#also yes all my tools are currently made of cardboard

[the-ghost-of-jason-todd]

adhd strikes again yadda yadda etc BUT

i've taught myself how to tablet weave (in ~4 days, no less) and i'm SO CLOSE to making the perfect red hood symbol pattern you have NO idea. like legit i'm on version 3 and i think with a few final tweaks in v4 i might really have it 👀

insane hobby for insane people (me) but LOOK AT THIS SHIT

also here, look at the comparison of v3 to v4:

we'll see how it goes lol

also if anyone knows where to find funky modern patterns PLS I NEED TO KNOW

[kurinoot]

[day 1] one box of chocolates | tendou satori

-> you’ve been wanting to surprise your boyfriend with your own batch of chocolates and better yet, grace him with your presence this coming valentines. to your shock, you got more than what you thought it would be.

pairing: tendou x reader

themes: fluff, post-timeskip

word count: 2125 words

author’s note: I can’t believe I’m writing again! hahaha, and tendou being my first haikyuu character to create a fic uwu anyways, he was kinda hard to write on as he only got shots from seasons 3 and 4, so this may somehow seem ooc but please, I do accept constructive criticisms :) enjoy!

btw, I added a music in specific parts of the story so you can play them if you want so as to add some touches while you’re reading :)

"Ah, I hope the chocolates haven't melted yet!", you sigh tiredly with worry as you scramble your hand inside your carry-on bag, carefully checking your box of handmade chocolates as you make your way through the bustling Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The almost 14-hour non-stop flight has definitely taken a toll on you and the jet lag is definitely not helping you either.

You finally feel the cold air kissing your skin as you drag your way out of the airport, gingerly carrying your baggage all the while ensuring that your handmade gift is in good hands. Apparently, you weren't informed that Paris in February would require you more layers of clothing than what the thin sweater you’re wearing could offer. With a rush, you immediately went to the nearest vacant taxi. You rattled your brain for some basic French, muttering a soft “Bonjour” as you pinpoint the driver to your phone, showing him your destination. After a while, you finally feel the weight of the jet lag in your body. You deeply sigh as you finally let yourself sink in the back seat of the taxi. The driver seemed to know something, if you fumbling with your words and the way you slumped on the back seat was a sign.

"Rough day, mademoiselle?", the driver asks you in English (to, at least, your surprise) with a rough French accent, smiling. You brighten up a bit despite the stress, "Uh yes, monsieur. Am I right? It's probably the jet lag, but yeah.".

"Don't worry, your basic French is good! So, what is a young mademoiselle doing here alone? And on Valentines’ Day?”

“Ah merci! I’m actually here to visit this chocolate shop.”, you reply with a bright smile as you pinpoint your phone to the said location once again. He grins, to your surprise.

“Ah yes! That shop is actually famous around these parts, especially this Valentines’ season. Although, the owner is quite weird and even creepy for most people from what I heard around here.”, he mentions, and despite getting accustomed to how most people see Satori, you felt your hand cusp into a fist as you gritted your teeth, seething in annoyance and preparing to fight back or even to get off the taxi.

“Yet despite the rumors, he’s a kind young man. Eccentric one, I admit, but he knows the chocolate fit for the customer. Hell, he even helped me pick for my wife!” The driver continues, chuckling at the memory.

You feel all the anger in you disappear, proud of your boyfriend, as it was somewhat kind of rare for you to hear good compliments about him, “That’s just probably how other people see him. I would say, he’s a tad too eccentric for most people. He’s kind and soft-hearted and cute if you get to know him beyond the surface.”, you reply languidly with proud eyes.

You saw his eyes glance at you, before looking back at the road.

Unknowingly, your smile didn’t falter at the memory of Satori. “In fact, the owner is my boyfriend! And I’m actually here to visit — or rather, surprise him today!”

The driver chuckled softly, “Figures. You were talking about the owner like he’s your lover, and,” He paused, his eyes gazed towards the photograph of a woman that you took notice of earlier. “I can say the same.” His voice became tender as he continued driving.

You have finally arrived at your boyfriend’s little happy place, much to your joy and excitement. You immediately paid the driver and thanked him for the ride (and for the conversation). As soon as you get out of the cab, the driver calls you out, rummages something from a compartment in his cab, and surprises you with a lush red rose, thankfully free of its prickly thorns.

"You somehow remind me of me and my wife when we were younger, and it's Valentines' Season and better yet, you're in the City of Love! So please, take this as a Valentines' souvenir, mademoiselle".

"Oh you didn't have to, monsieur!"

“Good luck with that boyfriend of yours, mademoiselle! Yer both lucky to have each other.”, he says, somehow inspired by how you defended Satori as he mutters an ‘ah, young love’ to himself afterwards as he waves before driving to his next destination. Despite the jet lag creeping in your system, you grasp the remaining energy you have to at least surprise your boyfriend with your presence in the spirit of Valentines' Day in the City of Love.

I can't believe I'm in Paris, and I'm seeing Satori's shop for the first time!, you thought as you giddily reached for the eccentric gold-gilded handle of the door, slowly opening the door to the shop. The instant scent of the cocoa hit right through your senses as your eyes ran across the various chocolates on display. Walking further, you were graced with the view of your beloved with his back on you, occupied with washing his tools to finish the day as he sways his hips to the rhythm of the song he’s humming so softly.

He stops humming as soon as he hears the chime of the door bell, "Je suis désolée, on est fermé. (I’m sorry, we’re closed)", you hear Satori with bits of his Japanese accent as he continued humming afterwards, clueless of who had entered his shop.

"Well, I was thinking of grabbing a Valentines' special with my boyfriend.", you replied teasingly, emphasizing the word boyfriend, which left the budding chocolatier a bit frozen in shock as he turned to your direction with wide eyes before shifting to a smirk as he leans on the countertop, narrowing his eyes towards you as an “Oh, what do we have here?” leaves his mouth.

“My Sugar!”, he nearly screamed, seeing you as he dropped everything he’s doing and rushed to hug you tightly, not caring about his wet hands.

You lovingly welcome his arms as you hug him back tightly, soaking in his presence after being separated for so long.

“I missed you so much, Satori!”, you pout as you felt him tightening his embrace, as you savored his warmth after a long flight, his breath tickling the nape of your neck. You gasp a little bit as he gently caresses your hair, maximizing his hug with you to finally see, touch, and feel you in person.

You felt Satori loosen his arms, as you immediately replaced with the warmth of the Parisian cold, much to your disappointment. Without you knowing, Satori sees even the slightest of your body trembling from the current weather and rushes back in the kitchen to grab his Shiratorizawa jacket, much to your surprise. He then returns to you, gracefully sliding the jacket over your shoulders.

You pout at him with a prominent blush on your plump cheeks, “Thank you, Satori”, to which he replies with another hug much tighter compared to the one a few minutes ago.

“I love, love, LOVE you so much, my chocolate ice cream!”, he exclaimes as you were suddenly smothered with a couple of pecks — light kisses on your head. You snuggled closer to his chest, eagerly smelling his sweet scent of chocolate that suddenly reminded you of your handmade chocolate that you’ve left unattended for hours. You quickly scramble away from the contact, much to your endearing boyfriend’s curiosity, to see if the chocolate has withstood not only the long flight, but also Satori’s warm, tight hugs. Luckily, the red cardboard box was sturdy enough and only had a couple dents — making you sigh in relief. As soon as you pull out the box, you see your boyfriend narrowing his eyes to the direction of the box with peaked curiosity.

“Ah, what do we have here?” Satori teases, pulling off a smirk, eyes still on the box as he receives it. He gave it a little shake, that made you giggle as he playfully tried to guess what was inside. Although you could feel your cheeks burning in embarrassment with each second passing. You look away in embarrassment as you watch him. He looks at you with piqued interest, wondering what has gotten you a bit tad embarrassed, if the pink in your cheeks were even a telltale sign.

You anxiously mumbled, “W-Well, I mean, my boyfriend probably makes the best chocolate in the world, so it k-kinda sucks that the only Valentines’ gift I can give you is a box of chocolates that I have made—”, you got cut off as you see and hear your boyfriend already popping one of the chocolates in his mouth, much to your chagrin. To your surprise, he kept popping more and more of the chocolates, savoring each delight.

“Waif, lemme geth sum hot milk.” he says, with his mouth full of your handmade chocolates as he scrambles back to the kitchen, heating up some milk. As you wait for him, you notice a gramophone on the countertop with a vinyl record already in place, with Edith Piaf written on on the center portion in black marker, which you found cute as you imagined Satori listening to Edith Piaf while doing his daily chocolate-making routine. You try to play the music and much to your delight, your head gently swayed to the song, and eventually your body. Immediately after the song has started, your body has already succumbed to the rhythm of the music that you didn’t notice Satori returning with two mugs of hot milk. He grins, enjoying the view of you dancing to French music as he places the mugs down on the counter. He slowly sways as he walks up to you, his hands snaking around your waist from your back as your bodies swing leisurely to the rhythm, much to your surprise yet you quickly relax as you lean back on him, holding his hands around your waist.

Never in your wildest dreams have you imagined that the Satori Tendou, your boyfriend, the oddball, would be dancing with you like this, alone in his chocolate shop under the moonlight on Valentines’ Day in the City of Love. It was too much for your heart to handle, and probably for his heart, too.

You dance for a couple more minutes until the song slowly fades. He then relishes the way he holds you, albeit the music has already finished. You both savor each other’s presence a few more, before Satori then gets the mugs of hot milk, not wanting to waste the good heat on a cold Parisian night. You gladly accept the milk with one hand, as you grasp his jacket with the other, not wanting to feel even the slightest cold breeze. Your boyfriend then leads you to a seat on the counter, sitting next to you as he prepares his mug and your box of chocolates, now with only a few pieces.

“I never thought you would actually go here in Paris”, he starts, as he pops another one of your chocolate in his mouth, followed by gulping down his warm milk.

“I never thought I would actually go here, but I’m grateful that I did, because this is the best Valentines’ Day I’ve ever had!”, you beam as you hold your mug with both hands, relishing the warmth as you drink down your milk.

Tendou then takes note of your chocolates, “You know, I was thinking of adding your chocolates to the menu, and credit you also. Probably name it Le Chocolat Y/N Au Lait Special or something!” You smiled and held a hand on your chest, feeling how warm it suddenly felt.

“Satori, I’d love to.”, you replied, to which his smile grew bright that could burst your heart to how cute he is.

Your beloved continues to chew and drink, looking around when he notices the fresh red rose from earlier sitting atop of your luggage. You follow his line of sight, immediately seeing the lone rose. You finish drinking your milk before you tell him enthusiastically, “Ah! That was given by the taxi driver that drove me earlier. Said that we somehow reminded him of him and his wife on Valentine's Day in the City of Love in this same shop, so he gave me one.”, imitating the way your driver said City of Love. Much to your shock, Satori sardonically laughs, saying it was a tad bit too French, at least for his taste.

While finishing the last remnants of your warm milk, he then goes to the nearby gramophone and plays another Edith Piaf classic. You glance at him with curiosity as he looks at you smugly, stretching out his hand as he invites you to another  dance.

“So, where were we?”

back to valentines masterlist

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Drifters ch.5 (spicyhoney)

Summary: An adjustment period is to be expected, right?

Tags: Spicyhoney, Violence, Rescued Child, Medical Experimentation, Babybones

Read it on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

It was to no one’s surprise that Red hadn’t waited for them to dig into the food, his stack of pancakes already half-devoured by the time Stretch and Edge made it downstairs.

Edge only sighed at his brother’s manners and said nothing. If tomorrow was soon enough for him to begin searching for some sort of gainful employment, then it would also be when he could hold his brother accountable for his behavior again. As it was, his mouth was already watering when Stretch came back from the kitchen with two plates piled high with food, stacks of pancakes topped with pats of creamy butter melting into a layer of syrup along with fat, browned sausages.

By now his hunger was gnawing so fiercely that his own manners were hardly up to his standards. He grunted a thank you, sitting on the sofa and hastily cut into the stack, groaning aloud at the first bite. The cakes were fluffy with crisp edges, generously soaked in butter and syrup, and lavishly rich. The sausages were perfect to cut the sweetness and Edge would have willingly gorged himself on the entire plate if it weren’t for one small problem.

A pair of pale white eye lights were watching his every move, following the path of his fork from plate to mouth and back again, the child sucking on her fingers as she solemnly watched him eat. Drool was starting to run down her chin, slicking her tiny fingers and dampening the front of her shirt.

Edge swallowed his current mouthful, looking down at the plate and then back at the child, his fork faltering. Surely she was too young for this sort of meal? But then why was she watching him so intently, gurgling out an inquisitive little sound as her mouth smacked around her fingers. His appetite was fleeing, how could he possibly eat in front of a hungry child when all she’d had earlier was a little milk and a pastry?

All his uncertainties were tangling together in the time it took Stretch to notice and his laughter was disconcerting, almost horrifyingly so, was he laughing at a starving child?

“trying to sweettalk daddy edge into sharing, huh.” That name alone made Edge startle, protests rising and left unspoken as Stretch set his own half-finished plate on the coffee table and stood. “hang on, princess, your dinner is coming.”

He went back to the kitchen and returned with a bottle, shaking a few droplets on the inside of his wrist before he handed it over to the child. Who took it eagerly, latching on to the nipple as she slumped back into her small pillow fortress, suckling luxuriously.

Stretch chuckled and retrieved his plate, forking up another bite. Around his mouthful, he said, “don’t let her fool you, she’s a little young for sausage and syrup.”

That he believed, but there were other doubts to consider. “How can milk alone be nutritious enough for her?”

“works for baby cows, but it ain’t milk, edgelord, it’s formula.” He jerked his head towards the kitchen. “there’s a few bottles made up in the fridge. you want it warm, not hot, when you hand it over, just heat up some water on the stove and put it in for a few minutes.”

Formula. That sounded familiar, like something he’d heard or read. He knew so very little about children and nothing at all about infants. It wasn’t as if anyone in his Snowdin ever brought their newborn over for a visit, how was he supposed to know anything without being trained. The librarby, he decided abruptly. They must have books on childrearing, he could stop by tomorrow when he went out to find employment.

In the meantime, he leaned down to slap Red’s hand away before he could sneak the child a bite of his own pancakes. “Stop that, you’ll make her sick!”

“managed not to kill you,” Red grunted, but he ate the bite of pancake himself, unoffended.

“That’s hardly an endorsement.”

“speakin’ a bros, where’s yours at, honey bun?” Red asked. Edge struggled to ignore the way he was licking the dregs of syrup from his plate. Tomorrow, he reminded himself, tomorrow was soon enough to smack the manners back into him.

“eh?” Stretch proved that his own brother’s presence was a cornerstone to his manners, wolfing down the last of his pancakes. “blue’ll be back tomorrow, he and al are doing some kind of night training, he said,” Stretch grinned and shook his head, “dunno what, but he brought his pajamas and a bag of marshmallows with him.”

“sound like my kinda training,” Red snickered. “i’d like to see alphys’s version of hot chocolate, if her kitchen makes it thru alive.”

The mere mention of Alphys’s name made Edge stiffen despite knowing it was a different person entirely, as different as Stretch was from him. Absurd for a name to have that sort of effect, he was only off-balance, a great deal had happened, and he snatched up his abandoned plate, eating the remaining food despite it having gone cold and congealed. He wasn’t about to start off his stay here by wasting supplies.

