Ahhh, it's that time of year again: roasting season. For the uninitiated, roasting season takes place in fall and winter! This is when the weather gets chilly and you're craving warmth and all things pumpkin spiced.
Roasting season is one of my favorite seasons mostly because I'm allowed to eat whatever I want… and I say that because I can eat all the unhealthy things I want but hide it under coats and scarves and layers! Spring is when you should get healthy… Fall and winter are the seasons for putting on some weight for hibernation!
I'm obsessed with all things that are cooked slow and low.
Here are a few recipes that you should definitely try during the cozier seasons!
It's squash season baby! Sure, I'm a fan of summer squash but when it comes down to it I'm really obsessed with winter squash.
Squash always reminds me of warm and cuddly vibes. This recipe is so easy yet so good it'll taste like you spent hours on this squash. Plus, it looks fancy! Your guests will be impressed (and you'll be impressed with yourself! This is great if you need to bring something to a dinner party or if you're responsible for one dish.
Roasting a chicken is a kitchen basic that everyone should master. There's nothing that looks more impressive than setting down an entire Chicken on the dinner table. And it's so flippin' easy! They key to this recipe is the skin so pay close attention to that part of the recipe!
Going to the butcher during the roasting season is so exciting!!!!! I love it!


text:
Surface, interface, and temperature effects on the phase separation and nanoparticle self assembly of bi-metallic Ni0.5Ag0.5: A molecular dynamics study
Ryan H. Allaire, Abhijeet Dhakane, Reece Emery, P. Ganesh, Philip D. Rack, Lou Kondic, Linda Cummings, Miguel Fuentes-Cabrera
Classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to investigate how free surfaces, as well as supporting substrates, affect phase separation in a NiAg alloy. Bulk samples, droplets, and droplets deposited on a graphene substrate were investigated at temperatures that spanned regions of interest in the bulk NiAg phase diagram, i.e., miscible and immiscible liquid, liquid-crystal, and crystal-crystal regions. Using MD simulations to cool down a bulk sample from 3000 K to 800 K, it was found that phase separation below 2400 K takes place in agreement with the phase diagram. When free surface effects were introduced, phase separation was accompanied by a core-shell transformation: spherical droplets created from the bulk samples became core-shell nanoparticles with a shell made mostly of Ag atoms and a core made of Ni atoms. When such droplets were deposited on a graphene substrate, the phase separation was accompanied by Ni layering at the graphene interface and Ag at the vacuum interface. Thus, it should be possible to create NiAg core-shell and layer-like nanostructures by quenching liquid NiAg samples on tailored substrates. Furthermore, interesting bimetallic nanoparticle morphologies might be tuned via control of the surface and interface energies and chemical instabilities of the system.
https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9071040
Chemical Engineering(all)
Core-shell nanoparticles
Metallic nanoparticles
Molecular dynamics simulations
Phase separation
10.3390/nano9071040
Dive into the research topics of 'Surface, interface, and temperature effects on the phase separation and nanoparticle self assembly of bi-metallic Ni0.5Ag0.5: A molecular dynamics study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Self assembly Engineering & Materials Science 100%
Phase separation Engineering & Materials Science 98%
Molecular dynamics Engineering & Materials Science 85%
Thermal effects Engineering & Materials Science 77%
Nanoparticles Engineering & Materials Science 75%
Graphene Engineering & Materials Science 67%
Phase Separation Chemical Compounds 66%
Substrates Engineering & Materials Science 53%
Allaire, R. H., Dhakane, A., Emery, R., Ganesh, P., Rack, P. D., Kondic, L., Cummings, L., & Fuentes-Cabrera, M. (2019). Surface, interface, and temperature effects on the phase separation and nanoparticle self assembly of bi-metallic Ni0.5Ag0.5: A molecular dynamics study. Nanomaterials, 9(7), [1040]. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9071040
Allaire, Ryan H. ; Dhakane, Abhijeet ; Emery, Reece et al. / Surface, interface, and temperature effects on the phase separation and nanoparticle self assembly of bi-metallic Ni0.5Ag0.5 : A molecular dynamics study. In: Nanomaterials. 2019 ; Vol. 9, No. 7.
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title = "Surface, interface, and temperature effects on the phase separation and nanoparticle self assembly of bi-metallic Ni0.5Ag0.5: A molecular dynamics study",
abstract = "Classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to investigate how free surfaces, as well as supporting substrates, affect phase separation in a NiAg alloy. Bulk samples, droplets, and droplets deposited on a graphene substrate were investigated at temperatures that spanned regions of interest in the bulk NiAg phase diagram, i.e., miscible and immiscible liquid, liquid-crystal, and crystal-crystal regions. Using MD simulations to cool down a bulk sample from 3000 K to 800 K, it was found that phase separation below 2400 K takes place in agreement with the phase diagram. When free surface effects were introduced, phase separation was accompanied by a core-shell transformation: spherical droplets created from the bulk samples became core-shell nanoparticles with a shell made mostly of Ag atoms and a core made of Ni atoms. When such droplets were deposited on a graphene substrate, the phase separation was accompanied by Ni layering at the graphene interface and Ag at the vacuum interface. Thus, it should be possible to create NiAg core-shell and layer-like nanostructures by quenching liquid NiAg samples on tailored substrates. Furthermore, interesting bimetallic nanoparticle morphologies might be tuned via control of the surface and interface energies and chemical instabilities of the system.",
keywords = "Core-shell nanoparticles, Metallic nanoparticles, Molecular dynamics simulations, Phase separation, Self-assembly",
author = "Allaire, {Ryan H.} and Abhijeet Dhakane and Reece Emery and P. Ganesh and Rack, {Philip D.} and Lou Kondic and Linda Cummings and Miguel Fuentes-Cabrera",
note = "Funding Information: DOE Discretionary allocation at Titan supercomputer, at ORNL.P.D.R. acknowledges support from NSF CBET-1603780. A.D. performed research under an appointment to the Higher Education Research Experiences at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. R.H.A. and L.K. acknowledge support as a result of the NSF Grant No. CBET 1604351. Funding Information: AuAthuothroCroCnotrnitbruibtiuotniosn: Cs:oCnocenpcteupatluizaalitzioanti,o Mn,.FM.-.CF..-,CL..,KL..,KP..,DP..RD..,Ra.n, danLd.CL..;Cm.;emtheotdhooldooglyo,gMy,.MF.-.CF..-,CR.,.HR..AH..,AA.,.DA..,D., R.E., and P.G.; software, R.H.A.; validation, R.H.A., R.E., and A.D.; formal analysis, R.H.A., R.E., and A.D; investigation, R.H.A. and R.E.; resources, M.F.-C., L.K., P.D.R., and L.C.; data curation, R.H.A.; writing—original investigation, R.H.A. and R.E.; resources, M.F.-C., L.K., P.D.R., and L.C.; data curation, R.H.A.; writing—original draft preparation, R.H.A., M.F.-C., L.K., and P.D.R.; writing—review and editing, R.H.A., M.F.-C., L.K., P.D.R., draft preparation, R.H.A., M.F.-C., L.K., and P.D.R.; writing—review and editing, R.H.A., M.F.-C., L.K., P.D.R., L.C., and P.G.; visualization, R.H.A.; supervision, M.F.-C., L.K., and P.D.R.; project administration, M.F.-C., L.K., and P.D.R.; funding acquisition, M.F.-C., L.K., P.D.R., and L.C. Funding: R.H.A. was supported by a DOE Office of the Science Graduate Student Research Program. This research was conducted at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, which is a DOE Office of Science User Facility. Computational resources used a Director Discretionary allocation at Titan supercomputer, at ORNL. P.D.R. research was conducted at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, which is a DOE Office of Science User acknowledges support from NSF CBET-1603780. A.D. performed research under an appointment to the Higher Facility. Computational resources used a Director Discretionary allocation at Titan supercomputer, at ORNL. P.D.R. acknowledges support from NSF CBET-1603780. A.D. performed research under an appointment to the Higher Education Research Experiences at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, administered by the Oak Ridge Acknowledgments: We would like to thank Jason Fowlkes and David Garfinkel for insightful discussions. Institute for Science and Education. R.H.A. and L.K. acknowledge support as a result of the NSF Grant No. CBET 1604351.Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.",
doi = "10.3390/nano9071040",
journal = "Nanomaterials",
Allaire, RH, Dhakane, A, Emery, R, Ganesh, P, Rack, PD, Kondic, L, Cummings, L & Fuentes-Cabrera, M 2019, 'Surface, interface, and temperature effects on the phase separation and nanoparticle self assembly of bi-metallic Ni0.5Ag0.5: A molecular dynamics study', Nanomaterials, vol. 9, no. 7, 1040. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9071040
Surface, interface, and temperature effects on the phase separation and nanoparticle self assembly of bi-metallic Ni0.5Ag0.5 : A molecular dynamics study. / Allaire, Ryan H.; Dhakane, Abhijeet; Emery, Reece et al.
In: Nanomaterials, Vol. 9, No. 7, 1040, 07.2019.
T1 - Surface, interface, and temperature effects on the phase separation and nanoparticle self assembly of bi-metallic Ni0.5Ag0.5
T2 - A molecular dynamics study
AU - Allaire, Ryan H.
AU - Dhakane, Abhijeet
AU - Emery, Reece
AU - Ganesh, P.
AU - Rack, Philip D.
