager nearby asked him.

He looked at her. The teen was with her friends, a group of kids, all hanging out together, unaware of...everything. Then he stood up and walked away silently.

* * * * * * * * *

He was a mess. He knew it before, but staring at his reflection in the shop window across the street really drove it home. Dirty, travel-worn clothes. Wild, greasy hair and an unkempt beard. He’d lost the suitcase long ago, and decided to trade the duffel bag for an easier-to-carry backpack he’d stolen two weeks ago...or was it a month ago? It was hard to keep track, days blurring into each other.

Running his hand through his hair, it occurred to him that he’d been trying to grow facial hair for years, and it took circumstances like this to make it actually fill out. The thought was so absurd that he couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

A woman and a little girl were walking down the sidewalk nearby, presumably a mother and daughter out for a stroll. The girl pointed at him, but her mother pulled her closer, and muttered, “To niegrzeczne wskazywać. Nie gap się na niego.” He had no idea what it meant, but noticed how they crossed the street soon after.

Well, whatever. That was the least of his worries.

He sat down, leaning back against the wall of the building behind him. A yawn escaped, and he closed his eyes. Even though it was the middle of the day, he was asleep within minutes.

When he awoke, it was close to sunset, and more people were milling about the pavement. He sat up straight, searching the area. Something had woken him up.

He glanced over his shoulder, and saw it watching him, its hand extended and only a few inches away from him.

With a scream, he threw himself backwards, scrambling to his feet. “Go away!” He shouted. “Fuck off!”

Its eyes smiled, leaking blood. “×ýńŃÙĸComečŌĆĺĤÓhereĿ¾ŚĀMineŬħĩ”

He broke out into a dead run, shoving past annoyed pedestrians who yelled at him as he passed. He didn’t care. They couldn’t help him.

* * * * * * * * *

Exhaustion dragged at his feet, making him stumble. He kept his eyes open, glancing over his shoulder. It had been a day since he last saw it. Was that long enough? He collapsed on the side of the road, landing in a bush. Its tiny branches scraped at his skin, but he didn’t feel them.

He woke up with static ringing in his ears. Pushing to his hands and knees, he looked behind him, and saw it.

A sob ripped free of his throat. He was running before he was even fully upright. Its laughter echoed behind him.

Judging by how much the sun had moved, it had only been about three hours since he fell asleep. How was it so fast? It never followed him when he ran, it just...appeared. Watching him. Waiting.

* * * * * * * * *

He’d stolen an egg timer from a small store he’d run across. The woman manning the cash register had run after him, shouting “Állj meg! Tolvaj!” but he was too fast. Still, the effort of running for so long tired him out, and he staggered and fell. Staying right where he was on the sidewalk, he set the timer for forty-five minutes, then lowered his head and fell asleep.

When the timer went off, ringing shrilly in his ear, he grabbed it and sat up, looking around.

It was right there. Standing over him.

He couldn’t find the energy to scream, instead making a hoarse, strangled cry as he climbed to his feet and took off. Forty-five minutes was too long. When he next fell down, two hours later just outside of the town, he set it for forty.

* * * * * * * * *

Halfway to the next town, he had to reduce the time to thirty minutes. He’d fallen asleep sometime in the night, when the moon was high overhead. And when he woke up to the sound of the timer ringing, he rolled over and stared into green eyes.

“¿ČþިŰŭċ©ŏżBreakŴÎŐIJÚ½ÏforËúĂŤmeóʼnŎōĈĝÿ”

He shrieked and ran, adrenaline giving him a boost. It was so close, so close, and it still didn’t pursue. Was this a game for it? Was it playing with him? It must have been.

* * * * * * * * *

Fifteen minutes. He’d run for about forty minutes, then he couldn’t take it anymore, and had to fall asleep for fifteen minutes. People wandering through the town gave him strange looks, but he was long past the point of caring.

When he woke up this time, he felt something on his arm. He looked down and saw a hand, twitching, bleeding, staring. He shoved it away and tried to run. It kept laughing at him. He wasn’t nearly as fast as he used to be.

* * * * * * * * *

Five minutes. Run for fifteen, then sleep for five. Run for ten, then sleep for three. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, knowing something was watching him with an electric gaze.

Something tugged on the back of his jacket, and he jolted awake. He’d slept right through the timer. It was pulling him—! Struggling, he managed to pull away and stumble down the street. It wasn’t laughing anymore.

* * * * * * * * *

It grabbed his arm next time. He swung a wild punch and pulled backwards, setting off down the street. Static hissed. He didn’t know how long it was before he fell down. But soon he was lying on the sidewalk, staring at the yellow-lit windows of the city buildings. Next thing he knew, his eyes were opening to it grabbing his leg. A kick, and he was staggering down the street again.

* * * * * * * * *

His eyes flew open. It had grabbed his other arm. Gasping, tears leaking, he wriggled out of his jacket and ran. He made it down three city blocks before he absolutely couldn’t go any further. His legs refused to move, and he crumpled. Asleep before he hit the ground.

* * * * * * * * *

He woke up choking, his shirt collar tight around his neck. Gasping, pulling at the fabric, it took him a moment to realize he was being dragged across the ground, rough asphalt catching on his clothes. A cry escaped his throat, only to be strangled as the fabric was pulled tighter. He kicked wildly, hands grabbing at the shirt collar to try and loosen it. “Let me go!” He shouted hoarsely. His fingers scrabbled at the ground, trying to get a hold.

Static laced with laughter. As if the very idea was ridiculous.

He hadn’t really been expecting that to work, anyway. Reaching back with one hand, he tried to pry its fingers away, but kept slipping. So instead he tried to wriggle out of his shirt like he did with his jacket earlier. But it was wise to this trick now. It grabbed both his wrists, its grasp wiry but strong. And cold. Not cold like ice, cold like a cadaver. He shuddered to feel it, and tried all the harder to twist free.

There wasn’t anyone nearby. He doubted if anyone would answer, or if they could even see him, but he had to try. “Help!” He screamed. “Help! Someone, please! Help! Please!”

No response.

It dragged him to the edge of the city, indifferent to his screams and pleas. His skin was scraped, but if he could just get free, it would be worth it. If he could just run. He needed to run. He needed to—!

The air seemed to shiver, the world breaking into colors and shapes. He froze, the image hypnotizing and terrifying. It felt as though he suddenly jerked awake while falling asleep. When things righted themselves, the city was gone. Instead he was in the middle of nowhere. Twisted ground littered with broken electronics: monitors, CPUs, televisions, radios, and so many wires and cables. Static was so thick in the air, he could taste it. The sky above was black. No, deeper than black, it was a void. And there were...things crawling over the piles of scrapped technology. They stared at him. It stared at him.

No longer exhausted, he climbed to his feet and started to run once more. And it started to laugh. Laughed like it was the most hilarious joke, the kind of joke you’d hear a million times and never get tired of.

He brushed past a pile and suddenly tripped. Wires wrapped around his legs, climbed up his body to his neck. He tasted copper deep in his throat.

And then it left. He was alone. But a voice lingered in the air.

“şøëĬÕÆßĺóŸŖYouareÓĆð¬ÞmineŀĽĶ¤ĵ¿nowįýâźÉÇĖïʼnéąAndďļćÐŏÒĎŧYouwillŰæŒĞĢŃmakeÑıàĂĀŷťªŕawonderŤÊŠ÷ĕŋfulİåŅž«©¶ăšplayőĤ¦Ŵthing·ÏāĔ®öÀĈ°ŗè”

[bestearbuds]

Tips and best practices for optimizing your smart home

You’ve figured out the basics of setting up your smart home, now it’s time to raise your game. I’ve spent years installing, configuring, and tweaking dozens of smart home products in virtually every product category. Along the way I’ve figured out a lot of the secrets they don’t tell you in the manual or the FAQs, ranging from modest suggestions that can make your smart home configuration less complex, to essential decisions that can save you from having to start over from scratch a few years later.

Here’s my best advice on how to optimize your smart home tools, top tips and best practices.

1. Choose a master platform at the start These days, an Amazon or Google/Nest smart speaker or smart display can fill the role of a smart home hub (and some Amazon Echo devices are equipped with Zigbee radios).

There are three major smart home platforms on the market, and your smart home will probably have at least one of them installed: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple Home Kit. The industry now revolves around these three systems, and virtually every significant smart home device that hits the market will support at least one of them, if not all three.

These platforms are different, of course. Alexa and Google Assistant are voice assistants/smart speakers first, but the addition of features that can control your smart devices has become a key selling point for each. Home Kit is a different animal, designed as more of a hub that streamlines setup and management. But since Home Kit interacts , it too offers voice assistant features provided you have your iPhone in hand or have an Apple Home Pod.

All three of these platforms will peacefully coexist, but you definitely don’t need both Alexa and Google Assistant in the same home, and managing both will become an ordeal as your smart home grows larger. It’s also completely fine to use Home Kit for setting up products and then using Alexa or Google Assistant for control. If you have a Home Kit hub device (either an AppleTV or a Home Pod), you’ll want to use it, as it really does simplify setup.

2. You don’t necessarily need a smart home hub In the early days of the smart home, two wireless standards, Zigbee and Z-Wave, were going to be the future. These low-power radios offer mesh networking features that are designed to make it easy to cover your whole home with smart devices without needing to worry about coverage gaps or congestion issues.

The main problem with Zigbee and Z-Wave devices is that they require a special hub that acts as a bridge to your Wi-Fi network, so you can interact with them using a smartphone, tablet, or your computer (while you’re home and when you’re away, via the internet). Samsung SmartThings is the only worthwhile DIY product in this category at present; its only credible competitor used to be Wink, a company that is now on its third owner and which has a questionable future at best. The Ring Alarm system has both Z-Wave radios onboard, but it’s much more focused on home security than home control.

As simple as Smart Things and Ring Alarm are, you’ll still face a learning curve to master them, and if your home-control aspirations are basic, you might find it easier to use devices (and the apps that control them) that connect directly to your Wi-Fi network and rely on one of the three platforms mentioned above for integration. It’s worth noting here than the 800-pound gorilla in the smart lighting world—Signify, with its Philips Hue product line now offers families of smart bulbs that rely on Bluetooth instead, so they don’t require the $50 Hue Bridge.

That said, however, you’re limited to controlling 10 Hue bulbs over Bluetooth. The Hue Bridge is required beyond that, and it’s also required if you set up Hue lighting fixtures, including its outdoor lighting line.

The bottom line on this point: Unless you want to build out a highly sophisticated smart home system, I recommend sticking with products that connect directly to your network via Wi-Fi, rendering a central hub unnecessary.

3. Range issues can create big problems

The downside of installing Wi-Fi only gear is that everything in the house will need to connect directly to your router. If your router isn’t centrally located and your house is spread out, this can create range issues, particularly in areas where interference is heavy: the kitchen, bathrooms, and anything outside.

Your best bet is to check your Wi-Fi coverage both inside and outside the house before you start installing gear. Make a map of dead zones and decide whether you can live with them. If not, you’ll want to consider relocating your router or moving up to a mesh Wi-Fi network with two or more nodes. You can read more about mesh Wi-Fi networks here.

Interference can also be a troubling problem that changes over time. If your next-door neighbor upgrades or moves his router, you may find that an area of the house with a once-solid signal has suddenly become erratic. You can tinker with the Wi-Fi channel settings in your router’s administration tool, but deploying a mesh network is a more sure-fire solution. Netgear even has an Orbi mesh node that can be installed outdoors to cover your backyard.

