#like my outlet replacing project I started in 2020 and only replaced one outlet for

[thatmartiangirl]

I'm looking to pick up an activity for fall into winter, but I can't decide between the Sword-fighting Center and the Tool Library.

The Sword-fighting Center teaches HEMA and Kendo, is really close to my house and is easy to get to, and is something I've wanted to do for years, but costs $100 a month, which means I wouldn't really be able to do any other extra circulars. But if I do 10 classes a month, which is probably reasonable with their schedule and mine, it's $10 a class, which isn't really that bad.

On the other hand, the Tool Library is only $10 a month, and gives me complete access to all of their tools (which I can check out to bring home), and their workshop during their hours, but their hours cross with my work hours a lot, and I would be forced to drive through downtown during rush hour to access it on weeknights. They also have a lot of cool workshops that are discounted to members, I have a lot of home projects that it would help with, and the cost means I'd be able to do other things, like the swing dancing class I was eyeing for later in the fall

My brain says the Tool Library, but my heart says the Sword-fighting Center

[incogninto1-1]

What's 8X Computing Squad?

For the people who are asking what is this 8X Computing Squad thing I am running I'm about to spill the beans.

8X Computing Squad (formerly 8X Computing Inc.) (pronounced "Optics" from the Romanian pronunciation of 8 because I think lasers are cool) is a group that I made back in November 2019 by myself. While I am calling it a group I am the only member running it. Sort of like how Neil Cicierega is the only member of Lemon Demon. My early projects consisted of modifying software. One example is a modified version of Radiation's Deltarune to replace the OST with memes. In disaster year 2020 I have shifted my interest somewhat from software to hardware. I have written many hardware concepts on my sketchbook. One of them being a concept for a game console running Windows XP with a custom shell written in GameMaker Studio 2 that gives the user full control over the system. The concept of using Windows XP and GameMaker failed due to the copyright of Windows XP and the restrictiveness of GameMaker however the main base remained. Not like I was going to sell it publicly but I still wanted a system for a project. And then in 2021 I started considering Linux. I was using Linux as a secondary operating system for a year back then however with the release of Windows 11 and the end of life status for Windows 7 I decided that it was now or never o finally move on from Windows altogether. I first used Ubuntu however I was also using older versions of the OS too for trying to figure out how Linux worked under the hood. And after a while in 2021 I managed to compile the Linux kernel 2.6.26 on Ubuntu 9.04. I was ecstatic and I decided to go even further. And to keep the rest short in 2022 I made 2 prototypes of a prototype Linux operating system codenamed LinX86. One based on Debian and another developed on top of BusyBox. I was also concidering ARM based systems like cell phones and tablets and even making concepts of a desktop ATX board running on a RISC architecture like MIPS or ARM. And then the year 2023 came and I made further progress. I started taking RISC architectures seriously and I started compiling the Linux kernel on different android devices, getting access to the internal UART shell and hacking the firmware and boot image on them to get full desktop Linux on them. I got the deepest this year into firmware hacking and low cost embedded systems. I got plenty of old android smartphones and tablets and hacked them to run desktop Linux on them. I even wrote my own initramfs (to put it simply a micro Linux OS that prepares the big machine for blast-off) and placeholder init system in C to work well (the program that starts the real OS). While I haven't gotten LinX86 to function very well with the custom init stuff it did make the system simpler with less junk running in the background (although I still need to work on it). This is also the year I gotten somewhat into game development and I wanted to make my own 2D game engine in C for RPG games and the like. Overall my motivation is just fun. It's like other people making art, writing poems, making music and playing sports. It's just my outlet for stuff I like to do. Also I remade the logo myself today. I might post more stuff about the group on YouTube. youtube.com/@8XCompSq

So yeah.

[aion-rsa]

Doctor Who Series 13: Jodie Whittaker Leaving Rumours, the Next Doctor, and the Future

https://ift.tt/2SweahO

Jodie Whittaker is fast approaching that three-season milestone at which most Doctors pull the inter-dimensional rip-cord and eject themselves from the TARDIS. Speculation has swirled around her, as it does for most Doctors, from the very start of her tenure, and now, more than ever, there’s the strong scent of Regeneration in the wind. So, will Whittaker leave at the close of series 13? And if so, will any of her companions remain to bridge the gap between eras? Might showrunner Chris Chibnall also hang up his sonic-shaped pen? The BBC is playing its cards characteristically close to its chest, so divining the answers to these questions is not unlike trying to unlock the mystery of the Doctor’s real name.

There was an ample reminder of the BBC’s zeal for secrecy when Who-newcomer and beloved Liverpudlian John Bishop – cast last year as companion Dan – was rebuked for revealing during an online Q&A that his character, too, would be Liverpudlian. If the BBC don’t want you to know that a Liverpudlian might be playing a Liverpudlian, then this is going to be a bumpy ride. But let’s strap in, brace for impact, and see what’s (or Who’s) out there…

Jodie Whittaker on leaving

Everyone has their favourite Doctors, and not-so favourite Doctors. Jodie Whittaker is not alone in having had love and scorn heaped upon her in equal measure, a phenomenon that has touched most actors to have taken on the role, with the possible exception of Tom Baker and David Tennant, who stand as almost deified in their respective eras.

It’s clear, though, that Jodie Whittaker has loved every moment of being the Doctor, and of being embraced by the show’s fandom, telling the Telegraph in November 2020: “If you bump into a Whovian, it genuinely makes both of your days. There’s something emotional, poetic and very humbling about being in the show, because you’re a little tiny jigsaw piece of something that is so precious to so many people.” It’s perhaps understandable, then, that her response to the speculation around her departure was to say: “To even question an end point would be too upsetting.”

Or, to parrot one of her predecessors: “I don’t want to go.”

Where’s the evidence?

Over the last eighteen months, rumours that Jodie Whittaker will be leaving after season 13 have been endlessly shared and repeated. These rumours were reported as fact by some media outlets earlier in the year, though the BBC has steadfastly refused either to confirm or deny them. It does, however, seem more likely than not that 13 will be 13’s last; a supposition based upon the ‘Who Rule of Three’ and the unignorable sound of drums gathering pitch and pace across the internet.

In the hunt for ‘evidence’, dead-ends and red-herrings abound. IMDb currently reveals no projects rumoured or in pre-production for Jodie Whittaker beyond her TARDIS tenure, but, then, actors keeping contractual secrets would be fools to release their schedules onto one of the most comprehensive entertainment databases ever to have existed. So no help there.

The Mirror newspaper recently reported that the front-cover of the 2022 Doctor Who annual would be Doctor-less for the first time in its 57-year-history. Could this be a clue? Not likely. The people at Penguin Random House – the annual’s publishers – made it clear that the thirteenth Doctor will feature heavily throughout the publication.  So whether the new cover is simply a radical redesign, a yielding to the purchasing power of this era of the show’s vocal detractors; or a shrewd marketing move designed to have the product promoted for free in the press, it doesn’t actually tell us very much about the likelihood of the 13th Doctor’s exit.

Peter Capaldi’s Trouser Clue

We might, however, be looking for clues in all the wrong places. Peter Capaldi deduced that he’d be handing over the TARDIS keys to a woman a few days before the BBC officially broke the news to him: thanks to his tailor.       

At a New York Comic Con panel in 2017, Capaldi told the audience: “I went into Paul Smiths, which is a very wonderful clothes shop in London where I buy my suits, and everybody knows me in there. And they said, ‘We just got a call,’ they said, ‘from the Doctor Who office saying, ‘Can we have a pair of [Peter’s] trousers, but with a waist size thirty?’ … And I thought, ‘Well, that can’t really be a man with a thirty-inch waist. That must be a lady then’.”

Staking out Jodie’s tailor probably won’t prove fruitful, though. Knowing the BBC, they’ve probably plugged that potential leak by sub-contracting Jodie’s wardrobe out to a mute grandma living alone in a fortress atop the Himalayas.    

Read more

TV

Doctor Who: the behind-the-scenes causes of regeneration

By Mark Harrison

TV

Doctor Who: Which New Doctors Are Now Canon?

By Chris Farnell

Will the Doctor Regenerate in 2022?

Series 13 will consist of eight episodes, set to begin airing later this year. The Mirror reports that there will be two specials in 2022, although it isn’t clear whether these will be in addition to this year’s 8,  or whether we’ll see a split of 6 episodes in 2021 with the 2 specials being held over for 2022. A special – Christmas Day, New Year’s Day or otherwise – has become the traditional arena for regeneration, so if Whittaker is leaving, it’s likely that her final scene will come at the end of that rumoured second special.

Many think that the greatest evidence for Whittaker remaining as the Doctor until at least 2023 is our proximity to Doctor Who‘s upcoming 60th anniversary. After all, it would seem a shame to bow out before a big milestone, and it could be daunting to saddle a new Doctor with spearheading such a significant celebration. Still, the timey-wimeyness of it all means that even should Whittaker leave in 2022 there’s no reason she couldn’t make an appearance in an anniversary episode, perhaps alongside a few other previous incarnations. And 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the BBC itself, so it’s hard to imagine that the show won’t be doing something extra special to mark that, given that it owes its very existence and longevity to the broadcaster (Michael Grade notwithstanding). Whenever she leaves, 13 could easily have her cake and eat it.

Will Chris Chibnall leave after Series 13?

When Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole left at the end of ‘Revolution of the Daleks‘, Mandip Gill’s Yaz stayed behind. Yaz has been one of the new era’s most underdeveloped characters, so it made sense that she would get her chance to shine and grow in a less crowded environment, sharing companion duties only with John Bishop’s newly teased Dan. But as her character and her story seems so intrinsically linked to the Doctor herself, with the promise of more in-depth exploration to come in series 13, when/if the Doctor leaves, will Yaz’s story also draw to a close? Will only Dan remain with a foot in two TARDISes? All speculation at this point, and it very much hinges on which direction the writers take Yaz in this next clutch of episodes.

Showrunner Chris Chibnall – a lifelong fan of the show and, prior to his appointment as big chief, a long-standing writer for both Doctor Who and Torchwood – has been at least as divisive a figure in Who fandom as 80s helmsman Jonathan Nathan-Turner. Rumours regarding his possible departure have circulated with just as much frequency as those surrounding Whittaker. When asked about series 13, Chris Chibnall told the Radio Times: “I do know I’m coming back for a third season. Yeah, absolutely.” Within those words, if you look hard enough, exists the implied absence of certainty around future seasons, but perhaps that’s getting rather too Da Vinci Code about the whole thing.

While the stewardships of previous showrunners Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat spanned two Doctors each, this doesn’t mean that Chris Chibnall is guaranteed a crack at the 14th Doctor. Should Chibnall leave after season 13, among the writing team perhaps only Pete McTighe – who wrote ‘Kerblam!‘ And co-wrote ‘Praxeus‘ – has the experience to take over as showrunner, given his stint over-seeing the award-winning Australian prison-drama Wentworth. 

How might 13’s Regeneration Happen?

Each of the modern Doctors has met their end in the service of some great sacrifice, either to protect a companion or to save if not the universe then at least a world within it. It’s unlikely that 13’s exit will be any different. It’s simply a question of against whom or what she’ll be fighting when her time comes.

Though it may be too soon for the Master to be directly responsible for the undoing of yet another Doctor so soon after 12’s John-Simm-shaped downfall, it’s likely that the Master will at the very least influence the direction of 13’s regeneration. Sacha Dhawan has expressed enthusiasm at the idea of returning, though nothing, as you would expect, has yet been confirmed. Or denied.

The revelations in ‘The Timeless Children‘, controversial though they proved for some fans, are perhaps too epoch-shaking and era-defining not to play a part in 13’s swansong, and it may well be that the shadowy Division – the Time Lord’s very own version of Starfleet’s Section 31 – will be complicit in the Doctor’s fall.

Another question presents itself: now that the Doctor knows she has infinite regenerations, might it make her more reckless? Might she start to see her body more like an easily changeable suit than a thing of flesh and blood? Might she regenerate multiple times before becoming the 14th Doctor, a la The Curse of Fatal Death, and what on earth would we call the 14th Doctor – who wouldn’t really be the 14th Doctor at all – if that happened?          

Who’s in the running for the next Doctor?

Many of the same actors tipped as possible replacements near the end of Capaldi’s run have reappeared in the Regeneration rumour mill, including firm favourites Michaela Coel, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Michael Sheen, David Harewood, Richard Ayoade and the indefatigable Kris Marshall. Joining them this time are Line of Duty alumni Kelly MacDonald and Vicky McClure, and It’s a Sin front-man Olly Alexander. It could be that one of them, or none of them get the call. The next Doctor could just as easily be Jo Martin’s fugitive Doctor, who’s been hiding in plain sight all along.

Really though, as with all things connected with the show at this stage of its cycle: Who knows?

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Doctor Who Series 13 will air on BBC One later this year.

The post Doctor Who Series 13: Jodie Whittaker Leaving Rumours, the Next Doctor, and the Future appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3h7A1nM

[morganrivers]

04-05-2020

Who would have ever thought that this year would be filled with such troubling and questionable times...while only being barely four months into it. In January, the Australian bush fires shook the world. Affecting thousands of people and animals that call that country home. In late January, Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, among 7 others crashed in a helicopter on the way to a basketball game. Instantly killing every one on board. Every victim left families and loved ones behind. While not everyone was a basketball fan, everyone knew who Kobe Bryant was. You didn’t have to be a huge Kobe, Lakers, or even a basketball fan to feel what the world felt at that moment. Scared, heart broken, saddened. The unsettling reminder that life can be taken from you in an instance. No matter your status in life, your income, the amount of friends you have, or where you come from. Life does not discriminate. 

I was working Sunday morning brunch at the pub when TMZ first aired it on live television. Everyone in the restaurant, myself included, stopped what they were doing to watch the news unfold. At first, it was uncertain as to who was on board with him. Rumors and live footage of the crash flooded social media and every major news outlet. To find out the severity of the crash and the casualties was gut wrenching, I couldn’t even begin to imagine or fathom what their families at home were going through. 

Flash forward to March, a global pandemic made it’s way over to us. COVID-19, a new strand of the corona virus that mutates at a rapid rate. It’s an airborne disease that anyone can be affected by, especially the elderly and the immunocompromised. We’ve been in quarantine for almost three weeks now. All major businesses, except essential workers (grocery stores, doctor’s offices, etc.) are closed. The pub has temporarily shut down except for selling to go food and beer/wine. I haven’t worked a bar shift in almost a month now. I miss it. I miss my regulars, my work family, and the extra income. Other restaurants around us have shut down for good, Wild Wing, where I worked for 5 years while in college and Copper River Grill as well. I hate it for all the employees of those businesses, no guaranteed work to return to after all of this craziness is over with. A lot of those workers were our regulars at the pub whom I’ve formed relationships and friendships with over the last 3 years I’ve worked as a bartender.

What I’ve gathered from all of these recent events is that you never know when the last time you will experience something is. It gives me an uneasy and almost nauseating feeling when I begin to think of it. Life is fleeting. We take for granted each moment we experience. I try to stay present in situations and see them for what they are. Really experience them. Although, I am not perfect and that’s not always possible. I wish I could snap shot a moment and store it away until I want to relive it again. I will probably never see a lot of the people from Copper River or Wild Wing again. I wonder what their lives will entail within the coming days, months, and years. I wish them well and hope that they find work and comfort in a daily routine again. 

In light of everything, the world seems to be recovering. Pollution rates have gone down in highly populated areas. In Venice the canal has cleared up to where you can see the fish! Swans have returned. I believe Earth is getting a nice break because people are staying home. It’s a little bewildering to think about anything positive in such a negative situation. But I am thankful for it. Maybe this will be a wake up call for people, environmentally speaking. I think a lot of people are taking this time to do things that they usually do not find themselves doing. Me for example, here I am finally starting to blog. I tried writing in journals, sometimes it’s difficult for me to sit down and write. I find it easy to type out everything...easier on my wrists. I even got in my yard and made a flower bed, also stripped some popcorn ceiling in my bathroom yesterday. I’m hoping to finally get around to some chores I’ve been wanting to get accomplished in my house during all of this. Next thing on the list is to paint my bathroom and replace the mirror and light fixtures. I’m really looking forward to how it will look after it is done!

While I am trying to stay positive in my situation, I know that others are tremendously suffering right now during this time. There are many people who do not have a great home life. People who look forward to going to school or to work, just for an escape. Children who depended on meals from school and that positive environment to mold them into the adults that they will become. Women, even some men, who are in abusive relationships. Whether that be with a spouse, parent or guardian, or a sibling that so desperately wish they could escape from. I think of those people in this time, and wish that I could remove them from those situations. I think of those people and am grateful for what I have in my life, and wish I could give them the same. How I wish everyone on this planet had a loving, comforting, clean, warm home to go home to every night. I pray that this travesty that is wreaking havoc on our planet comes to and end soon. I pray that this changes how our world handles situations or better yet, prepares for them. I pray essential workers get a break; especially those on the front line of all of this. Nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, grocery store workers, pharmacists, FedEx/UPS, etc. I pray that those out of work can return to work soon. I pray that this doesn’t lead our economy into a recession. I pray. To whom I do not know. The universe I suppose, to help us in this time of need. We need to give back to the universe. Stop having so much hate for one another. To give love, to give kindness, to be less selfish. I hope that I can lead a better life and attitude after this. I want to keep up with what I am doing during this time; journaling, working in the yard, little projects on my house, and exercising. I hope for normalcy in life again. A routine. We all crave it.

I am saddened that the music festival that I was supposed to attend this year has been cancelled. It was an amazing line up of artists! Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, Red Hot Chili Peppers, RL Grime, Post Malone, RKS and loads of other musicians I was so excited to see. I was going to go with an amazing group of people. We had rented a house on the beach where the festival was going to be held. I hope we get to experience this festival in the future.

Whenever all of this is over and we all get to go out in public and be together I know I will be overcome with emotion. To be able to be with all of my friends and enjoy drinks, a good meal, some conversation and laughs will be amazing. I can’t wait to go to my first concert again, to be able to hear live music among a crowd of people. Everyone feeding and vibing off one another among a musician they all love! I can’t wait to get weekly lunch with my mom and sister again. To see them everyday and give them a hug or a kiss on the cheek. I’ve had to avoid hugging and being my normal affectionate self because of all of this...that’s very hard for me. I can’t wait to be able to drive up to Greenville to see my best friend and go out with her and enjoy a hike at a near by state park. I can’t wait to be able to do outdoor activities. Kayaking on the river, going on a boat ride with friends, tying up at Sandy Beach and have a fun ass day drinking and hanging out with people. I can’t wait to be able to go get my hair cut or my nails done. To go shopping at a store whenever I felt like it. I will be so thankful when these days come again. And I hope to never take them for granted.

[francesfromdc]

My Transgendered Lifestyle -- Read My Blog!

Resolve right now to explore roads you haven't previously traveled. 😊 You might be pleasantly surprised and you might discover some new facets about yourself that you didn't know existed! And most of all, have fun and enjoy  starting with.... Reading my Tumblr Blog!

If you like compassion, tenderness, sensitivity--traditionally female virtues, then maybe the right guy for you is one whose feminine, creative, and artistic side is not locked up and concealed under a macho cover. Unconventional? Yes. Atypical? Extraordinary? Absolutely. But the type of girl or guy I'm looking for is, among many other things, unconventional, atypical, and extraordinary. I hope you’ll take the time to read my entire profile, which I admit is much longer than most. The seemingly endless commentary 😊 will give you more insight regarding my not so normal but very interesting, fun and low stress life. Many people who did not wish to express an interest in me have written me simply to say that they enjoyed reading my profile.

I'm a lover of fashion and arts, with a lifelong passion for cherishing, honoring, and embracing all aspects of feminine beauty. My favorite creative outlet is cross dressing and gender bending. I look at this as an art form and take it very seriously. I try to create a very authentic, classy and often glam look once or twice a month that's not over the top like the drag queens (not that there's anything wrong with being an over the top drag queen! 😊 I've impersonated Marilyn Monroe for several Halloweens and a few parties here and there, and I must say that it's about the most fun I've ever had. Other celebrity impersonations I've done were Audrey Hepburn, Madonna, Paris Hilton, Bettie Page, Natalie Portman as the Black Swan, Daryl Hannah as the evil nurse from Kill Bill, and Elsa the Ice Queen from "Frozen".

I'm searching for fun people who are creative, bold, confident and very special  who would appreciate and embrace the exciting and creative world of fashion, beauty, fitness, performing arts, role play, cosplay, pinup fashion, gender bending, and even (mild -- nothing hard core--I' m a sub)- S&M / B&D.

LGBTQBDSM -- If I'm looking for people who will accept me as I am, I certainly would would accept her lifestyle choices. Not many women would embrace this lifestyle--I realize this-- but I'm confident that there are some and within that group, I'm confident that there is one woman who's life I will enrich, and vice versa. I know she exists.   My ultimate goal is establishing a long-term, romance-filled, caring and life sharing relationship, keeping in mind that marriage and serious relationships involve work, and I'm ready and willing to expend the effort and receive the rich personal rewards and fulfillment that love and caring brings.

Although my unorthodox lifestyle is not always easy, it's never boring and I feel very fortunate to have the desire and physical attributes to honor and cherish women and femininity in a realistic, creative, tasteful, respectful, loving and non-intrusive manner. It's a part of me that has always existed. Prior attempts to change and conform to a more traditional lifestyle have not worked for me, and as such, I have fully accepted and truly enjoy my femme side which I now know will always be a part of me. I get a lot of questions like "Are you in femme mode 24/7?" So I'll answer that question early in the profile and say, no my "everyday look" is male. (But I often playfully note the difference between me in male mode and me in femme mode as "drab vs. fab" 😊.

As a male, I'm often mistaken for a much younger person, (and occasionally mistaken for a girl--woo hoo!!) which in my opinion, is due to my dedication to health and exercise, my slender body and lack of facial hair, creative and fun choices in fashion, and a youthful fun, and positive outlook on life. No boring baggy jeans "dockers" or Donald Trump Navy Blue Suit/ (ridiculously long) Red Tie for me, thank you!

