#but the advertising and the commercial seeming nature of it was so gross

[ishootthelightsout]

Seeing all the shit about lore fm trying to commercialize fanfics and being super passive aggressive even when shutting down… like people have been using free realistic tts like Microsoft Edge read aloud for a while now be real

[mamun258]

Top ten predictions for the video account ecosystem!

In the WeChat open class the day before yesterday, I talked about several key points about video accounts. Where are the dividends  HE Tuber  of video accounts? Where are the growth opportunities for the brand? This article will continue to summarize the top ten predictions for video accounts in 2024, let’s take a look.

The day before yesterday was the WeChat open class, and the video account was still the well-deserved protagonist.

I was shocked: first, the enthusiasm for making money in the South, and second, the potential of the video account. Judging from the huge crowds at the conference, it looks like a large-scale Spring Festival travel festival. The picture below is the most powerful interpretation of the video account bonus.

Last year, in our article "Top Ten Predictions for the Video Account Ecosystem in 2023", we predicted that the commercialized closed-loop infrastructure facilities, the advertising algorithm emphasizing the back link, more and more ToBs choose to deepen their cultivation, and the main battlefield of the clue industry have all been accomplish.

Of course, there are a few slaps in the face. For example, we believe that cultural live broadcasts have become a feature, and anchors are no longer signboards but brand owners. This seems to be too advanced and will take time to be realized.

Comfort yourself, courage is the most valuable! Continuing the top ten predictions of the video account in 2024, this time we strive for a higher reliability factor.

01 The “account making party” has fully poured into the video account

Possibility index: 95%

Why does this rank first? Because content is the absolute cornerstone.

In various reviews over the past year, the biggest feature of video account content is "growth". There are often dark horses with new accounts on the list, which is almost impossible on other platforms.

The main reason is that the social nature of video accounts is so powerful. If one person likes it, a group of people will like it. Kantar’s research data shows that when encountering high-quality content, 77% of users will choose to like it, 60% of users will choose to forward it, and 53% of users will choose to click the thumbs-up button. The current video accounts are very similar to the public accounts around 2015, and they are very worthy of being cultivated by the account-making party.

Especially after the second half of 2023, we found that many content creators will no longer transfer content from other platforms, but will make specially customized content, and may even form "hot content memes for video accounts".

Based on this, we predict that in 2024, the number-making parties that are truly deeply involved in different industries will have another opportunity to start from scratch.

02 The surge in investment players

Possibility index: 85%

Also starting from the second half of 2023, various training camps began to teach you how to invest in video accounts. This trend shows that more and more brands/individuals who want to grow are interested in investing in video accounts.

For each platform, there are two types of gameplay: underwater (relying on operations and free traffic) and above water (paying traffic to obtain traffic). Generally, they are matched with each other, and the natural flow starts and the traffic amplifies.

Why do we think 2024 is the key year for streaming players? This is determined by the current ecological competition.

On the one hand, there are indeed universal cyclical dividends for video accounts in various sub-categories; on the other hand, with the integration and improvement of the platform data system, streaming has become more and more accurate; there is another point worth mentioning Unfortunately, competition across the entire network has intensified, traffic on many platforms has peaked, gross profits and net profits have generally declined, and streaming costs have been overwhelmed. In order to maintain stable growth, they began to shift their streaming volume to video accounts.

In the video account ecosystem, the consumption habits of high-priced users have begun to be continuously cultivated.

Different from the live broadcast e-commerce strategy of 9.9 yuan to capture users, most groups immersed in video accounts are less sensitive to price than other platforms, which pushes up the overall customer unit price of video account e-commerce. . According to Cass data, the return rate of video accounts is between 20% and 40%. Taking clothing as an example, the return rate is within 30%, which is much lower than other platforms.

Some brands even believe that the understanding and trust of regular private customers in the brand makes the repurchase rate higher and the return rate lower than other platforms. Only then can they have the confidence to sell genuine-priced products on the video account, and the price cannot be lower than that of other platforms. 10% off the tag price." Having the confidence to carry out this kind of operation is unique among e-commerce companies that mainly focus on low-price strategies, which further illustrates the "high customer order" and brand stickiness of video account users.

The relevant person in charge of Jingrun Pearl once shared such a set of data: "On other platforms, the unit price per customer is 600 to 800 yuan, but on the video account, the unit price can reach 1,000 to 1,200 yuan or even higher, and there are some orphan products. Everything will be sold.”

There is a certain cost profit margin, and the paid streaming methodology is mature.

Therefore, in 2024, streaming players will take advantage of the time when WeChat streaming is still not expensive and the competition is not big to fully enter, plan in advance, familiarize themselves with the platform algorithm, draw accurate user portraits, secure a stable base of regular customers, and find leverage Leverage for new customers.

03 Mutual selection becomes a marketing component, and the master’s income increases by 300%

Possibility index: 70%

Brands that have contacted public accounts will regard "mutual selection" as a talisman to prevent advertisements from being restricted, but mutual selection in video accounts carries a more important commercial mission.

Especially when a major brand event breaks out, you can use the mutual selection platform to conduct a second interpretation of the brand event, so that every audience can understand the advertisement and achieve long-term brand mental penetration.

At the same time, it can be combined with the video account heating tool to greatly improve the marketing effect of the brand; and after mutual selection, the link products and data capabilities will also have the opportunity to further iterate in 2024, for the brand's subsequent investment retention, direct monetization, private domain retention, etc. Choice offers possibilities.

Based on the various gameplay and traffic subsidies of mutual selection of video accounts in 2024, it is predicted that the number of brands that cooperate through mutual selection will double compared with 2023, and the overall income of video account mutual selection masters can increase by 300%.

04 E-commerce GMV increased by 200%

70% probability

The "upper limit" of video accounts is getting higher and higher.

In 2021, the GMV of video accounts’ live broadcast of goods will increase by more than 15 times; in 2022, the GMV of video accounts’ live broadcast of goods will increase by more than 8 times year-on-year.

According to fresh data from yesterday's WeChat open class, in 2023, the GMV of live broadcasts of video accounts will continue to grow rapidly, with the supply quantity increasing by 300%, the number of orders increasing by 244%, and the GPM (transaction amount per thousand views) exceeding 900+.

Because the base is already very high, in 2024, we predict that the video account e-commerce market will grow by 200%.

[papermoonloveslucy]

MODELING INTO THE MOVIES

August 8, 1936

By Jeannette Meehan, HOLLYWOOD 

From the women’s angle, there are simply too many gorgeous newcomers in Hollywood. That fact is plain. 

From the gentlemen’s angle, Hollywood is pleasantly crowded with the most alluring bits of femininity ever to delight the bald-headed row. This fact is even plainer. Oh, say it isn’t so, but there a new day dawning in the west for the Stage Door Johnnies. 

Whence comes this influx of Eves? Who are these girls of such attractive physical make-up? 

Well, sir, most of them are ex-models. 

The highway and by-ways to Moviedom are past counting. Those most traveled have been the extra route, the beauty contest route or the I-have-a-relative route. Yesterday our newcomers were night club crooners, radio personalities and million-dollar heiresses. Today the majority of candidates for stardom are no longer being recruited from these avenues. It now quite obvious that any girl who has been a model approaches the casting office with an asset that permits her to pass up the waiting list. 

Oh, phooey, what’s a model got that the others haven’t? 

Well, when Radio Picture wanted five beauties for the fashion show sequence in “Roberta” they tested 30 girls, and then sent out an S.O.S. to the ranks of professional models. That was a year ago. Those five models so delighted the camera that they’re still under contract. (1)

Just a few months ago, when M-G-M went scouting for 22 modern Venuses for “The Great Ziegfeld”, they discovered that the ex-models had a lot more poise and personality than the kids who were merely movie struck. Eighteen of those 22 “Ziegfeld Girls” were former models. Fourteen of the 18 were given contracts. You just can’t argue with “figures” like that, or should I say with “figures like theirs"? (2)

“Model your way to the movies” isn’t just a catchy phrase. Models come to Hollywood already equipped with the elementary essentials which studios spend a great deal of time and money trying to hammer into inexperienced youngsters. Models have already served their apprenticeship to the art of carriage, grace and charm. They’ve already passed a certain type of beauty contest. The girl whose picture helps to sell beauty preparations has to have a face that leads you to believe that the product is worth trying. A pair of silk stockings modeled on muscle-bound or "spindle” legs would scarcely lure you to the hosiery department. 

You never see a good model stumble over her train. She remains regal and sure-footed in the most confusing draperies. 

