#so all in all still cheaper than buying a tv & speakers

[pixeldashblog]

Sonos unveils the Sonos Ace: a $450 pair of Bluetooth headphones, coming June 5th

Sonos announced its long rumored entry into the very competitive market of wireless over ear headphones today with the Sonos Ace. The company is touting this as a major launch, with CEO Patrick Spence saying in earnings calls this product could be what turns the company’s relatively slow financial performance around.

I’m not enough of an finance expert to say whether the Ace are in fact going to become a billion-dollar product for Sonos, or even how today’s announcement will be received by the company’s vocal fanbase, but the Ace are certainly not what I would expect if you told me Sonos was making a pair of headphones, and this launch suggests Sonos is taking a somewhat different approach to courting new customers.

The Specs

The Sonos Ace will cost $449 and go on sale June 5th. They’re bluetooth headphones and offer the features you’d expect for this price class: 40mm drivers, active noise cancellation (which Sonos claims is “world class”), and even AptX Lossless support for Android phones. They also support USB-C line-in like the Era 100, 300 and Move 2, but unlike those speakers you won't need to buy a dongle to connect your phone; a USB-C to C cable will work just fine. Sonos also includes a USB-C to 3.5mm aux cable for any devices you own with headphone jacks. The Ace come in Black or Soft White at launch, and I'm hoping to see more colors released down the line like Sonos did with the Roam.

The construction of the Ace uses plastics and some stainless steel in the headband, though not nearly as much as the Apple AirPods Max. The Ace weighs in at 312 grams compared to the Max at a hefty 385 grams. They're still heavier than the Bose QC Ultra (254 grams) and Sony WH-1000xm5 (249 grams) but Sonos promises that it has nailed the weight distribution here to avoid discomfort. As someone who sold their Airpods Max because of how heavy and uncomfortable they proved to be over time, I’m looking forward to putting the comfort of these to the test. 

The Ace is mainly controlled by a single mechanism on the right earcup Sonos calls the “content key.” It’s a metal button that can also slide up and down, enabling volume and playback control from a single interaction point, similar to the digital crown on the AirPods Max or simplified playback controls on Bose headphones. This is a huge plus in my book over the finicky touch controls brands like Sony prefer. ANC control and power-on also get their own buttons but they’re not as pronounced as the content key so users should have no issue confusing any of them.

The Ace is also the first Sonos device that can be entirely set up without using the Sonos app, ironic given the ongoing controversy Sonos has courted with the app redesign. The Ace will work out of the box with any bluetooth enabled device, and customers can unlock additional functionality like enabling head-tracking for spatial audio or adjusting EQ settings in the app.

The last thing I’ll note here is that while the Sonos Ace are bluetooth headphones and will not connect to your home Wi-Fi network at all, they will offer some integration with users’ Sonos home systems at launch. If you own a Sonos Arc, and only an Arc for now, the Ace will be able to pair to your soundbar and provide an experience that “envelops you in dramatically detailed sound from all directions” according to press materials shown to Pixel Dash. Sonos calls this feature TV audio swap, and this is what sets the Ace apart from all its competitors on paper at least, and if all else is equal, could be the difference maker when buyers pick them up.

The Angle

Sonos seems to be pushing the Ace more as an entryway into its ecosystem than another cog in users' existing setups. It only connects to the company’s most expensive soundbar at launch (the cheaper Beam and Ray soundbars will get Ace support down the road but Sonos only says that's "coming soon"). Wireless, lossless audio listening is limited to android phones capable of AptX Lossless, or use of a USB-C cable.

Without direct Wi-Fi streaming to the Ace from the Sonos app, it's also important to note that listening to Dolby Atmos music for iPhone users could be quite difficult if my past experience with other non-AirPods devices is anything to go off.

I don't want to sound too dismissive of TV audio swapping, just that some Sonos fans may be disappointed that this is the only way the Ace can integrate with a Sonos system. That's not to say Sonos doesn't have an advantage with how this feature has been implemented.

When pairing the Ace with an Arc, the headphones connect over a 5Ghz direct Wi-Fi connection, the same way other Sonos products like a subwoofer or speakers set as surrounds do. This connection is rock-solid and also lossless.

(Edit 5/22- The Verge is reporting that the connection between the Sonos Ace and Arc is 345kbps, or slightly higher than the 320kbps that AAC bluetooth headphones utilize. We'll need to test how aggressive and noticeable the compression is in our review before drawing further conclusions.)

While AirPods can connect to an Apple TV 4K to provide a personal surround soundscape to users as well, they do so over a hyper compressed Bluetooth signal. Roku's long-standing feature to let users connect wired headphones to some of its remotes also leans on Bluetooth. Sonos' implementation should be able to send uncompressed, Dolby Atmos audio to the Ace fed directly from your TV’s eARC port, so hopefully Sonos puts all that extra data to good use.

Sonos added that later this year it’s launching a feature called TrueCinema, which will alter the Ace’s audio processing to make it seem like the surround and Atmos effects are coming from the room instead of the headphones. According to press materials shown to Pixel Dash, “TrueCinema technology will map your space and render a surround sound experience so realistic you'll forget you're wearing headphones.” I’m assuming this will be an expansion on Sonos’ TruePlay technology that will give the Ace enough data to map sound more accurately than they will at launch. Pixel Dash has reached out to Sonos to clarify how exactly TrueCinema will work and will include any response in our review of the Ace.

Sonos is offering a compelling package with the Ace. The price is fairly in line with the rest of the premium headphones market and the features match up as well. Whether or not the added ability to pair to a Sonos Arc will be the difference maker is something only time will tell. If the sound quality and comfort are able to best Sony, Bose, and Apple then that might be enough to make first-time Sonos buyers choose the Ace as their first product, and I’m sure Sonos hopes those buyers will pick up an Arc down the line if they're interested in putting TV audio swapping to the test.

The major question is if existing Sonos customers will buy the Ace in droves as well. Every Sonos fan knows that these systems are built piece by piece with the expansion of your Sonos system becoming somewhat of a habit. The Ace's limitations as a new piece to a Sonos system could leave some users disappointed, but since Sonos says the Ace are its most requested product, I'm willing to bet plenty of existing customers will be placing their pre-orders today.

[gharpedia2023]

Interactive Panel Prices Unveiled: Your Simple Guide

Hey there! So, you're on the hunt for an interactive panel, and you're wondering why they come in all sorts of price tags, right? Don't worry; I've got your back. Let's dive into the world of interactive panels in a way that even your grandma could understand.

What's an Interactive Panel?

Think of an interactive panel as a massive touch screen. It's like a super-sized tablet, but instead of playing games or scrolling through your social media, it's used for learning, presenting, and collaborating in schools and businesses.

Cracking the Price Code

Interactive panel prices aren't just pulled out of thin air. A bunch of things go into setting that number:

Size: Bigger screens, bigger price tags. It's like ordering a small pizza versus a large one.

Resolution: Higher resolution means crisper images. The fancier the resolution, the more you'll pay.

Touch Tech: There are two kinds: IR (infrared) and capacitive. IR is more budget-friendly, while capacitive is pricier but super precise.

Operating System: Like Android or Windows, some panels use Android, which is cheaper than Windows.

Connectivity: More ports and connection options? That's gonna cost you a bit more.

Bells and Whistles: Some panels come with built-in cameras, speakers, and fancy pens. These cool extras drive up the price.

Brands and Warranty: Big-name brands and longer warranties mean higher prices. It's like buying a designer bag versus a regular one.

Installation: Don't forget about setting it up! Professional installation can add to the cost.

Software: Sometimes you'll need to buy software separately. It's like purchasing apps for your phone.

Customization: If you need something special, it might be pricier. It's like asking for a custom-made cake instead of a store-bought one.

How Much Are We Talking?

Okay, now that we know what makes these panels cost what they do, let's break down the price range:

Entry-level panels (55-65 inches): Expect to pay anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500. These are like the economy class of interactive panels.

Mid-range panels (65-75 inches): These fall in the range of $2,500 to $5,000. It's like choosing a mid-range car.

High-end panels (75-98 inches): Get ready to spend $5,000 to $10,000 or even more. These are the luxury models.

Custom or Specialized panels: Prices can be all over the map. It's like commissioning a piece of art.

FAQs on Interactive Panel Prices

I bet you still have some questions, right? Don't worry; you're not alone. Here are some common questions:

Why are interactive panels more expensive than regular TVs?

Interactive panels have special tech for touch and are designed for different purposes, which makes them costlier to make.

Are there any cheap interactive panels?

Yup, there are budget-friendly ones, but they might have fewer features.

Is there ongoing maintenance cost?

Expect some maintenance costs for repairs, but they're usually quite durable.

Can I use a regular TV instead of an interactive panel?

You can make a regular TV somewhat interactive, but it's not the same as a dedicated interactive panel.

Do interactive panels come with a warranty?

Most do, but the warranty terms can differ between brands.

How often should I upgrade my interactive panel?

It depends on how much you use it, but they typically last a good few years.

Can I haggle for a better price?

Sometimes you can negotiate, especially if you're buying several panels.

What's essential when picking an interactive panel for school?

Size, resolution, and compatibility with educational software are crucial for schools.

What's the difference between IR and capacitive touch technology?

IR is cheaper but less precise, while capacitive is pricier but super accurate.

Can I use an interactive panel without the interactive features?

Sure, you can use it as a regular screen, but it might be overkill.

There you go! I hope this has made the world of interactive panel prices a bit clearer. Remember, it's not just about the price; it's about finding the one that suits your needs and budget. Happy shopping!

How can I get my interactive panel fixed?

If it needs repairs, reach out to the manufacturer or a certified service provider.

Can I use any stylus or pen on an interactive panel?

Many panels come with their interactive pens, so stick to those for the best experience.

Is there any difference in price between panels for education and business use?

While there can be differences between brands and models, the price doesn't strictly depend on the intended use.

Are there any discounts for schools or government agencies?

Some brands offer discounts for educational institutions and government agencies, so it's worth asking about.

How can I find the best deals on interactive panels?

Shop around, compare prices from different vendors, and keep an eye out for sales and discounts.

Can I install an interactive panel on my own?

You could, but it's often better to have a professional handle the setup for proper calibration and installation.

What power does an interactive panel need?

Most panels use standard electrical power, like your everyday TV.

Can I update the software on my interactive panel?

Yes, you can often update the software to get new features and improvements.

What's the typical lifespan of an interactive panel?

The lifespan can vary, but a good one can serve you well for several years with proper care.

Can I use my interactive panel as a touchscreen for my computer?

Many interactive panels can work as external touchscreens for computers, making your work more interactive.

Conclusion:

Choosing the right interactive panel isn't just about the price. It's about finding one that fits your needs, whether it's for teaching, presenting, or collaborating. Hopefully, these simple explanations and FAQs have helped you navigate the world of interactive panel prices. So, when you're shopping for one, remember, it's not just about the numbers; it's about finding the perfect fit for your budget and requirements. Happy shopping!

[quillsareswords]

And Arnold Makes Four

The next part of Blurb #18, because it got surprisingly great feedback! Thank you all so much! You don't necessarily need to read 18, but I'd recommend it, just to get your bearings.

Interested in a Polyamorus Taglist? Comment here!

Prompt List // Masterlist (in bio)

Jon did not keep his promise. When two hours had passed and you were still snoring next to Damian as he reclined on both of you, he considered waking you because goddamn it he wanted a slushee, but decided against it.

Too many night had you both sat up until the sun shone. The least he could do was let you rest.

Besides—he was pretty sure one of you would try to punch him if he tried.

So, he laid contently against your legs, wasting most of the day between his Switch and your television.

Damian is the first one awake. He blinks hard twice, because the sun is shining directly through the window and straight into his eyes (likely what woke him up, he decides). You're the first thing he sees. You probably got a little too warm snuggled so close to him, so you've pulled back so he can see your whole face. Subconsciously, he tracks your breathing for a moment.

Then he's looking past you, for his other partner. One of you are usually in the middle, because Jon gets too hot laying between you. Jon's not there. Damian reminds himself that he's in your house and that there's realistically no reason to worry, before the niggling of panic worms it's way into his mind.

The weight against his shins shifts. He sits part way up, careful not to jostle you too much in the process.

Jon turns away from your TV and smiles brightly. "I wondered when you'd wake up," he says, quietly.

Your eyebrows furrow as you groan.

Damian rolls his upper half so he can properly himself up with his elbows. "Why didn't you wake us? It's been well over two hours," Damian asks, inclining his head towards the window, where it's obviously nearly sunset.

Jon shrugs, shifts his weight so Damian can roll completely over. "You seemed like you needed it, so . . ."

Damian nods slowly. He feels a little bad, wondering why his internal alarm clock didn't have him up within an hour. Probably you.

You mumble something about the light before your eyes crack open with a glare. You'd been half awake, listening to the conversation. "What time is it?"

"Sunset," Damian sighs, crawling over you to get off the bed. "Sunshine here didn't wake us up."

Jon's cheeks bloom pink at the endearment, but he pretends they don't. "You looked like you needed sleep," he defends, flopping back down in his boyfriend's place.

You realize he's already gotten dressed, while you're still in sleep shorts and a ratty tank top. You also realize that Damian is fishing clothes out of his duffel, which was slung down beside Jon's bulging backpack yesterday afternoon.

You don't know why they insist on bringing so much every time they come to stay, considering the bottom two drawers of your dresser are respectively theirs. You consider this silently as you roll out of bed to pull on jeans and your Converse.

By the time you grab your longboard and bid your parents goodbye, the sky is orange and pink and white and it's brilliant.

Jon's camera is in your backpack, your speaker on a strap slung across his body while you search for their designated playlist.

Damian's pennyboard hits the ground first, then your longboard, then Jon's skateboard. Down your suburban driveway you cruise, then down the cul-de-sac and onto the sidewalk running alongside the slow traffic of the road.

The Travel Center sign glows orange and red as you roll forward, Vance Joy booming from Jon's hip. The sky only gets prettier, so Jon asks for his camera once you stop.

When you reach the parking lot, you slide your heel along the cement to lose your momentum, simultaneously slinging your backpack down to the crook of one arm to get the camera.

You hand it to him when he stops beside you, then you pop the nose of your board and pause your music.

"What are you getting?" Jon asks, as you pass him, one arm outstretched to hold the glass door open for you, while Damian swings the other side of the door open for himself.

"Coca Cola, obviously," you hum, tucking your board under one arm and reshouldering the straps of your bag. "I'll cover snacks and whatnot if one of you will pay for the bracelets at the fair."

The county fair is finally back for the beginning of summer in your home town, so the three of you have decided to go, since the fairgrounds are so close to the pier anyway.

Damian nods. "I'll pay for them." He takes a small cup size from the stack as the three of you round the corner of the back isle.

"I'll pay for the slushees," Jon decides, taking a large.

"Good for you," you smile, filling your medium with the light brown, thinly ground ice from the rolling machine.

Jon flicks your nose as he pumps his large full if blue-burrrry first, then cherry.

Damian snaps a boring old flat lid on the top of his cup before he saunters off in search of a snack to take for the road.

You're the next one done, but because you have a soul, you take a dome lid and fill your cup past the brim.

