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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Mass Effect: Best Star Trek References and Easter Eggs

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Look, it’s not exactly a secret that Mass Effect has a little Star Trek in its DNA. It’s a franchise all about assembling a crew comprised of humans and aliens as you explore the furthest reaches of space and try your best to romance a few of those humans and aliens. It’s safe to say someone on the Mass Effect development teams watched an episode or two of Star Trek.

So while Mass Effect is, in some ways, a giant tribute to Star Trek and several other notable sci-fi works, there are a few ways that the Mass Effect games reference Star Trek that you may not have spotted unless you’re a hardcore Star Trek fan who also explored the furthest reaches of Mass Effect‘s galaxy.

From suspicious lines of dialog to familiar voices, these are some of the best Star Trek references and Easter eggs you’ll find in the Mass Effect trilogy.

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The Borg and The Geth

As a race of networked AI who utilize a “hivemind” system and have to deal with the occasional dissenter, there are clearly similarities between Mass Effect‘s Geth and Star Trek‘s Borg that can’t be ignored.

Having said that, some fans have pointed out that the designs and philosophies of the Geth could also be a nod to Battlestar Galactica‘s Cylons. It should also be noted that Mass Effect‘s Reapers are often treated as a mysterious galactic threat similar to how the Borg were described in early TNG episodes.

The Thorian and Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan’s Ceti Eels

In Mass Effect, you’ll encounter a sentient plant known as a Thorian. If this almost slug-like creature with the ability to use painful spores to control people’s minds seems oddly familiar, that’s likely because it’s almost certainly a reference to the Ceti Eels that Khan used to control people in one of Star Trek 2‘s most memorable scenes.

In fact, there’s a memorable moment in Mass Effect when Fai Dan shoots himself after ignoring a Thorian order to kill Shepard. It’s an almost exact recreation of a Wrath of Khan scene in which Captain Terrel uses a phaser on himself after disobeying Khan and the influence of the Ceti Eels.

Cerebus and Section 31

In Star Trek: Deep Space 9, we learn there’s a special section of Starfleet known simply as Section 31. They’re kind of a “wetworks” organization that has operated with and without Star Fleet’s support over the years. Through it all, they claim to promote “security” through whatever means necessary.

The Cerebus group in Mass Effect serve a similar purpose, with the biggest difference being that Cerebus has long been a kind of “splinter” group that operates independently to protect human interest (allegedly) on a galactic scale whereas Section 31 did seemingly operate with Starfleet’s support (at least for a time).

The Normandy’s Poker Table

While it’s a bit of a shame you don’t really get to do much with the poker table on the Normandy, the fact there’s a poker table so prominently featured on a spaceship has to be a callback to the poker table frequently used by the Enterprise crew in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Actually, TNG‘s poker table was such an important part of the ship (at least to key members of the crew) that it was even the centerpiece of the final scene in TNG‘s last episode, “All Good Things…”

Kenneth Donnelly is (Accidentally?) a Scotty Tribute

As a spaceship engineer with a heavy Scottish accent, it’s easy to assume that Mass Effect‘s Kenneth Donnelly was designed to be an obvious homage to Star Trek‘s Montgomery “Scotty” Scott.

However, Mass Effect level designer Dusty Everman has previously stated that the similarities between those two weren’t planned from the start and really only came to life as the result of voice actor John Ullyatt’s performance choices and a bit of coincidence. Actually, Everman (or someone convincingly posing as him once upon a time) stated that Donnelly’s accent was based on his wife’s love of Ewan McGregor and that the original plan was for female Shepard players to be able to romance him.

“Yes! Exhilarating, Isn’t It?”

One of Mass Effect‘s better Star Trek references happens when Shepard warns a Krogan that the area around them is collapsing and the Krogan replies “Exhilarating, isn’t it?”

The same line is spoken by Christopher Lloyd in Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock under spiritually similar circumstances. Lloyd even portrays a Klingon in the film, and the Krogan have been called a Klingon-like race.

Various Star Trek Actors Voice Characters in the Mass Effect Franchise

If you’ve ever wondered just how much Star Trek influenced Mass Effect, look no further than Mass Effect‘s voice actor cast list.

Marina Sirtis, Armin Shimerman, Keith Szarabajka, Dwight Schultz…the Mass Effect cast is packed with actors arguably best known for their roles in various Star Trek series and films. Michael Dorn (who famously portrayed Worf in Star Trek: TNG) even voices a Krogan in Mass Effect 2.

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“This is… it’s green?”

While visiting the Dark Star lounge, Mass Effect‘s Commander Shepard receives an alien drink and remarks “This is… it’s green?” The line is a clear callback to a Star Trek: TOS episode called “By Any Other Name” in which Scotty picks up a strange bottle and makes the same comment.

In fact, Data says a similar line in the TNG episode “Relics” while pouring a mysterious green drink for…Scotty.

Mordin Solus and Data Have Similar Taste in Music

Mordin Solus’ love of music isn’t just one of the best Mass Effect companion’s most loveable attributes, it’s an apparent nod to Data: the also hyper-intelligent, also slightly detached Star Trek: TNG character who also loves to sing.

Actually, Solus and Data seem to share an appreciation for Gilbert and Sullivan as the two sing the duo’s greatest hits in their respective series.

“Goodbye Little Wing” and Deanna Troi

Matriarch Benezia isn’t just one of the more memorable side characters in the original Mass Effect; she’s another one of those characters in the Mass Effect franchise you may have not realized was voiced by a Star Trek alumni. Yes, Benezia is played by none other than Deanna Troi actress Marina Sirtis.

Best of all, there’s a moment in the first Mass Effect when Benezia says “Goodbye little wing, I have always been proud of you” shortly before dying. It’s an odd phrase that might make a little more sense when you realize that Troi’s mother was always calling her “little one” in TNG.

“When Your World Seems Hollow, We Help You Touch the Sky”

This one has to be in the running for the honor of “most obscure” Star Trek reference in any Mass Effect game.

In Mass Effect‘s Bring Down The Sky DLC, there is a radio shack located between two fusion torches. Go inside it, and you’ll find a log filled with unused radio promo spots. The script for one of those spots reads “If you are feeling hollow, we can help you touch the sky.” What is that supposed to mean?

Well, it seems to be a nod to a Star Trek: TOS Season 3 episode called “For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky.” In that episode, an old man living atop a mountain tells the Enterprise crew “the world is hollow and I have touched the sky.”

The Systems Alliance Logo Looks Very Familiar…

Mass Effect‘s Systems Alliance is an Earth coalition responsible for representing the interests of humans in Citadel space. There are obviously many organizations in several notable sci-fi works with similar responsibilities, but there’s little doubt that the Systems Alliance is intended to refer to Star Trek‘s Starfleet.

In fact, the Systems Alliance logo bears a strong resemblance to the Starfleet logo from later Star Trek series and films. It’s not exactly a 1:1 copy, but it’s impossible not to spot the similarities once you start looking for them.

“Karora is Essentially a Great Rock in Space”

You’ll find another surprisingly subtle Star Trek reference in Mass Effect 2 when you request more information on a planet named Karora. The Normandy’s computer will inform you that “Karora is essentially a great rock in space, tidally locked to Amada.”

As it just so happens, Spock describes the Regula planet that the Enterprise crew encounters in Star Trek 2 as “essentially a great rock in space.” Maybe the wording is common enough to be a coincidence, but given all the other clear Star Trek references in Mass Effect, it feels like an intentional tribute.

The post Mass Effect: Best Star Trek References and Easter Eggs appeared first on Den of Geek.

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techcrunchappcom · 4 years

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New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/its-a-tough-sell-technology-news-firstpost/

It's a tough sell- Technology News, Firstpost

Anirudh RegidiJul 03, 2020 15:06:29 IST

I’m not entirely sold on the idea of the ASUS TUG Gaming A15 FA566IU.

