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amarabhilash · 2 years

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Chromebook Laptops

iPad

Which hybrid tablet is best for the back-to-school crowd?

Hybrid tablets can save your life on campus, but which is right for you?

Whether you're in the midst of the oddest school year of your life or you're just getting ready to start, you're going to need a device for your academic activities. Thankfully, shoppingmode Apple and shoppingmode Lenovo both have some solid options for you.

On the Lenovo side, we've got a nifty little hybrid laptop/tablet called the Chromebook Duet. Starting at $279, it comes with both a tablet and a detachable keyboard for any serious work that needs to get done. Staring down the Chromebook Duet is Apple's latest entry-level iPad, a 10.2-inch tablet with a full suite of Apple apps and services, and a higher price tag ($329 at bare minimum).

Both may be tablets with fully functional keyboard accessories, but their differences outweigh their similarities. If you're scratching your head because you can't figure out which tablet is best for you, allow us to help.

Which tablet has the best display?

Whether your dorm roommates are hogging the TV or you just don't feel like getting out of bed, it's reasonable to assume that you'll eventually use either the Chromebook Duet or the shoppingmode iPad to watch movies or TV. After all, why get a tablet if not to take advantage of its bigger screen compared to a phone?

In this regard, the Chromebook Duet and shoppingmode iPad are fairly similar, but one just barely takes the top prize.

Lenovo's tablet has a marginally smaller display than the iPad at 10.1 inches, with a 1900 x 1200 resolution and 400 nits of brightness to keep things looking relatively sharp and readable. ("Nits," by the way, is the unit of measurement for brightness. If you didn't know that before, you learned something new today. Congratulations!)

Those are pretty decent screen specs for a sub-$300 device. Unfortunately for shoppingmode Lenovo, shoppingmode Apple has it beat with the pricier shoppingmode iPad. Its 10.2-inch display is bolstered by a superior 2160 x 1620 resolution and 500 nits of brightness. It's (slightly) bigger, sharper, and brighter.

Winner: shoppingmode iPad

Related Video: shoppingmode Apple has a lot of new products, so we ranked them

Which tablet has the better performance?

The Chromebook Duet is a largely excellent little device, with a battery promising 10 hours of use that should get you through a whole work or school day before it needs to be charged again. Unfortunately, moment-to-moment performance is one area where Lenovo's enticingly low price rears its head.

As I mentioned in my review, the Duet always feels like it's hovering at or slightly below the speed limit without ever kicking things into high gear. You can absolutely use it for daily web browsing or school tasks without encountering huge problems, but it never quite feels buttery smooth. Open too many tabs and it'll probably slow down a bit.

It's just hard to compete with Apple when it comes to performance. The relatively old A10 Fusion chip inside the basic iPad means it won't be on par with the newer iPad Pro, but the general smoothness that you get with any modern Apple product puts the iPad over the top in this category.

Winner: iPad

Are the detachable keyboards any good?

There are plenty of small differences between these two tablets, but Lenovo and Apple have one major breaking point as it pertains to our comparison: The Chromebook Duet is meant to be used as a laptop, while the iPad can be used as one. This difference is key to understanding which one is a better purchase for you.

Specifically, the Chromebook Duet comes packaged with a keyboard that attaches magnetically and includes a trackpad for mouse movement. The keyboard is a little small in order to accommodate the meager size of the tablet itself, so people with larger hands should be prepared to screw up while typing as they get used to it. Aside from that, it does the job admirably.

Apple's problem here isn't one of build quality so much as one of availability. The regular iPad doesn't come with the Smart Keyboard attachment, as Apple charges $159 for the privilege of having a keyboard at all. That keyboard, by the way, doesn't have a built-in trackpad. Instead of turning the iPad into a laptop, it turns the iPad into a tablet with a keyboard. Still extremely useful for plenty of day-to-day tasks, but Lenovo is just a little more committed when it comes to keyboard support.

Winner: Chromebook Duet

Okay, so tell me: Are there any special features?

The largest software difference between the Chromebook Duet and the 10.2-inch iPad lies in their respective operating systems. Your personal preference here could go a long way to determining which tablet is right for you.

Lenovo's device runs on Chrome OS, like all Chromebooks. It's a Google operating system, meaning you'll use Chrome and Google's related suite of apps for everything. If you already live a life centered around Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, and Google Meet, you'll fit right in here. It's all built-in, and if you log in with your Google account, everything you have in cloud storage will be immediately accessible.

Of course, the iPad runs on iPadOS. It's like the iOS that fuels your iPhone, except for iPads. You get access to all of Apple's fancy features, including app multitasking and FaceTime. It's worth noting that a Chromebook can multitask, too. But on the software level, whether you're bought into Google's ecosystem or Apple's should factor into your decision.

In terms of hardware features, both tablets support styluses like the HP USI stylus for the Duet or the first-gen Apple Pencil for the iPad, but neither comes packed with one in the box.

The biggest advantage Apple has in this category, and the reason it has to win, is SIM support. The iPad can connect to cellular networks if you're willing to pay at least $459 for it. That's huge, especially on a campus where WiFi might not always be ideal.

Winner: iPad

So which tablet offers the best value?

We like Apple products around here, but even the most devoted Apple-head has to acknowledge that you pay a premium to get the company's hardware. In simpler terms, sometimes Apple charges a little bit too much for things. Lenovo, at least in this case, didn't do that.

The Chromebook Duet comes in two configurations, a 64GB model for $279 and a 128GB model for $299. Otherwise, the two models are the same. It's a fantastic price point for a tablet that doesn't pack in a ton of processing power but is more than strong enough to act as a daily portal to the internet and word processors.

We can't really say the same for the iPad. Its $329 starting price is pretty great for an Apple tablet, but that's just for the 32GB version with no extra features. If you want 128GB of storage and cellular network coverage, it balloons all the way up to $559, which doesn't include the cost of getting a keyboard. That's not exorbitant by tablet standards, but it's almost twice as much as the most expensive Chromebook Duet configuration.

Lenovo dunks all over Apple when it comes to value.

Winner: Chromebook Duet

The Verdict

The Chromebook Duet and 10.2-inch iPad are different products that serve slightly different audiences. Lenovo's offering is weaker as a pure tablet, but Chrome OS and a packed-in keyboard and trackpad turn it into a decent little schoolwork machine that you can slip into a small bag. It's also truly affordable, giving users plenty of versatility without bankrupting them.

Apple's basic iPad is a worthy contender by most standards, too. The screen is brighter and sharper than the Chromebook Duet, and Apple always makes sure its devices have quick and breezy performance. SIM support is also clutch, especially on a campus, but the price jump might be too much for some students to handle.

Unfortunately for Apple, the iPad's advantages aren't enough to offset Lenovo's wins on value and school day functionality. The Chromebook Duet can get you a lot more storage, and a totally usable keyboard and trackpad for much less money. The iPad might be a better device overall, but for people who need a little laptop that won't get in the way or ruin their day, the Chromebook Duet is tough to beat.

Winner: Chromebook Duet

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pikofucker69 · 2 years

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first play through w thumbs suck it

#the cut is ass #why did they do that #rerulili is my jam #i can’t believe they did that to spinal fluid explosion girl #speed is 10.2 or something #idfk #i was playing on 9 and it was godawful

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wesimpforxiao · 3 years

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Say My Name and I’ll Be There: 10.2

Author’s Note: I got all 4 wisdom teeth removed on Tuesday and now I look a bit like a chipmunk hehehe XD

"Haah...ngh..." Squinted eyelids prevented you from panicking at the sight of the branch retracting from your abdomen while you slowly pulled yourself away from the tree. Still, the movement only enhanced the stars that obscured your vision.

"Your opponent's right here." A cold warning caught your attention, and you glanced up to see Childe with another arrow knocked against his bow and aimed at Scaramouche's head. Apparently the sixth harbinger was contemplating on striking you down while you moved. "Your fight is with me."

"You have three seconds before I end you for betraying the will of the Tsaritsa," he growled back.

"Well, Mezzetin? What're you waiting for? Get out of here."

"Mhmm..." You scooped up a handful of snow and pressed it to your stomach. You don't have to tell me twice. You turned your back to them, trusting Childe with your literal life in his hands, and--froze. Dammit. Why is he throwing his life away for me? He has a family to return to. "Childe-"

"Go! I can handle him."

You peered over your shoulder to gaze at his profile. He didn't bother looking your way which was the smart move given the dangerous situation. His expression was nothing less than determined and focused on the opponent in front of him. "Be careful."

Childe didn't respond, though his lips did twitch slightly upward at your heartfelt warning. The sound of retreating footsteps that crunched in the snow allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. He dismissed his bow and summoned two hydro blades in his hands. "Now then. I've been wanting to fight you for awhile now. What do you say we have ourselves a friendly fight to the death? Show me your strength."

.................................

"What do you think you're doing?" A faceless god struck Xiao across the face and sent him sprawling to the ground. "You have the audacity to disobey my commands? Who do you think you are? You are nothing without me. You hear? You're nothing, Alatus."

Xiao licked the blood that covered his teeth and bit his lip to prevent himself from fighting back. This wasn't a new occurrence by any means...or at least, the little rebellion wasn't. He would fight, claw his way out of this god's grasp if he could, but every day he was back at square one: nothing but a slave.

"What's your excuse this time," the god questioned, yanking Xiao into the air by construing a firm grip in the adeptus's hair, "that you couldn't fulfill your duty? Did it make you sick, killing those creatures? Exterminating those gods that were strangers to you? You're weak. You're worthless. You're worthless!"

The god dropped Xiao and he fell to his knees. He couldn't bring himself to speak with the growing lump in his throat and the tears burning his eyes. Who was he but a murderer now? Could his soul even be redeemed for the sins he's committed? He's only been in this god's grasp for a couple months now, but the amount of beings he's killed is--

"I have a special punishment for you." The god summoned what looked to be a young god, no older than a child and an orphan by the tear stains on his cheeks. He was beaten, like this god had already decided to have his way with the child; bruises colored his pale malnourished flesh with blues and purples. There was no light in the kid's eyes; they were empty, devoid of hope, devoid of rage, devoid of even sadness.

The sight alone was enough to scar Xiao. Would he too become devoid of all emotion in due time?

His master shoved the god spawn forward so he fell before Xiao's stiff body. "Kill him."

"What?"

"You heard me loud and clear, Alatus. Kill him, and eat his dreams. This is what you will do from now on when I give you the order to kill."

"I can't," Xiao wavered and stared at the broken child in front of him. "I won't."

Xiao would very much rather be dead than do these awful tasks so the god never bothered to threaten death. Doing so would give this worthless servant release from a job that needs to be done. Torture seemed to work on some occasions, but eventually Xiao had become used to the pain and rarely cried out. So the best way to get this stupid creature to follow orders-- "If you don't, I will. And you know what that means."

Unnecessary torture until his dying breath, the yaksha thought as his wavering gaze lowered to the child once more.

"What'll it be?"

The child held Xiao's gaze, but he felt no hope looking at the adeptus. His life was over; that much, he was sure. There was no point in living anyway. His entire family was slaughtered. Where could he go but wonder the lands alone? Nothing would fill the void in his heart nor replace his loved ones.

Xiao recognized the acceptance, the defeat, in the child's broken demeanor. He didn't want to kill him but if it prevented a much slower, painful death, then this is an act of kindness. It's an act of kindness. It's an act of kindness. He's doing this for the orphan's benefit. This is a way of saving the child. This is--

"...Forgive me."

The blade of his polearm shot through the god spawn with the utmost precision and speed. A weak labored gasp escaped him from the contact, but all he felt was a small pinch. It was peaceful, or at least as peaceful as death could be.

