Grand Theft Auto V is notable for all kinds of reasons. It's the most expensive video game ever made, and also one of the very most successful, by any measure. It sold so well that Rockstar kept the online service for the 7th-generation (PS3 and Xbox 360) releases of the game going from release in 2013 until late last year. It had moved over 150 million copies as of last August, in fact.
That number has surely gone up since then, and it's probably going to continue going up for years to come thanks to the updated re-release that's now available on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles. We've already written about what's included in the re-release, but the short version is that it adds higher-quality assets, ray-traced lighting, and 60 FPS options to the exclusively-30-FPS console releases.
ssd sony ps5 2
Unfortunately, another notable aspect of GTA V is its interminable loading times, especially on the consoles. Well, arguably the biggest change this console generation has been the move to solid-state storage instead of the spinning rust used previously. Both families of 9th-generation game consoles support disk I/O tens of thousands of times faster than the 8th-generation consoles.
Naturally the new release of GTA V reaps the benefits of that in its load times. Over at IGN, they put the new release through its paces and found that load times are drastically improved across the board. Selecting "replay mission" can find load times as much as 75% faster on the new system, while loading autosaves was slashed from over two minutes to around 20 seconds on Sony's latest machine.
ign gtav ps5 loading
As showcased in IGN's video, the difference upon starting a new game is even more mind-blowing. On the PlayStation 4, it took 2 minutes and 18 seconds to load from the menu to the new-game heist sequence. Performing the same operation on the PlayStation 5 took just eleven seconds. The player was able to get halfway through the mission on the PS5 by the time the older system finished loading.
We feel it's likely that this enormous improvement isn't merely the work of the fancy SSD, but also that of the PS5's potent Zen 2 CPU cores as well as some software optimizations. Players of GTA Online may recall that an enterprising developer found a simple optimization (arguably, a bugfix) that slashed loading times by 75%. Rockstar even paid out a bug bounty to the developer.
We still haven't heard back from Rockstar on when or if these improvements will be finding their way to the PC version of the game, nor whether there will be a charge for the update if they do. It seems likely that Rockstar is gauging the playerbase's reaction to such a thing. You can pick up the refreshed release on PS5 for $10 right now, or on Xbox Series XS for $20, but both prices will rise to $40 after three months, so get while the getting's good if you're not willing to wait a few years for GTA 6.

For quite some time, there have been several leaks regarding the eventual Grand Theft Auto 6, including an alleged return to Vice City. Up until now, these leaks have been generally unfounded, but a new teaser discovered in Red Dead Redemption 2 may give credence to what we have heard about GTA 6.
Earlier this week, content creator StrangeMan discovered what appeared to be a GTA 6 teaser within a point of interest in Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2). Near the Sea of Coronado, players can find a skeleton of a Jesuit Missionary called “Brother Rodolfo,” along with a rather interesting letter he brought. The letter mentions that Rodolfo was called to the east by God; however, the writer, Cardinal Blanco, begs him to stay in California and not leave the mission.
Play
StrangeMan interprets this as an internal struggle between Rockstar games writer Dan Houser, represented by Cardinal Blanco, and creative Sam Houser, represented by Brother Rodolfo. Of course, the mention of staying in California over heading east is likely about continuing work on GTA 5 versus making GTA 6. Moreover, StrangeMan believes that the letter alludes to TakeTwo Interactive’s view of the GTA franchise and disagreements between Rockstar and the publisher.
letter gta 6 possibly teased in rdr2 Image Courtesy of StrangeMan
However, “Cardinal Blanco,” or Dan Houser, mentions that sticking with GTA 5 or moving to GTA 6 has pros and cons, but he wants his brother Sam to stick around for a little while longer. Interestingly, it appears that StrangeMan does not really dive into the line that says, “Please stay in California until I arrive next March.” Perhaps this could mean that the team will reassess if they want to move forward with GTA 6, or it could simply be a red herring.
Despite the multiple possible meanings of this letter that StrangeMan goes over, it is quite interesting to see that GTA 6 is being discussed and there is possible debate over sticking with GTA V. As always, money talks, but if GTA 5 is beat to death, fans could lose interest in future titles. Either way, it will be interesting to see if Rockstar comments on the teaser, so stay tuned to HotHardware for updates.

Hello Park Managers!
We're excited to announce that the Jurassic World Evolution 2: Feathered Species Pack is now available, alongside Update 6!
​Welcome four incredibly fascinating species to the Feathered Species Pack, that all exhibit magnificent plumage that are bound to excite your guests. You'll discover the powerful Yutyrannus, the nimble Jeholopterus, the eccentric Deinocheirus, and the Sinosauropteryx with its exquisite features. These prehistoric species will definitely make a statement when added into your park.
New Prehistoric Species
Yutyrannus
Believed to have lived during the early Cretaceous period in what is now Liaoning Province, the Yutyrannus is striking and powerful. This carnivorous dinosaur is a surprisingly social species, so get your enclosures ready to accommodate a few of them!
📷 Jeholopterus
Jeholopterus is the smallest airborne species in the game, allowing it to be impressively agile as it soars through the sky to hunt down its next meal! Its extraordinary plumage is sure to catch the eyes of your guests, as it soars through your aviaries.
📷 Deinocheirus
Possessing arms longer than any bipedal dinosaur, the Deinocheirus is one of the largest ornithomimosaurs ever discovered! Combined with its curious figure and large clawed hands, it is sure to be a remarkable dinosaur to add to your parks.
📷 Sinosauropteryx
First discovered in 1996 the Sinosauropteryx is a small, carnivorous dinosaur. Its delicate, hair-like feathers and waving striped tail are sure to attract guests to delight in its quirky characteristics.
📷 ​Free Update 6
Alongside our new prehistoric species, the Feathered Species Pack will also come with Update 6, a free update for everyone who owns Jurassic World Evolution 2. This includes some exciting additions, as well as some quality of life updates and bug fixes. To access all these new features, all you need to do is update your game.
Decorate your park with new remote viewing galleries, perfect for your guests to get up close and personal with their favourite dinosaurs and flying reptiles! You can choose between the log viewing gallery or the dome viewing gallery to decorate your parks with. We've also brought two new variants to the Zipline attraction that was added on the 1st anniversary of Jurassic World Evolution 2. Will you be adding the DFW Zipline or the Jurassic Park Zipline variant?
You'll also notice we've added a new capture mode, the Cinematic Camera. Try it out and and don't forget to share your screenshots with us when you do!
Sandbox mode is also getting some new additions, with 6 square levels and 3 expanded sandbox levels for the Southwest USA, San Diego and California level. You'll also notice that we've added settings for unlimited feeder reserves, income tax, wild capture frequency and decoration foliage. To learn more about these wonderful additions, head on over to our Update 6 highlight for a deeper dive.
The full list of changes and quality of life enhancements can also be found in the changelog below!
We hope you enjoy the Feathered Species Pack and free Update, Park Managers! You can purchase the new DLC here. Thank you as well to everyone who helped track down all the new prehistoric species in the Feathered Species Pack over on our social channels, we couldn't have done it without you!
Don't forget to also join our launch livestream at 12:00 BST today (March 30) on Twitch and YouTube.
Release Notes:

DLC - Feathered Species Pack​

Prehistoric Species

• 4 x New Species​
  
  • Flying Reptile
    • Jeholopterus
  • Dinosaurs
    • Deinocheirus
    • Sinosauropteryx
    • Yutyrannus

Features

• Added new feeder type (Insectivore Feeder) to be used by Jeholopterus
• Added new diet type - Insectivore (Insects only)
• Added new diet type - Omnivore (Fish/Paleobotany)

Update 6 ​

Features​

Capture Mode​

​

• Added new Camera Type to Capture Mode, the Cinematic Camera
  • Added ability to adjust settings such as Time and Camera Movement
  • Added ability to adjust between various focus areas within your park such as: Dinosaurs, Viewing Galleries, Tours, Park Teams, Hotels, Ranger Posts, Ziplines, Feeders, Path View and Panoramic View
  • Add existing Overlays of Postcards, Stamps, Logos, Letterboxes, Filters and Guidelines

Buildings​

​

• Added new 'Remote Viewing Galleries' feature with 2 x new attractions, the 'Log Viewing Gallery' and the 'Dome Viewing Gallery'
  • These can be found within the 'Attractions' menu and are available in all building styles
  • Galleries need to be connected to an Entrance Building using an underground connection
• Added Zipline variants for DFW and Jurassic Park Building Styles

Sandbox Mode

• Added 6 x additional large, flat Sandbox Square levels
  • These are based on the 6 different biome types within the game
• Added 3 x expanded Sandbox levels
  • These are for Southwest USA, San Diego and California levels
• Added new Sandbox Setting for 'Decoration Foliage' (found under the 'Environment' sub-section) that allows players to use foliage from all biomes or the level's specific biome
  • This is only available on PC and next-gen console
• Added new Sandbox Setting for 'Unlimited Feeder Reserves' (found under the 'Dinosaurs' sub-section)
  • Setting this to 'on' will mean that feeders no longer need to be refilled by Ranger Teams
• Added new Sandbox Setting for 'Income Tax' (found under the 'Park' sub-section)
  • Reduces how much income your park generates and has 4 settings: None, Low, Medium and High
• Added new Sandbox Setting for 'Wild Capture Frequency' (found under the 'Park' sub-section)
  • Control how often wild capture events will occur and has 4 settings: None, Low, Medium and High
  • This requires the 'Expeditions and Fossils' setting to be turned ON to be adjustable

Quality of Life​

Buildings​

​

• Toilets, Amenities and Shelters will now build instantly rather than over a short period of time
• Added the ability to place multiples of the same building without need to enter the build menu each time
  • Using CTRL + Mouseclick on mouse/keyboard or RB/R1 on controllers
• Infected feeders can no longer be deleted, this is to prevent players from being able to block themselves from researching related cures
• Added ability for 'Release via Airlift' to Aviary Hatcheries allowing players to release flying reptiles outside an Aviary

