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beautifulhigh · 8 months ago

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The update for @oldfarmwitch if no one else...

Last time on "Jen's grand plans"...

Clean kitchen, all going well. Happy Jen. (This will not last.)

Order the new tap I want for my kitchen sink because the current one is leaking at every joint and I think in places where there isn't one...

Discover we can't move the fridge on the wheels due to them being offset so the wheel braces are sitting like / \. In the process of discovering this both me AND my dad received injuries

Couldn't find the water stopcock. Took apart cupboards, moved the washing machine (more on that in a bit), found it behind a fucking panel

Discovered that one of the cupboards is rotting away due to ill fitting pipes

Struggled to move the washing machine, only for Jen to later realise that they forgot to unplug the fucking thing which was why it was a chore. Therefore the plug had been ripped out of the socket, but not before the socket had been ripped out of the back of the cupboard it was (barely) attached to.

Failed to have any food in the evening because I was just Done™ with the whole thing and went to bed.

This morning on "Jen's LOLZ life":

Woke up, ankle still hurts. Just great. I don't want to move so I stay in bed as long as possible

Get up just in time for Dad coming over. He has brought EVERY tool he has and most of his plumbing kit.

His plan: sort out the cupboard and then tackle the sink and its pipes.

Cupboard panel comes apart in Dad's hands. Whoops. We manage to get the new feet in place and get it level. It was a great time to discover it's also holding up the end of the unit so that will need resealing on the tiles.

Washing machine goes back into its hole.

Look to the pipework. Dad has the wrong sized... things. They're elbow shaped so I shall call them Elbow Things. Anyway, the Elbow Things are 10mm, we need 15mm. Look online but can't get anything this side of the holiday weekend.

Go off to this little plumbing shop Dad knows. They don't have any either. Go to B&Q to have a look at what they have (we'd checked their site but Dad wanted to check out what I shall call Flexi Pipes). While there we talk about the tap that's coming and I find a picture online where a reviewer took a photo of what came in the box.

I suddenly love unboxing videos because thank you.

Dad realises that we can get away without the Elbow Things because the tap is coming with its own Flexi Pipes and so we can use Straight Things instead. He knows he has one, so we pick up another in B&Q.

At checkout, Dad realises his wallet is in the car. (No, really.). That's fine, I'm a modern girl, I have a pay app on my phone. Which doesn't want to connect to the machine. Takes three attempts to pay for the £2.50 Straight Thing.

Get home, Dad is now under the sink. Plan: heat up the pipes to break the seal, put in the Straight Things, wait for the tap to be delievered.

Universe: LOLZ

The water is turned off, all pipes are drained.

Washing machine comes out, that's drained too.

The sink pipework is VERY tight and crammed in together so we have to take the washing machine back out so he can get that pipework out of the way.

One pipe is fine, the other one has Separation Anxiety and will not let go.

Washing maching goes back in to give more working space in the kitchen as when it's out it cuts off access to the other side of the room (think galley style kitchen, long and somewhat narrow).

I realise I haven't eaten all day. I've had a caffeine drink and I've had two lots of paracetamol (because ankle). Just Eat is now becoming my most-used app. Sorry to my bank account and to my trainer.

Dad is swearing up a storm. He used to be a sailor. People forget that. The second pipe will not move and he's burned the back of the cupboard and he almost melted the U bend thingy that comes down from the sink. He takes the U bend thingy off, takes off the drawers and facias of the cover, and gets in there with some Proper Tools. The pipe is cut - no conscious uncoupling here.

Nice man arrives with my lunch.

Dad imparts instructions for how to get the sink out of the unit. The waching machine comes back out again because we need to get at the clips under the sink.

Dad leaves because it's his brother-in-law's birthday. I sit down and INHALE my Greggs sandwich. I also bought treats. Again, sorry to my trainer. Sent @wtfuckevenknows a few voice notes with a short summary of what has happened before this point.

The water is back on but my kitchen sink is no longer plumbed in. Neither is the washing machine. I use the bath tap to get a bucket of hot water and put soap in so I can finish cleaning the oven and the racks which have been marinading in the cleaning stuff overnight.

The rack bag has leaked and some of the fluid soaked into and stained the wooden shelf I put it on.

I manage to mostly dismantle the over door to properly clean it, but the latches for the door to come off will not move. I do the best I can.

I have to go back upstairs to refill the bucket and I'm doing the cleaning outside on my wooden decking which gets slippery when wet.

My ankle still hurts and yells at me when I slip a little. This is also the ankle I have broken twice, although I didn't know I'd broken it twice until I broke it for what I thought was the first time and then ortho then showed me on the X-Ray where the old break was and how the new break was actually just me re-breaking it although not as badly. That was an interesting moment a decade ago.

Anway. Ankle is not broken but it's not happy.

Oven is now cleaned although I have the bowl of the goop that I scraped out of the bottom of the oven to dispose of. It needs to be diluted with a lot of soapy water and that's another trip up the stairs.

I use the bucket I have to dispose of the fluid in the cleaning bag and go to pour it in the outside drain, only to find out that's blocked when it all overspills.

I don't want to do this again with the stuff from the oven.

I also bought more treats from Greggs (very, very sorry, trainer) and I inhale two caramel shortbreads while I load up Tumblr and see that @oldfarmwitch is wondering how my day is going.

I sit down with my laptop and I type what is absolutely going to be tagged with "long post" because I can't even see the top of THIS bullet point list.

So I now need to put the over back together, then I need to get the sink out of the unit. That involves:

Cutting the current sealant

Removing the remaining clips

Lifting it out of the hole

Cleaning down the sink and the worksurface with remover which then has its own, bespoke clean up process which will allow further sealant to be applied. If I do not clean this up properly then no future sealant will, well, seal.

Removing the tap from the sink and waiting for the new one to arrive. Which, given the family's Easter plans, will be Monday morning when Dad has a "bit of spare time".

I still need to prime and paint the walls. The masking tape I put up yesterday isn't sticking properly to some of the window facias and is falling away already so that will be fun

There is more of my kitchen in the living room and more to come yet. Because I figured the Universe owed me a break I put £10 on the EuroMillions last night.

I won £6.20.

So that's where I'm at. New tag for these posts because yeah.

#Jen's LOLZ life #long post

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like-a-bantha · 2 years ago

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Human Nature

Pairing: The Bad Batch & GN!Reader (platonic, no Y/N, reader's appearance never described)

Rating: G

Word Count: 1.7K

Warnings: Chronic hiccups, mentions of anxiety, canon typical violence (Set during The Clone Wars)

Read on AO3

This has been happening ever since you were a kid. Pretty frequently, too. It’s easy to grow used to something the longer it goes on, as annoying as it is, especially something so unavoidable. Still, sometimes, and especially in such confined spaces, you feel a pang of guilt bubble up behind every-

Hiccup!

The force of it drives your shoulders up before they fall heavily to a slouch as you sigh. You shut your eyes, hoping that the squad you’ve been accompanying for the past month isn’t currently typing up a request for a much quieter weapons expert. They’ve all been polite about it so far – to your face, at least – but you’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t catch the Sergeant, Hunter, quietly leave the room from time to time.

Thankfully, you’re much quieter than usual as the members of Clone Force 99 converse around you and the Havoc Marauder cruises through hyperspace. Another small hiccup rocks your shoulders as you review the schematics of the Separatist base on your datapad and draws the attention of the 99’s gentle giant, Wrecker.

He breaks away from a conversation with Echo rather abruptly to ask you, yet again, “Hey, want me to scare ya?”

It doesn’t help your hiccups, but it does put a smile on your face. “We both know that doesn’t work, man, but you can give it a shot,” your laugh is interrupted by another hiccup, a tired grin taking over your face with a sigh. Wrecker returns your lopsided smile and nods, turning to Echo to continue their conversation. Your gaze returns to the datapad in your hands. Just as you’re ready to get back to planning the next phase of your attack, Wrecker stops mid sentence, he jumps in front of where you sit with a loud boo! eagerly awaiting your reaction. You look up from your datapad, not wanting to break the big guy’s heart, you put on your best scared face and pray your body doesn’t betray you. Of course, after a few seconds of clutching your chest in mock fear, you let out a loud, cartoonish hiccup and his shoulders sag in defeat. You let out a sad little laugh and a gentle, “Sorry, Wrecker.”

