#how is it 2023 it still feels like 2020 what the heck

[masterette]

Happy 2023 y’all! 

[cutepastelstarsalior]

Helluva boss review part 3

Episode 8

*squints eyes* why does vortex look different here???

Loona calls another hellhound (dog??) a bitch. And the other hellhounds get offended, I guess that word would be an offensive term for dog demons…But I thought Loona never been to a party before? How did that poodle dog knew her, and had a picture of her puking??

Wait. Wait I know that voice….IS THAT FREAKING KESHA LIKE THE KESHA OH MY GOD.

Oh this song is kind of bad. Like lyrical…I mean it’s a basic pop song???

ALOS WHAT THE HECK IS SHE??? IS SHE A BEE?? A WOLF, A FOX???? WHY IS SHE A HYBRID???

I do like that her hair, stomach, and arms glow. That’s cool. Also apparently she’s Beelzebub????? Ok so Beelzebub was originally a Hebrew god. In the Christian stories, he represents as either envy OR gluttony. But one person thought he might be the demon of pride, another thought he was a demon of idolatry aka false god. He seen as a fly demon because some scholars call him a piece of shit and that said his flowers are flies attract to waste.

So…Beelzebub is a confusing character. Here in Viv’s world, Bee is a weird fox bee hybrid that is a party girl. Who also feed off her party-goers energy? Or something like that, it’s a bit confusing…She also makes food and drinks bigger, and she shows concern when Blitzo gets wasted, says she can taste his “off vibes”. She also makes Loona feel self doubt and she makes Loona jealous or envy of Bee.

Loona taking care of Blitzo who’s drunk and stars taking about he’s going to die alone….MOOD. I’ve been there loonie..

Scale out of 5. I give this a 1. Bee is an ok character. I don’t care about her.

Season 2 episode 1

Ok. Weird. This episode was made in 2020, while episode 8 was made in 2023. Did something happen? Why did they make episode 8 be part of season 1 when they could have made it be part of season 2? Is it because that story fit alongside episode 7??

Ok. So baby Stolas was given his grimoire to learn and study the space and sky and how to tell prophecies, and to have access to the human realm. And to one day pass down his knowledge. He was also was in an forces engagement.

So Blitzo and frizz grow up in the circus together. I guess frizz is like his brother or cousin?? Also Blitzo dad sold him to Stolas’s father! But blitzo’s dad wanted Blitzo to steal from them to help the family. I don’t know if Blitzo would be there only for a day or forever??

Baby Stolas infodumping about frogs and toads is cute.

STOLAS WIFE IS NAME STELLA ITS BEEN 9 EPISODES AND IM JUST FINDING THIS NOW?????

So Stella was a mean/cruel wife. Also Stolas had a big crush on Blitzo. In the pilot Blitzo slept with Stolas to get the book. Here they show just what happens. Only problem is that Stolas was drunk and not in the correct mindset to actually content to the sex…😬

Stella only stays around Stolas is to remind him of what he did???? What????? Have a one night stand that wasn’t even consensual? Also Stolas wanted a normal happy family, but Stella was an abusive wife. And Octavia is 17. Wow, really firing off the details here..Also I guess it’s frown upon higher royal demon family to be in relationship with Imps or just lower class?? As far the only races I seen are Imps and succubus, Hellhounds, whatever Striker is, and Stolas’s family. I guess bird people? Also whatever Ozzie is…Man the Helluva Boss’s races are very few..

Scale out of 5. I give it a 2. The show gave lots of background for Stolas….i just don’t care about him though.

Episode 2.

This episode Octavia wants to see the meteor showers with her dad

“What no I’m not Turing her against you” MOOOODDDDD. I guess every divorce child hears that phrase once by their parents. But ahh, sucks that her dad has to explain that to Stella. But I’m glad Stella is moving out of the house with her things. I wonder if she and Stolas with share custody of Octavia or not? Since via is 17?

It’s still weird to see Blitzo and Lonna have a family dynamic? Well, I just in the case having Loona be very angry at her dad because Blitzo told her that her attitude at work needs to change. Last time we saw them was in episode 8, but if this episode came out BEFORE episode 8…then it would be understandable that Loona and Blitzo relationship would still be rocky. If this episode takes place AFTER episode 8, then the whole Blitzo and Loona bound a bit after the party is odd..

How does Octavia know that Blitzo has the book? Did he overhear her dad mentioned it?

Oh cool, Stolas actually caring for his daughter!! Or well, noticing her. Progress!!

HOW DID THEY GET TO LA WITHOUT THE BOOK?????

Oh neato!! A sailor moon parody :3. Usually when Loona transforms its in a burst of fire.

Ok, so Stolas the demon is from a book called, Ars Goetia, also called The little (or lesser) Key of Solomon. It’s a book about scorcry that’s base off the testament of Solomon, who was an ancient Israel. Thought the book isn’t seen as canon in Jewish and Christian bibles. Fun fact!! Asmodeus is also in this book! He’s refused as the king of Shedim (demons). Shedim aren’t evil demigods, but god of foreigners. In the Christian book he’s the god demon of lust. He also seen as the god of gambling, and revenge.

Stolas why don’t you memorize your spells??? Or like, make a copy of your book????

Moxxie and Millie sing a cute duet. And Moxxie getting into human art is so cute!

I dont care about Blitzo or Stolas plot line I don’t care!!!!!!!

Loona tracking Octavia down by fallowing Octavia’s selfies/post is a cool idea. I think most or some people would do that in real life.

So Loona was adopted a month before she aged out of the orphanage. I guess Blitzo adopted her because he felt sorry for her? Or maybe it had something to do with her past.

“Why does he hate her more than he loves me?” Ow. Oh no Octavia your dad does love you. But I’m glad Stolas apologized to Octavia. Sometimes kids just want attention and to hang out with their parents, especially when there very big changes going on. I guess Stolas is closer to Octavia than Stella is? I don’t know if Stella is abusive to her or not. Sometimes a parent abusive their spouse but not the child, or sometimes it’s both. I hope I’ll be able to find out what the case is, then it would be easier for me to piece the puzzle that is the bird family. (I don’t remember their last name and I’m kind of lazy)

Scale out of 5. I give this a 1. Octavia and Loona bonding is cute, Moxxie and Millie is cute. I just hate that Blitzo and Stolas little adventure took to much focus on the plot. Like I literally just skip over them because I was bored..

Episode 3.

Please…..I can’t take this stupid fatphobia running gag. Literally none of these characters are fat.

Is Blitzo trying to breed horses??

Also, they don’t kill anyone in hell anymore? Or kill human in earth anymore? Wich one is it? Because it’s a very big plot hole depending on the answer.

Hold on hold on. In episode 1, Moxxie says the only family he would take out is a mob family. I thought that was a joke, but apparently Moxxie ISN’T from the Wrath ring but from the Greed ring??? I guess that explains why Moxxie dress the way he does, has an accent, and knows so much about weapons. Oh cute Moxxie and Millie have a rich boy x country girl relationship. I was gonna say the relationship is like My Fiar Lady but that like the only movie I think has that dynamic besides Lady and the Tramp.

Moxxie and Millie have the same ex….wow BI4BI Moxxie and Millie is true.

Why is there so many sharks…Wait fuck I’m a dummy. Sharks. Loan sharks….

This makes me wonder, how many mafia family are there in hell? There bounds to be like, a hundred or more. Do family in hell stay alive, just passing along the family business? So family get whipped out? If hell has an overpopulation issue like in Hazbin, is it because there too many crime family? Like how many sex trafficking business (for example) are in hell? How many sex workers are there? There should be like, a hard limit to this type of stuff.

“It’s been 84 years”. Hehe titanic reference.

Does human media end up in hell? There phones, tv, and internet in hell. Would hell and the human realm share the same internet?? Moxxie seems interested in human arts. But how does he know about the phantom of the opera musical then? Do humans just recreate the arts and media in hell?? To demons like steal it??? SHOW PLEASE TELL ME.

WHY IS THERE JAIL IN HELL?????? THERE A COURT SYSTEM??? WOULDN’T THE HUMANS WHO COME TO HELL BE AGAINST THAT????

Oh my goddddddd Moxxie prison number is 1984, witch if you did t know if the same title as a famous movie and book about a dystopian drama.

Ok timeline. Blitzo grew up in the circus with Fizz. Stolas came one day, and Stolas’s dad bought Blitzo. (Unclear if it’s for a day or forever). Something happens and Blitzo is no longer in the circus, adopt Loona, is in jail. He meets Moxxie. Once they’re out I think the too started the IMP business.

So, Crimson wants Chetz to help with the family business, and wants moxie to officially give up his role. How long has it been since Moxxie ran away?

Oh snap crimson is a physical abusive dad. Geez there some many bad dads in this show. Thankful Millie dad seems cool, while her mom just seems to be overwhelming..

Oh, so the family is losing money, and the only way for shark guy to be part of the family is for them to be married in.

“..gave a shit about you’re stupid beard.”

Ew, the gross sex toy scene….that was a weird.

OH MOXXIE IS BISEXUAL I JUST SAID THAT AS A HEADCANON GLAD THATS ACTUALLY CANON WHOOOO BI4BI MILLIE AND MOXXIE.