AU - Kondic, Lou
AU - Cummings, Linda
AU - Fuentes-Cabrera, Miguel
N1 - Funding Information: DOE Discretionary allocation at Titan supercomputer, at ORNL.P.D.R. acknowledges support from NSF CBET-1603780. A.D. performed research under an appointment to the Higher Education Research Experiences at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. R.H.A. and L.K. acknowledge support as a result of the NSF Grant No. CBET 1604351. Funding Information: AuAthuothroCroCnotrnitbruibtiuotniosn: Cs:oCnocenpcteupatluizaalitzioanti,o Mn,.FM.-.CF..-,CL..,KL..,KP..,DP..RD..,Ra.n, danLd.CL..;Cm.;emtheotdhooldooglyo,gMy,.MF.-.CF..-,CR.,.HR..AH..,AA.,.DA..,D., R.E., and P.G.; software, R.H.A.; validation, R.H.A., R.E., and A.D.; formal analysis, R.H.A., R.E., and A.D; investigation, R.H.A. and R.E.; resources, M.F.-C., L.K., P.D.R., and L.C.; data curation, R.H.A.; writing—original investigation, R.H.A. and R.E.; resources, M.F.-C., L.K., P.D.R., and L.C.; data curation, R.H.A.; writing—original draft preparation, R.H.A., M.F.-C., L.K., and P.D.R.; writing—review and editing, R.H.A., M.F.-C., L.K., P.D.R., draft preparation, R.H.A., M.F.-C., L.K., and P.D.R.; writing—review and editing, R.H.A., M.F.-C., L.K., P.D.R., L.C., and P.G.; visualization, R.H.A.; supervision, M.F.-C., L.K., and P.D.R.; project administration, M.F.-C., L.K., and P.D.R.; funding acquisition, M.F.-C., L.K., P.D.R., and L.C. Funding: R.H.A. was supported by a DOE Office of the Science Graduate Student Research Program. This research was conducted at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, which is a DOE Office of Science User Facility. Computational resources used a Director Discretionary allocation at Titan supercomputer, at ORNL. P.D.R. research was conducted at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, which is a DOE Office of Science User acknowledges support from NSF CBET-1603780. A.D. performed research under an appointment to the Higher Facility. Computational resources used a Director Discretionary allocation at Titan supercomputer, at ORNL. P.D.R. acknowledges support from NSF CBET-1603780. A.D. performed research under an appointment to the Higher Education Research Experiences at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, administered by the Oak Ridge Acknowledgments: We would like to thank Jason Fowlkes and David Garfinkel for insightful discussions. Institute for Science and Education. R.H.A. and L.K. acknowledge support as a result of the NSF Grant No. CBET 1604351.Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Publisher Copyright: © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
N2 - Classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to investigate how free surfaces, as well as supporting substrates, affect phase separation in a NiAg alloy. Bulk samples, droplets, and droplets deposited on a graphene substrate were investigated at temperatures that spanned regions of interest in the bulk NiAg phase diagram, i.e., miscible and immiscible liquid, liquid-crystal, and crystal-crystal regions. Using MD simulations to cool down a bulk sample from 3000 K to 800 K, it was found that phase separation below 2400 K takes place in agreement with the phase diagram. When free surface effects were introduced, phase separation was accompanied by a core-shell transformation: spherical droplets created from the bulk samples became core-shell nanoparticles with a shell made mostly of Ag atoms and a core made of Ni atoms. When such droplets were deposited on a graphene substrate, the phase separation was accompanied by Ni layering at the graphene interface and Ag at the vacuum interface. Thus, it should be possible to create NiAg core-shell and layer-like nanostructures by quenching liquid NiAg samples on tailored substrates. Furthermore, interesting bimetallic nanoparticle morphologies might be tuned via control of the surface and interface energies and chemical instabilities of the system.
AB - Classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to investigate how free surfaces, as well as supporting substrates, affect phase separation in a NiAg alloy. Bulk samples, droplets, and droplets deposited on a graphene substrate were investigated at temperatures that spanned regions of interest in the bulk NiAg phase diagram, i.e., miscible and immiscible liquid, liquid-crystal, and crystal-crystal regions. Using MD simulations to cool down a bulk sample from 3000 K to 800 K, it was found that phase separation below 2400 K takes place in agreement with the phase diagram. When free surface effects were introduced, phase separation was accompanied by a core-shell transformation: spherical droplets created from the bulk samples became core-shell nanoparticles with a shell made mostly of Ag atoms and a core made of Ni atoms. When such droplets were deposited on a graphene substrate, the phase separation was accompanied by Ni layering at the graphene interface and Ag at the vacuum interface. Thus, it should be possible to create NiAg core-shell and layer-like nanostructures by quenching liquid NiAg samples on tailored substrates. Furthermore, interesting bimetallic nanoparticle morphologies might be tuned via control of the surface and interface energies and chemical instabilities of the system.
KW - Core-shell nanoparticles
KW - Metallic nanoparticles
KW - Molecular dynamics simulations
KW - Phase separation
KW - Self-assembly
U2 - 10.3390/nano9071040
DO - 10.3390/nano9071040
JO - Nanomaterials
JF - Nanomaterials
Allaire RH, Dhakane A, Emery R, Ganesh P, Rack PD, Kondic L et al. Surface, interface, and temperature effects on the phase separation and nanoparticle self assembly of bi-metallic Ni0.5Ag0.5: A molecular dynamics study. Nanomaterials. 2019 Jul;9(7):1040. doi: 10.3390/nano9071040

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Home2021February15
Why I 'Quit' Watching Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon + Episode 16 Discussion
February 15, 2021 fiddletwix Misc. Articles anime, fantasy, I hope they don't waste all of the potential this series has but I feel like so much has been ruined already that anything they do from this point won't be enough., inuyasha, princess half-demon, review, sequel, spin-off, yashahime
Watching Yashahime's like watching someone balance a bowling ball on their forehead. It's impressive for a little bit, quickly becomes boring, then you realize they look like an idiot, you start dreading the inevitable moment where they'll drop the ball, the ball drop happens and there's a 50/50 chance you'll wind up in physical pain because they dropped the ball on your foot.
I mentioned to GlitterInformer that I was planning on waiting until I was caught up to where the series currently is to make my decision on whether to drop it. I got done watching episode 16, which left me with two more episodes to go until I had reached that point, but…no. I've made peace with the fact that I'm done now.
Which is odd because episode 16, objectively, is actually one of the better episodes and definitely one of the stronger backstory episodes. However, it's not all that odd when you consider that, even being one of the better episodes and best backstory episodes….it's still not really 'good.' It's very okay. There's a lot of alrightness going on. It's a big chunk of fine.
The origins of Kurikaramaru, Moroha's sword, is fine.
Her relationship with Yamaragi is fine.
Yamaragi as a character is fine.
But the episode is still laden with a lot of problems the series has been struggling with since day one.
Let's start with an oldie, but a goodie – It offers confusing/nonsensical explanations for numerous aspects of the story. For example, we learn that Kagome was the one who initially sealed Moroha's demon powers, but I can't imagine when or why she'd have reason to do this. According to Yamaragi, Moroha's demon side only becomes a problem when she's cornered. The demon blood is seemingly triggered as a defense mechanism, which makes sense, but Kagome was sent off to the black pearl dimension place when Moroha was a newborn. When would her demon powers have had rhyme or reason to emerge before then? Unless she was fresh out of Kagome's hooha and Kagome was just randomly like 'I'll seal your demon powers now.'
The rouge was used by Yamaragi, Moroha's master and guardian after she was handed over by the wolf demon tribe's elder, as a means to undo the seal so she could better control herself. If she relies on Beniyasha too much, her heart will fade away and she'll be nothing but a monstrous demon, which is very similar to Inuyasha's situation back in the day. I still don't know how the rouge seemingly has powers now. Let alone that the power is specifically to undo a seal on demonic powers – a seal that was created by Kagome several decades after the person who made the rouge died…Also, considering they had a half-demon child, that's a dangerous-ass item to give to Izayoi. Unless Yamaragi did something to it, but I really don't get how a random wolf demon would have the means to create an item that would undo a seal created by Kagome.
Moroha was sold to Jyubei for 15 Ryus (money Yamaragi needed for a reason I'll address in a minute) which makes sense but also doesn't because Moroha was previously sold to the demon gambling house by Yamaragi, meaning Moroha isn't hers to sell at that moment – she even outright says this. Jyubei threatens Moroha after Yamaragi leaves by saying, if Moroha doesn't pay back Yamaragi's debt, she'll go back to fight in the gambling house for the rest of her life, which also doesn't make sense because she easily defeated the demons there, without Beniyasha even, and escaped with absolutely no problem. Jyubei doesn't technically own her, and Moroha's way more powerful than him – there's no reason she should be putting up with this.
So yeah, there's your big reveal as to why Moroha is in debt and puts up with Jyubei's and Takechiyo's crap. Pretty much expected it would be that disappointing and make absolutely no sense.
Yamaragi needed the money to get a key to remove her Armor of the Iron-Rat, which was created by the same blacksmith rats who made the Robe of the Fire-Rat (This episode does not show the origins of Moroha's Robe of the Fire-Rat, though.) Unlike the robe, the armor comes with a fatal hitch. In exchange for amplifying the user's powers and providing protection, the armor slowly shrinks to rat size and crushes the user after several years of wearing it. Why? I dunno. It just does.
She was tricked into wearing it by a demon who was trapped in it. An 8-year-old Moroha had been cornered by Birds of Paradise, so she used her rouge to turn into Beniyasha, which made her go nuts for some reason (When Inuyasha was struggling with his demon side, he started out being mostly lucid and eventually lost more and more control and sanity, but with Moroha it's like she started out being out of control and eventually GAINED composure? The first time we saw Beniyasha in the series, she was perfectly in control of herself) and accidentally slash Yamaragi, giving her the large scars on her face.
Moroha defeated the birds before passing out, but they instantly called for backup, leaving her and Yamaragi in danger. The demon who was originally wearing the armor came right out of nowhere, tempted her with the armor and Yamaragi took the bait, even though she should be really suspicious as to why this random demon is being so nice and freely offering (if not insisting) his super cool powerful armor even though a bunch of dangerous demons are heading right towards them.
That's understandable, though. Maybe it's just a momentary lapse of common sense in a time of need.
Yup, I'm sure that's it.
I'm also sure that must be the reason why Yamaragi just isn't running away right now.
Yamaragi, you're a wolf demon. Running's kinda your jam, as you demonstrate later in your battle against Moroha (It was only said that the armor increases defense and power, not speed, so I'm to believe her speed there was just her own speed. Her Wiki page also lists that as a power of her wolf physiology.) and the weight of a child shouldn't hinder you that much. If you have enough time to stand there and talk to this doofus about his clearly trap-ish armor, you have enough time to run away from the birds. Even the demon who gives her the armor is not concerned about being able to run to safety in time.