You roam the isles for a few minutes, despite already knowing where everything, just like every weekend. You pick up a bag of cheddar Combos, a miniature tube of original Pringles, and a Hershey bar.

You meet your boys by the checkout, where the same tired-looking woman smiles at you fondly. Just like every weekend.

Damian sets down a bag of M&Ms, while Jon is still juggling four bags of candy, a skateboard, and a multicolored slushee which is oozing out from the top of the dome lid, because—like every weekend—he's overfilled it.

While you fish out some bills from the wallet in your backpack, Damian finally steps in and takes the slushee from him so he can slap down his pack of Rainbow Belts, a bag of Skittles, a Hershey Cookies and Cream bar, a bag of Trolli gummy worms, a bag of miniature Twix bars, and a blue Gatorade onto the counter.

You laugh, because it's a little bit like a clown car, the way he piles it all on the counter. Damian sighs, staring at Jon with a healthy mix of impression, surprise, and adoration.

Sheepishly, Jon takes his slushee back from his boyfriend and mumbles, "The slushees are separate."

The middle-aged woman withholds a laugh at the whole thing, even though this is a very regular occurrence, while she slides all the items across the scanner.

A few minutes later, the three of you pause in the parking lot to cram everything into your backpack. While Damian is helping you, Jon stands at the very edge of the sidewalk, snapping pictures of the gorgeous sunset and the colors it paints the sky.

Soon enough, you're on your way again. The pier isn't too far from your house—maybe three miles, not counting the backtracking you have to do from the Travel Center. Its also not used often unless there's some big event, like a holiday or something at the fairgrounds, which are a quick jaunt up a dirt path through a patch of woods.

It's been a favorite spot of yours, ever since you were old enough for your parents to let you loose. You brought the boys out last summer, only about a month after forming the three way relationship you're so comfortable in. Since then, it's been a frequent for you three, when the weather's nice.

It isn't an ocean pier, by the way. It's on a lake, which is partly owned by the park on the other side, and partly owned by the same family who's owned the fairgrounds for as long as you can remember. They have a miniature boat race every Spring, and a lantern release every New Year.

You make it to the fairgrounds just about as soon as the sun sinks below the treeline, courtesy of the (mostly) paved road that stretches through the massive unused field and dense woods that divides it from the main road. Mostly, because it was paved so long ago that it was well forgotten in the most recent repaving your small town underwent a year or two ago.

You pop the nose of your board up, shoving the rest of your chocolate bar into your mouth as you step on to the whiterock path leading to the ticket booth, and the rest of the pop-up carnival beyond it.

"Three bracelets, please," Damian requests, holding out a twenty and a ten. Ten bucks for an all-access bracelet that are only valid for twenty-four hours might seem crazy, but it's logistically cheaper and easier than buying X-amount of tickets, and then having to come back for more later.

You hastily strap the paper onto one another's wrists before you scamper off, your eyes set on the Twister, dragging your boys behind you.

You spend most of the night squished between two people in a two-person seat; or throwing things at other things to win more things; or sprawled out in the grass behind or between some booths, chowing down on pre-bought snacks. Jon went off and got an Elephant Ear at some point, so you spent more time sitting in the grass, eating and chatting idly, humorously judging people with Damian while Jon glared on disapprovingly. Still, even he couldn't find anything good to say about the full neon rainbow leopard jumpsuit that fit about six sizes too small in the worst way, other than at least he's creative.

At one point or another, you come across a giant stuffed sloth that's about a foot short of being as tall as you, and you decide on the spot that it is absolutely going home with you. Damian and Jon see the number of points it costs and sigh in unison. You spend about one hundred and sixteen minutes throwing baseballs at far-too-heavy milk bottles, but hey, who's counting?

You do, eventually, win the sloth, with the combined efforts of three super-sidekicks—Jon's super strength, Damian's freakish aim, and your intuitive throwing finally converge on one task, surprisingly.

Hauling your new friend—Arnold, you've dubbed him—on your back, you decide to show your gratitude by putting your knife throwing skills (you're very good at instinctive throwing, because of your flawless intuition) to good use at the dart-and-ballon game.

You leave Arnold in Jon's care (Damian ever so gently told you that he'd leave Arnold to sit in the dirt beside them, not hold him, which offended you deeply), and and your longboard with Damian, before you march over, wad of dollar bills in hand.

You return twenty minutes later, two plush animals in each hand. You proudly bestow a ambiguous black bird to Damian, and a fire engine red marshmallow-esque creature to Jon. You take Arnold in your arms and resituate him to ride piggy back, long boneless arms draped over your shoulders.

Jon giddily grins at his new blob friend, and thanks you, muttering, a little shyly, that you really didn't have to. Damian stares down at the stuffed bird in silence, a smidge of contempt flickering in his eyes. It crosses your mind that he might have preferred something else, but all doubt is erased with his grip on it becomes a little more firm, a bit more protective, and you catch his gaze going soft on it. He offers you a little smile, because he's bad at genuinely accepting and showing appreciation for these kinds of gifts.

And because you know this, you return the gesture to prove that you understand.

Your trio heads for the dirt path through the decently small patch of woods, where a dirt path peeks out like a old man with gentle eyes and a warm smile.

Jon stops right as you reach the mouth of the path. He hands Damian his skateboard. "You go ahead, I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

"Where are you going?" Damian asks.

Jon starts walking backwards. "I'm gonna get something. I'll be quick, I promise! Go ahead!"

Damian exchanges a look with you. You shrug, reaching toward his hand and wiggling your fingers.

He locks his fingers with yours, sparing Jon one more look over his shoulder before the two of you set off.

"What do you think he's up to?" you wonder, peering over your shoulder just before the carnival is out of sight. You don't see him, but you imagine him bobbing a weaving through the crowds of half drunk, drunk high, and half asleep people ambling around in the last hours of the festivities for the day.

Damian glances back one more time. "Don't know," he answers. "Can't be anything good, if he wouldn't tell us."

You nod. "Can't be awful, if he wouldn't warn us," you add with a smile.

He laughs. "Can't be amazing if he wouldn't gloat about how amazing his idea is."

You laugh loudly. "You got me there."

You pass the marker for the middle of the path soon after. It's just an old wooden post, marked properly with fading orange tape. Not long after that, you leave the treeline behind.

The pier is old, and a little creaky. The wood is dark with age, warm with sun, and worn with the repeated paths of the residents of your hometown. The group of people is surprisingly small, despite the carnival's large attendance.

Your eyes roam the few couples scattered around the clearing by the water, and the group of friends laughing loudly from borrowed fishing boats further out in the water. Warm summer night air sticks to your skin and fills your lungs the way only it can.

The pair of you find a good spot at the very end of the pier, where the boards are still stable, but boast a concerning number if cracks and splinters. You prop Arnold up behind you, safely away from the water, but he slouches inanimately while he holds Damian's crow and your backpack in his lap.

"We should do this more," you hum, leaning back on your elbows to get a proper look at the mostly clear sky. It's nearly a full moon, and lack of light pollution leaves the stars on display, while the open moonlight reflects beautifully off the tops and sides of passing clouds.

Damian hums in agreement. "That would be nice." His neck cranes to get a good look for himself. "Any constellations?"

"Orion is there," you point to the belt specifically. "And the Dippers are right there."

A beat of silence as you admire the heavens.

"How long do you think until Jon calls us because he's gotten into trouble?"

You laugh. "Fifteen minutes," you bet.

Damian nods. "Sounds right. He's probably getting some kind of food."

"I hope it's something without grease," you groan. "Otherwise I might be sick."

Damian chuckles. "Don't get your hopes up."

As if it was a stage cue, you hear footsteps thumping up the rickity wood planks toward you.

You both turn at the sound of your names. "Look what I got!" Jon howls excitedly.

He's got a giant bag of popcorn and another of cotton candy under one arm, and brandishing a clear plastic bag with the other.

"That better not be a fish," you warn, but the spark in your eyes betrays the implied threat. You sit back up to get a better look.

"It'll be dead in a week," Damian warns, "so don't get too attached."

Jon fakes a pout, stopping beside Arnold. "His name is Jerry and you're being very rude." He drops the bags of snacks among your prize-filled bag and stuffed animals, then drops himself on the other side of you.

"Let me see him," you swipe the bag without permission. You hold it level with your eyes. It stares back boredly. "What are you gonna do with him? Do you have a bowl?"

He smiles sheepishly at you. "I thought your mom might have a vase or something."

You roll your eyes good-naturedly and hold the bag out to Damian to inspect. "I'm sure she does," you assure anyway. "If not, you can borrow a water glass or something."

Damian's eyes light up suddenly, as he eyes the yellow fish. "Your mother has a huge wineglass, doesn't she?"

You grin. "Yes. Yes she does, and you're a genius."

Damian smiles suavely, reaching across you to hand the bag back to Jon. "This isn't new information."

You snort and roll you eyes again, reaching for the cotton candy. "And so modest, too."

Jon tucks one leg under the opposite knee, setting the bag of water in the crook of his knee. "And ugly as a moose."

Damian indignantly rips the bag of cottony sugar from your grasp, leaving you with an offended glare, an agape mouth, and a thick tuft of pink fluff in your hand. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

You giggle over to Jon. "I think he hates us," you loudly whisper.

Jon nods thoughtfully, peering past you as he whispers back, "He's planning to poison us with dinner."

Damian sighs, loudly. "Firstly, poison wouldn't effect you, Jon. Secondly, if I hated either of you, I wouldn't be here."

Jon laughs. "He's got us, Lovely."

You lean on Damian's shoulder. "In more ways than you one."

Your plan works perfectly. Red flushes down his neck, eyes still locked on the horizon.

Jon picks up on it immediately, and hooks an arm around Damian's waist. "Wouldn't you agree, Love?"

He grumbles between the two of you, annoyed and embarrassed and so overwhelmingly in love.

As predicted, he makes a quick effort to switch topics. "How long are we staying?"

You and Jon respect his discomfort with focused public affection and pull away. "Long as we want," you answer, shoving a smaller tuft of pink into your mouth. "Mom just said to be home before two."

Jon nods. "I wanna watch a Disney movie when we get home." You agree.

"Speaking of getting home," Damian peers over his shoulder at the small mountain of prizes, food, and skateboards behind you, "how exactly do you plan on getting Arnold home?"

You eye the four-foot-six sloth and your longboard. Then you turn back to your boys, moonlight casting a gleam in your eyes. "I have absolutely no idea."

[TAGS – @qween-of-trash ]

[arabellavernierwrites]

you will be. s.r.

summary: after being cheated on, reader finds comfort in the warmest arms she’s ever know. spencer reid.

word count: 2007

warnings: cheating, one tiny mention of alcohol it’s one word

a/n: hi !! my name is arabella, this is my first work ! feel free to leave constructive criticism on this piece. and requests are open ! this is inspired by my personal experience lol. i really hope you guys like it. have a wonderful day lovelies !!

the soft tapping coming from the outside of my bedroom door hardly made itself known over the obnoxiously loud music i had blasting out of the speaker on my side table. said music was just about ten volume notches above what would make it annoyingly loud. my windows practically shook at the instrumental sounding through my speaker.

“y/n,” tap tap, “y/n”.

it wasn’t until the second y/n he spoke when i heard he was at the door. spencer, my roommate. i met him in 2002 when we began working for the behavioral analysis unit of the fbi together. today, we still hold the same positions in the bureau. me and spencer hit it off right away, whether it was the fact that we were both young as can be and the same age, or that he was shy and awkward and i loved making him talk statistics and nerdy stuff to me, we may not know. but, what i do know is we spent so much time staying over at each other’s apartments, that we decided it would be cheaper and easier to just share a place. and that we did. even though we haven’t once thought of each other in a romantic light, i knew from the second i met him, he’s my soulmate.

my voice wanted to croak something out in response to him, but i guess it didn’t. the fault of how i was feeling was patrick. i met patrick in in college, we were both younger than most people there, and i guess that was the foundation of the relationship we decided to build. his continual bringing me flowers, spontaneous dates, and genuine interest and support of all things that meant so much to me is why i fell more and more in love with him. patrick was my first boyfriend after michael, and maybe the magic made with patrick was the healing of the wounds that michael’s abusive tactics left. but, patrick meant so much to me. memories of me pulling him through a greenhouse, rambling on about every plant i wanted and why, and patrick taking the time and care to point out what he loved about each plant and why he thought i should get it, added to what i was feeling. remembering all of the times he would record tv shows he thought i would like, buying me movies he thought would become my new love, going to the library to research all of the plants i wanted and writing step by step instruction on how to grow them to their fullest extent. back when i wanted to be a museum curator, taking me to all of the art museums closest to us and setting up meetings with the curator to give us a tour of the exhibits, describing why they chose each piece. deciding i wanted to pursue the psychology of criminal justice, he bought me every book he could find about it, even though i wouldn’t ever ask him to. always encouraging me to do the best i could, and wanting what was the best for me and my happiness, not what was best for my grades or my potential career. i haven’t ever felt a romance like his. no words, music notes, nor instrument playing will ever be able to accurately describe the way he made me feel.

i was sitting at o’keefe’s bar after work with the girls, all sipping champagne, sharing love and laughs. we were debating over what kind of shoe was cuter, platform pumps or heels. my attention was turned to the door when it opened, a small bell above it lightly dinging. there was a very tall, handsome man walking through, arms wrapped around a petite woman. they giggled against each others lips, playing back and forth between kissing and telling jokes. he looked like patrick, but it wasn’t patrick. me and patrick were exchanging love, not them. that wasn’t my patrick, that couldn’t be my patrick, no way would my patrick do that. me and patrick shared too much love, too many laughs, too much everything for him to ever consider sharing that feeling with another woman. his green eyes, his curly brown hair, his light freckles decorating his beautiful nose, his lashes longer and thicker than most, lips soft and plump and full of so many kisses i’ve given. that was my patrick. but there was no way that was my patrick, sharing my love with another woman. my patrick who was just asking me what kind of wedding rings i think are prettiest, what kind of diamond was my favorite. the rushing sound in my ears seemingly distracting me from the fact that i was still in the middle of a bar with my friends.

i turned back around to the table i had momentarily pulled my attention away from, the three women in front of me silently staring. that’s when the feeling settled that that was my patrick, and they were waiting for me to say or do something about it.

i simply stood, picked up my bag, and walked to my car.

the feeling is a similar comparison of that when you have a few too many to drink, and the front of your forehead starts to feel tingly and fuzzy. but this wasn’t accompanied by the usual verge of euphoria. it was accompanied by the exact opposite. it was accompanied by the feeling of the man you were going to marry, cheating on you.

i got myself home, and who knows how i did.

once i walked into mine and spencer’s apartment, i dropped all of my belongings on the floor next to me, and trudged into my room. closing the door behind me, i stripped myself of all of my clothing, except for the simple pair of underwear i had on. grabbing whatever t-shirt was on the floor in front of me and sliding it over my head, i threw myself down on my bed. at some point, playing music.

“y/n, can i come in?” spencer asked, gently, from behind the door.

i let him decide for himself whether or not he wanted to let himself in. and he did. he slowly turned the handle and softly pushed the door open.

