#my options were limited on iPhone

[jaebird88]

Magic is a very versatile game.

[metamatar]

When electronics manufacturing took off in China in the 1980s, rural women who had just begun moving to the cities made up the majority of the factory workforce. They didn’t have many other options. Managers at companies like Foxconn preferred to hire women because they believed them to be more obedient [...]

Hiring a young, female workforce in India comes with its own requirements — which include reassuring doting parents about the safety of their daughters. The company offers workers free food, lodging, and buses to ensure a safe commute at all hours of the day. On days off, women who live in Foxconn hostels have a 6 p.m. curfew; permission is required to spend the night elsewhere. “[If] they go out and not return by a specific time, their parents would be informed,” a former Foxconn HR manager told Rest of World. “[That’s how] they offer trust to their parents.”

[...] the Tamil Nadu government sent a strong signal welcoming Foxconn and other manufacturers: Authorities approved new regulations that would increase workdays from eight to 12 hours. This meant that Foxconn and other electronics factories would be able to reduce the number of shifts needed to keep their production line running from three to two, just like in China. [...] Political parties aligned with the government called the bill “anti-labor” and, during the vote, walked out of the legislative assembly. After the bill passed, trade unions in the state announced a series of actions including a demonstration on motorbikes, civil disobedience campaigns, and protests in front of the ruling party’s local headquarters. The government shelved its new rule within four days.

Indian Foxconn workers told Rest of World that eight hours under intense pressure is already hard to bear. “I’ll die if it’s 12 hours of work,” said Padmini, the assembly line worker.

For the expatriate workers, the slower pace of the factory floors in India is its own shock to the system. A Taiwanese manager at a different iPhone supplier in the Chennai area told Rest of World that India’s 8-hour shifts and industry-standard tea breaks were a drag on production. “You have barely settled in on your seat, and the next break comes,” the manager lamented.

In China, Foxconn relies on lax enforcement of the country’s labor law — which limits workdays to eight hours and caps overtime — as well as lucrative bonuses to get employees to work 11 hours a day during production peaks [...] five Chinese and Taiwanese workers said they were surprised to discover that their Indian colleagues refused to work overtime. Some attributed it to a weak sense of responsibility; others to what they perceived as Indian people’s low material desire. “They are easily content,” an engineer deployed from Zhengzhou said. “They can’t handle even a bit more pressure. But if we don’t give them pressure, then we won’t be able to get everything right and move production here in a short time.” [...] At the same time, the expat staff enjoy the Indian work culture of tea breaks, chatting with colleagues, and going home on time. They recognize they are helping the company spread a Chinese work culture that they know can be unhealthy. [...]

On the assembly line, Foxconn’s targets were tough to reach, workers said. Jaishree, 21, joined the iPhone shop floor in 2022 as a recent graduate with a degree in mathematics. (With India’s high level of unemployment, Foxconn’s assembly line has plenty of women with advanced degrees, including MBAs.) [...] “At the start, during my eight-hour shift, I did about 300 [screws]. Now, I do 750,” she said. “We have to finish within time, otherwise they will scold us.” [...]

Mealtimes are an issue, too. In December 2021, thousands of Indian Foxconn employees protested after some 250 colleagues contracted food poisoning. In response, the company changed food contractors, and increased its monthly base salary from 14,000 rupees to 18,000 rupees ($168 to $216) — double the minimum wage prescribed by the Tamil Nadu labor department for unskilled workers. [...]

Working conditions take a physical toll. Padmini has experienced hair loss because she has to wear a skull cap and work in air-conditioned spaces, she said. “Neck pain is the worst, since we are constantly bending down and working.” She has irregular periods, which she attributes to the air conditioning and the late shifts. “[Among] girls with me on the production line, some six girls have this problem,” Padmini said. Workers said they regularly see colleagues become unwell. “The day before yesterday, a girl fainted and they took her to the hospital,” [...] Padmini, at 26, believes she is close to the age where the company might consider her too old. “They used to hire women up to age 30, now they hire only up to 28,” she said.

[lisascorner]

omg omg omg another hc post?!?!?! in 2 days?!?!?! that's crazy

anyways here's the ninja and what tech they have!

nya

okay i think her battlestation would be like. slightly above average, but she most definitely uses linux since she's too annoyed by the mac price point and windows just didn't do it for her. BUT she has an iphone 13 in blue, duh

i don't think she'd have an ipad honestly...i feel like she just draws all her blueprints for the stuff she makes on paper then scans it because she likes the feeling on paper or sumn...

she probably only has wired earphones and trusts only wired earphones.

jay

jay has like three laptops all for different things and an ipad and a samsung tablet. no way he doesn't have allat to play games on their respective platforms frfr... (e.g. pjsk is region-locked and the japan and global versions of the game have some slight differences, so some people have to log out of their apple ids and change it to a jp one so that they can play the jp version. it was tedious, so jay just got 2 ipads.)

his iphone would be like the midnight blue 13 pro max or something. he'd probably have one of those stupid gaming phones too (he bought one off the market, found that it didn't run properly, and just made another one that actually worked himself. LMAO)

specifically has the apple wired earphones and airpods. i don't really think he's a headphone guy.

lloyd

the green ninja unfortunately does not have the option to buy a green macbook, so he settled with a space grey 13 inch air with the M1 chip and bought a green skin for it. 💀 fortunately, he could buy his phone in HIS green with the iphone 13 pro max once again!

