#should I prepare for my IP to be leaked or something?

[djzbasement]

🔥

WOOOOOOOOOOOO! I HAVE BEEN AWAITING THIS DAY FOR MANY MOONS

right so.. TW for something sexual being mentioned.. plus what happened with Korekiyo.

okay, okay, buckle down for this one. I wanna point out, this might not be an unpopular opinion, buttt given the fact that everyone I’ve told started threatening me- I’m seeing it as one.

You can’t defend a characters actions when they’ve done bad. simple.

Now, seems easy to understand doesnt it? Some people don’t get that for some reason and it’s just like.. huh??

Eg- Mikan. The things Mikan did (like that one scene with ryota). People just say “Oh, but she was brainwashed!!”. but that’s like saying “The remnants didn’t meannnn to cause despair and whatever, they were brainwashed!!!”. You see how dumb that sounds? Brainwashed or not, it still happened. She still did that, no debate.

Like, I don’t defend any of my favourite characters for the way they act, not at all. With Kazuichi- I find his obsession with Sonia to be gross and an unnecessary part to his character. I feel like he’s only got a crush on Sonia (while being creepy about it) to be the joke funny character since the first joke funny character (teruteru) was killed off. But yeah, gross unnecessary part of kazuichi. Plus, him being a remnant and building the first casts executions. All of that. And Gonta- Insect meet and greet, albeit he thought he was helping his friends (both human and insect) but the way he went about it.. eh. Even if Kokichi lied to him and it was his idea, Gonta still did it anyways. Plus, the whole thing with CH.4.

But do I go around saying “Oh, Kazuichi has trauma from something so that’s why he acts like that with Sonia… 😖” or- “Gonta didn’t know any better, he’s not to blame- OUMA IS!!!!”? no. I don’t. Because they can’t be defended when they’ve done something bad. Like, if like I don’t know, your dog misbehaves. Do you say “well.. it doesn’t know any better.” No, you don’t. Shouldn’t be the same with these folks, even if they’re fictional.

What just tops this all off, people find the fact that I much prefer Ryota over Mikan to be the reason that I want to point fingers and be like “SHE STILL DID DONE DO IT!!” when in reality, if i don’t know, Ryota did (what she did) to her, I wouldn’t defend him on that. And would most likely heavily dislike him. And I guess the fandom would too. Because it only matters when it’s not a popular character doing it. Mikan, Miu, Hiyoko, Nagito, Junko, and more. Whenever they do something HORRIBLE the fandom brushes it off as “them being cunty” or the iconic “it wasn’t their fault! It was ___”, and then be the type of people to dislike ryota not because hes annoying- but because he made the brainwashing video. The video that their “queen Junko” ‘asked’ him to make.

Which brings me to another opinion- well, more of something that annoys me- but you can’t love Miu for doing what she does.. but then hate Korekiyo. Now i know, I know, you can hate/like a character based on their personalities, valid. But when a person says “OH MIU I LOVE YOU!” but then says “Korekiyo is disgusting!! Ew!” for what happened with his sister.. you’re being stupid, to put it simply. Miu purposely shoves her chest up against Keebo (who despite being a robot, should still count imo), makes horrible disgusting sexual remarks and all of that- aka purposely just.. being gross- Korekiyo didn’t know any better, he was manipulated and groomed by somebody he looked up to practically his entire life. But it’s still “disgusting” because it’s not the cool character who insults people from 2020 that had monster cans as earrings that everyone would cosplay. Like….? I understand Korekiyo is a bit deranged. And the relationship with his sister being sexual really just felt unnecessary. In fact .. his whole deal with his sister. But, just like every other character, I don’t defend him for anything bad that he’s done. But.. Miu. Miu was simply hit by a car and was in a coma for some time and was just.. smart when she woke up. That’s it, really. And then became the most infuriating character to walk this PLANET.

Now, please don’t get mad. This is an opinion of mine. Opinion. Not everyone has the same ones. If you’re upset that I insulted your favourite character or spoke what I think is right or wrong then just.. shoo. Toodles. Farewell. goodbye. Opinions are opinions, If you dont agree with mine don’t start throwing a tantrum and sending death threats. Peace and love🫶.

Also im not sure if I have strong opinions on this shit because I’m just severely sex repulsed and I just don’t like sexual things but.. you know.

SUMMARY-

Just dont defend a character when they’ve done something wrong.. just don’t. No matter the reason. It’ll make the fandom (and even other fandoms) so much more tolerable to be in.. and don’t throw a fit when somebody has a different opinion than you.

Anyways, this is LONG. Like this is more of a rant atp. But.. yeah. That’s my opinion(s) on the whole… everything.

[potteresque-ire]

Hi, I hope you're doing well! I recently read what you shared RE: the risk of being outed for GG/DD & I appreciate your insight. Would you mind sharing your thoughts on the popularity of The Untamed in China, and the production of other BL dramas given the issues of censorship and cultural perceptions of queerness? If dramas with queer subtext are profitable, are those in power willing to "overlook" the queerness as long as it's done in a way that can be plausibly denied? Thanks for your time!

Happy 2021 Anon! I may not be the most qualified to answer the question about popularity, because I feel these answers can only be discerned at the ground level-- ie, I have to live in China, or have to have followed the the developments on China’s social media since the airing of the series. Because of time limitations, I’ve been satisfying my curiosity about the cultural aspects surrounding The Untamed and BJYX mainly by scouring the internet for news, social commentaries and opinion pieces. This weekend is the first time I do more than observe and interact  directly with fans of the series and the pairings. :)

Re: censorship, and the government’s response to the onslaught of “adapted” BL dramas (“dangai”). Here’s my admittedly still very limited knowledge so far. First of all, I think it’s important to emphasise that there are three censorship issues surrounding these dramas:

1) the original works from which the dramas are adapted, which are often called IP (Intellectual property). These stories are published online, and therefore bypass the censorship board  

2) the queer / BL elements of these works, in word form

3) how the queer / BL elements are handled when they are adapted for TV, which has its own set of censorship rules.

International fans often focus on 2) and 3).  1), however, is the one that I believe has got the most attention from the government — it’s a flaw in the country’s tightly-controlled speech environment. Millennials are avid IP readers; IPs are also very popular among overseas Chinese readers (ie, they can be effective propaganda tools).

I’m not sure if this is common knowledge among its international fandom, but this is something I think all Untamed fans should know:

In 2020 November, the author of MDZS, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (MXTX) (real name: Yuan Yimei 袁依楣, was sentenced for “illegal business operation (非法經營) ”. The details of the sentence — including if she’s found guilty or not — was not disclosed (Reminder that China isn’t a transparent country). According to insiders, MXTX was sentenced to three years imprisonment, + 400,000 RMB (~61,227 USD) in fines. (Sorry, can’t find a good English link)

(This is yet another example of China’s lack of transparency.) (For reference: the conviction rate in China’s judicial system is 99.93% in China in 2013, and 99.97% in 2018 and 2019.)

News of her arrest first spread in August 2019 (when The Untamed aired). At the time, Jinjiang, the site where her works were hosted, denied being under any investigations related to her. Still, fans continued to be suspicious as MXTX was known to be very good at advertising her works, creating merchandise etc. She hadn’t updated her site since February 2019 and remained quiet through the airing of the Untamed, when most authors would ‘ve said something, especially considering the series’ popularity.