I have lots of goals which can be pursued in male or femme modes, including... ...finding a (romantic or platonic) partner for Rollerblading and ice skating at the outdoor rinks--(a great exercise and AN ABSOLUTE MUST for the body, mood, and mental clarity!) my favorite ice rink is the Sculpture Garden at 7th & Constitution Ave. I've been skating the outdoor rinks heavily since 2016.

During the warmer months (April - November) I bump up the rollerblading and cut back on the ice skating, going to the indoor rink at Mount Vernon Recreation center or the Medstar (formerly known as Kettler) Iceplex in Ballston once or twice during the summer if that. I always look forward to the beautiful spring and summer days on my rollerblades with a return to the outdoor ice rinks in November. The beginning of spring -- with the cherry blossoms -- the mild air and the longer days, is my favorite time of year. I look at it as a reward for enduring the winter months!

I also would like to explore and cultivate more activities such as:

★First and foremost★ ---Vacations--(Key West, Italy, and Hawaii are just a few of the places on my list). I have not traveled for pleasure much, but doing more of this is one of my top goals. Over the years, I've traveled for business, but I usually found those trips to be boring. I'd welcome the opportunity to meet someone who is interested in vacationing more and would like a fun vacation partner, even if it's just on a platonic level. In July, 2016 I met up with a group of rollerbladers in Copenhagen for three days of Denmark city and rural skating -- my first visit to Denmark! I re-joined that group for four days in Seville (Spain) in the first week of October, 2017. What a lovely city and a very rewarding (although exhausting!) experience! And for 2018 --in early September I joined them for the third time in three years: ✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*° PARIS!´✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*° c'était merveilleux!!! August 4, 2019 update: In mid July, I spent a lovely week in Berlin with this wonderful group -- many friends and familiar faces, as well as some new friends! I'm looking forward to my next European trip -- probably during the summer or fall of 2020.

★ Ballroom dancing--I'm a complete novice, but I think it would be fun to try, and perhaps occasionally (with the right partner) experimenting with reversing the roles, with the girl -- the genetic girl that is --wearing a men's suit and leading! I also have three relatively new and strong dance passions: (1) "The Carolina Shag"  (2) Tap Dancing, and (3) Popping. When done with precision, The Shag is a joy to watch and I'm sure it's even more fun to perform. Watch these two Shaggers and you'll probably catch the Shag Fever too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l5pczCZw04

If you're a good dance instructor, I'd certainly be willing to pay you for lessons -- even if you're not interested in forming any type of personal relationship.

★ Movies and theater (here in the DC area, but also day and/or overnight trips to New York). I think this is an aesthetically stimulating activity, yet most of us seem to only do this sort of thing every now and then.

★ Al fresco dining -- beautiful weather and people watching in all parts of DC, Bethesda, Fells Point, Inner Harbor and many others. Warm summer nights enjoying dinner, the energy and enthusiasm at the Georgetown waterfront (Washington Harbor is as good as it gets! And after dinner, a leisurely stroll along the waterfront or through some of the more vibrant sections of town to me, is very romantic. And the brand new "Wharf" on the SW DC waterfront has a lot of promise! I often like to do something very different and get really dressed up (sometimes femme, sometimes homme) and enjoy a nice restaurant during the week when everyone else seems to be in "business attire" or casual mode.

★ Home improvement projects. I'm AWFUL at doing these things myself, but I'm confident that these skills can be learned and I think I'd get a lot more satisfaction from doing some projects myself, such as painting, trim/molding replacement and addition, tile installation. I think it would be interesting to find a woman who has these skills, and also a bit ironic me to learn from her while I give her advice about makeup and clothes/accessories!

A topic related to home improvement is automobile repair and maintenance. I own a wonderful older BMW, but things break and wear out. If you're good at automobile repair/maintenance, I'm always looking for someone who enjoys working on older cars. Many of the shops in my area take the easy way out and say, "we'd rather not work on a car this old -- too much trouble and limited parts availability".

★ I'd like to do something to help disadvantaged children or others who aren't as fortunate as myself. I'm open to any suggestions you may have, and if this is something you're involved in, I'd certainly be interested in joining you in doing some good things for others.

★ Horseback riding. I've been on and around horses about a dozen times over the years, which has given me only basic knowledge and skills. I'd like to get serious about it, making riding a regular part of my life. I know that owning a horse is A LOT of work, so if you own a horse, I would gladly help out with the chores.

★ I love water skiing, jet skiing, and surfing. My first time on water skis was when I was 14 years old, and after about one hour of using two skis, I was able to get up on one ski. I haven't been water skiing in many years, but one thing is certain -- I do not want to own a boat! It's just too much work and too many headaches. Many people know the expression, ..."the two happiest days of my life: The day I bought my boat, and the day I SOLD my boat!"... So not having access to a boat means I won't be doing much water skiing! And not living near a beach means that I won't be doing much surfing! So you might be wondering why I even mentioned these activities. I guess it's just something that provides a lot of enjoyment just thinking about it. And I love to watch the surfing documentaries and imagine myself on those 50+ foot waves on Hawaii's North Shore. I guess we all have things that we fantasize about!

I'll be happy to answer ANY questions you may have. I'm single, never married (but there's still hope for me!), no kids, creative, imaginative, and lots of fun. I own a wonderful townhouse in a vibrant location (almost free and clear!), I'm financially secure, and I try to lead a healthy, active, and relatively stress-free life. And if you've read this far and decided that this is just too much for you, well I certainly understand, but I hope what you just read provided a fun and interesting diversion to your day and perhaps gave you a reason to smile or the notion to pass this along to one of your friends who may be more inclined to embrace a multi-faceted, non-traditional relationship.

You are MORE THAN WELCOME to express an interest in becoming a platonic friend or an activity partner! And to suz, sko, sso, and t ...Thanks for dropping in! 😊 All the best to you in your search for your ideal match!

Oh good! You're still reading.😊 My career for the last 20 years has involved doing what I absolutely love. My work doesn't really seem like work to me and that's how I know that it's the right thing for me! I often think to myself, ..."wow, I can't believe I'm getting PAID for doing this!"

I’m especially good at:

★ Making people feel good about themselves. Recently the American Film Institute honored Jane Fonda. When she spoke, one of her comments was particularly thought provoking: "It's better to be interested than interesting". I have long realized that asking questions about others rather than bragging about oneself works best and feels right for me.

★ Reflexology, which I will gladly provide on a regular basis for someone near and dear to me. If you wear heels a lot, you will love the soothing and stress reducing aspects of this wonderful type of massage.

★ Rollerblading and Ice Skating -- I love and thrive on the exercise that these invigorating activities provide. I am thankful that I have an outlet for exercise that doesn't really seem like exercise. Plus no health club dues, golf green fees, or other significant costs associated with many exercise and recreational routines! I think I'd get bored with running or riding the stationary bike, or walking the treadmill. And if I'm bored with it, I would most likely limit the activity or even give it up.

★ Thinking, feeling, and dressing in a youthful, energetic, creative, and fun way. I am enamored with Betsey Johnson -- the 73 year old fashion designer who to me, is the epitome of a youthful, creative, energetic and fun mindset! She is known to do a cartwheel on stage at the end of her fashion shows! Another older person who had tons of energy and refused to fade away was Elaine Stritch, the Broadway actress and singer. There's a wonderful documentary about her called "Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me". At the other end of the spectrum, my next door neighbor for example -- who is just a few years older than me -- usually wears faded and worn shorts, a dingy white t-shirt, black socks and wing tip shoes, and seems to have a constant scowl on his face. Really? Black socks and wing tip shoes with shorts?? If he's going for the "frumpy old man look", he's got it down pat!

★ The Sunday Washington Post crossword puzzle-- I consistently get 95-100% of the answers. I'm always amazed at how I might feel I am totally stumped, but come back the next day to easily get more answers right. I've heard that regular crossword puzzle activity is good for Alzheimer's prevention.

★ I  make awesome Espresso! I've tried them all, but the one I keep going back to is "Cafe Bustello". Oh yes, and did I mention I'm good with makeup and femme fashions?

★ The first thing people notice about me is healthy smooth, radiant and glowing skin which has almost no facial hair.

Movies give me a lot of enjoyment. I have a wide range of interests including TCM, and in particular movies by Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, Quentin Tarrantino, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, and Stanley Kubrick to name a few. I have recently become familiar with the work of a French director Catherine Breillat. Her films have over the years sparked a lot of controversy, mainly due to her blunt and objective handling of sexual themes.

Are there any movies that make you cry every time you see them? The first time I saw "The Kite Runner" I cried. The second time I saw it, I wanted to see if it had the same effect, and yes it did. And even the third time I saw it, I cried. This kind of emotional release is very therapeutic! There have been other movies over the years that have made me cry, but a box of Kleenex is always needed for a viewing of "The Kite Runner". I'd be interested in hearing about any movies that have a similar effect on you.

I can rely on "Cinema Paradiso", the 1990 Oscar winning Italian film, to produce a strong emotional response.

The Oscar nominated 1985 Swedish film, "My Life As a Dog" is also very touching and poignant.

Another example, and another Oscar winner, is "Dances With Wolves". One of the final scenes, in which "Wind In His Hair" shouts down at "Dances With Wolves" from a ridge high above: ...."I am Wind in His Hair! Do you see that I am your friend? Can you see that I will always be your friend?"

"Manchester By the Sea" starring Casey Affleck (2017 Oscar Winner for Best Actor). If that movie doesn't move you, I really can't imagine what would!

The ending of "To Sir With Love" -- Sydney Poitier as Mr. Thakeray (aka Sir) accepting his gift from his students: ..."well ... I think I better go and put it away"... Gets to me every time!

And speaking of Sydney Poitier, I recently saw "A Raisin in the Sun" (1961) in its entirety. I've seen bits and pieces, but oddly-- had not seen the whole movie. I'm amazed that Sydney wasn't nominated for an Oscar in this role. And I now am very eager to see the play!

In 2018, I saw two Japanese movies on a flight that brought me to tears. Perhaps it was the travel exhaustion that brought it on, but there I was, sitting quietly with a river of tears flowing on my face. The first one was called, "The Lies She Loved", and the second one which REALLY got to me, was called "Color Me True".

Over thirty years ago, I saw a movie directed by Steven Spielberg called "Empire of the Sun" which starred a 13 year old unknown actor named Christian Bale.  Of course, most of us movie lovers know that CB is now a mega star. I was fortunate enough to see it again recently, now with high definition and surround sound!  The story is set in the early 1940's.  A privileged English boy (Bale) is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps.  I was surprised to see that the reviews -- even the great Roger Ebert, gave this film a lukewarm review.  But I loved it, and cried a river of tears!

I occasionally enjoy movies that are very poorly written, directed and acted. You know, movies that are so bad they are good! Many of us know about Ed Wood -- probably the most famous of the bad movie directors-- "the worst of the worst!" I recently discovered a director named Bert I. Gordon who specialized in really bad sci-fi movies. What makes these movies even funnier is the fact that they were intended to be serious drama. The special effects were hilarious and very low budget, the acting was stiff, and the plots lacked any kind of structure and logic. Gordon's "Attack of the Puppet People" (1958) is delightfully bad! In this movie, a mad scientist/doll maker shrinks people so they can be his puppets!¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✫And... "Queen of Outer Space" (1958) starring Zsa Zsa Gabor. No additional explanation is necessary for this one! And extremely bad movies aren't limited to the 50's.

After recently seeing "The Disaster Artist" (2017), it appears that Ed Wood has some serious competition for worst director and worst movie of all time. His name is Tommy Wiseau and his movie from 2003 titled, "The Room" is a perfect example of film making at its worst. You can learn all about this delightfully bad monstrosity by watching The Disaster Artist which is by the way, an excellent movie about the making of an awful movie. Don't miss it!

I prefer film noir and drama over comedy, sci-fi, and rom-com, but I really can't think of a genre that hasn't provided me with some enjoyment. I think I've seen every "Twilight Zone" episode --the original ones with Rod Serling--multiple times. I always enjoy the SciFi Channel's New Year's Day Twilight Zone Marathon! If you have a favorite TZ episode, I'd be interested in hearing about it. Three of my favorites are "What You Need", "Eye of the Beholder", "To Serve Man" (IT'S A COOKBOOK!!! 😊), and "Twenty-Two" ("Room for one more, Honey!)

Musicals: Chicago, Rocky Horror, Hair Spray, The Producers, West Side Story, and Frozen. "The Fabulous Baker Boys", while not really a musical, features one of my favorite and most sensual performances ever: Michelle Pfeiffer singing "Making Whoopee" while lounging on top of Jeff Bridges' piano in a slinky red dress. I know that Jeff Bridges wasn't really playing the piano, but they did such a good job making it look as though he was actually playing. And note how Michelle steps down off the piano to sit next to Jeff -- stepping on a very thin ledge while wearing very high heels. How did she do that?

Everyone knows and loves the dancing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, including myself. But the often overlooked solo performances from Ginger are amazing. One in particular was from a 1942 movie called "Roxie Hart" which, by the way was the inspiration for the musical, "Chicago". In "Roxie Hart", Ginger does sort of a tap dance going up these metal stairs and she just makes it look so effortless. I also love the quote (it's origin is not exactly clear), ..."Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, except backwards and wearing high heels!"

Other vintage female dancers who mesmerize me are Vera Ellen, Cyd Charisse, Debbie Reynolds, Rita Moreno, Leslie Caron, Ann Miller, and Mitzi Gaynor. And probably the most entertaining dance sequence I've ever seen on film (oddly enough performed by a man--go figure!) is Donald O'Connor doing "Make Them Laugh" in the movie, "Singing In the Rain" ====>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO-FXFfhsEc

The 2011 Oscar winning film, "The Artist" has an amazing dance sequence at the end featuring the ultra charming Berenice Bejo as "Peppy Miller"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2nNmU5v8zM

Occasionally I'll see a movie for the first time even though it was made decades ago One such example -- an amazing movie-- is "Reflections in a Golden Eye" (1967). I can't believe I missed seeing it all these years. Well, without giving too much of the plot away, it's set in the late 1940's and centers around an army Major's (Marlon Brando) latent homosexuality. And because it was the 1940's the major's sexuality is revealed only with subtle clues. His wife is played by one of the greatest actresses that ever lived -- Elizabeth Taylor. In one scene, an army Colonel (Brian Keith) comments that the army could have "made a man" out of his effeminate domestic worker and that he would have been a "better person" if he acted "normally". The major (Brando) then comments (in his typical Brando vocal style), and I'm paraphrasing some of it:

"So what you're saying is, that any FULFILLMENT obtained at the EXPENSE OF NORMALCY is wrong, and should NOT be allowed to bring happiness. In short, it is better, because it is MORALLY HONORABLE, for the SQUARE PEG to keep scraping about the round hole rather than to DISCOVER AND USE the unorthodox square that would fit it’ The Colonel replies, Why, you put it exactly right. ‘Don’t you agree with me?’ Brando's character: "No" (I think this is a significant and poignant anti-hate /pro tolerance message, especially for a film made in 1967)

✫I recently saw for the first time, a movie made in 1965 which was an adaption of a play from 1962 called "A Thousand Clowns" starring Jason Robards. His character (Murray) is an eccentric comedy writer who is pressured to conform to society in order to retain custody of his 12 year old nephew.

An example of his eccentricity -- here Murray is leaning out of his window, very early before most people are awake. He yells: “This is your neighbor speaking! I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that something must be done about your garbage cans in the alley here. [raises voice even louder] It is definitely second-rate garbage. Now, by next week I want to see a better class of garbage: more empty champagne bottles and caviar cans! I'm sure you're all behind me on this. So let's snap it up and get on the ball!”

Another great quote from 1,000 Clowns:

“Five months ago I was on the subway on my way to work, was sitting on the express same as every morning looking out the window watching the local stops go by in the dark with an empty head and my arms folded, not feeling great, not feeling rotten, just not feeling. And for a minute I couldn't remember, I didn't know, unless I really concentrated, whether it was a Tuesday or a Thursday or a... for a minute it could have been any day. I gotta know what day it is. I gotta know what's the name of the game and what the rules are without anyone else telling me. You gotta own your own days and name 'em, each one of 'em, every one of 'em, or else the years go right by and none of them belong to you. And that ain't just for weekends, kiddo.”

I am a big fan of anything written by Tennessee Williams... including a recent discovery -- a 1962 film based on Tennessee Williams' play "Period of Adjustment". This gem of a movie starred a very young, sweet, and feminine Jane Fonda! Delightful! I loved the movie before I even knew it was written by T. Williams! My favorite TW plays: Hey, why list them? I love them all!

And I'm starting to have a huge appreciation for the works of Ingmar Bergman. I was recently fascinated by his 1960 film, "The Virgin Spring".

Sergio Leone's "Man With No Name Trilogy" starring Clint Eastwood:

........."A Fistful of Dollars" (1964) ........."For a Few Dollars More" (1965) ........."The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" (1966)

All three released in the U.S. in 1967

The critically acclaimed "The Danish Girl" (2015) had a very strong impact on me.

August 4, 2019 Update: I can't believe I omitted one of the best movies I've ever seen: From 1957, "Twelve Angry Men". 95% of this movie is set in a small, hot jury room with no air conditioning. They are all trying to reach a verdict in a murder trial. A brilliant film with lots of big names in the cast, this movie received a very rare 100% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer. It has also been performed on stage, although I haven't seen the play. Hopefully, I'll get to see it one day soon.

Oddly, I had never seen "Gone With the Wind" in it's entirety until July 2019. Many consider this one of the best movies of all time. My opinion: Yes, I liked it but it doesn't make my top ten list.

Nancy Kwan--the beautiful Eurasian actress who made a big splash in the early 1960's with "The World of Suzy Wong" and "Flower Drum Song"-- mesmerized me when I was about 12 years old, and continues to mesmerize me to this day. Oh, the way she wore those beautiful silk Chinese Dresses -- I now know that those dresses are called "cheongsams". So if you are Asian, Asian American, or of any other heritage and you like to wear the cheongsam, please "go to the front of the line"--you will mesmerize me just as Nancy has done for all these years and have me eating out of the palm of your hand 😊. Nancy was exquisite in her performance of "I Enjoy Being a Girl" and I'm sure you will enjoy this wonderful number:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JigBfoDtzY

I have been a regular SNL (Saturday Night Live) viewer since day one (1975). In 1982 I bought my fist VCR (remember VCR's? :-) solely for the purpose of recording SNL. It's hard to believe that a "great deal" on a VCR in those days was $549 -- which is what I paid for a VCR that could only be programmed to record one show. And it had a WIRED remote. Today, if you can even FIND a VCR for sale new, it would cost you around $19.95

Music: I have a large and eclectic collection on my smart-phone. I'd be happy to send you a list of those songs to give you an idea of the music I like to listen to. One thought that seems to come up regularly is how certain bands kind of "Jump the Shark". Bands that were in my opinion, once really good but in an effort to become more mainstream, they lose what once made them stand out.

When I listen to some of the early songs of the band "Chicago" or as they were originally referred to, "The Chicago Transit Authority" circa 1968-71) I can't believe how much better they were when compared to the mid 1970's and beyond Chicago. The later version just got kind of sappy and boring whereas the earlier stuff just had more grit and edge. For example, compare "25 or 6 to Four" and "I'm a Man" (the long versions) to "Saturday In the Park" or "If you Leave Me Now".

Similarly, the Doobie Brothers lost their edge when Michael McDonald came in and, in my opinion ruined them!

Rod Stewart underwent a ridiculous (and sad) transformation when he started singing songs from the 1930's and 1940's. Really? Rod Stewart, the rocker? Singing "It Had to Be You" ??! I don't think Mick Jagger would ever sink this low! Just my humble opinion though. Feel free to disagree!

I'm not a huge fan of "The Grateful Dead" -- I like them I suppose in small doses. But one thing about "The Dead" as their big fans call them, is that they never "sold out" by trying to appeal to the masses and altering their style. I really respect that about this group.

Occasionally I make huge errors in assessing new talent. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but regarding the singers Sheryl Crow and Taylor Swift, I remember when they first started, my thoughts were that they were just a "flash in the pan" and couldn't possibly have any long term success and significance in the music world.

Wow, did I blow the call on those two. They are now very high on my list of singers/songwriters and I couldn't have been more wrong about them.

Conversely, for some newcomers I predict huge things and they end up just being mediocre or their shelf life expires very rapidly. When "Jewel" first arrived on the scene, I fell in love with her work, and yes she did have some early success, but she never became a mega-star.

Fiona Apple was (and continues to be) an extremely talented singer/songwriter and I was infatuated with her from the start, but (maybe by her own choice?), she has stayed out of the limelight and never hit the heights that I predicted for her.

Sports: My interest in sports over the years has fluctuated. There was a time when I wasn't even aware of who was playing in the Super Bowl or World Series. During the past ten years though, I've returned to watching sports and I attribute this entirely to the DVR. Watching sports that are not recorded or delayed is so tedious with all the commercials. and down time. When I record them I watch only what I want to watch, zipping through the commercials and other non essential airtime.

Which sports? Football (college is better than pro!), Baseball (usually just the post season playoffs though), Basketball (March Madness NCAA Tournament only -- I'm slowly warming up to NBA Basketball), Ice Hockey (my interest grows as the Stanley Cup Playoffs start-- and YES!! THE CAPS WON THE 2018 STANLEY CUP FOR THE FIST TIME IN THEIR 44 YEAR EXISTENCE!!), and Horse Racing -- only during May and June when the Triple Crown Races are held. I love women's figure skating--these girls are awesome!

And I WISH we had professional women's fast pitch softball. A few years ago, they tried to form a professional women's' softball league, but it folded, due to lack of support by the public. It's a shame, because these girls are so talented, and in many ways their game takes more skill than professional baseball. And to add insult to injury, women's' softball was discontinued from the Summer Olympics, presumably due to the U.S. Team's domination of the sport. BUT... I understand they're bringing Softball BACK TO THE OLYMPICS!! And I'm sure the U.S. will put a spectacular team together for Tokyo 2020!! Can't wait!

The National Spelling Bee! On ESPN! Yes, spelling is now a televised sport!

