#Amazon A Plus Listing Services

[gonukkadleecommerceprovider]

Boost your Amazon visibility with Gonukkad's A Plus Listing Services – enhance your product listings for increased sales and customer engagement.

[lifehacksthatwork]

Just a bunch of Useful websites - Updated for 2023

Removed/checked all links to make sure everything is working (03/03/23). Hope they help!

Sejda - Free online PDF editor.

Supercook - Have ingredients but no idea what to make? Put them in here and it'll give you recipe ideas.

Still Tasty - Trying the above but unsure about whether that sauce in the fridge is still edible? Check here first.

Archive.ph - Paywall bypass. Like 12ft below but appears to work far better and across more sites in my testing. I'd recommend trying this one first as I had more success with it.

12ft – Hate paywalls? Try this site out.

Where Is This - Want to know where a picture was taken, this site can help.

TOS/DR - Terms of service, didn't read. Gives you a summary of terms of service plus gives each site a privacy rating.

OneLook - Reverse dictionary for when you know the description of the word but can't for the life of you remember the actual word.

My Abandonware - Brilliant site for free, legal games. Has games from 1978 up to present day across pc and console. You'll be surprised by some of the games on there, some absolute gems.

Project Gutenberg – Always ends up on these type of lists and for very good reason. All works that are copyright free in one place.

Ninite – New PC? Install all of your programs in one go with no bloat or unnecessary crap.

PatchMyPC - Alternative to ninite with over 300 app options to keep upto date. Free for home users.

Unchecky – Tired of software trying to install additional unwanted programs? This will stop it completely by unchecking the necessary boxes when you install.

Sci-Hub – Research papers galore! Check here before shelling out money. And if it’s not here, try the next link in our list.

LibGen – Lots of free PDFs relate primarily to the sciences.

Zotero – A free and easy to use program to collect, organize, cite and share research.

Car Complaints – Buying a used car? Check out what other owners of the same model have to say about it first.

CamelCamelCamel – Check the historical prices of items on Amazon and set alerts for when prices drop.

Have I Been Pawned – Still the king when it comes to checking if your online accounts have been released in a data breach. Also able to sign up for email alerts if you’ve ever a victim of a breach.

I Have No TV - A collection of documentaries for you to while away the time. Completely free.

Radio Garden – Think Google Earth but wherever you zoom, you get the radio station of that place.

Just The Recipe – Paste in the url and get just the recipe as a result. No life story or adverts.

Tineye – An Amazing reverse image search tool.

My 90s TV – Simulates 90’s TV using YouTube videos. Also has My80sTV, My70sTV, My60sTV and for the younger ones out there, My00sTV. Lose yourself in nostalgia.

Foto Forensics – Free image analysis tools.

Old Games Download – A repository of games from the 90’s and early 2000’s. Get your fix of nostalgia here.

Online OCR – Convert pictures of text into actual text and output it in the format you need.

Remove Background – An amazingly quick and accurate way to remove backgrounds from your pictures.

Twoseven – Allows you to sync videos from providers such as Netflix, Youtube, Disney+ etc and watch them with your friends. Ad free and also has the ability to do real time video and text chat.

Terms of Service, Didn’t Read – Get a quick summary of Terms of service plus a privacy rating.

Coolors – Struggling to get a good combination of colors? This site will generate color palettes for you.

This To That – Need to glue two things together? This’ll help.

Photopea – A free online alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Does everything in your browser.

BitWarden – Free open source password manager.

Just Beam It - Peer to peer file transfer. Drop the file in on one end, click create link and send to whoever. Leave your pc on that page while they download. Because of how it works there are no file limits. It's genuinely amazing. Best file transfer system I have ever used.

Atlas Obscura – Travelling to a new place? Find out the hidden treasures you should go to with Atlas Obscura.

ID Ransomware – Ever get ransomware on your computer? Use this to see if the virus infecting your pc has been cracked yet or not. Potentially saving you money. You can also sign up for email notifications if your particular problem hasn’t been cracked yet.

Way Back Machine – The Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites and loads more.

Rome2Rio – Directions from anywhere to anywhere by bus, train, plane, car and ferry.

Splitter – Seperate different audio tracks audio. Allowing you to split out music from the words for example.

myNoise – Gives you beautiful noises to match your mood. Increase your productivity, calm down and need help sleeping? All here for you.

DeepL – Best language translation tool on the web.

Forvo – Alternatively, if you need to hear a local speaking a word, this is the site for you.

For even more useful sites, there is an expanded list that can be found here.

[queerromancerecs]

Non Amazon book resources

Look, I know Amazon is a sensitive topic. It has been allowed to dominate the market, and for indie writers, it is a huge (if not their main) source of income. Personally, as an indie writer, I have tried to always keep my work available elsewhere (because you can't trust Amazon not to screw you over, I mean just look at Audible. For those who don't know, Audible royally fucks over authors, and the narrators don't do that great either). But even for me, the loss of Amazon sales would highly affect my ability to keep going without getting another job or three. So I get it. Nonetheless, they cannot be trusted not to drop queer writers and readers, so it's best to have alternatives now.

If you are a reader or an indie author looking for different platforms to buy and/or sell books, even if only to start branching out a little, here is a list.

I doubt it's comprehensive. Feel free to reblog with more.

