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kb体育外围
The Latest Research for Web Designers, August 2020
While a lot of the research for web designers that's come out this year has to do with COVID-19, we're starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Many of these reports aren't just looking at the effects of the pandemic on business and marketing today. They're now looking at what consumers plan to do once the pandemic is gone. So, I have some very interesting research for you here today. Three of the...
Microsoft Advertising Editor gets updated with recommendations and campaign-level targeting
Microsoft Advertising Editor users now have access to AI-powered recommendations and campaign-level associations, the company announced[1] Wednesday. The new features are designed to help advertisers optimize campaign performance and make bulk campaign management easier. Recommendations as they appear in Microsoft Advertising Editor. Source: Microsoft. AI-powered recommendations. Recommendations, which were released as a closed beta[2] in November, are now available globally. Denoted with a lightbulb icon, recommendations can include suggestions for bid optimizations, new keywords to add, and fixes...
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Drew McLellan 2020-08-11T05:00:00+00:002020-08-19T02:34:38+00:00Today, we're talking about Serverless architectures. What does that mean, and how does it differ from how we might build sites currently? I spoke to Chris Coyier to find out.Show Notes Weekly Update Transcript Drew McLellan: He's a web designer and developer...
Bing Shopping opens up to free product listings
Organic product listings are now available in the Bing Shopping tab, Microsoft announced[1] Monday. They are currently offered to Microsoft Merchant Center store owners with approved offers, and will launch with a small volume of traffic this month. The ability to promote products for free is currently only available to merchants in the U.S., but will also eventually roll out to those in the UK, Canada, Australia, France and Germany. How it works. Microsoft Shopping Campaigns customers do...
How to use in-market audiences for better search campaigns
30-second summary: Today, digital business is gaining ground fast, especially with the coronavirus pandemic pushing more business and marketing operations online. In the virtual business space, it is all about each enterprise targeting the maximum interested audience as the center of its campaigns. Indeed, audience targeting has become a common measure to enhance enterprise marketing campaigns. Co-founder and Director of eSparkBiz Technologies shares all the tricks and tips to use in-market audiences for better search campaigns. Audience targeting refers to establishing...
Google's new features for product, job and recipe activity cards usher users along their journey
Google has extended the functionality of its related activity cards[1] with respect to shopping, job and recipe-related searches, the company announced[2] Tuesday. The new features are designed to make it easier for users to take the next step in their journey; in this case, making a purchase, finding a job or preparing a meal. The shopping activity card. Google search will now show products that a user has been researching, even if the product was featured in...
Why machine learning and understanding searcher intent is so important to search
Search is not simply about keyword density and the number of links to a specific page, it is much more complex now. In our interview with Microsoft's Christi Olson and Fabrice Canal, on Live with Search Engine Land[1] about What 体育平台app s need to know about Bing Webmaster Guidelines[2], we spoke about how Bing ranks content and the importance of semantic and searcher intent. Bing: It's all about machine learning Fabrice Canal, Principal Program Manager at Bing, Microsoft, said "it's all...
Yelp's updated 'Request a Quote' and new 'Nearby Jobs' provide lead-gen for SMBs
Yelp introduced "Request a Quote" business messaging in 2016[1]. In the interim, the company added capabilities and is now reintroducing it as a more full-featured lead-generation and business matching tool[2] with appointment booking. Yelp is also launching "Nearby Jobs" for local services businesses, which gives them the ability to access a flow of local leads a part of a $240 monthly subscription. Businesses can proactively reach out to interested consumers based on a feed of local projects...
Google Search Console can now help you fix your AMP Signed Exchange (SXG) problems
Google announced[1] that Search Console has been upgraded to support reporting on issues around AMP and signed exchanges. Signed exchanges (SXG) can be used with AMP to show your real publisher URL and not the Google AMP cache URL[2] when serving your AMP articles. Google's URL inspection tool and the AMP enhancement report within Search Console can both now report on issues around signed exchanges and AMP. With these updates, "sites implementing SXG for their AMP pages...
Strange bedfellows Google and Firefox renew their 'default search' partnership
Google and Mozilla's Firefox need one another. That was recently reaffirmed in the decision to extend their 2017 search partnership[1], which was set to expire this year. Mozilla gets most of its revenue from search partnerships, the most important of which is Google — the latter is the default search engine for Firefox in North America. Google needs Firefox as a competitor in the browser segment, which it dominates globally. Google's browser is under antitrust scrutiny in...
体育平台app tips for your retail store
30-second summary: Almost 80% of shoppers do online research before buying and almost 70% of consumers click on a link that is on the first page of SERPs. [1][2] Built-in 体育平台app tools in your point of sale system are an excellent thing for retailers. Wondering why 体育平台app is key for retail business? Content Media shares six 体育平台app tips retailers can use to boost reach and sales. An excellent way for you, as a retail business, to reach more customers is to have built-in 体育平台app tools in...
体育平台app in the second half of 2020: Five search opportunities to act on now
30-second summary: Search marketing is evolving at lightning speed alongside the consumer. One company's challenge can be another's opportunity. Activating search and market insights has become mission-critical for brands. Brands need to stay on top of what's happening with both the consumer and the SERP. Creating and optimizing content that enhances a consumer's experience is key. Jim Yu shares five search opportunities you'll want to have your eye on as you strategize for the rest of 2020 and beyond. Late in 2019 and just around...
Google Performance Planner adds support for conversion delay and shared budgets
Google has added three new features to Performance Planner, its ad campaign forecasting tool, the company announced[1] Monday. Performance Planner[2] can now account for conversion delay and supports shared budgets across search campaigns as well as campaign plans that can be viewed and edited by other stakeholders. A screenshot of Performance Planner's new sharing feature. Source: Google. Why we care Being able to account for the lag between when a user clicks on an ad and when they perform...
Why marketers should break 体育平台app strategies into pre- and post-purchase
Acquiring search data is not a terribly hard part of an 体育平台app 's job. From the platform-based tools that give marketers the ability to see how their site rankings perform to a range of third-party tools that dig deeper into the data to understand intent and customer lifecycle, there are many ways marketers gather data on how their customers are behaving. "But how can we then take information that we've acquired and then apply it to our strategies...
Exciting New Tools for Designers, August 2020
The common theme in this month's collection of new tools and resources is "things that help you show off your work." Many of these tools are made to help you better web products or apps or showcase designs with others. Here's what new for designers this month. Naturaltts Naturaltts[1] is an online text to speech converter, that allows you to download an mp3 recording. The tool has more than 60 voices to choose from in six languages. There's a...
Mastering Props And PropTypes In React
Props and PropTypes are an important mechanism for passing information between React components, and we're going to look into them in great detail here. This tutorial will introduce you to the details about props, passing and accessing props, and passing information to any component using props. However, it's always a good practice to validate the data we are getting through props by using PropTypes. So, you will also learn how to integrate PropTypes in React. Do props...
Replay: CCPA compliance and Facebook Ads
[embedded content] How to market to California residents on Facebook and stay CCPA compliant.Facebook was very late to the CCPA party, perhaps presuming that because its tracking Pixel is technically free, it didn't fall under the regulation's definition of data selling. Enforcement of CCPA went into effect on July 1. As of that date, Facebook opted all advertisers into its new Limited Data Use solution[1] for CCPA compliance — whether they already had a solution in place, aren't...
Video: Patrick Stox on pagination, technical 体育平台app & community
The last interview I did at SMX West[1] last February was with Patrick Stox. Patrick is a long time speaker at the SMX conference, he has worked at IBM for several years as a technical 体育平台app and now works at Ahrefs, the popular 体育平台app toolset company. In our interview, besides for joking around probably a bit too much, we talked a bit about some technical 体育平台app topics. We covered how Google surprisingly dropped the rel=next/prev support[2], we...
Google Search Console Insights for content creators
After being under the radar[1] for a couple of months, Google has confirmed the new Google Search Console Insights. Search Console Insights is a new view of your data specifically "tailored for content creators and publishers," Google said. It can help content creators understand how audiences discover their site's content and what resonates with their audiences. Search Console Insights uses both Search Console and Google Analytics data in one view. Google announced[2] the beta today on Twitter,...