Wrecker only nods, before returning to his conversation with Echo in earnest this time, dejectedly plopping down in the seat beside his brother. Echo laughs, patting Wrecker’s shoulder, “You’ll get ‘em next time.”

You sink further into your seat and try to focus on your datapad, most of the time it's a distraction that really helps. It’s not long before Hunter emerges from the other end of the ship to go over plans for the next mission as Tech pulls the ship out of hyperspace and descends upon the planet below. Thankfully, your hiccups subside at some point during the briefing. Just in time, too; you’ll be teaming up with Hunter, who will provide cover for you to download Separatist weapon blueprints while Tech wipes them from the database. As soon as the ship touches down, the three of you make your way to the command center.

It’s almost too easy. Tech did predict there would be a shocking lack of battle droids at this base, you just didn’t think he really meant it so literally. Wrecker will surely be upset; his distraction won’t even be necessary. You turn a corner and easily take out two droids patrolling the hall before Echo comms in, already in position at and hacked into the security system.

“Hunter, you’ve got a clear path to the command center, this place is deserted,” the suspicion in Echo’s voice is evident and you don’t blame him. Still, you pick up the pace, if the Seppies are planning something it’d be best to make this quick. Echo opens the door of the command center just as you approach, revealing a handful of confused battle droids.

After a brief firefight, you and Tech make your way over to the main computer. He’s already plugging his datapad into their system, not looking up as he remarks, “There should be a tactical droid present, this is most likely a trap.”

“Well then we should hurry it up,” Hunter has his blaster at the ready, keeping watch while you scroll through the files Tech is rapidly decrypting from his datapad, “you find those blueprints yet?”

“Almo- hiccup” it’s like your body knows the worst possible time for them it almost feels personal sometimes, like the Force is punishing you. You’re quick to shake it off, too focused on the task at hand to even finish your sentence. Seconds later you find the files, quickly downloading them to a datastick, “Got them.”

Tech is already deleting the files from the database as you stash the datastick in your tool belt. Just as Tech untethered his datapad from the computer and drew his blaster, Hunter holds up a hand, silently signaling incoming. As if reading your mind, Echo comes through the comms, “Rollies headed towards you from the north hallway. About a dozen battle droids from the south.” You choke down a hiccup, trying to remain as silent as possible, and ready your weapon. Hunter shoots you a look before peering into the hallway, he makes a few gestures with his hand, of which you only understand half: cover, shoot, run. Hiccup.

Tech passes you two droid poppers and you both get into position, ready to attack the north hallway while Hunter takes the south. The rolling gets progressively louder before stopping a few feet from the door, waiting for unsuspecting thieves to run out. Instead they’re met with two perfectly aimed shots before Hunter bolts out, vibroblade in hand, drawing their haphazard fire towards the battle droids approaching from the south. You follow his lead, tossing a droid popper into the third droideka’s forcefield with practiced ease and drawing the remaining droid’s fire as its comrade falls at its side. Tech covers you as you wind up to toss the last droid popper, but, of course, just as it’s leaving your hand hiccup.

The droid popper veers to the left, rolling too fast, even if your aim was unaffected the velocity was not. You reach for your utility belt for another droid popper but Tech only handed you two. You shouldn’t have needed more than two. In a panic, you open fire on the massive droid knowing you’re not doing any damage, but keeping it’s focus on you rather than Tech. You glance behind you and there’s no sign of Hunter, on your left Tech is rolling another droid popper into the droideka’s forcefield.

Hiccup. It lets out one final shot before falling to the ground and for a second you forgot it’s focus was on you, not Tech, and you were the one that was supposed to be dodging its attack. The bolt grazes your arm, searing your plastoid armor. Hiccup.

“Well that coulda gone worse,” you laugh anxiously, turning to Tech with wide eyes.

His expression almost matches yours, “Indeed.”

You shrug before you both begin your dash down the south hallway to regroup with Hunter.

Back aboard the Marauder, Crosshair cleans his unused rifle while Wrecker complains that he didn’t get to use the new explosives you’d given him but it doesn’t seem like the sniper is paying too much attention to his brother's frustration. You review the blueprints with Tech and Echo, discussing the likelihood of the Separatists replicating the blueprints from scratch before the Republic can build and distribute the weapon. Highly improbable, according to Tech. You silently wonder where Hunter’s gone, it’s not that big a ship and your hiccups have subsided for now. Once again, as if hearing your thoughts, Echo gets up to look for the Sergeant.

Tech reads through a few other files he managed to download from the database while you stare blankly through the viewport, the swirl of hyperspace casting a blue glow over your furrowed brows.

“Thanks,” you finally pipe up, your eyes locked on the viewport, Tech glances up from his datapad, “I, uh, I’m not usually so helpless when I have them. Don’t really know what happened. But thanks.”

“It is human nature. Both singultus and the urge to save those close to you,” Tech’s gaze returns to his datapad as you hear footsteps enter the cockpit behind you, “your gratitude is unnecessary but appreciated.”

“Cool.” You smile, glancing to your left as Hunter takes the seat next to you.

“There are many causes of hiccups, I assume the main factor, in your case, is general anxiety.” Tech states plainly. You look over to him with a scoff, but his attention is now fully focused on the datapad.

“He’s right.” Hunter finally says and you redirect your shocked look from his brother to him.

“No- Anxiety? I’m not anxious,” Hunter shakes his head, and it almost looks like he’s smiling, “if that were true then Wrecker would be able to scare them away. It’d, like, cancel it out. I’m just a medical anomaly.” You cross your arms over your chest, shaking your head.

To that remark and your incredulous look, Hunter actually laughs. You’re vaguely positive you hear a quiet chuckle from Tech, too, but you’re too busy looking deeply offended to know for sure. Hunter shakes his head, “Well, heightened senses never lie. Your heart rate is out of control when you get them.”

Your gaze drops to your hands in your lap, fidgeting with your gloves, before you say, quietly and in disbelief, “So you’ve been avoiding me because of my heart rate? Not the hiccups?”

“It’s both.” Tech interjects.

“Great.” You scoff.

Hunter kicks the back of Tech’s seat, “Like I said, heightened senses. Sometimes, before a mission, it’s too much so I go find someplace quiet. Nothing personal.” You nod, sights still locked on your hands. “But,” that draws your attention, “if you’re feeling anxious, just tell us. We all understand.”

“Precisely,” Tech turns to look at you, “human nature.”

Hunter nods, “And I don’t want to see any more of this,” he points towards the burnt plastoid of your rerebrace, “talk to us. Understood?”

You look at the scorch in your armor then to the clones in front of you, the furrow in your brow softening to a smile as you nod, “Copy that.”

It's been almost a week since that mission and you haven’t had the hiccups once.

A/N: Busted Hyperdrive chapter 3 is on its way!! This is short and silly but it came to me in a dream so I just had to write it. I've always had violent hiccup attacks so this was a fun thought experiment. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to let me know what you think! <3

#the bad batch & reader #the bad batch x reader #the bad batch #the clone wars #star wars #hunter tbb #echo tbb #tech tbb #wrecker tbb #crosshair tbb

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beardedmrbean · 1 year ago

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Many morning papers, including Kuopio's Savon Sanomat, carry a review of a new survey by the Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA) showing that a growing number of Finns want to see more focus on cooperation in international affairs with other Nordic and Baltic countries.

Sixty-four percent of those surveyed said they think that cooperation with the Nordic countries should have more emphasis in Finland's foreign policy.

According to EVA's head of research Ilkka Haavisto, it seems that the Finns would like the Nordic countries to act as a more united front in foreign policy than at present.

"Traditionally, the Nordic countries have cooperated on many issues, but have rarely appeared as a unified block, because the countries' foreign and security policy solutions have not been aligned," Haavisto points out.