Kobo and Kobo Plus -Kobo is the biggest online 'Zon alternative. Kobo Plus is sort of like KU. On either one, you get points for buying books and can use the points to get more books. Works for ebook and audiobooks. (And, if you have a non-Kindle ereader, it works for Kobo but it also works for like, fanfiction. I'm just saying. I got a refurbished Kobo a while ago and it's lovely.)

Bookshop.org -print as well as ebooks

Smashwords/Draft2Digital - mostly ebooks but D2D does have a print option

Itch.io - ebook only (but gives a larger chunk of profits to authors than 'Zon does. Authors take note.)

Gumroad

Rainbow Crate -special edition print queer books. (I know there was some controversy with them but I am out of touch and don't know what it was, and most people who use them seem happy with them??? but if you know other queer/romance book crate services, lemme know)

The Ripped Bodice -brick and mortar stores but you can also shop online

Check out your local bookstores---many will order print copies for you if you request them

The authors' websites if they do direct sales

Barnes & Noble- yeah, it's a corporation and they are not great either, but it's not Amazon and sometimes a well-meaning relative gets you a gift card. And, for the moment, they do in fact sell queer romance. I know because I just used a gift card to get a paperback of The Prince and the Assassin. lol

Powell's Books- Portland's famous book store sells new and used books (and you can browse the stock online) --print only. They sell queer romance as well. I got a copy of Drag Me Up by RM Virtues there. That's not super relevant, but I was pleased :)

New link: Queer Books Weekly-- free and affordable books with queer protagonists

Also consider library books!

And for those in America--you can use library apps to read books. Yes, the authors still get paid! Libby is a big one. You can get audiobooks too, AND it can connect you with the Queer Liberation Library.

Also there is Hoopla - digital content

In Europe, I know there is Vivlio, which is French and I believe sells ereaders and also ebooks.

[knitmeapony]

You should donate or subscribe to Consumer Reports

So this was one of those things I thought everyone knew about, and I was very wrong about that.

If you are looking to buy something expensive and don't trust the ratings on Amazon or random websites that make you wonder if they're sponsored by a company, Consumer Reports is your answer.

You can get a one month subscription for $10, and if you're going to be buying a $1000 TV, that's absolutely worth it.

CR is a not-for-profit. They buy everything they test, and are only sponsored by donations and subscriptions to their magazine.

Here's what you get for that $10:

articles on how to decide what kind of thing to buy -- don't know the difference between OLED and LCD and other kinds of TVs? They'll tell you the difference. How big a TV is worthwhile in a space the size of your living room? What is HDR? Is it better to get a streaming box separate, or stream directly through the TV? They have guides for everything.

Price guides -- they will tell you, for instance, that new TV models tend to get released in the spring, so late spring/early summer is when you get slightly discounted rates on the last year's models

How to take care of your thing -- what should you use to clean a flat-screen TV? Does it matter if it's antistatic or antidust? Should you shade it from the sun? What features are worth turning off if you don't use live TV?

And then the big one: their rating guides

They rate hundreds of products in dozens of categories. You can then filter down. Say you live in an apartment and you can only afford $500 for a TV, and you really care about data privacy.

Those are your top 3 options for a 52 inch or smaller TV in your price range with better than average privacy. Click that Shop button and it'll show you where to buy it. Want to know how those ratings were created?

You can then add up to 5 products to a 'compare' grid.

Want to know how many products they've tested and have guides for?

Pet GPS collars. Countertop icemakers. Streaming services. Air travel. Seriously, this should be your first stop before making any big purchase, and if you subscribe it can be your first stop for ANY purchase.

[doctordeathawaits]

INFO - LIST FOR TRANSABLED AID ACCESS

A list of discreet access of assistive aids , ways to hide assistive aids , and euphoria inducing replacements .

Where to get assistive aids ?

01 , An obvious choice would be online shopping , although discreet shopping can be a bit difficult . Buying many things at once so you get a big / couple of packages could be a way to not turn any eyes , especially now that the holidays are coming up . " But I live with people who have the tendency of opening my packages " , there are a couple of options of what you can do - use a p.o box or locker service ( ex: amazon locker will send you an email with pickup instructions ) , choosing a specific delivery time of when you are only home / you have time to be the first one to pick it up ( tip : have delivery notifications on so you can be the first one to receive it ) , have delivery instructions to specify where to put the package ( ex : behind a pot plant , under the steps , etc ) , have it delivered to your friends / work . " But big shopping sites aren't safe for me " , Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist could be a better option for you , may be also safer as you can request the person selling you the item to make it discreet / can also be on the cheaper end , as they tend to be used . It can also be safer on the end of simply picking it up , making it so that there isn't any sort of electronic transaction that can be seen on a bank / phone receipt . 02 , Thrifted / Yard sales are also a good option - not only is it generally more discreet , allowing you to take it home by simply putting it in your bag without any other notice , but it's also generally cheaper , seeing that often times its used items still in a somewhat good condition . " What / where do I look for ? " , I would often suggest Goodwill , as they tend to have a wider range of mobility aids . You can also find them at your local small shops - try calling ahead and asking if they have anything , as they mostly will have more time to look through their storage . " How do I know it's worth it ? " , shopping out is a greater option as you can test out if the aid is good for you . When shopping for aids , test if they are sturdy , if they are the right size for you / there is any ability to diy fix it to your measurements , and how you would be able to put it away / hide it .