When she has the money to buy a key from the blacksmith rats, she finds them all slaughtered. The specific key for her armor is also missing. Dun dun DUNNNN Konton has it. He slaughtered all the rats because he wants to use Yamaragi to kill Moroha in exchange for the key. If the rats are all dead, she can't get another key. Because they really want to make Konton a discount Naraku now. Also, apparently, this is just meant to be entertainment for Tokotsu, even though Tokotsu never appears in this episode and is dead. *shrug*
I do love how Konton points out how non-threatening they are by saying they're really the Two Perils now.
May I ask how long Yamaragi has been searching for the blacksmith rats? Because she left Moroha with Jyubei when Moroha was 11 and only just now found them. And, what, was Konton just waiting until she got close to pull this little stunt?
In present day, Yamaragi and Moroha face off, with Moroha telling Towa and Setsuna to not interfere. Yamaragi's all powerful and stuff, even easily catching and breaking one of Moroha's sacred arrows and withstanding her Crimson Dragon Wave like it was nothing. Moroha wants to use her rouge, but Yamaragi convinces her not to because not only will she continue to lose herself if she does, but it won't truly be her victory if she relies on that power.
I have a question: Why didn't Myoga ever drop that exposition bomb about her demon side? Surely he had to know the true nature of the rouge and her sealed up demon powers and how, if she kept turning into Beniyasha, she'd eventually turn into a mindless killing machine. Myoga was always concerned for Inuyasha when he'd transform, was he not? Why would he see the same descent into madness on Inuyasha's daughter and show no concern whatsoever? Instead he's just super excited that he gets to taste Inutaisho-esque blood.
While we're on the subject, I find it hard to believe that Moroha's demon side has any possibility of taking her over. She has inherent spiritual powers. Would those not be constantly keeping her demon side tampered down to some degree by default? Considering Kagome was the full source of her spiritual powers and Inuyasha was only half-demon, I'd say the spiritual part would be more powerful than her demon side.
Yamaragi uses her technique, the Scattering Winds, which clashes with Moroha using a Crimson Dragon Wave, which….was….powered up…beforehand by her….spinning her sword? The attacks meet and are sent back to Yamaragi.
Oh Konton's here now, by the way. For no other reason besides him wanting to taunt Yamaragi about the key. Yamaragi decides to grapple him to force him to get killed by the attack alongside her, but he shows off his Narakuness again and teleports away. Yamaragi's the only one who dies in the subsequent strike.
It is sad that Yamaragi dies, but really just because Moroha's broken up about it. I love Moroha, I don't want to see her sad, so I'm sad she's sad. If she had no connection to Moroha, I would probably not even register her death. She was a fine character, definitely one of the better new characters, but she barely had any emotional moments with Moroha. She was all tough love until the end. A story like theirs needs room to breathe. They needed at least a few episodes of buildup and development to properly earn any sniffles from me.
And, again, they introduce a seemingly very important character to a main character's backstory and/or life and the writers are instantly like 'lol, let's kill them now. We're done.' I really think it would've been better if she sold Moroha to Jyubei for the key, but he'd only give the key once Moroha had earned it through bounties, so she'd be very determined to collect her bounties and pay off the debt in order to save Yamaragi's life. But nope. Instead we get this convoluted malarkey and the disposal of another potentially interesting character.
You guys remember in One Piece how Nami would steal and trick pirates out of their treasure, and she came off as greedy, but then we learned it was so she could save up enough money to buy her village back from Arlong? And how it was really emotional, memorable, tragic and sweet?
Also, Moroha never really came off as being dependent on the rouge. We've only seen Beniyasha a couple of times over the course of this entire series. So the big lesson being Moroha learning to be creative with her own powers instead of relying on Beniyasha falls flat a little.
Yamaragi was originally the one who owned Kurikaramaru, but Moroha won it off of her when she defeated the demons in the gambling house without using Beniyasha. This is better than the common theme of important items owned by the main cast up until this point, which has basically been 'I just stumbled upon it,' BUT it's also not all that interesting because the battle against the demon was boring and easy, and it was just a matter of Yamaragi handing over the sword. Where did the sword come from? Was it particularly sentimental to Yamaragi or just something she randomly had?
The best part of this episode was Moroha burying Yamaragi and sharing some personal thoughts and feelings with Towa and Setsuna who are FINALLY treating her like family instead of an expendable annoyance. That was sweet. A bit on the 'too little, too late' side but still sweet.
One of the better episodes of the series, definitely one of the better episodes that explores backstory, and it was still just fine. Nothing that good, nothing terribly bad – just fine. After 16 episodes, that really tells me that this series peaks at 'fine.' That explains why I've been so frustrated with it. Not that it's been fine as a whole so far – that it clearly PEAKS at fine.
I don't even much care that Moroha finally got a new power (The Crimson Backlash Wave) because it was a little underwhelming. Not to mention the fact that its reveal comes right alongside Moroha killing her teacher/surrogate parent, so it kinda got overshadowed a little. Not lying, I completely forgot to note the new attack until I reached this paragraph. Cool attack, though…….Doesn't make A SINGLE SOLITARY LICK OF SENSE considering this is a completely random sword unrelated to her family or the Tetsusaiga, but it somehow has its own Backlash Wave technique, but whatever. Maybe the Backlash Wave was inside her all along.
Back to business, I kept giving Yashahime the benefit of the doubt because of its connection to Inuyasha. Despite my problems with it, I do hold Inuyasha dear to my heart, but I can't ignore the signs anymore. This is going nowhere….both slowly and quickly somehow. I can't see anything really worthwhile on the horizon. And, yes, I'm well aware that Sesshomaru's coming into the fray for real in the next couple of episodes, and yet I fail to really care that much. Unless he drops the world's most epic bomb onto the series with his presence, I don't think he can coerce me into sticking around.
Let's recap some of the more prevalent problems the series has a whole.
The Pacing Issues – Most people have pointed this out, myself included…like….a few sentences ago, but this series has pretty serious pacing issues. Not the worst I've seen, but pretty bad. It frequently goes back and forth from half-dead slug speed to 'They've gone to plaid.' The episodes themselves have alright pacing, but many times it's like they'll rush through to the end so we don't have to continue the plot in the next episode.
Let me ask a question – What happened to pursuing the Dream Butterfly? We went from that being priority number one to "What's the plot of the week?" I'm asking this even though I pretty much don't care about that plot. Only a small portion of Setsuna's past is a secret from the audience (from four years old to when she came back to Kaede's village) so that's the only part of her backstory that MIGHT get revealed when they kill the thing, and I can't imagine it's anything that important. The only part of me that really cares is the part that cares about Rin because the butterfly is apparently affecting her too.
They don't even pursue the Perils or Kirinmaru – they pursue the girls.
There's also absolutely no pursuing of the rainbow pearls. Even when they defeat someone who has one, they ignore it and make no effort to retrieve it. Not that the pearls even seem useful half the time. Even when they are lending some sort of useful power, it's typically not that impressive and the user is easily felled.
And just forget Moroha clearing her debt. That's turned into a weekly running gag – and now the entire plot thread seems flimsy and not worth any emotional investment.
But then when someone lets loose the blindfolded exposition monkey who also happens to be coming out of a haze of tranquilizers, things get broken, people get confused and it's all upsetting in a weird way.
Towa's Odd Power Progression – Look, I get that Towa's half-demon. I get that she's the almighty Sesshomaru's daughter. I get that they kinda wanted to speed up the process of her discovering her real powers in order to move the plot along. However, what I don't get is why she has attacks and abilities being handed to her every other episode and is almost certainly the strongest of the princess trio even though Moroha and Setsuna have been honing their fighting prowess and demon powers since they were practically born. Moroha was born and raised by Koga's wolf demon tribe and Setsuna was raised-ish by the demon slayers. Towa was born and raised in the modern era where her only real fighting ability was practiced against random gang thugs and bullies.
Her power progression is getting so concerning that I can see her being overpowered in another dozen or so episodes if this keeps up. She's not without her shortcomings, of course, but when she's easily taking out an apparition single-handedly when Setsuna, Moroha and all of the demon slayers were struggling to handle it, I think it's time to reevaluate. The fact that she, supposedly, now has the ability to absorb demon energy through attacks, meaning she'd basically be invincible to anything that isn't immediately fatal, does not help.
Inuyasha ended up with a slue of powers too, but that took nearly 200 episodes to happen, not 14.
Moroha Isn't Treated Well – Moroha is definitely the best new character to come out of the franchise. She has a fun and interesting personality, she's great in battle, when they let her, she's smart and funny, she's also adorable. Outside of being a little reckless sometimes, which is just her Inuyasha-ness shining, she's a great character. However, she's also frequently mishandled in lieu of Towa and Setsuna. People keep telling me that the story is about the twins and Moroha's not really the main focus, but the show keeps framing it like they're a trio – and you can't say they're a trio when one of the characters is meant to just be off to the side.
Moroha gets sidelined a lot, Towa and Setsuna get annoyed by her and she does feel like an afterthought a lot of the time.
This problem is even worse considering….
Towa and Setsuna Aren't Interesting Enough to be Main Characters – I can watch Towa and Setsuna and be engaged with their stories, but they're kinda bland and I don't sympathize with them all that much.
Setsuna doesn't even really have a motivation throughout the series. She's just doing her job as a demon slayer. She doesn't seem to care about her lost memories or her inability to sleep or dream. Towa cares a lot more about that than she does – it's her driving motivation – and, honestly, I feel like that's more of a means for her to alleviate the guilt she feels for not being able to protect her sister during the fire than it is her legitimately wanting Setsuna's memories and ability to sleep/dream restored. They're fine characters on their own, but I just don't feel like they can carry an entire series on their shoulders.
Their chemistry just isn't there either. It's actually kinda creepy how Towa tries to get all cuddly with Setsuna sometimes when she clearly doesn't want it. I don't feel the deep bonds of sisterhood they're trying to pass off (even if it is understandable with Setsuna given that she doesn't remember Towa is her sister.) and that's a big problem considering they're using that angle to replace the big romance aspect of the original series, which, criticize it as much as you want (I know I do) at least it was engaging and made you feel things.
Moroha's motivations might not be any more compelling than Towa's, but her personality is a lot more engaging, and she IS the daughter of the actual main characters of the original series.