And finally, the annual Nathan's annual Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest (although many would not consider competitive eating a sport! 😊) On the 4th of July 2018 once again, Joey Chestnut ruled! He ate 74 HDB (that's hot dog and bun for all you competitive eating neophytes) in ten minutes to beat his previous record of 72 and win the 2018 contest easily---leaving his 17 competitors in a cloud of dust!

I often think about...

Personal Goals such as:

★Traveling and vacationing more, either with that special someone or with one or more platonic friends. I've taken several vacations by myself and and have come to realize that vacationing alone is not for me.

★Relocating to a warmer climate after nearly 30 years in DC. The winter of 2014-15) was particularly harsh and made me give the idea of relocating a lot more thought. The winter of 2015-16 has been unusually warm, but as I write this update (January 23,. 2016) there is about 15 inches of snow on the ground with a good chance of about 10 more inches by the day's end. And as I write THIS update (July 14, 2016), we're expecting temperatures in the mid 90's with a heat index of 104. Where would I want to move? Maybe MIAMI, Florida (SoFi --South of 5th South Beach), KEY WEST, NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, HILTON HEAD South Carolina, SAN ANTONIO; AUSTIN, Texas, PHOENIX, Arizona, SAN DIEGO; LOS ANGELES /SANTA MONICA, California, or HONOLULU, Hawaii to name a few. I'd like to make some good friends from these cities and through them, get to know what it would be like to live there. I would welcome the opportunity to meet someone who may not be interested in me romantically, but has a similar desire to relocate to a warmer climate. Kind of a platonic partnership with the goal of starting a new, exciting and adventuresome chapter in life, in another part of the country. I think a move like this is much less traumatic, less anxiety inducing, and more fun if there are two of us facing similar challenges -- and there will no doubt be challenges! I'd even consider a move to another country. At this stage in my life, now is not the time to be skittish!

★Enhancing my circle of friends and acquaintances.

★Enriching my life and that of others' through volunteering and more acts of kindness.

★Rollerblading and ice skating. Although I'm much more comfortable and proficient on hockey skates, I have a fascination with "Ice Dancing" and have always fantasized about gliding effortlessly across the ice with a beautiful female skater. In ice dancing and ballroom dancing, "the man is the frame, and the woman is the picture"... meaning that it's the man's job to showcase the beauty and elegance of the woman. I realize that this ice dancing notion will probably will remain just a fantasy, but I do have figure skates and would love to sharpen them up and partner with a woman who also likes ice dancing, even if it is at the most basic level.

★ I also want to swim with dolphins, and as a result of *finally* seeing "Lawrence of Arabia" in it's entirety, I'd like to ride a camel! Also, I can't imagine life being complete without at least once seeing the live Mermaid show at Weeki Wachee Springs, FL😊 ===>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZymMONi1XA

★Being more active in striking up conversations with people I encounter. I've found that people in the DC area are generally hesitant or uninterested in chatting with someone they don't know, or someone that they perceive to have no value in the furtherance of their professional or personal goals. As such, I have over the years and for the most part, avoided initiating conversations with people I don't know. I've decided to be more outgoing in this area, recognizing that only a few will respond favorably, and not worrying about the "rejections". I also think about...

★I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to realize this, but relationships involve: A LOT OF WORK (better to realize this late than never!). There are rich rewards, but unless one is willing to (a) admit that there's hard work involved, and (b) actually do the work when it becomes necessary, the relationship is likely to fail. I think one of the main reasons I've remained single for so long is that I had this fantasy notion that successful relationships were all wine and roses, and when things went wrong, I came to the conclusion that it just wasn't working and decided to end it. How twisted is that logic?! The bliss of a new relationship fades pretty quickly, and that's when working at the relationship comes into play. Think of a garden or lawn that has not had any special attention -- no watering, no fertilizer, no nothing. It wouldn't be lush and green, nor would it have beautiful, colorful flowers. Take that same garden or lawn... water it, feed it, weed it, trim it, mow it... and the result is a beautiful sight. ~But it took a lot of work~! If I ever enter another serious relationship, it will be with the clear understanding that the real rewards come with overcoming obstacles and resolving conflict while remaining 100% committed to the relationship. But in keeping with the theme of this profile -- total honesty --after living single for all these years, it will be a hell of an adjustment to live with someone else. Hopefully, patience, love and acceptance will prevail and the gradual adjustment to a new (and exciting!) lifestyle will occur. And I REFUSE to enter a relationship that is without extreme effort or care.

★Have you ever heard of people who are married but live in different cities? That kind of arrangement for some reason intrigues me. The couple has the benefits of marriage but they enjoy freedom and independence when they're not together. And the potential for little squabbles is diminished because they're not constantly together. Obviously, this is not for most people, but given the right couple and the right circumstances it could result in a very diverse and fulfilling lifestyle. Plus it would make the time spent together more special, and they would have the benefit of enjoying two cities on a regular basis. So if you know a couple who has this kind of lifestyle, or if this is something that you think about, I'd love to have a discussion on this subject.

A variation of the "married but live in different cities" could be a partnering with little or no romance or intimacy -- basically roommates, but with a deep caring and commitment to enrich each others' lives. Best friends to give each other emotional support, without the trappings of traditional marriage. Independence and freedom from always having to answer to each other -- i.e. "Where are you going?" "When will you be back?" "Who were you with?" I really don't know how or even if this could work, but my gut feeling tells me that it could indeed work. And although I wouldn't count on this happening, it is entirely possible that the emotional support and caring could actually grow into a love that would be stronger than if it were to have begun in the traditional manner. I would have to give this type of arrangement a lot of thought, but with the right person, it could be a very rewarding and broadening experience.

There is another huge benefit of this arrangement, and I'm wondering why more people don't take advantage of it. It goes something like this: You are comfortable financially like me. You own your home -- a nice home, but nothing extravagant or opulent. Let's say we both own homes worth about $500,000. Being a couple -- either a traditional couple or a non-traditional couple (see previous paragraph) would effectively allow us to live in a home worth $1,000,000. Granted, in today's real estate market a million dollar home to some people would be low end, but to someone who has a history of living in a modest home, that kind of arrangement would allow a couple to live their later years (let's face it, it's coming whether we want it to or not) in a location and style that is a definite step up. I'm thinking Georgetown or Old Town, perhaps with a river view. Maybe this is just fantasy, but I really think it could improve our lives significantly. Again, if you have any thoughts on this, I’d like to hear them.  Even if you think this is an insane idea fraught with problems, which it very well could be.

★ This one, well it's kind of scary and depressing. I think many (over age 50) single people struggle with the anxiety of being old -- really old-- and having no one. I try not to think about this one too much, but the fact remains that being old is difficult even with that special someone. Being old and all alone is frightening. This shouldn't be the only reason for wanting a significant other, but as time goes on, it becomes more important and is definitely something to think about.

January, 2019 update: More and more, I've thought about finding a significant other for the sole purpose of having a support partner for the golden years. Romance and intimacy wouldn't be necessary -- just good friends who care about each other provide comfort and companionship. And although I STILL have not made a Will, I would like to have that special someone to inherit my estate, which is by no means extremely large, but is not a pittance either. I make this comment with the full realization that anyone with ill intentions who has seen an Alfred Hitchcock movie or tv show, may try to form a relationship, get me to name them as beneficiary, and proceed to knock me on the head with a frozen leg of lamb (great episode -- "Lamb to the Slaughter", 1958 --find it on YouTube if you haven't seen it!), thus reaping the financial rewards as a "grieving" widow or significant other. :-) Other cinematic ideas for knocking off a "loved one" -- "Double Indemnity" (1944), "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946), "Dial M for Murder" (1954), "Vertigo" (1958) and "A Place in the Sun" (1951). :-) But remember, none of the murderers got away with it! :-)

★I don't know if it's just me or if this happens to a lot of people: The older I get, the more thoughts of occurrences from the past just pop into my head -- completely unexpected and seemingly without any type of trigger. And the unsettling aspect of this is that these thoughts of past events involve me in a situation that I mishandled in some way, and make me respond..."what were you thinking??" Often it's something that I did, but shouldn't have done....something I said that I shouldn't have said... or, something I didn't say but should have, or something I didn't do, but should have. Is this our way of reminding us that we have matured and our stupid and reckless ways of the past are now behind us?

These thoughts always focus on things I'd like to take back and have a "do over" or in the golfing vernacular, a "mulligan". And what's interesting is that I never get random thoughts about things I did well or things that I'm proud of. So I'm asking you... does this happen to you? Or if you're familiar with this type of thing, is it something that all of us (or most of us) experience? I'd be very interested in knowing more about this.

★How I've never really embraced hanging out with the guys. Recently, after a vigorous workout on my blades, I stopped at one of Old Town's riverside parks. I found a vacant picnic table, under a tree, with a cool breeze and a lovely view of the Potomac River, the Wilson Bridge, and the new Capitol Wheel across the river at National Harbor. What could be more relaxing and serene? Well, about five minutes after I settled in, here come four men in their 40's, 50's and maybe 60's... all standing around about to do some, I don't know... male bonding? Guy stuff? And then, not one, not two, not three, but all four.... light up these big fat smelly cigars and my blissful, relaxing scene is ruined. Well, I did get about five minutes sheer joy, but it left me thinking... "would I like to be one of those guys... standing around with their guts protruding over their belts of their khaki pants...smoking cigars? I also thought about their poor wives and/or girlfriends who would have to endure the foul, lingering odor of a cigar. I can't even imagine getting the slightest enjoyment from being part of that group. Of course, this is no great revelation-- I've never gotten warm and fuzzy feelings bonding with guys, and this is just one of the many things that reinforce the notion that I'm very different from most guys.

Hanging out with the girls is more exciting and invigorating, providing better quality, more supportive conversation in an "odor free" location! Well, this musing could go on and on, but the point I want to make (and I'm sure you've figured it out by now if you've read this far!) is that I'm not like most guys.

★Even though I generally speak of being attracted to women, a lot of people ask if I'm gay-- a fair and logical question. I've often wondered if I'm really gay and just refuse to admit this to myself. Then I think, hey, if I'm really gay, wouldn't I have *at least once* tried, or experimented with intimate relations with a man? The answer of course is no, I have not -- because it's something that just doesn't interest me. I think my brain is just hard-wired to be attracted to, surrounded by,  and infatuated by, feminine beauty. I have, over the years had a number of male admirers who have tried to persuade me to be their girlfriend, but it's very clear to me that women offer so much more mental and physical stimulation.

Now, having said all that, I do find it interesting and exciting to have a girls night out -- with one or more genetic girls-- and have interested guys buy us drinks, hit on us, and to be one of the girls talking about how hot this guy or how wonderful the new guy that they're dating is. Women receiving the attention of men, in my opinion, enhances feminine feelings.   I know--I know...this has all the earmarks of a gay mindset, but when it really comes down to being intimate with a man, reality sets in and there is no interest.

★I see guys wearing pink shirts all the time. I also see a lot of pink ties. Apparently, pink shirts and ties are ok for guys, but pink pants? I've got these great American Apparel Riding Pants that are, pink (actually, more of a coral), but wow you wouldn't believe the looks I get. Occasionally, I'll even see looks of disgust while shaking their head as if they're saying no. Often I'll see people just staring at my pants -- in line at the grocery store, at the airport, anywhere. One girl recently, in a kind of mocking tone said, "I like your leggings". And my response was, "why should girls have all the fun?!😊" The more I wear them, the more I'm amused at people's reactions, yet the guy in the pink shirt and pink tie with one or more earrings doesn't even get noticed. By the way, the American Apparel riding pants are the most comfortable pants I have ever worn, and I highly recommend that you give them a try. I have them in black, khaki, grey, safari brown, purple, yellow, navy, and --gasp!-- pink! Just google American Apparel Riding pants. American Apparel discontinued them recently (why I don't know because they were wildly popular!) and I've picked up a few new or lightly used pairs on ebay. AA also makes what they call "Disco Pants"-- super stretchy, and form fitting and so comfortable! Just google "American Apparel Riding Pants" or "American Apparel Disco Pants" and you'll see some wonderful pictures. I think they look great on all women XXS to XL.

Many of my other pants are very skinny, stretchy, and feature fun prints and colors -- very comfortable! I often wonder why "the norm" for guys includes pants that lack any distinctive or interesting characteristics, i.e. boring, dull, and frumpy -- as described in the State Farm Commercial featuring one of the Coneheads (Beldar) explaining to his wife (Prymaat) what khakis are: "khakis : a dull earthly garment covering male extremities". 😊 By the way, who determines what's acceptable fashion and what's not? During Breast Cancer awareness month, it's ok for men to wear pink, especially in the NFL where tough macho guys are wearing pink socks, wristbands, and even shoes. So it's SOMETIMES ok for a man to wear pink. Also, you'll occasionally see some bright and colorful pants on the golf course---there is a company called "Loudmouth Golf" that makes some really cool pants, and they're quite popular---BUT ONLY ON THE GOLF COURSE. On the golf course they're ok, but wear them to the movies or the grocery store and be ready for those puzzled, surprised, and sometimes disgusted looks from others.

In earlier times, if a man wore earrings, he would be ridiculed and presumed gay. At some point though, it became ok for a man to wear earrings and now they don't get a second look. Even Jim Vance, the NBC 4 Newsguy who I really admired and respected, wore an earring when he delivered the news. Sadly, Jim passed away on July 22, 2017.

Another example would be women and tattoos. Not too long ago, if a woman had a tattoo, she was considered to be "trailer trash" or "from the wrong side of the tracks". Then it became not only ok, but extremely fashionable to have a tattoo or multiple tattoos. What brought about the change? I suppose all it takes is a celebrity such as Angelina Jolie (tattoos) and Madonna (wearing lingerie as outer wear). But I guess it's going to take more time before Lady Gaga's dress made from meat??! gains a foothold! :-)

If you follow "baseball cap fashion", you'll know that the "flat bill" has become more popular than the traditional "curved bill". In earlier times, if someone wore a flat bill, they were immediately considered uncool and nerdy. Then, I don't know, someone famous -- I believe a rapper like "50 cent" wore his flat billed cap, and it soon became cool and street-wise to wear it that way. The curved bill became popular in the first place as a more effective way of protecting ones eyes from the glare of the sun, but now it's only used by those who cling to the old school ways. In fact, I was in a baseball cap store in Georgetown recently and I saw nothing but flat bills. I asked the guy working there if they had curved bills and he pulled out a few small boxes, opened them up and showed them to me. They weren't even on display!

And remember polo shirts in the 80's? Someone somewhere decided that he/she would turn the collar up, (maybe to protect the neck from the sun) and a new trend started. That style has faded, but occasionally you see older people wearing their polo shirts with upturned collars (maybe they think it's still in style!), and even some younger ones who are going for that retro-look.

Pantyhose vs. bare legs? Same thing -- you used to never see bare legs, now that's pretty much all you see, especially on the west coast. Well, the list goes on and on, but my point is that I have no desire to follow any kind of "acceptable" fashion guidelines, although I think it's interesting how some things become "appropriate" and others remain "inappropriate".

★One of the things that I've noticed over my years of "people watching", is that most girls do not know how to walk in heels. I think it's so beautiful to see a poised and confident woman, gracefully and sensuously walking in a sexy and elegant pair of heels. Unfortunately, this sight is so uncommon that when I do see it, I'm totally mesmerized. I know a former professional ballet dancer who, when walking in heels, is so confident and so graceful, that she never fails to turn heads. If there ever was a fitting real life example of "poetry in motion", this girl when walking in heels, regardless of the height -- 2" or 5" -- would be it. There are of course, varying degrees of walking in heels the wrong way. Some make me think that only a few small adjustments are necessary, while others are embarrassingly awkward and need a lot of help. I often wonder if women as a general rule, do the homework necessary to learn what it takes to walk in heels, and practice those techniques to perfect their walk. My guess is that most do not.

In reality though, I am by no means one of those perfect walkers, and I could benefit from some practice myself. When I do see one of those rare, elegant walkers, I make mental notes and try to incorporate their techniques into my walk. It's amazing what just a little work in this area does for poise, confidence, and allure. Maybe you'd like to get together (as platonic friends if you're not interested in a serious relationship) for some high heel practice sessions!

The designer John Galliano once said, "Style is wearing an evening dress to McDonald's, wearing heels to play football. It is personality, confidence and seduction." And a quote from Sophia Loren😍: "Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful." I believe there's a lot to these statements. This is why so many girls who may not have those drop dead gorgeous looks come across as sexy and desirable--they have CONFIDENCE, POISE and STYLE!

So come on girls-- (head held high, shoulders back!) go online and watch some YouTube videos about the proper way to walk in heels, develop some subtle but mesmerizing body language, and most of all, be aware of your walk, know the effect it has on people, and work at it to continuously improve! The increased confidence and poise will benefit your love life, your health and flexibility, and your professional life.

★I've visited many "erotic websites" featuring beautiful and sexy women (any man who says he hasn't done this is lying!). One thing I've noticed, is that many of the models pose for the pictures using a facial expression that is supposed to be sexy. The best way to describe this is that they look like they are either in pain, bored, angry, or uncomfortable. You know that look--head held back, mouth slightly open, eyes halfway closed. I don't know whether the photographer tells them to look sexy and this is the expression they use-- or the photographer describes the exact look he/she wants. Or some of the models might have this blank, mannequin like stare. To me, these expressions are not nearly as sexy as a woman posing for a picture with a nice, natural smile. These smiling girls are sending the message to the viewer that they are confident, warm, and fun.

Confidence, warmth, and fun are VERY sexy! And if they are not smiling, they are looking into the camera again, exuding confidence and self assuredness and basically saying "I know I'm beautiful, sexy and intelligent, and I love being a woman". And even though I love to watch fashion shows (Remember CNN's "Style" with Elsa Klensch? My Saturday morning wasn't complete without watching it!), the models usually had this bored, blank look on their face as they walked the runway. I would be thrilled if these fashion shows all featured models who smiled and looked like they were having fun!  But maybe there is a reason for the fashion models to have that bored look. Perhaps the designer is saying, "I don't want people to look at the models face, I want them to look at the clothes!" That may be true, but a smiling, fun loving and playful model makes an outfit much more beautiful and sends the message, "wear this ensemble and you'll be fun and beautiful too!"

But back to the erotic website models-- I don't know, maybe they've done some type of study and the results show that most men find that painful, angry, or bored look to be sexy. And if that's the case, my preferences are just further proof that I'm not like most men!

★ Speaking of posing for a photograph, and at the risk of offending many people, I have to say that taking a picture of oneself (a selfie), while standing in front of a mirror awkwardly holding a cell phone is not very natural or attractive. I know, lots of people do it, but to me, this sends a message of, "I have no friends to take a picture of me, or I have no activities to engage in while being photographed, so I'll just stand in my bathroom and take a picture of myself." Part of what makes a good picture is the feeling that the subject is enjoying himself/herself. How fun can standing there by oneself be? And again, I'm probably offending many, but the ultimate mistake is using one of these pictures for a *profile picture!*

Surely there are events and activities at which to be photographed, and surely there are friends, relatives, co-workers, or even strangers who will gladly take your picture if you ask (and stop calling me Shirley!) :-).....June 4, 2017 update: Wow, I've gotten a lot of messages expressing strong disagreement with my views on this subject. But I'm holding firm on my position that selfies are less attractive and less fun than traditional posed photos.

★Most people have at least one or two hobbies. The obvious benefits are stress reduction and numerous other health benefits. Hobbies give us a fun diversion from everyday life and the sense of satisfaction from engaging in something one loves to do. Some like to go fishing, tend to the garden, collect stamps--mine just happens to be cross dressing and gender bending.  One of my cross dresser friends put it this way: "Some men play golf. I play girl!"

My life choices give me the opportunity to step outside the everyday persona and become someone different, even if just for one night. I think that's why so many adults love Halloween (I'm one of them!).

I know one guy who is extremely passionate about participating in Civil War reenactments. He goes to several reenactments every year, wears authentic uniforms (thick wool -- very hot in the sweltering heat of the summer), carries authentic weaponry, and even eats the food that civil war soldiers ate --hardtack and corn pone. He absolutely loves it. Why? I suppose it's due to reasons similar to mine -- to create a diversion from everyday life and engage in one's passion.

But in my opinion, there is something a little unsettling about glorifying such a tragic event -- one in which over 600,000 people perished. Successful lawyers, accountants, auto mechanics, etc. -- pretending and fantasizing that they are going through the same physical and emotional trauma as the original soldiers. To me, it's not much different than "re-enacting" the 9/11 tragedies. I'm reasonably certain that if this were to be done, it would immediately be considered to be "poor taste". But I'm sure that the passage of time somehow softens the emotional impact, and using this logic, in about 100 years there may be people who have a passion for being a part of "9/11 re-enactments".

But...to each his or her own, so Civil War actors -- if this is your passion, go out and enjoy yourselves! And some people love to go to Star Wars or super hero conventions dressed to the nines as their favorite character. Why is this kind of activity generally considered harmless, creative fun, while my gender bending artistic endeavors are often met with scorn and ridicule, and often prompt speculation about mental and emotional stability? I recently received a message from a lovely girl from the Philippines, and I was stunned at the simple and logical outlook she had regarding my lifestyle.

