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The spreading of cryptocurrencies and their usage across the world

How Widespread Is The Use Of Cryptocurrencies?

Modern technologies keep developing, while people are looking for new ways to make money. Today, the requirements for security become the most important issue. And people are extremely fastidious now. The creation of crypto made a revolution in the whole world. It changed everything and overshadowed any other payment tools accessible for people. With cryptos, people got a chance to enjoy a wide range of benefits. In this article, we’ll speak about the spreading of crypto and its popularity.

What’s Crypto?

Crypto’s a digital currency, which was created as an alternative to traditional currencies. The main difference is that crypto exists digitally/virtually and has no material representation. Crypto has no connection with banks, so it’s completely independent. There’s a peer-to-peer system, which is applied for the fulfillment of transactions. Thanks to this, it’s extremely comfortable to make and receive payments.

To verify and protect every transaction, encryption is used, which actually gave a name to crypto. The 1st and still the most popular crypto’s BTC. It was created in 2009 and is now worth thousands of dollars per coin.

Any type of crypto uses blockchain. It means that there’s a public ledger, where all transactions’re recorded. The system is decentralized, so it can’t be tracked. Thus, nobody can steal your money or use any data in a harmful way. There’re a few ways to obtain crypto:

• Mining (computer power can be used to fulfill various tasks, for which crypto is given)
• Purchasing (there’re dozens of exchanges and brokers on the Web, where people can buy crypto)
• Earning (some cryptos are offered as a reward for participation in certain games and fulfillment of tasks in them).

Popular Types of Crypto

Modern cryptos’re numerous. Let’s observe the most widespread types of them:

There’re more other cryptos, which were created for the users’ comfort. For instance, BTC Cash is a lighter version of BTC due to its accessibility and price. Those cryptos that work within their own blockchains are called coins. There also exist tokens, which are separate cryptos that are developed to be used within the already existing blockchain. Thus, more tokens keep appearing.

Areas of Application

Cryptos become more widespread these days. It’s connected with such benefits as:

• Anonymity. Every user on the Web wants to stay unknown. With crypto, people can be sure they aren’t tracked or recognized. There’s no need to provide any personal details when initiating various transactions.
• Accessibility. Cryptos aren’t tied to any location. Such currencies are global and available to everyone. All you need is a digital wallet to use them. Besides, due to the great diversity, people can easily purchase or earn certain cryptos. Transactions can be fulfilled around the clock.
• Fast international transactions. We all sometimes need to send money to someone, who is far away. Crypto is the best choice to provide a higher speed of operations, anonymity, and security.
• Lower fees. When we pay for anything on the Web, there’re usually extra fees taken by banks. Due to the fact that cryptos aren’t linked to any banks, the fees and extremely small (or zero).

With crypto, we can forget about stacks of papers, annoying account managers, and other unpleasant things. Besides, they are integrated into more areas to provide users with convenience and other advantages of digital currencies. The latest are now adopted by the majority of countries. As for the regions with the greatest number of owners, they are:

• Africa
• Latin America
• Southeast Asia.

As for Europe, there’re just a few countries with a large number of crypto users – Greece and Switzerland. The greatest integration is generally demonstrated by Nigeria, Vietnam, the Philippines, Turkey, Peru, China, and the USA. The lowest rates are in Japan.

Consider the ways various cryptos might be used today:

• Banking. Crypto’s a wonderful choice for money storage and transfers. The system is secure and reliable; so many users have already made a choice in favor of crypto.
• Crowdfunding. It’s much more comfortable to invest in something by means of crypto. Thus, the investors can give money directly to the creators. There’re already films, which are financed with the help of blockchain.
• Additional earnings. The rates of various cryptos are constantly changing. Thus, people can easily get extra money by investing in one of the cryptos, which is likely to grow.
• Internet gambling. Many modern online gaming venues have already integrated several cryptos to make their platforms more accessible, secure, and comfortable for punters. Some of them even accept bets with crypto, which helps increase the punters’ profit. Just have a look at the most reputable cryptocurrency casinos online here.

Conclusion

The popularity of crypto is gradually growing. It will soon be integrated into more areas of life and industries to provide security and comfort. Choose a suitable crypto and try to learn more to take the most benefit of it.

Game cards for poker are the main characteristics that a player should know rabona.com

If we are talking about such a world-famous game as poker, then many people in their view immediately see the green color of cloth, colorful chips of different denominations, and of course playing cards, without which there would be no actually and the whole competition. From the cards are collected cherished combinations, some of which become legends. For example, the dream of any poker player is to assemble a Royal Flash. However, users rabona.com at the link https://rabona.com/it/ do not always understand that poker cards differ from each other depending on the type of game. Not only can the number of poker cards in the deck be different, but the size, quality, and more. Let’s try to deal with all the varieties of more detail.

What are they – modern cards for poker?

At the dawn of poker, players had to settle for ordinary paper cards, and the chips were not of particularly good quality. For the first major tournaments and competitions, new cards were constantly printed. Because paper or cardboard wore out too quickly and received characteristic prints – scratches and bends, as well as scuffs.

And if such «marks» at home did not have much importance, then for a professional they became a kind of «speck», by which you could recognize one or another card or make it recognizable in your own hands, which could cause a loss.

In the modern market, manufacturers please players not only with a variety of assortment, but also with a very high quality of plastic cards for poker, and they, in turn, almost do not wear out.

Another thing is if we talk about Internet poker. On playgrounds, for example, rabona.com, the user will certainly not encounter any machinations. He does not need to check whether the cards are marked in a certain way, whether another player is going to take advantage of gullibility and the like. However, this does not mean that a user who has chosen an Internet platform for himself rabona.com should not know how many cards are in the deck and how to calculate his strategy correctly depending on this.

Number of cards in a poker deck

First, let’s start with the number of game cards in the game deck, which is designed to play poker. In most cases, the deck for playing poker contains 52 cards of four suits: Heart, Tambourine, Tref, Spad. Each suit contains 13 cards, starting with the youngest deuce and ending with the oldest ace.

There are also decks of 54 game cards – these are sets where in addition there are 2 cards with the Joker, but in poker the character is not used.

If we consider that all the rules and statistics of the game are based on the exact number of cards in the deck – cards cannot be taken out and cannot be added.

Size of poker cards

One of the main features of poker decks is size. They are larger than usual. A classic poker card usually has a height of 88 mm, a width of 63 mm. Another nuance is the graphic images of the denomination.

Poker Card Quality

Players who are going to master poker offline, have serious requirements for the quality of cards. Plastic cards will last a long time and please with their strength. Due to the smoothness of the surface, they are very comfortable in the hands and look beautiful, they are moisture-resistant and almost do not deform.

For poker on real tables, especially when it comes to tournaments, new high-quality cards are always used. Their shirt should be absolutely identical. Tournament administrations are very attentive to this issue, and in case of finding any controversial points, it instantly removes a certain deck of cards from the game.

But, of course, you can get rid of all the worries about how to choose the right poker decks by simply choosing a game in an online format, for example, on the rabona.com site.

5 Apps to Play Poker Online In India

5 Apps to Play Poker Online In India

Whenever it comes to locations offering online poker in India in 2022, there is a figurative ocean of options to choose from. Since poker is among the most well-known card games in the world, the Indians’ fondness for the pastime shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Simply typing “play poker” into the search engine will bring up a list of the different poker venues that are available. Simply give them a call. Even though poker tournaments have only been held here for a short period of time, there is a growing interest in playing at online poker sites. The number of people playing poker online in India is consistently high, and the sites themselves are expanding rapidly. A significant number of Mojoo poker pool players get their fix by competing in a selection of the numerous online poker events that are run all through the year.

1. GetMega

Try these top 5 apps to play poker online and win cash.

The platform for real-money gaming, known as GetMega is owned by Megashots Internet Private Limited, which is also the name of the firm that manages the website. GetMega’s user interface and user experience are widely considered to be the best in the industry, and the site’s player pool is composed completely of real humans rather than bots or other types of fraudulent gamers.

GetMega keeps the leaderboards updated around the clock, allowing players the chance to win up to one million rupees (Rs. 1,000,000) per month. You have the chance to choose the Rummy game on GetMega that has the greatest buy-in for your level of competence. The minimum buy-in for Rummy games on GetMega ranges from 1 rupee to 2000 & 4000 rupees. GetMega offers a feature that allows users to withdraw their cash within just one minute, and so it permits withdrawals from all locations, including Bank Transfers, PayTM, & APIs. GetMega also has a feature that allows customers to withdraw funds from several sources simultaneously.

1. Mojoo Poker 

Mojoo poker pool has consistently been at the top of my priorities whenever I think about playing poker online. Everyone is on the lookout for a second way to earn genuine money in addition to their primary occupation or existing business. Millions of people in India may take advantage of this feature offered by Mojoo poker pool to make real money by participating in online poker games. You can work your way up from playing poker as just a casual pastime to making it your full-time occupation. You can enjoy our online games whenever you choose, regardless of whether you play poker for fun or for real money at Mojoo poker pool. Both types of players are welcome!

1. GGpoker Android App

When it comes to playing poker games for actual money on Android, the GGpoker Android App is another one that is really popular. In 2022, the GGpoker mobile poker app has the most user-friendly interface because of its contemporary design and in-house developed Getting Gear system.

Right from the app, you have the ability to post your most interesting moments on social media (yeah, we all like to boast every once in a while). The “swiping” function, which is exclusive to this app, makes it very simple to switch between many tabs while in portrait or landscape mode. When you use the multi-table feature, you can participate in as many as four different games of poker for real money, all at the same time.

1. Spartan Poker

Whenever we want to play poker online, we always go to Spartan Poker first. They have the best games and customer service. Spartan Poker does not just offer players the opportunity to participate in online gaming, but they have also elevated the bar by organizing enormous tournaments for players, including the championship, which now has shattered records in a way that no other tournament in India has been able to do. It has a large number of players actively playing on its own platform, as well as having experienced a tendency toward growth, which entices gamers to play more of the game. The online poker room Spartan Poker constantly has something new to provide its Indian customers and is full of surprises; players often find themselves wondering what the site will do next.

