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techtired · 2 months

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YoMovies: Features, How to Use, and More?

Bollywood and Hollywood movie fans love sites like Yomovies because they only share these movies for free. Torrent sites are viral since they let us get movies and TV shows faster than we might think. YoMovies helps you download apps, which is possible on some torrent sites. If you are interested in this game and want to start playing it, all you have to do is read the blog. Feature Description Content Variety Extensive Quality Variable Navigation Simple Ads Frequent Speed Fast Access Easy Interface Basic Updates Regular Introduction To YoMovies! Welcome to the fantastic world of YoMovies, where I can watch movies in new ways. YoMovies has something for everyone, no matter how much I love movies, how often I watch them for fun, or just because I want to relax. When I want to watch many movies and TV shows online, YoMovies is my first choice. Its style is easy to use and has a wide range of genres, which helps me find my favourite books and discover new ones. YoMovies has everything I could want, from heartfelt dramas to thrilling movies. When I use YoMovies, I'm ready to get lost in a world of fun. If I want to watch classic movies or the newest hits, YoMovies has what I need. Take a deep breath, relax, and let YoMovies take me on a movie trip I will never forget. Benefits of Using YoMovies for Movie Streaming No matter how often I watch movies or how much I love them, YoMovies meets all my needs when it comes to watching movies. These are a few reasons why YoMovies has become my first choice for all my movie-related needs: YoMovies has a vast library of movies from different themes and times, so there is something for everyone. YoMovies has many movies, from independent gems to old Hollywood hits. Anytime I want, I can find movies by my favourite directors, try out new styles, and watch old classics again. YoMovies lets me watch my favourite movies from anywhere, at any time. YoMovies lets me watch my best movies on any device, whether sitting on the couch, driving, or in the air. The easy-to-use interface allows me to look for and switch between streams without problems, no matter where I am. YoMovies lets me enjoy unlimited streaming at a fraction of the cost by offering a fairly priced alternative to going to the movies. This makes it a good choice for me as a form of entertainment because I can watch as many movies as I want without thinking about going over budget. The great streaming is one of the best things about YoMovies. Things like buffering issues and videos with low quality are never my job. With high-definition quality, YoMovies promises that every movie I watch will have the best picture and sound possible, making the watching experience perfect and fun. YoMovies is constantly adding new movies and films that are already famous to its library. I never worry about missing out on new movies or TV shows because YoMovies keeps its content current. So, I always have the latest fun at my fingertips. When I use YoMovies to stream movies, I get a unique movie-going experience that I can't get anywhere else. It's become my primary way of having fun because it has everything I need for my movie likes. So, I step back, relax, and let YoMovies take me to a dream movie world. How does YoMovies Operate? Using YoMovies, I soon saw how the service runs on ad income. I come upon a range of ads as soon as I get to the site. YoMovies mostly depends on sponsor advertising to generate money. The website gets paid every time I click on one of these adverts. Every visit to YoMovies usually calls for me to click on an advertisement to get the desired content. It's noteworthy that repeated ads usually also show up while I'm trying to download something. With adverts driving a significant portion of its income, this website essentially gains from distributing illegal content. YoMovies' unique qualities Among the top movie streaming and download websites available online, YoMovies provides numerous tools. I find the following to be some of the main appealing characteristics: Online Movies: YoMovies lets me view their vast free movie collection with just a few clicks. Drama, horror, romance, comedy, and more abound in the genres to provide something for everyone. The website features Hollywood, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam films in several languages and quality ranges, making it simple to view movies in the style that fits me most. Many films are dubbed in Hindi; if I'm unfamiliar with Hindi, I can pick subtitles in English, among other languages. TV Shows and Web Series: YoMovies aims beyond movies. I also view and download online series and TV episodes. Searching by genre, category, and language helps me quickly identify what I enjoy. YoMovies features a great assortment of both old masterpieces and the newest releases. An array of choices: One of the greatest aspects of YoMovies is the range of accessible options. HD quality allows me to view my favourite movies and shows, and while downloading, I may choose the optimum quality for my requirements. YoMovies provides the best fit for whatever quality I seek, guaranteeing an excellent enjoyment value. Is YoMovies Safe To Use? Regarding security, YoMovies is not safe. Given it's a pirate website, various hazards are involved. First, the site is loaded with advertisements, occasionally resulting in dangerous websites that raise security issues. YoMovies also runs against copyright laws, which can cause legal problems, particularly in nations with vigorous copyright enforcement. I run an emulator like LDPlayer 9 to guard against unwelcome malware and dangerous websites. This emulator lets me use a VPN and a top-rated browser like Firefox, guaranteeing only the emulator is impacted by any possible problems utilizing YoMovies. How do I get movies from YoMovies? It's easy to get movies from YoMovies. I stick to these rules: Go to YoMovies.com Pick the film you want to save. Click the "Download" button next to the movie you want to watch. A new window appears with a list of download options. I pick the movie quality and style here based on what I like. Just click "Download" and then watch the movie. The same steps can be used to download TV shows and web series. How can I watch movies on YoMovies? If I'd rather watch movies online than download them, this is what I do: Visit the YoMovies site. Use the search bar to look for the movie. You can choose a streaming option based on the level you need. I could pick a link from a different site or stream from YoMovies' computer. Press "Play" to listen to live. The same method is used for watching TV shows and web series. By taking these simple steps, I'll be able to enjoy a wide range of entertainment options on YoMovies quickly. Top Alternatives Of YoMovies? Soap2Day Soap2Day is another excellent streaming substitute. Soap2Day is one of the best choices among the big, current assortment of movies. This site is user-friendly since it allows you to explore your favourites by genre and rapidly get to the most recent releases. Since everyone can quickly navigate Soap2Day, it is a top pick for movie streaming. iBomma If you enjoy Telugu films, iBomma is the ideal streaming platform. iBomma is well-known for its large library of Telugu movies, including the newest releases. The best thing is that starting streaming does not require registering. Just go to the website and explore the most significant movie collections that are accessible. SolarMovie Another fantastic choice for online viewing is SolarMovie, which provides premium links to view films for free. Along with a large collection of TV shows and movies spanning all genres, this website also has anyone wishing to access a large spectrum of material quickly who may find SolarMovie a good option. FAQs Is YoMovies free? Yes, YoMovies is utterly free. Movies are freely downloadable, streaming, and uploadable. Is the Safe website YoMovies? YoMovies is not deemed safe. Being a pirate and torrent website, the material is not legally distributed, which can cause legal problems. Frequent advertisements on the site could also expose you to dangerous websites. How might I view movies online for free? Legal websites or applications like Peacock, Crackle, Vudu, or Tubi provide free streaming of movies and shows, so you may view movies online for free. Read the full article

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vampirevalentineblog · 11 months

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October 25 2023

ok! hello! back to regular blogging. if you weren't aware i'm now hosting the old blog on tumblr so this should be easier for me to update than manually adding to the html and dealing with archiving past posts. best part is you can barely tell save for the photos are handled a bit odd now o_<;;

so i'd like to catch up on errrrr Feb to October LOL a whole year practically. lets see what i've been up to...

did wondercon in Anaheim, uh then KawaiiKon in Hawaii. spent some extra time there afterwards as well, I always enjoy snorkeling ^_^ you regularly see many turtles but i even saw a pufferfish! honolulu is nice and walkable if you've got sun protection! plus lots of other people also walk around with a parasol so nobody heckles you for it (like where I live :|||) their bus service is decent as well. i had a pretty greasy plate lunch the first day i was there so it had my stomach upset like, the whole time ;_; did an escape room with friends for the first time that was pretty fun! unfortunately kawaiikon's moved to being juried and apps are not even open yet ??? so no guarantees i'll be back next year :/

also did another Las Vegas con, it was meh. i don't care for the organizers of this one they steal art for their advertising, overcharge for tables, and then put us next to a loud ass stage. don't like that! i'd already done Omegamart the year before but i was staying in Freemont which i've never visited. i'll be back very soon and hopefully get to Nevada early enough in the day to visit Goodsprings bc you know I am a New Vegas girlie ehehe. also did an Anime Impulse back in Anaheim. I usually don't care for them for the same reasons as those other organizers but at least the crowd is better! this past january one they stuck us in a leaky barn ;_; for the table price its pretty ridiculous but i always come back despite it all because the attendees treat me well lmao

left off with pins last time, but since then got shirts made! there's two designs, my "fallen angel" girlie and my cherubim design.

you can see them off to the side there, this is my booth Colossalcon East in Pennsylvania this September. super fun! great con, lovely weeby people in PA! along the top you can also see some of my new big prints i made in like 3 weeks. just drawing drawing drawing -w-!! this con i also got to meet Grey DeLise/Griffin and she signed my Azula print for me hehe <3

my plane ride home got delayed for thunder which was stressful bc immediately after i had a flight to Japan! eek! this was my second time going this year. i had been in 2022 right when it reopened to tourists so it was a much different experience this time, wayy more tourists about. ended up arriving right at the peak of a heat wave i took it easy though just doing some figure shopping and enjoying the food. i love family restaurants there so much lmfao they're so good and cheap. also met up with a friend from all the way back in middle school who also happened to be in shibuya the same night ??? made her and her partner go to Denny's with us later on lol! also visited Odaiba and Hakone this time on my birthday! Hakone is where Evangelion's Tokyo-3 is meant to be based in so they've got their own EVA store. I got a Unit 02 strawberry drink thing, should have got the matcha-taro swirl Unit 01 soft serve icecream >:)

got back and did some house keeping up until i found out there's a halloween party! i made a very quick costume out of stuff i had lying around. only spent like 5$ for some plastic fake chains. here's my alice (sans chains ofc) i made that apron in like a day out of an old pillowcase -w-;;; i don't sew much!! maybe i would be good at it if i bought plenty of fabric and followed instructions but we'll never know because i only try it out to make something silly with no pattern using scraps all in 1 day and then i get fed up and start using hot glue and hem tape. as one does! its got a little bow in the back too but i had no interfacing so its just a piece of printer paper giving it shape. this is what halloween is about!!

please ignore the background i'm in the middle of painting my bathroom lol

up next i've got Sin City Anime in Las Vegas and Kumoricon in Portland. i like these two, completely different vibe and size but Sin City was cozy last year (they've since moved soo well see ??) and Kumori has some interesting people lmfao. i will see you guys at the swap meet +w+!! for sin city they asked if i'd be interested in an extra free booth for the 18+ lounge event and i was like ok sure why not and come to find i'm like one of 5 tables??? i don't know how it'll go over but whatever its something to do! i will have my tres leches cows and some new ones...here's a preview!

whole milk is soOoO popular i'm so happy lmfao he is for the girls and the gays <3 i've got to do some more boys....its what the people want. maaybe a whipped cream to go with whipping ? ^_^ <3!

alright that's all for now! ttyl!

#artists on tumblr #artist alley #vampirevalentineshop #neocities #blog

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surveykilop · 2 years

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Syncovery vs arq

SYNCOVERY VS ARQ UPGRADE

SYNCOVERY VS ARQ ZIP

SYNCOVERY VS ARQ MAC

Parent(s)/legal guardian(s) who are unable to communicate, read, or understand the local language(s).Subjects who are unwilling to refrain from prolonged sun exposure for 4 weeks prior to Baseline/Day 1 and during the study.Has unstable AD or any consistent requirement for high potency topical steroids.Subjects with any serious medical condition or clinically significant abnormality that would prevent study participation or place the subject at significant risk, as judged by the Investigator.Subjects considered reliable and capable of adhering to the Protocol and visit schedule, according to the judgment of the Investigator.In good health as judged by the Investigator.Stable disease for the past 4 weeks with no significant flares in atopic dermatitis before screening. Diagnosed with atopic dermatitis for at least 6 weeks, as determined by the Investigator.Males and females, ages 2 to 5 years old at time of signing Informed Consent (Screening) and at Baseline (Day 1).Informed consent by parent(s) or legal guardian as required by local laws.Why Should I Register and Submit Results?.That's just one of the many angry and disappointed threads there. Here's a good summary of some of the issues and with lots of comments from users who have lost their backups (and their trust in the developer and the software): And on top of that the Twitter account was deleted (or disabled) with no more feedback at all.

SYNCOVERY VS ARQ UPGRADE

But the far worse problem is that many users have lost all their backups during the upgrade and import process. We’ll get on it." Then there is no documentation at all, it's just "coming soon". Almost all settings and features were removed and the response on twitter from the developer was ”The UI will get better and better." or stuff like "Right. Now, this is actually the least serious problem, far more problematic is the loss of basic settings like CPU usage and paus button.

SYNCOVERY VS ARQ MAC

The new version of Arq is an Electron app instead of native although the engine it self still is native Mac app. Unfortunately v6 has been a train wreck, both the launch it self and the handling of the feedback. Just a quick note if anyone is reading this is currently using Arq v5 and thinking about upgrading to v6: just don't.

