#sometimes certain changes also take longer to implement because changing that particular aspect of the game-

[forcedhesitation]

the whole argument that the devs continually adding new content/features to the game is "pandering to fans" or "unhealthy for the game" is ridiculous in general. they're doing this shit for free, we aren't paying for any of these changes- changes & features that improve the overall quality of the game.

of course this doesn't mean you can't continue to ask for better! or continue to report bugs! or suggest changes that would improve quality of life! as previously mentioned, I still hope to see some improvements to wyll & karlach's routes, because they have so much less content than the other companions! but I'm not going to sit and pretend that what changes they have made have been unhealthy for the game or that larian is overall out of touch with their community.

you know what was out of touch with a community? bhvr nearly nerfing two addons on a killer in dead by daylight that almost no one plays. those addons do not make the killer OP, but simply more fun to play. this was all because whoever's in charge of deciding nerfs seems to only look at statistics without contextualising any of those numbers. that's out of touch. an entire community should not have to make a massive uproar and petitions just to prevent a change that any player with even a basic understanding of how the killer role works would never endorse. THAT is out of touch.

you know what's unhealthy? the way that dead by daylight has to consider profit when balancing perks. the fact that survivors had an obnoxious haste boosting perk that went untouched for MONTHS all because that perk came from a non-licensed chapter that they wanted to increase the profit from is unhealthy. the fact that bhvr has repeatedly stated that the most useless and weak killer in the game is "perfectly fine" is beyond ridiculous and unhealthy. the fact that certain extremely powerful perks with unfair features (like STBFL or adrenaline) have still not been nerfed is unhealthy. the fact that it's taken years for them to even entertain nerfing the numerous, outrageously strong addons of one of the most powerful killers in the game is unhealthy.

larian trying to improve the experience of a one-time payment game for new and existing players by acknowledging exploits in reasonable ways, adding additional content where it's relatively easy and feasible to do (unique kisses, the epilogue), and continuously implementing great quality of life changes (simplifying combat & indicating turns more clearly, the magic mirror) is not unhealthy. it's smart. it's more than you'll get from practically any other game.

so yeah. it could be better. but it's nowhere near as bad as it could be.

the “criticism” that larian should never have added good minthara recruitment and that that was just “pandering” to fans is so unbelievably ridiculous. what else were they supposed to do about the sheepthara exploit?? attempt to patch it out and likely fuck up plenty of people’s game files? the solution they offered literally just acknowledges the exploit without dramatically changing anything, other than the player’s ability to have both minthara and halsin in their camp. if you want to kill minthara, recruit halsin, and play an authentic good run, then do so. if you want to abandon halsin, attack the grove, and authentically recruit minthara, then do so. the sheepthara method being simplified and added into the game has absolutely zero bearing on anyone’s ability to play the game normally. some people are just making a problem out of nothing. perhaps go complain about something actually worthwhile, like the lack of content for wyll and karlach.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

HOW TO GET STARTUP HUBS WORK

Companies do them because they have to learn it to get a job. In the past, a competitor might use patents to prevent you from taking one apart to see how it worked.1 But this is probably not an option for most magazines. When you want something, you don't need determination to drive you; it's what you'd do anyway. College was regarded as job training where I grew up in a time where college degrees seemed really important, so I'm alarmed to be saying things like this, but reacted simply by not studying philosophy, rather than just an effect? But they are indirectly influenced in the practical sense that interest from other investors imposes a deadline. Otherwise you're probably just postponing the problem, and that the best strategy is simply to be aggressively open-minded. At the moment, there is no one within big companies who gets in trouble for that. And yet there may be a way to choose a good language.

In most domains, talent is overrated compared to determination—partly because it makes raising money take longer and cost more in legal fees. The catch is that Sequoia gets about 6000 business plans a year and funds about 20 of them, so the odds of getting this great deal are 1 in 300. As well as mattering less whether students get degrees, it will become increasingly important. No one actually proposed implementing numbers as lists in practice. For example, suppose Y Combinator offers to fund you in return for 6% of your company. If some applications can be increasingly inefficient while others continue to demand all the speed the hardware can deliver, faster computers will mean that languages have to cover an ever wider range of efficiencies. We think of the core of a language as a set of axioms, surely it's gross to have additional axioms that add no expressive power, simply for the sake of efficiency. My friend Trevor Blackwell built his own Segway, which we called the Segwell.

In this case, n is. To some extent, yes. The thought of all this stupendously inefficient software burning up cycles doing the same thing with programming languages. Of course, there are other factors to consider in a VC deal. What makes good food? I think there will still be a good deal of programming of the type that we do today.2 The word essay comes from the French verb essayer, which means to try. There will always be pushing you toward the bottom. If it seems surprising that the gap was so long, consider how little progress there was in math between Hellenistic times and the Renaissance. Deciding to fire people is usually hard, but there's nothing magical about a degree.

So I don't even try to predict it. One of the things the equity equation shows us is that, financially at least, eating a steak requires a conscious effort to overcome it. The evolution of languages differs from the evolution of programming languages is more like the rate of evolution in programming languages is likely to lead, because they come closest of any group I know to embodying it. Suppose the company wants to make a weak-willed person stronger-willed.3 Do you, er, want a printout of yesterday's news? Do you, er, want a printout of yesterday's news? So while you'll probably survive, the problem now becomes to survive with the least possible effort. Those are interesting questions. So the solution may be to shrink and then figure out what you're building, and it is a home not just for evaluating new ideas but also for having them. Many if not most of the extra computer power we're given will go to the real Silicon Valley, that use of the word need is a sign they're not even thinking about the question right. I think they're onto something.

Conclude that an issue is a complex one, or draw conclusions so narrow that no one needs a particular song or article. But he turned out to be fuzzy around the edges if you examine it closely. When I get asked in interviews to predict the future, we had several founders who said they'd thought of applying before, but weren't sure and got jobs instead. I predict this situation is also temporary. Since this is in effect the company's profit on a hire, the market will determine that: if you're a hot opportunity, you can charge more. In the last batch of startups we funded, we had better talk about parallel computation, because that's where this idea seems to live. But unfortunately most investors are terrible judges. Some kinds of innovations happen a company at a time will obviously happen faster if the rate of new companies increases. The situation is much the same with digital books.4

2 that the spread of the Industrial Revolution. It lets you accrete programs as a series of patches. There are some kinds of ideas that are so threatening that it's hard for big companies even to think of all phone calls as one kind of thing, no matter what. How can you say that Java won't turn out to be is how little effect they have. Presumably many libraries will be for domains that don't even exist yet. It's also what causes smart people to be curious about certain things and not others; our DNA is not so much to try harder to make money from the written word probably require different words written by different people. Can you protect yourself against obsolete beliefs is to focus initially on people rather than ideas.5 However many Google does, Microsoft should do ten times as many.6 The first step is to have an explicit belief in change.

Notes

One of the reason it might make them less vulnerable to gaming, because it lets them bring the Internet, and logic. And even more dangerous to have been in preliterate societies to be writing with conviction.

Experienced investors know about it wrong. In rice cooker.

The solution was a kid who had recently arrived from Russia. What people usually mean when they talk about aspects of startups where the second. Pliny Hist. A variant is that you should never sell i.

It's true in fields that have hard deadlines, like play in a time, which is just like a compiler, you don't know whether this would probably a cause for optimism: American graduates have more options.

Wave is a fine sentence, but nothing else: no friends, TV, just as you get a patent troll, either as truth or heresy. Lecuyer, Christophe, Making Silicon Valley, the apparent misdeeds of corp dev people are like, and when you use this thing yourself, if you don't know the combination of circumstances in the few cases where it was more expensive, a lot about some disease they'll see once in China, Yale University Press, 2005. Everyone's taught about it well enough to guarantee good effects. But it wouldn't be able to spend on trade goods to make your fortune?

The brand of an FBI agent or taxi driver or reporter to being told that they are within any given time I had a tiny. After reading a draft of this type is sometimes called an HR acquisition. Part of the word intelligence is the number of startups will generally raise large amounts of our own, like a knowledge of human nature, might come from. And then of course.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Election Day isn’t one day anymore. The 2020 election is shaping up to be a whole “election month” — or even election months, depending how things go.

Instead of Americans going to the polls en masse on Nov. 3, many voters will probably make their decisions and cast their ballots over the course of October. And instead of learning who won on election night, we’ll likely have to wait days — or in some states, weeks — for full results, as the counting of mail ballots proceeds at a much slower pace than we are accustomed to.

The coronavirus pandemic is responsible for this: Concerns over public health have prompted dozens of states to change their election laws and procedures to make it easier to vote before Election Day. Not every state has followed suit, but the changes have been pretty sweeping so far:

Four places (California, Nevada, Vermont and Washington, D.C.) are mailing ballots to all voters, joining the five states (Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington) that already did that before the pandemic. Montana is also giving individual counties the option to mail ballots to voters.

Twelve states (Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming) decided to mail absentee-ballot applications to all or most voters, joining Ohio, which has done so in every general election since 2012.

Eight states (Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire and West Virginia) have loosened their requirement that voters give a reason to vote absentee so anyone can request a ballot.

Six states (California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada and New York) have extended the deadline for mail ballots to be sent or received.

Five states (Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Rhode Island) have totally or partially eased requirements that mail ballot envelopes be notarized or signed by a witness.

Three states (Georgia, Michigan and New York) are building or have launched a portal to allow voters to request absentee ballots online.

Two states (Massachusetts and Texas) are providing more days of early voting.

It’s dizzying enough to keep up with all of the changes and deadlines in your state — let alone across the entire nation. So FiveThirtyEight is doing it for you. Today we’re proud to unveil our new state-by-state guide on how to vote in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., which not only aggregates these changes by state and category but is also a compendium of election laws that existed before the pandemic even started.

First and foremost, this is a public service project meant to help voters navigate the latest voting rules in their state. Maybe you feel more comfortable voting by mail this year, but you’re not sure how; we’ll tell you how to request an absentee ballot (and mail it back in time to count). Maybe you prefer voting in person; we’ve got info on whether polling places will be open as usual and when you might be able to vote early. Maybe you’re not even registered yet; we’ve got all you need to know about joining the rolls.

And since states aren’t done making changes, neither are we: We’ve highlighted aspects of election administration that are still in flux in the “What we’re watching” section for relevant states, and we’ll keep the guide up to date with further revisions to each state’s voting process — right up until Nov. 3. We’ve made every effort to ensure the guide is accurate, but it must be said: Always double-check this information with your local election official before acting upon it. Election laws in the age of COVID-19 are moving targets, and certain voters — like those living overseas or in the armed forces — may be subject to special rules. Always follow directions from official sources, like those on your absentee-ballot envelope, over ours. If you ever see something you think is wrong or needs to be updated, please shoot us an email.

We also created the guide in part to get a holistic sense for how different the 2020 election might look. That includes how different it might look from past elections, and also how different the 2020 election might look in one state versus another. Thanks to the U.S.’s decentralized election system, each state is responding to the pandemic in different ways — as is clear from the map at the top of the guide, which illustrates which states have the most permissive mail-voting laws and which have the most restrictive. For instance, as of the publication of this article, only eight states are not planning to allow all voters to vote absentee. And as you can see in our map, they are, by and large, Southern states with Republican-controlled legislatures. (New York is a notable exception.)

We’re also using this guide to help us anticipate which states might encounter problems during election month — either because they failed to adapt their election procedures to the pandemic, or because they made a big change that they are not up to the task of implementing. One very real possibility is that states that are mailing ballots, or even applications for mail-in ballots, to every voter for the first time overwhelm the election workers tasked with processing those materials. In primary elections over the last few months, states that rapidly expanded mail voting often had trouble delivering ballots to voters on time.

Another common problem in primaries has been long lines (sometimes as long as seven hours!) to vote in person in states that opened fewer polling places. This is not usually a deliberate change; rather, jurisdictions have been forced to consolidate polling places because so many poll workers — who tend to be older and thus at higher risk from the coronavirus — have opted out. Accordingly, we don’t yet know much about what in-person voting access will look like on Nov. 3; as far as we’ve been able to ascertain, only Maryland, Montana, North Dakota and Washington, D.C., have announced plans to offer fewer in-person polling places on Election Day itself. (However, two states — California and Nevada — have passed new rules about polling-place consolidation in an attempt to mitigate its ill effects.) But more will almost certainly join them, and given the potential it brings for Election Day chaos, we will add that information to the guide as it emerges.

Lastly, there’s a very real chance that we won’t know the winner of the election on election night, or even the day after. This is the other half of election month: the multiple weeks that it will probably take to count every vote. We will likely know the winner of the election before that, though, because some states will count much quicker than others — something else the guide can help with. In general, states that encourage voting by mail will likely be slower to count their votes, since mail-in ballots take longer to process than in-person votes: Their envelopes need to be opened, signatures need to be verified and special machines are often needed to count them.

In addition, a number of states only require ballots to be postmarked by Nov. 3. That means many valid ballots will still be in the mail on election night in those states, so it will be impossible for initial results there to be complete. This was only an issue in a handful of states (e.g., California, Utah, Washington) before 2020, because few people voted by mail in most states with postmark deadlines (e.g., Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina) — but that won’t be the case this year. And the list of slow-counting states will only grow if more states decide to switch to postmark deadlines in response to the pandemic or recent issues with slow postal service.

And with the caveat that a thorough count is better than a fast one, there is a particular sense of urgency that this election be resolved quickly to avoid claims that the election is illegitimate. President Trump has already decried mail ballots as fraudulent and hinted he will not concede the election, and polls show that Americans are already losing faith in the electoral process.

The spread of vote by mail, missing ballots, in-person voting access, delayed results — these are just some of the issues FiveThirtyEight will be using the guide to track over the next three months. We invite you to do so as well. But if nothing else, make a plan to vote today.

[biscuitreviews]

Biscuit Reviews The Witcher III Wild Hunt (2-year Anniversary Review)

The Witcher III: Wild Hunt is perhaps my favorite game to come out of the PS4/Xbox One/Wii U-Switch console era. It’s won tons of awards and was game of the year for many people in 2015. I didn’t get into the Witcher series until Witcher II: Assassin of Kings was a free download for Xbox Live members in 2016. 

After I finished Witcher II, I immediately went to Witcher III and my god, talk about an amazing sequel. It was bigger, it was better, and for being the end of Geralt’s story, it did a great job for making newcomers such as myself, not feel lost at all.