“I’m surprised he didn’t come home when you told him,” Edge said, absently as he polished off the last bite.

Silence. Stretch stood, busying himself with gathering up the plates into a stack, and carrying them off to the kitchen.

Edge and Red shared a look, and Red jerked his head in Stretch’s direction, his raised brow bones speaking volumes, most of them a repeat of the words, ‘say something!’ A glance at the baby showed the bottle mostly empty and her sockets drooping heavily in preparation for another bout of sleep.

This was his responsible, from his choice. Edge gave a sharp nod and followed Stretch into the kitchen. He was sitting in front of the sink, lowered in deference to Blue’s height, washing the dishes briskly and setting them in the dish drainer.

The Swap brother’s kitchen was a mirror to his own and even if it wasn’t, Edge was familiar enough with it to know his way around. He retrieved a clean towel from a drawer and began drying the dishes, setting them in neat pile on the countertop.

“You didn’t tell him?” Edge asked, cautiously, but the answer was already clear despite not being given.

The silverware clattered at the bottom of the sink as Stretch gathered it up into a soapy fist. “let me deal with my bro, okay?”

“This concerns us as well, if he asks us to leave…”

“he won’t. that’s not it,” Stretch sighed, still wrist-deep in dishwater as he let his head hang, “look, i know sans. he’d be so excited, really excited, and that’s fine. i just thought you guys needed a little time to settle in, is all, without any thrills and chills. he can be just as excited tomorrow.”

That was…actually incredibly thoughtful. Blue was a wonderful individual, Edge was grateful to call him friend, but he did tend to throw himself into things at a hundred and three percent, there was no dialing it back for him. A calm evening after the day they’d had did sound better than struggling to fend of Blue’s enthusiasm, no matter how well-intended.

Stretch was still hunched over the sink as if he expected Edge to shout at him and that wasn’t entirely unwarranted. It wouldn’t be the first time Edge inserted himself into the Swap brother’s relationship, but it was the first chance he’d had to rethink that tendency.

“All right,” Edge said. He picked up another glass and dried it, setting it to join its brethren.

Stretch lifted his head. “yeah?” he asked, cautiously.

“Yes,” Edge said decisively. “The child shouldn’t meet too many new people at once, it might be upsetting for her.”

“i…yeah, good point.” Slowly, Stretch resumed his dishwashing duties and if there was a faint smile curving his mouth, Edge ignored it. Helping with the housework was the very least he could do.

By the time they were finished, Edge was struggling to stifle a yawn. In the living room, Red was slumped on the sofa, his sockets at half-mast as he watched the television. The volume was low and what Edge could hear from it sounded like Napstaton was working on a new mix tape.

In her little pillow nest the child was asleep, her empty bottle next to her. Edge stood over her, watching the rise and fall of her chest, and reminded himself to get that book tomorrow. He would figure this out, he would. “The baby stays with me tonight.”

“your funeral, bro,” Red yawned. He didn’t budge from the sofa, clearly intending it to be his bed for the night.

“she can stay with us, in my room,” Stretch amended. He picked up the empty bottle and handed it to Edge. “go give this a quick wash, trust me, never leave a dirty bottle laying around, that’s a stink you don’t want. i’ll head upstairs with the princess and get her settled.”

It was sensible, Stretch knew where everything was in his room, but somehow Edge still found he wanted to protest. He wanted to carry the baby, wanted to hold her close a little longer. Instead, he nodded curtly and went back to the kitchen. They were here on Stretch’s sufferance, now was not the time to start making demands.

He finished quickly and headed back upstairs, past his brother who was already snoring through Napstaton’s slick beats, and wondered what Stretch had in mind. The mattress worked for an afternoon nap, but he wasn’t comfortable with it as a nighttime solution, particularly not with Stretch in the bed with him, he wasn’t the type to wake at the slightest movement.

Edge opened the door and froze with only one foot through it, staring. In the middle of the room was a cardboard box, Stretch kneeling next to it with both hands inside, and even from here Edge could see he was tucking the child inside. Not naked, not this time, she was still in Blue’s oversized t-shirt, she wasn’t asleep and alone in a lab, carelessly abandoned until she was needed again, a tool, not a person, something to be callously used and discarded.

“hey,” Stretch said, hushed, “figured this’ll work until we figure out something else, she’s a little small to wander off and—"

“No,” Edge said sharply.

Stretch’s grin faded, his browbone furrowing in confusion, “what?”

“No, she can’t sleep in that, she won’t, I won’t allow it!” Edge said, his voice rising, and all his thoughts about keeping the peace had fled, buried beneath the chemical stink of memory smoke, the lab burning around them, and those numbers were hidden beneath the shirt, but they were still there, a scar carved into her very bones.

“hey, easy, calm down…”

“I won’t!” Edge shouted hoarsely and a wail rose up around them like a siren, like the alarms at the lab.

“edge!” The sound of his own name made him jerk, blinking hard. Stretch was holding the whimpering baby, jostling her against his chest. “you’re scaring the kid!”

And he was, her large sockets brimmed over with tears, staining her rounded cheeks as they began spilling down.

“Oh, don’t,” Edge started, brokenly, reaching out to her helplessly, letting his hands fall as she began to wail despite Stretch’s gentle crooning.

Those blasted tears from earlier weren’t as banished as he’d assumed, and Edge whirled away, tipping his head back to keep them from falling, tasting them instead on the back of his tongue, sharp and astringent, another memory and this one he refused, let his mind settle into blankness as he struggled against the rising pain in his chest, a deep ache in his very soul.

“ooookay, everyone needs to take a deep breath and calm down,” Stretch said, loudly to be heard over the baby’s crying, then softer, coaxingly, “c’mon, sugar butt, easy now.” Slowly the crying dwindled to sniffles and the occasional hiccough. “there we go. come on over here, edgelord.”

Edge didn’t turn around. “She’s afraid of me,” he whispered.

Behind him, he could hear Stretch heave an exasperated sigh. “you got loud one time, for fu—udge’s sake. she’s not scared of you, so come here!”

That was definitely an order and one he needed to obey; their lives depended on staying on the Swap brother’s good side. Slowly, Edge turned, moving stiffly as he lurched over to the two of them. He reluctantly allowed Stretch to draw him down to sit awkwardly on the floor, sockets closed, unresisting as Stretch pulled him close to enough to rest their foreheads together with the baby between them. The ache in his chest slowly eased and Edge opened his sockets, looking down at the child. Who was looking back up at him with wide eye lights and there was no fear in them, only a simple curiosity.

“Hello, baby,” Edge told her softly, reaching with trembling fingers to wipe away one of the streaks drying on her chubby cheekbone. He almost jerked away when she offered a coo in return, reaching for his fingers in yet another attempt to cram them into her mouth.

“see?” Stretch said quietly. His breath was a soft, sweet gust against Edge’s face, his smooth forehead resting against Edge’s damaged one. “you’re gonna make mistakes, a lot of ‘em. don’t start out by beating yourself up for it.”

Edge nodded slowly and when Stretch shifted to settle the baby into the crook of his arm, Edge held her close, scooting back to lean against the wall as he watched her unconvincing attempt at cannibalizing his fingertips. She was so light, the weight of her hardly more than a handful of feathers. Such a tiny bundle in his arms, so terribly important for such a small, perfect creature.

Stretch climbed to his feet, dusting off his hands with exaggerated motions as he announced, “crisis averted, won’t be the last one. now, the cardboard box is out, got the memo on that, so how do you feel about a dresser drawer?”

Edge didn’t answer, only nodded and let Stretch start pulling blankets out of the box, muttering under his breath about whether the bottom or top drawer would make for a better bassinet. None of that mattered. All he wanted was to keep holding this child close and never let her go.

~~*~~

tbc

[wwwps4]

Just Cause 4

For me, Just Cause 4 was in the top ten expected games of 2018. Since the release of the first game on the PlayStation 2, I have loved this series for the freedom and dynamics of the gameplay, with each new part increased thanks to innovations, mainly tied to the hook-cat of Rico Rodriguez, the main character of the series. From the third part of the franchise began to change noticeably, adding serious notes to the previously crazy action, often devoid of meaning, logic and laws of physics. Actually, for which the series was loved by fans. But the degree of seriousness in Just Cause 3 was kept within the bounds of decency and did not destroy the cool atmosphere of madness — we had a charismatic dictator, not devoid of a sense of humor, a huge world and a wide Arsenal of tools of destruction.

From the fourth game it was quite logical to expect only the development of an established formula, and we got it. Partially. With the evolution of some game variables, unfortunately, others have noticeably degraded.

Looking back at the past, on the review of Just Cause 3, today's I wants to meet myself from the past and hit the head with a poker. Because the estimate is too high. But today's I also understand why this happened: against the background of the second part of the previous game looked and played much better, even despite performance problems. The new mechanics looked great and encouraged the player to use them. In Just Cause 4, the situation is different: new mechanics are curious, but experiments with them get boring after an hour or two, and you only return to balloons with boosters when you perform numerous and monotonous tests that make your eyes ripple. Finally, the game itself does not encourage the use of innovations.

Yes, the developers have tried to add some variety to the tasks that are set for the player, and now the mission to weaken the influence of the enemy in the region is not to destroy their bases, but to systematically capture them. On some bases, you need to disable and hack guns, on others-to steal drawings or weaken the protection, opening important rooms for passing with the help of specific models of cars, tanks and boats. But this is where all the diversity ends, because the mechanics of performing different tasks are still the same: find the switch — break the switch, find the generator-destroy the generator.

Story tasks and side activities in the game are tied to completely similar tasks, the variety of which is even more than in the previous parts of the series, but does not save you from the routine. Disabling switches and blowing up generators would be much more interesting if the developers had improved the artificial intelligence of their opponents, because in their current state, only some types of enemies pose a threat. And even then, not the biggest. A much more dangerous enemy of the player in Just Cause 4 is crazy physics, which can suddenly give out some stupid feint, turning the car over on an even spot or blowing up the helicopter from touching a tree branch with the rotor.

Helicopters in Just Cause 4 are your best friends, even though the body kit and weapons available to the player often don't match (for example, we see two types of projectiles and a machine gun, but we can only use one type of NUR and a machine gun). With them, you can perform most speed tests, clean up almost all the necessary enemy bases, and even destroy an enemy General trying to get away on a jet fighter. Yes, you can catch up with him by helicopter and shoot him. Not ask...

But it is worth paying tribute: the shooting in the fourth part is several goals higher than all previous releases in the series. Finally, Rico has learned to fire from the shoulder, which makes it much easier to aim and makes the control more comfortable. You can only praise the work on weapons and opponents. The hero's Arsenal grows as you progress, and each barrel now feels unique: different rate of fire, accuracy, alternative fire mode, reload speed, and so on. Worthily. Types of enemies also pleased — "Ghosts" and "Titans" can not only spoil the nerves of the player due to its elusiveness and strength of armor, respectively, but also send the invulnerable Rico to the next world.

Transport management has also improved, and all at once. The weight of the cars seems large, although they continue to be cardboard boxes, judging by the impact of game physics on them. Even tanks and armored personnel carriers take off here, like Chinese cars made of chocolate foil. Examples are in the video below! More pleasant than in Just Cause 3, was the management of air technology, but this is more due to its ease. But water transport is frustrating clumsiness, although it is most likely just quite realistic. Other things amuse: boats and jet skis sometimes feel good even on land. See for yourself:

There are also outright deterioration compared to Just Cause 3! For example, the tone of the project changed from casually playful and jaunty on "complex SSI", which has a negative effect on the atmosphere. The share of humor in the narrative and side activities has decreased, and attempts by some minor characters to dive into the pool of jokes ends with a painful blow on a newspaper spread out on the water. Alas, in Just Cause 4, there is no charismatic dictator, no cool boss battles, and most of the potentially cool moments are closed under a video lock. Seriously, instead of creating spectacular battles with the elements, the developers have translated all the "victory over bosses" in the format of videos. It turned out even worse than the battle with the final boss in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. And there are few things worse than her.

The plot of the game... Yes, someone will now say that the game Just Cause has never been, and so on. True, but the developers themselves decided to change this and tried to take the "new height", which they did not submit. And since Avalanche Studios themselves decided to bring the story of Rico Rodriguez to the forefront, they gave carte Blanche for appropriate criticism. But it is not worth much to crucify and complain about this, either, it is more expensive for yourself. In General, the story has a good potential, but little attention from the authors, who are constantly confused about the details, dates and events of the past.

Moreover, some of the game dialogs simply do not correspond to the events that follow them. For example, in one of the videos, Tom Sheldon, who decided to make peace with Rico and help his precious student, says: "I will lead", which causes an entertaining skirmish with references to the past. But he gets behind the wheel of an armored car, and Rico climbs in after him. And what do you think? The car, of course, is controlled by the player. Either we were temporarily given power over Sheldon, or the developers and writers again forgot to sync the project's cloud.

When performing tests in Just Cause 4, remember that most of the necessary vehicles for "through the ring on a particular vehicle" tests are located near the test itself. From a few meters to a couple of blocks. For example, if the marker indicates that the test at the top of the mountain requires riding through the ring on a motorcycle, do not rush to look for the bike and attach the balls to it, as I did-climb the mountain using a winch and you will surely find a bike waiting for you there.

As for the technical part and scripto, they are a good source of high mood. However, not when you once again can not get the local "fultons" or jet mini-engines of the hook to work humanly, and they begin to turn the raised objects against any logic. Unfortunately, there will be most of these situations. The Avalanche team came up with interesting chips, but it did not work to implement them in a human way, as well as to encourage players to use them. The entire game, story - wise, you can go through, almost without using hook modifications. So what's the point?! The variety of the "set it yourself" level has always worked in Just Cause, but before that, the game mechanics did not go beyond the daily combat comforts.

Even for most of the tests where you need to deliver a car to an island or the roof of a high-rise, it is much easier to use a cargo helicopter with a magnetic grip than to play with balloons that behave as inadequately as possible most of the time they are used. After completing half of the tests, of which there are more than four hundred, I met only two where it was necessary to use balloons. Here just came to the rescue modification for them, allowing you to control the direction of flight crosshair sight.

The moment just got into the video below, which also says a lot about the technical part, artificial intelligence, stupefied since Just Cause 3, and the gameplay in General:

However, I repeat - fans of the franchise will be more satisfied with the new game, because the basic gameplay is thoroughly prettier. Another thing is that game innovations are mostly meaningless, and if they are simply thrown out, Just Cause 4 will not lose anything. The weather conditions that Avalanche was so proud of look great and even work, but have a strictly plot-based meaning. Without the technology developed by the local dictator, Solis seems to have no tornadoes, no winter blizzards, no sandstorms, no rain and thunderstorms. I just want to start packing my bags and looking for air tickets! After clearing objects that control weather conditions, we can turn them on and off with a single button. What for? To complicate your life, for example.

