#who are you running from (ic) [c][!].gb

[nintendodeathsystem]

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[nintendodeathsystem]

~!

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@nintendodeathsystem

[mashitandsmashit]

AGT Season 19: Auditions 2

Now THIS is more like it!

Aside from a goofball dancer, a bunch of nerds playing those whatchamacallits, and that unicycle couple who would make a great redemption story on this show in a year or two, NONE of whom got admitted to the next round anyway (and deservedly so), everyone in here is at LEAST B+ material...I still feel somewhat jaded by this show in general, but I can't deny that this list will be about 95% positive...So let's get started!

9: Sabrina. Well, SOMEONE in here had to come in last, and I didn't feel like covering the pre-mentioned rejects anymore than I already have...So the bottom spot goes to this overall impressive dance group...If this was three or even two years earlier, they might have ranked higher...But we've seen quite a few amazing Japanese dance groups in recent years, and since these ladies lacked the unique identity that Avantgardey or even Chibi Unity possessed, nothing in here was THAT surprising...except maybe working in that fire Lindsey Stirling track! But we'll see what they bring next time...

8: Bao Cuong. Honestly, I never set my standards THAT high when it comes to sideshow acts...But there is something about the instruments he used, as well as the calm way he did it (and that dissonant happy track) that made this pretty compelling...Not enough to win votes in the live shows, but enough to at least MAKE said live shows...

7: Chrisyius Whitehead. (Kind of a gross last name...) Second show in a row where a little black kid does something most ADULTS can't do! I suppose he was a LITTLE off the beat at times, but when you're smaller than the bass-drum, you can't really hold that against yourself...As it is, he's somewhere between Travis Barker and Taylor Hawkins standards...In a few more years, he'll be on the Moon...KEITH Moon!

6: Ashes & Arrows. It's like Mumford & Sons meets Zac Brown Band, with a little sprinkle of Nathaniel Rateliff...Only the facial hair is all the more epic! Howie may not have liked the song THIS time, but if these guys play their cards right in later rounds, they could go VERY far in this game!

5: Hakuna Matata. What a wonderful phrase! And it's EXACTLY what I say in response to the occasional stumble in this performance! I mean, they're pretty much combining every acrobatic act we've seen on this show into one, so you can't expect it ALL to go perfectly...Just the fact that they can pull off all of those formations while on that rolla-bolla is something in and of itself! If they can work out those little kinks, they could very well take it even farther than their friends the Ramadhani Brothers...

4: Phillip Lewis. Well, I never thought I'd enjoy a baton-twirler this much, but here we are! The juggling was amazing, he made it all look so effortless, AND his flamboyantly bubbly personality shined the whole way through! I don't know if there's something in those donuts he's eating, but if they're helping him do as well as he did here, what's the occasional sweet-tooth here and there...?

3: NiNi. Wow, this sequel to “Kubo and the Two Strings” looks amazing! Not much to add here; She played all of those instruments perfectly, and rocked the house with them! I just hope we don't get another John Wines situation where Simon just decides he doesn't like her anymore...

2: Liv Warfield. Backed up for Prince, huh...? Well, I know a dancer who performed with Vanilla Ice AND Milli Vanilli! Beat THAT! No, seriously, she was amazing! So far, she's my favorite to win...Especially since she'll NEED the million dollars to cover for the damages of the house she just brought down! A Golden Buzzer VERY much earned! (Note: Richard Goodall still seems to be the clear front-runner...)

1: Sky Elements. Well, it is NOT the guys from “Xtreme”...It's better! While Simon's OTHER GB may be my favorite to win so far, I really can't give the #1 spot to anyone else tonight! It's hard to deny the limitations, and it WILL hold them back in the long run, but for now they created a spectacle worthy of Olympic-sized stadiums! It really is one of those cases where I wish I was actually there! The only thing is that it went into brief uncanny valley territory with that Simon face...(Shudder) But on the other hand, they used a track from Sara James' best performance on this show! I knew they were getting Simon's second GB, because the promo clearly showed him pressing it outside with all of them wearing coats in this 70-degree California night weather...I look forward to seeing what they have in store for us in the lives...All I ask is that they spare us the obviously-scripted producer banter next time...

Again, pretty damn solid show! Here's to next week, and seeing if Howie or Sophia will finally use their FIRST GBs...

[gumceline]

another massive bubbline shipper here too say i got mad respect for this blog. as much as i stand by my ship 1000%, i also stand by the fact its totally okay too ship them with other people. i admit the bubbline fandom can be pretty toxic, but alot of us will stand by you. not only are you being super respectful even when you get hate, but you arent straight washing. also the way you looked at the negative parts of our community with understanding in last post, that was real great

oh i appreciate it! I prefer never to judge an entire fanbase by one dude because EVERY fanbase has THOSE people, no fanbase is ever perfect.

I really wished my experience with bubbline shippers had been better, it really was unfortunate to have countless hate, to have people make posts mocking me, to be put on “Lists to block”, not to mention that i legit had supportive friends who were bubbline shippers, but they pretty much turned their back on me, abandoned me, and called me a “Homophobic uncaring asshole”.

It really broke my heart dealing with the stuff i did, and i wasn’t perfect either, but i still don’t think i deserved what that was. I was a kid at the time, and was still having fun and i REALLY wanted to be a part of the fanbase because i love the series and loved the characters, but the fandom just....hated me.

Because i was a multishipper and had different opinions on the characters.

It really didn’t matter to them that i also shipped the characters with other female characters, or i said myself i don’t consider them straight. Because the fandom didn’t really care, they took one look and decided nothing i said mattered.

Being in the star fandom is widely different because the biggest ship there is Starco, a MXF (Which i personally don’t really like but that’s just me), and my favorite ship was...and still is Tom and Marco, because i love their chemistry so much and i genuinely consider them to be a much more believable relationship then the romance they wrote for star and marco.

And trust me, it’s always annoying if you don’t ship the most popular ship and like another pairing more but are succumbed to it everywhere regardless of the characters themselves.

But me not shipping star and marco didn’t make me someone who hated straight people, so i don’t think it’s collectively fair to tell anyone who may of liked marcy or bonnie with finn or maybe they ship them with a male oc of theirs....hate lesbians or were just homophobic.

it’s Like if i took finn out of his (Maybe) relationship with huntress and shipped him with....Tiffany (Who is a male character)...that wouldn’t mean i suddenly hated all straight couples and think finntress should burn.

That’s still a huge leap to jump to and extremely dangerous because you’re collectively accusing someone of something serious without really knowing much more about them then “They like this ship”.

Without any knowledge of them outside of that.

You could effectively damage their rep and make their time in the fandom a living hell out of something minor or something you just assumed, i would know.

I welcome progress, i am quite happy for the bubbline shippers who got their ship, heck...i’m STILL mad that we didn’t get poly tom x marco x star on star vs and felt VERY baited by the crew on that.

but even though i am happy for those people, i don’t think it’s validation to beat up on other shippers either, it does nothing for anyone’s case to do that. If the people are actual bigots who are actively acting terrible and throwing around nasty words and doing terrible stuff, then by all means, call them out.

But people who are just causally shipping stuff for fun? In a way it just feels like using them being a gay ship as a weapon against everyone else, because if they disagree with you and have a different opinion you can effectively boil them down to a bigot and no one might question it...especially when it’s the vast majority.

And that should not be acceptable to do, i ended up hearing from a friend of mine that this fandom actively started purging out other creators for having opinions people didn’t like, and now people are starting to regret that they shunned out so many members of the fandom based on things that were probably incredibly trivial in the long run.

And i get it, it’s an important ship, but it’s important as a rep of that ship to be respectful to others, because if not what you’ll end up doing is turn people away. I would like to be more celebratory of your success in getting the ship canon, but it makes it harder if i’m getting several messages asking when i’m deleting my “Hateful” blog because bubbline was now canon.

I’d like to get along with and support these people, but they don’t want to try and support me and have almost just decided to hate me and it sucks, and there’s not much i can do. That’s why i am thankful for those who don’t just immediately decided to judge me and want to know more about my views on the characters. 

This of course does not apply to the community as a whole, not everyone is acting like this, but it is a problem and it has consequences and i hope the fandom does work on it in the future. Please do better in the future.