Slightly more than half of respondents were of the opinion that cooperation with the Baltic countries should be given more weight more in Finland's foreign policy, as well.

Greater willingness to cooperate with the Baltic countries is related to the Nato alliance and the fact that the foreign policy of the Baltic countries is increasingly valued in Finland, according to an EVA's press release quoted in the article.

"Russia's attack on Ukraine showed that the Baltic countries assessed Russia correctly," Haavisto says.

A similar annual values and attitudes survey has been carried out by EVA since 1984. This poll includes responses from more than 2,000 people who took part in a Taloustutkimus internet panel at the beginning of this year.

Danger below the Baltic waves

It is estimated that around 50,000 tons of chemical weapons and at least 200,000 tons of conventional munitions lie on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, the agricultural sector paper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus reports.

The weapons include bombs, artillery shells, mines, grenades and other munitions dumped by the Allies at the end of the Second World War. They are known to contain mustard gas, adamsite and an arsenic compound called clark1, among other deadly chemicals.

The paper says that studies have shown that toxins leaking from corroding ammunition casings end up in sediments and aquatic organisms. Hanna Niemikoski, a chemist at the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) says that small concentrations have been found in, for example, cod, flounder, lobsters and shrimp.

More research is needed on whether the small concentrations of toxins found in seafood affect the people who eat them.

However, Professor Paula Vanninen, who heads Finnish Institute for Verification of the Chemical Weapons Convention, told the STT news agency that the threat to the marine environment and consumers is real.

One reason that the the issue of dealing with World War II-era chemical weapons dumped in the Baltic is topical is the fast pace at which offshore wind farms are being built in the region.

Reining in onboard parties

Helsingin Sanomat tells readers that shipping lines operating ferries between Finnish and Swedish ports have taken steps to curb partying by passengers in cabins and corridors.

It notes that, for example, some of the ships have no plugs in the sinks in cabins. This is to prevent passengers from filling the sinks with cold water to cool drinks.

Cruise passengers are prohibited from bringing their own alcoholic beverages onto Tallink Silja and Viking Line ships. It is also forbidden to consume alcoholic beverages bought from the ships' stores on board. The consumption of alcohol is limited to bars and restaurants.

Viking Line rules says that any passenger who causes a disturbance in cabin areas can be ejected from the cabin and fined 120 euros.

Both shipping companies have limited alcohol purchases from tax-free shops on certain departures and the contents of some passengers' bags are checked before boarding. Among the items confiscated are not only alcohol, but also sound-system speakers and power tools.

Hazardous gusts

Iltalehti warns of increasingly difficult driving conditions in many parts of the country on Wednesday because of heavy rains and high winds.

It points to an advisory from Fintraffic's road traffic centre saying that hazardously high gusts of wind, up to 20 metres per second, are expected in Kymenlaakso, South Karelia and South Savo.

Heavy rains will also affect driving conditions in Uusimaa, Häme and North Karelia.

The Fintraffic advisory reminds drivers to maintain safety distances of the season, and to be especially careful when it is dark.

#nunyas news #updates from up north

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bahamutgames · 2 years ago

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AFTERTHOUGHTS - ROUNDUP ROUND 3

April 2023

Nintendo Switch Online Edition!!

HELLO EVERYONE! Yes, you right that right, NSO Edition. This time I'm gonna split the round up into 2 different posts. In April I spent most of the month moving. It was a particularly hard move but we managed to make it through. And some days I wouldn't have a car so I would just be sitting around with my Switch, and even after the move was done I did a lot of just sitting around cause I injured my feet during the move! So, I found myself playing a TON of Nintendo Switch Online games. I've mentioned before that I can't afford the expansion pass, but I was actually able to get 8 people who could all send me $10 each, so we were able to finally afford the $80 family plan!

As such, I've been finally getting to sink my teeth into those other emulators and try out stuff that isn't just on the default version. So get ready for a lot of N64 and Genesis stuff haha

As always, these aren't reviews just thoughts yadda yadda yadda. If you wanna play any of these play them. They're all easy to emulate (I think? Idk how good N64 emulation is atm). Anyway enjoy.

Kuru Kuru Kururin (March 21, 2001) - Gameboy Advance

Of course, we start with GBA first. I'm obsessed with this console and it's actually insane how few games on this console is available on Switch! But one of them is Kuru Kuru Kururin! Which is a game I've actually wanted to play for YEARS cause it's an assist in Brawl. But it never made its way over here (but I found out the day I played it that it WAS released in the UK so... I could have been playing it the whole time. Oops.)

But yeah now that's I've played it, I think this game is pretty cute! It's short and sweet, only having around 30 levels or something around that range. But it can be TOUGH to make it through! The game is all about patience so if you're like me, it's tough to make it through. And if you're like me, you'll use rewinds a LOT to make it through this cause you suck at waiting. Regardless, yeah, this game is fun! Cute music, cute visuals, and you can customize your ship!

Only real complaints is that some of the levels are like straight up mazes, so they can be really hard to navigate. And also in general the game is a little frustrating but I think generally people will find it very easy. Again I'm just not patient. Glad I finally got to try this one out! Would have loved to see this get a sequel on DS or 3DS or something. Oh well. Look at my custom ship! The red parts blink on and off like a warning light :)

Yoshi's Story (December 21, 1997) - N64

And here we go with some games I replayed! Recently I said in my first attempt to do a podcast (shameless plug) that I don't have a lot of memories with the N64. But getting NSO just totally brought everything back. I never forgot how much I loved Starfox 64, Paper Mario, ect ect. But I completely forgot about just how many games on this console I ADORE! One of which being Yoshi's Story!

I was OBSESSED with this game as a kid, I played every level in the game and this also spawned my love for the Black and White Yoshi! And I'm happy to say that, yeah, this game still holds up. I see SO many people say this game sucks. But honestly, I don't agree. Maybe if you payed $60 for it back in the day it'd be disappointing. And while it is easy there's a lot of levels to play and trying to get the high score can be really really tough in certain stages like the piranha plant level or the level with the big fishes.

Regardless, I still think this game is incredibly charming and fun! Great music, great visuals, i ADORE the characterization of the Baby Yoshis. This game really makes them feel like puppies? They growl and act so much like little dogs and I LOVE it. The story book aesthetic rules. I think the gameplay is great. And honestly, this might still be my favorite Yoshi game if you can believe it! My only major complaint when coming back to it is that the switch version makes a lot of the graphics look REALLY odd. This game gets the 2D stuff messed up more than anything else on the service. Very odd.

Starfox 64 (April 27, 1997) - N64

Here we go! Here is one of my all time favorite games EVER! Honestly... I don't even really think I need to write up my thoughts on it as I'm fairly certain the last time I beat this game and talked about it was just last year aha. Without a doubt, Starfox 64 is one of my all time favorites and is easily the game I have played to completion the most. I ADORE this game. So, yknow a quick run of it again wouldn't hurt right? I have NSO now anyway so I might as well...

And now we're here. Yeah, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. This game still absolutely RULES! It's such an amazing game and shmup (do on rail shooters count as shmups? I think they should... 3D Shmups). Even all this time later and after so many playthroughs the game never fails to scratch that itch. Great music, great levels, great characters, great gameplay. And that ending. Augh, gets me every time.

If anyone is curious my favorite route is

Corneria > Meteor Herd > Starwolf > Solar > Macbeth > Area 6 > Venom. Always my favorite set of levels to run through!

Pokemon Snap (March 21, 1999) - N64

Another all time favorite! I mean... This is basically an on rails shooter, if you think about it. Just with VERY different objectives and the bullets are, yknow, photos. So it's only natural I would love this Shmup classic! For real though, if you know me you know I LOVE taking pictures in game, so I love games all about taking pictures!

I used to play Snap a TON back in the day. And after I was absolutely madly in love with the sequel that took way too long to come out, I was interested in revisit the original for a bit now. I will come out of the gate and say it, New Pokemon Snap is better by leaps and bounds. It's got tons more content and things to do. But this only speaks to how good New Pokemon Snap is, because the original still holds up great! It feels fantastic to play, it's super cute, great music, lots of lovely scenarios to take pictures of. And it's made at that cute time period where the Pokemon brand was still figuring itself out. Honestly I think seeing Pokemon just living in nature is one of my favorite ways to see them and now I REALLY wanna play more NPS!