4. You don’t need smart gear everywhere

Many a smart home enthusiast has dreamed of wiring his entire home from top to bottom with smart products. A smart switch in every room and a smart outlet on every wall sounds like a high-tech dream; in reality, it can spiral into a nightmare.

The biggest problem is that while smart gear can be amazingly convenient, it also adds complexity to your environment because all of it must be carefully managed. Does installing 50 firmware updates sound like a great way to spend the weekend? Or troubleshooting that one switch that just won’t suddenly connect properly? Deploying smart speakers all over house, so you don’t need to yell for one to hear you, sounds like a great idea, too—that is, until the speakers have difficulty deciding exactly which one you’re talking to.

Devices such as Leviton’s Decora Smart Voice Dimmer with Amazon Alexa make it easy to put Amazon’s digital assistant in every room, which sounds like a great idea until they start fighting each other to answer your commands. In choosing where to install smart gear, think first about necessity. The hard-to-reach socket where you always plug in your Christmas tree is a perfect place for a smart outlet that can be set on a recurring schedule. The kitchen is a great option for voice control, so you don’t need to touch anything with dirty hands. My living room feature is lighted by three lamps which would normally have to be turned off and on individually; with smart bulbs and Alexa, it’s easy to power them on with a couple of spoken words. But does the overhead light in the master closet really need to have any of these features?

And finally, there’s the obvious issue: Smart gear isn’t cheap, and outfitting a large home with smart gear can quickly become exorbitantly expensive. Think about what happens when your gear becomes outdated (and out of warranty)?

The bottom line: While it’s a great idea to install everything you think you’re going to use at the start of your project, don’t overdo it. You can always add on to your system down the road. Install smart gear only where you legitimately know you will use it.

5. Consolidate vendors It might sound like common knowledge to suggest you try to stick with a single vendor when it comes to all your switches or light bulbs, but it’s easy to be wooed by a product that promises new features or better performance. Avoid taking the bait: Over time, bouncing from one vendor to the next will leave you managing multiple apps, and you’ll likely get confused about which one goes with which device.

Many smart outlets and switches don’t carry a visible brand logo, so it isn’t always as easy as just checking the hardware itself to see where you should go. (Making matters worse, many smart products use a management app with a name that that has no relation to the hardware’s name.) And while most HomeKit-capable apps can control other vendors’ Home Kit devices, you’ll still usually need the official app to get things set up initially and to perform regular maintenance.

The good news is that Tech Hive has plenty of buying guides in almost every smart home category to help take the guesswork out of figuring out which brands to build your home around, so you needn’t experiment to find the best products on the market.

6. Give your gear short, logical names By default, many smart products will give themselves a name during setup that consists of generic terms and random digits, none of which will be helpful to you in identifying them later. It’s best to give your gear a short but logical and easy-to-remember name when you first set it up.

Start by giving all the rooms in your house a name in the management app, even if they don’t have any gear in them. (You might install equipment there later.) “Bedroom” is not a good name unless you only have only one. You’ll want to use the most logical but unique names possible here: “Master bedroom,” “Zoe’s bedroom,” “Guest bedroom,” and so on.

Now, when you install a product, standardize names using both the room name and a description of the item—or what the item controls. For example: “Master bedroom overhead lights” for a wall switch or “Office desk lamp” for a smart plug connected to said lamp. In rooms where you have multiple products, you can use a longer descriptor, numerical ID (1, 2, 3…), or something similar. In my living room, the three lamp smart bulbs are named Living room lamp left, center, and right, so if one isn’t working in the app, it’s easy for me to figure out which is which.

Doing this work up front will save you time if and when you connect your gear to a voice assistant. Not only does having a standardized, logical naming system make it easy for you to remember what to say, changing the name of a product in its app generally means having to re-discover the product within your voice assistant app, which is a hassle.

7. Wiring never looks like it does in the pictures

Manuals and online guides always make in-wall wiring look like a standard, well-organized affair, but I can assure you that many an electrician has taken some significant liberties with the way that switches and outlets are wired in the average home. Don’t be surprised to find multiple black line/load wires when you expected to find just two, strange in-wall hardware that doesn’t look like the picture, and wiring that simply doesn’t make sense.

The neutral wire required by the vast majority of smart switches and outlets is typically white. So which of these two white wires is the neutral? Of course, you can always experiment as long as you’re patient. There’s little risk of damaging the product if you miswire it the first time. Just make sure you’re turning the power off at the circuit breaker before you touch anything.

As a last tip on wiring, note that neutral (typically white) wiring is essential for most of the smart switches on the market. If there is no neutral wire in the electrical box where you want to install a smart switch, you’ll need to seek out the handful smart switches and dimmers that don’t require a neutral wire, like these C by GE models or certain switches.

8. Expect problems to emerge without warning

You know how your computer suddenly starts crashing every day, or your printer abruptly vanishes from the network? The same kind of things happen to smart home gear, which, after all, are miniature computers of their own, all prone to the same types of issues. Expect the occasional product to abruptly disconnect from your network, vanish from the management app, or stop working altogether—even after months or years of otherwise trouble-free operation, without any discernable reason. In many cases, you’ll need to manually reset the product to get it to reconnect to the app. Sometimes the app will guide you through this process, otherwise a quick Google search can get you squared away.

9. Pay attention to battery life

Devices not attached directly to the grid rely on battery power to operate. Door/window and motion sensors, smart locks, smart doorbells, many cameras, smoke alarms, and more are all likely to require regular battery replacements or recharging, and while many devices claim to last for multiple months or even years, the reality is often shorter than that.

Take stock of the batteries each of these devices use—some are truly oddball cells that you won’t have in the junk drawer—and keep spares on hand for when they die. Devices that use a rechargeable battery like the Ring Doorbell are supposed to alert you via the app when the battery is running low, so you can recharge it before it goes totally dead, but my experience is that these alerts are rarely actually delivered (or end up being ignored).

If your Ring Video Doorbell’s battery is dead, you’ll never know if someone’s ringing the bell (which, in my case, usually means a “missed delivery” slip from FedEx). I check my Ring’s battery life in the app once a week (it’s under Device Health), and when it hits about 35 percent, I remove the cell and charge it back up (you can also buy spare Ring batteries and just swap a dying battery for a freshly charged one).

10. Dimmers can be particularly problematic

Electrical dimmers like the old-school wall-mounted dial type work by lowering the amount of electrical current being sent to the load device, which will, say, lower the brightness of an incandescent bulb or slow down a fan. Unfortunately, dimmers pose particular problems for many devices. Smart home devices are especially problematic when dimmers are attached, because they contain electronics and radios that simply won’t work if the power isn’t coming through at full strength. As such, it’s a bad idea to connect devices like smart light bulbs to circuits that are connected to a dimmer.

On a similar front, you’ll need to be especially observant if you replace an old toggle switch with a smart dimmer. As a shortcut, sometimes switches are wired with pass-through circuitry that is meant to pass along current to other devices (such as a nearby power outlet). If you swap out this switch with a dimmer, you might inadvertently connect the dimmer to those outlets, causing them to lose all or partial power, making for a complex troubleshooting session.

[mdrkb030]

Poor Signal? Setup Your Wi-Fi Extender Now!

Wi-Fi extension has gotten cheaper, but the systems to install are still tricky. There are tips for positioning your extender in order to expand the coverage of your Wi-Fi network.

Although you usually have more than ample coverage from your standard router to fill an apartment or a small house with Wi-Fi, it cannot cover a larger house. Dead spots will eventually arise in larger homes to relax with Netflix's movie in your favorite easy chair while barbecuing on the patio, listening to your favorite stuff on Spotify and offering internet access for visitors in the attic bedroom.

My wifi ext setup, with the aid of a Wi-Fi extender you will be able to fill the gaps by taking a Wi-Fi signal from your router and sending a new signal to the home of unconnected nooks and scanners. Extender can still be difficult to configure, though it has become cheaper and easier to use. They need not only some forecasts and plans, but also some trial and error.

·         The best Wi-Fi extension for signal extension

·         Upgrade: the best wireless Internet routers you can purchase

·         The best mesh Wi-Fi routers cover the entire building, larger and bigger.

Here are tips and tricks for Wi-Fi extensions, which allow you to place your data anywhere in the right location.

The secret to better signal is positioning

When you bring the extension device into it, keep your eyes open and be prepared to move the extension device if the results are misleading. Start with a map or drawing from your residence marked with the location of the router, the dead zones, and the AC outlets. Mywifiext net, request a power outlet between the router and where you want the Wi-Fi signal of the extender to go. Please plug the extender into the box and follow your router directions. Go to the dead zone once it is worked and check if its Wi-Fi animated.

I pre-examine the network with the Okla. Speed Test for online bandwidth calculation before the extender is opened. When the extender works, go to the dead zone and check if it is wireless. If so, search your Speed test bandwidth. Your pace will not be as fast as the host, but it will be a step forward.

Hide and seek – find the right placement

You may need to use an AC extension cord to get an extender to the best position if you can't find a suitable position for the extension. Place the extender on a bookshelf or on an armoire, for example.

You can reposition the extensor to get the best signal if the antennas are adjustable. Perhaps more importantly, if you have removable antennas in the wireless booster, you might try to turn them into more sensitive antennas or amplify them. Alternatively, you can either use a Wi-Fi reflector or make an aluminum foil or empty soda to direct the Wi-Fi signal to where it should go.

Have to avoid obstacles

Avoid artifacts that either reflect the signal (such as mirrors or large metal parts) or absorb it (walls, closets or supports for the masonry) when choosing your extender spot. Another major Wi-Fi extender disruptor are stray radio frequency signals that interfere with Wi-Fi signals. Microwave ground, cable telephones, fridges or even baby surveillance are the key culprits here.

Assisting

There are likely to be a software supplied for each expander you buy to optimize their role and efficiency. Often, however, this program is secondary to standalone applications for Wi-Fi research.

To mywifiext net login, you have to visit www.mywifiext.net also for newextendersetup. This is where one can do mywifiext netgear setup.

How does a Wi-Fi booster, repeater or extensor differ?

Wireless Internet boosters, repeaters and extender are all the same – Wi-Fi-enhanced computers. The distinction between devices identified by corporations as 'repeaters' and devices identified as 'extender devices' is not well established. All Wi-Fi Extensions do not work in the same way, however. Several different types of appliances are available, and we want to clarify these distinctions and their functionality so you can choose the best Wi-Fi repeater.

How Does A Wi-Fi Repeater Work?

Mywifiext.net not working: A Wi-Fi Repeater basically consists of two wireless router, like your home or office wireless router. The current wireless network can be found on one of these wireless routers. To setup go to mywifiext.net. It then moves the signal to the other wireless router, where the boosted signal is transmitted.

Is my laptop / mobile computer automatically switching between networks?

Only when the first network is fully out of control. A second network is set up by a Wi-Fi repeater. You can connect your computer to the second network if your first is not available. But you can detect both networks simultaneously in certain parts of your home. This means you have to detach and switch from the original network to the enhanced network.

  Is the repeated network safe?

Yeah. The same degree of protection is required for Wi-Fi repeaters as for standard Wi-Fi routers (WEP, WPA, WPA2, etc.).

Visit @ http://wifiextendersetup.us/

[jubajohn-blog]

Need the best signal? Set up your Wi-Fi extender now!

Need the best signal? Set up your Wi-Fi extender now!

Wi-Fi extension has gotten cheaper, but the systems to install are still tricky. There are tips for positioning your extender in order to expand the coverage of your Wi-Fi network.

Although you usually have more than ample coverage from your standard router to fill an apartment or a small house with Wi-Fi, it cannot cover a larger house. Dead spots will eventually arise in larger homes to relax with Netflix's movie in your favorite easy chair while barbecuing on the patio, listening to your favorite stuff on Spotify and offering internet access for visitors in the attic bedroom.

