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In the beginning, the idea of paying for insurance to cover my photography gear was at the bottom of my priority list. After all, there are so many other pieces of equipment that I wanted to get my hands on. But through the years, my equipment list grew to an amount that is worth more than my car and the simple act of lugging that much gear around started to make me nervous. On an average shooting day, I would have two 5D Mark IIs, two 580EX IIs, 85mm f/1.2L, 35mm f/1.4L, 17-40mm f/4L, a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS and three pocket wizards (not to mention a Macbook Pro when I'm on the road), plus accessories. It's much more than a sack of electronics - thats my future career on the line. It would only take one brief moment for a thief to take it all away from me.
So i decided to get my equipment insured… Initially, I didn't really know where to go and I ended up on a photography website which offers a discount on insurance for any member of their website. Other than that, I couldn't find much information on photography insurance, so I had no choice but to sign up.
Signing up was easy. You login, send in your credit card information and a list of equipment and you would receive an email notification that you were "covered" by some obscure insurance company that you've never heard of. And even though I was "technically" insured, I still didn't have the confidence that I would be safe in case anything happened. It was that sense of uneasiness that got me.
About a year passed by and I finally decided that I was going to switch my automotive insurance over to State Farm because I wanted an insurance company that could cover both my car and my new motorcycle at the same time. Thats when I met my current insurance agent, ThuyVu. The thing that struck me about ThuyVu is that she wasn't anything like the other insurance agents I've dealt with in the past. For one thing, she is one of the top agents in the country.. and on the other hand, she is also an underground house DJ, a classically trained musician, a Tae Kwon Do black belt and does voice-over for video games. FINALLY, I had the chance to work with someone that understood art and how important photography is to me. It didn't feel l like I was talking to an Insurance Agent as much as it felt like I was talking to a friend. And best of all, she was able to explain my insurance policies with crystal clarity, and fully insure all of my photography gear too.
So if you are thinking about insuring your gear, I highly recommend ThuyVu. Not only did she beat the rates of her competitors, her service was leaps and bounds above them.
Check her out (and mention you found her n Flickr!)
ThuyVu Ho
thuyvu.ho.mv2e@statefarm.com
Phone: (408) 998-4821
If you have any questions regarding photography insurance, feel free to post it as a comment and I will have her answer directly in the comments section
And while you're at it, download one of her mixes:
Trick question: what color are the dogwood flowers? A. Green, with a pink and/or yellow tinge on this specimen. The white "petals" with their stigmata are technically not petals, but bracts. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bract.
This species is native to eastern North America. In Maryland it is found both in gardens as an ornamental and growing wild in woodlands.
Odenton Quad
39076_A6
Grand Canyon Toroweep Milky Way Rising over the Grand Canyon! Nikon D810 Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography for Los Angeles Gallery Show! Toroweap / Tuweep is beautiful!
instagram.com/johnnyrangermccoy/
Feel free to ask questions at my new blog!
Will be busy printing and framing in nice large, matted formats and frames and museum glass! Five of these photos will be printed on 40" x 60" floating wall mounted metal sheets! I think I know which--will share photos of the photos hanging on the walls!
And I am mounting some on plexiglass/acryllic--front mounting them! Some I am printing on lossy fuji-crystal archival paper too, and then front mounting 40"x60" versions to plexiglass--will send photos!
The secret to HDR photography is that you want people to say, "Woe dude--that's unreal!" And not, "Dude--that's not real!" "Unreal" is the word they use when they're trying to figure out the photo--what makes it cool--is it a photo? Is it painted? How'd it come to be--how'd you bend the light that way? "That's not real," is what they say if you have the saturation/HDR/ etc. turned up too high. :)
Some (almost) final edits for my Los Angeles Gallery Show! Printing them on metallic paper at 13" x 19" and mounting and framing them on a 4mm 18x24 white mat and 2" dark wood frame. Also printing some 40" x 70" whihc is over three feet by five feet! Wish you all could come (and hang out with the goddesses)!
Let me know your favs.!
New Instagram!
Videos!
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Preparing for some gallery shows to celebrate 500,000,000 views! Printing a few dozen photographs in ~ 30"x40" formats and mounting/framing. Here are some close-to-final edits. HDR photography 7 exposures shot at 1EV and combined in photomatix: 36 megapixel Nikon D800E with the awesome Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens. 45SURF Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography!
Epic Scenic HDR Landscaps Shot with Nikon D800E: Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography!
Shot with the Nikon Nikkor wide-angle 14-24 mm 2.8 lens!
Seven exposures @ 1EV finished in photomatix.
Enjoy the Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography, and all the best on a hero's odyssey of your own making!
These were shot with Nikon's best D810 with the 14-24mm wide-angle Nikkor lens. 7 exposures were taken at 1 EV intervals, and combined in photomatix to bring out the shadows and highlights.
Rather large HDR (high dynamic range) photo--you can see great detail both near and far! View the detail at full size!
The Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens rocks!
High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos rock in capturing the full dynamic range of the scene!
All the best on your epic hero's odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
Shot with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED Lens !
ASK ADDA DADA a QUESTION !
Several people have asked ADDA questions over the years about his FOLSOM STREET FAIR photographs....
FIRE AWAY !
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* WHAT DOES 'ADDA DADA' MEAN ?
- ADDA is a rearrangement of the letters in DADA , which was an art movement in the 1920/30s ..it caused a huge upheaval in the preceived notions of art of the time...
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*DO YOU REPOST PHOTOS ?
~usually only for a BEST OF album. the photo aboves shows how i try to keep track of photos that have been posted previously.
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*SOME PHOTOS SEEM SIMILAR or A DUPLICATE ?
~photos are taken in succession, so, they can appear very similar, or they can be adjusted/cropped.
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~HOW MANY PHOTOS DO YOU TAKE ?
*usually 500 to 1,500 depending on the event (and my energy)
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~HOW MANY PHOTOS DO YOU TAKE of EACH PERSON?
*usually 3 per person, FACE, FACE & CHEST, CHEST--if a person is NUDE, then there are more photos naturally.
*if the person is clothed, it is usually only one unless their outfit is super interesting
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~ DO YOU ONLY PHOTOGRAPH LGBTQ+ EVENTS?
*yes, it is easier to ask people at an event that one is most likely to be photographed, than to take photographs of people on the street
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~WHY THE LONG INFO ON ALL PHOTOGRAPHS ?
*many countries do not allow 'creep shots' (photos of people without their permission) and it needs to be stated in the description, as well as, if the photograph is SAFE or RESTRICTED. many countries do not allow RESTRICTED photographs whatsoever
• 🔹• 🔹•🔹• •🔹•
~WHAT IS 'VIEW COUNT' ?
*'VIEW COUNT' is how many times ADDA DADA's FLICKR photographs have been seen . currently it is over 600 MILLION VIEWS, which means that an undetermined amount of people have viewed a variety of ADDA DADA's photographs over HALF A BILLION times. .
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~DO YOU GET PAID FOR YOUR VIEWS ?
*no. FLICKR does not pay per view, nor are their sponsors
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~THEN WHY IN THE F+ DO IT ?
*LOL...well, i like documenting the events & i feel it is important for the LGBTQ+ to have the events documented.
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~HOW DO YOU GET PEOPLE TO POSE ?
* i politely ask each and every person if i may take their photograph. i presume i have a non-threatening manner , so people are more apt to say 'yes'
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~DO YOU GET PEOPLE WHO SAY 'NO'?