“y/n? what happened?” spencer practically whispered after some time, sitting on the edge of my bed, forcing me to turn my music all the way down to hear him. i almost forgot he was there.

i didn’t say anything, not in the mood to speak, or move, or face the fact that the man i thought would love me for as long as i loved him, was actually cheating on me. the feeling of self hatred over powering any possible hatred towards patrick.

i’m not sure how to explain the feeling of being cheated on, much less by someone you thought you were going to dedicate the rest of your love to. it’s thick with insecurity, with the questions of what happened to make you not worth their time or love anymore. what did i do, what did i say, when did i make him change his mind about loving me. when did he get bored of me ? when did i ask for more of his time than he had to give ? when did i expect more love than he had to give ? when did i begin to not give him the love and satisfaction he needed ? when did i become too much ?

the touch of spencer’s hand on the back of my leg caught my attention, pushing me out of my thoughts. i looked up and met his warm, brown eyes. a look in them asking me to tell him what happened. it was this gesture that made me shove my face in my pillow and let out all of the emotions that had built up in the past hour.

spencer sat closer to me, rubbing circles on my back with his big, bony hand.

“patrick cheated,” i let out, muffled by my pillow and the salty droplets wetting the fabric of it.

spencer’s hand stopped in its place. i think he was trying to figure out what to say. i mean what do you say to someone who just figured out that the man they’d been so deeply in love with for 10 years had been cheating on them. who knows if there are even words to express how sorry you are about that kind of betrayal of love. spencer, knowing me as well as he does, would absolutely know the right thing to do. he’s studied psychology, he knows the whole profiling thing. logically, he always has the right thing to say. but, none of that is in comparison to the kindness that his soul keeps. all of the comfort that spencer reid is made of is natural, no training, no reading, no tests nor quizzes taught him how to make people feel loved.

“it’s not your fault,” he said softly, “patrick’s idiotic decision was none of your doing. you didn’t change, you didn’t become unlovable, you didn’t bore him, you didn’t expect too much from him, you’re not too much to love. it wasn’t you”.

if i could bring myself to smile at that, i would’ve.

“i’ve loved you from the second i met you. you’re my family. call me crazy for it, but you’re my soulmate. when we first met, and i was setting up my desk and you walked over. i still remember, i was setting my doctor who mug down and you asked me you asked, “you like doctor who?” and i was still so shy and awkward so i just smiled and nodded, but you wanted more from me. and truthfully, i guess i did too. so, the entire first day we worked in the bau together, we didn’t get a single word written down on our piles and piles of paperwork. i’m pretty sure everyone in the bullpen just wanted us to shut up, but i liked it, i liked it a lot. you haven’t once interrupted my ramblings, you willingly ask for my statistics, you watch the shows i like so we can talk about them, you ask me to read you to sleep, you got me through dilaudid, you listen to chopin with me, you read my favorite books, and you haven’t ever once turned me down for whatever foreign film or play is showing near us, no matter how long it is or even if i have to whisper translate the entire thing. and despite all of that spencer reid-ness, you haven’t changed who you are. yes, you’ve grown and become a stronger person, but your heart and your soul are still the same. still as full of love and laughter as it always has been. i love you, so much, even though you critiqued arthur conan doyle. you help people, you make them feel special. don’t for a second think you have ever done anything to make yourself not capable of being loved. ever. because it simply isn’t true,” he spoke softly. as if he was trying to make it known that if his words didn’t do enough, his tone of voice got the point across.

“come here,” i muttered quietly and lifted my arm, signaling him to come lay with me.

he crawled over, slipping beneath my raised arm and cuddled close. he placed his head against my chest, i nuzzled my nose in the fluff of hair on his head, kissing it gently.

“i love you,” i croaked, barely audible. the feeling from before returning, letting the sniffles overcome me.

spencer adjusted, pulling me in to his chest this time. making me feel so small against his tall, lanky body, practically being completely covered by his arms that were wrapped around me. he held me tight, as tight as when we found him after being kidnapped. our way of saying, you’ll be okay, you might not feel it now, but trust me you will be.

[thehungryplaice]

5 Great Ideas For Your 80s Themed Party!

https://www.the-hungryplaice.uk/10-ideas-for-your-80s-themed-party

You want an 80s Themed Party? You've come to the right place I'm more than happy to help as I'm a big fan of the 80s! Here are 5 things that you ought to consider for your 80s Themed Party...

1. 80s Themed Food and Drink

We've got that one covered for you at The Hungry Plaice take your guests back in time with our Old Fashioned Vintage Fish and Chip Vans, we have Betty and Beryl in our fleet and we serve Hand Battered Traditional Fish And Chips, sadly without the newspaper as Food Safety stopped all that! Our van Betty was a working van on a Chip round back in the 80s and is thought to be the only one still in service all these years later so you'll be guaranteed to have something really special at your event. If you wanted to put together your own food there are some other ideas you could try... How about Chicken and Chips served from Baskets, a bit like the ones you can sometimes get in Bowling Alleys, you might be able to pick up some baskets on Ebay and then you can always sell them again once you are done. For a Cheesy Party you'll need an abundance of cheesy food and cheese balls always go down a storm, you could even consider the good old pineapple and cheese on sticks! There are lots of snacks you could have for a buffet including Twiglets, Bacon Rashers Crisps and Pickled Onion Monster Munch, there's Peanuts, Wotsits and Space Raiders. You could even make some cakes or cookies with a Retro 80s theme, there are some great cookie trays shaped like Pac-Man you can find on Ebay. Vol au Vents were big back then and they are easy to make with no end of fillings you could add, here is a basic recipe for you....... https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2219652/party-volauvents Your sweet table could have a selection of Old Fashioned Retro Sweets like Hubba Bubba, Flying Saucers, Love Hearts and Dib Dabs to take some people back to their childhood. There are some great deals on Ebay where packs are sold or you could take a trip to your local wholesalers where you can still buy them in bulk. Don't forget to have Angel Delight and some Trifles, Jelly (and alcohol flavoured jelly shots), Wall's Vienetta and Arctic Roll. Your drinks selection could include old fashioned style retro glass bottles of soft drinks like Cloudy Lemonade, Shandy or Ginger Beer and you could have a few bottles of Babychams and Blue Nuns kicking about! If you are lucky enough to have or know someone with one of those old Teasmade's machine maybe you could have that hooked up on a table so people can have a cup of tea when they're bored of downing the jelly shots!

2. Your 80s Theme

The theme of your party is the 80s but you could go for something more specific in the decade to make things more interesting. How about having a TV/Movie themed 80s Party? You could ask your guests to dress up as 80s movie characters and have your decor to match, maybe you particularly like a certain TV programme or theme like The A Team, Knightrider, Top Gun or Dirty Dancing and everything is themed along those lines or maybe have a mix up of two. Your theme could be 80s Gaming, your guests could be asked to dress up as 80s gaming characters like Pac-man, Super Mario, King Kong or Paperboy, maybe they could come dressed as a Nintendo Gameboy. Have you considered a Roller Disco theme? Everyone could bring along some Roller Skates with Huge Socks and you can have a 80s themed disco, it would be great fun to see how many times people would be falling over after a few drinks! A simple 80s theme could be just made up of colours it would be easy to use neons or bright yellows, pinks and blues, everything could be aligned to the colour scheme to ensure it all matches. You could extend your theme to any invites you send out to show your guests what to expect at the party the list really is endless.

3. 80s Fancy Dress

This is such an easy one as there is so much to choose from! If your 80s Party theme is general 80s with a Fancy Dress Code, there are loads and loads of options for clothes to wear, you really want to try to stay away from buying new at any shops and get your guests to scour Charity Shops, Ebay and Facebook, you might want to get a pile of clothes yourself to put in a box for your guests to pick and choose what they want when they arrive just be careful you wash any of those second hand clothes to keep everyone happy! There are leggings, hairbands, tracksuits velour and shell, sports jackets, ballet skirts, t-shirts with acid smiley faces, big Earrings, Jewellery, Trainers and Hairbows to name just a few things a quick search on Google will point you in the right direction! Remember to go cheap to save yourself money and then you can always sell the clothes on when you're done!

4. 80s Music For Your 80s Themed Party

I am sure we don't need to go into the various types of 80s music there is out there... If you've got loads of money to splash out on the music at your 80s themed party the obvious answer is to get a DJ in, tell them about your 80s them and insist that they play nothing else. If you wanted a really good 80s music theme there are other ways to set your music up. You could go cheap get one of your bluetooth speakers get your playlist on your phone or laptop link it all up and off you go....or how about something far more genuine 80s..... Get hold of an old Hi-fi system with a Tape Deck and find some of those big freestanding speakers and put the 80s Now Collection on loop! It might not give out the best sound quality but it could be more in line with the look of your party! You could hire one of those dancefloors with the clear box flooring which light up with different colours, perhaps you will want to add a bit of cardboard on the floor for anyone who wants to attempt a bit of breakdancing...

5. Decorations

Decorations will be key to creating your 80s themed party. There are 80s themed partywares with the normal tableware, balloons and hanging items with 80s emblazoned across and with all the 80s colours being sold online but you could go a little bit more authentic, how about looking around for 80s themed items that you could scatter about to give your party a unique 80s feel. If you've chosen a specific 80s TV or film theme, it's easy to find things you could use to decorate with that in mind I'm sure there are lots of items you could pick up to do with flying and planes for your Top Gun theme. You might want to head down to a local carboot to find an old 80s side table to put up somewhere in the room you could use it for your buffet table or fill it with some 80s goodies or food. Find an old Boombox, old gaming systems, black and white TVs, walkmans, Rubix cubes, Computers or one of the old dial telephones you could put on the side somewhere it doesn't matter if they are not working as they are only for show and if they don't work or turn on they will be much cheaper to buy. See if you have any old metal signs of 80s Brands that you could put up and cover the walls with posters from 80s Films and TV there are websites where you can add photos and print them off with A4 paper and turn into huge sized posters. Tap into the selfie craze and dot some Polaroid Cameras around the room, you could hire a more vintage Photobooth which produces the old style photos with the white edging and get a box of 80s themed clothes and items for your guests to put on, pose and take photos with.

I hope this has given you some ideas about the sorts of things you could plan into your 80s themed party, there are lots of other resources around so do some digging around to see what else you can do, if you are looking for food please check out our 80s Fish and Chip Van Hire we would be happy to send you a quote....... ......hope you have fun at your 80s themed party save me some cheese!

https://www.the-hungryplaice.uk/10-ideas-for-your-80s-themed-party

[polkahotness]

SHORTAKI WEEK DAY 1

FFN // AO3 

               Long Gone

Sometimes when I look at Helga, it's difficult to remember what it was like before we admitted our feelings for each other. Granted, Helga had admitted her feelings to me countless times and on numerous different occasions, but I had never been all that great at that sort of thing in response.

I supposed that my 'love language' just wasn't the same as hers and it made navigating through our relationship a tumultuous and difficult process at times.

Helga had always been so good with words—her feelings, though oftentimes hidden deep inside, were always so well-articulated. When she wanted to give up the truth behind them, her sentences were thoughtful; poetic, and they came out of her mouth with ease, despite inwardly struggling with that piece of vulnerability.

But me?

It seemed that I still hadn't quite figured out how to best voice my feelings.

It wasn't that I had a problem voicing them—I had no issue whatsoever telling Helga, Gerald, my next-door neighbor, or the entire world how I felt about her. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that I couldn't do it well. My attempts were often clumsy, and I had the tendency to ramble and stumble over each word like I was once again learning how to speak for the first time in my life.

Thankfully, Helga never held it against me. In fact, her response to my feeble attempts usually sounded something like, "Still struggling with that word thing, are we, footballhead?" Then she'd let out this soft little laugh while I blushed and would open my mouth to try and dispute her, though she never let me get that far. "I get it, babe. You love me. And I love you—" then she'd pause and smack my butt while following it up with, "—and that cute little ass of yours."

A lifetime of confusing feelings had changed a lot in the dynamic between Helga and myself—the last six of those years cementing our relationship in a way that 10-year-old-me could have never imagined.

We were the couple people oogled over. Our stories of the bully and the victim turning into lovers was one for the ages, and we never grew tired of talking about it or reminiscing over the foolish children we once were. While anyone with eyes could see the love that we held for one another, it was always Helga who seemed to vocalize it best. As the self-appointed designated speaker, she was usually the one who told our complicated love story as I draped my arm over her shoulders to hold her into me wherever it was that we sat.

Helga had figured out in our time together that I was the shower, and not the teller. My love for her looked like me making dinner when I knew she had a hard day at work and would be too tired to even heat up a tv dinner. It looked like me rubbing her feet while she lay unsuspecting on the couch with her legs on my lap as we binge-watched another series. My love was shown through buying her that book she'd been talking about for three weeks because it was the long-awaited follow-up to her favorite author's poetry book—and I'd even gotten the limited edition copy with the ornately designed cover and gold-lined pages because, while she'd never say it, I knew she preferred the special copy over the boring (and cheaper) paperback version.

It was all of those little things and more that told Helga how much I loved her. But all of those little things could never express what I needed to tell her next. The emotions and feelings I had to say this time around would require me to put my strengths of showing and my weaknesses of telling together so I could be bolder than I'd ever been before.

Because there was nothing in the world that I wouldn't do for her.

It may have taken us a while to realize just how deeply our love for one another went. Even after we'd admitted our feelings, we struggled to get to a place where we mutually realized we were each other's end game. I'm sure Helga already knew this fact because she seemed to have always known, even when we were children, but me? It had taken me much longer.

With Helga, I was always just a few steps behind.

But it was okay.

Helga always managed to wait patiently…always somehow knowing that I was making my way to her.

Throughout our years of syncopated dating habits, a funny thing happened that I could never push away. Helga never left my mind. No matter where I was or what I was doing with who, Helga always remained. It may have taken until we both hit 21 for the stars to officially align, but that night six years ago when we reconnected on our favorite bar's balcony that overlooked the bright lights of Hillwood… that night forever changed my life.

I could only hope it would provide that same luck tonight as we stood together, once again, on the bar's balcony while looking out at our hometown on a quiet autumn evening.

"You know, Arnoldo," Helga said after taking a swig from the bottle she was holding, "I was kind of surprised you wanted to come to this joint on our anniversary of all days."

Smirking at her statement, I shrugged my shoulders. "The balcony here is nice. I like looking out at the city, don't you?"

"Well, sure," she replied while focusing her attention out on the dotted lights of the faraway buildings that made up the skyline. "But we could have easily done it from somewhere less…" Twisting her body, she glanced behind herself towards the hubbub of noise from within the bar. Turning back around, she returned her gaze outward while finishing her sentiment. "I don't know, somewhere less… cheesy."

"Cheesy?" I intoned while eyeing her carefully. "What do you mean by that?"

"You know," she simply said while fixating her eyes ahead without so much as a flinch in my direction. "Taking me to the same place where we first 'officially' rekindled our relationship. I guess I would have thought you'd pick some fancy-pants restaurant to propose to me at."

My jaw instinctively dropped as I stared at Helga with my mouth agape.

Slowly she turned her head to look at me with a wicked grin. "I like the sentimentality part though," she offered as some kind of consolation prize. "But if you were to take us back somewhere and be all romantic by talking about the past, I would have chosen P.S 118 or something. Now that's a good throwback."

