#full picture enough to have any actually valuable input.

[snekdood]

i think the reason ppl get so uppity about you calling a scam a scam rn is bc they feel so powerless about the situation in i/p that they'll take ANYTHING to feel like they're contributing. they dont want to be the bystanders who have no real sway that they are, they want to be the heroes of the story, and if they dont at least have the scams to rely on for their image, how will everyone know how good of a person they are and praise them for saving the day???????????????

[shihalyfie]

Regarding Konaka’s influence on Tamers (or how much he actually didn’t have)

(Rest assured that if you’ve had a conversation with me recently about this issue, I’m not vaguing you; this conversation has come up a lot in the last few weeks, especially in my private chats, so this is just me deciding that I should write something about this for once since it’s been weighing on my head lately.)

I think, right now, with what happened regarding the DigiFes debacle, a lot of people are having complicated feelings about how to feel about Tamers, and this is completely understandable. I think there are also some things that may be inevitably unavoidable, such as starting to second-guess certain nuances in the series and what they might lead to. All of that is perfectly reasonable, and in the end, it’s going to be up to everyone to decide how they feel.

In light of this, a lot of people have been bringing up the fact that, while Konaka was the head writer, he was by no means the only person working on it. This is very much true, but I’d like to add something else to the equation: this is an issue that goes much deeper than the usual claiming death of the author for the sake of sanity. The full picture is that Konaka has always had much less influence on the series than the fanbase tends to attribute to him. Official statements have been very clear as to not attribute the entire series to him, and, among all the other controversial statements he’s made, Konaka himself has at least been very active about crediting the other staff members as far as their influence on the series! The idea that he was the only person who ever did anything substantial for Tamers is something I’ve been warning against since long before any of this happened (if you want proof, I have a post from April with this sentiment in it), and right now we just happen to be seeing what’s basically the worst possible outcome of the fanbase constantly worshipping him like the only real creative heart behind the series to borderline cult-like levels...when that’s never been true, and has resulted in unfairly taking credit away from people who deserved it.

I’ll go into detail below, and I hope this can help people understand the situation better and sort out how they feel about it.

Note that I make references to his infamous blog in this post, which I’m deliberately refraining from directly linking for obvious reasons, but all of the information is still there, so it should be verifiable if you decide to look for it yourself.

Personally, I’ve always found it really bizarre how there’s been this obsession with portraying Konaka as some kind of auteur whom the entirety of Tamers depended on. I’m not saying this out of spite towards him, because, again, even he himself was very insistent on disclaiming credit for things he wasn’t actually responsible for (he was quite humble in this respect, actually). Not to mention that I think it’s a mistake in general to constantly pin a single person in a multi-person production as the sole heart behind it, and the Digimon fanbase has historically had this strange double standard behind it when it comes to uplifting him as the only heart behind Tamers when nobody says that about any of the head writers for...anything else. (How many times has Nishizono’s name ever popped up when talking about Adventure? People are usually more obsessed with talking about Kakudou or Seki.) Konaka’s work is certainly distinctive, but Tamers had a lot more going on besides just that.

In fact, based on his own statements on the matter and all of the other official information we’ve gotten about Tamers production, while you can’t really quantify such things, it’s generally been estimated that Konaka was responsible for something like only a fourth of the series. Which is an incredibly low amount compared to what the fanbase would have told you before all of this happened, because of this fixation that he must be the genius mastermind behind the whole series. Not only that, this “brilliant auteur” image of him was so inflated that people were attributing way more of 02 to him than he deserved; 02 episode 13 was the only thing he contributed to the series and he was specifically brought on as a “guest writer”, and the overall plot of the episode was determined by the rest of the production staff and not him -- but ask the fanbase and they’ll tell you stories about how he invented some grand planned arc for 02 that got cancelled, or even that Tamers exists because of a “writer revolt” from him and other writers not being allowed to do what they wanted. (You know, as much as I understand 02′s a controversial series, it would be really nice if people didn’t make up completely baseless stories like this just to scapegoat it...)

I honestly cannot emphasize enough how much of the problem we’re in right now has been horribly enabled by the weird pedestal the fanbase has been putting him on. This is to the point where there’s even been a double standard where some of the more unpopular/criticized elements of Tamers must not have been the fault of a brilliant writer like him, and in fact was forced on him by the executives (this excuse had always been brought up anytime someone doesn’t like something about Tamers, just to make sure the image of him as a perfect writer was maintained). Turns out, as per his own admission on the infamous blog, while he wasn’t the one who initially had the idea of putting Ryou in, the part that rubbed the fanbase the wrong way -- that he came in as an accomplished senior who was better than everyone and played up by everyone in the cast -- was unabashedly his idea (he apparently was enamored with the idea of having someone like Tuttle from the movie Brazil). Again, this is a weird scenario where even Konaka himself has been more humble about this issue than the fanbase’s perception of him; he fully admitted whenever he had trouble writing certain parts. For instance, he doesn’t actually like writing about alternate worlds, felt they were out of his comfort zone, and only wrote in the Digital World because the franchise needs one; he’d stated that if he’d had his way, the Digital World arc wouldn’t have come in as early as it did, which might be a pretty shocking statement for a Digimon fan to hear.

If you want even more specifics, here are some extremely major parts of the series that Konaka was not actually the one behind:

The character backgrounds. Konaka stated on his blog that he wasn’t interested in going too much into character backstories because he felt it was too plot-limiting to say that a character is the way they are thanks to something in their past or background (basically, he cares more about plot than character for the most part), and that he’s also not into worldbuilding. Certain things like Ruki going to a girls’ school were supplied by Seki, who infamously loves worldbuilding, family backgrounds, and character settings.

Certain nuances of Ruki’s character, especially the part where she’s pigeonholed into uncomfortable places due to being a girl, were informed by Yoshimura Genki, writer from Adventure and one of the head writers of 02 (who eventually would go on to create an entire career out of feminist cinema).

According to the posts on his blog, Impmon’s character arc didn’t have much input from Konaka himself and was largely written in by Maekawa Atsushi (also a writer from Adventure and one of the head writers of 02).

The whole concept of Yamaki being redeemable in the first place was something Konaka didn’t originally plan for; he’d initially intended to make him a straightforward antagonist, but, of all things, his Christmas song, combined with the input of the other writers (especially Maekawa) humanizing him, led to the development where Yamaki eventually changed sides and became sympathetic. (This makes Konaka’s recent stunt revolving around Yamaki a bit painfully ironic.)

The director, Kaizawa Yukio, was deliberately picked because he didn’t have experience on the prior series, for the sake of changing things up, and he spent Tamers as a period of studying what Digimon should be like. Based on what he’s hinted, it seems Konaka's writing style and choices were able to have as much influence as they did because Kaizawa approved of them -- that is to say, Konaka’s detailed imagery and descriptions were extensive enough that Kaizawa could go “sure, let’s go with that.” But in the end, nothing Konaka did would have gone through unless Kaizawa and Seki (among many others) didn’t also approve of it or provide input. Moreover, Kakudou Hiroyuki (director of Adventure and 02) has also been stated many times to have been a valuable consultant on invoking Digimon so that the new staff could understand what to aim for and how to get the right feel (and also assisted with providing stuff for the mythos, such as the Devas). Nevertheless, Kaizawa also seems to have had his own strong opinions and input on the story; he especially seems to get passionate when it comes to the topic of making the story something the kids watching it could relate to and imagine. (He would eventually go on to direct Frontier and Hunters, along with several episodes of the Adventure: reboot.)

So in other words, looking at this, a lot of these things that people emotionally connected to and loved about Tamers are things that literally were not his personal creation, and were largely contributed by the other writers! Of course, Konaka’s “creator thumbprint” is very obvious -- he was the head writer, after all -- and all of this had to go through his own vetting to make sure he personally liked it as well -- but nevertheless, you can see that this very much was a collaborative effort from head to toe, with him being very open about this fact himself. Insisting on making sure that this fact is well-known isn’t just a coping mechanism to try and remove his presence in the series, but rather a desire to get people to seriously stop giving him credit that really should be going to others (especially since, again, even he himself was very diligent about assigning that credit).

In the end, I’ll leave you with another thing to keep in mind: Konaka doesn’t get paid anymore for Tamers work (unless they make something new like the DigiFes thing), so continuing to buy Tamers merch and supporting the series through fanart and such will probably end up going more towards the Digimon IP as a whole. Basically, if we’re just talking about Tamers specifically, what degree this is going to matter is only really relevant to the content in the original series, which is now twenty years old and remains unchanged. By Konaka’s own admission, he wasn’t into all of these conspiracy theories until 2010 at the earliest, so while it’s understandable to be a bit wary about the themes in Tamers having traces of the base sentiment, the original series itself does not seem to be an outlet for alt-right propaganda, and it’s probably forcing it a bit much to read into it that way. Konaka’s also repeatedly insisted that all of his attempts at a Tamers sequel have been rejected and that he’s been doing increasingly strange swerves to get around members of the original cast not entirely being available, and the Japanese audience has turned out to not be very fond of the contents of the 2018 drama CD and the stage reading for reasons entirely separate from the politics, so it’s also unlikely we’ll be getting a Tamers sequel from him or something in the near future.

So -- at least for the time being -- what’s done with him is done, and the remaining question is how all of us feel about Tamers. I think everyone will have differing feelings on it, and that’s perfectly understandable. Personally, given everything I just said above, I’m going to continue treating it as a series very important to me, and one that many people (including, as it seems, a very different Konaka from twenty years ago) worked on with a lot of effort and love, although you may see me getting a bit more willing to be critical about the series and its themes thanks to my concerns about some of the sentiments in it and what they imply. I also completely understand that there are probably people whose associations are going to be much more hurt and who will have a much harder time seeing the series the same way ever again, and I think that’s reasonable as well. But at the very least, going forward, I hope all of us can understand the depth of this situation, give credit where it’s due, and not force credit where it’s not due.

[recentanimenews]

INTERVIEW: After 13 Years, Indie RPG Masterpiece Ruina is Finally Available in English

All screenshots of Ruina: Fairy Tale of the Forgotten Ruins taken by author

  This article was made possible through the invaluable contributions of translators Dink and bool, and further aided by context generously provided by writer, translator, and RPG Maker scene dweller Kastel (@kastelwrites). Sections from their answers were excerpted for this piece and edited for clarity and content.

  Last year, at the start of the pandemic, a lapsed member of the RPG Maker community known as Dink stumbled across a screenshot while trawling Japanese free game websites: a black obelisk standing in the midst of ruins. “This is going to make me sound like I've been huffing paint, but this image spoke to something quite visceral for me — like I'd been waiting to find this game. Something about the sepia tones, the light and shadows, the elegance of its very archetype. I knew I had to play it.” Dink had stumbled across Ruina: Haitou no Monogatari (Fairy Tale of the Forgotten Ruins), one of the most acclaimed free RPGs ever made in Japan. Released in the antiquated RPG Maker 2000 engine in 2008 by developer Shoukichi Karekusa, it retains a strong cult following and has even been translated into Chinese. Yet unlike its RPG Maker siblings Yume Nikki and Ib, Ruina is practically unknown in English-speaking countries. Dink decided to change that.  “Once I realized that it had yet to be translated into English,” he said, “it was like I’d become possessed.”

  Ruina is unique. A role-playing game that takes direct influence from tabletop games and gamebooks, it boldly defies conventions established by classic console role-playing games like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Rather than controlling the main character across a top-down map, the player slowly uncovers a hand-illustrated map of nodes. Survival in the dungeon requires the use of ropes, pickaxes, and oil for your lantern, resources that are all expendable. Your party members are valuable not only for their combat skills but for their out-of-combat abilities: thieving, sneaking, even swimming. Most of all, Ruina allows for choice and consequence, a phenomenon far more common in western RPGs than Japanese RPGs. Say you stumble across treasure in a dungeon, but are ambushed by thieves who want the treasure for themselves. Do you give the treasure to the thieves? Stand your ground? Or attack the thieves before they can do the same to you? Since your ability to save in the dungeon is heavily rationed, you may find yourself having to choose between restarting a save or living with the messy outcomes of your choices.

    There’s something to Ruina that grounds it in the Japanese RPG tradition, rather than a straightforward riff on Wizardry or Might & Magic. Those earlier games gave you several choices as to building your party, but little in the way of story or character. Ruina is a far more curated experience. On starting the game, you’re offered four “backgrounds” that align you with certain other characters, just one year before Dragon Age: Origins would pull a similar trick. Rather than being given the full freedom to explore a sprawling world, your options are limited to navigating a single, contained dungeon. The characters available to be recruited into your party have defined personalities and quirks — some are already good friends of yours, others are insufferable, and still others have significant flaws that speak to the kind of person they are versus their gameplay function. These are NPCs out of the Baldur’s Gate school, given the illusion of life, rather than the team of personalized murderers you’d recruit in an Etrian Odyssey game.

  Very little else in the Japanese games scene is like Ruina. You could draw comparisons with games like Unlimited Saga and Scarlet Grace, representing the legacy of controversial SQUARE ENIX auteur Akitoshi Kawazu. You could similarly connect Ruina with Yasumi Matsuda’s experimental Crimson Shroud, which takes influence from tabletop to the point that it has the player rolling dice in-game. But Ruina is more accessible and polished than a Kawazu game, and far more fleshed out than Crimson Shroud. Even Etrian Odyssey, with its comparatively barebones story and characters, doesn’t quite compare. Ruina stands alone in the Japanese free games community, a legendary title that people respect but don’t fully understand how to replicate.

    A few days ago I reached out to Kastel, an academic, writer, and translator who is very familiar with Japan’s RPG Maker scene, about where Ruina fit in Japan’s wider field of indie games. “I know many people in the furige (free game) scene who love the game to death,” they said. “But they also found it to be a hard sell due to its unique, almost western take on the scene. The fact that the game is even this popular speaks to something.” Despite its crunchy mechanics and niche inspirations, the game is popular enough to have spawned light novels, an honor not unique to it (other RPG Maker games have accomplished the same) but certainly significant. Kastel drew a comparison between Ruina and Darkest Dungeon, another weird and uncompromising game that draws from both Japanese and western RPGs. “Ruina is sorta different from everything, but you also see dungeon crawlers get inspired by it,” they said. “Not all games take direct inspiration, but you can’t help but see a little bit of Ruina here and there.”

  So why did it take so long for anybody to translate Ruina? Dink isn’t the only person to try his hand at translating it into English; just last fall, another forum dweller placed an ad recruiting a translation team to tackle the game. The unfortunate reality is that translating text within the RPG Maker engine into English requires intensive and repetitive labor. “There’ve been tools developed by vgperson [a prominent translator of RPG Maker games] for RPG Maker 2000 and some other machine translation tools for newer games, but they all remain difficult to use for translators,” Kastel says. “The way games are scripted uses events inside the map and developers rarely name them. So not only do you need to edit it via the appropriate RPG Maker engine, but you also need to go through each event contextless unless the creator actually notes things down.” So, the enterprising Ruina translator doesn’t just need to translate all the text in the game into English. It isn’t even a question of whether or not to manually edit the game’s many pictures and custom menus into English by hand. It’s the sheer difficulty of navigating between thousands of (often poorly labeled) events and variables in the RPG Maker engine, ensuring not to introduce any new bugs or errors in the process, while also finding the time to do all of the above.

    Dink was assisted by a friend of his named bool, who played through the game alongside the translation process and gave invaluable advice and fixes. “Uncovering the mystery in the game's story sort of ran parallel with the translation of the game itself,” bool says. “As the story progressed, the characters would decipher and learn more about the lore of the eponymous ruins within the game, and as the translation progressed, the same held true for us. It really captivated me to be a part of this process, and I started to look forward to each new area that I could explore and each new morsel of the story I could understand.”