My only real complaints outside of just, not as much to do as the sequel that came out YEARS later is that the stages are SO short! I forgot how insanely short they are! I would love them to be a little longer with more Pokemon, but again that's what the sequel is for I suppose!

I had a bunch of really nice photos I wanted to show off but I deleted my save data before the final boss so I had to play the game a second time and didn't really feel so intense to take many pictures. eh.

F-ZERO X (July 14, 1998) - N64

I feel like I NEVER get to talk about it but I LOVE FZero! It's a series I totally adore and find super fun to play! And with the small amount of games in the series (crying and dying and coping and seething) it's also not very often I get to play a game in the series I've just NEVER played before! But here we are!

I've wanted to try this game for ages but just never could really get my hands on it for one reason or another. But now I didn't really have any reason not to try it! I'd still say it's not as good as GX, but it's still REALLY good! And it's crazy to me that they were so close to the insanity of GX on the N64. Game feels AMAZING to play and has TONS of characters, alt colors for each of them, and lots of tracks! And of course the OST is SUPER GOOD but that's not surprising for FZERO. I'm not a music guy but the guitars in this game sound really good and cool. And it has the fantastic cover of Rainbow Road if you've never heard that.

Off the top of my head the only issue I really have are kinda nitpicky. it's not amazing looking, but I totally understand that it just kinda can't look crazy good on N64, it's a big game with a lot going on and it's not gonna look as good as GX I'm not stupid. But a larger problem I had is that there are SO MANY KILL PLANES! I was trying to jump around the track and kept dying super high up or the collision for the road wouldn't load in cause I guess I skipped checkpoints. Frustrating. LET ME GO NUTS!!

But yeah, good game. I played as Pico and did every track in the Novice Class cause I suck

Dr. Mario 64 (April 8, 2001) - N64

Another game I've been interested in for a while but never got to play before. This one is very odd. it's Dr. Mario so of course it's good but it actually has a story mode with 2 very slightly different stories between Dr. Mario himself and Wario! Yeah this game actually features TONS of Wario Land 3 characters which is so weird and was a big reason I wanted to check it out.

Not much to say on this one. It's Dr. Mario so it's good. But it's just Dr. Mario. Story is cute. Although I didn't have the energy to play through both stories on higher difficulties so I didn't see the true final bosses. It plays fine, looks cool, has a good amount to do. I think the game is a little brutal though. I've never played VS Dr. Mario believe it or not. And I actually think trash blocks in this game are totally detrimental to you if you're not the best at it (like me) so the enemies had a pretty easy time just filling my board with garbage. Ah well. Still neat. Wouldn't mind a new Dr. Mario with a Story Mode and maybe more stuff like Miracle Cures from Miracle Cure on 3DS.

Kirby's Dreamland 2 (March 21, 1995) - Gameboy

Random Gameboy Jumpscare! Yeah last time I played Dreamland 1 so... Why not run through Dreamland 2? Yeah, this one is a LOT better than Dreamland 1. It's got copy abilities, and a whole game set up more similar to Adventure (or Nightmare in Dreamland if you're like me aha) and it has some animal buddies from Dreamland 3! Who, of course, all have different ways of using the copy abilities so there's LOTS to see and experiment with!

Cute sprites, some really honestly very cute and nice looking environments. Good soundtrack. It's honestly pretty dang good feeling and looking for a Gameboy game! I think something that really surprised me with this one is that there's a LOT of unique and cool boss battles in this that I've never really seen before as a casual kirby fan? Nruff, Sweet Stuff, and Ice Dragon are monsters I've seen before but never as bosses. It was neat and actually surprising to not only fight whispy and stuff. I know a lot of Kirby games have new bosses. But still!

Only complaints are stuff like. Ah not enough copy abilities or animal friends. But it's still gameboy there's only so much you can jam pack into it. No, my biggest issue is easily the final boss. Which, if you've played this game you might see the screenshot and realize I didn't fight! Every game in the Dark Matter saga (DL2, DL3, 64 as far as I'm aware?) all do this annoying thing where you can only challenge the final boss after 100% completing the game. This doesn't bug me all the time as I did this for Super Princess Peach and Demon's Crest, but I wasn't like ecstatic to do it in those even though I adore those games. And while I really like these Kirby games. I'm just not crazy enough about it to sit down and try to do EVERYTHING in them at the moment. But that's just me I'm sure Kirby fans could probably 100% this with their eyes closed. And if I ever do sit down to play the entire franchise, I will make an effort to try and grab everything and finally fight the true final bosses to these games.

Pokemon Stadium (April 30, 1999) - N64

Ah now here's a game I have a lot of nostalgia for! Despite not ever doing a full playthrough of the original RBY until last year, I played Stadium a BUNCH growing up! The minigames of course, everyone did, but I actually played Free Battle with Rental Pokemon a LOT for some reason. I was really into it and I remember really wanting Stadium 2 and whatever the GC and Wii ones were called but I never got them.

And something I tried as a child but never managed to do was beat Gym Leader Castle! And now I'm happy to say I did! Did it all with Rental Pokemon of course because they... dont have RBY on Gameboy Online for some reason which is a HUGE mistake by the way. I'll just come out and say it. With your own team I feel like this game would be REALLY exciting. But looking back, with Rental Pokemon. It's REALLY boring. It feels so slow to get through and I totally understand why I just didnt have the energy without save states as a kid.

BUT this game is still nice in a lot of ways. Very charming little title and I ADORE the animations made for all 150 Pokemon. They all have tons of personality, are fun to watch, and are just plain cute. I know Pokemon Company has said there's no reason to make a game like this now that Pokemon main series games are 3D but I disagree because a game like this really allows them to showcase unique emotions and quirks in the personalities of the different species. If that makes sense. Game looks good, music is nice, and of course the announcer is LEGENDARY.

No I am not unlocking Mewtwo, I thought you got him for clearing Gym Leader castle. You do not. I looked it up, you have to do EVERYTHING. I am not doing that.

Also if you wanna see the team I took on Gym Leader Castle with. All rental Pokemon of course. But still neat! (x)

Pokemon Puzzle League (September 25, 2000) - N64

Gosh now here's a REALLY weird game. For years I've seen people say this game is absolutely awful and... honestly it's not. It's just Panel De Pon so it's good objectively. But it still sucks but like, in other ways? Like. I don't know how to describe it the game is just really weird. It's fully based around the anime, which is rare. It has one or two original animations made just for the game (I think they're made just for it)? Which is neat. And it has covers of music from the anime which is neat! I was particularly blown away by the inclusion of Catch Me If You Can from the first movie which is a song I liked a lot in highschool lol. (no Free Up Your Mind or Brother My Brother though 0/10)

But I'dunno even though it plays fine and it has a lot of stuff to do including making your own boards for people to solve which is neat. The game just feels so lame? It looks like a PowerPoint presentation and while you can pick a Pokemon to bring into battle as far as I can tell it has 0 impact on the actual battles which is a HUGE waste because the blocks have type icons on them so I feel like there's a huge missed opportunity for a Panel De Pon game with like elemental weaknesses? Idk how to describe it but it really feels fake, or maybe like a flash game you would have played on the official Pokemon website back in the day. It's not bad but even playing it for free, I'd rather just play Panel de Pon lmao. Sorry Puzzle League.

THAT BEING SAID, I did randomly beat it twice so I could get the better ending. Which I didn't bother doing for Dr. Mario 64, so that's gotta be worth something.

Pulseman (July 22, 1994) - Genesis

Speaking of Pulseman, here's a game with no Pokemon in it! I'm sure I don't have to tell anyone this at this point but Pulseman was made by Gamefreak and even has a lot of the art done by Ken Sugimori which is very neat! This is a game I've actually enjoyed for a bit as I bought it on Wii Virtual console a loooong time ago. But I could never beat it sadly. Thankfully I finally managed to get through it!