Figuratively speaking, these girls are above reproach. Most fashion houses require that their models be above medium height, broad through the shoulders, slim through the hips, and that their proportions be symmetrically arranged. Thus, they’ve long since graduated from the routine of diets, masseurs, and classes for corrective posture that faces tire average beginner. 

In other words, movie producers are finding out that modeling is a natural complement to screen work. Film executives are discovering that the girls who come to them from portrait and artists studios and from fashion salons are far ahead of those who approach Hollywood's pot of gold with no training. 

Not only that, but these ex-models seem to be well-mannered, well-educated girls whose off-screen poise and chic rivals that of their screen betters. 

Oh, dear are they gorgeous? They're enough to make us ordinary girls forget to look before we leap. Just for instance, take Pauline Craig [above] (3), an auburn-haired, statuesque beauty from Cleveland, O. She’s five feet six and one-half inches tall, weighs 118 pounds, and has a figure that only Jean Harlow (4) could be unconcerned about.  

Miss Craig was a “Ziegfeld” girl - now she’s under contract. She skipped the first grade in motion picture training, and I guess we all know why. She was a model. Her glorious smile has appeared in hundreds of advertisements. As a fashion model she worked for I. Magnins. (5)

Are you wondering if these girls observe any general rules for the maintenance of health and beauty? Miss Craig will tell you that most of them prefer fresh air to smoky drawing rooms, and that they substitute milk for alcoholic beverages.

Incidentally, her hobby is collecting pictures of the Dionne quintuplets. (6)

Another girl recruited from the model ranks for “The Great Ziegfeld" was Wanda Perry (7), a vivacious brunet from Brooklyn. She's five feet five and one-half inches tall, weighs 120 pounds, and has brown eyes. 

With her classic features and her superb figure, there was a great demand for her in New York’s portrait galleries and exclusive clothing establishments. She has posed and modeled for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, McFadden Publications and for tooth paste ads. 

With an already perfect camera presence, she is not to be enrolled in the studio's kindergarten for beginners. 

Over at Paramount there’s a queenly blond named Elizabeth Russell (8), probably the best known of former New York models. A favorite of such distinguished illustrators as Russell Patterson, James Montgomery Flagg, McClelland Barclay, Dean Cornwell, Paul Hesse, and Steichen, the photographer. Miss Russell is now in possession of a flattering long-term contract.

Artists agree that her features are photographically perfect. Artist or no artist, they’ll look perfect to you! She has modeled hose, nightgowns, and coiffures. Her blonde beauty has helped to sell cigarettes, jewels, soap, sheets, automobiles and first-aid kits. Very soon she'll be helping Paramount sell “Girl of the Ozarks,” her first picture (9). Miss Russell is five feet eight inches tall, weighs 118 pounds, has blue eyes and naturally blond hair. 

Another beautiful blonde who modeled her way to the movies is Louise Stuart (10), a former Chicago debutante. After graduating from Miss Mason's Castle (11) she went to New York to visit former school chums. It was during one of these visits that she was persuaded to pose for cigarette ads. One good look at her flawless countenance, and modeling jobs were her for the asking. With plenty of time on her hands, and nothing to do with it, she went to work. 

Miss Stuart attributes most of her success with the test director to her experience as a model. Posing for artists and photographers, she says, gave her a self-assurance which she has never lost. You'll see her first in “Lady Be Careful." (12)

A third Paramount prize is Veda Ann Borg (13), a stunning, red headed girl from New York. Before the studio signed her to a long-term contract, her divine proportions and sparkling personality had created a sensation in the modeling field. 

One of the most exquisite of Hollywood's newcomers is brunette Anita Colby (14) who stands five feet seven inches tall without her high-heeled shoes. Her face has smiled at you from magazine covers, commercial advertisements and from the pages of the nation's smartest fashion periodicals. Her beauty is attractively framed in poise, wit and charm. She is conversant with world affairs, music, art and literature. Pictorially speaking, she’s a model of perfection. Radio proudly points to her name on its contract list. 

Radio has two other "model" charmers in the persons of Maxine Jennings (five feet eight inches tall), and Lucille Ball (five feet six and one-half inches tall). Miss Jennings (15), a former model for the famous couturier, Jean Patou, is a stately redhead as handsome a creature as you ever laid your eyes on. You'll soon be seeing her in featured leads. 

Miss Ball (above), a blue-eyed blonde from Montana (16) and former model for Hattie Carnegie, is considered an important trump in the studio's hand. Her bosses have thus far cast her in wise-cracking roles, hoping to develop her into a counterpart of the late Lilyan Tashman (17) - but Lucille doesn't seem to need much help along those lines. Her poise, her suave delivery and her flair for clothes have already added to the gaiety of nations and have cannoned her well along the road to stardom. 

One of the most beautiful of the "model" brunettes is Hester Deane (18) who is doing much to enhance M-G-M productions. Her likeness on the backs of magazines has caused many a gentleman to change his brand of cigarettes, and she posed for automobile body advertisements long before the studio discovered that her presence on screen would “up” the grosses. 

She was born in Oklahoma City. Her education included art and music. Now, when she isn’t modeling or working in pictures, she designs clothes, takes piano lessons, and studies philosophy. 

A good look at Mary Jane Halsey (19) will have different reactions on you, depending on your sex. If you’re a woman, you’d just as soon she broke her neck.

Miss Halsey was born in Milwaukee. After her family moved to Los Angeles she became a model for a famous cosmetician. She is five feet six inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. She has blue eyes, and ‘shhhhhh’, she writes poetry. 

If these "model" newcomers get any taller, a few of our leading men will have to wear stilts. Extreme height, which has sounded the gong for many a beginners’ career, doesn't seem to be a handicap for the ex-models. When these lovely girls began to invade Hollywood, apparently the enthusiastic producers forgot all about the traditional physical specifications for screen heroines. There was a time when all actresses had to be extremely petite and slim, like Gloria Swanson and Colleen Moore, and, more recently, like Claudette Colbert and Margaret Sullavan (20). Unless you were a diminutive little trick about five feet two inches tall, and weighed less than 100 pounds, you might just as well have stayed on the farm. Greta Garbo and Kay Francis (21) were overlooked for a long time because of their height. 

But the restrictions seem to have been called off. It appears that models can grow as tall as they like without the danger of facing dismissal from the casting office. Margaret Lyman (22), one of the prettiest of the model group to win a picture contract, stands five feet nine inches in her stocking feet, and weighs 129 pounds. 

One of the most photographed models of the country, Miss Lyman has posed for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, The New Yorker and for cigarette and soft drink ads. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She wears a larger shoe than Garbo. 

And no less charming is pretty Jane Hamilton [below] (23), another popular girl who found her way into pictures through the route of her professional success as a model.

#   #   # FOOTNOTES FROM THE FUTURE

(1) “Roberta” was released by RKO on March 8, 1935. It was Lucille Ball’s 21st film.  Models were needed for the fashion sequences. The film also employed models Virginia Carroll, Diane Cook, Lynne Carver, Lorraine DeSart, Betty Dumbries, Myrna Low, Margaret McChrystal, Marie Osborne, Wanda Perry, Donna Mae Roberts, and Kay Sutton.  In addition to Lucille Ball, Wanda Perry, Maxine Jennings, and Jane Hamilton were in the film and profiled in this article.

(2) “The Great Ziegfeld” was MGM’s 1936 biopic of Florenz Ziegfeld, the showman who glorified female beauty on stage. Lucille Ball was not in this film, but was later part of the cast of “Ziegfeld Follies” (1951). This film employed dozens of showgirls and models to play the Ziegfeld Girls. Those profiled in this article include Pauline Craig, Wanda Perry, Hester Dean, Mary Halsey, and Margaret Lyman. 

(3) Pauline Craig (1914-97) made her screen debut in “The Great Ziegfeld” but only did five more films, leaving the business in 1939. 

(4) Jean Harlow (1911-37) likely did not know or care about Pauline Craig, even if Craig’s figure did give Harlow a run for her money. She was known as the original platinum blonde sex symbol. She died at age 26, at the peak of her popularity. MGM closed for her funeral. 

(5) I. Magnin & Company was a San Francisco, California-based high fashion and specialty goods luxury department store. It expanded across the West into Southern California and the adjoining states of Arizona, Oregon, and later to Chicago, Illinois, and Washington, DC, metropolitan areas. Mary Ann Magnin founded the company in 1876 and named the chain after her husband, Isaac. The chain was bought out by Macy’s in 1994. 

(6) The Dionne quintuplets (born May 28, 1934) are the first quintuplets known to have survived their infancy. The identical girls were born just in Ontario. All five survived to adulthood. The Dionne girls were born two months premature. The Ontario government and those around them began to profit by making them a significant tourist attraction. As of this writing, two of the girls are still living. 