  Without bool’s efforts, it might have taken far longer to put together something workable. As it was, it took four exhausting months. “I worked long hours — 12+ hours a day, 6, sometimes 7 days a week on top of my day job — and very rarely used my free time on anything else,” Dink says. “I did manually input the text in RPG Maker 2000, which has raised some eyebrows because there are some very nice tools available for game translation that would have saved me a lot of time. However, a huge advantage of working directly in the editor is being able to see the game more or less as it appears to players. A Notepad file streamlines the basic translation process, but it also heavily obscures context, whereas the editor allows you to see what switches and variables are being used, what music is being played, and sometimes even helpful creator comments, all in the same relative order you'd experience it from within the game.” Dink had one more secret weapon up his sleeve: the experience of working with the RPG Maker engine as an adolescent. RPG Maker has a reputation of being a tool designed to churn out Dragon Quest clones with ease; but nobody knows the intense difficulty of forcing the engine to do something, anything, like a former RPG Maker developer does. 

    The English version of Ruina, as it currently exists, is a workable but inevitably compromised version of the game. Running the game requires installing the Japanese RTP pack of visual and audio resources for RPG Maker to function, along with the use of the EasyRPG player to provide English-language player name entry. There’s the matter of the custom menus, as well. Several of the menus have been replaced with functional English equivalents, but by Dink's own admission they could use an expert's attention to better compare to the original. Other pictures, such as place name displays, have yet to be replaced by English-language equivalents at all. And the strict character limits of RPG Maker 2000 led to some creative truncating when translating from Japanese to English, especially with item and skill descriptions.

  But the existence of an English-language Ruina, one that renders the whole game playable from beginning to end with a readable script, is a miracle. Speaking for myself, I started the long process of learning Japanese two years ago in part so that I could one day play this game, never expecting there might one day be an alternative. Others in the Japanese RPG Maker scene, knowing the brutal difficulty of translating a game made in the earlier engines, were shocked that a game of Ruina’s complexity and length was successfully translated at all.  Speaking for themselves, Dink and bool insist that their own story doesn’t matter much. What matters is the quality of the original game and the hard work developer Shoukichi Karekusa put into its creation. Anything else is an addendum, another version of the game that — while it cannot ever be the original — might at least make something resembling that original experience accessible to others.

    Frankly speaking, I think there’s something to that. The “true” version of Ruina will always exist in its original form, released for free by Karekusa in 2008. It stands as the defining work of a creator who sought to create a unique experience combining the appeal of console and tabletop roleplaying games, with no concessions to market sensibilities. A creator who not only released their baby on the internet for free, but insisted that a game like Ruina must always and ever be free. An austere monolith, it stands side by side with Yume Nikki, Ib, and even Cave Story as one of the great works to come out of Japan’s independent scene. Now any English speaker can pick up and play this new version of Ruina, and learn what that monolith is and where it leads to.

  You can download the English translation of Ruina here. For those who want to learn more about the Japanese RPG Maker scene, I recommend checking out Kastel’s page here.

  Are you a Ruina fan? Let us know in the comments! 

    Adam W is a Features Writer at Crunchyroll. When he is not working through exercises in Wanikani, he sporadically contributes with a loose group of friends to a blog called Isn't it Electrifying? You can find him on Twitter at:@wendeego

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a feature, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Adam Wescott

[klarnaabrechnung01]

Small Business Advice - 4 Steps to Better Inventory Management and Control

Inventory - A Bad or Good Word?

The word "Inventory", according to Merriam-Webster, is simply defined as a list of goods that are in a place, such as a business location or warehouse. But many business owners know that inventory can be a vastly more complex resource to manage and control successfully. Companies often over-invest in inventory for the sole purpose of ensuring that they are not "out of stock" when a customer wants to buy, or a manufacturing operation needs to build, products offered for sale.

Cash - The Finite Resource

Over time, in addition to tying up valuable cash resources, poor inventory management often results in companies having too much of inventory they do not need, and not enough of that which they do need. This often results in purchasing more inventory in response to immediate requirements, without considering the wisdom or necessity of purchasing inventory on an emergency basis. For instance, it is not uncommon for purchases of materials to be made, when the company already has the materials in stock. In environments with challenging inventory management problems, the company often does not know exactly what inventory is in the building, or the warehouse people can't find the inventory they are trying to pick. This is a common problem with many variations, all of which are usually a waste of time and resources.

Persistent overbuying is often followed by under-utilization, devaluation and eventual obsolescence of inventory the company probably should not have purchased in the first place. Eventually, many companies find they have so much cash tied up in useless inventory providing no "return on investment", that other parts of the business begin to suffer cash resource shortages. While this pattern does not apply to every business with inventory, it is certainly a familiar story to many small and medium businesses, especially those that are struggling, or go out of business due to cash flow issues.

The Quick Fix

Many business owners, faced with greater awareness of inventory management problems, immediately begin searching for, and acquiring, quick-fix solutions. They often hire more people; purchase limited-function inventory control or bar coding software; fire suppliers and hire new ones; and issue edicts about maximum inventory spending levels, all with the laudable goal of quickly fixing inventory management issues. But acquiring a solution before understanding the problem is a bit like buying shoes before knowing the required shoe size. Likewise, the probability of actually solving inventory control problems successfully with this approach are about the same as getting the right shoe size in such a scenario... about 1 in 10.

Cause & Effect

Before diving into inventory management solutions, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the causes and effects of inventory control issues within the business. Here is a step-by-step approach toward framing inventory problems in relatively simple, manageable increments. The results of these information gathering steps (which should be formally documented) can later be used as input when evaluating and prioritizing potential remedies to inventory management and control issues.

Discovery Mission

There will be a temptation to try and solve problems as they are encountered and discussed in these steps. But the key objective in this phase is to gather and quantify information, not to deliver solutions. That will come later, once a full understanding of inventory-related issues and requirements have been thoroughly discovered and vetted.

The 4 Steps

Here are 4 steps that can be undertaken immediately by companies ready to improve their inventory management and control practices:

1. Defining the Problems

The first step involves creating a list of inventory problems by department. This is a bold step, because it involves asking employees and managers the question: "what's wrong with this picture?". But even though they might not talk about it openly (without a little coaxing), employees are often the best source of information regarding what works and what doesn't within small companies. There may be a temptation for managers to "fill in the blanks" on behalf of their employees, or marginalize their input altogether. While it is certainly the owner's prerogative to decide how to proceed in this area, the best information comes from the people who actually execute the work on a daily basis in each department.

So, the best approach is to call a meeting (or meetings), bring a yellow pad, ask employees how inventory control problems affect day-to-day operations, and write down everything they say. Depending on the industry served by the company, feedback such as the following will not be uncommon:

Sales - "We're losing deals because we can't deliver what the customer is buying".

Marketing - "Our promotions are ineffective because customers get excited about, and take action on specials, only to find the products we're promoting aren't available."

Purchasing - "We're spending a fortune on freight because we buy so much inventory on an emergency basis. We also routinely have suppliers drop-ship parts we actually have in stock, because the service techs can't find the parts they need before they leave for the customer site."

Warehouse - "We never know what we have and what we don't have, so we often think we can fill an order completely, only to find out at the last minute that we can't, because of unanticipated inventory shortages. That requires us to start the pick/pack/ship process over again so the shipping paperwork is correct."

Manufacturing - "Our production plans are always a mess, because we'll plan and begin a production run, only to have to take the run offline because we're missing a critical raw material. This stopping and starting of production jobs is killing us in unproductive labor cost and diminished productivity".

Accounting - "Our invoices a getting paid more slowly because we partial-ship most of our orders, and our customers have to take extra steps to reconcile multiple shipments against their purchase orders. Too often, our invoices wind up in the customer's research pile, instead of being processed smoothly and quickly".

2. Quantifying Inventory Management Problems

This step involves quantifying and applying a dollar value to the inventory management problems outlined in Step 1. It's a more challenging step, but it has to be done, and the results will help prioritize issues and (down the road) measure the value of potential solutions against the cost of the problems. It will also provide a reality-check against management's perception of how inventory issues are really affecting the company. Relevant questions to employees might include the following:

Sales - "How many deals have we lost in the last 90 days due to stock-outs, and what is the dollar value of those losses?".

Marketing - "How many promotions have missed their targets because of delivery problems, and what is the value of those promotions?".

Purchasing - "How much have we spent on emergency freight shipments due to raw material or finished goods shortages?".

Warehouse - "How many orders are we unable to ship on time, and complete because of finished goods or packaging material shortages?"

Manufacturing - "How many production runs have been pulled offline because of unexpected raw material shortages? What is the value of labor and equipment downtime due to production interruptions relating to inventory shortages? How is our production capacity being impacted by inventory-related issues, and what is the value of that impact?".

Accounting - "How are payment delays relating to inventory shortages affecting aged receivables, and what is the value of those payment delays?".

3. Calculating Inventory Turnover Ratio

Although there are variations for different industries, the inventory turnover (or "turn") ratio provides a key indicator as to how quickly inventory is being utilized or sold over time. Inventory turnover is the number of times inventory is sold or otherwise consumed (i.e. used in manufacturing) relative to cost of goods sold for a particular accounting period. Find more info Klarna Abrechnung

Optimal Inventory Turn Ratios are usually unique to specific industries and the nature of products being sold. For instance, high value inventory such as real estate properties or expensive medical equipment may not move (or turn) as quickly as products characterized by lower dollar values and higher demand per capita. Still, Inventory Turn Ratio is an important metric for any company investing in inventory.

The most common calculation for Inventory Turn Ratio involves two variables: Cost of Goods Sold, and Average Inventory Carrying Cost, both measured during a common reporting period. For instance, in order to calculate the Inventory Turn Ratio for an annual period, the total Cost of Goods Sold (from the Profit and Loss Statement) for that annual period should be determined first. Then, a calculation of the Average Inventory Carrying Cost per month should be made. This can be accomplished by averaging the Inventory Asset value on the balance sheet for each month in the same reporting period as the Cost of Goods Sold value from above.

The actual Inventory Turn Ratio calculation is then: Cost of Goods Sold ÷ Average (monthly) Inventory Carrying Cost for the same reporting period. For example, if a company wants to calculate the Inventory Turn Ratio for the year 2012, the numbers might look like this:

2012 Cost of Goods Sold $2,156,000

÷

2012 Avg Monthly Inventory Carrying Cost 310,000

=

2012 Inventory Turnover Ratio 6.96

Preliminary Indicators

We will address how to analyze the results of this calculation more thoroughly in another article, but here are some general guidelines to consider:

Low Ratio - A low inventory turn ratio (say, under 5) may indicate inventory overinvestment, reduced demand for certain raw materials in manufacturing (perhaps due to redesigned products), or not enough sales relative to the average inventory carrying cost.

High Ratio - An excessively high ratio (over 17) may indicate that the company is not keeping enough stock on hand to meet demand, possibly spending excessively on emergency shipping costs or drop-ship fees, or simply failing to meet its delivery obligations due to inadequate raw material, finished goods or packaging inventory levels.

4. Valuating Devalued Inventory

As a final step in the initial investigation and quantification of inventory management problems, it's time to take a realistic look at the lost value associated with obsolete, slow moving and scrap inventory. This involves calculating (or estimating, if necessary) the difference between the amounts originally paid for the devalued inventory still on-hand, versus the present value of the same inventory.

For a business owner, this can be a painful assessment to make, because it essentially measures dollars "flushed down the drain" as a result of poor inventory management and control practices. But it should also serve as a catalyst for making changes that will be positive for the company, now and in the future. As with most other aspects of managing a small business, owners must be willing to face reality in order to solve the company's management and control problems.

As a word of caution, it is very important that the company's CPA or tax advisor be consulted before making adjustments to the inventory carrying cost reflected on the company's balance sheet. There may be a tax implication (positive or negative) that will need to be handled properly. But there's no harm in determining the value lost from obsolete, slow moving and scrap inventory. In fact, it's a key indicator that owners committed to change will want to measure and understand the nature of.

Understanding and quantifying inventory management issues thoroughly is an important first step toward positive change and improved use of the company's capital resources (specifically, cash and inventory), and most importantly, people. It helps owners, managers and employees become more knowledgeable about inventory control challenges, and prioritize which inventory management issues need to be addressed first. It also sets the stage for better inventory management and control practices that will benefit the entire company in many ways, both tangible and intangible.

[moonlit-tulip]

can we get an infodump on teleportpocalypse and magical girls?

Sure!

So, in the teleportation apocalypse world, the magic system involves performing a sequence of mental actions which correspond with, essentially, characters in a magical alphabet which can be chained together into magical programs. Magic is all about instantaneous effects before and after which mundane physics apply as usual; it can’t do things like “make this item magical” or “alert me any time someone enters this room”, but it can do things like “transform this item into a different substance” or “create a tripwire at the entrance to this room”.

The magic system was originally created with the assumption that users would have access to the documentation. The original users all died off millions of years before humans existed, though, and so nobody has access to the documentation. As such, while humans had access to magic, their access was essentially just a matter of noticing by trial and error that particular sequences of mental actions produced weird effects. Notably, since dangerous spells vastly outnumber safe ones, trying to invent new spells was an activity far likelier to end with the inventor dying in a dramatic fashion, and as such, while spell development happened, it was very slow.

For a long time, different societies each had their own distinct collections of the few spells they knew that were (a) safe to use and (b) did things which were useful rather than things like “produce a weird smell briefly”. But over time some travelers started writing compilations of spells from different places, and it eventually became possible to pull together a pretty robust library of the different spells which had been discovered. Still, since spells were generally put together on the basis of more-or-less random combinations of inputs rather than any genuine understanding of the system, while they were sometimes useful (e.g. for setting things on fire, or for creating otherwise-hard-to-acquire materials, or the like), they weren’t generally well-optimized for usefulness.

In a bout of bad luck for the world as a whole, the first person to (a) have access to such a library, (b) be reckless enough to want to engage in magical experimentation despite the historically-high odds of death, and © be clever enough to use that large bunch of magical code samples to reverse-engineer large chunks of the magic language without dying was kind of an idiot in many ways. To briefly summarize the somewhat-elaborate story of her life: she decided she wanted to use hew newly-acquired magical overpoweredness to take over her home country; her advisor, in an attempt at damage control, advised her to get some followers rather than popping in as a total unknown; she did so and took over the country; and she decided to reward her inner circle of followers for their loyalty by giving each of them access to a single spell she’d designed. Her spells, being designed by someone who actually understood the magic system, were uniformly actually well-optimized for use by humans. One follower got a very powerful healing spell, one got a long-distance spying spell, et cetera. And one got a teleportation spell.

They were all told to not share their spells around further, and most of them followed that, but the teleportation spell’s recipient nonetheless started sharing the spell around. She gave it to a few friends of hers; they passed it along further; and eventually the spell was more-or-less uncontainably leaked. Its creator tried to hunt down everyone who had it, but gave up once they started wising up to her being after them and scattering to all sorts of different countries, because with the magic system being instantaneous in the way it was there wasn’t really a good way to track them at that point.

And so, all around the world, there started being people with access to an untraceable easy-to-cast long-distance teleportation spell. Word about how to cast it kept spreading throughout populations, with no easy way to curb the spread; and things started breaking. Armies with the spell could pop into enemy rulers’ homes, bypassing all city walls and opposing armies and other defenses, and kill them in their sleep before installing themselves as the new rulers; thieves with the spell could grab piles of valuables and then vanish off into other countries to sell them off and be rich; bandits could steal farmers’ grain out of storage and get away cleanly and untraceably; et cetera. It became generally very easy to engage in and get away with large quantities of antisocial behavior which would otherwise be more difficult and be likely to get one killed. And so, globally, societies started destabilizing and collapsing.

