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Posts Tagged 'Knowledge'
On a Slope to Erosion of Person-to-Person Service
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Call centre, Computer, Customers, Human, Intelligent Virtual Agent, Interaction, Internet, Knowledge, Self-service, Service, Technology on 14/09/2015| 1 Comment »
For over fifteen years companies are gradually shifting from providing customer service by live person-to-person channels to computer-based, automated and self-service modes. In the past three years the momentum seems to have even increased to replace bilateral human interactions with human-computer interactions — human on the customer's side, computer on the company's side. The trend is evident in a variety of sectors, including manufacturers and dealers providing maintenance and repair of goods, inherently service providers (e.g., mobile and Internet telecom, health, insurance, tourism), and retailers. The servicescape is definitely changing, and the repercussions are still unfolding (e.g., customer adaptation, social-related, customer-company relationships).
We can identify several stages a company may go through in reducing its direct human interaction with customers — transitioning from face-to-face to phone touchpoints, then to self-service on the Internet and by mobile applications. In-between companies have applied methods such as IVR on the phone and Web-based live chats with human customer service representatives (CSR). But the latest technological advance in computer-based self-service entails a potentially more extensive substitution of intelligent virtual agents for human service agents. It means that a larger variety of issues handled thus far via phone conversations and live chats on the Internet would be resolved by chats, at different levels of sophistication, with virtual agents.
Certainly a customer would not want to rush out to a physical branch of the serving company for resolving every problem with a product or service when it can be settled by a phone call to the company's call centre. Some enquiries and technical issues can furthermore be resolved by means of e-mail or Web-based interfaces and resources without talking to anyone — many customers prefer nowadays to make a phone call to a company only after they have exhausted their options to solve their problem by means of self-service. There are clear advantages (e.g., convenience, control, independence) in using the computer-based modes of service. However, in cases where problems cannot be resolved effectively by self-service, and reaching a live representative of the company is made harder, it may engulf a wider gap between the company and its customer, possibly inducing frustration and anger. It may be even worse for consumers who are less computer-orientated and have difficulties using those online tools (e.g., tasks that may seem obvious or easy-to-do to Millennials [Generation Y], and to a large extent to Generation X consumers, are less likely to be so for earlier generations born before 1960).
Companies have a strong incentive of cost reduction to reduce or limit forms of human personal service — various estimates suggest that the cost of interaction may fall from $10-12 when face-to-face to $5-6 by phone to less than a dollar by e-mail, online live chats or social media, and even less in human-computer interactions that do not involve a human on the company's side. The face-to-face channel seems to fare the worst. Some companies eliminate branches for meeting with customers, reduce their accessibility or span of services provided face-to-face, and generally de-motivate customers to come and see their representatives for service.
A few examples: (a) A mobile telecom company that receives customers at its service centre only for acquiring new phones or leaving a phone for repair at the lab but not for issues related to changing a service package or billing; (b) An airline that prefers customers to arrange and order flights by phone and better on the Internet, and de-motivates them to come and make their travel arrangements face-to-face; (c) A ticket agency (e.g., live concerts) whose office is unaccessible, relying only on phone and online contacts.
While consumers are more willing to utilise computer-based self-service tools and resources, and are doing so more frequently, this does not mean they are ready to give up access to a person from the company. That is a wrong interpretation by certain companies who make it more difficult for customers to access their representatives, by phone or face-to-face. The last thing a company should do is to let its customers feel that it is not interested in hearing or seeing them in person. Consumers should have the privilege to choose how to receive their service. Otherwise, it is a slippery slope whereby a company may distance itself too far apart from its customers.
There are a number of cases where acquisition and service are intermingled. For instance, when (a) consultation is required prior to a purchase decision; (b) the buyer is a repeated customer; and (c) a purchase transaction is made online for a product or service consumed or experienced in the real physical world.
Intelligent virtual agents (IVA) may operate in several forms with regard to their level of exchange with users. They all rely on advanced methods of artificial intelligence and abilities to interpret natural language, and they may also utilise knowledge gained through Big Data analytics (e.g., of previous customer enquiries) to improve their quality of response (e.g., Watson by IBM, Siri by Apple, Optus by IntelliResponse). In one form, that may be described as less dynamic, a user poses a question in his or her own words, to which the IVA replies with the most accurate answer it could find from existing content in the company's knowledge base (e.g., product profiles, service procedures, bill structure). The information, provided in text, is standard for any similar question on the same topic. The agent may assume the still image of a real person with a first name. A more sophisticated form of chatbot is an animated figure that behaves more like a live agent and can actually speak. The content may not differ from that given by the agent described formerly but it gives a more realistic "lively" feeling of speaking with another human being.
The advantages of this new breed of IVA are not to be underestimated. The IVA can save customers considerable time that is often needed in reviewing multiple results for a search query, referring the user to various pages from a company's knowledge base. The IVA is also more flexible and efficient than the anachronistic method of pre-edited FAQ. The IVA can construct a relevant answer ad-hoc on a much larger variety of issues than a typical FAQ and it is much faster and more accurate in providing the correct relevant answer than a user searching the company's resources. Yet, a virtual agent's answers are based only on information that is pre-existent in the digital library of the company — if a customer asks for more details on a topic that are not available in advance, the agent may revert to repeat itself (links to related or additional details may be enclosed in an answer, thus excusing the user from posing the next question). The virtual agent also seems to provide standard answers not related to a specific personal problem described by the customer (e.g., particular monetary figures in the customer's recent bill). For that purpose, the virtual agent should promptly escalate the call to a live CSR; the question remains, how readily IVAs are configured and able to do so.
Hence, IVAs at least at this stage may be able to promise consistency of relevant answers but not real ingenuity. Other aspects that also remain debatable are, for example, the ability of IVAs to identify the correct context of questions posed in natural language and their sensitivity to the mood of customers as a chat proceeds. These capabilities call upon a combination of experience and intuition that human representatives should still have the advantage in exercising over intelligent virtual agents.
In a main feature article in Fortune magazine (August 2015), Geoff Colvin discusses the impact that 21st century's technological changes, particularly advance of automated computer and robotic systems, have on members of society, whether as employees or as consumers (1). He is critical of a spiral of underrating humans versus computers which may lead further to degrading human touch. In response, Colvin proposes areas of activities that humans should insist on continuing to perform, no matter the abilities of computers: remain in charge (e.g., be accountable to others, making judicial decisions); work together to set collective goals; sustain an advantage in satisfying deep interpersonal needs (e.g., in doctor-patient relations).
Colvin refers to a study by a research firm where employers were asked about the skills they expect to seek in five to ten years. We may predict those would be mainly analytic, business and financial-related (e.g., note warnings of a shortage in decision scientists). Yet, according to the study cited the future skills more demanded by employers include relationship building, teaming, co-creativity, brainstorming, cultural sensitivity, and ability to manage diverse employees. These stated priorities are partly at odds with employers' own inclination to be more reliant on computer systems for service and allowing less leeway to customer-facing employees to act on their own judgements. Social interaction and empathy are expected to be in high demand in the 21st century. However, social interaction may regress when people become increasingly occupied with their smartphones and invest more in interacting with others through social media networks; and empathy, as Colvin shows, appears to be actually in decline among college students since 1990. Colvin concludes in suggesting that people should take the challenge by computers as an opportunity and work harder on their social skills and value as humans.
Forrester Research issued recently a brief report on the changed characteristics of young contact centre agents from the Millennial generation and how to accommodate them in the workplace (2). It is a new breed of (live) agents who are well-seasoned users of computer devices and computer-based tools and applications, an experience that shapes their approach to digital technology in leisure as well as at work. They have their own "philosophy": any information they may need is stored in some repository these days (online or offline) and their skills should be directed to finding it. There is therefore no need for them to memorise facts and procedures. At work, they seem reluctant to learn details of products and services the way workers of previous cohorts have done. They prefer to learn where to find the information, being free of memorising details of product support. That clearly poses a challenge to professionals who develop the applications that agents should use for delivering computer-assisted service. Forrester proposes going towards the new agents with tools that reenforce their information search and navigation capabilities (e.g., improved knowledge management, context-wise tools). Additionally, it is advisable to provide them hardware such as touch screens which they are so familiar with and comfortable operating (e.g,, as on their smartphones), and compatible graphic interface.
The focus on new information skills is welcome and in due time, and companies are most justified to enhance them in the young service agents. But Millennials, and others in the same mind, should realise that their approach could be self-defeating. In order to excel at work, such as delivering an exceptional customer service, one should utilise in the best way his or her rich declarative knowledge in a domain and the practical experience one accumulated. Memorising information cannot be discarded because with expertise it means the CSR is better able to quickly provide the most effective solution to a customer's problem. Can it be done equally well by looking up the solution or clues to it in a company's knowledge repository? This is yet to be proven.
In the realm of keeping a sensible balance between human competence and computer technology, customer-facing employees are required to demonstrate professional aptitude (e.g., domain knowledge, proficiency in using information, responsiveness) and certain personality traits that can contribute to dialogue (e.g., reaching-out, courteous, open-minded)(3). Domain knowledge resides in one's head (brain), not by sole reference to knowledge management systems. Thereby the human agent can develop the proficiency of using information retrieved from both own-memory and the information system as the task calls for. Companies are expected to reward exceptional CSRs. Even more advanced computer technologies may offer the agents the opposite — greater dependence on and integration with the computer system. Forrester suggests that live agents should be reserved for more complex context-sensitive conversations. If human service agents cannot demonstrate exceptional capabilities, companies will be encouraged to replace them with even-greater-intelligent virtual agents in future.
