#best swimming headphones 2018

[marindram]

full transcription of Marin's blog from Omega Mart!

huge thanks to @b0chelly for recording a scroll-through, which i typed this out from. (and warning for Omega Mart lore/story spoilers. second half is in reblog)

Marinknows.best

Location: Seven Monolith Village

Last Login: 12/31/2019

Profile Views: 101,275

About me: I love listening to music and glitter

Friends (0)

June 26, 2018

Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeee!

So 14 feels way different than 13. For real. I think it's because I was expecting 13 to feel different, but sometimes when you expect something it turns out the opposite ya know?

Plus, 13 is like, "I'm new to being a teenager!!"

14 is more like, "I'm becoming the person I want to be." At least that's how I want it to be. I wanted to start this blog as a record of all that.

I should ask Did you guys feel the same way when you turned 13 and 14?

But probably nobody's gonna read this because I'm just a weirdo in the weird dessert. I mean, I know my best friend Jesse is reading this (hi Jesse). Besides her, crickets.

But yeah, if you are reading this and you don't know me - I live in Seven Monolith Village, a teensy tiny town that you've only heard of if you're into aliens or homesteading. And I'm literally stuck. As in, I'm physically unable to leave. My first memories are of all the adults in my life (Charlie, my great-uncle/father-figure - Rose, my what? Roommate? Mother-figure? Pseudo-aunt? All of the above? and my mom, Cecelia. who doesn't live here) telling me that for some reason, there's something wrong with me that makes it so I can't leave a certain radius of where we live. I got older and thought that they were just exaggerating to keep me safe, but then last year I tried. And it was, let's just say not good.

Anyway. That part of my life sucks, but not everything sucks. This year is all about Marin Dram 2.0. Not new, but definitely improved.

And maybe someday, somehow somebody will read this and care about what I have to say. Somebodies, even. Until then, this is Marin Dram signing off and sending my lame contemplations into the void!

July 1, 2018

Things I Want To Do Before I Turn 20 (and some of these will never happen like are literally unable to happen but JUST LET ME DREAM

1. Kiss someone (who???)

2. Meet HTB (kiss him) (jk he would never) (plus meeting him would be enough)

3. Go to Paris

4. Go to Rome (or somewhere cooler in Italy, look up where is the best pasta???)

5. Go to Greenland (why not???)

6. Go to New York City

7. Go to LA (with a dream and my cardigan lol)

8. Go to the Grand Canyon (this isn't mine, but 9, Jesse is sitting right here and she went to the GC when we were 12 and she's like blah blah blah it's my favorite place in the world and you'll love it. I'm doing this so she'll shut up.

9. Live in a normal house with normal rooms → ideally 12 of them: living room AND TV room, kitchen, dining room, 3 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, study/library.

-plus an upstairs downstairs

-I'm willing to compromise on the number of rooms as long as there's more than ONE for TWO PEOPLE and I got my own

-plus an upstairs/downstairs

-I'm willing to compromise on the number of rooms as long as there's more than ONE for TWO PEOPLE and I get my own room with an actual door. Very into doors.

10. Go to a mall (Jesse says there's a bunch of bonkers ones in Vegas)

11. Make friends who aren't Jesse (no offense, Jesse)

12. Get Cecelia (my "mom") to teach me about business stuff so I can open my own cool coffeeshop/bookstore someday

13. Learn to drive (ask Charlie to teach me, he's obsessed with his truck) (Jesse says she can teach me because she's Little Miss Mechanic and thinks she knows everything about cars but news flash Jesse: you're you get than me)

14. Figure out my signature style- like I want people to send me pictures of things and be like "this just screamed Marin" and for that to be true

15. Liquid eyeliner??

16. I'm stopping here because I just read over all this and want to die/cry because easily 3/4 of these are literally impossible?

17. Kill me

18. Bye

19. Lololol Charlie just came in and I was complaining about this, not being able to leave and stuff, etc and he said that I should visit new places by... reading books?? And I mean I like to read. But dude. That's the dumbest thing I've ever head.

July 30, 2018

Okay so this is what I want my life to look like:

I want a pink room. Not just pink... P I N K. Cool pink wallpaper (floral? jacquard??), pink carpet, lots of pink flowers everywhere, a four-poster bed with a pink silk canopy, lots of cool pink throw pillows. Like, so pink that

people think I'm being sarcastic! Oh, and BOOKS. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases, and some of the shelves have, like, STUFF on them that isn't books, like gifts people gave me, or things I've collected on my JOURNEYS. You know, normal stuff that people who live on normal places and do normal things have.

If I lived in in this room, it'd be in awhite three-story house at the end of a cul-de-sac (did you know "culs-de-sac" is the plural? Not "cul-de-sacs"? crazy) and I'd wear very classic girly clothes and my hair would always do what I wanted it to. It'd be one of those towns that people call small, but it's actually a city. just one with a kinda small, cozy feeling. Somewhere that gets cold enough to wear cute jackets but not so cold I have to to like, shovel my driveway. Not a non-place with like 100 people where you can't even go outside without going crazy.

August 2nd, 2018

I guess I should explain where I live, for all my avid fans out there! (lol) (hello??)

So like... I don't live on Earth. At least, not the Earth you think of when you think of EARTH. I live in some some weird off-brand version of Earth called the Forked Earth where there are aliens and magic wells of magic energy and everything is MAGIC but like the crappy kind of magic, where the sun never fully rises and some goo called "runoff" has made everything wacky and oh yeah, my mom is responsible for that and everyone here hates her!! LOL

Also, I can't leave! Like, literally can't! Rose says I'm a "special child of Source" and that's why but that LITERALLY explains tells me nothing, in fact it just raises further questions that no one can seem to answer! AHHHHHHHHHH

Anyway, the last time I tried to leave I felt. When I try to leave I feel like I'm being pulled back by something, like you know those old cartoons where someone's on stage doing something dumb and then someone offstage pulls them away with a giant shepard's crook? It felt like that, and when I opened my eyes I was back in 7 Monolith Village. UGH.

I know this sounds crazy!!!!! But believe me when I say that I am the least crazy person here. Also, """here""" is C R A Z Y. Runoff has made everything the bad kind of psychedelic and then people here actually DRINK IT! Not only do I not DRINK THE STUFF THAT HAS MADE THE WORLD INSANE, I also do not talk to aliens (or whatever Nula are) like Rose or believe crazy conspiracy theories like Charlie, so I believe that qualifies me as the most normal person in the Forked Earth, thank you for this honor, I accept this award with humility and grace!

September 4, 2018

I had the weirdest dream last night?? I was swimming in a pool full of cereal, and when I came up for air, my mom was pouring milk on my head like she was rinsing my hair. She had her hand over my face like I was a little kid and she was shielding me from soap getting in my eyes.

Anyway I have no idea what it's supposed to mean. I went to bed hungry and I need to take a shower? Lol

October 16, 2018

I was trying to hide this entry from Jesse, but JESSE IS A NOSY PERSON. She says that blogs are for readers, and if I wanted something to be private then I should "Just write in a fucking notebook and hide it under your bed like a normal person, Marin." I'm allowed to have secrets!! Anyway, I'm making her a freaking playlist, that's why I wouldn't tell her what I was writing about. but EVEN STILL! I'm allowed to have secrets!! But I have this blog because I wanna get my feelings out, I wanna see everything in my head typed out all nice in a way that doesn't make it look insane. You know? I don't know who I'm asking.) Because, it's not like I go to a normal school or have a normal life where I'm surrounded by normal people I can talk to. No one knows about me! I'm trapped in this crazy place and This blog is my only outlet to the world outside. I KNOW that's heavy but it's true! The point is: Jesse's birthday is coming up. The central consistent thing in pretty much my whole life is sharing headphones with her and listening to music. The soundtrack to my entire existence is her. I wish I had money and could buy her the best presents of all time, but I can make her the best playlist of all time. I want it to be so good it feels like magic. I want her to think I'm magic. I had another dream the other night. I don't remember much, just glitter. I must be crafting too much. Or looking at festival makeup tutorials. Or both.

November 12, 2018

WARNING- Weird thoughts ahead, lol.

I can never tell which feelings are normal, and which are me being a giant weirdo. But for as long as I can remember, I've had this feeling like every part of my body that's possible to have a ribbon tied around it, has a ribbon tied around it. It's so weird. I can't see the other end of the ribbons - how far they go. where they're attached, nothing. And sometimes it's fine, because sometimes I can hardly feel them. I can forget about them for days at a time, weeks, months if I'm lucky. But then other times I can feel them like, pulling at me. It's freaking spooky, to have something pulling at you from somewhere you can't see. I can't tell if it's pulling me toward whatever it is? Or if it's trying to warn me? Or if I'm just insane??

Does that make sense? Does anybody else feel that way? (she asks into the void)

So idk I guess this ribbons-feeling is why I'm really careful all the time. Like I'm just a careful person. Charlie tried to give me a hard time about it, and I can't be like "I don't wanna pull back in the ribbons too hard without realizing it and wreck something!" because he'd be like "WTF Marin, do we need to get you help?" But also, more and more, I want to be the opposite of careful. I want to take a pair of comically oversized scissors and cut the ribbons into so many pieces that nobody can even tell what they are any more.

I don't know why I'm such a freak, only that I am. I don't know why I can't leave 7 Monolith, only that I can't. But there must be a reason, even if I can't see it, and I feel like it makes sense that the ribbons-feeling is part of that reason, right?

There's just a lot.

January 15, 2019

Happy new year! Lol I forgot to write on the actual first day of 2019, but OH WELL!

I got this new glitter nail polish, thanks to the monthly makeup subscription box my "mom" sends me as an outlet for her abandonment guilt. It has like, every color glitter imaginable without quite reading as "rainbow" which is fine just not really what I was in the mood for and it's vaguely halographic and shifts into all these different colors depending on the light. I'm obsessed. Anyway.

I was putting on another layer because I chipped it like 20 minutes into wearing it, and all of a sudden I had this feeling like I recognized the glitter? Like I felt this thing way deep in my gut and for a minute I couldn't breathe. It's the closest thing I've felt to how books and movies make Christmas look. Like I was home, with family, cookies and cider and all that stuff. Familiar and safe. I almost didn't recognize that feeling. And it came from the nail polish. How weird is that.

I mean, I don't want to make it sound like I've had this awful Charles Dickens childhood - Rose and Charlie are the best ever and always there for me and I love them a lot. But things never feel like...home. You know?

My mom always says this cryptic stuff about how I'm "special" and I wanna strangle her because I'm not, but you try getting my mom to stop doing anything she wants to do. Rose told me once that one day, I would "lead the charge into a new era of existence and access" because I'm "of the Source" and I was like uhhhh okay?? Charlie mostly treats me pretty normal, except when I ask him questions about our family. my mom or any Dram. He knows that I want to know more about them and he's my only real entrypoint, but apparently he's like the black sheep of that whole family. He and my mom were close way back right before I was born, but now whenever she comes to visit he barely even looks at her.

So that's to say: nobody tells me anything, ever.

January 16, 2019

Okay this is so weird. I wrote that entry yesterday about glitter and then last night I dreamed about glitter. Then I woke up with purple glitter in my bed?? Like not a lot, so at first I thought it was from my nail polish, but it was just a handful of purely purple glitter that looks nothing like my nail polish. SO WEIRD!!!!!!

February 14, 2019

Rose has an old book full of "ye olde" style fairy tales, and I flipped through it for the first time in forever today.

Not so weirdly, I've always been drawn to the story of Rapunzel.

Rapunzel couldn't leave the tower, or else she'd break her neck and die.

Same.

February 19, 2019

I was reading this article the other day in one of the teen magazines my "mom" gets me a subscription to and it was all about body positivity, which is great, but it was basically just like "wear a crop top if you wannna wear a crop top! it doesn't matter what size you are! You go, girl!" And like, sure. Yes. I am all for that. But doesn't it seem like there are some steps missing in there? Like, I can physically put on a crop top and wear it outside. But how do I convince myself that everybody isn't looking at me and making fun of me in their minds? How do I unlearn the last almost-fifteen years? How do I get actually positive about my body, not just put on a crop top and fight the urge to cry all day?

It's the same thing like when my mom sends me brochures from the CEO camp she ten when she was my age (her dad started the camp for her, which is an insane thing just by itself, but she did all the work, which is even more insane) and she's like "Marin, you lack direction for your life" and I'm like, cool mom. Yeah. I can see that. What I can't see is how to get there from here.

March 2, 2019

This is what I want my life to look like, volume 2:

The walls of my room are covered in Polaroids of me and my friends. There are lots of mirrors in all kinds of shapes. hearts and moons and stars. There's a record player and a lot of vintage records by Billie Holiday and Lena Horne and Peggy Lee and Nina Simone. And Christmas lights! Everywhere! Lots of of pink and purple Christmas lights everywhere.

If I lived in this room, I'd have so many friends and be part of so many clubs. My best friend would have a collection of vintage cameras, and every place we go to that has a photo booth, we'd get photos taken. Every time I'd look at myself in one of those mirrors, I'd feel happy at what I see and never weird or sad. (Jesse hates taking pictures, so even when I actually do normal stuff with her there's no evidence. What even is a life supposed to be without evidence? That's not an actual question you need to answer Jesse, it's just a question)

Anyway, if I lived in this kind of room, my mom would probably be like, an art history professor at a liberal arts college. That's how come everything looks so cool, because I would know stuff about art. My mom and I would love to try new recipes together. We get each other new cookbooks for every special occasion, and right now we're working out way through a Moroccan one. Moroccan Mondays.

In actuality, there's a dust storm happening outside and my eyes sting.

March 9, 2019

Here's what I'm obsessed with lately.

Can. You. EVEN???

February 3, 2020

Omg I totally forgot this blog existed!!

I lost the password and instead of just resetting it I got in one of my super stubborn moods (Taurus moon lol) and just kept putting in guesses and jokes on me, it locked me out. Anyway, that's a boring story.

But my friend Ximena is really good at hacking and stuff, so she got me back in. Yeah you read that right - I have friends. Obviously a lot has happened since my last post. Ximena moved out here a couple months ago (X's family used to live here but they moved away a while ago) and she introduced me to Lora who I sorta-not-really already knew, and Jesse and I have been hanging out with them a ton. Jesse kind of more than me. Which is fine!!