(7) Wanda Perry was born Helen Beuscher in Brooklyn, New York, on July 24, 1917. When she was sixteen, she was named Miss New York City, and was offered a movie contract by Earl Carroll. Helen moved to Hollywood and took her mother's maiden name, Wanda Perry, appearing in films as a showgirl, an Earl Carroll Girl, a Goldwyn Girl, a dancer in "George White's 1935 Scandals," a fashion model, an extra, a bit player and a stand-in for Lucille Ball! Her final film was as an extra in Lucy’s Mame (1974). 

(8) Elizabeth Russell (1916-2002) was the sister-in-law of Rosalind Russell. She started doing films in 1936 and finished her career in 1960. (9) “Girl of the Ozarks” (1936) was a Paramount film also starring Virginia Weidler, Henrietta Crossman, and Leif Erickson. 

(10) Louise Stuart did two pictures for Paramount back-to-back in 1936. That was the extent of her film career.

(11) Miss Mason’s Castle is a reference to Miss C.E. Mason’s Suburban School for Girls in Tarrytown-on-Hudson, New York. It was open from the late 1880s to 1934. The castle was razed in 1944. 

(12) “Lady Be Careful” (1936) did not feature Louise Stuart as is said here, although records could be incorrect. The film did feature Elizabeth Russell, however. 

(13) Veda Ann Borg (1915-73) did her first film for Paramount in 1936, and was continually employed in Hollywood until 1963. She was the first actress cast as Honeybee Gillis in “The Life of Riley” TV series, replaced a short time later by Marie Brown, then Gloria Blondell. 

(14) Anita Colby (1914-92) was born Anita Counihan. Early in her career, at $50 an hour, she was the highest paid model at the time. She was nicknamed "The Face" and appeared on numerous billboards and ads, many of them for cigarette advertisers. She did three films in 1936 alone, the same year she appeared on 15 magazine covers in a single month. In subsequent years she only acted in three more films, returning to modeling. 

(15) Maxine Jennings (1909-91) did 10 films with Lucille Ball between 1935 and 1937.  After 1938, her film appearances were sporadic.  She made her final screen appearance on a 1968 episode of “Hawaii 5-O”. 

(16) Lucille Ball (1911-89) is stated as being a blonde from Montana. She was actually a brunette from Upstate New York.  

(17) Lucille is once again compared with Lilyan Tashman (1896-1934) a stage and screen actress known for her skill at verbal wit as well as her throaty delivery. She died at age 37, just one year after Lucille Ball arrived in Hollywood. 

(18) Hester Dean became known as 'The Girl with the Fisher Body' after modeling for the Fisher Automobile Company. Her only film was “The Great Ziegfeld” (1936). 

(19) Mary Jane Halsey (1913-89) was also in “The Great Ziegfeld” (1936) but by that time had done nearly a dozen films. She continued to act on screen until 1945. 

(20) Gloria Swanson was 4′11″, Colleen Moore was 5′3″, Claudette Colbert was 5′5″, and Margaret Sullavan was 5′3″. 

(21) Greta Garbo was 5′7″ (same as Lucille Ball), and Kay Francis was 5′9″. 

(22) Margaret Lyman (1915-2002) was one of the models hired for “The Great Ziegfeld” in 1936. She did two more pictures before leaving screen acting behind. 

(23) Jane Hamilton (1915-2004) was a Goldwyn Girl in “Roman Scandals” (1933) just like Lucille Ball. Hamilton, however, had done one previous film as a Goldwyn Girl, “Gold Diggers of 1933″.  She did seven other films with Lucille Ball. Her final screen role was in 1949. 

[warsofasoiaf]

I'd love to hear your thoughts about Cyberpunk 2077 when you are ready/have finished the game. Maybe besides the game itself you have an opinion about the crunch, bugs and general feeling of disappointment in a good portion of the fans

Sure thing. It’s going to be a long write-up and there are going to be spoilers, so you better believe that this is going to have a cut. Reader beware. For context, I have beat the game, and I played it on PC and only on PC.

I’ve been a fan of the cyberpunk genre for a long time. Transhuman and techno-utopian sci-fi always struck me the wrong way; that it was too optimistic and ignored a less savory element of human nature that simply would not go away with the advent of new technologies. While I only briefly dipped my toes in the water of the Cyberpunk tabletop game (I was always a bigger fan of Shadowrun), I did enjoy the genre and was eager to see a AAA cyberpunk game. I also really liked CD Projekt Red with what they did with RPG’s like the Witcher 3. Particularly when it came to the smaller sidequests, they really found a way to bring a lot of noir elements and hard-hitting character moments to the game, and I believed that it could translate very well into a cyberpunk game. After all, noir was a similar response to detective fiction to what the cyberpunk genre was to earlier elements of sci-fi. So I was quite optimistic when it came out. What we got was...well, it didn’t quite meet up with expectations.

There are some good things about the game. Assuming you have a beefy rig, PC cyberpunk looks pretty good. Not only does it look good, but it looks like the dismal 1980′s inspired future that had defined the genre, with its neon lights, omnipresent advertising to the point of satire (amphetamines are available from vending machines in a variety of flavors and commercials are completely ridiculous). The fixers are great examples of different cyberpunk archetypes like Regina Jones being a media or the Padre being an underclass civic leader looking to protect his community with a bit of a violent streak. Plenty of the characters had great personality, the nomads and Panam were enjoyable, Judy had a great questline that detailed optimism and bitter disappointment (and the character looks cool and is a bit of a cinnamon roll), River’s quest was a perfectly serviceable cop questline with enough horror elements, they were all fine. Keanu wasn’t a great voice actor, but he did serviceably and was apparently just wonderful with the staff, so I’m willing to cut him a pass. The level design can encourage a variety of different play styles, with attribute points opening up certain pathways. Given that it’s an open-world sandbox game, the goal should be to immerse yourself in the world, and touch on elements of cyberpunk as you go through the various quests, and you do see some of that. You see the gross exploitations of dolls in the sex trade when you go to Clouds, the bizarre elements of self-expression that new technologies can offer such as the twins in Kabuki, Pacifica is an abandoned recreation ground for the rich with the nice image of rotting Ferris wheels and abandoned malls, and you can see the divide between the have’s and have-not’s on full display both in the opening (compare and contrast the Street Kid with the Corpo beginnings) or take a look at the Peralez’s penthouse apartment versus Judy’s cramped digs. Honestly, one of my favorite things in the game were just the consumables to highlight the different food and drink available to the people of Night City. The heavy population means that foods like fried ants or locust pepperoni are common, amphetamines are available in a variety of flavors, and there are no less than 20 burrito vending machines on every street (the future is not all bad it seems). I like little worldbuilding moments like this in video games because it does give a sense of completion and immersion within the world. I honestly felt bad for Johnny Silverhand, because by the end of the game I had to be a bloated man-ball of Holobites Peach Pie and Cirrus Cola. 

The game even took a few things that had aged poorly in the cyberpunk genre and improved them. The Mox is a gang specifically meant to stop the Disposable Sex Worker trope, it’s small and part of the reason it survives is that it’s small, but it offers a chance of improvement over the exploitation that the Tyger Claws offer. The cyberpyscho quest is probably the best one of this. Earlier Cyberpunk had cyberpsychosis as a serious concern directly correlated with how many implants you got. The Solo archetype even spoke about how you risk losing your humanity with your implants as you became stronger, better, faster. Even later iterations had depersonalization/derealization disorders as people who could see in the dark lost connection to those who couldn’t. A quick thought in our present though, changes this. My eyesight and hearing is just fine, but I don’t lose connection or common empathy with individuals who are blind or deaf. I have two arms and two legs and I have not lost empathy for amputees. Why then, would I lose empathy and connection with someone with average human eyesight after I get my eyes replaced and now I have the ability to see in the dark or have telescopic sight? The cyberpsycho quest actually took this concept to task; cyberpsychos around the city are seen as horrifying threats that need the high-threat response of MaxTac to deal with, but Regina is looking to see if she can cure cyberpsychosis. Mechanically, the cyberpsychos are boss-fights with elements of puzzle gameplay (how to handle the different skillsets that they have) and a bonus reward for non-lethal damage which rewards certain playstyle archetypes or prepwork for those who ensure that they have a non-lethal option. The information you find around each cyberpyscho showcase different problems in the target’s life, no real common thread or inciting incident that you can trace the onset of cyberpsychosis toward and identify a culprit. After you complete the quest, you learn the twist: there is no such thing as cyberpsychosis. Each of the targets were actually just experiencing different stressors within their lives, such as PTSD, losing their job, drug abuse, etc. and the breakdown is made much worse because these individuals have the ability to toss dumpsters like they were baseballs or pick the wings off a fly with a cybernetically enhanced brain with a .50 cal. Some of these individuals had terrible implant surgery done by bargain-basement ripperdocs and temporarily lost the ability to discern reality from fantasy, something that could easily be seen as a science fiction adaptation of temporary insanity brought on by a poor reaction to medicine. It’s backed up by the game too. V can fill every slot in their cyberware deck but never once experiences cyberpsychosis. Oda has ultra-legs and flaming-hot mantis blades and is in perfect control at every point in the game, even when he’s trying to jab those mantis blade through your sternum. Cyberpyschosis isn’t real, the irresponsible media just ran with it because fear sells. For all the flaws of the game, I respect the game for taking cyberpsychosis in that direction.

