#i think i prefer this version of pocket camp. it's way more generous. i do miss the online features a bit

[keiitopop]

blimey! they're turning our men into bunnies!

[rinaris-skyrim]

2. Tweaks

I wish I had a better category name for these. These are small changes, some of them atmospheric, some of them just nice to have. They don’t change anything terribly significant about the game, just add some flavor here, an item there, a little immersive utility yonder.

---

A Matter of Time

In-game clock widget. Useful for checking to see when shops should be open, checking the phases of the moons if you’re a werewolf, figuring out if it’ll be dark soon. Just a gem. [link]

Aime’s Craftable Lockpicks

WISOTT - What it says on the tin. One iron ingot equals five lockpicks. No more complicated than that. [link]

Alchemist’s Journal

More for roleplaying purposes than anything. A simple book, craftable at a tanning rack, that lists ingredient effects as you discover them. [link]

Atlas Map Markers - Updated

The original Atlas Map Markers is brilliant, adding map markers for most things in Skyrim you might want on your map — the smaller camps, shops, shrines out in the wilderness, interesting spots, landmarks, whatnot. Kryptopyr updated it with an mod configuration menu. You’ll need the original [here], and then install Kryptopyr’s update [here] over it (”merge” option in Mod Organizer).

Better Stealing

A somewhat controversial tweak, one I’m not sure works well for balance, especially given various perk overhauls and other mods that allow multiple ways for you to offload stolen goods. However, I always found it stupid that shopkeepers would preternaturally “know” what was stolen and what wasn’t. This makes it simple: if it’s relatively inexpensive and no one sees you take it, it won’t be marked as “stolen” in your inventory (though the owners might still send some thugs after you after the fact, once they realize it’s missing!). Simple SKSE plugin. [link]

CS Soul Fragments to Soul Gems

Finally a use for all of those “Soul Gem Fragments” you find out in ruins or in random barrels! “Polish” the fragments with a linen rag at a forge, then combine them to make empty soul gems of the size you desire. You can also “smash” soul gems to reforge one large gem into several smaller ones, if you prefer, or combine smaller ones into larger gems. Why was this not in the base game? [link]

Dark Brotherhood for Good Guys

Why do I want this mod for a group that’s all about playing a murdering edgelord? Well, basically, because not all Brotherhood members are edgy dark edgelords, and usually when people want someone murdered, it’s for a reason. This gives you a somewhat different perspective on the Brotherhood and their victims: information, backstories, the philosophy of Sithis as morally neutral chaos instead of pure evil. I tend to play on the good-ish side of things, and I love reading and lore, so I like this. Add to taste. Be sure to merge the base mod with the provided hotfix. [link]

Dragon Wall Wisdom - Readable Dragon Walls

You’re the Dragonborn, right? Learning the dragon language, right? Gifted with an understanding of the dragon tongue and preternatural knowledge, right? Then you should really be able to read these dragon wall inscriptions in the game. This offers funny, quirky, and sometimes just downright mundane translations for these ancient arcane inscriptions. SHBITBG - Should have been in the base game. [link]

EK_RingLimiter

You have ten fingers. Why only one ring? This allows you to wear more — though for balance reasons I recommend sticking with the default of two, or perhaps four. Something something about magical auras interfering if the trinkets are worn too close to one another. ;) [link]

Even Better Quest Objectives

The default in-game journal is rather pathetic. It rarely gives you your motivations, or even a text version of where you’re supposed to go next. I very much miss Morrowind’s journal, where every conversation and relevant tidbit was recorded. This helps. [link]

Farmers Sell Produce

Seriously, again, why wasn’t this in the base game? It’s close to necessary if you’re going to use a needs mod, or something that uses produce to create medicines for diseases. Assuming, of course, you’re not inclined to go rampaging across farmers’ carefully-tended fields. [link]

Faster Transform - To Werewolf and VampireLord

Just a nice tweak. Again, time is valuable, it’s nice not to have quite such a large window in which I’m being wailed on by enemies, and I like the more monstrous touch. The middle option - only half the vanilla time to transform - is recommended for realism and balance reasons. [link]

Female Vampires Have Fangs

One of the very few purely aesthetic changes here. All vampires should have fangs. (I’m gay. Fangs hot.) [link]

Harvest Overhaul

Find it stupid you only get one flower from that whole patch of mountain flowers? Yeah, me too. This fixes that. [link]

iHUD - Immersive HUD

Neatly stows away the status bars when you don’t need them (when they’re full and you’re not in combat). Also hides the compass, because how does your character preternaturally know there’s this thing that way if they can’t see it? [link]

Immersive Dragons

Just gives dragons a larger wingspan so they can maybe actually lift themselves into the air. Another aesthetics tweak, with the goal of immersion. [link]

Jaxonz Lights Please

Incredibly useful for those using magical lighting. This maps both Candlelight and Magelight to hotkeys, removing the need to constantly switch spells. It also means you can easily toggle Candlelight on and off like a lantern or torch. Works well with mods that affect lighting and darkness, which I do. [link]

Jaxonz Map Markers

The best custom map marker mod I’ve found. Want to keep track of... well, anything? Ore deposits, NPCs, followers, your horse, that little camp... This is it! Uses the game’s built-in quest and quest objective system for map markers. Super easy to use. [link]

Kryptopyr’s Clothing and Clutter Fixes

This maybe should have gone in the “Fixes” post, but it’s... not quite “just” fixes. “Hooded robes” are separated into hoods and robes for mixing and matching, some NPCs clothing is changed to be more lore-friendly, alongside some behind-the-scenes fixes like weight adjustments. Optional, officially. [link]

Kryptopyr��s Weapon and Armor Fixes Remade

This also maybe should have gone in the “Fixes” post, but again, it’s a bit more of an overhaul, adjusting weights of things and armor scaling for consistency. Required for Kryptopyr’s great crafting overhaul, CCOR, so we definitely want this. [link]

Learn Alchemy From Recipes

WISOTT. Reading a recipe “discovers” those ingredient effects for you. Again, why was this not in the original game? [link]

Living Takes Time

I’ll be honest, I deactivate most of the features of this mod, except for “training takes time” and “reading takes time” (and increases speech skill). Crafting takes time just gets onerous, especially in the early game when you need all this gear and your bandoliers and you have needs you need to fill... And blocking the inventory or magic menu during combat is just... no. Still, the mod itself adds some nice functionality, and it can be fully tweaked to taste. If you’re using an alternate spell learning mod, be sure to set the “spell learning” time to zero. [link]

Mortal Enemies - De-Aimbot Your Foes

Once an enemy has started an attack, they’re locked into that direction and attack. This makes you able to dodge or move out of range of the attack, and they can no longer hit you anyways. They move slower when aiming or channeling as well. No instant pivots, and two-handed weapons feel heavier than one-handed ones. All in all, it makes combat feel more realistic, and allows them to miss you if you’re clever. But beware! These changes apply to you, too! [link]

No Psychic Lock Knowledge

WISOTT. You don’t somehow magically know how hard a lock is going to be just by looking at it. You just try to pick it, like... you actually would if you decide to pick a lock. [link]

No Silver at Jorrvaskr

Because a group of warriors whose upper echelons are all werewolves would totally be eating off silver. Not. [link] (in the optional files section)

Non-Exploitable Crossbow Reloading

Allows you to reload crossbows on your own time, by pressing the fire button, before firing again, without messing with your equipped ammunition. Simple and lovely. [link]

People Are Strangers

You don’t somehow magically know the names of people before you talk to them! I personally favor the “race” variant, just because... less generic, and I can usually see if someone is a Wood Elf or an Argonian anyways, but you can adjust the “stranger” label to taste. [link]

Point the Way

Roads actually have more signposts to direct people to the smaller towns as well as the large cities, and have them at more junctions. Signs also point the right way. Especially helpful along some of the more windy roads. No need to puzzle things out on your map quite so much. [link]

Realistic Capacity

Without a bag, you can only carry as much as you can feasibly wear, really. It’s that simple. This mod dynamically adjusts your capacity and allows for the armor you’re wearing and a few different weapons, e.g. a bow, a one-handed weapon, a shield, a knife or two, making those effectively weightless, and assume pockets for some meager supplies, but aside from that — backpacks and bags are mandatory. Makes things harder for a packrat like me, but it does make me think. [link]

Realistic Humanoid Movement Speed

This one takes a bit of the sting out of Realistic Capacity. Movement speed is adjusted to feel more realistic overall — you walk faster, jog more slowly (when sneaking, too), and don’t sprint like a gazelle. Take the optional horse speed modifier file to also add more value to horses: they walk and gallop faster as well now, in addition to their other benefits. [link]

Realistic Nights

Wondering why torches and night eye were even added to the game? Annoyed at how, well, bright the nights are? Put an end to that! Darker nights make light sources actually useful, and provides a good reason for sneaky types to actually consider the day/night cycle. Light adjusted based on the moons, snow reflecting night, and various other factors for an even better experience. [link]

Run For Your Lives

NPCs who are not guards or warriors run inside and hide from both dragons and vampire attacks. Like anyone with any sense of self-preservation would. I mean, I guess Nords don’t exactly revere self-preservation, but... this just seems more sensible to me, especially if we’re talking little old ladies armed with a steel dagger. [link]

SCRR - Skyrim Coin Replacer Redux

“Modern” Septims have no business deep in ancient Nordic burial mounds or Dwemer ruins. The Stormcloaks aren’t too ecstatic about Imperial money, either, and are creating their own silver currency, though gold is gold. Now silver Haralds are found in barrows, and ebony Dumacs in Dwemer ruins. All can be be melted down to ingots of their respective metals, or traded with merchants for “regular” currency. This adds massively to immersion, not to mention offering a supply of useful materials for smithing. [link]

Sleep Tight

Simple change that makes NPCs change into robes or clothes for sleeping, instead of going to bed in that hard iron armor (though for balance reasons, and modesty, people still wear chest armor). Accordingly, they’ll also take more damage if you can catch them unawares. [link]

Take Notes - Journal of the Dragonborn

I love this. I love this so so much. The ability to write a custom journal from in the game, and export it if I want to, adds so much to roleplaying. It means I can create a proper backstory, examine character motivations, process events of the game through my character’s lens, and record it all for myself later. Just, magnificent. Get it. You won’t regret it. [link]

The Choice is Yours - Fewer Forced Quests - Improved Dialogue Options

WISOTT. Just talking to someone doesn’t automatically add a quest to your inventory. You can turn an offer down or defer an errand until later. Some things a character just wouldn’t want to do. Now that’s not cluttering up your journal. Again, SHBITBG - should have been in the base game. [link]

Timing is Everything - Quest Delay and Timing Control

This allows you to space out the steps of the main quest as seems realistic (e.g. NPCs taking some time for research), as well as control when (at which level) various quests will start. There are also a few other tweaks to be found, such as Meridia’s Beacon not responding to vampires, werewolves randomly attacking, and Thalmor ignoring you unless certain quest conditions are fulfilled, instead of attack squads simply triggering at a certain level. [link]

TK Dodge

Gives you the ability to quickly sideroll and dodge a blow. Makes light armors a lot more viable in close combat, and plays nicely with Mortal Enemies. [link]

Trade and Barter

A fantastic mod that adjusts prices, merchant gold, and other parameters around trading based on race, faction alliance, personal relationships, location, and more. Highly customizable, highly compatible, brilliant. [link]

TravelMounts

You need to have a horse in order to be able to fast travel. Offers more of a reason to drop that 1000 gold, and this small tweak makes it feel much more immersive (after all, a rider can outrun and avoid many things someone on foot can’t). [link]

Truly Absorb Dragon Souls

For every dragon you kill and dragon soul you absorb, you get just that little bit stronger, gain a little more magicka, health, stamina, movement speed, carry weight, shout cooldown, armor, and magic resist. Set the amount gained for each dragon soul on install; I recommend medium to low values for each gain, just to offer longevity. [link]

Understandable Draugrs

In the vein of “Dragon Wall Wisdom,” you can now understand the draugr when they yell at you in a fight. Just adds the English translation in parentheses to the end of the subtitled Dragon language dialogue. Now your Dragonborn will be able to understand what’s being constantly shouted at them, even if it isn’t anything particularly nice or uplifting. [link]

Wearable Lanterns

No need to constantly toggle between a torch and a shield, or fight blind in a dark ruin. Just hook a lantern to your belt, that can easily be toggled on and off (and also automatically put out when you sneak, if you’re That Sort™). Incredibly nifty and useful. [link]

---

...I’m sure I’ll be adding to this later. I’m sure, honestly. Maybe with an “optional tweaks” post, too, that are very much a preference thing. Or, y’know, just reblog myself. That might actually be the best option.

[nyrator]

It’s very hard to escape the negativity I feel that has a hold on me.

It’s weird, I don’t do much of anything any more. My old routine, reading manga every so often, watching a twitch streamer a few times a week, browse the internet and keep up with things while occasionally experimenting with art

now I don’t do any of those things it feels like- no interest in catching up on a lot of manga, no way of catching up with the streamer backlog or even keeping up with it, no passion to draw, and a lot of anxiety and tiredness and laying down.

I wonder if making Rotten Nyan was a mistake, like it affected my subconscious in some way and brought me into a deep depression. But I like it, I like the concept, the characters, I just wish I was better at actually making it and sharing it with people. But is it worth it?

I’m also not very social and still can’t bring myself to communicate one-on-one with people (most messages are just cool people cheering me up because they’re cool and I think very highly of them and some close followers), and I’ve talked a lot about joining more group chats, but boy is it tricky to even know where to start, you know?

I think I just feel trapped in a sense, trapped by my own social anxiety. Even with Kresna, it’s hard. I think it’s because any word I say and don’t say has actual consequence, and I can’t handle that- I’m good at creating negativity, but bad at existing around it- and there’s unfortunately a lot of negativity in our lives, and I feel it consumes me more than I wish it would

I want to draw something cute, but any time I try to draw something cute, I lose momentum. Twisted things are trickier, but they’re more enticing, I think. Visualizing art in general is hard, though. Not sure if I prefer cute over twisted, but a good mix is always nice too. Maybe just running out of ideas in general.

But that’s enough of melancholic Ny, I need to post more positive thingss

because I won me an Animal Crossing tote bag thing in some mobile game contest, thanks free trial

cautiously looking forward to the switch game, hope it has another Sanrio crossover (I have the amiibo cards still so hopefully they work still), kind of scared of how I’ll adjust to playing it after playing the 3DS version for so long

kyle and merry are my favorites but after playing pocket camp my three sheep friends are very much proving to me that sheep are also the best (thanks etoile in particular, also stella and shoutouts to vesta and all the rest)

there’s also that KH3 dlc and FF7 remake both of which I’ll probably get and the former I’m mainly looking forward to because of crazy plot things, latter I don’t expect much unfortunately and am kind of scared at how much they split it up, but we shall see

[interviewswith-warfstachetonight]

Interview: Vriska Serket (11/20/19)

Interviewer: Wilford Warfstache (WW)

Interviewee: Vriska Serket ( @aquaticculler ) (VS)

Date: Nov. 20, 2019

Time: 12:33 AM - 2:33 AM (CST)

(*”8″ = “B” and “eight” sounds; I.e “no8ility” = “nobility,” “expect8ions” = “expectations”)

WW: Okay! I think I’m all set- now.. you were a blueblooded troll, correct? Did bluebloods have any set roles or expectations? (Like how jades were more or less all caretakers, from what I understand.)