And there is no need for more. Storm and Blizzard limit the field of view, once in them, the enemies become absolutely stupid and blind. And since computer idiots and so ... idiots, send their intelligence to negative values once again do not want to, because the game becomes not interesting. Tornadoes destroy some objects, but only in specific areas. As well as the storm does not go beyond its limits. It turns out that we can again subject to spontaneous rape already cleared and captured areas. What's the point?! Oh, deja vu…

[rumowrites]

Defectum, Ch.6

Runaan awoke with a throbbing headache. Puling one arm up to clutch his face, he rolled to his side and was suddenly faced with a rapidly approaching hardwood floor. His somewhat groggy reflexes barley managed to spare him a broken nose when he collided painfully with the ground of his training room. With a groan, he rolled onto his back, staring up to the wide beam he’d apparently been occupying. The events from last night came slowly floating back and he concluded that somehow he must have climbed up there the last night and fallen asleep. Runaan counted himself lucky that he didn’t fall down while still asleep and tried to sit up. He succeeded at the second try. The bright light shining into his eyes told him it was still before midday so the assassin hadn’t slept that long after all. A sudden wave of nausea kicked him into a sprint for the kitchen sink where he lost possession of his dinner and what he remembered to be very decent Whisky.

Runaan took a cup and filled it with water before sliding to the floor, his back against the counter. As he slowly sipped the water, the elf contemplated how he could probably get hold of this mess that was currently his consciousness. The child-king just wouldn’t leave him alone, always lurking in the back of his mind to haunt him whenever he was alone.

The new weapon and training had proven to be good diversions, effectively holding his sole attention until he was exhausted enough to sleep. Aversion was the key after all. In his head, he began to structure the rest of the week. During the time he had courses to give at the academy, the Assassin usually got up extra early to get some training of his own in before meeting the recruits at eight am sharp. He also trained in the evening after his group left since the two hours in the morning and light exercise during the day still left him restless and twitchy on most days.

The five days until his new recruits arrived slowly played out in his mind. Training early and in the afternoon. Between that, he could either get a head start on some of the paperwork or continue with the new weapon. And maybe, he thought, there would be time to visit Tinker. Something about the prospect of seeing the smith again caused his face to heat up.

What if he found the idea stupid? Runaan really wasn’t an artist after all. He quickly banned the thought into the same void his consciousness got locked up in before they could drag him down. No, he would go see Tinker, maybe even today, and ask him whether he found the weapon doable. And doable was really everything he needed right now.

It took him half an hour and a glass of water before he trusted his body enough to leave his place on the kitchen floor. Runaan then did some light exercises as if that would prevent him from throwing up again but still managed to get his blood running. By the time he was finished, the elf was still coated in a thin layer of cold sweat due to the nausea that wouldn’t quite vanish.

Afterwards, he first took a cold shower and then a hot bath, slowly feeling the life flood back into his system. It took him quite a while and a lot of scented oil before his entwined hair was back in a presentable form. He ran a brush through the still wet strands until it was silky and smooth, falling over his bare shoulders like a pearly white waterfall.

He placed all his sketches and notes in a sturdy cardboard binder and grabbed his black leather shoulder bag. Not everybody had to see him carry sketches around. The less anyone knew about him, the better. An Assassins greatest asset was anonymity and secrecy. Here, he couldn’t possibly blend in due to his high status, but he could still keep a mystical aura, make himself unpredictable. The image he’d created for everyone to see was impeccable with a few minor faults in order to make it look believable. Complete perfection was always treated with mistrust. Even the dragons themselves had flaws. No living being could possibly be entirely perfect.

Every once in a while, he lost on purpose during sparring matches or placed his arrow a fraction off centre. Never often enough to seem like he wasn’t their best but often enough to look like he had bad days, too.

That way, his fellow elves simply regarded him with a mix of awe and fear but none of them wouldn’t trust him. Too many enemies of Xadia had fallen to his blades for that.

The walk to the village was quick and undisturbed. Most people were already working or running errands, so the streets were mostly empty. He caught himself walking slower once he reached the alley where Tinkers shop was half-hidden behind a bakery. He was the only customer which didn’t really surprised him since it was still early afternoon and the streets wouldn’t be busy until the evening. Some shop owners even closed middays due to the lack of customers.

The smith was nowhere to be seen but Runaan could hear faint clanging noises that most likely resulted from a hammer meeting steel. He carefully stepped further into the shop before spotting a doorway on the far right where the noise grew louder. “Hello?” he shouted but didn’t really think anyone would answer. The noise would probably drone everything else out. The Assassin waited for a few moments before carefully following the sound through the doorway and down a rather narrow hallway whose walls were lined with a wide assertion of swords and spears. The air grew drier and hotter the further he came until the hallway opened into a fairly large room. The other elf had his back turned to him and was currently shaping a piece of glinting steel into what seemed to be an axe head. “Hello?” he tried again and immediately cursed himself as the smith stopped mid-motion and whipped his head around. “Oh, I’m sorry…” Runaan stammered “I didn’t mean to startle you.” Upon seeing who the intruder was, Tinkers gaze softened into a smile “Don’t worry. I usually don’t hear the bell at the door back here. Let me just get this done and I will be right there.” He gestured for the hallway, turning back to the orange metal on the anvil in front of him. “Could I wait here and watch?” the question was out before his brain managed to stop himself. “It’s quite interesting.” He quickly added to appear unsuspicious. Tinker just shrugged while he continued to hammer onto the slowly reforming metal. “Yeah sure. I don’t mind.” The twenty minutes the smith needed to finish the raw shape were over way too quickly in his opinion. It was almost mesmerizing to watch the steady up and down of the hammer and the confident controlled movements that slowly turned a blob of hot steel into a beautiful weapon.

Once he was done, Tinker placed the Axe on one of the heavy oak tables and took off the thick leather apron that protected him from both heat and flying sparks. Runaan immediately noticed the dark rune tattoos that were entwined with his marks, filling the gap between the two rings on his shoulder. It was rather uncommon for moonshadow elves to be tattooed but it somehow suited the smith. The thin sleeveless linen shirt Tinker was wearing had a few singed spots where the sparks found their way and generally looked like the other ever only used it to work in the forge. It looked rather good on him, Runaan decided after discretely staring while the other placed the last of his tools in their respective places. The strange warm feeling returned an he had to force the blush that crept on his face away as the smith willed a few strands of hair back, showing off his impressive biceps in the process.

“So, what can I do for you?” he asked, wiping hands and face clean of the ash and grime. It took Runaan embarrassingly long to answer, so engrossed was he in those delicate fingers threading through the piece of cloth.

“It’s about the weapon-design actually. You said you would maybe take a look and tell me whether it’s doable.” Immediately Tinker nodded enthusiastically “Yes of course! It’s been too long since I had the opportunity to experiment with something new! Just…” he started before looking down at himself “…just let me change into something less dirty. I’ll be right back.” While he vanished up a set of stairs at the far end of the workshop, the Assassin took out his notes and brought them in a relatively logical order. He passed the time until the other returned by looking at some of the displayed weapons in the shop. One spear in particular caught his interest. It was a little taller than him and had a slightly curved blade on each side. Upon further examination, he discovered that it could be broken down in the middle with a switch hidden in the hilt, thus creating two swords. Suddenly someone took it out of his hands and Runaan had to summon all his willpower to not shriek away.

“Here” Tinker explained, pressing two other buttons in the hilt that retracted the middle part until it was only two hands wide and unfolded it again to an even greater length. “It’s truly magnificent.” He praised, looking at the spear in awe. Tinker smiled at him happily in return. “Thank you. Although it’s mostly for show I guess. I’m not sure if it would be really practical in battle.”

“Are you kidding me? I have a ton of strategies in my head that would profit from a parry weapon that can be broken down to get two short-range weapons!” The smith then laughed at his enthusiasm. “Well not everyone likes their weapons as complicated as this one. The main reason why it’s still here I guess. But you wanted to show me something, right?” He pointed at the stack of paper in his hands. “Yeah, yeah sure. The drawings aren’t very good though.” Tinker just made a dismissive gesture, reaching for the parchment. “They can’t be worse than the very early drafts I do.”

After handing them over, Runaan anxiously waited for a reaction as the other scanned every sheet with seemingly increasing interest. “My idea was to incorporate a set of blades with a bow for both long and short range.” He supplied after a while. The smith nodded absently, studying one of his more recent sketches. “I think it’s doable. But it won’t be cheap, materials and all.” He finally said, an excited grin spreading across his face. “Payment won’t be an issue.” Runaan stated while placing two bags filled with coins on the table. The grin now threatened to split the others face. “That’s great! Have you got any idea of the variety of materials we could use? Xadian steel, moonstones for functionality, maybe even night copper to balance the blades…” the smith continued to list different materials and their use while simultaneously scribbling the things he said on a piece of parchment. Runaan was fascinated by the other’s enthusiasm and patiently waited until Tinker had filled two pages with ideas from the top of his head. “I would have to watch you fight.” He suddenly said, fixing him with a surprisingly piercing gaze. “What?” the Assassin had still been daydreaming and now looked slightly confused. “It would help me decide on the most suitable design for the, ah let’s call it Bowblade, if I could see how you fight.” He explained, gesturing to one of his sketches. “You know, so I have an idea how you would be using it. Things like the length of the blade and handle design are usually more influenced by functionality than decoration.” Runaan nodded slowly in understandment “Sure, you could come to the courses I teach or my own training time. I could also show you some moves here but I guess it’s better for you with an actual opponent right?”

“Yes, preferably when you fight someone equally skilled. So that you really have to fight, you know?” Tinker looked at him expectantly and made a move to hand back the papers before stopping mid-motion. “Actually, would you mind if I keep them until I’m done? You had some interesting notes in between that would certainly help me.” With a smile, Runaan nodded again, glad that the other found his notes useful. “Of course, that’s what I made them for.” He went through his training schedule in his head to determine when there would be suitable sparring sessions for Tinker. “When would you like me to show you how I fight?” he decided it was easier if he just asked when the other was free. “I can open and close the shop as I please, so I could just come to your usual training times if that doesn’t bother you. I am very discreet.” Meanwhile the smith had pulled a thick unused sketchbook from one of the drawers behind his desk and neatly labelled it “Runaan” before placing it in a bag together with a few different pencils. “Could I have a piece of paper?” Runaan asked and began to pen down his usual work week starting with the new recruits. He filled in every training session and remarked below each one whether it was meant to be at his home or the academy and alone or with partners. Tinker looked at the finished week plan for a moment before raising an eyebrow. “That’s a lot of training. You are aware that the time between your last and first training is, like, really short?”

He simply shrugged “I need the movement.” Again, the eyebrow. “Alright, according to your plan you would be training with someone in your party in roughly an hour. Would you mind if I accompany you?” the Assassin was slightly surprised to see Tinker so invested in his new order but agreed nonetheless. “If you don’t have anything to finish today. There will probably be some of the more experienced soldiers present so you will at least get a good show.”

A smirk appeared on the others face. “Oh, I have no doubts about that. Your reputation exceeds you.” He then grabbed his bag and a vest before gesturing for the door. “Let’s go!” Runaan obediently followed and together they passed the now busy streets leading out of town and towards the academy. Once there, he took the smith to his rooms in the right wing of the old stone fort. He motioned for the table in his study before vanishing in the bordering sleeping chamber to change. “Make yourself comfortable. I will be right back.”

He changed into his usual training attire that consisted of wide black pants and a sleeveless thin linen shirt. He contemplated dressing in something more official and nicer but quickly dismissed the thought. He was here to train after all. When Runaan re-entered the study, he could see Tinker sitting on the floor amidst all of his training weapons, furiously taking notes and sketching rough drafts of his blades that still looked better than Runaan’s best drawing. He quietly watched the scene before raising his voice. “You can look at the real ones, too if you like. I have most of them at home.” The smith jumped a little and nodded “Yes that would be helpful. So I can incorporate something familiar in the handles, eases the transfer.” He then stood an placed the weapons in their respective stands along the wall. The Assassin noticed him testing the weight and balance of each and every one while returning them. Something in the way he analysed every little detail fascinated him.

For today’s training, he chose two different sets of twin swords that differed in length and shape since those should be part of the new weapon. Of course, he also took his bow with a few padded arrows. He would most likely not get to use it today but took it anyways in case the others turned up later than expected.

When they stepped out into the yard, three familiar figures were already occupying their usual spot, seemingly discussing their shift plans and the best times to meet up for additional training. Tinker excused himself with the intent of searching a nice spot to sit where he wouldn’t bother anyone and Runaan continued to greet his soldiers.

“Who’s the handsome guy over there hotshot?” was Kira’s greeting to him while she discretely nodded towards the portion of wall the smith had claimed as perch. He couldn’t suppress the eye roll in response. “He is a smith and will craft a new weapon for me. You will probably see him around some more. He says he wants to see my fighting style before getting started.” She only gave him a knowing smile before stepping away to take her fighting stance. As per usual, the four started with some easier moves in changing pairs before it was three against him.

On his spot on the wall Tinker had the large sketchbook placed in his lap and was currently on his fifth motion sketch. He immediately loved drawing Runaan. His movements were so graceful and precise it was mesmerising to watch. He tried to convey as much of it in his drawings as he could. Every once in a while, he would find the other watching him with those piercing turquoise eyes of his. It always sent a shiver down his spine and he caught himself drawing a close-up of the Assassins face for a change. He also took notes on how he used the different shaped swords to figure out the best shape for the Bowblade. It would have to be slightly curved to imitate the shape of a bow but not too much so he was still able to properly use them. He also made notes of how runaan held the blades and for which manoeuvres he changed his grip on the handles.

When the fighters took a break to get something to drink, he already started to sketch out some rough design drafts and contemplated over the best mechanism to attach the blades in the middle. It wouldn’t be easy, but Tinker loved a challenge. Especially when the challenge included a handsome elf, he had now an excuse to come and watch as much as he pleased.

When the three soldiers left for their quarters and Runaan came walking over, he had over eight pages worth of sketches and notes. He felt a blush creeping on his cheeks and ears as the Assassin glimpsed on one of the pages and immediately complimented his drawing skills. They parted after a quick chat where Tinker announced he would come around some more times before starting on the final draft. Once home, he reopened the sketchbook and admired Runaan’s swift moving body until he fell asleep.

[uclavapae]

Brian Pea | Teaching Artist of February 2019

Hometown: San Jose/San Diego, CA

Major: Design Media Arts

Q: How did you discover your interest in the arts and how did you know that it was something that you wanted to pursue professionally, as an artist or as a teaching artist?

A: I think I have always enjoyed art and took part in it, I believe as early as when I was three when I loved to watch the show Art Attack with my grandparents. I pursued art more seriously starting middle school, and following it professionally felt like a natural step to take once I began applying to colleges and considering a career. I've also always had a connection to children's engagement, as I enjoy working with kids, and entering into arts education felt like an inevitable union of these two interests. I had my start in arts education through a series of summer jobs as tutors or instructors while in high school, where the arts slowly integrated themselves into how I led those classes.

Q: Describe what the student artists in your VAPAE afterschool arts or arts enrichment program are working on and the process they’re using.

A: I am currently a teaching artist at the VAPAE Studio Sessions program at Emerson Community Charter, and we just completed a shadow box lesson I planned. I wanted the project to introduce a couple of different art techniques, so the project included drawing, painting, and fabrication in cardboard to complete a frame that suspended two illustrations. A self-portrait was done on tracing paper and a painting on acetate, so that when backlit the painted acetate would cast a shadow onto the tracing paper drawing to reveal a hidden background. The goal of the lesson was for the students to make a physical representation of what they want their futures to look like through their shadow boxes.

Q: Why is an enrichment opportunity like this important for those participating? What do they gain?

A: I think that this form of engagement is important because it provides an avenue for students to consider their world and form their perspectives on it. There is definite value in looking at the world in a creative lens, and to provide those tools to kids is something that I see as a valuable trait to have when entering life. Thinking creatively when it comes to problem-solving or social collaboration, for instance, is often very useful, and is also sometimes underemphasized in children's development from an educational standpoint.