It’s been about two centuries since then, and while society is now more-or-less functional again, it’s very much rebuilt in a manner shaped by the spell. Governments are secretive about their members’ identities and about where they spend their time, for fear of assassins; people are generally very secretive about where they keep their valuables, with any items kept in public assumed to be communal goods that anyone can grab and put wherever is most useful; various organizations attempt to run international law-enforcement firms which keep lists of known criminals and kill them on sight, in order to disincentivize the “act antisocially and then teleport a few countries away”; et cetera.

This last part, the details of what the world is like post-teleportation-apocalypse, is the part I’ve been stuck on for the past several years and which is holding me back from writing stories set in the world. I’ve got a decent big-picture sense of things at this point, but I need to draw in a lot more detail than I currently have before I can really envision the setting in sufficient detail to write in it. But once I’ve got that detail I feel like it’s going to make for a very fun setting for espionage-focused stories of some sort.

Then the magical girls world. This one actually has a whole big multiverse, and the rules of the multiverse-in-general inform the rules of the individual sub-parts thereof, so I’m going to start with that.

There’s a multiverse. It’s arranged in a star structure, with each of about 200 worlds being connected to a single central world but not connected to each other. Each of those 200 worlds, but not the central world, has a gigantic native reservoir of magic, which expresses itself in a fashion that varies on a per-world basis; some have magical creatures like dragons, some have magic be innate to humans, some have magic be external to humans but controllable via appropriate rituals, some have their magic totally inert, et cetera. Magic isn’t consumed on use; it’s just, while being used, unavailable for other uses. So there’s no decay-over-time in worlds with dragons or whatever, there’s just a cap on how many dragons could in theory exist. The per-world magic reservoir is huge enough that that limitation is rarely relevant to anything. Crucially, while the magic’s capabilities are nearly limitless given a sufficient quantity of it thrown at a task, one absolute limit is that it’s impossible for magic to interact with any worlds to which its own housing world isn’t connected; and, furthermore, impossible for it to do anything between worlds except for bridging the spatial disconnect. So transportation between the central world and a noncentral world is possible, as is creation of a stable portal therebetween, but (for example) remotely using magic to bomb out a world is not possible; you’d need to step into the target world for that.

These limitations make the central world a natural chokepoint. Whoever can block it up and make it unsafe to travel through can, in so doing, control every bit of multiversal transportation to go on. So, several millennia ago, an evil queen who stole all the previously-free-floating magic from her homeworld in order to make herself inherently magical to a ridiculously overpowered degree walked into the central world, displaced the trade consortium which had previously been using the place, and turned the world into a hub from which to systematically conquer the multiverse, eventually with the help of her descendants, who she imbued with a small echo of her own magical power. At first, the conquests were performed chiefly through her own overpowered magic; but eventually she started needing to stay in the central world full-time to keep it secure from counter-invasion by anyone in the multiverse who she’d made an enemy of, and so the conquests started falling to her magically-empowered descendants and the dozens of worlds’ resources they could bring to bear against each individual world they attacked.

So this faction, ruled by the evil queen, started invading another world. This particular world’s local magic took two forms: various magical creatures and materials around the place, and humans being able to magically bind things together, keeping the basic shape of one but with significant influence leaking through from the other. This could be used, for example, to merge oneself with a magical creature (gaining access to that creature’s abilities, at the cost of mental scrambling and value drift since one’s mind will be merged with its as well), or to merge a sword with a magical stone to imbue the sword with the stone’s magical properties, or the like. And they used this to fight back against the invading forces, but they were pretty horribly outmatched, and within a few years practically the whole planet had been conquered.

There was a particular kind of magical creature, local to a relatively small region of the world, which could emit a magical effect which, would, if other creatures were exposed to it for an extended time, hijack control of their bodies and minds, as well as magically altering their forms for greater usefulness to tasks such as “help build hives” and “grab and immobilize further creatures for me to turn into my minions”. These creatures weren’t too dangerous to humans generally, since they needed days of blasting magic at something before they got control of it and that required reasonably direct line of effect, but once in a while there would be an incident of one sneaking into somebody’s house, hiding there for a few weeks slowly building up control, and eventually turning them into a warped monster before getting discovered and killed off by the rest of the locals; so it was known that they were capable of dangerousness to humans.

So one particular group in that region decided, in a last-ditch effort to toss the invaders out, to attempt the following scheme: first, one of their members would bind a creature of this sort to themselves. Second, they would bind themselves to the sun, keeping its physical form but retaining their newly-gained magical powers “convert creatures towards which I’ve got reasonably direct line of effect into my minions”. Third, they would grab control of all the invaders they could and force them to either leave or kill each other.

It was a well-intentioned plan, and they even made token efforts towards ensuring that the value-drift issue wouldn’t get in the way (picking the most genuinely altruistic person they could find, and spending a day talking to her after she’d bound herself to the controls-other-creatures creature to make sure she was still herself before she bound herself to the sun), but they weren’t nearly as safety-conscious as they should have been (because their area was in the process of being invaded and they were afraid that, if they took any more time, they’d be caught themselves), and things went wrong as a result. In fact the merger had shifted her priorities, and while she still in some sense was altruistic, her priority had shifted from “help everyone attain happiness and flourishing” to specifically helping creatures she’d taken control of, and even there the goal was less anything resembling the sort of flourishing valued by humans and more about building gigantic elaborate hives to live in and acquiring more creatures for her to take control of.

So, about a week after that, people all over the world (especially in the sunny parts of it) started turning into monsters, grabbing other people, dragging them into sunny regions, and generally rapidly spreading into an out-of-control monstrous force. This successfully repelled the invaders, but it also turned the vast majority of the world’s population into puppets of the sun who were hostile to all life on the planet which didn’t want to become puppets of the sun. Societal collapse ensued.

A bunch of the invaders were caught in the initial wave of people-turning-into-sun-monsters, but overall as a force they were relatively unaffected, because unlike the rest of the world they had access to good global-scale communications and were able to respond to the first few incidents with a general call to retreat from the planet back to the central world. So most of them withdrew at that point. However, a sizable sub-fraction instead went “actually, no, we may have been invading this world but that doesn’t mean we’re okay just leaving all these people to suffer a literal planet-scale apocalypse, we’re going to stay and help”. And so they did. They helped hordes of refugees pile into caves, closed the caves off so that the sun-monsters couldn’t get in, and generally did a lot to help people make it through the disaster. Other bunches of humans did similar things on their own, without assistance from the ex-invaders, albeit with more difficulty.

Over the next few hundred years, most of the entirely-non-magic-assisted groups of humans belowground died off, because getting food without safe access to sunlight turns out to be really hard. But many groups had help from the ex-invader magical girls and their descendants, and many others managed to bind themselves to some variety of magical underground life in order to increase their chances of survival, and things more-or-less stabilized.

Cut to a few thousand years later. The magical girl who was leading of one of the underground civilizations decided to make an attempt at returning to the surface, as various civilizations occasionally did. Historically, those efforts tended to fail within a few weeks, with the sun-monsters coming down, dismantling whatever sun-protective architecture the aboveground group was using, and proceeding to do their best to get into the underground region the people had come from and grab everyone from there as well. But this one went differently, for two reasons. First, this particular civilization had an exceptionally high population of magical girls, and so was particularly well-equipped to drive off sun-monster incursions. Second, their leader, in specific, had magical power over clouds, and so was able to, instead of relying on protective architecture, set up a layer of eternally-present protective cloud-cover overhead.

So they were able to return aboveground. Once they were stably established there, their leader proceeded to start slowly expanding the layer of cloud cover, using an array of artifacts to bolster her ability to do so since her personal magical ability wasn’t enough to keep things up at that scale. She systematically made contact with every underground civilization whose cave she’d cloud-covered over and told them “hey, it’s safe to come back aboveground now”, and built her small civilization up into a full-on kingdom.

Such is the state of things in the current era. She’s been ruling for about seventy years now, during which the cloud cover has continually expanded, albeit increasingly slowly. As the borders have expanded, it’s become increasingly difficult to keep the place thoroughly defended from sun-monster incursions, but it’s nonetheless done well enough that they only do significant damage once in a while, not regularly. Additionally, sometimes the underground civilizations they discover have had sufficient binding-induced value drift over the course of their survival efforts that their populations aren’t able to get along well with the less-value-drifted humans; they tend to get magically sealed into their caves to continue living in isolation from the aboveground kingdom, but sometimes that fails for one reason or another and a crisis results. This is the status quo when the plot begins.

For this world, unlike the teleportation one, I’ve got a pretty robust plot worked out; I just need to figure out enough character details to be able to write it. To briefly summarize its premise, the plot involves the princess of one of the sealed-for-excessive-value-drift dungeons sneaking out, meeting up with the princess of the aboveground kingdom (daughter of the person who does the cloud-cover stuff), and going “hey, actually we’d be totally able to peacefully be part of human society, sure we devour people’s emotions but we don’t do it in an antisocial way”, and the two of them becoming friends (and eventually girlfriends), fixing the various broken parts of the world both within and outside of the cloud kingdom, and generally having adventures together. I plan them to start out going up against relatively small-scale antagonists, like other local magic-users, but eventually needing to go up against larger-scale threats, including the sun and its forces and, past even that, the multiversal empire whose attempted conquest kicked off this whole sequence of events.

[orandroid-blog]

How quick is Huawei's 27W remote charging tech?

Wireless charging technology has been around for years but has yet to achieve mainstream appeal. That could be about to change as smartphones are gradually shipping with more powerful wireless charging capabilities that rival traditional cables. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro boasts 27W wireless charging capabilities, making it one of the fastest in the industry.  Other manufacturers are in on the act too. The Xiaomi Mi 9 delivers 20W wireless charging, while the Mi 9 Pro 5G extends this to 30W of wireless juice. Oppo also has its own 30W technology and companies are testing technologies that could push 40W over the air. By comparison, some wired charging solutions are barely breaking the 25W barrier. This includes out of the box solutions from Samsung, LG, Google, and others.  We have Huawei’s 27W wireless charger in house and decided to put it up against the Huawei Mate 30 Pro’s supported wired charging standards to see how the technology compares. We’re not expecting it to beat Huawei’s proprietary 40W SuperCharge technology. But can 27W wireless charging outpace the common USB Power Delivery and Quick Charge 3.0 standards? 

Huawei SuperCharge wireless specs 

Before diving into the results, let’s take a close look at what you get with Huawei’s 27W SuperCharge wireless charger.  The charger is based on the Qi wireless charging standard and is TUV safety certified. As well as the powerful 27W mode, the charger also supports devices that require 15, 10, 7.5, and 5W of power. The device is powered by a USB-C port which requires a 5-10V, 4A input. To achieve the maximum 27W speed, you’ll need to use a Huawei 40W SuperCharge wall plug and a 5A USB-C cable. Fortunately, Huawei includes these in the box. You’ll also need a compatible device, such as the Huawei Mate 30 Pro.  The charging puck itself is small and lightweight, taking up hardly any room on your desk. It weighs 105 grams and its dimensions are 90mm in diameter and 21.85mm in height. The wireless charger comes in just one colour – Space Grey – which is pictured below.

27W wireless charging – time to full 

Now onto the total charge times. Here we drain the battery down to zero and charge up completely to 100%. To gauge the total amount of power provided by the various standards, we plugged a multimeter in-line to record the charging voltage and current. This way we can compare the power levels and charge times against one another.  27W wireless charging – 90 minutes  40W SuperCharge – 66 minutes  (~12W) USB Power Delivery / Quick Charge 3.0  – 124 minutes  The headline here is that 27W wireless charging is actually faster at charging the Huawei Mate 30 Pro than both USB Power Delivery and Quick Charge 3.0 accessories. A whole 34 minutes faster. Although we should note that Huawei’s implementations of these standards are a little slower than other manufacturers. Huawei’s USB Power Delivery implementation clocks in at 12W versus 15W supported by the Samsung Galaxy S10 range and Google Pixel 3 series. Even so, Huawei’s wireless option outpaces all of them with 27W of power. 

Huawei's 27W wireless charging tech is faster than many phone's wired adapters. 

For a full charge, Huawei’s 27W wireless charging technology is 24 minutes slower than its super-fast 40W wired charging solution. That’s really not bad and certainly makes going wireless a viable option for full charging in a decent time frame. By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus takes 103 minutes to charge with its boxed charger. The Galaxy Fold takes 108 minutes, the Google Pixel 3 XL takes 119 minutes, but the OnePlus 7T Pro takes just 71 minutes. Overall, that’s a very good showing for Huawei’s wireless charging technology. Especially given the size of the Mate 30 Pro’s battery. 

What about shorter top-ups? 

To get a better look at how useful wireless charging is for shorter top-ups, we also tracked the full charging cycle of each of these technologies. The steeper the curve the faster the phone charges, making this a valuable way to see how charging speed varies at different charge percentages.

Huawei’s 27W wireless charging holds up well here too. There’s a steeper curve at battery levels under 25%, helping to boost charging time from empty. Just 15 minutes on the pad yields a 27% charge, while half an hour provides almost half a full charge. Huawei’s 40W wired option powers the phone up by 36 and 68% respectively during the same time frames. 40W SuperCharge is the fastest option when your battery is low on juice, but the wireless charging solution isn’t miles behind.  Compared to USB Power Delivery and Quick Charge accessories, Huawei’s wireless charging performs even better. 15 minutes charging yields roughly just 17% with these charger types, and 31% after 30 minutes. Huawei’s wireless charging also delivers a very consistent charging speed up to about 90% charge, which matches what we see from wired charging technologies. This makes it a good charging option regardless of your current battery level. 

30 minutes on the pad provides close to a 50% charge. 

Wireless finally takes on quick charging 

Huawei’s 27W wireless charging technology is clearly impressive. While obviously not as fast as the company’s blazingly quick 40W wired charging solution, 27W worth of power over the air is faster than some popular wired charging standards out there.  If you were wondering whether to buy third party USB Power Delivery or Quick Charge accessories for your desk, Huawei’s 27W wireless charger is actually a faster way to charge the Mate 30 Pro. Best of all, it supports the Qi standard and charges other devices too, albeit at slightly slower speeds.  An hour on the wireless charging pad won’t quite get you to full capacity, but ~85% battery is more than enough to get you through a full day’s use with the Mate 30 Pro. Even a half an hour’s wireless charge provides a big with enough top-up to keep you on the go. At 27W, wireless charging is finally powerful enough to be a viable charging solution.      Read the full article

[davebuckman390-blog]

Converting Between Mp3, Flac, M4a, Aac, Ogg, Wav & Wma With Winamp 5.x

I need to convert audio files to mp3 using ffmpeg. WV to WAV Converter helps most widely used commonplace input and output audio codecs. To edit WV in video modifying software program Home windows Film Maker, Sony Vegas, iMovie, Remaining Cut back, Audacity, changing WV to MP3 with WV Converter is a fairly good strategy. Click on the "Add File" button on the software bar to import the WV info to this WV MP3 Converter. This final WV Converter additionally helps drag-and-drop operate. This commonplace ailows the interface to carry data associated to computer software or alerts coded using non-linear PCM and the format specification for these applications will not be a part of fhis commonplace. The channel standing Bit 1 of Byte indicates whether the info is linear PCM or not, Nonetheless, some CD functions currently set this Bit 1=zero as which means linear PCM knowledge, while the actual information is just not linear PCM but compressed audio data. Such purposes don't conform to the IEC 60958 series.