*most certainly. i do not pry on why, though several state it is because of their job or possible recognition.
🔹•🔹• 🔹•🔹• •🔹••🔹••••🔹• •🔹••🔹•
~THE PHOTOGRAPHS SEEM TO BE THE SAME STYLE. WHY?
*yes. that is correct. i like that extreme 'vintage' direct look-into-the-camera photograph. it is very DADA- 'a bit non-posed'
• 🔹• 🔹•🔹• •🔹•
~DO YOU DO STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY?
*no. i do not like staged nor faux poses. i want the person-direct-, not some fake and contrived situation.
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~WHERE DID YOU LEARN 'YOUR STYLE'?
*basically, on my own. i have been taking photographs since 1976. unfortunately, all my 'printed' photos have been lost over the many moves over the years. once digital cameras & FLICKR/FOTOLOG came into being, it was easier to display, expose, and store photographs
• 🔹• 🔹•🔹• •🔹•
~SOME PHOTOGRAPHS ARE REALLY 'OUT THERE' !
*such is LGBTQ+ life . the HUNKY JESUS CONTEST by the SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE cause LOTS of friction for FLICKR (and myself) for there are folks who do not appreciate that subject matter. NUDE EVENTS also are tricky.
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~WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECTS TO PHOTOGRAPH?
*besides the ones i take ? lol i do love FOUND OBJECTS ( items on the street) which is VERY DADA !
• 🔹• 🔹•🔹• •🔹•
~WHO ARE YOUR FOLLOWERS ?
*i've had some exceedingly famous people tell me they like/follow my FLICKR. i do not want to 'out' them.
*i've also had some regular people send me messages that they appreciate my documentation of the 'freedom' for in their country they are not allowed do express themselves as such. there have been some heartbreaking 'confessions' of thanks
🔹•🔹• 🔹•🔹• •🔹••🔹••••🔹• •🔹••🔹•
~HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY ACKNOWLEMENT/NEWS ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU PHOTOGRAPHED?
*yes, some people are happy that i photographed them. some are thankful. sometimes i get notices that a person has passed away. that is really sad for i do remember most occassions when i photograph a person.
• 🔹• 🔹•🔹• •🔹•
~HOW LONG DO YOU SPEND PHOTOGRAPHING A PERSON?
*actually, it is exceedingly quick. not more than 5 minutes. it is approaching the person, asking permission, possibly explaining who i am & why i want to photograph the person, then i take the several photographs.., then thank them, .
🔹•🔹• 🔹•🔹• •🔹••🔹••••🔹• •🔹••🔹•
~HOW DO YOU KNOW TO TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH OF A PERSON?
*bizarrely, ADDA DADA has HUNK-DAR ( it's like 'gaydar', but it spots hunks..lol) ok, it is just a 6th sense of who is photogenic or will give a great photograph.
• 🔹• 🔹•🔹• •🔹•
~HOW MANY PHOTOGRAPHS DO YOU TAKE TO GET THAT ONE PERFECT ONE ?
*I only take the 1 to 3 photographs, or 1-6 depending on the state of 'undress'. what you see posted is what i take. i do not take hundreds of one person, then post only one. i'm a photographer , not a camera button pusher.
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~DO YOU PHOTOSHOP ANY OF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS?
~no, i do not...i may crop. but i like my photographs raw.
• 🔹• 🔹•🔹• •🔹•
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• 🔹• 🔹•🔹• •🔹•
Bodie Island Lighthouse is one of a series of lights that were built along North Carolina's Outer Banks. Think of a lighthouse as the original GPS... along with the Sun and stars, these lighthouses were fixed points, visible both day and night, that ships' captains would navigate from to avoid the deadly shoals off North Carolina's coast. It is not for no reason that the area off Cape Hatteras is called "The Graveyard of the Atlantic"... these lighthouses saved lives! Bodie Island Lighthouse started service on October 1, 1872. Since that day, it has had a relatively serene existence, despite the occasional hurricane, nor'easter, and the harsh salt environment of the coast... but time takes its toll on everything. After many years of restoration, Bodie Island Lighthouse opened this April (2013) to visitors inside the structure for the first time in its near 141 year history.
The National Park Service, who looks after the lighthouse now, conducts the tours in an orderly way. The group I was with all met in a small room at the base of the lighthouse where we were lectured on the "rules" before we made our way to the top of the structure. We had a fairly eclectic group with many families... some were from Ohio, Wisconsin, and Florida, and there were a group of Mennonites on vacation as well, all crammed in this room, learning mostly what not to do. "Not to do": no running, no stamping of feet, no loud talking, etc., but the coup de grâce was "no sliding down the banisters!"
For reasons I fully understand, the park service, for the first time as a public service to our beachgoing public, also explained about rip currents, also known as rip tide. I've been caught in one... it carries you out to sea, but only so far. It's nearly impossible to swim against it... you ride it out, swim parallel to the shore and swim back. Sounds easy, but a lot of folks drown trying to fight it. So the park service is effectively being proactive about it at every venue where they have a captive audience, and I say "good for them." But if you know me at all, you know I can't leave well enough alone in a situation like that... our guide asked at his conclusion, "Any questions or thoughts?" "Yes", I could hear myself saying, "If we encounter a rip current up there, I'm sliding down the banister!" Everybody laughed, but not so hard as the Mennonites. Seems I love a captive audience as well! It reminded me of my short, but colorful career as an Amish comedian... but that's a story for another time.
In this image, I made it down the structure before anyone else (I behaved, and did not slide down the banister), set the camera for delay at 0.8-second exposure, set it in the middle of the floor and walked away... I love the blur of people making their way back down.
A haiku question
A question that I'm asking
So where is the Love?
1,072 Views & 8 Faves on 02/23/2023
=====================================
Central Park's elm trees with fall foliage.
---
And as the sun
lets its light slip through
its fingers
into the embrace of autumn's
arms,
the earth gets lost
somewhere between the glowing
embers of summer's memory
and winter's distant
whisper.
---
This was taken yesterday while wandering around Central Park trying to unwind from the awesomeness of the last few days at PhotoPlus Expo. I presented all three days on the Sony stage about mobile photography and the QX100 which I used to take this photo.
I will post more about that experience later this week.
For now, I am willing to just get lost in this view.
--
View my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.
Interested in my work and have questions about PR and media? Check out my:
About Page | PR Page | Media Page
To use any of my photos commercially, feel free to contact me via email at photos@nythroughthelens.com
This is the lego question block from the Super Mario series. The block, the coin and the mushrooms were originally designed by the brick show and these builds were mostly based on their designs. The star, on the other hand, was designed by myself. The block has space on the inside to fit any of the items.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQzuj_Ygfy8
[Aura Design] Francesca Set/FATPACK Fitted for
*Reborn
*Waifu
*Legacy
*Lara-X
FATPACK-HUD CONTROLLER
-------------------------------
25 Solid Textures
25 Sheer Textures
25 Skirt Textures
10 Chain Textures
If you have any questions, please send me NC to Siriussx Resident.
Please, before buying try the free DEMO.
Hope you like it and enjoy!
