#And make a list of stuff I need to purchase from a non online store before christmas

[forensicated]

Dear self,

Instead of remembering "I need to do such and such...." in the middle of doing something else you've just remembered that you needed to do, perhaps it might be easier to actually complete the job you're doing on the moment and then move onto the next and complete it too before starting anymore...

Might actually find things get done then!

[hika-pluto]

For the Love of Posting

A mirror post about apps, social media, enshittification, and the numbers game from my self-hosted blog.

Dead Bird

It’s weird watching people more or less beg and plead for Twitter to continue being the Internet's public square despite Elon being ableist, a transphobe and a COVID-denier, and ruining Twitter since its purchase of it (like, hello? The removal of being able to receive DMs from non-mutuals is just the tip of the iceberg). The main reasons for “This-Is-Fine”-dog-ing tend to be:

Twitter’s one of the few NSFW-friendly sites. (Go to Pixiv or CoHost. Or ask me to put you on my BlueSky invite waitlist.)

A lot of creators’ existing audiences are on Twitter, and they like being able to post to one place with a ton of reach. (Though that reach has been rapidly tanking.)

What’s even more odd is seeing artists big and small try to shame, clown, and dunk other sites in attempts to prevent their audience from leaving. It’s okay to be fed up and draw a line in the sand. The real issue is certain artists choosing to put all their eggs in one basket and refusing to diversify despite the growing elephant in the room (understandably, diversifying one’s online presence is not easy).

Spread Your Wings, I Guess?

Crosspost! Crosspost, crosspost, crosspost! At any moment, a site could disappear! The site can fall victim to enshittification! The algorithm could turn to garbage! The CEO can turn out to be a ‘phobe! At literally any moment! Your connection to your audience shouldn’t live or die on one site.

I currently use Buffer and PostyBirb to crosspost: Buffer for the “big” social media places, and PostyBirb for the art sites and sites with API tools more accessible to the developer. I write my captions and hashtags locally using LibreOffice Writer and simply paste them into Buffer and PB per post.

Artists that have web-stores or take commissions: consider having your repeat customers subscribe to mailing lists so they’re always in the loop. (No advice for good mailing list platforms cause I currently don’t need ‘em.)

Connections over Numbers

My advice for existing on social media is to think of the 1-3 sites you find most enjoyable to scroll on and genuinely interact with other people’s work. Let them know what aspects of their work you find awesome (this can also be a good way to find things you want to improve on). Give likes, and if you can afford to share their work without making your own profile page messy, do so! But, make sure you’re doing it with the goal of just-plain-being-nice and hopefully brightening someone’s day, lest your brain become poisoned by… The Numbers…

The Numbers

The numbers suck. They’re what make execs enshittify websites and what kill the spirits of creatives. Most importantly, they’re the gears in every site with an algorithm.

It’s like this: execs and shareholders (of the big-name sites, this doesn’t apply to indie-socmed like Mastodon,) want people to stay and scroll through their ads for longer. They figure they’re able to do this by showing you content they think you’ll want to see in-between, and the content they think you want to see is the stuff that already has thousands, millions, and billions of likes from people with thousands, millions, and billions of followers, and that’s why discovery on most algorithm-driven sites is garbage.

Ironically enough, I like social media for the connection, and would sit through more ads if it meant I could interact and form allyships with artists of my skill level and follower count.

What Now?

And yeah. Those are just my thoughts, as it stands, I guess. Elon bought Twitter in like, November of `22, but the snowball that is the SocMed-pocalypse feels like it’s rolling at its fastest right now.

IDK what happens next, and that’s why you can find me most anywhere @HikaTamika. It’s also why you can find me, on my website.

[drill-teeth-art]

May I know what art supplies you use to draw? I love you art sm 💗

Behold! My swag filled guide of my art materials! I'll even call this a masterlist for now!

Markers

I use Ohuhu, dual-tip, alcohol markers!

Here's a link to the set I have on their site: Ohuhu Markers I Use

This set is pretty big, but they have plenty of smaller sets to try out as well. I really recommend them! I have used copic markers before and a couple other brands, but these are my favorite. And they're more affordable than most of the copic sets I've seen. I recommend the brush and chisel tip sets, but they have fine tip and brush too.

Pens

The pens I use are made by Sakura, mostly their Pigma Microns, but I get a lot of use out of a Pigma Graphic pen that has a bigger tip.

Here's a link to their site's pen category: Pens I Use You can't buy directly from your site, but they have a section where you can see the online stores that sell their products and the retail stores that carry them as well.

I also use the white Gelly Roll pen they make for touching up my drawings. You can put it right on top of already laid down pen ink or marker ink and it'll show as opaque white. Sometimes you have to do a couple passes of it to get it super white, and it works best if the ink you have down already is fully dried. But it is handy. And you can run an alcohol marker over it when it is dry to color it, but that has been hit or miss for me. So I'm figuring that technique out still XD

Paper

The paper I use is just Canson's XL Mixed Media sketchbook right now! I buy various sizes. The one I have now is on the smaller side, but the bigger ones are great too!

Here's a link to the Mixed Media section on their site. Same sort of purchasing deal as Sakura. They provide irl and online places to buy: Paper I Use

The markers definitely bleed through, but they don't destroy this paper. And it's good for pencil if I ever want to use it. I do not use pencil much because of sensory issues, but I like having the option. Just put something between the pages like a piece of card stock or a plastic sheet, and the other page won't get any marker on it.

Digital Art Tablet

The art tablet I use is their Kamvas Pro 13! It's got a screen display and some buttons you can assign keys to. It's on the pricier end of the tablets they sell, but I am getting a ton of use out of it. Bought it a few years ago. And they have plenty of non screen tablets to check out if you wanna try an art tablet. Their tablets still use USB ports to my knowledge, and the screen one I use also need an HDMI port. So keep in mind you might need an adapter with those.

Here's a link to Huion's online store generally: Tablet I Use

-

I have a few assorted things laying around I use on occasion, but this is the main stuff. Thank you so much for the kind words! And I hope you enjoy this list of tools and get some use out of it.

[lexa-lives-in-us]

Saving Tips for Hard Times

I found this old document where I collected a series of tips to save money. This is all part of my experience of when I was near homeless, and some work depending on where you live, some don’t. Here we go.

BILLS:

1. The optimum temperature for refrigerator operation is 5°C, and -18°C for freezer operation. As a rule of thumb, for each additional degree of refrigeration output about six percent more electricity is used.

2. Unplug your appliances. Lamps, microwave, tv, computers etc. They don't need to be plugged until you use them, and it saves energy to keep them unplugged. Therefore, money.

3. Do homework for phone companies and internet plans. Call them! Often they are toll free and if you mentioned that you were already with them or thinking of going with them and then found out another company had a better deal, they could offer you deals for lower prices. I had to do it all the time for my phone, until they couldn't really offer anything better.

4. BIKE. Invest in a used bike if you can, especially for the warmer months. It offsets the transit costs and better your health.

5. WALK. That's the same as the bike, honestly.

6. Pay your bills on time, you will avoid late fees which can up to HUNDREDS of dollars wasted over the course of a year. If you can, set up automatic payments so you don’t forget.

FRIDGE:

1. Every time the refrigerator door is opened, cold air escapes and warm ambient air enters. To compensate for the temperature increase in its interior, the refrigerator must then use energy to bring the temperature back down. Always avoid opening the door unnecessarily and for too long.

2. When defrosting frozen food place it in the refrigerator. Not only does this ensure that the food is carefully defrosted, its presence cools down the refrigerator interior, reducing the amount of work that the compressor has to do, and therefore lowering energy consumption.

3. Never put warm food in the refrigerator as this will heat up the interior, as well as other stored foods. Hot food should always be allowed to cool to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator

MONEY:

1. Keep all the containers like glass bottles, juice bottles, jars, cans etc. Look for your Return-It depot and have trips to return them. They give back coins for laundry, small expenses etc

2. Use that junk mail. Go through it, find coupons for food, for essentials like toilet paper or shampoo.

3. CHECK. THAT. DOLLARSTORE. They often have things like pasta, ketchup, toilet paper, batteries etc for literally 1 dollar.  Pasta is pasta, toilet paper is toilet paper. Seriously. Don't need to spend 5$ on a shampoo bottle when you can have it for 1/5 of the price.

4. Do homework and check with different banks for which one offers a better plan. Some of them are willing to help out. Sit down with their advisors, find the best solution!

5. Use the envelope system! For example, one envelope with a label “food” the other with “entertainment” the other with “bills”. Then set the right amount of cash for each. That’s what you’re allowed to spend each month. If you realize you need more for food, grab it from the entertainment envelope. Adapt and arrange as needed.

6. If you can, set up an automatic saving (example 50$ every paycheck) for both regular saving AND an emergency fund.

7. Use the 24-Hour Rule. Avoid purchasing expensive or unnecessary items on impulse with a self-imposed 24-hour rule. For any non-essential item, wait 24 hours before purchasing. It’s perfect for online shopping where your items can simply be added to your cart to purchase later.

8. Make a grocery list BEFORE going to the grocery store and STICK to it. You’re going to avoid buying things you don’t really need.

9. DO. NOT. SHOP. WHILE. YOU. ARE. HUNGRY. Or you’ll end up buying food that you actually don’t need just because you feel snacky!

10. Only use ATMs from your bank, or you get charged small fees.

11. Set a “No Spend Day” per week, where you consciously DO NOT spend any money for that day.

12. Ditch the paper: Cutting out paper towels and using cloths and napkins that you can simply wash and reuse is a simple way to save.

13. After you wear clothes, hang them outside your wardrobe, on a door or something. You can air them out a bit, then stick them in the closet without washing. You can basically reuse the same clothes two or three times without having to wash them, sometimes they just need a bit of air and they won’t smell AT ALL.

14. If you don’t own or want to spend money on an iron, hang whatever blouse you need to iron in the bathroom while you shower. The steam will humidify the fabric and straighten it up.

15. Hang stuff to dry. Really don’t need to spend money on the dryer.

16. Sign up to the library. They have so many books and DVDs nowadays. You can also just go, sit at the library and stay warm for a while, so that you don’t have to sit at home and either suffer the cold or use money on your own heat.

17. Budget, budget, budget. Get a lil notebook, write down the monthly expenses, cut what you don’t need. It gets easier with time.

 FOOD:

1.       Make a meal plan. Write 10-14 days worth of dishes that you can do (lunch, dinner, everything you need). You can then toss them around as you go on with your week, but that way you have a pretty clear idea of what you use and the food you go through for how long. It also reduces the risks of getting take out since you already have plans for what to eat.

2.       Cook double! Seriously. Make that dinner and double it up. Leftovers can be frozen or put in the fridge for the day after.

3.       Meal prep. Once a week, prep a bunch of different recipes. Let them cool down, stick them in the freezer. At that point you’ll already have all these meals at the ready to just thaw/microwave or oven up.

4.       You don’t need pop. You don’t need alcohol. You most likely don’t need milk, but go for it if you wanna. Just remember dairy products go bad WAY more quickly than non dairies, so consider getting food and drinks with no dairy in them. Mainly, though. Water. Just drink water. Lots of it too! Sometimes our brain can’t tell the difference between hunger and thirst. You think you’re snacky? Drink some water instead! It’ll quell your hunger.

5.       Freeze fruit! If you think you’re not gonna be able to eat fruit in time, put it in a Tupperware or a ziplock and slap it in the freezer. You’ll be able to then use it for smoothies.

6.       Use the Italian saying “Colazione da re, pranzo da nobili, cena da poveri.” Which quite literally means “Breakfast as a king, lunch as a noble, dinner as a poor.” Breakfast should be very filling, carbs, protein, vitamins. It carries you for the whole day. Lunch should be quite filling too! But supper doesn’t really need a lot of it, and if you REALLY have to skip a meal, skip supper. Your body doesn’t need that much sustenance while sleeping.