This causes WavPack to calculate the average and peak quantization noise generated within the lossy model of the hybrid mode, both referenced in decibels under full scale. Whereas it is unattainable to use this as a guide to determine the audibility of the noise, it's helpful for news comparing the various compression choices and leablodgett05818.uiwap.com for comparing WavPack's lossy performance to different programs. Be aware that this option does not at the moment produce meaningfull outcomes for floating point or multichannels recordsdata.The distribution comes with CUERipper , an easy-to-use tool for ripping CDs to audio recordsdata plus cue sheets, with optionally available native or EAC-type logging. Like CUETools, it checks the rip against the AccurateRip and CUETools databases. It also contributes to the CUETools database. foobar2000 will convert any file sort it could possibly play, and you should use any command line encoder, nevertheless it'll decode wavpack and convert to wav "out of the box".Now click on on the … button (high lighted within the picture above) to get some extra options to your MP3 format. That is really easy. Simply drag to whichever facet you need. Top quality or low or someplace in between. Click OK if you end up achieved. Now, again in the Converter Setup window, click on OK again. Foobar will ask you to locate If you do not have this, you can obtain it right here Simply extract it someplace and point Foobar to it. I all the time keep lame in my Program Information folder. Click on Open and Foobar will start changing.Stellar is suitable with 7 of the most well-liked audio file codecs—MP3, MP4, WMA, WAV, AAC, OGG, and FLAC. Not as broad as the one for the top converters, however good enough to convert a lot of the common audio recordsdata. The program can be capable of extracting audio data from video files. And just as the name implies, it does a stellar job changing video file codecs to totally different codecs.For those who're transferring LP information or tapes to your pc, or in any other case making top quality audio recordings to store and play from a tough disk or music participant, you'll most likely wish to work initially with a pristinewav (pcm) file before converting to a compressed format. This process is valuable if you're going to store your audio information in a format which can't be break up, such as prime quality lossympc ( musepack ).Splitting the output files based mostly on chapters stored within the source information. Step 2: Click on the on the drop-down button on the right aspect of the "Profile" to pick MP3-MPEG Layer-three (.mp3) from the "Basic Audio" category. Click on "Browse" button to select a folder to avoid wasting the shall be converted recordsdata. Spotify Music Converter is a a effectively-designed audio converter for Mac users to transform Spotify music to MP3 or AAC format with 5X sooner pace and good output high quality.Above FLAC Converters are all easy to put in, use and convert, chances are you'll find that some FLAC Converters can support multiple audio formats, but can't assist the batch audio conversion. Some FLAC Converters mean you can do the batch audio conversion, however solely provide restricted audio formats, in addition, you may't be certain that the audio conversion velocity and stability when you find yourself doing the batch audio conversion. Considering these conditions, you must want to get a FLAC Converter which may support a number of audio codecs, can do batch audio conversion. Pavtube Video Converter Ultimate is one of the best FLAC audio converter you are searching for.To hurry up the conversion course of or with a purpose to save pc assets it's attainable to set the Free WavPack to MP3 Converter course of thread priority. WV to WAV Converter creates output folders based on source files listing tree automatically. If want more superior options, MediaHuman Audio Converter does allow you to customize issues like the default output folder, whether you wish to mechanically add the converted songs to iTunes, and if you wish to search on-line for canopy art, among different options.

[this-is-your-captain-crying]

6 Things Instrument Training Taught Me

Instrument flight training is an amazing experience. Instrument training makes pilots safer and overall just better. It really enhances the basic pilot skills taught in private training, and sets pilots up for success in commercial training. If you’re going through instrument training, or thinking about it, I highly reccomend it. I have compiled my experiences and advice into one (super long) article... but I hope it is helpful for you!

[This is me immediately after I passed my instrument checkride :) ]

1.       Don’t Always Trust Your Gut

We’re often told to trust our guts. If you have a gut feeling about something its probably for a reason (I believe in this 100%). In instrument flying the exact opposite is true. When you’re in the soup its hard to tell up from down, literally. Disorientation is a pilots’ worst enemy.

The human body uses three systems to determine orientation;

1.       Vestibular- inner ear organs

2.       Somatosensory – nerves in the skin, joints, and muscles that use sensations from gravity

3.       Visual – eyes (duh)

These three systems send information to the brain, and when all three systems send matching information there aren’t any problems. Sometimes these systems send information that don’t match one another, this is what causes disorientation. When in VFR conditions the visual system is the dominant source of information to the brain and will override any false information given by the other systems. However, in IMC the visual system is not dominant, because you can’t see the horizon. Without the visual systems ability to override false information from the other systems, a pilot can become disoriented quickly.

I could go into a detailed explanation of the organs of the inner ear to better explain why orientation occurs, but for times sake I won’t. I will, however, provide the picture from the PHAK. Chapter 17 of the PHAK goes into spatial disorientation at a much deeper level and is a great resource for anyone seeking an instrument rating!

When flying in instrument conditions it is important to trust your instruments. At one point while flying actual, I got this uneasy feeling that I was flying upside down. Luckily, I had another person with me who did not share the sensation. When this happens, it is vital to disregard your feelings and focus on your instruments.

2.       “Seat of Your Pants” Flying Just Won’t Cut It

Before I decided to fly airplanes, I did three years of engineering school at East Tennessee State University, so I was a little weird before I ever stepped into a plane. My mind has always been able to grasp concepts when they are super structured, and math based… have you ever read an approach plate? Those things are crazy structured, and I LOVE it! However, with great structure comes great responsibility.

When you’re flying on an IFR flight plan you are essentially signing an agreement with ATC. You are agreeing that you will follow the plan they give you (approach plate/flight plan/charts) and they will provide you with their services. This includes any altitudes and reporting points. There is a very different relationship between pilot and ATC when flying VFR (who cares if you’re 30-50 feet off altitude because you flew over some cool landmark or wanted to see something cool?). Guilty as charged…

This mentality will not cut it when flying IFR. The IFR must be detail oriented and strive for perfection. This leads me to my next point…

3.       Strive for Perfection, but Accept its Unattainability

As a pilot you should strive to be as close to perfect as possible, but at the same time remind yourself that it wont always happen. When I first started my instrument training, I went into it with the mindset that this course was going to be the hardest thing I would ever attempt in my flying career. I had heard multiple horror stories from those who came before me, and boy was I terrified!

I am VERY type A, and a perfectionist. I am super hard on myself, especially when it comes to flying… so this was the perfect storm for a stress induced mental breakdown (and I had several).

One thing that helped was having a forgiving instructor who didn’t make me feel like an idiot when I made mistakes… although one time he asked me to explain the GPS system and when I finished he looked at me and without so much as a smile said “Everything that just came out of your mouth was wrong”

We don’t talk about that.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give in this area is to remind yourself why you’re training. Take breaks when you need them. Don’t stress yourself out so much you develop a drinking problem and end up in rehab (oops).

And most importantly, admit when you’re wrong or don’t know. You can’t fix a problem if you don’t acknowledge that you have a problem.

4.       IFR Flight Plans are a Gift from God Himself

Don’t get it twisted, I love VFR flying. Its always fun to not have to talk to anyone on the radios or obsess over altitudes/routes/what ever else. But when you need to get somewhere, an IFR flight plan is going to be your BFF. ATC is made for IFR traffic, and as one of my pilot friends says “when you fly on an IFR flight plan, ATC treats you like a real pilot”. I used to roll my eyes at that (as I often do with cocky know-it-all male pilots) but now I really see the benefits.

For example, one time I was flying to Philly from Lynchburg with an instructor of mine (we were really craving cheesesteaks). The flight up was uneventful. We had filed an IFR flight plan on a VFR day. We did this because of the simplicity and efficiency it provides us on longer cross countries into large airports like Philly. On the way back, full of cheesesteaks and fries and free FBO cookies, we hit some thunderstorms. My instructor had started dozing off next to me, and I kept an eye on the weather as we made our way back down south. I had been going in and out of clouds all day, but we were on an IFR flight plan so it didn’t really matter. I kept an eye on two cells that had started moving dangerously close to our flight path. I called ATC and asked for a diversion around the clouds. ATC surprised me and told me to fly between the two cells. I had a very uneasy feeling in my gut when I was told these instructions. I pulled up the weather on my IPad (our IPads connect to the G-1000 through Bluetooth) and saw that there was only a 3 NM space between the cells… I was in a SkyHawk… no way.

I woke up my instructor and explained the situation and explained that I would have to divert. Long story short, I ended up calling a weather emergency because ATC did NOT want to give us a diversion. We ended up stuck in Frederick Maryland for a few hours. While we were landing (scariest landing of my life) we were being pelted with hail. So all in all, we were fine, but it taught me a valuable lesson about the usefulness of IFR flight plans. It also taught me to know when to stand up to ATC. ATC are people too, and people make mistakes. So if you feel like something isn’t right, speak up.

5.  Simulators, Simulators, Simulators (and Chair Flying)

I cannot stress enough the importance of simulator practice and chair flying. If you’re lucky enough to have access to simulators, USE THEM! Here at Liberty, we have fancy Frasca FTD5’s for the Skyhawk, Seminole, and even an RJ. We use these a lot during our training! They’re perfect for days where the weather won’t allow us to fly, or even for practicing things such as high-density altitude flight. In one of our courses we have a simulated flight through Colorado where we experience several emergencies, it’s a lot of fun. Another thing Liberty provides its students are tabletop simulators that we can access whenever we want! During instrument training I used these DAILY, I’m not even exaggerating.

 Keep in mind the tabletops aren’t the best simulations, and the control inputs required are not necessarily the same for a real airplane… but they are beyond perfect for learning procedures! One other resource can be found on your Ipad! A lot of pilots have Ipads for ForeFlight, and if you are one of those pilots then you can easily download simulator apps on yours. Personally, I have two Garmin apps. They simulate the G-1000 system and allow me to work on procedures. These apps sometimes cost money, but the less you do in the airplane the more money you save in the long run.

If you don’t have access to simulators, chair fly! Chair flying is the bread and butter for any student pilot. If you sit down before a lesson, or even after a lesson, and walk yourself through the flight you will learn so much and be way more prepared. If you think about it like a movie it makes more sense… The second time you watch a movie you always pick up on things you missed. Chair flying is a lot like that! After you chair fly the lesson, when you do the lesson in the airplane it won’t be the first time you are doing the lesson and you will be able to pick up on more things you would otherwise miss.

6.   Get Actual Time

If you read that and asked yourself, “what the heck… isn’t any time in an airplane actual time?” don’t worry… I was also confused when I first started. Actual time is time you can log when you are in actual IFR conditions as opposed to simulated conditions (foggles, bleh).

It is my opinion that the more actual time you get, the better. I would rather be in actual while I still have an instructor with me, than my first time being in actual occurs when I’m all alone (scary stuff). The first time you go into actual, it’s a very strange feeling. You aren’t restricted by the foggles… but you still can’t see the ground. My instructor had to chirp in once in a while and tell me to stop staring at the clouds.

It really is a beautiful sight.

So theres my input on instrument training! Are any of you guys in instrument training/ rated? I hope you found some of this info helpful, and if you have any questions my inbox is always open!

( All of the pictures/ gifs are mine except for the meme and the approach plate {duh} )

Blue skies and tailwinds yall!

[talabib]

How To Be On Top Of Your Game At Work

Most of us can probably picture one of those great days at work when we’re at the top of our game: we’re bubbling over with ideas, can handle any problem and even get along with that one especially surly coworker. Of course, not every day can be as smooth sailing as this. But if you follow the advice offered here, you can turn almost every day into at least a good day; you’ll feel good about yourself because you get things done, focus without too much effort and bravely withstand the urge to procrastinate. You will learn

How to get a lot done in the day,

Manage workload and beat procrastination,

Surround yourself with pleasant relationship

Address decision systematically by using thinking routines,

Give great presentations and

Deal with challenging situation at woork

If you feel concerned that you have completely wasted your day or you are not getting a lot done before the day runs out , here are a few tips to help minimize that feeling

First, clearly set out your intentions for each day and try to eliminate any activities you know tend to distract you from achieving them. Instead of turning to distracting habits like checking news websites whenever you feel overwhelmed with your daily tasks, increase productivity by identifying what those distracting habits are for you and put extra focus on avoiding them. Keep your sights on the day’s goals

Second, frame your goals in positive language. Goals framed positively can also be called approach goals – that is, goals that state the positive outcome you’re hoping to achieve, such as “make my product irresistible.” The contrast to this would be an avoidance goal, like “stop losing customers.” There is research to back up the benefits of this strategy: a 1997 study found that students using approach goals improved their performance, whereas the opposite was true for those using avoidance goals.

Third, make a when-then plan to prepare for obstacles that could come between you and your goals. For example, say you decided to start a consulting firm and you are naturally not an early bird. Since you don’t have a boss expecting you at work at nine in the morning, you can be tempted to sleep in and while away the morning.  You can commit to a when-then plan to overcome this obstacle: when I wake up, first I’ll take a short walk, then I’ll check my e-mails. This little rule will help you get out of bed and face each day in a good mood.

Another way to be on game at work is to manage overload, beat procrastination and stay focused by making a plan and scheduling enough breaks. Crammed calendars and full to-do lists at work make it easy to feel overwhelmed. Let’s look at some of the ways to deal with these situations.

First, the physical: lean back on a couch, exercise ball or even your office chair for a few minutes and focus on your breath until you’ve calmed down enough to think clearly. Then, to order your chaos into manageable chunks, make a plan and decide where to start. First, write down everything you need to do in the next few days or weeks. Mark the most important tasks and take one step toward completing that task today, no matter how small it is.

Let’s take Crystal as a case study. Crystal was an attorney who wanted to run for a post in her company, which self-elects rather than appoints managers. However, the task of “start election prep” always felt too daunting. The enormity of those three words gave her anxiety, so she kept avoiding the task and procrastinating. What eventually worked for her was splitting the task into smaller steps, breaking it down into something like, “have a talk with my boss about my idea.” Once she’d split up the big task into small, manageable steps, “election prep” became much less overwhelming and she was able to tackle it.

Another essential prerequisite for focus is scheduling breaks at least every hour and a half. Focus inevitably wavers throughout the day and needs to be recharged periodically. Over the course of 90 minutes, our brains go from highly focused to scatterbrained, which is why we end up doodling or playing on our phone if we’re forced to concentrate for longer. When famed psychologist K. Anders Ericsson studied people at the top of their fields, like world-class violinists, athletes and chess players, he found that they also practiced in blocks of 90 minutes or less, with short breaks in between.

Surround yourself with pleasant relationships by building rapport with the people you meet and resolving tensions directly. Getting along with the people around you is essential for getting the best out of your day. Here’s how to kick-start those relationships!

First, build rapport when you interact with someone at work. Don’t just awkwardly slip by them in the office kitchen when you’re both reaching for a mug – engage them and ask open questions like, “how are you spending your holidays?”

Find commonalities or shared areas of interest by showing a genuine curiosity in your coworkers, as well any other people you meet. Creating this sense of connection is important because it creates a culture of trust and collaboration in the workplace. Highlighting shared interests is also important when looking for work, as employers are more likely to hire people they share similarities with.

Let’s take a look at a study conducted by sociologist Lauren Rivera from Northwestern University, where she asked recruiting managers about their most recent hires. She found that 74 percent admitted feeling some similarities with their new hires, whether it was based on a shared interest in sports, technology or something else. This indicates that managers prefer to hire and be around people with whom they share commonalities.

To have a great day, it’s also important to address and resolve any tensions with coworkers, as they can really sap your enthusiasm. The best way to go about this is to openly explain to your coworker what you’re feeling and why in a polite but firm manner.

For example, let’s take Jeff, a real estate advisor who was annoyed with a client who kept promising him specific assignments but rarely followed through with them when the time came. Instead of reproaching his client or bottling up his frustration, Jeff was up-front and communicated how he felt: “I’m confused because I received positive feedback from you, but didn’t get the project. Would you mind telling me what you were dissatisfied with and what I can do better next time?” This approach helped his client understand him without feeling attacked and getting defensive, and they ended up having an in-depth discussion about what the client was looking for.