SYNCOVERY VS ARQ ZIP

Acronis and Backblaze were slower to back up and restore, with Backblaze almost doubling its restore time with preparing the zip file.Īrq Backup Cloud Mac Mac App macOS 10.14 Mojave Wasabi IDrive was also very quick to back up, and pretty quick to restore. We’re happy to report that Arq Cloud Backup was the fastest! Just pay $5.99/month per TB of total backups across all your computers Just changed Arq Cloud Backup pricing to unlimited computers. Previously: Arq 5.9 Adds Backblaze B2 and Wasabi Support. I did not see any information about the cloud storage provider. The price is $5.99/month per computer or 1 TB. And, like those services, you can restore files from a Web interface, which is not possible with regular Arq. Arq Cloud Backup is a completely separate app that uses its own cloud service, like CrashPlan or Backblaze. I like and use regular Arq, but it’s too hard for less technical users to set up. Arq Cloud Backup is now available! It comes with its own cloud storage, for folks who don’t want to manage the storage separately from the app.

#Syncovery vs arq

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clowns-or-midgets-spn · 4 years

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I just posted my first (non series) one-shot. It’s called A Day In The Life and it’s a fun humor-filled glimpse in Peter’s life with The Avengers aided by the wonderful prompt from @snarky-drabbles https://archiveofourown.org/works/27243052

“Don’t be nice to Dum-E,” Tony Stark said seriously. “He tried to poison me again.”

Peter's face fell as the robot made a small, sad beeping sound.

“Awww, were you trying to help?" Peter asked, and the robot nodded. "Engine oil smoothie again?"

“Yes,” Tony Stark said darkly. “And I wasn’t paying attention, so I actually drank some.”

Peter stifled a laugh and addressed the robot. “I know you were doing your best. Don’t listen to him.”

“Like they ever do,” Tony Stark snorted.

Ned hitched his backpack higher on his shoulder then hurried his pace as Peter was getting away from him.

As excited as he was to be doing this, as hyped and inarticulate he’d gotten when Peter had said it was all arranged, he was freaking out in the bad way now.

They were supposed to be making a short film for media studies, and Peter had stumbled on the idea of doing a day in the life of Tony Stark. Sure, that was great on paper, and Ned had maybe peed a little when Peter said it was happening, but now they were on their way to Avengers Tower to spend a whole day with Tony Stark, and he wasn't sure his heart could take the strain. This was a feeling way beyond excitement or nerves—it was a heady combination of the two with an extra dose of how-the-hell-is-this-real spinning in him until he felt nauseous.

Peter, on the other hand, was acting like this was just a regular day. Sure, Ned knew he had his internship with Tony Stark, and he had his internship, which involved swinging around Queens in a suit designed by Tony Stark, but how was he not losing his mind? They were going to be in Avengers Tower, with Tony Stark for a whole day, or at least as long as it took to make the film.

Ned really didn’t think he was going to make it through the day without passing out.

They reached the sliding glass doors of the tower, and Peter strode through them without missing a step. Ned, on the other hand, hesitated and wiped a hand over his mouth in case there were still crumbs from the breakfast bagel he'd eaten on the way here. He thought there was probably enough chance of them—or him—getting kicked out before they made it past the lobby, even if he wasn't wearing half of his breakfast on his chin.

“Ned, come on, dude,” Peter called, looking back over his shoulder.

Ned took a breath, braced himself to be thrown out by security, and walked through the doors. The lobby he found himself in was vast. The floors were grey-veined marble on which the heels of the men and women walking around clicked. There was a polished wood reception desk behind which sat three women and a man with telephone headsets which they were talking into. In the center of them was a matronly looking woman with steel-grey hair pulled back in a bun. She had the look of someone that took her job seriously, and Ned thought he could see the cogs turning behind her eyes when she looked at him, processing his appearance and deciding which security officer to summon to kick him out.

“Hey, Juliet,” Peter called cheerfully.

The woman's professional manner dropped at once and became more of an overindulgent grandma as she fixed her eyes on Peter and said, “Peter dear, how are you? I’ve not seen you for two weeks! Where have you been?”

"We've been doing lab time at the compound," Peter said. "I missed you, though. How's Sophie and Richie?"

"Oh, they're fine," she said, beaming at him. "Richie is cutting a new tooth, but it's not getting him down, and Sophie is practicing for her Christmas dance recital at school." She clasped her hands to her chest. "I've got my son filming it, so I'll have him email you a copy."

Peter grinned. “That’d be great.”

Ned swallowed audibly as he looked at his best friend, or at least the person that looked like his best friend. There were stark differences, though. Peter Parker stumbled on words and went on tangents, and he never mentioned anything about dance recitals or anyone called Sophie or Richie. This Peter was confident and calm, totally at ease here.

Peter looked at him, and his smile fell. "Sorry, Ned. Juliet, this is my best friend, Ned. We're doing a school assignment with Mr. Stark today. Ned, this is Juliet. She's the boss of the front desk, and her grandkids are adorable. I met them at the company picnic this summer.”

Stark Industries had a company picnic? Peter went to a company picnic? How did Ned not know this? It was like Peter had this whole other life that he knew nothing about.

“Show him their picture, Juliet,” Peter encouraged.

The woman plucked a silver-framed photograph from her side of the counter and turned it to him. He saw a little girl with fiery red hair and a baby on her lap.

“They’re… uh, real cute, ma’am,” he said awkwardly.

Juliet touched a finger to the cheek of the image of her granddaughter and then placed the picture down and said, "Has Mr. Hogan arranged a security pass for your friend, Peter?"

"Yep," Peter chirped. "He's supposed to be meeting us here to hand it over and to get Ned's biometrics."

Juliet looked past Peter’s shoulder and said, “And here he comes.”

Ned spun and saw Happy Hogan marching towards them, his face set in a glower. His black suit was immaculate, and Ned suddenly felt very grubby in his worn-down Nikes, ratty jeans, and a blue hoodie.

Peter, who was dressed almost identically to him, only he'd swapped the hoodie for a t-shirt with Yoda's face on it, looked perfectly comfortable. He greeted Happy with a wave and grin, which did not diminish when Happy crossed his arms over his chest and said, "You're late."

“We had to stop for breakfast,” Peter said.

Happy raised an eyebrow. “You kept me waiting.”

“Sorry, Happy,” Peter said. “I wanted to get something for you, too, though.” He slid his backpack off his shoulder, unzipped it, and took out a squishy package in a brown Starbucks takeout bag. “It’s a cronut.”

“What the hell is a cronut, why are Starbucks selling them, and why do you think I need one?”

“They’re like a croissant/donut hybrid, Starbucks are branching out, and I thought you’d like it since I know Mr. Stark’s banned the cafeteria staff from serving you anything too fun since your last cardiogram.”

Ned thought he saw a flash of fondness on Happy’s face, a slight softening of the eyes and a quirk of the lips, but it was quickly gone and replaced with a neutral mask as he snatched the bag out of Peter’s hands and said, “Thanks, kid. Now, let’s get this done so I can do my actual job instead of catering to the boss’ pet intern’s buddies.” He fixed his eyes on Ned. “You’re Ned Leeds?”

Ned nodded mutely, and then, when Peter elbowed him, licked his lips and said, “Yes, sir. That’s me.”

Happy took a device out of his pocket, which was the size of a phone but square. He tapped it then held it up in front of Ned’s face. He heard the click of a photo being taken, and then a red line of light slid over Ned’s face, making him gasp.

“It’s okay, Ned,” Peter said. “It’s just a retina scan. It’ll go on the security system to identify you through Friday.”

“Friday?” Ned asked.

Peter beamed. “Say hello, Friday,” he instructed.

"Hello, Peter," a disembodied voice replied. "And hello, Mr. Leeds. It's nice to meet you at last. I've heard a lot about you from Peter and Karen.”

Ned looked around, eyes roving for the source of the voice, and Happy grunted a laugh.

“You won’t find her, kid,” he said gruffly. “She’s the AI interface for the tower. She’s everywhere.”

“And nowhere,” Peter said with a wink. “Technically, she’s based in the mainframe, which is in the basement near the arc reactor, but that’s not really her. You’re all seeing, aren’t you, Friday?”

"I am indeed, Peter," she said. "And I think I should remind you that you told Boss you'd be here at eleven, and it's now eleven-fifteen."

Peter ran a hand through his hair. “Damn. Yeah. Uh… Has he noticed I’m not here yet?”

There was unmistakable amusement in her voice as she replied. “No. He is currently working on the Mark XLVIII Armor. He will undoubtedly notice soon, though."

“We’ll be right there,” Peter said.

“One minute,” Happy said, then addressed Ned. “Kid, give me your digits.”

Ned stared at him blankly. “You mean my phone number?” That was some kind of old-fashioned way of asking, right? He was sure he’d seen it in a movie once.

Happy rolled his eyes, then grabbed Ned’s hand and waggled it. “Digits, kid!”

He pressed Ned's fingers one by one onto the device in his hand, then dropped his hand and said, "Okay, you're good." He rooted in his pocket and pulled out a badge that looked like a credit card attached to a lanyard. "This is only valid today, and it'll give you access to the lobby and the cafeteria," he said. "You want to go anywhere else, you'll need the boss or Peter."

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

Ned took the card and examined it. It was emblazoned with the Stark Industries logo, his name, and a large number ten.”

"You're basic clearance," Happy explained. "The kid here's level one, so he can get you anywhere you want to go, but…" he crossed his arms over his chest. "No making a nuisance of yourself. Serious business happens here, and we've got top security guests on the penthouse."

Peter grinned. “We have? Awesome!”

Happy's lips quirked with that smile again, which was quickly wiped away. "We have. Same goes for you, kid. I know they all think you're great, but don't be a pain. It's bad enough that you've got the boss playing starlet for your little home movie.”

“It’s not a home movie, Happy,” Peter said. “It’s a school assignment, and Mr. Stark said it was okay.”

Again, there was the small smile, and then Peter and Ned were being propelled towards the elevators with Happy’s hands gripping the backs of their collars. He planted them in front of the elevator at the very end, the one with a black panel beside the button, and said, “Go on. Get out of my hair.”

Peter placed his hand on the panel, a light swiped over his palm, and then the voice Ned now knew was Friday said, “Peter Parker, security clearance level one, identified. Where would you like to go, Peter?”

“All the way up to eighty-five, please, Friday,” Peter said. “We’re going to Mr. Stark’s lab.”

The doors slid open, and Peter stepped inside.

Ned looked around the lobby again then followed him in. He was pretty sure he was about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime with his best friend, and from what he had seen so far, he thought he was going to learn a lot about Peter, too.

Like who he was when he walked through the glass door of Avengers Tower.

When the elevator doors opened, Peter led them along a hall to another door with a security panel which Peter placed his hand on. The light ran across his palm, and then the door clicked open. Ned's ears were immediately assaulted by blaring music, which he didn't recognize but knew it was old.

Peter pushed open the door and entered, and the volume of the music lowered to a more manageable level.

"Thanks, Friday,” Peter said, then raised his voice a little. “Hey, Mr. Stark.”

Tony Stark, Iron Man himself, was standing right in front of Ned. His hair was tousled, and there was a black smudge of oil on his cheek. At first, he looked vague, staring between Peter and Ned, who shifted from foot to foot and wished he'd gone to the bathroom before he left as he suddenly felt very close to peeing from nerves.

“Are you late?” he asked Peter.

“Nope,” Peter said guilelessly. “I said I’d be here at eleven-twenty, and”—he pointed at the digital clock on the wall—“we’re right on time.”

Tony Stark narrowed his eyes and said, “I call bullshit. You said eleven, I’m sure.”

Unabashed, Peter said, "Okay, yeah, we're a little late, but we needed breakfast since I didn't think you'd want us passing out from low blood sugar. And I remembered what you said about Happy's cardiogram, so I stopped at Starbucks to get him a fruit salad pot for breakfast so he wasn't tempted to go out and get something unhealthy to snack on.”

Tony Stark narrowed his eyes. “Friday, what did the kid get Happy?”

“A fruit salad pot,” the AI reported. “He seems to be enjoying it.”

Ned’s mouth dropped open. Tony Stark’s own AI was lying to him for Peter. How the hell had he managed that? Ned was sure a genius like Tony Stark would program it for absolute honesty to him.

Tony Stark nodded, and his lips quirked into a smile. "Good job, Underoos. Now, you going to introduce me to your playdate?"

Peter's eyes snapped to Ned again, and he said, "Yeah. Sorry. Ned, this is Mr. Stark. Mr. Stark, this is my best friend, Ned."

“Nice to meet you, Ted,” Tony Stark said.

“Ned,” Peter corrected.