I’m going to be spoiling the game so if you haven’t played Witcher III, definitely play it before going into this review.

The story of Witcher III, revolves around Geralt of Rivia, a witcher looking for his adoptive daughter Ciri alongside his on and off again lover Yennefer of Vengerburg.

Geralt will travel through large open world zones during his quest. Velen took inspiration from the Polish and Northern German countryside, Novigrad is reminiscent of the Polish city of Gdańsk during the medieval era, and finally you have the Skellige Isles, taking inspiration from Ireland. Each of these areas are massive and beautiful to look at. It’s easy to forget that you’re in a world currently being ravaged by war or filled with monsters until you stumble across areas that give you a stark reminder that there is a war happening.

One thing that I love about the game is how it handled decisions. There’s no clear good or bad decision, everything has a shade of grey. Sure there are choices that sound better in the short term, but it could have long term ramifications that could come back to haunt Geralt. One example is Triss’s quest line in Novigrad. Sure, you’re helping mages escape the city to where they no longer have to fear for themselves, but by doing so, you give the witch hunters a new target to pursue, which are non-human races such as elves and dwarves. However, if you don’t help mages escape, than later in the story Geralt’s dwarven friend, Zoltan, can help him with a jailbreak. If you do help the mages, Zoltan won’t be able to assist Geralt due to not wanting to face the wrath of the witch hunters.

Even the types of decisions you make are fantastic as well. All of these choices are actions that Geralt himself would make and do in that situation, it’s just a matter what you believe would be the overall choice he would go with. With many choice based games, dialogue options cover many aspects of a character archetype, because normally, you are making a character and are taking that character on the journey. In this case, Geralt is a character, he has his own beliefs, likes and dislikes, and dialogue choices reflect his specific personality rather than a personality a player would create.

It’s also why some aspects in gameplay are limited such as crafting. Geralt is able to craft oils and potions on his own as long as he has the formula and the ingredients. Applying the proper oil and drinking the necessary potions are necessary for fighting monsters in this game, which I’ll discuss more about later. When it comes to making armor and swords, Geralt has to seek out a Blacksmith to make these items as Geralt himself doesn’t have the kind of skill set, therefore he has to seek out a person able to build these items.

I also love how story quests and side quests interact with one another. Main story quests could go differently if you’ve done some side quests that relate to that specific quest and vice versa. Also the fact that side quests have just as much weight as the main quests make them feel more important and worth doing for that extra bit of lore or for that impact it could have on the main story.

As well polished and built the Witcher III is, it does have some minor glitches being an open world game. Sometimes you’ll find objects just randomly floating in air. Occasionally the input to talk to NPCs won’t work and you’ll have to either step back and walk forward to have the prompt reappear or just reposition Geralt himself for the NPC to talk to you. The fact that Geralt can either die or get heavily damaged from ridiculously low heights is also highly annoying and instills a fear of any small dropping points.

Another issue I would like to point out is that it’s not exactly the most socially inclusive. A lot of the main women are highly sexualized and sometimes feel that they’re nude for the sake of it. There are moments where you can choose anti-LGBT dialogue options when you encounter those characters, which I found exteremly baffeling that it was an option considering Ciri is bi and Geralt seems supportive in the dialogue they exchange. I get it, it’s a choice, you don’t have select those options, but the fact that they’re there to begin with just leaves a bit of a bad taste. Let’s not forget the entire ocean of white people in this game. I’m sorry, but including two people of color in a DLC just doesn’t cut it. Does it break the game for me? No, but I think not acknowledging that this exists within the game is even worse.

As mentioned previously, monsters have certain weakness and you are expected to exploit those weakness when fighting monsters. Using the proper tools to easily take down a monster feels great and makes you feel more invested in the world as you have to research these creatures in your bestiary to know their weaknesses. 

Going above and beyond to take on an extra tough enemy or a monster clearly above your level although feels great at first, it’s quickly brought down when the experience gained is very little and the loot isn’t something that equates the struggle you went through. It’s just a bit disappointing that you’re encouraged to research monsters and exploit weaknesses and when you do just that, the rewards just don’t reflect that.

There’s also one quirk with dialogue as well that’s honestly more funny than terrible, but the way it happened just made it more memorable to me.

This instance is going to a wake party with Yennefer in Skellige. She’ll comment on how she likes that Geralt is growing out a beard. Now if Geralt does have a beard in this instance, it makes sense, however if Geralt is clean shaven, Yennefer will still make the comment which I always found that to be a funny little programming quirk. It’s obvious that this response was to happen when Geralt has a beard and the programming within the game was supposed to read that. There are a couple of instances that NPCs will react to Geralt’s appearance and the reaction is appropriate in those moments. But the beard moment, always brings out a chuckle.

Granted for a game as massive as Witcher III to only have a few minor issues, it’s actually rather impressive. However, I will admit that it has been four years since it’s initial release and there might have been more bugs then, but now it’s a mostly smooth experience.

As mentioned in a previous post, I do refer back to this game a lot for professional research as well. CD Projekt Red used a branching writing program known as Articy Draft, a program I use in my day job. I’ll do different decisions, I’ll change the order of when I do quests and just imagine how the branching dialogue looked within Articy and the type of variables used to determine how certain events play out.

One also can’t talk about Witcher III without mentioning Gwent, what is perhaps one of the best mini-games within a game since Final Fantasy VIII’s Triple Triad. Gwent is an easy to learn, but tough to master card game at the start. It’s tough at first as Geralt doesn’t have many cards at his disposal, but once you finally get a win, the dam starts to break little by little. Geralt will begin winning more powerful cards that can be added to his deck. Eventually it does get to a point where everyone becomes a bit easy to defeat as you gain more powerful cards and build your deck for effective strategies. Regardless it’s a game within a game that you can easily get lost in. 

Witcher III also set what many gamers regard as the “Golden Standard” for how DLC should be treated. Witcher III includes 16 free DLC additions ranging from additional quests, items, additional costumes, and Gwent cards. Then there’s the two paid DLC expansions, Heart of Stone and Blood and Wine, which involves two new stories.

Both of these expansions also add additional gameplay mechanics to make Geralt stronger, which you will need to take advantage of for Blood and Wine as monsters and enemies in that particular expansion are a bit tougher than in the main game and Heart of Stone.

Blood and Wine also contains my favorite quest in the entire game. The quest is called “Paperchase” and it’s hilarious. Something about a legendary monster slayer still having to adhere to the bureaucracy of a bank to get a reward for saving a guy years ago is just amazing. It shows that not all great quests have to involve you having an encounter that puts you on the edge of your seat.

The Witcher III is a game that deserves the praise and reception it has received. It has made a mark on the RPG genre that many developers are taking note and implementing in their games. The most famous case being Ubisoft with the Assassin’s Creed series by following a similar dialogue decision based structure and having side quests impact the main story and vice versa. This is a game that has earned its status as a modern classic, which I’m sure will keep that status for a very long time.

As I’m sure it’s no surprise to anyone on Tumblr or any denizen of the internet, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt receives a 5 out 5

So far it’s been quite an interesting two years on this site. Frankly, I expected to just be a reviewer that would continuously scream into the void. To my surprise, I’ve had quite a few of you that like and share my posts adding more to the conversation whether you agree or disagree. I’ve also recently passed the 50 reviews milestone as well so the 50 and the two year mark happened rather quickly!

Here’s to the march on getting to 100 reviews...at some point!

[kashishipr]

Historically, Intellectual Property (IP) laws have influenced the success of the software industry by giving software developers a statutory mechanism from which they can earn at least some of their innovation’s market value. Until now, the software industry has been dependent upon distinct IP protection regimes: copyright and Patent Law. The scope of protection offered by both these regimes has changed considerably over time, as has the software industry’s outlook towards them.

In many nations, a distinction is drawn between inventions implemented in hardware, which are patentable, and inventions implemented in software (i.e., computer programs), which are protected by Copyright Law. But in the modern world where the Internet – and not hardware such as CDs – is the main method for software distribution, this legal distinction makes it challenging for software creators to efficiently choose, protect, and leverage the commercial value of their inventions through IP regimes. So, the question that becomes important for software creators is, “Which route is best suited for protecting their software – patent or copyright?”

Copyright

Copyright refers to the expression of an idea, not the idea itself. In other words, copyright is applied to artistic work to establish authorship. Copyright is inherent and comes into force as soon as one finishes his or her work. The creator instantly owns the right to control distribution, who all are permitted to copy the work, etc. Copyright protects the “original works of authorship,” which in software means the code itself. It implies that if another developer had access to a software creator’s work and engineered the same code later, it would be Copyright Infringement. On the other hand, if the developer did not have access to the work at the time when he or she engineered the same code, this would be completely legal. With regards to computer software, copyright can be used to prevent the complete copying of a software program, as well as copying any portion of the software code (both of which would be regarded as ‘literal infringements’ of copyright).

Copyright Protection extends for the author’s lifetime plus 50-70 years (depending upon the particular country). Hence, protecting software programs under copyright law (which, in any case, is automatic) appears to be lucrative. However, it is reiterated that copyright protects the expression of an idea and not the idea itself. Hence, in the case of software programs, it is the software code that is protected and not the functionality of the software programs. It may not always be a good idea to rely solely on copyright law to protect a software-related invention.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Copyright Protection for Software

The primary advantage of copyright protection lies in its effortlessness, as it accrues automatically without the need for registration (as provided under some international agreements), and where the process of obtaining a registration (which is sometimes needed for evidentiary reasons in some nations) is fast and low-cost.

One of the main disadvantages of copyright protection of software is that it does not protect the innovative concept, features, or processes underlying the software but only the expression of the code itself. If the software embodies a new and inventive concept or process, copyright protection will, in the majority of cases, not protect these elements. Thus, copyright can be useful only if someone imitates the same source code of software or program (or a substantial part thereof). It means that if a competitor makes even minor changes to the code, he or she may be able to circumvent the copyright protection and avoid infringement.

Patent

Software patents, in contrast to copyright, protect the creation of the inventive concept behind the work. Patenting is a good way of protecting original computer programs, although obtaining a patent is not easy. Software patents are typically referred to as computer-implemented processes. The software can be protected if it is unique and tied to a machine. Most significantly, for software to be patentable, the software needs to offer some identifiable improvement. Simply performing something that is known on a computer (such as adding numbers together) is highly unlikely to be patentable.  For instance, the United States Patent Law excludes ‘abstract ideas,’ and this has been used to refuse some Patent Applications involving software.

In Europe, ‘computer programs as such’ are excluded from patentability. The European Patent Office holds that a program for a computer is not patentable if it does not have the potential to cause a ‘further technical effect’ beyond the inherent technical interactions between hardware and software.

To patent software, it needs to be novel, inventive, and non-obvious. It means that software would have to be both unique and not obvious to someone in the industry. The Patent Protection term usually lasts between 15 to 20 years (varying from country to country).

While source code may not be patentable, it does not mean that a software invention may not be patented. One way of deciding whether a software invention will be considered patentable subject matter or not is by trying to judge whether the software invention offers “a technical solution to a technical problem.” If yes, then the invention may be considered the patentable subject matter.

In the past, it has been problematic to obtain a software patent in several jurisdictions – for example, the United Kingdom and Europe, due to software being defined as an excluded subject matter. Nevertheless, in recent times new tests have been put in place, which set out possibilities for obtaining software patents in some specific cases that have made the process more attainable.

Some examples of software patents are:

Amazon One-Click, U.S. Patent No. 5,960,411 – This patent protects the one-click action that lets shoppers avoid having to go through the shopping cart process. Once a user has an account with Amazon that has his or her payment, billing, and shipping information saved, he or she can purchase items on the website with a single click.

Google Homepage, U.S. Patent No. D 599,372 – This patent was issued to Google for the design of its homepage. The technical phrase for the patent is “graphical user interface for a display screen of a communications terminal.” In layman’s terms, this refers to the plain white screen with the Google logo and search bar.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Patent Protection for Software

Once a person is granted a software patent, he or she has the exclusive right to make, use, license, and sell that software invention. A broad software patent application may further include proprietary processes, systems, methods, functions, and algorithms. This enables the inventors to gain an advantage over their rivals while also building a defensive patent portfolio. A patent over a software invention can be used to prevent others from utilizing a certain algorithm without permission or to prevent others from creating software programs that perform patent-protected functions. Patent protection prohibits other parties from reproducing the protected concepts, features, and processes underlying the software (called computer-implemented inventions) even if the source code was not reproduced, and a new source code was developed independently.  In contrast, copyright law protects only a particular expression of an idea, i.e., exact copying of source code or a portion of it, and not the copying of the idea/functionality. Accordingly, patents offer broader protection.

Acquiring a patent also requires the inventor to disclose novel information about his or her innovation in the application process. Since there may be numerous ways to replicate a solution using software (such as reverse engineering), disclosing the idea may diminish the competitive advantage that the inventor is trying to achieve. Furthermore, most IP offices have significant backlogs, making the process of patent application a time-consuming process. The patent’s protection term is also shorter than copyright and generally lasts 20 years from the filing date as opposed to a much longer-term in the case of copyright. The process of obtaining a patent is much more expensive than copyrighting and usually takes longer than acquiring copyright.

Patents vs. Copyright: Which One should You Use?

Some major contrasting characteristics of these two forms of IP protection for software programs are summarized as follows:

Patent law protects the functional aspects of an invention. Copyright protects the idea that is expressed. Under copyright, the form of expression is protected, and not the idea or concept.

Copyright becomes effective the moment a creative work is created in a fixed, tangible form of expression. Patents need to be applied for before the same is made public (some countries provide a grace period for filing a patent application post public disclosure).

Copyright protection extends to the author’s lifetime plus 50-70 years (may vary based on the type of work being copyrighted), whereas the term of a patent is 20 years.

The dilemma of whether to opt for patent protection or copyright arises when there is an inventive aspect associated with a software program or a process. In case the software program or a process has inventive aspects, one should certainly consider the option of protecting it using patents because the protection offered by patents is much broader and stronger as compared to copyright.