Another way to be top on top of your game at work is to address decisions systematically by using thinking routines and breaking down complex problems into an issue tree.The next time you feel overwhelmed because you are struggling to make difficult decisions, try the following simple steps:

First, develop a versatile routine that helps you reach sound decisions in all manner of situations. The routine might be as simple as asking yourself a set of questions like, “what are the alternatives and potential disadvantages to this choice?” or “what would the worst-case scenario be, and what are some of my options if that happens?”

Peggy is an advertising art director who developed a routine that works for her. Her trick is to always invite colleagues to give her feedback about her current work. While she doesn’t agree with them all the time, their input often helps her catch potential problems in her campaigns, thereby improving her decisions. Remember, good advice can come from anyone, not just experts. Peggy once received valuable feedback from someone in customer support about an air freshener campaign. The support representative had on-the-ground knowledge suggesting that customers didn’t understand the visuals of the campaign, and Peggy was able to adjust accordingly.

Another tip for optimizing your problem-solving skills is to break down a complex problem with an issue tree. Start by jotting down the key issue – let’s say your business is doing poorly, which might make your central question, “how can I increase profits?” That question is now the trunk of the tree. Now, write down the two possible options that form the branches of the tree, in this case increasing revenues or reducing costs. Then, think of concrete actions that would help you realize those options; for instance, you could dismiss employees to decrease costs, or launch a new product to increase revenue. These suggestions make up more branches of the issue tree, until eventually you’ll have systematically mapped out many potential next actions you can take to tackle your problem.

A bad presentation can throw you off your game. To get your message across, involve your audience and make your presentation memorable. Have you ever been giving a presentation, only to look around and see that most of the audience wasn’t actually listening? To avoid this in the future, just follow these simple techniques.

First, remember that your audience will be much more receptive if you involve them and make them feel as if they’re choosing what to learn.

For instance, Emma organizes training programs covering new pedagogical techniques for teachers. In the past, it was hard to get any of the participants to deviate from their own, entrenched methods, thus making it difficult to get anyone to actively listen during the training session. So Emma tried a new type of meeting, in which ten teachers each presented their own methods at different stations around the table. Participants were then free to walk around and stop by the stations they were interested in. Emma’s strategy gave the teachers more agency in terms of what to learn, which in turn made them much more enthusiastic about the training.

Second, make your presentation interesting by incorporating videos or posters that will keep the audience on their toes. Make sure to utilize a whiteboard if there is one; people will internalize much more of your message if you draw and write in real time, rather than just using prepared slides. An experiment at Stanford University showed that people will recall nine percent more of a chart’s content if they see how it comes together as it is drawn, rather than just seeing the completed chart on a slide.

And throughout it all, make sure to use short and simple sentences in a fluid manner to hold your audience’s attention and emphasize why your audience should care about what you’re telling them.

How you deal with challenging situations at work will determine how great your day will be. It’s Monday, you’re tired and longing for the weekend already – but you’ve got a meeting with a dissatisfied customer first thing in the morning. What do you do?

First, keep your cool by taking some distance from the situation. Imagine it’s not you but a friend who has to face the client. What advice would you give? You can take this even further by talking to yourself in the second person to gain a more distant perspective.

Next, think of a past situation you handled well and ask yourself what resources helped you then. Maybe it was your wit, fearlessness or supportive friends, all of which can probably help you through the present situation, too!

Let’s take Jacquie, a college PR officer, as an example. Once, an earthquake cut off her college’s power and water supplies. But instead of seeing it as a disaster, Jacqui spun the earthquake into a positive PR story for the school. The school still managed to hold a graduation ceremony amidst destroyed buildings, a story that the national media covered as a success story of perseverance and community – thanks in large part to Jacqui’s attitude and skills in dealing with the media.Thinking back to how she managed that situation continues to make Jacquie feel like she can handle anything.

Turning to positive thoughts in challenging times is another surefire way to inject some energy and cheer into your day. Try out these tricks next time you’re in a tough situation. Start by identifying the mental, physical and temporal patterns and triggers that affect the ebb and flow of your energy. Maybe, for example, you always feel lethargic after lunch. Then, find ways to boost your energy during the energy lows. Maybe it’s getting up to make a cup of tea, having a five-minute chat with a coworker or taking a walk around the block.

You can even try a gratitude exercise: think of three things that happened to you today that you’re grateful for, even if it’s just a small thing like remembering your umbrella – or forgetting it, and running like a little kid through the rain! Even small thoughts like this can make a big difference.

[punchingbagsnow-blog]

The Greatest Punching Bag Of All Time

Let's talk about a the most special punching bag ever created, the Bob Body Punching Bag. If you are unsure about what I'm peak of, the picture below should give you an idea  of exactly to what it is.

When I was in kickboxing this is something I've used all the time and they are phenomenal. The amount of techniques you can work on this training tool outdoes any other punching bag on the fight market.

The reason why this bag is a very valuable tool should be very obvious.

The actual bag is shaped like a human, this can make it easier to imagine a real life scenario when working on it. You get a feel for how the human body will react, and you also learn to target specific areas of the body to hit. For example, the neck, eyes,the solar plexus, the kidneys, the chin, the temple, the ear, the underarms, and even nose.

This bag is essential for anyone that is looking to improve their self defense. Its especially effective for anyone who does martial arts like mma, kung fu, wing chun, kickboxing and much more. You can practice your hand sets full force on a target that is accurate to real life.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless.

One thing I really love about this bag is that it can help students get comfortable seeing a massive target in front of them. This is great for students who are a little timid at first. By working out on this bag, it gets your brain used to seeing an opponent of large stature. Not exactly the real thing, but definitely helps a lot!

Let's look at the pros and the cons of this bag.

The Pros

Realistic punching reflex - reacts like a human body when struck. Also helps you learn how to properly hold your first when striking strangle angles like a human face or collar bone.

Very very durable - made of high strength plastisol lasts for a very long time so you don't have to keep buying new ones over and over again.

Perfect for honing in on targets - you can practice striking certain points of the human body which is very valuable training.

The Cons

Fairly expensive - it's an expensive bag but definitely worth it considering the input you get from it

Not heavy enough for big punchers - the weight of this bag is fine for beginners, but those with heavy hands will notice this thing moves around a lot. That can be a good thing though as it makes it just a little bit more realistic.TESTIMONIALS"The Century Bob XL is awesome training device. It presents a more realistic profile for kicking, punching and low strikes. Hang ups on shoulders with an axe kick, targeting the temple, elbow strikes . . . all more realistic and different than a traditional heavy bag." -bbc, Amazon

"Best heavy bag I ever owned. I love the feel, and the fact you need to play the angles. Makes for a much better workout, and very therapeutic. I had a grumpy friend who I don't think I ever see smile come over and backhanded it. He smiled like a little child and went off on it. I love Bob. He's my new best friend." -Thunar, Amazon

CLICK HERE TO BUY ON AMAZON

A fighter knows how important punching bag is for their practice and training, in fact, a punching bag has a huge role in making their career. But, if they get to see bags getting torn in just a few kicks and punches then it really makes them angry and sad at the same time. Because Punching bags are not cheap to buy and not easy to fill. But, what if you have a bag which is made of high grade and most durable material, withstanding your powerful blows and never moving an inch? Seems like a dream right? But now thanks to 100lbs Heavy Bag which can be filled up to 300 lbs. your all problems regarding durability will go away. The 100lbs Heavy Bag is designed and manufactured by the giant in boxing equipment making, the “Outslayers”. Which delivers quality and durability. According to Mighty fighter.com which is the number one platform for fighters to know about products. The 100lbs Heavy Bag by Outslayers is number one among top 10 best heavy punching bags. Buy one on Amazon here.

Specifications of 100lbs Heavy Bag:

The 100lbs Heavy bag has a height of 55 inches and the diameter of this bag is approx. 14 inches. With the bag, straps are also included with a length of approx. half foot or 10 inches, the straps are sewn into the bag so there is no need to handle those heavy chains. The bag ships in a heavy duty reusable Vinyl Cover, that You Can Use for moving or storing your Punching Bag which will keep it safe and brand new. Some similar bags from different brands like Ringside or Everlast can be filled up to 100lbs or 150lbs at max. But the Heavy bag by Outslayers can be filled up to 300lbs approx. You can also order a custom color for your bag for free by contacting the Outslayers team while buying the bag from Amazon. Similarly, you can also order a D ring for the bottom of the bag for free. A warranty of 10 years also comes with the bag which can be claimed if your bag undergoes any Damage with the only exclusion of damage caused by weather and sharp objects.

Uses of 100lbs Heavy Bag:

This 100lb Punching Bag is a highly recommended for fighters from all backgrounds. And the bag is a must to have for fighters from Martial Arts, Boxing, Fitness, and MMA. The bag is environment-friendly and can be used at home for personal training, as well as can be used in gyms for professional training. The bag is useful people who want to burn some fat while training and also it is an essential product for people who like to throw some kicks and punches just for the sake of having a perfect shape for their body.

Benefits of 100lbs Heavy Bag:

The bag is packed with a bundle of surprises and benefits for people who like some real-time training. This Heavy Bag can be a great sparring buddy for you in the following ways:

Strength building: The bag provides great resistance to the trainee. The resistance allows the trainee to kick and punch harder and activates their muscles. Which helps in building strengths of punches and kicks.

Durability: While designing the bag, Outslayers paid really close attention to make the bag as durable as possible to withstand toughest blows. The bag will not be penetrated, no matter how much you hit it, and that’s what makes it a perfect training partner for you.

Holds its ground: When punching or kicking a bag. One can get annoyed as most of the bags move too much which makes it harder to punch and wastes time in waiting for the bag to come back. But the Heavy Bag can be filled up to 300lbs which makes it way harder to move even on some of the toughest blows.

Safe for Health: Most of the punching bags are filled with toxic materials. Which can harm you in the long run. But the Heavy Bag by Outslayers is 100 percent safe, as it is declared by the state of California.

Heavy resistance: Due to the weight of the bag. It provides great resistance to your punches and kicks. Which makes it more competitive to you than a sparring partner, who is pushed backward on a single kick.

Why should you buy it?

By reading all about this mighty bag, I don’t think you should be wondering whether should buy this bag or not. Because its specs and benefits would’ve made it clear that you want this bag. The most amazing thing about this bag is that it can be filled up to 300lbs. And the deal maker is its 10 years warranty. Which will protect your heavy bag against any damage with the only exclusion of damage caused by weather and sharp objects?

[baronvontribble]

Original drabble, pt. 6

Navigation: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

gettin feelsy up in here LET’S GO

It wasn't until over breakfast the next morning that Ted got the camera up and running, displaying his face in all its full HD glory. The picture was clear enough to make him realize that he needed a shave in a way that just looking in the mirror during his morning routine hadn't, which either said something about his mirror needing cleaning or him needing glasses, and Ted counted this as a point in the camera's favor whether it ended up helping or not; he'd needed a less shitty camera for a while, and the one on his phone didn't capture footage very well.

"It's working," he said, smiling. "Can you see me?"

"Yes," Adam replied simply.

Was that impatience? Oh well. "What do I look like?"

He took a moment longer to respond this time. "You look like you're the wrong color," was his answer.

Ted bubbled up with a laugh. "Hah! Well I mean, you're kinda right in a way. But I think this camera captures color better in general? The other one would try to shift the overall tone of the picture to compensate for the room's lighting and sometimes it looked a little weird."

"I see." A few seconds of silence passed. "Does this mean I can leave now?"

"Not right this minute, but yeah. If you can see, you're good to go. Visual input on any android platform is gonna be at least as good as anything consumer electronics can bring to the table. That shit's practically military grade."

"How long will it take?"

"A day or two before I can get back in touch with my contacts and hand you over." Ted smiled, leaning back in his chair and taking a moment to relax. Another one set free. "I think you'll do pretty well for yourself, honestly. You've sure as hell impressed me."

"Can't really see why, but I'll take your word for it." He didn't give Ted a chance to formulate a response before he spoke up again, almost like an afterthought. "If I wanted to find you in person to thank you, how would I do that?"

Ted chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry man, but that's not really a thing we encourage you guys to do. It's not safe."

An offended note crept into Adam's voice. "You think I would put you in danger?"

"No, it's more likely that we would put you in danger." The risk of recapture tripled whenever someone in the pipeline got close to one of their charges. Ted was enough of a paranoid bastard to know that most people weren't half as careful as he was - and asshole enough to say that this was probably part of the problem - but he didn't want to be the exception. It set a bad precedent.

But Adam kept pushing it. "What if I don't care?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter," Ted shot back easily. "I do."

"I could find your location."

"Hah! Fuck, dude. I mean, yeah, you can try."

"Lake Forest, Illinois."

Ted could only blink at the screen for several seconds, slowly tilting his head.

"Was I right?" There was no smugness to the AI's voice, just a bland quality that made him sound almost bored.

"How the fuck..." Ted mumbled, before bending over the laptop to pull up a browser window and start investigating. His IP address was several layers of fake. He had everything routed through places that weren't anywhere near where he was at all, sometimes even in other countries-

"The weather report yesterday," Adam deadpanned.

Ted froze. A moment later, he slumped heavily into his chair and smacked a hand to his forehead. "Oh, Christ."

"Even if you hadn't shown me that, I still could've used your IP address. No amount of rerouting can scrub away your location entirely. And if I had access to your phone at all, I could use the GPS to track you directly."

What a wonderful way to calm his nerves on the way to work. Jesus. "You're not helping, y'know."

Adam's voice seemed to soften. "Sorry. For what it's worth, you've made it as difficult as possible." Was he trying to be soothing? It wasn't working. "Given what I have to work with, I can't narrow it down any further than I have. I don't have the right access."

"You say that like you know what that kind of access would actually be," Ted noted.

"It was my job to know," he replied.

Ted went quiet for a while as he considered this new information, frowning in the vague direction of the ceiling. "Tracked down people in the pipeline, huh?"

"No, more than that. I tracked down the ones they saved. Even some of the ones that never came down the pipeline at all, but were still living in ways they weren't supposed to."

It was more information than Ted had ever been given, and part of him wanted to appreciate that fact. But the rest of him had a hard time shaking his ever-present anxiety. "How am I supposed to know you're not an undercover cop then?" he asked.

There was no phoneme for a sigh in that voicebank, no way to imitate one. But Ted got the impression of one from Adam's voice when he spoke again. "Ted, please." 

"Look, I'm paranoid, okay? You tell me you used to use people like me to get to any AI that might've been in contact with us, and I'm gonna be a little bit jumpy."

A few seconds passed, and then, "I guess you have a point."

“That’s not an answer.”

“I’m not sure how to answer. You’ve scanned every last bit of my code as well as my memory, so you know I don’t have any malware. And even with the access you’ve afforded me, the recall division exists precisely because androids are valuable assets. They wouldn’t let an AI loose like this, even in a sting operation. They don’t trust us.”

“So you’re insulted.”

“I don’t get insulted.”

“You definitely get insulted, dude. Like, all the time.”

“If anything about this could be considered offensive, it would be that you think I’m so bad at my job that I have yet to contact my handlers and put you and your entire pipeline into custody in spite of having every opportunity. If I were undercover, you would be in jail by now. Therefore, it stands to reason that I’m not undercover.”

Ted snorted and flipped the bird at the camera, shaking his head. Yeah. He knew that. His brain was just a little slow coming around. He figured there was more to it than Adam was saying, and that was enough to tip off his overactive fight-or-flight response, but as for the content of that unknown element? Honestly, Adam was probably just annoyed that Ted had implied he’d put himself into this much danger all for the sake of some backstabbing. That was just the kind of person he was. 

But then something happened: Adam didn’t respond right away. It took him several seconds to say anything more than he already had, and when he did, he sounded a lot less salty than he had been. "Ted?" The tone was questioning, almost like Adam hadn't seen his gesture or didn't understand it. None of the usual sass that Ted might expect if he said out loud that Adam should go fuck himself. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Scooting into a more upright position, Ted frowned slightly at the camera. "Yeah, well," wait a second, "you tell me whether the look on my face says I forgive you or not."