Anyway I'm 15 now? If I lived somewhere normal I'd be psyched about almost being 16, because I'd get a car and have a Sweet Sixteen and eat a huge PINK cake, but I don't!

February 16, 2020

I read this fanfic the other night that was written in the second person so everything was like "you." "you're doing this" etc you know?

So... You go to a drive-in movie with Heartthrob Boy, and he spills soda on you by accident. And you take off your shirt ( you have a tank top on, don't worry) to clean it up, bit you're still all sticky and self-conscious about being sticky and HTB like... used his tongue to get it off??? AAHHHHH I'M DISGUSTING

but also I wonder if a boy will ever touch any part of me with his tongue

March 2, 2020

Hi I don't know if you heard but I have friends :)))

March 15, 2020

I think I'm so into painting my nails and doing my hair because those are things that always fit. I don't have to worry about places not carrying about a size 8, or places that carry XLs but when you read the measurements they're actually size 8s too and it's like jesus if that's an XL what am I

My "mom" was confused why I needed new pants because mine still look new, but I showed her the thigh holes and she was like "that's a weird place for a hole, how did that happen" and I realized that when your legs are a certain size, you just don't know about thigh rub and what it does to clothes. Pants could just last for years.

No matter what, I can paint my nails with a different color nail polish on every finger, and I can always do a braid crown. And I know I'm cute as hell, etc, so this is not a Marin Needs to Learn to Love Herself thing. It's just an UGH thing

April 17, 2020

So Rose does all these Source experiments on plants and flowers and stuff. Tbh, it's just one if those things I hardly even register anymore because it's just always there. She's explained to me a million times what Source is/does/means, but the way Rose explains things sometimes is just a LOT to take in and she refers to me as a "child of Source" but I kinda figure that's like "child of God" right? What else would that mean?

But anyway, it's really annoying because dried flowers are a part of my new aesthetic and I pinned a bunch of them up on my wall but I woke up this morning to a freaking jungle of very alive flowers. I freaked out. on Rose, and she Rose said she didn't do it and I was like WELL THEN WHO DID and she said that I did??

Which like. Obviously that doesn't make sense. I asked her what she meant and She just shook her head and said " It's happening. We should have known" which is some horror movie shit that she refused to elaborate on. I love to feel safe and normal!!

Or maybe it's not a horror movie at all. But maybe it's a superhero movie? Maybe there's some kind of origin story I don't know about yet, and all of this will be worth it once I figure out my powers. I wonder what my costume will look like. Lol.

April 23, 2020

Is it possible to die from longing? I know that sounds melodramatic, but I'm also kinda serious?? Because it seems like one of those things that could fester and get infected and kill you. It's like when you fall down and bang up your knee, and you need to put a band-aid on the scrape for a while, but THEN you need to air it out - but how do you know when you're supposed to do each one of those things? And if you do either one too much, your knee gets infected. What if I smother my heart with band-aids for too long and it gets infected? This isn't about anybody. I just keep having these dreams about someone I never expected to have dreams about and they're so intense that they keep leaking into my life and I wonder if I need to do something about them.

May 2, 2020

So Jesse's gotten really into metal music, and I tried to get her to play me something since, AS PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED, that's what we've literally ALWAYS DONE with music and each other, and she kinda looked at Ximena out of the corner of her eye and said like "I don't think it's really your thing" And it was the meanest thing anybody's ever said to me.

So later I looked up Zenion, the band she was talking about, and I listened to every single fucking song they've ever recorded turned up as loud as it could go with my own headphones that are better than hers anyway, and I loved it. And I didn't love it just because she said I wouldn't. I loved it because it was loud and weird and wild and when I listened to it it made me feel like it's not crazy when so feel stuff so hard it's like my heart's gonna vibrate out of my body. And I would have told Jesse all this and we could have shared it, but I guess she thinks just because I like HTB and glitter and stuff, I don't have the capacity for anything else.

She clearly doesn't know me at all. So much for any kind of whatever, why would she ever want to kiss someone she clearly sees as like a stupid baby.

May 7, 2020

The dreams are getting weirder and they're happening more. I'm getting scared to go to sleep. Not that the dreams are always scary (they almost never are, or not scary like in a typically scary horror movie way). I mean, I've only ever been me. I don't know what other peoples' dreams are like.

The other night in one I was jumping on a trampoline, which is something I've never done in real life. I told Rose about it when I woke up, and she said "do you even know how to jump on a trampoline?" and I said "Rose, it's not like riding a bike. You don't have to learn. You just jump." and then we got into this whole thing about how some things we just know, and jumping's one of them, and how that's so weird. Sometimes I really like talking to Rose about stuff.

May 19, 2020

So, it's prom season in the real world. If I lived somewhere normal, my prom dress would be pink with lots of tulle and silk flowers at the shoulders, and it would fit perfectly and trying in dresses would be fun and not anxiety-inducing.

But since there are only like 10 teenagers currently in 7MV, were not having a homecoming. Cool.

May 27, 2020

So, mom came to visit this weekend, and I asked her about her prom. She was Typical Cecelia at first, very "Prom is a waste of time and money, Marin. It's a night when lesser people play dress-up to engage with their aspirations of grandeur." And I was like eyeroll forever and just stopped talking. BUT THEN she actually talked to me like a human being. She was like, "I actually didn't go to my prom" and when I asked her why she said that she didn't have a date, and was very self-conscious about it. I almost passed out at her admitting that she's ever been anything less than perfect.

(gonna continue this in reblog)

[wildewebdesign-blog]

My weight loss journey

 This was me at the beginning of my journey

December 2018 I decided to stand on the scales to see just how heavy I was, and my god I was horrified by the digits I saw! Thats when my love/hate relationship with the weighing scales took a turn for the better. I then decided that my new years resolution would be to lose some weight and get in to shape! So, on the 1st of January 2019 I did just that!

I started to eat healthier and make healthier choices at first but my mindset on food remained the same, which as we all know (for those that have a food addiction) is a real pain in the backside as we just hate wasting food or leaving leftovers. I mean being a few pounds away from twenty nine stone wasnt good for me, my health or my amazing wife who has supported me throughout my entire journey so far! The first step was to cut my portion size down bit by bit so it wasnt a drastic change, stop having takeaways and give myself one day of the week where I could eat something naughty to help curve the cravings for the rest of the week (didn’t go so well, ate like a pig on crap food!) So, I limited myself eventually but that bit comes later in my story! The first week I had lost almost half a stone and was feeling on top of the world! I never thought I could lose weight, as I always gave up after a month or so, this time however I was determined to stick it out. I had an appointment with the doctors, can’t remember what for but the results from a blood test showed I was ALMOST pre-diabetic, so even more important to shift the weight! By going along with most of the official Slimming World guidelines and rules (didn’t go to meetings, not my thing!) I found it easier at first, but figured out very quickly that it had its limitations as some things may work for others but not for me so, I made some tweaks to it, first off, its not a diet. Its a way of life! That bit is very important as if its a diet, you can quit at anytime, whereas if it is a part of daily life, you can’t!

After four months of eating healthier, being a little more active I had a follow up appointment with my GP who actually referred me to the gym, which to be fair I was a little anxious about, I mean the stigma around gyms is they are full of muscular, skinny people but, I found they weren't! Others like me doing their best to shed a few pounds. I will admit, I got addicted to the endorphins and the rush you get afterwards! Oh did I mention that before I started in the gym I had lost three and a half stone already?

Those of you that are on Slimming World and are buying SW chips, or par boiling homemade chips��� DON’T DO IT! There is a better way! Handy trick for you, you can either peel them or keep the skin on, but slice your potatoes into chips, spray an oven tray with enough frylight to coat the tray, place the chips on, salt/pepper them and spray more frylight on top to make them crispy and place in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for half an hour (depending on how you like them) and they are gorgeous! Healthy chips without all the faff!

  Ok so, I left off last time after mentioning about my first visit to the gym. This was a whole new area of the world I hadn’t previously explored and was completely clueless! I knew how to use the bike and the treadmill but that was it. The fitness instructor I was assigned to was very inviting and kind, and always paid me compliments which helped boost my confidence whilst in the gym. I started on the TRX, bike, treadmill and squats to start with so, basically all cardio. Which I found relaxing to be fair. It got me into a routine, which I highly recommend for weight loss! Routine is one of the main things that has helped me get this far! Food routine and daily routine. After all, your body stores fat when you have irregular eating patterns as it doesn't know when it will be fed next. Sorry I digressed a little there.

 I found that once I am in the gym, headphones in and my favourite music playing I was in the zone, where I could push myself each week to work harder, do more and improve the statistics on my account to show myself I am capable of doing it. At this point I was only attending the gym twice per week. I did this for six months and had lost a total of six and a half stone at this point. I even lost weight over Christmas!

 Things changed in May 2020 thanks to the Corona Virus pandemic, where all the gyms, swimming pools etc all closed, so this is where I had to get creative to continue the weight loss and not just sit at home eating crap because I was stuck inside. So I headed over to Youtube and found one or two easy workout videos which I did every day, I was seeing great results! Losing more than I did whilst in the gym and feeling more energetic. I moved on to the video I still use every day today, Emi Wong 30 minute minute HIIT workout with no jumping. Not quite beginner but still a great workout, it has helped me get to the point where at this moment in time (04/06/2020) I am a pound away from a nine and a half stone loss! This is the part of my story where I can share some of the tricks I have used in order to get this far. Most of which are easy enough to do, but some will require self control and a great mental attitude!

 This is me now, weighing 19.2 stone! 

  1) Routine, as mentioned above this helps you to stay the course and also allows you more freedom if that makes any sense?

2) Drink plenty of water, this in turn helps the skin retain its elasticity which helps your skin bounce back instead of having saggy, loose skin afterwards.

 3) Eating meals which are healthy, but can be made exciting using herbs and spices to spruce them up a little, you can still have whatever you want but portion control is a must. I still eat sausages but they are Linda McCartney vegetarian sausages.

 4) Keep active, says it all really. No explanation needed.

 5) Change the way you think about food. Before I started this journey I LOVED pizza and now everytime I think about eating a slice I feel physically sick!

 6) Three square meals a day at regular times, for example everyday I have two weetabix, blueberries, grapes, raspberries and strawberries for breakfast. Then I have lettuce, cucumber, cheese and ham sandwiches for dinner and for the main meal I tend to go for gammon (fat removed), broccoli and the chips I mentioned above. I don’t get hungry during the day doing this, so im not liable to eat more than I should.

 7) Don’t be afraid to ask for help! People that want to see you in the best shape of your life are more than willing to help! NEVER be ashamed or afraid if you get tempted or have cheated by eating something you shouldn't have, we all do it! At the end of the day its your body, your choices and your life!

  So that is my story so far. Any questions? Want somewhere to start yourself? Feel free to comment below and I will answer when I can as my wife and I run two small businesses. One is a website design business called www.wildewebdesign.co.uk and the other is a craft business called www.wildeaboutcrafts.co.uk feel free to take a look :)

[wireless-headphones-blog1]

The Top 5 Wireless Headphones for Swimming Activities

Swimming can also be a tiresome cardiovascular exercise. But today technology want to inspire you while doing it so. So you can now hear your favorite song while you are in the midst of the water. Here are the top 5 best wireless headphones for swimming. base on sound quality, depth, and price. 1. KuaiFit Waterproof Sport Headphones This pair of wireless headphones gives instant voice feedbacks of your heart rate, speed, distance, and calories. 2. FINIS Duo Waterproof Headphones The Finis Duo is a wireless headphone that’s designed to work well while swimming in the pool. 3. Pyle InFlex Waterproof Bluetooth Headphones This 2-in-1 waterproof Bluetooth MP3 player headphones are packed with built-in mic for hands-free calls. 4. Alpatronix HX250 Waterproof Bluetooth Headphones The Alpatronix HX250 is a Bluetooth headphone designed for sports activities like running and swimming. 5. Pyle PSWB4BL Neckband Waterproof Headphones The Pyle PSWB4BL headphones are specifically designed not to get in the way of your goggles. Check out the video on Youtube.

[jaysomehero]

The Smell of Sunflowers. A Short Story.

We all think from time to time, about being loved unconditionally, a mother's touch, a lover's embrace, acceptance of one's self. We as humans crave it. From the moment you are violently screaming your existence into the world to when you are peacefully closing your eyes for the very last time.

You are put onto a path, one that takes you through this rugged, beautiful, odd journey, By accident, by purpose, by chance. You are introduced to individuals that teach you a thing or two about yourself. This story, is like that. Lessons learned, and purposes found.

A short, brief love story. If you are not doing much, perhaps offer a bit of your time.

I digressed, I was never really good at introducing a topic or story. You can say this is my first. If I remember correctly it starts around the same time as it is today. Cold, fall is passing and winter engaged. Although it was cold I remember being so warm, kind of glowing. Rebranded with new purpose. Cold air wrapped itself loosely and swiftly, felt like lace around my face, I was walking to work, I worked fast food at the time. I was a cook and typically moving in a hurry to work, with my music turned up loud enough to where I felt I was there. I really like to walk with my headphones in. The feeling and vibes, I could paint hearing the assembled sound of instruments. I could see the vibe attached with my music, I felt like I could describe it so well. My first love, music.

I loved waiting till the last minute, then bolt out the door energy drink in hand and moving like a bullet through the wind. Gotta love that youth, am I right? I just started Graveyard, and I got told it wouldn't be my usual coworker. I was used to working with.. Well for personal reasons I can't give you a name, so let's call her Molerat, as derogatory as that can sound, I find it appropriate. Usually an innocent girl, she just had a way of flipping a script and twisting your words into a balloon animal. One that you were unaware that you apparently made.

I don't have much at the moment I care to tell you about Molerat. Other than that I was not going to be working with her that night, I came in that night, per my usual timing a few minutes late, head to the back dropped my bag off, my bag I carried had my wallet, keys, an extra flannel red in color, my portable speaker, phone charger and typically an extra energy drink in addition to the one I had already. I took my energy drink and speaker to my work station which would be the grill area, back then this ritual, I believed made the shift more enjoyable, even though it was not enjoyable.