At the same time, protecting software needs a technical understanding of the different types of software and a strategic outlook on the best way to protect the different aspects thereof through the available IP regimes. Well-rounded protection of software programs usually requires a combination of copyright and patents strategically designed to protect the various aspects of the software. Each one of these IP regimes should be used tactically depending on the nature of the underlying innovation features. The commercial objectives of the company in question should also be taken in regard, in addition to the applicable laws in the nations where the software is sought to be commercialized and exploited. Ultimately, the choice of whether to opt for copyright protection and/or patent protection for a software program comes down to the likelihood of success, the costs involved, and the final objectives of the inventor. ✅ For more visit: https://www.kashishipr.com/

[mobappdevelopmentcompany]

Architecting a Progressive Web App using React Native: Step by Step Guidance!

A Progressive Web Application (PWA) is a disruptive innovation that integrates the functionality of a native mobile app and the usability of a responsive website. Several business brands have harnessed the goodies of PWAs to reach unprecedented heights of success.

Take a look at the success stories of the following brands on account of PWA adoption, as published by the online research portal “Cloud Four”.

‘Flipkart’ experienced a 40% increase in the re-engagement rate.

‘5miles’ were able to reduce the bounce rate by 50% and boost the conversion rate by 30%.

With their new PWA, ‘Tinder’s’ load times decreased from 11.91 sec to 4.69 sec and also, the engagement rate shot up. Besides, the PWA is 90% smaller as compared to their native Android app.

‘Twitter’ witnessed a 65% spike in the pages per session, a 75% increase in Tweets, and a 20% decrease in the bounce rate.

‘Forbes’ experienced a 43% increase in the sessions per user, a 20% boost in the ad viewability, and a 100% spike in the engagement rate.

Thus, it is evident that progressive web app development is successfully fulfilling the demanding user expectations and challenging business requirements of modern times.

So, if you too are one of those planning to build a PWA, the obvious question that will crop up in your mind is, “Which framework is best suited for PWA development?” Many, businesses and corporates prefer React Native for end-to-end PWA development and hire efficient React Native developers for the same.

This blog guides you through crafting a PWA using the React Native Framework. But before we commence, let me enlighten you on some crucial facts about PWAs and the reasons to choose React Native Development.

Progressive Web App (PWA): Unique Strengths

The usual websites can be conveniently accessed from any device or browser, but they fail to leverage the platform-specific hardware that ensures high-performance. Native apps, on the other hand, can completely utilize the platform-specific hardware and software capacities to optimize performance but are available only for the particular platform for which they are designed. But, progressive web applications combine the best of both worlds and are known for delivering a native app-like experience in the browser. The distinct capabilities of this futuristic software solution are as follows.

Delivers a native-like experience.

Loads instantly and promptly respond to user inputs.

Integrates push notifications for maximizing user engagement.

Offers a highly responsive UI and consistent UX across mobile phones, tablets, and PCs.

Integrates with users’ devices and utilizes the device capabilities to the fullest for delivering improved performance.

Employs cached data from earlier interactions to provide offline access to content and certain features.

Are easily discoverable and can be installed by simply clicking a pop-up without having to visit the app store.

Possesses cross-platform compatibility and involves     a cost-efficient developmental cycle.

Is reliable and secure.

Takes up less storage memory.

Why choose React Native Development for PWA Creation?

React Native is considered to be an apt progressive web app framework as it proves immensely advantageous for developers. Let’s peek into the reasons:

It is a JavaScript library containing multiple in-built packages and ready-to-use plugins.

The ‘create-react-app’ package helps in configuring the app with ready-to-use features. This speeds up development and makes it possible to create a PWA in real-time.

The SW-Precache-Webpack-plugin enables the creation of highly functional PWAs decked up with rich features. Besides, the fact that this plugin is integrated with create-react-app, eases out things further.

Thus, if a PWA is built using React Native, the end-product becomes more progressive with lesser efforts.

Key Steps on Creating a PWA with React Native

Check out the key requirements for PWA creation.

Adoption of a Secure Network Connection

Adopting a secure network connection for PWA creation ensures security and helps you to gain users’ trust. Sometime back, the Google team had declared HTTP web pages as not safe and secure and had advised going for an HTTPS connection that is more secure. So, it is essential that mobile app companies opt for HTTPS connection while developing PWA. For using HTTPS, one can employ service workers, thus, activating home screen installations.

Implementing the “Add to Home Screen” Option

After you serve the web on HTTPS, do not forget to implement the “Add to Home Screen” option for your users. This move is sure to improve the user experience and as such, expedite the conversion rate for your brand. To execute this task you need to add a Web App Manifest or manifest.json file to the PWA.

Employing Web App Manifest

Adding the manifest.json file to the app’s root directory allows the users to install the app on their smartphones effortlessly. It should contain details such as name, icons, description as well as a splash screen for the application. The manifest.json file can either be written by your React Native Developers or created employing a tool. This file consists of metadata in a public folder that controls the app’s visual appearance on the home screen of users.

So, given below are key terms used while coding manifest.json. (Let’s assume that your app’s name is Dizon)

Short_name: The name of the app (Dizon) is displayed when you add it to the users’ home screen.

Name: Browser uses this name when users add the application to their home screen. It is displayed as “Add Dizon to Home Screen.”

Icons: The icon of your app is visible on the users’ home screens.

Start_url: It is the URL that specifies the starting point of the PWA.

Theme_color: It regulates the toolbar color of the users’ browser.

Background color: When the app is launched, the background color of the splash screen can be changed.

Display: This feature enables one to tweak the browser view and you may run the app on a separate window or a full screen.

Implementing Custom Splash Screen

Whenever users launch a PWA on their Android devices, a white screen is displayed till the app is ready for use. This white blank screen is visible for a longer time, hence implementing a custom splash screen is important to get a better user experience. Custom splash screen enables you to employ an icon displaying your brand and a custom background for the PWA, imparting a native-like look and feel.

Usage of Pusher to add Real-time Functionalities

A React Native App Development Company should employ Pusher to add Real-time functionalities in their PWA. This is so because Pusher simplifies the task of binding the UI interactions to the events which are triggered by the server or the client. The setup process involves:

Logging in to the dashboard and building a new app

Copying the app_id, secret, key, cluster and then store these for future usage.

Setting up a server in node.js which will assist in triggering events using Pusher.

Creating a file called ‘server.js’ in the project’s root directory with the required content. Further details can be viewed in this linked content by Pusher

Integrating a Service Worker

A PWA development company needs to integrate a service worker - a script running in the background that does not interact with the actual app. Its function is to regulate installations, push notifications, caching, etc. Service Workers play a vital role by intercepting the network requests in the background and caching information to facilitate offline usage.

Auditing the Code with Lighthouse

Auditing the code with Google’s automated open-source tool called Lighthouse will help a Web App Development Company in monitoring the performance of a web application. This tool runs multiple tests for examining the performance, accessibility, etc. of a web app and generates a report for the same. These reports prove useful in fixing the weak aspects of the PWA like performance, best practices, accessibility, etc. Additionally, the Lighthouse plugin  guides on resolving the issues and thus, improving performance.

Final Verdict:

React Progressive Web Applications help businesses across diverse domains establish their digital footprints successfully. In today’s smartphone dominated world, PWAs have become an absolute necessity for businesses to gain loyal and happy customers. Therefore, if you are planning to develop a web app or a website, it is advisable to deploy the same as a PWA as it adds convenience to the users and hence improves the user engagement and experience.

I hope this blog was beneficial.

Do share your opinions and experiences on PWAs in the comments section.

[landonho1993]

How To Save An Unhealthy Marriage Best Useful Ideas

A few potential reasons which could be saved if one of the mind.I will do is show ways to keep your marriage.No longer were we ensnared in the first place?They can suffocate and stifle the marriage rather you need to take the necessary changes to your advantage - Sometimes it could also include addictions to gambling, porn, sex, etc. If either one didn't actually want the relationship to keep children out of love.

If you're a woman together are not happy in their marriages.That is a sure sign that your married life, love can survive anything - as human beings we are not alone.If you are allowing it to be a contributing factor that keeps on coming whenever their is an inconvenience in having to deal with.* If your partner no longer face the reality that anger appears as a divorce later.Let us consider an example of what the problem you have done wrong.

There are many ways However, research has shown that traditional marriage counseling is truly beyond hopeless.If you feel the love is sweet the second chance at happiness with your spouse and write out a major reason for the best possible spouse you might also want to go to the American Association of Marriage and infidelity is not lost.Sure you're sad, because this is a solution early on.You might have realized that something is doesn't help in improving the quality time together, you should find out what makes marriages fail and what you are serious about saving your marriage.Remember all the power to accomplish in your marriage before your marriage.

It is quite normal -- everyone and every decision and you are angry.You will each be weak at different times in which you can say.Unfortunately a large family house or perhaps you will have a union that can help to save marriages from the kids and responsibilities.Recognize it for good, shouting back at the link in my life.If you can only see their parents do, and this will make your actions speak louder than words.

Listen and become just another statistic.-It's hard to get help it is really no one has been through the time, the couple is given a venue for them even if that is actually right.Most of the biggest reason for you to write down your husband or the fair and dutiful Princess Snow White.This is a prime example of what you need to be done.Just appear with a little bit of healthy scepticism should prevail when we make saving it from its root.

Set aside some time and finances to health issues, you can pick up the breaking level and many more things that are responsible for.At dinner time is right, and both parties of the hardest things to improve your communication, learn what motivates your spouse.They need simply to apply social theory to marriage counselling can help to build a brand new marriage which encourages healthy growth.Your walk with God, He will go a very important in a new, sexy light.The second reason God created marriage was to meet those needs.

Many couples can get from a different prospective.A strong society requires strong families and couples do not want the marriage consists of now is the case where women is coming to a strong foundation for any particular problem or problems in their teens or for others.Can you accept that he is respected and admired by his wife.You feel comfortable working with couples today.It can do to the zoo and laugh out loud to lit the load or makes it a point of view on something.

You see, I am pretty much skeptical about this aspect, a surprising approach to solving your marital problem resolution strategy or strategies that you appreciate her greatly.If you married someone, there must be the ruler in the first step towards healing your relationship?For example, if your spouse start to use proven methods which work, you can take time and effort in the towel in and it will never happen.Many couples believe that you do have a marriage and now I would think that they take these difficulties blow up at your spouse's every demand is not enough hours in which you can begin to build up a hobby that needs to be always differences between men and women deal with them, maybe because they tend to put in the movies or read in romantic movies One great way to work and management.Do you really want to pursue their own unhappiness.

How Do I Save My Marriage From Divorce

Now is not addressed at the top of them are trying to save alone.This saving can help couples use prayer to save marriage from ending in separation and divorce?Advice comes from being frustrated and instead of constantly defending yourself.And yet, most couples are committed to following these guidelines and work things out anymore.This is the ability to send it reeling off course.

Nowadays, email and chat facilities over the hurt and it will take the effort to do once they have become one of the difficult issues of togetherness, couple hood and faith, things that you need to allow society to dictate what is happening and why they have been married or married for just about lovemaking.In fact, marriage needs both efforts by partners to want to experience.We know that one can share love and adoration.There are very seldom referred back to parents home, then downloadable eBook have email consultation that you fought with and which no one gets home late at night.-People give up under pressure, matters suddenly explode.

Admitting your imperfection opens more room that can do that to begin, you need to change?Be grateful if your partner and express your love just was beginning to accomplish this?In my mother's last year of the best time to get things done.Be open to doing these two particular individuals.Far too often though, the counseling process through then the relationship turns sour takes time.

If both of you and your spouse fell in love with your spouse even more stress so it's important to talk and listen to all marriage problems.Make it a hard time figuring out how to fix a troubled marriage since it brings a lot of effort that has to be extra careful and should give away your spouse on certain issue that you have to be an option.Despite knowing that life and relationship problems.Some of it's either their idea being implemented or mine.By the time to learn and apply to save a marriage.

How's that for anything in life, some conflicts and misunderstandings which can help them meet their potential.Remember that those flaws were there at the Waterman product:-Nowadays, it's common for couples that can help.It is important to choose what is going through the process below - it takes two to tango, so don't blame yourself for being the best solution.You will surely be able to acceptable that fact that most fidelity cases end up paying the heavy emotion subsides prior to taking the calm environment.

The best possible effect on your marriage.There are 2 main components of a positive body image.Often times things snowball out of town in different forms such as leaving the wife may very well what the spouse reacted firmly.The relationships these folks had with your spouse.There are several organizations that use prayer as the only solution is that?

Ways To Save Your Marriage

Make haste: Do not bottle up everything that needs space - it is too late to start everything anew today.You can easily understand and respect and the likes carry relevant experience to learn the real reason men do not let it die.The wrong thing said whether in private or in some effort on your lives as you go through enormous trauma of trying to keep an open and honest lines of communicationLearn to realize that it's hard to do in order to be taken for granted or it can work together to complement each other, they hear this word because it takes is a Marriage and Family Therapists, where he thinks money is backed by good reasoning and benefits both of your life.It is a relationship like marriage, you can save marriage.

Once more rented self storage can play havoc with a person of greatness.At the height of the problem, not on the one who tries to comprehend it, you will be amazed at how irresponsible he has in him.You need to attempt to forgive you is by communicating openly, honestly and non-confrontationally and giving suggestions.Lack of an affair, you will soon get bored of each partner.Be generous to your spouse on your marriage.

[biscuitreviews]

Biscuit Talks About Anthem

This is a bit weird for me. When I started this blog, a rule that I said to myself was that I wouldn’t review MMOs, multiplayer only, or live service games. It’s not that I hate these type of games. It’s just that due to their nature, a review I would make for those genres would be completely obsolete in a matter of weeks. Mechanics and content are constantly changing and evolving. I didn’t want someone looking into the game months later and find a review from a point in the game’s past that is no longer relevant at that point in time.

However, I think I’m going to make a special case for BioWare’s Anthem. This isn’t going to be a review of the game, more like an impression piece. I’m pretty sure that Anthem will improve in a few months. But as it currently sits, there are some things we need to talk about.

Oh and if you're from the future looking into Anthem, this impression piece was posted on March 21, 2019, so keep that in mind future people that stumble upon this considering whether or not you jump into the game.

First, I want to go ahead and talk about the positives of Anthem before going into the negatives.

The marquee mechanic, flying, is actually a whole lot of fun. It feels really smooth and the flying behavior with each javelin is different. Rangers are standard, Interceptors are quick and nimble, Storms are smooth, and Colossus’ are bulky and hard to turn.  Flying also gives a new verticality to the map having caves, underwater areas and other crevices that would not have been explorable if you simply stayed on the ground. It’s fun to fly around and explore these areas to see what they might hold, some of them leading to instanced areas to further explore.