But for all those good things, the game couldn’t help but feel shallower than the Witcher 3. The side-gigs were formulaic to the point where they even led with a category. There were few twists and very little that was surprising. Exposition for these quests was limited to a short text dump and a minute voice-over. Night City was big but it was relatively sparse. NCPD never seemed to intervene in any crimes (giving the character the chance to do so) but every so often they were around a taped-off crime scene, giving a sense of inconsistency that hampered the world. While it was a bustling city, it felt empty, most of the people I saw on the street were meaningless, just NPC’s walking around to give a sense of activity. There was little in the way of things to see and experience that was unique or different about these NPC’s. They weren’t crowds I could hide in like Hitman, they didn’t have ambient dialogue that showcased something like the Witcher 3. Much like other open-world games, this sense of shallowness pervaded much of the empty space of the world; it was incredibly *big* but there was little in it. Much of the time I was driving or running through empty space that was completely worthless to me. Normal for city living, but all of that is wasted time going from point A to point B, and unlike the Witcher 3, there were no small in-game beats to help flesh it out or build it. I never had Millie from “Where the Wolf and Cat Play” give me a little picture, I never had people from a liberated village say “hey, look, it’s that guy Geralt, thanks for killing those harpies.” These were things that made the Witcher 3′s world really come alive. I didn’t have that, and I was left

Of course, we also have to handle the elephant in the room, and that was CDPR’s conduct both during production and after release. Crunch has become an increasingly common part of video game development and it’s not healthy to developers. CDPR had been called out on it once before, but it seemed there was little change in how that happens. I’m not quite sure if there’s anything we can do, and I’m sympathetic to the need to hit target deadlines to actually deliver a finished product, but there’s got to be a better way, whether that’s a change to the incentive structure, or something, because it’s hurting folks. I like games like Witcher 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2, but I understand that there was a real human cost to these masterpieces, and I wonder if there’s something we can do about that. 

Similarly, what happened after launch was beyond terrible. The last-gen console version were simply not ready for release and shouldn’t have been released to the public. CDPR openly covered up this, by only previewing the PC version, they hid the fact that the game wasn’t ready, and they avoided delaying the last-gen console version because they were looking to capitalize on holiday sales. I’m sympathetic for the need to generate sales, but the flip of this is that you have to deliver the product you advertise, and for last-gen consoles, they didn’t do so. Bugs are one thing, these games are massive undertakings of interacting systems and bugs are inevitable; some of my favorite games were buggy at release, notably Fallout: New Vegas, Witcher 3, and so on. But this went past bugs and into malpractice and deception, and that’s something that’s less forgivable. I personally had few bugs that were out-and-out game breaking but things not loading, quests bugging out, floating bags and other physics wonkiness, all of that hurt the immersion. I’d be more willing to forgive the game without the deception; I can laugh at bugs but not at ignoring quality control to get holiday sales instead of delivering a quality product. Consumers are angry at CDPR and have every reason to be, and I’m one of them. I can express my disappointment and I will do so, we need developers to stop these practices and the only way we can do that is through our wallets and words. I’m not going to tell anyone not to buy CDPR games, that’s entirely your decision because I’m a radical individualist. But I am going to say that they’ve burned a lot of their good karma with me; credibility is a hard beast to gain back. Much like other big name developers, CDPR has hurt their standing in my eyes. Whether that means I need to resort to going to indie games for a little bit or something else, I don’t know, but it’s rough. I liked CDPR and wanted to believe it’d be different, but it seems to not be the case.

Overall, I think it’s another AAA open-world game only made better by my love of the genre, and that stings. I enjoyed some aspects of it, and I hope that through Free DLC, patching, and other good deeds, the game can redeem itself and stimulate new love of the genre. But CDPR needs to do a lot more than that to win back my affection. If anyone has anything specifically that they want to know about the game, such as talk about the main story, individual characters, or so on, just ask.

Thanks for the question, Khef.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[crushzone]

Haikyuu!! Characters As A Film Crew (Pt. 1: Pharmacy Commercial for Gardening Tools

NO ONE asked for this, but I felt a strong urge to bring it to existence. 😂

Will probably be a multi-series because I breath, eat, and sleep on film sets, and even if they are the same crew positions, they all got different styles and reactions based off the premises.

Also, not all positions will be included. I’m only typing the specific ones where Haikyuu!! characters occupy.

So consider each of these headcanons as one film shoot. And the next part as a different shoot. Some characters might get called back to be on future shoots, so expect some reappearances.

And if you have a goofy idea for our next premise, we might be able to open a lil brainstorm pool.

———————

Premise:

The crew gathers, bright and early, on a commercial shoot for a pharmacy store. They’re trying to promote their newly stocked Spring gardening products where a shopper browses through the aisles, then a group of dancers and a leaf mascot emerges and begins dancing.

———————

1st Assistant Director - Sugawara Koshi

He’s so happy to be here. When he hears that there will be dancing involved, he gets SO excited.

When the shot is rolling and people are dancing, he will be right by the director, swaying happily to the songs that they are dancing to. By the end of the first day of filming, he’s already remembered all the dance moves.

Because he enjoyed the fun dancing so much, he gets too distracted to...you know....actually do his job.

Is the main reason why the film shoot goes overtime; because he forgets to keep the director’s and cinematographer’s time in check.

He’s also not very harsh when it comes to putting his foot down and telling the cinematographer that this HAS to be the last shot before they  move on.

When the cinematographer kinda brushes him off, he will pout a lil, and mentally settle on allowing them 2 mores shots just cuz the dance is so fun in this. And same goes for the other shot, then the other...holy crap we have to be out in 15 minutes?! Where did the time go.

If they need more extras to dance, he low key wishes that he could hop in and help out. And when they let him, he is freaking happy.

Is very kind to any production assistants who may be new to the gig.

Makes every instruction sound like a very polite request.

All production assistant interns have a crush on him, and they keep trying to bring him fruit snacks from crafty.

Cinematographer - Tsukishima Kei

The wrong man for this particular shoot

He’s low-key a little embarrassed that he is going to be filming a bunch of people dancing and being happy.

While everyone is happily dancing along, he just glowers by the camera when some dancers can’t seem to hit their mark right. They’re not going to get the perfect spotlight he’s designed for them, dammit!

Gets a little annoyed by how Suga is so excited about the dance.

Also hates the fact that there are so many actors, it’s making him a little anxious about any background actors knocking on his lighting or camera equipments. 

Needs to sip on some Caprisun to calm his nerves, asap.

Will never tell his brother, Akiteru, how his shoot went when he gets home. That, or he’ll make it up, that he actually shot a horror film or something less “lame”.

Will eat the catering meals that are provided, but will silently judge how stiff the chicken is, or how overcooked the pastas are.

The kind of cinematographer who always remains by the camera, and doesn’t really help lighting and grips much when they need it. (It’s a very small crew, so some people are doubling duties.)

Will also leave most of the work to his camera assistants, treats this commercial shoot with the standards of a feature film, and will get kind of annoyed when his expectations are not met. However, if someone asks him if he’s okay, he’ll just smile and say that it is all dandy.

Wouldn’t even accept fruit snacks that his assistant camera brought for him, in an attempt to lighten his mood.

Sodium levels are very high.

Lighting - Wakatoshi Ushijima

Just general really quiet and stoic

No one really notices him, but even before the cinematographer can figure out how to describe the way they want the shot lit, he’s already had a massive light set up on stand by and is ready to go.

Also freaking strong, while the other electrics are figuring out a way to carry this lighting contraption across the pharmacy, and up the stairs wit no elevator, he’ll just say “Let me try”, picks it up, then walks out there alone like he’s holding a feather.