What does it mean by “Illegal business”? Some says it means publishing their works without going through publishing houses. This has been a common practice among IP writers; all publishing houses in China are licensed through the General Administration of Press and Publication  (GAPP) and have the rights to screen / censor / ban and so, to bypass publishing houses is to bypass the censorship apparatus. Some says it is a cover for her selling pornographic material. MXTX isn’t the first BL author to get jail time. Since 2017, there have been, for example, Tian Yi 天一 and Shen Hai Xian Cheng 深海先生. Some are charged for selling pornography, some also for “illegal business operations”. 深海先生 was considered to be the first BL author imprisoned for her work (she got a 4 year sentence). In 天一’s case, the author and the owner of the printing shop both got a 10-year sentence. The cover artists got a 4-year sentence. The internet shop owner who sold the books got ten month sentence. They sold 7000 books total. 

Was it the pornography that hits a nerve of the Chinese government? The queerness in the pornography? The bypassing publishing houses? No one really knows for sure. The co-sentencing of the printer and seller seems to suggest the issue is with the illegal publishing, but that, again, is a common practice. So is writing BL. If no one knows what hits a nerve, it means…no one knows how to avoid it for sure.

What people do know is this: The rights to adapt MXTX’s Tian Guan Ci Fu (天官賜福) into Donghua was sold for 40 million RMB (6.1 million USD) in 2018 July. Her arrest and sentencing have not deterred the airing and popularity of the donghua, or the preparation of the live-action drama. Not only has The Untamed been highly profitable, THE China’s state newspaper, People’s Daily 人民日報 (Overseas version), dedicated an article in praise of the series, which is considered a very high honour. The article focused on the series’ artistic direction and brushed over the dangai element, described LWJ as WWX’s best friend. 

The messages from the state have therefore been mixed and inconsistent. It seems to approve of the TV series but isn’t happy with the source material, which seems to support the hypothesis that as long as the romance in the original work is modified into “socialist brotherhood” (what fans of these dramas calls the modified relationship), the government is okay with these adapted BL series. However, plausible denial from the production team isn’t the same as perception from the audience, and the temporary ban on The Guardian 鎮魂 (2018), which many would call the predecessor of The Untamed as the first popular adapted BL series, seems to suggest that the censorship board would still move to remove the drama from the shelves if the audience decides that the central relationship is queer. As far as I can tell, The Untamed didn’t generate a lot of noise before its airing, and the production team never tried to sell the drama as a thinly veiled BL — in fact, it did the opposite, intentionally or not; the rumour that Wen Qing would be paired with WWX (which, according to the unofficial BTS, seemed to be a backup plan) enraged the book fans, but also provided an impression that the BL element could be completely eliminated from the product. So, when the article from People’s Daily came out within the first few days of the series’s broadcast, it could describe the relationship between LWJ and WWX a simple friendship without irony.

This isn’t true anymore with the adapted BL dramas currently in the works. They are hotly anticipated, and internet is already filled with articles describing their BL element, and the beautiful men who will/may play the leads and what these leads have done in the original IP (that has mostly bypassed the state’s censorship board). The most likely series to challenge The Untamed in terms of popularity, Immortality 皓衣行, is already building its cp (“couple”), and is doing so for both the characters and the actors. Leaked photos not only show the leads touching each other, arranging each other’s costumes etc etc on set, but them wearing couple necklaces and matching brands of clothes off work.

(The title of an article says: even BJYX didn’t do that.)

This strategy works in that it generates buzz, successfully captures the attention (and ire, in some cases) of The Untamed fans who the marketing teams see as the target audience. I’m not sure how well or long the state can tolerate this kind of “advertisements”, however, because the underlying message is this: the “socialist brotherhood” is a joke to fool the censorship board, which isn’t a message a regime so intent on demonstrating its might wants to hear. Assuming that the economic health of c-ent isn’t in such shambles that these dramas are its only hope of avoiding financial ruin, and if I must put in a guess — there have honestly been too many logic-defying policies by the Xi regime to make educated guesses — I’d imagine, after a series or two, one of the well-respected state media will call out on these publicity stunts. Depending on how harsh the critique is (and how well the already aired dramas fare), it may put an at least temporary hold on those that haven’t been aired.

[askagamedev]

Lightning Mailbag: Snark Attack

While I usually don’t do this, for today’s lightning mailbag I thought I would answer some short-answer questions with a little bit more snark than usual.

With the whole "myth of the irreplaceable genius" what about what happened with Kojima and Konami,he was fired off MGSV and as a result the game didn't do well. I see that people were worried about someone on FF7R being removed to work on another game, and if he was fired for something I feel like people would call 7R a lost cause.

If you call over six million copies sold and five Game of the Year awards won “not doing well”, I think your standards for “doing well” might be a bit too high.

What's your opinion on the halo infinite debacle? 

Oh no, some gamers are upset about a game’s visuals again. It must be Tuesday.

When IGN says "Sonic was never good," how are you supposed to react?

“My days of not taking IGN seriously have certainly come to a middle”

What causes some "copy" games to deviate to be worse than the thing they are trying to copy. Like Crash Bash is supposed to be a crash version of Mario party but the developers made some changes that made the game bad. Playstation all stars had the same problem with it trying to be smash.

Many devs try to take an established formula and put a twist on it. Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes times we fail. Making games is hard. Making good games is really hard.

Some people say indie games they follow will dominate or be better than AAA games of similar genre. AAA games that are based on existing major IPs for multiple platforms, but indie games that are of their own IPs exclusively for PC, but contain more content and depth than what the AAA games have to offer. Can indie "domination" of that kind be likely, or is AAA going to be over the top in regards to how many people will buy and play them, regardless of less content and depth that the latters?

I seriously doubt indies will ever “dominate” the market en masse. Some people win the lottery but that hardly means that lottery winnings will become the dominant means of income. It just costs too much to reach that many players consistently.

Some indie devs frequently post "devlogs" (or any other kind of posts) to share what they are working on, what is being updated, what to expect in a said time range, etc. before a full game or update/dlc launch and not "leave players in the dark." AAA companies make "news" posts for new games or new content, and it's always stuff that is prepared for official announcements and launches, unless if legally cancelled. How is the former style of communication not justifiable for AAA devs to perform? 

I wrote a post detailing the approval process in AAA game dev some time ago. [Click here] to read it. 

So with the massive leak surrounding Nintendo's old games, why is it that Nintendo should worry or be concerned about this leak especially if it's old games that aren't overly relevant today?

If somebody broke into my house and took something of mine that I’ve owned for a long time, I wouldn’t be that upset that something old had been taken. I would be upset that somebody broke into my house.

You've talked a lot about Youtubers and how they misinterpret games a lot, but let's say that for a moment that a YouTuber discovers your blog and decides to make a response video to your posts. Are you open to responding back to them?

I’d much rather invite them to my discord and engage in an actual dialogue than engage in an internet shouting/posting match. While the latter is probably better for engagement numbers, I’ve found that the former is far better for actually coming to an understanding.

[Join us on Discord] and/or [Support us on Patreon]

The FANTa Project is being rebooted. [What is the FANTa project?]

Got a burning question you want answered?

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter

Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr

Frequent Questions: The FAQ

[baddog1981-blog]

How to order a web-hosting account, VPS or a dedicated server anonymously?

As a person working for a privacy-conscious web-hosting company, I receive lots of questions on how to buy a truly anonymous web-hosting, VPS or a dedicated server. Below I'll try to sum up the most important points to consider in the anonymous ordering process. Before we start I'd like to warn you that nothing is 100% anonymous and untraceable so if you're planning something criminal like selling drugs, doing child porn or similar stuff my advice is: don't do it - most probably you will be located and prosecuted.  

First, you need to know that you should avoid US- and UK-based hosts, because of the national surveillance programs these countries are running. It's also not recommended to keep your data in one of the countries of the so-called "fourteen eyes", an intelligence collection and sharing group. "Fourteen eyes" organization consists of the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden. This group of countries has signed agreements to spy and monitor each other's citizens and there's a very high probability that your data can be leaked and connection wiretapped by the government agencies without your consent.

