I love to collect physical games for my consoles, especially when the full game is actually on the damn physical medium itself. Anyway, I also love backing them up to my PC. Some older CD-based game can easily be ripped using a CD-ROM drive, and older cartridges can be ripped using various devices such as the Retrode 2. More modern games are a little bit trickier to back up thanks to innovative encryption, and require you to stifle the innovation of your console a bit using innovation stifling custom firmware.
I must confess I have sinned on a few occasions. Living in Europe, I never got to experience Mega Man X2 as it was never released here. Unlike the first game, the price for a used copy of the US version of X2 is really high, so I ended up stifling Mega Man X2's innovation from the internet to my EverDrive. Around the same time I was also looking for a fun co-op game on SNES, and was drawn to The Lost Viking. It seemed like a fun innovative puzzle platformer, so I stifled that to my EverDrive as well to try it out. Thankfully I eventually found an innovative cheap copy of this game locally and bought it. I truly stifled innovation here, as Blizzard lets you download the game on PC for free and it includes the SNES ROM.
There was also this one time when I was playing Fallout: New Vegas on my unmodified, unstifled, innovative Xbox 360. After many, many hours, I ran into a bug that prevented a mission from going to the next stage. On PC this is easily fixed by opening the console and typing in a command that forces the mission to go to the next stage. As innovative as Fallout: New Vegas was on the Xbox 360, us console players weren't deemed worthy of opening the console. I solved this by copying my save to PC, loading it on the PC version of New Vegas, and using the console command there. I moved the save back to my 360, ran the game, and loaded up my save to find out it worked. Of course I didn't feel like paying that much money for the PC version just to fix my save, so you can imagine my innovative fix also stifled Steam's innovation. To redeem myself, I did end up buying New Vegas way later in a sale on both GOG and Steam, but in my heart I feel like the innovation was already stifled beyond redemption at that point
So what about you, dear reader? Have you ever stifled innovation as a last resort?

Ingredients: - Matcha (green tea powder) - Rice flour - Granulated sugar - Baking powder - Umeboshi (pickled plum) paste - Kurogoma (black sesame) seeds - Shoyu (soy sauce)
Ume-Mochi Matcha Crunch is an inventive spin on traditional Japanese snacks, borrowing elements from mochi (rice cake) and senbei (rice cracker), and bringing in the contrasting, yet harmonizing flavors of umeboshi (pickled plum), matcha (green tea), and kurogoma (black sesame).
To prepare, a dough is made from rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and matcha powder. The dough is then rolled out and small dollops of umeboshi paste are added at regular intervals. The dough is folded over these, encasing the tangy plum paste. After cutting into bite-size pieces, these are sprinkled with kurogoma seeds and lightly brushed with shoyu for a hint of savory complexity. They are then baked until crispy, creating a texture that lands somewhere between a cracker and a cookie.
The flavor profile is a beautiful balance of bitter matcha, tangy umeboshi, the earthiness of the black sesame seeds, and the subtle, salty undertone of the shoyu. It's a snack that dances between sweet and savory, playing off Japanese culinary sensibilities while also bringing something exciting and new to the table.
As for the packaging design, it would involve traditional Japanese motifs with a modern twist, similar to the snack itself. The dominant colors would be a rich, verdant green (representing matcha) and a lively, rosy red (symbolizing umeboshi). These colors would be adorned with illustrations of plum blossoms and tea leaves, providing hints of the snack's flavor ingredients. A window in the shape of a mochi could be included to allow consumers to see the product inside. Black sesame seeds would create an artistic border along the edges of the package.
In keeping with Japan's respect for nature and emphasis on sustainability, the packaging would be biodegradable. Also, mindful of Japan's gift-giving culture, it would be designed in a way that it could be given as a small present or omiyage (souvenir). The overall design aims to capture the essence of Japan: a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation.

I went to Williams creek today and shot the range and had a good time. But I’m confused what is this place? Country club? City park? It’s got a decrepit club house but lots off amenities… pool table, gather area, balcony w grill, inside kitchen, downstairs pro shop and cart rentals. What’s the setup for using the kitchen and grill and things??
Anyway neat place.
Anyone have a good CHEAP instructor who wants a new client? I just want to make my balls fly

Also posted on gameswap
**Image link has been updated with some new photos! **
https://imgur.com/a/Qjw1nV3
**Collector’s Edition Stuff - $120 for the lot, shipping included. **

• Resident Evil 2 - Ben’s File - $60 shipped
• Resident Evil 2 Map - $20 shipped
• Resident Evil 4 Artbook - $60 shipped
• Resident Evil 4 Map - $20 shipped

**Sega Saturn Console Bundle - Everything tested and confirmed working!**
**$225 (shipping included)**

• Console
• Memory pack
• Ascii Saturn Stick (Fightstick controller)
• Virtual Fighter 2 (disk only)

**Case only (Free with any purchase, just ask):**

• The Division 2 (PS4)
• Resident Evil Village (PS4)
• Back4Blood (PS5)
• Resident Evil 4

**Xbox One**

• Hello Neighbor (GameStop sticker on back) - free with any purchase

​
**PS1 - $65 for the lot, shipping included. **

• Tenchu: Stealth Assassin’s $25
• Tekken 2 (GH) $15
• Monster’s Inc. Scare Team $15
• 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue $20