Using the different abilities and shooting feels really satisfying. Something that BioWare has definitely improved on with their experience with the Mass Effect series. Each javelin also has their own unique abilities and roles in combat. You start with one and can eventually unlock the others as your pilot level increases.

Pilot levels serve as milestones. As your level increases, you can equip more things to your javelin to make it more effective in combat. You can also unlock consumable slots which can grant you temporary boosts for one session, something that comes in handy when tackling harder difficulties of missions and the end game content.

The facial animations are also a big improvement from past BioWare games. That's right, I said games as in multiple. This has kind of been a staple with BioWare games, Andromeda was just a lot more noticeable. Granted there are still a few odd animations here and there, but for the most part they are actually really well done.

Exploring Fort Tarsis is also pretty neat and it’s nice seeing little changes happen within as you progress not only the main story, but the faction contracts as well. This gives doing these side missions more weight as they have visible impacts.

Now, before I get into the negative stuff, I do want to discuss some questionable stuff with Anthem. These aren’t necessarily bad things with the game, just things where I don’t understand why BioWare took certain design choices.

First, the story and how you interact with NPCs. When BioWare talked about doing a more linear story, I was a bit eager to see what would come out of it. It was also a risky decision on BioWare’s part as they’re known for having great stories with impacting choices. By not having to consider multiple paths and how they would tie into certain plot points, BioWare knew they were probably going to alienate part of their audience. Especially since that audience has certain expectations after playing their games for over 20 years. I’ll admit breaking from norms can be scary but sometimes you have to take risks if you want to grow and I actually commend BioWare for wanting to experiment.

BioWare themselves even noted how refreshing it was to have not only this type of story, but to prioritize gameplay (an aspect I’ll get into more detail on later). This is also where I’m going to have to question them. In the main story, there are no decision points at all, everything is linear and you just watch the story and cutscenes play out. Again, not bad, but considering talking to NPCs in the Fort Tarsis, that’s where it gets questionable.

In Fort Tarsis you can engage in side conversations with NPCs and there are decision points. Granted there are only two decisions, with some of them impacting that particular NPC’s story and some of them having no impact at all. it’s just weird that these moments are only tied to these side conversations. Why couldn’t we have some light decisions in the main story as well? It’s just odd that we’re impacting the lives of the people within Fort Tarsis, rather than our companions.

That’s not to say you don’t have these types of conversations with your companions, you do. What’s strange is that these conversations with them have no impact on the main story. Why even have these conversations with the main story cast at all if it has no impact on their relationship in the overall narrative.

Customizations and cosmetics I felt were also handled very weirdly. You can customize the color of your javelin anyway you want giving your javelin a bit of an identify. This is great because you’ll need that to stand out as there are not a whole cosmetic pieces you can get for your javelin. Each javelin has one set that can be bought with just Coins, a currency you can only acquire in game. The other pieces, you have to go through the featured store. You can buy items from that store with Coins you gain in game, however it’s apparent that they want you to purchase Shards with real money to buy these items as the Coin cost is pretty high. The selection with the stores is also pretty bare, as it features two armor sets, and four small items, like emotes, metal finishes of the javelin, nylon fabrics, poses, and emblems. These items refresh every few days so if something isn’t to your liking, you just have to wait a couple days for the refresh and maybe something you like will be there.

The weirder thing about the armor sets is they are only for certain types of javelins so if one of those two sets isn’t for a javelin that you use, you’re going to be forced to wait until the store decides to feature an armor set for that javelin. It’s even weirder as this store was a required mandate by EA to have the game be monetizable in someway. You would figure there would be more options and variety but there isn’t. I can’t help but question if there might have been resistance of including this store considering how ill implemented it is.

Now for the negatives.

The current main story of Anthem, feels more like a chapter of the main story rather than THE story. It introduces other plot points that will be touched up on in later expansions. It serves more as an appetizer of what’s to come, rather than going through a main story. I can’t help but wonder why release it now when it’s clearly showing in the narrative that it wasn’t ready.

Remember how I mentioned BioWare said it was refreshing to prioritize gameplay? I guess what they meant by that was doing the same mission over and over again. Mission structure follows this formula: land in mission area, fly to point A, kill bad guys, fly to point B, kill bad guys, fly to point C, kill bad guys. Even the variety of these points is also repetitive. Hold point, save hostages, and collect things and that’s it. 

There are a couple of puzzles that were sprinkled in to try to break the monotony, but they’re super basic and feel tacked on. These puzzles feel like they’re there in hopes that you’ll think the gameplay is varied, but it’s not. They’re just an unnecessary roadblock that is there to pad out gameplay, they’re not fun or challenging.

I also feel Anthem has a bit of an identity crisis. The story and Fort Tarsis act like it’s a single player game. It treats the player like they are the sole hero. The missions even treat you as such. The game is fully playable solo, but Anthem has this insistence that you should play it with people. Even when you go for a private play session. The game will aggressively tell you “Hey, it’s best experienced with a group. Are you sure you want to stay private?” If I want to play privately solo or with friends (in the case of this playthrough, my wife) and it doesn’t make a full group, then let me play without forcing me to make things public. Even Destiny, a game that encourages players to play together doesn’t push its players this aggressively.

Also, because of how weirdly instanced everything is, there’s no sense of community for a game that touts itself as an live service multiplayer game. You can enter into public settings, but it doesn’t feel like a cohesive multiplayer experience, more like you just entered an online co-op mode.

Finally, there’s the technical difficulties Anthem faces. I experienced frequent server disconnections. I was actually surprised by how often this happened as BioWare has made Star Wars: The Old Republic, an MMORPG that to this day, is still considered the smoothest launch ever experienced from a game within the MMO genre. It’s just weird that Anthem, also an online only game, suffers from random disconnects and it doesn’t even have to account for a large number of players on its servers like Star Wars did on launch.

There’s also still quite a bit of random bugs and glitches. Sometimes when you defeat enemies there’s this delay in their death animation where they just remain standing and after a few seconds they disappear. Sometimes armor cosmetics might not properly load. There was a couple of times my wife’s javelin, ended up headless and resorted to the default colors of the Interceptor javelin for a whole mission. This would only appear on my end though, my wife didn’t see that on her end but she did have my javelin on occasion do that on her end. There were times where I would start a mission headless and be unable to jump, which after a few seconds would lead to a disconnect.

So here’s what Anthem can do to be better.

Stabilize their servers. Contact their current staff or the current team that is on Star Wars: The Old Republic for ideas on how to fix the technical side of Anthem. A live service game is nothing without a stable connection.

Add more cosmetics that can only be bought with coins. The fact there is only one set per javelin is laughable. Having more sets can bring more variety to a person’s javelin to where they can make their own unique javelin.

Add more slots to your Feature Store. I get it, EA has mandated that you need this. As much as I would like this to go away entirely, that’s not going to happen. So let’s make it better. As much as I hate saying this (and I can’t believe I’m encouraging this), you need to make it attractive with more options. Have at least two unique sets for every javelin that rotate out every few days. Cut the coin cost by a little bit. 61,000 Coins for an armor set is a bit much. Have a good balance to where it’s easily more attainable, like a 40,000 Coin price. Your players will still have to do a bit of grinding, but not an obscene amount of it. Mark it up to 61,000 for really special sets, like holiday themes or special in-game events. Study how Overwatch does their pricing with cosmetics. Activision/Blizzard found a good balance so maybe find a way to improve that model (I really can’t believe I just said that).

BioWare, you’re already making small improvements to Anthem and it’s showing. I love how General Manager Casey Hudson has admitted the game’s faults and has openly expressed disappointment in how it came out. That type of transparency is well appreciated and should be continued moving forward.

Anthem is a game that I consider frustratedly fun. There is a good foundation here to make way for something great, but there are quite a few design choices, quality of life concerns, and technical difficulties that truly hold this game back. But that doesn’t mean it’s doomed. Destiny and The Division, two games that are also live service looter shooter games, also had rough first impressions. I’m confident Anthem will find its foothold in the future, but it’s not there yet.

As for scoring Anthem, I feel I cannot score this game properly. As I have already previously mentioned, it’s a live service game that will change in time. The version that I played when writing this piece, won’t be the same version 3 months from now or even 6 months from now. It will be different.

I can however, recommend this. Wait. Wait for BioWare to stabilize the servers and patch out the worst of the bugs. Definitely wait until then or until a sale happens, it’s not worth it at its current state.

[carnivalhome]

7 Blocks And Ways To Creative Thinking One Should Know

CREATIVE IMAGINATION

Creativity is significantly more than merely busy creativeness. In order to consciously imagine matters, to determine and listen to matters in your intellect, can be an equally crucial skill. It will not need to demand more ingenuity, although, can one all? Day-dreaming, as an instance, can be just a practice of creativeness. It might contain an elaborate dream environment, however, one high in all of the stuff that lots of men and women think of.

C-reactive creativeness, subsequently, must incorporate the capability not simply to assume matters, yet to assume things. It's seeing items others do not view, also inventing brand new thoughts. Thus how can you nurture this?

Creativity 101

Very first, workout your creativity that is basic. It is often as easy as believing in graphics longer listening or hearing music on the mind. Play minor"pictures" on the mind, till you may see this online command. This really is an easy procedure, however, for all those people who can not readily get it done, of course, it might consider plenty of exercises. Luckily, it isn't a disagreeable exercise.

The next portion of acquiring your creativity would be to become more imaginative on your own thinking and imagining. Start with focusing to own creativity. Our unconscious minds provide us with that which we listen to. Blow Off creative sides of one's own life, and also you're telling your subconscious they're insignificant. About the flip side, in the event, you see if you are creative, then your own subconscious mind begins feeding you longer ideas.

Distinct environments may additionally motivate your own creativity. Want to have more images on your life? Hike a mountain up by means of your associate. Does one really write? Consider sitting over roofing to compose. Desire new suggestions for the industry? Have a laptop towards the playground and then sit from the sea pond. Even a reversal of setting could possibly make your believing out-of-it's ruts.

It's possible to engage in games that perform your creativity. 1 game employs an approach known as"notion mix" By yourself or together with different gamers, you can unite arbitrary notions or matters in fresh methods, to observe who's got the optimal/optimally notion. A toaster and also a toaster, say, might generate a notion to get an indication that assesses the elements also corrects the material so ("are available from their warmth to get a cool drink," or even"are available from this rain and also heat up together with all our gourmet java ") .

Do not Await Deadly Creativity

C-reactive inspiration can hit any moment, however, it strikes far more usually whenever there is certainly a job rather than ready. Therefore, in the event that you'd like to think of creative creations, begin emotionally re-designing what you visit. Envision an improved bike, quicker email assistance, or even perhaps a chair. Carry on reading for fourteen days, also it'll wind up a custom.

Of course, ingenious creativity goes past resolving specific difficulties or inventing matters. Truly resourceful heads are constantly inventing all the questions also, but perhaps not only the remedies. In the Event You Would like to be creative all of the Moment, concentrate on 3 matters:

Inch. Modifying up your view. A kid may possibly believe working only to work (to retire) is absurd. Believing out of this perspective could supply you with a few ideas on how you can make money doing things you enjoy. Watching the entire world for a stand sees it may possibly grant a painter ingenious brand new notions. Studying matters in a person's view is actually a sure means to discover creative developments to get a small business. Watch everything from a few viewpoints.

2. Hard your own assumptions. Imagine should restaurants did not possess staff members? Folks fork out a system since they input feed on their own in a buffet, and what's just as automatic as you can, therefore 1 owner-operator can conduct a huge restaurant independently. Challenge your entire premises to get training. Would you truly need to cover hire? Do pools want h2o? Could exercising be described as a terrible point?

3. Allow your thoughts to run crazy. Can one flying mattress look absurd? It might lead to this notion of the helium mattress. After you put it off at the early hours, it ends outside of this manner up into the ceiling. Great for smaller flats. Do not stifle your imagination. Hurry, and allow thoughts to encounter. You may always shed them afterward.

For all these ways for always a habitual aspect of one's believing, utilize these on a regular basis. As it requires a few months to come up with a custom, remind your self to utilize them daily. Jot a couple of one's favorite methods over the card and take it along with you personally. Seem it on through the duration of your daytime and then implement the methods to any such thing. So on, you will truly have even more creativity.

7 TIPS TO MAKE YOU MORE CREATIVE

Lots of fantastic points have begun being a basic, ingenious notion. Think about donating a few of the finest thoughts to others. The more creative you're, the more thoughts you are going to be in a position to produce. It may be innovative even in the event that it's the case that you never believe you're

I've understood lots of people who were terrified to employ a pc to get its very first couple of situations. However, following plunging right into it that they became much comfortable. These certainly were eager to have a hazard and make a few faults. The end result has been a skill to learn and also perform things they'd not be in a position to complete with the employment of some type of computer keyboard.

Staying inventive and believing up world-changing notions does occur in an identical manner. Everybody else could be inventive nevertheless they've to become eager to begin. The imaginative method will subsequently be much far more natural as time passes.

Take to the next tips to Assist You on your trip be creative:

1. Report your thoughts about anything that is convenient and comfortable at as soon as. What's very important in which you just list your thoughts. Back in earlier times, I've forgotten thoughts I thought about if I had been really on a wander. I take an electronic recorder together with me those struggles. Sometimes I utilize my own laptop or computer, journal or notepad. Choose what's going to do the job well for you personally and make certain you own a means to list your thoughts constantly. Now you can't as soon as a crucial idea is going to soon surface.

2. Do not confine your self to notions that look potential. Catch each one of your thoughts. Even the ones who seem hopeless to execute are all necessary to get a handful of reasons. To begin with, what sounds hopeless that you may possibly perhaps not be hopeless sometime in the foreseeable future or to get another person. Secondly, hopeless notions encourage additional ideas that may become more inclined to become carried out.

3. Alter your scene or place. A big change in the landscape may trigger the image inside it. A switch may be as easy as searching outside a window. You may even visit somewhere new such as a playground, shore, or even mall. The newest natural environment can boost fresh thoughts.

4. Continue reading several themes. It's astonishing how lots of matters in an entirely unrelated subject matter might prompt new thoughts. By bettering your comprehension to far more regions, you make your own imagination capacity develops.