Mywifiext local, with the aid of a Wi-Fi extender you will be able to fill the gaps by taking a Wi-Fi signal from your router and sending a new signal to the home of unconnected nooks and scanners. Extender can still be difficult to configure, though it has become cheaper and easier to use. They need not only some forecasts and plans, but also some trial and error.

·         The best Wi-Fi extension for signal extension

·         Upgrade: the best wireless Internet routers you can purchase

·         The best mesh Wi-Fi routers cover the entire building, larger and bigger.

New extender setup, here are seven tips and tricks for Wi-Fi extensions, which allow you to place your data anywhere in the right location.

more

 The secret to better signal is positioning

When you bring the extension device into it, keep your eyes open and be prepared to move the extension device if the results are misleading. Start with a map or drawing from your residence marked with the location of the router, the dead zones, and the AC outlets. Mywifiext net ac750, request a power outlet between the router and where you want the Wi-Fi signal of the extender to go. Please plug the extender into the box and follow your router directions. Go to the dead zone once it is worked and check if its Wi-Fi animated.

I pre-examine the network with the Okla. Speed Test for online bandwidth calculation before the extender is opened. When the extender works, go to the dead zone and check if it is wireless. If so, search your Speed test bandwidth. Your pace will not be as fast as the host, but it will be a step forward.

view

  Hide and seek – find the right placement

You may need to use an AC extension cord to get an extender to the best position if you can't find a suitable position for the extension. Place the extender on a bookshelf or on an armoire, for example.

You can reposition the extensor to get the best signal if the antennas are adjustable. Perhaps more importantly, if you have removable antennas in the wireless booster, you might try to turn them into more sensitive antennas or amplify them. Alternatively, you can either use a Wi-Fi reflector or make an aluminum foil or empty soda to direct the Wi-Fi signal to where it should go.

visit

  Have to avoid obstacles

Avoid artifacts that either reflect the signal (such as mirrors or large metal parts) or absorb it (walls, closets or supports for the masonry) when choosing your extender spot. Netgear Wi-Fi extender n300 setup, another major Wi-Fi extender disruptor are stray radio frequency signals that interfere with Wi-Fi signals. Microwave ground, cable telephones, fridges or even baby surveillance are the key culprits here.

  Assisting

There are likely to be a software supplied for each expander you buy to optimize their role and efficiency. Netgear_ext, often, however, this program is secondary to standalone applications for Wi-Fi research.

View more

  How does a Wi-Fi booster, repeater or extensor differ?

Wireless Internet boosters, repeaters and extender are all the same – Wi-Fi-enhanced computers. The distinction between devices identified by corporations as 'repeaters' and devices identified as 'extender devices' is not well established. Netgear extender reset, all Wi-Fi Extensions do not work in the same way, however. Several different types of appliances are available, and we want to clarify these distinctions and their functionality so you can choose the best Wi-Fi repeater.

  How Does A Wi-Fi Repeater Work?

Mywifiext.net not working: A Wi-Fi Repeater basically consists of two wireless router, like your home or office wireless router. The current wireless network can be found on one of these wireless routers. It then moves the signal to the other wireless router, where the boosted signal is transmitted.

  Is my laptop / mobile computer automatically switching between networks?

Only when the first network is fully out of control. A second network is set up by a Wi-Fi repeater. You can connect your computer to the second network if your first is not available. But you can detect both networks simultaneously in certain parts of your home. This means you have to detach and switch from the original network to the enhanced network.

  Is the repeated network safe?

Yeah. The same degree of protection is required for Wi-Fi repeaters as for standard Wi-Fi routers (WEP, WPA, WPA2, etc.).

 Visit us http://www.wifiextendersetup.us/

[arthurhwalker]

Lenovo Smart Home Devices

Disclaimer: I am part of Lenovo's INsider customer advocacy group. I was provided, by Lenovo, my Lenovo Smart Plug, and Smart Bulb as part of a sponsored trip to CES 2019. I was also provided, a Lenovo Smart Clock, and Smart Display, by Lenovo, I'll explain more about that below.

I've been using Smart Home products by Lenovo for about six months. It takes that long to really understand both what they can, and cannot, do for you.

Lenovo flew me to CES 2019, January of this year. It was me, and two other Lenovo INsiders, both savvy marketers, and... me. Our handler gave me a Lenovo branded backpack, full of keen swag, that included a Lenovo Smart Bulb, and Smart Plug.

My journey with Smart Home things to begin.

Edited for content, and to add more Lenovo Community links.

Environment

I live small, in a 450 square foot apartment, and really like living that way. My living space has to contribute directly to my wellness, and I was curious how Smart Home Products might fit into that. Turns out, the benefits in my case were significant.

After a few months of being pretty sick last year, I was working on rebuilding my sleep ritual. Light, and the presence thereof was really important to repairing that rhythm. I connected the lamps in the living room to the Smart Plug, and got a lamp for the Smart Bulb in the bedroom. Each was, via the Lenovo Link app on my phone, set to come on, or off, at certain times of day.

Where cognition and rituals are concerned, the influence of the environment isn't to be understated. It used to be I would work, stare at my smartphone, or read well past my bedtime. Now all the lights in the house turn off at 9:00pm on their own. This, over time, became part of my sleep ritual. Moving to a North facing apartment in the building helped as well.

The passing of time to correspond with the light really matters.

I track my sleep with a smart watch, and an app on my smart phone. Having the lights shut off automatically, and already on in the morning worked like a cognitive trigger. The ritual around bedtime became more stable, and my sleep improved. I got my heart rate at night down from low 60s BPM to low 50s.

Along with that improvement, my general wellness. I don't know the science behind it, but the rhythm of light and dark, outside having to think about it, really helped improve my sleep. Having the Lenovo Smart Bulb click on at 1% brightness made getting up a little nicer.

I was surprised. I Tweeted a little bit about it, and Lenovo reached out to me about their new Smart Clock. The person running the customer advocacy program asked me if I wanted to try out a Smart Clock, showed me what the team responsible wanted, and I declined. I wasn't sure I was a good fit to promote the product because I hadn't had but a couple months with just the Smart Plug and Bulb.

The deliverable count was reasonable, but I wasn't sure I could do all they were asking. Also, I wasn't sure whether I wanted the Smart Display (Google), or the Lenovo Smart Tab (Alexa). Upon communicating that to Lenovo, they replied saying they were interested in how these devices might contribute to wellness, and that I might offer a unique perspective thereof.

Basically, I said no to one device, and they offered to send me two devices (a Smart Display and a Smart Clock) . If Lenovo was serious about seeing how this product could influence a person's wellness, I had to see for myself. I agreed to review the devices and see what they could do.

For clarity, I’ve had the Smart Plug and Bulb since January, the Smart Display since early May, and the Smart Clock since early July. Just enough time to really get an initial feel for what they can do. Wellness is a cumulative experience, cultivated slowly over time.

Wellness

The secret to having a good existence, is to create good expectations thereof, and to have the right tools to that end. I started with something small, the perfect cup of tea. I would ask the Smart Display to set a timer, so that the tea would steep for the optimal amount of time. It felt like a small thing at first, but it would turn into a large thing.

Because I was using my voice to set the timer, I wasn't picking up my smart phone to do the same. When I wasn't picking up my smart phone, I wasn't distracted by the myriad of notifications and badge icons demanding my attention. I didn't lose track of what I was doing, making a cup of tea.

I focused on the scent of the tea steeping in my cup, thought more intentionally about my day in that moment, and my smart phone stayed face down on the counter. I drank my tea at the optimal temperature to enjoy it, at its most flavorful and fragrant state.

If the Smart Display contributes to my wellness in any significant way, it comes first from the fact that I pick up my smart phone a lot less. My smart phone had become like a second brain, but like any brain, it is easily distracted. That awareness allowed me to push certain tasks off to the Smart Display, causing the screen time on my phone to plummet more than 25% (my smart phone keeps track).

For me, that's about thirty minutes less per day, about three hours a week, or over a hundred fifty hours a year. What is your time worth? If you gave it a dollar amount, how much money would you be talking about? Thirty minutes a day is the minimum of my yoga or meditation practice, which greatly improves my wellness, and something I deem to be priceless.

Being able to offload cognitive tasks to my Smart Display and Smart Clock had a small, but cumulative effect on my life. Example: I wasn't getting up from bed after ten minutes relaxing because I'd forgotten to turn off the living room lights. They came on, and went off, with the sun and the rhythm of my home.

Ethics

One definitely could have the discussion of whether Smart devices belong in the home of someone seeking wellness, and personal autonomy. Recent revelations about how Google and Amazon develop and improve Smart services reveal what is an understandable procedure, but a general lack of transparency relative to individual users. They are listening, recording, and using what you say to your Smart device to improve the artificial intelligence underlying the service.

You're either okay with that, or you are not.

I understand the development paradigm where artificial intelligence is concerned. I attend physics seminars just to ask particle physicists how artificial intelligence and quantum computing are being employed. Could Google and Amazon, in a more ethical fashion, more efficiently improve the service, while being transparent with users?

Yes. Will they? Doubt it, just stating the facts.

Buying Guidance

If you already are familiar with Alexa, use Amazon, and so forth, look at Lenovo's Smart Tab. It's a novel idea, and I've seen Alexa providing a similar experience to Google. Likewise, if Google is your preferred digital assistant, seek out the Lenovo Smart Display, or Smart Clock. Make sure whatever Smart Home products you already have will talk with Google, Alexa or both.

What if you don't own a single Smart Home device? How should you approach the task of selecting the things that will both give you access to that service, and improve wellness? This is what I did.

My apartment is split in two halves, the bedroom and bathroom side, and the living room and kitchen side.

In the bedroom, I put the Lenovo Smart Bulb in a lamb by my bedside, and the Smart Clock on my nightstand.

I have alarms set to wake me up, and remind me to water the plants, and the Smart Bulb turns on at the times I've designated, and at the brightness desired. My plants are happier, my room goes dark when it's bedtime, dim when I generally want to read, and bright when I'm getting ready for my day.

In the living room I have the Lenovo Smart Plug controlling two lamps. They come on when I need them, shut off at bedtime, and turn on and off as I come and go during the day with a routine set up on my Smart Display. The Smart Display is on the bar between the living room and the kitchen, easily turned to face in either direction.

It gets used for cooking, getting the weather and driving conditions, or impromptu dancing with my spouse.

Can you run and set up the Smart Plug and the Smart Bulb without a Smart Display or Smart Clock? Yes, but you will need an app, which will require reaching for your Smart Phone, getting distracted by it, and so forth. Also, you can tell the Smart Clock or Smart Display to "turn off the light" in their respective rooms, and can they be set to know contextually which light they are closest to. If you tell them to "turn off all the lights" either the display or the clock will shut off both the Smart Bulb and Plug.

Much of this setup happens once, in the app, and then you don't have to touch it again, unless you need to make changes later. This is why I recommend, if you have a Smart Phone, getting a Smart Display or Clock to limit how much you have to pick it up. Where productivity influences wellness, the average Smart Phone is, indeed, the enemy.

Conclusion

I've managed to get certain benefits from Smart Home devices, and for some people, those benefits could be profound. Given how inexpensive these devices are right now, trying them out is relatively low stakes, and they are not very difficult to set up. Just make sure you navigate and fill in all the applicable information in the Google or Lenovo Link app on your phone.

Is Smart Home technology for everyone? No. That said, I do think there are a significant number of people that would benefit from the technology, but are unaware of said benefits. Hopefully, this write up helps with all that.  