1. Gamezy Poker

Because of the one-of-a-kind poker features, Gamezy Poker is considered one of the top sites for people in India who are already interested in playing poker online. This online casino offers a wide variety of cash games with bets ranging from very low to very high. Gamezy also provides excellent poker tournaments, and the company guarantees that its platform is free of any fraudulent activity. The security measures utilized by Gamezy Poker are among the most advanced currently available in the industry. Additionally, it provides new players with a welcome bonus, and those players have the opportunity to win a welcome bonus of up to Rs. 18,750. Gamezy additionally provides a referral bonus in exchange for you promoting your friends, and players who do so have the opportunity to win up to Rs. 12,516.

You can download Mojoo poker pool or any other app and start playing poker to earn real cash without any investment. 

Top Things To Consider When Buying A Surveillance Camera

What would you be willing to pay for safety.

Surveillance cameras are more than just a good investment for millions of households and businesses; they also serve as a reliable means of crime prevention.

Home security cameras immediately dissuade trespassing, break-ins, and other invasions.  In addition, keeping an eye on your home with video surveillance is as simple as pulling out your smartphone because so many cameras these days are controlled by a mobile app and a Wi-Fi connection.

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Before you start making a purchase, check this article until the end to learn some essential points you need to consider before buying a surveillance camera.

What Is A Surveillance Camera?

These are video cameras used for surveillance to keep an eye on the place where they are placed. They function together with the security systems as a unit. These cameras can be set in residences, workplaces, retail locations, and other public spaces to provide security and deter criminal activity.

If a crime occurs, these cameras’ recorded video is also used as evidence. Various security camera types are available, each with its functions.

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Top 6 Things To Consider When Buying A Surveillance Camera

You can become overwhelmed by the abundance of options when you look at the various surveillance cameras available. Finding the best camera for streaming music and security cameras doesn’t have to be complicated. 

Additionally, the large selection helps to guarantee that you obtain the proper equipment that has the features you want and the assurance you need to feel secure in your house.

Here are the top 6 things you should consider when buying a surveillance camera.

The Storage Option

The advantages of security cameras won’t be available to you if they don’t provide adequate storage possibilities. Some may have internal hard drives, while others may have slots for external storage devices such as micro SD cards.

If you use a hard-wired surveillance camera, try to link it to a computer with enough storage. If you utilize a wireless camera, see if you can add photos immediately to a cloud network, external hard drives, or micro SD cards.

If you depend on cloud storage, confirm that your Internet is reliable. Additionally, your cameras must be within range to constantly upload video files.

The Smart Camera Connection

Smart connection is one of the most recent security camera features to look for. With a smart camera, you can manage and control it from anywhere in the world by using a smartphone app.

Naturally, your smartphone and the cameras must have a reliable Internet connection for this to work. You can view surveillance video in real-time using a phone app. You can move the camera around, utilize the camera’s speakers to communicate, and adjust the basic settings using controls on your phone.

The Video Quality

Your main priority should be the quality of the recorded video. If a security camera’s recording is unclear and you can’t recognize faces, what’s the point? The highest expensive resolution you can pursue is 4K UHD. You can still choose surveillance cameras that capture 720p or 1080p, though. Anything that falls short of those criteria is too vague. You can use this to know the difference between a high-quality globe valves vs gate valves. 

The color recording is also crucial. However, if you’re on a low budget or want to capture footage continuously, you may wish to think about purchasing cameras that only record in black and white.

The Durability Of The Device

Always keep camera positions in mind. Most security cameras must remain outside, watching over the entrance, doors, or parking area. They will, therefore, constantly be exposed to changing weather conditions. This is why the top medical device contract manufacturing companies use surveillance cameras with this feature.

Purchase only cameras that can withstand strong winds and rain. Otherwise, they’ll malfunction, and you cannot save the video the device has already recorded. Always verify the product reviews and manufacturers of security cameras. 

The Vision Range

Can you move the camera from right to left? Is it capable of tilting up and down?

Avoid purchasing a security camera if it can’t hold in those four directions. You don’t want your field of vision to be restricted. Additionally, you won’t be able to keep an eye on every angle, leaving blind spots that criminals can exploit.

Find a surveillance camera with the ability to zoom in. This makes it possible to see someone’s face more clearly even if they aren’t directly in front of the security camera. While many cameras also feature digital zooming, some solely offer optical zooming.

The Budget

You must ultimately purchase security cameras that are within your price range. Start comparing the prices of cameras, and then consider whether ones have the features you like yet are priced within your means.

The most expensive cameras can be expected to have the greatest resolution, smartest connectivity, and most functions. The most affordable option will be a typical wired CCTV, but you may find that it has limited functionality.

Conclusion

Purchasing surveillance cameras may seem like a difficult process for newbies. You must understand numerous technical words, features, and maintenance guidelines. But these seven pointers will enable you to select the best options within your price range. So before going into the store, ensure you have all of these things considered.

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Is Winning In A Casino All About Luck?

The age-old debate over whether gambling success should be ascribed to skill or chance continues today. A combination of both is the short answer to this question. Many casino games require a combination of skill and luck to win. In blackjack and video poker, players can utilize strategy to increase their chances of winning and getting the best casino bonus throughout the game. You can improve your possibility of success at an online casino if you understand that luck and tactics play a factor in the outcome of a game. Chance determines how much talent is required to play. Take, for example, the best slots for real money in slot machines.

Casino, gambling and entertainment concept – roulette table and stack of poker chips

Slot machines are grouped as games of luck because they do not require any talent to play. There is no way to foresee the game’s outcome because you do not influence how the reels spin. Covered below is:

• Poker is a skill-based game.
• Consistent winner, consistent talent (blind – bet).
• Is soccer a game of luck?
• The gambler’s fallacy.
• Is it possible to prevail over the luck factor?
• Is it probable to avoid luck?

Poker as a Skill-Based Game

Let’s start with poker because it is, more than any other game, the one that is most hotly contested in terms of skill vs. gambling factors. The ongoing effort in the United States and worldwide to acknowledge poker as a skill game is critical to breaking free from the restrictions of the casino and its harsh gambling rules. As poker becomes more popular worldwide, more skilled players emerge who are generating a high income from the game. In reality, some judges in countries such as Russia are starting to view poker as a skill game. In essence, a difference must be drawn between poker abilities and pure gambling in casino games such as roulette. While the truism says that poker is 30 percent dexterity and 70 percent fortune for frivolous companies, it is the opposite for mavens.

Poker is so prevalent these days, and so many companies deem they are accepting their skills to the game that they often lose sight of the authenticity that the game necessitates any luck at all. Reflect on the sum of ‘poor beat’ tales that thrive in online forums, and then deliberate how many gamers have paused to contemplate what type of game they’re taking part in. Few individuals will blame their poor performance because they’re participating in a game that is basically a game of chance.

Consistent Winner, Consistent Talent

Steven D. Levitt and Thomas J. Miles investigated a group of highly competent poker players during the 2010 World Series of Poker. The average return on investment (ROI) for that group of participants was above 30%, compared to a -15 percent for all other players in the competition. Why do the top players in the world consistently reach final tables at major events if poker is a game of pure luck, as many jurisdictions throughout the globe believe?

While calculating odds does play a role in poker, as we saw in our first example – after all, a big portion of the game is based on the turn of a card – there are so many other aspects to the game that it can never truly be considered a game of chance. While there must be a loss for every winner in poker, using poker talent helps top players overcome the luck aspect, allowing them to soar above a sea of players who are either losing a lot, a little or breaking even.

Is Soccer a Game of Luck?

According to Tom Tango, author of ‘The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball,’ luck plays a more prominent role in sports results than you might think if you only consider games where a team wins or loses. When Tango’s equations are applied to soccer during a normal 10-month season, differences in results attributable to luck account for roughly 35% of the overall variance (luck), leaving around 65% to ability. 

This is excellent news for talented players because talent has almost double the impact on a team’s victory rate as chance does. However, this still indicates that around a third of a team’s victory rate is based solely on luck. Why isn’t soccer treated like poker as a game of chance if that’s the case? There are better chances of winning the game when played at some of the best slots for real money worldwide.

The Gambler’s Fallacy 

It is also known as the Monte Carlo fallacy, which is the improper impression that if something transpires more times than usual during a precise period, it will occur less often in the future, seemingly as a way of nature equalizing itself. This can happen in the form of sceneries, although it is most frequently connected with gaming, where such faults are prevalent. 

The issue is that it is entirely improper. The most famous occurrence was in a game of roulette at a Monte Carlo casino in 1913, when the ball plummeted in black 26 times in a row (thus the name). Wagerers lost millions of dollars gaming against black, trusting that a long arrangement of red was unsettled.

Is It Possible to Prevail Over the Luck Factor?

Even in a game with a strong skill feature, such as poker, All companies will go penniless at some point — the luck may not be on the gamers’ side, even if they’re making rock-hard gaming choices. So, how can participants overcome the factor of chance? The modest option is to avoid them totally when it comes to casino games that depend so profoundly on luck. Okay, that’s a touch basic, but modest budget control is the key to long-standing victory in any match with odds. Game with a certain quantity of your finance, save your salaries while you’re ahead, and make only lucid choices.

Chance, or luck, is a fragment of all we do. Getting hit by a van, earning a raffle prize, or being struck by lightning are all games of chance, and how you play your luck is just as vital as how you play your cards. Stick to games with beneficial house advantages, such as poker, study, attempt plans, do your research and make the changes work to your benefit. It’s either that or stop gaming entirely.

Bitcoin Alternatives – What Can You Consider?