This is for his own good, Xiao told himself as he watched the life drain from his eyes. A desperate persuasion of the mind to preserve what little innocence he has left.

"Eat his dreams."

"I won't disobey again. Please, spare me," he begged. But the unwavering glare of his master said there was no room for bargaining.

Xiao returned his attention to the boy who was now hanging by a very thin thread. To extract one's dreams, they must still be alive--and the last moments of their death are a frightening eternal nightmare. He did as he was told and pulled the boy's dreams out until a glowing substance sat lightly in his hand. The smell was different for everyone's dreams, those with pure hearts having the sweetest of fragrances just like this boy's. The tastes of dreams themselves were rather unrememberable, but the textures were all the same.

He devoured it as quickly as possible, holding his breath so that sickly sweet aroma wouldn't stick around in his nose to haunt him. As he did, the dying boy's expression changed from empty to horrified, and then his body finally gave in to the drastic wound in his chest and slumped over.

He just stared helplessly at the body for awhile while his master nodded in approval. The weight of the god's hand clapping his shoulder barely managed to snap Xiao out of his distraught gaze.

"You'll learn to love the taste, Alatus. Then their distraught expressions as you take from them." Then the god dismissed himself from the room leaving Xiao to stare brokenly at the corpse before him.

Xiao's nose scrunched up in anger while his stomach flipped with displeasure. He hated this god. He hated him. 'You're wrong, I could never,' he wanted to protest, 'I could never be like you,' but his stomach twisted in self-disgust. A part of him did enjoy it, if even by the smallest amount, and it made him hate himself even more.

If killing the child broke him, then devouring, tasting, and seeing the child's dreams devastated him. They consisted of the child with his parents living together again. Smiling, laughing. No sign of torture, only peace. Something pure and loving, that he would never have again nor will Xiao ever get the chance to experience.

Just as that child died, so too did Xiao's remaining innocence.

Years passed, and what once was a kind-hearted adeptus was now a cold-blooded killing machine. Slaying gods left and right, increasing the death toll in the honor of his wretched master until a major war broke out throughout Teyvat. That was when he saw fear in his master's eyes for the first time--the threat of his domain being overthrown loomed heavily over his head. Though Xiao felt a sense of hope, it was quickly shattered when he was once again put to work.

It was one gloomy day during the Archon War when he and his master were confronted by Morax. They tag-teamed the god, but the master was quickly slain while Xiao was trapped between a few pillars summoned by the god of geo. The master's blood spilled onto the grass and he felt his knees weaken with relief and trepidation.

Finally, he was free. He sank to his knees and watched Morax approach him with a bloody spear. He can die free. Morax had other plans for him and welcomed his presence with open arms. But the words that came out of his mouth did not belong to him.

"Xiao, can you...hear me?" The voice that came from Morax was heavily distorted and high-pitched. "Please..."

"That's not part of this memory," Xiao, now aware that he was dreaming, spoke out. "Who's calling me?"

"Please don't die!" Why was it suddenly hard to breathe, and what was this grief and anger washing over him suddenly?

"P-please don't die!" I have to go back for him. He can't-- You stumbled forward through the snow, still hesitant on whether to follow Zhongli's trail or make your way back to the palace rubble. It was only a moment's hesitance, though--you were already making a beeline for the palace and making a point to avoid Childe's fight by the time you realized what you were doing. It wasn't long until your wounds and exhaustion caught up to you about halfway back to the palace. You force yourself to continue on all-fours for a little ways, but your fingers were growing numb from the cold now that you lacked a vision. "Rex Lapis, please, I can't--I need to reach--" Wait. The wind can carry me, can't it? You tried despite the growing pain in your stomach. It barely lifted you off the snow, but it was something. You can do this. It's just another mile or so.

But just as your body was lifted from the ground, something grabbed you by the collar of your shirt and lifted you higher into the air like an animal carries it's offspring. "It seems I cannot dissuade you from running back to danger."

"Z-Zhongli?" You winced, and your hand pressing tighter against your side.

"You're injured!" Aether immediately moved to inspect the wound, but you swatted him away just as Zhongli set you back on your feet. "Were you able to defeat Scaramouche?"

"I'm fine, it's not fatal--I think." Your gaze swept across your companions' faces. "...Childe intervened and is fighting him now."

"Wait, Childe betrayed the Tsaritsa?" Paimon appeared out of thin air after hearing this. "Why the heck would he do that? And now of all times?!"

"Perhaps it's best we save the questions for later," prompted Zhongli. This may as well be some form of apology for the harbinger's actions against you and the rest of the group; he hinted a possible alliance when Zhongli confronted him above the harbor after the Lantern Rite ended. Regardless of the intent, they need to take advantage of the time they were given now.

"Either way, I don't care. I'm not leaving Xiao. You all came to rescue me, but I refuse to have my life traded for one of yours."

"That much is clear," the consultant let out a heavy sigh, but there was a certain fondness and respect in his eyes as he looked at you. "Very well. But as soon as we recover him, we leave immediately. No more impulsive decisions."

"Yes sir."

"I too have begun to suspect all is not well," he murmured thoughtfully, but you couldn't quite hear him. "Do not push yourself further, I'll carry you."

"Wha--? Ah!"

The palace was a literal heap of smoking rubble. Not a pillar was left standing. Whatever fires may have started were immediately smothered by the snow, leaving ominous black pillars of smoke that didn't have an origin. The silence was overwhelming despite being filled by the wet shoes that crunched in the snow. By the looks of it, not a single agent survived the fall. How would they? For humans are but fragile creatures incapable of healing themselves unless they had the specific power to do so.

Paimon frantically flew over the rocks and columns ahead of the group. "The mess goes on and on! Where would we even start?"

"We should split up to cover more ground."

"But what if the Tsaritsa reappears?"

"I doubt she will be in a fighting condition after facing Xiao. Paimon and I will start here. Aether, would you two search to your right?"

"Sounds like a plan." The traveler joined your side while throwing your arm over his shoulder to assist you. You weren't looking too hot; your skin was pale but it was unknown whether it was more from the cold or from your injury. "Leave the heavy lifting to me, alright? Don't push yourself too much."

"Xiao's always pushed himself to protect me. It's time I do the same for him."

A wry grin lifted the corners of Aether's lips. "That might be true, but he's more equipped to handle it don't you think?" He escorted you to a suspiciously large pile of rubble. "Wait here. I'm going to use Elemental Sight to see if I can locate him."

"Elemental Sight?"

"Oh...right...you never learned how to do that since you haven't held a vision for long," an awkward laugh escaped Aether as he began pushing boulders away from the pile. "I'll tell you about it after this is over." The elemental traces left behind were crowded with a mix of cryo and anemo energy, which made it difficult to decipher the strongest trail that Xiao left behind.

"...What'll we even do once we find him? Where would we go? The Tsaritsa wouldn't just give up on hunting us down." Your palms pressed against the next boulder and it tumbled unceremoniously into the snow. Then they gripped the next one, and your shoe needed to push against it for it to budge.

Aether didn't answer at first and the two of you removed several chunks of the wreckage over several minutes. Then he used his Elemental Sight again and scanned the area. "I was actually talking to Zhongli about that after we left Scaramouche to you. I was gifted a Serenitea Pot a few days after you joined the Fatui; it's an adeptal realm only I or those I invite can access." Aether's gaze hovered over a spot and his brows furrowed with concentration. "The two of you can stay in there until the situation calms--There."

"Huh?" You followed his line of sight but didn't see anything. "What's there?"

"He's very close. Hey, Zhongli! Paimon! Over here!"

"Did you find him?" Paimon beat Zhongli to the punch and worriedly scanned the surrounding area.

"I think he's trapped back here. Zhongli...?"

"Allow me." The boulders of rubble carefully rose away from the pile one by one to prevent any possible cave-ins that could injure Xiao. He must've removed at least twenty chunks from the debris before a small cavern was revealed.

"--wake up! Xiao!" The ringing in the yaksha's ears finally faded until a girl's voice filled its place. Slowly, his drowsy eyelids opened to see a blurry figure stare down at him. Despite his unfocused gaze his reflexes were as quick as they always were. A flash of silver nearly slashed at your neck, but a golden shield erupted around you and Xiao's polearm bounced off. You were unfazed. "It's alright. You're safe now." A numb hand was placed against his cheek.

Zhongli stared thoughtfully at the boulder that sat on Xiao's abdomen and stained his clothes red. "Aether, can you grab a few handfuls of snow?"

"Yeah. I'll be right back." Paimon glanced at the two of them before flying after Aether.

"Don't do the stupid thing and move yet," you nagged once you finally caught sight of the blood.

Something between a pained groan and a scoff left his lips. 'Don't do the stupid thing?' Who do you think you're talking to? "You're one to talk," his gaze grazed over your side, where the snow you had pressed against your body was melting and soaked with blood. "...Here. Put more pressure like this." Despite being pinned, his heavy arm lifted enough to push against your skin.

"I would do the same to you, but your injuries are more extensive--"

"Yes, it would be wise to refrain from doing anything until Aether returns." Zhongli knelt on the other side of the yaksha, his gloved hand ghosting over the boulder. "I may have a solution, though it depends entirely on the presence of those Aether has authorized to enter his teapot..."

"Okay, do you think this should be enough?" The traveller entered the cramped cavern once again with an armful of clean snow and his scarf removed. "We can tie this around his waist so the bleeding slows down--"

"Aether," Zhongli turned to him. "Have you by chance invited a healer to your Serenitea Pot?"

"...Yes, actually. You're thinking I bring them here?"

"The opposite; I want you to enter your teapot now and see if they're taking residence at the moment. If they are, we could potentially send these two into the teapot where the healer aid them."

"T-That's brilliant!" Paimon immediately went to pull the Serenitea Pot out of Aether's bag. "Paimon would've never thought of this! Quick, Traveler! Hurry up and go see if Bennett's inside!"

"Right!" Aether handed the snow and scarf to Zhongli. Then he opened the teapot and a vortex sucked him inward in an instant.

"It shouldn't take him long to return. Quickly," he handed the scarf to you. "I will lift the debris and place the snow on his injury. While I do that, tightly wrap the scarf around his abdomen. Ready?"

"Y-yes." Xiao looked displeased, but he nodded at you.

"One, two, three." The debris was easily lifted off of Xiao's body.

You did your best to ignore the gruesome wound and the dark blood that had soaked into his clothes, carefully sliding the fabric beneath his back and tying it at his front. A low grunt escaped Xiao when confronted with the sudden movements, but other than that he remained silent.

Aether was thrown out of the teapot and almost stumbled onto the three of you. "Okay, he's inside! Give me your hands."

"Our hands?" You and Xiao exchanged confused looks before returning your attention to Aether. Despite the confusion both of you lifted one of your hands to him.

Aether pulled out what looked to be some sort of marker from his bag and drew a symbol on your palm, then Xiao's. The symbols then glowed a bright gold before fading like they had never been on your skin in the first place. Next, Aether tapped both palms twice. "Okay. You'll be able to enter the realm now. All you have to do is tap your hand like I did."

"...A-Are you sure about this? Xiao's..." He's not looking well anymore; he was still bleeding heavily from his stomach and blood was still dripping from a wound somewhere behind his hairline. "This won't hurt him, will it?"

"Relax. Bennett will be there to treat him the second you guys enter."

You and Xiao simultaneously turned to Zhongli, who nodded in confirmation. "Go now. We will contact you once we're out of Snezhnaya."

