#but its the integrity that matters here and the devs showed that they have none. and they especially showed it when they supported ai

[vaugarde]

so how abt palworld being the ultimate competitor to pokemon “so we have to support it” huh

[mybg3notebook]

Gale Summarised Analysis

Disclaimer Game Version: All these analyses were written up to the game version v4.1.104.3536 (Early access). As long as new content is added, and as long as I have free time for that, I will try to keep updating this information. Written in May 2021.

The majority of sources used for this article are in the game itself (this includes my Gale-solo playthroughs as well as a combination of the videos by munmomuu and selphie1999), and the few dev’s notes provided by pjenn. Gale as origin is not taken into account since it’s not finished and has little to none Gale-related content. There will be little datamining content as well since pjenn said the game contained almost no gale-related notes (only in the Weave and in the Revelation scene).

Additional disclaimers about meta-knowledge and interpretations in (post)

The number between brackets [] represents the topic-block related to (this post), which gathers as much evidence as I could get.

We can infer about Gale by analysing what he approves and disapproves of. Sometimes, we can even lightly infer some information from his neutral reactions, but let’s be honest: this way of analysing a char is pretty poor since it leaves everything to speculation. Neutral reactions can only be analysed, in very rare instances, by contrasting the same situation in other contexts, and seeing what other options Gale approves or disapproves of. With these considerations in mind, we can proceed to describe this character.

Disclaimer: this is a meta with my personal interpretation of the character, sticking as much as possible to the facts and leaving little to “desires” or “projections” of what I want him to be. If I do so, I will state it explicitly in the text for the sake of analysis honesty. I want to be clear about what is canon (facts shown in bg3 EA), from what’s personal interpretation with little proof.

Understanding Gale (integrated text)

We are none of us monsters. We are merely hatcheries for monstrous things. So we fight them

---Gale 

Collecting most of the information provided in-game, we know he has a cat, a Library, and writes poetry sometimes. One of the first things that Gale will reveal is that he is a private person. He easily and clearly sets boundaries from the first moment, showing Tav where they stand. The second aspect he makes us aware of is his pragmatic thinking and his preference for diplomatic approaches. A third aspect that stands out on its own: he is a very verbose person, maybe as a result of his academia background in combination with his poetry hobby. He also has a bad posture when talking, but I’m not sure if this is intentional or a bug.

We can assure that Gale certainly is a man of the city [13], and may have a decent social status. It's impossible to say for sure if it's noble or rich or both, or it is just a natural consequence of being a wizard scholar: he is frustrated by the harshness of the camping life, he misses the civilisation of the city which offers well cooked meals, soft beds, and scented baths. Not by chance he is the only companion in the group who would approve of giving Oskar 200 gold to fight “the discomforts of the road” [13]. However, he adapts. Despite the lack of luxuries, he managed to survive in the wilderness.

Gale and his link with magic is unquestionable. Magic is life for Gale, metaphorically and literally speaking since it's magic what allows him to stay alive despite the "orb" in his chest. If we talk about Magic, we have to talk about Mystra and the Weave. The Weave is not only the embodiment of Mystra, it's an extension of Mystra herself. It extends across many planes of existence and is in almost all parts of Faerûn. By dragging power from it, Magic can be performed. 

Mystra, for lore reasons and conjectures that I will discuss in the post "Mystra and her Chosen ones", turned teenager/young adult Gale into one of her Chosen, making their relationship more intimate and granting Gale a deeper access to the Weave. This put Gale into the category of an archwizard. It's clear that Gale was and still is a devotee of Mystra, which could give us a hint of his alignment since she is a neutral good goddess and she expects for her Chosen to align around it.

Gale likes confidence, in others and in himself. He is confident in his looks (he has described himself as a “handsome devil” and answered during the romance/Revelation scene that he knew he was beautiful under the light as well as Tav). But beyond these two lines, qualifying him as a narcissist seems extreme. He is surely very confident about his knowledge, and we see he is not just mere words: his Mind Flayer knowledge is at the the same level of what githyankis know. If we compare how Astarion/Tav struggled with the book of Thay, and then we see how Gale manages it (sadly the scene is not complete yet in EA, and there is almost no datamining info of Gale), we can conclude once more that his knowledge and power of the mind are real (he is, so far, the main companion who allows us to explore the lore of the game in a deeper way during his conversations). We also know it's a bit more complicated to intrude into his mind using the tadpole because he has knowledge and mental tools to protect himself (check the post about the Tadpole inside Gale). He is certainly a very verbose and confident scholar, who knows his limits, and in occasions he seems to dabble into an ego-teasing play as an attempt of levity, displaying his “insufferable side”, as he has described himself (his self-awareness of these traits is remarkable, and it is the reason why I avoid qualifying him as arrogant. Arrogant chars are hardly self-aware of their own bad manners or insufferable traits). But we can see it's usually done as a joke or, with an evil Tav, as an aggressive reaction. For a deep analysis of this aspect, check the post about "Gale Hypotheses- Part 2", section: "Narcissism". 

Based on his approvals and disapprovals, we can see that Gale has a strong preference in avoiding fights, violence, and bloodshed [1]. He will always prefer diplomatic and persuasive approaches [2]. Reasoning is his best weapon, but if the individual we are dealing with can hardly be persuaded, he would approve of a deception or an intimidation as long blood is not spilt. Here is where we see his pragmatism in action, all the time. His primary goal at every moment is to avoid bloodshed. His philosophy could be summed up in the line “the means [as long as they don’t kill gratuitously] hardly matter if the end is worthy”. And for Gale, nothing is more worthy than life [3]. This doesn't cover only the life of innocents he cares about, it includes the life of the most dubious characters as well, such as Rugan or Crusher. Gratuitous death is meaningless for him. During the scene of Nettie we can have a glimpse of his philosophy towards life: he viscerally hates treating life as if it were nothing: 

Gale: How dare she snuff out life with as much thought as snuffing out a bloody candle? […] It's not right to feel the cold breath of death in your neck, then move on as if it was nothing but a soothing breeze. One respects life by fighting for it, and one respects death by fearing it.

Gale: One should never be afraid to live life to the fullest.

Probably the limited amount of life he has due to the "orb" increased his sense of respect for life and its celebration. I personally understand Gale as a character who embodies the perspectives of a seriously ill person, knowing that their life may be short, but they will try to make the best out of it. 

He doesn't only respect life per se, he also cares about its dignity. This can be seen in his explicit rejection to undead existences such as Connor (he explains that it would be merciful to put an end to his undead nightmare), or in his disapprovals of humiliation and torture [9]

 We could suspect that this emphasis in protecting any life comes from the fact that only people who are alive can (sometimes) be forgiven or/and change. This is not explicit, but since he is a character who talks about being better and wiser than his previous self, about acknowledging mistakes, about forgiveness, this interpretation seems reasonable. 

These concepts of kindness and compassion combined with “the mistakes of the youth” are repetitive in his interactions and approvals [5,12]. Of course, they echo in his soul since they are reflections and desires of his own experience. This pattern covers forgiving children in particular [5], and disapproving hard judgements [16], especially on matters whose story is not fully understood by Tav. This means he doesn't like quick judgements when he doesn't know the whole story first. This scenario can be easily seen during Karlach's quest, he reserves his judgment until knowing Karlach's side: There are always two sides to each story.

Gale: I have to say I don't know if agreeing to this hunt was such a wise idea. Who's to say who's the real villain in this tale of devils and masquerades? [...]When we track Karlach down, let's chat before we chop.

Similar concept appears during his Revelation scene, when he encourages and keeps asking Tav to listen to him first before judging. This is also the reason why in his Loss scene he would disapprove if Tav quickly assumes that his loss of Mystra was due to arrogance. Tav judged him without knowing the whole story. However, once Tav knows the whole story, Gale will accept any judgement from them without approval penalties during the Revelation scene.

He approves all actions that imply helping others in hard times and disapproves of them if they were done out of greed [4]. He is an animal lover [6,7]. Being kind to animals and treating them good will increase his approval, while animal cruelty will earn his disapproval. Same goes for humanoids: any display of gratuitous violence that could have been prevented with a trick or a diplomatic approach, any humiliation forced upon others, any torture or situation of slavery, is disapproved [8, 9, 11]. 

In particular, Gale seems to advocate the philosophy of “give others their own medicine”[18] or in other words: poetic justice. We can see this during the Myconid colony; he approves of helping the Myconid to avenge the young killed by the Duergar, adding the comment: “Wicked killers deserve wicked ends”. He is implying to give them a similar, wicked medicine to the Duergars. Another less deadly situation of this kind is shown during the foot situation with Crusher: Gale is the one suggesting “pungent poetic justice” and telling Tav that they should force Crusher to kiss their feet. 

The most iconic scene, however, is during Nettie's, if Tav lies during her interrogation. As a hot-headed reaction, Gale states that he would have poisoned Nettie if this situation would have happened to him. Although, after calming down, he approves of and confirms Tav's actions [if Tav managed to persuade Nettie to give them the antidote]

Gale: A taste of her own medicine is what she deserves! […] But you handled it, and you handled it well. 

 In this scene we also see a pattern: Gale is shown as a fallible human; his most visceral reaction during the first moment is anger and indignation, giving us a hint that he is not so rational when it comes to emotional states. An extremely obvious, human concept. 

The scene of Nettie trying to kill a potential menace (the victim of a MF) reverberated in his consciousness, projecting immediately a fact in his mind: if he ever dares to reveal his "orb" problem, and anyone knows what a danger he represents—no matter how stable it looks—people will want to remove the menace by killing him. 

This is the reason behind his words “It's just that, had it been me... had it been...” Gale knows that this simplistic and common thinking in removing what's dangerous would end up turning into a more destructive tragedy in his case than in any infected victim of the tadpoles. So this combination makes us see, for the first time, an emotional Gale. After some seconds, he cools down and returns to his more rational, diplomatic, and moderate self. What we can read here is that Gale would be very prone to rush decisions or to make mistakes under emotional circumstances. We will learn later that the other mistake he made under emotional stress ended up with the "orb" stuck in his chest. A third mistake was done during the party, once more under the emotional stress of a potential abandonment by Tav due to the true nature of the orb. 

Everything related to the “orb”—which is his most traumatic experience—naturally makes him more emotional and prone to mistakes. To see how truly traumatic the "orb" is in his life we can notice the following patterns during the meeting scene: he speaks about the tadpole in a relaxed, rational way, despite the traumatising experience. He first asks for an archwizard instead of for a cleric, because his priority is the orb. Gale's main fear is not the tadpole, but the orb. If we remember his words after the consumption of the artefacts, we realise he lives in a permanent state of anxiety and raw fear, and probably pain too, given his facial gesticulation when anything interacts with the "orb" (whether artefacts or Tav's hand). His banter with Shadowheart reinforces the concept that he always has a knot in the stomach. When he accepts the deal with Raphael, it seems to be related to the orb, not to the tadpole. The effect of the "orb" has ceased, but the tadpole is still in Gale's head since we still need to roll against a high DC and not only against a 1DC during this scene, so we can assume he still has the tadpole despite Raphael's deal. See the post about "The Tadpole" in Gale for more details.

Gale is a character that represents human experiences deeply related to growing up: mistakes done in the past, and the acceptance of not being forgiven despite the desire of wanting to. This can be easily seen during the conversation of the second tadpole dream, where Gale's mood is foul and we learn that his deepest desire is for Mystra to forgive him, but he also knows it's impossible for that to happen. He detects the lie in this dream because he has accepted that Mystra will never forgive him. Gale is the story of mistakes done during youth with grave consequences, of acknowledging them and trying to make them right, of surviving those mistakes, and depending on the interpretation, he is also the story of an ill dying man, with a gentle vision and deep care for life. 

The great majority of his approvals are based on actions that show kindness and compassion, both reiterative concepts that are so important in his character that they come from his lips when we see the goblin party: 

Gale: The shadow within is spreading like poison, corrupting kindness and compassion. [Only after a tough DC of 15]

In combination with: Gale: I don't know myself anymore. All this... It's not who I am. Around you, I'm not who I want to be. I should leave. 

These lines show how, in a sudden change to an evil path, Gale would start doubting his own morality, explaining that the cause of it is the "orb" itself, corrupting the most core aspects of his personality. This corruption may or may not be lore-related. It's not completely clear what Gale's "orb" truly is. For more details, check the post of the "Orb".

 His constant critical thinking comes from his advocacy to non-conventionality [15]: a true scholar will always explore all the options and hypotheses before reaching a conclusion. Therefore, Gale would approve of any non-conventional way to fix a problem [15] as long as it doesn't potentially cause harm or bloodshed [1,2,3,8,9]. Due to his own background, Gale will always advise to be very careful of the consequences of one’s actions. This can be easily seen when, after encountering the caged goblin Sazza, Gale would advocate to explore the possibility of reaching Gut Priestess to cure the tadpole. However, when Tav helps Sazza to escape, Gale will comment briefly against this action.

Gale: I know I said it's not inconceivable a goblin priestess could help us. And yet... was it really wise to set another goblin free so she can arrange introductions? […] consider the consequences. What if she leads her entire tribe to the grove? Tav: I don't care, I owe this grove no allegiance. Gale: No allegiance, no. Though we don't need to sign its death warrant

Once more we see that Gale is up to using any (unharming) means to get a goal, but not at any cost. He has a clear line he doesn't like to cross: life [3]. Avoiding putting other people's lives in danger is very important for him. We see this concept over and over in most scenes.

He doesn't likerushed decisions, and in that same train of thoughts, he will disapprove any use of unknown magic or tricks when nobody in the group can truly understand how they work [17], for example the tadpoles or Raphael's deal (he is against accepting it quickly, but he will approve of having a more cautious attitude and carefully thinking about it). 

Since the moment we meet him, we can infer he is obsessed with the artefacts. It's obviously understandable: he doesn't want to die, but also, he doesn't want to kill all those that will be caught in the eruption of the orb. For this reason he will insist on the loot in the Temple Ruins despite knowing that grave robbery is not correct. 

Gale: Bad form, isn't it? Grave robbing? […] Let's have a look at the loot. It isn't for your pockets only. 

He keeps pondering life over death: although he respects the dead, he will always value more the living creatures in the present. This is also what pushes Gale to suggest Tav to open Rugan's chest. Stealing from the evil Zhentarins is not something that will weigh on his consciousness too much. Besides, he knows it belongs to a wizard: meaning that the chance for it to contain a powerful artefact is really high. Similar suggestions will be said about the Idol of Silvanus, but talking with him in the camp will show us that he won't approve of taking it, only as a last resort. He keeps pondering the living over a sacred piece of stone, since he knows the druids won't take the stealing very peacefully. Once more we see Gale's respect and care for life, trying to minimise damage as much as the circumstances allow him.

Gale is also a survivalist. He doesn't want to die, he loves celebrating life in its more mundane and small details. He is an emotional character for a wizard, a bit strange since they are usually portrayed as more rational and cold, losing their lives among dusty books. However, Gale has shown in many scenes that he prefers to survive without killing, but if he has to, he will do it, dealing with the weight of it in his consciousness because killing unprovoked affects him (scene in the camp after killing the druids, or the goblin party scene). 

His moral in preventing gratuitous death sometimes will conflict with his own survival, especially if he is by an evil Tav's side. He couldn't accept bloodshed when other peaceful options were available and possible to reach. This is clearly shown during the goblin party, where Gale's consciousness suffers and feels the corruption of the "orb" killing the kindness and the compassion inside him. He accepts that wanting to live is a powerful drive, but he doesn't support this massacre, questioning if all that blood was necessary. A Tav killing the tieflings seems to lose the possibility of pursuing Gale romantically, at least in EA so far. For Gale, survival is important, but the means to do it (when they can cause death) matter too. Life is worth preserving.

 The usual archetype of survivalist tends to be an individualist one who would survive at any cost without remorse because that's the “law of the jungle”, the strongest must survive. However, Gale seems to embody a different concept of survivalist that it's hard to put in words: a sort of communal survivalist, trying to survive in coexistence with his community: he wants his survival to imprint the least harm possible (even though sometimes it would not be possible), trying to help those around him as long as his condition allows it; for example, despite wanting Gut's potential cure for the tadpole, he would disagree in helping Sazza escape because she will lead the goblins to the Grove, no matter the fact that doing this will grant them their introduction to the priestess. 

His list of approval shows that his sense of survival is always pondered with the consequences that it can cause on others (check the post with the "Extensive list of Gale's approvals"). The whole concept of the "orb" has this motivation as well: he wants to live and survive, but he also can't give up because his body would kill many, so he needs to do as much as his moral allows him to keep it in check. If he cannot do it any longer, he promises to minimise the disaster as much as possible by erupting in the deep Underdark or in a desolated corner of Faerûn (and considering his ridiculous list of approvals and disapprovals, we know he is honest in not wanting to kill gratuitously). Gale acknowledges his own mistakes, trying—to the best of his ability—to deal with them without catching others in them. Although all his speeches keep emphasising that he is a mere human, and plans may fail. 

At some point, if he wants to survive “not at any cost”, he will be forced to ask Tav for help during the scene of the stew (available only for medium approval or higher). As a gesture of honesty, Gale will set a boundary before making this request, acknowledging its unfairness but giving Tav the decision to proceed or not. He is not denying to explain the details later, but at the moment he can't speak the “why” of his condition no matter how curious Tav is. Tav will decide whether they can keep their curiosity on the matter. 

We will understand later that this impediment comes as a precaution as well as consequence of his personal trauma with Mystra and the "orb" (See post about "Gale: Manipulation, Lies, and Trust"). So, he is very clear about setting the conditions in which this conversation will happen from the beginning. The easiest way for Gale to avoid this whole situation would have been by simply lying, but he opted for an honest approach with clear out-loud reservations, knowing he was asking for more trust than he was allowed to, but the intention behind is more than important. There is a clear, huge contextual detail that we can't miss: this scene doesn't happen because of Gale's whims, he is forced to ask for help since his condition “is not a patient one” and will endanger everyone if not kept at bay. 

This detail where Gale explicitly asks for an exchange of trust is not present if Gale's approval is neutral or lower. In this case, Gale would not care about giving a context to his strange request: he doesn't trust Tav and he doesn't expect to be trusted either, he only wants the artefacts to keep his condition in check for his sake and the sake of others. We can understand this change of attitude depending on the approval as he doesn't want to give any extra explanation to someone he is not interested in building a relationship with. For more details, check the post about "Gale: Manipulation, Lies, and Trust".