With big love Aura♥
• Marketplace : marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/239631
• Aura Design Mainstore : maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Great/61/239/22
• Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/auradesign/
[Aura Design] Francesca Boots/FATPACK Fitted for
*Reborn
*Legacy
*Perky
*Lara
*Lara-X
FATPACK-HUD CONTROLLER
--------------------------------
25 Boots Textures
25 Heel Textures
25 Sole Textures
• Marketplace : marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/239631
• Aura Design Mainstore : maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Great/61/239/22
• Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/auradesign/
LILO'S FIT
RAMA Kim Jen Hair
LaraX
not found Zoe
e.marie Sara earrings
“Nessuna bellezza di primavera, nessuna bellezza estiva hanno la grazia che ho visto in un volto autunnale.”
D. Donne
Między przystankami "Darwina" i "Jarzębiny". Przystankami położonymi absurdalnie blisko siebie, pytanie czy po przebudowie układu torowego zostaną zachowane oba...
W każdym razie mniej więcej w tym miejscu torów tramwajowych już nie będzie - ich nowy przebieg będzie po lewej stronie, gdzie między gałęziami drzew można dostrzec zarysy przyczółka nowego wiaduktu tramwajowego nad linią kolejową nr 95.
Between the "Darwina" and "Jarzębiny" stops. Stops located absurdly close to each other, the question is whether both will be preserved after the reconstruction of the track system...
In any case, there will be no more tram tracks at this point - their new course will be on the left, where among the tree branches you can see the outlines of the new tram bridge abutment over the railway line No. 95.
«Questions of science,
Science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart.
Tell me you love me,
Come back and haunt me (...) »
Coldplay - The scientist.
---
Ça faisait longtemps que je n'avais pas pris Yuki en photo ainsi que Clemy alors pourquoi pas prendre les deux en même temps ! Clemy à de nouveaux acryliques, qui lui donne un air moins innocent et enfantin donc.. Je ne sais pas, elle changera quand je me serais lassée. On les voit mal mais ils sont violets avec des pointes de jaunes, je la prendrais mieux en photo plus tard ^-^
66703 "Doncaster PSB 1981-2002" & 783 "The Flying Dustman" in Biffa livery (GBRF - "t&t").
3S81 : 0725 Broxbourne Down Tamper Sdgs (Circular via Bishop's Stortford, Cambridge [reverse], Royston [reverse], Cambridge [reverse], Audley End, Broxbourne, Seven Sisters, London Fields [reverse], NLL, Richmond [reverse], NLL, London Fields [reverse], Southbury & Hertford East [reverse].
Broxbourne Jn - 1510 (**92** early) - 16/11/19.
I bet Network Rail blamed GBRF, for all delays their train caused to other trains, as a result of 3S81 not being retimed for pre-planned Engineering Work, between Stratford & Highbury & Islington, resulting in the early running!
Looking at the signals, you can see how dark it was at ten past three this afternoon, after yet another very cloudy day, so one has to ask the question, why do the trees have such lovely colours in the autumn, when the hours of daylight are short & the skies always grey?
Walking along the beach reminds me of a question Albert Einstein once posed to another physics nerd:
Why is wet sand a 'hard' surface to walk on whereas dry sand and sand under water are 'soft'. The answer is due to the effects of surface tension.
Bongin Bongin Bay, Northern Beaches, Sydney (Saturday 21 Jun 2008 @ 7:29am).
ISO100 | f/11 | 1/8sec | 17mm | eval.metering | AWB | raw | GND4 + grad tobacco filters | tripod | remote shutter release
Zoute Sale - Bonhams
Estimated : € 550.000 - 750.000
Unsold
Zoute Grand Prix 2022
Knokke - Zoute
België - Belgium
October 2022
"Nothing that is desirable comes easily or cheaply and the Carrera RS is no exception, but without question it is one of the great cars of the 1970s; the personification of GT motoring and race breeding." - Motor Sport magazine, February 1973.
Porsche revived the Carrera name for its top-of-the-range 911 in 1972/3. Designated Carrera RS (Rennsport), the newcomer was intended as a limited edition 'homologation special' to enable the factory to enter Group 4 competition in the Special GT class, with a minimum build requirement of 500. However, the demand for this fabulous car proved so great that the production run was later extended by another 1,300-or-so units, qualifying the RS to compete also in Group 3, which it would dominate. The Carrera RSR GT-category racer collected overall wins in the World Sportscar Championship at Daytona and the Targa Florio in 1973, defeating 3-litre prototypes from Ferrari, Matra and Mirage-Ford in the process, an outstanding achievement for a production-based car.
Based on a lightened 911S platform, the Carrera RS featured revised suspension and wider rear wheels (beneath flared wheelarches) for improved handling, while the 2.7-litre, fuel-injected, air-cooled, six-cylinder engine's 210bhp boosted top speed to around 240km/h. Not merely styling gimmicks, the Carrera's trademark 'duck tail' spoiler and front air dam made a vital contribution to high-speed stability and represent Porsche's first serious experimentation with aerodynamic devices on a production car. Above all it was the reduction of weight that transformed performance. Lighter body materials and ruthless pruning of non-essentials brought the weight of the Carrera RS down to below 900kg, enabling it to devastate the competition on the racetracks of Europe and the USA.
Private customers wishing to purchase a Carrera RS could choose between two specifications. The Lightweight was intended for competition, whereas those who valued comfort could specify the Touring package (order number '472') which cost an extra DM 2,500 (£430) and offered the luxury of the 911S's trimmed and upholstered interior.
One of the first 200 Carrera 2.7 RS models built, this desirable 1st series (thin steel) RS Touring was completed on 1st December 1972 and registered in January 1973. The car left the factory finished in Bahia Red (its present colour) with black leatherette interior, as confirmed by the Porsche Certificate of Authenticity on file. The RS was delivered new to Glöckler in Frankfurt, Germany with two options: '410' (Sport Seat Left) and '490' (retractable antenna). The Porsche's early history is unknown, but the car was in Germany in the 1990s and found its way to France where, in 2002, it was registered by a Mr Micheron. In 2008, still in France, the car was registered for the FFSA passport mentioning the engine number as '663.1302', the unit being of the correct type 911/83 at that time. In 2010 Mr. Micheron participated in Le Mans Classic with the RS, and the car was featured in Flat6 Magazine in 2011 following its Le Mans participation.
It appears that the engine has been upgraded to 2.8-litre specification. It is the correct type of engine and has been re-stamped with the number '6630225', which matches the aforementioned Porsche certificate (same for the gearbox). Fully restored to the highest level with no expense spared by Swiss specialist Marc De Siebenthal, the RS comes with invoices totalling over € 100,000! The invoices for mechanical work carried out suggest the engine and running gear have been improved to the highest level. The engine seems to have been very well prepared and is very responsive to the throttle. Bonhams' representative had the pleasure of driving the car over a couple of kilometres, where it performed very well. In short: this beautifully restored RS Touring is 'on the button' and ready to be used at any event, including concours.
Do ya'll think people would be interested in purchasing minifigs like these off ebay as I am thinking whether or not to sell them?
"'Let me think: Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is, who in the world am I?''"
Lewis Carroll: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Chapter 2
“It was rigged, I tell you,” said Fletcher of Lenfald. He had stopped at an inn in the market city of Ainesford, during his return north from the C.R.A.S.H. games, in which he had been a participant and bronze medalist in Archery. He was giving a colorful account of the Games to the common room.
“We were told to eat at a local restaurant by a fellow competitor, an Outlaw, I think.”
“Why those scoundrels were allowed to participate is beyond me,” said Adam, an Ainesford native.
