#i used 540 but for some reason i think they came out too small

[cherryysundae]

[notanotherreidgirl]

so i haven’t been feeling very well lately, and just thinking about spencer comforting me brings me so much joy. so basically what i’m asking is to use your wonderful writing skills to make a fluff masterpiece of spencer comforting reader in anyway. depression would be preferred, but any thing is great!

btw, i love your page sm, hands down fave<33

My dearest anon, I'm sorry you haven't been feeling very well. I don't know if this counts as a fluff masterpiece but I hope it cheers you up. Also, I'd like to recommend Favorite Person by @imagining-in-the-margins and Heavy Words for a Glass Heart by @reidscanehand for some fics where Spencer comforts Reader. Also, the song that I loosely based this on is Alexandria - Slowed by Jessi Blue and I always listen to it when I'm feeling a little blue

wc: 540

Warnings: it's a little sad, mental illness

Your heart seized at the sound of Spencer’s key turning in the lock and you quickly wiped away the tears on your face. A useless attempt at trying to fool a seasoned FBI profiler. You caught sight of your reflection in the dark TV screen and you felt a fresh wave of tears prick your eyes - messy hair, red-rimmed eyes, tear-stained cheeks. The guilt bubbled up in your throat - now Spencer had to come home from facing some of the deepest horrors humanity has to offer only to find you in a heap on the couch. Somewhat frantically, you tossed the tissues strewn on the coffee table and smoothed down your hair before he stepped into the living room.

“What’s wrong, baby?” So much for fooling him.

“Nothing, I don’t know. I-I’m just having a bad day, you know?” It was harder to admit than you expected and you almost hid under the blankets after your confession but the look on his face stopped you.

“I know.” And he did. He knew. Wordlessly he climbed into the couch, settling behind you and pulling your back flush against his chest. You closed your eyes, his even breaths anchoring you in this moment. He buried his face in your hair, taking your hands in his before pressing a soft kiss to the back of your neck. Something inside of you crumbled. Has anyone ever kissed you there before? Has anyone ever loved every part of you?

Spencer brushed a stray tear from your cheek with a thumb. “Talk to me, sweetheart”

You opened your mouth to explain but no words came out. How could you describe how overwhelmingly small and silly and insignificant you felt?

“I just -” you broke off before continuing in a quieter voice. “Am I too much? Do you - do you think I’m a burden?”

“No, darling” his response was immediate and his certainty rocked you. “A burden is something you’re forced to carry against your will. But I choose to be with you. You hear me?”

He shifted slightly, capturing you with his gentle gaze. “I want to be with you. I want to be with you every second of every day. You could never be a burden to me.”

You turned in his arms, burying your face in the crook of his neck. “Why am I like this? What’s wrong with me?”

“There isn’t a single thing wrong with you. And there’s nothing wrong with feeling the way you do.” He rubbed soothing circles onto your back as you clung to him. He felt a tearing in his chest, some physical manifestation of the secondhand anguish he was experiencing from seeing you in pain. He held you tighter, pausing to collect himself before he continued. “Y/N, you are my whole heart. You are the reason for everything I do and I wouldn’t trade you for the world. Sometimes I swear you’re the only thing holding me together. Loving you is what makes me strong”

You nodded slightly, his words starting to alleviate the tightness in your chest. For once, you didn’t feel silly asking your next question. You knew what the answer would be. “You love me?”

“With every beat of my heart”

Blurb Masterlist

[thran-duils]

Dubious Representation (P.3)

Title: Dubious Representation (Part Three) Summary: Fem!Reader x Dark!Hank Palmer. Reader’s husband is facing jail time and although Hank Palmer entered the counsel for pro bono, he is still going to get a form of payment. Recently single, he’s been lonely and he’s looking for some comfort. Even if it means obtaining it from less than savory means. Words: 2,562 Warnings (for entire fic): Eventual smut, sexual coercion, infidelity, mention of past domestic violence, verbal abuse Author’s Note: Decided on four parts... LOL

Part Two || Part Four || Masterpost (mobile) || Fanfic masterpost

Rich turned on Hank the moment the guilty verdict came through. He had been torn apart in court, Warner using the domestic violence charges to completely wipe Hank’s defense that Rich had been protecting Y/N off the board completely. What jury would think a man who had no issue hitting his wife around would have virtuous means to protect her? No, he was painted as a man protecting what he saw as property. Hank had objected to that comment which the judge sustained but it had already been said and swayed the jury all the way.

“You were supposed to get me out of this!” Rich snapped at him.

“No one was going to get you out of this, don’t kid yourself. And hey, I lost a case for free, so you don’t even have to worry about paying me for wasting my goddamn time,” Hank spat back in hushed tones, picking up his stuff.

Rich looked like he wanted to punch Hank, but the sheriff was already there putting his cuffs on. He instead whipped around to Y/N who was standing there. Her knuckles were white with how hard she was gripping the wooden wall between them, tears in the corners of her eyes.

“You---you can’t leave,” she got out. “Ten years, Rich!”

“Maybe if you hadn’t of gotten yourself into trouble by acting like a slut at that party, this wouldn’t be happening!” Rich snapped at her, his anger boiling over at everyone.

Hank was watching this exchange with a sour look, his jaw clenched. Y/N looked like she had been struck and he could only imagine what kind of verbal abuse she faced on top of the physical with him.

She gaped like a fish at him as he turned away from her with a glare, letting the sheriff lead him away. Hank finished putting away his things in his briefcase and stood up, coming in between her and where her eyes had been following him.

“Let me take you home,” Hank said gently.

Y/N focused on him, and it took a couple moments for her to register what he said. “I-I drove.”

Hank picked up his briefcase and walked out of the defense area, coming past the wall to where she was standing. He gestured for her to follow him. She shot a look at the judge who was already moved on. Swallowing sharply, she picked up her purse, she wiped at her eyes, and let his hand come to the small of her back as he guided her up the aisle towards the exit. Hank wanted to strangle Rich for making her so upset; his stomach was tight from the anger swirling at the whole situation.

He walked her to her car. The anger got the better of him and he poured out, “You know if he would’ve told me from the start that he had smacked you around, I wouldn’t have taken the damn case! Do you realize that’s what made us lose this case? Had nothing to do with me! Not even I can make a wife beating dickhead look good! Especially one with a wife who has a squeaky-clean record like you do! He didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell. You’re gonna be alone now because of his stupid, asshole decisions! And then he has the fucking audacity to say that shit to you as he’s leaving? If I knew I wouldn’t have gotten charged with assault myself—"

Hank stopped on a dime seeing her lip was warbling.

“I can’t... I can’t... I need another job,” she sputtered, her shoulders slumping defeated. “What am I going to do without him?”

Taking a deep breath to level himself out a little, Hank put his briefcase down on the cement. His hands came to her shoulders, and he caught her attention, peering into her eyes.

“I know this is all very sudden and frightening but just take a deep breath with me, okay? Okay?” She nodded and took a deep breath, him mimicking her movement. It took a few but she stopped looking like she was going to completely lose it. “Let’s get you home. Unless that’s going to be too much for you? Pictures and whatnot at home? Lots of memories to dwell in. Do you want to go to a hotel?”

“I can’t afford a hotel,” she said.

“I can,” Hank told her, sounding peppy. “Here, let me drive you – in your car – over to The Peninsula – great place, trust me. We’ll get you a room for the night or two, order you some room service. There’s a spa. A pool. They’ve got a killer hot tub.” She looked at loss for words and his thumbs caressed, pressing in with the slightest of pressure. “Come on. It’s the least I can do. It would make me feel a lot better about the whole thing. So, even if it’s just for me?”

Hank knew she was going to listen to him when he put it like that. He would not expect anything less from a woman who had been abused for so long. And he was not one to be above manipulating people for his own gain. He did not want her just waiting around when Rich was released from jail and go right back to using her as a punching bag. Oh, he wanted to shield her and protect her from that. From ever happening again. He was going to make sure he was there.

“What about your car?” she asked, and he knew he had her.

“I’ll take a taxi back over here.”

“You’re going to leave me at the hotel?”

“Only if you want me to.” He could see in her eyes that that was not what she wanted. “I can drive my car back over and park there as well. Do you want to do that?”

She nodded and he held in his elation at succeeding at bringing her in; he was good at masking his emotions. He gave her a quick smile before squeezing her arms and letting go. “Come then, passenger side. I’m driving.”

<><><>

The hotel was nice. Too nice. When you heard the desk clerk say that the room was going to be $540 a night, you grabbed Hank’s arm but he ignored you, handing his credit card over. You almost vomited on the spot. That was almost half a month’s rent.

When you got to the room, he told you to take the card the man had given the pair of you at the front desk for the spa downstairs to it. You asked if it was going to cost more, and he told you to not worry about it. When you looked reluctant, he shoved it into your hand and said he better hear about how great the spa was when he got back.

As much as you wanted to be at home, being away was good. You had a feeling he had been right about wallowing at home being in that familiar space after what had happened. Heeding what he said, you headed downstairs to the spa, making sure to choose the cheapest.

He was waiting on the bed when you got back, watching the news. You had been at the spa for over an hour. You noticed he had changed out of his suit and was in black jeans and a button up.

“I didn’t even think about a change of clothes…” you told him, gesturing that you had gotten back into your same clothes.

Hank shrugged and said, “It’ll be fine.” He swung his legs off the bed and stood up. “There’s dinner upstairs. In about an hour and a half. We can go up for drinks at the lounge beforehand.”

You played with the fabric of your sun dress and said, “I thought you said room service.”

“For breakfast,” he told you, snatching up his wallet and keys, his back to you. He slipped them into his jeans. “Dinner is Cantonese. You like that?” You nodded, shrugging. He smirked at your nervousness, and he assured you, “You’ll find something.”

The bar had a plush wall length couch and Hank led you to a table after the two of you ordered at the bar. You practically sunk into the couch. His arm came around the back of the couch, around you and he leaned in.

“So, you know, you’ve never told me what you do for work.”

You stammered at first, explaining your job. He was keeping eye contact, an intensity behind his gaze, listening with rapt attention. He asked questions about it, advancement and mobility specifically. The two of you fell naturally into conversation and it continued at dinner after you finished your drinks. Dinner was on the rooftop and night had fallen over the city. You had said you wanted the cheapest thing on the menu and Hank saw right through that, point blank asking you if the only reason you had chosen it was because it was cheapest. The embarrassed look on your face said it all and he told you to choose what you really wanted. Most of the entrees would cost what both of your meals would cost at a place when you and Rich went out, but you timidly pointed at something that looked good. He nodded and encouraged you to order it along with another cocktail. He was throwing down money tonight and you felt uncomfortable about it but it was really, really nice.