The smell of grease and burnt meat would be swimming toward my nostrils. The last of a dinner rush would be exiting and as the previous shift members were heading out and I settled in

Enter.. my coworker for the evening, I remember her wearing this thin black jacket with a flannel underneath, carrying a skateboard technically a long board, and a rasta colored satchel. She had this piercing above her lip, not in the middle but on the side. It looked cute honestly. She had these big doe like eyes, and lips that pursed like to together like those old style Hollywood actresses. After everyone from the last shift left, and we both were settled in, I attempted to introduce myself to her, in this story ladies and gentlemen, no names will be used. So call me Crow, cheesy I know but there's a purpose the name plays on and we'll get to that later. I remember awkwardly sticking my hand out like I was closing a business deal or something. She glanced at it and told me her hands were dirty. I think she said like a few minutes later. I felt a little rejected but not completely devastated. I mean after all we were both just there to scrape up some money and go home. I still wanted to push my boundaries though, so I get my speaker and turn it on. One especially great thing about working graves was no managers or shift leaders to tell you you couldn't play music out loud and best believe I took full advantage of it.

So I offer her the option to play music, most people when asked to play music don't often play THEIR music. To me it was a intimate thing to share music, intimate in a way without touching or talking like you got to hear the vibes these people vibe with.

We exchanged music, swapping song from song, the kitchen was filled with tunes of all kinds vibes in the air, from gritty, fast paced punk, through the lyrical morose of indie, to the feeling of joy and excitement in old and new songs. "Musical Soulmate" was what she called me before the night was over. Hummingbird is what I'm gonna call her. She was precious and pretty like a small Hummingbird. Like a floating little daisy that smiled and made me feel warm.

All these vibes and phases that my music helped me through. Being projected and straight into the ears of Hummingbird, This moment as I look back I would wanna call this phase the Color Yellow. They said Vincent Van Gogh ate the color yellow to cure his depression, unfortunately and ultimately succumbing to depression. I suppose the god of Death wasn't keen on just waiting around for such an artist to arrive. Bet he's painting some really beautiful things right about now, I really appreciated his pieces that included sunflowers. Those are my favorite, You gotta really give it to Death for giving life meaning.

Happiness is what the color yellow resembled and happiness in life was what I mark this brief period of my life. This happiness would be a story of love.

Eventually November flew by and December idled, blink and you'll miss it. Hummingbird and I grew more accustomed to each other. Although no feelings of love were declared you could see it, if you were there. That we were screaming it everyday at each other with every word, action and song played. You see I was supposed to be leaving to Oregon sometime within the next year, and December was well on its way to concluding a long and significant year in my change. New Year's eve, I still remember, Hummingbird and I shared our first kiss. Bringing in the new year together I was supposed to be getting to a party that night with a few friends. That kiss made me realize that there was nowhere else I'd rather be besides next to my Hummingbird. Nowhere else I'd wanna go, unless she was right there with me. So I canceled that move.

These next monthes would be confusing, exciting, and terrifying. As the phrase suggests Falling in love was exactly that. Falling, and falling and falling not stopping until you do, we were such careless lazy lovers. Living those days inside each other, it wouldn't be until the eve month of summer that a very specific surprise would arrive. The Crow and Hummingbird would be intertwined for life by the bond of birth. We were pregnant. We spent the summer trying to wrap our heads around it all. Having no car and living in the desert was a big drag, and a big challenge. It felt like I couldn't keep a job either. We were tasked with getting to know the best and worst parts of each other through the pregnancy. There were times of doubt, and times of reassurance. Keeping in mind this is a love story.

We'd eventually get a car and life was easier and through Fall and through the Winter we spent out on the road and on our own, flying wherever we wanted to be, enjoying every holiday as our last ones alone before the fruit of our trees would join us. I significantly remember Christmas 2018, how much I felt grown up, happy and carefree with my beloved. I wasn't just a Crow anymore, I was a Lovebird. Crows can be lovebirds too! The only purpose for using the name Crow. Lol That night is and will always be unforgettable. This is a love story.

January arrived and the month we both waited for. Again another January brought upon a new change, but this time for both of us. Our young, strong daughter was brought into this world on the 15th of January bearing the sign of the Sea Goat like her father before her. Blue eyed and resembling the beauty of her mother. Another light in my life was lit. Both of my girls were here. My beloved and my precious little girl. This is a love story.

This year would be a year of also many changes. For the better I do not know. For the worst I would like to think not. Lots of growing I witnessed in my daughter and in my beloved Hummingbird. I've never seen more growth from one person than her. She willingly let herself blossom and bloom into a woman. Becoming stronger, wiser, and even more gorgeous. Aging like fine wine. No jewel, no treasure, no goddess rivaled it. This is still a love story.

Somewhere along this year maybe the ending of the summer, there was doubt. Lots of doubt. I see it now, I lost strength and I didn't lose it naturally, I let myself lose it. Doubt was only natural. Love as you know is what we as humans crave. To not feel alone in a world that individualizes each and everyone. To eventually feel alone while being in love is a nasty thing. Nobody deserves such a thing. Maybe somewhere along the lines or between them there was a long lost feeling I forgot to tend to. A strong feeling. Ancient in age and has been felt since the dawn of man. If left unattended could consume the best of a man. This... Is... Still... A... Love... Story...

Lots of yelling, lots of hurting, lots of choices made. In the short time from September to November. Ladies and gentlemen this is a still a story.

Where we are left now is at the end. There are no more friends, there isn't a lover, there will not be a happy ending. Because To be frank I don't know what has ended or what has begun. I deserve no sympathy, no sad songs, and especially no love.

I the Crow, did this to myself, and I the Crow am the only one that has to be the one to fix myself. There is no smell of sunflowers and the one who smells of sunflowers is the same as the color yellow. They are happiness, they are good. Listen when I tell you that emotions run logic into the ground if left unchecked. Good men lose the battle everytime, we are warriors and not everything has to be a fight with hands. I used to think I knew how It all worked and how I could be better than I was.

Truth is I left those demons unchecked. I destroyed what I was given. I'm lost and I just want to see my girls. Hold them both in my arms. I don't want to give up. I don't want to hate. I don't fucking want to feel like this anymore. This is a love story. This is our story, this is my story, the story of a Crow that didn't learn anything and repeated his cycle. What's left is to move forward. There's only one way direction travels and that way is the only way to go. I apologize and will continue to do so till my final breathe.

I've learned its humility that humbles you. A tragedy that wisens you, and finally clarity is reached when you finally have faced those demons.

To my Hummingbird, I love you and will always love you. I'm on a path right now for a better and wiser me. Stronger and good of spirit. I do this for myself. But... I do, do this to maybe one day reunite. To meet each other again for the first time. It won't be soon, but I do truly hope to live in your arms and you in mine once this journey is completed. We could maybe be one, once more.

I'm alive and well. I don't wish to disrupt you and your peace but I do wish to hear from you and our daughter. Your well being and adventures. Thanksgiving will be here soon. I'm thankful we got to meet. Thank you.

Forever yours, the Sunflower

The Crow, The Alien, the Strutman, the Lovely Love, Kylo Ren, Jaysomehero

J. Thomas

[yourenotjaemin]

Private Dancer [Jaehyun!]

Master List 2018 // Requests: open 

Part 1

Pairing: Jaehyun X Reader (race neutral)

Word Count: 1.5k

Rating: 16+

plotline: A random encounter leads to Jaehyun becoming infatuated with the reader. However, with the readers troublesome life, they find it difficult to take Jaehyun’s advances seriously as he ventures to steal their heart.

You were grossly immersed in the music emitting from your headphones to notice the presence that watched over you from the other side of the room. Removing the plastic bag from the bin, you turned to finally come face to face with an unexpected guest. A shriek of terror escaped your lips causing you to jump back and drop the bag of rubbish on the floor.

“Sorry, you looked as though you were really enjoying whatever you were listening to and I didn’t want to disturb you” he joked releasing a deep chuckle as he progressed towards you. As he got closer, a sense of familiarity washed over you.

“You seem really familiar, have we met before” you quizzed completely disregarding his previous statement. He stood in front of you, his intimidating profile towered over your smaller frame. He scoffed arrogantly as he crossed his arms.

“How could you forget this face” he retorted expecting a reaction out of you but your eyebrows remained furrowed in confusion. “Jung Jaehyun, the guy you cinderella’d at the pool 2 weeks ago” he continued desperately trying to convey his point across. Your eyes widened in realization as your mind flashed back to that night.

******* 3 weeks ago*********

It was late one night and you had finished your duties for the day and although you were exhausted, you dreaded the thought of going to sleep. You knew that by going to sleep the next day would draw near at a faster pace and you’d have to repeat your torturous daily routine. Your sat by the edge of the pool, gently splashing the water with your feet. Being to engrossed in your thoughts, you hadn’t realized an unfamiliar presence take a seat next to you.

“Are you okay?” an unfamiliar voice asked. You turned to your side to find a dark-haired boy staring intently at you. For some strange reason, you weren’t alarmed that a mysterious stranger had taken an interest in you. So many things had gone wrong in your life that you were at the point where you didn’t care what would happen to you.

“I honestly don’t know” you replied lowering your body onto the pavement so that you could watch the night sky.

“Long day?” the mysterious stranger asked, mimicking your movement by lying down on the pavement.

“Way too long. I just finished work and I’m supposed to be going home but I just feel so at peace here” your turned your head in his direction to find him obliviously staring up at the sky with his hands placed underneath his head. That’s when you noticed how enticing his features were. His chest-nut colored hair moved with the soft blows of the wind, his skin was milky smooth with no signs of impurities. You were pulled out of your trance when you heard him speak up.

“I get what you mean, It’s quite nice and peaceful out here. I wish my life was like this all the time” The two of you sat in a comfortable silence for a couple of moments, allowing the cool night breeze pass through you. Your train of thought was disrupted when you heard the slight buzzing of a bug that had begun circling you. You quickly propped yourself up-right in an attempt to deter it away from you. A shriek of terror escaped your lips as you began to lose balance after trying to squat the bug away which caused you to fall into the pool.

You arose from the water, moving your hair away from you face to find the boy in a hysterical state of laughter.

“Oh fuck..” you muttered as you realized that the chlorine from the pool would cause some discoloration to your uniform. “What’s so funny?” you asked scrunching your nose playfully.

“Nothing” he shrugged, pursing his lips in order to conceal his urge to laugh.

You held out your hand towards the boy asking him to help you up and out of the water. As soon as his hand latched around yours, you channeled all your strength and pulled him into the pool. He quickly bopped up from the water and wiped the water from his eyes. “Now that’s funny” you giggled just seconds before he playfully splashed water at you which lead the both of you to take part in a splash fight. Your eyes suddenly widened as you realized that you would miss the last bus to your bus home if you didn’t start making you way to the bus stop soon.

“I have to go” you announced whilst hastily swimming towards the pool ladder. You felt the warmth of the dark-haired boy’s hand around your wrist, stopping you from you in your tracks.

“Wait, you’re not going to tell me who you are?” he asked nervously gnawing at his bottom lip as he stared at you as though he was trying to read you. You had to admit you had a fun time tonight but you were conflicted about providing your personal information due to past experiences However, for some reason you felt comfortable around him.

“I’ll let you know, that is if we ever meet again”

 ********

unbeknownst to you, Jaehyun had developed some sort of infatuation with you after that night. It drove him crazy not knowing the slightest detail as to who you were as his only trace of you was through his memories. It wasn’t until a couple of days later that he realized he had access to the employee files and decided to utilize this privilege to find you again and specifically arranged for you to be the one to manage his penthouse.

“wait- you’re Mr Jung?” you asked in disbelief. Word had been going around amongst your co-workers about the future air to the hotel residing within the hotel but you had never seen him- at least that’s what you had assumed. Jaehyun nodded in response “please, just call me Jaehyun” he grinned, accentuating his dimples.

“I don’t think that would be appropriate considering that you’re practically my boss” your gaze began to fall on the floor suddenly feeling awkward.

“I thought we were friends, y/n. You’re going to deny my friendship on my birthday?” he teased pouting his mouth and his arms like that of a child.  You would’ve loved to have a friendly relationship with him but you couldn’t risk losing this job that you desperately needed.

“ I think it’s best we keep our distance from each other Mr Jung” you muttered picking up the trash bag you had previously dropped and placing it in the cart before heading towards the door.

“Come on Y/N don’t be like that” Jaehyun yelled behind you but you refused to look back as you shut the door. You wouldn’t allow yourself to be caught in any drama as you had other obstacles in which you still had to overcome.

[juliaisabellphoto]

Music Journal #1: 2018 Albums of the Year

Thus far, I’ve dedicated this blog solely to my attempts at becoming a decent photographer, as well as some scattered descriptions of my travels. While I have no intention of making this blog absurdly personal or anything more than an artistic outlet, I’ve always had an itching to write about the music I find & listen to. So, without further ado, I’ll start with my favorite albums of the year (& a short summary of my thoughts on each)

1. Tash Sultana, Flow State

I stumbled upon this gem of a project late in 2018 when I was itching for an album to drown myself in. As soon as the first notes of “Seed (Intro)” blasted in my headphones, I knew I had chosen right. With a beautiful combination of melodic guitar riffs, biting electronic drum tracks, and silky, laid-back vocals, Sultana opens up a world for the listener to fall into. Listening to this album is startlingly similar to a dreamless night of sleep - one moment you feel as though you can discern the differences between tracks, and the next you’ve made it all the way to track eight without noticing. “Cigarettes” is certainly the vocal gem of the piece, with smooth R&B roots & a chorus that just won’t get out of your head. In stark contrast, “Blackbird” is a song of instrumental mastery. The vocals take a backdrop to the intense conversation (and at some points, argument) being had by Sultana’s competing guitar melodies. Sultana’s work on the guitar is often reminiscent of John Butler Trio & other acoustic greats, but the addition of their unique voice allows the album to take an entirely unique shape of its own. If I have one piece of advice for 2019, it’s to make time to sit and do nothing but listen to this album. 