Superficially, it’s a great laptop and it ticks all the right boxes. At just under a lakh, you’re getting a powerful AMD Ryzen 7 CPU (the first of its kind in India), an excellent mid-range GPU, a ‘fast’ 144 Hz display, a thermal design that won’t roast your palms or thighs, good battery life, and a very decent aesthetic.

Sadly, odd pricing and a couple of rather unusual design decisions means I just can’t recommend this specific model outright.

The A15’s Achiles Heel is its display.

Specs: A tad unbalanced

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H

GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with 6 GB VRAM

RAM: 16 GB DDR4 RAM @ 3,200 MHz

Storage: 512 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD

Display: 15.6” 1080p @ 144 Hz with Adaptive Sync

Ports: 1x USB-A 2.0 (450 Mbps), 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) with DP 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.0b out, 1x RJ45 Ethernet, 1x 3.5 mm combo jack

Battery: 48 Wh capacity, 180 W charger

Price: Rs 95,000

This is a good config for the price, but there are three issues here:

First, that Ryzen 7 4800H is overkill. It’s one of the most powerful mobile CPUs you can buy today. In fact, it’ll put many mid-range desktop PCs to shame. The problem is that it’s paired with a mid-range graphics card — the 1660 Ti — which is simply never going to push that CPU to its limits. I’d have preferred a mid-range CPU with a more powerful GPU…

… which brings me neatly to issue #2.

For Rs 5,000 more, you can get a similar config with the more powerful, and feature-rich, Nvidia RTX 2060 GPU. That’s a 5 percent increase in price for dramatically improved performance in certain scenarios.

The third, and I believe the most egregious flaw, is the display. Sure, it’s a 144 Hz panel with Adaptive Sync (that translates to no visual tearing in games), but the panel is rated at 45 percent NTSC, which means its colour accuracy is garbage. To add to this, this specific panel has a pixel response time of 18-22 ms, nullifying any advantage that 144 Hz refresh rate brings. More on that later.

A fourth potential issue is thermal management, but it’s a relatively minor issue compared to the three aforementioned ones.

I like the look and feel of the laptop. It feels rugged.

Performance: Wasted potential

When it comes to gaming laptops, the purpose of a CPU is to not bottleneck the GPU. Gaming performance is almost always determined purely by the GPU, especially in budget systems.

It simply makes more sense to pair a Rs 60,000 GPU with a Rs 10,000 CPU than it does to pair a Rs 30,000 CPU with a Rs 40,000 GPU. Gaming performance scales linearly with faster GPUs, not CPUs.

A good CPU has its uses of course. If you’re a programmer or content creator, having additional cores or a faster CPU will significantly speed up your work, but we’re talking gaming laptops here, and in that regard, the FA566IU is just so much wasted potential.

This is the first Ryzen 7-powered laptop in India

See, the CPU in this laptop is fantastic. It’s a game-changer. Looking at my data, the 4800H’s performance is only challenged by the MSI GT76 Titan, a beast of a machine that costs Rs 4 lakh, and which, with its fans running at full tilt, sounds like it’s preparing for lift-off.

The CPU in the TUF A15 threw up a score of 3,957 in Cinebench R20 (vs 4,324 on the MSI GT76 Titan) and completed our standard video conversion test in a mere 20 minutes (18 min on the Titan) when using CPU encoding.

The Mozilla Firefox compile test is relatively new, and the 4800H managed 31 minutes here, which is more than twice as fast as the average Ultrabook.

This CPU is good. It’s very good.

But then we come to the GPU. The 1660 Ti is great, but it’s still a mid-range card.

The AMD Ryzen 7 4800H is seriously impressive. It’s too bad that the GPU just can’t keep up.

Every game I tested was bottle-necked at the GPU level. In fact, I never saw CPU load exceed 83 percent in any title. In most titles, the load was limited to under 70 percent.

To top it off, the 1660 Ti lacks proper support for ray-tracing features (i.e. RTX) and DLSS (Deep Learning Super-Sampling).

RTX is Nvidia-speak for a graphics rendering technique that generates realistic lighting in games. Once you’ve seen a game running with RTX enabled, you can’t go back.

DLSS is an Nvidia RTX-specific feature that intelligently and dynamically upscales graphics resolution to give you better performance at little to no perceivable loss in quality. Combined, these features make for a fantastic gaming experience.

While this particular model didn’t make the cut, the rest of the TUF line is certainly worth looking at.

Nvidia’s GTX cards like the 1660 do support RTX in some games, but at a tremendous performance penalty that makes the feature useless for anything but a demo. For instance, turning RTX on dropped Metro Exodus performance to sub-20 fps with the 1660 Ti. An RTX 2060 manages 40+ fps at the same settings.

Benchmark figures are otherwise quite nice. You’re getting 50 fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider at max settings, 70+ in Metro Exodus at the ‘normal’ preset with RTX off, 52 fps in The Division 2 at Ultra, 60 fps in Borderlands 3 at high, 60 fps in Red Dead Redemption 2 using the ‘quality’ preset, and so on. It could even manage 60 fps at med-high settings in Call of Duty Modern Warfare with RTX off.

This is good stuff and I’d normally be happy with these scores, but the lack of RTX does sting when you know the feature can be had for just Rs 5,000 more. As a gamer, I see no reason to subject myself to a less than ideal experience.

Clearly, this config is unbalanced for gaming. ASUS should have offered a cheaper Ryzen 3 or 5 with the 1660 Ti and RTX 2060, and used the savings to offer a better display.

Display woes

This display sucks. Big time. At about 60 percent sRGB coverage, you’re looking at a budget laptop-grade colour gamut (the Rs 40,000 Mi Notebook shows slightly better colours). Reds look orange, greens don’t pop, and in-game enemies meld into the background in fast-paced shooters.

The movie-watching experience is passable, and you just can’t edit photos and videos without worrying about colour accuracy.

It’s 2020, we should be demanding higher quality displays in our laptops.

Many laptop displays in this price range have the same awful colour gamut, however, so it’s not like we gamers are spoilt for choice in this segment.

Anyway, the laptop’s 144 Hz display does sound good on paper, but then the monitor’s response time is a terrible 18 ms. At 144 Hz, you can’t settle for anything less than 10 ms. 5 ms or lower would be ideal.

The refresh rate is the number of times per second that your monitor can update the image.

The response time is the amount of time it takes a single pixel on your monitor to transition from one colour to another. Usually, this is measured as the time taken for a pixel to go from grey to white to grey again.

While an image can refresh faster than the response time of a pixel, those images you’re seeing will not have accurate colours. And you’ll see ghosting.

The images below should illustrate why this is a problem. The first is an image shot on this review laptop while the UFO is scrolling horizontally at 144 fps and 7 pixels per frame.

The panel claims to be 144 Hz but with a response time this bad, there’s really no point.

The second is an image shot on a BenQ EX2780q also at 144 fps. The EX2780q is a 144 Hz panel with a rated response time of 5 ms.

As you can see, the ASUS shows significantly longer trailing ‘ghosts’ behind the UFO. This ghosting, as the phenomenon is aptly titled, is the bane of gamers everywhere. Heavier ghosting means blurrier movement, which means it’s that much harder to track and hit moving targets.

A higher quality 60 Hz panel, would, I think, have been a far better option in this case. For one thing, at least the multimedia experience would have been great. And for another, gaming would have been a more pleasant experience, at least in single-player titles.

Miscellaneous: Speakers, fan noise, design

The rest of the spec is fine. Speakers are louder than what I’ve heard on gaming laptops in this price range, and the fan isn’t so loud as to drown out the speakers, even when running at max speed.

The cooling system isn’t ideal, but it does the job.