Now when it comes to shipping, I have my limits personally, like if the characters have canon sexualities i tend to stick to those sexualities, i for one, have a oc that’s gay. I effectively tell others if they make fanart with him for fun that’s great and i love it, but i want his sexuality respected if ships are involved.

Since the AT ones are left in the air, it means i am left to come up with my own ideas, so that’s what i do. I think everyone should be allowed in that regard to have their own interpretations, marcy could be bi, lesbian, ace,pan, ect and all of those are perfectly acceptable headcanons.

i don’t think one should be held superior over another.

I’ve never looked at Marcy or PG and said “Oh yeah, these two are so obviously straight”, they’re about as straight as a bent nail. XD The people who say this stuff clearly don’t follow me to know that they’re not treated as straight here and i think that’s just frustrating because it’s attacking for completely incorrect information.

And the main problem i think i have, like the biggest issue, is i see the F&C characters differently.

Because i know where the fandom is getting this impression people who these other pairings are homophobic is coming from, it’s because most of the fandom doesn’t really see those characters as much more then well...GB characters.

If i saw tomco, and one was turned to a girl to avoid them both being boys, i would be annoyed, i would, i wouldn’t assume the person was homophobic without other evidence but i’d be annoyed. (I mean for all i know it could be an au and i could be mistaking the situation entirely)

What makes this different for me, is because for one, these aren’t fan-characters, the fans didn’t make a genderbent world and design these characters for fun or anything. These were show characters, that were in episodes and have their own comics and all that.

The way the show approached them for me, makes me feel like they’re kinda misjudged, and people don’t have to agree with me on that fact. But i just feel like between them being fanfiction characters ice king made up, the fact their canon is different, the fact the characters do things the F&J characters don’t do, i just can’t help but feel like treating them as if they were something fans did for fun and have no difference outside of their gender is not the right approach for them.

(I mean ice queen died in one comic and has her own unique origin story which is apparently tied to cake’s, flame prince apparently speaks cat and is the most nervous and awkward cutie I've ever seen, gumball is apparently a card wars superfan and legit takes it WAY too seriously, i just can’t really look at these characters and say “Oh, these are all just Ice King, Flame Princess, and Princess Bubblegum but the opposite gender”).

I feel like the show does enough with them,and had a unique enough approach, that i feel like they should be judged as different characters. Like the redraws of regular episodes with the F&C characters are cute but they’re for fun and probably not what ice king wrote for them in his weird stories.

Like i can’t imagine ice king knew PB so well he made sure gumball had her entire backstory and motivations.

And i feel like the people who do enjoy these ships, heck, ALL FOUR of these ships, feel the same way i do. I’m sure some could def be shipping them for the wrong reasons, but i can’t help but think it’s less about their gender and more that other people recognize they’re different and have considered the different dynamics...like they would if they were shipping any other pairing.

And people don’t have to agree with any of us on that, but i don’t think the alternative should be to accuse us of something so heavily either.

These days i have newer friends who like bubbline who are chill with me, and yeah that’s cool, and i personally don’t really draw the ship myself because i’m still not too comfortable in the AT fandom or with the community right now....the situation with it never leaves me feeling safe frankly.

But we get along, they’re lovely, and the shippers who like bubbline but support the blog are also lovely people and i adore them.

At the end of the day i just want to have fun, i’m fine being in a small subsection of the fanbase and who knows, maybe i have gotten people to think about the F&C characters in a new light, i’m not sure.

But i hope maybe at some point the fandom can chill down and we can support each other without turning it into...whatever that entire situation is. Because i don’t want to be fighting with that community and would prefer to get along with them, but only time will tell.

But thanks for the support! I wish you the best ! I sometimes still have a lot to learn but i hope throughout this whole thing I've gone about it as respectful as possible.

I love the show and all the characters and the fun ships and relationships, i hope someday in the future i can be comfortable enough to get back into the fandom as much as i used to be! ^-^

[randomfandomsbro]

Insert shameless promotion for Arma Milsim group--

Heyo! So I’m back with a bit of promotion for my friend’s Arma Unit the 3rd Combat Group! I would also like to point out this is a multifandom blog and one of the fandoms I have been in for a little while is Arma 3! Arma 3 has allowed me to have my fun that I’ve missed out on after being discharged from the military and in general it’s just a fun game to play with friends! We do all sorts of stuff and we also play other games but getting people to join and help increase our numbers for the unit is my main focus here c: We always have enough for a full squad of people, but it would be so much more fun with more people to play with and plan other things!

Must be 16 or older

The following was written by one of the leaders of the unit:

Overview

The 3rd Combat Group is a mixed infantry unit created and run by long time milsimers who wanted to make a unit not so serious but serious enough to make an enjoyable operation. All members are either new to Arma 3 or veterans of the Arma series, we also love to try and keep things fresh with new and different operations every week or even twice a week.

The Unit and history

We are a fictional unit comprised of members from all around the world, we also fight anywhere in the world and we fight as anyone from around the world depending on the operation. We mostly play as NATO/RUS but we have played many countries and time periods ranging from modern day Ukraine to defending against the Soviets in Finland, that means we use a wide range of mods up to 70 GB's of mods but that’s with all the mods we use so you don’t need all of them on at one time. Most of the members of the unit have known each other for at least 4 years now, most of those members are from Europe ranging from Latvia to England.

(We all love to play other games too, not only Arma 3 so anyone is always welcome to join in on one of our hearts of iron games or even EU4.)

What we are looking for

We are looking for players who are willing to dedicate to at least one operation a week (Saturday or Sunday) and who have played at least 50 hours of Arma. However if you have less than 50 hours logged, you will have to prove that you are capable of communicating within a unit and shooting a target at a standard of 300 meters. You will also have to prove that you are fine with following orders from someone you have just met, you will start as a recruit if you are successful in the recruitment phase. We are also looking for reservist slots for members who can’t attend on a regular basis.

End of the statement by our lovely leader cx                                                                                                                                                                                     If you have a job in mind we also do training for certain things! Like I only take the role of Medic because I love healing and helping vs firing and wasting bullets.

Such certifications for training are:

Rifle training

Medical training

Grenadier training

AT training

Marksman training

MG training

Radio Operator training

Helicopter Pilot training

Jet Pilot training

IC training

Infantry Certification training

Armored Crewman training

Artilleryman training

More could possibly or some may be removed depending on what we do and don’t need at the time of joining!

The unit also goes by ranks so we all work our way up, from Recruit to Sergeant (subject to change if more people join, for we are a smol group)

Warning: There is dark humour involved in the unit (I don’t partake in it, but most everyone else does)!!!

If you are okay with all everything listed above, please DM me for the application form link! <3

Serious people only please! 

We could really use more people who want to play! <3

Sincerely, Doc Morphine Unit Medic

P.S. Please do not be afraid to reblog this to help spread the word, it would be greatly appreciated even if you aren’t interested in joining <3

[tech-battery]

HP Spectre x360 14 Convertible Review: An Instant Favorite

The Spectre x360 14 is HP's latest flagship convertible in its high-end Spectre series joining the existing 13.3-inch Spectre x360 13 and 15.6-inch Spectre x360 15. Despite what its name may suggest, the Spectre x360 14 utilizes a 13.5-inch display instead of a 14-inch one but in a squarer 3:2 form factor that's becoming increasingly common on newer Ultrabooks. HP is hoping to capture a wider audience of professionals and office users with the new aspect ratio as opposed to the traditional 16:9.

Current configurations range from FHD (1920 x 1280) to OLED (3000 x 2000) with 400 nit or 1000 nit options, the Core i5-1135G7 or Core i7-1165G7 CPU, 8 GB to 16 GB of RAM, and up to 2 TB of SSD storage starting at $1300 to over $1700 USD. All options come with integrated Iris Xe graphics only. Our specific test unit is a middle configuration sporting the Core i7 CPU, 400-nit FHD touchscreen, and 512 GB SSD for approximately $1500 USD.

Competitors in this space include other 16:10 or 3:2 subnotebooks like the Huawei MateBook X Pro, Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13, Dell XPS 13 9300, Razer Book 13, or Asus ZenBook S.