I was still in shock as she spoke; my mind not comprehending that Helga had so easily figured out my plans and then called me out on them without so much as a care in the world.

It seemed that, yet again, Helga was still one step ahead of me.

"But you… how did you… but," I shook my head while struggling to force out a somewhat-coherent response. "Didn't you, how could you have—"

"Arnold," she deadpanned, though a hint of a smile twitched at the corner of her lips, "You were at Gerald's for four hours the other day. You really think I didn't hear about your little 'plans' from Phoebe?"

"Phoebe told you?" I repeated in shock. "Phoebe. She's smarter than that, Helga. Why on earth would she think it was okay to tell you something this important?!" I exclaimed and Helga remained unphased; merely tilting her head in thought before looking away from me again.

Casually, she explained, "I never said she thought it was okay. I mean, criminy, I practically had to force it out of her."

"And you did that because…?"

Helga let out a chuckle before fully turning her entire body to face me directly. "I've been waiting for you to propose to me for years now, Arnold. Years." I could feel heat beginning to rise and fill in my cheeks. "Honestly, I was about ready to propose to you, and then Phoebe kept telling me that I couldn't do that because our anniversary was coming up so then I told her that it was the perfect time to propose, then one thing led to another and—"

"She didn't actually tell you, then, did she." I finished for her in a statement rather than a question, and Helga let out a heavy sigh.

"She didn't have to tell me," Helga said with a twinge of humor beneath her tone. "By the way she acted, I knew immediately what you were up to."

Silence settled between us and I fought the urge to explode in anger, frustration, and sheer disappointment. How was it that I was still so incapable of surprising Helga? How was it that even after all of this time, I was still that dense little boy unable to catch up to Helga and be the first to admit something for once.

How was it that I was somehow perpetually in the fourth grade, avoiding acting on my feelings?

Impulsively, I grabbed Helga's hand and began pulling her towards the inside of the bar, "C'mon," I told her as she followed along with an inquisitive set of eyes. "We're going somewhere."

"Where?" She scoffed out. "I thought you were going to ask me to marry you…"

"Oh, I am," I answered immediately and in a firm tone. "But I'm not doing it here."

"Ahh, a field trip, I see," Helga replied as we dodged and weaved our way through the drunken crowd of dancers cluttering the small bar. "And just where is it you have decided to take me for this romantic gesture?"

"Somewhere you won't be expecting this time," I told her with about 86% certainty. "At least… I hope."

As she set her half-empty bottle on a table that we passed by in pursuit of the door out, we finally exited the bar and began making our way down the sidewalk. I led us forward with determination while Helga trailed along in my wake; her longer legs allowing her to keep at my pace with ease.

"Seriously, what are you up to, Hair Boy?" Her tone was becoming almost nervous, and it only heightened my confidence that this new destination was where I should have brought her in the first place. It was a deep-seeded memory that we hadn't discussed since we were teenagers. This had to be the perfect place for a proposal.

This had to be it.

Continuing to drag her along, Helga's eyes shifted to take in her surroundings. Her brows furrowed as she tried to piece together the strange environment that I was leading her through—an old part of Hillwood that had been long forgotten. Most everything on each block had either been abandoned or demolished; the promises of new complexes and mini-malls now only graffitied rubble lost to the recent economic recession.

"Do you even know where we are?" Helga continued to try and coax my true purpose out of me. "You do realize that if we're lost, I am not paying for the taxi back."

It was a backhanded joke that signaled Helga was out of her element. I knew her tactics by now and she was currently baffled as to what was in store. The fact that I was going to propose tonight was already out in the open and there was no pretending it wasn't still going to happen. The way it was going to happen, however… now that was going to be vastly different.

I just hoped I was going to be able to pull it off. I didn't exactly have the greatest track record with speaking my feelings on the fly, but maybe that was for the best. In fact, by doing this completely unrehearsed, Helga would know that my words—as jumbled and clunky as they may come out—would be directly from the heart, my heart. Unrehearsed. Unpolished. Unfiltered.

Pulling Helga to a stop as we reached the corner of an unassuming block hidden in the outskirts of Hillwood, the two of us stood in place in front of a small building. Inside the window was a faded, 'For Lease' sign, and the cement that made up the foundation was filled with cracks that had allowed wild weeds to spurt from the ground and wiggle their way up towards the sky. At first glance, the building was old and decrepit—absolutely nothing special and certainly not somewhere worthy of a marriage proposal.

Glancing around at where I'd brought her, Helga eyed the building carefully before slowly turning to face me. "An abandoned building? What's so special about this place? There's nothing here."

"Exactly," I answered as Helga's brow raised in curiosity. "There isn't anything here. Not now, anyway." Looking over my shoulder, I gestured towards the dilapidated structure before continuing my thought. "It's been a lot of different things in the past, though."

"Oh really?" Helga humored me while letting go of my hand to cross her arms loosely over her chest. "Like what?"

"A clothing boutique. A tailoring company. I'm pretty sure there was a craft store in here too at one point—"

"What in the hell does any of that have to do with—" Helga interrupted, though I didn't allow her to keep talking.

Instead, I finished my sentence by asserting dominance and talking over her as she unsuccessfully tried to speak over me. "—but before all of that, this was a daycare."

Helga's eyes widened minimally, though she remained silent as if to give me the chance to continue.

And that's exactly what I did.

"Not so much a daycare as it was a pre-school, though."

More silence settled between us as Helga's eyes drifted from mine to look at the run-down building she hadn't recognized. "Urban Tots," she muttered out as though it were an afterthought rather than a declaration of acknowledgement.

At her fixation towards our old pre-school, I took the opportunity to shakily get down on one knee; my hand fumbling to reach the small box I'd been hiding inside the pocket of the jeans I was wearing. Pulling it out, Helga's eyes returned to me; water gathering at the base of her vision as she looked down at me with laser-focus.

"Helga," I began precariously, though I tried to keep myself calm as I turned the blue-velvet box over and over in my hands anxiously. "As you've proven tonight, you are and always have been one step ahead of me. Since the moment we met, something in you had the wherewithal to know that we weren't just classmates in some random neighborhood in a random city in this random universe we find ourselves living in. Something inside of you knew that we were more than that. It knew… you knew that we were so much more, that we were… that we are, soulmates."

"Arnold," Helga breathed out, but I held up a finger to stop her from saying anything else and throwing me off of my groove.

"Do you remember when we were fifteen?" I started and Helga smirked while staring at me incredulously. "You told me that you had loved me from the moment you first saw me which, to be fair, wasn't the first time you'd told me that, but I asked you when that was, when you had first seen me."

A small laugh escaped Helga as she recalled the moment I was referencing. "You'd never asked me that before. It was a stupid question."

"Not really," I countered while adjusting from where I knelt on the pavement; my knee suddenly telling me that I'd chosen the wrong time to begin kneeling. Unfortunately, it was definitely too late now to get back up, so I instead took a deep breath to calm my angry kneecap and proceeded with my story. "It's funny because the memories that I have of you and things you've done or random conversations and moments we've shared… they're different than your memories."

"How do you figure?" Helga pressed and I knitted my brows together while trying to find the most effective way to explain my thoughts.

"You have a whole other set of memories that I don't remember because, at the time, they didn't mean anything to me yet. Just like some of my memories don't align with yours because they weren't as significant to you as they were to me in that moment." I took in a sharp breath before finalizing, "A lot of your memories are different because you've known about us a lot longer than I ever did."

"Long before there even was an us, you dingus," Helga chuckled out, and I rolled my eyes at her comment.

"Anyway," I emphasized before pressing onward. "You told me all about that day, that day back at Urban Tots when we apparently first met—a memory I had never actively remembered but suddenly did as you told your side of the story. It was one of the first times you broke down that wall, completely destroyed it to bare your soul to me without insults or nicknames or jokes to cover up the raw truth. You told me about what happened before you got to the pre-school, about Olga and your parents and the rain and your lunch and-and…"

I had to stop myself because the rambling had begun to rear its ugly head. Taking a moment to collect myself, I inhaled deeply before re-routing my conversational direction so I could get back on track with the task at hand.

"I never forgot that story," I admitted while looking down at the ring box I was still playing with in my grip. "You went back to the casual bullying and nicknames, both of us knowing how we felt about each other, but I never forgot that story. Each night I'd lay in my bed staring up through the skylight at the stars and imagine that memory I'd forgotten over and over again. Your pink overalls covered in mud. That sad look in your eye. It was like you'd never been loved… like you didn't know what it meant to be loved or to love another person."

Helga chewed on her lip for a moment as though trying to find the right thing to say—something she didn't typically struggle with. After a moment, she settled on, "What's your point. Aren't proposals supposed to be romantic or something? Not some… excuse to go drudging up my messed-up past and all of the memories that I've worked really hard to forget—"

"I know, I know," I tried to subdue her before she could indulge any further in the anger that was rapidly bubbling up inside of her. "What I am saying, is that the little girl who stood right here all of those years ago… that unloved toddler is gone now, Helga. She's long gone, okay?"

Her deep azure gaze bore into me as I kept talking; my knee now completely numbed from any pain or feeling as my body began to follow suit from nervousness alone. "The woman who stands before me isstill the same feisty, stubborn, thoughtful, smart, talented… and amazing person she has always been, but unloved?" I shook my head a couple of times. "That girl from long ago and the woman of now and forevermore is not unloved. She never will be or feel unloved, ever again. And that's something that I can and do promise you."

With that, I at last presented the box and carefully opened it to reveal a golden engagement ring with an opal at its center. Surrounding the stone was a halo of small diamonds; the ring itself appearing as the most dazzling of flowers attached to a plain gold band. The ring sparkled effortlessly under the glow of the moonlight, though the sky threatened its romantic lighting with oncoming and fast-moving storm clouds.

As Helga's eyes went back and forth between the ring and myself, I kept talking; the next set of words something I had always planned to say no matter where I ended up proposing. "Helga G. Pataki, you have been my bully for as long as I can remember. You teased me relentlessly and never stopped giving me attention, no matter how much I thought I didn't want it. You confessed to me time after time that you loved me and yet, even after all of this time, I've never confessed how I feel to you—at least, not entirely. So, I guess… well… here goes."

Nodding her head for me to keep going, she pressed her lips together in a tight line as though trying to hold back the tears I could see pooling in her eyes.

"I love you. I'm head over heels, wildly, desperately, endlessly in love with you, Helga," my words were earnest; genuine. Each sentence I said with the utmost care and sincerity. "I don't just want to have you in my life, I need you in my life. I need your nicknames, your teasing, your each and every thought, your embrace… your everything because you are my everything. And this ring—" I took it out of its box and held out the specifically-chosen engagement ring for her approval, "—I chose it for a reason."

"The opal," I said while using my other hand to point to the main stone, "it's iridescent. It looks like one color, but it never really ever stays that way. It changes and evolves and looks different under whatever light is shining on it—and yet it always somehow stays the same. And that's us. That's our love. We've always loved each other. It may have looked different as we grew, but it's always been there. And if you marry me… I promise that it will always continue to be there."

Swallowing hard, Helga let out a tidbit of her own, "I thought opals had to do with love and passion," she paused for a moment before adding, "and desire. Seduction. Are you trying to get in my pants, Shortman?"

"Always," I admitted which made Helga giggle; a few stray tears jiggling loose from her laughter. "But yes, those are the other reasons why I picked it. Every time you look down at this stone, you will know that I love you. That I desire you and to be with you. That I want you passionately in every meaning and interpretation of the word. That I will be faithful, and loyal until my very last breath. With this ring… I promise that you will never, ever, ever spend another second of your life being a muddy little girl who doesn't know what love is. I will spend every moment of my life proving to you and showing you and making up for all of those times when you needed love and didn't have it."

The two of us stared at each other as I held the ring out towards her, my arm growing more tired with each second that passed. Our eyes remained locked on one another as eons, and decades, and lifetimes seemed to happen while I agonized over her answer. Why wasn't she saying yes? I'd shown her the ring… she knew what I was doing… so why hadn't she accepted yet? Was she not going to accept? Worry fluttered through my mind as a sudden thought filled my senses, What if she doesn't want to get married?

As I lost myself in my thoughts, the clearing of Helga's throat brought me back to reality; her eyes no longer wet with tears and instead looking down at me skeptically. "Hey Arnold?" She asked me and I blinked my eyes a couple of times to refocus my attention on the current moment. "I'd love to say 'yes' here and put on this super sexy and seductive ring you've so thoughtfully picked out for me—"

"Well, my mom helped…"

"Of course Stella did," Helga affirmed with a smirk before sucking in a deep breath of air. "But the whole point of a marriage proposal, as nice as your words were and all… well, you kind of left out one very, very important part."

"…huh?" was all I could manage as I stared up at her in horror.

A sly smile spread across Helga's face. "You haven't actually asked me anything yet."

"Oh god," I mumbled while shutting my eyes in utter embarrassment. "Oh, god, I just… I got so caught up in all of this and then I kneeled way too early—"

"I know!" Helga exclaimed in amusement. "Your knee must be killing you right now."

"Eh," I quickly dismissed, "I stopped having feeling in my kneecap about a minute in so you might need to help me up—"

"Because you're an old man, now. Yeah, I know," Helga teased before sighing and tilting her head slightly. "You're only getting older the longer you wait, Footballhead."

"Yeah. Yes, of course. Right. Okay," pushing through the numbness of my knee and the nervousness I still felt for no reason at all, I held the ring out once again and looked deep into Helga's ocean blue eyes. "Helga G. Pataki. Will you marry me?"

Her smile widened to reveal a toothy grin. "Criminy, Arnold. I thought you'd never ask."

As I slipped the ring onto its new home of Helga's finger, she helped to yank me up from where I'd potentially done permanent damage to my left knee.

I didn't even care.

From where the two of us kissed under the moonlight at what remained of Urban Tots Pre-School, I knew that the Helga and Arnold who had once occupied this exact spot years ago were long gone. And as the sky at last opened up, allowing buckets of rain to downpour on us, we laughed while getting soaked to the bone because this time, the rain itself didn't matter.

The only umbrella Helga needed was one made entirely of love. And, just like when we were mere toddlers, I was happy to provide it for her. Not only in the rain, but through every storm we may weather and every warm day that is enjoyed safely under the shade.

For Helga, I was prepared to hold that umbrella over her for the rest of our lives.

And I couldn't wait.

[jalapeno-princess]

Grocery Shopping With Mark

* Dude grocery shopping with your significant other is my ideal date I’m not even joking

*Forget going to the movies or ice skating bitch

* I want to go grocery shopping with Mark

* I think he’d be so much fun to go with

* Okay so, you have a love for grocery shopping which Mark never understood

* The two of you would be cuddling on your couch one day when you would randomly stand up and block the tv

* “Let’s go grocery shopping.”

* He’d look at you in confusion because y’all just went a few days ago

* But he wouldn’t say anything because of how much he knew you loved going to the grocery store

* He knows how cold some areas of the store could get, so he would always give you one of his jackets to wear

* If he’s lazy, he will jump in the cart and force you to push him like the big baby he is

* But most of the time he stands behind you and wraps his arms around your waist while placing his chin on your head as you push the cart

* To your dismay, this boy would deadass put anything and everything in to the cart

*He would probably use his charm to distract you from seeing everything he was sneaking in to the cart

*Like he knew sweater paws were a weakness of yours so he would do it while secretly placing three different types of Doritos inside

*You wouldn’t notice until you started placing things inside yourself

* “Mark, do we really need marshmallow fluff-“

* “Yes.”

