#Cost-Effective Scaling

[mlhuillierfinancialservicesinc]

Scaling a business while keeping overhead costs in check can be a daunting challenge for many entrepreneurs. However, with the right strategies, it is possible to grow your business sustainably without incurring significant additional expenses. 

[ratblazer]

Hey Beth! Love the Constantine keychains! Do you think you can make like a tutorial on how to make keychains? I’ve been thinking on doing that with my art but idk how to do that? Love your art and keep doing it! You’re amazing!

Aw thank you, anon!! I worked with a manufacturer to make my keychains so I can't exactly give a beginning to end process of how they're made, but I can tell you I used the company vograce to produce my keychains! I believe a majority of acrylic keychains you can find online are made thru these guys. They're very good!

I had a prototype sample made first, which helped give me an idea of how the product looked and what to do to make it better.

Sample on the left vs final on the right

It's really just a matter of making the artwork and formatting it correctly for print then sending it off to be made!

[terpia]

Apologies for the bummer, too personal post, but just because I need to vent (if that's even the right word here) -

What is it about the death of immediate family members that feels so unreal? My stepfather died unexpectedly this weekend, and even though I have fully internalised that on an intellectual level, on an emotional level it hasn't hit me at all yet. Same happened when my grandma died, it felt like it took my heart months to actually catch up to what happened.

[skarabrae-stone]

This is really the heart of conservation, I think-- the work will never be done, but by doing our part, we can make it easier for the next generation.

I don't know. I just don't know

[barefoot-talent]

How Busy Professionals Can Achieve More with Barefoot Talent and Virtual Assistant Services

As a busy professional, balancing the many responsibilities of managing a growing business while staying on top of daily tasks can be overwhelming. With constant meetings, client calls, project deadlines, and administrative work, it’s easy to lose sight of your business goals. However, outsourcing services such as Virtual Assistant in Australia, dedicated virtual teams for business growth, and remote staffing solutions can provide the support you need to achieve more with less stress.

Barefoot Talent offers affordable virtual assistant packages and back office support solutions designed to streamline your operations and help you focus on growing your business. Let’s explore how leveraging virtual assistant services and business process outsourcing (BPO) can help busy entrepreneurs and professionals accomplish more and reduce their workload.

1. The Power of Outsourcing Services for Businesses

Outsourcing has become a game-changer for busy professionals. Instead of managing everything on your own, you can delegate tasks to specialists in areas like online business management (OBM) services, task automation for small businesses, and general administrative support.

By utilizing remote staffing solutions, you can hire highly skilled professionals without the overhead of maintaining a full-time, in-house team. Whether you’re managing a startup or scaling a medium-sized business, customized BPO services can help optimize your operations and free up valuable time. By outsourcing non-core tasks, you can focus on the strategic activities that drive growth.

For example, hire task-based virtual assistants to handle repetitive duties such as data entry, customer support, and scheduling. This allows you to concentrate on more important, growth-driven activities.

2. Hire Virtual Assistants for Small Businesses

Small business owners often find themselves wearing many hats, from managing daily operations to marketing and customer service. However, trying to manage everything can lead to burnout and missed opportunities. That’s where virtual assistants for small businesses come in.

Hiring a virtual assistant in Australia provides an affordable solution. Virtual assistants can take over administrative tasks such as email management, scheduling, social media management, and customer service. This ensures your business remains efficient, even when things get busy.

Barefoot Talent offers affordable virtual assistant packages that are specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of your business. With this support in place, you can spend more time focusing on scaling your business and achieving your goals.

3. Streamline Operations with Outsourcing

Outsourcing can be an effective way to streamline operations and boost efficiency. By outsourcing tasks like customer service, data management, or lead generation, you can maintain focus on your core business functions without becoming bogged down by day-to-day administrative work.

For example, consider hiring a full-time OBM for entrepreneurs to manage complex projects, optimize business processes, and supervise your remote team. A qualified OBM ensures your business systems run smoothly, allowing you to delegate tasks confidently. As a result, you’ll experience increased productivity and a more seamless workflow.