he's not an ipad kid. he doesn't have one, and he doesn't need one. he might have a borgwatch though.

lloyd however IS a headphone boy and he wears sony XM4s like the elite he is. augh.

kai

latest iphone, latest mac, latest ipad, that has red options. nothing else needs to be said for this social media DIVA ❤️‍🔥

airpod pros for this boy. he has red headphones from beats by dre but uses it purely for aesthetic.

cole

the bare minimum. HOWEVER, his phone would be a galaxy S23 bc i said so. and he has nothing earbuds! don't be fooled by the non-apple name those are the same price as a base airpod model i think. yeah but cole mainly uses his phone to browse and listen to stuff, so he's alright. 🙏

zane

i don't really think i need to explain this

arin

he probably has one of those limited edition ninja x xiaomi collabs where there's a subtle design of lloyd's gi (like the armoured robes from s11) or something like that. this guy is too big a fanboy to not have purchased every single thing the ninja were remotely associated with.

he wears bose quietcomfort 45 headphones. HE'S JUST LIKE ME FR

sora

also kind of enough said?? iphone 10,000 or something. or at imperium's rate of technology advancement there won't even be phones anymore. but strictly speaking if we were to talk real world terms she'd probably have an oppo or a vivo (trust me some of these brands from china are ridiculously good and RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP so yeah)

wyldfyre

she would much rather lay in the grass and smell the air than look at a screen. but, in case of emergencies, she has a nokia indestructible.

riyu

he's the ipad kid. he's the one with the 2 terrabyte ipad pro 13 inch 2020 that stores all his shows or something.

OKAY THAT WILL BE ALL! thank you for your kind attention and i shall shrink back into my corner of the internet now

[methinmycoffee]

I do Not like HUMANCENTiPAD (S15 E1) but it’s not just because it’s really gross, it’s because they picked the wrong boy to not read the terms and conditions. Stan? Never seen them. Kenny? Doesn’t have an iPhone but wouldn’t if he could. Cartman? Okay yeah he definitely reads them because he’s been in so much legal trouble at that point that he reads everything. Okay I’m realizing the options were more limited than they appeared, but Kyle doesn’t not read the terms and conditions. If it was Stan or Butters, then I’d believe it.

Also his Apple ID would not be “69ingChipmunks” it would be like “KyleGBroflovski4” because “What if my parents see it?”

[corvettesupercars]

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[anyroads]

I also want to say that it's bullshit that phones don't come with headphones anymore by default. Every smartphone has always come with headphones until recently. Companies think that by selling it separately they can make more money, but a lot of people just won't buy them. Especially since they get their phones at their network provider's store, not an electronics store, so their options of headphones are limited and even if they do get one in store, it'll be cheap and crappy and break within weeks. So I think that also contributes to why people watch videos in public without headphones (I still think they shouldn't, just wait until you get home or turn subtitles on).

When I got my first iPod in 2003, third generation, it cost half as much as an iPhone does now, came with headphones as well as a remote (you could plug in just the headphones, or plug in the remote and plug the headphones into that - and both also worked with any other kind of headphones you wanted to plug in). And the remote was NICE. It was shiny and metal and the buttons had a lovely tactile click when you pressed them. I had a minidisc player before that (I saved up for six months from my paycheck for it and it was my most prized possession until I got my ipod), and it also came with a remote, but it was all plastic and and nothing to write home about. Apple's branding then was that if you were going to pay a lot of money for a premium product, you got accessories accordingly. Other companies followed suit. Now they're charging you twice as much and give you less.

my unpopular opinion is that i hate tiktok because now people just publicly watch loud ass videos in public spaces with no regard for anyone else. 100% it was not this bad with youtube, it’s such a different thing with tiktok. put on headphones. you are grown.

[mysticdreamcafe]

Health, health, and more health

I have stopped all my old mental health meds and started another one. Now I am off the roller coaster and feeling more like the me I used to know.

The immune therapy is working for the most part. My numbers are up but after the last week I've had a fever for a couple days, i.e. why 2 days in bed.

I'm going to say that the universe stepped in, you can call it God or whatever you wish but an intervention was made on a cosmic level, and annoyed me with pop up's of Johnny Depp clips. I found music again and was reconnected to listening to Alice Cooper. Listening to music triggered the urge to write which triggered the need to improve my health overall. All that, I call it the plague of JD during my instability phase, drama made me make Dr's listen and change the ones that didn't. Now, the insanity has halted but may reoccur at some point. I say this because when your body is slowly attacking your brain you never know what the future holds.

My insurance company called a few days ago and said I qualified for a free health care pack. This has an iPhone, BP monitor, Glucose monitor, and scale included in it. Everything is smart and will sync to an app on the phone via Bluetooth. This is monitored by people at the Ins. company and I have to do readings at least 3 days a week. They prefer daily readings.

All these extra tasks add to the ones I already have to do. Thus, adding to the cycle of doom. This is were I have so much to do I get stressed out, don't eat right, push myself to hard to get stuff done, miss medication doses, and cause myself more harm than good.

You'd think after 11+ yrs the Dr's I see would understand how the cycle of doom works and stop giving me more shit to do. I've told them over and over for years, yet if I stop journaling, exercising, or any other task they give me then they say I'm not adhering to my treatment. Basically, I'm not trying to help myself get better.