Tony Stark waved a hand. "Sure, that, too. Now, you got everything you need for this video thing? I'm giving you one day to do it, then your time is up. I spend enough of my life with cameras pointing at me already, thanks, so I'm not giving you more."

“Yeah, we’re ready,” Peter said. He strode forward and dumped his backpack on the worktable in front of Tony Stark and unzipped it.

"Oh no, you don't," Tony Stark said. "You're not turning my space into your chaotic dumping ground. Use your own table."

Peter nodded, grinned, and carried his bag over to another large table which was dotted with tools, only some of which Ned knew the use of, scraps of metal and what Ned thought was a web shooter in the making.

Peter had his own space in Tony Stark's workshop. He had his own tools? This was crazy. Why had Peter never told him this? He just said Tony Stark taught him stuff on his internship, and they worked on his suit. This was bigger than that. It was like Peter was a part of his team, with his own place to work.

From the corner were soft beeping sounds, and Peter's head snapped around, and a wide smile spread across his face. "Hey!”

He ran into the corner where there were two robots with hydraulic arms which seemed to be making the sound. One of them tapped a claw on Peter’s shoulder, and Ned moved closer to see. The one touching Peter had an ugly scarf wrapped around what Ned would call its neck, made from red and yellow wool. The other was wearing a dunce cap.

“Hey guys,” Peter said happily. “How are you doing?”

In answer, there were more beeps, and the claw plucked at the sleeve of Peter's t-shirt.

“Uh… Peter…” Ned said, his confusion making its home in his voice.

“This is U,” Peter said, patting the arm of the closest robot, the one wearing the scarf, and then pointed at the one wearing the dunce cap and said, “And this is Dum-E. Mr. Stark built them. They help him with his inventions.”

Tony Stark snorted. “They also screw up and try to extinguish non-existent fires.”

Peter laughed and tugged on the scarf the robot was wearing. “Looking good, man. Is it new?”

The arm bobbed up and down in a nod.

“And what happened to you, buddy?” Peter asked the other bot. “You having a bad day?”

“Don’t be nice to Dum-E,” Tony Stark said seriously. “He tried to poison me again.”

Peter's face fell as the robot made a small, sad beeping sound.

“Awww, were you trying to help?" Peter asked, and the robot nodded. "Engine oil smoothie again?"

“Yes,” Tony Stark said darkly. “And I wasn’t paying attention, so I actually drank some.”

Peter stifled a laugh and addressed the robot. “I know you were doing your best. Don’t listen to him.”

“Like they ever do,” Tony Stark snorted.

“Uh, Peter,” Ned said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “Why is that robot wearing an ugly scarf?”

Tony Stark clearly had keen hearing as he spun around and said, “Ugly? That is not the word for that scarf, Ted.”

“No, of course, I mean… Uh…” The color drained from his face, and he began to gape like a fish. Tony Stark was correcting him. This was a nightmare and a blessing at once.

“Relax, kid,” Tony Stark said. “We’ve only got the basic med team here during the day shift, and they might not be able to get here fast enough if you had a stress-induced heart attack. The full crew does the nightshift for when Underoos is patrolling so they can deal with his occasional stab or bullet wounds.”

Peter’s head snapped around, breaking the conversation he’d been having with the bot, and said, “It happened once, Mr. Stark, and it wasn’t really a stab wound. It wasn’t a knife.”

“No,” Tony Stark agreed. “It was an iron bar that impaled you in the kidney.”

"You got stabbed!" Ned squawked. "How did I not know that? I'm your guy in the chair. I should be informed."

“You’re his what?” Tony Stark asked, a gleam in his eye.

Peter held up a finger. “He’s my guy in the chair, who would have saved me crashing a plane if Happy had been listening. Ned is a vital part of my life as Spider-Man.”

Tony Stark narrowed his eyes but nodded and said, “Point conceded.” He turned his gaze on Ned. "And yes, he was stabbed with an iron bar by some supercharged gremlin thing. And that's nothing compared to the time he was shot in the gut and got septic because he tried to pull the bullet out himself with tweezers."

Ned gaped at Peter, who waved a hand and said, "He's making it sound way worse than it was. I was fine, really."

“And you didn’t tell me because?”

Tony Stark moved to them and clapped a hand on Ned’s shoulder, making his breath catch and his vision blur because Iron Man was touching him, actually touching him with his superhero hand. Ned was collecting superhero DNA right now, and he wasn't sure how long he would stay conscious with that knowledge and weight on his shoulder.

"Probably because he didn't want you to share my nightmares, Ted," Tony Stark said, then smirked. "And because you apparently believe him when he says he's got stomach flu so can't come to school while he’s recovering.”

“It’s Ned, Mr. Stark," Peter scolded.

Ned licked his dry lips and, as the hand fell from his shoulder, remembered how to breathe. “Ted is fine. They sound really similar.”

Peter scowled, and Tony Stark winked at him then said, "And my point, before we got off track, was that it is a hideous scarf, not an ugly one, but you can’t say it outside this room as its creator is sensitive about his knitting and we all appreciate how hard he’s trying.”

Peter grinned and nodded. “He’s not wrong.”

“Now, get the camera set up, Ted, while Underoos makes nice with his bot buddies. I got the Hulkbuster armor out to show you since I thought that would be most impressive for all your little kindergarten friends.”

“We’re seniors, Mr. Stark,” Peter said.

Tony Stark waved a hand. “Sure you are, kid.”

Ned hurried to Peter’s desk, set down his own bag, feeling suddenly bereft as if it had been a security blanket, and took the video camera out of Peter’s bag.

“Okay, Mr. Stark,” Peter said. “I want to get some footage of you working at first, then we’ll ask you some questions.”

Tony Stark nodded, “Sure, kid, whatever gets you the gold stars and extra apple slices at break.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Sure, thanks.”

Ned and Peter fiddled with the camera settings for a moment, then Ned lifted it and pointed it at Tony Stark, who had picked up a screwdriver and twisted a screw on the knee of the massive armor. "This okay?" he asked.

“Yes,” Peter said, “But try not to talk to us while we’re filming unless we’re doing the interview. This footage is going to have a voiceover as we talk about who you are and what you do.”

Tony Stark huffed a laugh. “Yeah, because no one in your school will know who I am already. This is going to be ground-breaking stuff.”

“Your ego is showing, Mr. Stark,” Peter muttered.

Tony Stark’s head snapped up. “What was that?”

“I said this angle is great,” Peter said innocently. “We’re going to start filming now.”

Tony Stark glared at him a moment then muttered, "Little asshole," as the bots beeped in rapid succession, which Ned thought sounded a lot like laughter.

Ned pressed record and steadied the camera on Tony Stark as he fiddled with the screw and pulled up a hologram above the armor. He seemed to become lost in what he was doing, his brow furrowed and, seemingly oblivious to Ned and the camera, he said, “Over here, Underoos. I want you to look at this spot. Do you think we can increase the torque to get the speed of motion up? Bruce is pretty damn fast when he’s gone full-on green guy, and I’d like to get the jump on him.”

Peter bounced over to him and said, “Hmm, maybe. Have you tried increasing the pressure on the hip joint?”

“No. Hmm… That could work.”

They fell into conversation about details of the armor that Ned, a genius himself, was lost in, and he focused on keeping the camera steady and getting them both in the shot.

This film wasn't going to be quite what they'd planned to make, but Ned thought using this as a chance to show Flash and the rest of their doubting classmates that Peter's internship was a real thing, that he was on a level with Tony Stark when it came to this stuff, was going to be way better than what they'd planned to make.

xXx

Ned had been filming for thirty minutes, and marveling at his best friend for even longer, when the door slid open behind him. He spun around, pointing the camera at a pretty woman with strawberry blonde hair, wearing a neat pantsuit and a knobbly scarf similar to the one the bot was wearing, except this was black and green.

“Oh… uh… hi,” he said when she stopped just inside the door and raised an eyebrow. “I’m Ned.”

The woman’s face transformed into a smile. “Of course! Peter’s told me so much about you. I’m Pepper Potts.”

She looked between Ned and the camera, which he only now realized was still filming. He hit the button to stop the recording and lowered it. She approached the table where Tony Stark and Peter were bent over the armor and talking in clipped sentences, which seemed to be some kind of shorthand. She cleared her throat, and when that failed to interrupt them, she tugged on their collars until they were both upright and turning to see who was bothering them.

Their reactions were synchronized and equal in intensity. Peter beamed and said, "Hey, Pepper. Nice scarf," and Tony held up a hand and said, "Nope, no way. I know that look, Pepper, and it's my day off. I told you I was doing the home movie thing with Peter today. I don't care who wants to speak to me, what you need signed, or what alien threat is touching down in Central Park; it's my day off."

She raised an eyebrow. "First of all, hello, Peter. How are you, sweetie?"

"I'm great. We're doing some fine-tuning on the Mark XLVIII. We're working with the theory that if we can displace some of the power from the upper body, which is mainly reliant on hydraulics anyway, we can increase the speed of movement for the lower body, which means Mr. Stark would be faster than The Hulk so could pin him down sooner, minimizing collateral damage.”

She listened to his rambling with a fond smile and then said, “That’s great, honey,” patted his cheek, and fixed her eyes on Tony Stark. “Second, when you put me in charge of the company, you put me in charge of when things happen, so if I have stuff for you to sign now, you’ll sign it, mister.”

Tony Stark glowered. “Do you have something for me to sign?”

“No. And no, there’s no one wanting to talk to you, either. I cleared your schedule so you and Peter could have this day together.” She drew a deep breath and raised her voice. “And finally, there is no alien threat descending on Central Park, but you and I both know that you and Peter would be there already if there was. Don’t act like Iron Man is some chore, Tony, when you and I both know that if I had my way—”

She stopped, and Tony Stark rose to his feet and pressed his lips to her. Peter looked away, humming and rubbing the back of his neck as the chaste kiss deepened, leaving Ned standing frozen, staring at them. It wasn't that he liked watching couples making out—he wasn't a creeper—but this was Tony Stark—Iron Man—getting his ass handed to him by Pepper Potts, who MJ had informed them was a feminist icon and general badass. It was like seeing two rare birds at once; at least that was what his grandfather would say since he was really into ornithology and used birds to reference pretty much everything in life.

“Okay, Ned,” Peter said, suddenly in his face, blocking his view of the kissing icons, for which he was grateful, and tugging on his arm. “Let’s go get something to eat. They’ll be going back and forth like this for a while.”

“They do this a lot?” Ned asked, not sure if he meant the reaming or the kissing.

Peter rolled his eyes as he pulled open the door and led Ned down the hall to the elevator. "The kissing? Yeah. It's getting worse the closer we get to the wedding. And Pepper giving Tony hell, yeah, they're always like that." He grinned.

They stepped into an elevator, and Peter instructed Friday to take them up to the eighty-ninth floor then planted a hand on Ned's shoulder and said, "Okay, Dude, we're going to see some people now, friends, and I need you to do something for me."

Ned nodded eagerly. “Sure, man, anything, you know that.”

Peter grinned. “I need you to remember to breathe.”

Puzzled, Ned opened his mouth to ask what he meant, but then the elevator doors were sliding open, and Peter was leading him into a vast room. There were couches and chairs set facing a huge TV, a kitchen area with a massive table, the biggest fridge Ned had ever seen, and a stove that had ten burners—he counted. As impressive as this room was, as much as his mom would kill to get to cook in the kitchen and his dad would want to watch the game on the monster TV, it was the people in the room that made his breath gust out of him and his brain forget how to replace it with new.

Captain America was sitting on the couch, his brow furrowed with concentration as he fumbled with a ball of yarn and two knitting needles. Beside him was a man Ned knew best from the news' courtroom footage of his trial and subsequent pardon for the crimes of the Winter Soldier—Sergeant James Barnes. Opposite them was a woman with red hair in a messy bun who Ned knew was the Black Widow—though the Black Widow never wore yoga pants and strappy tops on the TV. To top off the moment of insanity was the Doctor Bruce Banner, who was sliding cookies from a baking trap into a plate.

They all looked around as Peter called a greeting and introduced Ned, and so they had front seat views to the moment Ned’s legs, denied oxygen too long by Ned’s empty lungs, gave way, and his butt hit the carpet with a thump.

“Ned!” Peter cried, kneeling beside him. “Are you okay?”

Ned nodded, and then his brain kicked in and remembered how to breathe. Wonderful air flooded his lungs, his blood saturated with oxygen, and the ringing in his ears disappeared.

“You okay, kid?” Doctor Banner asked, coming to kneel beside them.

Ned nodded. “Yes, Doctor Banner, Sir, I just…”

Sergeant Barnes, who had got to his feet when Ned fell, narrowed his eyes and said, “You forgot to breathe.”

Cheeks blazing with embarrassment, Ned nodded and muttered. “Yes, sir.”

Peter helped him to his feet, and Doctor Banner guided him to a seat at the table with a hand on his elbow—more superhero DNA, this was the best day ever.