You might be wondering what the best alternative to Bitcoin is. First of all, it’s important to note that Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency. However, many other cryptocurrencies can get used as a good alternative.

It’s also worth noting that even though Bitcoin has by far the biggest market cap and therefore value in the cryptocurrency world. But, it doesn’t necessarily mean this list will only include alternatives with more users or larger numbers than Bitcoin. 

Some cryptocurrencies offer additional features which aren’t available on other coins yet. The basic consideration here is, of course, that you have already signed up for some cryptocurrency exchange like OKX (brand). So, if you’re interested in finding out more about these options, keep reading!

Dash

Dash (formerly known as Darkcoin) is a cryptocurrency that has been around since 2014. It was by Evan Duffield and can get considered the first fork of Bitcoin. However, it got rebranded in 2015 to Dash.

In addition to being an altcoin with a market capitalization of over $1 billion, Dash provides users with instant transactions, and privacy features unavailable on many other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Litecoin.

Litecoin

Litecoin is a global payment network that enables instant, near-zero cost payments. Litecoin got created by Charlie Lee, a former Google employee (and now Director of Engineering at Coinbase) who launched Litecoin in 2011 and left his job at Coinbase to focus on the development of Litecoin full-time.

Litecoin can get used as a currency or store of value like Bitcoin. However, it differs from Bitcoin in several ways:

• It has faster transaction times than Bitcoin (2.5 minutes versus 10 minutes). It means that you can complete transactions more quickly if necessary.
• Its mining process is easier for users. You don’t need specialized equipment or expensive software requirements like those required for Bitcoin mining.
• Its maximum block size limit is larger (1MB compared with 1MB).

Ethereum

Ethereum is essentially a decentralized program that processes smart contracts, basically applications that execute as programmed with no censorship, downtime, third-party interference, or fraud. Ethereum is the way the internet was supposed to function.

Ethereum and Zcash, the two most popular Bitcoin alternatives, are built on different blockchain platforms and have distinct differences. The former is a public blockchain, whereas the latter employs zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) and prioritizes privacy over pseudonymity, as Bitcoin does.

Ripple

Ripple is the Ripple company’s currency exchange, real-time gross settlement system (RTGS), and remittance network. Ripple claims to be able to facilitate secure, instant, and nearly free global financial transactions with no chargebacks.

It accepts tokens representing fiat cryptocurrency, currency, commodities, or any value unit, such as mobile minutes or frequent flyer miles. Ripple differs from Bitcoin in that it maintains its ledgers using a consensus ledger rather than the blockchain.

Monero

Monero is a cryptocurrency that got designed to be private and secure. The currency, which is on the CryptoNote protocol, uses a technology called ring signatures that make it possible for users to send and receive funds without their transactions being publicly visible.

Because of its privacy features, Monero has emerged as one of the most popular cryptocurrencies in dark web marketplaces such as AlphaBay and Oasis Market. The platform also boasts an active community of developers who have created tools such as MXR-Stak. It gets used by miners who want to mine Monero coins.

Now let’s take a look at some other interesting facts about Monero.

Monero uses a Proof-of-Work (PoW) algorithm, which means that mining can be done using CPUs or GPUs instead of ASICs. The PoW algorithm helps keep mining decentralized among participants rather than concentrating it in one place. It hashes only certain hardware types contributing to solving cryptographic puzzles required for validating transactions on blocks or chains.

Zcash

Zcash is a cryptocurrency, which is a digital currency that uses cryptography to secure transactions. You can think of it as an electronic version of cash.

Zcash is a peer-to-peer payment system that allows users to send money to each other. Unlike what you might have heard, this isn’t the same thing as Bitcoin. It has been around since October 2016, when its first block got mined by Mahnush Movahedi and Andrew Miller.  

Zcash is a decentralized, open-source cryptocurrency based on zero-knowledge proofs. Its blockchain supports private transactions between two parties only and not just one party as some cryptocurrencies do. They have encryption with zkSNARKs or “zero-knowledge succinct non-interactive arguments of knowledge.”

Dogecoin

Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency that got created as a joke. It was launched on December 8, 2013, by Jackson Palmer and Billy Markus, two members of Adobe Systems. It got developed to serve as an alternative to bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The name Dogecoin gets derived from the early internet meme Doge.

What is the maximum number of Dogecoins that can get created? There is no fixed upper limit for the number of coins that can get mined in total, but there are limits on how many coins can be mined per day or week (it is known as a ‘mining difficulty). At the time of writing (May 2019), there were about 62 billion DOGE tokens in circulation out of a total supply of 100 billion possible units.

Many Good Alternatives Available

As you can see, there are hundreds of other altcoins out there. Some are better than others, but they’re all worth exploring. Let’s take a look at some that have seen notable success and why they’ve become popular.

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is the result of a hard fork from the original Bitcoin network in 2017. It got created to increase transaction processing speed and lower fees for everyday users.

Monero (XMR) uses RingCT technology to encrypt transaction amounts, making it possible for individuals to send money without worrying about being tracked by others or their government agencies like tax departments or law enforcement officers. It also makes it difficult for hackers to steal funds from your wallet since they won’t be able to tell how much money you have unless they break into your computer first!

Casino Game Odds: Which Games to Play and Avoid

When somebody chooses to start gaming on the newcasinos-ca.com/bonuses/no-deposit/ website, they will undoubtedly want to know which games provide the highest odds. You’re undoubtedly thinking the same idea, which is fair given your desire to improve your odds of winning. Every online gambling has its own set of odds, so it’s worth looking into them. In that manner, you can locate and participate only in the events with the best chances.

It’s all about increasing your chances of earning big money! You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for the best and worst casino game odds. Let’s look at the greatest and worst casino game odds available.

How Casino Game Odds Work

The most significant aspect of any form of gambling, not only casino games, is the chances. All game have their odds, which show you how probable it is for a given event to occur in the game and how much you may win if it does.

The odds in casino games are always reported as numbers. However, they might be fractional or stated in percentages. Other odds exist, but they are not used in casino games.

We won’t go into detail about how casinos compute odds or other technical details, but we must discuss the house edge.

Casino Games with the Best Odds

Table games, overall, have the greatest chance, but slots have some of the lowest; that’s why you ought to avoid them if you’re simply interested in the best odds.

Even though consumers are more inclined to practice slots as well as other machine-based gambling games than table games, most experts will agree. The quick speed of table games and the intricacy of the rules generally overwhelm people.

Blackjack 

Many high rollers choose blackjack because it generally offers the greatest odds. In most situations, they are forty-nine per cent, whereas the house edge is about 0.5 per cent. This means that for every CA$1 stake, you’ll miss only half a cent on average. Furthermore, blackjack features a skill component that can swing the chances in the player’s favour. Simple principles like always dividing 4s if the dealer reveals a five or a six or always striking 12 if the player shows two must be remembered. You can even carry a cheat sheet with these guidelines; the casino will not object because it is not against the law.

The essential aspect to remember about blackjack would be that you participate against the dealer, which means that even if there are other participants present, you are all gaming against the dealer. Blackjack is primarily a good fortune game, but if you blend the favourable odds with a little bit of creativity, you may significantly increase your chances of winning.

Craps 

Craps is widely regarded as having the second-best odds behind blackjack. Craps, unlike blackjack, is almost purely a luck-based game, although your odds might fluctuate since you can put multiple wagers. You don’t need to know much about craps to get those amazing odds; all you have to do is gamble on a basic dice roll. However, learning more about the gameplay will let you put alternate bets with lesser odds but higher rewards.

Roulette

A roulette wheel has the numbers 1–36 on it, as well as a zero area. It’s a double zero field that is also present in American roulette. Because the numbers 1 to 36 are black or white, betting on colour should give you a 50/50 chance of winning. However, your probabilities are slightly reduced because there is also a zero field, and they are substantially lower with the extra double zero fields. The number that offers the house the advantage it desires is the green zero.

Remember that your chances are still close to 50%; that is why the game is widely regarded as having some of the greatest odds of any casino game. The major feature of roulette is that game is dependent on luck, but because the odds are so high, you stand to earn a lot more money than you would if you played slots.

Odds of the Worst Casino Game

Some casino games are excellent at producing diversity, but they have a high house advantage, making them terrible choices for players trying to earn a little money. These games are acceptable for anyone searching for a fun gaming platform, but they should usually be disregarded. Bad-odds casino games are appealing because they have the potential to pay out large sums of money. The primary keno prize can be enormous, but your odds of winning it are comparable to hitting the state lottery. 

Keno Probabilities

Of all the casino games, Keno has the poorest betting odds. To counterbalance the space footage necessary to accommodate a keno lounge, there is a large house benefit. Players must handpick a least nine figures from an 80-number pool. Matching all nine digits is a 1 in 1.3 million probability of happening. As you pick additional numbers, the odds get much worse. When playing keno at an internet casino site vs. a traditional casino, there are minimal distinctions. The following are some examples of variations:

• Instead of nine digits, online casinos demand players to pick a minimum of ten. Some even demand a minimum of 15.
• Online, tickets may be purchased for one credit, although physical casinos demand two credits.
• Online keno jackpots are often lower than live keno jackpots, which can exceed 250,000 credits.

So, which is better: actual or internet keno? The answer is straightforward: neither. Many players are drawn to this lottery-style game because of the possibility of a large payoff and its simplicity. Still, your money would be better spent on other casino betting options. There is no way to improve your odds, so except if you love the thrill of playing Keno, stay away from it.

The Majority of Slot Machines

It would be unfair to lump all slot machines into the same category. Yes, there are many games out there that don’t offer participants much chance at winning unless they score a big jackpot. You’ve certainly noticed it when wandering around the live casino. Still, it’s much more crucial to consider in the internet realm: the vast number of alternatives implies you need to figure out which pastime is ideal for your gambling objectives. Most slot machines in a real casino have an RTP of roughly 93-97 per cent. That implies you may expect to receive 93 to 97 cents for each dollar you put into the machine. Isn’t that good? In terms of “trials” played, slot machines are as elevated as you can get.