When it comes to what sort of aid is the most discreet : Canes : foldable canes are the most discreet , they are compact and are able to be carried in a bag . Double use canes , such as umbrella canes , are also discreet in the sense of being able to play it off as just an umbrella . Rollator : also good to consider a foldable rollators / walkers , ones that also have a seat can be passed off as just portable seats . Wheelchairs : Wheelchairs , unless you live in a spacious area without any judging eyes , are hard to turn discreet . While folding wheelchairs are a thing , plus lightweight ones - like most wheelchairs , they are expensive , and often are badly fitted / uncomfortable . ++ temporary replacements are a better option . Hearing Aids : Hearing Aids kept in their case can very easily be passed out as to be wireless earbuds / there are many hearing aids that resemble simple ear buds. Although , Hearing Aids bought online aren't the most reliable , and may be even dangerous - so temporary / thrifted replacement is a better option .

Where do I hide my aids if I am in an unsafe environment ?

While hiding things from the people you live with can be draining , it is still suggested for your safety .

01 , Folding Aids - Any aid that is able to be neatly folded and easily stored is the best when it comes to hiding . Placing them in bags in also the best , as you are able to take them out once you leave your place . Another way would be having a designated spot outside your place , where you can easily access it once you are out . More ways of hiding them : in drawers , unused umbrella holders , under your mattress , in coat hoodies , old shoe boxes .

02 , Aids with Wheels - While trickier , definitely able . The biggest suggestion is to have folding versions . You can fold them and store in the back of your closet along the wall . You can put it on the frame of your bed and put a mattress over it . If you have a rug , putting it specifically near / under your bed , and then the aid right under the rub can also be an option . If you have a dresser , sliding it between the wall and the dresser's side can help . On top of closets can also be good . When needing to store it for outside use , big portfolios could fit them . 03 , Hearing Aids - Probably the easiest to hide as they resemble ear buds . Although getting custom / decorated cases can be good for disguising them . Nonetheless , if needed , hiding them in small pockets of backpacks , coat pockets , pencil cases can be extra security . " What if I immediately need to hide something for my safety ? " , when opening your drawer - look past the drawer / take it out , you will see that there is room on the inside of the frame , even with the drawers fully closed . You can throw any smaller sized aid in that space , and then simply take out the drawers to take it back when ready . Another way for more bigger aids - take out all of the drawers from a dresser , put the aid inside , then put the drawers back in . If the back of your dresser is a softer material that's able to be cut , cut a ⊏ shape so that it creates a flap , put your aid in and tape the flap , put your dresser back up on the wall - the flap is an easier access than taking out all drawers . Although if you feel like you are in immediate danger for having an assistive aid in your home , prioritize your safety and take the aid out of your home . You are worth more than something that you will be 100% able to get back in the future < 3

DIY - ING

Everyone should be able to have access to assistive aids - even when it comes to creating their own .

Folding Crutches . ( need to already have simple crutches ) Cane out of yardsticks . ++ easier , You can make a cane by taking hard pvc pipe , sealing the bottom + adding a stopper ( shaped rubber or foam ) , while at the top you cut out to sides of a handle - a top and bottom , glue it with hot glue and attach it.

While it may not be as sturdy - it's still a good alternative .

More affordable assistive aid shopping :

essentailaids.com , affordable canes / crutches / walkers - lots of accessories , has wheelchairs too .

mobilityshop.co.uk , also affordable AND a huge range , so you have some options . Also offers accessories and some more simpler accessibility aids .

argos.co.uk , on the more pricier end yet still quite affordable , also offers joints support and braces .

abilitysuperstore.com , while not as affordable as other sites , still has a pretty decent price range - but has way more options to offer .

[sirfrogsworth]

I had a bad feeling about sending all of my camera gear to Sigma. I sent my camera body and only 2 lenses to get calibrated because they were wildly out of alignment and all attempts to adjust them myself failed miserably.

Sending my only means to create photography across the country just felt scary. And it turns out my fears were somewhat warranted. Though my big fear was my stuff being pulverized during shipping. I paid for insurance, but I've heard stories of USPS not honoring that or making it a lengthy and painful process.

But the frustrating happenstance ended up being less smashy-smashy and more bureaucratic in nature.

I previously asked Sigma's service department how much it would cost to get each lens calibrated. They told me $100 for a zoom, and $50 for a prime. And there was no hesitation in their wording. There was no "it could be more or less depending on these circumstances." They said very definitively those were the prices.

So the final repair quote was sent today and it is... confusing.

Wut?

First of all, the total should be $400. So they can't even get their own math correct.

But this is not what was agreed to and I risked sending my entire photography setup to New York under the assumption it would only cost $150 plus shipping and tax.

So, I sent screen captures of my quotes to the service department. But I also mentioned how I have had frustrating experiences with them in the past with no satisfactory resolution.

After an unscrupulous Amazon seller sold me a fraudulent lens, I asked Sigma's service department how I could prevent this from happening in the future. They told me to only purchase their lenses from "Authorized Dealers" listed on their website.

And that's exactly what I did.

And I got scammed... AGAIN.

An "Authorized Dealer" sold me a refurbished lens as new. I paid full price for it. And when I asked Sigma what to do, they said they would "investigate" and that was it.

To this day, that dealer is still on their authorized list. And I have a lens I paid full price for which has no warranty.