Next step, you'd like to make sure that the provider you have chosen is well-established and reputable and will not disappear with your data. In any case, you should keep your offline backups at all times. You'd want to check when the company was established (also the domain age to make sure the company has been around for a while). You could also read some reviews online. However, you should take online reviews with a grain of salt as many companies offer paid reviews nowadays. Some negative publicity ordered by the competition is also not something completely unheard of.

Undoubtedly, the most important step is preparation for ordering, which includes registering a disposable or anonymous email address, getting a good VPN provider, which keeps no logs, perhaps also an RDP to use as a proxy to make an order. This step is really important as leaving your real IP at some point or having it recorded may lead to full exposure. For secure email you could use Tutanota or Protonmail. Make sure you sign up with a VPN provider with a no-logs-recorded policy and pay with crypto. For pre-sales inquiries you can use a secure messenger like Telegram or Signal with self-destructable chats. As an extra layer of security you can use a disposable RDP server.      

Next, registration process. It goes without saying that the website has to be secure (https protocol) and there has to be some billing system installed. Provider using nulled scripts is a no-no as nulled scripts may contain backdoors and also lead to your info leaking and eventually being published online or used to blackmail you. Anonymous registration can be of several different types: email registration, where you only need a valid email address to register or a full one, containing your name, address etc but with a disclaimer that your info is not being checked. So, despite leaving obviously fake info, like John Doe for example, you still will get registered.  

Moving on to the payment methods. Good sign is that the provider accepts Bitcoin or some other cryptocurrency as a payment method. Some really paranoid people would want to pay with Monero, Zcash or some other privacy coin. Other anonymous payment methods are quite rare nowadays. I can think of prepaid cards (Paysafecard etc), good old cash or Western Union with fake sender's name. The latter two however are unsafe as cash may disappear at the post office and WU transfer may get stuck if the provider will fail to receive it on time for example. You won't be able to reclaim it as sender's name is fake.

These are only some of the aspects of ordering a server anonymously. If you need any advice or assistance please don't hesitate to contact me. Also feel free to contact me if you'd like to share some ideas on how to stay anonymous.

[bcllcntynes]

[ task001 ] THE INTERROGATION.

“The price of being misunderstood, he thought. They call you devil or they call you god.” ― Richard Bach

Part One ( you )

Do you have any criminal history? Anything big or small that you want to make us aware of?

Nathaniel hadn’t blinked since the moment he’d entered the interrogation room. His lawyer sat by his side, watching as the academic glared into the eyes of the impish and jumpy junior officer. Nate couldn’t help the reflexive smirk that crawled onto the corner of his lips, taunting the other to extract anything he could. The head detective furrowed her brow as her impatient tapping narrated her need for a response to the question, as Nate’s lawyer answered on his behalf. “As your records will show, my client has never been indicted nor charged with any criminal charges, and has had no run-ins with your department to date.” Nate cocked his head, leaning back in his chair as he found himself analysing every little detail of the room. The reflective glass that no doubt housed a collective of other detectives, the steady blinking light that absorbed his every movement, the leaking roof panel and dirt built into the carpet. For a moment, he felt sick. He then found himself staring at the lens of the camera trained on his taut form from time to time, as if to greet whoever would be reviewing his tapes. And, knowing the prejudices in this town, they’d be reviewing his tapes with frequency. 

Detective Grant then glanced down at a file on the table, the Ballantyne name etched across the front. Nate, again, remained unphased by the heavy volume that the detective was padding underhand. “If that is the case, then what is the sealed record on your file ?” Nathaniel was clearly not a stupid person. He let his lawyer and Detective Grant bicker about the legality of mentioning the file, as Nate pondered his situation. No, it didn’t look great for him. A third of the town already believed he was behind Daisey’s disappearance, and all the others still all viewed him in contempt - he was an easy scapegoat. Still, Nathaniel wanted to thank Daisey, shake her hand and relish in the moment she’d given him, something that no one else ever could - a most simulating mental challenge. 

What is your connection to Daisey? How did you know her? How well did you know her?

Every single movement of Nathaniel was being analysed, and he was conscious to remain like marble as the detective and officer stared him down. However, he couldn’t help but bite the inside of his cheek at the mention of Daisey. His face cemented in a scowl, his temperament unchanging as his lawyer nodded his head and gave him permission to speak. “Ms Rutherford and I have been acquainted since infancy, as our families share close business relations,” Nathaniel deadpanned, his blue eyes deepening on the detective whose stance eagerly hungered for the moment he’d slip up. Say something he wasn’t supposed to. Admit something. Nathaniel was no fool. “Our parents had ordained we be married once she has graduated, for the diversification of our portfolios.” The young, simple and slow, officer looked to the lead detective - almost lost. “You were engaged ?” He parroted, as Nate focused his attentions on him. “If you had the capacity to listen, you’d hear we are arranged. The engagement will be made at the end of Daisey’s senior year.” Nate felt the touch of his lawyer’s stern and unforgiving grasp on his arm, making him jump in his seat. The frosted hair and anchored eyes shackled Nate to silence. He said no more, but was foolishly contented with the confusion painted across the dim-witted cop’s face.

Have you visited the blog site “veritasexposed”? If you have, how credible do you find the information on this site? Do you know who runs the website?

A question that Nathaniel could answer in earnest, he prepared himself to speak before his lawyer interjected. “Pertinence ?” He merely stated, his arrogant and entitled air rivaled even that of Nathaniel himself. Detective Grant let the facade of good cop swirl down the proverbial drain, as she labored on the breath before sounding out her discontent. “This is my investigation, and your client has the privileged to answer this question and absolve himself from reproach.” This answer did not please Nate’s lawyer whatsoever, as he began to rise from his seat - encouraging Nathaniel to do the same. “We are here to assist, Detective. Mr Ballantyne has no obligation to speak to you further, until the time your department should produce a warrant. Nathaniel, do not answer anymore questions.” Nathaniel didn’t move. He found himself cemented to his seat as he looked with ambivalence to the duo of detectives who were entranced by the venomous glare of his lawyer. Nate wanted to start laughing, but he’d become so entrenched in his expressionless mask he found himself unable. He turned swiftly in his chair to his lawyer, a devilish glint in his eye. “I’ll meet you outside, Kenneth. And don’t worry, you’re still getting paid.” His lawyer said nothing more, merely shaking his head as he exited the room. Nathaniel clasped his hands together as he rested them before him on the table. “I have never endevoured to visit an inane blog of petulant and most likely unfounded truths. However, one would have to be impaired to not be cognizant of its’ existence. As for its’ owner, I’m sure a sweep of their IP address will be all you need, as someone so founded in their own narcissism would be foolish enough to remain susceptible to threat.” Nathaniel said no more, as the clock on the wall ticked, punctuating an already unbearable silence.

Part Two ( Daisey )

Do you remember where you were the night Daisey went missing? If so, where were you? What were you doing? Who were you with?

Nathaniel could remember in painstaking detail the second he found out about Daisey being missing, as was the curse for most memories of his own, trapped inside his head with no ability to escape. However, the day of her disappearance was another story. All his days blended into one another, and were it not for the suspension of disbelief that blurred the edges, he’d have no issue anointing with clarity his very whereabouts at the time. “I’d have to check my planner, as I’m currently not aware.” An incredulous expression painted that of the young officer, his hand immediately reaching for pen and paper. “You have no recollection ?” The officer reiterates, as Nate cocks an eyebrow. “My schedule habitually consists of what can be considered a nocturnal cycle. I was most likely in bed when Daisey disappeared, however was not informed of such until much later.” Nate was well aware this wasn’t an answer, and he could see his lawyer quivering in contempt in the waiting room, counting only the minutes to secure his paycheck. 

Where were you the night Daisey’s body was recovered?