Here's how she put it: ¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫ ..✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✫.....I never experience liking a man looking like a woman. But your an exception to that. I never saw you different or complicated. Just like any other. I saw you just like an amazing person who dedicates himself with his passion. Never saw you as a girl but a man who enjoys his passion and bravely does what his heart want him to do.if i love singing or cooking, you love cross dressing so whats wrong with that my sweet? Nothing right. :* do not except yourself with everyone. You belong with us and you deserve to be treated normal just like what every man deserves. But lemme tell you a secret okay? Even though i saw you as normal man. My heart beats specially telling me. Your really special. ❤ so because of that. Be ready to be treated special too. ¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫ ..✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✫

Another heartfelt message (which I have read over and over again for inspiration and confidence!) is: ¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫ ..✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✫"Reading your profile was such a rich experience that I wanted to compliment you and reinforce that you re a very special and unique person, one with so much depth, insight, awareness, honesty, thoughtfulness, compassion and wisdom. Your articulate blog drew me in completely, and I felt blessed to be fortunate enough to have you share your inner self, inner spirit, inner soul with me. I felt a warmth and tenderness that truly touched me. You are truly amazing, inside and out, and deserve to find your happiness, fulfillment and joy throughout your lifetime."¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫ ..✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✫

And my absolute favorite response to my profile comes from a beautiful woman (inner and outer beauty!) in Romania and she writes:

¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫ ..✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫ ¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫ •°*”˜˜”*°•✫ ¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫ It took me almost two hours to read your entire profile. I had to look for the explanation of some words or expressions, being an excellent exercise in improving my English and at the same time a fascinating immersion in understanding a person as complex as you are. It is the most powerful, captivating, complex and honest profile I have ever read. I never thought I could. read something like this on OKC. I am still amazed by your clear, logical, profound and so colorful style of expression You are a very special person, so different from what I'm used to know but so human and profound in a way that few people can be. ¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫ ..✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫ ¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫ •°*”˜˜”*°•✫ ¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•✫

★ A lot of people ask me how and when I developed an interest in cross dressing and gender bending. I'm not exactly sure, maybe it's an innate characteristic, or maybe a particular incident or experience created a spark and my creative imagination just ran with it. I do recall at about age five becoming mesmerized with these beautiful cocktail glasses emblazoned with the stunning women painted by the artist Alberto Vargas. Vargas' style by the way, has been copied by many, but no one really comes close. If you're curious about his work, simply google "Alberto Vargas" and you'll see some of the images that I believe created the spark that lit the fire, giving me this lifelong fascination.

Countless television viewing experiences added fuel to the fire, so to speak. Remember Ginger from "Gilligan's Island"? I was captivated by her beauty and elegance -- evening gowns and high heels while stranded on a deserted island walking through the sand! 😊 And a series of old commercials for "Muriel Cigars" starring Edie Adams (who incidentally bore a resemblance to Ginger (or was it Ginger who resembled Edie? 😊) View these fun and sexy commercials on YouTube, if you like. There was a lot of sexual innuendo and double entendre in these commercials, but it all went over the head of a young and mesmerized viewer.

I could list dozens more, but the gist of all this is that strong visual stimulation, a passion for feminine beauty and elegance, combined with an active and creative imagination, set the stage for a life-long appreciation and admiration of feminine beauty.

★Another question I get fairly often is, "Do you ever think about transitioning to being female 24/7, ala Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner and thousands of others? I've often wondered about it, but so far I've had no desire or motivation to go down that road. Some transgendered people have a burning desire to present as who they are inside-- 24/7. For them, there is just no other way to survive.

Other transgendered people (like me), find pleasure in both their masculine and feminine sides and as such have neither the need nor the desire to make the transition to 24/7. In fact, I believe that being "gender fluid" makes me appreciate both my male and femme sides even more. April 30, 2018 update: I just finished Caitlyn Jenner's book, "The Secrets of My Life". I wanted to read it to compare my lifelong thoughts of being transgendered to those of CJ. Although I never won an Olympic Gold Medal, many, many aspects of our lives and inner thoughts are eerily similar. I highly recommend this book (which is an easy and entertaining read) for anyone who has an interest in knowing about the myriad of difficult challenges and coping solutions that transgendered people typically face.

I also read "Becoming Nicole" -- a New York Times best seller about a family with identical twin boys -- one of whom is transgendered, and the other being a "normal" boy. One of the key concepts of this story is how the brain becomes "masculinized" or "feminized" ~~while still in the womb~~. Sexual anatomy is determined approximately six weeks into the pregnancy, however the brain does not "masculinize" or "feminize" until six ~~months~~ ... and can be very different even in the case of identical twins. This is another great story of courage and perseverance -- not only for Nicole, but for her entire family.

And I recently came across a brief, but very interesting and informative essay titled, "The Psychology of Cross-Dressing". A couple of high impact quotes from this article:

**...”But in truth, cross-dressing is grounded in a highly logical and universal desire: the wish to be, for a time, the gender one admires, is excited by – and perhaps loves. Dressing like a woman is merely a dramatic, yet essentially reasonable, way of getting closer to the experiences of the sex one is profoundly curious about – and yet has been (somewhat arbitrarily) barred from... “

and

**”It may be bewildering to have to accept that one is at heart, in the semi-conscious mind, always going to be something far more diverse, multi-faceted but also perhaps interesting than a mere ‘man’ or a ‘woman’** If you'd like to read the entire essay, it can be found at:

https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/the-psychology-of-cross-dressing/

As I mentioned early in the blog, for me, this has always been a fun, creative, and artistic expression of feminine beauty which I enjoy very much. But do I feel like a "woman trapped in a man's body"? I guess the answer is sometimes yes, and sometimes no. Which supports my theory that some transgendered people find pleasure and comfort by embracing certain aspects of both genders.

Only lately have I taken the time to look into the pros and cons of hormone treatments which most consider to be one of the first steps of transitioning from one gender to the other on a full time basis. One notion that surfaces over and over again -- when it comes to genetic males taking female hormones -- is that they feel more relaxed and have more inner peace. It has also been reported that this more relaxed feeling allows them to connect with people on a deeper, more meaningful level. Now I'm not going to rush out and start taking female hormones, but experiencing those feelings that are generally attributed to females is something that intrigues me.

One other thing that I have heard trans women describe as a result of hormone treatments is that their senses are heightened. Colors are brighter and scents are stronger. It is almost as if one's senses are somehow altered or enhanced. Again, very intriguing. Buuuuut... a HUGE DRAWBACK of hormone treatments is often (usually) a diminished sexual response ("E.D. to be specific) and THAT -- is something that will most likely keep me from venturing into those waters!

I have a lot of respect for the transgender people who "go all the way" because it is undeniably a difficult road to travel. Only a few transsexuals who were born male have features and outward physical characteristics that allow them to blend in with other genetic women without being scrutinized. And that's why I have so much respect for people like Caitlyn Jenner because, no matter how much surgery or how many hormones she takes, she will still have many physical characteristics typically associated with non-genetic women. That takes A LOT OF COURAGE and presents so many challenges in life.

★ It is entirely possible that the the “normal” khaki wearing, briefcase toting guy you see every day has a secret desire to cross dress or feel feminine, but doesn't dare tell anyone about it. It's much more common than you might think. I feel bad for the guys who are 100% in the closet because their femme side is locked up and hidden away, and they struggle to keep their secret, terrified that their wives or girlfriends will discover that they have these feelings.

Often, they try to overcompensate by being excessively macho and manly. I know one cross dresser whose wife knows, but totally disapproves. He told me that at one point, he secretly rented space in a storage facility so he could have some "girl time". A damp and dimly lit storage facility?? How lonely and depressing is that!? While it is true that when going out en femme, the venue has to be considered, (some places, unfortunately are not "TG friendly") but at least I'm not locked up in a storage facility trying on dresses and heels! I hope the storage facility guy eventually gains a little more freedom.

I decided long ago that if I was going to be married or have a serious relationship, it would be with a woman who not only knew about my femme side, but enjoyed and appreciated it also.

★You'll no doubt agree that this blog seems to be a bottomless pit.  There's a reason for such extensive expression.  I want people to know as much about me, without concealing anything. Think about all those people who write a few paragraphs (or in some cases, just a few words!) in a dating profile about who they are and what they want in a significant other. Are they really letting you look into their deepest, most private thoughts? Or are they just giving you the information they think you might want to hear?

I have a friend who met a guy, and married him about a year later. Shortly after they married, he expressed a desire for her to look and act like a little girl as a sexual stimulant for him. I have no problem with role play as an enhancement to sexual matters. Actually, I think it's quite healthy and creative. For this guy however, the "little girl fantasy" was the be all and end all and my friend quickly realized that something didn't sit right with her. Now, without knowing the intricate details of the marriage, I can't say for sure how the marriage ended, but it did. And after talking with my friend, I learned that his fixation was a primary factor. Why do I relate this story in my profile?

Well, this guy and the unfortunate girl could have saved a lot of heartache had he been up front with her before they were married. If he had told her all about this part of him that seemed to fixate on his adult wife looking and acting like an 8 year old for his sexual pleasure-- she could have made an informed decision about whether she could or couldn't live with his fetish. She most likely wouldn't have married him and she could have been free to pursue they type of relationship she wanted, and he could have been free to look for a woman who didn't have a problem with his desires.

To my knowledge, he wasn't into child pornography -- he just wanted his wife to "act the part". And that brings me back to my situation. I'm fully aware that most women would not be interested in pursuing a relationship with me. But I'm up front about myself and I would never want to string someone along, and then suddenly reveal a very different side of myself. Doing so would be extremely selfish and detrimental to the relationship, to say the least. What you have from me -- from the start -- is complete openness with nothing concealed. I wonder how many dating site profiles go to such great lengths.

★ I often wonder why, when a little girl shows an interest in things like toy trucks, or football, the parents rarely discourage her from being interested in these things. In fact, they often encourage her to experience things that are traditionally feminine AND traditionally masculine. When young boys express interest in traditionally feminine things -- Barbie Dolls, princess dresses, etc., -- there is usually A LOT OF CONCERN and disappointment that he's not a "normal boy".

Is it that we all have a subconscious notion that masculine is "strong, good, and positive" and feminine is weak? Not that long ago -- sadly -- many white people really did think (some consciously, some subconsciously ) that black people were born with an inferior intellect. At one time, there were no black quarterbacks in the NFL and even though it was rarely discussed, everyone knew that the reason was the notion that black players were not smart enough to be a quarterback. Fortunately we have evolved and that kind of thinking is, for the most part, extinct.

I wonder if that feminine/masculine thinking for our children will continue through the ages, or will it evolve into a broader, more logical and humane way of thinking. If you'd like to see an amazing video of how a father responds -- in a very positive way-- to his son's apparent feminine interests, check out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWlsMulh3MY

★ I recently came across a YouTube channel called "Fabricio Castro Fotografia". I suppose I could write pages about this, but I'll keep it brief and if you're interested you can check out his channel. He has a team of photographers, makeup artists, and hairstylists that do an amazing job of transforming teenage boys into beautiful young women. What's really amazing is that the parents of these boys are ~~very supportive and encouraging~~. And they pay Mr. Castro a lot of money for his services.

Very often, the transformation is done for a big party -- very popular among the Hispanic community is the "Quinceañera" party -- the 15th Birthday. After their transformations, they become very feminine and beautiful girls in their formal gowns. They are also coached on feminine walking, mannerisms, etc. But the true beauty of all of this is the look of total joy, happiness, and contentment as they become "girls for a day". I can tell that, in the majority of cases, it's not just a curiosity on the part of these boys. They wouldn't go to all the trouble and expense if it was just a curiosity or a whim. And the parents most likely wouldn't support them unless they felt it was extremely important to their sons. They feel female on the inside and the look of content and inner peace that you see when they are transformed is very heartwarming.

I also can't help but to think that after their "girl for a day" they become a little depressed and disappointed that they have to return to being boys. But I also feel that the parents are fully aware that their child is transgendered, and this is very likely just the first step in ultimately transitioning to a full time female.

This is a perfect example of how societal views have changed regarding transgendered persons. When I was young, I ★wouldn't have dreamed★ of asking my parents to allow me to do this. And if I had asked them, it would have been met with scheduling appointments with a psychiatrist. Coming out as transgender during this time period would have resulted in so many negative outcomes, and unfortunately many transgendered children (who didn't even know what being transgendered was) became emotionally scarred and even suicide victims. I have so much respect and admiration for these modern day brave children and their progressive thinking parents.

★Finally, MMO, which is an acronym for "Male Multiple Orgasm". Although it may sound like an oxymoron, it is entirely possible for a male to develop this amazing ability which most people understand to be the sole province of women. It's not an easy thing to accomplish because most men are wired to achieve orgasm in the traditional manner. But armed with an open mind, patience and relaxation, many men can "re-wire" themselves and discover a whole new world of pleasure. There is a lot written on MMO, so if you're interested in knowing more, simply do an internet search on "male multiple orgasms" and you'll learn about some very interesting concepts.

★ I have not had sexual relations with a partner for a long time. This however, has in no way limited my sexual pleasure or diminished my sexual desire, as I have discovered and refined some amazing um, "solo techniques"😊 that have resulted in some earth shattering experiences. I've also done a lot of research regarding diet, exercise, and vitamin/herbal supplements to maximize sexual response. The results are astounding! But the most powerful and the most important sex organ? Without a doubt --the brain.

One very apparent result of my staying out of relationships for so long, is that I have been able to reflect on past relationships and recognize the things that I did (or didn't do) which acted to sabotage the development and progression of the relationship. Just about every sport at a professional level involves watching films of past performance. A tennis player might see a glaring flaw in his/her form which can then be corrected. A baseball hitter might take note that he is dropping his shoulder too much when swinging the bat and take steps to correct it.

Well, I don't have actual films, but for me the footage is in my head. And I have a lot of footage! If there is another serious relationship for me, I will (like the professional athlete) learn from the mistakes and take steps to make me a ~~much~~ better partner! I promised myself long ago, that I would not pursue or take part in meaningless or shallow sexual encounters. That is, sex without a ~~deep~~ emotional commitment. And I'm proud to say that I have kept that promise. I don't miss casual sex at all. In fact, I have a lot of regrets about being interested in certain women with only one goal (sex) in mind.

I wish I could talk to each one of them and apologize for my selfish and shallow behavior, and for wasting their time letting them think that there was potential for a more serious relationship when my intentions were entirely short-term, self centered, and shallow. On the other hand, perhaps many of these women were using me in the same way I was using them. In any event, it is now clear to me that these encounters were a waste of time and an impediment to the development of healthy emotional maturity.

One issue that came up several times in past relationships was my admiration of pretty women while out and about with the girl I was dating. It wasn't like, "...oooh, look at her, she's FINE!!" It was more like me just sneaking a glance and appreciating her beauty, style, elegance and fashion choices. But you know? --most women have this built in "radar" that immediately notifies them that their man is looking at and taking in the beauty of another woman. There was a funny commercial -- I can't even remember the product--I think it was Corona beer-- that shows a couple on the beach. A stunningly beautiful bikini-clad woman walks by and the guy just gawks at her, mouth agape. His wife/girlfriend, without even looking up from the book she's reading -- places her hand on the guy's chin and pushes it up to close his mouth. A perfect example of the "radar" I just described.

One girl I was dating always knew that I was stealing glances and she never failed to tell me, "I know you're looking at her" or something like that. And rather than apologize to her, I would defend my position and say, "yes, I was looking at her--that doesn't mean I want to date her. It's just human nature to look at and appreciate beauty." She didn't buy that excuse, and I think it was one of the main reasons that our relationship didn't last. Looking back on it, I now see how it made her feel and I'd like to apologize to her for the distress I caused her.

On the other hand, I'm really not sure if I'll ever be able to resist admiring all the feminine beauty that the world has to offer. So if I ever enter another serious relationship, I'll have to tell her these things and make sure she doesn't have a problem with it. I think that maybe, just maybe-- women who have a problem with their men looking at (not lusting) other women are somewhat insecure. A woman with confidence will view this behavior as a natural and harmless activity.  And by the same token, I'd never call her out for looking at other men (or women) because I understand that this is just part of being human. Why walk around with horse blinders on simply because a significant other is by one's side? I'd be interested in knowing if you agree or disagree with this.

This is a 30 year old secret that I have never revealed to anyone--until now: I saw "Dirty Dancing" -- paid to see it in the theater--not once but twice in one week! It's one of those things that should be filed in the "what was I thinking??" folder. I just remember how cute Jennifer Grey looked (before she got her nose "fixed"), and I remember how I liked the music, regardless of the fact that the movie was kind of schmaltzy. I don't think I've seen ANY movie twice in the theater. I've seen many movies multiple times, but none were seen more than once in the theater. I've probably seen "Jaws" 20 times, "Rocky Horror" at least 10 times, and "Blazing Saddles" about 10 times, "The Shawshank Redemption" about 10 times, "Dances With Wolves" about 10 times, "Double Indemnity" about 10 times, and the recently released "Frozen" about ten times! I still don't think I'll tell anyone (other than in this blog) the "Dirty Dancing" secret ...very embarrassing! 😊

This really isn't a private thing, but I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that I don't do text messaging or Facebook. I do have a smart phone-- A Samsung that's about six years old (ANCIENT in cell phone years!). But I don't use it as a cell phone. For me, it's a music player, video player, camera, video camera, address book, and occasional internet surfer -- everything except a phone! My phone is an even more ancient Motorola "flip phone" that can't even send or receive text messages -- it's only a phone. I got it on ebay for $15.00. I've lost it a few times and its has always made its way back to me, mainly, I suppose, because no one would want this phone and I guess the finders have all felt sorry for the "low-tech user" who owned it! 😊 If I lost a smart phone, I'd probably never see it again.

I’d love to have you contact me if perhaps: 

You think you're that special person  I'm looking for...

OR, if you just want to be friends....perhaps you have ZERO interest in my lifestyle that no doubt traverses a different path... but maybe you'd like a friend to cultivate some of your interests that coincide with some of mine ---rollerblading, ice skating, theater, travel, etc.

...you’re a TG girl like myself who would like a friend to hang out with, have dinner, go to a show, or go out dancing...Halloween is approaching -- are you interested?

...you'd like a friend for an impromptu visit to the nail salon for a pedicure followed by a fun outdoor (weather permitting) lunch!

...you're a beautiful lady with a lot of style and confidence and you love to get dressed to the nines for a night out at a restaurant of your choice. Just us two girls, oblivious to the gawkers and admirers that we know are checking us out. One night...no strings attached...we go our separate ways after I pay the tab (that's right, it's on me), and all we have is the memory of a lovely evening. It may appear to be a shallow experience, but who says everything in life needs to be deep and significant?

...you may not want to be tied down and you may not be interested in anything intimate or long term-- that's ok --just one unique experience for an evening. And if it leads to more nights out, all the better!

.....you are a fun and adventuresome couple. Many of my friends are couples, so if the two of you think you'd enjoy my company, I'd love to hear from you. I once was close to a couple who came to my home for dinner with me (dressed in my French Maid's Uniform) serving as their waitress. Afterwards, we went out for drinks and dancing.

...you're a straight woman who might be fascinated by the idea of having a lesbian relationship, but also enjoys the company of a man. In other words, ..."the best of both worlds!"

...you're attracted to my positive energy and creativity, but you want no part of my femme presentations. Ok, fair enough. Any time we spend together will be with me in male mode, recognizing of course that I cannot and will not suppress my femme side and I will continue to enjoy this part of me with friends who enjoy and embrace my femme side

...you're a lesbian or bi-sexual woman who would like a TG friend.

...you're an "aging baby boomer" (I cringe when I hear that term and you may cringe also -- if that's the case, my apologies!) who has previously been highly independent, but realizes that growing old (another cringe) will be more palatable with a partner who can provide emotional support and companionship. I seem to be in a state of denial about this issue, mainly because I think and feel like I'm light years away from "being old" but as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, it (old age) will eventually be banging loudly on our doors.

...you are bride planning her wedding and (omg!) one of your best friends has backed out of her commitment to be one of your bridesmaids. Your problems are over because you've found me: I can step in and take her place as one of your beautiful bridesmaids!😊. I also love bachelorette parties and would be honored to be one of your girls!

...and speaking of weddings, maybe you're going to a wedding, family event, class reunion, or other social engagement and would like to make a BIG SPLASH by bringing a fun, fabulous TG girl as your date or platonic friend.

...you admit that you need some practice walking in heels and want a non-judgemental practice partner. Or maybe you want to go shoe shopping together!

...you are a man who is an admirer of transgender girls.  I always enjoy making new friends and it is always nice to be appreciated and respected by a gentleman. I know one guy who is not gay, but he is fascinated by the way I can transform myself into pretty and femme looks.

...you're a man who enjoys ballroom dancing and would like to either take lessons or just get out and dance with a transgendered partner. It's an interesting and intriguing idea...

But guys, listen up: Sending me a note saying only "Hi" or "ur sexy" or in one case, apparently it was too much work to write "Hi", he simply wrote "H" -- won't get a response from me.

And... if my quest for romance somehow fails to materialize, I would be interested in taking an alternative route briefly described as:

...If you are an elegant, stylish, chic, successful and confident woman and dominant (straight, lesbian, or bi) who has absolutely no interest in a romantic relationship (but are intrigued by my lifestyle, fashion choices and musings) and would like me in your life to help you with your busy professional and personal activities. I suppose what I'm describing is a personal assistant (or if you prefer to use the term "maid" please do so--there are some very cute maid's uniforms available that I would be happy to wear for you on those special occasions.😊. I am very attentive, and will give strong consideration to dedicating myself 100% to your happiness and pleasure, asking for nothing in return other than knowing and being in the presence of an elegant, successful, feminine, sophisticated, chic and intelligent lady. To me, giving happiness and pleasure is just as rewarding, if not more rewarding than getting. I am willing to relocate! I WILL make your life a lot more interesting!

✨THERE!! --- You made it though my labyrinth of a blog. CONGRATULATIONS!✨ --- you're one of the few!! 😍 ❤

[loadsem168]

Hp Envy 7640 Scanner Software For Mac

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DRIVER WIA HP ENVY 7640 FOR WINDOWS. Hp print scan doctor. Hp printer scanner devices, latest driver software, hp official site here, free download driver, windows mac operating systems. Hp scanners flatbed and sheet-fed scanners. Driver installation support community first. Windows image acquisition, mac operating systems. Software driver windows. ENVY 7640 will no longer scan to computer: Mac Pro OS X El Capitan ‎ 08:11 AM The hard reset with the printer plugged into the wall outlet followed by use of the HP Utility program did the trick. I understand that you're not able to scan from your HP ENVY 7640 e-All-in-One Printer to your Mac OS X 10.10 computer. I would like to assist you today with resolving this scan issue. There is a chance that your Mac OS X 10.10 computer has loaded a generic Apple Airprint print only driver on your printer, rather than the Full Feature Software.

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All HP ENVY 7640 Manuals available for download through the website owned and operated by HP Manual are copyrighted by HP Official or one of the third-party of HP official vendors. customer agrees to the applicable license or other agreement between HP or a third party vendor and the customer.