I love Sigma lenses. You get as-good or sometimes better quality for half the price of the name brand lenses. I really don't have a choice but to purchase their lenses. And I don't think the company as a whole is bad. But their New York service department is failing to live up to the brand's standards.

I'm hoping after seeing my receipts, they will honor their original prices, but I am really frustrated with my entire customer service experience.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Is there a way for me to figure out speech & expressions in a specific past century? I've been trying to write a novel set in the 16th century but there are alot of expressions & idioms that I don't know if they existed back then or not. Do I just cut them out completely?

Researching Historical Lingo, Slang, and Grammar

Here are some things you can do to research the proper lingo, slang, and grammar for a historical setting:

1 - Google "slang (or phrases, lingo, grammar) of [era/decade] [location]" - I don't know where your story is set, but as an example, I Googled "slang of 16th century England" and got back 13 million hits, including things like "9 Elizabethan Words to Bring Back," "English Slang 1400 To 1680," "Elizabethan Swearing, Cursing and Vocabulary" and others. If you Google the era/decade and location of your story and take the time to sift through the results, you can get to know the lingo, phrases, slang, and grammar that would make sense in your story. (Just remember not to over rely on it... you want to avoid obviously modern phrases or words... no one in Elizabethan England would call something "freakin' sweet"... but you also don't want to write something so archaic sounding that it annoys the reader.)

2 - Go to YouTube and Search "slang (or phrases, lingo, grammar) of [era/decade] [location]" - YouTube can be a great source for learning how people spoke in a particular time and place. And in video format, this information is usually presented with additional information about the people and place that helps you understand why they spoke the way they did.

3 - Look for Books About Your Time Period and Setting - There are a lot of time/place settings that are popular enough to have books written about them. There's no shortage of books dedicated to life in Tudor and Elizabethan England, for example, and there are books dedicated to writing stories set in that time and place as well. Whether you go to your local library and ask, go to a local bookstore, or look on Amazon, books about your setting and time period can be a really helpful resource for learning about how people spoke.

4 - When In Doubt, Ask Google - If there's a particular expression, idiom, slang, or lingo you want to use but you're not sure if it existed in your story's time and place, try Googling the phrase plus "origin" or "etymology." That will almost always bring up something that will tell you the history of the expression, idiom, slang, or word that you're curious about. For example, let's say I wanted to know if they would have said "right as rain" in Tudor England. The very first hit on Google told me that while "right as rain" did originate in England, it doesn't seem to go further back than the 1800s. So, it wouldn't make sense for my Tudor character to say it. Some articles will suggest earlier variations, too, which can give you a fitting alternative. @definitely-not-julio suggested the OneLook online thesaurus which has an origin tab... and that actually leads to the Online Etymology Dictionary, which is a fantastic resource.

You can also use any number of idiom search engines or the dictionary to learn the origin of a particular phrase or word.

5 - Curl Up and Watch Stuff - One last helpful resource I want to mention is the great and powerful screen, whether that's the TV screen or device screen. There's a whole world of period dramas out there that take place in just about every possible time and place, so if all else fails, try watching a TV series or some movies set in the time and place of your story, and take notes! Just be aware that TV and movies aren't always super accurate, so it's a good idea to still double check anything you use, but they can be a great way to learn all kinds of potential words, phrases, lingo, etc. The Willow and Thatch web site has a list of period dramas by era (click on "best period dramas list") and it also has lists of period dramas by streaming service.

Have fun researching your story!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[nykloss]

I'm seeing so much actively harmful misinfo regarding boycotts.

If you are spreading information on a boycott PLEASE focus on just what the BDS is asking you to boycott. In my honest opinion even THAT is a lot to keep track of, but boycotts work better the more laser-focused they are.

This is the closest thing to an official boycott being asked:

I've seen a lot of posts both here and elsewhere asking people to boycott not just everything on that list, but also Walmart, Amazon, Google, PespsiCo, Coke, Nestle, 4 dozen other big name conglomerates, and a big list of at least 50+ individual celebrities/CEOs/actors. That is not boycotting.

If YOU want to personally abstain from every Israeli-supporting-prduct/service you can, please do it!!!! Even before now, I've personally always abstain from chick-fil-a and 🏴‍☠️ most of my media–but that isn't an organized boycott. In fact, spreading info that every single one of those companies/individuals are "part of the boycott" is blatant misinformation and actually harms the boycott.

Giant lists that include dozens to hundreds of giant conglomerates and individuals that are hard to keep track of are meant to overwhelm individuals and dissuade them from boycotting at best, and are actively impossible to personally enforce at worst. If you are reading this post, chances are you are breaking one of the many unofficial "boycotts" being asked of you.

For example, following every ""boycott"" being asked of you 100% means: stopping use of any Google products (quitting a job that uses Google workspace, abandoning your Android phone, switching to Firefox or Safari web browser, not using Gmail, not using YouTube), stop using most/all social media, making entirely home cooked meals (every restaurant, even small ones, support Pepsi/coke), only being allowed to buy ingredients for those home cooked meals from physical, local small businesses (which may be wiped out in your area/take more gas to drive to/cost more money to buy from), and cross-checking every single item you buy with a giant list (that I hope you printed out, because chances are you can't use your phone/the internet without sending precious ad profit to Google!).

Telling someone to "do that much or do nothing" is going to result in the vast, vast majority of people doing nothing. Think about the every day people in your life–parents, coworkers, community members. Are they going to do that much? If the answer is no, then a boycott is ineffective. (Plus, doing a lot of that stops you from staying informed on the situation, which is top priority right now!)