“Anyway, nearly the entire Lenfel team got awful food poisoning from the vile place. It was a struggle to stand up, let alone shoot straight. Of course, I knew something was up, so I didn’t have the house special like everyone else. Thus I escaped the worst of it, though camel burger I had was bad enough. Did you know ground meat could be tough?”
“Well, that does explain a lot,” said Adam. “We were hearing wild rumors that Garhims were actually better than Lenfels at archery.”
“Well they have been practicing,” said Fletcher, “I’ll give them that. What I’m really wondering is who put that Outlaw up to it. Of course, the Games overseers never investigated it. I suspect the Loreesi, but they didn’t win either. Maybe they just couldn’t shoot well enough even with the competition out of the way.”
“Well, I reckon we’ll be happy to get even camel burgers in Lenfald soon. Those new tariffs are driving the price of food higher and higher,” said Adam.
“Bah,” said Fletcher, “I say forget them and their grain. We can eat venison out of the woods.”
“That’s fine for you,” said Adam, “but this city lives on Loreesi grain. Cityfolk can’t get to the woods to hunt, and meat doesn’t keep. Poor merchant families are already starting to starve.”
“Well if we need to import,” said Fletcher, “it should be done privately, without letting the puppet-king’s highway robbers levy the tariffs.”
“There are outlaw smugglers out East, but they charge nearly as much as the taxmen. Besides, the Loreesi have patrols hunting smugglers, with orders to kill on sight, or so I’ve heard.”
“We don’t need the Outlaws,” said Fletcher, seeing a chance to make a quick Draken and thwart Chartres at the same time. “We’re not bound by the puppet-king’s laws. And you said that the cities need grain the most. There has to be a way to bring it in right here, under their noses.”
“Excuse me,” said a man sitting at the table nearby. He was dressed in Southern style clothes and a white turban. “I couldn’t help but overhear what you were saying. My name is Hassan. I’m from South Ainesford, across the river, and I think I might be able to help you.”
“A Loreesi?” Fletcher said suspiciously. “Why would you want to help us?”
“Son,” Hassan said, “you aren’t the only ones whom that young fool Chartres has hurt. I’m a baker, and every day I bring bread across the bridge to sell in Ainesford. Now though, with the King’s Tariff on grain products, I can’t make a profit. It’s destroying my livelihood, and I’m not the only one either. Our farmers are forced to give away their grain for nearly nothing, while the Lenfels, happy to pay the old prices, starve.”
“It’s outrageous,” said Fletcher. “Now what do you propose?”
“Just this. I can buy grain in Loreos without suspicion, and more to the point, without taxes. My bakery is right on the riverfront, backed by an old dock frequented by fishermen.”
“Hmm, I see,” said Fletcher. “Do you have a place we could hide a riverboat for loading?”
“I have a celler which could be made to open the river, under the wharf,” said Hassan.
“Excellent,” said Fletcher. “Then we would just need a boat, and a place to land it on this side.”
“That wouldn’t be a problem,” said Adam. “Duke Meyrick, err, supports such entrepreneurship. If we landed a shipment of grain at the city docks, no questions would be asked.”
* * *
The conspiracy was assembled quickly. Adam recruited willing Lenfels, Fletcher obtained a small river boat, and Hassan stockpiled grain, purchasing in small amounts so as not to attract attention.
On a foggy night when the moon was new, the first boatload was brought across. Adam, Fletcher, and three other Lenfels brought the boat quietly across the river and slipped it under the docks. The conspirators had opened Hassan’s celler to the river, and Hassan’s son, a fisherman, had moored his boat and hung his nets to dry in front of the opening to hide it. The smugglers entered this hidden chamber, and docked. Fletcher kept his dirk and bow close to hand, but Hassan was trustworthy. They quickly loaded the boat with barrels of grain, then pushed off. With muffled paddles, they delivered their cargo directly to the Ainesford dock, where it was sold the next morning to be grateful citizens.
* * *
For the next several weeks this operation proceeded smoothly. Then one night, as Fletcher and his men were loading the boat, he saw Hassan enter, looking worried.
“My informant in the city guard has sent a message. They’re sending a squad of troops and they’re under orders to kill every smuggler they find. Someone’s tipped them off. ”
“Son of a used camel dealer!” Fletcher said. “We might be able to escape with the boat, but if they find our dock and all the grain in the bakery, you’ll be arrested for sure.”
“I doubt we could make it across. They’ve probably got a boat out there, watching.”
“Then we’ll have to fall back on the contingency plan. How much time do we have?”
“I give us ten minutes.”
* * *
Fletcher assembled their forces. He and another Lenfel had brought bows and arrows. Hassan had acquired an antiquated crossbow. One smuggler had a spear. Adam was in the Ainesford militia, and had a pike. Hassan had also contracted the services of a local thug, who, after a bag of silver and a free meal, had been found to be a secret Lenfel sympathizer. The smugglers donned disguises, so they would look like Outlaws. Most wore masks, Fletcher had a tattered black cloak, and Adam carried a Queen’s Dragon shield.
Everyone with weapons was soon in position, and the last smuggler was sent to finish loading the boat.
Soon the squad of Loreesi guards marched into sight, their way lit by flickering torchlight. They stopped at Hassan’s door and pounded on it.
“Open in the name of the King!” their captain commanded.
Hassan’s son appeared from the alleyway to the left of the shop.
“Are you looking for smugglers?” he said, gesturing towards him. “Back here.”
“Go with him,” the captain said, indicating two of his men.
They followed Hassan’s son through the alley, which was made even narrower by creates stacked along the wall. When they reached the dock behind the building, Fletcher and the other archer, crouching on the flat roof, stood and let fly arrows. Fletcher’s aim was deadly, even in the darkness, and one man dropped without a sound. The other soldier was hit, but cried out. Fletcher shot again. Hassan’s son began disposing of the evidence.
Hearing the cry, the three soldiers rushed the alleyway, and were as suddenly surrounded when two more smugglers leapt from hiding behind the building, and the scimitar-wielding thug charged across the street. Fletcher, Hassan, and the other archer each aimed their arrows at a soldier. While the Loreesi guards’ superior training might have prevailed against the men on the ground, they stood no chance against arrows from the rooftop, and had nowhere to run.
“Hold!” cried the guard captain. “Don’t shoot, and we will lay down our arms.”
“And then go for reinforcements?” Fletcher said. “I don’t take prisoners.”
“If you allow us to go free, I will not harm you. I will return and tell my commanding officer that we saw no signs of smuggling activity, and that we were attacked by men dressed as outlaws.”
“And why should we trust you?” Fletcher said.
“I am a man of honor,” the captain declared. “I will not break my word.” He laid down his weapon and his men did likewise. “You would shoot us in cold blood?”
Fletcher thought of his father. His arrow pointed at the lion on the man’s chest, and his bowstring quivered.
“No.” Fletcher slowly released the arrow and released tension on the bow. “If the Loreesi are men of honor, then I am too.” He signaled the smugglers to let the soldiers go.
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This is my entry for Lenfald's 24th Local Challenge.
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A build for Lands of Rowia, a LEGO castle group in which members create a character and then use Lego builds to tell their story in a shared LEGO castle world. LoR also features motivational contests and challenges. We are currently looking for new members, so come on over, pick a faction and join the fun!
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Comments and critique welcome.
There are rules/guidance for the layout of signage, barriers, cones (etc) for roadworks.
