#basically I have to expand what I know about Randall and I also need to scope out some other King monsters

[creepycrawliesanonymous]

To All The Boys I've Written About Before - Beige Flags

In my never-ending quest to make things that appeal only to me, here's a little exercise for all the boys in my arsenal.

Angel Torres will always help you out around the house, no question about that, but boy will he act like he's a hero for simply loading the dishwasher. I'm talking wiping his brow every time you walk into the kitchen, grunting when he puts a plate on the drying rack. You offer to help but he flat out refuses, and will probably say some shit like "My hands look like this [soapy] so yours can look like that [slightly dirty from repotting your plants]."

Jesse Pinkman will call you "dude" until the end of time. It doesn't matter what stage of your relationship you are currently in, you will always and forever be "dude" to him. "Yo dude, do you want to grab Wendy's on the way home?""Dude, you look pretty today." You could be at the alter and it would be a "Dude, I do." He also 100% buys in to the "glasses make you smarter" myth.

Lemon bought himself a label-maker, and that man LOVES makin' labels. All the drawers in your flat are labeled, so are the spices (even if they already have labels), he labels which food belongs to who, all the wires/cables have a label for what kind of wire/cable they are and what they're for. You told him that you could probably remember which clear jar holds the salt and which holds the ginger-snaps, so he made the label "fuck off" and stuck it to your forehead.

Tangerine refuses to call menu items by their proper names, especially if they're stupid. A matcha latte is "green foamy shit, you know." If the dish is named after someone, this chicken shop you frequent has an Ike's Famous Wings Bowl, he will call it "that bloke's chicken thing, the one with all the spices and shit on it." The worst was when he wanted to order the Foxx on the Roxx Boxx from TGI Fridays (yes that's the spelling, I looked it up), he straight up would not say its name, he just kept pointing at the menu and saying "fucking- this one."

Harvey SDV, sweet man that he is, will always sign off his text messages. It doesn't matter how long or short the message is. There's the standard "darling, I'm running a little bit late, would you like me to pick up something for dinner? Dr H" but there's also the "okay honey (: Dr H" or the "[insert picture of flower] Dr H". You've tried to explain to him that you know that it's him, that he doesn't need to sign off every time he messages you, but it's no use.

Andrew Neiman loves to collect random bits of niche trivia, but will straight up forget incredibly basic things. You two were out at a live music venue, sipping on your tasty little beverages, and he'll just bust out something about the similarities between jazz and Indian music, and while he's expanding on the influence of Ravi Shankar on Coltrane, he'll flip through the menu in front of him and ask you what margarine is.

Carmen Berzatto, common knowledge at this point, always keeps a book on him, which on its own is a very good thing. It keeps him from getting bored, you think it makes him look smart, it's a win by all accounts. But, save for when he's at work, he will whip that book out whenever there's any sort of lull in a conversation or if he's not physically doing something. You were talking to him about weekend plans, and he'll be listening intently because he's a good boyfriend who cares about your thoughts, but as soon as you go quiet to turn around to grab something he's flipping open his copy of The Reivers to quickly read a sentence.

Randal Graves loves to fake propose at restaurants for free shit. He makes a big thing out of it, will pull you aside before you enter Olive Garden and show you the tiny plastic ring he's used about three times already and whisper about the ruse he's about to pull, and all you can do is nod along with him. He's gotten more elaborate each time, from the basic garden-variety proposal, to putting it in your water, to asking to have it put in your Chipotle burrito (you had nearly swallowed it that time), managing to score a few free desserts and, at one point, a bottle of cheapo champagne that he got so incredibly slurshed on at home.

Warren Rojas has this game he likes to play whenever you two go to bars or nightclubs where he will pretend like you two don't know each other just so he can hit on you in the most cheesy ways known to man. Asking to buy you a drink, dumb pick-up lines, saying shit like "My name is Warren, but you can call me anytime." It's so incredibly dumb and he gets the biggest kick out of it. One time when you and Eddie were having a conversation at a party he totally pulled out the "Is this guy bothering you, babe?" He thinks he's so funny.

Jimmy Bartlett, whenever you two are cuddling, will set a timer so he knows when to switch from big spoon to little spoon. He'll bring up the egg timer from the kitchen and set it to 20 minutes before he joins you on his bed. You'll be half asleep after a long shift from work with his head buried in the back of your neck, and the next thing you know he's shuffling around while tiny beeps are sounding and he's somehow got your arms around him before you even realize what's happening, before drifting off again. He says it's only fair.

Miguel O'Hara is like a big dog with the temperament of a house cat; thinks he takes up less space than he does and always at least slightly grumpy. He'll get confused when he goes to put on a sweater that was originally yours (the communal wardrobe holds no prisoners) and finds it tight around his biceps. He knocks his forehead on low doorways constantly, you've taken to shouting 'duck' whenever you see him about to go through one. Watching movies on the couch with him, during a rare moment of peace, can be an ordeal because he always wants to lie down on top of you and you don't have the heart to tell him that he's crushing your lungs.

[betelgeusing]

motherfucker

I am truly about to read the entire Dark Tower series, something I have resisted doing for like 13 years now, JUST because Castle Rock is canceled and I intend to pick up where the show left off and in order to do that, in order to figure out their path forward storyline-wise, I have to figure out who the Kid really is

[general-mahamatra]

ahh im so glad!!! thank you for your answer! to expand on the protective hcs, how do u think each of the wolves show their protective side?? like, what kind of things would they all do for eachother? ALSO (i hope this isnt too much fknhknh) but sexuality hcs and maybe family hcs too? like the kind of families they have outside of pack and how it effects how they get along with their wolfy fam

Of course! I love the anons I've been getting and yours blessed my night so much! I really wanna give you a name so I can refer to you if you ever come back 👉🏻👈🏻

Maybe,,,, maybe timber anon,,, cmere timber anon I fucking love you so much

(damn this became long)

But protective sides!

Jack: Jack is the kind to do anything to protect his pack, even if it means going behind their backs to work with the order. His idea of protecting them is taking important tasks on his own and electing explicit help from specific Order members when necessary. He doesn't want his packmates to get hurt in some way so when it's life or death and only one person needs to get hurt or die? That'll be Jack. He will do anything to make sure his new family is safe, even if it means putting his life on the line.

He tends to ignore their please to help him, often shutting them out to do it all himself. He rarely tells them the entirety of his plans, even when they're as a group. He'll always give the instructions of grouping the other wolves together but he always scopes around on his own. Never, NEVER does he let someone accompany him. If someone is gonna get hurt, it will only be him.

Hamish: he's very protective, that's definitely known. Just not in terms of he'll go out and kill someone for it just because they're a threat. He's much more of a talking kinda guy. Pep talks, stern conversations, that sorta thing. He's much more likely to see how far he can get with his words before he moves on with anything else, but he's prone to get angry. While he isn't physical, his tone gets harsh and he'll do everything considered to be rage except for scream. When he's angry, he talks fast and sharp. His words will jumble together and he will get up close and personal, but never hit.

His protectiveness is more within the pack than taking out threats. He's one to give them a dose of reality and tell them what's up.

Randall: his idea of protection is using common sense. He will always point out when something is a terrible idea and makes a stand. He refuses to be swayed from his position and even if he loses a game of beer pong and is forced to agree, his mind is never changed. He will ways express his worries. "The Order is our ENEMY", "they tried to kill us a couple months ago!", "they literally stole our memory to control us", "this is a FUCKING DEMON HOW DUMB ARE YOU GUYS??"

Although the pack tends to make him a pushover, he will never shut up. In fact, being shoved to the side in big important missions is what makes Randall louder. He WILL be heard and he WILL make sure of it. And even if someone says his idea is bad, he will stew. He will sit and broil over until he figures out how to get his idea and pull it off. Even if it means risking his own hide to kill someone to complete a ritual.

Lilith: oh yes, Lilith. The girl named after the mother of all demons. You know her idea of protection is vicious. She is the one who will openly go to slit someone's throat for so much as looking at one of her packmates wrong. And she is snarly. She will growl and snap at whoever gets too close and will gladly punch someone for saying something wrong.

Her idea of protection is genuine killing. She is open about how vicious she is and uses it to her advantage to keep her pack safe. She refused to let anyone lay a harmful finger on her family.

-----

Sexualities!

These are my personal views on these characters from watching the show! I'm completely open to all other interpretations!

Jack: straight! He may have dabbled a bit with men but in the end, he came out preferring girls.

Hamish: he doesn't label himself. To the outside view he is bisexual but if you ask him, he will say he likes whoever. Labels just aren't for him.

Randall: bisexual! And he is VERY open about it. He is a genuine 50/50 with boys and girls and will openly admire them all. He's also definitely the most queer and accepting given how casual he is with cross dressing and how affectionate he has been with both Hamish and Lilith separately.

Lilith: bisexual leaning girls! She has expressed interest in boys (as seen with Randall) but in the end definitely prefers girls. She may end up being lesbian later on but for now, she still has minor interests in boys from time to time!

-----

Their families outside of the pack

Jack: we already know about his family. With basically all of them gone, Jack is left alone in the world with only his friends. Its why he's so protective of them. He's already lost his blood, he doesn't want to lose his found family.

Hamish: he isn't that open about his family but he has mentioned them. Given how we don't know how old he is, it's difficult to determine a lot about him. From my basic guess, he's in his late twenties given his parents are both still alive and how close he is with the pack despite being the senior member.

He is DEFINITELY a trust fund baby, but he's good with it. He's spoiled with money (probably from his mom marrying a sugar daddy or something--which could allude to why he's "hot for teach") and resources. But, given how he's genuinely mature and seen to live within the den, it's safe to assume his family taught him how to properly use his money. They seem like they have a good relationship.

He's definitely an only child and it's very much why he seems so much more mature. He grew up on his own and after years of learning how to deal with people, he is able to properly deal with the pack and assert himself properly while still being open and genuine. He never takes full control.

Randall: he has brothers for sure, it's why he's so athletic. He comes from a family centered around sports and football and every Superbowl they would send the boys out to play with the rest of the family at their parties. Its what got Randall so into working out and sports. Of course there were fights, but he got along with them pretty well since they were all close in age. Obviously, he was the youngest but shh, only by a year.

Its why he's so energetic and playful with all the pack. He's boisterous and loves to harass the others, especially Hamish with the nicknames. To be fair, though, he nicknames EVERYONE. Jack is only ever Jacky Boy in his mind.

Lilith: she isn't too close to her family. She isn't open about them at all and never mentions them to anyone else. Most of her times over the holidays are spent on campus with either the pack or some of her friends from other classes. Its not entirely known why she doesn't like her family, but it's suspected it may have had to do with her feisty attitude and tendency to lash out at those close to her.

It's possible she had a sister and was known to be close with her despite a bunch of arguments. They were probably the reason Lilith ended up splitting away from her family.

Its why she tries so hard to stay close with the pack while also keeping them at a distance. She doesn't want a repeat of what happened with her sister; she can't lose another family.

[frazzledsoul]

Plotlines I Would Enjoy Seeing In the Next Season of This Is Us

A return to Jack and Rebecca’s courtship in the seventies, as we watch Jack progress from a troubled, reticent recent veteran to the sexy, confident Jack we first met at the start of the series

Filling in the plot holes in some of Jack’s backstory. I’m sorry, but you can’t drop that kind of revelation about a family member he successfully hid for decades after his death and be done. The writers set up this plotline and it’s their responsibility to follow through on it. How exactly did Jack get away with all of this? His mother was still alive when he started dating Rebecca. How did she not spill the beans about Nicky at some point? Where was Nicky when he returned from Vietnam? Prison? A mental institution? Did Jack cut off contact right away or was it gradual? How exactly did he go from “I’m not going to clean up my fuck-up brother’s messes” to “I’m going to pretend that he’s dead?” We need to know some of these answers, and the writers owe it to Milo to allow him to play them out instead of sneaking Jack into a random scene every other episode.

Some acknowledgement that Jack’s decision to distance himself from his brother may have prevent a damaging influence from visiting his home. I kind of think Rebecca believes this and doesn’t entirely resent him for it, but if they’re going to revisit that storyline to add the context to it that it needs they need to acknowledge that it was more complex than Jack failing a relative who needed him. 

Rebecca and Miguel: The Early (Dating) Years. I want to see Rebecca happy and fulfilled with the second great love of her life, not grief-stricken and alone.

Beth and Randall being awesome and taking on the world together.