VS: I was a cerulean, yes. Expect8ions were really just what you'd expect, nothing too out of the ordinary. Our caste was mostly just the troll version of "lower upper class", we had the 8enefits of wealth without the responsi8ility or expect8ions of no8ility

WW: Well, that certainly sounds like it’d be interesting..! Were there any, ah.. differences?, I suppose?, between the blues? (Ah.. teal, cerulean, and indigo, I believe?) As in.. well, like physical abilities and such, how some trolls seemed to have certain abilities that others didn’t.

VS: Yes! Generally speaking, teal 8looded trolls (apparently) could "S3NSE TH3 1NT3NT1ONS OF OTH3RS" -something my terezi said, once. Cerulean 8loods like me tended to fall into one of two categories, either we could mind control to a certain extent or we had higher strength for lack of psychic a8ilities, on par with an indigo vs the normal cerulean strength. I was in the former camp so to speak. Indigos just had a8surd strength, that's kind of their whole deal

WW: And you could mind control, you say? Did you do that often?

VS: Not particularly, it only worked on castes with stronger psychic a8ilities (Rust, 8ronze, Gold) and for the most part I had no reason to

WW: Ah, that’s fair, that’s fair.. was it something you had to train/learn? Or was it more of an.. innate ability?

VS:  At it's 8ase level it was inn8, 8ut when I was a little wriggler I pro8a8ly had to practice it to get 8etter at it, I don't remem8er much of 8eing a wriggler though, that was thousands of sweeps ago. Or hundreds. Or millions. Time flows weirdly in paradox space

WW: Oh, goodness gracious, what in the world happened to bring paradox space into it all? Was that something that happened then or a matter of ending up here?

VS: I died as a god tier, then woke up in paradox space. After what felt like a very long time in paradox space I woke up here missing a lot of memories.

VS: I do remem8er finding this place though, it was a dream 8u88le and it looked interesting. Didn't know it was one way only though, we are 8asically stuck here

WW: Well, that’s odd, hm? Ah.. what is a dream bubble, exactly?

VS: Simply put, pocket worlds in paradox space

VS: Less simply put

VS: Dream 8u88les are essentially pocket dimentions typically created 8y memories of whoever is residing in them, and those are scattered throughout paradox space. Apparently though, "inworlds" can also 8e found there too, though I am presently unsure if only certain ones are present, or if every8ody's are. I also do not have an explan8ion for memory loss while travelling certain dream 8u88les and not others, perhaps there are different types that can 8e distinguished. I did not put enough time into researching them while I was active in paradox space

VS: At least that's how I see them

VS: I do know that they transcend canons though! I met our meenah in paradox space, and her canon is wildly different from my own

WW: How odd! I wonder if that means they still exist in our world.. (oh! And you mentioned a, ah.. god tier? What is that?)

VS: A god tier is a s8ur8 mechanic, as a method to reach higher powers according to your classpect. You find your quest8ed, which is a stone 8lock with your aspect engraved, wherever you're destined to, and then you die on it and merge with your dreamself, and gain a 8unch of powers

WW: And what was your godtier, if you don’t mind?

VS: Here's where I differ the most from other Vriska's, I was a seer of life

VS: And I still am

WW: Oh? What are other Vriskas usually, then?

VS: Thief of Light

WW: And is that a huge change? (As in, like.. total opposites or something to that effect.)

VS: It's not total oppos8s, 8ut it is going from an active class to a passive class

WW: And I figure that would be a big change? (At least, in the sense of a shift from one to the other.)

VS: That one isn't a huge change 8ut it is sizea8le enough

VS: Classpects are still highly de88d to this day, with no one set system of explaining it all is agreed upon

WW: Oh, that does sound like it could cause a lot of confusion..

WW: If you don’t mind my asking, what does a Seer of Life do? Or.. what can they do?

VS: Well a seer is the passive understanding class, so I understand life, and I invite understanding through life

VS:  Though life as an aspect tends to more dou8le down on your class, from source examples

VS: So in my case I understand [a lot] and I invite understanding through [usually oversharing]

VS: It's a little 8it iffy

WW: Well, that sounds interesting..! What do you mean by understanding a lot?

VS: Knowing things, seeing things (metaphorically, literally we're 8lind as fuck), just in general. In my time on this planet I've studied everything from mathematics, to 8iology, to quantum physics, to cooking, to astronomy, ect. ect.

VS: Of course I'm aware of my own 8lind spots, I know there are gaps in my knowledge, lots of them in fact

WW: And you said you overshare a lot? Does that ever cause any trouble for you?

VS: Sometimes, 8ut I also know when to shut my mouth so to speak. Whether or not I do is another matter........

WW: Well, that’s certainly a relatable statement— Has there been anything you’ve found issue in learning?

VS: Human anatomy

VS: Dear god what is with these 8odies

VS: Programming is something we've collectively had issues with, 8ut we're okay at it now

VS: And any form of art that isn't music or writing

WW: Oh? Is there a form of music you prefer over the others?

VS: Violin was always fun

WW: Violin? Is that one that’s particularly hard to learn?

VS: It varies from person to person, 8ut it is considered one of the more difficult instruments. All instruments have difficulties in learning though, so it's hard to r8 one over another in terms of difficulty

VS: Instruments we've at least started learning to d8 are(in no particular order):

-Voice

-Trumpet

-Trom8one

-Flute

-Cello

-Viola

-Violin

-Piano

-Guitar

VS: Though we were only competent at:

-Voice

-Violin

-Piano

VS: I have never 8een good with the voice, personally

WW: Oh, gosh, that’s a lot! Were you doing more than one at a time?

VS: We did voice along piano and violin. Other than that, no

VS: Some of those we did for less than a year

WW: What’s the longest one you’ve done?

VS: 5 years of voice pro8a8ly?

VS: May8e longer

VS:  *We only did viola for two weeks 8efore swapping to violin, 8ut I'm counting it 8ecause I can still play it through violin skills

WW: Oh! Is there a difference between viola and violin?

VS: Viola's are similar to a violin, 8ut are larger and play lower notes than a violin. It's 8etween a cello and a violin in scale and size, and is played similarly to a violin

WW: Ooooooooh! Well, I didn’t even know those existed, heh— and you mentioned writing? Is that something you like doing?

VS:  I personally don't write often, 8ut Eva likes to write poetry. She's also trying to write a 8ook

VS:  I guess you can count this as writing though, I do love answering questions or going on lectures a8out things

WW: It does sound fun! Are there any particular subjects you like talking about?

VS: Quantum physics, Astronomy, and Philosophy

VS: All at once ::::)

VS: They're all connected

VS: Well everything is, really, 8ut those three are the most o8vious

WW: How so? 

VS: Well using quantum physics to explain certain aspects of astronomy, and how they rel8 has several different theories that we do not have the energy to get into right now, 8ut it is fun to use those to 8oth prove and disprove free will ::::)

WW: Disprove free will?

VS: Mhm!

VS: Certain theories of how the universe works ends up with us having no free will at all

VS: That everything is predetermined, 8ut at the same time having free will

VS: It's the theory that I su8scri8e to that eventually the universe will stop expanding, then contract upon itself, and then eventually another 8ig 8ang in exactly the same way will happen. At the end of the day we're just atoms and electrical signals 8umping next to each other in a specific way, like a game of pool with a good enough computer if you run the same shot over and over again the 8alls will end up in the same exact place, right? It's the same concept only applied to every single particle in the universe. That we've had this convers8ion potentially 8illions of times 8efore in the same exact way and we will have it 8illions of times again. Oh 8ut this is usually the end of my ram8le on the su8ject, this is missing all the material that leads up to it

WW: Well, that all sounds quite interesting..!

VS: 8ut we are tired so the condensed version of the ending will do

WW: That’s quite alright! I’ve never heard it before anyways, so I’m simply happy to learn something new!

VS: I'm glad to have presented you something new and interesting to learn

VS: I'll go over other theories at a l8r d8

VS: We seemed to have side tracked quite a 8it whoops

WW: Eh, it happens sometimes!

VS: Or I have rather hahahaha

WW: Hey, I think it’s still just as valid! It is something you’re interested in, after all!

VS: Alright next question~

WW: Hm.. well, did you have anyone you considered most important to you?

VS: During my time alive in my own 8ody, pro8a8ly terezi. In paradox space, meenah (the one I'm here with)

WW: What was your Terezi like? (If you don’t mind sharing)

VS: She was a sylph of doom, she talked 8out the inevita8le a lot, rules, limits, things I don't care a8out. She was also really strict, 8ut I liked her. I can't remem8er 8ut we were either flushed or pale

WW: What do those mean?

VS: M8sprit or moirail, respectively

VS: Oh you don't- okay

WW: Well, I know they’re types of romance!

VS: Good start! So

VS: M8spritship resem8les typical human romantic rel8ionships the most, it's not 1:1 8ut there's a lot of love

VS: Moirailegence is like the human concept of soul m8s, 8ut not like "I love this person" more "We need each other", you t8ke care of each other and keep each other pacified and calm. Stopping them from doing stupid things, or they stop you from doing stupid things (or try to, and then they're there to say "I told you so")

WW: Pfft- Well, I can think of more than a few people I knew who were like that.. but no matter, ah- you said Terezi was a.. Sylph of Doom? What does that entail?

VS: Sylph is the passive cre8ion class, they create for others, and invite the creation of their aspect

VS: In this case doom, which is all a8out rules, limit8ions, f8, ect.

VS: It is the oppos8 of life, which is generally a8out freedom, choices, and change

WW: So, does that mean that she created rules and such for others? (Or is that what you meant by strict?)

VS: To all those reading along who are versed in classpects, I am extremely tired and doing a terri8le jo8 of explaining things

VS: 8ut yes, that is exactly what she did

WW: Did you think they were patricularly fair?

VS: Some times I have to admit they are, 8ut I'm not a 8ig rules person. I like to passively oper8 doing what I do, and usually that falls within the rules

VS: If I can't do something, that just m8kes me want to do it more, until I can do it

WW: Had you two ever had any fights over them? (And ah, that is- a mood)

VS: Small tiffs, 8ut nothing major most of the time

WW: Well, that’s good to hear! And, hm.. what’s Meenah like?

VS: Meenah isn't from my canon, 8ut I met her in paradox space

VS: She resem8les meenah from homestuck itself decently well

WW: Would you say that’s a good thing?

VS: She's nice, a 8it crass at times, I like her

WW: Well, that’s good to hear! It can always be a bit frustrating when people don’t get along.. and- hmm.. who would you say is somebody you didn’t like in your canon?

VS: Tavros

VS: He was annoying as fuck

VS: I 8roke his legs though, that was fun

VS: (On that topic, I also 8roke joke's legs too!)

VS: Or jape or whatever his name was

VS: I didn't like him either

VS: 8ut tavros I just couldn't stand

VS: (And now he can't either hahahaha)

WW: Pfft- Goodness..! What happened to lead up to that?

VS: He was 8eing super annoying while we were playing flarp, so I introduced him to a scenario where there was a cliff, and there was my mind control powers, and suddenly there was a tavros jumping off said cliff

VS:  I wouldn't do that again, I've mellowed out a lot over the sweeps, 8ut I don't regret it

VS: Terezi got pissed at me for that one

VS: That was the only major fight we had

WW: Well, I could certainly imagine- but, ah.. what is.. flarp?

VS: Fantasy Live Action Role Play

WW: Oh! Were there particular things you could do? Or just whatever you wanted?

VS: GM (Game master)'s discretion (aka mine), 8ut for the most part you could do anything. Funnily enough it also had classes like in s8ur8

WW: Oh?

VS:  I don't have the energy to go over that, so let's wrap this up with any closing questions you may have and then we can continue l8r ::::)

WW: Ah, alright! I believe the only closing question I can think of is.. what, if anything, do you wish people would stop assuming about you?

VS: Stop assuming all vriska's are 8ad! I'm working on 8eing 8etter 8y human standards, it's annoying to 8e written off as a 8ad person just 8ecause "Oh she's a serket what do you expect"

VS: Anyways that's all the time we have for tonight, thank you for 8eing here, and thank you whoever actually read all this

WW: Oh, I’m glad to be here! Thank you for allowing me to! (And I hope you rest well!)

[jaymimic-blog]

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp Hack - Unlimited Leaf Tickets 100%Free

Here we introduce the one and only Animal Crossing Pocket Camp Hack & Cheats by which a game user can get ample of leaf tickets for free of cost. But before knowing more about animal crossing pocket camp hack tool we should see some things regarding the game.

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp Gameplay

HACK NOW

In this section, we’ll talk about the walkthrough of the game, what all activities you can do in the game and have more fun. Animal Crossing pocket game is a social simulation game where you interact with different animals in the area and perform different tasks. You can also customize your avatars, their living spaces. You also get the chance to trade materials and favors for the decorative items present in the game.

The game is all about creativity, how beautifully, you can decorate and place and perform the tasks in time. In Pocket Camp, you decorate the campsite in the town, and then you must gather materials like wood and cotton that you can trade with furniture orders. The player-character also befriends neighboring characters and then you can ask them to visit the player’s campsite. Other humans are invited at random.

The player’s avatar can travel to multiple locations. You can go to Sunburst Island or Saltwater Shores; you can also roam around in the marketplace where you can buy furniture and avatar clothing. Your customization options in the game extend to your avatar’s gender, facial traits, and vehicle abode as well.

In the game, your neighbors in the nearby “recreation sites” will reward you with crafting materials for completing requests. Then, there you have one local blacksmith/carpenter who can turn these things into furniture, pools, and new locations. The best part of the game that you would be able to attract specific neighbors by putting their furniture that they like at the campsite. After each visit, you would see an increase in the relationship’s experience level. If you have played the previous versions of the game, you can also fish and pay off a debt similarly to their home.

As we discussed that this mobile game introduces the microtransaction currency, Leaf Tickets that can be used to reduce in-game timers or you can also craft without raw materials with its help. You can get leaf tickets by completing in-game tasks, or you can also buy through the real-world currencies. You can also trade your currencies for special event furniture, and that would help to attract special characters to your campsite. Nintendo is planning to launch some seasonal events and some furniture that would have limited availability.

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp Characters

A lot of people have been asking about the number of animal characters in the game then don’t worry, here is the list of main 17 characters in the game that you would come along while playing.

1- Isabelle: Birthday12/19

This is an expert character on the campsite. If you have any confusions or questions about a campsite, Isabelle knows the answer for the same. He’ll tell more than you think or expect. She is always there at the town hall satellite office, and ready for giving support to anyone who needs help.

2- Cyrus: Birthday1/25

He is an expert craftsman, you name the thing, and he’ll build it for you. Cyrus can build any furniture that you want. And on the top of that, he also delivers them at the right time. He and Reese have their mobile shop on the Road. They are even capable of crafting larger things like tents and treehouses.

