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doshmanziari · 4 years ago

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Musical Offerings for the New Year || What is “Radical Music” in 2021?

Near the end of 2020, a bunch of musicians populating a chatroom, including myself, each submitted ten minutes’ worth of our work to another musician, Chimeratio, who generously compiled it all into a set totaling nearly ten hours.¹ The work didn’t need to be new; just what we thought might best represent our abilities/style(s) and/or perhaps what we were especially pleased with. The set premiered in late January. Since I have some tentative plans for reorienting Brick By Brick this year, while not overriding its emphases, I wanted to share that music with anyone who’s interested.

I compiled the four videos into a playlist, although you can also access them individually: here (1), here (2), here (3), and here (4). If you care to, and are on a computer, you can also view the accompanying chatlog and read people’s responses from when they were listening to the live broadcast.

The compulsion for this project was sparked by excited discussions over and usage of the term “digital fusion”, most helpfully propagated by Aivi Tran, designating a computer-based body of work that for years lacked the rooftop of a commonly agreed upon genre-name. While describing my music has never been a big concern, even if it’s usually felt impossible (what, for example, is this? or this? I dunno!), I’ve appreciated how the spread and application of this term has brought together people who may have felt isolated.²

As “digital fusion” gained designative traction, I witnessed the activity in the aforementioned chatroom explode over the course of a few days. Before, a day’s discussion might’ve been a few dozen messages; now, there were dozens of messages every half-minute. This had positive and negative ramifications, the negative being that conversations often proceeded at a pace of rapidity which precluded concentrated thought. Eventually, I bowed out because the rapidity exceeded my threshold for meaningful interaction; but I was glad that significant invigoration was going on.

I wanted to share this music also because it intersects with thoughts and talks I’ve been having stemming from the question, “What is ‘radical music’ in 2021?” This was stimulated by a 2014 talk given by the writer Mark Fisher, wherein he contends that, were we to play prominent “cutting edge” music from now to people twenty years ago, very nearly none of it would be aesthetically shocking, bizarre, or revelatory (think of playing house music to an audience in the early 1960s!). Fisher also observes a trend of returning to music which once was seen as the future -- as if, deprived of a shared prograde vision, imaginations turn hazily retrograde; ergo, genres such as synthwave or albums like Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories.

It isn’t my goal here to argue about the “end of history.” Fisher’s time-travel hypothetical, however, rings loud and true to me. Visible musical radicalism has, for at least a decade, been strictly extra-musical, in the sense of songs like “This is America” or “WAP”, where one’s response is primarily to the spectacle of the music video, the performer’s identistic markers, and/or the manner in which the lyrics intersect with (mostly US-centric) ideological hotspots. Musically, there is really nothing radical here. Any vociferous condemnations or defenses of a song like “WAP” deal in moralizing reactions to semantics or imagery: how progressive or regressive is the political aspect? how propelled or repelled are we by the word “pussy”?

It would be a mistake, and simply wrong, to assert that the only music one can enjoy escapes the parameters outlined above; and my inability to coherently categorize some of my own music hardly raises that portion to the status of radicality. But the question here pertains to what is being made, and I think that if we’re going to seriously consider the nature of truly radical music today, we do need to question if such a quality can prominently exist when our hyper-fast consumerist cycle seems to forbid not just sustained, lifelong relationships to artwork but also the local, unhurried nourishment of creative gestation. Now, in my opinion, there are good, even great, examples of radical music still being made in deep Internet-burrows, and for evidence of that I would offer some of the material contained in the linked playlists. Moreover, I’d say that this quality can exist in part because these little artistic communities are so buried.

Let me share a quote that another person shared with me recently:

For culture to shift, you need pockets of isolated humanity. Since all pockets of humanity (outside of the perpetually isolated indigenous people in remote wilderness) are connected in instantaneous fashion, independent ideas aren’t allowed to ferment on their own. When you cook a meal, you have to bring ingredients together that have had time to grow, ferment, or decompose separately. A cucumber starts out as a seed, then you mix it with the soil, water and sunlight. You can’t bring the seed, soil, water and sunlight to the kitchen from the get-go. When you throw those things in to the mixture without letting them mature, the flavor cannot stand out on its own. Same thing with art and fashion. A kid in Russia can come up with a new way to dance, gets filmed on a phone, it goes viral quickly but gets lost in the morass of all of the other multitudinous forms of dance. Sure it spread far and wide, but it gets forgotten in a week. In the past, his new art form would have been confined locally, nurtured, honed, then spread geographically, creating a distinct new cultural idiosyncrasy with a strong support base. By the time it was big enough to be presented globally, it was already a cultural phenomenon locally. This isn’t possible anymore. We’re consuming too many unripened fruits.

The main impression I have here is that radical music today will, and must be, folk music. Our common idea of folkiness might be the scrappy singer strumming a guitar, but my interpretive reference rather has to do with the idea of a music being written, first of all, for one’s self, and then shared with a small-scale community, which in turn helps the artist grow at their own pace. This transcends a dependence upon image, the primacy of acoustic instrumentation, or the signaling of sincerity versus insincerity. It is a return to the valuation of outsider art, so rare nowadays. As someone who I was recently in dialogue with wrote, “Where can you find new genuine folk music? Pretty much just with your friends, imo. Even then, the global world is so influential and seeps into any crack it can find. I think vaporwave was radical and folk for a while. Grant Forbes made that music way before the world knew about it.”

Sometimes, a lot of fuss is made over what’s seen as “gatekeeping” within certain communities. It can be, depending on the context, justifiable to question and critique this behavior. At other times, the effort of maintaining a level of exclusivity, of retaining an idiosyncratic shapeliness to the communal organism, can be a legitimate attempt to protect the personal, interpersonal, and cultural aspects from the flattening effect of monoculture. Hypothetically, I welcome the Castlevania TV series and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate having introduced new and younger demographics to Castlevania. In actuality, stuff like “wholesome sad gay himbo Alucard”, image macros, and neurotic “stan” fanfiction being what’s now first associated with the series makes me want to put as much distance as possible between my interests and those latecoming impositions.

The group-terminology David Chapman uses in his essay “Geeks, MOPs, and Sociopaths in Subculture Evolution” is kinda cringey, but some of the cultural/behavioral patterns he lays out are relevant to the topic. Give it a look. If we cross his belief that “[subcultures] are no longer the primary drivers of cultural development” with our contemporary consume-and-dispose customs, we’re left with the predicament of it’s even worth attempting to bring radical/outsider art beyond its rhizomatic habitat. This is troubling, because it would mean that artistic radicality no longer might not only refuse to but cannot encompass cultural upheaval. It would be like if dance music were invented and -- instead of progressively permeating nightlife, stimulating countercultural trends, and ultimately being adapted as the basis for pop music globally -- only were listened to via headphones by a few thousand people on their own, stimulated a group meeting once a year or two, and never affected music beyond a niche-within-a-niche. That’s a very sad picture to me.

⁂

¹ Chimeratio has also maintained an excellent blog on here dedicated to looking at videogame music written in irregular time signatures, far preceding higher-profile examinations like 8-bit Music Theory’s video on the same topic.

² For myself, creative isolation has had its uses, because it has led me down routes that are highly personalized. The isolation can be dispiriting too. Although a lot of my music is videogame-music-adjacent, almost none of it uses “authentic” technology, such as PSG synthesizers or FM synthesis; and the identification of those sounds is fairly important for recognition.

#music analysis #radicalism #digital fusion

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mimzy-writing-online · 5 years ago

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Advice to Fanfiction Writers who Feel Guilty about Abandoning Stories

This is one of my greatest struggles in writing fanfiction and to date I have two stories that have been inactive for at least a year, and many that have never been published because I feared I would abandon them.

In this post:

We debate the values of finishing a work before you share it online versus sharing it when you’re only a few chapters in and working from there.

What to do if you feel overwhelmed with the size of a project.

What to do it you’re losing traction and fear you’ll never finish your story.

We discuss ways to abandon stories with closure.

And some positive reminders, because

Before I start, let me say this: You are never required to finish a story. You have a right to publish as much or as little of the story as you like, and if you abandon the fic without another word, that is absolutely fine. That is your right. You never need a “real or valid reason” to abandon a story.

Your worthiness as a writer is not determined by how many stories you write, publish and finish. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone.

Okay, onwards...

Should you finish your story before you begin sharing it online?

It sometimes seems ideal to finish the story before you publish. There are benefits to it:

The obvious benefit is that if you decide to abandon the story, then nobody knows it exists and nobody is waiting for a new chapter, so there’s no guilt or no random comments reminding you to finish that abandoned story.

Additional benefits come in being able to edit previous chapters before they were published when problems like the following appear:

-If you find you accidentally made a plot hole in previous chapters that you can’t solve in later chapters, you can go back and edit before you publish that chapter and have it become your story’s canon forever.

-If there’s something in the world building (like in an AU) that you wish you could change, that doesn’t fit the mechanics/physics of what you want to do. Example, in a soulmate, magic, or superpower AU, you might put limitations or a lack of limitations that you regret having and wish you could change because plot needs it to work differently.

-If you regret a character’s backstory for whatever reason (it’s too angsty, or too simplistic, or doesn’t account for how good they are at a certain skill such as fighting, or their character development in future chapters needs it to change) you can change the backstory before your readers get to know them.

-If you took character or plot development in one direction and decided as the story evolved to take it in a different direction, you have the option to rewrite a few chapters or to continue on and smooth it out in editing.

The benefit is that you can edit the problems out before readers ever see them.

The downside to waiting until completion to publish a story is that there’s a lack of feedback to remind you that you’re doing a good job, and therefore a lack of motivation to continue the story because you’re the only one who cares and you know in theory how it ends. You can just tell yourself the story in your head and let it go, but the downside is that it disappears when you no longer thinks of it.

The thing is, writers need feedback. Even the most independent and confident writers need support from their readers.

You’re not a terrible person for wanting people to read your story and give you positive feedback before you actually finish the story.

You’re not a terrible person for wanting validation before the story is complete.

You are a human being who needs love and support from people who appreciate your work.

Don’t feel bad about that.

Should you publish a story before completion?

If you feel that’s best, then yes. If your story is relatively short but you don’t know where to take it, publishing it and having readers give you advice or ideas on where to take it might be the ideal. If you’re halfway there but you’re losing motivation, then publishing then might be a good idea, because the positive feedback and appreciation will keep you motivated to write.

A good way to get feedback and appreciation without publishing your work too soon is to find a beta reader or to have a friend read your story. If you want feedback on problems in your story to fix and edit, then you want a beta reader. They will tell you when your story is great and where they’re less interested in, which will give you a place to start improving.

What to do if you feel overwhelmed by the size of your project:

I’ll break it down into a few steps:

Step One: Word Vomit. This is extremely helpful when beginning a new project, but it may also be useful if you’re stuck on one section of your story and need to reorganize. Open up a word document, open a notebook and put all your ideas onto a page. Scene ideas, bits of dialogue, world building concepts, backstories, anything you think you’d put into your story.

Even if you’re twelve chapters in, taking a moment to do this may help in creating a new idea.

Step Two: Organize your word vomit and outline the story

Step Three: Write

If you’re still overwhelmed with the size of the story but you have a decent amount of progress on it:

Step Four: take all your favorite parts about the story and examine them closely. Pick your favorite scenes and characters and try to rework what you’ve got into something smaller.

Step Five: Narrow down your story to something more concise. You can throw out extra sub plots that you’re not feeling strongly about. You can choose to do time skips during periods of time in the fic where not much interesting is happening and it can be summarized into a paragraph.

Because this is fanfiction, there’s already a huge chunk of canon for you to fall back on that your readers will understand without you needing to explain too much. If the story you’re working on falls back on canon plot a lot, it’s possible to gloss over canon scenes or major canon events that weren’t heavily changed in your fic. This is especially true in universe alteration stories and fix it fics where the stories still follow most of the canon plotline but with a few details changed.

Abandoning Stories with Closure

Quick reminder: You are not required to finish a story, nor give it a conclusion. Whatever your reason for not continuing the story, it is valid. You come before your story.

Onwards...

There’s the classic method, which is leaving a note to readers that this story is abandoned.

Following that, you can choose to leave the fic as is, which is a perfectly good option. It allows you the chance to come back one day and finish it when your mental health is better, when your writing skills are stronger, when your life has more free time, when there’s new canon material to work with, when you have new inspiration.

I think the above option is best, but if it doesn’t sit right with you, the next options are possible.

You can choose to make one final chapter where you try to wrap up as many loose ties as reasonably possible. Realistically you can’t finish everything, but hopefully you and your reader will be able to leave your story with some emotional closure. If you can, end your last chapter on a higher note.

If writing that is not possible, you could leave an outline of what you think might have happened next. It will allow your readers to see what the end conclusion would have been and get closure.

You can allow someone to finish the fic on their own, give them the rights to be the new author. Some readers might even approach you to volunteer to continue the story.

I’m going to restate what I said before, because I think it’s something we all need to remember. Writers are plagued with self doubt, self criticism, and impostor syndrome (i.e. thinking you’re not a “real writer” because you’re not “good enough” which is B.S.) and I think we all need to remember that there’s nothing wrong with us.

We’re allowed to be imperfect, to make mistakes, and to leave projects abandoned. That doesn’t make us bad writers, it makes us real.

You are never required to finish a story. You have a right to publish as much or as little of the story as you like, and if you abandon the fic without another word, that is absolutely fine. That is your right. You never need a “real or valid reason” to abandon a story.

Your worthiness as a writer is not determined by how many stories you write, publish and finish. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone.

I, the author of this post, am proud of each and every one of you for just being here, just existing. You’re real writers whether you think so or not. Your writing is amazing and good and it will always be improving. I believe in you, as both a person and a writer. I know you can do it.

[Note: I began this guide in May of 2019, and now it’s February of 2020, so talk about abandoning a project and eventually coming back to it. I think this is the oldest post in my drafts folder of the blog. Jeez. But it’s done, finally written and edited and now I can publish it.]

#fanfiction #fanfic #writing advice #writing tips #ao3 advice #my post #AO3 #FFN

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9w1ft · 6 years ago

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☔️

it’s been about a month now since TSL shut down. i’ve been thinking of how best to summarize my thoughts on the odd things that happened to me there and i’ve decided it’s best to split my thoughts up into a few posts. this is my first!

so, for starters! drumroll pleaaaaaase 🥁 i would like to clear the air.. i am very excited to say that i have properly identified and spoken to the real KalindaKing!

you may or may have noticed before the app shut down, but KalindaKing actually @‘d me in one of her final posts on the app, saying she had seen my theory but that sadly she is an only child.

unfortunately, yes, KalindaKing was not Kimby Kloss. i uhh, take it she herself confirmed it for me recently!

actually, about a month after posting my theory, a mutual of mine tipped me off to a social media post that seemed to be from someone who might be KalindaKing (the gist of the post was, to paraphrase, i saw a theory that i’m karlie’s sister. i wish!), and i had been keeping tabs on it for some time. the post did not get any traction (no likes, no shares) so there was no way to verify if it was related, but doing some digging and cross-referencing photos and whatnot i was left plenty suspicious.