“I’ll get you some juice,” Peter said, patting Ned’s shoulder and going to the fridge, rooting in it and calling, “Hey, who drank all the orange juice?”

“I did,” the Black Widow called in reply. “Is that a problem?”

Peter turned around and fixed his eyes on her. “A problem? No, I guess not, but it’s kinda mean, Nat.”

She smirked. “I’ll run out and buy you some more if you want.”

Peter waved a hand. "It's okay. The orange was for me. Ned prefers apple." He poured a glass and brought it back to give to Ned with a knowing, "Drink up." It was as if he knew Ned's head was swimming, and he really needed the boost of sugar since his body was burning through it with the adrenaline caused by being in the same room as his heroes.

Ned took a sip and then froze as Doctor Banner picked his free hand up and pressed his fingers to his wrist. Yeah, Doctor Bruce Banner was taking his pulse. That was a thing that was happening.

How was Peter so calm with all this going on? Why wasn’t he freaking out?”

"It's fast but strong," Doctor Banner said, then patted Ned's shoulder. "You just sit quietly for a few minutes.” He turned away and addressed Peter. “If you’re out of juice, you can have some of my chocolate milk.”

“Thanks, Bruce,” Peter said happily, then darted to the fridge to get his drink.

Ned stared at him in awe. Peter called Doctor Banner Bruce. Like he was just a person. Like they didn’t spend whole afternoons geeking out when they chose him to be the subject of their most accomplished scientist of the century essay in junior year.

What was Peter's life here, and how did Ned not know this?

And did Doctor Banner really drink chocolate milk?

He watched Peter pour himself a glass, drain it, and then pour another as The Black Widow wiped away his chocolate milk mustache with a fond smile.

Ned became aware of eyes on him, and he looked around. Captain Rogers was frowning at the yarn in his hands again, but his friend, Sergeant Barnes, was staring at Ned. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck and arms stand on end, and his heart sped. If Doctor Banner checked it again, he was going to be very concerned. Ned was concerned. His heart was hammering against his ribs so hard that Ned almost expected to see it move the front of his hoodie.

He knew the Winter Soldier was dangerous and had done all kinds of awful things, but that was when he was under the control of Hydra, at least that was what his defense team said in court. He was supposed to be an American hero, really, like Captain America.

Ned thought that might be true, but he also thought Mr. Barnes was looking at him now with a view to causing some serious pain if he put a toe out of line.

“Uh, Peter,” he squeaked.

Peter stopped trying to brush the Black Widow's hands away as she messed with his hair, and his eyebrows rose, which made Ned sure his very real panic was showing. Peter looked between Ned and Mr. Barnes, who was still examining Ned, and a small frown appeared on his brows.

“Bucky, quit it,” he said, in the same tone Ned’s mom used when she caught him sneaking snacks out of the fridge before dinner. “Ned’s not a threat.”

Sergeant Barnes’ eyes moved from Ned to Peter and narrowed. “Are you sure?”

Peter huffed a laugh. “Yeah, I’m sure. He’s my best friend. We go to school together and have for years. He is in no way a threat.”

Sergeant Barnes seemed to accept that as he nodded and then smiled. The difference the smile made was huge. He seemed suddenly kind and friendly, eager even as he said, "Book club later, Pete?"

Peter looked genuinely remorseful as he shook his head. “I can’t today, sorry. I’ve got to finish this project for school. We’re filming Mr. Stark for a day. We came up to get a snack and to give him a Pepper a moment alone. I’ll come over tomorrow, though, and we can talk about chapter ten.”

Sergeant Barnes nodded seriously, as if that was a binding agreement, and then relaxed back in his seat.

"Snacks!" Doctor Banner said, going to the counter and then delivering the plate of cookies to Ned and Peter, who had joined him. The Black Widow came to them, boosted herself up onto the table, crossed her legs, and grabbed a cookie.

Peter took one then nudged Ned until he did the same. He took a bite of the still-warm cookie and grinned. "It's really good."

“That’s because Bruce made them,” the Black Widow informed him. “He’s the best at desserts. If you want the savory stuff, you’ve got to talk to Steve or Bucky.” She gestured over her shoulder to where Captain America was knitting with little skill and occasional huffs of annoyance.

“Peter, why is Captain America knitting?” he whispered.

Peter laughed softly. “It’s a self-care thing. We, all of us, deal with nightmares after some of the things we've done, so Sam, our resident shrink, set us up with therapy tools. Mine is my photography, Bucky's is book club, Natasha's is—"

She cleared her throat and cut a hand across her mouth.

“Natasha’s is confidential,” Peter went on with a nod. “Point is, we’ve all got something, and Steve’s is knitting. He’s making us all scarves since his sweater attempts were…”

“Disastrous,” Sergeant Barnes said with a nod. “Yep.”

Ned’s mind was reeling. This was crazy. He wondered if he was the only civilian to see this side of the superheroes. The Hulk baked cookies and drank chocolate milk, Captain America knitted sweaters, Iron Man scolded his robots and put dunce caps and scarves on them. And this was Peter’s life. He was perfectly happy here with them, relaxed; it was like they were more than his friends, like family.

The Black Widow looked between Ned and Captain America and grinned, then whistled around her fingers and said, “Rogers! Report!”

Captain America jolted as if shocked, dropped his yarn and jumped to his feet, and said, “What’s wrong?”

Peter laughed, and Natasha smirked. "Peter's brought a friend for us to meet."

“This is Ned, Steve,” Peter supplied. “Ned, this is—”

“Captain America. You’re…” Ned drew a shaky breath. “Wow.”

Captain America was the hero to him. He’d been raised on the comics and stories of him. Sure, Iron Man was great, and Ned knew Peter idolized him since he was a kid, but Captain America was the one that Ned had admired most. He'd gone from scrawny and weak to buff and fast, which was cool, and then he’d gone behind enemy lines to save his friend and four-hundred others without backup. That was hardcore superhero stuff. He was the first avenger.

“Nice to meet you, Ned,” Captain America said, coming to him and holding out a hand.

Ned stared at it a moment too long, his mind reeling, and then shook it, hoping his palm wasn’t too sweaty because he was really nervous.

Captain America pumped his hand up and down twice, gave it a small squeeze, then dropped it and said, “So, Ned, what do you do?”

“I… uh… I like computers,” Ned said.

Captain America frowned slightly. “I don’t know much about them, but that sounds great. Any friend of Peter’s is a friend of mine.” His eyes widened as if struck with an idea. “Hey, Ned, do you want a scarf?”

Ned’s mouth dropped open, and he forgot how to close it. Captain America was offering him a scarf. He was going to knit him one. Sure, the fact Captain America apparently liked knitting was insane, but the thought that Ned might get something made for him was amazing.

“I’d love a scarf, sir,” he said. “That’d be great.”

Captain America nodded, grinned, then went to the corner where there was a bag of balls of yarn, which he began to pluck out one by one and say, "Green? Or yellow? Or would you like one with Spider-Man colors like Peter's?" His eyes flickered to Peter. "Where is your scarf, Peter?"

“I lent it to Aunt May,” Peter said with a small smile. “She was getting cold going to work for the night shift.”

Captain America beamed. “That’s kind of you. I’ll make her one, too, when I’ve finished your friend’s. So, Ned, colors?”

“Anything would be fine,” Ned said a little shakily; he couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the fact he was having a conversation with his hero.

Captain America pulled out two balls of yarn, new knitting needles, then went back to the couch and got to work.

“Tell us a little about yourself, Ned,” Doctor Banner said. “What do you like to do with computers?”

“Uh… everything, really. I like programming best, but I’m pretty good at hacking, too.”

Peter laughed. “Ned hacked my suit and unlocked all the features Mr. Stark had blocked off. He’s a genius!”

Ned grinned, bolstered by Peter’s enthusiasm and admiration. “Yeah, that was pretty tough. He had a hardcore firewall to get through, but I managed it.”

“It was pretty tough?” a voice said behind them.

Ned spun so fast he fell off his chair, landing on his butt for the second time with a loud, "Oof." He blinked up at Tony Stark, who was looking down at him with a carefully neutral face but a gleam in his eyes.

Ned thought he looked dangerous.

“You’re the one that hacked my suit…. Ted?”

Ned licked his lips. “Uh… yes, sir.”

"Mr. Stark, he didn't want to," Peter said, rushing to his defense. "I made him do it."

Tony Stark held up a hand and said, “Zip it, Underoos.” He fixed his eyes on Ned and said, “How long did it take you?”

“Uh… a few minutes.”

His eyes widened a little, then a small smile quirked his lips. “It took you a few minutes to hack through my tech, my firewall, and unlock the features I knew Peter wasn’t ready for?”

Ned gulped and winced. “Yes, sir.”

“Hmm…”

Ned thought he could see anger building behind Mr. Stark’s mask, and he squeezed his eyes shut and flinched away. A strong hand gripped his wrist and yanked him to his feet. He still didn’t open his eyes, not until a callused hand tapped his cheek and an amused voice said, “Breathe, kid, and look at me.” Ned forced himself to obey, meeting Tony's Stark's eye and waiting for the explosion. Instead of an explosion, though, Tony Stark smiled, showing his teeth in the way Ned had seen in magazines over the years, some of which made it into Peter's scrapbook, and said, "So, kid, you got much free time?"

"Oh. I, uh, I mean have school, and I'm in band, and I'm on the decathlon team, so not much, but—”

Tony Stark held up a hand. "You want an internship with my tech department?"

Ned's heart skipped, and he mouthed wordlessly.

“Speak!” Tony Stark instructed.

“Yes,” Ned squeaked. “I’d like that a lot, Mr. Iron Man, Sir.”

Peter grinned and clapped Ned on the shoulder. “Awesome. We get to do this together.”

“You can do some together," Tony Stark said. "I'm not having this place turn into daycare. Ted will have his assigned mentor, and you'll have me. You don't get to drag more of your little friends here in hopes of them getting a job."

“A job?” Ned said weakly. “I thought it was an internship. You don’t pay interns.”

“You don’t,” Tony Stark agreed. “And you two don’t tell anyone else that you’re getting anything more than experience from it, understand?”

Ned nodded. “I understand.”

Peter clapped Ned on the shoulder and said, “We don’t get paid, though we have an all you can eat option in the cafeteria, but Mr. Stark pays for our college through the September Foundation.”

Ned gaped. He knew his parents were worried about paying for his college, and he’d applied for scholarships, but if this was for real, he could afford to go out of state the way he wanted. He could apply to the places he really wanted to study instead of where he thought his parents could afford.

“You thought much about college?” Tony Stark asked.

“Uh, a little, yeah.”

“MIT on your radar?” he asked. “That’s where Underoos is going.”

“It’s where I might be going, Mr. Stark,” Peter said. “I’ve got heard back yet.”

Tony Stark ruffled Peter’s hair and said, “Kid, with your brains and my letter of recommendation, they’d be nuts not to accept you.” He turned back to Ned. “I want you here after school two days a week, with Peter, and you can come to the compound for weekends. Give me a month to get a report from your mentor on what you’re coming up with, and I’ll see about writing you a recommendation, too.”

“I… uh… huh… Ya…” Ned sputtered inarticulately, totally overwhelmed, and Peter placed his hand on his shoulder and said, “That’s Ned for, thank you, Mr. Stark.”

Tony Stark nodded and ran a hand through hair. “Now, kids, you going to get this filming thing done. I’ve been informed by my fiancé that I’m booked solid tomorrow with wedding prep, so you’ve got today with me and no more.”

Peter nodded eagerly and said, “Shall we go back to the lab. We need to do the interview portion now, and then maybe some domestic scenes.”

“Domestic? Think who you’re talking to, kid. I don’t do domestic?”

Peter snorted, and Ned looked around the room. The Black Widow was dunking cookies in Peter’s chocolate milk, Doctor Banner was wiping down the counters, Sergeant Barnes was reading on the couch with his feet kicked up on the coffee table, and Captain America was knitting.

Maybe Tony Stark was the exception, but Ned didn't think there was much more domestic than this. And Peter was a part of it. These people were his family.

Ned had come here to see a day in the life of Tony Stark, but he thought he’d seen more of his best friend’s life than his, and now, with this internship, he was being given a small part of it.

This was the best assignment ever.

#irondad #irondad and spiderson #fanfic #snark #humor #the avengers #mcu spiderman #mcu iron man #iron man

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killfaeh · 4 years

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Péguy

Hi everybody! In this news feed I've told you a few times about a project I named Péguy. Well today I dedicate a complete article to it to present it to you in more detail but also to show you the new features I brought to it at the beginning of the winter. It's not the priority project (right now it's TGCM Comics) but I needed a little break during the holidays and coding vector graphics and 3D, it's a little bit addictive like playing Lego. x) Let's go then!

Péguy, what is it?