You paid him back the way you knew how. Fingers gripping the blanket, you moaned loudly as he plummeted into you. His pelvis slapped against your ass, drawing groans from him as his cock dragged in and out. He flipped you over and buried himself in you again, ravaging you with rough kisses.

He fell asleep before you. You were tucked up in his arm against his side, thinking about Rich in jail and what he would do if he saw you right now.

<><><>

Hank kept texting you and setting up dates after that. You had been on three since then. He had told you that he was interested when this whole relationship started, and he had not been lying. He had also told you that if you wanted to continue it, that was up to you. You wondered if that was still on the table – not that you were considering it at this point. But he was a man to be reckoned with, that much was clear. He carried himself with such an air of importance and had no problem telling someone their place – that you had witnessed more than once. And it included with you. He was pushy, he liked getting his way. If he did not like something, he would comment on it, and you would fold up. It was how you knew how to deal with conflict in a relationship. And he seemed perfectly content with it, always smiling when you corrected yourself and agreed with his suggestion.

Despite trying to keep him at arm’s length with a casual relationship, you caved on the third date and had let him into the apartment. Having sex in your marital bed had left you feeling guilty.

You feigned sickness the next time Hank texted asking you to go on a date. And then made up a lie when he suggested another day.

Sitting at work, you looked up and choked on your coffee. Hank was walking through the door, tearing his sunglasses off, a bouquet of flowers in hand. His eyes landed on you, and he smiled briefly, striding up to you. Your coworkers were watching with curiosity, and you wanted to melt into the floor. They knew about your marriage and how Rich was in jail. What they did not know about was Hank. Gods, what was he doing here?

“Hank…” you said underneath your breath, giving him an incredulous look.

“Yes, dear?” he said nonchalantly. Heat came to your cheeks, just knowing your coworkers had heard that. He held the bouquet out to you and said, “These are to cheer you up. You look like you’re doing better. That’s good. I was just stopping by to check in on you.” He shot a look over at your coworkers and smiled warmly. “Ladies.” He pointed at you. “May I borrow Y/N for a second?”

“Sure,” one of them, Maria, said, a devilish smile on her face. She was going to want to know everything when you came back in.

You took the flowers from him and placed them down. You stood up and followed him out of the door.

“What are you doing here?” you asked the moment the two of you were out on the sidewalk.

“Can’t I stop by and say hello?”

“Hank, my coworkers don’t know about us. What if—”

“What if what? They tell Rich? That’s very unlikely,” Hank interrupted. You closed your mouth and he stepped closer. “What’s going on? What’s wrong with you?” You shrugged, averting your gaze. His hand came up and he turned your face back to him. His tone was firm, “Y/N.”

You shrugged again, “I feel guilty.”

Hank cocked an eyebrow, “Guilty?”

“We… we had sex in our bed.”

Sighing, Hank’s hand fell from your face. “That’s what this is all about? Look, Y/N, as someone who has been cheated on, yes, it is terrible. But I’m telling you, these circumstances are incredibly unique and different. You did nothing wrong and the person who did is the one who is gone. And he deserves to be gone. You deserve happiness.”

“It doesn’t make me feel less guilty.”

“Then maybe you should just come over to my place next time. We just won’t go to your place. How’s that sound? No room to feel guilty. Whole new environment. Here, you mentioned you like to cook. How about you come over and we make a nice dinner together?” You looked down at the ground and he closed the space between the two of you. He tipped your chin up and said, “In fact, I insist. Tonight. I’ll pick you up. What do you want to cook for me?” You did not answer quick enough and he pressed, “Hmm?”

“Lasagna?”

“Lasagna it is.” He pulled his wallet out and handed over a hundred-dollar bill, shoving it into your hand. “Here, pick up the stuff and text me when you’re home. I’ve got a nice bottle of red wine to go with it. Sound good?” He was looking at you expectantly and you gave him the answer he wanted to hear, causing him to smirk. “Perfect. I’m glad, doll.”

He leaned in and gave you a kiss. He tapped your nose and smiled, “Have a good rest of your day. Remember to put the flowers in water. I’ve gotta get back to the office.”

Hank walked you back to the door and the two of you did not miss two of your coworkers bolting away from the window where they had been pressing their noses again, watching. Hank chuckled and gave you a tap on the ass as you opened the door before he pulled took his sunglasses back off his shirt and put them on, walking off.

You walked back in and they were all staring at you.