Stick to spreading the image at the top of this post. The more people boycotting a small handful easy-to-remember companies, the more effective a boycott will be. A small amount of companies will lose a lot of money, and will have to re-evaluate their stance to give money to Israel–the point of a boycott. But, if everyone only ends up boycotting a handful of completely different companies depending on what list they were given online, all of those companies only lose a little money and no impact is made at all.

TLDR: Feel free to personally abstain from whatever products/services you want, but spreading that they are part of the boycott if they AREN'T is harmful!

[mariacallous]

In the quaintly upsetting era of George W Bush’s presidency, there was something people liked to pompously call the “cultural opposition”. This was made up of figures in popular culture pushing back against Bush, and 20 years later it may be imagined their spiritual heirs are limbering up for equivalent duties. The first formal opportunity falls next week with Donald Trump’s inauguration and, just as leaders in the tech and business worlds have failed spectacularly to rally against him, so a sense prevails that among certain artists and influencers there has been a gentle softening of spines too.

This is a general observation and also one located in the figure of Carrie Underwood, the country star scheduled to sing the national anthem in Trump’s honour on Monday. Underwood, a 41-year-old who came to prominence via the fourth season of American Idol, may seem a slim figure on whom to hang observations about the waning of cultural opposition towards Trump. There persists a feeling, however, that in 2016, no singer-songwriter of Underwood’s prominence would have offered her services to the Trump administration. Back then, when Trump’s election struck many in the US and around the world with the force of an out-of-body experience, the best the inauguration committee could come up with was another talent-show graduate and holder of the unfortunate mantle “former child star”, Jackie Evancho.

By contrast, Underwood is a multi-platinum artist who has won eight Grammys. She is not Lady Gaga, who appeared at Joe Biden’s inauguration. Nor is she Beyoncé (Barack Obama), Aretha Franklin (also Obama) or even Jennifer Lopez (Biden). But she is a big name with a huge following, and her willingness to appear for Trump follows a general pattern of appeasement publicly justified as “why can’t we all get along?” national unity. Life is a journey, after all, and glancing down the inaugural set list, we can see how far some of next week’s artists-for-Trump have come. Victor Willis, for example, the only original member still in the disco group the Village People, has enjoyed a growth mindset that has taken him from sending cease-and-desist letters to Trump in 2020 demanding he stop using his 1978 hit Macho Man at his rallies, to making himself available for the inauguration weekend and assuring everyone he is not a “Trump hater”.

To be fair to the American cultural elite, the rest of the lineup for Trump’s inaugural festivities is pretty low grade, involving, as inevitably as a cockroach rising after a nuclear event, Kid Rock, as well as Billy Ray Cyrus and classical singer Christopher Macchio (no idea either). Plus the now reformed Village People, still led by Willis, who recently claimed, thrillingly, that YMCA wasn’t ever supposed to be a gay anthem and whose wife threatened to sue anyone who said otherwise. All the inauguration needs at this point is Marilyn Manson dithering about on stage like a Camden Market goth from the 1990s, and it will have found its perfect level.

Underpinning these cultural wobbles, of course, is the momentous backsliding towards Trump of US money. Meta, Apple, Amazon and Google have collectively contributed millions to the inauguration fund, as have BP, Boeing, Delta, Uber and, with a nice touch of irony, the trading-platform-for-little-people, Robinhood. This is opportunism of a kind that singers and artists at least have the decency to hide in other parts of the world, rather than shove under American noses. (I’m thinking vaguely of Beyoncé, and Kylie, while we’re at it – both of whom played for millions of dollars at private events in Dubai, where their gay fans enjoy the risk of imprisonment.)

Anyway, as usual, next week the job of being more morally rigorous than everyone else falls to Michelle Obama, who in defiance of protocol will not be attending the inauguration (she skipped Jimmy Carter’s funeral, too, a decision it is imagined was rooted in Trump-avoidance). She is an outlier. In 2009, President Obama capped individual contributions to his inauguration fund at $50,000, but of course Trump hasn’t done that, and so great and unseemly has been the rush to donate that there’s likely to be a surplus, which it is said will go towards the Donald J Trump presidential library. And if you are smirking at the oxymoron of the words “Trump library”, then you simply don’t believe in national unity and are precisely why the man was elected in the first place.

[chirpychipslive]

i desire a masterlist of rick wright lore. i absolutely love that man but i don't know half the silly, goofy things he got up to and i need a long-ass post explaining all you know about that little weirdo.

HI HELLO okay so as much as i see and understand a desire for a "rick wright lore masterlist", i don't think i would be able to do proper service by just listing all of the stuff i know off my head, plus i don't want people to see it and just take everything i say at face value and not look into things further if that makes any sense

so instead i will put a rick wright source masterlist under the readmore so people can go watch/read things for themselves in as much detail as they feel comfortable doing so, + i think a lot of people aren't aware of half of the sources i take from

Books

As far as books go your best starting points are Mark Blake's Comfortably Numb and Nick Mason's Inside Out, both of which are much more generalised sources for any Pink Floyd related material - I do have PDFs of both of these (i have physical bought copies too dw), so if you can't read/listen to either of them for any reason DM me and I'll send those PDFs to you :] They're both available widely on Amazon and other bookstores and Inside Out is also available as an audiobook!!