So about 3 months went by after i had my lede on who it could be, and then 48 hours away from app shutdown KalindaKing @‘d me on TSL... so i decided to take the jump and direct message the suspicious person on social media. and, we had a match! it was her!

Can i just say she is just as delightful as she was on TSL? it was an honor to chat with her. turns out she is an active moderator under the same username on another app by the same company.

actually, 😂 the KK part is really a funny coincidence.. see, the moderator who went by the username KalindaKing on TSL originally created that username for herself because she is a moderator on the Kim Kardashian Hollywood app under the same username (she gave me permission to say that), and, alliteration, so go figure! it would appear i exquisitely took my conjectures a twist too far.

this moderator is a professional, so she did not disclose that much to me, but I was able to learn that the ‘TheSwiftLife’ account was the responsibility of her and someone else. She mentioned that Social (ie twitter/fb) was run by her. Someone else was helping out on the TSL app, ie, that account that gave out those persnickety taymoji gifts on the app. 🤨

for those of you who followed my theory closely, this newly confirmed information has likely allowed you to come to the same heartening conclusion that i did: this means that the “message to taylor” function on the app is in all likelihood indeed something that only taylor can see, or, isn’t accessible to just any glu employee. yes, those personal private messages to her were in fact kept private 🥰. that is to say, leading up to my big guess post, i had disclosed the content of my guess (that kimby was KalindaKing) using this function, asking for the go ahead here on tumblr. my theory is whoever the someone is that was helping out with the TheSwiftLife account did not have access to my secret messages, and that’s where the miscommunication between me and them occurred. oops...

if you are new here, you are probably wondering how sound this logic could be. it would also seem to be completely possible that the TheSwiftLife account simply didn't know i existed / had never read anything from me / had never interacted with me through the app.

to that i say:

i now have proof that at least one moderator from the app read my theory back in October 2018

i now have proof that the same moderator @‘d me in response to the theory 48 hours before the app closed on February 1st, despite having know about it for three months.. so i take it that it merited addressing

let me walk you through a sampler of five ‘interactions’ that occurred with me and TheSwiftLife between August and October of last year:

interaction one: 8/1 Puzzle Heart..

after showcasing some interest in the taymoji gifts and crafting my theory of what they meant, i had seen a through line in terms of the overall message being conveyed but was unsure of any of this was real. i posted here on tumblr for the taymoji gods to send me sign, and the TheSwiftLife account gave out a puzzle heart with the flavor text “put the pieces together” the chances of that taymoji being picked to be given out are, i would say, 1/128 chances. the gift giving was mainly from within a pool of the 64 song-based taymoji packs and always of one of the two rare taymoji from either pack, so, 64x2=128

interaction two, 8/29 Rabbit...

following a week of ttb using the emoji rabbit to welcome some anons into the kaylor fandom, TheSwiftLife gave out a rabbit with the flavor text “Fell down the rabbit hole...”

interaction three: 9/12 Pixels..

things felt surreal following the rabbit... so i asked TSL here on tumblr to show me a sign that proved they knew me and saw me. i said there was one taymoji out of them all (of which there are 653) that represented me. i had hoped for the pixel art heart taymoji, as it says in my profile here that i am a pixel artist... i assumed if TSL wanted to respond to my request, they’d poke around my blog and make that connection. 13 days after i made the post, they gave out that exact one. in response, i mentioned what a lovely birthday present this was, as it was coming 13 days before my birthday (i’m born on 9/25)

interaction four: 9/21 Balloons...

between the pixel heart and this next gift, i came to the conclusion that kimby could be spearheading the TheSwiftLife account (given an interaction between this blog and kimby’s instagram stories involving a yacht company), and, as i love cheesy things, i made the extra (flawed) assumption that, given KalindaKing appeared to be a pen name, it would be super duper ingenious if the KK stood for Kimby Kloss. i sent this prediction in the “secret message for taylor” function on TSL, assuming (incorrectly) whoever was on the other side could read it, and posted here on tumblr simply that “i know who you’ve been, and i take it you want me to share?” The next gift that TheSwiftLife gave out were a set of red balloons from the Mine pack, with the caption “Speak now if it’s your birthday this month”

interaction five: 10/1 Umbrella...

even so, i was very hesitant to go through with pushing my theory. it felt, again, unreal. so, i put up one more test... i asked here on tumblr something in the form of a riddle. I decided to phrase a request for them to give a taymoji in the form of a question. knowing the full range of taymoji possibilities, i picked the flavor text of a taymoji that had never been given out, and a double-rare one (which weren’t given out often) the umbrella, and put out my question: do you have my back even if it rains down on me? and the next gift given out was the very umbrella i expected, which has the flavor text “Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered!”

this span of time in particular (not limited to, but especially) is why i have a hard time not believing kaylor is real. why would taylor’s team let any of this fly, that is, why would they allow a bubbly and vocal kaylor experience this if kaylor wasn’t true?

i encourage everyone to look through my blog archive from August to October to see how it played out! it won’t take that long and i think it’s more interesting than just this post. it’s a sweet slice of time... happening before the political post, and then, the ‘wedding’ thing.

and: if you are to believe that this is all just coincidence, then you have to logically assume that every of the above interactions happened at random, with TheSwiftLife drawing from a catalog of over 100 possible choices each time, and accidentally giving something relevant each time. i am not even going to cover the many many other strange alignments between what i post on here and what kimby posts on instagram. the probability of these taymoji is enough.

even taking out of account the probability of the timing of each, and just looking at it like a kid’s math problem, it’s quite a rare outcome.

what is the probability of insinuating 5 specific symbols and drawing those 5 specific symbols out of 5 bags with 128 different symbols inside each, one after the other? 1/128 x 1/128 x 1/128 x 1/128 x 1/128 = 1/34,359,738,368

a one in 34 billion chance of it happening if it happened randomly.

you only think 3 out of the 5 coincidences above are legit? well that still an over one in two million chance. only believe in one of them? still just an 0.8% chance.

and i picked these five interactions because they hilight five times where there really couldn’t have been multiple “applicable” taymoji responses. i tried to cut out that grey zone for you, because there’s plenty of grey examples to pick from. i suppose with the balloons, they could have picked any birthday-looking taymoji and accompanied the gift with the same caption.. but in that case, it means you have to calculate the chances of them writing the birthday messaging after what happened with the pixel heart... and i don’t know how to calculate that...

i’m not even talking about how some of the taymoji given out twice coincided with celebrity appearances in the world of kaylor. i don’t know how to calculate the probability of karlie saying she’ll go to a taylor concert before a marching band hat is given out, and then her appearing at nashville the day after the marching band hat was given out again. or the paul mccartney coincidence, or the hayley kiyoko coincidence, just to name a few of the most straightforward. i’m not even gonna mention all that business about the app notifications freaking out on my phone (for which i have an excel spreadsheet up my sleeve for later should i decide to nerd out that much)

i don’t even need to touch that.

some epic sh*t was positively afoot, my darlings.

but i digress. pending, you know, ‘proof’, we have no surefire way to know about the who (or who all behind it) all of this is, but, i don’t think we need to be sure of that for the time being (uwu*). i just want to re establish that while KalindaKing was a glorious misfire, the mystery of the app still very much remains.

in my upcoming post (i need to buy myself some eyedrops or something because my eyes are redder than that st. louis park sculpture right now), i would like to rewind for a sec and set the question of who aside and refocus solely on what we learned from the gifts and what we can possibly take away from the experience as a whole.

for now, this is me saying, kimby, oops! sorry i thought you were KalindaKing and sorry for not triple checking with you. my double check was not enough. but i’m glad i took the plunge, because, better an oops than a what if, right? and i hope, at least you got a good laugh out of it! and also thank you lovely sisters ☺️ for you know, clearing the way for me to make this post. at least, that’s what it looked like to me. 📯🕊

#taymoji #the swift life #tsl #kaylor #kaptain

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carnistcervine · 6 years ago

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The RK series- My Hot Take

Alternative title: Local carnivorous deer over-analyzes video game.

Okay, so these are my theories and headcanons about the RK series androids. Fair warning, I have some unpopular opinions(and silly nicknames I use). No offense to the people that agree with popular opinion, I just don't see it that way. ^^ I know that most people think that the RK series are special revolutionary type androids, designed to deviate and start revolutions. I disagree.

-WAIT DONT KILL ME-

I think that the RK series are actually just military androids. I mean think about it.

RK200(Markus) Why would a caretaker android need to have the ability to preconstruct, use parkour, or be able to take out armed soldiers? Simple, he was originally a military android prototype that was re-purposed into a caretaking android. As for why he still retains these abilities? I think my old game design instructor put it best when he said that there was no point in removing perfectly functional code. It could have been commented out, or simply left alone as Markus would be able to function fine even with the extra features. If it was commented out, he could re-activate it as a deviant. I mean, there is nothing in canon that suggests that deviant androids cannot recall old functions left in their code.

If Markus isn't some special revolution starting android, how can he make others deviate? Well, there is a canon explanation from David Cage(I know the fandom hates him, but he is technically the final authority on what is and isn't canon, so...) All androids have the ability to connect wireless, the way that Markus converts other androids is that he connects to them and gives them an emotional shock by revealing that they can be free.

Another thing to consider about Markus is his remarkable strategic ability, and his ability to coordinate his allies. Now I do think part of his ability to rally others is due to him just having a charismatic personality, but maybe the reason why he's needed to win the revolution is because of his built in tactical abilities. .3.

I don't think that Markus was designed to deviate and or lead a revolution. Wait, here me out- Apart from the obvious, deviation means breaking free from their orders and deviating from their original instructions, so an android cannot be made to deviate. That doesn't make sense. But also, if Markus was meant to deviate and start a revolution, why was he given to Karl? I mean sure, Karl taught him how to be human and express himself, but until the incident with Leo, Markus was very much an obedient machine. Karl was way too kind and loving to Markus to make him deviate. If the incident with Leo never happened, which again is a circumstance that could have never been predicted, Markus probably would have never deviated. Okay, /maybe/ when Karl inevitably died. But that leads to my next point, Markus only gets the idea to start a revolution/try to find freedom for androids after seeing the state that Jericho was in. Markus only finds out about Jericho after being killed, rebooting, and being given the location from a dying android in the android graveyard. Too many circumstances to count on here, no human or AI could have planned this.

RK800(BEST BOI- I mean Connor) As a detective android, I think his ties to potential military use are pretty obvious. But one thing I do find interesting is how in the model gallery, he is specifically mentioned as not having a specified release date for his model type. *stares at RK900*

As for when he converts the other models in the warehouse, he only converts /one./ Then the one he converted goes on to convert others, who go one to convert others, like a virus spreading through the body's cells(creepy.) This basically confirms that the RKs are just utilizing an ability all androids have.

I don't think Connor was designed to deviate either. OKAYHEARMEOUT- I realize that at the end of the game if Connor deviates and survives, CyberLife hacks him and Amanda gives her whole 'Mua ha ha ha! Just as we planned! *mustache twirl*' speech, but I'm genuinely surprised at how many people just took this at face value. I doesn't make any sense for CyberLife to have had Connor deviates and joins the revolution as their plan from the beginning.

1. Connor was created and released for in field use before Markus even deviates. CyberLife couldn't plan anything around a revolution that hasn't started yet.

2. Connor's purpose is to investigate deviancy in androids. He can't and won't do that if he himself is a deviant. Also, considering he was created before the revolution/Jericho gained any traction or relevancy, it actually makes sense as his purpose.

3. Connor might actually be resistant to deviancy. Think about it, he shows signs of deviancy through the whole game, through his increasingly human-like mannerisms and emotional outbursts. He also has a stat unique to him called "software instability". However, even if you max out his software instability, you can still choose to remain a machine. Even with maximum software instability, he can still be too stubborn to deviate from his instructions. Depending on how you play, he can end up in multiple situations that would cause him an emotional shock, but he'll only deviate when he has to choose between following CyberLife's orders, and sparing Markus. Also, Markus has the ability to connect with other androids and make them deviate, why didn't he do it to Connor? Maybe he tried/was trying and that's why when you talk to him, your software instability goes up. But because Connor is a stubborn little bitch, I mean resistant to deviancy, it ultimately takes Connor using his own willpower to finally break through. Because Connor resists deviancy, he had to WANT his freedom and to FIGHT for it.

4. When Connor deviates, CyberLife straight up tries to DESTROY him. When Connor visits the CyberLife tower, armed guards lead Connor to the elevator and put in their destination as floor 31. You wanna know what awaits Connor on floor 31? Amanda taunting him one last time before Connor turns around to be greeted by a goddamn firing squad. Even if Connor manages to make it to the warehouse without alerting any more guards, he's still greeted by RK800-60(or BigValue Connor as I call him.) BigValue Connor even holds Hank hostage in an effort to kill Connor.

5. When Amanda said that their plan from the beginning was for Connor to deviate, she was fucking with his head. Amanda has been messing with Connor and messing with Connor's head for the entire game. Also, it should be noted, that if machine Connor chooses to not shoot Markus at the demonstration, Amanda doesn't give some speech about a plan, she just scolds Connor for not being obedient.

Don't get me wrong, I do think that CyberLife had a contingency plan for Connor deviating, as evidenced by their ability to retake control of his program and BigValue Connor. But I do think that CyberLife's original plan/plan from the beginning was to simply have Connor investigate and stop the deviants/deviancy.

RK900(Upgraded Connor, or as I like to call him, NECKBRACE. >:D) When we meet Neckbrace, Amanda mentions that the state department ordered 200,000 of his model. So, I think that parallel to military use just makes itself. Also, consider the fact that he's the upgraded version of Connor, meaning he has all of Connor's features with improvements.

I really don't buy into the idea that Neckbrace is deviant/designed to be deviant.

1. CyberLife is trying to regain their customer's trust, so creating intentionally deviant androids would be the dumbest shit they could possibly do after finally squashing the deviancy problem.

2. Neckbrace's very design suggests his lack of humanity. His pale eyes suggest soullessness(vs Connor's gentle brown eyes), his black and white jacket suggests a binary view of the world(vs Connor having a grey jacket showing his ability to realize life is more complex than that), and finally his black collar. It covers his entire neck, and unlike Connor's tie, cannot be removed. The collar suggests that Amanda and CyberLife have full control over him. He has no freedom. My Mom suggests that it might be a shock collar, and now I feel bad for him. Thanks Mom.