A laugh almost spilled from his lips, his calcified features betraying an inch of human emotion. “The carnival, for a brief moment,” Nathaniel uttered, his brows furrowing. “Until the monotony of such an event grew tiresome, as I retreated back home to continue working on my thesis.” He could see that every little piece of the puzzle he provided for the detectives, further into the rabbit warren they would fall. The way they could contort themselves into knots, ordaining him the perpetrator. There’s one crucial piece of evidence however, one that Nathaniel would guard closely to his chest - that would either exonerate or condemn him to the crime. A truth so raw that even Nathaniel couldn’t comprehend it, as thus remained quelled in the furthest recesses of his mind. 

How familiar are you with the Ashmont woods? Have you been there often? Have you recently ventured out here? If so, why?

Despite having lived in Ashmont his entire life, unsurprisingly, Nathaniel wasn’t like most kids. He detested the outdoors, being forced to interact with others, and biding his time doing something with little consequence in the schemes of life. Hiking through the woods, for someone as finicky and pedantic as Nathaniel, did not make sense. However, there was an unspeakable truth - that Nate spent more time out in the woods than anyone. A crested hill right by his family’s opulent dwelling provided the best place for him to scope out the skies and map out the stars, as was a passtime he cherished dearly. “The forests are unseemly places, teaming with filth and muck,” Nathaniel made the disdain clear. “In my life I have only ventured to the tiny pocket behind my house, the exact same spot every time. The gardeners on my estate will affirm as such. I have a permanent telescope affixed there.” 

Part Three ( the Investigation )

Do you have feelings towards the investigation? Any comments?

Nathaniel didn’t have feelings, period. He then gazed at the pair, a penetrating focus on the both of them as he could even see the infallible lead detective grow uncomfortable under his gaze. “No comment,” Nathaniel uttered with finality, unclasping the hands he had rested on the table before returning them to his lap. His eyes once again fell upon the camera, toying with the films’ future observant. 

Do you have any people you feel the police should look into? Please, let us know who and why.

As the final question is uttered, Nathaniel could feel his steely temperament fizzle as the inherent arrogance slowly melted back into his pores and punctuated his features. It was almost over. The mind-games, however, would persist for quite a time - and he knew this was not the last time he’d be speaking with these two detectives. “I am in no position to give anyone away, as no one could truly... be adept enough to... silence Daisey Rutherford.” For a second, he almost felt his throat close over, as a most ardent truth remained quivering on the edge of his tongue. That horrendous, horrid, unutterable and earth-shattering truth ?

Nathaniel, the soulless and heartless, cares for Daisey, and he refuses to admit that she is gone. 

BONUS || Part Four ( the Feedback )

“It had to be him,” the baby-faced junior insisted, standing before Detective Grant’s desk. “It all fits. The motive ? Her money. He seems big enough to move her. Callous enough to lie. Has no alibi for either the murder or the body discovery. Had no emotion whatsoever talking about someone he knew all his life. Surely he’s the one,” the cop remarked, almost distressed. With a slew of other interviews stacked up on her desk, all Detective Grant could do was take a swig of her coffee before meeting the insatiable eyes of an officer hungry for justice. “He’s... a person of interest. But the Rutherford family is not one you want to mess with, and as you know, Mr Ballantyne has very clear connections to them.”

“Are you suggesting we ignore evidence ?” The frustration was clear on the young officer’s face, as he found himself pacing before Detective Grant’s desk. As a detective in training, he did not have such seniority to make leading decisions in a case. But he was sure he had to make the other see what he was trying to say.

Weathered by years of crime that her junior couldn’t even fathom, Detective Grant felt her lips fall into a straight line as she sighed out in response. “I’m suggesting we find evidence. Not bull-head an investigation to where you think it leads.”

“But the kid’s a fucking psycho. His medical records...”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“The sealed file under his name !”

“Officer Forrester, I’m aware.”

“The fact he still refers to her in the present tense.”

This made Detective Grant stop. Her lips pursed for a moment while trying to articulate a response, fathoming any reason they had not to hold him. The watch adorning the young Ballantyne’s wrist was worth more than her yearly income however, and she’d lived in the town of Ashmont long enough to know what that means. Her fists clenched for a moment, forlorn as she tore her eyes away from Michael as they landed on the window to her office. 

Where they could see one Nathaniel Ballantyne being escorted out of the building by his lawyer, adjusting the cuffs on his perfectly tailored suit. 

With an expression as cold as ice. 

[theamazingsallyhogan]

Let’s talk about ReBoot: The Guardian Code. I had this big plan to write up a long essay about whether an audience can separate behind the scenes drama from a piece of art. After all, we as the audience aren’t supposed to know about any of that stuff. It was going to be awesome. I’d keep calling the show “Guardian Code” and then at the end say “Guardian Code” was perfectly average Canadian kids TV but it wasn’t ReBoot.

I was going to talk about why that was the case and what it means about remakes in general. Some nostalgia talk was going to be thrown in there. Probably would have made an easy Ready Player One joke. I’d delve deep into ReBoot’s place in pop culture and that a Robot Chicken sketch is really the only proof anyone outside hardcore fans remember it.

...

These days though I try not to just drag shows. It’s way too easy to write 800 words why a given episode of say, Power Rangers Ninja Steel, is terrible. Although once you’ve been writing reviews like that for four years it gets old. So instead I try to break down what a “bad episode” means for the franchise or just TV as a whole. It’s less me dunking on a show and more trying to figure out why it ended up the way it did. After all, no one sets out to make a bad episode of TV… right?

Season 1: Episode 10 of ReBoot: The Guardian Code, “Mainframe Mayhem” purports to be a tribute to classic ReBoot. Several voice actors return, they recreate the old sets, and even toss in a few catchphrases. In the lead up to this episode I had a pretty good idea what it would be like.

They wouldn’t resolve “The Hunt” cliffhanger of season four. The characters would make a few pandering references. There would be an attempt to make it seem like The Guardian Code is somehow in the continuity of the original ReBoot (which it would bungle.) The whole “Users as Gods” thing would be forgotten or glossed over.

All of that happened. Was it awful? I mean, yeah. Bob delivering his monologue from the old intro is incredibly ham-fisted. The lines about Hexadecimal not seeing Megabyte in a long time try to acknowledge season four maybe happened at one point but don’t fit. The intriguing idea of Bob, Dot, and Enzo basically meeting their gods is treated as just another wacky day at the diner. But that was expected.

It was a way to try and placate the hardcore fans so The Guardian Codeproducers could have a talking point in interviews about how “this isn’t just a reboot of ReBoot.”

I was prepared for that.

What the summaries and leaks didn’t reveal was that The Guardian Codecharacters and Bob would go inside a game. Okay, cool. Nice little throwback. The problem is that we see the User who’s playing this game and it’s… a  thirty year old neckbeard living in his mother’s basement surrounded by classic ReBoot merchandise. There’s a poster for ReBoot: The Ride. The first art book. He even has a giant statue of Mike the TV.

This guy has been waiting for the old Mainframe to come back online. Yeah, somehow the Mainframe from the old series is locked in a cabinet in the new Guardians lair. I won’t even bother talking about the implications that has for the original series and how it doesn’t jive with what we saw in the third season. There’s something bigger to tackle here.

“And mom said all this time in the basement was wasted.”

That’s an actual line from the episode as the "User" gains the upper hand in the game. His whole life revolves around ReBoot, so much so he still lives in his moms basement. This is where the original idea for my essay fell apart. How do you defend something that so blatantly mocks not just fans of ReBoot but fan culture in general?

I can see where this came from. Ever since the summary for The Guardian Code was released fans were in an uproar. Many went to extreme lengths to make their displeasure known. A lot of it went too far.