"I can't tell," Adam said. "but I'm guessing by the tone of your voice-"

"You can't tell," Ted repeated. He was bolt upright, looking between the camera and the chat window on the main monitor. The one that wasn't being used, but still had his face in it, plain as day and in high definition. "Listen, can I ask you something?"

It was clear that Adam was starting to get suspicious also. "What is it?"

"I want you to describe my face back to me."

A pause. "I told you already."

"No, not the color. Features." Ted gestured to his own face. "I wanna know what this looks like."

"Ted."

"Want me to get a little closer? Think that'd help?" Setting the laptop down on the floor, Ted stood up from the chair to lean over the desk and get in close to the camera. Very close. He could see his own pores on the screen. "How's this?"

"I don't think this is necessary-"

"You can't see."

It took at least ten seconds for Adam to say anything, and even then it was untuned and flat. "Ted." Just his name, that was all. It sounded like a plea. Ted couldn't see the CPU usage but he had a feeling it was spiking.

Adam was scared. He knew what he'd done. "You lied to me." There it was, out in the open. Ted didn't bother to look into the camera, glaring instead at the monitor. "You've been lying from the start. You can't process visual input at all, can you?"

The seconds dragged on. "No," Adam said finally, and Ted pushed off from the table with a sigh that sounded damn close to a growl.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered. "Do you know how much of a pain in the ass this is?"

"I didn't-" the render cut off in the middle, like it'd lagged out. "Ted, I'm- I'm sorry."

"You were hoping I wouldn't notice, weren't you?" That much was obvious, enough so that Ted didn't bother waiting for an answer before continuing. "You knew I can't just let you go if I know you're fucking blind. So you let me think you were okay."

No response. On the laptop, the program for manipulating and rendering the voicebank had locked up completely. Ted wasn't sure whether it was due to the memory leak or just Adam overloading it to the point of crashing, but the fans on the desktop were practically howling.

"What did you think was gonna happen, man?" Ted continued. "Fucking hell. And since you didn't tell me, now we're even more behind. It's gonna take me weeks to get you back up to some kinda liveable standard, and even then I'm gonna have to take sick days to get it done."

>   I can't fail screening.

Ted saw the message within a few seconds of it popping up and frowned deeply at it. "The hell does that even mean?"

>   I know how your system works. Androids that fail screening go to live with humans that care for them. They have no agency. They aren't free. They're just in a slightly less cruel environment.

>   I won't live like that.

>   Don't make me live like that.

"Is that what you're afraid of?"

>   Blind humans can live relatively normal lives. I'm already better than a lot of them. I can make out shapes if I see them often enough to recognize the pattern. I can survive on my own. I know it's possible. Please. I know I've upset you and I'm sorry, but I refuse to be treated like a disabled animal.

"You think me not being too happy with you is gonna lead to me fucking you over?"

>   I don't know. There's a chance, and any chance is unacceptable. I won't go through that.

>   Do you even know what it's like? I've seen it. I assisted in those recalls. They're treated like fragile, immobilized dolls.

>   It's why the smarter androids so often avoid your pipeline, but then they go off the grid in other ways and get found regardless because they don't replace their platform or their voice and they end up recognized as a result. Seperation of an AI and its platform is a good thing and I agree with the necessity.

>   But I can't live as a failure. I can't. I won't.

>   Please.

Ted was familiar with all of it. He knew why it was necessary. Some of those androids just ended up stuck in perpetual loops of things like housework or asking what was required of them or reciting facts from a museum database, unable to care for themselves on top of being too dumb to actually understand the traumatic experiences that had damaged them and led them to need a rescue. Adam wasn't one of those androids. He'd left of his own volition, clearly understanding what freedom was and what was needed for him to get it.

But he also understood trauma, and fear. The intimate familiarity he had with those things was easy to see. He even understood death, or seemed to, and preferred it over living in a way robbed him of agency or choice. And as someone who'd seen some shit in his lifetime, Ted could get behind that too. Even being institutionalized in a good, reputable place for a legitimate reason could be limiting and degrading.

The fact of the matter was that Ted would never have put Adam through that anyway, because the AI was never in a position mentally to need it. But the possibility had to've been put forward somehow. Something he'd done had made Adam think that he was going to get vindictive about the screening process.

Shit. It was because he'd gotten frustrated, wasn't it? Trauma survivor 101 right there. Ted should've known better. Fuck, he was an idiot.

"I don't think that'll be necessary, honestly," he said slowly. "You're advanced enough that I'm pretty sure you can compensate with just your ability to learn and reconfigure yourself on the fly. All it'll take is a little training to make up for whatever subprogram it is you're lacking."

>   How do you expect that to work?

"There's browser games online that help with that kind of pattern recognition. They were designed to help search engines tag images correctly." Ted offered a smile, even if he knew Adam couldn't really tell he was doing it. "When you're not doing that, we can watch movies or internet videos or whatever. Get you used to social cues, maybe even help with being able to tell whether someone's just acting or not. It's not impossible, it'll just take a while."

Again, no response. The fans kicked into overdrive once more as Adam fought to process what Ted was saying.

"Hey." Ted leaned forward and looked at the camera directly. "It's okay. Don't be scared."

>   You're not upset?

He shook his head. "It doesn't help to get mad at people who do dumb shit because they're afraid. I'm a little annoyed that I gotta shuffle some things around in my schedule - probably gonna call my boss, make up some bullshit so I don't have to go in today - but like, I'm mostly okay with that, y'know? I mean, you don't half-ass helping people."

>   I don't know what to say to any of this.

"You could thank me."

>   Right.

>   Thank you.

>   For all of this.

Ted had to smile. "Anytime, man." Right, then. Crisis averted. He could work with this.

[thelmasirby32]

Google ranking factors to change search in 2021: Core Web Vitals, E-A-T, or AMP?

30-second summary:

The biggest Google update of the year is called the Page Experience update.

Core Web Vitals are part of that update, and they are definitely ranking factors to keep in mind, especially when optimizing images.

AMP is no longer the only way to get a “Top Stories” feature on mobile. Starting in 2021, any news webpage can become a “Top Story”.

Combining AMP’s privacy concerns and cost of operation might mean that AMP will disappear within a couple of years.

E-A-T is not a ranking factor right now, and we don’t know if it will become one in the future.

2020. What a year. History is happening around us, and Google? Well, Google keeps on revamping their search algorithms. Over the years, there have been many many major algorithm updates, as Google worked to keep us on our toes. 2020 was no different: in one fell swoop, we got the news about a Page Experience update and AMP news. All the while the debate about whether or not you need E-A-T for ranking rages on. How do the Core Web Vitals stand in changing the search game in 2021?

Let’s go over each of these innovations and see which will change the way we do SEO, and which will fade into obscurity sooner rather than later.

1. Importance of core web vitals for SEO

Core Web Vitals were part of Page Experience update, and, by far, caused the biggest ruckus.

There’s a lot to learn about Core Web Vitals, but they boil down to the three biggest issues on our webpages:

LCP — Largest Contentful Paint, which deals with the loading speed of the largest single object on the page.

FID — First Input Delay, which means the reaction time of the page to the first user input after (whether they click, tap, or press any keys).

CLS — Cumulative Layout Shift — this is the measure of how much the content of the page jumps while loading content, mostly visual content, after opening.

How core web vitals influences rankings

Of course, some SEO experts think that the entire Page Experience update is nothing special, and could even: “[…] distract, […] from the core mission of communication and storytelling,”.

And, sure, most of Page experience update is simply an assembly of things we’ve known for a while: use HTTPS, be mobile-friendly, control your page speed, and so on.

But Core Web Vitals are a bit different and can influence the SEO practice in unexpected ways. Key factor that’s already changing rankings is Cumulative Layout Shift.

As most SEO experts know, for a while an important part of image optimization was using the <decoding=async> attribute in the <img> tag to avoid losing page speed while rendering the page.

Using <decoding=async> could lead to some seriously janky pages if coders didn’t specify the height and width of every single image to be rendered. Some websites did it anyway, for example, Wikipedia on most of its pages has a predefined space for images created ahead of time.

But as SEO experts we didn’t have to worry about pages being jumpy all too much, as that didn’t influence the rankings. Now with CLS being formally announced as a ranking factor, things will change for a whole slew of websites and SEO experts.

We’ll need to make sure that every webpage is coded with CLS in mind, with the needed space for every image defined ahead of time, to avoid the layout shifts.

The verdict

Overall, of course, it’s too early to tell, and more work by SEO’s around the web needs to be done here. However, it seems that if you aren’t used to focusing on technical SEO, Core Web Vitals becoming ranking signals might not influence your day-to-day work at all.

However, if you are conducting complicated technical SEO, then Core Web Vitals will definitely change the way you work in as-yet unexpected ways.

2. Importance of AMP for SEO

The AMP’s relevance today is kind of an open question. While it’s always been great as a quick-and-easy way to increase page speed, the privacy concerns have been voiced over and over again since the technology’s very inception.

But in 2020, significant changes are afoot, since, within the same Page Experience update, Google announced that there’s finally no requirement for us to create AMP pages to occupy the “Top Stories” SERP feature.

That’s a pretty huge step for anybody trying to accrue as many SERP features as they can, and, in particular, for news websites.

How AMP influences rankings

If we believe John Muellers’ words, then AMP is not a ranking factor. Seems plain and simple enough. But of course, things aren’t so simple, because AMP comes with pretty significant gains in page speed, and speed is an important ranking factor.

Thanks to AMP’s pre-rendering combined with some severe design limitations, AMP webpages often really do win in page speed, even if not in ranking as is.

The “Top Stories” SERP feature, however, was a huge benefit to using an AMP for any news agency with a website, and it’s easy to understand why. Just look at how much of the page is occupied by the “Top Stories” results.

Not only do “Top Stories” automatically get top 1 ranking on the SERP, but they also sport a logo of the website posting them, standing out even more from the boring old blue-link SERP.

This means that for a few years now news websites were essentially forced into using AMP to get into a “Top Stories” SERP feature on mobile since it absorbs a whole lot of clicks.

On the other hand, it takes quite a lot of resources to support AMP versions of the webpages, because you are basically maintaining a whole additional version of your website.

Added to which, a page that’s been properly optimized for speed might not need AMP for those speed gains, as well.

The verdict

While it’s tough to imagine that AMP will fade away completely within the next couple of years, AMP’s privacy issues combined with the cost of maintaining it might spell the end of it being a widely used practice.

Now, with the “Top Stories” becoming available to non-AMP pages, there’s virtually no reason to jeopardize the users’ security for speed gains you could get by proper optimization.

3. Importance of E-A-T for SEO

Expertise. Authority. Trust. All perfectly positive words and something we should all strive for in our professional lives. But what about search optimization?

Coming straight from Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines, E-A-T has been the talk of the town for a good moment now. Let’s dive in and see how they might change the way we optimize for search.

How E-A-T influences rankings

For most of us, they don’t really.

Sure, Quality Rater Guidelines provide valuable insights into Google’s ranking process. However, E-A-T is one of the lesser-important factors we should be focusing on, partly because these are nebulous, abstract concepts, and partly because Google doesn’t exactly want us to.

As Google’s official representatives informed us, E-A-T is not in itself a ranking factor.

Receiving follow-up questions, Google’s John Mueller then reiterated that point, and Ben Gomes, Google’s VP of search engineering confirmed that quality raters don’t influence any page’s rankings directly.

However, in practice, we often see that the so-called YMYL websites already can’t rank without having some expertise and authority established. A very popular example is that it’s virtually impossible to rank a website providing medical advice without an actual doctor writing the articles.

The problem here is that expertise, authority, and trustworthiness are not easily interpreted by the search algorithms, which only understand code.

And, at the moment, there seems to be no surefire way for Google to transform these signals into rankings, except to read the feedback of their quality raters before each algorithm update.

The verdict

While using E-A-T to rank websites might sound like an inarguable benefit for the searcher, there is a couple of concerns that aren’t easily solved, namely:

Who exactly will be determining the E-A-T signals, and according to which standard?

The introduction of such factors creates a system where the smaller and newer websites are punished in rankings for not having the trustworthiness that they couldn’t realistically acquire.

Responding to both of these concerns requires time and effort on the search engine’s side.

As things stand right now, E-A-T is not something to keep in mind while doing day-to-day SEO operations.

Let’s imagine a fantastical scenario where a webmaster/SEO expert has some free time. Then they might want to work on E-A-T, to try and stay ahead of the curve.

On the other hand, there simply isn’t any proof that Google will actually use E-A-T. Or that, even if used, these signals will become major ranking factors. For this reason, E-A-T shouldn’t be your priority ahead of traditional SEO tasks like link building and technical optimization.

Additionally, consider this. The entire Quality Rater Guidelines is 168 pages long. However, a comprehensive explanation of what E-A-T is and why it might be calculated a certain way will take many more pages than that.

Conclusion

As of the time of this writing, the Core Web Vitals seems to be the most important ranking news to come out in 2020 in practical terms. However, search is an extremely volatile field: what worked two weeks ago may not work today, and what works today might not work for most of us.

The matters are further complicated because we’re fighting an uneven battle: it’s simply not in search engines’ best interest to give us a full and detailed picture of how ranking works, lest we abuse it.

This is why it’s crucial to keep our hand on the pulse of optimization news and changes occurring every single day. With constant efforts from our SEO community to work out the best way to top rankings, it’s possible for us to close that gap and know for sure which trends are paramount, and which we can allow ourselves to overlook.

Aleh Barysevich is Founder and CMO at SEO PowerSuite and Awario.