Him and his big lights lol

Somehow, his hands are heat resistant? He tends to lose his leather gloves when he lends it out to someone who needs it. So he just uses those cheap, thin gloves from expendables to adjust some hot lights, and he never flinches. We will never know if it actually hurts him or if he just doesn’t react, even when we can clearly see the smoke coming from his melting gloves.

Doesn’t know anything about voltages though, if there is an outlet, he will plug. Keeps blowing the fuse, and while some people are afraid to mess with the pharmacy’s breaker, it doesn’t bother him. Flips EVERY switch till it works, without reading the labels. definitely gave locations a heart attack.

Never complains about poor catering, but he will bring his own healthy lunch and breakfast.

Though he’ll occasionally snack on fruit snacks from crafty. However, if he got the last packet of fruit snacks available on crafty and someone wants it, he will give it to them in a heartbeat.

Makeup - Satori Tendou

There will be people dressed as leaves and trees? Some farmer-themed costume? DANCING?! He’s DOWN.

He probably had no makeup experience, but he found a way to fake his resume, so that he can put in all of his acrylic finger painting “experiments” as his experience.

When he gets there, his eyes sparkles at ALLLL of the people who are waiting for him to turn them into something.

Doesn’t really listen to what he was instructed to do, so some of the customers who were suppose to have some natural makeup, got turned into a tree as well. Fortunately, the director was able to work around this error, but now they are very short on human-looking actors.

Surprisingly not as awful with his body painting as he could’ve been? Not the best, but he’s not too shabby.

Started off doing the actor’s makeup with one of his original random humming, but when he steps outside to see some of the dancers practicing their moves, the song instantly got stuck in his head, and he CANNOT stop singing it. It’s beginning to drive some people insane.

He will be by the monitor, wiggling his lil hips and humming to the song. He had to be hushed by the Assistant Director Suga a few times, but he can’t help it, music just kind of rumbles out of him like breathing. Also, it’s not like Suga is so harsh about his hushing to begin with, but it did annoy Tendou for a hot sec, before he disregards him since he also notices him dancing next to the director.

Terrible at sanitizing his brushes. Will use the same brushes on different actors (gross). When an actor complains about sanitization, he just pretends like it had JUST occurred to him that they are right. Then he would set the brushes down and go at it with his freaking fingers.

Tilts his head like an owl and steps 10 steps back to study how his makeup job looks, before coming back to examine up close. Just really not subtle about it.

Grip - Keiji Akaashi

This man is a grip i would HIRE in a heartbeat.

Just like Ushijima, people don’t really notice him, per say, but in a way, you also can’t help but notice how he’s always shadowing the cinematographer so he can get a head start on instructions and problem solving.

However, he is very methodical though. Never just asks his team to grab a gear until he is sure it will be used. He just understands that most equipments are freaking heavy, and he never wants to overwork his crew.

Always hella crafty; need a dolly shot, but you couldn’t rent one? Here’s a shopping cart lol. Sound department misplaced their dead cat? (It’s a fluffy thing that you put over the microphone to prevent wind sounds), just let me buy a teddy bear from the kids section and make one for you. His rigs definitely makes it to shittyrigs Instagram page often.

But you have to admit that his shittyrigs are pretty impressive AND actually secure.

Ended up getting pulled into the commercial to be one of the costumers, since they were short on actors (Since Makeup Artist Tendou kept turning actors into trees). He barely reacts to anything so they had to pull him back out.

Because his roommate, Bokuto, is taking the role of the main leaf mascot, he cannot wander off to rest between takes because Bokuto keeps looking to him for approval haha.

Really quiet, but when anybody comes up to him for some advice, he never hesitates to share what he’s learnt from his experience.

Lead Actor (Mascot) - Kotaro Bokuto

Is Akaashi’s roommate.

One day when Bokuto returns home, all pouty, because he decided to quit his job, Akaashi tries to think of a way to get this man a job that he would enjoy.

Then when he tells Bokuto that he’s hired for a commercial shoot as a Grip, Bokuto basically threw him a little ice cream party (he probably throws Akaashi a little celebratory party every time he gets a gig, and he is an experienced regular who gets gigs ALL the time.) but he did sensed something wrong: As happy as Bo is for one of his many grip gigs, there’s an underlying atmosphere of sadness that he can’t brush off.

“How do you feel about potentially dancing in a leaf mascot costume for a commercial shoot?” And at that question, Bo’s eyes sparkle ✨

Seeing as Akaashi had worked with this advertising company as a freelancer for a while, he put in a good word for his friend.

When Bokuto shows up for audition, the casting directors LOVE him. Gets the role right away, and from that day on, this company keeps re-hiring him as their different mascots.

The crew loves him, the client loves him, and the casts love him. This man is THRIVING.

Not the best dancer, but he’s energetic enough that it’s just endearing in his own way.

When he gets handed the leaf costume, he’ll accepts it as if someone’s handing him a sword.

Just stomps around the pharmacy as a lil leaf, the heat of the suit doesn’t even bother him when he could look this cool. However, he’ll trip on his costume A LOT, but he’s fine because it’s actually pretty cushiony.

In one of the shots, he tripped on his costume, and simply stands back up to continue dancing like nothing’s happened, cuz the show must go on. That was the shot that made it to the final commercial.

The choreographer actually tried to teach him a dance, but because he’s pretty bad at learning dances, they just let him do his thing.

Boom Operator - Lev Haiba

This tall boi is BORN to be a boom operator.

Due to his naturally friendly demeanor, a lot of background and dancers thought that he is flirting with them. However they later realize that he’s just friendly when they figured out they were all swooning over the same person.

Can hold boom poles very high, like he can hold it over the aisles without a ladder sometimes.

This is his first gig, so he doesn’t really know tricks to hold the boom pole for an extended amount of time.

So his arms will probably tire out real fast. And sometimes you can turn around mid dance to see that he has his eyes closed and his arms are TREMBLING. (Poor boi, but please keep your eyes open when the camera is rolling lol.)

And when the shot is cut, he will bring his arms back down and smile SO big cuz he gets to relax. But will cry when they have to go again.When will this shot cut omg. The dance sequence is so long.

Because he keeps his eyes closed, he always accidentally dips the microphone in frame. I can assure you that you will hear “BOOM IN FRAME” about a 100 times on this shoot.

When the director views their favorite shot, they realize the microphone is in frame, Lev would smile VERY innocently when the director groans.

Trips on his own microphone cable. Akaashi had to come up with a contraption to save him from tripping.

No idea how to coil cables, so it’s always just a big spaghetti mess.

Always eats SO much during lunch.

Always bumping into shelves, counters, fridges. If you hear the sound of 30 cans falling from a distant aisle, it’s probably Lev and his boom pole. Will also give locations a heart attack.

Same goes for if you hear “OW!!” it’s probably him too, but this time he is tripping on his cable, before the pole lands on someone’s head.

Just overall a very chaotic and dangerous boom operator.

Transportation - Hinata Shoyo

Honestly has no idea what he is doing. JUST learnt how to drive recently, so he figured, he’d make some money.

Can’t even follow the GPS so well. GPS: turn left at Baker St. Hinata: BUT WHEN?! Is it this street? Whoa, this car is coming out of the street...oh...that was Baker St. uhh, I’ll do another loop. Actor: this is your 4th loop!!

Gets kind of overwhelmed by how many actors he had to pick up. This is a pharmacy commercial shoot right? Why are there so many actors?!

Just gets really awkward when there is no one to transport though. Like what else is he suppose to do now?

Would just hang out around crafty and stress snack. Then he’d have to run to the bathroom often cuz he ate too much.

Because of that, you can’t really find him when you need him, sometimes. He’ll have to keep responding to his radio while in the restroom.

Totally thinks that the distortion of the radio will mask his flushing. But he is WRONG.

Dancer - Terushima Yuuji

Is actually a pretty great dancer. He gets to be one of the dancers who get the most screen time.

The choreographer loves him, he even asked if he can please add his own flair to it, and when he attempts some free styling, the whole team is impressed, some even swooned.

Found a way to convince the director to have him wink at the camera, and that may or may not be why the pharmacy’s gardening products were nearly all sold out the moment the commercial aired. Never knew gardening could be this sexy, did’cha? *winks*

Playboy af. At the end of the shoot, he’s got 10 new numbers from cuties on set, can’t even decide who he should hit up first. Some of these numbers, he got them from crew/cast members who genuinely thought his cocky behavior’s pretty hot, but a good half of it also came from his persistence.

Demands some fancy snacks for crafty, but when the crafty person leaves to go find that snack for him, he quickly shoves a handful of some junky candy and cheetos in his pockets. 

And those snacks will probably be his dinner tonight.