Ooooo 👀 Moxxie lore. So growing up, his mom try to protect Moxxie from his dad. While the dad wanted Moxxie to start training for the business at a young age. The dad was also physically abusive to the mom. HUH HOW WEIRD IT SEEMS I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT HOW PARENTS CAN SOMETIMES BE BOTH ABUSIVE TO THEIR SPOUSES AND CHILDREN……HMMMM STELLA.

Nooooooo Moxxie’s mom is dead. And baby Moxxie has to train to be an assassin. Hmm what’s the difference between being in the mafia and being a freelance assassin? I guess one has more connections and money? But I feel like Moxxie would try to get away from the whole killing entirely? But if he train from a young age on how to kill, then it must be very hard for him to stop.

I feel like, instead of Moxxie being force to marry the shark dude to he,p the family business. Crimson would have tried to push Moxxie and Millie to have a child, to help continue the business? Also why can’t crimson just marry shark dude instead? Would it not be effective??

Blitzo trying to help his friends and finds out the truth of Chetz!!! Whooo. Moxxie also standing up to his dad!!! Whooo

Chez is dead.

Scale out of 5, I give this a 4.

[cureforbedbugs]

Notes on amapiano

Here's everything I've written about amapiano this year, with lots of embeds of songs I've liked so far (the first few songs are from 2022). Come for the tunes, stay for the hilarious anecdote Robert Altman shares about a conversation with Stanley Kubrick.

1/25/23

I've been underwhelmed with the avalanche of amapiano I've heard in the past few years after falling in love with the sound in 2020. I keep feeling like I'm intruding in the middle of a party and don't understand how to join in the dance. But now and then a standalone track gets its hooks in, and there's something about the synth hook and percussion accents on "Nazoke" that gives it a live jam quality. This is practically the opposite of what I love about other amapiano, whose more synthesized sounds approximate something close and warm without fully moving into the realm of the acoustic (my standard-bearer in the genre is still Semi Tee's 2020 LP release I'm Only Tweenty One, which I don't think exists in a physical copy, but I went ahead and made a CD of it, album art and everything).

Amapiano builds on a deceptively simple template: the foundation is almost always a shaker playing sixteenth notes at about 112 BPM (though the accent of the pattern can vary, the shaker is usually steady and omnipresent), and each song then layers in its own palette of sounds and voices, everything in percussive service of the groove. That standardized base and consistent tempo lets you click different songs together like LEGOs, though amapiano is also known for relatively long song lengths.

Amapiano is in some ways the flipside of baile funk, which isolates strange rhythms and sounds and timbres and ideas and forces you to reckon with what the fuck they're doing in relation to each other in sequence -- it's Eisensteinian montage. By contrast amapiano is more like pointillism: you're not thinking closely about any single point, and from a distance everything takes on a dreamy texture that it would lose if you inspected too closely.

Amapiano artists will often take warm acoustic percussion and pretty, playful vocals -- all of them bringing a soft swing feel, somewhere between dancing and swaying -- and pit them directly against much harder four-on-the-floor house elements (synth blares, jagged squelchy bass hits) put off at a seeming distance, like the distant echo of a car alarm going off way down the street that happens to be in the same key as the song you're listening to in your headphones. The palettes artists use and the way they layer everything in vary from song to song and artist to artist, but because the foundation is so similar across the songs, changes in the genre over time can be subtle enough that it almost feels like you're watching evolution at the individual genetic mutation level.

And there are tons of cool vocals in amapiano, hard posturing and playful posing becoming indistinguishable (as they are on this song -- or, if not indistinguishable, a kind of multiple perspective game where you can see it both ways) as it all washes out in the sound bath along with everything else. And heck, sometimes you get a no-foolin' xylophone, too, not even the thing most people think is a xylophone but is actually a glockenspiel. Or you get a synth that sounds like a vuvuzela. Why not?

2/3/23

The first 2023 amapiano track I enjoyed, this one entirely in English, and maybe not coincidentally one of the rare amapiano vocals I've heard that threatens to grab a spotlight for itself instead of sharing equal space with, say, those synth samba whistles -- a tone that drives me crazy when my kids play it on the keyboard, here mixed to evoke birdcalls in a rainforest.

2/8/23

Utter joy. Sho Madjozi has been on my radar for a few years: was covered rapturously at the Singles Jukebox and had shone in the People's Pop 4-Letter-Word tournament with "Huku." This jumped out immediately as a frontrunner for song of the year so far. (Maybe a bit early to call it.) The style is interesting -- seems to be finding a midpoint between the harder house beats of gqom and the limpid immersion of amapiano. A party. Should be huge.

2/15/23

Rihanna should make an amapiano album.

2/24/23

Upbeat amapiano featuring one of the titular "2 peers" on my favorite amapiano album of 2021, Semi Tee & MDU aka TRP's Tales of the 2 Peers.

3/15/23

Two amapiano tracks that go for a lush, blissed-out sound that I associate with Sun-El Musician—more cinematic, fewer surprises buried in the mix. Joshua Minsoo-Kim calls “Kwelinye” the amapiano song of the year so far, and Mellow & Sleazy the most important amapiano artist right now. The second part might well be true — everything I’ve heard is great — but I’ll admit I have a hard time making distinctions when the music is aiming so squarely for beauty (it’s something that keeps me at a distance from Sun-El Musician’s work, which I admire more than I love).

3/22/23

Picking representative amapiano on a weekly basis is becoming a daunting task, as I could easily make a whole mix of the stuff each time. (Doesn’t help that I can’t seem to tell the difference between the stuff no one is listening to and the stuff everyone is listening to.)

This one stood out, both its distinctive shuffle and the singer’s mellow rasp: as the hummed hook intensified (“mm-mm, mm-mm”), from the backseat my youngest asked “what are the kinds of noises they’re making in this song, and why would someone make those noises?” I think he was taking notes; I didn’t have an answer.

3/28/23

Lots of music scenes are almost impossible to follow on Spotify, as the current stuff is uploaded first to YouTube, so Spotify is a, er, spotty indicator of popularity. Amapiano is a big exception, as playlists with variations on the phrase “Amapiano Grooves” have almost everything I’ve found in other places online. This is my requisite amapiano of the week: some millennial R&B girl group vibes in the interplay of the singers.

The amapiano track I was most surprised by this week was Major Lazer’s attempt to get in on the sound.

They get it wrong in telling ways. They build a spotlight for the singer, changing focus right and left to direct our attention. What you end up with is overwrought production with a melody line that sounds weak instead of diffuse; it can’t handle the spotlight.

Amapiano’s strength is in letting everything cohabitate in surprising ways. It’s like a Robert Altman film—he’ll let everyone play together in a series of long shots; your attention has to find its own resting point. It all seems intentional, but you can’t feel Altman guiding your attention. There’s a great interview where Altman describes trying to explain to Stanley Kubrick how he got an incredible shot, in the opening scene of McCabe and Mrs. Miller, of Warren Beatty lighting a cigar in the dim murk of the evening—a shot Altman had filmed personally while his cinematographer was away.

Altman: “He [Kubrick] said, ‘but how’d you know you got it?’ I said, ‘I just assumed we did.’ And he had a hard time understanding, because Stanley really liked to be very precise about everything, and he wanted to be exactly proper.”

I doubt Stanley Kubrick could ever make anything like a Robert Altman film for the same reason I doubt Major Lazer could ever make a good amapiano song. They figure you must have to do something to get it.

[theinquisitivej]

A Return

Well, it's nice to see this whole thing is still here underneath all this dust. How are you guys? I hope life has been kind, and that you are all as creative, positive, and driven as I remember.

It has been years since I posted on here, so all of this will take some getting used to. But I miss the process and the catharsis of having a space where I could express myself and push myself to make articles I could be proud of, even if it was only ever me reading them. I've been lucky enough to have had other venues and accomplishments in the intervening years that have been fulfilling in their own way. But sometimes, you just want a humble blog to call your own, you know?

Special thanks to the School of Movies community, who I have been talking films and other media with online for years. You're all wonderful people, and maybe with my own space here I can stop flooding some of the Discord channels with paragraphs of text on this or that movie and tv show, eh?

Anyway, this will all be a bumpy return where not everything falls into place all at once. So if you're still here, bear with me as I tidy the place up a bit and get back into the swing of all this. And if I'm just talking to myself, then even better!

I'll be back soon with two best of 2023 posts to get us started, as well as some completely out of context episode write-ups for The Zeta Project, an obscure show that I have been watching and putting together writeups on-and-off on the School of Movies community discord. That's just to tidy up and settle some old business. From there... who knows? But I can't wait to find out.

In the meantime, you can catch up on what I've been up to over at Through the Wind Door, a podcast I started with a friend of mine to talk about New Century. You remember, that book series I kept gushing about and told you all to check out? Well, it's still good. Better, even, and there's been a whole bunch more since we last talked. The latest one is called Castle of the Moon, and it has a lady Dracula and terrific Gothic Sex Appeal, a term I coined once when discussing the Castlevania Netflix show.

Wait, did you guys watch that show? I feel like that's one tumblr would have gone nuts over. Really need to check out Nocturne soon...

Anyway, I've been on this podcast since 2020, my co-host and editor talk through each chapter of each book (just like my episode / chapter write-ups I used to do back here in the day). We have interviews with the author and his cast of voice actors, and they are all not only lovely people, but talented as all heck. We also have tangent episodes where we talk about other media that captures our attention, like introducing my co-host to 10 classic horror movies, or Insomniac's Spider-Man 2. Actually, here, let me show you the first part of our multiple episode recording session on that one, that's a pretty good place to start.