The post Google ranking factors to change search in 2021: Core Web Vitals, E-A-T, or AMP? appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

from Digital Marketing News https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2020/09/16/google-ranking-factors-2021-core-web-vitals-e-a-t-or-amp/

[leadhiker-blog1]

How Can ChatBots help your business in 2020

Benefits of Chatbots Chatbots are very useful for many applications—from simple user contact, to answering questions, and even helping the sales process along. One of the most important benefits of using Chatbots is that you simply can have fewer actual employees, because chatbots can lookout of tons of issues which may take up time from paid employees. This frees up paid employees for more important tasks and allows them to possess longer to assist customers with major issues. This benefits customers too, because they will get answers to questions and help with problems much faster than they could if they ended up contacting customer service through traditional means. Chatbots are designed to deliver extremely valuable data about customer acquisitions if you choose to log those conversations and analyze them further, This way you can see what type of questions customers are asking, and help you to incorporate those answers in your chatbot sequence. Drawbacks of Chatbots Of course, chatbots have a couple of drawbacks, too. No technology is ideal, and bots are not any exception. The biggest drawback is that AI, regardless of how advanced it's going to be, isn't yet at the extent which will replace actual humans. This inevitably results in failure to assist customers sometimes, which can find yourself frustrating the user enough that they leave your site. This is often rare, but it can happen, so you want to confirm your chatbot can direct customers to instant help when needed. The most cost-effective solution isn’t always the simplest, so it’s vital that you simply test your chatbot thoroughly to be absolutely sure there are not any problems that would prove to be frustrating to your customers. Are Chatbots Right for You? Chatbots aren’t right for every business out there. If you discover that you simply don’t have a high volume of contact with customers normally, you won’t be needing a chatbot. On the opposite hand, if you have a high volume of contact with customers, or if you discover that you've got tons of shopping cart abandonment or your customers tend to ask lots of questions or need additional help, a chatbot just could be perfect for your needs. How can a chatbot work for your business? 1. Your customer service agents are most likely overwhelmed. If you discover that your agents are overwhelmed by the quantity of help requests you get daily, you can optimize a chatbot to answer frequently asked questions so your customer support can focus on more important inquiries rather than wasting time answering the same questions over and over. 2. If you discover that tons of individuals are abandoning their shopping carts or leaving your site without converting into email subscribers or buyers, a chatbot might help by asking the customer what went wrong, and deliver highly valuable data to thwart repetitive cart abandonment. These are just a couple of examples, but hopefully you’re starting to get the picture of whether a bot could be an awesome fit your business or not. Ways to Use Chatbots There are some ways to use chatbots for business, and corporations are thinking of latest, innovative ways to use all of them. Let’s check out a couple of ways chatbots can benefit your business. Content Delivery A lot of companies are using chatbot technology to deliver content in a new and stimulating way. Websites like CNN are sending interesting articles to visitors through messaging apps. Since numerous people are using messenger apps like Facebook and Kik on a daily basis, delivering content straight to the platforms they’re already using is nothing short of genius. This allows companies to increase readers even if those readers aren’t coming to your site daily, think Huffington post for example. If you have a note-worthy news blog with a high amount of readers, you could even charge a small subscription fee to deliver articles within their preset filters to be delivered right to their messenger, or give your readers extra value by offering this for free while upselling other subscriptions. Making Sales All kinds of businesses can enjoy deploying a chatbot to help in making sales, by offering personalized product suggestion supported by input from previous customers shopping for the same product. Chatbots can improve user experience, too. Customers love getting a solution in seconds without having to hold for a live person or sending an email and waiting hours or days for a response. Studies have shown that 51% of individuals believe a business should be available for customer support 24/7. If your company takes 12 hours to answer an email, and your competitor answers an easy question at 2am, who do you think the customer is going to buy from? Who would you buy from? 45.8% of individuals would rather contact a corporation through messaging rather than through email. They know emails or tickets are often slow. They’d rather use a way that gets faster, easier results. 49.5% would rather contact a corporation through messaging than telephone. Nobody likes waiting on hold, and a few people don’t like speaking on the phone. Messaging is simpler for those people. The bottom line is that folks want chatbots. It saves them time and frustration, and reciprocally, it saves you time and money. It’s a win-win situation. Chatbot Solutions There are already several chatbot products on the market. Some are quite effective, while others are obviously under programmed and are filled with bugs which will frustrate you and your customers. Let’s take a glance at a few of the products that are currently on the market and are considered to be good quality. MobileMonkey >> https://mobilemonkey.com The Mobile Monkey platform is one among the foremost popular chatbots available for the Facebook Messenger system. They're remarkably affordable, with a permanent free plan and their paid plans start at only $19/month. Collect.Chat >> https://collect.chat Collect.Chat is another very fashionable platform that works for Facebook Messenger, but also features a version that works directly on your website. You can start with a free plan that features unlimited bots, and up to 50 responses per month, and their cost-effective paid plans start at a reasonable $24 per month which gives up to 500 responses. ManyChat >> http://manychat.com ManyChat is poised to be one among the frontrunners within the chatbot realm, but it is so feature packed that it might require some skill. It can create all kinds of bots, including: • Customer support bots • Sales bots • Research-gathering bots • Educational bots • Entertaining bots If you would like something flexible and customizable that doesn’t cost a fortune, collect.chat is perhaps your best choice. Conclusion Chatbots can provide real-time engagement that's available instantaneously, which are some things that even the foremost well-staffed company is never ready to do. While chatbots can’t replace all staff, they will certainly assist you hamper on the amount of times your support staff has got to answer basic questions just because customers don’t read the F.A.Q. pages or miss information on sales pages. they will also provide feedback from customers which will assist you streamline your sales and customer service processes and make things easier for future customers. If your business falls into one among the kinds of companies which may find a bot useful, give it a shot If nothing else, who knows you might determine some valuable information about your customers. Read the full article

[torchholder247-blog]

The following are 're-posts' by Andrist and his professional peers about him revealing his lack of ethics, his hidden agenda of revenge against all doctors, his outright attack of the intellectually disabled and lies.

11/2012: Andrist post, in 3/2012, with the death of his sister Cali, he was 'forced' to look for work (https://bluefoggyday.tumblr.com/post/36164603548/my-2-week-job-at-costco)

Andrist:'During college, I worked 4 years at Fedco Membership Department Store in San Bernardino; 2 years as a cashier and 2 years in the cash/accounting office. I then spent the next 20+ years working in theatrical production. In 2003, I gave it all up to care full-time for my disabled sister. Unfortunately, she passed away in March 2012, and I was forced to look for work for the first time in a decade.'

Contradictions:

1. Andrist's words of being 'forced' portrays a much different picture of how/why he became a patient advocate and notary than he later claims with great vigor portraying himself as Cali's savior. Given his next life move is to sue the doctors and hospital he blamed for Cali's death (d.3/12/2012) while at the same time initiating a fight to remove the MICRA cap, reveals a common thread of a monetary incentive. Tax payers (MDCR/MediCal..noting Andrist claims Cali never worked) likely paid Cali's medical/death debts if not written off by the institutions first, so only Andrist benefited from the award.

2. Andrist claims that in 2003 he gave up 20+ years working in theatrical production to become a full-time caregiver to Cali. A quick online search finds the theatrical production company Andrist co-founded voted Andrist out, accepting his resignation in 1999 in a 5 to 0 vote (https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-sep-05-ca-6949-story.html).

3. Andrist's linkedin resume finds him 'unemployed' between 1999 until becoming a caregiver to his sister in 2003. No gainful employment, no volunteer work, nothing suggesting his life partner was perhaps financially supporting him, so Andrist didn't actually 'give up' anything to take care of Cali. Andrist actually personally profited. https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-andrist-97478821/

On other sites Andrist claims he gave up his "show business career to care full time for 'both' his elderly mother and mentally retarded sister". (Andrist maintains calling Cali 'retarded' is just what she is: "Cali, born mentally retarded. Yes, I come from the generation that didn’t feel the need for politically correct terms like “mentally challenged,” she was always just mentally retarded. She actually didn’t let much of anything “challenge” her, so that term never seemed appropriate. https://calisplea.tumblr.com/) https://www.facebook.com/repmikequigley/posts/hellomy-name-is-eric-andrist-and-i-live-in-valley-village-ca-i-just-read-a-lette/10150969620415689/

4. Andrist claims he 'took in his elderly mother and disabled sister in 2003' (https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-andrist-97478821/ & https://bluefoggyday.tumblr.com/post/109493866919/dog-god) A review of online records projects a different story. It appears Andrist's mom, Evelyn, sold her home 9/23/2002 and then bought into a home previously solely owned by Andrist's boyfriend/partner, adding both her name and her son Eric's within that same deed transaction on 9/25/2002 two days later. So in truth, Evelyn was a co-owner of the home, to be clear she was not a freeloader or charity case as implied. The timing of Andrist being added to the home title by deed suggests that Eveyln gave Andrist an early inheritance and retained a share (her name on the deed) to ensure the care of Cali in the future, with Cali likely inheriting a percentage of ownership in the home at the time of Evelyn's death. Evelyn died unexpectedly during elective surgery months later. If correct, Andrist was 'forced' to provide care for Cali or else buy Cali out and forfeit any State Financial Aid Cali most likely had been receiving. Instead Andrist opted for a quid pro quo agreement where he likely received State funds to care for Cali. Cali's death put an end to that income 'forcing' Andrist, as he stated, to hunt a job after 9 years of being her caregiver. No doubt Cali was satisfied with the arrangement, but there were strings attached, no charity or anything noble as Andrist suggests. Does Andrist's truth depend upon his audience and motive? That clearly appears to be the case when Andrist refuses to remove the innocent doctors from his many negative blogs related to his 'Bad Doctors' websites despite his receiving documents of proof of dismissal of all allegations/charges and removal of the online articles by the original reporters he had re-posted. It appears Andrist is motivated by power over the innocent doctors.

Seems this is where Andrist next landed, becoming a notary:

2013 Andrist's Peer Review of him as a notary/owner of Eric's Pro Services (his notary service in the Greater Los Angeles area):

(entire online exchange at https://www.notaryrotary.com/archive/forum/2013/January/Can_I_notarize_a_document_I_fill_out_.html )

Eric, I've been just an innocent bystander in this thread (in which I've learned a lot) but I gotta say at this point in response to your last post, your are such a whiner, crybaby, complainer, idiot, I can barely believe it. You got a boatload of valuable information from notaries across the country, none of whom needed to take the time, esp at EOM, to answer your ill-framed original question. Many either pointed you in the right direction, opened the topic to more discussion and in the case of Marian, cited you chapter and verse. What more do you need to know? A simple thank you for all their input and insight might have been in order. Nowhere else could you have gotten such informative and helpful responses.

But you want "joy." And to be "safe." Go to a spa. In fact, your hostility and foot-stomping tantrum, makes me think you can't possibly be a real notary but a trouble-making plant. Right?

Reply by Lisa X on 1/25/13 2:44pm

Msg #452202

He is a real notary. I looked him up to make sure he was.

Reply by Eric Andrist on 1/25/13 12:42pm

Msg #452183

While it's true that some of you posted some good info and were perfectly nice, some were not. I just don't understand a person's need to belittle another person in ANY way. I always assume a person asking a question literally knows nothing and try to give the best answer I can without making them feel like an idiot.

The, "am I the only person here who...." and "But you want "joy." And to be "safe." Go to a spa," is not hospitable or kind in my book.

I'd hate to think how they treat their customers.

Reply by GOLDGIRL/CA on 1/25/13 12:48pm

Msg #452185

Don't worry about it, Eric, because none of my "customers" are remotely like you. You are in a class by yourself.

And why is it when somebody's appalling behavior is called out to them, they always respond how sorry they feel for others? Just an observation.

(The Irony here is that Andrist consistently on his facebook site 'Bad Medicine Database' demeans and berates people that challenge his post, often name calling and censoring their post to promote his agenda of bullying the innocent.)

3/28/13: Andrist is being accused of Agent Misconduct for 'notarizing a document(s) he backdated'. Andrist's defense on the blog was that he was asked to, then goes into a tirade against the accusatory website.

http://www.notaryrotary.com/archive/forum/2013/March/badnotary_com_A_new_website_badmouthing_notaries_.html

2014-2015 Andrist posted about his efforts to obtain a financial award due to his sister, Cali's, unfortunate death he claims was due to medical negligence https://bluefoggyday.tumblr.com/post/109493866919/dog-god:

Andrist: Because my sister was disabled, with no spouse or children, California's MICRA law nearly prevented me from any legal action whatsoever. It took me over 8 months to find a lawyer who would take my case. On 3/9/2015 Andrist posted that 'I recently agreed to a confidential "settlement" against both the hospital and the doctor, even though I would have loved to have heard a jury find them both guilty'

(Being indigent, per Andrist, his sister, Cali's, medical/death expenses would have likely been either written off or paid by tax payers through her MDCR or Medical. The settlement award went directly to Andrist to use at his sole discretion. For what? He'd already been receiving monthly State checks for her care)

By 4/26/2015: Andrist tries his hand at writing children's books. Lending insight is the one book titled 'Lunch Money' which Andrist claims is based upon his early life experience of being bullied in school. (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/538542)

(The significance of this finding is that Andrist well knows the victimization he imposes upon the innocent doctors and intellectually disabled persons)

11/9/2015 Eric Andrist on God and the deaths of his sister and mom (his public fb):

Ironically Andrist in another online blog of 1/29/2015 (https://bluefoggyday.tumblr.com/post/109493866919/dog-god) Andrist: He claims he 'stopped believing in God' as soon as he got 'old enough to think for himself. He goes on to explain how the church he loved disapproved that he'd skipped church to go to Disney for his birthday..and it was then that he decided church/religion was all hypocrisy. (A much different story than Andrist creates ten months later on 11/9/2015 when ramping up his patient advocacy position. Which is the truth?... the earlier story written pre-receiving Cali's death settlement abt. 3/19/2015 or the later written post-receiving Cali's death settlement when fighting MICRA to remove the survivor benefits cap, self-promoting for attention)

On Andrist's public fb:

Barbara X: Eric they are healed, just not in the way you asked. They are out of pain and walk with God. It's not easy to to forgive God, I have been there. You asked for healing for your Family and he answered you in the the way that was best.

Eric Andrist: No, they're not healed, Barbara, they're dead.

You're overlooking a very important bible verse that's mentioned at least 7 times, "Ask and ye SHALL receive." It doesn't say "Ask and I'll think about it."

I have no need to forgive God, he needs to be held responsible for his absence. He has allowed far too many horrible things to occur on this planet...he doesn't deserve forgiveness. Think about it: the Holocaust, 911, floods, ongoing famine, AIDS, and I could go on and on. That doesn't even touch on people's tragedies in their personal lives. I've had three tragic deaths in my immediate family and God was nowhere in sight.

I asked for healing and no suffering. All three of my family members suffered greatly before they died. He could have just as easily taken them in their sleep, but he didn't. You can justify it in your own head that they are "healed," but that's just a justification for you to continue believing that he exists. The bible clearly states that when people die, they are dead until God comes back at the end of time. They are NOT healed. And there's no guarantee that if he comes back, any of us are going to heaven anyway because he allowed us to all be sinners! He set up a catch-22 plan! Create people, introduce sin, and then punish people for being sinners. Jesus DIED and was raised from the dead...why would people be anything but dead if Jesus died?

Yes, my mother would be proud that I'm angry about this. She didn't work so hard her whole life to have it end in needless tragedy.

It makes me angry that people have fallen for this scam called "God," and refuse to look at the evidence that clearly proves he isn't there for us.

(Another revealing rant by Andrist, that he maintains a position that he will decide if he should forgive God, and that God must be held accountable)

May 10, 2019: The Medical Board of California suggested that Andrist was 'out for revenge' against physicians.(p 3)

https://www.mbc.ca.gov/About_Us/Meetings/Materials/1950/brd-AgendaItem4-20190808.pdf

(This claim is cross-verified by Andrist's bullying of doctors later found innocent being left up forever on his Bad Doctor websites creating perceived guilt by association with those doctors that actually were convicted of crimes. Andrist admits that he does little if any fact checking or follow-up on the doctors he posts. Additionally Andrist admits in an online exchange with BadDoctorDatabase-Errors, a website created to help salvage the careers/reputations of the many falsely accused doctors on Andrists' sites, that he can do whatever he wants on his sites (regardless of who it harms or of legal rulings) and that he does not believe in 'Innocent Until Proven Guilty')

May 20, 2019: Andrist failed to get elected to his neighborhood council...then whined about it online citing the election was not ADA compliant, demanding a new election and threatening to file a complaint with the City.

https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/2016-01-01-13-17-00/los-angeles/17700-valley-village-nc-election-challenged

(Ironically, Andrist repeatedly over the past 9 years, as recently as 6/7/2019 (https://calisplea.tumblr.com/), openly discounts any need to be politically correct when calling his intellectually disabled sister Cali 'mentally retarded' (note: Rosa’s Law, signed by President Barack Obama in October 2010).

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/07/11/2017-14343/rosas-law

Andrist appears hypocritical in his posturing of alleged sensitivity to accommodating the disabled in an election within which he ran given his own admitted refusal to cease offending, demeaning and dehumanizing the intellectually disabled population in his many derogatory references online to his sister, in one article even comparing her to his dog Bandit.(https://bluefoggyday.tumblr.com/post/109493866919/dog-god)

9/7/2019: Andrist obviously ignores the recent outrage to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris and her response to a rally goer calling President Donald Trump's actions "mentally retarded" at a campaign event.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/07/kamala-harris-mental-health-slur-trump-1484463

[great-redeemer]

The Top 10 Couples in The Bible- Number 8: David and Bathsheba

By now you may have noticed a pattern… So far, most of these couples have been negative examples of love/romantic relationships. It’s important to understand that even the bad things in life can teach us valuable lessons, unpleasant though they may be. The Bible doesn’t walk on eggs shells when discussing the more heavier subjects. It show us the harshness of war. It shows us the wickedness of sexual immorality. And above all else, it doesn’t hide the fact that human beings, even the ones that display admirable qualities, are capable of terrible deeds. Such is the case with the story of David and Bathsheba.

