#if this looks strange on computer it’s because I formatted it for the mobile version upsi

[plutoswrath]

ａｓｔｒｏ ｎｏｔｅｓ ａｎｄ ｏｂｓｅｒｖａｔｉｏｎｓ ｐｔ. ６

╭──────────.★..─╮ -> my other astro notes ╰─..★.──────────╯

🐇 Pluto in the first house individuals might learn that they need to redefine a role people have put on them; a role they were made to believe they are or were forced to put on through lies and manipulation -> redefining the self can play a big role or actively shedding a negative self image or a self image that was build on negative coping mechanisms.

🐇 People who have control over your life or just generally influence your behavior a lot, even if they don’t verbally direct you or comment on your choices can have prominent MC, Mercury, Saturn, Pluto and Moon to MC Synastry with you.

🐇 Another indicator for this influence can be prominent 8th, 10th, 7th, 2nd and 12th house overlays. Here, it can be a lot about expectations, working together, shared and projected feelings, as well as vulnerability of feelings and ego that come forward.

🐇 Jupiter can be the planet of cults and sects, prominent Jupiter influence is very strong in most cult leaders birth charts. Obviously there is a lot more that can influence the strategies and approaches of cult leaders, but it does take a very convincing ‘philosophy’ or ‘spiritual approach’ to sell others in order to make them part of your following

🐇 Furthermore: lots of cult leaders happen to have the generational planets in close aspects (often conjunctions) with personal planets or Saturn/Jupiter. There is definitely a pattern of being able to move masses/groups by being in contact with collective energies even if it’s out of malice and pure evil.

🐇 Last note on cult leaders: there’s also a pattern with having strong air influence (sign or degree) or having planets in the 3rd, 7th, 11th or 1st house! Even if there’s an abundance of earth and water signs, they are connected by having them sitting in houses of social interaction/connection or in degrees of air signs/sagittarius. Also, stellium, especially Leo, but in general leo influence or 12th house/Pisces influence are another pattern amongst (very known) cult leaders. I feel like the aspects of selling a group a collective dream comes with having to perform creatively and be very overt in one’s self expression as well.

🐇 Long time ago, I’ve read on astro Twitter (I don’t know who tweeted it but if anyone has read something similar lmk to give credit!) that the 12th house is showing us how we get in trouble. As the 12th house is our subconscious it makes sense, by acting out on our subconscious and others calling us out we actually gain self awareness.

For example: Virgo 1st house, Leo in the 12th: getting in trouble for hidden selfish motives, wanting more creative freedom, wanting self expression, wanting attention/an audience - Scorpio in the 1st, Libra in the 12th, wanting to be included, wanting to be treated gently and kind, wanted to be treated with extreme sensitivity, putting all their baskets into interpersonal close connections

🐇 With planets in the 1st house, you should look at the degree for a better understanding of why and how you embody the 1st house planet, same goes for the Ascendant too

🐇 Actually, the degree of a placement can show you how you how to approach it, it can help you adding an even more nuanced layer to the way you can best/most healthiest embody said placement, likewise it can help you in reflect the way why you live out your placement in a certain way.

For example: Aries degrees (1, 13, 25) can be the ones to either have troubles holding immediate reactions in OR have a tendency to seemingly explode in self expression when they decide to open up, can also make you very loud/your presence is strong, you radiate a lot of vitality and energy. Aquarius degrees (11, 23) can have a very in and out approach to themselves, people and situations, they strike with the ideas, words and performances they choose to present to the public and the morals they integrate into their life approach; they can actually be very conscious with their self expression because they observe and analyze a lot and are extremely group conscious, even if they can have random impulses they (want to) act out on. Come across as in their own world and/or extremely socially aware. Virgo Degrees (6, 18) can have the feeling that there are constantly in preparation mode, even if they don’t physically act out on it, in their mind they already started thinking and planing, they can feel like they have to immediately be able to adjust and be flexible to changes and crisis in their life

🐇 intercepted 1st/12th house intercepted can point to bad body awareness

🐇 12th house ruler in the 10th: your unseen flaws can be on obvious display for others or even show when you try to put yourself out there

🐇 Virgo moon and pickiness, an unbeatable duo, especially if taurus is in the mix too 💗

🐇 The fixed signs in the birth chart show where it’s hard to move on and where you stand your ground no matter what

🐇 Saturn in earth signs and not allowing other to help you <‘3 They really want to do it on their own, same can be said for Saturn in Aries, they really want to prove it to others because self worth and autonomy was often time taken from them .

🐇 Moon square Ascendant natally could've manifested as a mother that was often criticzing and moderating your behavior, possibly even appereance, it could've make the individual hyper conscious of their immediate reactions and natural self, which can in itself lead to hyper analyzing and self-moderating yourself

🐇 Libra Mars have the unique ability to create a Venusian atmosphere in the way they initiate and handle conflict

🐇 Both Taurus and Libra Mars can be very fixed on the atmosphere/'vibe', doesn't matter if they are alone or with others. They can feel quickly (physically) irritated if there is a lack of venusian qualities in their surroundings and become kinda jittery then

🐇 Virgo’s unhealthy relationship with self improvement can be caused by the desire for things to just flow better by becoming more efficient, which is granted to Mercury energy, since Mercury is the messenger of information

🐇 an intercepted Sun can potentially decrease the vitality and energy of a person, they can feel exhausted pretty quickly compared to other

🐇 Intercepted Sun could've also experienced that their father wanted to sell them their lost dreams as Sun natives ego and sefl they have to establish. Similar things can play out when Sun is aspected by Neptune.

🐇 Moon in 2nd, Taurus Moon 🤝. Scorpio moon = being fuckin greedy (Scorpio moon can be that way because there was a big lack of when growing up and now they want to make up for it, taurus moon can be that because of sheer overindulgence, they often want to accumulate more and more due to the emotional satisfaction and feeling of safety it can give them. Material goods = emotional safety)

🐇 Pisces/Neptune in the 6th house can use daydreaming or dreaming in general as their own personal mental hygiene. It’s the way they relax their mind and body, and clean any inner stress.

🐇 5th house overlays in synastry can point to either copying the other’s style or at least getting inspiration from it

🐇 Virgo Risings have control issues because of their Scorpio 3rd house: they want to read and understand their surroundings profoundly, but one thing they have to realize is that the unknown is there for a reason. It's actually pretty healthy to not be able to tap into every form of darkness, the unknown shouldn't scare but excite them (looking at neighboring sign Sagittarius)

🐇 but also Scorpio in the 3rd is why Virgo Risings often are the 'I told you so' friends lmao

🐇 Phantom pain can be caused by Pisces/Neptune in the 6th, South Node in the 6th/1st or if Mars comes in contact with these placements. Having Mars in one of the rulers of these houses while contacting Neptune/South Node can create phantom pain as well

🐇 The 12th house in composite can show how you like to spend your private time and how to make your 1 on 1 time sacred. Strong 12th house influence in composite can pint to the couple valuing privacy and their shared time alone a lot!

credit: plutowrath, 2022.

・・・・☆・・・・・・・・☆・・・・・・・・☆・・・・・☆・

[caffeinated-yearning]

The Start of Something Awful

@werewolfpine said I should post my writing and I’m doing it because I will literally never post unless someone forces me to, here’s a snippet of the lore of How Doc Ock Comes To Be, featuring my/Ock’s actual mind thought mannerisms. Technically this has only my S/I Oliver and Doctor Octavius a little at the front end, because I do my best work when it’s one character who thinks too much.

Word Count: ~1.4k Warnings: Self-harm (minor), queasiness (minor), astonishingly sarcastic narrator voice

“Hoshino.”

Oliver looks up from the box; as much as people focused on biorobotics, he rather preferred the metal things he’d been working on. None of that confusion of the ‘bio’ aspect. Cold techne and cold metal, a perfect compliment to his frozen heart. Looked up at his teacher- professor, Otto Octavius, and said nothing.

“The test results..?”

Of course! How could he possibly forget the mind-crippling endeavor of writing up a lab report for the sake of his dear professor? It would never pass off as science if he didn’t suffer the hideous toil of turning his experiment into a report; let it be known that the gods themselves would forbid anyone to simply look at the raw data and draw their own conclusions- no, he has to bring their attention to that all himself.

Ability to self-replicate- [Y] Hive mind program- [Y] Formation of simple and complex shapes- [Y] Link to human minds- concept phase. Mobile complex shapes- concept only. Modify macro chemicals within human body- tested in organic slurry, dubious results. Anything else that could be interesting- hasn’t been conceptualized yet.

“Would you call it a success?”

“If it teaches something new, it is a success.”

“Then have you been taught anything?”

Oh, doctor, do not pretend! This is all just a reinvention of the wheel at this point. Smaller and still programmable they may be, but these are all things that have been done before. They were done decades ago, before everyone found biological machinery to hold more promise. What then is there to learn? Humans disagree with metal, that has been the lesson. Oliver answers in so dry a tone; “discussion section: page three. Sir.”

“So I read.” Oliver returns his attention to his robots, still attentive to the good doctor’s words; “you sound irritated- both in the paper and at present.”

It is proper to smile and shake his head, to set the doctor’s concerns to rest. He fails this task, and in the same dry tone; “I’m not. I have concerns that this research is dated at best.”

“Then you are-.”

Interrupting, and how uncharacteristic that was- “I don’t have the time to be emotional, in any event.” The professor seemed off-put by that. Indeed, it was rude of Oliver to interrupt; he makes note of that, and fails to realize that describing himself as necessarily emotionless might instead be the reason for the doctor’s discomfort. Even the good Doctor Octavius had room to be emotional when good or ill fortune struck.

There was a pause, a little too long, before the doctor spoke- he’d turned back only to give a half-question; “I trust that you can be left alone in the lab, Oliver?”

“Yes, Dr. Octavius.” Really, this was such a dumb question. Could Oliver be trusted? Of course not; every faculty member would agree, if they only knew the contents of his mind. Which made it a rather good thing, how very skilled in keeping his thoughts under lock and key he was. Not with his friends of course. With friends you were expected to share a certain amount of information, and in turn they shared meaningless data points that helped one curry good favor if one kept it all in mind. What a fun game that was, sifting through all that data and hoping you came across anything of interest.