The thermal design of this laptop has attracted some amount of controversy for allegedly being inadequate. Personally, I think the design, while not ideal (no heat sinks on VRMs, SSD placed directly under a heat pipe), does the job well enough to not need to worry about thermals.

SSD placement in Asus TUF Gaming A15. Image: Anirudh Regidi/tech2

In my testing, the laptop routinely hit 85° C on the CPU and GPU, but in both cases, the components were power limited and not thermally throttled. The temps are indeed high, but no higher than what I’ve experienced on many gaming laptops in this form factor.

The NVMe SSD in the TUF-A15 is quite capable. it does run a bit hot though, most likely owing to its placement under the heat pipes.

Maybe I was lucky, or maybe ASUS did some tweaking on the initial design that went out to reviewers. I honestly don’t know. I just know that thermally speaking, my unit performed at par or better than laptops in a similar form factor.

Honestly, I think the poor-quality display is a bigger issue than thermal management.

Verdict: To game or not to game

This brings me to my biggest issue with the machine: I don’t know who it’s for.

For gamers, the configuration isn’t good value. The CPU is overkill and the more powerful and capable RTX 2060 GPU option is just five percent more expensive. The display is also a problem because it lacks in both colour gamut and response time. Given the number of reports I’m seeing about thermal issues with the design, I also can’t blindly recommend the RTX 2060 option (which should run hotter) without thoroughly examining its performance. This 1660 Ti model is already nearing its thermal design limit.

For content creators, performance is excellent, but the display is a poor choice. There’s absolutely no way you can edit anything on this machine without wondering if you’ve screwed up the colours.

If you don’t mind investing in an external display, or already have access to a good one, you can get away with buying the A15. And even then, I’d very strongly suggest you skip this model and go for the Rs 1,00,000 RTX 2060 model instead.

Personally, I’m waiting on MSI, Dell, Lenovo, and the like, to refresh their gaming line-up to see if they have a better-specced machine on offer. ASUS’s own updated Zephyrus range should also be arriving soon. If you can wait, wait.

Note: ASUS tells us that COVID-19 issues have affected logistics, which is why we don’t have the RTX 2060 model for review yet.

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

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flauntpage · 5 years

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Phillies Betting Preview: Nola Looking to Salvage Series Split With Dodgers

I’m a big, big fan of games that end just before two in the morning. Love them. Love them even more when they are followed by a 12:30 p.m. start time the next day. Makes for a good product – one that you can watch exclusive on YouTube. Seriously. YouTube. While that’s not ideal, I do have some good news for our PA readers. You now can bet on iOS with SugarHouse Sportsbook. You are required to download a geolocation app when you sign up right here.

See, it’s not all bad.

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Unfortunately for Phillies fans, that’s about all the good news I’ve got for you. Things were tied at 2-2 in the seventh inning last night (today?) when David Freese and Juan Nicasio collaborated to ensure no bonus baseball would be played deep into the early morning hours.

Cloudy with a chance of Freesing rain. pic.twitter.com/NG7HmtNBrq

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 18, 2019

From there, the Phillies quietly rolled over and lost for the fourth time in six games to open the second half. Apparently, it’s hard to win with no relief pitching and two hits. Who knew?

Those of you in Pennsylvania, find out more about how to get in on the action on our PA sports betting page.

Those of you in New Jersey, hit our NJ online sports betting page.

Phillies-Dodgers Odds

Here are the Phillies-Dodgers odds for this afternoon’s game. All odds and analysis provided are as of 12:15 a.m. Thursday morning.

SugarHouse Sportsbook

Run Line Money Total Phillies +1.5 (-167) -106 O 9 (-118) Dodgers -1.5 (+145) -108 U 9 (-102)

DraftKings Sportsbook

Run Line Money Total Phillies +1.5 (-167) -103 O 9 (-120) Dodgers -1.5 (+145) -112 U 9 (-103)

PointsBet

Run Line Money Total Phillies +1.5 (-125) -105 O 9.5 (-105) Dodgers -1.5 (+105) -115 U 9.5 (-115)

Nice to see the Phillies actually play the Dodgers at home with a quasi-respectable line after being a crazy +175 home dog on Tuesday night and a hefty +140 home dog last night. Still, Aaron Nola has allowed two earned runs in 20.2 IP this month, so I’m a little bit surprised the Phils aren’t favored here.

If you want to grab the under, get it at PointsBet where it’s currently 9.5 (-115). If you like the Dodgers, you can grab them at either SugarHouse Sportsbook or DraftKings Sportsbook. You can basically get the same price on a Phillies moneyline bet at all three books.

Phillies-Dodgers Pitching Matchup

Aaron Nola

Nola (8-2, 3.63 ERA) comes into the series finale against L.A. red-hot, allowing only two earned runs this month. Check out his numbers in three July starts:

20.2 IP, 1.06 WHIP, 0.87 ERA, .164 OPP BA, .512 OPS allowed, 10.02 K/9

That’s nasty.

In his last start, Nola allowed only one earned run over six innings against the Nationals, but the Phillies’ bullpen couldn’t hold a late 3-1 lead. Nola did struggle with his control some as he walked four batters, but he also struck out nine.

Nola has been a much better at home this season. In 72.1 IP at Citizens Bank Park, he has a 2.74 ERA while holding opponents to a .232 batting average and .657 OPS.

In three career starts against the Dodgers, Nola is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA and 0.895 WHIP. The Phillies are 3-0 (+$383) in those starts.

The Phillies are 12-8 (+$84) in Nola’s 20 starts this season, but are only 6-6 (-$284) in his 12 starts at Citizens Bank Park.

Note: Of the current Dodgers who have faced Aaron Nola, none have homered and they’ve combined for a .190 batting average and .461 OPS. Nola has owned this lineup.

Ross Stripling

Stripling (4-3, 3.65 ERA) is coming off a five inning start at Fenway Park in which he limited the Red Sox to only one earned run while striking out seven and walking none. Since June 1, Stripling has a 4.18 ERA in 23.2 IP and has allowed opponents to post a .775 OPS. Moreover, he has a 3.90 ERA in 32.1 IP away from Dodgers Stadium.

The Dodgers are 7-3 (+$310) in Stripling’s 10 starts this season and 4-1 (+$336) when he starts on the road. No doubt, he’s been a winning play on the road this season, but he hasn’t been a great play when pitching as a road favorite throughout his career, going 21-18 (-$453).

Note: Maikel Franco, Nick Williams, and Rhys Hoskins have all homered in their careers off of Stripling.

Phillies-Dodgers Betting Trends

The Dodgers, despite having the superior club in recent seasons, are only 8-8 overall at Citizens Bank Park dating back to 2015.

The Phillies are 29-21 at home this season ($-48), while the Dodgers are 27-22 (-$369) on the road. As good as Los Angeles is, they haven’t been a profitable play away from Dodgers stadium.

The Phillies won at Citizens Bank Park as an underdog for the first time this season on Tuesday night, but then couldn’t generate any momentum. They are now 1-4 as a home dog this season. In general, they have struggled as an underdog, going 11-23 (-$831). Overall, the Phillies continue to be one of the least profitable underdog bets in all of baseball this season.

In terms of this specific spread, the Phillies are only 2-4 when they are between +100 and -120 on the moneyline.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, have been profitable as a favorite at 59-30 (+$532). More specifically, however, they are 22-18 (-$323) as a road favorite this season. In terms of this specific line, LA is only 3-6 when favored between -100 and -120 (-$323). All nine of those games were played on the road.

Interestingly, despite the Dodgers’ significant pop from the left side, they are only 16-15 on the road in games started by a right-handed pitcher this season, which is pretty bizarre considering their 27-6 record at home against RHP.