They could have done something where all of them were motivated by a common goal that affected all of them equally, but nope. They're scattered all over the place. The Perils and Kirinmaru are the only things binding them together, and they really don't care much about that. The most caring I ever saw any of them show in battle was Towa vs. Homura, which was also the best battle of the series, and that ended with the dude killing himself on accident via his own powers because his girlfriend dumped him.
Their Cohesion as a Group is Still Pretty Flimsy – They've been together for 16 episodes now, and I still don't feel like they have a strong group bond. Towa and Setsuna keep being alienated from each other because Towa keeps trying to cling to Setsuna and Setsuna gets annoyed by Towa, and both of them distance themselves from Moroha a lot. They're getting better, admittedly, but their group cohesion is still lacking.
The Enemies are Lame, and Many of them Are Recycled from Inuyasha – Very few enemies on this show actually seem imposing, and the ones that do are usually killed immediately and typically in a lame fashion. Even the Big Bad™, Kirinmaru, seems like he's a joke. Two of his four highest ranked followers were taken out faster than the kitchen garbage in a house owned by a garbage man, the two left behind are a gluttonous doofus and a Naraku wannabe. Kirinmaru himself is just…..I don't even know what he is. He hates half-demons and humans a lot, kills them on sight, but he also seems very easy to manipulate and doesn't even retaliate when he's been tricked and betrayed. He also has the imposing presence level of a reindeer.
What happened to him wanting to destroy the space-time continuum or whatever? Is that still happening? It's been ages since it's been brought up.
A big problem here is that this show loves to steal enemies from Inuyasha…..even if the enemies were killed in Inuyasha. Whether manga-exclusive or featured in the anime, I'd say a third of the enemies shown on Yashahime so far, at least, are recycled from Inuyasha, and that's just sad. Revisiting old enemies in a sequel/spin-off series is usually just a good opportunity for closure or fanservice, but not with this show. Here, it just reeks of laziness. Keep in mind that they're not even actually reviving the enemies themselves – they've just taken the names and the character designs and acted like they never appeared in the original series. They've even used Kikyo as a visual embodiment of the Tree of Ages because they were too lazy to actually design something new.
They Don't Understand How Time Works – I would like to educate everyone right now on a fact that the writers of Yashahime don't seem to understand – people visibly age beyond the age of 18.
Earth-shattering information, I know, but it had to be said.
Granted, this note is probably the least important of all the notes, but it's still enough to make me a little perturbed.
None of the characters who were 18 in the end of The Final Act have visibly changed at all since then. 18 years has passed, but not one adult has aged a day. Miroku has a couple of lines on his face and Kagome's mother got a gray streak in her hair, other than that, nope. Granted, I haven't seen present day Kagome yet, and the demons/half-demons get a pass because they age differently, but considering that Sango looks 100% no different than she did nearly 20 years ago, down to her outfit, and the elderly people from the original series like Kagome's grandpa and Kaede, who should be around 80 by now, are not only still alive but also look exactly the same, again down to their clothing, I'm gonna hazard a guess that Kagome looks no different too.
This problem isn't even contained to the humans – somehow Buyo, Kagome's cat, is still alive too and looking the same as he did before even though he has to be around 25 years old at least by now.
They couldn't even make Kagome look pregnant when she was supposedly very far along. I really questioned whether she even was pregnant until Sango mentioned it.
Anyone under the age of 18 before the time skip, though, they obviously get fully altered – and most of them look really great, so I don't know why they're so hesitant to change the adults more than the absolute bare minimum, if they do anything at all.
The Mess that is Everything to do with the Original Series – I don't even know where to start with this, so I'll just say to visit the masterlist of my individual Yashahime reviews at the end of this post and add….*sigh* Granted, they haven't put a lot of focus on the original cast, which is fine, really. I get it. The new cast is the focus. Tease the audience with the old stuff. But the plot of the series is rooted heavily in the past actions of the Inuyasha crew, and the main cast are the children of those characters, so you really have to make sure their story is strong, and it's not.
Plus, the way the backstory keeps getting jutted into the series at completely random intervals a lot of the time is off-putting. Either a character will suddenly mention that something is connected to someone from the past, usually Sesshomaru, and that will usually be completely pointless, or we'll get a backstory episode out of nowhere. Even the very first episode was an almost fully backstory episode that threw off the pace from the get-go (Though, being fair, that was based on an extra story that was included in the Inuyasha manga, but that doesn't change how awkward it was in Yashahime.)
One of the main reasons any old Inuyasha fan wants to watch this series is to know what happened to the original cast, and it's largely a mixed bag that's marinating in disappointment. Kohaku's the leader of a new demon slayer group alongside his nephew, Hisui, which is awesome. Sango's a stay-at-home….uh, I guess she's not a stay-at-home mom anymore considering her kids are all grown. A stay-at-home…..demon slayer weapon/item maker? Which is suitable enough. Miroku's off training for 1000 days, which is fine, especially if he actually does get some divine power out of it. Sesshomaru's doing….stuff. Kagome and Inuyasha are trapped in a pearl. Koga may have had a hand in raising Moroha. And Rin's stuck in a tree.
…Oh and as for Shippo…
There's a backstory, but there's no big epic event or circumstances surrounding this series. It just is.
The main characters do everything in their power to avoid talking about anything Inuyasha-related, and it is legitimately frustrating. Either they bring it up and it goes nowhere or it's contained to flashback episodes that are purely for the audience's benefit and don't affect the lives or actions of the main characters at all. There are much better ways of presenting this information that don't make it seem so divorced from the main plot.
The Lack of Emotion is Staggering – Like I mentioned in my review of episode 15, it's easy to claim Inuyasha was melodramatic at times, especially when it came to the romance angle, but I'd rather a series be overly dramatic than be underly dramatic…..That's a word, I assume. Nearly any emotional moment tends to ring hollow either because they don't put proper focus on the event, especially if it has to do with the backstories of the girls, or they try to make it emotional and it misses the mark.
It is really, really, REALLY hard to care about when, where and how the girls will meet back up with their parents when they seem to give less than zero shits about them.
I get it, to some degree. They've never met their parents, they didn't raise them, they don't have any actual keepsakes (barring Moroha's rouge) or memories of them, but if you've been on your own your whole life and found information about your family, wouldn't you care a little at least? Yet these girls ask no questions or even discuss their parents unless it's (briefly) Sesshomaru, and those occasions are lent more annoyance than anything because they don't want to inherit a responsibility that was supposed to be his. Even when they just stumble upon information about their parents they don't care.
Moroha briefly lived with the family of her mother and she didn't ask them anything or seem interested in them in relation to her – Hell, they barely seemed interested in her for that matter, and they didn't bother asking about Kagome or Inuyasha. Ya know, the daughter and son-in-law they haven't seen for 18 YEARS and, for all they know, might be dead.
The most obvious of questions or musings regarding their parents and pasts are completely absent just for the sake of keeping the mystique and/or stringing along people who are most interested in the Inuyasha-related stuff, which is annoying as hell at best and skeevy writing at worst. When you hear Moroha being melancholy about how lonely she was growing up, you expect her to maybe think about her parents, even just as a 'what if?' but she doesn't.
Towa's main motivation is family-related yet she barely cares about her family other than her sister. And, yes, I'm also talking about the Higurashis right now. Did you guys forget that she's actually TRAPPED in the Feudal era and can't go back to the family she grew up with? I totally did. She barely registers it. It has to have been months by now, and she never even thinks about this issue. She mentions her family sometimes, but you'd think doing that would make her sad considering, given the current situation, she'll never see them again.
I don't even really care on the opposite side of the coin because, even with a whole episode dedicated to flashing back to the origins of the girls, there weren't any real emotional moments with them. Towa and Setsuna are born, named by Rin and then it's just swooped up by daddy, couple of pearls in the eyes and bam you're done.
Moroha's origins were a little more emotional with Kagome, and her giving Moroha the nonsensically existing rouge was the best item origin we got, but it was equally as quick of a reveal and departure, and there was no emotion whatsoever with 'nearly killed my pregnant wife with a stupid stunt' Inuyasha.
Let's even direct attention away from the main kids and talk about Miroku and Sango's kids. The one time they focus on their interactions as a whole family, we get flimsy drama from Hisui based on ridiculous assumptions that shouldn't make him that pissed at Miroku even if they were somehow true in any way. And then they're cleared up ridiculously easily.
There are no interactions between Miroku and Sango, they don't talk about their once very close friends Inuyasha and Kagome nor do they care to discuss such matters with their friends' friggin' children.
So many times in this series you think 'wow, this is going to be a really emotional and interesting moment' but then you find yourself going…
Even the battles are just disappointing. Some of the moves look really cool, some of the threats are interesting, but they're usually over quickly with little fanfare or impact on the overall story. There's little to no tension in most of the battles, especially with 'What power will she pull from her ass today?' Towa over there, and when there is tension they usually ruin it somehow.
Finally, it's really difficult for me to suggest this show for either fans or people who have never seen Inuyasha before. If you're a fan, the continuation of the characters leaves a lot to be desired, to say the least, and the new characters have few actual connections with the old cast. It maintains the same vibe of the original series, barring the romance, quite well, but it doesn't really capture the spirit, if that makes any sense.
If you've never seen the entirety of the original series, you'd be very confused, and chances are you'd be even more emotionally disconnected from it. What's funny is that they screw up so much in regards to continuity from the original series that you almost need to watch the entire series and then train yourself to ignore numerous aspects of it….
I don't want to be such a wet blanket in this post, so let me go over some stuff I really enjoyed.
The Art and Animation Are Quite Good – A lot of these most recent spin-offs and sequels tend to get really crappy art and animation because they bank so much on nostalgic people flooding the view counts that they feel they can afford to leave this aspect to the wayside and fix it later if the series reaches high enough popularity. However, with Yashahime, despite a tiny bit of rockiness, it has rather impressed me with how nice it looks and how decent the animation is. It's not blowing my mind or anything, but it's still quite pretty.
The Music is Great – This is cheating a tiny bit because the music is largely based off of the original Inuyasha soundtrack. A lot of the BG music is extremely reminiscent of it, some of it is identical, but it's still an original soundtrack, especially with the OP's and ED's, which are great. Really enjoy the tracks in the show.
Snowball!Moroha – come on. It's too adorable.
Riku was Alright Too – I didn't reach a point where I found out what Riku's deal was, but I like his character. He comes off like a chaotic anti-hero, and that's always fun.