I've single handedly moved solid oak furniture around this house and freshened my bedroom for a month when I'm able. I do this to organize, declutter, and reduce allergens for a better living environment. I call that exercise.

I just heard a collective wave of thoughts saying, "you need a routine". Yes, I do. I'm always trying to create and stick to one. The problem is the bad days. I can't cook because I burn and cut myself or throw stuff when my arms jerk. Sometimes I can't hold anything without dropping it or I have trouble swallowing. So, I've limited options of what to eat. I stagger when I walk and sometimes fall over. Speech and cognitive can be glitchy. Pain can be unbearable when I move. Vision can be blurry, tunneled, or like there's a dark black fog I'm looking through. Sometimes I can't sleep and others I sleep only to wake, pee, eat, and go back to sleep. Any of these issues can hit singly or all can join forces to take me down. They can last hours or a week.

So routines are extremely difficult. My answer is to keep premade protein shakes on hand and frozen dinners in freezer (I make them when I am able to cook). My meds are in pill containers and done monthly. My watch and phone remind me when to take them.

Basically, I do what I can when I can but have backups ready when it comes to the essentials. There's canes, walkers, and seats/stools scattered about because my mom is way more unsteady than I am. Even if she refuses to use them.

Well, I've vented and now need to get something done around here. It's warm today so I'm digging my heals in about moving from the open window next to me. Good day for a nap, but that won't make dinner.

Thanks for reading if you got this far.

MV

[thekangaroo4]

How I Found the Best Alternative to the iPhone!

I’ve been a loyal iPhone user since the days of the iPhone 4, and over the years, it’s been my go-to device. But as time went on, I started feeling a bit disconnected from the brand. The rising costs of new models, limited customization options, and the removal of the headphone jack were things that left me increasingly frustrated. So, I decided it was time to explore other options. I wasn’t…

[theknightlywolfe]

The funny thing about the Xfinity emailer is I recently switched to Xfinity because it was the only option other than the one I already had, which was at mid aughts era speed. The promotion I signed up under gives me 200mbps download at $30. I already have a service level that more than meets the new regulations. They didn't need to do anything on my account.

And I still got the above emailer. And they upped my service to 300mbps. Because all the good press and good will of the above emailer (impressing people who aren't aware of the recent re-definition) would be undone if it came out that they'd only upped the people below the new limit to keep advertising themselves as broadband service. It would make people on my plan and above mad (in a general sense) to not be given something too. You can't raise the bottom and give nothing to the people above, that's not what public perception accepts.

But, unwittingly, they just illustrated how arbitrary the speed level costs vs system capability are. They just en masse upped their customers' speeds to stay compliant nigh on *overnight*. No software upgrades needed, no hardware added. They just took an arbitrary throttle and moved it *for every customer all at once*. And yeah, most customers won't necessarily notice a difference because we weren't using it all all the time anyways, but they still were able to just do it.

This is the exact same thing as when old Apple iPhones suddenly slow down the moment they release the new model (and Apple suddenly just DDOSs the older units). The functionality, the speed, the capabilities, etc are all there already. It's manufactured limited supply to force upgrades by consumers.

lol. lmao, even

[douchebagbrainwaves]

MICROSOFT IS IT WORTH BEING POPULAR

A new concept of variables. But it was a surprise to me and presumably would be to anyone else who felt uneasy about apparently forgetting so much they'd read. So what does this mean? Maybe I can't plead Occam's razor; maybe I'm simply eccentric. You only take one shower in the morning. These are some of the hardest questions founders face. Smoking rapidly became a statistically normal thing. The defining quality of startups is that they get paid up front. 6% of your company if what you trade it for improves your average outcome by more than 43%. In the meantime I tried my best to imitate them. If i is the average outcome for you to break even? If you walk around a museum trying this experiment, you'll find you get some truly startling results.

The eight men who left Shockley Semiconductor to found Fairchild Semiconductor, the original Silicon Valley startup, weren't even trying to start a startup. It has turned out to be a great thing that Apple tablets have accelerometers in them. They're already stuck with a seller's market, because of the help they offer or their willingness to commit, have different values for startups, and in particular, Internet startups, it was very unusual for educated people to start their own businesses. Mistake number two. Food has been transformed by a combination of wishful thinking and short-term greed, the labels and studios could buy laws making the definition of property that doesn't work. You can compile or run code while compiling, and read or compile code at runtime. The closest is the colloquial sense of addictive. If they were driven by equity they'd be looking for ways to take advantage of you. Newspapers and magazines are just as screwed, but they are at least declining gracefully.

In Lisp, functions are first class objects. That's what bit me. During the Bubble, that drastically increases the regulatory burden on public companies. That's an important distinction, because it's an outlier. The new industrial companies adapted the customs of existing large organizations like the Roman army or the British East India Company were any less afflicted by protocol and politics than organizations of the same size today. Google. In a series A, a fixed-size equity round with a lead makes sense, because there is usually just one big investor, who is unequivocally the lead. Small meant small-time. As knowledge spread about the dangers of smoking, customs changed. No one knew till change reached a sufficient speed. 7% and we have 11. The iPhone and the iPad have effectively drilled a hole that will allow ephemeralization to flow into a lot of the people there are rich, or expect to be when their options vest.