Phillies-Dodgers Prediction

Given the instability and glaring weaknesses of the Phillies pitching staff, they have to take advantage of Aaron Nola’s starts if they’re going to give themselves a chance in the wild card hunt. Nola pitched well in the sweltering heat in a day game at Citizens Bank Park back on June 27 against the Mets and has had success in hot and humid conditions throughout his career. This isn’t so much of a play on the Phillies as it is on Nola, who has absolutely dominated the Dodgers in three career starts. I’ll take the Phillies on the moneyline at -106 to salvage a series split before heading to Pittsburgh this weekend.

The post Phillies Betting Preview: Nola Looking to Salvage Series Split With Dodgers appeared first on Crossing Broad.

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ciathyzareposts · 5 years

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Darklands: Travelogue (Part 2)

Alas, the mines proved too much for my journeyman party.

We pick up where the previous entry left off:

Sometime after 5 August 1401. Goslar Mines.

Since you can’t check “Party Info” while indoors, I have no idea how much time has passed since the party entered the mines. As the session begins, we find a second ladder down on Level 4 that we must have missed earlier.

With Maximian and Lambert so low on health, I’ve reconfigured the marching order to put Bianca first (she has the best “Perception”), followed by my NPC companion Hanse. Maximian, in ignominy, picks up the rear. Clearly, I should have waited until I had more prayers or alchemies before attempting this type of quest, but in fairness I had no idea that the mines would be so extensive. Everything until now had been a series of menu options.

We fight one gargoyle before coming to yet another puzzle door, which challenges us to figure out the next number in a sequence that goes 27, 64, 125, 216, 343.

I suspect either you’ll get it right away or it will take you a while. The numbers are cubes of 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, so the next would be 8^3 or 512. Anyway, beyond the door, another dwarf told me that I’d find enemies further along who were guarding some kind of holy relic.

It would have been nice to have found this.

On the level below, four gargoyles attack just after I get off the ladder. Hanse is seriously wounded. In a side room, Hanse is unable to disarm a chest after multiple attempts. I size up the situation and conclude that I need more skill and craft before I’m able to fully clear these mines. Reluctantly, I make my way back up to the surface, camp, and restore much of my lost strength.

17 August 1401. Wilderness. Party Fame: 52 (barely known).

We notice a strange darkness in the woods: twisted trees, black birds with harsh cries, the smell of smoke. Investigating, we determine that witchcraft has taken place here. We’re soon attacked by a pack of wolves but manage to slay them with minimal damage.

Fools. Everyone knows that the wolves are the enemy of the Shadow.

23 August 1401. Wilderness.

Attacked by a group of bandits. Everyone is wounded more than they ought to be for a foe we’ve fought many times before.

26 August 1401. Erfurt.

We arrive in a city at last. Night is falling just as we go through the gates, so we immediately see about our task to steal notes from the Medici offices. When we get to the central market, we have options to sneak past the guards and custodians, bribe them, or attack them.

Options when skulking about the market at night.

My party isn’t very good at sneaking, but I try it and surprisingly it works. Hanse is able to defeat the lock, and we enter the Medici offices and recover the debt note that the Hanseatic League in Lübeck wanted. In victory, we check into the Lilie and stay several days to return to full health. 5 September 1401. Erfurt. Party Fame: 62 (barely known). Local Rep: 3. It’s time to head back east, find a way to cross the Elbe, deal with Anton Seibt, and get to Berlin. Before we leave, we buy some reagents in the main market, but are once again tossed away from Alchemist’s Lane when we try to buy some formulas. Moving east from Erfurt, we finally find a bridge across the Elbe and thus begin angling back north. 7 September 1401. Wilderness. On the road, a nobleman appears with knights and retainers and demands that we pay the “road toll” of 1 florin. I choose to “try to talk him out of it,” and the nobleman blanches upon hearing our names, graciously letting us use his road for free. “Such are the benefits of reputation and fame,” the game muses, as if we’d earned much of either.

The nobleman acts like we’ve introduced ourselves as the “Gambinos” or something.

9 September 1401. Wilderness.

The party investigates a castle, and it turns out to belong to the robber knight Rainald Nöttelheim. He’s not a high-priority target, as the only quest we have to kill him is from the Medici representative in Goslar. But there are other benefits to killing robber knights, and we’re right there.

I have no idea how my clumsy, armored characters passed this test.

Our usual tactic is to knock and ask for entry, then stay the night, then sneak into the robber knight’s chambers at night. We can’t do that this time because it’s already night. So I choose to sneak into the castle entirely, and it works. We then sneak into his room, defeat him in single combat, and loot his armor as we did the first two times. This is too easy.

13 September 1401. Halle.

We come to a small hamlet on the way to Berlin. As usual, the schulz is no help. We go to confession at the church instead, and something odd happens. The penance given by the priest is to slowly kill a small animal, then recite 10 prayers backwards, then drink so much sacramental wine that we pass out. Needless to say, the party declines to perform this so-called penance.

A warning sign.

Wondering if this oddity is something we should act upon, we return to the schulz and note that one of the options is to accuse the village of satanic practices. We choose that, and in response multiple villagers attack us with clubs and tools. But they’re just peasants, and the resulting combat is both brief and non-damaging to the party.

After the combat, one of the villagers gasps, just before dying, “We will have our revenge East of Strassburg on September 22.” Afterwards, we hike up to the top of a nearby hill and find a demonic altar. With no alchemical or saintly options, we choose to “call forth the demon haunting the site and defeat it in battle,” and we do in fact defeat him in battle. The altar is destroyed and we all gain some virtue points.

The cultist’s statement alarms us, but Strassburg is awful far to the southwest, and there’s no way we can make it there in 9 days. 14 September 1401. Leipzig. Party Fame: 72 (barely known). Local rep: 0. 349 years from now, Bach will die in this city. We have no luck here. The burgermeister won’t see us; the alchemists won’t talk to us; the Kloster won’t even let us study saints. We buy some reagents and move on.

Through the woods to Wittenberg.

23 September 1401. Wittenberg. Party Fame: 72 (barely known). Local rep: 0.

We reach Wittenberg on the way to Berlin. We arrive at dusk. Rather than immediately head to the Goldene Weintraube for the night, we spend a couple hours on the streets beating up thieves. Maximian takes way more damage than makes sense given his plate armor. We retire to the inn and rest a couple of days to restore hit points. Immediately on the road after leaving Witternberg, we are attacked by, and defeat, a party of wolves. 25 October 1401. Wilderness. Huddled mass of beggars on the road. Give 2 florins. 4 November 1401. Berlin. Party Fame: 72 (barely known). Local rep: 0.

We arrive in Berlin at last, on a mission to steal reports from the Medici representative. That has to wait for night, so we spend the day shopping, and Maximian spends a few hours learning of St. Willebald. Just as we’re about to leave, for the heck of it, we toss a few florins in the collection plate and a mysterious monk tells us to come back in the morning.

This led nowhere. Maybe we were too late in the “morning.”

At night, we are able to sneak into the offices of the Medici representative and steal the treason plans that the Hanseatic League representative in Flensburg wanted. We finish off the evening with a bit of the old ultraviolence, courtesy of some hapless thieves, then settle in for a night’s rest at the Alter Krug Dahlem. The next morning, we return to the Kloster but nothing special happens. I don’t know what that was about. We depart the city, heading northwest along the east bank of the Elbe.

I’m beginning to wonder if these quests are really worth the trouble.

15 November 1401. Wilderness. Party Fame: 82 (barely known). Attacked by bandits. Bluffing doesn’t work. We kick their butts. Everyone’s “Impact Weapons” go up a couple of points; the characters are now mostly in their 40s with the weapons after six months of practice. 26 November 1401. Wilderness.