Ah. And he was alone. The professor had left without him noticing.

“And if I am consumed by the plague I now set loose upon the earth, thus was my fate since the moment I was born; not God nor Man could stop me or my creations; Pandora, I call upon thee.” He was alone, could he not be dramatic? The box was opened, and the robots did... Absolutely nothing.

Oh good, they hadn’t developed sentience while he acted out his drama.

A scalpel he’d pilfered from his sibling on a recent trip home; it was perhaps not the cleanest, but it would serve to sever, given he’d sharpened it against bricks and stones when he’d had a moment to do so. The only issue now was to shut down his self-preservation instincts, which barely allowed a scratch to be made against himself. But not seeing the place he would cut made easier the act, and he cut into the skin that made up the hair line just behind and below his right ear.

The incision was easier than he’d expected, perhaps because it was so much closer to his dreams’ completion than anything else had been before. He pretends to be surprised by the blood, but to what end? No one is around.

He starts his computer up, watches the robots come to life, and opens up the file “Concept_Phase.chk”. Checkpoint reached, your game will now auto-save, he hums; for the first time he feels the striking chill of fear. He thinks perhaps it is the first time in his life, but knows instinctively this cannot be the case. Either way, one error at this point would be so much more devastating.

They were crawling into that bloodied cut now. He should have worn a different shirt, but at least the black on this one might spare the rest from carrying a stain. They were a horrible itching sensation in his skin- he forces his hand stationary, to meddle now is more threatening. It is most threatening; he does not understand the limits of the human body, but he does understand the delicacy of the brain.

And they are in his brain.

That is the most terrifying part of it all, and he suppresses the urge to vomit. Brains are such delicate things and he has put so many bits of metal into his. He suppresses the urge to stand and run from this horrible thing that he has done. He stays stock still, and feels fear in every muscle and every nerve ending of his body.

And they are in his brain.

He woke up, cold, and pushed himself off the floor. Linoleum or plastic tile- didn’t matter, it was cold. He almost felt annoyance- hadn’t he been doing something? It was awfully uncharacteristic of him to sleep in the lab. The computer lab, maybe, but this wasn’t that.

Oh fuck the robots and the cut- he grasps at his neck, drawing his hand away with the full expectation to pull away half-scabbed gunk, or blood still running. Nothing. He sighed. Maybe it was another dream- maybe he was still dreaming. Dreaming of being something worthy of pride and love, instead of the falsehood he’d built himself into. Of being a worthwhile investment on the part of his parents and friends. Of being something better than this, whatever this was.

Log onto his computer- and how very strange! He’d never run the checkpoint file before, if it was a dream, so why was there a .log version now? It was suddenly beginning to feel very much not like a dream. Uneasiness, like so many maggots in his stomach, seemed to eat at him. He reached up and closed the box that had once been the house of his pride, and scanned over the .log file.

Program terminated successfully.

Oh thank the gods and devils both. It was successful.

But they were in his brain, now. Theoretically, he should be able to interact with them, if all had gone according to plan. He tried not to think about how unsanitary last night’s actions were, or rather to think about that instead of the presence of so much non-biological material now swarming around in his skull. He could feel the crawling- the sensation of parasites under his skin, but how much of that was simply psychological? He couldn’t say.

“Not nearly enough time to run any sort of experiment on them,” he sighed; class would begin soon. Sure, he was already in the building, but still. “How disappointing. How many are left in there?” He finally bothered to stand up and check the box; maybe if he… tried to input commands to those ones? There were still plenty in there; doesn’t take that much metal to make a computer chip inside one’s head then.

They stirred, sluggish and confused. They had never moved of their own accord before... Responsive? Again, move again- and they did. They swayed with little ripples, ocean waves almost.

Link to human minds- [Y].

[cardcaptorcoconut]

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Arc Chapter 23 Translation

I’m sorry for the delay with this chapter’s translation.  My bookshop surprisingly didn’t carry the new issue yesterday and I fell asleep before I could translate the online one last night.  It’s possible the bookshop may no longer be putting out Nakayoshi one day before it’s official release, but only time will tell.

The formatting this time around should be just fine on desktop view, but mobile view is still messed up for me, so I apologize if it appears strange. Hopefully it will get fixed soon.

Special thanks to @meimi-haneoka for her input on some tricky lines!

☆★Translations Notes Reminder★☆

Disclaimer: These are just fan translations. Please support the official release.

Chapter 23

Cover Page: “The door (to the) truth will now be opened…”

[Lit: The door of truth…]

P1 Eriol:  Without (drawing) off of someone else’s creation and without even realizing it herself, (she has) materialized “cards” from magic… Eriol:  In other words, she’s (been) creating her very own magical tools.

P2 Yue:  …Why didn’t you tell us? Eriol:  Sakura-san’s power is strong, but it is still (in a chaotic state).  You could say that she hasn’t been able to master it at all.

[Lit: …but it is still chaotic.]

Eriol:  (We) also don’t know Yuna D. Kaito’s motives. However, I dare say it’s connected to the new cards.

[Lit:  This Yuna D. Kaito who has appeared… we don’t know his motives either.]

Kero:  I can sort of understand why you wouldn’t tell Sakura, but why not myself and Yue…?

P3 Eriol:  Because it would show on your faces and in your demeanor right away. Kero:  What!? I can (pull off) a good poker face!! Eriol:  You may, but it’s impossible for Yue. Yue:  What? Kero:  Well yeah… When it comes to Sakura, this guy’s a little… Yue:  What?? <Suddenly the room shakes>

P4 Yue:  This is…! <A clock circle appears> Eriol:  It’s appeared here too.  Just as we speak of the devil…

P5 Kero:  It’s Kaito’s magic circle! Eriol:  I will do whatever I can from this side too. Eriol:  Please help Sakura-san and Li Syaoran for me.

P6 & P7 <Eriol shatters the clock with his staff>

P8 <The clock shatters and the room returns to normal>

P9 Eriol:  …That was a very close call.

[Lit:  That was very dangerous.]

Eriol:  This is a formidable opponent, Sakura-san.

P10 <Kero changes back to normal and tries calling Eriol back on the smartphone> Kero:  Let’s try contacting (him) on this!! Kero:  It’s no good!  It won’t even make the ringing sound! <Yue tries the computer> Yue:  It’s the same here.  It’s not just magic… It looks like our means of communication in (the real world) have been cut off too… Kero:  (He) can do something like that…!?

P11 <Scene changes to Kaito’s POV when Eriol breaks the spell>

P12 Yuna:  As expected of Hiiragizawa Eriol. Yuna:  (This is) precisely why he has been called the most powerful sorcerer in his lifetime. Yuna:  Until now, (this) watch hasn’t (suffered) a single scratch, but now it is broken.

[Lit: …hasn’t gotten a single scratch…]

Yuna:  Even so, I will not fail to get my hands on those new cards.

[Lit:  …I will definitely get…]

P13 Yuna:  I will use the tool I obtained from the Magician’s Society to invoke that “magic”…

P14 Akiho:  <mumbling in her sleep> Kaito…san… Momo:  It’s fine to use any means necessary to achieve your goal… Momo:  But you can’t lose sight of what’s most important, Yuna D. Kaito.

P15 Syaoran:  How are you feeling? Sakura:  Totally fine! Syaoran:  It would’ve been better to have them (take you home) by car. Sakura:  I wanted to (walk) home with you.

[Lit: I wanted to go home with you.]

Syaoran:  <smiling> …… <Sakura stares at Syaoran> Syaoran:  What is it?

P16 Sakura:  I was just thinking that the Syaoran-kun that I see (when looking at you) and the Syaoran-kun you yourself see are different. Syaoran:  Huh? Sakura:  I can look directly at you, but if you try to look at yourself, you can’t without a mirror or something, right? Syaoran:  …Yeah, that’s right. Sakura:  Me too.  I need a mirror if I want to see myself.

P17 Sakura:  The truth is, I am the one who knows the least about myself, and that might be causing everyone to worry. Syaoran:  Sakura… Sakura:  …It would be nice if (I had) a mirror.

[Lit:  It would be nice if there was a mirror.]

P18 Sakura:  A mirror that would reflect my true self. Sakura:  If so, I might understand (myself) well.  And I might (know) how to (avoid) making everyone worry. Syaoran:  …Sakura… <Sakura looks up> Syaoran:  What’s (wrong)?

[Lit: What is it?]

Sakura:  <looking at the house> …Something’s… bugging me…

P19 Sakura:  It’s reversed! Sakura:  The house is (completely flipped around)!

[Note: Sakura says お家が左右逆になっている which literally means “the left and right are reversed”]

Syaoran:  This is also… Sakura:  I think it’s… a card.

P20 & 21 Sakura:  <looking around>  Does it look like anyone’s coming? Syaoran:  No. Sakura:  Then, “Release!” Sakura:  You who is without a master, by (the power of) this staff of dreams, I command you to become my strength.  “Secure!”

P22 Sakura:  …“Mirror.”

[Note: The kanji on the card reads 鏡像 and directly translates to “reflected image.”  This is different from the Clow and Sakura card versions that simply read 鑑 or “Mirror.”]

Sakura:  There was a “Mirror” card within the Sakura cards too. Sakura:  Even the picture looks similar. Syaoran:  <thinking>  That’s because you’re creating them yourself.  For a card that closely resembles another, it’s natural that a similar image would come to mind. Syaoran:  <thinking> And also, a moment ago when you brought up mirrors, a related card just (appeared…)

P23 Sakura:  “Flight!!” Syaoran:  ??? Sakura:  Stay there. Sakura:  Like a mirror, copy this card’s magic!  “Mirror!”

P24 Sakura:  I did it! Sakura:  So, this one’s for me.  And that one’s for… Syaoran:  Huh!? <Sakura and Syaoran fly home together>

P25 Sakura:  I thought “Since this is a mirror, I wonder if I can copy the magic too.” Sakura:  I’m glad that it worked! Syaoran:  <thinking> It worked because your magic is that strong. Syaoran:  <still thinking>  My clan taught me that excessive strength leads (one down a sorrowful path).  Hiiragizawa said the same thing.