3- Reese: Birthday7/4

She is mostly busy with here retail shop, but she also helps her husband in managing the thing in crafting business. Together, they are running their entrepreneurial dream. LOL

4- Giovanni: Birthday9/5

You must have Giovanni as a friend! He will always keep your motor up and run. He always has some nugget of earthy wisdom to dispense to his customers.

5- Beppe: Birthday7/17

Beppe is OK Motors ‘and good in his style. He’s a king of giving new paint job to your camper if you have one. But if you are looking something apart from the paint job then he is good for nothing. Do not let him work on your engine!

6- Carlo: Birthday5/2

He is a jack of all trades and expert in none. He is the main wrench at OK Motors, Carlo only knows the nitty-gritty of being a mechanic. But you can bestow the responsibilities of small tasks on his shoulders.

7- Timmy: Birthday6/6

Timmy sometimes likes to get away from the job and set up shop at Market Place. Don’t forget to stop by his place and check out some cool things that he has got his shop.

8- Tommy: Birthday6/6

Whenever Tommy is bored with hustle and bustle of city life and needs some different time, he directly goes to Market Place to sell things. He does everything in an old-fashioned way and spends most of his time in his truck only.

9- Mabel: Birthday5/21

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She is a fashion freak, always love to wear new clothes. If you were her smile at Market Place, you have good clothing and accessories that she likes, and soon she’ll buy something from you.

10- Sable: Birthday11/21

She is always busy with her sewing machine Whether she is at home or on the road. She is always busy with her sisters to sell out the things that she makes from her mobile store.

11- Labelle: Birthday10/30

Labelle has studied under fashion legend Gracie. She makes amazing hats and other fashion accessories as well. So, if you are looking for something cute and couture, you know whom to meet.

12- Kicks: Birthday11/29

This skunk runs a shoe shop named kicks after his name only. Market Place seems to become more fashionable every time he comes up with the new design.

13- Lloyd: Birthday8/27

He is always busy in mining conditions at Shovel strike Quarry. He seems to be the busiest person in the town. He’s always in the market, searching for minerals and offers Bells and craft materials in exchange.

14- Jay: Birthday7/16

His Preferred theme is sporty, and Favorite Furniture is stripe sofa. He is a confusing person who is not brave but believes in his willpower, and he also wants to succeed badly.

15- Apollo: Birthday7/3

His most preferred theme is the cool theme, and favorite furniture is the modern sofa with Stern of brow and beak. He’s very often misunderstood by the people because of his appearance.

16- Goldie: Birthday12/26

Her preferred theme is natural and favorite furniture is the couch. Goldie’s luxurious locks are famous in the marketplace in the town for their natural fluff and sweet aroma. A lot of people ask her, what’s the secret behind her aroma but she smiles and says, there is no secret.

17- Rosie: Birthday2/26

Her preferred theme is cute, and favorite furniture is lovely love seat.

She is a kind of a celeb in town. If you come across frenzy crowd in the marketplace, probably Rosie’s on the other side of it.

 Animal Crossing Pocket Camp Hack Review

The animal crossing pocket camp hack has received the praise worldwide. After the release of the cheat tool, it has been downloaded more than 1million times that itself shows the popularity of the hack all around the world. The animal crossing pocket camp hack is perfect fun if you are playing with friends it gives the perfect simulation of the real world. The free leaf tickets in the game are also very funny and cute.

After the launch of Nintendo’s Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes, this was the third most anticipated game. I would say the animal crossing pocket camp hack has got a pretty good start as it crossed the 1million mark within a week. According to the gaming experts, it would touch the 5million mark soon the way it’s growing.

We compare the number of downloads in the first week then Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes had around 3 million and 1 million downloads, respectively. According to Sensor Tower’s data if you ask which game is the most popular among all three then certainly number tells a lot. Super Mario comes. First, Animal Crossing Hack comes second whether Fire Emblem stands as the third position.

If we scrutinize this number of downloads, then we can clear idea how much money this app is making, but Sensor Tower did not have those figures. But when it comes to app’s success, the app is free to download, the number of in-app purchases would only decide the revenue generated by the app.

In that regard, it would be quite impossible to say how much money Pocket Camp Hack is making, since the animal crossing pocket camp cheats have the 1 ranking in the top games hack list on the google. That’s not very bad on the list of millions of apps. But we won’t be able to predict the exact numbers. So, we have just to wait and watch the time Google reveals its numbers. We can’t say whether this game would be a financial success for the company or not.

But, regarding popularity, it certainly has gained some momentum, the app is having around 2 million downloads daily, if it keeps on growing at the same speed, it will reach more than 100million within three months. If you have played the game, don’t forget to share your experience in the comments below. We would happily add your review to the article if possible.

[yierknives]

Are Spyderco knives worth the money? What is the best Spyderco knife?

Choosing the best Spyderco knife is like choosing the best book. Exactly, even given your preferences in reading (whatever they are) you don’t even know where to start.

Words like “best” and “worst” are so subjective that there’s almost no point in bringing them up. Still, there are enough people out there looking for the best “this, that and the other thing” that we figured we’d pitch our two cents into the matter.

Still, we’re not going to give a list of best and worst knives to choose from. We’re going to do better.I’m going to discuss what I consider to be three of the high quality Spyderco knives. In that way, you’ll be able to pick out the best Spyderco knife for you, whether you’re an LEO, a camper, a hunter, or a chef; so let’s get started.

Spyderco Paramilitary 2

The Paramilitary 2 is a permanent fixture in the Spyderco lineup. There are three things I look for in a hard-use knife: a comfortable handle, a durable lock, and good steel. The Paramilitary 2’s handle is about as good as it gets on a folding knife: quite large, with a forward half-and-half finger choil that allows you to choke up on the blade for extra control. Personally, I find the Paramilitary 2’s handle to be the best on any knife I’ve ever used.The steel on the standard model is S30V. This is a first generation super steel. I would like to see this upgraded soon, but S30V is still a good steel. The problem people have with it is that it can chip fairly easily, but Spyderco runs their S30V a little soft to prevent that from happening, making it a durable, reliable steel for a durable, reliable knife.If you want something more exotic, though, there are a ton of sprint runs (limited editions) of the Paramilitary with all sorts of wild steel; just be prepared to pay a premium over the standard model’s $120 asking price.

Spyderco Dragonfly 2

Spyderco has something of a line in small EDC blades that perform like full-sized ones. They call it their “Little Big Knife” design paradigm, and the Dragonfly 2 was one of the first, and is still the best, embodiment of Little Big Knife design.

It’s easy to discount the Dragonfly 2 as another undersized folding knife that doesn’t give you the grip necessary to really accomplish much, but that’s a window shopping mistake you shouldn’t make. The VG10 stainless blade is light and begs to be used. A hair under 5.5 inches all told, it virtually disappears into your pocket, but can handle heavy work when it comes out thanks to the resiliency of the craftsmanship. With a delicate curve, few small knives feel quite as good in your hand, whatever your size.

The Dragonfly 2 in ZDP-189 costs $75. The standard VG-10 model will run you about $50; I think it’s worth the jump in price for the additional performance, but really any model of the Dragonfly 2 will impress you with its utility.

Spyderco Native 5 Lightweight

Like the Paramilitary 2, the Native 5 features a forward choil and an excellent handle in FRN (as opposed to the Paramilitary’s G-10). Nobody does FRN texturing like Spyderco, and the bi-directional texturing on the Native 5 will keep it locked in your hand during use. The leaf-shaped blade is a classic Spyderco shape, perfect for just about any task you can expect to use your EDC for, and the stainless steel liners and sturdy lockback make this a medium-sized knife you can rely on.

The newest Native 5 LW comes with S35VN steel. S35VN was a direct upgrade to S30V, and is less brittle and easier to sharpen. This would be a great steel on a $150 dollar knife; the Native 5 LW costs $80. There is, it should be said, a version of the Native 5 with blue scales and S110V steel. It costs $110, which is still a steal, but I think the base model is where it’s at; I find it hard to believe anybody would be disappointed with S35VN — or, for that matter, this knife in general.

Here is a main disciplines that people who carry knives practice. Take the suggestion into account.

●Everyday Carry (EDC) — We can’t tell you what to look for in an EDC pocket knife design, but we can give you a few pointers as to what makes a good knife. For one thing, an EDC knife, since it will be on you every day, is going to get beaten up a lot. It’s not going to get beaten up in the way that a camp knife is, but it’s going to get dropped, dinged, nicked and hit. You might drop in into the sink or the lake or the bay or into the bottom of an engine bay. You’re also going to use it to do everything from opening bottles and envelopes to carving feather sticks. It also might not get the best care, since you’ll just have it in your pocket all the time.

The point is, an Spyderco EDC knife gets used roughly, so a good balance of edge retention, toughness and corrosion resistance is a must. Also, just our two cents — smaller is better in an EDC knife, as they stand up well to the prying and other things you’re not supposed to use pocket knives for but invariably will. Also, there’s less edge to sharpen and you’ll need to do that a lot. Get something tough, that opens and closes easily, with a strong lock and tough scales (like a G-10 handle) and you’ll be set.

Closing Thoughts

By now you should have an impression of what you need from a knife. If you do, you can get onto picking out the best Spyderco knife for you — just visit our collection of YIer knife set to get to it.

WHY CHOOSE YIERCITY?

We do authentic professional knife sets wholesale business. We want to be your stable global supporter and partner.

We are an enterprise integrated factory and trade, specializing in designing, manufacturing and selling knife sets and other kitchen supplies. We are dedicated to providing customers with high-quality knife sets and great service.

We always make every effort to supervise the manufacturing of every nice knife.

[davewakeman]

Guest Post: Eric Fuller--Ticketing 2020. New Decade, Who Dis?

Eric originally published this post on Medium. I wanted to share it with y’all because he highlights the utility of loyalty programs. I’ve been a huge fan of those going back to the years when Howard Schultz owned the Sonics and had a loyalty program that is still a decade beyond what any entertainment property is offering now. 

Welcome to the camp

I guess you all know why we’re here

My name is Tommy and I became aware this year

…….

Tickets, tickets, tickets. What’s new, what’s old and of what should you become aware? Well, let’s start here: everything you learned in the past decade is going out the window. The combination of big data, dynamic pricing and the blurring of the primary, secondary and ancillary ticketing sources into one big amorphous mass combined with the accelerating bias toward knowing just exactly who is in each seat is rewriting everything we once thought we knew.

First, the U.S. government hasn’t yet given up investigating how ticketing really works. There’s a new set of hearings by the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee in Washington D.C. on February 26, 2020. (Live stream at 10 am EST link: http://bit.ly/37ZNkjM)

It’s part of Congress’ ongoing efforts to figure out what’s lurking behind the curtain and under the hood of the major ticket markets.

The hearing, titled: In the Dark: Lack of Transparency in the Live Event Ticketing Industry is discussed in this article from TicketNews:

https://www.ticketnews.com/2020/02/house-ticketing-industry-hearing-february-26/

The house committee on Energy and Commerce summoned leaders of the biggest ticketing companies to the hearing:

https://files.constantcontact.com/7c26540f001/ddf566f8-5694-4804-933f-540fcb95b722.pdf

The leaders anticipated are truly powerful:

Amy Howe President & Chief Operating Officer Ticketmaster

Bryan Perez Chief Executive Officer AXS

Stephanie Burns Vice President and General Counsel StubHub

Ryan Fitts Vice President, Legal Affairs Vivid Seats

Don Vaccaro Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer TicketNetwork

Joe Choti President & Chief Executive Officer Tickets.com

At the same time, in the EU (or what’s left of it) there is a new push to outlaw the secondary market:

https://www.thesun.ie/news/5123468/legislation-ticket-touts-eu-approval/

And, Pearl Jam is trying to crash the party by writing its own letter about how to best regulate ticketing:

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/huddle/2020/02/18/what-pearl-jam-wrote-in-a-letter-to-rep-frank-pallone-488349

But, Representative Bill Pascrell isn’t interested in what they have to say:

https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/pascrell-rejects-pearl-jam-criticism-boss-act/

The biggest wild card to start off these hearings may be the now complete acquisition of StubHub by Viagogo. How big a deal is this? Think if Uber were bought by Tesla. Two disruptive companies, consolidated, led by Eric Baker, a man who doesn’t just march to his own tune — he composes it and makes you sing it even if the refrain is disharmonious. This company combines scale, global reach and a complete ferocity in approach. They won’t just move fast and break things. I predict they’ll invent new paradigms of how to blur primary and secondary markets, consolidate their own acquired inventory and that supplied by broker feeds, and create new pricing mechanisms to break away from the rest of the industry who’s only move to date has been to keep bumping up their fee percentages.

We’re not gonna take it

Gonna break it

Gonna shake it

Let’s forget it better still

……..

Blaming “scalpers” for high prices isn’t new for 2020, but it’s still surprising given that the global resale market for tickets will likely exceed $20 billion this year. Even more surprising, once fierce opponents such as Rage Against The Machine are “scalping” their own tickets in a strange blend of allowing both Platinum pricing into the primary distribution of their tickets while they hold back 10% of their ticket inventory in order to sell them for extra high prices with the excess money collected donated to charity.

This is an interesting take on “if you can’t beat them, join them.” It’s reminiscent of Metallica putting 92,000 tickets directly into the secondary market, but enacted with a social conscience. What’s not to like? If you want a ticket to the show, and you have the extra money, buy what’s left which are these highly inflated tickets and soothe yourself knowing the excess cost you paid went to do good rather than into the pockets of the half demented, lecherous spawn of Satan or however the media today wishes to portray those entrepreneurs who place their own capital at risk to take ownership of tickets which hold no value once an event takes place. Just one small problem though, the secondary market pricing runs purely on supply and demand. Hi demand, low supply equals high prices. Low demand, high supply equals low prices. Because, you know, math.

RATM is putting their embellished tickets (“now, with a free capital infusion to the worthy cause of our choice”) on sale for a price which is higher than that at which the free market is trading their tickets. In this truly convoluted world, the tickets being scalped by real scalpers are a better deal than the tickets being scalped by the band trying to block scalpers. Or, more cynically, the professionals who assess risk and value in the secondary market and move prices to balance supply and demand like a Vegas sports book moves odds are better at pricing at scale than a band whose intention is to completely dominate their own ticket distribution when they might be better served working on their chord progressions.

It was Kid Rock who really did this one right. Remember a few years ago when he paired up with Wal*Mart, dictated to Ticketmaster what their fees would be and put all the tickets in the arena for sale at $20, except for the best 3,000 or so which he simply sent into the secondary market to fetch whatever the market would bear? You can’t micro-manage prices on a tour of 10,000+ seat venues. It’s better to let most of the people get a $20 ticket and, if I recall, the beer prices were also capped at very friendly prices. For those who just absolutely have to be close to the front, they were welcome to pay what that cost. For everyone else, it was welcome to my house where the “Cowboy with the top let back and the sunshine shining” could “give a toast to the sun, drink with the stars, get thrown in the mix and tossed out of bars.”

See me, feel me

Touch me, heal me

See me, feel me

Touch me, heal me

…….