I personally support the idea that nobody in canon Faerûn is free of racial prejudices since Forgotten Realms lore has been created based strongly on fantasy racism. I've read that WotC wants to move forward and improve this aspect in 5e, but so far what they allowed Larian to do with the Tieflings in BG3 seems to show the contrary. So, since apparently we are going to face fantasy racism anyways, I will try to analyse racial prejudices from all chars. When it comes to Gale, it's a bit far-stretched to point out unjustified racial biases. He has a vague comment about Rashemi that some people may consider a faerunian saying. Personally, I think that line is a bias forced into him to have a particular dynamic with Minsc (the Rashemi “silly” companion -we all can see where Larian seems to go with this). Gale clearly sees tieflings, gnomes, and even goblins as people, and has a cautious attitude towards some githyanki (at least that's what we can infer with Lae'zel when we find her in the cage), but given the githyanki lore it's pretty reasonable to see them as dangerous creature that could kill people on the spot. So far, he seems to have no racial preference either [10]. 

As it was said before, he prefers to avoid killing people, but that doesn't mean he won't do it if his life depends on it. He will prefer persuasive and defusing approaches, but if he needs to kill to defend innocents or his own life, he won't hesitate. So therefore, stories about characters making mistakes or having violent excess in an effort to protect themselves or what they hold dear will be understood by him but hardly approved [19]. He tends more to approve a call out of that excess than approving an excuse for it.

Gale has deep abandonment issues that can be easily seen when he defends Astarion from being handed over to Gandrel. We need to put this in context before going on: for Gale, Astarion represents a danger as a vampire who attacked one of them during their sleep. By the display of meta-knowledge, we know with certainty that their approvals and disapprovals are mostly opposite: What one approves, the other will disapprove and vice versa. Getting rid of Astarion should be something that Gale would approve, however, he doesn't. If we explore his comments we will realise that what Gale disapproves from this situation is Tav's abandonment. After Mystra's abandonment, he knows very well that “Loyalty is such a very rare commodity”, and the few situations in EA in which Tav can display abandonment, resound strongly in Gale. 

Gale is a scholar with a strong balanced rational side. But unlike the trope, he also embraces an emotional side that, so far the info we received in EA, it's the side that makes him prone to mistakes. 

As an amateur poet, Gale loves words. We can obviously notice this in his verbose attitude, but also in the way he carefully uses words. One of his characteristic words is “spectacle”. He has also shown a reiterative—although not always—uneasy use of the word “fun”. Using “fun” as a way to describe the night spent with Gale gives him a slight uneasiness. “That’s a word for it.” He disapproves of using the word “Fun” after the Mayrina/Connor situation, in which scene Gale alludes that “your new company may be a proof of how depraved and twisted you are to see that tragedy as “fun”. Personally I think this is a direct allusion to Astarion, who considers Mayrina's situation as “entertainment”, in the same way he considered as “fun” the show of Arabella's death (two of several instances where he used that word). Gale also doesn’t use the word sex during EA, instead he uses romantic ones such as love-making, intimacy, art of the night/body. In the most technical case: coitus (used only when he is talking about “goblinoid intimacy” in the expression “post-coital snack”). These details are showing not only his poet/romantic side, but also his interpretation of sex from his perspective: sex can only be possible through a connection. We know he doesn’t engage in casual sex with Lae’zel if he is not romanced, and his romance can only potentially start if Tav shares that deep connection with him through the Weave. 

Another detail related to words is that Gale has always used an infection/disease-related vocabulary to explain the “orb” stuck in his chest: infested, taint, shadow spreading 

[…] I failed to control [this chaotic magic]. Instead it infested me. […] This Netherese taint... this orb, for lack of a better word [..] […] the shadow within is spreading like poison, corrupting kindness and compassion. [...]

Gale apparently has a particular way to sense magic. I have no way to check this in-game, but it seems very strange how he immediately identifies magical artifacts without casting Detect Magic. There are some extra scenes as well where he says to taste or smell the magic in some objects. Even his encounter with Shadowheart, besides being considered a flirt, could be also interpreted as him detecting the magic that we saw later in her hand or maybe the dark magic that blocks her memories, since Gale pointed out about a curtain covering her soul: “if the eyes are the mirror to the soul, yours have dark curtains across the mirror” (a very ominous flirting if it’s only a flirt)

This makes me suspect that, if the "orb" is not giving him this skill, it may be a consequence of having been Chosen of Mystra (for more details read the post about "Mystra and her Chosen ones"). If this is the case, he may have hindered remains of theirs powers when it comes to detect magic at will.

Gale has a perception of magic with all the senses: he sniffs and tastes magic. During the mirror scene you have an option related to [Arcana] tag where he “Sniff the mirror, trying to understand the nature of its magic”. A wizard Tav will just “Inspect the mirror”. He also said that he could “taste” the magic in the necromancy book and in the runes of teleportation. 

What we know of his family is little: when he was a kid there was a housekeeper in his life (mentioned only once during the scene of the harpies) and his mother that seemed to have personally raised and cared for him (mentioned twice: in the ruin temple scene, and in his banter with Wyll) 

Tav: Why care about decorum in a long-abandoned tomb? Gale: Because my mother raised a gentleman. Then again, to be alive is to be curious. 

Wyll: Between the orb and the bug you've got more than your fair share of unwelcome passengers. Gale: What can I say. Mother always taught me to be a gracious host.

This post was written in May 2021. → For more Gale: Analysis Series Index

[andytheaverage]

The Green Knight (2021)

(CONTAINS SPOILERS)

The Green Knight (2021), with its excellent cast and feast of visual storytelling, does cut a pretty trailer, but it’s hardly the adaptation we’ve all waited nearly 2 years to see. Rather on the slow side, there is plenty of breathing room (often to excess), but often feels wanting. The performances are well-played, albeit terribly subdued, which create interludes that feel tedious. Dev Patel has proven himself time and again that he has the capacity to play a nuanced lead, and he does well here, but it is the side characters that break the monotony and steal the show, most notably Joel Edgerton (Lord), Erin Kellyman (Winifred), and Barry Keoghan (Scavenger). 

David Lowery’s “adaptation” explores the journey of an untested and somewhat undeserving not-quite-Sir Gawain, a far-cry from our Hero in the text, more akin to Prince Hal. This change adds elements to the character with which an audience might more easily identify, and should make this a coming-of-age tale, as well as a moral one; though, this film fails as both. 

As a coming-of-age tale, Gawain never quite gets there, and it almost doesn’t matter if he does, because it's not really his tale at all. Nor is this film about morality, not even as a cautionary tale. Perhaps it's more accurate to call it an instance of ‘careful what you wish for’. Gawain doesn’t seem to know what he wants. Does he really want to be a Knight? Is this about living an honest life or living up to familial expectations, particularly your mother's? Hard to say, as many of the female characters, including Gawain’s mother (Morgause and Morgan Le Fay made one), are treated as mystery elements themselves. It’s also not clear just how far her control extends, if it has any limitations. Is there anything in this world that is true?

Perhaps we'll never know his mother's true intentions; it clearly wasn't for her son to be his own person and make his own decisions. A man simply doesn’t become a Legend without his mother’s entire fabrication of the quest, it would seem. Does Gawain feel so out of place in his own story because it’s already set out for him? Was Morgan Le Fay simply Lowery’s segue for the concept of Legend as a set path for Gawain to follow? But as such, Gawain’s tale of morality isn’t what it seems, as he doesn’t even have the illusion of choice. Or was it all just a journey back to nature, back to green? Lowery never lets us forget just what color matters most here. There’s even a fun monologue about it! Even the design of the Green Knight is just a little too on the nose; his appearance essentially being that of an ent. 

About 2/3 of the way through, The Green Knight actually shows a hint of promise, but it is short-lived. In case you haven’t already lost interest with the lengthy side quests; everything turns sour at the arrival of Lord and Lady Bertilak’s castle (simply titled Lord and Lady), and what should be the bulk of our story, the “exchange of gifts” and Gawain’s true test of morality. The “exchange of gifts” is glossed over for a taste of something completely different, as it takes major liberties with not only a core part of our tale, but arguably what’s most memorable about the original. It becomes Lowery’s convoluted vision of a different sort entirely, one where Gawain seemingly refuses to take part in his own story. While possibly an interesting take in itself, it does a disservice to the text, and accomplishes nothing other than an attempt to be shocking. 

There’s something richer in the “exchange of gifts” simply not explored in Lowery’s version, or the compulsive need to “subvert”, and the film is poorer for it. How can you even subvert something which you refuse to touch upon? It’s also extremely odd and honestly baffling, that in this day and age, homosexual themes and undertones would be downplayed or outright rejected (as they are here), rather than embraced and explored. Altogether, this omission seems a poor choice and a clear indication that Lowery holds little to no affection for the original text. Disregarding the “exchange of gifts”, the journey becomes something vain and hollow; perhaps intentionally, but doesn't serve anyone, least of all the story. 

Following the tale’s example, the girdle (sans the accompanying scar) is the all-encompassing symbol for Gawain’s shame, but Lowery takes it a step further, in which he is so seduced by its promise of protection that he literally soils it with his lust. But this scene is so abrupt at the all too brief “exchange of gifts” (in a film that stretches everything to excess) that it seems to lack consideration and its only purpose is to disturb. The girdle furthermore becomes a symbol of his unearned and unholy life (which we’re shown), were he to continue to fail to accept his fate and his test, although this too seems superfluous. What’s interesting here is that in either scenario, Gawain remains undeserving. He is not especially virtuous, he’s not even decent from what we can see, and has failed in almost every chivalric aspect; after all, he is “no knight”. Even so, in the original, even the Green Knight can’t begrudge his lack of fidelity in this one aspect; “because you wanted to live, so I blame you the less”.

A message of The Green Knight seems to be acting out of selflessness as the only indicator of a truly good deed, with no expectation of reward. This is evident in the dismissal of the “exchange of gifts” and Winifred’s admonishment, "Why would you ever ask me that?", but this message is so muddled within the world of the film, that it’s somehow also completely out of place. After all, Gawain is rewarded in a way, with several of his trappings, which are returned to him after being stolen. Speaking of rewards for good deeds, religious themes are also notably lacking, favoring the pagan angle (as expected of A24), though which is never expounded upon. There is the decision to keep some not-so-subtle imagery of crippled Christianity; i.e Gawain’s shield (with Mary’s visage on the inside and a small pentangle on the exterior) and a cross at the Green Chapel. 

Lowery gets too hung up on a confused mix of vague and painfully obvious ideas of symbolism and makes huge, unwarranted leaps. His work here reeks of self-indulgence, to the point of parody. It’s also simply never clear what anyone’s intentions are, his least of all. His ideas are so flighty and changeable that contradictions abound in the finished product (It’s clear why he needed all that extra time to re-cut). The whole thing is so nebulous that it may fool some into thinking it’s beyond their grasp, but it just reads as pretentious. The thing is, The Green Knight tries to be too many things at once, and in doing so, fails at all of them. Lowery lacks the conviction to support anything he presents and has no sense of narrative structure. Simply put, this film lacked proper direction and would have greatly benefited from fresh eyes on the script.

The Green Knight may question 'What is Honor and if it does exist, what is it worth? For even if there comes a time to prove yourself for Honor’s sake, what is it all for? “Is this all there is?”’, but Lowery drops the concept of Honor as soon as he picks it up and chooses to explore Legacy and Legend, and while it leads us on an interesting journey of interpretation, it’s very heavy-handed. It’s also difficult to answer any of these questions because Gawain is simply not worthy of anything. It’s not just that he is imperfect; he is not good and never acts out of selflessness or for the actual sake of Honor. He doesn’t know the meaning of the word. The original text asks us to stay true, true to our word and our values, in uncertainty and despite our fears (as a Good Knight should, and which Gawain ultimately is.) Lowery, on the other hand, begs us to forget the narrative, because he doesn’t know how to do it, and the search for meaning, because there is none. I’m not even sure he knows what he’s made.

Overall, though heavily burdened by its sluggish pace and lack of structural integrity, The Green Knight, at least on the surface, appears to be a somewhat earnest attempt at exploration within the fantasy/horror genre, asking a lot more questions than it answers. But while its visuals may dazzle, it’s a cold and unfeeling thing, devoid of all charm of the original tale, and can hardly be called an adaptation for many of its choices.

Source: https://letterboxd.com/avega007/film/the-green-knight/ 

(I wasn’t expecting to go off when I just got a letterboxd, but this film left me heated.)

[natsubeatsrock]

10 Things I Enjoyed in 2020 that Aren’t Fairy Tail

Well... it’s almost over? With all the crazy stuff that’s happened this year, it’s hard to remember that there were some good things to come from this year. So instead of 7, here’s 10 things I enjoyed throughout this year.

#10. Sonic the Hedgehog

Not unlike many people, this would be the last film that came out this year I would see in theaters before everything shut down earlier this year. While I have gone out to watch movies throughout this year since, this happens to be the only movie I’ve been looking forward to that came out this year. Since the release of Detective Pikachu last year, the fraught history of video game movies has started to look a lot better. For all intents and purposes, I think this film is better than that one, and I’m a much bigger fan of Pokemon than Sonic. If certain spoilers are a sign of anything, a future sequel will be interesting to see and greatly anticipated.

#9. Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia

One of the blessings-in-disguise of being locked down with extra money is the ability to get and enjoy things you haven’t gotten the opportunity to before. In my case, I was able to play through some of the Pokemon games I’ve been waiting to play through. My favorite of the bunch has been the second installment of the Pokemon Ranger series. The Ranger games have been greatly underrated and overlooked by fans. I was reintroduced to the original last Christmas and believe it to be a solid game, but this easily blows it out of the water. While this year also marked the sad end of the 3DS cycle, I’m glad that this game came my way.

#8. 42

With the unfortunate passing of its lead actor, Chadwick Boseman, and the racial tensions which came to a head after the death of George Floyd, it makes sense theaters would reopen with this movie. Jackie Robinson’s story is one that’s interested me as the talks of integration and racism have gone on this year. He became the first African American MLB player because of both his talent on the field and his character off it. He wasn’t just skilled in stealing bases. He didn’t allow the anger he rightly felt towards racism control him.

#7. Bakuman

The famed writer and artist duo behind Death Note teamed up to deliver another smash hit manga for Weekly Shonen Jump. This time, about... a writer and artist duo who team up to make a name for themselves by delivering a smash hit manga to Weekly Shonen Jump. As I read Bakuman, I was struck with the genius of its construction. It’s one thing to read the information about Shueisha and WSJ this series shares in a book. It’s another for that information to be shared within the confines that the series itself describes. Special shout-outs go to Ayakashi Triangle and Phantom Seer which started in WSJ this year.

#6. Power Girl: Power Trip

Oh? Were you perhaps expecting to see some other female character owned by Detective Comics Comics who graced the silver screen take this spot? Well, maybe next year, depending on how things go. I love my comic book heroes with healthy doses of snark and existential crisis. While I might have gone in expecting the former, I wasn’t expecting the latter as much. If you know about Power Girl, you may know about her famous “boob window“, which is in lieu of a real symbol. It turns out that she was originally thought to be Superman’s cousin, but has recently been proven to be otherwise. I’m not so against DC that I’m unwilling to admit when they make books that I like.

#5. Carole and Tuesday

Carole and Tuesday holds a special spot as becoming the latest 10/10 anime I’ve seen. This is easily one of the most diverse anime that I’ve ever seen. It’s not just a matter of showing people of different walks of life, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. It’s also showing artists different music styles from folk to jazz to rap to electronic to new age to operatic rap. And none of it feels forced or unnatural, though some of it might come off as offensive. If you’re on as big a planet as Mars, you’ll expect to see all kinds of people and hear all kinds of music as long as you’re willing to listen. Shinichiro Wantanabe is one of anime’s best directors and this might be his best work yet.

#4. Lupin III: The First

If you told me a few years ago that one of the best anime movies would be a fully CGI film, I would have looked at you like you were insane. Nevertheless, this movie exists. I was skeptical about the idea of a fully CGI movie for a character like this. But when I saw a clip from the movie, I could tell they knew what they were doing. This movie is by no means anywhere as good looking as Spiderverse, but it looks amazing in its own right. Content wise, this serves as a great heist film for anyone regardless of proximity to the series. Arsene Lupin III makes  It makes a fine introduction to the world of one of anime’s most longstanding series, and a good launching point for his earlier antics. Props to Weathering to You for keeping this slot warm. (Ironic considering things...)

#3. John Byrne’s run on Sensational She-Hulk

So I wasn’t going to say this talking about Power Trip, but I need to say this here. American comics are at a weird spot. In attempts to reach a wider audience, they’re not doing a great job of keeping the fans they have. Or make actually new ones. The current run of Savage She-Hulk has been no exception to this. Though it wasn’t always like this and John Byrne’s runs on Sensational She-Hulk is proof positive. Byrne took Jennifer Walters with more fun than I’ve seen any author write any comic book with. This especially shows in one of the more notable abilities of She-Hulk, breaking the fourth wall. I was very worried when I heard Marvel Studios was going to do a series with Shulkie. But with this as inspiration, maybe there’s hope for this project after all. (Please be good!)

#2. Burn the Witch

Tite Kubo is back, baby! This spot doesn’t go to any of the sets of chapters to be published in Shonen Jump. Rather, his collaboration with Studio Colorido is my choice for anime of the year. Burn the Witch tells the story of a different Soul Society than Bleach fans may be familiar with. It’s almost cheating to compare this mid-length film to the other shows to come out this year, even if it was broken up into three episodes for streaming sites. However, film or otherwise, no other anime grabbed my attention as much as this did. This also marks the best anime from WSJ I’ve seen this year. Surely I’m not forgetting anything big to come out recently in saying this, especially from this year with everything that got delayed. Honorable mentions go to TONIKAWA: Under the Moon, Bofuri, BNA, Keep Your Hands off Eizouken!, and Misfit of Demon King Academy for nearly taking my spot.

#1. Skullgirls

This year has been a tough year for a lot of people, companies, and fandoms. Though, I’d be hard pressed to think of a fandom that has had a worse year than this indie fighter. One of its founders was revealed to be terrible, one of its parent companies went under, and a prime opportunity for the spotlight in EVO Online being cancelled, it wouldn’t be a mistake to say things aren’t going well. Thankfully, the fans and dev team have done everything they can to keep this game alive before and that didn’t stop this year. It feels somewhat on-brand for this series to have survived the kinds of situations that would normally kill a game off. This game would have made the top spot by virtue of being the most fun game I played this year. I’m proud to put it at this spot knowing everything that’s surrounded it this year.