Q: Did you have an opportunity like this when you were a younger artist? If yes, how did it help shape your love of art? If no, in what ways could a program like this have helped you?

A: I had opportunities close to, but never really exactly like these, when I was younger. I think if I had more opportunities like this earlier, I could have seen how the arts can be a tool I could use to approach my problems with sooner, rather than just an aesthetic expression of my feelings. I have used art making as a form of therapy or personal enrichment before, for instance, but I never made a connection between the two until I entered the VAPAE program and learned about how I could provide that in arts programming.

Q: What do you personally gain as a teaching artist, arts facilitator?

A: I think as a children's arts facilitator I am able to observe how a child's mind develops, which gives me insight into how I was when I was younger and how I was influenced by the arts. Currently, in my time at Studio Sessions @ Emerson, I have found the most fulfillment simply working with the students and seeing who they are as individuals, and I think that is because I am interested in seeing how they individually approach the arts classroom as a social space.

Q: What are the benefits to you as a student/graduate in the UCLA VAPAE program? Was this program a good choice for you? If so, why?

A: My biggest gratitude towards UCLA's VAPAE program would be for connecting my interest in children's engagement with my interest in the arts, through insight into avenues like being a teaching artist, arts therapy, or arts-integrated learning. Before, I had a sense of myself as an artist, and that was separate from my passion for working with children, but after my time in the VAPAE minor and further as a teaching artist, I realized that there are ways for me to be both an artist and an educator and for my art practice to be about directly engaging children. And for that reason, I am thankful I found the VAPAE program, by chance at that too!

Q: Are there any anecdotes from your time as a VAPAE Teaching Artist at an Arts Enrichment or Afterschool Arts Programs that stand out to you? Perhaps you had a breakthrough with a student or saw some particularly noticeable growth in that student through this program, collaboration etc. Maybe something surprised you or made you think about art or teaching in a new way.

A: I'm always so excited to see each student enjoy themselves and make artwork they are proud of, so it is hard to come up with one pivotal experience from the time I've taught through VAPAE. The first graders I taught as part of the minor were the sweetest kids, and all the middle schoolers I am currently working with at Studio Sessions @ Emerson are really intelligent and funny! But I would say the most personal growth I have witnessed was when I had the chance to assist an 8th grader with a self-portrait, as part of a public art project for their school led by muralist Judy Baca. The student and I became really good friends throughout the process, and I was able to see first-hand how an opportunity like that shaped how they saw their goals and future as a possible reality.

Q: What are your short-term and long‐term career goals?

A: As a fourth-year, I've definitely been thinking a lot about my impending career goals! In the near future, I hope to take a chance to focus in on what I learned throughout my time at UCLA and apply that towards work that integrates children's engagement with new media. Beyond that, I see myself eventually pursuing higher education in the direction of children's media or education, so that I can gain more insight into how I can become a more conscious artist and arts educator.

[jayne-hecate-writer]

A whole new me-ish...

Dear friends, it has been so long and I have become a new person! Well, no, not really. I'm still me. I still have a filthy mouth and a foul mind, but writing has taken a back seat to the other things I have started creating.

Since the Covid lock down I have been experimenting with model making and painting, taking a particular interest in lighting said models with LEDs, better known among us nerds as Light Emitting Diodes. LEDs come in many shapes and sizes, plus they produce a very good variety colours, they also draw relatively little power and finally, they can be run from a watch battery. As you can see, there is lots to like with LEDs, but there is a downside, to them if you want to use a lot, for a start you need to use more power than you get from a watch battery. Connecting LEDs to a larger battery pack or power supply is a great way to pop them completely, or build them up into a slowly failing system. The way to avoid doing this is to use a resistor, to reduce current flow into the LED and prevent it burning out. Calculating the value of resisters is fairly simple, but I have to reply on the resistors I can salvage from the various pieces of broken equipment I have access to. In this case, I was able to scavenge the resisters and LEDs from the three broken printers I had in my stocks of trash electronics.

Now speaking of F**king printers, I made a discovery while taking apart my failed Cannon printer/scanner. It had a reservoir inside where the ink got dumped during use. Basically, it had a series of tubes that took the ink from the head and dumped it into a wads of cotton wool at the back of the machine, that made the inside of the printer case absolutely filthy with wasted ink. The two HP printers I dismantled, did not have this system and it led me to wonder, was this the cause of the constant need to replace ink in the Canon? Was it really continuously pumping horrifically expensive ink into the waste bin? If this was the case, what a terribly wasteful system and I can confirm that having seen this system, I will never buy a Canon printer again. I am sure that it had another purpose, other than to rapidly waste ink, but it was a terrible system in which a brand new ink cartridge lasted less than a week.

My model projects started fairly simply, with a small Hotwheels car that I found and then painted, as reported in a previous blog post on here. The second model was a scratch built Star Wars Pod Racer, made from recycled bubble bath bottles, hand sanitiser bottles and bottle tops. Again I fitted different coloured LEDs to resemble engine glow and the strange energy binding that holds the jet engines together. I made the base from scrap wood and cardboard and added stones and pebbles from the garden, all covered with a Papier-mâché and baking soda. The paint was acrylic from the local cheap shop and it is surprisingly good.

From here I moved onto another hotwheels car, this time with a zombie theme and full LED lights. I went on-line and found an inch tall figure from the TV show Walking Dead, who was a character called Daryl. In the show he wore a lot of black leather black leather according to the photos I found on line and in this case, used a large kitchen cleaver. With model railway grass and another twig from the garden to look like a felled tree, the scene was set and I was very proud of this creation. So much so in fact, that I gifted it to a very dear friend of mine who like me loves a good zombie movie.

The next project was a repair and build for a Snap On Tools branded toy break down truck that my lovely wife had been given along with a set of Snap On sockets she bought when she was working as a motorcycle mechanic. Over the years, the truck had been played with by children, dropped into toy boxes and it was looking really rather second hand. The wing mirrors, door handles, rear facing lights and both cranes needed repairing or replacing and I sculpted the replacements parts from superglue and baking soda or from lumps of solder, all of which I carved with files and a scalpel. The broken parts were repaired and finally the truck was stripped down to the component parts and thoroughly cleaned, before being put back together. Once the truck was finished, it really needed a place to sit, so I designed a garage from the 1950s for it to sit in, with an old style petrol pump and a couple of oil barrels.

The petrol pump was a 1/24 scale resin model kit purchased on line and the rest of the garage was built using recycled cardboard and lollypop sticks. I used a series of garden stones and then a tub of sand brought back from Bermuda by a close family friend, some time ago. The sand was a lovely pink colour, made up crushed coral and shells. It is perfect for modelling because it is not the boring granular sand of my local beach, which is gritty, fine and easily wind blown sand. By this time I was experimenting with colour washes, applied to painted base coats. The depth of the colour achieved is just lovely and the lighting effects really bring out the glow of the paint. With the garage finished, a few Easter egg details were added that only the most observant nerd will notice. But there was still a large hole in the model that needed to be filled somehow. Dearest wifey went web browsing found a scale model of a Vincent Black Shadow motorcycle and it fitted perfectly into the gap, to be illuminated by a soft white LED. Once finished, I could not have been more pleased than when Wifey took the model and plugged it in. Oh yes, this time I had used a PSU or power supply unit with a timer circuit to run the LEDs as a night light in our hallway to the bathroom. Given how many of  the LEDs I had used to light the garage forecourt, the shop window and parking bay, mains power was really the only option. On this occasion, I purchased a set of pre-wired LEDs that already had a resister fitted in series with the LED, meaning that it is safe to run them on the mains power.

My next model was a Motorcycle diorama, a classic Kawasaki Zephyr, a model kit found on e-Bay that was then imported from Japan. The kit was perfectly formed, it was hard to believe that they had been moulded from plastic, however the detail was so fine, my old eyes needed a magnifying glass to see them clearly for paint or glue. Once the bike was fully assembled, I built a small ten centimetre squared street scene, with a graffiti covered wall and a drink machine for the bike to sit with. The Pepsi dispensing machine was purchased from e-Bay yet again, for just a few pennies and it is beautifully printed onto photo-paper, meaning that the finished model when assembled is exquisite. The nearly completed model once again needed something else and I was at a loss of what to do. Yet the thought of lights never strays far from my mind and I designed a street lamp with an orange glow to look like an old sodium lamp. My childhood was spent in the gloom of sodium lamps, both here and abroad, when catching ferries at four in the morning to travel across Europe. The lamppost was made from a sliver of scrap wood and some tissue paper to give it a concrete like texture, with two orange LEDs secreted in the head. Once finished, I was not overly happy with the result, but by that time, it was too late to go back. The lighting effect was really nice though, but the weathering and fake litter were really effective additions, making it look like the bike was parked on double yellow lines in a very run down city street.

This led (snigger) me into my most recent model, another Star Wars inspired diorama, this time in 1/18 scale, with Hasbro Clone Trooper action figures and an old, rather broken Maisto motorbike. Normally, Star Wars has little to do with motorcycles, but while filming the Obi Wan Kenobi series, Ewan McGreggor was photographed during a break, sitting on his own motorcycle reading a copy of a motorcycle newspaper, while in his full Obi Wan costume. This was all the inspiration I needed and I found that the broken motorcycle model was just the right size for the action figures. Once again, I devised a plan, found the LEDs and used the parts from my destroyed printers. I even managed to use the scanner light head, at first using a variable resistor to adjust the glow. Sadly I over ran the strip and the LEDs burned out. Luckily I had a spare to play with and used a recovered resistor to run it instead. This has the opposite problem to the variable resistor which had too little resistance, being too high a resistance to allow a full glow from the strip of LEDs. I gave one of the Clone Troopers a bong made to look like it was made from the leg of a battle droid, with a flickering orange resister to show the burning spice in the bowl. The other clone was given a spray can of bright blue spray paint, modelled from plastic scraps and superglue. Again, once the model scenery was constructed, I really enjoyed the weathering and dirtying of the street. The washes have made all of the plastic parts look like rusted metal girders or filthy litter soiled streets or heavily corroded chemical pipes. I absolutely love the process of weathering, taking something shiny, well painted and nice looking and turning it into something filthy, damaged and rusted, with just a few washes of colour and stain.

So this is what I have been doing, as well as writing the occasional short story for a Christmas book release, editing the writing club book in time for another Christmas release and even working on the sequel to my first novel, Letitia. So how does this make me a new person? Well, I have finally embraced the fact that I am an artist and I absolutely love playing with paint. I may not be able to draw particularly well and I certainly cannot sculpt in clay or stone, but I can build and paint model scenes scratch build my own kits from trash to compliment the model kits or other parts acquired else where. I have to be honest, it is all such fun.

[rgr-pop]

I have been reorganizing my “craft closet” (the closet which is the base of the stairs which lead up to the attic), and I challenged myself to only do it with things I already had in the house. To shop my stash, if you will. To shop my closet. By contrast I’m spending [redacted money] reorganizing the Christmas things and my wrapping supplies in the basement, but that’s just me realizing my fucking dreams, it’s going so well. With the craft stuff I’m more moved by pragmatic, eclectic, functional storage than the divine Martha modular vibe that I want for my basement. Keeping in mind of course that I’m able to repurpose shit from the rest of the house only because I had already acquired so much in other parts of my life: 10-20 year-old handmedown ikea shelving, snapware and pencil boxes from a decade ago, huge beautiful blue mason jars that I got from a garage sale when I was a kid, etc. and so on. And also keeping in mind that part of this is I’m stealing shelving from where I keep my records and I plan on literally just keeping my records on the floor until I find shelving I like better, which will be $$, but whatever whatever. I’m also using a lot of cute vintage baskets or whatever I’ve acquired, old birchboxes, whatever, real deal eclectic okay! The only things I’m purchasing for this round are: bright yellow paint for the interior of this space (first few coats are down, it’s going to take a few more), and one soft basket for my craft acrylic paints just because I loathe my current solution for them so much and I want to optimize use, especially since I enjoyed painting those threatening gnome signs so much last year!

In the near future I’m also going to pick up an extra bead organizer because mine are overflowing (resolution: make more stupid word necklaces for everybody! use up beads!), a ton of plastic spools so I can DEEP organize my embroidery floss (outside of my linocut and papercraft tools, the craft supply I use the most). I also have decided that “all buttons in a jar” isn’t workable and prevents me from actually replacing or attaching buttons in any timely way, so I’m going to pick up some kind of organizing piece for those if I can’t talk Lucas out of something from the workshop. After that Lucas is going to build me some sturdy shelving (nothing cosmetic and refined like we have in the bedroom, just full on scrap wood shelves) and I’m going to dot the wall leading up the stairs with pegs and knobs and hooks for hanging things like embroidery hoops and in-progress sewing, rather than putting up pegboard (a dream I have let die because that shit is too expensive for what it is!) Later in the year we’ll paint the stairs, and I might hang an interesting light fixture if I stumble on something that I like but can’t use elsewhere in the house--Why Not. Other than that the only thing I feel like I need to spend money on is something to hang or mount on the wall--cork panels, ideally--just to pin up scraps, ephemera, inspo, whatever. “Isn’t this closet in a room that has an actual wall paneled in cork?” Well yes, but I am very picky about what goes on Cork Wall! I need something for the scraps!!!!! But something like this is, again, oddly pricey. 

But there is one more thing that I have been putting off for years and years and years because I don’t want to spring for it: a handled portfolio for my large-scale notebooks and art I’ve made. THEY ARE SO EXPENSIVE! I just want to put all that shit in one that zips up, hang it and never think about it again! For all my smaller sketchbooks and paper supplies I actually have an antique sheet music cabinet that had been in my mother’s house. But I just cannot spend $30 on this thing! I can’t even get myself to spend $15 on the cardboard ones! It’s $15 for cardboard!

The bones of the above project should be done a few weeks from now (I am running like 5-10 projects at once right now it’s fine it’s fine as long as something is always getting done it’s fine) and I will share pictures!

[jon-newcomb]

Jon Newcomb Visits Austin’s Thinkery Children’s Musem

Part One of ‘Jon Newcomb Austin Reviews’ Series

Parents and kids alike love Austin's hands-on children's museum where science, innovation, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) exhibits get families finding out and chuckling. Thinkery is Austin's version of a children's museum. The environment itself challenges your mind (and some may call it a bit too crowded at times). Jon Newcomb visit Thinkery all the time and has quite a bit to review about it.

Thinkery is an effective method for kids to establish analytical skills, crucial thinking, and curiosity about the world around them. The exhibitions and programs motivate children-- along with their caregivers-- to fix imaginative obstacles, check out a range of products, and to establish brand-new ways to complete unknown jobs. Through these activities, children get the tools and confidence to grow and establish into enthusiastic, innovative, long-lasting STEAM learners and thinkers.

The Many Benefits of Thinkery

Children find out through play-- whether it's a child-led expedition of the connections between water and sound in Currents; together with an adult directing your own Stop Motion Animation Station motion picture in Innovators' Workshop, an exploration of experiences in Kitchen Lab; experimentation with motion in a Move Studio barrier course; diving into fictional worlds during Storytime; or checking out an idea with new products making your own cardboard production in a Spark Shop making activity. Play helps develop the ability to envision, perceive, factor, and issue solve while developing a foundation for a life time of learning.