Popular Design News of the Week: August 10, 2020 – August 16, 2020
Every week users submit a lot of interesting stuff on our sister site Webdesigner News, highlighting great content from around the web that can be of interest to web designers. The best way to keep track of all the great stories and news being posted is simply to check out the Webdesigner News[1] site, however, in case you missed some here's a quick and useful compilation of the most popular designer news that we curated from the...
What will make your brand stand out on LinkedIn in 2020?
30-second summary: Brands and marketers are always on the lookout for platforms, strategies, and ways to grow their presence and business. When platforms like Facebook and Instagram show signs of saturation in terms of organic reach, LinkedIn saves the day. However, in a crowd of 30 million company pages, to stand out and grow your brand is undoubtedly a tedious task. So how do you stand out? Co-founder and Director of eSparkBiz Technologies, Harikrishna Kundariya shares the super six of LinkedIn...
How AI can supercharge performance marketing
30-second summary: Performance marketing is growing strong and the idea of thinking of the future along with emerging technologies that can supercharge your campaigns sounds exciting. The applied use of AI in marketing is a common challenge for many brands. As consumer behaviors are changing and new technologies emerge, it's critical for marketers to explore the different benefits of integrating AI into their marketing strategies. AI can transform performance marketing by making the most of all available data. The...
An 体育平台app 's guide to event schema markup
. Tha30-second summary: From Google's Cloud Next conference to Starbucks' shareholder's meetings, the live event industry has undergone a dramatic transformation in light of the global COVID-19 outbreak. As online services become more integrated into people's lives, audiences expect more information that's up-to-date and delivered quickly, including the events they plan on attending. This is where event schema markup can really help optimize event web pages so they show up on search results pages. Superb Digital's Managing Director, Paul Morris shares a comprehensive...
Facebook launches free 'paid online events' for SMBs and others
Facebook wants to help small businesses (SMBs) survive the COVID crisis — and make money. A few months ago, the company announced[1] $100M in cash grants and ad credits for SMBs. It later introduced[2] Facebook Shops to help SMBs sell online. And today it announced[3] a new product to monetize classes and online events called, matter-of-factly, "paid online events." Potentially powerful new channel. Paid online events is currently a free product that enables "businesses, creators, educators and media...
Community Resources, Weekly Newsletter, And Boosting Skills Online
About The Author Juggling between three languages on a daily basis, Iris is known for her love of linguistics, arts, web design and typography, as well as her goldmine of … More about Iris …[1] With so much going on, we've made it our mission to help you stay on top of things. Of course, you can follow us on social media and subscribe to our RSS feed[2], but it's nice to have an overview of the most...


Blink: Inteligencia Intuitiva / Blink: The Power of Thinking Without ThinkingApor Qua Sabemos La Verdad En DOS Segundos?
Inteligencia intuitiva : ¿por qué sabemos la verdad en dos segundos?
Booko collects this information from user contributions and sources on the internet - it is not a definitive list of editions. Search Booko for other editions of Blink.


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2018 Jaguar Project 8: Price, Specs, & Review
by Andrew Nabors
in 2018 Buyers Guide, Jaguar, Specs, XF
The Project 8 is the second Collector's Edition vehicle crafted by Jaguar's performance division, SVO. This wild version of the Jaguar XF is advertised as the most powerful performance Jaguar to date, the Project 8 is equipped with a staggering 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine capable of 592 horsepower and a top speed of 200 mph. But power isn't its only attribute. A body construction of premium grade, ultra lightweight aluminum—crafted by Jaguar—and carbon fiber means minimal weight, which enhances the driving experience. This four-door powerhouse is engineered with sport-derived suspension and all-wheel drive to maximize the road experience.
Ferrari 458 Italia For Sale
The Project 8 might be a sedan, but its speed and handling capabilities match the exhilarating ride of a two-door sports vehicle. The vehicle's sporty exterior includes a rear spoiler and sweeping lines that characterize the modern sports car, while the interior offers a fusion of sport and comfort. The front Performance seats are bucket in style and covered in Ebony leather, while the back seats afford passengers comfort and luxury. Enthusiasts and car collectors will be happy to know that only 300 units will be produced, solidifying the Project 8 as a true limited edition.
2018 Jaguar Project 8 Specs:
Engine: 5.0-liter Supercharged V8
Torque: 516 lb-ft
0-60: 3.3 seconds
Top Speed: 200 mph
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This report chronicles the technical accomplishments of the Software Engineering Institute and its impact on the Department of Defense software community, as well as on the broader software engineering community.
This report chronicles the technical accomplishments of the Software Engineering Institute and its impact on the Department of Defense software community, as well as on the broader software engineering community. The technical accomplishments of the SEI are interwoven with the technical developments in the broader software engineering community. The described technical work is organized into areas of importance to the mission of the SEI: Real-Time Embedded Systems, Education and Training, Management, Security, Software Engineering Methods, Software Architecture, and Computer Forensics.


Brooks Memorial Cemetery is located at 147 Price Road, Brooks, GA. The property was originally purchased in 1959 from the estate of Buren Mask. Today, the Brooks Memorial Cemetery is a lovely, peaceful area surrounded by large shade trees and a beautiful monument at its heart.
Lot prices are $3000.00 which will hold 2 traditional caskets or 4 cremations. The Town of Brooks offers basic perpetual care of the grounds. Please refer to the cemetery Rules and Regulations for more details. Please contact Jerry Lynch @ 770-715-7537 for lot availability and/or additional information.


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State Roundup
MD Sports Betting
Senators say PlanMaryland controversy comes from few people understanding it
by Len Lazarick | December 13, 2011 | General Assembly, News | 2 |
By Megan Poinski
Megan@MarylandReporter.com
The torrid rhetoric about PlanMaryland cooled down on Monday into a discussion about who really understands the controversial state land-use plan, and what it's doing before the public at this point anyway.
Because of the impassioned arguments against enacting the plan, the Senate Committee on Education, Health and Environmental Affairs held a briefing on the issue on Monday morning. The Maryland Department of Planning had intended to submit the plan to Gov. Martin O'Malley this month so it could be codified as an executive order.
The hearing room was packed with people mostly opposed to the plan, many of whom had attended a rally decrying it right before the hearing on Lawyers Mall.
Senate Minority Leader E.J. Pipkin waves a copy of PlanMaryland at a rally against the document.
For the most part, senators on the committee understood why the opponents might be frustrated with the plan, which Planning Secretary Richard Hall said is basically the state coordinating all of its smart growth programs in a single document. It does not create any new laws or policies, Hall said. A plan could not do that without passing the legislature first.
"The loudest voices opposed to the plan are worried that the plan is doing something it does not, and it can't," Hall said.
Seen as usurping local zoning
The way the document is written, many senators acknowledged, It could sound like the state may be able to usurp planning and zoning power from local jurisdictions – exactly the concerns voiced by residents from all corners of rural Maryland on Monday.
"I think this has become the straw man. It's just scared people," said Sen. Paul Pinsky, D – Prince George's County. "But as a matter of fact, these rights and responsibility have always been there. As well as the authority."
Pinsky said there are just two questions before the Senate: Was PlanMaryland developed in a transparent atmosphere, and is the plan needed at all?
State planning officials say that PlanMaryland is the next step in smart growth legislation passed in 1974. In the nearly four decades since then, Maryland has passed several different laws regarding smart growth and preservation. However, all of these laws are for different programs in different departments.
Hall used a football analogy to explain why PlanMaryland is needed. The Baltimore Ravens know how to play football, but they never go out on the field without a plan. The state of Maryland has been on the field without a game plan for decades, he said.
"If you actually knit together, theoretically, a number of state programs, you would have a plan," Hall said. "The governor felt it was necessary to knit together a plan."
The plan is not yet final, and the Department of Planning is still working to perfect it. Two drafts have already been put out, with each garnering comments and suggestions for improvement from the statewide community.
Andrew Ratner, director of communications for the Maryland Department of Planning, said that the comments from Monday's hearing – as well as comments electronically submitted by people statewide – will be used to put together a final draft, which will be submitted to the governor before the end of the month.
State takes the lead
Real estate attorney Jon Laria, chairman of the Sustainable Growth Commission, has been involved with PlanMaryland since the O'Malley administration started working on it. His commission, which grew out of a task force established in 2007, is housed in the Department of Planning as a statewide forum for discussing land use and planning. The commission supports PlanMaryland with some tweaks, and he reiterated that the plan does nothing new in terms of rules and regulations.