For extra honorable mentions, Pokemon’s seventh generation of games, especially the Ultra versions, were fun to finally experience and they have the best stories of the 3DS era of Pokemon. Cobra Kai was a fun series and almost definitely would be here if I were more emotionally attached to the Karate Kid series. I rewatched Neon Genesis Evangelion and it’s better than I remembered originally. Finally, I’d move heaven and earth to add Oregairu or Hilda on this list, considering new seasons came out this year, but I know better.

As usual, check my list for EZ, which also has 10 things, and be glad we’re almost done with this year. See you!

[ontarioyoga]

How Do You Do Transcendental Meditation

New Post has been published on https://www.ontarioyoga.net/how-do-you-do-transcendental-meditation/

How Do You Do Transcendental Meditation

On My First Visit Before My Lessons Began I Sat Down With Dlf Teacher Mario Orsatti And Dlf Cofounder And Executive Director Bob Roth

They’re best friends of 40 years, and were fun to talk to — not at all the terrifying cult leaders I was afraid they might be.

As they put it, TM is a simple but effective technique. The $960 fee offers lifetime access to all TM centers and teachers across the world, and it funds operations and the modest teacher salaries that allow them to teach people for free. If people seek out TM and cannot afford it, they can apply for scholarships.

I Returned For My Introductory Lesson Two Weeks Later On A Pleasant Fall Friday Late In The Afternoon

Roth and Orsatti offered me lessons with a fee waiver, as they had done with other journalists, so that I would have more context for my research.  

I stopped off at the bodega down the street from the DLF office to buy some fruit and irises for the “traditional ceremony” I’d be participating in. I felt like I was about to step into one of Lynch’s surrealist films.

How Is Transcendental Meditation Different Than Other Meditation Techniques The Ocean Analogy

Bob Roth, from David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace, has explained the difference between transcendental meditation and other mindfulness-based types of meditation with what has come to have been known as .

He likens an overactive mind to being in a boat in the middle of the ocean, with tumultuous waves swelling around you. The ocean appears to be in upheaval, but in reality, it is only so on the surface. At its greatest depths it is naturally silent.

Unlike TM, most forms of meditation rely on quieting and controlling your thoughts. Those with particularly hyperactive minds may end up finding this frustrating. 

Typical meditation helps you observe the waves from a place devoid of apprehension or worry. TM teaches you to maneuver the boat to get through the waves more efficiently.

Transcendental meditation is particularly well suited to such hyperactive folk. Completing a successional session takes less discipline compared to more common mindfulness techniques. TM has also been shown to achieve levels of relaxation deeper than your deepest level of sleep when practiced correctly. 

The Law Of Attraction Is An Universal Truth Law Of Attraction And Transcendental Meditation

It’s been figured out by quantum physicists that the Law of Attraction is genuine since “Like draws in like.” There is a practical application if we let our thoughts be our truth as we acknowledge it today.

They form every element from simply how much cash gets in one’s life , whether love finds us at all if there was any chance for romance with another individual who might not have turned up or else.

The exact same adverse sensations bring in much more negativeness to oneself is what triggers health and wellness issues when tension degrees get expensive – think about somebody hopping on an aeroplane next time.

It likewise applies straight in the direction of attaining goals.

What Is The Difference Between Transcendental Meditation And Other Forms Of Meditation

Transcendental meditation has its roots in India’s ancient Vedic traditions. Its main difference is the repetition of a chosen mantra as a technique to calm the mind.  

It became popularized in the West by a spiritual guru from India. When the monk Swami Brahmananda Saraswati  passed away in 1953, he had passed the technique down, adapted from Vedic practices.  

One of Guru Dev’s followers, a man called the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, made the practice known to the rest of the world starting in the late 1950s. Tagging it as the Spiritual Regeneration Movement, the Maharishi promoted it as “a secular path toward mental, emotional, and physical well-being.” 

The name “transcendental meditation” was heavily used for two reasons: to clearly differentiate it from other forms of meditation, and to distance it from Hinduism and other religions and ensure that it stands on its own. 

While the movement did enjoy a moderate level of success prior to the late 1960s, it received a welcome boost because of its acquisition of four high-profile believers: none other than the Beatles. Soon enough, other stars in various entertainment industries followed in John, Paul, Ringo, and George’s bell-bottomed footsteps. Meditation soon became the “trendy” thing, and the Maharishi’s method was in the spotlight. 

Do Not Question The Law Of Attraction Law Of Attraction And Transcendental Meditation

The Law of attraction might resemble some astonishing idea, yet it’s not.

The Law of attraction is a guideline that can be placed on anything in your life in addition to you will see the outcomes if what are requesting aligns with what you truly desire.

No matter specifically how tiny or significant something may appear due to the fact that everything concerns when applying this concept- also ideas!

You should constantly have positive power so as long there isn’t any negative feelings existing then all excellent ideas will certainly enter into our lives no question asked .

An individual that has actually raised positivity within themselves attracts far better individuals or scenarios towards them that makes the trip a lot less complicated than in the past.

Envision experiencing anxiousness while being bordered by individuals who are like-minded. The effects may be compounded in the workplace.

Ultimately, learn to trust yourself as well as deep space will definitely take care of you. The Law Of Attraction is a doctrine that mentions “like brings in like.” It implies people, circumstances as well as additionally events in our lives are attracted to us by some sort of power or stress based upon what we consider frequently; whether it be adverse thoughts that reel in even more negativeness right into your life while hopefulness brings excellent concepts towards oneself – such as success! Law Of Attraction And Transcendental Meditation

Be Grateful For What You Do Have Law Of Attraction And Transcendental Meditation

Do not fail to remember to count your true blessings. The law of attraction is an effective point. You can attract what you desire by being grateful for the important things that are presently in your life and focusing on them instead of house means too much concerning just how they’re insufficient or sensation like there’s something missing out on from all of it.

Such unfavorable thoughts will only keep us stuck where we presently stand without adjustment to discover anytime quickly!

You could want to start counting your true blessings because this could be just an additional step closer to achieving your goals and also similarly making sure that whatever appears probable even if initially glimpse some might have believed otherwise or when looking back on their lives thus far.

What Is The Difference Between Transcendental Meditation And Other Meditations

We often assume all meditations are the same and achieve the same goal. There is no such thing as ‘one kind-fits-all’ meditation since each offers a unique benefit and helps one achieve different goals.

The difference between transcendental meditation and other meditations is quite simple. While most of the meditations concentrate on training the mind and its way of thinking, transcendental meditation allows the mind to go beyond the mental boundaries, which results in freedom of mind, concentration, and growth in creativity. Even better, you feel calmer, happier, and relaxed!

This is why this type of meditation is taught in schools, offices, and other educational institutions. All age groups practice and benefit from this meditation.

Tmrw X Todaywhy You Should Try Meditating For The First Time And How To Start

The difference between this practice and other forms of mindfulness or meditation is that TM is an independent, passive process. It is not guided by someone else who gives you suggestions about what to think; it’s entirely internal.

Transcendental Meditation is not about learning to do something that will your help your mind relax. It’s about learning to do nothing. In fact, teachers of TM often stress that the process should be absolutely effortless. Once you get into the right zone, it happens by itself.

I was intrigued enough to sign up, but also highly skeptical of something so simple.

“You don’t do anything?” I asked my meditation teacher. “So then what am I even doing?”

“Exactly,” he said.

I was worried again that this wasn’t for me. Nevertheless, I took solace in the fact that, in addition to The Beatles, TM is hailed by a number of reliable celebrities: Oprah Winfrey, Hugh Jackman, Tom Hanks, Katy Perry and Jerry Seinfeld have all cited TM as being an integral part of their success. Seinfeld has said in interviews that he has not missed a day of TM since 1972. Perhaps it’s no coincidence he created a show about nothing! And if it’s good enough for Oprah, there must be something to it.

I wanted to document my journey to see if I would experience the same benefits cited by these successful people, namely feeling more focused, more creative and far less stressed. Here’s what happened:

What’s The Difference Between Transcendental And Other Types Of Meditation

Science has proven that not all meditation is the same.

Whereas most types of meditation attempt to focus energy, thought and effort into training one’s mind and honing one’s thoughts, this particular form of meditation is meant to transcend ordinary thought and carry the practitioner beyond the upper structures of the thought processes, down into ‘silence’ – the absolute stillness of thought.

The sensation and subsequent results of transcending one’s surface thoughts are not unlike an athlete being ‘in the zone’ or some brave souls recounting how they simply didn’t think about the danger to themselves while rescuing someone in need.

Thankfully, you don’t need a dire emergency where life hangs in the balance in order to reach that state. You only need to cultivate stillness to tap into that wellspring of power.

Don’t other types of meditation also cultivate that stillness?

In fact, they don’t.

Ironically, the most popular types of meditation, such as Qi Gong or Zen, the Japanese style of meditation that evolved out of the Chinese Chan school all call for a focus onto an object, be it a mantra or something tangible. Such thinking causes more activity in various parts of the brain, not less.

Equally, today’s buzzword in meditation, mindfulness, also spurs brain activity even though the practitioner is merely visualising events, rather than targeting thoughts.

Find out also if guided meditation is right for you…

How Is Transcendental Meditation Different From Other Types Of Meditation

Unlike other forms of meditation, TM does not involve clearing the mind of thoughts, no controlling of the mind, nor mental monitoring. Practices such as mindfulness and focus meditation require moderate to strong effort, whereas TM is more effortless and relaxed. In this practice, the aim is to allow your mind to settle and arrive at the most silent and peaceful level of your awareness. 

Myriad of Benefits

TM is a simple and effective form of meditation that is shown by research to be quite effective at managing anxiety, stress, and cardiovascular health. During TM, the brain produces Alpha waves associated with relaxation, happiness, and focus. TM produces a unique state of “restful alertness,” and a greater sense of self by activating the default mode network in the brain. 

Several forms of meditations use breathing techniques, visualizations, and movements.   

TM, on the other hand, uses mantras. Mantras are words, phrases, or sentences consisting of vowels with no meaning—it only relies on vibration and sounds to focus on for the entire meditation session. This is so to avoid creating or visualizing a particular image in your mind associated with that word. Mantras such as the well-known serve as a vehicle for you to keep focus and experience stillness.

How I Went From A Meditation Skeptic To A True Believer After 30 Days

For many of my friends, spending a year at home led to the discovery of delightful new pastimes: baking, knitting, reading — one of my friends even a book.

Meanwhile, I had only discovered new ways to stress myself out. As the months wore on, I picked up a number of bad habits without even realizing it: constantly reading the news, doomscrolling, reflexively checking social media, and letting my mind race about the implications of the pandemic and why I hadn’t found any hip new hobbies.

Most of all, I had difficulty focusing. On many occasions I would get myself all set up on the couch to read a novel I’d purchased in March. The cushion positioned just right, the house calm and quiet, I would crack open the cover ready to be transported to a faraway land on wings of literature … and then I’d instantly fall asleep or check my phone. Several months later, my bookmark remained on the cover page. I’d even developed temporomandibular joint disorder, aka TMJ, a stress-induced jaw condition.

After a string of sleepless nights, a friend of mine suggested I try meditation. I downloaded the most popular meditation apps and searched for guided meditations on YouTube, but I found myself unable to take any of it seriously. My inability to relax made me all the more stressed. Meditation, I decided, wasn’t for me.

We Sat Down In Sofas At Either Side Of The Room And Began Meditating

The technique itself is simple, consisting of sitting upright in a chair, closing your eyes for 20 minutes, and repeating a mantra — a meaningless “vibration word” provided by your teacher — in your head at no particular rhythm. It is recommended that one practice this twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening.

For most people, including myself, TM is easy to learn but takes a couple weeks to practice naturally. It’s why your TM teacher checks in for a few followup lessons after the initial four-day introduction.

Imagine What You Desire And Additionally Feel Excellent Worrying It

It is impressive specifically just how powerful your ideas are, and additionally just how they form your fact.

You might guess that if you feel great, then a lot more favorable vibrations will certainly become part of one’s life because of those positive sensations!

The first step we should certainly absorb order to attain our goals, or complete what we require to obtain done – for instance, we need to imagine ourselves as healthy and balanced, toned muscle mass, and so on. Law Of Attraction And Transcendental Meditation

Orsatti Had Me Take My Shoes Off And We Walked Into A Darkened Room

He led me to a corner, where there was a small altar with an illustration of Brahmananda Saraswati, also know as Guru Dev . Guru Dev was the teacher of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of TM, and we were there to honor him before learning the technique.

Orsatti handed me one of the irises and began solemnly reciting what I assumed to be a Sanskrit prayer. He proceeded to light candles and arrange the fruit and other items before him. I found it interesting, but I wouldn’t figure out what was actually happening until weeks later.

Where Did Transcendental Meditation Mantras Originally Come From

The word mantra is a Sanskrit word that has been derived from two verb roots. The first root word is a which means mind, and means tool or vehicle. A mantra is, therefore, a tool or vehicle of the mind. This vehicle brings its calmness and spirituality to mind. Evidence of the same has been found in the Vedas of ancient times.

The Vedas mention meditation and mantras. The evidence has been found not only in the Hindu scriptures but also in the Buddhist ones. As a form of meditation, the mantras were carved into rocks. Using mantras is believed to have started even before 1000 BC.

Rigveda defines it as a structured idea conforming to the reality of poetic formulas offering inherent fulfillment. A transcendental meditation mantra is not restricted to any specific religion and is used by almost everyone. This was a way ancient people connected with the divine.

How To Get Started With Transcendental Meditation For Beginners

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Transcendental meditation has become increasingly popular over the past decade. It has been shown to improve mental health. Besides that, it also helps you live a more healthy lifestyle. What is transcendental meditation? How does it benefit you? How about finding out more?

Here’s everything you need to know about practicing transcendental meditation for beginners.

List of Transcendental Meditation Apps

Things You Need To Know To Talk About Transcendental Meditation Dean Sluyter

Transcendental Meditation is having a moment. After making a big splash in the peace ’n’ love era, it largely faded from view, but now everyone from Lena Dunham and to and is into it. David Lynch has had a foundation dedicated to it since 2005, and earlier this year Jim Carrey’s commencement address at a TM university went viral. But what  TM? Is it some kind of Scientology-like cult? A trendy thing to add to your self-improvement agenda? Could it be something actually worth trying?

To help you decide, or so you can simply prep to be a TM aficionado the next time the topic comes up at a cocktail party, we turned to Dean Sluyter, who taught TM from 1970 to 1993. Sluyter, who has practiced extensively in Advaita Vedanta, Tibetan Buddhism, and Bhakti Yoga, is the author of The Zen Commandments, Cinema Nirvana, and Natural Meditation: A Guide to Effortless Meditative Practice, and  for the Huffington Post. Here, Sluyter gives a rundown of what you need to know about the suddenly hot-again practice.

It feels good. TM allows the mind and body to settle into a quiet state of “restful alertness.” Usually, people come out of it feeling refreshed, energized, and at peace.

Its benefits have been proven … kind of. Forty-plus years of research has shown that TM can do everything from slowing or reversing the progression of changes that underlie cardiovascular disease , but even if half of them are bogus, what’s left is still impressive.

How To Do Transcendental Meditation Step By Step For Beginners

To learn Transcendental meditation properly, you must visit a center near you. If you feel you cannot afford it, then here is the process step by step.

Turn off your phone and pick a location where you can sit in peace for 20-to-25 minutes at a time without any interruptions.

Put your hands on your lap and close your eyes while seated on the ground.

Pick a mantra that resonates with you. Repeat it slowly in your mind. Repeat it until it comes to your mind.

Repeat the mantra without forcing it. Let it wander wherever it wants.

In case you feel that you have drifted away, slowly return to position and repeat the mantra.

Practice for twenty minutes and set a reminder or alarm at the end.

Continue to sit in the same position for five more minutes without opening your eyes, and then relax.

Resources For Practicing Transcendental Meditation On Your Own

As mentioned before, one of the biggest questions is: when does one know one’s time to meditate is through?

One way to measure time is with a selection of music; my personal favourite is the soundtrack to Johnathan Livingston Seagull.

It was a simple task to select tracks totalling about 30 minutes into play files; come time to disconnect from the world, I simply choose one of the files and drift away on the sound of waves and soaring chords.

Naturally, there are other musical selections that are ideal for meditation; perhaps you already have some in your music collection.

Your meditation music should be tranquil; no peaking vocals and only gentle percussion. Repeating themes would also help, especially if you are new to meditation. The tempo should be about the same throughout; you may even enjoy music with water trickling in the background.

YouTube has a whole list of videos for meditation; some play continuously and others last anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. Some are narrated, meaning a soothing, pleasant voice directs your meditation while peaceful music plays in the background.

Other websites, such as Music 2 Meditate and Free Meditation Music have created meditation playlists. You may choose from piano or strings, from Devotional or the intriguing-sounding Mantra, a collection of music with traditional Indian tones.

That would be highly appropriate, seeing as meditation is an ancient Indian art! 

But Why Whats The Secret Of Transcendental Meditation Mantras

And why is it that superstars are able to attract avalanches of wealth and success so easily – while most people battle for years just to keep their heads above water? How can they learn transcendental meditation practice and get all of it’s benefits and you can’t?

What makes these “stars” so special?

The answer is so simple that most people NEVER see it.

Stars like Oprah are manifesting from the Core of who they are – what we call their Core Energy.

In other words, ALL their energy is lined up and working together. They are not trying to manifest fragments of desires or things they are not sure if they really want or not. They are manifesting what they TRULY desire as a UNIFIED whole.

And that’s what makes them so darn powerful.

That’s why they attract masses of abundance like a magnet… Because they are COMPLETELY allowing the energy that creates worlds to flow through them as a unified whole. Makes sense?

Now here’s the best news…

YOU too can learn how to align with your Core Energy and manifest all that you truly desire from that place. How do you do this?

Mind-Body Training practices that integrate your primal Body, Heart and Mind energies, while at the same time developing inner skills of mindfulness and inner presence, are obviously essential. You can find out more about these here:

Another secret is to learn to connect to your joy, your passion and your excitement in your life.