7.       This is for the desperate times but I’ve done it, and I would do it again if I ever had to. Go to markets that have like… Fruits and veggies. Talk to them. Ask them “HEY, can I have the fruit/veggie that you have to throw away?” Ask them if you can have the ugly produce, the one that doesn’t look pretty enough to be put out. Or ask them to have whatever extra they have to dump because is past the expiry date. EXPIRY DATE IS USUALLY MUCH LONGER THAN WHAT THE LABEL SAYS. I wouldn’t risk it with dairy stuff or with things that are VERY expired, but one or two days? Totally fine, I promise. And if you have to? Dumpster Dive. Especially at markets with fruit and veggies that have to be sold on the same day (because it’s not considered “fresh” past that day.) Or behind pizza places like Dominos or Panago or whatever chain. They get pizza orders wrong all the time. Just give a peak behind these buildings and look inside their boxes. You have no idea how many times I found perfectly fine pizzas. For free! IF YOU DUMPSTER DIVE, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GLOVES, A MASK AND PLASTIC BAGS TO PUT YOUR STUFF IN. ONCE AT HOME, DISCARD GLOVES AND WASH PRODUCE THROUGHLY. Also check tumblr for your divers community, they usually know the best spots.

 CLOTHES:

1.       Thrift shop! So many GOOD used clothes are out there! Honestly! My whole wardrobe is thrifted and everything looks brand new. It takes a bit of research and maybe that shirt you liked is not in your size, but you can find EVERYTHING, from socks to bras, at a thrift store. Don’t thrift underwear though. You want to go new with those.

2.       Invest in some needle and thread, then open youtube. There are SO MANY tutorials that teach you how to mend holes in socks and underwear. And really, no one will really notice if a mend is perfectly done or not. After a week, you’ll forget it too! But that prevents you from throwing away clothes that could just be mended a little.

3.       Something doesn’t fit you? Too small, too big? YouTube, homie. They have tutorials on how to fix these kinda things! All you need, again, is needle and thread.

4.       Organize clothes swaps with friends and/or neighbors. Everyone brings clothes they don’t need, put them in a pile. Go through the pile and grab whatever there is. There’s no money exchange, one could go home with 1 item and one could go home with 50 items. Who cares? The extra stuff… DONATE IT TO A SHELTER.

Feel free to add more, and stay safe!

[the-glitter-acetylcholine]

Sexual Health Resources!!

Okay, so this list is mostly just links that I want to save for myself, but they could probaly help you too. Almost all of these sites are specifically aimed at afab people, and some of them use feminine gendered language (notably, all links including “girl2girl” assume readers are cis girls), but the info could be useful to anyone. I got most of these links through the girl2girl.org program, which is a 2-ish month long sex ed and pregnancy prevention program for teen wlw. I know this stuff can be super awkward, but it’s really worth knowing, especially since the sex ed system in the U.S. is literal trash.

General Info

https://www.scarleteen.com -- really good info, trans, nb, and intersex inclusive, with specific parts of the site dedicated to gender and disabilities (among other things! i really recommend giving this site a look-through sometimes when you're bored, it's my favorite on this list and it has in-depth information on every category i list below)

https://www.plannedparenthood.org -- similar to scarleteen, though not specifically oriented towards teens; you may already know this, but planned parenthood does more than abortions! check out the "learn" tab for in-depth info on all the categories below.

https://girl2girl.org -- 2-ish month long sex ed program for teen wlw, completed via text (same as above)

https://sexetc.org/states/colorado/ -- info on rights to abortion, birth control, STD testing and more, organized by state (tbh this one is another favorite, the whole site is defo worth exploring)

Domestic Abuse/Sexual Assault

http://TheHotline.org -- info on domestic abuse, 24/7 hotline, and resources for abuse survivors/victims 

http://Loveisrespect.org -- similar to above, specifically for teens and young adults

http://ohl.rainn.org/online -- sexual assault hotline and resources

Pregnancy and STD Prevention

https://quiz.girl2girl.org/? -- quiz to help afabs determine which birth control methods work best for them, provides links to relevant resources upon quiz completion

https://www.nurx.com/our-services/ -- cheap, online birth control, STD testing, emergency contraception, and (bonus!) migrane treatment

https://girl2girl.org/resources/condom-app/ -- information about iCondom app (locates nearby condom purchase options) and links to app store for android and iphone

https://girl2girl.org/contraception/ -- infographic about various afab contraceptives

https://girl2girl.org/sexually-transmitted-diseases/  -- infographic about STDs, their symptoms, and treatment options

https://gettested.cdc.gov -- CDC STD testing options

https://sexetc.org/action-center/clinic-finder/ -- HIV/STD clinic finder (for testing or treatment)

https://www.glydeamerica.com -- vegan condoms, in case you’re worried about latex and all that

https://girl2girl.org/how-to-use-a-condom/ -- video on how to use a condom (don’t worry, it’s not explicit, and it doesn’t automatically play when you open the tab)

https://girl2girl.org/female-condoms/ -- video on how to use a female condom (non-explicit, doesn’t automatically play)

Pregnancy Termination

http://www.afterpill.com -- morning after pill!! (okay, this doesn’t technically count as termination but you do it after sex so I’m putting it here) (also pls know that the shipping isn’t super fast, so if you need the pill immediately, you should get it in person at a pharmacy or large retail store)

https://www.plannedparenthood.org -- planned parenthood site

www.plannedparenthood.org/online-tools/chat -- planned parenthood live chat (not 24/7, unfortunately)

Other Important Info I Don’t Have Links For

Buy condoms that are latex, plyurethane, or ployisoprene, not lambskin. Lambskin can let STDs through.

Use water-based lube; Vaseline or oil-based lube will ruin a condom.

Even if the sex isn’t afab/amab, use protection. STDs are always a danger.

It’s worth using condoms on toys, too, since STDs can’t really be cleaned from a toy’s pores

On that note, get tested often. STDs can be trasmitted by things other than sex, so even if you’re not having sex or you’re sure that you and your partner(s) are clean, you may have picked something up by accident. Even sharing a water bottle can sometimes cause STD transmission, so check. If you picked something up, you’ll want to know sooner rather than later.

Condoms are useful, even for afab/afab sex! “Male” condoms can be altered into dental dams (for oral sex), and they make “female” condoms (which btw are latex-free), too! The links above that give info on birth control nearly all elaborate on this

Try to keep some condoms with you, even if you think there’s literally no way you’d need one. You never know what’ll happen, and it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Besides, maybe a friend will need one, and then you’ll be friend of the year (afabs, it’s like carrying tampons/pads when you’re not on your period)

Don’t flush condoms down to toilet

Remember condoms are single use!!!

Check the condoms you carry frequently. Make sure they aren’t past their expiration date, and that the packaging hasn’t been punctured or bent. If any of these things have happened, chuck ‘em! They won’t work anymore. (just make sure you remember to replace them, too)

If you smoke, you shouldn’t use birth control pills. This is probably a non-issue bc pills are usually prescribed, but just bear it in mind

Title X clinics (for abortions and other pregnancy options) are great, but be careful! There are organizations that set themselves up near abortion clinics to confuse people. They operate specifically with the agenda to guilt people out of getting an abortion. These places are usually called something along the lines of “Crisis Pregnancy Center” or “Pregnancy Choice”. John Oliver has a 21-minute talk about them here (okay, so maybe I do have a link for this one lol) (btw this is a youtube link, so it plays automatically).

update mar. 10, '21: i added a few links and, though i've discovered i'm not actually wlw, but the info from all these sites has been and continues to be extremely useful to me! remember that you don't have to be a cis girl or AFAB for these sites to be worth looking at!

[icarusthelunarguard]

This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

Aries

Watching Internet Arguments evolve in real time is an interesting thing; you get to watch how people both do and don’t understand a topic while clearly ignoring the little red squiggly line under every spelling mistake they make. Just sit back and know that you’ve done exactly what WOPR suggested: The Only Winning Move Is Not To Play.

Taurus

We told you about the re-issued Lamborghini Countache and you just HAD to borrow one, didn’t you? Sure, you could have outrun the police in that sucker, but did you HAVE to scrape the rims on the curb straight away?! Why not just put an evil villain mustache on the Mona Lisa or give The Statue of David a circumcision while you’re at it too? You monster!

Gemini

There’s nothing wrong with staying home this week. You've got popcorn, butter, salt, a wok, and so many Blu-Ray movies you haven’t watched yet that you might as well enjoy it. And since it’s summer, just put on a bathing suit and you can lay out on a lounger while it rains, imagining you’re under a waterfall.

Cancer Moon-Child

For most people getting local fauna to eat out of their hands would be an impressive feat. The only reason the local deer population eats from yours is because you sweat a lot and they’re licking all the salt off. To that end, stay hydrated and eat well.

Leo

Keep sweets out of your house this week. The temptation to eat them and stock up on calories for the winter is a bad idea. Instead buy a heavy-duty deep freezer, a couple cords of firewood for heating and cooking, and a radio scanner to hear when someone’s hit a deer. Remember roadkill is free range, virtually free, and almost ready to eat since it’s already pre-grilled.

Virgo

Time for you to better understand finances, Virgo. Which costs more; a gallon of inkjet printer ink, or a gallon of thoroughbred horse semen? Here’s a hint: If a gallon of printer ink explodes in an office, they’ll clear out the whole office and get corporate HazMat folks to clean the stuff up. If a horse explodes in an office, chances are there’s a LOT more paperwork involved including asking Phil why he thought bringing his horse into work was a good idea.

Libra

You’ve got your choice of jobs today, Libra. You can either A) go back to H.R. investigating the operational rules regarding emotional support animals in the workplace, B) join the Maintenance Crew to clean up any workplace spills, or C) start your own mall kiosk business where people can charge up their devices while they walk around shopping. Call it “Charge ‘n Charge”. Remember i-Devices have to pay 1/3rd more.

Scorpio

Being a home brewer has not ended well. It’s one thing to learn how to clean the smell of fermented bread out of short-pile carpet, and wall paper, and drop ceiling panels, but it’s a whole other thing to remove all the broken glass shards from same. Mason jars are NOT used for home brewing for a reason!

Sagittarius

People in the U.S. don’t understand why “Ketchup Chips” are a THING in Canada, and never give a thought to french fries with ketchup. The folks in Canada don’t understand why Malt Vinegar isn’t a staple condiment in the U.S., but always shows up in fast food fish shops. If both sides could just come to an agreement about food, maybe our two countries would be a little nicer to each other. As an aside, how long DOES it take to roast a 5 Kilo Canada Goose? 3 hours at 190c.

Capricorn

Your new eatery, “Wrap It Up”, is going to continue to be a success! Buying supplies from other failed eateries will help reduce costs while you find your proper economic footing. Here’s something else you can do: Find YouTube videos that explain how to recreate various famous foods! Considering the promotion you just ended, PLEASE don’t start with Arby's “Horsey Sauce”.

Aquarius

With the school season starting up again it’s time to review what every student needs. Pencils? Still got about 700 of them from the kindergarten year’s bulk purchase. Lunchbox? Well, that’s more an insulated nylon bag now, but yep, got that. And last but not least, non-skid shoes for working in the kitchen? Yeah, your kid is working the pizza line at college this year. And you? You got old.

Pisces

If you work in online sales, we need you to do something for us all. If your website says, “Shop This Store”, we are expecting that a product we find listed is actually IN THE STORE NOW! No, we don’t want to buy it and have it shipped there. No, we don’t want to buy it and have it shipped to our home in 5 to 7 business days for free. We want to buy it at the store and take it home right there. Is that really that hard to understand? Now you talk to your managers and you fix the damned backend to read the store inventory or so HELP us, we will find a way to replace all your ethernet connections with TOKEN RINGS! And if you aren’t scared by that prospect, then you are NOT sufficiently high enough on the Depth Chart to do what needs to be done. Get someone else to do it.