Tess getting her first girlfriend.

Unraveling the mystery of Kevin’s baby mama. I hope that it’s not Sophie (let that girl have a drama-less existence offscreen, please) or some other random love interest that won’t last because it’s well, Kevin but that he becomes a father through surrogacy or adoption.

Storylines I Do Not Want To See Next Season on This Is Us But That We Will Probably Get Anyway

Rebecca as a new widow alone in the world as her adult children continue to flounder. We’ve already been warned that this is what we’re getting, and based on the post-Jack flashbacks we got last season, it will prove to be depressing and boring.

Kate and Toby’s marriage falling apart. Pass.

Before the Beth/Randall version of Japril: The Movie I would have loved to watch nothing but flashbacks between the two of them. However, I do not desire to watch any more of Randall being oblivious while Beth makes sacrifices. If they can put out flashback episodes that are more balanced than the last one we received, I’m game for it, but I don’t want a one-sided morality play where Randall is the villain and Beth is the saint. 

Jack being sidelined to occasional appearances when there is clearly potential to expand upon the plotlines they have already set up, as referenced above. I also don’t want any more stupid ret-conning of past episodes in order to make a point, like we saw in the finale (we’ve seen Jack cook more than corn sandwiches in the past, show. Don’t be dumb).

The deterioration of Rebecca’s marriage to Miguel or any plotline where he dies tragically. Miguel’s lived through more than a decade of being reminded that’s he not Jack every single day and he’s still an awesome husband and grandfather. Let the worst thing that happens to him to be dying peacefully in his bed of old age.

Nicky and Rebecca becoming romantically involved at some point. ICK.

I’d like to say here that while I still adore the characters I’ve grown to love on this show, I have not been happy with it since the big Nicky reveal. The show seems to want to introduce this storyline where Jack is seriously flawed and has had some serious failures, but they don’t want to commit to it because they still want to idealize Jack as this saintly figure. So instead of dealing with the implications that they set up, they give us him throwaway storylines when they choose to include him at all. They’re not doing Jack or Milo right this way, and I’m not sure it’s going to get any better.

The reason why I fell in love with this show was because it gave us two former teen idols all grown up as the perfect OTP and let us travel back to the 80s and 90s with them. It also gave us Beth and Randall as the perfect modern OTP. It was basically crack to a baby Xer/geriatric millennial. I also loved that Randall and Jack were not the typical stereotypes of family men that you usually see on TV: they were decent, honorable men who were devoted to their families and didn’t see them as a burden. Now it seems that there’s an effort to twist Jack and Randall into these caricatures that we see on every other TV show and the writers don’t seem to want to spend the time in the past that they once did. I’ve been really unhappy with the vast majority of post-finale interviews that I’ve read because they aren’t talking about any plotlines that involve Jack and the only flashbacks they seem invested in are the post-Jack ones (which if what we’ve seen so far is any indication is going to prove to be really depressing). There are occasional mentions of going back to the seventies, but I’m not even sure they’re committed to that at this point.

On top of all of that, it appears that both Kate/Toby and Rebecca/Miguel are not OTPs we can count on in the future. I’m not sure what there is to look forward to.

All of this is why I’ve started to wonder if a plan to officially reduce Milo’s role in the show is why it still hasn’t been officially renewed. I can tell you with confidence that if they go ahead with this I will stop watching. Hopefully I’m just being paranoid and the show can get back on track. But at this point I’m very cautious.

[s-c-i-guy]

How Our Universe Could Emerge as a Hologram

Physicists have devised a holographic model of “de Sitter space,” the term for a universe like ours, that could give us new clues about the origin of space and time.

The fabric of space and time is widely believed by physicists to be emergent, stitched out of quantum threads according to an unknown pattern. And for 22 years, they’ve had a toy model of how emergent space-time can work: a theoretical “universe in a bottle,” as its discoverer, Juan Maldacena, has described it.

The space-time filling the region inside the bottle — a continuum that bends and undulates, producing the force called gravity — exactly maps to a network of quantum particles living on the bottle’s rigid, gravity-free surface. The interior “universe” projects from the lower-dimensional boundary system like a hologram. Maldacena’s discovery of this hologram has given physicists a working example of a quantum theory of gravity.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean the toy universe shows how space-time and gravity emerge in our universe. The bottle’s interior is a dynamic, Escheresque place called anti–de Sitter (AdS) space that is negatively curved like a saddle. Different directions on the saddle curve in opposite ways, with one direction curving up and the other curving down. The curves tend toward vertical as you move away from the center, ultimately giving AdS space its outer boundary — a surface where quantum particles can interact to create the holographic universe inside. However, in reality, we inhabit a positively curved “de Sitter (dS) space,” which resembles the surface of a sphere that’s expanding without bounds.

Ever since 1997, when Maldacena discovered the AdS/CFT correspondence — a duality between AdS space and a “conformal field theory” describing quantum interactions on that space’s boundary — physicists have sought an analogous description of space-time regions like ours that aren’t bottled up. The only “boundary” of our universe is the infinite future. But the conceptual difficulty of projecting a hologram from quantum particles living in the infinite future has long stymied efforts to describe real space-time holographically.

In the last year, though, three physicists have made progress toward a hologram of de Sitter space. Like the AdS/CFT correspondence, theirs is also a toy model, but some of the principles of its construction may extend to more realistic space-time holograms. There is “tantalizing evidence,” said Xi Dong of the University of California, Santa Barbara, who led the research, that the new model is a piece of “a unified framework for quantum gravity in de Sitter [space].”

Dong and co-authors Eva Silverstein of Stanford University and Gonzalo Torroba of the Bariloche Atomic Center in Argentina constructed a hologram of dS space by taking two AdS universes, cutting them, warping them and gluing their boundaries together.

The cutting is needed to deal with a problematic infinity: the fact that the boundary of AdS space is infinitely far away from its center. (Picture a ray of light traveling an infinite distance up the saddle’s curve to reach the edge.) Dong and co-authors rendered AdS space finite by chopping off the space-time region at a large radius. This created what’s known as a “Randall-Sundrum throat,” after the physicists Lisa Randall and Raman Sundrum, who devised the trick. This space is still approximated by a CFT that lives on its boundary, but the boundary is now a finite distance away.

Next, Dong and co-authors added ingredients from string theory to two of these theoretical Randall-Sundrum throats to energize them and give them positive curvature. This procedure, called “uplifting,” turned the two saddle-shaped AdS spaces into bowl-shaped dS spaces. The physicists could then do the obvious thing: “glue” the two bowls together along their rims. The CFTs describing both hemispheres become coupled with each other, forming a single quantum system that is holographically dual to the entire spherical de Sitter space.

“The resulting space-time has no boundary, but by construction it is dual to two CFTs,” Dong said. Because the equator of the de Sitter space, where the two CFTs live, is itself a de Sitter space, the construction is called the “dS/dS correspondence.”

Silverstein proposed this basic idea with three co-authors back in 2004, but new theoretical tools have enabled her, Dong and Torroba to study the dS/dS hologram in greater detail and show that it passes important consistency checks. In a paper published last summer, they calculated that the entanglement entropy — a measure of how much information is stored in the coupled CFTs living on the equator — matches the known entropy formula for the corresponding spherical region of de Sitter space.

They and other researchers are further exploring the de Sitter hologram using tools from computer science. As I described in a recent Quanta article, physicists have discovered in the last few years that the AdS/CFT correspondence works exactly like a “quantum error-correcting code” — a scheme for securely encoding information in a jittery quantum system, be it a quantum computer or a CFT. Quantum error correction may be how the emergent fabric of space-time achieves its robustness, despite being woven out of fragile quantum particles.

Dong, who was part of the team that discovered the connection between AdS/CFT and quantum error correction, said, “I believe that de Sitter holography also works as a quantum error-correcting code, and I would very much like to understand how.” There’s little hope of experimental evidence verifying that this new perspective on de Sitter space-time is correct, but according to Dong, “you instinctively know you are on the right track if the pieces start to fit together.”

Patrick Hayden, a theoretical physicist and computer scientist at Stanford who studies the AdS/CFT correspondence and its relationship to quantum error correction, said he and other experts are mulling over Dong, Silverstein and Torroba’s dS/dS model. He said it’s too soon to tell whether insights about how space-time is woven and how quantum gravity works in AdS space will carry over to a de Sitter model. “But there’s a path — something to be done,” Hayden said. “You can formulate concrete mathematical questions. I think a lot is going to happen in the next few years.”

[nellie-elizabeth]

Outlander: Man of Worth (4x13)

I see that this finale has been kind of polarizing in the fandom, and honestly I don't really see why. If you haven't liked the season thus far, this finale isn't going to fix things. But if you have liked it, then this finale is exactly what it should be to wrap up all of these various story beats. For the most part, I did like this season. That's not to say I don't have my complaints, though... this episode was a bit of a mixed bag, in the same way that a lot of the season was.

Cons:

I will admit that this season has felt the most unbalanced out of the seasons of Outlander we've had thus far. The later books in the series are my favorite - I love spending time at Fraser's Ridge and being around as the Revolution starts to heat up. But the further along in the series you get, the more sprawling these novels become. They're not structured like most novels are. They're very meandering and rich with incident, and it makes for a real challenge in adaptation. I definitely felt that challenge here. The whole season does feel a bit meander-y. They hit all the important plot moments they need to hit, but there's less room for some of this stuff to breathe. Claire herself has a reduced role in this season, and that's a consequence of so much going on. In the books, though, the story just expands to encapsulate everyone and nobody feels diminished. That's not entirely possible in a TV show, though.

Some smaller notes: this season still didn't grapple enough with the issues of race that it presented. We see that Brianna and Phaedra have formed a friendship at River Run, but we don't see Brianna confront the fact that her friend is a slave in any meaningful way. Also, the romance between Murtagh and Jocasta relegates Ulysses to a complete background figure in this episode, which is another significant bummer. Also, as an added consequence of elevating Bree and Phaedra's moments, Lizzie becomes almost completely useless as a character. I feel like for people who haven't read the books, Lizzie is just a non-entity. She's there to muck up the truth for dramatic irony, but she doesn't have a purpose in the show beyond that.

Murtagh and Jocasta. Oy. Let me say this: I don't object to it on principle, but do you know what I would have liked better? Keep the scene where they fight just as it is, and they we cut to Murtagh and Jocasta waking up in bed together, or one of them wakes up and realizes what happened the night before, and has a bit of a "what have I done?" moment? Then, in that final moment, instead of an expression of tender love between them, we get this awkward sort of interplay where neither of them regrets what happened, exactly, but they're not foolish enough to think anything more will come of it, so there just trying to be considerate of each other's feelings. Basically, what I'm getting at is this: I'm cool with Jocasta and Murtagh having sex. I actually think that's pretty hilarious and fun. But suddenly being in love? Nah. I'm not about that. I literally laughed out loud when it panned over Murtagh lounging shirtless in the bed. Pretty sure that wasn't the intended reaction.

I don't blame Roger for punching Jamie, but I did think it was odd how long the scenes of violence went on. There's a lot to cram in to this hour of television, so it felt strange to have these prolonged scenes of Roger beating up Jamie, and Ian going through the gauntlet with the Mohawk. Surely we could have gotten the point with less time spent on showing the violence.

(Also, as a final note, I missed Lord John this week. A lot.)

Pros:

I actually really liked all of the stuff with the Mohawk, from learning the full story of Otter Tooth, to Jamie agreeing to stay with the Mohawk, to Ian stepping in. I thought it was well-paced, well-acted, dramatic, heartbreaking, all of that good stuff. Obviously the real stand-out moment is when Jamie and Ian are saying goodbye to each other. It was heart-wrenching, and the performances made me feel more connected to Ian than I have so far in this show. I also absolutely loved Ian's reaction when he learned he would be made part of the Mohawk. He was so elated, and his big goofy grin just told you that everything would be alright. This was meant to happen for him.

Otter Tooth traveled back in time for much the same reason that Geillis did, to try and save his people. There's an inherent heartbreak to his story, of course, but I like that the Mohawk, or at least some of them, understand that his presence could be regarded as a gift, not a curse. There's a lot of tragedy and complexity to this story, and I felt like the show did a pretty good job with it, despite some of the problems they've had throughout the season with portraying the native characters.