No matter how much you don’t like how your favorite franchise is handled, endlessly posting on social media about it and publicly insulting the people making the show is a waste of time. I can imagine discussions in The Guardian Code creative team offices now.

“Why can’t they understand TV is a complex business and we couldn’t sell the show they wanted? Why can’t they just leave us alone? This show isn’t for them.”

That’s a very generous reading of it but hey, not trying to dunk on anyone here. They had an IP and wanted to make a show. I get that. Getting anything made in this business is incredibly difficult. Slapping the name ReBoot on it meant it was more likely to get sold. Sure, fine, it’s understandable.

“And mom said all this time in the basement was wasted.”

This is where any sympathy fades away from the creative team. If this User character hadn’t been included I could have understood (but still not been a fan of) why ReBoot: The Guardian Code ended up the way it did.

A fat nerd living in his mom’s basement is an old stereotype that’s long been played out. By utilizing it the creative team seems to speak directly to its loyal audience and say,

“This is what we think of you.”

It wasn’t necessary. They didn’t have to stoop to the level of making fun of fans, even the ones who take their passion for the franchise too far. A good series shouldn’t engage in that kind of petty dialogue with its audience. It should rise above it.

If ReBoot: The Guardian Code did have something to say about fans that are too devoted to media? If it had been a meta commentary on reboots in general and fan reactions to them? That could have had some merit, especially if it had the clever writing of the old series. Instead we got…

“And mom said all this time in the basement was wasted.”

That doesn’t even sound like something a human being would say. It’s a caricature the creators of this show painted to disregard any negative feedback of The Guardian Code.  When fans would rightly point out, “this sounds nothing like the ReBoot I love”, “it looks like a bad Code Lyokoknockoff”, or “hey, you guys endlessly promised us the original show would return. What gives?” this is the image they went for.

A fat guy who has no life.

The User character in “Mainframe Mayhem” slaps the audience in the face at the same moment it’s trying to bestow them a gift from on high with the return of the old characters and voice cast. It makes even the genuinely delightful moment of Enzo tackling Bob feel tainted.

“Here’s your references, nerds. Now get back to your basement,” it says. That’s not only a horrible message for its older fans but also for its new younger ones.

This is why ReBoot: The Guardian Code doesn’t work as a reboot of ReBootor even as perfectly average Canadian kids TV. It could have been a series that, while saddled with the name of a known IP, strived to be more than what zealous hardcore fans portrayed it as. It could have been fun on its own, divorced from its roots.

That’s the show I would have been fine with. I wouldn’t have been a fan but it could have led to an interesting discussion.

“And mom said all this time in the basement was wasted.”

I can’t separate the series from the behind the scenes drama because it actively parades it for everyone to see. It stoops to the level of the hardcore overzealous fans it attempts to make fun of. In that, “Mainframe Mayhem” is one of the worst episodes of television I’ve ever seen.

[publicreviewer-blog]

Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker

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Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker

Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 is a great Electric Pressure Oven created by Canadians aiming safe, Convenient and Dependable. It increases cooking by 2~6 occasions depleting to 70% less energy and, most importantly, produces nutritious healthy food choices inside a convenient and consistent fashion.

Instant Pot Duo is really a 7-in-1 programmable oven, it replaces 7 appliances as her functions of the pressure oven, slow oven, grain oven, steamer, sauté, yogurt maker & warmer. 14 built-in smart programs (Soup, Meat/Stew, Bean/Chili, Chicken, Sauté, Steam, Grain, Porridge, Multigrain, Slow Prepare, Keep-Warm, Yogurt, Pasteurize & Jiu Niang) prepare your preferred dishes using the press of the mouse.

A 24-hour timer enables for delayed cooking. Automatic keep-warm supports the temperature from the food before you serve it. Instant Pot generates very little noise and leaks no steam. It traps all of the aromas within the food without warming up your kitchen.

The Three-ply bottom stainless inner pot is very durable leaving no health issues connected with non-stick coatings.

The slim body design has lid holders for right and left handed users. The brushed stainless exterior is finger marks resistant. Its elegant and sturdy design makes it simple to wash and enjoyable for the a long time. Instant Pot Duo uses the most recent technology by having an embedded micro-processor, which monitors pressure and temperature, keeps some time and adjusts heating intensity.

Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1  cooking programs happen to be lab-tested countless occasions for optimal effect.

These greatly improve cooking result and keep consistence. Instant Pot is carefully made to eliminate many common errors that may do harm or spoil food. It passed the stringent UL certification providing you with uncompromised safety and reassurance and protects you with 10 proven safety mechanisms and patented technologies.

So, right here are a handful of tips that have really reduced the problem to finally ‘get’ it, plus instructions for just two things you could make within your Instant Pot that will enhance your existence: more and more simple perfectly poached eggs by 50 %-3 minutes, and baked taters in 12 minutes.

First, it’s almost impossible to ruin using this factor to some degree to become dangerous, therefore if you’re concerned about the exploding pressure cookers of yore, you needn’t be (I mentioned “almost”, don’t go overriding your pot’s security measures then blame me if you poke watch). The lid audibly notifys you when its sealed (if you change it clockwise), as well as the pot won’t even develop much pressure you will find properly closed the steam release handle by turning it, too, clockwise.

Most likely probably the most likely time a problem could arise might be if you attempt to start the lid (by turning it counter-clockwise) prior to pressure remains released and normalized (so avoid that). The Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 visually notifys you when it’s safe to start the pot, with the float valve (the little silver publish that seems when the pot is pressurized) shedding back lower flush while using lid rather to become sprang up. Think about the float valve since the reverse from the chicken pop-up button, inside the situation in the float valve it’s done when the button pops *in*, as opposed to out.

The sauté function has three temperatures: ‘Normal’ heats to 320 levels, ‘More’ heats to 338 levels, and ‘Less’ heats to 221 levels (all in F)

For pressure cooking, you will probably use ‘manual’ nearly constantly (just about any Instant Pot prepare book I’ve read depends upon the manual setting almost exclusively). So *don’t* feel badly due to not using everyone other buttons greatly, if (I haven’t used at the preprogrammed buttons).

The preprogrammed settings each their particular timing, and *variable* pressure, the pot manipulates by managing the temperature in the contents (the higher the temperature, the higher pressure). That’s mainly could they be all totally different from manual, which gives one consistent pressure (either low or high).

Nevertheless they *generally* bring the contents to callous, fluctuating the temperature somewhat therefore the pressure fluctuates too, for just about any couple of several weeks (the main exceptions for this is the grain button, as well as the multigrain button). Personally I merely believe it is simpler to utilize ‘manual’ and hang up time that we want.

When you hit ‘manual’ to start cooking, afterward you set how lengthy you wish it to prepare at pressure, then you will have a 10-second elegance period (for example to incorporate more hours, etc.), then your display can change to displaying the word “on”. Then it’ll be a while before the display switches for the timer countdown. This can be *normal*. How lengthy one enters is ideal for how extended it’ll prepare *after it reaches full pressure* (either low or ruthless, according to everything you selected), therefore the timer will switch on if the reaches full pressure.

The cooking in any recipe it is time *at full pressure*, not in general. And that means you need to consider time it may need to attain full pressure (which is determined by many variables, including what is within the products who are holding cards, what temperature they started at, along with your altitude), *and* how extended it may need for your pressure to become offered and normalized (i.e. for your float valve to experience, which clearly is really “shedding in”, however, you realize).

Which enhances the 2 several types of pressure release.

All Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 recipes includes (or *should* include) these two terms: natural pressure release (also called NPR), or quick pressure release (QPR or QR). What these mean is simply either “permit the pressure dissipate alone” (natural pressure release), or “pressure pressure to leave immediately by turning the steam release handle counter-clockwise for the open position (quick release).

