![]() This pragmatic approach has led to the launch of features like Stories and Reels arguably inspired by innovations on other platforms, and also facilitated the purchase of rival platforms, in this instance WhatsApp and Instagram.Įven so the company still managed to take the media by surprise on Sunday when it announced the impending launch of Meta Verified. Yet, it has never been afraid to borrow a good idea from someone else too. ![]() Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has always been an innovator. have both played a certain turn-of-the-century London-based detective.21 February 2023 What are the implications for the media of the Meta Verified subscription initiative? “One meta joke that didn’t make it into the film, however, would have poked fun at the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr. Nowhere is this truer than memes, which, when they become quickly popular, instantly get remixed into other memes or into memes about their own viral meme-dom. Is walking by the Twitter offices in South Park. Jacqui Cheng, PhD Blogger School of Hard Knocks July 23, 2007 ![]() I suppose this is a meta-tweet, about tweeting. The ironic, self-parodying culture of the internet makes it a hotbed for meta. Popular culture has also gone meta, with cartoons showing their self-awareness as cartoons or films mocking the tropes of film. It’s often used in the predicate, though, as in: that video was so meta.Įxamples of meta are often found in fine arts, with, say, paintings of paintings or photographs of photographers. It can act as a simple modifier (e.g., He made a meta comment on Facebook). True to its history, meta can be prefixed (e.g., meta-definition). Meta has gone on, in the gaming world, for anything out of the universe of the game used to affect the universe in the game-cheating, in a nutshell, and making the game less fun for more earnest players. ![]() In the late 1990s, metagaming was used in games like Dungeons & Dragons to refer to an in-game character unfairly using information gathered outside of the game world by their player. While some claim this meta is an acronym for Most Effective Tactic Available (a folk etymology), it is short for metagaming, using knowledge about the game itself to beat the “game” of mastering that game. In the 1990s–2000s, meta took special root in online gaming communities when discussing the most successful strategies, characters, or weapons. One early instance, for example, described an appearance of a real-life TV news anchor of Murphy Brown, a sitcom about a fictional anchor, as meta. Meta-, here, suggests “ transcending” or “overarching,” helping it become a synonym for self-referential by the 1980s in postmodernism and popular culture, used for creative works that alluded to their own form, genre, tropes, or other conventions. The prefix meta- is notably used in metaphysics, a form of which is recorded in the 14th century for philosophy concerned with the first principles of things, the nuts and bolts of reality and existence. Meta comes from the Greek prefix and preposition meta, which means “after” or “beyond.” When combined with words in English, meta- often signifies “change” or “alteration” as in the words metamorphic or metabolic. ![]()
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![]() m圜lub is fun and has more layers than perhaps it was first given credit for – it is a legitimately good take on the Ultimate Team game modes that propelled EA into the stratosphere. The overriding feeling though is that PES just isn’t doing enough with what it has built. Microtransactions exist but as has always been the case, the abundance of ways in which you can earn m圜lub coins still keeps PES in good credit. There are still places for the offline gamer but m圜lub is where Konami has really staked its reputation over the last few years. After what feels like years of grumbles over how clunky and unpredictable it can be, this is welcome news. The collision engine has also been fine tuned, leading to much more realistic outcomes when tackling or challenging a 50-50. The artificial intelligence is more susceptible to falling for one of the many skills pulled off on the right analogue stick and with a little work you’ll have an array of feints at your disposal. If, like us, you find a successful dribble almost as good as scoring a goal, this is the PES for you. Finesse dribbling, now into its second year, has also received marked improvements that really takes it on from where it was last year. ![]() The first immediately obvious improvement is the responsiveness – everything from passing to dribbling feels tighter and more fluid, which compared to the occasionally sluggish moments in 2020 is very promising.