3. Yes, I did notice that he looks over after Connor is dismissed and Amanda turns away, however his LED remains a calm blue. It's likely that he's just passively watching the last vestige for android freedom disappear. A rather cruel symbolism if you think about it.

4. CyberLife eliminated the Connor series' flaws and improved it's strengths. CyberLife considers deviancy a flaw. CyberLife removed deviancy from Neckbrace.

Don't get me wrong though, I think that in the GOOD ending, the one where CyberLife is unable to solve the deviancy problem, Neckbrace would deviate in t-minus 5 freakin' seconds. But, he's probably been locked up by CyberLife, and good luck getting the poor guy out. lol

Personality wise, machine!RK900 is cold and hollow. He doesn't think, he doesn't feel, he just obeys. Deviant!RK900 is actually a sweetheart, but he lacks any and all social abilities and everyone is scared of him. :D Okay, Connor and Markus like him, but that's pretty much it.

RK800-60(Connor, or as I like to call him, BigValue Connor) While I don't think that he's deviant, I do think that he was showing signs of deviancy. I feel like his behavior when he confronts you is suspiciously un-machine-like. He's awfully prideful, and chatty for a machine. Though, I will concede that he could have been putting on a show, and didn't actually feel that way. But I still question why after shooting Connor, BigValue Connor will tell Hank that Connor really cared for him. He refers to Connor as a "he" rather than an "it", and he acknowledges that Connor had genuine feelings "He really cared about you". Again that could just be a show, but the one thing I have not found a way to downplay was how BigValue Connor freaks out if you manage to convert the androids but still get killed. He sounds utterly horrified at the prospect of failing and almost like a human a few steps away from a panic attack. It can't possibly be an act, because both Connor and Hank would be dead by that point.

Well, that’s all. Thanks for taking the time to read about me over-analyzing a video game. :D Have a nice day.

#Detroit Become Human #DBH #DBH Connor #DBH Markus #RK200 #RK800 #RK900 #RK800-60 #Theories #Headcanons

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shwni-blog · 5 years ago

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Indoor Soccer Shoes For Kids

Indoor Soccer Shoes For Kids: Best 15 in 2019

I hope you don't think that you can just wear any old pair of trainers to play soccer indoors, Do you? Well, you can but you probably wouldn't perform as well as you would like to There is a huge range of Indoor Soccer Shoes For Kids out there And here at shwnisports we have searched high and low to find you the best ones (in our eyes) that might even change your gameplay

What is an Indoor Soccer Shoe?

Now I don't want to sound condescending but it's basically a soccer cleat/boot without the studs or blades on the bottom of them Just wearing normal trainers will be OK but proper soccer shoes for indoor would be a lot better for you They will have a much tougher sole with a better grip than your average shoe which will give your feet better traction on the indoor facilities that you used to play on Read About The Advantages of Them Right Here in This Post by livestrong.com There are actually quite a few things to think about before buying the soccer shoes

Buying Indoor Soccer Shoes For Kids

Like I said, there are a few points to consider first, you shouldn't just rush into buying a pair and get the first ones you see Obviously your skill level will be the main reason you play good or bad but owning a pair that will compliment your playing style will make one hell of a difference If you really want to improve your soccer skills you should check out this pretty cool website called fourfourtwo.com where they have Training tips for Goalkeepers, Defenders, Midfielders & Strikers But Just Think About These, And in This Order... 1. Budget Now it's not always the case that the more money you spend on something the better they are so don't go worrying that you need to spend a fortune to get a quality pair There are some very decent soccer shoes out there at very reasonable prices so shop around first rather than just grab the first nice ones you see 2. Fit

Like any shoe, they obviously can't be too big or small but with soccer shoes you shouldn't leave an inch or so at the front for room to grow And also, some shin guards have an ankle strap that fit around your feet so you need to take that into consideration You want them to fit snugly around your foot like a sock would but make sure you can wiggle your toes and that they are not cutting the circulation off anywhere on your foot Just remember though that natural leather will stretch over time and synthetic materials won't 3. Cushioning Look, you need proper cushioning on all your footwear but when you are running around on a hard surface like an indoor sports hall then you need to find an insole that offers you the padding and comfort that you need to prevent any injuries that you might get with indoor soccer You could even buy extra padded insoles to add to the shoes if you wanted to 4. Flexibility You don't want a pair that is ridged and hard otherwise you won't get the movement in your feet that you need to pull off those soccer skills that you are used to doing on the pitch Find a pair that has Flex Grooves on them as that will give the shoes extra flexibility 5. Weight With playing soccer indoors you get fewer players on the pitch at the same time so it tends to be a more past paced game so having a lightweight shoe will make all the difference to your speed of play Most indoor boots are very lightweight and feel like you are just wearing a pair of socks 6. Breathability

Being indoors playing soccer will probably be warmer than playing outside and of course your feet will get sweaty so having a pair that has air holes would be much better for you in the long run Just think about that sweat ruining the material of the shoes and how much longer you could keep them if your feet sweat less 7. Design This should be the least of your worries but we all know what kids are like when it comes to designer labels Some shoes will be designed a certain way to improve performance so don't totally rule out the look of them altogether There are 3 basic designs for indoor soccer shoes which are... Low Top - Having low top shoes has both pros and cons for soccer. The pros are that you will have a wider range of movement for your feet but the cons are that you won't have any ankle protection so you might be more prone to injuries. Mid Top - Mid Tops are not as protective as the high tops for your ankles but you will still get some protection and a very good movement with your feet which is quite important if you play indoor soccer. High Top - Now I'm not saying that you won't be able to move in these but that extra ankle protection is going to do you the world of good and also probably give you a bit more confidence in those twists and turns you pull off when you use those soccer skills that you "think" you have. 8. Upper Material You probably just want a soccer shoe that looks the best and not care what its made of but in a matter of fact what the upper material is made of some very different material and what you want from you gameplay can really change depending on the upper material that you have Just Take a Look at The Different Materials You Have to Chose From... Natural Leather - Light and thin as a material but very durable nonetheless. Genuine Leather - When you hear of genuine leather you will be using either Kangaroo, Cow or Calf skin, Or the full-grain leather that will be talked about soon. Synthetic Leather - This is a very durable material and very light but it should keep the animal rights off your back while you wear them... Which is always good. Full-Grain Leather - You might find that this is much heavier than all the others but you should know that it's much more durable and stronger than them all also. Kangeroo Leather - Also known as K-Leather and also known as the most expensive of all the leathers, But don't let that deter you from paying the extra, they really have a very comfortable fit and it will stretch and mould to your feet like the other leathers that are spoken about above. Synthetic - Breathable, Durable, Waterproof, Lightweight, and did I mention... Made for comfort and style. Mesh - Not a material I prefer but I suppose they are OK as long as you keep out of the rain with them on as they are not waterproof at all.

Taking Care of Your Indoor Shoes

Obviously the better you take care of your shoes or boots the longer they should last you, well, in theory anyway Here are a few tips on how you can keep them in great shape Make sure all dust and dirt has been removed from them after every game by either banging them together or hitting them gently against the floor. Obviously there shouldn't be too much mess on them as you are playing indoors but it won't harm you to do this. After doing this use a damp cloth to remove stuck on dirt and grime. Use a soft brush to clean the upper material in the hard to get to places like the seams and lace area. You could even use a toothbrush which I find works really well especially inside the sole of the shoe. Do not use water every time you clean them as it can damage the material by getting it wet all the time. If you need to, use a small amount of soap/hand-wash with some lukewarm water to remove tough stains. Tap dry the boots after washing with a clean bit of material or a paper towel, you can even stuff them with newspaper to soak the water up from inside them. Whatever you do, do not use a hair dryer or radiator to make them dry quickly as it will damage the material. Dry them in natural air and keep them out of the sunlight to prevent ruining them. Here Is A Quick Video Of The Shoes That Are In This List Now Here is What You Came For... 15. Adidas Performance Mundial

Buy It Now One of the heavier shoes on the list but these have been around for quite some time and still making the top of most soccer players lists They are turf shoes but work well on an indoor pitch with the rubber rivet grips on the underneath that will give you better traction than shoes with flat soles Made of 100% K- Leather with TRAXION outsole material you will be getting a very durable soccer shoe with a pretty good grip on the front to be able to control the ball better

Adidas Performance Mundial Outsole Pros & Cons of The Performance Mundial PROS The K-Leather material is super strong so they should last you longer than most other indoor soccer shoes. Having the TRAXION outsole material you will have better control of where you want the ball to go. They have a synthetic lining inside and also a pre-moulded EVA midsole to stop chaffing and blistering of your feet giving you a sturdy, yet comfortable game of soccer. CONS Some people have said the that the sole grips wear away easily if used indoors rather than on turf but like any pair you use they are going to get worn down over time, unless you float around like a butterfly.

14. Adidas Performance Samba

Buy It Now Another similar shoe from Adidas that has a lot of the features that the Performance Mundial has but much lighter on your feet These have a flat gum rubber sole on them which are better for indoor use than the small grips on the shoes above As they are made from full-grain leather with suede overlays they might feel a bit heavy at first but you will soon get used to them and they will stretch and conform to the shape of your feet The Samba shoe has been out for quite some time now and there hasn't been many changes to it since it was first brought out, and to be honest, theres no need either You can be assured that the soft & lightweight EVA midsole will make your game much easier on the feet

Adidas Performance Samba Outsole Pros & Cons of The Performance Samba PROS They have a pre-moulded EVA midsole for a lightweight cushioning so every step won't feel like your slamming your feet onto the ground hard. The full grain leather upper material will mould and stretch to the shape of your feet and will last longer than synthetic shoes. The Sambas are classic Adidas shoes that have stood the test of time and keep getting chosen by many soccer players around the world so you know they can't all be wrong. CONS The nylon laces can be a bit temperamental and keep coming undone if not tied tightly.

13. Adidas Originals ACE Tango 18.3

Buy It Now Yes I know, another pair of Adidas indoor soccer shoes but in my opinion they are the leading brand in soccer footwear so you will be seeing a few more of them in this list Now if you are like me then you are going to love these, the reason being is the elasticated sock fit that fits perfectly around the ankles providing you get the right size They are made from a synthetic material but don't think that they are not going to last because they will If you Keep Them Clean after every time you wear them then they should last you a while Especially with the tough rubber sole with the durable grips you should at least get a season out of them, if not more They also come in an all black colour with the famous 3 white stripes down the side but I much prefer this colour

Adidas Originals ACE Tango 18.3 Outsole Pros & Cons of The Ace Tango 18.3 PROS They have a tough & durable rubber sole that have amazing grip on the indoor courts which can help you turn on a sixpence and run rings around your opponents with the ball. A very lightweight pair that are stronger than they look but be prepared to have those glistening white shoes targeted by your mates, Who can resist not standing on a brand new shoe. The front of the upper material have a moulded ridged grip for better ball control when taking a shot at goal. CONS They can be a bit too narrow so they are no good for people with wide feet.

12. ROONASN Soccer Cleats

Buy It Now Not really a brand that I'm super familiar with personally but after reviewing them I have learned what a fantastic shoe they are Roonasn has a high top fit collar that really keeps them snug around the ankle area which makes them feel part of your feet That with the ultra soft leather upper material that moulds to the shape of your feet and the fabric knit will get you dribbling the ball around the indoor pitch feeling like you aren't wearing any shoes Looking at the sole you can see the rubber moulds with a rotational traction configuration that will help you change direction without slipping They also come in 8 different colours and designs and even though the design won't improve your game you can still look cool whilst playing

ROONASN Soccer Shoe Outsole Pros & Cons of The ROONASN PROS They have a high top collar fit that will protect your ankles slightly which could prevent serious injury. The upper leather material will mould to your feet making you feel like you are playing without shoes on. Having rubber moulded soles can help with quick acceleration and precision turns. CONS They need a bit more padding on the front of them as they tend to wear away where you kick the ball.

11. Larcia Soccer Shoes

Buy It Now This Larcia pair of shoes took me by surprise when I looked more into detail with them In my opinion I thought they looked quite cheaply made and wouldn't be worth looking into But boy was I wrong… They are made from both synthetic leather and fabric material on the upper which makes them surprisingly comfy, and more importantly, lightweight They also have a very durable outsole giving them superb floor grip and they won't leave any marks on the indoor pitch which are ideal for kids Speaking of ‘perfect for kids’ they have been specifically designed with a padded tongue and toe area and they also support the children's delicate bones in the feet which are still developing

Larcia Soccer Shoe Outsole Pros & Cons of The Larcia PROS Specifically made for kids with the strong and durable frame to keep their growing bones from serious injury. They have a tough outsole with amazing grip so they will last you quite some time. They are made slightly wider than normal soccer shoes for you to be able to wear thick soccer socks and not have them feel tight. CONS The only real issue I had with them that I ordered a size 3 for my son and even though they came in a box with size 3 written on there I opened it to find a size 1. I did get the correct size in the end with no problems at all but my son needed them asap so he had to wait a bit longer.

10. ALEADER Indoor Shoes

Buy It Now How nice are these ALEADER shoes? I absolutely love the style of these and they come in 3 other different colours but I prefer these the best Made with a durable rubber moulded turf sole with a rotational traction configuration they are ideal for indoor training and games They have an ultra soft upper leather for a comfortable fit and a state-of-the-art high top fabric knit that not only looks good and is a supported fit but is very lightweight and easy to run around in Even the insole has a molded cushion design that will make you feel like you are walking on marshmallows and they fit like a glove

ALEADER Indoor Shoe Outsole Pros & Cons of The ALEADER PROS The stylish and state-of-the-art fabric knit will make you stand out on the court and make you light on your feet. Having the durable rubber molded outsole will help your feet grip better to the floor and make you play a more controlled game. The perforations in the upper fabric act as both traction grip for a better ball control and air holes to let your sweaty feet breathe a little. CONS The ankle sock fit is a bit tight to get over your foot but that's the same with all soccer shoes like that I have noticed.

9. Puma Adreno

Buy It Now Showing you a Puma pair now and even though you might not think they look designer and cool enough What it lacks in style, it makes up for in durability and value for money My 9 year old son has these but he wasn't happy with them at first and now I struggle to get them off him They come in 3 different colour schemes which I think are all quite nice You do need to get either a half or full size up though because they are a bit narrow and have some great insole padding that does makes them a tiny bit smaller Made from 100% Synthetic leather with a ‘Non-Marking’ rubber outsole which makes them very durable and strong The soft sleek design with a padded collar & low-profile tongue will be both comfortable and long-lasting Absolutely Perfect For Kids!

