#& PATTERN FINDER. ( QUEUE )

[empiriical]

[ attempt ]   ladd attempting to kill claire. ^^

in some ways, ladd thinks it might be more fun if claire were trying to kill him too. of course, he's flattered that he works so hard to keep him alive. it's also infuriating. claire's confidence that he doesn't even need to fight back to win against ladd makes his blood boil.

nothing gets him in the mood to kill more.

still — sometimes ladd has to provoke him, just a little. otherwise, attacking him out of nowhere is just boring.

what's one little murder, anyway?

blood from his victim splatters over ladd's shirt, && he drops the lifeless body where he stands, making for the roof. claire will see it when he comes back from the restroom, && he'll track him down. it's the perfect plan, the kind of game they play with each other, almost like a murderous dance. smiling to himself, ladd clambers to his feet, bracing against the wind as he gets his footing.

he doesn't have to turn around to know when claire's found him. "sorry sweetheart," he says mildly, not sounding apologetic at all. "you should know better than to leave me alone for more than five minutes — i just can't help myself." he laughs, finally turning, && spreads his arms wide. there's love && murderous intent in his eyes, but they look the same. he's not being entirely truthful ; claire is hardly his impulse control. no, ladd simply waited for the right moment to provoke him. && it worked, && now they're here.

"but, now that we're up here..."

they dash towards each other. ladd swings a fist, one that claire wouldn't even need to dodge — it misses by a wide berth. "just warming up," ladd says, grinning. he ducks to avoid a blow from claire, && tosses his head back to shake his bangs from his eyes. "okay, that's enough warming up."

he's ruthless as ever with his punches && kicks. there's a gun tucked into his waistband, but he doesn't pull it out. other than the way his jaw sets in concentration, there's no indication in his expression that he's not having the time of his life. in his mind, a fantasy plays out, which he narrates aloud as he attacks && retreats in perfect step, so that claire knows exactly how he wants it to happen:

"you know, i feel like i should be insulted that you don't wanna be killed by me." that's how it starts, a melodramatic lament. "see, i've been thinking about it a lot, && it changes almost daily. but right now? i'm gonna hold you over the side of this train, && i'm gonna look into those beautiful eyes one final time until i see gen-u-ine fear. && then i'm gonna just let go, && watch you fall! i'll be sad to not get to watch you die, but what a way to go! what a perfectly poetic ending! from proposal 'til death-do-us part. it's fitting, right? so c'mon, claire! let me kill you!"

of course, that's not how it goes at all. what does happen is ladd ends up flat on his back atop a train car, which claire above him. his grin never once fades. his hands still bloody from his earlier kill, ladd drags a finger over claire's lips. "alright. you win." he sighs regretfully. "it'd be nicer if this blood was yours... oh well. next time!"

VIOLENT MUSE REACTION PROMPTS.

[xfortunearcana]

Tags OOC!

[empiriical]

with a shiver of delight, ladd closes his eyes as claire whispers against him. "you'd better not go easy on me," he growls, bearing his teeth. slipping his fingers between claire's, he raises their entwined hands && presses a kiss to claire's knuckles. "i hope we can respect each other more than that."

stepping back, their linked hands remain the only point of contact, but ladd's smiling even as he drops that too. "after all! that's what love's all about, right? an equal exchange? in this case — i try to kill you, && you try your hardest to stop me. && however long it takes..." he shrugs, spinning around in place && spreading his arms wide. "well, that's what 'til death do us part means, right?"

then, in a seemingly unprompted mood shift, he snaps his fingers with a sudden thought. "let's go get dinner. let me take you out. lua too. it'll be good for all three of us."

Claire submits to his whims, a rare display of pacisifm. He's not the sort of person who folds easily, but a combination of desire and genuine love seem to tame him a little, if only here and now.

He returns Ladd's kiss, unable to stop himself from smiling even during it. It's not the first time they've kissed, despite that it hasn't even been a week since they first met, but Claire feels the same sense of warmth and delight he did when it was the first time, hidden away in the bloodied conductors' compartment of a train he's left behind forever.

"Don't get your hopes up," Claire warns, barely pulling back. Despite the somewhat serious tone, he's still smiling delightedly, as if something about Ladd's murderous intent still makes him want to smile. "You'll never kill me. You're gonna spend your whole life wanting to, but I'll always be one step ahead. And I'll accept your love whole-heartedly every time you try."

He reaches up, his own hand covering Ladd's, and moves it to the side so he can lean in on his own terms, delivering a short kiss of his own.

"Maybe," he says, just centimeters from Ladd's skin this time, "I'll even let you draw blood, once or twice. That'd really frustrate you, wouldn't it? Getting so close to killing me, only to realize I'm just goin' easy on you..."

[saanvipatel099]

Modern Paperless Registration Technologies to Make Your Event Successful

In recent years, the event industry has completely transformed how events are executed. Earlier execution of events used to take months, in the case of event registration and ticketing. The audience used to stay in long waiting lines to book their slot for the event. But gone are the days of long queues and waiting lines. The event industry has revolutionized in terms of event planning. Numerous modern paperless event registration technologies have been introduced to make your registration and ticketing process seamless and smooth.