Companies as well as customers and customer-facing employees may perceive benefits in greater reliance on advanced computer technologies, for preferences or interests of each party. But there is a price to pay in company-customer relationships. What indeed is a relationship without a human factor, engaged on both sides? Companies should find it very hard to talk of a bond with their customers if they have little or no human contact with them. They should not expect too much loyalty from their customers in such conditions. The three parties have much to gain from preserving and supporting live person-to-person service.
(1) Humans Are Underrated; Geoff Colvin; Fortune (Europe Edition), 1 August 2015 (Vol. 172, No. 2) , pp. 34-41.
(2) Brief: Retool for a New Workforce Reality — New Technology for a New Breed of Agent, Forrester Research Inc., December 2014.
(3) Adopted from a 2011 post: The Human Shortages of Relationship Marketing
Where Is Mass Customization Heading?
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Consumers, Customers, Customized recommendations, Interactive, Internet, Knowledge, Marketing, Mass Customization, Preferences, Product, Self-Design on 10/08/2013| 1 Comment »
Mass customization allows companies to provide every customer a product made according to his or her preferred specifications, delivered for a mass of customers. Building on advanced information management technology and highly flexible computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) capacity, this approach enables a company to create a large variety (scope) of "ad-hoc" customized products. The interactive capabilities of the Internet, particularly Web 2.0, make configuring and ordering the self-designed product much more accessible to the public. Different methods for customization and (personalised) recommendation of products have been developed and implemented in recent years, but only the approach known as mass customization (MC) actually allows a consumer to order a self-designed product item. Yet, MC has not been adopted by companies in many consumer markets so far and programmes initiated often survive for just a few years. The main impediment has been in lowering the costs to levels compatible with mass production. It raises doubts that MC can become a viable business practice.
An online MC programme provides the consumers with an interactive Web-based configurator or MC toolkit application for choosing their preferred attribute specifications, guiding them through the self-design process step-by-step. Graphic-rich and user-friendly interfaces help to enhance the experience for consumers. The Internet offers two important capabilities that can smooth the whole MC process: (a) gathering the preferences data from customers in real-time, and (b) transferring the information to a company's facility from anywhere a consumer operates the toolkit on a personal computer or a mobile device connected online.
The best early example of MC implementation is probably that of the Japanese National Bicycle Industrial Company (NBIC — owned by Panasonic) that allowed consumers to order 'tailored' bicycles. But that was already available before the age of Internet: measures to fit a pair of bicycle to a rider were taken on a specially built physical model. Among MC applications available to consumers through the Internet in the past and present we may mention for example:
NikeID for designing sports footwear (running for over ten years),
Levi's Orignial Spin jeans for women (terminated),
Chocri chocolate bars and pralines from Germany (a UK service is currently suspended),
Reflect.com customized cosmetics (suspended),
Blank Label self-designed and made-to-measure dress shirts for men (based in Boston & Shanghai and operating for four years),
Lego's Create & Share programme incorporated an MC service called byMe (terminated in Jan. 2012) that allowed users to order a box with the parts-bricks for the model they personally designed with LEGO Digital Designer — the toolkit is still available,
Dell's customized personal computers (changed customization approach).
In order to derive practical utility from configuring a product consumers should arrive to the task with adequate knowledge in the product category, understanding the attributes and their consequences with regard to quality or performance, and knowing which ones are the more important. This is particularly relevant for attributes for which there is shared convention as to options or levels that predict higher quality as opposed to attributes of more aesthetic nature and preferences reliant on personal tastes. Consequently, consumers are expected to have well-defined preferences on those attributes. However, many and even most of the consumers have just low to moderate levels of knowledge in any product category (e.g., food, home appliances, technologically advanced digital products). Furthermore, it is recognised now that consumers often do not have clear and well-established preferences and they resort to constructing their preferences as they advance towards a purchase decision. That means, for instance, that low-knowledge consumers who use an MC toolkit but do not clearly know what they are looking for are more likely to be influenced by the content of attributes offered for customisation by the product configurator and its overall structure.
But there is additional complexity to consumer response in the context of customization because the condition stated above on preferences may not be sufficient. Itamar Simonson, professor of marketing at Stanford University, expands the discussion by proposing that in addition to (a) having stable and well-developed preferences, consumer response to customised offers also depends on (b) the level of 'self-insight' into their own preferences and own judgement of their clarity and stability. When using the aid of a recommendation agent, it suggests implications such as the ability of consumers to accurately and clearly articulate their preferences to others, correctly acknowledging the real drive to their choices (e.g., rational vs. aesthetic or affective), and properly identifying a product recommendation that fits well their preferences (1). Consumers whose state of preferences is low on both factors are especially likely to be swayed by the attributes a recommending agent chooses to emphasise. In the case of using a product designer toolkit in MC, the burden on the consumer seems even greater, more explicitly requiring him or her to accurately articulate his preferences and subsequently confirm that the outcome product one designed indeed matches what he or she wanted; a major cause for consumers to abandon before ordering is their evaluation that the outcome product's utility is less than planned. Another important cause is frustration and ungratifying experiences while utilising a configurator to self-design the product.
Consumers differ in the type of attributes they would want to customize, the number of attributes desirable for customization and the number of options or levels to choose from — factors that influence the purchase likelihood of a customised product. Interestingly, more knowledgeable consumers have not been found to be more inclined to purchase a customized product. Some differences in preference for layout of configurtors have been found related to variation in knowledge. For example, the less knowledgeable consumers are those who actually desire a larger number of options to choose from on attributes of personal subjective taste, because they tend to learn their preference as they look through options; high-knowledge consumers need that less. But we also have to take into account what consumers believe they know, and consumers are often wrong in that assessment ('knowledge miscalibration'). Thus, overconfident novices are those who particularly want the higher number of levels compared with experts not sure of themselves (2).
Companies that engaged mass customization have frequently chosen a rather simple solution to these concerns: the attributes they offer for customization are primarily aesthetic, related to visual appearance of the product and much less to its actual performance. There is an over-emphasis of personalised features (e.g., posting a label of the customer's name or an image created by her or him). Companies also tend to constrain the set of customisable attributes and offer very few of them — this is done not just for avoiding too much complication for the users but for themselves, to leave them with more control over technical aspects of product design and the cost of making the customized products. While this may serve well the less knowledgeable consumers, it gives the impression that this is not a serious enterprise, more like a game or a 'marketing gimmick', which seems to lead the more knowledgeable consumers to dismiss this option for purchasing products. Even less knowledgeable customers may be disenchanted by constraints imposed in the wrong places. Configurators should combine different types of attributes for customization that allow customers influence both functional utility and hedonic benefits (pleasure) from their product.
Companies have turned to other techniques such as recommendation agents and search assistants that would help customers find the most appropriate product model for them. A recommendation online system first probes the consumer about her or his preferences through a series of questions and then offer a set of product recommendations rank-ordered according to their match with the consumer's preferences. This method is distinguished from MC in that it selects product versions from the existing assortment of the company and does not create a product specifically for the customer. This kind of aid satisfies the preferred balance for some consumers between the levels of perceived control they get and perceived assortment available, but it also depends on their belief that the system is more capable than themselves to find a product that matches their preferences. This may further depend on the amount of information asked for and on the type of procedure used to collect preference information. A search assistant that is common in shopping websites helps to drill through the assortment of product versions in a category and narrow it down according to attribute criteria chosen by the shopper, thus screening a smaller set of plausible alternatives. However such an assistant, that does not make recommendations, cannot be truly said to offer customization if it does not make use of preference information from the shopper to organise his or her resulting set in a more efficient way.
Obtaining a product personally designed by the consumer may endow him or her with special positive feelings, providing an important drive to participate in such an activity. The benefits from MC pertain to the experience of designing or configuring the 'private' product as well as the subsequent value of the outcome product to the owner. However, researchers Franke, Schreier and Kaiser identified an extra effect they called "I designed it myself" that describes the subjective value, and elevating feeling, that arises from the consumer's notion that she or he took part in creating the product. They suggest that this effect signifies that consumers would be willing to pay a higher price for the self-designed product compared with a similar kind of product picked off-the-shelf. The effect is contingent on an underlying sense or feeling of accomplishment of the consumer in his or her contribution to the product (e.g., that the effort invested was worthwhile, proven competency, pride). The researchers corroborate this effect in a series of experiments in terms of increased willingness-to-pay for a self-designed product and further show that it depends on the sense of accomplishment but does not exclude the role that perceived value of the outcome product has when making the purchase decision (3).
Companies that develop and implement mass customization programmes should take special care of a number of aspects of the interface consumers have with the Web-based design toolkit to improve their experience and enhance their satisfaction through the process.
First measure that may be taken is to create at least two versions of a configurator, one that would be more suitable for more proficient higher-knowledge customers and another for amateur lower-knowledge customers. More generally, it is advisable to give users a greater degree of flexibility in choosing the complexity of configuring the product that matches the level of difficulty they think they can handle. In other words, a firm may allow some control to users in choosing whether they wish to set only aesthetic properties (e.g., visual appearance) of the product or also selected functional attributes, how many attributes to configure, etc.. Additional measures can be to invite users to show their creativity in features of visual design (enhances the sense of contribution) and recommending options on functional features of the product.