It is a procedural generator of patterns, graphic effects and other scenery elements to speed up the realization of my drawings for my comics. Basically, I enter a few parameters, click on a button, and my program generates a more or less regular pattern on its own. The first lines of code were written in 2018 and since then, this tool has been constantly being enriched and helping me to work faster on my comics. :D This project is coded with web languages and generates vector patterns in the format SVG. In the beginning it was just small scripts that had to be modified directly to change the parameters and run individually for each effect or pattern generated.

Not very user friendly, is it? :’D

This first version was used on episode 2 of Dragon Cat's Galaxia 1/2. During 2019 I thought it would be more practical to gather all these scripts and integrate them into a graphical user interface. Since then, I have enriched it with new features and improved its ergonomics to save more and more time. Here is a small sample of what can be produced with Péguy currently.

Graphic effects typical of manga and paving patterns in perspective or plated on a cylinder. All these features were used on Tarkhan and Gonakin. I plan to put this project online, but in order for it to be usable by others than me, I still need to fix a few ergonomy issues. For the moment, to recover the rendering, you still need to open the browser debugger to find and copy the HTML node that contains the SVG. In other words, if you don't know the HTML structure by heart, it's not practical. 8D

A 3D module!

The 2020 new feature is that I started to develop a 3D module. The idea, in the long run, is to be able to build my comics backgrounds, at least the architectural ones, a bit like a Lego game. The interface is really still under development, a lot of things are missing, but basically it's going to look like this.

So there's no shortage of 3D modeling software, so why am I making one? What will make my project stand out from what already exists? First, navigation around the 3D workspace. In short, the movement of the camera. Well please excuse me, but in Blender, Maya, Sketchup and so on, to be able to frame according to your needs to get a rendering, it's just a pain in the ass! So I developed a more practical camera navigation system depending on whether you're modeling an object or placing it in a map. The idea is to take inspiration from the map editors in some video games (like Age of Empire). Secondly, I'm going to propose a small innovation. When you model an object in Blender or something else, it will always be frozen and if you use it several times in an environment, it will be strictly identical, which can be annoying for natural elements like trees for example. So I'm going to develop a kind of little "language" that will allow you to make an object customizable and incorporate random components. Thus, with a single definition for an object, we can obtain an infinite number of different instances, with random components for natural elements and variables such as the number of floors for a building. I had already developed a prototype of this system many years ago in Java. I'm going to retrieve it and adapt it to Javascript. And the last peculiarity will be in the proposed renderings. As this is about making comics (especially in black and white in my case), I'm developing a whole bunch of shaders to generate lines, screentones and other hatchings automatically with the possibility to use patterns generated in the existing vector module as textures! :D

What are shaders?

Well, you see the principle of post-production in cinema... (Editing, sound effects, various corrections, special effects... all the finishing work after shooting). Well, shaders are about the same principle. They are programs executed just after the calculation of the 3D object as it should appear on the screen. They allow to apply patches, deformations, effects, filters... As long as you are not angry with mathematics, there is only limit to your imagination! :D When you enter a normal vector in a color variable it gives funny results.

Yes! It's really with math that you can display all these things. :D Now when you hear a smart guy tell you that math is cold, it's the opposite of art or incompatible with art... it's dry toast, you'll know it's ignorance. :p Math is a tool just like the brush, it's all about knowing how to use it. :D In truth, science is a representation of reality in the same way as a painting. It is photorealistic in the extreme, but it is nevertheless a human construction used to describe nature. It remains an approximation of reality that continually escapes us and we try to fill in the margins of error over the centuries... Just like classical painting did. But by the way? Aren't there a bunch of great painters who were also scholars, mathematicians? Yes, there are! Look hard! The Renaissance is a good breeding ground. x) In short! Physics is a painting and mathematics is its brush. But in painting, we don't only do figurative, not only realism, we can give free rein to our inspiration to stylize our representation of the world or make it abstract. Well like any good brush, mathematics allows the same fantasy! All it takes is a little imagination for that. Hold, for example, the good old Spirograph from our childhood. We all had one! Well, these pretty patterns drawn with the bic are nothing else than... parametric equations that make the students of math sup/math spe suffer. 8D Even the famous celtic triskelion can be calculated from parametric equations. Well, I digress, I digress, but let's get back to our shaders. Since you can do whatever you want with it, I worked on typical manga effects. By combining the Dot Pattern Generator and the Hatch Generator but display them in white, I was able to simulate a scratch effect on screentones.

In the traditional way it is an effect that is obtained by scraping the screentones with a cutter or similar tool.

Péguy will therefore be able to calculate this effect alone on a 3D scene. :D I extended this effect with a pattern calculated in SVG. So it will be possible to use the patterns created in the vector module as textures for the 3D module! Here it is a pattern of dots distributed according to a Fibonacci spiral (I used a similar pattern in Tarkhan to make stone textures, very commonly used in manga).

Bump mapping

So this is where things get really interesting. We stay in the shaders but we're going to give an extra dimension to our rendering. Basically, bump mapping consists in creating a bas-relief effect from a high map. And it gives this kind of result.

The defined object is always a simple cylinder (with 2 radii). It is the shaders that apply the pixel shift and recalculate the lighting thanks to the high map that looks like this.

This texture has also been calculated automatically in SVG. Thus we can dynamically set the number of bricks. Well, this bas-relief story is very nice, but here we have a relatively realistic lighting, and we would like it to look like a drawing. So by applying a threshold to have an area lit in white, a second threshold to have shadow areas in black, by applying the screentone pattern to the rest and by adding the hatching that simulates the scraped screentone, here is the result!

It's like a manga from the 80's! :D I tested this rendering with other screentone patterns: Fibonnacci spiral dots, parallel lines or lines that follow the shape of the object.

Now we know what Péguy can do. I think I can enrich this rendering a bit more with the shaders but the next time I work on this project the biggest part of the job will be to create what we call primitives, basic geometric objects. After that I can start assembling them. The concept of drawing while coding is so much fun that I'm starting to think about trying to make complete illustrations like this or making the backgrounds for some comic book projects only with Péguy just for the artistic process. Finding tricks to generate organic objects, especially plants should be fun too. That's all for today. Next time we'll talk about drawing! Have a nice week-end and see you soon! :D Suisei

P.S. If you want miss no news and if you haven't already done so, you can subscribe to the newsletter here : https://www.suiseipark.com/User/SubscribeNewsletter/language/english/

Source : https://www.suiseipark.com/News/Entry/id/302/

#manga #software #screentones #halftones

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weareuno · 4 years

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The Quest For A Great Text-Editor: A Brief Intro Into Notepad++

I'm not even close to the only real person on a pursuit for the perfect TextEditor. It's gotten so much a part of technology civilization that I've actually had the interview problem"Vim or GNU Emacs?" Develop a couple times in my career. The bitter truth that regular end customers of text editors must deal with, nevertheless, is the fact that there just is nobody Ring of text modifying. Different applications growth clinics, different platforms, the disposition of the consumer, can affect the best alternative for that instant.

My work machine is running OSX, and also our development platform is CentOS, therefore for that work, Vim is my editor of choice. However, I really do a lot of writing and development in my own Windows system in your home, and for all the places whom I write composing, the best method to format the submission will be with mark down. Special-purpose Markdown editors make life less difficult, certainly, however, the quest for Any Perfect E-ditor won't be denied!

The notepad++ install silently interface

Notepad++ is licensed under the GNU Public License (GPL), and the foundation is available around GitHub. Installation is using a downloadable executable installer. If you are comfortable with Windows Notepad or WordPad, then the Notepad++ interface is going to soon be very comfortable for your requirements . The default style is plain-text, utf 8 encoded, using Windows line-feeds, and word wrapping flipped --ordinary Notepad defaults. If that is what you desire it for, then you're prepared to go.

Tons of built in programming languages

The real ability of notepad++ install silently begins to show up for those who wish to edit code. Over 50 programming languages are constructed directly in, and picking out a single from the menu enables you flip syntax highlighting, record maps, collapsible works, auto-complete, plus much more, according to the terminology you select. You might also specify policies for languages that are new. Notepad++ will not come with mark-down defined, however reluctantly, someone cared for the and published it, and establishing that up is simple.

Tabbed interface

Another fine feature of notepad++ install silently that is missing elsewhere would be a tabbed interface. You can open several data files, despite various language preferences, and things do the job the way you'd assume it to. This avoids a cluttered taskbar when you have a great deal of files open simultaneously. A handy macro recorder is also contained on the toolbar, including generating keystroke short cuts for use in many windows. Notepad++ additionally comes with a powerful plug in system, using many plugins offered for setup when you put in it, along with also the capacity to pull community-developed plugins from GitHub.

While working on this guide, I've also acquired a FORTRAN ninety file available (the aim of which will be to reverse the input ), and you also watch from the sealing of those tabs which file I am focusing on--the reddish shading of the disc on the mark down file at first tab indicates that it has unsaved changes. In the FORTRAN file, the emphasized line 20 indicates where the edit cursor is, and also the fall saw in the left varies color, to offer me an thought of this range where I'm workingout. It is easy to fail and hide sections, and whole functions, with this application.

Now I am hacking a few Perl because I look to solve an old student problem. I have added some POD-formatted documentation to the underparts of the the document, which informs what it truly is around, and Notepad++ correctly makes this into a collapsible area for me, as well, and also the syntax-highlighting across the file is spot-on. You can also see the auto-complete window popped up as I type the"print" command.

Is Notepad++ the long-sought-for a Single Form of text editing to get Windows? Not with a good deal of different choices available, there will often be diehards who wish to use Vim for either Windows or WordPad or something different. I'm locating Notepad++ more and more useful in my own writing and coding, Thus if you are not content with your current choice, it really is definitely take a peek at.

#notepad++ silent install #notepad++ install silently #notepad++ silent msi

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entireoranges · 5 years

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Trek fans are here and proud

An open letter to those who pitch thine fit and whine thine selves to sleep:

Do you wish to have some sharp cheddar with your whine? Perhaps some Camembert or a nice Brie? No? Alright. Thought I’d offer.

You are allowed to not like something. Thought it’d be best to get that out of the damn way. It’s 1,000% your right and I’m fine with it. That is your opinion and this is mine:

What I’m not fine with is the constant, unending, trite badmouthing. The moronic telling of outright lies, the instigation and insinuation that things are going to shit. You don’t know that. You are assuming.

Now, I might be talking about any old show in any old fandom, but no. This time I’m talking about Star Trek. Specifically the anger cast towards Discovery, and by association Picard.

Discovery didn’t have a good first year. I’ll freely admit to it. I thought it was damn clever, I liked the character arcs, I thought it was interesting. A little Klingon-heavy for my liking but all-in-all not too bad for a new show.

Before anyone says one word in the series the fandom at large on the internet doesn’t just REVOLT, they pepper their anger with acidic, hell acerbic remarks. Now recall these are mostly the same fans who haven’t had any Star Trek on TV since Enterprise left the air in the early 00’s. A show that in of itself had plenty of anger associated with it.

Burnham is a Mary-Sue or Tilly is annoying or that the show has nothing but politically correct SJW’s in it…hell…I’ve heard it all trust me. They were carrying on since second one. Was it because they made Micheal the adopted sister of Spock? Was it because the tone was too dark?

I don’t know what set them off but allow me to air some grievances:

1.) They’re all Politically Correct SJW’s: Well in a strictly Sci-Fi sense aren’t all members of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets PC SJW’s? I mean think about it for a second. They are a society that values truth, honesty, even footing for everyone, it’s a culture of inclusion (example: Geordi with the VISOR is treated no differently than anyone else with normal sight), they are even a bit self-righteous sometimes (Captains Janeway, Sisko) but they operate within a society at large that is open and by and large inclusive to everyone as long as you aren’t a homicidal maniac hell bent on destroying the galaxy. Remember they tried to make friends with the Borg before they were forced to cede that they were unreachable. You make it sound like it’s a bad thing to have virtues that the characters of this series have always had. And you make it sound like it’s a bad thing. It’s not. It makes sense.

2.) Micheal Burnham is a Mary-Sue. Nope. She’s not. If you didn’t watch Season 2, go do that. Again the first season of any show is uneven at best and we saw growth in her character by the end but it was still very much in the awkward first season way. The second season she grows in all sorts of ways. The character comes alive. I for one loved Sonequa Martin-Green from moment one. She commands the scenes with substance and a sense of purpose.

3.) It’s not Star Trek. This is patently absurd. It is Star Trek. It might not be what you grew up with but it is Star Trek. I’m sure this is what the parents of TNG fans thought when that show began airing in 1987. Think about it. Did any of those sets look “correct” or in line with what had been established? It’s a generational gap. This is how the creators want it to look and feel. But it’s still Star Trek.