What Does Transcendental Meditation Feel Like My Experiences Leave a CommentMeditationPhil Ashton

Interested in TM and what to know more about it? In this article, I’m going to do my best to answer, what does Transcendental Meditation feel like?

For me, it feels like I’m “lost” in my subconscious. Able to feel all the stress, tension, and pain in my body and mind float away. I come out of it mentally refreshed, physically energized, and with a profound sense of calm.

How To Teach Yourself Transcendental Meditation For Free

As a society, we’ve come so far and achieved so much. We’re supposed to be living in the greatest time in human history. But whatever happened to happiness? We have so much pressure on us to work harder, to buy more, and to be more. And we’re constantly connected yet, somehow we’re lonelier than we’ve ever been.

Depression and anxiety is a global pandemic. In Australia alone suicide is a leading cause of death for people aged 15 – 44. According to the World Health Organization over seven hundred and ninety thousand people die every year from suicide. That’s one person dying from suicide every 40 seconds. Most of those are men.

So obviously something that we’re doing isn’t right. But there is a way that we can all manage stress and anxiety naturally and to feel happier and calmer and more content in our lives. And we can do that through meditation.

Meditation is amazing. it has the ability to physically rewire our brains chemistry and to take us out of a reactionary fight-or-flight response and to put us in a calmer more alert state. But most of us are so busy in our day-to-day lives that we never really experience this state.

The Buddhists call this pure consciousness and it’s something that we all have inside of us but we rarely see it. So a good way to explain how meditation works is to think of the mind as an ocean.

So when it comes to concentration meditation we’re taking all of our awareness and focusing it on one single point and that could be the breath.

Is The World Of Transcendental Meditation Truly Peaceful

Organizations founded on the foundation of It typically promote world peace. They suggest the idea of a peaceful community working together to ultimately raise consciousness. But is that really the case? One incident that led to the murder of Levi Butler in the It movement’s Maharishi University of Management cafeteria truly puts into question the supposed peaceful disposition of its followers. Because of the anti-medical views of the school’s authorities and the general avoidance of antipsychotic medication, a college student went through a psychotic episode wounding one and killing another.

Without any provocation in the throat and face with a pen. When MUM administrator took Sem aside he questioned him on his It technique. He was then placed in the custody of the MUM dean of men. No campus security or Law enforcement was called. Dean of Men Joel Wynsong took Sem to his off-campus apartment with the intention of correcting his It technique. While Wynsong began his own It session, Sem was able to escape his apartment. Wynsong located Sem and followed him to the schools dining hall where he decided to watch Sem talk with students. Suddenly Sem began another unprovoked attack, stabbing and killing Levi Butler.

Sem was taken into custody and upon psychiatric examination, it was found out that Sem had chronic paranoid Schizophrenia and was previously treated with antipsychotic medication but had stopped taking the medication several weeks before coming to MUM.

What Are Health Benefits Of Transcendental Meditation

The health benefits of It are said to be numerous. From lowering blood pressure to the lowered risk of heart disease It seems to heal a number of ailments naturally. It is even said that It minimizes the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. There are many meditation practices specialized for physical health. Though It has frequently been associated with alternative medicine, studies suggest its effectiveness.

With a little quiet time, in the world of Transcendental, almost anyone can get rid of a number of health problems. But how true are these studies? In a comprehensive view of the It movement, Aryeh Siegel writes about an attack of convulsions making him unable to walk or even stand in an upright position after practicing it. Members of It organizations frequently boast about the studies been done on TM technique, claiming it has been predominately beneficial for health. Critics, however, have deemed most of these studies to be of poor quality. A ranging number of mistakes are supposedly present such as biased design, self-reporting, conflict of interest and cherry picking. Multiple critics have spoken about how the researchers themselves have been affiliated with MUM and other foundations centered on the It movement. This seems to directly point at a conflict of interest and biased view of It when it comes to scientific studies. The National Institute of Health, however, does not consider zeal or faith to be conflicts of interest.

Dylan Dreyer And Sheinelle Jones Practice Mindfulness

A few weeks later, I saw a documentary about The Beatles and their fabled trip to India. In 1968, they visited a small city in northern India called Rishikesh to learn a specific type of meditation I didn’t know much about beforehand: Transcendental Meditation.

In the interviews John, Paul, George and Ringo describe feelings of “complete inner peace,” “boundless creativity” and feeling “high on life.” This sounded slightly more appealing than my night sweats and teeth grinding. The next morning, I signed myself up for a Transcendental Meditation course.

Transcendental Meditation Frequently Asked Questions

Can TM be taught online?

Can anyone learn?Yes, TM is so simple, natural and effortless to practise that even children from the age of 6 can learn! And you are never too old! Anyone who can think can meditate!

My mind is always too busy/I can’t sit still – I could never meditate!Many people say this before learning, but the real purpose of meditation is not to still the mind or the body . There is no effort made to concentrate or control the mind because just as much as it is the nature of the mind to be active, it is also the nature of the mind to be still, given the opportunity. Any organism in nature that can be active must, by definition, be able to be less active, and ultimately totally still. This includes the mind. You’ll have no problem once you understand how to meditate properly. Even children with diagnoses of ADHD can practise effortlessly!

From your list of benefits of TM, it seems you’re saying that it is a panacea for all the world’s ills. Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?Any doctor or healer will admit that it’s the power of Nature that heals. And nature’s power is unlimited in its potential. The effectiveness of any approach is in its ability to allow you to connect with the deeper, more powerful levels of Nature. And TM is the purest form of , which means integration of life – the most natural and effective way to connect with the power deep within you.

How Is Tm Different From Other Meditation Techniques

As weightlifting, tennis, and ballroom dancing strengthen specific muscles and produce different overall effects in the body, so do focusing on a candlelight, repeating mantras or trying to dispassionately observe one’s mental content result in different outcomes.

MEDITATION AND BRAIN: Some of the best, most revealing research on the effects of meditation practice has involved different methods of neurophysiological brain imaging. Photo: University of Illinois.

According to research, the practice of Transcendental Meditation is unique in many a sense.

For one, TM seems to turn on the whole brain and make it function as a holistic unit. This is a common feature of those people who report peak-performances in business, art or sports.

Another peculiar feature of the TM technique is that there is no difference between brainwaves of experts and beginners — one masters it quickly. In fact, the positive effects of practice are usually apparent already from the very first TM session.

Practising Transcendental Meditation With A Teacher

Transcendental meditation is a relaxation and personal development technique which is a bit different from some of the other types of meditation. In fact, unlike some of those more mainstream meditation activities such as mindfulness, you don’t need to put in that much effort or concentrate that much.

However, you will need a guide who’s happy to practise daily and you will need some training, which we’ll cover later.

Find out about hot yoga near me here.

Transcendental meditation centres on an awareness of your body and a sense of inner peace, using a mantra, silently repeated, to reach beyond conscious thought.

Your mantra can be a word, sentence, or idea which your tutor will help you discover or will assign to you. The idea is to repeat this mantra, in accordance with what your instructor is telling you to do.

For authentic transcendental meditation training, your teacher should have been trained by a Maharishi Mahesh Yogi organisation.

Your given mantra is a more thorough, more personal message than Zen meditation, for example, which many people commonly associate with religion.

Nevertheless, we can illustrate, in broad strokes, essentially how a transcendental meditation session would go:

You should be seated in a comfortable position where your body is fully supported. Such a place may be on the floor or in a chair; as you will be sitting for around 30 minutes, it would be a good idea to choose a setting most conducive to relaxation.

How To Do Transcendental Meditation: A Walk Through

Meditation is a powerful tool that involves training the mind to achieve long-lasting mental clarity, balance, and mindfulness. It has been proven to be an effective way to manage stress, anxiety, depression, and promote overall well-being.

There are many types of meditations that each caters to different purposes. One of the popular types of meditation is Transcendental meditation. What was once a practice in the East has now become a part of the lives of people in the West that even celebrities such as Hugh Jackman and Ellen DeGeneres have claimed the positive effect of this form of meditation. It also caught the interest of the English rock band, the Beatles, which then took part in a training course in India to learn how to do Transcendental Meditation.

How To Learn Transcendental Meditation By Yourself

You might have heard the phrase before and thought it was some sort of weird hippy dippy cult thing, or maybe a spiritual journey that you’d have to undergo months in the Himalayan mountains to master. The truth is, Transcendental Meditation holds no ties to any group, spiritual belief system, or philosophy. It’s so simple that anyone can practice it pretty much anywhere.  Follow along, and we’ll teach you how to learn Transcendental Meditation by yourself! 

How To Do Transcendental Meditation Without Paying

Transcendental meditation involves silently and repeatedly focusing the mind on a single mantra. This mantra can be different for every person depending on personal characteristics. Transcendental meditation can help you improve your relationships, make you thrive at work, regain your inner peace, and even make you become calmer! How can you engage in this rich and helpful form of meditation without having to pay for the usually expensive courses?

Transcendental meditation can be practiced, without paying for transcendental meditation courses, by simply following its rules, and choosing a mantra that works for you. The mantras help to create a state of awareness while the meditation takes the student into a tranquil state.

Unlike the popular mindfulness-based meditations that focus on clearing the mind of thoughts and gently bringing the attention back to the present moment when the mind wanders, transcendental meditation is based on focusing the mind on a single mantra. Is it possible to teach yourself this form of meditation, and how can you do it without paying? How can you choose the right mantra? Keep reading to get all you need to know about this rich and beneficial form of meditation.

Learning And Practicing Transcendental Meditation

Unlike some forms of meditation, TM technique requires a seven-step course of instruction from a certified teacher.

A TM teacher presents general information about the technique and its effects during a 60-minute introductory lecture. That’s followed by a second 45-minute lecture in which more specific information is given. People interested in learning the technique then attend a 10- to 15-minute interview and 1 to 2 hours of personal instruction. Following a brief ceremony, they’re each given a mantra, which they’re supposed to keep confidential.

Next come 3 days of checking for correctness with 1 or 2 more hours of instruction. In these sessions, the teacher does the following:

Explains the practice in greater detail

Gives corrections if needed

How To Practice Transcendental Meditation At Home

One of the easier methods of meditation is transcendental meditation. It does not require any preparation at all. You do not need a specific place to do it. While at work, at home, or even while traveling, you can do this.

All you need to do is be comfortable. It can be done on a bed, a chair, a train, in a car, anywhere, as long as your body is comfortable. Seat yourself comfortably, but not in an uncomfortable position or a lean position.

Just close your eyes and chant the mantras in your mind feeling them. This should take about 20 minutes. Silently repeating a mantra is part of this technique. You need not chant the mantra aloud. The mantra will allow you to transcend the physical world and enter a spiritual, peaceful realm. It’s just as easy to do.

How To Do Transcendental Meditation Step By Step

In my previous post, I have talked about the Vedic Meditation i.e. the Transcendental Meditation . So, if you do not know what Transcendental Meditation is then checking it out on this site. Today, in this article I am going to talk about how to do Transcendental Meditation step by step. So, let’s get started to know how to do Transcendental Meditation techniques for beginners…

Transcendental meditation is a form of Bhavatiya meditation mantra yoga or chanting yoga. In Transcendental Meditation, a person is given a special mantra to each person according to their nature.

Mahishi Mahesh Yogi was the master of meditation. This is a simple and natural meditation method. In this meditation we do not have to make any effort, it starts automatically. As you now know what is Transcendental Meditation method, you can see that it is very similar to mantra meditation because it uses some special mantras. 

The TM makes your mind super calm as well as lightens your body. The popularity of Bhavantya meditation is growing day by day. This meditation method can also be certified by scientists. Even in foreign countries, big institutions are open to teaching how to do Transcendental Meditation step by step. In this method, the learned teachers teach how to do Transcendental Meditation step by step to achieve all the benefits of Transcendental Meditation.

How Are Transcendental Meditation Mantras Chosen

Mantras are somewhat meaningless sounds. In transcendental meditation, it is generally accepted that the more we don’t know about our mantra, the better. Mantras are positive sounds that will help you grow in your meditation. Usually, mantras are suggested by certified transcendental teachers to their students. These mantras are assigned based on your experience in practicing transcendental meditation.

Examples of transcendental meditation mantras include:

When chanting these mantras, they sound like:

Kiiiiiiiiiiririmmmmm Kiiiiiiririmmmm

Aiinnggg Aiiiiiiiinnnnnggggggg

It is right that you vary the length and tone of each letter of your mantra while you’re chanting it. This way, it will be easier to bring about the ‘trance’ effect on your mind. How you chant your mantra does not matter as long as you chant it throughout your session.

If you are doing transcendental meditation on your own and notice the mantra you chose reminds you too much of something in real life, pick another completely meaningless to find what works for you.

How To Do Transcendental Meditation By Yourself

If for any reason, you are unable to avail a guide for transcendental meditation, you may follow these steps. 

Switch off all your mobile devices for the next 25 minutes. Set a timer or put a clock nearby to alert you. 

Sit in an upright but comfortable position, eyes closed, feet on the floor. 

Choose a simple mantra; it should be a sound, and not necessarily a word, that you can easily say and think of. For example,  

Repeat your chosen mantra silently, in your head, letting it flow within with minimal effort. Make sure that you don’t drift off, though. Focus on the mantra, and just the mantra. Let go of any ill feelings or thoughts. 

Keep going for 20 minutes.  

For the few remaining minutes of your meditation time, sit in silence, with your mind completely empty. 

Law Of Attraction And Transcendental Meditation

Do you have any kind of clear objectives for your life? Do you have concepts on exactly how you desire your life to be? Law Of Attraction And Transcendental Meditation

Do you need to compel on your own to just visit a job site as well as gradually toxin your body with short-term delight via functioning? Or would it be far better to just make changes and locate tranquility for a long time?

Just how is your life going now? Is this the course that you are on? Or should you seek your passion while changing jobs completely? Am I where I wish to remain in life today, or would certainly living somewhere else make you better?

These are all concerns worth asking before making any kind of kind of substantial decisions or modifications.

Act As If You Already Have The Thing You Desire

There’s a saying something like “fake it till you make it.” Well, this is the law of attraction at the office. If you place on an act as if something currently happened.

As an example by putting on apparel that make one look thinner and even just grinning routinely- after that it will absolutely take place!

It has to entail taking enthusiastic tasks to accomplish what we desire; such points can consist of: climbing early in addition to working out prior to work so when arriving at the workplace there’s no demand to feel worn down from lack of remainder do all jobs with power rather than dragging oneself through them.

It is necessary to have a common sense of self-care which entails not ignoring our really own requirements nevertheless instead put ourselves initially once more while keeping our mind on our goal of coming to be healthy and fit given that doing otherwise can lead us down.

This Is Your Brain On Transcendental Meditation

Whatever your particular health concerns or New Year’s resolutions may be—sharper memory, lower blood pressure, less stress, looser-fitting pants—conventional wisdom leads a lot of us straight to the gym. But decades of research paints a fascinating, promising picture of what an effortless relaxation technique called Transcendental Meditation can do you for instead—without setting foot on that treadmill.

Yep, we said effortless. Transcendental Meditation, or TM, is 20 minutes, twice a day, of profound rest and relaxation, according to its fans. Meditators use a mantra to guide their minds to a place of stillness that exists within all of us—we’re just too stressed and stretched too thin to know it’s there. If the goings-on of our buzzing, frazzled minds are like the waves on top of the ocean, the inner quiet is like the silence at the ocean’s depths, says Bob Roth, executive director of the David Lynch Foundation, which brings TM to at-risk populations like domestic abuse survivors, inmates, and inner-city students. 

This Is Your Body On Meditation

Another recent PTSD study, funded by the David Lynch Foundation, found that TM helped decrease medication use among military members with the condition. After a month, nearly 84% of the 37 meditators had stabilized, decreased, or stopped anxiety meds, while about 11% increased their dose. Among the 37 who didn’t meditate, 59% were able to stabilize, decrease, or stop their meds while 40.5% had to increase them.  

Transcendental Meditation Is Mantra Meditation

The main difference between Transcendental Meditation and other forms of meditation is the mantra you’re asked to repeat during a meditation session. “In TM, the mantra, used as the vehicle to help the mind settle down, is a meaningless sound versus other types of meditation that use words, phrases, or visualizations during the meditation practice,” says Pink. By focusing exclusively on your mantra, you aim to achieve a state of perfect stillness and consciousness.

I feel a sense of calm, and when I’m done, I have more energy and feel more focused and productive. 

While some meditation practices encourage emptying the mind of all thoughts, TM encourages thoughts to come and go, like the passive activity of watching a cloud float by. According to Pink, this is an incredible strategy to manage daily anxieties created by worrisome thinking. “It teaches you how to create a space between you and your thoughts and become an observer.”

Currently My Favorite Online Meditation Course

If you haven’t seen it by now, my buddy , developed a fantastic step-by-step 5-week meditation course, that I’ve taken myself as well and found valuable.

This course has 35 daily video lessons, organized by week – each with its own unique themes, goals, and insights. These videos cover everything, from showing you how to make meditation a daily habit, to teaching you all the different meditation techniques .

I wholeheartedly suggest this program because it teaches you to practice meditation from the “inside out” – independently.

P.S. You can get this course for only $97 which means that you’ll pay $2.7 for each lesson. That’s crazy cheap.

The Whys And Hows Of Transcendental Meditation

Learning This Technique

Transcendental meditation, also known as TM for short, is a simple and effective form of meditation that is shown by research to be quite effective at minimizing anxiety, helping people manage stress, and even lowering blood pressure?? and carrying other benefits. It gained popularity in the 1960s, even attracting the attention of the Beatles, as well as other celebrities and notable people since then.

You can learn this form of meditation from a certified TM instructor in a few days, but you can also learn the basics here. Those who practice transcendental meditation may experience a decrease in stress and anxiety within minutes. As with other forms of meditation, long-term practice can lead to even more positive changes, including resilience to stress, lower overall anxiety, and even greater life satisfaction. It’s definitely worth taking a few minutes to learn more.

Where Does Transcendental Meditation Come From

Transcendental meditation was inspired by Indian spiritual traditions and was introduced into the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1995. Maharishi helped give Indian meditation a new lease on life.

We’re talking about the 6 million people who were taught this technique around the world. A number who, despite a few controversies, are basically trying to find the keys to happiness.