"To me, PlanMaryland is not such a big deal with what it achieves," Laria said. "What it signals is the state is going to take the lead on this process."
However, PlanMaryland has riled up people from across the state who fear that it could put their property rights in jeopardy. According to the plan, the Smart Growth Subcabinet – made up of several top-level state officials – will have final approval of different planning recommendations.
Advocates of the plan – and many senators – said this is nothing new, and doesn't mean that the state can limit development. As it is now, the state submits comments on local developments, but cannot stop anything.
Dru Schmidt-Perkins, executive director of environmental advocacy group 1,000 Friends of Maryland, said that the plan is not a power grab by the administration. In fact, she said, the law doesn't give the Planning secretary any power to enforce the state plan.
"I often joke that Secretary Hall has less power than a librarian. A librarian can fine you for a late book," Schmidt-Perkins said.
People hold up signs protesting PlanMaryland.
Public relations failure
In 1997, the General Assembly passed laws to establish priority funding areas, which set geographic priorities for government funds to be spent on planning. Sen. Ronald Young, D- Frederick and Washington counties, was then deputy secretary of planning, and worked to get that legislation passed. He said it was a lot of work, and took a lot of talking to people statewide to let them know what the legislation would mean. While the terminology in the law may sound daunting, Young said that he worked hard to make sure that all stakeholders knew exactly what the state was doing.
He asked all county, municipal and state officials at the hearing to raise their hands if anyone had come directly to them to talk about PlanMaryland. Only four hands went up.
Young called the whole issue a "PR failure." Because nobody from the administration explained exactly what PlanMaryland meant, he said it isn't surprising that so many people fear the implications in the way the document is written. Even though the Department of Planning has had several public meetings about the plan, the message obviously did not get through to the people who needed to get it.
"My question is, 'Why the heck did you do this?'" Young said. "All it's done is create a huge controversy that I think has diverted from the real issue."
The real issues, he said – things like dealing with keeping the Chesapeake Bay clean, ensuring less runoff pollution, and preserving the natural beauty of Maryland for future generations – are the types of things that PlanMaryland mentions in no real detail. However, other hearings and legislation will deal with them.
Sen. Roy Dyson, D-Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties, recommended that Hall write the committee an official letter to state what kind of leverage the state has in infrastructure in local communities.
Opponents not against smart growth
The vast majority of people who filled every seat and part of the aisles in the hearing room on Monday were opposed to the plan. Senate Minority Leader E.J. Pipkin, who has led the opposition, said that he is not opposed to a smart growth plan for the state.
While state officials maintain PlanMaryland doesn't make any big changes, Pipkin said the number of people and organizations opposed to it calls that statement into question. They include the Maryland Association of Counties, the Farm Bureau, the Realtors Association, two-thirds of the counties and the homebuilders association.
Pipkin said a lot has changed since the enacting legislation passed in 1974, and PlanMaryland needs more scrutiny.
"It should come in the front door through the legislature," he said.
While opponents at past forums have charged the Department of Planning with trying to steal local authority, most of the opponents toned down their rhetoric Monday. They wanted more collaborative consideration of the plan, and hoped that local authorities and the General Assembly could be brought into the process.
"We are not here to argue or fight, as portrayed by some," said Frederick County Commissioner Blaine Young, son of the senator on the committee. "We are here to work together."
Pipkin has promised to propose a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would require legislative approval for PlanMaryland.
Sen. Edward Reilly, R- Anne Arundel County, said that the plan could use more time and consideration.
"There still needs to be a lot of education on this issue," he said. "We've waited 37 years. I don't know why there's a rush."
PreviousBroad array of funding recommended for Health Benefit Exchange
NextState Roundup, December 13, 2011
Len Lazarick
len@marylandreporter.com
Len Lazarick was the founding editor and publisher of MarylandReporter.com and is currently the president of its nonprofit corporation and chairman of its board He was formerly the State House bureau chief of the daily Baltimore Examiner from its start in April 2006 to its demise in February 2009. He was a copy editor on the national desk of the Washington Post for eight years before that, and has spent decades covering Maryland politics and government.
Report: Maryland has nation's second best election website
Progressive groups want to raise income, gas, corporate and sales taxes, and boost minimum wage
Overdose-related deaths increase amid Covid-19 pandemic
Rascovar Commentary: Perry vs. O'Malley – Early Presidential Showdown?
Anonymous on December 15, 2011 at 12:54 pm
This comment was received by e-mail from Ken Noble, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and a former member of the Chestertown Planning Commission:
"PlanMaryland" is a guidebook, not a plan. Since it is not a
"plan", it cannot be a "socialist plan". That is higher logic
that may be lost on the TeaParty crowd, I am afraid.
PlanMaryland SUGGESTS problems and courses of action….but,
unfortunately also will require local jurisdictions to prepare
more paper to send to the State of Maryland….WITHOUT providing
staff resources to do so.
"PlanMaryland" alone will not stop "Sprawl"…if we could even
ever identify and agree on, exactly what that is. That, whatever
it is, will still be controlled by local planning bodies. Our
Republican "representatives" are taking plays outof the TeaParty
playbook rather randomly and thrusting them in our face
hysterically. If they didn't have "PlanMaryland" to whine about
it would be something else.
All of the tools of planning are now online and freely
distributed across all jurisdictional boundaries and that does
NOT depend upon a state planning agency that employs public
relations people to tell PLANNERS what they were trained to do.
Having said that, I would be happy with a bill from Senator
Pipken that terminates the PlanMaryland document where it is and
restructures MDP so that they can fire "communications" people
and hire more local planning assistance. If he were to craft
that bill correctly, I imagine that he may even get support from
Montgomery, Howard and Prince George's County, which b.t.w.
would be a good place to start getting support for a
gubernatorial run….ahhh…even if he is from the "wrong party."
it is "boots on the ground". not p.r. people in cubicles on
West Preston Street, that will help Maryland grow smarter.
Anonymous on December 13, 2011 at 8:09 am
Many many years ago growing up in baltimore city, I was about 7-8 years old and I asked my mom what is this man was doing in our house taking notes. She said because she had rented a room to ms simmons for extra money, who had been living with us for 7 years and who I felt was a member of our family, is being asked to move because of zoning issues. MS simmons tearfully moved. We were quite upset. Ms simmons paid $10 a month which sure helped since my mom was raising 2 children on her own. This man was an inspector from baltimore city. Although so young, i could never get this out of my mind since this was my mom's home and not this man's home. Again a few years later another suited man *inspector* came to our home with clipboard in hand to inspect the inside of our home..My mom wanted to change the interior design which required removing 2 round decorative columns *not structural* between our living and dining room and had to obtain a permit which she didn't know to do. She had to apply for permit *which cost money* to do her beautiful structure change that she had been saving for years to do. I was about 13 at the time and old enough to be quite upset. I was then told it was code issues and that code enforcement inspectors had to do their required jobs. As I grew older, I learned that if you improve the exterior of your home, your assessed values go up which means more property taxes. If you allow the exterior of your property to decline then your fined. Either way the homeowner is screwed. I am now a senior and still own the ole property I was born in and city regulations are a joke and no matter what we do with our own properties we are screwed. Smart growth is only smart to our corrupt politicians with deep pockets. A place where our politicians starting with O'malley, miller and Busch can hire their campaign supporting companies like whiting turner and others who hire illegal aliens *Omalley's new Americans* and not citizens to work these projects. Feed me and I'll feed you.. Corruptness at its best.. The citizens of Md do not want any more "smart growth ideas" from our elected officials. Many politicians were there in opposition. Unfortunately they are the minority in this state of corruption..
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One of the most recognizable structures in the world. This shot of the Eiffel Tower was taken on my Lomo Holga camera which is prone to the odd light leak as you can see the backing paper through this negative.
Edition of 50 prints. Numbered and signed by the artist.


One upon a time, a scorpion decided that he wanted change in his life. So he set out on a journey: through the forests and hills to see what he could see. He climbed over rocks and under vines and through this and around that until he reached a river.
The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to consider his situation. He could see no way across the bustling stream. So he ventured upriver and explored down river, all the while considering that he just might have to turn back return to his old abode.
Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He called to the frog and requested help in getting across the stream.
"Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you across the river, you wont sting me?" asked the frog in a logical tone. "After all, Mr. Scorpion, that is the manner of your species, is it not?
Now this appeared to be a sensible consideration to the frog. But he thought to ask: "What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and reach the shore!"
"Alright then, but how do I know you wont just wait till we get to the other side and then kill me?" inquired the frog.
"Ahh...," crooned the scorpion, "Because you see, once you've taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair of me to reward such kindness with death, now would it?!"
After a bit of deliberation, the frog agreed to carry the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the far bank where stood the scorpion and settled himself near a rock whereunto he may pick up his passenger. The scorpion then crawled onto the frog's back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog's soft hide. His passenger securely on his back, the frog then slid into the river. The muddy water of the rain-soaked wadi swirled around the unique couple, whilst the frog remained near the surface of the river in order to assure that the scorpion would not drown. The frog kicked his way mightily through the near half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the resisting current.
Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion removing his stinger from the frog's back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.
"You fool!" croaked the frog, "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do such a thing as you have?"
The scorpion shrugged, and danced a little jig on the drowning frog's back.
"I could not help myself" replied the scorpion. "It is my nature to sting."
Then the two sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river.
It is our nature to be rebellious. In times of need we will do anything, say anything in order to obtain what we think we want or need. Then, when the pressure is off, we revert back to our old self and forget what we have promised, even when that promise has been directed toward our own best interest.
Moses, who stood in the stead of God Himself was not immune to this self-destructive nature. When presented the unique opportunity to "be as God" and to lead his people out of slavery, he tried every way he could to get out of his obligation, even to the point of angering God.
Abraham, that "Man of faith," when confronted with possible difficulty, instructed his wife, Sarah, to say she was his sister rather than his wife, placing her in a most difficult position with the kings and the people of the land.
King David, that "Man after God's own heart" fell to the worst of sins when the pressure of Saul's pursuit was no longer a problem.
Solomon, the "Wisest man on earth" lived the life of a fool, unable to follow his own advise.
It is our nature to be wicked (malicious, grievous). It is our nature to do the wrong thing when the right thing is obvious and in our best interest: just watch any two-year-old.
We are at war. It is not a war with others that we are engaged in, but a war with ourself, our own nature. A large part, if not the greatest part, of our purpose here on earth is to overcome our self, our own self-destructive, anti-God mentality. None, as shown above in the lives of our greatest heros of the Bible, have been able to overcome the lusts of the flesh.
And that One, Jesus, has said that we also are to do as He has done. This seems an impossible task, yet it is one that He has made it clear we are to attempt with all of our being.
Even as Jesus overcame. We know for certain what that entails. He is not speaking about attending Sunday School once a week and saying your prayers at bedtime.
According to Solomon, the hardest thing a person can do is rule their own body.
Jesus told us that if we overcome this world (our flesh, our desires and ego) that we will reap the same rewards that He has been given. But if we sign on, and fail!
It strikes me odd (a poor choice of words) that people can dedicate a great deal of their time and effort in their search for a good car, or a house, or a pair of running shoes; but when it comes to something as important as their eternal life, they slough it off as a given, turning their "belief" system over to whoever happens to be at hand claiming to have answers. And yet, we believe that just such a "belief" will save us from the pit of hell and be rewarded with eternal glory and rulership over all God possesses.
Isn't it about time, in your opinion, that your future destiny be given a little more consideration?
"What do you mean, doctrine won't save you? Just take a look at these Scriptures:"
Well, I say, those verses are pretty strong evidence, wouldn't you say? But let's look at the rest of those butchered verses as well as a few more, shall we?
It has always been part of human nature to follow the trends. Trends tend to prevent a person from having to think. And thinking, don't you know, consumes a lot of time and energy that could be better applied elsewhere, like watching TV so one can know what the trend is that one should follow.
Following the trends is not as easy a task as one might suppose. What was in fashion one day might well be out of fashion and ridiculed the next. Should one be caught wearing stripes when polka dots have taken over the fashion scene, and one has not watched the news the night before, one might easily be laughed at and scorned, maybe even expelled from one's society.
Trendy is not for the weak of heart. Dedication and a keen observation of the trends are but two of the requirements one must possess to be considered trendy. But there are others: for instance, a healthy wallet is a must, either that or a high-end credit card.
Without trends the media would have nothing to talk about or display; wall street would fold; and nations such as China and Taiwan would go broke and not have the money to lend us in order that we may buy their products that keep us in fashion.
Imagine sending a ten year old off to school with a chartreuse laptop when everyone knows vermillion is now the trendy color. Why the child would be laughed off the playground. Such behavior on a parent's part is paramount to child abuse.
Trendy is not a new thing. Trendy has been around since the beginning of man. Have you noticed how little effort was needed for Eve to convince Adam to partake of the forbidden fruit once she had set the trend to do so? Or had you noticed that both Adam and Eve chose the same leaf with which to conceal themself, when anyone could have told them that the leaf of the banana or elephant-ear plant would have served as better covering?
No, trendy is not new, it is just much more expensive, and changes much more rapidly.
At one time trendy, a modern word for conformity, was more easily defined and far more widespread than it is today. Rather than there being many trends within a nation or a culture, there was only one. For instance, have you ever noticed how many centuries the Romans wore Togas and the inhabitants of the Middle East wore tunics? What was trendy in those days could easily be passed down from generation to generation rather than from day to day.
In Israel, when the Israelites were in power, there was only one religion to be seen. Anyone of a differing religion or a slightly different point of view within that religion was either ousted or put to death.
This is true of other cultures as well. When the king of Babylon (for instance) decided that a certain god must be worshiped in a certain way, and sometimes that god to be worshiped was the king himself, then all who disagreed with his edict were destroyed. We have Daniel and the three Hebrew children as examples of what happens to those who disapprove.
Rome is another nation that was inclined to have the entire world conform to its will - or else.
Then came the power of the Catholic church. Rather than the kings possessing the power, it was now the Pope and the church that wielded the rod of trendy authority. Buck the pope, and off with your head. And the king himself was not immune to the authority of the church.
But in the days of old, following the trend of the day (or year, or decade, or century: they remained essentially the same) was not difficult. There were no objectors, none that were alive at least.
You never heard the question asked: "What denomination do you belong to?" There existed only one.
As time went on, there grew a matter of differing opinions concerning such things as the authority of the Pope, so, with much turmoil, a split evolved in the church. It was now essentially the same church, only there were now two denominations: the East and the West Catholic church. But if you lived in the East, you belonged to the East church of the Catholic religion. Again, no problem with following the trends.
There's a strange twist in human nature that seems to twist a bit more in some people than it does in others. When there is no particular pressure to make a decision, this twist does not show itself in these individuals. When the entire world is one way, all follow. This principal has been applied from the time of Noah, through the Middle ages, and culminating in Nazi Germany.
But in this modern age, the Industrial-Commercial Age, trends have set people apart as Wall Street competes with itself to draw all the people to the megla-many different concurrent fashions.
The Korean war gave impetuous to the Hippie movement, as it did the rebellion in the colleges.
Prior to this there was another rebellion that surfaced, arising from the breach in the Catholic church: the Protestant movement.
Force creates resistance. The more a person who has that twist of human nature that resists conformity, the stronger the rebellion it produces. The Catholic church pushed hard on the Protestants, so hard in fact that it created a gigantic movement away from itself, actually causing the very church it had tried to prevent.
This can be seen in the Christian movement as well. The harder the Jews pushed the Christian, the more Christians they killed and persecuted, the stronger Christianity became, and the more widespread it grew.
A plant that is beaten as it dies reproduces itself over a more distant area, and does so more rapidly than one allowed to fall to the ground and become buried at its roots.
During the last hundred years or so we have witnessed this same occurrence many times. A small group would splinter off of the existing church (usually a Protestant church of some nature) with sparks a-flying. Much resistance (including death and persecution) was applied to these splinter groups causing them to grow rapidly and extend farther into the groups that tried to squelch them.
We think of the Christian church as being right because it has grown so large and through so much resistance. This is not true. It has grown because of persecution.