“So, he’s wearing a Rolex…” Maria started off.

~~~

Marvel tags: @coconutqueen21 @undecidedsworld @holl2712 @agustdowney  @biiskuitx

[mevekagvain]

Chapter 121 - I hope none of the birds affected by the sleeping gas died from falling from a height, especially if they fell on concrete. I don't think the gas itself would affect the birds but it also very well might since they can't handle as much due to being much smaller animals or from not being able to handle the chemicals used.

Chapter 122 - Shark's expressions are so hideous 🤢

- At least Raizel knows how to be nice by sharing food lmao. Frankenstein beaming like a proud father of a 2-year-old who's doing that is definitely not praxis though.

Chapter 124 - Shark being astounded that nobles care about innocents is amusing. I suppose that aside from the Elders, the Union members think nobles consider other species to be inferior or like cockroaches or toys.

- Although I do find Frankenstein plotting to teach Seira cooking so she can cook for Raizel when he can't extremely funny, I do also find it somewhat disturbing. He's essentially making a teen girl do child labour. Yes she and Regis are imposing on him and I do think they should be doing some manner of chores, but making her cook lavish meals? I also know she's doing it willingly but it still makes me cringe since something being one's choice doesn't negate it being bad. And yes technically she's 'of age' since she's 217, whatever that means since she's still obviously a teen compared to Raizel who actually is an adult going to school with children (which is a whole other can of worms), but aside from her position as clan leader she's very obviously not viewed as an adult by most.

Chapter 125 - On one hand I'd love to get a front row seat to the internal drama within the DA-5 lile M-21 but otoh I don't want to die a painful death or get beaten up.

- So like obviously Seira knows that Raizel and Frankenstein aren't ordinary humans unlike Regis but it is hilarious to think she just told the truth to two men she thinks are frail innocent humans.

Chapter 127 - You'd really think that the Union would be investing more into memory altering drugs but nah. The only ones they have will also fuck your brain up. Really not a good idea when most of your agents/experiments obviously have been administered aforementioned drugs. If it was only used sparingly on civilians I'd get it but it's quite widespread so...

Chapter 128 - As much as Frankenstein complains about the mess the kids make, he enjoys having them over as much as Raizel does. Soft hearted bastard.

Chapter 130 - The girls bandaging M-21 up even as Regis fights has them being smarter than like 90% of other characters in media. They're the real reason he didn't hit the dust immediately smh.

Chapter 132 - I still think the coming of age ceremony has a 50% chance of actually being them ingesting drugs that are the equivalent of stat boosting items in games but also ya know, real world drugs that fuck you up. The other 50% is just them getting much stronger after they turn 200 because their bodies are just like that and it truly is purely ceremonial and a fun tradition like children's day or girl's day or birthdays rather than something that actually affects them.

- Lol Kranz, Regis won't be leaving a corpse if he dies. Purebloods are just special like that. Can you imagine if they did see a pureblood dying? They'd regret killing them so bad.

Chapter 133 - Raizel commanding Frankenstein to stop his experiments is definitely something, like bro maybe he was figuring out electrolysis, not like you know what he was doing. Plus it's not like Frankenstein listened completely. Man has a lab under his house and it wasn't built after Raizel woke. I guess he only stopped modification experiements on others and only did checkups on himself but didn't stop experimenting for other stuff like idk, better fertiliser.

- Kinda amazing Takeo didn't get stabbed in the heart.

Chapter 137 - I know it's just because Gejutel likely explained the lord's powers to him but the idea that Regis knows what a blood field is because Raskreia does demonstrations to entertain little kids is making me giggle.

Chapter 140 - So the Union only came upon Frankenstein's research 540 years ago... that's only 40 years before Raskreia became lord. Interesting.

- Ah yes... the classic joke of Tao not teaching Takeo korean properly. It's also very amusing envisioning Tao teaching the DA-5 members korean.

- ARIS ARIS ARIS. God she looks adorbs. Also I love her referring to DA-5 as 'my children' and 'my babies'. Aris >>> all other scientists. Amd hi Yuri :)

Chapter 141 - Yuri listening to Aris insulting Crombel repeatedly,,, he probably enjoys every aspect of it from knowing she's not aware he's his underling to being able to hear someone insult Crombel.

- Once again union members don't know jack shit. They think werewolves are extinct while Maduke and Lunark are literally Elders 😭🤡😭

- Werewolves having a small population never made sense to me even with the whole thing about them not having mind control and thus keeping away from humans secretly since even civilians are stronger than humans on average but like why tf would wolves have such a low reproduction rate? And that's why I hc that 90% of them are just homosexual.

Chapter 142 - D doesn't consume your lifeforce bro. That's just the drugs causing heavy strain on the body, etc etc. The rest of your explanation was fine but talking about lifeforce or vitality makes no sense.

- We all know Yuri's smart but the fact that he tries to get Frankenstein as a subject by scouting him first is very clever. It's believable too since Frankenstein is supposed to be quite handsome.

Chapter 144 - Well we don't know of Crombel microchips his Assassination Squad but Aris canonically microchips her experiments 🤣

Chapter 147 - Okay but this panel... she's hot. I'd let her dissect me <3

- If this was some other media I'd talk about the symbolism of the attack looking like a rapier and go on for a paragraph but this is Noblesse so it's obviously just a coincidence lmao.

- "A living robot" so like... a cyborg.

Chapter 148 - Yuri getting pissed at being attacked and retaliating but pretending it was him being loyal to Aris... Love it. Also he must be really confused as to who tf Frankenstein is since as one of Crombel's most important lackeys he'd definitely know about such a powerful experiment under him if they existed and thus unlike Aris knows that he's not been sent by Crombel.

Chapter 149 - Yup def confused, especially when he realises Frankenstein's power is like Crombel's.

Chapter 150 - Girlboss,,, also it's been years and I'm still wondering... why is her outfit like that? Neon genesis evangelion girlboss does have a ring to it though.

- Ah yes, Taivra time.

Chapter 151 - Okay yeah I feel so bad for Takeo but also Aris is so good at manipulating him and and and iwi. The fact that she can cry on command though... impressive.

- "From the beginning you were an only child. That's why I got you to experiment on." Okay cool time to ignore that again for my own amusement of having all of noblesse's named modified human women be related to Takeo.

- Okay I'm obsessed with strawberry milk myself but strawberries do not taste anywhere near that good. Not even the sweet ones.

Chapter 153 - Yeah no I don't agree that Takeo losing his will to live is an insult to your comrades M-21. You could have said all that in a gentler way. Just because Takeo was luckier than you experiment wise doesn't mean you get to be so rude.

Chapter 154 - M-21 misleading Tao and Takeo to thinking he's being experimented on and then turning around to laugh at them when they find out it's just ramyeon... mood.

- I really do wonder what 12th Elder's military medals are for.

Sidenotes - Hammer being smart <3 I honestly didn't remember that part of him and I'm glad he's not given purely negative traits. He's the only reason Shark lived past 2 chapters tbh.

- Truly, D is one of the worst letters of the alphabet to have named the drugs DA-5 uses. The other bad choice would be P. On the opposite end of the spectrum, T would have been a great choice for the irony. Not that it matters since the inspiration for the drug from name to physical transformation is obviously 🍆

- Nobles being so nonchalant about murder is kinda fucked up like yeah they suck but you can't just kill them??? Lukedonia my beloved your justice system sucks. I do hc they can't just do this in Lukedonia though or to other nobles even if outside of Lukedonia, it's just that the jurisdiction of nobles doesn't apply outside of Lukedonia and they do on some level think of themselves as a superior species so they're fine with just... killing people.

- Aris obsessing over handsome men as experiments and treating them like toys but ignoring women altogether? Not experimenting on women? Gaslight gatekeep girlboss,,, a feministe of our own,,, perhaps even a... lesbienne. But yeah I just love how she acts and I love her and how she interacts with Yuri. And yeah he's cool too.

- Tbh aside from how short the skirts are and the white blazers, the Ye Ran uniform really reminds me of my own school's uniform. The colours are exactly the same. We just didn't have blazers since it was a forever summer tropical country, only jumpers for if it got too cold in the air conditioned rooms. And for some people who grow up in tropical countries... 25°C can be too cold.

[olko71]

New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on http://yaroreviews.info/2021/05/apples-tim-cook-faces-pointed-questions-from-judge

Apple's Tim Cook Faces Pointed Questions From Judge

Apple Inc. AAPL -1.48% Chief Executive Tim Cook faced tough questions from the federal judge who will decide whether the iPhone maker operates an improper monopoly, including about the competitiveness of its App Store payment system.

Mr. Cook spent about four hours Friday on the witness stand in an Oakland, Calif., court trying to rebut claims by “Fortnite” videogame creator Epic Games Inc. that Apple unfairly prohibits competing app stores on the iPhone and forces in-app purchases for digital payments through its own system that takes as much as a 30% cut.

He argued that Apple’s prohibition of rival app stores on the iPhone and its insistence on reviewing all apps sold ensures the security of users. He also pushed back against the Epic lawyer’s attempts to show the company was motivated by profit considerations.

As Mr. Cook’s time on the public witness stand neared an end, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers interjected, noting that game developers seemed to be generating a disproportionate amount of money for Apple compared with the technology the iPhone maker was providing in turn.

Tim Cook in the federal complex in Oakland, Calif., on Friday.

Photo: Noah Berger/Associated Press

She said Apple’s in-app payment system didn’t face competition and zeroed in on why Apple prohibits developers from alerting users in their apps to cheaper options for in-app purchases outside of Apple’s system—an issue that has arisen several times during the trial.

“I understand this notion that somehow Apple brings the customer to the gamers, the users, but after that first time, after that first interaction…the developers are keeping their customers, Apple is just profiting off that,” she said.

Mr. Cook disagreed, arguing that the many free apps available on the App Store attract customers to the potential benefit of game developers, and defended Apple’s right to choose a business model that relies on commissions from apps and in-app purchases.

“If we allowed people to link out like that we would in essence give up our total return on” intellectual property, Mr. Cook said.

“ ‘We’re not thinking about the money at all, we’re thinking about the user.’ ”

— Tim Cook, in court testimony

Unlike in a jury trial, Judge Gonzalez Rogers will decide the case, which is scheduled to end Monday. Both sides have been closely watching her statements and questions during the past three weeks of the trial to gauge how she is leaning; she had previously asked about the idea of allowing developers to notify their users of a cheaper alternative to Apple’s payment system.

Longtime court observers caution against reading too much into any judge’s statements during a proceeding. Judge Gonzalez Rogers’s questions came after Mr. Cook had tried to spend much of his time emphasizing that user security motivates Apple.

“We’re not thinking about the money at all, we’re thinking about the user,” he said.

Mr. Cook began testifying around 8:15 a.m. local time by discussing Apple’s commitment to security and privacy—a familiar theme for the CEO—and his belief that third-party developers with their own app stores aren’t motivated to match the level of user protection that Apple provides with its App Store.

He noted that Apple reviews about 100,000 apps a week and rejects about 40,000 for various reasons.

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“You can imagine if you turned the review off how long that it would take the App Store to just become a toxic kind of mess,” Mr. Cook said. “It would be terrible for the user, but it also would be terrible for the developer because the developer depends on the store being a safe and trusted place where customers want to come and feel good about transacting.”

Apple’s case that it isn’t a monopoly has relied on citing Android phones, personal computers and videogame consoles as additional ways for Epic to distribute its “Fortnite’’ game, and underscoring that other platforms collect a similar commission.

Mr. Cook said that Apple faced “fierce” competition from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Samsung Electronics Co. and others and emphasized how much value his company’s investment in the app economy has created for developers—an assertion fitting claims from Apple’s lawyers that the company’s fees are fair.