"Okay. Be careful." It was your turn to look at Xiao, and both of you then brought your hands together to enter the realm.

Tap, tap.

#wesimpforxiao #wesimpforxiaoupdates #Say My Name #say my name and ill be there #genshin impact #xiao genshin impact #xiao x reader #genshin x reader

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readerinsertfanfiction · 4 years

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The Bae’st of all

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku

Character: Kyubae the bae’st bae of all aka Kyubei

Prompt: Seeing how Kyubei is named after an alias that the real Mitsuhide Akechi used (Juubei) the chances of fans getting a Kyubei route from Cybird are slim. However, it is simply impossible not to fall for this man. He is too good. So here have my attempt at writing a route.

The key of the previous chapter was (Romantic/Dramatic):

+4/+2

+2/+4

+4/+4

A/N: So, everyone except from one voted Dramatic so far. You guys have until 10.2 to vote which route comes out first. Gogogo!

Chapters:

1.1| 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 9.1 | 9.2 |

(To Motonari I'm bait. For Kennyo a tool to force their hand. To the Oda I'm just a chatelaine, and to Kyubei I'm…)

Hidden away in the temple I’m contemplating what my possible roles to play are. However, I still my thoughts just before the last part, unable to finish the last sentence even in silence.

(I will have to. Kyubei's very person is on the line and I need to focus.)

Taking in a deep sigh I say the words out loud:

"His dilemma."

"His weakness.”

“His light.”

It makes me uncomfortable, but it is a good realisation to make if I want to help Kyubei. I don’t know his plans yet, but I shall do whatever is needed to keep myself from becoming an obstacle that ruins his mission.

(Motonari supplies weapons to Kennyo and the Ikko-Ikki. Mitsuhide is working together with Motonari, using Kyubei as a middleman. Neither Motonari and Kennyo trust Mitsuhide or Kyubei, but they see a use in me, who is both from the Oda who Mitsuhide just betrayed and can possibly tie down Kyubei…)

(Kyubei wouldn’t, right? He is loyal to Mitsuhide and Mitsuhide alone. He wouldn’t choose me over him, right?)

For some reason thinking that breaks my heart a little, but I don’t want Kyubei to throw away who he is and his cause because of me. The plot makes my brain swim, unable to comprehend what is truly going on as I continue to fret.

(Focus! Focus, me! I have to make sure that Kyubei doesn’t have to make that choice in the first place!)

But nothing comes to me as I eye around the room. Not even a slightly creepy, but convenient, ceiling-ninja.

(What use were all these lessons anyway if I can’t put them into practice!)

Frustrated, I ball my fists as I fling myself on the floor, wrapping Kyubei’s haori tightly around me while I listen to the rain falling outside.

(He doesn’t have his coat with him and it is raining again. I wonder if he is cold, or if he found shelter.)

A knock on my door encourages me to push myself up into a sitting position as I watch a masked warrior monk in black slide open the door.

“Dinner.”

The figure, just as solemn and quiet as their abbott, only says that single word before retreating, leaving a plate of what is a hearty meal on the table.

(Ah, the famous shojin-ryori menu!)

I can’t help myself but take a peek at the food that they have dished out for me, a curiosity to see the simple diet that the monks of Japan are so famous for.

(When will I have the chance to try some authentic shojin-ryori again? In the modern era you have to call in advance to make sure it is the real deal and here it is just served!)

(But wait…)

In my excitement I take a closer look at the plate. It existed out of a simple clear broth with tofu and vegetables and a side dish of pancakes made of soybean remainders mixed with vegetables for colour and topped with scallions.

(Isn’t that also banned? I remember something about it exciting the senses…)

Lifting the plate with the pancakes I examine it carefully, turning it into all angles as I eye the densely packed cake, a piece of paper and leave underneath it to draw out the grease from the pan fried dish.

(But the paper is below the leaf.)

Drawing out the paper I realise that it is a note rather than that it was meant for grease, the neat and small script of the note familiar.

‘Bar the doors tonight, open the window when the crow calls.’

My heart thumps when I realise that the note comes from Kyubei and what the words mean. It elates me as well as that there is a rising dread as I realise the implications of the note and the decision he might have made.

(Please don’t let that be true…)

“My men reported that you didn’t finish your meal today.”

That night Kennyo comes to visit me, his face as stern as ever, but there is a worry in his eyes as he sits near my door, keeping close to the exit but blocking it as well.

“Our cuisine is simple and might be a bit too bland to your taste, but it is important that you don’t starve yourself.”

Involuntarily I feel like a scolded kid, despite the gentle words that are meant to coax me rather than to guilt me.

In the time that I have spent here I have come to notice that Kennyo is a caring man with fatherly tendencies. Though he keeps his distance from me and tries to treat me coldly I can’t help but notice the small bursts of warmth he shows to me.

“I wasn’t too hungry. The food is fine.”

Gulping I try to answer as naturally as possible, but my words feel awkward and halted as Kennyo’s dark eyes eye me with slight suspicion, a sigh escaping him before he produces a sweet smelling bun for me.

“Here, just in case you get hungry.”

And with that Kennyo means to leave me again, his back solemn and his air mournful, the sweet bun he left for me contrasting to the bitter sadness and regret he always carries with him. Before I know it I have called out to him:

“Kennyo? Thank you, for everything.”

The words have left me before I even realise them myself, but I mean them wholeheartedly all the same. Kennyo freezes in his steps, turning around with surprise clear on his face. His eyes narrow in reminiscence of a painful memory as he flashes me a wry smile.

“You’re my hostage. Why are you thanking me, have you no common sense?”

His words are chiding, but I grimace back all the same in genuine delight. For all the bad he tries to do and pretends to be Kennyo truly is no different from the rest of the warlords. Fighting for his ideals and what he believes will bring peace to his people.

Pocketing the sweet bun Kennyo left me I set out to work as soon as the door closed behind the man, leaving me alone for the night until the next morning.

(I don’t know when Kyubei plans to come, but I won’t allow anything to jeopardise the mission.)

I don’t have many things in the room, nor is there any heavy furniture. The temple keeps a simple interior reflecting their lifestyle, but I manage to stack up a fort to block the door nonetheless.

(Phew, I’m glad I managed to do this.)

Finished, I’m admiring my handiwork when a bell sounds through the small temple, the sound of rushed footsteps and orders breaking through the silence of the otherwise so peaceful temple.

(It has started!)

Holding my breath I slowly back away from the door as I turn to the window, my hands feeling clammy as I strain my ears. The beat of my speeding heart threatens to overtake my senses as I try to keep my breath under control, counting the seconds for the conditions to be fulfilled for the second part of the instructions.

“[Name], [Name]!”

A scratchy voice calls for me from beyond the window followed by the flapping of wings and a large shadow at the other side of the screen. Sucking in my breath I pull the frame open as I’m faced by the shadow that I have missed, slightly damp from the rain outside and clad in a single kimono, his haori still with me.

“It has been a while, my lady.”

Long dark hair that rivals the night sky in the back, and skin that resembles the reflection of the moon. Kyubei towers over me as he holds his hand out to me, his eyes crinkled into crescent moons as he smiles upon me. On his shoulder sits Kage, his beak parted as he flaps his wings.

“[Name], [Name]!”

#ikesen kyubei #ikemen sengoku kyubei #kyubei x reader #kyubei's route #kyubae #ikesen #ikemen sengoku #ikesen x reader #ikemen sengoku x reader

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smolvampiregirl · 3 years

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Cars for the Cullen's 2021

So I've spent the last few months trying to decide what cars the Cullen's would own in 2021. It has taken me ages to figure all of these out so I hope you guys enjoy. This ended up quiet long so I will make a master post with the other cars, so if you enjoyed this you can find the other posts. Without further ado here are my choices for the Cullen's cars in the year of our lord two thousand and twenty one.

So starting off with Edward. I think Edward would have a Kia Stinger and a Bugatti La Voiture Noire (AKA The worlds most expensive car)

Reasoning below the cut

The Stinger

Now in the series we see that Edward is the designated driver for the Cullen kids to and from school. So for this choice we are assuming that the one car is a strategic choice to keep suspicions low.

What I'm assuming happened is when the Cullen's first moved to whatever new place they are in with Edward posing as a Freshmen (Okay I'm Australian I have no idea what that means but I'm assuming they are like fifteen or something) and Emmett and Rosalie as Sophomores (?) etc. That Esme will be driving them to school in the car that will then get 'passed' down to Rosalie and then Edward because that is a normal thing that happens in some families. But I also didn't want a minivan or a SUV. The car I ended up choosing wouldn't actually fit all the Cullen's, so I decided that Rose or someone had their license already when they moved.

Sorry IDK how old people are when they get their license in America. I tried to research and from what I saw it changes from state to state so I will go off Australia. Here you get a learners permit at 16 and have to do the required number of hours over 1 year +.

So for this one or two of the kids is with Carlisle in his car 'learning' to drive and the others are driven by Esme in the car I have chosen.

So the car I think Edward would have in 2021 is a Kia Stinger GT

Now yes it is a Kia, a brand that is know for being cheap, basic and in some places unreliable, but hear me out here. The Kia Stinger is none of those things.

Lets start with the price. In my area the price of a Stinger is $71500 AUD or $55,170 USD. So they're not cheap considering the cheapest Kia's are between $15000 AUD and $30000 AUD. (Can't be bothered to do conversion sorry) The stinger is more then double the price. Now since we've got the cost out of the way lets move onto the fun stuff.

The Kia Stinger is really a top of the range sport saloon for a fraction of the price. It includes something I think would be very important to Edward, it has a 15 speaker 2 subwoofer premium stereo system. Imagine how good his Debussy would sound through that.

It also has the speed and power that the Cullen's would want in a car. The 2021 Stinger makes 367 horsepower, that's 110hp more then the modern counterpart of the famous Volvo. (Volvo has been lacking in powerful and cool cars recently, they decided that they only wanted to focus on soccer mums).

Now I know I could have gone for a tesla or something here but Edward and Rosalie love cars and love working on cars. You can't really modify a tesla but you can modify a Kia Stinger, from factory it has a direct injection twin turbo V6 engine. You can tune it add a body kit new breaks. New flappy paddle gear shifters. In Australia we actually tune them to be used as our road policing command vehicle and also undercover cars. So just imagine what our best mechanic Rosalie could do to the Stinger.

The interior is made from Nappa leather (the same stuff they use in Porsche's), it has a heads up display and a 10.2inch touch screen with wireless apple car play and Android auto. Climate control and a sunroof (Edward won't use it but Emmett might).

It's also rear wheel drive so you can drift it. (okay maybe i just want to see Edward or Rosalie drift a car, mostly Rosalie)

But the most important part, this car is something that makes sense for a surgeon to buy for his kids. Which is the cover story here. The Stinger has a five star safety rating, it also has enough room for all the kids and their bags (Once the eldest can drive). It has good features and a good warranty which gives piece of mind incase something goes wrong. Its just the logical choice. (But since its the logical choice the Cullen's obviously won't choose it, so maybe Edward would get a BMW Isetta)

The Bugatti La Voiture Noire

As we know Edward has his "special occasion car" which in the books is an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish (Bond Car). The La Voiture Noire was made by Bugatti for their 110 year anniversary and commemorates the 57SC Atlantic. During WWII the all black variant of the 57SC Atlantic went missing so the La Voiture Noire commemorates that specific car.

Now since the Cullen's wouldn't be sweating the cash (due to Alice's powers they probably invested in a lot of bit coin) I decided why doesn't Edward get the Bugatti La Voiture Noire, I mean it just sounds emo. Edward is dramatic and I feel like he would just hear the name and have to have it.