From the Lenovo Community

Lenovo Smart Display for Hands-Free Cooking https://jackiem.com.au/2019/06/15/lenovo-smart-display-for-hands-free-cooking/

Lenovo Smart Clock: Unboxing https://www.lenardgunda.com/lenovo-smart-clock-unboxing/

Smart Home Life with the Lenovo Smart Clock! https://www.techreviewed.xyz/blog/smart-home-life-with-the-lenovo-smart-clock

Lenovo Smart Clock Review https://www.techreviewed.xyz/blog/lenovo-smart-clock-review

Just asked my Lenovo Smart Alarm Clock to turn on the AC... https://twitter.com/EricXu100/status/1155992568196259844?s=20

What if snoozing an alarm clock is as easy as talking to it? https://twitter.com/EricXu100/status/1153098019589500928?s=20

showing some of the commands I use on my Lenovo Smart Display https://twitter.com/jackiemsydney/status/1138751301842493440?s=20

how I use my Lenovo Smart Display, including in the kitchen ;) https://twitter.com/jackiemsydney/status/1138774540958351361?s=20

Its an awesome little piece of tech and https://twitter.com/geordiemuppet/status/1105126551497007105?s=20

My thoughts on Twitter

I expected at full volume to be disappointed because it is a really small device. https://twitter.com/ArthurHWalker/status/1148381537810944005?s=20

A couple quick thoughts about the Lenovo Smart Clock... https://twitter.com/ArthurHWalker/status/1151863028956172289?s=20

My Lenovo Smart Display has wellness features. https://twitter.com/ArthurHWalker/status/1138231497536790531?s=20

While the LenovoSmartClock feels like a bedroom accessory... https://twitter.com/ArthurHWalker/status/1151863033628692484?s=20

Being able to, at any moment, stop and meditate to white noise is keen. https://twitter.com/ArthurHWalker/status/1139883336527167488?s=20

[hightechdad]

Here’s the scene. You have chosen a great action movie to watch. Maybe with your significant other, or a date, or your kids, or just alone. You are ready to be immersed in HD or 4K glory with your big screen TV. Popcorn ready, you plop down on the sofa, waiting for that explosive opening action sequence. As the car on the screen screeches around the corner and slams into another car, you realize something. The movie sounds like crap. The bass is non-existent, and the highs are lost somewhere in a muddy mid-range. The problem is, many big-screen TVs use their technology on the display and not the sound. But have no fear; you have a hero that isn’t going to blow your budget. Enter the Creative Stage V2 soundbar, an inexpensive yet feature-packed way to make those action movies and others really sound the way they should! (*Disclosure below.) This is exactly what happened with my wife and me. We got a new 4K TV for our living room and took our older HD TV to the bedroom. But moving the TV to the bedroom brought a big disadvantage, it didn’t bring the surround sound with it. While dialog sounded “ok,” it was just “ok.” It was pretty flat. And when you put any kind of bass into the soundtrack, the bottom fell out, and we had odd hums and thuds when we were supposed to hear the bass. In this case, closed-captioning is great. But it wasn’t the experience I was really hoping for. When the kind folks at Creative reached out to me to see if I wanted to review their new Creative Stage V2 soundbar, I practically jumped for joy! THIS was the solution I was looking for because I wasn’t about to set up a huge surround sound system in my bedroom (maybe, someday, I will). The Creative Stage V2 soundbar has two pieces to it: the soundbar that sits below the screen (or mounted on a wall) and the tall yet narrow bass. And how did it all sound? Read on! So, what are the Specs? Let me start by setting some expectations. This Creative soundbar is NOT going to set you back $1000. Nor $500. Not even $200. You get all of the features I’m about to tell you about for about $100. So if you are on a budget, this is definitely one soundbar you should look at…er…listen to. Let’s start with the inputs, virtual and physical. There are five total: HDMI (ARC) – directly connect the Creative Stage V2 to your TV (more about why this is probably the best way to connect later)Optical – if your TV or other component (like a game console or TV) has an optical out, this is a great way for high-quality audioUSB – if you want to connect your computer, use the USB portBluetooth – want to connect your smartphone or tablet? This is an easy way to connect and roam.AUX-in – this is a traditional way to connect older audio components The important thing to remember here is that you can connect various items and leave them connected physically. You simply have to switch the input to hear the device you want using the remote or the buttons on the side. The remote actually has more features, so I recommend using it. And who wants to get out of bed or off the sofa to push some buttons! Let’s talk about the speakers. The soundbar has dual 2.25″ drivers, and the subwoofer has a 5.25″ driver. Total system power is up to 80W RMS with a peak power of 160W. The soundbar has 2 x 20W and the subwoofer has 1 x 40W. This is a 2.1 surround system with a frequency response of 55-20,000 Hz. Their surround technology is powered by Sound Blaster, which can identify and enhance the incoming audio via their proprietary sound filters. And it doesn’t matter if it is just 2 channels or multi-channel source content – Sound Blaster can interpret it. And, remember at the beginning of this review when I was talking about those loud action movies? They are great until the characters need to have a dialog, then their spoken words can be lost in the explosions. This is where Clear Dialog comes into play. When you enable this setting, vocals and spoken words are extracted, enhanced, and amplified, all digitally. The next important thing to consider is the size. Get too big of a soundbar, and it might not fit in the space you want. And you can’t really go small in my opinion because you are then back to small sound. With the Creative Stage V2, you have two things to think about – the soundbar and the subwoofer. (Not all soundbars come with a woofer – I do recommend one unless you are getting a super-high-end soundbar.) Here are the dimensions: Soundbar – 3.07″ x 26.7″ x 3.94″Subwoofer – 16.7″ x 4.6″ x 9.84″ When it comes to the subwoofer placement, you have to remember that the subwoofer is corded and not wireless. The cable is about 2m long. Creative is kind enough to provide various cables (3.5 mm AUX-in, USB-C to USB-A, power, and the attached subwoofer cable). The Remote The Creative Stage V2 does have a nicely featured and important remote control. You have Power and Mute at the top – those are pretty self-explanatory. The next row down has the input selection (the first two buttons have double functions – press them again to get the other input): TV (ARC/HDMI) and USB, Optical and AUX, and Bluetooth on its own. If you press and hold the Bluetooth button, you enter into pairing mode. In the middle of the remote, there is a circular control. Volume Up and Down buttons are in the north and south regions. Play/pause is in the middle. And Previous and Next are on the east and west sides. The skipping functions are only available in Bluetooth and USB modes. There is a dedicated Surround sound button. Whether you use this or not truly depends on you as well as what you are watching. Sometimes I will turn it on, and other times, I’ll just leave it off. It’s a personal preference. The Reset button is your nuclear option. Pressing that resets all of the audio settings. Next to the Reset button is the Clear Dialog (shown as an icon) button. This will turn on the Clear Dialog option as described earlier. Near the bottom is the Bass and Treble to rocker button. With this, you can crank up or down the bass or treble individually. To select which one you are controlling, use the Bass/Treble button below. I highly recommend testing out different settings until you find something that works for you. And again, it may vary by movie. Final Observations Some additional things to note. Remember I mentioned that if you are going to connect your TV to the Creative Stage V2 to use the HDMI (ARC) connection? First, you need to be sure that you plug into the ARC connection on your TV as well. Now, why would you do this? It allows you to have your TV actually control the volume and power of the Creative soundbar…most of the time. Our bedroom setup is pretty simple. We have an Apple TV connected to our HDTV via the second HDMI port. And the primary HDMI port on the TV, which supports ARC, is connected to the Creative Stage V2. That way, we can use the volume buttons and power on our Apple TV to basically control everything…almost. (There is no power button on the Apple TV, you have to basically put the Apple TV to sleep to power it off.) ARC works well…except for when it doesn’t. And there have been some times where we power off the Apple TV, and neither the soundbar nor the TV turns off. I don’t think this is the fault of the Creative Stage V2, but more likely, the TV is not transmitting the proper signal. In those cases, just pressing the power on the TV turns it and the soundbar off. (Or you can use the Creative remote.) The sound quality is quite good for this $100 soundbar. We have never needed to fully crank up the volume because the Creative Stage V2 definitely can push out a lot of volume. I never encountered any distortion, and the bass is solid enough so that my action movies sound quite good. The Creative Stage V2 retails for $109.99 on the Creative site, and you can get it on Amazon for $109.99 as well currently. And it is listed as an Amazon’s Choice item! Shop on HighTechDad The product shown below (and related products that have been reviewed on HighTechDad) is available within the HighTechDad Shop. This review has all of the details about this particular product and you can order it directly by clicking on the Buy button or clicking on the image/title to view more. Be sure to review other products available in the HighTechDad Shop. Creative Stage V2 soundbar $109.99 Buy on Amazon So what is the bottom line here? The Creative Stage V2 soundbar is a budget-friendly yet feature-filled soundbar that is perfect for just about any HDTV setup, but it also brings sound to other devices like smartphones and tablets (via Bluetooth) or physically via an optical connection or even an AUX-in. The sound improvement compared with just a standalone TV is incredible. This is also a good addition to a dorm room or office. HTD says: If you are looking to pump up the bass of your HDTV well beyond what comes out-of-the-box on a TV, definitely take a listen to the Creative Stage V2 soundbar. With multiple input types, it is a well-rounded and good performing, budget-oriented soundbar for your home.

https://www.hightechdad.com/2021/03/16/blast-sounds-creative-stage-v2-soundbar-review/

[jennileerose]

Wrongly Committed Sim Asylum Challenge Rules:

This is inspired by idea of “what if someone who wasn’t crazy was sent to a mental ward and had to prove they were sane” popping into my weird ADHD brain. It’s also loosely based on the existing asylum challenge. (Link below) In this challenge however, your sim is falsely sent to the asylum when they are not Erratic and they must prove themselves to be sane and able to go back into society.

Disclaimer 1: I am not minimizing mental health here. The scenarios described are exaggerated for dramatic and fantasy effect. If you feel lonely or have mental health questions, my ask box open to all. I am not a doctor, so it is likely that I may refer you to other resources, but I will always listen.

Disclaimer 2: I have been playing Sims 4 for 4 years but live on a very tight budget and as such, I do not have every single expansion/game pack/stuff pack available. As of the last time this post was updated (02/28/20) I have only the following:

Expansions:

Get Famous

Discover University

Get To Work

Cats and dogs

Seasons

Game packs:

Parenthood

Spa Day

Stuff Packs:

Laundry Day Stuff

Tiny Living Stuff

If you have questions about gameplay elements for packs I don’t have, please message me. I am willing to look at it and give a “ruling”.

Setup:

* Must have an Asylum lot (I have one in the gallery you can use) that features the following:

* Must have private dwelling lot trait if applicable. Other lot traits that are allowed are ones that increase skill building such as Homey, Natural Light, Great Acoustics, etc.

* The main building must have:

* 1 bedroom for each sim (minus the doctor) so 6-7 bedrooms with only a cheap single bed.

* 3-6 toilets in stalls (that’s at your discretion. Choose wisely.)

* 3-6 showers in stalls

* 3-6 bathroom sinks

* A full kitchen (stove, sink, fridge, counters and trash can) and dining area made from appliances on the low end of quality. If you have seasons and one of your patient sims is gifted a better item on Winterfest you can replace a cheaper item.

* Cannot have the money-making trash can in the main asylum building.

* A large dining table with chairs enough to seat all sims on the lot.

* 1 couch

* A chess table & chairs

* 1 musical instrument (a violin or a guitar)

* A book case

* Either a TV or a computer. (If you pick TV, then the doctor must have a computer for ordering medicine and upgrade parts.

