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daggerzine · 4 years

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R.E. Seraphin molds tiny shapes into big songs.

Though he’s been on the scene for a while now (with different bands) I hadn’t heard the music of Bay Area musician R.E. “Ray” Seraphin until this year via a cassette called Tiny Shapes via Paisley Shirt Records (more on the label below). His first real band was Talkies, which he discusses below (and I have enjoyed), but he seems to have really come into his own this year with that cassette and a new EP, A Room Forever, which came out just a month or so ago. In his music you’ll hear influences of 80’s jangle pop as well as some deeper post-punk stuff (and for more current stuff I hear whispers of Dean Wareham and his bands and Wild Nothing). Reading below he seems very well grounded and seems to have a great attitude about everything (even not being able to play shows during a pandemic or being in a writing slump). I think once this is all over this guy will go on 5-year tour and gain lots and lots of new fans. In the meantime do check out his stuff, you won’t be disappointed.

Where did you grow up?

Berkeley, CA. The area I grew up in was filled with Victorian homes and dilapidated industrial warehouses. My family home was walking distance from a lagoon and an old, rusty set of train tracks. I felt I lived in an unremarkable college town. There wasn't much activity outside of the school. I discovered Berkeley’s storied political and musical history much later in life. Now, of course, there are many books written about Berkeley, but I thought it was a kinda nondescript city as a kid.

Do you remember what band made you fall in love with music?

Dating myself hard here, but I remember being floored by The White Stripes’ “Fell in Love With a Girl” video when I was 11. The Top 40 music making the rounds on VH1 and MTV at the time was beyond dreck — a lot of Train, Staind, Matchbox 20. The White Stripes were the first band I was exposed to that made succinct, catchy, no-frills music. I was genuinely enthralled. Plus, the Lego animation in that video still holds up.

Was guitar your first instrument?

I started on bass. My first instrument was an extremely cheap, pointy BC Rich knockoff monstrosity. I believe I was 13. I had no idea how to play and little interest in learning. For the first year, I putzed around with a Pro Co RAT, a wah pedal, and a tinny-sounding Crate practice amp. I just tried (and succeeded in) being as obnoxious as possible. When I started writing songs, I eventually graduated from playing bass poorly to playing guitar poorly.

Tell us about your first band.

My first band that played shows was called The Phil Spector Shotgun Experience. That was primarily a cover band I put together with my high school buddies and my mom. We covered Radio Birdman, the Pink Fairies, and the MC5; we also had an unwittingly hilarious original called “Nitroglycerin Man” — the first song I ever wrote (maybe I was subconsciously inspired by Wages of Fear). At some point, we kicked my mom out of the band and started playing as the Impediments. That band kicked ass — we made pridefully dumb American punk music. That was also my only band to sign a record contract, so it’s quite possibly been downhill from there!

Tell us about The Talkies (unless that was your first band mentioned above).

Talkies (no article!) was a group I started in 2014 as a vehicle for my songs. My previous bands had been more of a shared vision, so Talkies was my first foray into being the lone genius of a group. The sound was mostly drawn from what is disparagingly known as power pop. Basically, I was heavily into the band Shoes for a few years.

We released a few albums and EPs. Did a couple short tours. During that time, the project was dragged from the Bay Area to Austin and back before I finally, mercifully pulled the plug last year. It was time.

When did you transition from Talkies to the solo stuff you’re doing now? Did it feel comfortable?

Talkies had run its course, but I had a smattering of songs leftover from that project that I wanted to record. Around that time, I learned my good friend Jasper Leach (Burner Herzog) was getting ready to skip town. I had always wanted to work with him and, seizing my final opportunity to do so, we banged out my début, Tiny Shapes, last summer. The whole experience was fairly serendipitous. The stars aligned for that one.

I wouldn't say the process was comfortable. Recording the album felt necessary, urgent — almost compulsory at times. My heart was ready for a new project and I truly wanted to center myself for the first time. I’m glad I did. This is the happiest I’ve been musically in some time.

“I think therefore I am”

I love the songs on A Room Forever. How did they come together?

So glad to hear that! I got asked to contribute to a compilation back in April. With the deadline approaching and inspiration still eluding me, I took a glance at my bookshelf, noticed a particular Carson McCullers title, and whipped up “Clock Without Hands.” After my trusty collaborator Owen Adair Kelley added his parts, I felt we had stumbled upon a great sound. I tried to harness the creative spirit and pushed myself to finish a few ideas buried deep in the recesses of my Voice Memo app. I got friends Matt Bullimore (The Mantles) and Yea-Ming Chen (Yea-Ming & The Rumors) involved, and that was that. No great origin story — just pure American ingenuity and elbow grease.

Tell us about Paisley Shirt Records. Who runs it and how did you hook up with them?

Paisley Shirt Records is simply the man, the myth, the legend — Kevin Linn. He is a San Francisco-based musician and artist who records as Sad-Eyed Beatniks.