Case

If you've handled a Spectre x360 13 or 15 in the past, then you'll know exactly what to expect from the Spectre x360 14. HP has translated the existing luxurious Spectre design and metal materials to the new 3:2 form factor without any surprises. Both the base and lid exhibit little flexing and no creaking when attempting to twist their corners or depress their surfaces. Chassis rigidity doesn't feel any better or worse than the Asus ZenBook S or XPS 13, but its gold trims are arguably classier.

One thing we would improve is the rigidity of the hinges at certain angles. The lid falls over too easily once it reaches past 120 degrees which can be annoying when typing or transporting the laptop. This also doesn't give a good sense of longevity as the hinges will inevitably become weaker over time.

The system is larger and slightly heavier than the 13.3-inch Spectre x360 13 and so tablet mode is a bit more cumbersome to handle as a result. Of course, owners get a larger display in return without needing to opt for the even bigger Spectre x360 15. Note that the Dell XPS 13 9300 is smaller than our Spectre x360 14 in every dimension due in part to its smaller 13.4-inch 16:10 display.

Connectivity

Port options are identical to the Spectre x360 13 but with a couple of minor changes. Firstly, both the power button and camera kill switch are now directly on the keyboard instead of the rear corner or right edge of the chassis, respectively. Secondly, both USB-C ports now support Thunderbolt 4 in addition to Thunderbolt 3 for users who can take advantage of the extra bandwidth.

The corner USB-C port can feel a little weird at first. We would've preferred a USB-C port on both the left-hand and right-hand edges so users can charge the laptop on either side much like on the Razer Book 13.

Communication

The Intel AX201 comes standard for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity. We experienced no issues when connected to our Netgear RAX200 test router.

Maintenance

The bottom panel is secured by two T5 Torx screws and four Philips screws hidden underneath the rear rubber feet. These latter screws are annoyingly difficult to access which can make simple SSD upgrades more involved than it needs to be. Both RAM and WLAN are soldered.

Accessories and Warranty

The retail packaging include a carrying sleeve and the HP MPP2.0 active pen free of charge. The standard one-year limited warranty applies with plenty of extension options if ordered directly from HP.com.

Input Devices

Keyboard

HP has some of the best laptop keyboards for its Spectre and EliteBook families. Feedback feels crisper and deeper for a more satisfying typing experience when compared to the oftentimes shallower and spongier keyboards on most other Ultrabooks. keys on the XPS 13 keyboard, for example, are shallower and with lighter input pressure. It all comes down to user preference, of course. We recommend testing out the keyboards on the Spectre x360 13 or 15 to get a good sense of what the Spectre x360 14 keyboard feels like.

Key layout is a mixed bag. The fingerprint reader in particular replaces the Ctrl key meaning users who have been relying on this key on other laptops will find the change annoying. Meanwhile, the power button takes slightly more force to depress than the surrounding keys to avoid accidental presses, but we would have preferred a fingerprint-enabled power button instead.

Touchpad

The clickpad is larger than the one on the Spectre x360 13 (11.5 x 7.4 cm vs. 11.1 x 5.6 cm) due to the longer length of the chassis. Texture is similarly smooth and with very little sticking when gliding at slow speeds for accurate cursor control. Clicking on the clickpad has a satisfying audible click even though feedback could have been firmer.

Display

The base LG Philips FHD panel is a high quality IPS panel worthy of the Spectre name. It excels in offering a very high contrast ratio of over 2500:1 compared to half that on most other flagship Ultrabooks. Black-white response times, however, are relatively slow for noticeable ghosting. Upgrading to the pricier OLED option will solve that problem completely.

HP offers 1000-nit brightness options to be at least two times brighter than anything from the Dell XPS, Lenovo Yoga, Microsoft Surface, or Asus ZenBook series. This feature is available only for the FHD IPS SKUs and it can also be found on certain EliteBook laptops. The base 400-nit option is otherwise sufficient if you mostly plan on using the convertible indoors as it's already brighter than the display on the Lenovo Yoga 9i.

Outdoor visibility is about the same as the Spectre x360 13 or Asus ZenBook S since they all have similar maximum brightness levels. The higher contrast ratio of the Spectre x360 14 display, however, helps to mitigate washed out colors by just a bit when under sunlight. Glare is otherwise almost unavoidable. We recommend the 1000-nit option if outdoor visibility is priority.

Performance

The 11th gen Tiger Lake Core i7-1165G7 directly replaces last year's 10th gen Ice Lake Core i7-1065G7. Unlike the Envy series, there are unfortunately no AMD options available on this Spectre since it is an Intel Evo-certified laptop. The Spectre would lose its Evo certification if it came equipped with AMD options.

We set our unit to Performance mode via HP Command Center prior to running any performance tests below for the highest possible scores. We recommend owners become familiar with Command Center since it includes manufacturer-specific performance and network controls.

Processor

Much like on the Dell XPS 13 9310 with the same Core i7-1165G7 CPU, processor performance can be unsteady when running high loads for long periods as clock rates will cycle to keep core temperatures in check. However, the amplitude and range at which clock rates cycle on the HP is tighter than on the Dell for a more predictable level of performance. Our CineBench R15 xT loop test below illustrates this as our Spectre 14 would generally score between 770 and 820 points compared to 620 and 750 points on the XPS 13. The HP system is seemingly better at sustaining both tighter and faster clock rates than the Dell as a result.

Raw multi-thread performance is about 20 to 40 percent faster than the Core i7-1065G7 in the Spectre x360 13. Some laptops with the same Core i7-1165G7 CPU are able to run even faster like the Razer Book 13.

System Performance

PCMark 10 results are where we expect them to be relative to other laptops with the same Core i7-1165G7 CPU. The HP system edges out ahead of Ultrabooks sporting older generation CPUs like the Asus Zenbook S or Spectre x360 13.

We experienced no software or hardware issues with our test unit save for an interesting Smart Sense observation that we will note in our Power Consumption section below.

DPC Latency

LatencyMon reveals DPC latency issues related to ACPI.sys. 4K UHD video playback at 60 FPS is otherwise smooth and with no dropped frames during our minute-long YouTube test.

Storage Devices

Our unit ships with the Samsung PM981a which is a high-end PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD. Running DiskSpd Read in a loop shows that the motherboard interface is able to utilize the high x4 transfer rates of the SSD. Optane options are available much like on the Spectre x360 13, but most office users will be just fine without it.

See our table of SSDs and HDDs for more comparisons.

GPU Performance

Graphics performance is excellent and towards the higher-end of the spectrum when compared to other laptops with the same GPU. 3DMark scores are notably well above the GeForce MX350 by about 30 percent, but real-world games will still run faster on the Nvidia GPU more often than not due to its more mature game-ready drivers.

Frame rates when gaming on the Spectre 14 tend to fluctuate due to the fluctuating clock rates when under stressful conditions. When idling on Witcher 3 on the lowest settings, for example, frame rates would constantly cycle between 80 and 95 FPS instead of remaining constant as shown by our graph below. This behavior is similar to the XPS 13 albeit it is even more pronounced on Dell's machine. We explore this further in our Stress Test section.

See our dedicated page on the Iris Xe 96 EUs for more technical information and benchmarks.

Emissions

System Noise

Fan noise remains quiet even when browsing the web or video streaming on Performance mode. Running the first benchmark scene of 3DMark 06, for example, would induce a fan noise of just 26.4 dB(A) against a silent background of 25.9 dB(A). It's not until we would run Witcher 3 for longer periods would the fans begin to run at higher and more audible RPMs. At worst, users can expect a noise of 41.5 dB(A) with thankfully no annoying pulsing behavior.

Temperature

Surface temperature development is symmetrical due to the symmetrical cooling solution inside. The keyboard center can be as warm as 39 C while the bottom hot spot can be as high as 53 W when under high processing stress. These results are even warmer than what we recorded on the 13.3-inch Spectre x360 13 by 5 to 10 degrees C on each side. Though the palm rests are never too warm, a cooler bottom would have been appreciated.

Stress Test

When stressed with Prime95, the CPU would boost to 4 GHz for the first few seconds and at a core temperature of 95 C. Clock rates and core temperature would then steadily fall and eventually cycle between 2.1 and 3.4 GHz and 75 C and 95 C, respectively. Running this same test on the XPS 13 9310 with the same Core i7-1165G7 CPU would result in slower clock rates of 1.9 to 3.1 GHz and a cooler core temperature of 71 to 78 C.