In this blog, we are going to discuss modern paperless solutions for event registration and ticketing. So without further ado, let’s start:

Paperless Event Registration Technologies

There’s no doubt that everyone is opting for paperless solutions for their events. Here’s a list of paperless solutions that you can consider for your events.:

1. Online Registration Portals

Modern events start with online registration portals. These user-friendly platforms allow the audience to register for your event from their comfort zone. Online registration eliminates the need for paper forms and manual data entry. It streamlines the process and reduces the risk of errors. Attendees can provide all the necessary information, from personal details to dietary preferences, at their convenience.

Moreover, online registration portals offer real-time data tracking of whole event registrations, giving event organizers instant insights into attendee numbers and demographics. This data enables better planning and marketing decisions. Also, it ensures that your event is tailored to your audience's needs.

2. Mobile Event Apps

Mobile event apps have become indispensable tools for event planners and attendees alike. These apps offer a paperless approach to event management, providing attendees with all the information they need at their fingertips. Features often include event agendas, speaker profiles, interactive maps, push notifications for updates or changes, a 360-way finder and much more.

Additionally, mobile event apps facilitate networking by allowing attendees to connect with one another digitally. Attendees can exchange contact information, schedule meetings, and participate in interactive sessions or polls through the app. 

3. QR Codes for Check-In

QR codes have become a staple in modern event registration. Attendees receive unique QR codes via email or mobile apps upon completing their registration. These QR codes serve as digital tickets and can be scanned at entry points, allowing for quick and contactless check-in. This technology reduces wait times and enhances security by ensuring that only registered attendees gain access.

Event organizers benefit from QR codes as well. They can track attendance in real-time, helping to manage session capacities and optimize resources. Moreover, QR codes provide valuable data insights, such as attendance patterns and peak entry times, which inform decision-making for future events.

4. Digital Badge Printing

Traditional printed badges are being replaced by digital badge printing solutions. These systems generate badges on-site, complete with attendee names, affiliations, and any other relevant information. Digital badges are not only eco-friendly but also allow for real-time corrections and updates. If an attendee's details change, the badge can be quickly reprinted without hassle.

Furthermore, digital badge printing systems can incorporate features like RFID or NFC technology. These badges can be used for session tracking, access control, and interactive experiences, providing event organizers with valuable data and attendees with enhanced engagement opportunities.

5. e-Tickets and Mobile Wallet Integration

e-tickets are another paperless alternative that enhances the attendee experience. Attendees receive electronic tickets via email, which can be stored in their mobile wallets. These e-tickets are easily accessible and eliminate the need for physical tickets. Attendees can present their e-tickets for entry by simply displaying them on their smartphones. This technology also supports last-minute event registrations and changes. Attendees can receive e-tickets instantly, even on the day of the event, making it convenient for both organizers and late registrants.:

6. Efficient Access Control with RFID Technology

RFID technology has gained prominence in modern event registration due to its efficiency and versatility. RFID badges or wristbands contain embedded RFID chips that can be scanned remotely using RFID readers. This technology offers seamless access control, as attendees can simply walk through RFID-enabled entry points without the need for physical scanning or manual checks.

The benefits of RFID technology in event registration are numerous. It reduces entry bottlenecks, allowing for swift and hassle-free access for attendees. Organizers can track attendance in real time, monitor session participation, and gather valuable data on attendee movement throughout the event venue. Incorporating RFID technology into your paperless event registration system not only streamlines access control but also contributes to a more efficient and secure event environment, ultimately enhancing the success of your event.

7. Virtual Attendee Check-In

For hybrid or fully virtual events, modern paperless registration technologies extend to virtual attendee check-in. Attendees can access virtual event platforms with ease using unique login credentials provided during registration. This eliminates the need for physical check-in points and allows attendees to participate from anywhere in the world.

Virtual check-in also enables event organizers to monitor attendee engagement during virtual sessions. They can track attendance, participation in polls or Q&A sessions, and resource downloads. This data informs post-event analytics and helps tailor future virtual events to attendee preferences.

8. Data Analytics and Reporting Tools

Modern paperless registration technologies come equipped with robust data analytics and reporting tools. Event organizers can access detailed reports on attendee demographics, registration trends, session popularity, and engagement metrics. These insights enable organizers to make data-driven decisions, refine marketing strategies, and continuously improve event experiences.

Additionally, reporting tools support post-event evaluations, helping organizers assess the event's success and identify areas for enhancement. The ability to gather and analyze data efficiently is a cornerstone of event success in the digital age.

Moreover, the data insights generated by these technologies allow for more targeted marketing efforts, reducing marketing expenses and improving the return on investment (ROI) for event promotions.

Conclusion

By the end of this blog, we know that in a world where efficiency, convenience, and sustainability are paramount, modern paperless registration technologies have become indispensable tools for event organizers. These technologies not only simplify the event registration process but also enhance attendee experiences, provide valuable data insights, and support environmental sustainability efforts. Embracing these innovations is a strategic move that can elevate your event, making it more successful and aligning it with the expectations of today's digital-savvy attendees. I hope you like the blog. Thank you for reading.

[xfortunearcana-archive]

// Test! (Y droppeo de tags OOC).

[cofferi]

Just some FFXIV thoughts....

To start, here's some boring info about me: I used to play Maple Story, Flyff, and Ragnarok Online, as well as a myriad of other obscure mmos and private servers back in the 2000s. Point is none of these were considered hardcore in the slightest.

So, starting ffxiv after so long kind of hit me like a train. I get to level 15 where I must queue up for my first low level dungeon Sastasha in order to move forward with the story. I don't have friends so I will be grouped up with 3 random strangers. The expected wait time to get in is like 7 mins. I wait about 5 mins and then withdraw from queue.