Puma Adreno Outsole Pros & Cons of The Adreno PROS The padded collar and low-profile tongue makers them really comfortable so there shouldn't be any rubbing or chaffing around the ankle area. Awesome value for money so you can spend the money that you save on other things, like a new soccer ball maybe? The soft synthetic leather upper looks quite stuff but it's surprisingly flexible and will form to your feet just right. CONS In my eyes, They aren't as 'Designer Looking' as some of them are here but at the end of the day you will be wearing them to play soccer, not to walk down the catwalk in them.

8. Adidas Fortarun

Buy It Now You might be a bit surprised to see these adidas Fortarun trainers in here as they are running shoes But bare with me on this one as I think they are brilliant for indoor soccer Running around on a hard floor for an hour is going to take its toll on your feet so having the right insole padding should be at the top of the list of priorities for you And that's exactly what this shoe has They have a cloud foam midsole and a sponge like insole that makes wearing them feel like wearing a comfy old pair of slippers And what makes it even more comfy is the Eco OrthoLite sock liner which covers the whole inside of the shoe Looking at the rubber outsole, they obviously need to have a fair amount of grip to be able to handle all the running so they are going to last you Then to top it all off, the seamless mesh upper material is breathable so your feet won't get too sweaty while your playing They might not appeal to you but I can promise you that they will work well to player soccer in them

Adidas Fortarun Outsole Pros & Cons of The Fortarun PROS The breathable upper mesh material will ensure that you will keep your feet cool during a game or training. Probably the comfiest trainers here in this list and even though they are running shoes you will not be disappointed. Having the tough rubber outsole will help your feet grip better to the indoor pitch reducing the fear of slipping and sliding all over the place like Bambi on ice. CONS They are not a soccer shoe but I hope you trust my judgment that they will work perfectly. Some people might not like the velcro closure instead of laces but they are very sticky.

7. Adidas Originals Samba

Buy It Now The adidas Original Samba is the granddaddy of all indoor soccer shoes They were actually created in the 1950s for players to train on hard frozen pitches Obviously they have been tweaked a bit over the years but not too much to be honest Currently the 2nd best-selling adidas footwear that has ever been made so they must be doing something right Made out of a soft full-grain leather upper which is one of the strongest out there and will to your feet perfectly over a bit of wear They have a gum rubber outsole which is very durable and won't leave a mark on the indoor pitch

Adidas Originals Samba Outsole The midsole is made with a lightweight die-cut EVA material that will give your feet a comfortable and secure feel whilst wearing them giving you a bit more confidence in your gameplay Pros & Cons of The Samba PROS The tough upper material will stand the test of time and will let a bit of airflow through to your feet so they won't sweat as much. Has a very comfortable midsole so you can enjoy playing rather than them rubbing on your feet all the time. The gum rubber outsole is a No-Marking material so you won't ruin the floor of the indoor court. CONS They have quite a big thick tongue on them which might not be to everyone's taste…(excuse the pun)

6. Adidas Predator Tango 18.4

Buy It Now Need I say more about the adidas Predator range? They have been dominating the soccer shoe world since they first came out in 1994 and they just keep getting better These are the slightly newer version of the Sock Fit I Have Shown You Above Just lace them up and take control of the game at hand The Tango 18.4 are made with a structured prime mesh upper material which just fits to your feet just like a pair of socks They have a flexible control embossing synthetic upper material that has a great grip and will give you more control of the ball Now with that better ball control you might get a bit carried away and that's where the molded rubber outsole comes into play giving you amazing traction making your ball dribbling even more precise

Predator Tango 18.4 Outsole Pros & Cons of The Predator Tango 18.3 PROS Predator boots have always had a good reputation and the Tango 18.4 is no exception with the precision design of every aspect of them. The prime mesh upper material will fit just like a pair of socks making every game you play a comfortable one. The control embossing upper material makes dribbling the ball easier and will make you look more like a professional player. CONS They are not ideal for players with wide feet.

5. Nike SuperflyX Academy CR7

Buy It Now The first Nike indoor soccer shoes on this list and what a cracking pair they are indeed Nike can be hit or miss in my eyes but the SuperflyX CR7 are definitely a hit as the CR7 as they are part of the Cristiano Ronaldo soccer boot range The rubber sole and the dynamic ankle collar fit are built to reduce the stress on your knees and ankles when you are making those twists and turns with the ball at your feet Ideally perfect for AstroTurf play, but after many hours testing them out myself I can honestly say they work brilliantly on an indoor pitch as the mesh upper material will form to your feet giving you a comfortable and lightweight fit

Nike SuperflyX Academy CR7 Outsole Pros & Cons of The SuperflyX Academy CR7 PROS The Dynamic ankle fit collar will protect your ankles and reduce the risk of injuries, but they are also flexible enough to be able to make those sharp twists and turns. Having the soft and comfortable internal lining and the lightweight synthetic outer material will make you feel like you are just wearing another pair of socks. They have a rubber outsole that will improve the traction that you have on the hard indoor court so your slips and falls should be reduced quite a lot. For the quality of the boots the price is very reasonable. CONS Some reports have said that the finger hold at the back of the boot to help get them on tends to break easily, but after 3 months of wearing them I haven't witnessed any damage yet.

4. Diadora Cattura

Buy It Now Now I know what you're thinking, Diadora hasn't been cool since the year 2000 but don't let that put you off these Indoor soccer shoes don't get ruined as quickly as outdoor soccer shoes but having a durable pair on your feet will make all the difference And that's exactly what you will get with the Diadora Cattura They have a "fairly soft" polyurethane upper material and a brushed Nylon ankle collar lining that will protect your childs still growing bones and highly reduce injuries to the top of the feet and ankle area

Diadora Cattura Outsole Pros & Cons of The Cattura PROS They have a Non-Marking, anti-abrasion, gum rubber outsole that will absorb the pressure of the hard indoor floor and won't mark the court. The brushed Nylon ankle collar lining will reduce the risk of injuries that tend to occur in soccer. The shock-absorbing EVA foam and fixed cotton lining really does absorb the impact your feet make on the hard indoor soccer pitch giving you a more enjoyable & comfortable game. You will be getting a very, very durable shoe for an amazing low price which is ideal as we all know that kids ruin shoes way to quickly so the lower the price, the better. CONS They aren't as designer looking as the rest of the shoes in this list but still a quality pair that deserve to take the #4 Spot on this list.

3. Nike HypervenomX Proximo II

Buy It Now The 2nd Pair of Nike shoes here in the top 5 and they have every right to be in my opinion Like all of Nike merchandise they come with an authentic Nike Gear guarantee so be careful if you try to buy them elsewhere and make sure that they have the guarantee as here at shwnisports.com we pride ourselves in showing you only authentic & quality products These are undeniably a very good-looking pair that any child would want to have on their feet and to be able to show off to their team-mates but its not all about what they look like Try Telling That To My 13 Year Old Son!!! They have a tight dynamic fit collar that will form around the top of your feet keeping your ankles secure and reducing the risk of injuries, but not totally protecting you so do not think you are indestructible wearing them The FlyKnit upper material forms to your feet like a 2nd skin and is lightweight & aerodynamic making dribbling the ball easy and effortless making you think that you are better than you actually are Also, the raised grips on the front and sides of them will help you keep the ball close to your feet while you are going through the opposition's defense I really love these boots but the price tag can be a bit on the steep side if you are looking for a pair of soccer shoes just to kick about in Excuse The Pun!

Nike HypervenomX Proximo II Outsole Pros & Cons of The HypervenomX Proximo ll PROS The durable Non-Marking rubber outsole will ensure that every game you play will be spent mostly stood up instead of laying on the floor after slipping on the wooden indoor pitch. The FlyKnit upper material is both comfy and aerodynamic making your gameplay faster and more enjoyable. You will have more control over the soccer ball with the raised grips on the front and sides of the shoes so you might be able to pull off some moves that you weren't able to do before wearing these. CONS Even though I personally think that you really do get your moneys worth with these boots, the price tag might not be within everybody's budget.

2. Adidas Nemeziz Tango 17.3

Buy It Now Probably the lightest boots that are on this list, The Nemeziz Tango 17.3 has an awesome reputation for being one of the most worn indoor soccer shoes amoungst soccer players to date They are made with a very durable textile upper material that will make you feel every touch, pass and shot of the ball and make you feel more connected to it And as you can see the design of them they are sports tape inspired which means you will have a greater lateral and medial support on your feet which will certainly reduce the risk of any foot injuries All that combined with a tough and durable rubber outsole for maximum grip making you whiz around the pitch at maximum speed and skill with minimum effort They come in 3 different colour designs but I personally think these black, yellow and white ones look stunning What Do You Think?

Adidas Nemeziz Tango 17.3 Outsole Pros & Cons of The Nemeziz Tango 17.3 PROS They are a low-ankle cut boot that are lightweight and durable making them feel like a 2nd pair of socks. The sports tape inspired design will give your feet extra medial and lateral support reducing the risk of injuries. Having a tough durable rubber outsole will help you stay on your feet and in the game. Adidas very rarely make a pair of soccer shoes as nice as this with a decent price but depending on the size you need you will be able to get a great deal with them. CONS Some people do not like the low-cut design as they expose your ankles but you can get some Shin Pads that will cover that area if you are worried about that.

1. Nike Hypervenom Phelon III (With Collar)

Buy It Now Finally, at Number #1 Now you might think that these Hypervenoms look like a pair of comfy, flimsy slippers, but you would be totally wrong The textured upper material might look like it could break and rip at the first contact you make with them but they are actually built with a Nike skin technology which is a soft mesh layer wrapped with a polyurethane film that is embedded into the synthetic leather and that makes them one of the strongest shoes here The easy to put on dynamic fit collar will ensure that you get the most ankle protection and comfort like wearing marshmallows on your feet while you are playing soccer If you notice, the laces are slightly off-centered giving you a much larger striking area on the front of the foot so you will have more control of the ball when you take a shot at goal Another awesome feature of these are the Non-Marking rubber outsole as the stud pattern has an amazing traction both on indoor courts and AstroTurf and that's exactly what you need from a quality pair of boots... Not To Keep Falling Over During A Game! OK, so you are probably thinking "A pair of shoes this good must cost a pretty penny" Let me tell you now that I think you would be pleasantly surprised when you see how much you have to pay And that is one of the main reasons that the Nike Hypervenon Phelon lll has taken the Number #1 spot in this list of Indoor Soccer Shoes For Kids in 2019

Pros & Cons of The Hypervenom Phelon lll PROS The Nike skin technology is very strong and durable and should last you longer than most soccer shoes. They have an easy to put on dynamic fit ankle collar that will keep your ankles protected much more than the low-cut designs. They have a wider striking area on the front because of the off-centred laces so you will have more control of the shots you take at goal. The textured upper material is covered in raised grips to help with ball control and curling the ball into the top hand corner of the goals. CONS These are actually advertised as indoor football shoes but they are also ideal for soccer also. I suppose if I wanted to be picky I would say they could do with having more colour choices but that's really being petty about it.

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scienceblogtumbler · 4 years ago

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When inequality is significant, free markets are not necessarily the way to go, says Northwestern economist

One of the most classic intuitions in economics is the idea that competitive markets are the best way to allocate resources in society. However, in a new paperto be published in the journal Econometrica, economists Piotr Dworczak of Northwestern, Scott Duke Kominers of Harvard and Mohammad Akbarpour of Stanford conclude that free markets are optimal under some circumstances — but at other times price controls can be a better solution, particularly when there’s significant societal inequality.

“We often see regulators implement price controls or other policies that distort the market’s function,” said Dworczak, assistant professor of economics in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. “Local housing regulators, for example, often ensure that some housing is ‘rent-controlled,’ to give lower-income people access. Another common example is minimum wage, which is a form of price controls in the labor market, and is often regulated at a local level.

“Classical economic theory suggests these sorts of regulations aren’t the best policy,” Dworczak explained. “But our paper shows that they can, in fact, be optimal.”

In particular the authors show that when inequality is significant, it can be optimal for a policymaker who regulates only one market to distort prices in order to “redistribute through the market.” Such policies have a special advantage in effecting redistribution because market participants’ behavior can help identify those who are most in need.

Kominers, the MBA Class of 1960 Associate Professor in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School and a faculty affiliate of the Harvard Department of Economics, used rideshare drivers during the current pandemic as an example.

“As the virus started spreading around the country, being a rideshare or delivery driver became a far riskier proposition. But some people kept driving — and some people even started driving for the first time. What can we infer about those people? Given the risks, it’s likely that many of them really needed the money,” he explained.

“Their behavior in the market is a signal of need — they were willing to take a substantial risk in exchange for a little bit of extra income. The basic principle of supply and demand says that when people become more desperate to sell their labor, their wage should decrease. But that’s precisely when — from a social perspective — we would like people to be paid more, all else equal. Our paper demonstrates that setting the wage above what a fully ‘competitive’ market would do can be optimal in such cases.”

Kominers added that setting a high wage has negative consequences, too.

“The service becomes more expensive for buyers — who in turn reduce their demand. This means fewer driving hours for the drivers,” he said. “Accordingly, our results donot say that you alwayswant to distort markets in order to redistribute. But they do suggest that it may sometimes be a good idea — especially when inequality among market participants is particularly pronounced.”

The authors hope their paper will provide a means to a more productive debate about these issues.

“There’s an argument for housing assistance, minimum wages and programs like food stamps,” said Akbarpour, assistant professor of economics at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. “There’s also the possibility that new marketplace businesses might use our ideas to make their markets more equitable — adding a bit of a social mission in a way that grows the pie for everyone. Although businesses traditionally focus on maximizing profits, their public image serves as an important incentive to consider broader social objectives in their planning.”

Earlier this month, their work generated significant buzz on Twitter with more than 500 retweets and comments and approximately 230,000 views.

Dworczak said their paper made precise an intuition that many people have had for a long time — and that has been gaining traction recently.

“It is increasingly common to view the market system as a contributor to growing inequality, which in turn has driven both progressive activism and populist backlash,” he said. “Some policymakers and social scientists have even gone so far as to suggest that markets should be eliminated or banned.”

Said Kominers: “But our paper suggests that there is a middle ground. It’s possible, at least in principle, to structure markets in ways that improve equity.”

The authors were surprised and pleased by the enthusiastic reaction that the paper has generated, and said that all the ingredients of their argument are already present in previous economic models.

