I just assembled my new Neo and absolutely can not get the X-axis stopper to work. No matter if I try to auto-level the bed or home it, it just slides all the way to the left and then the motor makes the most god awful sound grinding because it's not hitting the stopper. I have no clue how to fix it.
I have confirmed the stopper DOES work on its on, by tapping it while the axis is moving, it seems to me that the print head is just straight up not engaging it
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EDIT: Solved. I called my boss and hey laughed at me for a solid 30 seconds before telling me the metal plate for the stopper was missing. Will be filling out an ID10T form monday.

I've become "The End User." I filled out my ID10T form and received immediate approval for End User status.
I work for a major U.S. Ski Resort. We have many retail shops that are under our purview and they all have Pandora Mood players on premise. I received a call that one of them wasn't working. I logged into it's UI page and was met with a big red message stating there was a critical error, and to call support. I lamented my fate and took a walk to the other side of the resort to check on the device.
I found the closet the device was located in, unplugged it, sat down at the nearest managers desk with a phone and called the support number armed with nothing but a singular brain cell and a serial number on the device. The departments here all manage their own Pandora accounts, I.T. has no involvement in actually managing the accounts, we just set up the devices.
The service tech asked me for our account number, and I didn't have it.
He asked me for the company name that it was tied to, and I wasn't sure what company name it was actually registered under (Some departments are under Ski Corp, some departments are under Ski Holdings, I assume there's a good reason but I really don't know why.)
He asked me for the address, and I wasn't sure what particular address this retail shop was under as some use one address, others use another.
I was absolutely useless and unhelpful to this poor tech.
Finally he asked me what the serial number was, and then spent 5 minutes tracking down all of the info I was ignorant of to pull up the device.
He then asked me to unplug the device (score 1 for me, I'm way ahead of him there) and I let him know it already was.
He then asked me to plug the device back in.
Before I could get back to the desk and ask him "okay now what?" I was being hit by the opening riff of Thunder Struck by AC/DC.
I stopped, put my hands on the desk, and contemplated how hard I would need to bang my head into to forget this had ever happened. I apologized to the tech for wasting his time and not trying that sooner, and he quickly yet professionally rattled off the closing script he probably has burned into his mind.
I wish I could offer an excuse; that I hadn't had enough caffeine, that it had been a long day, that I was unfamiliar with the tech or something. But in truth, I just completely turned my brain off as soon as I saw that red banner saying to call customer support. All critical thinking had ceased. My knowledge of the previous 8 years of working in this field fled me. I was reduced to the most primal and helpless state. The wizardry of the magic music box turned me into "not a computer person."
I know a few of my coworkers browse this subreddit. If you read this, do me a favor and pretend you never saw it.

I'm a new yeoman, and this week I had my first instance of somebody coming in to the admin shop asking where we kept the ID10T forms.
Thankfully, nobody laughed at the poor kid. He figured out he was being pranked after I asked a PS where we kept them and headed back to work.
Cheers to whomever that was that sent him. Thanks for the laugh.

Good day everyone!
I have been revising and working on my strategies for introducing crypto to those who are unaware and I've had a rather transformative view over the last few months. Many more people are entering the space and after reading several articles about people not understanding crypto but still being in the space I think its time we treat "How do I teach someone successfully?" as paramount to a successful future. I'd like people to take a look with me and if you are a person who tries to engage people in crypto discussion perhaps consider what I have to say.