Must watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVDJ8O3lPBA

2. Ariana Grande, Sweetener

This was an obvious choice. Ari dropped the album we all needed to hear in 2018. With the artful ability to produce banging pop songs with real meaning, Grande has the makings of a star who will not stop shining for a long, long while. The album is brimming with girl power and independence while also being honest and genuine. The entrancing bass line and sexy confidence of “God is a woman” captured the attention of functionally everyone this year, and with good reason. The subsequent confessional “breathin” showed that even the most badass women have their struggles. Chronicling her fight with anxiety, the song provides a stunning anthem for holding your head up through hard times. If this album proves anything, it is that the new queen of pop has arrived and will be staying. 

Must watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivwciGSLC-M

3. ASAP Rocky, TESTING

In this album, ASAP Rocky ascends to a whole new level of hip-hop greatness. When describing the project, he stated that it was ‘all about testing new sounds,” and that shows. The abrasive intro song, “Distorted Records,” sets the stage for a completely unique soundscape. This experimentation continues throughout the album with funky drum tracks and accompanying melodies, but ASAP Rocky’s clean vocal style provides a uniting constant. 

While most of this album is perfect for blasting on the highway with car windows down, one song stands out as an independent masterpiece. “Purity.” featuring Frank Ocean, stands in stark contrast to the air of invincibility found in the rest of the album. This song is vulnerable: an introspective discussion of intoxication-related demons laid over an artful sample of Lauryn Hill’s “I Gotta Find Peace of Mind.” This slow, heart-wrenching piece provides an end to the album that is completely antithetical to its beginning. The immense versatility shown in one album alone deserves to be at the top of any 2018 list.

4. Khruangbin, Con Todo El Mundo

If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that the best instrumental music has the ability to say more than any lyrics can. Khruangbin’s second album does just that: every song has a character and a storytelling emotion wrapped up in its funky bass lines. At times, the album floats along as life does (see “Como Me Quieres.) At others, for example in Maria Tambien, there is the feeling of being in the midst of some dramatic situation. The album instrumentally represents the  stages of individual thought (both active and passive) and it is completely enthralling. 

Fun fact: the track “August 10″ is the song “August 12″ from their first album, but played in reverse. They described it as a “connective tissue” between their first album and their second. Cool stuff!

Must watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWLJeqLPfSU

5. Mitski, Be the Cowboy

I first listened to this album as I fell asleep on a plane ride, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The droning, climactic beauty of this album is best experienced on its own with nothing to distract but your own droopy eyes. The album starts off slow with “Geyser,” but quickly works its way up to the earth-shaking climax of “Pearl.” The album is filled with complex sonic peaks and valleys from there on out (try to find a melodic similarity between “Remember My Name” and “Come into the Water” - I date you.) The songs of this album feel like different chapters in a storybook, and that’s exactly how Mitski wanted it. When she described her intentions, she said that she wanted the album to feel like “the image of someone alone on a stage.” ‘Be the Cowboy’ cleverly achieves this - finishing the album feels like finishing a novel, including the disappointment at the lack of further content. 

6. Troye Sivan. Bloom

This pop album bursting with energy and emotion accesses the wonderful, terrible process of falling in and out of love. While I could talk for paragraphs upon paragraphs about the hours that I spent dancing in my kitchen to this album, that’s not the primary reason for this album’s place on my list. With ‘Bloom,’ Sivan produced one of the most emotionally versatile musical pieces of the year. When I discuss his songs with people, I am always struck by the differences in what they mean to each of us. Certainly, this variance in meaning is the nature of music - but Sivan pushes that to a new level. His songs are a vibrant and powerful normalization of gay expression, and provide the whole world with relatable songs to dance (and cry) to.

Must watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xCMF7jsDJI

7. J. Balvin, Vibras

There is only one thing that this album makes you want to do: dance. It is absolutely guaranteed that your hips will be moving by the end of song number two. The beats on this new album are hot and infectious, as shown by the popularity of “Mi Gente” in clubs everywhere. Reggaeton as a genre has gained massive popularity globally, and Balvin has jumped into this with new variations of the traditional Columbian style. Noticeable throughout the album are infusions of popular trap beats as well as salsa and electronic dance music (see “Machika.”) The album is undeniably sexy, y despues de escuchar todas personas quieren mas ;)

8. LP, Heart to Mouth

I read somewhere that this album was a “full-length heartbreaker.” As I progressed through each song, this description was confirmed ten times over. There is not a single song on this album that didn’t make me feel something real. In no particular order, LP represents the whirlwind of emotions that come with the end of a relationship: regret, pain, missing someone, liberation, strength. The entire conflicting mess is all there. Listen to ‘Recovery’ if you need a cry, and ‘Girls Go Wild’ if you need a therapeutic dance party. All I can do is feel thankful to have received this raw, empowering confessional. And of course, her stunning vocals don’t hurt one bit. 

Must watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACWS4ajWdww

9. Mac Miller, Swimming 

Listening to this album in the wake of Mac’s death is haunting. His words cut deep, and they cut deeper after knowing the full extent of how he struggled. The themes of growth and healing are wrapped up in overwhelming melodies and Mac’s beautiful voice. The first track of the album, “Come Back to Earth,” sets the stage for the emotional rollercoaster that each track is bound to be. After this song, he launches into the groovy “Hurt Feelings” and begins to describe the intricacies of his hardships. This album is something you could easily bop around your kitchen table to (queue “What’s the Use?”), but if you listen too closely you might end up in tears. In this contemplative and instrumentally complex record, Mac’s last work was his strongest. 

Must watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrR_gm6RqCo

10. Liz Brasher, Outcast EP

I first heard this EP on an episode of NPR’s “All Songs Considered” in the middle of a long drive up California Highway 5 (one that would’ve been torturous without the discovery of new music.) The song “Body of Mine” immediately caught my ear, and I dove into the rest of Brasher’s music as deeply as I could. Uncut garage-band sound is the overwhelming theme of the EP - “Body of Mine,” “Come My Way,” and “Outcast” make this crystal clear. Despite the quick assumptions that can be made about her sound, Brasher pulls complexity into the EP with the heart-wrenching ballads “Feel Something” and “Remain.” These two songs showcase the raw strength of her voice and the emotion that she can convey with it. I am excited to see what her music develops into as she gains more acclaim in the new year. Thanks again, NPR!

11. Travis Scott, ASTROWORLD

I haven’t been a huge Travis Scott fan in the past. I would passively listen to his music, but I never understood all the buzz about him. This album completely changed my mind. ASTROWORLD is a masterpiece in so many ways, and the amount of depth present in the album is mindblowing. While “STARGAZING” and “SICKO MODE” stand out as obvious party bangers, it’s no surprise that many fans are hooked on calmer tracks like “YOSEMITE” and “COFFEE BEAN.” If I were to describe the different musical styles employed on this album, I would truly be describing every song. Scott enters a new realm of production genius, giving club DJs exactly what they want while also producing the perfect songs for a chill night in smoking. He includes the autotuned party business he employed in past albums while also mixing in pure, clean cuts of his own voice. It was a pleasant surprise to hear an album from a trap artist with both diversity and widespread quality. Officially a Travis Scott fan. 

Must watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enYt3dKXWkE

12. Christine and the Queens, Chris

I was also introduced to this album late in the year, and I’m glad I was because its energy was exactly what I needed. This half poppy half funky explosion of energy is what anyone needs to listen to on a down day. This album was her rebranding as Chris, an “affirmation of desire as a force of chaos” as she described in an interview with NPR. In both the album artwork and the record’s descriptions of love and identity, she plays with the fluidity of gender and its meaning in our modern era. This phenomenal record is an exercise in both shifting representations of desire and making you dance, and I’m so here for it.

Must watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjliweXTCYM

12. Kacey Musgraves. Golden Hour

This slow-rolling album is perfect for a slow day. When I initially saw this album on the top charts, I was confused - I had seen Musgraves live in 2014, I had heard “High Horse,” but what was SO special about her? It was only in taking a chunk of my day to sit and listen to this album that I caught the bug that everyone else seemed to already have. In this album, Musgraves develops into so much more of an artist than she has been in the past. She shifts from cookie-cutter radio country to a wonderfully sweet combination of cotton-candy pop and heartfelt Americana guitar riffs. Her message is positive, her lyrics are honest, and her sound is touching. I was most convinced by “Happy & Sad,” and I won’t deny that the song pulled tears out of my eyes. She conveys youthful happy energy while simultaneously acknowledging the uncertainty of that happiness, and we all needed it (even if we didn’t know it.) Plus, “High Horse” is a bop, and that’s that on that. 

13. BROCKHAMPTON, iridescence

After the expulsion of Ameer Vann from the group and the cancellation of a number of tour dates, many weren’t sure what to expect from Brockhampton in the coming weeks. The name of the upcoming album was changed, and presumably entirely new songs were recorded. Nevertheless, iridescence was received with intense anticipation from die-hard Brockhampton fans (myself among them.) The album fulfilled all hopes - with the first track, “NEW ORLEANS,” launching into an aggressive and high-energy beat, I couldn’t help but smile. Brockhampton did it yet again. The transitions between songs are seamless, and every song lends to the theatrics that they love to pull onstage. Much of the record feels like a high-speed formula one race, but the emotional “SAN MARCOS” pulls listeners into another dimension entirely. Hearing this song performed live was one of the more powerful moments of any concert I’ve ever seen - the outro was made to be passionately sung by a crowd, and it so was. And “TONYA” - wow. I could go on forever about this album.

14. Boygenius, boygenius

The cover art for this record is simple, and that simplicity shines through in its tracks. The collaboration of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus in this project is pure magic. The music is calm, melodic, and easy to become entranced by. Their voices could lull me to sleep any day, and every song feels like it could play during the part of a movie when the protagonist stares out a car window in deep thought. Each song builds to an emotionally charged climax in exactly the tortured way that a listener would expect from these three artists. At this point, I’d be deeply sad if these three didn’t continue making music as a group. They are a gift.

Must watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS48Lp34Zic

15. Kali Uchis, Isolation

Kali Uchis blooms in a real way in Isolation. Busting at the seams with sexy confidence, her psychedelic-funky R&B traversal of genres on this record is just perfect. Her uniquely smooth voice pulled over left-of-center beats lends itself to an album full of hits. “After the Storm” featuring Tyler the Creator gained quick popularity, and it is a good representative of the vibe that the rest of the album gives off. A laid back, sexual, happy piece of musical experimentation, Kali Uchis is here to play ball. 

16. Cardi B, Invasion of Privacy

With Invasion of Privacy, Cardi B burst onto the popular rap scene with no regrets. Every song exudes her bad bitch energy and reclaims the rap music tropes typically employed exclusively by men. While an incredible ancestry of female rappers came before her, Cardi B has broken the musical glass ceiling in a big way. She is the first female rapper to reach number one on the Billboard top 200 in over 20 years, has the most Billboard top 100 entries of any female artist in history, and many more. She is a true ‘rags-to-riches’ success story, and she’s here to tell us all about it. I’m listening.  

Must watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LPVjHxXvJM

17. Ryan Beatty, Boy in Jeans

I just saw an article titled “Ryan Beatty writes really good pop songs about boys.�� This was a quite simplistic summary of what’s going on here, but it’s not wrong. Despite his vocals on Brockhampton’s “Bleach” and his frequent collaboration with the popular group, Beatty didn’t break out individually in the music scene until now. He certainly did so with this album, and he did it well. His slightly left-of-center pop featuring a voice with the consistency of caramel is exactly what everyone wants to hear. It’s the perfect music for a scenic car ride, and I’m obsessed.

18. The Decemberists, I’ll Be Your Girl

I’ve been a fan of the Decemberists for a long time, and I saw them at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on their last tour. I would see them again in a heartbeat, and I will never get over the passion that goes into Colin Meloy’s vocal presentation. With the high-energy promotion of this album, I was expecting typical Decemberists greatness. What I got was something entirely different - greatness, but nothing typical. This electronically-infused record exposed a new side of the Decemberists that I am refreshed to hear. The addition of synth and an Arcade Fire type vibe suits them and the sort of rebranding they desired to achieve. With this album, the Decemberists evolved in a way they never have, and I applaud them for it. 

19. J. Cole, KOD

There are a number of people who love to hate on J. Cole, and I’ve never understood it. With this album in particular, J. Cole distinguished himself with both lyrics and production value. The album cover above depicts excessive drug use, and in fine print states “This album is in no way intended to glorify addiction.” This powerful message alone sets the stage for an album that means something. The subsequent subject matter of each of the record’s tracks follows this narrative - a description of being stuck in the ways of drug addiction. I have always appreciated J. Cole for his ability to tell a complete story through an album despite the lack of a chronological order or common plot in each song. The album shows the deterioration of a drug addict - from the high of “KOD” to  the contemplative pain of “Once an Addict (Interlude).” 

20. Kendrick Lamar, Black Panther the Album

Everything produced surrounding the Black Panther movie was a hit. The power of this movie and the contributors to this album is unparalleled. Aside from the clear message that this media sent, every song is phenomenal. “All the Stars” displays SZA’s ridiculous vocal prowess. “X” is the perfect hype song, displaying Kendrick’s sassy and innovative lyrical technique. In “The Ways,” Khalid’s sweet voice embodies the beauty of the powerful woman he describes. “I Am” by Jorja Smith absolutely knocks the album out of the park - this stunningly sexy track propelled her onto the music scene, and thank god it did. I’d listen forever if I could. I’d go on, but every song on this album is an iconic collaboration. 

Must watch: the movie.

21. Houndmouth, Golden Age

This album is so painfully underrated. If you want a pick me up, listen to Golden Age. Immediately. From the album’s floaty start to the explosive mood of the album’s namesake track, it’s all hits and no misses. Embracing a completely different musical tone from their last album, Houndmouth seizes a futuristic alt-rock cacophony as their new style. Taking nods from 80s Phil Collins numbers (the beginning of Strange Love... come on!), they take us back to a golden age of sorts while also propelling us to a fun future. I will never not dance my pants off to this album.