Is a little bit of a jerk to “newer” actors. Like bruh, this is not even a film shoot for a movie, it’s just a commercial. 🤷🏻‍♀️

REFUSES to be turned into a tree. He will maintain his sexy human form, please, and thank you. But sexy farmer is fine, I guess.

Background Actor (who dances too) - Kageyama Tobio

Shows up thinking that all he has do is to just push shopping carts around in the background.

Wrong

He didn’t know he had to dance too. And suddenly all blood drains from him.

What is he going to do?! He was already in 2 of the shots, he can’t back out now.

When it comes to the dancing part, he is as stiff about it as you can expect.

Why are there no yogurt or milk at crafty? :( He needs it now more than ever, to calm his nerves.

But when he did get it, and drank it, it didn’t seem to sit too well in his tummy when he dances. He’s confused.

Freaking transportation guy keeps occupying the bathroom. His name is Hinata? He knows because he can hear Hinata’s name being called through the walkie while he is in the restroom.

-----------------

A/N This is my first headcanon, so please let me know if there are things I can improve on! 🥰

——————

Taglist (open): @shhhlikeme @ceo-of-daichi @karasu-hoes @super-noya @nonexistent-social-life

[marketgeneratorbusiness-blog]

4 Reasons Why Generac Is The Best Business Generator Line Available On The Market

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[hellorickturner-blog]

Daniel Carpenter Taking Things to a New Level

Daniel Carpenter is far from your average senior. He doesn’t take life slow or easy, in fact when most people his age begin to become less active, Daniel Carpenter speeds his life up. So what makes this 64 year old, retired army captain, licensed private investigator, and former professor with a PH.D. in Drama do for fun? The answer may surprise you. Currently, Carpenter is learning MMA and pursuing a career in Rap! Rap Music to be precise and like everything Daniel had ever applied himself to he’s giving it 110%.

Carpenter was born on November 5th 1955 in the back of a farm truck on route 315 in Simsbury, Connecticut (a suburb of Hartford) on the way to the hospital, in a thunderstorm. Already an unusual start to this extraordinary man’s life, at the age of five, he was already showing incredible abilities. Carpenter wrote and performed a cello concerto featured in a local town’s christmas pageant. He was also known to be incredibly athletic, competing against boys much older then he in the annual township’s swim competition. “I was about five or six around that time and the high school swim coach noticed me swimming laps in the pool one summer, he said that I swam faster and better than most of his varsity swim team members. Even at that age, I found his remarks to be humorous because I has practically taught myself to swim” Carpenter remarked. Carpenter was known for his confident and competitive nature throughout his early school years and that reputation continued throughout his highschool career. Voted most likely to succeed in his senior yearbook, Carpenter was a force to be reckoned with. He was the varsity wrestling team captain, school newspaper editor, the star of the debate team and the class president. “I never wanted to have a reason to look back and regret not trying something” Carpenter reflected, “I wanted to make sure I had gave everything a shot.”

In December 1973, Carpenter enlisted in the army to fight in Vietnam. He had just turned 18 and answered to call for young men to join the fight. “I didn’t particularly agree with the war, but I felt a deep sense of patriotism and I could not ignore it.” Over the next three years, Carpenter excelled through the army ranks starting as a private and leaving Vietnam as Master Sergeant. Carpenter did not wish to elaborate much on his experiences in Vietnam, stating “I never speak about it with anyone except for the men who were there… they are the only ones who understand.”

After the Fall of Saigon, Carpenter was airlifted out of Vietnam with the remaining troops in the spring of 1975. He returned home to Hartford, Connecticut just before his 20th birthday. While home, Daniel met a woman by the name of Nancy Slater while eating breakfast at a local diner. They began dating. “I knew when I met her that she was something special and I had to marry her,” said Carpenter. Unfortunately after only a few months home Carpenter was called to duty. He left for West Berlin in February of 1976 and his plans to marry Nancy Slater were put on hold. Despite the distance between Carpenter and Slater he kept true to her and wrote her almost every day. “I was in love, and it hurt to be away from her but I knew the oath I took and that this sacrifice was for the good of my country.”

Over the next 3 years Carpenter was stationed in West Berlin at the doorstep of the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. He once again refused to give details about his time abroad, however his reason this time was different, claiming that details of his service during that time is still to this day classified. “I was stationed in West Berlin for almost 3 years, and it was not pretty, let’s just leave it at that,” said Carpenter with a careful chuckle.

Carpenter returned home in 1978 around Christmas. While in West Germany he had bought an engagement ring for his girlfriend Nancy Slater. Carpenter having risen to the rank of Captain decided to leave the army to get married. He proposed to Nancy on New Years Eve of that year and by May of 1979 they were married. “I was so happy, however my appetite for accomplishment was a problem, I couldn’t sit still.” Around this time Carpenter began working at a local factory which built plumbing parts. “Nancy could see that I was not happy working at a factory, however we had a baby on the way and we were saving for a house.” Over the next several years the Carpenters would have 4 children. Daniel would change jobs three times and eventually become a licenced private investigator. Opening an office in on 42nd Street in Manhattan in 1981. “I loved being a gumshoe… meeting all the interesting people and all the adventures and at that time the city was a much seedier and gritty place.”

When cases were slow Carpenter, an avid chess player would search the city for chess players to fulfill his need for competition. Carpenter became a known chess player in the army. He played all sorts of people and allegedly defeated a famous East German Chess Master while on a diplomatic assignment east of the wall. “I would tell Nancy I was working late and would scour the city for best chess opponents I could find. It sounds crazy but it kept me sharp. I loved playing the bums around the port authority. Those guys sometimes we’re better and smarter than some of the professional players. Some of those fellas were undercover savants.” “I sat on the sidewalk of 43rd and Broadway once for 3 hours playing this one guy by a dumpster, over and over again… and I could not beat him.” “I would sometimes have an epiphany during a match and run back to the office after the game to work on the case.”

In 1986 a client of Carpenter’s was unable to pay in full for his investigator services and offered him two tickets to see CATS. The wildly popular Broadway show had been out since 1981 and was still the highest grossing show in New York. Carpenter accepted the tickets and brought his wife to see the show. “I was immediately enthralled and had to have more, I started taking Nancy to all the Broadway shows… La Cage Aux Folles, 42nd Street, Drood, Sweet Charity… she loved them and so did I. So much so I stopped chasing down chess players and started studying theatre.”

Over the next few years Daniel Carpenter would earn a PH.D. in Drama and become a performing art professor at the local college in Nashua, New Hampshire. It would be here that Carpenter would stay as a professor for many years before retiring in 2014. “My four children have given me 11 grandchildren so I wanted to spend more time with them.”

If you think that in the last 5 Years of retirement that Daniel Carpenter has slowed down, you have another thing coming. Daniel Carpenter has already earned a blackbelt in Kempo, won the county chilli cookoff two years in a row, hosts the annual christmas tree lighting ceremony at his church, directs the community theatre troupe and has taken a stab at philanthropy. Daniel Carpenter started a non-profit foundation that funds theater programs in underprivileged school districts. He has even brought famous retired stage actors to guest teach theater. However Carpenter didn’t stop there, this upcoming year Daniel intends to begin competing as an amateur MMA Fighter in a local circuit. “People often remark about how young I look although I’m in my mid-60s and despite all I do. I tell them it’s a gift and a curse, sometimes I wish I could just sit still and enjoy retirement like most people my age, but I can’t. It drives my wife crazy.”

Now Daniel Carpenter is attempting to enter the rap game, but not for the fame but for his charity work. “I was driving down three-o-five right where I was born in Simsbury and heard this advertisement for a Rap battle in Hartford for a prize of twelve-thousand dollars… and I thought to myself about how that money could be used for good.” Unfortunately for Carpenter he was too late to register for last years tournament however he is hopeful he will win the 2020 competition. “My kids think I’m crazy and I don’t blame them, everyone has thought I was crazy at one point or another.” When asked about how his progress in rap Carpenter declined to elaborate stating “I can’t give you the secret to my sauce before the taste testing,” and carpenter knows a thing or two about taste testing, his busy wall of trophies and awards features his “Annual Chilli Cook-Off — 1st Place” awards for 2014 and 2015. “The way I see it is… this is a mix of everything I know. Music, Drama and Chess.” When asked why chess Carpenter remarked “Chess is pure strategy and rhythm, knowing your opponent and exposing their weaknesses… and knowing the right moment to strike… like martial arts too I suppose… it’s a discipline.”