Pulseman is VERY cool! I like the character designs of Pulseman and his sidekick girl a LOT. Pulseman also has a lot of really interesting abilities, I think the ability to run fast and build up static to super charge your moves is SUPER cool! There's even some voice acting which is REALLY neat. The game feels very advanced in a lot of parts. And the game has a lot of impressive visuals and looks very good for the most part!

For the most part though. I honestly can't help but feel a little disappointed in Pulseman now that I've played it? I think a lot of the levels don't play to Pulseman's cool abilities enough, I think a lot of the levels in general kinda suck. A lot of the game looks kinda headache inducing with tons of flashing lights instead of focusing on the REALLY nice sprite art if that makes sense. I don't really remember most of the enemies and bosses. And I don't recall any of the music. Idk I hate to say it cause I love Pulseman's design and a lot about the game. But I can't help but feel like this game didn't bring out the concept's full potential.

PERSONALLY I think Pulseman REALLY could use a sequel and honestly, it's not too late. I know Gamefreak is kinda eh on not doing Pokemon every year or so but I really think Pulseman is a game that could go SO nuts nowadays with some cooler levels and expansions on Pulseman's abilities and giving him new tools he can use and upgrade using the static electricity stuff. Ah well, it's still worth playing as an interesting piece of history!

Street Fighter II - Championship Edition (March 18, 1992) - Genesis

Can you believe I've never beaten this game before? Yeah despite how much I love fighting games I only really got into Street Fighter during covid when I played Street Fighter 4 and really found myself loving Juri Han. And while I've been REALLY wanting to get the Capcom Fighting Collection, which includes this, I've just been kinda strapped for cash so I'll have to go with the NSO for Street Fighter II!

Yeah it's fine. Not mind blowing but it is REALLY interesting to go back and play this and see how much of it is still accurate to modern day fighting games? Either the genre hasn't changed much or this game just hit the nail on the head so well (probably a bit of both) but yeah it's neat that it has a lot of modern day fighting game trappings and while it feels outdated, it doesn't feel as outdated as you would expect such an old console port fighting game to feel? Idk how SF2 feels in general though cause I've barely played it. But yeah it's neat. Looks good, has good music, stuff you would expect for Street Fighter. I played as Blanka cause Cammy isn't in this version. Neat :)

Super Fantasy Zone (January 14, 1992) - Genesis

Ah never a bad time for Shmups! I have a little bit of history with Fantasy Zone as I used to LOVE playing my bootleg NES cartridge of it as a kid! Fantasy Zone is very reminiscent of Twinbee with its cute bullet hell stuff and also having a living ship. I love OpaOpa.

This game pretty good, feels great to play, looks adorable, has great boss fights, nice music. And I especially LOVE how many upgrades you can buy for OpaOpa! I just wish they were all permanent or at least lasted longer? I also appreciate that it had a kind of out of nowhere ending with a really cool and edgy dark matter concept and villain, I guess I need to research more Fantasy Zone lore!

My only problem with this game, and while this may feel stupid, I think it's fair to bring up. This game feels like it would be impossible without rewinding? It's 1 hit and you're dead, and it's a bullet hell where it can be really hard to tell where everything is including your ship (which is REALLY important to tell where that thing is during bullet hells aha). With rewinds it wasn't a problem, but I genuinely don't know if it would be possible without them. Still, it's fun so if you have NSO (or an emulator which is free btw) it's a great time!

Ristar (February 16, 1995) - Genesis

Last, but absolutely NOT least, is Ristar! HEY!! RISTAR ROCKS!? WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THIS GAME RULES ACTUALLY!?!? I've seen it around a lot but idk the game just never really looked like something I'd enjoy. But I figured, why not? Let's give it a go. And I can safely say I was WRONG! Ristar is a FANTASTIC platformer I'm sad I never sunk my teeth into before (well, I never owned it I dont think. But still)

First off, Ristar is ADORABLE. I didn't like how he looked on the boxart but he looks GREAT in game and has some lovely animations (him making snowmen in the ice world killed me.) The music is also fantastic, the bosses are cool, and the whole game is full of really cool ideas! It's even got a neat albeit small story. But particularly, the visuals. Oh my god. This game is GORGEOUS! Ristar has such AMAZING sprite art I was honestly totally blown away by every part of the game's visuals! A part that really made my jaw drop when I first saw it is when you beat a world, the cutscene that plays when Ristar flies to the next planet looks AMAZING and also has some really beautiful music! Honestly, Ristar looks like an indie game trying to look like a Genesis game, but massively overshooting what the Genesis could actually do. And I mean that in the best way possible!

I have some nitpicks with it, I think the final boss had some attacks that were really stupid to dodge? And there were some stages that just... Weren't hitting. But I think my biggest issue with the game is similar to Pulseman's issue. Ristar has cool abilities. He can stretch his arms out and launch things around by bouncing into them like a sling shot. But, this just kind of never gets used? You use it for the spinny things but that's it? I feel like I should be able to angle enemies when I grab them to sling them into eachother, or just be using these abilities in ANY additional ways. Also the game is SLOOOOW, it's REALLY slow game. I think Ristar is another game that REALLY could use a second go around. Ristar 2 could really add to Ristar's abilities and turn up the speed! I think there's so much you could do with grappling and slinging with this character that hasn't been explored yet. PLEASE GIVE US RISTAR 2!!

#2023 #roundup #thoughts

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murumokirby360 · 2 years ago

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My NVMe Needs - Part 1: Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus NVme M.2 SSD (1TB) Review (w/ my paper dolls) [Apr 7th, 2023]

Hello, April! This is my first owned M.2 Solid State Drive! And man, I have a lot to talk about! So, get ready! 😁

Because this is Part 1 of "My NVMe Needs", and we're starting off with reviewing Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD (featuring my paper dolls). 😁

So, without further ado, let's get started:

1st to 3rd Image(s): ↑

• Will kick this off with the packaging itself! 🙂📦 It's a legit Samsung brand from a trusted & authorized online seller, which, by the way, I'll get to that in my "asking price" later. So far, I don't see any fake Samsung brands with this type of memory board, and the only thing you could find is their fake Samsung Micro SD / SD cards, so please avoid buying counterfeit Samsung stuff, they're not just worth your buck! Am I right, you two? Yeah I was right. Anyways, let's move on by revealing the real-life NVMe SSD! 😃

4th to 6th Image(s): ↑

• Once its opened, we're now looking at the real thing! 😮 Its actually pretty small stick than we've expected. And my paper dolls thinks that my M.2 SSD is shape liked a thin dark chocolate waffle biscuit. Yeah, ☝️ don't imagine for a sec because this is not a food that you consumed, it's a memory stick drive for my or our computer system! So, the paper dolls thought to themselves, "what is NVMe thingy?" 🤔 Well, I'm glad you ask!

• NVMe or Non-Volatile Memory Express is a modern storage protocol for next-gen Solid State Drives in a form of small rectangular shape circuitry boards. And NVMe stick is always attached through the motherboard instead of plugging SATA connectors (for Hard Drives & 2.5mm Solid State Drives), much like their cousins, the M.2 SATA & mSATA sticks (without the NVMe attached). NVMe stick is essentially a Hard Drive on steroids albeit more compact & ultra slim onto a motherboard. Plus, it had a much faster rate for read & write speeds than bulky 3.5mm mechanized hard drives, slim 2.5mm mechanized hard drives & even SATA Solid State Drives (also 2.5 mm). Heck, even M.2 SATA & mSATA sticks can't outpace the NVMe's fast transfer rate. BUT... The only downsides for NVMe stick are; No. 1 - it tends to overheat without equipping the heat sink, and No. 2 - they're pretty expensive depending on what memory size, trusted memory brands & type of gens (whether Gen3 or Gen4) should you buy. So far, 1TB, 2TB & even 4TBs are the most expensive line of NVMe sticks. Uh yeah, and much like existing onboard memory chipboards the NVMe's won't make any noise compared to 3.5mm & 2.5mm mechanized hard drives that have buzzy sounds while vibrating our PC desktop case at the same time.