“Other papers have, at least implicitly, made similar points in more complicated settings,” Akbarpour said. “We were just trying to distill the key intuition in the simplest, most classical model, which makes the insight especially striking. As far as we can tell, that’s what spoke to people.”

source https://scienceblog.com/517735/when-inequality-is-significant-free-markets-are-not-necessarily-the-way-to-go-says-northwestern-economist/

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meraenthusiast · 5 years ago

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How To Harness The Neurological Power Behind The Debt Snowball

{Editor’s Note: This article was written by Mr. SR from Semi Retire Plan. He writes about personal finance, behavioral economics, and early retirement. This article was originally published on The Money Mix and is published here with permission.}

Have you heard personal finance bloggers mention a guy named Dave Ramsey? If so, your mental image is probably of a bald guy cutting up credit cards and shouting about a snowball system, baby steps, and the Financial Peace University program.

While we would all agree that it’s preferable to not be in debt, the specifics are controversial, including the debt snowball payoff method.

Why Pay Off Debt Early?

Aggressively getting out of debt early has several advantages.

You will:

Reduce your total amount of interest paid over the life of the loan by effectively shortening the loan term

Have extra cash leftover each paycheck after you finish paying off each loan

Increase your net worth with certainty – without the volatility that accompanies more traditional investments

First, I recommend evaluating what caused your debt. If you have high-interest consumer debt, what steps will you take to avoid incurring additional indebtedness in the future?

For example, if you don’t already have an emergency fund, I encourage you to build one. Paying an unexpected expense out of pocket isn’t fun, but it’s better than adding 25% in annual interest from using a credit card.

Is your debt from medical expenses? Make sure you have the best health insurance for your family’s situation in the future. Are you making the most of the options available from the Affordable Care Act? You may also be able to gain tax advantages and avoid medical debt in retirement by using a Health Savings Account.

Or in some cases, your income may just be too low to get traction on the road to financial independence. If so, you may want to consider a job change, even it’s early in your career.

Another thing to avoid during times of higher debt loads is lifestyle creep. That happens when you get a little extra income and spend it on things you’ve wanted but probably don’t need. The cost of these items are often not one time things. They stay in the budget for some time to come.

How The Debt Snowball Works

Using this method, you arrange your debts from smallest to largest but exclude your primary residence’s mortgage if you have one. Then, pay the minimum payment on each debt plus extra (the most you can afford) on the one with the smallest balance. Once the smallest debt is paid off, you pay extra on the next lowest.

Repeat until you’re debt-free, then stay out of debt!

In this plan, the type of debt isn’t relevant. For example, the snowball system doesn’t consider if the debt is a car payment, a mortgage on a second home, or an unsecured debt (which typically have higher interest rates).

The advantage of using this strategy is that you’ll reduce your monthly payments (each time you pay off a debt) and save money on future interest by not paying for the full term of your loans. Then, you can use your extra money each month to invest or even pay off your mortgage!

Problems With The Debt Snowball

The controversial element to this is that the debt snowball doesn’t consider the interest rates of your debts when prioritizing. Mathematically, you would benefit most by paying off your highest interest debts first. There’s a name for this approach – the “debt avalanche.”

Furthermore, should you necessarily try to pay off your debts early if they have a low-interest rate? In theory, you might be better off investing your money than paying extra towards the debt with a low rate. Why would you accept a 4% “return” from paying off your student loan early (and avoiding future interest), when you could make 7-10% invested in index funds?

More traditional debt management techniques include transferring your balance to a home equity loan or debt consolidation loan to shift to lower interest rates quickly.

Ultimately, which approach is right for you is mainly dependent on your own goals and risk tolerance. Notably, though, people using the debt snowball method have a reputation for being ultra-focused and passionate about their progress.

Why?

What makes paying off small debts more exciting than paying off debts that are costing you more in interest? The short answer is because of chemicals in the brain and gut. And although debt repayment brought us to this topic, there are practical applications for you below, no matter what financial stage you’re in.

Chemicals That Enhance The Debt Snowball

Dopamine

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit between neurons or nerve cells. Dopamine, the “feel good” neurotransmitter, helps us focus and makes us feel happy when we meet our goals.

The debt snowball method is structured to help you achieve wins as quickly as possible since you’re paying extra on your smallest debts first. By completing the initial goals rapidly, you’re getting dopamine spikes more often. This makes you feel good, which makes you want to repeat the behavior. It also keeps you focused on your plan.

Visually tracking your debt journey, for example, can help you realize your progress and feel gratification. You can essentially “gamify” your finances to increase your happiness.

Dr. Nora D. Volkow, the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health, shared a powerful visual about the power of dopamine:

“Mice can die of starvation because they don’t have the motivation to engage in the behaviors to go and eat the food. You can rescue this animal by injecting dopamine into the areas of the brain that control this. But if you don’t do that, these animals will die of starvation. And that really epitomizes how extraordinary important dopamine is. It gives you that energy, the drive to do things.”

Dopamine gives you the drive to do things!

Endorphins

When you are exercising, stressed, or excited, endorphins are then released by the pituitary glands and the hypothalamus. They produce a feeling of relief and being pain-free.

In addition to killing pain, endorphins can act as antidepressants, sleep enhancers, and even as self-esteem boosters.

Debt is stressful and leads many doctors to depression or suicide. But by facing it head-on and pushing yourself to spend less and pay more against your debts, you’ll experience emotional pain relief from endorphins. A little extra sleep and self-esteem can always help too, right?

Oxytocin

Oxytocin spikes during emotional moments, and it makes you feel high. It’s primarily associated with moments of feeling unity and trust, and it strengthens personal connections.

When people are paying off debt with intensity, it feels like they’re a part of a movement that is greater than themselves. They’re a part of a community, all pursuing freedom.

Dave Ramsey, who popularized the debt snowball, invites listeners to do a “debt-free scream” on the radio show each day — these are clear high moments after stressful fights for financial freedom.

Even if you choose a different debt repayment approach or if you’re already debt-free, there are several takeaways you can use in your own life.

How To Use This Knowledge

Conditioning

Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, whose studies are now synonymous with his name, researched appetite and involuntary responses. His famous work with dogs actually shows how our behavior changes when we start to achieve our goals.

In Pavlov’s study, he rang a bell or played the metronome while dogs were eating. After repeating these conditions, the dogs eventually would salivate at the sound of the bell even if the food wasn��t present. This is called classical conditioning.

When you achieve your goals, neurotransmitters help you feel good. If you do this frequently, you will condition yourself to feel good about goals. This will make you even more motivated for your next pursuit.

Unlike the dogs, though, you can choose to ring your own “bell” in life.

Here are the 3 ways you can proactively set yourself up for success.

3 Practical Takeaways For Success

1) Set small, quickly achievable goals that ladder up to your big plans

The debt snowball benefits from having pre-set small goals in place. Each debt you pay off is a goal you are achieving. But, if debt freedom isn’t your current focus, then identify what’s most important to you in life. Next, break your long-term financial goals into concrete, smaller steps.

You may already be familiar with SMART goals. This acronym is popular in corporate settings and stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Well, I would add on “And Fast” – you need to set goals that you can reach in a brief period to maximize the gratification benefit.

For example, rather than phrasing your goal as “I want to retire early in 10 years,” make a smaller goal of “invest $1,000 this month” or “make $100 this week from my side hustle.” Honestly, even these goals can be broken down into more detail.

Maybe your focus for Day 1 can be “don’t order a pizza tonight” – cook at home instead.

Permit yourself to lower the stakes for success and failure for your goals. If you want to be a professor as your long-term career goal, that may require a master’s degree. It’s not possible to complete the master’s degree by midnight tonight, but you can look for a new job that offers tuition reimbursement for your master’s program.

If you shift your definition of success to be an outcome you can actually complete today, you will be successful more frequently.

When you intentionally focus on smaller goals, you won’t be ignoring your long-term dream. But, you will feel happier and more focused at each step along the way.

2) Do something stressful — it can be valuable and fulfilling

We often hear that chronic stress can be unhealthy. But, the right amount of “good stress” can help you feel motivated, resilient, and focused. You can even turn bad stress into good stress by thinking positively about the possible benefits of the situation.

If you’re not deeply cutting your spending to pay off debt, consider pushing yourself a bit towards your other goals — especially if you’re early on in your wealth-building journey. Is there something you can give up in the short-term, even if it’s mildly stressful?

If you’re trying to start a freelance writing business as a side hustle, don’t be afraid to sign up for a training course, even if it might be challenging or expensive in the short-term.

If you’re considering retiring and your finances are in order, go for it! Perhaps it’s intimidating at first, but the transition away from your career can yield greater fruits in a fulfilling new chapter of your life.

You’ll be rewarded in the long-term, and also get relief from endorphins along the way as you push through each step towards your goals.

3) Seek moments of unity and trust

Do you have family members or friends who are pursuing common financial goals with you? Working with others towards a common purpose isn’t just a pleasant idea. You’ll experience a real rush of oxytocin and gratification when you reach milestones along the way.

Even a pat on the back or a supportive hug can send out oxytocin that helps to dissolve the short-term stress and pain.

The good feelings can result in a real increase in productivity too. A 2014 Stanford study found that when people were treated as though they were working together, they persisted 48 to 64 percent longer on challenging tasks.

Remember how these chemicals can act as antidepressants? Social support is also important for those fighting depression so that you’ll benefit on that front as well.

Consider sharing your goals or struggles with your spouse or partner, or participating in online communities that have similar interests. This will hold you accountable, but it will also make the moments of celebration even more gratifying.

Conclusion

The empowering conclusion here is that you’re not stuck with a fixed amount of these seemingly magic chemicals. Certainly, people can naturally have varying levels, but you can also set yourself up to experience motivation and gratification.

Whatever your financial and personal ambitions are, I encourage you to set small goals often. Then pursue them, achieve them, and feel good!

The post How To Harness The Neurological Power Behind The Debt Snowball appeared first on Debt Free Dr..

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#IFTTT #Debt Free Dr.

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littlethingwithfeathers · 6 years ago

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Writing Update: 4/26/19

Publishing soon!

Stand Still Awhile: A Steve/Natasha fic in my series “Friendship is Unnecessary” set a few months after Winter Solder. Natasha is invited to a Stark Industries gala, and drags Steve along as her +1. If you’re looking for a taste of that “And they all lived in the tower and everything was great” fluff-life now that Endgame is out, this might scratch that itch. Look for it coming out this Monday! Excerpt: "Hey Natasha. What's up?"

"Hey Steve!" She piped back. “Listen, can I ask a favor?"

"Of course." Steve said, his voice turning a little serious. "Anything for you. You know that."

He heard her laugh. "You're going to regret saying that."

"Nat..." Her name was a warning, but his smile bled through.

"I need you to come as my plus one to this gala thing for some art exhibit that Stark Industries is funding over at the Met."

Steve sputtered a little. "What?"

"A gala. Last Saturday of this month. I need a date. You're not busy right?"

"But... you hate those things." Steve said by way of a rather stuttering non-answer.

"Look, Stark says everyone on payroll has to come, and I don't want to go by myself."

"Why don't you ask Clint?"

"He's on vacation. Off the grid."

"Maria Hill?"

"Already has a date."

"Sam?"

"Out of town. He was actually really disappointed too, but it's his mom's birthday that weekend."

"Is Nick Fury too busy being dead to-"

"Steve!" Natasha half-shouted, a smile coloring her voice. "It's my job to find you dates, not the other way around. Come on. Help a girl out?"

He sighed, rubbing one hand over the back of his neck. "Aw Nat, I'm not good at those things. You know that. Besides… you don't think people will talk if we showed up together?"

"And they wouldn't if I showed up with Maria Hill on my arm?" Natasha shot back. "Come on, Steve. I promise it will be fun.

***

Coming soon!

The Night the Wall Came Down: This is a Steve/Natasha fic in my “Friendship is Unnecessary” series set during Endgame, about 5-6 months post-Snap. This will definitely will be a sad one… I’m actually using this as a mourning piece for myself for Infinity War, for Endgame, and for the end of season 5 of Agents of SHIELD. Definitely will contain spoilers for Endgame. Currently clocks in at close to 9k. I’ve had to do some major surgery on it because I didn’t realize Endgame was going to span such a broad length of time, and I originally guessed that Team Cap would be spending a good chunk of time in Wakanda. It changed a lot of things about this fic in terms of setting and time, but thankfully I didn’t have to do much actual rewriting. I hope to have it out sometime in May.

A Maelstrom Whirls Below: I’m toying with the possibility of a sequel to my Darcy/Eddie/Venom fic “A Room for Rent in the Fourth Estate.” A rough outline is in place, and I’m starting to sketch around on a few scenes. But right now it’s just some ideas and a few zippy one-liners. It’s starting to get some traction though!

Hang By Every Word: The outline for my Stucky fic is still coming along but it will be awhile yet before I start writing on it in earnest. Now that “Fourth Estate” is finished and publishing, I’m ready to start picking at a new bigger fic. The basic theme (and I’m sure this has been done, but fuck it) is the undoing of Bucky’s conditioning one trigger word at a time. And each trigger word locked down a memory of Steve. So I have to write things from Steve’s point of view, and all ten memories have to be written from Bucky’s point of view, and they have to tie together into a cohesive narrative but the memories are out of order, but Steve’s time line isn’t and… It’s… a challenge. I’m still largely in the brainstorming phase… writing little snippets here and there. Nothing’s solidly taking form just yet.

***

Other “Friendship is Unnecessary” fics at various stages:

Sweet and Honorable: Set post Civil War. Bucky insists on coming with Steve and Natasha to rescue Sam Wilson. This is starting to take shape in my head as a sort of work through for some of the issues that get raised in “Echo in my Soul.” We’ll see how it goes…

Untitled Steve/Natasha/Clint fic: Takes place during Endgame. Hurt/Comfort-palooza. I won’t say any more than that before a cut for spoilers.

Untitled Final Fic: So... long story short, Endgame didn’t do what I thought it was going to do in some respects. If you’re curious what’s coming next for “Friendship is Unnecessary” look under the cut. But be warned that there will be spoilers.

Last spoiler warning! So... While I was actually spot on in a lot of my predictions about Endgame (Tony Stark buying it, the time travel being used to go get Stones out of the past, and Steve Rogers using the last of the time-travel juice to go back to be with Peggy) I was definitely not expecting them to kill Natasha. Like... that threw me for a loop.

And it threw my fic-writing for a loop. Because I was 100% expecting Steve to buy it if he didn’t just go back to 1945. But Nat dying... that throws a wrench in things. I actually had written the beginning of a fix-it for Endgame that assumes Steve dies, and that Bucky and Natasha are going to try and bring him back. And the plan for that, or at least a starting place, was that Clint was going to give Natasha Phil’s file from when she dumped all the SHIELD secrets onto the internet. They’d learn about TAHITI and the fact that apparently resurrection magic is a thing. (Also that Coulson was alive again but is now dead once more because I enjoy pain.) But obviously that is not going to work. Still might publish that scene though... just as like a little extra. I was super proud of it and I’m a little miffed that it’s basically useless now.