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[orbemnews]

How NFTs are fueling a digital art boom Written by Oscar Holland, CNN This article was updated following the auction of Beeple’s “Everydays: The First 5000 days,” which sold for $69.3 million. When graphic designer Mike Winkelmann started producing a drawing a day in 2007, he was simply looking for a way to improve his art skills. At best, the resulting “Everydays” project would help him promote his freelance work, which includes creating concert visuals for the likes of Justin Bieber and Katy Perry. But selling the digital images was not on his mind. This week, a compilation of over 13 years’ worth of the artworks, collectively titled “Everydays: The First 5000 days,” sold for $69.3 million via Christie’s, putting Winkelmann’s name among some of the art market’s most valuable living artists. A multi-million-dollar auction for Beeple’s “Everydays: The First 5000 days” closed this week at $69.3 million. Credit: Beeple/Christies “It’s a bit surreal, because (digital imagery) wasn’t really something that I pictured, in my lifetime, being able to sell,” said Winkelman, who goes by the name Beeple, in a video call from his home in South Carolina ahead of the sale. “So it (has) come out of nowhere. But at the same time, I also really feel like this is going to be the next chapter of art history.” Virtual art has been created, and talked about, for years. But now, thanks to endorsement from celebrities as diverse as Elon Musk, Lindsey Lohan and Steve Aoki, online buzz in art and cryptocurrency circles, and, perhaps most importantly, blockchain technology, it has not only entered the mainstream — it is generating huge sums of money for digital artists and online collectors. Beeple’s latest sale comes just weeks after his animated work “Crossroad,” which imagined Donald Trump’s naked, graffiti-strewn body slumped on the ground, was purchased online for $6.6 million. Elsewhere, a digital animation of the “Nyan Cat” meme — a flying cat with a Pop Tart for a body — earned its creator Christopher Torres almost $600,000 in a virtual auction. The musician Grimes meanwhile made $6.3 million in under 20 minutes selling a range of collectible digital artworks. At the center of this explosion in transactions are non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. Acting like virtual signatures, they address concerns that digital art’s value is diminished by the ease with which it can be copied or lost. While an oil painting can only be displayed in one place and has a definitive owner, a digital image, video or gif can be infinitely duplicated and enjoyed on screens around the world for free. This has often posed problems for prospective collectors, who don’t know how to price digital art and fear it will lose resale value. But now, NFTs are offering two things that the physical art market has always depended on: scarcity and authenticity. The rise of ‘non-fungible’ tokens NFTs are built on blockchain technology, which — just as it does with Bitcoin — offers a secure record of transactions. This digital ledger serves as incorruptible proof of ownership, meaning that “original” artworks and their owners can always be identified via the blockchain, even if an image or video is widely replicated. A “fungible” asset is one that is that can be replaced with another identical one of the same value, such as a dollar bill, while non-fungible ones, like NFTs, are tied to unique goods and are not mutually interchangeable. Like bitcoins, the tokens can be kept in a virtual wallet. They can then be sold or traded, often gaining value in the secondary market. This makes NFT artworks similar to physical ones — or any other real-world asset, according to Duncan Cock Foster, co-founder of Nifty Gateway, the platform behind Beeple’s and Grimes’ recent multi-million-dollar sales. “We have systems for collecting paintings, and we have systems for collecting sculptures. But until now, people hadn’t figured out a good way to collect digital art — and NFTs allow you to do that,” Cock Foster said on a video call, adding that buying tokens is easier and “a lot more accessible” than traditional art collecting. Related video: Just how much has the internet changed art? On Nifty Gateway, artists set the number of editions for any single artwork by deciding how many accompanying tokens will be made available. This can range from one-offs, where a piece is sold to a single collector, to open-edition “drops,” where tokens are made available for a limited period of time. The sale of Grimes’ “WarNymph” collection, for instance, allowed up to 9,999 purchases of various artworks within a seven-minute window. Several of the creations were listed for just $20 per token, some of which are now selling for thousands of dollars. By connecting artists directly to collectors, NFTs effectively cut out galleries and other traditional gatekeepers. While Cock Foster would not disclose the size of Nifty Gateway’s cut, he claims it is “far less” than what a gallery would usually take. For Beeple, this represents a “democratization” of the art market. “Now I have direct access to my audience,” he said. “I don’t have to go through an intermediary.” And there’s another benefit for digital artists: They can continue making money on their work, even after it has been sold. NFTs can allow creators to receive a cut on all future transactions — on Nifty Gateway, this is typically set at 10% — breaking with the centuries-old model whereby artists do not directly benefit when sold works grow in value over their lifetimes. (For instance, when a David Hockney painting sold for $90.3 million in 2018, setting an auction record for a living artist, the British artist didn’t receive a single cent from the sale. His dealer had sold it for just $18,000 in 1972.) One of digital images that Beeple produced daily from 2007. Credit: Beeple/Christies So, while Beeple made less than $67,000 when he originally sold his “Crossroad” animation, he pocketed a further $660,000 when the initial buyer sold it on. “The royalties are definitely something that make this much more sustainable and equitable for all parties,” the designer said. New breed of collector The collector behind the $6.6 million “Crossroad” sale, Pablo Rodriguez-Fraile, said that supporting creators is one of the unique benefits of investing in NFTs. While there is money to be made, and plenty of speculation happening in the crypto art market, the 32-year-old said that collecting digital works is about more than money. “I try to look into the life and career of the creators. I like to get in contact with them and meet them … for me, it’s important to see consistency and thoughtfulness about everything outside the art as well,” said Rodriguez-Fraile on the phone, adding that he is drawn to works that are “masterfully executed.” Beyond “Crossroad,” Rodriguez-Fraile said he has collected hundreds — perhaps thousands — of NFT artworks, selling only a handful so far. Beeple’s art often plays with pop culture icons in grotesque and unexpected ways. Credit: Beeple/Christies While the Miami-based collector was previously interested in blockchain and cryptocurrencies, were it not for NFTs, he said he would not be involved in buying art. His experience, like Beeple’s, suggests that the tokens are empowering a new breed of artists and collectors rather than taking a slice of the existing art market. “The analogy I like to make is Uber,” Cock Foster said. “When they were trying to make a forecast for Uber’s market size, they looked at the amount of money people spent on black cars (private car services). But because it’s so much easier to call an Uber than it is to call a black car, the actual market ended up being much larger than that. I really think we’re seeing something similar with NFTs. “They are lowering the barriers to collecting significantly,” added Cock Foster, whose platform operates under the ambitious tagline, “We will not rest until 1 billion people are collecting NFTs.” Future prospects Nifty Gateway may be a long way from its goal of 1 billion collectors, but the platform’s growth nonetheless reflects exploding interest in crypto art. In March 2020, the site recorded monthly transactions of $30,000; last month, this figure was up to $75 million, according to Cock Foster. This jump broadly coincides with another major force in the art world: Covid-19. With galleries and auction houses shuttered around the world — and people spending more time browsing the web or shopping online — NFTs have offered a new outlet for art enthusiasts. According to Beeple, this is why interest in the tokens has skyrocketed in recent months, even though the technology has been available since 2017. “You keep hearing that Covid has pushed things 10 years forward, and I think this honestly is a big part of it,” he said. “Everybody was sitting at home over the last year — so while I think this was inevitable, it really got accelerated.” The use of NFTs is now stretching far beyond the art world. DJ and musician Deadmau5 has used the tokens to sell digital merchandise, while the new Kings of Leon album is being released as an NFT. Nike is even reported to have registered a patent for tokenized shoes, branded “CryptoKicks.” This rapid growth has led to fears of an NFT bubble — one that may burst when the world emerges from pandemic-era restrictions. While collector Rodriguez-Fraile believes that “NFTs are here to stay,” he accepted that “we might be going through a period of hype … and I think the general ecosystem might slow down a bit when it comes to pricing.” For Cock Foster, however, the return to normality presents opportunities rather than threats — not least because galleries offer ways to experience digital art beyond a computer screen. “Digital art is very, very immersive,” he said, adding that displaying art is still important to online collectors. “So, I think we can build some really cool physical experiences.” This article was updated to reflect the final amount generated by Grimes’ NFT drop. Source link Orbem News #Art #boom #Digital #fueling #NFTs

[umusicians]

UM Track By Track : : Scott The Pisces -‘Ocean Blue’

United Kingdom based producer and artist Scott the Pisces released his debut EP ‘Ocean Blue’ today! The EP features lead single “Perfect Summer” which features Canadian artist Aleesia, and collaborations with Ashley Alisha, Ria Choony and K.O. You can stream the EP here. 

Scott The Pisces was kind enough to write a Track by Track for the EP which you can read below!

The real inspiration behind the EP came from the lows of 2020. The whole world stopped, summer and the rest of the year was completely cancelled. Going into lockdown for such a long time meant us musicians had a lot of time to think, with no shows, music was the only true outlet. I believe in the alchemy of turning a bad situation good, and so I set out to create a project which encapsulates everything I felt was missing from the year. A form of escapism. 

“Ocean Blue” The title track for the EP, this was coincidently the first song I produced with the project in mind. I wanted to create a track which embodies a sense of wonder, which transports you to a summery tropical paradise by the sonics alone. As with all the songs on the EP, I started out with the drums to get my rhythm going. I wanted them to be punchy and youthful, to create a solid foundation for my idea.

Next came the chords, there are two chord lines going on during the chorus. One is a simple washy pad to create an oceanic texture, the other is a syncopated synth emulating a pattern you’d hear in reggae music. The link to Caribbean music is very important in this track, as you can hear with the steel pan drums which play throughout. The vocal chops are the highlight of the song, drenched in reverb bouncing on top of the instrumental. I always try to create a vocal chop hook, even if I replace it with real vocals later, it helps create a great melody.

Finally the vocals are by none other than Ashley Alisha. Her voice fit so perfectly with the music, it brought a soft sensual tone to the song. She floats on top so effortlessly, such a talented artist. Ashley wrote the lyrics for this one, I was hooked the moment I heard her sing the line before the chorus “Staring in your eyes, Ocean Blue”.

“Perfect Summer” The lead single of the EP, this was the defining song for the mood of this project. I actually wrote the lyrics prior to producing the track. Lockdown had just come into effect last year due to the pandemic, right before summer. I knew everyone would be missing the whole “Summer Experience” and I wanted to create something that would capture just that.

The major influence for this song would be the pop music I grew through my early teens with. The likes of Katy Perry, Carly Rae Jepsen, Kylie Minogue; the whole nostalgic pop sound of 2009-2011. I laid down the basic four to the floor drum pattern, replayed some chords on guitar and built the synth parts around it. It had to sound uplifting and vibrant, to match the lyrical content and ideals I had for the song.

The lyrics were built up of everything I believed the perfect summer would consist of; Beaches, Cocktails, BBQs, Music, Love etc. I sent the song to Aleesia, who previously had worked with artists Martin Garrix & Big Sean, not expecting a reply and she absolutely loved it! She managed to look past my terrible vocal demo I did for it, and resing the song in such a spectacular way, capturing everything I wanted for it. I expect big things for this song over the summer time, it’s why the whole EP has been made available to use on Youtube by vloggers without the need to worry about copyright claims by Content ID. I really hope it becomes the soundtrack of the summer for people.  

“Young & Reckless” This was a special song for me, I produced the instrumental to it the year before last and had been sitting on it for a long time, trying to figure out the right direction for it. It was a very youthful sounding track, I must have taken influence from early Mike Posner with the production as I rarely do synth solos. When I finally got to writing the lyrics on this one, I decided it had to be all about being young. The song you would listen to when you break up for summer vacation after you’ve finished your exams in school. I brainstormed all the experiences I had during those summers and picked the best ones that I believed people would share in common. The whole premise was being young, naive and carefree. There’s a beautiful nostalgia to that.

Ria Choony, my favourite artist to work with, performed the vocals for this song. We had to create a sense of youthful energy to really bring the idea to life. The hooks were doubled by me and a bunch of friends to create the crowd singing effect, which hopefully becomes a reality one day; crowds singing the lyrics together in harmony.

“On My Own” My first collaboration with Bethany Davey, now known as Nova May. I was 3 songs deep into the EP and I knew I needed something that would be the ‘Stadium Ballad’. A powerful emotion filled track to turn the EP around before the final song. I took a lot of influence for the production from the likes of Martin Garrix, The Chainsmokers and Flume. I believed dynamics had to be important for this song, having softer verses to contrast with the loud belted choruses. The transition from subtle snapping fingers in the verses to loud stadium snares driving the chorus.

There are many foley elements to the song, as I wanted to create a sense of space to surround Bethany’s vocal. When she was singing about waking up in her room, I wanted it to really feel as if it was morning and everything was cosy. The sound of birds at the window for instance. When she sang about proving herself, I added the sound of pencil writing on paper. It’s the little details which spark thoughts.

Bethany wrote the lyrics to this song, she explained that it was about being her own cheerleader. Not letting toxic people and relationships get in the way of her dreams, being better now you’re on your own.

“I Wanna Know” This is the final song on the EP. I decided I wanted to switch things up for the outro of the project, delving to an RnB influenced sound. Upon writing the lyrics for this song, I took influence from all the slow jams I grew up listening to; Alicia Keys, Aaliyah, Brandy etc. The lyrics came about a lot easier for me on this occasion too, especially the RnB runs, melodies and cadences. The verses are heavily based in that genre, being soft and ever building. I wanted to switch things up for the choruses.

The chorus had to feel like it was written for a girl group, think Little Mix or Fifth Harmony. It had to be powerful, yet simple. The instrumentation also changes, blending the slaps of a bass guitar with heavy-boomin 808s. I sang the vocal demo, sent it to Krystal and she absolutely nailed it. Her previous experience working with the likes of Diddy, TY Dolla $ign and Brandy clearly come out in her performance. She was the perfect choice for the final track of the EP.

Connect with Scott The Pisces on the following websites: https://twitter.com/ScottThePisces/ https://www.instagram.com/scottthepisces/ https://www.facebook.com/ScottThePisces/

[perfectirishgifts]

Sing Along Forever: The Bouncing Souls Enter Their Fifties And Fatherhood—Together

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/sing-along-forever-the-bouncing-souls-enter-their-fifties-and-fatherhood-together/

Sing Along Forever: The Bouncing Souls Enter Their Fifties And Fatherhood—Together

The Bouncing Souls, 2020—COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

Bryan Kienlen and his wife, Nicole, have a new routine. When they first wake up, they give bottles to their babies, Cora and Layla. And before taking on their daily tasks, they dedicate quality time for cuddling, crawling and playing.

“All four of us have this really beautiful morning,” 51-year-old Kienlen says. “It’s how I start every day. It’s the coolest thing.”

Twenty years ago, The Bouncing Souls bassist often spent his golden hour stumbling home from a night of partying in New York City, groggy and regretful as commuters drank coffee and made their way to work.

Bryan Kienlen walks on the boardwalk with his family. New Jersey, November, 2020

But decades removed from his period of downtown debauchery, the domesticated punk has found stability and serenity through his 30-year musical journey, as a successful tattoo shop owner and as a family man. He says being a father and “giver” is the greatest thing he’s ever done.

“You find how rewarding it is,” Kienlen explains. “There’s such a stark difference from being a ‘band guy.’ When I was a young, single maniac writing songs and touring—I didn’t realize until I could see things from my current perspective—but I was more self-centered. Everything revolved around me. Now, that stage of my life is over and I’m here to serve and take care of my kids and my wife. And I’m so happy with that. It’s not all about me anymore, in a good way.”

A lot has changed for The Bouncing Souls, the cult-followed New Jersey punk band which formed when Kienlen, vocalist Greg Attonito and guitarist Pete Steinkopf were high schoolers in Basking Ridge, NJ.

In the 90s, the band lived in chaos at a series of “punk houses,” each complete with a revolving door of ill-behaved 20-somethings, drunks and miscreants.

The Bouncing Souls, 2001 (Photo by Mick Hutson/Redferns)

Today, Kienlen and Steinkopf have settled down in New Jersey, whereas Attonito set up shop in small-town Idaho. And miraculously—as all three musicians have entered their fifties—they’ve all, almost simultaneously, become fathers.

But much has stayed the same, too. Last year, the band celebrated its 30th anniversary by touring North America and England, performing songs from the guys’ 10 full-length albums and newest EP Crucial Moments. Three of the four original members remain, save for the role of drummer. George Rebelo, from popular Florida rock band Hot Water Music, joined in 2013.

And 2020, with its own unique set of circumstances, has encouraged the Souls to appreciate the past while embracing the new in both their musical and personal lives.

In October, the band released Volume 2, a record of reimagined songs ranging from the group’s newest single, appropriately titled “World on Fire,” back to fan-favorite “Gone,” from the 2001 album How I Spent My Summer Vacation. And on Saturday, December 12, the band will be hosting a livestream performance of the album in a digital concert called Live at Studio 4.

While the group didn’t expect an internet broadcast to replace its annual Asbury Park Home For The Holidays residency, Volume 2 itself was born under precarious timing.

Bouncing Souls, Live At Studio 4, Saturday December 12, 8PM ET

Recorded in March during two one-week sessions in Philadelphia, the band completed the record just as America was blindsided by COVID-19. As time passed in the studio, the threat of the oncoming pandemic quickly went from negligible to worrisome.

“When we first went in the studio, I’d just heard the murmurings of coronavirus,” 50-year-old Steinkopf says. “I was like, ‘What the f*** is that?’”

“The second week was more intense,” 50-year-old Attonito adds. “The restaurant above the studio closed on our last day. The crazy thing about it was, we were having such a positive experience. We were joking about how we were spontaneously creating from our old songs that we love and the world simultaneously was cinching in with dark gloom. Those last couple of days, we didn’t want to leave our bubble of happiness. We knew we were walking into this chaos of the unknown.”

The Bouncing Souls with producer Will Yip, March 2020, Philadelphia

“Even the week that things were getting really weird, we were hyper-focused and trying to stay off our phones,” Steinkopf says. “But every now and then, someone would be like, ‘Did you see this!?’ What the f*** is happening?!’”

Despite the impending doom, the Souls found the studio sessions to be fruitful. The band was able to recompose classic tracks, breathing new and unexpected life into staples and providing previously underappreciated songs with a second chance.

Attonito was able to sing from a more mature and controlled vocal perspective—leaving the guttural belting for the next fast-paced punk record—allowing him to put a new spin on songs he’s chanted thousands of times.

Steinkopf was able to give a nod to the 80s tunes that inspire him, drawing energy from bands like The Cure, rather than focusing on a checklist of sing-a-longs and “woah-oh-ohs.”

The band was even able to squeeze in some silly instrumentation, using a “cheesy” 80s Casio keyboard and toy instruments on the song “Hopeless Romantic.” At Kienlen’s burning request, they even incorporated a french horn into “Favorite Everything.”

But as the recording sessions wrapped up, the band scrambled to make travel arrangements to get home to their families.

“Everybody said goodbye,” Kienlen says. “And the world was never the same.”

The guys returned to their homes in New Jersey, Idaho and Florida. They kept in touch, but were just as anxious as the rest of the country. 

Steinkopf and Kienlen, Anchors Aweigh Tattoo Studio

Kienlen, like many other Americans, was forced to close his tattoo shop in Bradley Beach, NJ, Anchors Aweigh Tattoo Studio, for three months as the battle against COVID-19 took a stranglehold of the Northeast.

In the mountains 100 miles north of Boise, Attonito’s small resort town felt seemingly unchanged at the onset of the pandemic. But in the red state of Idaho, many remained resistant to masks, even as a surge of tourists in RVs flooded the area and caused a spike of positive cases.

Early on, Attonito felt depressed that band-life was on hold. Eventually, he started becoming conscious of mask-wearing in his dreams. And Steinkopf began to realize how much he missed the things he used to take for granted.

“Someone sent me a Souls show from a long time ago,” Steinkopf says. “I was watching it and I got real emo about it. There’s a lot of stuff I don’t go out and do as much these days, and now I’m like, ‘Man, I’m gonna go do everything when I can again!’”

But, in the meantime, the band adapted and found creative outlets to keep the spirit of the Souls alive. They started holding weekly Zoom meetings to catch up and launched the Can You Remember? podcast via Patreon, an endeavor they wouldn’t have pursued otherwise.

And along with their new projects, the guys are beginning to see a tentative semblance of “new normalcy.” Steinkopf is back producing in the studio again and Kienlen is booked up with tattoo appointments well into 2021. 

While the band is glad to feel productive and are eager to return to live music, they recognize what a unique opportunity the pandemic has offered them as new fathers. 

Kienlen and his wife adopted their first baby, Cora, as a newborn in December of last year.

Bryan Kienlen with his wife, Nicole, and daughter, Cora — December 2019

“At the time, I had one new baby, whom I hadn’t had the chance to bond with because we adopted,” Kienlen explains. “One day, you go from no baby to baby in your house, real fast. I still had touring through the end of the year and was booked out with [tattoo] appointments every other day that I wasn’t on tour. We never had a paternal leave or hardly a maternal leave, either. It was pretty difficult. When the lockdown happened it was a blessing for us because we got to stay home with her and truly bond every day.”

Then Kienlen went from having one baby to two babies just as quickly. In October, less than a year from Cora’s adoption, the couple was contacted with the opportunity to adopt a second child: a seven-month-old who they named Layla.

Kienlen and his daughter, Layla — October 2020

“We got that call on a Wednesday afternoon out of the blue,” he explains. “We picked her up that Friday. Talk about no time to plan! We scrambled to play catch-up a little. But I think we’re finally settling into a groove.”

While the couple were definitely hoping to adopt a second child so Cora would have a sibling, they were pleasantly surprised by the timing.

“We expected to wait a year or two,” Kienlen says. “That’s generally how long it takes. But I’m glad that it happened this way because they’re gonna be in the same grade. It couldn’t be better.”

Attonito and Steinkopf have also enjoyed their time home with their children. At the end of their conference call interview with Forbes, Attonito was adorably approached by his son, asking to say hello to “Uncie Pete.”

“If you’re gonna be locked down in a pandemic,” Attonito says. “You may as well be in a period where your child is under two or three years old, the most valuable moments to be with them all the time. In that sense, the timing is pretty good for all of us.”