[Lit:  ...leads oneself towards sorrow.]

[Note:  The original Japanese here and on page 26 is 不幸 which can be translated very broadly. In addition to “Sorrow”, some of the alternate translations are “Unhappiness”, “Misfortune”, “Grief”, etc.  Both “Sorrow” above and on the next page might be changeable with one of these definitions, but it is too early to tell.]

P26 & 27 <Syaoran hugs Sakura to him> Syaoran:  <thinking>  I will never let you experience sorrow.  Never. Sakura:  …Syaoran-kun… Narration:  Kaito has finally started to make (his) move.  His motive is…!? 

<To be continued in the July issue of Nakayoshi, on sale in June>

[vehiclepiner]

Sqlite for mac

SQLITE FOR MAC HOW TO

SQLITE FOR MAC UPDATE

SQLITE FOR MAC PRO

SQLITE FOR MAC FREE

I also don't want the copy/move bundle design, that's because Mac have a sandbox which make the App can't write to the temp file created by sqlite library.

SQLITE FOR MAC PRO

The in-app feature is a way to make the price down, and there's also a pro version with all feature in the store. If you aren’t trying to use the DB on multiple platforms and apps (navicat on win7 and an sqlite app on iPad) and are looking for a sqlite app in the app store then this might work for you. Pros: Nice interface, Column settings for the form are intuitive and work well. I had also hoped to use it to enable combo boxes for FK entries- but it’s not one of the controls available. bundle file that fubars my current system. It instead moves/copies the database into a. SQLite DBM won’t write to that file, however. sqlite file on dropbox for work, home, etc on multiple OSes. My attempt to purchase the webserver package was thwarted by inaction after pressing the Buy button. I had hoped to use this to enable quick form generation without needing to spend time coding- just a personal DB to track stuff.Īfter you pay the $4 for the app, it’s another $5 for write access, $10 for the App Builder. * Support Rows Table List, Row detail data controls, search field * Bind database table row data to user control * Build customised User Interface for your database * Configable URL Path, template and server port It's safe, as anyone can review source code.

SQLITE FOR MAC FREE

It's free of charge for everybody, for any purpose (including commercial). * Easy setup template for list page and detail page SQLiteStudio is a free, open source, multi-platform SQLite database manager written in C++, with use of Qt framework. * Publish data on local network with one single click, view and add data on any web browser from mobile devices or computers for your understanding purpose i create database name as M圜ircle. In-App Purchase 'Instant Web Server' Features: type the command SQlite3 databasename.sqlite and press enter. Please select the column which have enough length to save Latitude and Longitude. Select address column to search, and select save to column to save the found geolocation.

SQLITE FOR MAC UPDATE

* Auto update Geolocation by search address any column contain this format geolocation: * Create contacts table by import ContactsĢ. * Cross table ID,Value single or multi-select using the Data Picker * 10+ data edit UI control (include Map, Date Time, Checkbox, Rating, Color Picker,Dropdown, Multi-select.) If table data have photo/image field, you can switch to photo collection view by click on toggle C/T button next to page control buttons. * Works great with companion mobile app 'Sqlite Database Manager' for iPhone and iPad * Drag drop rearrange column order and change column width in main table * Choose tables to show and columns to show * Sort table data by click on the column header * 10+ data view UI control (include Map, Date Time, Checkbox, Rating, Color. With the In-App Purchase 'Edit Data' and 'DB Creator' you can edit it directly on your Mac, create new databases and new tables.

Copy the file to Assets/Plugins in your Unity project.Browser Sqlite Database data with Sqlite Database Manager, you can view data easily with Filter, Sort, Paging.

Go into the directory Unity.app/Contents/MonoBleedingEdge/lib/mono/ unityjit.

Mine happens to be in a directory called 2021.1.16f1, but it will of course depend on your actual version.

Go to where your working version of the Unity application is installed.

(Obviously, create Plugins folder if not there).Ģ.

Copy these 2 files to Assets/Plugins in your Unity project.

Look under "Precompiled Binaries for Windows" (I know this sounds strange, but it works).

You need to get the current version of SQLite itself. Not sure how this will work with other versions.ġ.

SQLITE FOR MAC HOW TO

After spending a few hours perusing old videos and posts, I finally figured out how to install SQLite on my Mac version of Unity.

[marketingatlightspeedreadin-blog]

Games You Might Not Have Tried #11 – Find New Games – Extra Credits

I sure hope you folks enjoy watching these as much as I like making ’em, because… I don’t know, these are fun! These episodes always take us a couple of months to put together, so by the time each one comes out, James has already got a new batch of games to recommend. Anyway! You know the drill. We don’t promise that all these games are good, just that they’re different.

Their design is interesting in some way, even if the most interesting thing about them is how they failed to achieve what they’re setting out to do. Anyway, enough talk. Have at you! Zero Time Dilemma. Years ago, we recommended 999 in one of these episodes. It’s been quite the journey since then, but now the franchise (or at least this chapter of it) is coming to a close, and the story is perhaps one of the best yet in the series. The graphics… not so much, but don’t let that deter you. This game may handily demonstrate just how much better 2D graphics can look, and that switching to 3D isn’t always the best choice, but, if you’ve followed the series so far, you owe it to yourself to finish this one out. And if you haven’t checked these games out yet, well, maybe get on that. Inside. We would be remiss if we didn’t mention this one.

Brought to you by the creators of Limbo, this is a dark and mysterious run through a puzzle-filled testing facility. James didn’t find it quite as compelling as Limbo, but it’s still a solid title, and the atmosphere alone is worth your time if you want to learn how to build that sort of oppressive feeling into your own games. Reverse Crawl. James just tore through this one. It’s one of those, “just one more battle” type games that’ll have you so sucked in that you won’t realize the sun is rising and, oops, you didn’t sleep. The really interesting thing about this game is that it takes the “Heroes of Might and Magic” or “Kings Bounty” formula, and does away with the exploration.

Now, that might sound terrible – James felt that way too, at first. I mean, exploration kind of seems like the lifeblood of those games. But by doing away with the exploration, Reverse Crawl is able to make the combat much tighter, with specifically designed encounters and a progression system that really makes the player consider what they want to be able to play with. Add to that the fact that the player can’t just barge into battle with a ridiculously broken combination of units, but instead has to pick from a wide variety of pre-made unit groupings for each encounter, and you get a tightly designed experience.

You can even beat it in one night if you don’t sleep. I don’t recommend it, but, I’m just saying, you could. ([evil laugh]) (And this, my distinguished gentlebots,) (is the new SteamWorld!) SteamWorld Heist. Since we’re talking strategy games, let’s talk about this pleasantly surprising little gem. This is a game that takes all the conventions of our isometric or top-down tactics games, and puts them on a 2D plane. And it works! It works because the designers considered how 2D might change the formula, what they might be able to do with the design in 2D that’d be harder in one of those other formats. And the conclusion they came to was to make you aim manually.

Yep, this is a tactics game like any other, but sort of like Valkyria Chronicles, when it comes time to shoot, you’ve gotta eyeball it. With no reticle to guide you, this makes variables like cover become a much more interesting and interactive element of the game than we saw even in games like XCOM. So, if you’re looking for a quirky tactics game, or even just like thinking about how we can push the formula, you might want to check out SteamWorld Heist. (And of course it all went according to plan…) Now, a whole lot of you asked if we could talk about some tablet and mobile games on one of these lists, so let me just throw a slew of those at you before we get back to the weird PC games. Let’s start with Galactic Keep. Galactic Keep is exactly what I always wanted a storybook adventure to be when I was young. It takes some of the work done in Steve Jackson’s excellent Sorcery series to the next level and really makes you feel like you’re playing a solo tabletop role-playing module.

Seriously. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt more like I was at the Barrier Peaks without a GM screen on the table. Out There. This game has no combat, and yet, it is brutal. It’s a roguelike survival adventure where you are the last surviving member of humanity trying to make it home. Its vignettes are excellently written, but unlike most story driven games, you will not easily reach the end of this story. I think it’s the very fact that Out There presents a harsh universe where you will die time and again before ever being able to see one of its many endings that kept drawing James back. If you like sci-fi, if you like roguelikes, if you like narrative and are interested in a brutal challenge that never once involves firing a blaster, you better check this out.

Icebound Concordance. Speaking of writing, here is a game that is all about writing. Or rather, it’s all about rewriting. The game itself is a conversation with an AI built from the mind of a writer, and you are there to help it edit and rewrite its last book. That’s pretty interesting in its own right, but then you get to the real bit: the Icebound Compendium. If you’re willing to pony up $25 to pick up the companion book, you are in for something…

Novel. I can’t say much about the Compendium without spoiling things, but, suffice it to say that periodically throughout the game you will be prompted to search through the book for pages related to some of what’s going on on-screen. Then, the game will use your iPad camera to scan the pages and to make the book itself come to life. My only complaint here is that the book itself is poorly made. The cover fell off the binding of James’ copy before it even got through the mail. Of course, that’s a sample size of one James, so hopefully yours will be sturdier. (♪ This is the Guild of Dungeoneering,) (♪ On our quest, we’re never fearing…) The Guild of Dungeoneering.

This game is here simply as an example of what a difference platform can make. James found this to be a mediocre strategy title when he first played it on PC, but on a tablet, its lighter shorter sessions and more casual strategy experience really works. If you want a relaxing strategy game to play on the go, it’s worth trying. Really though, this game is worth buying for the songs alone. (♪ The Guild of Dungeoneering!) (♪ Curse and swear, but don’t despair,) (♪ The way out appears to be over there,) (♪ I think we’re lost, but what do we care?) (♪ The Guild of Dungeoneering!) Templar Battleforce.

I haven’t tried this game on PC, but the mobile version was exactly what James was looking for in a slightly more hardcore tactics game. If you want to play Space Hulk, but the actual modern Space Hulk video game didn’t cut it for you, get Templar Battleforce. It’s everything Space Hulk should be. It’s got an interesting class system, a varied advancement tree, multiple ways to customize units of the same class, and yet the levels are short enough to play on the go. Alright, that’s enough mobile games. Let’s return to the PC, and let’s get weird.