You’ll probably accomplish hundreds of spins if you sit at the machine for an hour. That implies that even a small change in RTP might build up to a substantial amount over time.

When visiting a real casino, you are restricted to the games available on the floor. That is not the case with an online casino. Whenever it comes to real money casinos, don’t compromise for anything less than a ninety-seven per cent RTP, and you’ll be placing yourself in a situation to improve.

Torchy Blane in Panama

Torchy Blane in Panama: Directed by William Clemens. With Lola Lane, Paul Kelly, Tom Kennedy, Anthony Averill. Torchy, Steve, and Gahagan are on the trail of a bank robber aboard an ocean liner traveling from New York to L.A. via the Panama Canal.

Torchy is back, but this time without Glenda Farrall, the title role goes to Lola Lane in her only outting as Torchy. It was done well enough that Lola Lane (and Torchy in general) became the blueprint and inspiration for “Lois Lane” a reportor that’s a constant foil and love interest to Superman. The movie starts with a parade in which our dim witted but loveable Gahagan is leading a “Leopard Lodge” group of men, all of them in single shoulder leotards. As the group marches towards a bank, a man runs out, shooting back into the bank! He’s got a bag of cash, and he’s jumping into a car! The group of cavemen looking Lodgers go running into the bank and that’s where we find out that a teller was killed in the course of this crime. Gahana is still played by Tom Kennedy, but he’s one of the few returning actors, as both Torchy and McBride have new feet in those shoes. It took me a while to warm up to both of them, but I eventually got over myself and settled in for another classic Torchy tale. They figure out that the bank robber is going to be heading to Panama via the Panama Canal (and boat ‘natch), so McBride and Gahagan book tickets on the same boat, leaving Torchy in the lurch. She figures that she’s just as entitled as anyone to be on that boat, but as it’s already left the dock, she hires an airplane and parachutes into the immediate vicinity of the cruise liner, causing them to fish her out of the water. Hijinks ensue, and with the help of Galagan, they find the guy that doesn’t belong on the boat. There’s a couple attempted murders, a couple shootings, and some pajamas that I swear to god are completely see through on Lola Lane when she falls into a waterfountain, but I can’t find much about that situation on the internet, more because 1 – there was no internet when this originally came out, and 2 – there’s an active adult entertainer that seems to have taken over any kind of “Lola Lane” searches on both Google and Bing.

It’s a perfectly fine movie, but I do dearly miss Glenda Farrall in the role. I’m not sure if it’s different writing or just different delivery, but lines that used to feel like playful banter now feel mean spirited, with the main leads calling each other idiots or morons at various times. I was happy to see Gahagan’s terrible poetry show up at the very end!

Buy On Amazon!

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MCS and Trolling and Bans of Different Colors

I’ve read a book recently that was named “The Internet of Garbage” with the first chapter named “The Internet IS Garbage” and to that point the author went into detail of how communities go astray from their purpose and what it means to properly build them into something nicer than what happens to unmoderated shit holes like 4chan.

To that end, I’m immediately implementing some rules on MCS:

1 – no obviously trolling.  if you’re saying something that’s obscene just to get a rise out of people you’ll get thrown into The System.

2 – no personal attacks.  ok: “I think that politician is a piece of shit whore”; not ok: “Tiki, you’re a fucking piece of shit whore”.  breaking this rule will get you thrown into The System

I think that’s it, but as with anything on MCS, it’s going to be imperfect and will need to fixed a few times before it gets better.

Oh, you say to yourself, but Tiki, what is “The System“? Right now it’s a multitiered laying algorithm that I’m manually running (read: clicking one box) and then manually unclicking the button when it’s time for your return.  During the time that you’re in The System, you’ll be unable to log into the site, unable to submit content, and unable to submit comments.

I’m open to suggestions, but at the end of the day I’m tired of negativity and fake news showing up on the site, so I’m going to be blocking all that stuff from the front page too.

I am your god and I have spoken.

ISP imposes data cap explains it to users with condescending pizza analogy

WOW tells users that exceeding data cap is like taking “extra slice” of pizza.

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Things to Do If Want To Become a Standup Comedian 

source

Standup comedians around the world are famous for inducing fits of laughter and skits that entertain viewers. It is also very healthy for people looking for a retreat to attend standup comedy sessions and have a good time after work and stressful life. 

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An Apology

I owe my 45-supporting friends an apology (?). I’ve been critical of the trump presidency these last four years, and am still exhausted from the experience.