Well, here we go again and all that. See you again soon!

[dailycass-cain]

My Top 10 LEAST Favorite Cass Stories

So you know my current revised list of favorite Cass stories. Balance must be preserved, so now it’s time for the worst. So now I unleash upon this world the Top 10 Cass Worst Stories (per 2023. Here’s 2022 ironically and 2020).  

Now, these are my personal taste.  There's a chance you might enjoy some of these stories. You have a right to enjoy these stories. Me? 🥴

Due to this ALSO being tweeted out but just but a year ago the list has been updated. OH YES! You might even be surprised to see some stories now missing. 

WHY?!

Are the ones removed still hated? No, but upon age and looking at the history involved. Even with the many flaws, the story was trying to do good. Unlike this list. Which mostly leaves me all...

Dishonorable Mention #1:   Future State Batgirls (Future State: The Next Batman #2, The Next Batman #4)

-  Disappointment about sums this two-issue arc quite perfectly. How do you take the concept of Batgirls, and make it devoid of any soul? This two-issue story finds a way.

I think the most infuriating and vexing thing I find with this arc is how subtextual it all is with Cass/Steph in this. It's obvious in this "future world" the two became a couple and-- things happened.

That's a fascinating story in itself. 

Was it because of Cass's commitment? Steph wanting a life beyond vigilanting for both (but getting dragged in)? Instead, we get this. A story where Dick is a dick to Steph.

Sticking her deep undercover not being able to tell Cass or anyone. Then as his plan with Cass works, decides to leave Steph behind. Real smooth there Dick. 

That's not even to say how horrible a job the story feels like #25 and not #1. There are other better ways to do future stories. Heck, we got one months later involving Cass. However, it’s not the WORST entry from this era (AND WE’LL GET TO THAT). 

This story is just a disappointment. SPEAKING OF WHICH--

Dishonorable Mention #2: Detective Comics #956

- The final issue to “League of Shadows arc” (Tec #950-956). A summation basically of this issue:

How can a story appear on both the good and the bad? Here’s how. This was Cass’s first central story since her “return” in 2016. It was her first “big” story in a main Batman title since oh-- 2004 (unless we count Batman Inc Vol. 1 then 2011) ironically in Tec itself (#790). 

The frustrating thing about this arc (even now with the revelation of where this story was going with the missing subplots). The ending to League of Shadows just feels-- empty.

Batgirl Vol. 1 #25 & #73 showcases Cass beating Shiva decisively. Here? It just moves too fast. This is where it happens on a huge page and because of it the moment feels- less.

There isn't any satisfaction in Cass defeating Shiva. Unlike other past Cass/Shiva stories. There's always a "moment" that just feels right. 

Here? 

Not so much and worse, before the two can be at any sort of crossroad Ra's snatches it away.  That hollowness just brings a hollowness with any lack of finality to it. 

We’re just onto the next arc with no real closure. 

There lies the truest crime of the arc. We have Kate dapper as HELL and we don't see her/Bruce/Cass at the ballet to watch Christine? LAME!!

The ending is SOOO bad, two OTHER comics (Batman: Wayne Family Adventures and Black Label: Harley Quinn & the Birds of Prey) somehow deliver on the goods (minus Kate in this damn dapper suit).

This issue should've been a clue how even when an arc is SUPPOSED to center on Cass. But it is clear how much certain folk at DC higher up than the writer had to deal with in restrictions.  Which is why the end result just feels-- empty. But there’s a REASON for its emptiness at least. It also has two real good issues before it. Why it’s here and not say in this actual list. 

So what is on my actual list? Let’s get on to it:

10.)  Batman & Robin Eternal #25

-  This issue aged like milk. It only gets worse with each passing year. With the prior entries, you can say at least, "Whelp at least the art was good." or SOMETHING that makes me change my mind about it.

Here you get NONE OF THAT (until the end).  The art is trash (at the most important parts at least). The writing is trash. None of this works. Instead, it feels rather rushed. 

Nothing even feels vindicated.  Cass defeats Mother. David Cain pulling a Darth Vader redemption at the last second (with BARELY ANY SETUP). None of this works. Least of all the way the story flows thru these panels. It's just... 🤢

I get that the last issues of the Eternal series had a rotating line-up of artists. But could we have gotten a better artist to handle this moment? This is supposed to be THE BIG moment in the series and an artist who can draw fluid motions. This wasn't good. Not good at all.

Yet somehow the Mother (Shiva becoming Mother) vs. Cass fight in this issue gets adapted in Young Justice Season 4.This is not the story that really needed to be adapted and it showed with the lack of soul the story had.

But the "added" bonus of the issue is Cass taking the name Orphan. Now, the idea is to redeem the name David Cain created. I'll give Young Justice at least better credit in making the codename make more sense than here.

It just feels bleh here.  Cass doesn't really get a new costume. It's just the same one she's worn for the last twenty-six issues and the only addition is her mask later on. 

No bat symbol. 

Nothing.

We later found out that the higher-ups didn't want to give Cass this symbol (per writer James Tynion IV). So yeah, once again the higher-ups at DC ruin whatever positive the story could've given as well.

9.) Batgirl Vol. 1 #39

-  Oh boy... Let's see where to begin? 

The inaugural issue of Dylan Horrock's Batgirl run begins with Cass dealing with teenage hormones in herself and the boys around her. Again, the story hasn't aged well and man could've been handled better.

Just the plot itself of Babs giving Cass a tiny stringy bikini and not even realizing, "Oh dear, she can read ALL THE BOYS THOUGHTS when looking at her."

Because of that there's an unnatural amount of cheesecake in the story. That makes the story rather unnerving looking in the lenses of today. 

The idea of Cass getting feelings (or seeing others respond to her) is a fascinating one. One that's talked about amongst fans to this day of her sexuality. But the way the topic is brought in the issue-- yeah. 

Not good. Not good at all.

Even Superboy showing up doesn't do the issue any favors compared to their first meeting in Superboy #81. At the very least that's somewhat handled better a few issues later. But here? Again screwy. 

But it does give us this page. 

The little positives I’ll take for sure.

8.)  Detective Comics #1030-1032

- 2008-2020  Pete Tomasi has written A TON of Batman/Bat-Family comics. But there's been a notable lack of someone ever appearing in them. This arc is the only time Tomasi has ever written Cass fully (the prior two times were one-panel cameos).

To say the least these appearances aren't good at all. Oh, #1030-1031 got Bilquis Evely drawing and MAN does it make you not realize how meh the story is.

If there's a positive is Tomasi rehabbing Damian's characterization in this (which is to be expected). But Cass's appearance? It feels like Tomasi really doesn't want the character in this arc and it shows.

We've got OOC moments with Cass throughout the arc (someone she can't read body language enabling her TWICE to get tricked). It's everything counter to what Batgirls #5 gave us with the character.

Why that moment was:

What we get here on the other hand is...

One of the best fighters in the Bat-Family, not being able to see someone hidden in the crowd subduing other members. You know... THE ONE WHO CAN READ BODY LANGUAGE.

It isn't the worst case of jobbing that Cass did in 2020 (oh WE'LL GET TO THAT). But this story is just so meh when it comes to the Bat-Family. They're a device, not actual characters in this arc.

But this is how you treat the Bat-Family? Really? As mere plot devices so Bruce/Damian can have a happy moment? That's it?

7.) Batgirls #7-8

- I get that every series has its “growing” pains, and not all series just go right out of the gate guns a blazing. Batgirls was no exception. Probably the greatest negative one can have with the series is how confined the early issues are to the aftermath of “Fear State” event and the lack of care many fans had for the villain introduced in that with Seer.

This brief two issue arc was “supposed” to answer the questions that lingered from the event. Who was Seer? What’s her motivation? Why does she hate the Batgirls (literally all three of them)?

We get some answers but not the full load and because of that. The issues suffer and instead make Seer into just another “Evil Oracle” (aka the fourth at this point DC has introduced since 2011). They suffer more because Nightwing shows up for the bulk of these two issues and takes away from two of the leads from this comic (Cass/Steph). Nightwing, the guy who has his own ongoing.   

Instead, Cass/Steph are relegated to a B plot (taking out one Saint) and the reason why? So these two issues can tie into an issue of Catwoman for three pages. 

There’s just too much going on in these two issues and the fact that Nightwing takes up most (and beats most of the bad guys in these two issues), and Barbara Gordon acts like an idiot the entire time. 

Ugh.

Just ugh.

These two issues do no favors to anyone. 

It doesn’t help that we have the narration boxes in FULL force these two issues as well. Besides that it has a rather out-of-character- Cass “joking” how they should let Seer die. Add that and a Penguin appearance (but it’s not really him but Clayface in disguise) that could’ve meant more. 

Yeah, this two-issue arc is garbage.

Save for Lulu.

The fight she has with Cass/Steph in #8 are the only positives I can say about this arc. Okay, that and Cass fantasying her wearing a dapper suit while undercover with Steph. That’s it. 

Such a disappointing two issues. Thankfully, the series has rebounded after #9. 