At last, we come across the keep of Anton Seibt. We save the game and try challenging him to single combat. He attacks with a group of his retainers instead, and three of my characters are killed. Reloading, we try the tactic that has worked multiple times already: ask for entry, ask to spend the night, sneak out and find him in the middle of the night, defeat him in five-on-one combat.

Seibt doesn’t fall for any of that “single combat” nonsense.

We now have multiple people to call on for rewards, including some at Lüneberg across the river. This time, there’s an obvious bridge between the two sides. Why didn’t we notice it last time? Did it get washed out?

5 December 1401. Lüneberg. Party fame: 92 (barely known). Local rep: -9. The alchemist and the Hanseatic League are both grateful for the death of Anton Seibt. The game tells me that Hanse leaves after the League gives us our reward, but he doesn’t right away. He stays in the party while we’re still in town. Just as I’m beginning to assume it’s a bug and we’ll be able to keep him, he leaves us as we depart the city the next day.

Our friend announces his departure. Maybe we should have avoided turning in this quest. He was worth 10 florins.

At the alchemist’s shop, I finally find someone willing to sell me alchemical formulas. Even though they cost a pretty 16 florins, I purchase four. This almost ensures that I’ll be able to write about alchemy and potions next time.

Finally!

23 December 1401. Wilderness.

Horrible day. We’re attacked by giant spiders and just after we finish with them, we’re attacked by The Hunt. Maximian is nearly killed.

What is this Hunt dude’s problem?

30 December 1401. Wilderness.

Attacked by wild boars. Fortunately, no one is very hurt. Then we’re ambushed by thieves. Maximian manages to bluff our way out of combat.

31 December 1401. Lübeck. Party fame: 95 (barely known). Local rep: 39.

The oberste, Adam Schmidt, gives us nearly 60 florins for killing Anton Seibt, and our local reputation goes up 43 points (“a local hero”). The Hanseatic League gives us a 7-florin reward for stealing the debt note from Erfurt.

I spend a bunch of our wealth on reagents and then spend a couple weeks at the Rathskellar, healing.

19 January 1402. Flensburg. Party fame: 95 (barely known). Local rep: 80.

Eight months after we left, we return to our city of origin with three rewards to collect. The Fugger representative gives us 6 florins for Seibt. The Hanseatic League representative gives us 3 florins for the reports regarding a plot to overthrow the city. (This lowers our local reputation by 10. What?) But the erbvogt, who also gave me the quest to kill Seibt, refuses to see us two days in a row. This is the second time he’s blown us off after we’ve defeated a robber knight, and I assume it’s some bug in the game. The quest-tracking utility, which I’m no longer using, says that we need to visit the mayor of Flensburg–twice.

The Fugger hates parting with money, even when it’s due.

We decide to settle in for a period of learning and skill development, but this is hard to do in a concentrated way. For instance, the monastery seems to allow you to learn about one saint per visit to the city, not once per day. If you get someone to agree to tutor you, the agreement only lasts for a few days, during which there’s no guarantee that you’ll actually increase. After a couple of frustrating weeks in which we accomplish little, we leave the city.

13 February 1402. Schleswig. Party fame: 95 (barely known). Local rep: -20. I don’t know what happened to our reputation in this city. As far as I know, we’ve done nothing negative here, and yet the guards accosted us when we tried to enter the city. We glibly talked our way out of it, but the experience left us rattled. Maybe our growing fame in Flensburg and Lübeck hurt us here.

Our ruse works–but we’re still not in the city.

I’ll leave off here as the party considers a new plan and exploration pattern, probably returning to summary entries when I come back.

Time so far: 29 hours

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/darklands-travelogue-part-2/

#retro games #dos games #retro #crpg #adventure #amiga #oldcomputers #8bit #16bit #blog #repost

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rebeccahpedersen · 7 years

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The Tao Of The 2017 Buyer

TorontoRealtyBlog

The spring of 2017 was the hottest market I have ever seen. It was probably the hottest market that any Realtor, regardless of his or her experience in this city, has ever seen.

I told a lot of stories back in the spring on TRB, many of which conveyed exactly how hot the market was.

But one story was left untold, because it just concluded. And ironically, it took place after the market changed, as our journey began in June.

Allow me to regale you with the Tao of the 2017 Buyer…

Back in 2014, I wrote an epic four-part blog series which I entitled, “The Tao of the 2014 Buyer.”

Ah yes, 2014 – back when I wrote four blogs per week, rather than the three that I cut it back to in 2015 when I started my Thursday “Pick5” feature. Four blogs. Wow. I actually just got anxiety thinking about that…

A four-part series wasn’t how I set out to tell that story, but as I began the framework for a post that I thought might result in a “To Be Continued,” I soon realized that in order to properly convey the story, I needed to let the post write itself.

I remember that spring, 2014 market very well.

It was a continuation of a 2013 fall market that just seemed to come out of nowhere, culminating with a whopping 11.3% year-over-year increase in average home price in the month of November. Yes, 11.3%. Remember when that was significant?

When the spring of 2014 began, we all knew it would be busy.

The average home price of $520,398 in December continued to rise and rise throughout 2014, hitting $585,204 – a 12.4% increase in a mere 5 months; an annual rate of close to 30%.

I was working with a lot of buyers in that market, and every buyer who purchased between January and June continued to follow new listings, and send me emails with, “Did you see the sale price of such-and-such house? Wow, am I ever glad we bought!”

One of my buyer couples from that spring (actually from the fall of 2013, if you read the series) had just about the worst luck I had ever seen, in all my time in the business.

While we often say there is no “luck” involved in buying real estate, that’s not entirely true.

I’ve sold houses to buyers on the night of a storm, or an election, or a holiday, that would have, could have, should have sold for more. That’s lucky, for certain.

I’ve won in multiple offers because the buyer picked a price that ended in say, “512,” because they got married on May 12th – enabling them to beat the second-highest offer which ended in “000.” That sounds skillful, but it’s luck.

Luck is ever-present in real estate, especially on the buy-side.

But my clients from the 2014 “Tao” blog series had no luck, and as a result, they lose EIGHT offers, before finally securing a property on their 9th try – a journey that began on October 1st, 2013, and ended on May 5th, 2014.

They bid $781,200 on a house, and lost to a bid of $785,100.

They bid $800,000 on a house, and lost to a bid of $805,000.

They bid on eight houses, with an average loss margin of 3.0%, and taking away the two blowouts, their loss margin was a mere 1.45% on six lost properties.

Well, if this doesn’t entice you to read a four part blog series, then I don’t know what will!

I’ll make it easy on you, here are the four parts:

The Tao of The 2014 Buyer – Part I

The Tao of The 2014 Buyer – Part II

The Tao of The 2014 Buyer – Part III

The Tao of The 2014 Buyer – Part IV

–

My clients paid $776,00 for a house that’s probably worth $1.1M today, and like so many people before them, they likely thought, “This amount of money is just absurd for what we’re getting,” only to watch the market continue to grow, month after month, year after year.

A question I’m asked by a majority of buyers at the onset of the search is, “How many properties would you say your average buyer sees before they buy one?”

That’s a good question, but unfortunately, the answer is of zero help to the buyer.

“Eleven point four,” I might tell them, whether that’s in any way accurate.

The problem with putting a number to that question is, if the number is high, the buyer might feel like he or she should pass on the perfect property, right there in front of them, in order to simply “see more of what’s out there.” If the number is low, the buyer might feel rushed into making a decision, when he or she isn’t really ready.

Every buyer is different, pardon the obvious.

Every buyer comes into the search with a different amount of knowledge, about real estate, but also about personal finance, mortgage regulations, Toronto’s geography and demographics, and a host of other variables affecting the search.

The second question I get with regularity, specifically in the midst of hot market cycles, is, “How many offers do your buyers lose before they win one?”

Great question.

And perhaps this time, the answer I provide could shed some light on their search.