[alatismeni-theitsa]

Can I low key rant? It's not a big rant, at all! I think...just, I'm a non greek Hellenic Polytheist, and I think I've got decent knowledge of stuff, but I've got problems with memory and thinking and such, and I feel like I'll never be able to get to an acceptable level of understanding. It sucks cause I try hard, but then the "deeper" stuff is fuzzy in my head, and I end up worrying I'm just appropriating your culture, if that's the right wording :/ (Your blog is lovely btw!!)

Hellooo

Being in STEM I have learned the most two basic lessons it has to offer 1) It's valuable and brave to admit when you don't have the answer to something 2) Your brain is dumb and won't remember all this information you've been taught. Being in STEM and working with huge amount of information, I am reminded all the time about my brain limitations. "You have only one mind for Winter and Summer" we say in Greece, and it's a perfect phrase for when our limitations get to us.

To sum this up, I totally understand your situation. You already recognise that you don't know something and this is great. Now on to solving it!

Firstly, I suggest making a list with all the things you want to learn. E.g. "Apollo's myths", "Zeus' actions during the Trojan war", "Aphrodite's birth". Find information online about those things and keep it on digital or actual files. Maybe make files for each god, area or era you want to study. Once you find the information keep it in the file. You know that you are going to forget this information so keep it there to revise it. Add info there when appropriate.

So you have to give some time to finding information or categorising the information you already have. This way you don't have to struggle to keep the info in your head all the time. You know where the info is and how to access it. Now you have more free space in your head.

After that, maybe you want to have some days for revisiting this stored information. It won't stay in your mind forever but repetition can help remembering things for a bigger period of time. So, you may want to go like "I will devote Tuesday to Ares" and then you sit for an hour or more (with breaks or none) and take a look at the information you have in the Ares file. If your mind is tired you can just go over the basic points, you don't have to study heavily.

And if you don't remember stuff after this process, that's fine. You still have a repository for refence every time a question arises. You may study a recent article and there might arise a need to go to one of your files, to combine new with old information. If you reach a conclusion after the combination of points, note it down to the appropriate file before it leaves your head. You may want to write "I read in book X and article Y that this god was honoured this way because thing Z was popular in Greece. (See file "festivals", summer_festivals.txt)".

You may also need to combine different conclusions, so you can deepen your understanding. Obviously start from basics and general things and then go to more specific ones. For example, first learn about the birth of a god and then about his lovers. (Actually, what is most important will be defined by your worship or the discussions of your community).

Think of the whole process like building a ladder one step at a time. After a while, you find yourself at the bottom of that ladder. Then you don't need to rebuild it in order to add another step on the top. You just need to step on the existing steps and add one more to the top. The higher you go, the deeper your understanding.

Have references for your future self on those notes. Make it as easy as possible for yourself to navigate information you have stored. If you want to use another method of organising information, such as graphs, boards etc, feel free to do it!

Let's be realistic, ancient Greek religion and tradition has a ton of information. Many times I don't remember things I took tests on. It's just of my long term exposure that some information has stuck more easily. But I still forget most of it on a good day 😂 it's possibly you and I will never learn all the information that is out there about ancient Greece, so we can be a bit lenient to ourselves.

I think that if you apply this method you will realise you will become more confident in your knowledge. I firmly believe you have knowledge - you said it yourself. You are just overwhelmed by the amount of information available and the fact that you won't be able to keep it all in your head and that makes you doubt yourself.

Worst case scenario: If you NEED to remember something but it's not accessible to you at the time you can say "Sorry, I don't remember/know this. I will come back to you after I have studied a bit. Can we speak again about it later?" It's a perfectly normal thing, as most of people can't remember tons of stuff. That's why we invented writing, summaries and analysis in the first place. I wish we could hold whole libraries in our heads but we can't :/

Another Greek saying: "The person who has no brains has feet". It means you can compensate for your weak mental ability with your actions. It can also mean that, since you recognise your mental weakness, you should be prepared to do a different kind of work to achieve the same results as someone else. One of my weaknesses is that I forget things all the time. What I do to compensate for that is leaving notes everywhere and easily accessible. Ofc I can also apply the phrase to the time I forgot to bring my wallet to the market and I realised it just before a purchase. Then I had to run back home to take the wallet in order to complete the purchase. I can say for sure that day I used my feet more than my brain 😂 But, hey, I got the job done!

Sorry if this post was too long! I hope it will help you ♥️

[eldritchsurveys]

1026.

5k Survey LXXIII

3701. If you HAD to do your holiday shopping for EVERYONE in only ONE store what store would you pick? >> --- 3702. What's more annoying: the person in front of you driving ten miles under the speed limit on a regular day OR a person who cuts you off doing 10 miles over the speed limit on a stormy day? >> I don’t drive, so none of this affects me. 3703. Define the word TIME without using the word time in the definition. >> No. 3704. What old cartoons do you remmeber watching? >> The only cartoon I remember watching is Johnny Bravo. I don’t know why that one got a pass for a short time, but my father generally forbid me from watching non-”educational” children’s television. 3705. Do you think that people care only about the people they know personally or do most people care about all people? Why do you think people feel that wway? >> Well, yeah, of course people care mostly about the people they know personally. That’s just science.

3706. Are you more like Brak Zorak or Space ghost and why? >> What??? 3707. Would you rather see the movie first and then read the book or read the book and then see the movie? >> I’d rather see the movie first and then read the book, since in so many cases it’s felt like the book was the more impactful and dense version of the story in comparison to the movie. If I see the movie first and I really like the story, imagine how much I’ll love the book, right? Win/win. But reading a book I love and then later seeing a movie based off it has rarely worked out in my favour. 3708. Do you own any audio books? What? >> No. 3709. Why are things the way they are? >> ??? 3710. Do you believe that guns don't kill people and that people kill people? why? >> I mean, both of those statements are some form of true, but putting them together reveals a third truth as well. 3711. What is the best way you can think of to prevent murder? >> I can’t think of any way to prevent murder. 3712. Why is it that in the USA thousands of people are murdered with a gun each year while in Canada only a handful of people are murdered with a gun each year? Sure sounds like the USA is doing something wrong, but what? >> This is not my area of expertise, and I’d advise anyone who was really curious about something like this to not latch onto the first pithy, easy-to-swallow “explanation” you run into. All problems like this, sociological, endemic problems, are far too intersectional and complex to explain away in short terms (especially in an “it’s [x]’s fault” sort of way).

3713. Is there a difference between really being yourself and just being automatic and acting on whims? What? >> I don’t know. 3714. Have you ever strolled through a graveyard? In the dark? >> No, but I would love to. 3715. What is the difference between a good poem and a bad one? >> I don’t have an opinion. I just like some poems and don’t care for most others. 3716. Who really cares about anything? Do you? Do you let it show, all the time? >> I care about some stuff. No, I don’t let it show all the time.

3717. Do you live with passion? >> No, I live with Sparrow. 3718. Do you talk to squirrels? >> Not usually, but it’s not off the table. 3719. Do you kick up leaves? >> Sometimes. 3720. Whuch do you need more: sugar, caffiene, alcohol, drugs, sex, sleep? >> I, personally, need sleep the most out of everything on this list. In fact, that’s the only thing on this list I actually need at all... (well, sugar is arguable, I guess, depending on the form) 3721. What images do you get from the phrase 'human subway'? >> I have no mental image for that phrase, I’m drawing a visual blank. I just... imagined people on a subway, but I’m guessing that’s not the kind of image the phrase is supposed to invoke. 3722. Joe Strummer died. Are you sad? Do you have a fond memory of him to share? >> That’s a musician, right? Yeah, I don’t care. 3723. If you are a guy are circumcised? If you are a girl which do you prefer circumcised or not? >> --- 3724. Does it bother you that in the USA you will be tracked based on what web sites you visit, what online purchases you make and your email will be read by the government? >> It’s somewhat bothersome, yes, to live in what’s basically a surveillance state. But as you can see, I still use the internet pretty heavily, so I’m not as bothered as I could be, I guess. I try to obfuscate my information as best as I can, and that’s all. 3725. Have you ever checked out the online personals? >> I’ve done so in the past. 3726. What do you crave? >> Nothing. 3727. On a scale of 1-10 how tough are you? >> --- 3728. On a scale of 1-10 how tender are you? >> --- 3729. On a scale of 1-10 how good are you? >> --- 3730. On a scale of 1-10 how evil are you? >> --- 3731. What would make a cool coffee table book? >> *shrug* 3732. What's the most interesting conversation piece in your home? >> I have no idea. I’m used to everything in my apartment, I’m not sure what would stand out to a visitor. 3733. If you could get on the mall loud speaker on christmas eve you would say, 'Attention holiday shoppers: >> No. 3734. What are you on the outside of looking into? >> Just the social, interconnected world in general, it feels like. 3735. Are you more of a peculiar purple pie man or a sour grape? >> What? 3736. Who is someone you know should deserve more respect? >> *shrug* 3737. Does the end ever justify violence as a means? If yes, when? >> Probably. I mean, it can’t be the wrong answer all the time. 3738. Care about everything, or care about nothing? Which would be worse? >> Caring about nothing would be worse for me, because caring about something is a direct pipeline to having absolutely any will to live. 3739. Why do so many people on the internet pretend to be pregnant? >> ??????? 3740. Have you ever been the diary Hicks or Brian (same guy, Hicks is the old diary, Brian is the current one)? If yes, what are your thoughts? >> There are so many questions on this survey I flat out do not understand. 3741. What was your new years like in (answer all that you can remember) 1970? 1980? 1990? 1995? 1998? 1999? 2000? 2001? 2002? 2003? 2004? 2005? 2006? 3742. You know the Def Leopard song, 'Love Bites'? Do they actually mean love bites as in it sucks, or lovebites as in hickies? >> I assumed the former. 3743. All you want for christmas is: >> I don’t want anything for Christmas, I’m content to just enjoy the holiday. 3744. If you rearrange the letters in SANTA what words can you make? >> I don’t want to do this. 3745. Say anything: >> is a movie. 3746. Can you feel your life ending one minute at a time? >> Not usually. 3747. Is there something you don't want to talk about? >> Of course. 3748. What is the most offinsive thing you can think of to type here:  Who do you think it would offend? >> Why would I do that. 3749. Who would you stop the world and melt with? >> --- 3750. Is there anyone you wish you had never known? >> Nah. I feel that way sometimes just because of the extremely negative effect some people have had on my entire life, but, you know... whatever.

[maxismatchccworld]

News about the Nifty Knitting Stuff Pack!

Welcome back to another Nifty Knitting Deep Dive! This is part 4 of our ongoing series where we take a peek behind the curtain (of yarn?) to discuss in depth upcoming gameplay features, and have a little Q&A with members of the development team. Today, let's talk about Plopsy!

Plopsy is an online arts and crafts marketplace to buy and sell goods. It's sort of an amalgamation of real life online stores, but the themes should feel familiar. For a pack centered around knitting, this felt like a really good add. Afterall, there are only so many times you can gift your significant other a sweater...and yet so many sweaters to knit! The flow for Plopsy is relatively straightforward - once you’ve crafted an object the List on Plopsy interaction becomes available. Listing an item on Plopsy costs a small fee, and will remain listed on Plopsy for several days. You can keep track of your listed items in your inventory, where you will see the current duration of the item and if there are any interested buyers.