I met him when I was looking for someone to release my album, Tiny Shapes. He had just put out a tape by Hits — a great local band featuring some friends of mine — and I felt a kinship with his roster. So, I reached out to him. Foolishly, he agreed to put out my album and we’ve been inseparable ever since. Solid dude. High marks.

Have you done any solo tours? If so where and how did they go?

Ha! No. I had only notched two shows as R.E. Seraphin before the pandemic hit. Likely not doing anything beyond the odd live-stream show for a while. That said, if any tastemaking European touring agencies are reading this — give me a ring!

The latest EP

What are your top 10 desert island discs?

Ah, jeez. This question. I’ll just say these are 10 (plus one) that I come back to quite often. In no order:

Marquee Moon by Television

The Everly Brothers’ Best

Forever Changes by Love

Let it Be by The Replacements

Third/Sister Lovers by Big Star

The First Songs by Laura Nyro

16 Lovers Lane by The Go-Betweens

In a Silent Way by Miles Davis

A Different Kind of Tension by Buzzcocks

Something Else by The Kinks

Old No. 1 by Guy Clark

What are a few Bay Area bands that we should know about.

This is a golden-era for weirdo pop music in the Bay. To name just a few: Galore, Cindy, The Umbrellas, Tony Jay, Flowertown, Healing Potpourri, Latitude, Cocktails, The Reds, Pinks, & Purples, Yea-Ming & The Rumors, Anna Hillburg, the 1981, Toner, Frank Ene, Neutrals, Owen Adair Kelley, April Magazine, Telephone Numbers, Hits, Sad-Eyed Beatniks. Essentially every act associated with Paisley Shirt Records and/or Mt.St.Mtn. My bias is strong.

Do you feel that the pandemic has helped your songwriting or hindered it (if either)?

A li’l column A, a li’l column B. I’m a natural procrastinator, so I’ve definitely savored the lack of band practice and shows (things that often necessitate new material). That said, I doubt I would have finished A Room Forever had I not been quarantined at home. Without having many obligations and without being able to leave my house, music definitely became my raison d’être for the first time as an adult. I was fortunate to not be deemed an “essential” worker and to be able to focus energy on my passion momentarily. Silver lining.

What’s next ? A new record by the end of the year possibly?

Hopefully continuing to promote my music and play shows on the ol’ webiverse. A Room Forever will be receiving a small vinyl and tape pressing at the end of September via Mt.St.Mtn. and Paisley Shirt Records. So, looking forward to that.

I was creatively tapped for a few months after A Room Forever. While a new album is possible, it’s not probable. I am plugging away at a few tunes, but I tend to conceptualize albums as a thematic whole and not as a collection of songs. Haven't stumbled onto my next Big Idea yet. Don't count me out, though. I could see myself dashing off a covers album for sure.

What is one song you wish you’d written?

Too many to name! I’ll reframe that question to mean a great song I could see myself capable of writing in an alternate time, place, or dimension. Maybe one of Peter Holsapple’s songs from The dB’s — “Black & White” or “Neverland.” Also: anything by Wreckless Eric or Martin Newell.

Final thoughts? Closing comments?

Just finished reading an interview with the great James Purdy, and thought this quote summed up iur current political climate well:

“You go out into the world and no one knows you, you can be ruled because you’re programmed. Everything is stamped, put on the shelf, described, thrown out into the garbage. It’s a political process, and behind that an economic process. But to be nothing, that is the worst of all possible things.”

www.reseraphin.com

www.paisleyshirtrecords.bandcamp.com

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sadisticbloodlxst · 4 years

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@mxnsterpark said:

"Are the two of you having a good day? I havent seen you lurking around outside lately.". (From Ming to Kanato 👀)

At first, the pureblood was happy, if slightly shocked, that someone had bothered to pay him any attention, without him needing to cause a ruckus first. That feeling was nice, for a few seconds. However, soon enough, his smile turned into a frown when he realized the other’s words. She was speaking to him, clearly, but she apparently didn’t get the memo that only he could speak to his ‘best friend’ like that. How rude.

“Don’t speak to Teddy in that annoying voice of yours, you don’t know him like I do.”

#;kanato #mxnsterpark #(here have a brat)#(he's not very nice but he's all I have to offer)

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drink-n-watch · 4 years

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Genre : Mystery, Adventure, Romance, Drama

Episodes: 12

Studio: J.C. Staff

Making friends can be a bit of a challenge. Even the most outgoing and willing person can get saddled with the wrong crowd when moving to a new place, if they aren’t careful. And the thing about Narumi is that he has a lot of difficulty turning down friendships. That’s probably why he got strong armed by Ayaka into joining the Gardening club, and then suddenly became an honorary member of a NEET gang and assistant to the illustrious NEET detective and also blood brother to not one but two fairly dangerous criminals, and he isn’t getting paid for working part time at the ramen shop, is he? And he’s trying to break up an insidious drug ring in his free time. Maybe Narumi should learn how to say no, but where’s the adventure in that?