I don’t know the answer, but if we’re talking freehold buyers, in 2016 through 2017, I’d say probably 2.5.

Now, because I know that you’re very curious to know the answer, I’ve just taken about 45 minutes while writing this, to log all the offers I made in the spring, and find out the real answer to this question.

I think this will be tremendously helpful for active buyers, even though the market has changed.

Of all the freehold properties I sold to buyers in the spring, 2017 real estate market, and not including buyers who made offers but didn’t eventually buy (there were a few), here is the number of offers that my successful buyers made:

1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 9

That’s an average of 2.53 offers per buyer.

And since I had guessed 2.5, I feel like I just wasted an hour of my life.

Oh, the things we do in the pursuit of integrity…

You’ll notice that at the bottom of the list, is the number “9.”

At the risk of spoiling the conclusion to this blog series, let me clarify that, yes, this is the story I want to tell today.

The tale, story, journey, or Tao of the 2017 real estate buyer, but also the excitement, heartache, anguish, anxiety, frustration, and experience of two very normal people, well-informed, well-qualified financially, and extremely intelligent, who, as was the case with my couple in 2014, simply had, dare I say, bad luck.

This is, as you would assume from the list of offers above, not the typical real estate experience. But it’s a learning experience for those of you reading it, since we had not one, but many odd situations and events through the course of our search.

All of these events make for those learning moments that so many would-be buyers seek while reading Toronto Realty Blog.

You just hope that they don’t all happen to you…

Jake and Amanda emailed me in March of 2017 to say that they were getting married, and needed more space, and like many buyers in their position, they found that browsing what was available on Realtor.ca wasn’t providing enough information.

I had sold Jake the condo way back in 2010, and while small, it had brought him through a series of transitions in life that one in their 20’s and 30’s would experience while living in downtown Toronto. When I think back to where I was in life when I bought my first condo, and where I was when I left five years later, I can’t believe how many miles I put on the odometer of life.

Jake’s condo was small, and I could imagine how two people living there would be tight. Imagine my surprise when we finally met up and they told me they’d been living there together, in 540 square feet, for several years!

That is certainly getting the most out of your investment!

What’s more, is they absolutely loved the place, and Amanda beamed as she told me what life in the condo had been like.

We got together in April when their search went from browsing online to checking out open houses in person, and they told me that they were looking to spend around $850,000, but were completely open to location, style, and size.

Everybody says they’re completely open; flexible, willing to compromise, make concessions, etc.

In practice, however, I find most buyers have no idea what “concessions” really are, and when you’ve got Cadillac-tastes on a Pontiac-budget, in this market, it makes it very difficult to get in tune with reality. Many of these buyers, unfortunately, get left behind.

But once I started searching with Jake & Amanda, I realized they really were open to just about everything. Our search would eventually take us from Scarlett Woods to Scarborough, and just about everywhere in between.

That flexibility ultimately enabled them to look for value in a market where there often wasn’t any, and draw a firm line in the sand with each and every property. Rarely, if ever, did they get emotionally involved with a house.

After our initial meeting in April, Jake & Amanda hammered out their “must have” list as follows:

Must Haves:

2+ Bed; 1.5+ Bath

Turn key (limited renos if any (cosmetic only); finished basement)

Walkable neighbourhood; near transit

Parking

In/Around Toronto (40 minute max commute to, say, Eaton Centre)

They set their ceiling at $800,000 even, and our search began.

When meeting with clients who have broad search criteria – whether it’s geographic in nature, or rather they’re open to various housing styles, I find it’s best to see a property, any property, and do a thorough walkthrough, pointing out the pros and cons.

The first property we saw together was a small rowhouse on Norwood Terrace, just west of the bridge on Main Street, south of Danforth.

While walking up to the house, we encountered a middle-aged man doing crossfit on the sidewalk, completely in a zone. He was skipping, doing burpies, and I believe he did a few overhead dumbell snatches as well. If that isn’t “a sign” that this is your future neighbourhood, then I don’t know what is.

I immediately saw how organized Jake & Amanda were, as Jake came equipped with pages of notes, transit routes, and important questions to ask.

Listed at $668,000, I told them I thought the house would push $800,000, and for a 2-bed, 2-bath, with no parking, they just didn’t “connect” with the house.

It ended up selling for $765,000, and they had no reaction whatsoever. They had already moved on to other options.

This would become a pattern in a very rational, unemotional search, the likes of which are extremely rare in this business.

The following week, I took them to Danforth Village to check out a few houses that I really liked, and we would end up putting our first offer on paper…

(TO BE CONTINUED…)

The post The Tao Of The 2017 Buyer appeared first on Toronto Real Estate Property Sales & Investments | Toronto Realty Blog by David Fleming.

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minnievirizarry · 8 years

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Always Up-to-Date Guide to Social Media Image Sizes

Whether it’s a brand promotion, video, news update or even a meme, visual content rules the social media landscape. What has become so important is effectively conveying your brand on social media through images and video.

In this quick-scroll world of social media, the visual face of your brand is often times the first thing your audience sees and possibly the one thing they remember. It’s hard to cut and paste an image and reuse it across all of your social networks unless you have a tool like Landscape.

Sprout Social’s very own tool is free to use to resize, crop and scale social media image sizes. And along with our resizing tool, we’ve provided all the specific dimensions and a few quick tips to help you decide which image best fits each position.

Before we get into it, here are some additional resources:

Easily reference this social media image sizes list in our always up-to-date Google Doc.

Feel free to quickly create your own social media images using these 36 free image creation tools!

Social Media Image Sizes Per Network

These links will make it easier for you to navigate to the specific social media image sizes per network:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Google+

Youtube

Tumblr

Facebook Image Sizes

With 1.18 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the world’s largest social network. One bad image choice could spell the difference in attracting and engaging with this huge user base and being completely ignored.

One thing to remember when choosing your photos is that there is a difference between how things will display on your personal timeline and how things will display in a user’s newsfeed. Make sure that you are choosing dimensions based on where you want the majority of viewers to see your image.

Profile Picture: 180 x 180 (Displays 160 x 160 on Desktop)

Say cheese: this is going to be the photo representing you or your brand on Facebook. This is the square photo that appears on your timeline layered over your cover photo. Your profile picture will also appear when you post to other walls, comment on posts or when you’re searched with Facebook’s Open Graph (that’s a fancy term used for its search function).

Image Guidelines

Must be at least 180 x 180 pixels.

Photo will appear on page as 160 x 160 pixels on desktop, 140 x 140 on smartphones, and 50 x 50 on most feature phones.

Profile pictures are located 16 pixels from the left and 176 pixels from the top of your cover photo on desktop.

Profile pictures are located 24 pixels from the left, 24 pixels from the bottom and 196 pixels from the top of your cover photo on smartphones.

Photo thumbnail will appear throughout Facebook at 32 x 32 pixels.

Cover Photo: 820 x 312

Your cover photo will only appear on your Facebook timeline, but it is a lot bigger than the profile picture, which gives you more freedom to choose something creative. Where your profile picture might be a good choice for a picture of you, or a brand logo, use this space to post something that speaks more toward you as an individual or as a brand.

Image Guidelines

Appear on page at 820 x 312 pixels. Anything less will be stretched.

Minimum size of 399 x 150 pixels.

Displays at 820 x 312 pixels on desktop and 640 x 360 pixels on smartphones.

Doesn’t display on feature phones.

For best results, upload an sRGB JPG file less than 100 KB.

Images with a logo or text may be best as a PNG file.

Shared Image: 1,200 x 630

A shared image is one of the most common forms of sharing on Facebook. These images will always appear on your timeline, and ideally they will show up in most of your followers’ News Feeds — though with the decrease in organic reach, it’s unlikely that everyone will see your post. The more people engage with your post, the more likely it is that the rest of your followers and their followers will see that activity.