Dinosaurs​

​

• Small dinosaurs will now raise their heads when they are walking through water
• Small dinosaurs can now navigate through water when they would have been blocked before
• Adjustments to sauropod combat
  • Carnivores now may fail a hunt depending on combat stats
  • The Bleed Out state now only starts once a sauropod reaches 15% health, rather than after any carnivore attack
  • If a carnivore fails to successfully hunt a sauropod, it will wait for a period of time before trying again
  • Adjusted feedback for when the Bleed Out state is affecting a dinosaur
• Adjusted UI cohabitation feedback on Therizinosaurus, Indominus rex, Velociraptor and Indoraptor to more clearly reflect their likes/dislikes

Sandbox Mode

• Arrival Point now starts opened in Sandbox Mode, and on moving Arrival Points we maintain their status as opened/closed

UI​

​

• Amenity Management Screen
  • Simplified the Amenity Management screen by removing guest demographic information & best performing amenity
  • Added the total number of guests in the park to the "guests served" statistic
  • Added configuration rating statistic which shows how well amenities are configured & therefore how satisfied the local guest demographics are
  • Added shortcuts to view modes for amenity configuration and amenity coverage
• Added a "Delete" confirmation prompt when trying to delete a Hatchery with active synthesis or incubation tasks
• Replaced park reports and contracts with small notifications if they trigger during full screen contexts (e.g. driving Park Teams, editing terrain)
  • Added gameplay setting to 'always minimise park reports and contract notifications"
• Added a new 'Random Rock Placement' option to Landscaping tools. This option automatically selects a new rock from the same biome type after placement
• Added Management View toggles whilst inside various placement modes
  • Feeders - Added ability to toggle Ranger Posts View on/off
  • Monorail/Tours - Added ability to toggle Visibility View on/off
  • Amenities - Added ability to toggle between Amenity Coverage & Overcrowding views
  • Fences - Added ability to toggle between Power and Visibility views
  • Remote Viewing Galleries - Added ability to toggle Visibility View on/off
• Made Billboard Icons appear above a forest when a dinosaur enters them
• Added new time control for "Slow Motion" accessible on the main HUD and via the radial menu on controller
• Disable carets on financial items in monthly report when there is no change from previous months
• Increased the transparency of Dinosaur Visibility highlights to improve readability
• Restrict lock-on to valid targets whilst in a Ranger or Capture Team
• Subtitles are now wider at their larger text sizes in order to fit in more text
• Moved the weapon/equipment switch prompt to a more visible location when controlling a Park Team
• Added unique map icons for medium and large Amenity buildings

PS4 to PS5​

​

• Added ability for players to import their PS4 player progressto the PS5 version of the game
  • This will merge progress and will not overwrite progress on the PS5 (if any)

Chaos Theory

• Made some adjustments in Chaos Theory 5 during Brachiosaurus stage to make objective goal clearer
• Chaos Theory 2 - Fixed mismatch between actual target and text on objective UI for amenity income objective
• Chaos Theory 4 - Fixed number format for park rating objective

Audio

• VO Characters' introductionsare now tracked account wide and will only play once per account rather than once per Career
  • Added Setting for 'Repeat Introductions' (found under the 'Audio' sub-section) to toggle this on/off

Quality of Life - Dominion Malta Expansion​

UI

• Added option to Select/Deselect all of a specific species option to the Cargo Ship in the Dinosaur Exchange and the Island Map

Features - Dominion Biosyn Expansion​

Sandbox Mode​

​

• Added 2 x additional large, flat Sandbox Square levels
  • These are based on the Biosyn Sanctuary and Sierra Nevada levels

Features - Dominion Malta Expansion​

​

• Added 1 x additional large, flat Sandbox Square level
  • This is based on the Mediterranean biome the Campaign levels are based in
• Added 1x expanded Sandbox level for San Marie Bay
  • Replaces the Natural Lagoon with buildable ground and greatly expands the play area

Bug Fixes​

Dinosaurs

• Fixed some marine reptiles starving to death when trying to hunt with low stamina
• Fixed Marine reptiles not hunting/eating food until food bar is red, unintentional bug created by cohabitation changes related to Tuna
• Fixed Camarasaurus' head clipping through the ground during the grooming animation in the Species Viewer
• Fixed the Apatosaurus losing its eyes in particular instances
• Fixed Triceratops JP3 skin not closing its eyes
• Fixed Diplodocus spines detaching from their bodies when viewed at a distance
• Fixed Mosasaurus angling upwards when released from the lagoon hatchery, causing it to clip through the gate

UI

• Fixed the Stimulant bar going over 100% when you manually aim/fire
• Fixed Calamity bar displaying 'Multiple Dinosaur Threats' rather than 'Dinosaur Threat'
• Fixed an issue with the Ranger Team compass showing wrong feeder icons
• Fixed an issue where selling fossils rapidly could result in loss of control functionality in the Fossils screen

JWDB

• Made references to geological eras consistent across multiple places
• Fixed inconsistent era string for the Nodosaurus

Buildings

• Adjusted the Jurassic Park Marine Shark Feeder so vehicles can access for re-supply

Vehicles

• Prevent transport helicopters from blocking other helis from delivering dinos with their waiting positions

Audio

• Fixed Jurassic Tour VO incorrectly referring to Spinosaurus as from North America

Misc

• Fixed minimising the game while in 'Fullscreen' mode and then re-opening changing it to 'Windowed' mode
• Various stability fixes
• Various animation fixes
• Various audio fixes
• Various text and localisation fixes

Bug Fixes - Early Cretaceous Pack​

Dinosaurs

• Changed Minmi genome size classification from medium to small

Bug Fixes - Dominion Biosyn Expansion​

Dinosaurs

• Adjusted dig site fossils for Dimetrodon so there aren't any left over once you reach 100% genome
• Fixed dinosaurs occasionally passing through invisible fences

Bug Fixes - Dominion Malta Expansion​

Dinosaurs

• Fixed Oviraptor feathers flickering in low wind settings
• Fixed fish feeder dispensing issues in San Marie Bay causing Marine reptiles to starve to death
• Fixed the Atrociraptor legs becoming distorted when attacking guests on sloped terrain

Vehicles

• Fixed the Malta Response Facility not letting players repair the vehicle

Sandbox Mode

• Updated Malta Sandbox economy values

UI

• Fixed L3 becoming non-functional for pinned dinosaur request when reentering the Dinosaur Exchange

Campaign

• Fixed the trust limit not increasing after the second island if the autosave is loaded
• Fixed dinosaurs dropping off the transport helicopter when transferred towards the Cargo Ship

Binance is one of the leading cryptocurrency trading platforms around, with over 200 coins supported for deposit and withdrawal. In this review I’ll cover the main things you need to know before signing up. If you are short on time, or just don't like to read, check out this quick review video instead.
There’s a lot to love about Binance, and many traders continue to be upbeat about the service. Low fees, a responsive exchange, and developers with a proven track record leave most people beaming. Binance has generally been considered a comprehensive success in its short life so far.
Binance vs Kraken:
Kraken, headquartered in San Francisco, California, is one of the oldest cryptocurrency exchanges around. It operates across the United States (with the exception of New York due to the BitLicense) and Canada, as well as in the European Union and Japan. The platform supports over 30 different cryptos (As opposed to Binance’s 200+). You can read my Kraken review here. Like Bitfinex, Kraken also works on a maker taker fee schedule. Makers have a max fee of 0.16% and takers have a max fee of 0.26%. In both cases Binance wins with lower fees.
If you are ready to sign-up with Binance, please use our referral link for a BONUS 10% Kick-Back to you on any fees: Sign Up Link with Bonus
Read more from this comprehensive review: https://99bitcoins.com/bitcoin-exchanges/binance-review/

Yes, mattress covers protect your mattress from dirt, dust, spills, allergens, and other contaminants that can accumulate over time. A mattress cover is a barrier between your mattress and the environment, preventing damage and prolonging its lifespan. Additionally, mattress covers are essential for maintaining hygiene, particularly if you have pets or young children or suffer from allergies. For the best mattress covers, look no further than Britwrap Protective Packaging. Their range of covers is made from high-quality materials and are waterproof, hypoallergenic, and easy to clean, ensuring your mattress remains protected for years.

Expectations:
Before we dive into the details of building an ultra-low budget gaming PC, it's important to set expectations. Yes, this is a low-spec computer that won't be able to handle the most demanding games at maximum settings. However, for those on a tight budget who still want to enjoy PC gaming, this approach can deliver a solid experience. By getting creative with components and focusing on value, you can build a gaming PC that is capable of running most modern games at 1080p with medium settings and 60 frames per second, all for a fraction of the cost of a high-end gaming PC. So while some may criticize the specs of this build, remember that it's all about getting the most out of your budget and enjoying PC gaming without breaking the bank.
If you have a specific game in mind you want to play, check out its Steam page and view the minimum hardware requirements, if the game wants modern or powerful hardware, you probably won't have a great experience playing it on this computer. However, there are many, many games on Steam that have surprisingly low system requirements and can be enjoyed just the same on this computer.
Step 1: The PC Itself
First, we're gonna start with a refurbished office PC. There are a few sites out there that do this, the one I'm familiar with is pcliquidations.com so I'll be using that as an example for the rest of this guide, you don't have to use that one you can choose whatever site you like- hell even ebay, facebook market place, or craiglist just be prepared for sellers not knowing the specs of the systems they are selling.
If you're using pcliquidations, just click desktops and then click all of these as requirements on the left sidebar. What we're looking for is a computer with at least the following specs:

• Price somewhere in the neighborhood of $120-180
• Form factor is NOT "Micro/Ultra Small"
• Intel i5-4XXX (4th gen i5, or AMD equivalent, used office PC's from this era are almost always Intel, a 4th gen i5 hits the sweet spot for having 4 physical cores that have decent single thread performance without breaking the bank, if you have more budget to spare you're better off putting towards the graphics card)
• 8GB RAM (DDR4 is preferred- but at this price point DDR3 is likely what you'll get, which isn't impressive by any means, but it'll get the job done for sure. Also, if you go DDR3, 16GB RAM kits are dirt cheap these days, like $25 usually)
• 256GB SSD (pcliquidations usually puts these in their refurb computers already, watch out for the 128GB SSD's, that doesn't leave much room for games)
• One PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot (Some of the listings don't specify what generation the PCIe slot is, so you may have to google the computer model, find the manual or spec page, and see if it is PCIe Gen 3.0)

When checking out the computer's listing on pcliquidations make sure that the option to add a video card is there on the right side of the page and that "XFX Radeon 6400 4GB" is an option to add BUT DON'T ADD IT. They want $200 for the RX 6400, but it's on amazon for $145. This basically just ensures that the case will actually fit a low-profile graphics card and that the motherboard actually has a PCIe x16 slot.
When it comes to building PC's, this knocks out case, motherboard, CPU, PSU, RAM, Operating System, and storage for $120-180, not bad all things considered. In this current state, it's simply just a decent running computer for regular usage. But, we're here for gaming so onto the next step:
Step 2: The Graphics Card
Now that we have a PC that fits most of the minimum requirements for gaming, we just need something to handle the graphical part of gaming, which is most of the workload anyway. What we're going to be looking for is a graphics card that handles 1080p decently, DOES NOT require external power connectors, and for the low-profile refurbished computers that flood the refurb market, it probably also must be "low-profile."
The vast majority of refurb office desktops are small form factor, if you want to have more options for a graphics card, get a desktop that is not small form factor, make sure that "SFF" does NOT appear in the title of the listing on pcliquidations, just keep in mind this limits your options for a desktop.