There were only 10 of this car made and they sold for 8.5 Million Euros/ $13.2 Million AUD/ $10.2 Million USD. So a heck load of money.

Here are some specs on the La Voiture Noire (Sorry it isn't as in depth as the stinger only 10 were made so its harder to find information)

Top Speed: 420Km/h (Electronically limited)

Engine: 8L W16 engine with a quad turbo

Power: 1,479 hp

0-100km: 2.4sec

One is owned by Christiano Ronaldo

So this concludes the section on Edwards Car and I will make a master post on my page and link this and my future posts on these topics there.

#twilight #the twilight saga #twilight renaissance #twilight rennaisance #twilight revival #twilight saga #edward cullen #cars #cullen's cars #xan's thoughts

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rigelmejo · 3 years

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Comprehension Levels

I did the actual words-known/words-on-page to find out my comprehension % of chinese (so characters known/characters on page to make things simple to count). i wanted to see how close I am to reading at that 98% sweet spot they tell people to read. so here’s my comprehension % of some novels of mine, as of 7/20/21:

撒野: 98.9% comprehension (I should just extensively read it, I could speed read the page I glanced at and guess the unknown words once I saw them)

SVSSS: 97.9% (pretty much at a comfortable reading level, the unknown hanzi were mostly parts of multi-character description words I could roughly guess the meaning of, but I was marking every unknown character)

小王子: 96.8% (again, this is as of today, I flipped to a random page so I wouldn’t have myself remembering the plot to affect how much I ‘knew’)

DMBJ 1: 96%

Peach Blossom Debt: 96% if I count name characters as unknown, 97% comprehension if I ignore character names. (I imagine part of the difficulty is my lack of xianxia reading vocab, so if I intensively read a few beginning chapters I could probably fix that).

Guardian: 95.7% understood (I picked the last page of the first print volume, as I figured if I picked the first chapter which I’ve studied and reread my comprehension level would be higher than if it was a part of the novel I haven’t read)

Update: the current fanfic I am reading 夜半衣寒，I tested my comprehension of the new chapter 16 I started. Out of 705 characters, I didn’t know 9, 695/705=0.987 so I have 98.7% comprehension! This is interesting to me, because I would guess (since I didn’t actually measure at the time), that I did not have above 98% comprehension when I started reading it (of course I’ve read like 34k+ characters of it now so I’d hope I’m more familiar with its vocab now). So this is just info for me, that if something starts out as ‘hard’ as this fic to start, if I intensively read for a while (and I’d guess probably the first few chapters since that’s where author’s own specific language is the most new and their setup/genre words hopefully get introduced), I might be able to learn enough words to put it into a more comfortable regular comprehension level for myself. I do think, at least now that I’m into the flow of this story, I’m reading it a bit faster (still on the slower end since I look up every unknown or ‘fuzzy’ word to double check the pronunciation). To be fair to me? These chapters are 20 pleco pages, which used to take me 1-1.5 hours ToT. Now they take 30-40 minutes, since I slow down to look up things and listen to certain sections, but considering they’d take 15-20 minutes to follow along to someone narrating out loud, I’m getting closer to a normal reading speed. If I sped read/extensively read these chapters instead of intensively looking things up, I may well be at 20-30 minutes a chapter.

Last night I read 4496 characters, chapter 1 of 福尔摩斯血字的研究. I used the click-dictionary for new words, and there was definitely a lot of new vocab (though mostly places and names confused me). All of the experiment related new vocab it was nice to see though and learn, since I like reading mysteries I’m sure those words will come up again in other stuff I read.

Some things I find interesting about this information: I read 小王子 extensively months ago so presumably when I comprehended a bit less than the current amount (since I learned a lot of new words from context or from glancing at the english translation for some words). So whatever my personal ‘minimum’ level of comprehension I can personally tolerate when reading extensively is, it’s below 96% comprehension.

Listening Reading Method and other activities I’ve been doing has helped my comprehension a LOT. I did NOT expect the comprehensions of all these to be as close to 98% as they are. Particularly Guardian, being at 95% - that isn’t very far from the comfortable reading material level of ‘98%’ I’m aiming for. I’m not sure how fast I can boost up my comprehension just a BIT more, but wow is it close to the goal...

On a related note, that explains why Guardian and Silent Reading have felt relatively easier for me to ‘extensively read’ when I feel like it lately. While I still have some difficulty, since I have familiarity with the general story (Guardian) or have read the english translation (Silent Reading), the new words are not super hard to guess and therefore following the main idea is not an issue. Guardian is above the 95% comprehension level for me now, and its likely I extensively read a novel I had NO prior knowledge about - 小王子 - also at 95% comprehension or less.

I looked up the comprehension level I had because I just read this article about how to pick reading material when learning a new language, and it made me curious how far Below that 98% comprehension level I usually try to read.

For comparisons, I’m curious how my personal comprehension compares to the general-vocab-difficulty tool and results I got from that (which can be viewed in this post more in depth).

This was the novel’s ranking, from easiest to harder, based on that tool (lower number = more difficult):

小王子 2.004

DMBJ 1 1.992

撒野 1.98

SVSSS 1.9

Guardian 1.9

Peach Blossom Debt 1.858

I am guessing the difference in order of difficulty compared to my personal comprehension levels, might have to do with the materials I learn from? Or may have to do with the fact the tool sorts by full words, not characters, so 2-4 character words/phrases that are unknown would only count as one unit. Whereas when I calculated my comprehension I counted by character (since I was physically counting on paper it was easier to just go by character when counting unknown versus amount-of-content on the page). Also, the tool took a bigger sample of 2,000 words for each novel, whereas I used 300-500 characters per page samples.

It’s also possible, because of the small amount of characters in my comprehension % samples - Guardian overall may have more unknown words and put it lower than 95% overall, and stuff like DMBJ may well have a lot more words I know and potentially be more comprehensible than 96% overall.

For the most part I had 4-15 unknown characters per page. Which could realistically affect my reading more or less depending on what role they served in the sentence. Characters in descriptions I can figure out the rough meaning of easier when reading because they’re often part of 2-4 character words and phrases where I know the rest of the characters, or they’re an emotion/mood description another word I know on the page will also re-state, but unknown characters for critical verbs or nouns affect story comprehension a lot more. Xiao wang zi is a good example of my overall actual reading level, since some unknown hanzi were in descriptions and I could ‘guess’ well enough to follow just ine, but some of the unknown hanzi on the page were verbs and nouns which makes those sections harder to comprehend.

Some promising notes from articles!

From FluentU: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/reading-in-a-second-language/

So I am at the spot for most novels I want to read right now 95%+, where if I read with a dictionary it probably feels okay and I will learn a lot, but it will feel challenging at times.

And for a few (at least SaYe) I can really just extensive read the way its supposed to feel.

Reading Rockets: https://www.readingrockets.org/article/fluency-introduction

This article puts 95% as the minimum comprehension level for a person to read to improve reading fluency.

This https://readingmatrix.com/articles/september_2011/prichard_matsumoto.pdf

is an interesting paper, and puts 95% as the minimum for comprehension to read unassisted, but also mentions it could be a spectrum rather than all-or-nothing. Readers who use strategies to comprehend more can improve their comprehension a bit, and readers who have background knowledge on the subject can improve their ability to comprehend the reading material a bit.

This part was also fascinating: “ Hu and Nation (2000) sought to examine the lexical threshold more deeply. They tested the comprehension of a narrative text by 66 advanced learners, adapting the text to include frequent words estimated to be known by all the subjects. They replaced uncommon words with nonsense words in order to set coverage levels to 80%, 90%, 95%, and 100%. Comprehension of the various versions of the passages was measured by a multiple-choice comprehension test and a recall measure. Subjects at the 95% level had a mean score of 10.2 points out of 14 on the multiple-choice text, while the readers with 90% coverage averaged only slightly lower at 9.5 points. There were a wide range of scores at these two coverage levels with 7 of 16 subjects at the 90% level getting a higher score than the mean score of the 95% coverage group. The results were similar on the recall measure. Overall, while there was a clear and strong correlation between coverage and comprehension, the existence of the 95% lexical threshold was not supported by Hu and Nation. They estimate that if there was a comprehension threshold at all, it may have been between 80 and 90% since all the readers with 80% coverage had difficulty comprehending the text. Hu and Nation state that learners at the 90% were able to reach comprehension through reading skills and background knowledge. They also hypothesize that 98% may be the coverage required at which most learners can comprehend the text adequately. The mark they set to determine this was about 85% comprehension, which was much higher than that used by Laufer (1989, 1992). “

“ Lower threshold: A percentage at which comprehension becomes possible; a percentage at which few learners below have any significant comprehension of the text (referred to by Hu & Nation, 2000, as potentially being between 80 and 90%). 211

Significant increase threshold: A coverage point above which learners’ mean comprehension increases significantly (95%, based on Laufer, 1989).

Adequate comprehension threshold: A percentage at which most learners achieve “adequate comprehension” (suggested as 95% in Laufer, based on 55% comprehension; hypothesized as 98% coverage in Hu & Nation based on 85% comprehension).

Upper threshold: A point above which an increase in coverage does not lead to improved comprehension (Laufer, 1992). If it exists, it is likely 98-99%.

That study may explain why some people with lower vocab knowledge ‘feel’ more ok with reading at lower comprehensions (that’d be me lol ToT). When I was learning french, I started reading extensively at a somewhat low vocab level, and in english I knew in elementary school I’d pick up novels for adults and read some sometimes, and by end of elementary I had a college reading level, so mm.

#reading #reading comprehension #reading progress #july #july progress #articles

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slippinmickeys · 5 years

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To catch up, here are chapters one and two.

The next morning, Mulder met Scully in the kitchen and wordlessly handed over two Tylenol and a glass of water. She threw back the dusty pills, and assessed him over the rim of the glass.

“Thank you,” she said, and he nodded. “Did your sister forgive you?”

“I’ve been granted a temporary reprieve,” he said, and Scully walked around him to pour herself a bowl of cereal. “She’s interning with the local police department this summer, she asked me to come down to the station in a few days so she can show me around. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be scared straight or if she’s letting me off the hook, but either way I promised to be on my best behavior.”

“What kind of internship?” Scully asked, spoon halfway to her mouth.

“I’m not exactly sure. Some kind of Women in Law Enforcement thing. She’ll mostly be getting coffee for dispatch, I think, but occasionally she’ll get to shadow a female detective, so she’s pretty stoked.”

“Sounds cool,” Scully said. Then, “...I don’t think she likes me.”

“She was just upset last night. Totally my fault. She’ll come around.”

Mulder plopped down next to her and poured a bowl of cereal for himself.

“What’s on the docket for today?” he asked her. He poured milk into his bowl slowly until it submerged the flakes like a rising tide.

“Med school applications,” she said, her mouth half full.

“And who are the lucky schools?” he asked.

“Stanford, UCLA, Michigan State and Columbia,” she said, “they’re amongst the few still accepting applications for this fall.”

“Not Georgetown?” he said, casually.

“Georgetown, too,” she said, “I love it here. I would love to stay. I do plan to apply, but…”

“But?”

“But when I inquired, they said their spots were filled and that they rarely make exceptions.”

“Too bad,” he said.

“Too bad,” she agreed.

They ate the rest of the meal in silence.

It had taken days to fill them out, but Scully had left the post office after mailing her applications and felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She was finally going after what she herself wanted and felt jubilant at the prospect. For too long she’d let other people’s expectations for her guide her life. She walked down the sidewalk feeling lighter than air.