Cat Lady. We so rarely get to recommend adventure games, so I’m glad we get to talk about this piece of weirdness. There are a lot of counter-intuitive design decisions in this game: sometimes on purpose, sometimes as pitfalls of the old-school adventure game ethos, but if you’re looking for something surreal, creepy, and dark, Cat Lady has you covered. The art style perfectly fits the madness, feeling at times like Monty Python channeling Poe.

And the decision to do away with the mouse entirely in an old-school adventure game and streamline things by going with a keyboard interface alone? That’ll put you on a “Games You Might Not Have Tried” list. Fran Bow. We can’t talk about horror games without talking Fran Bow. If you want disturbing and strange, this game has it in spades, but it’s the ambiguity of this game that I love. I’ll try not to spoil anything, but let’s just say, the game leaves itself open for interpretation, and I think that’s great. Too often, horror stories try to explain all their nightmarish surreality, and in doing so, kill the horror. That’s not to say that horror stories shouldn’t make sense, but leaving your nightmare world as an ambiguous metaphor is often so much better than feeling like you have to tie up all the loose ends by saying something like, “See? It was a dream all along!” Fran Bow is an excellent example of this.

Killing Time at Lightspeed. I love the premise of this game. You’ve left Earth. You’re traveling away at light speed, but you can still see your Facebook feed. But here’s the catch: at relativistic speed, every time you hit refresh, a year has passed. You can touch base for one snapshot of everyone’s lives back home then it whirls past and time moves on – for them, if not for you. My only complaint is that most of the time, most of my friends back home simply talked about the news, and for me at least, that’s not how social networks work. That’s a big part of it to be sure, but it’s in the background of all the tiny day-to-day things that people post. I would have loved to have more emphasis on the personal, on the relationships of people and their daily lives, as that backdrop would have given the big events of the world that much more impact, seeing how they affected the people I loved even as I whipped away from them at the speed of light.

Anyway, neat game. Try it out. And finally, Quadrilateral Cowboy. What happens when you mix stealth capers with command line hacking and a PS1 visual aesthetic? Well, you get Quadrilateral Cowboy. Your mileage may vary with the art style, but there is something so cyberpunk about actually hooking up a computer to a jack and having to turn off a security laser with a series of semicolon delineated commands. Am I alone, though, in this making me long for a multiplayer game where one player plays the stealth action hero, and the other one plays their off-site hacker buddy? Like, unlocking the doors and shutting off security cameras in the nick of time with a command-line interface? That would be rad. Somebody, get on that. Anyway, I think that’ll do it for today. Thank you for watching; recommend some of your own weird favorites in the comments below, and we will see you next week..

For More Info : Visit Here : Light Speed Reading

[trekkiepirate]

@wilwheaton Soooo... I decided to write a CYOA in the chat after you were unable to stream. I only got the idea to copy/paste the chat AFTER we’d finished, so I only have a partial transcript of the chat (though I do have all of my story, as I figured I might need to check facts when/if we went back).

If you’re still having a frustrating day, have a read. It’s a bit long, as a warning; formatting is a bit slapdash. It’s silly and weird and made up approximately .0002 seconds before I wrote each part. And those of us who stuck around made a thing where there wasn’t a thing before because you inspired us. 

If you curl up and crybecause Twitch wouldn’t work, turn to page 6. If you thank Wil and get on with your night, turn to page 8. If you do both, turn to page 11.

*turns to page 11* You have yourself a good sniffle, then thank Wil for trying. Now you must choose how to spend your night? Turn to page 13 to watch The Great British Bake-Off, turn to page 14 to investigate the strange whirring noise outside  *turns to page 14* You thought the whirring noise was just your computer acting up, but as you shut it, the noise persists. It's coming from outside *turns page* There's a strange light coming from behind your trash can. Turn to page 16, to investigate silently, turn to page 19 to call out "Who's there?" 16s have it! *turns to page 16* You pad forward silently, stealthy like a ninja As you peek behind the trash can, you see a small, glowing thing that looks furred. Turn to page 21 if you pet it. Turn to page 22 if you say 'hello' *turns to page 21* You reach forward and start to stroke the animal-looking creature's fur. It hisses at you, reveals row after row of teeth and those teeth are the last thing you see. The end. Guys, we died. I'm going to take us to page 22 On page 22* You call out, "hello" in a soft voice.

The creature looks up at you, mouth turned down as if sad. In appearances, it looks like a brown version of Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, but with three sets of eyes and three sets of arms. "Hello," it replies. "Can you understand me? My ship crashed and I don't know if my translator was damaged in the landing.". *turns page* "I can understand you," you say. "What's your name?"

"I am Jasek, explorer of the five galaxies. I was meant to just pass through your solar system, but my ship was hit by an asteroid and I had to land here. Will you help me repair it? If you do, I will take you to outer space."  Time to make a choice! If you run away and call animal control, turn to page 25. If you agree to help Jasek, turn to page 27 You agree to help and Jasek smiles, revealing row after row of sharp, vicious looking teeth. You recoil.

"Do not be afraid, friend," Jasek says. "We Umlogeri only deliver killing bites when we are startled. It was wise of you to announce yourself." *pointed look at the audience* Jasek shows you a blueprint of his ship. It's full of strange markings that you cannot read, but also pictures of the various ship parts. "I have found all but one of the parts so far. This one," Jasek points to a device that looks like an 1980s style cell mobile, big and blocky with an antenna on the top. "If you can find it, we can get to work repairing my ship." Time to make another choice! If you search near Jasek and the trash can, turn to page 29. If you head into the woods behind your house to look, turn to page 36

sarahmasked : 36

Sam_is_Rocking : 36

trekkiepirate : Oh this is a close one

serenitynowgirl : 29

Deliciasez : uhh

Deliciasez : tied?

willmr0102 : trekkie should decide for us

trekkiepirate : But the 36s have it (or did when I started writing, so guess what they win)! *turns to page 36* YOU leave Jasek tinkering with some bent pieces of machinery and head to the woods behind your house. You play in among the trees often and so, even in the waning light of the gloaming, you can navigate. You look for anything out of place, and eventually see the fading sun glint off something near an old tree trunk

Sam_is_Rocking : omg

Sam_is_Rocking : WHAT IS IT

trekkiepirate : *turns page* You come across something that looks much like the picture, but the antenna is missing. If you look for the antenna nearby, turn to page 39, if you take it back to Jasek as is, turn to page 47

Calicojane : 39

Deliciasez : 39

sarahmasked : 39

maximoff_73 : 39

willmr0102 : 39

springyotter : 39

trekkiepirate : 39 has it!

Sam_is_Rocking : 339

Sam_is_Rocking : 39*

trekkiepirate : As you searched the nearby ground, you spy something that looks like the antenna and give it a good yank. "OWWWWWWW!" Since Jasek didn't warn you about antennas that talk, you drop what you grabbed and startle back. A large butterfly crawls up over the trunk and sits in the middle. "What are you doing, going around grabbing folks like that? You nearly yanked my left antenna off."

trekkiepirate : *turns page* "I'm sorry," you say, off-kilter though you are, you were raised to apologize when you hurt another, even unintentionally. "Um, I was actually looking for an antenna like yours. But metal, not... insect-y."

willmr0102 : lol

trekkiepirate : *turns page* "Well," the butterfly flaps a couple times, yet doesn't take off. "At least you apologized. I think I saw the antenna you're looking for. I'll tell you where it is if you'll help me." To help the giant, talking butterfly (cause that's what you get when you make things up really quickly), turn to page 50. To return with what you found to Jasek, turn to page 53

Deliciasez : 50

sarahmasked : 50

willmr0102 : 50 we've trusted the aliens so far

Calicojane : 50

Deliciasez : hmm.. yeah the fact that the butterfly is talking should have raised a red flag, eh?

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : ooh yes small summary maybe?

willmr0102 : lol

springyotter : 53

maximoff_73 : 50

trekkiepirate : For the second time tonight, you decide to trust what you can only assume is an alien. "I'll help you." "Excellent," the butterfly flutters again, still unable to gain lift. If you could just," the butterfly turns and you see a mess of spiderweb caught between the back portion of its wings. "I've flapped all I can, but it's sticky and won't dislodge. Can you take it off? Gently now."

willmr0102 : crap

Deliciasez : aww

Deliciasez : please not death by spiders. again.

trekkiepirate : To use your hands to get rid of the spiderweb, turn to page 55. To instead lead the butterfly back to Jasek so other alien can help, turn to page 56

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : no we're not touching that

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : 56

Deliciasez : nooope

willmr0102 : 56

Deliciasez : 56

sarahmasked : 55

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : sarah pls

maximoff_73 : 56

trekkiepirate : (ya'll have good survival instincts. Yeah, 55 was gonna lead to death)

trekkiepirate : 56s have it!

willmr0102 : i don't think spiders/webs are ever good in these situations

Deliciasez : *whew*

trekkiepirate : You gently scoop the butterfly into your hands, then place the ship part in your back pocket. "What are you doing?" The butterfly flapped, annoyed. "Just take the strands off my wings." "I think I'll let my friend help you with that," you reply. "I might do something wrong and hurt your wings worse."

trekkiepirate : *turns page*

trekkiepirate : When you return to the trash can, Jasek isn't in sight, but a small ship is. "Jasek, can you help me?" You call out. The butterfly flaps harder. "You fool!" Jasek pops his head from the ship and his face darkens. "So, Rebugno. I was wondering what happened to you." You turn to the butterfly, now struggling harder to fly away. "You know each other?"

willmr0102 : i kinda hope he eats the butterfly

Deliciasez : noooo!

willmr0102 : the butterfly tried to kill us though

Deliciasez : not on purpose! ..maybe..

trekkiepirate : *turns page* "Rebugno is my prisoner. Exploring doesn't pay the bills, so I carry prisoners from one galaxy to another. Rebugno is due to be in the Alacon Galaxy's maximum security prison by the morning, but that asteroid has damaged my ship." Jasek looks up at you. "Thank you for returning the prisoner. I'll take him now." "NOOOOO" Rebugno shouts. I'm the warden of the Alacon prison and Jasek is the prisoner. He knocked us off course on purpose and when we crashed, bound my wings and stole the ship. Didn't get too far," the butterfly sneers

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : I really wish I had some wine for this social occassion XD

trekkiepirate : Choice time! If you choose to believe Jasek and turn over the butterfly, turn to page 63. If you believe Rebugno and free his wings, turn to page 66. CHOOSE NOW

willmr0102 : 63

maximoff_73 : 63

trekkiepirate : Guys, I'm really enjoying this. It's part improv, part writing prompt, part "OH DEAR LORDY WHAT AM I DOING AHHHH"

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : 66

springyotter : 63

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : good!! this is fun

Deliciasez : 63

maximoff_73 : its a great time

sarahmasked : 63

willmr0102 : thank you, trekkie this is fun

trekkiepirate : 63s have it!

trekkiepirate : *turns to page 63* You smile at Jasek and hand over the butterfly. "Thank you, my friend," Jasek says, before using his rows of teeth to devour the butterfly whole. "I wanted an appetizer before my main course." The last of the sun's rays glimmer off Jasek's many teeth as he attacks.