* A painting easel.

* A workbench

* 1 piece of workout equipment.

* 2 garden plot boxes

* If you have the laundry day pack you can include laundry things but your sim must make sure that laundry is kept up on.

* The Dr. will live on the lot but has their own office/house separate from the main asylum building. You can design that however you wish. Your main sim must be able to be in the doctor’s office area but none of the patients can enter the main home of the doctor. IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED TO HAVE A WASHER & DRYER IN THIS BUILDING. I lost a doctor pretty early that way when I wasn’t paying attention and they didn’t clean the lint trap.

* Your main sim must be A Teen or Young Adult. Teen is recommended for Easy mode if you want more time and want to move them on to college.

* Lifespan must be set to long for easy mode or Normal for medium and hard modes.

* Must have Dr. Character (mine will be in the gallery) in the medical career. They must have an office where your main sim can have visits with the Dr. On days your Dr doesn’t work. You can cheat the Dr. Character up to level 7.

* You can only control the Dr. And your main sim. Send the Dr alone to work every day they work.

* Other 4-6 patient sims must be set up such that there is no possibility for baby-production. Any gender identity is fine but no babies!

* All but Dr and your main sim must have Erratic trait

* 1 sim must be evil, mean, and erratic. Two others must have 1 be mean and 1 be evil. All other trait combinations other than erratic are at your discretion. It’s recommended that at least 1 have the neat trait.

* Your sim must complete 1 Aspiration for easy mode, 2 for medium mode and 3 for hard mode. They must be from the following list:

* Painter Extraordinaire

* Musical Genius

* Freelance Botanist

* Writer Aspiration (only if you get a computer instead of a TV)

* Nerd Brain (get Rocket Scientist to level 6 then cheat the aspiration for the rocket stuff. Or buy the rocket, but fence it off only for your sim to get to and you can only build and upgrade, no launching.)

* Bodybuilder (Hard mode only, has to be the last one and jogging can only be done during daylight hours and only for aspiration purposes).

* You can use aspiration rewards EXCEPT the relationship ones (beguiling, great kisser), or career ones, re-traiting potion or the potion of youth.

* In addition to Aspirations, your sim must have the following skills at level 10 to prove they can be a decent member of society and can care for themselves:

* Logic

* Homestyle cooking

* Gardening

* Handiness

* They must have the following skills at least to level 5 for the same reasons:

* Charisma

* Fitness

* One creative skill such as a musical instrument or painting.

* Your main sim must have a positive relationship with the doctor and 2 other household Sims.

* If you haven’t completed all the tasks by the time your main sim becomes an adult, you fail the challenge.

* If your sim ends up in solitary more than 5 times, you lose the challenge.

* If your main sim dies then you fail the challenge.

* If the Dr sim dies you must replace them with another Dr. Sim.

* If one of the patients dies, you must replace them with another patient with the same traits.

* If you use cheats for needs or relationships, or for money to buy new items for the asylum you fail the challenge. But you are free to continue it as a let’s play anyway.

* The bills come out as part of the Doctor’s Salary since the doctor lives on the lot, so money shouldn’t be an issue.

* No maid/butler/pizza services at all.

* Mods/CC: the following mods are allowed, however cheating with them will make you lose the challenge.

* Slice of Life

* MC Command Center

* Faster Homework Mod is okay.

* Better Schools Mod is okay but you must set your sim to “Listen to Teacher” every school day.

* When it comes to CC obviously the style CC for CAS is fine. If you have custom traits, you can only use ones that don’t OP your sims (don’t use God/Goddess or Muse custom traits) a good rule of thumb is, if you have to question it, better skip it.

* Build CC is okay for the Doctor’s dwellling. The main building should be only Base-game/expansions/etc (EA stuff).

* Daily Rules:

* No visitors allowed.

* No sims other than the Dr are allowed to have a career.

* Fame must be turned off for all household members.

* Teen main sims are not allowed to socialize with classmates as they are taught in a special room away from the “normal” students.

* All sim bedrooms must be locked for its assigned Sim at all times. When Solitary is in effect it is locked for everyone.

* Any decorative items must have been made by a sim in the household.

* No emotional aura items are allowed, if a sim creates one, you are not allowed to turn on the aura for it.

* Any visits outside the asylum that aren’t for school must be to a park, library or museum. (No bars or lounges) and all sims including the doctor must go.

* If your sim is a teen they must get to and maintain an A in school. If they miss a day or drop a grade, they must spend the next non-school day in solitary.

* If any of the sims fight, both sims go into “solitary” (see solitary section for explanation) this also applies to the uncontrolled patient sims and this is the only time you’re allowed to control them.

* If the doctor sim enters the asylum at any point and becomes uncomfortable due to cleanliness/disrepair issues, your main sim has 12 sim hours to get it back to tidiness or they go to solitary.

* Solitary:

* Each sim patient must claim a bed. That is their room and if they are in solitary, they must stay locked in that room for 12 sim hours, only being let out temporarily for bathroom breaks. They are served food in their rooms. No books or fun items are allowed in solitary. (Clean out inventories of books and instruments)

* Once all your aspirations, skills, and friendships are complete, your sim must have a meeting with the doctor in their office. During the visit with the doctor, you can only control your main sim. The visit must have 3 socializations and cannot be less than 1 sim hour. Both sims must be in a positive mood at the end. If you succeed at that then you can be released from the asylum and you win the challenge!

[taushin-blog]

Need the best signal? Set up your Wi-Fi extender now!

Wi-Fi extension has gotten cheaper, but the systems to install are still tricky. There are tips for positioning your extender in order to expand the coverage of your Wi-Fi network.

Although you usually have more than ample coverage from your standard router to fill an apartment or a small house with Wi-Fi, it cannot cover a larger house. Dead spots will eventually arise in larger homes to relax with Netflix's movie in your favorite easy chair while barbecuing on the patio, listening to your favorite stuff on Spotify and offering internet access for visitors in the attic bedroom.

Mywifiext local, with the aid of a Wi-Fi extender you will be able to fill the gaps by taking a Wi-Fi signal from your router and sending a new signal to the home of unconnected nooks and scanners. Extender can still be difficult to configure, though it has become cheaper and easier to use. They need not only some forecasts and plans, but also some trial and error.

·         The best Wi-Fi extension for signal extension

·         Upgrade: the best wireless Internet routers you can purchase

·         The best mesh Wi-Fi routers cover the entire building, larger and bigger.

New extender setup, here are seven tips and tricks for Wi-Fi extensions, which allow you to place your data anywhere in the right location.

more

 The secret to better signal is positioning

When you bring the extension device into it, keep your eyes open and be prepared to move the extension device if the results are misleading. Start with a map or drawing from your residence marked with the location of the router, the dead zones, and the AC outlets. Mywifiext net ac750, request a power outlet between the router and where you want the Wi-Fi signal of the extender to go. Please plug the extender into the box and follow your router directions. Go to the dead zone once it is worked and check if its Wi-Fi animated.

I pre-examine the network with the Okla. Speed Test for online bandwidth calculation before the extender is opened. When the extender works, go to the dead zone and check if it is wireless. If so, search your Speed test bandwidth. Your pace will not be as fast as the host, but it will be a step forward.

view

  Hide and seek – find the right placement

You may need to use an AC extension cord to get an extender to the best position if you can't find a suitable position for the extension. Place the extender on a bookshelf or on an armoire, for example.

You can reposition the extensor to get the best signal if the antennas are adjustable. Perhaps more importantly, if you have removable antennas in the wireless booster, you might try to turn them into more sensitive antennas or amplify them. Alternatively, you can either use a Wi-Fi reflector or make an aluminum foil or empty soda to direct the Wi-Fi signal to where it should go.

visit

  Have to avoid obstacles

Avoid artifacts that either reflect the signal (such as mirrors or large metal parts) or absorb it (walls, closets or supports for the masonry) when choosing your extender spot. Netgear Wi-Fi extender n300 setup, another major Wi-Fi extender disruptor are stray radio frequency signals that interfere with Wi-Fi signals. Microwave ground, cable telephones, fridges or even baby surveillance are the key culprits here.

  Assisting

There are likely to be a software supplied for each expander you buy to optimize their role and efficiency. Netgear_ext, often, however, this program is secondary to standalone applications for Wi-Fi research.

View more

  How does a Wi-Fi booster, repeater or extensor differ?

Wireless Internet boosters, repeaters and extender are all the same – Wi-Fi-enhanced computers. The distinction between devices identified by corporations as 'repeaters' and devices identified as 'extender devices' is not well established. Netgear extender reset, all Wi-Fi Extensions do not work in the same way, however. Several different types of appliances are available, and we want to clarify these distinctions and their functionality so you can choose the best Wi-Fi repeater.

  How Does A Wi-Fi Repeater Work?

Welcome,

Mywifiext.net not working: A Wi-Fi Repeater basically consists of two wireless router, like your home or office wireless router. The current wireless network can be found on one of these wireless routers. It then moves the signal to the other wireless router, where the boosted signal is transmitted.

  Is my laptop / mobile computer automatically switching between networks?

Only when the first network is fully out of control. A second network is set up by a Wi-Fi repeater. You can connect your computer to the second network if your first is not available. But you can detect both networks simultaneously in certain parts of your home. This means you have to detach and switch from the original network to the enhanced network.

  Is the repeated network safe?

Yeah. The same degree of protection is required for Wi-Fi repeaters as for standard Wi-Fi routers (WEP, WPA, WPA2, etc.).

 Visit us http://www.wifiextendersetup.us/

[cathrynstreich]

Moving at the Crossroads of COVID-19 and Moving Season

Moving is stressful during an average move. Mix in the coronavirus pandemic and the fact that we’re in the heart of moving season, and you have a recipe for misinformation, uncertainty and anxiety.

If your clients have questions about how to move safely, they’re not alone. Here are the answers to the most frequently asked “moving safely during coronavirus” questions.

Related to State-by-State Guidelines Is moving an essential service in my state?

Check your state’s executive order for essential businesses and check frequently as officials update their guidance daily.

How do I know if my move is allowed? While your local officials may deem moving essential, some apartment communities and HOAs are not allowing residents to move during stay-at-home orders. Check with your management company, board, etc. before booking anything for your move. As of this publish date, most states are allowing moving, as long as they abide by the state-mandated safety precautions.

Related to the Moving Company What should I ask moving companies to ensure they can handle my move safely?

Specifically during this pandemic, here are a few questions you should ask your professional moving company:

– Do you provide virtual or digital estimates? – Are the trucks and movers equipped with hand sanitizer, masks and gloves? – What other measures are being taken to ensure the safety of your customers and crew? – How often are high-touch surfaces within the trucks sanitized? – If I opt for packing services, can you pack my home without me there? – What is your cancellation/rescheduling policy?

What should I do to best accommodate my moving company? You should provide a few accommodations to make the move safe for your family and the moving crew:

– Wear a mask and gloves. – Don’t pack your disinfecting wipes, cleaners and soap—allow the crew to wash their hands frequently (before, during and after). – Disinfect high-touch surfaces often—doorknobs, sinks, cabinet pulls, refrigerators, etc. – Keep your windows open during the move to provide additional air circulation.

What happens if I need to cancel my move?

If you need to cancel your moving company, don’t worry. In most cases, booking a moving company is non-binding, allowing you the freedom to cancel at any point prior to your move, without penalty.

However, if your moving company collected a deposit prior to your move, it may be non-refundable. Contact your moving company about your deposit—many reputable moving companies will be flexible or make an exception considering the pandemic. They may refund your deposit or provide credit for a future move.