• If you want more information about NVMe SSD, then you could always click these links → [CLICK ME! #1], [CLICK ME! #2]. Now, onto our next images & video.

My recorded video, 7th & 8th Image(s): ↑

• [Recorded video & 7th Image] In my clip, you could see I'm holding my owned NVMe stick with my fingers for the first time. 🤲😮 And man, for such a small memory stick, it had a little heft to it from its slim metal components & onboard memory chips. And inside that package, there's an instruction manual about the NVMe stick. 📄 What a convenient way to store that manual though. 👍

• [8th Image] So, you two. Are you still imagine about my NVMe stick that looks like a waffle stick? Nah, I don't think so! lol 😅

9th to 11th Image(s): ↑

• Now, upon opening the manual, there's a tiny pamphlet saying that I need to download the "Samsung Magician" software for my NVMe stick to check the memory health, see stats, and more. It's a must-install software once I attach my NVMe stick to PC's motherboard. 🙂👌

12th to 15th Image(s): ↑

• Alright, here's a closer look at my future memory storage, and yes, it is a pretty thin and pretty solid build that was made (by Samsung). You noticed, why are stickers attached to that NVMe stick? Well, it may look like stickers, but rather stickers with thin thermal pads on each side, one of which has a half for the thin copper pad. And what's the purpose? To keep the chips chill from overheating while running the computer. 🧊⬇️🖥️ However, that wasn't enough to cool down and thus require a heat sink to keep the NVMe stick running for long period endurance. Yeah, it still debating on why should I need a heat sink for my NVMe stick or not? But, much like graphics card's processor & the CPU chip, the NVMe stick NEEDS a heat sink. So, there's that.

• So, what do you think, you two? Should I need a heat sink? They said "I hope so". Make sense (, I guess). 🤔

16th to 19th Image(s): ↑

• Finally, a comparison between my NVMe stick & two 2.5mm (mechanized) hard drives, one with the durable case (my Adata HD330), while the other was from an old laptop (Western Digital Scorpio Blue 160GB) & it's still functional. Even though, no one using it, including me. Now, I was gonna add another hard drive (the fat 3.5mm one), but unfortunately, I'm still hurt my emotions from losing my precious files. 😟😓 But, fear not because it's already well documented by countless photos, like this one → [CLICK ME!]. 👈🙂 As for their weight ⚖️, they're pretty different numbers in their own right. So, here are the ff. numbers (using my digital scaler): ↓

○ NVMe: Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus (1TB) - 10g (lightest of the three)⚖️ ○ 2.5mm HD: Western Digital Scorpio Blue (160GB) - 93g ⚖️ ○ External 2.5mm HD: Adata HD330 (2TB) - 173g (heaviest of the three)⚖️

• [19th Image] Hey, you two! Do you want a take home with this old slim HDD? 😁 You can have it & eat it! Yeah, I don't think they won't eat it. lol 😂

Overall & Asking Price:

• I'm so happy to own my first ever NVMe SSD stick, and I can't wait to test it out with my functional PC. 😊🖥️ Although, I'm unable to test my first owned NVMe SSD stick without a heat sink to prevent overheat 😕. And good news 👍, I've already ordered it from Lazada Philippines! 🛒🌐🇵🇭 But, the bad news 👎, it's Holy Week. So, the delivery process will be resumed next week 🗓️. Looks like, I'll make another topic before I combined it into one review package. 🤷

• As for the "Asking Price", it's around ₱ 5,000 💵 for this Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus, 1TB variant [CLICK ME!]. Actually, ₱ 4,986 💵 to be specific, with a huge discount & free shipping vouchers during Lazada's birthday discount sale 🛒🌐🇵🇭 (in March every year) 🏷️🧾🎂📅. Making it the most expensive item that I purchased online. 🤑 And what online store that I've ordered the Samsung NVMe stick? 🤔🛒 Well, this → [CLICK ME!] (which, I mentioning the name. Sorry... 😅) As of this writing, Lazada is having a 4.4 fest discount sale, from April 4th to 8th, 2023 (Southeast Asia exclusive). However, you could get it on your favorite online shopping sites (e.g. Amazon, Aliexpress, etc.), as long as you have enough cash to spare and/or wait for the discount sale. (Black Friday might be a long road for you, but you'll save your wallet's dough.)

• Anyways, in my next plan, well... Umm... I think I should test with my first owned NVMe stick without a heat sink (while I'm waiting for my order)? So, who knows what would happen? 🤷 But, I gonna need to record something as my benchmark before I migrated from mechanized HDD to high-speed SSD NVMe using a trusted migration software. 🖥️➡️🖥️ Hmmph... I don't know, but we'll see in the coming weeks before this month ends. 🤔

Well, that's all for now!

If you haven't seen my previous topic, then please [CLICK ME!].

Tagged: @lordromulus90, @bryan360, @carmenramcat, @leapant, @alexander1301, @rafacaz4lisam2k4, @paektu

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extended-google-reviews · 4 days ago

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Yugo University Club Review

Yugo College Park University Club · 4800 Berwyn House Rd, College Park, MD 20740

Google Review

Lease: 1 year, Studio Apartment ($1400) with parking ($100)

TLDR; If you can afford elsewhere I would highly recommend that. I lived in a studio for a year, it was what I paid for cheap rent in the area ($1500). Constant pest issues despite maintaining a clean apartment, and AC/HVAC system so old that there were periods of too much heat or too cold in the apartment. Front desk people seemed pretty nice overall. Living here is doable but you must be prepared.

Advice for future tenants

If you have to live here, here are some notes that helped me:

taking pictures/videos and documenting all damages upon move in, and state in damage inspection move-in form

keeping a super clean apartment

apply pest traps/spray/diatomaceous earth around apartment

ensure parking pass displayed in car (towing costs $175 minimum)

studio kitchens are really small, no counter space, and no ventilation

laundry is not free

submit maintenance tickets ASAP

bring a fan and warm blanket for periods of uncomfortable temperature

do not lose your key fob, and where key fobs hang from keys is weak and will break (replacement is $100)

have visitors park at the Seneca Building for free 4PM-7AM weekdays and free all weekend

visitor parking at the apartment is $10, whether overnight or not

bring earplugs/eyemask if sensitive to loud noises at night

Before Move In

I was not allowed to tour or inspect any other rooms than the model room. Even after signing the lease and knowing there were no residents in the room. They miscalculated many of my initial charges, and I would recommend double checking them yourself before paying anything.

Move In

Apartment was not cleaned well beforehand, recommend cleaning everything yourself first. Flies were everywhere. Weird marks, damages and other defects found everywhere in apartment. I documented them all and took video/photo evidence. They eventually did repair some of them, such as a broken door.

During

Constantly was finding flies, small roaches, and crickets in the beginning. I kept my apartment clean (washing dishes after every meal, not leaving food out, vacuuming twice a week) and the roaches and crickets slowly went away. Smaller flies seemed to always come out when cooking or eating. I also plugged sinks in kitchen and bathroom when I was not using them.

Bathtub and kitchen sink faucets were leaky or hard to stop water. Put a ticket in for it but the new faucets were only a little better. I was always wary of water leaking from these two sources.

Gas stove but no ventilation. If cooking meat you will set the fire alarm off if you do not open windows. No counter space, ended up using another table for cooking. Put in maintenance tickets about my dishwasher never being hooked up to the water line and plugged in, but was never fixed. Very small kitchen in studio apartment.

Thermostat seemed to do nothing. Two vents in my room had knobs that actually influenced temperature with off, low, medium, high fan settings. The off setting still has air coming out of vent. This is what causes periods of uncomfortable temperature. The building is old so the HVAC system can only be set to heat or AC, never both. Thus when it was warmer in the fall and the heat mode was on, the apartment was around 80+ degrees Fahrenheit despite both thermostat and vents being off.

Wifi speed was good, but weird that it was an open network. For security reasons, I used a VPN when possible.