The dull roar of an engine on the street pulled her attention and she turned to see Mulder sitting on his motorcycle next to her, pulling off his helmet.

“I thought that was you,” he said with a smile, which she returned. “You get all your applications out?”

She nodded, grinning.

“You make it out of the local police station without having to post bail?” she asked with a smirk.

“Just barely,” he said, then reached back and unsecured a second helmet, holding it up to her. “Want to go for a ride?” he asked.

She looked at the bike skeptically. Motorcycles had always freaked her out a bit.

“Come on, Scully, it’s a Saturday, live a little.”

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Why not?” she said.

“Atta girl,” he said, grinning. He helped her fit the helmet over her head, securing it under her chin. He lifted her visor before putting his own helmet on, and said “Hold on tight, okay?”

He mounted the bike and she climbed up after him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. The leather jacket he wore was warm from being in the sun.

He kick-started the bike and it roared to life beneath her. She felt a thrill as he pulled away from the curb and picked up speed, the wind teasing the hairs on her bare arms. She wondered if Mulder could feel her heartbeat as it pounded against her chest and into his back.

They crossed the river and he merged onto the parkway, the bike surging forward like a tracer round. She rested her helmeted head onto his back and watched the city give way to forest, neither knowing nor caring about their destination. After about ten minutes, he pulled off into a the small parking lot of a scenic overlook, the brown water of the Potomac rushing past them at the base of the hill they were perched on. He cut the engine and she slid off the side of the bike, reaching up to take her helmet off.

Mulder followed, his gaze piercing as she shook out her hair. She set the helmet on the seat, and he did the same. She turned to look around.

“This is pretty,” she said, “I’ve never been out here.”

“Me neither,” he laughed, and shook the jacket off his shoulders.

The June day was approaching full heat and the breeze that came up off the river was muggy and rich. They walked a little way past the lot and into the shade of several large maple trees. There was a neat rock retaining wall that ran the length of the lookout, and they each hopped over and sat down on it. Far below them the river purled off toward the Chesapeake, dotted occasionally with a kayak or sailboat. The air held the decadent smell of petrichor from rain the day before.

She looked over at Mulder, at his strong profile, the chiseled set of his jaw. He turned to her and caught her looking. Smiled.

The heather grey tee shirt he wore looked overwashed and soft. She had to stop herself from reaching out and rubbing it between her fingers.

“How’s Samantha doing today?” she asked.

“Better,” he said, relieved. “She’s thrilled with this internship. It sounds like she’s really taken to it.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Scully said.

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

“Hey, when do you start your new job?” she asked.

“Monday,” he said, his eyes wide. “They already have patients on the schedule.”

She put her hand on his shoulder.

“You’re about to be a real live grown-up, Mulder,” she said, “you ready?”

“Do I look ready?” he asked, pushing his shoulders back. If he’d been wearing a tie, he would have straightened it.

She turned to face him. Took the opportunity to look her fill.

“Mm… yes,” she finally said.

“There was a hesitation there, Scully,” he said playfully.

“There was no hesitation,” she played back.

“There was a decidedly skeptical hesitation.”

She pursed her lips.

“Listen, far be it from me to undermine your confidence…” she started.

“But?” he led.

“But don’t most grown men own furniture?” she teased, bumping her shoulder into his companionably.

He tilted his head back, busted.

“If that’s how you feel about it, how about you come shopping with me tomorrow?” he said.

“For furniture?” she laughed.

“That doesn’t sound like a good time?” he deadpanned.

“Let’s just go now,” she laughed again, “we’ll stack it on the handlebars and taunt the traffic cops.”

“You joke, but I’m serious. Come furniture shopping with me tomorrow.”

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“I guess it depends,” she finally said, “will we need Frohike’s truck?”

He laughed.

“How about if I borrow the truck, but not the Frohike?”

“Deal,” she said, “And all joking aside, is there any reason in particular we can’t go this evening? I mean, I’m free, and I’d hate for a newly minted grown-up like you to develop back problems from another night on the floor.”

She bumped into him again, enjoying their repartee. His face got an odd look to it.

“Actually, I have plans tonight,” he said.

“Oh?” she said, “hot date?”

“I don’t know about hot,” he said, “but I do have a date.”

She felt her stomach drop, then remembered telling him I’m thrilled to be single right now. She felt a small moment of grief.

“Oh, do tell,” she said, sounding entirely too cheerful.

“The uh, detective that Sam is shadowing, asked me out today. I felt kind of cornered, couldn’t say no.”

Mild relief.

“Aggressive, huh?” she said.

“Something like that,” he answered. “Anyway, are we on for tomorrow? I’ll buy you lunch.”

“Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse,” she said.

The warm breeze sloughed through the trees and settled between them.

XxXxXxXxXxX

True to his word, after breakfast, Mulder went out and rolled back an hour later with Frohike’s truck, but not Frohike.

“He wanted me to pass along his love,” Mulder said when Scully hopped into the cab.

“Is that all?” she asked, pulling the seatbelt across her lap.

“Definitely not,” Mulder said, “but I value my life.”

The truck was a late ’70s Chevy Silverado in metallic brown. It had a manual transmission and only got AM radio. A corner of the floor was rusted out and she could see the road flying beneath them.

“What’s our first stop?” she asked, fiddling with the radio to try to get a signal.

“I’m thinking bed,” he said, “in deference to my old man body.”

She smiled and the truck rumbled on, the transmission tacky. He had to kick the clutch at every stop light.

“Know where you’re going?”

He tapped the side of his head.

“Got it all mapped out.”

The only radio station that would come in was transmitting a baseball game, so they listened to it in silence for a few minutes. Finally her curiosity got the better of her.

“So,” she said, “how was the date?”

“Not bad, actually,” he replied, stealing a look at her as if to gauge her reaction.

She made sure to keep her expression neutral, pressed the vee of her toes hard into her flip-flops.

“Oh?”

“She’s intense, but funny,” he said. “Not sure if I see it going anywhere, but she asked if I wanted to go out again.”

She could feel his eyes on her and kept staring straight ahead.

“You should go,” she said. Stop talking, Dana.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” No.

“Oh, we’re coming up on the mattress store,” he said, “see if you can see a parking lot.”

They walked into the mattress store, eyes practically bugging out of their heads. It looked like close to an acre of nothing but bare white mattresses as far as the eye could see. There were SALE! Posters hanging above almost every section and cardboard cutouts of showcase models leaning against every third mattress.

Mulder took a step back.

“I’ll keep sleeping on the floor,” he said, “nothing is worth this.”

Scully grabbed his arm.

“Mulder,” she said, “you need, what? A bed, dresser and desk?”

He nodded.

“Then we’re practically a third of the way there. Come on.”

She pulled him along like a recalcitrant toddler.

It took about 10.2 seconds before they were met with a smiling salesman. By that point, Mulder seemed to have recovered.

The man was short, balding and entirely too chipper for his own good.

“You and the missus looking for a new mattress?” the man asked, “You know mattresses expire after eight years.”

She opened her mouth to correct him, but Mulder grabbed her arm.

“Yes,” he said, “the missus and I are looking for a new mattress. You have any newlywed discounts?”

The salesman waggled his eyebrows.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

He marched off ahead of them and Scully hissed “what are you doing?”

“Trying to save a little money,” he whispered back, “go with it.”

The salesman stopped in front of a row.

“Now, this here line is your best bet for what we like to call active sleepers,” at that he gave an exaggerated wink, “you folks looking for soft or firm?”

“Oh, my wife likes it firm,” Mulder said. Scully rolled her eyes.

The salesman moved to the end of the row.

“These are going to be the firmest on this end, getting softer as you move to the left. Why don’t you two lay down on a few and see if any of these speak to you.”

A new customer walked into the store then, and the salesman excused himself and ambled over to greet them.

“I’m not going to speak to you if you keep that up, Mulder,” she said.

“Keep what up?”

“My wife likes it firm,” she repeated in a low voice.

“What?” he said, all innocence.

“I’m leaving,” she said and he grabbed her wrist as she turned.

“Wait,” he said, laughing, “I’m sorry. He’s just lobbing these softballs out there, and I gotta take a swing. I’ll stop.”

She gave him a look.

“I will,” he said, putting on a straight face, still holding onto her arm, “just help me pick out a bed and we can get out of here. Scout’s honor.”

She relented and they cautiously sat on a few mattresses before getting comfortable. Eventually they were sprawled out next to each other, debating the merits of quilt-top vs foam.

The salesman finally came back over.

“Y’all have any questions?” he asked.

“Just one,” Mulder said, propping himself up onto his elbows. The salesman looked at him expectantly, “is that newlywed discount still on the table?”

XxXxXxXxXxX

They pulled into the parking space behind the building a few hours later hauling several large boxes containing the unassembled pieces of a matching set of a dresser, desk and nightstand. The bed would be delivered later that afternoon.

They were able to haul them up the two flights of stairs with a minimal amount of arguing which both pleased and surprised Scully.

They dumped them on the floor of the living room before plopping wearily onto the sofa.

“Oh God,” Mulder said, eyeing the mess of cardboard before them, “We have to assemble them.”

“What do you mean ‘we?’”

Mulder looked at her, his lips almost pouting and she laughed.

“Oh come on, it’s not like you have to build them from scratch, they give you directions,” she said, “If you’re lucky, they’re even in English.”

“You’re making this worse.”

“And enjoying myself immensely,” she said, “Do you have any tools?”

“Do you?” he asked.

“Of course, I do,” she said.

“Please grant a moment of silence for the death of my masculinity,” he said, dropping his head.

She swatted his shoulder.

“Stop being patriarchal,” she said, “I’ll help. Let me grab my tools.”

Three hours later they were drinking iced tea on the small loveseat on their balcony while the sun sunk slowly below the horizon, the cotton candy clouds a riot of color above them.

“I’m never moving again,” Mulder said, “tell Ellen she can sleep on the couch when she gets back. Or she can sleep with you. I’m done.”

Scully chuckled and wiggled down lower into the cushions. The temperature had dropped with the sun and she was still wearing a tank top and shorts, her feet bare.

“You cold?” Mulder asked her.

She shrugged.

“A little,” she said.

“Here,” he said, and pulled off the sweatshirt he was wearing, handing it over to her.

“Thanks,” she said, pulling it over her head. It was still warm from his body and smelled like sandalwood and a little like sweat. She wanted to pull it up to her nose and give it a big whiff, but she resisted. When he put his arms back down, he rested one on the back of the loveseat behind her. He wasn’t touching her, but she could maybe tell he wanted to.

“You nervous about tomorrow?” she asked.

“A little,” he said, smiling.

He had a tee shirt on under his sweatshirt, and it was riding up a tiny bit, the skin of his hip showing. He took a sip of tea, and she wondered for a moment what he might taste like.

“You’re going to do great,” she said.

He turned to look at her, serious.

“Thanks, Scully.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said dismissively.

“I mean, for everything.”

The moment felt weighty. She could practically feel the heat from the skin on his arm above her, and knew if she touched it it would be warm and exquisitely soft.

“Tell me another random and arcane fact,” she said, settling further into the loveseat, the collar from his sweatshirt brushing her jaw.

“In New York City,” he said, turning his face to hers, “on Broadway medians between 63rd and 76th streets, biologists discovered a new species of ant.”

She raised her eyebrows at that.

“They call it the ManhattAnt,” he smiled.

“Naturally,” she smiled back.

If she let herself, she could fall in love with him; absolutely, irreversibly. It’d be as easy as taking a breath.

He drained the rest of his tea and stood. She sat up.

“You want your sweatshirt back?” she said, her hand on the hem.