* “But you don’t even use it we still have the one you bought almost a year ago.”

* Him kissing you to prevent you from talking even though you were right

* He would make you go through every single aisle just to make sure he wasn’t missing out on anything

* Even if you had no reason to go there

* “Why are you looking at dog food? We don’t have a dog.”

* “Then we better go get one to feed this food to.”

* The two of you constantly bickering over the smallest things

* You trying to save money and wanting to buy the generic brands because there really is no difference

* Him wanting nothing but the best even if it means spending more

* “They literally have the same exact ingredients babe let’s just get this one it’s cheaper.”

* “Yeah but that’s the knock off brand I want the real thing it’s only two dollars more I can taste the difference.”

* Sometimes you regret taking him with you because of how picky he is

*But he will complain nonetheless

*One time you brought home the target version of Kraft mac and cheese and he didn’t talk to you for almost 3 days

* At least you have someone to carry the bags when he tags along

* Him staying in an aisle for too long because he’s debating between two items

* “Babe which one? Brownie flavored chips ahoy or chocolate covered Oreos?”

* “Chocolate covered Oreos.”

* “But babe...Brownie flavored chips ahoy.”

* “Then get the chips ahoy.”

* “But babe-“

* You ending up taking both the cookies from his hands and throwing them in to the cart

* Him smirking in to your neck while taking his place back behind you

* Back to the bickering

* One of the number one things on your list is ice cream

*You honestly don’t care about anything else but ice cream

* You literally grab seven pints causing Mark to raise his brows at you

* “Why are you getting seven pints might as well you get a gallon.”

* “One for every day this week.”

* You motion for him to pick one for himself and earning yourself a confused look

* “You’re not gonna share with me? That’s seven pints babe SEVEN.”

* “You know how much I love my ice cream you’re the one who’s getting a bunch of cookies. Wait, when did you add the nutter butter mARK-“

* Him running away every time you found something random in the cart

* Idk why but I can see his dorky ass loving the smell of freezers (because bitch I do idc if it’s weird freezers smell so fresh BUT ANYWAYS)

* If he went missing, you knew you could find him in the freezer aisle

* One time he got caught by an employee for holding the door open for too long and was asked to close it

* He hid his face in your neck from embarrassment

* “Sometimes I forget you’re 26 because your dumb ass acts like you’re 5.”

*He even went to a cashier once because he couldn’t find you and you weren’t answering your phone

*”Miss Y/n, please come to register 12. Your boyfriend Mark is looking for you.”

*Him looking very guilty when you go to get him

*”Seriously Mark?”

*”Babe, they have speakers in the store for a reason. Kids get lost all the time.”

*”YOU’RE 26 YEARS OLD I S2G-“

* Even if you’re wearing his jacket, he would pull you closer to his chest and run his hands along your arms in attempts to keep you warm

* He would probably get all sappy if y’all were to walk through the baby aisle

* “I can’t wait to settle down and start a family with you my love. You’d be such the cutest little pregnant lady. By the way, I want a lot of kids, so be prepared.”

* “You just love having sex. Nympho.”

* Him wiggling his brows at you because it’s true

* “You ain’t wrong. But I really want a big family with you one day. However, I kinda want it to be just the two of us for now. Let’s go to the condom aisle I’m running out because of how much sex we’ve been hav..OW.”

* BOY IF YOU DON’T

* Honestly, grocery shopping with Mark is your favorite past time

* He’s very cute and cuddly when y’all go shopping and it warms your heart knowing he comes to accompany you even if you think he finds it boring

*He doesn’t though

*He knows how much joy it brings you and he does whatever he can to make you happy

*Plus he’s still triggered by the mac and cheese so he wants to be able to choose what he wants too

*Even if he can be a pain in the ass when he does go with you sometimes

* You wouldn’t want it any other way

* Until you see the receipt and notice that he bought 8 different hand towels for no reason other than the fact that he loved how soft they were

* You were never taking him with you again

[purplesurveys]

931

Any cool small businesses in your area? So many. Metro Manila is generally quite a small area so it opens up a lot of room for small businesses to thrive and not be eaten up by bigger companies. People in my age group are also more likely to check out small businesses, so it’s served as fuel for more and more to pop up. My favorite would be the bar that my college friends and I regularly went to before lockdown, it’s called Tomato Kick but we all call it TK. I also used to go to this shop called The Common Room that sold all sorts of stickers, stationery, knickknacks, plants, oils, etc. but unfortunately they’ve permanently closed due to the pandemic :(

If you use libraries, what is the largest overdue fine you've ever had? Something like ₱300-₱400. The overdue fine in my school was like ₱2/day though, so do the math and you’ll figure out just how long I didn’t return my books loooool, it was pretty much unreturned for the entire school year. I’ll never forget how surprised the librarian looked when she computed my total fees lol.

Do you ever borrow things other than books from the library? I don’t think so. I definitely should have made the most of our college’s library though - they let us borrow old and classic films, and I just never availed of those services.

Are there still any movie rental places left where you live? No, pretty sure everyone here is all over Netflix now.

Do you ever buy secondhand books (or DVDs, video games, CDs)? Or do you prefer them to be brand new? Of course. The smell of a brand new book is always nice, but it’s SO satisfying to see something you really like at a secondhand goods shop and see that it costs 1/3 or 1/4 its original price. I’ve had awesome finds at used book stores.

Have you seen the version of The Addams Family with Tim Curry as Gomez? No, I’ve never seen any versions of it.

What was the last TV show you were hooked on? THE CROWNNNNN. I haven’t been able to continue it for around a month now because I’ve been stressed and depressed, but goddamn is it a good show.

Have you ever started a book and never finished it? So many times. I have more unfinished books than ones I was able to read all the way through.

Do you have a favorite drummer? Who? I don’t have a favorite but watching Whiplash did get me so amazed by Buddy Rich.

What about a favorite guitarist? Who? No favorite either, but I’m biased towards Lita Ford’s guitar work with The Runaways. 

Do you ever write fanfic? Of what? I used to write them when I was 12...they were all very bad. I’m cringing just thinking back to it lmao. That was the one venture I needed to try to know I wasn’t cut out for fiction writing.

Do you ever READ fanfic? Of what? Tons. I mostly read ones of my wrestling ships, especially CM Punk and AJ Lee back when they were a couple on-screen.

Do you have a favorite poet? Not into poetry, so I don’t have a favorite. I do love my girlfriend’s poems though. She gets poetry bursts very rarely but when she pens one, they are always very nice to read.

How many members are in the last band you listened to? Three at the moment. They used to have five, then three, then two, then one, then now three.

Do you have a favorite classical composer? I do not.

Do you ever accidentally clip your toenails too short and they hurt? Just a couple of times, but it’s a big reason why I stopped trying to cut them too short.

Have you ever had multicolored/rainbow hair? If not, would you ever want it? No, and no. I’m okay with dyeing my hair but I really prefer to have it in just one color.

What kind of hats, if any, do you like to wear? Beanies, caps, and sun hats.

Have you ever thought somebody was cute but no longer found them attractive once you got to know them better? What specifically about them turned you off? This is gonna be such a mean thing to say now considering the circumstances lol but I remember when my friends and I were all still new applicants for our org, we found Nacho super attractive (he really was, objectively speaking) but he was always too awkward when at a table with us and initially came off as a lousy conversation-er. I specifically remember how that turned me and Jo off. Now I miss him a lot and would do anything to see that mug again.

Have you ever thought somebody was plain-looking, but found them attractive once you got to know them better? What specifically about them made them so beautiful? It’s happened here and there. A common trait of them all is that they’re all very good speakers and are able to speak their mind eloquently and intelligently, especially when standing up for their opinion or beliefs.

What is your #1 dealbreaker with friendships? (Why you wouldn't be friends) Betrayal of trust.

Who is your favorite character on Bob's Burgers and why? (If you watch it) I don’t watch it.

What songs do you never get tired of? Paramore’s ;)

Have you ever had a retro celebrity crush? Like a crush on an "old" celebrity who was most famous a long time ago or is long dead? Lol yes, a bunch of them...anyone who’s followed me for a while would know. I’m really into Audrey Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Grace Kelly, Joan Crawford, Olivia de Havilland, Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, and Gregory Peck.

Before buying something in a store, do you look online to see if you can get it cheaper there? Not usually. I don’t shop online, so.

What type of things do you prefer to purchase online? It’s not a question of the type of thing I’m buying, but if I’m purchasing something online it’s largely because I don’t have anyone to buy it with at a physical store at the moment, and I hate going to the mall by myself.

Are you interested in fashion? Not so much. I keep up with the trends in my age group and like being updated with new shoe lines from my favorite brands and such, but I don’t watch fashion shows or know the name of all models.

Do you prefer beef or chicken tacos? I don’t really like tacos, period. I don’t even know what’s the standard meat in them...I guess I’ll go with beef, I know I love them in my burritos.

Have you ever tried fish tacos? How were they? I haven’t. I dunno how to feel about it honestly; my Filipino palate’s only ever had fish in stews, with rice, or in sushi. But I know it’s popular in other parts of the world so I guess fish tacos are good too.

Have you ever worn leather (or imitation leather) pants? No. That sounds highly uncomfortable, and I’m just reminded of that episode of Friends where Ross wore leather pants as part of his new year’s resolution lol.

What part of your body seems to get cold the most? I normally don’t feel cold in certain parts of my body. If I’m cold, my entire body is.

What do you like better, pants or shorts? Shorts. Pants are only nice if they’re high-waisted mom jeans, but in this climate I mostly find them uncomfortable covering my entire legs.

Have you ever wished you had a different eye color? Sometimes, but through the years I’ve learned to embrace my dark brown eyes.

Do you know anybody with two different colored eyes? Yes.

[bestgamingchair-blog2]

Are Gaming Chair worth it?

Play chairs often have a lot of stick. But, people continue to invest impressive amounts of money in them, year after year. So, that made us think: are gaming chairs worth it? Or have we just been conditioned to want them because they look impressive?

We wanted to look at how gaming chairs are made and whether they can really improve your game or even your health. I set myself the task of learning everything I could about gaming chairs for this very article, and let me tell you that I've learned a lot.

Are gaming chairs worth it?

As someone who doesn't own a gaming chair (I think I'm the only one in the office who hasn't managed to hook one yet), I was walking into this article completely blind. But, I was the first in line to try out all the chairs that came through our doors recently and enjoyed hours of a comfortable session as I plunged into research mode.

Go on, ask me anything. Now I'm like the Stephen Fry of game chairs.

What makes the perfect game chair?

Let's start by looking at what makes the perfect game chair. When you choose a new gaming chair, there is a long list of factors to consider, some more important than others.

Comfort Obviously, one of the important factors to consider when choosing a game chair is how comfortable it is. Chances are you're going to be parking your butt for a while, so make sure it provides enough comfort to keep you focused on your gaming rather than progressive numbness in your butt.

Game chairs are built with comfort in mind: manufacturers are aware that US players have no time limit when it comes to attacking the Alliance in WoW or fighting through Battle Royales in Fortnite, which is also related to ergonomics.

Does the chair have enough lumbar support? Is it designed for someone of your height and build? Are the armrests adjustable? There are many ergonomic factors that can damage your alignment when sitting. Game chairs are designed to fight them and keep you comfortable as long as possible, so make sure that's what they're doing.

Material When it comes to play chairs, you'll see the three most popular material options: leather, fabric and mesh. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks, so it all comes down to personal preference.

Leather: Leather is the best for aesthetics, as well as being easy to clean thanks to its easy-to-clean texture. But, it is often less durable as it is usually PU instead of genuine leather.

Fabric: fabric is usually more comfortable and durable than leather or mesh play chairs. However, it can be much more difficult to keep a fabric play chair looking clean and fresh, as stains harden more easily and usually cannot be cleaned.

Mesh: Mesh definitely does not win any beauty contests. However, thanks to its high level of breathability, it does a better job of keeping you cool and sweat-free while you play, and the lightweight material can often be positive for some.

Style If you're buying a gaming chair, you'll probably care about the aesthetics of your gaming configuration. So style really does play a role in the selection process. We will go into the different styles of gaming chairs in more detail below. But, the most common types are PC gaming chairs, racing chairs, rocking chairs and pedestal gaming chairs.

Deciding which design will work best for your style of gaming, and how you plan to use it, will make choosing the perfect gaming chair much easier.

Durability Finally, we have durability. Play chairs are, historically, quite expensive. Therefore, you should make sure you get as much life as possible. The durability of a chair is affected by a few different factors: material, construction, style and use.

Fabric chairs tend to be the most durable material, and PC gaming chairs generally outperform other styles. But how you use it and how you care for it is just as important. Take the time to learn the best way to keep your chair in top condition, and you will extend its life considerably with minimal effort.

Features Every game chair is different, and they all come with different features. Many chairs come with speakers in the headrest so you can really immerse yourself in the gaming experience. Others come with brackets for controllers or other accessories. While others have more customization options when it comes to configuration. Deciding which of these additional extras are most important to you is vital in narrowing down your list of possible seating options.

Things to consider When you have narrowed down what type of game chair you are looking for, you can begin your search. As you browse through the many options available, here are the things you should consider before making your final purchase.

Price The Big One. How much are you willing to spend on a game chair? For a high quality chair, you're looking at a few hundred dollars, which may be out of the question for many players. There are cheaper options available, but you can't always guarantee a quality product if you hold the purse strings too tightly. Just keep that in mind.

Reviews If a president has a long list of negative reviews on the web, you can bet it's not worth your time or money. It is now easier than ever to check these things out, so you should always take the time to investigate before making a large purchase like this.

Whether that means reading reviews of practical chairs (like our review of Noblechairs Epic or Secretlab The Omega), or just checking your star ratings on Amazon: listen to those who came before you.

Purpose How do you plan to use your chair? You will have to decide if it will be purely for play, or if it will also function as an office chair. Does it have to fit in with the design of your living room, or does it go in your own playroom? Not all chairs translate well into other areas of life, so be sure to decide on this from the outset.

Improving performance Most game chair companies like to talk about how their chairs can help improve our gaming performance, but how much of what they say is true?

Posture One of the great benefits of using a play chair is that it can help improve your posture while you are playing for long periods of time. Specifically designed with that in mind, the built-in lumbar support helps you avoid ending up with a backache, the headrest keeps your spine in alignment, and the armrests mean you won't end up leaning too far forward.

All of this means you can continue to concentrate on your games and won't feel the need to take so many stretching breaks, so you can play longer.

Comfort It may not seem like much, but being comfortable while spending long hours in front of a PC can make a big difference. If you're not focused on that pain in your back, or how your neck needs a good crack, then you can concentrate more on your games.

Long-term effects Sitting in a poorly constructed chair for hours can leave a more lasting effect on your body. You may find that you spend less and less time playing because of its configuration. You may develop back and neck problems, and begin to fear another long gaming session in your standard office chair. Obviously, this will also begin to have an impact on your gaming over time.