I first heard someone mention Heaven’s Memo Pad in passing when discussing chuuni characters (although now that I have seen it, I really wouldn’t consider Yuuko chuuni at all) and it sort of stuck with me because of how odd the title is. It really doesn’t give away anything, does it? And there’s just something dissonant about pairing a grand notion like Heaven with something as plain and innocuous as a memo pad. What I’m saying is that I went in knowing nothing about the series except the title and that it potentially had a chuuni character, which I don’t think it did…

I know it starts off a bit rough but don’t worry, it gets better

Heaven’s memo pad is pretty enough to look at. Nothing special about the character designs but they are nice and a lot of them seemed to have been conceived with certain demographic, let’s call them preferences in mind. Basically archetypes of what is supposed of be attractive. Unfortunately the colour palette is rather dull and utterly unimaginative and the art is inconsistent. Those attractive character designs do suffer quite a bit in certain angles or if there’s too much movement going on.

And the movement itself can get a little jerky. There are shows where this isn’t much of an issue but in an action heavy feature, such as Heaven’s Memo Pad, where the narrative itself relies on the animation, it’s a bit more glaring.

The acting can border on over acting at times but I don’t think it’s the voice actors fault. Hear me out. The characters are often given very minimal motivation for what are some pretty drastic actions, so I think the actors were trying to cover that up by stating those motivations with as much passion as possible. The results are debatable.

but you drank an extra cup!

When watching Heaven’s Memo Pad, one thought kept creeping in, this is like a poor man’s Gosick. The character archetypes are the same, the design elements are similar, the settings are completely different but the premise is almost identical. Sure Yuuko doesn’t have a sorted family history like Victorique but then again, maybe she does. We never find out much about it.

And when I say “poor man’s” it’s not only that there is less subtlety and depth to the writing, that the characters really aren’t as developed and the plots aren’t as thought out (which is a shame because some of those cases are actually very interesting and would have made for some very good procedural) but there’s also an unmistakable feel of a production running up against it’s budget. Stories are rushed and narrative steps are skipped, just as corners are cut in the animation.

Man, I just said a lot of negative things, didn’t I. I rarely do negative reviews…

I’m sorry

OK, so I stand by everything I said and I believe it’s a fair representation of this anime. But I didn’t dislike it. Some episode were kinda boring but by the midway point I got into it and was pleasantly, if a little mindlessly, watching along and enjoying myself. The narrative is essentially a procedural with each individual case lasting 2 or 3 episodes and the focus is on the action rather than the deduction. There are a few filler episode, one about a bra thief and another about a baseball game. Both are fun.

So what am I suppose to say. In many ways Heaven’s Memo Pad isn’t a very good anime. It’s outrageously bad or anything, it’s just that you can easily find similar done better in most regards. But at the same time, it has entertaining moments, superficial but not bad characters and pretty designs.

I would say if you are liking the screencaps and generally enjoy procedural type shows, give it a watch.

Trigger and Spoiler warning here: suicide comes up a few times and there is a depiction of attempted suicide in the main cast in later episodes. Although it’s not glorified in any way, I think it could be uncomfortable to watch for some viewers.

nah, you’re just the best!

Favourite character: Ming

What this anime taught me: You can just wrap your chest and do sports. Somehow I doubt it.

“If I had to live my life over, I’d live over a saloon.”

Suggested drink: Cryptic Memo

Every time someone is an infidel – take a sp

Every time we see the Hirasaka butterfly – take a sip

Every time Alice goes out – whoa! – take a sip

Every time there’s a teddy bear – hug a billow

Every time Alice tears up – hug harder

Every time Alice giggles – take a sip

Every time something gets “hacked” – take a sip

Every time there’s leek ramen without ramen – get a snack

Every time we hear the word “NEET” – take a breath

Every time Ming gets annoyed – take a sip

Every time Alice is being dramatic – roll your eyes

Every time Narum takes part in a brotherhood ritual – join them

Every time we see Dokupe – switch to soft drinks

Ok, my pic choice this time really doesn’t give yo much of n idea of the visuals. Here are some with more variety

Heaven’s Memo Pad is a Weird Title Genre : Mystery, Adventure, Romance, Drama Episodes: 12 Studio: J.C. Staff Making friends can be a bit of a challenge.