1. Education has to come first. I want you to think back to where your journey started with cryptocurrency. Perhaps you've been here for years or perhaps you're brand new. If you started with a purely investment introduction I'm betting there were either some growing pains of fear and failure of understanding seeds and keys, where to store them, exchange problems, etc. If you started with education of what cryptocurrency is and how it works, there is a certitude that comes from understanding these fundamentals. Adoption fails and pain is introduced when people become unsure and/or suffer losses as a result of ignorance.
2. To Educate you need a lesson plan. It doesn't have to be complex. Just outline the most important things to cover. Without one you may be missing something, especially if the transactions have become mundane to you. For example here is mine:
   1. What is crypto and how does it work
   2. What is a seed and why is it important
   3. Why security matters and how to simply achieve it
   4. How to send and receive easily and with confidence
   5. What to look for in a project
   6. How I invest
3. Build confidence in your student. I remember the first time I sent some crypto somewhere. I nearly shat my pants waiting for the confirmation and the more time that went on the more I tilted in to eternity. There are a good amount of cryptos with good wallets to send back and forth. Have your respective student explain crypto and its key points back to you. Teachbacks are a proven way to solidify understanding and correct error. Then have them bounce some transactions back and forth. I use NANO because its free and the Natrium wallet is light and has a clean UI. It looks and feels like venmo in many respects so its not as foreign of a concept to most. Then I just have us play ping pong a bit with the coins. The first time they will be unsure of themselves. The second time it will start to click. The fifth time they will do it with confidence.
4. Would you like to know more? Most of the people that have engaged me to talk about crypto want to know one thing and one thing alone: What did you buy and when did you buy it? The follow-up I'm sure many are familiar with is: When do we sell? Part of the reason I force people in to education first is that it stops FOMO in its tracks. The coins stop being easy dollar signs and start being technicals and projects with people behind them. It starts being a long-term goal and strategy rather than short sighted get rich quick thought processes. It tempers the expectations and I've experienced better and more thorough conversations as a result.
5. Give your student the lesson plan. Just make a quick word doc, evernote, whatever with the things you know to be true written on it. Give it to the person you educated so they can reference it if need be and ask questions. You don't know what you don't know, so help them know enough to inquire where their own knowledge gaps form; because they will.

Keep in mind my sample size is n=19 with this method but I have had much more engagement after this methodology than just answering questions and trying to wing discussions. We are reaching a point where a veritable wave of retail investors is coming, and a lot of people are going to lose their money due to 'ID10T errors' or bad actors working against them. We as a community and you as an individual can change that outcome by educating people successfully.
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I hope everyone has a great day today.

I edit my podcast on Logic and when I stop/play via the spacebar it will play the next second of audio whilst fading out, and when I press play it will go back about a second audio as well. What is this called and how do I disable it.
Sorry for the id10t form.

TL;DR at bottom
I work the IT service desk at a medium size office complex. We recently changed the vendor of our ticketing system and as such we also decided to change how users could submit tickets. With the old system, the floor lead or supervisor of a department could submit a ticket on behalf of a user. This was great because it prevented a lot of unnecessary tickets from being created. One of our company values is discernment and management decided to allow all employees the power to make good judgement decisions by letting everyone submit their own tickets. As such, my team and I have received some tickets that leave us rolling on the floor laughing and other tickets leave us asking ourselves “just... how...?”. The following is one such fantastic nugget from an end user:
One day we were crunching the ticket queue and as I had finished with my current pile, I went out to the open queue for more tickets. I saw this one ticket titled “Can you fix crazy?”. Intrigued, I clicked on it and read the body of the ticket. It read as follows (and is formatted exactly how the user submitted it):
“I’m hearing sounds.
Dings.
Every time I back space too many times.
Help.”
That was the ticket. I just stared at my screen, stunned that this was actually a ticket. When I told my team that someone wanted us to fix crazy, my coworkers thought the same thing I did; that a user’s laptop was ‘acting crazy’ and they needed it fixed. Then my teammates read the ticket and we all just stood around my workstation and busted up laughing for a moment. As an aside, this ticket is one syllable away from a haiku and yes, we did take time to count the syllables. Our tier II wanted the ticket because he thought it was funny; I did not want the ticket because I thought it was petty so it worked out great.
So you know that ding sound that Windows makes when you backspace too much? Well, I later learned that the user wanted that specific Windows sound to be turned off. However, she wanted the rest of the Windows sounds to be left on. The best my coworker could come up with was to turn off the Windows alerts that corresponded with that sound; it would turn off the backspace ding as well a few other benign ID10T alert dings. I’m told she didn’t like that answer and demanded another technician. She literally told my coworker, tier II A, “I’m done with you”. The other tier II we have is very nice but his troubleshooting skills are somewhat lacking; I’m told he actually got promoted out of pity. Anyway, she wanted tier II B to fix her issue, so off it went to tier II B. He essentially did what tier II A was planning to do and told her the exact same thing that tier II A did. She was still huffy but since the answer to the fix was consistent, she reluctantly agreed. To date, I haven’t heard anything more about it so I’m guessing that all is well that ends well.
The moral of the story: no, you cannot fix crazy.
TL;DR: User submitted a ticket in the form of an almost-haiku requesting a specific sound setting that is native to Windows to be turned off while leaving the rest of the Windows sounds turned on. The “fix” was to turn off the sound alerts that corresponded with the specific sound. The user didn’t like the “fix”, pitched a fit, and finally relented to the “fix”. And to answer the question in the title, no, you cannot fix crazy.