6.) Teen Titans #43-46 "Titans East"

-  And our first EVIL Cass story pops up, which "sort of" concludes the arc of EVILDOM. We get the retcon here were really  IT WAS SLADE who was behind Cass's EVIL phase (pumped full of Slade juice (ew).

You know a story is bad when two creative team that started the arc (Geoff Johns and Tony Daniels) book it halfway in. Instead of ending their run on TT, they just pack their bags and "NOPE" off to other ventures.

Adam Beechen is brought halfway into the arc for the first of a rehabilitating process (but thankfully he'll get better at this process).

The big problem with the story is it just never lets the characters breathe for a moment. It's one action set piece after another. And after being cured, Cass is still, "KILL! KILL! KIIIIILLLLL!!" With Tim/Dick instead of having a moment to help her decide to knock her out. .....

Way to go there Bat bros. Add to that some rather bad art after Daniels checks out. Yeah, this story is just empty. With ideas that don't fully jell. Probably because not soon after this the book would be burdened by crossovers (Amazons Attack and Bart dying).

For the supposed "retcon" it makes ZERO sense. So you're telling me that because of Slade juice, caused Cass to go off the deep end? Even Rose was more rational in Devin Greyson's Nightwing run when Dick rationalized to her how kooky her pop was.

5.)  Convergence Batgirl #1-2

-  Oh hey Cass/Tim/Steph together in a comic. Rich Leonardi back at DC and drawing Cass?! This should be utterly amazing right? Well, there are two good things about this comic. #1 Cass/Steph live together, doing things together, and oh this panel.

That is one reason why it went positively up a marker as well. Compared to the next three. This is just disappointment. The series just doesn’t do a good job juggling all three characters.

The second reason oddthesungod drawing me a better ending to this comic than what we actually got. Like literally it should have ended with all three together and happy. 

Instead... We got Catman stealing the spotlight from all three involved (more so in #2). We have Tim/Steph romance because-- WHY NOT?! #3 this feels like such a slap in the face to fans of all three characters. Which given it was DC and this period should that even be surprising?

This entire comic felt like an afterthought after Convergence was approved. Leonardi's art throughout is unpolished and rushed. You can tell he was churning out these pages at a rapid pace. To add the coloring is-- just off in a lot of pages from Steph's own Batgirl costume..

To other coloring mistakes. While Superman/Lois, Oracle/Nightwing, and Question/Batwoman/Huntress all had amazing sendoffs. Cass/Tim/Steph got the lesser awful story. Which was a damn shame for fans who suffered cause of DC's lameness.

Still, this comic led me to get that art above commissioned. For that alone maybe it was worth it?  Yeah, we'll go with odd's picture for me being the actual end to this story. Along with why this slipped down a spot. 4.)  Batman: City of Light #1-8

This series is utterly forgotten and probably you don't even remember it existing. But not me. Not me... I want to forget, but this awful comic won't allow me to forget it.

So why is this on my list? Because the entire point of Cassandra in this is having a horrible subplot involving Male Love Interest #1 who is so utterly forgettable I-- what was I talking about again?

Anyway, from the tacky romance going into Cass having flashbacks of David Cain teaching her leading her to have trauma. And spending eight issues making you ask yourself repeatedly, "WHAT WAS THE POINT OF HER BEING IN HERE?!"

Oh right! 💡The highly sexualized art with Cass with a talkative Cass too boot! 😫

Yet somehow, this story isn't the worst Cass story of all time. Nope, three more are WORST THEN THIS.

3.)  Batman #81 "City of Bane Part 7"

- You know why I enjoyed James Tynion IV's run on Batman? At the very least, he understood the Bat-Family and crafted a story around them all TWICE (Joker War and Fear State). 

Along with treating the characters with respect. 

With care. 

The plot makes "sense".

Batman #81 makes 0 sense. Instead of a, "oh you're screwed now moment." With the entire Bat-Family (with Cass) you think this is the turning point of the story. That Thomas Wayne E2 Batman is gonna get his comeuppance HARD.

Instead, what follows is quite possibly one of the greatest BS moments ever. You know the writing is absolute trash when it's never fully explained how somehow. SOMEHOW an elderly man somehow takes out three highly skilled vigilantes (Cass, Kate, and Helena) and a meta (Duke).

I know there's the "theory" he used Skeets, but we get zero answers. We get nothing but dialogue showcasing the fight "outside" and we have to "visualize" Thomas Wayne beating up everyone AND CASS.

You know? The same Cass who handed him his ass, and somehow wasn't able to read that this elderly man was playing possum?

I absolutely HATE this story. It's garbage. It's a dumpster fire and one of the worst modern Batman stories of all time. I get it was "messed" with by the higher-ups. But dear lord. Tom King somehow on his way out decided to piss off everyone.

Well save Stephanie Brown, she was the one character who was genre-savvy enough to say, "I know a bad story when I see one. I'm out." much earlier in this run.

For all the pomp writer Tom King once said regarding Cass, saying she was "the best" of the fighters in the Family, we see 0 of that here. Again, the Bat-Family are mere objects to showcase "how much a threat" Thomas Wayne is.

But this is all we get on HOW Thomas did the deed.

Even the rehab writer Joshua Williamson did with Thomas after. This issue stings. It's a sore wound anytime it is brought up.

There's nothing redeemable about the arc AT ALL. Nothing. Save we got a MUCH better run in James Tynion IV who treated these characters with WAAAAAAY more respect.

YET!

Yet...

This still isn’t the worst jobbing Cass hasn’t done and at the very least there was a “reason” to King to put her in this issue. To give us a “moment” of her smacking Thomas. 

That can’t be said for what has now OVERTAKEN this issue for me...

2.) Future State: Gotham #14-17

-  I just... I just...

Some folk have a natural way to close out a series. The people behind Future State: Gotham? No, they decide to throw the CRAZIEST. THE MOST BATSHIT INSANE way to end a series. 

And it’s awful.

It’s putrid. 

The “core” of this series was Jason Todd and Jace Fox being the leads. THE LEADS. But guess who usurps one of those leads? 

OH HELLO NIGHTWING!!!

Oh wait.. FUTURE STATE VERSION!! 

Yeah, you think anything Dick did in Batgirl Vol. 2 #1-6 was out of character? Or Future State Batgirls mentioned already? The creative here turn that up to AN ELEVEN. 

I simply can’t even explain the issue other than how furious it makes me. It literally is the dumbest stupidest thing possible. The fact that the series introduces Harper Row and then throws in Cass and Kate Kane into the series-- JUST FOR THEM TO JOB!!

That’s the entire point to their appearances. They job. No celebration of the characters. No character arc. They show up to prevent Nightwing from crossing a line. 

He crosses it. 

He beats them.

And somehow he’s celebrated as a goddamn hero by the end of the series.

That’s not even talking about the ACTUAL goddamn villains of this arc. 

This arc is a mess. An unholy mess. The only saving grace is that barely ANYONE knows of its existence. Which no one should. For their sanity this story should be locked up and forgotten.

TO ANY WHO DARE NOW READ IT CURSED PASSAGES...

The arc is PURE EVIL. 

Just so it can prop up Dick as this savior. This arc is rage to a fan and IS UNCLEAN. 

Thank goodness it is forgotten save for a few of us who read the CURSED text. That we now must bare the burden to warn any who DARE read it. 

Sadly, this is not the worst story though... 

1.)  Robin #148-152 "Robin One Year Later"

-  Even, with Batman #81 or the Future State Gotham arc you have a bunch of the Bat-Family taking the fall besides Cass. Here? All the awful choices just pertain ONLY to Cass in this story.  It was as if the higher-ups at DC looked at Batgirl Vol. 1 and thought this...

"Hey let's write her as a shameful stereotypical evil dragon lady. and toss out the chemistry between Tim/Cass. Oh, and let's just chuck out seventy-three issues and eight years of character work down the drain."

I can't fully fault the creative team on this. The writer and artist were given a job. A crappy edict to write a crappy story. We got just that.

It's almost amusing now seventeen years later. To see how even more poorly this story has gotten. But at the very least we've got a happy ending to Cass at least. That the damage that began in this story is slowly chipped away.

But man oh man. Even the aftermath is rage-inducing if you're a Cass fan. I fully admit I can read the entire OYL arc, but the following issue (#152)? I still can't fully read the pages without going into a rage.

There was truly vile and calculated intent here by those above the creative team here towards the character of Cassandra. Intent that lasted until early 2020.

Like you just have to read this story and just ask yourself. "Why? What was the point of this? Who thought this would be a good idea?"

Thankfully, as I said earlier the character of Cass is in a better place now.

But this story was frustratingly bad. It still is. You just can't overlook all the mistakes DC did with Cassandra in the tale.

So these are my top ten worst Cassandra Cain stories. Again, these are my own personal choice.  You may have others listed here. Heck, this list changed AGAIN out of the two.

But like I said earlier. Years have made my views on these stories that were taken off softer. They are fluff compared to the others on this list. With that, I bid you goodnight.

[puppikaimiau]

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

୨୧

Plz reblog to support !

Interests -

Countryhumans

Flagheads

Country personification fandoms

Planethumans

Statehumans

BFB/TPOT

Legend of Zelda ( Especially Majora's Mask owô )

Fursona Community

Animation Meme community

Ace Attorney

TBLT

I like cutesy aesthetics too

Amanda the Adventurer

The Amazing Digital Circus

Lobotomy Corporation

Library of Ruina

Limbus Company

Vocaloid

UTAUloid

Synth V

What do I draw ?