But to be fair, president trump wasn’t that bad, other than when he incited an insurrection against the government, mismanaged a pandemic that killed nearly half a million Americans, separated children from their families, lost those children in the bureaucracy, tear-gassed peaceful protesters on Lafayette Square so he could hold a photo op holding a Bible in front of a church, tried to block all Muslims from entering the country, got impeached, got impeached again, had the worst jobs record of any president in modern history, pressured Ukraine to dig dirt on Joe Biden, fired the FBI director for investigating his ties to Russia, bragged about firing the FBI director on TV, took Vladimir Putin’s word over the US intelligence community, diverted military funding to build his wall, caused the longest government shutdown in US history, called Black Lives Matter a “symbol of hate,” lied nearly 30,000 times, banned transgender people from serving in the military, ejected reporters from the White House briefing room who asked tough questions, vetoed the defense funding bill because it renamed military bases named for Confederate soldiers, refused to release his tax returns, increased the national debt by nearly $8 trillion, had three of the highest annual trade deficits in U.S. history, called veterans and soldiers who died in combat losers and suckers, coddled the leader of Saudi Arabia after he ordered the execution and dismembering of a US-based journalist, refused to concede the 2020 election, hired his unqualified daughter and son-in-law to work in the White House, walked out of an interview with Lesley Stahl, called neo-Nazis “very fine people,” suggested that people should inject bleach into their bodies to fight COVID, abandoned our allies the Kurds to Turkey, pushed through massive tax cuts for the wealthiest but balked at helping working Americans, incited anti-lockdown protestors in several states at the height of the pandemic, withdrew the US from the Paris climate accords, withdrew the US from the Iranian nuclear deal, withdrew the US from the Trans Pacific Partnership which was designed to block China’s advances, insulted his own Cabinet members on Twitter, pushed the leader of Montenegro out of the way during a photo op, failed to reiterate US commitment to defending NATO allies, called Haiti and African nations “shithole” countries, called the city of Baltimore the “worst in the nation,” claimed that he single handedly brought back the phrase “Merry Christmas” even though it hadn’t gone anywhere, forced his Cabinet members to praise him publicly like some cult leader, believed he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, berated and belittled his hand-picked Attorney General when he recused himself from the Russia probe, suggested the US should buy Greenland, colluded with Mitch McConnell to push through federal judges and two Supreme Court justices after supporting efforts to prevent his predecessor from appointing judges, repeatedly called the media “enemies of the people,” claimed that if we tested fewer people for COVID we’d have fewer cases, violated the emoluments clause, thought that Nambia was a country, told Bob Woodward in private that the coronavirus was a big deal but then downplayed it in public, called his exceedingly faithful vice president a “p—y” for following the Constitution, nearly got us into a war with Iran after threatening them by tweet, nominated a corrupt head of the EPA, nominated a corrupt head of HHS, nominated a corrupt head of the Interior Department, nominated a corrupt head of the USDA, praised dictators and authoritarians around the world while criticizing allies, refused to allow the presidential transition to begin, insulted war hero John McCain – even after his death, spent an obscene amount of time playing golf after criticizing Former President Barack Obama for playing (far less) golf while president, falsely claimed that he won the 2016 popular vote, called the Muslim mayor of London a “stone cold loser,” falsely claimed that he turned down being Time’s Man of the Year, considered firing special counsel Robert Mueller on several occasions, mocked wearing face masks to guard against transmitting COVID, locked Congress out of its constitutional duty to confirm Cabinet officials by hiring acting ones, used a racist dog whistle by calling COVID the “China virus,” hired and associated with numerous shady figures that were eventually convicted of federal offenses including his campaign manager and national security adviser, pardoned several of his shady associates, gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to two congressman who amplified his batshit crazy conspiracy theories, got into telephone fight with the leader of Australia(!), had a Secretary of State who called him a moron, forced his press secretary to claim without merit that his was the largest inauguration crowd in history, botched the COVID vaccine rollout, tweeted so much dangerous propaganda that Twitter eventually banned him, charged the Secret Service jacked-up rates at his properties, constantly interrupted Joe Biden in their first presidential debate, claimed that COVID would “magically” disappear, called a U.S. Senator “Pocahontas,” used his Twitter account to blast Nordstrom when it stopped selling Ivanka’s merchandise, opened up millions of pristine federal lands to development and drilling, got into a losing tariff war with China that forced US taxpayers to bail out farmers, claimed that his losing tariff war was a win for the US, ignored or didn’t even take part in daily intelligence briefings, blew off honoring American war dead in France because it was raining, redesigned Air Force One to look like the trump Shuttle, got played by Kim Jung Un and his “love letters,” threatened to go after social media companies in clear violation of the Constitution, botched the response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, threw paper towels at Puerto Ricans when he finally visited them, pressured the governor and secretary of state of Georgia to “find” him votes, thought that the Virgin islands had a President, drew on a map with a Sharpie to justify his inaccurate tweet that Alabama was threatened by a hurricane, allowed White House staff to use personal email accounts for official businesses after blasting Hillary Clinton for doing the same thing, rolled back regulations that protected the public from mercury and asbestos, pushed regulators to waste time studying snake-oil remedies for COVID, rolled back regulations that stopped coal companies from dumping waste into rivers, held blatant campaign rallies at the White House, tried to take away millions of Americans’ health insurance because the law was named for a Black man, refused to attend his successors’ inauguration, nominated the worst Education Secretary in history, threatened judges who didn’t do what he wanted, attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci, promised that Mexico would pay for the wall (it didn’t), allowed political hacks to overrule government scientists on major reports on climate change and other issues, struggled navigating a ramp after claiming his opponent was feeble, called an African-American Congresswoman “low IQ,” threatened to withhold federal aid from states and cities with Democratic leaders, went ahead with rallies filled with maskless supporters in the middle of a pandemic, claimed that legitimate investigations of his wrongdoing were “witch hunts,” seemed to demonstrate a belief that there were airports during the American Revolution, demanded “total loyalty” from the FBI director, praised a conspiracy theory that Democrats are Satanic pedophiles, completely gutted the Voice of America, placed a political hack in charge of the Postal Service, claimed without evidence that the Obama administration bugged trump Tower, suggested that the US should allow more people from places like Norway into the country, suggested that COVID wasn’t that bad because he recovered with the help of top government doctors and treatments not available to the public, overturned energy conservation standards that even industry supported, reduced the number of refugees the US accepts, insulted various members of Congress and the media with infantile nicknames, gave Rush Limbaugh a Presidential medal of Freedom at the State of the Union address, named as head of federal personnel a 29-year old who’d previously been fired from the White House for allegations of financial improprieties, eliminated the White House office of pandemic response, used soldiers as campaign props, fired any advisor who made the mistake of disagreeing with him, demanded the Pentagon throw him a Soviet-style military parade, hired a shit ton of white nationalists, politicized the civil service, did absolutely nothing after Russia hacked the U.S. government, falsely said the Boy Scouts called him to say his bizarre Jamboree speech was the best speech ever given to the Scouts, claimed that Black people would overrun the suburbs if Biden won, insulted reporters of color, insulted women reporters, insulted women reporters of color, suggested he was fine with China’s oppression of the Uighurs, attacked the Supreme Court when it ruled against him, summoned Pennsylvania state legislative leaders to the White House to pressure them to overturn the election, spent countless hours every day watching Fox News, refused to allow his administration to comply with Congressional subpoenas, hired Rudy Giuliani as his lawyer, tried to punish Amazon because the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post wrote negative stories about him, acted as if the Attorney General of the United States was his personal attorney, attempted to get the federal government to defend him in a libel lawsuit from a women who accused him of sexual assault, held private meetings with Vladimir Putin without staff present, didn’t disclose his private meetings with Vladimir Putin so that the US had to find out via Russian media, stopped holding press briefings for months at a time, “ordered” US companies to leave China even though he has no such power, led a political party that couldn’t even be bothered to draft a policy platform, claimed preposterously that Article II of the Constitution gave him absolute powers, tried to pressure the U.K. to hold the British Open at his golf course, suggested that the government nuke hurricanes, suggested that wind turbines cause cancer, said that he had a special aptitude for science, fired the head of election cyber security after he said that the 2020 election was secure, blurted out classified information to Russian officials, tried to force the G7 to hold their meeting at his failing golf resort in Florida, fired the acting attorney general when she refused to go along with his unconstitutional Muslim travel ban, hired Stephen Miller, openly discussed national security issues in the dining room at Mar-a-Lago where everyone could hear them, interfered with plans to relocate the FBI because a new development there might compete with his hotel, abandoned Iraqi refugees who’d helped the U.S. during the war, tried to get Russia back into the G7, held a COVID super spreader event in the Rose Garden, seemed to believe that Frederick Douglass is still alive, lost 60 election fraud cases in court including before judges he had nominated, falsely claimed that factories were reopening when they weren’t, shamelessly exploited terror attacks in Europe to justify his anti-immigrant policies, still hasn’t come up with a healthcare plan, still hasn’t come up with an infrastructure plan despite repeated “Infrastructure Weeks,” forced Secret Service agents to drive him around Walter Reed while contagious with COVID, told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” fucked up the Census, withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization in the middle of a pandemic, did so few of his duties that his press staff were forced to state on his daily schedule “president trump will work from early in the morning until late in the evening. He will make many calls and have many meetings,” allowed his staff to repeatedly violate the Hatch Act, seemed not to know that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, stood before sacred CIA wall of heroes and bragged about his election win, constantly claimed he was treated worse than any president which presumably includes four that were assassinated and his predecessor whose legitimacy and birthplace were challenged by a racist reality TV show star named donald trump, claimed Andrew Jackson could’ve stopped the Civil War even though he died 16 years before it happened, said that any opinion poll showing him behind was fake, claimed that other countries laughed at us before he became president when several world leaders were literally laughing at him, claimed that the military was out of ammunition before he became President, created a commission to whitewash American history, retweeted anti-Islam videos from one of the most racist people in Britain, claimed ludicrously that the Pulse nightclub shooting wouldn’t have happened if someone there had a gun even though there was an armed security guard there, hired a senior staffer who cited the non-existent Bowling Green Massacre as a reason to ban Muslims, had a press secretary who claimed that Nazi Germany never used chemical weapons even though every sane human being knows they used gas to kill millions of Jews and others, bilked the Secret Service for higher than market rates when they had to stay at trump properties, apparently sold pardons on his way out of the White House, stripped protective status from 59,000 Haitians, falsely claimed Biden wanted to defund the police, said that the head of the CDC didn’t know what he was talking about, tried to rescind protection from DREAMers, gave himself an A+ for his handling of the pandemic, tried to start a boycott of Goodyear tires due to an Internet hoax, said U.S. rates of COVID would be lower if you didn’t count blue states, deported U.S. veterans who served their country but were undocumented, claimed he did more for African Americans than any president since Lincoln, touted a “super-duper” secret “hydrosonic” missile which may or may not be a new “hypersonic” missile or may not exist at all, retweeted a gif calling Biden a pedophile, forced through security clearances for his family, suggested that police officers should rough up suspects, suggested that Biden was on performance-enhancing drugs, tried to stop transgender students from being able to use school bathrooms in line with their gender, suggested the US not accept COVID patients from a cruise ship because it would make US numbers look higher, nominated a climate change sceptic to chair the committee advising the White House on environmental policy, retweeted a video doctored to look like Biden had played a song called “Fuck tha Police” at a campaign event, hugged a disturbingly large number of U.S. flags, accused Democrats of “treason” for not applauding his State of the Union address, claimed that the FBI failed to capture the Parkland school shooter because they were “spending too much time” on Russia, mocked the testimony of Dr Christine Blasey Ford when she accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, obsessed over low-flow toilets, ordered the release of more COVID vaccines when there weren’t any to release, called for the construction of a bizarre garden of heroes with statutes of famous dead Americans as well as at least one Canadian (Alex Trebek), hijacked Washington’s July 4th celebrations to give a partisan speech, took advice from the MyPillow guy, claimed that migrants seeking a better life in the US were dangerous caravans of drug dealers and rapists, said nothing when Vladimir Putin poisoned a leading opposition figure, never seemed to heed the advice of his wife’s “Be Best” campaign, falsely claimed that mail-in voting is fraudulent, announced a precipitous withdrawal of troops from Syria which not only handed Russia and ISIS a win but also prompted his defense secretary to resign in protest, insulted the leader of Canada, insulted the leader of France, insulted the leader of Britain, insulted the leader of Germany, insulted the leader of Sweden (Sweden!!), falsely claimed credit for getting NATO members to increase their share of dues, blew off two Asia summits even though they were held virtually, continued lying about spending lots of time at Ground Zero with 9/11 responders, said that the Japanese would sit back and watch their “Sony televisions” if the US were ever attacked, left a NATO summit early in a huff, stared directly into an eclipse even though everyone over the age of 5 knows not to do that, called himself a very stable genius despite significant evidence to the contrary, refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power and kept his promise, and a whole bunch of other things I can’t remember at the moment.But other than that. . .

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The Demon-Haunted World

A prescient warning of a future we now inhabit, where fake news stories and Internet conspiracy theories play to a disaffected American populace

“A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a manifesto for clear thought.”-Los Angeles Times

How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions.

Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today’s so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning with stories of alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms.

Praise for The Demon-Haunted World

“Powerful . . . A stirring defense of informed rationality. . . Rich in surprising information and beautiful writing.”–The Washington Post Book World

“Compelling.”–USA Today

“A clear vision of what good science means and why it makes a difference. . . . A testimonial to the power of science and a warning of the dangers of unrestrained credulity.”–The Sciences

“Passionate.”–San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle

Only $3 on Amazon right now, this is one of the best books you can read if you’re wondering why religion had such a strangle hold on humanity, and how we’re going to move past it.

Buy On Amazon!

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Love Fraud

With Carla Campbell, Jason Herrell, Steven Williams. This four-part docu-series follows the search of Richard Scott Smith, who used the internet and his dubious charms to prey upon women looking for love. The story unravels in real time as Smith’s victims band together to seek sweet revenge.

Proof that if you piss off enough women, they will come for you.  I’ll admit to being extremely disappointed in who he ended up being, as a person, and I’d be willing to bet we all know someone just like him.

Buy On Amazon!

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Beaming Up and Getting Off – Life Before and Beyond Star Trek

Beaming Up and Getting Off: Life Before and Beyond Star Trek by Walter Koenig, is an updated and expanded version of Walter Koenig’s 1998 memoir, Warped Factors: A Neurotic’s Guide to the Universe.…

My first book review for the Star Trek Book Club, though certainly not the first book that I’ve ever reviewed, I was luckily enough to be contacted by the publisher of several recent Trek related books and asked if I wanted some review copies, to which I replied, “Why yes, of course!”.  A week later and a box with 5 books arrive, and Walter Koenig’s refresh of his 1998 autobiography was the first on that I started, if only because I had read the original several times back in the days before the internet, and because it was literally the first book in the pile.  Easy choice!