Uncle Bryan & Lux — 2019

Fortuitous timing is just one example of the kindred connection between the members of The Bouncing Souls. Not only did they all enter their fifties together—Attonito and Steinkopf just days apart—but fatherhood, too.

Around three years ago, Attonito and his wife, Shanti, welcomed their baby boy, Ever. A few months later, Steinkopf and his wife, Keira, birthed their son, Lux.

“Serendipitous is a good word,” Kienlen says. “It describes the entire existence of our band. None of us had brothers growing up. Maybe on some deep level we found each other and bonded into a family and stayed together for life as brothers.”

They’re already growing together as parents, too, both in their capacity to love and overcome their fears.

“You could say a million things about having a child,” Attonito says. “But it pushes your capacity to look outside yourself and take care of someone. It pushes you to those limits in a way that, I don’t think, you can possibly experience without having a child.”

Greg Attonito with his wife, Shanti, and son, Ever

He continues: “I’m so glad I waited until I was in my late forties. The idea of having a child terrified me to no end. I felt like I would never be there for them. I’d be on tour all the time, that would be the worst. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy one or the other. I’m so glad it worked out the way it did. The fact that we’re all sharing this at the same time has been super special.”

“I was always the most terrified to have a child,” Steinkopf agrees. “I don’t know if it was the people I was with, my relationships or just being a selfish young guy. I would’ve been a s*** dad [laughs]. At this point in my life it just felt totally right. You spend your whole life being introspective and learning about yourself, but as soon as you have a kid, that’s magnified by a thousand. You think about your past, how you don’t want to impose stuff on your kid. It’s heady, but your heart is so f***ing full all the time. The most frustrating day now is like the best day I’ve ever had.”

Shanti, Ever & Greg Attonito — Pete, Lux & Keira Steinkopf

And the punks are embracing full-blown adulthood with sarcastic charm. Steinkopf insists he’s never felt better, as he and the singer offer a collective tongue-in-cheek, “F*** you, I’m 50!”

It’s the same self-assured confidence that the band tapped into while reconstructing classic Souls songs. While many were picked fairly arbitrarily, the group did make an effort to develop tracks on the basis of lyrics they felt were overlooked.

Take “Argyle,” off the 1996 album Maniacal Laughter, which was written by Attonito, but admired by Kienlen for its words. While the singer calls it a personal song that was “definitely written from the perspective of a mid-20s-year-old person,” he’s glad his bassist pushed to include it.

Another throwback featured on Volume 2, “Say Anything,” dates back to the band’s 1997 self-titled record. The Bouncing Souls was released just as the band’s collective lifestyle of punk house squalor came to a close.

Attonito, 1995 (Photo Steve Eichner)

“It’s well romanticized because it had moments of glory and moments of pure annoyance,” Attonito says laughing. “There’s a motivation there that’s sort’ve unexplainable. Once you hit your forties, you’re like, ‘How did I hold up?’”

Steinkopf adds: “It’s just like chaos, but it was chaos in a way that we were so f***ing motivated to do everything. We were gonna print shirts. Do this, do that—all together. It was intoxicating.”

Looking back, Attonito sees the era as a wave of energy and focus that propelled the band into a lifetime of performing. The first decade of insanity and perseverance allowed for an actual career in music. 

Bryan Kienlen (L), Greg Attonito (R) of The Bouncing Souls, 1995, Wetlands in New York City (Photo … [] by Steve Eichner)

While most of The Bouncing Souls may have taken a step back from the craziness in 1997, it took Kienlen a few more years. As all the members moved to New York, then moved on, their bassist remained and kept the “party” going the longest.

While recording Volume 2, he was able to revisit three songs he wrote during a tumultuous time, a rough patch that served as the blueprint to the band’s beloved 2003 release, Anchors Aweigh.

“Highway Kings,” “Kids and Heroes,” and “Simple Man,” all made the new record—and reignited feelings in the studio. They were also given a second chance musically.

“‘Simple Man’ was written in a pretty dark place for me,” Kienlen says. “It was a prayer to the universe for simplicity back in the middle of what was a bit of a storm in my personal life. To revisit some of those lyrics, I felt more like the returning conqueror. I’d survived. Now I can face these songs from a happier place.”

But when Kienlen first penned many of the songs to Anchors Aweigh, he wasn’t just experiencing love-life woes, but a “major life turn.”

“A whole reality was ending basically,” he says. “It wasn’t just a relationship, it was an entire reality that I had built around the relationship. It all just ended instantly and I was set free. But it was just me and my demons all of a sudden and no governing force.”

The bassist describes it as the perfect storm of a single guy who’s going through changes with nothing but time and cash in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. He went out and partied every night until the following day. He’d get going around 10:00PM, then leave bars and afterparties as the sun came up, feeling like a “ghoul.”

“It was the darkest I’ve ever felt,” Kienlen explains. “I was the most depressed I’ve ever felt in my life. Then, the following night it would just start again. Any happiness was produced by substances and all the other shallow crap that goes with that life. Night after night. You’d get so high and so happy, but not really. Not real happiness. When you heard that first bird chirping, that’s when you realized you f***ed up again.”

Bryan Kienlen of The Bouncing Souls plays before several thousand at the Vans Warped Tour, 2001, … [] Ventura, CA (Photo by Carlos Chavez/Los Angeles Times)

He continues: “And the things I was doing were definitely gonna get me killed. I was riding my motorcycle up the FDR [Parkway] going 120 miles per hour—that f***ing high—in the middle of the night with whoever on the back that I could’ve killed. It was just insane.”

Kienlen frequently hosted afterparties at his own apartment, too. As cliché as it sounds, he usually felt alone in a room full of people. 

“All the good stuff was gone,” he explains. “All my friends were just fellow ghouls—nightlife people. I felt pretty alone. Being apart from Greg and Pete during this was also part of the despair that I was feeling. That’s when I wrote ‘Simple Man’—probably about six in the morning on a park bench. Just one of those nights.”

Bryan Kienlen, 2006 (Photo by John Shearer)

After 15 years of living in New York City, from squatting to a city-subsidized apartment in Alphabet City, Kienlen decided to abandon the F Train and return to New Jersey living.

He’d fallen out of love with his gentrifying neighborhood and was sick of his own behavior. He also mourned the loss of the Old New York punk scene he once so enjoyed. The days of brown-bagging beer on his BMX bike and bouncing from CBGBs to Coney Island High to The Continental were over.

For years, the Jersey-born transplant never imagined leaving New York City, but his Anchors Aweigh turning point was critical to an end-game he never imagined: a house, a wife, two kids, a dog and his own business. The album’s cover, as always designed by Kienlen, is symbolic: a ship sailing off into the dark distance, marking the end of a chapter.

In that regard, it’s suitable that so many tracks from the album populate the ranks of Volume 2. The band’s following release, The Gold Record, marked a new “golden” age for the Souls. The 2006 record also established that after years of noodling across the Hudson River, the band’s homebase would forever be the Jersey Shore.

Greg Attonito crowd surfs at Bamboozle Left, 2008, Irvine, CA (Photo by Noel Vasquez)

Despite Attonito’s choice to commute from the sticks—and a drummer change or two—the rest, as they say, is Jersey history. It may be generational, but there are few acts that evoke an association to New Jersey quite like The Bouncing Souls. 

Bruce Springsteen requires no explanation. Bon Jovi isn’t far behind. The Misfits are, for some reason, inextricably connected to their hometown of Lodi. The New Brunswick boys in The Gaslight Anthem (with a co-sign from The Boss) have become hometown heroes. My Chemical Romance has immeasurably left its mark on the world, but somehow holds down its Garden State credibility.

But, for Gen X and Millennials, only The Bouncing Souls—with tracks as indicative as “East Coast, F*** You!” and the aptly-titled “So Jersey”—can conjure the feeling of the boardwalk under your feet, the smell of the Atlantic Ocean and the buzz of The Stone Pony. 

The Bouncing Souls performs at The Fillmore in Detroit, MI, 2013 (Photo by Scott Legato)

In a year as uncertain as 2020, at least fans have the consistency and renewed spirit of The Bouncing Souls—31 years in—to distract them, if only for a few minutes. 

“Call it naïve, but we committed to doing this for our whole lives,” Kienlen says. “I guess we took that commitment seriously. But we didn’t know what this meant, we didn’t have a picture in our head. I’m glad we made every decision from our hearts.”

Luckily, his bandmates are equally as enthused.

“It just gets better all the time,” Steinkopf says. “We have more fun as we get older. We’re in such a cool place. Turning 50 and feeling that way, I’m pretty f***ing stoked.”

Attonito adds: “Once you make it to 50, you can see the world and understand the value in having relationships that lasted this long—with each other and the audience. This is so incredible that we can do this. We love it. And because of the pandemic, when we get back, we’re all gonna appreciate things even more.”

Follow me on Twitter at @DerekUTG.

More from Arts in Perfectirishgifts

[adrenalineguide]

Rediscovering “Kloomp” in the summer of 2020

Words and Pics By Michael  Hozjan

Like most of you I spent this past spring and summer trying to catch up on my home repairs, moving my man cave, the “honey do” list as well as trying to get my automotive projects further along.  Covid put an end to the car show season very quickly as those of us who attended Toronto’s Motorama will attest. It also put a halt to press vehicles, the publication of my 2020 car show calendar and the 2020 Adrenaline Annual.  

It also awoke my eyes to the junk that we accumulate on an annual basis. Now I’m not talking about the day-to-day or week-to-week spur of the moment purchases (I saw a guy just this morning walk up to the line up for the cash at the Canadian Tire store with just one item and by the time he made it to the cashier had picked up a dollar pack of pens, an equally expensive flash light, some chewing gum, a couppee doll and one other item that I couldn’t make out.) No I’m talking about big ticket items that have become nothing more than land fill in our throw away society.

Just over ten years ago I bought my Mac for more money than I paid for my first five cars COMBINED. Today I can’t access half the web sites because I can’t update my browser to the latest platform.

Which is why I’ve been tardy with my posts. Of course I didn’t get any red flags popping up from Tumbler saying “Hey we no longer like your computer go out and buy a new one.” It just stopped working and I had to wait for the proverbial hammer to hit me on the head before I realized what was going on.

Thankfully my cell phone had 392 UPDATES last week and I was able to access Tumbler’s home page on my cell. Really 392 updates! Why in the world  - I’m leaving out the real explicatives – do I need 392 updates on a telephone. Yes I use the camera function once in a while but very rarely do I surf the web with it. I’d be just as happy with one of my old flip phones if I could still get batteries for it. Yet another way for the boys in Silicon Valley to make us buy crap we have no choice but.

Imagine one day going out and trying to start your car and it won’t turn over because the battery is dead. No problem, I’ll just get a new one at the local car parts outlet. But what if they said, “Sorry your 2012 Mortgage Coach GT is out of date and we don’t support it anymore. You’ll have to buy a newer car.” You’d be furious. But isn’t that what’s happening with hundreds of household items. Let’s take it a step further. Your car starts but now the computer won’t read any of the drive-by-wire commands. In other words it won’t shift into gear. So now you’re stuck in your driveway with nothing to do but listen to the radio or play video games. Actually you can’t play video games either.

We wouldn’t accept it with our cars so why do we roll over and play dead when it comes to our day-to-day items? 

Don’t think for a moment that Silicon Valley can’t make updates to support your aging computer – they can. They just don’t want to. The world population is just under 8 billion, yet in 2019 less than seventy-five million PCs were sold world wide, having peaked in 2011 at just under 100 million. In 2019 the U.S. alone threw out 59 million tons of e-waste. Clearly to keep themselves employed they have to force you into the newest box. If NASA was able to put Neil Armstrong on the moon with the equivalent of a Commodore 64, Silicon Valley can certainly update your Windows ’98 to surf the 2020 web and accept all the aps.

I’ve called and emailed numerous establishments reminding them about their blue collar customers and that they don’t necessarily have the latest computers and if they want their catalogs/flyers to be seen by their buyers they better make the webmaster adjust the access portals. Well guess what? A couple listened and changed their platforms. I and I suspect thousands of others can view their on line catalogs and flyers once again.

Batteries

I alluded to batteries earlier and just want to go back to it. How many of us have drawers full of old cell phones and tool shed or garages with battery operated impact drills, weed whackers and trimmers that are useless because you can’t get batteries for them anymore. A couple of years back I went out and bought a new Cub Cadet snow blower at the local dealer. We also decided to buy their line of battery powered garden tools; a weed whacker, pole saw and hedge trimmer. It added $800 to the bill but thought it well worth it. This year I found out the batteries no longer exist, can’t get replacements and Cub Cadet discontinued their garden tool line. I also found out that my dealer bought up all the discontinued items to sell without any regard to his clients’ future woes. Anybody want a nearly new pole saw, hedge trimmer and weed whacker. I’ve also got a pile of old Mastercraft and Black & Decker tools rendered useless because of their batteries. This year I bought a set of Milwaukee 18V tools. Am I going to buy their 18V trimmers to replace the Cub Cadet units? In a word no. I’m afraid that after I buy another several hundred dollars worth of battery powered trimmers the batteries will once again be out if date. Mark my words, next year they’ll be 24V units and all your 18V will be “kloomp”, Slovenian for junk.

Above:If they look like new it is because they have only been used a few times before the battery died

No I’m getting my gas powered weed whacker fixed, I’m going back to using my corded drills, saws and grinders and using the battery powered units only when I have no choice and I’ll be renting gas powered pole saws. In the long run the environment will be thanking me for the batteries and the battery-powered items that didn’t end up in the landfill because I never bought them.

False advertising

While I’m venting, and yes this is several months of pent up aggravation coming out… I went out and picked up a ½” auger drill bit for one of the honey do items on the list that needed to be built. The label on the Benchmark bit said it was 18” long. Not the twenty-four inches I needed but it would have to do. So you can imagine my amazement when I opened up the sleeve and noticed that the flute length (the auger part that cuts and sends shavings out the hole) was only 15”, the remaining 3” were made up of the neck and shank, or the part that fits into the drill itself. Now I ask you, when you go out and buy a ½” socket do they measure the outside socket head or the USABLE internal wall? So why isn’t Weights and Measures Canada coming down on this? 

Above:Size matters;18 inches is not 18 inches

What does all this have to do with automobiles? Nothing and everything. It has brought me to a greater appreciation of the way automobiles are built as compared to our smaller day-to-day items. My buddy Dino proclaimed just the other day he would gladly swap five BMW Z4s (his current ride) for his old 1972 Alfa 1750 GTV. He drives his cars like they were stolen and his last ride, a 1992 Miata outlasted his  70′s sports cars threefold. So while we may bitch about how complicated cars have become over the last two decades, let’s not forget that they’ve also become far more reliable. Oh and I haven’t heard of any hybrid sitting in a ditch somewhere abandoned because the battery wasn’t available.I don’t think my dad would be calling today’s cars kloomp.

[chicagoindiecritics]

New from Every Movie Has a Lesson by Don Shanahan: EDITORIAL: Lessons on the New Future of Movie Theaters

Image: pxfuel.com

During this last month or so of our collective national and international quarantine, I’ve been holding the topic of re-opening movie theaters from my usual “What We Learned This Week” columns on the Feelin’ Film podcast for a “Soapbox Special.” There have been so many articles, so many perspectives, and so many rapidly evolving updates and changes that I couldn’t distill them down into one little lesson or column entry.

With several regions of America starting to re-open (including my own state of Illinois and city of Chicago), it was time to get on the stump and arm the cannons. I put some of what follows into spoken word recently on an episode of Mike Crowley’s “You’’ll Probably Agree” podcast, but the issue has grown since then. Click into the multitude of links in the lessons for the deeper referenced stories. They are well worth their reads and your attention. The theme of this all can be summarized as cautiously optimistic.

LESSON #1: WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO GO BACK TO THEATERS — I’ll open this rant back in late May with polling from Variety. It featured a survey of consumer comfort. Here are some bulleted results in numerical order:

91% requested hand sanitizer stations

90% say the most important factor is a cure for COVID-19.

86% supported limited screenings for cleaning time

75% support employees temperature checks

70% would rather watch a first-run feature at home

61% would feel better about mandatory face coverings

60% support audience temperature checks

47% were comfortable buying concessions

46% were comfortable using public restrooms at theaters

There’s more there in that article, but those were the highlights. Beyond even that poll, you’ve got more and more segments of the population who won’t feel comfortable with any public event, let alone a movie, without a vaccine in place. Putting any number of these initiatives in place would be costly, especially for theater chain companies reeling on the edge of bankruptcy.

LESSON #2: WHAT DOES THAT FUTURE LOOK LIKE — Any of those changes from Lesson #1 would make for a very different setting than the “normal” way we’ve been going to the movies for the last century. Many editorials and articles (Seattle Times in May, Vulture in May, and Quartz in June) have tried to talk that out exhaustively with every guess in the clouds. For example, many of us have embraced reserved seating as a way to select our spots, skip crowds, and guarantee seats even if we walk in last minute to avoid 20 minutes of senseless trailers (I know that’s not just me, *wink*). The activity timeline changes upward if we are to stand in a line for temperature checks and even downward if there are no concession lines or needs anymore, which is a tremendous business hit to the theater chains that have been bolstering their kitchen capabilities and choices beyond candy and popcorn for the better part of the last two decades. The other word in there everyone wants to avoid is “crowds.” Can that be accomplished with roped off sections, skipped seats, or an all-reserved seating model (which some older theaters don’t fully have)? In the meantime, you’ve got companies fumbling financial footballs and poking public outcry bears (bravo Michael Phillips) over requiring or not requiring masks (and reversing courses) and other measures before they even open. Do you really trust them to get all of this right on the first try here in July?

LESSON #3: THE OPTION OF AUTOMATION — Piggybacking off of Lesson #2, one potential solution could be artificial intelligence, as crazy at that sounds. According to Variety in May, some theaters in Korea were considering “contact-free” technology. Theater chain CJ-CGV replaced its human staff with AI robots and automated kiosks for scanning and handling ticket transactions. Concession stands were replaced with app-powered and LED-controlled pick-up/delivery boxes. Leave it to tech-savvy Asia to be the tip of that spear. Could the likes of AMC or Regal pull stuff like that off, again, while teetering on financial failure? How do data-danger-minded consumers feel about that?

LESSON #4: COMPANY SURVIVAL IS PERILOUS — The first three lessons constitute a forecast and some great ideas, but who or what can afford those measures? After months of virtually complete closure, save for some door-front concession hawking, large theater chains, especially AMC (which includes the Carmike brand), are in the financial toilet. Bailouts and loans are hard to come by and “junk” status is hitting stock reports. You even have Amazon interested in gobbling up AMC, which would be quite interesting. It may require a rescue such as that. This peril is international as well with CineEurope reporting a possible $20–31 billion loss for the year. Even reopening isn’t an instant cure. The majority of profits for these companies are dependent on concessions because of the high ticket receipt percentages going back to the studios, a gouge that has been increasing over the years at the high blockbuster level (Thanks, Disney). If the food areas are closed due to viral fears and health code regulations, that destroys earnings. 50% capacities of social-distanced seating doesn’t help theaters either. Even 50% might be optimistic. There are theaters opening at barely 25% capacity.

LESSON #5: “TOO BIG TO FAIL” IS LOOKING FAILURE STRAIGHT IN THE FACE — And with that we reach the studios’ level of wallet hit with an inactive theater distribution market. Even with their demanded big bites of the pie, half-filled (or less) theaters do not help them either. This is especially the case at the blockbuster level. No matter the anticipation demand or potential staying power of a really big hit flick with less competition, it is exponentially harder to recoup $200 million-budgeted tentpoles and their $100+ million marketing campaigns if sizable fractions of the screens holding butts are gone or entire chains are shuttered. That’s why the really big stuff like Tenet, Mulan, Fast 9, No Time to Die, and more are not automatically landing on streaming services or VOD outlets. Even at a Trolls: World Tour-equivalent $20 price tag per rental (and its modest success), those giants cannot recoup those huge red balances versus getting a ticket for every head instead of every household. A little thing like The Lovebirds or Irresistible can land in the green with VOD, but not Wonder Woman or Black Widow. A business with a blockbuster class level of movies that once looked too big to fail making its worldwide billions is now failing because they have no place to go and no one able to come to their shows.

LESSON #6: STUDIOS DID SOME THIS TO THEMSELVES — Believe it or not, the studios have slowly damaged their own theatrical success/potential for years with the incremental shortening of the windows between big-screen premieres and home media release dates. Folks my age remember the months of interminable wait back in the VHS and cable TV eras before streaming services were even a glimmer in someone’s eye. For example, Forrest Gump hit theaters over the July 4th weekend of 1994. It didn’t land on VHS until late April 1995 after a long theatrical run and a winter Oscar bump. After that, it wouldn’t hit paid cable for another bunch of months and then years before basic cable made it “free.” By comparison, Joker opened on the first weekend of October last year, hit store shelves the first weekend of January 2020, and no one cares if it comes to HBO or Showtime because Netflix, Hulu, or VOD is cheaper and better. What used to be six months at the minimum (or even an entire year if you were a Disney release) has shrunk to merely 90 days on average. Sure, both Forrest Gump and Joker raked for their times, but it’s an indictment on patience versus money-grabbing. People that are willing to wait can now weather a pretty comfortable amount of time compared to the past for their 4K players and big-screen TVs in their dens. In our current COVID-19 state, we’ve all got nothing but time on our hands to do just that. Why risk health if personal patience versus some “fear of missing out” can pay one $20–30 digital download/disc price to watch a movie repeatedly instead of hauling the entire family plus concessions once, especially for something they don’t deem “big screen worthy?” The studios trying to keep the buzz constant with shorter waits will now see leverage backfire in favor of the consumer. For a current case of that, just look at Disney/Pixar’s Onward and the mere weeks it took to cave from the VOD rental level to dismissively dishing it to everyone in Disney+. With studios building their own streaming shingles, you’re going to see more of that or see more wins for Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.