(it's that easy!) If someone is interested in buying your item, you’ll be notified with a message. If you agree to the buyer’s offer, you can use the Ship on Plopsy action to ship the object in the mail. You’ll be paid immediately and get a thank you message from the buyer when they receive your package. Alternatively, you can ignore a buyer’s offer and relist the object for sale again.

(Ship it!) Plopsy offers a higher payout than selling things the old fashioned way, at the cost of some general maintenance and patience. The goal is to offer a better selling experience for both the stay-at-home crafting professional and the fairweather crafting hobbyist. Plopsy isn’t tied down to a career or a gig, so anyone is free to try it!

Sims can also purchase things on Plopsy through their phones or computers. This storefront will rotate in random crafted items throughout the day, so even non-crafty Sims have a chance at some cool stuff (including the new knitted clothing!). We plan for Plopsy to be available for things like paintings, woodworking statues, potions, knitted items, flower arrangements, and more. Hoping to wrap future arts and crafts under Plopsy too! Without further ado here’s Rick Rodgers, engineer extraordinaire here on our Stuff Pack team, here to talk a bit about coding, UI, and all the bits between. Conor: Can you tell us what it means to be Gameplay Engineer on The Sims 4? Rick: To understand what a GPE is (we always say GPE), you need to understand a bit about how The Sims 4 works. The Sims 4 uses a client-server architecture, which means it is essentially composed of two separate programs that talk to each other. The first program we call “the client”, and it is responsible for displaying the game to the player. It handles things like graphics, audio, and the user interface (it’s relatively important!). The second program we call “the server” and it manages what we call gameplay systems like autonomy, interactions, relationships, aspirations, skills, and careers. The server keeps track of those systems and condenses them down into operations the client understands, like “play this animation on this object” or maybe “put this cat on top of this vacuum”. As a GPE, my job is to build (and fix) the gameplay systems on the server and make sure designers have the options they need to create features using them. (Disclaimer: I am simplifying a bit) Conor: You also work on UI Engineering. How is it different from Gameplay Engineering? How is it the same? Rick: To me, gameplay engineering is about solving abstract problems like “where and how should a Sim put down the object they are holding?” while UI engineering is usually about solving much more concrete problems like, “What do we do if the Russian word for Tiny Home is too long for this button?”. UI engineering can be really satisfying because the changes we make are usually immediately visible. There is also something fun about changing-up the interface of the game that we stare at all day long. At the end of the day though, code is code. I like to work on both because it means I get to implement the gameplay and UI components of a single feature. Conor: Is there one thing in Nifty Knitting that you’re really excited to be working on? Rick: Plopsy – I think partly because the idea of selling things I make at home has always appealed to me in real life. Also, Plopsy breaks some of the assumptions we had previously made about how we would use the crafting system, and it’s been fun to find and solve the problems that have come up. Conor: What is your favorite feature you have ever worked on in The Sims 4? Rick: Can I pick two? Favorite feature to make: I had a lot of fun adding Freelancer Careers to the game. We had done something similar to Freelancer with the Acting Career in The Sims 4 Get Famous, and we wanted to figure out a way to use some of the things we liked about the Acting Career to make other careers. When we added another Freelancer Career for Fashion Photography in The Sims 4 Moschino Stuff Pack, I felt like my baby was all grown up. Favorite feature to play: I really enjoyed working on the Murphy Bed in The Sims 4 Tiny Living Stuff Pack. It’s convenient design, but sometimes prickly exterior, make it the perfect combination of sensible and a little nefarious. You might say I identify with it a bit. I didn’t hook-up the object itself, that was our design team. But I worked on it because we needed gameplay support in code for a bed that was also a loveseat. We had never made anything like that before. Conor: Thanks Rick! That’s all I have for this week, Simmers, but never fear, we have one more design deep dive to share with you. I saved the best, and my personal favorite, for last. So be sure to join us next time for the Knitting Deep Dive! Until then.... ~ SimGuruConor

[thesims4blogger]

The Sims 4 Nifty Knitting: Plopsy Retail Deep Dive

SimGuruConnor has released a forum post detailing the “Plopsy” online retail marketplace feature from The Sims 4 Nifty Knitting Stuff!

Welcome back to another Nifty Knitting Deep Dive! This is part 4 of our ongoing series where we take a peek behind the curtain (of yarn?) to discuss in depth upcoming gameplay features, and have a little Q&A with members of the development team. Today, let’s talk about Plopsy!

Plopsy is an online arts and crafts marketplace to buy and sell goods. It’s sort of an amalgamation of real life online stores, but the themes should feel familiar. For a pack centered around knitting, this felt like a really good add. Afterall, there are only so many times you can gift your significant other a sweater…and yet so many sweaters to knit!

The flow for Plopsy is relatively straightforward – once you’ve crafted an object the List on Plopsy interaction becomes available. Listing an item on Plopsy costs a small fee, and will remain listed on Plopsy for several days. You can keep track of your listed items in your inventory, where you will see the current duration of the item and if there are any interested buyers.

(it’s that easy!)

If someone is interested in buying your item, you’ll be notified with a message. If you agree to the buyer’s offer, you can use the Ship on Plopsy action to ship the object in the mail. You’ll be paid immediately and get a thank you message from the buyer when they receive your package. Alternatively, you can ignore a buyer’s offer and relist the object for sale again.

(Ship it!)

Plopsy offers a higher payout than selling things the old fashioned way, at the cost of some general maintenance and patience. The goal is to offer a better selling experience for both the stay-at-home crafting professional and the fairweather crafting hobbyist. Plopsy isn’t tied down to a career or a gig, so anyone is free to try it!

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Sims can also purchase things on Plopsy through their phones or computers. This storefront will rotate in random crafted items throughout the day, so even non-crafty Sims have a chance at some cool stuff (including the new knitted clothing!).

We plan for Plopsy to be available for things like paintings, woodworking statues, potions, knitted items, flower arrangements, and more. Hoping to wrap future arts and crafts under Plopsy too!

Without further ado here’s Rick Rodgers, engineer extraordinaire here on our Stuff Pack team, here to talk a bit about coding, UI, and all the bits between.

Conor: Can you tell us what it means to be Gameplay Engineer on The Sims 4?

Rick: To understand what a GPE is (we always say GPE), you need to understand a bit about how The Sims 4 works. The Sims 4 uses a client-server architecture, which means it is essentially composed of two separate programs that talk to each other. The first program we call “the client”, and it is responsible for displaying the game to the player. It handles things like graphics, audio, and the user interface (it’s relatively important!). The second program we call “the server” and it manages what we call gameplay systems like autonomy, interactions, relationships, aspirations, skills, and careers. The server keeps track of those systems and condenses them down into operations the client understands, like “play this animation on this object” or maybe “put this cat on top of this vacuum”. As a GPE, my job is to build (and fix) the gameplay systems on the server and make sure designers have the options they need to create features using them. (Disclaimer: I am simplifying a bit)

Conor: You also work on UI Engineering. How is it different from Gameplay Engineering? How is it the same?

Rick: To me, gameplay engineering is about solving abstract problems like “where and how should a Sim put down the object they are holding?” while UI engineering is usually about solving much more concrete problems like, “What do we do if the Russian word for Tiny Home is too long for this button?”. UI engineering can be really satisfying because the changes we make are usually immediately visible. There is also something fun about changing-up the interface of the game that we stare at all day long. At the end of the day though, code is code. I like to work on both because it means I get to implement the gameplay and UI components of a single feature.

Conor: Is there one thing in Nifty Knitting that you’re really excited to be working on?

Rick: Plopsy – I think partly because the idea of selling things I make at home has always appealed to me in real life. Also, Plopsy breaks some of the assumptions we had previously made about how we would use the crafting system, and it’s been fun to find and solve the problems that have come up.

Conor: What is your favorite feature you have ever worked on in The Sims 4?

Rick: Can I pick two? Favorite feature to make: I had a lot of fun adding Freelancer Careers to the game. We had done something similar to Freelancer with the Acting Career in The Sims 4 Get Famous, and we wanted to figure out a way to use some of the things we liked about the Acting Career to make other careers. When we added another Freelancer Career for Fashion Photography in The Sims 4 Moschino Stuff Pack, I felt like my baby was all grown up. Favorite feature to play: I really enjoyed working on the Murphy Bed in The Sims 4 Tiny Living Stuff Pack. It’s convenient design, but sometimes prickly exterior, make it the perfect combination of sensible and a little nefarious. You might say I identify with it a bit. I didn’t hook-up the object itself, that was our design team. But I worked on it because we needed gameplay support in code for a bed that was also a loveseat. We had never made anything like that before.

Conor: Thanks Rick!

That’s all I have for this week, Simmers, but never fear, we have one more design deep dive to share with you. I saved the best, and my personal favorite, for last. So be sure to join us next time for the Knitting Deep Dive!

Until then….

~ SimGuruConor

[burningbelieverarbiter]

Wav Or Aiff For Mac

AIFF is a great audio format, mainly used in Apple Macintosh. It was also developed by Apple in 1998. Pulse code modulation is used in these files. This high-quality format uses uncompressed data. Only an AIFF Player can decode and play these audio files. If you want to listen to AIFF files on your device, you must download a good player. Given below are some of the best available AIFF player choices for you.

Wav Or Aiff For Mac Download

Wav Or Aiff Format

Convert Aiff To Mp3

Wav Or Aiff For Mac Os

Aiff C

Wav Or Aiff

Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) is an audio file format standard used for storing sound data for personal computers and other electronic audio devices. The format was developed by Apple Inc. In 1988 based on Electronic Arts' Interchange File Format (IFF, widely used on Amiga systems) and is most commonly used on Apple Macintosh computer systems. The audio data in most AIFF files is. Aiff to wav converter mac free download - Free AIFF to WAV Converter, Free WAV to AIFF Converter, AIFF To WAV Converter Software, and many more programs. Choose WAV output format at the main window Format list. Set sample rate and bit depth in the main window. When input file is 24 bit reduced to 16 bit, set Dithering on (check ON and OFF and use, that sound better for you). Select target directory (watch video). Push Start button. Wait until end of conversion and look for converted stuff is placed in the target directory (selected in goal 6).

Wav Or Aiff For Mac Download

Related:

Vlc Player

VLC is probably the most popular media player in the world. It can play AIFF files with good control. VLC is compatible with almost all video, audio formats in the world. If you want to listen to an audio file created on Mac, you must download VLC media player software.

Free Aiff Player

Media player lite is a free AIFF video player designed mainly for Windows users. This software is compatible with Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 7. You can adjust the settings of resolution and bitrate. This AIFF player can also be used as a file converter, capable of doing batch conversions.

Foobar2000

If you are looking for a freeware AIFF player download, Foobar2000 is the best thing for you. It can replace your media player, and it acts as a DVD ripper tool. Foobar2000 allows users to convert audio files to any audio format you like. You can enjoy gapless playback of AIFF audio files.

Other AIFF Player Platforms

If you are thinking about your unconventional operating system and its compatibility with AIFF players, it is time to stop worrying. There are hundreds of AIFF players available on the internet for every operating system. Take a look at some examples listed below, and download the best option for you.

AIFF Player for Android – Poweramp Music Player

This is the best AIFF player for android. It can help you to play Mac audio, video files using an android device. It is not possible to decode and play AIFF files, on an android phone. However, Powerapm helps you play AIFF audio with lyrics. Gapless, crossfade playback is an important feature of this software

AIFF Player for MAC – Audio Music Plan Player

If you are using Mac OS, you must download this software. It has an eye grabbing graphical interface. The menu is available in different languages including Chinese, Spanish, and Russian. You will need iOS 7 or anything after 7, to use Audio music plan player. You can easily customize the interface according to your idea.