Moving front and center this year is a new focus on an old friend: loyalty programs. I keep hearing more and more about markets building out programs to mimic airline frequent flyer incentivization. There’s discounts, free returns, early access, discounts, vouchers — you name it, someone’s got it. The only thing I haven’t seen yet is the companion pass, but undoubtedly somebody has a power point slide ready to go arguing one way to fill an partially sold arena is to offer a free companion ticket. That, in venue speak, is how to bring in one more mouth to fill with liquor, salty snacks and one more body on which to hang a newly purchased t-shirt, hoodie or ball cap. Because no one likes to go to live events alone, an extra ticket is almost as good as a puppy for getting attention among the singles or not so singles given this new age of polyamory. I won’t ever forget once in the day selling an Insane Clown Posse ticket to a fellow over Craigslist who was so excited to go that he offered me his girlfriend for the evening. When I declined he was truly crestfallen to discover that, although I like the band, I didn’t identify as a Juggalo, wasn’t really in the mood to fly to Detroit for some curious version of tit for tat, and although I’m always open to adventure, really thought I’d prefer to preserve the relationship I held dear.

I’m a huge fan of incentive reward programs. I was there at the inception of the AA Advantage and UA Mileage Plus programs. These programs tilted all the assumptions of travel planners. Executives who would have never thought to make a stop enroute to their destination now spent hours charting out a five segment roundtrip so they could earn a free first class airline ticket to Disneyland.

Truly, airline miles presaged crypto. Miles acted as a store of value which could be exchanged for cash by selling to a broker, or for travel benefits such as airline seats or hotel rooms. It took years before the airlines figured out what governments have long known: currency devaluation. But, once the genie was let loose, publishing new and less favorable award charts requiring higher and higher numbers of miles to redeem a flight became standard practice until the newest trend of simply publishing no chart at all began to take hold. Now, on certain airlines like Delta, the price to convert miles to a seat is whatever the price is that day. There’s no longer a chart like in the old days to tell you that first class roundtrip is 100,000 miles, while coach is only 45,000.

Loyalty programs work. But, they have to be carefully designed. People are smart and they quickly figure out the loopholes and ways to maximize their benefits. One major food company to put codes redeemable for mileage beneath the peel off foil of pudding cups. It seemed like a great idea. The company drove sales and the participating airlines got money to participate. But, there’s little value in a small number of airline miles. Somebody bought enough cups to earn 1.2 million miles and donated the pudding within to charity in return for receiving their help to peel off the labels.

Man Gets Millions of Air Travel Miles from Pudding Cups

David Phillips of Davis, California, really did rack up millions of frequent-flyer airline miles as described in a…

www.snopes.com

Mileage times a million is significant. Nobody saw that coming. Well, almost nobody. There is a small group of people who made a market in those miles, me among them. I bought and sold 20 billion miles while I went to graduate school. That was really fun.

Want one more? The U.S. mint sells rolls of collectable coins which have never been circulated. You could buy them with your credit card and the mint would ship the coins to you for free. How long do you think it was before people with a mileage credit card began buying coins $10,000 at a time to get 10,000 miles. Then, when the coins arrived, still in their wrappers, took the coins to the bank, deposited them, and used the $10,000 to pay off their credit card. Do that twice a month and you’ve got 240,000 miles for free. Ultimately, the mint caught on, so that game’s over but there’s always another way to play.

Listening to you, I get the music

Gazing at you, I get the heat

Following you, I get climb the mountain

I get excitement at your feet

…….

DEMAND ( demand.area120.com ), the new product from Google is another lightning strike at the established order. Ticketing has not yet truly had a tech disruption. Yes, I know that mobile tickets are rapidly making paper stock tickets irrelevant, and that electronic secondary markets have broadened distribution, but let’s pull back the lens. Ticketing is still a tug of war where acts, shows and teams seek two things: fans and venues. There is an entire industry built of people and companies who have built the relationships to route tours, secure venues, assure the stages get built and the sound systems function and handle the mundane day to day problems when there are people and trucks moving from city to city.

What happens when technology replaces much of the work these people — the promoters — have done old school? It is still the promoter who sets ticket prices by giving the primary market the marching orders of when and how to move pricing. And, it is the promoter in conjunction who is making the decisions of which cities to play and at what sized venue. These are still “gut” decisions.

But, DEMAND and similar data driven tools may change the game. What happens when all of the pertinent information which used to take a lifetime in the business is available on a smart phone? There is an instructive example: when’s the last time anyone used a travel agent? It used to be that if you wanted an airline ticket, it was the travel agent who got it for you. They had the special computer system that could reserve a flight and issue the ticket on the special ticket paper which the airlines required they keep locked in a safe at night. And, they booked your hotel room by calling the phone numbers listed in a directory which weighted about ten pounds and listed contact information for every significant hotel in the world. Then, the internet and computers made public the ability to book flights and hotels yourself. Making reservations for planes and rooms became self-serve friendly. In March, 2002 most airlines told the travel agents who had served them since their inception that, thank you very much, we won’t need you anymore. Instead of paying agents a 10% + commission for each sale, these airlines would now pay nothing. It was up to the travel agents to add a surcharge to the price of the tickets to cover their services. As you might expect, once their “free” service was no longer free, most people quit using agents and went to the internet to book their own flights.

What does this mean for live event promoters? Well, the parallels are pretty clear. If demand, pricing and routing can be divined by easily available technology, then promoters have only two remaining virtues: the upfront money it takes to build the tour and the capacity to manage the day to day decisions which have to be made with so many moving parts. If there’s data to predict a tour’s profitability, then there will probably be risk capital available to fund it, particularly in a world with tiered distribution: primary and secondary prices can be made to work together rather than against each other. Assuming the act can secure funding to mount their tour, they can hire a tour manager to handle the issues which arise on the road.

What happens next? I think the venue owners have the most risk. Their building are a lot like hotels. They have no value unless they are filled. And, as more companies compete to build venues, there are more and more choices around the world. If promoters get marginalized, the next domino to fall is the ability of venue owners to maintain their margins. Ultimately, it only takes two competing similar venues to start a bidding war. Three venues would assure one. Again, here’s an example: in Los Angeles AEG owns Staples Center and MSG owns the Forum. Either is a great venue for an act looking to sell 12,000 + tickets. They are fighting hard to confirm acts, offering benefits at other similar venues they own in order to get the L.A. show. But, here’s the twist: Steve Ballmer (Microsoft billionaire) owns the Los Angeles Clippers and he wants to build them their own arena very close to the Forum. MSG is fighting in every forum: politically, in court, lobbying the neighborhood to prevent that venue from being built. Why? Because then there would be three similar venues competing in L.A. and we’re only one step away from someone building the venue equivalent of Priceline.

As we enter this next decade, the convergence of big capital, artificial intelligence, mobile ticketing and the increasing demand for live entertainment by a generation which gets all its needs served by smartphone in milliseconds will be transformative. In every instance where prices get out of hand, or supply and demand are imbalanced the markets correct and there’s reversion to the mean. For me, when I’m unsure of what to expect next, I look to the sages of the past, like Pete Townshend who wrote the song threaded through this piece. Ultimately, in commerce as in politics, all power resides with the people. I can’t wait to hear them.

Right behind you, I see the millions

On you, I see the glory

From you, I get opinions

From you, I get the story

We’re Not Gonna Take It — The Who

Let me know what you think.

I’m a consultant advising leading companies in the live event space. If you are an investor, artist, promoter, team, producer, venue operator, primary or secondary market of ticketed events or have comments on this article, please don’t hesitate to contact me:

Eric@FullerFacts.com

#FullerFacts

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Guest Post: Eric Fuller–Ticketing 2020. New Decade, Who Dis? was originally published on Wakeman Consulting Group

[greatdrams]

Scotch Whisky: Blagging It.

Drinking Scotch whisky as an amateur among professionals, what a ball that is.

People chink glasses, confidently swig the stuff and grunt about it with clarity reminiscent of Freemason membership.

Here’s a simple, Ikea level difficulty guide, to get you in the club. Turn up, without a print-out, and you will be flying in no time.

Nail the history

This is where you can get ahead of even the most seasoned drinkers. You don’t even have to care about flavour yet, just tartan and things.

Thanks to the fact that most whisky was initially produced either drunkenly or illegally, we don’t even need to be specific, because the record-keepers were either sloshed or in jail.

So, no one is entirely sure where the first expression (‘batch’ to you and me) of Scotch was produced, but it was probably Glenlivet. That’s a bit of a Carlsberg ‘probably’, but we’ll take it.

Next, whack out your Excise Act knowledge. Passed in 1823, the act permitted small distilleries to run at a reduced tax rate. While this could be seen as a generous business gesture by the government, it is more likely the official record of a ‘spin on that, smugglers’ gesticulation.

Another cracking bit of history is that, after Henry VIII helpfully dissolved all the monasteries, many monks were forced into illicit whisky production. This seems a fine way of dealing with the days before ‘persistent lad’ and ‘king’ were mutually exclusive roles.

Don’t muck up your malts

You know when you’re willing to buy your boss any whisky, any whisky at all, to congratulate him on his new child (Porsche), round about payrise season?

Underpaid us: Name your blend.

Boss: More of a single malt man, myself

Underpaid us: Single malt man...comedian....one and the same...

Even us amateurs know that single malts are PRICEY BUGGERS. However, this doesn’t mean they are automatically better. Here is how to explain this to your employer;

A single malt is simply a whisky which has been made in one distillery, although not necessarily one cask.

Meanwhile, blends can cocktail various malts together, from different distilleries.

That’s it! Which you choose to drink is down to personal preference, and not a compromise in quality. Some people prefer blends. Make sure you work for these people. 

Catchment Areas

Generalising Scotch as ‘Scottish’ is like calling Africa a country. Everyone will justifiably think you’re an idiot. 

Scottish whisky falls into several regions; the Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Islay and Islands. Acquaint yourselves with each of them, and if the whisky career falls through, there’s always D of E.

Highlands

Covering a lot of north, west and even east Scotland, ‘small’ would be a rogue adjective to use about the area when trying to wow the whisky crowds.

It follows that there are a lot of distilleries in this area, including big players such as Glenmorangie, Aberfeldy and Dalmore.

The Highlands are big enough for whisky flavours to differ quite considerably, but you won’t go far wrong expecting something smooth and fruity, with punches of smoke increasingly injected as you head north.

Stop taking notes...just drink some.

Lowlands

Luckily, amidst all this drunkenness, logic prevails and Lowland whiskies do tend to be softer than their Highland counterparts. Some drams are even known as the Lowland Ladies for their delicate taste. This doesn’t mean you have to own gel pens and a Mis-Teeq album to drink them. Delicate whisky is fine and even floral, but not twee.

This area covers Edinburgh and Glasgow, but there are only three distilleries here now; Auchentoshan, Glenkinchie and Bladnoch. All of these are south of the Highland ones. They’re also pretty damn good.

Speyside

Home to Glenlivet and Macallan, this eastern pocket of Scotland is prolific in the whisky world. It’s also a great place to start if you’re not sure you like whisky yet, but definitely like photography or swimming.

Typical flavours are sweet and fruity, so if in doubt just say ‘mm, fruity’ or ‘oh how sweet’ and you’ll either be praised for your knowledge of whisky, make a close new friend, or worst case scenario, discover the ins and outs of a restraining order. 

Islay

Islay malts have welly, so if you want to dive in the deep end, head here. Smoke and peat marry to make you an instantly hardcore drinker. Laphroaig, Bruichladdich and Bowmore all set up camp here.

NB: Don’t ruin your new street-cred by skipping around saying ‘I went to Iz-lay’ like an excitable American let loose in Birmingham. Islay is pronounced ‘Eye-la’, and the locals do mind. 

Islands

Arran, Mull, Jura, Orkney and Skye make up the whisky professionals in the island stakes.

Individualistic malts hail from these sea-hemmed lands, ranging from feathery citrus notes to harangues of peaty smoke. For the latter, pay a visit to Talisker on the Isle of Skye, whilst Tobermory on the Isle of Mull provides sugar and spice and all things nice.

The big faux pas for the amateur to avoid here is to think that Highland Park is situated in the Highlands. That would ruin everything, especially your chance of making friends in Orkney. 

Do whatever you want

Drink whisky however the hell you like. If this means adding water to your dram, so what? It took zorbing to a whole new level, why not whisky?

Some professionals believe that adding water to whisky releases the flavours, whilst others prefer it straight. This debate among the elite means that, as an amateur, you can’t lose. Unless you bring a bottle of diet lemonade, they you probably can. 

Mix your match

There might be snobbery around whisky cocktails, but the idea is still to enhance the spirit, not to cover it up. Grab this creative license, and run like the wind.

Play around with flavours. Be that guy with the cinnamon stick or rosemary sprig. You can always pretend they’re medicinal. 

Get a grip on glasses

Apparently it is very important not to drink whisky from a glass with straight edges. 

WAIT, DON’T RUN AWAY AT THIS RIDICULOUS AND DEMANDING PREREQUISITE.

Whilst ‘glass gradient’ might, and does, sound stupid, softer edges will allow the whisky’s aromas to delight your nose more easily. Half the taste is in the smell, after all.

Saying this, don’t run around dismissively smashing glasses on the basis that they’re too angular.

Don’t down it

However bad your day has been, try not to knock your whisky back in one.

Whilst ‘nosing’ whisky might sound like a sure-fire way to get stabbed by the ale drinker next to you, it’s a vital part of tasting the spirit.

Just take short sniffs, with your mouth open, moving the glass slightly closer to your nose as you do so. This kind of behaviour can easily pass as stress, or a cold, to the untrained eye.

Storage

You got it, a cool dark place. Don’t shove it away with your ex-girlfriend’s belongings, but do keep it away from the new one’s sunbed.

Lingo

Jargon is probably the easiest way to fake it until you make it.

Nose: It means smell, stick your oar in and get a whiff.

Notes: Different elements that make up the flavour. Flavour’s children.

Legs: The length of the strands of the whisky that run back down the glass after you’ve sipped from it. The longer the legs, the stronger the whisky.

Angel’s Share: A poetic description of the stuff that evaporates – about 2% of the whisky disappears during maturation.

Dram: A measure of whisky.

Hog’s Head: A 250 litre cask which whisky is left to mature in/ the conception point of a wonderful party.

Quaich: A traditional two-handed drinking bowl, often used for passing around at highland gatherings. Bet you’re glad you finally know what that thing’s called.

Usige Beatha: The Gaelic for whisky, meaning ‘water of life’, or whatever you want it to after a few drams. 

Colour your way to the top

Colour is another great key into the whisky world. Invest in a Dulux colour chart, memorise the browns, and you’ll be able to do this the barman pours the drink into your softly-edged glass;

‘Candied Caramel you think? I’d say this one’s more of an Autumn Amber, or perchance a Saffron Butter?’

Voila. You’re a god.

Just avoid classics like ‘Bagel Whisper’ and ‘Congo Suntan’, then you will be rumbled for the paint expert that you are.

Spelling it right

If all else is lost, grab the handcuffs and be the spelling police. Whisky without an ‘e’ is used to describe Scotch, whilst ‘whiskey’ is use to denote Irish and American versions of the spirit, and is therefore wrong in this context.