**PS5 - $30 shipped for lot **

• Riders Republic $18
• Godfall $10
• Far Cry 6 $12

​
**SEGA GENESIS - Cartridge Only! $60 for the lot (shipping included)**

• James Pond 3 $15
• CRUE BALL $18
• ROCKET KNIGHT ADVENTURES $30
• Ms. PAC-MAN $10
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 $10

​
**GAMECUBE - $30 shipped for both, or $15 each plus shipping**

• Resident Evil 0
• Enter the Matrix

**ATARI 2600 - $100 for everything listed below - SHIPPING INCLUDED! (Games are cartridge only. All games & controllers have been tested and are functional!) **
Prefer to sell the whole lot, but willing to part stuff out for offers.

• 1x Working console.
• 1x Almost Functional Console (Powers on, with video, if you hold the power switch in a very specific spot. Not sure if it needs a new switch or some sort of adjustment).
• 2x Competition Pro controllers
• 2x basic joystick controllers (missing black grip around the stick)
• 1x "paddle" controller
• Dig Dug
• Pac-Man
• XONOX Double-Ender (Spike's Peak, Ghost Manor)
• Space Attack
• ATLANTIS
• Journey Escape
• Asteroids
• Spider Fight
• Warlords
• Vanguard
• Street racer
• Superman
• Night Driver
• Breakout Air
• Sea Battle
• Space Invaders
• Dodge 'em
• Outlaw
• OINK!
• Real Sports Football
• Real Sports Soccer
• Real Sports Baseball
• Real Sports Volleyball
• Combat (x2 copies)
• missle command
• MISSLE COMMAND
• DEFENDER
• Berzerk
• Swordquest Fire World
• Swordquest Earth World
• Carnival

Hello! I am looking for work as a copy editor (part-time, home-based, flexible schedule) for any content. Give me whatever you've got, I can handle it. I graduated from a top college in 2001, and moved on to law school in 2003 where I excelled in legal research and writing and worked as a teaching assistant for the Director of Legal Research and Writing for two years. After passing two bar exams, I took a job as a trial attorney, but was also offered a part-time job as a legal writer and editor on the Labor and Employment Law monthly publication of a journal that is now defunct, and then became an editor for the online entity that took on a lot of that journal's personnel. It was a coincidence that the writing was legal in nature - I had to teach myself everything about that area of the law that I ever learned. In 2016, I graduated from Bryn Mawr with a master's in social work, and have been working in that field ever since.
I am new to this, so I am learning what kind of pay is to be expected in this type of work, but if I sound like someone you'd like to hear more from or like a person who might fit your needs, please reach out. I am open to anything and everything. I need a second job to supplement my income with clear expectations and respect in both directions - it's that simple!

As I feel it was not described very well in the in-game notice, just be aware that the upcoming Adventures of Dai 2 banners, while having a much nicer stamp card full of 100% S-ranks, lack the 45k pity system that ensures you get a copy. This applies to the following banners:
Dragon Knight Dai, Grand Sorcerer Popp, Martial Arts Maam, Superior Being Hadlar, Dark King Vearn
This means that, unlike normal banners where spending 45k Gems will ensure you always get the unit if you hadn't yet up until that point, these banners will NOT give you a pity.
The only pity is at 90k gems spent like other banners, or a new system of doing 3x paid pulls on a single banner. Meaning that even if improbable, it is possible to completely whiff on the banner despite the good stamps. Just take this into account before doing your pulls.
Source (JP Version): https://game8.jp/dqtact/513160
​
TLDR - Even if the banner odds are good, only way to 100% ensure you get these Dai2 banner units is to spend 90k or 3x paid pulls, so just keep that in mind.