The Character Designs Rock – While I have my complaints about the aging up or lackthereof of the adult characters from Inuyasha, many other characters have awesome designs. I love Kohaku's glow up, Towa's so unique and slick, and Setsuna looks awesome with her demon slayer/Sesshomaru-esque outfit and mini fluffy boa. I like how both of the twins have red streaks in their hair, even though I have no clue what caused that. Moroha looks awesome and adorable in her custom-designed Robe of the Fire-Rat (Still want to know where she got it, though. We now know it most certainly isn't Inuyasha's.) and those little gloves and the ribbon that resembles dog ears are great touches. When they actually put in the effort, they create some awesome character designs on this show.
I Like that the Time-Travel Aspect is an Actual Part of the Main Conflict – Granted, it hasn't been focused on a whole lot, to the point where I'm kinda concerned they've dropped it as a plot point, but supposedly Kirinmaru plans on basically ruining the space-time continuum….I think, so that's pretty cool. That means the modern era might be involved in the grand finale.
And that's about all I got.
I didn't want to reach a point of dropping this series, but I just can't go on like this. My conclusion on Yashahime is it could've been much worse, but also could've been much better. I don't want to keep reviewing each individual episode of the show and being a Sour Sally about everything. I think I already have enough of a rep as a negative critic without picking apart this series every week, deserving or not.
Also, please don't get me wrong, if you enjoy the series then more power to you. You can apparently see something in it that I can't, and I'd never take that away from you. I keep saying that this series has a TON of potential, and it does, I know it, I'm just sick of seeing it get squandered so badly.
Now, this is another one of those 'quit' posts in that I will probably follow spoilers and stuff on the series just in case something huge happens and it's actually huge and not just something medium sized pretending to be huge by putting on stilts and a trenchcoat. I also may catch an episode or two if I feel like it, but I've run out of gas keeping up with this series on the reg. I'm going to try to find something to be a little more positive about.
Peace out, Yashahime. Here's hoping one day we can reunite under a brighter sky.
Until then, remember, a one-shot cell phone addiction is not comparable to a young girl's toxic relationship with an obsessed, controlling, murderous fire-powered mountain god.
Episode Review Masterlist:
Episodes 10, 11, 12 and 13


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Home › Tech News
5 Rumors About Windows 8
Author : Anand Singh | Category : Tech News | Last Updated : August 17th, 2014
On 20th November 2010, Windows has completed 25 years of existence. The trajectory of the system has many ups and downs. Though Vista has not generated good reviews, at least it was the perfect base for the the current version of Windows. Hailed by many and reaching a staggering 240 million copies sold in just one year, Windows 7 was shown to be evolved and is ideal for users.
Now Time For Windows 8
The seventh version of Windows very pleased, However there are a number of details that left some frustrated users. To fix this and make improvements, Microsoft has been developing Windows 8. Although rumors are spreading for some time, little is known about the new features.
To feed the curiosity of all, We were behind trusted information, Moreover, not so doubtful. We want to stress that the news Presented in here may not be present in Windows 8 or by the modified release product.
Startup Time
One of the most criticized in Windows is directly related to the enormity of libraries needed for running the system. Although Windows 7 have solved part of the problem, many people want to see the new system ready for use in less than 20 seconds.
Others have been more demanding and want the PC to function as a TV, and is called on Windows! And Perhaps the instant startup Is Possible because the picture – possibly part of a presentation from Microsoft – the concerts that feature is under discussion.
The solution may be related to the use of memory cards, Which Should speed up the boot with basic files. The challenge is not easy, but it is no doubt that Microsoft invest in this aspect, since the systems Competing also works accordingly.
Support For USB 3.0 And Improvements To The Storage
The USB 3.0 ports are now appearing on many notebooks and motherboards, But the drivers for the new standard are being provided only by Manufacturers. Apparently, Microsoft is to deploy the drivers on Windows 7 early next year, However, native support (without the use of additional packages) should be present only in the eighth version of the system.
Facial Recognition, Sensors and Improvements In Voice Commands
In Windows 7 we have great functionality of biometric readers, there is the reason not to bet on adding features such as the coveted "face recognition". In Windows 7 is already Possible to use this feature with the aid of a separate application, But in the eighth version of such a system would feature native.
Besides this detail, a series of sensors supported by Windows must be in eight. Some rumors indicates that the light sensors may be in the present system, feature that will analyze the ambient light and screen brightness adjusts not to impair vision.
Voice commands on Windows are not new, But improvements in the recognition and response to voice commands are welcome rumors and more than ever support this feature in Windows 8. Sensors to use the functions "Sleep" and "Wake" must also be present, though not much in demand functions.
Optimized System For Tablets And Netbooks
With respect to future Windows, Microsoft indicates that the forecasts will create an enhanced version of the system that is perfect for laptops. Currently, some Manufacturers are rolling in October already, tablet with Windows in the near future and Windows 8 invades should such devices.
For smartphones should not happen the Same, because Windows 7 Phone just came out and Microsoft should Invest in the cellular system independent of the evolution of Windows for desktops.
Speaking of laptops, not could we remember the detail that can be improved: power management.
Ineffective and the developer with some tweaks of the system get more smoke here help Consumers battery life.
Part Of The System In The Cloud
Again arrived at the famous term "cloud." The web dominated and the future of Windows promises to be united with the internet service. Already Microsoft has some features to add to Windows 8. One is the SkyDrive, Which When integrated into Windows, the transmission of data in a way similar to what We Have in the Dropbox.
Another Software that will operate the expanded cloud is Microsoft Office. Office Live Will be the part of the system and the quick and easy Perhaps way for users to work together. The Possibility that exists such features will work in the manner similar to what exists on Xbox Live.
The User Should Be The Focus!
Well, with so many appeals Possible, We can not predict what the direction of the new Windows. For us in the Arcade, the best step that Microsoft could give would be investing in a system focused on user and not the system itself.
What is your opinion?
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Anand Singh is software engineer and blogger. He is co-founder of eSoftload and writes mostly on technology, blogging and SEO.
23 thoughts on "5 Rumors About Windows 8"
Vivek Parmar
they are only rumours only, its not clear that windows8 is in beta testing or not??
Ayush Chand
Great! Windows 8 is going to change everything!
Nihar
Thanks for sharing this. Hope these rumors turn into reality.
Looking forward for windows 8
hitham
i think windows 8 will be released in 2012
Isha Singh
yes, according to information's it may be release in 2012. but hope for the best or atleast will can use in beta version this year.
Peter J
Just rumors, but it would be awesome if they where true 😀
Rohit | Ipod Touch 4G
looks like Windows 8 is going to be Father of all win OS this time…but still as these are rumors we cant be sure…we will have to wait for the Beta OS to come down to see what's really in it…
Cool, now me on w7, waiting for w8
Pubudu @ Tech Hamlet
The mysteries of Windows 8 are being revealed! 😀
Can't wait to get my hands on the RC Version! 🙂
Satyajit@SecurityHunk
Win installed box are the most user friendly OS for that only they exist till date…..lets see what the next level of WIN has for us…from this post it seems really very interesting… 🙂
Shiva@Webmasters Tips
Windows is certainly the best operating system out there and I think Windows 8 will take the whole experience to a new level. I am just waiting for its release
Swamykant
If these rumors turns true, then Windows 8 would be awesome. Nice post. Thanks for sharing.
It is a nightmare for me when Microsoft brings out new operating systems as I have a computer tips website and people still need help with the old OS's. I really hope they hold off on another release as Vista and Windows Seven were released too close together.
Kimi@top 10 antivirus
Vista was a failure of Microsoft, but windows 7 was better.
I really expect the most of windows 8 when it is released, because i am a windows person..
sure kimi, we all expect some great features from window 8. thanks for our comment.
Windows 8 is much expected update of Windows 7. I think Microsoft is planning to offer more features in Windows 8 as compared to Windows 8
Rajan Balana @ DreamBloggers
I have heard about it and read also that it is in beta phase. I am eagerly waiting for it 🙂
reverse phone usa
It amazing as to how fast Microsoft updates itself.It was just now that I was felling comfortable with Windows 7 i.e. I was getting my grip over the OS,now they are releasing Windows 8.Lets see what new features they put in this new OS.
Rajesh@Google Gravity
Well, there is a lot of buzz about Windows 8 on web. Waiting for its release eagerly. Let's see what Microsoft has in its store this time.
Zone Android
Just wait, I'm sure window 8 will not make you disappointed :). I love window 😀
Facial Recognition is going to be a good option if perfected in windows.
I feel Windows 8 is an operating system for the newer generation, I've played with the developer preview of Windows 8 and I'm truly amazed. Waiting eagerly for the final version to come out, will definitely buy it.
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A new paradigm has been rising in health treatment that focuses on the approach of overall health and wellness as an alternative of the treatment of illness. This new product is named by a lot of names, these kinds of as different drugs, complimentary medicine, holistic medication, and functional or biological medicine. This new medication embraces both contemporary science and information drawn from the world's fantastic traditions of organic healing several of them countless numbers of several years outdated. Review of these traditions reveals certain truths that can be used to advertise health and properly being. These fundamental rules type the basis for all holistic well being procedures. Among these is the need to have for healthful nourishment, the elimination of toxic compounds, and the upkeep of physical, psychological and energetic harmony.
When dis-ease is current it could be considered as proof of a disruption in the daily life force. Instead than just treating the consequences of dis-relieve, the overall health centered practitioner is targeted on obtaining the cause, and exactly where feasible assists the individual in reversing the condition approach. Often the lead to is traced to an folks life style, diet regime, environment, attitudes and beliefs, etc. When the causative elements are acknowledged and eradicated the individuals normal healing forces will solve the illness. Healing happens from within the personal, it can not be imposed upon them.
The science of biophysics has proven that our bodies are quantum fields existing inside of the quantum area of the universe. In numerous cultures this has been known, and is expressed in ancient therapeutic philosophies this sort of as Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine. In these traditions of all-natural therapeutic the intent is to balance the stream of strength in the physique and to create larger ranges of energetic integration throughout the technique to produce harmony amongst the personal and the world close to them.