Both CPU and GPU clock rates would fluctuate when gaming as well resulting in unsteady frame rates. Our screenshot below illustrates this when running Witcher 3. You may want to enable v-sync to reduce screen tearing and uneven frame pacing.

Running on battery power limits processor performance even when on the Performance power profile. A 3DMark 11 test on batteries would return Physics and Graphics scores of 3209 and 6714 points, respectively, compared to 11810 and 6658 points when on mains.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Power consumption fluctuates more readily on the Spectre x360 14 when compared to most other Ultrabooks with the same Core i7-1165G7 like the Asus ZenBook 14. Our screenshots below illustrate the ranges owners can expect when running high processing loads. This behavior is in line with the fluctuating clock rates we observed above.

On average, however, power consumption when running higher loads isn't all that different from the Asus Zenbook S or Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 each equipped with less powerful Ice Lake or Core i5 processors. The HP is especially efficient when compared to Ultrabooks with discrete GeForce MX graphics like the Huawei MateBook 14 which consumes about 15 to 20 W more when gaming.

We're able to record a temporary maximum draw of 56.2 W from the small (~8.8 x 5.3 x 2.1 cm) 65 W AC adapter when running extreme loads.

It's worth noting that the default HP Smart Sense power profile is not the most power efficient mode. During our tests, the system would consume at least 6 W on Smart Sense mode compared to just 2 to 3 W when on Quiet mode. You'll want to use Quiet mode if battery life is of utmost importance.

Battery Life

Battery capacity is 10 percent larger than on the Spectre x360 13 (66 Wh vs 60 Wh) and with a longer WLAN runtime of about 1.5 hours. Users can expect almost 12 hours of real-world WLAN usage on a full charge.

Idling on desktop at the lowest brightness setting on HP Smart Sense mode would last for just 14.5 hours compared to over 36 hours on Quiet mode. The wide discrepancy may be due to the higher power consumption of Smart Sense mode mentioned above.

Charging from empty to full capacity takes about 2 to 2.5 hours.

Verdict

The best thing about the Spectre x360 14 is that it's a perfect adaptation of the Spectre x360 13. Almost everything we loved about the 13.3-inch model can be found unscathed on the 13.5-inch model including the excellent keyboard feedback, strong and classy metal design, high contrast ratio display with full sRGB coverage, and long battery life. However, this also means that the system inherits many of the same drawbacks as the Spectre x360 13 like the cycling CPU clock rates, non user-upgradeable RAM, average hinge rigidity at certain angles, and slow black-white response times. There's definitely still room for improvement in this regard.

We're not fans of a couple of changes. Whereas the Spectre x360 13 had WAN options, the Spectre x360 14 has silently omitted them. Meanwhile, the larger fingerprint reader is easier to use, but it comes at the expense of a Ctrl key. If you never relied on these features in the first place, however, then these changes won't be much of a problem.

The 13.5-inch Spectre x360 14 puts the 13.3-inch Spectre x360 13 in a tight spot. Though HP insists that the former won't replace the latter, we can see a scenario where the Spectre x360 13 will be slowly phased out anyway in favor of the Spectre x360 14 because both are so similar. If you're in the market for a Spectre, we recommend the 13.5-inch model over the 13.3-inch one simply because it is able to offer a noticeably larger screen size with only marginal increases to size and weight.

HP's latest convertible is faster than the Dell XPS 13 with the same Core i7 CPU while offering a larger and optionally two times brighter display. There are a few faults, but they are generally easy to overlook given that the Spectre x360 14 is so well-crafted and a joy to work on.

[gadgetsrevv]

Euro 2020 qualifiers and international football: 10 things to look out for | Football

1) Pressure on Dutch as entertaining foes meet again

Before October 2018, the Netherlands had not kicked a ball in anger against Germany for six years. When the teams walk out for the Group C qualifier in Hamburg, it will be the fourth time the fierce rivals have faced each other in 11 months. Not that neutrals should be complaining. There have been 12 goals in the two Nations League matches and one Euro 2020 qualifier that have been played since – and some scintillating football. Nico Schulz’s 90th-minute strike for Germany sealed a 3-2 victory in a pulsating qualifier at the Johan Cruyff Arena in March that left the Dutch on three points from two matches and facing a tricky game of catch-up to ensure automatic qualification. Northern Ireland’s flawless start has powered them to the top of Group C on 12 points and piled pressure on Ronald Koeman’s side, who will have to go on the attack at the Volksparkstadion. Expect another entertaining open game from two vibrant young sides. Gregg Bakowski

• Germany v Netherlands, 7.45pm (all times BST), Friday

2) Finland close in on their finest hour

Football has rarely been able to dent ice hockey’s primacy in Finland but Markku Kanerva’s team are on the verge of changing that. Over the next week they face two of the most important games in their history and, if at least one of Greece and Italy can be seen off in Tampere, a place at Euro 2020 should be within touching distance. They sit second in Group J, three points clear of Armenia and five in front of Greece and Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is a golden opportunity for a country that has only once come close to reaching a major tournament, when they fell just short of Euro 2008. Finland are formidable at home, they have not conceded in their last eight games, and in Norwich City’s Teemu Pukki they have one of Europe’s hottest centre-forwards. They may fancy their chances of toppling the injury-hit Italians, who will miss Lorenzo Insigne and Giorgio Chiellini and could be caught at the top when they meet on Sunday if all goes to plan. And if it unravels spectacularly? Finland would have the fallback of entering the play-offs, in that case, having been one of the winners in Nations League C. The opportunity that lies ahead could hardly be greater. Nick Ames

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3) Romanian fledglings have chance to show they can fly

Romania had their most exciting footballing summer since 1994 thanks to the entertaining under-21 side that reached the semi-finals at the European Championships. Ianis Hagi, son of the legendary Gheorghe, was the star , earning a move to Genk, although Ajax were also linked to the playmaker. He is joined in Cosmin Contra’s squad to face Spain and Malta by six teammates from that under-21 squad, who became known for their attacking football as they defeated England and Croatia, and they will be given the chance to prove themselves at full international level against Spain in Bucharest. Whether Hagi can follow in his famous father’s footsteps is unknown but he can be as influential for this generation and their first test could be telling, not that they will be afraid. Will Unwin

• Romania v Spain, 7.45pm, Thursday

Romania training in Bucharest on Wednesday. Photograph: Robert Ghement/EPA

4) Republic can take huge step towards qualifying against Swiss

Three wins and a draw from their first four matches have taken the Republic of Ireland top of Group D on 10 points and given them a big psychological advantage over third-placed Switzerland as they prepare to meet in Dublin. Vladimir Petkovic’s side are similarly unbeaten but have played only two games, a win over Georgia and a hugely deflating 3-3 draw with Denmark in which they let a three-goal lead slip in the final six minutes. This means Mick McCarthy’s side can open up a nine-point advantage over the only other realistic contenders for automatic qualification. McCarthy’s preparations have not been entirely smooth, however, with James McCarthy, Kieren Westwood, Matt Doherty and Sean Maguire withdrawing through injury. GB

• Rep of Ireland v Switzerland, 7.45pm, Thursday

5) Brighton’s Mac Allister looking to make his mark for Argentina

With Lionel Messi suspended from international football for his corruption comments during the Copa América, the Argentina manager, Lionel Scaloni, has drafted in seven upcapped players for the friendlies against Chile and Mexico, one of who is Alexis Mac Allister. The son of the former international Carlos Mac Allister – whose unusual name originates from his family roots in Fife, Scotland – signed for Brighton last year, but work permit issues led to him being loaned to Boca Juniors this season. The 20-year-old plays alongside his older brother, Kevin Mac Allister, and scored this worldie winner in the Copa Libertadores on his first start for the club. Alexis’ international call-up is good news for Brighton – the diminutive central midfielder could secure a British work permit next season if he continues to be involved with Argentina. It will be interesting to see if he makes his debut on Friday against Chile, who are missing their own Alexis, with Sánchez still in Italy after completing his loan move to Inter. Michael Butler

• Chile v Argentina, 3am, Friday

Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister, on loan at Boca Juniors, has been called up to the Argentina squad for the first time. Photograph: Juan Mabromata/AFP/Getty Images

6) McBurnie must show he cares by letting his feet do the talking

Scotland are in a curious position under Steve Clarke; the scars from that embarrassing defeat in Astana are yet to heal, but two paths remain open to qualify for Euro 2020, where they would be among the host nations. Clarke needs his squad to gel quickly, and said at his unveiling that his players need to be “100% committed”. In that context, Oli McBurnie’s gaffe this week was particularly unfortunate, with the Sheffield United striker caught on camera sounding less than thrilled at the prospect of an international break. It was a snippet taken from a light-hearted exchange and McBurnie has dealt with it maturely, addressing his teammates in private. Outside of his Twitter mentions, all is forgiven. Now would be a good time for the Yorkshireman to do his talking on the pitch and find a first international goal. Scotland welcome Russia and Belgium to Hampden in this round of fixtures – matches that will surely shape the group. Niall McVeigh

• Scotland v Russia, 7.45pm, Friday.