The explanation for using quick release (QR) is not as you are very impatient to have to wait for natural release, speculate the meals will probably be over cooked if you don’t get it the heck from dodge once it’s done cooking at pressure. A great instance of a food requiring quick release is poached eggs (that come out *perfectly* inside the Instant Pot (observe to poach eggs inside the Instant Pot below)). However, lots of (otherwise most) foods require natural release – it’s part of their cooking process and processing time.

Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Natural pressure release generally takes between 15 and 20 minutes.

Quick pressure release takes one minute, along with the hrs make the ER in the event you forget a HANDS, FACE, And Many Types Of OTHER Areas Of The Body In The STEAM VALVE WHEN You are Doing This!! Many individuals convey a towel inside the valve before they change it, to help suppress the steam, which you might like to do (I don’t since i then just finish tabs on a scalding hot towel – however also rarely need to do QR, and people occasions that we do, I’m sufficiently sincere in the power and also heat of the steam to keep my distance).

Finally, for me, unless of course obviously you perform a “dump all things simultaneously and switch it on” recipe, you will for sure want all of your ingredients good to go before beginning cooking. For example, for almost any recipe including sautéing who’re holding cards first, then adding ingredients then beginning pressure cooking, you want everything arranged before beginning.

Oh, wait, *this* is usually the ultimate note: the stainless inner pot might take an authentic beating, and cleans up okay..BUT…following a first use roughly (it absolutely was after my first use) you will observe little “stains” (unsure what else for them) and, if you are whatsoever much like me, you’ll think “Not again! I have destroyed the great factor relating to this pot! How do you do the repair?”

Apparently , this can be *very* normal (no less than the ‘staining’, unsure about my reaction being normal 🙂 ). Inside my situation I’d made beans, and my pot now still bears the “imprints” of beans, while it’s completely clean..it’s type of like the chalk outlines in the little bean murder scene. -) I’m immediately Pot forum on Facebook where plenty of IP prepare book authors are people (including JL Fields and Jill Nussinow) and they have all mentioned this really is perfectly normal together with what goes on (really they mentioned it because of my “Not again, I’ve destroyed my beautiful pot” publish).

Ok, I have faith that individuals relate to everything that we had wanted that we had fully understood in my first day with my Instant Pot.

Oh, really there’s another factor. I didn’t fully appreciate, until a couple of days in, exactly how amazing this area of the Instant Pot is: you can start something cooking within it, then *leave- – even venture out, and will also finish cooking like everyone else instructed, and be *perfectly done*, then it’ll *maintain it warm for roughly 10 hrs*! Not keep cooking it, just *maintain it warm*.

For roughly 10 hrs! Place something inside every morning, leave throughout the day, and go back to a superbly cooked whatever, just waiting for you! Booyah! (In my opinion this really is really the component that pressure oven purists who make an effort to talk individuals from with an Instant Pot, instead of a stovetop pressure oven, don’t understand. You can’t just bid farewell to a stovetop pressure oven following a stuff starts cooking.)

Now, listed below are the *the most effective- accessories (for me personally) that you may have for that Instant Pot.

You will need this steamer basket for that Instant Pot (as soon as Pot includes a little steaming trivet, however, this steamer basket is *way* more useful – really it’s how you make both poached eggs and baked taters). Really you’ll need *a* steamer basket, but trust me, this really is really the main one you need, both because of the big handle, the fact the handle telescopes, and, most considerably, technology-not just without or using the small legs flipped lower, then when you turn the little legs lower, you’ll get more than enough room just as much water for steaming as possible really need without getting to fret in regards to the water touching the foodstuff that’s inside the basket.

Or, as opposed to, or furthermore to, the above mentioned pointed out steamer, you’re going to get this steamer basket and steaming rack / trivet set. The legs relating to this trivet is one inch . 5 high (the rack that’s incorporated together with your Instant Pot only gives 3/4 inch of clearance). as well as the flat-bottomed steamer is very versatile.

Personally, I have both, simply because they each serve their particular purpose, as well as the trivet that’s incorporated using the set is really useful for pot-in-pot cooking, at that you also needs to try both hands. Pot-in-pot (or “Personal injuries protection”) is to put a second, smaller sized sized vessel in your Instant Pot’s primary internal pot.

There are numerous reasons for it, different from “I only desire to make a small little bit of something such as oatmeal” to “If only to organize a cheesecake inside my Instant Pot” to “If only to organize two something more important concurrently inside my Instant Pot (like cooking beans, and becoming a bowl of grain around the trivet (realise why you will need a good trivet?) within the beans, steam cooking concurrently).

For pot-in-pot cooking, I would recommend any stainless one is not any greater across than 7.5 inches, without any taller than 4 roughly inches (your internal pot features a diameter of roughly 8.5 inches plus a height of roughly 6 inches). Many people use glass vessels for instance Pyrex or Corningware, however personally opt for stainless should you drop it you’ll only have chaos, instead of a mess plus broken glass.

If you’re really thinking about making cheesecakes, steamed puddings, flans, which type of factor within your Instant Pot, you may also desire to grab this stainless pot-in-pot ‘dessert insert’ pan set, including two stacking pans. plus a rack to produce them that has handles that close-up inside the pans to secure them.

Furthermore, you will need this separate glass lid that’s offered with the Instant Pot people. This lid matches your *inner metal pot*, which way when you are utilizing your Instant Pot for *non-pressurized* cooking, for instance when working with it a pokey oven, or while using sauté function, you can determine what’s happening inside.

Basically, over these usages, you’ll be able to think about your Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 just like a counter-top stove burner (although one with really awesome features) – that will help you to understand why you will need a (see-through!) lid for the inner pot. Plus, when you’re done cooking in any mode, you need to use the inside pot to help keep the leftovers within your fridge, and rehearse this lid to cover it.

With regards to Instant Pot cookbooks to obtain started, they are a somewhat new genre, plus a *lot* appear to become purely available as Kindle or other gifs books. Personally, I enjoy have a very physical book in relation to cookbooks, well, i exactly like it…you can’t fail with America’s Test Kitchen cookbooks, in addition to their pressure oven prepare book is not any exception:

[timothyakoonce]

Transcript of What You Need to Know About Your Privacy Online

Transcript of What You Need to Know About Your Privacy Online written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Transcript provided by Verbatim Transcription Services

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Transcript

John Jantsch: Do you know marketers are collecting everything you do online and they are selling it to anybody who pays and our government is okay with that. So, today check out my conversation with Ryan Dochuk, co-founder of the VPN service called Tunnelbear. I think we all need it.

[Music]

John Jantsch: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. This is John Jantsch and my guest today is Ryan Dochuk. He is the CEO and co-founder of Tunnelbear. It is a service that provides simple and private web browsing. So we are going to veer off our marketing just a little bit today. So Ryan, thanks for joining us.

Ryan Dochuk: Thanks for having me John.

John: So when we were talking off air, I was talking about the need I think that everybody has for a virtual private network and a lot of people worked in big enterprises. Maybe that’s how they log in and have for years but you know, I now think that, that pretty much everybody needs one and I’m going to point to letting you explain joint resolution 34.

Ryan: Sure, so for those that aren’t familiar with it, the ISP Privacy rules changed that, I think was what most people are calling it. It was a pretty big change in online privacy for nearly all Americans. What’s really changed is you kind of think of information before whether you are browsing the web and maybe information’s being collected by one source like a Facebook or google et cetera, would be collecting about your browsing going about the web. But what’s really changed for this is the scope of online data collection for most Americans. And that really starts with the ISP and the rules that have changed. So, it used to be that ISP’s weren’t necessarily allowed to collect information. If they did they would have to get your consent to just go about doing that.