This layout is a questionable with such a large gap between the diagonal closure and the yellow barriers, with just a single cone to prevent dozy drivers returning to the nearside lane too early.
The yellow barriers protects a 1 metre wide, by approx 500mm deep trench.
“Have you got a dog with you?” Asked a disembodied question ... making its way towards us ahead of a lady appearing through the bracken. “No, you’re OK!” I replied, as we stood to one side of the path to let the rabble of friendly canines through.
Six dogs I counted as they sniffed and checked their way past, the lady leading them wearing half a dozen colourful rope leads around her neck.
If ever there was a leadership challenge, this was it, leading a pack of unleashed dogs through the woods. I’m guessing, from the number of different breeds, the lady was a professional dog walker. She definitely had their full attention and whilst the dogs had ideas of their own about which path to take, they quickly followed her lead, even it was just a spoken one.
A question of balance. Moody Blues. Week 182 of the utterly fabulous re packaged group. Nope. Don't have this one.
Cat was wondering how she succeeded to get up there. And the main question remained: how to get down?
(can someone call the firemen, please?)
Cat se demandait comment elle était arrivé jusque là. Mais la question principale était: comment redescendre?
(quelqu'un peut appeler les pompiers, là?)
Blue
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Give yourself treat job well done trip are taking trip Florida January evening I’m staying home this evening affect bank account affect how much buy inside cat stays inside conference There expert presenters at conference unit foot unit measure best Those are best glasses buy style dress out style adult Adults pay full price but children are free worry Don’t worry about tomorrow range doctor offered range options mention mention your story rather Rather than focusing on bad things let’s grateful good things far don’t move far from family deep That poem about life deep front face front edge stand close edge cliff individual These potato chips are individual serving size package specific Could more specific writer are good writer trouble Stay out trouble necessary It necessary sleep throughout Throughout life have always enjoyed reading challenge challenge better fear have fears shoulder have shoulder all work on your own institution Have attended institution higher learning middle am middle child with one older brother one younger sister sea sail seven seas dream have dream bar bar place where alcohol served beautiful are beautiful property own property like house instead Instead eating cake have fruit improve am always looking ways improve stuff When moved realized have lot stuff! claim claim fast reader but actually am average
At a crossroads – Needing to make an important decision
When you are at a crossroads, you are at a point in your life where you need to make a decision. The implication is that the decision you make will have big, life-altering consequences.
Bad apple – Bad person
You can use this idiom to describe someone who is not nice and maybe even criminal.
Barking up the wrong tree – Pursuing the wrong course
When you “bark up the wrong tree” you are pursuing the wrong solution to your problems.
Be closefisted – Stingy
If you are being “closefisted”, you don’t want to spend a lot of money.
Be cold-hearted – Uncaring
If you decide to be “cold-hearted”, you are making a deliberate decision not to care about someone or something.
Be on solid ground – Confident
When you are “on solid ground”, you are confident in your position or feel that you are safe.
Beat around the bush – Avoid saying
When you do this, you are taking a long time to say what you really need to say. You may be doing this because the “truth” is embarrassing or your unsure about how the listener will take it.
Behind you – Supportive
When you are “behind” someone, you are saying that they have your support.
Between a rock and a hard place – Facing difficulties
When you have to choose between two options, neither of which are ideal or “good”.
Blow off steam – Try to relax
When you are stressed or upset about something, sometimes you need to do something to keep you from thinking about it.
Born with a silver spoon in their mouth – Born wealthy
This idiomatic expression is used to describe someone who was born into a wealthy family.
Break the bank – Spend a lot
When you “break the bank”, you spend a lot of money on something. If something will “break the bank”, then it’s expensive.
Bright spark – Smart
A “bright spark” is someone who is smart and valuable to an organization.
Build a case – Argue your point
When you “build a case” for something, you are preparing to argue a point or convince someone that your opinion is the right one.
Build castles in the sky – Daydream
When you fantasize about something you hope to have or achieve.
Burn your bridges – End a relationship
When you “burn your bridges” you end a relationship permanently.
Butter up – Flatter
When you “butter” someone up, you are telling them nice things about themselves.
Bought a lemon – Bad bargain
If something you bought is a “lemon” it is a bad product. In a sense, you wasted your money on it.
Break the ice – Start a conversation
When you start a conversation strangers with the end goal of making new friends.
Calm before the storm – Peaceful
When you use this to describe your state of being or mind, you’re talking about a quiet period before anticipated trouble comes your way.
Chasing rainbows – Pursuing dreams
When you try to follow your dreams. The implication here, however, is that you might be better off forgetting your dreams.
Clear as mud – Hard to understand
When you are confused about something or a situation.
Cool as a cucumber – Calm
This idiomatic expression is meant to describe someone who is calm and relaxed.
Couch potato – Lazy
A couch potato is a lazy person. Specifically, someone who sprawls on their couch watching TV almost all day.
Cross that bridge when we get to it – Think about it later
When you say this, you are telling someone that you will think about something later. The implication is that it’s a problem or a decision that can be put off for now.
Chew it over – Think had about something
This idiom implies that you need to make an important decision and can’t afford to be hasty about it.
Come to light – Be revealed
When something “comes to light” something that was originally concealed from you is revealed.
Cut back on – Reduce
When you use this idiom, you are reducing something.
Cut to the chase – Speak concisely
When you tell someone to “cut to the chase”, you are expressing impatience. This is usually used when someone feels someone else is taking to long to deliver important news.
Crystal clear – Easy to understand
When you say that something is “crystal clear”, you are saying that it is understood.
Dead-end job – No more opportunities
When you are stuck in a “dead-end job”, you are in a career situation where there is no more room for advancement.
Dig deep – Strive
When you “dig deep” you put a lot of effort into a task.
Digging into – Looking closer
When you “dig into” something, you are looking for more information.
Don’t run before you can walk – Don’t assume something is easy
This is a descriptive idiom, it’s meant to make you think about how a baby needs to learn how to walk before they can run. It’s supposed to caution you about assuming you can just do something without learning the basics.
Down to earth – Practical
This describes someone who is known for being sensible and practical.
Eat like a bird – Small appetite
This is used to describe someone who doesn’t eat a lot.
Eat like a horse – Eat a lot
If you eat like a horse, you are eating a lot. You can “eat like a bird” most of the time but “eat like a horse” at a specific time because you are either very hungry or you really like the food.
Eat your words – Admit you were wrong
When you “eat your words” you are admitting that something you said earlier turned out to be wrong.
Every cloud has a silver lining – Things will get better
When you say this, you are telling yourself or someone else that you will get through your troubles.
Face the music – Face the consequences
When you “face the music”, you are owning up to a mistake and trying to make amends.
Find your feet – Adapt
When you are “finding your feet” you are learning how to adapt to a new situation, like a new job.
Follow in their footsteps – Imitate
This idiom is often used between children and their parents, but it can also refer to a mentor or someone you admire. If you “follow in someone’s footsteps”, you do the same thing that they did.
Food for thought – Something to think about
If you are given “food for thought” you have been given something to think about.
A frosty reception – To be unwelcome
If you received a “frosty reception”, you are not welcome.
Fly off the handle – Rages
You can use this idiom to describe someone who is visibly angry over a situation. Often this means that someone is shouting and maybe gesturing violently and even causing damage to property. It also implies that the angry reaction is disproportionate to the situation.