Meditation is first and foremost a way to gain self-awareness, understand what’s happening deep inside yourself, and a way to battle stress and depression. In addition to these benefits, there are also a number of physical benefits to practising transcendental meditation such as feeling more relaxed and reducing your blood pressure.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi .

Born in 1917 and died in 2008, he became a symbol of an American counter-culture and was featured in a number of publications, most notably .

While some dubbed it a sect, Maharishi founded a university, schools, and colleges around the world. His success is in part due to just how simple the technique can be and the fact that there were a lot of stars who got involved.

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How Transcendental Meditation Alters The Brain

Lauren Sharkey

Transcendental meditation involves sitting with eyes shut for 15–20 minutes twice a day while saying a mantra. The practice has several advantages for mental health but, until now, it was unclear how those effects came about.

TM differs from other meditation practices in that it does not require concentration or visualization.

Instead, TM practitioners come up with a mantra, which is a word or phrase that has no real meaning.

The practitioners silently think this mantra, allowing the mind to naturally transcend, while both the mind and body remain awake, yet relaxed.

Most people can learn TM in a few months, and benefits from regular practice may include reduced feelings of stress and anxiety in a person’s everyday life.

Research has found some evidence of this. A 2013 study, appearing in Military Medicine, listed TM as a feasible treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder in active-duty military personnel.

Similarly, a study appearing in in 2014, concluded that a TM program was effective in reducing psychological distress in teachers.

A 2016 study from the same journal found significant reductions in symptoms of trauma, anxiety, and depression in prison inmates who practiced TM.

With benefits seen in a relatively short period, one field of study has dived deeper into TM to find out exactly how it helps.

Now, new findings published in Brain and Cognition point to measurable functional effects in the brain of TM practitioners.

Transcendental Meditation: Your Complete Guide Meditation

Are you looking for a newmeditation technique that is backed with science or that will offer you an abundance of benefits?

If yes, then your search ends here!

This is your complete guide to transcendental meditation. A form of meditation that recently got super famous and has nearly 5 million practitioners benefiting from it. So, are you ready to join this troop?

No, need more motivation?

Well, many celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Jerry Seinfeld, to name a few have claimed that Transcendental Meditation has changed their lives.

If they can, why do we miss this amazing meditation technique?

Let the journey to explore Transcendental Meditation begin…

What Does Transcendental Meditation Feel Like

The goal of TM is to achieve a positive state of mind and a deep sense of inner peace.

Meditation is always hard to explain to someone else in fine detail, as the feelings and experiences vary from person-to-person.

For me, however, I’d say that while I’m practicing TM I feel a deep, profound, sense of relaxation.

A much deeper state of relaxation than regular meditation. I can feel my heart slowing. Hear and feel every breath. I can feel stresses, aches and pains, and other tension I’m holding onto both physically and mentally literally floating away.

I come out of it after 20 minutes feeling a rush of mental alertness, physical energy, and a sense of clarity that’s hard to explain.

Since I started practicing, I’ve noticed a marked improvement in how calm I am at all times, improvements in my memory and concentration, and loads of positive benefits in how I handle relationships in my life.

My friends and family noticed the changes in me too.

From a scientific standpoint, TM are known to help:

Lower blood pressure

Help improve focus, attention span, and concentration

Promote emotional health

Reduce stress and anxiety

Improve sleep

– Struggling to meditate? Read how to get into a meditative state.

What Are Mantras In Transcendental Meditation

The great teacher of Transcendental Meditation Maharishi Mahesh Yogi said,

“Mantra is a specific thought which suits us, a suitable sound for us which we receive from a trained teacher of Transcendental Meditation. By using this mantra, the practitioner experiences the thought of that sound and starts minimizing that thought to experience the finer states of that thought – until the source of thought is fathomed and the conscious mind reaches the transcendental area of being.”

To put it in simpler words mantras are positive sounds that will help you grow in your life.

Characteristic Of Transcendental Meditation:

You can do this anytime and anywhere

We have 20-20 minutes to this meditation method

While doing these Transcendental Meditation basics, we have to utter some mantras, which you will get from the institution

We need to focus on something

In this meditation method, we do not need any kind of effort

We do not need any kind of concentration in this meditation

You do not even have to control your mind

This meditation is a scientific certification for depression and peace of mind. That is how does transcendental meditation work.

Transcendental Meditation How To Start Today

That’s exactly what I want to share with you today.

Trust me on this: When you know how to connect to your passion, you not only enjoy a lot more wealth, success, love, abundance and fun, but you also see your entire life taking on a more vibrant color, richness, and value.

It’s not just your bank account that is full — you also feel more fulfilled inside. The sense of struggle and having to push is gone. Everything seems so much more worthwhile. You’re excited to share what you’re doing with those you love and with the world! You feel like you’re a vital part of Life, contributing something special as only you can.

So, if you don’t currently feel that sense of burning joy and excitement in your life, what can you do about it?

The first step is to learn to read your signs. As you go about your life, notice what sparks your interest and curiosity. Let me give you an example…

Now I don’t watch much TV, but I discovered I like watching a bit of reality TV, because I find all sorts of people engaged in doing interesting things that they love – things that I would have never thought of, or never thought possible.

The point is that the various passions and paths are unique.

But what excites and interests YOU?

If money was no object and you could do anything you wanted all day, what might that be? What is important or fascinating to you?

What would you like to share with others?

If you’ve lost your feel for that, here’s a simple thing you can do to get it back:

Common Mantras For Transcendental Meditation

This meditation relies heavily on mantras that serve as a vehicle for the individual to concentrate on a particular style of mental functioning. So it’s important to choose the right mantra.

This may sound weird, but this synchronizes with the sound of your breath and is very effective.

Repeat this mantra as you breathe, so as you breathe in and hum as you breath out.

It has great vibration, which is essential for a mantra.

Hu hu hu hu: You will feel all the negativity leaving your mind as you recite this mantra. A simple mantra, it also works well.

Bodhi Svaha: This is a Buddhist word or mantra that gives peace to the mind and body.

Check out these transcendental meditation mantras according to your age and gender.

Why Should You Try Transcendental Meditation

Plain simply – Transcendental Meditation is the easiest form of meditation.

A lot of beginners of meditation are advised to do guided meditation as their intro to meditation. Personally, I tried numerous apps and while they’re helpful to understand the practice – they’re not as good as having control of your meditation at your own pace. Tm requires no concentration, no control of the mind, and no mental monitoring. These aspects of TM make it perfect for beginners.

Moreover, TM can be performed anywhere – while you’re waiting in line, at busy airports, etc. All you need is your mantra. No phone, no apps, no internet.

Lastly, there’s a lot of research that supports that TM greatly helps in reducing stress, anxiety

Benefits For Heart And Cardiovascular Health

One study from 2007 concluded that transcendental meditation “can be effective in improving the quality of life and functional capacity of African-American congestive heart failure patients.” Another study reported that the technique had a profound effect on the self-efficacy, perceived stress, and mental and physical quality of life of financially constrained mothers in Uganda. 

Can I Teach Myself Transcendental Meditation

The official recommendation on transcendental meditation is that it must be taught by a certified teacher for four consecutive days. This is because the learner may not know if they are doing it correctly. Also, the mantra you are given as a learner, and not sharing that mantra, is an important part of the meditation. Engaging the service of a certified transcendental meditation teacher is often expensive, hence many people seek to learn it on their own.

Teaching yourself this form of meditation has its benefits. In fact, with persistence and continuous improvement, the learner may become very good in the practice with time. You can start slowly, and many people have said they have experienced good results by learning transcendental meditation on their own. There are many helpful books and videos on this form of meditation that anyone interested in the practice may use. Overall, what a transcendental meditation course gives you, that you can’t get on your own, is accountability and the support of a group of like-minded people.

Some Famous Transcendental Meditation Quotes

Sometimes quotes perfectly capture how someone feels about something. TM has some high-profile practitioners who have been very outspoken about how it’s changed their lives for the better.

Here are a few of my favorites:

I do transcendental meditation, which is, I suppose, derived from Vedic or Ayurvedic principles, which is sort of Hindu principles – Russel Brand

I’m actually big into meditation, transcendental meditation, and that really helps create not only a sense of balance, but all the other stuff this is gonna sound cliché… serenity and kind of a calm state of mind. And not that I’m like that all the time, but it helps me deal with life’s ups and downs, coming from more of a centered place. Also it helps with creativity – Eva Mendes

I think is what people need. They don’t need high minded talk, they need results – Paul McCartney

Transcendental Meditation is a mental technique, so you travel to this field through subtler levels of mind, and then subtler levels of intellect, and then, at the border of intellect, you transcend and experience it – David Lynch

The goal of the Transcendental Meditation technique is the state of enlightenment. This means we experience that inner calmness, that quiet state of least excitation, even when we are dynamically busy – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

If world peace is to be established, peace in the individual must be established first. Transcendental Meditation directly brings peace in the individual life – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Ask On Your Own Why This Is Happening To You

It’s continuously excellent to assess your life and likewise ask on your own what you’re grateful for.

What are the excellent ideas that have struck me?

What do I such as regarding my life currently and additionally precisely how can these be used as a stepping rock towards attaining more of those very same goals/dreams in future years beforehand?

These issues will absolutely aid us figure out if there’s something we need or want from our lives, which can then lead flawlessly into activity 6!

How Do I Practice Transcendental Meditation

Many reports support that T.M. technique should be practiced with a certified teacher while other advice that this seven-step course can be learned on your own. So we are covering both the aspects of practicing TM in this write-up.

Learning and Practicing Transcendental Meditation with Teacher

If you are planning to learn TM technique through a certified teacher you have to go through a seven-step course of instruction. This is what this seven-step TM procedure will comprise of:

1. In the first step of the TM technique, the teacher shares the relevant information and impact of it through a 60-minute introductory lecture.

2. This is followed by another specific information related lecture of 45 minutes.

3. Further people who find the TM technique interesting and wish to learn it attend a 15-minute interview.

4. This is followed by 1-3 hours of personal instructions.

5. After this, a mantra is given to them .

6. The correctness of practice and mantra chanting is seen for the coming 3 days. It is done by 1-2 hours of instruction so that mantra chanting becomes perfect and a part of an individual’s daily lifestyle.

7. Over the coming months, the teacher meets the practitioner regularly to ensure that they are practicing the TM technique correctly.

Learning and Transcendental Meditation on Your Own

Here is a step-by-step for you to follow and practice TM:

What Are Transcendental Meditation Mantras

So what are those mantras we spoke of before? Well, the word mantra translates to ‘mind vehicle’ is derived from Sanskrit: man = mind, tra = vehicle. For the TM technique – they are meaning-less sounds. These mantras hold value in the quality of the sound of the mantra rather than any special meaning.

Should You Begin Transcendental Meditation

The official website of transcendental meditation presents four major reasons to try the method.  

It promotes the technique as one that does not require a disproportionate amount of effort or mentally taxing skill just to work. In fact, they outright state that the method is by no means intended to “empty the mind,” and that even children diagnosed with ADHD would have no trouble performing the practice. 

Transcendental meditation courses are tailored specifically for the practitioner. The technique is taught by a single teacher to a single student, and is crafted based on your needs and preferences. Furthermore, only official transcendental meditation instructors are permitted to teach you the technique. That’s why there isn’t a single routine or formula that one can pull up and just follow to a T. 

It’s purportedly “guaranteed” to work. As a matter of fact, it even comes with a satisfaction guarantee. 

Perhaps the most compelling reason: the science checks out. According to their own tally, there are hundreds of research studies that have been published in the past few years, attesting to the transcendental meditation technique’s significant impact on preventing heart diseases, neurological functionality, and relieving stress. 

[hexwhale-blog1]

10 Remote Working Tools for Online Collaboration

Sitting on the veranda in a comfortable armchair with a large cup of hot coffee and working from home was a dream most of us wished for. But, now it is the reality. We are living in the era of the remote working tools when millennials favor a new role based on its flexibility, both in working hours as well as location.

Remote working has been on the rise for some time now. It is majorly at the forefront of how organizations can enable flexibility for their employees. Employers are now understanding that the home office can actually enhance productivity and with advanced technology, it has never been this easy to set up a professional working environment at home empowering efficiency.

Moreover, COVID-19 has forced the pace of evolution around remote working. And, workers are quickly adapting schedules, home offices, and habits so that Work From Home(WFH) is both manageable and productive. Remote working can pose some challenges. However, it also opens up the possibility of creating positive changes and increased collaboration amongst work teams. For those companies that have already adopted remote working, some of the benefits that they have been enjoying include:

Your business becomes more attractive to top talent.

Having team members spread out across time zones can give your business a 24/7 presence.

Gain cultural insights and different perspectives.

Expand your business presence and make connections in other markets.

There are plenty of other potential benefits too. There are also challenges that come along with being part of and/or managing a distributed team. Here, we emphasize on the best remote working tools for distributed teams to overcome those challenges and enjoy more benefits. The first step is to design a distraction-free environment. Choose the best remote working tool to incorporate professional technology at home.  To ease it for you, here is a list of 10 essential remote working tools for team management that can work for any business’s success:

Slack

While managing remote teams, the secret to successful management and work output is proper communication. Slack is a collaboration hub that can replace emails helping you and your remote teamwork together via instant messages. It is probably one of the most popular professional chatting programs. Slack is an online-based chat room accessible to all team members. It supports the way people naturally work together, so you can collaborate with people online. It is a great platform for sharing files, brainstorming, staying informed on matters related to industry news as well as for comparing notes.

In Slack, you can also have a conversation with yourself. As funny as it sounds, most of them actually do this. When you are on the go and come across an article that you want to read later or want to write a work-related note for yourself, you can use the Slack app. Another interesting feature of slack is reminders. You can set who or in which channel to remind of what and when.

Its main advantages include:

ease-of-use

many useful integrations to tools you already use,

a dev-first approach,

bots,

code-sharing and more

If you aren’t using Slack, then now is the right time that you try it. You can create work channels for different teams so that every piece of information will have its own place.

Zoom

Zoom is a very popular video communication tool, with an easy and reliable cloud platform for audio and video conferencing, collaboration, chat, and webinars compatible across all devices. With Zoom, you can discuss tasks that need a more detailed explanation while sharing screens to show the person on the other end how to do a task.

Invitation-only meetings can also be hosted so that only those who have been invited will be able to access the video conference. This ensures that you are not interrupted by random calls, as this app is tailored for serious meetings. Zoom Rooms can also be made which are conference rooms for team collaboration. So, professional space is present for teams to share and implement ideas.

The advantages of the Zoom app includes:

Attendees can join the meeting in-person via webcam or phone.

Mobile screen sharing is present so that you can stay in touch with your colleagues wherever you are.

Meetings can be recorded on your device or the Zoom cloud for later reviewing.

You can sync Zoom with Slack.

Jira

Task-driven project management is a fine art that changes from one individual to another. So, choosing the right tool for the job can go a long way in making your team productive and achieving your goals.

Jira is a project management tool for tracking bugs, issue tracking, and project management used by development and technical support teams to get the work done faster.

The advantages of Jira tool include:

Transparency: Your team can track the progress of their daily tasks, make adjustments to estimates, and see what other team members are up to. This, in turn, eliminates the need to go and directly ask each of your teammates what he/she is up to.

Easier Communication: When a project manager assigns tickets to a team member on Jira, he/she will be notified through email. They can add comments and mark their work progress while working on the task.

It uses flexible Kanban boards that give your team full visibility into what’s next so that you can continuously deliver maximum output in a minimum time frame.

It provides access to out-of-the-box reports with real-time, actionable insights into how the team is performing sprint over sprint.

Information can be brought from your favorite version control, deployment or feature flagging tool into Jira to get instant visibility into your development pipeline

Trello

Trello has gained popularity lately for keeping a track of all our assignments and tasks. It is a collaboration tool that organizes your projects and tasks into Kanban boards replacing the whiteboards filled with sticky notes with each note as a task for you and your team. You can use Trello as an individual tracker to track your assignments, or your entire team can use it to assign different tasks to different people on the team. It is also a unique system because it is the best Kanban-style option.

The perks of using Trello for remote working are:

Trello tells you who is working on what, which task is being done, and which work is in progress.

Real-time updates that stay there 24/7.

Weekly Meetings can be organized by adding a dedicated board that outlines a structured agenda for your team’s weekly/daily meetings.

You can create cards for important items like projects and team activities to offer an overview and link it to related boards, documents, and chat channels for those who want to know more.

You can stay in the loop by setting up configurable alerts to notify Slack channels automatically for tasks in Trello.

Asana

When you have to keep a track of projects within your team, Asana is a great task management tool that helps you do it. Asana ensures that everyone is on the same page and each team member is taking care of their assigned projects. You can set up and control everything from your place. You can ensure that the entire team is on board with it. All you have to do is create the projects and assign the tasks to each of your team members. Once they are aware of their assignments, they can take ownership of it and ensure that everything is done correctly.

Asana allows you to create plans in different formats making it easier and useful for you. It also allows you to set dependencies, determine different priorities, and map out everything into a step-by-step procedure. You can see where everyone is working and what tasks each person is responsible for. It also ensures that none of your teammates overwork doing too many tasks at once.

Monday

Monday is a simple and intuitive visual team management tool. It powers teams to run processes, workflows, and projects in a single digital workspace. This tool looks pretty much similar to a collection of customized spreadsheets where every team member can enter their tasks and update them with status reports and other relevant details. So, this way every person can see all active tasks and keep a track of their progress. Also, you can design, own and use the boards all by yourselves.

Key Features of Monday:

Project Management: Monday is an advanced project management tool. It helps large teams and individual team members plan and achieve more ambitious targets.

Task Management: Each task is treated as building blocks to project goals by this extensive task manager.

Views: You can check project timelines, project overviews, checklists, individual workflows, and reports.

Track Progress: You can track tasks, update work status, receive notifications when deadlines are looming and prioritize or re-assign tasks with ease.

Weekly Task Loads: Using Monday’s weekly overview, team members can work on multiple projects without getting lost.

File-Sharing: Files can be uploaded and shared so that all have access to the resources they need through the same dashboard.

Basecamp

Basecamp is a real-time communication tool helping teams to stay on the same page. It a popular choice amongst project managers, team members, and freelancers for its clean design, simple functionality, and elegant usability. It is a project management and team collaboration software solution helping you to manage projects and communicate with clients in a systematic way. Basecamp offers a wide range of features for sharing ideas, organizing conversations, and keeping everyone on the same page throughout the project.