Image Guidelines

Recommended upload size of 1,200 x 630 pixels.

Will appear in feed at a max width of 470 pixels (will scale to a max of 1:1).

Will appear on page at a max width of 504 pixels (will scale to a max of 1:1).

Shared Link: 1,200 x 627

Another great tool in your Facebook belt is the ability to share a link. It’s very similar to posting a shared image, but it gives you even more fields to work with. You can choose to create a shared link with a small square image to the left and text on the right, or with a larger rectangular image on top with text underneath.

Image Guidelines

Recommended upload size of 1,200 x 627 pixels.

Square Photo: Minimum 154 x 154px in feed.

Square Photo: Minimum 116 x 116 on page.

Rectangular Photo: Minimum 470 x 246 pixels in feed.

Rectangular Photo: Minimum 484 x 252 on page.

Facebook will scale photos under the minimum dimensions. For better results, increase image resolution at the same scale as the minimum size.

Highlighted Image: 1,200 x 717 (Recommended)

Did your company turn its first profit? Hit its 10th, 20th or 100th employee? A milestone is a great time to create a highlighted image. This image is going to be housed on your personal timeline, but it is going to take up a great deal more space than a shared link or image, so it’s a good place to celebrate the victories that keep you going!

Image Guidelines

Will appear on your page at 843 x 504 pixels.

Choose a higher resolution at that scale for better quality.

Event Image Image: 1920 x 1080 (Recommended)

Facebook Events help capture the attention of users and cut through the noise on Facebook. Reminders are sent to your audience and having a good space with an even better image is important. Make sure you have the right dimensions down for a Facebook Event cover photo.

Image Guidelines

Facebook will scale down to minimum dimensions: 470 × 174.

Shows in feed: 470 × 174.

Find more information on the image sizes for Facebook, visit the Facebook Help Center

Twitter Image Sizes

Don’t let its logo fool you–Twitter is not just for the birds. In fact, with 313 million monthly active users, Twitter is one of the social media networks that your customers will most often use to discuss your brand.

Profile Photo: 400 x 400 (Displays 200 x 200)

Your Twitter profile photo is the main image that represents you or your brand across the network. It’s going to be seen across the site in a number of places by a number of people so make sure it’s of the highest quality. Here’s the places your profile photo will be visible on the site.

On Your Page: The largest display of your profile picture is on your homepage and can be viewed by your followers as well as individuals who stumble upon your page.

In-Stream: A smaller version of your profile picture appears in a follower’s Twitter stream every time you Tweet. It also appears in the stream of your followers’ followers every time you’re Retweeted.

Who to Follow: Your profile picture is also going to appear next to a link to your page in the “Who to follow” box. This is located directly to the right of your twitter stream. Choose a recognizable image here.

Image Guidelines

Square Image recommended 400 x 400 pixels.

Maximum file size 2 MB.

Image types include: JPG, GIF or PNG.

Header Photo: 1,500 x 500

Your header photo is the image that spans the top of your Twitter profile page. It’s quite a bit larger than your profile photo so make sure to save it at the highest resolution possible. Because you have more room to be creative with this picture and it will likely be the first thing your visitors see, make it something captivating.

Image Guidelines

Recommended 1,500 x 500 pixels.

Maximum file size of 5 MB.

Image types include: JPG, GIF or PNG.

In-Stream Photo: Minimum 440 x 220 (2:1 Ratio)

Twitter users can attach photos to any of their Tweets. Luckily, Twitter updated to no longer count characters against your Tweet limit. Uploaded photos will appear in your followers’ streams and the streams of their followers (if Retweeted).

It’s important to note that Twitter may collapse your photo into a smaller version to fit in a user’s stream. Make sure Twitter displays the portion of the photo you want followers to see by setting the width of your image to fit the minimum requirements. Also, horizontally center your content to avoid odd cropping.

Image Guidelines

Minimum to appear expanded 440 x 220 pixels (a 2:1 ratio).

Can tweet up to 4 images at one time.

Can edit images if tweeting from Twitter iOS or Android app.

Maximum to appear expanded 1024 x 512 pixels.

Appears in stream collapsed at 506 x 253 pixels on desktop.

Maximum file size of 5 MB for photos, and 3 MB for animated GIFs.

Find more information on in-stream photos at the Twitter Help Center.

Instagram Image Sizes

Instagram is one of the most popular photo-sharing social networks with more than 600 million users. It’s the best place to showcase your visual creativity.

Profile Picture: 110 x 110

Instagram is based on visuals, which should be an indication of how important it is to follow these image size guidelines. Ensure your profile image is recognizable so users can find you even easier through search or explore.

Image Guidelines

Appear on your profile at 110 x 110 pixels.

Square photo: make sure to maintain an aspect ratio of 1:1.

Photo Thumbnails: 161 x 161

When someone goes to your page, they’ll be presented with all of your content arranged in rows of thumbnails. These smaller renditions of your images and videos will expand when clicked and include a place for people to comment.

Image Guidelines

The thumbnails will appear on the page at 161 x 161 pixels.

Square photo: make sure to maintain an aspect ratio of 1:1 ratio.

Photo Size: 1080 x 1080

Instagram is all about the images and videos presented in your followers’ feed. In fact, Instagram higher resolution photos when taken from the native application. If you decided to upload a photo or video from any other device, the resolution will be much lower.

Image Guidelines

The size of Instagram images has been increased to 1080 x 1080 pixels.

Instagram still scales these photos down to 612 x 612 pixels.

Appear in feed at 510 x 510 pixels.

Square or rectangle photos: make sure to maintain an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 4:5 ratio.

Smaller featured header images appear as 204 x 204 pixels, and larger featured header images appear as 409 x 409 pixels.

LinkedIn Image Sizes

With 467 million registered users, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. Where other social networks may be good drivers of traffic and customers, LinkedIn is a great place for you to source great employees and to connect with other industry leaders.

Personal Profile Picture: 400 x 400 (Recommended)

LinkedIn has been using a new layout for select users and we’ll update the image sizes once it’s officially released. However, the original personal profile picture for LinkedIn is very straightforward. This is the main image that represents you on your personal profile. So anytime someone takes a look at your profile for some quick info, this is the prominent image that represents you.

Image Guidelines

Recommended between 400 x 400 and 20,000 x 20,000 pixels

Minimum 200 x 200 pixels

Maximum file size 10MB.

Image types includeL JPG, GIF or PNG.

Personal Background Image: Between 1000 x 425 and 4000 x 4000

LinkedIn’s background image is a newer feature for your personal profile. It’s a little bit trickier to find something that really fits that space well, but if you get it right, your profile will look great.

Recommended between 1000 x 425 and 4,000 x 4,000 pixels

Maximum size 4MB.

Image types include: JPG, PNG or GIF.

Banner Image for Brand (Company) Pages: 646 x 220 (Minimum)

The banner image is one of the newest and most prominent of the images that you can use on LinkedIn. This image appears when a user visits your brand’s homepage. Since this image is located on your homepage it’s likely the visitor is actively searching for your brand, so use this opportunity to reel them in with a great image.

Image Guidelines

Minimum 646 x 220 pixels.

Maximum 2MB.

Landscape Layout.

Image types include: PNG, JPG or GIF.

Standard Logo: 400 x 400

One of the two brand logos that you should be uploading to LinkedIn is the business logo. This is the bigger of the two and is going to show up right next to your brand name on your LinkedIn homepage. This image also appears in the “Companies you may want to follow” section. The more enticing the photo, the more likely you’ll gain followers.

Image Guidelines

400 x 400 pixels recommended (300 x 300 minimum and resized to fit).

Maximum 4 MB (Square layout).

Image types include: PNG, JPG or GIF.