Countryhumans ( Extremely frequent )

BFB/TPOT ( Extremely frequent )

Country personifications ( Depends but freaking frequent as heck )

Animals ( Rare but mostly draws when I'm bored )

Wips ( Seldom as heck )

Sketches ( A little more frequent )

Ace Attorney ( Seldom )

Zelda ( Rare as heck but still an intensive interest )

Planethumans ( RaRe )

Statehumans ( rarE )

My fursona Nadia ( Rare but I love drawing her )

Flagheads ( RarE )

TBLT ( I dont rlly draw this anymore but willing too.. )

Cute aesthetic art ( rare but will draw when I'm bored )

Amanda the Adventurer (Rare but not rare (I dont even know how to explain it))

The Amazing Digital Circus (Alot but luckily, i noticed ive been drawing more)

The reason why a lot falls under " rare " is because due to mental health and busy-ness

(the rest is in the description- WARNING-lazy artist ૮꒰◞ ⸝⸝ ◟꒱ა 💤 ♡)

Why do I draw them ?

They are simply my passions and I love the concept and love in them. Also, animals are easy to draw and has been doing it ever since the start of me drawing. Furry fandom- I love my Fursona and Nadia ( my fursona's name ) makes me me and she is very bright. Countryhumans, they keep me for who I am also and it is very interesting and historical to me. Countryballs-easy, cute and historical too. Flagheads - they give me memories that I never wanna throw away and I love it. The Brave Little Toaster- I saw it when I was 9 and when I watched the movie, I didn't even remember it until I even watched it, it made me cry waterfalls of tears tho ;w; BFB - OMG, I love the show so much that I literally finished BFDI in less then a week and I am on TPOT now and I watched a little in 2020 December but continued on the show this year 2023 April, Ace attorney because of the plot and the way characters investigate crimes and other important situations and their personalities and seriousness. Planethumans - I like the theme of science behind it and the animation memes are beautifully and creativelly put together, statehumans - I like drawing some of the states I've been to and i like drawing California because she gives me a warm feeling because I'm from there. Amanda the Adventurer- I FREAKING love the game and just the graphics is yas. The Amazing digital circus bevause I cant just say how much i lov3 the web-series but its AWESOME. POMNI IS THE CUTESTTTTTTTTTRRRRRTRRRRR4

Comfort characters -

Ukraine ( countryhumans )

Japan ( Countryhumans )

Poland ( Countryhumans )

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ( Countryhumans )

Phoenix Wright

Miles Edgeworth

Godot

POmni

Kins -

Phoenix Wright

Miles Edgeworth

Japan ( Countryhumans )

Pomni

How long have I've been drawing ? -

Since I was 8 years old ! That was in 2010 so I have been drawing for 11 years or almost 11 years ! ( don't remember what date it was but it was in 2010 ;w; )

Thats all I have to say ! Don't forget to click the reblog button and share on how dope my art is !! Bye !! Xxxxxx

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୨୧

(Srry for removing the thumbnail, Its too outdated and im finishing a lot more drawings :p

୨୧

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[kristinsimmons]

For Your Eyeballs Only

By KIM BELLARD

There’s so much going on.  There’s the coronavirus: It’s now a pandemic!  China can build an entire hospital to treat coronavirus patients in under two weeks!  Or there’s primary care: One Medical’s IPO boomed!  Amazon, Humana and Walmart are testing their versions!  People are flocking away from primary care!  Or, on a completely unrelated note, Tesla wants to disrupt auto insurance too. 

As interesting as all those are, it’s augmented reality (AR) that I want to talk about. 

Stop thinking about Snap Spectacles or Pokémon Go as what you think of when you think about AR.  Stop thinking about the supposed failure of Google Glass.  Start thinking about AR being ingrained in our daily lives.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes “at some point in the 2020s, we will get breakthrough augmented reality glasses that will redefine our relationship with technology.”  He went on to elaborate:

Instead of having devices that take us away from the people around us, the next platform will help us be more present with each other and will help the technology get out of the way. Even though some of the early devices seem clunky, I think these will be the most human and social technology platforms anyone has built yet.

Not surprising, Facebook is rumored to be working, in conjunction with Luxottica, on its own (AR) smart glasses project — code name Orion — that is expected to become available sometime between 2023 and 2025.  CNBC reported: “The glasses would allow users to take calls, show information to users in a small display and live-stream their vantage point to their social media friends and followers,” and have an accompanying A.I. voice assistant.

Bosch smart glasses display. Credit: Bosch

Apple’s Tim Cook agrees.  “I’m excited about AR,” Cook said, reports Silicon Republic. “My view is it’s the next big thing, and it will pervade our entire lives.”  Apple’s AR headset is expected to launch as early as this year.  Bloomberg reports: “The glasses are expected to synchronize with a wearer’s iPhone to display things such as texts, emails, maps, and games over the user’s field of vision.”

Samsung is also expected to launch AR smart glasses this year, among others, and, of course, Google Glass never really went away, just changed focus. 

But what excited me lately about AR was a report from CES 2020 by Evan Ackerman about what Bosch is doing.  Instead of projecting the AR on a screen or in front of you, it “paints an image directly onto your retina.” 

Now we’re talking.

Here’s the Bosch promotional video, featuring a number of interesting use cases:

Mr. Ackerman was fitted with a customized set of smart glasses, as is necessary, and marveled:

It’s definitely true that for the first 10 or so minutes of wearing the glasses, your brain will be spending a lot of time trying to figure out just what the heck is going on. But after that, it just works, and you stop thinking about it (or that’s how it went for me, anyway.) This is just an experience that you and your brain need to have together, and it’ll all make sense.

Bosch is reportedly less interested in producing consumer products itself than in licensing its Smartglasses Light Drive to other manufacturers as “a complete, ready-to-use solution for smaller, lighter, more stylish smartglasses.”  Mr. Ackerman says “The earliest any such product might be available would likely be 2021. The light drive technology is not inherently super expensive, though, so any consumer smart glasses made with it should be available at a cost comparable to (or cheaper than) other smart glasses systems.” 

Because the image is projected directly into your retina, it is always in focus and works under all lighting conditions.  Others not only can’t see what you are seeing but wouldn’t even know you are seeing anything at all. 

We’ve all experienced being with people who can’t tear their eyes away from their smartphone or other screen.  It is often particularly felt in the healthcare setting, where patients often feel that their physician spends more time looking at the EHR than they do looking at them, and physician burnout is often tied directly to all that screen time.  

The Bosch approach could at least diminish the patient perception, even if physicians are still looking at other information as they talk to them.  

Tim Cook, for one, think this is something AR can help with.  “I think it’s something that doesn’t isolate people,” he said. “We can use it to enhance our discussion, not substitute it for human connection, which I’ve always deeply worried about in some of the other technologies.”  And he is “extremely excited” about tech helping healthcare, noting: “I’m seeing that this intersection has not yet been explored very well.” 

A survey by E-Commerce Times found that only 12% of consumers (actually, heads of U.S. household that have broadband) consider themselves “familiar” with AR, although that is true of a quarter of Millennials and a third of Gen Z households.  Despite the low current familiarity, more than 60% expressed interest in getting information via AR. 

Right now, consumers still think of AR as through smartphones, but as smart glasses get both sleeker and smarter, that should change.  I’ll go a step or two further: just as I’ve long viewed smartphone and other physical screens as transitional, in a world of ubiquitous computing I believe that even smart glasses are transitional. How what devices might be “painting our eyeballs” in such a world, I don’t know, but I’m sure that in twenty or thirty years we won’t all need to be wearing physical smart glasses.   

Healthcare is usually late to technology innovations.  It kept paper-based business records long after other industries, it continues to fail on sharing/transmitting customer information, and usability is often at best an afterthought.  It is dipping its toe into both AR and VR, with some experts predicting AR will grow much faster over the next ten years, but in the case of AR I hope healthcare is a leader, or at least a very fast follower, instead of a laggard.  

Don’t blink or AR might pass healthcare by.  

Kim Bellard is editor of Tincture and thoughtfully challenges the status quo, with a constant focus on what would be best for people’s health.

The post For Your Eyeballs Only appeared first on The Health Care Blog.

For Your Eyeballs Only published first on https://wittooth.tumblr.com/

[lauramalchowblog]

For Your Eyeballs Only

By KIM BELLARD

There’s so much going on.  There’s the coronavirus: It’s now a pandemic!  China can build an entire hospital to treat coronavirus patients in under two weeks!  Or there’s primary care: One Medical’s IPO boomed!  Amazon, Humana and Walmart are testing their versions!  People are flocking away from primary care!  Or, on a completely unrelated note, Tesla wants to disrupt auto insurance too. 

As interesting as all those are, it’s augmented reality (AR) that I want to talk about. 

Stop thinking about Snap Spectacles or Pokémon Go as what you think of when you think about AR.  Stop thinking about the supposed failure of Google Glass.  Start thinking about AR being ingrained in our daily lives.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes “at some point in the 2020s, we will get breakthrough augmented reality glasses that will redefine our relationship with technology.”  He went on to elaborate:

Instead of having devices that take us away from the people around us, the next platform will help us be more present with each other and will help the technology get out of the way. Even though some of the early devices seem clunky, I think these will be the most human and social technology platforms anyone has built yet.