Sincerely
Ba-doh, ba-doh, ba-doh, ba-doh-ba
Sincerely, oh yes, sincerely
'Cause I love you so dearly, please say you'll be mine
-The Moonglows
Part I - The End
This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening. If I keep saying it maybe it will be true.
But it was happening. Tough times. Humpty Dumpty times. Out of gas in the desert with no bars times.
And, just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse than a Tijuana root canal; she walked in. Out of the sweltering Mexican heat, into the dim bar, she came; the only thing standing between me and the blinding light. I heard a couple of gunshots somewhere in the distance.
I still remember how the sun illuminated my 2pm rise and shine, shit-faced full of no caffeine afternoon after, hair of the dog; tequila shot and beer. Like I said, tough times on the Ponderosa, Hoss.
Every time I think of that moment, I stand transfixed in time. Unable to move, frozen in-place tighter than a suckered kid’s tongue to a Chicago lamppost in a February ice storm. Maggie had long ago won my heart’s devotion only to betray both me, and it, in ways still inconceivable to my sauce pan of a brain.
So, a couple of months ago, my life in post-apocalyptic ruin, I did what any red-blooded American would do; I flew across the border to CDMX to drown my sorrows in tequila and cheap living. And now, incomprehensibly, here she was; back, again like the September monsoon. Had the bitch air tagged me?
It seemed with Maggie my heart’s devotion was not enough. Everything she wanted and received soon became a dull knife; just ain’t cutting. Mags had to have it all, all the time. And I thought she had gotten all of me and more. Who’d think she’d want to pick at the carcass? But inexplicably, there she was like my constant migraine, the one that never really left the base of my skull.
Without a word Mags swooped in close like she missed me and now hadda kiss me.
Then, quicker than lightning showing off, she plunged her delicate-boned hand deep into my chest. She then removed it with even greater alacrity holding it high above her jet-black mane. She waved it for all the bar to see, my still beating corazón in it, color-coordinating against it’s will with her manicure, making what looked like vague Italian gestures.
Nobody in the bar paid us any mind.
I, on the other hand, couldn’t help but avert my horrified gaze into my now exposed chest cavity, only to witness darkness within darkness gazing back at me.
“Heyyyyyy,” a voiceless voice greeted and saluted.
I looked up at Maggie. She took the seat opposite mine. Then reaching over with her free hand commandeered my tequila and knocked it back quick. Her encore was to grab my beer and drain it with all the mud she could muster into my eye. Then, with a satisfied look she dropped the now emptied bottle on the wooden table hard enough to make a thud.
Maggie then met my stare. My cardia beating peripatetically in her freshly manicured right-hand she made an elaborate shrug, her face smug as a tyrant’s fart.
I remembered wondering what the fuck was keeping my cardio so vascular. It sure as fuck wasn’t clean living. Then, that voiceless voice had yet more to say.
“Now what, Spenser?” it asked.
Now, it was now my turn to shrug. Surprisingly, despite being a now certifiably heartless son of a bitch, I, too, had something to say. So, I said it.
“You’re fucking diabolical, Maggie.”
My words of judgment echoed clear, permeating deep into the abyss, then back again at Maggie. She caught my words easier than a kitten catches smiles. She just shrugged again. It was starting to get annoying.
“You ruined me,” I added just to be doing something.
The shrug undulated down from her tan and toned shoulder through her arm, finally coming to a full stop at her finger’s tips.
Waving my heart at me with more vague Italian gestures Mags asked, “How can you be so sure, Spenser?”
Part II – The Middle
Sincerely, oh you know how I love you
I'll do anything for you, please say you'll be mine
...
This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening. My new mantra wasn’t working.
Six months ago, I thought Maggie was the answer to my dreams.
Swooping down like an angel to shower me with attention and affection. Dinners with wine. Hot sex. More hot sex. No strings attached. Getting to know you pillow talk.
Now, there’s one thing I need to add. I met her through a dating app but as it turned out we both worked for the same nonprofit. We didn’t know each other as it’s a fairly big company but it turned out I supported the code for both her projects. This turned out to be one of many coincidences.
We both hated our jobs. We both liked writing short stories but never could sell a thing despite writing dozens and dozens. We both could dance salsa, on 1 and 2 and loved to hablar en español que no era muy guapo.
We both wanted to run away to Mexico city and live the Bohemian life.
Coincidences like we both grew up in NYC and had issues with our respective families of origin. And while she was Chinese-American and I was Russian-American both our fathers were born in the same year and were obsessed with Woody Allen. We both had much younger siblings we didn’t speak to.
Yeah, we had both grown up with weak fathers and selfish narcissistic mothers in common. And worser still, we had both experienced unstable living situations in high school. In my case, I was kicked out of the house for smoking weed.
In Maggie’s case, I never really was sure what went down but the best I could get out of her was at 13 she got pissed at her mom for cheating on her dad and left the house with nowhere to go. She ended up with family friends or relatives but the details were always murky and I was not the nosey type.
Her words to me were, “My mother’s emotional IQ is low. I raised myself.”
Impressively, she had made it through the Ivy League and seemed to be someone down to earth I could spend time with. But truth be told from the minute I saw her profile picture I was hotter than a Texas chili sprout for her.
It was some kind of primal attraction I thought I was long past entertaining. It wasn’t lust. It wasn’t love. It was like the thought of coming home to a family I never knew I had or that even could exist.
This shit made old me feel like young me again. But, as oft is the case in life, there was a problem. I was old, broke and probably about to lose my job. I was in IT and I was having problems with my manager being a psychopath; for reals.
It wasn’t mere conjecture as he had a reputation of getting people fired, or worse, making their lives so miserable they would quit; even with no prospects. I had been the focus of his sabotaging efforts and it had been having a bad effect on my mental and physical well-being.
This had taken a turn for the worse and I was catching a lot of passive aggressive hostility on the project Maggie supported.
Anyway, she was the bright spot in my otherwise mostly solitary and emotionally bleak life. And she lived nearby. She had an ex and kids and shared custody but I never met them and she didn’t really talk much about it except to say once, “You should need a license to have kids.”
I never had quite known what to make of some of the things she said, but like I said, I was under her spell. And I liked it.
And the icing on top? I had a dominant kinky side and that was a fire Maggie poured gasoline on every chance she got. She was worse than an arsonist in Underoo Town.
One weird thing about Mags was her knitting habit. If we weren’t fucking or eating she was knitting. Even at restaurants and bars.
One day in November, with the sun golden in a sky so blue you thought you could touch it I asked, “What are you knitting?”
Maggie gave me a wry look. She got out of her chair and seemed to be examining my bald head which I had shaved just that morning.
“A hat,” she replied.
But as the holidays rolled around things started to change. One Sunday morning as we were having coffee Maggie looked around the crowded steamy café.
“Everybody’s hooking up for the holidays,” she remarked.