Second, a company may target customers who are already more inclined to participate in other types of collaborative activities of product design and development, seeking the feelings of accomplishment, challenge and also enjoyment from this type of engagement (e.g., tie them together as LEGO used to do in its Create & Share programme). These customers may be valuable advocates that bring more followers to MC.
Third, a variety of aids should be applied to provide users with explanations, examples or illustrations of the options for configurations, warnings about attribute combinations that would not work well, and a graphic demonstration that helps the user to realise how the product builds up.
In spite of discouraging hurdles in the past decade, it would be wrong to conclude that mass customization could not grow and expand. Yet, some changes may have to occur in the future that make it more advantageous for both companies and consumers to exchange benefits of assortment with personal customization. It may also take more time to find out for which product types consumer preferences can be more usefully answered through MC. Nonetheless. 3D-printing and MC may complement and push forward the utilisation of each other, depending on the level of autonomy consumers wish to have in co-creating their products. Technology is most likely to keep advancing, making the self-design experience easier and more gratifying, but technology will not solve all issues at stake and it is vital to continue studying and experimenting to better understand the human-side of consumer expectations of, processing capacity, and response to MC programmes as well as the ensuing 3D-printing.
(1) Determinants of Customers' Responses to Customized Offers: Conceptual Framework and Research Propositions, Itamar Simonson, 2005, Journal of Marketing, 65 (Jan.), 32-45.
(2) The Role of Idiosyncratic Attribute Evaluation in Mass Customization, Sanjay Puligadda, Rajdeep Grewal, Arvind Rangaswamy, and Frank R. Kardes, 2010, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 20 (3), 369-380
(3) The "I Designed It Myself" Effect in Mass Customization, Nikolaus Franke, Martin Schreier, and Ulrike Kaiser, 2010, Management Science, 56 (1), pp. 125-140.
Pricing Encyclopedias in Online Medium
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Consumers, Digital media, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Internet, Knowledge, Pricing, Value, Willingness-to-Pay on 10/04/2012| Leave a Comment »
People have difficulty assessing the value of a non-tangible asset like knowledge. How does one grasp the breadth and quality of a knowledgebase contained in an encyclopedia, especially when it is built within a website and spread across thousends of webpages? Superficial as it may sound, the look of the book volumes of an encyclopedia served consumers as an easy and immediate cue to grasp the amount of knowledge in the series as a whole and in each volume. Of even greater import, a prospect buyer could turn pages back and forth, get impressed by the many entries in a book volume, and have a quick read or glance at drawings and photos to asses the quality of content. Turning paper pages in a book does not feel quite the same as 'jumping' pages on a website.
Now as before, one may gather additional information on the editorial board, choice of contributors, and the editorial process of the encyclopedia for greater assurance of the quality of knowledge it offers. But it is not certain that people have appreciation for those assurances of the quality of content and expertise of contributors. Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, changed the way such a knowledgebase is constructed on the Internet and created much trouble for the old-class encyclopedias like Encyclopaedia Britannica. It has particularly put into question the value of the traditional editorial process of an encyclopedia.
On the other hand, digital technologies, first on CD-ROM and later also on the Web, introduced consumers to new features and associated benefits in searching for information and browsing content in encyclopedias. Such features include primarily search engines, advanced navigation tools (interactive graphics), hyperlinks, and multimedia capabilities like hearing soundtracks and viewing videos . The tools for using knowledge are becoming more valid sources of value that publishers are able to price rather than the content of knowledge.
Last month the Encyclopaedia Britannica announced that it was ending its print edition after 244 years since its establishment. The last edition is the 2010 version which contains 32 volumes and entails entries on contemporary topics as global warming and the Human Genome Project. From now 0n the publisher will concentrate on the web-based encyclopedia. The president of Britannica, Jorge A. Cauz, says it is continuously updated, is much more expansive, and includes multimedia (1). A DVD version is also available. Many if not most entries are already available for access free-of-charge on the Web. The paid-for online edition also offers, for instance, links to external websites trusted by Encyclopaedia Britannica, accsess to an archive of historical documents, atlas and maps, and statistics.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica takes pride in 4,000 experts carefully chosen by the editorial board for writing articles in their domains of expertise. Furthermore, Britannica (as well as World Book or Groiler) publish scholarly peer-reviewed articles as acceptable in academic literature. Wikipedia in contrast is a "crowd source" knowledgebase where almost anyone is invited to write an entry ; other members in the community of authors enter comments and corrections or may add information. The whole process is subject to approval by an editorial supervisor. Nonetheless, the inclarity regarding the credentials of authors sometimes shows in incoherent articles that are complex yet poorly structured, featuring occasional inconsistencies, and including frequent notes demanding clarifications or corroborative citations. Wikipedia often appears excessively dynamic to the extent that an intelligent reader may feel uncertain in relying on its information. Any encyclopedia is best referred to as an initial source for becoming familiar with a concept, but learners should then look for additional and more comprehensive sources of knowledge to develop their own knowledge of the domain and obtain more perspectives. With Wikipedia it is imperative to seek other information sources on the domain of interest (e.g., learning for general knowledge beyond a basic idea, writing a school/college paper, preparing a work project).
The advantages of the traditionally composed encyclopedias may be obvious to their editors and publishers but they seem to be much less clear to their audiences. Moreover, users of knowledge sources online are not so willing to pay for those advantages as information is abundant on the Internet for free and the users, especially the younger ones, lack either the skills for critics and scrutiny or the motivation to apply them properly.
The print edition of Britannica is offered for $1,400 [£1,200](2) and is purchased in recent years almost solely by institutions. The DVD version is sold for $40 [£40]! Annual subscription to Britannica Online stands at $70 [£50]. Even if we assume that a DVD is adequately accurate for three years, buying three editions over a period of 10 years will come to a nominal cost of £120, tenth of the price of a print edition which may be reliable enough for the extended period of time. Meanwhile, buying ten annual subscriptions to a continuously updated knowledgebase would cost us at present prices nominally £500. Take into consideration that the present value of payments made years ahead is lower than their nominal monetary values given above, that digital sources include many dynamic features unavailable in print, and that fresher information can be obtained online, then one realises how much less consumers are required to pay for the content of knowledge in Britannica in the new digital media compared with the old print medium.
Let us clear-up the price differences between media a little further. In the 1990's it cost $250 on average to produce a set of books (3). It has left approximately $1,000-1,200 of selling price to account for the value of knowledge delivered in Encyclopaedia Britannica. Scholars and experts have always been strongly interested in writing entries in Britannica, willing to receive just small fees. This can explain in part how it will have been possible in coming years to reduce the price to consumers. But if in those years knowledge was possibly over-priced, now knowledge may become under-priced.
When Encyclopedia Britannica finally issued an encyclopedia in digital format on CD-ROM in 1989, it was done under the name of its "sister" Compton (i.e., in fear of diluting its own brand). The CD was provided free to purchasers of the print encyclopedia, but offered at a hefty price of $895 to those interested only in the new digital format (4). The cost of the physical CD is immaterial and so $900 may account for the value of knowledge (including writing, editing, plus configuring content in a digital, multimedia format). That was not received well by consumers who thought it was much above its value to them, and even more so under the name of Compton. Microsoft who were interested in publishing a digital encyclopedia, but not in writing one, were rejected by both Britannica and World Book before associating with a failing encyclopedia (Funk & Wagnall). And yet its multimedia CD-ROM Encarta sold successfully in the mid 1990 for just $100 (5) (it was also distributed as a free add-on to Windows). (more…)


text:
Screen capture from video
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald
HOLYOKE, Mass. – Nelly DeJesus wants answers. She wants to know how Gregory Lisby, a suspended Episcopal priest and collector of child pornography, came in 2019 to teach kindergarten at Morgan Elementary School where her four grandchildren are enrolled.
Lisby stunned the school community six days into the job last September by resigning at 2:30 a.m. with a note explaining: "I've been accused of an awful crime." Federal agents had raided his home, found a cache of illicit material and charged him with child porn possession. In February, Lisby pled guilty. He awaits sentencing, which could bring up to 20 years in prison.
Gregory Lisby
Now DeJesus wants to understand why the Holyoke School District hired him. He'd lost his job as rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Worcester after a 2018 investigation found he'd violated boundaries and had an inappropriate relationship. To be restored to good standing in the priesthood, he would have needed to petition Western Massachusetts Bishop Douglas Fisher after serving his two-year suspension.
She's also asking why that same Title IV disciplinary investigation didn't uncover more about Lisby's past. "Devastating credible evidence" that Lisby sexually abused a teenager has since come to light, according to the Rt. Rev. Fisher, but that evidence only turned up after the criminal probe began. Lisby's attorney, Timothy Watkins, did not respond to request for comment on the sex abuse allegation.
"Why didn't [the church] just keep on with the investigation and find out what was going on?," DeJesus said as she picked up her grandchildren at school a few days after the sex abuse allegation was announced. "Keep on track, you know? I mean, he comes to work in the public school system after you were already checking him in your church. Why let him keep on with what he was doing?"
The picture of Lisby's history remains incomplete. All three dioceses where Lisby served since his ordination to the priesthood in 2007 – Rhode Island, Newark and Western Massachusetts – put out calls asking anyone with information about misconduct by Lisby to report it. Bishops of Rhode Island and Newark have said the newly alleged sex abuse by Lisby did not happen in their dioceses.