Īdvanced shooting remains tricky to perfect but so rewarding when you get it right. PES 2020 played beautifully but there were a number of aggravating quirks that could spoil games, some of which appear to have been addressed in this year’s release. ![]() Of course, gameplay is what we’re most interested in and there have been some noticeable tweaks, despite very few clues suggesting there would be pre-release. It’s not the be all and end all but you’d hope next gen PES will be more layered and subsequently more engrossing. There just isn’t the same dynamism as in FIFA and popular terrace chants are almost nowhere to be heard. Painted against the anecdotal commentary in 2K or Madden it makes you realise how far behind PES has fallen.Ĭrowd noise needs an overhaul too. When Peter Drury or Jim Beglin finally emerge from the void it’s often to deliver a short generic burst of dialogue that doesn’t really tell you much more than what you’re seeing. Matches have regular spells of dead air that leave you wondering if the game has glitched out. If you’re not hearing repetitive lines, you’re just not hearing much at all. The commentary is so outdated now that it’s almost laughable. Not far behind is the presentation and matchday experience, something that truthfully needs to be completely rebuilt. Add to that the arduous nature of navigating the menus and you’re left with a pretty frustrating user experience. It’s 2020 now and all the poorly translated English phrases just make the game feel amateurish. PES has managed to get away with this because they were seen as quirky and charming aspects of a Japanese publisher wading into the world of football but that was the case in 2006. Remember: this is a game we said was turning stale last year. Of course rolling out what is effectively just an update will leave you open to criticism too, as problems that became apparent through the life cycle of PES 2020 largely still remain. There really is little that gives you the sense that this is a new game, which in a perverse way is quite refreshing. The title screen is different but the menus are identical, the user experience hasn’t changed at all, m圜lub is identical and so are the other modes. This transparency is welcome, particularly in a sector of the video games market that has been getting away with inadequate annual updates for far too long.ĮFootball PES 2021 Season Update really is as close to a patch or annual update as you’re ever going to find. The important detail here is that Konami played this one as straight as they could. In fact, it stays so true to its name that it’s hard to discern any real changes beyond the club transfers that have occurred in the past 12 months. And that’s why we begin this review commending Konami for what we feel is excellent expectation management.ĮFootball PES 2021 Season Update is exactly what it says it is. ![]() ![]() Other encryption options are available, but most come with significant cost. A better option is VeraCrypt, which is actively maintained, audited and remains completely free.īitLocker is a Microsoft original, and while it offers the ability to encrypt entire hard disks and the Windows partition, the service isn’t available with Windows Home Edition. Navy, the U.K.’s National Health Service and a host of American energy companies. TrueCrypt remains popular as a way to encrypt systems still running Windows XP, which, as noted by CIO, includes organizations like the U.S. ![]() 26 appears to do just that - and as a result, disclosure of the vulnerabilities shouldn’t pose a significant risk. Forshaw hasn’t released the specifics because he wants to give TrueCrypt’s successor, VeraCrypt, time to fix the issues. Early results were promising the audit “found no high-severity issues or evidence of intentional backdoors in the program.”Īccording to ZDNet, however, researcher Project Zero researcher James Forshaw found something else entirely: vulnerabilities CVE-2015-7358 and CVE-2015-7359, both of which are considered critical and allow local privilege escalation in Windows through clever drive letter handling and incorrect impersonation token handling, in effect giving malicious actors total access. The original authors or TrueCrypt never came forward to offer any explanation for the abrupt end to development, instead warning users that their code “may contain unfixed security issues.” When the shutdown hit, project interest was high enough to spark a crowd-funded independent audit of both source code and cryptography implementations. But according to CSO Online, a researcher from Google’s Project Zero has uncovered two critical flaws that could leave Windows-based systems wide open. ![]() Despite the lack of support, many users still choose the latter software to encrypt hard drives. When it comes to Windows, however, users have historically been given few choices: Newer versions support the company’s own BitLocker, while the now-defunct Windows XP was secured thanks to the help of open-source project TrueCrypt, which was terminated in May 2014. This is definitely based on emotions and not in