Guy Pratt's My Bass And Other Animals is 75% his own biography and 25% pink floyd related, so while it does have some Rick-related stuff in there, don't go into it expecting any in-detail explanations. Unfortunately I don't have a PDF of this book, but it is widely available and relatively inexpensive to buy (and I totally reccomend it!)

Franka Wright has supposedly been writing a tell-all on her marriage and experiences with him, but there haven't been many updates on it in a while. I've been relatively quiet on everything she's said about him in public as I don't think I have enough information on what happened to properly comment, but if that book does drop expect me to be the first in line to take a look

Websites/Online

Please god if you have even any passing interest use rickwright.com. It's a resource largely made by his estate and has a lot of information on there, it's a really sweet and interesting labour of love and I cannot reccomend it enough

pinkfloydz.com is an older website but has a gigantic catalogue of interviews, which include a large amount of transcribed interviews with Rick from 1996. It's just such a good resource in general and I highly reccomend checking it out, as even if you're not a Rick fan you still have a lot of interviews with the others in there

Here me out here; @mamazano (who has been inactive since 2021) has SO much on there that I don't feel bad putting them down as a source. Almost everything they post about is properly cited so you can find exactly where they came from, and they catalogue a lot of stuff that is locked behind more expensive/less available books. Their attention to detail for citing and sourcing quotes has been so admirable to me even if they're no longer on Tumblr anymore!

Watchlist

Here's links to watch Live At Pompeii, P.U.L.S.E, Delicate Sound of Thunder and Live 8 if you haven't done so already. also Chit Chat With Oysters has him for like 3 minutes

Remember That Night (an On An Island concert film)

Breaking Bread, Drinking Wine (On An Island tour documentary)

Rick talks about Syd for the 2001 Syd Barrett documentary by John Edginton

Broken China interview

Interview with Guy Pratt about PATGOD

There's definitely a lot more but this is the stuff I already had on my Youtube playlist of interviews - here's some that were on there but I haven't watched/listened to in a while so I can't 100% verify them rn (x) (x) (x)

Maybe one day I will try and chronologue all of the shit I know into something comprehensible but that definitely wouldn't just be a Tumblr post or smth lol

In the meantime I do thrive infodumping-wise off specific questions so if there's something more concrete you want me to (attempt to) explain I'm happy to do so! Thank you sm for the ask (I wouldn't have done this otherwise) and please feel free to contact me if you would like anything specific answered :]

[catfox13102ndblog]

Trying to add more information to the Maria Robotnik's Fast Track AU.

The first post didn't really have much information regarding the AU, so hopefully this next post can add more too it. A little justified since I just made the AU pretty much.

This one will attempt to... well... add more information to it, mainly ideas for the paint schemes, tracks and a few other characters as well.

Paint scheme ideas.

I orginally said ideas for the cars, but I actually ment to say paint schemes, since the cars themselves are 90s NASCAR stock cars.

I also headcanon that they're specifically based on the CES prototype cars seen here:

Yeah, they're pretty much the same as the cars from the regular arcade game, just with a more basic look and without the rear tires popped out.

Anyways, I don't need to explain Maria Robotnik's car, since I already mentioned that her car is literally the player's car in Daytona USA. Specifically the AT colors. You've all probably seen this car before, you know what it looks like.

Now... onto the others...

Melody [LAST NAME SPOILER]: #13, Scorpio Plasma

The sponsor is a reference to the one seen on the normal level car from Daytona USA 2, while the number is a refrence to the Hornet's number in Daytona USA Deluxe/CCE.

Helen: #67, Chaos Cola

Frances: #68, Chaos Soda

Just felt like Chaos Cola and Soda should be sponsors really. Plus, Sonic X is mostly based on the Adventure-era games, so it'd fit.

Princess Elise: #06, Balance

This one I brefly mentioned in the last post, but the car is pretty much one big Daytona USA Deluxe/CCE reference, as the #99 Balance car is one of the cars that you can drive in the game. The number is a pretty obvious nod though.

Sara: #93, SEGA

This catgirl's sponsor is the company that made Sonic themselves! I know that Sara is a gamer in some of the OVA's scenes, so I thought her sponsoring a video game company would fit. The number meanwhile is a reference to Sonic CD's release date (1993). The Sonic OVA does have Metal Sonic in there, so it makes sense to me.

Hope Kintobor: #14, SOAP

Hope's number is ment to be a reversed version of Maria's number, and the sponsor is based on the SOAP Shoes ad seen in City Escape.

Molly: #58, Emerald Notwork

Sponsor is just another reference to an ad seen in City Escape.

Merlina: #00, Phantom Full Force

The sponsor is a reference the one seen on the hard level car from Daytona USA 2.

Sage: #51, Eggman Empire

The number is a nod to Roudy Burns' number in Days of Thunder, and I figured that Eggman would definelty sponsor his empire on the car, he is a narcissist afterall. And to fit with the retro vibe, the Eggman Empire logo could be the same on seen in Sonic 2 down below.

Claris Sinclar: #16, Oriole

Helen Cartwright: #2, Max

Like Elise's car, these two cars are playable cars in Daytona USA Deluxe/CCE. Though, they actually have the proper numbers of course.

Hatsune Miku: #01, Greatsmirk Racing

I mentioned this one in the previous post, but for those unaware, the sponsor is a parody of Goodsmile Racing, something that Miku is commonly assosiated with. The number is a reference to to the number seen on Miku's shoulders.