1. AMD Radeon RX 6400 - Now I know a lot of people aren't going to like this option, but it is a modern graphics card released in Q1 2022. The benefit of this card is that it is sips on power at 53W maximum, which is great for the power supply that comes included with most refurb office PC's. It has a great dollar-to-performance ratio and a great wattage-to-performance ratio. We put this graphics card in the computer my little brother inherited from grandma, and honestly I'm not disappointed, he plays 1080p medium settings and it's totally playable. In some areas it may not get 60fps, might dip more towards 45-50fps, but it's still totally playable. The XFX Speedster RX 6400 is also low-profile and comes with a mounting bracket for low-profile cases, this is advantageous for most of the refurb office PC's out there because it can actually fit in them. On amazon it's $145 right now.
2. NVIDIA GTX 1650 (USED) - This is one that get recommended a lot, but prices are all over the place in the used market. On eBay, some are listed for $200, some are listed for $70, all coming from sellers with no ratings to sellers with lots of ratings. If you're willing to go the used route, this may also be a good option depending on pricing. This card also comes in a low-profile form, but from what I can find, it seems like the low-profile versions aren't as common.
3. NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti (USED) - Basically the same situation as the GTX 1650 BUT it is an older card and it is out performed by both of the cards listed previously. If you're straining your budget and find one of these at a good deal, it may prove to be worth it, some games you may have to lower the resolution to 1600x900 or turn the graphics settings down to low, or both.
4. Other - If neither of the cards you find here are at good prices or you just want something else, do some research, look at benchmarks of other cards, see if they come in low-profile variants if you need it, and make sure they don't require an external power connector (6pin, 6+2pin, etc.)

If you have some extra padding to your budget, you're willing to go elbow-deep in a PC case plugging in things, AND you got a non-small form factor desktop, this is where some more options open up to you. You can upgrade the power supply and get a nicer graphics card. We're not going to go deep into deal here, but this can open the door to 1080p High-Max settings, or even 1440p Low-Medium settings, depending.
Step 3: Install The Graphics Card
You've ordered the PC, the graphics card of your choice, received them, and you're ready to game. Turn off the PC, unplug the power cord, open up the side panel of the case, hold the graphics card in such a way you don't touch any of the little components on the board or the gold connectors, and insert it into the PCIe x16 slot closest to the CPU. In some cases you may have to literally break off the part of the case that blocks the output of the graphics card, but they're designed to do this. Screw the mounting bracket into place on the slot in the back of the case. In some rare cases the slot closest to the CPU might not be the x16 slot, if you want to be really sure read the manual for the computemotherboard and find which one is the x16 slot, 99% of the time it is the one closest to the CPU.
Make sure when you plug in your monitor, you plug the HDMI or DisplayPort cable into the graphics card itself, NOT the motherboard. Now, go to the manufacturer's website (NVIDIA or AMD) and install the drivers for the card. It'll usually download an exe file, run the exe file, wait for it to do its thing, and you're ready to game.
Optional Step: If you're feeling confident, purchase some thermal paste, remove the CPU cooler, wipe off old thermal paste on both the CPU and the cooler, apply new thermal paste, replace cooler. The thermal paste in these systems is old and dried out, since you're in here you might as well replace it for better cooling capabilities.
Step 4: Upgrades and The Future
A few cheap upgrades could include upgrading to 16GB of RAM, make sure it is DDR3 or DDR4, which ever is in your system. Add another SSD for more storage for your games, 1TB SATA SSD's are fairly cheap these days, $45-50, and will allow you to store many more games if you have them, just make sure you have the SATA power cable (usually there are extra power connectors along the ribbon already going into your current SSD), a standard SATA cable, there might be more in the computer itself, and that you have an available SATA port on the motherboard, refer to the motherboard's manual to make sure that the one you plug it into operates at full speed.
A medium-upgrade would be upgrading the power supply and the graphics card, which I glossed over just before Step 3. Ultimately, for any "major" upgrade, this machine will not be "future proof" in many ways, if your sights are higher and your budget is higher in the future, you're better off building a modern computer from scratch down the road.
Step 5: Game
When purchasing games on Steam, make sure to review the minimum hardware requirements on its store page. There are a vast amount of games that this computer will handle just fine, but some modern or poorly optimized games won't perform well at all, or may even be unplayable (I wouldn't try to play Cyberpunk 2077 on this machine...)
TL;DR - Buy a refurb office PC with decent specs, slap a budget graphics card into it, 1080p game. For more detail, read the post lol.

Netflix has over 50 games now, some of which are great, while others are just “meh”.
So I figured I’d play and rank them all + review the 15 best ones. So that you can get a quick idea of whether or not they’re actually worth checking out :)
This is meant as the 16th entry in my "best of" series here on the sub, where I’ve previously covered Dungeon Crawlers, Upcoming Games of 2023, Idle Games, Reverse Bullet-Hell games, Turn-Based Strategy Games, Offline RPGs, Multiplayer PvP Games, Mobile Ports, Tower Defense Games, Upcoming Shooters 2022, Traditional Roguelikes, Netflix Games, Upcoming Games of 2022, MMORPGs, and Action RPGs.
I hope you'll enjoy it, and be sure to share your thoughts below if you’ve already played some of these? :)
Watch the video version for some extra context: https://youtu.be/4N0MJ6BUtXs
__________

THE BEST GAMES:

1) TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge (Fighting/Beat’em’up) - Landscape
The first game is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, which is a fun campaign-based beat 'em-up fighting game with both single and co-op multiplayer.
This is just a really well-made game, and it was already a massive hit on Steam and consoles before Netflix brought it to mobile. And for good reason, I might add.
The retro art-style and animations are spot-on, the level design is awesome, and there are more than 12 different attacks and combo moves to remember.
It also has quick match-making for the co-op multiplayer parts, and with 4 players in total, things get really chaotic - in a good way. So if you like fighting games, this is just a must-try.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tmnt-shredders-revenge/id6443475072
​
2) Lucky Luna (Platform/Action) - Portrait
Another really great one is Lucky Luna from the developers of Alto’s Adventure.
This is a fun platform action game where the twist is that we can’t jump. So instead, we simply swipe left and right to move and use our speed and high precision to survive the dangerous traps and difficult boss rooms.
We’re scored based on how fast we complete each level, how many pearls we collect, and our number of deaths - and if you wanna reach the top of the highscores, this gets really intense!
The touch controls are perfect in this one, and there are lots of secret areas to discover, which I really enjoyed. And once we’ve completed the main campaign, there’s even an endless mode for some extra replayability.
I think most of you are gonna love this one.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lucky-luna/id1609150630
​
3) Into The Breach (Strategy/Roguelike/Sci-fi) - Landscape
It’s not all just fast-paced action games, though - because the turn-based sci-fi strategy game Into The Breach, from the developers of Faster Than Light, is also on mobile now.
Our objective is to use our customizable troops to destroy the invading aliens before they eliminate our civilian cities. And the entire game essentially plays like a roguelike, where we attempt to get through a series of randomly generated campaigns without dying.
The gameplay is great fun, and there’s plenty of replayability.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/into-the-breach/id1616542180
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4) Spiritfarer (Management/Casual) - Landscape
Another super popular PC game brought to mobile is the relaxing management game Spiritfarer.
It’s a beautiful story-based adventure full of delightful characters with great humor, and it’s almost impossible not to get immersed in the game’s theme of bringing stranded spirits safely to their afterlife.
Apart from the main objectives, we can also just travel between islands, catch fish, upgrade our boat, and much more. And with over 30 hours of gameplay, this is an easy recommendation.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/spiritfarer-netflix-edition/id1610577424
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5) Dust & Neon (Twin-Stick/ShooteAction) - Landscape
Next is the Western-themed roguelite twin-stick shooter Dust & Neon - which, yet again, used to only be available on PC but is not out on mobile.
Controlling a cyborg gunslinger, our job is to select a mission, kill all the monsters, find the secret areas, collect ammo, and defeat the bosses. And then repeat that.
In-between, we then improve our offensive and defensive skills, and gradually upgrade our base to make the next playthrough a bit easier.
The touch controls work alright, but they’re definitely the game’s biggest downside. But its great art-style and fun gameplay still makes it a nice experience.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dust-neon/id1622720173
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6) Reigns Three Kingdoms (Strategy/Card) - Portrait
Reigns: Three Kingdoms is the fifth game in the super popular series of decision-based strategy games.
Just like in the predecessors, we’re presented with a seemingly endless series of events that we swipe left or right to respond to in different ways. Each of these decisions impact one of four traits, and if any of them become too unbalanced, we lose the game.
But this time around, we also have to recruit units that we then use to fight in the game’s new combat system. And they even took this system and built in an entire game mode just focused on real-time multiplayer combat.
It’s new, it’s fresh, and if you liked the previous games, I think you’ll enjoy it.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/reigns-three-kingdoms/id1636948693
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7) Twelve Minutes (Point’n’Click/Thriller) - Landscape
I’m not gonna spoil the story of this one, but what I will say is that the top-down point’and’click thriller Twelve Minutes really got me hooked.
It’s basically a complex time-loop game where we have to figure out how to convince our girlfriend that time is repeating itself and then try to escape the loop. Okay, that’s all I’ll say. But I enjoyed this one, and I think you might as well.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/twelve-minutes/id1608097361
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8) Relic Hunters: Rebels (Twin-stick/Shooter) - Landscape
I actually liked the twin-stick looter-shooter RPG Relic Hunters: Rebels more than I thought I would.
Playing as one of several fun characters with unique traits, we attempt to get through every single level by defeating the enemies, grabbing as much loot as possible, and gradually upgrading the 6 stats for each of the many different weapons.
It also has a bit of retro feel to it, so if you’re into that, definitely take it for a spin.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/relic-hunters-rebels/id1605236950
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9) Skies of Chaos (Bullet Hell/Flying) - Portrait
The Bullet Hell genre has always been a favorite of mine, so I immediately fell in love when I tried Skies of Chaos - both because of its polished art-style, and the challenging boss fights.
The game features over 50 levels that reward us with resources used to upgrade and heavily customize the different parts of our airplane, effectively making it easier to complete the next challenges.
In my notes from when I played these games, literally wrote “holy shit, this is good!”. And I stand by that. It’s difficult to explain, but playing this game just feels awesome, and it’s rare to find a game of this quality these days. So I can’t recommend it enough.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/skies-of-chaos/id1612698180
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10) POINPY (Arcade/Platformer) - Portrait
POINPY is a new game from the developers of Downwell, which, ironically, is a game all about moving upward instead of downward.
It’s basically an arcade action game where we swipe, aim, and release to jump around a vertical level with the objective of collecting and feeding fruits to the huge monster chasing us. Oh, and we also have to avoid the many enemies trying to kill us.
The gameplay is great fun, there are several characters with unique traits to unlock, and if you like arcade platformers, there’s a high chance you’ll enjoy this one.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/netflix-poinpy/id1615093407
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11) Desta: The Memories Between (Dodgeball/Turn-based/Roguelike) - Landscape
The developers of Monument Valley also released their newest game, Desta, recently, and it’s essentially a turn-based dodgeball roguelike wrapped in an interesting story about dreams and regrets with great voice-acting.
But even if you don’t care about the story, the team-based dodgeball gameplay, where we have to work with our childhood friends to defeat dream-versions of people from our real life, is good fun.
It’s easily one of the most unique games I’m gonna mention today, and I enjoyed it. Although I do agree with some of the reviews that it could just have been a story-based game instead of a roguelike.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/desta-the-memories-between/id1599584290
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12) Tomb Raider Reloaded (Archero-like) - Portrait
A game that ISN’T actually exclusive to Netflix, though, is Tomb Raider Reloaded, which is basically an Archero clone with a few new twists to the gameplay and some really badass boss fights.
The free version of this game is full of ads and pay-to-win monetization, but the Netflix version has none of that - and it actually turns it into one of the better Archero alternatives.
There’s lots to do in the game, and although they kept the energy system, you can easily play for an hour at a time without running out. So if you liked Archero, it’s worth checking out.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tomb-raider-reloaded-netflix/id6444630059
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13) Into The Dead 2 (ShooteZombie) - Landscape
Another game that also still exists outside of Netflix as a pay-to-win game is Into The Dead 2, which is a zombie shooter where our character automatically runs forward while we move left, right, and shoot to deal with the zombies attacking us.
The gameplay is split into a neat story-based campaign, with lots of weapons and companion pets to unlock and upgrade using the gold we earn.
With all the ads and in-app purchases removed, the gameplay is great fun, and I think many of you will enjoy this as a more casual version of a traditional zombie FPS.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/into-the-dead-2-unleashed/id1607178247
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14) Moonlighter (SimulatoDungeon Crawler) - Landscape
Moonlighter is another great, and despite Netflix removing the previous stand-alone paid version of the game (which REALLY wasn’t nice!....), I’m including it here because the game itself is definitely enjoyable.
It’s essentially a fun mix of an action RPG and a shop simulator, which means we go on dungeon runs to gather goods and items that we then try to guess the appropriate price for and put up for sale in our shop. And then we repeat that while gradually growing stronger.
As someone who used to spend entire days on Runescape’s Grand Exchange, I got pretty hooked on this gameplay loop.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/netflix-moonlighteid1612148433
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15) Asphalt Xtreme (Racing) - Landscape
You might know that this used to be a pay-to-win game, but with all of that garbage removed, the core gameplay really shines, and it’s actually one of my personal go-to racing games right now.
The art-style has held up surprisingly well and there is lots of content to explore, so it’s definitely worth a try if you haven’t played it yet.
App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/asphalt-xtreme/id1590574622
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GREAT CASUAL GAMES:

• Solitaire
• Mahjong Solitaire
• Cats & Soup
• Puzzle Gods

GOOD FOR THE GENRE:

• Valiant Hearts
• Exploding Kittens
• OXENFREE
• Kentucky Route Zero
• Hello Kitty Happiness Parade
• SpongeBob: Get Cooking
• True Story
• Scriptic Crime Stories
• Before Your Eyes

DECENT / OKAY’ISH GAMES:

• Dragon Up
• Rival Pirates
• Townsmen
• Shatter

P2W GONE F2P BADLY:

• Narcos: Cartel Wars
• Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales
• Country Friends

FOR KIDS:

• Nailed It!
• Wild Things
• Flutter Butterflies

Next up in my reviews is a season I knew as soon as I landed on it was one with a lot of negative feedback and opinions and was curious as to why. And after watching it, I both understand and also found myself going "Why is this so hated?!". I know the timing of it, being after a classic then and now in TAR history and being right before the next one aired, didn't help. A few good changes made to the format, as this was the first season to require teams to split the roadblocks evenly after we saw just in the season before this the massive advantage all-male or coed teams had as compared to all-female teams since they just had the guy do every roadblock. Also, they limited the number of yields, though why you would have a yield on a non-elimination leg is confusing to me. Another thing which was new for me was a clip show in the middle of the season, and it struck me as odd til I read after I watched the season that they had to make a sudden change to the plan, which was going to be leg 6 being a non-elimination point where the last place team would lose their money. But they found out way too late that begging is illegal in Hungary, which turned the non-elimination leg into a superleg instead (the way that went did seem kind of odd, this explains it). They also visited Sri Lanka mere weeks before it was devastated by a massive earthquake/tsunami, that had to be jarring for the teams that went there, they film this weeks later and they would have been there during that. One nickname for this season was 'The season of love' because of how many couples were in the race, though it is most remembered for several controversial and TBH abhorrent actions and statements which earned a ton of backlash then and even to this day. One of the last seasons before social media really began to take off as a big deal which would make these actions and words infinitely more devastating if they had occurred in the age of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, which also maybe in a way makes this one of the last uncorrupted seasons where we see these teams as their truest selves and not an image they want to project and protect online. I DON'T see this as a bad season, I actually see it as one of the better ones honestly. But exactly how good? Let's see....
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Freddy/Kendra - The maligned winners of the season, though not for anything they did in the race, unless you count him flipping out after the fence crashed down on his face (if you saw his face in the days after, you realized he took a massive shot with a heavy steel gate though, ouch!). That whole segment was chaos; all those teams ran to the board in such a frantic way that they tackled the damn thing to the ground and sent the numbers flying everywhere, that is awesome competition IMO. They were a solid team the first few legs and then became a true contender once out of Senegal. Speaking of Senegal, after they have to go to a graveyard, in the middle of the night, in a third world country in a sketchy area, she talks of not feeling safe (which I think was understandable, sense of humor from the producers taking them from Scandinavia to this) and then later on in the leg: "This city is retched and disgusting. They just keep breeding and breeding and breeding! And this poverty, I can't take it!". And upon leaving and going to Germany: "It's a big difference from ghetto third world.". I found myself saying "Oh god woman, please just zip it, you're not helping your image here". And with that, they were cancelled, except this was before cancel culture, though it was not something which went over well obviously. Later on, upon going back to Africa, she referred to it as third world and ghetto again but said it was a poverty they seemed to like. Ugh, you're trolling right? I get the hate she gets, lots of snobbery and stupid statements, but I stop short of calling her racist. I live in a very narrowminded area of the US, I have seen and heard true racism, this wasn't racism nearly as much as it was elitism, classism and ignorance on her part. That doesn't make it right, still deplorable comments, but not everything is racism. She said postrace: "I was actually talking about the government and how they put people in these situations. They don’t give them opportunities for education or birth control.", which is true for a good deal of Africa TBH but that is a convo for a whole other subreddit and I didn't really buy it from her either, but a good excuse FWIW. Anyway, we got a perfect night and day comparison at the detour in Ethiopia at the mud huts; Freddy injures and bloodies his finger, and she is concerned and wants him to get it checked out, Victoria injures her hand and Jonathan completely ignores her cries of pain, earning yells from Kendra to check on his wife. And that whole segment earned some brownie points from me, as it showed her to not be this evil wench who looked down on everyone (kudos to the producers). She got major stomach issues not long after, and already had her dormant asthma pop up earlier, so this team suffered for their win. In the end, they survived a yield (which was so stupid of Adam/Rebecca and maybe cost them the race in hindsight) and win based on just getting a slightly earlier flight than Kris/Jon. Very divisive winners I know, but they were deserving ones, though not the best team of the season as that honor goes to either Hayden/Aaron or Kris/Jon. I know they went ahead and got married and had a few kids, but are now divorced sadly.
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Kris/Jon - Are they the best team ever to not win the race? Maybe, their composite average score is insane, and they were almost never in danger of elimination, 4 1st places, 4 other 2nd places. And in a season of tons of internal romantic strife, they were the one couple who got along great and they were just long distance dating. Saw they attended Hayden and Aarons wedding and they did indeed wind up getting married and have 2 sons, so they really were what you saw on there, a perfect match. I loved this team; they made it a mission to run it as just them as a team and no massive alliance or reliance on others, they said they wanted to run it the right way and unlike a few other teams I have heard say that, they really did. You saw he was infatuated with her several times, one that sticks out to me was when she was doing the salt roadblock where they had to go into the water and bring these heavy buckets of salt to shore and you couldn't surgically remove his smile seeing her stripped down and soaking wet as she was powering through this (and then the producers did a slo-mo on her lolol, they definitely knew they had a very photogenic female cast this season just saying). But he proved it wasn't just her being hot, he really had a love for her (as we can tell by now obviously). All throughout the race, they were very composed and didn't argue, in Sri Lanka they got a blessing of sorts from a monk and point out they are religious, but in another reason why I loved them there was no judgment or yapping about how their religion was the right one (seen that a few times) or proceeding to bring up their faith about 300 times afterwards. Some of that is thanks to editing, but let's face it, if they had been like that it would have been included. It was a shock to see them actually get pissed when in China due to repeated bad taxi drivers (was very common there, as I'll mention with another team) and he actually just tosses money at one in anger). But at this point, with how few teams are left and how long they've been going and how far they have already traveled, fatigue has to have set in. It's pretty obvious just looking at them at the start of the next leg, they were worn out with bags under the eyes and drooped faces, all of them were. It really showed just how taxing this show is without even saying a word or doing anything. How sad that they lose in large part due to a train crossing in Chicago keeping them from maybe chasing Freddy and Kendra down, that and taking a later by minutes flight out of Hawaii. Their reaction in real time as they are paused at the train tracks was truly an epitome of sweet, as they just take it in stride and kiss, thankful for each other (bravo to the producers for capturing that and the camera work, talk about award-worthy, did this season win an Emmy?). I think a lot of the negative reaction to the season would have been nonexistent if they had won.
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Adam/Rebecca - What a mess they were. Always at odds, more often than not closer to the bottom than the top and yet they made it all the way to the final. She started off stupid by putting diesel fuel in a non-diesel car but rebounded from that to take charge of the team, almost to the point of her just doing everything by herself and completely excluding him, mainly due to him being utterly worthless, screwing up everything he touches and being scared of doing anything. He lost his mind on her and like a child, said he would never talk to her again... over his sunglasses. And when he isn't being worthless, he is threatening to off himself in a passive-aggressive way to get her to not stop being in a relationship with him or whining he wants to quit and go home, he really earned her nickname of 'wussy boy' for him (if the fact that he had his mom clip his toenails for him still when they met hadn't already done so). Can you blame her for saying she wanted their relationship to be done because he makes her miserable? She really seemed inspired to this decision upon seeing Hayden/Aaron and Kris/Jons relationships, that's what a relationship should be and not whatever they had, and she was right to be fed up with their toxicity together. Not surprised they officially were broken up not long after the race. In spite of all that, they legitimately could have won if they hadn't taken so long at the key roadblock in China, as if they had finished sooner they could have gotten on the same flights as the other finalists from China to Hawaii and then we could have had the most unlikely winners for me since the Beekman Boys. And she was guilty of controversy herself, also involving Africa: "I'd love to get out of Africa. I can see why so many people escaped.". This was as they were on their way to the House of Slaves in Senegal... Yeah, they weren't escaping, they were captured and taken. Dunce cap fits well on you, though once again I don't see it as racism, just ignorance.
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Hayden/Aaron - The actors, who were my initial pick to win it all (going with the team that wins the first leg, really going out on a limb there I know). They stood out to me immediately as a threat though, and not just cause she was at times falling or popping out of her shirt 😜 (WHAT? I can't be the only one who noticed, I'm a sick pervy man like all the rest, sue me later lol). But it was apparent early on they were very opposite in terms of approach to the race and overall personality; she is very much someone who feels all the stress and takes everything dead serious and important, he is relaxed "We'll just go with the flow" and as a couple that works a lot better than as a team in a race. In retrospect, her nagging and seriousness went up in intensity after they fell from the front to the back due to someone telling them the wrong time the town hall tower opens in Scandinavia and later their vehicle breaking down and also missing an exit in Hungary. But they loved each other, pretty obvious in spite of her nagging (which she fessed up to being a fault of hers) and his occasional teasing of said nagging. As they got to China, I had them pegged as a finalist for sure and then they had the day from hell. Everything that could go wrong went wrong for them all on the same leg; their taxi driver goes the complete wrong way TWICE, TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. And then at the key roadblock, her key breaks in one of the locks and she has to go and get another one and then after a lengthy battle with it, once the third team got it she just gave up and took the 4 hour penalty cause she knew it was over, just a complete hell leg to end all hell legs. They were both to blame for the elimination here; the frustration and frantic nature of hers got out of control while he was just too chill about it all, she knew their taxi driver was a dumbass the first time and he was just like "Let it play out" and they just got more lost. They finally get to their destination and... he goes and has them get with the same driver as before, who gets them lost again! Anyway, the anger from both of them was real, he almost tosses his bag off the mountain but then she breaks down and his anger subsides and he just holds her, all the emotion crashing down on them at that point. But the big story is, they go to the pitstop with the exes, resigned to their fate, get eliminated, and then... he drops to one knee and proposes to her! WOW. Apparently, he had been planning to do this at the end of the race all along, though it was hoped by him to be at the finish line as the winners, she accepts and there is Rebecca watching this all heart-eyed and you know she is envious, since she has expressed earlier that she wanted the type of relationship that they and Kris/Jon have, which is what was a big part of the issues she had with her partner, more award-worthy material here on the season of love lol. And in retrospect, his relaxed attitude towards the race, stating there is stuff much more important than money when she asked him if he even wanted to win, the signs were all there that he had ulterior motives for being on here. And at last check, they got their happily ever after, marrying with Kris/Jon in attendance and Kristy as a bridesmaid and they have 2 kids. Awwww.
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Lori/Bolo - Not the first pro wrestlers I have seen, though in this case I don't have any idea who they are (there are lots of independent promotions out there, not everyone is on TV, not even close). They were immediately entertaining, wrestling on a glacier in Iceland was something I certainly wouldn't have been able to not watch lol. I know it looked like there was major temper issues with how they talked to each other, her moreso, and I don't doubt there was some temper but as a wrestling fan I recognized a lot of it as wrestling promo style talking. He was the reason for them getting so far, he was such the never give up type. In Germany was where it shined, she was so negative and he refused to believe they were done despite being at the back of the pack, never stopped trying and they wound up catching up and getting out of last place. Even got to 1st place after a fastforward and for a bit I thought they had a chance at least to make it to the end, but they made the common mistake of not reading the whole clue in Sri Lanka and she wound up having to come all the way back down to get what she needed and boy did she rip him a new one for that, which was sad cause they were both to blame. Seeing this massive guy be so dejected that Kris even came over and comforted him, which out of context is funny to see someone so big being comforted, was sad. I am glad that once they were officially out, she emphasized that they had their differences and got on each other, but she saw him as the love of her life and was thankful to have him. Found out afterwards that he had been in the military at one point, and that actually fit. Beyond that, I know nothing of their lives after the race.
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Jonathan/Victoria - Oh boy, oh boy. Here we go; the 'stars' of the season and not for anything good. And a reason a lot of people cried foul over this season, which as someone who has sadly been in a home with domestic violence and also seen it happen to a few friends I completely get, as it was quite triggering for me too. Immediately, you get 'off' vibes from this guy as he proudly states "I'm a dictator". Also immediately, you see that the other teams are not at all comfortable with them, with him specifically, and that just grows as the season progresses (who knows what they witnessed with this team?). He is constantly screaming at and berating his wife. The guys massive ego is always present, from his habit of taking his shirt off constantly and even stripping almost completely in Ethiopia because... no fucking idea actually, to actually congratulating and praising himself out loud or bragging about owning a Ferrari and acting like he's some Hollywood mega producer, the next Bruckheimer right here. He shoves her early on, which seems to be overlooked for the later event, he yells at one of the female roomies and makes her cry, he screams at the exes to stop following him, he yells at musicians at a roadblock. Whether she meant to or not, she is giving away that this guy abuses her with a classic line about how she knows how to stay out of his way. And then, in Berlin (which, if you look back at it is possibly one of the most controversial episodes ever along with the preceding episode due to this as well as comments from Kendra and Rebecca), in a footrace to the finish line she dared to pick up his bag and was freaking out (probably in fear knowing what he would do to her) and they don't finish first as a result of her falling way back due to carrying both their bags, and he very angrily shoves her. Remember we had already seen him push her before, he had actually reared back like he was gonna hit her once or twice as well, this was the cherry on the sundae of not just them but an ugliness-filled episode (which I believe is the main reason for all the negativity about this season overall). From what I have found digging into it deeper, Phil did not actually see the shove happen, though he knew from his anger and her tears upon reaching the mat that something bad was going on. At this point, I legit asked myself "At what point does the show step in?", cause he is obviously unstable, obviously abuses her (more than once you see her with bruises in various places, which further angered me), I know it's Reality TV but when do you say enough and stop the madness? He continued his antics afterwards, throwing papers at and berating a travel agent, pestering Gus incessantly over taking "his" flight, goes off on a taxi driver so much they kick him out. She is acting pretty insane herself at this point, always screeching like a banshee and making excuse after excuse for him. They are finally eliminated in Ethiopia when their combined psychosis caused them to misread the clue and have to go back. Holy shit, and it doesn't end there with these 2. They both went on Dr Phil, and also on Fear Factor where they both got eliminated after she punched another contestant for taunting her and then when the host scolds her, Jonathan attacks him, WTF! And dear god, they had a baby, that poor kid. They divorced in 2010, he has since remarried and apparently has custody of their kid, IDK what the hell is going on with her but she is obviously fit for a padded cell, or at least was at the time. He always was and likely still is. I mean, she had a voice which could crack glass at times, she was no angel, but this was a textbook case of battered wife and it was frustrating and painful to watch, I found myself seeing this as a tale of 2 seasons almost, before and after this ultimate dysfunctional couple, as I found the second half without them a lot more enjoyable. This wasn't an entertaining villain story; this was a deadly serious potential tragedy waiting to happen with this guys frame of mind and not just with her but other contestants as well. Fighting is one thing; this was so much more than fighting and IDK if the network thought it was entertainment for all to witness spousal abuse but if they did, they deserved some major backlash. Hopefully Phil didn't see this happen, cause if he did and just played it off that would definitely alter my opinion of him in a bad way.
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Gus/Hera - Alarm bells rang for me with them instantly due to him trying to forge some big alliance to eliminate everyone one by one ("NOOOOOOO!!!"), but then he turned out to be mediocre and one of his chosen allies was the first eliminated and that went out the window. This was not a team that was meant to last long, there was no reason they should have lasted so long, and they were one of the most confounding teams I have witnessed, as they somehow finished in the front of the pack more than once. I really don't get how; between him being really out of shape, his asshole talk of "My daughter will always obey me, my way is the only way" as their approach to the race and him chiding her for driving too fast and to let all the other teams pass them, you do know this is a race right? And he gave off hints of having a drinking problem in Berlin too; they have that detour with the beer and he keeps stopping and taking swigs of beer, even when they succeed at it, he wants to stay, in the middle of the fucking leg, so he can drink more beer. It would certainly explain his massive gut if he did have one. When they got eliminated, at least we got him finally viewing his daughter as a friend and equal. Some darkness postrace though, as years later her infant son died, and the father of the baby was charged with murder. Damn.
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Don/Mary Jean - The elder sweethearts of the season. I admit I was salty over them being there longer than the Mormon sisters, but they were not awful people or anything. They stated from the start they knew they would have to rely on smarts to succeed and survive, cause there was no chance they would be able to compete physically (which I'm sure they realized even more when they saw models and pro wrestlers among their competition lol), and they never did TBH, lots of bonehead mistakes. Early on, he just takes charge and doesn't listen to his wife (lots of that this season with guys and their female partners, maybe another reason for the bad rap this season has) but they work that out; though they admitted postrace that a lot of their conflicts were not shown, so it wasn't all lovey-dovey. And then, right out of a detour, they take Adam/Rebeccas car by accident. If you could have seen my face when that happened, I was almost as freaked out as Rebecca was lol. And Mary Jean didn't want to go back originally! Little question: what would have happened if they just said fuck it and went to the pitstop in their vehicle? Or if they had gone back and Rebecca/Adam had already left in their car or someone else's? And if it had been someone else's, would all the teams have just wound up in the wrong car? Would Phil and the producers just halt everything and say "ENOUGH! Let's try this again and this time make sure to take your vehicles only"? The possibilities make me laugh to think about. Anyway, seeing him cry cause he loved and respected his wife so much at the salt detour, as she had to take on the muscle-aching task since he got sick on the fishing boat prior, was the type of love to aspire for (I'm a sap, I know), plus seeing the locals give her a round of applause for succeeding at it (meanwhile, much younger and fitter Adam is squealing and crying like a toddler doing it SMH). They couldn't get out of their own way though with all the mistakes and came in last twice in a row, no surviving that. Sadly, old Don passed away last year. One real funny moment for me; them being caught in the middle of the fight at an airport between Hayden/Aaron/Freddy/Kendra and the wrestlers, they're all yelling at each other with the actors and wrestlers in front of them and the models right behind them and they just have this look on their face which says "I don't want to be involved in this, we've already raised our kids and have no interest in being parents to little kids again, which is how you're acting so please stop". I rewatched that a few times, cause as a body language observer you could read this is what was their dominant thought 😆
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Lena/Kristy - This one here is something which is in the annals of TAR history due to how they went out, which also pissed me off TBH. Early on, I thought they could go a long way, as they seemed to have good enough heads on their shoulders and were aware of certain things (they seemed to be among the first who deduced something was seriously wrong with Jonathan). They struggled in leg 2 due to going the wrong way to the detour before turning around and surviving, and they were a frontrunner in the next leg when they hit the hay bale detour. And they never left said detour. What a herculean effort by Lena; 8+ hours, approximately 100 bales of hay pushed and undone, and they never found the clue, never gave up and Phil had to come out and tell them they were eliminated. This kind of pissed me off, this wasn't a test of skill or speed, it was essentially a game of luck which eliminated them and honestly, especially considering a few legs later they had to merge 2 legs into 1 mega leg, they should have called another audible and made this a non-elimination cause they didn't finish last thru any fault of their own and were just victims of chance. Not to mention holy shit the work she put in there, no hysterics, no yelling or tantrums, she just kept going even when they knew it was over. They deserved to continue, and they deserved a second chance which they unfortunately never got. Found out afterwards that Kristy was a single mom of an 8 year old at the time and had recently moved to Denmark, since then she got married and expanded her family, plus she was a bridesmaid for Hayden and Aaron, I have no clue about Lena. They are in the history books though thanks to one of the most infamous roadblocks ever.
​
Meredith/Maria - I liked them, get that out of the way first. But they sucked at this, sorry. In Iceland, they damn near go all the way to the next destination before realizing "Oops, we missed a clue". They then couldn't drive worth a damn in Norway, one of them broke down crying because of verbal abuse from cokehead Jonathan, they were crap at the detour and finish last despite one team just ahead of them getting a 30 minute penalty and another going the wrong damn way to the pitstop for a while. Nice girls, great friends, but they did almost nothing good in terms of racing sad to say.
​
Avi/Joe - Nice knowing you lol. I actually was a bit surprised they were the first ones gone, one of them boasting in the intro how super-competitive he is and will run over anyone to win actually cost them in the end, as they didn't believe Gus/Hera when they said where the pitstop was and wasn't because he was so sure they were being screwed with. Not a ton more to say about them, but the only all-male team being the first elimination was maybe a harbinger of this being the season of couples lol.
​
​
So, I for the most part loved this season. Sorry to those who hated it, but I found the general lack of drama and hate between teams, as well as lack of alliances, so refreshing. It didn't lack drama though, as it all occurred within the teams, which I know was a downside for some critics. Lots of romantic relationship squabbles, at times you felt like Dr. Phil or Dr. Drew could have dropped in with these teams issues and it would have felt right at home lol. And I'm not naive enough to think that the statements and actions of a certain few contestants didn't cloud the judgement of some when it comes to this season, and I get it. But the path, while somewhat stifled at times, was a good one regardless; with trips to Iceland, Scandinavia, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, a Mediterranean French island, China and Hawaii all being gorgeous trips (camping on top of a glacier? That church dug hundreds of feet into the ground in Ethiopia? Anything Hawaii? The mountain in China? Awesome!). There are some big negatives though to take into account and they are obvious ones; Jonathan and Kendra to pinpoint 2 specific people. His repeated actions of flatout domestic abuse was so tough to watch, and yes it is domestic abuse when you're shoving and smacking at your wife (and bruises were visible on her at times) and that doesn't even take the psychological torment he dished out. And the fact that none of the producers stepped in when it was so obvious and public is similar to them letting the cowboys many seasons later get away with blatant homophobia and homophobic bullying, which is a tough pill to swallow. And Kendras repeated classist takes on Africa, whether they were taken out of context or edited in such a way to make her look as awful as possible or not, were another black eye on this show, though I have already explained that I don't think she was saying it from a race viewpoint as much as classist and ignorant of those who live under less idyllic conditions. This is in the upper echelon for me thanks to a litany of teams I could get behind at least somewhat, the 'villains' being ousted at the halfway mark and a true sense of every team for themselves. And from a shallow perspective, we have to point out how photogenic the cast was this season with lots of attractive people (maybe my favorite group of women overall based on looks alone 🔥🔥) which I have to point out that if you look into their backgrounds you realize certain info was excluded from the tv presentation to avoid people going "How obvious what you looked at when casting". Hayden/Aaron were not the only actors, as Rebecca was one too and Victoria had a little experience there along with being a Playboy Playmate. And it being a very up for grabs season helped as well, as once it got to 6 teams, I legitimately said to myself "All of these teams can win this" and would be deserving too (though not necessarily make me happy in every instance). But those big negatives take it down a few pegs, seriously if Jonathan wasn't in this or had been eliminated earlier that probably gets it an extra .25 - .50 points alone lol. And that final stretch was the laziest and worst one I have yet to see; to determine the winner of a million dollars you have to... take a subway train to a tower and then eat a small pizza?! If that was all you were gonna do, you should have just ended it in Hawaii or China. It sucks that this season gets such a bad rap for the actions of a few (don't throw the baby out with the bathwater to borrow an old phrase), cause it is a great one filled with eye-popping locales, wall-to-wall competition from start to finish (the final teams looked so exhausted at the end, you could tell by that and their extremely easy frustration the final few legs they had been in a tight race and not one they were cruising through at any point) and a lot of good all-around teams who, while they have flaws as people are generally inoffensive (save for 1 or 2 certain ones), plus are great to look at (they had to swim across that pool in Sri Lanka for what reason other than to get these beautiful people to strip down and get soaked at the pitstop when they easily could have just stepped on the mat lol, another classic sight was seeing 3 teams all jump in there at the same time, competition is awesome!) so even if they frustrate you could just enjoy on mute lolol. I give this season a 4 out of 5, and it would be maybe my 2nd favorite season only behind S5 were it not for the ugliness of Jonathan/Victoria as well as Kendra, plus the worst final leg ever.
​
Damn, this is a long post, my apologies for the lengthy read but I had a lot to say about this one.
Ratings:
S5 - 4.75/5
S15 -4.5/5
S13 - 4.5/5
S6 - 4/5
S1 - 3.75/5
S27 - 3.5/5
S25 - 3.25/5
S21 - 3.25/5
S23 - 3.25/5
S2 - 3/5
S19 - 2.5/5
S29 - 2.5/5
S16 - 1.75/5
S32 - 0.25/5