AIFF Player for Windows – AIFF Player

You can purchase this amazing software from the official website of Microsoft, for just 2.99 dollars. This is the best way to play AIFF Mac audio files using your Windows OS. The playlists are easily customizable. Different types of audio visualization graphics helps you to experience the music in a different way.

Most Popular AIFF Player – Media Monkey

Media Monkey is the most popular AIFF audio player today. You can easily manage thousands of songs using playlists. Let it be audio books, podcasts, AIFF audios, or MP3s – MediaMonkey will help you to enjoy a gapless playback. The software supports different audio formats as well as video files. You can also see Remix Player Software

What is AIFF Player?

AIFF player is a software program to manage AIFF files. If you are a MAC user, you will know the importance of such a software. People today have different gadgets. If you have a MAC computer at office and Windows at home, it will be difficult to transfer and read data between them. You can also see Music Beat Maker Software

Wav Or Aiff Format

MAC audios will not work on Windows without an AIFF player. There are many extra benefits for using these applications. You can convert audio files into any format you like. Some of them even allow batch conversion. Today, AIFF players can play audios and videos alike.

Read the above descriptions carefully before choosing a particular product. Always remember your exact requirement with such a software. If all you need to do is listen to AIFF files, you can seek an opensource AIFF player download website. If you want a comprehensive media player, it will be better to scrutinize all the features.

Related Posts

Convert Aiff To Mp3

The Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) is the most well-liked lossless format, making it a good selection if you wish to store your music in lossless. While the primary goal of. an audio converter software is to transform audio from one format to a different, there are different features you need to look for to raised manipulate the audio. For instance, a program that may extract audio from video can save you time as you don’t have to use a separate program to do the same. Click on Convert to convert your AIFF file(s).

To convert songs currently in your iTunes library, open the software program and discover the Preferences menu from the iTunes dropdown on a Mac or Edit dropdown on a Windows laptop. Next, click on the Basic tab, then find the Import Settings within the lower part of the Preferences window. After that, click the dropdown subsequent to Import Utilizing, select the format and click on OK to save lots of that import format as the default setting. iTunes permits for batch changing, so the ultimate step is to select all the files you wish to convert, click on the File menu, then select Convert and click on on Create MP3 Version. If you happen to chose a unique output format, it shows that format moderately than MP3.

Audio recordsdata are available various totally different codecs. Some are lossy, comparable to AAC and MP3; they save area in comparison with the unique recordsdata, but a number of the authentic knowledge is lost throughout compression. Some codecs are lossless, resembling Apple Lossless, FLAC, and SHN; these files may be transformed again to their unique kind with out the lack of a single bit. Finally, some are uncompressed, akin to WAV and AIFF; they signify the exact information from a CD or a grasp.

Wav Or Aiff For Mac Os

A most of 18 surround channels, stereo down combine channel and bit stream indicators with non-PCM coded data can also be stored within the file format. RF64 can be utilized in the entire programme chain from capture to editing and play out and for short or long term archiving of multichannel information. He gave me his recording in aiff format for some reason. I pulled it into S1 with no problem and exported it as a stem in wav format so all recordsdata were in the identical folder. As soon as I sync the files collectively I begin to notice a drift because the recording progresses, it is noticeable after a minute or so.

Hamster Free Audio Converter is claimed to work with Home windows 7, Vista, XP, and 2000. • You can even email the converted file URL to others. I have tried removing theaiff extension on sound recordsdata and dragging them into storage band. It worked for a couple of files however it’s actually hit or miss. File any reside classes or unable to obtain music from any online websites.

The worst thing about FileZigZag is the time it takes to add the audio file and obtain the link in your e mail. Nevertheless, most audio recordsdata, even long music tracks, come in a reasonably small dimension, so it isn’t often an issue. Select which audio information you want to merge. These might be added out of your laptop or system, by means of Dropbox, from Google Drive, or from some other online supply that you just hyperlink. You possibly can add a number of files directly or select them one at a time.

Aiff C

Should you’re certain you have got a 16-bitWAV or AIFF file at a 44.1kHz sample fee, and it still will not import into the SPD-SX, then the file might have embedded metadata, or “tags,” that are causing the error. This could happen with recordsdata that come from DAWs (“Digital Audio Workstations”), other audio packages, or sample libraries. You possibly can strip this extra info from the file by changing it to Apple Lossless or FLAC format. After converting to Apple Lossless or FLAC, convert that file back to WAV or AIFF, sixteen-bit and forty four.1kHz.

I do not disagree at all – and I will expand upon this crucial topic quickly. Tagging is the KEY to a correct music system and wendiweathers98.hatenablog.com people get very touchy about it – and understandably so. For those of us that have invested tons of of hours curating and sprucing our metadata, we want that point and personal touch to be honored. I do suppose Roon does not respect that enough.

Wav Or Aiff

Initially, upload the FLAC file by clicking “Add Information” button in this system. Alternatively, you can even upload through the use of drag and drop possibility. The good WMA to M4A Converter can convert WMA to M4A, AAC, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, ALAC, and AC3. Edit audio file to cut off the unneeded half and reduct the file size. You can convert music or sound to WAV format with free online converter.

The Audio Interchange File Format (.aif oraiff) was developed as the standard audio format for the Macintosh platform, http://www.audio-transcoder.com/how-to-convert-aiff-files-to-wav but it is now supported by Home windows and other platforms. It can support as much as six channels and arbitrary sampling charges and bit depths, with 8 kHz and eleven.127 kHz at 8 and sixteen bits being the commonest online.

[katandabbieslife]

The Long Awaited Update, maybe, if anyone still reads our stuff...

So, it’s me, Abbie, who dropped the ball this time and not Kat. I promised you guys an update about why we were gone all summer and that did not happen. To explain it, completely, I might need to go back Winter break 2 years ago. It was right around the time we started this blog. Kat and I were both full time students and working to pay for food and bills. We both let our jobs know in September that we’d need winter break off to go home for the holidays as a lot of employers in college towns expect. We were both told that would not be a problem and we made plans, book flights because they’re much cheaper when booked in advance. We were set! Wrong, we were both screwed. Schedules came out for the weeks of winter break and Kat was scheduled for 2 days that first week and then scheduled for Christmas Eve, and the day after Christmas. Kat went to ask if it was a mistake and her boss told her no, that it wasn’t a mistake and they couldn’t spare her for two weeks. She explained we booked our flights in early October because we were told she’d be off. Kat explained she needed the time off to visit family and they told her they couldn’t do it. Kat told them she was already told she’d have to time off and was going home to visit family at which point they told her if she was a no call no show, that they’d have to terminate her. She broke down in tears and went back to work. Over the next couple days, she kept begging them to give her the time off. She talked to co-workers to try to get those days covered and several said they would do it. They just had to convince their asshole manager.

 Just as Kat was seemingly ready to get her situation finished, mine popped up. My schedule had me scheduled for a full 40 hours for both weeks. I was beyond shocked because I never worked over 32 hours and usually only 28 hours. I went to ask why I was scheduled for a full 40 hours and the bitch told me “Oh, you only work a short schedule because you’re a student, and since school is out for these two weeks, we had some of you kids want to go home to family for the holidays and we need you to cover some of those shifts since classes are out.” I threw my schedule down on the desk and said “Yeah, some kids wanted to go home for the holidays, I was one of them, I put in for this in September and you said it was approved, what the fuck happened?” and she just blankly stared at me. I asked when some of the other put in for the break and she was like last month, and proceeded to tell me I should ask for time off 3 weeks in advance, I pointed out I asked 3 months in advance. She gave me a shitty grin and a chuckle and told me to get back to work. I refused and told her we had flights booked for over two months and they were non-refundable (not sure if they were or not, just said that to hopefully change her mind) and she told me, I hope you didn’t pay a lot, it would suck to lose all that money for something you can’t use. I told her “I’m not going to lose money, I’ll go to the labor board or small claims court since these were booked AFTER you approved my time off.” She told me to stop being dramatic. I explained I would be going home for the holidays one way or another. After arguing with both our respective bosses, we were finally told we’d get the time off. We thought it was all settled. We left, we had a great holiday, we came back to school. We stopped by both of our places of employment to get our schedules and Kat was told she’d been replaced. She came out in tears and I comforted her and explained we’d get her another job. She calmed down and we drive to my shithole job and I get my schedule and I’m scheduled for 3 hours one day, 5 hours another and only have 5 total days scheduled in two weeks. 16 hours for 2 weeks. I raised hell and it did me no good.

 Kat started her job search and I worked my few hours while filing out applications Kat brought home for me since I was looking for a new job too. Our parents knew what went on just before break and they weren’t surprised when we had to call them for extra money for bills and rent. As some of you know, My mother is an attorney and my Stepdad(Now Dad, he officially adopted me Aug. 2018) owns a small chain of like 30 or so sporting goods stores in my home state. Kat Parents own a huge Horse farm/Ranch made up of three original farms combined to make one large one. Our families are doing nicely. By this time, almost a year into our relationship, our parents were already friends and talking on a regular basis through texts, Email, and phone calls, I figure initiated by my slightly over protective mother because she feels responsible for my abuse at the hands of my biological father. Anyway, they are all friends and talk often. Mom told me to get a list of our rent and average monthly bills together and call her tomorrow. And in the meantime, Kat’s Parents put money in her account and mine did the same. I called mom with the rent and average bills and I expected her to be putting a budget or something together because “moms love that shit” right? We talked for a bit and then she said she had some phone calls to make.

 She called back a couple hours later and she told me to put it on speaker phone and I heard her asking “Katherine, are you guys there?” and we heard Kat’s parents chime in and say “yes, we’re here.” We all said hi and Kat and I were looking at each other like “W.T.F.?” Mom started by telling me I needed to go quit my job immediately after the phone call, Kat’s mom told Kat to tear up any applications she had filled out and to never mind finding a new job. Again, Kat and I looked at each other like “W.T.F.?” Mom and Katherine(Kat’s mom) both started telling us how they couldn’t believe how much trouble we had just trying to come home for the holidays and how upset they were when, at first, they didn’t think they’d get to see their girls for the holidays. They were glad when we finally got to come home but they expected we’d face some kind of retaliation for taking the time off. They were a little shocked at what actually happened, they thought it would be the opposite and we’d get the hours dogpiled on us instead, causing our schoolwork to take a backseat. They both wondered that if we got new jobs, would we get too many hours to handle both work and schoolwork? Or would we go through the same trouble next holiday season? Would we get to enjoy summer break? At which point they collectively decided to pay our bills, our rent, our food, and we’d get a small bump in our monthly allowances. My allowance was guilt money from Mom anyway. Most of it goes into a saving account anyway, I also get money from stud fee’s from my German Shepherd Franklin. Usually around $500 a month sometime more (if he gets lucky, if you know what I mean? : ) Our parents were paying for school anyway, our bills did not add that much more in comparison.  We just had stipulations. Every break, we have to go home to visit at least for a week unless we’re granted a reprieve. This only applies to Thanksgiving, Winter, and Summer breaks. All other breaks are short and we’re free to do with as we please. Because of comments I made to my mother about how much cam girls make online and how I bet Kat and I would make bank doing the cam girl thing, we were told “Absolutely no porn!” If they ever found a single picture of either of us online, a nipple, a lip, a butthole, our agreement would be null and void and we’d have to get jobs and all money would be pulled except for tuition, of course. (Way to go Mom, take all the fun stuff away and leave us with Work and School only! LOL) Anyway, we agreed, we wouldn’t do Porn. We also have to keep our grades up, which wouldn’t be hard since we wouldn’t have to worry about reading chapters on breaks at work, or getting papers written before our shifts. Everything seemed great. We agreed. Without having to work a part time job after class, I used the free time in the evening to pick up a few more classes each semester and have since taken classes from (8am to 7:30pm) 3 days a week and (8am to 7pm) 2 days a week, assuming the classes are offered, and luckily they have been. Those extra classes allowed me to double major and earn two bachelor degree’s this past spring, when I was only on track for one degree and only a few classes short of my second which I had planned on earning the end of this current semester, but my schedule worked out and the classes were offered during my new found free time.