“It’s been an economic miracle,” he said.

“What is the problem with allowing users to have choice—especially in gaming content—to find, to having cheaper options?” Judge Gonzalez Rogers asked Mr. Cook.

“I think they have a choice today,” he responded. “They have a choice between many different Android models of a smartphone or an iPhone, and that iPhone has a certain set of principles behind it in safety, security and privacy.”

Mr. Cook’s testimony will be scrutinized well beyond the courtroom as Apple faces increasing threats from lawmakers and regulators around the world examining the power it has over third-party software developers.

Approaching his 10th anniversary as CEO, Mr. Cook is pursuing a strategy for Apple that involves expanding its digital offerings to offset any slowdown in iPhone sales.

In total Mr. Cook testified about four hours, including some time behind closed doors for business confidentiality. He faced questions from Epic’s lawyer of a type that he rarely gets each quarter from Wall Street analysts, including about Apple’s removal of apps for the Chinese government and details of the deal making Google the default search engine on the iPhone.

During the cross-examination, Epic lawyer Gary Bornstein tried to pin down Mr. Cook down on whether company calculates the profit margin of its App Store in a bid to illustrate that the company is making outsize profits from developers.

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Mr. Cook insisted Apple doesn’t calculate such things and avoided most discussion about profitability. Asked if Apple’s multibillion-dollar deal for Google to be the default search engine on iPhones, he insisted: “It’s still in the best interest of the user.”

“Sir, it’s a very lucrative arrangement for Apple,” Mr. Bornstein said. “Am I right about that?”

Said Mr. Cook: “They pay us money.”

Mr. Bornstein turned to what he called public information that the government has said Google paid Apple upward of $10 billion. In October, the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google that, in part, claimed the search engine was paying between $8 billion and $12 billion annually for the arrangement. Apple wasn’t accused of wrongdoing in that case.

“I don’t remember the exact number,” Mr. Cook responded. Asked if it was upward of $10 billion, Mr. Cook said he didn’t know.

Throughout the trial, both sides focused on Apple’s motivation last fall for lowering the commissions it collects to 15% from 30% on apps generating no more than $1 million in revenue. Mr. Cook said it was prompted by concerns of small businesses amid the Covid-19 pandemic while conceding litigation concerns played some role. The judge said it seemed to stem from the pressure Apple was feeling from investigations and litigation and not competition.

Mr. Cook’s defense of the company’s in-app payment system revolved around the idea that it helps Apple bill developers. Without it, he said, “It would be a mess.”

Apple’s stock-market value hit a new record this year, but its longstanding disputes with app developers are bubbling over into public view. WSJ explains why high-profile companies like Epic Games, Spotify and Tinder are at odds with App Store rules. Video/illustration: Jaden Urbi/WSJ

His testimony put Mr. Cook in the same courtroom as rival Tim Sweeney, the co-founder and CEO of Epic, who has attended the trial each day

Mr. Sweeney took the witness stand during the trial’s first week, describing how Epic violated Apple’s app-store rules in order to show the power the iPhone maker wields. “Apple was making more profit from selling developer apps in the App Store than developers,” Mr. Sweeney testified on the trial’s opening day.

Epic filed its lawsuit against Apple in August after the iPhone maker kicked “Fortnite” out of the App Store for violating its rules. Epic’s team had created an in-app payment system aimed at circumventing Apple’s and sneaked it into “Fortnite” that month.

On the stand Friday, Mr. Cook said the return of “Fortnite” to the App Store would benefit the user—if Epic followed Apple’s rules. “The user is caught between two companies,” he said. “It’s not the right thing to do with the user.”

Write to Tim Higgins at Tim.Higgins@WSJ.com

Corrections & Amplifications Nina Riggio of Bloomberg News is credited for the photo of Tim Cook arriving at court on Friday. An earlier version of this article incorrectly carried a credit for David Paul Morris of Bloomberg News. (Corrected on May 21.)

Epic vs. Apple

Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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The best (and worst) hand creams for dry, cracked hands

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/the-best-and-worst-hand-creams-for-dry-cracked-hands/

The best (and worst) hand creams for dry, cracked hands

By now, your hands have probably felt the full effects of a Canadian winter.

Dry, itchy and flaky skin is common during colder months, and it can be even worse for people with pre-existing conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

That’s why, according to Toronto board-certified dermatologist Dr. Julia Carroll, using the right hand cream is key.

READ MORE: The best mascaras on the market, from drug store to luxury brands

When buying a hand cream, look for “a combination of emollient and occlusive,” Carroll told Global News. “These [ingredients] act as a physical barrier to prevent water loss.”

These agents have two noteworthy qualities: they prevent external factors (like water from hand washing) from drying your skin and they keep locked in the moisture your skin has already.

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Lanolin, mineral oil and silicone are examples of occlusives, and emollients are ingredients like plant oils, mineral oils and shea and cocoa butter.

READ MORE: The best (and worst) lip balms to combat the harsh weather of winter

Humectants, like glycerin, honey and aloe vera, are also helpful for keeping your skin at maximum moisture.

During testing, a few Global News reporters found the creams they were assigned to be quite greasy. While it may not be the best for using a keyboard, Carroll said greasiness could actually suggest the product has a good combination of these ingredients.

“People need to play around with the formula … to find what works better for their skin,” she said. “Some people put too much product. You don’t need a lot.”

Reporters at Global News tried out some of the best and organized them by price: $10 and under, $20 and under and $20 or more.

$10 and under

Illustration by Laura Whelan

Name of product: O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Cream Retail price: $9.99 Available at: A variety of retailers Product specialty: For extremely dry, cracked hands First thoughts: This cream looks and feels almost like a balm when you take it out of the container. You definitely only need to use a small amount because the product spreads a lot. It doesn’t absorb quickly, so your hands might feel a little greasy for a few minutes. End-of-the-day test: My hands felt extremely soft, and I didn’t have to reapply a lot. It was also unscented, which was surprising. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? I would recommend this hand cream for the winter because it leaves your hands feeling very moisturized and soft without a lingering scent. You don’t have to use a lot of the hand cream to make a difference, which could make this a good investment for the winter. Score out of 5: 4 — Katie Scott

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Name of product: Glysomed Hand Cream Retail price: $7 Available at: A variety of retailers Product specialty: Combines glycerine with chamomile and silicone to lock in moisture First thoughts: I don’t like anything about this cream. The smell is clinical, and the texture does not work for my skin type. It’s way too greasy and it never feels fully rubbed into my hands. End-of-the-day test: Because of how oily I found this product — it got everywhere — I was wiping my hands a lot. They felt the same at the end of the day as they did at the beginning of the day. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? I don’t think I would recommend this product if you, like me, have relatively normal dry skin during the winter. However, it might be more effective for people with severely dry skin. Score out of 5: 2 — Meghan Collie

Name of product: Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment Retail price: $9.47 Available at: A variety of retailers Product specialty: For extremely dry, cracked, chafed or damaged skin First thoughts: It’s clear that this product is for extremely damaged skin. Its consistency is similar to Vaseline. I made the mistake of trying it as a hand cream while at work, and it ended up all over my keyboard. End-of-the-day test: My hands were definitely protected from the winter elements, but they were greasy. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? Yes, this is an effective ointment for winter, but use it at home as a nighttime cream. Otherwise, it’s likely to get on your clothes and anything else you touch. You can also use it as a lip balm during the day. Score out of 5: 4.5 — For doing exactly what it’s supposed to but for not being really usable during the day — Olivia Bowden

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Name of product: Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair Lotion Retail price: $8.48 Available at: A variety of retailers Product specialty: Non-greasy, unscented moisturizer First thoughts: It certainly does its job but makes a big deal out of being a non-greasy moisturizer despite it actually feeling a bit greasy — even with just a small amount applied. End-of-the-day test: My hands feel the same as they were before. You might have to apply this one every few hours for maximum effect. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? No, simply for the reason that you can probably get a better one, and though it says it’s unscented, it smells a wee bit like sunscreen. Score out of 5: 3.5 — Reliable brand name? Sure, but you could do better. Treat yourself. — Adam Wallis

Name of product: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hand Gel Cream Retail price: $8 Available at: A variety of retailers Product specialty: “Instantly boosts hydration for supple hands.” First thoughts: Why is this so light? My hands are pretty dry in the winter, and when I do buy hand cream, I look for a thick formula that is long-lasting. I thought this formula was way too light and wasn’t sure exactly how this would last all day. The one thing I did appreciate about this cream was the scent and how non-greasy it was. End-of-the-day test: My hands were less dry than before, but they were not supple, soft or smooth. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? If you suffer from dry hands, move on. Score out of 5: 2 — Arti Patel

$10 to $20

Illustration by Laura Whelan Illustration by Laura Whelan

Name of product: CeraVe Therapeutic Hand Cream Retail price: $13.99 Available at: A variety of retailers First thoughts: This looks like a medicated lotion or something you get with a prescription. The first time it came out of the tube, it was far more liquidy than I thought. End-of-the-day test: My hands definitely felt more moisturized but a touch too oily, almost slippery when it’s first applied. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? It did what it promised, so sure! It’s scentless, so if you like a nice smell with your lotion, this one might not be for you. Score out of 5: 3.5 — Chris Jancelewicz

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Name of product: La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Retail price: $16 Available at: Shoppers Drug Mart, Amazon Product specialty: Barrier-repairing balm First thoughts: It looks clinical and smells like a doctor’s office. It seems like something you’d get with a prescription. End-of-the-day test: My hands felt soft and supple. This stuff definitely does the trick. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? This is a solid hand cream for winter, especially if your hands are dry and cracked. A little bit of balm goes a long way, and the small container is easy to carry in your pocket. Score out of 5: 4 — Josh Elliott

Name of product: Aveeno Eczema Care Moisturizing Cream Retail price: $12 Available at: Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart, most major retailers Product specialty:  Relieves dry, itchy, irritated skin due to eczema. Aveeno’s “oatmeal” formula is meant to soothe skin and reduce redness, itching, dryness and irritation. First thoughts: Very easy to apply and nice consistency. I like the light scent and consistency; not to thin or too thick. End-of-the-day test: I applied this product in the morning, and by the time I got home from work, I found my skin to be slightly improved. It is not oily or sticky, meaning it easily absorbs and actually offers some much-needed moisture to cracked skin. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? Yes. For the price point and size, it’s a good deal. Score out of 5: 4 — Laura Hensley

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Name of product: Burt’s Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream Retail price: $14.99 Available at: A variety of retailers Product specialty: Made of 99.63 per cent natural ingredients and improves elasticity of the skin to prevent “environmental aging” First thoughts: It smells amazing, and the texture is perfect — soft and dense but not too greasy. End-of-the-day test: I reapplied after every time I washed my hands and I’m hooked. Not only does my skin feel better, but I swear my nails and cuticles are stronger, too. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? Definitely. My dry, chafed skin has never looked better, Score out of 5: 5 — Meghan Collie