#action #anime #drama #Heaven&039;s Memo Pad #Mystery #romance #School

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bharatiyamedia-blog · 5 years

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WWDC 2019: What companies must know

http://tinyurl.com/y2nfe72a Apple is predicted to announce iOS 13, macOS 10.15, and watchOS 6, amongst different issues, at its Worldwide Builders Convention. Is it doable to go away the Apple ecosystem? TechRepublic’s Karen Roby asks ZDNet’s Jason Perlow and Jason Cipriani if it is possible to fortunately depart the Apple ecosystem after being invested of their merchandise. Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off on Monday, June 3, at 10 a.m. PT in San Jose, with a keynote presentation from Apple executives probably asserting a lot of new software program and {hardware} updates. In years previous, Apple has sometimes introduced important function updates and new variations of its working techniques to developers at WWDC, together with iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, leaving system bulletins like new iPhones for its fall occasion. This 12 months is predicted to see a lot of the identical, with implications for enterprise customers within the Apple ecosystem. SEE: Apple macOS Mojave: An insider’s guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic) Listed here are a number of the bulletins companies can anticipate at WWDC 2019: 1. iOS 13 The subsequent model of Apple’s cell working system, iOS 13, will very probably be introduced at WWDC. Bloomberg lately outlined lots of the expected feature upgrades customers can anticipate, together with the next: Pace upgrades and bug reductions Tweaks to the interface for a cleaner look and simpler multitasking A Darkish Mode for evening viewing A revamped Well being app that higher outlines every day exercise Utilizing your iPad as a second Mac display screen, with the power to attract with the Apple Pencil and get Mac notifications Updates to the Reminders app that break duties down into 4 sections: Duties to be finished immediately, all duties, scheduled duties, and flagged duties iMessage improve that enables customers to set a profile image and show identify, and select who sees it, just like WhatsApp. Maps app updates that make it simpler to set frequent areas, and create teams of such areas Mail app updates to permit customers to mute particular person threads, block incoming e-mail from sure contacts, and simpler folder administration. Apple is already engaged on iOS 14 for 2020, which is predicted to help 5G wi-fi community speeds, Bloomberg reported. SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider’s guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic) 2. macOS 10.15 The most important announcement within the macOS realm is more likely to be the challenge reportedly codenamed Marzipan, which goals to make it simpler for app builders to create apps that run on each iOS and macOS units. This implies we are able to probably expect to see extra iOS options like Siri Shortcuts, Display screen Time, and iMessage display screen results coming to macOS. 3. watchOS 6 Apple is predicted to announce a lot of upgrades with watchOS 6, in accordance with Bloomberg, together with including the App Retailer onto the watch interface so customers can obtain apps immediately on the system. It’ll additionally add the Voice Memos app, Animoji and Memoji stickers, the Apple Books app for listening to audiobooks, and the Calculator app. Apple can also be anticipated so as to add extra watch face “Issues” that present info together with the standing of audiobooks, exterior noise and rain information, and the battery lifetime of listening to aids, Bloomberg reported. A number of new watch faces are additionally anticipated to be introduced. SEE: Apple’s acquisitions binge: 10 technologies that could show up at WWDC (free PDF) (TechRepublic) 4. New units Whereas Apple sometimes saves system bulletins for its fall occasion, some analysts predict that the corporate will unveil the long-awaited Mac Pro upgrade. Apple’s flagship desktop laptop has not been considerably up to date since 2013, and executives had beforehand mentioned {that a} new model would come someday in 2019. An up to date Mac Professional is rumored to have a modular design, and to be introduced alongside a 6K monitor, CNET reported. Given Apple’s lack of consideration to the system, ZDNet’s David Gewirtz outlines six ways the new Mac Pro could go terribly wrong, together with incompatibility and lock-in, and lack of consumer maintainability. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo additionally predicted earlier this 12 months that Apple would introduce two new iPad Execs and a brand new MacBook Professional in 2019. Nevertheless, all of the rumors concerning the potential new units haven’t been confirmed. For extra on tips on how to watch the WWDC keynote, take a look at Apple WWDC 2019 keynote: How to watch, start time, livestream on CNET. Apple Weekly E-newsletter Whether or not you want iPhone and Mac ideas or rundowns of enterprise-specific Apple information, we have got you coated. Delivered Tuesdays Enroll immediately Enroll immediately Additionally see Source link

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netunleashed-blog · 6 years

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Mac Pro 2019 release date, news and rumors