By using our ventilated plate storage containers, you may maximise space while minimising handling and expensive breakages. With this plate storage option, you can load and move plates easily while also saving time. The smooth, curved corners of the crate and the box dividers provide you easy access, making loading plates simple and secure. To locate the ideal crate for your plates, shop by plate size. For saucers, bowls, side plates, dinner plates, and other dinnerware, Caterbox have the perfect storage option.

Hi there,
I was wondering if anyone is still using MEGA cloud storage and what your experience with it has been like. I've heard mixed reviews about the service and would love to hear from those who are currently using it. Are you satisfied with the storage space and security features? Is the user interface easy to navigate?
Also, I'm curious to know how you first heard about MEGA. Was it through word-of-mouth, online advertisements, or some other means?
Any input you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!

This is not a paid promotion, nor did I get given a kit to review, I purchased it myself.
Today, I received my Studioform Creative comfort kit, including headstrap and balance weights. I live in NZ, and it happens to be made in NZ so I managed to get overnight shipping. I played a 1 hour session and then a 2 hour session both of Pavlov and didn't have the line or indentation on my forehead afterward!
https://imgur.com/DF6tDje.jpg
The Pros:

• No longer have pressure on the forehead or face, no more forehead line.
  
• Can set the headstrap to be in the sweet spot so that every time you put the headset on, you don't have to fiddle to get the sweet spot. This makes it more convenient if you need to quickly take the headset off and go do something. You can get right back into the game without mucking around.
  