Name of product: Hemp Hard-Working Hand Protector Retail price: $10 (30 ml) Available at: The Body Shop Product specialty: For every tube purchased, The Body Shop will donate to help Re-Wild the World through its World Bio-Bridges mission, and the product includes Community Trade hemp seed oil from France. First thoughts: The scent is nice, and the consistency feels like it would be heavy-duty, as described. I also like the packaging — handy for when you’re on the go. End-of-the-day test: I wanted to love this cult favourite, but I found it left my hands feeling oily and not quenched, like it didn’t really sink into my skin. I had to continuously reapply throughout the day and found the residue it left on my skin uncomfortable. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? It’s a good option for people on a budget, but I would sooner buy a product with shea butter or other oils that penetrate the skin efficiently. This product feels like it has too many synthetic ingredients. Score out of 5: 3.5 — Meaghan Wray

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$20 or more

Illustration by Laura Whelan Illustration by Laura Whelan

Name of product: Lush Helping Hands hand cream Retail price: $21.95 Available at: Lush Product specialty: All natural ingredients, certified safe synthetic ingredients and not tested on animals First thoughts: The subtle floral scent was the first thing I noticed. At first, I found the residue a bit greasy, but it sunk into my skin pretty quickly. The consistency feels heavy-duty but goes on thin. End-of-the-day test: This is easily one of my go-to hand creams now. My hands felt more supple by the end of the day, and getting a whiff of the lavender and marigold throughout the day was a nice bonus. A little goes a long way, so I expect the 100-gram container to last me a long time. The only inconvenience is the container, as it comes in Lush’s trademark recyclable tub (bonus points for being environmentally friendly) rather than a tube. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? Yes. The ingredients like honey, almond oil and cocoa and shea butters are perfect for a heavy-duty winter cream. Plus, it held up even after handwashing, which is super impressive and convenient during flu seasons. It was also great on dry elbows. Score out of 5: 5 — Meaghan Wray 

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Name of product: L’Occitane en Provence Shea Butter Hand Cream Retail price: $38 (150 ml) Available at: Sephora, L’Occitane Product specialty: It says it will quickly nourish, protect and soften hands. First thoughts: It doesn’t make my hands feel greasy and it dries very quickly, but I’m not a fan of the smell. The scent reminds me of something similar to a cream used for a baby. End-of-the-day test: My hands felt very soft at the end of the day and they weren’t dry. but I did have to reapply a few times after washing my hands. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? I would recommend this hand cream for the winter because it dries quickly and doesn’t leave your hands greasy or slippery at all. It absorbs so fast and you can go about your day. It lives up to its product specialty, which was nourishing and softening hands. The scent might not be for everyone, though. Score out of 5: 3.5 — Katie Scott

Name of product: Intensive Hand Repair by Miracle 10 Retail price: $39 Available at: miracle10.com First thoughts: The subtle citrus smell of the product is refreshing and helpful for early mornings at the office. I noticed the texture of the cream is thick but not greasy like an ointment. After applying the cream, it quickly absorbed into my skin, and my hands felt moisturized but not oily. The smell isn’t overpowering so it won’t irritate others around you. End-of-the-day test: The moisturizing effects of the cream last throughout the day, but if you’re dealing with extremely dry, cracked winter skin, you may have to apply it several times throughout the day. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? I would definitely recommend this as an easy cream to keep at your desk to use throughout the day, but if you’re dealing with serious dry skin, you might want to use a heavier product than this one. Score out of 5: 4.5 — For keeping my hands hydrated and for making me smell like a grove of oranges — Olivia Bowden

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Name of product: Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm Retail price: $39 Available at: Nordstrom, Hudson’s Bay, Amazon Product specialty: Barrier repairing balm First thoughts: This looks like hand cream for the one per cent. It smells amazing thanks to a blend of rosemary, cedar and mandarin orange-rind scents. It also has a classy-looking tube with a quote from the poet T.S. Eliot written on it. End-of-the-day test: This is day spa-level stuff. My hands felt soft and moisturized. I felt pampered. Two soft thumbs up. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? I’d never pay $39 for a hand cream but I can understand the price tag. It fulfills its job as a hand-moisturizing cream, but the texture and scent make it an enjoyable experience. If you’re looking for the very best hand cream for winter, this is a contender. Score out of 5: 5 — Josh Elliott

Name of product: Velvet Mitts Hand & Nail Crème by 1’Lux Retail price: $23 Available at: 1luxbeauty.com Product specialty: A fragrant cream created to soothe dry hands and brittle nails. A “tapered precision applicator” lets users squeeze out the desired amount. First thoughts: The thin applicator really limits how much cream comes out, meaning I used less than I likely would with other products. It isn’t oily or sticky and quickly absorbed into the skin. I like the coconut scent. End-of-the-day test: I didn’t feel like the cream really moisturized my dry skin as much as I’d liked. I reapplied the product several times throughout the day, as my skin still felt dry and chapped. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? If you’re looking for a nice-smelling product with light moisturizing effects, Velvet Mitts may be for you. If you’re like me, on the other hand, and have very dry and cracked skin, you’ll likely need something stronger. Score out of 5: 3 — Laura Hensley

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Name of product: Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve Retail price: $21 Available at: Sephora, Hudson’s Bay, Holt Renfrew Product specialty: Extra-strength moisturizing to soothe and condition severely dry and/or weathered skin First thoughts: This cream is fab! At first, it feels a little thick, but once you really rub it in, you almost forget about your dryness. It really doesn’t take much of the stuff to do the trick, either, which is great because it’s a relatively small bottle. End-of-the-day test: My hands feel nice and smooth, with no trace of dryness every day. Great to apply every morning. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? Definitely! It’s great for dry hands, smells natural and is optimal for travel since it’s so small and compact. Score out of 5: 4.5, with the only downside being the price for the amount you get— not a bargain. — Adam Wallis

Name of product: Weleda Skin Food Original Ultra-Rich Cream Retail price: $23.49 Available at: Well.ca Product specialty: Intensely hydrating and ultra-moisturizing for dry, damaged skin First thoughts: This is extremely heavy. The cream is thick, oily and left my hands feeling greasy. However, as a person who suffers from dry skin (and even drier elbows), this has become my new go-to night cream. The thick product lasts — and lasts a long time. End-of-the-day test: When I wake up in the morning, my hands are still just as soft. My only concern for this is I wouldn’t want to wear it during the day. I felt like my keyboard was covered in a residue. Would you recommend this hand cream for winter? Yes, but I would only use it at night. Score out of 5: 4 — Arti Patel

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Meghan.Collie@globalnews.ca

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samhat @ GDC 2018, Part One

I had the opportunity to go to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco back in March, and since then, a few of my friends have been asking me how it went. In normal conversation, it’s hard to get more detailed than “I met some cool people and learned some interesting things,” but I have a lot of thoughts about my trip. GDC for me was both rewarding and taxing, inspiring and exhausting. So with the extra time and space afforded me here, I’d like to get a bit more in-depth and personal about my GDC 2018 experience.

I’ve split this recap into two parts. Part one includes my GDC preparations, what I did before the conference, and discussion on what talks I went to. In part two, I’ll cover my social experience, what I did after GDC ended, and lessons I learned, both about game development and about attending GDC itself.

(As a side note, I went to GDC for the first time last year, and made a couple of posts last year about it. I meant to write a post for each day that I was there, but the amount of detail I put into the first couple posts ended up being too much work to continue as a side project while dealing with school and whatnot. I don’t like leaving that series unfinished, but I hope to fold some of what I wanted to say then into this year’s recap.)

GDC Video Travelogue

As a companion piece to this article, I’ve prepared a video travelogue of my trip to GDC. Basically, my process just involved grabbing a few seconds of video whenever I thought to, and compiling them into a series of small moments. There are a few things that I’m bummed that I forgot to film, but I’m otherwise happy with the result. Hope you enjoy!

Preparing for GDC

To be honest, I kinda fretted a lot about whether or not to go to GDC this year. I had a great time in 2017, but I worried whether or not the trip would be worth it financially. GDC is a really expensive proposition (passes alone are extremely pricey, not to mention the cost of a week-long trip to San Francisco), and I’m an (as-yet) unemployed recent grad. I thought it would be a good opportunity for job networking, but I knew from last year that GDC doesn’t have much in the way of a career fair. It felt like something of a gamble as to whether I’d meet the right people. And I was a bit nervous that none of my school friends were available to travel with me, since last year’s GDC was socially overwhelming for me at times.

All that said, I decided to go. I guess the main factor in that decision was just having a gut feeling that some good would come of me being where the action was, in terms of meeting people and being exposed to opportunities I might not have access to online. And I knew I’d really enjoy getting to be there again, listening to talks and checking out the show.

There were other factors in that decision too, of course. I made sure that there were talks that I wanted to see, and learned about a technical artist social, which sounded like a good chance to meet people with the job I’m hoping to get in the industry. Plus, I was lucky enough to have some support from my family, including staying with a cousin of mine during the conference.

Specifically, I decided to get the GDC Summits pass this year, which gets you access to talks from various special-interest bootcamps, tutorials, and summits on Monday and Tuesday, before the show floor and main conference opens on Wednesday. At first, I was thinking of getting a Conference + Summits pass, which would have gotten me into talks Wednesday through Friday too, but the extra cost was substantial, and I just couldn’t stomach it this year. On the other hand, the Indie Game Summit pass was cheaper than what I got, and would have gotten me into most of the talks I saw, since I was really drawn to the indie talks. However, there was a Technical Artist Bootcamp on Tuesday, which seemed like another good education and networking opportunity, so I decided to opt for the Summits pass.

Once I booked my ticket to San Fran, I decided to do whatever I could to prepare myself to go. I really wanted to make the most of my time, and hopefully find ways to deal with some of the stress I feel about meeting new people at big events like this. Threads of GDC tips started showing up on Twitter, and I read as many of them as I could. I particularly liked the Pixelles guide to GDC, as well as Darius Kazemi’s series on networking. I learned some important tips from those guides that I’ll touch on in my Takeaways section.

Pre-GDC: Flying in, hanging with friends & family

I flew out to San Francisco on the Saturday before the conference, arriving around 5pm in the evening. As I just mentioned, I was hosted during the conference by my cousin Liz, her husband Jeremy, and their two sons Finn (8) and Oscar (6) at their very nice home near Golden Gate Park in the northwest corner of San Francisco. They have a small guest room adjoining their garage, which made it really easy for me to come in after a late night without bothering anyone in the house. They’re also close to some bus lines that I thought I’d use, but I ended up just taking Lyft the whole week out of convenience.

So anyway, once I got into town, I took the time I had before the conference to spend time with friends and family. Upon my arrival Saturday evening, I took a train from the airport into the city to meet up with my friend Laura, who was then just a week from her wedding! (Congrats Laura!!) We went out and grabbed some ramen and ice cream, and caught up with each other a bit. I also bought myself a cool shirt at UNIQLO :D (It's a green shirt that says "non competitive action league" on it in reflective letters. Don't ask me what that means, I just think it's cool haha)