4.) It’s in an alternate reality/it’s not chronologically accurate: Nope. Prime timeline. Look…was I disappointed that the sets didn’t look like 1966? A little. A very tiny bit of me, sure. Did I realistically expect it? No. Is chronology ruined? Not at all. People forget that ships can change, tech can advance quite fast, and Starfleet loves to change uniforms, and interfaces on a whim. Did Enterprise look like it was 120 or so years before TOS? Nope. Did anyone bitch? Yep. Was it a bad idea to do a prequel? Not at all. But Discovery isn’t alternative timeline. It’s merely a cosmetic choice to have it look different. And they’ve been true to established canon too. The Cage happened before Discovery and TOS after it.

5.) I gotta PAY for it? I never PAID for it before! Physical media is dead. Streaming is king. From a business standpoint this makes sense. Discs are comically available for holdouts on Discovery Season 1. At $50 you are essentially paying for as many months as it would’ve cost you to buy the service and have access to a huge library of other content not just Discovery or all Star Trek TV Shows. Broadcast TV wasn’t going to take a risk on a prime time Star Trek TV show but much as UPN was anchored by Voyager when it began they surmised All Access would have similarities and it’d do good there. It has.

6.) Cut the female empowerment crap out it isn’t Star Trek: This one cracks me up. It isn’t? So characters like Uhura, Crusher, Janeway, Torres, Kira, Dax, and T’Pol aren’t all bad asses? They are. All of them. Strong, powerful women who excel at their jobs. What’s truly sad is I just mentioned about every series regular on all the shows and I didn’t even come up with enough for a bridge crew. I for one am happy to see the empowerment. Keep it up. It’s very Star Trek.

7.) Fine but I’m not treating this as canon: Fine sit in the corner and cry. This is stick in the mud to no end! Believe whatever you’d like, just realize that everyone who enjoys it realizes it is canon and you’re woefully behind because you’d rather believe your own headcanon rather than capitulate to what is on the screen.

8.) I’m going to derisively refer to the show as STD even though the official abbreviation is DIS and that fits in line with every one word Star Trek title since Voyager (VOY, ENT): Sure man whatever floats your boat or flies your starship. You do you. Does it annoy me? Absolutely. Will I probably assume you’re a troll if you use that abbreviation? Yup.

Fact is: I realize not every fan is going to like every show. I’m not honestly expecting them to. That’d just be foolish. But the amount of pure anger and vitriol hurled at Star Trek is insane.

When I was a kid, the show was nerdy, outcast, people didn’t watch it mainstream and it wasn’t cool at all. Star Wars was, but not Trek. Now? It’s trying to be cool. More space battles, epic panoramas, vistas, planets, exotic aliens…they want to create more. Do more. Be more. If you can’t appreciate that then I’m sorry.

There’s a lot more of this kind of Star Trek on the way. You won’t be seeing a return to TOS or TNG anytime soon so either buckle in for the ride or sit at home and rewatch those shows on your choice of discs or streaming services.

Gene Roddenberry created this franchise, Rick Berman and Brannon Braga changed it, and Alex Kurtzman changed it again. It’s just what it is. And at its core it still stays true to the original concept. Again I’m sorry if you can’t or won’t see that but that’s what’s happening.

If you’re looking for new TOS, check out Star Trek Continues on YouTube. Fantastic acting, storylines, etc. a virtual love letter to 60’s-era Trek.

As for Picard: You have seen one teaser trailer lasting under two minutes. Patrick Stewart is heavily involved in its production. It won’t be bad. Trust me on this.

If you’re looking for new Star Trek, sit down and get ready. There’s a whole lot of it coming soon!

#star trek #star trek discovery #picard #shows change over time #and sometimes thats a good thing #if you dont like fine #dont poo on those who do #my hubby #he wrote this #however i agree with it all

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adolfobrassell4-blog · 5 years

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Convert WAV ( Or MP3, OGG, AAC, WMA) To MIDI

Free WMA to MP3 Converter provides a simple method of changing Home windows Media files to MP3 information. An enormous collection of WMA recordsdata means having a gold mine in your system. Now, few of us may be questioning of what is wma to mp3 converter download windows 10 format. It's nothing but a Windows Media Audio format that is fairly fashionable in Home windows packages. Though this format is specially designed for the MP3 gamers, not all new MP3 gamers are succesful enough to play this format of music recordsdata. If you're listening to music on iPod or anything related then it could demand you to convert WMA files into the accessible format. So, wma2mp3 how to convert WMA to MP3? Fret not! There are a number of simpler ways that let to convert WMA to MP3 in an effort to take pleasure in music on the go. has eighty instances faster than frequent on-line audio converters. You may batch convert a number of audio recordsdata to MP3, WAV, WMA and OGG recordsdata, with 4 bitrate to decide on. helps users to upload WMA audio by URL pasting, or you possibly can import audio files from pc in regular method. Choose and insert the file to be converted from LAPTOP or Google drive. Convert mp3, m4a (iTunes & iPod), WMA, WAV, AIFF, AAC, FLAC, Apple Lossless (ALAC) to call a few. WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Manufacturing unit might help you to simply convert WMA to MP3 with the original sound quality preserved, to be able to play audio on any platforms and devices as you would like. What's more, you may even use it as a music participant and film downloader. Step four: If you wish to receive the output audio file by sending electronic mail, tick the choice "Send a download hyperlink to my email". And begin changing WMA to MP3 by clicking "Convert" button. WAV file and encode it using different MP3 encoders and totally different bitrates. (Or, if you want to save time, use solely LAME for MP3, because there is a close to-consensus that it will get the perfect sound. Do not forget to attempt VBR.) Then encode it in OGG format, also at various bitrates. Want to create a private and distinctive audio file? This step will guide you to attain customization. Click the "Settings" button on the button of the interface. You'll be able to set and alter parameters of the audio file in this Settings window, the place presents 3 columns, Video Settings, Audio Settings and 3D Settings. In the Audio Settings, you're free to alter the Audio Encoder, Bitrate, Channels and Pattern Fee. And you may preview your output to make it excellent in addition to you'll be able to.

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erichsen64york-blog · 5 years

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Basic steps To Help You Far better Understand Songs Downloads

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Look into sites on-line which one and indivisible deals with sites like i-tunes and Amazon when it will come to popular music. For illustration, DealNews provides up to the minute changes on what is discounted on many different web sites, which include those which sell off MP3s. You can also join by means of email to get alerts. In the event that there is the specific band you like, indicator up online. You may possibly be offered samples regarding audio or even some sort of free CD from period to time. On best of that, you may get savings when a person buy tour tickets or even their album online coupled with other perks. As you can see from the above article, it is quite simple to help download audio when you have outstanding tips to follow. Help to make sure you recognize every little thing first, then go forward if you feel confident to do so. After you see precisely how much high quality music presently there is to get, go along these great tips to family and friends!

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karlhards-blog · 5 years

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Slimlook Forskolin

Slimlook Forskolin :- What's the most well-known hangup with regards to weight the board? The appropriate response is balance. Such huge numbers of individuals organize shedding pounds that they go to outrageous measures. What's more, these extraordinary measures can abandon you feeling exhausted, feeble, and baffled. This is clearly rather than how you need to feel: incredible and sound. Presently, there is a way that you can accomplish the equalization you need with regards to getting more fit. Truth be told, this enhancement might be the key to getting thinner absent much problem by any means.

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Slimlook Forskolin gives you the intensity of getting more fit and conditioning your body, without all the work. I don't get our meaning by that? All things considered, such a large number of individuals endeavor to get thinner by slicing calories to the extraordinary. Or on the other hand, they'll put in a long stretch of time at the exercise center, pushing their poor bodies to the edge just to make a number on the scale. Be that as it may, these strategies are at last awful for your body. Also, these strategies can really make your body stick to abundance fat as a help. In any case, with Forskolin, your body will normally consume fat at a quicker rate. Also, ponders show it might even help with muscle building. In this way, your thin look won't be feeble – it'll be solid. What's more, that is a perfect that we would all be able to get behind.

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Wouldn't i be able to get Forskolin normally from sustenances? For what reason would I purchase Slimlook Forskolin?

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putschki1969 · 6 years

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Guide: How to get your hands on Kalafina goodies

I have been getting a lot of asks about this topic recently. Usually those questions come from new fans or from fans who have never bought any of Kalafina’s music releases or their merchandise. Buying Kalafina related items can be quite intimidating for us foreign fans, everything is expensive and it all seems to be out of reach. But fret not, it’s actually not THAT bad. Here’s a simple guide on how (and where) to buy all kinds of Kalafina related products. Don’t hesitate to ask if you still have any questions left after reading this.

Sorry, I have had this in my drafts for a couple of days. I was so distracted by all the Kalafina related news that I completely forgot about this :P Anyways, let‘s get this thing started...

Some basics:

Have a friend in Japan who is willing to buy stuff for you as soon as it comes out (for most of us that’s not an option but I thought I’d mention it anyways).

Get yourself a credit card or PayPal. Those two things will make your life so much easier when it comes to purchasing items on the sites I will mention later. Some sites accept debit cards but most of them don’t.

Download an add-on/app for your browser that helps you translate the content on Japanese sites. Usually google translate will suffice but it doesn’t hurt to have something else.

Make yourself familiar with your country’s customs regulations. In many cases you will not be able to avoid being charged various customs and import fees so it really helps to know what you have to expect.

Be prepared to spend a lot of money. Kalafina stuff is not exactly cheap (this applies to both the music releases as well as the merchandise). While you will be able to make some good deals on second-hand websites, most rare items will be sold for a very high price.

Comprise a list of all the things you want (add the original price for future reference). So much stuff has been released in the past decade, it’s not easy to keep track of everything (especially if you add all the different store privileges and other bonus items). Here’s a comprehensive list of all the music releases. This incomplete compilation on cpm will give you a rough idea when it comes to merch/live goods. Also, check out these albums on the Kalafina Facebook Fanpage => Merchandise/Live Goods/ Store privileges. @seasonreaper mentioned that he is working on his very own list so if you need info on rare Kala-items, he is your best chance. Of course you can also ask me, while I am certainly not super savvy when it comes to old Kalafina merchandise, I am sure I can find info on pretty much everything Kalafina-related XD

Selected online stores: CDJapan amazon.jp Space Craft Online Store (old) Space Craft Online Store (new) Yahoo Shopping Yahoo Auctions Suruga-ya Wakana Online Shop Mercari

Selected proxy services: Buyee From Japan Tenso (for sites where you can use foreign payment methods but you still need a Japanese address)

Details below the cut!

Music releases: CDs, LPs, DVDs, BDs

Let’s start with music releases. This is usually the first thing you would want to buy as a big fan of a band. As a newcomer, your best bet is CDJapan since it’s super simple and there’s no proxy service required. They still have almost all regular releases of Kalafina’s singles/albums/concerts in stock. There are a handful of limited editions available as well but for the most part, those are sold out. Please note that external and first press boni are only available for a short period of time (they are usually sold out within the pre-order period). CDJapan offers different shipping methods and they ship to A LOT of countries. Their customer service is great, they have helped me out a lot in the past. You can choose from many different payment options. I have never had any troubles with my packages. They have all arrived safely. [I usually pick unregistered SAL/Air Mail. Yup, I am super cheap, I don’t like paying extra for tracking]. Small tip, always mark your order as gift, that usually helps if you want to avoid customs fees.

Now if you want limited/special editions (such as LPs), rare releases (such as the re/oblivious mini album) or you don’t mind buying used products then you will have to consider visiting sites like amazon.jp, Yahoo Shopping, Suruga-ya, Yahoo Auctions and Mercari. These sites offer a wide range of frequently changing products including MANY second-hand items. You will need a proxy-service to order from most of them (Amazon.jp is an exception, they do ship some stuff overseas). While CDJapan offers its own proxy service I would recommend using Buyee (which I linked above). It’s SUPER simple to use and the service fee is minimal (they have sinced increased the fee but it’s still affordable). They ship to quite a lot of countries (various shipping methods) and you can pay with either PayPal or credit card. I advise you to stay away from Yahoo Auctions at the beginning. It’s a great place to find rare items but people are willing to pay crazy amounts of money for them so you will often find yourself outbid (unless you are willing to pay even more money of course XD). Buyee offers an interface for Yahoo Shopping and Mercari so you can browse the site in English. That’s very convenient, purchases are pretty much a piece of cake. A similar interface is offered for Yahoo Auctions (in case you wanna try your luck). On Suruga-ya and amazon.jp you can use the “Add-to-Buyee” app but don’t worry, the sites are super easy to navigate, once you have figured out the basic stuff, it really isn’t a big deal. And believe me, these sites are worth checking out! You can find lots of rare treasures there and often they are being sold for a very reasonable price. But you have to be fast!