It’s a 378 page book that I’ll admit was somewhat intimidating to get into, it’s long for any type of book, much less an autobiography, but luckily it’s written smoothly with enough breaking points that I was able to read it in just a few nights at a leisurely pace.  As mentioned above, I had the shorter version of it when it was named “Warped Factors“.  From what I can tell, the original portions of the book remain largely untouched, they still stand as a good explanation of exactly how Koenig ended up where he did, when he did.  There’s a forward from J. Michael Straczynski, showrunner of Babylon 5, a series that Koenig was a recurring guest star on, and really gave him room to work outside of the Star Trek role that he’s primarily known for.  Sidenote to this, B5 was just released in HD and I’m interested in watching it again, but I bought it in SD just mere months before the HD announcement and now I’m discouraged about the whole thing.  I’ll get to it eventually though!

The original autobiography follows his life from early school, to being a hospital orderly, to bus driver, to his first roles on Mr Novak, which is a piece Americana if I’ve ever seen one.  There’s much to be said about his time during Trek here, but honestly, I’ve read a ton about the behind the scenes stuff and while Mr Koenig is spilling plenty of tea in the book, he isn’t writing the book to grind an axe or make anyone look bad.  At least, anyone that didn’t already have reputations for being slightly too big for their britches.

Of particular interest though is the new material that starts in the last hundred pages that catches us up on what’s been new in his life, from some personal tragedies to his involvement in Burmese diplomacy, which has recently bubbled up into the zeitgeist due to the military taking over the country yet again, throwing away the democratic progress that they’ve made recently.  I’ll admit that the reason that the new content is more interesting to me is that it’s obvious that the author has leveled up his writing in the twenty years since the previous book and even the quick “One-Line Memories” section towards the end feels polished and smooth.

If you’re a fan of Trek, there’s enough content here to be of interest.  If you want to see what made Walter Koenig the man he is, this is the best place to do it.

Kindle

Hardcover

Paperback

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Gambling Addiction and the effects of gambling on our life

Are you worried about someone’s gambling habit in your home? Without a doubt, it is the spouses, family members and loved ones who suffer as a result of gambling addiction—knowing what course of action to take can be difficult. Stop gambling forever is a solution that can help the player in your family to accept their problem and stop playing. For the compulsive gambler, knowing there is a problem and admitting there is a problem are two different things. For the rest of the family, they simply know that there is a problem, a problem that needs to be addressed.

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Tech Giants will Double in 5 Years according to Reid Hoffman

Reid Hoffman is the founder of LinkedIn. He has stated that the number of tech giants on today’s market is going to rapidly increase and that this is all going to be fuelled by the US election. Take a look below to find out more.

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Halloween Resurrection

Directed by Rick Rosenthal. With Jamie Lee Curtis, Busta Rhymes, Brad Loree, Bianca Kajlich. Three years after he last terrorized his sister, Michael Myers confronts her again, before traveling to Haddonfield to deal with the cast and crew of a reality show which is being broadcast from his old home.

haha, what a twist, he didn’t really die in the last film, but she did at the beginning of this one! OR DID SHE!? Maybe we’re talking about her resurrection and not his!? Nope, she’s really gone, sorry guys! However, we ARE back to the quaint city of Haddonfield, site of the original horrors of the franchise, all so we can get a cast of teens to spend the night in the horror house that Michael was originally raised in. I started to have some real nerd rage when they were talking about all the furniture like it was left there by the Myers family, because as anyone that’s seen the films recently can tell you, the last family that we knew lived there was the Realtor’s family. That rage subsided though when it turned out that the entire place was set up to be as scary as possible for internet ratings! In yet another showing of how powerful this franchise is with star power, Starbuck herself (Katee Sackhoff) stars along with Busta Rhymes, and a guest appearance of Jamie Lee Curtis, who I believe at this point was near the top of her popularity, not that she’s really faded all that much. There’s some aging here with the technology, palm pilots weigh heavily, but that can be looked past for the thrill of watching people trying to survive a horror house. From my little bit of research, this is the last of the main line Halloween films, up next is the Rob Zombie reboot, which I’m not really looking forward to, Rob Zombie has a reputation for being more about torture porn than suspense.

Buy On Amazon!

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Devolution

The #1 bestselling author of World War Z returns with a horror tale that blurs the lines between human and beast, and asks, What are we capable of when we’re cut off from society?

“I wish we could elevate the national dialogue on public safety to a level of tone and focus that Max Brooks has demonstrated for all of us.”-Tom Ridge, former governor of Pennsylvania and first secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Set in the wilds of Washington State, Greenloop was once a model eco-community-until nature’s wrath made it a tragic object lesson in civilization’s fragility.

Offering a glorious back-to-nature experience with all the comforts of high-speed Internet, solar smart houses, and the assurance of being mere hours from Seattle by highway, Greenloop was indeed a paradise-until Mount Rainier erupted, leaving its residents truly cut off from the world, and utterly unprepared for the consequences. With no weapons and their food supplies dwindling, Greenloop’s residents slowly realized that they were in a fight for survival. And as the ash swirled and finally settled, they found themselves facing a specter none of them could have predicted-or even thought possible. . . .

In these pages, Max Brooks brings to light the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own investigations into the massacre that followed and the legendary beasts behind it. If what Kate saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us-and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.

Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it-and like none you’ve ever read before.

Praise for Devolution

“Delightful . . . [A] tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.”–Kirkus Reviews
(starred review)

“The story is told in such a compelling manner that horror fans will want to believe and, perhaps, take the warning to heart.”–Booklist (starred review)

Buy On Amazon!

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Infinite Detail

An act of anonymous cyberterrorism has permanently switched off the Internet. Global trade, travel, and communication have collapsed. The luxuries that characterised modern life are scarce. In the Croft – a digital no-man’s land cut off from the surveillance, Big Data dependence, and corporate-sponsored aspirations – Mary is sought out by grieving families seeking connections to lost ones. But does Mary have a gift or is she just hustling to stay alive?

This is a good book, you should check it out, it’s currently $3 on amazon and well worth your time.

Buy On Amazon!

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“Nice Guy”

This is a song about “Nice” Guys. LYRICS: I have no interesting skills My personality’s lacking depth My only hobby is the internet My ambitions are wrapped …

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Meatless Burger With A Side Of Free Speech Please

The meat industry, unnerved by growing competition from meat substitutes, is taking legal action, writes Rich Barlow. We’ve seen this corporate hysteria before.

Meatless Burger With A Side Of Free Speech, Please originally appeared on Internet-D on May 23, 2019.

The Orville Renewed For Season 3 By Fox

It’s official. Seth MacFarlane’s sci-fi adventure series The Orville will return for a third season on Fox. The renewal is not unexpected. Things were looking bright for a Season 2 rene…

‘The Orville’ Renewed For Season 3 By Fox originally appeared on Internet-D on May 12, 2019.

SpaghettiO Jello Mold Retro Recipe You Made What

Making another retro recipe this time with couple cans of SpaghettiOs and Vienna sausages on this episode of You Made What?! on Emmymade in Japan. New videos…

SpaghettiO Jello Mold Retro Recipe | You Made What?! originally appeared on Internet-D on April 15, 2019.

Trump aided and abetted Russias attack That was treachery Full stop

The scandal may not be a crime. It’s a betrayal.

Trump aided and abetted Russia’s attack. That was treachery. Full stop. originally appeared on Internet-D on March 25, 2019.

Florida Lawmakers Are Trying To Weaken Historic Voter Reform Advocates Say

A bill in the legislature makes it too difficult for people to become eligible to vote, according to voting rights advocates.

State Rep. James Grant (R) is a fucking idiot, this was as unambiguous as you could have possibly gotten.

Florida Lawmakers Are Trying To Weaken Historic Voter Reform, Advocates Say originally appeared on Internet-D on March 19, 2019.

Trump Issues First Veto After Congress Rejects Border Emergency

The veto will send the legislation back to Congress, which most likely doesn’t have enough votes for an override, meaning the declaration of an emergency at the southern border will remain in effect.

His first veto is one of his own making.

Trump Issues First Veto After Congress Rejects Border Emergency originally appeared on Internet-D on March 15, 2019.

MIT computer scientists troll Donald Trump over tweet about planes becoming too complex to fly

President Donald Trump took computer scientists to task today for making airplanes “too complex to fly.” And the computer scientists struck back.

MIT computer scientists troll Donald Trump over tweet about planes becoming ‘too complex to fly’ originally appeared on Internet-D on March 12, 2019.

Oscars 2019 problems mount as Academy aims to reboot TV show

The lack of a host, trimming the running time and breaking with tradition is proving difficult a difficult act to pull off

I’m happy they’re doing this, the event was already too long. I wish they would split the event into a couple parts, spread out over a couple days, maybe one with all the big shit that people gush over, put that one on the tv, then the one that all the industry people care for, put that on ye internets. four or five hours is just painful to watch at once go.

Cross Posts from other websites

I’ve written a fair bit of code to create a WordPress plugin that permits ethical linking to posts from other sites.  Combining that with the submission engine that I’ve hand crafted on on MCS+, and now there’s a whole bunch of content flowing in from multiple sites that I own and control:

2Queue – I hear about movies, books, games, and television shows months before they’re released and found myself completely forgetting about them until I ran into them months or even years later.  I built this site to help flag content I would be interested in.  I’m adding things to it all the time and will go back every couple months to see if I missed anything coming out.  I usually did and can find it on Netflix or for purchase.

BrickMeister – I just wanted a dedicated LEGO fan site, so here it is.  The king of all bricks.

Comical Creatures – Funny or cute animals, usually sourced from Reddit, with links back to the Reddit post so you can gush over how cute that rabbit with aviator glasses really is.

Comic Covers – Nominally it’s a site that has scans of comic books covers, but it’s morphed into comic book related news.  The thumbnails are all janked up on the front page, but the content is there to be read.

Crutch of the Weak – Fun news about how horrible religion is.

Halo Book Club – Halo book news and book collections.  Not feature complete and needs an upgrade, but it’s in the rotation to post about Halo news now..