So subtract a third from 16. Like science, wealth seems to expand fractally. But as one VC told me after a startup he funded would only take about half a million, I don't know what we're going to do. That will tend to produce an equilibrium. How do you avoid copying the wrong things. But till recently this was an anomalous route that tended to be followed only by outsiders. In fact, it's just a more extreme version of the norm in the VC business: too much money chasing too few deals. They don't even try to get market price for their investment; they limit their holdings to leave the founders enough stock to feel the company is sold or goes public. 7, though there doesn't seem to work very well. Eventually we may be able not just to play back experiences but also to index and even edit them. They were imitating the great painters of the Renaissance, whose paintings by that time were brown with dirt.

Not just because of its prestige, but because the principles underlying the most dynamic part of the economy tend to be ones that work. Different terms for different investors is clearly the way of the future will be a fluid network of smaller, independent units. As far as I know there's no word for something we like too much. 5 years, during which they spent $50 million. But when they did they might have revenues of $50 million a year. When Lisp was first invented, all these ideas were far removed from ordinary programming practice, which was dictated largely by the hardware available in the late twentieth century something changed. It would improve the average startup's prospects by more than 6. I know said flatly: I would not want to be canaries in the coal mine of each new addiction—the people whose sad example becomes a lesson to future generations—we'll have to figure out for yourself what's good.

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Game Night: Mega Man Phantom of Network

It’s truly amazing what fans can accomplish.  Even with some of the biggest series out there, it’s easy for one or two installments to simply fall through the cracks, never to be seen again.  Video game preservation has only recently become a significant topic of conversation, and still faces more than its fair share of pushback; even games from only a few decades ago have vanished without a trace.  But time and again, fans lead the charge in preserving more media than most of us thought possible, and there’s a recent major victory on that front involving a series that’s near and dear to my heart.

Mega Man Battle Network was pushed HARD by Capcom during the early 00s, rapid-firing installments left and right at all sorts of platforms…including mobile phones.  Keep in mind this was a pre-iPhone world: mobile phone games of this era had far less power to work with, smaller screens, fewer keys, less reliable internet connections, slower download speeds.  It was an exercise in pushing extremely tight boundaries, and it didn’t always pay off.  But despite the risk, Capcom decided to put two Battle Network spin-offs into these uncharted waters: Phantom of Network and Legend of Network.  While they seemed to be remembered fondly enough, and were notably included in the OCW artbook and Legacy Collection gallery, the games always proved somewhat elusive (at least from an American POV, as they were never localized) with little to no hope of us ever seeing anything more than all that concept art.

Enter fan preservation group SciLab Secrets, who managed to procure and dump both of these BN spin-offs as well as a few other Mega Man mobile games.  The Rockman EXE Zone, another prominent fan group, then began work on an English translation patch…and, for good measure I suppose, added a couple quality of life changes to create a truly definitive way to play these long-lost games.  Thanks to all these fine folks, I’ve now gotten the chance to experience these games, and after beating Phantom of Network I can’t help but want to talk about how it exceeded my expectations.

Spoiler-free tl;dr: PoN is far more ambitious than I thought an early mobile game could be, and all in all I have to say it sticks the landing.  It feels (almost) just like any other BN!  It takes a little finagling to get started, and the controls may take some getting used to, but once you hit cruising altitude it’s a fun and nostalgic ride, especially since the patch adds Buster MAX Mode to deal with some series-wide aspects that have come to show their age. (There is a lot of flashing, though!) If you like Battle Network, I urge you to try it for yourself!  It took a while, but BN 3.5 is finally here!

That’s right, PoN is set some time between BN 3 and 4, and leans moreso towards the former in terms of gameplay.  Believe it or not, the combat is actually a very faithful recreation of combat in the GBA games!  There’s some obvious visual differences, some changes to timing and whatnot, but there’s no denying that this plays like BN.  Outside of combat, things are noticeably scaled back: the Real World functions more as a visual novel, and the Cyber World abandons the main series’ isometric perspective for a simpler, vaguely RPG Maker look. (I might just be saying that because an RPG Maker BN fangame was a shockingly huge part of my childhood and this reminded me of that.  Who knows.) It’s all perfectly serviceable, and taking into account hardware limitations, I’m inclined to say that focusing the game’s resources on combat above all else was undoubtedly the right call.  While you can’t run around mashing R to find jack-in points (each area has a “Jack-In” menu option), sometimes new comps will be added to previous areas, and new Mystery Data will spawn in comps you’ve already cleaned out—there are no random GMDs in this game, just fixed BMDs, and if you don’t take time to backtrack you just might miss some.  I think these are interesting ways to emulate that incentive to explore, though the former only occurred a few times and the latter can be difficult to track.  Jacking-in is also how you access the Chip Trader and Request BBS at Higsby’s.  The BBS here works more like those from BN 2 and 3 than the one in 6: new batches of requests are added with each chapter you clear, and you can mostly tackle them in whatever order you want.  I say “mostly” because there are a handful of quest chains that you have to unlock one step at a time, including the classic quiz givers and (my personal favorite) an old man who sends you on treasure hunts with cryptic hints.  There’s one in particular that, uh…might need a content warning; I won’t go into detail but the job is titled “Please delete me”.  Things do work out, I promise.

One system change that sounds small but makes a huge impact is in the way battle rewards work.  In the GBA games, at the end of battle you get one random reward.  In PoN, you have separate chances to get zenny, a chip, and Bug Frags, often all three at once!  There’s still some randomness, obviously, but I remember being frustrated by the choice of focusing on grinding either zenny OR chips, and like this so much more.  Now I can accumulate ALL the resources at the same time!  And you still have ways to affect your drops: Collect to ensure you get a chip if your busting level is 6+, and MoneyMaker to double the amount of zenny you get.  Very handy, especially for the post-game grind.