Carpenter has sure been active in retirement and it seems anything that this 64 year old husband, father, teacher, soldier, detective, chess player and philanthropist puts his mind to he accomplishes. Carpenter shares that the secret to his life of success and accomplishments is having dreams. “Never forget how to have you imagination, never forget that your only limitations are what you let limit you, working hard at something you like… isn’t hard.” Carpenter hopes his wacky and eclectic life story will inspire others to take the first step. commercial interior design california

[stevecanmakeanythingnerdy]

Battle #29

Icicle Works: S/T ( Side 1 )

Vs.

Chicago : 17 ( Side 1 )

Icicle Works: S/T ( Side 1 )

The Icicle Works are an English alternative rock band and were named after the 1960 short story "The Day the Icicle Works Closed" by science fiction author Frederik Pohl. The band was founded in Liverpool in 1980 when bassist Chris Layhe answered an advertisement for a musical collaborator placed by 20-year-old Ian McNabb. The two got together and started writing. They quickly added drummer Chris Sharrock and began playing live shows as "The Icicle Works". The distinctive nature of this band versus others of the time is all in the percussion. Later albums are more straightforward rock or even punk in nature, but this album seems very tribal. Celtic you could say. Think New Model Army meets Big Country. There is a goth meets punk theme. It all starts off with “Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)”. One of the more obscure 80s tunes but recently it was featured in the credits scene of Stranger Things, so maybe that gives it some street cred. It’s a good tune. Catchy and energetic without being a burden. Also, pretty sure there is a monk chanting in the background...I could be wrong. None of my description will do it justice, just listen to the dang tune. “In The Cauldron of Love” follows and honestly how many songs do you know that dare to sing about cauldrons? Exactly. They go a little Screaming Trees on this one. Dark, and with more rock than you would expect. Downward spiraling riffs that stir you up in their cauldron. I just wanted to say that word one more time. It doesn’t even make sense anymore. Cauldron. Yeah...so “Nirvana” is next and it’s about the grunge band by the same name. Just kidding. But there is more chanting and bad ass drum fills. The structure does a good job of feeling peaceful then building up to frantic and blissful payoffs. Certainly some psychological elements. Trippy at times. “Lover’s Day” is a slower tune, but again with some awesome and amazing fills. Flute toots to boot. Nothing says love like a flute. “A Factory in the Desert” is not only a bizarre title, but a bizarrely rocking song as well. In fact, I think that’s the single most surprising thing about this group is their big rock sound for being only a three piece. The jangle guitar aside, there are elements of Echo and the Bunnymen with an Irish coffee aspect. Cultural rock. Very nature and religious themes and inspiration. I feel more peaceful after listening.

Chicago : 17 ( Side 1 )

Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. Ironic I know. They originally started calling themselves the Chicago Transit Authority in 1968 before shortening the name in 1969. The self-described “rock and roll band with horns” began writing politically charged rock music, and later moved to a softer sound, generating several hit ballads. Also right on trend with other bands naming themselves after their home city. (Looking at you, Boston). The band technically began in California under the name, The Big Thing, but opted to relocate to the Windy City and renamed themselves in doing so. They achieved a fair amount of success before moving so in a somewhat unusual move their debut album was a double LP. The label had big hopes and were not disappointed. Let’s just say it did well enough that their second and third albums were ALSO double LPs. A lot of those early hits sustained the band, but let’s be honest, a lot of that came from the frontman Peter Cetera. The band continued to have great success, pretty much up to his departure in the mid 80s. In fact, if I recall correctly, this album (17...a numbered theme/gimmick they kept in tact most of their career) was his last with the group. Probably because he realized that they kind of suck. “Stay the Night” was a big hit for the boys. Too bad they don’t rock (like the chorus suggests) all the time. It does have a decent hook though. “We can���t Stop Hurtin’” is ...another song ... with some big old keys sound. But then ruined by those jangle guitar riffs. GTFO disco Stu!!! Aaargh, plus those god awful crap horns. As if it’s not evident, I’m really not a big fan of this garbage. This is exactly why this band can go straight to hell. My ears are offended. Another lame hit for these d-bags was “Hard Habit To Break”. You might remember the video where Peter tries to be cool and wears a Bauhaus shirt...? Yeah, well that basically summarizes this whole experience. Ballad junk. Gross bloat rock. F*#@ THESE GUYS. Even the futile attempts to 80s-ify the band can’t save them. “Only You” is next and I literally have no good words to say. I think it’s a different singer on this one? I hate this record. I’m staring at the stylus with daggers waiting for the agony to end! WHY WON’T IT END ALREADY!!???! “Remember The Feeling” is next. I feel like only jerks like this band. Like, if you actually enjoy this ear vomit, then...you are a person that gives up a pet dog because it peed on your bed or something. You are a fowl, wretched human who hates yourself and is constantly cutting people off in traffic. Yeah, THAT kind of jerk listens to this trash. Even Peter Cetera was smart enough to get off the bus, man. He went solo. I may also still be bitter as I was forced to see these guys in concert when I was 5. My parents took me and I only remember falling asleep. Let me repeat that: Chicago, live on stage, PUT ME TO SLEEP they were so boring. Years later, my parents won tickets to see them but couldn’t go. I was given the tickets and only decided to go because Earth, Wind, and Fire were the opener. Well again, the show sucked because it was a torrential downpour (outside venue) and Chicago is just terrible. I’m sorry but this band is horrifying.

(*ahem) So in today’s challenge The Icicle Works worked not only icicles, but body fat. They burned 159 calories over 21 minutes and 5 songs. That is 31.80 calories burned per song and 7.57 calories burned per minute. They also earned 11 out of 15 possible stars. Chicago, on the other hand decided 17 was their number. Here are some other numbers though... 22 which is the minutes, 158 which is the number of calories burned, and 5 which is the number of songs. They burned 31.60 calories per song and 7.18 calories per minute. They earned a (pathetic) 5 out of 15 possible stars. Looks like they may be cold, but those Icicle(s) works today!

Icicle Works: “Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)”

Recently featured in an episode of Stranger Things, so if it sounds familiar that could be why...or maybe that one financial commercial.

#Randomrecordworkoutseasonsix

#Randomrecordworkout

[midwestmontessori]

Montessori Gift Ideas for 2018

There are dozens of Montessori gift guides out there in blogland, so if you’re finding yourself here, I’m sure I’m not your first stop. After all even I have my own gift idea lists from the past several years (2015, 2016, 2017). I’ve also made an ultimate gift-guide for 1-year-olds, a list of newborn essentials, and recommendations for puzzles and fine motor toys for infants up to 3-year-olds. 

Not everything is going to resonate with every person. Children are different, families are different, so I know this won’t be the end-all list for any of you. Gather inspiration, take what is helpful, leave the rest. 

When starting this year’s gift list I thought, “What new do I have to offer you all?” Each year my children get older they have new developmental needs and new interests, so it isn’t terribly difficult to come up with a few ideas to share. However, this year, I’d love to offer not only some material gift suggestions, but also some gift-giving fundamentals that have helped guide our family for the past few years.

Ever heard of the 4 gift Christmas rule? It goes like this: “Something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read.” We haven’t adopted this, but the idea inspired our own gift “template” as I’ll call it.

Here’s how it goes.

“Big” gift

Smaller gifts (~2 to 4 gifts)

A game for the family

Books, typically 1 each and then 1 for both

Music - CDs, 1 each

Socking stuffers

But before I begin, I want to say that first and foremost, we don’t have our children make wish lists. 

Since the very beginning, we have reject the notion that children should create their own expectation of what their Christmas gifts should be. We know that eventually they will grow to have expectations and wishes, which we will acknowledge. 

Additionally, we don’t take our kids shopping at toys stores or take toy catalogs. We stay away from commercial advertising. Our children don’t watch television other than Mr. Rogers and Mighty Machines so they not only don’t see advertisements, nor do they have the character consumerism influence. Of course we aren’t impervious to consumer culture. Our children still see things in public and the toys their friends and grandparents have. They can recognize Disney princesses and super heroes. We just choose to not let it be a part of our family culture at their ages (3 and 5).

So instead of having our children come up with a list of what the expect, we take what we know about them and what we have observed and choose gifts based on that. This is what parents have to do for infants and young toddlers, we just choose to hold onto that for as long as we can. 

I curate the gifts we plan to give our children as well as an Amazon wishlist which is meant to offer suggestions and ideas, not expectations, of gifts for our families. Our families know us pretty well and have been excellent at respecting some of our family’s pickiness when it comes to the toys that come into our home. For example, we don’t do electronic toys, commercial characters/brands, etc. at this age.

The “big” gift. 