He waved her back down.

“Keep it,” he said, “I know where you live.” He then jerked a thumb in the direction of his bedroom. “Gonna try out that new bed,” he said, and opened his mouth like he was about to say something else. He shook the ice left over in the glass and looked down at it. “I… I had a good day today, Scully. Thank you.”

She gave him a close lipped smile.

“Night,” he said, drifting slowly off toward his bedroom.

“Night,” she said back.

She waited until his bedroom door closed before going inside. She slept in his sweatshirt.

#the x-files #fanfic #fanfiction #MSR #AU #prompt #my fic #a companion unobtrusive #chapter three

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meetloading354 · 3 years

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Download Cv Wps Office

WPS Office Personal Free is one of the world's most popular office suites for Windows. Fully compatible with Microsoft Office, WPS Officecomes with Writer, Presentation and Spreadsheets allowing you to open edit and create almost any document type. Highlights include: A complete office suite including Writer, Presentation and Spreadsheets. Fully compatible with Microsoft Office and Google Docs/Apps. Loaded with extras including over 230 fonts and 100’s of free templates. Collaboration tools including track changes, comments and spell check. 100s of formulas and advanced spreadsheet tools. Supports document encryption and read/write permissions. Full support for VBA/Macro. Great customer supporting including email, online tools and in-app support. Free, unlimited mobile devices both Android and iOS. WPS Office Personal Features: Complete office suite Includes writer, presentation and spreadsheets. 100% free office suite View, edit and create almost any document type – all fully compatible with microsoft office®. And the best part: it is 100% free. Lots of extras Comes with over 230 fonts, 100’s of free templates and much more. Professional documents Writer comes with dozens of formatting tools and spell check so you can easily create professional documents. Amazing presentations Create beautiful presentations with animation effects, audio, video, photos, and much more. Simple spreadsheets Need to create a home budget? Wps office is loaded with templates and tools to help you create any type of spreadsheet.

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fillmeharder · 3 years

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The seven best sex toys (according to a sex educator)

During the pandemic, the sales of these products have multiplied, which are less and less taboo and more relevant in the sexual lives of women, men, and couples. An expert on the subject - who has tested hundreds of them for several years - chooses the best ones here.

For many - and especially many - 오나홀 seems something new and recent, but the truth is that they have been present throughout the history of mankind. As early as 1,200 BC there is a record of the first of them, which have evolved through the years, with ups and downs: since the creation of the first vibrator in 1881 - thought to alleviate the famous "female hysteria" - going through its vindication at the hands of feminist women like Betty Dodson in the 1970s.

Guide to sex toys for confinement

Without a doubt, we have been spectators and users of a magnificent story that, until now, fills us with pleasure and surprises. For my part, I have the privilege of having been working in this industry for more than 10 years, which has given me the beautiful possibility - for a professional vocation, but also for personal taste - of being an official tester for hundreds of 러브젤. With all this experience, I feel super certified to be able to recommend my 7 favorites from yesterday and today.

1) Laya II

My favorite so far! I met him in 2010 and it was love at first sight. Its “pocket” size - it measures less than 12 cm - and its totally ergonomic design, made of soft silicone, are perfectly thought out. It is a vibrator manufactured by Fun Factory, a prestigious German brand, which has a powerful and silent motor, with four speeds and six rhythms, capable of causing a deep and intense orgasm. It is so entertaining and multifaceted that it can be used on vulvas, penises, necks, breasts, or any part of the body. It will be a safe company for many moments of life. In addition, as it is small, it can be carried everywhere. I love him!

—Material: medical silicone.

—Total length: 10.5 cm.

—Diameter: 4.1 cm (maximum).

—Charging mode: USB (cable included).

—Battery life: up to 2 hours continuous.

-Waterproof.

2) Butterfly Kiss

Good, nice, cheap ... and efficient! It is the perfect first love - batteries - that you can have. Its price, size, and flexibility - it is a soft hypoallergenic rubber - make it super friendly to the pocket and other places that also matter, since it is a "double-action", something that in the jargon of sex toys refers to a double stimulation. That is, it vibrates inside and outside. It has three speeds and is waterproof. I insist, on the excellent first option.

—Measures: 17.8 cm total length: 7.6 cm for the vibrator and 10.2 cm for the base.

—Uses 2 AAA batteries

3) Emma Neo

External — that is, non-penetrative — toys are my favorites by far! And this one, from the American brand Svakom, has three great reasons not to be left out of the list: a) its head shaped like rabbit ears oscillate among themselves —it has 11 speeds—, which allows to massage and stimulate the whole body; b) it has a heating function, which makes the toy reach up to 43 ° C, something very pleasant for the winter and much better than padding; and c) this model has an app - yes, an application for your cell phone! - with which you can connect with whoever you want and give them control of the toy, regardless of the distance. If all that sounds wonderful, I confirm it: it is.

—Total length: 20.9 cm

—Diameter: 4.8 cm

—Material: silicone

—Battery life: 4 continuous hours (includes charger)

-Waterproof

More about Wellness

Indoor cycling: everything you need to pedal without leaving home

Sep 6, 2021

The good, the bad, and the recommendable of napping

Sep 2, 2021

Recommendations to start hiking (and some suggested routes)

Aug 27, 2021

4) Hitachi Magic Wand

POWER. There is no other word that can better describe this toy and there is no other device of this nature that can surpass it in this regard. The possibility of stimulating every part of your body with an intense purr - capable of reaching 6,300 vibrations per minute - that reaches you deep down, seems very seductive to me. It's wireless but comes with a 2-meter cable so when the battery runs out, the fun doesn't end.

—Weight: 600 gr approx.

—Dimensions: 33 cm length, 6 cm diameter

5) Have to Egg

Here the imagination and my questioning tongue - which has questioned every friend or acquaintance who has used it - are the ones that put these glans masturbating eggs on the list. I had never felt like having a penis until I met the Tenga Eggs. I just have to imagine that soft silicone, full of textures inside, soft and with lubricant ... Ay !. It is also so nice and easy to use as a couple. They are made of elastomer, a flexible and hypoallergenic material that is also disposable, although it can be reused by washing it with warm water.

6) Sona

Imagine the tickling and excitement you feel when someone whispers a secret in your ear. Well, the Sona —of the award-winning Swedish brand Lelo— is similar, but instead of being a secret it is a whisper, and instead of being in the ear it is in the clitoris. The emotion is much bigger, yes, and the sensations too. A toy with "the 3 Os": orgasm, orgasm, orgasm! Although this silicone sucker - or sonic massager, as it calls itself - does not allow much performance, the Sona is, with its eight intensities, a real invocator of orgasms.

—Size: 11.5 x 5 x 5.6 cm

—Weight: 116 g

—Waterproof and submersible in water

—Battery life: one hour continuous

#오나홀 #러브젤

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hyundaiowners · 3 years

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2021 Hyundai Tucson Consumer Reviews

The 2021 Hyundai Tucson soldiers into a sixth model year with excellent safety and value.

The Tucson excels in safety—both the NHTSA and the IIHS give it top marks—and in standard features, which include touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and a 5-year/100,000 km bumper-to-bumper warranty. High-priced versions of the new Tucson range add cooled front seats and leather upholstery, but we’d pull up at the Tucson SEL, which comes with the bigger engine, more USB ports, and 18-inch wheels.

The 2021 Hyundai Tucson doesn’t strive to break records and set trends. It’s a refreshingly pedestrian crossover SUV that’s now in its sixth model year, unchanged for 2021 save for some new colours.

With the Tucson, Hyundai gives drivers what they need: a long warranty, lots of features, decent fuel economy, and good space for people and cargo. It’s offered in SE, Value, SEL, Sport, Limited, and Ultimate trims.

The 2021 Tucson lets its unassuming nature hang out. It’s styled with all its lines perfectly in place, neatly combed and curved, but without much misadventure or drama—though it’s a hair-metal band’s lead singer compared to a VW Tiguan. With a conservatively drawn cockpit, the Tucson’s eager to please, but more eager not to offend.

That holds true in performance, where a choice between two moderately powerful inline-4 engines yields moderate acceleration and fuel economy. None of the turbo-4 power applied to rivals has made its way here yet. The Tucson’s saving grace ends up being a well-controlled ride, and an across-the-board option for all-wheel drive—something we’d skip almost everywhere in favor of a set of winter tires and a slightly lower payment.

The Tucson’s been in its current form since 2016, and its prime competition has grown up and out. It’s somewhat smaller than those vehicles as a result, but it’s still suited well for four adults, and cargo space brings with it no complaints, at 61.9 cubic feet behind the front seats.

2021 Hyundai Tucson Styling

The cabin’s even more uncontroversial, even boring. It’s softly contoured around the driver, with a touchscreen canted their way and big controls aimed where they’re easily found. It all wears a suit of gray and black trim that renders it a design by default. Functional and intuitive, the Tucson’s simply ready for a reshoot.

2021 Hyundai Tucson Performance

The new Hyundai Tucson comes with a choice of engines and with a choice of front- or all-wheel drive, these choices range from pragmatic to prosaic. It’s a 5 for performance, strictly average.

A 2.0-liter inline-4 comes on lower Tucson trims, but with just 120 kW and 203 Nm of torque, acceleration is paltry and fuel economy is average. Its 6-speed automatic works well enough to extract available power, but the Tucson’s just big enough to damp down any enthusiasm from under the hood.

A 2.4-liter inline-4 with the same 6-speed automatic slots into upper Tucson trims. It’s rated at 135kW and 237 Nm, but the power boost doesn’t translate in driving- it’s not much quicker than the base model.

The Tucson fares better in ride quality. Even in base form, it’s tuned well to overcome its relatively short wheelbase, and doesn’t need large wheels and tires to deliver practical grip. It’s not built for handling, either, with steering that doesn’t feel as precise or eager as that in a Toyota RAV4, for example. The Tucson simply excels at long road trips, when its drive-mode selector is set to Normal, when its engine and transmission relax when no one’s asking it to do too much.

2021 Hyundai Tucson Comfort & Quality

The Tucson sits on the small end of its competitive set, but while interior space isn’t vast, the cockpit is well-finished.

Front seat passengers get six-way adjustable chairs inside the Tucson, with reasonably supportive cushions and backrests. Higher trim levels add power adjustment and helpful lumbar support, while the most expensive versions get leather-trimmed seats, and front-seat heating and cooling. Knee and headroom are fine for taller passengers and Hyundai moulds in plenty of small-item storage in the door panels and console.

The back seat suits two adults, so long as taller passengers recline the seatback slightly. Headroom isn’t as copious as in Hyundai’s larger SUVs, of course, and shoulder space is lean too, but knee room is good for most larger bodies. The rear seats fold down to expand cargo space from 852,3-litres to 1752.8-litres, enough for a week’s worth of camping gear or a couple of big flat-screen TVs.

Though it’s nearly due for replacement, the Tucson still impresses with its fit and finish. The hard plastics it wears have a pleasant sheen, where other trims comes with a soft-touch finish. Bright and clear displays round out a cabin that looks richer than its price tag.

2021 Hyundai Tucson Safety

The Tucson continues to rack up strong safety scores, though it doesn’t offer many safety options.

The Tucson earns a five-star safety rating from the NHTSA, and the IIHS gives it a Top Safety Pick award.

All Tucsons come with automatic emergency braking and active lane control. All Tucsons save for the SE have blind-spot monitors. The Tucson Sport and Ultimate add pedestrian detection; Limited Tucsons get adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality. A surround-view camera system can be fitted to the Limited and Ultimate. The Tucson doesn’t have great rearward vision, but that’s common to small SUVs.