Persecution is like the process a farmer uses to grow his crops. In order to have a large and healthy crop the next year, he burns the residue of his current crop. This is true of nature in general. We think of a forest fire as a terrible freak of nature. This is not so. A forest fire is God's way of clearing the old growth and the fallen dead trees so that new growth can come forth, providing light to the new growth. Those trees that are strong are not burnt except for their dead branches. They remain to stimulate and provide the new growth which will produce a young and healthy forest. It is not nature's fault that we are so foolish as to build our mansion in the forest, no more than is it nature's fault that we build our mansions on the edge of a precipice overlooking a roaring sea or on the side of an active volcano.
In the days of strong persecution of the Christians, Martyrdom was a thing to seek after, it was the "trend" of the day. It has been reported that one officer who's job it was to control the Christians, even to killing them, once said of the many Christians who taunted him in effort to be martyred: "If these Christians are so anxious to die, why don't they go jump off a cliff?"
This attitude is not only seen in the Christian culture, but in the world of other religions and groups as well. We see it ranging from the college students who taunt the police knowing they will be arrested or killed, all the way to the Muslim groups and other such who make human bombs of themselves. In those cultures, just as it was in the Shinto religion of the Japanese Kamakazi, death for a cause was considered the thing to seek, and was the "trend" of the day.
At this point in time there is no real pressure on anyone to be any certain way, or to do any certain thing. Mild pressure causes pressure to conform, but not to resist. Because of this, those churches who apply the least pressure, and those who apply the most pressure flourish, while those in between diminish. This can be seen in the growth of both the Cults and the Modern churches. This can also be seen in the moving of the old, established denominations toward the Modern way of thinking, and the dying away of the mother churches.
There is a day coming, however, when all the middle zone of Christianity and fashion will pass away and a strong power will dictate what will and will not be in "fashion," and what (and who) will be cast into pit of persecution. In that day we will once again see who has the rebellious twist of human nature, and who will lightly follow the trend of the day.
Today I saw a headline article in the newspaper telling about the new problem that has become widespread. Hundreds of 911 calls targeting random families, perhaps a 100 miles away, claiming need of immediate help, or reporting a supposed drug deal, or some other such claim causing a SWAT team to barge into the innocent family's house.
This causes me to think of the problem this world is having with credit card fraud, and of the school shootings of not long ago. We read of these (originally isolated incidents), and by reading them we receive detailed information on how to perform these deeds. Then somewhere in the middle of the article we read a statement telling how the police and the courts just can't cope with the perpetrators, or catch them or punish them when they are caught.
And at the end of the article we read: "We can only hope this problem doesn't become widespread."
And widespread it does become.
I wonder how in the world this happens, and where the perpetrators of these dastardly deeds get such ideas!
One big accusation the Protestant churches make against the Catholic church is the idea of censoring what the proponents of Catholicism is allowed to read. This has been a historical occurrence since the beginning of the formation of the Protestant movement.
Meanwhile those same Protestant churches, as they condemn and demean the act of censorship, dish out a strictly defined list of what should and should not be read, believed, and considered appropriate literature.
"I don't read anything my pastor doesn't approve" I hear people say, proudly.
It sure is a good thing we now live in a age when our reading material isn't censored.
It has been said that the first man (Adam) was born without the aid of a woman: and the second Man (Jesus) was born without the aid of a man.
This is true. Along with this are many other miracles culminating in the development of the Church.
Eve, the first of the fleshly women, was born from the side of the first man "as he slept."
Through the line of Jesus there were several elderly and barren women who could not have produced children without the aid of a miracle.
There were women who could never have been included in such a line if Man had his way, such as the wife of a murdered man, prostitutes, and a Moabitis.
There were youngest sons chosen over the elder for the inheritance, a definite violation of Hebrew law.
Jesus was born of a virgin. Jesus is the One who the line of Abraham is channeled through, refining the line as it had been refined through those previously mentioned. Just as Essau, who was the oldest, and the one who was legally in line for the inheritance was rejected by God; so the Jews were set aside and rejected giving place for the Righteous one, Jesus.
Jesus left no physical seed. All those who are children of Jesus, continuing the line of Abraham, must be born of the Spirit, "the Water and the Blood."
1Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Have you ever watched a talent show on TV where kids of all ages compete for a spot on some show or the like? You see some very talented youngsters, all amazing in their skill; but there is one that just bowls you over with his or her abilities. You know for sure who will be the winner because in comparison there is none more capable than the one you have selected. And all who might be in the room with you are in agreement.
Then the winner is chosen.
The one you selected has not even been considered in contention.
The chanced are you have many names for the judges of the show, none repeatable here, and you are positive the show has to be rigged.
But there are several judges on the show. The likelihood of a rigging is pretty slim. So if not a fixing of the show, then what is the cause of such a display of ignorance?
It's a fixing of the mind.
We do not function by propriety, we operate according to what is expected of us. To go against the stream of fashion is to be left in the tidepools of society.
Judging of these shows called "Talent" is not done according to talent, but rather how well what is being performed fits into the fashion of the day. While one singer might be far better than the other, that person's choice of song, or the clothing they decide to wear, is not what is sung by, or worn by the trend-setters of the media. Quality is not looked for or appreciated, it's the ability to conform to fashion.
During the 1920's fashion for the Miss America's were what we would consider overweight today. Yet every contender for the beauty contests looked and weighed the same. Today's winners would have been considered scarecrows and unhealthy during my mother's youth.
When looking through the art books depicting women of the middle ages we see yet another view of women's beauty. The lovely lasses of that age would cause the beauties of the twenties to appear as twigs blown by the wind.
In the area of masculine beauty we have very much the same thing, but in reverse. It was not long ago that the statuesque man had a handsome face, small waist and broad shoulders. Proportions and appearance was judged and sought for. Body builders made every effort to strive for those proportions that were pleasing to the eye, while size and strength were seen as side effects of the weight lifter and the bull moose. Although such proportions were difficult to attain, especially for the average man with large or small skeletal frame, it was none the less what was needed to be considered for the crown.
Probably without dispute the man with the greatest build of his day was Steve Reeves. If you are not familiar with Reeves, watch just about any movie of the '60's depicting Hercules, Sampson or any other muscle man and the likelihood is that it will be Steve Reeves playing the part.
Reeves did not try for size. He looked for proportion. He developed his body so that it fit certain proportions. His neck, upper arms and his calves he kept the same measure. He did not work his obliques (side muscles) because it took away from his tapered form. Appearance was his purpose, and because he accomplished his goal so well, it was the trend of the day to imitate him as best one could.
I suspect even to this day Steve Reeves is considered the greatest, even in the Gold's Gyms of the world where hopeful body builders prepare for their cattle call.
But there is not a man among them who, if able to acquire such a build would do so, if their eye is upon the crown.
Today the fashion is size. Physical appeal has no more to do with the winner's circle than does the skill of that youngster competing in a talent show. Should, somehow, Steve Reeves reappear on the stage to compete for the Mr. America crown he would be laughed right off the stage, seen as a twig amongst bull elephants.
Propriety is lost. The world functions on what is seen as right and proper, not what conscience or good sense dictates. We see this not only in the beauty of the physique, but in music, in art, in dress: and yes, in the church.
God does not judge according to fashion. When sin is fashionable, God destroys those who follow the fashion. He has done this time and again, and I suspect it will not be long and we will witness it happening again.
The time has come for our fashion to be judged.
Fancy yourself a fretboard wizard? To rise to the ranks of guitar master--that is, an exceptionally talented and charismatic guitarist, you must pay your dues. It isn't just about learning how to play guitar; it's about eating, breathing, and sleeping guitar. Read on to follow the lead of widely respected, guitar playing legends like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads--maybe you've got it in you, maybe you don't, but there's only one way to find out.
"MultitaskPractice until your fingers bleed. -- Okay, maybe bleeding fingers aren't the smartest way to go but you get the idea. Eddie Van Halen used to walk around his house with the guitar strapped on and unplugged, practicing incessantly; he'd sit on his bed for hours on end with a guitar while other people went to parties. Are you ready and willing to do the same? Get your priorities straight and learn to multitask. It's all about dedication and discipline."
The above is a quote copied off the web. Of course not everyone wants to be a "Guitar God." But whatever your field of interest, what has been said in this blurb stands true. You have to live and breathe what you love. And the more you expect of yourself, the more you have to apply yourself. And not just apply yourself to your max, but even farther because there is someone right on your tail waiting for you to slack off or falter.
Why do we think God is going to let us get away with any less?


Correction: An earlier version of this article referenced a response from Microsoft that actually took place in 2009. It has been removed.