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=33761 Mac Pro 2019 release date, news and rumors - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=33761 We haven’t seen much in the way of Mac Pro updates or upgrades in a long time. However, nearly a year ago, in April 2017, Apple recognized the public outcry for Mac Pro Support by hinting that it’s working on a ‘modular’ and ‘upgradeable’ Mac Pro.It doesn’t end there, though. Apple came out and declared support for the new Mac Pro in a press release for the new iMac Pro sale date in December 2017. So we know a new Mac Pro is on the way, we’ll just have to wait until 2019 to get it. The bigger question, then, is ‘when will it get announced?’ Well, according to speculation from infamous Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo, Apple is gearing up to refresh its Mac lineup with a new Mac Mini alongside new MacBooks and the iMac 2018.So, what will it look like, given its modular nature? What will you be able to upgrade? Will the Mac Pro 2019 look like a beefier HomePod? Before we dive into these details over the next year or so, we need to lay out the basics. Cut to the chase What is it? Apple’s first dedicated desktop since 2013When is it out? Early 2019 at the earliest most likelyWhat will it cost? Likely as much as – if not more than – current models Mac Pro 2019 release date Now, while the new Mac Pro used to be the one Apple product we actually knew with absolute certainty could have been released in 2018, we were mistaken. It turns out the new Mac Pro has been confirmed for a 2019 release date.The current Mac Pro computer debuted at the June 2013 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), with a December 2013 final release date. Of course, many purchasers didn’t get their computers until April 2014 on account of backorders. Given how long its been since the previous update to the Mac Pro, it would be unwise for Apple to drive the asking price any higher. Before that, the original Mac Pro was revealed to the world during the August 2006 WWDC, getting into the public’s hands within the same month.However, the release of the MacBook Pro 2018 kind of throws all of our expectations off. Apple’s strategy for 2018 seems to be ‘wait until it’s ready and then just release it’. Whether that will extend beyond the 2018 iPad and MacBook Pro remains to be seen, but we could end up waiting until next year to see the new Mac Pro.However, if Apple is going to show the Mac Pro 2019 off at an event, we may see it at the iPhone reveal event next month. Apple could do a major hardware event where they cover Macs, iPhones and iPads – especially following the news that Apple has become the world’s first trillion dollar company. If so, we could see the Mac Pro 2019 there. We won’t know anything until next month, of course, but we’re hoping to see it there. Mac Pro 2019 price We have absolutely no Mac Pro 2019 pricing information from neither leaks nor Apple’s own remarks on the device. So, once again we’re left to speculate based on the pricing of previous Mac Pro models.The current Mac Pro, largely unchanged since its 2013 release, calls for a whopping $2,999, £2,999 or AU$4,899 to start. The only other model available hikes the price up by $1,000, £900 and AU$1,600, respectively, for some beefy component upgrades. This Mac Pro could be one of the three Mac computers expected to launch this year with one of Apple’s new T series co-processors inside. Given how long its been since the previous update to the Mac Pro, it would be unwise for Apple to drive the asking price any higher. However, if the new Mac Pro’s ‘modular, upgradeable’ nature turns out to be true, that could lead the firm to price the device accordingly, knowing that end users would no longer have to turn to it for upgrades. Mac Pro 2019 specs What will be inside the computer is, sadly, another unknown regarding the Mac Pro for 2019, save for a scant few details. For starters, we know that Apple is focused on issuing a Mac Pro with a modular and upgradeable design.“In addition to the new iMac Pro, Apple is working on a completely redesigned, next-generation Mac Pro architected for pro customers who need the highest performance, high-throughput system in a modular, upgradeable design,” Apple wrote in a December 2017 press release announcing the new iMac Pro, “as well as a new high-end pro display.”So, we know that Apple is intending to make at least some of the Mac Pro design easy to manage, upgrade and set up in different configurations. If true, the Mac Pro 2019 will have to work with a large variety of off-the-shelf parts – at least ‘off the shelf’ for business pros or IT managers. Simply put, there wasn’t enough room in the last Mac Pro for storage expansion, and that needs to change in the 2019 model. Simply put, there wasn’t enough room in the last Mac Pro for storage expansion, and that needs to change in the 2019 model.We also know that Apple has a display in the works, presumably one that was designed with the performance of the Mac Pro in mind. As of last September, reports circulated that an 8K (7,680 x 4,320) resolution display was in the works at Apple, and that it would compete with the 32-inch Dell UltraSharp monitor that we recently reviewed. It would come with either 10-bit dithering or native 10-bit colors as well, but not a touchscreen, which isn’t surprising given Apple’s aversion to adding touch to the Mac.The other sliver of information that we have is that the Mac Pro 2019 may launch with a co-processor, which would likely hint at the Mac Pro 2019 being an early part of Apple’s rumored Kalamata initiative, which will see the Cupertino giant replacing all Intel silicon with its own by 2020. The fact that we won’t see it in 2018 on top of Apple hiring a bunch of ex-Intel engineers to work on Apple chips gives this theory more credence.As far as the Co-processors go, we could see something like the T1 (which manages the MacBook Pro Touch Bar and Touch ID) and T2 (which manages the iMac Pro hardware security and allows for the automatic ‘Hey Siri’ command). Whichever role it fills, it will offload critical tasks from the Intel processors that will likely be inside the Mac Pro 2019.How will this manifest inside the Mac Pro for 2019? The most likely scenario is the latter one: implementing the very same T2 chip inside the iMac Pro into this device. That would bring pro-grade security and on-demand Siri to the Mac Pro, the former of which is crucial for getting traction in office environments.Beyond this, it’s difficult to forecast much of anything hardware-wise that will be found in the Mac Pro 2019, especially when factoring in conflicting reports that Apple won’t make any major changes to its Macs in 2018. What we want to see in Mac Pro 2019 All of these rumors swirling around a potential Mac Pro 2019 release puts us in prime position for a well-crafted wishlist. So, here’s what we hope to see Apple upgrade within the Mac Pro for 2019.More internal expansion Simply put, there wasn’t enough room in the last Mac Pro for storage expansion, and that needs to change in the 2019 model. Good thing, then, that words like ‘modular’ make us confident that this will, indeed, be the case. Hot swappable storage bays, anyone?Dual-processor options Apple was criticized in our Mac Pro review for not offering a dual-processor option. Surely, plenty of video editors and other media creators would relish the opportunity for twice as fast rendering and encoding power. A CPU with 16 cores is nice, but 32 cores is nicer.A keyboard and mouse included The 2013 Mac Pro shipped without any Magic Keyboard or Magic Mouse included. Simply put, we’d like to see this change with the 2019 version. Shipping an Apple computer without proper inputs is like trying to sell a car without the steering wheel.iOS apps on Mac Pro Now that it has been bandied about for so long, the idea of iOS apps on a Mac computer has grown on us. We’d love to see our favorite iPhone and iPad apps make their way to the desktop. After WWDC 2018, though, we now know exactly how Apple is going to handle this. Instead of just opening the App Store on macOS, we’ll be getting a limited selection of key iOS apps ported over. MacOS 10.14 will have access to News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home, with more eventually coming over in 2019. These apps will be redesigned to feel natural on macOS – so, no touchscreen necessary. These are the best Macs that 2018 has to offer so far Gabe Carey has also contributed to this report Source link