Now, you’re probably thinking “Collect?  Does that mean this game has a Navi Customizer?”  No, but it has something very similar: the Skill Editor!  Opening the Editor will show you MegaMan’s Skill Slots—you start with 3 and can expand up to 12—and then a list of the Skills you’ve obtained, with each Skill requiring a certain number of Slots to be equipped.  Skills can include various abilities like SuperArmor, HP boosts, and level-ups for your buster’s Attack and Charge (there’s no Rapid for some reason).  Very simplified, right? (Reminds me of Star Force’s Ability Waves to a degree.) Well, there’s one other wrinkle in the system: each Skill has an Element assigned to it, out of Null, Fire, Aqua, Wood, and Elec.  The Element that takes up the most Slots then becomes MegaMan’s Element, bestowing the familiar weaknesses, panel interactions, and Style Change Charge Shots.  So, the Skill Editor is not only a NaviCust stand-in, it’s also an interesting mix of Style Change and BN1’s elemental armors, letting you swap your affinity on the fly to have a greater degree of control over it.  Of course, aside from Skills bought from shops, what Element each Skill gets assigned is randomized…buuut, there’s an NPC you encounter not long after getting the Skill Editor who, for the reasonable price of 100 BugFrags, can change the Element of one of your Skills to whatever Element you want.  Including Null!  The randomness of Elements has always been my biggest gripe about Style Change, so having an option here to circumvent that randomness feels so, so good.  And speaking of things about the Skill Editor that should’ve become series mainstays, you can (easily) acquire a Skill that dramatically raises your chances of encountering Navi Ghosts! (Ghosts also work differently: V2s are random encounters rather than fixed, the next tier ghost can be encountered immediately without needing to jack-out, and they go up to “SP” which is essentially V4.) These are real innovations to the established systems here, in an early mobile game spin-off of all things!  Wild!

I think that about covers the mechanical side of things.  As for the story…I’d say I enjoyed it.  I don’t think it’s a contender for best in the series, but it works well enough and does have some really interesting ideas.  The gist is that “phantom” copies of deleted Navis are appearing and wreaking havoc, and Lan and MegaMan need to figure out what’s causing this strange phenomenon in addition to dealing with the more immediate threats.  There’s a sub-plot involving a new transfer student in Lan’s class, Shuichi, and his Navi HatMan (he got Classic Magic Man’s aesthetic while MagicMan.EXE got the name); they get tricked into causing some chaos due to Shuichi feeling ignored by his dad, but things work out, he and Lan become friends, and he contributes what he can to solving the mystery of the Phantom Navis.  Pretty standard stuff.  What stands out to me, though, is that when Shuichi admits his involvement to his dad, Lan stands up for him saying that he also knows what it’s like to never have any time with your father.  As I’ve said before, playing the Legacy Collection made me realize there was a deeper nuance to the relationship between Lan and his dad that I felt tapered off as the series went on, so I really enjoyed seeing that incorporated here.  Back at the main plot, it turns out that the Phantom Navis are made from cache data; an old cache server was left running unsupervised in an abandoned lab (courtesy of a certain ex-SciLab scientist because of course), which has given rise to a sentient amalgam of cache data that calls himself…well, Cache.  Being thus abandoned, and having access to essentially a library of humanity’s mistakes in the cache data, Cache grows to hate humans and seeks a way to wipe them out.  As edgy as he can be, there is a tragic element to Cache that I think lends him a bit more presence: if someone had been there to monitor and properly care for the cache server, then even if the data had still become sentient, the resulting being at least wouldn’t have been all alone, would’ve known something other than loneliness and hate.  While not discussed, I think it’s telling that Cache not only keeps surrounding himself with Phantom Navis, he even creates an entirely new Navi to help him, JammingMan (who has a SUPER cool design I love him).  Especially taking into consideration JammingMan’s ability to disrupt the connection between Navis and NetOps.  Regardless, you can probably see where this is going: if someone tries to separate Lan and MegaMan, they’ll blow them away with the power of their bond, and that’s exactly what lets them finish off Cache before he can destroy critical networks all around the world.  BN is nothing if not consistent with its theming, and I do appreciate that.

I guess my takeaway on Cache is that he’s a great idea that leaves a little untapped potential, but in a good way.  Also it’s morbidly hilarious that a personification of lonely abandoned data is the villain of a game that was actually considered lost media for a time.  On a related note, the concept of cache data has some fascinating worldbuilding implications: it can be used to explain things like “image data”, Mega Chips, Navi Ghosts, maybe even how some Navis are able to return despite being deleted in previous games.  How much of this was intentional, it’s hard to say, but it’s a fun idea to think about.  Maybe if I ever write a BN fic I’ll get to play around with it myself, hah.

There is indeed a post-game area sectioned off by gates that require you to reach certain milestones of Library completion, as per series tradition, but only a few easy milestones, nothing too extreme.  Something I find interesting is that, while the secret areas in 2 and 3 prevent you from jacking-out, this one uses one-way paths to prevent you from returning to the entrance, meaning you HAVE to jack-out.  There are secret bosses here as well, and after defeating them they can be re-challenged at any time just like NetBattling friends, no ghost hunting required; it’s from these fights you can get the game’s 4 Giga Chips, along with a certain special Skill.  I’ve made it to the final gate—complete all BBS requests—but it may be a while before I can get past it because one of the requests wants a rare drop from Secret Area, which feels…excessive.