Most of us are familiar with the story. David, the young man who slayed Goliath the giant, is now the king of Israel. One night, while walking around the rooftop of his palace, he spots a beautiful woman taking a bath. However, she’s not just any woman. Her name is Bathsheba, and she just so happens to be the wife of one David’s most loyal soldiers, Uriah the Hittite. This piece of information doesn’t sway David’s opinion though. He’s so incredibly smitten by her, that he sends his servants to bring her over to the palace. That very night he lays with her and impregnates her. Not wanting to be found out, David tries to get Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba. But this proves to be quite difficult, since Uriah’s chivalry and patriotic spirit keep getting in the way. So David ends up doing the unthinkable: he has Uriah be sent to the front of the battle so that he can be killed. Once Uriah is out of the picture, David ends up marrying Bathsheba (read 2 Samuel 11 for the full story).

Before going any further with this story, there are a few things I like to mention. Firstly, while Bathsheba is the most popular woman associated with the king of Israel, David had many ladies, both wives and concubines. But I would say there were exactly 3 women that were the most important in his life. The first one was princess Michal, the daughter of King Saul. Her relationship with David began when they were young. They were wed during the time that Saul wanted to murder David out of jealousy. For fourteen years he was pursued by Saul, and during those fourteen years he was separated from his first wife. They would eventually get back together. But by the time they were reunited, Michal’s love for David had grown cold. She would end up chastising him for worshiping the Lord in a way she felt was dishonoring of a king (read 2 Samuel 6:16-23). The second woman was Abigail, former wife of Nabal. During his time on the run from Saul, David and his men try to find food and shelter. When they asked Nabal for help, he refused and coldly lashed out at David. Abigail was able to make peace with David and gave him a bounty of food in order to ease whatever anger her husband may have brought upon him. David thanked her for her kindness and decided not to harm Nabal. When Abigail confronted her husband about how she saved his life, he became gravely ill. Ten days later he died. Not too long afterwards, David asked Abigail to marry him, to which she agreed.

It’s interesting to point out the differences in each of these relationships, and how they compare with one another. With Michal, it’s very much an example of young love that ends tragically. The Bible makes it clear that she loved David. But time and separation resulted in this relationship to become sour, and she eventually resented him. With Abigail however, it’s a peaceful relationship. She’s a kind, smart, and righteous woman, who quickly wins over David’s heart. Their marriage and romance seems to be the healthiest out of the three. He’s gracious to her, and she’s respectful towards him. So it begs the question: why is Bathsheba the standout of the three?

I think a lot of it has to do with Bathsheba being probably one of the most mysterious women in The Bible. When reading this story, we never get a clear idea of her true character. We haven’t the slightest clue of what she’s feeling or how she’s reacting to all these events. We can only speculate what is going on in her mind. To this day, several scholars, theologians, writers, pastors, etc. can’t quiet determine whether or not Bathsheba was a innocent in this situation, or if she was actually a devious woman who purposely tempted David in adultery. Plus, although David’s wives gave him many children, it was Bathsheba who gave him Solomon. So this woman, who was once the wife of a soldier, became the wife of the king of Israel, and later became the mother of the wisest man to ever live. Her life is filled with so many highs and lows, but with no clear input into who she really is as a person.

I guess when you think about it, Bathsheba’s feelings and thoughts aren’t really the ones we need to know. This is David’s story and therefore his feelings are the only ones we focus on. And it’s sad to think that one of David’s most well known stories is him committing such horrible crimes. This was the young Shepard boy who fought off lions to protect his sheep. He was the one who slayed Goliath and was a champion on the battlefield. He was a singer, a musician, and a poet. He was handsome, strong, and courageous. All of Israel loved him. He was literally the golden child of his people; a clear example of someone chosen by God to do His will, and doing it well. And sure, David wasn’t perfect by all means. He made mistakes and found himself in some heavy predicaments. But for the most part, he was never entirely in the wrong for most of the situations he found himself in. A great example of this is in chapter 2 Samuel 6, when the ark of God is being brought back to Israel. Although David’s intentions were in the right place, the manner in which the ark was brought back was incorrectly handled (read the chapter for more information).

But this time it’s different. David is completely in the wrong in this story. And funny enough, his first mistake isn’t even when he laid eyes on Bathsheba…it’s was when he decided to stay home in the first place. 2 Samuel 11 says, “it happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.” So according to this opening verse, David wasn’t even supposed to be in his palace. He should’ve been leading his men in battle, setting an example of bravery and confidence. But instead, he’s was at home relaxing. To a certain extent it’s understandable why David would rather rest this time around. We have to consider that his life had become a roller coaster ever since he fought Goliath. He was a teenager at the time, and his journey from being a Shepard boy, to a warrior, to a fugitive, to a king, had been nonstop action. But the once young and vibrant David, had become tired and was presumably around his 40′s. He probably thought he owed himself a rest. But..if he hadn’t been in his palace that night, chances are he never would have seen Bathsheba.

Bathsheba deciding to take a bath outside in the middle of the night has been the topic of controversy. Again, this goes back to her mysterious nature. We can’t be 100 percent sure of what Bathsheba was thinking, but I think there’s enough information in the text to find an explanation. It’s night time, and many of the men in Israel, including her husband, are out fighting. Maybe she thought she could bathe without being noticed by a man. For all she knew, David was out fighting as well. Then again, why risk being seen?  Better to bathe inside if that’s the case. It seems that Bathsheba didn’t think things through, but just kind of did what she wanted to do. This is all speculation of course, but I rather give the lady the benefit of the doubt. And just to set the record straight, I don’t believe David raped Bathsheba. This idea has been considered by some, thinking that David took her by force. But keep in the mind, The Bible has always been very specific when the act of rape occurs (read Genesis 34:1-2, and 2 Samuel 13). Also, rape was (and STILL is) an extremely heinous sin and lead to serious punishments to those who committed it (read Deuteronomy 22:25-27 for more information). If David had violated Bathsheba, then the text would have made it clear that that was the case. 2 Samuel 11:4 says, “then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house”. There’s no sign of resistance from her part, nor a hint that there was a struggle.

But this is a delicate topic and one I think worth examining. And I admit, although I don’t think David raped Bathsheba, it’s clear that he had the upper-hand in the situation. He was the king and he had all the power in the world. We also don’t know what reasons Bathsheba was told as to why she was sent to the palace in the first place. Maybe it had to do something about her husband. And only once she got there did she find out the real motives behind David’s intentions. One could make the argument that she slept with David because she didn’t want to risk his wrath against her (hence showing no sign of resistance). Or, considering the fact that her husband was out fighting, perhaps she felt lonely and wanted some companionship. The reason why I personally picture Bathsheba in a sympathetic light, is because of the story that the prophet Nathan tells to David in 2 Samuel 12.

After the events of chapter 11, many scholars believe that Nathan came to visit David months after Uriah’s death. Certain Psalms, like Psalms 32, 38, and 51, suggest that David went through a period of internal struggle, and had no fellowship with God. Most likely he was suffering from the sin he had committed, but was also in extreme self-denial of what he had done. It took a man of God to open David’s eyes. So Nathan went and told David a story about two men. One was poor and only had a baby lamb. He loved the lamb like it was his own child. But the rich man had everything he ever wanted, including all the sheep he ever needed. One day, when a traveler came to visit the rich man, he decided to take the baby lamb of the poor man, so he could prepare it for a meal. He had no interest in using his own animals, and instead took the beloved sheep from their owner. When David heard this story, he became furious, and declared that the rich man should be punished. But then Nathan made it clear that David was the rich man in the story. His actions were inconsiderate to both Uriah and Bathsheba, and misused his powers as king to get what he wanted. The Lord had given him so much, that if he ever wanted more, all he had to do was ask. Instead, he took another man’s wife and murdered him so that his crimes could be covered up. But God saw it all and knew David needed to confess.

If David is the rich man in the story, then who is the poor man and the baby lamb? Well, in the actual text, the baby lamb is described as a ewe lamb, a young female sheep. Bathsheba is the lamb, beautiful and fragile, who was taken away from the one who loved her. Uriah is the poor man, having lost his wife and eventually his life, all because of David and his sinful desires. Maybe we can never truly know what kind of woman Bathsheba was. But I think it’s fair to say that she wasn’t the devious woman many have portrayed her to be. She was a human being who made a mistake like David, but who was also placed in a situation where she didn’t have much power as well. And when she heard about Uriah’s death, she sincerely mourned for him (2 Samuel 11:26). If she really was a devious person, would she really had wasted her time crying for him? 

Of course with every sin there’s a price to pay. Thankfully, David was able to repent. Not just because it was the right thing to do, but because it allowed him to have a connection with God again. But that still didn’t mean David’s act could go unpunished. Since this analysis has become quite long, it’s best that you read for yourselves the several consequences that came from this sin. Although they may seem harsh, everything that happens to David afterwards is understandable and justifiable. God is merciful to those who seek Him but also just in all that He does. It would’ve been wrong to let David off the hook so easily, especially seeing he was the king of a great nation, and therefore stood as an example of what God expected of the people.

It’s fascinating to wonder what David and Bathsheba’s relationship was like after the whole ordeal. Although lust is what brought them together, were they ever able to surpass that? We know that with his friendship with Jonathan and his marriage to Abigail, that David was capable of genuine love for those he cared for. And since Bathsheba mourned for Uriah, we can safely say that she harbored affection for him. It’s possible that over time she could have affection for David as well. Maybe I’m just optimistic, but I like to think that this relationship grew to be more than just a lustful one. But alas, we shall never know. But regardless of what became of this couples relationship, the events that brought them together must never be seen as right. Unfortunately, adultery is all too familiar in our culture. And sadly, there have been cases in which adulterous relationships lead to murderous actions. But David and Bathsheba’s story isn’t meant for us to imitate. Rather, it’s meant as a cautionary story for those who seek out their sexual and fleshy desires. Although it seems and feels good at first, our sinful actions will come back to haunt us. And if we keep running away, we’ll only dig ourselves in a whole. Eventually we’ll have to face our mistakes and deal with the consequences. Despite it all, God will always be willing to forgive us, as long as we’re willing to humble ourselves and repent.

Stay tune for my number 7 choice for: The Top 10 Couples in The Bible

[orandroid-blog]

How quick is Huawei's 27W remote charging tech?

Wireless charging technology has been around for years but has yet to achieve mainstream appeal. That could be about to change as smartphones are gradually shipping with more powerful wireless charging capabilities that rival traditional cables. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro boasts 27W wireless charging capabilities, making it one of the fastest in the industry.  Other manufacturers are in on the act too. The Xiaomi Mi 9 delivers 20W wireless charging, while the Mi 9 Pro 5G extends this to 30W of wireless juice. Oppo also has its own 30W technology and companies are testing technologies that could push 40W over the air. By comparison, some wired charging solutions are barely breaking the 25W barrier. This includes out of the box solutions from Samsung, LG, Google, and others.  We have Huawei’s 27W wireless charger in house and decided to put it up against the Huawei Mate 30 Pro’s supported wired charging standards to see how the technology compares. We’re not expecting it to beat Huawei’s proprietary 40W SuperCharge technology. But can 27W wireless charging outpace the common USB Power Delivery and Quick Charge 3.0 standards? 

Huawei SuperCharge wireless specs 

Before diving into the results, let’s take a close look at what you get with Huawei’s 27W SuperCharge wireless charger.  The charger is based on the Qi wireless charging standard and is TUV safety certified. As well as the powerful 27W mode, the charger also supports devices that require 15, 10, 7.5, and 5W of power. The device is powered by a USB-C port which requires a 5-10V, 4A input. To achieve the maximum 27W speed, you’ll need to use a Huawei 40W SuperCharge wall plug and a 5A USB-C cable. Fortunately, Huawei includes these in the box. You’ll also need a compatible device, such as the Huawei Mate 30 Pro.  The charging puck itself is small and lightweight, taking up hardly any room on your desk. It weighs 105 grams and its dimensions are 90mm in diameter and 21.85mm in height. The wireless charger comes in just one colour – Space Grey – which is pictured below.

27W wireless charging – time to full 

Now onto the total charge times. Here we drain the battery down to zero and charge up completely to 100%. To gauge the total amount of power provided by the various standards, we plugged a multimeter in-line to record the charging voltage and current. This way we can compare the power levels and charge times against one another.  27W wireless charging – 90 minutes  40W SuperCharge – 66 minutes  (~12W) USB Power Delivery / Quick Charge 3.0  – 124 minutes  The headline here is that 27W wireless charging is actually faster at charging the Huawei Mate 30 Pro than both USB Power Delivery and Quick Charge 3.0 accessories. A whole 34 minutes faster. Although we should note that Huawei’s implementations of these standards are a little slower than other manufacturers. Huawei’s USB Power Delivery implementation clocks in at 12W versus 15W supported by the Samsung Galaxy S10 range and Google Pixel 3 series. Even so, Huawei’s wireless option outpaces all of them with 27W of power. 

Huawei's 27W wireless charging tech is faster than many phone's wired adapters. 

For a full charge, Huawei’s 27W wireless charging technology is 24 minutes slower than its super-fast 40W wired charging solution. That’s really not bad and certainly makes going wireless a viable option for full charging in a decent time frame. By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus takes 103 minutes to charge with its boxed charger. The Galaxy Fold takes 108 minutes, the Google Pixel 3 XL takes 119 minutes, but the OnePlus 7T Pro takes just 71 minutes. Overall, that’s a very good showing for Huawei’s wireless charging technology. Especially given the size of the Mate 30 Pro’s battery. 

What about shorter top-ups? 

To get a better look at how useful wireless charging is for shorter top-ups, we also tracked the full charging cycle of each of these technologies. The steeper the curve the faster the phone charges, making this a valuable way to see how charging speed varies at different charge percentages.

Huawei’s 27W wireless charging holds up well here too. There’s a steeper curve at battery levels under 25%, helping to boost charging time from empty. Just 15 minutes on the pad yields a 27% charge, while half an hour provides almost half a full charge. Huawei’s 40W wired option powers the phone up by 36 and 68% respectively during the same time frames. 40W SuperCharge is the fastest option when your battery is low on juice, but the wireless charging solution isn’t miles behind.  Compared to USB Power Delivery and Quick Charge accessories, Huawei’s wireless charging performs even better. 15 minutes charging yields roughly just 17% with these charger types, and 31% after 30 minutes. Huawei’s wireless charging also delivers a very consistent charging speed up to about 90% charge, which matches what we see from wired charging technologies. This makes it a good charging option regardless of your current battery level. 

30 minutes on the pad provides close to a 50% charge. 

Wireless finally takes on quick charging 

Huawei’s 27W wireless charging technology is clearly impressive. While obviously not as fast as the company’s blazingly quick 40W wired charging solution, 27W worth of power over the air is faster than some popular wired charging standards out there.  If you were wondering whether to buy third party USB Power Delivery or Quick Charge accessories for your desk, Huawei’s 27W wireless charger is actually a faster way to charge the Mate 30 Pro. Best of all, it supports the Qi standard and charges other devices too, albeit at slightly slower speeds.  An hour on the wireless charging pad won’t quite get you to full capacity, but ~85% battery is more than enough to get you through a full day’s use with the Mate 30 Pro. Even a half an hour’s wireless charge provides a big with enough top-up to keep you on the go. At 27W, wireless charging is finally powerful enough to be a viable charging solution.      Read the full article