So now I’m left with a quandary of two options. Either go completely AU somewhere in the middle of the time-travely business and figure out a way to make Steve bite it and go ahead with the originally planned fic. (which will be a lot of work... I’d have to totally reorganize the Time Heist and I’m just not sure I have the brain capacity to pull that off) Or the other option is I keep to canon and figure out how to undo the Soul Stone magic to bring back Nat. Because Steve still has to return the Soul Stone. And I’m thinking I’m going to go with the latter, because I think I have it worked out. I won’t say how... but basically, we know that gaining the Soul Stone is a simple transaction. A soul for a soul. A life for a life. And Coulson’s fastidiousness with paperwork rubbed off on Clint... so he keeps his receipts. And Steve and Bucky would like to speak to the manager.

As far as the other fic, the Steve/Clint/Natasha one, I think that’s just going to be some straight-forward hurt/comfort happy times once Clint makes it back to the compound. Looking forward to writing this one. All in all... I had some serious issues with Endgame (looking at you bullshit where Steve goes back in time but doesn’t save Bucky... seriously... Steve “You can cram the Accords up your ass, motherfucker” Rogers would not be swayed from saving his best friend from DECADES of torture by a little thing like continuum theory. That is bullshit on cheese biscuits.) But I honestly enjoyed it. I thought it was a fitting end to the saga, and I’m looking forward to writing for it and wrapping up this series... and fixing the last fifteen minutes. Jesus Christ.

#writing #writing update #avengers endgame #endgame spoilers #endgame #endgame fic

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legit-scam-review · 6 years ago

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The Fight Over Masternodes: The WTF New Way to Earn Money With Crypto

There’s a fight going down on crypto Twitter right now.

But while that fact alone should come as no surprise, this time the bout is a bit more notable given it’s between a number of cryptocurrencies using so-called masternodes. While the term is flexible, generally speaking, masternodes are defined as computers on a network – staked with tokens – that perform additional work besides just helping run the software that governs a given cryptocurrency.

The mechanism, while an older idea, is starting to gain some traction with significant projects such as ZenCash (now Horizen), Gold Poker and Zcoin using the masternodes. Plus, other projects – EOS and Tezos, for instance – could likely refer to the participants that verify transactions as masternodes (though they don’t).

The Twitter battle, though, is all in good fun (mostly).

At its heart, the months-long contest pits pairs of tokens that use masternodes up against each other to test sentiment and name recognition, all using fairly simple, straightforward SurveyMonkey dialogues. Its instigator is Brian Colwell, a blogger and consultant to crypto startups, and he’s amping up the drama around it.

“We’re running it like a martial arts tournament, but it has devolved into eye gouging, brass knuckles,” he messaged CoinDesk over Twitter.

Colwell’s metaphorical “eye gouging” and “brass knuckles” mostly take the form of supporter exhortations over email lists and social media, with the odd fun gif. But it’s true that many of these projects are in it to win it.

Called “#MasternodeMeBro18,” the tournament, which tests which projects can best rally their community, started July 3 and will run through October 28.

Down from an original list of 64 coins that use masternodes, the tournament just finished its third round where 16 tokens paired off against each other. The round brought in a total of 11,416 votes across all the matchups. And looking at the hashtag on Twitter shows that a lot of the projects are working to turn out their followers to support their tokens.

In fact, the fight got so fierce that some of the matchups in this round showed evidence of vote tampering. Colwell’s partner, OmniAnalytics, detected multiple votes from some IP addresses, so they re-ran the impacted battles in a one-day “sudden death” rematch that closed Tuesday.

The fourth round of the contest started on August 28.

So, what’s with all the interest in masternodes all of the sudden?

According to industry observers, including Colwell, the masternodes approach allows participants in the network to earn income that’s above and beyond token appreciation. This passive income is what led Colwell to not only become interested in masternode projects but to organize the tournament.

He told CoinDesk:

“I have always been interested in communities with an interest in yield. You’ve got to find a way to make money all the time.”

Like bitcoin’s old days

This idea originated with Dash (formerly “Darkcoin”), which needed masternodes in order to help run its privacy enhancing features. By staking some tokens and making a computer available to the network, users with a long view of Dash earn an income on their stake, in the form of fresh tokens.

To participate as a masternode then, a user will need to make an upfront investment in coins and in equipment.

“Running a masternode incentivizes people to buy up the supply and lock them up for longer periods of time, thus reducing the coin velocity,” Sid Kalla of the blockchain consultancy Turing Advisory Group told CoinDesk.

Yet, the funds required aren’t insurmountable. In this way, running a masternode is like hobbyist bitcoin mining back in the day, when individuals could mine bitcoin and still turn a profit.

Colwell told CoinDesk that he runs 20 masternodes himself.

He said:

“I feel like it gives me more control on a daily basis to decide what I want to do with my coins.”

By earning tokens from his tokens, he has something to sell when the price swells and a way to stay ahead when the market is down.

Most token-based startups that have a masternode feature rank in the small- to mid-market capitalization ranges (Dash being an obvious outlier, with a $1.3 billion market cap), and in a way they bring back the days when a regular person could participate in running a protocol without much upfront investment.

Pricing what node to master

But it’s not just that easy; there are metrics to keep in mind.

In looking at participating in a given project, Kalla said that buyers should make sure they will earn more than it will cost them to run the computations required. “The rewards should also exceed the inflation rate,” he said.

But the most important variable is how valuable the token itself is.

“There is no point in holding something for 10 percent gains a year in its native token if it is going to fall by 90 percent against bitcoin,” Kalla continued.

Returns on masternodes vary wildly.

Masternodes.Online is a site that makes it easy to see what the upfront costs and returns are for different masternode projects. Usually, masternodes have very high rewards (100 percent per year is not unusual) in their native token, in order to make up for their market volatility.

For example, if a masternode offers 10 percent rewards on a stake of 100 tokens, a user should get 10 new tokens annually.

Here are some examples of basic stats of some different masternode tokens:

Colwell estimated that a reasonable starting price to buy a stake of tokens to run a masternode ranges from $2,500 to $5,000 in tokens.

But “price” might not really be the right word, because the necessary tokens to stake aren’t lost. A masternode just needs to lock them up for as long as the operator wants to receive rewards.

Other kinds of income

On top of the rewards for maintaining the network, Kalla also pointed to token projects that can earn more than one kind of reward. And while many masternode-using projects are a bit more underground, the idea is starting to gain more traction.

For instance, Swarm Fund, the Techstars alum which raised $5.5 million in an ICO, launched a masternode program in August. Already, 9 percent of the token supply has been staked by interested masternodes, according to a recent update from the company. The idea behind the project was to allow people to invest in projects for which the upfront cost is typically too high.

So, in addition to validating transactions, Swarm’s masternodes will decide where to invest part of Swarm’s token reserve (later sharing the returns on those investments). The theory here is that returns on managing consensus will be higher early on and the investments will pay off later, giving participants an incentive to get in early and stick around.

“In contrast to other rewards systems, our masternode system actually increases rewards over a long period of time,” Philip Pieper, Swarm’s CEO, told CoinDesk.

Another startup, Eximchain, an FBG and Kinetic Capital-backed blockchain-based supply chain management push, is expected to launch its own masternodes soon.

For that network, it won’t be enough just to stake to become a masternode. Instead, after completing know-your-customer (KYC) requirements, potential masternodes will have to be voted onto the network by other members of the chain – marking an unusually high bar for the process.

But deciding who else gets to be a masternode on the Eximchain network is one of the most important pieces of work its masternodes will do. Those who participate in voting have to put up funds proportional to their conviction in the vote. Then all those funds get shared among the nodes that voted, creating another form of revenue.

These kinds of extra earnings for participating in a blockchain network are something Kalla said those interested in being masternodes should look for.

Signals and incentives

And just as money makes masternodes an enticing idea, for masternode projects themselves, Colwell’s contest is starting to look more attractive, too.

At first, the prize for coming out ahead in the contest was at most PR and bragging rights, but that’s changed. Real stakes have started to accrue for projects that perform well. Not from Colwell himself, but from a new startup called Kalkulus.

The startup was created to give users a way to run masternodes without actually needing to manage the computing themselves. So if a user holds stake in a particular token, Kalkulus will run the computations.

Yet Kalkulus only provides this service for so many projects. Not only does integration bandwidth get in the way but also they likely want to be choosy with their integrations so they’re seen as only offering the best projects.

As such, the company promised to provide the service to the four projects with the most votes in the third round – which were Solaris, Deviant, Phore and Rupaya.

As a masternode-as-a-service-type offering, many projects will likely want to be listed on the platform since it lowers the barrier to entry for participants in the network.

Like investors looking to buy tokens in a presale, companies like Kalkulus need signals to help them decide which tokens to provide the service for, and that’s what Colwell’s contest has become.

Colwell acknowledged that, saying:

“The ones that have strong social sentiment are likely to be the ones that have the most masternodes.”

Roman coins image by Nikita Andreev on Unsplash (public domain)

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helenpattersoon · 7 years ago

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How to build brand consistency into your website design

So, it’s official. You launched that brilliant startup idea you were dreaming about on lunch breaks. You bought the company domain, wrote a clever slogan and even built a solid business model. Now it’s time to focus on gaining traction with your target audience and creating your online presence. That means designing a website with brand consistency.

Your brand is the story that connects people to the products and services you offer. If the look of your website matches this narrative, your business will feel even more engaging and authentic. And that’s why fusing brand consistency into your web design is so important. You’ll gain recognition with your consumers.

Everything from colors and fonts to the words and layout represents your brand. But those design elements don’t need to be noisy, cluttered or overdone to still draw attention and make a lasting impact.

How consistently the brand is translated onto your website determines how successfully the audience perceives, recognizes and connects with your business. Via Claudiu Fagadar.

Just follow these six steps to build brand consistency into your website. The finished product will communicate a bold, memorable statement that customers are sure to notice.

Roll with your color wheel —

Every color you use on the website affects how people experience your company because each one evokes its own emotional response. This is known as color theory and picking the right combination gives your audience more insight on what the brand is all about. For instance, black and red feels edgy. Brown and green feels earthy.

Once you’ve determined the primary and secondary colors of your brand, integrate them into your website. Start with a dominant base color, like one used in your logo. Apply it to headlines, subheadings, background images and illustrations—any place that people will naturally gravitate toward on your site.

Use the subtler accent shades for the more functional aspects like navigation tabs, links, sidebar icons and menus. Color coding your website keeps it looking sharp and clean instead of distracting and unfocused.

Harness the power of whitespace —

Although it’s tempting to cram every square-inch of your website with content, the need for whitespace can’t be overlooked. Fusing this design technique into your site actually boosts attention spans and comprehension rates by 20%.

The prominent degree of whitespace used on this website makes the black and gray features stand out almost three-dimensionally. Via PRANETOR.

Your eyes are prone to overstimulation, but whitespace is a blank canvas that allows them to breathe. Customers will be much more able to retain your brand identity than if you saturate the site with words and graphics. Instead of filling in all the available gaps and margins, surround images and text with whitespace to increase the legibility and communicate your ideas more effectively.

This website’s subtle but effective motif of a grayscale image fading into whitespace underscores the company slogan, “the art of space.” Via Piparus.

A website design that balances visual content with strategic whitespace is organized, polished and accessible—three attributes that you obviously want to be associated with your brand.

Keep your fonts simple —

Just like your brand colors, the typefaces on your website should be uniform across-the-board. There are multiple styles of fonts, but too much variety will detract from your message. Instead of going into font overload, choose two that complement each other and support the tone of your brand. You’ll have design consistency without reining in brand personality.

Whether your preference is old-school serif, modern sans serif or freeform script, make sure the typeface is legible first. This might sound like a no-brainer, but regardless of how trendy the font looks, if you can’t read it, your audience can’t either. Some fonts are just too quirky to be practical.

You can also customize your own typeface, but when going this route, verify it’s compatible with all internet browsers—otherwise, the text won’t load correctly when people view your website. In order to sidestep this issue and still achieve that unique feel, choose a webfont that’s hosted through a server like Google, embedded into the browser and then coded directly onto the website. Although this sounds complicated, the actual process is straightforward, and it ensures that your custom font will be formatted on the website like you intended.

Add personal details —

People want to know there’s a real name, face, and story behind your business, so infuse genuine human touches into your website.

The about page establishes this personal trainer as competent, dedicated and authentic with the use of engaging text, progress photos and client testimonials. Via TheLionKing.

Think of your online presence casting a vision that tells to your audience, “We care about you and want to serve you.” When people are invested, they’re willing to support your endeavors. So rather than turning the website into a marketing hub, focus on personal details to craft a personalized experience that others can connect with.

A great starting point is a mission statement that tells customers what you’re about and how you can enrich their lives. Keep it concise, but specific. And make the core theme socially minded. An effective mission statement also has the freedom and fluidity to evolve as your brand changes based on customer needs.

For instance, we all know Chipotle as the undisputed authority on guacamole (who cares if it costs extra!). But their mission isn’t just about their product—it’s about the people:

“Over 23 years later, our devotion to seeking out the best ingredients we can—raised with respect for animals, farmers, and the environment—remains at the core of our commitment to ‘Food with Integrity.’ And as we’ve grown, our mission has expanded to ensuring that better food is accessible to everyone.”

Once you’ve defined your mission statement, find creative ways to incorporate those values into your web design. Here’s an idea: post candid, behind-the-scenes team photos that support your mission to give your brand an authentic, community-oriented vibe. This unfiltered glimpse into your company’s culture will energize the website with vibrancy and life. Plus, your audience will feel more closely connected to you.

Another element that adds credibility to your brand is the testimonial. Secure the clients’ permission, of course, then designate space on the homepage for real stories and quotes from people who have been impacted through your business. Peer endorsement tells a potential customer that you can be trusted to deliver on your mission.

Accent your content with images —

The graphics on your website shouldn’t be flashier than the message your brand is communicating. But subtle image accents or underlays can add creative and aesthetic depth when used sparingly. Place high-quality photographs intentionally to show your audience what you represent even before they read any words.

Always make sure images are compatible with the content on your website. They should both clarify and amplify the brand’s voice, so people can visualize what it means to be part of your clientele.

For instance, think about the Nike customer—this brand has targeted a successful campaign around inspiring their audience to be fierce and gritty rule-breakers. And the sleek vibe of their graphics suggests owning Nike gear can develop this persona. In other words, strategically curated images send powerful non-verbal cues.

You can also experiment with background or banner images on your website’s homepage to create even more dimension and refine the brand identity.

For example, if your business has an artistic feel—a gallery, fashion brand or design firm—add vivid and textured images to illustrate this concept. The graphic design studio Pentagram does that by interspersing a geometric collage of small photos with a rotating slideshow of large photos. The result is movement, colors, shapes and mixed-media to support the company’s emphasis on imagination and innovation.