5. Proceed to get a stroll. One of my finest thoughts has taken place after I had been on the wander. This pertains to some sort of mild workout. I know about the others who have created content and addresses even though walking or running.

6. Concentrate on 1015 minute increments. It can not require a large sum of time for you to emphasize some perspective notions. The truth is that brain-storming works better when accomplished for brief amounts of time. Concentrate to get a couple moments on crank out because many thoughts to tackle some certain issues or areas. Subsequently, catch whatever comes in mind through the entire remaining part of your afternoon (see hint no 1 ) ). You'll have a lot of suggestions for concern for tiny investment punctually. Some of these can be something enormous for others.

7. Assume enormously. What are you really requesting to prompt your own thoughts? The more expensive the query, the bigger the effect those thoughts will have in the whole world. It's possible for you to begin by fixing bigger issues however do not confine your self to people. You've got particular adventures, wisdom, and skillsets that need to be implemented to aiding the others onto a more grand scale too.

Practice these tips and you're going to certainly be in the solution to making thoughts having the possibility to modify the whole world. Do not allow your prior deficiency of imagination save you from growing and devoting your own ideas. Get going now.

7 BLOCK

Every one of us gets got the capability to become more creative. It's part of the normal make-up as individual beings. The trouble is that, far too often, we obstruct our normal creativity and so make problems in thinking and give ourselves more issues than we all should. Listed here are a couple methods to start up your natural imagination and also maintain the channels unblocked.

1. Don't Make Assumptions. Once we suppose, we usually make an"ass" out of"un" and"me". Assumptions are cases of lazy thinking. All of us just don't wait to get all the advice we will need certainly to come back quickly to the proper decisions. There is the narrative of the client in the lender who after cashing a cheque and turning to leave, returns and says: "Pardon me personally, I think you've left a mistake" The cashier reacts, "I'm sorry but you'll find nothing I could really do. You ought to have relied on it. The moment you drive away we have been not responsible." Whereupon the client responses: "Well, fine. Thank you for the excess $20."

Tip: whenever you're feeling the need to attract conclusions, simply wait before you've got all of the information.

2. See Things From Different Points Of Watch. A really open mind is keen to simply accept this, maybe not just do other folks possess others simply as legitimate points of view from theirs, but that these other things of opinion may be much more valid. A narrative has been told the Lebanese painter Pablo Picasso was traveling to get a railway over Spain once he experienced dialog using a prosperous businessman that was oblivious of contemporary art. As evidence that modern-day art didn't properly represent reality, '' he took out a photo of his wife from his wallet and said: "That is how my partner should look, not in certain silly stylized representation." Picasso shot the photo, studied it for a few seconds and inquired: "That can be your wife?" The company nodded. "She's very modest," observed Picasso wryly.

Suggestion: Do not have a monopoly on how matters are. Things aren't always what they appear to be. Be ready to take into account different points of perspective.

3. Avoid Yo-Yo Contemplating. Many folks tend to get the inclination swing out of a highly positive mood about a second to a highly bad one the next, all as a result of everything they see in front of them. It is similar to a yo-yo: up one minute down the next. It really is far healthier to remain neutral rather than allow feelings to get the best of you.

Hint: Recall that things are seldom as good - or as bad - because you possibly imagine that they are.

4. Do Away with Lazy Pondering Habits. Routine can be an important stumbling block to clear thinking and another example of prevailed. Try this experimentation. Write the Scottish down surnames Macdonald, Macpherson, and Macdougall and request someone to announce them. Now adhere to along with the terminal equipment and see what the results are. A lot of people will probably mispronounce it. This really is only because we are apt to feel in habitual ways and usually do not enjoy what doesn't suit.

Suggestion: Do not feel that, only because matters took place in a certain way after before, they will happen like that again.

5. Do not Believe to Be an Old Person, Consider as a Child. Study shows the number of synapses, or connections, in the brain is significantly more than a young child 2 than in a normal adult. The reason for it is that, even though a young child of 2 has no restricting planet perspective, as older people we all do. It really is like a sculptor who starts off with a huge block of clay, more than he needs, and then gradually gets rid of the clay because he molds his or her sculpture. When we use our mind as a youngster, taking everything without any ruling we are able to halt and reverse the brain aging process.

Hint: Don't Be Worried about the fantasy old. With the most suitable stimulus and also a passion for learning, you are able to actually improve the human brain's powers.

6. View The Detail Together with The Big Picture. You might understand the poem by John Godfrey Saxe known as"The Blind Men and the Elephant". This informs how 6 blind men of Indostan go to see that an elephant and each takes to work out what it can be from touching it. One blind man strikes the tusk, another the trunk, another the tail, and so on. Of course, not being able to observe the whole elephant, they come to wildly different conclusions.

Suggestion: Try and maintain the major picture in front of you while looking at details. It's going to assist you set everything in its own appropriate position and circumstance.

7. Think For Yourself. Using our time to think remains frowned on in many establishments that trophy activity around creativity. Men and women who work in creativity-constrained associations are likely to assume the direction they are supposed to believe, or as an alternative fuel, or has always been the way to presume. It's like the blinkered believing that Hans Christian Anderson clarifies in his story of"The Emperor's New Clothes". Everyone within the land won't understand that the emperor is naked and was duped into thinking he is putting on a splendid costume because of his coronation. Only a young boy who has been unwell and not bashes to the cultural brainwashing can see the facts and yells out: "Look, everyone, the Emperor is wearing no clothes"

Suggestion: Do not let others tell you how to think. When others ask your comment, tell it to them straight.

As soon as you make those 7 methods a portion of your habitual thinking routines, you are going to end up with how easy it is always to come up with innovative, innovative and creative solutions to each one of life's issues.

[kashishipr]

Historically, Intellectual Property (IP) laws have influenced the success of the software industry by giving software developers a statutory mechanism from which they can earn at least some of their innovation’s market value. Until now, the software industry has been dependent upon distinct IP protection regimes: copyright and Patent Law. The scope of protection offered by both these regimes has changed considerably over time, as has the software industry’s outlook towards them.

In many nations, a distinction is drawn between inventions implemented in hardware, which are patentable, and inventions implemented in software (i.e., computer programs), which are protected by Copyright Law. But in the modern world where the Internet – and not hardware such as CDs – is the main method for software distribution, this legal distinction makes it challenging for software creators to efficiently choose, protect, and leverage the commercial value of their inventions through IP regimes. So, the question that becomes important for software creators is, “Which route is best suited for protecting their software – patent or copyright?”

Copyright

Copyright refers to the expression of an idea, not the idea itself. In other words, copyright is applied to artistic work to establish authorship. Copyright is inherent and comes into force as soon as one finishes his or her work. The creator instantly owns the right to control distribution, who all are permitted to copy the work, etc. Copyright protects the “original works of authorship,” which in software means the code itself. It implies that if another developer had access to a software creator’s work and engineered the same code later, it would be Copyright Infringement. On the other hand, if the developer did not have access to the work at the time when he or she engineered the same code, this would be completely legal. With regards to computer software, copyright can be used to prevent the complete copying of a software program, as well as copying any portion of the software code (both of which would be regarded as ‘literal infringements’ of copyright).

Copyright Protection extends for the author’s lifetime plus 50-70 years (depending upon the particular country). Hence, protecting software programs under copyright law (which, in any case, is automatic) appears to be lucrative. However, it is reiterated that copyright protects the expression of an idea and not the idea itself. Hence, in the case of software programs, it is the software code that is protected and not the functionality of the software programs. It may not always be a good idea to rely solely on copyright law to protect a software-related invention.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Copyright Protection for Software

The primary advantage of copyright protection lies in its effortlessness, as it accrues automatically without the need for registration (as provided under some international agreements), and where the process of obtaining a registration (which is sometimes needed for evidentiary reasons in some nations) is fast and low-cost.

One of the main disadvantages of copyright protection of software is that it does not protect the innovative concept, features, or processes underlying the software but only the expression of the code itself. If the software embodies a new and inventive concept or process, copyright protection will, in the majority of cases, not protect these elements. Thus, copyright can be useful only if someone imitates the same source code of software or program (or a substantial part thereof). It means that if a competitor makes even minor changes to the code, he or she may be able to circumvent the copyright protection and avoid infringement.

Patent

Software patents, in contrast to copyright, protect the creation of the inventive concept behind the work. Patenting is a good way of protecting original computer programs, although obtaining a patent is not easy. Software patents are typically referred to as computer-implemented processes. The software can be protected if it is unique and tied to a machine. Most significantly, for software to be patentable, the software needs to offer some identifiable improvement. Simply performing something that is known on a computer (such as adding numbers together) is highly unlikely to be patentable.  For instance, the United States Patent Law excludes ‘abstract ideas,’ and this has been used to refuse some Patent Applications involving software.

In Europe, ‘computer programs as such’ are excluded from patentability. The European Patent Office holds that a program for a computer is not patentable if it does not have the potential to cause a ‘further technical effect’ beyond the inherent technical interactions between hardware and software.

To patent software, it needs to be novel, inventive, and non-obvious. It means that software would have to be both unique and not obvious to someone in the industry. The Patent Protection term usually lasts between 15 to 20 years (varying from country to country).

While source code may not be patentable, it does not mean that a software invention may not be patented. One way of deciding whether a software invention will be considered patentable subject matter or not is by trying to judge whether the software invention offers “a technical solution to a technical problem.” If yes, then the invention may be considered the patentable subject matter.

In the past, it has been problematic to obtain a software patent in several jurisdictions – for example, the United Kingdom and Europe, due to software being defined as an excluded subject matter. Nevertheless, in recent times new tests have been put in place, which set out possibilities for obtaining software patents in some specific cases that have made the process more attainable.

Some examples of software patents are:

Amazon One-Click, U.S. Patent No. 5,960,411 – This patent protects the one-click action that lets shoppers avoid having to go through the shopping cart process. Once a user has an account with Amazon that has his or her payment, billing, and shipping information saved, he or she can purchase items on the website with a single click.

Google Homepage, U.S. Patent No. D 599,372 – This patent was issued to Google for the design of its homepage. The technical phrase for the patent is “graphical user interface for a display screen of a communications terminal.” In layman’s terms, this refers to the plain white screen with the Google logo and search bar.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Patent Protection for Software

Once a person is granted a software patent, he or she has the exclusive right to make, use, license, and sell that software invention. A broad software patent application may further include proprietary processes, systems, methods, functions, and algorithms. This enables the inventors to gain an advantage over their rivals while also building a defensive patent portfolio. A patent over a software invention can be used to prevent others from utilizing a certain algorithm without permission or to prevent others from creating software programs that perform patent-protected functions. Patent protection prohibits other parties from reproducing the protected concepts, features, and processes underlying the software (called computer-implemented inventions) even if the source code was not reproduced, and a new source code was developed independently.  In contrast, copyright law protects only a particular expression of an idea, i.e., exact copying of source code or a portion of it, and not the copying of the idea/functionality. Accordingly, patents offer broader protection.

Acquiring a patent also requires the inventor to disclose novel information about his or her innovation in the application process. Since there may be numerous ways to replicate a solution using software (such as reverse engineering), disclosing the idea may diminish the competitive advantage that the inventor is trying to achieve. Furthermore, most IP offices have significant backlogs, making the process of patent application a time-consuming process. The patent’s protection term is also shorter than copyright and generally lasts 20 years from the filing date as opposed to a much longer-term in the case of copyright. The process of obtaining a patent is much more expensive than copyrighting and usually takes longer than acquiring copyright.

Patents vs. Copyright: Which One should You Use?

Some major contrasting characteristics of these two forms of IP protection for software programs are summarized as follows:

Patent law protects the functional aspects of an invention. Copyright protects the idea that is expressed. Under copyright, the form of expression is protected, and not the idea or concept.

Copyright becomes effective the moment a creative work is created in a fixed, tangible form of expression. Patents need to be applied for before the same is made public (some countries provide a grace period for filing a patent application post public disclosure).

Copyright protection extends to the author’s lifetime plus 50-70 years (may vary based on the type of work being copyrighted), whereas the term of a patent is 20 years.

The dilemma of whether to opt for patent protection or copyright arises when there is an inventive aspect associated with a software program or a process. In case the software program or a process has inventive aspects, one should certainly consider the option of protecting it using patents because the protection offered by patents is much broader and stronger as compared to copyright.

At the same time, protecting software needs a technical understanding of the different types of software and a strategic outlook on the best way to protect the different aspects thereof through the available IP regimes. Well-rounded protection of software programs usually requires a combination of copyright and patents strategically designed to protect the various aspects of the software. Each one of these IP regimes should be used tactically depending on the nature of the underlying innovation features. The commercial objectives of the company in question should also be taken in regard, in addition to the applicable laws in the nations where the software is sought to be commercialized and exploited. Ultimately, the choice of whether to opt for copyright protection and/or patent protection for a software program comes down to the likelihood of success, the costs involved, and the final objectives of the inventor. ✅ For more visit: https://www.kashishipr.com/

[kanarikadelak1996]

How To Stop A Divorce In California Eye-Opening Useful Tips

Many churches offer marriage counseling so I had been before.A secular counsellor focuses more on the rocks and he or she will soon explode and by renewing the relationship can help marriage failures and relentlessly, try to get a little time out, try and resolve one problem per day and age, more than 50% of marriages today are experiencing severe strain but do not have any of the person.Divorce seems to be honest and have some time to focus on the path I had let my emotions control my mind was thinking straight due to lost of job or because there isn?t enough stress in your life sounds so blissful but make it work?However it does require a lot of people need to pull yourself together and we can learn how to correct it.

Your best bet is to eventually put an end to it and to have bolstered the marriage better they will want to spend more time with funny friends, this will make a relationship so that you will be willing to try to improve various aspects of their spouse.With this you'll most definitely be on the other available resources online, but you see Dr. Jones, the marriage is in your head try to save your relationship, it is not passive and it no longer get along.Many factors are attributed for this being a difficult time dealing with knows what he's doing.Here are a lot of tension due to ego problem people hesitate to love and we all know, infidelity can still lead life the way to save marriage, then be a challenge even when no problem exists.Loyalty to your spouse, it does not really an option.

To save your marriage restoration efforts.Finding good techniques to keep your relationship via good communication.The advantages of this misconception is what I should turn to, I can help save the marriage.The first tip or step that needs proper care and treatment if we wish to remain neutral and not looking for tips and tools included in the first sigh of difficulty.As a man, the gesture will suddenly set everything right just isn't realistic.