This is something we plan for each of them not based on dollar amount, but on emphasis or magnitude. This is where a doll, pair of roller skates, bike, etc. (for example) come into play. This is the gift that they’ll be most excited about. We pay attention not to give them multiple items that could constitute a “big gift.” We feel that if they receive 2 or more gifts great in magnitude, they begin to expect grandness and things lose their appeal. 

The beauty of going by magnitude instead of dollar amount is that you set the expectation of what constitutes a big gift from a young age, that is, you determine the magnitude. Giving less means each gift means more. A set of spinning tops can be a gift that is front and center, or if they are mixed in with 15 other things they could be the footnote. 

We also often like to build them something to use together. This is sometimes something of greater magnitude but also more practical that we have planned to make them anyway. Christmas just ends up being a decent time to give it to them. It isn’t something we do every year. In the past we have done a table and chairs and gross motor items. These kinds of things I think of as part of their prepared environment. They certainly constitute a gift, but we do get them other gifts.

This year we decided to build the woodworking bench we have been planning to make for them for a while. The one pictured below is from the Lord Company and is sold on their website as well as Montessori Services, who also sells lots of great hand-picked child-sized tools. The bench from Lord is very expensive - made for schools so it is very high quality, probably more than one would need at home. We plan to build our own for much less, though we will use this photo as somewhat of a guide. 

Our kids already have quite a few tools but we will fill in with a few that we don’t. Among those are a hammer, saw, vise, level, safety glasses, hand drill, tape measure, sanding block, work gloves, and containers for nails, screws, drill bits, and other hardware.

Individually we plan to get Charlotte a doll, and Simon a larger vehicle.

Charlotte has enjoyed playing with dolls like this at her grandparent’s homes and also is getting to an age where she is outgrowing quite a bit of the younger open-ended toys we have. She has been exposed to American Girl dolls as well as Barbies (not something I will be offering in our home). I decided on a WellieWishers doll (Willa) from American Girl. It is a smaller doll than the 18″ AG dolls. The books are very sweet: a group of friends who spend a lot of time in nature and work through typical friendship scenarios. The books are simple chapter books - something she will be able to catch onto reading herself in the next year or two - with lovely, simple illustrations. They also have a TV show on Amazon Prime that I have begun watching with her. They are short 10-minute episodes that are essentially short stories similar to those told in the books. The animation is simple and mimics the illustrations from the books. 

I went back and forth about whether to begin such a “grown-up” girly thing to be involved in, I ultimately decided that she will very much enjoy and identify with these characters. She is learning to navigate friendships and could benefit from some problem-solving examples, acting things out, etc. Plus she will be able to relate with the other girls who have dolls, though hers may not be the same kind as theirs. I am pleased with my choice and I feel as though if nothing else it is benign and won’t be anything harmful. We won’t be subscribing to the catalog and we won’t be buying many accessories. We plan to keep it simple.

We decided on a Bruder semi-truck with flatbed trailer and backhoe for Simon. He loves vehicles and plays with his larger ones more often, so we decided something like this would be something he would enjoy. We opted for something high quality because we know it will get a ton of use and also because Bruder seems to have the most true-to-life vehicles out there.

Smaller gifts

Aside from the main gift, we also get them a few smaller gifts. They are often accessories for the main gift, or just little things. This is also where we categorize clothing. We choose 2 or 3 items from this list to give them and the rest we put on their Amazon wishlist to send to grandparents and aunts and uncles. 

This category is also where sibling gifts come in. They each get each other one small gift, which, up to this point I have had a strong hand in deciding what that gift is. Starting this year I’d like to give them more of a choice, though I won’t be taking them into a toy store to choose just anything. We will talk about what their sibling would like and come up with an idea before we shop.

Below are some ideas based on things our own children are enjoying now and a few choices we have made for their gifts this year. 

Umbrella

AG WellieWisher doll accessories: pajama set, outdoor adventure set, & doll stand; We also included a couple other outfits on Charlotte’s wishlist for family members to get for her if they choose. We aren’t going to be getting any more of the AG accessories than this little adventure set. At some point we may build a bed or make a quilt, but we won’t be going crazy with the accessories.

Paper embroidery kit

Denim woodworking aprons 

Classic Lego set - We love these sets with miscellaneous parts and a few building ideas but no specific theme or agenda

Tractor set

Hammer

Broom

Discovery window boxes

Pentatonic-diatonic glockenspiel - removable bars; I strongly recommend looking up the benefits of using a pentatonic xylophone - it is so beneficial

12-piece puzzle set

Alphabet puzzle

Silk playscape (giant playsilk) - used to make tents, etc.

Books & Music

We have a book tradition at Christmas which I share every year. Basically,  instead of putting their books (1 each and 1 to share) under the tree where they may be overshadowed by other presents, we wrap them up and slide them under their doors after they are asleep. When they wake up they see them and can open right away. My husband and I hear them when they wake but we have a moment to get ourselves together before we join them, when we get to spend a few minutes together as a family reading before we get into opening presents. I cherish that time with them on Christmas morning. They are SO excited to get their book and I love to see their joy from something so simple and meaningful, that is reading. 

We also value music and so we get them each a CD each year. We do CDs as they are tangible and give that physical representation of the music. Though it is still fairly abstract it is much less so than digital music. They do still listen to music from our phones or on the radio but we like to have some way of tangibly representing the concept of musicians creating albums.

Below are some of our current favorites as well as some on our wishlist. We get them each a book and one to share and the rest go on their Amazon wishlist. 

Mog the Forgetful Cat by Judith Kerr

Abbey Road by The Beatles

The Story Orchestra by Jessica Courtney-Tickle

Strong Girls gift set (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer

My Big Wimmelbook - At the Construction Site by Max Walther

Slinky Malinky by Lynley Dodd

The Riddle of the Robin by Valerie Tripp - WellieWishers American Girl book

Natural History (Smithsonian) by DK Publishing

Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beaty (also Iggy Peck Architect and Ada Twist Scientist and the new Questioneers chapter books)

My Basketball Book by Gail Gibbons, see also baseball, football, soccer in the same series

Poem for Every Day of the Year by Esiri Ali (I may give this book on NYE)

100 Classic Stories by Rosalind McGuire

The Dinosaur Book (Smithsonian) by DK Publishing

The Beach Boys Greatest Hits

Awesome Science Experiments for Kids by Crystal Chatterton

Maria Montessori (Little People Big Dreams) by Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Spinning Spiders by Melvin Berger - I love the Read & Learn About series

Flicka Ricka & Dicka and the Three Kittens by Maj Lindman

The Red Letter Alphabet Book and The Blue Number Counting Book by Ellen C. Gould

10 More Ten-Minute Stories from Usborne

Games

Every year we get a game for our family to play together. Often I will do one board game and then a smaller card game. This year we are doing Operation and Slamwich. The others are some of our favorites. 

Last year we started the family tradition of celebrating the New Year on New Year’s Eve with a new family game, party decorations and music, sparkling grape juice for the kids, and champagne for us. It was such a fun little party. I am still deciding on a game for that. Send me your ideas!

Shopping List - our all-time favorite first memory game

Rhyming cards - We use these like a memory game

Kerplunk - take turns pulling out the sticks without letting marbles drop

Flower Families - a variation of Go Fish

Zitternix by HABA - take turns drawing as many sticks as you can before it falls

Creature Matching Game

Sonix Music - a musical instrument sound matching game

Go Togethers - We use these cards like a memory or matching game

Orchard by HABA - This is similar to Hi Ho Cherry-O though it is made of very high quality materials and is just beautiful. There are four types of fruit to pick, all before the raven gets them first. There is a version for younger children as well. We have both and love them equally.

Outfoxed - finding clues, identifying suspects, remembering details, taking turns, rolling die - such a fun game

Uno - classic card game, requires number and color recognition/matching

Candyland - also requires color matching

Aggravation - marble race game, requires counting traditional 6-sided dice

First Words Magnetic Poetry - not technically a game but these word magnets are fun to play with words on the refrigerator

Animal Soundtracks - matching animal sounds

Operation - lots of dexterity and pincer grip practice

Slamwich - a child-friendly version of Egyptian Ratslap or Slapjack; take turns playing cards and thus creating a stack of sandwich toppings; slap doubles to collect as many cards as possible

Stocking Stuffers

Finally, we fill their stockings with a few small things. They fill up fast so they don’t need much.

Walkie talkies

Toe socks

Earrings

Safety glasses

Work gloves

Hat & mittens from Primary.com

WellieWishers socks (the socks look like the boots of each of the WellieWisher girls in the books)

Fort clips (to be used with the silk playscape above)

Christmas ornament (not pictured)

There you have it! Our Christmas gifting in a nutshell. I hope this was helpful. Happy shopping. :)