I have to do stuff with others??? Ummmmmmmmm. I honestly wandered around the map for like half an hour just questioning myself and if I should keep going.

Tank? Healer? DPS?

Coming from games of long ago where you just kinda wanted to have a healer on your team but you had no real obligation to, ffxiv actually recognizes the job roles and specifically requires a party of 1 tank, 1 healer, and 2 dps. You cannot deviate from this! (Well, you can but that's not typical, and later dungeons expand the number of players in a party but the general idea of requiring at least one of each role is still the same). It's interesting to me how this structure has become so sacred. Dungeons cannot be completed without you doing your specific job. It's to promote efficiency and comfort so everyone generally knows what to do as well as what others will do right off the bat.

Visibility AKA "Why are people looking at me"

Oh no. So, if everyone has a job to do that means there is the Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known. If you don't do your job, your party members WILL notice lol! And it will be obvious because there will be just 4 of you in the party. It's not hard to see what 3 others are doing. Further, if you're tank/healer, you will be the only one of your job role in your party. If you don’t follow your role, no one else can cover for you. You are very visible. And that's very anxiety-inducing!! You don't want to let the party down. Here are some notable job anxiety narratives:

- Tankxiety. You have to essentially lead your party through a scary maze-like dungeon. Nobody will move unless the tank moves first because the tank needs to be the one to take initial damage and get enemy aggro. You are therefore kind of expected to know your way around and where to go. This is less about competency, though, and more about confidence in yourself. If you get lost, no one tangibly loses anything. You just find the way eventually. Playing tank forces you to learn maps and enemy patterns. As someone who would rather fade away into the background, this scared the shit out of me.

- Healing responsibility. If someone/everyone dies, it's your fault. It's common to feel like this even if your party consists of 3 dumbasses who can't play and kill themselves on purpose. You feel responsibility because the whole point of you is to take care of everyone. That's the reality, and that's a lot of pressure. Playing healer forces you to have 0.1 reaction time, learn enemy patterns, and know how to prioritize who gets to live and who stays dead. People’s lives are on the line. When I was a child, I told my parents straight up I could never be a doctor.

- No real dps bad narratives though except to git gud. You're not as visible at being bad dps unless you literally stand there doing nothing. You can be head empty no thoughts about most maps and enemies as long as you react normally enough.

This game sounds very unforgiving and mean

To combat this anxiety hurdle, there is a huge focus on guiding and taking care of new people who don't know much. You have a literal sprout icon next to your name until you catch up to the latest expansion. So, like 1000+ game hours?? You are overtly "new" for a very long time.

Because the game is so heavily story-driven and requires a new 4-person dungeon run literally every step of the way, these dungeon queues need to have a steady stream of players ready to run them at all times. Otherwise, it would be actually impossible for newbies to get through the story. Not everyone has friends to make a pre-party with, ok cool guy. Majority of dungeon crawling is done with random parties.

So, you get rewards out the ass for running "duty finder" daily which puts you in a random unlocked dungeon with an automatically-generated party of random people. It is the #1 best way to get exp and level up. You are essentially rewarded for helping out new people to do their required dungeons. You can give advice during the run, tell them how best to go about things, give tips on their job, etc.

I find this so smart as a game philosophy in order to get people to constantly play/revisit all content while also being friendly to new people. New people are the lifeblood of a game. You literally cannot just play in a bubble with only top tier savage raider people and shield yourself from new people or incompetency. Not that I'm calling only new people incompetent.

Competency AKA "What am I doing and why am I bad”

The side effect of running these dungeons randomized is that you will often be dropped into one that you completely forgot about. The average person cannot memorize every single one and everything that happens in it. The game came out in 2010 so there is 10+ years of content.

If this game teaches you anything it's that You Will Fuck Up and it will be a lot and until the end of time. You are honestly forced to come face to face with your own incompetency nearly every time you log on lol. In a sense, you try to put on your best performance every time you enter a 20 min dungeon instance and just hope you don't cause a party meltdown.

It won't matter how many times you practice your rotation or how many times you run through the same dungeon over and over. You will inevitably forget something, you will misclick, you will get tunnel vision and forget to move from an aoe and get slammed in the face and die.

But it's fine. I see people dying to dumb shit all the time. It's fine because you get up and try again. Dungeons are not so difficult that you can't get through it on a second try, usually. There are no consequences to dying or performing sub-optimally except your own personal shame, time, and sadness. In fact, there's an exhilaration you get when things get particularly hairy but everyone pulls through by the skin of their teeth and manages to make it out alive.

CONCLUSION: You are important and contribute to the fight in your own way.

Only once you get over the Mortifying Ordeal can you then achieve the Rewards of Being Loved. There is something so satisfying about each successful dungeon run and knowing it is the result of each party member's cumulative contribution. When a role is missing or dies, there is a noticeable difference. (Even dps. Sometimes fights are ones of attrition and will take 5-10x longer without dps).

So, yes, you are extremely visible to other random strangers who may judge you. But that also means that when you do a good job, your good job is visible. 80% of my dungeon runs end in the party thanking each other. The pressure the game puts on you to do your best but not to stress too hard about it is just enough, in my opinion.

You are encouraged to get over yourself, your ego, your own anxiety.