Parking is $100/month, and parking pass must be shown in car windshield. Towing only checks is parking pass is present, nothing else. Got my car towed for putting parking pas away after auto maintenance and forgetting to put back on (despite having registered my vehicle for my parking space). ASAP picking up from towing company was $175.

Visitor parking was $10 per day, and didn't matter if visitor was staying overnight or not. I asked the front officed multiple times for confirmation. Free parking at the Seneca building or lot 11b on weekdays 4PM - 7AM and weekends all day.

Key fob was cheap and flimsy, and attachment to my keys broke within a few days. Recommend placing key fob in another container or holder. Replacement was $100.

Area was loud at times with unruly people at night. Sometimes residents are loud in the hallways as well. Not controllable by anyone by just a heads up. Bring earplugs and eye mask if it bothers you.

Laundry is not included in rent, and was roughly $3 for both wash and dry. Additionally, for many months the washer and dryer were broken.

Trash facilities are not great, and probably what is causing all the pest issues. I always took my trash to outside dumpster.

will update for Move Out, and anything else

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babylull079 · 17 days ago

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The Top 2 Best Baby Bath Tub Of 2024

Explore the top 2 best baby bath tubs in 2024, meticulously selected to provide the ultimate blend of safety, comfort, convenience, and innovation for your baby’s bath time. These bathtubs offer thoughtfully designed features to ensure a secure, enjoyable, and hassle-free bathing experience for babies and parents. Whether you have a newborn, infant, or toddler, these top-rated tubs cater to every stage of your child’s development, with ergonomic designs that cradle your baby safely, anti-slip surfaces for stability, and soft, skin-friendly materials to ensure their comfort.

Key features include easy-drain technology, making cleanup a breeze, and temperature-sensitive plugs or digital displays that help you monitor the perfect water temperature, giving you peace of mind. From compact and foldable models ideal for travel or small spaces to more luxurious options with built-in toys, entertainment elements, and adjustable recline positions, these baby bathtubs are designed to meet every need.

Whether you prioritize portability, ease of storage, or long-term use with convertible designs that grow with your child, these bathtubs offer lasting value, safety, and functionality. We’ve compared the best options based on their durability, hygiene features, ease of use, and parent reviews to ensure you find the best fit for your family. Make bath time fun, safe, and stress-free with these expertly chosen baby bathtubs, and learn what makes them the top contenders for new parents seeking the best in baby care essentials.

1.Frida best baby bath tub

The Frida Baby Bath is designed to make bath time easier and more comfortable for parents and babies. Its ergonomic shape supports the baby’s body while ensuring safety, and its compact design fits most sinks and tubs. With non-slip padding and easy drainage, it provides a stress-free bathing experience.

The bath is also lightweight and portable, perfect for travel or home use. It’s ideal for newborns and infants, offering a secure and soothing environment for a clean and happy baby

What is Frida baby bath?

The Frida Baby Bath is a well-planned bathing product that puts safety and comfort first for your baby. Its shape fits the body holding the baby , so parents can wash their child . The bath is small enough to fit in sinks or regular bathtubs making it useful for different homes.

One of its main features is the grip padding, which keeps the baby steady during bath time lowering the chance of slips or unease. Also, the Frida Baby Bath has a clever water system letting water out to move from bathing to drying. light and easy to carry, this bath is perfect for families who travel often. When you visit friends or go on a trip, you can pack and move the Frida Baby Bath without any trouble.

The Frida Baby Bath looks good and works well making bath time safer and better for parents and babies alike. It’s a must-have for any nursery helping to make daily tasks easier while creating special moments between parent and child. the Frida Baby Bath is easy to use and helps make bath time simple for parents and babies. Here’s how to use it step by step:

Get Your Stuff Ready

Before you start, get everything you need: baby soap, shampoo, a soft washcloth, a towel, and any bath toys you want. Having all this stuff nearby will help things go .

Pick a Good Spot

Put the Frida Baby Bath on a safe flat surface, like a sink or bathtub. Make sure the surface doesn’t wobble and you have enough space to move around

MORE DETELS

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phawareglobal · 4 months ago

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Robert Frantz, MD - phaware® interview 475

Dr. Robert Frantz, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, discusses current and upcoming clinical research in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). He emphasizes the low participation rate of PAH patients in clinical trials and encourages patients to consider participating, as it not only benefits themselves but also helps advance medical knowledge. @MayoClinic @MayoMedEd

I am Dr. Robert Frantz. I'm a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic there. Today, I'd like to talk a little bit about what's in the pipeline in clinical research in pulmonary arterial hypertension. The concepts include inhaled therapies that aren't really acting as vasodilators, but maybe anti-proliferatives with maybe some anti-inflammatory effect. This includes inhaled imatinib. Imatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is known as GLEEVEC in the cancer world, but which had been shown to drop pulmonary vascular resistance in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension years ago, but never came to market for that indication, because there were too many side effects with the oral administration, and there were rare cases of cerebral bleeding in patients that were on anticoagulation. However, the concept of inhaling the imatinib, where then you're delivering the drug right to where it needs to be, will hopefully lead to fewer off-target effects, because the blood levels are quite low. So, the IMPAHCT study is looking at this inhaled imatinib and just finished the Phase 2 study and has sort of a seamless integration of the Phase 3 that launched immediately after the Phase 2 completed. That's very interesting and it will be exciting to see where that goes. Continuing on the theme of inhaled therapies to try to avoid systemic side effects, there's inhaled seralutinib like que sera sera. What will be will be, but we want to change PAH. This is a compound that was designed to have some of the effects of a drug like imatinib, but even more powerful at some of the receptors that imatinib hits, and also to hit a pathway on activated macrophages, which are around the blood vessels and can cause inflammation. So, that's the colony stimulating factor 1R inhibition aspect of seralutinib. Seralutinib was shown in Phase 2 studies to reduce pulmonary vascular resistance. So, if that could occur in patients with PAH in the Phase 3, then it should be associated with improvement in six-minute walk. So, the Phase 3 study, PROSERA, is randomizing patients with PAH to either inhale seralutinib or a placebo. The end-point is six-minute walk. See if we can make people function better that way. So that's also a really exciting thing that's going on. Now, to change tack a little bit, some patients have what we call combined pre and post-capillary pulmonary hypertension, where the pulmonary artery pressures are high, but maybe the left side of the heart is stiff in how it fills, what we call heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. That then backs blood up into the lungs and back into the pulmonary arteries. Some people, they have more severe pulmonary hypertension that's causing the right ventricle to fail, as well. So, the left side of the heart is stiff, the pressure's high in the pulmonary arteries, and the right heart's also impaired. Very hard to treat with pulmonary vasodilators, because it's sort of like opening up the faucet if the sink is plugged up. You can increase flow into the lungs with a pulmonary vasodilator, but it has trouble getting out and you just cause pulmonary congestion. The CADENCE study is taking sotatercept, which is at the FDA now for consideration for approval for pre-capillary pulmonary arterial hypertension, and the date for that review is March. The concept with using sotatercept in patients with combined pre and post-capillary PAH and a stiff left heart would be if they're suffering with right heart failure and backup of fluid on the right side, as well, that you may be able to drop that pulmonary resistance without necessarily forcing a lot more blood through the lungs, but making it easier for the right heart to pump. So, in those patients, they'll be treated with optimal therapy to make the left side of the heart fill as well as possible, which are currently therapies like SGLT2 inhibitors, which are sodium glucose transporter type 2 inhibitors that make people dump fluid and salt and glucose in the urine and have been shown to be helpful for a stiff left heart syndrome. So, you might optimize a patient on that to try to get the left heart filling pressures down as much as possible, and then maybe put them into a study of sotatercept to try to lower pulmonary resistance to make it even easier for the right side of the heart to pump. So, unmet needs in the PAH world that are going to be met in the years to come. I think it's really exciting that this is happening. The percentage of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension that actually participate in clinical trials is remarkably low. Partly there may be exclusion criteria for which they're not allowed into the study. Partly it's a lot of back and forth to the center in order to have follow-up testing. So, things of that type can sort of reduce the number of patients coming in, but it's also an opportunity to get a therapy that's not yet available. If it turns out to be a therapy that's effective, you might be a couple years ahead of the game by going in a clinical trial. So, I encourage patients to consider it carefully, talk to their physicians and providers about it, and think about getting involved, because being in a clinical trial, you're not only doing something maybe good for yourself, but you may be helping another person, as well, which is a pretty cool thing. Whenever we're seeing a patient with medical issues that aren't adequately controlled, we're thinking about the whole range of options. What do we know could be effective that's not being optimized right now, and what can we do about that? That's the low-hanging fruit. Sometimes, in pulmonary hypertension, it's recognizing that oxygen levels are low at night and detecting that and then giving people oxygen at night or treating sleep apnea. The prevalence of sleep disordered breathing resulting in low oxygen levels at night and pulmonary hypertension is remarkably high. There's no salesperson knocking on our door saying, "Hey, look for this because then we can sell you this drug for it." It's like, "Oh, you have to think of it." Maybe a problem is that the oxygen levels are low at night and that's contributing to the pulmonary hypertension and right-sided heart failure. I'm struck at how often we just do overnight oximetry and pick that up. Little things like that that are clearly within the mainstream of currently proven medicine are sometimes overlooked. Then, if there are clinical trials, then we have to talk to our patients about what about their situation makes us think this might be or not be a good fit for them. Fortunately, most of the drugs in pulmonary hypertension that have been developed work in the majority of patients to some extent, so it's not necessarily that we know how to look at a patient say that probably won't work for you. But on the other hand, there are very specific subgroups of patients that some clinical trials are trying to find, and if the patient doesn't fit that criteria, then it doesn't make sense to go there. So, a careful discussion and looking at the options. A neat thing people can do to take a little empowerment themselves is to look at www.clinicaltrials.gov. It's a website where you just type in pulmonary arterial hypertension or if you heard about a drug, put in the name of that drug and boom, you'll see what clinical trials are going on, often with some inclusion/exclusion criteria for you to look at and centers that might be doing the study. So, I think it behooves patients who have any kind of disease that's not adequately managed to be thinking about what's out there. Sometimes you have to be proactive to make it happen, if that study's not being done in your local area. My name is Dr. Robert Frantz, and I'm aware that my patients are rare.