So, when Roger learns the full truth about what happened with Brianna, that she's having a child that might be his and might be Stephen Bonnet's, he hesitates. He doesn't come back to River Run right away, leading Bree to think she's lost him forever. I don't think Roger's hesitation on this account is excusable, necessarily, but I think it makes him a realistically flawed human. We know that Frank Randall loved Brianna as his own daughter, despite knowing the truth about her parentage, we know that Jamie has raised more than one foster child who wasn't his by blood. This story has a lot of complex child/parent relationship stuff baked into it, and here we see that Roger is conflicted, but he comes back to Brianna and makes the right choice - he wants to go meet his son.

The Brianna/Roger reunion was super cheesy, super overblown, and exactly the kind of over-the-top romance that Outlander should include. I'm not going to complain about the cheesiness level. Please. We all knew what we were getting into. I think it's adorable, and I'm glad Bree gets to have her happy ending with Roger. For the moment. And I'm glad Roger has found a way to reconcile all of the torment that he's been through, and come out the other side still devoted to his family. I've noticed people being pretty harsh on Roger as a character, but I personally think it makes sense to show a character handling adversity poorly. Not everyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and succeed against all odds. Roger is in over his head for the entire season, and I'm willing to see past a few stumbles.

Once again, I find myself pleasantly surprised by how well Murtagh has continued to fit in to the story. Sure, his romance with Jocasta is a bit much, but the fact that Governor Tryon has come to collect on Jamie's loyalty, and that Murtagh is caught in the middle - I think that's an excellent change from the source material. It's a shortcut that gives personal stakes to Jamie's decision about where his loyalties should lie going forward. Fraser's Ridge has become a haven for Jamie and Claire, but they bought that haven with a promise of fealty to King George III, and the bill has come due. This makes for an exciting jumping-off point for the next installment of the story, and I'm so bummed we have to wait for it!

That's all I've got. I had a lot to say, both good and bad, about this episode, but ultimately I still enjoyed watching it, just like I enjoyed watching the whole season. Now if we could just have a whole show about Lord John Grey please and thanks...

7.5/10

[owicpub]

I AM not amused

I AM not amused is a modern and different take on Christian entertainment. This book takes us through my story of growing up during the radical shift in media entertainment, evaluating the message in entertainment from the mouths of the creators, and then dive into the Bible to see how we should respond.

[Links and Details]

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 2

Writing the Ballads

If a man were permitted to make all the ballads he need not care who should make the laws of a nation – Andrew Fletcher

As we venture through our examination of media entertainment, it is important to consider what the artists themselves say about their creations. It seems media’s proponents and opponents always cross words, both making specific claims about the entertainment they produce. Truly, what is the intended meaning behind a song, a movie, or a game? Do artists really just create entertainment for creation’s sake? We cannot rule out some art is constructed to teach or promote a concept or a lifestyle. Education was the intention behind the after school HBO presentation, The Truth about Alex, and another program by CBS titled What if I’m Gay? Both of these presentations were produced as after school specials to entertain but also to teach kids about homosexuality as merely another lifestyle choice. While our modern culture routinely discusses homosexuality, the 1980’s media landscape generally treated the topic as taboo. Like all social agendas, artists broke into media to influence the audience’s mind, which slowly becomes law. To that end, the next two chapters will examine how media affects us and what the modern artists intend to teach the consumers through their art, whether present or absent from the life of Christ. With the popular artist’s influence established, we will determine what they intend to teach us and what lifestyle has resulted from their beliefs.

Early World Entertainment

On the seventh day of creation, God rested, and the command to observe the Sabbath was included in the ten commandments to reflect the general principle of rest from a hard week’s work. The exact purpose of the Sabbath is not entirely clear. It could have been a day to set aside for the complete worship of God, or it could have been a day set aside to merely rest. Because the entire Israelite social system was theocratic and Paul declared Jesus the fulfillment of the Sabbath rest, its observance was no longer commanded according to a few separate verses from Pauline writings (Romans 14:5, Colossians 2:16). I will simply suggest our rest is a matter of the conscience and I will leave the discussion of the Sabbath intent to others. With that, however, we are free to engage in entertainment to the extent God is honored by what we do.

We know that the root of the Olympics was born from the sports-like competitions used to showcase the best warriors of the ancient Greece. Gladiatorial games were spawned by the cruel Emperor Nero who turned the games from simple competitions into a bloody fight to the death. Sin had taken hold and our bloodlust spilled over into violence. The gladiatorial games finally ended when a martyr named Telemachus died in the arena in protest to Christian Rome participating in the ungodly games[i]. His death ended the gladiatorial games once and for all under Emperor Honorius, but we know what comes next for our unrestrained entertainment: either more bloody violence, uncontrolled heathen sex, or maybe a spattering of other sin.

The lost city of Pompeii was discovered in the mid 1700’s and the archaeological excavation continues today. The archaeologists revealed a culture so vile the people experienced what had to be a replay of Sodom and Gomorrah. Curiously, another town, Herculaneum, was also destroyed by the same volcano, Mount Vesuvius, in AD 79. The still available artwork inscribed on the statues, pillars, and walls in these towns depict a city totally saturated in sex and perversion. I am not about to suggest all natural disasters in our world are God’s specific judgment, but perhaps artwork from the valley of salt would yield similar imagery before the sulfur fell from the skies, and perhaps God acted in this manner to destroy a city so vile a message would ring through to the young expanding church: beware of resting too comfortably, a lesson Israel failed to learn time and again through the historical period of the judges. About the great city of Pompeii, the artist Bastille wrote[ii]:

Oh where do we begin? The rubble or our sins?

This artist asks a reasonable question which we must ask ourselves. Though our world is mostly not in total rubble, the sin of the culture is leaving a rubble of wrecked lives, ruined marriages, fatherless children, and drug and alcohol abuse. Do we start with our rubble or our sin? That is the core of what we are trying to answer in this book.

Pleasure is entertainment’s destination, and research has shown the more affluent a culture becomes, the greater the people seek both pleasure and entertainment. Since all means of entertainment is from the hearts of the people that produce it, it is not any wonder that their heart comes out in the art they produce. C.S. Lewis wrote the great series The Chronicles of Narnia. Though people frequently say that he wrote it to portray the sacrifice and redemption of Christ, that is simply not true. C.S. Lewis spoke many times on the subject and made it very clear he was merely writing in-depth children’s stories during a time it was assumed people did not want to read fanciful tales (an aspect he made light of in Eustace’s family in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader). He says that the Christ-like imagery merely came out of his heart because defending Christianity was one of the ultimate callings in his writing. But some hearts are full of evil. During the creative process, the evil present in an artist’s heart will spill out into the books, games, and productions they create and the end result will be a work that is not wonderful or beautiful, but twisted and evil. Such was the case of the Golden Compass series. The author, Philip Pullman, is an outspoken atheist. His childrens’ story depicted an enemy who was none other than God Himself. Such was the outpouring of his heart. In light of this, one Christian commentator of the entertainment industry revealed that for the most part, the writers, directors, and producers in Hollywood are generally not church-going people, and do not typically regard God or His word. Let us not be mistaken, if these are the people that are writing the shows we watch, let us not presume their views on life will not impact our own worldview. My message is clear: be careful what you watch on your television, do on your computer, or listen to in your personal time while secluding yourself through headphones.

Considering some artists teach out of intention and others teach out of the overflow in their hearts, we are led to a discussion of ethics. Most college programs now require students to take ethics courses. I was a graduate student studying biological sciences and our ethics course was intended to teach about what is right and wrong in scientific studies. Of course, the typical university preaches there is no absolute truth, so how can we possibly define what is ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong’ in a college ethics course? This is not a moot point because when the ground was broken for the USC film school, the attendants were Steven Spielberg, George Lucus, Irvin Kershner, and Randal Kleiser. In the article about the event, Lucas gave this ominous observation of the position of film in our modern age:

Film and visual entertainment are a pervasively important part of our culture, an extremely significant influence on the way our society operates. People in the film industry don’t want to accept the responsibility that they had a hand in the way the world is loused up. But, for better or worse, the influence of the church, which used to be all-powerful, has been usurped by film. Films and television tell us the way we connect our lives, what is right and wrong.[iii]

From one of the top directors of that time, and even still currently after three decades, Lucas reminds us that film and television do impact our lifestyle and thought. He even acknowledges movies and television impact us more than the church, for better or for worse. For this reason, Lucas goes on:

It’s important that the people who make films have ethics classes, philosophy classes, history classes. Otherwise we are witch doctors.[iv]

It is interesting Lucas wants to talk about ethics. According to Webster, ethics is the area of study dealing with moral right and wrong. From sciences to business, to human and animal studies, universities that proclaim there is no moral right and wrong want to teach their students about what is right and wrong! Chip Ingram deals with this problem in his message on Whatever happened to Right and Wrong?[v] He says that everyone agrees we need ethics, but no one can agree on whose ethics we adopt. I agree. My ethics, my moral rights and wrongs, are defined by God’s character as expressed in His Word. Other people say we should let our internal compass and feelings define what is right ‘for us’. This was the message in an interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono who helped to spread the mantra of existentialism, which is basically the ‘do your own thing’ philosophy. Ravi Zaccharius, however, observes that some cultures want to eat with their neighbors while other cultures want to eat their neighbors…do we have a preference? Yes, ethics are important, but unless those ethics are grounded in truth, they may be little more than lip service. We will continue a discussion of Christian ethics in chapter 4, for now, ethics aside, we want to see what the artists and producers want to teach us about the influence of art, and also what they want to teach us through their art.

The Method of Impact

The documentary Decadence: Decline of the Western World explores the steady decline of the Judeo-Christian culture that has dominated the western world for over 300 years. The description of the film on IMDB declares: The West consumes without consequence, loves without longevity and lives without meaning[vi]. The latter part of the film discusses media and religion. The narrator gives a prophetic summation about how our consumer lives are influenced by the media:

We watch helplessly as our sons and daughters, mesmerized by pop-idols and Hollywood’s cut-glass heroes, advertise for sex first and then maybe a relationship which soon enough reaches for the headache pill.

About two decades before Dunn wrote this prophetic statement, Alan Bloom wrote similar projections in the book, The Closing of the American Mind:

Picture a thirteen-year-old boy sitting in the living room of his family home doing his math assignment while wearing his Walkman headphones or watching MTV. He enjoys the liberties hard won over centuries by the alliance of philosophic genius and political heroism, consecrated by the blood of martyrs; he is provided with comfort and leisure by the most productive economy ever known to mankind; science has penetrated the secrets of nature in order to provide him with the marvelous, lifelike electronic sound and image reproduction he is enjoying. And in what does progress culminate? A pubescent child whose body throbs with orgasmic rhythms; whose feelings are made articulate in hymns to the joys of onanism or the killing of parents; whose ambition is to win fame and wealth in imitating the drag-queen who makes the music. In short, life is made into a nonstop, commercially prepackaged masturbational fantasy.[vii]

How did we arrive at such a place where our freedoms lead us only to perversion? To examine how our culture slipped to this extreme is not an easy task and entire books have been written on the topic. I only hope to summarize some of the debate with the sheer intention of whetting your appetite to search for better personal conclusions on the matter. Examine everything carefully.

Musicians, film producers, video game programmers all agree their respective art affects us. But as George Lucas notes in the above quote, they do not want to admit they have any role in how bad the world is, but most want to declare that art makes the world a better place. It is true, from the Christian pop-artists to the thrash-metal bands, from the shamanistic styling of the Grateful Dead to the unique brand that is Frank Zappa, musicians, neurologists, and everyone else who looks casually at the facts will honestly agree: music greatly affects our disposition. Research is starting to mount that other forms of media entertainment also take hold on us, teaching us, forming us. Rand Salzman said it best: “Viewers simply cannot help but be ‘rippled’ by the emotional gut-wrenching influence of huge moving color images backed by stereo sound.[viii]” The question remains is whether this emotional, gut-wrenching influence is a good influence or a bad influence on the consumers of such entertainment.

Some may argue the influence is negative. When school shootings and other violent acts are perpetrated by youth, some people are fast to point the finger at the violent songs, games, or movies often consumed by these kids. Such blaming is an oversimplification, however, on the other hand, many will suggest that their favorite music has no impact on their worldview; they merely ‘like the beat’. That, too, is an oversimplification. The delivery as media is actually neutral, like money. The point of agreement among those with a positive view and those with a negative view is that music can affect the way we live, it can give us something to relate to, something by which to blow off steam, or something by which to teach us about our world.