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : YAssssss

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : TOLD YALL

trekkiepirate : Welp, down to one life now. Shall we change our last decision or go back furrther?

willmr0102 : i still think the butterfly was trying to kill us

Deliciasez : daang

sarahmasked : I am so hurt by Jasek's betrayal.

maximoff_73 : the butterfly totally wanted us dead too

willmr0102 : should we go back further then?

Deliciasez : go back further!

trekkiepirate : So do we believe the butterfly or do we want to change something else?

willmr0102 : we do not believe the butterfly!

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : lets not believe the butterfly tho that things sketch af

sarahmasked : I don't like the butterfly...

trekkiepirate : So where do we go back to?

Deliciasez : let's take the phone right to him instead of hunting for the antennae? he may eat us though..

Deliciasez : maybe we should just go get him a sandwich

willmr0102 : lol

maximoff_73 : #DoNotTrustTheButterfly

Sam_is_Rocking : I'm back!

Deliciasez : welcome back

Sam_is_Rocking : Had to do homework.

maximoff_73 : Heyyy Sam

willmr0102 : okay, yeah, lets take the phone back

Deliciasez : that hashtag sounds like a good one

willmr0102 : hi Sam

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : eyyy

Sam_is_Rocking : HI! LOVE THE HASTAG!

Sam_is_Rocking : hashtag*

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : thats a simpsons reference amaze

trekkiepirate : So we take the phone back immediately? All right *flips pages*

Sam_is_Rocking : GOTTA GOOOOOO LOVE YOU

Sam_is_Rocking : Love you all!!!!

willmr0102 : lol

willmr0102 : bye

trekkiepirate : Love you too Sam!

maximoff_73 : bye

Deliciasez : see ya!

willmr0102 : anyone else imagine a brief clip of the Cheers theme cuz of Sam?

Deliciasez : yes!

maximoff_73 : omg

maximoff_73 : I should watch Cheers later...

Deliciasez : It's on Netflix.....

willmr0102 : it's come on at 3 am on one of my cable channels lol

trekkiepirate : *on page 47* You return to Jasek with the part. He looks less than thrilled. "Can you still fix it?" You ask. "I can," Jasek says. But I do need an antenna of some kind." To go steal the TV antenna (b/c it's the 80s and those things still exist), turn to page 48. To give Jasek a green pipe cleaner left over from a school project, turn to page 49

willmr0102 : a school project lol

trekkiepirate : (sorry for the wait, had to go back and reread)

Deliciasez : he'll have to untwist it from the cat-shape I have it in now..

willmr0102 : 48

maximoff_73 : sounds like a good use of my time, screw doing the homework i really wasn't going to do anyway. 48!

sarahmasked : 48 only the best for our pal Jasek who definitely would never eat us

springyotter : 49 since we'd have to climb onto the roof for 48

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : omfg

Deliciasez : 48 because my tv only gets 3 channels anyway even with this dumb antenna

willmr0102 : if we act too stupid, he might eat us sooner

trekkiepirate : 48 has it!

willmr0102 : oh, that's a good point i forgot about the roof

Deliciasez : I'm pretty sure you're tall enough just to reach the antenna, @springyotter

trekkiepirate : You return with the bunny ears off the TV. Jasek thanks you again and with some jiggery-pokery, you manage to get the part repaired. "I finished the other repairs while I waited for you," Jasek says. "I"m all ready to go back into space. Would you like to come with me?"

Deliciasez : no way man, not gonna be your packed lunch!!

willmr0102 : umm no

trekkiepirate : Choice! To accept Jasek's invitation and get into the space ship, turn to page 84. To say no, it's a school night and your dad's gonna be angry enough for what you did to the TV turn to page 86 CHOOSE NOW

Deliciasez : tell him where the butterfly is so he can take it with him..

willmr0102 : 86

Deliciasez : 86

springyotter : 86

willmr0102 : we should throw the butterfly in his face

maximoff_73 : 84, we'll probably die but SPACE C'MON

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : no

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : 86

sarahmasked : 84 outer space!!!

irulethegalaxy : If the choice is between space and NOT space, you should ALWAYS choose space.

willmr0102 : he already ate us one!

Deliciasez : twice, actually

trekkiepirate : 86 has it, but they're both endings, so we'll look through both.

willmr0102 : yay

maximoff_73 : sweet

trekkiepirate : You wave goodbye as Jasek takes off in his ship. You return to your house with the mutilated bunny ears and place them back on the TV. "It was for a school project," you tell your father when he's upset he can't watch the hockey game. "Well," Dad grumbles, "If it's for school. Why don't we just go out for ice cream then?" You even get two scoops. THE END

Deliciasez : yay!

willmr0102 : we lived!

irulethegalaxy : Nice, but NOT SPACE!

sarahmasked : what a cool dad

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : cuute

trekkiepirate : Now *flips back to page 84* "TO SPACE!" You shout, hopping into the ship. It's a bit of a squeeze, but you manage to fit anyway. Jasek is true to his word and takes you all the way to Saturn, swinging around the planet's rings. When he returns you o Earth, it looks different. "Um, how long did that trip take, Jasek?" You ask, because it felt like it was only a few hours. "In Earth years," Jasek mumbles figures to himself, "About 45 years. Thanks again!" And with that, he leaves you at the back of a house that is no longer your house and flies off.

trekkiepirate : THE END that had space but was also not the correct answer because I AM MAKING THIS UP AND JUST WANNA GO EAT DINNER

willmr0102 : lol

Deliciasez : aww. thanks! go eat!

trekkiepirate : And you didn't die in either

willmr0102 : Thank you for doing this, Trekkie

willmr0102 : oh, well I'm sorry to those of you who wanted space

irulethegalaxy : Dead in space is still in space though :). Thanks for the story, @trekkiepirate !

Deliciasez : icecream > space

Briar_is_nbSpaceGay : thank u!! this was fun

trekkiepirate : I'm glad ya'll enjoyed it!

sarahmasked : yay! thanks trekkie!

trekkiepirate : At least we had a little CYOA fun, even with Twitch not letting Wil stream

maximoff_73 : Thanks for this @trekkiepirate , no space but it was still freaking amazing

[sayskez]

Arcadia: Style Explorations

Many, many, many explorations.

After much sketching and going around in circles, Chris pushed me to make the leap and just dive in to start exploring and iterating on the style. One of the things I had been struggling with was that I had a general idea of what I wanted but had not drilled down to how this played out. Working on paper helped me flesh out the flows but it was difficult to capture a sense of the aesthetic for something so text driven.

Into Sketch we go! 

I set aside some time and started iterating on the style, building upon and focusing in on what worked with each new version and discarding the rest. My goal was to move as fast as possible, almost like crazy eights but for styles, forcing myself to come up with different stylistic takes on the concepts and then focus on only the best from each.

Iteration 1

For the first round, I focused solely on my content, going for a stripped back command line aesthetic and focusing solely on the content.

What worked

Playing around with text formatting and layout to see what you can do with a purely text UI.

What didn’t

A bit boring and hard to read.

What do you interact with?

Glitches break up the command line style.

Iteration 2

I took the same content-centric approach but went for a more document style with an always present search bar around which the experience could centre.

What worked

More of a sense of documents.

I liked the idea of centring the experience around search.

What didn’t

The overall look felt disjointed. Is it a document? A computer? What?

Iteration 3

Honing in on what didn’t work last time, I took the document style but worked on bringing this into an old, desktop style with windows, pop ups, and glitches.

What worked

I liked the idea of windows and pop ups to capture that old system aesthetic even on mobile.

Overlapping and going out of frame helps convey the brokenness of the system.

What didn’t

The style still feels like it’s sending mixed messages. Not computer, not document, but lost somewhere in between.

How does this actually work? The experience feels broken.

Iteration 4

Whaaaa? Yep, making a leap off the idea of old desktops and documents, I dove into some old images for desktops and command line interfaces. Taking the dark UI styling, I meshed them together for a file driven UI.

What worked

Definitely closer to my original concept, this feels more reminiscent of a real, vintage system and puts the documents first.

The dark UI feels more ‘techy’ and also just a bit menacing.

It feels more like a working, potentially sprawling database.

What didn’t

Still flat and not necessarily connected.

Also strange jumps. Why is it this old style? Is it just for the sake of it? No background.

Iteration 5: Jackpot

Feeling like I was on the right track, I focused in on the best of what had worked from previous iterations and tried to bring them together under the new aesthetic of this dark, decrepit system.

What worked

Feels like a whole working system where you are just scrapping the surface.

Mixes command line and pop up windows to capture the feel of diving into the underlying database of a corrupted system.

Stacking windows on top of each other and the ‘command line’ provides the depth that was missing.

What didn’t

The nav took a bit of experimentation and still not satisfied. I did like the idea of playing off the commands or search as the central navigation but finally opted for something more traditional for these designs.

Looks quite crowded and complex. This is a tricky balancing game because on the one hand I want it to look broken but on the other hand it still needs to be a good experience for users.

Developing the Style

Feeling like I was finally getting somewhere, I took this style and began building out the central search flow and launching a case which I had already sketched to see how it might work. This let me test the concept out in practice and see how it might work in context, rather than in an isolated element collage.