• The weights are very slim and contoured to the headband, allowing you to still fit the psvr2 in its box.
  
• Without this kit, even with the rubber of psvr2 making full contact with my forehead and my hair pushed out the way, it would often slide 1 millimeter down my face and out of the sweet spot. I would have to readjust it every few minutes. This kit prevents that.
  
• I don't have to tighten the dial on the back as tight anymore.
  
• Increases the comfort level by a lot. My face and forehead don't get as hot while still getting the biggest field of view possible.
  
• Materials are high quality, and it is built to last. The Velcro is strong.
  
• Packaged well with clear printed instructions.
  
• A lot of value for the price.
  
• Removes nose pinch in lower IPDs.
  

Cons:

• For me, using the pulse headset along with this was too much weight on my head and made it too slow to whip my head around in Pavlov so I switched to the earbuds that come with the psvr2. I prefer the sound of the pulse over the earbuds, but this compromise was worth it for the comfort. (Could also be that since the headstrap was at the front the pulse had to be pushed back a bit, I tried putting the pulse over the headstrap, but it didn't fit right. This might just be user error on my part so there might be a way to use the pulse comfortably with them. I will tinker around and find a way.)
  
• When storing the psvr2 in the box with this equipped, the lid doesn't close completely. There's a small gap, but this doesn't bother me. This is just nitpicking, but it's hard to think of other cons. On the plus side, it still fits in the cardboard mold, so you could just move that to a slightly deeper box, which I will probably do.
  

Conclusion: the pros outweigh the cons and I would highly recommend this kit to anyone looking to increase the comfort of their headset. I was pretty happy with the comfort level of the stock headset, but after seeing the great reviews for the kit on reddit I had to try it, and I'm glad to say I'm satisfied with my purchase.

Hi there, I am not a Veteran but my partner is. He was approved for disability fairly soon after we first got together in 2020 (a couple months before the the pandemic). He also received a hefty back pay from when he first applied. Since then we have moved in together and built a small life together, I work a restaurant job and he stays at home.
As we’ve built our lives together in these few years we really rely on his disability, but I am very ignorant about it. My partner says his disability is recognized as permanent and that there’s little chance they’ll reduce or take it away, but I feel like I always hear horror stories about disability so I guess I just want reassurance or to understand more how it works? If he lost his disability it would beyond devastate us.
My partner is 39, and according to him was granted disability for a back injury and chronic depression. He brought up his severe asthma but I’m not sure if the VA granted him disability for that considering that pre-existed his time in the military.
From what I read they can re-examine 2 to 5 years after approving the claim, but most often for conditions likely to improve and if his are considered permanent should we be concerned about a review and him possibly losing his disability benefits because they decide he isn’t actually disabled a enough?
My partner’s reassured me I have nothing to worry about but I’m afraid he just doesn’t want me to worry.

Hi,
There is one thing i think maybe the community will want to add to the whole gameplay,
Fps module
Add some fps fight for the player and npc so when you board an ennemy ship you can do the procedure as usual or join the strike team and engage the defenders to claim the ship for your empire
( this could also serve to steal the cargo or some MVP npc for a mission / diplomatic endeavor )
Same for your own ships, having some marines onboard to protect it from any boarding attempt would be a wise choice
I think the ships interiors are somewhat too tiny for that so why not adding some "interior dungeon" leading to the bridge.
We could buy some common armor and a laser rifle and with the black market / research from the PHQ improve them.
We already have a fps module with the station so why not expand it ?
Stations with fps module
Also i want to know, who uses the hacking things on the station ? never did i, so why not expanding also the "stealthy" type by using the same tools the SCA has and infiltrate a station, maybe kill some npc guards while civilians and crewmates / pilots flee to their ship and go to the manager desk to engage two possibilities :
A - The station is a civilian type and has poor economy + you have an overwhelming strike force with you so : the manager has no personnal guards and instead of fighting is capitulating, seizing the control of the station
B - Same station but with a medium / rich economy : the guards will be in greater number : also the manager will have guards and will not give up the station so easily
C - The station is military type : the guards have some medium / high tier armor and weapons + some mini defense drones or reconditionned walkers as strike force ( you know the industrials walker seen on some stations in x:rebirth )
Only having the possibility to destroying station is a bummer
Also it would be great if it was possible to have more "tasks" inside the ship, like some engineering / calibrating some panels etc, to give you and the crew some things to do instead of getting in a chair and that's it
I know it's not Star Citizen but hey one man can dream about improving x4 further
An maybe why not try to improve some base and dlc sector base, to give some more "city station" vibe like i experienced with x:rebirth, atm there is not feel of "a specie is living there" all stations generated by the npc looks kinda the same and it's some cold and generic feeling
​

• Diplomacy

Now big part : i know there is one mod to try to "simulate" some diplomatic moves ( dead air dynamic wars ) but why not officially add this to the base game + a diplomatic mechanic showing you the standing of your empire vs others and others faction vs others
You could name a NPC to be your ambassador ( with a new skill ) to gain some reputation or decrease it with some actions / vows ( i will give examples )
- Swear to protect a position / sector ( you will have a choice of some "peaceful" or "near conflict" sectors owned by the faction ) you will gain a good amount of credits for each kill by you or any ship owned by you in this sector, and some reputation if you are below 30
- Propose to be an associate ( you will have some obligation to this faction : they will "ask" you to help them for the logistic part ( like the "war campaign for the station building but this time only supplies for the war effort / aftermath ) and some sectors assault ( ex : the argons will strike the HOP in sector True sight we will assemble a fleet and would like that you assist )
The faction will indeed assemble a fleet depending on the economy / remnant of any fleet it possess and this fleet will wait in front of the jump gate to True Sight ( you will have a timer before the assault is launched but something a bit large to not force the player to hurry too much )
If you are losing : the Faction will ask you to protect some assets ( maybe the most precious ones : supply ship / destroyer ) and can attempt some desperate moves to save some ships at any cost
If you are winning : they will ask you to help reinforce this position, ask you to patrol / propose you if you want to place the defense station / let the ai place it and begin a common project to build it / them
Giving the player and the factions more reason to engage like
- Propose to develop this sector into ( with ressources probes detecting : x ressources )
- refinery sector ( give more weight for the AI to develop any refinery industry and the several end products associate with the base ressources )
- high-tech sectors : ships technology and some warfare products
- Logistic sector : a mix of producing all the base ressources to haul to the producing stations
- Naval sector : increase the chance to build a wharf and shipyard
- Consumer goods : increase the chance to build some agricultural goods / food rations stations to help the growth of the population
- Military sector : increase the number of defense platforms, minefields and chokepoint if any highway is in the sector also build an equipment dock if possible or deploy a permanent supply ship for the faction and you to use.
- Ask the faction to help for a military conflict / defend you : you will have to use some nav beacon to "manipulate" the AI to send some fleets at a position, if you want to strike a precise target you could deploy a "strike beacon" that act like a ship you select it and right click on the ship / station / multiple objects you want to give the assault ( add a timer or any safeguard so the player will not let the faction solo everything )
- Commercial pact : you can swear to the AI to give xxx ressources ( from basic to more high tier ) in two ways : A : you give all the ressources in one time / B : you give xx ressources for a period given, or you can ask the faction to do the same
- Non agression pact : Set the relation between the faction and the player to +0 ( only if the faction is not -25 and if you remained neutral to them for xx time without any agression )
- Report ( a category )
A - Dangerous sector : you inform the Faction that "the sector you have pick" is more dangerous so it will increase the patrols / add more fleets, given the risk rating
B - Increased piracy : informing the faction that more traders get plundered in "sector chosen" will increase police patrols / add more defense ships to the traders on the trading route
C - Agression : You inform the faction that "chosen faction" has more violent behaviours toward "you/other faction" so the reputation of the faction vs the agressor will drop ( only if the faction that has been attacked stands minimum neutral with the one you inform )
D - Act of War : You inform that a faction with whom you are "enemy/at war" (-20/-30) has attacked (chosen owned sector / owned station or owned destroyed station) this will instantly trigger a -30 reputation between the two factions ( if you are +20 and more below that this will just decrease by -5/-10 )
- Help with a project ; you swear to help / ask for the faction help to
Build a station / Develop a sector ( you will have some situation exposure of the sector and an explanation of why the faction wants to build a station / develop this sector, with stats about the economy or the fleet )
- Gather Intel : you propose or the faction ask you to send some scout ships to : know the enemy position / take account of the enemy fleet and composition / estimate the economy with the number / speciality of the stations in "chosen sector"
( with a little overhaul of the AI to always destroy any enemy satellite ofc so you are encouraged to do it ) the enemy fleet will be some "on sight" you will have to explore a good portion of a sector ( without the need to go to the edges, something "realistic" ) and just have a visual on the map of the enemy ships ( also if at a given time let's say there is 60 ships but you didn't bother to explore and just saw 10 you could give a bad information )
you or the AI can report a number be it true or false or higher than what it is to expect any reinforcement
- Help protect a faction : If you and the faction are in good terms with another one who is weaker / often targeted you could ask to elaborate some "vassal pact" to help them, also the faction could ask you this favor
- UI
- Some way to establish trading routes and logistic improvment : give order to a trader ship to take a ressource from a station A to a station B and the intermediate product into station C then the usable part to a station / wharf in one way, the ship will analyse the storage of these stations and decide how to supply the chain ( also adding this for the NPC to plan for them how to develop a sector, proposing xx stations to refine xx ressources ( with a station loadout that you can create ) so this station will produce x that the AI will transfer to station B in the sector etc, almost if you create the logic of the sector yourself )
- A more easy ( and vanilla ) way to give some orders to the ship ( like in the mod urgent orders / kuda ai tweaks ) having the possibility to give some priority orders
- A fleet positioning revamped ( think about homeworld for that )
- Stop the ships to be suicidal : with some survival logic ( don't engage if x % of turrets still alive / retreat if shields / hull are at xx % ) don't engage L / XL ships alone / without a L / XL escort
- More targeting possibilities : give a simple way to all your ships to priority target : propulsors / turrets / shield generators / station module ( production / defense / storage / dock )
( i know there are mods for that, but i want all of these vanilla for everyone to enjoy )
Looking back at all of this...it's almost revamping the whole game i think... but given is a sandbox with multiples aspects i think we can improve it to be more unique.
I'm sorry for this massive wall of text and i thank you if you read to the end
​