Outsourcing recurring tasks, like bookkeeping or payroll management, is also essential for consistency. Business process outsourcing for startups allows you to offload these responsibilities, making your business more scalable and less reliant on internal resources.

4. Leverage Remote Teams for Scaling Your Business

As your business grows, having the right team is crucial. By leveraging virtual teams for scaling businesses, you can tap into specialized talent without the expense of hiring a full-time in-house team.

Barefoot Talent offers dedicated virtual teams for business growth, allowing you to handpick professionals who match your specific needs. Whether you need marketing experts, customer service representatives, or tech support, these virtual teams become an extension of your business.

Remote team building strategies enable you to manage a global workforce, providing you with the flexibility to scale operations without the complications of managing a large, in-house team. With the right remote team, you can maintain high-quality service and drive business growth, even while working remotely.

5. Cost-Effective Outsourcing for Entrepreneurs

Managing business costs is always a top priority for entrepreneurs, and outsourcing provides a cost-effective solution. Hiring remote professionals or virtual assistants allows you to access specialized skills without the added costs of office space, employee benefits, or training.

For example, you can hire task-based virtual assistants on a project basis, ensuring you only pay for the services you need. Task automation for small businesses can further enhance cost savings by eliminating the time spent on repetitive tasks. With the right tools and the support of virtual assistants, you can automate social media posting, email marketing, customer follow-ups, and more.

This model gives you the flexibility to invest in your business’s growth while keeping costs under control.

6. How to Get Started with Virtual Assistant Services

Getting started with Virtual Assistant services is easier than you think. Begin by identifying the tasks that consume the most time in your business. Do you spend hours managing emails, scheduling meetings, or organizing your calendar? Once you understand your needs, you can begin exploring affordable virtual assistant packages that match your budget.

Next, connect with a provider like Barefoot Talent, which offers remote staffing solutions tailored to the unique needs of entrepreneurs and small businesses. Whether you need a full-time OBM for entrepreneurs or a dedicated virtual team, they can help connect you with the right talent.

Once you have the right team in place, start delegating your tasks. As you begin outsourcing non-essential work, you’ll notice an increase in your productivity and an improvement in your work-life balance.

7. Achieve Business Goals with the Right Support

Outsourcing essential tasks like customer support, project management, or administrative duties allows you to remain focused on your core business objectives. With the right support in place, such as virtual assistants and remote staffing solutions, you can ensure your business operates efficiently, even in the most hectic periods.

Whether you require back office support solutions, business process outsourcing for startups, or task-based virtual assistants, Barefoot Talent can help your business run smoothly and stay on track to meet its goals. By implementing customized BPO services, you can streamline operations and scale your business with ease.

Conclusion

Outsourcing is a vital tool for busy professionals and entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses without compromising quality. With the right outsourcing partner, such as Barefoot Talent, you can delegate time-consuming tasks and focus on what matters most—growing your business.

Whether you need virtual assistants in Australia, dedicated virtual teams, or task automation for small businesses, outsourcing provides the flexibility and support necessary to thrive in today’s competitive market. By leveraging virtual teams and remote staffing solutions, you can achieve your business goals while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

[eu-entrepreneurs-uncovered]

Why Small Business Owners Need to Invest in Virtual Phone Numbers when Expanding

Learn how virtual phone numbers help small businesses scale efficiently, using real-world examples of companies that have successfully adopted them.

Why Small Business Owners Need to Invest in Virtual Phone Numbers when Expanding Scaling a small business is challenging when operating on a limited budget. As your customer base expands, so do your communication needs. Managing calls, inquiries, and team coordination can become challenging. Traditional phone systems often come with high costs for hardware, maintenance, and international…

[lykaglobal9]

Best PET Sheet Supplier for Food and Beverage Packaging Worldwide: Lyka Global Plast 

When it comes to food and beverage packaging, quality, durability, and safety are paramount. Packaging not only preserves the freshness and taste of the products but also ensures they reach the consumer in perfect condition. In this domain, Lyka Global Plast has emerged as a trusted name, providing premium PET sheets that cater to the diverse needs of the global food and beverage industry. Renowned for its commitment to quality and innovation, Lyka Global Plast stands as the best PET sheet supplier for food and beverage packaging worldwide. 