However, you might experience limitations like no time tracking, no ability to archive topics, no subtasks, no professional team hierarchy, and so on. Well, at the end of the day, it is your specific needs that decides whether a tool is ideal for your company or not. So, if Basecamp seems like a good choice for you, you should give it a try.

Key Features of Basecamp:

Every project involves the tools that all teams require for working remotely like to-dos, message boards, docs, schedules, real-time group chat, file storage, and automatic check-in questions.

Basecamp’s real-time group chats called Campfires lets you ask questions and get answers quickly, without reaching for a separate app.

You can also have private conversations with your teammate.

You can also give access to the client.

Google Suite

Google Suite is a series of many different applications and each one helps you to stay more productive. Almost everyone has a Gmail address as they are convenient, free, and user-friendly. Additionally, the Google Suite offers Google Docs, Google Drive, and Google Calendar. All these together helps you stay on top of everything that is happening in your business, no matter where you are.

The features of the Google Suite include:

Google Docs: This allows you to create documents that you can share in real-time with your team allowing all to collaborate on different projects and come up with ideas as a team.

Drive: With Google drive, you can upload files that are done elsewhere so that it can be seen by the entire team. Or you can upload them to folders to turn in your work.

Google Calendar: This allows you to set up meetings and schedules. You can even pull times and dates from your email directly so that you never forget a thing.

The advantages of this remote work tool are:

It allows employees in different time zones to work on projects asynchronously.

Enables communication with colleagues through Google Hangouts.

Information and documents can be shared.

You can comment and provide suggestions on specific documents through Google Sheets and Docs.

We can edit docs in coordination with each other in real-time.

You can collaborate on projects and documents giving permission to specific files through Google Drive.

Information can be collected through Google Forms.

InVision

As a designer, you require a technique to get creative and to turn this creative aspect into something physical. That is where InVision comes into the picture. With InVision, you can create every aspect of your design right from the very first ideas and prototypes onwards. You can initiate by creating ideas together on a whiteboard. InVision is a platform for those who are making real products that will one day be kept on the shelf for selling. Each member of any design team can work on their tasks and begin creating their prototype ideas, collaborate on their projects. They can also get feedback that they can improve on regarding what they are doing and turn it into a real product. Different ideas and inspiration can be taken through your boards and can be given to anyone who needs to see it. You can also turn around and pass your project off to someone else so that they can take over for the next phase. So, you can begin from a sketch and turn it into something real with InVision.

Key Features of InVision include:

Prototyping: Interactive prototypes complete with working links, animations and effects can be made so that developers, clients, and team members can view what the end product looks and feels like. Collaboration: From idea creation to sharing files and working on design files, InVision offers the collaborative tools that all remote designers need. Messaging: Team members can exchange ideas, work on projects, and provide feedback on other’s work. Design management: Projects and ongoing design processes can be managed by team leaders. Integrated development: A seamless design and development process is done where both teams can collaborate and work together as projects progress from one stage to the next.

Timezone.io

Remote working can be difficult because everyone is present in different places. If you decide to make a local business into a remote company, it might be easy enough to communicate with everyone because you are in the same small area. Whereas, if you have a large scale business, your employees might be present across the country or sometimes, even across the globe. This makes it more challenging to communicate with them. It is also difficult to ensure that they are on task and comfortable with their assignments.

Coordinating with your team members and checking on them once in a while is the best way to keep everyone happy and productive. That is where Timezone.io steps in. Timezone.io enables you to see what time they are working and how you can collaborate with them better during these times. It also lets you see the time zone easily that your employees are working from. This way, both of you can get the help/feedback that you are looking for. And, you need not have to worry about missing connections because of the different time zones.

Conclusion

Productivity tools are essential for every business. However, they are literally the only connection remote teams have to rely on. So you better ensure you choose the right remote working tool. All the tools that we have looked at in this blog serve different purposes. But, each one of them is imperative for establishing a collaborative workflow and maximizing productivity. All the above tools are a starter kit for distributed teams to hit targets, no matter how far out team members might be.

[scithemodestmermaid]

now for bethesda e3

my notes as follows, although i am finger knitting as well so we shall see how this works out

they showed footage from the fallout 76 marketing party in their butt-kissing montage

this year i’m just watching bethesda to see how they cover up the fallout 76 fiasco

pete hines, that’s a name i havent heard from since before fallout 76′s crash and burn.  

the audience is eating pete’s crap right up, have we really completely healed and moved on?

pete hines is in full ass-kiss mode.  like, even more than the xbox and ea folks were.

wow todd howard had the balls to get on this stage.

“incredibly exciting years, given how exciting it was we are surprised you’re still here.”  and that’s probably the closest to an apology we will get.

WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE CHEERING FALLOUT 76.

“we got a lot of well-deserved criticism,” okay that’s a good start, “and now we have an amazing post-apocalyptic wasteland and here’s some more one-liners and ass-kissing and here’s the future and this is all we are going to say on this matter, let’s talk about the other games.” you started out so well todd, where’s the freakin apology for the broken games and shattered promises and doxxing?  how the hell did you take that scenario and spin it as a good thing.

wait, blades is in early access?

blades on de switch.    that’s good, because i really wanted to play blades and i doubt my phone could handle it.

i’m still impressed how giddy this audience is, like not a single shred of bitterness.

more fallout 76

millions of players?

wait that one lady screaming, that is the same lady who was screaming at this crap last year

wastelanders dlc guess what it adds?  human npcs and speech checks!  like what should have been in the game from the beginning!

but....but can we kiss these npcs? 

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FREAKIN MUTANT

i mean i am glad that full dialogue trees are back, also halfway decent speech checks. 

free trial on the game for everyone from june 10-17.  that’s nice.

also, battle royale mode.  but here’s the great part, it seems that it is hosted by a cold-voiced AI.  i’m on-turned, personally.

i’m tempted to give the trial a go, but i also just wanna wait until it comes to steam.

speaking of, are you guys gonna say when it comes to steam?  no?  ok.

todd kissing his company’s ass some more.

and the audience’s.

a new game out of nowhere, ghostwire tokyo.

the girl doing this announcement is adorable and doing really well seeing as how she apparently doesn’t speak english, and she has sold this game for me and i don’t even know what it is about.

more asskissing!  hey, how about instead of making us forget your mistakes and distasters from the past year by buttering us up, you fucking apologize.

elder scrolls online, and the guy who worked on the game can’t even call the khajit by their name.

i still like how they went against the lore they came up with by having dragons just show up even though the skyrim lore says they shouldn’t have been there at that point.

also the dragons are just mindless beasts instead of the nuanced warrior kings from skyrim.

the khajit looks astounding though, so thats good.

THIS KHAJIT SHOULD BE A MAJOR CHARACTER IN A SINGLEPLAYER GAME, THEY’RE WASTED ON THIS MMO TRAILER

audience needs to shut up, none of this is THAT exciting.

“scalebreaker” ONE ASSHOLE LOSES HIS MIND EVEN THOUGH NOBODY KNOWS WHAT SCALEBREAKER EVEN IS ABOUT

new game to be premiered, right now.

“classic saturday morning cartoon in free to play mobile game form?”  okay, impress me.  “ITS COMMANDER KEEN”  wow, i didn’t even play commander keen as a kid and this is hurting my childhood.

what the heck is this gameplay?

“at bethesda we, like you, enjoy  mobile games.”  ummmmmmm, yeah not really.  i uninstalled shelter a while back.

and now legends, with a really stupid looking live action trailer.  they spent money on this.  money that couldve have been used towards game making.

dragons again.

if you’re looking for a card game that is a bit more difficult, you could friggin play artifact but everybody butthurted out of that so nvm here’s our overhyped card game instead.

rage 2.  that game came out already?

lol iits so quirky and funny, it’s great love us love our game

wolfenstein.

the two games they announced last year, let us just remind you all they exist.

the vr game and the co-op game with the guy’s twin daughters.

coming out a few days before my birthday, though.  thanks bethesda?

wait its the dishonored devs.

wait the hell is this?

is that dave fennoy again?

so is this a time loop battle royale?

Deathloop. two people constantly fighting, story-driven, and lots of ways to approach things.  but nothing else even explained about it.

more.  ass.  kissing.  now they are saying about how games made them less introverted and dumb stuff.

the director of bethesda publishing is saying that they’re the inventors of the fps, when really they just freakin bought the people who invented.

also they were low-key bragging about creation club.

new tech for game streaming called orion.

it is an integrated streaming device?

they’re streaming from the computer to a mobile phone, and honestly that really looked like it could be easily faked.  i am filled with doubt.

doom eternal now.  this is apparently the highlight of the conference, but i’ve never cared about the doom franchise so i can’t bring myself to care.

holy cow, gameplay???  at e3??????

i just hear doomy ternal instead of doom eternal.

walked away to put up dishes, came back and they are still on doomy ternal.

doomy ternal releases in november 22, for those of yall who care about it

preorder the collector’s edition, that went so well with fallout 76!

also doomy ternal battle mode

and that’s the end of the bethesda conference.  and it kinda sucked.  i went in with low expectations, and i’m still kind of disappointed.  although fallout 76 may have added a new psycho AI husbando for me so at least i have that

[awesomeblockchain]

You don't own your items. That lucky knife skin you scored in CS:GO? The cool Halloween-themed Overwatch outfit? Nope. Property of the developers who let you use it. That value is destined to stay within the game's ecosystem, and we've never had a better technical solution. That's the problem Enjin is trying to solve.

It didn't take long for the blockchain to enter gaming. The two tech-savvy crowds form a solidly joined Venn diagram, and we're already losing track of all the startups aiming to use the new technology to carve out their little niche in the gaming space.

While most of the esports focused cryptocurrencies focus on betting - some legitimate, some less so - Enjin is focused on true ownership. Whether that be ownership of games, or items, or persistent character traits, or whatever else the developer can think of. It's a platform for others to get creative with.

Having flirted with entering the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation for months, Enjin Coin moves from gaming show to gaming show, preaching the word of adoption. If developers don't adopt, none of the cool stuff happens. If they do, the sky is the limit. The difference is Enjin has some great ideas about how to get people on board.

We sat down with Enjin's head of dev tech Pat LaBine to chat about what the blockchain could bring to our space. His background is gaming, not crypto. A 13-year veteran of Bioware and IO, he's worked on titles like Mass Effect, Jade Empire, Dragon Age, Hitman, and even a much older version of Anthem.

His expertise reflects the team. They're mostly game developers, not just mathematicians. And perhaps that's why they have what we think is the best strategy for getting people started.

Enjin Coin - or blockchain tech in gaming, for that matter - has no killer app. Enjin is focused on making a platform, and letting developers use it in all the innovative ways they can think of. There's no roadmap here - it's all new.

But seeing as he ditched his life as a videogame executive, we figured LaBine would have some crystallised ideas about where the tech could take us.

-Provable scarcity," he told us. -It's good to show people sometimes that there are only ten of these in the world. And you can actually go on a blockchain scanner and see - you don't know who they are - but you can see only 10 people own these things.

-I look at it like, you're going to have this digital garage of stuff you collect from playing games over and over. You could have tokens from a game you played five years ago, and maybe some of them are worth something."

But what ensures those items will have value beyond the game's lifecycle? Isn't the value still tied to the game? What happens if people just stop playing it?

-Every token you create, you actually have to give it a value, and you have to spend real-world value to craft that," explains LaBine. -So it would be like spending real-world materials like metal. Like you need to buy the metal - in this case, it's Enjin Coin - to forge the sword out of it. So there's always a minimum back value for it out there.

-So, the Black Lotus, which is a Magic: The Gathering card, it's an extremely popular and rare card. It's only five cents of paper. But it could be worth thousands of dollars. Same with these tokens."

Pat LaBine fully expects that many gamers won't even know about the crypto side of the coin. They'll just know that they can trade their items, and if need be, melt them down to the raw Enjin Coin value to be used elsewhere. But you won't have to be a developer to benefit monetarily from the crypto side.

With item rarity being not only provable but enforceable, it's even possible to attach items to a one-time event or achievement. The winners of a DOTA 2 tournament could merge their team skin with an Enjin Coin and trade it like a signed Messi jersey. A world record speedrunner could offer something similar to their streaming audience.

-That could be a good way for an esports team to create revenue," says LaBine.

The cryptocurrency space is prone to outlandish claims, and we've already seen a few in the gaming space. Much of the time, it comes in the form of inflated numbers. -We serve 3 billion gamers!" is a real boast currently made by one coin unaware of its self-parody.

One such claim that caught our eye was GameCredits' proposed strategy of creating its own game-making engine to create games around using the coin. We weren't sure what was more arrogant: reinventing the wheel, or the assumption people will abandon their favourite developer environment to make a game involving one proprietary crypto.

Far more realistic is Enjin's strategy of integrating into existing engines. Tools are on the way for both Unity and Unreal - the two most popular engines - which require no coding to use. It even recently announced support for Godot.

-You need some basic knowledge of how they work, but you don't have to code the smart contracts," says LaBine. -So theoretically the target user we're looking at is a technical designer. Familiar with the tools but won't necessarily know how to code."

While there's certainly an overlap among developers and those interested in crypto, keeping the learning curve small is key. To borrow Unity's motto, modern engines have somewhat democratised game development, and those walls between creators and their vision should stay levelled.

To that end, Enjin Coin wants to have a developer portal in the future that shows off different use cases. Much like the Unity Store's example projects, Enjin's portal will have a -game as a token" project or an example of a token-enabled collectible card game.

Unity users will soon be able to download the tools for free, and Enjin won't take a cut of transactions made through the technology. The barriers to entry are low to facilitate maximum experimentation. And should any promising projects emerge, Enjin has earmarked 10% of its coins for partnerships and developer incentives - it can effectively fund them.

We've seen enough -top wallets in crypto" articles to see the Enjin wallet mentioned a few times. It's touted as one of the most secure in the world, and we wondered what the strategy was behind a gaming crypto investing so much time and energy into a wallet.

-It's to get people into the ecosystem," explains LaBine. -It's a place where you can see all of your games and items. We'll open source it at some point but for now it's closed source. But who knows, we might have skinned wallets, like a Blizzard wallet or stuff like that, if they allow it."

LaBine opened up his own wallet full of gaming items for us to see. It's currently a minimalist UI and will be expanded before it hopes to shoulder the burden of your entire game item collection. But it works - LaBine can send you a sword in Minecraft on demand.

As for wallets themed on other companies? While possible, they may already be making their own moves into the space. LaBine expects early adopters to be mostly indie, but now that he's known as the -gaming crypto guy" to his career's worth of triple-A contacts, he's had executives picking his brain.

-Yeah, we've had a couple of conversations with them," he says. -Don't count the big triple-A studios out, because they all have skunkworks departments, and they are definitely working on blockchain stuff. They're just not telling anybody about it.

-They don't know how they're going to use it yet, a lot of the time. But it's going to happen at some point. One of the big publishers is going to come out with Ubisoft Coin or something like that. Steam Coin, or whatever."

The big question with any cryptocurrency is -what can this do that a database can't?"

-I think traditional systems do a good enough job most of the time. But databases can't provide true ownership of the tokens to you," he says. -They're basically just leased to you, at their whim. So you could be banned - we see that in esports. As a value proposition, I don't know that that's compelling enough.

-For a developer, you don't require as much infrastructure because you're leveraging the Ethereum network and all the properties of that network. You don't need a huge security team, or DevOps, to administer. That removes the customer service element that you might traditionally need, running your own giant databases.

-But again, it depends on where the market goes, right? Like, what players think is valuable. Some of my friends are like, 'Yeah, I don't care.' So you put 200 hours into Overwatch and you don't care that you don't own the skins? And they're like, 'Nah.'"

In the case of Enjin Coin, there will be interesting use cases made newly possible. But much of its appeal is doing the same things with increased confidence. The idea of a digital collector, for instance, is less likely to occur if the collector is technically leasing items behind mountain-sized EULA agreements.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect is the fact that separate systems can be designed to interface with any token. It's rare enough to see your RPG characters carry over into a sequel. But what if they could carry over into any game? Progress in one game could affect the world of another. If the receiving software knows how to interpret the token, anything is possible.

For all the bluster in the crypto space, LaBine is refreshingly frank about the issue.

-We know it's going somewhere, but I don't what form it will take," he says. -Blockchain isn't as sexy as AR/VR. Those techs have been around for 30 years at least, as an idea. But blockchain hasn't been around very long, as Bitcoin and whatnot. As an idea, it's very new. You'll see some people doing wacky experiments with them, and mostly crash and burn, but somebody will figure something out. And people will be like, 'Cool, I get it now!'

-So I don't know which way it'll actually go. It may not even take off at all. But I can easily think of a world where my son is playing Fortnite or PUBG, and all these items are things he could own and give to his friends. I could easily think of people saying 'How was it not like this before?' I worked at big studios for a long time, and this time I actually feel like I'm slightly ahead of the curve. So that's exciting, but it's also kind of scary."

https://ift.tt/2u6qoAo

[jccamus]

What to expect at Google I/O 2018

Google

It's somehow already May, which means Google's I/O developer conference is right around the corner: next week, in fact. The show is once again being held in scenic Mountain View, California, and with its keynotes, sessions and musical acts, I/O feels like a developer conference with just a hint of Coachella. Personally, we're going for the hard news, and we expect a lot of it, even despite a recent, massive Google news dump. In anticipation of all that action, here's a quick primer on what we know Google has in store for I/O, along with a few things we're likely to see once the show kicks off on Tuesday.

Android P

Google's latest version of Android is already available for tinkerers, so the broad strokes are well known at this point. Expect to hear the company lay out its vision of how these features fit together in greater detail. On a more mechanical level, lots of sessions are dedicated to getting developers acquainted with under-the-hood changes that come with Android P. If that's not applicable to you, we're also hoping to get an in-depth look at the new gesture-based navigation system coming to Android P (though it may be a Pixel exclusive) along with Google's lighter, rounder new take on Material Design.

For those of you who haven't felt comfortable flashing early software onto your phones, I/O typically marks the release of a second, more stable developer preview. These releases are much closer to full daily driver quality, and since we haven't run into any major issues in the initial release, you probably don't need to worry too much about taking this build for a spin. (Disclaimer: Please don't install the second dev preview unless you've made backups and know what you're getting into!) We aren't expecting a confirmation on what Android P will actually be called when it launches, but we'll let you know if the company starts serving popsicles.