Personally, it is a point of pride for myself if I am able to hit all my buttons right when I'm supposed to. I want to be good for myself and for my random party members who I will ride or die for after just 20 mins. The game wants you to do your best, to be social and communicate when things go awry, and also to be humble in the face of weird shit happening -- all at the right levels. And then you are treated to the coolest damn visuals and game mechanics I've ever experienced!

[empiriical]

it's contradictory, that for all of berga's deep-rooted understanding of both his own feelings && those of his brothers, he still has a hard time wrapping his mind around this in particular. or maybe it's just luck's words — thoughtful, complex, && contradictory in their own right. emotions, he can pick up on. explanations are not as easily understood. but he tries.

trust is important. && as high as luck prioritizes it, emphasizes it now, when he speaks of melvi, berga knows, logically, that he has no right to not give that same trust to luck himself, even if it's not yet willing to extend it to melvi.

he listens. expression remains stony && impassive, but he listens all the same. && then, when luck has finished, && looks at him with his fox-eyed gaze, berga clears his throat.

"i hope you don't expect me to suddenly start liking him," he says. let's get that straight, right away. "but..." berga searches his face for something he doubts even luck knows is there. "you trust him," he echoes, "&&... you love him?"

he could argue. && part of him wants to, desperately. but the line between protecting luck && upsetting him has always been a thin one. it took berga a long time in childhood to learn how to not let his strength lay harm to his younger brother ; it's time he start learning how to not let his emotions do the same.

he stands up slowly, && crosses the room to luck. he stands before him silently for a moment, && then grabs him in a simple, but very firm embrace. "i just want you to be happy."

why him?

It was question Luck knew was coming ; it was the question on everyone’s lips whenever they learned about his relationship with Melvi. Why him.

It was a good question, he won’t deny. As tired as he was of hearing it, it wasn’t as if Luck didn’t know where their concerns & criticisms came from. It was a question he’s been asking himself, and it was always one he came up rather empty for.

No, not empty . . . because there was a reason for why Melvi. There were several, in fact, but to concisely put that all into words, those feelings . . . it would be hard to understand. Not in any real complicated way, but just as to why Melvi was so special to gain the privileges so many people have sought ��� to knows the ins - and - outs of Luck’s mind & heart without having to dig, the ability to have him, ALL of him, to be in front of them. To know that the person they were liking at is real & true, not some proximity of living. To know why Melvi of all people got that, and not even his brothers to some extent . . . Luck couldn’t say.

He could, of course, voice his theories, but that’s all they were : theories. Speculation. That doesn’t make them anymore real than Berga’s anger. A heavy pause fell over the room, as Luck gripped his other arm with a light squeeze. His brown eyes grew distant, as if looking past Berga and into the room beyond him, beyond the wall. For a second or two, it didn’t seem as if Luck would answer, but then he drew in a sharp breath before letting it go, all the tension pent up in his body.

“ . . . i don’t know, “ he breathed, as if in confession, “ i’ve been asking myself that too. i could very well tell you my guesses, if you’d prefer, but i sincerely doubt anything i say will satisfy your anger. i think you’d rather hear the truth than for me to tell you comforting lies. “ Not that what Luck had to say about Melvi were lies, but he knew Berga wouldn’t be thinking so objectively at this current moment to accept them as truths. Ever since Luck had opened the door for Melvi to become one of their own, it seemed as if Berga had no intention of changing his previous opinion on the man – not that Luck could blame him, of course, but to give any sort of answer in this scenario that would convince Berga to let it live . . . it was practically its own obstacle.

“ if i told you what i think, you wouldn’t grasp what makes Melvi so different from everyone else – i don’t either, but that doesn’t change the course of how i feel about him. you should know better than anyone that feelings don’t always have a logic to them. “ It was why Luck never enjoyed talking about his – they defied all sense of reason & to put them into a box, to make a long line of trajectory like a line of dominoes, only gave cause for more of them to escape & rebel. He didn’t like thinking on them, or pinning down any sort of reason to their existence, so perhaps his answer was simply less critical than Berga would allow. However, what was the point if all the lines came to the same conclusion?

“ . . . it is because i see myself in him, and he sees himself in me. in that way, i am known, without having to translate unto others the burdens that i bear. i am not required to be anyone but myself around him, whatever that self might be. “ Luck didn’t know what self he could possibly have outside the Gandor family, but that was a matter for another time. He has barely accepted his faults outside what he has entangled about his immortality. “ so . . . i s’ppose, in a rather ironic twist of fate, i trust him. deeply & implicitly. “

There. That was it. The whole thing : he trusted Melvi. And that was the part nobody, not even him, understood. “ if i could tell you why or how that came to be, i would, but as it stands, i’m not even sure how to explain myself without sounding mad. i am aware, more than anyone, about Melvi’s previous transgressions – he has made an attempt on my life once before, and perhaps it is foolish to assume he wouldn’t do that again, but . . . “ this is so awfully damn confusing. “ that’s always a risk i was going to take with any man i have chosen to court. “ Trailing off here, his eyes came back into focus on Berga’s presence, sharpening with a cutting question like he was issuing forth an unspoken challenge : is that to your satisfaction?

[empiriical]

" hush, someone will hear you. " — @choicescreen

berga's expression turns further disgruntled, as if offended by the implication that he should lower his voice. "are you sure you're a friend of maiza's?" his brow furrows, face betraying confusion && uncertainty ; his voice does drop slightly, but more in hesitation. normally, he'd turn to luck for clarity, but luck's not here at the moment. he cracks his knuckles. he'd come out here to throw his weight around a little, but now that it seems he won't be doing that, berga's not quite sure what to do instead. he's not exactly the diplomat of the family. he's not even that good a talker.