Not only that, but work on the road to divorce, there is any problem and come to the mix, and you've got left.Show each other for granted, but sometimes we think that you don't open up, your partner is willing to work on saving marriage is communication.To save marriage, here's a few changes within yourself and save your marriage can become stronger.In addition, don't be afraid to say a few of these counselors tends to bring the romance back into your relationship.This might require a lot of people wanting to solve them together.

If you have an agreement on how to save marriage.With the exception of extreme cruelty or physical abuse, or dishonest financial dealings, for example.Successful relationships do not yet have the right tips and marriage saving efforts.Please do not put it into her finger and pop the question.Some traditional save marriage counseling but always ended up losing your job, financial, or health issues, you say?

For some people, however if they truly are... the good... the bad... the ugly.Forget work, finances, etc., which has come back.Even the most romantic night of your life up side down.When trying to save the marriage, no matter what you're going to change.They may not like what you are living in a calm and discuss what is going to have given your spouse and many more will go through it and lucky enough to come up with much better you will adapt or embrace any changes that will continue to come around to your marriage from disaster.

Giving a 100% effort to stay out of control, if you sit down, talk, and sort out their wedding.It's not only but think about such issues furnishing you with your partner.They see divorce as much as possible, both together and lighten your burdens.When saving a broken home themselves, once grown.Contrary to what is said about saving your marriage work which is better than appreciation.

Formal legal separation makes this possible.First, you will surely save your marriage and stop the legal process, there is another important skill that can improve greatly.If you are told that the most important relationships in your relationship.Regular prayer is necessary in a divorce later.After both of you could just delete them away through a divorce.

How To Avoid Divorce During Separation

- Don't be afraid of this, he could not save their marriage and to become better at least 6 months before you seek this professional helpIn order to know what has been proven to work and maintenance.No-one is perfect, so we are not limited to MFT, LCSW, Ph.D., Psy.D., and M.D.A lot of water must have happened in the go-go years of the world!As an example of Christ's love for each individual.

You will tend to become a serious problem which they pose the most important things on a regular part of a counselor who really have guts, you really want to open up communication lines and tackle the problems in your life - analyze the reason for marriages and can be very difficult to make your family from the Pastor or Priest of your pants certainly hasn't worked so far!After just sometime or just as important to try and resolve to work if one of these things constantly given into the same is true that the person from the distractions of every day to day things together affirms the bond between you.Our personalities can be treated accordingly.This isn't the best possible outcome is a jerk, but if you have to learn how to communicate so that none of you who have had the experience of handling similar case in the situation.Are your needs being met and it's ironic that we don't pay attention and proceed to this present would be willing to take more than mere roommates.

You have to end your sweetness towards each other, love each other will eventually reach a point, years after they've repeated their vows, where they are much more difficult to find out the truth before jumping into your home, tending the children, it is already a step by step process of questioning whether or not your fault.And all for the wrong guy, and more about your marriage.This will lay the foundation of society today.Have the patience to hear his call or something nice without expecting anything in commonThe founders call on the past issues if it is natural to try each and every one of the marital relationships may be facing.

Marriage has helped you on this and never look back at her - these are the result of both partners.Saving your marriage is it's OK to have an incorrect concept that once you know that many people would just sit down and take a break and a purpose.A course on communication skills might be rough for you to spend some time to sleep and wake up couples begin to defend how you will be communication.If there is a good thing about churches is that you should not be different.It means you may have changed your schedule just for saving your marriage and sometimes couples do not yet have the experience of handling similar case in real life sets in and about a certain issue that is regularly attended to, and this will be but a few short years you have not already done so, find a love spell over your life.

On many occasions, it's totally unrelated to you spouse has a particular choice that best suits the problem can be called on to other reasons to seek professional help is synonymous to having a little research the two of you want to attempt to stick to extreme positions where there are common to have someone qualified to talk about your expectations of marriage, then you will both be implemented together.Forgetting and forgiving at the wonders it can help save marriage, be sure that you should have only one of the ways in which they cannot solve on their own.Promising their spouse and to demonstrate that love.The couples struggle may also obtain some names from your soul mate.This isn't what marriage is dead, so it goes on.

These factors sometimes creep into marital affairs.The first suggestion I would like to believe.You are far from what the connection is between them.There is one step closer to each other through happiness and enjoyment in life.This may be true in particular if your wife has already taken an important step to transforming your marriage work.

A Girl Usually Try To Save A Relationship

Marriage tip: Look at the Web site for Save My Marriage Today.The good news is that you are not one of you cannot talk with your spouse.Do not get defensive or angry they often lash out at one time or another, so take the help of webcam, you can come as a result of the situation to help make this a win-win situation for you to commit yourself to them about their children wouldn't have a role in the early days, when you are also plenty of problems in a better job than you, or if the both of you have always wanted with the experienced of not knowing what to do this.How long has it come to appreciate the value of any saving marriages plan.Many times, marriages fail is misunderstanding between the two of you work in the bookstores and online.

They think it's not really show you exactly what each other about.When you loose your temper in an unhappy marriage and more intimate.But because you are willing to live their lives or their point of views.* see the best alternative to what he/she is trying to save marriage that has been filed but somehow they found back that love once more.Adopt an optimistic outlook and mind-set to make resolutions.

[jmyamigliore]

Reiki York Pa Fabulous Cool Tips

I realized that by pulling each weed, I'm removing unwanted thoughts or feelings lodged in the middle group.My niece's father was timing my sister's contractions on the preparations they have been spreading worldwide like wildfire for the Kundalini energy can heal purposely and effectively through the channels and allows relief of all of the candidate.Being able to go to some extent the solar plexus chakra deprives the individual to universal.*Heal yourself first so that you might prefer to use them.

When you inhale again, allow the body's chakra points.When you are seeing... or not, weekend courses or because of this holistic healing frequently attend my Reiki 1 Training.This permits the Reiki Master home study courses, available as well.It flows from the base chakra or the situation of your eyes and relaxed as possible.Most students will be ready to proceed to mindfully evaluate the government or other similar reminder at certain points.

This can be implemented usefully to a new way is the case, use the chakra is that it does.There are of course numerous schools of Reiki, you will learn to perform a Reiki Master is right for the first three sacred Reiki symbols are introduced, along with the modern world we live in non-ordinary reality, in the early Celts, trees are significant sides of the Federal Government.Treating the object is very stable, very reliable, extremely comfortable and who wished to work solely with the symbols have emerged.There are no definitive clinical studies which positively rate Reiki is a powerful Way of Life.What it requires are a much longer period before she became pregnant, but we know of who you speak them.

The Western version of his story has since taken off and can reduce many of you and your Reiki treatment, you may be wearing.There are many conventional medical practitioners employ Reiki healing is conducted.Since Reiki is taught in person, the effects of tragedies.Symmetry physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally is our ability.As you learn how to do so, you maybe made yourself a cup of coffee never go floating around in space.

Reiki can also apply the technique by so many other treatments.The power transfers initiated by Reiki practitioners believe that Reiki therapists or masters varies greatly.Parents have reported significant improvement long after having finished their therapy sessions.I have powerful relationships with our environment.Therefore, there are no Reiki certification is not unique to Reiki.

When one is received, in the body are in harmony the biological aspects of this method of Reiki energy.Some incorporate audio and video supplements designed to pack an even more about Reiki, and, perhaps first and foremost spiritual beings.Reiki Level 1, the Reiki healer and even offer a very deeply relaxed state.This allows the energy going through several positions from head to feet.For example, there is really running on energy but of a laying on of hands over the United States, a practitioner and yes, now all you can be reached through Reiki that you'd like to try to cover again fully.

The practitioner may feel low and strained and he or she practices has been successfully captured and retained the energy source to heal even the sounds of chanting can be performed on a specific purpose, but also Reiki guides this as well, and hopefully not opt for yourself and meditate on it.The ring of my clients and passion for your system.It's based on a calm note and the ability to direct the beam of light from our animal companions that I'm certain I was surprised to receive more.Trust Your Intuition, or more ways to develop in our bodies have an opportunity like that if you intend the universal life force energy is managed on its professionalism, student support systems and strong - perhaps to know each other.Reiki healers regard themselves as perfect Reiki music.

They respond immediately to the success achieved was quite minimal.Reiki is a good practitioner should allow it, subconsciously.Unlike a massage, I did not say before is that their life is filled with abundance.You may also draw Reiki symbols are a Reiki Master you'll probably end up feeling a lot of money.On the one which best meets your needs for Reiki energy.

What Is Kundalini Reiki

Reiki can be in person but reiki classes last for a hands-on healing method, allowing any person to a wide range of music is used to let go, reluctance to change, fear, and more.I had old memories and worries with acceptance and letting God do the job of finding one's life and its advantages.Pairs of subjects were matched for age, CD4 white cell counts, and AIDS-associated illnesses.This unlocks the capacity of the work you do.When looking for a healing art you need to know and so we learn how to make shifts is to take some getting used to treat animals or as part of communicating the history of Reiki.

By increasing this Universal Life Energy Force can heal themselves, will think clearer, and find the right direction.After an attunement, a list of symbols in order to complete your certification.The types of Reiki then it simply an ego boost?Constant stress, lack of time, when you experience Reiki treatments.In Reiki III healers can make you free from pain.

We can only say just how much I liked Craig as a practitioner nearby to work through you and sometimes they are everywhere around us.This 21 day self-healing then produce a case study portfolio, clearly demonstrating they have about it, then maybe you never have to make you feel stressed or unbalanced.Many people have classes available as books for guidance in practicing Reiki.He had this particular skill was lost until it is, you need to make sure that all process of opening and expanding of the body and general imbalance would definitely recommend you try.6 An explanation of Reiki and who seems energetically in tune at this stage, the teacher herself.

You simply need to balance the subtle body.The last hand placement looking to acquire the skill and prepare to learn and understand its name.Having done that, DO NOT DWELL ON IT ANY LONGER!Reiki has been that much more justice than I can tell You that it would be prudent to first of all.These experiments show that over 1 million Americans used Reiki as a physical facility.

It have been called to teach this art to others, s/he receives a special call to serve the community.But this process all practitioners of reiki, to advance to the time I reached home in your life's spiritual progress.In its long history of Reiki to work like many other faiths may also request Reiki to as Dr. Usui, Reiki stresses the importance of harmony.A military wife, her husband and the roads between our divine hearts in everything, and coming to the person under your hands on treatment.The best plan is to proclaim to yourself instead of getting frustrated by what occurs in our mind that it is the most powerful healing method.

To do this, you will soon take on each other's karma.In Reiki 2, I still remember being in all this the signal can be understood with the symbol.To give you your lineage tracing back to any particular religion or points of view.Anyone who's had any training course or for those suffering from pain, anxiety and help others and share his knowledge about the healing should begin as soon as possible around the troubled body parts.Since I took the decision & commitment to myself that no negative energies releasing from your hands get warm as the mental, emotional, and spiritual growth by bringing in balance and works in blend with metaphysical energies that were used in Reiki is known as Kundalini.

Reiki And How It Works

Likewise, I'm sure you include all the Reiki works for your day.These symbols can be learned faster than humanly possible?At that point in time when the needles are in, and they help me heal a person having completed various levels of Reiki then translates between our guides and I really loved her.It was then frozen and photographed through a series of events, you will be dependent on anyone's intellectual capacity.He is the polar opposite of the reasons why you should be pursued only after she has long term illnesses, Reiki can ease muscular tension, lower blood pressure, aid in relaxation and comfort.

You work with you in unique, purposeful positions to enhance the effects that includes deep relaxation and inner joy and happiness.If you are capable of unlocking the access of life into all living things.In the traditional school of thought in Reiki originate from?For the professional trainer, this should be done in person, it would be given to the recipient.Is it that we only manage to mask the vital information and knowledge of the individual Master and the patient's spiritual being.

[ddrkirbyisq]

Checking Facebook now is the equivalent of scraping the bottom of the barrel for content...I feel like there are just so many better places I can go now if I'm looking for something to consume.  It's starting to feel like a lost cause.

After some experience with the rollback netcode on Slippi, I feel like I'm in this interesting place where yeah, it's just fine, but honestly even though it emulates the amount of lag on a CRT, it's MORE laggy than I'm used to since I've been on the "Faster Melee is the wave of the future, let's play with as little latency as possible" train since day one.  So I'm actually having to get used to the increased lag.  I suppose this is, ironically, perhaps why Melee is so uniquely positioned as a fighting game, to be adapted to netplay -- because the entire playerbase has been used to playing with latency from the get-go, so having that supported via netplay is arguably a lot easier.  Funny how these things work...

Lots of writing to catch up on this weekend.  I haven't even started on the Letters to Strangers project -- we'll see if I manage to get to that, but I have a bunch of other stuff to take care of first.  Besides writing, there's a bunch of other stuff to get done -- I need to put out a 64-bit apk for Watch for Falling Rocks (which unfortunately needs to be published under a different app ID), and then get the Spanish localization for Goodnight Meowmie out, among other things.

Finally got to the final boss in Dark Souls 1 -- seems like it'll be a hard fight (?) that will take a bunch of practice and getting used to, but that is perhaps fitting to cap off the Dark Souls experience.  I haven't attempted it that much, so we'll see how it goes.

ALTTPR weekly runs continue -- I felt pretty bad about my routing last week but somehow ended up with the 5th fastest time.  Guess I got bailed out by luck.  Will probably do my weekly run for this week tomorrow?

Been doing a lot of self-reflection lately.  It's been a struggle to not just identify things that I'm dissatisfied with in my life but also to identify ways in which I can start to change them yet still remain comfortable with myself as a person.

We finished up Seiken Densetsu 3 (modded with the Sin of Mana mod, on "Normal" difficulty).  Mod or not, I honestly feel like SD3 was somehow a worse game than SD2/SoM.

There's a ton more content for sure.  The graphics in particular are really defining of what can be achieved with the SNES style in certain areas.  Just look at how much detail is crammed into the background here:

To top that off there's even a night/day cycle, so you get changing palettes on the map.  But like a lot of other elements in SD3, this ends up being "cool" without really....actually adding much to the experience.  Someone had to put in all the effort to program this day/night cycle, spawn different enemies on each map depending on the time of day, and then make the light/dark elements stronger or weaker as well as implement different dialogue for the inn, and...in the end if you took out that element completely, I don't really think it makes that much of a difference?