So this place still alive or is it just resting?

I have been away at school for two weeks and in those two weeks, I have gone through two 750ml bottles of Jim bean. To reduce the amount of money I am spending I decided to buy a 1.75-liter bottle of Jim bean hoping that it will last me two weeks. As write this, I am drunk. I feel as though admitting it is the best way to acknowledge it. I am an alcoholic. Regardless of what the stereotype is for a drunken sailor, I feel as though it is a good idea to admit when I have noticed something on my own. So here is sit my head feels numb and good at the same time but yet, I wonder if this just because I am sitting in my hotel room with 0 responsibility. Why is it that I choose to sit and drink and maybe watch some porn rather than have a conversation with the women I choose to marry. I honestly need help to become the true man she needs not the piece of shit that I have been so far. We have been married for 4 years and we were happy in the beginning and we weren't. everything that bothered her I literally told her I didn't care and ignored what she was telling me. The biggest question that comes to mind out of this drunken rant is how do I change my mindset and how do i make it so that i can talk to my wife again. I truely love her. If I didn't I feel as though I would have left a long time ago. Yet here I sit thinking about here wondering how i can gain her trust back after lying to her about my past and stupid shit I did when I was in high school and my first few years of service. I may be an idiot. I may have ID10T form but at the end of the day Kamaria is my wife Jordan is my son and I do not know what i would do without both of them in my life.

Greetings we are the 1st Battalion 9th Marines, we are a strict MILSIM unit based off of the standards and practices conducted by the United States Marine Corps, and Navy. In such we do enforce strict customs and courtesies policies in such being able to maintain as realistic of a military working environment as possible. Our unit's job will be to provide you with a realistic military experience that most units are unable to provide you with such as modern military tactics and procedures conducted by the Marine Corps.
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Language: English
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Unit Timezone: CST
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Operation Types: Reconnaissance, Long Range Patrols, Combined Arms, MOUT (All organic operations such as helicopter piloting, are done by human units)
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How to join: Join our and fill out our ID10T forum, then show up for one of the training days listed in our unit schedule in the about tab on the discord.