 Skip ahead to December of 2018 and you have stories of my Birthday Party, our Holiday party, and that’s where we left off. Through spring semester, things got hectic again. I loaded my schedule to get as many classes done as I can and with any luck, I can graduate early.

 Our lives were also changed last year when we went home for winter break and I can’t wait for that chapter to start. Some of you know we’re both engaged with full blessings from both my family and hers, and we’re planning on getting married in June. One year of dating, and then 2 years and 3 months of engagement until the wedding. We’re still as happy now as we were on day one, if not happier. Kat’s mom corners us every chance she gets with wedding planning. We’ve already decided on getting married by our favorite lake on their farm, but the details are what Momma Katherine loves to obsess over and I love her for it. Ok, on to the life changer. I wrote about Kat handling the purchase of the farm northern property line of her parents property. The days leading up to arriving back home for winter break were filled with Exams and Kat making contract changes with my mother, the attorneys advice. She and Kat talked as much the week before we went home than she and I since summer break all combined. Mom helped Kat make changes and Kat emailed it to her parents attorney to make the changes official. Kats parents had been telling us they were going to take us out to celebrate when we got home and were just told we were celebrating the new addition to the company and the plans for that part of the property. Ok, well, the life changer will not be in this quick little update since the original draft of this was 28 pages long and over 22,000 words. It kind of bled into everything above then into Winter break 2018/2019. I found my Word document that I journaled in during break, just as I do with stuff I think I will write about later. So, we have this update that will hopefully explain a few things about us, and I will follow that up with the posts about last year’s winter break. I have my word files from the spring and summer too so those will be written up when I get time. For now, here is a chance to learn a little more about us. If you’re still around reading our ramblings, thank you for your patience, if you’re new, enjoy what’s been posted already and please, do not hold us to a schedule. We don’t mean to be liars by saying we’ll be posting soon and not posting for months, it’s just that life and schoolwork take precedence over Tumblr posting. I hope you understand. -Abbie

[pronoova]

15 Healthy Habits to Get Skinny Fast

Ever wondered what the nutrition secrets of athletes or celebrities are? Well now you don’t need to because below are 15 healthy habits to include into your get-in-shape regimen which will not only assist you to get skinny fast, but within the most healthiest way possible. For starters, change your attitude about food. Lastly, your goal to urge skinny should come second because it’s more important to enhance and maintain your overall health.  confine  mind  the subsequent  habits that have helped me  stay  track of  my very own  weight loss goals.

1. SAY “NO” TO A RIGID DIET

When most of the people start a diet, they typically eliminate foods or place certain foods as off-limits. you would like not to start a rigid diet for the purpose of depriving yourself of foods you're keen on. specialize in what you'll eat. I always say the key to the way to get skinny fast is accepting diets don’t work. you'll want to consult a nutrition expert and update your knowledge on foods laden with essential nutrients to assist correct years of poor diet.

If you retain labeling certain foods as off-limits, you finish up looking for them even more. ‘Not eliminating certain foods’ doesn't mean continuing to gorge on bad stuff, though. Regular consumption of meat-containing nutriment, as an example, can cause accumulation of LDL or bad cholesterol within the body. If you’re a coffee drinker or have an appetite, you would like not abruptly stop the caffeine or sugar intake. you'll make sugar an occasional treat, but not a diet staple. Eat (or drink) carefully, and confine mind other health tips, so read on.

 2. FIND HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES FOR FAVORITE FOODS

Healthy food substitutes are often easily obtained. All-natural food stores in your neighborhood may offer a good assortment of healthy options which will replace old favorites and inflammation-causing and cholesterol-laden ingredients in your meals.

If you can't resist eating a slice of cake every day, choose a light-weight, flavorful, or maybe a sugar-free option. Just a couple of cautions, though. you'll be ditching high-fat foods and choosing low-fat products, but some food manufacturers have added sugar to form their offerings more palatable, causing some effects when consumed an excessive amount of, like making the body go haywire.

Avoid the pesky insulin spike which will be triggered by the consumption of straightforward carbohydrates. rather than eating polished rice every day, choose rice, a posh carbohydrate that has more nutrients, and can keep you fuller longer. Healthy fats also are important. rather than regular mayonnaise, choose a healthier condiment like mustard. to assist control blood glucose and support your weight loss plan, switch to safflower oil or other healthy cooking oils.

Instead of regular hamburger, you'll choose extra lean. Choose natural spread over reduced-fat spread which will contain more sugar and additives. If you always buy milk, switch to part-skim milk. rather than buying instant oatmeal, get the steel-cut type. rather than flavored yogurt, choose plain yogurt and add fresh fruit or two with a touch honey. Your body will enjoy the friendly bacteria.

The list goes on, when considering food substitutions. address authoritative health sites for a comprehensive guide to healthy substitution. albeit you’re eating out, you'll find healthier versions of your favorite foods.

 3. DEVELOP A ROUTINE AND persist with IT

It is easy for many people to start a healthy eating plan, but follow-through is vital. you would like to convince yourself that you simply can lead an authentically healthy life, and it starts with a firm resolve to urge healthy & stay healthy. If you only tell yourself that you simply actually need to reduce and start eating carrots, greens, tofu, and rice, you would like to stay thereto a healthy eating plan. Online articles and videos may offer motivation and inspiration, but taking note of your body signals, realizing the advantages of healthy eating and feeling an entire lot better, depend upon you.

You can start developing an influence eating plan by knowing which foods offer you antioxidant protection, which of them can give brainpower boost, and which of them can energize. A high-performance nutrition plan may incorporate your old favorites, like mixing ice-cream as an example with a top-quality protein shake. the quantity of not-so-healthy stuff can gradually be reduced. Once your body gets familiar with healthier foods, you develop a taste for them and the likelihood is that, you'll not yearn for the unhealthy stuff.

Another routine you'll want to start out, after consulting together with your doctor, maybe a weight loss management program that’ll assist you attain a trimmer, healthier physique.

4. REDUCE STRESS

Keeping stress at a minimum can benefit your body in some ways. Stress, doctors say, inhibits the system. By beating stress, you retain illnesses corner. There are countless ways to scale back stress, like taking note of soothing music, yoga/meditation, getting a massage, or getting to the beach or another tranquil place. most of the people melt away stress by sleeping or hanging out with friends. Avoiding people that tend to empty your energy with their complaints and problems can also be an efficient thanks to reduce stress.

There are other natural ways to market relaxation, like twiddling with your pet, doing simple stretches, taking a stroll, and taking an opportunity from email, TV, cellphones, and other things that cause information overload.

When overwhelmed by numerous things to try to, hit the pause button. you'll break down an enormous task into small, manageable chunks, Being more conscious of stress triggers — be it money, co-workers or bosses, health issues, `toxic’ friends, and other factors — will assist you to manage them and reduce stress.

5. run through EMOTIONAL ISSUES CAUSED BY EMOTIONAL OBESITY

You may project a robust persona, but there could also be times once you don’t feel fine, otherwise you cannot seem to purge it all at once. you'll head home with feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, resentment, anger, or with feedback loops. rather than expending time on illusion or other non-productive stuff, you'll check out your own emotions and find how to repair what’s bothering you.

Problems linked to your interpersonal relationships that contribute to worry may prompt you to succeed in for comfort foods or overeat. this will cause weight gain. By learning the way to manage your emotional problems, you're in effect taking food issues and unhealthy weight gain out of the equation.

6. EAT CLEAN FOODS

Clean eating has far-reaching benefits. If you’ve long been eating convenience foods or foodstuff like burgers, all that food can end up to be your enemy. you'll begin to feel sick. Power eating is all about putting good food into our bodies. Think organic produce. Think pork from real pastured pigs with more omega-3s, and beef from grass-fed cows.

You can celebrate albeit you decide for all-natural or organic eats. Just mix them up a touch. rather than regular eggs, try free-range eggs with more micronutrients, cooked & serve with other healthy eats. Purchasing clean/wholesome foods could also be costly, but they really offer more bang for the buck.

 7. HAVE AN ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM

When you’ve begun a weight loss regimen, remember that you simply are in charge of your own actions. A fitness trainer, a nutritionist, or a naturopathic doctor may assist you. you'll prefer to be a fit & trim product of your healthy decisions, instead of thinking that you simply are destined to be fat.

Once you determine an orderly and healthy eating plan, you'll devise other ways to achieve it. you'll use a pairing when understanding, to assist you not only to lose the surplus pounds but keep them off.

Once during a while, you'll get lax and desire to indulge a touch. A weight-loss partner may remind you of your goals, but the choice to succeed in a healthy weight ultimately depends on you.

8. CONTROL YOUR PORTIONS

For most people, portion control could seem easier said than done. Veer faraway from super-sized meals and upsize offers. At buffets, it is often pretty challenging to resist filling your plate with different sorts of food, but believe how sick you’ll feel if you gorge. Let several minutes pass after eating, before going back (if ever). When buying food at the grocery, read labels.

Remember that portion control is one effective thanks to blast fat, so try to not ignore this tactic which will cause a trimmer figure.

9. TRACKING FOOD

You can track your nutritional intake, which isn't just a matter of counting calories, using several ways. you'll jot what you often ingest during a food diary. you'll also use online tools to log and track your food consumption. By tracking what you eat, you'll more easily get the proper balance of nutrients

 10. EXERCISE!

Much has been said about the myriad health benefits of exercising. Yet many of us, including those that want to urge skinny fast, need constant reminders about how incorporating regular exercise in their schedules won't only raise their metabolism and burn calories fast, but also improve their overall wellness. once you attain a particular level of fitness thanks to regular, vigorous activity, your mind also improves, and you are feeling more responsive & hooked into life. My favorite gadget to possess available is that the Fit bit (great gift idea!) because it can tell me how active I’ve been throughout the day. It tracks your steps, distance, and calories burned.

11. EAT EVERY FEW HOURS

Eating small meals frequently, which can be around five to 6 meals every day, can assist you control food cravings. It’s a time-tested technique employed by individuals concerned about their expanding waistlines. you'll make sure that each small meal you're taking has quality protein sort of a boiled egg. Complex carbohydrates like rice, a bit of fresh fruit or vegetable, also as nuts, are nutritious and filling options. eating small meals several times each day will help keep your blood glucose in check.

12. DETOXIFY YOUR BODY

Your body can better absorb the nutrients it needs if you’ve lightened up the toxic load. Expelling toxins from the body is often done by drinking many purified water and loading abreast of superfoods. Veggies like artichoke, cabbage, kale, carrots, and garlic help purge the liver of poisons.

Blueberries, beets, avocados, beans, seeds (like chia seeds), and nuts that contain important nutrients also help eliminate toxins from the body here also are detoxifying beverages, like tea, that aid in weight loss. crop on refined sugars, saturated fats, alcohol, and caffeine.

13. HYDRATE YOUR BODY

Staying hydrated keeps the body in good working condition. Drinking enough fluids, including purified water, protein shakes, tea, and freshly squeezed juices also help cleanse the body of poisons. Drinking many water also can suppress appetite and aid in weight management.

14. COOK reception 

If you cook reception, you've got the whip hand in ensuring that you simply and your relations will get sufficient nutrients. Cooking reception also removes the worry about hidden ingredients like gluten, which can trigger an immune reaction.

15. NEVER STOP TRYING

If you’ve tried everything and zip seems to be working to blast fat, seek professional help. albeit you’ve ruled out health issues, don’t stop trying to succeed in a healthy weight.