And that’s changed, so essentially today, an ISP is allowed to now collect your information. All the websites that you browse and share that information and sell that information to third parties. This could be financial situations. This could be healthcare organizations. This could be data brokers, this could be advertisers. And you know, they are already estimating this is going to be tens of billion-dollar industry of this information being re-sold. And for most of us, don’t necessarily like the idea of that information being sold to third parties. Some providers are claiming they’ll offer an opt-out in a short term. Others are not. But in general, it’s a pretty big concern.

John: Where there’s money, there won’t be any opt-out, but, so you are sitting up there in Canada right? I got that about from one of your comments, is that right?

Ryan: Fair enough.

John: So, in the US this resolution past right down party lines. And so without asking you to get into politics, what would that be?

Ryan: Well, I mean I think that you’ve seen a number of different kind of lobbyists and other groups. Or other kind of third parties like EFF, highlighting the amount of money that was being transferred from different lobbying groups to people in congress and the government. And it’s disappointing. I mean you kind of thing that there’s not really a lot of good reasons why this legislation should have been passed. It’s very—I would describe if there is a war on online privacy right now, online consumers or consumers would be losing, because of this. There’s not a lot of benefits to the consumer.

John: Yeah, I mean that—you know, let’s be really cynical and say, just seem like a money grab.

Ryan: That’s your words but I will definitely agree.

John: Okay so, what does it mean to us out there that now are appalled?

Ryan: Well, I think the first part of it is, I think you really need to kind of start thinking about what you are doing online so, and you think about what actually is happening when you browse the web and how that data might be used. So, what I’ve always thoughts about, when you think about awareness and kind of how much information you are sharing with these different groups so, all the people don’t realize today that what they do online whether that’s web searches that result in them, maybe they decide to look out something related to financial history. Maybe you decide to do something search about bankruptcy. Or maybe you are searching up healthcare you know, issues.

You know I for my example, also I’m a little bit of a kind of a worry wort so I start searching up things around maybe I have a cold or maybe I have a headache and I start searching up things online. What people don’t realize is that, that browsing history is now being taken in consideration into the things that they do. So maybe for example, you decide to apply for health insurance or life insurance at a later date. That information around your historic web browsing might be taken in consideration.

Not just you know, from a few days back or few months back but for your entire life time. This information could be available to third parties or maybe deciding whether or not they want to give you a health or life insurance plan. And I think that the same goes for you know, financial services. They maybe applying for maybe your next credit card. Maybe your next car loan. All of these things are going start being impacted by your web browsing and web history. And I think for a lot of people that’s concerning. Because you don’t necessarily know you have control over it. And a lot of people aren’t even in fact, aware of this at all.

John: Yeah. That takes that adds the data level that’s pretty scary. Because I mean, we’ve always kind of had shown me people who have bought a new house in the last 30 days. That kind of data I think it’s been readily available to advertisers. But as you said, you know now it’s going to add so much level to it that will actually allow, you know in some cases push advertising at us. But as you hinted, perhaps actually exclude us from opportunities based on you know, couple of searches which—because I think a lot of people think, oh I don’t visit porn sites or I don’t do illegal activity online. Why would I care? But I think it’s really much deeper than that, isn’t it?

Ryan: Yeah, I think that, I mean it’s amazing to me you know, I think six years into working on Tunnel bear, I am trying to find different ways to communicate the importance of online privacy and there’s a few different ways that are my favorites. I know, you might be familiar with Edward Snowden who kind of leaked, NSA documents few years ago. I think he has a pretty clever way of saying you know, saying you don’t need to worry about online privacy is because you have nothing to hide. It’s like we don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say. And obviously that’s kind of more of a political than non-things.  But I think that this idea that online privacy is important to the average person. It’s actually really important. Both are kind of a system in the political level.

That we have kind of this privacy and ability to discuss kind of sensitive topics amongst others as well as I think just the awareness of how much information that’s been kind of shared with you with third parties and awareness and control over that information.

You know, even simple examples of from a marketing perspective, you know my grandfather always used to say, you know negotiate everything. Make sure you are getting a great deal on it. So we go to a buy a Coach at the local store and make sure that we kind of get a deal on that. But today when you arrive at a website, you may not realize that they are kind of—you are arriving at a website with a deck against you. So they may know that. You know, you went 4-5 sites before that. You have been searching this term for a while. And they are kind of prepared to kind of give you a price attire lower based on your social economic circumstance. You know, I think that’s already a case for that where that’s happening for airline flights.

John: Yeah, well definitely. I mean, I see it happening on amazon prime of dynamic pricing where you know, they know that I am a sucker every time I go to amazon. You know, I don’t even look at the price. I just buy and they are definitely documented cases of that.

Ryan: I think this is just a beginning.

John: Yeah yeah yeah, so let’s dive into—I want to circle back to this marketing but you know, so far all we’ve been doing is scaring people. So, let’s talk a little bit about what Tunnelbear does and what VPN is in general?

Ryan: Yeah. So a VPN or in this case Tunnel bear basically what it does is, information as it’s leaving your computer it basically means it basically encrypts that information or makes it unreadable. And then sends that information to server in another location. That could be within your country. Might be in another country. And at that point it’s kind of unencrypted and send to the internet. This provides a few different benefits. The first benefit is: it relates to the ISP privacy rules change. Because your ISP’s you kind of think of them between you and the internet. And us, protecting you along the way. Your ISP’s won’t be able to read any of the data that’s sent through their connection.

That means that any websites you browse, or kind of any applications you use or how you connect will not be available to your ISP. Just they’ll that you are using data but they won’t know exactly what you are doing and where you are going. How you are going about it. The other benefit is from kind of, more broader perspective. One of the most common ways that people are trying to cross the internet is their IP address. And for those of you who aren’t familiar with that, basically it’s the unique number that the internet kind of gives you when you go and connect to it. And when you use Tunnelbear the IP address is kind of hidden or masked. It’s given to you when people you go to website and you have to pair on. It will just give them an IP address that relates to Tunnelbear and the benefit is, you know is this unique number.

They can track the unique number across. For example, advertising networks or other kind of a variety of different ways people are tracked online. In this way, they’ll just see Tunnel bear as opposed to having a unique number that matches that. That number often also tells you close proximity to your geographical location or your physical location as well as its a convenient way that people are tracked online.

John: So let’s flip around, I mean I suppose somebody who does want to participate in shady activity using a VPN would be, allow them to do that, wouldn’t it?

Ryan: Well, I mean I think there’s a bunch of different scenarios. I think for people who are looking to do shady activities, there is lots of different ways that people can kind of go and mask and hide their identity online. VPN’s are definitely a way where people can kind of pursue that opportunity. But I think that, you know I like to think of the general population as being overwhelmingly good. And kind of, entitled to online privacy, as opposed to kind of looking at it as a few bad apples who want to cause harm who in all like hood find a way to do bad things and browse a little more privately regardless.

John: Well given that, some of the privacy has been given away, I mean does that suggest that perhaps where people they don’t think that, like the NSA, for example in the United States that are maybe go and look at somebody and say, “oh! You are using a VPN. What do you have to hide?”

Ryan: Well I think there’s already examples as leaked by Edward Snowden. But I think that identify that people who use VPN’s and other encryption were kind of priority targets for kind of those intelligent agencies. I would think of it as the opposite of that. I think that the standard should be not looked upon is, you know it shouldn’t be an anomaly that we use basic privacy and security tools to protect ourselves online. And in an ideal world everybody would be using great online privacy security tools and we’ve been looking at this as an anomaly and I think that would-be kind of an ideal outside of kind of viewing it from that perspective.