During the initial influx of film into the American culture, it was very clear that the entertainment industry was going to change the way people lived their lives. During the 1920’s, a series of morally questionable films, the murder of William Taylor, and a Hollywood rape prompted the proposal of several laws to place regulations on the film industry. Will Hays was appointed to produce a conduct guide for Hollywood film producers, a guide that became known as the Hays Code. The document begins by saying:

If motion pictures consistently held up high types of character, presented stories that would affect lives for the better, they could become the greatest natural force for the improvement of mankind.[ix]

The introduction to the document continues on to say entertainment and art are important influences in the life of a nation, thus the film entertainment is “directly responsible for spiritual or moral progress, for higher types of social life, and for much correct thinking.” The code guided and directed the moral content of the film industry for over forty years, but some people whom did not agree with the code or the morality it proposed pushed the boundaries so far as to force the document into the ancient and out-dated relics of the American entertainment industry. The code was later replaced with the current rating system which will be discussed in more detail in chapter 8 of this book.

During these early years of film production and with consideration of the Hays Code, the realization that film does impact the moral disposition of its viewers, Warner Brothers adopted the slogan, “Good Citizenship with Good Picture Making”. In the early years, the film company did focus on morally good films, but the steady decay began to erode the message and while to this day the company has an entire affiliated website dedicated to good citizenship, that may be exclusive lip service from the company that brought us such morally bankrupt films as Natural Born Killers. In all, despite the clear evidence film does morally direct the society, the film industry merely produces what we pay to see.

The power of film transcends beyond simple moral messages, and music can direct the listeners to the intended message the artist seeks to teach. With a full-on media campaign, anyone can convince even the most studious people to change their ways and adopt a belief system for which they generally do not believe. This was very clear by governments who started to use the power of film to change the minds and beliefs of its citizens into their own ideals. Although many people will point to the Russian (Alexander Nevsky) and German films (Triumph of the Will) that were used to turn the citizens of those countries into what amounted to war criminals in the reigns of Stalin and Hitler, the Italians and the United States were also among those using film for propaganda. Gerald Nye, a Republican senator from North Dakota, declared in a congressional meeting:

When you go to the movies, you go there to be entertained…and then the picture starts-goes to work on you, all done by trained actors, full of drama, cunningly devised…Before you know where you are, you have actually listened to a speech designed to make you believe that Hitler is going to get you.

Nye was attempting to make the point that Hollywood was being transformed into a propaganda machine for war-mongering to change the American people’s stance on World War II. Nye was against the Hollywood propaganda machine, but the President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, considered it necessary. In 1939 Nazi Germany was producing propaganda in a full-fledge media campaign to garner support for the Nazis under Joseph Goebbels. Roosevelt responded with using American film to sustain morale and according to Nancy Snow, Hollywood now acquired a prominent place in the battle for men’s minds[x]. 1940 saw the creation of the Motion Picture Committee Cooperating for National Defense, the industry-wide organization that would produce military training films and patriotic films for the American people in order to gain support for a war effort that many Americans were not sure merited participation. The government only unofficially supported this effort, though after the entrance into World War II, FDR created a specific division in the government to inform Hollywood producers on ways to portray any manner of political matters from war and foreign policy to domestic affairs. Though it is unclear whether this direct influence is still enacted, officially, in 1949 an appropriations act restricted the use of public funds for “publicity and propaganda.[xi]” Regardless of this act, film plays a large part in unifying the ideals in the people whom consume media.

Though we hear very little about it today, marketing itself is propaganda. Companies pay millions to place their products in movies, and in America today government-paid advertising on health care, political parties, food, defense, and social services can be observed daily on television and displayed as Internet advertising. Even the enemies of the United States use propaganda in order to garner support for their cause. Suicide bombers for Al Qaeda and likely also ISIS are recruited by viewing the successful explosions of other martyrs and hearing the praise for the perpetrator and seeing the community celebritizing the remaining family, showering them in riches. Such films and rallies gain support for the cause of suicide bombings and acquire willing people to carry out the acts[xii]. Whether we are seeing a commercial for the latest laundry detergent or seeing a new spin on a political agenda, we are better off acting on our mind’s sound logic rather than by the seductive, humorous, or emotionally appealing commercials.

Beyond propaganda, modern entertainment including movies, music, and video games desire to teach the consumers. The writers and producers want to convey a worldview or question the audience’s presuppositions. This is not just a modern trend that cropped up in the last decade. As early as the 1920s, research was commenced to determine the influence movies exert over youth. The results of the studies determined teenagers learned how to dress, how to behave socially, and how to think about the world though film. Some movies, such as The Crying Game sought to question erotic love between same gender adults and For a Lost Soldier examined homosexuality in adult-child relationships. Both films were released in 1992, though the latter was a foreign film. These productions were very intentional in how they made the viewer question their presuppositions. Most movies have just as great an impact in a passive way like the manner in which dirty uncle Eddy can influence the kids into uncouth manners.

Taken together, these observations indicate media entertainment, in any form, can certainly convey a message to those who consume the art. The message is not entirely bad or entirely good. The creators and producers of the art cannot choose to positively impact the consumer because they wish to deny the negative consequences of bad media, but neither can someone decide a certain song or movie contains all negative impact based solely on the beat or the reputation of the band. All these taken together, we will consider next some special considerations surrounding music and video games and their role in impacting the consumers.

Music and Sound

Music is all around us. While some want to dismiss music as a harmless pastime, most artists defend the positive impact of music in the world, though as Lucas admits, they do not want to admit the negative impacts. Even the MTV producers know about the impact that music can have on the listeners. One executive for the station said:

Music tends to be a predictor of behavior and social values. You tell me the music people like and I’ll tell you their views on abortion, whether we should increase our military arms, [and] what their sense of humor is like.[xiii]

Likewise, Michael Greene, the former president of the Grammy Music Awards, said in his 2000 speech:

Music is a magical gift which we must nourish and cultivate in our children, especially now as scientific evidence proves that an education which includes the arts makes a better math and science student, enhances special intelligence in newborns, and let’s not forget that the arts are a compelling solution to teen violence, they are certainly not the cause of it.[xiv]

Notice how Greene defends music as making students better at math and science, though those studies were conducted using classical music including Mozart and Beethoven, not the music the Grammy’s generally support or award. He talks about music’s impact in the newborn, and simply dismisses the clear impact it can have in rebellion of the listener. But his 2001 speech embraces the rebellion behind music:

People are mad! And people are talking and that is a good thing, because it is through dialog and debate that social discovery and progress can occur. Listen, music has always been the voice of rebellion, it’s a mirror of our culture, sometimes reflecting a dark and disturbing underbelly, obscured from the view of most people of privilege…We cannot edit out the art that is uncomfortable. Remember, that is what our parents tried to do to Elvis, the [Rolling] Stones, and the Beatles.[xv]

Greene discusses a very true point, and it is one point that I am attempting to make in this book:

Most of the adults who pass judgment have never listened to, or more to the point, have never even engaged their kids about the object of their contempt [the music]. This is not to say that there is not a lot of fear in this violence driven society of ours.[xvi]

I agree with Greene on this final point, but he does not go far enough. It is not a matter that we just need to look at the media our kids are consuming; we need to look at the media we are consuming because our kids model our own behavior before they will live out our instruction. We cannot blame music or movies entirely for the cultural decay Greene clearly admits, but we are foolish to think watching violent, sexual films or listening to violent, sexual music is just a meaningless distraction, since we already believe music alters our mental and emotional state. We must find a balance and consider that art does teach us and we will learn the messages they espouse whether we want to or not.

Michael Greene is not the only professional in the industry to believe music can cause tremendous positive impact while denying it’s negative effect. To a degree, these people are correct. When the Columbine shooting occurred, Marilyn Manson was thrown under the bus as a major cause of the event, even though Klebold and Harris did not even like his music. Manson wrote an article in his own defense appearing in Rolling Stone magazine, and Manson does raise several great arguments. He writes:

Responsible journalists have reported with less publicity that Harris and Klebold were not Marilyn Manson fans -- that they even disliked my music. Even if they were fans, that gives them no excuse, nor does it mean that music is to blame. Did we look for James Huberty's inspiration when he gunned down people at McDonald's? What did Timothy McVeigh like to watch? What about David Koresh, Jim Jones? Do you think entertainment inspired Kip Kinkel, or should we blame the fact that his father bought him the guns he used in the Springfield, Oregon, murders?[xvii]

Manson is not alone in the camp of artists who do not like to hear their art being blamed for violence in the culture. Some people echo the sentiment of a young heavy metal fan who said, “It’s all fantasy, none of it is real, you can’t take this seriously, it’s just like a movie.[xviii]” Many artists over the years have been asked if they believe violence in music has any impact on the listeners, and their answer is generally a resounding ‘No’. But that does not stop people from trying to blame music anyway. In a commentary blog, the author identified “Six Most Idiotic Attempts to Blame Musicians for Violent Events.[xix]” The article was written on the heels of the attempted assassination of Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson. It appears the perpetrator was a big fan of the song, Bodies Hit the Floor which the artists, Deadpool, say the song is about the moshpits in heavy metal concerts (curious how we are in a relativistic world yet the violent interpretations are not accepted). Nevertheless, the connections have been made not only to this song, but others as well.

Some arguments suggesting that music plays a role in violence can seem valid, such as the teen suicide committed when a young man placed the Ozzy Osbourne song Suicide Solution on repeat while he hanged himself. The AC/DC song Night Prowler was blamed for the Richard Ramirez murders, and serendipitously, he accidentally left his AC/DC hat at one of the murder scenes! While researching about lessons learned from school shootings, the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine researchers compiled a book depicting the warning signs and character traits of several high-profile shootings from the 1990’s and it would appear violent music lyrics did have a role in the legal cases surrounding a copycat killing a month following Columbine[xx]. These are just a few of the notable examples where music has been blamed in part for violent crimes.

Though I do not in any way suggest music is the root cause of violence and rebellion in our culture, I do not deny it may be a rather large contributing factor. I personally have listened to my fair share of horrible music including heavy metal and gangsta rap, but I for one have not gone out killing people. I do find it telling, however, that very few mass killers are not big fans of Beethoven although heavy and violent music more often than not is readily consumed by the young killers in our society.

Taken together, it is more likely music and movies reflect our nature back to us. As they become more violent, violence starts seeping out into the culture at large. So music may not cause the violence, but it is a reflection of the violence we feel inside ourselves, more of a mirror and less of a causation.

1.           [i]The Last Roman "Triumph", Foxes Book of Martyrs, John Foxe, Chapter 3

2.           [ii]Pompii, All This Bad Blood, 2013, Bastille, Virgin Records

3.           [iii]U.S.C Breaks Ground for a Film-TV School, New York Times, November 25, 1981

4.           [iv]ibid

5.           [v]What Ever Happened to Right and Wrong, Chip Ingram, Living on the Edge

6.           [vi]Decadence: Decline of the Western World, Pria Viswalingam, 2011, Fork Films

7.           [vii]The Closing of the American Mind, Allan Bloom, 1987, Touchstone Publishing, Part 1; Music

8.           [viii]The real effect of make-believe Don't let filmmakers tell you they can't shape public opinion, Atlanta Journal Constitution, May 19th, 1991 pg D1

9.           [ix]Hayes Code, http://pre-code.com/the-motion-picture-production-code-of-1930/, Accessed November 11, 2018

10.         [x]Confessions of a Hollywood Propagandist, Nancy Snow, https://learcenter.org/publication/warners-war-confessions-of-a-hollywood-propagandist-harry-warner-fdr-and-celluloid-persuasion/, Accessed November 11, 2018

11.         [xi]Advertising by the Federal Government: An Overview, Kevin R. Kosar, Congressional Research Service

12.         [xii]Cult of the Suicide Bomber, 2006, Disinformation Studios

13.         [xiii]MTV is Rock Around the Clock, Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov 3, 1982

14.         [xiv]2000 Michael Greene Grammy Music Awards speech, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Glq-ecgGjE, Accessed November 11, 2018

15.         [xv]2001 Michael Greene Grammy Music Awards Speech, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP4vcVcydkM, Accessed November 11, 2018

16.         [xvi]Ibid

17.         [xvii]Columbine: Whose Fault Is It, Rolling Stone, May 28, 1999

18.         [xviii]Heavy metal and violence: More than a myth?, CNN, May 12, 2008

19.         [xix]Six Most Idiotic Attempts to Blame Musicians for Violent Events (or, the Tucson Tragedy was Caused by a Crazy Person, Not by Drowning Pool’s “Bodies Hit the Floor”, LA Weekly, Thursday, January 13, 2011

20.         [xx]Deadly Lessons, Understanding Lethal School Violence, The National Academy Press, 2003

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[constructionaccounting]

0317: Five Basic Construction Accounting Tasks To Complete Every Month

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0317, And It Will Be About Five Basic Construction Accounting Tasks To Complete Every Month

  Proper construction accounting is all about the details. The answers you need to operate and grow your company are in reports. Everything starts with cash because "cash is fact, profit is an opinion." All transactions in the bank account of your construction accounting system no matter if it is QuickBooks or Xero, must be assigned to the proper accounts:

Income

Job Deposits

Payroll

Taxes

Cost of Goods Sold (Direct and Indirect Costs including Labor, Material, Other and Subcontractors)

Other costs including permits, plans, bills from suppliers, and purchases on your personal credit cards

Overhead

These tasks form the solid foundation of your small business. As a small business owner, you have more important things to do than to keep your own books. We take care of your books for you, so you can get back to the job of running your business and generating profits. 