I didn’t really know what to do with that one so I let it be.
But as the days went on there was a change in the weather. Fewer texts. Less sex. Maggie going out of town to some vague destination. Sending me sexy pictures of herself in Santa outfits after I caught the flu during Christmas.
A few days after Christmas I got a text late one night.
“Is it okay if I come by?”
“Very okay,” was my reply.
Maggie showed up with chocolate, red wine and the hat she had been knitting. Orange Afghani wool softer than a golden retriever’s fur. She put the hat on my head and then removed all my clothes.
“Let’s celebrate Christmas, Spenser.”
And, we did.
When we were done and lying head-to-head, I said, “I love my hat.”
Maggie said, “I made it especially for you. No matter what, don’t lose it.”
It was another one of those weird Maggie things she said, like, “I used to shoplift,” and shit like that.
I nodded.
“Promise me you’ll hold on to your hat, Spenser.”
“I promise.”
Maggie observed my face, then nodded as if confirming something to herself.
“Okay.”
Then we did that thing again.
That was the pinnacle. Things quickly went downhill for no reason I could discern. Texts unanswered and when answered; kind of abrupt-like. Being unavailable. Stuff with her kids. Time away in Connecticut for some vague reason. After that I began feeling like the weakest card in a gambler’s hand.
But Maggie kept shoe horning me in at odd times, giving me just enough crumbs to keep me on the hook. And as we rode the roller coaster down everything always seemed to center around alcohol. And sex. More and more debauched sex. Finally, by New Year’s Eve things were getting straight-up weird no chaser.
“You know that thing we talked about?”
By her tone I knew what she meant. I nodded cautiously.
“You want to try it?”
Maggie dropped a smile on me that would have had the serpent in the garden applying for unemployment.
“Yes,” she said.
So, we did.
I thought I had been imagining things. I thought we were back at the pinnacle. I could feel the love drug course through my veins. Things couldn’t be better. Or, so I thought.
Oh Lord, won't you tell me why
I love that girlie so
The Following Monday
The next Monday I was called into what turned out to be the most fucking bizarre moment of my fifty-eight years on this planet; and I’ve had some bizarre fucking moments growing up in south Brooklyn in the 1970’s; believe you me.
The company’s CIO, compliance officer, head of legal, head of HR and my evil manager, Conte Rugen were all in attendance, cameras ROLLING.
It appears I was being dismissed after 8 years loyal service for sexual assault, extortion, harassment, hate speech, insults to farm animals and every fucking other offense against God and man one could commit in these holiest of holy United States of America.
And just who had I… who had I.. victimized? Who had I preyed upon? Harassed? Gone full nutso on?
Maggie.
They had the goods. Recordings. Video. Ropes. Whips. Chains. Bad Spanglish. Maggie screaming, “No, papi! No!!!!”
I believe I was, what is known in legal parlance as, summarily fucked.
Nobody wanted to hear my side. How things were taken out of context. Things we had mutually consented to out of exciting and bonding trust and exploration.
“Did I have consent agreement?” I parroted back in shock to the head of legal.
“Did you get one when you fucked your mother in the ass before she shat you out?” I added just to keep my mouth from puking.
I was in bombshell shock. Maggie was my angel. Our situationship was supposed to be fucking healing from our abused childhoods and here I am now some kind of Tarantinoesque, Mr. Fucking Rapist? And my fucking manager once bragging about throwing a cat out a window when he was a juvenile delinquent?!?
There would be charges pressed. I would need an attorney. I might be arrested.
And it all happened faster than you can say, “Blue Monday, How I hate Blue Monday”.
And then Maggie sued the company. Take no fucking prisoners, Maggie. Disco-fucking-inferno burn that mother down we don’t need no water let the motherfucker burn Maggie. I wondered if her ex had been left on food stamps after the divorce.
A few months and my life savings and retirement account after that the criminal case got pleaded down to misdemeanor assault and I was able to arbitrate with my employer and Maggie’s lawyer leaving me with some clothes, my passport and precisely enough plastic to fly into the sweltering Mexican heat. So, fly into it I did.
Part III – The Beginning
Sincerely, oh you know how I love you
I'll do anything for you, please say you'll be mine
Oh Lord, won't you tell me why
I love that girlie so
She doesn't want me
But I'll never never never never let her go
...
“I wish you’d stop waving that thing at me,” I said gesturing at my heart with my chin.
“You’re still upset,” Maggie said. It wasn’t a question.
“You fucking abused me. You fucking eviscerated me. Yeah, you could say I’m a little perturbed.”
“But you’re still wearing the hat,” she said smiling.
“It’s a bad ass hat,” I said. It was after all. Why cut off your nose to spite your face?
“I put a lot of time and thought into it,” she said. My heart continued to beat in her hand.
...
Oh Lord, won't you tell me why
I love that girlie so
She doesn't want me
But I'll never never never never let her go
...
“Look,” she said waving my heart at me.
“I really wish you wouldn’t wave that around like that.”
The voice in the abyss in my chest spoke. It said, “Wait for it.”
Maggie said, “Spenser, you poor fucking sap. You hate your fucking job. You try to do the right fucking thing and speak up and you get kicked around like a dog. You try to love hard and you get beat up and left in an alley. You try to write books and start businesses and you end up bankrupt or dead.
And now look at you! You don’t have a care in the fucking world. You don’t have a shitty job. You are in beautiful Mexico City with the girl of your dreams. You say your heart was hardened? Well, I say it feels pretty fucking soft and sweet to me. Like the hat I knitted you. With the pom pom. And you know what?”
“What?” I heard myself murmur?
The abyss in my chest said, “Yeah, what?”
“Well, one the fucking pom pom has a beacon so I knew where you were the whole fucking time you sap. So I can tell you this true. And I will. So here I am in fucking Mexico sweating my tits off. And I am telling you this," she said nodding at my cardio, "is a very good heart. And I am putting it back where it belongs.
There is nothing wrong with it and now nobody can hurt it again. And if you want to write a book now you have something, and someone,” she added with a wry smile, “to write about.”
Then lightning quick Maggie put it back in my chest and removing her hand made a quick flourish gesturing for the waitress.
“Botella de tequila, por favor!”
I looked down at my chest. Everything seemed to be the way it had been before she ripped out my heart. Only different.
I was about to speak. Maggie raised a hand.
The waitress appeared like a wraith and put down a bottle of Don Julio and two fresh shot glasses and two cold ones.
Maggie poured two shots and pushed one at me with the hand that had been holding my cardio captive. She then fished around in her pocket and found her phone.
“What the fuck, right," that's what your thinking, Spenser. Yeah, what the fuck is right. Look at this baby boy,” she said and then pushed her phone next to the shot glass.
I was looking at what appeared to be a bank balance that appeared ready, willing and able to face fuck an extraordinarily tall giraffe. I felt the migraine disappear like a bad dream.
Maggie gave me a wry smile.
She pushed the shot glass closer to me and picked hers up. I felt my elbow bending. It felt okay.
She tilted her shot at me and said, "Here's looking at you, kid," and took the shot. I drank mine.
We put our glasses down.
“You can negotiate anything," she said, then added, "sincerely.”
And then, then she kissed me.
Oh say you'll be mine
Oo-eee, oo-eee-oo, ooi-ooi-ooo
Sincerely