In terms of kind of priority targeting. I mean I think that when I think about those groups and if you are the type of person who is really concerned about the NSA maybe you are kind of a reporter in a vulnerable position or has sensitive information, there’s dozens of different things that we should be thinking about beyond just VPN’s to make sure that you are secure online. And it’s important they kind of think about that. But you know, VPN is kind of just one of the ways that people can protect themselves. But not necessarily the only way or a way that they would use, for example get around NSA targeting.

John: So what are some of the—if you are a small business owner and you’re out there saying, [00:12:14] okay that privacy thing that gets my interest but are there other benefits of using a tool or service like Tunnelbear?

Ryan: For sure. One of the most common reasons why people use Tunnelbear is actually through basic WIFI security. So maybe for small business owner and you are working at cafe’s or airports or hotels. A lot of people don’t realize that it’s pretty trivially easy to kind of attack a router and either commandeer it or bring your own router and kind of create a fake signal that people connect to you called free WIFI. And you know, when you do that you put yourself in problem position to having your—whether it’s identity theft or hijacking kind of certain passwords and information through different websites. You know, it’s pretty easy to do that. So, by using Tunnel bear and if you decide to go use public WIFI, whether it is when you are travelling or maybe you are at a cafe’, airport et cetera. You can protect yourself from having different hackers maliciously kind of try and get some of your information.

John: Hey, thanks for listening to the Duct tape marketing podcast. If you like this one, you might also like my other podcast: The consulting spark. Where I interview independent marketing consultants and agency owners. We talk about how they built their business and the struggles they face. And what they love about being in this business. So you can check it out at: ducttapemarketingconsultant.com.

Okay, now a really serious question. What’s up with the bear?

Ryan: Yeah, that really starts out at Tunnelbear. We first got started around 6 years ago. Myself and another co-founder we came from a very serious kind of enterprise. Mobile security startup. And we saw an opportunity at VPN space. Really at the time where all the VPN’s were technical to use, really complicated.

And we decided we wanted to do something different. We want to make something that’s just a VPN that was just trivially easy to use. You could just literally use on or off. It did his job in the background and it just got out of your way. And with that, we also want to make it a little more fun and approachable. So, all of the time we always joke that they are kind of old guard around security is like a lock and key. You know, a blue and white shield with a lock and key. And we always like to joke in the app store today. If you go and search for apps, you have you know, if you search for VPN’s or other kind of sources, nine out of 10 of them are lock and shields that are blue and white and then we have a bear popping out of a tunnel. I’ll tell you a little secret. We actually have the domains for about 4 or 5 different animals. I think we have tunnel bunny and tunnel dog and a tunnel of other ones but we actually settled on bears because they are both kind of strong and protecting but also kind of cute and cuddly and we thought that would-be kind of a good connection with our customers.

John: There’s been a nobility around bears too.

Ryan: Yeah yeah. And we ran with it, so we have lots of bear puns and all that stuff so, sometimes we take it a little too far.

John: You have owned it. I’ll give you that. So that’s awesome. So I had a quick question myself. So this is kind of long more personal question. A lot of the apps and the tools we use today depend on knowing what our location is. Does that become problematic?

Ryan: Yes and no. I mean, I think for certain services, I think one of the more common challenges you run into is for example, you know banks that when to verify that you are within a certain country. Is that sometimes you will have a scenario where they are more likely to run into a—if you choose an ultimate country than from where you originally connect from, then they will say okay, you know, make sure you call this number before you connect to my bank. But it’s not too much of a significant problem. I think for other users the option turns it off is always there. And on our Android application and which work on other applications, you can actually only tunnel certain apps if you are having issues with a certain app you can always kind of choose to tunnel just a single app. But I don’t know. If you’ve had problems with yourself?

John: No. No no no. I’ll just tell you the ones that drive me crazy, is the MLB app. And they won’t let me watch in market baseball games. I was trying to figure out a way to like to tell them I was in Denver. [00:16:12] So I can watch the game. But you are not giving me much hope there.

Ryan: Let us on weekend, we can look and make sure TunnelBear is working properly.

John: So and I will say to your earlier point, dead simple to set up, does have the—I think the user interface that’s very approachable. Certainly, you know better than me. I am a customer so all I can say, what are we paying? Not very much for all the security in my opinion like 5 bucks a month or something, right?

Ryan: Yeah, that’s right. I think it’s right now we are $60 a year so it works into about 5 bucks a month.

John: So a company that talks about security and talks about internet privacy and kind of hold themselves out there, has to actually take some of this. They have to practice what they preach as well. So do you take kind, at least I believe they do, do you take kind of special interest in saying, hey! we want to hold ourselves out there as an example for what privacy as a marketer should be?

Ryan: Yeah, we go to I would say pretty extreme lengths to make sure we kind of practice what we preach. I think that really started a few years ago when we revisited our privacy policy. And really just took a really hard look at all the different ways that we were collecting information or not collecting information from our users. From the get-go of our company, we knew privacy was going to be a big focus. And from the day 1, I mean I think there is a big trend in general when you think about startups today that when you get rolling, more information you collect about your users and to how you understand your users the better.

I think what a lot of people don’t really think about is how that information, how they collect it that can actually also be a liability in circumstances. With all the different services that are being compromised on a regular basis or whether them having kind of too much data and not really being able to make sense of it through kind of good analytics and insights. In TunnelBear we really took a minimal approach to how much we start collecting data from day one.

Another example in terms of our privacy policy is we basically went line by line, column by column in our database to make sure that everything that we do. And we say we do in a privacy policy is actually reflected in circumstances where there is confusion as to why we might collect a certain piece of data. I’ll give you an example of first name or we used to collect people’s first and last name. We kind of did it for marketing reasons because we want to have fun and friendly e-mails and greetings when we e-mail people. And we realized after that, this wasn’t necessarily critical to our business. We kind of decided to remove it. And we kind of posted why we removed it and we actually kind of went through a database and sanitized all that information.

Another example is credit cards. You know we used to collect a lot more credit card information and postal codes. Because it helped us with our anti-fraud activities. After a while, we realized that you know through different strategies we didn’t necessarily need that information before. We kind of reviewed on annual basis and removed it. And kind of just putting this out there as transparency is to our users so that they know that we are making the effort to minimize how much information that we collect up on our users. And if we do have to collect some information for business reasons, the reasons why we do it and having this kind of transparent relationship with them has been really important for us. And you know we know for— we have a high degree of confidence, for example, we know we can be very transparent with our users and they know that we do what we say we do.

John: Yeah and I think that you, in a fact you are putting a little bit of target on yourself, you know when you put yourself out there as a company that is fighting the good fight for whatever you are fighting for that you do have to. I mean it’s like every time I read an article, like the 5-biggest grammar mistakes you can make and I guarantee you, I will get responses to that with people showing the grammar mistakes that I’ve made. So it definitely I think, it bodes well for the brand and I think it also is a great example for people to follow. So Ryan, where can people find out more about—really, I think just privacy in general, but then obviously also about Tunnelbear?

Ryan: For sure. So you can go to tunnelbear.com (T-U-N-N-E-L B-E-A-R) and you could go to our website. If you are looking for kind of the latest around privacy information, I think there are few different sites that have a great update. eff.org or electronic frontier foundation is a great job, I think summarizing and kind of promoting online privacy and electronic rights based in US. Open media does a great job. Out here in Canada and other countries. And I think if they are looking to really simple apps to help them browse more privately online and maybe avoid ISP data collection, then Tunnelbear is a great place to start.

John: Awesome. Thanks for taking the time to join today and hopefully we’ll catch with you out there on the road.

Ryan: Great. Thanks John.

John: Hey, thanks for listening to this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. What if you could do me a favor? Could you leave an honest review on iTunes? Your ratings and reviews really help and I promise, I read each and every one.

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from Duct Tape Marketing https://www.ducttapemarketing.com/transcript-privacy-online/