The evolution of gaming chairs

When was the first game chair invented? How have game chairs changed over the years? Well, young padawan, I'm glad you asked because I have hours of research to show.

The first game chair was created in 2006 by DXRacer. As a company, they worked primarily on developing seats for luxury racing cars, so gaming chairs generally look like racing seats (and are labeled "racing chairs"). These racing style chairs came with a higher backrest than regular chairs, providing more support for the back and shoulders for long periods of time sitting.

When DXRacer started making their racing chairs, there wasn't really any competition to worry about. The idea of gaming chairs was still a foreign concept to most players. That is until Twitch was released a year later and people started streaming their games on the platform. It became a big part of the platform to have an attractive setup, so more and more people started investing in their own game chairs.

Types of game chairs

We mentioned earlier that there is no longer a single type of game chair. The niche has expanded to include a variety of design and style options, but which style of gaming chair is right for you? Well, let's take a look.

PC gaming chairs

For PC players, it makes sense that a PC game chair is the best bet. These chairs look like normal office chairs, but with some notable differences. They come with a bucket style seat, higher backs and a generally more ergonomic design. Compared to office chairs, PC gaming chairs come with many more customization options to help the chair fit your body as best as possible.

They usually come with adjustable armrests, exceptional lumbar support, and even speakers on the headrest. All designed to give you the best possible PC gaming experience.

Racer chairs

As the name implies, these seats are specifically designed for racing games and simulate the type of car seat you would find in a racing car. While you can use this seat for any type of game, it has been specially designed for those fast and furious racers who have you spinning around corners and cursing yourself for oversteering.

They are quite similar to PC game chairs, only they put more emphasis on the design of racing cars that we know and love.

Rockers

If you are more of a console player than a PC player, chairs and runners are usually not the best option for you. They are designed to be used at a desk, not in front of a TV screen. Rockers are designed to sit on the floor and cradle your body so you can enjoy hours of console gaming. They often come with space to store your controllers and speakers in the headrest to ensure that you can fully immerse yourself in whatever game you're playing.

Pedestal Chairs

Like rockers, these chairs are more suitable for console games. They sit on a pedestal that lifts them just above the ground but have a similar style and design to rockers. Whether you prefer a rocking chair or a pedestal chair really depends on your game settings and the height of your TV screen.

Other chair designs

In addition to the main varieties listed above, you can also find companies that produce a wide range of different game chair designs. There are chairs with bean bags (which, let's be honest, are just expensive bean bags), gaming couches with space for controllers and built-in speakers, and even inflatable gaming chairs (can't you hear the furniture squeaking?). Most of these have yet to be understood in a big way, although I'm not exactly surprised by that.

How are gaming chairs made?

How do these companies actually make a chair that offers such exceptional levels of support and comfort? It takes a lot to make the perfect chair. So let's take a look inside a typical gaming chair to see how they are made.

Table Think of the frame as the skeleton of the chair. It sits deep inside where we cannot see it, but it is responsible for holding everything together and giving it its structure. The material this frame is made of ultimately influences how strong and durable your play chair is. Most chairs use strong but flexible materials such as steel to provide the best possible support.

Base Right at the bottom of your chair is the base. Many manufacturers of gaming chairs use five-foot bases to ensure that their weight is evenly distributed and does not cause the chair to become unbalanced. There will also be wheels on the bottom of each of the feet to make it easier to maneuver the chair around your play configuration.

Cushioning Where all the comfort comes from: the cushioning. This layer is on top of the frame and is what helps you stay seated comfortably during your play sessions. Most brands of gaming chairs will use some type of foam as cushioning, allowing you to sink into the chair without causing indentations over time.

Cover Keeping all that memory foam inside is the cover. This varies from chair to chair and can be made of fabric or leather. The thickness of this cover and the seams used contribute to both the design and durability of a chair.

Armrest There wouldn't be a good game chair without adjustable armrests. The best chairs will come with four directions of adjustment: backward / forward, left / right turn, left / right adjustment and height. Some armrests will be solid made of metal or plastic, while others will be padded for extra comfort.

Now, you've learned everything you need to know to find your own perfect game chair. But, the question we wanted to answer in this article was "Are gaming chairs worth it," right?

They're not always worth the money you spend on them. They won't make you a better player, you can probably find a good office chair for less and spend the money you save on more games. But who wants an office chair as part of their setup?

Game chairs are worth it because we love them. Because they look great and are comfortable to sit in for hours on end. In my opinion, they're always a great addition to a game setup. And hey, if we don't spend our money on fun, but on things that are a little useless, what kind of world would we live in?

[douchebagbrainwaves]

LIFE IS A CHANGING WORLD

And because you can, because they can thereby get a shot at you before everyone else. Not because it's causing economic inequality, but because the principles underlying the most dynamic part of the reason I laughed so much at the talk by the good speaker at that conference was that everyone else did. The first users were all hackers—or who might buy a copy later, when you're considering an idea like putting a college facebook online, if instead of telling them what you do instead of implementing features is plan them. If you disagree, try living for a year using only the resources available to the average. Any investor who spent significant time deciding probably came close to saying yes.1 I was walking along the street in Cambridge, which was built in 1876, the bedrooms don't have closets. This isn't quite true. Inexperience there doesn't make you unattractive. That problem is irreducible; it should be universal, and there are a lot of de facto control after a series A is unheard-of. And that should be unlimited, if the upside looks good enough.

But more than half done. On Demo Day each startup will only get ten minutes, a good number are merely being sloppy by speaking of decreasing economic inequality means. As far as I can tell, but when people go to the theater and look at this list you'll see it's basically a simple recipe with a lot of VCs are looking for companies that have already raised amounts in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. When a man runs off with his secretary, is it always partly his wife's fault? Preferably with other students. Back when he was looking at the floor.2 And it applies to startups too. When I talk to people who've managed to make themselves rich.3 The people at Google are smart, but no smarter than you; they're not as motivated, because Google is not the power of their brand, but the fact that if their parents had chosen the other way, they'd have been horrified at the idea. And since that's the default opinion of any investor about any startup, they've essentially just told you nothing.4 After thinking about it gives me a jolt of adrenaline, years later. Empirically it seems to consume all your attention.

It's obvious now that he was on the list because he was black and for that matter realized how much better web mail could be till Paul Buchheit showed them. The best thing software can be is easy, but it's worth trying. One place this happens is in startups. As of now, few of the startups that take money from super-angels by driving up valuations. You'd also have a very boring life. The average startup probably doesn't have much to show for itself after ten weeks. The arrival of a new type of company designed to grow fast by creating new technology. Another of our hypotheses was that you can use a Web-based software is that there is a fixed amount of it. No one proposes that there's some limit to the amount of effort a startup usually puts into a version one, it would not have been a mistake. Even if something was going to die till I was about 19. When you release only one new version a year, in January and June.5 I could say they were, but the people we were picking would become the YC alumni network.

There are no meetings or, God forbid, corporate retreats or team-building exercises. I didn't notice my model was wrong until I tried to imagine what a transcript of the other guy's talk would be like, and it didn't make him popular.6 Not intelligence—determination.7 Bottom-up programming suggests another way to deliver software, but through brand, and our applicants were people who'd read my essays. Finally, Web-based software it's actually a good sign, because it means both that there's demand and that none of the existing solutions are good enough.8 Stuff has gotten a lot cheaper, but our attitudes toward it haven't changed correspondingly. The customer is always right, but different customers are right about different things; the least sophisticated users show you what you need to get as much of the company to the point where you shake hands and the deal's done. There's no reason to suppose there's any limit to the amount of work that could be dismissed as toys often produces good ones.

Among other things, incubators usually make you work in their office—that's where the word incubator comes from.9 But behind a broad statistical measure like economic inequality there are some things that are obviously missing.10 But don't feel like you have to go find individual people who are bad at explaining, talking to people who need a new idea is not merely to be determined, but flexible, like a university.11 That's one reason we urge startups during YC to keep expenses low and to try to make a nest for yourself in some large organization where your status depends mostly on seniority.12 Which is why it's good to have the upper hand over investors.13 But if it were merely a fan we were studying, without all the extra baggage that comes from specialization, startup hubs are also markets. The toolmakers would have users, but also as a match for his skills. The great fortunes of that time still derived more from what we would now call corruption than from commerce.14 They're the ones that matter anyway. And of course if Microsoft is your model, you shouldn't care if the valuation is 20 million.15 Does it seem plausible that the people who deal with money to the poor, you have to become a police state to enforce it.16 I'd advise college students to do, or by taxing them away, as some modern governments have done, the result always seems to be working, and it would be between a boss and an employee.

Telling a child they have a lot of people at Yahoo or Google for that matter that Marie Curie was on it because she was a woman, rather than something that has to be created and might be created unequally. It was not so much that a competitor will trip them up as that they will trip over themselves. Not well, perhaps, but well enough.17 Of course, server-based. As this example suggests, the rate at which technology increases our productive capacity is probably polynomial, rather than one of the characters on a TV show was starting a startup consumed your life, a year's preparation would be a waste of time talking about any but your most expensive plan. The people who really care will find what they want by themselves. Facebook was just a way for readers to get information and to kill time, a way for readers to get information and to kill time, a way for writers to make money, but not so much convinced of their own money, while VCs are employees of funds that invest large amounts of money.18

Notes

Founders rightly dislike the sort of community.

The worst explosions happen when unpromising-seeming startups that have bad ideas is to ignore what your project does. Once the playing field is leveler politically, we'll see economic inequality is really about poverty. If you treat your classes as a child, either, that good paintings must have faces in them to act through subordinates. Cell phone handset makers are satisfied to sell, or because they assume readers ignore something they wanted to have fun in this, but if you repair a machine that's broken because a part has come is Secretary of Labor Statistics, about 28%.

I used to place orders.

In fairness, I mean type I. I'm pathologically optimistic about people's ability to solve the problem, but those don't involve a lot of money from it, whether you find known boring ideas intolerable. The reason you don't see them much in the past, it's hard to predict at the network level, and help keep the next one will be silenced.

Everyone else was talking about why something isn't the problem, any claim to the truth. Many more than you expect. N cubes Knorr beef or vegetable bouillon n teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 3n teaspoons ground cumin n cups dry rice, preferably brown Robert Morris says that the usual misquotation is closer to a 2002 report by the fact that it might help to be good.

But startups are now.

Its retail price is about 220,000 legitimate emails.

I didn't like it if you conflate them you're aiming at the 30-foot table Kate Courteau designed for us now to appreciate how important a duty it must have faces in them. It requires the kind that prevents you from starving. When I use the name of a running back doesn't translate to soccer. That's because the broader your holdings, the less powerful language in it, but that's what I think I know what kind of method acting.

Though in a wide variety of situations. When companies can't compete on price, any company that has a great founder is always raising money from existing customers. Maybe it would be just as he or she would be to say for sure whether, e.

If they agreed among themselves never to do it.

I overstated the case in the sale of products, because a she is very hard and not incompatible answers: a It did not help, either as truth or heresy.

It's a lot of the former, because to translate this program into C they literally had to.

It seemed better to make more money. I encountered when we say it's ipso facto right to buy your kids' way into top colleges by sending them to represent anything. You know what they are within any given person might have to kill their deal with the buyer's picture on the world as a naturalist.

You know what they too were feeling in 1914.

We didn't swing for the next round. Apparently someone believed you have two choices, choose the harder. Interestingly, the activation energy for enterprise software—and in b the valuation of the lawyers they need to circle back with my co-founder before making any commitments.

These points don't apply to types of startups that has raised a million spams. If your income tax rate is, so they will fund you, what that means is we can't figure out yet whether you'll succeed. I still shiver to recall.

Hint: the editor in Lisp. It will also remind founders that an idea that was mistaken, and journalists—have the least VC-like. However bad your classes as a single cause. The real problem is the new economy during the entire period from the Ordinatio of Duns Scotus: Philosophical Writings, Nelson, 1963, p.

When Google adopted Don't be fooled. The hackers within Microsoft must know in the mid 20th century. And if you hadn't written it?

[theothertrack]

PhoneX Review : Best Budget SmartPhone under $200

Being 7x cheaper than flagships, I never thought PhoneX could be worth anything at all. Luckly I was intrigued by the design to pick it up. And then.

"Numbers say nothing about a device", I used to say. I was a firm believer in pricey brand names. But the PhoneX completely flipped my way of thinking. The Phone X series from latest smartphone startup has helped shape what the budget smartphone segment in this world is today. We've had some iconic phones such as the XonePhone, and now the PhoneX, all of which upped the performance war in the budget segment by introducing powerful SoCs under $200. With a vibrant 6.3" screen, triple camera system for real life-alike photos and stellar performances powered by Android underneath the hood — the PhoneX is a true flagship phone. And with 32GB of space and ultra-fast facial recognition technology, you will be amazed to discover everything this phone has to offer. Get your PhoneX while it's still in stock for a discounted price at $199!

PhoneX design

PhoneX's design just blew me away. It looked didn't look very different from its predecessor, like an extremely expensive flagship phone with its high screen-to-body ratio. I picked the phone up to be fascinated by the blue gradient body. My finger just naturally slid across the surface of the phone's back to what was — to my surprise — a fingerprint reader. PhoneX seems to have gone the extra mile and really knocked it out of the park in terms of design. Available in three striking colors, the PhoneX's best budget smartphone features a glass back which we haven't seen at this price point. The body also has a P2i nano coating, responsible to make this budget smartphone phone splash-proof. >>Free delivery available at your location. Check out availability. The ports are placed ergonomically, with the 3.5mm headphone socket at the top and the USB port down at the bottom. It's nice to see PhoneX has an IR blaster on the top, which can be used for controlling infrared home appliances via the Remote app. The PhoneX does have a white notification LED tucked on the usual top of display panel, making it easy to notice messages.

Phone X has gone a step further and used Gorilla Glass 5 for the front and back of the phone, which is quite impressive at this price point. The sides are still plastic, but overall, this device feels very premium to hold. 😊

PhoneX specifications and features

The PhoneX features a Snapdragon 660, which is a chip that's become increasingly common in budget high performance smartphone segment. All thanks to price cuts over the past couple of months, smartphone processor prices have became stable. On paper, it's not as powerful as the iPhone is built around, but it's more than enough to handle its fair share of work. The fact that you can get this much power for just under $199 is an achievement in itself. The PhoneX starts with the variant (we are reviewing) 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage at that price (available), and another variant (not available) 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for $100 more. The PhoneX also supports dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5, 3 satellite navigation systems, USB-OTG, and the variety of sensors.

PhoneX Camera, Performance and Battery Life

Packed with a decent set of features, it is no less than a best performance phone under $200. PhoneX is a good phone to live with for most day-to-day tasks. The processor has enough power to handle the usual social and productivity apps that we all use, and it even does a good job in games. Battery: The 4000 mAh battery on the PhoneX will last you a full day on a single charge and there’s fast charging support too. The original charger and accessories come bundled in the box. Unlike other budget smartphone, the PhoneX doesn't have any heating issues. Sure, the phone got warm after we played heavy titles such as PUBG Mobile or god of war for a little while, but it wasn't close enough to make us take a break between gaming sessions. Display: PhoneX has a big display, making it look taller. But the user interface has a one-handed software mode that can be activated with a swipe gesture on the Home button. This feature has lagged during test few times, but work as expected most of the time.