LESSON #7: THE PRICE POINT OF DIGITAL — Let’s go further with the digital wants of consumers versus the new risks and hassles of theaters. Circling back to that opening Variety polling again, remember that 70% would rather watch a first-run feature at home. And that was back in May. Imagine now knocking on the door of Independence Day, no matter how much antsy-pant anticipation and hope is out there. That same Variety polling screened respondents on online pricing with some keen results. It asked how much a “reasonable” price would be to stream top-quality productions in their home. Here are those results in numerical rank:

47%- $10

20%- $20

19%- only if it was free

6%- $30

3%- $40

1%- $50, $60, or $80%

That’s 67% holding firm at $20 or under and studios need to do their own projections of math. Regardless, welcome to a more than a little bit of the #firstworldproblems portion of this entire “Soapbox Special.” Movies are wants, not needs, period. They are lovely fulfillment, but non-essential. For every one of those 6% hardcore FilmBros and cinephiles with the disposable income to drop $40 or more to see their precious Christopher Nolan film, over 95% aren’t budging or can’t afford it. Check your privilege.

LESSON #8: ADAPT OR DIE — One way or another, change is needed at the highest level that trickles down to every screen in America. A popular industry that has weathered the advent of television, cable, and now streaming opponents and competition in its century of existence should be able to survive this. Or can they? With the Paramount Accords lapsed, is it time for studios to buy or build their own sustainable theaters to show off their own wares and keep all the profits they used to share with the chains? If studios instead mine the digital landscape successfully, do we really need multiplexes anymore? That is a question posed recently in The New Yorker by Richard Brody in a good read. They’ll need smaller budgeted films to do that, scaling so many things down. Go back to the roots. You can make a dozen solid indies or five or more star-driven mid-budget programmers like the industry used to do in the 1990s with the cost of a single MCU film. Reverting back to that level of business would require some baths and haircuts, but it would rescue the industry. It’s time to embrace those needs. In another angle, columnist Nick Clement on Back to Movies says the film industry is “f — ked.” In many respects, I highly agree with him and his fantastic stump piece speaking on unemployment and the public state of some of those aforementioned #firstworldproblems. Time and patience are the biggest needs.

LESSON #9: “ABSENCE AWAY MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER” — I’ve used this lesson before in “What We Learned This Week” and it’s time to end with it again. Shed away all the polling and conjecture. We all know the love for movies is there or we wouldn’t be talking about it. Look at the success of early openings and the lined-around-the-block comeback of drive-in movie theaters. It will be a topsy-turvy year, without question, even with a full return. We’ve had a zero-budget film named Unsubscribe streaking at an empty box office only to be dethroned by revival screenings of Jurassic Park putting it back to #1 in the nation, George Foreman-style, 27 years after it last ruled the multiplexes. If the year ended today, Bad Boys For Life would get the “biggest movie of 2020” championship belt in the record books. Just like Field of Dreams says, “people will come.” They just need to wait. Everyone, for that matter, from the greedy studio execs and sidelined movie stars to the lowly theater ushers and concession stand workers, needs to wait. This has sucked and it will keep on sucking, but the best answer is to wait and get through this better and healthier, personally and financially, than rushing and screwing it all up. The movies will be there. We want all the people to be there too.

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[jccamus]

Yuval Noah Harari’s History of Everyone, Ever

Yuval Noah Harari’s History of Everyone, Ever https://ift.tt/2Sclqw8

As a camera crew set up, Harari affably told Pinker, “The default script is that you will be the optimist and I will be the pessimist. But we can try and avoid this.” They chatted about TV, and discovered a shared enthusiasm for “Shtisel,” an Israeli drama about an ultra-Orthodox family, and “Veep.”

“What else do you watch?” Harari asked.

“ ‘The Crown,’ ” Pinker said.

“Oh, ‘The Crown’ is great!”

Harari had earlier told me that he prefers TV to novels; in a career now often focussed on ideas about narrative and interiority, his reflections on art seem to stop at the observation that “fictions” have remarkable power. Over supper in Israel, he had noted that, in the Middle Ages, “only what kings and queens did was important, and even then not everything they did,” whereas novels are likely “to tell you in detail about what some peasant did.” Onstage, at YES, he had said, “If we think about art as kind of playing on the human emotional keyboard, then I think A.I. will very soon revolutionize art completely.”

The taped conversation began. Harari began to describe future tech intrusions, and Pinker, pushing back, referred to the ubiquitous “telescreens” that monitor citizens in Orwell’s “1984.” Today, Pinker said, it would be a “trivial” task to install such devices: “There could be, in every room, a government-operated camera. They could have done that decades ago. But they haven’t, certainly not in the West. And so the question is: why didn’t they? Partly because the government didn’t have that much of an interest in doing it. Partly because there would be enough resistance that, in a democracy, they couldn’t succeed.”

Harari said that, in the past, data generated by such devices could not have been processed; the K.G.B. could not have hired enough agents. A.I. removes this barrier. “This is not science fiction,” he said. “This is happening in various parts of the world. It’s happening now in China. It’s happening now in my home country, in Israel.”

Cartoon by Paul Noth

“What you’ve identified is some of the problems of totalitarian societies or occupying powers,” Pinker said. “The key is how to prevent your society from being China.” In response, Harari suggested that it might have been only an inability to process such data that had protected societies from authoritarianism. He went on, “Suddenly, totalitarian regimes could have a technological advantage over the democracies.”

Pinker said, “The trade-off between efficiency and ethics is just in the very nature of reality. It has always faced us—even with much simpler algorithms, of the kind you could do with paper and pencil.” He noted that, for seventy years, psychologists have known that, in a medical setting, statistical decision-making outperforms human intuition. Simple statistical models could have been widely used to offer diagnoses of disease, forecast job performance, and predict recidivism. But humans had shown a willingness to ignore such models.

“My view, as a historian, is that seventy years isn’t a long time,” Harari said.

When I later spoke to Pinker, he said that he admired Harari’s avoidance of conventional wisdom, but added, “When it comes down to it, he is a liberal secular humanist.” Harari rejects the label, Pinker said, but there’s no doubt that Harari is an atheist, and that he “believes in freedom of expression and the application of reason, and in human well-being as the ultimate criterion.” Pinker said that, in the end, Harari seems to want “to be able to reject all categories.”

The next day, Harari and Yahav made a trip to Chernobyl and the abandoned city of Pripyat. They invited a few other people, and hired a guide. Yahav embraced a role of half-ironic worrier about health risks; the guide tried to reassure him by giving him his dosimeter, which measures radiation levels. When the device beeped, Yahav complained of a headache. In the ruined Lenin Square in Pripyat, he told Harari, “You’re not going to die on me. We’ve discussed this—I’m going to die first. I was smoking for years.”

Harari, whose work sometimes sounds regretful about most of what has happened since the Paleolithic era—in “Sapiens,” he writes that “the forager economy provided most people with more interesting lives than agriculture or industry do”—began the day by anticipating, happily, a glimpse of the world as it would be if “humans destroyed themselves.” Walking across Pripyat’s soccer field, where mature trees now grow, he remarked on how quickly things had gone “back to normal.”

The guide asked if anyone had heard of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare—the video game, which includes a sequence set in Pripyat.

“No,” Harari said.

“Just the most popular game in the world,” the guide said.

At dusk, Harari and Yahav headed back to Kyiv, in a black Mercedes. When Yahav sneezed, Harari said, “It’s the radiation starting.” As we drove through flat, forested countryside, Harari talked about his upbringing: his hatred of chess; his nationalist and religious periods. He said, “One thing I think about how humans work—the only thing that can replace one story is another story.”

We discussed the tall tales that occasionally appear in his writing. In “Homo Deus,” Harari writes that, in 2014, a Hong Kong venture-capital firm “broke new ground by appointing an algorithm named VITAL to its board.” A footnote provides a link to an online article, which makes clear that, in fact, there had been no such board appointment, and that the press release announcing it was a lure for “gullible” outlets. When I asked Harari if he’d accidentally led readers into believing a fiction, he appeared untroubled, arguing that the book’s larger point about A.I. encroachment still held.

In “Sapiens,” Harari writes in detail about a meeting in the desert between Apollo 11 astronauts and a Native American who dictated a message for them to take to the moon. The message, when later translated, was “They have come to steal your lands.” Harari’s text acknowledges that the story might be a “legend.”

“I don’t know if it’s a true story,” Harari told me. “It doesn’t matter—it’s a good story.” He rethought this. “It matters how you present it to the readers. I think I took care to make sure that at least intelligent readers will understand that it maybe didn’t happen.” (The story has been traced to a Johnny Carson monologue.)

Harari went on to say how much he’d liked writing an extended fictional passage, in “Homo Deus,” in which he imagines the belief system of a twelfth-century crusader. It begins, “Imagine a young English nobleman named John . . .” Harari had been encouraged in this experiment, he said, by the example of classical historians, who were comfortable fabricating dialogue, and by “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” by Douglas Adams, a book “packed with so much good philosophy.” No twentieth-century philosophical book besides “Sources of the Self,” by Charles Taylor, had influenced him more.

We were now on a cobbled street in Kyiv. Harari said, “Maybe the next book will be a novel.”

At a press conference in the city, Harari was asked a question by Hannah Hrabarska, a Ukrainian news photographer. “I can’t stop smiling,” she began. “I’ve watched all your lectures, watched everything about you.” I spoke to her later. She said that reading “Sapiens” had “completely changed” her life. Hrabarska was born the week of the Chernobyl disaster, in 1986. “When I was a child, I dreamed of being an artist,” she said. “But then politics captured me.” When the Orange Revolution began, in 2004, she was eighteen, and “so idealistic.” She studied law and went into journalism. In the winter of 2013-14, she photographed the Euromaidan protests, in Kyiv, where more than a hundred people were killed. “You always expect everything will change, will get better,” she said. “And it doesn’t.”

Hrabarska read “Sapiens” three or four years ago. She told me that she had previously read widely in history and philosophy, but none of that material had ever “interested me on my core level.” She found “Sapiens” overwhelming, particularly in its passages on prehistory, and in its larger revelation that she was “one of the billions and billions that lived, and didn’t make any impact and didn’t leave any trace.” Upon finishing the book, Hrabarska said, “you kind of relax, don’t feel this pressure anymore—it’s O.K. to be insignificant.” For her, the discovery of “Sapiens” is that “life is big, but only for me.” This knowledge “lets me own my life.”

Reading “Sapiens” had helped her become “more compassionate” toward people around her, although less invested in their opinions. Hrabarska had also spent more time on creative photography projects. She said, “This came from a feeling of ‘O.K., it doesn’t matter that much, I’m just a little human, no one cares.’ ”

Hrabarska has disengaged from politics. “I can choose to be involved, not to be involved,” she said. “No one cares, and I don’t care, too.” ♦

https://ift.tt/39BhLOy via The New Yorker February 13, 2020 at 09:42PM

[auburnfamilynews]

Auburn somehow finds itself in the midst of the biggest game of opening weekend.

I hate how far in advance you have to schedule college football games, and yet this is one of the instances in which I can actually remember when a game was scheduled as we approach kickoff. It was only four years ago that Auburn and Oregon announced the meeting in Arlington for the Kickoff Classic event, instead of the 10-15 year notice that we now get for other non-conference matchups.

When that game was scheduled, we were obviously ecstatic. Auburn was poised for a huge year (uh..) and Oregon was coming off of another national runner-up season and their first Heisman Trophy winner.

Things change, and Oregon’s not the same team as they were when we met in Glendale for the national title in January of 2011. Auburn’s different, but largely the same. We just don’t have Cam Newton, which sucks. The Ducks, however, have no longer ascribed to the speed game they did for over a decade, and they’re more of a pro-style team across the board. It feels weird, but we have plenty of information about Oregon courtesy of Adam Chimeo of Addicted to Quack.

Learn about the opening opponent below!

While we’re breaking in a new quarterback, the Ducks have one of the top potential picks in the 2020 NFL Draft in Justin Herbert. Which QB of the past does he compare to? What’s his biggest strength? What’s his biggest weakness?

That’s a good question. I actually would compare him to Oregon Legend Joey Harrington, though there are a couple huge differences between the QBs: Herbert is bigger and more athletic than Harrington, he also has a stronger and more accurate arm, but what he hasn’t yet developed is Joey “Captain Comeback” Harrington’s killer instinct.

Herbert has all the tools needed to become one of the season’s best quarterbacks, it’ll all come down to whether he can turn in clutch performances on the road (Oregon has won just 3 of their last 10 true road games) meaning he’ll need to develop a new go-to receiver as soon as possible.

One of the matchups that everyone started talking about as soon as last year ended was the Auburn defensive line against the Oregon offensive line. We may have the best front four in the land on our side, where does the Duck offensive front stand among the rest of the country?

The Ducks’ offensive line returns 153 starts, making them the most experienced O-line in the country. Not only do they return standout veterans like Shane Lemieux, Calvin Throckmorton and Jake Hanson (seniors entering their fourth year in starting roles), they also return sensational sophomore Penei Sewell. Even with all the talent and experience on this unit, Sewell proved to be the MVP after the Duck offense slumped during his midseason departure due to injury.

What should concern Duck fans is this squad’s lackluster production in the rushing department (54th nationally). If Cristobal wants to become a power-rushing offense then this team will need to produce more on the ground. I imagine the match-up between the lines will live up to the hype, the Duck faithful can only hope that the passing game is there to complete the one-two punch.

When we last met, it was hurry-up, no-huddle, speed, speed, speed on both sides. The narrative has shifted a good bit with Mario Cristobal running the show. What’s his basic philosophy on both sides of the ball? Do you think his time at Alabama will pay dividends going against Auburn?

On the offensive side of the ball Cristobal has elected to transform the Ducks into a downhill, power-running offense; a task that would seem dubious if not for his rapid success in recruiting. Even in the wreckage of Willie Taggart’s departure, Cristobal managed to land the 13th ranked class in 2018 and followed that up with the 7th ranked class in 2019, the highest in program history.

Outside of recruiting, which is really what is generating the excess hype for this Duck squad, Cristobal immediately re-established discipline both mentally and physically on the team after years of bad culture that was allowed to grow during the Mark Helfrich years.

Defense, on the other hand, is a much more complicated puzzle to solve, though the pieces individually look rather impressive. Two years after Oregon made a big splash with the hiring of Jim Leavitt as defensive coordinator, Cristobal established that this is his team by letting him go. Former Boise State DC Andy Avalos showed the Ducks just how lethally chaotic his defense can be by embarrassing them in the Vegas Bowl, Cristobal’s first game as our head coach. Expect some intriguing looks from what will most definitely be a multiple defense.

Despite a bit of a disappointing season in 2018, Auburn fans got to head into the offseason with some optimism based on the bowl blowout of Purdue. Oregon scraped by Michigan State and the offense didn’t do much. What were the initial thoughts on 2019 as we turned the page from last year?

I think I can speak for most Duck fans when I say that the Redbox Bowl, while incredibly painful to watch at the time, felt like a huge step in the right direction. A non-Rose-Bowl bowl win is nice and all, but the ultimate payoff is the extra practice time. Sure, we looked like hot garbage out there on offense for about 97% of the game, but in the end we broke our bowl losing streak and beat a team that had at least one elite side of the ball.

Also, we beat Washington and Oregon State. So good season.

5. Word from fall camp is that wide receiver is going to be a thin position due to some unfortunate injuries. How much will that affect what Oregon wants to do on offense in Arlington?

Pull up a chair and let me tell you about our injuries at receiver: Senior projected starter Brenden Schooler is out 6-8 weeks with a foot injury, standout freshman Mycah Pittman is out 6-8 weeks with a shoulder injury, and JR Waters is out due to foot surgery- all taking place in fall camp. This leaves us with a projected lineup of SR Juwan Johnson, JR Jaylon Redd and JR Johnny Johnson III; not an elite unit, but at least a good combination of experience and skill, though one more injury could be disastrous for this group.

Going into the offseason, the main goal was to find a replacement for Dillon Mitchell, by far Herbert’s favorite target and the program record holder for yards in a single-season (1,184).Progress seemed to be made with the emergence of Penn State grad transfer Juwan Johnson but it’s worth noting that one of his main flaws was drops, which is not what you want to hear coming from a unit that suffered through 52 of them last season.

Long story short, I don’t think the issues at receiver will necessarily change the strategy, however I do think it will diminish our ability to take advantage of the stacked box. Cristobal is likely to stick with what he knows is a strength, which could prove fatal if we aren’t able to establish the deep ball as a threat.

Which offensive skill players will play and have a big impact on August 31st?

Justin Herbert will be desperately searching for someone to catch the damn ball. Tight ends Jacob Breeland and Cam McCormick have been excellent in the pass game when healthy and Jaylon Redd was one of the few pass-catching bright spots outside of Dillon Mitchell last season. Duck fans will be praying that Juwan Johnson can provide a reliable outlet for Herbert.

CJ Verdell and Travis Dye will once again be the two-headed monster, the former providing the angry downhill style and the latter the straight speed. If these two can find consistent success on the ground, I think the Ducks possibly run away with this thing, though Auburn’s horrifying D-line makes that much easier said than done.

With Herbert and the offensive line taking much of the publicity, we haven’t heard as much about the Duck defense. What are they capable of doing and which names should we pay attention to?

I believe that this defense has the potential to cause a lot of chaos in a lot of backfields, thanks in large part to Andy Avalos and his brand spanking new system which is built on confusion and constant pressure. If things click quickly for this experienced front seven, Bo Nix could have a really rough debut.

Troy Dye is the cornerstone of this unit. He’s led the team in tackles for the last three seasons and is currently 121 tackles away from becoming Oregon’s all time leader in the category. Jordon Scott (AKA Fat Mac) has been an incredible nose tackle ever since his freshman year: Avalos will need to find a modified role for him now that the team will rely less on the 3-4, but Scott has the rare combination of size and speed to adjust.

The starters in the secondary will hopefully take a collective step forward with the leadership of junior cornerbacks Thomas Graham Jr. and Deommodore Lenoir. Jevon Holland is coming off of a stellar freshman campaign and will look to add to his five interceptions now that he’s locked down the starting safety position.

Then of course there’s Kayvon Thibodeaux, the nation’s no. 2 overall recruit of 2019, who will definitely see the field, most likely in the STUD position. If you really want to know a name that will seemingly pop out of nowhere, senior Bryson Young has been talked about a lot at STUD. A strong offseason and a change in scheme has put Young into the perfect position to really make a name for himself at the end of his Oregon career.

What’s Oregon’s ceiling this year? Are they a potential Playoff team? New Year’s Six? Conference champion? What are Oregon fans feeling in terms of a final record?

Games like the 2016 Alamo Bowl versus TCU and the Stanford meltdown of last season have turned this Duck fan into a very pessimistic person. Despite that blackhole in my heart, I am still pretty high on this Oregon team. Are they a playoff team? Most definitely not. A New Year’s Six contender? I suppose if absolutely everything goes perfectly, why not. That would require either a PAC-12 championship or a close loss to playoff bound Utah/USC.

The general consensus seems to be that 9-3 would be perfectly respectable, while 8-4 would be a bit of a letdown. The homer in me has them going 9-3.

What’s keeping the coaching staff awake at night right now?

A recurring nightmare where endless, consecutive receivers drop a perfectly timed pass from Herbert and then fall to the ground clutching their knees. Occasionally Derrick Brown makes an appearance in the especially nasty nightmares.

Prediction for this game?

Unfortunately, I don’t think hometown hero Herbert will be able to avenge our loss in the 2011 National Championship game (side note: Dyer was down!). I think both teams will be able to walk away from this game with their heads held high, but ultimately I don’t think Oregon will be able to exorcise their road demons this early in the season.