7) Japan drop experience for youth as Olympics near

This is an important time for Japan, who start their qualification campaign for the World Cup this month in Myanmar, but whose priority is to prepare for the Olympic Games at home next summer. With just three players aged over 23 permitted at Tokyo 2020, the head coach, Hajime Moriyasu, has opted for a young squad for the friendly against Paraguay, dropping Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki, both of whom this summer signed for clubs in the Spanish second tier. While Kagawa has impressed for Real Zaragoza, scoring against Ponferradina, Okazaki left Málaga on Tuesday after 34 days, without making an appearance. Japan’s investment in youth means much is expected of Takefusa Kubo, who impressed in pre-season at Real Madrid and has joined Mallorca on loan. Without Kagawa, the 18-year-old is, perhaps unfairly, the headline name in this burgeoning team. MB

• Japan v Paraguay, 11.20pm, Thursday

Shinji Kagawa has been dropped from Japan’s squad for the World Cup qualifiers. Photograph: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images

8) Turkey mix experience and youth to propel team forward

Since the return of Senol Gunes for his second spell as Turkey head coach there has been an increasing focus on youth. Twenty of the players called up to face Andorra and Moldova are under the age of 25, including hot prospects Abdulkadir Omur of Trabzonspor and Besiktas striker Guven Yalcin. Despite this new focus, Gunes knows the importance of experience and the most capped player in the squad, captain Emre Belozoglu, will earn his 100th a few days shy of his 39th birthday. He is required to influence those flair players alongside him to give Turkey momentum from two supposedly simple qualifiers. Even if they fail to qualify this time around, there is greater hope for the Turkish national team than there has been for a while. WU

• Turkey v Andorra, 7.45pm, Saturday

9) Kosovo shorn of their star turns before England clash

Kosovo’s success story is well told by now and they will bounce into St Mary’s next Tuesday on the back of a 14-game unbeaten run, which included an eyecatching win in Bulgaria last time out. They are Europe’s youngest international team and, these days, a deadly serious one; anyone expecting an England walkover should think again but it is a shame they travel without their two biggest threats. Milot Rashica and Arber Zeneli are two of the most exciting wingers around but both are injured. Their absence dilutes a realistic chance of reaching Euro 2020 and Benjamin Kololli and Hekuran Kryeziu will miss out too. But Kosovo have other threats, such as the in-form Fenerbahce striker Vedat Muriqi and Swansea’s Bersant Celina, so if they can emerge from Saturday’s home tie with the Czech Republic unscathed then perhaps a shock in Southampton will be on. NA

10) Chad seek success after four-year sabbatical

How many matches do you think Chad’s senior team have contested since their last tilt at World Cup qualifying, which ended with a 4-0 defeat to Egypt in November 2015? One, is the answer, and that fixture has since been expunged from the records. They have not taken to the field since losing to Tanzania the following March, after which they withdrew from the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying competition on financial grounds, and were banned from the 2019 edition as a result. A squad of players based in France, Belgium, Niger, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, Indonesia and the local league will have had some catching up to do before facing Sudan in Thursday’s first-round, first leg qualifier for Qatar 2022 in N’Djamena. Thehe Frenchman Emmanuel Trégoat has returned as coach in the hope of leading them into a new era. Chad is far from the only country that has had sustained issues putting a football team out but it goes to show that international football is not something anyone should take for granted. NA

• Chad v Sudan, 3.30pm, Thursday

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First Look: Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16

I first saw the Wacom MobileStudio Pro at NAB last year and finally got my hands on one to test this winter. For an amazing Cintiq-style creative pen tablet that is also a touchscreen mobile computer, camera, 3D object scanner and more, I wanted to stretch the limits of its capabilities beyond the average sketch-pad and drawing demos you typically see with Wacom products. Here’s the first look at this interesting hardware/peripheral configuration:

Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 shown with optional wireless keyboard

I first saw the Wacom MobileStudio Pro at NAB last year and finally got my hands on one to test this winter. For an amazing Cintiq-style creative pen tablet that is also a touchscreen mobile computer, camera, 3D object scanner and more, I wanted to stretch the limits of its capabilities beyond the average sketch-pad and drawing demos you typically see with Wacom products.

Here’s the first look at this interesting hardware/peripheral configuration:

Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13 & 16

Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13 (MSRP $1699-2199) is designed specifically to meet the demands of creative professionals who want the freedom to create anywhere. It’s a full-featured, Intel®-powered computer with the muscle you need to run professional creative applications. Choose up to 16GB of RAM, an Intel® Core™ i7 processor and Intel® Iris™ 550 graphics – with up to 512GB of fast storage.

With a resolution of 2560×1440 and color accuracy of 80% Adobe RGB coverage (CIE1931), Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13’s screen is dazzling. Not only will your work look amazing, it will feel amazing too. The new etched glass surface makes it feel like you’re working with pen and paper by providing a balanced amount of resistance to the Pro Pen 2’s tip. Plus, multi-touch gestures make zooming and rotating your creations as simple as pinching and swiping on your smartphone.

Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 (MSRP $1999-2699) is a full-featured, Intel®-powered computer with the power you need to run professional creative 2D, 3D and CAD applications. Building a prototype of a new gearbox in SolidWorks®? An hour of HDR edits that need rendering in Adobe® Premiere® Pro? MobileStudio Pro is more than up to the task. Choose up to 16GB of RAM, an Intel® Core™ i7 processor and 512GB of fast storage. Plus, both Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 models come with NVIDIA® Quadro® graphics and on-board memory to make heavy files fly around your screen.

The 4K resolution (3840×2160) of Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16’s screen renders each fine brush stroke accurately and provides plenty of space in which to work. Color accuracy of 94% of Adobe® RGB means you can accurately reproduce even the most subtle shades. Your work will look amazing – and it will feel amazing too. The new etched glass surface provides the familiar sensation of working with pen on paper. Plus, multi-touch gestures make zooming and rotating your creations as simple as pinching and swiping on your smartphone.

While the MobileStudio Pro 13 & 16 are not just tablets, they also aren’t laptops. At first glance, the ports available on the sides of the device include a MicroSD (SDXC) card slot and 3 *USB-C slots.

*NOTE: If you’re a Mac or PC user that’s upgraded all of your Thunderbolt 2 drives and peripherals to Thunderbolt 3, you’re still going to be out of luck unless one of your devices also has the USB 3 connector and you have a converter cable or breakout dock. I’ve not found any TB2/3 to USB-C docks or converters that will communicate properly, so only the USB 3 to USB-C has seemed to work.

Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 with optional wireless keyboard and a USB 3 SSD with a USB-C converter.