The future of Wear OS

There was a time when you couldn't escape Google-powered smartwatches, but those days seem mostly over. That doesn't mean Google has given up though: It recently rebranded Android Wear as Wear OS to better reflect the fact that a solid chunk of its users have iPhones, and it baked new Google Assistant features into the platform for good measure. That Google is hosting a "What's new with Wear OS" session at the show suggests that something interesting for wearable fans should pop up, but at this point, it's anyone's guess as to what new features Google has planned.

Chrome OS

Everyone's favorite browser-based operating system is poised to receive at least one big update, and I/O would be the perfect time for Google to talk about it. According to Chrome Unboxed, the search giant has quietly been working to build Linux app compatibility into Chrome OS for some time now, and the feature recently found its way into a Chrome OS developer build. There's no ambiguity left, people: It won't be long before you're able to run "Linux tools, editors and IDEs" on your Chromebooks. Given that the lack of native desktop apps has been problematic for some people considering a switch to Chrome OS, this is huge news: With browser-based Chrome apps, Android apps from the Play Store and this new support for Linux software, Chrome OS might soon be able to rival more-traditional PCs in sheer functionality. That might not mean a lot to mainstream computer buyers, but it sounds like Chrome OS has the potential to become a platform where real dev work is done. We could see I/O's audience eating this up.

We've also recently seen Chrome OS make its first outing onto a proper tablet, and we'd be shocked if Google or its hardware partners didn't have more to say on the matter. We're not sure how much spotlight this is going to get, but since Android apps can now run Chromebooks, Google has a session scheduled to help developers tune their apps for different inputs and bigger screens. If we're lucky, we'll get to lay our eyes on some neat demos.

Google Assistant

Google's Assistant often feels like the most well-rounded of the virtual assistants out there right now, and there's no way the company won't use its keynotes next week to highlight new changes to the platform. Exactly what kinds of changes to expect, however, remain to be seen. We've seen devices like the new G7 ThinQ run with new, device-specific Google Assistant commands (you know, like, "Hey Google, take a wide-angle selfie"), and we wouldn't be surprised to see a few other smartphone makers show off similarly deep integrations at I/O.

Google and its hardware partners also showed off a slew of so-called smart displays for the Assistant back at CES, complete with a sleek new interface that's designed for bigger screens. Lenovo has one, as does LG and JBL, but none of them have actually hit the market yet since the underlying Android Things OS is only now nearing completion. In the past year or so, the platform has been updated with machine learning and improved camera support for certain kinds of devices, so hopefully Google will lay out a clearer vision of what it wants these new screens to do for us. If we're lucky, Google's partners will actually announce some release dates too.

Android Auto

Until the day driverless cars become ubiquitous and we're free to goof around on our phones behind the wheel, platforms like Android Auto will serve to put familiar features on dashboards. Android Auto has seen a relatively solid stream of enhancements since it launched in 2015, including, most recently, the addition of Google Assistant.

Curiously, Google's own I/O companion app suggests some big changes. A map listing for an Android Auto sandbox -- basically a glorified hands-on space -- revealed the existence of a "brand new media experience ... both on your phone screen and on your car display, making it easier and faster than ever before to surface content to users." That's not all: This new automotive interface will have optimized versions of services like Google Maps, Assistant and the Play Store. Since in-car LTE is growing more common, we might soon be able to download apps directly from the Play Store and onto our cars.

Android TV

Apple TVs, Fire TVs, Roku sticks and more have all become mainstays in living rooms around the world, but Android TV hasn't had the same kind of penetration. Based on the published agendas, Google plans to talk about developer features and ways the platform is evolving, which will be fascinating to see in light of the competition. A recent appearance by a Google-branded HDMI dongle at the FCC has only added fuel to the fire, especially since the filing was unceremoniously yanked from the commission's database after getting too much attention. Google tends to thoroughly show off new hardware at a separate event later in the year, but the timing seems right for an announcement -- after all, the company revealed its plans for standalone Daydream VR headsets last year, so talk of new devices isn't exactly rare at I/O.

Fuchsia

We listed this as a long shot last year, and honestly, we're not sure this year will be any different. For those just catching up, Fuchsia is the third major operating system in Google's portfolio, and unlike Android and Chrome OS, there's little in the way of hard detail. Persistent rumors suggest it's meant to be a sort of hybrid operating system to possibly unify or replace Android and Chrome OS, while a deep dive performed by Ars Technica earlier this year revealed an interface that, while actually quite pretty, was barely functional. Long story short, Fuchsia's true nature and mission are still shrouded in secrecy, and we can only hope that Google decides to get a little more chatty on the subject next week.

Publicado en Engadget https://ift.tt/2wdll2r vía IFTTT

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Kik Messenger Apk File Obtain

Place the APK file in your telephone's SDcard or Internal memory (ideally exterior SDcard). If the APK file does not exist on Google Play, we'll search it in our cache or different licensed APK host site and obtain it. As the next image shows, the APK file is from Google Play. So in case you have a video clip containing any second from a special occasion, then use Kik to share the video with folks you care about.

Here on this web site We've purpose provide you with the newest breaking information and movies straight direct to you with none delay. Kik apk has the power of sending messages, footage, movies, voice cuts, doc information or another shared issues unlimitedly.

The answer to this is to put in an Android emulator like BlueStacks or Andy Software Currently that is the one option to set up Kik for laptop users. You can then share the movie star news, gossips or latest articles with your mates using Kik chat.

For that, you will have a Apple ID. Sadly, there are no different methods to make use of KiK Messenger on Apple units. One of many exceptional options of this APK is that it allows you to begin a public group conversation. Discover and share music, games, movie star gossip and many more without exiting Kik.

However I be more then glad if instead of getting the integrated kik digicam we can use regular cellphone digicam after we hit the digital camera possibility in the new kik if its potential. Verify the file you downloaded shouldn't be corrupt and was not tampered with using the file hashes above.

A modded Kik” is an unauthorized version of Kik Messenger and therefore, being unauthorized, just isn't necessarily safe or healthy on your system. It's possible you'll not be capable of use among the app's features while you modify it, and the developer workforce at Kik Messenger is not going to present any form of technical support for a modified app.

Now click on on the downloaded APK file after which hit the Set up button and settle for all the terms and condition of the application. Kik Apk for Android permits customers to ship text messages, photos and chatting collectively in real time. This isn't saying that the one who developed the mod is a nasty programmer or has bad intentions just that they aren't associated with Kik Messenger and their modifications haven't been verified or licensed by Kik Interactive.

Hope you favored this article on Learn how to Obtain and install Kik for COMPUTER and kik apk direct download links. Other mods do not open up the Smiley Store packs but allow you to get 1000's of Kik Factors to buy them. Kik is completely different than several different communication apps like Whatsapp as it would not require any cellphone number.

Therefore, if you wish to download the KIK APK file in your system then just go and visit the advocate website and obtain it. Or you'll be able to instantly tap on the link below to obtain the KIK APK file on your gadget. Now, you can begin looking for the brand new friends and can spend your time on this finest chatting apk app.

Sorry it took me so long the positioning was hacked into and the websites dev lastly fixed it. I might fee this kik #1 on the record but that is simply my opinion. Listed here are among the best features of moded kikapp apk why you must have this finest Apk in your android.

Search for the most well-liked Kik mods on the Internet or in an app offered byapk file websites. Kik online messenger is a new LAPTOP-based app that permits you to entry Kik Messenger online from the consolation of your private Home windows primarily based computer. If, nonetheless, you don't really perceive what an APK file is, do learn on. We are going to attempt to clarify what an APK file in as informative and easy to know method as we presumably can.

This way you can simply install the KIK APK file in your gadget, by simply following this instruction within the above. AppsInsider is on-line place for get all android apps, apps for laptop, accessible apps for iOS and extra. As a result of it is a stand-alone model of Kik Messenger and never a modification that you just set up into your licensed Kik app, some mod followers have several modded variations of Kik on a tool.

Each time someone wants to download an APK file from , we'll check the corresponding APK file on Google Play and permit user download it instantly (in fact, we'll cache it on our server). Almost everyone utilizing Kik Messenger is aware of about these pretend camera tools and apps.

In.an analogous means, if you wish to download KiK Messenger APK for PC, we recommend you to obtain BlueStacks, an android emulator software program that allows you to run Android apps on your pc. After getting an Android emulator on your home pc, go to a type of APK download websites and observe the Android emulator set up instructions.

Click on on the above hyperlink to proceed to the apk file download page or app buy page. That is the one app that will backup and restore your whole kik conversations. If in case you have the smallest suspicion a particular APK obtain web site could contain any of these, then you should not download something from it. You will never be capable of know if any of the sites offering APK file download are 100% secure.

It is usually handy to know learn how to download an APK file if you are inquisitive kik apk for samsung galaxy ace about using an older model of the Kik Messenger file (whether or not it might be on your good cellphone, any other cellular machine, or home computer), or if you want to an Android emulator on your COMPUTER with a purpose to run the Kik Messenger app.

Yes, emojis, with that you can communicate whatever involves your mind with your dear ones no matter wherever you're either in class or colleges or wherever else KIK all the time bought lined. If this sounds a little bit bit too highfalutin to you, all it boils all the way down to is that APK file is the name of the file that Android applications (such as the Kik Messenger app).

I created this web site solely with the aim of sharing this software with kik users. If Google Play Retailer is freezing or not working in your Phone, we advocate you to obtain KiK Messenger APK 2017 from below. With the assistance of KIK App, you can easily share; ship photos, movies and textual content messages to your friends throughout the globe free of charge of value.

Having mentioned that, it's fairly possible to download the Kik APK file safely from the Internet is you're further vigilant. With the help of KIK codes, you may simply and shortly get related along with your favourite peoples across the globe. Step 5: Now disconnect the PC with the phone and navigate to the app out of your directory from the place of APK is transferred.

Kik Apk brings everyone to stay connected with others irrespective of where they are. The good news is that there are a lot of locations you'll find APK files to download from on the Internet. Additionally, if you really feel bored, you possibly can ask Kik Bot to tell you hilarious jokes.

When you discover it stays at S” on all of a friend's messages, yet they respond to your texts, chances are good they are using a modded Kik. Not too long ago the developing team launched an replace model for the kik kindle app, which fixed this subject. You can preserve and use more than one of those at a time; nevertheless, each time you alter from one modded app to another (or back to the real Kik Messenger), you lose all of your message history.

It is best to be capable of set up Kik Messenger app easily but when installation fails, first test and ensure that you've allowed installation of apps exterior Google Play Store by checking the 'Unknown Sources' choice in your Android phone / tablet's security settings.

Closing Words: We have shared Kik Apk Obtain For Android, Kik Apk Free Obtain For PC, and Kik App for Home windows Laptop Obtain Windows 7/8/eight.1/10. It is rather straightforward to download the KIK APK either from Google Play Retailer or App Store, but in case when you do not wish to obtain the app then you may go for KIK APK file from the beneficial sources.

Obtain Kik Messenger APK newest version for Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, LG, HTC, Lenovo and all different Android phones, tablets and devices..KIK for PC Free Messenger Obtain on Windows ,,. Information to obtain KIK for Home windows PC. Kik APK App free Download for Android KIK login On-line.

Kik for PC messenger lets you exchange messages with one other Kik messenger user over the data connection or Wi-Fi. Normally, pretty much any Android emulator will do the trick in the case of using the Kik Messenger app on your computer, but if you happen to additionally want to use different apps or play on-line games, and many others.

All Kik logos and pictures are the only real copyright of Kik Interactive and are used for instructional purposes. Kik for Android is actually an advance messaging software that has varied options to your comfort. The latest version of Backup & Restore for kik is 1.2.1. It was released on You may obtain Backup & Restore for kik 1.2.1 directly on Over 126 users ranking a average 3.2 of 5 about Backup & Restore for kik.

With the most recent model of Kik app for Android, you may delete a chat from your dialog so that no one knows what message you despatched. The reason for this problem is, Samsung system would close the Kik app soon after the app isn't use. There are two strategies to obtain the most recent version of KiK Messenger APK to your Android smartphone or LAPTOP. One straightforward manner is to obtain KiK Messenger APK with out Google play from under and installing on your cell manually.

Kik Messenger comes with an built-in browser that permits us to go other hyperlinks with out closing this utility. Full step-by-step tutorial is given on the best way to install Kik Messenger 7.5.0.121.zero APK manually. Kik messenger has a lot of new options like video call, voice call, immediate messages, prompt backup, restoring backup immediately and much more.

Obtain kik on-line messenger from the above link or from the Google Play Retailer. Like different chatting apps, Kik also has some distinctive options like Notification App; you may create group chats with your folks, own built-in web browser and extra.

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Open the google play retailer and search for Kik messenger utility or click the clink given on this web site. It's your personal duty to pay attention to these dangers earlier than modifying the Kik Messenger app and to make it possible for any app mod you employ is secure and that it's going to not disable or trigger hurt to both the app and the system you are using.

However, one factor you have to remember that KIK app offers you Consumer ID to log within the utility. After you get the apk file , transfer it to your Android phone's SD card after which your file manager to browse, install & take pleasure in it. Step 2: Subsequent you'll want to obtain the ASTRO File Supervisor from the android market.

I loved it as a result of its cool to speak though you'll be able to go on messages and send photos,videos,and messages on your cellphone,however on KIK you can ship all that and not have to obtain the stuff people textual content you. So, on this content material, we'll share with you on KIK APK, its features, obtain and install process in your system.

Kik app is value free and it'll give an awesome expertise for all on-line kik users. Ever because the latest update the app is draining the battery of Samsung phones while additionally making the gadgets run hot without any other apps being opened. Additionally, much like the opposite application, Kik Apk also have the possibility to indicate notifications to the consumer for the message sent, delivered, learn and necessary message from the users.

Within BlueStacks, open Google PlayStore and obtain the Android version of Kik. The only important factor to learn about that is that, with out anapk file, Kik Messenger can't run on any machine (and this might additionally embrace your house computer). Through the use of kik on laptop, you can connect with your folks and relations without driving up your cellphone bill.

Click on on it and type kik, you possibly can see kik apk file below it. Just click on on kik to put in kik on your Home windows LAPTOP. After set up you'll be able to fin kik icon on the House web page of BlueStacks. Messages and chats made through Kik will not cost any cash so you possibly can get pleasure from lengthy conversations along with your family members on the go without worrying about the fee.

This app isn't just about connecting together with your outdated buddies but making new ones that have related pursuits similar to you. So that's the whole details about Kik App which is available to Obtain for Each Android & iOS operating. You'll simply must register your account utilizing a username after which you're good to go. Choose a username and create a free account at Kik and then begin chatting with your mates and family members on the fly.

Kik has a very simple and a consumer-friendly interface; the registration process can be straightforward and does not require a phone number. So, supplied you have already got an Android emulator in place, all you will need to do subsequent is to find a Kik Messenger APK file.

Step 1: At first you could obtain kik Downloaded file is called as kik Messenger apk. Kik Messenger is an Android app that lets us keep related with our buddies in irrespective of of the place we are and the way continuously we keep related. You'll all the time must proceed with warning, nonetheless, as none of these sites providing APK downloads are literally official.

Within the above content material, we've discussed KIK APK, its options, download and installing course of. This little piece of software falls underneath Social Networking category and have 149,598.00 kb File dimension on apple's app retailer. The specialty of kik app is, it has the flexibility to sending messages, photos, movies, voice cuts, document recordsdata or every other shared issues unlimitedly.

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Delete the kik app and reinstall it. However remember it will delete your all chat history. Simply click on the DOWNLOAD button to download the apk file on your Android machine. There isn't any limit of phrases to be written in Kik messenger, you possibly can write all you want, and it still would not limit you.

KIK has designed in a simple manner through which everyone can use it easily and also will allow you to to speak with your friends and be you. KIK app helps us to find new pals across the globe, who shares the identical curiosity as you do. This manner you possibly can stay in touch even along with your new buddies as well as your close buddies too.

On this article we will present all it's essential to know to download Kik Messenger APK files with the intention to do exactly that: use Kik Messenger from your house laptop. Nevertheless, in case you are after the newest version of the Kik Messenger app, it might take considerably longer to seek out it. So, be affected person and prepared to spend time till you discover exactly what you are on the lookout for.

Modded Kiks are unauthorized versions of Kik Messenger which have been modified indirectly. After successful set up, it is advisable to place the Knowledge / OBB file in the fitting place. However in case you do not own an Android smartphone, then additionally you need not fear in any respect as you possibly can download KiK Messenger for PC simply by following our guide.

In case, should you don't feel like downloading the KIK APK file in your device then you'll be able to immediately download the KIK App from Google Play Retailer or you'll be able to straight click on the hyperlink beneath to obtain the App. After a number of minute, you can see that the apk recordsdata is already downloaded on your Android machine successfully.

Earlier, now we have already instructed you that KIK APK is a free instantaneous messaging app which is available on Google Play Retailer and App Store. People who find themselves in keen on trying to find new people from anywhere at anytime can now simply obtain kik messenger in your machine and begin connecting with many people all over the world right here.

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Configuring a Hybrid IoT Event Mesh for Streaming Asset Sensor Data into an Azure Data Lake with Ansible

In previous blog posts, we’ve talked about one way to use Ansible to automate the configuration of Solace PubSub+ Event Broker, and how to automate the configuration of a hybrid IoT event mesh. In this post we’ll describe how to stream sensor data from critical infrastructure assets across geographies into central data lakes and analytics applications.

A few example projects we have worked on to develop this common approach include assets such as power generation systems like windmills and diesel generators, assets in buildings such as HVACs, escalators and elevators, and traffic management systems.

All of these systems have one thing in common: the companies building and managing them are looking to shift their business models from selling the assets themselves to offering rentals and subscriptions, and, in the most forward-looking cases, charging for output of the asset such as energy produced, miles driven, or number of people moved.

It takes very manageable, predictable SLAs to enable such business models, which demands that the assets be fitted with sensors, and that sensor data be streamed into analytics systems and data lakes. Since these companies often operate on a global basis, streaming sensor data across the world, across unreliable networks, they need an industrial-strength data distribution platform to do so.

Here are a few key technical requirements this data distribution platform must meet:

Guaranteed data delivery from end to end, i.e. from the sensor to the central analytics platform with built-in fail-safes across every node in the delivery chain

Real-time data distribution. Especially if the asset is safety-critical, sensor data must arrive in the analytics systems as it happens, not 10 minutes later, an hour after the fact, or the next day.