A holistically educated dentist views the mouth as a micro- surroundings of the physique with the profound likely to reflect and affect the health of the total individual. Disruptions to the movement of vitality through the mouth may possibly affect distant regions of the entire body, and conversely, disruptions in other places may manifest in the mouth. This happens due to the fact the energy of our existence force flows via all areas of the body allowing each to purpose as a hologram of the entire body as a total. This types the scientific foundation for several healing disciplines these kinds of as Acupuncture, Kinesiology, Auricular Treatment, Iridology, Reflexology, and many others.
In Chinese medicine investigation of adjustments within the tongue allow analysis of one's systemic situation. In the identical way regions of the mouth and personal tooth are found to correspond to certain meridians and organ programs. As we evolve in our thinking and appreciation of the wholeness of our getting, we get started to realize that what we see as the "mouth" is not minimal to the enamel, gums, jaw, and related Temporomandibular joints and jaw muscle tissue.
Structural imbalance or disharmony inside of the jaw and bite an have profound influences by way of the physique as a entire. These imbalances can have profound influences in the musculo-skeletal program, the central nervous system, as well as via the body's electromagnetic strength circuits. As a consequence correct remedy of TMJ and bite problems often needs a holistic staff to assist balancing the body as total as the dentist performs with the bite either through orthodontics (braces) or with crown and bridgework.
In the earlier few years there has been a growing problem for the likely health hazards imposed by use of dental resources that contain toxic compounds. The most typical resource of problem has been the mercury located in silver fillings. Mercury is one particular of the most toxic metals located in character and is a main element of silver fillings up to 50 %.
Arranged dentistry has been unwilling to accept the likely problems of harmful components utilized in the mouth. The real truth is there are many variables. teeth whitening richmond tx of us is various in the capacity of our entire body to eliminate toxins from our technique. Because every of us provides a exclusive structure it is crucial that resources to be utilized in our mouths be screened to insure bio-compatibility for us. Holistic dentists have a variety of instruments to use to do this. Occasionally blood checks might be utilised although they are not as exact as a simple biofeedback exams done with Muscle Reaction Testing, or assessments carried out with electrodermal screening.
As a dentist your on the web reputation is your most significant asset in your dental apply. Management of your status ought to be at the top of your record in regards to your advertising plan.
Men and women are looking on the web, and reading reviews before they make their choice. If you have a unfavorable assessment, or no critiques, you will not get the telephone phone calls. Your competitors will. Folks have faith in critiques on the web as a lot as private recommendations.
We have experienced dozens of dentists arrive to us determined to resolve their poor popularity. They all experienced negative testimonials on the internet and have been dropping new individual possibilities proper and left. We know how aggravating this is, and that's why, when we assist them repair it, it provides us excellent pleasure to know their phone is ringing as soon as once again.
This is the huge match in town now. Google owns look for, and they are striving to get everyone into their very own system with Google+, Gmail, and now Google Additionally Local, which is their company listings that are connected to the maps on the 1st web page of practically each and every result.
When you see these listings, you'll also see hyperlink demonstrating the quantity of evaluations that company (or dental exercise) has. Numerous have none, but most now have 3-five. You can click on that hyperlink and go through what clients have mentioned about the exercise.
This can be really good, or really poor. You see… if you have even 1 negative assessment they are absent. They will transfer on to the up coming dentist and go through theirs. If they have all optimistic kinds, they get the contact. You dropped the opportunity.
Yelp has also turn into a massive player in the on-line evaluation sector. They have millions of people producing testimonials of nearby companies, so they have a great deal of electricity in the search benefits.
A lot of occasions when you do a research, you'll see a yelp listing. When you click on it, it will typically just take you to a enterprise listing in which you can read what men and women are stating.
Once more, if it really is bad items they are expressing, they will hit the back button, or keep on yelp and study the following listing.
1. Give excellent services. This may audio like a no-brainer, but how many moments have you gone to a restaurant, dry cleaners, dentist and had a bad encounter. We have all experienced this occur. Properly now, we just go to Google or yelp and create a review which is a killer to the organization.
two. Your front desk individual is a crucial crew member in your practice. She/or he can make or break the interaction. They want to smile, be helpful, and treat the patients like they would their household. When they do, you will get constructive evaluations, which will enhance your rankings and get your mobile phone ringing.
3. Stick to up. How a lot of times have you read from your dentist soon after the appointment? I can say only once, and that was with my new dentist. What did I do? I wrote him a glowing Google AND yelp assessment. He will benefit from my overview, I can reassure you.


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Hulkanized
We have seen the future of the CG-saturated action opus and ‒ upon emerging bruised and battered from the local megaplex ‒ can say with certitude that it isn't pretty.
Like Hulk after one of his transformative hissy fits, Marvel's $250-million "Avengers: Age of Ultron" is the superhero fantasy hopped up on adrenaline and HGHs, a frenetic parody of every comic book adventure ‒ bloated, garbled, crammed to bursting with series in-jokes and digitized dust-ups.
This installment opens in medias res as the Avengers ‒ Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye ‒ lay siege to old nemesis Wolfgang von Strucker's castle-cum-lab in Sokovia, East Europe. The team's mission: to decommission Strucker and his robot army and make off with the all-powerful scepter, which, when last utilized by Thor's evil brother, Loki, blasted a hole in the heavens for an invading army.
This time around said scepter is used by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to secretly activate what they think is a global defense system. Instead, it unleashes Ultron (voiced with ominous glee by James Spader), a "murder-bot" AI, which, when it isn't quoting "Pinocchio," pits the superheroes against one another and contemplates the extinction of mankind.
Oh, dear ‒
Directed and written by Joss Whedon, "Avengers 2" reverses audiences expectations: Instead of expository timeouts from the knock-downs-drag-outs, the action sequences this time provide much-needed respites from the clichéd comebacks and poorly integrated subplots, one of which introduces Hawkeye's secret family, another the initially nasty sibs Petro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). How do you tell the twins apart? "He's fast, she's weird."
Giddy from his newly minted box-office clout, Whedon high-fives his core constituency with winking asides and belabored cameos (Stan Lee does his obligatory walk-on). Careful not to mess with a winning formula, his comic-book heroes are, if possible, even more one-note than before: Iron Man/Stark is all smirking superiority as he makes funny with references to "Moby Dick" and Eugene O'Neill; the shield-slinging Captain America (Chris Evans) remains the square-jawed Dudley Do-Right of the team; Thor (Chris Hemsworth) once again is, by turns, brooding and sheepishly Old World; lovebirds Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) and Banner/Hulk are distinguished, respectively, by their selflessness and self-loathing. Archer Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) makes so little impression he might as well be firing rubber suction-cup arrows. Where's Katniss Everdeen when you need her?
Not to worry, however. Marvel and Disney have released "Avengers 2" in five formats — flat, IMAX, 3D, IMAX 3D, seat-quaking 4DX — thereby assuring the faithful ample opportunity to riffle through the tangled scrapheap passing for plot.
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON ✮1/2 With Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Elizabeth Olsen, Don Cheadle. Directed, written by Joss Whedon. 141 min. Rated PG-13 (for slight profanity, hyperbolic comic-book violence)
13 Responses to "Avengers Age of Ultron ✮1/2"
Judge the movie, not the theater. HOW ARE YOU A CRITIC?
Glenn Lovell Says:
Read the review — it's ALL about the movie. Thanks for weighing in.
canniboy Says:
Cinema dope indeed…. The movie was fun from top to bottom. Just because you feel the need for something more doesn't mean there needs to be something more. Stop superimposing your search for whatever upon the screen you are supposed to be watching.
Thanks for input. Keep reading —
SteveDInos Says:
You just kept saying things were bad and don't take much time at all to explain why. Any average person could have walked out of a theatre and said the same things you said, not a very useful critique.
Great review. I was getting worried that the world has gone mad, but this gave me hope.
William Naughton Says:
1-1/2 Stars? Compared to the first installment of the Avengers, this, undoubtably covered too much ground. That said, it was a lot of fun. This begs the question of why the abysmal score? (Not a Bad score mind you, but an abysmal one.)
You suggested that the original wasn't good either – clearly you don't care for the genre as you seem to be out of step with the vast majority of the global population (based on the ticket sales and meta scores). It might be instructive to note what you Do like… perhaps The Metamorphosis (fun for the whole family) or something politically correct with a "meaningful", desperately condescending message for the unwashed masses…. maybe something unrelentingly depressing and cynical? (For those days when the straight razor just "calls out" to you.)
You know…. like the news but more expensive.
So tell us what you like.
Then we will know that we can ignore you and get another opinion somewhere else.
Dejio Says:
05/02/2015 at 11:34 PM | Reply
This guy kept rambling on for several paragraphs but never got anywhere. Here's a tip; have a point! At least explain, instead of bombarding your review full of adjectives.
This feels like what a high school student would write if his teacher asked him to write an essay about a book (that he never got to read) in 200 words or more. Stretch….
05/03/2015 at 7:28 AM | Reply
1 1/2 stars aside – Glenn this is just a bad review, written as though you've only just read a synopsis of the film, providing no insight or value to your negative tone.
I will not keep reading. Nor should anyone see if you continue to write without substance.
CSD Says:
Completely agree with this review. Movie was nonsensical and a big let down from the first. The funny parts were not funny, the action parts were boring, the evil villain turns out to be a creampuff, and the heartstring parts were flat. The real superhero of the movie was Hawkeye's wife; stuck in the middle of a corn field pregnant and raising two kids while her husbands drops by apparently long enough to make another child before leaving to "Avenge" with "Nat" and the boys. She is the most kind and understanding entity in the Universe.
And how many scenes do we need to suffer through of our heroes tossing around armies of aliens/GMOHydrasoldiers/mini-IronMen as if they were raggedy Ann dolls? Ultron created some mile long centrifuge thing that rips an entire city out of the earth and levitates it up to the stratosphere (when did he have time to build this??) but his army of thousands pose no real threat to anybody or anything?? C'mon.
Ultron uses the strongest metal ever to build himself a new super duper body and the only real damage he does is after he hi-jacks the Avenger jet and mans the machine gun?? Who wrote this stuff?
jeff conn Says:
what a lame asss movie! dont waste your time or money on just crap movie. for all you fan boys, you are pathetic losers! get over it
lyndon Says:
1 1/2 stars is 1 too many. This was a bloated video game, with too much money spent on CG and nothing spent on a script. I hope that we have not seen the future of cinema action films. The characters were cardboard thin and as the Great Bard once said there was Much Ado About Nothing. Good news though 007 and Star Wars are on the way. We can live in hope.