Goods/merchandise etc

Live goods and other merchandise are much harder to find. But it’s not impossible. First I’d check out CDJapan, while their selection isn’t as big as it used to be they still have a few pamphlets left in stock. I think you can also find a handful of old live goods there. Then of course you should take a look at the Space Craft Online Stores. Many things are already sold out but there’s still quite a lot to be found there. Beware though, Buyee doesn’t offer its services on these sites. You will have to use another proxy buyer (such as From Japan - I think their service is a bit pricey but they are reliable). You can also register on the fan club sites with an address from TENSO and make payments with your credit card (they DO accept foreign credit cards in the Space Craft online shops).

You will have a lot of luck finding merchandise on the sites that offer second-hand products. It pays off to check the sites frequently because new things are added almost daily (and older things will be sold out just as quickly). But like I said at the very beginning, make sure to write a “wish-list” and always compare prices. Sometimes paying the full price on CD-Japan will be your cheapest option but other times you will save a lot of money by buying a second-hand item (even with all the fees you can still make a good deal). Often a product will be sold for a super high price (usually because the item is rare), be sure to check on all other sites whether you can find a cheaper version!

Some final tips:

Add keywords to your searches if you are looking for something particular. For example, if you are looking for pamphlets, use “kalafina パンフレット”, or like @chibalein has mentioned, if you are just looking for merch and you are not interested in any of the CDs, then type “kalafina グッズ”. That’s very helpful if you are browing sites that offer a wide range of products (like Yahoo Shopping).

Never hesitate to order something if you want it, things are sold out SUPER QUICKLY!

Make sure to only make purchases during the office hours of your proxy service. There’s nothing more frustrating than to find something you have always wanted, to order it and to then be told by your proxy service that by the time they ACTUALLY wanted to buy the item, it was already out of stock so your order had to be cancelled.

Try to keep your packages as small and light as possible (as in, don’t order 5 hardcover pamphlets at once - unless you are ready to pay a lot of shipping). The bigger/the heavier your package is, the more you will be charged for shipping. Sometimes the cheaper shipping methods won’t even be available if your package exceeds a certain weight.

Some screenshots

I’ve prepared some screenshots so you can get an idea of what you have to expect.

The Buyee interface for Yahoo Shopping

When you click on an item, you will be able to add it to your shopping cart.

Once the item is in your shopping cart, you can choose a plan. I ALWAYS choose the Lite Plan. I have never had any issues. You pay the item price and the fee and then the order will be made. Buyee will buy the item for you and a few days later it will arrive at their warehouse. Then you can choose a shipping method (I usually go for SAL or Air Mail) and you can declare your order as gift. You pay for the international shipping (+ domestic shipping in some cases).

Here’s a screenshot of an item on Suruga-ya. This is the regular edition of the album so it’s not exactly special. But it’s still cheaper than buying it on CDJapan. You can use the Add to Buyee App to purchase the album.

#kalafina #reply #guide #live goods #merchandise #tutorial #basic guide #hope this was at least a little bit helpful #maybe one day I will make a guide for kalafashion #although I am not sure many people are interested in that :P

39 notes · View notes

smoakmonster · 7 years

Text

G is for Gadgets and Gimmicks {1/3}

A/N: This is what happens when you watch a lot of Hallmark movies: an obligatory bookstore AU with a twist. Based on this prompt (x), in which anti-technology Bookstore Owner meets Computer Geek, and bickering ensues. Enjoy!

Also available: on AO3

***

com∙pro∙mise (n.)

a settlement of differences reached by mutual concession

***

At six minutes to six on Sunday afternoon, the cheap, brass overhead doorbell rings for the first time since noon.

“We'll be closing soon,” Oliver calls from the back corner of the cafe area.

The high-pitched ding is an unwelcome interruption from his crucial task of determining which scones are worth wrapping up and saving for tomorrow morning’s rush hour (at most, twenty-five extra customers beyond his regular clientele) and which ought to be pitched. He starts disposing of the near-burnt scones shoved in the back row. He needs to remember to not let Rene handle any of the baking. That kid would eat rocks if it came down to it.

While Oliver is usually not opposed to whipping up some fresh dough for his customers, he has been on his feet for the last nine hours and would prefer to head home early and maybe catch an hour of television and actually get some of that alleged decent night’s rest everyone’s always telling him he needs. Everyone being mostly Thea and Rene.

Besides, after dumping out ten perfectly charcoaled pocket pastries, he still has a dozen or so left on the tray that are decent enough to sell. He shuffles the most stale pastries towards the front row for his 11AM executive assistant and personal assistant late-breakfast-early-lunch-snack-run personnel from the business tower across the street, those fresh-out-of-grad-school, starry-eyed do-gooders, who are always checking their emails and won’t be able to taste the difference.

He almost had one of those once.

He wonders how much easier his life would be if he had a personal assistant now.

Of course, he’d have to pay said assistant, and he’s not exactly drowning in excess and privilege like he was a decade ago.

He’s the untrained owner of a small bookstore buried in a downtown city. And maintaining a struggling bookstore in a struggling economy is an arduous task at best and a depressing venture at worst. So, most work days are roughly somewhere in between. Mediocre. One day bleeds into the next until he forgets what day of the week it is until he checks the schedule.

When Oliver reads for leisure (ironically, he has very little opportunity to read for leisure), all the startup models and self-help books and even the occasional tycoon novel say the same thing: selling your soul to save your business should feel normal.

Unfortunately, the uncontrollable ingredient in this scheme called bookselling is the market.

He’s lucky if his small store makes it onto the back page of the monthly Starling City Living. Not that anyone buys magazines nowadays. Not that anyone has the time or desire to browse second-hand and third-hand books.

So he does what he can to keep his store afloat, cutting the staff’s hours and preserving day-old pastries and leaving that irritating antique bell afixed over the door. He’s been opposed to the doorbell from the start, but it came with the lease, and Thea thinks it’s good luck and swears it adds to the aesthetic of the place. Rene calls it a gimmick, and Oliver is inclined to agree with him. Nearly everything about this job is a gimmick.

As though on cue, a pair of heels pounds against old wooden floors, signaling the approach of his lone customer and pulling him up from behind the counter.

Oliver pastes on his best Customer Service smile, one truly useful skill he’s acquired thanks to an irregular attendance to dozens of high-end parties growing up. “What can I get for you?”

His smile slips when he sees her.

She, quite literally, takes his breath away.

While her fashion sense screams Complicated Order, she also exudes a soft demeanor and remains fixated on her small infernal device, wearing an adorable furrow between her eyebrows, thumbs flying a mile a minute.

The advantage of unhealthy technological immersion, however, is that it allows him to study her undetected. A Study In Scarlet of his own making.

His gaze travels slowly from her heels and blood-red jacket to her high blonde ponytail and feminine glasses and Neon Pink lipstick that is somehow flattering to her face. She wears so many shades of red that she looks like she escaped from a Valentine’s Day ad. He wonders if she’s one of those poor weekend executive assistants with a propensity for espresso and no social life.

She startles him when she finally looks up from her phone, and he recovers by trying to push one of his socialite smiles back onto his face, though it feels even more fake than usual.

The cute blonde throws out her question before he can repeat is. “Hi, could you tell me what the passcode is for the WiFi?”

What? He blinks. “There is no WiFi here.”

“What?” She sounds horrified, like he’s just told her her dog died. She seems peppy enough to be a dog person.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand--which, for me is kind of new. How exactly do you expect to run a business in the twenty-first century without accessible WiFi?”

He swallows. She sounds like his landlord. And his sales rep. And pretty much every other millennial who's miraculously managed to glance up from their rectangular deathtraps long enough to wander into this place.

He's annoyed that she's taking their side--and a bit irritated with himself for being attracted to her in the first place.

“Well, if you don’t like it, you can leave.” He doesn’t need the extra five minutes of labor and $3.50 profit her one cup of coffee was going to provide him anyway.

She flinches, and he regrets his gruffness immediately, but it’s too late. Her mouth pops open. She is clearly taken aback, and frankly so is he at his own behavior, that his pride has hurt a stranger and ruined a perfectly good sale.

She blinks a few times and then rallies enough gumption to tilt her chin up at him. “Fine.”

Before he has a chance to apologize, she spins and marches away, her ponytail flapping like a golden military flag. She is three steps from the door when a loud crackle of thunder shakes the room, and the sky opens up, unleashing buckets of water. Sudden gusts of wind begin spraying the rain sideways. The street is a wind tunnel of gushing water.

Oliver groans, moving around the counter to find his visitor in scarlet struggling to unfold her umbrella in as quiet and dignified a manner as possible.

“Your umbrella’s not gonna do you much good in this storm,” Oliver tells her.

Her shoulders tense again, this time with surprise but less agony.

He’s doing better. He can be civilized. He takes a hesitant step closer, softening his voice. “It should pass in a few minutes. Why don’t you grab a seat, and I’ll get you a cup of a coffee?” She shifts uncomfortably, avoiding his eyes. “It’s on the house,” he adds with a twitch of a smile, not that she notices.

She nods. “Thanks.”

The rain does not let up in a few minutes. If anything, it worsens. So Oliver devotes their extra time to concocting a supreme cup of coffee to make his guest feel better. (Any consideration he might have given to save face for the sake of his business is long forgotten.) He froths some half-and-half and at the last second decides to add honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

“I hope this isn’t too presumptuous,” he says when he reaches the corner chair she’s nestled herself into. “You look like a cream and sugar kind of gal.”

Her eyebrows lift. “Because I wear a skirt?”

“I…” He freezes. He honestly has no idea what to say to that.

She accepts the steaming cup with a teasing smile. “Cream and sugar is perfect. I just wanted to see if I could render you speechless, too.”

“I deserve that.” He crosses his arms and leans against the window, putting a small but safe distance between them.

She takes a few sips, and then her eyebrows pull together. For a second, he’s worried that maybe the milk’s turned sour. But then she says, “Oh wow. This is actually really good--not that...not that I was expecting it to not be good. It’s just it’s so hard to find a decent cup of coffee these days. I don’t really consider myself to be a coffee snob--though, I don’t suppose anyone would consider themselves to be a snob.” She lifts two fingers to make air quotation marks around the word snob. And the way her lips pucker and nose scrunches up makes her seem youthful and winsome.

“But honestly,” she continues, “the coffee at the office tastes like watered-down battery acid, and Starbucks is always so crowded and overpriced, and I’m already behind on this week’s data interface plans and…. I’m sorry. You don’t want to hear all of this.”

His lips twitch. Now that she’s apparently forgiven him, she really is quite the talker, isn’t she? “Actually, it’s kind of nice,” he tells her honestly. “You don’t mind if I start straightening things up? You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.” So what if he doesn't get to watch his hour of television tonight. So what if he doesn’t get to crash early. Sleep is overrated. Isn’t that why he owns a coffee shop?

“Thank you. I could use a break.” She visibly relaxes, sinking deeper into the chair.

“Boss keeping you busy all weekend?” He tilts his head toward the skyscraper across the road.

She hesitates, an uncomfortable look crossing her face. But it vanishes just as quickly. “Um...yes, you could say that.”

They shift into an easy, contended silence, as Oliver organizes the R through T shelf in literary fiction. He may not have finished his degree, but he knows Ra comes before Ru.

Eventually, he asks her about her work, and she chatters away, incessant and vivacious. While a third of what she says goes over his head, Oliver is unsure whether her job in the world of computer science truly is more exciting than his average, analog lifestyle or if she just possesses the natural ability to make everything sound exciting.

“Normally, I don’t like to brag about my job, but this week we have a really big sales pitch to make in front of our board of directors. My team and I have been slaving over this device for weeks, and a lot of company jobs are riding on the design. And I’m the one who’s going to be giving the presentation, and as you can see I tend to ramble….”

It takes him a moment to realize she’s waiting for a response.

“What kind of device is it?” he asks, glancing back over his shoulder to let her know he is fully engaged--or at least, as fully engaged as he can be--in their mostly one-sided conversation. He notices the rain has stopped, but she no longer appears to be in a hurry to leave. Something warm settles in his chest.

“Oh, it’s a, um, biometric chip implant that hopefully can be embedded into any spinal nervous system and help repair paralysis.”

“Wow. Really?”

She shrugs. “That is the plan.”

“And you designed it?” He hops down from the ladder.

“Not me. One of my...colleagues. I’m more of a numbers girl. I do all the back-end coding to support the engineering design. I’m like the Crick to his Watson--though, really, I suppose I’m more of the Rosalind Franklin in this scenario, who was basically cheated out of her Nobel Prize.”

He blinks, feeling like he’s completely lost the trail of her thoughts.

Thankfully, she finishes with, “They discovered DNA.”

He nods once. “Right. I do know what DNA is.”

She smiles brightly, and at once he feels both more foolish and more worthwhile under her scrutiny.