But some details and related concerns have begun to surface, shedding light on how his alleged criminal behavior and abuse went undetected. Both the diocese and the school district limited their inquiries to a field of questions that failed to bring out troubling information in Lisby's past. Whether they could or should have done more is now a matter of spirited debate.
Fisher contends he acted properly in narrowly framing the 2018 disciplinary inquiry. For three years, Lisby had been rector at All Saints, a prominent downtown parish in New England's second largest city. The investigation found he'd had an inappropriate nonsexual relationship with an adult, Fisher said.
He declined to elaborate except to say the offense fell under the prohibited category of "conduct unbecoming of a priest." He did not put out a call for other potential victims to come forward at that time, he said, because he had no reason to suspect serial misconduct.
"When I suspended him, there was no evidence of something with children. That wasn't on the radar screen at all," Fisher said. "I was as shocked as anyone on September 13 when my phone literally blew up. It was the FBI having arrested him for child pornography."
Some say Fisher's inquiry might have been appropriately circumscribed. The diocese had a duty to investigate existing allegations and determine whether any constituted violations of Title IV of the Episcopal Church Canons, according to Christopher Hayes, a canon lawyer in San Francisco. Whether to go further and see if other aggrieved parties exist depends on the case.
"It has to do with the nature of the offense," Hayes said. "If someone is taking money that belongs to the congregation, there may not be reason to believe that there's any other financial case out there. But with cases involving sexual misconduct, there's a certain human tendency for those not to be isolated."
Because the facts of the 2018 investigation remain unknown, Lisby's nonsexual violations leading to his 2018 censure could have involved various types of of behaviors, Hayes said. Conduct unbecoming of a priest can potentially be unrelated to physical contact, for instance, such as borrowing from a parishioner to pay off a gambling debt.
What's more, if Fisher had invited anyone victimized by Lisby to come forward before receiving additional evidence or credible allegations, doing so might have unfairly impugned the reputation of a priest, according to Hayes. In any Title IV situation, investigators must be careful not to solicit, for instance, sexual misconduct accounts when a priest hasn't been accused of any such thing.
"That might falsely suggest that the subject has committed sexual misconduct when in fact that hasn't happened at all and there's no evidence of it," Hayes said. "Investigators need to be careful not to create a false narrative."
Not everyone agrees with that approach. Boston attorney Carmen Durso has represented dozens of clergy sexual abuse victims, most of whom have claims against Roman Catholic priests. He said inappropriate and unbecoming behavior in the case of Lisby likely involved some kind of pre-sexual boundary violation because "I don't know what else it could be."
He said bishops considering misconduct allegations against priests have a duty to discover if more victims have experiences to share. Otherwise dangers posed by rogue priests can too often be left at large and unchecked. He said Fisher should have called for victims to come forward when he learned that Lisby had had an inappropriate relationship, even though it was nonsexual and involved an adult.
"The idea that a bishop would not reach out and find out if there are other victims who have been harmed is just incomprehensible," Durso said. "There is no excuse for a religious organization that claims to have moral principles to shrink from the duty of finding out what he's done and doing the right thing."
Whether or not the investigation was properly framed, it led to censure in which Lisby agreed to a two-year suspension. But the Holyoke School District never learned about Lisby's ecclesiastical censure because it never asked about his experience or standing in the church.
Like the diocese, the Holyoke School District investigated Lisby only within a narrow set of parameters. It ran state and federal background checks to see if Lisby had a criminal history, according to District spokesperson Judy Taylor. For employment history, the District queried only schools, not churches.
"We also contacted prior employers of Mr. Lisby where he worked directly with children in school settings," Taylor said via email. "We reached out to both previous employers that are educational institutions as well as the local teaching program that Mr. Lisby was vetted through. We did not reach out to All Saints Church or to the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts as we did not know that Mr. Lisby had been removed from his position as a Worcester rector."
Because the employment background check omitted church sources, the District had no context for Lisby's disclosure that he was a former priest. If someone from the District had contacted Fisher, he would have been obliged to disclose if a basis existed for regarding Lisby as a risk to children, according to Durso. But Fisher insists he harbored no such suspicions prior to Lisby's arrest.
The district "didn't talk to me," Fisher said. "I would have been honest with them. I didn't have anything to report regarding children."
At this point, the book on Lisby is far from closed. The Hampden County District Attorney could still bring charges of sexual abuse if a grand jury were to indict him. More accusations could potentially be passed along to law enforcement if any should surface in the current Title IV proceeding, which Fisher launched in February to have Lisby defrocked, or permanently removed from ordained ministry. The Holyoke School District has received no reports of Lisby harming any children during his brief tenure as a teacher, according to Taylor.
Back at Morgan Elementary, parents and grandparents line up at 3:30 to pick up their kids. They're used to dealing with adversity in this part of Holyoke, where rundown commercial buildings are guarded by chain link fencing, barbed wire and Rottweilers. To help protect their kids, some hope schools and churches will be more thorough in years ahead.
"You already were checking him in your church, so why did you let him out?" said DeJesus, the grandmother of four at Morgan Elementary. "I understand that you didn't know what he was doing, but you stopped in the middle of an investigation. That's kind of crazy."
Filed Under: News Tagged With: child pornography, Diocese of Western Massachusetts, Gregory Lisby

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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2020 Honda Super Cub Review
51-149ccHondaReviewScooter ReviewsSuper Cub
The most popular motor vehicle in the world (more than sixty million have been sold worldwide), the Honda Super Cub first hit the marketplace in 1958. The design came about after Honda founder/president Soichiro Honda and director Takeo Fujisawa went on a trip to Europe in 1956 to gather data and ideas for Honda's next product. The popularity of small, lightweight mopeds impressed them.
Apparently, one of Fujisawa's design criteria was that the vehicle had to be capable of one-hand operation while carrying a tray of soba noodles (couldn't make this stuff up if we tried). The decision was made to design and build a simple to operate, reliable, step-through with a powerful (for the time) and efficient (for any time) four-stroke engine.
An automatic (centrifugal) clutch transmission was designed and (unlike the Vespa and other scooters) big wheels were selected for stability and better performance than small scooter wheels on rough or non-existent roads.
A Best-Seller
By 1961, more than one million Cubs had been sold. By 1974 that number grew to ten million. In 2008 the sixty millionth Honda Cub had been sold. My first Honda Super Cub was a 1980 or 1981 C70 Passport. That's right, in those days a Honda Passport had two wheels, not four. It was 70ccs of reliable fun.
Though Honda has been making Super Cubs nonstop since 1958, they have not always been available in the USA. There has been a lock of new Honda Super Cubs in this country since 1983?!?!? Very luckily for us, the Honda Super Cub is back.
In recent years Honda has enjoyed sales success with small-displacement motorcycles such as the Grom and Monkey. Honda's website even has a category for these popular small rides – miniMOTO. The Grom, Monkey, Super Cub, and Trail (Hunter) are all listed under this heading.
Oh, I'll get a Trail at some point – no question. Probably a Monkey as well. At my age (sixty is right there, looking at me, it's hiding behind that parked maxi-scooter) lightweight, reliable, FUN is a big draw.
As mentioned elsewhere, I am not on the list of websites that gets review machines from the big boys. I knew that I wanted a Super Cub and it was just a question of buying one. In stepped our VERY good friends at Scooterville. They took a low mileage Cub in on trade and called me right away. I took it sight unseen.
The Super Cub was in stock form and I ordered a rear rack and topcase before I even picked it up. The Honda Super Cub isn't what most people think of as a scooter. It is also not what is commonly identified as a motorcycle. I feel it is someplace in between perhaps leaning a touch toward the scooter side.
Unlike the vast majority of scooters, it offers next-to-nothing in form of native luggage capacity. There is a tiny compartment on the starboard side for a tool kit, that's about it. I planned to add the topcase right away and may well add some other goods carrying devices like a tunnel rack.
The voyage from Scooterville to my home gave me a chance to see right away how the Super Cub would handle a brief highway run. To get from the core Twin Cities metro area to my home I need to cover several miles at 55MPH. Yes, The Honda Super Cub can do that.
Speedometer Reading/Speed/Fuel Economy
Before winter set in, I rode a fair amount and got a good feel for the Super Cub. I did a few GPS verified checks and double-checks (in the spring) to find that the speedometer was more accurate than is normal at only 5% optimistic. Most scooters I test are 10% optimistic or worse.
At an indicated 30 MPH, the actual speed flickered from 28 to 29 MPH. At an indicated 50 MPH the actual speed flickered from 47 to 48 MPH. Pretty darn good if you ask me. On a level road with no headwind, I was able to get the Super Cub up to an indicated 60 MPH (actual speed 57 MPH) which fell to 58 MPH (actual speed 55 MPH) at a slight incline.
I am a 188-pound rider. A smaller rider may well see an actual 60 MPH which is what Honda claims as top speed. The odometer is nearly spot on with an indicated ride of 22 miles covering an actual 21 miles.
The fuel economy has been stunning. My low has been 85 MPG, my high has been 96 MPG and my average in several hundred miles has been 90 MPG. The Super Cub is least thirsty cruising at around 40 MPH without too many hills. Though I can't claim to have kept records from the early 1980s when I had a Honda Passport, I remember that the fuel economy was in the low 80s or high 70s MPG.
Number one on the feature list for most USA buyers of the Honda Super Cub is the transmission. It is a sort of semi-automatic nearly rotary shift mostly heel/toe operated fun box.