Sunday was a family day for me, which I really enjoyed. On Sunday morning, I went with Liz and her fam to church, which was a nice time. After that, we came back to the house for a few hours for lunch and some trampoline action with Finn and Oscar :) And from there, we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge (it was my first time really seeing it!) to my aunt’s house near Berkeley for dinner. There’s a small contingent of my extended family in San Francisco, all on my mom’s side: my cousin Liz and her family, my aunt Teri and uncle Peter (Liz’s parents), and my cousin Nick and his wife Bekah. Anyway, I was really glad we all got to meet up and enjoy some excellent home-cooked food together. (We also celebrated Oscar’s birthday, turning 6 that week!)

And Monday morning, I got up, got ready, and took a Lyft to the Moscone Center downtown for GDC 2018!

Talks, films, and presentations

The talks at GDC are one of my favorite parts of the conference. I enjoy them for a variety of reasons: learning game development skills and tips, finding out more about games I’m interested in, being introduced to exciting games I might not have heard of otherwise, and just being inspired by other people’s creations and experiences.

In addition to the normal talks, there are a few other sit-down presentations I’m lumping into this section. One is the GDC Film Festival, which was new to GDC this year! It consisted (I think) entirely of documentary-style films pertaining to video games. I went to a few screenings, and both were very interesting. From what I understand, several of the films are available to view on Steam.

And there’s also the IGF and Game Developers Choice Awards, a big old ceremony that happens in a huge meeting hall Wednesday night. Awards ceremonies can be kind of dry, but I kinda like to go and see the IGF awards in particular. I like seeing who wins awards and hearing their speeches, and there are usually some good jokes and video sketches mixed in with the awards presentations.

Last year, I got bogged down describing all the talks I went to in detail. I still want to give you an idea of what I saw, but this time I’ll settle for a much broader overview. Where available, I’ve added links to the recording of each talk in the free GDC Vault, so if any of these interest you, check them out!

Monday

Failure Workshop - Hugh Monahan, Tanya X. Short - A recurring talk on lessons gained through failure. Some nice tips here (and I particularly recommend last year’s edition: Tim Rogers gave a funny and poignant talk about his failure creating VIDEOBALL, a game I love).

Failing to Fail: The Spiderweb Software Way - Jeff Vogel - A really interesting walk through the career of a indie game dev who started making games on Mac in the 90s, long before the current indie boom. Very entertaining with some inspirational advice and lessons.

Branching Paths - Anne Ferrero - Part of the GDC Film Fest, this is a documentary about the small indie game development scene in Japan, directed by the filmmaker behind the Youtube series toco toco. Beautifully shot and very interesting.

An Evidence-Based Mental Health Model For Game Developers - Dr. Jennifer Hazel - Some ideas on how to manage mental health issues as a video game developer. Main idea is Audit, Accept, Act: Audit how you’re feeling and how you deal with stress and emotions, Accept your weaknesses and your strengths, and Act to improve what can be improved.

Don’t Break the Chain: Maintaining Productivity on Your 19th Game - Jason Rohrer - A case study on how working long hours impacts productivity as a work-from-home indie dev, backed up with some surprisingly detailed data points from the presenter. Included some productivity ideas that were very helpful for me, which I plan to share at the conclusion of this article.

|FIRSTNAME| and Tiger Emojis: Takeaways from Bizarrely (Un)successful Emails - Adriaan de Jongh, Ben Myers - Tips on how to write emails that people will read and respond to, with what I thought was a particular focus on pitch emails. A fun and entertaining tag-team presentation with some funny examples and clear takeaways. Their tips: people respond to emails that are very short, have genuine personalization, have a perfect subject line, have one expressive image, and are bold, but not demanding.

Tuesday

(The Tech Art Bootcamp videos are locked behind the GDC Vault paywall, but you can find the slides here.)

Technical Artist Bootcamp: Shaders 301 - Ben Cloward - The third in a series of shader writing talks in the Tech Art Bootcamp. Walks you through creating shaders for rustling leaves, snow accumulation, and layers of rock strata.

Alternative Paths in Indie Dev - Nathalie Lawhead, Robin Baumgarten, Tj Hughes, Heather Flowers, Kaho Abe, Tammy Duplantis - A session of microtalks by a diverse group of indie devs that are doing things differently than most indies. Good for both learning how people try to make ends meet making alt-games, and discovering new and interesting creators and projects to follow.

Technical Artist Bootcamp: Zen in the Art of Rigging - Brian Venisky - Rigging isn’t my favorite thing to do, so when I saw this talk’s title, I thought it might be about how to apply zen principles to make rigging less frustrating or intimidating. That wasn’t really the direction the talk went, but it did have some good rigging tips for tech artists and tech animators.

Game A Week: Teaching Students to Prototype - Douglas Wilson, Bennett Foddy - I keep hearing a lot about the “game a week” idea as a way for people to get started making games, but that always sounded intimidating for me. Going to this talk seemed like a good way to understand better how that idea could work in practice. The discussion was specifically geared toward educators, but it was an engaging presentation that I was able to glean a few lessons from for personal use.

Technical Artist Bootcamp: Identifying Technical Art by Its Habits - Robbert-Jan Brems - Kind of a neat talk that discussed what technical art is, and what kind of habits tech artists can develop to better support the people they work with. I thought the presenter had a good, empathetic perspective on how to help people without becoming annoyed or jumping to conclusions.

Technical Artist Bootcamp: Learning an Established Content Creation Pipeline, Workflow and Codebase - Ross Patel - Does what it says on the tin: provides some helpful tips on how to jump into a new team and project. The presenter cited some psychology research that was interesting, saying that learning is more effective if you do it to solve a certain problem, and that stress can affect whether we approach problems with intelligence and creativity, or with habits and instincts.

Indie Soapbox - Johanna Pirker, Davey Wreden, Claris Cyarron, Danny Baranowsky, Adriel Wallick, Justin Ma, Dee Del Rosario, Frank Lantz, Rosa Carbo-Mascarell, Ethan Redd - The final session of the Indie Game Summit, where a group of indie developers give rapid-fire micro-talks on a variety of subjects, from “what makes people want to continue playing games” to the Tóth Sausage Conjecture. Lots of inspiring and thought-provoking messages here, some of which I’ll cover in my lessons learned section. In any case, this session comes highly recommended.

Wednesday

The Lost Arcade - Another documentary from the GDC Film Festival, The Lost Arcade recounts the history of Chinatown Fair, the last bastion of old-school arcades and fighting game culture in New York City. Includes some really interesting personal stories of the people involved. I found it really compelling and surprisingly emotional.

IGF Awards and Game Developers Choice Awards - I already described this above, but I’ll just add that a highlight of the ceremony for me was Rami Ismail’s acceptance speech for the GDC Ambassador Award. I heard that Tim Schafer’s speech was also good, but I had to duck out before he spoke.

Thursday

Mental Health and Making It: Succeeding Through the Struggles - Raffael Boccamazzo, Michelle Flamm, Job Stauffer, Jennifer Scheurle, Jason L. Blair - In contrast to the other mental health talk I went to, this was more of a free-form discussion panel, moderated by the director of gaming mental health organization Take This. I appreciated the perspective of people currently working in the industry, and they shared a lot of helpful insights on dealing with mental health challenges as a professional. (My pass can’t get into most talks on Wednesday - Friday, but this one was on the free Advocacy track that all passes can get into.)

Friday

Indie After College: Surviving the Transition - Asher Vollmer, Jenny Jiao Hsia, Ted DiNola - A session of three talks whose overall message was, perhaps unsurprisingly, “don’t go indie right after college”. However, after backing up this assertion, they provided paths to work towards becoming an indie dev, and tips for those who can’t be persuaded otherwise. I especially enjoyed Jenny’s talk and the excellent drawings she did for her slides.

Some Cool-Looking Talks I Missed

‘Splatoon’ and ‘Splatoon 2’: How to Invent a Stylish Franchise with Global Appeal

’ARMS’: Building ‘Mario Kart 8’ Insights into a Showcase Nintendo Switch Fighter

Nuke Possum Springs: A ‘Night in the Woods’ Design Postmortem

Classic Game Postmortem: ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’

Classic Game Postmortem: ‘NBA Jam’

#1ReasonToBe - This is a session where under-represented and under-privileged developers from all over the world share the unique creations and challenges from their regions. Last year’s session was really inspiring to me, so I was sad to miss it this year.

Been There Done That: Industry Veterans Share Experience and Advice - My friend Miko spoke in this session!

Experimental Gameplay Workshop - This recurring session was another favorite of mine last year. It showcases games with unusual and innovative mechanics or control schemes, and has previously featured games like Katamari Damacy, Portal, and flOw before they hit the big time.

If you’re interested in digging further into this year’s talks, I recommend using Yanko Oliveira’s handy GDC 2018 Vault Explorer, which I saw on Twitter. The GDC Vault website itself can be a bit janky: my pet peeve is that when you go to the homepage and follow links labeled “Free Content” and “Show All Free GDC 2018 Content”, it doesn’t actually do anything - all the paywall content is still included as if you had just gone straight to browsing all the talks. This site, on the other hand, is easier to browse and has much more useful filters.

To Be Continued...

And that’s it for Part One of my GDC 2018 recap! Thanks for reading, and come back next Friday for more about my social experience and reflections on what I learned!

[junker-town]

The Pirates blew their chance at keeping Andrew McCutchen around forever

The Pirates had a lot of options with Andrew McCutchen. They chose the worst one.

On Sept. 7, 1982, the headline on the front page of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette read, “Champion of the city.” Pictured was Willie Stargell, wiping a tear away from his eye, at his retirement ceremony. Elsewhere in the paper, there was an article that included this anecdote:

By the time Stargell was halfway through the hugs and handshakes with the Pirates, the tears were falling faster than he could wipe them off with a towel draped around his neck.

This was all before a game against the Mets, and the traffic was so bad getting into the park that the start of the ceremonies were delayed. In the game, Stargell came up as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning, lined a single to center, and came out for a pinch-runner as the crowd roared and roared.

This is an article about Andrew McCutchen, by the way.

If you want the gooey stuff about the Pirates and McCutchen, I wrote about it last year, when he was supposed to be traded to the Nationals.

This is a team that waited 20 years for anything to cheer, enjoyed three years of postseason hopes, and are right back to the old paradigm, with one of the most popular players in franchise history almost certain to leave. Because that’s how it works when your team doesn’t command a market of six million people.

It’s narratively sublime that the Pirates didn’t finish over .500 from Barry Bonds to Andrew McCutchen. It’s a neat, perfect bookend that’s almost too easy to be real. One superstar left, and the Pirates were the butt of baseball’s on-camera practical jokes. Then another superstar came, and they were great. It’s almost like the 20 years in between didn’t happen. McCutchen brought them back to relevance, and he happened to be one of the most affable players in the history of a franchise that also employed Stargell and Roberto Clemente. The Pirates and their fans had earned this player like few other teams had earned their superstar.

Still, when those trade rumors came up last year, they made sense. McCutchen’s previous season was a dud, and there was some strategy to a trade. If he had really fallen into a talent vortex from which he would not escape, last season was the Pirates’ best chance to nab top prospects and save millions. Even though his season was disappointing, there were still enough teams hoping he would reclaim his MVP form that there would be something of a bidding war.

But a deal couldn’t be reached for unspecified reasons, and McCutchen stuck with the Pirates. After going 0-for-5 on May 23, nearly two months into the season, his average fell to .200. His on-base percentage was .279, and his defense was slipping. This looked like the end, and it looked like the Pirates missed their chance to recycle McCutchen’s promise into shiny new prospects.

The Mendoza Line would not claim him, though. After that game, McCutchen hit .313/.400/.540, with 22 homers for the rest of the season. While he wasn’t zipping around the outfield in the same fashion, he was dominating at the plate, finding his eye and his ability to make hard contact.