Don that red pen and show those e-happy kids what you’re made of.

Follow all of these steps, and you will con everyone into thinking that you know what you’re talking about.*

*At the very least you will a tad inebriated so you will mistake the mocking laughter for applause.

The post Scotch Whisky: Blagging It. appeared first on GreatDrams.

from GreatDrams http://ift.tt/2iiQiWy Greg

[dil-howlters-mirror]

Most Useful Tents

These oversize chairs are Large Enough to Accommodate mother, dad, the children, and all the camping equipment.

 Certainly, one of my favorite tactics to contact my interior Clark Griswold will always be to package the family members and scoot the street to seek out reprieve at the shape of the polyester decoration shield, a campfire, and also the messiest s am ores around the planet. The truth is that decades back, we began a convention of going on the camping excursion daily immediately after the previous day of faculty. In essence, it truly is our manner of kicking the summer months. Last calendar year, we are researching the lakes and ponds across Bend, Oregon.

 I have heard that the secret, together with almost any family camping journey, is relaxation, and also relaxation begins having a dependable kayak. However, with many tent layouts, substances, and also features obtainable, it could be tough to understand which shield could agree with your family. To assist, here's a list of family-sized, reputable, and cheap tents to take into consideration before moving on your own very first instantly in a distant corner of these forests or even in your backyard.

 Inch. Coleman WeatherMaster

I have been around a lot more than one camping journey at which, in fact, the biting bugs had been bad that we needed to cover up out at the tent. We did not receive little; however, we felt just like we have been trapped indoors. This is exactly the reason why I enjoy chairs having a modest"porch" that is distinct from your primary bedroom. Even the Coleman WeatherMaster comes with a 9x6 ft porch with displays that extend out of the bottom for the cover of the tent, that will be perfect in case you would like to relish fresh atmosphere over a trendy day. Indoors, there is enough space for just two queen-sized inflatable beds. Also, now there are lantern hangars and net storage pockets. Though it really is not the priciest or expensive (3 2 kilos ) family-sized tent within this particular list, the WeatherMaster remains inflexible, assembled using durable substances that will come within an oversize carry tote, also does not simply take to prepare.

 If you feel wet and cold while swimming, you are unhappy, therefore when you are thinking of a fresh tent, then do not merely measure it with its dimensions, pounds loss, or structure study the rain-fly too. Quite a few models do not include things like pay that moves all of the ways into the floor also addresses the whole tent. Shelters like the NTK Arizona GT that comprises the complete polyester rain fly. This is laminated using a polyurethane coating for water immunity that really does an excellent job of retaining precipitation off the full shield. That clearly was really a divider to generate just two chambers indoors two-door, several bedrooms and internet utility pockets, and venting vents to maintain air going.

 Ozark Route 9-person Instantaneous Cabin Tent

Ozark Course took a peek out of mobile hunting blind layouts as it established its instantaneous Cabin, also demonstrates assembling substantial, multi-room tents will not need to become intricate. The most exceptional characteristic with this protector could be that the framework sticks are attached with the tent, and everything you have to accomplish in order to put up it is stretch the corner affirms, then raise the roofing just like an umbrella (or searching blind). Ozark Path claims that accomplished accurately, place time up averages about 2 moments, that will be perfect when you should be attempting to corral a crazy little one, or even terrible weather conditions are on the horizon. Indoors are 3 individual doors to get private chambers huge enough to inflatable queen beds, screened windows, equipment pockets, and electric cable accessibility (in the event that you are screwing into or working out a chainsaw to get strength ), plus an in-wall porch. A tiny rain-fly and take bag are comprised.

 As the rod style and design are like Ozark Path's Instant Cabin,'' CORE asserts you are able to vertical their Immediate Cabin Tent within 60 minutes, that will be far faster compared to anticipated installment days of almost any additional tent exhibited. However, one other fine feature relating to its version would be your extra-wide doorway, that zippers down the center and also opens nearly as extensive as the complete front walls. The tent cloth is heat-sealed in the seams and also medicated using CORE's H2O repellant to maintain out moisture. Indoors there's overhead storage, mesh pockets over the walls, and also flexible vents. A tiny rain-fly that chiefly handles the surface of the tent and also a storage bag has been all included.

 It truly is tough to consider camping, maybe not consider this identify Coleman. For years that the business has generated trusted, a cheap exterior equipment, plus also they reveal no indicators of reducing. Their do me tent can be an inexpensive selection for those who get a tiny family that does not mind sleeping with each other in 1 space, and also, you also enjoy the notion of owning a tiny, screened, and porch-like space from the front door. Space makes for a fantastic space for storing, particularly to get filthy shoes that muck the quarters. You will find storage pockets across the inner walls, and also, the rain-fly has a window so that you may make the windows open for venting whenever it really is raining.

 The wonderful thing concerning the Camp Creek out of ALPS Mountaineering could be that the 4 partitions are nearly completely vertical, so that will be perfect for the headroom, especially in the event that you line the within the perimeter with twin-sized cots or upholstered beds. You will find storage pockets, including attachment straps for hanging lamps, and also 4 screened windows indoors. The lace rain fly comes with a weather-protective coating, although it merely covers the top one of this kayak, it's an awning which goes outside across the entrance if that you desire to abandon apparel or alternative gear out.

  Ozark Route 16x16 Instantaneous Cabin

 If a household wants to go big or go home if it regards planting equipment, then subsequently that particular tent out of Ozark Path may possibly be to you personally. Built about precisely the exact easy-setup pole style and design as that their 6-person immediate Cabin, the l shaped 16x16-foot variant could be your biggest and lightest tent within this particular list. Additionally, it includes two entrances, about three split up area dividers plus also a huge entrance awning, seven windows, electric cable accessibility, and oversize floor vents for venting --or even an air purifier, even in case roughing it really isn't your own style. Ozark also asserts that an installation period significantly less than just two moments, and also the design is very good in case you enjoy to habit organize your camp using something just like a"living space" in the midst, together with two sleeping areas churns off to either side. A rain-fly and take bag are comprised.

 NTK is famous for the streamlined, lightweight, and backcountry tents, plus so they've shot those style and design flaws and implemented them into your sizable, family-style line-up of shelters. Even the Indy GT is the one that looks like a protector you would package to get a bivy search. However, it really is ample enough to allow for up to adults. Moreover, the polyester rainfly handles the mantle all of the solutions for the bottom; thus, there is less chance of humidity invading the tent. Indoors you can find storage pockets, a lantern ring, as well as a silver-coated flooring to maintain warmth. Even the full device packs into an enclosed duffel bag for transportation.

 In the event that you prefer the notion of the connection involving sleeping regions, however, do not enjoy the notion of lugging around a gigantic tent, then subsequently look at the two-door Family Camping Tent from Timber Ridge. This dome-shaped refuge isn't hard to prepare and shoot down. The broad doorway allows usage of either side of this tent in the event the divider has been put in, and also, the windows and screened roofing enable significantly more than plenty of venting. Although rain-fly does not offer you much security, it can possess a doorway awning in the event that you'd like to maintain socks beyond the entrance, along with also the whole unit is amongst the absolute most streamlined stalls to likewise include things like power cord vents.

 Winterial Tee-pee Tent

 If the children are similar to mine, then there is absolutely no limit to that which they view, listen, and also do if their own imagination happens. Some times they all desire is that a fantastic jumping-off stage --and also exactly what better way to kickstart their camp-time imagination compared to simply by telling them you are all bathing at a teepee. Even the six-person version from Winterial gets got the design and feel of the conventional teepee. Nonetheless, it has made out of modern substances. Also, it's a full-size rain-fly to maintain every one indoors safe against this weather. It truly is simple to prepare and just takedown, and even in the event that you should be okay without shedding a little chunk of one's yard this summer, then it is really a significant refuge for the children to host garden sleepovers or imaginary adventures.

[its-zhangjiashuai-us]

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143.

At your part of the world, is it summer now? >> Nope, it’s autumn.

What's the warmest it can get over there? How about the coldest? >> In this specific part of the US, it doesn’t get much hotter than the low 90s Fahrenheit in the average summer, and can sink to the teens in winter. That’s all average, of course; anomalies happen, especially now with climate change.

Is there a bad habit you're trying to break right now? >> I’m trying to break a lot of bad habits, actually. I think I’m doing rather well for, you know, being one person doing it all by itself.

Is it easy to find a job in your preferred field in your home town? >> ---

When is the last time you went to a fun fair? How about an amusement park? >> I haven’t been to either in a long while. Unless Craig’s Cruisers counts as an amusement park... it’s more like a Chuck E Cheese’s than anything else, but.

Did you/will you take part in your city's Pride parade this year? If not, why not? >> Grand Rapids Pride is a money sink (yes, one has to pay just to attend, and the price can get steep), and as my only experiences with Pride were as a New Yorker, it makes me salty as fucking hell and definitely seems to miss the point completely for me. So, no, I don’t go.

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Have you ever played the original Mass Effect trilogy? If so, which Shepard and who do you like romancing the best? >> I’ve played it several times, yeah. Adrian is a Ruthless Earthborn Shepard who romanced Tali in-game (but is in a great alien polycule outside of gamecanon, because I do what I want).

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If you learned that you suddenly needed an aid of some sort to do something that you normally don't need (glasses, hearing aid, etc.), would you comply or would you put it off until there was no choice anymore? >> Putting it off until there was no choice would just cause me more problems and suffering, so I’d rather adjust to it as quickly as possible, especially while it was still a manageable problem.

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[carlsonknives]

CAMPING | Our Verdict On The Funky New Weekender Bell Tent From Boutique Camping

From festivals to family camping, we think the new Weekender Bell Tent from Boutique Camping has got a lot going for it. As well as being easier to care for than traditional Cotton Canvas or Polycotton, the lower price point, high quality and funky looks make this tent a great buy for both families and festival goers. Read on for our full review.

What is it?

5m Weekender Bell Tent from Boutique Camping RRP £329 View the Weekender Bell Tent rage

Features

4m and 5m versions available in 3 different colours/patterns – Quirky Aztec print, rainbow and classic light brown/beige

Lightweight polyester bell tent with zipped in ground sheet

Secondary mosquito door, with thicker guy ropes and extra strong pegs

Spring loaded 32mm diameter centre pole

Branded metal guy rope sliders, zips and customised bag with length-way zipper

Hydrostatic head rating of 2000

Comes with 12 months manufacturers warranty

5m – 21kg

Packed down dimensions – 95cm x 28cm x 28cm

Comes complete with heavy-duty pegs and even a mallet

The generously sized patterned branded carry bag

The new Weekender Bell Tent in aztec print arrived and I rushed to get it out of its packaging. With a patterned carry bag, this tent immediately stands out and inside the bag you’ll find instructions on how to erect and care for your tent, along with excellent quality heavy-duty pegs and even a branded Boutique Camping mallet.

At £279 for the 4m and £329 for the 5m version, Weekender Bell Tents are substantially cheaper than a regular bell tent. The reason being that the Weekender is not made from 100% cotton canvas or Polycotton like traditional bell tents are, and isntead use cheaper Polyester.

The Aztec print close up

Putting The Tent Up

Putting up the Weekender Bell Tent is a doddle and even the 5m can easily be put up by one person alone. Putting up the tent took me around 15, starting with laying the tent down and pegging out the ground sheet. Next in goes the big centre pole to provide the tent with it’s distinctive shape, then the A-frame pole for the door pops inside, then finally the guy ropes are pegged into place. Putting up the tent was made faster as the guy ropes come pre-attached where previous tents I’ve owned from Boutique Camping have arrived with the guy ropes separately.

Beautiful quality branded guy rope adjusters

Space Inside

Inside the Weekender Bell Tent, the space is exactly the same as in any other bell tent of the same size. The 5m is my preferred size, simply because we usually take loads of camp furniture with us and like space when we camp. The 5m bell tent is the ideal size for a family though, and you’ll easily sleep 5 people inside this tent, more if you are on simple, space-saving SIMs.

Due to the height of the bell tent and the light colour of the fabric, it feels really light and airy inside, and you get an immense feeling of space and freedom, a feeling you just don’t get inside even the most generous standing-height family tunnel tent.

Inside the 5m Weekender Bell Tent

Looks

Once up the tent looks great, the pattern is really lovely and looks better close-up in the flesh than it does in photos. Because the polyester fabric isn’t as heavy, I found getting the centre pole in much easier than I do when putting up my standard canvas bell tent. Once up, for some reason I expected the tent to be loser and flappier than a canvas bell, but it held it’s shape really well and felt strong and stable, just like a regular bell tent.

Whilst the Aztec print won’t be for everyone, I love the design. Close up, it’s really funky and vibrant, but far away the print is much more subtle and doesn’t leave the tent looking too conspicuous. If you want your tent to scream for attention then the rainbow version is definitely worth taking a look at.

Branding on the outside of the tent

Practicality

The tent is lighter than a Cotton or Polycotton bell tent but it is still quite heavy. Obviously a tent like this isn’t one for inconspicuous wild camping or one that you’d want to carry any real distance. Whilst this new range of tents has been developed with the festival goer in mind, if you are considering this tent for a festival, then I’d recommend that you invest in a wheeled trolley so you won’t have to lug it miles from the car park.

We camped in boiling hot weather, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the tent still felt airy inside. The interior certainly felt no hotter than the Polycotton tent we pitched next to it. Just like Polycotton bell tents from Boutique Camping, the Weekender has plenty of mesh covered half-moon vents, allowing air to flow through the tent, and the mesh on the front door also allowed us to keep the interior relatively cool by keeping the doors open whilst the mesh kept the bugs outside.

The centre pole up inside the Weekender Bell Tent

The 5m Weekender provides ample space for a family and it benefits from the same great quality features found on more expensive tents in the Boutique Camping range. The lower weight, slightly smaller pack-size and the modern polyester fabric that is quicker to dry and far easier to take care of makes the Weekender that bit more practical than a Cotton Canvas or Polycotton bell tent.

Final Thoughts

Although this tent is at a much lower price point than the polycotton bell tent range available from Boutique Camping, it’s the same great quality. Sure the fabric is much thinner as it’s made from lightweight polyester so you might find that after several years of use it’s not quite as hard-wearing as 100% cotton or a polycotton bell tent, but, there are so many benefits with this tent (lower price, reduced weight, ease of care, funky pattern) that it’s hard to ignore.

Air vents in side the tent and handy little storage pockets

With it’s eye catching funky aztec print (we also love the bright rainbow version), it’s lower price point, a respectable 2,000 HH and at a weight of 21kg for the 5m Weekender bell tent, whilst It’s by no means a light tent, it is significantly lighter than a cotton or polycotton bell tent.

From festivals to family camping, we think the Weekender Bell Tent is an excellent buy.

For festival use, a wheeled trolley is a must though as carrying 21kg of tent for any real distance won’t be much fun! This is a great quality tent; ideal for everything from festivals to family camping and we think the Weekender Bell Tent is an excellent buy.

Thank you to Boutique Camping who supplied the featured product for us to test. We were not paid for this review.

The post CAMPING | Our Verdict On The Funky New Weekender Bell Tent From Boutique Camping appeared first on Camping with Style Camping Blog | Activities • Glamping • Travel • Adventure.