Build Knowledge

Kids start to establish an understanding of STEAM concepts as infants. To support this, Thinkery offers enjoyable, engaging, high-quality STEAM experiences that cut across disciplines and set the phase for how they approach learning into adulthood. Thinkery kids check out cause and effect with electrical power and switches throughout a Scribble Bot Birthday Party, have fun with patterns manipulating colors in Light Lab, test structure and function developing a catapult in Camp, and examine the size and function of tiny structures at Micro Eye.

While all kids are born with an innate sense of interest about the world around them, they require grownups to cultivate, guide and enhance their interests in STEAM. By offering chances for caregivers and moms and dads to share in a cheerful, positive STEAM finding out experiences and to see themselves as crucial parts of their kid's early learning, it sets children up for future success.

Cultivate Curiosity

Nurturing clinical thinking is necessary for developing curious, bold and innovative long-lasting STEAM students and thinkers. Thinkery utilizes the process of query to promote clinical thinking. We "hand the reins" to kids and adults to explore what they discover curious-- which leads to asking concerns, making discoveries, and screening those discoveries in the search for brand-new understanding.

Promote Positive Adult-Child Relationships

Thinkery supports grownups in the vital work of parenting and caregiving. Adult engagement within a free-choice learning environment is multi-faceted and necessarily varied. Thinkery supplies multiple entry points for adult engagement, incorporating opportunities for grown-ups to observe - a child to produce a work of art at Paint Wall, help with-- an enhancement on a co-designed bridge at Build Landscape, and collaborate with-- creating a temporal "household portrait" in Frozen Shadows.

History of Thinkery

Austin Children's Museum was founded in 1983 by a grassroots group of teachers and parents who wanted regional kids to have more cultural and educational chances. At that time, it was a "museum without walls"-- the founder drove tabletop exhibitions around town in her station wagon and provided activities and programs in schools, parks, libraries and, yes, even shopping malls.

In 1987, they settled into their first brick-and-mortar home-- a 5,000-square-foot building on W. 5th St. For the next 10 years, they presented exhibitions, experiences and curricula for local kids and households. Throughout this time, they established exhibits that traveled to other kids's museums around the country, acquiring rather a track record.

By the mid-1990s, Austin was flourishing, and they had outgrown their home. Fortunately, the community acknowledged the significance of the organization and supported an expansion project. The outcome was the 1997 relocate to downtown Austin's warehouse district. Transferring to the 2nd St. center through a 10-year, rent-free lease was a huge action for Austin Children's Museum, however they understood when they opened the doors that Austin was growing and we 'd eventually need to expand.

In December 2013, Austin Children's Museum became Thinkery and opened at its brand-new location-- a 40,000-square-foot facility in the Mueller neighborhood. Thinkery delivers its mission through a variety of displays and programs that concentrate on science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM). Museum activities focus on academic experiences led by personnel, so each visit is various from the last!

My Review

Today I'm excited to tell you all about our current see to Thinkery. Tess likes going to the interactive museum and I love enjoying her expand her mind in numerous ways. Whether it's through art, building with logs, designing airplanes, or pretending to run a farm-to-table dining establishment.

Area

Thinkery is located in the Mueller location, which is simply east of I-35 near Dell Children's Hospital. The entrance to Thinkery is a few steps away from Mueller Lake Park's Playground.

If you're headed there on a weekend early morning or weekday early morning after traffic wanes, you can arrive in about 25 minutes from the Four Points area. With traffic, however, it could be closer to 45 minutes.

Parking

Thinkery visitors can have up to 3 hours of parking validated in the McBee Street District Garage which is ideal across the street from (but behind) Thinkery With children in tow it can take about 5 minutes to obtain from your car, however, so strategy accordingly.

Exploring Thinkery.

Immediately kids love climbing up all over the lock ness beast at the entrance. Lake Mueller Park Playground will interest kids of any ages. It can get crowded!

When you first walk into Thinkery, you'll immediately find a huge train table, an electronic camera for taking silly images (which then get blown up on the wall-- the kids like to see themselves up there), and a giant block table.

Ongoing Exhibits

The Thinkery routinely updates their permanent displays and each is created for hands-on learning. Here are some favorites that kids will love to explore:

Currents

Currents functions hands-on water activity stations for households to explore fluid dynamics and discover the connections between water and sound. The museum offers smocks and hand dryers however load a modification of clothes or a towel in case you are worried about your kid getting too wet!

It can get crowded, however it's extremely nice that there is a confined "baby" space in the middle for parents with both older and more youthful kids. Genius! So moms and dads can wait their infant however watch on and engage with their older kid( ren) at the very same time.

Trigger Shop

Next we headed to the Spark Shop where kids can find out all about aerodynamics. You can also design your own gliders and launch them in the air in this space.

Light Lab

Light Lab allows families to investigate the impact of color, light and shadows. Visitors can draw with light, freeze shadows, and build light structures utilizing mini and magnets blocks with LEDs. On this wall, you could push on the various pressure zones to get it to alter a variety of colors.

Our Backyard

Our Backyard is an amazing outside play area that welcomes museum goers to scale the heights of an accessible, custom-made climber, or rest under the branches of our native elm tree. This is Thinkery's outdoor play area. There you will discover a separate water play area, a huge playscape (tailored towards older kids), a location where kids can construct with foam noodles, and more.

Let's Grow

Upstairs you'll discover the Let's Grow Exhibit which includes a farmer's market, a play space for more youthful kids (0-3), a reading nook, and more. Kids LOVE the farmer's market.

Repeating Events

Every Wednesday, the museum remains open late for Community Nights from 4-- 8 p.m., admission is by donation. There is likewise a Bilingual Storytime on Wednesdays beginning at 6 p.m.

For households with children ages 4 and up, Think Lab allows for expedition of intricate procedures and usage of real scientific tools. Inspect their website for the schedule.

Toddlers take control of the museum during Baby Bloomers, when the museum is open just for visitors ages 0-- 3 years and their households. Held Mondays (9 a.m.-- noon) and Saturdays (9-- 10 a.m.), the program is produced for the earliest students. Saturday Baby Bloomers activities are restricted to the second level of the museum, so other ages can still access other locations of the museum during the event.

Every Winter, The Thinkery uses Gingerbread Workshops where families utilize fresh gingerbread and sweet treats to construct gingerbread houses. Make your appointments in advance.

Plan Your Trip to Thinkery Today!

Okay, so if you can't tell, we enjoy Thinkery. My review didn't even cover half of whatever they provide. I want I could but there are still areas of the museum we have not hung out in, and as the kids age I'm sure we'll start to find even more.

Admission

General admission to Thinkery is $10 for anybody 2 years old and up. Thinkery provides wonderful subscription bundles for households and I completely suggest getting one. Although we can't make it to Thinkery as typically as we 'd like, we probably happen as soon as every two months and it's nice to not need to pay anything each time! Plus, members have numerous other advantages, consisting of early gain access to on a couple Sundays every month and a discount rate at the present shop.

[you-andthebottlemen]

15 - Two POV’s

Request: Can you make one where Van moves to an apartment or something and then a girl moves to the same building and they have to share the same balcony. Like at first the girl doesn't know who lives next door and one day she was surprised to see Van on the balcony

****************

‘Your’ POV:

You lay on your bed and pulled the sheet up over yourself as you’d not gotten a duvet yet, the sheets rolling up over the mattress corners and it wasn’t very cosy. The sun began to creep through the window in golden rays and you looked around your new bedroom; the floor was littered with bags and boxes, a  sparse clothes rack stood in the corner and you had a pile of books stacked up on the floor as your ‘bedside table’ with a tea mug resting on top. You sighed. Moving sucked. 

You kicked back the sheets,  pulled on some undies and a large t-shirt over your naked body and went to make another cup of tea. Upon moving in, one of the first things you did was buy a kettle, some tea bags and milk. Not a duvet though, priorities. You wouldn’t stay sane without a good cup of tea to get the day started. While the kettle boiled, you checked my phone for texts; nothing. You had no data and hadn’t had wifi installed yet. There were no unlocked wifi connections either. The only one in range for was called ‘ALREET SERRRN’ - weird. 

Once you made myself a nice, hot, milky tea you took it out to the balcony to have while over a smoke. The balcony was your favourite part of the new flat. Since moving in, you’d come out here every night to wind down and watch the skyline fade to black and every morning to put yourself in a good mood for the day ahead. You leant against the railing looking out, holding the tea cup in one hand against your chest and the cigarette in the other. 

"Do you have a light?" A voice suddenly said from behind you. You jumped in fright and screamed a little, dropping your tea. 

The ceramic mug crashed painfully to the floor in pieces. Your heart was beating rapidly from the shock. You turned to see a boy in a leather jacket standing on the balcony behind you with an unlit cigarette in his hand. 

"Fuck, I'm sorry love," he rushed to pick up the pieces and shooed you away as you didn't have shoes on. Besides, you were too rattled to react fast enough to help.

You put out your cigarette and dashed inside to get something to mop up the tea. Great, what a way to start the day. 

"Have anywhere I can put this?" He asked, looking at his hand full of ceramic shards. 

With a nod you led him inside to the rubbish bin. Once he threw them away and washed his hands, he glanced around your flat briefly. You stood there awkwardly, suddenly realising you had no pants on and no bra. The boy was cute, that was for sure; which only made things worse. You stayed standing behind the kitchen bench so he couldn’t see your bare legs. 

“Sorry I scared you, I’ll replace the mug for ya,” he smiled, ruffling up his hair and leaning against the bench that was behind him.

“It’s fine. Um, so. Why were you on my balcony?” you asked, confused about the whole situation. 

“You’re balcony?” He laughed and raised an eyebrow at you.

“Love, it’s communal,” he said more seriously.

You frowned, unsure of whether or not to believe him. 

“The estate agents didn’t tell me that,” you responded skeptically, crossing your arms flat over your chest, still hoping he wouldn’t notice your lack of a bra. 

“Of course they wouldn’t. They’re corporate monkeys,” he said as if you should have known better. 

"Well, I haven’t seen you around before,” you commented, examining his face.

It was true. You hadn’t seen anyone except the lady who lived on the first floor with the small garden who grew pumpkins and cat that prowled the neighbourhood. As you stared at him, you began to notice details of his face; his skin was ungodly clear, his eyes were a piercing blue and were beautifully framed by his thick eyelashes. He also had kinda wonky teeth but it all just gave him character.

“I only got home this morning. Been away for a bit. I live here, next door, with my best mate Larry. What about you? You’re new,” the boy said with a mischievous look, obviously noticing your gaze. 

“I moved in about a week ago, hence all the mess.” 

You pointed around at the dirty cardboard storage boxes that lined the room instead of furniture. “I’m y/n, also.”

“Well y/n, welcome to the building. I promise I won’t scare ya on the balcony lookin’ for a light again. Talk about bad first impressions,” he laughed and licked his lips casually like a force of habit. 

You laughed and nodded, unsure of what else to say. This was all pretty weird. 

“What’s that?” He asked, pointing at a pile of long flat boxes that lay across the living room floor. 

“It’s some furniture I have to build. Like a table, chairs and a bed frame. My mattress is currently on the floor and I’ve been eating standing up. Can’t seem to find the strength or patience to put it together, I’ll never have any furniture at this rate,” you laughed but with a sense of agony at the thought of all the work you still had to do to make this place feel like a home. 

“I’ll help you?” He offered. Your eyes lit up and you asked him if he was sure.

“Absolutely. I’ll come over later tonight? I’ve got some work stuff I gotta run to but I’ll be back.”

He began to walk back towards the balcony door, you stood still just watching as he went outside. Before walking away completely, he stopped and peeked his head back through the door. 

“I’m Van by the way. And you might wanna think about putting some proper clothes on when you come out here. The other neighbours won’t be as appreciative of your current outfit as I am.”

And with a wink he was gone, leaving you blushing. 

You spent the rest of the day thinking about Van in between all your mundane activities. You grew so curious about him. What did he do for work? What was Larry like? Would they be good neighbours? Also, why was his name Van? You went to the shops and bought a replacement mug. You stood staring at the different patterns for far too long before deciding on a white one with black stripes. You went to walk off but quickly backtracked and picked up a second one; Van still on your mind. 

You were sat on my bedroom floor, sorting through some boxes of clothes, shoes and other miscellaneous items when there was a knock from outside. You went into the living room and saw Van standing at the glass door on your, our, balcony. You grinned and went to unlock the door, your heart starting to beat faster just at the sight of him. He was smiling, still in the same black outfit as earlier and had his arms full of shopping bags. 

“Evening love,” Van said, leaning in to kiss your cheek hello. 

.........................

Van’s POV:

I kissed her cheek and felt her freeze slightly at my touch. I walked off with a smirk and placed the bags down on her counter. I’d bought dinner, noticing earlier that her place was stark empty. I also brought various junk foods to keep up our energy while we put all the furniture together. 

“What’s in there?” She asked, peering over my shoulder. 

“Figured I owed you dinner after this morning?” I smiled as I glanced over at her, pulling the sushi rolls out the bag.

“D’you have a fridge?” I asked.

“Um, yes Van. I very clearly have a fridge,” y/n replied sarcastically, stretching her arm out wide and motioning to the big empty space where a fridge was meant to be.

“Right. What’re we gonna do with this ice cream then?” I held up the tub of double choc chip.

“Put it in yours?” She shrugged. 

“I don’t...have a fridge.. either,” my face went blank. She’d just moved in, she was allowed to not have a fridge. I had no excuse.

“What?” She laughed in disbelief.

“Guess we will have to eat it now before it melts,” I said as I ripped the top off and took out two plastic spoons from the bag. 

We sat cross-legged on the empty living space floor with the ice cream tub between us, taking turns scooping out a spoonful. It was weirdly enjoyable. Y/n was fucking hilarious, neither of us could stop laughing or talking. We just clicked, you know what I mean? It was mad. She asked me all about Larry; she was trying to suss us out at neighbours I reckon. I told her about the band, she hadn’t heard of us but said she would come to a show sometime. I promised her a door spot.

“Better start this building business eh? You need a bed frame to sleep on tonight,” I said, standing up.

I began to open the box and looked at the instructions. It honestly looked like another language to me.

“Hey y/n, does this make sense to you?” I asked, handing her the little sheet.

“They’re in Italian Van...” she rolled her eyes at me with a smile. Guess they literally were another language...oops.

She watched me while I unpacked the bits of metal and wood, piling them onto the floor. The last bit out of the box was the little bag of screws and stuff. I didn’t feel nervous about having her eyes on me, but I felt pressure to get the job done right and impress her.

“Wait here,” I said, before dashing out to my flat.

When I came back moments later y/n had cleaned up the ice cream off the floor and was sat there with her arms wrapped around her legs, waiting for me. She looked cosy and content there in her oversized jumper and mismatched socks, despite being surrounded by boxes and nothing that could feel like home. I had run to get Larry’s box of spare tools, I doubted she’d have any. 

“Let’s get this show on the road hey Van?” She said, looking at the tool box in my hand and pulling herself up off the floor.

I made a slight breathy laugh and began carrying the planks into her room. We lifted her mattress together and pushed it against the wall so we had space to build the frame in the middle of the room. I’m glad I was here to help, don’t know how she would have managed alone. That thing was fuckin’ heavy

I got to work on the bed frame, screwing bits together and trying to work out what went where. Also trying really hard to not make a fool of myself and give away the fact I had no idea what to do. I got y/n to help me steady the metal frame as I attached the brackets for the base. I was crouched down on the floor with the screwdriver, fiddling with all the tedious little parts. Y/n had gone out to the kitchen but came back again with a cup of tea for me.