There are products, foods, techniques, and experts who can guide you towards getting a trimmer, healthier body. Seek help or devise an all-natural plan tailor-fitted for you, but don’t throw discipline & determination out the door

[bettas-and-other-oddities]

Basic Betta Care Guide:

This will be a bare minimum care guide for betta care. As with most of everything on this blog, it is mostly going to be based on my experience of keeping bettas, stuff that I have researched, and full of sarcasm. Please, with any new pet, do research of your own to ensure that you know how to properly take care of your animal, or you may end up torturing or killing your animal.

TANK SIZE

There is a bit of debate on the betta community about the minimum tank size for a betta fish. In my eyes, a 5 gallon (~19L) for a permanent home. You can use a 2.5 for a small hospital tank, or for a temp tank if you suddenly came into ownership of a betta. If you choose a 2.5, please look into getting at least a 5 gallon (~19L) for your betta. Bettas love lots of space to swim and explore, as well as water quality is easier to maintain in a large tank. 5 gallons (~19L) are also the smallest tank that can safely maintain a stable tank cycle. Besides, the bigger the tank, the more you can decorate.

CYCLE YOUR TANK

The niteogen cycle is this big long process that is invisible to the eye. A short hand explanation is basically benificial bactera grows in your tank when you have an ammonia source, like fish waste, and it grows and grows until the bacteria is able to convert your ammonia and waste into other chemicals and such. I'm not so great at describing cycling, so here is a great link to look into!

Cycling your tank is a long and boring process, and it can happen anywhere between 2-8 weeks. Its long and boring, but putting a fish in an uncycled tank (also called fish in cycling) can be detrimental to your fish, as it usually results in stress, ammonia burns, and even death. Here is another link in case you are reading this after you added a fish to a new aquarium.

You can use bottled bacteria, like Seachem stability, API quick start, or Tetra safe start to help speed it up, but there are some discussions on whether or not they actually help. You can also ask a friend that has tanks if you can have some of their filter media to add into your filter. I don't recomend getting pet store filter media, as you could accidentally introduce sickness or parasites.

A FILTER AND HEATER ARE REQUIRED, NOT OPTIONAL

Most people assume that a betta can just live in a cute little bowl for its whole life. Which is so wrong. Your tank absolutely needs a filter and a heater. Filters help keep a stable nitrogen cycle and helps reduce maintenance. A heater is needed as bettas are tropical fish, coming from places like Malaysia and Thailand where temps are a nice warm 78-90°. With a heater in your tank, it should keep your betta tank at a toasty 78-80° F ( 25-27° C). A cold tank can lower your bettas immune system which leads to illness, as well as it slows their metabolism and activity levels. A good filter and heater is key to a happy bettas. Here is a diagram of what wattage heater is needed for your tank size!

TANK DECORATIONS

Getting a new tank can be exciting when it comes to picking out decorations! But take a minute to think about them before you go hog wild on them. Bettas have very beautiful, and very delicate fins. You have to find decorations that won't cut up your new betta buddy. Live plants are a great option. They are very soft, and even help with your water quality. Low tech plants don't require a ton of additional care, and can look amazing. Here is a link to a website that gives you info on some easy to care for aquarium plants!

If you don't want to try out live plants, silk plants are also a good option for bettas. They are very papery plants that are soft and safe for a bettas fins. I have silk plants in both of my bettas tanks. They are also easier to clean, with just some hot water and a clean, non soapy toothbrush.

If you want non-plant decorations, its really inportant to make sure there are no sharp edges. You can test this by taking a nylon stocking and dragging it across the decorations. If it catches, it might not be so safe for fragile fins.

Always check the inside of your hides. It can be super soft and smooth in the outside, but the inside can have the sharp edges of seals and other things. Make sure your betta cant get stuck in them, as well.

Bettas also like to have a very heavily planted tank. They are fearful in large open spaces. Here is a couple ideas of a good betta tank.

PICKING OUT YOUR BETTA

Picking out a new buddy can be the most exciting part of starting the hobby. Its really important to decide where you want to get your betta. If you decide to go online and order a betta, make sure there are good reviews on the breeder. If people say that their betta never arrived, died during shipping and had to pay for a dead betta, or there is just poor quality bettas, its best to look for a different breeder. A good breeder will have a variety of pictures of the betta, and will be able to answer your questions about the betta you're intersted in. They also will have some good reviews. You can always ask the betta community for recommendation for breeders. I don't have a lot of experience with getting bettas online, so I don't have a lot of info on them. ***

If you plan on getting your betta at a pet store or local fish store, there are still some things to look for. You want to make sure the betta is active, and alert. They should also have healthy fins for their tail type. Small tears are okay of you plan on keeping your water clean and healthy. I don't recommend beginners going out and "rescuing" a sick betta, as you won't have a lot of experience dealing with illnesses, and could potentially end up with a dead betta within days of purchasing the fish. If you are experienced and want to help a sick fish, go ahead and help it.

Its also a good idea to go to the store, look at the bettas, and go home and research the type of betta you liked the most. Some betta types have lots of health issues. Twin tails are more susceptible to swim bladder, dragon scales often go blind, and "rarer" breeds like black orchids and platinum can have health issues from breeding. Pet store bettas are also just in general less healthy than normal due to the disgusting amount of over breeding.

TANK MAINTENCE

Now that you have everything set up, you have your betta buddy, don't sit down and relax yet. There is still a lot of care maintaining your new tank. Usually you need to conduct 25-30% weekly water changes on your tank, and also make sure everything in your tank is healthy. Maintence can include water changes, cleaning the inside of the glass to clean off algae, trimming back plants when the get too long, and cleaning your gravel. A lot of new fish keepers just assume you can throw a fish in a tank and that's all there is too it. Unfortunately, that's not the case. A fish tank is maintence. If that's not for you, its best to stop reading and consider a pet rock or a fake houseplant. Not keeping up on your maintence can lead to a gross looking tank and sometimes death.

FEEDING AND FOOD

Its easy to feed a betta, but harder to find a food that's actually good for your betta. Sure, it can eat goldfish flakes, but its not good for it. Usually for food, I recommend frozen blood worms, daphnia worms, fluval bug bites, and omega one betta pellets. Its good to vary up your bettas diet.

The pet store may tell you that you only need to feed your betta once a week, but thats usually because bettas are in cups and they need to reduce waste, and the bettas don't need that many calories. Your betta at home is going to need more food. I feed my bettas almost every day, with fasting days throughout the week. Its important to know that a bettas stomach is only about the size of their eye, and over feeding is really easy. They only need 2-4 pellets of food per day. You can split that up into two feedings, or do it all at once. As much as your betta begs for food, don't over feed them. It can lead to health issues.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR FISH GETS SICK

You can do everything right, and keep your water pristine, and still end up with some sort of sickness. And that's okay! Most illnesses are very treatable. The most common illnesses with bettas are swim bladder and fin rot. Swim bladder is usually caused by over feeding. Here is a link to a website that better explains it, and how to treat it!

The other most common one is fin rot. This usually happens due to a cut on the fins that gets infected. It can look like a black or red outline on the fins, and the fins look tattered and broken. Here is a picture of my late fish Tofu that had a bad case of fin rot.

Usually, warm clean water and taking out decorations that are sharp will help. If it doesn't, there are some awesome over the counter medications you can get to help it. Stay away from pimafix or melafix, as they are mostly tea tree oil and the oil will end up coating the bettas labyrinth organ and suffocate the betta.

If your betta doesn't look or act normal, consult a veterinarian or ask a local betta keeper/expert, and they can help you.

Here is a website that I like that helps with betta diseases.

SHOPPING LIST

Here is a quick shopping list of things you will need to set up a new tank!

Tank at least 5gallons (~19L)

Water conditioner (I recomend Seachem Prime)

Soft decorations/plants/gravel

Heater

Filter (depending on the filter I would get filter floss to house your bacteria)

(Optional) bottled bacteria

API master test kit to test your parameters

Water siphon/gravel vac (helps with water changes)

Betta food

Your new betta buddy (for after you've set up and cycled your tank)

I hope that this was helpful to people wanting to get into the hobby. Please feel free to reblog and add things as you see fit! I hope you guys enjoy!

***I usually get my fish from my local pet store. I don't quite know how the fish process is when ordering from an online breeder, I only know as much as comparing it to getting a dog from a breeder. Please feel free to reblog or messege me with a more accurate explanation/guide to betta breeders!

[fornaxvoid]

Fornax Void Update Spring 2019

Hey everyone,

In recent months I may have seemed kind of inactive, which led to a few requests about what I'm up to. I thought I might write a little update on what is going on:

For the most part I'm working on cleaning up my Album 'Cyberspace Database'. As I plan to release the Album on physical media this year (coupled with new videos), I want to refresh the mixes, and create consistent masters of all the tracks. This created the need to migrate my DAW to a computer with higher performance.

Making archival backups of all the data, migrating DAW to computer with more performance, upgrading Operating System, getting latest Cubase etc.

This took some time and the according purchases (HDDs, SSDs, Cubase License etc.) created Budget problems. I started doing more commissions and decided to sell all hardware synths except a handful of favorites - generally reducing clutter in my workspace, by selling stuff. This resulted in additional logistical, and administrational efforts: sampling all the synths, especially recording samples of important personal patches, creating online auctions, packing up things and hauling them to the post office etc. This process is not yet finished and will take up a couple more weeks. 

Basically, I'm cleaning up and refreshing things, to wrap up my work of the last few years in a well rounded way.

For fun, I created a list of the synths I sold or kept, with statements on why and mentions of a couple of tracks they were used on:

Kept:

Roland JV-2080 – While I got to recap all the upgrade cards of this thing, the device is extremely convenient to program, full of sounds I love to create patches with and 8 * multi-timbral. Used on Borlando Loom, Cyberspace Database and many other tracks.

Akai S3000XL – One of the classic, defining samplers of the 90s. Easy to use, multi-timbral, 32-voice polyphony. Used on Void Gate Access Software and Void Gate Panorama Station.

Korg WaveStation A/D – Lots of waveforms, multi-timbral. The unorthodox sound engine and the menu design make it a bit of a headache to program. Despite the large display, accessing it's capabilities is time consuming. The menu has some graphic capabilities beyond text, but it is not as intuitive feeling as the menus of the JV-2080 or the S3000XL. Used on Cyborg Samurai Miyamoto, Soyokaze Suteshon 199X, Void Gate Panorama Station and other tracks.

Yamaha PSS-480 – My first synth, I got as a kid. Also one of my favorite FM synths. Programmable 2-OP FM with MIDI. Used on Void Gate Access Software, Void Gate Panorama Station and other tracks.

Reckless Experimentation Audio LLC YM3812 – Like an Adlib Soundcard in a box, but better. Great, programmable, multi-timbral FM synth module with MIDI, based on the legendary OPL2 chip. Used on: Topographic Multiplexer and other tracks.

Commodore 64 + MSSIAH Cartridge – great 3-part / 3-voice synth and wave player / sampler software for the C64. Used on Offshore Network Vertex, Void Gate Access Software, Hexadecimal Love Letters and other tracks.

Wayfar MIDI NES Cartridge – Interesting thing. Don't use it much, but doesn't take up much space. Used on: Void Gate Access Software

Sold:

Roland D-05 – Generally liked this synths sound, but its inconvenient to program, filters don't work on PCM waveforms, lacks multi-timbrality and no proper outputs. Used on Super Aliasing and other tracks.

Roland TB-03 – Sounds pretty nice, easy to program, but lacks proper outputs. I used this as a harp-like instrument in the end of Void Gate Access Software.

Akai S1000 – Wonderful sounding sampler, but is 1U bigger, has less RAM, half the polyphony probably sells better than the than S3000XL. Used on Void Gate Access Software and Void Gate Panorama Station.