Original Source http://www.campingwithstyle.co.uk/camping-our-verdict-on-the-funky-new-weekender-bell-tent-from-boutique-camping/ For the best knives to use whilst camping check out Carlson Knives http://www.carlsonknives.com/

[ralphmorgan-blog1]

The Chrome Extensions We Can’t Live Without

Nearly two-thirds of internet users turn to Chrome for their browsing needs, but far fewer take full advantage of its available extensions, the add-ons that elevate it from good to great. If you're one of those plain vanilla Chrome users—or if you've only dabbled in the extensions game—check out these sprinkles of joy that the WIRED staff swears by.

The following list of Chrome extension recommendations is by no means comprehensive; there are plenty to explore and discover in the Chrome Web Store. (If you go exploring, just make sure you stick with reputable developers.) But these are the ones we depend on every day to keep our internet experience as sane and enjoyable as possible. May they do the same for you.

Wayback Machine

Have you ever clicked on an interesting link, only to be greeted by a 404 Error? Wayback Machine’s Chrome extension can help. Created by the Internet Archive—a nonprofit that preserves billions of web pages—the extension shows you what a website looked like in the past, even if has since been deleted. It can turn up the most recent version of a page it has saved, or go back to the first time the Internet Archive recorded it. That latter can be especially illuminating. For example, you can see what a user’s Twitter account looked like when they created it, or how a company’s website appeared when it first launched. One drawback: Wayback Machine doesn’t have a record of every webpage on the internet. But it can also help you prevent others from vanishing in the future: The extension lets you save the web page you’re currently visiting to the Internet Archive's database. —staff writer Louise Matsakis

The Great Suspender

You'll find many tab management solutions on this list, but the best by far for my purposes is the Great Suspender, an extension which, as the name suggests, suspends any Chrome tabs that you've left fallow for a given amount of time. As someone who keeps well over a dozen tabs open at any given time during the day—and often more—this has been an inestimable boon to my laptop and my sanity. And when it's time to revisit a page, a simple click springs it back to life. It also lets you whitelist any tabs, like Gmail, that are too precious to suspend. —news editor Brian Barrett

PixelBlock

Have I read your email? That’s for me to know and you not to find out. This Chrome extension spots and blocks attempts to track when messages are opened and send that data back to the sender. I know who’s tracking me by the small red eye icon that appears next to messages in Gmail. Sure, I’m not surprised that services like Mailchimp track when messages are opened, but I’m sketched out when professional contacts do the same. — Joanna Pearlstein, deputy editor, newsroom standards

animatedTabs

The best Chrome extensions effortlessly improve our lives in small but impactful ways. And animatedTabs does exactly that. Once installed, the extension will automatically load a random GIF in the center of every new Chrome tab you open. Sound annoying? Come on, people, this is a pure delight. It seems like the GIFs largely source from Reddit’s /r/gifs/, so you mostly get previously undiscovered gems; there's not much crying Jordan, or and shark cat on a Roomba. But what beats new? And all because you opened a tab to finally pay your three months overdue speeding ticket! The only downside to animatedTabs? You never know when it’s going to generate something NSFW or just dumb. But the real internet cred comes from not caring. —staff writer Lily Newman

xTab

Bedeviled by browser-tab clutter? Try xTab. It restricts the number of pages you can have open in a given browser window. Just set your cap and go about your business. When you exceed your limit, the extension gets to culling, automatically axing your oldest, least-accessed, or least-recently-used tab. It can also prevent you from opening excess tabs altogether. I use that last setting the most; I like to do triage myself. Plus, I'm working on killing my reflexive tabbing habit, and being interrupted in the act helps keep my fingers in check. If you've tried other tab managers in the past and found them wanting, this could be your ticket; where most encourage you to cmd-T with abandon, xTab retrains you to curate a more manageable tabscape in real-time. —senior writer Robbie Gonzalez

Go Back With Backspace

In July of 2016, the world changed for the worse. Up until that point, the backspace key on your desktop keyboard doubled as a back button in Chrome. It had been that way since the browser's launch some eight years prior. By mid-2016, this action—a simple keystroke to go back one page in your browser history—had become hardwired in our lizard brains. But Google removed the backspace action that summer, because it caused a particularly Googley problem: People were losing work in web apps. When a user typed into a browser text field and hit the backspace key hoping to correct a typo, they'd sometimes inadvertently cause the browser to jump back one page, nuking whatever efforts they'd spent the last few minutes sweating over. Sure, that's annoying. But imagine the outrage of millions of Chrome users when, upon the next browser update, the backspace key suddenly did nothing. Google had neutered one of the most useful mechanisms for navigating the web. Thankfully, the company recognized our plight and just weeks later released this extension, which restores the back-button functionality of the backspace key. Hallelujah. The preferred keystroke of Alt + left arrow is still the default in Chrome, and maybe you're used to that now. But why force yourself to press two keys when you can install this extension and press only one? —Senior editor Michael Calore

OneTab

You know when you open Chrome and the browser is like, "Are you sure you want to reopen 400 tabs?" (Yes I do, and rude!) Maybe it's a selection of news articles you're planning to read later, or the aftermath of clicking through dozens of Wikipedia pages. Maybe you don't even know what's in all those tabs. Either way, keeping them all open puts a huge strain on your browser. Close them all—without losing them forever—with the handy OneTab extension. One click of the button neatly collates all your open tabs into one list of links that you can revisit later. It saves your computer incredible amounts of RAM, speeds up the browser immediately, and keeps all those links handy for when you're totally, definitely, someday coming back to read them. —senior associate editor Arielle Pardes

HabitLab

My name is Tom and I have a Twitter problem—but I’m getting help from a Chrome extension called HabitLab. Anytime I look at the bird-logoed slot machine of trolling, outrage, and thinkfluencing, there’s now a bold banner at the top counting how long I’ve been on the site that day. If I open a Twitter tab but regain my senses and close it again quickly, a pop-up informs me how many seconds I just saved compared to my usual time-wasting visit. The message comes with a different “Good job!” GIF each time; most recently it was Jimmy Kimmel. HabitLab was developed by Stanford’s Human Computer Interaction group to help those of us suffering internet distraction disorder (most of us?) take control of our online habits. When first installed, it prompts you to identify the sites you want to spend less time on. HabitLab will then keep track of your wasted seconds, minutes, and hours and display them in neat charts. It also offers a menu of “nudges” to help keep those trend lines moving in the right direction. One of them is the timer that now haunts me on Twitter, a nudge called the Supervisor. Others include GateKeeper, which makes you wait a few seconds before loading a page you’ve been trying to give up, and the devilish 1Minute Assassin, which kills a tab after 60 seconds. —senior writer Tom Simonite

Eye Dropper

I am not a designer, and I’m sure that those who are have far better tools for pulling colors off of web pages than Eye Dropper, a mostly, but not always, functional extension that lets you eye-drop any color from around the web and grab its RGB and Hex color codes. It’s particularly handy for quick fixes that don’t necessitate slowing down your computer by opening Photoshop—like, say, updating the text on a WIRED section page to make it more readable. It isn’t the prettiest extension, and it’s all too easy to accidentally trigger the eyedropper if, like me, you’re prone to hitting alt-P instead of command-P when trying to print—but Eye Dropper gets the job done. —digital producer Miranda Katz

Ghostery

If you’ve ever seen a Google ad follow you around the entire web and back, you know just how annoying and invasive online tracking can become. Ghostery is a fascinating way to see which services websites use to track and collect data about you. It creates a little icon with a number, showing you how many trackers every site uses. Wikipedia, for example, has 0. Most other sites have at least a few. You can see what they use to monitor their website traffic and serve ads, then block services that you don’t like. It’s not perfect; sometimes it will break sites you want to visit, and you’ll have to turn it off or pause it, although the latest release uses AI powers to help minimize the collateral damage. —senior writer Jeffrey Van Camp

ProPublica’s What Facebook Thinks You Like

Facebook thinks I like arachnids because my brother writes for a TV show called Scorpion. It thinks I like Christmas Eve because Pearlstein, and it thinks I like flywheels because my late friend Eric Scott was in a band by that name. I know all of this thanks to ProPublica’s cool Facebook Chrome Extension, which helps me see what Facebook thinks about me and then lets me rate how spot-on—or not—the site’s analysis is, using the aptly named Creepy Meter. —J.P.

Pocket

I fly a lot. In the past year, I've taken roughly a dozen round trips, each with their own fun, idiosyncratic layovers and delays. To pass the tarmac time, I could watch a bunch of downloaded episodes of The Crown or The Great British Baking Show. I could read a good ol'-fashioned book. Or I could connect to plane Wi-Fi and incessantly check Twitter. Instead, what I prefer to do before leaving for the airport is save a bunch of stories to Pocket. This nifty extension allows you to stow away things you want to read later, no internet connection necessary (though if you use the Pocket app on your phone, be sure to sync it over Wi-Fi or a network connection before going into Airplane mode). Pocket also recommends stories, based on other users you follow or topics that interest you, and allows you to optimize your reading experience—I prefer a serif font with a black background and very large text to protect my fatigued eyes. But for someone who opens a million tabs with an intention to eventually read them all, it's my preferred way to dog-ear a story. If you want to start saving, here’s a shameless plug to visit WIRED's Backchannel page, chock-full of excellent long-form narratives that will transport you during your disconnected commute. —WIRED.com editor Andrea Valdez

1Password

Getting a password manager extension means getting a password manager, so definitely do that. All the major managers—LastPass, Dashlane, 1Password, KeePass—offer Chrome extensions, and they're crucial to making password managers easy to use. The browser extensions act as a quick control center to fill login forms, generate new passwords, and save new credentials into your manager. And though password managers can work without extensions, switching back and forth to a standalone desktop application can be clunky while you’re browsing online. These extensions do carry some potential security risks, but if they're what get you on a password manager in the first place, they're worth it. —L.M.

Google Calendar

You probably use Google Calendar every day—many, many times. Instead of letting it permanently squat on valuable tab real estate on your desktop, try the Google Calendar Chrome extension instead. It puts a small Calendar icon in the upper right of your browser window, right where you’d expect. Tap it, and a box drops down, showing you all the meetings you have coming up. I like the design because it reminds me of the wonderful Google Cal widget on my Android home screen. It’s just a one-shot view of the meetings and events you have coming up in the next week or two. You can customize which calendars appear, which is also nice, because if you’re like me, you have a ton of them. For more display options—or to get crazy and log in to two Google Calendars at the same time—try the Checker Plus for Google Calendar extension. It’s not official but works well. —J.V.C.

And More

WIRED editor in chief Nicholas Thompson swears by Grammarly, an extension that checks your emails, tweets, Facebook posts, and other online missives for spelling and grammar mistakes. Features editor Mark Robinson recommends Reader View, which he describes as a "one-button, rather lo-fi instant Instapaper," stripping web articles down to the bare essentials. And while senior writer Andy Greenberg has not used it and likely never would, he did find an extension called Kardashian Krypt, which encrypts your messages in images of Kim Kardashian using a technique known as steganography.

The Chrome Zone

Chrome extensions are a delight, but installing them from untrusted sources can lead to a world of hurt. (hurt = malware)

The way Ghostery has evolved ad-blocking with—what else—artificial intelligence is worth a closer look.

In 2016 we took a in-depth look at the 'Department of Chromeland Security'—the Google engineers working overtime to secure the web.

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  The Chrome Extensions We Can’t Live Without was originally posted by A 18 MOA Top News from around

[dine-on-nervine]

lactated Ringer’s solution

1) Sexuality? Straight but not narrow.

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? Elon Musk.

3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17. Since no electricity or batteres are used, it is shockproof, harmless to the smallest child. (Advertisement for a $7.99 pocket radio that supposedly does not require batteries, Feb 1954 Science and Mechanics magazine)

4) What do you think about most? Titties.

5) What does your latest text message from someone else say? ”which”

6) Do you sleep with or without clothes on? Without.

7) What's your strangest talent? Music trivia.

8) Girls.... (finish the sentence); Boys.... (finish the sentence) Girls are considered amazing perfect creatures but trust me, they poop and fart and pee themselves and smell sweaty and have stale breath just like you. Boys are less straight than they want you to think.

9) Ever had a poem or song written about you? Yes! T² wrote “A Fragile Wounded Hawk” and Chad wrote ”I’m Very Breathless.”

10) When is the last time you played the air guitar? Probably last night at work. Cuz that’s what we do.

11) Do you have any strange phobias? I have reasonable phobias.

12) Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose? Every one of them.

13) What's your religion? I say United Methodist but I practice something more animistic.

14) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing? Walking at the park, getting my head on straight.

15) Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it? Behind, because I am not photogenic.

16) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band? Simple because it requires no explanation: Depeche Mode.

17) What was the last lie you told? Probably “Glad to see you!” to all but one of my customers.

18) Do you believe in karma? Absolutely. Do not cross it.

19) What does your URL mean? Nervine was a sedative created in 1889 by Dr Miles of Miles Laboratories, one of the original “Mother’s Little Helper” OTC chill-outs, which was produced until 1999 -- but reformulated to remove one ingredient and then was called a sleep aid in the 1950s due to the FDA. “Dine on Nervine” rhymes so...

20) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength? My greatest strength is that I believe in others. My greatest weakness is that I don’t do enough to make myself more awesome.

21) Who is your celebrity crush? I won’t claim to have one but I’d really enjoy some private time with spokesmodel Jan Brehm from the local car dealership ads. Before she moved to BMW Northwest, she was the Korum Whorum.

22) Have you ever gone skinny dipping? Many times. That was the thing when I worked at the local fair, after they closed for the day I’d hop in the hot tubs with whomever was available.

23) How do you vent your anger? Used to be driving backroads with loud music.

24) Do you have a collection of anything? I have a collection of everything, and not enough storage space for it.

25) Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online? I don’t video chat, so it’d have to be talking on the phone.

26) Are you happy with the person you've become? This is a work in progress but.. yeah, I’m doing better, thank you.

27) What's a sound you hate; sound you love? Sound I hate is Trump supporters echoing lies; sound I love is when my awesometastic girlfriend tells me I have nice eyes (or anything else).

28) What's your biggest "what if"? I’ve made allusions to it in the past but that blog is gone, so a very swift version: When I was 15 at camp I was in the arms of the girl I wanted to get something going with, and then her rival shoved a note in my back pocket that swayed my attention. What I’d do to go back and ignore the distraction.

29) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens? Both exist but not in the ways that we like to think of them.

30) Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm. Right... Epson scanner.  Left... my cereal bowl.

31) Smell the air. What do you smell? A fresh fart competing with a sweet sandalwood incense.

32) What's the worst place you have ever been to? The KeyBank call center in Auburn, WA. Management bitches will cut you.

33) Choose East Coast or West Coast? No question. Left siiide!

34) Most attractive singer of your opposite gender? Cia Berg of Whale or Annette Strean of Venus Hum.

35) To you, what is the meaning of life? To make others happy.

36) Define Art. That which makes you feel something when it enters your brain.

37) Do you believe in luck? I believe that statistics are no match for random good.