There is no manual clutch lever (which usually occupies the left grip) but there is a foot shifter on the left side. There IS a clutch – a centrifugal clutch that engages under throttle and releases when the shift lever is pressed. All this goodness adds up to not having to fuss with the clutch lever but still enjoying the control of shifting.
People who were bothered by the manual clutch on a motorcycle like it, people who want more interaction than a fully automatic twist-and-go scooter like it.
Operating the transmission is very simple. Neutral is on the bottom, then we go through 1st, 2nd, and 3rd to get to 4th which is the top gear.
Unlike the older rotary shift Cubs, one cannot go directly from 4th to 1st, one shifts back down through the gears. The shifter is configured for heel/toe operation – step down with the heel to shift up, step down with the toe to shift down.
The shift also works like a conventional motorcycle shifter allowing one to hook one's toe under it for upshifts. I found those motorcycle riders who had not experienced a heel/toe shifter preferred to treat the Super Cub shifter like this until they got the hand of the heel/toe method.
There is a bit of a learning curve. If one tries to shift quickly the response is harsh and jerky. Operating the shifter firmly and deliberately gives a smooth ride through the gears. The advantage of the old rotary shifter was riding along in top gear, stopping, and then shifting (through neutral) back into low gear and taking off from the stop.
One can still come to a stop in top gear and row through the gears back into low to leave the stop. Works fine, just not quite as quick and easy as the old method. The final drive is via an enclosed chain.
The powerplant of the Super Cub is a Grom/Monkeyesque 125cc fuel-injected, air-cooled, single cylinder, two-valve workhorse cranking out about 9 horses and 8 pound-feet of torque. Enough to move the 238 pounds (Honda says 240) Super Cub around at a comfortable though not blazing pace.
I am enamored with good fuel injection (as opposed to carburetion) and aside from a TINY touch of cold-bloodedness (I swear, Honda must engineer this into all their two-wheelers), this engine works fabulously well. The fuel tank only holds about one gallon and is located under the seat.
This is a good time to talk about one of the VERY few flaws with the Super Cub. The seat release is electric only. With the main switch turned on (and the key fob in close proximity) there is a small button below the seat on the port side that releases it. Dead battery? No seat opening function.
Under that seat, one finds the fuel filler and another release that opens the starboard side cover. Enough room in there for…… not much. That's all the native storage on the Super Cub but more on that later.
Tires and Wheelbase
The Super Cub rides on 17-inch rubber – 70/90 in the front, 80/90 in the rear. The front suspension on the OLD Cubs was a leading link system, the new Super Cub has conventional 26mm telescopic forks. Though I liked the kind of odd feel of the old system, the new one gives a better ride and control.
The rear swingarm is managed through two shock absorbers with about 3.5 inches of travel. The front brake is a single disc and features an anti-lock (ABS) while the rear is still a drum, like the old cub. Frankly, for a bike this size, weight, and performance a rear drum is just fine by me.
The wheelbase is just shy of 49 inches. Honda says the seat height is 30.7 inches, I measured it three times and got 31 inches. We can forgive .3 inches of optimism on Honda's part. Measured with a (188 lb) rider "compressing" the seat and suspension I got 29.6 inches to the ground. Lighting is via LED which is rapidly becoming what we expect on a new scooter or motorcycle.
I have done some night riding and the lighting is more than adequate. Visibility of the brake, signal, and headlight is quite good from other vehicles in traffic.
The Super Cub instrument panel is attractive, contains enough information, and is easy to read. The round pod is made up of two circles. The outer circle contains the speedometer (biased toward miles) in the upper half and indicator lights in the lower half.
The lights cover things like turn signal operation, ABS, key presence, engine control system, high beam headlights, etc. The inner circle is a digital display (easy to see) that includes the fuel gauge, gear indicator (love this), odometer, and clock.
Riding Impressions
I love big wheels. It's not that I don't appreciate the quick handling of small-wheeled scooters (to say nothing of how small wheels contribute to that classic scooter look), the stability that big wheels bring is a strong contributor to the usefulness of the Super Cub. I also like the control of the foot shifter.
As such, I like riding the Honda Super Cub. Of course, I wish it was a little bit faster. Pretty sure I've wished that about every powered two-wheeler I've ridden. To fire up the Super Cub make sure the fob is in your pocket, press in on the main switch, and rotate slightly.
The fuel pump will charge and the dash will dance then just press the starter button on the right-hand controls. If cold, it may take more than one starting cycle before the Super Cub will stay running. Also when cold, it may take 90 to 120 seconds before the Super Cub will idle and run smoothly.
You should see that neutral is your current gear position on the dash, just press down firmly with your left heel (or hook your left toe and lift), notice that the gear indicator now says "1", twist the throttle and off we go. Blip the throttle and operate the shifter purposefully and you'll be rewarded by smooth acceleration. What kind of acceleration you ask? Brisk? Spritely? Not really. "Adequate" is the word I would select to describe the Super Cub's acceleration.
With good shifter use, from-a-stop to about 50MPH acceleration is….. adequate. You'll keep up with traffic just fine and won't feel especially slow. From 50MPH to top speed will take a bit and may feel a little slow. Working with the shifter (without a manual clutch) during your ride takes a touch of finesse, but corners, traffic flow changes, and stops/starts will feel fine after a short learning curve.
I tend to downshift while decelerating on most motorcycles but found myself decelerating almost to a stop before downshifting on the Super Cub. As mentioned, on older Cubs one could come up to a stop in 4th gear and then utilize the rotary shifter to get back to first directly when leaving the stop. On the new Super Cub (approaching a full stop) I tended to stay in 4th until at about 10MPH when I dropped to 2nd and then dropped again to 1st while at the stop.
Braking is more than adequate. I haven't as of yet explored the reaches of the front disk ABS (haven't needed to) but in some hard/quick stops, the front disc and rear drum performed flawlessly to bring the Super Cub to a fast, controlled halt. Even on longer urban rides, I did not notice any fade.
The suspension is a touch on the soft side which does make for a comfortable though not razor-sharp-responsiveness ride. Those big wheels make the Super Cub feel more like a motorcycle than a scooter and provide a level of ride stability that couldn't be achieved by smaller (10 or 12 inch) wheeled PTWCs. (That's Powered Two-Wheeled Conveyances) A brisk ride on a twisty road was achieved courtesy of a good suspension and inertia.
The powerband of the motor is not such that one can aggressively push along on a twisty rapidly accelerating on-demand. Of course, to me, it would go without saying that the Honda Super Cub is not a machine for aggressive anything – acceleration, riding, or looking at.
Ergonomics are wonderful, as they should be for a design that has seen over 60 million units sold. In the USA, the Super Cub is a one-person ride. Even adding the available rear rack and pillion seat won't change that as there are NO passenger footpegs. The OEM seat is well positioned and comfortable.
My hands and feet naturally fell onto the intended positions/controls. Once the operating methodology is practiced a bit, everything feels like it is just right. The control buttons are in easy reach and work flawlessly. The reach for the front brake lever felt perfect and the amount of pressure needed to operate it was (say it with me now) just right.
Native storage space is limited to a tiny area under the starboard side cover. Definitely more motorcycle-like than scooter-like. The Honda accessory rear rack is nice, fits well, and provides a platform for bungeeing items to the Super Cub.
The rear rack also provides a mounting point for a topcase which is what I added to my personal Super Cub. There is also a center tunnel rack available that provides a mounting point between one's legs for more stuff. To see some pictures of extreme utilitarian cargo hauling on Cubs, get a copy of "Bikes of Burden" by Hans Kemp. Seriously, everyone who rides should have a copy of this book, it's insane.
For now, the topcase provides enough hauling space for me to utilize the Super Cub to run errands. I suspect I'll add a tunnel rack in the near future just to say I did.
Yeah, this is a tough one. There aren't really ANY direct comparison new bikes available in the USA. I've mentioned some comparisons to older Cubs, but one of the challenges is the odd classification of the Super Cub. Not a scooter, not a conventional motorcycle. I suppose I can make some general comparisons to both.
Beginning with Honda's stable, the Honda Monkey is a conventional small motorcycle that is a clear homage to the Honda Mini Trail (model Z50) of yesteryear. With an MSRP of $4,199USD (ABS version), it is priced slightly higher than the Super Cub's $3,749USD.
The Monkey is equipped with a conventional manual clutch 4-speed transmission and rides on fatter 12-inch tires (skinny 17s on the Super Cub). The chassis is smaller overall than the Super Cub and has more "compressed" ergonomics. The engine is a 125cc fuelie, just like the Super Cub. Playing on the same rock-solid "retro" card as the Super Cub, the Monkey would appeal to the old (and young) mini-bike crowd.
Not as good of a commuter as the Super Cub, the Monkey is still a wonderful machine and you'll be hard-pressed to NOT cut through your neighbor's yard.
The Honda Grom (the current iteration has been around since 2014) is more of a modern interpretation of the minibike. Its styling is NOT at all retro, and it has spawned a whole aftermarket of enhancements and performance accessories. Specifications are very similar to the Money and the MSRP is $3,599 (2020 ABS version).
I'm no doubt showing my age, but the Grom seems like a kid's bike to me. The 2022 version will be a new version though I am sure it will retain a lot of the older version's looks and features.