[Housing] Large Private Room in Massive Spacious Loft - $1200 - Westlake near DTLA Hello, we had good luck finding our last roommate on here a year ago, so let’s give it another shot! Looking for a sublease to fill my room in our massive (4000 sqft) 5bedroom penthouse loft in Westlake, available from July 1st to October 1st. Please consider reaching out even if the dates don't match up perfectly, the constant roommate search is inevitable. Rent for the available room is $1200, comes with a massive bedroom (fully furnished - bed, couch, tv, iMac), and an isolation booth for recording VO/vocals. Utilities averaging $50/mo. Security deposit is $600.
We're four roomies ranging from mid twenties to mid thirties. One is an actor, one is in law school, one is a podcast/livestream engineer, one works retail in vintage clothing, and I am a freelance producer and recording artist. I built a small professional studio in my room that you would have full access to (see pics). My room is especially friendly to recording artists and producers.
Pics here: https://imgur.com/a/8va3BII
From our two private patios, we have a panoramic view of Los Angeles from the Hollywood Sign thru DTLA down to LA Live and everything in between. There's a stage in the living room where my roommate hosts bi-weekly shows under the instagram handle: thelullabyloft
These events take place in the common area, they are professionally recorded and live-streamed, and we have a cap of 30 people in attendance (typically we average 15 people). I strongly encourage you to get involved with these events! They are great networking opportunities, and my roommate is always looking for an extra hand to help run them if you are available/interested
Important facts: - Shared bathroom Parking is included, but not in-building. It's one block away in an underground lot by the Home Depot with a security patrol. - Internet is $10 a month - Our work habits are a mix of WFH and not. The apartment is big enough where everyone has their own space to isolate, but also collaborative if you come out into the common area. - Laundry is in-building on the 3rd floor, paid via app - We have both men and women as roommates; just no couples or pets please. Other fun facts: - We have a ping pong table. - The loft is so large I can forget people are home for hours at a time. - Nearby Food: - The best Indian spot in LA is two blocks away (Bombay Beach) and also will deliver you groceries if you want. - Two of the best taco tents you'll ever visit are within a block. If you get tired of those there's another four to choose from that are also great. - Langer's is a short walk down the road. - There is a Metro bike-share kiosk directly outside of the building. bus stop right outside our spot and closest metro is 8 min walk - You can walk to the grocery store on 6th/Union. - It's Westlake, so manage your expectations about the area. We've never felt unsafe in the 4 years we've lived here. - The room is available for 3 months from July 1st - September 1st. However, even if your availability ranges outside of these dates, I still encourage you to reach out! If I can’t find anyone for next month - - I’ll still be looking for August. Also, with 5 roommates at the loft - new rooms open every so often… so I could keep you in mind for a later date if something opens up! Pics here: https://imgur.com/a/8va3BII
If you're interested, please PM me with a little about yourself (work, hobbies, etc). I will contact you to schedule a video chat and or phone call, and then set up an in-person tour if it seems right. Thanks, and looking forward to hearing from you.