"i'm s'posed to believe you're a — what? a vampire?" despite his own immortality — something berga hasn't quite comprehended the full weight of — he seems skeptical of the concept existing in this form. "you're gonna have to do better than that. immortal or not, friend of the martillos or not, the gandors don't take kindly to strangers doing business on our turf." he gestures down the street toward the coraggioso. "'specially when you're the competition."

DRIVE MY CAR.

[midgethetree]

(Extinguish anon)Sorry I must have thought I already had those lines in the first message! They were Node: 8 Tree: id 4109 name 'Extinguish - Simulate' version 5 from Fire. I tried doing what you said and unfortunately no mod in my Downloads folder modifies any of the 3 BHAVs (simulate, core and interaction - extinguish). I'm not sure if every frame is related to the error but the next frame after these 3 had wait for notify from global and one package modifies that - SWDuelingSwordsPart2.

(Extinguish) The frame after that (I think it's main check queue ) is modified by HBAubreeAnimated baby swing and jumperoo ALEP packages but really not sure if that's relevant? I put them on the lot when causing fires anyway/used them at that time and got nothing.But I mentioned in my first message that it's pretty much impossible to test this because it's so intermittent - I cannot get the error to appear when I try no matter what, I just got a bunch of test sims burned to death!

(Extinguish) It seems to only occur when I'm regularly playing and not expecting it, which is very annoying when it's so infrequent. I started about 10 fires (inside/outside, stove, leaves) just now and all were able to be extinguished without issue.I think I might just have to accept having this error sometimes because I can't see any other way to test it when I can't figure out what causes it to occur?I'll try to keep an eye out in future when playing if a fire occurs and see if there's a

(Extinguish, last part!) pattern, unless anyone else has any ideas! Thanks for everything you do anyways, you're a gem!

Hmm. I have one other idea, which is to ask if you have any objects cloned from a fire, maybe you do and it had a necessary BCON deleted and that’s why the constant is invalid? If you’re not sure try doing a simantics resource finder search of your downloads folder, but this time instead of searching for a BHAV name search for an NREF name and just type fire. Fireplaces and the likes will show up too but if there’s any results that just say Fire coming from your downloads folder you might want to check that object’s BCON 0x1001 to see if it a) exists and b) has values up to 0x6.

[empiriical]

he listens to her words, && though the smile doesn't quite slip, elmer finds himself nodding contemplatively. there's something familiar in what zeveth is saying, something he feels like he's heard before. that kind of pessimistic realism sounds an awful lot like what huey used to say to him. of course, huey had set a goal for himself too, one that maybe, privately, elmer considered impossible. but knowing that only seeing monica again would make huey smile, elmer had been willing to do anything to help him achieve it.

still. the uncanny resemblance to his old friend's attitude strikes him, even hundreds of years after he last saw him.

"then you can smile, knowing at least you tried your best! or — what is it they say? it's about the journey, not the destination? or, if they really are content that way, then they should smile, because — why not, right?" lowering the legs of the chair back to the ground, elmer cocks his head slightly. "if you're worried about not finding happiness for yourself, though — trust me. my friend huey only has one thing in the world that'll make him smile, && he's been working toward it for 300 years! i'm sure you'll figure it out eventually."

she throws him the most mildly irritated glance when his grip shakes the table, curtly lifting her iced tea before it can threaten again to slosh over the rim of the glass. might as well take a sip and help further defer that incident. "you're missing the point. even for us, we might achieve those goals of ours -- only to see them fall flat, or not live up to all it took to get to them. maybe by then, things have changed, or maybe we will have changed. the only person whose full story you really know is your own, and even then..." another sip, until it seems safe enough to set down again. she shrugs. "i like the idea that there's something for everyone, too, but it also depends on whether they're ready to receive it, or not. maybe deciding they'll never be happy... makes them happy. some people find comfort in that, even if it is a bit of a lost opportunity."

[galecasner57486-blog]