The Pirates stunk last year, but at least they had their superstar back. If you wanted to squint, you could almost argue that his 14-month dip was advantageous for them because it meant that McCutchen might settle for reasonable extension instead of a perennial-MVP-and-future-Hall-of-Famer extension. The Pirates couldn’t do the latter, but maybe they could do the former? For a special player like McCutchen?

He would have been open to the idea. I would guess that a fella that names his kid “Steel” might have some sort of connection to Pittsburgh, but that’s just me.

There was a window to keep McCutchen, one of the best human beings in the game, in the franchise for the rest of his career or close to it. It might be getting ahead of ourselves to put him in the same tier as Stargell or Tony Gwynn, but can’t be more than a half-tier below them. There aren’t a lot of players that deserve consideration for legacy end-your-career-here contracts, but McCutchen was one of them. Here was the Pirates’ chance.

They absolutely whiffed. They chose the worst of the possible options.

Option #1 - Sign McCutchen to a long-term deal

On Sept. 7, 2025, the headline on the front page of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette would read, “Champion of the city.” Pictured would be Andrew McCutchen, wiping a tear away from his eye, at his retirement ceremony.

The only unbelievable part of this scenario is that the world is still here by 2025, but other than that, it rings true. There’s a chance in this timeline that McCutchen stumbles again and gives the Pirates five or six poor seasons that are marred by injuries, while he commands a salary that helps them afford players who can actually help the team.

Reminder: The largest free-agent deal for an outside player in team history is still Russell Martin, who signed a two-year, $17 million contract. Pretty sure a McCutchen extension wasn’t going to keep them from signing free agents. They were already going to do that on their own.

The extension might have have resulted in a championship. It might not have even resulted in a division title or a wild card appearance. But it would have brought warm fuzzies to a franchise that was used to not enjoying warm fuzzies. Their fuzzies were usually cold and unforgiving, and they had fangs as long as your arm.

Here was a chance, though. Here was a chance to make McCutchen a story of Pittsburgh baseball that didn’t have a gut punch in the third act.

If you aren’t one for warm fuzzies, well, I guess there’s ...

Option #2 — Trade McCutchen last year, when teams were thinking they could buy low

I don’t know what deals were offered. I’m not sure if the financial obligations and McCutchen’s disappointing 2016 season left the Pirates without a reasonable offer. But even if they couldn’t get top prospects back, there was an explanation. “We loved McCutchen,” it went, “but you watched last season. He was clearly on the decline. This isn’t a team that can afford to sign declining players in their 30s, so as much as we loved him, this was the only appropriate decision for us to make.”

The fans would have hated it, but it didn’t smell like an owner trying to keep payroll down, at least. McCutchen didn’t play like someone who would deserve a long-term deal at the end of his contract, even for the fanbase that loved him unconditionally. Getting prospects back then — when the Pirates still had designs on a contending season, mind you — would have seemed like a logical, practical decision.

It wouldn’t have seemed cheap, and the pain would have been fleeting.

Unlike ...

Option #3 — Make sure McCutchen has a renaissance season, then trade him for unheralded young players

Easily the worst of the scenarios, just an absolute stinker. In this one, Pirates fans get to remember how much fun McCutchen is, and how they wish he could be around forever. And then they trade him for a reliever and a tweener outfield prospect to save $12 million.

Kyle Crick is a reliever with promise. He’s a former first-round pick with a first-round arm, and he resurrected his career last year with the Giants, thriving in the majors. At no point, though, will Pirates fans be talking about Crick to their children and grandchildren. The odds of a reliever making that sort of impact are unspeakably low.

Bryan Reynolds is a switch-hitting speedster of moderate promise. He’s a former second-round pick with a first-round skill set, and while he struck out a lot at High-A, and he wasn’t especially young for his level, there’s a small chance that he will be an excellent, Shane Victorino-like piece for a team one day.

And that can be a beautiful thing. But the odds are that Crick will pitch a few years, have some ups and downs, then leave. The odds are that Reynolds doesn’t even come close to Nate McLouth levels of fame and adulation in Pittsburgh. This is what replaced the idea of McCutchen wiping tears away at a retirement ceremony.

It would have been preferable to go with ...

Option #4 — Let McCutchen walk in free agency

In this scenario, the Pirates are still cheap, but there’s sense that at least they tried. Hey, can’t blame a guy for looking elsewhere. He’s a person with thoughts and feelings. He has agency — it’s right there in the name, “free agency.” Maybe McCutchen hits well enough to deserve the qualifying offer, and maybe he doesn’t.

There might not have been a tearful retirement ceremony, but there could have been one last standing ovation, just in case he left as a free agent. That’s better than him disappearing in the middle of the offseason.

The Pirates could have kept him around indefinitely. They didn’t.

They could have traded him when it looked like there was something wrong with him. They didn’t.

They could have let him leave of his own accord, putting some of the decision on his shoulders. They didn’t.

Instead, the Pirates traded Andrew McCutchen for a two-part package of potentially useful players, not potential stars. They might have received more than they would have if he received the qualifying offer, but it’s close enough to wonder what the real risks were with keeping him one more season. It’s close enough to contemplate the harm that comes with a franchise loudly announcing that there will be no tearful Willie Stargell ceremonies again, no player worth keeping around just because he’s a part of the team’s DNA and always will be.

The Pirates chose the worst of their options, and they timed it horribly. If we’re back here in five years, and Crick is an All-Star closer and Reynolds is a star, feel free to laugh at how overwrought this is. But there won’t be a tearful retirement ceremony for a homegrown superstar, and those chances sure don’t come up an awful lot. It might be five years until the franchise gets that kind of player again, or it might be five decades.

The Pirates might not blow that chance. But they sure blew this one. And it’ll probably be a long, long wait until that next chance comes around.

[ntrending]

Crowdfunding a mission to save capitalism from itself

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/crowdfunding-a-mission-to-save-capitalism-from-itself/

Crowdfunding a mission to save capitalism from itself

Jeff Lynn is on a mission to save capitalism from itself at a time when millions feel locked out, and unable to foresee themselves better off than their parents. His answer: to democratize capital.

That is one reason he founded Seedrs, an online platform through which individual investors can buy shares in high-growth companies at an early stage — a privilege once reserved for institutions and private equity funds. The other reason was to make money.

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He believes the service will give the middle class a greater stake in a capitalist system that has become skewed towards the rich.

While the wealthy have always been able to take advantage of alternative high-growth investments, governments barred others from doing so for their own protection. They thought “everyone else is a complete blithering idiot”, Mr. Lynn says. “There is a vast number of people out there, particularly with the levels of information that are available today, who are able to understand risk, who are able to make sensible decisions, who may not be fabulously wealthy but should be able to get much wealthier. That’s how capitalism is supposed to work. Maybe they can’t put £50,000 into every private investment they do, but would love to be able to put £500, or £5,000 in.”

Seedrs, which along with Crowdcube dominates the UK market, has funded more than 540 deals, representing £280m of investment. Some were follow-on rounds, and in total about 400 companies have been funded. About 20-30 companies are live on the site at any time.

Mr. Lynn believes crowdfunding is part of the solution to the rise of populism, saying that policymakers should focus not just on the income gap but the wealth gap. Many salaried workers see the assets of the rich, such as housing and art, rising in value far faster than wages. That leads to resentment and the rise of figures such as Donald Trump.

Crowdfunding — where companies raise money directly from individual investors, usually online, rather than via institutions — has taken off. Most sites lend money, undercutting the banks and offering a better return on cash. Seedrs, Crowdcube, and equity crowdfunders allow investors to buy stakes in a business from £10.

Tennis star Sir Andy Murray is the public face of Seedrs, and presumably he can afford to back the odd loser. “This is a high-risk asset class; nobody should invest in this with money that they can’t afford to lose.”

Mr. Lynn, 39, is from the U.S. but has lived in the UK for 12 years. He founded the business five years ago with Carlos Silva, who is Portuguese — the men met on an MBA course at Oxford Saïd Business School. Mr. Silva’s landlord put in £30,000 and connected them with other angel investors.

“I was a deal lawyer, I was doing M&A and corporate finance. I wanted to do something entrepreneurial,” Mr. Lynn says. He now wants to supercharge the site by persuading institutional funds to invest in portfolios of companies on the site. He has stepped up to chairman to lead that strategy and has recruited Jeff Kelisky, another New Yorker with tech-sector experience, as chief executive. “I was spread too thinly,” said Mr. Lynn. It was time for the founder to hand over to someone “who had done this before and wasn’t learning as he went”.

The two Jeffs want to offer institutions a way to tap into high-growth companies that offer diversification. Some analysts question whether this will crowd out the very small investors that were supposed to benefit. “We have no desire to move away from the small investors, and there’s absolutely no reason to,” Mr. Lynn says.

The Seedrs office is in Old Street, the heart of London’s tech cluster. It is as much a tech as a finance business, says Mr. Lynn. In October 2017 it raised £10m, with £4m from UK fund manager Neil Woodford, known for his belief in long-term, small-cap investing. So is it better to invest in Seedrs or the companies on its platform? Mr. Lynn is non-committal. Some of its customers will “hit the moon and beyond”. However, he draws an analogy to the California gold rush, where those who made the most money were often those who supplied the miners rather than dug for gold — such as clothes-maker Levi Strauss. “Rather than trying to pick which mine is going to have the gold, you back the folks selling the picks and shovels to the miners.”

He has statistics to back this. The 2017 fundraising round valued Seedrs at £50m. Its last round in August 2015 had valued it at £30m. The share price is up 136 per cent since its December 2013 round — though Seedrs remains lossmaking.

More than 2,000 existing shareholders and new customers, from 35 countries, have invested an average of £3,200. Sir Andy was one. (He has also backed 30 companies on the platform.)

Seedrs makes money by taking roughly 6 per cent commission on funds raised, and then a share of any increase in value when the company is sold — similar to the “carry” earned by private equity firms. This means it is less reliant on fresh deals to make money than peer-to-peer lenders.

It expects to turn over £2m this year and to lose around £4m, but Mr. Lynn insists profitability will come “within a few years”. Seedrs funded 100 companies in 2016 and expects to surpass 150 this year, and 10 times that in 2022.

Crowdfunding by numbers

Critics say a big difference between crowdfunding and the stock market is liquidity — you cannot just sell your stake. But Seedrs has begun a secondary market and says it has had several exits already.

Some companies have been sold to trade buyers, such as Aviva, the insurer. Debenhams, the retailer, took a stake in Blow, an on-demand beauty service, and offered to buy out investors. The sale price was more than three times the price at which Seedrs investors invested in the first round.

Free Agent, a Scottish maker of accounting software, floated in November 2016 at 87p. Its shares remain below the 100p Seedrs investors paid, though some sold when it hit 140p this year. Chapel Down, a vineyard, was already quoted on the Nex exchange (formerly ISDX) when it raised money at 28p a share in October 2014. It has been trading around three times that level.

In the year to September 30 2016, Seedrs investors received an annualized rate of return of 14.44 per cent. It increased to 49.1 per cent for those taking advantage of tax reliefs. The company looked at 375 companies that raised money on the platform between July 2012 and September 2016. These businesses delivered an average internal rate of return of 14.4 per cent, if priced at “fair value” at that date.

Overall about 15 per cent of companies had lost value — many of those could be worthless — while 29 per cent increased in value. Mr. Lynn says that of 539 deals completed, 92 have wound up or were in the process of doing so by the end of November 2017. “The majority of investments in this asset class will go to zero — that’s the nature of a high-risk, high-return asset class — and the goal is to build a diversified portfolio where the handful of winners do well enough to provide outstanding returns across the whole portfolio.”