Why Choose PET Sheets for Food and Beverage Packaging? 

PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) sheets have become the preferred choice for packaging in the food and beverage industry due to their superior properties. They are lightweight, transparent, and provide excellent barrier protection against moisture, oxygen, and other external contaminants. PET sheets are also highly durable, making them ideal for protecting food and beverages from damage during transportation and storage. Additionally, they are recyclable, making them an environmentally responsible choice for businesses committed to sustainability. 

Lyka Global Plast: A Leader in PET Sheet Supply 

Lyka Global Plast has established itself as a leader in the PET sheet supply industry, offering high-quality PET sheets specifically designed for food and beverage packaging. Here’s why Lyka Global Plast stands out as the best PET sheet supplier: 

1. Uncompromised Quality Standards 

At Lyka Global Plast, quality is the cornerstone of every product. The company uses only the finest raw materials and employs advanced manufacturing processes to ensure that each PET sheet meets the highest standards of quality and safety. Rigorous quality control measures are implemented at every stage of production, from raw material sourcing to final inspection, to guarantee products that are free from defects and contaminants. 

2. Innovative Packaging Solutions 

Lyka Global Plast is at the forefront of innovation, constantly developing new solutions to meet the evolving needs of the food and beverage industry. Their PET sheets are designed to offer superior clarity, ensuring that packaged products look appealing on store shelves. Additionally, their PET sheets are highly customizable, allowing clients to choose from various thicknesses, colors, and finishes to suit their specific packaging requirements. 

3. Global Reach and Reliable Supply Chain 

With a well-established global distribution network, Lyka Global Plast ensures timely delivery of PET sheets to clients worldwide. The company has built strong partnerships with key players in the food and beverage industry, providing them with consistent, high-quality PET sheets for various packaging applications. Their reliable supply chain management ensures that customers receive their orders on time, regardless of their location. 

4. Commitment to Sustainability 

Lyka Global Plast is deeply committed to sustainability and environmentally responsible practices. Their PET sheets are fully recyclable, contributing to reduced plastic waste and promoting a circular economy. By choosing Lyka Global Plast, businesses in the food and beverage industry can align themselves with sustainable packaging practices without compromising on quality or performance. 

5. Exceptional Customer Support 

Customer satisfaction is a top priority at Lyka Global Plast. The company offers exceptional customer support, assisting clients in selecting the right PET sheets for their packaging needs. Their team of experts provides valuable insights and guidance, ensuring that each client receives a tailored packaging solution that enhances product appeal and shelf life. 

Conclusion 

For businesses in the food and beverage industry seeking the best packaging solutions, Lyka Global Plast is the ultimate partner. As a leading PET sheet supplier, Lyka Global Plast combines top-tier quality, innovation, sustainability, and excellent customer support to deliver unmatched packaging solutions worldwide. Choose Lyka Global Plast for your food and beverage packaging needs and experience the difference that quality and expertise make. 

[phantomrose96]

If anyone wants to know why every tech company in the world right now is clamoring for AI like drowned rats scrabbling to board a ship, I decided to make a post to explain what's happening.

(Disclaimer to start: I'm a software engineer who's been employed full time since 2018. I am not a historian nor an overconfident Youtube essayist, so this post is my working knowledge of what I see around me and the logical bridges between pieces.)

Okay anyway. The explanation starts further back than what's going on now. I'm gonna start with the year 2000. The Dot Com Bubble just spectacularly burst. The model of "we get the users first, we learn how to profit off them later" went out in a no-money-having bang (remember this, it will be relevant later). A lot of money was lost. A lot of people ended up out of a job. A lot of startup companies went under. Investors left with a sour taste in their mouth and, in general, investment in the internet stayed pretty cooled for that decade. This was, in my opinion, very good for the internet as it was an era not suffocating under the grip of mega-corporation oligarchs and was, instead, filled with Club Penguin and I Can Haz Cheezburger websites.