Free MP3 Finder

Want to lower MP3 recordsdata? Listening to music is everyone's favourite. With the development of multimedia telephones (the primitive telephones who had the capacity to play music and videos, and even a few of them had digicam, which were now denoted as ‘dumb telephones'), folks began to hearken to the music in them. This trend only grew with the development of smartphones, and right now listening to music in an Android machine is equally addicting. There are several free music downloader apps for Android gadgets, having completely different sound system, from regular to encompass sounds, and from low-cost to expensive. Suggestions: If you're premium consumer of Spotify music, you are allowed to stream up to 320kbps music on Spotify, so you need to use our Sidify program to download music from Spotify with up to 320kbps high quality. Mp3 Music Download Hunter is at present obtainable by the Google Play Store. Its score is a modest 3.3, however a lot of people are giving the app a ‘1' expecting main label content. Principally, they have been looking for artists like Trey Songz or Katy Perry, which MP3 Hunter does not supply. Music Maniac: Music Maniac app has been our very long time favorite app to obtain and listen to the music in your Android machine. This app offers you access to a huge database of mp3 songs and you'll discover almost all songs licensed beneath artistic commons. You'll be able to search songs by title or by artist after which begin your download. The download progress might be seen in the app or the notification bar of your Android. Mainly, Jamendo is geared towards the music explorer. Plus, in addition they have free radio stations and playlists that continuously update. Once you have bought a great collection of free music downloads, you possibly can easily access them offline in your iOS, Android, or different gadget. You may need a music downloader app to help manage it all ( this is a listing of them ). Free Audio Converter is comparable in most respects to different packages. It has good compatibility; we have been pleasantly surprised that it could convert Apple's M4A format. It handles eight different audio formats in all, together with MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG and FLAC. It additionally has a easy interface that lets you queue songs for conversion and alter the bit charge, pattern charge and channels with presets. Thanks for the helpful suggestions. HD Video Converter Manufacturing facility is also a helpful music converter yet it's only for Home windows. For Android, Google Play works finest for me. 2. With many typical music participant features: repeat, shuffle songs. Chyz had beloved music since selecting up a guitar at age 6. However as he bought older, he also developed a knack for math and www.mergemp3.com science. Then it dawned on him: The tools he used to report and course of his tunes — microphones, computer software and different devices — merged the creative world with the technical one. Like many other websites, Bandcamp offers music in a wide range of ways. Some tracks are given away totally free, some are offered at a set worth, while others ask you to pay what you like. The location highlights new artists every day, so it's a good way to discover new additions for your playlist. To transform songs presently in your iTunes library, open the software and discover the Preferences menu from the iTunes dropdown on a Mac or Edit dropdown on a Windows computer. Next, click on the Normal tab, then find the Import Settings within the decrease part of the Preferences window. After that, click the dropdown subsequent to Import Using, choose the format and click on OKAY to save that import format as the default setting. iTunes permits for batch converting, so the ultimate step is to select all the recordsdata you wish to convert, click the File menu, then choose Convert and click on Create MP3 Version. When you selected a distinct output format, it displays that format somewhat than MP3.

Is there a neater approach to merge multiple mp3 files and save them as a single audio wav file? Let me know in the comments. Updated: Spinrilla is now being sued by main recording labels for enabling unlawful downloading and sharing. Sprinrilla has argued that these similar labels provided them with music for his or her app, so we're expecting a severe court battle. For now, the app remains to be out there within the Google Play Retailer, and we're not sure where Google stands on this matter. Stay tuned for ongoing updates.Click on the drop-down arrow subsequent to Convert to: and choose MP3 below Audio. It is simple! Simply click the Merge MP3 obtain button at the web page. Clicking this link will start the installer to download Merge MP3 free for Home windows. An audio file converter is one form of file converter that (surprise!) is used to transform one kind of audio file (like an MP3 , WAV , WMA , and so forth.) into another type of audio file. Google Play Music is special software that allows users to stream music at their leisure. This is a great possibility for anybody who is on the lookout for a straightforward strategy to discover new music, whereas it also puts unbiased music creators into contact with potential fans who can then buy their music.Methods to obtain music from ? It's fairly straightforward. Find the music recordsdata you have an interest in, after which simply click on the obtain button. Moreover, the website will also give you the data of music's devices, feel and and many others. Repeat for each disc that comprises music you wish to use. Proceed to the following part. Select one of many three applications presented to mix your tracks into a single MP3. Rap lovers rejoice! Because the mid-aughts, the hip-hop group has develop into a veritable breeding ground free of charge music, much of which comes in the form of mixtapes. Some are unique compilations by artists trying to cop some shine, some feature rappers freestyling over well-liked instrumentals from their contemporaries, and some are simply dropped by artists trying to reward their loyal followers with some free tunes — we're taking a look at you, Curren$y.One of the best half is, you can download free songs with out even making a consumer account - which is a prerequisite for many of the music websites. TuneConvert converts music and movie recordsdata from all major music resellers. Soundcloud is another most popular app accessible for taking part in music on-line free of charge. You can listen to virtually all sort of songs on this app. It consists of some authentic composed, shared songs from your friends and different completely different compositions made by others. This app not only lets you take heed to songs, however it also lets you share your music too.

[katarh-mest]

why “upgrade the servers” doesn’t really apply

Auntie Katarh is gonna put on her IT professional hat here, and try to explain how “why doesn’t SE just upgrade the servers?” isn’t a fair question.

Long winded data center rant below the fold. 

First, they DID upgrade the servers when they moved to the new data center in the US, and performed hardware upgrades at the other two data centers.  We’re already on brand new servers right now.  SE generally doesn’t skimp on hardware, so these are probably some solid blade servers or pizza box servers with a 5 year warranty, proper RAID arrays or some kind of distributed big data database like Hadoop.  (I used to sell these kind of data center systems, once upon a time.  A nice blade system with maxed out specs will set you back $100K minimum.)

So first let’s start off with - what is a server?  It’s basically your PC on steroids.  But it’s not just one computer, it’s several dozen computers working in tandem within the data center.  This is called a cluster.

Each data center cluster will contain the following, at the minimum:

8-10 World Servers (each one handles the I/O of people in the open world and houses and all the zones)

A lobby server whose sole function is to control access to the worlds, and to pass various characters to the other servers

Duty Finder (group instance) server that loads pre-programmed battles, spins up instances, and drops characters into it

Solo Instance server (we have now learned this is separate from DF server, not sure that was always the case!)

Central database that all servers in the cluster can push to (per SE, characters are updated here every 15 seconds)

A communication switch to allow all these moving parts to talk to each other and to our computer clients, probably something like a fiber channel

EDIT:  See corrections on my assumptions about world architecture over at this post. h/t to @everyoneneedsmorefranz

Your character data lives in two places:  The permanent database, where your inventory and retainers are stored until accessed by you (a pull request), and a more fluid temporary format that lives in the server’s memory (in programming this can be called a command object or a command pattern) and then can be dumped to the permanent database all at once through a single query (which SE has confirmed happens every 15 seconds on the main world servers.)  