I would’ve valued the chance to experience Phantom of Network even if it was bad, but I’m far happier knowing it’s actually pretty good.  Part of that is definitely down to the patch, though: Buster MAX was essential to keeping my sanity during the “backtrack the whole internet” segment, as well as the area that reduces the size of your starting hand of Battle Chips.  Don’t be afraid to use it is what I’m saying.  But with that (mostly) done, Legend of Network is next, and I’m very excited to see what it has in store!

[blogpcwade]

I finally know how to lock various applications on my iPhone！！！！

I wanted to share something that’s really made a difference for me lately. A few weeks ago, I lost my iPhone at a café. Thankfully, I found it pretty quickly, but that moment of panic was a real eye-opener. I realized just how much sensitive information I have on my phone—banking apps, personal messages, work emails, you name it. I decided I needed to do more to secure my apps.

I started looking into how to lock individual apps on my iPhone. After some searching, I found an awesome guide on PC HomeWorld that walked me through the whole process. The steps were super easy to follow, even for someone like me who isn't a tech wizard.

First, I set up Screen Time in my settings. It lets you put time limits on specific apps, which is a great start. But I wanted more control, so I also enabled Guided Access. This feature locks your device to a single app and lets you control what features are available. The guide even suggested some third-party apps for more options.

Setting this up has been a game-changer. I feel so much better knowing that my banking apps and personal info are more secure. If someone finds my phone, they won’t easily get into my private stuff.

[mygainyear2024]

Day 16 I found my garlic limit!

I had a restless sleep, I imagine from the late coffee yesterday.  I was dreaming I was narrating the Netflix movie Scoop (Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were in my head!) and I woke with a fright when I heard “head north east on Rua do Oceano Índico”, out of my iPhone. For some reason google maps went off, it was 11.30pm! WTF 😂

Today I booked the train to Albufeira, excited to see this party town!  I wasn’t sure if a bus was an option to Old Town.  The staff member at the station said "outside" but on looking at the times and route I wasn’t hopeful, so I ordered a Bolt.  I noticed a couple of young women looking at the timetable and walking away so I offered them a lift.  I said "I’m going to a coffee roaster first and I’m not sure how close it is to Old Town but you’re welcome to join me".  They looked a bit tentative at first and then decided to jump in 😂 We headed to Al-Gharb, I did say there was no obligation to have coffee together, but they wanted to and then paid for mine, and their “famous” banana bread while I was in the WC.  So kind of them.  Delightful young women, Julie and Rike, studying to be teachers, living 3 hours from Hamburg.  I’m sure they thought I’d taken speed, I couldn’t stop talking 😹 We discussed travel, teaching, my kids, Julie’s siblings, Rike’s job in a public paying school, creepy men at their Airbnb in Lagos, living in a post Covid world. I set them free and had a second coffee and then headed to some earmarked pottery and cork shops, lunch and gelato.

I purchased a lovely cork necklace, discounted to €10, from a baby/kids store that had a small table of jewellery. I managed to discern that it was indeed handmade locally by a woman who no longer makes jewellery as she has arthritis. I also purchased a locally made ceramic bowl that I'll use to eat my granola while I'm holidaying and beyond. I could have bought so much more, but on this trip I don't want to worry about breaking things over a longer period of time!

I’d pre-booked lunch using The Fork app and was a tad disappointed after sitting down to hear the waitress telling me the three octopus dishes were not available (no catch for that day). I looked at the menu and used google translate, saw there was squid (so I could eat that), I already knew the cod was frozen (as I'd asked at another restaurant) and I could have carapaus (mackerel) and even though I don't eat beef, pork or lamb, if I had to I could have the pica-pau (woodpecker!). I thought this must be a mistake and I assumed quail or similar. On her return the carapaus was not an option either, it was going to take too long to make, que?  I told her I had time! "Would an hour be enough?" She walked away, came back and said “it’s not possible”.  I asked about the woodpecker and she laughed, no it was some beef dish, sounded like dried or carpaccio* (after sleeping on this, maybe it’s smoked 🤔). I ended up with squid, in loads of oil and garlic and I asked for sweet potato.  The waitress said “don’t you like cheese?” Of course I like cheese, so thinking what I ordered was not enough I got cheese and the usual slightly dry bread (no wonder there's oil, it's to make the dry bread edible! Sadly when it came out it looked like a heart attack waiting to happen, melted with more oil and garlic.  The rosé was good, the sweet potato never came, but a salad was on my bill. I should have asked for the salad 😂 I did say there was way too much oil and garlic and the waitress said "this is the way in Portugal"...OK!

I didn’t need it, but after some more wandering in the heat, I had it anyway...gelato, from Georgina Gelato - pistachio, salted caramel and snickers! 

Heading back in the Bolt the temperature gauge showed 31°.  The lovely Bolt driver said summer temperatures are usually around 32°, and it’s only Spring 🥵 We had a fantastic conversation about ice cream after I asked him how long he’d been living in the Algarve (I've noticed all of the Bolt/Uber drivers aren't locals). He’d been in Albufeira for nearly four years, coming to help his mum make and sell ice cream. She’d studied the art in Italy.  They only sell to a shop called Sailor. I did see that shop, but it didn’t feature as highly as Georgina on the google ratings. I should have got that guys number. I wonder can I track him down on the Bolt app, or maybe that will get me banned and that wouldn't be good, as I now have 15% discount on my next five trips.