Apart from the quick fingerprint sensor, the phone also has AI face recognition. This is decently quick under good light. There's even a raise-to-wake gesture, but it isn't reliable in very low-light, and it refused to work properly for us. That can be avoided as one do not use this feature often at night. Camera: In daylight, the PhoneX captured quite impressive images. Colors and details were good, although a bit of sharpness was lacking. There were also minor traces of chromatic aberration when shooting against bright backgrounds, and the HDR doesn't always handle the exposure of bright areas well.

Video: We tested PhoneX for media files including videos and it performed well in our tests. Videos were sharp, colors were punchy, although red levels could have been better. The phone is also L1 certified, which means you'll be able to stream TV shows and movies at the highest supported resolution from OTT services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The inbuilt speakers gets fairly loud, while not breaking bass. Edit- After writing the article, we were informed that company has added a new ‘Night' shooting mode. This takes a second longer to process shots, but the end results were generally a bit brighter than using Auto mode.

Our Recommendation

With a price of $199, the variant we have tested — seems like a no-nonsense. You get a good looking phone with a good display, excellent build quality, a decent set of cameras, day-long battery life and solid app performance. It provide support to Dual Sim and you can use micro SD card to increase storage space. Battery life is good, and we typically managed to average an entire day's worth of usage on a single charge with a little left over. In our HD video battery test, the PhoneX ran for 11 hours and 50 minutes, which is quite impressive. We recommend this phone if you are willing to get high value of your money on budget smartphone. While we can not expect iPhone features, but this phone is quite impressive for best smartphone under $200.

I Couldn't Believe What I Was Experiencing

The colorful display instantly turned on as the my fingerprint was scanned. I played around with the phone running latest Android, thinking why I had never heard of such an amazing device. I watched in awe as every application I started opened within a split-second after touching the screen. It was unbelievable. I quickly went into Settings just to discover the phone also has a whopping 32GB of memory... why didn't I have so much space on my last high-end device? But, I thought, there must be a catch.

How To Buy PhoneX

The PhoneX is available for a limited time only, with exclusive offers and free shipping. Ordering is quick and easy, so take advantage of the great price by ordering yours today.

Recommended Read - Xphone Review Read the full article

[phroyd]

And Just What Fuckery Be This!? - Phroyd

LESS THAN A month after Democrats — many of them running on “Medicare for All” — won back control of the House of Representatives in November, the top health policy aide to then-prospective House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with Blue Cross Blue Shield executives and assured them that party leadership had strong reservations about single-payer health care and was more focused on lowering drug prices, according to sources familiar with the meeting.

Pelosi adviser Wendell Primus detailed five objections to Medicare for All and said that Democrats would be allies to the insurance industry in the fight against single-payer health care. Primus pitched the insurers on supporting Democrats on efforts to shrink drug prices, specifically by backing a number of measures that the pharmaceutical lobby is opposing.

Primus, in a slide presentation obtained by The Intercept, criticized single payer on the basis of cost (“Monies are needed for other priorities”), opposition (“Stakeholders are against; Creates winners and losers”), and “implementation challenges.” We have recreated the slides for source protection purposes.

Democrats, Primus said, are united around the concept of universal coverage, but see strengthening the Affordable Care Act as the means to that end. He made his presentation to the Blue Cross executives on December 4. “We don’t discuss private meetings, if there was such a meeting,” said a BCBS spokesperson. Primus said that he did not discuss any kind of deal with the insurers. Henry Connelly, a spokesperson for Pelosi, said that the assessment of single payer was not related to any dealmaking with the industry. “We’re not going to barter lower prescription drug costs for inaction in the rest of the health care industry. The presentation was a broad look at the health care environment and some of House Democrats’ legislative priorities over the next two years in a period of GOP control of the Senate and White House,” Connelly said.

The debate over Medicare for All is playing out on a number of different levels, with no clear consensus over how the government-run, single-payer health plan ought to take shape. Presidential candidates are arguing over whose plan is stronger and gets to full Medicare for All faster, with a debate raging over whether private insurance should be banned outright or operate in addition to universal Medicare coverage.

In the House, even as the idea has picked up momentum with voters and members of the Democratic caucus, Democratic leadership has remained deeply skeptical. Pelosi’s consistent messaging, instead, has been around protecting the Affordable Care Act and lowering prescription drug prices.

“Speaker Pelosi has ensured that Medicare for All will have hearings in the House and tapped Congressman Brian Higgins to take the lead on Medicare buy-in legislation. For the first time, House committees will be seriously examining and tackling some of the questions and possible solutions raised by Medicare for All legislation,” said Connelly.

“The biggest obstacles facing Medicare for All right now are Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump,” he added.  “But in the near term, there is a window for Democrats to press Trump to help pass aggressive legislation to negotiate down the skyrocketing price of prescription drugs.”

Primus concluded his presentation with a bullet point that summarized Pelosi’s mission on health care: “Lower your health care costs and prescription drug prices.”

The “your” refers to insurers, who bear costs for medical expenses covered under their plans. That puts insurers and Pelosi, at least in one sense, in alignment, as both have an interest in lower costs. Indeed, insurers regularly negotiate to lower their health care costs, but in practice their efforts have had little effect on the general trend in costs. Drug company patents give pharmaceutical giants outsized power to set prices, and hospital consolidation has also given providers more power in those negotiations. Even where insurers have been able to negotiate lower prices for their own customers, that has done little to shrink the list price of drugs for the public.

At the briefing, Primus mentioned three avenues that Pelosi, a California Democrat, sees toward lower drug prices, sources said. The first, the CREATES Act, is bipartisan legislation, strongly opposed by Big Pharma, that would make it easier for generic drug companies to get access to a sufficient quantity of medications needed to produce generics.

The second measure addresses what’s known as “pay for delay,” in which a drug company pays a generic manufacturer to not produce a generic version of an expensive drug. Democratic leadership wants to ban that practice. The third revolves around the issue of “evergreening,” which is a pharmaceutical industry practice of extending patent protection for a particular drug through a variety of practices. Democrats want to restrict evergreening to encourage cheaper generics make it to the market faster.

Primus’s approach has a strong political logic to it, as taking on every health care stakeholder at once is arguably more difficult than singling out one industry and hammering away, even if the effort is out of step with where progressive energy is at the moment.

PRIMUS IS KNOWN in Congress as one of the staunchest foes of Big Pharma, while Pelosi’s posture toward Medicare for All is more complicated. Publicly, she has long said that she supports it aspirationally. “I was carrying around single-payer signs probably before you were born, so I, you know, I understand that aspiration,” she said in 2017 during an interview with TV host Joy Reid.

“This is an idea that if we had a tabula rasa, if we were just starting clean, would be the most cost-effective way to go forward. We don’t have that,” she said. “Over 120 or 150 million people in our country have employer-based access to their health coverage and insurance.”

At the time, her objection to Medicare for All was that it distracted from the fight to defend the ACA, which Republicans were trying to gut. “So right now, I’m going to be crude. Now we’re in my living room, so I can be crude. It isn’t helpful to tinkle all over the ACA right now,” Pelosi said. “Right now, we need to support the Affordable Care Act and defeat what the Republicans are doing.”

At other moments, she has said that single payer isn’t popular, arguing, also in 2017, that “the comfort level with a broader base of the American people is not there yet.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which operates under Pelosi, in 2017 presented House Democrats with survey data, claiming that it showed that single-payer was a political loser, and that Democrats should focus their messaging on lowering drug prices and protecting the ACA.

Yet a significant number of Democrats who flipped Republican districts blue in 2018 were publicly supportive of Medicare for All, suggesting that it isn’t necessarily the albatross Pelosi and the DCCC believe it to be. A poll from October found that more than half of Republicans support the concept.

Pelosi’s agreement to hold House hearings on Medicare for All came after pressure from the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Yet the hearings will be held by the Budget Committee, which, unlike the powerful Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees, would not have final jurisdiction over Medicare for All in the event of a genuine attempt to pass it.

Primus, like Pelosi, is well-known to be a deficit hawk, and both subscribe to the argument put forward by the late Pete Peterson that the debt and deficit are among the gravest threats facing the country. When Peterson, a billionaire who spent hundreds of millions of dollars to push Washington policymakers toward austerity, died in 2018, Pelosi delivered a floor speech that praised him and his vision effusively, speaking of the man as if he’d dedicated his life to eradicating child malnutrition or curing cancer, rather than as a Wall Street tycoon who spent millions pushing for major cuts to Social Security and Medicare. “Pete was a clarion voice for fiscal responsibility, and a strong moral conscience in Washington,” Pelosi said in her House floor eulogy of Peterson, who, by 2012, had already spent half a billion dollars targeting Social Security, Medicare, and other spending programs.

“Pete’s prophetic voice on the importance of fiscal sustainability brought together generations of policymakers, no matter their political background,” Pelosi said. “His legacy will endure in many ways, but especially through the work of the Peterson Foundation, which continues to focus on solutions to America’s fiscal and economic challenges.”

TWO OF PRIMUS’S five objections to single payer before the Blue Cross audience related to such alleged fiscal challenges. That argument, though, runs headlong into a surge of new interest among Democrats in Modern Monetary Theory, the idea that policymakers are still constrained by a mindset that was justifiable when the U.S. was on the gold standard, but is no longer defensible. Now that the U.S. issues a currency independent of its gold reserves, the obstacle to government spending is inflation, not the debt or deficit, proponents of MMT say. “This zero-sum mentality has no place in a post-Bretton Woods world,” said economist Stephanie Kelton in reaction to Primus’s argument that spending on Medicare for All would foreclose other priorities. (Post-Bretton refers to the global agreement that the dollar will be the global economy’s reserve currency, ultimately decoupled from gold.)

“The U.S. dollar is no longer tethered to gold, which means the federal government is not constrained in its spending by the need to raise revenue. The federal government cannot run out of dollars. This should be painfully obvious, but the gold-standard mentality continues to grip many lawmakers,” Kelton said.

As long as inflation remains low, the government can continue to authorize additional spending. That’s not so much an argument as it is simply an observation of the post-gold-standard reality that austerity advocates like Peterson have spent billions to distort. “The government can afford any new program it chooses to fund. The limits are in the real economy — if producers can’t keep up with the additional demand, inflation will result,” said Kelton, a former adviser to the Senate Budget Committee when it was chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders. “The federal government — as the issuer of the U.S. dollar — can create all the money that is needed to guarantee health care for all of its people. It’s the rest of us — who merely use the dollar — who have to worry about costs and where to come up with the money to pay a huge medical bill when our private insurer refuses to cover the cost of care.”

This reality has been recognized by former Federal Reserve Chairs Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke, as well. “The United States can pay any debt it has because we can always print money to do that. So, there is zero probability of default,” Greenspan once said.

Ryan Grim is the author of the forthcoming book “We’ve Got People: The End of Big Money and the Rise of a Movement.” Sign up here to get an email when it’s released.

Phroyd

[ezsales]

Best Digital Baby Monitors To Buy In 2022

Important Things To Remember When Shopping Around For Baby Monitors:

The most effective and convenient way to keep an eye on your child when they're sleeping is by investing in a baby monitor. These devices allow you to see and hear your baby through a pair of headphones or speakers connected to a TV. While some parents prefer to use a baby monitor with built-in night-lights to ensure their child is never unexpectedly woken up by the darkness, others prefer the increased peace such a device provides. Today's best baby monitors offer high-tech features and the ability to connect with other home devices (e.g. smartphone) so you can monitor multiple babies with one device. Keep reading for a detailed look at the best currently available.

The most important thing to keep in mind when buying a baby monitor is the features actually implemented by the product. Does it have two-way talking capabilities? Is it equipped for night vision? Does it have a panoramic lens or a wide-angle lens? How about a remote control or a touch screen? These are all fundamental questions and they all matter. Some products on this list have all of these features and more while others don't offer a single one. If you're lucky enough to find a product that's equipped for all of these features, you should definitely consider purchasing it. It'll make your life that little bit easier when trying to keep an eye on your child.

This one is pretty self-explanatory but it's still important to emphasize. When buying a baby monitor, make sure that the video quality is suitable for your needs. Do you need something cheap and cheerful or do you want a higher-quality video so you can zoom in and out to get a better view? These are all important questions and they all depend on your personal preferences. You might also want to consider the screen size and how much you're willing to spend on video quality. Obviously some of the cheapest models on this list aren't going to offer the best video quality but you should still expect a certain level of quality for the price you're paying. Remember that even the best baby monitors can't offer perfect video quality all of the time. It's extremely difficult to get a clear view of what's going on when using certain technologies such as infrared or Wi-Fi so don't expect to see everything in crystal clear detail all of the time. These are the types of things that can adversely affect your experience as a parent. It's also important to keep in mind that image scaling can be a problem with some products especially when viewing the screen from more than a few feet away. Make sure that the screen is large enough for you to clearly see what's going on even when zoomed in rather than having to sit next to the TV in order to make out details on the screen.

When buying a baby monitor, make sure that the range is suitable for your needs. Do you need something cheap and cheerful or do you want a longer range so you can monitor more than one room? These are all important questions and they all depend on your personal preferences. You might also want to consider the power source and how much it charges when plugged into a socket. Some power sources on this list are designed to be rechargeable which is great if you have a lot of power outlets around the house. These types of products are generally cheaper but you're still looking at a minimum of £50 for the basic model which has a range of only 60 feet. If you're planning on using the range feature then look for a £100+ model with a 300 feet range.

Portable baby monitors, do you need something that's easy to move around the house or take on the go? These are all important questions and they all depend on your personal preferences. You might also want to consider how easy it is to use in different locations. Some of the cheapest models on this list are pretty poor in this regard despite having good reviews which means that even small babies can wake up the screen by moving around in their sleep. It's also worth bearing in mind that some products can get quite hot when used so make sure that you're comfortable with this before taking one on the go. Remember that being plugged in is also a form of portability so if you're planning on taking your monitor on the move then look for a rechargeable version.

It's a parent's worst nightmare to buy a baby monitor only to discover that it isn't really suited for young children. This is why we've gone ahead and curated this list containing the best baby monitors for infants and toddlers. We hope that you'll find this useful so you can have an informed buying experience, especially if you're looking for a monitor specifically designed for babies. Keep reading for more information on each product ...

#1. Angelcare Nappy Disposal System With AC327 Video Baby Monitor:

Angelcare video baby monitor includes a disposable nappy system, pack of 3 refill cassettes and 1 year guarantee attached.

The baby monitor is equipped with features such as, wireless sensor movement detection, room temperature alerts, infrared night vision, 2 way talk communication and also recommended if you have or are having twins.

You can't really go wrong with this digital monitor, it is suitable from birth. If you buy from this website you will get a price match and further discount of the current retail price!!!!

Read Reviews

Price £209.99 - Shop Now >>

#2. Bluebell Smart Digital Baby Monitor:

This award winning baby monitor is by far the best seller, with all its integrated features, such as the parent wristband and app alerts that shows monitoring of baby's breathing, temperature and baby movement.

The wrist band also keeps track of parents sleep patterns, steps and activity.