There is still a lot of scope for iteration and improvement here. This is, despite all my experimentation, still only really a first pass. However, I finally feel like I am on the right track with a visual language echoing old school command line interfaces and desktops to evoke the feeling of a stripped back system slowly being rebuilt (in between glitches).

[jessicakmatt]

From Discs to Digital: The Odd History of Music Formats

From Discs to Digital: The Odd History of Music Formats: via LANDR Blog

Physical formats have only been around since the 1870s— But in that relatively short amount of time, we’ve managed to come up with some pretty bizarre ways to release music.

Each format on this list had its moment of usefulness. But looking back might make you ask “what were we thinking?”

Regardless of how obsolete certain formats might be, they all led us to where we are today: streaming.

Most music fans choose to purchase their music digitally—either via download or streaming.

Smart artists are following suit as well. Many musicians are skipping out entirely on the cost of releasing physical formats—opting instead for digital music distribution that fits today’s music landscape.

Well, how did we get here?

Regardless of their popularity today, every format on this list played its part in the march towards digital domination.

We strolled through the odd history of music formats to explore where that journey has taken us—and where it might lead…

Here’s the music format timeline—from vinyl to digital and everything in between:

1948: The Record

Records, or discs, of varying speeds and materials have actually been around since the early 1900s—early versions rotated at 78 RPM (vroom, vroom!) and were made of shellac, which made them noisy (the bad kind of noisy, not the good kind) and fragile.

In 1948, Columbia Records produced a 33 RPM 12-inch ‘long play’ format, which we know, love, and donate the thrift stores today as the LP.

The first LP ever pressed was titled Columbia ML4001, and was a “Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E Minor” by violinist Milstein with the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bruno Walter.

Shortly after, RCA Records developed a 45 RPM 7-inch ‘extended-play single’ format, or the EP for short.

Because of the fragility of shellac, which was frequently broken during transport, both Columbia and RCA Records eventually began producing their LP and EPs on vinyl.

Because of the fragility of shellac, which was frequently broken during transport, both Columbia and RCA Records eventually began producing their LP and EPs on vinyl.

Size and portability were the biggest strikes against vinyl. Eventually the music industry sought to find a solution and developed new formats that people could easily bring with them to work, parties, etc.

Despite the numerous physical formats that have been created since vinyl records, the market for them is still strong: according to the mid-year 2017 Discogs report the most popular physical music format sold so far this year is vinyl, with a year-to-year increase in sales of 13.92%.

But despite vinyl’s sustained popularity over time, vinyl was set aside as the go-to format as listeners looked for the next best thing.

1963: Compact Cassette

Compact Cassettes, or tapes, were invented by the Philips company and introduced to Europe at the Berlin Radio Show—Europe’s oldest tech convention with a rich history of its own.

Early cassettes featured reverse housing with a max play time of 45 minutes of stereo audio per side—significantly longer than a vinyl LP’s playtime.

Tapes also fit in a more affordable, compact package. The small size of tapes gave rise to portable players, making them a convenient development in the history of how and where we listen.

The cassette also fit perfectly into the post-war era. A boom in population and suburban expansion meant cars… lots of cars. So the need for mobile playback systems and formats was a hot concept.

The invention of tapes also introduced a volatile new concept into recorded music: Piracy.

The advent of cassettes and cassette recorders caused record companies to predict devastating effects on the music industry. After unsuccessful attempts to tax blank tapes, the DAT (digital audio tape) Bill was introduced in 1989, which restricted the amount of tapes consumers could by and prevented them from making copies of copies, aka the SCMS system.

Cassettes also birthed mixtape culture—a concept that runs the music industry as we know it today.

However, it didn’t help record labels, who believed that a tax should be paid to them. In 1991 the Audio Home Recording Act was introduced, which collected tax from media and record makers and distributed it back to labels.

But it wasn’t all suitcases, court cases and taxes on tapes… Cassettes also birthed Mixtape culture, giving amateur compilation creators a way to record audio off of multiple records and compile a single playlist—a concept that runs the music industry as we know it today.

These days tapes certainly aren’t our main mode of listening, but the industry is still active—In 2016, cassette sales grew by 74% from the previous year.

1964: 8-Track Tape

The 8-track tape was a collaborative invention between the unlikely trio of RCA Records, Lear Jet Company, and Ampex Magnetic Tape Company. This may seem like somewhat of an odd group, but Bill Lear of Lear Jet Corporation, along with his employee Richard Kraus, were responsible for designing the cartridge for 8-track tapes.

Lear, who manufactured private, luxury aircrafts, had an interest in audio and previously tried to create an endless-loop wire recorder in the 1940s.

The benefit of 8-track tapes over the compact cassette was their ability to house 8-parallel soundtracks with four corresponding stereo programs—they could play a lot of music in a relatively small package.

Much of the 8-tracks success is thanks to the booming automobile industry of the time. By 1966, Ford Motors offered 8-track players as an option in their complete line of automobiles produced that year.

At home players were introduced the following year, and many saw the 8-track as a solution to the portability issue of records and record players.

Despite 8-track’s popularity in the 60s and 70s, the compact cassette took over as the more popular choice for artists and consumers due to its favourable size and price-tag.

Despite their popularity in the 60s and 70s, the compact cassette took over as the more popular choice for artists and consumers due to its favourable size and price-tag. As a result the 8-track became largely obsolete then, and today.

It’s argued that the last 8-track tape ever released by a major label was Fleetwood Mac’s Greatest Hits, released in November of 1988 by Warner Records—perhaps a sign that we’d never be going back to 8-tracks again?

1972: Floppy Disk

Floppy Disk’s are normally associated with data storage for desktop computers, but during the 80s and 90s a select-few artists began releasing albums on this somewhat unconventional format.

IBM introduced the 8-inch floppy disk to the tech world in 1972, which was followed with a 5 ¼-inch model in 1976, and finally replaced with a conveniently-sized a 3½-inch format in 1982.

The floppy release remained fairly niche and never truly hit the mainstream. Diskette’s most notable release was Brian Eno’s 1996 album Generative Music I, released through Opal Music.

There were also a handful of major releases on diskette that tried to bring a “multimedia” angle to albums, but the format simply never caught on.

Regardless of diskette’s ill-fated moment in music, the floppy represents an important foreshadowing of music’s digital future—a trend that would soon be taken up by the CD explosion…

1982: Compact Disc

The floppy represents an important foreshadowing of music’s digital future.

In 1974, Philips (yes, the same Philips of tape fame) had the initial idea for CDs as a replacement for records and cassettes. During the same time Sony was also working on their own prototype (CD wars!). Sony’s offering was first demoed in 1976.

Eventually the two companies came together and CDs were officially launched as a viable format in 1982. Sony also introduced the first ever CD player that year, the CDP-101 Compact Disc Player which cost $1000!

With CDs also came portable CD players, CD-ROM drives, writable CDs and the 16-bit/44.1kHz benchmark for audio formats, which all had their own effect on how we listen to music.

CDs also brought together the best of every format that came before it: High-quality audio, compact, portable, writable and inexpensive.

Overall the CD was an extremely important development for the music industry, becoming the defacto release format for decades.

It was a need the CD and Discman could only fill for so long.

But in many ways the CD was the beginning of the end for physical formats. Computers and the MP3 (more on this in a minute) quickly took over our listening habits. With the invention of the internet and as computers became more sophisticated, so did the constant demand for convenience. It was a need the CD and Discman could only fill for so long.

As soon as it became possible to access music through your computer or MP3 player, most people no longer wanted to have physical copies of music when they could store everything in a folder on their desktop.

Of course CDs didn’t just evaporate overnight. There’s still some Discpeople out there. Even though Discog’s 2017 mid-year report cites vinyl as the physical format showing the biggest growth, CDs have seen their own growth in sales with an increase of 23.23% on the used market.

1992: MP3

The MP3 was originally developed in the the early 80s by researcher Karlheinz Brandenburg. His post-doctoral work at the AT&T Bell Labs expanded on pre-existing codecs for compressing audio. In a strange twist, Brandenburg chose Suzanne Vega’s 1987 hit “Tom’s Diner” as a test song to perfect the MP3.

But it wasn’t until 1992 that the MP3 went mainstream, and not until 1999—with the creation of Napster—that the format really caught fire.

The music industry is just now starting to recover from it’s own digital dawn…

Napster allowed for free peer-to-peer file sharing of the MP3 audio file that resulted in widespread copyright infringement and understandable outrage from the music industry.

Despite its brief 3 year run in its initial form, Napster eventually paved the way for platforms like the iTunes store—allowing users to search, purchase, and instantly play music all with a few clicks.

The effects from the shockwave that the MP3, piracy and pure digital formats created are still being felt today. In many ways, the music industry is just now starting to recover from it’s own digital dawn…

2002: Streaming

With 24/7 internet accessibility expanding thanks to mobile, developers and entrepreneurs saw the opportunity for something big: The possibility of listening to, and discovering, new music without having to actually download files or purchase songs.

Additionally, streaming platforms aimed to (hopefully) make digital music a sustainable business model for everyone involved. In many ways it has, but there’s still a long way to go.

The release of the iPhone in 2007 is what really caused streaming and internet radios popularity to skyrocket. Apps that were previously desktop only, were now available at the palm of your hand.

The following year Spotify launched, which runs off of paid advertisements. Users have two choices: listen for free with ads, or pay a monthly fee for unlimited, uninterrupted streaming.

Streaming apps filled the creeping demand for non-physical access to music and ushered in our current chapter of formats: Dematerialized music.

If this list proves anything, it’s that nothing is forever—especially in music.

For better or worse, every music format played it’s roll in the march towards streaming. While streaming hasn’t made every other format obsolete, there’s no denying that it’s the format that’s leading how we access music. For now at least…

What Now?

If this list proves anything, it’s that nothing is forever—especially in music.

So what’s next on the horizon? Maybe we’ll all listen to music while our autonomous cars drive us around? Or is there a renaissance for video’s role in music on the horizon (I’m looking at you Hype)?

No matter what the future holds, the format that matters most is the one that your favourite artist is releasing on.

If you’re a fan, support the artist and buy their music on the formats they distribute music with. Do your research and find the format that fits you, and them, the best!