As she begins slowly packing up her things, the Lost Treasures section catches his eye. He picks up the book before he’s really made the conscious choice to do so. “Hey, I don’t know if you like to read or if your boss gives you time to read. I don’t even know if this is something that you would enjoy but…”

Wow, he is failing at this. Has it really been this long since he’s talked to a woman other than his sister about something other than her coffee order? Thea’s voice suddenly fills his head. Geez, Ollie, just spit it out.

He shakes his head, stretching out his hand before he can change his mind. “Here.”

She stands and glances down at the book. Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II.

“It’s a recent acquisition, and what you were talking about made me think about it. I know it’s not the same thing. I mostly read history books myself, and I just thought… You don’t have to read it if you don’t want to. And if you don’t like it, you can always bring it back. No charge.” Does he sound as ridiculous as he feels?

“Oh. Well, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, I’m actually not much of a reader. I mean, other than the occasional novel on my Kindle.”

His hand falls, and he tries to ignore the way his heart pinches strangely at the malicious word kindle. “Oh. Right. Of course.”

“But you did just give me a free cup of what is unquestionably the best coffee I have had in months. The least I can do is pay you for the book.”

She reaches for her wallet, but he stops her. “No, I mean, it was my suggestion so…”

She wears that adorable frown of hers, eyebrows scrunching together. “Last I checked, this is not a library. You’ll never make it if you just keep giving away your product. That’s like Business Management 101.”

He huffs a short laugh. “Consider it an apology. For the way I acted...earlier.”

She finally relents, tucking the book inside her purse. “Okay. But next time, I will be paying for my coffee.” She points a finger at him, silently demanding that he keep up his end of the bargain.

“Next time?” He raises an eyebrow, wishing his heart not to cling to an indifferent promise. She is just being polite, he reminds himself. There is no guarantee he’ll see her again after today.

She tips her head, thoughtful and almost...flirtatious? No. That can’t be it. This is just part of her odd but sweet personality. “Despite your current lack of WiFi, I kind of like it here. This room has a nice, vintage, back-to-the-Victorian-Era ambiance.”

He smiles. If Thea were here she’d be graciously demanding a customer review for their online presence. Maybe he can pitch that as the company slogan at their next staff meeting. Verdant Books: the right place for a nice Victorian Era experience.

“I'm Felicity, by the way.” She holds out her hand to him, and his heart beats a little faster at the way her slender, strong, perfect fingers feel wrapped around his own.

“Felicity.” He likes the sound of her name and the pleasing way his lips and tongue move together to form the word.

Even after their hands go still, she doesn’t pull away, and he doesn’t release her. An amused look crosses her face. “This is the part where you tell me your name,” she whispers playfully.

He clears his throat. “Right. Oliver.”

Is it possible her smile grows, or is he merely imagining things? “Nice to meet you, Oliver. Bookseller and Barista Extraordinaire. By the way, the term barista is not meant to be emasculating at all. It is a compliment of the highest order. If I were a queen, I would dub you Knight of the Java.”

She winces, clearly embarrassed, a blush blooming on her cheeks.

But Oliver laughs, a real, full laugh, something he hasn’t done in a long time. “That’s not a bad title.” Coming from anyone else, the title would have sounded cheap, like one of those paranormal teen books Thea is always pestering him to try. But coming from Felicity, the title adds another facet to her intriguing, gemmed character. After all, some titles are misleading; some titles are commemorative; and some titles are significant just by who their author is.

***

Tag Team: @dust2dust34, @mel-loves-all, @releaseurinhibitions, @scu11y22

(Let me know if you wished to be tagged in the updates!)

#olicity #olicity fanfic #olicity fanfiction #olicitysquee #olicity au #oliver x felicity #my stuff #my fic #shelley does fic #g is for gadgets and gimmicks

33 notes · View notes

shirlleycoyle · 3 years

Text

McDonald’s Franchises Hack McFlurry Machines to Bypass Sanitization Process

McDonald’s ice cream machines break all the time. They are broken so often that their brokenness has become a meme, with McDonald’s tweeting last year “we have a joke about our soft serve machine but we’re worried it won’t work.” Podcasts have been made about the broken machines and a software developer has written a bot that estimates that, at any given time, roughly 10 percent of all McDonald’s soft serve machines are broken.

They also make people sick. Soft serve ice cream machines are a breeding ground for disease if they aren’t properly maintained. A 2005 NBC News investigation revealed just how dirty those machines can be. Improved machines released after the investigation made the ice cream machines safer, but only if they’re maintained, which can be expensive and time consuming. Some store managers and repair techs have learned a trick that bypasses the machine’s safety mechanisms. This has led to dirty machines that can make people sick.

McDonald's McFlurry and soft serve machines, made by the Taylor Company, are part of what Wired called a "milkshake shakedown" in an investigation published last month: "sell franchisees a complicated and fragile machine. Prevent them from figuring out why it constantly breaks." The machines break because there are a lot of moving parts, and the machines need to be able to handle cold ice cream but also have to withstand heating cycles that clean the devices. The software that powers the machines is also often faulty and, as laid out in a lawsuit filed against Taylor this month, consists of “flawed code that caused the machines to malfunction.”

There is, however, a way to get certain Taylor ice cream machines that are used at McDonald’s back online quickly using a hardware hack that Taylor has classified as a “very serious issue” in an internal service bulletin, Motherboard has learned. Maintenance employees can install a “jumper,” a small metal or plastic bracket, on some of the electric pins on the back of the machine to bypass a software system that makes the machine inoperable if it hasn’t been cleaned in a certain amount of time. Doing this could make ice cream dispensed from these machines dangerous because it bypasses critical cleaning and sanitization features; Taylor itself has told maintenance workers that doing so "can greatly increase the risk of serving unsafe product to the public."

Although the bypass is not officially endorsed by either Taylor or McDonald's corporate, it is used by some McDonald's restaurants because cleaning ice cream machines is an arduous and expensive task.

"You're under pressure to get it up and running," a maintenance professional who has worked in many McDonald's restaurants for the last 15 years in the midwest told Motherboard, adding that, obviously, stores can't sell ice cream while the machines are broken, and customers are often upset when they can't get McFlurrys or soft serve. The maintenance worker, whom Motherboard agreed to keep anonymous because they fear losing their job, said that a McDonald's store manager once pressured them to install a jumper.

“I was replacing a man who had been fired. When I arrived there, I had been informed he was installing the jumper on the shake machine. I refused to do it,” they said. “To clean the machine, it’s a three hour job from start to finish—you have to drain it, clean the cylinders, check the fudge and caramel pumps and o-rings. It’s a long and detailed process. Installing the jumper is considered a trick to get it up and running—you don’t have to tear it down.”

This bypass is widely known among maintenance workers who repair the equipment and by both Taylor and McDonald’s, according to the worker, internal documentation obtained by Motherboard, and health inspection records.

Part of the issue is the Taylor machine's heat treatment process. Old Taylor machines needed to be constantly cleaned to keep running. It was a laborious and time consuming process. The new machines use a heat treatment that superheats the machine inside to clean it. When a Taylor machine is doing its nightly heat treatment, it only needs cleaning every 14 days. Using the jumper to bypass the system shuts off the heat treatment cycle and it doesn’t come back off until the jumper is removed. Installing the jumper means it no longer meets the food safety standards developed by NSF International, a group that approves restaurant food equipment.

In 2013, Taylor issued a “service bulletin” in which it identified a “very serious issue that can jeopardize the product served from heat treatment machines. Taylor technicians performing equipment updates recently reported that they found heat treatment machines with a shunt (jumper) installed on the brush clean service pins on the interface boards.” Doing this allows the machine to “circumvent freezer locks” that ensure the machine has gone through a heat treatment cycle that sterilizes the machine.

“It’s a dairy product, so there’s a reason you clean it out and sanitize it. You’ve got stuff building up in there, stuff growing in a cold, moist environment”

“Under no circumstances should a jumper be installed and left on the brush clean service pins!” the bulletin reads. “IMPORTANT: Altering the lock out parameters in heat treatment equipment is a violation of FDA Food Code as confirmed via testing by NSF under NSF Standard 6 … Such an action can greatly increase the risk of serving unsafe product to the public.”

The McDonald's maintenance worker said it is possibly dangerous to the public to serve ice cream from machines like that have had a jumper installed, though it's difficult to say how often—if ever—people get sick from McFlurrys.

“It’s a dairy product, so there’s a reason you clean it out and sanitize it. You’ve got stuff building up in there, stuff growing in a cold, moist environment,” they added. “So to skip that, for me it’s wrong on so many fundamental levels.”

A video viewed by Motherboard of an ice cream machine with no jumper installed shows a machine that’s beeping and shuts itself down. A second video on a machine that has a jumper installed shows a machine that is not beeping that flashes the words “UNIT CLEANED.”

A spokesperson for McDonald's confirmed to Motherboard that the company is aware of this bypass but believes it is not used often and has impacted a limited number of restaurants, and said that if maintenance employees find a jumper installed on a Taylor ice cream machine, they are supposed to immediately remove it. The company said it has also created training programs to ensure the machines (and all restaurant equipment) are cleaned regularly. The vast majority of McDonald's restaurants are independently owned franchises, and so it can be difficult for McDonald's corporate to know or understand the full scope of issues like this.

“Adhering to the highest standards of safety and cleanliness is always our top priority, and this includes having thorough cleaning processes in place for our soft serve machines to help keep our customers and crew safe. Any systems that bypass the regular cleaning cycle are not authorized or condoned by McDonald’s," McDonald's said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Taylor Company said in an email that “the ‘jumper’ you refer to is a shunt that bypasses certain critical steps that should never be bypassed because they are necessary to ensure proper sanitation and safety. When we first learned about this unauthorized procedure in 2013, we quickly issued a safety bulletin outlining our concerns. We have provided direction to our authorized factory trained technicians to remove the ‘jumper’ should they encounter this condition in the field. We reiterate these concerns and recommendations today. Our number one concern is the safe operation and servicing of our equipment.”

They added that “these shunts pose serious potential health and safety risks, it also violates FDA Food Code, National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and our own published safety standards.”

Health inspection records from the state of Ohio show that this problem has occurred in the recent past, though it's very difficult to have any idea the scale of the problem. The maintenance worker Motherboard spoke to said that most of the machines he comes in contact with can be bypassed by the jumper (meaning that many McDonald's restaurants are still using this specific model of machine). A July 10 inspection of a McDonald's in Ohio found a "critical violation" in which the inspector was unable to access 90-day records of heat treatment cycles, which is a byproduct of having the jumper installed. An August 8 inspection found the same thing, and called it a "critical repeat."

McDonald's ice cream machines have a much more complicated saga than you'd expect for a piece of fast food equipment, which is explored at length in the excellent Wired article. That article focuses on entrepreneurs Jeremy O’Sullivan and Melissa Nelson, who designed a device that would help franchise owners diagnose their own systems, make simple repairs, and avoid costly repair bills from Taylor. They called their gadget the Kytch and it worked like an on-board diagnostic reader for cars. Among other things, the Kytch device gives store owners access to a secret diagnostic menu they can't usually see.

The Kytch devices became popular at McDonald's, but McDonald's eventually warned stores that installing a Kytch would void restaurant owners' warranties and told them not to use it. McDonald's and Taylor soon announced new machines that would have many of the features Kytch has. Last week, Kytch filed a lawsuit against Taylor and a McDonald's franchisee sold a Kytch to that it alleges helped Taylor reverse engineer the Kytch. It also alleged that Taylor’s repair monopoly has made the ice cream machines dangerous. McDonald's corporate is not named in the suit.

“This is a case about corporate espionage and the extreme steps one manufacturer has taken to conceal and protect a multimillion-dollar repair racket,” the lawsuit said. “The problem is that Taylor designed its software so that only Taylor-certified technicians can service and repair the machines.

“Taylor’s own documents confirm that in 2017 alone, 6,500 Taylor-certified technicians brought in almost $80 million in revenue for parts and service support.”

The lawsuit also specifically mentions the jumper issue, noting “many Taylor machines have a jumper placed on the W2 pins on the rear of the machine that disables necessary safety mechanisms … Taylor has been aware of this hazard for years but has taken no action to correct this defect. This violates NSF International’s food safety requirements and may endanger consumers.”

McDonald's, for its parts, says that there is no conspiracy between Taylor and McDonald's and that it has been encouraged by its new connectivity solutions, software, and machines that it has rolled out since October.

"Our fans deserve to enjoy McDonald’s cool, creamy soft serve whenever the craving strikes, and we have a dedicated team working to improve the reliability of our soft serve machines," McDonald's said. "Some of their solutions have already begun to roll out in restaurants—like new training resources for crew and maintenance ‘check-ups’ for the machines to keep them running smoothly. We’re even testing a smart technology that sends real-time texts when the machines aren’t working properly so they can be fixed ASAP. We're committed to getting this right for our customers.”

McDonald’s Franchises Hack McFlurry Machines to Bypass Sanitization Process syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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