Square Logo: 60 x 60

This is the brand image that shows up when your company is searched. Make sure you use something recognizable to your brand let customers know which company is yours.

Image Guidelines

60 x 60 pixels (resized to fit).

Maximum 2MB.

Image types include: PNG, JPG or GIF.

Hero Image: 974 x 330

Finding great people to work for your company is one of the most important aspects of LinkedIn. You can have a separate tab solely based on career opportunities at your company. At the top of this page sits a banner that is bigger than any of the other images on LinkedIn.

You can use this space to choose a picture that speaks to your company in order to attract some great potential employees.

Image Guidelines

Minimum 974 x 330 pixels.

Maximum 2MB.

Landscape Layout.

Image types include: PNG, JPG or GIF.

Find more information in the Linkedin Help Center.

Pinterest Image Sizes

Pinterest can be an amazing social tool for driving referral traffic to your site. This is mostly due to the fact that 90% of Pinterest pages are external links.

So it’s very important for you to make sure you’re optimizing your Pinterest page regularly and using proper image sizes for your boards and pins.

Profile Picture: 165 x 165

When setting up your Pinterest account you have the option to do so using Facebook, Twitter or email. If you choose Facebook or Twitter, Pinterest will pull in the profile image that you have set there.

If you’re using email, or would prefer to use a different photo, you can do that too: just upload a square photograph (the larger the better) and Pinterest will resize it to fit. Like other social sites your profile picture on Pinterest should be something closely tied to you or your brand.

Image Guidelines

Appears at 165 x 165 pixels on home page.

Appears at 32 x 32 pixels on the rest of Pinterest.

Maximum 10 MB (wouldn’t allow me to upload anything larger).

Image types include: JPG and PNG for profile pictures.

Pin Sizes

When adding a pin to your board, it’s important to remember that Pinterest puts a limit on the width of the image but not the length. This gives you the opportunity to add a photo that’s square or one that will scale to be even taller. Just remember to make sure you’re creating large images because they add more value, not just because you can.

Image Guidelines

Pins on main page appear as 236 pixels (height is scaled).

Pins on a board appear as 236 pixels (height is scaled).

Expanded pins have a minimum width 600 pixels (height is scaled).

It’s recommended to use an image aspect ratio of 2:3 to 1:3.5

Board Display

Creating boards is one of the most important things that you can do on Pinterest. It’s important to make sure you’re using an image that fits the size criteria perfectly. Not only is it important to choose a photo that is enticing to your audience, it’s important to choose one that’s relevant to that particular board.

Image Guidelines

222 x 150 pixels (large thumbnail)

55 x 55 (smaller thumbnail)

Find more information in the Pinterest Help Center.

Google+ Image Sizes

We know Google+ might not at the top of your list, but it’s still an important site for most companies to be present. This isn’t just because of the social aspect, but also your Google+ account is tied to the search engine itself. When someone searches your brand, Google pulls in your Google+ account information, including your profile picture and recent posts.

Profile Picture: 250 x 250 (Recommended)

Google already has a ton of information about your brand, now they want a face or logo to tie to that name. Though you upload your image in a square format, it’s going to render on your page as a circle. Be wary you don’t choose a photo that cuts out important parts of your image!

Image Guidelines

Minimum 250 x 250 pixels.

Recommended to use larger photos.

Maximum file size 100MB.

Maximum dimensions not listed (we were able to upload at 5,200 x 5,300 pixels).

Image types include: JPG, GIF or PNG.

Cover Image: 1,080 x 608

The Google+ cover image is the biggest photo on your page, so choose your photo wisely. It’s a great opportunity for you to showcase a product or service your brand offers. This is also a great spot to use an image that highlights your brand’s beliefs.

Image Guidelines

Recommended 1,080 x 608 pixels.

Minimum 480 x 270 pixels.

Maximum 2,120 x 1,192 pixels.

Shared Image – 497 x 373 (displays as)

Google+ sharing is similar to that of other social networks, with one key difference: circles. With circles you can group people together based off of certain criteria that you deem relevant, and then share different images to different circles based off that demographics’ personality.

Image Guidelines

Appears in home stream and on page at a width of 426 pixels (height is scaled).

Minimum width of 497 pixels (will scale the height for you).

Maximum upload 2,048 x 2,048 pixels.

Shared Link – 150 x 150 (thumbnail).

Shared Link – 150 x 150 (Thumbnail)

A shared link comes with the same ability to choose which circles you want to share with, but the post itself has different capabilities. You’ll still have the ability to type in whatever description that you’d like, but with a shared link you also have the opportunity to link your post to your site.

This is going to pull a photo from your site and add it to the post so that your viewers can click through to your page.

Image Guidelines

Shows in the feed and on page as 150 x 150 pixels (pulls in photo from linked site).

Shared Video: Width of 496 Pixels

Videos are amazing assets for brands to help with their marketing efforts. If you happen to have one, or are interested in making one, it could be a great piece of content to send out to your Google+ audience. Just as with links and images you can pick and choose which circles would be best for each video.

Video Guidelines

Shows in the feed and on page as 497 x 279 pixels.

Find more information on profile and cover photos at Google+ Help.

YouTube Image Sizes

YouTube has more than 1 billion unique users every month and is available on hundreds of millions of devices. More than 1 million brands have already realized that YouTube is a great opportunity to reach their fan-base.

Channel Cover Photo: 2,560 x 1,440

Spice up your YouTube channel with some “channel art.” When users click through your YouTube videos to your channel, some appealing images could entice them to stay on your page longer and watch more of your videos.

Across Different Devices

There are a lot of different platforms and devices that users can stream YouTube on so it’s important that your brand has a photo optimized for each one.

Display Sizes

Tablet display: 1,855 x 423.

Mobile display: 1,546 x 423.

TV display: 2,560 x 1,440.

Desktop: 2,560 x 423 (1,546 x 423 pixels are always visible). Flexible Area (may be visible): 507 pixels to the left and 507 pixels to the right of the safe area.

Video Uploads: 1280 x 760 (Minimum HD)

Uploading your content to YouTube is the one of the most important parts of establishing your presence on the site. Videos can tell viewers something about you as a person, or it could show off something that your business might offer.

Video Guidelines

Videos must maintain a 16:9 aspect ratio.

In order to qualify as full HD, your dimensions must be at least 1,280 x 760 pixels.

Tumblr Image Sizes

Tumblr is a customizable social site that lets users effortlessly share anything that they want. Due to the fact that almost everything is sharable, it isn’t hard to imagine that there are currently over 235 million blogs that have churned out more than 144.7 billion posts.

Profile Picture: 128 x 128

Although there is a profile photo associated with your Tumblr page, it doesn’t appear very frequently throughout the site. It will appear as a thumbnail adjacent to your posts within a follower’s feed.

The photo also appears next to the buttons to follow you on Tumblr when someone visits your page. Your profile photo will also appear somewhere on your Tumblr profile page. Whichever theme you choose is going to play a part in where the photo appears and its size.

Some brands choose a large image while others keep them subtler. Just make sure to mind the minimum and pick an image that fits not only your brand, but that also fits your page’s layout.

Image Guidelines

Minimum 128 x 128 pixels.

Image types include: JPG, GIF, PNG or BMP.

Image Posts: 500 x 750

These are the posts that you send out to your followers that will also appear on your page. Due to the fact that Tumblr is so customizable and each theme is so different, not all people are going to want to post the same size photos.

Image Guidelines

Dash image sizes max at 1,280 x 1,920, and show in feeds at 500 x 750.

Images can’t exceed 10MB.

Animated GIFS must be under 2MB and max at 540 pixels (although some instances allow more width depending on GIF size).

This post Always Up-to-Date Guide to Social Media Image Sizes originally appeared on Sprout Social.

from SM Tips By Minnie http://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-image-sizes-guide/