Specs from Wacom’s Website (MobileStudio Pro 16):

Display Size: 15.6 inch (39.6 cm) Resolution: UHD (3840 x 2160) Advanced Control: 8192 levels pen pressure, tilt and multi-touch Productivity Boosters: ExpressKeys™, on-screen controls, time-savings settings Ergonomics: Right or left-handed use, adjustable optional stand Compatibility: Windows 10 – Stand-alone Mac, Windows – with Wacom Link Processor: 6th generation Intel® Core™ processors Graphics Card: NVIDIA® Quadro® M600M 2GB GDDR5 to NVIDIA® Quadro® M1000M 4GB GDDR5 Storage: 256GB – 512GB Solid state drive (SSD) Product Type: Creative Pen Computer Micro SD Slot: SDXC card (uhs-ii) RAM: 8 GB to 16 GB DDR3 Expandable Memory: No Expandable Storage: Memory card or external HDD, purchased separately Security: Kensington® security slot for Kensington MiniSaver™ Mobile Lock. Fingerprint Sensor on select models. TPM 2.0. Multi-Touch: Yes PenWacom Pro Pen 2 Pressure Levels: 8192, both pen tip and eraser Tilt Range: 60 degrees Tilt Recognition: ±60 levels Type: Pressure-sensitive, cordless, battery-free Switches: 2 side switches Extra Nibs: 3 extra nibs (2 standard, 1 felt) Pen Carrying Case: Yes Pen Stand: No Pen Holder: Yes Grip: Latex-free silicone rubber Technology: Patented electromagnetic resonance method Weight: 2200 g / 4.85 lbs Size: 418 x 262 x 19 mm (16.5 x 10.3 x 0.75 inch) Displayable Colors (maximum): 16.7 million Screen Size: 15.6 inch (39.6 cm) Technology: LED Viewing Angle: 178° (89°/89°) H, (89°/89°) V Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 Brightness: 314.78cd/m2 Active Area: 346 x 194 mm (13.6 x 7.6 in) Graphics Input: USB-C (for optimum performance) or Mini DisplayPort using optional Wacom Link Color Gamut: Adobe RGB at CIE1931 Coverage Ratio: 85% Area Ratio: 94% Adobe RGB at CIE1976 Coverage Ratio: 90% Area Ratio: 94% Response: 25 ms Industry Standard Pre-sets: Adobe RGB, 6500 deg. K white point default: DCI, REC 709, SRGB Operating System: Windows 10 Pro ExpressKeys™: 8 customizable, application-specific Touch Ring: Yes on Rocker Ring Touch Strips: No On-Screen Controls: Yes Rocker Ring And Home Button: 4 position customizable with default TouchRing function and home button Radial Menu: Yes Precision ModeYes Display Toggle: Yes Dedicated Pan, Scroll, Zoom, Brush Size: Yes Orientation: Right or left-handed use (Portrait/Landscape modes – auto sense rotation) Cable Included: AC adaptor and power cable Display: N/A PC And Mac: Optional Wacom Link with USB-C, Mini DisplayPort and USB cables. Optimum performance using certified USB-C cable to USB-C port Video Out: USB type C Peripherals: 3 USB type C (*NOT Thunderbolt compatible) Network: Bluetooth® 4.1 technology Wireless: 802.11 ac Cameras: Front: 5 MP HD Back: 8 MP HD Back: Intel RealSense™ R200 (3D scanning camera) on 512GB model Speaker2 x 2.0W Sensors: GPS, electronic compass, accelerometer, ambient light, gyro Power Supply Input: 100 to 240 VAC, 50/60 Hz Power Supply Output: 5V/3A (15W), 20V/5A (100W) Battery: 7.6 V, Li-polymer, 70 Wh Power Consumption: Max: 96W, 0.9 W when asleep, 0.6 W or less when off Battery Life: Battery life will vary. It depends on how the products are used and which device settings are selected. Battery Charging Time: Up to 2 hours Audio: Audio headset jack included. System Requirements: With optional Wacom Link: Windows® 7 or later, Mac OS X® 10.10 or later, USB-C port (or Mini DisplayPort and standard USB port) Limited Warranty: 1 year in USA, Canada, and Latin America 2 years in Europe 1 year in Japan & Asia Pacific What’s IncludedWacom MobileStudio Pro 16 Wacom Pro Pen 2 Pen case with 3 replacement nibs, color rings and nib removal tool, Pen holder AC Power Adapter + power cable Quick Start Guide Cleaning cloth Certifications: VCCI Class B, FCC Part 15, Subpart B (class B) and C, CE, KC, BSMI, C-tick, CB, CCC, EAC, China RoHS, Korean RoHS, EU RoHS, SII, NOM, CEL, IC, Energy Star, CEC-BCS, Energy Label Law Previous generation pens: Airbrush, Art Pen, Classic Pen, Grip Pen, Pro Pen Model Numbers: DTH-W1620M, DTH-W1620H Microsoft Specialized PC Certification: None

Pro Pen 2

One of the important factors of the performance in action is the Wacom Pro Pen 2, which delivers incredible speed, sensitivity and accuracy – in addition to the flexibility in varying natural pen grip that people differ individually.

This is the first on-screen pen device that I’ve used that has no strange parallax or strange offset due to tilt angle or pen grip position.

  Hands-on with the Mobile Studio Pro 16

The obvious first option was to open up Adobe Photoshop CC and give the drawing/sketching capabilities a quick run to get the feel of the pen-to-surface response and sensitivity. Having used several variations of the Wacom Cintiq tablets in the past, I really wanted to experience this new screen and pen technology, that Wacom engineers have claimed is a thinner glass with a tougher scratch-resistant surface and that the lag time is also undetectable.

The pen tip action is so smooth it does require you to adapt a different touch than you might be used to with your old tablet or Cintiq. I had to adjust my pen tool prefs settings to require a harder pressure than I have in the past until I can develop a lighter feel in my drawing approach.

If you’re an existing Wacom user, this experience is noticably different – in a very good way!

I also spend time re-programming the click buttons on the pen to simulate Right-click and Alt/Option buttons for ease of bringing up contextual menus, brush and selection tools.

If you are a keyboard shortcut junkie like I am, there are definitely some things you use frequently that can be programmed into the ExpressKeys and the TouchRing that will really speed up productivity (I’ll get into those more in my next article in this series for various apps/functions). Not to mention the many, many other keystroke combinations you may use in any one application.

However, I found that relying solely on the touch-screen/pop-up keyboard for simple Windows OS tasks such as Logging in with your password and accessing apps or the Start menu from the task bar (if it’s hidden) is nearly impossible at times, so I opted for the wireless keyboard to keep handy. It’s also much more intuitive to enter text for design and layout work as well as extracting text from a doc that you use in your layout/design or on-screen text for your video productions.

Also – the touch screen is as sensitive as you’d hope it might be. Very similar to using a large iPad and familiar gestures (you can choose between Windows 10 standards or Wacom standards in your setup prefs). I would highly suggest setting up one of your ExpressKeys on the tablet to toggle the touch screen on/off or you’ll be cursing at it while you work and it’s trying to guess between your pen tip and your hand for input instructions.

One thing I’ve been using is a Compression Glove that not only helps isolate my skin away from the screen’s surface while working, but also supports my hand/joints while working for hours gripping the pen. It keeps the screen clean from skin oil residue and doesn’t triger the touch screen surface unless you want to intentionally. Also, I’ve discovered a “hot spot” on the screen that gets really, really warm on the lower-center which I assume is where the processor or video card is located and it actually feels hot to the touch. The glove helps to isolate your hand so the intensity of the heat is much less when you glide over it or rest your hand on the screen at that location.

Also, the built-in 8MP camera will allow you to capture images on the spot directly to your device so you can start working on design comps, sketches and storyboarding right away. This is perfect for location scouting and storyboard development!

Using the MobileStudio Pro 16 with Adobe After Effects

I know you’re asking yourself “Why would I even think about trying to run After Effects on a pen-computer?” – and in most cases, you probably won’t very often. But if you have to do a lot of roto or paint work on hundreds/thousands of subsequent frames, then I can’t imagine NOT using either a Cintiq or the MobileStudio Pro for these tasks.

I tried it out with the memory-intensive Roto Brush Tool and working with media it was reading off the USB 3 SSD drive and it performed surprisingly well. Would I do a full feature production with this alone – no way, but if I needed to take care of a couple shots on the road or on a client site, then having the MobileStudio Pro with me is a self-contained way of accomplishing what would otherwise need for me to wait until I returned to my studio – or carry a lot more gear with me.

I will be covering more about the Roto Brush tool, paint tools and other editing workflows with the MobileStudio Pro 16 in my next article int he series, so stay-tuned.

3D Scanning with the Intel RealSense Cameras and Sensors

Something that nobody would expect with a pen computer is a built-in 3D scanner. It’s a smaller version of the Intel RealSense that promises to deliver a reasonably good scanned model.

The camera array on the back of the MobileStudio Pro contains Wacom’s native 8MP RGB camera (far left, not used for 3D scanning), followed by the R200’s first IR camera, its RGB camera, the IR laser projector and at the far right the second IR camera. The mount underneath is for the optional stand.