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riotdragonx · 7 years

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The Shepard Chronicles

OoO( 1 )OoO

2174 CE, September 25 ESD - 1725 EST – Taiyuan , Shanxi

It had already been a stressful day for Zannis, the turian ambassador to Alliance Space. As soon as he landed on the planet, looks of despise and hatred were immediately aimed towards him, and the army of accountants and treasurers from Palaven. The scar left on the planet by their kind was still fresh, something that was immediately apparent as he looked around at all the seething glares directed at them. As the tall Palaven native stepped from the airbus that had flown them to the meeting site, he was immediately assaulted by a wall of sound as protesters shouted from across a security barricade. A lot of them were completely belligerent, shouting curses, slurs, and even throwing food items across the barricade at the airbus.

But he knew that was going to happen when coming here. He knew there would be resistance, not only to his presence on the hallowed battleground that was formerly occupied by his kind, but to the very idea of reparations for their actions during the Relay 314 incident. But it didn't bother him. He was made the turian ambassador to the Alliance for a reason, and this was it. Looking out over the signs people were holding, most of them were in a human language that even he didn't understand. After reading up on the incident before his appointment to his current position, he made a note that the majority of the people on the colony hailed from an Terran region known as the People's Republic of China. The strange symbols and curved, almost artistic looking language must be their local language. He even managed to spot a sign that only made him even more concerned; one bearing the image of a small avian animal known as a chicken. Shaking the image from his head, he turned away from the crowd and stepped towards the large capital building of the city Taiyuan.

Once inside, he was among humans who knew what he was here for. But despite that, he could still feel tensions rising as he and the five other turians following him made their way down the cavernous hall that his people once painted with the colors of the Hierarchy. Despite the rivalry between the two races, he was determined to see this through and give these people what they deserved. As he walked, he was stopped by a human, who held out his hand in greeting. The turian stopped and looked down at the hand, before reaching forward awkwardly and grasping it. The human shook his hand firmly before offering to lead him to the conference room. The media were everywhere in the lobby of the lavishly decorated building. Though they weren't using flashes, he could easily spot at least ten of them that were taking pictures of him. No doubt sending it to their sources back on Earth and on the Citadel. Soon, his face would be stamped on the screen of every tabloid in the galaxy, insuring that he would be stripped of his honor as a turian. "The Human Sympathizer," they would read after they went live. "The turian who payed off humanity, who sold the honor of his own people." Knowing he was likely to be the target of more than just human aggressors in the future, he still walked on. This was what was right, even if it painted a target on his back.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the human opened a large set of double doors and allowed his people inside. Already inside were several security guards, armed with the usual shock batons and body armor. In the memo, he was assured that mass effect propelled weapons weren't being allowed inside, or anywhere near the building. Even the security had to use old school hand-to-hand weapons due to the fact that the turian couldn't be assured that the entire security detail didn't still hate his race enough not to shoot when given the opportunity. At the table were several humans in suits worthy of the Citadel Council. Six of them sat around a circular table, taking up effectively one side of the surface. Breathing deeply, the turian pulled a chair back and sat down, his compatriots following his lead.