Not actually covid just that my lungs are so scarred I get bronchitis pretty regularly.
This one is bad. Infection is going down but if I recline even slightly, and I mean literally a slight tilt backwards, I cough. If I tilt forward it feels like I'm not sick but there isn't a way to permanently sit/sleep like that I've tried at the kitchen table, on a stool next to bed leaning on it, chest propped face down on bed, they all mean sure I won't cough but I won't sleep either and will likely injure myself if I do fall asleep for a minute.
I'm going insane. I've had a new job for a few months and if I don't go in tomorrow I don't know what will happen. I haven't slept in three days properly. I got an hour this afternoon when my lungs calmed down for a bit and maybe two hours the night before but I can't recreate it.
It's so painful and I'm just tired and sick and finished with this.
I'm currently just sitting up leaning forward hurting my neck on my phone as it's the only way to not cough.
Any suggestions other than unaliving?

What Happened When a Brooklyn Neighborhood Policed Itself for Five Days
On a two-block stretch of Brownsville in April, the police stepped aside and let residents respond to 911 calls. It was a bold experiment that some believe could redefine law-enforcement in New York City.
By Maria Cramer - Photographs by Amir Hamja - June 4, 2023 - The New York Times
It had been a quiet April afternoon until about a dozen teenagers began running up Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville, yelling and cursing. They were chasing a girl of about 14 and it was clear they wanted a fight.
Five plainclothes police officers watched warily. Across Pitkin stood about half a dozen men, civilians in jeans and purple-and-gray sweatshirts.
“They got it,” an officer said.
The teenagers slowed as they spotted the men, workers from an organization called Brownsville In Violence Out, who calmly waved them in different directions. They scattered as the girl fled down a side street.
The brief encounter encapsulated a simple yet unorthodox concept that is at the heart of a bold experiment organizers believe could redefine law-enforcement in New York: letting neighbors, not the police, respond to low-level street crime.
Several times a year, workers from Brownsville In Violence Out stand sentry on two blocks for five days. The police channel all 911 calls from that area to the civilians. Unless there is a major incident or a victim demands an arrest, officers, always in plainclothes, shadow the workers.
The civilians have no arrest powers. But they have persuaded people to turn in illegal guns, prevented shoplifting, kept a man from robbing a bodega and stopped a pregnant woman from hitting a boyfriend who had not bought a car seat and a stroller as he had promised.
They are part of the Brownsville Safety Alliance, a group of neighborhood and city groups, police officers and members of the Kings County District Attorney’s office that is trying to ensure that fewer people are arrested and entangled in the criminal justice system.
As the men and women from Brownsville In Violence Out watch for mayhem, agencies offering services like free child care and addiction recovery sit at folding tables, distributing pamphlets and luring passers-by with games, stress balls and pens... (full article here)

Hey guys, I'm flying to Amsterdam tomorrow. I thought I'd ask here as I might get better analysis of this topic. I have a bit of a career dilemma that's been going on for 2 years now (it involves the prospect of having to become a teacher which I don't want to do but my CV pivots that way and I'm unemployable outside of it). Given my knotty thought processes that go round in circles about this, I wanted to take shrooms to reset them. However a few things against this are the following - I have OCD, whenever I have to get up early for a flight (like tomorrow), I don't sleep well and I have no friends to go with so it will be solo. Tomorrow is practically the only the day to do it, I'm going to a concert the next day. I can't order to my home country given legal restrictions and my living situation. So it's in the Dam or nada. I was thinking of experimenting with a low strength, low dose amount of truffles, below the level to trip so that my mind can start operating in new and creative ways to find the solution to the aforementioned career dilemma because I've spent upwards of 2 years running through every possible permutation and I just end up in circles. I'm wondering would a low strength dose be safe in a hotel room alone?

I recently made a new friend that’s invited my partner and I over for dinner a couple of times. Her home is very well suited for it, big backyard, grill, etc. we always bring dessert and ask if there’s anything else we can bring, I’ve also suggested multiple times to help pay for groceries.
I want to reciprocate in some way but not sure how? Our house isn’t really suited for hosting (we don’t even having a dining table right now). Is there anything more we should or could do?

Jennika

"Master Splinter sees through my flaws to what's inside. It's all that matters to him. So if I had killed you that day, it wouldn't have been for the clan. It would've been for my family"

Jennika was a vagabond in New York City who went to prison as an accessory to murder after her boyfriend killed a man in a botched robbery. In prison, she befriended a fellow prisoner who was a member of the secretive Foot Clan. After her friend was killed during their prison escape, Jennika sought out the Foot Clan and joined them. She rose to the elite rank of Foot Assassin and served under Oroku Saki, aka the Shredder, until the clan was taken over by Hamato Yoshi, aka Master Splinter. Believing Splinter to be too soft of a leader, Jennika betrayed him and attempted a coup, only to find herself swiftly defeated. Splinter, recognizing her passion and loyalty for the Foot, demoted Jennika but placed her under the tutelage of his eldest son, Leonardo. Jennika became an ally of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles during their time with the Foot, and even began a romance with their friend Casey Jones. However, a confrontation with Oroku Karai left Jennika on the brink of death. In order to save her life, Leonardo gave her a blood transfusion, which mutated her into a mutant turtle. Now a turtle herself, she joins the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as their sister, fighting the multitude of enemies that threaten the peace of their family and New York.
Source Key:
IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011) Issue # = T#
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe (2016) Issue # = U#
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Jennika (2020) Issue # = J#
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Jennika II (2020) Issue # = K#
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Armageddon Game (2022) Issue # = G#