I tried a couple half-assed attempts to scan something but realized I wasn’t really following the instructions properly (who reads the instructions right out of the box?)

So we’ll be looking forward to doing some proper scans and modeling with the Artec Studio and MobileStudio Pro in an upcoming article in this series. I can only imagine how useful this modeling capability could be when combined with 3D texture painting on the scanned models.

Here’s the general introduction to using the scanner with the included Artec Studio Ultimate software (first year only is free with the device):

  In my research for examples of scanning with the MobileStudio Pro, I ran across this very interesting (albeit quite lengthy) YouTube video from Laurence Mann’s channel – but he visits Ten24 studios and lets a real pro use it and show us how to set it up and scan properly with it. An extra treat if you watch through the whole video to see what a high-end 3D scanning studio produces – but I digress… check it out:

Again – that’s a drastic comparison but also a great example of how to get a good scan and just how impressive a model you can get with a portable device!

My First Look take-away…

So my thoughts and observations in general after testing the MobileStudio Pro 16 for a bit are positive and also mixed. The design in general may be confusing to some. Is it a pen-tablet? Is it a baseless laptop? Is it a 3D scanner? What problems does it solve for me?

It might be the first rendition of what computing in the future may look/feel like. Maybe we’ll see something similar in the not-too-distant future that is more modular and customizable?

Does it replace my laptop? Of course not. But it does allow me spontaneous creativity in a single tool that can do so much. What I know is that Wacom is trying hard to capture a different market here and I think they’re on to something.

PROS:

Portability and flexibility. The MobileStudio Pro 16 fits in my laptop backpack and weight a lot less. I’ve used it (with the keyboard) as my sole workstation a couple days just to see if it could be done, and while I had to keep it plugged into AC power for most of the time, it functioned surprisingly well!

The Pen functions beautifully with the screen glass. The right amount of drag on the surface keeps it from feeling like glass – more like a Rapidograph on vellum. No noticeable lag time with normal motions and works great with all the Adobe CC apps that I tested it on.

Plus it’s just cool. Way beyond just a tablet – it’s a real computer with real software. Not cheesy mobile apps or dumbed-down versions. I can use my actual production files off my hard drive and work directly with them.

CONS:

The only negatives for me from the original OOBE (Out Of Box Experience) was the lack of accessories that I find too important to exclude to make the MobileStudio Pro a truly self-contained pen computing experience for the working professional. Like the wireless keyboard ($50), Wacom Link ($70 – to use with your Mac/PC like a regular Cintiq) and a stand ($100). I mean, C’mon – at least throw in the friggin’ plastic stand folks! Very few people are going to be ONLY holding the device in their laps or in the air with their hands. I had to prop it up constantly to get at a usable viewing/drawing angle.

And the lack of Thunderbolt 3 connectivity. USB 3 is slow and outdated and hard to find compatible peripherals for. I’m really hoping they update the ports in their future designs.

Also – the battery life kinda sucks. We’re talking like iPad 2 battery life. And I haven’t found a portable charging brick yet that will support the MobileStudio Pro, so you’d better hope you’re going to be near an AC power outlet and DON’T FORGET YOUR AC ADAPTER! 😉

But alas – I see the future, and so will you when I bring you my next articles in the series covering ExpressKeys programming, video/roto workflows and real-world 3D Scanning with the MobileStudio Pro 16.

Stay tuned…

  The post First Look: Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 appeared first on ProVideo Coalition.

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[jamieclawhorn]

Forget a cash ISA! I reckon these 2 investment trusts will work your money much harder

The average cash ISA pays interest of just 1.5%. Surely you can get a better return on your money? Why, yes you can.

Ice cool

The two investments I’m looking at here are somewhat different to a cash ISA. They spread your money across a range of UK and global stocks in the red hot technology sector, making them high-risk, high-return vehicles.

The first, Polar Capital Technology Trust (LSE: PCT) invests in a portfolio of global technology companies and is big enough to be quoted on the FTSE 250 index. It was launched in December 1996, just as the dotcom boom was picking up speed, and survived the bust in 2000.

Capital idea

Today it announced its results for the six months to 31 October which showed an 8.5% rise in total net to £1.68bn, with the share price up 7% in the period, adjusted for sterling. The weak pound worked in its favour here because in local currency terms it was down 0.7%, although it still beat the FTSE World index over this turbulent period, which fell 3%.

However, Polar Capital Technology Trust has a good long-term track record and will suit those who still believe in the big US and Chinese tech giants, as its top 10 holdings include Google-owner Alphabet, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Alibaba and Tencent, a roll call of the big names in technology. The fund has grown a whopping 149% over five years, against 5% for the FTSE 100. My worry is that the US tech surge could be drawing to a close, and the trust is down 11% in the last six months. Nothing lasts forever.

I am therefore wary despite a low annual charge of 1% and discount of 6.45%. There is no dividend. This could be a case of right fund, wrong time. Unless I’m wrong and the technology bull run has further to go.

British tech

Herald Investment Trust (LSE: HRI) invests in quoted small and mid-cap technology, communications and media companies and has a great track record since launch in 1994, turning an initial £1,000 investment into £14,000.

With so many technology funds focusing on the US it is a novelty to see this one has 52% exposure to the UK, with only 24% in the States plus a smattering in Asia-Pacific and international equities. It has an annual charge of 1% but again, no dividend.

Hark the Herald IT

Herald has underperformed US tech-focused trusts as a result, although a return of 62% over five years looks good against just 27% on the FTSE All Share. Its top holdings are less familiar than Polar’s, with names such as GB Group, Diploma and Craneware, although you may know Boingo Wireless, IQE and M&C Saatchi.

The trust has total assets of £927m and currently trades at a massive discount of 19% to net asset value, which suggests to me investors are wary of this sector at the moment. This trust is at the riskier end and you also have to factor in Brexit, I suppose. It could do well if the UK bounces back next year, though.

You Really Could Make A Million

Of course, picking the right shares and the strategy to be successful in the stock market isn’t easy. But you can get ahead of the herd by reading the Motley Fool’s FREE guide, “10 Steps To Making A Million In The Market”.

The Motley Fool’s experts show how a seven-figure-sum stock portfolio is within the reach of many ordinary investors in this straightforward step-by-step guide. Simply click here for your free copy.

More reading

Forget the top cash ISA rate! I’d much rather buy this FTSE 100 growth stock

I think the FTSE 250 could be the index to go for in 2019, and here’s why

Is the Rolls-Royce share price the best bargain in the FTSE 100?

2 FTSE 100 dividend stocks owned by Britain’s Warren Buffett

A FTSE 100 dividend growth stock I’d buy before Christmas (and hold for 10 years)

Harvey Jones does not hold shares in these two investment trusts. John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. harveyj has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK owns shares of and has recommended Amazon, Apple, and Facebook. The Motley Fool UK owns shares of Microsoft and has the following options: long January 2020 $150 calls on Apple and short January 2020 $155 calls on Apple. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

[thewaterheaterguys]

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[livingthervdream]