2021 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Economy

If you don’t really need all-wheel drive, the Tucson’s standard front-drive configuration nets better gas mileage. Based on that layout, we give the 2021 Tucson a 5 for fuel economy.

Hyundai’s base 2.0-liter inline-4 gets EPA ratings of 10.2l/km city, 8.4l/km highway, 9.4l/km combined with front-wheel drive. It dips to 10.7/9.4/10.2 litres per km when all-wheel drive is fitted.

With the larger-displacement 2.4-liter inline-4, the front-drive Tucson gets EPA-rated at 10.7/8.4/9.4 litres per km, and 11.2/9/10.2 litres/km with all-wheel drive.

Article from https://we-love-hyundai.weebly.com/blog/2021-hyundai-tucson-consumer-reviews

#hyundai tucson #hyundai cars #car review

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brand-it · 3 years

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Namecheap Review: Is it Good for Hosting?

Richard Kirkendall established Namecheap in the year 2000.

According to recent statistics, they've accumulated 3 million consumers in the last 18 years.

Namecheap rules the domain name market, boasting over seven million domain names in its portfolio.

Nevertheless, here's the catch:

We've seen this before: A hosting provider excels at X, so they utilize their reputation and vast finances to muscle into Y. But, unfortunately, even if they're skilled, it doesn't guarantee they are good at it.

What's the point of Namecheap?

Was it possible to replicate their success in the domain name arena into another one? Are they just cashing in on their name? (Note: pun intended.)

We enrolled in their hosting service, got the least priced plan, and created a test website to monitor the uptime and speed of their service.

Does Namecheap earn our recommendation?

To discover more, please continue reading.

Pros of Using Namecheap Hosting

Namecheap is well known for its free domain, high speeds, and free migration service. It also includes things like backup plans and other special services.

This is the comprehensive info:

1. Free Migration and Free Domain

Namecheap is especially excellent at domain names. Therefore, it's only natural that they'd include one for free when you sign up for their hosting package. It is, however, only free in the first year. After that, you'd have to renew the domain at its renewal price. Additionally, .com is $7.98 per year.

It's free to migrate service from another hosting to theirs. Namecheap promises to migrate your whole cPanel within 24 hours, and they guarantee a downtime window of no more than 15 minutes. In addition, if the migration is unsuccessful (or you're unsatisfied with the overall process), they'll credit you for your first shared hosting purchase.

2. 99.95% Uptime

We always test a host's uptime because it is among the most significant criterion.

The best part is that Namecheap has maintained a consistent 99.95% uptime over the last 12 months. But, unfortunately, they had three months of below-average uptime.

3. Acceptable Load Time - 421 ms

The second most critical criterion, after uptime, is speed. It is particularly significant since speed is closely related to visitor delight.

Google recently discovered that if your sites take up to 6 seconds to load, the chance of someone bouncing climbs by over 100%.

So, absolutely, you need your website to survive. But, on the other hand, a slow website is just as irritating. It would be as if your site had crashed since users will go in droves.

With that, Namecheap maintained an average page speed of 421 milliseconds over 12 months, which lets them get our seal of approval.

However, their current page loading time data show a little rise; it's nothing too major.

4. Money-Back Guarantee for 30 Days

Namecheap does, however, provide a good 30-day money-back guarantee. So you have a full month to decide whether their service is good for you. Otherwise, it's not too late to change your mind and try something new.

5. Completely Loaded Value Package

We have seen a lot of hosts up to this point.

The most straightforward plan we can get for any site we wish to examine is usually the one we pick.

There are two reasons:

We need to base our evaluations on accurate information and results.

Second, the basic plans offered by each hosting firm are comparable.

So, we're comparing apples to apples (for the most part). Each package given is the same, with identical features.

Though we were astonished by Namecheap.

Their cheapest plan, incidentally, had unlimited bandwidth. Standard functionality like cPanel access and WordPress applications are included.

The firm's lowest-cost package is also the first to feature a free SSL certificate.

You get twice-weekly backups in case something goes wrong during the site update.

For just one low price, you receive 50 MySQL databases (which is way more than what most companies offer on a similar tier).

Furthermore, you have the option of setting up three websites with this package. Generally, shared hosting plans permit the hosting of just one website. If you have a business with a personal account, this is a fantastic price.

As an extra perk, they provide you 30 email addresses straight from the beginning.

Because of this, you can save substantial money over time.

6. Excellent Third-Party Reviews

It is essential to make sure that every review accurately reflects what our consumers genuinely think, and that's why we always like to receive feedback from existing customers.

We should say:

We were pleased to see some positive reviews on the internet.

Another excellent example is Shopper Reviewed, where they have an excellent 4.7-star rating. There are over a million reviews that are supposedly included.

The Drawbacks of Hosting with Namecheap

The three primary things we consider while deciding which web host to use are:

Is my site likely to be available most of the time on this host?

Second, is this host capable of delivering a quality experience for visitors, encouraging them to return?

Finally, do you think your system could support me should things go out of hand?

However, one of three areas was overlooked by Namecheap.

You should see for yourself.

We also enjoy getting to know a company's service by doing live chats.

The service agent who greeted us was polite, and they answered the issue of our free domain name within minutes.

When we inquired about site migrations, we were given a surprising answer: they told us to contact a concierge department to submit a ticket rather than simply yes or no.

We've had this problem before when Namecheap customer service directed us to the concierge team. Unfortunately, instead of the concierge assisting us immediately, we've been stuck with the tickets system.

2. Lacks Datacenter

Namecheap operates data centers in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Their virtual private server (VPS) and reseller hosting services are available in the Arizona and UK datacenters.

That's just about it. Furthermore, some hosts are running more than 20 data centers in various locations.

You will also have to pay an additional $1.00/month if you select the UK data center.

Pricing, Hosting Plans, & Quick Facts of Namecheap

Here is a brief overview of Namecheap's hosting plans:

Namecheap's two-year sign-up costs are reflected in these rates. Regardless of your choice, you will pay $1.58 per month if you select the annual subscription or $2.88 per month if you select the monthly option.

Quick Facts

Is it a free domain? Absolutely. The first year is free.

Signup: Simple.

30-day money-back guarantee: This assurance is contingent on complete customer satisfaction.

Accepted payment methods: Credit cards, PayPal, Dwolla, and Bitcoin.

Concealed fees and terms: Two important disclaimers should be considered:

Upsells: Along the road, a few will appear.

Account Activation: Quick account activation.

Dashboard and Control Panel: cPanel.

Installing programs and CMSs (WordPress, Joomla, etc.) is simple using a 1-click install tool.

“This offer is available for new hosting purchases only. The promotional price is valid for the first 12 months on annual payments, after which the hosting service will renew at the regular rate as indicated in the package specs. Upgrades/downgrades will be performed at the full renewal price.”

“Unmetered disk space is offered with our Ultimate package. This disk space is solely intended for your website and not for other storage purposes. This space must be used in accordance with our AUP, particularly paragraph 10.2.”

Namecheap: Great Value for your Money?

Indeed, it is.

They began their run nicely. Their cheapest plan is on par with most other companies' premium ones appear promising, and existing customers seem to be satisfied.

We like their reliable uptime and the fast performance they provide, making Namecheap a fantastic web host.

Customer service has to be improved, and we wish there were more data centers available to select from.

Namecheap is an exemplary hosting provider overall, but there are better choices.

“Read about: Top 10 Best Domain Registrars.”

Have you had any good or bad experiences with Namecheap's hosting services? If that's the case, we'd appreciate it if you'd write us a straight-shooting review!

#namecheap #hosting reviews #hosting review #best domain hosting #best web hosting #namecheap review

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millload246 · 3 years

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Do A Speed Test

What Is A Good Speed For A Speed Test

Do A Speed Test While On Zoom Video

Do A Speed Test For Internet

We recommend a download speed of at least 10 Mbps to stream games on Stadia, and faster speeds for resolutions greater than 720p. Google partners with Measurement Lab (M-Lab) to run this speed test. Running this test could transfer over 40 MB of data, depending on your connection speed. Mobile data charges could apply. Page 1 of 2 - How do you run a speed test? - posted in Windows 7: I have a slow laptop. Yes, I know - big surprise - Win 7. I got so disgusted I did a factory reset, thinking that would cure it. Start testing your speed in seconds by using the Begin Test button on the front page map. This will find a server near you, and test the ping, download speed, and upload speed of your Internet connection. If you'd like more data, you can repeat the test, either to the same server or to a new one in a different location. The Spectrum Internet speed test will prompt your browser to attempt to download a test (or dummy) file. The speed test will keep track of how long it takes for your computer to download this file. Don’t worry—the file is harmless. This size of the file is then divided by the download time to calculate your download speed in megabits per.

In the past 30 days over 12,985,506 people have used speed tests to see their download speeds, upload speeds, and ping. Press 'Start Test' below to get started testing your connection.

Oops! Something went wrong and the NDT test didn't load!

If this continues to happen, please contact us.

Average Internet Speed Test Result in the US 2020-2021

In this chart we show the average download speed across all users who ran a speed test in the last 12 months.

Is My Internet Speed Test Result Fast Enough?

Our speed test tool is designed to help you understand how your internet connection performs on a daily basis. As you can see from the data above, internet speeds are improving across the country in 2021. For a more detailed comparison, you can also view average speed test results for internet providers in New York, Denver, Atlanta, and every other city in the U.S. by visiting our dedicated city data pages.

1-2 Mbps

At speeds below 2 Mbps, you will be very limited in terms of what you can do online.

1-2 Mbps is suitable for:

Basic web browsing

Checking email

Single-user homes

2–10 Mbps

Speeds of 2–10 Mbps offer a bit more flexibility than the bottom end, but you’ll still be limited if you want to stream HD media or download large files.

2–10 Mbps is suitable for:

Basic web browsing

Streaming standard or HD content on one device at a time

Single or two-user homes

10–25 Mbps

At the 10–25 Mbps level, you should have little to no trouble performing basic tasks online, as well as streaming HD content. Keep in mind that large families or users with many devices may still experience slower-than-expected performance. Using WiFi can also reduce your performance in this range.

10–25 Mbps is suitable for:

Streaming HD content on one to two devices at a time

Online gaming

One to four-user homes

25+ Mbps

Speeds of around 25 Mbps should be sufficient for the average internet user. You can stream HD content on multiple devices, play online games, and handle medium/larger downloads with relative ease.

25+ Mbps speeds are suitable for:

Streaming HD content on multiple devices or 4K content on one device at a time

Playing online games and downloading medium-sized files

Medium-sized families of two to six people

50+ Mbps

Speeds above 50 Mbps should be more than enough for the majority of internet users, regardless of the task at hand. You can stream HD or even 4K content with ease, use multiple devices at once, and download large files without prohibitive download times.

What Is A Good Speed For A Speed Test

Speeds of 50 Mbps or more are suitable for:

Heavy streaming or gaming households, 4K content

Large families of power users

Frequent large downloads

Why Run An Internet Speed Test?

Net speed test app. For one, it could potentially save you some money.

Yes, really. You may be paying for more speed than you actually need, and these additional fees could be costing you month after month. Based on the information above, if you find that your internet speeds are higher than needed, we’d recommend reaching out to your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and switching to a lower-cost plan.

Then there’s the flipside; you may be paying for speeds you’re not actually getting. Running our internet speed test is the best way to determine if your provider is actually holding up their end of the bargain. If you test your connection multiple times and find that you aren’t getting what you’re paying for, we recommend reaching out to your ISP for help. This will often solve the issue, but not always.