Not surprising, Facebook is rumored to be working, in conjunction with Luxottica, on its own (AR) smart glasses project — code name Orion — that is expected to become available sometime between 2023 and 2025.  CNBC reported: “The glasses would allow users to take calls, show information to users in a small display and live-stream their vantage point to their social media friends and followers,” and have an accompanying A.I. voice assistant.

Bosch smart glasses display. Credit: Bosch

Apple’s Tim Cook agrees.  “I’m excited about AR,” Cook said, reports Silicon Republic. “My view is it’s the next big thing, and it will pervade our entire lives.”  Apple’s AR headset is expected to launch as early as this year.  Bloomberg reports: “The glasses are expected to synchronize with a wearer’s iPhone to display things such as texts, emails, maps, and games over the user’s field of vision.”

Samsung is also expected to launch AR smart glasses this year, among others, and, of course, Google Glass never really went away, just changed focus. 

But what excited me lately about AR was a report from CES 2020 by Evan Ackerman about what Bosch is doing.  Instead of projecting the AR on a screen or in front of you, it “paints an image directly onto your retina.” 

Now we’re talking.

Here’s the Bosch promotional video, featuring a number of interesting use cases:

Mr. Ackerman was fitted with a customized set of smart glasses, as is necessary, and marveled:

It’s definitely true that for the first 10 or so minutes of wearing the glasses, your brain will be spending a lot of time trying to figure out just what the heck is going on. But after that, it just works, and you stop thinking about it (or that’s how it went for me, anyway.) This is just an experience that you and your brain need to have together, and it’ll all make sense.

Bosch is reportedly less interested in producing consumer products itself than in licensing its Smartglasses Light Drive to other manufacturers as “a complete, ready-to-use solution for smaller, lighter, more stylish smartglasses.”  Mr. Ackerman says “The earliest any such product might be available would likely be 2021. The light drive technology is not inherently super expensive, though, so any consumer smart glasses made with it should be available at a cost comparable to (or cheaper than) other smart glasses systems.” 

Because the image is projected directly into your retina, it is always in focus and works under all lighting conditions.  Others not only can’t see what you are seeing but wouldn’t even know you are seeing anything at all. 

We’ve all experienced being with people who can’t tear their eyes away from their smartphone or other screen.  It is often particularly felt in the healthcare setting, where patients often feel that their physician spends more time looking at the EHR than they do looking at them, and physician burnout is often tied directly to all that screen time.  

The Bosch approach could at least diminish the patient perception, even if physicians are still looking at other information as they talk to them.  

Tim Cook, for one, think this is something AR can help with.  “I think it’s something that doesn’t isolate people,” he said. “We can use it to enhance our discussion, not substitute it for human connection, which I’ve always deeply worried about in some of the other technologies.”  And he is “extremely excited” about tech helping healthcare, noting: “I’m seeing that this intersection has not yet been explored very well.” 

A survey by E-Commerce Times found that only 12% of consumers (actually, heads of U.S. household that have broadband) consider themselves “familiar” with AR, although that is true of a quarter of Millennials and a third of Gen Z households.  Despite the low current familiarity, more than 60% expressed interest in getting information via AR. 

Right now, consumers still think of AR as through smartphones, but as smart glasses get both sleeker and smarter, that should change.  I’ll go a step or two further: just as I’ve long viewed smartphone and other physical screens as transitional, in a world of ubiquitous computing I believe that even smart glasses are transitional. How what devices might be “painting our eyeballs” in such a world, I don’t know, but I’m sure that in twenty or thirty years we won’t all need to be wearing physical smart glasses.   

Healthcare is usually late to technology innovations.  It kept paper-based business records long after other industries, it continues to fail on sharing/transmitting customer information, and usability is often at best an afterthought.  It is dipping its toe into both AR and VR, with some experts predicting AR will grow much faster over the next ten years, but in the case of AR I hope healthcare is a leader, or at least a very fast follower, instead of a laggard.  

Don’t blink or AR might pass healthcare by.  

Kim Bellard is editor of Tincture and thoughtfully challenges the status quo, with a constant focus on what would be best for people’s health.

The post For Your Eyeballs Only appeared first on The Health Care Blog.

For Your Eyeballs Only published first on https://venabeahan.tumblr.com

[bharatiyamedia-blog]

Verizon vs AT&T vs Dash vs T-Cell: How to decide on the very best 5G provider

http://tinyurl.com/y6qy7czj AT&T’s 5G community on a Galaxy S10 5G telephone. Logan Moy/CNET 5G is coming to your city. Beginning this spring, first Verizon after which AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile started rolling out 5G networks, dotting the US — from Minneapolis to Dallas and New York to Los Angeles — with sooner 5G speeds.  Relying on the place you reside, you could not see it for some time, particularly if you’re more rural than urban. And even when 5G does come to your space, protection zones could also be small and the reception could also be iffy. However when it does, you will must know which provider offers you probably the most in your cash. 5G goes world: We tested 5G speeds around the world.  5G is the much-anticipated fifth-generation wi-fi networking know-how that has the potential to convey fiber-like speeds over the air to phones, automobiles, houses and factories. And whereas 5G guarantees speeds that can allow you to obtain a full-length film to your telephone in seconds, it is not simply in regards to the rocket-fast connections. The wi-fi normal is designed to considerably reduce network latency (or lag time), letting you play a real-time fight sport in opposition to different gamers in your telephone, for instance, or serving to self-driving cars monitor one another on the highway. To create their 5G networks, the 4 main US carriers are utilizing a mix of accessible spectrum bands, and their mixture of bands defines the protection. On one aspect is “sub-6,” which is extraordinarily environment friendly and dependable at offering connections over lengthy distances, indoors and out. Sub-6 at present runs over 2.5GHz to 6GHz spectrum bands. Over on the opposite aspect, 5G also can consult with “millimeter wave,” or “mmWave”, which affords a lot larger capability over a lot shorter distances (that’s, ultra-fast speeds over 1Gbps). Reception may be finicky, with partitions, glass and even a hand in a position to block the mmWave sign. mmWave makes use of spectrum bands above 24GHz. Now taking part in: Watch this: What the heck is a 5G community? 1:29 Except you are eager to be an early adopter of 5G, you will have little cause to modify over at this time. The present 5G telephones are costly and tax the system’s battery, you will more than likely pay a premium to hop on a provider’s 5G community, and except you are close to a 5G node, you could spend extra time on 4G than on 5G, at the least at first.  However 5G is an inevitability, the identical method that 4G changed 3G earlier than it. Ultimately, it’ll come to us all. Whether or not you resolve to choose a 5G community now or wait to see how 5G rolls out in your space, this is what to contemplate whenever you have a look at a 5G cellular provider. Value: 5G telephones and plans aren’t low cost These are the early days of 5G, and the most important carriers are beginning to unveil their plans and telephones. Over the following 12 months, we’ll see extra 5G telephones, and the carriers will alter their plans. However proper now, this is what now we have. (You may see how Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile’s 5G plans stack up within the chart beneath.) 5G phones right now aren’t cheap, with most gadgets properly above above $1,000. The Galaxy S10 5G, for example, is $1,300. You may also purchase the LG V50 ThinQ for $1,222. However yow will discover offers, just like the Motorola Moto Z4 telephone and required Moto Mod accent at present priced at $440, however these are extra of the exception. Outdoors of the US, choices embody the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G and Oppo Reno 5G. If the worth of a 5G telephone appears steep, you possibly can pay month by month as a substitute of shopping for the telephone up entrance. However the draw back, as with all telephone, is you should still be paying for a first-gen 5G phone that in two years might really feel outdated. Comparability of 5G knowledge plans for large Four US carriers Cell provider Month-to-month, particular person Month-to-month, household/group Hotspot month-to-month allowance Cities with stay 5G Different charges Verizon Past Restricted $85 for 1 line $50 per line for Four traces Limitless for 5G 4 $10 a month entry charge, at present waived Verizon Above Restricted $95 for 1 line $60 per line for Four traces Limitless for 5G 4 $10 a month entry charge, at present waived AT&T Enterprise Limitless Perferred* $90 for 1 line $165/2 traces to $490 for 10 traces 20 GB 20 (hotspot solely) $25 a month per telephone; $150 for cellular hotspot Dash Limitless Premium $80 for 1 line $140 for two traces to $200 for five traces 100 GB 4 T-Cell Necessities $30 for 1 line $30 per line for Four traces Limitless for 3G 6 T-Cell Magenta $40 for 1 line $40 per line for Four traces 3GB for 4G 6 T-Cell Magenta Plus $50 for 1 line $50 per line for Four traces 20GB for 4G 6 * AT&T’s 5G community is for enterprise; no public date for client entry. The telephone is not the one factor you will pay a premium for. Carriers could put you and your 5G telephone into certainly one of their upper-tier plans, so anticipate to pay for limitless knowledge. On Verizon, for instance, a 5G plan begins at $85 for a single line, and though the provider has briefly waived its $10 monthly add-on fee for 5G service, anticipate it to come back into impact down the road. That alone is an additional $120 per 12 months that you just’re paying simply to make use of 5G. One other potential value: In the event you’re paying month to month in your present telephone, you will must pay it off utterly earlier than making the change, except a promotional deal affords to make up the distinction to get you to modify. You perhaps additionally be capable of offset that expense by trading in your phone or reselling it. Another expense: in case your plan has knowledge cap, you should use up a part of your 5G data allotment in a lower than an hour, like we did in Australia, the place an editor ate up half of his month-to-month knowledge plan in 25 minutes downloading a sport and a number of other films over a 5G community he was testing. The complete vary of the spectrum assigned for 5G spans underneath 1 GHz to over 24 GHz. Dash And one thing to control: Dash is stay with 5G in 4 cities, however a possible bump for Dash’s — and T-Cell’s — 5G rollout is the proposed merger of the two companies. Dash and T-Cell are working to tie up each unfastened finish to win approval of their merger by July 29. A thumbs-up from Justice Division and the Federal Communications Fee might give the newly mixed firm and its merged community a working begin at 5G. Protection: What are you able to anticipate at this time from 5G Depraved-fast networking speeds. Protection that varies block to dam. Sudden switches between 5G and 4G. Giant elements of the nation — each city and rural — with no 5G in any respect. 5G is here, however simply barely. The 4 main carriers are slowly lighting up 5G networks in two dozen or so cities throughout the US, however every is taking a unique method to its rollout, from Verizon offering tiny pockets of 5G protection in 4 cities to AT&T seeking to 5G hotspots that create wi-fi 5G networks. A map of Atlanta, exhibiting T-Mobile’s 5G coverage. T-Cell To test for your self whether or not 5G is — or is not — obtainable in your space, Ookla is tracking the global rollout of 5G networks by way of its Speedtest.internet service. The Speedtest interactive map enables you to drill all the way down to the city-level to see which firms have deployed 5G. The map, nonetheless, does not inform the entire story. As a subsequent step, examine the place you reside and work or attend faculty with every provider’s protection map. In the event you’re ceaselessly close to a provider’s hotspots, which may push you to 5G sooner quite than later. Ookla is monitoring the rollout of 5G networks throughout the US and globe, updating its interactive map weekly. Ookla The present 4G knowledge community will get sooner, too The 5G rollout throughout the US will occur slowly. Apple, for instance, is rumored to not be launching a 5G telephone till 2020 on the earliest. One analyst predicts sales of 5G phones will not eclipse these of 4G gadgets until 2023. And T-Mobile is marking 2024 because the 12 months all of it comes collectively. Within the meantime, 4G networks will proceed to hold the wi-fi load for the cellular carriers, simply as 3G noticed us by way of the transition to 4G. 4G networks are additionally slated to get sooner as 5G networks construct up, so even in the event you’re not instantly on 5G, 4G ought to see some profit, too. One other phrase to the smart: Pay attention to uncommon claims about 5G protection. AT&T tried to get ahead of the 5G wave earlier this year, displaying a “5G E” icon on a handful of its 4G telephones. Below strain, the corporate stepped again from the confusing 5G claim and is rolling out 5G service in elements of 20 cities by way of hotspots. Now taking part in: Watch this: AT&T 5G community has among the quickest speeds we have… 9:40 Get on 5G now or wait? In the event you do not want a 5G telephone at this minute, look ahead to 5G offers and promotional bundles out of your provider, as soon as 5G goes stay in your space. Contemplate switching carriers, too, if one has a greater deal or higher protection in your space whenever you’re prepared to maneuver to 5G. Know that wherever you reside — city or particularly rural — service more than likely will not be broadly obtainable for a while. Before you make the move to a 5G phone and repair, ask your provider how you will know whenever you’re linked to 5G and about its return coverage in the event you’re not getting acceptable 5G speeds. You will usually get a 14-day grace interval for returns — be sure you have a backup telephone to make use of in the event you simply wish to attempt 5G out however aren’t positive of it.  Keep in mind, 5G is the know-how that can carry us by way of the following decade, so ready will not be a foul factor: Prices ought to come down, a broader collection of telephones ought to come on-line and protection will broaden.  Whether or not you resolve to leap in now or wait, test again right here — we’ll hold updating this as new 5G telephones are available and as cellular carriers enhance their protection and tweak their knowledge plans to fulfill demand. Source link