1. Bank Reconciliation

Reconciling your business checking account each month allows us to keep your bank account, accounting, and taxes up-to-date. Having us reconcile your account each month allows you to:

Identify lost checks, lost deposits, and unauthorized wire transactions.

Detect and prevent excess/unjustified bank charges and ensures transactions are posted correctly by your bank.

Detect and prevent embezzlement of funds from within your company.

Know how your business is doing. You can't really know unless all accounts are reconciled and properly accounted for on your financial statement.

Manage your cash more effectively. Proper management of funds not only saves money, but it also makes money for you.

Protect yourself. By timely reconciling and promptly objecting to your bank about any unauthorized, fraudulent or forged checks presented to your bank and paid by that bank, you can relieve your agency of responsibility for the shortfall and transfer the risk to the bank. This reason to reconcile alone should be enough. Crime exists.

Sleep Better. You will sleep more peacefully at night knowing your bank accounts are reconciled, in balance and that all escrow funds, accounts, checks, and disbursed funds are properly accounted for.

2. Generate An Income Statement

An income statement, otherwise known as a profit and loss statement, basically adds an itemized list of all your revenues and subtracts an itemized list of all your expenses to come up with a profit or loss for the period. An income statement allows you to:

Track revenues and expenses so that you can determine the operating performance of your business.

Determine what areas of your business are over-budget or under-budget.

Identify specific items that are causing unexpected expenditures. Like phone, fax, mail, or supply expenses.

Track dramatic increases in product returns or cost of goods sold as a percentage of sales.

Determine your income tax liability.

3. Generate A Balance Sheet

A balance sheet gives you a snapshot of your business' financial condition at a specific moment in time. A balance sheet helps you:

Quickly get a handle on the financial strength and capabilities of your business.

Identify and analyze trends, particularly in the area of receivables and payables. For example, if your receivables cycle is lengthening, maybe you can collect your receivables more aggressively.

Determine if your business is in a position to expand.

Determine if your business can easily handle the normal financial ebbs and flows of revenues and expenses.

Determine if you need to take immediate steps to bolster cash reserves.

Determine if your business has been slowing down payables to forestall an impending cash shortage.

Balance sheets, along with income statements, are the most essential elements in providing financial reporting to potential lenders such as banks, investors, and vendors who are considering how much credit to grant you. 4. Ledger Clean Up The general ledger is the core of your company's financial records. These records constitute the central "books" of your system. Since every transaction flows through the general ledger, a problem with your general ledger throws off all your books. Having us review your general ledger system each month allows us to hunt down any discrepancies such as double billings or any unrecorded payments. Then we'll fix the inconsistencies, so your books are always accurate and kept in tip-top shape. 5. Consultation

Regular communication with your accountant ensures your issues and concerns are addressed. We are always available to spend time with you, so you fully understand how to interpret and utilize the financial information we provide. It is important you work with someone who has been where you are now and understand the accounting process and business challenges of a construction company owner. 

In conclusion:

Construction accounting tells you what is working and what you should do more of to make more money. Keep in mind, when your bookkeeper takes shortcuts in the data entry, for example entering bulk numbers from credit statements for expenses in bulk instead of entering each transaction - your Financial and Job Costing Reports are totally worthless. These basic tasks are critical to your business advancement. We remove your paperwork frustrations and monthly accounting burden so you can focus more on operating and growing your construction company. 

 About The Author:

Randal DeHart, PMP, QPA is the co-founder of Business Consulting And Accounting in Lynnwood, Washington. He is the leading expert in outsourced construction bookkeeping and accounting services for small construction companies across the USA. He is experienced as a Contractor, Project Management Professional, Construction Accountant, Intuit ProAdvisor, QuickBooks For Contractors Expert and Xero Accounting Specialist. This combination of experience and skill sets provides a unique perspective which allows him to see the world through the eyes of a contractor, Project Manager, Accountant, and construction accountant. This quadruple understanding is what sets him apart from other Intuit ProAdvisors and Xero accountants to the benefit of all of the construction contractors he serves across the USA. Visit http://www.fasteasyaccounting.com/randal-dehart/ to learn more.

Our Co-Founder Randal DeHart - Is a Certified PMP (Project Management Professional) with several years of construction project management experience. His expertise is construction accounting systems engineering and process development. His exhaustive study of several leading experts including the work of Dr. W. Edward Deming, Michael Gerber, Walter A. Shewhart, James Lewis and dozens of others was the foundation upon which our Construction Bookkeeping System is based and continues to evolve and improve. Check out our Contractor Success Map Podcast on iTunes. 

The Information Shown Below Is From Fast Easy Accounting

OUTSOURCED ACCOUNTING FOR  THE BUSY CONTRACTOR IN A MOBILE ENVIRONMENT

Download the Contractors APP today from the App Store or Android Store

Access Code: FEAHEROS

Click here to download the App on Android:

Click here to download the App on iOS:

Simply scan the QR code or search for ‘MyAccountants’ in the App Store and enter the Access code: FEAHEROS to utilize the powerful App features and capabilities, and benefit from having our Construction Accounting App at your fingertips, 24/7."

PS: Even if you are not a Construction Contractor you will find a plenty of benefits in the app so we invite you to download it too! It's Free so why not?

When You Become A Client - Then we can tap into our resources of knowledge and strategy banks. We use the reports hidden in your QuickBooks in order to diagnose and understand your construction business and develop plans and help you implement a path to success for you and you alone because every contractor has unique Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (S.W.O.T. Analysis) that when understood can lead to a Strategic Roadmap which cannot help but make a lot of money.

We Remove Contractor's Unique Paperwork Frustrations

For Construction Company Owners who do not need the full power of a QuickBooks for contractors and want 24/7 online access we offer Xero Accounting Online, and we have a custom setup for construction companies. Click Here For More.

This Is One More Example of how Fast Easy Accounting is helping construction company owners all across the USA including Alaska and Hawaii put more money in the bank to operate and grow your construction company. Construction accounting is not rocket science; it is a lot harder than that, and a lot more valuable to people like you so stop missing out! Call Sharie 206-361-3950 or sharie.com and schedule your no charge one-hour consultation. 

Profitable Contractors and Construction Company owners have known about the value of outsourced bookkeeping services and contractor coaching services like ours for a long time, and now you know about it too!

Thank You For Reading This Far, And I Hope You Understand we really do care about you and all contractors regardless of whether or not you ever hire our services.

We Scan Your Receipts, And Invoices link the appropriate transactions to QuickBooks or Xero Accounting Online depending on the construction accounting service you are using and provide ongoing Cloud Based Contractors Bookkeeping Services by accountants who understand construction.

Our Contractor Bookkeeping Services System Is A System

Thinking About Outsourcing Your Contractors Bookkeeping Services To Save Time And Money?

Click On The Button Below To Download A Free Guide 

Business Process Management (BPM) For Contractors

Need Help Now?

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Xero Outsourced Construction Accounting Services

QuickBooks Outsourced Construction Bookkeeping Services

We Are Xero Accounting Experts Specializing In Construction Bookkeeping Services

PS: For The Do-It-Yourself Construction Bookkeeper Our Store Has Chock-Full Of QuickBooks Setup Templates, QuickBooks Chart of Accounts And More.

Most Contractors Setup QuickBooks Desktop Version In One Of Three Ways:

#1 EZ Step Interview inside QuickBooks Setup #2 Asked Their Tax Accountant To Setup QuickBooks #3 They Attended A How To Setup QuickBooks Class Or Seminar

And QuickBooks Does Not Work The Way They Want It Too!

The Answer:

#1 Click Here To Buy An Entire QuickBooks Setup For Your Specific Contracting Company

#2 Click Here To Buy Just The Chart Of Accounts For Your Specific Contracting Company

    Download the Contractors APP today from the App or Android store

  Check out this episode about Contractors Marketing - Accounting - Production (M.A.P.)!

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Ideal Configuration For Business Workstations With Windows XP

The Distinction Amongst A Workstation And An Workplace Desk

There are numerous factors to get a good desk for your home or workplace. Packaged in a 21×21 mm TFBGA, the 82545EM Gigabit Ethernet controller is footprint compatible with the Intel® 82546EB Dual Port Gigabit Ethernet Controller (exact same package size, exact same quantity and pattern of pins and similar signal layout), enabling for a flexible, single port or dual port, multipurpose style. Most workstations have quite effective graphics cards and big high resolution monitors. When we attempt to test input message (request XML) using service operation tester we faced under error. As the want for efficient house offices has risen, so has the desire for comfortable, multipurpose workstations. Available with up to two (on most models) specialist dual-width NVIDIA® Quadro or AMD® RadeonPro graphics cards, APEXX two also characteristics the latest Intel® Core i7 processors.

The effects of walking and cycling laptop workstations on keyboard and mouse efficiency. One crucial functionality advantage that workstations hold more than PCs comes from their difficult drives. You might not necessarily require a top of the line $ten,000 Computer, but you also may need more than a boosted regular Computer. Multi-Monitor help, high functionality graphics cards and expandable storage are all features that separate a workstation from a normal Pc. Your workflow, application and line of operate will ultimately decide what workstation you must pick. The Skylake X powered Titan X299 now represents higher-end processing energy at a surprisingly cost-effective cost. In today’s trend towards the a lot more contemporary made environment the collaborative open strategy workspace, individual creativity is such an critical element in retaining this individual progress.

This is a warehouse of each element employed in HP Z series workstations. Thereis no time to waste in tapping Our African Power. The world’s most sophisticated GPU-dense workstation, APEXX 5 8904 accommodates up to 4 specialist dual-width NVIDIA® Quadro or AMD® RadeonPro graphics Cards, a fifth single-slot GPU, dual Intel® Xeon® processors, and a huge amount of memory (512GB). The HP Z800 workstation boosts performance into the stratosphere with the broadest pipelines, blistering processor speeds and up to 192 GB of accessible 3-channel memory for unprecedented huge-file overall performance in the most demanding Dassault Systèmes CATIA V5 and V6 environments. That’s exactly where Dell PrecisionTM comes in. Whether or not you draw, rotate, shade or render, Dell Precision workstations provide the most current multi-core processors, high-finish graphics, enormous memory expansion and difficult disk technologies to assist you and your project keep ahead of the game.

This HP ZBook was created for demanding workloads with Intel® Xeon® or Core processors,2 and specialist 3D graphics. Developed logistics firms such as remedy have their really own massive shipment networks across thousands of areas all more than the planet which can be employed by companies to run their procedures and coordinate by eating all their workstations with ease. Spend much less time managing your network and more time delivering care by reliably accessing effective information analysis and high-res healthcare pictures. After the evening auditor has verified the room prices to be posted, the pc can auto-post quite a few space rate and area tax charges to the acceptable electronic folios in a matter of minutes. We stock a range of laptop workstations each desktop and mobile, from large brands like HP and Dell.

Dave Randall shows journalists the shop he runs with all the tools necessary to style and make the original parts for HP’s workstations. It is the way Scarborough, Limbaugh, Reporters in the White Property Briefings, Senators in the course of Obamas State of the Nation Address, Tea Baggers, and ordinary intelligent and ordinary ignorant White Americans say they hate, dislike, do not trust, or want Obama, that it is not actually surprising to Africans, but a reality verify href=”http://bit.ly/2j8Osdq; try this as to their relationships with White men and women, specifically those of America, with them. Made with strong, reinforced plastic, the keyboard tray can be installed in either a left or right orientation, and can be rotated completely to 1 side for straightforward access in and out of the Droian workstation.