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Vital ethics of reading others, how to deliver messages, optional practice (and trade reading!) with another student. Second level of clearings to help strengthen your field for protection and expansion. Releasing limiting beliefs around doubt and empowerment.
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This week we take a breath, catch up + review lessons 1-4. You will receive supportive material on strengthening your intuitive clarity and more essential practices when “flying solo” connecting on your own or for someone.
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LPI (LP Information)' newest research report, the “Ultra Fine Nickel Wire Industry Forecast” looks at past sales and reviews total world Ultra Fine Nickel Wire sales in 2022, providing a comprehensive analysis by region and market sector of projected Ultra Fine Nickel Wire sales for 2023 through 2029. With Ultra Fine Nickel Wire sales broken down by region, market sector and sub-sector, this report provides a detailed analysis in US$ millions of the world Ultra Fine Nickel Wire industry.
This Insight Report provides a comprehensive analysis of the global Ultra Fine Nickel Wire landscape and highlights key trends related to product segmentation, company formation, revenue, and market share, latest development, and M&A activity. This report also analyzes the strategies of leading global companies with a focus on Ultra Fine Nickel Wire portfolios and capabilities, market entry strategies, market positions, and geographic footprints, to better understand these firms' unique position in an accelerating global Ultra Fine Nickel Wire market.
This Insight Report evaluates the key market trends, drivers, and affecting factors shaping the global outlook for Ultra Fine Nickel Wire and breaks down the forecast by type, by application, geography, and market size to highlight emerging pockets of opportunity. With a transparent methodology based on hundreds of bottom-up qualitative and quantitative market inputs, this study forecast offers a highly nuanced view of the current state and future trajectory in the global Ultra Fine Nickel Wire.
This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities of Ultra Fine Nickel Wire market by product type, application, key manufacturers and key regions and countries.
https://www.lpinformationdata.com/reports/620227/ultra-fine-nickel-wire-2029
The main participants
Novametal
Central Wire Industries
Alleima
Alloy Wire International
Ulbrich Stainless Steels and Special Metals
Brookfield Wire Company
California Fine Wire
Juqi (Suzhou) Nonferrous Metal Materials
Segmentation by type
0.025mm
0.026mm
0.027mm
0.028mm
0.03mm
Segmentation by application
Electronics
Medical
Aerospace
Others
Key Questions Addressed in this Report
What is the 10-year outlook for the global Ultra Fine Nickel Wire market?
What factors are driving Ultra Fine Nickel Wire market growth, globally and by region?
Which technologies are poised for the fastest growth by market and region?
How do Ultra Fine Nickel Wire market opportunities vary by end market size?
How does Ultra Fine Nickel Wire break out type, application?
What are the influences of COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine war?
LP INFORMATION (LPI) is a professional market report publisher based in America, providing high quality market research reports with competitive prices to help decision makers make informed decisions and take strategic actions to achieve excellent outcomes.We have an extensive library of reports on hundreds of technologies.Search for a specific term, or click on an industry to browse our reports by subject. Narrow down your results using our filters or sort by what’s important to you, such as publication date, price, or name.
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Hi all. I'm wrapping up my set up but it's been a long as journey because I'm technologically inept
One thing I'm struggling to find out is whether I should buy an SSD or a HDD (or another option?) to hold my downloads in. This is mostly going to be for long term storage of tv and films, something I will build on over the years and it will be precious to me. Life-defining films or important viewings. Basically a digital time capsule.
I'm looking to start with 2TB, and then if I fill that I will buy a 4TB and transfer it all over. Rinse and repeat over the years
The questions I have are:
1) Should I be looking for an SSD or a HDD?
2) Do I need to regularly power these on to prevent them from breaking?
3) Will I be able to transfer from one drive to another without loss of quality? (I.e. will moving the files over the years do harm?)
4) Do I need to backup?
5) Are there any other things to consider when creating my collection?
Sorry if this is super dumb/basic!

Hey folks, I had a piece of content I was working on. I'm an engineer and not a content writer so I would appreciate your feedback :D
In today’s dynamic environment, the main data processing steps include: data ingestion from a source, data storage, data transformation, data cleansing, and data validation. After these steps, data can be stored and used in further analyses and data analytics applications.
Data analysts are eager to find new ways of processing data since this kind of information always grows in both volume and variety, and data-processing tools are being constantly updated (multiple times every year).
‍
What Is Data Ingestion?
Data ingestion is the process of transporting data from one or more sources to a target site for further processing and analysis. The data can be taken from multiple sources, including data pools, SaaS applications, IoT devices, on-premises databases, etc., and would usually end up in different target environments, including cloud data marts and data warehouses.
‍
Why Is Data Ingestion Important?
Data ingestion reorganizes company data to the desired format and helps ease its usage, especially during the extract, transform, and load (ETL) operations. Tools for data ingestion can both process a variety of data formats while simultaneously reorganizing large volumes of unstructured (raw) data.
Once data is ingested, organizations can employ analytical tools to get useful BI insights from multiple data sources. Companies can improve their applications and offer different features and services derived from the insights that are produced by ingested data sets. With proper data inputs, businesses can provide data analytics to authorized individuals more efficiently. Additionally, data ingestion brings the data to programs that need the most up-to-date data. For example, real-time data, when applied to the public transport system, can improve its efficiency (fuel consumption and traffic patterns), minimize arrival times, avoid congestion etc.
‍
How To Best Conduct Data Ingestion?
Data ingestion can be done in 3 different ways. More specifically, this can be completed through either real-time, batches or a combination of both processes, known otherwise as lambda (or micro-batch approach). Companies can choose one of the three types depending on their business objectives, IT infrastructures, and financial feasibility.

1. Real-time data ingestion is the process of the collection and transfer of data from multiple sources in real-time using tools such as change data capture (CDC). CDC continually monitors the transaction logs and moves the changed data without interfering with the database workload. Real-time ingestion is crucial in time-limited use cases, such as power grid monitoring or stock market trading, especially when companies need to react rapidly to new information. Real-time data pipelines are also important in making quick operational decisions and defining actions based on new insights.
2. Batch-based data ingestion, on the other hand, is the process of the collection and transfer of data in batches but in pre-specified time intervals. The ingestion process will collect data based on certain conditions, event triggers, or some forms of logical order. Batch-based ingestion is applicable when companies need to collect specific data on a less rigorous daily basis and or simply don’t need a constant inflow of data for real-time decision-making. An example could be a printed newspaper that collects information over 24 hours and publishes it (part of it) at a certain time.
3. Micro-batch ingestion is a data ingestion process that consists of both real-time and batch methods. The process includes the batch, serving, and speed layers. The first two layers index data in batches, and the speed layer instantly indexes the data that should otherwise be picked up by the slower batch and serving layers. This ongoing data transfer between different layers ensures that data is available for querying with no delay.

The Benefits of Data Ingestion
These Data ingestion techniques provide various benefits, enabling firms to manage data while also improving their market positions effectively. Some of the advantages include the following:

• Companies can save time and money: Data ingestion automates some of the tasks that are previously done manually by developers. With an automated system in place, however, critical developers can instead dedicate their time to other, more important tasks.
• Dev-teams can improve their software applications: After implementation, dev-teams can utilize data ingestion techniques to ensure that their applications transfer data quickly and provide a smooth experience directly to the end-users.
• Data is promptly available: Companies can gather data stored across various servers and move them all together to a unified environment available for immediate access and further analysis.
• Data simplified: Data ingestion implementation, together with ETL tools, will convert different data types into pre-defined formats and then transfer them to a single data warehouse.
• Improved decision-making: Real-time data ingestion allows businesses to uncover problems and opportunities on the spot, thereby making the right decisions at the right time.

The Must-Have Features For 2023 / Incoming Trends in 2023
Data ingestion tools can gather and transfer all structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data from multiple sources to target destinations. These tools automate manual ingestion processes and undertake processing steps that move data from one point to another. Other important features to pay attention to in the upcoming period are as follows:

• Data integration tools: Traditional data integration platforms incorporate features for every step of the data value chain, and namely, the aforementioned data cleaning, data consolidation, ETL processes, data virtualization, and transfer and storage. They enable a regulated (and secure) flow of simplified data operations through increasing productivity without any processing delays.
• AI-powered search: An AI-Powered Search can bring site visitors what they need right off the spot, and this will help business owners achieve better customer satisfaction, higher conversion rates, and increased revenues. An AI-based search engine will display results that are personalized to individual users based on their profiles, desires, and various other tendencies.
• Video-based search: Implementing automated captions helps people consume media content effectively. With Omnisearch, you can utilize our advanced search functionality to find the exact video you need or navigate the database using filters such as topics, dates, and many more. Additionally, when you search for specific files, Omnisearch automatically tells you the relevance of various files to your search terms; this makes it quick and easy to navigate through your massive database to find and locate exactly what you need.

Hello everyone,
I currently live with and use my parents' Florida home as the home address on my AMEX account. In late April, I will be moving to California for work, and intend to use a California address as the mailing address.
Would it be a problem with AMEX if my home and mailing addresses are in different states ?

Long story short - I got fleeced
I was given a statement of work that listed 2 jobs - leveling and repairing a pier and beam side of the house and the concrete side
The contractor used 2x4 instead of the written (which I have in email) 2x6s and this work is absolute garbage
The concrete side wasn’t leveled as they found out after it was too thin in between to lift - and I believe only piers were dug down underneath.
A ton of concrete was left for weeks and is still not removed despite him texting me he’s have guys on it - that ram me another 700 for another dumpster rental.
I came to the house and found a notice from the city stating no permit was ever pulled despite him telling me it would be (because obviously he didn’t plan on doing it to code)
I paid with several chase credit cards and was waiting on my lawyer but due to a invoice possibly not serving as a legal contract - I’m about to have to examine the dispute route.
Any tips here? It sucks - this company was local and had 50 or so positive reviews but that’s just life for you
All photos and videos of the pre and current state of the foundation as well as the invoices will be posted tomorrow. I paid through card via square for all of them.
Any advice or help would be great - we wanted this done right and this was a huge chunk of our budget. I’d rather tear it down at this point and build up in a 12x24 shed we will be moving down.