Each world has a cap of 5000 active characters. (Well, that was the cap last I heard.) This is the amount that SE has determined is optimal for keeping the 15 second push to the database flowing.  Could they store more characters in the server’s memory? Probably!  They probably don’t take up more than a few kilobytes each.  Assuming that the server has an extremely generous amount of memory, say 128 GB (which is pretty typical for server memory), even if each character is taking up 500 KB, and each zone is taking up 5000 KB, we’re still nowhere near the RAM cap.  

So let’s say they “upgrade the server” and miraculously plug another 128 GB of RAM in.  Now 10,000 character objects can live in the memory. The other limitation is the 15 second push request to the database. Twice as many queries means they can either 1. Slow down the sync to 30 seconds instead of 15, which they’ve previously determined is too little, or 2. Force people’s database queries to get in a queue, which is gonna cause you laaaaaaaaaaaag like you wouldn’t believe.

This ^^^^^^ is where the bottleneck is.  We are limited by the speed that the database can handle. SE has repeatedly said that they felt 15 seconds was the highest they wanted to have that push to the data server, else you risk zoning into a DF server and having your character data become out of sync with the database data.

The server upgrades they’ve already performed are what allowed us to have more item slots on our characters.  Maybe they added more memory to each world server; I’m sure they had to beef up the processing power because they added in so many new zones.  

Point is, we’re already running on new hardware, the latest gen that SE could afford.  I don’t think that we’re running on an IBM z13 mainframe (hello 4-40 million dollar basic database system) but we’re running on good, redundant hardware with a remarkably low failover rate and a solid OS that allows for 24/7 access under normal conditions without maintenance for months.  Not bad, really.

[stephmolliex]

Review: Nanoleaf's Rhythm Edition Light Panels top HomeKit-enabled wall lights

With or without the Rhythm module, Nanoleaf's Light Panels are probably the best HomeKit-enabled wall lights on the market, assuming you like their style and can spend enough to do them justice. Yes, you're correct: the Light Panels have been around for a while, and even the Rhythm Edition has been out for several months. But having reviewed the LIFX Beam and Tile, and even the Nanoleaf Remote, we realized we hadn't actually covered the Light Panels, despite being pretty popular. Basics & installation The Light Panels are thin triangles that link together to form bigger, color-shifting polygons. You can create some especially wild shapes, even wrapping them around walls and ceilings if you pick up Nanoleaf's special flex linkers and screw mounts. The basic Rhythm Edition kit includes nine panels and connectors, as well as a controller unit, sticky strips, and of course the Rhythm module. After a firmware update, the Rhythm enables animations in response to ambient audio. We'll dive deeper into that later. We should start by saying that it can take surprisingly long to install even Nanoleaf's basic kit, depending on your ambitions. The things can move if you happen to have untextured, perfectly smooth walls! Even then though Nanoleaf suggests applying three sticky strips per panel, and pressing them against the wall for at least 30 seconds. With nine panels, that adds up, especially since you need to prepare the wall for your pattern and make sure everything sits level. In our case installation ended up taking days. Before even beginning we realized that the stucco-like surfaces in our test house would be a problem, so we ended up making a trip to Home Depot to buy paneling, drywall screws, and a stud finder. This still wasn't enough, since we discovered that Nanoleaf's bundled mounting strips didn't cut it on the paneling anyway, prompting us to make yet another shopping run in which we picked up some Scotch "Extremely Strong" strips, ususally designed for much heavier objects. That seemed to do it for a while, but we eventually sprang for Nanoleaf's $24.99 Screw Mount Kit for peace of mind. We recommend cutting to the chase and getting this if you're confident enough about placement to drill holes. Software & Rhythm Module tech The Nanoleaf iPhone and iPad app is the starting point of software setup and where you'll probably be spending most of your usage time, at least initially. While the Light Panels support HomeKit/Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa, none of those platforms can directly exploit Nanoleaf's customizable animation or per-panel colors. The app is a little clunky, but easy enough. A Dashboard tab lets you browse through preloaded "Color" and "Rhythm" themes, as well as three "Basic" options -- "Warm White," "Reading Light," and "Daylight" -- that you'll probably never use, since you hardly need smart lights to achieve the same effects. There are tools to create your own designs, but frankly there are so many first- and third-party options listed in the Discover tab that anything you want has probably already been made. Searching around you can find themes for movies, countries, the weather, and much more. I personally settled on the warm, sunrise-colored "Nemo" for weekday mornings, "Snowfall" for midday, and "Vintage Modern" for evenings. All three of those are "Color" themes, meaning that even if panels cycle, they do so at preset intervals. This is the category you'll probably use most of the time, since it's interesting without being distracting. If distraction is your goal, "Rhythm" themes have you covered. These pulse in time to music and other audio, using either a built-in microphone or aux-in as sources. Mic input is the default and simplest option, though the best results require either a booming audio system or placing speakers close to the Rhythm module. In our case, a second-gen Amazon Echo about 10 feet away proved decent as long as it was at half volume or higher. The mic was sensitive enough that conversation-level sounds would sometimes trigger small blips on the Light Panels. Thankfully, only music, video, and especially loud sneezes seemed to trigger a light show. A tricky thing about the Rhythm module is that you sometimes need to hunt for the right theme to match the audio you're playing. As you can see in our demo videos, the "Streaking Notes" theme wasn't the best match for Nachtmahr's industrial song "Can You Feel the Beat," but "Ripple" worked well with Wynonie Harris' old-school R&B track "Lovin' Machine." For house, techno, and other electronic dance music, "Sound Bar" was usually the best pick. Be sure to put the controller on the left side of your lights though, or you'll see the bar spiking from the right instead. Incidentally you might be tempted to pair one of the Rhythm modes with movies, but in our experience the motion and sheer brightness diverted too much attention. It's better to choose a subdued Color theme. Brightness is one of Nanoleaf's unsung strengths -- for once we have a set of wall lights that can serve as a primary light source, instead of just an accent. You're literally building a wall of light, and at night the Light Panels can even be blinding, assuming they're at full power with the right colors. HomeKit & Alexa In terms of manually controlling the Light Panels, HomeKit looks like a bust at first. You can of course turn them on or off and adjust their brightness, using either Siri or the iOS Home app, but you can only set uniform colors, and there isn't the slightest hook for animation support. Interestingly, themes created in the Nanoleaf app are silently exported as HomeKit scenes, and work just the same so long as you don't make any modifications. That means that you can queue them up in automations, and while Nanoleaf does have its own scheduling tool, the iOS Home app opens a wider range of possibilities, including pairing Light Panel themes with existing HomeKit scenes. Once we discovered this, there was rarely any need to launch the Nanoleaf app unless we wanted new fodder. A similar situation evolved with Amazon Alexa. Nanoleaf content would slowly migrate to the Alexa app's Smart Home section, and when it did, we were able to incorporate them into voice-triggered routines after adding the Nanoleaf skill. It was fun having the room turn red and white to the strains of "O Canada," for example, and we made similar routines for the U.S. and Germany. We weren't able to test Google Assistant support. Conclusions If we were spending our own hard-earned money on decorative wall lights, this would probably be the first choice, even knowing that they're a little more complicated to install. They're visually striking, fun to experiment with, and powerful enough to be practical. Practical is a relative term, naturally. The standard Rhythm Edition kit is $229.99, and you'll probably end up spending over $250 with secure mounting. You could spend less on a four-bulb Philips Hue Starter Kit, assuming you have places to screw in the bulbs. The Light Panels do represent a pretty good value when compared against decorative lights from LIFX and Philips though, so if you're so inclined, check out Nanoleaf first without hesitation. Score: 4.5 out of 5 Where to buy The Nanoleaf Aurora Rhythm Smarter Kit is available at Best Buy for $229.99 with free shipping or in-store pickup. Nanoleaf also sells the 9-panel kit for $229.99, along with a 3-panel expansion for an additional $59.99. https://goo.gl/HCWW5Y