I don’t feel comfortable with others touching my stuff. What are my options?

– You can move using your own vehicle. This is the safest option. – You can rent a truck. – You can rent a container–it’s contactless and you can pack everything yourself. I want to rent a truck and do it myself. What should I do to ensure my safety? If you rent a truck, be sure to wear gloves and disinfect the truck’s “hotspots” before getting behind the wheel: the steering wheel, the keys, the door handles (outside and inside), the seats and seatbelts, the gear shifter/selector, knobs and buttons on the dashboard and console, and touch screens.

Related to Disinfecting Belongings How do I make sure my things aren’t infected? My boxes, my stuff, my furniture, etc.

This is a great question because it seems nearly impossible to disinfect every item in every box.

If you don’t have to move in right away, move your belongings first and then move your self/family into the house 72-96 hours later. The New England Journal of Medicine published a study that tested how long the virus can remain stable on various surfaces—they found it was still detectable on cardboard for up to 24 hours and on plastic and steel for up to 72 hours.

If you’re moving at the same time as your belongings, pack an “open first” box or two. When you get to the new home, drop your “open first” boxes in a safe place, and place the rest of your boxes away from your “open first boxes” (cover it in colorful tape or use colored markers to make sure it doesn’t get swallowed up in a sea of other brown boxes). Prepare to disinfect the box and the items inside the box.

Here are some items to include:

– For the kitchen: disinfectant spray, water bottle, plastic cups, non-perishable snacks, paper towels – For the bathroom: hand soap, body soap, shampoo, conditioner, toilet paper, shower curtain, shower liner, towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant – For the bedroom: sheet set, blanket, pillow, t-shirt, phone charger – For the next day: change of clothes, instant coffee or cold brew

When/how should I clean the new home properly? Be sure to deep clean and sanitize your new home before you move into it. Here are a few resources and tips to help:

– CDC’s recommendations on how to clean and sanitize your home

– EPA’s list of disinfectants that meet the criteria to fight COVID-19. When purchasing any product, check if its EPA registration number (located on the product label) is included in this list. The products on this list may be marketed and sold under different brand names, but if they have the same EPA registration number, they are the same product.

– Use disinfectant wipes for quick cleanings over the most high-touch areas—doorknobs, sinks, cabinet pulls, refrigerators, etc.

– Use disinfectant sprays for areas that can’t be wiped clean. You can use Lysol, for example, on your couches and mattresses which will touch many surfaces during a move (the ground, the inside of a truck, etc.).

– Use this CDC bleach mixture recommendation on your new tile floors. Use a disinfecting wet mop cloth on your hardwood floors.

– As you unpack, be sure to also disinfect your computer and accessories (keyboards can get pretty gross), your television remote controls, credit cards, wallet, and more.

Other Considerations Is it safe for installation teams to come into my home?

Many television and internet providers now offer self-service solutions for installing new equipment like routers, DVRs, etc. so if you’re healthy and capable, that’s your best option. Regardless of installation technique, you need to prioritize your internet setup— your internet connection is your connection to your work, family and friends. There have been one- to two-hour call wait times, as more and more people call to increase speeds and bandwidth. You can’t bank on getting an appointment as easily as you have in the past. Additionally, you may also want to consider a high bandwidth plan to account for changes in working from home, video calls, multi-device streaming, etc.

For more information, please visit www.updater.com.

The post Moving at the Crossroads of COVID-19 and Moving Season appeared first on RISMedia.

Moving at the Crossroads of COVID-19 and Moving Season published first on https://thegardenresidences.tumblr.com/

[andylocksmithtipsntricks]

Cove Home Security Review: No Contracts, Easy Setup, and Affordable

Last Updated: A day ago

Cove New Year's Discount: For a limited time, Cove is offering 50% off plus a free indoor camera. Terms and conditions apply.

How Cove Home Security Stacks Up

3.5/5

60-day money-back guarantee

Easy installation

Lackluster mobile app

View Packages

Cove is an economical, customizable home security system that delivers the basics and makes protecting your home super easy.

But the new kid on the block is still proving itself, and Cove has some work to do when it comes to its mobile app and smart home compatibility.

Because Cove has been on the market for only a few years, we reached out to see if we could sit down with the company and learn the ins and outs of this latest addition to the DIY home security scene.

Our full review gives you a thorough introduction to one of home security’s newest additions.

Pros

60-day money-back guarantee

Lifetime warranty available

Instant text messaging alerts

Two-way audio with monitoring center

Great customer reviews

Super-easy installation

Cons

New to market

Limited smart home compatibility

Unimpressive app

Compare Pricing

Monitoring Plan Monthly Fee Mobile Access Warranty

Cove Basic Cove Plus $14.99 $24.99 No X Yes ✓ 1 yr. Lifetime View Package View Package

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50% off plus Free Indoor Camera

For a limited time, Cove is offering 50% off plus a free indoor camera. Terms and conditions apply.

All Cove home security packages come with these features:

60-day money-back guarantee

DIY installation

No-contract options

Cove vs. the Competition

Brand Lowest Monthly Monitoring Price Contract Options Installation Smart Home Compatibility Learn More

Cove

SimpliSafe

Frontpoint

Scout

$14.99 $14.99 $34.99 $19.99 Month-to-month Month-to-month Required Month-to-month DIY DIY DIY DIY Limited Moderate Good Good View Packages View Packages View Packages View Packages

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Cove is one of the most affordable home security choices you’ll find. One of the company’s core values is to be economical, and on that point Cove delivers. There aren’t any contract requirements, and monthly monitoring is pretty cheap, even if you opt for the higher-priced Cove Plus Plan.

At $24.99 per month, that’s about the same as a weekly splurge at Starbucks—and for a lifetime warranty plus mobile access to your security system, we think it’s worth it.

You can control your equipment costs with Cove, too. Most equipment is available à la carte, and you can get a basic setup for around $275, which includes the control panel, yard and window signs, a few window and door sensors, a motion sensor, and a (free) indoor camera.

If you aren’t sure what you need to protect your abode sufficiently, Cove’s website has a simple quiz that will help you figure out where to start.

Cove gives you the option to pay for equipment up-front or over time. If you opt for $0 up-front, you’ll pay an extra $10 per month if you keep Cove monitoring for 36 months. If you cancel early, you’ll have to pay for the equipment cost—but you’re not on the hook for the remaining months of monitoring fees like you are with other home security companies.

Cove Contracts and Warranties

We like that Cove offers a lifetime warranty for its equipment, but you can only get it with the higher-priced monitoring plan. Cove isn’t the only home security company to wrap up a better warranty in a more costly plan. ADT does the same thing with its Quality Service Plan that is only available with higher-end offerings.

Brand Minimum Monthly Monitoring Fee Warranty Service Call Fees Contract Requirements

Cove ADT $24.99 $52.99 Lifetime Quality Service Plan No X Yes ✓ None 36 months

The warranty from Cove is the better deal—and when we asked Cove representatives how much hassle you have to go through to get a new door sensor if yours putters out, they said, “None.” Cove simply sends you a replacement, no questions asked.

Our Cove box was nicely packaged.

Cove Tech and Equipment

Cove isn’t the most technologically advanced home security system, but it provides reliable basics that get the job done. Because the company is so new, its equipment offerings are limited. But Cove has two innovative technical features: InstaText and LiveAssist.

Cove InstaText

This feature uses text messaging to send you immediate alerts if an alarm is triggered. You can respond instantly to false alarms and dispatch emergency services if you need help—all with a text. This feature is useful for people who may not always be able to answer the phone but rarely ignore a text. It’s adapting age-old security protocols to the way we live and communicate today. Pretty smart.

Cove LiveAssist

With Cove LiveAssist you have a dedicated line of communication with Cove right through your panel. You can use this two-way audio feature to communicate in real-time if you need help or need to address a false alarm. This feature provides an extra layer of security and gives you more control over your home’s security. And you can count on it even if your panel gets unplugged or if your power goes out—its backup battery lasts for 24 hours.

Cove Home Security Equipment

We got a chance to play with Cove’s equipment.

Equipment and Price

Cove Touch Panel, $184 ea.

YI Indoor Camera, $59 ea.

Door Sensor/Window Sensor, $15 ea.

Motion Detector, $30 ea.

Security Key Fob, $25 ea.

Glass Break Detector, $35 ea.

Smoke Heat Freeze Detector, $30 ea.

Carbon Monoxide Detector, $50 ea.

Flood/Freeze Sensor, $20 ea.

Panic/Medical Button, $20 ea.

Cove Tech and Equipment Standouts

Standout Feature: Preconfigured Equipment

Many home security systems tout preprogrammed security equipment that’s easy to install, but Cove’s is the easiest one I’ve seen. And it talks to you—when you name a sensor (e.g., back door), you’ll hear “back door” every time it’s activated. I like that the only option isn’t a deafening and difficult-to-stop siren. I’ve tangled with those in the past (Ring), and it can be stressful.

Biggest Drawback: Limited Security Cameras

Currently, the Cove system is limited to three indoor security cameras because of the burden that streaming video puts on the network and your home Wi-Fi bandwidth. Also, outdoor security cameras are available only upon request. I think having eyes on the outside of your home is vital to keeping your property, people, and pets safe. We hope to see outdoor cameras added as a regular part of the Cove home security system soon.

Cove Smart Home Features

Cove’s smart home offerings are fairly scant. The system is focused first on providing security, and home automation is a lower priority. The system currently works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, but other smart home options, like smart locks and climate control, aren’t available. Cove told us that Zigbee compatibility should be coming out sometime in 2019, and we’re eager to see how that impacts the company’s home automation offerings.

Cove Smart Home Compatibility

Smart Home Feature Voice Control Climate Control Lighting Control Smart Home Hub

Third-Party Compatibility Amazon Alexa, Google Home None None Amazon Alexa, Google Home

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Cove Customer Service

Although Cove is new to the scene, the company has already garnered a hefty collection of positive customer reviews. In my experience with the company, it’s been friendly, responsive, and eager to please. You can tell that the people who created Cove and work for the company enjoy what they do and believe in their product.

Here’s a look at current Cove ratings for customer service and satisfaction.*

Google reviews: 4.9 stars

Trustpilot rating: 4.9 stars out of 5, Excellent

Cove Security app on Google Play: 2.3 stars out of 5

Cove Security app on Apple App Store: 3.5 stars out of 5

*Ratings as of December 2019.

Cove’s 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee

You can try out the Cove security system risk-free for up to two months. If during that time you don’t think it’s a good fit for your home security needs, you can return your equipment and cancel your monitoring service without a penalty. Cove will give you a full refund, no questions asked.

Cove Installation

We’re impressed with the simplicity of Cove’s installation and setup process. All the components of your security system come preconfigured. You can even name them when you order, so your son’s bedroom window sensor will come ready to be installed in his room. And if you make a naming mistake or decide to move a sensor to a different place, it’s easy to give it a new name using the control panel.

The control panel is the heart of the Cove home security system—it walks you through setup and tests each sensor to make sure they’re working correctly. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if you set up a window or door sensor the right way, so we like that Cove’s audio confirmation leaves no doubt.

Other Home Security Options

If you’re not ready to take Cove up on its 60-day trial, we’ve got your back. To help you make the best decision for your household, here are the details on other top DIY home security companies.

Best DIY Home Security Systems

SimpliSafe Home Security Review

Ring Security System Review

Nest Secure Alarm System Review

Cove FAQs

What can I do on Cove’s mobile app?