[wiadomosciprasowe]

SONY LANSERER NYE PRODUKTER PÅ IFA 2018

https://www.y6.no/sony-lanserer-nye-produkter-pa-ifa-2018/

SONY LANSERER NYE PRODUKTER PÅ IFA 2018

Dato: 30-08-2018 13:20 CEST Opprinnelig tittel på pressemeldingen: SONY LANSERER NYE PRODUKTER PÅ IFA 2018 Kategori: , tv foto lyd ifa2018 Berlin

30. august, 2018

Berlin – Sony viser frem flere av sine nyeste produkter på elektronikkmessen IFA i Berlin, 28. august – 5. september, 2018.

Pressekonferansen torsdag 30. august kan streames via følgende nettadresse: www.sony.co.uk/electronics/ifa

Her er noen av høydepunktene fra Sonys lansering på IFA 2018:

Lyd og TV/hjemmeunderholdning

WH-1000XM3 wireless noise canceling headphones

Sony lanserte WH-1000XM3, det nyeste tilskuddet i 1000X-serien med trådløse, støyreduserende hodetelefoner. Den nye modellen er utstyrt med Sonys markedsledende støykanselleringsteknologi*1 som i tillegg har blitt kraftig oppgradert, takket være den nye HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 som gir om lag fire ganger så god ytelse. I tillegg til å dempe lavspekterlyd som blant annet bakgrunnsstøy ombord i fly, sørger den nye komponenten også for å fjerne høyspekterlyd som gatestøy og samtaler. Videre sørger den innebygde høykvalitetsforsterkeren til QN1-prosessoreren for at også lydkvaliteten med WH-1000XM3 heves ytterligere et nivå. 

Et annet tilskudd i kategorien trådløse hodetelefoner fra Sony er nye WF-SP900. Disse helt trådløse sportshodetelefonene er vanntette2 og støvtette3, og har internt minne slik at du har muligheten til å spille av musikk uten mobil eller annen avspiller – for eksempel på svømmetur. WF-SP900 har naturligvis også støtte for Bluetooth, slik at du også kan streame musikken din slik du pleier.

Sonys anerkjente Signature Series representerer selve kulminasjonen for de mest raffinerte teknologiene til Sony, i jakten på den ypperste lydkvaliteten som kan oppnås. I denne kategorien har Sony inkludert de nye in-ear stereohodetelefonene IER-Z1R. Disse kan blant annet skilte med frekvensrespons på opptil 100 kHz for avspilling, noe som gir en hittil uovertruffen og altoppslukende lytteopplevelse.

4K OLED BRAVIA® AF9 Series

I TV-kategorien har Sony annonsert lanseringen av BRAVIA® MASTER Series i Europa fra og med september – en produktserie som tar sikte på å fullt ut gjenspeile skapernes visjoner fra da de lagde innholdet. AF9 OLED og XF9 4K LCD er utstyrt med den banebrytende bildeprosessoren Picture Processor X1™ Ultimate, som byr på dobbelt så høy evne til sanntidsprosessering i forhold til dagens high-end-modeller. Den får det aller, aller beste ut av egenskapene til både OLED og LCD.

Nye AF9 kommer med Pixel Contrast Booster, som reproduserer bilder som er tro til virkeligheten, med dypt sortnivå og høy lysstyrke. Den unike og avanserte lydteknologien Acoustic Surface Audio+ gir en enda mer altoppslukende opplevelse, takket være en aktuator i midten av skjermen, samt funksjonen TV Center Speaker Mode*4 som gjør lyden hørbar helt fra midten av TV-skjermen.

Sonys nye lyd- og TV-produkter vil stilles ut på messeområdet til IFA Berlin 2018.

*1: As of August 30th, 2018. According to research by Sony Corporation, measured using JEITA-compliant guidelines. In headband style of wireless noise cancelling headphones market.

*2: Water projected by a nozzle against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects when Swimming Earbuds are attached (IPX5). Additionally, submersion in water of up to 2 meters in depth for up to 30 minutes shall have no harmful effect on the device (IPX8).

*3: The headset, when Swimming Earbuds are attached, has been tested to block and continues to block dust after stirring for 8 hours in a testing device which contains dust particles (IP6X).

*4: This feature requires a separately purchased home theater system.

XperiaTM-smartmobiler

Sony Mobile Communications avduker Xperia XZ3, den nye flaggskipmobilen med buet 3D-glass-design som går sømløst sammen med OLED-skjermen. Den nye modellen rulles ut i flere land fra og med slutten av september, 20185.

Xperia XZ3 er utstyrt med en HDR-kompatibel 6-tommers OLED-skjerm ((QHD+ 2880×1440 og 18:9-format), som bygger på Sonys prisvinnende BRAVIA OLED TV-teknologi. I tillegg vil den avanserte X-Reality™ for mobile-funksjonen «oppkonvertere» SDR-innhold til nær HDR, slik at du får svært god kvalitet på avspillingen selv om du streamer online-videoer. Flaggskipmodellen Xperia XZ3 har i tillegg ekstra kraftige høyttalere, som i kombinasjon med Dynamic Vibration System legger alt til rette for særdeles underholdende opplevelser på mobilen.

Xperia XZ3 har også fått et helt nytt brukergrensesnitt (UI), kalt Side sense, som bruker kunstig intelligens (AI) for å gjøre det enkelt å håndtere den store skjermen med kun én hånd. Bare ved å dobbelttrykke hvor som helst på en av sidene på skjermen, vil app-menyen dukke opp, og foreslå de appene eller hurtiginnstillingene du sannsynligvis ønsker å bruke – basert på tid på døgnet, lokasjon og tidligere bruksmønster.

Hovedkameraet har støtte for Sonys avanserte Motion Eye™-teknologi, med 19,2 megapiksler. Xperia XZ3 er også utstyrt med nye «Smart launch» med AI som umiddelbart klargjør kameraet så fort du holder mobilen i landskapsmodus, slik at du kan ta bilder raskt og enkelt. Kamerabrukergrensesnittet er også nytt og mer intuitivt. Front-kameraet med 13,2 megapiksler har et nytt F1.9-objektiv med en ny selfie-modus med hurtigredigeringsfunksjoner og bokeh-effekt for bakgrunner.

Xperia XZ3 lanseres med nye Android™ 9 Pie, samt Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 Mobile Platform, den er vann- og støvbestandig, har støtte for trådløs Qi-lading, og en lang rekke andre avanserte funksjoner og finesser.

Xperia XZ3:https://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/phones/xperia-xz3/

*5: Availability will vary by country or regions.

Kameraer

DSC-HX99 og DSC-HX95 er de to nyeste modellene i Cyber-shot®-serien, som kommer i salg i Europa fra og med oktober. De kommer i verdens minste*6 innpakning, og har i tillegg et ZEISS®Vario-Sonnar T* 24-720mm*7 objektiv med høy zoom. HX99 og HX95 byr på alt fra vidvinkel til super-telefoto i ett og samme kamera, og er perfekte å ha med seg både på reise og i hverdagen. I tillegg til minnekortstøtte for videoopptak i 4K-oppløsning *8, sørger det nye bildeprosesseringssystemet for at du kan knipse bilder i opptil 10 fps*9 med svært nøyaktig autofokus (AF). Andre nye funksjoner er blant annet Eye AF-teknologi, RAW format output, touch focus/touch shutter*10, samt støtte for lokasjonsinformasjon *11 via Bluetooth®.

*6: Among fixed lens digital cameras with a built-in viewfinder and telephoto end 700mm or above (angle of view, 35mm format equivalent) lens. As of August 30, 2018 press release, based on Sony research

*7: Angle of view (35mm format equivalent).

*8: Class 10 or higher micro SDHC/SDXC memory card is required to record movies in the XAVC S™ format. UHS-I (U3) is also required for recording at 100Mbps.

*9: With “Continuous shooting mode: Speed Priority Continuous Shooting”and "Image quality: Fine”

*10: DSC-HX99 only.

*11: Can be connected via Bluetooth with smartphones featuring (as of August 30, 2018 press release): Android smartphones (Android 5.0 or later and compatible with Bluetooth 4.0 or later), iPhone/iPad (iPhone 4S or later/iPad 3rd generation or later).

Seed Acceleration Program (SAP)

FES Watch U er ett av produktene som har sitt utspring i Sonys Seed Acceleration Program (SAP), som støtter startup-prosjekter og deres forretningsvirksomheter. Dette er en mote-klokke som tar i bruk e-paper på klokkens skjerm og klokkearmbånd, hvor du kan skifte utseendet på klokken med et tastetrykk. FES Watch U kan kjøpes i Tyskland, Storbritannia, Frankrike, Italia og Spania fra og med midten av september. Sony vil i tillegg vise frem et nytt sko-konsept (prototype) med utskiftbare designdeler, med 247v2-skoene fra New Balance som utgangspunkt.

FES Watch U official website: http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/fes-watch-u-collection/fes-wa1

Concept Shoes special website: https://fashion-entertainments.com/nb247/en/

AI x Robotics

På messegulvet vil Sony også vise frem den selv autonome underholdningsroboten aibo i Europa for aller første gang. Etter lanseringen i Japan i januar, 2018 har salget av aibo passert 20 000 enheter, og lanseringen i USA skjer september i år. Innenfor AI og robotikk er det flere prosjekter som viser stadig fremgang, og Sony vil fortsette å bidra med nye ideer som utvider mulighetene med elektronikk ved å kombinere sine bilde- og lydteknologier, sensorer og mekatronikk med AI, robotikk, mobilteknologi og mer.

* All listed product names listed here are the trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Corporation or of their respective owners.

Kilde: Pressekontor – PRESSEMELDING –

————

Om Sony

Sony er en ledende produsent av lyd-, video-, foto-, spill-, kommunikasjons- og informasjonsteknologiske produkter for forbruker- og proffmarkedet. Med sine virksomheter innen musikk, bilder, dataunderholdning og online, er Sony unikt posisjonert til å være det ledende elektronikk- og underholdningsselskapet i verden. Sony registrerte en årlig omsetning på ca. 77 milliarder dollar for regnskapsåret som endte 31. mars 2018. For mer informasjon om Sony, vennligst besøk www.sony.net

Hashtags: # #tv foto lyd ifa2018 tv foto lyd ifa2018

[atakportal]

Best outdoor speakers for your backyard or patio

New Post has been published on https://www.uberbuyer.com/2018/07/13/best-outdoor-speakers-for-your-backyard-or-patio/

Best outdoor speakers for your backyard or patio

Stop using your smartphone as a speaker. It sounds like crap.

The best way to listen to music outside is through a sound system with great speakers. Speakers that won’t muffle the sound, or make it feel strange with a series of hisses and pops. 

Finding a good pair of speakers is easy when you’re trying to build a sound system inside of your home, but finding the same kind of high audio quality for the outdoors can be tricky.

If you have a great backyard, patio, deck, or swimming pool, you need a really good pair of speakers to fully enjoy and get the most out of lounging around on lawn chairs or floating on an inner tube. But you can’t use the same speakers for your living room as you do in your backyard. For one thing, indoor speakers aren’t built to carry audio in wide open spaces. A good set of outdoor speakers can spread audio equally, while also being waterproof and weather-resistant to the nasty elements when not in use. 

Our pick for the best outdoor speaker is this pair by JBL, which is versatile enough to work both indoors and out. This one by Dual Electronics is our pick for the best budget option. To see our full list of the best outdoor speakers, keep reading.

We compiled this list for a wide range of people, budgets, and activities, so you can go back to enjoying the outdoors more quickly. Here are 11 of the best outdoor speakers for your backyard or patio:

Best budget outdoor speakers: Dual Electronics.

The LU43PB High Performance speakers from Dual Electronics are the best speakers you can buy at such a low price. The pair are made with a 20mm tweeter piezo dome and a 40mm polypropylene cone, and only weigh 2.8 pounds as a set. They feature 100 watts of peak power with a frequency range between 100Hz and 20kHz and a 4-inch woofer built-in for improved sound every time you use them. They’re even weather resistant and durable, which makes them ideal for the outdoors.

The best part of these speakers is their rock bottom price. The speakers are $32.99 for a pair on Amazon. The set even comes with a one-year warranty.

For great audio balance, give JBL a shot.

The audio company JBL is known for their signature style and sound with their high-end speakers and headphones. The company’s 23T 2-Way 3-1/2″ indoor/outdoor speakers deliver excellent sound quality and natural balance in a compact form factor. 

The speakers are made to deliver accurate sound in a contemporary and clean design. They are also made to fit in virtually any existing sound system, so they’ll sound good no matter what kind of setup you have. The speakers feature JBL’s WeatherEdge, which is, according to the product listing, “a seamless, rubberized extension of the woofer surround that provides added protection to critical transducer elements.” Simply put, they’ll deliver the same audio quality whether you’re indoors or out.

The come in black or white and retail for $232.00 for the set.

We like these Bose speakers for their inconspicuous design.

This omni-directional outdoor in-ground speaker from Bose is cleverly designed to blend into your lawn or a hedge of bushes, so you can always get great sound without ever noticing where the sound is coming from. Just bury the green speakers in the ground and you’ll get a great audio experience each and every time you use them.

The 4.5-inch full-range driver offers true 360-degree high fidelity, deep bass, and crystal clear sound at only 100 watts of power. You’ll always get the richest sound no matter where you are in the yard. While the speakers also offer full studio sound in your own backyard, Bose also guarantees rugged all-weatherproofing no matter how cold, icy, wet, hot, dry, or muggy the weather.

The retail for $449.00 for the pair on Amazon.

Best high-end speakers: Bose 251.

Bose is one of the most trusted and reliable brand names in luxury audio. You’re going to get high-end quality and sound at a high-end and premium price — which is why this brand shows up more than once on our list. The Bose 251 Environmental Outdoor Speaker set features 2.5-inch full-range drivers and 5.25-inch woofers for outstanding audio quality. The speaker weighs about eight pounds each for long-lasting durability and world-class style. 

They were made with the great outdoors in mind with their water resistant and all-weather build. The good people at Bose tested the speakers at very rough conditions to withstand extreme heat up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit to the bitter cold down to -22 degrees Fahrenheit. These speakers are battle tested to deliver the best and brightest sound no matter the weather.