Get on with your life – Continue on after a setback
This is something you can say and should do after going through some problems.
Give them a run for their money – Compete
If you are competing with someone, you are giving them a “run for their money.”
Go Dutch – Split the bill
You can use this idiomatic expression when dining out with friends.
Go with the flow – Relax and get along
When you “go with the flow” you keep calm and just go along with whatever is happening around you.
Got off scot-free – Escaped
When you “get off scot-free”, you managed to escape any consequences for your actions.
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Hard to swallow – Unbelievable
If someone told you something that you just can’t believe, they told you something that is “hard to swallow”.
Have your whole life in front of you – Young
Someone who has their whole life in front of them is young and full of promise.
Hold out an olive branch – Apologize
When you do this, you try to make amends or peace with someone you’ve hurt or angered.
In hot water – In trouble
This idiomatic expression can be used to say that you are in a less than ideal situation.
Inching forward - Making slow progress
When you say this, you’re saying things are proceeding slowly.
Keep on the straight and narrow – Keep out of trouble
When you say this, you are implying that you are going to live in a morally correct way.
Keep your chin up – Stay positive
Even if you’re going through a hard time, you should keep thinking positive.
Kicked the bucket – Died
This is an irreverent phrase to say that someone has died. Be careful how you use it.
Let the cat out of the bag – Spoiled the secret
You “let the cat out of the bag” when you accidentally let someone in on a secret that they weren’t meant to know.
Look up to – Respect
When you “look up to” someone you are acknowledging that you respect them and value their opinion.
Loaded – Rich
When you call someone “loaded” you are saying that they are rich.
Lost at sea – Confused
If a situation is making you feel confused or lost, this is the idiom to use.
Making ends meet – Careful budgeting
If you. don’t have much money, you need to “make ends meet”. This means you carefully budget what you do have to meet your needs.
Make a mountain out of a molehill –Exaggerate
This idiom is used to say that someone is being over-dramatic with their complaints or concerns.
Make waves – Change things
When you “make waves”, you change a situation dramatically. This can also mean that you caused trouble.
Nip in the bud – Stop
When you do this, you take action to keep a situation from getting worse.
No sweat – Easy
When you say “no sweat” you are saying that a task was easy
Not your cup of tea – Not something you like
If you say that something is “not your cup of tea” you are saying it’s not something you particularly like or enjoy.
Once in a blue moon – Rare
This implies something that either won’t happen or rarely happens.
Out in the open – Public knowledge
When something is “out in the open”, it is a matter of public knowledge.
Over the moon – Very happy
You can use this to describe the feeling of getting something you’ve been looking forward to for a long time.
On cloud nine – Very happy
Similar to being over the moon.
Packed like sardines – Crowded
If people are “packed like sardines” in a venue, they are standing very close together in a small space.
Piece of cake –Easy
If you say something is a “piece of cake” you are saying that it is easy.
Pitch in - Contribute
When you “pitch-in”, you work with a group of people to reach a common goal.
Point of view – An opinion
Your “point of view” is what you think about someone or a situation.
Pony up – Pay
If you are paying back a debt, you are “ponying up” the money.
Pour oil on troubled waters – Calm things down
This basically means that you played peacemaker and kept an argument from developing into a physical fight.
Put your head in the sand – Deny something unpleasant
When you have your “head in the sand”, you are deliberately ignoring a bad situation.
Rags to riches – Became rich
Someone who went from “rags to riches” was born poor or underprivileged, but is now in a better social position.
Rain or shine – No matter what
This idiomatic expression is used to express the idea that nothing will stop you.
Reap the rewards – Received the benefits
When you “reap the rewards”, you are getting the benefits of your good work.
Rings a bell – Sounds familiar
When you think that you’ve heard a piece of information before but are not so sure.
Rule of thumb – General practice
A “rule of thumb” is an unwritten rule that is followed by the majority.
Separate the wheat from the chaff – Decide what is valuable
This picturesque idiom refers to how, when you harvest wheat, you need to separate it from the stalks and leaves. So, it means that you pick out or choose what is valuable to keep.
Shell out money – Pay
When you “shell out money”, you pay for an item.
Sitting on the fence – Neutral
When you “sit on the fence” you are avoiding making a decision. Often, this is a decision between two people with different opinions.
Smart cookie – Smart person
You can use this idiom to describe someone intelligent.
Spice things up – Make things interesting
When you “spice things up” you do something to break out of your normal routine.
Spill the beans – Tell
When you do this, you tell someone something they didn’t know. It may or not have been a secret previously.
Sticky fingers – Thief
If you accuse someone of having “sticky fingers” you are basically calling them a thief.
Take a side – Choose who to support
When you “take a side” in an argument, you are agreeing with one of those arguing.
Throw light on – Explain something
When you “throw light on” a situation, you help make sure that it is understood.
To move at a snail’s pace – Move slowly
This is another idiomatic phrase that’s meant to paint a picture. A snail moves slowly, so to move at its pace means things are going slowly.
Tread carefully – Be cautious
This implies that a situation is fraught and it might be easy to offend those involved.
Under the table – Secretive
When you do something “under the table”, you are trying to do something so that only a small amount of people are aware of it. It’s commonly used to describe something that is possibly unscrupulous. For example, bribes are given “under the table”.
Undermine your position – Act unconvincingly
When you behave in a way that makes you and your opinion seem untrustworthy.
Up in the air – Uncertain
When you say something is “up in the air”, you are saying that you are not sure that an event is happening.
Weather the storm – Survive
When you “weather the storm”, you endure a bad situation.
When it rains, it pours – Trouble comes
This refers to the fact that sometimes, many bad things happen to people at one time.
So there you have it, 10 idiomatic expressions and their meanings. These idioms are used by native English language speakers to add some color to their daily speech.
Google is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence,[9] and consumer electronics. It has been referred to as "the most powerful company in the world"[10] and one of the world's most valuable brands due to its market dominance, data collection, and technological advantages in the area of artificial intelligence.[11][12][13] Its parent company Alphabet is considered one of the Big Five American information technology companies, alongside Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.
Google was founded on September 4, 1998, by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were PhD students at Stanford University in California. Together they own about 14% of its publicly listed shares and control 56% of the stockholder voting power through super-voting stock. The company went public via an initial public offering (IPO) in 2004. In 2015, Google was reorganized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. Google is Alphabet's largest subsidiary and is a holding company for Alphabet's Internet properties and interests. Sundar Pichai was appointed CEO of Google on October 24, 2015, replacing Larry Page, who became the CEO of Alphabet. On December 3, 2019, Pichai also became the CEO of Alphabet.[14]
The company has since rapidly grown to offer a multitude of products and services beyond Google Search, many of which hold dominant market positions. These products address a wide range of use cases, including email (Gmail), navigation (Waze & Maps), cloud computing (Cloud), web browsing (Chrome), video sharing (YouTube), productivity (Workspace), operating systems (Android), cloud storage (Drive), language translation (Translate), photo storage (Photos), video calling (Meet), smart home (Nest), smartphones (Pixel), wearable technology (Pixel Watch & Fitbit), music streaming (YouTube Music), video on demand (YouTube TV), artificial intelligence (Google Assistant), machine learning APIs (TensorFlow), AI chips (TPU), and more. Discontinued Google products include gaming (Stadia), Glass,[citation needed] Google+, Reader, Play Music, Nexus, Hangouts, and Inbox by Gmail.[15][16]
Google's other ventures outside of Internet services and consumer electronics include quantum computing (Sycamore), self-driving cars (Waymo, formerly the Google Self-Driving Car Project), smart cities (Sidewalk Labs), and transformer models (Google Brain).[17]
Google and YouTube are the two most visited websites worldwide followed by Facebook and Twitter. Google is also the largest search engine, mapping and navigation application, email provider, office suite, video sharing platform, photo and cloud storage provider, mobile operating system, web browser, ML framework, and AI virtual assistant provider in the world as measured by market share. On the list of most valuable brands, Google is ranked second by Forbes[18] and fourth by Interbrand.[19] It has received significant criticism involving issues such as privacy concerns, tax avoidance, censorship, search neutrality, antitrust and abuse of its monopoly position.