Physicals

Strength

Tekko Kagi

• Cuts apart Mousers^T107
• Damages part of Ch'rell's Triceraton exosuit^T137
• Stabs into concrete^T108
• Slices Bebop & Rocksteady^J3
• Slices a bo staff in half^T135
• [Human] Decapitates multiple men with one swipe^U9
• [Human] Stabs through Darius Dun^T64
• Stabs an Utrom^T136
• Cuts a net^T104
  • Again^K5
• Cuts through mutant eel's slime^T108

Katana

• [Human] Cuts a chain in half^T81
• [Human] Cuts down a Foot ninja^T59

Striking

• Kicks a walrus mutant through a wall^T134
• Punches Zodi through a set of doors^K3
• Kicks over an Utrom walker^G6
• KOs a Foot ninja^T100
• KOs an EPF soldier^T138
• [Human] Kicks over a table^T83

Lifting/Throwing

• Slams a mutant through a door^T134
• Throws a man across a room hard enough to smash a desk^K4
• Swings a mutant into another with one arm^T135

Other

• Pulls over a giant mutant with her kusari-fundo^K2
• Tackles a large mutant off of the roof of a building^K1
• Breaks a staff over her knee^T126

Durability

Blunt

• Thrown over a building by Tokka^T114 and crashes through the roof of a music club^T115
• Takes hits from a super-mutant that sent a car flying down the street and crumples the front of a bus^K1
• Hit by Ch'rell's Triceraton exosuit^T137
  • Ch'rell threw Metalhead into a wall hard enough to heavily fracture it^G5
• Tussles with Raphael^T114
• Hit by a Punk Frog with a piece of a vent^T126
• Takes hits from mutant mobsters that can damage the street with a punch^K5
• Hit by a large mutant eel's tail^T108
• [Human] Hit in the head with a tea kettle by Splinter^T52
• Blocks a baseball bat swing from a Purple Dragon with her arms^J1

Other

• Hit by a blast from an Utrom exosuit^T137
  • Another Utrom exosuit blasted Donatello hard enough to launch him into a concrete wall and crater it^T135
• Survives a blast of electricity from Agent Bishop, which killed Hun^T100
• A bullet bounces off her shell^J2
• Bounces against the wall while hanging on from a train^K3

Speed/Agility

Reaction/Dodging

• Acrobatically dodges gunfire^J2
• Dodges more gunfire^K3
• Dodges pistol shots at close range^K4
• Dodges a blast from an Utrom walker and machine gun fire^G6
• Dodges blasts from Utrom exosuits^T136
• Dodges a Foot Assassin's strike^T97
• Jumps over an attack from a Foot ninja^J3
• Dodges a super-mutant's attacks^K2
• Dodges a mutant's knife strike^T135
• Dodges more mutants^K2
• Leapfrogs a charging mutant^J1

Movement/Agility

• Catches up to a super-mutant with a head start^K1
• Uses her kusari-fundo to grab Zodi's tail just before she can strike a mutant^K3
• Traverses rooftops^T113
• Leaps on top of an incoming bus^J1
• Swings across a large room on a curtain^J3
• Leaps a fair distance out of a window^J3

Skill/Misc

Accuracy

• Throws a shuriken to knock Old Hob's gun out of his hand^T122
• Throws a shuriken to knock a sword out of a mutant's hand^T135
• Throws a trash can lid to hit a gunman^J2
• [Human] Shoots a gunman's hand with an arrow^T81

Combat

• Fights a group of mutant mobsters before being taken out by a sneak attack^K5
  • Takes down two of the mutants with a manacle and chain^K6
• Manhandles two mutants^T101
  • Again^J1
• Beats up a room of mobsters^K5
• [Human] Counters Leonardo during sparring^T61

Stealth

• Disappears from the Punk Frogs while being chased^T126
• Sneaks into the Punk Frogs' hideout^T129
• Sneaks into a heavily guarded house^K4
  • Sneaks in again after they beef up security^K5

Kusari-Fundo

• Wraps around a super-mutant and pulls him down from a wall^K1
• Wraps around a super-mutant's feet to trip him^K1
• Grabs Zodi's tail mid-strike^K3
  • Grabs Zodi's tail as she hops on a train^K3
• Pulls over a giant mutant such that it cuts a fire hydrant^K2
• Grabs onto a stoplight and swings to save a woman from a car wreck^K3

General

• [Human] Can hotwire cars^T91
• Sets up traps in the Splinter Clan Dojo with the other turtles^T111
• Plays guitar in a metal band^T117

GeaMagic

Gear

• Tekko kagi and a katana^T98
• Bow and arrows^T99
• Kusari-fundo^K1
• Shuriken^T122
• Climbing claws^T135
• Smoke bombs^K5