The retail for $398.00, but you know you’re going to get something from Bose that sounds and looks good too.

Take the party with you with the Fugoo Style XL.

Sometimes you just need to take the party with you. The Fugoo Style XL speaker delivers premium audio with rich and full tones and deep and heavy bass in a package that’s completely portable and Bluetooth-ready, so anyone with a smartphone can be the DJ. The device will churn out up to 35 hours of sound before it needs another charge. It’s compact and light, weighing under four pounds, so you can take the speaker with you to the beach or a friend’s backyard.

The powerful speaker is waterproof and will even work under three feet of water for a whopping 30 minutes, while it’s also dust-proof with a IP67 rating, so feel free to take this bad boy to the beach or in the pool. It features eight drivers, including a subwoofer radiator, mid-woofers, and tweeters for an immersive sound experience that’s delivered in a full 360-degrees with a range of 33 to 120 feet for parties indoors and out.

The ultra-portable retails for $169.99. There’s even a smart home version that’s $50 more, which works seamlessly with Google Voice Assistant and Apple’s Siri for voice commands.

The Boston Acoustic SoundWare speaker is powerful and stylish.

Although the SoundWare XS Satellite Outdoor Speaker from Boston Acoustic delivers powerful and clear sound with its 1/2-inch dome tweeter and 2.5-inch mid-bass driver, it’s also very stylish thanks to an angular shape that gives you better audio and more directional options. Available in black or white, the speaker’s shape gives you more options for placement, such as tough corners and unique configurations and setups like you might find outdoors. 

Amazon customer writes:

“I could not be happier with this set up. Excellent sound overall from such a tiny speaker and have no complaints to date. I have continually put these through the ringer with no distortion. I was pleasantly surprised on how well they sound no matter which channel you address them. Finish is holding up and still looks perfect.”

The retails for $79.00.

Best for audiophiles: Klipsch AW-650.

If you have a pair of expert ears and want the best audio quality while you’re lounging in your pool or just in your backyard, then the Klipsch AW-650 Indoor/Outdoor Speakers are for you. The set features a UV-resistant ABS casing with an aluminum grille that’s completely durable and rust-proof, so the speakers were built to take harsh damage from the elements. 

The speakers deliver crisp and detailed sounds with spotless highs and strong lows that will keep any audiophile happy while floating on an inner-tube. Klipsch also designed them to consume less power than typical outdoor speakers, so that’s another thing that will put you at ease, as you’re enjoying the relaxation of your beautiful patio.

Want easy installation? Polk Audio is a good bet.

The Atrium 4 Outdoor Speakers from Polk Audio feature the company’s “speed-lock mounting system” for easy and safe one-handed installation. It was designed with fewer moving parts to make installation and mounting a simplified process, even for outdoor use. 

The speakers’ internals feature a broad soundscape and acoustic design that makes the speakers sing with a full-range of sound in large areas. Spec-wise, the speakers each come with a 4.5-inch long-throw driver and a ¾-inch tweeter with a frequency response between 12KHz to 20KHz to maximize wide open spaces.

Polk Audio’s Atrium series also exceeds baseline industrial and military specs for all-weather conditions and environmental endurance. Each speaker was made with anodized aluminum tweeter domes with rubber surrounds that are pretty much immune to the elements, especially rain, snow, and extreme heat.

The retail for $99.99.

Hide speakers in your yard with the Niles Granite Pro.

If you’re looking for an outdoor speaker that will perfectly blend into the scenery, then Niles RS8Si Granite Pro Weatherproof Rock Loudspeaker is the one for you. It’s shaped like a rock to hide among others in your backyard landscape, while it’s painted with a special “no-fade” paint to keep the speaker nicely camouflaged through the summer and beyond. As the name suggests, the loudspeaker is weatherproof, so it can really stand up to wear and tear from the elements, no matter how severe.

The outdoor speaker doesn’t just look good, but it also fits the role as a powerful and clear speaker with a two-way, eight-inch dual tweeter, as it can output sound in mono, two-speaker sound, or single-speaker stereo audio. This loudspeaker is no joke. It weighs about 30 pounds, so it might actually feel like a heavy rock when you pick it up.

The retails for $399.00.

The price is right for these party-ready speakers.

Yamaha is having a party and you’re all invited. The NS-AW150 Outdoor Speakers from Yamaha feature balanced and full audio capacity with crystal clear sound and controlled bass from their 5-inch polypropylene woofer and a ½-inch tweeter that were designed primarily for the outdoors. However, while the audio is perfectly balanced, it’s not annoying or too loud to bother the neighbors. The best part about the speakers are their very affordable price at under $100, so you can spend more money on beer and munchies for your party guests.

Amazon customer writes:

“I’ve had these speakers up now for over a year and am very pleased with everything. I was able to place them under our eaves of our deck so that we can enjoy them both on the 2nd floor (deck) and/or down on our ground level patio. As someone else mentioned, the fact that these speakers are in the eaves, it seems like it helps the bass have a little more ‘boom.’ The sound quality is fine…probably a bit better than expected…the power is just about perfect because if I turn them up to what I consider ‘loud’…I can hear them at all areas of our backyard and our yard is good sized. The great thing is that the sound seems to drop off quickly, so that our music doesn’t bother the neighbors as they can barely hear it.”

Our pick for the best mid-range outdoor speakers are these by Kicker.

These speakers are perfect for anyone with a mid-sized backyard, patio, or pool thanks to audio quality between 55 Hz and 21 kHz at 150 watts of power. Kicker designed the KB6000s to be mounted outdoors, so audio coming out of these speakers really fill outside spaces with ease. 

The sound is wide, robust, and dynamic with crystal clear mids and highs with fair enough bass, but it’s recommended to use these speakers with a subwoofer to get the most out of them. The speakers are really easy to install, which is one of its biggest selling points for people setting up parties or outdoor theaters in their backyards.

Amazon customer writes:

“I have had these about 2 weeks now. Set them up under my patio facing out towards my pool area. I paired them up with a Pyle receiver and a second pair of OSD rock speakers. These simply sound great. They fill the space with great sound and have excellent bass response for a speaker outdoors. Just remember unless you have an outdoor subwoofer you are not going to shake the ground. But compared to higher end speakers these sound amazing. I have had higher end speakers, such as Klipsch reference series speakers and Dynaudio speakers for indoor use. These speakers sound great especially for outdoor use. Would not hesitate to buy again.”

The retail for $98.05 on Amazon.

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[earmufs]

How To Listen To Music While Swimming

More and more people like to exercise on a regular basis just as like more and more people are always looking to get the best audio sound.

While there are many different exercises or sports that you can practice, the truth is that ever since you were little, you have always heard that swimming was the ultimate and all-around fitness exercise. After all, swimming is a great exercise that allows you to work all the major muscles groups of your body as well as it builds strength. In addition, it’s great to burn a lot of calories and it has a very low impact on your joints.

Take a look at the best waterproof wireless Bluetooth earbuds.

Nevertheless, and even though swimming seems such a great activity, most of us don’t even consider it. The truth is that most people like to listen to their favorite songs while exercising and when they are swimming, they can’t. Or can they?

How to listen to music while swimming?

Yes, it is possible to listen to music while you are swimming. And this will make it a lot less boring. According to Dr. Carol Seheult, a clinical sports psychologist, distraction is the key “if you’re someone who finds swimming lengths too repetitive… and music is the most powerful force for achieving that.” In case you don’t believe that swimming can get boring, just think about David Willians, a comedian who swam the English Channel. At the time he stated that in case he wasn’t listening to Abba, Morrissey, and Pet Shop Boys, he could never have done it.

So, how to listen to music while swimming? Is that something so hard to achieve? Or so expensive?

The truth is that neither. In fact, you have multiple options when you want to take your music with you when you go swimming. And all these thanks to the new generation of high-tech waterproof gadgets.

Take a look at the best waterproof wireless Bluetooth earbuds in 2018. 

There are mainly three different devices that allow you to listen to your favorite songs while you are swimming:

#1: MP3 Players:

One of the latest innovations in terms of waterproof MP3 players are the ones that don’t even need headphones. As strange as it may seem, the sound is transmitted to your inner ear through your cheekbone.

Another advantage of using a waterproof MP3 player is the fact that you don’t need to worry about the water getting between your inner ear and your music. As a result, the sound quality tends to be really good.

#2: Waterproof Headphones For Swimming:

While you should consider waterproof headphones for swimming as an option, most of them still lack a couple of things to work well.

Most waterproof headphones for swimming aren’t still able to stay in your ear and this ends up being a real pain. After all, you’ll be so worried about making them stay in their place that you won’t even take the time to relax while swimming.

Another disadvantage of these type of headphones is related to the cords. While some headphones are already wireless, the most affordable ones aren’t. And in case you opt for this solution and the cord is too big, it will get in the way while you are swimming.

  #3: DryCases:

Drycases are also a great option. There are many drycases or waterproof cases where you just need to put your regular MP3 player. Most of these cases include the control buttons outside so you can easily change the track or adjust the volume.

The post How To Listen To Music While Swimming appeared first on Earmufs.com.

[amethystiridescence]

In 2017 I...

Witnessed the largest protest in history and was never prouder to be a woman

Went to my first protest with my head held high and a sign that made everyone laugh

Met Brian and Wendy Froud in person for a lovely morning

Made a viral Facebook page with over 10k followers

Fell firmly in with a wonderful group of new friends who have changed me as a person

Fully embraced my bisexuality as part of my core identity

Was invited to Tower of London for my birthday by HM Ravenmaster and met Merlina the famous raven up close

Went to a Steven Spielberg orchestra concert

Saw PostModern Jukebox in concert

Rescued a wild jackdaw and fed him raw bacon by hand

Helped write and design a published book, including designing the cover

Made my best prosthetic makeup and costume that I have ever made

Received huge viral international recognition and support for my work

Finally got given the chance to go to Hollywood after 3 years of trying and 4 times being a finalist

Had my first taste for acting and have been a main part in two plays that I LOVED

Received an award at our Awards Night for Creative contribution to the plays

Went back to Disneyland Paris after 20 years

Went to two fantastic hen dos and two beautiful weddings, one on a Cornish beach

Got a job as a costume designer

Went to Texas for the first time in my life and saw wild hummingbirds, armadillos, coyotes and even a dust devil

Was hosted as a cosplay guest and judge at my first LFCC (in a fucking gorgeous hotel), presented a panel to over 100 people and met Daniel Portman, Kristian Nairn and John Rhys Davies who gave me a kiss on the cheek in a selfie!

Was invited to be a guest speaker to a class at my old college

Had both days playing in thick heavy snow and petting snow-dusted wild ponies and also jumping into a natural clear river in a heatwave from 30ft up

Also had both days with cherry blossoms falling on my face with iced matcha and also toasting marshmallows on a bonfire and carving pumpkins

Petted a wild squirrel who was totally chill

Oversaw a Halloween zombie event as lead makeup and prosthetics artist

Got my first private full costume commission from a client

Started eating much healthier

Fed way too many wild birds by hand to even begin to count

And I stayed very much in love <3

Despite having a lot of negative fallbacks throughout the year as life does throw at you, I will try and make one of these lists every year to highlight just how good the year has been and how much my hard work has paid off. It’s important for both perspective and to encourage me to go into the New Year as I mean to go on.

My resolutions for 2018 are:

Do my utmost to get to Hollywood for my scholarship

Enjoy every second of it and squeeze every drop of opportunity out of it

Go to London IMATS in May when I get back home

Stop eating takeaway pizzas and Chinese takeaway

Do regular Cassie workouts and swim more with my new underwater headphones

Walk more (to the shops, to the beach, to the park, at National Trust places)

Make another cosplay or full prosthetic makeup

Make an Etsy shop and sell my pieces

Learn more recipes (particularly healthy ones and try making Bento)

Make the absolute most of my last summer with a lot of the UPADers on their last year

Stop dwelling on people that don’t enrich my life

Stretch much more regularly

Always try to keep learning

Take more time to stop and breathe and wean myself off the beta blockers

Be MUCH less outwardly negative

Have an amazing New Years everyone!

[tost-eros-fiction]

Unity

October 2018 | LGBT+ | 1500 words While he nurses a hangover, Josh realizes he may recognize the boy he bumps into at the gym. ...He hadn’t intended to drink as much as he did. It was embarrassing; his best friend had left to hook up with the host of the party. She left him alone with two full bottles of wine and a house full of people he didn’t know. The first half-bottle was for social lubricant, just to get him through the anxiety he ran into when a black-haired girl targeted him and started touching his shirt while they danced. The rest of the bottle went soon after that. He had no memory of going back home. Whatever decisions were made that night were made by the swimming id in the alcohol, not by him. The way things were going, he was almost surprised he didn’t wake up next to that nameless black-haired girl the next morning... ...Squinting over the top of the jug, he caught sight of a guy who had been running behind him. Holes were ripped at the shoulders of his t-shirt to reveal almost all of his midriff. Sweat formed a sort of collar around the top of his grey shirt and dripped down his exposed sides. He had the kind of trendy haircut Josh would get himself if he didn’t have such curly hair. Josh didn’t realize their eyes had met until he watched a smile spread across Grey Shirt’s face. His heartbeat quickened. He looked away and readjusted his headphones to make sure they were completely around his ears... Read the rest on Blogger and Wattpad.

[componentplanet]

Blackview BV9800 Pro Field-Test: Budget Rugged Phone With Thermal Camera

While most smartphones are getting wider and thinner, ruggedized phones are an exception. So if you’re looking for a phone that’ll slip into your hip pocket, Blackview’s new BV9800 Pro ($549.99, with street prices ranging from $470 to $520) isn’t for you. But if you need an Android phone that is about as close to indestructible as you can find, packed full of features that make it great for commercial use and for outdoor recreation alike, it delivers, and for a much lower price than similarly featured competitors (like the CAT S61 smartphone for $999).