38) What's the weather like right now? Raining on and off.

39) What time is it? Nine minutes after eight post-meridian.

40) Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed? I drive and I have had an accident or two.

41) What was the last book you read? How To Be A Badass by Jen Sincero.

42) Do you like the smell of gasoline?| A little.

43) Do you have any nicknames? I might. Other people call me whatever they call me. Like my high school computer teacher called me Inski, and my ex called me Piss-Ant.

44) What was the last movie you saw? In the theatre, Deadpool. At home as a torrent, Star Wars VII.

45) What's the worst injury you've ever had? Not really sure. Some pratfalls but nothing severe.

46) Have you ever caught a butterfly? Yes.

47) Do you have any obsessions right now? Apple box labels?

48) What's your sexual orientation? You asked this question as the very first item.

49) Ever had a rumor spread about you? Constantly. A few might even be true.

50) Do you believe in magic? Stage magic, yes. White magick, in limited amounts.

51) Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong? Ask my parents, they’ll say yes. Anyone else, I try not to most of the time.

52) What is your astrological sign? Libra.

53) Do you save money or spend it? My goal is to save. But my present budget does not allow this.

54) What's the last thing you purchased? Hotdog at Costco. Before that, two ranuncula.

55) Love or lust? You’re going to have to give me more direction. What are you asking?

56) In a relationship? Yes. :-D <3

57) How many relationships have you had? There have been several.

58) Can you touch your nose with your tongue? Better, what else can I touch with my tongue?

59) Where were you yesterday? Wednesday: stayed in bed until like 9am, did some stuff around the house, went to work, got home before 9pm, eventually went to bed.

60) Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you? The pricetag on a 12x12 frame behind me.

61) Are you wearing socks right now? Not just socks, they’re SmartWool.

62) What's your favorite animal? Kitties!

63) What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you? Mad oral skills.

64) Where is your best friend? I assume that since it’s a Thursday night and his car is in the shop, he’s at home watching movies while ripping vinyl to CD.

65) Spit or swallow? (; “the difference between like and love”... It’s rude to spit.

66) What is your heritage? I don’t claim to have one.

67) What were you doing last night at 12 AM? I think I was still on the computer at the time, but if I wasn’t I was nestled in my bed.

68) What do you think is Satan's last name? Drumpf. But he changed it when he got into the States.

69) Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off? Damn straight, erry day sometimes. And you can be next.

70) Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend? I definitely try to be. I am kind and generous and knowledgeable and fun.

71) You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do? Wonder why the hell I was in Sunnyside, since if I’m on the opposite side on the Cascades will I be making it across the pass and to work on time?

72) You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid? I would tell no one because I like the element of surprise. I’d be liquidating my cool stuff to good homes because I never want to be a victim of Storage Wars, plus I would be throwing all caution to the wind and act hedonistic... “live like you were dying”, literally. Afraid? Petrified. But if I gotta go, sitting at home bawling about it ain’t gonna fix shit, I gots stuff to do.

73) You can only have one of these things; trust or love. Not sure how you get love without trust. Just love me.

74) What's a song that always makes you happy when you hear it? Latest one was “Just Can’t Get Enough” by Depeche Mode. That came on the radio and I was all over it.

75) What are the last four digits in your cell phone number? WROQ! \m/   (In high school my phone number was BIT-0-FaRM.)

76) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship? Trust, understanding, fidelity, humor, fun, honesty, mutual interests, compassion, and a mutual desire to be happy together in all ways.

77) How can I win your heart? Well, take off that shirt, for starts, and show me your heart.

78) Can insanity bring on more creativity? It definitely drops some artificial barriers. However, periodic mental illness such as bipolar rather than insanity is what brings a lot of creativity.

79) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far? To let go of the past and invite in the present. (Thanks, Cara.)

80) What size shoes do you wear? Eleven and a half, roughly, depending upon manufacturer.

81) What would you want to be written on your tombstone? Remember this as you pass by As you are now, so once was I As I am now, so you will be Prepare for death and follow me Variants of this were popular for two centuries, with few examples seen before 1750 or after 1950. If I had a headstone, I’d keep people awake.

82) What is your favorite word? Oaf.

83) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart. Myocardial infarction.

84) What is a saying you say a lot? Plumbing, you have a call holding on 1804. Plumbing, 1804.

85) What's the last song you listened to? Eisenfunk - Pong But on the way to finding that song, this one happened too: Suicide Commando - God Is In The Rain 86) Basic question; what's your favorite color/colors? Purple.

87) What is your current desktop picture? The trestle over the Little Naches River at Lake Bergstrom, Yakima WA.

88) If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be? The guy who is trying to get us blown up by North Korea. You know the one.

89) What would be a question you'd be afraid to tell the truth on? Who the hell are you?

90) One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren't really doing anything, they're just standing around your bed. What do you do? Well, after assessing that they’re just standing around, I’d be polite since that matters as I get my clothes on, and then bid them farewell after requesting that they move along because I’m not sticking around to chat.

91) You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what's even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power? Invisibility.

92) You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again? One comes to mind from when I was 13 that I would do differently, but the other I could speak more freely about is from the moment that hug at camp was requested to twenty minutes later when I was still standing there with her... as said in #28, I’d fix one of my biggest regrets.

93) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? I won’t go into detail, I will just say that there was an experience in 1990 that could have been avoided and should have been learned from... but wasn’t.

94) You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be? Let’s go with the folks listed in #34.

95) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go? To Craigslist to sell it.

96) Do you have any relatives in jail? Not that I am aware.

97) Have you ever thrown up in the car? Not that I am aware. My three sibs were subject to carsickness but not me.

98) Ever been on a plane? Yes, twice; have flown to Tucson and to Las Vegas.

99) If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say? Take your country back and impeach.

[tininsteelian]

My Game Of The Year Top 10 List Thing, I Guess

Is this what you’re supposed to use Tumblr for? I have no idea. Anyways, here’s My Game Of The Year Top 10 List Thing, I Guess!

This list only includes games I’ve actually played that came out in 2017. I haven’t played all of the big-name games that came out this year, so here’s a list of every new game I played this year that isn’t objectively shovelware:

Android: Fire Emblem Heroes, OK Golf, Monogolf, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Nintendo Switch: Fast RMX, Infinite Minigolf, Kamiko, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Namco Museum, Picross S, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Snipperclips, Sonic Mania, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Ping Pong Trick Shot, Vroom in the Night Sky

PC: 100ft Robot Golf, Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, Golf It!, Guts and Glory, Jackbox Party Pack 4, Pictopix, PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, Project Cars 2, Tacopocalypse

Xbox One: Forza Motorsport 7

I bought a few more decent games that came out this year, but I haven’t gotten around to playing them yet, so they’re not included in the above list. I also bought a lot of old games and shovelware this year; you can check out my Backloggery here for proof. Anyway, here’s the list:

#10: 100ft Robot Golf

One of the best concepts for a game ever made. The game itself is pretty good, too. I might personally prefer the live-action cutscenes from No Goblin’s previous game Roundabout, but the anime cutscenes are also cool. My favorite mode is the one where you control four robots at the same time, trying to hit four golf balls into the same hole in a given time limit. I also really like the mech that’s controlled by five dogs, they’re good dogs.

Technically this game first came out last year, but it didn’t come to the PC until February of this year, which is when I was first able to play it.

#9: Sonic Mania

I have a couple of controversial opinions related to the Sonic series. I think that Sonic Adventure 1 is the best 3D Sonic game ever made, and I also think that Sonic Generations isn’t any better than Sonic 06. But I don’t think it’s controversial to say that Sonic Mania is a great game. The first playthrough is kind of annoying because you can’t go back and do old zones again until you beat the game. Also, you go back to the beginning of the zone, not the level, when you get a game over. And most of the deaths I had felt cheap in one way or another. But it was fun! Unlike almost every other Sonic game ever made, all of the stages are designed with going fast in mind, even the final few stages. There are definitely slow-paced platforming segments, but there aren’t very many instances where trying to go fast will hurt or kill you, so you can hold right and enjoy the great graphics and scenery flying by. I also really enjoyed the new-to-Mania zones, more than the old zones, in fact. The music in these zones in particular is fantastic, although it’s great in pretty much every level in the game.

#8: Picross S

It’s Picross, on the Switch! What more could you want? Well, a few more puzzles would be nice. There are 150 puzzles, but none of them are larger than 20x15 pixels, so I got through all of them fairly quickly. There’s also a Mega Picross mode, which is the same 150 puzzles, but sometimes the numbers of two adjacent rows or columns are combined. It’s kind of dumb. I also wish you could draw pixels on the touch screen, but the pixels do get pretty small in the bigger puzzles. Hopefully we’ll see a Picross S2, Picross S3, Picross S4, Picross S5, Picross S6, etc. in the coming months and years.

#7: Forza Motorsport 7

I have a LOT of complaints about this game.

The single player campaign sucks. I haven’t played a mainline Forza Motorsport game since 4, as I didn’t get an Xbox One until recently. Therefore, I don’t know what the campaigns were like in 5 and 6, but apparently 7 was supposed to make the campaign races feel like an actual racing series, with more realistic points distributions and all that. Great in theory, but the execution is terrible. In real racing, even the best drivers lose more than half of their races. In order to beat a series in Forza 7, you have to win every race in the series. Forza Horizon 3 did it right by not requiring you to win every race; you could finish last in every race in a championship, and you’d still beat the championship. Credits rewards are tied to the difficulty of the AI, so you want to turn it up to get more money, but then you’re more likely to lose races, which makes you want to turn the difficulty down or compensate by using a bunch of assists, like the stupid one that makes you drive as fast on the grass as on the road. There’s also no qualifying, so everybody starts in the same position every race, and the AI tends to finish in the same position every race as well. You also have to finish every race in a series before moving to the next series, which is annoying. So basically, every mechanic in single player is designed against having fun. Great!

Then there’s the progression. It’s slow, to say the least. There was controversy surrounding the VIP credits bonus, as it initially only gave you a few temporary cards that doubled your credits. However, it was updated to double your credits after every race, so that’s good. It still feels like you don’t gain credits fast enough to be able to buy and upgrade as many cars as you want, and that’s after I abused a glitch that allowed you to get infinite rewards (which has since been patched).

The game is also crash-prone, to the point of being almost unplayable on PC. The PC version has a memory leak which crashes the game after a few minutes if you look at your garage or upgrade your car. The Xbox version is more stable, but it’s still crashed a couple of times for me.

You’d think all of these criticisms would push the game off the top ten, right? But here’s the thing: multiplayer is super fun. Sure, it takes about ten minutes to get into your first race, because you always end up in a lobby where the race has just started. And sure, half the races end up in disaster because the guy behind you crashed into you at full speed at the first corner, but when you get near the front of the pack and have a good race with some other drivers, it’s a blast. I tried ghost racing for the first time the other day, and it led to surprisingly close and fun racing.

So yeah, Forza 7 is a pretty fun game, as long as you only play multiplayer.

#6: Monogolf

Decent mobile games are hard to come by these days. For a while, my go-to phone game was True Skate, but then it stopped working on my phone. Thanks, Huawei! Before that, I played Desert Golfing, but it got a bit boring after 3,000 holes. I saw Monogolf in the Google Play Store recently, thought it looked cool, and downloaded it. Now it’s my new go-to game.

Like many phone-based golf games (believe me, I’ve played a lot), you simply drag on the screen to point where you want the ball to go, and how fast it should go. The catch is that you have to get a hole-in-one on each hole. If you don’t, you lose a life. Beat as many holes as possible until you run out of lives. It’s super fun to try and beat your record, and you often do, as you’re constantly unlocking new lives. You also unlock extra level packs for reaching certain milestones.

The game’s art style is also really cool. A lot of mobile games go for the modern look, but it ends up looking cheap. Monogolf’s graphics don’t, helped by the variety of vivid colors and textures on the holes.

As far as in-app purchases are concerned, you can pay about $4.50 to unlock everything, including all of the pieces for course creation and the maximum number of lives, but everything can also be unlocked through normal playing.

I said a lot about Monogolf. The top five games are all Switch games, that wasn’t intentional, sorry.

#5: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Tin, why is this game not number one?

Because I liked the four games above this one better. That’s not to say Breath of the Wild isn’t a great game, because it is. And it deserves the overwhelming praise it’s gotten, too. I’ve just never been a huge fan of RPG or adventure games. Having never played more than a few hours of a Zelda game before, I expected to only play the game for a few hours just because using the Switch was a novelty at the time. However, I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. Running around the vast open world is fun, as are the shrines. Somehow, I managed to defeat a Divine Beast before finding a single korok seed, so now there’s a korok seed permanently in the middle of my Divine Beast orbs in my inventory. I really need to go back and beat the two Divine Beasts I didn’t get so I can try out the DLC, because that skeleton bike looks super cool.

#4: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

So this is just an updated version of Mario Kart 8, which came out three years ago. Some might say that makes it ineligible for 2017 awards, but I don’t care.

Deluxe adds several new gameplay mechanics, new characters and karts, and an updated Battle Mode. The addition of a second item box makes for an even more hectic experience than Not_Deluxe, and also adds a bit of an extra layer of strategy. Should you go for the double item box, or will someone else snatch it up, leaving you with no items? The triple boost is also nice. Deluxe adds the Inklings from Splatoon as playable characters, which automatically makes the game twice as good (this is a scientifically provable fact). The Battle Mode is also really good, although I haven’t played it that much, because regular racing is so great. Given how all of this was added on to an already-great game, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is probably the best game in the series, and arguably the best racing game this generation (the other major contender being Forza Horizon 3).

#3: Puyo Puyo Tetris

Yes, I know this came out years ago. I imported a Vita copy back in 2015 for my PSTV that I never use. However, I’m including it in this list because it didn’t receive an English release until this year, which means that I can actually read the menus and story.

It turns out that combining two of the best puzzle games ever made creates another great puzzle game. Who would have thought? The story mode is great fun, and the story itself is surprisingly enjoyable, particularly the part where Schezo makes a bunch of innuendos. As far as the main modes go, Swap mode is objectively the best mode, as both players play both Puyo Puyo and Tetris, and do so on an even playing field. Versus mode is the next best, particularly when both players are playing the same game. Puyo vs. Tetris matches can be a bit lopsided, due to the two games having different garbage rules. Big Bang mode is alright too, particularly the Puyo version. You should avoid the Party and Fusion modes though, they’re bad.

Playing online is super fun, although most people play Tetris, unsurprisingly. Playing against someone at a similar skill level results in super tense and exciting matches, often with both players scrambling to clear enough garbage to be able to make a decent combo again. Lopsided matches do happen pretty often, though. Fortunately, you can disable matches in modes you don’t like, even in ranked mode. I usually just play Swap and Versus, although I’ll sometimes play Big Bang as well.

#2: Super Mario Odyssey

While a lot of games recently have focused on huge, expansive worlds, with various places to do things, Odyssey instead has relatively small levels with things to do EVERYWHERE. There are essentially as many moons in this game as there are korok seeds in Breath of the Wild, which means that moons are probably 50 feet apart from each other on average. There’s always something new to do that won’t take more than a couple of minutes when you go back to a particular level (unless you’ve gotten all the moons on that level, of course, but even then you might have to go back for a thing or two…). Some people have said that it feels like busy work to get all of the moons, and it is to some extent, but I found it wasn’t that difficult to get most of, if not all the moons in a level in a few-hour session or two.