“You bloody angel,” I smiled, stopping for a quick sip. 

“Please don’t make me drop this one, I had to go out and buy these mugs today. The one that smashed was the only one I had,” she responded, before gulping hers down.

“Sorry again y/n. Why’d you buy two then if you only had one before?” I questioned, my eyes probably swimming with cheek. I knew the answer, I just wanted to hear her say it. 

“Umm..well I knew you’d be coming over tonight so I guess I just thought I should have a spare mug here for you,” she said quietly, a little nervous.

I beamed, she was so sweet.

Soon enough, we had a skeleton of a frame in front of us. We actually got it done way quicker than I expected, but I was dead frustrated with the damn thing by the end of it. I’d ripped off my jacket and pushed up my sleeves, starting to break a sweat from lifting all the heavy pieces and mattress into place.

Once the mattress was laid down on the frame, I collapsed backwards onto the bed and groaned.

“I fucking hate doing manly shit like putting furniture together y/n,” I put my palms against my forehead and closed my eyes.

She burst out laughing at me and I felt the bed dip down, I glanced over to see y/n sitting beside me.

“Fancy a smoke?” She asked with a grin, holding up her lighter.

She led me outside and offered me one of her cigarettes. She put it in between her lips and lit it for me before handing it over; something about that was so sexy. 

We were both leaning against the railing, the same spot where I’d first seen her earlier. Admittedly, I didn’t need a light. I just wanted a not awkward excuse to talk to her. I felt bad for scaring her, didn’t mean to do that. I had seen her through my window, all bare legs and messy hair staring out into the sky. She was beautiful. 

“I don’t like that outfit as much as the one you had on earlier,” I teased before I could stop myself, pointing at her body with my cigarette in hand.

She rolled her eyes and blew smoke in my face. Fucking christ, this girl. I felt weak at the knees.

“I come out here every night, it’s calming,” she said and I nodded, taking in the comfortable silence that followed. 

“So unless you wanna be up all night, shall I be over again tomorrow to help build that table?” I suggested, cutting into the quiet.

“I don’t mind being up all night,” she replied, not meeting my eyes. I could tell she was trying to act more confident than she was feeling.

“Yeah?” I answered, blowing out some smoke into the night are and watching it float away.

“But I could think of a better use of our time than just building a table. If we are going to stay up all night I mean,” she looked at me now, her eyes reflecting the fluorescent light behind me. 

Y/n put out her smoke and threw it into the ashtray. We stared at each other for a bit while I finished my cigarette. Flirting without words. My heart was beating like crazy. She twisted around so her back was against the railing and rested one arm on it too. I licked my lips and moved closer to her. I stood centimetres away, her hand brushing against my side.

“What’s a better use of our time then y/n?” I whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear.

As soon as the words left my mouth she grasped my shirt tightly, pulling me closer and went on her tippy toes to reach my face and kiss me. I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist and kissed her back. She took my breath away.

It was a mess of tongues and teeth but we didn’t care. We made our way back inside and she began to reach under my shirt. Once she got her hands on my belt buckle, I gave in and scooped her up in my arms. I carried her into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind me. We fell down onto her bed and became tangled in the sheets. 

“How did you know I wanted to break in the new bed frame?” She said smugly between kisses.

Guess she won’t mind sharing a balcony after all. 

[antondesignus]

Essay

Engaging with others: Using contrasting prototyping means when communicating design ideas

 Introduction

 When starting a new design project, it can be difficult to know what and how to prototype when designers are to engage with others to get valuable information for the project. When engaging with users, stakeholders, etc, the designer needs to effectively communicate the design proposal through the prototype to gain insight on how to improve the prototype and in the end, the design itself. In this essay, I will argue through my empirical experiences that different means of prototyping can be a powerful tool in some scenarios, and in other scenarios, they can be misleading and hurt the design process. How and when to use these means when engaging with users is a skill that every designer must master for them to develop and evolve their prototypes. Communicating through experiential low-fidelity means

There are many means of prototyping and they all have their purpose to serve. One of them is using low-fidelity means such as using paper to sketch, building something crude with cardboard to quickly turn your abstract thought into something real, something you can give to a potential user for them to explore and experience. Low-fidelity prototypes are very valuable for designers because they take little time to make and their very nature is at its core, incomplete. The incompleteness of low-fidelity prototypes is something that is crucial when engaging with users. They understand that this is not the final form of the design and the blank canvas nature of the prototype may spark creativity for not just the designer, but for the users as well.

  In one project, my design team worked with both high-fidelity prototyping in Adobe XD and with low-fidelity material, such as cardboard to make a prototype of a credit card that showed the current amount of money in the user’s bank account via a slidable bar that was painted in green and red. The design team had gained inspiration from the paper Experience Prototyping by Buchenau and Suri (2000) when conducting prototyping activities such as roleplaying scenarios with prototypes.

 The team roleplayed the scenario of purchasing products in a store with the credit card and gained insights on how to tweak the look and feel of the prototype, but we needed more information about the user experience from the users themselves. In a user test where the goal was to gain insight about the prototype, the user was only given limited information about the prototype and that they were required to role play that they were about to make a purchase. After completing the purchase one of the design members changed the color of the bar to red after the purchase. The user immediately understood what had happened and was eager to give their opinion on the prototype. This example of a quickly made cardboard prototype was highly effective in communicating its purpose to the user even though the designer gave limited information of its intended purpose. 

The low-fidelity means of this prototyping activity helped the designers gain insight of the prototype quickly and effectively. One might argue that a more functional high-fidelity prototype made in Adobe XD for smartphones, for example, would be more efficient and understandable for the everyday user because they might have a general understanding about their phone and its capabilities. This technique was also employed and tested but was later revealed to be in this case, inferior. The design team themselves conducted a prototyping activity where they experienced the functionalities of the smartphone application and this led to only minor tweaking of the GUI within the app. To further improve the prototype, we had to engage with potential users. This means of prototyping was much more time consuming both to create and to showcase to the user. It took more time for the user to understand the intended design proposal.

  Because of the application being something new that the user never had used before, we as a design team had to explain what interactions the user had to do within the app.  Both prototypes had the same intended purpose, to show the user their transactions in real-time as the purchase was being done. I would argue in this case that the practical challenges of the high-fidelity prototype were inferior for the uninformed user. They had never experienced this application and the intention of the prototyping activity was to not give them too much information on what to do with it just like the cardboard prototype, and in the end, we as a team had to step in and aid the user to communicate the design proposal. The low fidelity prototype made out of cardboard with the same goal and intent was something tangible that the user understood, the only information given was that the artifact the user held in their hands, was a credit card and that they had to roleplay making a transaction.  

 Buchenau and Suri in Experience Prototyping argue that “High-fidelity prototypes certainly have their place but our examples show that, especially in the understanding, exploring and evaluating design phases, there is great value in low-tech methods and improvisation with basic materials — rolled paper, pagers etc. “  (Buchenau, Fulton Suri, 2000).

 Here Buchenau and Suri proposes through their research, that they had more success when employing their prototyping techniques through low-fidelity means. My design team and I drew inspiration from Experience Prototyping when developing these prototypes, especially when roleplaying the scenario using them, and in this case I argue that the low-fidelity means when doing experiential prototyping was a tool that helped us communicate our design proposals effectively when engaging with others.  

 Engaging with users through high-fidelity prototyping

Other cases where high-fidelity means are superior and more effective when communicating design proposals to users of course exists. In project 2, where we designed for family communication, we designed a concept that would enable families to communicate through end to end real-time drawing on an interactive board, much like a digital whiteboard. The team tried different prototyping techniques with users to collect information that would hopefully aid the team improve the design. One designer in the team used a low-fidelity method where they drew messages on a paper and roleplayed the paper as the interactive board. While this technique simulated the functions of the intended design purpose primitively but evidently not in real time as one of the core functionalities in the intended concept, the conclusion was that engaging with users via this simple method did not give results that could improve the design. The user was unsure what the purpose of the prototype was and did not fully understand the concept.

  Buchenau and Suri (2000) had a similar event happen to them when showing a concept to a client. They had trouble when explaining the concept through common communication techniques. They had to make a functional prototype that was close to the final design proposition in functionality for the client to understand the purpose. They write: “This example perfectly demonstrates the importance of motivating and exciting a decision-making audience by providing them with a stimulating, hands-on experience.” (Buchenau, Fulton Suri, 2000). The simple method where the designer and user had to draw on a piece of paper was not stimulating enough to produce good insight for improvement, and it was indeed not a hands-on experience that simulated real-time end to end communication. The feedback we got from the user was that “It felt like a chore”. This was not our intention for the concept.

  The team wanted to create a space where family members could communicate with each other using their imagination and creativity, respecting the user to create their own value through free form interaction such as drawing. Using a functional high-fidelity prototyping activity that was very close functionality-wise in this case, proved to be the breakthrough in the project, much alike the example in Experience Prototyping. The design team with the use of aggie.io, a collaborative painting application, could simulate the intended functions of the interactive board. One designer had an iPad set up in their kitchen, and the user (family member) did the same. The results were the opposite of the first example mentioned in the paragraph. The user and designer enjoyed themselves immensely while exploring the prototype. The activity went on for days and the family members continued to use the prototype with pleasure. This had answered the question we were looking to answer: was there any potential value in this sort of artefact? The answer was plain and simply yes. Through this confirmation the design team could go on exploring the aesthetics of the GUI and the look and feel of the prototype itself and evolve the concept further. 

Conclusion

Using and exploring many different prototyping means and techniques when engaging with others is vital for the design project. Me and my design teams needed user input to further evolve the concept to refine and sharpen the design. Different prototyping qualities such as low-fidelity means proved to be a powerful method in order to gain insight for future design alterations as shown in the first paragraph. The high-fidelity prototype mentioned in the first paragraph was inferior in the project due to taking too much time to create, and even though it had the same functionalities as the low-fidelity counterpart, it only confused the user and halted the project because we had to explain the concept and what interactions the user had to make within the prototype application. Later however, high-fidelity prototyping proved to be informative and effective in another project. It outclassed the low-fidelity prototype in communicating the design proposal of the interactive board due to the similarities between the final design idea and the prototyping activity with high fidelity means. Through my empirical experiences I can now see the value of both fidelities, and that it takes a skillful designer to know when to use and how to use these different approaches to prototyping to improve the design when engaging with others. There is always room for both ends of the fidelity spectrum when communicating ideas. These two projects utilized both, and both had their pros and contras and served their purpose in the end.

References

 Buchenau, M, Fulton Suri, J. (2000). Experience prototyping

Retrieved from: https://mau.instructure.com/courses/5799/files/503782?module_item_id=136808

[kaleidodreams]

40 Questions - Meme for Fic Writers

Well, I only got one ask for this game, but I really wanted to answer more questions, so I’ve just decided to answer all of them!

1. Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic. - I don't know if I really have a "comfort zone"... Maybe family drama and dealing with characters' backstories?

2. Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to? - Hmm, fake dating seems like it would be pretty fun to try to write. I just wouldn't know which characters to use.

3. Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole? - The whole A/B/O thing... Yeah, no.

4. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them? - Maybe five or six? And you can check out the answer to Question 37 if you want to know what most of them are.

5. Share one of your strengths. - People seem to like my original characters.

6. Share one of your weaknesses. - I'm not very good at description.

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it. - This is from Ashes to Ashes:

However, the more time that passed, the more otou-sama lost himself in his work and the more distant we became. Our house, which had always been full of laughter and smiles when okaa-sama was alive and healthy, might as well have been a cemetery itself, the ghost of her memory haunting us who remained. Even as young as I was, I realized that otou-sama would never be able to truly recover from his grief as long as we stayed there, where the scent of okaa-sama's favorite perfume still seemed to linger in the air and every room remained a museum to the woman who once lived there because otou-sama couldn't bear the thought of putting her things away.

I just really like the "house is a cemetery" metaphor. (By the way, that story is written from Rei Hino’s point of view, if that wasn’t clear from the title.)

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it. - This is from To Build a Home:

"Take if off and put it back the way it was," he ordered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But why? You always said my bed looked so cute."

"Yeah, your bed. But this is my bed, and I don't want it to look cute."

"Your bed?" She set down an ugly-cute hippo plush and arched an eyebrow. "Isn't it our bed now?"

He rubbed at his temple. "Yes, of course, but… You know what I mean." Mamoru pointed an accusing finger at a very familiar blanket – one that was too small to properly fit the queen-sized bed. "I am not having sex on a bed covered in bunnies and crescent moons!"

"That's never stopped you before. We did it all the time –"

"You're missing the point, Usako! We're adults now. Isn't it about time you outgrew all this cutesy crap?"

He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Oh, I see. I can move into your oh-so-sophisticated apartment, just not my 'cutesy crap'." She grabbed an empty cardboard box from off the floor and started throwing her plush toys in it with a force that made Mamoru very glad she wasn't pummeling them at him. "If that's how you really feel, then maybe we shouldn't move in together at all!"

I like it because I tend to have trouble writing arguments, but this one turned out exactly how I wanted it to, and I can just picture the scene so vividly.

9. Which fic has been the hardest to write? - Hmm, probably Melting Ice? It took me about eight years -- I started writing it a couple of years before I actually started posting it -- to finally finish the whole thing. Sure, it’s a long fic (over 150,000 words), but in comparison, I managed to write Spirit of Fire, which is almost twice as long, in only two or three years (ignoring the side stories added later).

10. Which fic has been the easiest to write? - Probably my first fics because back then I wasn’t as self-conscious about my writing. But later in my career, I seem to recall Blood On His Hands being really easy and fast to write until I got to the last chapter. Honestly, I think the ending took me longer to figure out than the rest of the story!

11. Is writing your passion or just a fun hobby? - Both!

12. Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more? - This is easiest to choose with Sailor Moon, so can I just say the entire SuperS season/Dream Arc? Obviously because of the Chibiusa/Helios OTP factor, but also because we learn about the Inners’ families and Elysion/the Golden Kingdom, both subjects that I love exploring.

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across? - I learned about this from a post on Tumblr, but it’s REALLY helpful to run your story through a screen reader (I just use Google Translate). I think I’m pretty good at catching spelling and grammar errors, but one thing I have trouble with is missing words. Hearing the story read aloud instead of just reading it to myself and mentally filling in the blanks makes the skips so much easier to find. I also worry a lot about the flow of my writing, so I figure if it doesn’t sound too terrible being read by a computer, it’s probably not as awful as I think it is!

14. What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across? - Probably the "avoid adverbs" rule. Sometimes using an adverb is the best choice!

15. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose? - Oh, man, this is totally impossible to choose... Um, To Be By Your Side? I really don't know.

16. If you only could write one pairing for the rest of your life, which pairing would it be? - If I had to, I would no doubt pick Chibiusa/Helios, but I’m really glad I don’t! I enjoy being able to write a variety of couples and imagine I would get bored fairly quick if I was limited to just writing one OTP forever, as much as I may love them.

17. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order? - It depends on the story, but most of the time it’s out of order, which is frankly annoying, but it seems to work for me.

18. Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines? - Not really, unless you count screenwriting and research tools.

19. Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a muse? - Haha, I remember when I first started writing fanfiction as a teenager, there were four characters I considered my muses: Helios (obs!), Shigure from Fruits Basket (who is a writer himself), Touya from Card Captor Sakura, and Tooya from Ceres: Celestial Legend (not sure why, though, since I never wrote for Ceres). I guess I would still consider Helios my muse?

20. Describe your perfect writing conditions. - At my desk in my bedroom, with the room at a comfortable temperature and absolute quiet.

21. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting? - I tend to edit while I write, which I know isn’t generally considered the best way to do things, but it works for me. So I can’t really answer this question definitively.

22. Choose a passage from one of your earlier fics and edit it into your current writing style. (Person sending the ask is free to make suggestions). (Skipping this one unless someone wants to make a suggestion for a passage.)

23. If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why? - Spirit of Fire, because while I love the story and the characters, I think it could be better written, especially the earlier chapters.

24. Have you ever deleted one of your published fics? - I did take down a first chapter of a planned multi-part and reworked it into a one-shot when I decided I didn’t want to write the rest of it, if that counts. (The Legend, if you’re interested.) Otherwise, no.

25. What do you look for in a beta? - Basically someone who wants to beta for me. *laughs* Like I said before, I consider myself pretty good at catching spelling and grammar goofs, so I don't feel like I really need a beta, but if someone offers, it doesn't hurt to have a second pair of eyes!

26. Do you beta yourself? If so, what kind of beta are you? - I've done so in the past, and if somebody asks me, I would probably be willing to do it again. I would say I focus mainly on spelling/grammar, occasionally making suggestions or asking questions if something seems off (like a character feels OOC or something).

27. How do you feel about collaborations? - I've never really been a part of one, so I don't have much of an opinion. If you're good friends, it seems like it would be a lot of fun, but maybe a bit difficult if you have different styles.

28. Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much. - his lordship Chaos, Allekha, and commas_and_ampersands 

29. If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose? - I honestly can’t think of any. I have enough sequels and prequels of my own stuff to write! *laughs*

30. Do you accept prompts? - Not unless I’m doing a drabble game, which I haven’t done in years, or I’m taking part of some writing challenge. Just random prompts, though? No. I like to write what I want to write.

31. Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant? - I’d say I’m middle-of-the-road between the two, closer to being strict about being canon compliant.

32. How do you feel about smut? - Despite being asexual, I’m a fan!

33. How do you feel about crack? - A lot of it is really stupid, but with the right writer and idea, crack can be brilliantly funny. I usually only read it on recommendation, though.

34. What are your thoughts on non-con and dub-con? - It’s not something I go looking for as a reader, but I don’t mind if I come across it and it’s handled well. I’ve written some dub-con myself, mostly in the form of drunk sex, but also some incidents involving magic. Overall, though, I’m really a HUGE fan of consent when it comes to sex scenes. Consent is sexy!

35. Would you ever kill off a canon character? - Yes, of course. Done it before and I’ll probably do it again!

36. Which is your favorite site to post fic? - I like AO3 and FF.net equally well.

37.Talk about your current wips.

Friends With Benefits (Kaleido Star) - This is the only WIP I’m actively posting. It’s a sequel to Blood On His Hands, and it’s about Layla and Yuri engaging in a, well, “friends with benefits” arrangement, leading to complications when they fall in love. 

The Bonds We Choose (Yuri!! On Ice) - A sequel to It’s Complicated, taking place about four years later. Yuri, Otabek, and Mila have settled into their unusual relationship -- Yuri and Otabek are queerplatonic partners while Otabek is also dating/living with Mila -- when a drunken mistake at the Olympics changes their lives forever.

Metamophosis (Sailor Moon) - This is kinda a prequel to To Be By Your Side, telling the story of how Helios became priest of Elysion.

Stolen Dreams (Sailor Moon) - Ha, this is the only non-sequel/prequel story on the list! But it’s about an incubus who plans to get revenge on Helios by seducing a grown-up Chibi-Usa, who’s under a lot of stress due to her upcoming college entrance exams.

38. Talk about a review that made your day. - I was really happy when @floraone favorited and wrote a review for my Sailor Moon Smutember entry, Head of the Class. Knowing that someone like her, who IMO writes the BEST sex scenes I’ve ever read, enjoyed it... Well, like the question said, it really made my day! I also was pleasantly surprised to get any reviews at all for my last two YOI fics, Lonely Hearts and No Risk, No Reward, since Minako/Celestino and Sara/Emil are both extremely rare pairs. I seriously didn’t think anybody would read them, so I was thrilled with the reviews I got.

39. Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them? - Occasionally, and I just ignore them.

40. Write an alternative ending to [insert fic title] (or just the summary of one). (Again, skipping, unless someone wants to suggest a story.)

[itsredminote5review-blog]

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Review: Good Smartphone

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is the newest version of the popular affordable lineup, which has gotten big updates this year. Unlike previous models, not only the innards were changed (new processor and RAM), but also the overall design. Here we have the new 18:9 screen and dual camera with AI! So, is it any good? Let’s take a closer look.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 The Redmi lineup and overall the larger models like Note have always drawn my attention. They have their certain magic which grows rare in modern age of consumerism and dry marketing. It seems impossible that there is a really good smartphone that costs only $200.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

Usual pros of Redmi Note – good specs, nice screens and battery life – are all here. There has only been only one big issue – really bad cameras. But the day Xiaomi puts an end to it is here: here you have a phone that has all that was good about the predecessors plus a dual camera with AI. A camera that can compete with much more expensive flagships.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

I was stunned. I didn’t believe Xiaomi, but still I had to check if there was some truth in their words. I ordered the phone on GearBest, choosing the cheapest black model with 3 GB of RAM and 23 GB of storage.  The device costed me about $200 and after a month of active use I can finally say was it worth it or not.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

What’s in the box In the bright orange cardboard box we have the phone, a microUSB cable, a 5V 2A charger, SIM eject tool and a good opaque silicone case, toned black.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5Xiaomi Redmi Note 5Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Xiaomi Redmi Note 5Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 The case is thin and won’t really protect your device if you drop it, but it makes the phone less slippery and improves the grip.

Design and materials The design is ordinary, and the phone looks a lot like the previous Redmi Note devices. But at the same time, the appearance is a lot different.  First, of course, is the new 18:9 screen. There is no notch here, but there are large enough bezels on top and bottom. Side bezels, too, are noticeable. In any case, while maintaining the overall dimensions of the classic 5.5-inch smartphone, Xiaomi increased the screen size to to 5.99", thus expanding the work area. This is very good news.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

Also in Redmi Note 5 the manufacturer moved away from the central location of the camera above the fingerprint scanner and opted for a protruding vertical block of the dual camera on the left. We know all too well who inspired them. I can only say that lots of companies did exactly the same.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

The front panel is made of glass, the back panel is metal with plastic frame and edges on top and bottom. Very similar to Note 3, except that the height of plastic parts is not so large, and the metal is predominant.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5Xiaomi Redmi Note 5Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Redmi Note 5 looks nice and feels good in hand. The metal is slippery, so thank the maker for the case.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

I tested the black model. You can also buy gold, rose, blue and red variations

Key Features:

Dimensions: 158.6 x 75.4 x 8.1 mm Weight: 181 g Elements’ Configuration and Ergonomics On a large area above the display we have all the traditional elements – an earpiece speaker, front camera, flash (!) and light and proximity sensors. There’s nothing below the screen.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5Xiaomi Redmi Note 5Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Power buttons and volume control are on the right. On the left there’s a hybrid slot for two SIMs  (nano) or one SIM card and memory card.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5Xiaomi Redmi Note 5Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 On the bottom are a speaker, a microUSB port, a microphone and a 3.5 mm jack. On top is the second microphone and the infrared port. A dual camera unit with a dual flash and a round fingerprint reader are located at the back.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Due to streamlined shape and slight curvature at the edges of the back, the smartphone comfortably lies in the hand. The buttons and the scanner are conveniently located under the fingers. It's difficult to use the smartphone with one hand, but it's possible if you have long fingers.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

Matte back surface is hardly a fingerprint magnet – especially if your hands are dry.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

Corning Gorilla Glass (version unknown) is installed on the front part and boasts excellent oleophobic coating – even some flagships have it worse. The prints are wiped off easily.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

In general, the ergonomics of the smartphone is all right. If you are used to the 5.5-inch classics, then Redmi Note 5 will feel familiar.

Screen Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 has a usual IPS screen of medium quality. It has a good range of brightness. The maximum level slightly falls short of modern flagships. The minimum brightness is slightly overstated, but not critical. The viewing angles are fine. The color rendering of the matrix is close to natural, although is a little to “cold” for my taste.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5Xiaomi Redmi Note 5Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 In the screen settings there are simple tools for adjusting the color and contrast; you can choose the three color tone options (warm, natural, cold) and contrast (automatic - depending on the lighting, higher, standard). Fine color adjustment is nonexistent.

xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-8xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-9xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-11xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-12 There is also a reading mode (similar to the night mode with blue filter), which is activated either manually or according to a schedule, but also completely automatically - after sunset. How exactly it works is not entirely clear. There’s another neat feature: wake the smartphone with a double tap on the screen.There's no support for using the phone with gloves.

Auto brightness adjustment works correctly, but always tries to lower the current level. I never liked how it works.  Fortunately, you can adjust this moment by using the slider in the notification bar and the system will gradually remember your preferences for different levels of lighting.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

Key Features:

display diagonal: 5.99 " type of matrix: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen aspect ratio: 18:9 resolution: 1080x2160 pixel density: 403 ppi the ratio of the screen area to the frontal part: 77.4% Performance In terms of speed, everything is predictable. For the comfortable Android experience the new Snapdragon 636 is more than enough. The smartphone works quickly, but there are nuances associated with the flaws in the software shell. Namely a new way to use the smartphone with gestures (I'll talk about it later). When you activate it, the animation starts lagging. If you control with the traditional on-screen navigation buttons  this does not happen. Most likely this bug will be fixed in the future.

Key Features:

Processor: Qualcomm SDM636 Snapdragon 636, 8-core, 4 × 1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Video Accelerator: Adreno 509 Memory versions: 64 GB, 4/6 GB RAM or 32 GB, 3 GB RAM, support for memory cards up to 256 GB Multitasking in Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 directly depends on the amount of RAM on board. The device with 3 GB of RAM can keep running only 3-4 simple applications, which is quite enough for the average user. If you are more demanding, then it’s better to look at the smartphone with 4 and 6 GB of RAM.

In general, opening applications and switching between them is not instant, but quick enough. You don’t feel like you’re using a cheap device. Of course, it’s not as fast as some of the flagships. But there’s no reason for such comparisons.

As for games, everything is okay here. The phone is powerful enough to run virtually any game from Google Play. Of course, some heavy titles require you have to lower the graphics intensity. In the specialized 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme test the results are not impressive. But we must understand that tests in complex synthetics have little in common with real games and rather show the potential of a graphic subsystem. There’s no real potential here. But in the "old" Ice Storm test, which corresponds to the current level of graphics of modern games, the smartphone earns the maximum result. Yes, the benchmark writes: "This test is too easy for your smartphone." Overall, you can play on Redmi Note 5 no problems, but this is clearly not flagship level.

In any case, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is at the moment the most powerful smartphone of the lineup. Before it was Redmi Note 3 Pro with Snapdragon 650. The current phone is about 1.5 times more powerful.

Cameras AI in a budget phone is a big deal, and the marketing team made sure we know it. Allegedly, AI selects the best shooting parameters that correspond to the current scene. In practice we can’t understand whether it really works it not, because the AI ​​does not show itself in the camera software, as it happens with the other devices with similar functionality, where at least there's an icon corresponding to the currently applied preset of artificial intelligence. Actually, the user also can not influence  automatic mode in any way. And yes, in the settings there is no way to disable the AI in order to see the difference, if there’s any. How good is AI and whether it’s actually there we cannot know. It’s a mysterious and magical camera, and let’s leave it at that.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

If we forget about this AI nonsense and just judge the photos for what they are, the results are great. This is arguably the best smartphone camera for this price. That’s to be expected with the module like that. This is very unlike the previous models.

Key Features:

The speed of the camera is average. There is a way to start the camera from sleep mode using the volume button. Also the volume key works as a camera shutter button.

As for the camera features, there is Auto HDR. Focusing methods are: phase and Dual Pixel. The autofocus is fast. Also there is PRO mode, although it’s not very serious since you can adjust only ISO and white balance.

When making video, electronic stabilization is available. The maximum video resolution is 1080p @ 30fps. Quality is average.

The front camera has a resolution of 13 MP, f/2.0, pixel size of 1.12μm. There’s LED-flash for selfies and advanced face beautifiers. But let’s not dwell on that.

Battery life Beginning with the third generation Redmi Note smartphones started getting good batteries. The current device also has a 4000 mAh lithium-polymer battery.

In combination with an energy-efficient processor, we get an excellent result. Good battery life is the most obvious pros of the phone. More than 12 hours of continuous work with an active screen is a possibility. In real life, of course, no one will use the device for as long. Therefore, depending on your perseverance, Redmi Note 5 will work a day, two or three on one charge. 7-8 houts of active screen is pretty good. And all of that if you do not bother with the settings of energy saving and background processes. If you want, MIUI has such built-in tools to further prolong the battery’s longevity.

xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-68xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-69xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-70 Redmi Note 5 supports fast charging (Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0), although Xiaomi decided to cut costs, and bundled the usual 5В 2А  charger with the global version of the device. Want fast charging - buy a compatible adapter separately. Remind you of anyone?

Nevertheless, even with this shabby charger, the smartphone charges quite quickly. Here is a listing of charging from 15%:

00:00 - 15% 00:15 - 24% 00:30 - 38% 00:45 - 55% 01:00 - 68% 01:15 - 80% 01:30 - 90% 01:45 - 95% 02:00 - 100% Sound Curiously, Redmi Note 5 sounds great. I was pleasantly surprised: too often companies completely ignore sound in affordable devices. The main speaker here is loud with wide frequency range. Be sure, you won’t miss any notifications. It’s more than enough for movies and games as well. There’s no stereo, but that’s to be expected.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

The earpiece speaker is of a flagship level; the sound is clear and very nice.

Let’s talk a bit about sound in headphones. First, there’s a 3.5 audio jack that’s located in a very convenient place on the lower edge. Second, the sound quality is very good, and it can even be better with the help of the built-in MIUI utility that allows you to choose the type of headphones. What it does is it selects presets of the equalizer and panoramas. Better find one that suits you. There's also manual adjustments of the equalizer. All of this helps archiving a very good result.

xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-59xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-61xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-60 Communications There are no issues with cellular network. Same goes for WiFi - even 5 GHz support is there. Bluetooth functions normally, just like GPS. As a bonus, there’s an infrared port for controlling household appliances.

There are two disadvantages in communication aspects: absence of NFC module and microUSB port. microUSB is  annoying, but understandable, but the absence of contactless payments is a much bigger issue. If you’re not already used to it, then it’s probably not a big deal for you. Personally, I feel somehow uncomfortable without NFC. But again, I understand people who do not need it.

Key Features:

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE Location: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS FM radio Port: microUSB 2.0 Firmware and software Here we have the traditional MIUI, which is both loved and hated by many. Personally, I am not a fan of the shell, but I know it well, I understand many aspects of architecture, accept it and can safely use it without righteous anger.