Blackview’s BV9800 Pro by the Numbers

For starters, according to Blackview, the phone is IP68 compliant (you can swim with it), as well as IP69K (it can withstand steam cleaning, although I’m really not sure that’s the best idea) and MIL-STD-810G. You can theoretically drop it from about shoulder height without harm. It uses a midrange Helio P70 octa-core CPU and comes with a reasonably beefy 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, plus a card slot. The massive 6580 mAh battery means you won’t have to scramble for a charger mid-project. The large battery and rugged casing contribute to the phone’s hefty weight of 322 grams.

It runs three positioning systems — GPS, GLONASS, and BEIDOU — so you should be in good shape anywhere in the world. There is also a barometer that is used by the phone’s included Altimeter application. A nicely positioned fingerprint reader sits just below the power button, and the phone’s generous size also allows for a headphone jack. The BV9800 Pro can charge wirelessly at up to 10 watts, or via USB-C, and is dual-SIM capable. The phone runs on Android 9.0, which isn’t too surprising, but also not the latest.

The Blackview 9800 Pro promises impressive battery life.

The 2340 x 1080 6.3-inch display is bright and easy to read. The unit I’ve been testing is all black, but there is also an easier-to-see orange color available. The phone supports NFC, and it has a custom function button on the left side that can be used for push-to-talk or re-programmed to one of a number of shortcuts.

Its High-Resolution and Thermal Cameras Are Where the BV9800 Pro Stands Out

View from Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, shot with the FLIR camera on a BlackView 9800 Pro

We’re used to seeing 48MP sensors in flagship phones, but having one in a value-priced rugged phone is a great addition to its feature set. The phone’s native camera app comes with a decent Night Shot mode. It also has Beauty and FaceCute, although I’m not sure how much use those will get on a job site. Of even more interest is a built-in FLIR thermal camera. It is lower-resolution (80 x 60) than the one in a dedicated FLIR ONE, but of course, it’s easier to use since it is built-in, and a lot less expensive since you don’t have to purchase an expensive add-on. There is also a 5MP RGB camera to provide the edges and enhance the resolution of the FLIR Lepton thermal sensor.

Badwater Basin (-282 feet) in Death Valley, shot with the FLIR on a Blackview 9800 Pro.

The same scene shot with the 48MP RGB camera. Note also the wider FOV. (Click-through to get 1920 px version resized for the web). You can just about make out the “Sea Level” sign partway up the mountains.

I found the FLIR images competent, although I’m certainly spoiled by my FLIR ONE Pro. In addition to the Blackview having lower resolution, it seems like the edge registration isn’t as accurate as I’m used to with a dedicated FLIR. However, it is still an excellent way to find hot spots, or individuals or animals in the dark. I look forward to trying it out on safari in Africa later this year, as the FLIR ONE has proven useful on night drives. One cautionary note for serious photographers is that I’ve been unable to find a way to capture RAW images with the phone, even using apps like Lightroom. The image processing on the Blackview also isn’t on a par with top-rated smartphone cameras, but images are certainly usable.

Rugged Phone Toolbox Included

As you’d expect for a phone intended for those working outdoors, there is an included Toolbox folder containing useful tools. Most of these duplicate ones you could hunt down yourself, but it’s nice to have them pre-installed and verified to work with the device’s sensors. In particular, it was nice to have easy access to a sound meter app and a decent compass (using the device’s built-in compass). The flashlight is also impressively bright for a smartphone. And of course, a barometer app that also provides altitude is a nice touch given the phone’s built-in air pressure sensor.

Living with the Blackview 9800 Pro

Once you get past the fact that the phone is large and relatively heavy, it fits comfortably in a medium-to-large-size hand and has good balance. I hold phones in my right hand, which places the power button and fingerprint sensor within easy reach of my thumb (I much prefer the fingerprint sensor on the back or side, and not in the display, personally).

I didn’t find the native launcher particularly intuitive, but you can always load your own (I tried Nova Launcher and it worked fine). My biggest disappointment was with the quality of the main (RGB) camera, especially given the 48MP sensor. Blackview makes a big deal out of Night Mode, for example, but it is not as good as either Google’s or Huawei’s. The captured JPEGs also aren’t quite as good as they could be given the high-resolution sensor. Blackview could do a lot to address that by supporting RAW capture, at least in third-party camera apps, but says it has no plans to do so. Then again, it is a $500 phone with a ton of other features, so it isn’t entirely fair to compare image quality to a typical $700+ flagship model. Plus, if you need thermal imaging, the only other smartphone-based solutions will cost you twice as much.

[Image Credit: David Cardinal]

Now Read:

On the Road to CES 2020, Testing a Night-Vision Display and 4K UHD Dash Camera

We Put Phone Cameras to the Ultimate Test: An African Safari

Best Android Phones for Photographers in 2018

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/304916-blackview-bv9800-pro-review from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2020/01/blackview-bv9800-pro-field-test-budget.html

[lostscatteredwings]

Retrospective 2019

 2020

A quick summary btw in 2018 I did rent an apartment. It was more money than I could afford but it was my big experience for that year. In 2019 I decided to focus more on other things that are more everlasting. 

In 2019 I had several goals :

Health

Health was my main goal. To focus a lot on my health. I was struggling in a lot of ways. Migraines, low energy levels, nails breaking, weak hair and weak skin, worried about my weight, lack of muscle, worried that I had some illness and just now know about it, pain in my back and neck. And shoulders . Frequent pain at that and frequent migraines. Also pain in my mouth as all my entire life I have frequent cavity issues or other issues even tho yes I do wash my teeth every day several times a day. 

I think I saved absolutely nothing in January and February as I was dealing with the eye doctor stuff. 

In order to resolve these issues I focused on my health since January. In January I started with going to see a doctor and explain all of my symptoms. My doctor said that the migraines could be caused because it had been a long time since I updated my glasses. So I started with that. I took my time and my money and invested in some updated glasses as I have myopia. 

Básically I cannot see very well in a distance. I can't see people's faces if they stand a few meters away from me and I can't see buses destinations because they get blurred  and the lights at night kind  of blurry my vision even more

This with no glasses. But the glasses fix it. 

I then proceeded to fix my teeth I had like 5 cavities to fix. I did all these repairs I did a cleaning, cleaning is not whitening btw is just a cleaning, to totally remove your tartare if you have some. Because removing that keeps it longer from cavities appearing or any sort of issues. 

Fixing my teeth took several months. I only finished fixing them in May 2019. Took money and time. When I was finally done with this big health fixes eyes and teeth are very essential. I could finally maybe spoil myself a bit. And at the same time focus on another health sector. 

I looked for a doctor for my back shoulder and neck pain. And I started doing this therapy for it. 

It didn't seem to help a lot. Just helped a bit but not a lot so I decided this was not enough. When you Google online people recommend you exercises. And I kept feeling sort of weak and worried about maybe lacking muscle and worried that I would only get fatter over time. I decided to join a gym. My gym has their own therapists so I changed my therapist to the gym one. 

I did feel much better. Going to the gym Vs not going is really different. At least for me with my current lifestyle. Because I live in a city it's polluted crowded and it's kind of annoying to workout outside you have to keep playing Tetris when running outside...I think the gym is much better and you can just put headphones on and run or walk or use some machine and it's like this alone time you have. And then you can shower immediately. In the gym I go you can also swim or do a sauna. It's great, if you can find the time to go. 

Though it’s a gym that I can only use because I am working and it’s a partnership with my company and even so it’s very expensive. But I think it’s worth it because of the mental and physical health benefits. The trade off is worth it right now.

After this, so post-May I have been really focusing also in changing my room a lot and I finally finished, I had furniture that was over 30 years old and that is not the problem, the problem is actually that furniture was totally falling apart, broken drawers, I was afraid my desk would fall on me and that my bed would fall to the floor. So every month I got one thing from IKEA and dedicated a weekend to build the IKEA furniture. And finally, I got all the main furniture that I wanted. 

And there is only one more achievement

I learned how to ride a motorcycle. I learned, now I know how to. But I don’t have the licence yet. The licence at least that allows you to drive model of motorcycles that exists.

 But I do have the car license that allows you drive the 125 cc , these ones go to 100 km/h . and I got myself a scooter, is the actual only vehicle that I actually own. 

These were my achievements for 2019.  Health. Gym. Ikea and  Motorcycle. This on my personal life side. This was also the year  I did the more travelling ever in life but also it was because I did very fast and travels, like weekend travels or 2 days travels.  I stopped by Toulouse and Bordeaux in southern France. The longest holiday I took was Luxembourg, but I also took a bus from Luxembourg to Germany since I was close to the border anyway. Something like 5 days. I had 2 days in Switzerland, a weekend. And Germany also 2 days in frankfurt. I am really proud of this year 2019. 

I also joined french classes. So for idk, a few months now, I have been having a french class every 1h and 30m every week. I have an exam in the day 13h January. 

These were mostly the achievements for the year. I think it was probably my best year so far. In my life. 

Yet there was bad things and yet I am not happy and yet I am not where I want to be. As bad things are also part of life.

Something I tried but failed to do was being less negative, I tend to take a very negative approach towards life. 

I have this super negative approach because of my life up until now because of my past but that is no excuse, I wanted to be more positive this year but I failed for a long time I wasn’t. And I was lost and confused and I tried thinking over and over how could I make everything better but because I could never really see a path, I kept feeling really down. And sadly as I side not I do have some anger issues, as a side effect of the negativity, the whole feeling depressed the not seeing a way out of a bad place in life.  I think after the gym things got a bit better. And when I finally drew a plan for my life I felt much better too. 

But ofc sometimes because of things that happen in my life, bad things, it drags me down sometimes again . But I’ve tried really hard to really not have any unnecessary discussions with people. And honestly, I did get better I did have way fewer fallouts with people. And my plan is to have zero from now on. For real. I still had some this year. But I think way less as the year went by. I think where I failed the most for sure was with people, sometimes. Honestly. But it is not a justification but was a really hard year, really eventful and stressful and I failed to handle it in the best way. My father was in the hospital. I got sick several times too. I had problems with my family I had problems with work and I had problems with my relationships and I had problems with public transport that is constant, even my scooter had problems I had to fix. There was just a lot of a lot. And I couldn’t deal with it all.

And even so I say this was the best year so far of my life. Up until now. But I hope that the years to come can be better still. 

When it comes to things I haven't done, that I wish I did, honestly I did all I could do in the time I had with resources I had, this when it comes to getting things done I couldn’t do more than what I did. Even if I wish I did more which I do wish I had done even more, I have to also be realistic and not that hard on myself. 

I have this problem, I want to do everything I want to get everything done. And I get stressed out if I don’t get things done. And it’s a bad cycle. But I just can’t sit and wait around and do nothing I have this need of seeing progress and things getting done it’s not healthy but it’s the way I feel satisfied also in a way, knowing that I did things that I didn’t waste my time. I did wish I could say no more. And that I could do more things for myself more. A problem I have is sometimes I should say no and I don’t because I don’t want to disappoint people. Sometimes I end up sort of causing myself trouble because I couldn't say no when I should really have said no. And that is why for example my work situation is really not good right now, it’s because I didn’t say no when I should have and now my every day is miserable. Great job, me. All I can do now is come up with a plan to fix that. And endure my everyday now the best I can. Focus on my goals.

This go long. Wow. I am going to take a break before writing my goals to 2020. I also want to write my next goals for 2020 based on this retrospective of 2019.

[sustainhealthmagazine]

All We Want For Christmas 2019 Is.... This Latest Fitness Tech

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By TECHNOLOGY EDITOR FOR SUSTAIN HEALTH 

PUBLISHED: 07:12, 22 November 2019 | UPDATED: 07:42, 22 November 2019

And keep an eye out this Black Friday to see if you can pick them up at a bargain discounted rate!

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With a little bit of insider knowledge from PrettyLittleThing on bagging the best Black Friday deals we thought we’d give you our all we want for Christmas ideas ahead of this years BF2019 with the help of PLT on bagging that bargain!

Black Friday is BUSY! 

While many are sceptical about Black Friday, there’s no denying the incredible bargains. Visits to the PrettyLittleThing site have increased year-on-year, with 2018 hitting a new record.

Items sell out quickly so have a hit list

With the incredible Black Friday deals starting already, items on the website sell out quickly so have a browse before and put together your shopping list to ensure you’re not disappointed.

If you’re feeling frivalent feel free to put these fitness presents on your Christmas list for us this year.

What is the best time to shop?

Based on last year, the busiest sales period on the website was 9pm with the quietest being 4am (now that’s dedication). 

Other (more realistic) quiet periods were 7am and 3pm

Champneys Spa Weekend

Champneys Tring – the resort that started it all. As Britain’s original health spa, it is a location that has provided the backdrop to a vast array of innovations and wellbeing breakthroughs – where it has led, others have followed.

For the perfect pampering experience, book one of Champneys’ indulgent overnight spa breaks. The overnight spa packages offer the ideal opportunity to switch off and enjoy our wonderful range of products and treatments in a relaxed, serene and luxurious setting. Staying with Champneys for one or more nights is the ultimate health and beauty experience.

https://www.champneys.com/spa-resorts/champneys-tring/

Huawei Freebuds 3

Launched on 30 October – Freebuds 3 represent a new powerful and intelligent sound, utilising an advanced method to ensure unparalleled sonics and includes several industry leading features such as intelligent noise cancellation, studio quality sound and battery built to last - providing a sleek and sophisticated listening experience.

HUAWEI FreeBuds 3* RRP is £169.99 available at select retailers and operators

DNA Testing Kit

A DNA test is more than just for Christmas – it’s a gift that keeps on giving. Ensure a better future for someone you love with a DNA test that profiles their natural tendency to various health conditions.

As the first global DNA profiling company, Chromozoom makes genetic testing about the future. Our comprehensive DNA tests reveal all genetic predispositions, unlock hidden potentials, and above all, provide its customers with detailed consultancy and tailor-made recommendations.

https://www.chromozoom.app/en/dna-tests

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Sony NW-S620

If you love your swimming you’ll love these durable Sony NW-S620 waterproof headphones to endure extreme temperature from -5°C to 45°C. Up to 12-hour battery life with a three-minute charge allowing for 60 minutes of listening time. Alongside a slim and light design allows for added comfort and support . Easy Bluetooth® connectivity with NFC™ One-touch allowing you to stream from your smartphone.