Right now, you can use the Cove mobile app to remotely arm and disarm your system using a smartphone, tablet, or computer. You can also check your system’s status, bypass sensors, and add or delete user accounts. To save you from constantly checking your alarm system’s status, the app sends text and email alerts when the system is either triggered or disarmed. Cove is currently in the process of further development on the app and we’re excited to see more smart home control and options.

Does Cove home security help me save on homeowners insurance?

Yes. Like many other home security companies, Cove provides you with a certificate that you can present to your insurance company for a discount on your premium. To get your certificate, your system has to be installed and activated. Details on discounts vary by insurance company, so be sure to talk to your agent for specifics.

How fast will I get my Cove security system after I order?

Because Cove puts together each security system to your specifications, it may take four to six days for your system to be delivered. The company strives to get all orders out within one day of ordering, but sometimes it may take a day or two to assemble your security system and get it in the mail.

Does Cove home security work for renters?

Yes. Cove is a good match for both homeowners and renters. And if you move, all you need to do is pack up your Cove security equipment (along with everything else) and let them know your new address. Changing your address with Cove is essential to make sure the monitoring center knows where to send help if you need it.

Conclusion

We’re pretty excited to see Cove entering the DIY home security arena. It’s a young company, but they’re doing a lot of things right.

If you want a customizable home security system that’s easy for you to install on your own and doesn’t lock you into a contract, we think Cove is a solid choice.

How We Evaluated Cove Security

When we learned about Cove home security, we got in touch with them to find out more. Cove came out and met with us to explain who they are, why they do what they do, and what makes their DIY security system stand out from the rest. We got to meet the founder of the company, and we got to play with Cove’s equipment. We ran a system through the setup process and then tested all of the sensors to see how they worked. We also pored over online customer reviews, read other expert reviews, and compared Cove to other DIY security systems.

The post Cove Home Security Review: No Contracts, Easy Setup, and Affordable appeared first on SafeWise.

Article source here: Cove Home Security Review: No Contracts, Easy Setup, and Affordable

[nw7us]

Lightning Strike Brings New Radio - Icom IC-7610

It was late in the evening as I sat on the bed. All lights were off, and the room was nearly dark with only a small digital clock glowing.

My wife was already retired under covers when suddenly the house shook as if a mortar shell went off. At the very same moment, I was blinded by a flash of intense white light. And, the sound was deafening.

Oh, no! A lightning strike! At our house! My heart sank and then raced. Our house electronics… MY HAM STATION! Is it all toast? Is anything on fire?

I raced from the bedroom, glancing into other rooms as I made my way to the living room. No smoke. I clicked on the TV. It came on, fine. Then, Internet-based streaming services came to life. Good. Our Internet connection is live. That’s positive.

I made my way down into the lower level of the house, into my radio shack. Because there was a storm approaching, I had already disconnected the antenna coax to my HF (shortwave) antenna system. I had played it safe. But, I was concerned about any damage through the power line--damage to my computer.

I could see right away that my computer was still up and running. Both monitors had screen saver images. Good. Things looked like they were okay.

I went back to bed, thinking that everything was fine. I did not want to test my radio, because, first, why? It was disconnected from the antenna. Second, why connected it back up to the antenna while there’s still a storm raging?

The next morning, after the storm had passed, I did go back to the radio room.  I hooked up the antenna. Turning on the radio, I also fired up the Ham Radio Deluxe program so I could check things out.

The radio did not respond. The radio did not show up as available for the software. The USB-Communications bridge also did not show up in the devices. Bad sign.

Long story short: I discovered that the uninterruptible power supply and its battery were shot. And, the USB interface and Icom radio control interface both blown. And, the transceiver? Yes, that too was blown. Five electronic components of my radio setup for HF no longer functioned: My station was dead.

I filed an insurance claim, having a rider on my homeowner's insurance policy. They did their investigating and estimating and what not. After I paid a hefty deductible, and scraped together a bit more than they offered to cover the loss, I obtained a new transceiver.

Because the new rig had built-in USB ports with sound card technology, I did not need to replace the USB interface hardware. And, I have re-worked how I power the radio so that I can disconnect easily during a storm.

Enter the story, a repacked Icom IC-7610!

My radio room is starting to look like a station, again. I've successfully paired my new Icom IC-7610 with Win4IcomSuite and HRD/DM780. I'm adding more, from various different areas of interest, like WSJT software, and so on.

In the short while that I’ve had to operate this rig, I’ve become highly impressed and quite pleased! What a radio!

One of the most useful (and, to me, amazing) features of this Icom IC-7610, is the IP+ function, which, when turned on, improves the Intermodulation Distortion (IMD) quality by optimizing the direct sampling system performance. This function optimizes the Analog/Digital Converter (ADC) against distortion when you receive a strong input signal. It also improves the Third-order Intercept Point (IP3) while minimizing the reduction of the receiver sensitivity.

In short: I was listening to an s-0 (i.e., no strength-meter movement) weak signal of a DX station, when right adjacent to the frequency came an s-7 signal, wiping out my ability to copy that weak signal. I turned on the IP+ and the distortion of the adjacent signal disappeared, and once again, I heard the weak signal IN THE CLEAR! WOW!

The following video is a quick capture of my running the Olivia Digital Mode on HF, on the 30-Meter band.

The transmissions are of a two-way Olivia digital-mode radio conversation between station K8CJM and station NW7US on 12 November 2019 (UTC date). K8CJM is located in Dayton, Ohio, and I am located in Lincoln, Nebraska. I’m running the radio at full power. The radio is rated as being able to handle a 100% duty cycle at full power. The radio ran cool, with no significant heating.

Click to see the video, in which I make the first digital QSO with this rig:

Compression and ALC!?

Some have noted that it appears that I’ve left on the compression of the transmitted audio. However, the truth is that compression was not being used (as is proof by carefully taking note of the zero meter movement of the Compression activity). I had the radio set for 20-Meter USB operation on the Sub VFO. Compression was set for standard USB operation. Note also that the radio was transmitting USB-D1, which means the first data/soundcard input to the radio.

Also, some people complain about my use of ALC, because, in their view, ALC (automatic level control) is a no-no for data modes.

The notion that one must NEVER use ALC when transmitting digital modes is not accurate.

Multi-frequency shift keyed (MFSK) modes with low symbol rate–such as the Olivia digital modes–use a single carrier of constant amplitude, which is stepped (between 4, 8, 16 or 32 tone frequencies respectively) in a constant phase manner. As a result, no unwanted sidebands are generated, and no special amplifier (including a transmitter’s final stage) linearity requirements are necessary.

Whether the use of ALC matters or not depends on the transmitted digital mode.

For example, FSK (Frequency-Shift Keying; i.e., RTTY) is a constant-amplitude mode (frequency shift only). In such a case, the use of ALC will NOT distort the signal waveform.

PSK31 does contain amplitude shifts, as an example, therefore you don’t want any ALC action that could result in distortion of the amplitude changes in the waveform.

On the other hand, the WSJT manual says that its output is a constant-amplitude signal, meaning that good linearity is not necessary. In that case, the use of ALC will NOT distort the transmitted signal-amplitude waveform. You can use ALC or not, as you choose when you run WSJT modes, or Olivia (MFSK).

Clarification

Nowhere in this am I advocating running your audio really high, thinking that the ALC will take care of it. I am not saying that. I am saying that some ALC is not going to be an issue. You MUST not overdrive any part of the audio chain going into the transmitter!

Transmit audio out of the sound card remains at a constant amplitude, so there will be no significant change in power output if you adjust your input into the radio so that the ALC just stops moving the meter, or, you can have some ALC meter movement. You can adjust your audio to the transmitter either way.

If the transmitter filters have a significant degree of ripple in the passband then you may find that RF power output changes with the selected frequency in the waterfall when there is no ALC action. Allowing some ALC action can permit the ALC to act as an automatic gain adjustment to keep the output power level as you change frequencies.

Linear and Nonlinear

Regarding linear and nonlinear operation (amplifiers, final stages): While a Class-C amplifier circuit has far higher efficiency than a linear circuit, a Class-C amplifier is not linear and is only suitable for the amplification of constant-envelope signals. Such signals include FM, FSK, MFSK, and CW (Morse code).

If Joe Taylor’s various modes (in WSJT software) are constant-envelope signals, than class-C works, right? At least, in theory.

Some Additional Cool History

The digital mode, Thor, came out of DominoEX when FEC was added. Here is an interesting history of FSQ that seems to confirm that FSQ is like MFSK, so no problem with a bit of ALC.

The following is from https://www.qsl.net/zl1bpu/MFSK/FSQweb.htm:

History – Let’s review the general history of Amateur MFSK modes. The first Amateur MFSK mode developed anywhere was MFSK16, specified by Murray Greenman ZL1BPU, then first developed and coded by Nino Porcino IZ8BLY in 1999. Before MFSK16 arrived, long-distance (DX) QSOs using digital modes were very unreliable: reliant, as they were, on RTTY and later PSK31. MFSK16 changed all that, using 16 tones and strong error correction. Great for long path DX, but nobody could ever say it was easy to use, never mind slick (quick and agile)!

Over the next few years, many MFSK modes appeared, in fact too many! Most of these were aimed at improving performance on bands with QRM. Most used very strong error correction, some types a poor match for MFSK, and these were very clumsy in QSO, because of long delays.

The next major development, aimed at easy QSOs with a slick turnaround, was DominoEX, designed by Murray Greenman ZL1BPU and coded by Con Wassilieff ZL2AFP, which was released in 2009. Rather than using error correction as a brute-force approach, DominoEX was based on sound research and achieved its performance through carefully crafted modulation techniques that required no error correction. The result was a simpler, easier to tune, easily identified mode with a fast turn-around.

DominoEX is widely used and available in many software packages. A later development by Patrick F6CTE and then Dave W1HKJ added FEC to this mode (THOR) but did not add greatly to performance, and at the same time eroded the fast turn-around. The final DominoEX- related development was EXChat, a version of DominoEX designed specifically for text-message style chatting. While completely compatible with DominoEx, it operates in ‘Sentence Mode’, sending each short over when the operator presses ENTER. EXChat was developed by Con ZL2AFP and released in 2014.

Back in 2013, Con ZL2AFP developed an MFSK mode for LF and MF which used an unusual decoding method pioneered by Alberto I2PHD: a ‘syncless’ decoder, which used a voting system to decide when one tone finished and another began. The first use of this idea was in JASON (2002), which proved to be very sensitive, but very slow, partly because it was based on the ASCII alphabet. The new mode, WSQ2 (Weak Signal QSO, 2 baud) combined the syncless decoder with more tones, 33 in total, and an alphabet specially developed by Murray ZL1BPU, which could send each lower case letter (and common punctuation) in just one symbol, resulting in a very sensitive (-30 dB SNR) mode with a 5 WPM typing speed.

In the subsequent discussion in late 2014, between the developers ZL2AFP and ZL1BPU, it was realized that if the computer had enough processing power to handle it, WSQ2 could be ‘sped up’ to become a useful HF chat mode. This required a large amount of development and retuning of the software to achieve adequate speed was involved, along with much ionospheric simulator and on-air testing used to select the most appropriate parameters.

Tests proved that the idea not only worked well, but it also had marked advantages over existing HF MFSK modes, even DominoEX. As expected, the new mode was found to have superior tolerance of signal timing variation, typically caused by multi-path reception, and would also receive with no change of settings over a wide range of signaling speeds.

So this is how FSQ came about. It uses the highly efficient WSQ character alphabet, IFK+ coding, the same number of tones as WSQ (33), but runs a whole lot faster, up to 60 WPM, and uses different tone spacing. The symbol rate (signaling speed) is modest (six tones per second or less), but each individual tone transmitted carries a surprising amount of information, resulting in a high text transmission speed. And it operates in ‘Chat’ (sentence) mode, which allows the user to type as fast as possible since they type only while receiving.