Electronic Arts Inc. EA, +1.29% shares moved higher Monday after a lightly-sourced report that Microsoft Corp. MSFT, +1.31% had considered an acquisition of the videogame publisher. Gaming blog Polygon, in a longer article about Microsoft's difficulties in establishing exclusive games for its Xbox game console, reported that "a reliable source close to Microsoft" said that the name had been bandied about as a possible acquisition target to land some exclusive titles. Other potential targets mentioned in the story included Valve and PUBG, while Microsoft actually announced a gaming acquisition Monday morning, though its was not a game publisher. EA stock gained more than 2% in Monday trading with about an hour to go in the trading session, and has increased 41.2% in the past year as the S&P 500 index SPX, +0.16% has increased 25.2%.


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Home / Godfall vs Hellblade: who's won the first battle?
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Godfall vs Hellblade: who's won the first battle?
Michał Dębek
Arousing moments
Expressions of emotions
Where did they look?
Attractiveness and appeal
The judgment day has come, bringing us the battle between the Knight's Order and Pictish warriors of Hellblade; juxtaposing high fantasy with Norse mythology and Celtic culture, and confronting Action RPG and Action-adventure. Which of the two highly anticipated system sellers of the upcoming generation of consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X) would win the crowd? We were very curious at Try Evidence.
To figure it out, we set up the research and took a closer look at the trailers for Godfall: Reveal Trailer PS5 and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, trying to determine which one of them is:
more physiologically arousing (we tracked electrodermal skin response to stimuli – GSR)
more emotionally activating (we used dedicated hardware for facial emotion recognition)
more attractive (we prepared a classic survey and conveyed interviews)
more appealing to young people (as above)
We also used eye tracking to gain insights about:
where the audience look
for how long the're fixing their gaze at the certain elements of the trailers
which are the "hot" areas of the trailers
Godfall transpired to be generally far less arousing than Hellblade. The story of Knight's Order averaged 3.3 physiological peaks per minute (ppm) – females 3.4 and males 3.2, compared to Senua's 3.9 ppm – 4.2 for females, 3.6 for males. We found it hardly surprising. Hellblade may be more emotionally arousing for females than males due to the fact that its main character is a female and the whole drama centers around her.
Godfall
There was only one scene in the trailer that was equally arousing for both genders – the beginning. As many as 19 of 31 respondents experienced GSR arousal peaks in the first seconds of the trailer. Another cluster of peaks was observed at the end of the trailer, when the logo appeared on the screen.
Most of respondents, especially females, demonstrated decreasing electrodermal activity (see below), which suggested they were less and less aroused by the trailer.
Females were found to be generally more aroused than males, which may indicate they are the appropriate target group, either for the game itself or for this particular trailer. But what could this mean for the publisher of this game? For example, that showing this trailer more to females than males might result in better engagement of the audience for less money. It's much like buying more physiological reactions at the same budget.
Apart from the differences in general arousal, there were also two particular scenes that were perceived and evaluated differently by men and women. Let's review them quickly.
First, females reacted physiologically to the scene where one of the heroes fell to the ground and seemed barely alive. For males, on the other hand, this scene seemed unimportant (at least with regard to the physiological arousal level).
Another one was when lava formed the Godfall logo – again, females were aroused, while males were not.
Apparently, such scenes are clearly not arousing for males. Then what is?
The dragon above a gigantic sword-like structure was visually noticeable for both women and men, but it caused arousal in men more than women. That's a significant difference. Interestingly, however, none of the men expressed any feelings when watching this scene, while some women did.
The beginning and the ending of the trailer, where Sony's claim and logo appear, showed further differences between the surveyed. Far more males than females were aroused by Playstation branding. Women peaked raher when exposed to the Godfall brand.
Senua's story was arousing in a completely different way than Godfall's. The peak of the peaks was located in the middle part of the trailer. Then, as the audience became acquainted with dark rituals led by people hidden behind strange dark masks, the tension seemed to wear off…
…until the scene with warriors approaching the mysterious monster.
The observed arousal pattern was definitely more "rollercoaster-like" than in Godfall. Below is the typical one, peaking around Senua's animalistic scream of fury. This scene triggered dilated pupils and other signs of psychophysiological arousal.
Unlike in Godfall, the patterns of arousal in Hellblade were very similar for males and females. Men were a bit more dramatic in their reactions than women. For some reason, many more men than women were evidently aroused by the last scene showing a fortified village. Moreover, many more men than women were aroused by Senua's primal scream.
We observed relatively few facial emotional expressions in both trailers. However, interesting patterns emerged similar to the physiological arousal.
Women were more expressive than men, whis is a usual observation. The screenshots below show how dramatically the genders differ in their emotional expressions and – as far as we know from GSR – emotional arousal.
Females were sad, angry and fearful seeing a hero fall (you may also see the peak in 'engagement' which is a general measure of overall expressiveness). Males, on the other hand, didn't care.
There we saw the difference between men's and women's emotional expressions. Men were more likely to be aroused by the trailer, but did not show the emotions on their faces. Women, on the other hand, showed a broad scope of emotions – joy, fear, sadness and anger. A bit surprisingly, one of the most joyful moments for a woman was when the game logo appeared.
It's a well known fact that recognizing faces is a critical aspect of social perception. This is why any human audience will almost always look for faces in the environment and, in milliseconds, try to fix s the gaze on a face. People search for faces even if there are thousands of potentially attractive distractions around. Look at the screens below to see what people actually pay attention to. The lighter parts of pictures are the "windows" where the audience looks most frequently and focused for the longest time.
The one above is particularly interesting because there are so many stimuli around, even the armor "burning" in red dots, which are the types of stimuli that heavily draw attention. But not this time. As Daniel C. Krawczyk wrote in "Reasoning: The Neuroscience of How We Think" – "We use information transmitted from the face when we reason about other people and try to understand what's on their minds". That sounds critical, right? This is what we saw in our eye-tracking study. People always try to find faces in any set of cues reminiscent of faces (like in the dragon's heads above).
If not faces, then what? The answer seems disarmingly simple: the center of the screen. This is where people looked and focused on most of the time.
Each of trailers was assessed by each of participants on three scales ranged from 1 to 5:
We have combined those scores to form the index of attractiveness. Hellblade has clearly won this competition.
We also asked participants if they wanted to play the game after watching the trailers. The answers ranged from "definitely no" to "definitely yes". The answers for Hellblade were "yes" and "definitely yes" (77% answers in total), for Godfall "yes" and "no" (45% each). Hellblade was clearly the game of choice in this set and this particular group of participants.
How unique is Hellblade?
Participants in the survey said that the trailer for Hellblade had an unforgettable atmosphere due to its visuals and sound, although they did not always understand the story. One of the women said that the trailer was scary, unsettling, crossing borders and evoking anxiety, and that she would play the game. The darkness, occult motifs, tension (well accentuated by the music) – all of these were especially attractive to the audience. There was also an usual point of narratives about Hellblade: it seems truly unique.
How unique is Godfall?
Godfall seemed forgettable. The trailer's most remembered feature was the magnificent armors. The representative opinion of the trailer was "nice but nothing special". The storyline was not appealing to the audience, sometimes perceived as childish. We heard declarations of boredom, even though the trailer was a short one.
It seems that Ninja Theory, the developers of Hellblade, have good reasons to be proud. Their trailer is not only more physiologically arousing and emotionally significant, but also more memorable and attractive in every way. The narratives about it were relatively rich and meaningful. The trailer convinced some of our participants to buy the game, at least declaratively.
Godfall was ok, but our respondents apparently didn't care about it so much, both in an unconscious and conscious way. It was just another game trailer among hundreds. If anything, it worked well for Sony. The Playstation logo and branding in the trailer elicited arousal, especially in young men. We assume that it was related to the positive emotional states associated with the brand – our other research indicates that Playstation has a positive brand image.
The limitation of our research is only that the audience (N=30) was homogenic. We studied young, well educated, university students, who were not necessarily the core target for either Hellblade or, even less so, Godfall.