fact, so Veracrypt is at no fault.What’s the first line of defense for any data on local hard drives or server stacks? Full-disk encryption. One fear I have is that since Veracrypt is not built-in, it is much more likely to get corrupted and lead to data-loss. Is this a mistake? Other than being open-source, is Veracrypt better in some way? Performance? Security? I considered using Veracrypt and although I love its container encryption feature, I admittedly did not give its FDE a chance because I figured MS's implemented would be more streamlined, since it was baked directly into the OS. I am currently using Bitlocker on Windows 10 Pro to encrypt my system drives. Also for future consideration - this kind of tech is constantly being updated (TPM 1.2 vs 2.0 for example), so my OCD would go hay-wire if I wasn't running the latest & greatest. I know it's only $15, but honestly it's just one more thing to pay for, do, and install. Does having TPM have any other benefits I am not thinking of? Is it all that bad if I don't have a TPM installed? I have the recover key(s) locked down in another fashion. ![]() TPM basically locks down the encryption if the user is removing the HD from the system. I searched Ars, I Googled and wanted to make sure I understood this correctly: By chance, I stumbled upon some TPM modules on Amazon and was considering purchasing one. I used group policy to bypass the TPM requirement and up until now used it without even knowing was TPM was. It's been a long time and glad to see the Ars Hive Mind™ is still alive and well. ![]() ![]() ![]() But his rapid-fire, pitch-corrected vocals were bound to translate poorly to the SNL stage, where even the strongest and clearest vocals can get buried. ![]() Lil Baby, " California Breeze " and " Forever " (1/28/23)Ītlanta rapper Lil Baby is a huge, chart-topping star. It's not particularly good, exactly, but at least it's. A full band rocks out, in a meandering sort of way, amid an assortment of greenery as singer Diana Gordon can't help but overshadow her counterpart meanwhile, Yachty himself is left to warble lackadaisically, rap a bit in "drive ME crazy!" and don a massive fur cap while standing around and nodding. That record, Let's Start Here, provides the jumping-off point for this curious and somewhat inscrutable set, in which Yachty himself seems to only intermittently participate. Yachty has been an actor, a rapper, a multimedia sensation and, on the album he released earlier this year, the leader of a psychedelic rock band that leaves hip-hop behind. Lil Yachty has been upending expectations throughout his strange young career, which has found him in everything from a starring role in How High 2 to, um, a collaboration with Donny Osmond on a jingle for Chef Boyardee. But not even the Grammys are foolish enough to place Jack Harlow on par with Kendrick Lamar.ġ6. Harlow at least seemed roused enough to participate in "State Fair," but the arrangement isolated him onstage and forced him to carry the entire burden of the moment - a tactic that works if you're, say, Kendrick Lamar. Way to climb the ladder, J-'low! A medley of "Lil Secret" and "First Class" places Harlow in front of a band, but the songs are dull - has there been a less hook-forward chart-topper than "First Class" in recent years? - and he couldn't help but find himself overshadowed by both the easygoing groove and a doofy white scarf. For Season 48, he returned to the SNL stage to perform double duty as host and musical guest - and soared up the rankings, all the way to 17th (out of 18), due to a writers strike that lopped three episodes off the season. ![]() Two years ago, Jack Harlow's drab, listless SNL debut propelled him to a 19th-place performance (out of 20) on this very list. Jack Harlow, "Lil Secret"/"First Class" and "State Fair" (10/29/22) So by the time he, Jacob Collier and the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers paddled back to the sturdy shores of "Fix You," the damage had already been done.ġ7. "The Astronaut" and "Human Heart," two slabs of Up With People-style inspirecore from 2021's Music of the Spheres, just can't be elevated to the heights he's hell-bent on reaching. But he's often guilty of overreaching in the pursuit of transcendence, and that only works when the songcraft is top-notch. Sam Smith in 2015, but also Coldplay on a stage filled with smiling space aliens and swaying congregants.