We can all do our part to help the music industry by paying for music—and the formats it’s released on.

Support independent musicians, support small labels and support your local record store!

The post From Discs to Digital: The Odd History of Music Formats appeared first on LANDR Blog.

from LANDR Blog https://blog.landr.com/music-formats-history/ via https://www.youtube.com/user/corporatethief/playlists from Steve Hart https://stevehartcom.tumblr.com/post/165981480674

[wilheminaogden-blog]

Test Banks And Solution Manuals PDF Book

Looking for a test bank or solution guide for your academic classes and textbooks see testbankcampuscom and receive alternative manuals and your evaluation banks at . Test bank solution manual navigate our 23540 books college test bank quiz bank solutions manual answer key. Search the publication title in the search box our source would be the undisputable and finish add our site you want . Is a website utilized by several students as their source of test banks and alternative manuals to the most popular us international school university and faculty .

The great number is, as we hope, benefiting those who took the opportunity to study materials. And while TAs scanning lecture halls of drifting eyes, in search has undoubtedly resulted in the reduction of incidences of obvious copying, there is a subverted approach allowing some TestBankCampus allows pupils really assess their understanding and grasp of the program articles, building them more capable of academic accomplishment. to develop into a test already knowing what to write. Evaluation banks have been copies of examinations utilized as a research tool for many others and saved by students. Other student associations, sororities and fraternities take pride in their backlog of evaluations and permit members to use for analyzing, these examinations. One person is responsible for coordinating the tests.

Hamilton uses his chapter's test bank when he needs to supplement his studying. I found that seeing how old tests are put together really helps, and there are teachers who recycle answers year after year.

Looking at old tests helps me get better grades," Hamilton stated. While sharing old tests is permitted by Student Judicial Affairs (SJA), an advantage comes into play if students memorize answers. Old tests can contain identical questions to that of current exams, which can represent a major boost in the grade of the user. Despite SJA's stance, some, including chemistry professor Matthew Augustine, said that monitoring the difference between memorization and diligent studying proves unlikely.

Restricting the unfair advantage of people that have access to tests comes down to instructors. An instructor may take preventative measures like changing questions satisfactorily so that a pupil is still needed to use their own skills to demonstrate their understanding. Changing parts of a question may also make it much easier to detect if somebody is recycling a response from a previous evaluation version," Dudley said.

This year's midterm was the same format as last year's. The material warrants it," Augustine said. What I did this year was supposed to go through and change all of the acids to foundations it had been the exam. Augustine went on to describe that in courses such as chemistry and physics, having an idea of what's on a test does not necessarily lead to a higher grade. It's about putting in the time comprehend and to study the material. Years back, I did not have time to write an examination. I gave it the next moment, went through each problem on a clinic exam and a few other stuff, went home, changed the cover and went to the review session. In other types of classes, however, where particular theories are geared year after year, seeing what instructors focus on is less of a tool to research with, and more of an exclusive peek behind the curtain. There was similar questions on there which showed up about the midterm. Hamilton said after viewing a prior test.

I really don't think it's cheating. I don't really see how you can stop . I believe that it's a fantastic thing to have the ability to make certain your answers are right on thinking something you did wrong was 31, so you don't go. You don't understand anything from your errors should youn't even know if you find something is incorrect you can try to find what you did wrong and learn from it, although your answer was incorrect. I'll admit because you still need to find what you did wrong yourself that having the response is better than a answer. Yes, these guides could be misused. If you're just using them to look at your answers, I think there is nothing wrong. Some pupils will look up the answers and they won't ever learn how to actually do the work and they'll do much worse on the tests. Nice screen name. I can not count how many times I took a solo on Well You Needn't.

Publishers provide textbook test banks in Respondus format. You can search for all these textbooks with the Respondus Test Bank Network. You can search for your textbook straight on the Respondus website: http://www.respondus.com/testbank/search.php. Watch and then immediately pull questions into your own tests. If your textbook or specific edition isn't recorded, you can ask that the publisher make that test bank available in Respondus format. It's ideal to create this request well as it takes some time to convert an present test bank.

Another document, or MB, post it in comments under a community member or our service group will help you! Registered users may use our File Leecher to download files from all file hosts where fundamentals of electric circuits 5th edition solutions manual pdf was discovered on. Just paste the urls you'll discover below and we are going to download file for you! You can utilize our Link checker to assess whether download links are active before you begin download if file that you want to download is multipart. Our goal is to supply high quality PDF documents, Mobile programs, movie, TV flows, music, applications or any other files uploaded on servers for free! Please use our Support page.

I will be upfront and honest and say that test banks have been bought by me. I will inform you that I have to get a test with any of these questions in the test bank on these. You will be in trouble, if you are relying on these to pass a test. We were informed that the teachers write the vast majority of the their OWN questions, and don't even utilize the test lender. I used the test bank and it did help. I received a couple of Bs but mostly c's (if 80 percent or greater is passing). Because a lot don't come with rationales it was a wonderful study tool. I compose my justification for the query would answer the query, and double check myself with the book. It enabled me to retain a great deal of information because explain to myself why it had been wrong or correct and I had to reevaluate the response. Additionally, it is good practice on how best to answer questions. Nursing is a lot of application. You're going into the career if you're hoping to incorporate nursing.

Once you've downloaded the ExamView bundle or you've got the ExamView installer CD-ROM, you will have to install the computer software. Do so. The more recent ExamView software installs into a new directory, if you have a previous version installed, and the evaluation banks may not appear on your default location. Once you have downloaded the program, unzip the parent folder. Then, click on the SETUP icon, and the software will install. ExamView . Banks to your current text will be found in a folder in this location. ExamView . Test banks for your text will be seen in a folder in this location. If you have a previously installed a previous version of EXAMVIEW you will need to change the default test banks directory at the ExamView software Preferences. To alter these settings; start the ExamView Test Generator. Do the exact same for Tests directory and Internet (LAN) Tests directory if you need. Remember prior to closing the program window.

What's a Option Manual and why would I need one? So you've spent a fortune purchasing your text books for your chosen course. You've been sat in your class taking down the notes but you are still unsure of the answers when it comes answering the questions in each chapter of your text book. There is A Solution Manual exactly what it says. Sometimes referred to as Textbook or the Instructors Manual Answer Key. It's the answers to the questions on your text book, but broken down into actions that are understandable. When employed students are able to leave no stone unturned when replying homework issues and revising for exams.

This will lead to students and enable them to go into examinations confident they could handle any issue. This Solution Manual (also known as Answer Key) gives you comprehensive step-by-step methods and techniques about the best way to fix the problems more effectively and efficiently. They feature all the answers and solutions to each problem in your textbook. All odd and even issues are solved and included. By using the instructors solutions guide, you can study better to your classes and succeed in your academic education and thus increasing your chance to have a fantastic job and better future!

Have any of your instructors prohibited the use of them, either in writing or verbally? For some STRANGE reason people believe that teachers don't know of the. They do. They understand that the test bank of book is readily available throughout the net. Funny though many students think that USING a test bank is a Guaranteed "A"------- this is incorrect-- Al lot of people will look at evaluation banks and miserably fail. Times Test Bankers neglect. You have to be able to NOT just memorize questions, but also know the rationale behind them. Now, what about using NCLEX practice publications is that incorrect? Cross fit between the two, if they are from exactly the identical manufacture of this book and the queries? Test Bank--What color is the sky? Red? NCLEX Book--Blue is the color of? Sky, Grass, Snow, Blood? Another publication- Red is to bloodstream as ? It does not matter how the questions are asked or where they are from. You are aware of it, if you understand the answer. Did you have a class, and the teacher what was the questions that are exact, on the test?

All the time changes my tests, for example, format. I do it for the reason you have put forward. Technically, I would say that test banks aren't "cheating" since it is not a copy of the current test. On recycling the very same tests out of laziness, if faculty members insist, then they are at fault. Since they induce people to learn what they ought to have been studying during the class, I think that a case can be made that evaluations make good study guides. Having said all that, among the most rewarding experiences of my entire life was carrying over a survey course understood throughout the school as a "gut" (easy) course.

I waited before I struck on the first test against them, before the drop deadline had passed. It is not cheating at all as long as the same version of the test is not offered the same year. If you are unsure, e-mail or talk with your professor at the course and ask if she/he will allow a test bank to be used by you. Wow tarhunt that is really evil! Are these test banks generated? I don't think that it's cheating to look at them if the tests are published by the professors.

Then it's if they were obtained improperly. Wow tarhunt that is really wicked! Yes, but so richly deserved! Many fraternities and sororities have evaluation banks. If the professor will not change exams in any way, then they're inviting use (and misuse) of such a method. Essay evaluations can be made by them, if profs do not enjoy it. The only benefit they provide is that you've got a clearer idea of the way the information and questions will be requested by that particular professor. In my experience however, test files are helpful, but they do not compensate for understanding and not knowing the topic.

And test files slowly eliminate value over the years as professors and theories change, so they're just as good as they're updated and cleaned up. This is not cheating, provided that the evaluation isn't obtained by illegal ways. Using and saving old tests that were given back to students is completely valid. I had an encounter along these lines myself: a nutty old professor asked the very same questions on evaluations, year after year after year. I would advise that you attempt to find another course or department, even if it seems difficult to give up a simple grade, like I have just explained, if you can, if you experience a prof.

Otherwise, your analyzing strategy (and everything you get out of the course) can be wholly subverted. It isn't cheating - I taught in a university dept. that itself maintained a bank of tests right in the workplace for almost any students to consult. If going this route keeps a student from learning, then it might not be the best thing. You'll have to understand things on your career. I snip on the wire to defuse this item? You will be cheating yourself, if you merely learn to the exam. Perhaps the school can neutralize what some may see simply by submitting the tests on the department web website. My bio professor during summer closing from spring semester and put up her old midterm up on Blackboard so pupils could use them as study guides.

It's not cheating when the professor supplies them. If I can get it on Google at no cost, I say it's not illegal (this doesn't apply to press lol). But I did a quick Google search this upcoming quarter, and I discovered tests from the previous ten years. At UVa, many professors make students sign an oath that they have not looked at older tests. They've thrown out students who copied computer code from a previous student to get a course. Whatever the case, a prof should be smart enough to change their evaluations. If a pupil is dependent upon an evaluation bank, they will get hit once a test which was not at the test bank is handed out by the prof.