Dirk Says:
Nice comparison with Star Wars – yes it will be much better when we can see real spaceships with real aliens duking it out in space rather than that CGI crap. Oh, and yes, I look forward to another cringeworthy Star Wars script. At least this time George will not be writing it. Averngers: Ultron was far more enjoyable than 4 of the Star War movies and I would say the same thing about 6 of the most recent 007 movies. And I am a fan of all three franchises. It's not a perfect movie but as if anyone criticizing it had a hope of producing anything remotely as entertaining for the majority of people.


Ade Sri started Goodiebake.com in 2009 as her media to post her tested recipes cooking and baking as well as sharing with others. As time flies and for love of, especially baking, brought her to make Goodiebake as the label for her made-to-order baked goodies. She also launched her first less sugar recipe book in 2012, Cookies & Pastries Lezat dan Sehat, published by Puspa Swara, Jakarta.
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Our signature choices of fluffy and moist base cake will become value added to your loved ones yet unforgettable memories to any of your occasion. Try pumpkin (seasonal), chocolate mud, carrot, banana or vanilla cake. Most of them are lessen in sweetness.
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As our goodies are not pre-made, kindly place your order in 5-day notice for the best project fulfillment. Please call for further request.
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Justin Chu Cary is an American actor and television personality from Oakland, California, United States. Interestingly, he debuts in the entertainment industry at the young age. He has appearance in many shows such as the Jane the Virgin, Supergirl, S.W.A.T., and NCIS. After that, He made his television debut in 6-episode of NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives. Furthermore, he landed her first role of "Spears" in American web television zombie apocalypse drama series "Netflix's "Black Summer". This show of Netflix will release on April 11, 2019. Another star cast of the show are: Kelsey Flower as Lance, Gwynyth Walsh, Christine Lee, Mustafa Alabssi as Ryan, Erika Hau as Carmen, Sal Velez, Jr. as William Velez and Edsson Morales.
Justin Chu Cary was born in Oakland, California. He was raised in Berkeley, California. His father belongs to African Ethnicity and mother is a Chinese American. As per education, he has completed his schooling from Berkeley High School. Justin was very talented, he won a statewide visual art competition in 4th and 6th grade.
Apart from that, he was the captain of his wrestling team. Cary has completed his graduation from University of California. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sociology and a double minor in Theater and Visual Arts. In 2009, he moved to Los Angeles to worked in film and television.
Furthermore, Justin Chu Cary has a tall lean personality with height of 6 feet 1 inches and his body weight is around 71 kg Approx. He has light brown eyes and his hair color is black.
Place of Birth Oakland, California.


Prices from 82.1504 to 83.1504 per night.
When you stay at Tower Condominium in Pyeongchang, you'll be next to a golf course and convenient to Yongpyong Ski Area.
Make yourself at home in one of the 177 air-conditioned rooms featuring kitchens with refrigerators and cooking facilities. Windows open to golf course and mountain views. Digital television is provided for your entertainment.
Practice your swing on the golf course and enjoy other recreational amenities, such as a health club and an indoor pool. Additional amenities include an arcade/game room, ski storage, and shopping on site. Getting to nearby attractions is a breeze with the complimentary area shuttle.
You can find a meal at a coffee shop/cafĂŠ serving guests of Tower Condominium, or stop in at a grocery/convenience store.
Featured amenities include ATM/banking services and an elevator (lift). Event facilities at this condominium resort consist of small meeting rooms and banquet facilities. A roundtrip airport shuttle is provided for a surcharge at scheduled times, and free parking is available onsite.
Guests can play rounds at the 9-hole golf course and enjoy other recreation facilities including a health club. In addition to an indoor pool, other recreational amenities include a waterslide and a sauna.
The preferred airport for Tower Condominium is Seoul (ICN-Incheon Intl.) - 198 km / 123 mi.
Prices from 182.5596 to 183.5596 per night.
When you stay at Dragon Valley Hotel in Pyeongchang, you'll be next to a golf course and convenient to Yongpyong Ski Area.
Make yourself at home in one of the air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and LCD televisions. Relax and take in mountain views from the privacy of your room. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and digital programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with shower/tub combinations feature handheld showerheads and hair dryers.
Enjoy the convenience of ski-in/ski-out access at this resort, which also features a water park (surcharge) and a health club. This resort also features complimentary wireless Internet access, an arcade/game room, and ski storage. The ski shuttle (surcharge) makes getting to the slopes a breeze.
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Featured amenities include a 24-hour business center, currency exchange, and express check-in. Event facilities at this resort consist of banquet facilities and exhibit space. A roundtrip airport shuttle is provided for a surcharge at scheduled times, and free parking is available onsite.
A health club and a water park (surcharge) with a lazy river and a waterslide are featured at the resort. An indoor pool, an outdoor pool, a children's pool, and a seasonal outdoor pool are on site. Other recreational amenities include ski-in/ski-out access, a sauna, and a steam room.
The preferred airport for Dragon Valley Hotel is Seoul (ICN-Incheon Intl.) - 197.9 km / 123 mi.
Prices from 142.5 to 407.55 per night.
When you stay at InterContinental Pyeongchang Resort Alpensia in Pyeongchang, you'll be convenient to Yongpyong Ski Area.
Make yourself at home in one of the 238 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and minibars. Wireless Internet access (surcharge) is available to keep you connected. Conveniences include safes and desks, as well as direct-dial phones with voice mail.
While the golfer in the family is out on the course, try one of the other recreational amenities offered, such as an outdoor pool or a fitness facility. This resort also features wireless Internet access (surcharge) and gift shops/newsstands.
Enjoy a satisfying meal at a restaurant serving guests of InterContinental Pyeongchang Resort Alpensia. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge.
Featured amenities include currency exchange, secretarial services, and dry cleaning/laundry services. This resort has 2 meeting rooms available for events.
Recreational amenities at the resort include a golf course, an outdoor pool, and a fitness facility.
The preferred airport for InterContinental Pyeongchang Resort Alpensia is Seoul (ICN-Incheon Intl.) - 197.6 km / 122.8 mi.
Prices from 109.3822 to 159.8 per night.
When you stay at Holiday Inn Alpensia Pyeongchang Suites in Pyeongchang, you'll be convenient to Yongpyong Ski Area.
Make yourself at home in one of the 419 air-conditioned rooms featuring kitchenettes with refrigerators and stovetops. Cable programming provides entertainment, and wired and wireless Internet access is available for a surcharge. Conveniences include direct-dial phones, as well as safes and desks.
Make use of convenient amenities such as wireless Internet access (surcharge), concierge services, and babysitting/childcare. Additional amenities include gift shops/newsstands and tour/ticket assistance.
Featured amenities include high-speed (wired) Internet access (surcharge), limo/town car service, and an Internet point. Free self parking is available onsite.
The preferred airport for Holiday Inn Alpensia Pyeongchang Suites is Seoul (ICN-Incheon Intl.) - 197.1 km / 122.5 mi.
Prices from 104.4537 to 293.0397 per night.
When you stay at Holiday Inn Resort Alpensia Pyeongchang in Pyeongchang, you'll be in the mountains and convenient to Yongpyong Ski Area.
Make yourself at home in one of the 238 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and minibars. LCD televisions with cable programming provide entertainment, while high-speed (wired) Internet access (surcharge) keeps you connected. Private bathrooms with bathtubs feature hair dryers and bathrobes. Conveniences include safes and desks, as well as phones with voice mail.
Take time to pamper yourself with a visit to the full-service spa. After practicing your swing on the golf course, you can enjoy other recreational amenities including a water park and a spa tub.
Featured amenities include high-speed (wired) Internet access (surcharge), currency exchange, and dry cleaning/laundry services. Event facilities at this hotel consist of conference/meeting rooms, a ballroom, and exhibit space. Parking (subject to charges) is available onsite.
A golf course and a water park are featured at the hotel. Other recreational amenities include a spa tub, a sauna, and a fitness facility.
The preferred airport for Holiday Inn Resort Alpensia Pyeongchang is Seoul (ICN-Incheon Intl.) - 197 km / 122.4 mi.
Prices from 108.42 to 133.41 per night.
With a stay at Kensington Flora Hotel Pyeongchang in Pyeongchang (Gangpyeong), you'll be close to Woljeongsa Temple.
Make yourself at home in one of the guestrooms featuring minibars. Cable television is provided for your entertainment. Conveniences include phones and safes.
After a day on the slopes, enjoy recreational amenities including an outdoor pool and a fitness facility.
An indoor pool and an outdoor pool are on site. Other recreational amenities include a sauna and a fitness facility.
The preferred airport for Kensington Flora Hotel Pyeongchang is Cheongju (CJJ-Cheongju Intl.) - 146.3 km / 90.9 mi.
Prices from 109.43 to 165.47 per night.
With a stay at N Hotel, you'll be centrally located in Gangneung and within the region of Haslla Art World.
Make yourself at home in one of the 30 air-conditioned rooms featuring minibars and flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms have hair dryers and bathrobes. Conveniences include coffee/tea makers and extra towels/bedding, and housekeeping is provided daily.
Enjoy a satisfying meal at a restaurant serving guests of N Hotel. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge.
Featured amenities include complimentary high-speed (wired) Internet access, a computer station, and express check-out. Free valet parking is available onsite.
The preferred airport for Hong C Hotel is Seoul (ICN-Incheon Intl.) - 218.3 km / 135.7 mi.
Prices from 87.1071 to 131.1198 per night.
Convention Hotel is located in Sabuk.
Prices from 212.7909 to 213.7909 per night.
Kangwonland Hotel is located in Sabuk.
Make yourself at home in one of the 477 guestrooms.
The preferred airport for Kangwonland Hotel is Seoul (ICN-Incheon Intl.) - 211.4 km / 131.3 mi.
Prices from 80.569 to 81.569 per night.
High1 Hotel is located in Gohan.