Anyone who has ever played or Refereed a game of Cyberpunk 2020 has most likely encountered this problem. Hell, it’s so pervasive of an issue that anyone who has ever played or run any sort of cyberpunk style table top game has probably bumped into it one form or another.
It is the dreaded “dishwasher dwelling Netrunner who plays their own mini-game while the rest of the party hangs out in the kitchen and talks about whichever latest flavor of kibble is fire before getting bored and yeeting out the door to knock over the corner liquor, vape, & brainstim kiosk, without them” problem.
Effectively, any time the topic of computers or cyberspace comes up in a tabletop RPG the hackenetrunnedeckeconsole cowboy/codemonkey has to play their own, often overly detailed, sub-system mini-game in order to resolve whatever so called "complex" computer related problem, task, trial, or issue is at hand while the rest of the table sits around and waits for them to finish their software engineering nerdgasm.
This, however, can quickly devolve into player spotlight issues and game pacing problems as the rest of the party begins to grumble about the dork plugged into the home appliance.
Then there is also the related issue of the Netrunner just staying home on their couch and providing “remote assistance” from there (read: I am totally not just sitting here surfing porn) because that is the smart, prudent, and seemingly safest course of action (It is not. They are the Telco’s. They own the 'Net and they know where you live. Not to mention the Alphabet soup. At least go get in the van and buy a burner…) This tends to create a split in the party though and now we're back to bumping into the pacing and spotlight issues, and does anyone have any good homebrews, and maybe it is just easier to hand-wave away that whole ‘Netrunner chapter, and fuck it I'll just make the Netrunner an NPC and be done with all this time consuming specialized cyberspace bullshit!!!
Wait!! Wait! Please, wait. Please. Don't go. There is some great stuff buried in all that cyberspace bullshit. Not to mention it is traditionally a huge part of the genre that deserves better than to be simply relegated to mere background fluff. Even if it was most often just background fluff in a lot of the founding fiction… Look, it’s fluffy and I’m going to play with it, okay?! Seriously, who doesn’t love fluff…
So, from my point of view, the crux of the problem appears to rest on the fact that 2020’s Netrunners present themselves as operating under a Neuromancerian Paradigm of Cyberspace, or NPC, wherein a singular highly skilled computer operator navigates an inscrutable world wide web of interconnected information systems and then surreptitiously gains access to remote computers to perform covert acts of theft, espionage, and sabotage. Most games with cyberpunk elements seem to follow this paradigm, and it was relatively true of the cyberspace presented by the 2013 version of the game.
However, that is not the only paradigm available from the genre. And that is not necessarily the paradigm that the cyberspace of 2020 actually reveals itself to be. There is also Snow Crash's Universal Metaverse Model, or SCUMM, posited by Neal Stephenson.
What the frak is the diff I hear you groan indifferently, they all look like the cast of Reboot bukkakied all over Tron while Money For Nothing wails in midi under a sky tuned to a dead channel full of flying toasters…
The difference, dear reader, is in 2020's introduction of the fictional Ihara-Grubb transformation algorithm that attempts to map virtual space onto real space under a single unified protocol to make network navigation, data transfer, computer control, and virtual construct creation easier and more accessible for the masses! Also fuck yo personal data, we know where you is. And by we, I mean the AI’s living in Wilderspace who work for the Corporate Illuminati.
This change, however, makes the cyberspace of 2020 appear to behave more like SCUMM than a traditional NPC of discreet independent network computer connections; aka we're movin' to the cloud!
If one looks closely at the fictional world that 2020 actually presents us with, it is one in which anyone can go buy an off the shelf, or even *used*, cybermodem for as little as 500 eddies that they can then use to jack in and experience the consensual virtual reality of the ‘Net. As well as do their online banking. There is even a lick and stick to your fat fuckin’ melon ‘trodes option for the non-interface link enabled. This is mass produced, consumer grade, disposable tech with an active resale market, and not the custom, high end, specialized tech, usable only by the elite few, that it tries to pass itself off as. You hear that Apple!?
However, per the rules, the actual cybermodem computer Menu to use the functions of the ‘Net is gated behind an Interface ability requirement so that non-Netrunners can’t actually do anything in this virtual space other than maybe look at it and wave awkwardly at one another... And really, despite the manual telling us otherwise, possibly not even that! From a strict reading of the rules the Log On/Off command is a Menu command and you can't utilize Menu commands unless you have the Interface ability! O.o
So which is it? Is everyone supposed to be able to use the ‘Net of the future or is it just for those hard core geeky types who have to make it their entire shtick?
I know, I know, the typical Luser is moron, but they can’t figure out a fucking drop down menu literally floating right in front of their face that all they have to do is simply think about pointing at?!
Nay, I say! Even the greatest ID10T eventually realized that wasn't supposed to be a cup holder...
Furthermore, if you look at the actual task resolution system presented by 2020 for cyberspace, it suffers from a problem pretty unique to it from among its siblings; it presents to us a virtual world primarily dominated by “script kiddies”.
You see, most usage of the ‘Net of 2020 requires no actual skill to use since the Interface ability does not actually add anything of value to most of the checks performed while in cyberspace! Even though the Interface skill repeatedly emphasizes that it gets added to Menu usage and virtual reality control, it really only adds to Anti-Personal and Anti-IC checks executed via the Run command.
So what happens if instead of trying to fix this so called “skiddy” issue we instead turn around and embrace it? What if we bring them into the fold?
What happens if we just remove the Interface ability requirement and let everyone at the table use the Menu?
That’s right. We go full Eternal September. No one is spared. Not even the women and children.