Keep in mind that using WiFi tends to reduce performance. The speeds advertised by internet providers are based on the speed you get with a device wired directly to the router using an ethernet cable.

How To Run A Speed Test

Before you start the test, there are a few things you can do to ensure you get the most accurate results.

Be sure to place the laptop, tablet or smartphone you are using as close to your router as possible. Distance, walls, plumbing and other factors can all have an effect on your results.

Be sure to turn off any other devices that might be clogging your connection. This includes TV’s, streaming devices, and other computers around your home.

On the device you are using for testing, be sure that you aren’t actively downloading any files or updates before beginning the test.

Do A Speed Test While On Zoom Video

Understanding Your Internet Speed Test Results

In order to better understand your internet speed test, it is vital to know the difference between upload speed and download speed.

Upload Speed

Upload speed refers to how quickly your connection can send something (data, in this case) from your device to the wider internet. This number is often not the one heavily advertised by service providers online, and this is on purpose. In short, most activities online do not require high upload speeds. Some do, however, including Skype and other video chat services, online gaming, and large cloud storage applications like Dropbox and Google Drive.

Download Speed

Download speed refers to how quickly your connection can retrieve data from a website or server online. Almost all activities require a certain amount of download speed, so this is the main number you’ll want to pay attention to when deciding how much internet speed you need. Streaming multiple TV shows or movies at the same time (especially 4K media) and downloading large files are both examples of activities that require higher download speeds than average.

How Much Internet Speed Do I Really Need?

Determining how much internet speed you actually need is really a matter of how you use the internet on a daily basis. For instance, a power user in a large family who all frequently stream movies and shows, play games, and download large files is going to need a higher download speed to accommodate them. Meanwhile, someone living in a one or two-person apartment who just checks email and occasionally watches a show on Netflix will need far less.

For more information, be sure to check out our guide to determining how much internet speed you need.

How Does An Internet Speed Test Work?

Though there are a variety of different internet speed tests available online, they all essentially operate in the same basic way. In essence, when you begin the test, our tool will upload a set of files from your network to the test server nearest your location. It will then perform the same test in reverse, downloading the set of files from the server instead. Throughout the process, our tool measures a variety of data points, including the speeds of both your upload and download.

Despite how useful this information can be, you will find that the speeds you see reported will almost always be a bit lower than you might have expected. These variations are to be expected, and for the most accurate results, we recommend running the test 3-4 times back to back to get a solid average.

Speed Test Terms: How To Understand Your Results

BitsBits are foundational units of measurement for digital data. These are the ones and zeroes that make up binary code.

For reference, there are 1,000 bits in a single Kilobit (Kb).

There are 1 million bits in a Megabit (Mb).

Ableton live 10.2 download. There are 1 billion bits in a Gigabit (Gb).

BytesA byte is a common unit of measurement for determining how large a particular piece of data is. Each byte contains 8 bits. Since bits are such a small unit of measurement, it makes more sense to use bytes when discussing file sizes.

For example, there are 1,000 bytes in a single Kilobyte (KB).

There are 1 million bytes in a Megabyte (MB).

There are 1 billion bytes in a Gigabyte (GB).

Transfer RateSimply put, transfer rate refers to how quickly data is transferred between two or more devices. This can be done through the internet, or locally, such as transferring photos between a flash drive and your computer’s local storage.

Transfer rates are commonly described using a bits-per-second measurement.

KbpsKilobits per second. Only the slowest connections are measured this way.MbpsMegabits per second. The most common unit of measurement for modern internet connections.GbpsGigabits per second. Faster connections are measured this way.GBpsGigabytes per second. No currently operating consumer networks utilize this measurement.BandwidthYou can think of bandwidth as the total capacity a given network has in terms of data. ISP’s commonly advertise the best case scenario bandwidth when showing the speeds offered in their internet plans.

For example, if a provider lists a download speed of 25 Mbps, this figure is based on the full capacity (bandwidth) of the company’s network. During certain times of peak traffic, you may experience slower speeds.

ThroughputThroughput is very similar to bandwidth, in that it is a measurement of the amount of data that passes from one point to another within a certain amount of time.

Unlike bandwidth, however, this is a measurement of volume, not speed.

PingPing simply refers to a signal that is sent from a given device to a server, and back again.

You will usually see this represented as a “ping rate,” which simply measures how much time passes during the process of sending the signal and receiving it again. This measurement is reflected as latency on a network.

LatencyOften referred to as “lag,” latency is a description of the time it takes to send a ping to a given server and receive it back at your local device again.

Does A Slow Speed Test Mean I’m Being Throttled?

Not necessarily. Wix speed test turbo. There are many reasons why you may not be getting the results you expected from your speed test. Once again, make sure you run the test multiple times to rule out any random dips in speed. Also be sure to double check that no one else is using their device on your network when you run the test. Even a single smartphone can measurably alter your results if it is downloading a large update or streaming content at the same time as your speed test.

If you’ve ruled out the above and are concerned that you aren’t getting the speeds you’re paying for, read this: How To Tell If Your Internet Is Being Throttled.

What To Do If Your Speed Test Is Much Slower Than Expected

Our first recommendation is always to contact your service provider directly for help. They will be able to alert you to any network outages or other issues in your area, and can often troubleshoot your individual connection over the phone or via a live chat service.

Beyond this, if you can’t get immediate help, try using an ethernet cable to connect your computer to the router directly, if possible. If this doesn’t help, there is almost certainly something wrong with your connection on the provider’s side. If it does help, you may be experiencing signal issues with your WiFi.

How can I test my internet provider’s speed?

Do A Speed Test For Internet

You can check the download and upload speeds of your ISP by using their corresponding link below:

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ashxpad · 3 years

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Where to Sell Your Used Camera Gear

Well, you finally did it. After months of thinking about it, pining over the pictures and recommendations of others on social media, and constantly inflating your budget, someone’s got a new camera. But after spending all that time thinking about your new purchase, you neglected to put any serious thought into what to do with your old stuff. So where do you start?.

In my experience, there are three major factors to consider where you will ultimately decide to sell. Those factors are: offer price (for your gear), speed (of transaction), and convenience (or hassle, for you).

Uh oh.

Now we have an unattainable triangle, and you can only pick two. Really. Here’s how this impossible triangle works:

A convenient, high offer, won’t come fast. A fast, high offer won’t come convenient. And a fast, convenient offer won’t be high.

Now that you know the three factors which will contribute to how you will sell your used equipment, let’s examine the ‘where” in the equation.

There Are Four Types of Used Markets

Major Dealers

Major dealers include Adorama, B&H, KEH, and MBP.

Major Dealers offer many perks to help entice you. All of them have free (usually instant) quotes, free shipping to them, and even free returns if you don’t like the offer they give you. It’s pretty convenient in that all you have to do is send your stuff to them and then sit back and wait for payment.

But it’s their reputation and size that puts the major dealers at a disadvantage for some people who want the highest possible price for their stuff. In order to make dealing in used equipment more profitable for them, they routinely offer a lower amount than what your equipment will retail for when they resell it. So in essence, you are paying for the convenience and speed.

Auction Sites

Auction sites include eBay, Gearup, and Gear Focus.

Auction sites cater to the more do-it-yourself personality, as there’s definitely more work involved in selling your own stuff. It’s true that you can get the “highest price” for your equipment on auction sites. And I’m putting that in quotes because the highest price just means what the market will accommodate. Your equipment is only worth what others will pay for it. And researching an auction site is the best way to determine what the true value of a used product is (if they support transaction history – like eBay).

All of these sites have different protections for buyers and sellers, as well as different commissions and transaction fee schedules. But this process is more involved in that you will have to research which site will work best for you, write a description, take photos, deal with packaging, and set up shipping, payments, etc. And it might take re-listing your item multiple times to get the highest possible price.

So, needless to say, it’s a lot more involved and requires a significant time investment to get top dollar.

Note: GearFocus is not an auction site but it has more in common with eBay and GearUp than with the other examples below.

Local Marketplaces

Local marketplaces include craigslist, OfferUp, and Facebook Marketplace.

These sites offer potentially faster transactions and potentially higher market prices at the expense of consumer protection. The inconvenience factor is slightly different in that you have to deal with each potential buyer instead of through a proxy (like an auction site). So the back and forth between multiple potential buyers might be a drag, but photos and descriptions can be more casual, and you’ll almost never have to deal with shipping.

Most people steer clear of local marketplaces because you will have to actually meet the person who is interested, let them inspect your stuff, and (most likely) renegotiate the price. Also physically meeting someone you don’t know with your expensive camera equipment might be enough to keep most people away. It is also an unverifiable market; you have no way of establishing what has sold (and at what price) or who is buying it.

That being said, if you are willing to sell at an attractive price, it’s possible to do so in less than an hour.

Enthusiast Classifieds

Enthusiast classifieds include Fred Miranda, Cloudy Nights, etc.

Any site that has a forum for dedicated enthusiasts is most likely going to have at least a very rudimentary classified system. These places are kind of like a hybrid between an auction site and a local marketplace. Some might feel more comfortable with the people on an enthusiast site because at the very least you “know” that you share a common interest.

But these sites also share most of the drawbacks as well. Photos, descriptions, packaging, shipping, payment method, etc. Also just like the local marketplaces, there is no consumer protection and no verifiability.

Let’s Get Technical About Price

I spent a month researching prices for all the sites listed above.

All the quotes and prices were found using the following example:

Canon 5D Mark IV (Body Only) (Excellent Condition)

Major Dealers

Auction Sites

Local Marketplaces

What’s Actually Going In Your Wallet?

So now that we’ve covered all the numbers, from the data that was available at the time. We can make some assumptions about what you’ll actually be putting in your bank account.

If you get a quote from one of the Major Dealers, (assuming your equipment is accurately rated) that is the number you’ll be depositing. Period. If you don’t like it, they will ship back to you free of charge.

If you were to list on eBay for the average sold price of $1,708.42, assuming the buyer pays for shipping, eBay will take a 10.2% commission. which amounts to $174.26. So after that, you’re left with $1,534.16.

Since all the other sites have zero data on actual sales, let’s use the average eBay sold price.

Gearup takes a 6.5% commission and a $1.99 transaction fee. That would net you $1,595.38

Gear Focus takes a 3.5% commission and a 2.9% + $0.35 transaction fee. That would net you $1,598.73

The local marketplace sites are just as unreliable for studying recent sales trends. So I’m not even going to attempt to make assumptions about net price. You’ll just have to use your imagination.

Conclusions

After looking at all the factors; price, speed, and convenience, which is the best option?

Well that depends entirely on what kind of person you are and what means the most to you; price, speed, or convenience (remember to pick only two):

But it’s also important to remember that the only verifiable numbers (price & speed) come from the major dealers. Regardless of what you see being sold anywhere on the internet, only the four major dealers mentioned above have concrete numbers in offer quote, and time till payment. The prices you see from eBay, Craigslist, and others, only represent potential price, not actual price. And there’s no way of knowing how long each individual listing took before the item was actually sold.

Personally, I’m going to take a hard look at Adorama and the other dealers on this list before making my decision next time I need to sell something. Knowing that in 3-5 days I can be done with the entire process and move on, is something that is very appealing to me. I don’t know if the “potential” of a couple of hundred bucks is worth the effort to babysit an auction or haggle with a stranger. But that’s just me.

The quote and price examples used in this article are only valid for the month of July 2021. Prices fluctuate so frequently based on a large number of factors. Be smart, do your own research.

About the author: Scott Donschikowski is a photographer and photography educator. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. You can find more of Donschikowski’s work on his website, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. This article was also published here.

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