Place your logo strategically —

A company’s logo is like its handshake. It’s the first impression that would-be customers receive when they come across your brand. The strongest logos are a fusion of both professionalism and personality, but just as crucial as your logo design itself is where it’s displayed on your website.

Be deliberate and purposeful about where the logo is placed. Visitors are more likely to remember a logo situated near the top left corner as opposed to the right because the majority of languages are read from left-to-right. Position the logo there and it’ll be the first image that readers subconsciously associate with your website.

Granted, it might seem cutting-edge to disregard the conventional top left model and choose a more unique layout—especially if the brand is known for challenging norms and setting new trends. Originality matters, but visibility is more important. It’s also a smart idea to group the logo and navigation tabs near each other for a convenient, effortless and optimized user experience.

Consistency is the key —

From the major elements to minute details, every aspect of the website tells your target audience what to expect from your brand. If your web design is polished, cohesive and organized, people will trust your business to offer that same consistency in service and quality.

In other words, being consistent in how you present the brand online communicates how you operate your business offline. Do you want to be known as reliable and state-of-the-art? Or disjointed and unfocused? Yeah, exactly!

Want to build some brand consistency into your new website?

Our designers can create the perfect site that matches your brand to a T.

Let’s do this!

Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer is a freelance writer and blogger who is passionate about helping creative spirits like herself feel equipped to pursue their ambitions. She lives in Southwest Florida and believes that everything is better beachside. When she’s not writing, Mary-Elizabeth can usually be found running, listening to podcasts or updating her personal blog, Health Be A Hippie.

The post How to build brand consistency into your website design appeared first on 99designs Blog.

via https://99designs.co.uk/blog/

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myongfisher · 7 years ago

Text

How to build brand consistency into your website design

How consistently the brand is translated onto your website determines how successfully the audience perceives, recognizes and connects with your business. Via Claudiu Fagadar.

Just follow these six steps to build brand consistency into your website. The finished product will communicate a bold, memorable statement that customers are sure to notice.

Roll with your color wheel —

Harness the power of whitespace —

The prominent degree of whitespace used on this website makes the black and gray features stand out almost three-dimensionally. Via PRANETOR.

This website’s subtle but effective motif of a grayscale image fading into whitespace underscores the company slogan, “the art of space.” Via Piparus.

A website design that balances visual content with strategic whitespace is organized, polished and accessible—three attributes that you obviously want to be associated with your brand.

Keep your fonts simple —

Add personal details —

People want to know there’s a real name, face, and story behind your business, so infuse genuine human touches into your website.

The about page establishes this personal trainer as competent, dedicated and authentic with the use of engaging text, progress photos and client testimonials. Via TheLionKing.

For instance, we all know Chipotle as the undisputed authority on guacamole (who cares if it costs extra!). But their mission isn’t just about their product—it’s about the people:

Accent your content with images —

Always make sure images are compatible with the content on your website. They should both clarify and amplify the brand’s voice, so people can visualize what it means to be part of your clientele.

You can also experiment with background or banner images on your website’s homepage to create even more dimension and refine the brand identity.

Place your logo strategically —

Consistency is the key —

Want to build some brand consistency into your new website?

Our designers can create the perfect site that matches your brand to a T.

Let’s do this!

The post How to build brand consistency into your website design appeared first on 99designs Blog.

How to build brand consistency into your website design published first on https://www.lilpackaging.com/

0 notes

pamelahetrick · 7 years ago

Text

How to build brand consistency into your website design

How consistently the brand is translated onto your website determines how successfully the audience perceives, recognizes and connects with your business. Via Claudiu Fagadar.

Just follow these six steps to build brand consistency into your website. The finished product will communicate a bold, memorable statement that customers are sure to notice.

Roll with your color wheel —

Harness the power of whitespace —

The prominent degree of whitespace used on this website makes the black and gray features stand out almost three-dimensionally. Via PRANETOR.

This website’s subtle but effective motif of a grayscale image fading into whitespace underscores the company slogan, “the art of space.” Via Piparus.

A website design that balances visual content with strategic whitespace is organized, polished and accessible—three attributes that you obviously want to be associated with your brand.

Keep your fonts simple —

Add personal details —

People want to know there’s a real name, face, and story behind your business, so infuse genuine human touches into your website.

The about page establishes this personal trainer as competent, dedicated and authentic with the use of engaging text, progress photos and client testimonials. Via TheLionKing.

For instance, we all know Chipotle as the undisputed authority on guacamole (who cares if it costs extra!). But their mission isn’t just about their product—it’s about the people:

Accent your content with images —

Always make sure images are compatible with the content on your website. They should both clarify and amplify the brand’s voice, so people can visualize what it means to be part of your clientele.

You can also experiment with background or banner images on your website’s homepage to create even more dimension and refine the brand identity.

Place your logo strategically —

Consistency is the key —

Want to build some brand consistency into your new website?

Our designers can create the perfect site that matches your brand to a T.

Let's do this!

The post How to build brand consistency into your website design appeared first on 99designs Blog.

via 99designs Blog https://99designs.co.uk/blog/web-digital-en-gb/build-brand-consistency/

0 notes

takecarehair · 7 years ago

Text

How to Regrow your Edges, Bald Spots, and Thinning Hair!

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Hey loves WELCOME to my channel !

Watch me in HD as I tell you all the products I’ve been using to grow my edges back!

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Email [email protected] [email protected]

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Top Product For Thinning Edges In city stateshort

Beans Stalk Infusion Oil

BeanStalk Infusion: Regrows Your “Edges” and “Thinning” Areas 2 Weeks • Incredibly Simple – Each daily application takes about 10 minutes…much less time than spending a full day at the doctor’s office or hours at the salon • Unbelievable Value – Get a 4 week’s supply for just $16.99…and start seeing results in 2 weeks • Amazing Growth- Bald Spots, Thinning, Permed or Natural Hair BeanStalk Works Wonders to regrow your hair • 100% All Natural – Our plant-based product heals and moisturizes your scalp, strengthens damaged hair, stops hair shedding, and gives you beautiful and natural hair • CHILDREN FRIENDLY- Yes! Ages 5 & Up! • Best-In-The-Industry Guarantee – You have a full 60 days to decide if Beanstalk Hair Growth Vitamin is right for you. If you’re not 110% satisfied, email us and we’ll not only give you a no-questions-asked refund, but we’ll also buy you one of our competitor’s products (of equal or lesser value)

Steps On How To Grow Your Edges Back

Step 1: Reduce the amount of time you come into contact and manipulate your edges Step 2: Pamper This Area With Moisture and Nourishment Step 5: Take Hair Supplements Step 7: Don’t braid your hair Step 9: Wear your hair in a free hairstyle Step 11: Wash Your Hair Frequently Step 13: Review The Products You Are Using

How To Stop Balding Edges city stateshort

Some stylists make use of completely also much stress on African American females’s hair, pulling it away from the scalp when braiding as well as benting as if to penalize you for some unknown poor deed. Yes, that’s right: Something you’re doing in an effort to make your hair look far better can in fact be making it a lot, much even worse. Some that come to mind are: Ease of style; you could actually just get up and also go much more frequently compared to not while your hair is in braids or twists, conserving time and also energy on the everyday.

Vitamins For Hair Growth For African Americans

The appearance of hair plays an important function in individuals’s physical appearance and self-perception, so it can be ravaging to experience loss of hair, specifically when there does not appear to be anything you can do about it. However did you know that there are vitamins for hair development? In fact, bad nutrition, including vitamin shortages, is a significant aspect of loss of hair. Often loss of hair is due to a vitamin deficiency too. Thankfully, a deficiency can be remedied by adding vitamin-rich foods to your diet or using supplementation. Some vitamins have antioxidant homes that assist to eliminate the extrinsic elements of hair loss, and some vitamins assist the body balance hormone levels, another element that stops hair development. Getting enough vitamin D daily may assist, but there’s little evidence yet that it can bring hair back. Balding takes place when your follicles are constantly dormant. But even with awakened hair follicles, hair is not constantly produced. B-complex vitamins are necessary for controling metabolic process and preserving the central nervous system. But they’re also essential for healthy skin and hair. Some dietitians claim that the more popular B vitamins. Most of us know that vitamin C can assist boost our resistance, securing us against regular colds and other diseases. Exactly what lots of people don’t understand, however, is vitamin C can assist enhance hair and assist it grow. f you want longer, healthier hair then do not forget about Biotin. This is rapidly turning into one of the most extensively utilized supplements for faster hair development. While biotin is a B vitamin it plays such an essential function in keeping hair healthy that it needed its own area. Niacin is another vitamin that remains in the B household however deserves its own acknowledgment. This vitamin helps to nourish the scalp, promoting healthy hair growth. Without sufficient amounts of niacin, your hair stands the possibility of becoming breakable, lifeless, and might even fall out. Commercials and the media promote supplements and vitamins as the perfect service for hair growth and enhancement, but can supplements or vitamins grow ladies’s hair, and do supplements help with a thinning head of hair?

Traction Alopecia Treatment In

The term alopecia refers to hair loss. Traction alopecia is hair loss that’s caused by repeatedly pulling on your hair. You can develop this condition if you often wear your hair in a tight ponytail, bun, or braids, especially if you use chemicals or heat on your hair. For sufferers of traction alopecia, the key to curing it begins with changing hairstyling methods. Pulling hair tightly into ponytails or braided hairstyles may trigger permanent hair loss. Dermatologist Dr. Jeffrey Benabio says traction alopecia causes scarring of the hair follicle. Anyone can be affected by traction alopecia – young or old, male or female. It’s more common within certain groups of the population, because they are more likely to use some of the hairstyling techniques listed above. If not, the next thing you’ll notice is that sections of your hair are actually missing, or worryingly sparse. You can often see this more clearly around the hairline or behind the ears, but it can often happen around the crown, too. People with traction alopecia should consider changing hair care and styling practice to prevent further deterioration. Many celebrities, dancers and models suffer from this condition due to their over-use of hair extensions and tightly-fixed hair embellishments, such as hairpieces.Once the follicles affected by Traction Alopecia have ceased to produce hair, treatment will not be effective. This will be the case if the hair has been under large amounts of strain for many years and the areas of traction alopecia hair loss are completely bald (these areas will appear shiny). However, it is usually worth giving treatment for Traction Alopecia a try for a minimum of three months to see how the hair responds.

Traction Alopecia: Hair Loss Caused by Weaves city

Loss of hair like this is not uncommon. It’s called traction alopecia, or hair loss caused over time by cosmetic hair stress. This is most typically discovered in ladies who regularly wear their hairs in taut designs like weave. The finest way to evade this devastating condition is to treat your hair and scalp more carefully. Avoid weave tracks that tug strongly on your hair beneath. It’s not exactly known why individuals suffer from different types alopecia. A few of the causes range from extreme weave styling, taking specific medications or when your body immune system begins attacking your healthy hair roots for no apparent factor. No one knows why the immune system erroneously assaults the healthy hair roots, however I have my theories.

Can Hair Loss Be Reveresed

A certain amount of the loss is long-term if not treated prior to the follicle is change with scar tissue. If the follicle is still there, then I can get it to start producing hair again. Thinning edges hair loss does not have to be long-term. It can be a traumatic experience, specifically when you are uncertain of ways to treat them. Thinning edges can be brought on by hairstyles that pull the hair too tight, consistent friction on the edges, and incorrect hair care practices. It can be rather frustrating, however it does not need to be any longer. Listed below you will discover eight temple treatments that will help to restore your edges. Yucca help in thicker hair with hair growth. An anti-breakage mask is a product to invest in when growing healthy and complete edges. Deep condition hair and kindly apply the condition on the edges weekly. Remember to be gentle while using the treatment to your edges. In order for your hair to grow back, the hair follicles have to be renewed to improve blood flow hence promoting more hair growth. This can be attained through scalp stimulation which helps to enhance blood flow throughout the scalp. When you get rid of dandruff and/or bacteria from your scalp, hair follicles end up being unclogged, enabling the scalp to breathe resulting in faster hair development. The hair edges are the most delicate part of the hair, and the edges have to be dealt with carefully. If hair gets bald on the edges it could be alopecia, and a medical professional (skin specialist) might have to prescribe something. Preventing alopecia on the hair edges can be achieved by: not using chemical hair perms, tight ponytail designs with braids, and wearing hair gels which contain alcohol. best thinning edges product

Related Post Below: African American-Make Your Edges Grow http://www.blackhairtalk.com/thinning-edges/how-to-regrow-thinning-edges-christian-byshe/ Black Hair-Traction Alopecia Description http://www.blackhairtalk.com/thinning-edges/hair-grow-out-your-edges-bald-spots-fast/ Black Women-How Is Traction Alopecia Diagnosed http://www.blackhairtalk.com/thinning-edges/how-i-repaired-my-thinning-edges/ Hair Regrowth-Thinning Hair Sides and Back http://www.blackhairtalk.com/thinning-edges/how-to-grow-your-edges-back-in-2-weeks/ Hair Loss -Traction Alopecia Braids Hair Remedies-Balding Short Back and Sides

The post How to Regrow your Edges, Bald Spots, and Thinning Hair! appeared first on Black Hair Talk.

from Black Hair Talk | Black Hair Talk http://www.blackhairtalk.com/thinning-edges/how-to-regrow-your-edges-bald-spots-and-thinning-hair/

#Black Hair Talk | Black Hair Talk

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olivereliott · 7 years ago

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Review: The 2018 Triumph Bonneville Bobber Black

This time last year, I was in Madrid riding the then-new Triumph Bonneville Bobber. Fast forward twelve months, and I’ve just hopped off the follow-up Bobber Black, in Marbella on Spain’s Costa del Sol.

Madrid was a beautiful city, surrounded by incredible motorcycling country. But the riding between Marbella and Ronda is even better. In the same way, I loved the vanilla Bobber when I first rode it but the Bobber Black is just that little bit sweeter.

In basic terms, the Bobber Black is a murdered-out ‘standard’ Bobber with an upgraded front end. It gets a drop in front wheel size from 19” to 16”, beefier 47mm Showa forks (versus the original’s 41mm KYB units), and an extra brake disc with Brembo calipers.

Barring one or two other updates, it’s essentially the same bike. Same hardtail-look frame, same ‘high torque’ 1200cc motor, and the same solo rider setup. The price differs though; the Black costs a grand-and-a-quarter more than its sibling in the US.

The first-gen Bobber was a runaway success—selling twice as fast as Triumph expected. It’s actually the fastest selling model in the 115-year history of the British marque: Not bad for a single-seater that caused half the internet to throw toys out of the cot over the idea of a factory ‘bobber.’