This workstation is an entry level rig and do not count on it to be blazing quickly but indeed it really is quite capable of handling applications like AutoCad and video editing softwares. Some are basic, elegant flat desks, ideal for spreading out paperwork, whilst other individuals are ingeniously developed with shelves of varying widths, packing the maximum storage prospective into the tiniest corner. CAD workstations are designed to perform about the clock: these machines are usually left to process renderings and animations all evening long whilst their human customers go property to rest. We have located out that the driver that functions the ideal for most of our customers if you are employing eBay or Paypal, , Dymo and numerous other shipping solutions as effectively as most POS systems.

Although the scientist have to have believed it definitely was a inventive notion at the time, the human wrist was not designed for a laptop mouse. HP Z440 Workstation: Higher levels of performance and memory expandability at a excellent cost. HP’s reinvention of detachable PCs started earlier this year with the introduction of the HP Spectre x2 and the HP Elite x2 Today’s introduction of the HP ZBook x2 completes HP’s trifecta with its most powerful detachable resolution targeted for the inventive community. As with HP’s latest desktops line, the ZBook also come with new drive choices like a PCI express connected Z Turbo SSD drive and Thunderbolt 2 connectivity. To understand far more about the HP ZBook x2, head over to HP’s website The new ‘detachable workstation’ will go on sale in December and starts at $1,750 for the base model with a dual core 7th generation Intel Core i7 CPU—no word yet on how considerably a lot more costly it’ll be to completely spec out a single of these.

A excellent computer workstation can boost productivity throughout an workplace although also decreasing employee fatigue. So, we’re in the sitation, as Balck(African individuals, exactly where the data is place appropriate just before our faces and we gain relatively tiny from it. It can only be put just before our eyes faces the eway it is because we have been so mentally and motivationally structured that we will not and can not take that information and transform it to our our personal advantage. Organizations that use workplace workstations have an all round look of togetherness and unity that can’t be beat – their layouts have much better flow and organization, and the first look that clients have when walking in the door is that of a business that knows what it really is performing.

Functioning in tandem with the CPU, GPU-accelerated computing provides for increased general functionality and is supported by the most current operating systems. Functionality gains are far more subtle, the actual purpose folks aren’t buying new PCs every single year any longer. Produce complicated IPv4 or IPv6 virtual networks for VMs, or integrate with third-party software program to design complete information center topologies employing actual-globe routing software and tools. These processors had been produced to work in tough cloud and datacenter situations, but we’ve discovered that they are also EPYC” in a desktop workstation. The tower style allowed the workers to attain by means of access ports from the outdoors, place the bolt by means of the section flange and tighten the nut to specifications.

This versatile workstation has a retractable keyboard shelf (30.25″W x 13.five”D) that can be hidden when not in use. STEIGER DYNAMICS, the STEIGER DYNAMICS logo, LEET Gaming HTPCs (Home Theater PCs), the LEET Gaming HTPC logos, and other names of STEIGER DYNAMICS products referenced on this web site are registered trademarks. AVADirect has every thing, from little type issue custom workstation computer systems to one particular of the largest selections of custom element choices, ensuring you can create your new workstation Computer with the precise components you want, just the way you want it. Pick the best answer for you or your company, whether it’s a tower workstation, mini workstation, workstation laptop, an all-in-1 workstation or a rack workstation.

And any motherboard maker can not help an ES” cpu. The HP Z240 packs the functionality, attributes, and reliability of a workstation into the cost point of a desktop Computer. As the world’s number 1 ranked entry level workstation it also characteristics a choice of Tower or SFF configurations2. With advances in technologies and workplace furniture manufacturing, the ergonomic attributes, price, and worth of panel technique furniture has never ever been greater. 11 NVIDIA® Quadro® mobile specialist graphics help up to four independent displays when using a HP ZBook Dock with Thunderbolt 3 (sold separately) or DP 1.2 hubs with MST. Motherboard has difficulties detecting the tough disks, want to energy off and then go on. I updated bios to the last f7, and now cant set up windows 7. two restarts to only detect the usb stick.

As workplace furniture specialists, we strive to merge functionality with style – producing spaces that are genuinely inspiring. They will add automobiles, up to six per train such as caboose, to their switch list, and take the bills with them clipping it to the board. Our prime-of-the-line Prime P750ZM and P770ZM are the only two Mobile Workstations in the planet to provide accurate desktop processing energy. This is probably due to excessive activity on the volume by an application or a program service. System board numbers DT029 F9394, and MY171 board revision A00 and A01 do not help quad-core processors (for these, use Xeon 5000-series or 5100-series FSB 667Mhz Dual-core Xeon processors and PC2-4200 or PC2-5300 FBDIMM ECC RAM). The latest in the company’s line of rugged mobile computer systems is created to support higher-finish software program applications in deployed environments.

Our computer desks and office desks also come in a range of costs, so no matter what your price range, you can uncover something suitable. They do not like to have the setup approach for MS Workplace run for each and every new user on a workstation. Designed to banish all computer-associated pains, the Surf Chair Workstation is an ingenious combination of concepts. (18) Asset disposal procedures have been established to facilitate the removal of obsolete computer workstations from the University’s asset database and to establish powerful procedures to erase info and data from the personal computer in preparation for trade and physical removal of equipment from the University. SNMP Monitor – Teradici Remote Workstation Cards and zero clientele help the SNMP protocol.

The Z420 we looked at came with a quad-core Intel Xeon E5-1620 processor running at three.6GHz stock speed. CAD software can also be employed to design and style the structure or housing of manage systems. As effectively as the obvious constituents of the workplace: the desk, chair and personal computer, a number of other things substantially help smooth operation on a day to day basis, some of which may possibly easily be neglected or forgotten. The newest and most strong AMD Radeon, NVIDIA GeForce and NVIDIA Quadro graphics processors are supported to give Eurocom customers the ultimate flexibility to customize their Panther 4. into the ultimate Gaming Program, Skilled Mobile Workstation or CUDA improvement method. The Application Licensing Service reported that the license policies for fast query have not been loaded.

If you’d choose a Very best Desktop Workstation roundup or, if you happen to be interested in a organization laptop that isn’t necessarily a workstation, we’ve got you covered. The 64 bit Psyborg Intense Workstation comes with the NVIDA Quadro FX 4600 SLI capable specialist graphics with 768 MB of graphics memory and the Windows Vista Ultimate 64 Bit Operating Method. However, if you do not have the resources and capabilities, then contemplate hiring a network support organization to support you get your server in a sound functioning condition. Jiangxi Story fiber has been formed utilizing self-produced all-plastic optical fiber LAN, network television programs, which includes IPTV, VoIP Net phones, cell streaming media server (offered to subscribers on-demand higher definition tv), ipcam network digital surveillance, network HiFi stereo, world wide web world wide web, network users on demand server education programs, music, games and high-definition television programs, networks are all the distance from 100m.

A: Not all computer desks supply storage options, so be positive to select a style that accommodates your office wants. – PAWs should be utilised for any role that has administrative rights more than cloud hosted VMs which includes the capability to install agents, export challenging disk files, or access storage exactly where difficult drives with operating systems, sensitive information, or enterprise essential information is stored. The FAT file technique format is not supported on this volume. Ahead of you select your mobile workstation, think about each the size and weight of the computers and laptops you plan to use. As I pointed out earlier, the Z820 substantially improves on the Z800 when it comes to processing power and memory bandwidth. As far as difficult drive, I would just attempt and make your SSD the boot disk, with your vital programs on it and tie it into your PCI express with your adapter.

The Software Licensing Service determined that this specified solution crucial can only be used for upgrading, not for clean installations. Workstation Specialists are proud to have been supplying innovative workstation options built on the bleeding edge of technology for more than 3 decades. Dual Xeon CPU can do 24 jobs at the identical time. Is a core member of the P4P Working Group, its chief technology officer, Eric Klinker, remains leery of the concept that peer-to-peer networks and ISPs would share information. The remote storage service is not operational at this time. Our multi-GPU compute solutions are capable of growing the general speed and flexibility in discovery areas like data mining, natural langauage processing, image recognitions, video analytics, and even “self-driving automobiles” and other innovations in autonomy.

The HP Z840 Workstation provides the greatest range of options, performance and flexibility to hold up with the biggest and most demanding projects. This potent and consistently dependable new HP Workstation featuring Quadro expert graphics is created and engineered to give you and your enterprise a professional edge at an reasonably priced price. The operator approaches these in a equivalent fashion to the 2D systems, even though several 3D systems let employing the wireframe model to make the final engineering drawing views. two. Direct Modelling: like parametric modelling, direct modeling makes use of sketches to create 3D characteristics based on relationships with existing geometry. But, if you happen to be basically seeking for a higher end gaming laptop or business Computer that will deal with the demands of web browsing, word processing and gaming, you do not require a workstation.

Based on HP’s distinctive and comprehensive safety capabilities at no added price amongst vendors as of January 2017 on HP Mobile Workstations with 7th Gen Intel® Processors. – Save time by attaching and viewing Navisworks and BIM 360 Glue models directly inside AutoCAD. Like other prominent CAD programs, Rhino sees use in a lot of solution style, engineering, and architectural projects. Probably much less nicely known as a material for workplace desks and furnishings, walnut is deemed the modern cousin to the much more classic mahogany. Element of the issue is that ratings and overall performance numbers do not transfer well between diverse brands, and there is really no standard that makers of graphics cards use in comparison of their product to other brands.

They have a tendency to enquire as to ones status in our meetings in any situation, what type of car a single drives, where does one reside, or was edumacated they put on western contemporary style, smudge ourselves with foreign perfumes, jewelry(which we now place on our teeth, as well), live in shameless opulence, and strive hard to sustain that kind of status quo and wealth acquirement to our dissatisfaction-and desire to be accepted as Europeans, not Africans. If you need assistance with our office furnishings or workstations, or have any questions about workplace cubicle alternatives get in contact with us and we can aid you with your order. HP workstations are developed for experts using complex datasets and intricate 3D models. When you running a Pc workstation or laptop for your Animal Therapy enterprise you need to found positive you backup your needful organization files.

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Home Workplace Workstations

Bismillahirahmanirahim , nowadays just want to share a basic ergonomic awareness in office setup ,from this approach it will avoid you develop a postural pain problem. 2D CAD has many applications, but it is typically utilized to design vector-based layouts. For AutoCAD 2017, for example, a lot of certified machines function processing power of at least three GHz, with RAM typically 16 or 32 GB rather than the suggested 8—with many machines featuring up to 64 GB. This need to assist you to come up with a much better estimate for what your machine ought to contain. If its the Dual Quad core i7 xeons then i do not consider sonar will see all 16 threads. It just got much better with the HP Z240 which packs the efficiency, characteristics, and reliability of a workstation into the price tag point of a desktop Computer. All over the continent you have nicely qualified African engineers who can style new infrastructure and individuals to actual do the building.

This operation is not allowed on an invalid disk. This class covers standard AutoCAD functionality and drafting principles. In this configuration, every day function that does not demand administrative privileges is carried out in the Remote OS(es) and applications which are not topic to restrictions applied to the PAW host. The operation failed because either the specified cluster node is not the owner of the resource, or the node is not a feasible owner of the resource. As if no other folks has ever been enslaved but Black(African) folks. Resource record is an entry in a name server’s database. DeltaV Workstations making use of multi-monitors require specific video cards, drivers, and management software program to support the DeltaV Operator interface applications. Therefore, their tiny accumulation of capital and the revenue which they receive from professional solutions within the African (or White) neighborhood make them appear wealthy in comparison the low financial status of the majority of poor delusion of wealth is supported by the myth of African company.

Not all departments or men and women in the business require access to Server Class equipment on their desks. A single user says that their 27″ iMac fits nicely atop his mobile workstation, with plenty of space to spare- and it enables him when operating from house to move his personal computer workstation from the living space to the bedroom when organization comes over. The best trading laptop that make and exchange if you getting the 4 best for this then 8gb ideally 16gb hdd ss. Then it looks like in any business enterprise gear is an hp laptop for day trading computer october the lowest possible. The front workplace auditor, or evening auditor, is mostly responsible for identifying accounts which have reached or exceeded predetermined credit limits. The V2200 and V2250 support a maximum of 16 processors, and the V2500 and V2600 help a maximum of 32 processors.