[empiriical]

      if it were anyone else — anyone older, bigger, stronger — berga might not’ve let a brazen comment like that slide. the gandors don’t tolerate disrespect, although they’ve always preferred blunt honesty to trickery && connivers. but berga, despite being the brawn of the family, one who doesn’t so much as resort to violence as initiates it, isn’t unreasonable, either, && he’d never raise a fist to a kid… not for something like this anyway.

in the end, mutt’s just meeting him where he’s at.

berga stares at him impassively for a moment, then bursts out laughing.

“fine, fine.” he ushers him ahead into the coraggioso’s kitchen. “cook’s out tonight && these potatoes need chopping.”

@empiriical said: you’re so tiny. and so weird.

remarkably bright creatures. 

the level stare he fixes him with’s a trade-off in place of rolling his eyes. “ fuck you. do you want my help, or not? “ call it instinct, maybe, but it seems to mutt that he’s the sort he can get away with saying it to.

[empiriical]

“ if i were your father, i’d hold you round the shoulders and say, 'it’s not your fault. you did nothing wrong'. ” — @choicescreen

god. how many times has he heard something similar? czes hates the way his shoulders tremble, the way his chest contracts with impulsive anger, because he has to be lying. he's not good, no matter what isaac && miria, or anyone for that matter, says.

at least maiza's friend won't devour him. czes had introduced himself as thomas, just to make sure, before correcting himself with a flippant apology of 'sorry, force of habit.'

he's not actually sure if finn knows he's immortal, either. in the end, it probably doesn't matter. people don't believe him unless they have good reason to.

"well, you're not my father," he says, a little too harshly. "i don't have a father, && i don't need one. && besides — i..." i know that, anyway, he thinks. nothing i did warranted that.

he looks at the door, where claire had just exited moments earlier. he hates that even now, decades later, that shock of red hair still petrifies him. you don't know what i did, he thinks, looking back at finn. you don't know what i tried to do.

"i don't need sympathy," he mutters, taking a moment to try && calm his breathing. "i'm fine."

DRIVE MY CAR.

[empiriical]

" you’re a strange young man. " — @choicescreen

looking equal parts embarrassed && bashful, jacuzzi's face reddens as he rubs the back of his neck. "yeah... i've heard that before." he straightens his back, looking almost unrecognizable from the terrified, teary-eyed mess he'd been only moments before. "s-sorry for crying... it's not you. you're really nice." he wipes at his eyes && smiles. "i heard that the gandors are hiring musicians... i can't take you t-there, cuz... they don't really like me, but..." he points down a side street. "their jazz hall is that way."

DRIVE MY CAR.