Then around the 2010-2012 years, a few things happened. Interest rates got low, and then lower. Facebook got huge. The iPhone took off. And suddenly there was a huge new potential market of internet users and phone-havers, and the cheap money was available to start backing new tech startup companies trying to hop on this opportunity. Companies like Uber, Netflix, and Amazon either started in this time, or hit their ramp-up in these years by shifting focus to the internet and apps.

Now, every start-up tech company dreaming of being the next big thing has one thing in common: they need to start off by getting themselves massively in debt. Because before you can turn a profit you need to first spend money on employees and spend money on equipment and spend money on data centers and spend money on advertising and spend money on scale and and and

But also, everyone wants to be on the ship for The Next Big Thing that takes off to the moon.

So there is a mutual interest between new tech companies, and venture capitalists who are willing to invest $$$ into said new tech companies. Because if the venture capitalists can identify a prize pig and get in early, that money could come back to them 100-fold or 1,000-fold. In fact it hardly matters if they invest in 10 or 20 total bust projects along the way to find that unicorn.

But also, becoming profitable takes time. And that might mean being in debt for a long long time before that rocket ship takes off to make everyone onboard a gazzilionaire.

But luckily, for tech startup bros and venture capitalists, being in debt in the 2010's was cheap, and it only got cheaper between 2010 and 2020. If people could secure loans for ~3% or 4% annual interest, well then a $100,000 loan only really costs $3,000 of interest a year to keep afloat. And if inflation is higher than that or at least similar, you're still beating the system.

So from 2010 through early 2022, times were good for tech companies. Startups could take off with massive growth, showing massive potential for something, and venture capitalists would throw infinite money at them in the hopes of pegging just one winner who will take off. And supporting the struggling investments or the long-haulers remained pretty cheap to keep funding.

You hear constantly about "Such and such app has 10-bazillion users gained over the last 10 years and has never once been profitable", yet the thing keeps chugging along because the investors backing it aren't stressed about the immediate future, and are still banking on that "eventually" when it learns how to really monetize its users and turn that profit.

The pandemic in 2020 took a magnifying-glass-in-the-sun effect to this, as EVERYTHING was forcibly turned online which pumped a ton of money and workers into tech investment. Simultaneously, money got really REALLY cheap, bottoming out with historic lows for interest rates.

Then the tide changed with the massive inflation that struck late 2021. Because this all-gas no-brakes state of things was also contributing to off-the-rails inflation (along with your standard-fare greedflation and price gouging, given the extremely convenient excuses of pandemic hardships and supply chain issues). The federal reserve whipped out interest rate hikes to try to curb this huge inflation, which is like a fire extinguisher dousing and suffocating your really-cool, actively-on-fire party where everyone else is burning but you're in the pool. And then they did this more, and then more. And the financial climate followed suit. And suddenly money was not cheap anymore, and new loans became expensive, because loans that used to compound at 2% a year are now compounding at 7 or 8% which, in the language of compounding, is a HUGE difference. A $100,000 loan at a 2% interest rate, if not repaid a single cent in 10 years, accrues to $121,899. A $100,000 loan at an 8% interest rate, if not repaid a single cent in 10 years, more than doubles to $215,892.

Now it is scary and risky to throw money at "could eventually be profitable" tech companies. Now investors are watching companies burn through their current funding and, when the companies come back asking for more, investors are tightening their coin purses instead. The bill is coming due. The free money is drying up and companies are under compounding pressure to produce a profit for their waiting investors who are now done waiting.