In the early years of peer-to-peer lending, some small operators failed. Mr. Lynn claims new regulations are sufficient. “I am very much pro-regulation. The UK has been really first in the world in terms of getting the balance right.” The Financial Conduct Authority took responsibility for the sector in 2014.

Only about a fifth of the companies wanting to join the platform are accepted. Seedrs checks the background of directors, the claims made in their campaigns, including the ownership of intellectual property, and that shares are of equal worth rather than a dual structure.

Of those, 40 per cent raise the money they need. But the platform is now actively seeking companies and is doing more due diligence.

The business has offices in Amsterdam, Berlin and Lisbon, and hopes to be truly pan-European within a few years. Mr. Lynn believes the system needs more equity investments, which favor long-term thinking.

“I like equity. I like the alignment of incentives, I like the idea that if things go well you share in it together, if things go badly you don’t. I don’t like debt, instinctively; it’s an adversarial relationship.”

“In some ways what we do is really rather boring and old-fashioned,” he says. He compares it to a 17th century merchant which would sell shares to fund a trading trip. If he crashed on the rocks, his backers lost everything. If he came back with a cargo of spices, they all got a big payout.

And Seedrs’ “mission”, he says, is to make capitalism deliver for more people. “All of the complex derivative instruments, the weirdness, that emerged in the past 20 years in particular is a historical aberration,” he says. “I believe in capitalism, but I believe in it being done the right way.”

More from the Financial Times: Business school: Toys are us; leading in a crisis; career change Robo-recruiters are quick to replicate human bias Champions of change in the workplace

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[rehnro]

Every man dies, not every man really lives. (William Wallace, Braveheart)

Training in Scotland had been highly recommended by my Lhotse guide Tim. Scottish winter is known for its harsh conditions (cold, wet, windy …) that will help you learn how to operate your gear and manoeuvre in such environment. Off to Scotland then! My guide for the three-day tour was Di Gilbert – quite some name in the Scottish mountaineering world and beyond having completed the seven summits, all 284 Munros (all Scottish mountains over 3,000 feet or 914m) and for her relentless positive attitude and perma-smile as I would find out.

Leaving London on Aussi-day, then 12h bus ride to Aviemore

Before I set off it was time for a catch up with my good friends David, Isaac and Arndt in Pimlico. Much to discuss as most of us had met at the AC/DC concert last time – ages ago. And not to forget there was also Australian National Day (26 January). Cheers then!

Team Australia for the evening

There are many options to get to Aviemore (540 miles north of London), the main city in the Cairngorms, all of which were shorter than the 12 hour coach ride I picked. However, it was overnight (I actually got six hours sleep), it was a direct connection from Victoria station (the other one being the sleeper train from St Pancras @ 11hours) and why not – it’s not that I am short of time.

I woke up just before we arrived in Glasgow. It was still pretty dark and would initially not get much better as the bus continued further north. Fog and frost all over. In fact, my Suunto watch went off several times with storm alarm (it would be right eventually). However, from 9am the sun came out and revealed a magnificent landscape. Amazing.

At 11am and completely on time we arrived in Aviemore. Across the road was all the mountain shops one could need, but my desire was for a solid Scottish breakfast at ‘The Coffee Corner’ near the bus stop. Bacon & egg roll and a tea … and I had finally arrived. Now off to the accommodation at the ‘Old Bridge Inn’ and fingers crossed my gear from Keswick arrives on time. I’ll need every bit of it.

Beautiful bike ride to Loch Morlich  & Glenmore … bring on the colours

A box full of gear was waiting for me right at check-in. X-mas had come early! I was also alone in my bunk bed room (well, until Adam joined me later at night) and enjoyed unwrapping the ‘presents’ (Scarpa Phantom boots & two Petzl Quarks being my favorites). By 2pm I was done and it was time to get active.

I hired a mountain bike nearby (GBp15 for the afternoon) and set off to Glenmore (route planned with Suunto – love this device!). What an amazing 20km there and back culminating in Loch Morlich in Glenmore Forest Park (pictures speak a thousand words). The trips wasn’t very long at just about two hours as night falls early up here and by 5pm its dark. Time to rest and get some food at the Old Bridge Inn pub. Relaxed atmosphere, good service and tasty food (be it a bit pricey for what it is). Had a good chat with four lads that came together to honour the life of the one’s deceased dad. Anyway, I didn’t last very long and after a bit of reading it was time to call it a day.

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Day 1: The basics, hiking up Cairn Gorm and … it felt much more like winter

We had agreed to meet up 8am and so by 7am I was up. Last check of the gear and a chat with Adam, who arrived after my bedtime last night. He is a Scot and guides two girls up here. Di arrived on time with her trademark big smile just as I had my make-do breakfast (can of tuna, avocado & banana). Quick chat trough required gear for the day (we would return home … so no need for sleeping bag) and the broad plan for the day. Cairn Gorm (1,245m) was the target alongside a general skill check – orientation (map & compass), using crampons & axe and loads of helpful little things as I would find out later.

Hike to Cairn Gorm (way back not fully captured … forgot to switch watch back on ;o)

We set out from Cairn Gorm ski station at 9.15am. Initially we followed a path uphill before crossing over to a ridge. Crampon training was on the menu. First rookie mistake – my crampons weren’t adjusted to my new boots and the cord too long (to be fair, they were also too long for my old boots). Then Di explained the basic technique where by you aim to point your foot downhill so that all the whole crampon has good grip, how you turn and how you use your axe in different ways. The hike was steep, but short and crampons came off quickly.

Tip: Don’t use a wristband for your mountaineering axe as it creates a massive trip hazard when you use crampons (bad idea at altitude in particular) and makes switching sides (as you zig zag up the mountain) cumbersome.

We then moved into more technical terrain that required a bit of climbing. Very slippery so axe, advanced ‘knee technique’ and at times rope were required to be on the save side. Conditions, mainly just foggy in the beginning, got a little harsher as we move uphill when light snowfall kicked in and temperatures went below freezing (-3 degrees at Cairn Gorms weather station 1,245m). Visibility was poor throughout, but Di insisted that there are usually great views (the next day would indeed prove her right). After the summit and my navigation training (you guessed it, I failed my first test) we headed for the Ptarmigan restaurant (named after the prevailing snow chicken bird) for a well deserved hot chocolate before making our way down (Chelsea were winning 2:0 in the FA cup while we descended). Altogether some 9-10km. Great day.

Map Cairn Gorm (1:50,000)

For dinner I followed Di’s advice and headed over to Cairngorms Hotel. Quite busy and indeed good value as suggested. I was quite satisfied after my chick’n’dip starter and required strong will to finish off the salmon afterwards. Could fall asleep right here …

Basic navigation: map & compass

Di had advised me to get a Ortlieb map pocket and a Silva 4 compass. She brought a 1:50,000 & 1:25,000 scale map of the Cairn Gorm along. All set. Using the map & compass was de as we hiked (makes it all a bit more real). Starting point was a given (I am not yet that advanced and my army knowledge all but faded). From here follow the steps as I show below to determine your bearing. Most important though … think. What rough heading should you expect, are you heading up or downhill, are there any fixed features or large contours to look for etc.

1 – connect start and destination with your compass / ruler (A to B so to say, in this case from number 1,245 to 1,151 as example)

2 – spin the compass wheel so that its lines are aligned with the map (north facing)

3 – read your bearing (40 in this case) from the yellow highlighted are on the wheel

4 – keep the red in the bed (north facing needle to point at N on compass) and walk

Knowing where you are headed is good and can be well supported by your watch (love Suunto), but you also want to know how far to go. For that you measure the distance using the ruler and pace your steps. On flat terrain I do about 60 double steps for each 100m (again, watch helpful especially  in more rugged terrain). More important than getting your steps right is te accuracy of you distance measure on the map. Ten wrong steps put you ca 7m offside, while one millimeter on the map adds/reduces your estimated distance by 50m (1:25,000 scale). In bad conditions that can quickly become a problem (and naturally I would have missed my target on my measure ;o)? Pacing is also a great technique to create you own data / reference points in case you get lost.

Day 2 – Off to our bothy adventure, Ben Macdui and the promised (stunning) views

I woke up 7.30am to prepare food for our 36hour bothy trip. Adam also made it back from his night out with the girls he guided (4am) and looked reasonably fresh. Gear was much unchanged from yesterday other than sleeping bag & ridgerest and technical climbing tools. Our starting point was once more the Cairn Gorm ski station at 10am (its Sunday after all). We hiked for about 3km, today with great visibility and still not much wind, until we reached a steeper wall. Tome for some snow/ice/rock climbing!

The gully Di had picked proved a little tricky in the beginning with lots of unsettled snow (swimming as she described it) and further up too much rock for her liking. On the other hand, we did get to climb a smaller ice fall (with some extra exercise added as my go pro fell off my helmet) and had more solid, frozen snow further up. Loved every moment of it.

After a short break for refreshments and to remove the technical gear, we made ourt way to the Hutchinson bothy. Some 7-8km hike across Scotland’s second highest mountain (Ben Macdui @ 1,309m) and frozen Lock Etchachan that took us until 5.30pm (so just after sunset). To our pleasant surprise the bothy’s stove was in full swing thanks to Simon. He is a tree surgeon from Surrey and here to add some Monroe’s to his list of 52 so far. He also had his fatbike with him – I have to try that some day. Evenings in such huts or bothy’s aren’t very long usually. Eat, drink and sleep (after a 7,5h hiking day also fully deserved!).

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New additions to my kit list after this trip 

Rope knife (could come handy … and you won’t have time to find not to mention open your Swiss army knife when you need it)

Few small carabiners (for compass etc)

New lightweight harness (mind will never ever fit over my downsuit!)

Smaller dry bags (one large one is just not handy to move gear in & out your backpack … especially not if you do that on a steep wall 8,000m high with wind)

Glove retainers for my new ice climbing gloves (best gloves are of no use if blown away)

Tenacious tape (to fix rips in your clothes etc … crampons aren’t exactly extending the lifetime of your trousers) & aquasure for permanent fix to garment

New hiking poles (those you can take apart for better drying)

Robinson’s squashed for drinks (for when you get sick of tea or to prevent that)

New lightweight thermarest on top of ridgerest

Pick & axe protectors

Small anchor / wire to secure go pro (mine fell off when my helmet hit ice)

Day 3 – No storm warning from my Suunto … storm it was nonetheless

The night in the bothy was alright be it that I did wake up a few times from either hard floor or a companion falling off the bench they slept on. The sky, which was 100% clear in the evening and even early morning, was now clouded. Di had already mentioned yesterday that the weather would get worse especially in the afternoon (good call!). We left 8am and climbed up past Loch Etchachan to Loch Avon (has something of a fjord). From there we hiked up gully towards Cairn Gorm. I used the time to get friendly with my go pro’s voice control … with mixed success although I am sure that Di is now proficient in all basic commands.

Distance slightly overstated … switched off only after Di hit the gas pedal ;o)

Once out of the gully the wind picked up markedly (Di estimated 30m/ph) and goggles were in order. I have to say that the experience was pretty spectacular and I felt good about having Di around. You get lost in such conditions all too easily (10m visibility?). Also happy with all the gear too. No cold feet, hands or anything (well, the cheeks a little). After 4.5h we were back at the car and headed for a soup in the valley before I checked out of the bunk house and waited for my bus home. Sadly (but will be back in mid-March)!

Thanks to my guide Di Gilbert for the wonderful three days, the fun and the skills!

Cairngorms winter mountaineering ft. Di Gilbert Every man dies, not every man really lives. (William Wallace, Braveheart) Training in Scotland had been highly recommended by my Lhotse guide Tim.