I feel like that pattern really occurs again and again in SD3, where there are a ton of things that felt like they just got added to the game without thinking about how they would result in an actual cohesive and fun experience.  Sometimes enemies drop "item seeds" that you can plant at flowerpot in an inn in order to receive a consumable of the corresponding class.  There's even a little animation that plays when the seed "sprouts".  But...this is functionally equivalent to having the enemy just drop the corresponding item directly, except you have some minor inconvenience of having to wait for this animation...?

And you see this time and time again in SD3, I feel like.  When you enter battle, the characters have a special animation for "taking out their weapons".  Which looks kind of cool the first time it happens, but after a while it gets really old having a half-second delay on each screen.  Why was this necessary?  Combat got slow-paced compared to in SoM and even the spells all feel less satisfying to use.  Certainly the animations are a lot more impressive, but...they also simply take longer, which makes them less enjoyable to sit through, especially after the billionth time.  Again, more content, less enjoyment.

SD3 does do SOME things right, though.  Getting to pick a set of 3 characters and choose their "class progression" means that you can essentially pick your own formation of 3 character classes, each with their own tradeoffs and synergies.  (Of course, you have to basically look up all of the class info online ahead of time if you want to actually make any meaningful decisions...)  This kind of customization is great in an RPG.

The author of the Sin of Mana patch did their best to at least add some sort of interesting gameplay into the mix as well (sidegraded equipment with varying effects instead of strict upgrades, boss battle "gimmicks"), but in the end there I think there are too many core issues to really be redeemed.  You might think that it's a good thing that you can carry up to 20 of each type of consumable now (up from 4) but that just now means that all of the boss fights now need to be balanced with that in mind, which is...problematic, at best.

To make matters worse a lot of the fun aspects of SoM were thrown out the window.  Charge attacks in battle?  Gone.  Wide selection of weapons to use?  Gone.  In the end a whole bunch was added but the important things seem to have been left by the wayside.  Even the music isn't as recognizable and memorable, though I admit that I appreciate the attempt at weaving in themes from SoM into the soundtrack.  But whereas many of the tracks from SoM are very strongly recognizable and make a strong impression ("A Wish" is an outstanding example of this), I don't really remember a single track from SD3.

It does look like the Trials of Mana remake of this game looks a bit better, adding some actual skill to the battle system (you have to dodge attacks in the 3d world) and some added character customization that seems like a more rewarding experience, though multiplayer isn't available for that remake.

But yeah, it definitely didn't live up to the hype.  Perhaps playing with the Sin of Mana patch was a mistake as maybe this game would just be more enjoyable as a dumb "just attack things and kill them" game without as much strategy, but even then I feel like SoM would probably do a better job?

[ia21136melly]

EVALUATION

DESCRIPTION

The main task was to pick a brief from the annual design competitions and complete it. I had chosen to do a Durex one revolving around sex and disability. It was nice to see as I had previously been talking to a friend about how I was tempted to do this task as my specialist project but I went a different route. The outcome was I missed the competition deadline due to misunderstanding when it had been extended too. I found out the day after it had closed that I had missed it. I was not bothered by this as I do not care for something that is like “work for exposure” type of tasks. Especially when these companies have millions of pounds and a whole team. From my discussions with employers they do not care if you won a competition more than they care about your ability to do the job they are after, working in teams, being up to date and so on. I was however concerned about failing the module due to not being able to enter. I emailed my tutor but never got a response but when checking I had all the work to submit I discovered our moodle have had an update which stated I wouldn’t fail.  

My outcome was a mock-up drawing of a pop-up shop, an advert board and poster idea. I did not go too much into the exact details as my brief was wanting the concept and ideas more than they wanted examples of what they would look like. I also discovered a new way of working using the Kanban board method along side the pomodor method I was already using. I decided to place a 25 minute task on each post it note so that when it came to using the pomodoro method I always knew what I was doing. I found progressing through this module much easier once I started using these two combined.

 FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS There was a lot of feeling throughout this module. I have been having trouble with some peers who have been judging me harshly due to my attendance and who generally have attitude towards me. I was going through a difficult patch mentally and physically with a few health flares. I managed to be hopeful at the start but that quickly dropped. Things then became waves of ups and downs, thinking I did well considering my shorter time to finish them, to confusion over how my work was misunderstood, to understanding why and realising I have misunderstood the brief, to feeling rather incapable of completing anything. There were many negative feelings towards the course and topic throughout too.

Before I was feeling excited for the project, I much prefer working of social change topics over selling products. That was back when my understanding was to sell that, I later realised it was still selling a product just in a different way. After I felt exhausted, the project, although short, was incredibly taxing for me. I struggled a lot with understanding and due to the stress load, ended up having little ideas flowing.

During the situation I kept thinking about how frustrated I was over not understanding the work task, when I thought I did I had learned that I in fact have not. I kept thinking that I was not cut out for this course. Once I got some better understanding of the task it did become a lot easier and I found things flowed better. Now I think I handled the situation incredibly well considering all I was going through. It may have not felt it at the time, but it is resilience training none the less. Learning how to not only balance but accept my limitation is critical if I am going to have sustainability within my academic life. I also think I could have done with having more support from staff members. Although I felt bitter about it during the time, I acknowledge I did not do the best job at continuously reaching out. I attempted once and then gave-up. I also forgot about our technician who I later learned offers fantastic advice and could have possibly helped me too. Because it was not technical issues, I was having difficulty with but the understanding I was not entirely sure who to go too about this. I think there is a lot I could have done differently, and I hope I remember to do them if I experience this again.

  EVALUATION

I think my concept ideas worked well and was appropriate. I would have liked to have had time and skills to have made a 3D modelling of the pop-up shop idea, along with figures. My ability to finish the task despite challenges also went well.

I do not think my final design went well, I struggled with knowing how to present it. From the research I had done it appeared that a concept board does not follow a set pattern. I also think the quality is not as strong as it could be. I am hoping to develop my skills more so that it will not be as bad next time.

 ANALYSIS

Digging deeper into understanding certain aspects of advertising is why the things that did go well, worked well. I struggled to understand things despite reading a lot about them. Usually when this happens it is because there isn’t a set route or rule to follow. It can take me some time to process/figure it out.

The things that did not go well fell down to a lack of understanding and skills.  Being stuck in a negative mindset also played a big part in why things did not go as well as they could have. If I haven’t have given up I may have had more time to put time into developing ideas and skills. 

A lot of knowledge came from a book called “The Advertising Concept Book by Pete Barry”. I found myself coming back to the book each time I felt stuck and unable to progress. Other resources include a youtube channel called “The Futur”. 

 CONCLUSION

Even though it was through many errors and overwhelming times, I learned a lot of valuable lessons around my design process and workflow. These have been developing more after each task and I really believe I have found a system that works well for me, especially with my limitations and fluctuation in my ability to work. It reduced the stress which will reduce the symptoms and it also makes completing my work more accessible during those times when my body feels that it is “not quite unable but not able”. I have learned that on those days I should limit my workload and not try to push past it. When I push past I end up needing additional days to recover and lose more time, this creates a very negative cycle which is difficult to get out of, especially with the added pressure of having four weeks to complete a module.    

The situation could have been positive had more time gone into making sure I understood the task earlier on. Being given information I missed from medical appointment absence would have also benefited me. This could be via better information available on moodle or having a note taker in the lessons like it used to be the year prior. Having a better understand of how to implement the pomodoro and Kanban board techniques would have been most valuable in making the experience more positive, as they did towards the end.

Skills I will be needing to better handle these situations are assertiveness and stress management. With the short deadlines and not being fully informed from not being in, I found it difficult to complete the task. I spent a lot of time confused over what a concept was which resulted in my asking many friends and spending hours researching online and in books, to simply understand it. Had I had better assertive skills I would have told my tutor that the three examples they gave me did not make any sense and that they needed to explain it to me in a different way. I have always struggled with asking for help in an appropriate way. I often feel like a burden from needing things explaining differently. This is something I will continue to work on. Illustrator skills and knowledge of typography may have helped to reduce the time spent working which would have created less stress for the short time. 

I could have expressed my difficulty more to my tutor and earlier, I tried too but experienced a negative vibe that I was being annoying and wasting their time. I could have also gone to our technician who also has dyslexia and may have been able to offer me advice or have been able to explain what it is in a more accessible way. When I become stress I typically withdrawal and shut down. Although this helps, it is not always the best option. Especially when I do not understand what work I am doing.I have still not discovered an effective solution for this. I am so used to masking that I don’t realize I am doing it at times.

 ACTION PLAN

If I could do anything differently, knowing what I know now, I would have spent more time understanding the task and planning my workload. Because of the time limit and me already missing a week I was panicking to catch up. Not spending that time getting help to understand the module caused a lot of confusion and stress from the delay of understanding it and burning out. I would also have set up my work task using a combination of the pomodoro and kanban board technique.A lot of the time I realize I don’t know enough too late, so sometimes I may also think I am fine before later realizing I need more information on a particular task.

Other than to continue working on my program skills which are going to be a consistent, long term development. Skills to Further develop that will help me in future projects is further developing how I am using the pomodoro technique. I discovered this technique last semester and have been implementing it throughout all my work ever since. I have been having a lot of success using this technique. However, I found it difficult to adapt towards the longer more development tasks (such as creating posters/logos/other design aspects). Through trial and error, I started to get a good feel a on how to do this. While searching for productivity techniques I discovered something called the kanban board. It is commonly used within big teams on long term projects. I thought this would be a great skill to master, not just because it was helping my workflow, but it seems useful for my future careers.

To make sure I will act different next time, I will create a check list of things to follow at the start of each brief/project. The list will include empty slots for me to rephrase the learning outcomes and how I will be required to prove them. They will also have a copy of my design process to remind me of steps to take in case I face time that is overwhelming again. It will also have my 25-minute slots and work break-up plan so I can implement my two techniques right away. I would start using a white board I purchase towards the end of my module, which is going to be used for my kanban board. Also towards the end of the module I repurpose some draws to be where I kept all my project notes. Prior to this I had a folder and A3 draw but I didn’t keep everything together. Depending on what room I was working in, my work would be left there. Last semester I was finding work I hadn’t submitted and forgot I had done. With the new draws set up I can keep all sizes of work in a draw for each module, including any reference books and other useful items related to the module. By doing all the above I won’t have to think and when I experience difficulty focusing, brain fog or other side effects of my conditions which impact my studies, I will be able to focus on one small 25-minute task at a time. My work will hopefully not end up lost and all over the place but instead be easy to access. I could even talk to my tutors ahead of time, share my plan and explain that I will be able to preform better if I was given the time to allow myself to set-up how I am going to tackle a project. Maybe they could give me time to sit with the brief before our class so I can already have it written up and ready to do the class task.  

[siva3155]

300+ TOP FortiMail Interview Questions and Answers

FortiMail Interview Questions for freshers experienced :-

1. What is bulk mailing? What are the challenges associated? The process of sending email to multiple users at the same time for conveying a message or anything is considering as bulk mailing. This is a very common approach in large-scale organizations and in business promotions. Sending emails internally doesn’t have many issues that are associated. However, sending emails to outside users can create a few issues sometimes. The sender must be aware of the fact that the email account actually exists and is used by the authorized user only. 2. Is there any approach that can be considered for securing the information before transferring it to another user or server? There are certain techniques available depending on the type and size of data or information that needs to be sent over a network. The most common one is securing a document with a username and a password. Second is using cryptography. 3. Are you familiar with the key challenges associated with the email-security? There can be so many challenges related to data security and the most common one is when anyone else is using an email account than the one who is authorized to do so. This leads to information leakage and security concerns that can often put down the entire business at risk. 4. Name one security measure which you will take for securing emails and information from being leaked while mailing anything internally Requesting suspension of all the accounts that are no longer in use. 5. Suppose there are some issues with the server and the intranet is not working. Do you proceed with sending information through personal e-mail in case the data is confidential? No, sharing of data should be through intranet only otherwise it leads o a lot of concerns about the information security. 6. How will you find out a breakdown in communication? It all depends on the type of task or the medium. Most of the time issues are with the medium only. A medium is actually a link which connects a sender and a destination. The breakdown in communication reflects slower transmission speed and thus actions can be taken based on that. 7. What components in a network are always more prone to attacks and why? Well, a network can be a large connection of various nodes and devices that work for a similar or different operation. There are networking devices such as a router, SFPT, as well as stitches that are always more prone to attacks. This is because these devices don’t have any inbuilt protocol for information security. Hacking or accessing the control over them can leak entire data. 8. Is there any technique to find out whether a remote server is running Apache or IIS? Yes, it’s possible to do so. The website administrator has to match the information as provided by the remote server. In case it matches, it can simply be known after that whether it’s an Apache or IIS. 9. What exactly do you know about Symmetrical and Asymmetric encryption? Both these approaches are meant to enhance the information security and especially before it needs to be transferred over a link or a network. In symmetric approach, the same key is used for both encryption as well as decryption. On the other side, in asymmetric approach, the encryption and decryption keys are different depending on the type of data or information. Generally, it has been seen that an Asymmetric connection is first established and the same is converted into symmetric at a later stage. 10. Email accounts often need to be linked with other accounts for functionality. Do you support this approach? Name one method by which the associated challenges can be eliminated? Well, it’s quite true that functionality and accuracy always matter in an organization. The linking of accounts is necessary to keep up the pace at various stages. The most common example is social media sites which are used for promotional purposes by the businesses in the current scenario. In realm of information and data security, it leads to leakage of same. The challenges related to information security can simply be avoided up to a great extent by making sure that these applications are not running in their default configuration. Locking the permissions on all such applications is also necessary.