Auburn 27 - Oregon 21

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Kickoff Saturday night from Arlington. 6:30 pm CST... War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/8/28/20832682/opponent-q-a-the-oregon-ducks

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I wrote is under please read the written and thank you my greetings

INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAWM. VioletteINSEEC Msc International Business Management Class 2ASSIGNMENT CLASS 2 CASE STUDY1 / 15Instructions :The written memorandum must be submitted by January 19 at noon, onYou are employed by one of the two companies involved in the situation described below. Which company will be indicated to you.You will have to write a memorandum containing between 1.000 and 2.000 words explaining what you think the legal situation of the company is. You will be careful to present the case in the best light for your company, and with the strongest arguments you can find in favor of your company. It would also be a good idea to try to anticipate the arguments of the other company, and prepare your own arguments to refute them.There is one important rule to remember: NEVER INVENT NEW FACTS. Stick to what is described here. Ask for clarifications if needed.You should pay attention to the following: what are the legal issues? (i.e. points that can be discussed from a legal perspective) for each issue, what arguments can be presented in favor of your company? what are the strengths and the weaknesses of those arguments? determine which articles of the CISG best support the claim of your company? determine which articles of the CISG can be used to oppose the other party’s claim?To help you in your task, please take note of the following:1/ in order to simplify things and avoid getting lost in the Convention on International Contracts for the Sale of Goods, only consider the articles that are provided inside of this document (see page 6). Do not refer to other articles, even when they seem relevant.2/ in order to allow you to go further in the analysis of the articles of the CISG provided, you may use extra material that can be accessed online, and is linked to the articles of the CISG listed below (see page 6 below). It will only be useful to refer to the material you will find there when the legal situation is ambiguous, and, on the face of the text of the CISG, seems to be able to be argued both ways (both in favor of your company, or in favor of the other company). If and when you use what you read online, make sure to make clear references that I can check afterward, for example in a footnote, with a link to the document. 2 / 153/ you do not have to refer to any scholarly writing, but you may do so if you think that would be helpful.Try to be as organized as possible, break down the case in several different points that you will discuss one after the other.For each point, start by stating what the problem is, then refer to the law (text of the relevant legislation, for example the CISG, or reference to the Rome I Regulation, etc.), then discuss how the law applies to the facts, and conclude. Ability to present your arguments clearly will be taken into account in final grade.The pleadings are a summary of your written submission.The main difference is that you will have to stress the arguments in favor of your company, and you will have to be more more concise since you will not have a lot of time to speak.Each student in the team must take part in the pleadings.Each team will have 8 minutes to plead ( 2 minutes rebuttal). Defendant will start for 8 minutes, then Claimant will be allowed to speak for 8 minutes. After that, Defendant may speak again for 2 minutes for a quick answer to the arguments of Claimant, and Claimant may speak again 2 minutes to answer to that.The pleadings should have this structure:Grade will be determined as follows: written submission: 50% oral pleadings: 50%3 / 151/ The facts of the case Dubon S.A. is a major building company that is based in Boulogne-Billancourt (France). It specializes in building shopping malls and big commercial outlets, and has been a very successful business (€180,000,000 turnover in 2018). One of its latest projects involves building a supermarket near Lyon. Dubon’s client insists that the new supermarket meet very high energy saving standards, and, for that reason, Dubon has had to design the place in a whole new manner, using modern materials and techniques to reduce energy spending while maintaining building costs acceptably low.For that reason, Dubon has elected to install geothermal hybrid heat pumps (GHHP) for the cooling (in summer) and heating (in winter) of the building. The cost of the installation is higher than that of a standard system, but in the long run it should provide savings because of its high efficiency, and it is also “greener” than a standard installation for the same reasons. The client therefore agrees to Dubon’s plans to use GHHP in the building. There is plenty of time to manufacture and install the heat pumps since the building only has to be completed in July of 2020. As long as the heat pumps can be incorporated into the building no later than March 2019, the project will be delivered in time.This technology is not very much developed in France yet, so that Dubon SA contacts an American firm, HeatSink Inc., to procure the GHHPs that are needed to complete the works. HeatSink is a small American company based in Seattle, Washington (US), that has been designing and constructing high quality, very efficient heat pumps for the American market for more than 20 years, and has some cutting-edge technology.Ms Mercadier, who is the Project Supervisor for the construction of the supermarket at Dubon S.A., gets in touch with Mr Hockett, who is the World Sales Representative for HeatSink in the US. HeatSink does not have representatives in Europe, and most contacts with European clients happen by way of email, except for the initial contact, which is a phone conversation.Ms Mercadier inquires about the existence of a model of pumps that would satisfy the needs of Dubon’s client, and the conversation gives her satisfaction. She then enters into an exchange of emails with Mr Hockett to discuss the contract of sale between the two companies (Exhibits 1 to 4 below).After the emails were exchanged, HeatSink Inc. prepared the order of 10 heat pumps for shipping. They were packaged, and a freight forwarder took them in charge on November 3rd 2018 (The shipment was not made under an INCOTERM.). At the same time, Dubon SA ordered its bank to pay the two instalments, which was received by HeatSink’s bank. The pumps are delivered on4 / 15November 30th, when the agreed delivery date was December 1st.However, upon delivery, Mr Büchner, the lead engineer of Dubon SA on site, realizes thatthe electrical specifications indicated in the contract are not met by the pumps: the employees of HeatSink Inc. forgot that the power supplies of the machines should be adapted to French power specifications. This technical requirement was made clear in the contract (see Exhibit 4).For Dubon SA, the cost of having a French company replace all relevant electrical components and power supply would amount to US$9,000. They require HeatSink Inc. to pay them that amount of money. (see Exhibit 5)HeatSink Inc. are sure they can fix the machines more easily, and at a lesser cost. Their engineers estimate that it would cost them between $4,000 and $6,000 to do the repair themselves, on site, in France, all included. Therefore, HeatSink Inc. offer to remedy the defect of the heat pumps themselves. Dubon SA answer they insist on receiving $9,000 (see Exhibits 6 to 9).HeatSink Inc. consider that, given more time, they could perform the contract satisfactorily, and that their offer to cure is reasonable. They reject any claim that they would have to pay $9,000 damages.Dubon SA need the pumps, and, therefore, they do not want to avoid the contract. They would like to claim damages instead, in the amount of US$9,000 for replacing the power supply.HeatSink Inc. introduces an action in court in France. The French court agrees that the proceedings will be in English. HeatSink Inc. consider that the contract is governed by the law of the State of Washington. They ask for the application of the CISG. They want to be given an occasion to cure under article 48.Dubon SA considers that the contract is governed by French law. They reject application of the CISG. They refuse to let HeatSink Inc. cure their bad performance, and they want to be paid $9,000 in damages.Questions to be discussed before the court:Dubon SA obtain the $9,000 they are claiming?5 / 152/ Relevant articles of the CISG (do not use any other CISG article than those listed here)Article 1(1) This Convention applies to contracts of sale of goods between parties whose places of business are in different States:(a) when the States are Contracting States; or(b) when the rules of private international law lead to the application of the law of a Contracting State. […]Article 14(1) A proposal for concluding a contract addressed to one or more specific persons constitutes an offer if it is sufficiently definite and indicates the intention of the offeror to be bound in case of acceptance. A proposal is sufficiently definite if it indicates the goods and expressly or implicitly fixes or makes provision for determining the quantity and the price. […]Article 18(1) A statement made by or other conduct of the offeree indicating assent to an offer is an acceptance. Silence or inactivity does not in itself amount to acceptance.(2) An acceptance of an offer becomes effective at the moment the indication of assent reaches the offeror. […]Article 23A contract is concluded at the moment when an acceptance of an offer becomes effective in accordance with the provisions of this Convention. […]Article 35(1) The seller must deliver goods which are of the quantity, quality and description required by the contract andwhicharecontainedorpackagedinthemannerrequiredbythecontract. […]Article 48 (see: http://www.cisg.law.pace.edu/cisg/biblio/ziegel6.html)(1) Subject to article 49, the seller may, even after the date for delivery, remedy at his own expense any failure to perform his obligations, if he can do so without unreasonable delay and without causing the buyer unreasonable inconvenience or uncertainty of reimbursement by the seller of expenses advanced by the buyer. However, the buyer retains any right to claim damages as provided for in this Convention. […]Article 74 (see: http://www.cisg.law.pace.edu/cisg/biblio/knapp-bb74.html)Damages for breach of contract by one party consist of a sum equal to the loss, including loss of profit, suffered by the other party as a consequence of the breach. Such damages may not exceed the loss which the party in breach foresaw or ought to have foreseen at the time of the conclusion of the contract, in the light of the facts and matters of which he then knew or ought to have known, as a possible consequence of the breach of contract. 6 / 15Exhibit n°1: Email from Ms Mercadier to Mr HockettDate: September, 18th 2018, 11:31From: maude.mercadier@dubon.com To: samuelhockett@heatsink.com Subject: GHHPs for French developmentDear Mr Hockett,I am pleased to accept your quoted price for 10 HS R-230 and their command centre for US$250,000. This is a generous offer you are making, and we would be glad to do more business with your company in the future.We would like to pay the price in 2 instalments, as follows: * 150.000$ on the 1st of October* 100.000$ on the 1st of NovemberGiven our schedule, delivery would have to take place by December 1st 2018. Please tell me if that is OK with you.Sincerely,Maude Mercadier7 / 15Exhibit n°2: Email from Mr Hockett to Ms MercadierDate: September, 18th 2018, 12:01From: samuelhockett@heatsink.comTo: maude.mercadier@dubon.comSubject: Re: GHHPs for French developmentDear Ms Mercadier,I hereby confirm that we would be able to ship the units as soon as the beginning of October. They should be delivered to you before the deadline you indicate.Payment in two instalments following your proposition is not a problem. I will put you in touch with Accounting for the details.I am glad to see that we have a perfect agreement.A copy of the contract is attached. Can you please have it signed by your company’s representatives and send it back to me?Sincerely, S. Hockett8 / 15Exhibit n°3: Email from Ms Mercadier to Mr HockettDate: September, 20th 2018, 14:39From: maude.mercadier@dubon.comTo: samuelhockett@heatsink.comCc: service_juridique@dubon.com; compta@dubon.com Subject: GHHPs for French developmentDear Mr Hockett,I am pleased to attach a copy of the signed contract in this email. A paper copy will be delivered to you by postal mail within a few days.We are looking forward to receiving the heat pumps.Sincerely,Maude Mercadier[attachment: Dubon_HeatSink_Contract.pdf]9 / 15Exhibit n°4: Extracts from the contract[Dubon_HeatSink_Contract.pdf]Contract of sale between Dubon S.A. and HeatSink Inc. Article 1 This Contract of sale is made between HeatSink Inc. (hereafter: the Seller) and Dubon SA (hereafter: the Buyer)…Article 19[…] The Seller guarantees that the Machines by him manufactured and delivered, as per this Contract, will conform to French regulations, including but not limited to security standards, electrical standards, and regulations made for the protection of the environment. […]Article 23In case of a dispute relating to any aspect of this contract, its validity, it shall be finally settled by the courts of the French Republic, in Paris (France). 10 / 15Sincerely,Exhibit n°5: Email from Ms Mercadier to Mr HockettDate: November, 1st 2018, 10:09From: maude.mercadier@dubon.comTo: samuelhockett@heatsink.comSubject: Re: Re: GHHPs for French developmentDear Mr Hockett,I am very pleased to say that we seem to have received the shipment.However, our engineers have determined that the GHHPs received do not confomr to contractual specs.We have determined that the heat pumps you have delivered do not conform to French power supply standards. As they are, they cannot be connected to the power grid, and are therefore useless to us.Our engineers have determined that a small modification of the machines will be necessary to be able to operate them in France. There is a French company that we have worked with in the past and that we trust can do the modification. Their price for this operation is $9,000. We are hereby requesting that you pay this price in damages to us, so that we can contract with them.Maude Mercadier11 / 15Exhibit n°6: Email from Mr Hockett to Ms MercadierDate: November, 4th 2018, 10:21From: samuelhockett@heatsink.comTo: maude.mercadier@dubon.comSubject: Re: GHHPs for French developmentDear Ms Mercadier,I am very sorry this specification problem occurred. This part of the order was fulfilled by an employee who was but recently hired, and was improperly supervised.We deeply apologize for this inconvenience. This accident does not reflect the high quality standards HeatSink sets in manufacturing its products.We would like to offer a different solution from the one you suggested in your email of Nov. 1st. We have built those machines, and we are best equipped to modify them.We will fly the parts and two of our technicians to France immediately, to work on those modifications you mentioned.The technicians could arrive on site on November 6th, in two days. It would take them 3no more than 2 days to replace all the parts that need to be replaced.We will take care of all the expenses. You will need to pay nothing. I hope this solution will meet your approval.Sincerely, S. Hockett12 / 15Exhibit n°7: Email from Ms Mercadier to Mr HockettDate: November, 5th 2018, 10:09From: maude.mercadier@dubon.comTo: samuelhockett@heatsink.comSubject: Re: Re: GHHPs for French developmentDear Mr Hockett,I am very sorry to have to reject your offer.We need the replacement to be done quickly. We trust the French company we want to hire will do the job in less time.Please order your bank to transfer the $9,000 needed to repair the mistake made by your employee.I trust that you understand this is the best solution, from a business perspective. Sincerely,Maude Mercadier13 / 15Exhibit n°8: Email from Mr Hockett to Ms MercadierDate: November, 6th 2018, 11:02From: samuelhockett@heatsink.comTo: maude.mercadier@dubon.comSubject: Re: GHHPs for French developmentDear Ms Mercadier,I insist our solution is the best. It is far less expensive for us to make the repair ourselves, than to pay your company $9,000.Our technicians on site will make sure everything is in order before leaving. This way you have a guarantee the machines will give you complete satisfaction.Sincerely, S. Hockett14 / 15Exhibit n°9: Email from Ms Mercadier to Mr HockettDate: November, 8th 2018, 15:03From: maude.mercadier@dubon.comTo: samuelhockett@heatsink.comSubject: Re: Re: GHHPs for French developmentDear Sir,Thank you again for your offer. Again, I must refuse, and insist you give us the $9,000 we need. As long as the payment is not made we cannot hire the repair company and make the needed modifications.If you delay much longer we will have to ask for damages to compensate the fact that the works have been delayed because of your failing to deliver properly functioning heat pumps. If we cannot meet our deadline with our client, we will have you pay any penalties we are required to pay ourselves.Yours sincerely, Maude Mercadier15 / 15

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In short, the charger has changed my daily carry. The small size and weight make it easy enough to include in my cable pouch. I’ve also been able to trim some cables because of it. Now, I just need a USB-C to Lightning cable, my MacBook USB-C charger, and its USB-C to USB-C cable to power every Apple device I take with me, including AirPods.If you’d prefer something a tiny bit lighter and smaller, check out the 10k version. It will also save you $10. But, overall, I think the 5-Day Fast Portable Charger hits a very sweet spot as the far as ports, compact size, and cost are concerned. (If you really are interested in regularly charging a laptop with USB-C, you should look at the 20k version) Oh, and as an added bonus: Nimble’s portable chargers are made with recyclable aluminum and plant-based bioplastics. The packaging is intentional as well with recycled paper and no harmful inks, plastics, or dyes. To top it off, an envelope is included to ship other electronics back to them free, for responsible recycling.A big promise of USB-C was more device compatibility, including laptops, and now with Nimble’s 13k and the others in the line of portable chargers, I think we’re reaching that promise. At the very least, it will help keep you connected to the things that matter when no outlet is near.

It's not like there aren't cool VR experiences. One of the most popular right now is Beat Saber, a $20 rhythm game in which you slice through bricks to the beat of a song. It's become the top-selling VR game on the popular Valve Steam Store, and people who've filmed themselves playing have garnered millions of views on YouTube.But even with those successes, the money that might help fund developers, game studios and others working on those killer apps seems to be drying up.Venture funding for consumer VR software companies may drop by more than half this year, to $265 million from $576 million a year ago, SuperData says. It's even a third lower than funding levels in 2015, just after Facebook's Oculus acquisition.

VCs aren't the only ones cooling on VR. Industry executives and developers tell me that alternative sources are drying up, too. They say Hollywood marketing teams, which had tapped companies to build VR apps to hype hit movies such as 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and TV shows including Game of Thrones, are paying less and appear to be more cautiously approaching projects.Even early VR boosters are tapping the brakes. Samsung, which was one of the first to market with its Gear VR mobile headset, didn't say anything about VR in its major headset announcements this year.That's sure to be on the minds of the more than 2,500 developers heading to San Jose for Facebook's fifth annual Oculus Connect developer conference, starting Wednesday. There, they'll brainstorm in talks like "the next generation of storytelling," "video that doesn't suck" and, tellingly, "building brand + community (on a budget)."

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"There has been a cool-down in general in terms of investment," said Tipatat Chennavasin, a general partner at the Venture Reality Fund. Companies are still getting funded, he notes, and new initiatives like VR arcades, where people can go to a mall or a warehouse and play VR games in a large room, are gaining traction.The wait for VR's eventual uptick has already been too long for Nicolás Alcalá, a film producer in LA who founded a well-regarded VR studio Future Lighthouse in 2015. At the beginning of this year, he had to shut down because he couldn't raise enough money to keep going.People need a reason to try VR and they don't have it yet, he said. "The industry is hoping people will embrace this new technology that isn't yet so useful, but it's cool."

The killer app isn't some mythical thing in tech. It's a proven, reliable way to get you and me to buy.Nintendo's Wii video game console took off in large part because of Wii Sports, a tennis, golf and bowling game that sold nearly 83 million copies after its 2006 debut, making it one of the most successful games ever. The Wii went on to sell more than 101 million units, becoming one of the best-selling consoles of all time. It was replaced by the less popular Wii U in 2012.Not so much with VR. After decades of development, billions of dollars of investment and so much hype Steven Spielberg made a movie about it earlier this year, there isn't anything that truly resonates beyond VR's current fan base.Industry executives say they still have hope, in particular because many of VR's nagging technological problems are being solved.One of the biggest complaints is that high-end headsets such as Facebook's Oculus Rift, HTC's $499 Vive and Sony's $299 PlayStation VR need a powerful computer or video game console to power them, adding hundreds of dollars of cost.

Oculus' upcoming "Santa Cruz" headset, which doesn't yet have a release date or price, won't need a computer to offer a high-end experience. That means it also gets rid of the annoying wire that connects headsets to computers."So many pain points are disappearing in VR, and it's being ignored at the worst possible time," said Denny Unger, creative director of Cloudhead Games, which makes the well-reviewed episodic VR puzzle solving series The Gallery.Those hundreds of millions of dollars dropping out of VR investment aren't disappearing. They're shifting to companies working on augmented reality (AR) or mixed reality (MR), where computer information is laid on top of the real world. Think Pokemon Go, which dropped cartoon monsters around your neighborhood that you saw through your phone.It's not just in our smartphones. There are mixed-reality headsets like Microsoft's HoloLens, Magic Leap and even Apple's secret research project reportedly aimed at creating a headset in 2020 with better specs and capabilities than anything on the market today.

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Unlike VR, whose use beyond video games is still unrefined, mixed reality has already impressed Ed Moore, senior technology strategist for oil giant Chevron. After testing all sorts of tech, he's bought hundreds of Microsoft HoloLens devices and is offering them to people who work on oil rigs and gas refineries this month.The killer app for Moore was a feature called remote assist, through which an expert can connect with employees anywhere in the world over video. While talking, the expert can draw circles, arrows and diagrams around a pipe, engine or whatever else the employee is looking at.It can take days to fly experts to a remote location where they're needed, Moore says, and that doesn't include the costs and risks associated with globe trotting. With HoloLens, they can have "an expert in the field" immediately.

The thing is, you and I aren't the target audience, at least not yet. HoloLens costs as much as $5,000 apiece, and it's intended for companies, though Microsoft has shown people using it to play things like the world-building game Minecraft as well. The $2,295 Magic Leap One is only meant for app creators and creatives for the next year or more, company co-founder Rony Abovitz said in August, as part of its strategy to get more apps in the market before he releases a lower-priced consumer version.Even so, money is already flowing into the technology. Investment in companies working on MR is expected to jump by nearly 50 percent this year to $427.1 million, according to SuperData. Next year, it'll jump again to $644.6 million.Sales of MR headsets are expected to explode to "tens of millions" of units by 2022, said Tim Merel, managing director of market watcher Digi-Capital. Part of the reason, he added, is that much of VR has been focused on gaming, while MR is already branching into the business world."Companies are seeing a return on investment right away," said Lorraine Bardeen, the general manager for MR efforts at Microsoft. "There are scenarios where VR is important, but the reason investment has been magnetically drawn to these use cases is they're proving themselves."

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Ssassin's Creed: Rogue had the prospective to become one of one of the most appealing games in the series because Assassin's Creed 2, which I will contend is actually the greatest in the set alongside the original Assassin's Creed. Therefore to begin with I was fascinated by The Good Terrorist because this took a domestic situation I had known, and drove that to an extreme. If your lorry undergoes a large or even complex auto dent, this would most likely be greatest that you have this right into an automotive body outlet to have this mended appropriately through experts. Inning accordance with an updated web page on the generally dry out California Team of Motor Vehicles (DMV) site, the agency has issued an Autonomous Automobile Screening Authorization to Apple, permitting that to conduct self-driving cars and truck tests in the condition. An alert system to tell you to pause during a lengthy ride happens as common, as performs a security management system that aids you regulate the cars and truck if it skids. That does not indicate suppliers have actually been actually cheating per se, yet that they have actually been creating vehicles which do properly in the excessive lenient exam scenario, which those readings possess little bearing on what the cars generate out while driving, in typical use. Google.com, Uber, Lyft, Ford as well as Volvo, all which are servicing self-driving auto technology, will definitely push as the Self-Driving Union for Safer Streets to bring autonomous automobiles to the road across the US. However they cannot consistently tell when this is actually unclear or even raining, which indicates you still need to deal with which illuminations your automobile is showing. Generally, organic food is abundant folks spending their additional cash to really feel excellent. 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Something that is actually held the Grandmother Turismo set back has regularly been actually a noticeable need from Polyphony to only exhibit these cars simply at their very best. In a resting berth, in the 3rd cars and truck off the end of the train, are two youngsters, eleven- year-old twins, that have merely flee off the circus. If his firm wasn't transporting self-driving vehicles through 2020, General Motors head of state Dan Ammann in 2014 stated he will be actually surprised. Blend that along with the brand new Uconnect unit that ideally obtains Android Car and also Apple CarPlay support, and the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is my virtually best family members car. Sometimes ladies are so excellent to their men that they cannot consider themselves. Mazda's ACC was unsatisfying and almost as premium as the company desires the automobile to seem. Many parking lot drivers have a squadron of buses that journey in between the parking lot and also the airport terminal constantly, so you simply head to your recommended bus stop when you show up back in the nation, and await the following bus. Little automobiles are very popular today due to the fact that they are energy effective however they likewise possess the same high-ends that a bigger car will possess. Automobiles will steer closer per various other, allowing the 80 to 90 per-cent from unfilled roadway area to become utilized. In The Good Terrorist she presents our company the aspect where the heaped-up dissatisfactions as well as chances as well as disputes of individual lifestyles merge into wilfully murderous public action. That drives home just how the American automobile field little by little however absolutely trashed itself - a lot of the concerns they experienced are key defects that impact every huge range mature company. There is also the closed vehicle transport alternative that you may choose if you have a unusual or classic auto to obtain to a brand-new area. If you are actually not having trouble along with the current payment, then that is additionally a good idea to relate to expand the timeframe of your deal so that you must pay much less per month. There is actually an incorporated chat app too, with support for typical requirements like Jabber as well as Google Chat, and also that is actually a really good choice to big-time apps like Overview. As I was still trying to find the car type my backpack, Linda showed up from no place and leaned against the auto door. However, as a matter of fact, this vehicle is actually such a crowd-pleaser that the traffic parts before you. As a result of the existing business development they demand professional Auto Electricians to sign up with your business. After the wildly prosperous crowdfunding project of its own ancestor, the initial thing that attacked me concerning Job Cars and trucks 2 is it quickly experiences big-budget, thanks in sizable component to its own simply awesome graphics. When Hyundai revealed Feature Sound and also demonstrated development containers at CES, there was a concentrate on Android Auto as well as CarPlay connection. Additionally our team possess a list from every track as well as automobile in the activity along with suggestions as well as techniques on just how you can easily open prizes and also accomplishments.. Once your plannings are specified, nonetheless, that is typically achievable to conserve a bit more through paying for the vehicle hire beforehand. So the following opportunity your resting with a vehicle salesman as well as they're clarifying the benefits from extra security deposit, this is actually probably only profiting them as well as the dealer. Just what is actually comical is that Venture Cars utilizes the 7th center on the Xbox One as well as the Xbox One variation is actually still even worse.