I Hate Star Trek – Only fans can hate their fandom more than the true haters.  Just look at Discovery, literally “no one” liked it, everyone hated it, but at the same time, everyone’s watching it to see what they do next.  In 10 years it’ll come out that everyone actually liked it and thought it was amazing, just like what’s happening with Star Trek: Enterprise now.

Internet-D – A dumping ground for weird videos, politics, and other crap that doesn’t fit in anywhere else.

Movie Ties – Movie related products, sometimes interesting, sometimes stupid.

Music Video DB – I started this site several years ago because I was frustrated that a music video I had downloaded wasn’t being found by KODI when I searched for it using the music video parser they were using at the time.  It took me much longer than it should have, but now that I have a WP plugin to quickly post videos from youtube, now I have the ability to start adding stuff to the site.  One day I’ll work on adding something to the site so you can use KODI to search for your music videos.

Star Trek Book Club – The crown jewel of my non-MCS coding and data entry time.  It’s somewhat feature complete, though every time I change something small on the site I get “big ideas” that’ll take hours of data entry and research to complete (current project: finding the artists for all the book covers, yikes!).  You’ll get book review updates, author updates, new book previews and the ability to create a collection of your own if you register.

Star Wars Book Club – Same as above, but no where near feature complete, as there’s only about 1/500 of the Star Wars books on the site.  It’ll take me a couple years to get this one working the way I want, but it’s in the rotation to handle star wars content.

My intention isn’t to flood MCS with content from these 12 sites though, so I’m limiting both the volume of posts, only 1 out of every ten will make it to MCS, and the frequency of the posts are being reduced from once and hour to once every 6 hours.  If you’re interested in whatever’s going on with those sites, you can visit them directly and get all the latest updates as they happen instead of days later on MCS.

Problems in Relationships with a Girl? Call in Sex on Phone!

If you need a YOLO decision of your personal relationship problems, we have one. Marrybrides.com have a deciphering the conversation with four sex workers in the range from strippers to porn actresses and now we know what psychological problems men tell and whether it helps them!

Penney Treith, porn actress

Treith is a talented director. She herself shoots and mounts porn films, in which she plays the main role. She takes plots of many pictures from the requests of her fans, gaining access to their secret fantasies. “I have a strong empathy, I think that’s why people trust me. But at the same time, it’s always quite a serious emotional work. ” Penny says that most customers turn to her because they can’t tell their wives and girlfriends about what they really want. One of her clients – a married natural – is constantly fantasizing about sex with the participation of other men. Treith shoots pictures for him, in which he embodies these fantasies – she appeals to him during sex with other partners. Thus, she actively helps to save families, realizing what needs to be realized, but not always possible without her help.

In addition to the married natural, about which we wrote above, Penny embodies even more exotic requests. By the way, they are requested by also married men and decent members of the good old American society.

Moriah Ella Mason, a former stripper

Just recently Moriah worked in a strip club. She was very successful and popular – it was because of her name on the playbill, that every Saturday night in the club crowds of men gathered. According to the girl, they all could be divided into two main categories – part sought communication, and the other part came in order to strengthen the male friendship. The first category of men is of the greatest interest for us. As Moriah says, the main motivation for going to the strip club for these men is their loneliness. Most often, they order a private dance in order to talk about their psychological problems with which they have nowhere else to turn. Moriah always happily listened to such men and they left her with a smile on the face.

Besides, as the Moriah says, going to a strip club is a great way of building trust after cheating. A man does not need to have sex with a woman to feel that he has avenged himself for insult. Many of them just need to talk with a half-naked girl who sits on their lap.

Secondhand Rose, a former employee of an escort, a sex operator on the phone

Rose says that she worked with clients from all social strata and soon noticed how many of them are people with different forms of autism spectrum disorder. It is this feature that eventually becomes the cause of loneliness and isolation, leading men to sex workers: “The social formalities have always been painful and alien for them, and with me, they could be themselves.” Rose says that meetings with one of the clients began each time the same way – from looking at his collection of frogs and everything connected with them. And it does not matter whether new frogs appeared in it from the last visit of the girl. It was a kind of ritual that allowed a man to feel comfortable.

Stacey Schwimm, a former employee of an escort, an Internet model

Stacy also claims that many of her clients have used and are using paid time to finally confess their weaknesses, fears, and fantasies, to be a little vulnerable, without fear of being traumatized. “Some said that as a child they were victims of sexual violence, and I am the first person to whom they can admit it.” Considering all this, Schwimm sees in her activity a strong therapeutic component, an opportunity for men to at least temporarily stop hiding their feelings.

Thus, girls from the sex industry are the most important source of energy for the preservation of traditional values. This is another paradox caused by the illogical and unproductive nature of the modern model of society, especially in the West. So if you are not ready to pay huge money to professional therapists, but you want to keep a family or a relationship with a friend, you know what to do! Combine business with pleasure, bro.

Old Questions Are New Again

It’s the same kind of shit you see people asking on the internet today!

Discovery Season One review

Star Trek, one of the most iconic and influential global television franchises, returns 50 years after it first premiered, with Star Trek: Discovery. The series will feature a new ship, new characters and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers.

Star Trek has had a long history of series that had a rough first seasons, TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT are all great series on their whole, but their first couple dozen episodes were where they found their sealegs, and at times it felt like they weren’t going to be able to. Star Trek: Discovery had many things working against it: bad show runners (Bryan Fuller can’t seem to get along with anyone involved with both DISCO and American Gods), a fandom that is absolutely RABID about “their” television series, the internet (it’s only been around for 3 of the series), other television shows (this is the first ‘from the ground up’ Trek that’s been serialized along with some kind of mystery box plot), the method of broadcast (only on CBS All Access for Americans, Netflix for the rest of the world, unless you’re in Canada, then it’s on cable TV LIKE GOD INTENDED), and ultimately, the worst enemy it had was it’s own success.

The first two episodes had no mention nor appearance of the titular ship, had a captain that wasn’t long for the series, and a lead character that seemed to be designed to be hated and divisive both on screen and IRL. It additionally started a war that was originally sold as a huge deal, but they only dealt with it in about 1/3 of the episodes. There’s a lot of canon problems with Discovery and I look forward to seeing how (if?) they resolve them by the end of the second season. The acting for the most part is top notch, but the actors can do only so much with what they’re given. I’m thinking specifically of the final scene of the first season where Michael Burnham (played by the amazing Sonequa Martin-Green of Walking Dead fame), in which she had an absolute cringfest of a speech that made little to no sense in the larger scope of what was happening in the rest of the universe (and her own criminal behavior), but she was able to sell it enough to make it bearable.  I’ve also grown to love Doug Jone’s character, the shade between him and Burnham is delicious.

I’m hoping that much like other Trek series, season one is where they find their feet and season two is where they learn to run.

Tea Tree Oil Shampoo, 8 OZ

Our Natural Tea Tree Oil Shampoo is the hair care solution you’ve been dreaming of! Boasting wonderful therapeutic benefits thanks to the incredible effects of natural tea tree oil, this shampoo can improve hair and scalp health while promoting hair growth and even slowing hair loss. Suitable for men, women, and children, our Tea Tree Oil Shampoo is cruelty-free, parabens-free, GMO-free, and gluten free.

Turns out that strangers offering free stuff on the internet can actually be pretty good people, they sent me a trial bottle of this stuff and I’ve been trying it out over the last couple weeks. It smells good and makes my hair look pretty, so I have no complaints about it at all, and normally I’m just FULL of complaints.

Anyone else try this specific one yet? Any suggestions about hair care I should know about? I’m thinking about growing my hair back out, which is a great idea during the winter, but when those Florida summers roll around I tend to re-think that thought.

Behemoth BMax & Behemoth Seppuku review

Lenie Clarke-rifter, avenger, amphibious deep-sea cyborg-has destroyed the world. Once exploited for her psychological addiction to dangerous environments, she emerged in the wake of a nuclear blast to serve up vendetta from the ocean floor. The horror she unleashed-an ancient, apocalyptic microbe called ßehemoth- has been free in the world for half a decade now, devouring the biosphere from the bottom up. North America lies in ruins beneath the thumb of an omnipotent psychopath. Digital monsters have taken Clarke’s name, wreaking havoc throughout the decimated remnants of something that was once called Internet. Governments have fallen across the globe; warlords and suicide cults rise from the ashes, pledging fealty to the Meltdown Madonna. All because five years ago, Lenie Clarke had a score to settle.

ßehemoth: Seppuku concludes the final act (begun in ßehemoth: ß-Max) of Peter Watts’s chilling and powerful Rifters series.

After the first couple books I was really hoping for more, the pacing in these final two books was off to me and there were some absolutely bizarre rape and torture scenes that barely made sense in how they were used and didn’t fit the feel of the rest of the book at all. Frankly I can’t suggest this series to anyone at all because of how fucked up the torture and rapes were.

Other then all the raping and torturing, I guess the story was ok, but it was difficult to tell with all the rape and torture taking up my attention.

AOL Laying Off 500 People

Six months after Verizon Communications paid $4.4 billion to buy AOL and its collection of media and technology companies, the top honcho at the ‘90s Internet brand says they’ll be laying off about 5% of the staff today, with around 500 employees expected to get their walking papers.

consumerist.com/2016/11/17/aol-still-exists-laying-off-500-people/

Sumo Air

If you’re on the internet as much as I am, you will have noticed a large number of posts about the latest/greatest Sumo product, The SUMO AIR.  I’ve become a big fan of Sumo, if only because they’re such nice people to deal with and their customer support team is responsive to all the issues that people have brought up to them.   All that being said, I’m not a huge fan of the Sumo Air, I’m a big dude with a bad back and I’m not about to show you what I looked like in it, but here’s video of a couple other people trying to inflate and then sitting in them:

They’re having a sale on them right now, just swing by their website if you’d like to give them a try:

The Sumo Air may have been a wiff for me, but I’m still deeply in love with my Sumo Titan and use it regularly. We’re going to be taking a beach vacation in a couple weeks, so I’ll see if we can bring the Sumo Air along and see how it is around the ocean.