Neptunia characters and paint scheme ideas (if they actually appear).

I'm still unsure if they will actually appear here, but Hyperdimension Neptunia was published by SEGA, so it's still a possibility. Regardless I'll tell you the ideas for their cars anyways.

Neptune: #91, Nep Bull Noire: #94: Lastation Racing Vert: #1, Leanbox Labs Blanc: #81, Amazoo Delivery Service (It's a FedEx-like company instead of an Amazon parody here) Uzume Tennouboshi: #7, Sleepcast Pillows Nepgear: #27, Gallop (Another car from Daytona USA Deluxe/CCE) Uni: #53, TSA Tools Rom and Ram: #3, Star BLUE and #4, Star RED

The Tracks.

The tracks are pretty straight forward, they're mostly existing tracks from Daytona USA and Virtua Racing. And while they don't really matter in this AU, I did mention before that this could work better as a fangame, so track list is as follows:

The tracks from Daytona USA and Daytona USA Deluxe. (Three Seven Speedway, Dinosaur Canyon, Seaside Sreet Galaxy, National Park Speedway, Desert City, and Silver Ocean Causeway)

The tracks from Virtua Racing. (Big Forest, Bay Bridge, and Arcropolis)

The Beginner Course from Daytona USA 2. (SEGA International Speedway)

Florida International Speedway (a parody of Daytona International Speedway)

Speedianapolis Motor Speedway (a parody of Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

Other Characters

Alright, time to introduce other miscellaneous characters.

The Mobians (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Mighty, Ray, Shadow and Amy Rose), Madonna, and Dr. Eggman.

The crew from Sonic The Hedgehog of course, as well as a scrapped human character from the Tokyo Toy Show build. They all utilise their classic designs to fit with the overall 90s vibe the AU is going for.

Currently, Shadow is the only modern-era mobian included in this AU. He will have a custom "classic" design to fit with everyone else.

Sonic and his pals (and Shadow) usually hang out and have their own adventures outside the race track, but they also hang out near the garages and watch the cars zoom by. Sonic and Tails also often help out in the garage or within the popcorn booths as well. While Shadow goes to see Maria.

Amy Rose and Madonna work as race queens, they do race queen stuff, nuff said. (And yeah, the idea of Madonna being one of the racers is retconned now.)

Dr. Eggman isn't really an evil mad scientist here, he's more of a goofy nuisance who likes to cause trouble while still being a self-centered narcissist like in canon. To sum it up, he's JP Eggman with elements of Dick Dastardly if he were the owner of a race team instead of a driver.

Tom West and Mr. Virt McPolygon.

The race announcers who work for SEGA Sports Channel, you can probably guess what they do.

Tom West comes from Daytona USA 2 while Mr. Virt McPolygon comes from Virtua Racing.

And that's all there is to this semi-extended post about the AU. Now I'll admit, there still isn't much here, but then again, like I said in the previous post, there isn't really a "story" for the AU by any means.

Anyways, like always, you can ask me things about it, or do the designs for the race outfits and cars if your interested in doing that.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from National Geographic:

Dragonflies, those colorful bugs zooming around like mini-helicopters, are more than just a spectacular sight. These iridescent predators may also be the best way to detect where and how mercury—a toxic metal for both people and wildlife—is accumulating in our environment, a new study says. 

Scientists have often used fish or birds as harbingers of mercury contamination. But dragonflies are an even better indicator. For one, their larvae develop in almost any type of water body, including tiny desert potholes or muddy marshes that can’t support larger animals. Plus, it’s cheaper, easier, and more accurate to analyze mercury in insect larvae than it is in fish or birds.

The World Health Organization lists mercury as one of the top 10 chemicals of major public health concern, and the metal exists in our atmosphere at a concentration of about 450 percent higher than natural levels due to humans' industrial activities, including coal burning and cement production. (Read about an effort to track mercury in the Amazon.)

Since 2009, more than 7,000 citizens and researchers have collected dragonfly larvae from 150 U.S. national parks as part of the Dragonfly Mercury Project, which is run by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service. This community science effort, now the nation’s largest assessment of mercury contamination, has analyzed tens of thousands of dragonfly larvae. 

In doing so, scientists have discovered surprising patterns in how mercury moves through the landscape, including where concentrations of this harmful metal are the highest.

This successful research effort shows dragonfly larvae should be the gold standard for detecting mercury, saysCollin Eagles-Smith, a USGS research ecologist and science lead for the Dragonfly Mercury Project who co-authored a study on the topic recently in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT ECOMMERCE NEWS (INCLUDING ETSY), LATE JUNE 2024

Welcome to my latest summary of Etsy and other ecommerce news, relevant for small and microbusinesses online!

Get these updates plus my website blog posts via email: http://bit.ly/CindyLouWho2Blog Get all of the most timely updates plus exclusive content by supporting my Patreon: patreon.com/CindyLouWho2

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

Etsy has yet again changed how processing times work for some countries, and this time, they’ve opted everyone into working on every national holiday. [post by me on LinkedIn, with screenshots] Many people are happy they can officially opt out of working on some days, but not so happy Etsy opted them in. The next day, Etsy clarified that this is currently only available for Canada and the US, and is only for national holidays, not regional or provincial ones. 