Yellowstone day 1

We awoke this morning with everyone in much better spirits! It was a much colder night than we are used to even with our house normally set at 67-69 degrees. I kept thinking to myself…this is what that show “Naked and Afraid” must be like but not really so afraid on our end…or really naked….just really cold. Our RV does have heat and A/C but in Yellowstone you can not run your generator from 8:00 pm to 8:00am so we just tried to bundle up with blankets. When we wake up at an early 9:30😳 I immediately turn on the heat to get the day started. GB ends up being the early riser on this trip which is ironic because at home he is ALWAYS the one sleeping in and I am the early riser. We get ready to start our day with a plan for Old Faithful. We head on the road and just soak in the scenery. I am going click crazy on my camera just trying to get it all. Not sure what I am going to do with all the hundreds of photos I am taking but do hope my computer at home will be ready to handle this major download! GB definitely has set the soundtrack for our vacation. He tries to stay old and classic with music by Willie Nelson, John Denver, Styx, Eric Clapton, CCR and Merle Haggard. I try to mix in a little Fleetwood Mac, Eagles and Jimmy Buffet ( I know some of you are groaning right now…I am just making sure they are well balanced!🏝). All have eyes on the road trying to be the first to spot an animal and yell which side of the car it’s on. We see a lot of buffalo just hanging out but all of us are just hoping to see the glimpse of a grizzly. We pull into Old Faithful, and as many have described, it is the DisneyWorld of Yellowstone. The parking lot is a mad town. Someone in Custer had told me off a couple apps you can download for times of when Old Faithful will erupt and other things to catch. The funny thing, she said, is that there is no cell service so the apps are basically useless while you are in the park. So us Bransons were just hoping on just getting lucky…which usually never goes in our favor. We start heading to Old Faithful right away and I see it steaming. I then hear a lady, who’s wearing a walking boot, yell to her counterparts behind her to hurry up she’s got 3 minutes. Way to go Bransons, we timed this just right! We didn’t get up close seats but really any seat was a great view. We got tons of pics and selfies as it went off. Many “oooohs” and “aaaahhhhs” were heard from the crowd, as well as a thank you clap from all when she was done. I overheard a ranger say that she does not spout off as long as she had a while ago. The ranger questions if she may be clogged from people throwing trash in…I honestly don’t see how that is possible as I feel this was heavily guarded but you never know I guess. We made our way to the museum while GB went to the gift shop to peruse ahead without worrying about kids messing with stuff. There was a kid section that had footprints of various animals that Libby immediately took off her shoes and out her feet on a grizzly’s paw print (GB would have flipped out about germs, but I just let it slide, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him…until he reads this I guess😬). Ali picked up a ranger hat to go with her ranger vest she got at Jewel Cave, Andrew got a water bottle with a scene from Yellowstone and Libby hit the jackpot. She got a backpack that had 4 little animal heads poking out of four holes: buffalo, bear, deer, moose. She put that backpack on and didn’t take it off till I made her when it was time to go to bed(she was going to sleep with it on). She definitely is the most creative out of the three. Many times she sits and plays pretend, acting out her most recently viewed episode of Paw Patrol or PJ Masks. She would sit in the car and give voices to each animal while playing as if she was the mom telling them what they could and could not do. This trip she has also began speaking for her Tummy. She has told us on many occasions that Tummy told her that he is hungry and will act out a deep voice speaking as Tummy. When you ask Tummy what he wants to eat, he will usually say ice cream but when really hungry he will sometimes just say food! There are times where she has to tell Tummy that now is not the time for ice cream and that he has to eat real food, to which he will either respond in a disappointed voice of “ok” or if he is feeling sassy he will answer “whatever!” There was one time where she said “I see dead people” to which GB and I look at each other and try not to bust out laughing with a slightly concerned look. For the record, she has not seen the movie and we think she was just being silly. I am sure this will cost us a pretty penny in psych bills but right now we play along and sometimes encourage it to get a good laugh! After the craziness of Old Faithful, we head for the lower west corner of Yellowstone to explore the geysers and hot springs. We had a very serious talk about how we needed to listen and stay close to Mom and Dad. We explained how the springs were and how it would burn you, I event went so far to say that if you fall in there will be nothing left of you as you will completely disintegrate. A little harsh, I know, but I wanted to get the point across especially as I myself was very nervous and worried especially with all the people around. I have never seen my kids act better. I guess it helped to scare them, because they did not stray far from us requiring no reprimanding. The Grand Prismatic Spring had to be one of our favorites. The color was unreal and the heat it gave off when the wind blew was hot it steamed up my sun glasses instantly! We got some real cool photos especially Ali with her hair blowing around her with the prismatic spring in the background. It was funny to see baseball camps strewn along the edges of the springs. With such a strong wind blowing I guess some people’s hats didn’t fit them that great. GB guesses about a couple hundred dollars of hats made it near the spring. I was kind of hoping we’d see one disintegrate but it seems they all landed where it really wasn’t hot enough for that to happen. Bummer! But I am sure, whoever lost their hat had to take a second to not go out there and get it since it wasn’t burning immediately to ashes. Guess everyone was to afraid to chance it. The day was winding down and we had brought stuff to take showers. We took the scenic route to Canyon Village through Norris where there were public showers we could use. We were actually making pretty good time till we hit a wall of stand still traffic. We sat in the car for about 15 minutes waiting till Andrew and Ali both chimed in that they had to use the bathroom and both needed to go number 2. Yup….that sounds about right. After not moving for yet another 10 minutes and no other cars comin the opposite direction, I decided to turn on my camera and head out for a walk to see what the issue was and how far up it was. As I was walking all I could think was “Keep aware of your surroundings”. I had a rock wall/ridge to my right and cars on my left as I walked the side of the road. I kept joking with some cars that if a bear comes I am hopping into their car….always a good laugh! I kept telling myself no bear is going to come barreling down the hill at me. I thought of friends of ours that the wife makes noises and wears a cowbell to scare away the bears…her husband laughs at her…right now I wanted her cowbell!!! I kept walking and finally came up to a woman, who had just returned from walking up further, who said that there was a herd of buffalo blocking the road and the ranger was there but they were not moving. To make bad things even worse, the blockage was still a ways up and our car was no where close. I walked back to the car, a little braver as I had not seen any bears on my way there, letting other cars know what was causing the lack of movement in traffic. When I told GB this, a big old “F this” came out of his mouth and we turned the car around to head the other direction especially to find the nearest bathrooms. We made our pit stop and then were presented two options. We could head back to where our traffic stop was in hopes that the buffalo have completed their crossing or head back the opposite direction and spend more time in the car to get to the next closest showers. We crossed our fingers and headed back to the traffic spot. Luckily, as we approached a consistent round of cars were coming from the opposite direction, their was still a line of cars but they were moving steadily. The road led us to the buffalo that were now calmly chewing grass on the side of the road not knowing how far they had backed up traffic. All we could say was what was told to us in Custer State Park. "Their park, their road!" We arrived at the showers in Canyon Village which were very needed. Our feet were hideous as all I had packed for myself and the three kids were keen closed toe sandals. So needless to say our feet will be all in desperate needs of pedicures when we return! After showers, everyone was in a much better mood and relaxed, that is except for Ali. Poor girl had been battling her swimmer's ear since just before Yellowstone. We (we meaning I, no way GB is going to be the bad guy to his little princess) have been putting 4 drops in each ear 2x/day with screams and crying due to the pain. I brought children's ibuprofen but we were down to the last drop and I knew she was going to need it bad when we got back to camp. She fought back the tears like a trooper. We approached another beginnings of a buffalo barricade but GB gently used the car to usher them along. I laughed and called him a buffalo herder. As I looked out the window, one man flicked GB off and another was yelling at him. I personally got upset (GB didn't care, things like that don't bother him as much as they do me). I was upset because I felt we did nothing wrong. We did the same thing our ranger did back in Custer to move the buffalo along. We did not ramp our speed, we did not hit them, we just moved slowly through as if were were buffalo ourselves to make a path for cars to pass by. No buffalo were harmed in the making of this scene and really didn't seem to care. But nonetheless, the people upset at us bothered me for the rest of the day...just couldn't shake it off! GB kept telling me we did nothing wrong, and this I knew, but it still bothered me. Once we got to camp, I raced to get Ali set up with her meds. I knew we were out of children's ibuprofen but I had ibuprofen pills for adults. GB recommended looking at the dosage to see if they would match up for her. Luckily 1 pull equaled her dosage that she took for children's! Winner!!! Now to just get her to take a pill. I coaxed her by drinking it with Gatorade (total special treat!) but it wouldn't go down and now she was just freaking out. Andrew then comes in big brother style and told her how when he first started applesauce helped him swallow the pill because it all blended together! Genius Andrew!!! Way to go big brother coming through in the clutch! Ali stopped her tears and started to calm. We had applesauce juice pouches in our pantry. She took two swigs on the pouch and she yelled in excitement "I did it" with arms held high in victory. The whole RV cheered and the mood went right back where they should be! Hot dogs and cheddar wurst were eaten for dinner and then we called it a night. GB and I stayed up with drinks under a sky that was filled with stars. GB saw a shooting star and I told him to make a good one! Today's adventure (that's what we call things on this trip) made up for all the mishaps yesterday. So much to do tomorrow, so excited for tomorrow, so happy for tomorrow!

[nintendodeathsystem]

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[nintendodeathsystem]

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