Honda Trail 125
Last in Honda's stable is one I really want to get my mitts on, the Honda Trail 125 (also called the "Hunter"). This is a modern take on the old Trail 90 which was a phenomenal pavement-not-required machine. VERY similar to the Super Cub, it has knobby tires, taller exhaust and air intake, rear disc brake, no bodywork, comes with a rear rack, and is geared a little lower than the Super Cub. I was hoping they would bring this machine back with the dual-range (low/high) transmission that the older Trail had but, sadly, it doesn't. MSRP is $3,899.
Piaggo Liberty 150
From today's scooter world I suppose an argument could be made for comparison with the Piaggio Liberty 150 (big wheels) and the Genuine Buddy Kick (small wheels).
The Piaggio Liberty 150 is one of my favorite big-wheeled scooters. With an MSRP of $2,999, the Liberty is less expensive than the Super Cub. It rides on a 16-inch front tire and a 14 inch rear tire. It is powered by a 155cc fuel-injected nearly 13 horsepower engine and gets that power to the rear wheel via a fully automatic CVT transmission.
The Liberty has a top speed of about 60MPH and when I last reviewed one I got 90 miles per gallon. There is a front glove box, luggage hook, and underseat storage native on the Liberty. Thanks to the large wheels, handling is very stable and the ride is quite smooth. Personally, I like the looks of the Super Cub more than the Liberty, but that's just my opinion. I also find the Super Cub to be more fun to ride.
Genuine Buddy Kick
The Genuine Buddy Kick is a smallish retro-styled scooter. It has an MSRP of $3,199. It rides on 10-inch tires, has a 125cc fuel-injected engine and a fully automatic CVT transmission (twist and go). Disc brakes are provided front and rear. The Genuine Buddy line of scooters has been around for about fifteen years and has a well-earned cult following.
The Kick is a touch different than the old line-up of Buddy models, but its specifications are more in line with the Super Cub. It is quick accelerating with a top speed of about 55MPH and "nimble" is not a strong enough word to describe the handling. That's a benefit of those smallish wheels. It seems like one just thinks about turning and it happens, very quickly.
The downside to that is a less stable ride, less absorption of imperfect roads, and less rider comfort. There is native storage on the Kick and a plethora of accessories to increase hauling capacity. Oh, yeah, it is CUTE. When it came time for my adult daughter to get a scooter, it was a Genuine Buddy Kick. As easy to ride as any 50cc scooter with infinitely more performance.
Fit & Finish
It is a Honda Super Cub after all so my expectations are high so far as fit and finish goes. Once again, Honda has met (or exceeded) my expectations. Component quality is excellent. Every switch, button, lever, etc. looks and feels high quality. The paintwork, body panel fit, seat, all top-notch.
Based on my experience with many Hondas, I fully expect the Super Cub to have a long useable life, be reliable and inexpensive to maintain.
The fuel-injected automatic clutch big wheel Honda Super Cub is a wonder of the transportation world. As long as you don't expect freeway touring capability or two-up riding, this is a remorse-proof choice.
My suggestion would be for you to RUSH to your Honda dealer and immediately get a Super Cub AND a Hunter (Trail 125)…… NOW! Here in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, availability has been a big challenge. I've said it rather more than once in the review – the Honda Super Cub is just right.
Honda Super Cub Photo Gallery
Honda Silver Wing (FSC600)
Honda Shadow Phantom: Beginner Bike Profile + Owner Reviews
Honda Rebel 500: Beginner Bike Profile + Owner Reviews
Honda NC700/750X: Beginner Bike Profile + Owner Reviews
2013 BMW C600 Sport Review
Honda Grom: Beginner Bike Profile + Owner Reviews


Don't bottle it: How can Labour lead the purge on plastics?
A truck load of plastic every minute ends up in our oceans; 85% of all ocean litter. And as Blue Planet powerfully showed the nation, plastic is not only destroying our environment its polluting the food chain. But, change is happening. The EU has announced plans for a ban on single use plastics within two years. Business and charities have started to commit to phase out single use plastics. But, we need rapid action at all levels and a comprehensive plan covering all plastic waste, not just single use packaging, but tyre dust, nurdles and microfibers.
What should we be doing to lead the way? How can we stop the Government dragging its feet, as it did on a plastic bag tax? How can we build an ambitious Labour response? And can we ban single use plastic at Labour conference?


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The Legos of Life
In AnnouncementsPosted January 24, 2018
Rutgers scientists have found the "Legos of life" — four core chemical structures that can be stacked together to build the myriad proteins inside every organism — after smashing and dissecting nearly 10,000 proteins to understand their component parts.
The four building blocks make energy available for humans and all other living organisms, according to a study published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The study's findings could lead to applications of these stackable, organic building blocks for biomedical engineering and therapeutic proteins and the development of safer, more efficient industrial and energy catalysts – proteins and enzymes that, like tireless robots, can repeatedly carry out chemical reactions and transfer energy to perform tasks.
"Understanding these parts and how they are connected to each other within the existing proteins could help us understand how to design new catalysts that could potentially split water, fix nitrogen or do other things that are really important for society," said Paul G. Falkowski, study co-author and a distinguished professor who leads the Environmental Biophysics and Molecular Ecology Laboratory at Rutgers University–New Brunswick.
The scientists' research was done on computers, using data on the 3D atomic structures of 9,500 proteins in the RCSB Protein Data Bank based at Rutgers, a rich source of information about how proteins work and evolve.
"We don't have a fossil record of what proteins looked like 4 billion years ago, so we have to take what we have today and start walking backwards, trying to imagine what these proteins looked like," said Vikas Nanda, senior author of the study and an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Rutgers' Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, within Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. "The study is the first time we've been able to take something with thousands of amino acids and break it down into reasonable chunks that could have had primordial origins."
The identification of four fundamental building blocks for all proteins is just a beginning. Nanda said future research may discover five or 10 more building blocks that serve as biological Legos.
"Now we need to understand how to put these parts together to make more interesting functional molecules," he said. "That's the next grand challenge."
The study's lead author is Hagai Raanana, a post-doctoral associate in the Environmental Biophysics and Molecular Ecology Program. Co-authors include Douglas H. Pike, a doctoral student at the Rutgers Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, and Eli K. Moore, a post-doctoral associate in the Environmental Biophysics and Molecular Ecology Program.
Article and Photo Credit: https://news.rutgers.edu
Scallop Genome Insights
Paul Falkowski Awarded Prestigious Tyler Prize for Environmental Sciences


If you're a fan of hard-wearing work boots, then Thorogood has something new in store for you. As one of the oldest work boot manufacturers still existing today, Thorogood has established itself as a reliable source of top quality work boots for any and every kind of worker. So there's no question why the Thorogood Exfil has made ripples in the market way before it's even been released.
I did quite a number of reviews on Thorogood boots before. So, I'm almost certain that the Exfil won't disappoint – as long as the brand stays true to the quality it has provided its buyers with through the years.
If we're talking prices, we can assume that the new Exfil's will fall within the same price range as other Thorogood boots. That is, an average of about $180 USD. Of course, that estimate isn't set in stone and could change depending on the features they incorporate into the new Exfil boot.
Are you excited for this boot's release? Make sure to check back here regularly to find out the latest updates on the Thorogood Exfil, its possible release date, and new boot specs and other announcements that the company might drop in the future. In the meantime, you can read some of my existing reviews for other Thorogood boots.
Red Wing Work Boots Review – The Best Companion for Demanding Jobs?


In Animal Behavior College's continuing salute to Canine Champions of Freedom, today we're highlighting Smoky, a Yorkshire Terrier who served in World War II. Smoky was credited with twelve combat missions and awarded eight battle stars. She saved a soldiers life from incoming shells and helped them duck fire. Along with serving in combat she also entertained the troops with various tricks. After the war Smoky became a national sensation and even appeared in various TV programs. Smoky died in 1957 at the age of 14.


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We are in an age where more than 70 percent of consumers expect a brand to have a social media presence. But, not just any social media presence—consumers expect your brand to have a tailored, cohesive social media marketing strategy.
Almost every business can benefit from claiming their social media profiles and testing social media marketing campaigns. While most companies know they should be using social media to market their business, they don't know what networks to invest in—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.—or how much, and that's where our social media management services step in. Blue Corona's social media marketing services remove the complexity of social media marketing for business owners and let you stick to what you know best—running your business!
Fill out the form below for a free social media analysis or contact us today to get started!
Facebook advertising campaigns allows for both text and photos to be displayed on your advertisement for maximum audience engagement. You're able to target your audience based on interests, demographics, and geography, while also determining how much you want to pay per click or pay per mille (cost per 1000 impressions).
Facebook alone has over 900 million unique users spending over 700 billion minutes per month on the site. Do you want to advertise where your customers are spending their time? Then you've got to advertise on social media.
Read our Facebook marketing case study here!
Houzz marketing services are a great way for home improvement companies like remodelers, architects, and builders to connect with customers who are looking for home improvement ideas. Houzz Pro+, the network's paid platform, allows you to increase your photos and visibility, get more insights about your profile, and choose multiple categories and service areas.
Read our Houzz case study, where we helped one remodeler increase their Houzz visits by 378%!
YouTube is the second largest search engine and has a larger adult audience than any cable network. Unlike television, when you invest in a YouTube marketing campaign, you can target your ad only to your target audience. Plus, advertising on YouTube is as easy as connecting it to your AdWords account.
LinkedIn advertising services allow you to engage with more B2B customers. About four out of five LinkedIn members drive business decisions, and members have 2x the buying power of other social platforms. There are two paying options in LinkedIn Ads—cost per click or cost per mille (cost per 1000 impressions).