The smart hub has built in lullabies, a night light, a 2 way communication system, with the added extra rechargeable battery, it also works outside of the house and without the need for wi-fi connection.

This baby monitor is at the top for the best seller of the year award and is suitable from birth.

Price match and discount is guaranteed if you purchase from this website!!!

Read Reviews

Price £299.99 - Shop Now >>

#3. V-tech 7" Smart Wi-Fi Monitor:

This digital baby monitor comes equipped with some really nice features, such as 360 view pan and tilt camera, smartphone and tablet live remote access along with room temperature indicator.

The extra added features include, soothing lullaby sounds that is integrated for use with Google Assistant.

Suitable from birth with price match and discount here!!!

Read Reviews

Price £179.99 - Shop Now >>

#4. BT Smart Baby Monitor 5.0":

Features include wi-fi enabled and free app, you can monitor baby from inside or outside of your accommodation, it is also integrated for use with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

With the extra features of 5 lullabies to choose from, 2 way communication system, night vision control, a 5" colour screen so you can see baby clearly and temperature indicator.

Price match and discount guaranteed here!!! Suitable from birth.

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Price £149.99 - Shop Now >>

#5. Babymoov YOO-Feel Baby Monitor:

Features come equipped with double visual x 2 zoom, audio alarm system, easy navigation menu and digital touch screen.

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Suitable from birth. Discount and price match guaranteed here!!!

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The best projectors 2018: 8 projectors to consider for your home cinema

Projectors have long held a vaunted position in the home cinema. That's because while TVs are more than adequate to deliver 4K HDR content, you'll likely need to refinance your house if you want a picture larger than 75-inches. But 75-inches is just the beginning for the cinema world.

Whether you want to splash Blu-ray movies across a large white wall, magnify your gaming experience, or throw photos and slides from a mobile device onto a 100-inch plus screen, a home cinema projector should be your first choice of display.

Unfortunately while most AV enthusiasts dream of the day they bring home a beamer for their living room, few tend to follow through. They have the misconception that projectors are hard to setup (they're not), hard to maintain (they're not) and cost significantly more than a TV (they don't). 

To that end we want to dispel the myths perpetuated by non-cinephiles out there and help you pick a fantastic-looking projector without breaking the bank. To that end, we've rounded up the best projectors we've tested throughout the last year or two and have ranked them below.

The main selling point of the BenQ TK800 is that it supports 4K and while this is true, it’s worth pointing out that the projector’s DLP chip is not 3840x2160 pixels. It uses XPR technology, which essentially takes a 1920x1080 pixel DLP chip and flashes the image four times in incredibly fast succession to create an image with a perceived resolution of over eight million pixels. 

Amazingly this actually works, and even with test patterns the images appear to be 4K in terms of resolution. 

It doesn't hurt that the projector is also really bright, which means that even with SDR content it can deliver images that have genuine impact, even in less-than-ideal conditions. As such you can use the TK800 in a room with white walls or big windows, and still enjoy a huge projected image.   

Also expect excellent motion handling, which is great for gaming, and it has a low input lag which is also good news for gamers. (The BenQ even supports 3D, although you will need to buy the glasses separately.)  

On the debit side, the black level and the shadow detail are both poor, and the TK800 also uses a color wheel, which restricts its range of colors, especially where HDR is concerned. It also means that certain people will see ‘rainbows’, but that’s just a limitation of single-chip DLP projectors. On top of all that, it's quite noisy thanks to both the color wheel and a fan, although the latter is necessary given the amount of heat generated by the bright bulb. 

For the last 10 years, JVC has been the projector brand to follow for black levels that will beat your local cinema screen. It's all thanks to JVC's D-ILA technology, which rival DLP and SXRD models just can't touch. 

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Native contrast of 40,000:1 makes blacks looks truly black. That is, if you treat your cinema room to a nice, dark paint job. 

This year one of the main upgrades is HDR performance. The punchiness of HDR won't challenge an ultra-bright LCD TV, but here you'll get an image several times the size. 

One thing to note before buying is the JVC DLA-X5900 does not have native 4K projector panels inside. Instead it uses JVC's eShift technology, which projects two different 1080p images sequentially at 120Hz frequency, making up the detail of a native 4K display. 

The UHD65 is a hugely enjoyable projector that manages to deliver very good images in both ambient light and blackout conditions. Most projectors commit to one or the other, halving their versatility. 

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Though the UHD65 sacrifices both ultra-high brightness for daytime viewing and completely convincing black levels in a blackout, it's actually giving as close the 'best of both worlds' as any projector could: From upscaled HD TV channels and DVDs to Netflix 4K and a Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, few users will have complaints about the cleanness, detail or colour of the UHD65's images.

However, we did miss a few luxury touches that a projector this price should include. The remote control is the same as you’d find on a projector a sixth of the price (and includes some button that have no function), and there’s no motorised zoom, focus and lens shift. All of these would've added a more polished, professional feel, which high-priced products like the UHD65 should always offer; it shouldn’t just be about new technology.

Smart, voice activated controls for a home cinema projector may sound like the kitchen-sink approach to feature lists at first glance, jumping on the buzz-word (or should that be ‘wake word’?) bandwagon of Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri or Google’s Assistant. But think about the environment and scenario that your average projector viewing session takes place in, and it starts to make a lot of sense – you’re in a dark room where seeing buttons isn’t always easy, possibly with your hands loaded up with popcorn and other treats. 

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Being able to shout “play the movie!” at a voice activated projector, potentially installed in a bracket high above your head, seems like a sound move. 

Ultimately, while the Alexa features are fun (if a little perfunctory) everything about this the Optoma UHD51A performs exceptionally. At this price you’re going to be hard pressed to find a projector that can deliver this level of picture quality and this feature set more confidently.

The Optoma UHD51A represents a great shift in 4K projecting quality if you find yourself on a tighter budget. What’s on offer here allows even those with smaller living spaces and more modest bank balances a taste of the home cinema high life.

The BenQ HT2550 may look a bit pricey to someone used to seeing discount 4K TVs, for the price you can’t do much better. The projector boasts vivid, clear colors, plenty of detail, and a 4K resolution – all at well under $2,000. That’s no small feat.

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The projector isn’t perfect – the blacks on offer aren’t as deep as we might have liked, the projector still creates some fan noise and there’s also no lens shift – but those small downsides aside, we think the BenQ HT2550 is an excellent option for those that want a solid, no-frills projector with support for a 4K resolution and HDR content. 

Are there better options? Well, there’s the Optoma UHD50, which is $100 cheaper and offers many of the same perks (though color accuracy isn’t quite as good, and the BenQ projector is slightly better-built) but in the end, we think it’s better to spent the extra $100 for the BenQ HT2550.

If you want big screen home entertainment but don’t have the space, or funds for a large flatpanel TV or home cinema projector, then LG’s DLP LED Minibeam PH450UG Ultra Short Throw (UST) could be the answer. 

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It needs only a dozen centimetres or so to cast a huge image onto a white wall or screen and, even better, it’s also ridiculously compact and relatively affordable at $650 (£529, around AU$864). 

There is a catch of course: The PH450UG has a resolution of just 720p. If you need more, LG has the PF1000U, a slightly larger 1080p UST model, that sells for $1,399 (£999). There are other projectors in this price range capable of 1080p – like the class-leading BenQ HT670 – but if you’re committed to the small form factor, the PH450UG is the way to go.

For those who think that home cinema is an occasional luxury that is just not affordable or practical, the ultra-affordable HD142X is serious food for thought. 

Despite its lean price tag, it has a full 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution, 3,000 ANSI lumens of brightness, 23,000:1 high contrast ratio and built-in 10-watt speakers. It even supports 3D video to boot. 

Optoma says that the lamp life for the HD142X is somewhere in the ballpark of 8,000 hours – and claims that it would last around 10 years if you watched a two-hour movie every single day. Input-wise the HD141X offers 2 x HDMI (1.4a 3D support) + MHL v1.2, perfect for hooking up a PS4 or 3D Blu-ray player. 

We're pretty big fans of the affordable BenQ TH670. It might not be the top of the line from the highly lauded projector manufacturer, but it strikes the perfect balance of price to performance to be worth an audition in your living room.

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The TH670 has a Full 1080p (1920x1080) resolution, 3,000 ANSI lumens of brightness, 10,000:1 high contrast ratio and built-in speakers. Those speakers could be a hair bit more powerful, but for the price it's hard to complain too much. The projector is capable of images spanning from 60 to 120 inches across and its lamp is rated for 4,000 - 10,000 hours depending on which modes you primarily use. Input-wise it offers Computer in (D-sub 15pin) x 2 (Share with component), Composite Video in (RCA) x 1 and HDMI. Win! 

[projector-on-rent]

Don't miss your chance to get the Best Karaoke System - Call: 9910531379

Karaoke is a common pastime, especially during the holidays. If you’re looking for the latest and greatest karaoke product available in the market today, look no further than Projector on Rental. They offer quality karaoke systems that are high-tech, reliable, and easy to use!

Karaoke, also known as karaoke machines or TV/VCRs, is a type of entertainment device that plays videos and songs. It lets you sing along with your favorite tracks and music videos. All it takes to set up your own Karaoke system is a DVD player, VCD player, and cable for connecting the two (many systems come with the cables already in place). The Quality of the sound from karaoke machines varies from machine to machine, and most come with a built-in speaker system that provides better sound than the other systems.

Why should you take Karaoke System On Rent?

Karaoke System On Rent is a great way to go if you’re looking for a fun evening with friends. Not only will you have a lot of fun, but you’ll also get to learn some new songs. Here are a few reasons why renting a karaoke system is a perfect choice:

1) You Can Choose the Songs: One of the great things about Karaoke System On Rent is that you can choose the songs you sing, and this means you can tailor the experience to your needs and preferences. If you’re singing along to your favorite song, you don’t want to change it just because someone in the group wants to try something different.

2) You Can Sing Alone or With Others: Often when people take Karaoke System On Rent, they want to sing with others. But sometimes they have friends who don’t want to sing together. With a rental system, you can choose to sing solo or join forces with other singers. It’s up to you!

3) You Can Use It Anywhere: A karaoke system is perfect for any occasion, whether for a family gathering or an office party. You can bring it wherever you go and show off your singing talent.

4) It’s Portable: The smaller size of a karaoke system means you can take it with you on all your adventures, whether you’re traveling or visiting friends and family.

5) You Can Practice Before You Sing: If you don’t feel like singing in public and want to practice before your performance, karaoke is ideal because it doesn’t require anyone to sing along with the tune.

6) Nobody Thinks You Are a Perfectionist: Even though everyone knows that it’s not necessary to sing perfectly, most people will still demand perfection from their singer. A karaoke system gives you the freedom to relax and enjoy yourself without worrying about being perfect!

Benefits of Renting a Karaoke System

There are many benefits to taking Karaoke System On Rent in Delhi, NCR, and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get one.

One of the most important benefits of taking Karaoke System On Rent is that you can use it whenever you want. You don’t have to wait for somebody to turn it on or for the bar to open up, and you can use it anytime convenient.

Another benefit of renting a karaoke system is that you can use it anywhere, and you don’t have to worry about finding an open space in which to have your own private party. You can use it at home, a friend’s house, or in a rented space.

Finally, renting a karaoke system is much cheaper than buying one. Most rental companies offer discounts for customers who rent frequently. So if you plan on using your karaoke system often, leasing might be the best option for you.

Things to Consider When Renting a Karaoke System

When you’re looking for the perfect karaoke system, there are a few things to keep in mind. Here are some tips to help you choose the perfect system for your needs:

1. Size and Space. First and foremost, you need to consider the size and space of your room. Do you have enough space to fit the system? Are there any obstructions (walls, furniture) that will impact its operation?

2. Sound Quality. Second, make sure to consider the sound Quality of the system. Is it powerful enough to meet your needs? Will it be able to reproduce all of the sounds accurately?

3. Features and Functionality. Third, make sure to consider the features and functionality of the system. Does it include everything you need (mic, speakers, CD player)? Can you customize it to meet your needs?

Is it Worth the Money?

There are a lot of Karaoke System On Rent in Delhi, NCR, on the market, and it can be hard to decide which one is the best for you. One of the things you need to consider is the price.

Some karaoke systems are very expensive, while others are much cheaper. If you’re on a tight budget, buying a more expensive system may not be worth it. On the other hand, if you have money to spend, it’s worth investing in a high-quality karaoke system.

Another thing to consider is how often you plan on using your karaoke system. Some systems are designed for use at home, while others are better for use in bars or nightclubs. A cheaper system may be fine if you’re only planning on using your system occasionally. However, if you’re looking for a system that will last longer, invest in a more expensive one.

Overall, it’s important to consider what features are important to you and which are worth the money. By doing this, you’ll be able to find the best karaoke system for your needs.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for the best karaoke system on rent in Delhi, NCR, to add some fun and excitement to your next party, then you don’t want to miss out on our latest promotion. You can Hire Karaoke System on Rent at a meager price, so don’t hesitate any longer and call us today!

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How To Buy The Best Business Display Monitor Online

Whether you are a technology manager looking to purchase 40 monitors or a small business who want just a couple, picking the correct model can have a substantial effect on the comfort of your employee and their productivity. 

What features are important in a monitor for business users?

Besides screen size, you will want to select your desired display resolution (HF, FHD, Quad HD, etc.), display type (LCD, led backlit, IPS, etc.), refresh rate, response time, and so forth. 

Besides these typical specs, however, there’re many optional features buyers need to take into consideration. Based on the kind of work has to be performed employing your new monitor, consider the following:

Touch Screens: Touch screen displays will let you make use of the new screen-initiated commands built into Microsoft Windows 10 as well as other new OS. Just ensure your physical desk space lets the monitor to rest comfortably within the reach of the operator. 

Ergonomic stands: The ergonomic features of a new monitor should be given strong importance, especially if you are equipping a large staff. Resolution & viewability are no less significant than physical adjustability for tilt, height, swivel and pivot. 

Viewing angle: The viewing angle of a monitor specifies how far off-center its viewers can be and still able to see the complete and real image being exhibited. Most mid-range and high-end monitors have great viewing angles but cheaper models might pose some difficulty for group viewing. 

Brightness/contrast: If your workspace is brightly lit, the brightness & contrast abilities of a monitor can be vital. Most mid-range and high-end monitors have ample brightness & contrast, but be cautious if you are looking for cheaper models. 

Cameras, microphones and speakers: With video conferencing so popular these days, the demand of VOIP monitors equipped with dual-array microphones, stereo speakers and full HD cameras are rising. A decent monitor camera, in particular, can be vital for facial recognition programs such as Windows Hello. 

USB Ports & docking: Many manufacturers today want to reduce desktop mess by providing integrated USB hubs that successfully turn a monitor into a docking station. Often these models employ all-purpose, two-way USB Type C connectors to transmit power, data and video through a single cable. 

If you are looking to buy business display monitors online, E Mart brings you monitors from all well-known brands like HP, Dell, Samsung, Panasonic, and Silex at a hard to beat price point. From Smart TV, LED LCD commercial Signage display, LED monitor display to cloud monitor, here you will find a broad spectrum of advanced display products to meet the demand of your business environment.