Kuji-Kiri

Oroku Saki teaches the turtles how to use the art of Kuji-Kiri, which allows the user to draw on the mystic forces of the universe

• Performs the seventh cut, Zai, to create an illusion^T132
• Uses Zai to make images of the Rat King's team and calm a crowd of fighting mutants and EPF soldiers^T138
• Performs Tǒng, the tenth cut, with the other turtles^T139

Respect Threads for scaling:

• Bebop & Rocksteady
• Raphael
• Leonardo

Microsoft Fabric- What, Why, Who, When, How

by Amit Chandak
Comprehensive article about Microsoft Fabric (20 min).
Summary:

• Microsoft Fabric provides a comprehensive solution for data management and analytics, enabling organizations to optimize their workflows and leverage the full potential of their data.
• Microsoft Fabric is a platform that offers a unified, lake-centric, and open solution for data analytics and AI. It promotes the concept of having only one copy of data stored in a central lake, eliminating unnecessary data replication and providing a true single source of data. By adopting this approach, organizations can streamline their data engineering process, simplify data management, and enable seamless integration with various Microsoft tools.
• Microsoft Fabric aims to redefine the data analytics landscape by providing a standardized format for data storage and utilization, maximizing the value of data assets, and empowering organizations to make informed decisions.
• The platform offers benefits to different types of customers, including greenfield customers, Azure Synapse customers, Azure Data Lake and Azure SQL customers, Power BI customers, and other cloud customers.
• It also caters to various roles within organizations, such as C-level executives, data architects/analysts, business analysts, and data engineers.

Read full article
​

Mastering Power BI

by Monil Panchal
Power BI step by step tutorial split into 6 episodes. Data samples included.

1. What is Power BI?
2. Load and transform data
3. Measures in Power BI
4. DAX part 1
5. DAX part 2
6. DAX part 3

Streamline Your Business Operations: Power BI Automation for Small Businesses

by Benedict Wallis
Power BI automation is presented as a solution for small businesses to streamline operations, improve decision-making, and stay competitive in a data-centric business landscape. (5 min)
Summary:

• Article emphasizes the importance of efficiency and streamlined operations for businesses, regardless of their size.
• It introduces Power BI, a business intelligence and data visualization platform developed by Microsoft, as a powerful tool that can help small businesses optimize processes, save time, and make data-driven decisions.
• The benefits of Power BI automation are discussed, including real-time data updates, automated data refresh, customizable dashboards and reports, and enhanced collaboration and accessibility.
• The text also explores how Power BI automation can streamline various aspects of small business operations, such as sales and revenue analysis, inventory management, financial analysis, and operational efficiency.
• Implementation considerations are highlighted, including data integration, security and privacy measures, training and support, and scalability for future growth.

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From Excel to Power BI: Unleashing the Magic of Data Visualization

by Haroon
The article presents a fictional story about a dedicated Excel user named Harold who is hesitant about transitioning to Power BI. The CEO of his company convinces him by narrating a story about a knight named Sir Spreadsheet who found success with Power BI’s data visualization capabilities. Inspired by the story, Harold embraces Power BI and becomes a legend in his company. (5 min)
Summary:
The article then lists seven prime differences between Power BI and Excel:

• Data Visualization: Power BI excels at creating visually appealing and interactive dashboards, while Excel focuses on organizing and manipulating data within spreadsheets.
• Scalability: Power BI efficiently handles large datasets, whereas Excel may become slower as the data volume increases.
• Real-time Data Analysis: Power BI can connect to live data sources and update dashboards in real-time, while Excel requires manual data entry or refreshing.
• Data Modeling and Relationships: Power BI offers robust data modeling capabilities, enabling users to create relationships between different data tables, while Excel has limited capabilities in this area.
• Collaboration and Sharing: Power BI provides seamless collaboration features for multiple users to work on shared dashboards and easily share reports, while Excel requires manual file sharing.
• Data Connectivity: Power BI offers extensive connectivity options to various data sources, whereas Excel may require additional configuration for certain sources.
• Advanced Analytics: Power BI incorporates advanced analytical features like predictive modeling and machine learning integration, while Excel’s analytical capabilities are more basic and rely on formulas.

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The Fundamentals of Creating Impressive BI Dashboard Designs

by Andrew Hubbard
Andrew highlights the importance of good dashboard design in maximizing data comprehension, decision-making capabilities, and fostering a data-driven culture within organizations.
Summary:
The article emphasizes the significance of good dashboard design in business intelligence (BI). It highlights the benefits of employing excellent design practices, including enhanced user experience, improved data comprehension, time and effort savings, and increased adoption and collaboration. It also discusses the pitfalls of neglecting dashboard design, such as confusing visuals, inefficient data communication, and user disengagement.
The article introduces the principles of Gestalt Psychology, specifically the laws of proximity, similarity, and continuity, which can be applied to create intuitive and effective BI dashboards.
Furthermore, the article provides essential rules for creating compelling BI tools, including defining clear objectives, prioritizing essential information, using appropriate visualizations, ensuring consistency, emphasizing clarity and simplicity, implementing responsive design, providing intuitive navigation, and incorporating context and storytelling. It emphasizes the importance of testing and iterating based on user feedback to continuously improve the design.
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