Oberheim Xpander – A really nice instrument, I spent lot of time with, but always made me feel uneasy owning. Expensive, old, analog synths always come with the risk that something breaks. Used on: Ancient Data Tapes, Oberheim Taxi Shagnhai Xpander, Server Room Love Letters,  Affinity, Infinity, Protorezoic Ocean, Hexadecimal Love Letters, Offshore Network Vertex, Cyborg Samurai Miyamoto, and many more tracks.

Korg M1R – A great sounding, multi-timbral classic, but while not too complicated, still inconvenient to program, because of it's small display. Also, the Plugin version of it, sounds really good, comes with a great sound library that is well-structured and is more convenient to program. Used on Offshore Network Vertex and a few other tracks but more of the M1 sounds on the album actually stem from the M1 Legacy Plugin.

Korg Volca Beats – Cool device, easy to use, but lacks proper outputs. Used on Offshore Network Vertex and Void Gate Access Software.

Korg Poly 800 II – One of my first hardware synths. Found this for cheap in a thrift-store almost a decade ago. Nice retro sounds. Not pleasant to program, chewy buttons, archaic digital menu. My album Tomes of Erebus was for big parts made on this one. Also used on Void gate Access Software and other tracks.

Casio CZ-5000 – Never really used much but the same, particular self-made patch on this synth (now thoroughly sampled). Used on Cyborg Samurai Miyamoto and a few other tracks.

Yamaha PSR-47 – Non-programmable Keyboard with lots of presets, some of them good. Has MIDI. Used on Screensaver Library. Used on Offshore Network Vertex and other tracks.

Yamaha PSR-60 – Not so fun, non-programmable FM based keyboard thing with MIDI. Used on Screensaver Library.

Yamaha Reface DX – Great sounding 4-OP FM synth, easy to program, proper MIDI and outputs, good keyboard, but that part of the menu is solved with touch controls always annoyed me. Used on Void Gate Access Software, Void Gate Panorama Station and other tracks.

Yamaha Reface CS – Interesting synth, proper outputs and MIDI, lots of sound capabilities, slightly too clean sounding. Sounded great when sampled through Akai S1000. Used on Hexadecimal Love Letters and some other tracks.

Yamaha DX21 – Nice 4-OP FM synth from the era of the DX7. In theory an easy synth, but the small, non-backlit display and the very archaic menu qualities make it annoying to program. Main synth on Wintermute and Personal System/2. Used on a few other tracks too.

Yamaha FB-01 – Interesting multi-timbral FM synth. Patches can not be programmed on-device and is ultimately too generic sounding to keep, compared to YM3812 or PSS-480. Used on Wintermute, Voidnet Online Service Provider and other tracks.

Yamaha TG33 – Interesting synth. Similar to the Roland D-05 / D-50 but FM / PCM based. Kinda headache inducing menus. When weighing up accessibility to sound-capabilities it lost out. Used on: Void Gate Access Software and a few other tracks.

Arturia Miniburte – Great monophonic analog synth. Nice for deep sounds. Used on many tracks. Didn't really fit into the concept of my next setup. Used on Offshore Network Vertex, Void Gate Access Software, Void Gate Panorama Station, Hexadecimal Love Letters and other tracks.

Waldorf Rocket – Interesting synth. Mostly used it for filtering external signals through it's analog filter. Used on: Illustrated History of Nature, Voidnet Online Service Provider, Void Gate Panorama Station and other tracks.

Roland U-110 – PCM sound module. Some nice sounds. Used on PCM Sound Module U-110 and some other tracks.

Conclusion: Most synths I'm keeping are digital, rack-mounted, multi-timbral, 90s devices or some kind of semi-unusual retro computing related thing, reducing the tools to a core-palette of things I really like, for future projects.

Well, that's it for now. An update on current Fornax Void activities. I hope there is some useful info in there for some of you. Will be back with more updates.

Best Regards, Fornax Void

2019-APRIL-22, 20:15, 1555956900

[traveltofrance]

Travel to France

Before you go to France, use this comprehensive online France travel guide to find out all the basics about customs requirements, the culture, weather, currency and more. Also, get tips on when to go and where to go in France.

About France Travel

France is a diverse and rich nation, filled with destinations to suit every taste. The French, while often stereotyped as rude or snobbish, is actually a proud but friendly people. The key is to understand cultural differences. The food in France is among the finest in the world, and it is the largest wine-producing nation in the world.

The French value cuisine, arts, culture, and history. Each region has its own flair and uniqueness. You are about to embark on an enticing adventure, but there are certain details and rules you should know before you go.

How To Get In

All foreign visitors must have a passport. (If you don't have a current passport, start this process as early as possible. Glitches, like a missing birth certificate, can drag this out.) Americans planning to visit for 90 days or longer, or those who plan to study in France, must get a long-stay visa.

Where To Go

Think of France, and most people automatically think of Paris. But there is much more to this country, whether it be the robust stews and beer of the Alsace or the laid-back attitude and sunny beaches of the Riviera and Monaco. There are many other underrated but wonderful cities, as well as unique spa resorts and villages and lovely beaches all around the coastline from the north to the border with Italy.

France is divided into regions, and I would recommend you read up about the distinct personalities of each before deciding on a destination.

Getting There

Most major U.S. airports fly to Paris, some going non-stop, and Roissy-Charles de Gaulle in Paris is the most popular airport in France. Some airlines also fly into other major French cities, such as Lyon and Strasbourg. It takes around 7 hours to get to France from the East Coast.

Getting Around In France

There are many economical and handy ways to get around France. You need to examine where you will be going and how flexible you are.

If you plan to visit villages not accessible by train, a rental car is ideal. The French drive on the same side of the road as Americans, but there are some differences. While traffic lights are commonplace in the States, many intersections in France are traffic circles instead. These are actually much more efficient but might take getting used to. Also, it becomes far more crucial to have good maps if you will rent a car. (Try asking for directions in a foreign language. Not pretty.) Check out the advantages of long term Renault Eurodrive Buy  Back Car Leasing.

If you are visiting cities with train stations, rail is convenient and can be inexpensive. The key is to determine whether you will just buy point-to-point tickets (preferable if you will be taking few trips or short trips), European rail passes (if you plan to go country to country) or a France Rail Pass (if you will travel often and long distances, all on one country).

If you plan to visit French cities that are far apart (say Strasbourg and Carcassonne), you might want to check into flying within the country. It's relatively cheap and can save you hours of train travel.

Train Travel

In addition, many cities also have their own transportation system (such as Paris' metro). Even many smaller villages have a bus system. France's transportation system is much more extensive than that of the U.S. Check with the city or region's tourism office.

Next: When to go, Cultural differences, Official holidays and French language

When To Go

Deciding when to go depends on both your temperament and that of France. Climates and the popularity of a region depend heavily on the time of year and vary dramatically from one region to the next.

The North of France is at its busiest in late spring and early summer. The weather is best, but the attractions are packed and the prices are the highest. Also, you might want to avoid the North in August, when most of the natives are on vacation in the South. If swarms of tourists aren't your thing, fall is a wonderful time to visit the north. While you are sure to have a few overcast, windy, rainy days to contend with, things are still very happening this time of year. Winter can be blustery, but there are keen benefits then as well, such as ice skating in Paris or Christmas Markets in Alsace. See Christmas In France.

The South of France is attractive almost any time of year. But remember that it is jammed in August. In May, the Cannes Film Festival packs that city and those nearby, visit city of Nice or the Monaco city-state. Even in fall, sometimes you can dip your toes in the Mediterranean. Don't be fooled, though. Provencal winters can be unexpectedly chilly. Find out more with the France Travel Monthly Calendar.

What Time/Day Is It?

France is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, and five hours ahead of New York City. The country does honor daylight savings time, so during that time, it is one more hour ahead, or six hours later than in New York. The French also celebrate several holidays, and visiting during this time can result in some good things (festivals abound and many museums and restaurants remain open) and bad things (most businesses and shops are closed). These are the holidays in 2017:

January 1 - New Year's Day

April 16/17 - Easter Sunday/Monday - Pâques

May 1 - Labor Day  - Fête du Travail

May 8 - Victory in Europe Day 1945  - Fête de la Victoire 1945 (marks the end of WWII)

May 25 - Ascension

June 4/June 5 - Whit Sunday/Pentecôte

July 14 - Bastille Day  - Fête Nationale

August 15 - Assumption Day  - Assomption

November 1 - All Saints Day  - La Toussaint

November 11 - Armistice Day (End of WWI)  - Le 11 Novembre

December 25 - Christmas Day - Noël

How To Communicate

If at all possible, it is very helpful to at least learn a few basic phrases, especially ones you will use often (such as transportation and menu terms, etc.). Although the French are taught English in grade school, some do not know much English (what do YOU recall from high school Spanish, after all?). They also are more likely to reveal their ability to speak English if you at least make an attempt to speak their language first.

How To Blend In

Many times, people presume the French are being rude when it's actually just due to cultural differences. The French, for instance, always greet each other before speaking. So if you run-up to a French person looking for directions by saying, "How do you get to the Eiffel Tower?" you have just been rude by French standards. Acquaint yourself with French Culture.

Next: Euros; What to Pack; How to plug it in; Calling home and Extra Tips and information

How Much Is That?

In France, the euro is the local currency. This involves a little less math than the previous franc (although I still miss the colorful franc with interesting themes such as "La Petite Prince").  When the euro is more valuable than the dollar, just round up a little (such as, you spend 8 euros and estimate $10 in your head just to be conservative).

Even those who know a little French language may have trouble understanding shop keepers who recite prices. When you ask "Combien?" (How much?), keep a small pad handy so shop keepers can write the amount down.

What To Pack

What to pack for your French trip depends heavily on which region you will visit, where you will stay and how mobile you will need to be while visiting.

If you will be traveling all over the country, hopping the train from one destination to another, pack light. A rolling backpack is great for this, by allowing you to choose between rolling it along or popping it onto your back. If you will, say, fly into Paris and stay in one luxury hotel the entire time, you can be more flexible and pack heavier.

Don't presume you can just find it in France if you need it, however. Good English-language maps or guide books can be tough to find, and it is challenging even in a big city to get an adaptor plug designed to convert an American appliance into the French plugs. (Think about it. They have plenty that allows French appliances to be plugged in while in America because most of the shoppers IN France need that). To be sure you don't have packing regrets, check out this list of the Free France Travel Packing Checklist or these tips for packing light.

How To Plug It In

If you want to use American appliances in France, you will need an adaptor and a converter. The adaptor allows you to plug it into the wall, while a converter changes the electrical current to the French standard. For example, if you have a hairdryer that allows you to change the electrical current, you would only need the adaptor. What some visitors fail to realize is that phone plugs also need adaptors, and without them, you will not be able to connect your laptop. Be sure you also get a telephone adaptor if you plan to take a laptop.

How To Call & E-mail Home

Placing a call home from France involves certain knowledge, but once you get the hang of it, it is surprisingly affordable and relatively easy. But first, you must know the basics. For one thing, most French payphones do not take change, but instead, use "telecasts." These can be purchased at many spots, such as tobacco and convenience stores, for a few euros. You slide the card into the slot on the phone, wait for the prompt on the display, and then enter the phone number (starting with the country code, such as "1" for the U.S.). The display will show how many units you have remaining. Calling on off-hours will eat far fewer units. You can take advantage of time differences by, for instance, calling later in the night when it is late afternoon or early evening in the States.

How To Get Stuff Home

Dreaming of lugging cases of delectable French wine home with you? Think again, unless you want to pay. The U.S. government offers the following restrictions:

Most visitors are allowed to bring back $800 of French goodies without paying duty.

The duty includes up to 200 cigarettes and 100 cigars.

One liter of alcohol is also included in duty-free.