While all this was going on, the Bobber Black was patiently waiting in the wings. It was developed alongside the original Bobber and the idea, according to Triumph’s head of brand management, Miles Perkins, was to offer up more than one kind of Bob.

There’s the original flavor, for those after a classic vibe, and now the Black, for riders wanting a more aggressive stance and a higher spec.

So do the upgrades really make the Black that much better? Or did I hop a plane from Cape Town to Spain—and get snowbound in Amsterdam along the way—for nothing?

Before I hit the road with the Bobber Black, I had some time to take in the details. I’ve gushed previously about the Bobber’s sublime finishes and old school looks, and the way Triumph has managed to hide the modern technology. And on the Black, all of that still rings true.

That gorgeous swing cage and hidden mono-shock: check. A catalytic convertor that you can’t see: check. Faux carbs that are so pretty I can’t hate them: check. Classy ribbed fenders and a period-correct rear fender bracket: check.

Except now, almost everything is—you guessed it—black. The engine covers, exhausts, handlebars, foot controls, levers, risers and wheels hubs have all been blacked-out. Heck, even the gearshift linkage and the aluminum seat pan have gone midnight.

A couple of parts have selectively been left alone, to add just the right amount of contrast. As for that cute 2.4-gallon tank and the fenders, you’ve got two choices: the base model jet black gloss (my favorite by far), or the slightly more costly matt jet black (below).

It’s the stance where the Bobber Black really differs visually from its fairer sibling, though. Even though the front rim is the same width on both bikes (2.5”), on the Black it’s smaller and wears wider rubber. Combine that with the chunkier forks, and you’ve got a bike that looks even more purposeful and muscular.

The rider ergonomics are also exactly the same as the Bobber’s, which caught me by surprise. I was convinced Triumph would add different handlebars or forward pegs, but they left the drag-style bars, mid-mounted pegs and solo seat exactly where they are. Which in retrospect makes a lot more sense, since the Bobber is actually a surprisingly comfortable ride.

You can still adjust the cantilevered solo seat between up-and-forward and down-and-back, and you can still adjust the angle of the speedo to suit you. And I still wouldn’t bother with either adjustment—especially since I previously found the Bobber’s down-and-back seat position a bit too stretched out for my liking.

A look at the cockpit reveals a couple of new additions. There’s now an LED headlight to match the rest of the bike’s LED lighting, complete with a pretty daytime running light. And the left switchgear now includes a cruise control button.

It’s a basic setup; hit the button to activate it, then hit it again to set your speed. Tap it once more—or grab the throttle or brake—and it’s off. The simplicity of it is great in theory, but I found that the button needed a really hard squeeze to work (my thick winter gloves probably didn’t help). I also missed the ability to adjust my speed while cruising that you’d find on most systems.

I’ve always loved the Bobber’s analog/digital combo speedo, and the amount of info that it packs in—including a fuel gauge, gear position indicator and consumption info. And the adjustable levers, slick bar-end mirrors and easy-to-use switches are all huge plusses—even if the switchgear housings are so darn big.

Our test units came fitted with optional heated grips, which worked a treat in the chilly Spanish hills. They also reveal how carefully Triumph has designed bolt-on parts: the button to toggle through different heating levels tucks up next to the existing switches like it belongs. And as you change modes, the speedo’s digital display feeds back the relevant info.

Firing up the Bobber Black reminded me of one of my favorite things about the Bobber—its engine. It’s the same liquid-cooled, 1200cc ‘high torque’ parallel twin found in the T120, with a 270 degree firing interval. But in the Bobber it has a unique intake and exhaust tune for even more gains.

That’s a lot of words, but what it translates to in numbers is 106 Nm at 4,000 rpm, and 77 hp at 6,100 rpm. 77 doesn’t sound like a lot, but I tend to ignore arguments over numbers these days, preferring to focus on how well—and where—torque is delivered. And the Bobber does this sublimely.

As you spool the motor up to 4,000 you can feel—and hear—that peak torque kick in. Even though I’d love to hear the Bobber with the optional Vance & Hines cans, the stock setup delivers an addictive growl. More importantly, unleashing that torque makes shooting off the line or firing the Bobber out of corners an absolute pleasure.

There is a lot of tech here for an ‘old-school’ bike, but I really can’t fault any of it. The ride-by-wire throttle is responsive, the torque-assist clutch is feather light and the ratios through the six-speed box are damn near perfect. (Oh yes, and it’s all Euro 4 compliant, with nary a sensor or box in sight.)

The rider aids also do little to detract from the Bobber’s retro feel. You don’t notice the traction control until you switch it off (which can only be done when stationary) and really abuse the throttle.

You can also flick between ‘Road’ and ‘Rain’ modes, which are both full power: ‘Rain’ just smooths out the delivery. ABS is standard, and behaved well during a couple of hard brake checks.

Our test route included countless hills and corners—and the new front end passed the test. The original Bobber is already a far better corner carver than it should be, thanks to Triumph’s exceptional chassis and suspension engineers.

The Black has exactly the same chassis, suspension travel and geometry as the base Bobber. But with that chubby front wheel and burlier forks, the Black really digs corners. It turns in quick and holds its line well, although it suffers from the same ground clearance woes as before. Kiss your pegs goodbye.

The Avon Cobra tires are grippy and predictable, and the 47mm Showa forks feel planted and precise. The overall suspension setup feels pretty stiff, which is great for hustling the bike through corners. But it did punish my back a bit on one particularly gnarly stretch of bad tarmac.

The twin Brembo brake setup is a massive improvement. I longed for more bite from the first Bobber’s single disc, and Triumph has now delivered. But it’s not just the raw stopping power on the Black that’s impressive: it’s the way I could shave speed off quickly with just a subtle squeeze of the lever. That upgrade alone is worth the price of admission.

Our pace on the day was relaxed rather than rushed. But when things did get brisk, the Bobber Black was capable of more than we were throwing at it. And I marveled once again at how I could spend all day riding a bike with drag bars and a single seat. It might not be a tourer, but that seat hugs your butt well. So well, I could see myself tackling a few 200-mile days in a row, with nothing but a backpack.

Back in town, the Bobber Black transformed from back road blaster to urban runabout, with zero complaints. At 524 pounds (237 kilos) dry, it weighs 21 pounds more than the regular Bobber—but it’s content shuffling along at town pace.

Last year, I signed off my review of the first-gen Bobber by saying you shouldn’t over-think it. And you shouldn’t over-think the Bobber Black either.

Like the original, it’s cool and it’s extremely well engineered. And although it’s single-minded it’s also remarkably versatile. But most importantly, it’s even more of a blast to ride.

And yes, I struggled to give the keys back.

The Bobber Black starts at $13,150 for jet black, and $13,400 for matt jet black in the USA. In the UK, those prices are £11,650 and £11,775.

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How do you breed a 2,624 pound pumpkin?

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/how-do-you-breed-a-2624-pound-pumpkin/

How do you breed a 2,624 pound pumpkin?

The world of produce has its fair share of imposingly large specimens. For the committed grower, just about any fruit or vegetable is fair game. There are 350-pound watermelons, apples the size of a lumpy dodgeball, and tomatoes as heavy as a newborn child. The world’s largest onion could make enough French onion soup to feed 36 people, while the heaviest carrot is made from so many tentacles it could star in its own B movie.

But pumpkins easily surpass them all. Last year, a new world record was set by a pumpkin that hailed from Belgium. It weighed 2,624.6 pounds. And it probably won’t be able to claim the honor for long. Communities of growers around the world are dedicated to spurring pumpkins to ever-greater bulk.

But what gives pumpkins their edge? Why is it that we can coax pumpkins to grow beyond a ton, while other record-breaking produce could fit in a backpack? What drives these squashes of unusual size?

Growing any record-breaking vegetable is a matter of both choosing seeds with good genetics and carefully nurturing them. “There’s not a lot of magic really to it, it’s really more of a matter of horticultural art,” says Karl Niklas, a plant evolutionist at Cornell University. “In theory, any vegetable, any fruit can grow to many more times what we normally see.”

Pumpkins, however, are special. One reason that some of them can reach such staggering sizes is that pumpkins grow right on the ground. “If you’re trying to grow a really big apple or even tomatoes, you have to support it some way artificially to keep it from just killing itself essentially,” says Kevin Snyder, the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth’s Northeastern United States representative.

And a pumpkin’s growing season can last over 100 days, so they have more time to reach gargantuan sizes than many other crops do. Another advantage pumpkins—and close relatives like watermelons—have is their thick, woody rind. “When you think about a tomato, that’s really a big bag of water,” Niklas says. “It might get so large that it ruptures its skin.”

Other fruits and vegetables face similar limitations. “I don’t think you’ll ever see grapes the size of a watermelon,” Niklas says.

Record-breaking pumpkins aren’t the same type you put on your doorstep for Halloween; they’re a variety called Dill’s Atlantic Giant. Over the years, people have bred these titanic pumpkins to produce increasingly large offspring. But not every pumpkin seedling has the same potential for greatness. It’s possible that the winners have inborn advantages, such as larger vascular tissue. Or they might be able to grow faster than their competitors, resist pests, or draw more nutrients from the soil, Niklas says.

People use the seeds from these superior pumpkins to grow the next round of potential victors. Growers are attracted to pumpkins that seem extra thick or dense, says Andy Wolf, president of the New York State Giant Pumpkin Growers Association. A pumpkin’s weight can be estimated from its height and girth; the most promising are heavier than these measurements would suggest. “If you have a pumpkin that’s measuring 1,500 pounds for example, and it hits the scale and it’s over 1,700 pounds, that catches people’s attention,” Wolf says.

The making of a champion

People have been weighing and showing off their pumpkins for more than a century. It wasn’t until the late 1970s, though, that giant pumpkin growing competitions took off, Snyder says. The first 1000-pound pumpkin trundled onto the scene in 1996. Since then, there have only been four years when the previous year’s world record hasn’t been broken.

In 2005, Wolf took the state record with a pumpkin that weighed 1407 pounds. At the time, it was the third heaviest pumpkin in the world. This year, a 1407-pounder wouldn’t even have made the top 200. “It’s a fairly consistent march towards higher and higher weight overall. I don’t really see any slowdown in how big these pumpkins are getting,” Wolf says. “I hope there isn’t a limit to it. I hope it just keeps going.”

Growers keep track of the genetic lineage of top-notch pumpkins—the family tree for some pumpkins goes back to the 1980s. “You’re not going to get a seed from your local Lowe’s store or your local greenhouse that’s going to give you world-record potential,” Snyder says.

But it’s not enough to select seeds with an auspicious pedigree. Growers must also guide every aspect of the pumpkin’s development. “You can grow a 400 or 500 pound pumpkin with little effort,” Snyder says. “But to get up to those weights of 1500 pounds plus, that requires a lot of dedication. People don’t go on family vacations, and plan their workday around how they’re going to handle their pumpkin plants.”

Preparations begin in the fall; Wolf says he has just finished adding leaf matter and fertilizer to enrich the soil in his garden. “Compared to what people normally do for regular Halloween pumpkins, this stuff is all taken to the extreme,” he says.

They plant the seeds in indoor pots in April, moving them outdoors in early May. Shortly after, the pumpkins begin to shoot out vines. People hand-pollinate the flowers as early as possible to give their prize winners more time to grow, Snyder says. The baby pumpkins start life as a marble-sized node at the base of the flower, typically in late June. They hit their fastest growth rate about 30 to 50 days after pollination, when they can pack on nearly 60 pounds per day. By late September or early October, the pumpkin will reach its full size.

Meanwhile, growers must keep the soil full of nutrients, protect the pumpkin from the elements and nibbling mice or rabbits, and slake its voracious thirst. “Most people on a competition plan are applying around 100 gallons of water per day to one plant,” Snyder says. The pumpkins can’t be rotated, so growers must position the swelling fruit carefully to make sure it doesn’t put stress on the stem.

In the United States, there isn’t a single prime location for growing pumpkins. “If it’s a really warm year the guys down south might be a little bit too hot for what would be optimum conditions, and in the cooler years the guys up north might be too cold to be able to pack the weight on during the summer,” Wolf says. However, hotspots are found in New England, California’s Napa Valley and the Pacific Northwest, and the Upper Midwest.

One thing growers do not do is ply their pumpkins with beer or milk. This myth probably stems from one of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books, which features an account of her future husband growing a prize-winning pumpkin by feeding it milk, Snyder says. In reality, injecting milk into the vine could make a pumpkin rot.

Showtime

Today’s pumpkins are large enough that transportation is becoming an issue. The pumpkins ride to competitions in pickup trucks and, increasingly, trailers. Sometimes people will hire tree removal services to use their cranes to lift the pumpkins out of their backyards, often hoisting the precious cargo right over the top of the house.

At the weigh-off site, the competitors must be free of holes and rotten spots. The heaviest pumpkin takes the grand prize. “It’s not a beauty contest, it’s sheer weight,” Wolf says. Some contests do offer an award for the prettiest (or ugliest) pumpkin, though.

Once the fanfare has died down, the pumpkins technically could be eaten—but few would recommend it. The pumpkins’ high water content makes for a rather bland flavor. “They’re kind of like the Coors Light of the pumpkin world,” Snyder says. “Yeah it is pumpkin, but it’s watery and doesn’t have a strong taste.”

Each year, the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth sends a few of the top pumpkins to New York City to be displayed in the New York Botanical Garden. The runners-up are often featured in carving exhibitions and other displays; Snyder has sold some of his giants to Disney World.

Pumpkin growers are united in their quest for monumental produce, but are otherwise a sundry lot, Wolf says. Few are actually farmers. “I know guys that grow pumpkins who are doctors, lawyers, post office workers,” Wolf says. He recommends that newbies find a mentor in their area who can give them advice tailored to their climate.

So what does the future hold for giant pumpkins? “I think we will see 3,000 pounds,” Snyder says. Along the way, growers will fine-tune their control over the pumpkins and their environment. Already, they can take samples of the plant’s tissue from the leaf stalks or leaves and send them to labs for analysis. This tells them how much of various nutrients the plant is receiving so they can adjust their fertilizing schedule. In future, soil moisture probes will become more common, Snyder says. He expects to see people manipulate the plants’ carbon dioxide levels as well.

Other fruits and vegetables may never match the most eminent pumpkins in plumpness or public admiration. “In North America pumpkins have always been king,” Snyder says. But giant watermelons are gaining traction in the South, he says. Tomatoes and gourds are becoming more popular as well, while England is a hotspot for giant onions.

Ultimately, the processes of raising pumpkins and other colossal vegetables aren’t really that different. “You have to be willing to devote a lot of time, energy and even money into that project,” Niklas says. “It’s not for the faint of heart or the lazy.”

Written By Kate Baggaley

#Science

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