Twitter allows you to choose the objective of your campaign, including tweet engagements (retweets, favorites, replies), website clicks, app installs or engagements, followers, or even leads, and it only charges you when your specified action occurs. Additionally, Twitter allows a maximum daily budget and maximum cost per action.
We can also help you test ads on platforms like Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram. In competitive industries, we often find that the typical cost per interaction is cheaper than Google AdWords and Bing Ads!
Below is a snippet from a Moz ranking factors survey that shows social media—especially Facebook—really correlates to search results.
Facebook likes and shares influence rankings—just not in the way we think of a traditional ranking. Simply getting more likes and shares isn't going to make a direct result—but it means you're attacking your web marketing strategy in a successful way.
Blue Corona is much more than a social media marketing company or SEO company—we truly see ourselves as an internet marketing partner to your business. We market your business as if it were our own—meaning we strive to truly understand your services, products, sales process, competitors, industry, and markets to effectively market your company on the web, all while tracking and measurably justifying your investment in our online marketing services.
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Spanish Super Cup: Barca 3(5) – 2(4) Real – Move. Run. Sports.
Before this outbreak in injury time, we did have a very good game of football. I thought the first leg was slightly better but this was still a good game. Real Madrid really come flying out of the blocks and had a chance to score after 40 seconds of the game. The possession of the game was pretty even throughout, which shows a significant improvement for Real, managing to keep the ball better from Barca. As previous games between the two have seen Barca dominate.
Iniesta put Barca in front but it did not take Real long to pull it back to a draw when Ronaldo or Sergio Ramos got on the end of free kick (quite difficult to tell who got the final touch). With not long to go until half time the little magician who had been pretty quite popped up and gave Barca the lead after a back heel from Gerard Pique inside the box.
Real Madrid managed to get an equalizer with about 10 minutes to go which meant extra time was looking very likely. If you can manage to get a corner against Barca, that has to be a brilliant chance to score. They always look very vulnerable from the set piece, let's face it their players are not the best in the air. This worked in Real Madrid's favour when no one attempt to clear the ball and Benzema eventually put in the back of the net.
But never count anything out in this game and in the 87th minute, I bet you can guess who popped up to seal the win. Yes that's right Messi, with some great 1 touch football Cesc Fabregas getting involved in the move and Adriano and Messi having an incredible one-two with each other.
This was the 2nd El Clasico of very many to come this season and the teams are looking closer than ever. That can only be good for the games we have to look forward to as the season goes on!
Next ›Jose Enrique Speaks Out!


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Home / Analysis / Rethinking Military Victory
Rethinking Military Victory
Posted by: Imam Asim Khan in Analysis, General, Islamic Thought, Politics 16/02/2011 4 Comments
Peaceful coexistence between the polytheists of the Quraysh tribe and the Muslims was not possible in the Holy sanctuary of Makkah. The Quraysh increased their pressure and persecution on this estranged minority until they were forced to immigrate to a welcoming city now known as Al-Medina. The Quraysh armies attacked the Muslims twice and in a third attempt, gathered the other confederate tribes to lay siege to the city in the battle of the trench. After these three offensive attacks, the powerful Quraysh tribe received some astonishing news: Muhammad and 1,400 of his followers were unarmed on their doorstep at Hudaybiyyah.
The arrival of the Prophet (peace be upon him) along with his disciples placed the Quraysh into a huge dilemma. If they, the guardians of the sanctuary, were to prevent over one thousand pilgrims from entering the holy city, they would have committed a manifest violation of the laws upon which their greatness was founded. On the other hand, if they allowed their enemies to enter Makkah, it would be perceived by the Arabs as a flagrant victory for Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Victory is often perceived as the immediate result of a clash. And due to the impatience within mankind, we wish to see the fruits of our actions blossom before our eyes. It is for this reason that people by their nature dedicate their lives towards causative actions that generally result in some expected effects. Although a cause-effect link may be well established to a particular action, it may be wrong to assume that the action itself is appropriate or even correct. This is one of the reasons that individuals turn to spontaneous and desperate actions in support of their community without considering the wider implications on the community itself. The real victory however, is the strategic outcome of an event, and it is upon every intelligent person to turn to the Quran in order to understand victory and how to achieve it.
The greatest victory in the history of mankind was neither material gain, imperial power, nor the conquering of a nation. Some of the companions of the Messenger exclaimed to their successors: "You consider the (greatest) victory to be the conquest of Makkah, but we consider it to be the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah"[1] and it was this peace treaty which Allah described when He said: "Verily, We have given you a manifest victory"[2].
The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was in actuality a victory as it opened the door to unrestricted propagation of Islam. The truce created an environment of security and quashed the air of hostility the Muslims previously faced when preaching Islam. It allowed the Companions to approach neighbouring communities and tribes to discuss and debate with them openly about the religion of Allah. It was said that after the treaty, no sensible person listened to the Call except that they accepted Islam and became Muslim[3]. With huge numbers of people entering the fold of Islam, the subservience and worship of Allah increased exponentially, which is the aim of Islam and a true measure of success. This victory was not restricted to an individual or a group of people, rather this was a victory in the sight of Allah and a victory for the world.
The Prophet had initially gone to Hudaybiyyah with 1,400 followers, but only two years later he would conquer Makkah with over 10,000 followers without a battle. After 19 years since Muhammad (peace be upon him) began his call, the number of Muslims doubled as a result of the treaty[4]. The growth of the Muslim population continued, and now, almost a quarter of the world populace is associated with Islam[5]. This by the Grace of Allah means that more and more people have been saved from the punishment of the Hellfire and admitted into the Gardens of Paradise.
The Quranic account of the Hudaybiyyah treaty ends with a description of the Messenger and His Companions. It is in this description that we find the personification of manners, actions, and the true purpose of life[6]:
"Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those with him are stern towards the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating (in prayer), seeking Bounty from Allah and (His) Pleasure[7]".
And hereto lies the meaning of Victory, the true success: earning the Pleasure of Allah, salvation from an eternal punishment and admittance into Paradise, all of which lies not in this life, but in the hereafter.
Source; www.islam21c.com
[1] Saheeh Al-Bukhari
[2] Al-Quran 48:1
[3] As-Seerat-An-Nabawiyyah, Ibn Kathir
[4] As-Seerat-An-Nabawiyyah, Ibn Hisham
[5]Kettani, Houssain, 2010 World Muslim Population, Proceedings of the 8th Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, Honolulu, Hawaii, January 2010
[6]See the exegeses of Ibn Kathir, As-Sa'dee, and Al-Qurtubi for a deeper understanding of this statement and verse
[7]Al-Quran 48:29
Imam Asim Khan
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About Imam Asim Khan
Ustadh Asim Khan is currently the Imam of Redbridge Islamic Centre, Instructor for the Sabeel institute, & author for Islam21c.com. He has, from an early age, excelled in academic studies and has gained a Masters in Pharmacy from the University College London, UK, as well as studying Arabic and Quranic Sciences in Cairo, Egypt. He appears regularly on Islam Channel's religious programming & is currently presenting the Dreamer show for Eman Channel. Ustadh Asim has a special interest in Tafsir studies and teaches the subject in London where he lives.
abu mohammed
good semantics but needs improvements
could have done with being a bit more in depth – read like a GCSE essay. Unfortunate.
osman9876
A needed reminder
Assalaalaikum wrwb. JazakAllahu khairan for this reminder.
UmmD
JazakAllaah
JazakAllaahuma Khayrun for this article.
Interesting lessons learnt.
'And hereto lies the meaning of Victory, the true success: earning the Pleasure of Allah, salvation from an eternal punishment and admittance into Paradise, all of which lies not in this life, but in the hereafter.'
This is not something unique to the treaty of Hudaybiah, this is applicable to all aspects of a Muslims life. That does not mean we should not seek tangible results like the treaty of Hudaybiah did, which was to neutralise the Quraysh so that the Muslims can deal with the other tribes via dawah and Jihad.
Italian police carried out several raids on far-right targets with one individual arrested for reportedly advocating fascism and possessing illegal weapons.


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Finding the Best Thermal Monocular
Once solely used by the military and first responders, thermal imaging is now available to private citizens who need to "see" with no visibility. What's the best thermal monocular?
Thermal imaging technology has made enormous strides since its strategic inception during the war in Vietnam. As the quality of thermal imaging devices, especially thermal monoculars, has improved, the price of these units has correspondingly declined. Today they're available and much liked not just by law enforcement and firefighters, but by outdoorsmen, hunters, and adventurers.
Thermal imaging works by gathering infrared light, which can permeate and be detected where there are no visible light waves or where thick smoke, fog, or permeable barriers—like dense undergrowth—prevent normal vision. Infrared can be broken into three basic wave measurements. The most useful of these is "thermal-IR," which is the basis for the thermal monocular devices we use to find heat signatures.
The most accessible device for thermal imaging is the thermal monocular. This article seeks to describe six of the best thermal monoculars, to review and compare them, and to answer some basic questions to help find the best thermal imaging monocular. It will also allow us to talk a little about TICs—thermal imaging cameras. Thanks to the TIC, we can capture images of creatures we'll never see in the dark.
Leupold LTO Tracker 2 Thermal Viewer, Black
The first thermal monocular we'll look at comes from the legendary Leupold company, internationally known for the quality of its rifle scopes. The LTO Tracker 2 is 7.3" long and weighs seven ounces. With a 600-yard heat signature detection range, the LTO has a 240 X 240-pixel resolution display; it's well-liked for hunting. The 30Hz frame rate allows the LTO to offer a 14-degree field of view.