You get enshittification. You get quality going down and price going up. You get "now that you're a captive audience here, we're forcing ads or we're forcing subscriptions on you." Don't get me wrong, the plan was ALWAYS to monetize the users. It's just that it's come earlier than expected, with way more feet-to-the-fire than these companies were expecting. ESPECIALLY with Wall Street as the other factor in funding (public) companies, where Wall Street exhibits roughly the same temperament as a baby screaming crying upset that it's soiled its own diaper (maybe that's too mean a comparison to babies), and now companies are being put through the wringer for anything LESS than infinite growth that Wall Street demands of them.

Internal to the tech industry, you get MASSIVE wide-spread layoffs. You get an industry that used to be easy to land multiple job offers shriveling up and leaving recent graduates in a desperately awful situation where no company is hiring and the market is flooded with laid-off workers trying to get back on their feet.

Because those coin-purse-clutching investors DO love virtue-signaling efforts from companies that say "See! We're not being frivolous with your money! We only spend on the essentials." And this is true even for MASSIVE, PROFITABLE companies, because those companies' value is based on the Rich Person Feeling Graph (their stock) rather than the literal profit money. A company making a genuine gazillion dollars a year still tears through layoffs and freezes hiring and removes the free batteries from the printer room (totally not speaking from experience, surely) because the investors LOVE when you cut costs and take away employee perks. The "beer on tap, ping pong table in the common area" era of tech is drying up. And we're still unionless.

Never mind that last part.

And then in early 2023, AI (more specifically, Chat-GPT which is OpenAI's Large Language Model creation) tears its way into the tech scene with a meteor's amount of momentum. Here's Microsoft's prize pig, which it invested heavily in and is galivanting around the pig-show with, to the desperate jealousy and rapture of every other tech company and investor wishing it had that pig. And for the first time since the interest rate hikes, investors have dollar signs in their eyes, both venture capital and Wall Street alike. They're willing to restart the hose of money (even with the new risk) because this feels big enough for them to take the risk.

Now all these companies, who were in varying stages of sweating as their bill came due, or wringing their hands as their stock prices tanked, see a single glorious gold-plated rocket up out of here, the likes of which haven't been seen since the free money days. It's their ticket to buy time, and buy investors, and say "see THIS is what will wring money forth, finally, we promise, just let us show you."

To be clear, AI is NOT profitable yet. It's a money-sink. Perhaps a money-black-hole. But everyone in the space is so wowed by it that there is a wide-spread and powerful conviction that it will become profitable and earn its keep. (Let's be real, half of that profit "potential" is the promise of automating away jobs of pesky employees who peskily cost money.) It's a tech-space industrial revolution that will automate away skilled jobs, and getting in on the ground floor is the absolute best thing you can do to get your pie slice's worth.

It's the thing that will win investors back. It's the thing that will get the investment money coming in again (or, get it second-hand if the company can be the PROVIDER of something needed for AI, which other companies with venture-back will pay handsomely for). It's the thing companies are terrified of missing out on, lest it leave them utterly irrelevant in a future where not having AI-integration is like not having a mobile phone app for your company or not having a website.

So I guess to reiterate on my earlier point:

Drowned rats. Swimming to the one ship in sight.

[farmerstrend]

How Big Should Your Farm Be to Make a Profit?

Many new agripreneurs believe that the size of their farm will determine how profitable they’ll be. However, you can be profitable whether you’re farming 1 hectare or 100 hectares; it all depends on how you farm. When it comes to land, the most important thing to consider is not the number of hectares at your disposal, but rather the commodity that you farm and how you manage and control costs.…

[ggacworldwide]

How to Start a Farm with Low Scale Income

Starting a farm no mean say you need big money. With proper planning and smart choices, you fit begin your farming journey with low-scale income and still succeed. Here are practical tips and strategies to help you start a farm on a budget. 1. Plan and Research Before you start anything, you need solid plan and thorough research. Understand the type of farming you want to go into and the market…