In March 1999, the company moved its offices to Palo Alto, California,[52] which is home to several prominent Silicon Valley technology start-ups.[53] The next year, Google began selling advertisements associated with search keywords against Page and Brin's initial opposition toward an advertising-funded search engine.[54][22] To maintain an uncluttered page design, advertisements were solely text-based.[55] In June 2000, it was announced that Google would become the default search engine provider for Yahoo!, one of the most popular websites at the time, replacing Inktomi.
In 2003, after outgrowing two other locations, the company leased an office complex from Silicon Graphics, at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway in Mountain View, California.[59] The complex became known as the Googleplex, a play on the word googolplex, the number one followed by a googol zeroes. Three years later, Google bought the property from SGI for $319 million.[60] By that time, the name "Google" had found its way into everyday language, causing the verb "google" to be added to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary, denoted as: "to use the Google search engine to obtain information on the Internet".[61][62] The first use of the verb on television appeared in an October 2002 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.[63]
Additionally, in 2001 Google's investors felt the need to have a strong internal management, and they agreed to hire Eric Schmidt as the chairman and CEO of Google.[49] Eric was proposed by John Doerr from Kleiner Perkins. He had been trying to find a CEO that Sergey and Larry would accept for several months, but they rejected several candidates because they wanted to retain control over the company. Michael Moritz from Sequoia Capital at one point even menaced requesting Google to immediately pay back Sequoia's $12.5m investment if they did not fulfill their promise to hire a chief executive office, which had been made verbally during investment negotiations. Eric wasn't initially enthusiastic about joining Google either, as the company's full potential hadn't yet been widely recognized at the time, and as he was occupied with his responsibilities at Novell where he was CEO. As part of him joining, Eric agreed to buy $1 million of Google preferred stocks as a way to show his commitment and to provide funds Google needed.
Google generates most of its revenues from advertising. This includes sales of apps, purchases made in-app, digital content products on Google and YouTube, Android and licensing and service fees, including fees received for Google Cloud offerings. Forty-six percent of this profit was from clicks (cost per clicks), amounting to US$109,652 million in 2017. This includes three principal methods, namely AdMob, AdSense (such as AdSense for Content, AdSense for Search, etc.) and DoubleClick AdExchange.
In addition to its own algorithms for understanding search requests, Google uses technology its acquisition of DoubleClick, to project user interest and target advertising to the search context and the user history.
In 2007, Google launched "AdSense for Mobile", taking advantage of the emerging mobile advertising market.
Google Analytics allows website owners to track where and how people use their website, for example by examining click rates for all the links on a page. Google advertisements can be placed on third-party websites in a two-part program. Google Ads allows advertisers to display their advertisements in the Google content network, through a cost-per-click scheme.[138] The sister service, Google AdSense, allows website owners to display these advertisements on their website and earn money every time ads are clicked.[139] One of the criticisms of this program is the possibility of click fraud, which occurs when a person or automated script clicks on advertisements without being interested in the product, causing the advertiser to pay money to Google unduly. Industry reports in 2006 claimed that approximately 14 to 20 percent of clicks were fraudulent or invalid.[140] Google Search Console (rebranded from Google Webmaster Tools in May 2015) allows webmasters to check the sitemap, crawl rate, and for security issues of their websites, as well as optimize their website's visibility.
Consumer services
Web-based services
Google offers Gmail for email, Google Calendar for time-management and scheduling, Google Maps for mapping, navigation and satellite imagery, Google Drive for cloud storage of files, Google Docs, Sheets and Slides for productivity, Google Photos for photo storage and sharing, Google Keep for note-taking, Google Translate for language translation, YouTube for video viewing and sharing, Google My Business for managing public business information, and Duo for social interaction. In March 2019, Google unveiled a cloud gaming service named Stadia. A job search product has also existed since before 2017, Google for Jobs is an enhanced search feature that aggregates listings from job boards and career sites.
Some Google services are not web-based. Google Earth, launched in 2005, allowed users to see high-definition satellite pictures from all over the world for free through a client software downloaded to their computers.
Software
Google develops the Android mobile operating system, as well as its smartwatch, television, car, and Internet of things-enabled smart devices variations.
It also develops the Google Chrome web browser, and Chrome OS, an operating system based on Chrome.
Hardware
In January 2010, Google released Nexus One, the first Android phone under its own brand. It spawned a number of phones and tablets under the "Nexus" branding until its eventual discontinuation in 2016, replaced by a new brand called Pixel.
In 2011, the Chromebook was introduced, which runs on Chrome OS.
In July 2013, Google introduced the Chromecast dongle, which allows users to stream content from their smartphones to televisions.
In June 2014, Google announced Google Cardboard, a simple cardboard viewer that lets user place their smartphone in a special front compartment to view virtual reality (VR) media.
Other hardware products include:
•Nest, a series of voice assistant smart speakers that can answer voice queries, play music, find information from apps (calendar, weather etc.), and control third-party smart home appliances (users can tell it to turn on the lights, for example). The Google Nest line includes the original Google Home (later succeeded by the Nest Audio), the Google Home Mini (later succeeded by the Nest Mini, the Google Home Max, the Google Home Hub (later rebranded as the Nest Hub), and the Nest Hub Max.
•Nest Wifi (originally Google Wifi), a connected set of Wi-Fi routers to simplify and extend coverage of home Wi-Fi.
Enterprise services
Google Workspace (formerly G Suite until October 2020) is a monthly subscription offering for organizations and businesses to get access to a collection of Google's services, including Gmail, Google Drive and Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides, with additional administrative tools, unique domain names, and 24/7 support.
On September 24, 2012, Google launched Google for Entrepreneurs, a largely not-for-profit business incubator providing startups with co-working spaces known as Campuses, with assistance to startup founders that may include workshops, conferences, and mentorships. Presently, there are seven Campus locations: Berlin, London, Madrid, Seoul, São Paulo, Tel Aviv, and Warsaw.
On March 15, 2016, Google announced the introduction of Google Analytics 360 Suite, "a set of integrated data and marketing analytics products, designed specifically for the needs of enterprise-class marketers" which can be integrated with BigQuery on the Google Cloud Platform. Among other things, the suite is designed to help "enterprise class marketers" "see the complete customer journey", generate "useful insights", and "deliver engaging experiences to the right people". Jack Marshall of The Wall Street Journal wrote that the suite competes with existing marketing cloud offerings by companies including Adobe, Oracle, Salesforce, and IBM.