It needs to be flexible and extensible. When the business evolves and grows, more assets are deployed in more locations. It is therefore imperative that deployment is supported on a variety of environments including different cloud providers and data centers.

Certain jurisdictions have stringent data export policies in place, often including a requirement to store the raw sensor data in-country with on-demand access for the authorities, before it leaves the country.

The following picture summarizes the physical setup:

Now, let’s turn to the system architecture of such a hybrid event distribution platform using Solace PubSub+ event brokers and how they are connected into a hybrid event mesh.

The main components and links are:

The asset systems

The event mesh including the edge brokers and the central broker

The central and regional data lakes

The asset system is equipped with sensors which in turn communicate with a local gateway. The gateway collects the sensor data, buffers it locally and sends it to the nearest edge PubSub+ Event Broker. The edge event brokers are connected via Solace bridges (over public or private networks) to the central event broker. Each event broker is set up in HA mode and buffers data locally, so data delivery is guaranteed in case of network glitches or unavailability of the recipient.

The central event broker then calls an integration function that:

Receives the data

Maps the topic to a data lake path

Stores the data in the data lake

Acknowledges success so the data is removed from the event broker’s storage

As you can imagine, flexible deployment across multiple cloud and data centers is important when realizing this architecture. For example, in Europe and the US, Amazon and Azure are pervasive. However, looking at Latin America, the Middle East and China, the choices are quite different. In China, for example, Alibaba Cloud, and Huawei Cloud are better bets to fulfill the regulatory requirements than, say, Azure.

The Drivers for Automation

When we started working on our early projects, building out such a hybrid IoT event mesh, we quickly realized that we need a consistent, repeatable, and portable approach to stand-up the event brokers, create the user profiles, access control lists for the gateways, the Solace bridges and their topic subscriptions and the entire integration into the Data Lake using the event broker’s REST Delivery Point (RDP) feature. Different data lakes also require slightly different integration and set-up of the RDP, for example. In Huawei Cloud the object storage (OBS) works differently from Azure Storage Gen2 (Blobs).

The environments we needed to automatically create and destroy ranged from every developer with their own dev environment, to an integration environment, QA, Production. And if you want to run multiple versions in parallel, the configuration effort increases exponentially.

Hence, we decided to use Ansible and the ansible-solace modules to cope with this variety. A single set of playbooks with a variety of inventories is now sufficient – creation and destruction of environments now is a matter of minutes (good coffee break opportunity) instead of error-prone scripting or even manual configuration. It also saves costs in terms of resource usage, if you don’t work on an environment – even for a day – simply destroy it and when you come back, stand it up again.

The Technical Details

So, what are the detailed configuration requirements of the event mesh? Let’s go through the steps, starting with the PubSub+ event brokers. For each full environment, we need to create the event broker services in the Solace Cloud account. The various edge brokers and the central broker, each one with the correct settings. The next step is to create the Solace bridges between the edge brokers to the central broker.

Broker Configurations

Each gateway has its own unique ID, a type ID, an asset ID, and certificate.

For the edge event broker that means:

Deploy the root certificate

Create the system wide user profile for gateways

Create the access control lists for each gateway type

Create a client username for each gateway

Create the MQTT session with the correct subscriptions

Create the queues including the correct topic subscriptions

Add the topic subscriptions to the Bridge to the central broker

At this point, we are able to connect the assets’ gateways to the edge brokers and data is flowing from asset to the central broker.

Note: People have asked us why we create the MQTT session with subscriptions on the broker? Firstly, all the projects required a path back to the gateway – to send configuration and invoke management functions such as upgrades, etc. Hence, the gateways need to subscribe to these topics. This article does not explore this back path.

Pre-creating the MQTT session adds an additional layer of security and eliminates dependencies between Gateway and management applications. The pre-created session is the equivalent of using cleanSession = false in the MQTT API.

Data Lake Integration Configuration

Our preferred mechanism is to use a serverless function in the chosen cloud (for example, Azure Functions, Huawei Function Graphs, AWS Lambda Functions) which is triggered via an HTTP POST request through the broker’s REST delivery point (RDP) feature.

Here is another complication though:

The RDP feature (at the point of writing) does not propagate the event topic, which we need to populate the data lake – i.e. the topic maps to the path in the data lake.

So, here is the pattern we used to overcome this limitation:

Set up 1 queue per data lake path

Add the topic subscription to the queue

Set up 1 RDP which always calls the same serverless function

Add 1 queue binding per queue/topic which passes a different URL path to the function

The URL path is exactly the same as the topic subscription on the queue

Now we have created a way to pass the topic information for every event to the function, which in turn uses the URLs path to determine the data lake path for the event. With possibly thousands or even millions of assets, each one with their own topic (or set of topics), mapping every topic would simply not be feasible. Hence, we use wildcards, in both the queue subscription and the URL path when calling the function. A typical project has a range between 100 and 1,000 queues and queue bindings.

Now take a minute and imagine configuring these manually for every environment and for every change.

Alternatively, the function could open the payload and use fields within the payload to determine the data lake path – we typically stay away from this as it adds unnecessary complexity and dependencies between gateway and function. The resource requirements of the function (and therefor its running costs) would also increase dramatically if we needed to open and parse each event’s payload. At a rate of many thousands per second, we don’t feel this is a viable option.

The following picture shows the configuration required from an asset system to the edge broker to the central broker to the data lake:

Looking at the configuration items in the previous picture, we can map them to modules in ansible-solace:

Action Ansible-solace module Client Profile solace_client_profile ACL Profile solace_acl_profile ACL topic pub exceptions solace_acl_publish_topic_exception ACL topic sub exceptions solace_acl_subscribe_topic_exception

And so on…you get the pattern.

The Implementation

For a working project, have a look at this repo on GitHub:

A few notes on ansible-solace:

The modules support configuration of a broker in an idempotent manner. That means running the same playbook twice will leave the system in exactly the same state.

Ansible has the concept of hosts (obviously) to run against in the inventory file. We have hijacked the host concept – here a host is either a Solace PubSub+ Event Broker, or a Solace PubSub+ Event Broker: Cloud account.

This also means that none of the normal setup and fact gathering Ansible provides works. Hence, we need to tell Ansible this and set ansible_connection to local so it doesn’t try to log in. To gather Solace PubSub+ Event Broker facts, special modules exists: solace_gather_facts and solace_cloud_account_gather_facts.

The ansible-solace module structure follows the convention of the Solace SEMP V2 API, for example, solace_client_username maps to this and solace_queue maps to this, and so on.

The sample project uses a number of input files which are configured for your particular environment, for example:

central-broker.yml

lib/vars.bridge.yml

lib/vars.mqtt.yml

lib/vars.rdp.yml

…

In the playbooks we make extensive use of Jinja2 to read variables either from the inventories or the vars yaml files. This approach means you only have to change the input files and can leave the playbooks as they are when moving to different environments.

To try the sample project, follow the instructions in the README.

Here is an extract of the playbook to create a Solace PubSub+ Event Broker REST delivery point:

- include_vars: file: "./lib/vars.rdp.yml" name: rdp - name: "RDP: Client Profile" solace_client_profile: name: "" settings: # TODO: figure out the correct settings for most restrictive setup allowBridgeConnectionsEnabled: false allowGuaranteedMsgSendEnabled: true allowGuaranteedMsgReceiveEnabled: true maxEndpointCountPerClientUsername: 10 state: present - name: "RDP: ACL Profile" solace_acl_profile: name: "" settings: # TODO: figure out the correct settings for most restrictive setup clientConnectDefaultAction: "allow" publishTopicDefaultAction: "allow" subscribeTopicDefaultAction: "allow" state: present … - name: "RDP TLS Trusted Common Name: Add to REST Consumer" solace_rdp_rest_consumer_trusted_cn: rdp_name: "" rest_consumer_name: "" name: "" state: present - name: "RDP: Queue Bindings" solace_rdp_queue_binding: rdp_name: "" name: "" settings: postRequestTarget: "/?" state: present loop: "" when: result.rc|default(0)==0

Summary

In this article we have explored a specific use case, looked at the drivers for automation, and discussed in detail the automation requirements and their implementation using ansible-solace. The sample project implementation should provide a good template to start your own project.

The post Configuring a Hybrid IoT Event Mesh for Streaming Asset Sensor Data into an Azure Data Lake with Ansible appeared first on Solace.

Configuring a Hybrid IoT Event Mesh for Streaming Asset Sensor Data into an Azure Data Lake with Ansible published first on https://jiohow.tumblr.com/

[netmetic]

Configuring a Hybrid IoT Event Mesh for Streaming Asset Sensor Data into an Azure Data Lake with Ansible

In previous blog posts, we’ve talked about one way to use Ansible to automate the configuration of Solace PubSub+ Event Broker, and how to automate the configuration of a hybrid IoT event mesh. In this post we’ll describe how to stream sensor data from critical infrastructure assets across geographies into central data lakes and analytics applications.

A few example projects we have worked on to develop this common approach include assets such as power generation systems like windmills and diesel generators, assets in buildings such as HVACs, escalators and elevators, and traffic management systems.

All of these systems have one thing in common: the companies building and managing them are looking to shift their business models from selling the assets themselves to offering rentals and subscriptions, and, in the most forward-looking cases, charging for output of the asset such as energy produced, miles driven, or number of people moved.

It takes very manageable, predictable SLAs to enable such business models, which demands that the assets be fitted with sensors, and that sensor data be streamed into analytics systems and data lakes. Since these companies often operate on a global basis, streaming sensor data across the world, across unreliable networks, they need an industrial-strength data distribution platform to do so.

Here are a few key technical requirements this data distribution platform must meet:

Guaranteed data delivery from end to end, i.e. from the sensor to the central analytics platform with built-in fail-safes across every node in the delivery chain

Real-time data distribution. Especially if the asset is safety-critical, sensor data must arrive in the analytics systems as it happens, not 10 minutes later, an hour after the fact, or the next day.

It needs to be flexible and extensible. When the business evolves and grows, more assets are deployed in more locations. It is therefore imperative that deployment is supported on a variety of environments including different cloud providers and data centers.

Certain jurisdictions have stringent data export policies in place, often including a requirement to store the raw sensor data in-country with on-demand access for the authorities, before it leaves the country.

The following picture summarizes the physical setup:

Now, let’s turn to the system architecture of such a hybrid event distribution platform using Solace PubSub+ event brokers and how they are connected into a hybrid event mesh.

The main components and links are:

The asset systems

The event mesh including the edge brokers and the central broker

The central and regional data lakes

The asset system is equipped with sensors which in turn communicate with a local gateway. The gateway collects the sensor data, buffers it locally and sends it to the nearest edge PubSub+ Event Broker. The edge event brokers are connected via Solace bridges (over public or private networks) to the central event broker. Each event broker is set up in HA mode and buffers data locally, so data delivery is guaranteed in case of network glitches or unavailability of the recipient.

The central event broker then calls an integration function that:

Receives the data

Maps the topic to a data lake path

Stores the data in the data lake

Acknowledges success so the data is removed from the event broker’s storage

As you can imagine, flexible deployment across multiple cloud and data centers is important when realizing this architecture. For example, in Europe and the US, Amazon and Azure are pervasive. However, looking at Latin America, the Middle East and China, the choices are quite different. In China, for example, Alibaba Cloud, and Huawei Cloud are better bets to fulfill the regulatory requirements than, say, Azure.

The Drivers for Automation

When we started working on our early projects, building out such a hybrid IoT event mesh, we quickly realized that we need a consistent, repeatable, and portable approach to stand-up the event brokers, create the user profiles, access control lists for the gateways, the Solace bridges and their topic subscriptions and the entire integration into the Data Lake using the event broker’s REST Delivery Point (RDP) feature. Different data lakes also require slightly different integration and set-up of the RDP, for example. In Huawei Cloud the object storage (OBS) works differently from Azure Storage Gen2 (Blobs).

The environments we needed to automatically create and destroy ranged from every developer with their own dev environment, to an integration environment, QA, Production. And if you want to run multiple versions in parallel, the configuration effort increases exponentially.

Hence, we decided to use Ansible and the ansible-solace modules to cope with this variety. A single set of playbooks with a variety of inventories is now sufficient – creation and destruction of environments now is a matter of minutes (good coffee break opportunity) instead of error-prone scripting or even manual configuration. It also saves costs in terms of resource usage, if you don’t work on an environment – even for a day – simply destroy it and when you come back, stand it up again.

The Technical Details

So, what are the detailed configuration requirements of the event mesh? Let’s go through the steps, starting with the PubSub+ event brokers. For each full environment, we need to create the event broker services in the Solace Cloud account. The various edge brokers and the central broker, each one with the correct settings. The next step is to create the Solace bridges between the edge brokers to the central broker.

Broker Configurations

Each gateway has its own unique ID, a type ID, an asset ID, and certificate.

For the edge event broker that means:

Deploy the root certificate

Create the system wide user profile for gateways

Create the access control lists for each gateway type

Create a client username for each gateway

Create the MQTT session with the correct subscriptions

Create the queues including the correct topic subscriptions

Add the topic subscriptions to the Bridge to the central broker

At this point, we are able to connect the assets’ gateways to the edge brokers and data is flowing from asset to the central broker.

Note: People have asked us why we create the MQTT session with subscriptions on the broker? Firstly, all the projects required a path back to the gateway – to send configuration and invoke management functions such as upgrades, etc. Hence, the gateways need to subscribe to these topics. This article does not explore this back path.

Pre-creating the MQTT session adds an additional layer of security and eliminates dependencies between Gateway and management applications. The pre-created session is the equivalent of using cleanSession = false in the MQTT API.

Data Lake Integration Configuration

Our preferred mechanism is to use a serverless function in the chosen cloud (for example, Azure Functions, Huawei Function Graphs, AWS Lambda Functions) which is triggered via an HTTP POST request through the broker’s REST delivery point (RDP) feature.

Here is another complication though:

The RDP feature (at the point of writing) does not propagate the event topic, which we need to populate the data lake – i.e. the topic maps to the path in the data lake.

So, here is the pattern we used to overcome this limitation:

Set up 1 queue per data lake path

Add the topic subscription to the queue

Set up 1 RDP which always calls the same serverless function

Add 1 queue binding per queue/topic which passes a different URL path to the function

The URL path is exactly the same as the topic subscription on the queue

Now we have created a way to pass the topic information for every event to the function, which in turn uses the URLs path to determine the data lake path for the event. With possibly thousands or even millions of assets, each one with their own topic (or set of topics), mapping every topic would simply not be feasible. Hence, we use wildcards, in both the queue subscription and the URL path when calling the function. A typical project has a range between 100 and 1,000 queues and queue bindings.

Now take a minute and imagine configuring these manually for every environment and for every change.

Alternatively, the function could open the payload and use fields within the payload to determine the data lake path – we typically stay away from this as it adds unnecessary complexity and dependencies between gateway and function. The resource requirements of the function (and therefor its running costs) would also increase dramatically if we needed to open and parse each event’s payload. At a rate of many thousands per second, we don’t feel this is a viable option.

The following picture shows the configuration required from an asset system to the edge broker to the central broker to the data lake:

Looking at the configuration items in the previous picture, we can map them to modules in ansible-solace:

Action Ansible-solace module Client Profile solace_client_profile ACL Profile solace_acl_profile ACL topic pub exceptions solace_acl_publish_topic_exception ACL topic sub exceptions solace_acl_subscribe_topic_exception

And so on…you get the pattern.

The Implementation

For a working project, have a look at this repo on GitHub:

A few notes on ansible-solace:

The modules support configuration of a broker in an idempotent manner. That means running the same playbook twice will leave the system in exactly the same state.

Ansible has the concept of hosts (obviously) to run against in the inventory file. We have hijacked the host concept – here a host is either a Solace PubSub+ Event Broker, or a Solace PubSub+ Event Broker: Cloud account.

This also means that none of the normal setup and fact gathering Ansible provides works. Hence, we need to tell Ansible this and set ansible_connection to local so it doesn’t try to log in. To gather Solace PubSub+ Event Broker facts, special modules exists: solace_gather_facts and solace_cloud_account_gather_facts.

The ansible-solace module structure follows the convention of the Solace SEMP V2 API, for example, solace_client_username maps to this and solace_queue maps to this, and so on.

The sample project uses a number of input files which are configured for your particular environment, for example:

central-broker.yml

lib/vars.bridge.yml

lib/vars.mqtt.yml

lib/vars.rdp.yml

…

In the playbooks we make extensive use of Jinja2 to read variables either from the inventories or the vars yaml files. This approach means you only have to change the input files and can leave the playbooks as they are when moving to different environments.

To try the sample project, follow the instructions in the README.

Here is an extract of the playbook to create a Solace PubSub+ Event Broker REST delivery point:

- include_vars: file: "./lib/vars.rdp.yml" name: rdp - name: "RDP: Client Profile" solace_client_profile: name: "" settings: # TODO: figure out the correct settings for most restrictive setup allowBridgeConnectionsEnabled: false allowGuaranteedMsgSendEnabled: true allowGuaranteedMsgReceiveEnabled: true maxEndpointCountPerClientUsername: 10 state: present - name: "RDP: ACL Profile" solace_acl_profile: name: "" settings: # TODO: figure out the correct settings for most restrictive setup clientConnectDefaultAction: "allow" publishTopicDefaultAction: "allow" subscribeTopicDefaultAction: "allow" state: present … - name: "RDP TLS Trusted Common Name: Add to REST Consumer" solace_rdp_rest_consumer_trusted_cn: rdp_name: "" rest_consumer_name: "" name: "" state: present - name: "RDP: Queue Bindings" solace_rdp_queue_binding: rdp_name: "" name: "" settings: postRequestTarget: "/?" state: present loop: "" when: result.rc|default(0)==0

Summary

In this article we have explored a specific use case, looked at the drivers for automation, and discussed in detail the automation requirements and their implementation using ansible-solace. The sample project implementation should provide a good template to start your own project.

The post Configuring a Hybrid IoT Event Mesh for Streaming Asset Sensor Data into an Azure Data Lake with Ansible appeared first on Solace.

Configuring a Hybrid IoT Event Mesh for Streaming Asset Sensor Data into an Azure Data Lake with Ansible published first on https://jiohow.tumblr.com/