[kristinsimmons]

For Your Eyeballs Only

By KIM BELLARD

There’s so much going on.  There’s the coronavirus: It’s now a pandemic!  China can build an entire hospital to treat coronavirus patients in under two weeks!  Or there’s primary care: One Medical’s IPO boomed!  Amazon, Humana and Walmart are testing their versions!  People are flocking away from primary care!  Or, on a completely unrelated note, Tesla wants to disrupt auto insurance too. 

As interesting as all those are, it’s augmented reality (AR) that I want to talk about. 

Stop thinking about Snap Spectacles or Pokémon Go as what you think of when you think about AR.  Stop thinking about the supposed failure of Google Glass.  Start thinking about AR being ingrained in our daily lives.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes “at some point in the 2020s, we will get breakthrough augmented reality glasses that will redefine our relationship with technology.”  He went on to elaborate:

Instead of having devices that take us away from the people around us, the next platform will help us be more present with each other and will help the technology get out of the way. Even though some of the early devices seem clunky, I think these will be the most human and social technology platforms anyone has built yet.

Not surprising, Facebook is rumored to be working, in conjunction with Luxottica, on its own (AR) smart glasses project — code name Orion — that is expected to become available sometime between 2023 and 2025.  CNBC reported: “The glasses would allow users to take calls, show information to users in a small display and live-stream their vantage point to their social media friends and followers,” and have an accompanying A.I. voice assistant.

Bosch smart glasses display. Credit: Bosch

Apple’s Tim Cook agrees.  “I’m excited about AR,” Cook said, reports Silicon Republic. “My view is it’s the next big thing, and it will pervade our entire lives.”  Apple’s AR headset is expected to launch as early as this year.  Bloomberg reports: “The glasses are expected to synchronize with a wearer’s iPhone to display things such as texts, emails, maps, and games over the user’s field of vision.”

Samsung is also expected to launch AR smart glasses this year, among others, and, of course, Google Glass never really went away, just changed focus. 

But what excited me lately about AR was a report from CES 2020 by Evan Ackerman about what Bosch is doing.  Instead of projecting the AR on a screen or in front of you, it “paints an image directly onto your retina.” 

Now we’re talking.

Here’s the Bosch promotional video, featuring a number of interesting use cases:

Mr. Ackerman was fitted with a customized set of smart glasses, as is necessary, and marveled:

It’s definitely true that for the first 10 or so minutes of wearing the glasses, your brain will be spending a lot of time trying to figure out just what the heck is going on. But after that, it just works, and you stop thinking about it (or that’s how it went for me, anyway.) This is just an experience that you and your brain need to have together, and it’ll all make sense.

Bosch is reportedly less interested in producing consumer products itself than in licensing its Smartglasses Light Drive to other manufacturers as “a complete, ready-to-use solution for smaller, lighter, more stylish smartglasses.”  Mr. Ackerman says “The earliest any such product might be available would likely be 2021. The light drive technology is not inherently super expensive, though, so any consumer smart glasses made with it should be available at a cost comparable to (or cheaper than) other smart glasses systems.” 

Because the image is projected directly into your retina, it is always in focus and works under all lighting conditions.  Others not only can’t see what you are seeing but wouldn’t even know you are seeing anything at all. 

We’ve all experienced being with people who can’t tear their eyes away from their smartphone or other screen.  It is often particularly felt in the healthcare setting, where patients often feel that their physician spends more time looking at the EHR than they do looking at them, and physician burnout is often tied directly to all that screen time.  

The Bosch approach could at least diminish the patient perception, even if physicians are still looking at other information as they talk to them.  

Tim Cook, for one, think this is something AR can help with.  “I think it’s something that doesn’t isolate people,” he said. “We can use it to enhance our discussion, not substitute it for human connection, which I’ve always deeply worried about in some of the other technologies.”  And he is “extremely excited” about tech helping healthcare, noting: “I’m seeing that this intersection has not yet been explored very well.” 

A survey by E-Commerce Times found that only 12% of consumers (actually, heads of U.S. household that have broadband) consider themselves “familiar” with AR, although that is true of a quarter of Millennials and a third of Gen Z households.  Despite the low current familiarity, more than 60% expressed interest in getting information via AR. 

Right now, consumers still think of AR as through smartphones, but as smart glasses get both sleeker and smarter, that should change.  I’ll go a step or two further: just as I’ve long viewed smartphone and other physical screens as transitional, in a world of ubiquitous computing I believe that even smart glasses are transitional. How what devices might be “painting our eyeballs” in such a world, I don’t know, but I’m sure that in twenty or thirty years we won’t all need to be wearing physical smart glasses.   

Healthcare is usually late to technology innovations.  It kept paper-based business records long after other industries, it continues to fail on sharing/transmitting customer information, and usability is often at best an afterthought.  It is dipping its toe into both AR and VR, with some experts predicting AR will grow much faster over the next ten years, but in the case of AR I hope healthcare is a leader, or at least a very fast follower, instead of a laggard.  

Don’t blink or AR might pass healthcare by.  

Kim Bellard is editor of Tincture and thoughtfully challenges the status quo, with a constant focus on what would be best for people’s health.

The post For Your Eyeballs Only appeared first on The Health Care Blog.