The old Etsy listing form disappeared as promised on June 25, and the new one is still a mess [post by me on LinkedIn]. Etsy claims to have fixed numerous issues with the new listing form, including manual translations, bulk editing, and sharing to Pattern. No word on the numerous pricing issues that have affected non-US sellers in particular through the domestic pricing tool, and that have apparently changed both variations and shipping prices for US sellers. The latest new listing form fix is the inability to save drafts, although it doesn’t seem to be working for everyone. 

USPS seems to have reused its tracking numbers early recently, with widespread reports of labels created June 18 and later showing as already being delivered in April or May. I’ve updated that linked Patreon post with info on how to get Etsy to correct their own records, so that seller protection and Star Seller status are not affected. 

ETSY NEWS 

Wondering if your images meet Etsy’s minimum size requirements? I did a video for you [on Patreon] so you can easily check for yourself. 

Etsy is still pushing shop loans through YouLend, “up to two times your monthly revenue.” Thanks to Michele from Artologica for the screenshot of the dashboard notification, and some of what you see once you click it:

and a link to the Etsy program at YouLend. Please read the terms carefully, as they get repaid through your future sales. It appears to be US-sellers only. 

There’s a new “Made for You” page with a lot of links to various features for buyers, but I don’t see it linked anywhere on the desktop version of the site. I also don’t really see the point, but maybe we’ll have to wait and see how they use it. 

Apologies for missing this one, but sellers in Turkey must now use “ShipEntegra” to mail orders, unless they already use another service. In effect, this means all new shops in Turkey are required to sign up and only ship orders through ShipEntegra, as of June 3. 

Apparently the “Buy More and Save” badge Etsy applied to some listings that already had multiple quantity discounts is just a test [item 2] per Etsy.

ECOMMERCE NEWS (minus social media)

General

Facebook appears to be removing links to EcommerceBytes on its platforms. 

Amazon

Amazon's "Subscribe & Save" feature will be available for products that are not Fulfilled By Amazon items, as of June 27. 

Amazon's Prime Day 2024 is July 16-17th. 

“Ad Relevance” is Amazon’s proposed solution to the end of ad cookies; it has AI at its core. 

North American Amazon orders will stop using plastic air pillows by the end of the year. 

Amazon is facing another lawsuit on copying successful sellers’ products and manipulating the Buy Box, this time in the UK. 

eBay

As of July 1, eBay will be charging most of its sellers more for Express Payouts: $2 each time instead of 1.5% of the total. 

eBay is now charging buyers of luxury wallets and handbags an optional $40 for authentication, for items between $200-$499.99. Items $500 and up are still authenticated for free. 

The eBay Summer 2024 Seller Update included new tools and renamed programs, but some of them had already been announced. 

If you are using the eBay seller app, watch for draft listings disappearing. 

Shopify

Businesses selling through Shopify can now apply to sell on Target Plus, a third-party marketplace that currently has around 1200 sellers. 

Shopify now has a chatbot for site owners, called Sidekick, but it is currently only available to English stores in North America. 

Walmart

Walmart+ Week started June 17th, almost a month before Amazon’s Prime Day. 

All Other Marketplaces

Just a few months after ending selling fees, Mercari is laying off a substantial portion of its US-based workers. It’s also still looking for new sellers, offering credits that can be spent on the site for opening a new shop and inviting friends. 

Payment Processing

Apple Pay Later is being phased out in favour of “Affirm”, a third-party Buy Now Pay Later app that will be available in more countries than Apple’s own product. 

Shipping

USPS hopes to change its non-standard package surcharges by region, charging more when the package travels further. 

[fancymuffinparty]

Hello, hello! Life update!

Happy 2025 everyone! Hope all is well! Just wanted to announce that one of my goals this year was to finally publish an original work! I have been writing fanfics for several years now and I want to reach a wider audience with my first completed project. (You guys saw it here first on tumblr!) Long story short, I have decided to adapt one of my former fics on Ao3 into a novel, reworking, rewriting, and editing so I can share it on a public platform. (New names, characters, etc, plus i gotta clean it up a bit lol) I have never published before but I'm looking into amazon's self-publishing to create an e-book. (I'm just starting out, so I have A LOT to learn!) I would appreciate any advice from those who have experience and from anyone willing to share their own tips! If you can recommend an editor or editorial service, tell me specifics on how amazon publishing works, help with formatting, ISBN numbers (???), and book covers and design... the list goes on and on!!! I expect this to be a long process (apologies for the imminent radio silence!) but I'll do my best to keep you all updated! Thank you all for the support over the years and for sticking with me throughout all the slow updates and arduous writing ventures! I appreciate it!!!

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[newlyy]

Ok, so I was looking up a book to get my grandma for Christmas on Amazon and found it listed

For $19.50, with free shipping because I have Amazon prime. So I sent my mom the link to check if this was the right book and when I click the link I sent her, it opens the listing in safari, which is not logged into my prime account, and this is the price

$12, plus $5 shipping. So $17. Two dollars less than prime, but note that it arrives on December 6 as opposed to December 2nd when I’m shown shipping through my prime account. So basically, Amazon is taking the price of shipping, adding on a two dollar charge for faster shipping, then building that shipping price into the overall total I see through my prime account and telling me I get free shipping for being a prime member. I clearly fucking don’t. Add on to this that they got rid of two-day shipping and added ads in to their streaming service, all things that are supposed to be benefits of having prime accounts. Yeah time to cancel.