Dell has a excellent reputation for business PCs, so you know you happen to be in safe hands if you purchase one particular of these. The ergonomic table height adjuster for a operate surface and top quality ergonomic workplace chairs permit for employee comfort regardless of physical size. The Application Licensing Service reported that invalid add-on information was discovered. MAINGEAR is an revolutionary higher efficiency Computer method builder that provides custom desktops, custom constructed laptops, computer workstations, small type aspect PCs, media center PCs, SteamOS powered steambox’s, and VR ready systems. The requested operation failed due to quota operation is nonetheless in progress. Intriguing is that he is also making use of the same Dual Xeon CPUs as I do. The HP Z420 is a powerful, expandable workstation.

Not least, there will be Facilities management benefits: since workers can access their files and application from any terminal, and so you can simply move employees in between desks with no downtime. Position source documents straight in front of you, in between the monitor and the keyboard, making use of an in-line copy stand. With the HP Z Workstation technology, Hexagon Geospatial computer software users can now take into account processing a major mosaic themselves. Dave Randall shows journalists the shop he runs with all the tools necessary to style and make the original parts for HP’s workstations. The requested FSMO operation failed. DNS server not producing or reading the boot file for the directory service integrated DNS zone. I am not going to be talking so considerably about White men and women in my posts, but will straight address ourselves(Africans) as to what is taking place to us nowadays.

They help DDR4 memory, and worked with the 4GB Nvidia Quadro K4200 graphics card to give us stellar results on the benchmark tests. Desktop PCs provide the most flexibility for significant multi-monitor customers, and they normally have more than one display port and are simply upgraded with additional graphic cards. General, the new machine boosts the memory, CPU core count, graphics and PCIe bandwidth capacity considerably across the board compared to its preceding Z840 flagship model. This business has been inspected by OSHA on two earlier resource occasions because 2005, and OSHA issued numerous significant violations both instances. You require an web connection to update the database of the application. Existing research indicates that over 75% of today’s tablet owners have enhanced their mobile device usage more than the conventional laptop or desktop computer for both work and play.

StrongProject’s Los Angeles, California workplace is the preparing hub for all our commercial business furnishings projects nationwide. Sometimes the CEO would add a note underneath like, See if I can also bring my kids.” We would ask for +three guests as an alternative of just +1. One particular such style is a bamboo desk with below-the-top storage. The File Server Resource Manager text reader was not initialized. One of the 3 new HP Zbook 15 models now includes a dual-core 2.four GHz Intel Core i7 Broadwell processor with 16GB of non-ECC DDR3 1600 MHz RAM, a 512GB Turbo Drive M2, and an AMD FirePro M4170 GPU with 1GB of RAM (no optical drive is integrated with this unit). The mobile workstation is nicely equipped for CAD, video, and other graphics-intense applications.

Within the desktop CRM, click Tools > Administration > User Management. This two-headed monster has dual Xeon sockets primed for the most current E5-2600 v3 processors. The ideal program for GPU-centric applications, APEXX four 6103 features a safely overclocked 7th generation Intel® Core i7 processor, up to 64GB of memory, and up to four complete-size GPUs for very versatile compute configurations. For connectivity, USB three. and USB two. are both present across the three new Z workstations: at the front, the back and inside. And HP Workstations continue this tradition with such innovations as a BIOS that reduces power consumption and increases workstation reliability by featuring preset sleep states, adjustable fan speeds to maximize operating efficiency, and energy management functions.

Each of the workstation pc’s power and advantages are listed in the descriptions. The quantity of disks specified is invalid for this operation. The HP Z820 has up to 16 processing cores allowing for larger computing efficiency, up to 512 GB of memory, and up to dual NVIDIA Quadro 6000 graphics. It might not be the classic style viz workstation we’ve come to count on, but it delivers an exceptional punch for complicated 3D work. “This characteristic is a sense of our(African()inferiority as African-American men and women. The HP Z4 Workstation also characteristics design and style improvements, including ergonomic front and rear handles, a smaller sized chassis for cramped workspaces and a new dust filter choice for industrial environments. Desks utilised in offices have to be wide sufficient to hold several files and at times a laptop.

The G2 features the very same chassis as its predecessor, with a 27-inch, higher-resolution display on top of a versatile however firm assistance arm, but now you can select Windows 8.1 Pro instead of Windows 7 Expert and a module with two Thunderbolt two ports in lieu of an optical drive. Our speciality is generating customised Mac Pro 5,1 systems, we select to function with the Mac Pro 5,1 platform as it is room for internal expansion provides it unrivalled efficiency prospective. Sorry, the diagram doesn’t look like the “minimum spec” that can be exceeded at will, and I’d really like to see what Intel (or any individual else) has to say about performance variations in between native on-chip PCIe 3. QPI assistance vs. that on the chipset that appears to be added on, and is not natively supported by the CPU.

• In order to monitor and manage charge privileges, the front office clerk should check regardless of whether the total net purchases are much less than the minimum of floor Limit (i.e.: credit card company’s limit) and property limit (i.e. hotel’s limit). Formaspace Pc Workstations and LAN Stations offer higher flexibility in activity-oriented operate environments. When coupled with commercially accessible computer software, the Biz-Hub method becomes an integral element of a document storage, management and retrieval technique for any size of business – paving the way towards a truly paperless workplace. The Skylake X powered Titan X299 now represents high-finish processing power at a surprisingly affordable value. Wealthy with multimedia, this interactive tutorial guides new customers via the capabilities and inventive possible of the Indy workstation.

A single manufacturer, TreadDesk, reportedly sold 2800 walking workstations in 2012 which is 50 occasions more than when it launched this solution in 2006. The HP ZBook x2 enables designers to effortlessly generate with quad-core Intel® Core processors2, twice the memory of any other detachable PC3 and NVIDIA® Quadro® Graphics that provide 73 % greater graphics overall performance compared to the Surface Pro4. Ahead of approaching suppliers of office workstations you need to do some homework. You would think that getting dual Xeon sockets (LGA 3647), a dozen DIMM slots supporting up to 768GB of DDR4 memory would be enough, and 4-way SLI and CrossFireX help would be much more than enough to piece collectively a monster workstation oozing with energy, and in truth, it is. But for enthusiasts who scoff at stock settings as if they are an arbitrary speed limit meant to be broken, the WS C621E SAGE will happily oblige.

For the best functionality contemplate an overclocked workstation with an Intel Core i7 processor or a system with dual Intel Xeon processors. The dedicated NVIDIA graphics card tends to make the excellent much better although the sleek design and style of the AIO helps you operate on a cleaner desk. Ensuring these applications operate at peak overall performance is critical to your business, and BOXX knows it. That’s why we develop systems to accelerate even the most sophisticated entertainment workflows. Tiny tables are normally space small corner personal computer desks for home savers, and the ones along collectively using homes who have restricted spaces is not going to rue possessing. In our chart at the beginning on the web page, we selected the very best gaming desks out of the many possibilities out there.

Your audio Computer forms the foundation of your overall DAW (digital audio workstation) set-up, and is accompanied by added components such as audio editing software program, a soundcard or audio interface, as effectively as input devices As a result, it wants to be built specially to support all these elements, and provide maximum speed and stability for audio processing and editing. Ryzen chips incorporate Bristol Ridge architecture utilised in AMD A12-9800 and A10-9700 APUs which has a constructed-in Radeon R7 GPU in the processor chip—but, alas, Ryzen does not have onboard graphics, so a discrete graphics card is necessary for a workstation build. Generally, media convergence is the process when new technologies accustomed by existing media and people can clearly see the alteration from old media to the new media (Dwyer, 2010).

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10 Unknown Things About John Wick, You Should Know !!

We are a little over a week until John Wick: Chapter 2 debuts in theaters (February 10, to be exact). The long awaited sequel to the hit 2014 John Wick shareholder examined in the fascinating world of comics in the original film and see Keanu Reeves as the title character, a former killer who can not escape to expand introduced his past crimes. John Wick is one of the refreshing action images of all ages, to minimize digital effects and introduce character-plucking cutters full of nuances, and a lot of fucking action mixed with subversive humor. It's brutal, nice and cool, and the classic action movie tropes to combine into a new formula for success. So what exactly does John Wick do? What is behind the character, the supporting cast, myths and the creative team of the film series? Here are 15 little-known Wick factoids to help fill in the blanks and you pumped while we waited for 2 John Wick chapter. 1.WHAT IS ACHIEVING IN CHAPTER 2?

So what can John Wick fans expect in Chapter 2? The main arguments are still secret, but we know some details about what the focus of action. Firstly, the movie Wick against its killers is past. That means he travels no way to retirement, with the character at Rome a former employee to do justice to. What is your connection? All the details are scant but we know that there is a blood pact with Wick is to aggregate forces through loyalty, while the consortium plans to seize the killers who are both members. Or, in Wick's words, his goal is simply to "kill them all." We can also expect more return artists on display, including Ian McShane as Hotelier Gangster Continental, Bridget Moynihan died as Wick woman, and John Leguizamo as Aurelio owner of the combine harvester. Often, the villain will play, accompanied by several other new cast members, including Ruby Rose (orange is the new black) and the aforementioned Lawrence Fishburne. So expect a lot of action, espionage, intrigue and plenty of body full of hot lead. 2. A TV PREQUEL IS IN THE WORKS 

In addition to John Wick Chapter 2, it may still mysterious killer be in our future, but this time on the small screen. Chapter 2 Director Stahleksi launched the idea of a prequel television for life and said in an interview with the film. "Basically, we have almost a prequel written, but it would save on other aspects of ownership Lionsgate is interested, a program of this TV John Wick, and this seems very attractive to us, those creatively to give this entity ideas because I could really improve the TV believe it is and what we could only in a two hour movie we would like to finish the story we tell you now ;. and maybe all our prequel to save ideas and ideas impossible task for this medium. " Given the interesting cast of the series of character films and many issues raised about the past Mafia Wick, the idea could certainly be thrilling when they performed well. Hopefully Reeves interested to make up for a TV project, just because we did not imagine anyone else to fill in Wick's fashionable outfits. Given the interesting cast of the series of character films and many issues raised about the past Mafia Wick, the idea could certainly be thrilling when they performed well. Hopefully Reeves interested to make up for a TV project, just because we did not imagine anyone else to fill in Wick's fashionable outfits. 3. THE BABA YAGA

Set to help One of the earliest films of legendary skills of the murderer John Wick occurs when Yusef Tarasov of Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones) threw his father attacks, head Viggo the crowd, played by Michael Nyqvist (girl with the dragon tattoo). When Yusef of jokes as he killed the dog and stole his car Wick (unconscious connection Wick with his family) suggests I bore him in the stomach. Then he goes on to explain how horrible a mistake he made: "It is not what you did, my son, that irritates me so much who he was ... he was once a partner ... we call Baba Yaga .. . When Joseph Reply "The Boogeyman"? Viggo replied, "Well, John was not exactly" The Boogeyman "He was the one sent to kill the f ******" Boogeyman ". The Baba Yaga may originated in Slavic folklore, marked as a supernatural being (usually in the form of a female), the friend or foe being, depending on the circumstances. Although there is a strange connection with Reeves' character to explain except how they condemn his strength nature skills that can help win his loyalty, or those who cross to certain death. 4.THE MEANING OF THE BACK TATTOO

Before John Wick was a man, a vengeful full killer return to the world who wanted to escape, we see Reeves in the shower with a big tattoo on his back. The Latin term "Fortis Fortuna adiuvat" appears in large letters at the top large, and translates into English as "the future of the favors of the global economy". The origin of the term is military, the motto of the naval base 3rd Battalion of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. This suggests Military Wick past his time as a mob killer, as well as an allusion to the Hawaiian heritage star Keanu Reeves (his father was a Hawaiian) is used. The fact that the tattoo is not in this short shot in the film, in his very material on the co-directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch's trust explained or referred to leave an air of mystery, adding enough texture and intrigue without the need for Explain every detail. But one message is clear: Wick sucks. 5.THE MATRIX CONNECTION 