New Donk City is one of my favorite levels in any video game, ever. The music, atmosphere, and level design are all so fantastic that I had fun for hours just messing around, jumping through the city and up to the top of buildings. It’s definitely the standout level of the game IMO.

Mario has probably the best movement I’ve ever felt in any video game. There are so many different things he can do that I feel like I still haven’t learned all of his abilities, even though I’ve 100%ed the game. The jump -> throw cap -> dive to cap -> jump off cap -> throw cap again -> dive to cap again mechanic is super fun to perform, and not as complicated as it sounds. It takes a couple of tries to get used to, but it’s very intuitive once you get used to it.

The capture ability is also amazing. It surprisingly doesn’t feel gimmicky at all, as each of the objects you can capture let you do the things you’d want to do in a given level. Cheep-Cheeps can let you swim more quickly, Goombas let you walk on ice without slipping around, posts let you spring up the sides of buildings, and so on. My favorite object to capture is probably the pokey thing in Bowser’s Castle that I don’t remember the name of that lets you snap to and spring up walls, although it’s also one of the more finnicky objects to use.

Overall, SMO is probably the best platformer I’ve ever played, and I thoroughly enjoyed 100 percenting it. It would be my game of the year, except I happened to like one game even more. Can you guess what it is?

#1: Splatoon 2

You probably guessed what it was.

Splatoon 2 is the only game from this year that I played for more than 100 hours. For comparison, I played one game for more than 100 hours in 2016, Forza Horizon 3, and three games for more than 100 hours in 2015: Super Mario Maker, Rocket League, and Splatoon. Super Mario Maker and Rocket League are probably two of my top ten games of all time, and Forza Horizon 3 isn’t far behind. Splatoon would also be one of my top ten favorite games, if it wasn’t for the fact that Splatoon 2 is objectively so much better.

If you’ve never played Splatoon, the goal is basically to paint the floor with more ink than the other team (also you should play it right now). It sounds silly, but it’s super fun. The ranked modes are also great, and your rank is now broken up per mode, instead of all the modes contributing to the same rank. That’s great, because now you don’t have to only play one ranked mode if you’re better at that mode than the others.

There are a bunch of new gear items, some of which are really cool. I really like the tye-dye shirt, and also the jungle hat that everyone hates. You can also wear a plant if you really want to. I need to make it as clear as possible that the visual aesthetic of this game just oozes with coolness. It’s probably the coolest game I’ve ever played.

There are several new weapon types, too. The Splat Dualies are neat because you can dash twice while firing, making yourself a difficult target. The Splat Brella gives you a shield, but it isn’t very useful in practice IMO.

The new stages feel a lot more open than the stages in Splatoon 1. Humpback Pump Track has an incredible name and is a great smaller level, while Mako Mart has a more open feel, and the supermarket design is fantastic. It’s definitely my favorite level in the series. Most of my favorite stages from Splatoon 1 have made also their way to the sequel, including Port Mackerel, Kelp Dome, Walleye Warehouse, and Moray Towers (yes, I like that map).

Splatoon 2’s single player campaign is similar to the first game’s, with the added twist that you have to use various different weapons throughout the missions, instead of just the Splattershot. This adds a lot of replay value, as you now have to beat each level with each different weapon to 100 percent (or 1000 percent) the campaign. I’m about halfway through doing this, and I intend on finishing it eventually.

Salmon Run is new to Splatoon 2, and it’s a great new mode. You have waves of hordes of enemies that want to murder you, and you have to murder them first. There are probably much better explanations of the mode available. It also makes you try out new weapons, as the weapon you use is randomly assigned at the start of each wave from a set of four weapons. My main complaint with this mode is that I wish there were more rotations with completely random weapons, as a lot of the rotations with preset weapons tend to have a lot of weapons with low firing rates, which makes the mode more difficult and arguably less fun. Also, you can only play the mode on certain days, which is kind of silly.

Splatoon 2 is one of those games that’s greater than the sum of its parts. On paper, it sounds cool, but not as amazing as it really is. I almost didn’t buy the first Splatoon, which is something I have a hard time believing now (the same thing is true for Rocket League). It’s hard to put into words why, but the finished product, with all the great gameplay mechanics and super cool style blended together, is simply amazing. It’s more fun and cool than any other game I’ve played this year, so it’s an easy choice for my Game of the Year.

Hooray!

Honorable Mentions

These are games that would probably be on the list if I had a PS4 so I could play them:

Everybody’s Golf: I like golf games, as you might have noticed by the number of golf games I’ve played this year. This is a golf game, therefore I should like it.

Gran Turismo Sport: Gran Turismo is one of my favorite series of all time. A lot of people haven’t liked the more serious mode of racing that Sport offers, but I think it’ll be right up my alley. The livery editor also looks super cool.

Wipeout Omega Collection: I really liked Wipeout HD, and this is basically that, but with an even higher definition! Also, it has the tracks from Wipeout 2048 which I haven’t seen before.

These games almost made the Top Ten, but didn’t:

Jackbox Party Pack 4: It’s fun, but JPP3 is better IMO. Don’t worry, I’ll still be streaming more Jackbox in the future.

PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS: I haven’t played this game much because it gives me anxiety when I play it. I really don’t like loud noises, so hearing a random gunshot after 20 minutes of silence startles me a lot. It’s also kind of slow-paced. I do like the concept more, so I’ll probably play it again soon, maybe with some music in the background.

Come back next year for my 2018 list, which will probably be the post after this one, given how little I use Tumblr!

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Written by R. Ann Parris on The Prepper Journal.

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One of the challenges that regularly comes up when we talk about bug-outs is food for our bug out packs, and even food to stash in caches along the way. Food preservation can be a complicated issue, comparing water needs, calories and nutrients, camping meals or supermarket granola bars, and even if we actually need trail food for a journey of 3-5 days.

Then it expands past a bug-out or initial evac kit, to ways to make or stock foods that can be used for overnight and three-day trips after a disaster has struck. In some cases that proposed trip is following a 3-6-12-18 month shelter-in-place scenario, waiting for a die-off or for calmer times. In other cases, it’s looking at the fact that humanity has always made trips – to the coast, to hunting grounds, to and from winter and summer camps, away from danger, for fishing, for trading, even to visit family.

Happily, those journeys of the past, in peacetime and in war, can help us solve our travel food challenges. In some cases, they’re also methods we can use to just preserve foods, and let us preserve the convenience of dropping something in water to create a meal.

Pemmican

Pemmican is a great travel food that will store well for months in just paper, a full year if kept cool.

Pemmican is one of those well-known long-storage travel foods. The proteins and fats, and the precious calories from those fats, were hugely important to people who were in some ways very nomadic, and to those who might be largely sedentary, but whose opportunities for fats and meats came in very short bursts through the year.

By first separating very lean meats from fats, then processing those into the separate entities of dry beef and suet, they can be recombined into a travel food that will store well for months in just paper, a full year if kept cool. That food can then be eaten as-is, or used to make a soup.

Many, many modern pemmican recipes include “wet” dry fruits like raisins, craisins and currants  – that’s going to significantly shorten the shelf life. A lot of the recipes I see floating around also include a lot of dried fruit, even though some of it is the dry-dry “leather” or “plastic” level of fruits. In some, there’s almost equal ratio of fruit to meat or fats.

That’s not actually how I learned to make it. What I learned is a bit more like this.

My only ties to natives are from the upper East Coast and the Deep South Cherokees who were moved west. So maybe there are tribes out there that really do use as much fruit as meat, and it’s distinctly possible that something got lost in translation in Oklahoma and Wyoming or as tribes merged and disappeared.

I learned to make it at a ratio of about 3-4 parts dried meat, 1-2 parts suet or rendered fat, and at most 0.5-1 part dried vegetation – dried to the point when they, too, can be pounded into a powder.

Undoubtedly, the inclusion of a little bearberry or strawberry leaves would have boosted the Vitamin C, which would have been a huge aid to staying healthy in deep cold and deep snows, and while on the move. There’s also probably to-taste twitches that were used by individuals and groups to improve the palatability.

Some tribes and individuals probably used fruits, or a higher ratio of fruit.

However, once mixed into pemmican, the application of dried fruits, leaves, and roots would have become limited: to food, and to a specific type of food. It no longer would have been possible to doctor them into the drinks, sweets, and herbal remedies that natives regularly used.

So I’m inclined to think that probably the truth from history lies somewhere in the middle (where it usually does), if not leaning just a little towards the “less fruit” side of the house. Some tribes and individuals probably used fruits, or a higher ratio of fruit. Some tribes and individuals probably used a minimum of fruit or none at all, packing more of the preserved harvest of spring and summer separately.

Natives wouldn’t be the last to separate their meat and vegetables for long trips and long storage, if so.

Instant Soup in the Old Days

Portable soup tends to vary from a veggie-based medley to a meat version

Also called pocket soup, portable soup was made back in the days of the colonists and explorers of old. It was the equivalent of the broth base we can get in cubes and powders today – fast and easy, and with the potential to be not only flavorful, but to boost nutrients the way a bone broth can.

The descriptions given for pocket or portable soup tends to vary from a veggie-based medley to a meat version, such as the one demonstrated by James Townsend.

Lewis and Clark’s expedition wasn’t overly fond of theirs, which to me sounds similar to desiccated vegetables, but during the American Revolution, others took a more kindly view.

Either recipe gives us a way to produce our own instant soups and broths for convenience at home, and have something hearty in our pockets to dissolve into a warming drink or meal, now and in a potential future where supply chains are disrupted.

Desiccated Vegetables

Mmm, sounds yummy, right? We’re not just talking dehydrated/dried veggies here. Desiccated vegetables are a combination of starchy veg and leafy root veggies, either minced and mixed up or layered, that are pressed under high pressure to remove moisture.

Most of the references to its use are from the Civil War here in the U.S. , with citation back to the Crimean War about fifty years earlier. It was highly recommended by the author of “Prairie Traveler” in the 1940s. There are sometimes mentions of it or similar-sounding ship’s food in naval journals from the same general pre-Antebellum period, where the cakes or planks of desiccated vegetables served the same purpose – providing much-needed vegetables to prevent scurvy in forces that were largely eating hardtack or similar foods for long periods of time.

Some recipes list the inclusion of beans or peas, most likely lentils and the starchier peas once grown far more widely. In all likelihood, these were collected green or were pre-soaked or cooked to soften, as opposed to pressed in as hard and dry legumes. It’s possible, though, that they were pre-ground separately.

The mash that resulted was indented or separated into disks before drying, to allow for apportioning either on an individual basis, or by some accounts, into servings for four or five or eight souls. It wasn’t always a preferred food, but it definitely did its job of keeping folks healthier.

Long Live Desiccated Veggies!

You can make leather or chips or thin cakes out of darn near anything.

We might not go for a monster press to create a handful of cakes for our backpacks or caches, but we can apply some of the ease of a full-meal drop-in if we want, cooking and then dehydrating molds of mixed veggies made using our ice-cube trays.

Some of us already dehydrate mini black bean patties and cooked slices of sweet potato to make serving-sized portions. There’s also a common backpacking trick of dehydrating everything http://www.backpackingchef.com/dehydrating-food.html from fat-free refried beans to spaghetti sauce, applesauce to mashed potatoes, turning it into thin, flexible leathers or hard chips.

Spin it through a blender (with some water if necessary) and spread it thin on waxed paper or butcher’s paper, and you can make leather or chips or thin cakes out of darn near anything. They typically don’t store as long as those 1800’s lumps, though. For many, we’re looking at a handful of months, especially if we aren’t super careful about the inclusion of fats.

There are commercial alternatives, if we’re not interested in making our own.

Pocket Soup Still Going Strong

Erbswurst is compact rolls of five or six disks that dissolve into a pretty tasty and surprisingly textured lentil soup

I ran into Erbswurst while deployed in a multi-national force. They’re compact rolls of five or six disks that dissolve into a pretty tasty and surprisingly textured lentil soup (never add as much water as a soup manufacturer calls for). It does better if you bash it a couple of times to increase surface area, or you can stick it in some water and over a fire, and usually about the same time it starts simmering, it’s started to dissolve.

It’s tougher to find in the U.S. but as the internet shrinks our world, we can pay the shipping for it, or, we can look at similar soup options.

It might not be quite as compact, but we can absolutely portion out things like Bear Creek’s split pea soup when we’re ready to roll or from the get-go. Dr. McDougall has some of those instant cups and packets of split pea and barley that we can store for a good while or repackage for longer shelf life.

So, why am I name dropping those specifically, and sticking to split pea and lentil soups?

Because they have no dairy or meats in them to go rancid early in storage or due to temperature fluctuations. Lentils aren’t calorie powerhouses, but compare a lentil or pea soup to the same serving size of non-dairy instant veggie-based soups. You’ll find that there’s a pretty significant difference there. There’s a whole lot more calorie – and nutrients – than ramen, and it’s in a far more compact form than noodles. They cook faster than the just-add-water offerings that have beans and lentils in them, and even rice in a lot of cases. Those particular options are also satisfying; textured, as opposed to others that are just broth or some of the other pureed and creamed soups on the market.

We can absolutely make our own dry mixes, and we have ways of making especially flaked beans cook faster, or we can prepare something, blitz it in the blender, and dehydrate it in cubes or patties. If we’re going to buy, though, we might as well make sure we’re buying something that checks as many blocks as possible.

Calories, protein, vitamins, fiber, and lasting satiety from food is something I tend to consider, whether I’m sticking it in a backpack for a fun weekend, packing it away so there’s something available on a trail later, or sticking it in my pantries to make fast and easy meals, now or later.

Trail Foods from History

Whoa, whoa, whoa, cowboy; you can’t sum up yet, you missed hardtack. – I skipped hardtack. I gave my opinion about hardtack in an article about bread options for disaster cooking. I don’t really consider fully dried hardtack much of a trail food (although we could carry peanut butter jars to soak it in daily).

And that’s what we’re talking: Trail food.

There are a lot of reasons we might hit the trail and live out of a bag or off caches in the coming years. Pleasure packing, exploration, intelligence gathering, evacuations, hunting trips, relocation, travel for family reunions – they were done in all of the preceding centuries of recorded history, and they’ll continue to be done for the foreseeable future, no matter what it’s course. Happily, history provides a number of to keep us well-fed during our travels, things we can make at home now or later, and in some cases, readily available commercial options for the less DIY crowd.

In some cases, foods that were traditionally for the trail can also just give us a faster, easier meals – as we’re accustomed to – compared to preparing everything from scratch.

Historic trail foods also have another major benefit: They largely use heat at some point, but otherwise, there are few or no preservatives, and there is no need for fresh canning jar lids. That means if we’re running short of salt, sugar, vinegar, or pectin, or a pressure canner goes down, we still have viable means to get our foods from one harvest season to the next, just as some native tribes and northern explorers once did.

The post Trail Foods from History – Food Preservation Ideas appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

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