Halo 5 : Guardians game review

Source: Amazon.com

Considering the major misteps of Halo 4 were fresh in my mind, going into Halo 5 I had limited to no expectations that 343 was going to be able to get their heads around how to do a well structured campaign story, and for the most part my expectations were correct.  There were a few moments that the story made sense and progressed logically, but they were few and far in between.  Luckily there were no random new villains (the didact? the librarian?), but the story really felt like a stepping stone from halo 4 to halo 6, with less story progression than the throw away Spartan Ops missions from Halo 4.

Another major problem that 343 has is adding new game mechanics, then never explaining them or showing them in use at all in the single player portion of the game.  In Halo 4, it was the run mechanic, where it was added, but no one in the game ever actually said “hey, you can run now, just hold down this button right here”.  In Halo 5, they have a thrust/dodge and a “ground pound” set of mechanics, but never properly introduce them in the game.  They do show off a running wall smash thing, but that’s about it.  It was until I was about 10 games into the multiplayer that I realized that everyone else was using these things and I had to look it up to see 1 – what it was called and 2 – how to do it.  Terrible implementation and makes me bitter towards 343 for such a stupid misstep.

Speaking of multiplayer, I find their plans for it to be laudable, but I’m already bored with the 3 maps you get in the various game types.  The REQ cards are interesting and may keep me coming back for a while, but once I have the achievements for the MP stuff, I doubt I’m going to stick around for very long.

All in all, it’s an interesting game, certainly not work the cover price of $60, but you can already find it for $40 out on the internet.

TWG Spotlight – Star Trek Book Club

Star Trek Book Club has an up to date list of every star trek book that’s ever been written. It has Author tags, covers and a handy dandy link to buy the book on Amazon.com.  I’ve been thinking about adding in other book stores, but really are there any other bookstores that matter on the internet anymore?

Fantastic Four back with Marvel?

A couple sites have been reporting that there’s a new deal between Fox/Disney for the X-men movie rights, and as a part of that deal the Fantastic Four have been returned to the house of the mouse to be used in the MCU. If this is confirmed by the powers that be at Fox/Disney….good god am I excited about this possibility. Dr Doom and Silver Surfer in a Marvel Movie? Be still my geek heart!

As an aside, the Fox television series they’re talking about sound downright horrible:

Legion: the son of Charles Xavier hears voices and has mutant powers that change with the voices.

Hellfire: it’s the Hellfire Club from the comics, one of the dumbest groups of supervillians in a comic book.  Set in the 70’s or some ridiculous bullshit

I wish them the best of luck, and maybe they’ll be great, but Fox hasn’t really had a great track record when it comes to science fiction / comic book television.

EDIT: other sites are saying this is BS, so take it all as you would with internet rumors I guess.

Lego Dimensions game review

What is LEGO Dimensions?

When a mysterious and powerful vortex suddenly appears in various LEGO worlds, different characters from DC Comics, The Lord of the Rings and The LEGO Movie are swept away. To save their friends, Batman, Gandalf and Wyldstyle bravely jump into the vortex and quickly find themselves fighting to save all of LEGO humanity.

Let creativity be the guide to a building and gaming adventure – journey through unexpected worlds and team-up with unlikely allies on the quest to defeat the evil Lord Vortech. Play with different minifigures from different worlds together in one LEGO videogame, and use each other’s vehicles and gadgets in a way never before possible. LEGO Bad Cop driving the DeLorean Time Machine…why not?! The LEGO Ninjago Masters of Spinjitsu fighting alongside Wonder Woman…yes, please! Get ready to break the rules, because the only rule with LEGO Dimensions is that there are no rules.

Source: Amazon.com
Addon tested: Lego Portal 2

Bought this last night and thought it’d be wise to get a write up on the first play experiences while the memory is fresh in my head. I was actually at Target last night to get a Rock Band 4 kit, but they were completely out of them at the time, and for half the price they had Lego Dimensions. This isn’t a final review mind you, just initial impressions, most of which were pretty mind blowing that no one from any of the associated companies tested themselves to see how crummy of an experience setting it up is. First, you get the game at the store, there’s no way around that, no way to get the game digitally, as there’s a physical toy component to the game. It’s $100 for the base kit, which comes with the game on a disk, three minifigs, one mini-batmobile and one massive portal device that plugs into your console’s (very limited in number) usb ports. With this game, all my usb ports are full, as the Xbone only comes with three of them. TV tuner, lego and rockband adapter are what’s in mine.

First serious let down of the game is when you put the disk in and you’re told that there’s a 4.1 gb upgrade that’s mandatory if you’re going to play online, and since this game requires an internet connection, you have to get that download out of the way before you can play. Microsoft has a notoriously slow download process for their games, and this was shown yet again when it took about 2 hours to download about 60% of the game update, just enough for the quick launch to start and give us access to the first level of the game. So now it’s 10pm and all I’ve done is watch some TV while the console took it’s sweet as time downloading god only knows what. I thought that I’d be able to take some of that time building the lego pieces that came with the game, but someone make the super exciting decision to have the instructions for all the items be in-game only, so you have to wait for that initial download before you can even see the instructions for the minifigs. Don’t get me wrong, I can figure out the minifigs, but it’s the Portal turrents or the batmobile that I didn’t know every detail for, and having all those pieces sitting there mocking me was very frustrating. All in all it took about 4 hours to get the entire game downloaded, but as I mentioned there’s an early launch option when it gets to around 60%.

Playing the gaming has some odd choices in it too. In the end, I enjoyed the first level but there were times that they required you to put your controller down, get off the couch, walk over to your tv and move one of the minifigs to a different square. One time, that wouldnt’ be bad. Twice, would be annoying. After the 10th time doing this, I was ready to just give up on the game, as there’s no reason for interrupting the gameflow with those types of shenanigans. I can only hope they’re going to introduce an option to disable that type of gameplay as it really took me out of the enjoyment of that first level (which I won’t be describing here, as it was a delightful surprise to see where your first mission took you). Another drawback is that when you’re playing couch co-op it makes some interesting choices in how the screen is split: it doesn’t split it at all until you’re far enough away from your partner to warrant it, and even then it only splits off a portion of the screen, not an equal 50/50. It sounds odd but it actually works for the most part, it’s just weird to have your field of view change so quickly.

The reason I was so excited about this game was the addons that they have for it all ready. If you were to buy just the level packs, you’d spend about $100 for the base game, and about $180 in the expansion levels:

I picked up the Portal expansion pack based on how much I loved the first two portal games and the fact there’s a new Portal song included. Sad part was that you can’t use Chell or any of the included turrets until the game is 100% installed, and you can’t build any of the units because all the instructions are in game…so I didn’t get to try it out in the first 5 hours I owned it. I’m an adult and can live with that, but if you bought your kids the Simpsons or Dr Who pack, they’d likely expect to be able to play those games as soon as you got home, afterall, isn’t the entire point of having a console system is that you can stick the disk in and just PLAY? Now it seems like there’s a several hour long process to install and download all sorts of bs for the game that’s on the disk. Ugh. I’m even more convinced now that the whole idea of consoles is pretty much dead and I should have just stayed a PC gamer.

But who am I kidding, I love me some Halo and Rock Band.

Winnebago Man review

WINNEBAGO MAN reveals the story of Jack Rebney, an unlikely folk hero whose outrageously funny outbursts were caught on tape during the making of a Winnebago sales video in 1988. The outtakes reel mysteriously circulated on dubbed VHS tapes for years before turning into a full-blown Internet phenomenon on YouTube in 2005. Today, the “Winnebago Man” has been seen by more than 20 million people worldwide and is regarded as one of the first and funniest viral videos. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer sets out on the seemingly impossible task of tracking down Rebney, who has been living a hermit-like existence on a mountain top, and until recently, had no idea that the outtakes even existed. Rebney turns out to be more intelligent, sharp-tongued and charismatic than anyone could have imagined–in short, he’s a star. WINNEBAGO MAN is a smart, funny and unexpectedly poignant tale of one man’s response to unintended celebrity.

Source: Amazon.com

Directed by: Ben Steinbauer

I was amazed at how much of an emotional roller coaster this documentary was.  Much like many of you, I’ve seen the Winnebago Man video from 1989, on the youtubes, and again like many of you, I identified with his anger and situational responses.   They certainly set Jack Rebney up to be something of a hot head, then the script flipped a couple times and at the end of the film, yeah, he’s a damn prick of a man with anger issues, but it turns out that I agree with about 99% of what the guy says.

This was a good film with an excellent ending, though I wonder what’s happened to Jack since the end of the film.  According to Redding.com he lost his home in a huge regional fire back in 2012, so with nearly 3 years since then I hope he’s as cantankerous as ever.

Ex Machina review

Alex Garland, writer of 28 Days Later and Sunshine, makes his directorial debut with the stylish and cerebral thriller, EX MACHINA. Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), a programmer at an internet-search giant, wins a competition to spend a week at the private mountain estate of the company’s brilliant and reclusive CEO, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac). Upon his arrival, Caleb learns that Nathan has chosen him to be the human component in a Turing Test–charging him with evaluating the capabilities, and ultimately the consciousness, of Nathan’s latest experiment in artificial intelligence. That experiment is Ava (Alicia Vikander), a breathtaking A.I. whose emotional intelligence proves more sophisticated–and more deceptive–than the two men could have imagined.

Source: Amazon.com

A brutally uncomfortable movie when the twist happens, why in the world people liked this film is beyond me, it’s only half cooked and is a retread of some fairly mundane science fiction tropes.

Sure was pretty though, would love to live in that part of the world with that kind of apparent internet connection, but sadly I’m no Bill Gates x100, which is what the main protagonist in this one was.  What’s a few hundred billion dollars though, right?