Internet services
In February 2010, Google announced the Google Fiber project, with experimental plans to build an ultra-high-speed broadband network for 50,000 to 500,000 customers in one or more American cities.[178][179] Following Google's corporate restructure to make Alphabet Inc. its parent company, Google Fiber was moved to Alphabet's Access division.[180][181]
In April 2015, Google announced Project Fi, a mobile virtual network operator, that combines Wi-Fi and cellular networks from different telecommunication providers in an effort to enable seamless connectivity and fast Internet signal.
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, its name comes from the face book directories often given to American university students. Membership was initially limited to Harvard students, gradually expanding to other North American universities and, since 2006, anyone over 13 years old. As of July 2022, Facebook claimed 2.93 billion monthly active users,[6] and ranked third worldwide among the most visited websites as of July 2022.[7] It was the most downloaded mobile app of the 2010s.[8]
Facebook can be accessed from devices with Internet connectivity, such as personal computers, tablets and smartphones. After registering, users can create a profile revealing information about themselves. They can post text, photos and multimedia which are shared with any other users who have agreed to be their "friend" or, with different privacy settings, publicly. Users can also communicate directly with each other with Facebook Messenger, join common-interest groups, and receive notifications on the activities of their Facebook friends and the pages they follow.
The subject of numerous controversies, Facebook has often been criticized over issues such as user privacy (as with the Cambridge Analytica data scandal), political manipulation (as with the 2016 U.S. elections) and mass surveillance.[9] Posts originating from the Facebook page of Breitbart News, a media organization previously affiliated with Cambridge Analytica,[10] are currently among the most widely shared political content on Facebook.[11][12][13][14][15] Facebook has also been subject to criticism over psychological effects such as addiction and low self-esteem, and various controversies over content such as fake news, conspiracy theories, copyright infringement, and hate speech.
Zuckerberg built a website called "Facemash" in 2003 while attending Harvard University. The site was comparable to Hot or Not and used "photos compiled from the online face books of nine Houses, placing two next to each other at a time and asking users to choose the "hotter" person". Facemash attracted 450 visitors and 22,000 photo-views in its first four hours. The site was sent to several campus group listservs, but was shut down a few days later by Harvard administration. Zuckerberg faced expulsion and was charged with breaching security, violating copyrights and violating individual privacy. Ultimately, the charges were dropped. Zuckerberg expanded on this project that semester by creating a social study tool. He uploaded art images, each accompanied by a comments section, to a website he shared with his classmates.
A "face book" is a student directory featuring photos and personal information. In 2003, Harvard had only a paper version[ along with private online directories. Zuckerberg told The Harvard Crimson, "Everyone's been talking a lot about a universal face book within Harvard. ... I think it's kind of silly that it would take the University a couple of years to get around to it. I can do it better than they can, and I can do it in a week."[29] In January 2004, Zuckerberg coded a new website, known as "TheFacebook", inspired by a Crimson editorial about Facemash, stating, "It is clear that the technology needed to create a centralized Website is readily available ... the benefits are many." Zuckerberg met with Harvard student Eduardo Saverin, and each of them agreed to invest $1,000 ($1,435 in 2021 dollars[30]) in the site.[31] On February 4, 2004, Zuckerberg launched "TheFacebook", originally located at thefacebook.com.
Six days after the site launched, Harvard seniors Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra accused Zuckerberg of intentionally misleading them into believing that he would help them build a social network called HarvardConnection.com. They claimed that he was instead using their ideas to build a competing product. The three complained to the Crimson and the newspaper began an investigation. They later sued Zuckerberg, settling in 2008 for 1.2 million shares (worth $300 million ($354 million in 2021 dollars[30]) at Facebook's IPO).
Membership was initially restricted to students of Harvard College. Within a month, more than half the undergraduates had registered.[36] Dustin Moskovitz, Andrew McCollum, and Chris Hughes joined Zuckerberg to help manage the growth of the website.[37] In March 2004, Facebook expanded to Columbia, Stanford and Yale.[38] It then became available to all Ivy League colleges, Boston University, NYU, MIT, and successively most universities in the United States and Canada.
In mid-2004, Napster co-founder and entrepreneur Sean Parker—an informal advisor to Zuckerberg—became company president.[41] In June 2004, the company moved to Palo Alto, California.[42] It received its first investment later that month from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. In 2005, the company dropped "the" from its name after purchasing the domain name Facebook.com for US$200,000 ($277,492 in 2021 dollars). The domain had belonged to AboutFace Corporation.
In May 2005, Accel Partners invested $12.7 million ($17.6 million in 2021 dollars) in Facebook, and Jim Breyer added $1 million ($1.39 million in 2021 dollars) of his own money. A high-school version of the site launched in September 2005. Eligibility expanded to include employees of several companies, including Apple Inc. and Microsoft.
Facebook was sued by the Federal Trade Commission as well as a coalition of several states for illegal monopolization and antitrust. The FTC and states sought the courts to force Facebook to sell its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram.[183][184] The suits were dismissed by a federal judge on June 28, 2021, who stated that there was not enough evidence brought in the suit to determine Facebook to be a monopoly at this point, though allowed the FTC to amend its case to include additional evidence. In its amended filings in August 2021, the FTC asserted that Facebook had been a monopoly in the area of personal social networks since 2011, distinguishing Facebook's activities from social media services like TikTok that broadcast content without necessarily l
At long last... It's finally here!!!! Now the real question is, is it as good or even better as the first one? Well, let's find out! But as a warning, there may be a few spoilers in this post, so beware...
Good: To start off, I would like to talk about my favorite character of this whole film... VISION! I love this character so much, he was so cool in this movie! I think because of his role in this movie, he has become my new second favorite Marvel superhero, behind Ant-Man, of course! Also, if you have seen the movie, you need to check out this video (don't watch if you have seen the movie): www.youtube.com/watch?v=8do1e9Lavlc Also I LOVED Ultron, he's probably my favorite Comicbook villain of all time! He's like an evil Tony Stark because of his funny quips, but he does strike fear into the audience! I also loved the action scenes, I think they're all better than the action sequences from the first Avengers. Also, from the trailers, it looks like this film is really dark from the trailers, but there are some great comedic moments, and don't get me wrong, there are some cool dark moments! Another thing that I loved in this film was the role of Hawkeye, you get a lot more character development for the character which makes him a lot better than his role in the first Avengers. Now I could go on for days on all the great things in this film, but I would like to talk about one last thing and that thing is ****HEAVY SPOILERS**** the new Avengers team. So the new team is Captain America, Black Widow, Vision, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, and War Machine! I'm super excited to see these guys in action!
Bad: Now there are only a few negatives in this film. The pacing of this film was a little awkward, like they spent little time on Ultron's origin and Thor's vision quest, but then I felt they spent a little too much time on the twins and Hawkeye's family. And finally, just a little nit-pick, I wasn't a fan of the twins' accent.
Overall, I was really entertained with this film and I definitely think this film is better than the first Avengers and Captain America TWS, but I'm not sure to say if it's better than Guardians of the Galaxy because I freaking loved that film. So overall, I'm going to give this film a 9.75/10. It's incredible and if you haven't seen it yet, GO SEE IT!!!
Well, now with Age of Ultron out of the way, the next MCU film is ANT-MAN!!!!! WHOOOOOOO I'M SO FUCKING HYPED YEAH!!!!!
Oh and one more thing, there's not going to be a 'This Week in the News' this week because I was super busy this week and I wasn't able to pay attention to any stories, plus there was some contoversy with the last one. But don't worry, it will be back next week!