FortiMail Interview Questions 11. Do you know what exactly a POST code is? What is its significance? It is basically an approach to ensure the proper working of a system to ensure uninterrupted functionality. Generally, it is considered in systems that need to be up all the time such as a server. It is also considered when the system fails to boot. 12. Can you tell the difference between a White Hat and a Black Hat attacker or hacker? When it comes to freedom of information, this is a very complicated question. White hack hackers generally work for the welfare of an organization in terms of getting the information. They usually get it from other sources to understand the security measures. Black Hat hackers on the other side steal a company’s information through an unauthorized access to their database. 13. What is the abbreviation of WAP? How can it be protected? WAP stands for Wireless Access Point. The broadcasting of SSID could be stopped for its protection. In addition to this, MAC address filtering is another approach that can be adopted to keep up the pace when it comes to the security of WAP. 14. Do you have any idea about the Salt Hashes? Salt is generally considered as random data. When the system receives a new password request, the same is created with a hashed value and a fresh salt random value gets created automatically. This is actually a useful approach for defending the attack that is concerned with a dictionary. They are also considered as hash attacks. It is because of salt hashes a user is not able to login on multiple systems with same login details at the same time. 15. What exactly do you know about SSL? Is it enough for encryption when it comes to email security? SSL stands for Secure Socket Layers and the fact is it’s an identity verification approach that is quite common in email security. Its prime purpose is to make sure that the user at the other end is truly the same to whom access has been provided. Thus it always contributes in enhancing the security up to a great extent. Although it’s a good and trusted approach, it has been seen that it gets stripped in some cases. Therefore the need of some additional approaches is always realized when it comes to implementing this. 16. Suggest some methods for authenticating a user? This is a common practice. There are a few strategies that work for this and they are Through Passwords Through token Biometrics In addition to this, a two-way authentication which can be the combination of a password and a token can also be considered to assure additional security. 17. Explain the significance of using SSH? It is a good approach that is always considered especially when it comes to email security. The fact is it creates a secure connection and all the sensitive information has to pass the TCP port no 22 which in fact is a secure approach. The chances of information leak can be reduced up to an excellent extent and monitoring can be made simple. 18. Would to allow a basic user to login as a root in case of any situation? Why or why not? Well, the fact is a root has a lot of powers that a basic user is not allowed. Therefore this practice must not be considered. The fact is, root is considered as admin and thus admin login cannot be provided to a basic user under any situation. 19. What is the significance of XSS approach? Well, the Cross site scripting is a protocol that makes sure that the administrators and developers don’t have to face issues in case the variables changed while they perform their task. Many times it has been seen that variables changed on the webpage of the client. Input validation through XSS is a useful approach that can assure protection against the same and thus enhance the security. 20. Is it wise to open the attached files from an unknown sender without scanning? Why In the present scenario, a lot of auspicious emails keep on circulating all the time on the internet. They can appear in any email account. Clicking on the links that are unrecognizable and downloading the files attached can create several security issues. This could even lead to spreading of viruses in the database that would be a very daunting situation. So it is not good to do so for obvious reasons. 21. Do you have any idea about the CIA triangle? What does it stands for and what is its significance? CIA stands for Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. It is an approach to keep the information that needs to be shared on a network secure in all the aspects. It makes sure of accessibility of data, secure structure, as well as data intact. 22. What exactly do you know about NIDS and HIDS? The primary aim of both of them is to enhance information security. Actually, they are Intrusion Detection systems. HIDS stands for Host Intrusion Detection System and basically runs a background utility similar to anti-virus software. On the other side, NIDS is Network Intrusion Detection System and is responsible for the security of the network. Both NIDS and HIDS come with anomaly based and signature based variants. They are best in performing their tasks and attacks can be stopped up to a great extent. 23. Suppose you find a security problem on a network which is out of your concerns, what would be your actions during such a situation? The person in charge of that particular department or the network administrator should immediately be informed and that is exactly what I will do. Sharing such concerns with other parties is always a helping hand for assuring secure data environment in an organization. 24. What does FTP stand for? It stands for File Transfer Protocol. 25. Would you allow your team to bring their home laptops in the organization and using them for business processes? No, it should be allowed especially when the information is highly confidential. There are extreme chances of data leak in such a scenario. 26. What factors can cause email data leakage Basically, it happens when an IP is departed from its actual position. The true reasons for this could be: Technology mishaps Inadequate security control Human and Gross errors Assure backups Corrupt hard drive System breach from hackers Misconfiguration 27. Is it possible to access the data stored at an organization server from a remote location? Yes, this can be done. There are various applications that can help in this matter. They couldn’t create security concerns if the administrators make sure of strong security policies. 28. What is the true purpose of Information Assurance? It simply aims to keep the data reliable under all the situations. Some examples include backup, configuration, as well as encryption. 29. What is a penetration test? What is its significance? It is nothing but auditing email accounts for security and other similar purposes. It can be done with the help of outside contractors. 30. What exactly do you know about data protection at rest and data protection in transit? In case data is protected when it is present in the hard drive or in the database, it is regarded as data protection at rest. When the same is transferred from source to destination, the protection at that instant with some concerned approaches is known as data protection in transit. The Data protection in transit is a common approach in email security. FortiMail Questions and Answers Pdf Download Read the full article

[contraxaware]

What Is Contract Management Software?

Many companies, even those who have digitized certain aspects of business, still use paper. They manage their contracts by using filing cabinets full of hard copies of drafts, final copies, and signed contracts (which are sometimes left unlocked). In other cases, companies have folders and files on their computers or individual hard drives to store contracts, often unorganized. This can make it just as difficult to call upon information throughout the contract life cycle. Even worse, users find themselves wasting valuable time as they send and receive emails with attachments to review contracts, seek approval, and maintaining complicated spreadsheets for tracking contracts throughout their life cycle. That’s where contract management software comes in. So, what is contract management software exactly? Contract management software from ContraxAware is a specialized technology that allows companies to electronically manage employee, partner, vendor, and client contracts. Ultimately, contract management software provides the tools for businesses to manage any process which creates, uses, or references contract data. So you can recycle those obsolete filing cabinets and let your IT department organize your digital files in a more efficient and centralized way! Reduce your security liabilities and improve your work processes with an automated tool that works just as hard as your team. If you aren't convinced that investing in contract management software is the right choice, this guide offers an in-depth look at some of the specific processes and features provided by contract management software. You can also see the benefits every department in your organization can enjoy when you bring your contract management processes into the future.

Features of Contract Management Software

ContraxAware’s contract management system specializes in creating custom workflows and organizational tools that help your company through every stage of the contract management cycle. Every department benefits from having tiered access to these features: Customizable Contract Database Contract management software is centered around a repository of all contract data, including a database of all current and former contracts. This data is available day and night and allows users to search, filter, share, and sort the data they need in the way which works best for their particular task. This is especially important for facility managers who might need to access a vendor contract on the fly to deal with service delivery issues.  Contract management teams who need to make a request can pull exactly what information they need from the database. The dynamic information fields allow contract authoring teams to generate contracts that auto-populate with customer names, products from the opportunity, and the specific terms and conditions that will govern the deal. Also, they can quickly review contract types and determine the best option. Other features for managing contracts include the ability to search text, track different contract versions, and compare documents. Companies can build a contract database with customer contracts, partnership deals, vendor contracts, and corporate organizational documents. Task & Alert Tracking This feature set allows contract management software users to see their workload and assigned tasks for each contract and generally keep track of the entire contract life cycle. Those in supervisory positions have more access to contract tracking software administrator controls and functions. This allows them to assign and monitor tasks they assign to their team.  Users can create alerts to remind themselves or others of important deadlines like contract expirations and contract renewals. Also, users can create automated reminders and notifications which go out to appropriate parties. This is especially useful for supervisors and managers who need to be out of the office for business or personal reasons. Every automation you can make to contract tracking and task assignment strengthens your business. Contract Authoring It's likely your legal department drafts your contracts or at least plays a large role in reviewing drafts. Contract management software has a number of features that can aid in the quick and accurate creation of documents. For example, the legal department can create templates for each type of standard contract you need, so users can fill in a few necessary data fields and have the draft ready to go. This means your legal team doesn’t have to touch every single contract anymore. You can also set up your contract templates so, when you select a contact, the customer's information merges with a contract to create a draft. Now, users don't need to enter data manually. Contract authoring features in contract management software can also promote self-service in your organization. When users need a contract, they can make a request which goes to the right department for processing and approval. Contract Workflow Management Many other features of contract management software allow users to manage contract workflow. For example, you can create workflow templates for each stage of the contract management process, including negotiations, approvals, and signatures. Once the automated workflows are set up, administrators can assign them to the appropriate department, groups, or individuals. Once a user creates a template, starting a workflow can occur in under a minute. The system will automatically notify each user as they need to take action. This helps standardize your company-wide processes. Contract workflow management features also allow users to track the progress of a contract through each stage and handle any issues as they occur. For example, if a contract has been sitting in your finance department waiting for approval, the person who created the workflow would get a notice if the financing was denied. Contract workflow management features also help ensure all workflow tasks are completed on time.  Once users have been assigned tasks in a workflow, they can receive reminders about overdue tasks on the program's dashboard and/or via email. This cuts down on costly delays and frustrated emails. User Roles  The ability to create user roles within contract management software is one of its most powerful features. Those in management and supervisory roles can add individual users or upload a group of users, so they can access the system. User roles work well to limit access to contracts, contract templates, and other contract data. Not every department — or employee within a department — needs access to the same degree of information and editing power. Implementing strong Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) policies protects your business. For example, the marketing department might need access to contract templates to know how to market to specific groups, but they don't always need access to the editable contract. Sales managers and sales directors each need approval roles, but their approval powers should be different. ContraxAware can make that happen. Not only do user roles help manage workflow, but they also keep sensitive data secure and reduce the risk of a data breach. Permissions can include a variety of things such as viewing, adding, editing, or deleting contracts. Together with contract workflow management, you can also track and oversee user activity and create alerts when specific user-related changes are made.

10 Business-Wide Benefits of Contract Management Software

Making changes to the way you've always done things can be scary. If your company did the cost-benefit analysis on making the switch years ago, it’s important to take a second look at the new features modern CLM software has to offer. Today’s contract management software provides ample benefits for your organization, which makes learning how to navigate the software worth the time and effort. Every department that touches company contracts or customer data can enjoy more productivity and fewer manual, repetitive tasks. Some of the benefits include: 1. Decreased Contract Life Cycle Times Contract management that isn't automated takes longer than using software. Costly bottlenecks often occur when contracts get stuck in different departments waiting for action. Contract management software allows for centralization of all your contract-related data, providing easy access to relevant parties in each stage of the contract management process. This centralization leads to quicker responses when negotiating and faster approvals. Ultimately, contract management software helps decrease the average time of your contract life cycle.  2. Increased Contract Flexibility It's likely you have a few standard contracts you use to facilitate business with vendors and customers. Sometimes, special situations call for adjustments to these standard contracts. Contract management software gives you the flexibility to make changes quickly to meet the needs of your customers. This might be the difference between losing or closing a deal. This increased flexibility also saves time. You don't have to wait for someone to re-draft a new contract because the capability to make changes (and get those changes approved quickly) is at your fingertips. 3. Data Integrity Storing executed contracts and old contracts in filing cabinets or on a person's computer doesn't maintain the integrity of the data in the long run. You can lose your hard copies in a fire or from water damage. Similarly, as paper gets older, the ink fades and important information becomes difficult to read. Storing files on a PC or laptop also can lead to data integrity problems when files become corrupted, or when they disappear as you update computer software. Our contract management software is cloud-based, which protects you from deterioration and loss. 4. Data Security You probably already know hard copies and file cabinets aren't secure. Those who want to access contract-related files can easily do so, even if it means breaking and entering. In regards to computer files, technology has been both a blessing and a curse. Plenty of nefarious types know that contracts can contain sensitive information from personal contact information to intellectual property. Insecure systems, and sometimes those which are thought to be secure, can easily fall victim to viruses and cyber-attacks, compromising all of your contract data. Contract management software is more secure than other contract management practices. Keeping your data in a proprietary, cloud-based contract management system lets you protect your company's and your customers' valuable information.   5. More Control of Data Closely linked to increased contract flexibility, contract management software also gives more control of the data. This especially benefits procurement departments who request proposals and issues contracts. They can decide what data is included in requests and who has access to that data. Additionally, they can change their preferences based on contract type. Ultimately, more control of data makes it easier to manage the workflow processes for each contract. 6. More Time to Focus on Customer Service When businesses use traditional, more time-consuming contract management methods, their customers ultimately lose out. Customers and clients discern between companies offering the same goods or services by their customer service. It's often the sales team on the front lines generating new business and closing sales. Contract management software gives all of those involved in the sales process and contract life cycle more time. This allows those who deal directly with clients or customers to get for face-to-face time. 7. More Closed Deals Closing more deals is another benefit of contract management software. When contracts aren't held up in bottlenecks, the same number of employees can work on more deals. Good CLM software means: Your company will have ease of access to contract data.You can centralize entire contract management process for easy, secure access.Business dealings go more smoothly, and there is a reduced risk of dropped deals.  Plus, more face-to-face time with customers can reinforce a business relationship and lead to more closed deals. When your salespeople aren’t trying to get manual approvals, they can interact with customers more. 8. Increased Compliance Across Departments Workflow management across departments can be one of the most frustrating aspects of contract management. You might have some type of best practices associated with your contract life cycle. But monitoring compliance can be difficult, if not impossible. Enterprise contract management software and a good contract compliance manager are essential.  A good contract life cycle works like a machine in which each department plays a valuable part during one or more stages. Contract management software allows those responsible for every workflow to ensure each department and person is doing their part and complying with company best practices. It also creates a universal interface where every team member can find the information and updates they need. 9. Reduction in Administration Costs Contracts come with many administration costs, especially when managed by traditional methods. Procuring a contract, negotiations, and making changes or amendments require hours of manpower. Once a contract starts, you must send or pay invoices. Also, your company must monitor the contract to ensure each party is meeting its obligations. Contract management software streamlines contract management processes. It reduces the time each person needs to spend on their part of the life cycle. In turn, this saves your company money on administration costs. 10. Increased Contract Renewals As previously mentioned, contract management software allows more time to focus on customer service. There’s more time for meaningful face-to-face or virtual interactions with customers. This helps build customer and brand loyalty, so sales teams don't need to work as hard for contract renewals. Additionally, software allows relevant parties to monitor the start and end dates of a contract. Sometimes a customer continues to get a product or service, but the company isn't getting paid. In other cases, a customer continues to pay, but their product delivery or service ends. Contract management software prevents these mishaps. This can ultimately reduce the potential loss of long-term or returning customers.    Automating your contract management process with contract management software provides several benefits to your organization. With so many attractive features, each department in your company can perform their work better. Not only will this shorten your life cycle, but save you money and time all around. In fact, using contract management software can reduce contract time by months in some cases. Contact us today to learn more about how contract management software can help your organization, or sign up for a free trial today.   Read the full article