The ability to send messages and commands selectively has opened a huge array of communications possibilities.

What Makes FSQ Different

Incremental Keying – FSQ uses Offset Incremental Frequency Keying (IFK+), a type of differential Multi-Frequency Shift Keying (MFSK) with properties that make it moderately drift-proof and easy to tune. IFK+ also has excellent tolerance of multi-path reception.

IFK was developed by Steve Olney VK2XV. IFK+ (with code rotation) was proposed by Murray Greenman ZL1BPU and first used in DominoEX. IFK+ prevents repeated same tones without complex coding and provides improved rejection of propagation-related inter-symbol interference. In the context of sync-less decoding, the IFK+ code rotation also prevents repeated identical tones, which could not have been detected by this method.

Efficient Alphabet – In FSQ, a relatively high typing speed at a modest baud rate comes about because the alphabet coding is very efficient. All lower case letters and the most common punctuation can be sent in just one symbol and all other characters (the total alphabet contains 104 characters) in just two symbols. (The alphabet is listed below). This is a simple example of a Varicode, where it takes less time to send the more common characters. The character rate is close to six per second (60 WPM), the same as RTTY, but at only 1/8th of the baud rate. (RTTY has only one bit of information per symbol, 7.5 symbols per character, and wastes a third of its information on synchronization, and despite this, works poorly on HF).

No Sync – Another important factor in the design of FSQ is that no synchronizing process is required to locate and decode the received characters. Lack of sync means that reception is much less influenced by propagation timing changes that affect almost all other modes since timing is quite unimportant to FSQ; it almost completely eliminates impulse noise disruption, and it also contributes to very fast acquisition of the signal (decoding reliably within one symbol of the start of reception). Fast acquisition removes the need for the addition of extra idle characters at the start of transmission, and this leads to a very slick system. Add high resistance to QRM and QRN, thanks to the low baud rate, and you have a system so robust that it does not need error correction.​

Well, that's pretty cool!  Come join us on Olivia digital mode.  I'm going to really enjoy my time with this great Icom radio!

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This pattern has to stop. That been successful here CS:GO since it would in fact generate the hitboxes larger, but in Fortnite, working with a modern game engine, this right smushes the character model down. Any perceived effect they have by your own ability to show is a placebo. The designer could think about survey in Fortnite's steps and enhance another, limited-time game ways that sport with the BR formula, or perhaps map-changing parts to maintain game environment new. Or Respawn may understand PUBG also attach new, smaller charts with another server amounts to unite points up.

[theinvinciblenoob]

The Portal is a head scratcher. It’s a chat app that manifested itself into a hardware through sheer force of will. The first commercially available product from Building 8 isn’t as instantly iconic a piece of hardware as Snap’s Spectacles. In fact, at first glance, the device seems like little more than an Echo Show/Google Home Hub competitor.

And then there’s the matter of timing. In a meeting with TechCrunch ahead of launch, Facebook’s hardware team was quick to list the various ways the company is proactively protecting user privacy, from a camera button to a physical lens cap. The social media giant has always been a lighting rod for these issues, but 2018 has been particularly tough, for reasons summed up well in Taylor’s simply titled post, “Facebook, are you kidding?”

What’s most peculiar, however, is in this age of multi-tasking devices, the Facebook Portal and Portal+ are devices that are designed to do one thing really well. Rather than pushing to develop a true Echo competitor, Facebook’s first ground-up piece of hardware is essentially a teleconferencing device for friends and family.

It is, in the product’s defense, one wrapped in solid hardware design with some clever choices throughout. If the Portal ultimately winds up lining the thrift store shelves of history, it won’t be due to choices Facebook made to serve its core competency.

Rather, it will be due to the fact that the product team has neglected some other features in the name of focusing on video chat — a feature that’s got no shortage of delivery devices. Facebook told me that Portal’s other features will be updated based on user feedback — almost as if the company is unsure what, precisely, customers would want from such a device outside of video chat.

The timing of the device is certainly telling. Facebook is clearly banking on selling a lot of Portals for the holidays. You can practically see the ads playing out, as some melancholy voice sings the beginning strains of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” The first spot isn’t as on the nose, but similar heart-strings are tugged, as evidenced by the “Feel There” title. That’s Facebook’s pitch in a nutshell: We know it sucks you can’t be with your nieces and nephews or elderly parents right now, but hopefully this screen will do the trick.

From a hardware design perspective standpoint, I’m on board. The smaller Portal looks quite a bit like Lenovo’s Google Assistant-powered Smart Display, albeit with the different speaker placement. I’m into it. Lenovo’s device is probably the best-looking smart screen around, and the Portal is an identical cousin with a slightly different haircut.

The Portal+ — the model that’s been hanging on my office desk for a few days now — is the more innovative of the two products from an industrial design perspective. It is, essentially, an ultra-wide 15.6-inch tablet mounted atop a tall, thin base. The display is connected to the base via a joint that allows it to swivel smoothly between portrait and landscape mode.

The screen is 1080p — plenty good for video chat, and a big step up from the Echo Show and (especially) Google Home Hub. Of course, the large footprint means it’s going to be tough for those in smaller spaces to find an ideal spot (says the guy living in a one-bedroom apartment in New York City). At present, it’s sitting atop my AirPort router.

The all-important camera is positioned an inch above the screen, like an unblinking eye of Sauron. The 12-megapixel camera can do 5x zoom and capture movement within a 140-degree range. The four-mic array flanks the lens on either side, doing double duty of listening to commands and noise canceling during chats.

Along the narrow top ridge are three inductive buttons — two volume, one to turn off the camera and mic. When you hit that last one, a notification will pop up on screen, and a small red light will illuminate just to the right of the camera, for added assurance. As an extra measure, Facebook also tossed in a plastic clip to physically cover the camera.

I found myself making a point to keep the lens cap on the majority of the time when I was using the device to chat. When I was talking to someone, I slipped it to the side, but kept it clipped on the base. The little piece of plastic is pretty easily lost. If Facebook does end up making another one of these, a mechanical lens cap like the kind you find on a point and shoot camera is probably the way to go.

The button placement is a bit of a shit show. The way I have the Portal+ set up on my desk, the buttons are above eye-level. Makes sense, you want the display right around your face, you know, to look at it. This means when I want to, say, change the volume, I find myself fiddling in the dark for them. Given that they’ve got no tactility, I invariably end up hitting the wrong one, more often than not jacking up the volume in the process.

Similarly, I often end up hitting a button or two when attempting to clip on the lens cap. Next time out, Facebook needs to either go with physical buttons or find a better spot to place them — tough, I know, given the odd shape of the thing.

The screen placement ensures that the display doesn’t obscure the camera in either portrait or landscape — though when swiveling, the corners do eclipse the shot. When in portrait, the bottom of the display does block roughly half of the bottom speaker. This is a bit of a design flaw, though surprisingly, it doesn’t dampen the sound as much as I’d initially expected. That said, when you’re using the device to listen to music, keep it in landscape mode. In fact, I found myself keeping it that way the majority of the time I was using it, regardless.

The sound quality on the thing is decent. I haven’t had a chance to put it up against the standard Portal, but the deluxe version sports a more complex speaker array — 20w (2 tweeters, single 4-inch bass) versus 10w (2 full-range drivers). Like all of these smart displays, I’m not going to recommend this as your default home stereo, but I’ve been using it to listen to Spotify all day, and have been largely enjoying the experience.

The Portal’s interface is an extremely bare-bones experience. The UI flips between two primary cards. The primary is, naturally, a list of your Facebook contacts. Up top are the six you most regularly chat with, and below are your hand-picked favorites. One of the nice bits here is that the people you speak with don’t actually need a Portal to talk. They can chat with you on their phone or computer.

Swipe left and you get a screen full of large icons. From here you can click into Facebook videos or pick from your Portal apps — Food Network, iHeartRadio, Newsy, Pandora and Spotify by default.

Click into the apps icon and you’ll find that that’s really all there is for Portal apps at the moment. Thin soup doesn’t really begin to describe it. It’s a decent enough starting point, but honestly, Facebook doesn’t seem particularly interested in courting more developers or opening up the API to all comers. Again, the company is taking a very wait and see approach to just about everything here.

Still, Portal does bring some interesting innovation to video chat. To trigger the function, say “Hey Portal” and then “call [enter name here].” Simple enough. Though the actual “Hey Portal” features are essentially limited to things like making calls and putting the unit to sleep. Anything beyond that and poor Portal gets confused. Even something like “Hey Portal, turn off camera” is met with an “I can’t do that yet” in Portal’s uneven speech pattern.

For everything else, Portal defaults to Alexa — functionality you can add during the setup process. That the system relies on Amazon’s smart assistant to do much of the heavy lifting here further makes one wonder why Facebook expects users to adopt its product over the Echo.

Portal’s greatest trick is its automatic zooming and panning. Using built-in AI, the system automatically tracks users and follows them around the frame. So you can, say, cook dinner while chatting and Portal will be with you the whole way. The camera will also pan in and out as additional people enter and leave the room, keeping them all in frame. While chatting with Sarah Perez (who was using the standard Portal on the other end), the camera even zoomed in on her dog when she left the room for a moment.

The zooming is smooth and the effect is impressive, owing in part to the fact that the team worked with a Hollywood cinematographer to help polish its execution. By default it moves a bit too much for my liking, slowly zooming in and out in a way that can may you low-level seasick — though you can adjust the sensitivity in settings.

My second favorite part in video chat is the ability to share songs via Spotify, Pandora and iHeartMusic. When I start playing something on my end, Sarah hears it, too. And we can both adjust our individual volumes. You can also pair the system to Bluetooth speakers or headphones, if that’s more to your liking.

This being Facebook, the system comes equipped with AR-style photo filters — 15 in all (with more coming, no doubt). You can turn yourself into a werewolf, add a disco ball — you know, the usual. They do a good job tracking your movements and add an extra little dimension of fun to the system.

Story time is another fun feature for those Portaling with young children. On your side, you’ll see a teleprompter with a story — on theirs, it’s you embedded inside an AR storybook like the Three Pigs. There are only a few stories at launch, but then most kids enjoy repetition, right?

So I sent my mom that newfangled Facebook Portal

Like the Home Hub, Portal defaults to a makeshift digital picture frame when not in use. Naturally, it defaults to photos and videos from your Facebook feed. As someone who doesn’t really use Facebook to put my life on display, the Superframe feature wasn’t really by bag, though the ability to display info like the weather and reminders of things like friends’ birthdays was nice.

Above all, Portal is a bit of a one-hit wonder. Admittedly, it does that one thing (video chat) fairly well, and at $200 for the Portal and $349 for the Portal+, it’s certainly priced competitively (and in spite of Facebook’s insistence otherwise, may be a bit of a loss leader). But it’s a hard sell compared to more well-rounded devices like the Echo Show and Google Home Hub.

And, of course, there’s all the privacy baggage that inviting Facebook into your home entails. Between the camera/speaker disabling button, lens cap, localized AI and the promise not to eavesdrop or spy, Facebook has gone out of its way to ensure users that it’s not using the device as a portal into your own privacy. But given the kind of year the company’s been having, for many potential buyers not even all of that is likely to be enough.

There’s a default screen saver on the device that asks “Hey Portal, what can you do?” It’s meant, of course, to prompt you to click through and discover new features. But it’s an important question — and in its current iteration, it’s not one for which Portal is able to offer a particularly compelling answer.

via TechCrunch