For Your Eyeballs Only published first on https://wittooth.tumblr.com/

[bharatiyamedia-blog]

Verizon vs AT&T vs T-Cellular vs Dash: How to decide on the perfect 5G provider

http://tinyurl.com/y3tctvxh AT&T’s 5G community on a Galaxy S10 5G cellphone. Logan Moy/CNET 5G is coming to your city. Beginning this spring, first Verizon after which AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile started rolling out 5G networks, dotting the US — from Minneapolis to Dallas and New York to Los Angeles — with 5G speeds and quicker wi-fi connections. Relying on the place you reside, it’s possible you’ll not see a 5G community for some time, particularly if you’re more rural than urban. And even when 5G does come to your space, protection zones could also be small and the reception could also be iffy. However when the time comes, you may must know which provider offers you probably the most to your cash. 5G goes international: We tested 5G speeds around the world.  5G is the much-anticipated fifth-generation wi-fi networking expertise that has the potential to carry fiber-like speeds over the air to phones, vehicles, houses and factories. And whereas 5G guarantees speeds that may allow you to obtain a full-length film to your cellphone in seconds, it is not simply concerning the rocket-fast connections. The wi-fi customary is designed to considerably reduce network latency (or lag time), letting you play a real-time fight recreation in opposition to different gamers in your cellphone, for instance, or serving to self-driving cars monitor one another on the street. To create their 5G networks, the 4 main US carriers are utilizing a mix of accessible spectrum bands, and their mixture of bands defines the protection. On one aspect is “sub-6,” which is extraordinarily environment friendly and dependable at offering connections over lengthy distances, indoors and out. Sub-6 at present runs over 2.5GHz to 6GHz spectrum bands. Over on the opposite aspect, 5G may also discuss with “millimeter wave,” or “mmWave”, which provides a lot greater capability over a lot shorter distances (that’s, ultra-fast speeds over 1Gbps). Reception might be finicky, with partitions, glass and even a hand capable of block the mmWave sign. mmWave makes use of spectrum bands above 24GHz. Now taking part in: Watch this: What the heck is a 5G community? 1:29 Except you are eager to be an early adopter of 5G, you have got little purpose to change over as we speak. The present 5G telephones are costly and tax the system’s battery, you may most probably pay a premium to hop on a provider’s 5G community, and except you are close to a 5G node, it’s possible you’ll spend extra time on 4G than on 5G, at the very least at first.  However 5G is an inevitability, the identical manner that 4G changed 3G earlier than it. Ultimately, it should come to us all. Whether or not you determine to choose a 5G community now or wait to see how 5G rolls out in your space, here is what to contemplate whenever you take a look at a 5G cellular provider. Price: 5G telephones and plans aren’t low cost These are the early days of 5G, and the key carriers are beginning to unveil their plans and telephones. Over the following yr, we’ll see extra 5G telephones, and the carriers will alter their plans. However proper now, here is what we now have. (You’ll be able to see how Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile’s 5G plans stack up within the chart under.) 5G phones right now aren’t cheap, with most gadgets properly above above $1,000. The Galaxy S10 5G, for example, is $1,300. It’s also possible to purchase the LG V50 ThinQ for $1,222. However you’ll find offers, just like the Motorola Moto Z4 cellphone and required Moto Mod accent at present priced at $440, however these are extra of the exception. Exterior of the US, choices embody the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G and Oppo Reno 5G. If the worth of a 5G cellphone appears steep, you’ll be able to pay month by month as an alternative of shopping for the cellphone up entrance. However the draw back, as with all cellphone, is you should still be paying for a first-gen 5G phone that in two years might really feel old-fashioned. Comparability of 5G knowledge plans for large Four US carriers Cellular provider Month-to-month, particular person Month-to-month, household/group Hotspot month-to-month allowance Cities with dwell 5G Different charges Verizon Past Restricted $85 for 1 line $50 per line for Four traces Limitless for 5G 4 $10 a month entry payment, at present waived Verizon Above Restricted $95 for 1 line $60 per line for Four traces Limitless for 5G 4 $10 a month entry payment, at present waived AT&T Enterprise Limitless Perferred* $90 for 1 line $165/2 traces to $490 for 10 traces 20 GB 20 (hotspot solely) $25 a month per cellphone; $150 for cellular hotspot Dash Limitless Premium $80 for 1 line $140 for two traces to $200 for five traces 100 GB 4 T-Cellular Necessities $30 for 1 line $30 per line for Four traces Limitless for 3G 6 T-Cellular Magenta $40 for 1 line $40 per line for Four traces 3GB for 4G 6 T-Cellular Magenta Plus $50 for 1 line $50 per line for Four traces 20GB for 4G 6 * AT&T’s 5G community is for enterprise; no public date for shopper entry. The cellphone is not the one factor you may pay a premium for. Carriers might put you and your 5G cellphone into one in every of their upper-tier plans, so anticipate to pay for limitless knowledge. On Verizon, for instance, a 5G plan begins at $85 for a single line, and though the provider has briefly waived its $10 monthly add-on fee for 5G service, anticipate it to return into impact down the road. That alone is an additional $120 per yr that you just’re paying simply to make use of 5G. One other potential value: In case you’re paying month to month to your present cellphone, you may need to pay it off fully earlier than making the change, except a promotional deal provides to make up the distinction to get you to change. You perhaps additionally have the ability to offset that expense by trading in your phone or reselling it. Another expense: in case your plan has knowledge cap, you need to use up a very good a part of your 5G data allotment in a lower than an hour, like we did in Australia, the place an editor ate up half of his month-to-month knowledge plan in 25 minutes downloading a recreation and several other films over a 5G community he was testing. The complete vary of the spectrum assigned for 5G spans beneath 1 GHz to over 24 GHz. Dash And one thing to regulate: Dash is dwell with 5G in 4 cities, however a possible bump for Dash’s — and T-Cellular’s — 5G rollout is the proposed merger of the two companies. Dash and T-Cellular are working to tie up each free finish to win approval of their merger by July 29. A thumbs-up from Justice Division and the Federal Communications Fee might give the newly mixed firm and its merged community a working begin at 5G. Protection: What are you able to anticipate as we speak from 5G Depraved-fast networking speeds. Protection that varies block to dam. Sudden switches between 5G and 4G. Massive components of the nation — each city and rural — with no 5G in any respect. 5G is here, however simply barely. The 4 main carriers are slowly lighting up 5G networks in two dozen or so cities throughout the US, however every is taking a special method to its rollout, from Verizon offering tiny pockets of 5G protection in 4 cities to AT&T seeking to 5G hotspots that create wi-fi 5G networks. A map of Atlanta, displaying T-Mobile’s 5G coverage. T-Cellular To test for your self whether or not 5G is — or is not — out there in your space, Ookla is tracking the global rollout of 5G networks by way of its Speedtest.internet service. The Speedtest interactive map helps you to drill right down to the city-level to see which firms have deployed 5G. The map, nonetheless, does not inform the entire story. As a subsequent step, evaluate the place you reside and work or attend faculty with every provider’s protection map. In case you’re ceaselessly close to a provider’s hotspots, that may push you to 5G sooner slightly than later. Ookla is monitoring the rollout of 5G networks throughout the US and globe, updating its interactive map weekly. Ookla The present 4G knowledge community will get quicker, too The 5G rollout throughout the US will occur slowly. Apple, for instance, is rumored to not be launching a 5G cellphone till 2020 on the earliest. One analyst predicts sales of 5G phones will not eclipse these of 4G gadgets until 2023. And T-Mobile is marking 2024 because the yr all of it comes collectively. Within the meantime, 4G networks will proceed to hold the wi-fi load for the cellular carriers, simply as 3G noticed us by way of the transition to 4G. 4G networks are additionally slated to get quicker as 5G networks construct up, so even in case you’re not instantly on 5G, 4G ought to see some profit, too. One other phrase to the clever: Concentrate on uncommon claims about 5G protection. AT&T tried to get ahead of the 5G wave earlier this year, displaying a “5G E” icon on a handful of its 4G telephones. Beneath stress, the corporate stepped again from the confusing 5G claim and is rolling out 5G service in components of 20 cities through hotspots. Now taking part in: Watch this: AT&T 5G community has among the quickest speeds we have… 9:40 Get on 5G now or wait? In case you do not want a 5G cellphone at this minute, look ahead to 5G offers and promotional bundles out of your provider, as soon as 5G goes dwell in your space. Take into account switching carriers, too, if one has a greater deal or higher protection in your space whenever you’re prepared to maneuver to 5G. Know that wherever you reside — city or particularly rural — service most probably will not be broadly out there for a while. Before you make the move to a 5G phone and repair, ask your provider how you may know whenever you’re linked to 5G and about its return coverage in case you’re not getting acceptable 5G speeds. You may typically get a 14-day grace interval for returns — ensure you have a backup cellphone to make use of in case you simply need to strive 5G out however aren’t positive of it.  Bear in mind, 5G is the expertise that may carry us by way of the following decade, so ready will not be a foul factor: Prices ought to come down, a broader number of telephones ought to come on-line and protection will broaden.  Whether or not you determine to leap in now or wait, test again right here — we’ll maintain updating this as new 5G telephones are available in and as cellular carriers enhance their protection and tweak their knowledge plans to fulfill demand. Source link