Make yourself at home in one of the 90 air-conditioned rooms featuring kitchenettes. Complimentary high-speed (wired) Internet access keeps you connected, and 42-inch LCD televisions are provided for your entertainment. Conveniences include desks and refrigerators.
Enjoy a satisfying meal at a restaurant serving guests of High1 Hotel.
Featured amenities include high-speed (wired) Internet access (surcharge), a 24-hour front desk, and a safe deposit box at the front desk. Free parking is available onsite.
The preferred airport for High 1 Resort is Yangyang (YNY-Yangyang Intl.) - 95.9 km / 59.6 mi.
Prices from 54.8866 to 82.4554 per night.
You'll be in the mountains with a stay at High1 Condominium in Gohan.
Make yourself at home in one of the 280 air-conditioned rooms featuring kitchens. Complimentary high-speed (wired) Internet access is available to keep you connected. Conveniences include phones and refrigerators, and you can also request rollaway/extra beds.
Make use of convenient amenities such as an arcade/game room, shopping on site, and wedding services.
Grab a bite to eat at one of the condo's dining establishments, which include 2 restaurants and a coffee shop/cafĂŠ.
Featured amenities include luggage storage and laundry facilities. Event facilities at this condo consist of a conference center, a ballroom, and banquet facilities.


That the seemingly innocuous Great British Bake Off has provoked much discussion and debate is I suppose evidence of its popularity and a comment on the state of television today.
And it is clearly not Love Island. Bake Off is the antidote to the preening self-absorption and vacuity of other reality shows. It is a competition, yes, but its charm is in quiet, modest endeavour and the pleasure in seeing something created and appreciated.
This is of course is something that Channel 4 hopes will seamlessly translate to commercial television now that the show has left the BBC. For many, though, Bake Off has lost its integrity and, more pertinently, its figure head presenters Mel, Sue and the revered Mary Berry.
Retaining the authenticity of the brand is now a priority for Love productions, the company behind the show. This is probably what was behind the revelation this week that the new series, to be broadcast later this year, would be free from product placement. As a company insider recently told the Guardian.
It is an interesting position to take because product placement on UK TV – where companies pay for their merchandise to be featured on screen as part of a particular programme – has increased. It's no coincidence that the audience's ability to avoid conventional advertising has also increased.
Since 2011, when ITV first carried product placement on its flagship magazine show This Morning, the practice has grown practically beyond measure. In that year, ITV cut a deal with Nationwide Building Society ensuring that Coronation Street featured a branded ATM in Dev Alahan's corner shop. Nationwide reportedly paid around £330,000 a week for the pleasure.
Which is all very well – but it leads to the suspicion that the creativity of writers, directors and producers may be compromised by the presence of brands. The concern is the need to satisfy the requirements of a company by reference to a product will alter the narrative flow of a programme in a detrimental way.
This is precisely the criticism levelled at reality shows in particular. In 2013 the X Factor was routinely taken to task by viewers for over emphasising the products of its sponsor, Samsung. In regular episodes contestants were repeatedly shown using Samsung devices whether they were cameras or mobile phones. More recently, The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) attracted disapproval for the prominence of Visa cards and logos.
However much viewers disapprove, though, we have to face the fact that content on commercial television is paid for by advertising money and always has been. In fact, ITV itself was created in the 1950's not so much because there was public clamour for another TV station but because the post war period of prosperity demanded a medium upon which a variety of new and exciting products could be advertised. Bluntly, ITV exists to provide an audience to advertisers.
But the historical home of product placement is cinema, and the James Bond franchise is a perfect example of how prevalent the practice is. 2015's Spectre is reported to have 17 different brands eager to be associated with the iconic spy. Heineken, Sony, Bollinger and Omega watches are all easily identifiable should you wish to play Bond branded bingo.
But television is different and the success of the Great British Bake Off has been built on its simplicity and freedom from gimmickry. The introduction of product placement now would only serve to further shatter that illusion and potentially alienate its core following.
Imagine a future where it's possible to see an iphone in I, Claudius. It's a terrifying thought.


Comments: ALTERNATE EDITION: Brand new book. INSTRUCTOR'S EDITION. Never used. Nice gift. Best buy. Shipped promptly and packaged carefully.
¡A QUE SÍ! is a provocative post-intermediate Spanish conversation book that will motivate your students. Learners develop an important cultural awareness and build the confidence they need to express opinions through oral and written discussion on a variety of timely, personally relevant issues. The book's highly acclaimed thematic organization focuses on topics of general contemporary relevance, which help raise awareness and understanding of Hispanic and global issues. Each thematic unit is supported by creative activities and engaging authentic materials, including dozens of new selections in literature, journalism, films, songs, and cartoons.De la Torre, Cristina is the author of 'A Que Si!', published 2004 under ISBN 9781413003901 and ISBN 1413003907.


text:
Home News Nokia 8.1 starts selling in Kenya
Nokia 8.1 starts selling in Kenya
Emmanuel ChenzeMarch 28, 2019003.1k
Unveiled in December 2018 and known elsewhere as the Nokia X7, the Nokia 8.1 is now available for purchase in Kenya.
While the name, Nokia 8.1, may easily make one conclude that the device is a successor to the Nokia 8 from 2017 and its refresh, the Nokia 8 Sirocco from last year, the 8.1 is its own man, if we may say.
In fact, it can be more accurately looked at as a successor to the impressive Nokia 7 Plus, which, in another case of confusing product naming by HMD Global, is not exactly the successor to the Plus.
One of the Nokia 7 Plus' selling points was its impeccable design and the 8.1 keeps that while introducing a cutout (notch) on the 6.18-inch Full HD+ display panel.
The Snapdragon 710 processor that powers the device, according to HMD Global, improves performance over the Snapdragon 660 found on the 7 Plus by as much as 20%. The Adreno 616 GPU, on the other hand, brings with it a boost in graphics processing by over a third more than the previous generation.
As can be expected, the device arrives running Android 9 Pie and is a sure bet to hop on to the Android Q bandwagon faster than other similarly-specced and priced devices.
That is so not only because of how HMD Global handled the 7 Plus – enrolling it in the Android P beta and the device being one of the first in the world, after Google's Pixels, to get official Android Pie once it exited beta – but also because it's part of the Android One program.
The device has two standout features: the PureDisplay screen technology that is incorporated in the display and the camera system that includes something we haven't had from the Nokia brand in a while: bothies (a fancy way of saying dual-selfies).
ZEISS optics and the addition of optical image stabilization (OIS) should play a key role in helping the 8.1 truly live up to Nokia's highly regarded camera prowess.
According to HMD Global, the 20-megapixel selfie camera, a key component of the device, "snaps stunning shots in dimmer conditions by combining four pixels into one for better light capture."
The PureDisplay tech, the second time we are seeing it on a Nokia smartphone (the first one was on the Nokia 7.1) makes it possible for the device to get HDR10 certification, just like the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. As earlier noted, "What this means is that the display has a higher contrast and clarity level thus allowing light and dark areas to pop."
"This is useful for similarly-tailored content that users can access from YouTube, Netflix and such. What's more, the device will even convert standard definition content to HDR level before beaming it, in real time."
Overall, specifications of the device are as follows:
Size (minus the camera bump) and weight: 154.8 x 75.76 x 7.97 mm, 180g
Display: 6.18-inch PureDisplay Full-HD+ (18.7:9)
Camera: Main 12 MP (with OIS) + 13 MP; Secondary 20 MP
Memory: 4GB RAM; 64 GB internal storage (expandable up to 400GB)
Operating System: Android 9, Pie
Battery: 3,500mAh with fast charging
Network: 3G, 4G
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, NFC
Other: Nokia OZO surround sound capture
Additionally, the Nokia 8.1 is part of the Android Enterprise Recommended program. This means that it has been certified as safe to use in organizations, by Google.
READ: New Nokia smartphones are the latest entrants to Google's Android enterprise recommendation program
The device also incorporates AI smarts, just like the Nokia 7.1. This is more visible in the camera where it kicks in to perfect images with "studio-style" lighting and live bokeh effects.
The Nokia 8.1 is available for Kshs 45,000 in stores across the country in Blue/Silver and Iron/Steel color combinations with dual SIM slots. The single SIM variant is available at Safaricom shops.
Before you ask, yes, the Nokia 8.1 supports Jamii Telecoms' Faiba 4G.
READ: Nokia smartphones that support JTL Faiba 4G
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There have been a bunch of new multiple-item value deals lately. We have the Wendy's 4 for $4 deal that started the trend. Then we have the Burger King 5 for $4 deal and the McDonald's McPick 2.
Now Carl's Jr has entered the fray with their very own 4 for $4 deal called the $4 Real Deal.
The Carl's Jr/Hardee's deal includes a Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Double Cheeseburger, small fries, and a 16-oz drink for $4.
I actually really like this deal. Unlike the Burger King and Wendy's deals, this comes with two burgers instead of a burger and nuggets (for anyone asking, a burger is always better than nuggets).
This is plenty of food for lunch, is probably a better deal than the other two. McDonald's though might have them beat in terms of flexibility and value.


Hot Buttered Rum is a classic winter cocktail. It's sweet, slightly spicy (thanks to nutmeg and allspice) and delightfully boozy. I had no idea how many iterations there were until I researched recipes. The preparation is much the same; you cream butter and sugar together, add cream or melted vanilla ice cream, and winter spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. When making a cocktail, you add two tablespoons mix to a heatsafe mug and add a shot of rum and top with hot water.
I did not have any ice cream, so I figured heavy cream would be the best substitute. I used brown sugar for depth of flavor. Other recipes I've seen called for floating a pat of butter on top of the hot rum, but I don't love that idea–creaming the sugar and butter together makes it lighter and less greasy.
Add two tablespoons of this mix to hot water and rum for a soul-warming cocktail this winter.
Beat butter and brown sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Beat in whipping cream and powdered sugar alternately on low speed until smooth. Stir in allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Use immediately, or spoon into a freezer container. Cover, label and freeze up to 3 months.
For each serving, place rum and 2 tablespoons Hot Buttered Rum Batter in mug. Stir in boiling water. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
This cocktail is perfect for a winter night–it warms and soothes the soul. Curl up on the couch with one of these and stay warm. It makes a great gift, too, but I have a feeling you'll want to keep it to yourself.