Ĭhris Martin is a talented and charismatic guy, in spite of it all, and his band's Tiny Desk concert from 2020 - also recorded with a choir! - was legitimately wonderful. In fact, if you were to take Sam Smith in 2023 but extinguish every scintilla of sexuality and mischief, you'd get. It's remarkable how many ingredients this set shares with Sam Smith's SNL performance just two weeks earlier most obviously, they both deployed choirs, with costumery to spare. If you want the most compelling possible case against Coldplay, watch this SNL appearance, which is corny enough to drown the earth's surface in ethanol. If you want to hear the most compelling possible case for Coldplay, listen to Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head. Jacob Collier and the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers)" (2/4/23)Ĭoldplay has inspired more than 20 years of fierce online debate, but the argument isn't all that complex. Coldplay, "The Astronaut" and "Human Heart"/"Fix You (feat. So, for the sixth year in a row, let's get to it!ġ8. (See previous rankings: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018.)Īs always, we've linked to every performance that's still (legally) posted on YouTube, but every one of these sets is also available for streaming via Peacock in case you wish to check my work. So it's once again time to cruelly rank them all: the magnificent, the flawed-but-forceful, the forgettable and the truly, epically misbegotten. Naturally, the vagaries of live performance - and of SNL's notoriously unforgiving Studio 8H, not to mention late-night TV's eternal issues with sound mixing - meant that some musical guests were bound to outshine the rest. The results were a typically mixed bag, with occasionally transcendent results. For the second straight season, SNL leaned away from the safe spaces of guitar-driven rock, opting instead to focus more heavily than ever on R&B and (especially) hip-hop. But at least the musical guests offered some major highlights. It was a rough season for Saturday Night Live, which endured painful cast attrition (Aidy Bryant, Cecily Strong, et al.), mixed reviews and a writers strike that knocked out Season 48's final three episodes. ![]() ![]() ![]() The company’s apps are open source, allowing others to examine the source code, look for bugs, and see whether it's doing anything which might compromise the user's privacy. Again, Private Internet Access has way more to boast about than many rivals. It’s important for a VPN to show transparency, to offer real evidence that it’s living up to its promises. But with PIA, nothing gets sent unless you go into the Settings panel and turn on the feature yourself (it's the 'Help improve PIA' option in the Help area, if you're curious). Some turn this on by default, with the VPN presumably hoping users never realize what’s happening. ![]() Many VPNs have an option to send anonymous connection data back to the company, to help improve the service. The best providers show they respect your privacy, and PIA scores here, too. Private Internet Access managed to protect all of our data from DNS leakage in the tests we performed (Image credit: Private Internet Access) Private Internet Access says that if you purchase a new account more than three months after the last refund, you're eligible for another. Many VPNs say customers are only allowed one refund, ever. PIA's Terms and Services (opens in new tab) has another surprise (and unusually for small print, it's a good one). ![]() There's a free 7-day trial for mobile users, and you're also covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can pay for PIA via Bitcoin if you're looking for extra privacy, or by card or PayPal, plus there are other methods depending on your region (Amazon Pay is supported in the US, for instance). NordVPN is a little more expensive at $5.83 a month on its annual plan, but Ivacy undercuts everyone at just $1.99 a month. Pricing for a dedicated IP is reasonable at $5 a month, $4.25 on the one-year plan, $3.75 over three years. But using the same IP also means you're more likely to be recognized by websites, so this isn't an ideal option for everyone. These get you the same IP address every time you log on, and as no one shares it, you're less likely to find you're block-listed due to someone else's dodgy activities. PIA offers dedicated IPs in Australia, Canada, Germany, Singapore, UK and US, and recently added Japan and Switzerland. Putting that into perspective, Hotspot Shield’s Premium plan costs $95.99 for one year’s protection PIA asks only $79 for your first three. The annual plan (opens in new tab) is cheaper than most at a low $3.33 a month, but opt for the three-year plan (opens in new tab) and this drops to just $2.03 ($2.19 on renewal). The Private Internet Access monthly plan (opens in new tab) is fair value at $11.95. Private Internet Access provides a range of payment methods (Image credit: Private Internet Access) Private Internet Access pricing ![]() ![]() ![]() Copying all the contents from the source table We create a in-memory database, 'attaching' it with the disk based SQLite databaseĭb.SQLExecute("attach database ':memory:' as 'RAMDB'") Re.Reason = "Error trying to connect to the database"ĭb.SQLExecute("PRAGMA LOCKING_MODE = Exclusive") // Improves the read access to the database However, and focusing on the tip itself, this is the snippet of code you can use: Dim db as SQLiteDatabase = New SQLiteDatabaseĭb.DatabaseFile = // FolderItem to the SQLite database file on diskĭb.EncryptionKey = "aes256:" + // same password that the one used to encrypt the data You can further modify this technique so you can work with your databases in a mixed way that is, where we want to simultaneously execute a query involving both an encrypted database table and an in-memory table database.