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/walkman/nw-ws620-series

CANYON Pathlite 

Cycling fans have to look no further than the Canyon Pathlite, a bike for the serious or casual cyclist. When the road ends, that’s when your ride really begins. Whether you cycle to train hard, to explore, or to just have a good time – with the Pathlite, nowhere’s off-limits.

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/fitness-bikes/allroad-bikes/pathlite/

Calm: The Magic of Sleep App

The Magic of Sleep is the ultimate guide to good sleep, and is packed with facts about sleep through history, bedtime stories for adults, pre-bedtime recipes and life-changing tips.

The number 1 app for meditation and sleep, Calm offers a range of guided meditations, music, sleep stories (featuring celebrity guest readers, Stephen Fry and Matthew McConaughey), masterclasses and body stretches to aid sleep and wellbeing.

Available to purchase on Amazon and from all major book retailers

RRP: £9.99

RRP: £35.99 for annual subscription

Gift card available to purchase through the Calm website here

Project Rock True Wireless

In the Iron Paradise, focus is everything. Each rep is fueled by concentration and the ability to shut out the outside noise. Each set is powered by the pounding rhythm of music in your ears. The pulse of the bass drives every motion. As you tune out the world, you can tune into your body’s movements.

Like Dwayne himself, every gym warrior deserves the gear to get into that headspace. Zone in and get amped. 

The Project Rock True Wireless In-Ear Headphones are built to withstand any workout. Engineered with UA Storm technology, they’re sweat-proof and waterproof so they can work just as hard as you do.

https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/ua-true-wireless-flash-project-rock/pid1356424-001

Nintendo’s Ring Fit

In the Ring Fit Adventure game, players explore an expansive world, battling enemies along the way using real-life exercises to perform in-game attacks. The new Ring-Con and Leg Strap accessories that are included with the game respond to the player’s real-world movements, allowing the game to turn them into in-game actions, like jogging in place to move your character through the world using the attached Leg Strap, or squeezing the Ring-Con and turning that strength exercise into powerful attacks. By playing the game daily, players can regularly work out various parts of their bodies. With additional mini-games and workout routines, Ring Fit Adventure is a fun experience for players of various skill levels and lifestyles.

https://ringfitadventure.nintendo.com/

The PLT team expect this year to be more popular than ever with bigger, better deals and offers already underway including their 50 for £5 offer

Everyone wants that bargain party outfit 

Tops and dresses were the most popular items on Black Friday shoppers’ list last year. Searches on the site suggest ‘‘joggers’ (clearly Christmas Day’s outfit!!) ‘bodysuits’ and ‘jumpsuits’ were top of the hit list.

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READ NEXT

[biofunmy]

The Apple Watch Series 5 Finally Makes The Smartwatch Feel Like A Bona Fide Timepiece

BuzzFeed News

The Apple Watch Series 5 has an always-on display that stays dim — but readable — at all times, until the wrist is raised.

I’ve been living with various models of the Apple Watch for the last four years, and with this year’s new Series 5 for the last four days. What I’ve gleaned from testing the Series 5 is that its new features — an always-on display, increased storage capacity, faster processor, free emergency calling around the world (for the cellular model only), and compass (lol) — all make the Apple Watch a more capable, independent smartwatch.

But by far the most impactful change to the Apple Watch this year has nothing to do with the Series 5 at all. Alongside the debut of the new watch, Apple dropped the price of the perfectly capable Series 3 to a more accessible $199. For people who have always considered the $400–$500 price tag prohibitively expensive, this might be a good time to finally consider getting an Apple Watch. Just not the newest one.

If you are interested in the Series 5, there’s really only one feature worth discussing: the always-on display that finally makes the Apple Watch a bona fide timepiece. Previous models required a twist or raise of the wrist to wake the device’s screen, but the display on the Series 5 always shows the time, like a watch is supposed to. While you’re typing or exercising, the display is dim but still readable. When you raise your wrist, the screen brightens.

BuzzFeed News

The Apple Watch Series 5 has an always-on display that brightens when you twist or raise your wrist.

Being able to glance at the Series 5 meant that I spent less time gesticulating my arms.

Another (positive) side effect of the always-on display is that, when the feature is turned off, there are significant battery gains. Apple claims its latest watch’s battery life is 18 hours, which my testing found to be true. With always-on disabled, the battery lasted over 21 hours (with sleep tracking!) and was still at 43% when I woke up the next day.

Despite the much-improved battery, the Apple Watch Series 5 is still not a device you can take on a multiday hiking trip, given that it needs to be charged at least every 1.5 days.

I’m sold on the Apple Watch — but not necessarily on the Series 5. Unless you prefer (and can afford) the newest model, it doesn’t make sense to pay a premium on a device that’s still very much in progress.

I got my first smartwatch, a first-generation Apple Watch, as a gift in May 2015. There was so much not to like about the Apple Watch then. The battery life barely lasted a day, the watch needed an iPhone nearby to do just about anything, and the third-party apps were an absolute mess.

Every year since, Apple has incrementally added new features to its watch: waterproofness and swim-tracking in the Series 2, cellular connectivity and a stair-tracking altimeter in the Series 3, and a built-in ECG heart rate monitor and an ever-so-slightly larger screen in the Series 4.

As someone who has patiently waited on a smartwatch — any smartwatch — to deliver on the future Inspector Gadget’s Penny promised, the Apple Watch still hasn’t quite met the mark. As my former colleague Charlie Warzel noted last year, it feels like a luxury device for a future that isn’t quite here yet.

Being able to leave my phone behind and stay connected has long been a pipe dream. But cellular plans for wearables are costly and complicated. Most carriers charge an activation fee and a monthly recurring fee for the watch — around $10, not including additional service fees, just for being able to use the mobile data you’re already paying for. Even with that added cost, streaming media over cellular data on the watch is currently limited to Apple’s own apps: Apple Music, Apple Books, and Apple Podcasts. However, Apple recently made streaming functionality for music, radio, and podcasts available to third-party developers in its latest software update, watchOS 6, so there may be more on that front soon (here’s looking at you, Spotify).

The Apple Watch’s battery is where the device needs to improve most. The Fitbit Ionic smartwatch can last up to five days — yes, DAYS — or 10 hours with GPS tracking on a single charge. The Garmin Fenix 5 lasts up to nine days or 15 hours in GPS mode. The Apple Watch’s battery can last up to merely 18 hours, and just six hours (or five hours with LTE I’m on) with GPS tracking.

And yet, despite its shortcomings, I’ve worn an Apple Watch almost every day for the past four years. It is, in my opinion, the best smartwatch for people with iPhones. There’s no doubt that the Apple Watch allows me to interact with my phone less (again, a good thing). I listen to podcasts every morning during my bike or bus ride to work, and being able to control the volume or pause/play the audio without taking out my phone is wonderful. As someone who is constantly running a little late, the ability to add custom messages as one-tap replies is killer. (Mine is: “Running behind! Be right there.”) One of my watch’s most frequently tapped features is pinging my iPhone when I can’t find it.

BuzzFeed News

An Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular service can make and receive calls when your iPhone isn’t nearby.

But the primary reason why, after rigorously testing various Garmins and Fitbits, I prefer the Apple Watch is because it meets the very specific tracking needs of someone who works out outdoors and it doesn’t look like a clunky black box in the way other fitness wearables often do. The Apple Watch is surprisingly elegant for a GPS watch that can track biking, running, and open water swimming. Devices that can track all three of those activities typically look like they’re made for Men Who Do Triathlons. Not a bad thing! But not great if you have tiny wrists and want to wear the watch with regular clothes too, not just aerodynamic sportswear.

In fact, the Apple Watch is a pretty decent fitness tracker and training tool. One of my favorite (free!) apps is Nike Run Club, which has a number of guided runs available to download offline on the watch. You can leave your phone at home, connect Bluetooth headphones to the watch, and listen as a coach helps you work through different running distances. I also like to use Strava to record my bike rides and MySwimPro for pool and open water swims, but the GPS tracking for the watch’s built-in Workout app is far superior to its third-party counterparts. The default maps come out smooth, while routes recorded using Strava and MySwimPro occasionally go haywire. I recently discovered a $2 app called HealthFit, which can export the Apple Watch’s smooth GPS maps from the native Workout app to services like Strava or MapMyRun.

The best part of all of the above is that you don’t need the newest Apple Watch to experience the best the watch has to offer. The perfectly good Apple Watch Series 3, first released in 2017, is getting a big price drop with the arrival of the Series 5 — and, for most people, it is a fantastic smartwatch.

Apple is offering the Series 3 for $199 for the noncellular model, the same price as Fitbit’s Alexa-enabled Versa 2 and less expensive than Garmin’s Vivoactive 3 series (both pool swim tracking wearables that don’t offer open water tracking). You could opt for slightly less expensive, used Series 3 watches on Swappa, an electronics marketplace, but, unless you buy a device in mint condition, you won’t benefit from Apple’s limited warranty and a new device’s fresh lithium-ion battery, which degrades over time.

At $199, the Series 3 has a compelling price, and, thanks to annual software upgrades, it feels just as capable as a fitness tracker and smartwatch as the newer models. Plus, people who are not at risk for atrial fibrillation, or an irregular heartbeat, don’t need the electronic cardiogram feature designed to detect arrhythmia on the Series 4 and 5. The Series 3 is pool- and ocean-proof, and also offers high/low heart rate detection a GPS. It’ll get watchOS 6’s new Noise app for hearing health and the Cycle Tracking app for gaining period and fertility insights. The biggest difference between the older and newer models is the screen size, below, which is a nice-to-have, but not a must. You can compare the two for yourself here.

And if you already have a Series 3, this is great news for you, and the environment. As Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environmental initiatives, said during a 2018 presentation: “We also make sure to design durable products that last as long as possible. That means long-lasting hardware, coupled with our amazing software. Because they last longer, you can keep using them. And keeping using them is the best thing for the planet.” (If you’re starting to see your battery life dwindle on an older Apple Watch, you can get a replacement for $79.)

The Apple Watch Series 5, which starts at $399 for the aluminum case model, is available Sept. 20 in stores, and can be preordered online now. Apple’s new Studio lets you create any variation of watch and band you want. The Apple Watch Series 3, available now, is $199 for the aluminum GPS-only model and $299 for the aluminum cellular model.

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Best Earplugs For Sleeping

This really helps me sleep at night, particularly with a podcast or video in which somebody is talking vaguely in the background. You can still hear a lot of discussions, but it will quite well at eliminating the background plane noises I can not deal with. It, nevertheless, is important to note that even though the majority of individuals are enthused about the noise canceling devices (mostly business travelers that travel by plane), some people might actually require time becoming accustomed to these cans. Users are prevented by these kinds of cans from raising the volume of their apparatus to a level so as to block the ambient sounds. We really like how it is compatible with most MP4, MP3 devices as well as cellular phones. Should I get a pair of noise-canceling headphones (I'll probably listen to music books a lot of the time)?Click here When creating a buy decision first you have to select whether you prefer earbuds (in-ear) within the earphones (on-ear), or even to get maximum relaxation, headband style cans.

You can correct the headband depending on your baby's head size. But they are sometimes custom-made to match the size of your baby. You can use as much or as little item as you need to match your ear canal that is specific. We are not the type that is gambling, but we would wager that omission of Mountain View inside has a little something to do with a pending merger that is specific. Baby Bear Ear Protection for babies was made to safeguard your tot. Specialists confirmed that frequent exposure to an audience that was deafening might result in other ear issues and hearing loss. Hearing loss due is permanent and cumulative. Loud noises can't be handled by their ears well. The Snug Safe n Sound Kid Ear Defenders protects your child's hearing by blocking noises whenever you are at a sporting event or other occasions out. The designs are so cute and look good in your baby's ears to not mention that it's unbelievably comfortable.

Everyone has issues in regards to attaining that night's sleep. Good thing you may find noise-canceling cans for babies or ear muffs! In technology this noise-canceling headphone with 12, pride is taken by the manufacturer. The Em's 4 Bubs Hearing Protection Baby Earmuffs has got to be among parents' favored in regards to infant noise-canceling headphones. 300 once I got them but they don't meet with your price criteria. If you are trying to purchase this headphone online is the best place as they're currently offering it. That's why this sound canceling headset for infants is durable and comfy. That's why rather than using a plastic material they used a Velcro fastening ring. Well, that is white noise. No noise from a person, something soothing like the sea, or finish in the trees. This may turn into a problem if your partner doesn't wear earplugs or does not like white noise. Remember how I explained the first white sound?

It's available in white and blue. When it comes to decreasing sound, it is pretty impressive as well certified 26 dB noise reduction capacity. Sleepless nights it also is useful for all those thundering that are awful. The Baby Banz Baby Hearing Protection blocks out unwanted noise which will damage your child's ears. Blocks my wife out. Earbuds are small, and you can't rely on them to provide block noise that is a lot without an energetic canceling technology. You can go to any regions that are crowded without needing to stress you may worry your infant out. Though the noise definition lacks when compared to Bose QC headphones, the battery life, durability, and also touch controls allow it to be worth to be in the competition. You make it so hard to select the best headphones out of the list though. Among the best parts is that even when they're still on our list of the best waterproof earbuds for swimming laps they don't break the bank in any respect. Here's our listing of the best noise canceling headphones for babies considering weight, audio, size, and their noise cancellation loss.

It's the best time to use a noise canceling headphone for your infant when you are attending occasions with a crowd like a party, a concert, or the Super Bowl. Discover the best cans for sleeping in 2018. Compare sound canceling headphones and earbuds, headband sleep-phones for sleeping, relaxation, and meditation. The top quality headband and ear cushions create the ears of your tiny tot cozy once you're from the crowd. To include relaxation, the headband has lea pay for. The QC35 belong among the most comfortable headphones in the marketplace, which makes the recording process more suitable for the artist. I got a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort QC35 noise headset. SWEAT & COMFORT WICKING. Originally noise-canceling headphones were designed to help their comfort level. Try to reserve non-stop flights when possible. It's time to give SoundOff a try! Your baby's ears will snug just enough to provide more space for the ears within the ear cups. This guide will give you ideas on the best way best to sleep on your side using cans on, although this is a whole great deal easier said than done.

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