[saipng]

okay so this is not an ‘official’ metric by any scale but i am curious so i just bullshitted my own (explanation on levels under the poll)

level 1 - can’t tolerate horror at all, actively avoids it at all costs

level 2 - will watch a horror movie with friends/family if convinced but will definitely not enjoy it. screams at jumpscares and covers eyes at tense moments

level 3 - can occasionally consume horror media. very easily startles at jumpscares. usually feels anxious/paranoid afterward

level 4 - startles at jumpscares and generally feels uneasy after consuming horror media. avoids anything horror-related at night time

level 5 - jumpscares are less effective, but can still startle. feels anxious during tense moments. horror mostly causes unease only at night time

level 6 - has no problem consuming any kind of horror media alone at night. is largely unaffected by jumpscares. horror causes no feeling of fear or anxiety

[michellesanches]

Book Summary - “Million Dollar Weekend” by Noah Kagan

This book is a guide designed for aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking to jump-start their business ideas into profitable ventures over a short period of time. Kagan, an established entrepreneur known for his role in companies like Facebook and Mint.com, outlines a methodical approach to launching a business quickly and efficiently. Book Summary 1. Setting the Stage Kagan starts by…

[hyperlexichypatia]

This is a semi spinoff of this post, but really its own thought.

When a job pays less than a living wage, it generally attracts one of two types of employees:

Desperate people (usually poor and/or otherwise marginalized or with barriers to employment), who will take any job, no matter how bad, because they need the money, or

Independently wealthy people (usually well-off retirees, students being supported by their families, or women with well-off husbands*), who don't care about the pay scale because they don't need the money anyway.**

And sometimes, organizations will intentionally keep a job low-paying or non-paying with the deliberate intent of narrowing their pool to that second category.

People sometimes bring this up when discussing the salaries of elected officials -- yes, most politicians are paid more than most "regular people," but they're not paid enough to sustain the expensive lifestyle politicians have to maintain, and that's on purpose. It's not an oversight, and it's not primarily about cost-cutting. It's a deliberate barrier to ensure that only rich people can run for office.

The same is true, albeit to less severe effect, of unpaid internships -- the benefit of "hiring" an unpaid intern isn't (just) that you don't have to pay them; it's also that you can ensure that all your workers are rich, or at least middle-class.

When nonprofits brag about how little of their budget goes to "overhead" and "salaries", as if those terms were synonymous with "waste," what they're really saying is "All our employees are financially comfortable enough that they don't worry about being underpaid. Our staff has no socioeconomic diversity, and probably very little ethnic or cultural diversity." ***

This isn't a secret. I'm not blowing anything wide open here. People very openly admit that they think underpaid workers are better, because they're "not in it for the money." This is frequently cited as a reason, for example, that private school teachers are "better" than public school teachers -- they're paid less, so they're not "in it for the money," so they must be working out of the goodness of their hearts. I keep seeing these cursed ads for a pet-sitting service where the petsitters aren't paid, which is a selling point, because they're "not in it for the money."

"In it for the money" is the worst thing a worker could be, of course. Heaven forbid they be so greedy and entitled and selfish as to expect their full-time labor to enable them to pay for basic living expenses. I get this all the time as a public library worker, when I point out how underfunded and underpaid we are. "But... you're not doing it for the money, right?" And I'm supposed to laugh and say "No, no, I'd do it for free, of course!"

Except, see, I have these pesky little human needs, like food. And I can't get a cart full of groceries and explain to the cashier that I don't have any money, but I have just so much job satisfaction!

And it's gendered, of course it's gendered. The subtext of "But you're not doing it for the money, of course" is "But how much pin money do you really need, little lady? Doesn't your husband give you a proper allowance?"

Conceptually, it's just an extension of the upper-class cultural norm that "polite" (rich) people "don't talk about money" (because if you have to think about how much money you have or how much you need, you're insufficiently rich).

*Gendered language very much intentional.

**Disabled people are more likely to be in the first category (most disabled people are poor, and being disabled is expensive), but are usually talked about as if they're in the second category. We're told that disabled people sorting clothing for $1.03 an hour are "So happy to be here" and "Just want to be included," and it's not like they need the money, since, as we all know, disability benefits are ample and generous [heavy sarcasm].