* Copyright notice *
The featured picture found in press materials to Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice © Ninja Theory
Godfall is published and distributed by Gearbox Publishing. ©2019 Counterplay Games Inc. All rights reserved. GODFALL™ ©2019 Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC. "Playstation Family Mark", "Playstation", are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
Hellblade is a brand of © 2020 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
EyeTracking
Physiological research
Psychophysiology
Trailer testing
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Kierownik badań w Try Evidence
Doctor of psychology, certified marketer and senior researcher in qualitative & quantitative methodologies. Former professor at the Institute of Psychology – University of Wroclaw, where he has been head of Consumer Psychology Track, and former head of marketing at Techland with extensive industry experience. Co-founder of Try Evidence. In video games, he likes concentrated and salient experiences.
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Hours before the Election Commission announced the dates of the Lok Sabha polls, India and Saudi Arabia came to an understanding to revive and 'expedite' the implementation of $44 billion West Coast refinery project in Maharashtra, in which Saudi Aramco will be holding a considerable stake.
The decision may have political repercussions in the state as setting aside the project was one of the conditions put forward by the Shiv Sena for an electoral tie up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Global majors such as Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) had formed a joint venture with Indian state-run oil marketing companies — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) — to hold 50 per cent stake in Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals (RRPCL).
However, the progress of the project had got a jolt after 42,000 notices for land survey and acquisition, which were served to families in 17 villages of Ratnagiri district, were put on hold by the state government, following an electoral arrangement between Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
This was following protests by the locals citing the impacts the project will be having in an environmentally sensitive area. The project was expected to be commissioned by 2025 according to the understanding between both the nations.
The was one of the major talking points in a meeting between Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and his Saudi counterpart and the chairman of Saudi Aramco, Khalid A Al-Falih, in New Delhi on Saturday.
"The ministers reviewed various Saudi investment proposals in the Indian oil and gas sector, including the urgent steps to be taken to expedite the implementation of the first joint venture West Coast Refinery and Petrochemical Project in Maharashtra, estimated to cost the US $44 billion, which will be the largest greenfield refinery in the world," a government statement said on Sunday. However, there is no clarity on whether the government may be looking for alternate location, outside Ratnagiri for the project.
Saudi Arabia's participation in Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) Program was also discussed. Last month, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had visited India, during which both the countries had decided to increase their tie-ups in petroleum sector. Saudi Arabia is the second largest supplier of crude and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to India. In 2017-18, India's crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia were 36.8 million tonne, accounting for 16.7 per cent of its total imports.
During the meeting, Pradhan raised concerns about increasing trend in global crude oil prices. He also pointed to the need for uninterrupted supplies of crude oil and LPG to India in view of the recent production cuts by the OPEC. Both the ministers also discussed about possible adverse impact of recent geopolitical developments on global oil market.
In November, Fadnavis had informed the state assembly that his government has stayed the process of land acquisition Global consulting giant Jacobs was already working on the configuration of the refinery, which is expected to be 30 per cent for petrochemicals.


Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints discussed the importance of women's roles in the home and family and serving others.
Sister Cheryl A. Esplin: "Filling our homes with light and truth"
"When filled with the Spirit and with gospel truth, we have the power to withstand the outside forces of the world that surround and push against us."
Sister Carole M. Stephens: "The family is of God"
"We learn not only that the family is of God but also that we are each part of God's family."
Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson: "Defenders of the proclamation"
The world needs "steadfast defenders" of the Family Proclamation.
President Henry B. Eyring: "The Comforter"


A self managed superannuation fund (SMSF) trustees can choose how their asset is overseen and control where their cash is contributed. Our customers regularly report that having more noteworthy perceivability over their retirement reserve funds has prompted a more profound comprehension of how their general riches is following, and given them more trust in their speculation and way of life choices.
SMSFs give more speculation choices than whatever other super reserve. Trustees can get to direct shares, high-yielding money accounts, term stores, salary speculations, direct property, unlisted resources, worldwide markets, collectables and the sky is the limit from there.
Like all super subsidizes, SMSFs advantage from concessional charge rates. In the amassing stage, charge on speculation salary is topped at 15 for each penny; in the benefits stage there is no assessment payable, not by any means capital increases charge. Painstakingly considered duty procedures can help trustees develop their super funds and decrease charge installments as they move to retirement.
SMSFs permit various individuals to run a blend of collection and benefits accounts. Trustees can conform their venture blend as it suits them, taking into account a quick reaction to changes in economic situations, super principles or individual circumstances.
SMSFs offer critical transparencies that permit trustees to adjust their own objectives to their speculation choices. Whether you're energetic about property, offers or feasible and moral contributing, SMSFs permit you to better comprehend where your cash is contributed, with complete perceivability over execution and expense treatment.
SMSF trustees must hotel a yearly expense form and review, and pay ATO charges (these are topped and not in view of a rate of your super adjust). The more a SMSF develops, the more savvy it turns out to be, yet the aggregate expense of running a SMSF will rely on upon the related speculations and any expenses connected with drawing in expert backing.
A SMSF permits a trustee to consolidate their super resources with up to three different individuals, (for example, accomplices or relatives). Combining super records instantly makes a bigger asset parity, which builds the asset's advantages and venture opportunities – with one and only arrangement of charges.
Having control over the asset, including the ventures inside the asset. This permits you to tailor a venture technique that suits your circumstances. Exhortation ought to be looked for if required.
Having an extensive variety of venture alternatives, including direct shares and direct property. In a few circumstances the asset can buy resources from individuals from the asset, permitting better combination of venture resources.
More adaptable methodologies are accessible inside a SMSF to deal with these issues than those which exists with retail super finances.
A SMSF can be customized to meet your very own circumstances in connection to home arranging. You can incorporate relatives the lengths of there are close to 4 individuals in the asset at any given time.
A SMSF can be utilized as a vehicle to collect superannuation advantage whilst utilized and can be kept up well into retirement and past, especially where there are other relatives in the asset.
Is a SMSF a good fit for you?
It is critical to comprehend that while there are various advantages to building up a SMSF, there are additionally various contemplations and dangers to know about. These incorporate trustee obligations, cost-adequacy and protection spread. Take in more about whether a SMSF is ideal for you.


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Quiltfest comes to Jacksonville
In a society where ever-changing technology, social media and instant gratification is pervasive, a growing trend among consumers is a return to old-fashioned, do-it-yourself activities and increased interest in pursuits like baking, canning, crafts and sewing.
Riding that trend, one of the largest quilt shows in the Southeast returns to Jacksonville's Prime F. Osborn Convention Center, 1000 Water St., Jacksonville, Thursday to Saturday with an all-new theme. QuiltFest of Jacksonville will spotlight "Special Effects" for its 2015 edition.
New this year is a collection of quilts inspired by the music of The Beatles - every square of fabric, every color of thread, every pattern influenced by the Fab Four's lyrics and songs.
The show's centerpiece is a huge quilt gallery with more than 500 quilts, but it also features quilt appraisals, rows of vendors, a kid's area and a quilt sales table where handmade quilts are sold. In addition, the show includes Seven Sisters Guild raffle quilts, a silent quilt auction, a raffle, dining and more.
"We're very excited about this year's show. Not only do we have a gorgeous array of quilts to share with guests, but the Beatles-inspired pieces are a great example of how music and art go together," said Gay Montgomery, Publicity Chair with QuiltFest. "Quilting is steeped in heritage, but technology has really changed the art of quilting. We're seeing a growing number of younger people interested in quilting, sewing and related arts. What hasn't changed is that even to this day, quilters still gather together for modern 'quilting bees.' Our show's mission continues to be a source of information and inspiration, to perpetuate the highest quality of excellence in quilting and related arts."
For quilters, QuiltFest is an open judged show. Prize money will be awarded for first, second and third place in each of 12 categories, best of show, viewer's choice, artistic merit, best hand quilting and best machine quilting. Each year, QuiltFest organizers give back to the community by sharing proceeds from the show with a variety of local charities.
Show hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday to Saturday. Tickets are $10 for adults and free for children 10 and under.
For information, go to quiltfestjax.com.


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Fig: A new model of crowdfunding turns 'backers' into true 'investors'
Fig, a new crowdfunding platform, allows backers to become investors, sharing in the revenue of successful projects. Here's how the service is helping bring to life a sequel to Psychonauts, a cult classic video game.
Fig advisor and Double Fine Studios founder Tim Schafer announces the crowdfunding campaign for Psychonauts 2.