One of the interesting aspects of John Wick Chapter 2, the meeting between Keanu Reeves and Matrix co-star Lawrence Fishburne will be. His team is just one of many composites for the iconic series of science fiction films, which occur in the year 1999 John Wick's first film also featured several matrix graduates, including Daniel Bernhardt (who played an actor in the studio) and Randall Duk Kim (the Keymaker). Both directors his great opportunity as coordinators tricks in the Matrix trilogy, which would be accidental if Reeves wanted, when he wanted to choreograph the action scenes in John Wick. The duo felt so strongly about the project to convince the producers to allow them to direct the film. What, as Reeves and Laurence Fishburne were connected to the then Stahleski again (the only director in Chapter 2), he explained: "Keanu, I Laurence all worked and together in the Matrix trilogy. So, if Derrick (Kolstad, screenwriter) had written The character he plays in the Laurence script, in the sense that it was actually written with Laurence ... Keanu gave us a good introduction when they met. " There is even an Easter egg in the original movie Matrix: Neo in the game during the safe house scene is a character name. 6. KEANU REEVES DID MOST OF HIS OWN STUNTS

Reeves gave an intensely physical presentation on John Wick (talk about his one-bit training program) and his rings of authenticity on almost every picture in the real movie. The actor did 90% of his tricks (one of the few scenes that was a necessary stunt that the porch, oh, so painful fall into nightclub battle). This is particularly encouraging, since the fact that the actor had a flu outbreak during filming. Reeves was getting stuck action sequences so obsessed that the entire sequel to the movie nightclub on the same day was filmed. Reeves work tricks not only fight sequences, of course. He also has a driving experience, including the scene of him stepping out of a car from a private airport. In typical modesty, Reeves despised his talent. In an interview in 2014 with Indie Wire, he says it's just an extension of his role is .. "If I do this, it's not a trick stunts tricks ... I, I can do some physical action involved in any action , But they are not tricks. The guys turn, I threw, run, jump, play. " 7. PAYDAY 2

Two days before he made his film debut, John Wick was actually included as a downloadable character in Payday 2, a popular first person shooter. The result of a promotional partnership between Lions Gate Films and Overkill Software, including the Game Wick (by voice actor Dave Fouquette played) in Washington, DC assault involved in a gang, targeting banks, acting as a drug dealer and Even manipulate elections and smuggle nuclear weapons. The Low Wick was a smart move, as fans of first person shooters the perfect audience for one of the best shoot 'em up thrillers would be age. And John Wick is not the only character who shares synergy between Lionsgate and exaggeration in the series of payday games; Also mark remake of Point Break has to offer, the two partner companies. Overkill would get movies with STX Unconditional Entertainment Henry, a Russian actor continued to be killed as a first person shooter. 8. CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

As you may have already noticed John Wick's story, it was inspired by comics and comics. And insurance and visual aspect of the directors Leitch and Stahelski were not lost in Hollywood. Civil War: The duo was used as the second unit director of Captain America at Marvel Studios. The creative team was already familiar with the comic books, of course, as the work Stachelski trick Iron Man 2 did, and both made second unit work on The Wolverine. Civil War Director Joe Russo explains why he knew the two of them would be perfect for the production environment, saying, "We asked them if they came and helped us execute some of the action sequences with Spiro Razatos, Boy along with Chad and Dave ... we knew we had to work really hard to raise our Winter Soldier game. " You can see the work of Leitch and Stahelski on the scene of the Civil War, the adrenaline battle between The Avengers and Crossed Bones in Lagos, Portugal opening. And Leitch did not end with the superhero genre - recently announced that the long-awaited sequel Deadpool addressed. 9.EVA LONGORIA’S PRODUCING CREDIT

John Wick had many producers including co-director David Leitch, filmmaker James McTeigue (V for Vendetta), Basil Iwanyk and Michael Witherill. But the most prominent participants was the lead producer (and Desperate Housewives actress) Eva Longoria. So what attracted Longoria to the project? Do not ask or Stahelski Leitch, who gave the commentary on the film they found in the 2014 production: "I've never met ... but thanks for writing a check" Make online what the inspired actress for the co-produced film proved to be a difficult task, but a look at her IMDB profile shows that a diverse work, provocative documentaries (The Harvest, food chains) produced, Comic series - TV (Devious Maids, Soap Opera) and even an animated series for adults (Mother Up!). Surprisingly, given the financial success of the original, the actress is not preparing John Wick Chapter 2. However, Wick diehard fans a debt debt of gratitude to write for this check, and to help with the care, the potential to perform the film. 10.GUN FU

Another item that John Wick made for another action thriller, was his action sequence with only intense stylistic violence. And perhaps the most memorable element and incidence in these scenes was the shooting that described filmmaker as "fu gun". The technology is not really arisen in John Wick. Gun Fu was made by director John Woo in his classic Hong Kong thriller, A Better Tomorrow, known that American films would influence Matrix, where future directors Stahleski and Lietch in the technical coordination of built-in tricks. And John Wick is perhaps the most dynamic fighting style to intensify with filmmakers his game in great shape. What exactly was fu gun? It is basically built around martial arts shooting, with the grace and agility of a ballet room. It is safe to say that Keanu Reeves pulled the technique with precision and remarkable attitude, so we expect more fu weapons in Chapter 2.

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[thingbruder]

NEW YORK, United States — Amidst the rush of New York’s womenswear shows, several accessories brands, from Mansur Gavriel to Paul Andrew, found ways to carve out a space for themselves with presentations worthy of the industry’s attention. After all, shoes and handbags make up a significant slice of overall fashion revenues.

In the US alone, the footwear market accounts for $64 billion in sales, up 23 percent since 2011, while bags and luggage are worth $17 billion, up 41 percent from 2011, according to Euromonitor. On the high end, personal accessories account for almost 30 percent of the global luxury market — more than apparel — and have profit margins as high as 50 to 60 percent.

What’s more, unlike with ready-to-wear, where new seasons push old product onto discount racks, shoppers don’t demand the same kind of constant newness from accessories, particularly investment pieces, and they are more willing to pay full price for covetable bags and shoes that — if the brand balances inventory right — might never go on sale. According to data from retail analytics platform Edited, apparel sees higher depths of discounting to achieve sell-through: 70 percent versus 37 percent for handbags and 31 percent for footwear.

It’s little wonder that accessories are critical to retailers as varied as Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York and Macy’s, which have all renovated and expanded their shoe floors in recent years. Back in 2007, Saks famously unveiled a shoe department so big it commanded its own postal code. In October, the retailer even opened its first shoes-only store in Greenwich, Connecticut.

“Our customers are looking for very special items that they don’t have in their closet, something new to add a little statement to their everyday dressing,” said Saks Fifth Avenue fashion director Roopal Patel. “There is no such thing as a classic shoe any more, whether it’s the fabrication or being a little bit more ornate,” she added, citing Gucci as a top trend-setter as shoppers gravitate toward more unique and quirky accessories.

But for younger labels, what does it take to tap the opportunity? BoF quizzed independent shoe and handbag designers at New York Fashion Week to identify six key lessons for building a winning accessories business in 2017.

Mansur Gavriel's Spring 2017 "Candy Shop" presentation | Source: Courtesy

1. Develop a hero product — but don’t be wedded to it

Focusing on a signature product is a tried and true way for a young brand to break into the market and sharpen its message. Mansur Gavriel crossed into profitability in its third season following 100 percent sell-throughs for its signature bucket bag. Meanwhile, Monse designers Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia revealed that while their new line of shoes is selling well, they plan to evolve it slowly to build a signature style that has equity with consumers.

But when an ‘it’ bag or shoe oversaturates the market, coasting on its success can be perilous. Indeed, the trick is knowing when to focus and when to move on and innovate, harnessing the power of an 'it' item to drive interest in other products before it fades with time or ubiquity.

For Edie Parker, launched in 2012, its signature acrylic clutch is a major revenue driver, thanks in large part to its status as a red carpet go-to. But although the brand’s sales increased 100 percent year-over-year in 2015, they flattened in 2016. “Now as we have more and more admirers and copiers, the challenge is to keep innovating,” said founder Brett Heyman. “We own Friday and Saturday for our girl, how do we own the other five days of the week?”

Paul Andrew's Autumn 2017 collection | Source: Courtesy

2. Distinctive styles over seasonal basics

While a clean, black boot may have been the bread and butter of a footwear brand a decade ago, consumers shopping contemporary and designer brands today are no longer as attracted to seasonal basics, preferring distinctive items they can wear all year. “It’s been an amazing shift where the things that are really selling are the things that are the most special, the most detailed, the most amazing embellishments on them,” said Jessie Randall, founder of handbag and shoe line Loeffler Randall, citing a pair of bright-striped Lulu mules she was wearing at the brand’s Autumn presentation this week in New York. The brand's sales have grown an average of 27.5 percent per year since 2011.

While Ferragamo designer Paul Andrew has been careful to develop a wide assortment of shoe styles for his namesake line, he said he was suprised by the tastes of his growing online customer base who he described as “a lot more fashion-forward than I anticipated.”

“The best sellers will always be the best sellers, but I’m always trying to move forward in a way that feels sincere,” said Maryam Nassir Zadeh , who is best known for her popular footwear, after her first runway show at New York’s Guggenheim Museum. Her Autumn 2017 collection included shoes grommeted with pearls, lucite heels, faux crocodile leather, velvet and satin. “This time I really tried to elevate it and do a lot more new materials,” Nassir Zadeh added.

Inside Edie Parker's new Madison Avenue flagship | Source: Courtesy

3. Embrace direct retail

While accessories brands have traditionally relied on wholesale accounts to boost their visibility and quickly scale, the value of these relationships is changing as department stores struggle to attract consumers. Direct retail, of course, offers better margins and, for accessories brands with more than one category, the opportunity to merchandise their collections together.

Mansur Gavriel announced in January that it would extend the lease on its pop-up in New York's Soho in order to establish a visual home for the brand. Meanwhile, Edie Parker’s first flagship will open this Tuesday on Madison Avenue, where Heyman will be able to showcase the brand's handbags as well as home goods, bag charms and phone cases.

Indeed, for rising accessories brands, wholesale is increasingly about marketing. “While our wholesale margins may not be as strong as, we use our wholesale model more for exposure,” said Scott Cunneen, co-founder of footwear brand Dear Frances, which focuses on e-commerce sales and has a limited number of retail partners with whom the label is careful not to overstock.

Isa Tapia Autumn 2017 flats | Source: Courtesy

4. Scale slowly

“Traditionally we’ve found that there is a lot of push to go to wholesale and really try to scale the business quite rapidly,” said Cunneen. “It becomes increasingly more difficult in terms of the capital you would need to get to the point where you can have a business that is working [at that scale].” He and Dear Frances co-founder Jane Frances prioritised their “essential business elements,” such as production and distribution before pursuing scale.

Dear Frances also uses scarcity as a marketing tool, opening its site to pre-orders of its core collection. “We sell a lot more on pre-order than when they are actually available,” said Frances. The brand accumulated over $200,000 in pre-sales in 2016. In the first six months of the label's e-commerce site, the company generated over $1 million revenue.

“As long as I can double the business every year, slowly but surely, I think I have a chance to be a big brand three to five years from now, instead of pushing really hard one year and saturating the market,” said Isa Tapia. In 2015, her namesake brand received a round of funding from Pentland Group that allowed her to stop consulting and focus on her own label.

A new handbag from Maryam Nassir Zadeh | Source: Courtesy

5. Add one category at a time

Even though Autumn 2017 marks Maryam Nassir Zadeh’s first full handbag collection, she actually launched the category briefly in 2014 alongside shoes. “But they never took off,” revealed the designer. “The shoes were very accessible and I think the bags were a little bit higher price point… I stepped back and let the shoes be what they were and I knew it was a matter of time.” Now she feels much more confident that there is a place in the market for smaller novelty bags at a higher price point, more akin to jewelry than shoes. “I hope it works now that the brand has a much bigger following,” she said.

The logic is sound considering Nassir Zadeh’s community of loyal consumers is not unlike Mansur Gavriel’s, albeit on a more local scale around her New York boutique. Mansur Gavriel launched shoes last spring and saw sales grow 30 percent year-on-year in 2016.

The Dear Frances Spirit boot | Source: Courtesy

6. Turn best sellers into collections

Consumers do not seek seasonal newness from shoes and handbags in the same way they do from fashion and apparel. It is an advantage for accessories designers who can operate on a slower calendar and carefully diversify their offering while keeping key styles always in stock. Dear Frances, for example, is building upon its Spirit boot by introducing a family of similar styles.

“Our customers are already similar with a certain style and now we want to introduce a new silhouette with the same influence… whether that’s just playing around with the heels or using plexiglass and perspex throughout,” said Frances.