***Unless, of course, they're a nonprofit whose "mission" involves "job placement," in which case what they're saying is "We exploit the poor and desperate people we're purporting to help." Either way, "We pay our employees like crap" is nothing to brag about.

[writers-potion]

Let's Talk About Pacing Our Fight Scenes.

For Fast-Paced Parts:

Short words with single syllables. Immediately > at once/ endeavour > try/ indicate > point at/ investigate > check out.

Short sentences, the shorter the better.

Partial sentences to blaze through multiple senses and actions within a few lines.

Short paragraphs

Lots of verbs.

Few adjectives and adverbs.

Cut down on -ing form of verbs, as it can make words longer

Use simple past tense

Avoid conjunctions and link words.

Avoid internal thought - your characters are irrational, ruthless and in the flow of pure action.

For Slow-Paced Parts:

Use medium/long sentences

the paragraphs are longer: three lines minimum

Include longer words with more syllables

Use adjectives and maybe a couple of adverbs.

Insert the thoughts of the PoV character.

Words for Action Scenes

act, alter, attack, avert, back, block, bang, bash, battle, beat, beg, belt, bend, best, bite, blacken, bleed, blind, blister, blow, blunt, boil, bolt, boot, bore, bow, box, brace, brag, brash, brawl, break, breathe, brush, buck, bulgde, burn, burst, cackle, call, can, carry, cart, carve, catch, check, chop, chuck, clack, clank, clap, clash, claw, clear, cleave, click, cliff, cling, clip, close, club, cock, coil, cold, collar, come, con, connect, corner, cost, count, counter, cover, cower, crack, crackle, cram, crash, crawl, creep, crinkle, cross, crouch, rush, cry, cuff, cull, cup, curl, curse, curve, cusp, cut, dart, dash, deepen, dig, deep, dip, ditch, drive, drop, duck, dump, ede, effect, erect, escape, exert, expect, feint, fight, fire fist, fit, flag, flare, flash, flick, fling, flip, flock, force, gash, gasp, get, gore, grab, grasp, grip, grope, group, hack, harden, heat, help, hit, hop, hurl, hurry, impale, jab, jar, jerk, join, jolt, jump, keep, kick, kill, knee, knock, knot, knuckle, leak, leap, let, lever, lick, lift, lock, loop, lop, plunge, mask, nick, nip, open, oppose, pace, pack, pain, pair, pale, palm, pan, pant, parry, part, pass, paste, pat, peak, peck, pelt, pick, pierce, pile, ping, piss, pit, pivot, plot, pluck, plug, plunge, ply, point, pool, pop, pose, pot, pound, pour, powder, pray, preen, prepare, prey, prick, prickle, print, probe, pry, pull, pulp, pulse, pump, punch, pursue, push, quarry, quarter, quest, race, raise, rake, ram, rap, rasp, rear, retreat, rip, riposte, rivert, roar, rock, roll, rope, round, rouse, run, rush, sap, scale, scalp, scan, score,scream, seek, seep, shake, shape, sharpen, shock, shoot, shop, slap, slap, slash, slice, slick, slip, slit, smash, snap, snare, snatch, snipe, sock, space, spar, spark, speed, spike, spill, spin, spit, splash, spoil, spring, spur, spurt, spy, squirm, stand, steert, step, stick, strap, strike, stuff, suck, support, swat, sweat, sweep, swingm tack, tag, take, target, taste, team, tear, tent, test, thrash, throw, thrust, thud, tick, tide, tilt, time, tire, top, toss, tower, toy, trap, trick, trigger, trip, triumph, trouble, trump, try, tuck, tug, twril, twitch, weaken, wet, whip, whirl, whirr, whoop, whoosh, whop, work, zap, zip.