īut for this example code we are only focused on opening an encrypted SQLite database (based on disk) as a new SQLite class instance, and using next a SQL sentence to create a new in-memory database (named RAMDB in the example), creating the same table on the RAM database next and then copying the data from the source table during the process.įrom that time on, you will be able to use the new table on RAM at light speed!Īnother SQL command you might find of interest, and that you can use in all your SQLite databases where you expect to get a gain in the read speed, is to use the exclusive mode, using for that PRAGMA LOCKING_MODE = Exclusive. How can we improve this? One technique is the creation of a new in-memory based SQLite database, where we will be able to copy the table (or tables) we are interested in getting the maximum speed possible with. But the truth is that encrypting the data in these databases can introduce a penalty in our queries, both from read and writing/updating data to them. It’s very usual to use encrypted SQLite databases in our Xojo projects where we expect to get the maximum read speed from them. ![]() ![]() Pressurize attempts to refill and replace the air (or lack thereof) with standard O2-N2 air mix.Establish lowers it back down again, albeit without much air.Retract draws it up, removing the airbridge.Is it any different from the pedestrian ones in the corridor? Why does he need his own? How is it so fancy? These are just some of the mysteries involved.Ī fancy control panel with a fancy interface (that abhors older operating systems) for controlling the station's airbridges, the little hallways with white walls and blue tiling that are sort of like drawbridges or skybridges. The Head of Personnel keeps it in customs.Ī strange, freestanding teller machine in the HoP's quarters. Keeps track of the total stipend, which contributes to total station profitability calculation at round end. Rarely used to set crewmembers' wages, and mess with their bank accounts. Shows the station's three budgets (payroll, research and shipping), and lets you transfer money between them. All have a roughly two-minute timer between annoucements and require a ID with the relevant access. Cargo Bay has one by default, and on Cogmap2, there's also on in the Bridge and every Head's office, serving each of their specific departments. Just be careful about apostrophes and other punctuation marks.Īllows you to make, you guessed it, station/server-wide announcements, similar to the ones accompanying Random Events. By default, the announcement message is "$NAME has signed up as a $JOB", but it can be just about anything you want so long as it's within the Rules. Announces new players joining the current round. ![]() Remotely calls or sends off the mining station shuttle.įound in a little side room in the Bridge. Portioned out here and there on the station, easiest to find in the bar and crew quarters. Reality shows! Lets you look through certain cameras, such as telescience's helmet cam. When hacked, will also provide prize vending modules and wireless modules. ![]() ![]() The vending machine in Tech Storage, which dispenses much of the equipment needed to build more complex computers, such as ones that can use ThinkDOS. ![]() ![]() ![]() To recover unlimited files, try advanced editions. MyRecover allows users to recover deleted files in Windows 10 for free, up to 30MB each time.Don’t save them to their original location as it may cause data corruption or permanent data loss. It will automatically recover deleted files in this folder. Then, confirm it and click Select Folder. Select a new folder to store all the deleted files on your drive. You can use this to determine if you have selected all files on it. Note: MyRecover displays the number of files to be recovered and their full size. You don’t need to wait for the final scanning result if you find files need to recover. Select the deleted files you want to recover and click Recover xxx files. Size: filter file size from less than 128KB to 128KB ~1MB to 1MB ~ 512MB and above, or custom.Data Modified: support today, yesterday, last 7 days, last 30 days, and custom.Type: include all file types, such as images, videos, documents, mails, webpage, compressed files, etc.You need to select file type (eg: Word documents), date modified or size. ![]()