With its Beacon mode, the screen can recalibrate quickly to differentiate well between objects with similar heat signatures. Its thermal sensors can also track blood trails for hunting. The unit has six available color palette options. The unit functions equally well day or night.
Leupold stresses the construction and durability of this monocular. Made of aluminum housing and Gorilla Glass, it's waterproof, shockproof, and fog proof. The entire unit is fully American made. In price, the LTO fits in the middle of the thermal monoculars we're reviewing.
The Leopold LTO ranks in the top 100 of thermal monoculars and, with 132 reviews, has received 4 of 5 stars. Reviewers like the LTO, favorably comparing it to the Flir Scout series. Many reviewers like it for hunting, security, and just plain fun. Unlike law enforcement thermal detectors, which can take time to boot up, the Leupold LTO comes to life swiftly and has a good refresh rate.
Monocular delivers just what it promises it will; Leupold stands behind its work
Great detection range as promised
Sturdy and well-crafted
d to Flir Scout, no camera or focus ring
Issues with detecting small targets at over 200 yards of detection range
Constant use shortens battery life
Pulsar Axion Key XM30 2.4-9.6×24 Thermal Monocular
With a 1300 yard detection range through its thermal sensors and an outstanding field of view, the Pulsar Axion Key has a 320 X 240-pixel resolution. It features a continuous digital zoom that can be stepped to 2X or 4X and renders a "picture in picture" zoom image. It features a hi-def AMOLED 960 X 720 LCOS microdisplay with eight color viewing modes. The Axion Key is TIC enabled, with a built-in video recorder and 16G of internal memory capable of photos or videos. Beyond the built-in video capability, the Axion Key can stream to a smartphone or tablet using Wi-Fi and the Stream Vision App.
Pulsar also stresses the rugged construction of the Axion Key monocular. With lightweight magnesium alloy housing, it's rated IPX7 waterproof. The thermal monocular uses an included rechargeable battery for the best battery life and comes with a USB cable and quick start guide. The unit is extremely lightweight and compact and boots up quickly.
The Axion Key is a high-end device, though not the highest-priced unit in our review. Rated 4 out of 5 Stars by its 17 reviewers, the Axion Key is ranked #16 in Night Vision Monoculars.
Pulsar Axion XM30
The second Pulsar Axion we are reviewing, the XM30, is the highest priced thermal monocular in this group but may be the best value in its class. Offering the highest magnification available in a compact thermal monocular, the XM30 is designed to be operated in one hand fits comfortably in a pocket. It offers outstanding video recording. Designed to be compatible with smartphones and tablets, the magnification of thermal images can also be enhanced with the zoom function of other thermal monoculars. Of course, the XM30 itself has a built-in digital zoom up to 4X. Wi-Fi enabled, the XM30 is capable of streaming to other devices and is easily adapted to last updated firmware upgrades. The monocular has a built-in internal memory of 16G.
The XM30 boasts a 320 X 240-pixel resolution microbolometer resolution sensor. The picture in picture digital zoom has a 1024 x 768 HD AMOLED microdisplay with an eight-color palette and white-hot resolution. Amazingly, the 4 X 16 extended magnification allows a detection range for heat signatures to 1450 yards with its thermal sensors. Weighing half a pound, the monocular is constructed of a rugged magnesium alloy. It's powered by a built-in APS3 rechargeable battery to give lasting battery life and sports a three-year warranty.
As is so often the case with premier, high-end thermal monoculars, there are fewer reviews to check with the XM30. It has received 4.5 of 5 Stars in its eight ratings and ranks #76 in Night Vision Monoculars.
Video easily transferred with free app
Operates with all functions to 14 degrees Fahrenheit
Easy to recognize different kinds of wildlife
Could offer better battery life
Menu button could be more accessible
Lacking good field guide
FLIR Ocean Scout TK Monocular, Dark Gray
One of the better known thermal monoculars—the Flir Scout is the thermal monocular to which others are compared. The FLIR Ocean Scout TK, living up to its name, has concentrated on marine life service. Priced near the middle of all the thermal monoculars we're reviewing, the FLIR Scout TK was designed to be a compact, handheld thermal imager enabling those in aquatic settings to see boats and other vessels as well as marine life in complete darkness with its sensitive thermal sensors.
The FLIR Scout TK is the very essence of simplicity, yet has a great array of built-in features. TIC enabled, it's capable of still photos and video recording, it can store up to 1000 thermal images with a variety of color palettes to chose from and what may be the best overall refresh rate. Pocket-sized, the FLIR Scout TK weighs one pound and is powered by three included lithium-ion batteries.
Ranked #20 in Night Vision Monoculars, the FLIR Scout TK sports a 3.7 out of 5 Stars rating and has received 27 reviews. Several commented on how much fun it is to use the device and how simple it is to operate. Law enforcement officers report success in using the FLIR Scout TK to locate and apprehend criminal suspects.
Well worth the money
Very wide range of uses
Used it to find white-hot electrical connections
Range limited to 100 yards
Not the best resolution
JStoon Night Vision Monocular Infrared Night Vision Scope Digital Monocular
The JStoon Night Vision Monocular is the first of two budget-conscious imaging monoculars we'll review. The JStoon promotes itself as a great thermal monocular device for beginning users. That doesn't mean the monocular doesn't have plenty of functional features. The fixed 3X magnification can be extended to 4X. The 850NM infrared illuminator does a great job of locating heat signatures in complete darkness with its thermal sensors, but it can also be used during the day and has an outstanding refresh rate.
Visuals are an outstanding feature of this inexpensive monocular. The JStoon possesses a simple video interface and can store five hours of 960P videos or 30,000 1280 X 960-pixel photos. The monocular is powered by five alkaline batteries. The palm-sized device weighs 6.3 ounces and is water-resistant. It comes with a built-in tripod attachment, a carrying strap, and a money-back guarantee. Since it's so compact, the JStoon is recommended for law enforcement observation, security surveillance, camping, and watching wildlife.
This thermal monocular boasts 4.5 out of 5 stars and is ranked #5 in Night Vision Monoculars.
Well-built and durable
Intuitive screen menus
Best for recreational purposes
Vortex Optics Solo R/T 8×36 Monocular
The final monocular to be reviewed, the Vortex Solo R/T, comes from one of today's most highly regarded optics makers. While this is one of the least expensive models, Vortex takes this monocular quite seriously. The "R/T" stands for "Recon Tactical." A true smart rangefinder, it sports a 36-millimeter objective lens and 8X magnification. Its portability makes it outstanding for hunting in the field as well as law enforcement. It's designed to be used under extremely low light conditions.
As with other Vortex products, this thermal last updated monocular comes with an O-ring sealed, nitrogen-purged frame to make it fog proof, waterproof, and shockproof. Though it is not an infrared monocular or thermal imaging device, it provides spotting and range finding in low light conditions.
Not surprisingly, the Solo R/T has earned a 4.5 out of 5 Stars rating. It comes in at number #45 in monoculars.
Super bright, clear image
Very well constructed
Also great for golfers and birders
Focus ring difficult to turn
Not as clear at long ranges
Eyecup did not hold position
Who Makes the Best Thermal Monocular?
The answer to this question is entirely contingent upon the buyer's budget. At the high end, Pulsar offers two of the best thermals available: the Axion Key and the Axion XM30. Each of these monoculars offers on-demand video with outstanding color palettes. The XM30, the more expensive of the two, has the wider field of view and longer detection range, making it seem the best at the top end. If we evaluate by sheer popularity, the highest-rated is also the least expensive and simplest to use: the JStoon Night Vision, which was given 5 Stars by 77% of its reviewers.
What Is the Best Thermal Imager?
While the Pulsar thermal monoculars tend to focus on detection range and video quality, the Leupold LTO and the FLIR Scout each indicate real investment in producing recognizable images from the heat signatures they detect, which is particularly important for hunting. With each of these imaging monoculars, reviewers especially like the quality of the images.
What's Better, Thermal or Night Vision?
Thermal vision is night vision, just with different energy rays. Night vision scopes do a magnificent job of magnifying available light; sometimes, when it seems there is complete darkness. Thermal vision, on the other hand, can detect images when there is absolutely no visible light whatever because the thermal sensor uses infrared rays emitted by heat. In this sense, pure night vision scopes are limited. A thermal monocular is the one to get since it can be used in the darkest night and broad daylight.
What Is the Best Handheld Thermal Camera for Hunting?
As with the questions above, it's difficult to name the best overall thermal imaging monocular. As much as we like them, we can eliminate the Leupold LTO from consideration because it does not have a camera and the Vortex Solo R/T since it isn't a thermal imaging device. Any of the four remaining are compact and rugged enough for use in the field. In terms of sheer versatility, the recently updated Pulse Axion XM30 has the best features. The most revered and reviewed, however, is undoubtedly the FLIR Scout.
Regardless of one's budget considerations, there are several outstanding thermal imaging monoculars on the market. With an amazing range of accessories and differing purposes, it's probably impossible to simply name the best overall, but there is one out there you will definitely like, and that's the one to get!


According to Rémi Lascault: "Since last summer, where I shared with you my comics, I've been working a lot! Here are some new comic strips and some updated ones. I'm also happy to tell you that my book will soon be available. Check my Instagram or Facebook for updates!