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

[virtualizationhowto]

TrueNAS SCALE Server Build for Home Lab

TrueNAS SCALE Server Build for Home Lab #homelab #virtualization #TrueNASSCALEHomeServer #HomeServerSetup #DebianLinuxServer #RAIDConfiguration #FileSharingServer #MediaStreamingServer #HomeAutomationHub #NetworkSecurity #ServerHardwareUpgrades #selfhost

There are so many options for running a home server for storage and virtualization needs on a home network. I have run VMware ESXi and Proxmox servers for my virtualization needs for the past few years now. However, until recently, I only ran TrueNAS inside a virtual machine for testing and a few light-duty applications. A project I wanted to tackle was repurposing one of my SuperMicro mini…

[youryurigoddess]

So one thing led to another, and I’ve just paid a visit to the first (that we know of) confirmed Good Omens S3 filming locations. Due to the obvious sensitivity of this material, please tag it accordingly and share only with the fans consenting to know potential spoilers.

A fellow Good Omens fan has mentioned that residents of a certain Edinburgh area had unexpected guests recently, knocking on their door and telling them they are filming in their street soon. Imagine their surprise when a polite question about the details led to the offhand answer: “IT'S ONLY GOOD OMENS”.

For those unaware, the City of Edinburgh Council has been working really hard on promoting the city for film and TV industry for a few years now (the effects of which we saw in S2), and has a set of very clear and very publicly available guidelines regarding the modus operandi here.

The Good Omens production has both large scale and a high impact on a specific location due to the crew size, amount of technology used, and requirement for crowd control in most of the exterior and interior scenes (e.g., bookshop, pub, or coffee shop windows), which is why not only the local authorities, but also residents were informed about the filming with an at least 8 days notice:

Ironically, I just had happened to have a trip here planned and a hotel booked within walking distance to the locations on the attached TM and parking plan map, so it would be a waste not to use this opportunity for the greater good of the fandom. Can’t stay long enough to see the actual crew, so unfortunately the hair photos will have to be made by someone else. Disappointing, I know. But there’s still a lot to be excited about!

According to the provided notice, the filming will happen within one working day with the required set-up planned for the day before, mostly in the afternoon hours. The attached map shows planned parking suspension and SYL dispensation on two streets close to the chosen locations, which is where the trailers and equipment vehicles will park:

Location One turns out to be, rather surprisingly, a cosy corner bookshop. The shop — one of the Edinburgh’s oldest surviving secondhand bookstores — is very small, but crammed with a wide ranging library of beautiful books to serve readers and collectors, including antiquarian true first editions and signed copies.

It’s giving Muriel’s sweet and whimsical charm, but the bits and pieces of the unpublished Good Omens sequel point out not towards Whickber Street, where the angel currently resides, but more towards a new in-universe location. Maybe one that will be opened in the future post-Second Coming, maybe one that will remind one of the characters about a home base of operations back in the heart of London’s Soho (and theirs— wait, who said that?).

Notice that the road closure includes north and south sides of the pavement visible in the last photo, so both indoor and outdoor shots could be expected:

Location Two seems a bit more complex, since it’s basically a skewed triangle consisting of one longer street and a short side street diverging from it. Conveniently for the filmmakers, the architecture here is uncharacteristic enough that it could be easily presented as British, Scottish, or even American. I’m personally a bit partial to the last option since it would make sense story- and budget-wise, especially now with the two people previously adamant on shooting the US scenes only on location there not on the production team anymore.

The contrasting structures and materials visible here easily offer background for multiple potential contexts and scenarios, so much in fact that it’s easy to imagine more than one scene being shot here for cost- and time-effective reasons. Some of the buildings along the cobbled road have the right look and feel for historical flashbacks, as you can see below. I find the two separate entrances next to each other particularly lovely:

A considerable part of the buildings in the area, however, belongs to a more modern complex that communicates a very different personality and function. With a bit of camera and post-production magic, it could transform to a wide range of settings — please let me know your thoughts and ideas if you have any!

Specific filming times and more detailed information are consciously not shared out of concern for the crew and cast members who clearly don’t want them to become public knowledge. Those of you who live in the area and might visit the set anyway, please don’t forget to make sure that your presence won’t bother them as well as other locals. And remember to keep any new photos and information contained with tags so that you won’t spoil it to the people who would rather wait for the movie itself!