![]() It is intended as a road map to cast a vision for the future of the neighborhood and to help the community clearly articulate its needs and desires. This plan is a stepping stone for the transformation of the Greater Casa View Area. This plan recommends a bold statement placed at strategic locations throughout the neighborhood. The Greater Casa View Area could greatly benefit from a branding effort that would instill a greater sense of pride and accomplishment in the neighborhood. It creates a spirit of unity and camaraderie that builds pride and a sense of ownership throughout the community. That established brand is then perpetuated throughout the neighborhood and adopted by associations within. Gateways are so incredibly vital to any neighborhood as they provide a unified vision and voice of that area’s brand. This plan proposes to pull the gem out and create a neighborhood hub for the community. One of the main challenges of the center is that it is hidden. This open land not only offers a perfect space for developing indoor and/or outdoor amenities to expand the service area of the facility, but it also serves as an opportunity to create more of a presence on Ferguson Road. The site is a fairly open site with available open un-programmed space on the west side of the property. Additionally, enhanced sidewalks make a neighborhood more approachable, walkable and generally more beautiful. ![]() As the area has a very mixed demographic, wheelchair accessibility is of the utmost importance. Streetscape Savvyīetter sidewalks create better walkability throughout the neighborhood and comply with ADA standards. ![]() The railway already exists and adequate greenspace is already available-making it an ideal location to pilot this transformation. The Rails-with-Trails plan suggests coordination with the City of Dallas Parks Department, Oncor and the Texas Railroad Commission to develop a feasibility study. Connectivity at Its CoreĪt the heart of this plan is the central theme of connecting the Casa View to the rest of the city - to the urban core, to White Rock Lake, to the City of Garland. This GCVA Area Plan conforms closely to forwardDallas! and Neighborhood Plus objectives while outlining strategic opportunities to invest in further revitalizing our super-neighborhood-filling gaps in the Far-East Dallas planning ecology from a City perspective. ![]() From a series of consensus building events, GCVA has identified comprehensive concerns at a block-level scale and has selectively picked elements from sustainable development, new urbanism and smart growth planning approaches to set us on a course toward resolution and revitalization. Understanding the broader plans for the City of Dallas, the Greater Casa View Alliance (GCVA) has created a plan that targets key neighborhood resources along and within the Ferguson Road corridor. ![]() ![]() ![]() In the dark the forest changes and becomes a much more dangerous place. The Wild at Heart Review PS4 – NightlifeĪs you’re exploring day will gradually turn into night. It’s a real joy to explore all the different areas of the forest and try to find every last hidden item. As you gain access to different types of spritelings and increase the number that can follow you around, you’ll uncover new pathways and hidden secrets. ![]() You’ll find yourself revisiting some areas but it never starts to feel repetitive. The puzzles start out fairly simple but then gradually become more and more complicated as the game progresses. Kirby is able to squeeze through small pipes and access areas that Wake can’t reach, whereas Wake can use his homemade vacuum device to activate wind spinners and suck things towards himself. You’ll be able to switch between the two of them and have them move around the forest separately. Things get really fun when Wake gets reunited with his friend Kirby. There are lots of really clever and interesting puzzles where you’ll need to figure out the best way to use your little army to unlock the path forward. Your progress through the woods will be blocked unless you have the right type of spriteling, for example, you’ll need Shiverlings in order to create ice bridges for you to cross. There are different types of spritelings that will be useful in different situations and it’s really quick and easy to switch between them. These critters follow you around and can do all sorts of things like build bridges, move massive stones out of your way, as well as fighting against hostile enemies. You befriend some adorable forest creatures called spritelings. You won’t just be exploring the deep wood on your own though. These Guardians have been around for a while but need Wake’s help to rescue some of their lost friends. Wake ends up in a very deep part of the woods where he discovers an eclectic group of people who are trying to contain an ancient evil called The Never. It turns out that forests are very easy places to get lost in. The Wild at Heart Review PS4 – New friends ![]() |
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