Learn more about pulmonary hypertension trials at www.phaware.global/clinicaltrials. Follow us on social @phaware Engage for a cure: www.phaware.global/donate #phaware Share your story: [email protected] #phawareMD

Listen and View more on the official phaware™ podcast site

#pulmonary hypertension #phaware #rare disease #lung disease #clinical trials #podcast #PH #asthma

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820619 · 8 months ago

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Update 2 - Oct 2023

I like tech, and i like tinkering with automation and programming, so part of my ambition for Sanctuary is to automation where it makes sense and make things easier when a) I have guests over to entertain, and b) should I need help with something in an emergency.

I've always been interested in the idea of a smart lock, and having remote access to a home without a key, however most devices look really obvious and I wanted something discrete from a manufacturer I vaguely knew. I started reading into it and the lock company Yale actually released a new smart lock whilst i was doing my research, the Conexis L2. The L1 was met with lukearm reviews, as the app was janky to use, it didnt always work, and some of the most obvious features were left out of the device. Luckily though, reviews of the L2 seemed to suggest that this was all addressed with the new device, so I decided to give it a shot.

One of the best things about this lock is the ability to check if the doors locked from wherever. I constantly leave for work, lock the door, walk 3 steps and then think "did i lock the door?", go back and then check it. Now I can just check from my phone (even though I always lock the door). Its also very useful for house sitting, as i can get spare keyfobs, assign them a name and then hand them out to immediate family. Similar for contractors too - if im at work, I can either unlock the door from my phone should they ring me, or give them access through the app via a guest email address and account. I can then restrict access as and when they do work for me. This is basically the same as giving them a key, but i dont have to chase them up to get the key from them should they forget to give it to me.

It does have a Geofencing feature too so that it primes the unlock when youre in a specific range, and then when your phone is near the door it will unlock for 30ish seconds before locking again, but this is only really useful if you have your hands full with shopping and you cant really get to your keys - otherwise its a bit of a gimmick.

Overall, pretty happy with it - its not overly "look at me - im a smart lock" and its been faultless since i installed it.

The dishwasher also arrived, so I spoke with R - a work colleague who suggested i get a dishwasher and he could help install all the pipework and get it all set up - and we penned in a date to get it all plumbed in. I got all the bits and pieces he specced out for me beforehand.

On the day, we took the washer out of its slot, removed the cabinets either side of it, and then looked at the plumbing. We just needed to put a T piece in and another line for the washer water supply - we did this with JG Speedfit components, that are simply push fit fittings and snap together like Lego.

We noticed that either side of where the washer was, there were tiles missing. This wasnt an issue, as we put some wood board in the slots, but made levelling the washer a PITA.

We also had to relocate the plug socket on that wall so that it didnt foul on the back of either of the appliances.

At that point, I realised the cupboard next to the washers new position wouldn't open because it didn't have enough clearance, so we moved a door from the other end of the kitchen cupboards with hinges on the opposite side, and put it next to the washer. This meant i could now open the washer door and the cupboard door.

The last thing to do in terms of pipework was replace the pipework under the sink with a U piece that had two waste points instead of a single waste point. This involved some cutting of the cupboard sides to accommodate the pipework, but that wasn't an issue either as I have more than enough cupboard space and could relocate things if needed.

Once it was all connected, we ran both appliances at the same time to make sure the connections for the waste water were all tight and could handle both lines being pressurised at the same time, and then started measuring out the new end-board, as previously this was the side of the small cupboard we had removed.

The end-board was due to be delivered that day, so we waited for it to get here. When it did, we measured it to size, cut the board, and then fit it into place - we cut snuggly and reinforced its location with some L brackets that went into the sideboard and the wall. Pleased with the fit and it was a pretty close match in terms of colour and surface to the rest of the kitchen, so I was happy with that too.

Once all that was completed, checked the connections for the waste water and noticed the washer was leaking a little - i hadn't tightened it up enough it seems! We retightened, and then ran the washer again to check if it leaked and when we were confident it hadn't, we then spent half an hour levelling the bastard thing. Super annoying and some of it was guesswork as the far corner had to be levelled, pushed back into position, then we had to rock it gently to see where it moved, pull it back out and adjust and rinse and repeat. Even now, in March 2024, its not perfect and I am going to have to replace the wood board with something else as it seems to be getting noisier with each cycle, but its running for now and that's the main thing.

Overall though, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, and the appliances themselves have been faultless so far. Both are LG, with "smart" functions, which are somewhat useful and somewhat gimmicky.

Useful features including telling me when it is time to run a cleaning cycle with some sort of cleaner , as well as the washer auto stopping if it senses too much vibration from an unbalanced load. It will then send a message to the LG ThinQ app asking me to remove some items or to rearrange them in the drum - this will stop it damaging itself or from running across my kitchen. The dishwasher has a steam mode to really clean glass or ceramic items, like stained glasses or casserole dishes with years of baked on crap - whilst not tied to a smart function as such, its been pretty handy to use. The dryer function on the washer/dryer is also pretty energy efficient, i think in part because its got a heat-pump to generate the heat which it then just cycles round for a few hours, and on the other hand its about 10 years newer than the previous dryer left behind by the previous owner.

Gimmicks include being able to download "niche" cycles onto the machines, which so far has been pointless since none of the cycles that you can download offer anything you cant already achieve with the standard, in machine ones.

Having a dishwasher is much better for me as an individual, as its a good way to make the most of my time outside of work - it can do the washing whilst i sleep :)! Still, at this point Sanctuary didn't feel like my home. It felt like i was house sitting and being a super generous house sitter by maintaining it and buying new appliances whilst it is under my watch... I think as I put more of my own mark on it, it'll feel much more homely - even now, 8 months into ownership, im 50/50 feeling like a house sitter and like this is my own space.

#home upgrades #lg electronics #plumbing #first home

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inya-rose · 10 months ago

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