OoOoO

2174 CE, Harvest Season 22 PSD - 2228 PST – Karkarus Estate - Cipritine, Palaven

He had been on edge since the beginning of the season. As soon as the offer came up, he approved it with hesitancy. Both because the potential for something going wrong was extremely high, and because he was still of the opinion that after the blow dealt at Relay 314, his people paid more than enough with their lives, and the damage their fleet received from the human onslaught. But even his brother in arms, Sparatus, was not immune to peer pressure from the other Council members. So he must be the diplomat, and entertain the humans in their request for compensation. Despite his aversion to the concept, he never half-assed a job. Setting his pride aside, he selected someone who knew much more about the incident than he did as the ambassador.

Even with all the precautions he took, the entire thing gave him a feeling of dread. Which was why, when he noticed his home communicator ringing that night, he felt his crop tighten. Groaning, he set aside the book he was reading and grabbed the comm unit. This device was the one restricted for emergencies only, and it going off on this specific night couldn't be a coincidence. Finally, he answered it. "Fedorian here."

"Tevarin, it's Ming." came the voice from the other side.

Reaching back, the Primarch rubbed his neck. "Governor Ming...I was hoping not to have to hear from you on this line. What is it?" he asked as the human.

"A small sect from an anti-alien group known as the Sons of Adam have entered the building and have taken all of the negotiators hostage." said the governor, getting straight to the point.

"You assured me when I agreed to the summit being held on Shanxi that they would be properly protected." said the turian as he stood out of his chair angrily, staring at the features of the human on the communicator.

"We denied security accelerator weapons to prevent any itchy trigger fingers. It turns out that the Sons of Adam had been smuggling weapons onto the planet for the better part of the month, and the guards weren't able to fight back as a result. I've already contacted Captain Hackett with our Alliance fleet. They're sending infiltrators into the building to neutralize the threat." finished the man, his accent removed as it was filtered through the communicator's translator.

"I'm going to send a squadron of my people too." said the Primarch as he searched through his communicator for the correct number.

"I don't think that would be wise..." said Governor Ming as he donned a look of concern. "Having turians on Shanxi was enough to incite protest. Imagine the backlash if armed turians in military armor were seen."

But Tevarin glared. "Your assurance that they would be safe ensured that they were captured. I'm sending a squad of our special forces there to assist the Alliance." he snapped. Chen Ming sighed and reached up to rub his head in frustration, immediately killing the threatening fire within Fedorian. "I understand the concern you have with armored turians coming to Shanxi. But the best thing we can do right now is partner up to show people that we will not tolerate this kind of hostility among our people. Maybe if people see them working together, they'll start believing such a peace can exist."

Ming stared at the turian for a long moment, before finally nodding. "Agreed. I'll have a human ship ready with a trusted pilot docked on the Citadel. It will carry your squad to our rally point discreetly. In the meantime, I'll have security clear out a few blocks around so that nobody sees the teams. Don't want anyone tipping them off." said the human as he ran a hand through his graying hair. "Tevarin, I would highly appreciate it of your military kept its target sights on the extremists."

"The same courtesy would be appreciated from yours. I'll call you as soon as they arrive on the Citadel." finished Primarch Fedorian as Governor Ming nodded, then cut the communication. Tossing aside the device, Tevarin immediately pulled up the number for the Legate.

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2174 CE, September 25 ESD - 2252 EST – Taiyuan , Shanxi

The shuttle had landed smoothly behind one of the many office buildings situated around the capital building. The entire flight, they flew low to the ground, using the other structures in the area as cover in order to keep from being seen by the insurgents that now occupied the main site. As they landed, the commander of their unit, a man known only as "Spider" by anyone besides his unit, began explaining the mission in detail.

He stood from his seat, easily too tall for the compact shuttle that they were currently occupying. The newbie to the group, a fresh recruit, who had been picked up and adopted by the small intel detachment after only a year of service, stayed in her seat and looked up at him. She admired the man for many reasons. His record, which was highly classified, was immaculate. Hundreds of infiltration and reconnaissance missions under his belt, zero screw ups, and a record so clean that the Alliance brass barely knew who he actually was. He was a ghost, pure and simple, and he taught her everything she knew. Now, it was her turn to prove it to him. Sitting beside her was another, more grizzled veteran of the squad. An aged man by the name of Dukh. She hadn't seen much of his work, and he aimed to keep it that way.

Directly across from her, seated on the other side of the leader was a silent, dark-skinned man who looked as if he was deep in thought. Despite her own skills, he was supposedly the leading tech expert on the team. There was a joke that was once made about him, saying that if he wanted to, he could rob every bank and credit union on the Citadel blind and retire without a trace. And while they all had a good chuckle, she could sense a small tone of seriousness underneath the mirth. This man, again, was highly unknown to her. Besides his given name, which was Echo, he was a blank slate. He had also taught her plenty about how to improve her electronic sabotage and infiltration abilities.