I started using the smartphone on stable version 9.5, but then installed MIUI 10 Beta - just to see what's new. I did not see much. Of the visible changes - a new notification bar (looks like something I saw 5 years ago), multitasking menu in the form of tiles and indicators of volume control.

xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-31xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-29xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-30 xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-67xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-54 xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-52xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-55xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-57 Both 9.5 and 10 work satisfactorily fast, with smooth animations. There is customization with themes and many different functions and built-in tools for setting up the system and optimizing its operation.

xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-71xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-72 The main motto of the shell at the moment is "infinity", that is, working with large screens using gestures. You can turn off the onscreen navigation buttons and use gestures from the edges of the screen; swipe from the bottom and go to the desktop and multitasking menu, if you hold your finger at the end of the gesture. Swipe on the right and left in the lower half of the screen to go back, and if used with a delay to switch to the previous application. Swipe in the upper half of the screen to call the application menu.

xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-63xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-65xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-64xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-66 In general, it is convenient, and at first I was delighted, but there are several moments. Firstly, when returning to the desktop, the animation noticeably lags. This happens only when you use gestures. Secondly, I, for example, use the Gboard keyboard with continuous input and when I want to start inputting a word that starts with the letters closest to the screen edge, the system often perceives this as a gesture "backwards". It is necessary to get used to this feature; sometimes stuff like that is bound to happen.

Even MIUI 10 has a bug that just refuses to go away. This is a problem with displaying Cyrillic in the curtain when using standard font. There is a workaround - to install a custom font in the system through the theme manager, but to be honest, I did not find anything normal. In addition, in many cases it becomes even worse and the letter "И" turns into an "N". So if you’re using Cyrillic font, be prepared for some nastiness.

xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-4xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-58xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-2 In general, I recommend to stay on MIUI 9.5 and not rush to upgrade to 10, especially to a weekly beta. In addition, there can also be problems with rollback. There are rumors that when you roll back from MIUI 10 to 9, the device turns into a brick. I have not completely figured out whether it will happen in the transition between stable and development branches. So I did not take risks.

A bit about the fingerprint scanner. It works flawlessly. It is quick, and in addition to unlocking the screen the scanner is used for authorization in applications and password-protected partitions of the file system. There is no other type of biometric unlocking in the smartphone. There’s no trendy face recognition onboard.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

In general, the firmware is alright, especially the stable MIUI 9.5. Bugs of version 10, of course, should not be taken into account. The firmware is stable, performs all its functions fast.

But there is a moment that I do not understand at all. I am talking about the non-removable leftmost desktop screen with a limited set of widgets. This peculiar clone of Google Now is some kind of a half-assed dashboard, which nobody needs, but cannot deactivate. Be prepared to just never go there. I recommend that you turn off all the widgets so that they do not burn the battery. Or adapt and use this "tool". Still, this is very lame and something Xiaomi needs to work on.

xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-32xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-33xiaomi-redmi-note-5-screen-38 Verdict I see no real reason to not recommend Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. With this price, it’d be a great purchase for anyone. You can easily use it on a daily basis. It’s a massive upgrade for anyone who uses cheaper or older devices. 2-3 year old flagships aren’t really better that this.

In fact, the more I was using it, the more I though that modern flagships aren’t really worth the price and are quite overrated. Sure, when the euphoria is gone, you see lots of differences, but for usual buyer this smartphone is a rare find. A real hit from Xiaomi. Only another Redmi device can beat it.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

Among the pros: sturdy plastic/metallic body, good build quality, decent 18:9 display, fantastic battery life, all communications, infrared port and stable firmware. And the main thing is a camera with AI. There’s no better camera for that kind of money.

And cons: no NFC, no face recognition software, old-fashioned microUSB and, well, firmware, which is also a pros. MIUI is great for most of the users, but it’s not for everyone. The phone’s also not dust- and water-resistant, and doesn’t support wireless charging, although that’s not really a minus – even flagships don’t always have that.

[life-in-every-limb]

Remember back at the beginning of the year when I was participating in the Catholic Minimalism Challenge, and making all kinds of progress, and posting impressive updates?

Well, along about week three, we got the flu.  For the second time.  As you might expect, that derailed basically everything except survival.

But a new challenge started last week, and I jumped at the chance to pick up where I left off.

Week One is supposed to be the Master Bedroom, which I did thoroughly in January.  In addition, I have kept up with it in the months since, and have even gotten rid of more things.  So I only needed to devote one day.  I went through the closet and drawers, and got rid of two small bags of clothes and a stack of books.  I did not go through all the jewelry and the sentimental things–I think once a year is enough for that.

I don’t have any pictures from the first day as there just isn’t that much change to show.  For the rest of the week, I worked on the hallway outside my office  I was SO EXCITED to tackle this area!  Here’s before:

  What a mess, right?  Things were constantly getting knocked off  the top and on to the floor, and every time I walked by all that mess it made me sad.

This was the perfect time to tackle this area, because most of this is homeschooling material, and my homeschooling days have ended.  Lorelei will enter 8th grade at the local public school in August.

So I went through all of the homeschooling books, and got rid of some of them.  I probably should get rid of a lot more, and I admit that putting them in boxes and moving them into the garage, which will be the VERY LAST THING that ever gets minimalized, is just punting the problem down the road.  But let’s not let the perfect be the enemy of the good, right?

Lorelei is spending some time dog-sitting for my sister with Emily, so I did not have her much-needed assistance with this project.  Therefore there is another box filled with things that she will need to go through.  Not my box, not my problem!

I’ll show you what it looks like now, and then I will explain what I’ve put there.

  This shelf and this area now mostly belong to me.  I am feeling happy that as my children grow and sort of leave, I am able to claim more space in this house for myself.

I love that the top is currently bare.  I hope it can stay that way.  I might consider putting some pictures or decorative items there, but the space is crowded and things might get knocked off.

The top shelf is primarily books I have received in exchange for my honest review thereof, or have won via social media giveaways.  I probably don’t need to keep them all; that’s something I will revisit next time I go through the challenge.  At least I want to keep a list of them.  I am also keeping whatever books I am currently reading on that shelf, and my extra journals.  Most of these books were previously stacked in a dusty heap on the bottom shelf, and some were sitting in a cardboard box in my office, a space that has now been freed up!

Second shelf are Catholic project items.  For example, I have a binder for the Catholic Minimalism Challenge, and it lives there.  My prayer journal is there.  My binder with various Advent and Lent and other liturgical year tools is there.

The bottom shelf is a work in progress.  It currently contains homeschool materials that I borrowed from others and need to return, and extra folders, notebooks, and such that may be needed when school begins.  I’m thinking that we will need space for extra paper and school supplies for use in doing homework and I am willing to use the bottom shelf for that if need be.  I will have a better idea how I will use that space by the next Challenge.

Finally, in the corner you will see a couple of totes.  Yes, I found a use for some of the many totes that were taking up space in my bedroom!  One of them is holding a lot of prayer journaling supplies–scissors, glue stick, colored pens and pencils and markers, Catholic coloring book, prayers, prayer cards.  The tote keeps them contained, and if I want to go elsewhere to journal everything is ready!  The other tote is holding a special Christmas gift from my husband–a monthly subscription to a mystery to solve.  It’s really fun but also takes time we don’t seem to have, so I am keeping it all organized here so that when we devote an evening to working on it, everything is ready to go.

So there you have it! Next week is bathrooms.  Again I expect to spend one day on them, and then I am planning on working on the laundry room and the upstairs hallway for the rest of the week.

[vortodox]

Photo: Pugoffka

As Japanizam is getting closer and closer, it’s time to meet our lovely cosplay guest – Shizca! In this interview, Shizca will tell us about her cosplay beginnings, her crafting skills, and she might also inspire you to try something new!

AR: You are one of the most talented cosplayers and crafters Europe has ever seen! Since Japanizam is around the corner, your Serbian fans would like to get to know you better, so, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?

S: Hello! I am Shizca Cosplay, or just Dodo as most people call me, as a nickname for my real first name, Doris. (yes, Dodo as the sadly extinct bird). I built my first cosplay in 2012, and since then, I’ve really caught fire for this hobby. I am studying Digital Arts in Upper Austria, heading to work in animation later. As I have always crafted aside from school and studying, cosplay really unites most of my interests. I can combine what I know about design withwhat I learned about physical materials.

AR: How did you discover the amazing world of cosplay?

S: I first discovered cosplay when I was around 15 by coming across Kamui Cosplay’s creations on the German platform Animexx. At that time I was rather interested in drawing and making little figurines of characters I loved. One day I decided to make those figurines lifesized and wearable. I thought: ”If I can do it on a small scale, I can do the same on a big one, too”. So, I made my very first cosplay – the Insane Black Rock Shooter – in 2012, from empty juice boxes and toothpicks

AR: Your crafts are very impressive and unique! How did you master this amazing art and do you craft everything by yourself?

S: Coming from sculpting, painting and designing, it was not a difficult step for me to get into crafting cosplay at all. Especially my experience in painting, and also 3d modelling is until this day my favorite tool to analyse and create costumes in rather simplified ways. What was insanely tricky for me was wig styling and sewing. I had a hard time learning this to my current still not too advanced level. While armors and weapons came easily, I studied so many books about sewing, went to courses about pattern making etc. Therefore, the project I learned the most while making are not those impressive and big ones. I would say my biggest achievements lately were Tulip from Storks and Jinora from Legend of Korra. I further really love both characters and their stories. Though, I did not start cosplaying for portraying characters but for crafting. I started my first cosplay, without even planning to wear it. I just wanted to know whether I can craft this or not. This is why I still make my costumes mostly on my own. I sometimes buy clothes and alter them (such as the blouse and leggings of Priscilla), but I try to make as much as I can myself. I just feel way more as a maker than a model.

Photo: The Chewer

Photo: Melena Photography

Shizca is living proof that you can do anything you put your mind to…

AR: What words of advice would you give to those who are afraid to craft and to cosplay because they don’t believe that they’re good enough as their cosplay idols.

S: Trying anyway and trying any way. When I first decided to make a cosplay I had around 50 € for a full armor cosplay and wig and shoes and everything. Friends said it was pointless unless ”I made it out of waste cardboard”. And that was exactly my plan, and it worked out for me. I still love to work with cardboard and use it in nearly every project. I only can advise anyone to stick to their plans. Whoever might be your cosplay idol started small. For me it is always a big inspiration to compare old and new costumes of my favourite cosplayers. It shows me that cosplay, at the end of the day, is a craft, and, therefore, a field of study that can be learned, taught and improved like any other. You might feel bad sitting in front of a piece on which you failed, but when you can look back to this fail after finishing it as you wanted – that is an amazing feeling of success, I think. And sometimes I just did not care about a failed piece and just kept it. Sometimes, because of lack of time, sometimes just because there is nothing in this world that can tell you to care about such imperfections at all. I mean – a wonky shoe cover? That nothing that keeps a real cosplayer from having fun! And in the end that’s why we all do it, isn’t it?

Photo: Hagakure

Photo: Greencat

Photo: Chiu Photography

AR: As this will be your first time in Serbia, what are your expectations?

S: Oh, the tricky questions in the end. I actually did not built up exact expectations yet (maybe because I did not have time for that due to my very busy last weeks at university). I am just really happy to get to see a new country and meeting people there. But having some friends of Serbian heritage what I mostly got to hear about Serbia so far is that you have legendarily good food.

Photo: Luneko

Meet Shizca – a cosplay interview As Japanizam is getting closer and closer, it's time to meet our lovely cosplay guest - Shizca!

[bobsweeppethairroboticuniverse]

Servo Magazine’s Review of the Lynxmotion Quadrino Nano

We’ve had the pleasure to read in the October issue of Servo Magazine a glowing review of our Lynxmotion Quadrino Nano. We’re sharing some excerpts and images of the article with you today.

There is a plethora of flight controllers on the market. Some tout their small size and low cost. Others offer advanced flight planning functionality. Yet others aim to target the true tinkerer with open source firmware that can be hacked to add features. I was thrilled when RobotShop offered to let me evaluate their Lynxmotion Quadrino Nano flight controller module. This flight controller hits many of the check boxes for most hobbyists in a tiny package. Let’s unbox and install the Quadrino on our homebuilt quad, and play with some of the settings to get into the air.

The Quadrino is a pretty powerful little flight controller, packing an ATmega 2560, inertial measurement unit (IMU), barometer, and GPS on board. The flight controller also offers plenty of expansion ports. There are I/O headers to interact with the ATmega, and two I2C and three UART ports exposed! Everything from sonic rangers to camera triggers could be attached to these ports.

UNBOXING

After UPS dropped off the box at my doorstep, I immediately cut into it and was surprised to find a hard plastic case inside. Yes, the nano comes packaged in a hard case with custom foam inserts! This was instantly a treat compared to the crushed cardboard boxes our electronics so often show up in. Inside the box is a set of cables for the drone, USB micro cable, GPS, a few tools, double-stick tape, flight controller, connector chart card, and Lynxmotion sticker.

Photo courtesy of Servo Magazine

I have to say, that the attention to detail in the packaging was really nice, and it’s good to know when switching out flight controllers for testing (as often happens), there is a safe place for the Quadrino to live.

[…]

HOOKUP

Like any other flight controller, the Quadrino takes signals from an RC receiver module, interprets them, combines the control inputs with the state data of the craft, then effects changes in the motor control outputs to modify the craft’s attitude. This isn’t all that dissimilar from commercial “fly-by-wire” systems in which pilots no longer manipulate the control surfaces of aircraft, but provide inputs to a flight control system that maintains the stability of the aircraft during the maneuver and eases pilot strain. To get our flight controller up and running — at a minimum — we need to connect it to the RC receiver and electronic speed controllers (ESCs).

[…]

Here, we set what flight mode the system will operate in and how the system is armed.

I used a three-position switch on my controller to set the flight mode, and a two-position switch to arm and disarm the system.

The online instructions indicate that a stick pattern is used to arm the flight controller — much like the original OpenPilot system. However, I believe that is a relic of past firmware as it did not arm the current system.

As far as flight modes go, I elected to operate in angle + mag mode by default. This is similar to the stabilized mode of the Parallax ELEV-8 — an easy-to-fly configuration. I used a magnetic heading mode as one, which should hold the craft in a constant magnetic heading (unless acted upon by the yaw control) and land.

I did really like that you could see the position of each switch on the controller via the color changing boxes. This made it easy for me to confirm which mode would be active with which switch position. Note that when settings are changed, the outline of the box turns orange, indicating that the settings have not been written to the flight controller. Make sure you save and write these settings!

Before flying, we also need to calibrate the accelerometer and magnetometer in the Quadrino. This is done with buttons on the Flight Deck panel.

Photo courtesy of Servo Magazine

[…]

FLYING WITH THE QUADRINO

Now that everything is calibrated and properly set up, you should see a flight deck display that shows the orientation and heading of your craft accurately, and moves appropriately if you tilt or rotate the craft. (A common point of confusion is the artificial horizon. Remember, the brown represents the ground. So, in a right bank, the right side of the indicator will rise.) […] The overall flying experience with the Quadrino is very pleasant. It flies nicely, but suffers some from the slightly complex setup and lack of auto control range sensing (hence, all of the trimming). With an improved firmware configuration and ground station software, it would be an even better product.

Photo courtesy of Servo Magazine

[…]

CLOSING THOUGHTS

In the end, I thought the Quadrino was a really nice product with a very small form factor. It’s lightweight and has lots of versatility for the hacker/maker.

Reprinted by permission of T&L Publications, Inc. – Read the full article here. Originally written by John Leeman.

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