I got on the right train to come "home", I triple checked!

Tomorrow I collect my tiles 🤩

*It got the better of me so I googled it, sounds delicious for those who eat beef. Pica pau is a traditional Portuguese dish consisting of small pieces of fried beef in a light gravy made with beer, garlic, oil, chili, and mustard. The dish is usually consumed as a snack, accompanied by a few glasses of cold beer and bread for mopping up the sauce. When served, pica pau is traditionally topped with olives and pickled carrots and cauliflowers. The name of the dish means woodpecker, because you pick at the beef with a wooden toothpick. Pica pau is a staple of the Portuguese tascas – tiny little restaurants.

[portablegeneratorsreview]

Solar Power Bank 26800mAh Review: Capacity & Versatility

Solar Power Bank 26800mAh impressed me with its features and capabilities when I recently had the opportunity to try it out. Here is my review based on my personal experience with this product. The Solar Power Bank exceeded my expectations with its high capacity of 26800mAh, allowing me to charge my devices multiple times without needing to recharge the power bank frequently. The two USB charging ports were convenient for charging multiple devices simultaneously, and the fast charging feature ensured quick refills of the power bank. Though the solar charging function was not as efficient as expected, it served as a reliable backup solution during emergencies. Overall, the power bank proved to be a versatile and essential accessory, especially during outdoor activities and travels. Solar Power Bank 26800mAh: High Capacity Battery Credit - Amazon.com   Buy On Amazon The Solar Power Bank, with its impressive 26800mAh Li-polymer battery, offers high capacity charging capabilities. This means you can charge your iPhone 12 or 13 up to 4-5 times, and your Samsung S21 or S20 up to 4 times on a single charge. The power bank's substantial battery capacity ensures that you can stay powered up while on the go without worrying about running out of battery. Solar Power Bank 26800mAh: Reliable Design Credit - Amazon.com   Buy On Amazon Embracing green energy, the Solar Power Bank incorporates a solar panel that can absorb light and convert it into electricity. These batteries undergo rigorous testing to ensure durability, safety, and reliability. The power bank's design is not only powerful but also long-lasting, providing you with a portable charging solution that you can depend on. Whether you're traveling, camping, or simply on the move, this power bank is a reliable companion for keeping your devices charged. Green Energy Solar Charging Credit - Amazon.com   Buy On Amazon The New Version Solar Charger features a reliable design that utilizes high-quality lithium-polymer batteries. While solar charging is reliant on sunlight intensity and panel efficiency, it serves as an eco-friendly backup charging solution. It's important to note that solar charging is most effective as an emergency backup and that electric power charging remains the primary method for consistent charging. The inclusion of solar charging adds versatility to the power bank, making it ideal for outdoor adventures and emergencies. Dual USB Charging & Fast Charge Credit - Amazon.com   Equipped with two USB ports offering 2.1A and 1.0A outputs, the power bank allows you to charge two devices simultaneously. The fast-charging capability enables you to refill the battery quickly, with the ability to reach full capacity in just 3.5 hours at 5V 2.1A. This feature ensures that you can power up your devices efficiently, saving you time and keeping you connected when you need it most. Solar Power Bank 26800mAh: Versatile Charging Solution Credit - Amazon.com   The Solar Power Bank by HETP offers a comprehensive charging solution, including a 26800mAh capacity, dual USB ports, and fast-charging capabilities. Its reliable design and green energy solar panel make it a versatile companion for outdoor activities, emergencies, and everyday use. With a focus on high capacity, reliability, and fast charging, this power bank is a reliable option for keeping your devices powered up on the go. Read also: - MSW MSW-PG2200 Generator: Power and Versatility - Hyundai Easy Starting Compact: Power and Versatility in a Generator - Fast Charging Solar Power: Jesata Solar Power Bank - SinKeu Portable Power Station - Compact and Efficient for Outdoor Enthusiasts Conclusion In conclusion, the Solar Power Bank by HETP is a reliable and high-quality external battery pack that offers convenience and peace of mind when it comes to charging devices on the go. Despite some limitations with the solar charging feature, the power bank's performance and durability make it a worthwhile investment for anyone in need of a portable and powerful charging solution. I highly recommend the Solar Power Bank for its impressive capacity, fast charging capabilities, and overall practicality. Questions & Answers: Question: Is the solar panel effective for charging the power bank? Answer: The solar panel is more suitable for emergency situations, as it charges slowly and may not provide a significant amount of power. Question: How long does it take to charge the power bank fully? Answer: The power bank can be fully charged in about 3.5 hours with a 5V 2.1A input. Question: Can the power bank charge multiple devices at once? Answer: Yes, the power bank has two USB ports, allowing you to charge two devices simultaneously. Buy On Amazon Read the full article

[govindhtech]

See Amazing iOS 17.3 Features Today!

Apple iOS 17.3 Features Together with collaborative Apple Music playlists, stolen device protection, and a few other intriguing improvements, Apple today announced iOS 17.3 Features, a significant upgrade to the iOS operating system.

Protection Against Stolen Devices There were press stories earlier this year of a string of iPhone robberies in which the perpetrator spied on a victim to figure out the passcode before stealing the device, emptying bank accounts, taking passwords, and leaving the iPhone untraceable.