A month after she joined the fairly unspoken of squad, she earned her own nickname. The name Torch was now what all of her current comerades referred to her as. She wasn't aware if it was simply due to her red hair, or the fact that the remains of any system she attacks might as well be on fire. But she liked it regardless. And despite the nickname, and their comradeship, she didn't know any of them. She didn't even know if they knew each other. The only reason she knew anything about Spider was because of her initiation. As her first act in the squad, she was required to find and crack a highly classified document from any nation on Earth. All of them were given warning ahead of time, but that didn't matter. Using her special skills, she managed to dive head first into an Alliance Network in Vancouver and uncover a mission relating to the destruction of a batarian cruiser that was drifting a bit too close to Alliance space. The newspapers reported on it, calling it a catastrophic failure. And even the intel received from transmissions between Khar'Shan and Camala refers to the the incident as an accident. The only thing that was noticeable about the classified information was that the name 'Spider' was attached to it. When she presented the information to him, he seemed both mildly impressed, and annoyed at the same time.

Ever since, she was a member of the group. Though the group was hardly ever together. They mostly did solo missions out in the Verge, filtering information about the batarians back to Alliance intel. Or even attaining assets who tried to flee from the harsh caste-based society that was the Batarian home planet. But this, this was serious. It could spark a war, riots, outrage, and high tensions with humans on the Citadel. So the group came together.

After the quick explanation of the situation, the redhead stood from her seat. Spider opened the door to the aircar and allowed them out. He had mentioned inside the car that they would be working with a team from the Hierarchy's own forces. There were four of them standing outside their own vehicle as well, three taller ones with one about the size of Dukh on the end. This particular figure, outfitted in black and red armor with a black face shield, was staring directly at her. Taking her helmet, the lieutenant slid it on before walking with the others over to the Hierarchy team.

Immediately, Spider stepped forward and introduced them. Despite the situation, it was clear that nobody among the humans had any issues with the turians. Or if they did, they were keeping a straight face about it. "Glad to meet our turian counterparts." said the human commander as he stood before the tall alien at the head of their group. "I'm Spider, and back here we've got Dukh, Echo, and Torch."

The lead turian reached up and tapped the side of his helmet, making the faceplate turn from a solid black, to translucent. He then stared at Spider with a curious look on his face. "Is it common practice for humans to use nicknames?" asked the black-armored figure.

"Only when we want to separate our work selves from our real selves. We all have families to protect." said the human.

"Oddly inspiring." said the turian as he turned to his own crew. "We are with the 26th Armiger Legion, or more simply put, Ghosts. I'm Squadleader Tarkarian. Behind me are operatives Nikelik, Arondis, and Shevar." When he mentioned the name of the turian at the end, the woman turned and stared at the soldier once more, only to find that like their leader, they had undarkened their faceshield. From a once over look, she could tell just by the facial features on this turian that it was female. Despite her Xenolinguistics classes, she had never had the chance to encounter a turian woman. She had to say, she wasn't disappointed. "We were told that some of our negotiators are being held hostage inside the capital building here by a pro-human group. Given the likelihood of this turning into a bloodbath, we wanted to straight out ask if you even want us here."

"We have a choice in the matter?" asked Dukh, whose rough voice drew the attention of the four turians.

"Not exactly. We have to be here on orders regardless. But with respect from one infiltration unit to another, we don't want to tread on spikes. If you think you can handle this without us, all the better, and less chance of a catastrophic political cataclysm." finished Tarkarian as he stared back at Spider.

The tall man stood for a moment, staring at the turian with a curious smile on his face. "Let's make a deal. The side who takes out the most hostiles buys beer for the other." he said firmly.

Tarkarian let out a small chuckle and nodded. "There may be hope for you humans yet." he said as he turned to his squad. "That's fine, but we'll need to secure the negotiators first. Don't want them to get caught in the crossfire."

"Already on it." said Echo as he stepped forward. On his omnitool, the man brought up a holographic display of the inside of the building. "Already got the room spotted, just need to avoid the walkers and take out the two standing guard over the hostages."

"A spy drone?" asked the turian leader as he examined the map.

As the two continued with their planning, the turian woman grabbed her attention with a hand wave. Shepard looked over at the curiously tall figure, then saw her point to her omnitool. Getting the signal, the infiltrator brought up her own display, and connected their two helmets easily enough. "How are you with that Mantis?" asked Shevar, her voice clearly more feminine than the leader's.

"Pretty good. You?" asked Shepard as she spied a particularly nasty looking Punisher on the woman's back.

"Pretty good. Though I prefer to let my blades do the talking." replied the turian Ghost.

Shepard smiled inside her helmet. "That'll be interesting to see."

"Same goes for you. Can't wait to see you in action." she said as the two leaders finally concluded the meeting.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Here's the plan..." said Spider as he used Echo's holo map to lay out their entrypoint.

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