[jobsearch-v02]

Inspiration

Einstein is quoted as saying, “Inspiration is 1%, work is 99%”.

Inspiration is an extrinsic effect that causes you to become excited and motivated, when you figure out a new way to solve an old problem, or a problem that has been plaguing you for a period of time. Some times, this even means that leaders provide you with a new way that they are going marshal resources to attack a problem.

The tips provide here, are indeed material from other people, but not speeches. At the end of this post, I’ll describe how to use this information to help you avoid depression, by understanding a key part of what depression is.

Learn to Interview:

The first thing I want you to do is, “LEARN TO INTERVIEW!!!”  No, you’re not going to be interviewed, sorry .. you’re going to be doing the interviewing.  Why, you need information. You need to find job prospects. You need to find clients that can use your services.  So, guess what, you need to talk to people.

A good book to start with is, “Powerful Questions”.

But wait, you’re not good at starting a conversation.  Here’s a tip, find an excuse to start talking to someone.  It’s as simple as asking, “Where’s so and so’s booth? I heard that they have the most exquisite gadget to do XY and Z!”  They may not be interested in the gadget, or the booth, but if they respond, you can follow up with another question, “So, what are you presenting here?”

Now you get them to tell you their story. And it’s with their story, that you can dig into various ideas, build a conversation, and before you know it, learn about who their products supports and how.  But does this support your specialty?

Who supports your specialty:

Start with your specialty.  What is it that you do, and do well? There is a book called, “Strength Finder”, that will help you examine what you have been trained to do, and what you want to do.  Review this book and many other books like it to.  Now, that you’ve identified your strength, identify the types of professions that your strength needs to succeed.

If you were to build a business, what other vendors would you need to support your business.  For most of us, we need electricity, internet, mobile phones, food, and shelter.  But, who else supports you.  As a graphic artist, maybe you need a paint store, or graphic software, or a tablet.  Think about who these vendors are, and pay attention to all the offerings they make available for people just like you.

For example, these vendors like marketing, and are usually open to cross marketing.  This type of effort can help you find a lead to a job.

Interview your vendors:

It may sound strange, but your vendors have many needs, and with 6 degrees of separation between you and the next job prospect, you need ideas that are outside the box of “Big Box Job Posting WebSites” to find a lead. Someone out there is looking for you. You need to find them.

If you’re going to interview your vendors on their marketing needs, which non-profits they support, and what types of clients they cater too, you might as well ask them who their vendors are.  Who supports them and how.  What is their story, or more specifically, how did they choose this particular place to start a shop, and why has it worked for them.

If your vendor is a big box store - Staples, Office Depot, Home Depot, ... then, their story is all the more relevant, as they took a big gamble setting up shop where they did. A physical location is a huge investment. How has this gamble worked out for them?  Would the make different decisions if they had to start over?  Would they change things if they could?  What constraints are they now subject to?

In addition, as them how they support your industry.  It’s a sneaky way to learn about other companies that support, but they may have a spark of an idea that can lead you to a job prospect.  And, that is what you are looking for.

Global Calendar:

Now that you have a list of vendors who support your specialty, start building a calendar of events that they pay attention to. There are the usual calendar holiday events that every calendar lists, but specific vendors hold trade shows in different cities.  There are computer shows, home decorating shows, boat shows, car shows, fur trading shows, leather shows, S&M shows, and so on.  When are these events.

Why do you want to know about these events, not only for your industry, but also for your vendors industry, because, it’s the one place - other than a recruiting fair - and a lot of different companies are all in one location, and you can go interview them.

As this post continues, we will look at other sources that can help you fill your global calendar with other ideas on ways you can find job prospects.

Librarys & Book Stores:

Books, magazines, periodicals, fliers, and more ... they all contain information about your specialty and how it has been applied to the world over.  Go, get overloaded with ideas on how other people have applied your specialty. How they market it. What events they attend. What groups they belong to.  Go, research.

As a librarian for help.  They live to help you.

21 Social Websites

Facebook, Twitter, Meetup, FlipBoard, Youtube, Instragram, Reddit, Vine, Pintrest, ASK, Tumblr, Flickr, Google Circles, Linked In, ClassMates, FourSquare, Kik, Tencent, Viber, About.Me, WikiPedia, Stumble Upon, Go Fund Me, 

These sites can be though grouped as follows:

Reviews

Events

Goal Setting 

Collaboration

Chat

Personal

Networking

E-Commerce

Sharing

Discussion

Marketing

Publishing

PodCasts

Knowledge

Out Reach

I posted in a previous blog that these sties can help you find prospective jobs through crowd sourcing.  6 degrees of separation, never went so fast as 1000′s of people searching for you for a job.

There are many specialized websites that you can use as well.  Jobber, NextGig, Viber, Freelance, for just finding work.  There are also Apps.  Use a discussion format to ASK questions about the job market in your specialty.  By using friends and people already interested in answering questions, you will find a wealth of knowledge can be gained through crowd sourcing it.

Pillars of Success:

Pillars in the community, are individuals with 1000′s of connections, vs 100′s.  And their connections are primarily local.  Some of these pillars become civic leaders by nature, but we will discuss that in the next segment.  For now, search through your contact lists to see who you know that know’s lots of people.

Your next step is to interview them.  The question is, “How did they become pillars of the community?”  While the answer in short may be, “It didn’t happen over night!”,  that’s ok. You are interested in their story on how they achieved this success.  And, you are interested in other people who they could refer you to, that you could interview.

The more people that know about you, the easier it is to find a prospective job.  And, remember, this is about you interviewing them for their story, not you telling them your story.  Always politely decline up to 4 times, before giving in to tell your story.  It helps to make sure they are truly interested.

Civic Leaders:

Write various civic leaders and ask them for interview time.  The same process you used to interview everyone up to this point, should be used here as well. With one exception, you get to tell your story.

Civic leaders love hearing a good rags to riches story, or a story that they can hold up as an example to their peers on why they should champion a cause.  Usually, it’s about poor children not getting enough to eat, or pregnant mothers - as both are preparing for the next generation of job seekers.  However, if you’re not pregnant and male, you’re job is a lot tougher.

It’s easy for people to call you “Lazy”, “Slacker”, or “Unmotivated”.  They may also claim that there are many jobs out there that you “Could Do!”. However, if no one is willing to hire you, then there is no job out there for you.  So, back to a civic leader.

The job of a civic leader is to represent you. Therefore, they need to know your story, your struggle, and how they can help you.  What resources do you think you need? What opportunities are being kept from you?  Are companies being fair when they review your credentials? Are there specific aspects of your life that are not interfering with your ability to get a job - for example - incarceration tends to be frowned upon by many corporations, even if you have 3 masters degrees in physics, programming, and mathematics.  

So pick up your pen and paper and write your story.  Make it has heart breaking as you possibly can.  Once it’s complete, send it to your leaders.  Create a video, that you can link with a letter you sent to the leaders on their timelines, and so on.  Send it to a book publisher, screen writer, and major motion studio so that everyone notices your story.  It might not be your story that they choose, but if it’s a compelling enough story of heart ache, loss, constantly failing where you should be succeeding, and on and on .. someone somewhere will pick it up as an Indy project.  

Once that happens, the civic leaders will take notice.  Because, they had an opportunity to help you before it became mass public knowledge, but now it will be egg on their face, since they lost the opportunity to capitalize on your grief to raise donations that could have funded their campaign.

Lists:

Now that you’ve collected all this information, place it into lists.  These lists should remind you of things you can review when you forget.  They should be on paper, though having an electronic version is fine.  But you need something you can look at regularly to remind you .. inspire you.

This blog for example has a list, of all the ideas I could write about.  But I don’t immediate action items off the list, until I’m inspired to write about them.  The inspiration comes as a “CLICK!!! Wow, that makes sense, and I can describe it to others now! =)”

Your lists should have the same effect for you.  If you choose to keep a blog about your job search, then review your lists and see what clicks for you that day.  Does going to the library click today, or does finding prospective interviewees click.  

The possibilities listed above are just some things that could be used to help build your lists and motivate you through inspiration.

Depression

Self motivation, intrinsic or extrinsic, is necessary to overcome depression, and stay ahead of others who are motivated. The problem is, you are 1 person.  Just one person, who is working on a problem, “Getting Employed!”  This problem is exacerbated further by the fact that every time you get close to reaching the goal - “Being Employed!” - you are rejected.  And, thus sets in apathy.  “I don’t care anymore! No one wants to hire me!”  Which is why the post, “What do I do when no one will hire me?” was written.

Depression creates a fog that causes many decisions in your life to be delayed or not even made, because, “WHY???” Honestly, you’re right. There is no reason to go on.  You’ve gone from being optimistic to pessimistic, your no longer care whether you succeed, since no one else does.  So, “Why?”

Another way to look at depression, is ... It’s the brains way to trying to figure out how to solve a very complex problem.  And, you’ve followed my blog, you know that there are many moving parts in finding a job, as well as staying in a positive mind set.  

Another version of depression is depression caused by physical pain.  At this point, you should be looking to your doctor to help migrate you to disability, instead of trying to be employed.  Physical pain is not an easy subject to deal with, esp in the middle of a post on job searching, so if you are in physical pain, and it is affecting your ability to search, interview, and perform many of the other tasks required to find prospective jobs, then by all means, get a pass, and sit on the bench until you have found a way to resolve the pain.

Self Help Groups:

You are not alone!  As much as you would love to think otherwise. You are not alone.  And if there was one program that the Unemployment Agencies would implement, is an “Employment Anonymous” group.

This group would be tasked with several things:

It would pair you with a buddy

It would discuss everything I’ve talked about in this blog

It would allow you to express your frustration at finding a job

It would migrate you into business networking, physiological, sociological, or psychological groups as needed

But, until then, don’t be shy, start a meetup group for finding the types of jobs that you’re looking for.  Or joining groups that already bring people together in your industry. Be prepared to interview them.  Building connections will help you find the buddy you need, and help you locate job prospects.