Apple responded by introducing Stolen Device Protection in iOS 17.3 to increase security. Stolen Device Protection guards against complete disaster in the unlikely event that a thief manages to get both your password and your iPhone. When Stolen Device Protection is on, biometric authentication using Face ID or Touch ID is required in order to erase material, access passwords in iCloud Keychain, switch off Lost Mode, and make purchases in Safari.

Changes to an Apple ID password, for example, need Face ID and have a one-hour security lag. Thus, in the event that you attempted to modify your Apple ID login credentials, you would have to first authenticate using Face ID and then wait for an hour for the password to be changed. When you’re in a secure environment, like your home or place of employment, these wait times are not necessary.

When Stolen Device Protection is turned on, the following activities need biometric authentication:

Using or seeing passkeys or passwords kept in iCloud Keychain Requesting a new Apple Card Looking at a simulated ‌Apple Card‌ Disabling Lost Mode Deleting all data and configurations Making specific Wallet purchases related to Apple Cash and Savings Using credit cards that are stored in Safari Setting up a new gadget with your iPhone You cannot use a passcode to avoid using Face ID or Touch ID since these activities do not have a passcode backup. The following actions have a one-hour security delay and need biometric authentication:

Changing the password for your Apple ID Changing some Apple ID account security settings, such as a trusted device, trusted phone number, recovery key, or recovery contact addition or deletion Changing the passcode on your iPhone Including or eliminating Touch ID or Face ID‌ Disabling Find My Disabling Protection Against Stolen Devices All iPhones running iOS 17 that is, the iPhone XS and later models can use stolen device protection. Toggle on Stolen Device Protection in the Settings app by selecting Face ID & Passcode. This is an opt-in function.

Cooperative playlists on Apple Music With iOS 17.3 Features, Apple debuted collaborative Apple Music playlists. This feature allows you to take any playlist you already have or make a new one, and then invite other people to contribute songs and listen to the playlist. Friends, relatives, and other individuals who like the same music as you may be invited, and there doesn’t seem to be a limit on the number of contributors.

Go to a playlist in the Apple Music app, then touch on the person symbol to use the collaboration function. Anyone who is invited may see the playlist, and you will be able to create a link to share with others. Every new member has the option to have their participation approved; if this is left unchecked, anybody with the link may join.

The playlist creator retains the ability to delete users, remove tracks, and disable cooperation at will.

Teamwork Playlist Emoji Responses Additionally, Apple included a useful emoji response tool in iOS 17.3 that lets users add an emoji to any music that’s currently playing to convey their emotions. A heart and a thumbs up are among the common fast access emoji selections; however, any emoji may be added by using the “+” button.

Emoji responses that have been contributed by collaborators to a playlist come to life when the music starts to play while you’re listening to it.

AirPlay 2 in Accommodations Some hotels now let guests to stream media straight to an AirPlay-capable hotel from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. The purpose of this function is to enable you to view material on streaming services without requiring you to enter your credentials to log in to a hotel TV.

Apple Insurance The AppleCare and Warranty section of the Settings app, located under General, shows the coverage provided by AppleCare for all devices that are logged in with your Apple ID.

Identification of Crash The Crash Detection function on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models has been substantially enhanced by Apple. Apple has been adjusting collision Detection all the time to stop it from turning on when doing things that move in a way that resembles an automobile collision.

TV Series and Film Wish Lists Apple discontinued enabling TV series and movies to be bought via the iTunes Store app with iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2. Wishlists on the iTunes Store were sadly lost during the move, but they are again available.

We’ve included everything new in the iOS 17.3 features release in one guide.

Subscribe to the utubetrends for more videos.

With the iOS 17.3 Features and iPadOS 17.3 upgrades, users who were disappointed about losing their meticulously maintained wishlists may now access that data once again. To enable customers to transfer their watch lists for movies and TV shows, Apple has introduced a new “Go to Wish List” option.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[mobilephonetechnology]

[2023-11-26 image © park4night] Back to the Edale Car Park problem again. years ago the mobile signal was not good, for all operators, and so the only way for payment was cash, in fact coins and the machine filled up quickly. There was many a time thatthe maching was out of order as it was full of money.

But recently they have introduced payment via App. Yes the cash alternative is still there. So on my previous visit I tried PayByPhone but there is insufficient Vodafone connection to get this to work. For me I used a hotspot an a Three phone to get connection but other Vodafone customer will still be limited to cash. [I have no idea if O2 or EE works in Edale]. I aam an advocator of full 100% coverage of the UK with 4G for all 4 operators. If this were the option then many car parks could just use an APP. BUT:

A pensioner Cornwall went to her favourite car park and could not pay by cash as the machine was broken - full with money perhaps. She could not download the App so left a note on the car. But received a fine which increased to £160 as she was in dispute about the fine. Not wishing to get into the specific details of this case, but here case is that these Apps are discriminately to the oder generation. I am not sure i agree but it does make a case that we need a smart phone for modern life. Not necessarily an iPhone 15 or Samsung S23 but the lowest cost model that comes in under £100 [which I agree can be expensive for many but there is help].

I also note that UKG is looking into the many parking apps we need to be able to park and in some way reducing the range. Locally I have 3 apps on my phone that I use in different car parks. I believe some areas have many more. Some sense in this market would be good,.