By Jeff Ward-Bailey Correspondent
@jeffwardbailey
When Psychonauts was released in 2005, the video game – following a young boy with psychic powers – was critically praised. Reviewers loved the game's quirky dialogue, its diverse cast of characters, and its imaginative art design.
But Psychonauts wasn't a hit with gamers, and sold so poorly at first that Majesco, the game's publisher, actually left the video game market for a time before returning with more modest projects.
A decade later, however, Psychonauts has become a cult classic, and this week developer Double Fine announced that the game would get a sequel. And while Double Fine turned to Kickstarter to fund its previous game, Broken Age, the studio is planning to finance Psychonauts 2 through a new platform that allows backers to actually become investors.
That platform, called Fig, works in two different ways. People who want to help fund a video game can follow a Kickstarter-style model by chipping in a certain amount of money in exchange for a small reward, such as a T-shirt or having their name listed in the game's credits. But Fig also allows them to choose to become investors in the game, giving money to Fig's subsidiary publisher in exchange for a share of the revenue the game will generate if it's a success.
People "can actually share in the royalties of the game," Double Fine founder Tim Schafer, who is also a Fig advisor, told Gamespot. "If the game is a big, big hit, they can participate in that along with the developer."
Fig has already had one hit. Its first game, Outer Wilds, blew through its $125,000 fundraising goal to raise more than $800,000 from backers and investors. It has also had one failure: Anchors in the Drift, a free-to-play PC game, that didn't come close to its $500,000 goal.
Psychonauts 2, Fig's third project, is by far the biggest; the game has a $3.3 million fundraising goal, and was 25 percent funded by Friday morning. Like Kickstarter, Fig is an all-or-nothing crowdfunding platform, so backers and investors are only charged if the project meets its fundraising goal.
Fig initially only allowed accredited investors – people with more than $1 million to their names – to invest in games during production. But thanks to an SEC decision in October to allow companies to sell securities through crowdfunding, the platform now allows anyone who wants to support a game to invest. As a protection to backers, Fig won't allow anyone to pour more than 10 percent of their annual income into the Psychonauts 2 project, and the investment must be between $1,000 and $10,000.
Despite sci-fi tropes, robots make better managers, study says
The New Economy What makes a Kickstarter success story?
Will Kickstarter's transparency change the game for other companies?
Global News Blog Crowdfunding campaign to bail out Greece raises 1 million euro in 3 days


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All UK vacancies • Academic or Research • Research Associate
Biological Sciences,Biology,Molecular Biology and Biophysics,Biochemistry,Other Biological Sciences
Company: University College London
Department: Department of Structural & Molecular Biology
Fax: +44-1237 3108825
Detail information about job Research Associate. Terms and conditions vacancy
We are seeking to appoint a Research Associate to study the molecular basis of co-translational misfolding on the ribosome of conformational disease-linked proteins, by applying a range of biochemical, biophysical and high-resolution structural techniques. The project is strongly underpinned by established research in the laboratory which examines the structural basis of cotranslational protein folding on the ribosome.
The work will be undertaken at the Department of Structural and Molecular Biology at UCL and Birkbeck College, as part of the Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology ( http://www.ismb.lon.ac.uk/ ). The ISMB is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including excellent facilities for structural (NMR/cryoEM/X-ray crystallography) and biophysical studies to undertake all aspects of the proposed work.
This post funded by the AlphaOne Foundation and Wellcome Trust is available for two years in the first instance, with a possibility for extension. The starting salary will usually be Grade 7, spine point 29: £31,076 per annum, plus £2980 London Allowance.
Applicants should have a PhD in structural biology and/or biochemistry with experience in at least one of: recombinant protein production (E.coli/yeast/mammalian expression systems), molecular biology or computational biology. Experience in ribosome biology and/or in vitro transcription translation would be a significant advantage. An interest in protein (mis)folding and a desire to develop skills in structural biology would also be considered advantageous.
The candidate joining the laboratory will be a highly motivated individual that can work both independently as well as a part of a team and have a willingness and desire to develop their work through the supervision of PhD students and in collaboration with other group members.
Applicants should apply online. To access further details about the position and how to apply please click on the 'Apply' button below. For any queries regarding the application process, please contact Biosciences Staffing [email protected] and quote the reference number 1664345.
For informal enquiries about the role, please contact: Dr. Lisa Cabrita ( [email protected] ) or Professor John Christodoulou ( [email protected] )
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Read all comments for Research Associate. Leave a respond Research Associate in social networks. Research Associate on Facebook and Google+
Related UK job: Principal Research Associate in Systems Genomics and Population Health | Bioinformatician | Hamilton Professorship in Electronic Engineering | Professor in Performing Arts | Professor of Law


I snagged my prom dress off the Macy's sale rack for $26. What was wrong with that? Nothing, I suppose—until my mother discovered that I'd mentioned it in an interview with the local newspaper.
At a loss for what to write next, John Steinbeck embarked on a tour of the country in 1960, accompanied by his standard poodle, Charley.
Donald Trump never knew how close he came to competing with me-and not because I wanted to play a boss on reality TV.
Do you remember coloring pictures when you were a child? Does that unforgettable crayon aroma send you back in time?
You mark time when you ride a bike. Your mind drifts. It's the rhythm, probably, the lulling tempo.
Recently while visiting a friend, we began talking about Nintendo Wii. She noted that she had not purchased any video games for her six-year-old son yet and wasn't sure if she wanted to.
For curators at the museum, some days feel just like Christmas.One day—out of the blue, appropriately—I received a phone call about a local collector with an extensive collection of toy airplanes and related playthings.
Just how popular are comic book superheroes today?


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Home Soccer News FIFA World cup Belgium's Romelu Lukaku first to score back-to-back World Cup braces since Maradona
Belgium's Romelu Lukaku first to score back-to-back World Cup braces since Maradona
World Cup: Romelu Lukaku (45+3′) Belgium 3-1 Tunisia
World Cup: Romelu Lukaku (18′) Belgium 2-0 Tunisia
The FC crew try not to read too much into Belgium's win over Panama, before homing in on Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku's respective roles.
Charlie Gibson sets out to find the answer to the question on everyone's lips – who is the GOAT???
Anthony Richardson and Ian Fiveankles return to talk Neymar's tears, German nerves and Julian Draxler's dislike of daylight.
Romelu Lukaku became the first player to score multiple goals in consecutive World Cup finals matches in 32 years with his second strike for Belgium against Tunisia at the 2018 tournament on Saturday.
Manchester United striker Lukaku followed up his second-half brace in Monday's 3-0 win over Panama with two goals against Group G opponents Tunisia in Moscow.
Belgium's all-time top scorer became the first player to achieve the feat since Argentina captain Diego Maradona at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, en route to lifting the trophy.
Other players to score at least two goals in back-to-back World Cup matches include Brazil legends Garrincha and Pele, 1986 Golden Boot winner Gary Lineker, Argentina's Mario Kempes, West Germany forward Gerd Muller and Portugal great Eusebio.
World Cup 2018 must-reads
– Make your daily picks with ESPN FC Match Predictor 2018!
– World Cup fixtures, results and coverage
– Messi helpless as Argentina's World Cup dream fade
– Mbappe announces himself on the World Cup stage
– VAR at the World Cup: A timeline of the tournament
Eden Hazard's sixth-minute penalty to give Belgium the lead against Tunisia set a new World Cup record for the longest run of matches at a finals without a goalless draw.
Chelsea forward Hazard's goal ensured that all of the first 27 matches in Russia had at least one goal scored in them, beating the 64-year-old record of 26 matches set at the 1954 finals in Sweden, when every match had at least one goal.
The record for most goals scored at a World Cup finals is 171, which was set at the 1998 tournament in France and was matched four years ago in Brazil.
Hazard's goal — his first at a World Cup finals – was the 59th goal scored in Russia this summer and the 13th to be netted from the penalty spot.
The record of 18 goals scored via spot kicks at a World Cup finals is shared by the 1990, 1998 and 2002 competitions — the former was a 24-team finals featuring 52 matches played, while the latter two editions came after the expansion to 32 teams and 64 matches.
Information from ESPN's Stats & Information Group was used in this report
Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.
Previous articleHow VIPs enjoy the World Cup
Next articleBelgium vs. Tunisia – Football Match Report – June 23, 2018
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Kevin-Prince Boateng walks off pitch due to racist chanting in 2013
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