Suddenly anyone can run around the ‘Net and hack and crash systems and boot people offline and steal data, no ‘leet skills required. All you need to do is find a Khajit who has warez.
Now the group doesn’t need a Netrunner to play in cyberspace and the entire team, regardless of class, can log in and participate in the ‘Netrun data heist and digital mayhem irrespective of their individual characters skill level. A few grand out of pocket gets you outfitted with all the hardware console kit and illegal toolbox software you need to hop on the ‘Net and get crackin’. Now the whole family can log in and play cyberspace the Vidya Game! And apparently it’s pay to win. Plus ça change, choombatta. Plus ça change.
That said, the Interface ability is still added to the heavy stuff; like derezzing programs and melting other runners brains; so a trained Netrunner is still a dangerous opponent. A Hiro to the users, as it were.
Though, if one were to do this, it would probably be prudent to allow Interface to add to Int+Programing when, uh, Programming. This gives Netrunners back their edge by simply allowing them to write better source code, and have cooler custom apps, like the true programming wizards that they are! Not to mention it’s easier to coax the Netrunner out of their room if they can save and put down their work; though god forbid should something happen to all that code... Plus this does a better job of emulating the source material wherein all the true heavy lifting is always performed by caffeine fueled crunch time all-nighter binges in which some otherworldly entity descends from beyond the veil to take possession of one's body and then in a blacked out haze vomit forth an entirely indecipherable yet fully functional block of code that everyone is too scared to touch because changing even a single comment crashes the whole damn thing... Why did no one tell me that cOrn3d.b33f was a hashing function?!
Additionally, given that that program storage and selection is often a dilemma during a ‘Netrun, having more people plugged in and running more rigs means the group can support a wider array and stronger arsenal of programs simply by letting the scrubs carry the Hammers, Worms, and DeKrashes and leaving the professional Netrunner free to carry the Killers, Brainwipes and Hellhounds that require real skill and ability to use properly. This also has the effect of blunting the computer’s superior speed and action advantage; fuck you Hal, I brought friends! And maybe, just maybe, god forbid, a sysadmin’s pager goes off.
Suddenly this whole cyberspace virtual reality romp affair has changed from a torturous single player drag into a wild team effort to crack open the toughest of black systems just by allowing everyone at the table to run around and play on the virtual jungle gym. Plus you only need to buy or write the software once and then it’s just Menu/Copy.
Thus, by SCUMMing the ‘Net we have allowed the entire party to crawl into the dishwasher with the Netrunner and have solved a big part of the problem by simply opening up that virtual design space to the entire table and effectively bringing the 'Net to the masses.
Woot! Go us!
What’s that? That’s all well and good you say but I thought a big part of the problem was also getting the Cheeto dust covered Netrunner up off the couch, into their good anime thrash metal graphic armored tee, and at least tagging along with the rest of the team in the van…?
Ah, yes… good point.
And a point that may actually be diametrically opposed to our solution of convincing the whole team to hop on the ‘Net; cause now they’re all just zoned out on the couch stealing people’s personal data and swapping dank virtual Keanu memes.
First, if you really want to get the hacker up off the couch, you simply isolate the target system from the wider network and make them have to travel on-site to jack in. Air gap that motherfucker. Problem solved. Are you happy now, Rache?! You blew it all up, you damn dirty ape… This sort of defeats the purpose though of having a global information superhighway of highly interconnected computers all speaking the same language; but for the really important stuff is probably a worthwhile trick and just the smart, if not entirely practical, thing to do. People aren’t always smart though, they’re actually rather lazy, so the bulk of crap is just left plugged in, turned on, and overall poorly patched and defended… Plus ça change, choombatta...
That said, the original 2020 has our back here, though it feels like it is often overlooked despite the manual outright stating that they are some of the most important Menu functions of a cybermodem.
Locate and Control Remote are two functions that enable Controller software to Locate and then take Control of any applicable device within 400 meters through the Augmented Reality of the 2020 Metaverse and... let’s say... Bluetooth...
It would probably be wise for a Referee to re-gate these 2 Menu commands back behind the Interface skill requirement, but actual Controller program usage is a simple skiddy check and requires no significant Interface ability to actually be successful with. Any Netrunner, regardless of their skill level, can help provide overwatch and assistance to their team by operating cameras, locking and unlocking doors, seizing coms, and manipulating all sorts of other cool remote equipment like industrial grade kitchen blenders and combat roombas, all by simply having the right software, fucking tagging along in van, and rolling like a 4 or less on a god damn d10. No system hacking. No time consuming mini games. No chance of having a your brain accidentally melted by military grade black ice or a grumpy sysop who just wants to go back to redditing, surfing for tg milf tentacle porn, and grinding their 27th level Pally alt. Just roll 1 die below a simple TN and you too can seize control of that camera, open that door, or crash that autotaxi. Go wild, h-h-h-ha-hacker!
Now, if a Referee wanted to bring the Interface skill into play for local device hacking but still keep it basic at the table, they could always just give a runner a pool of points equal to their Interface skill that they can spend from to temporarily increase the Controller program strength until it succeeds, and then let them spend an action and make a difficulty 20 Int+Interface+d10 check (or spend a few minutes downtime) to refresh the pool. Keeps things simple and moving. If it feels like a device should be super hard to control cause it’s a sweet piece of sota that just hit the streets or if it's some of that high end corpo milspec alien tech shit, knock a point or two off the program strength. If it’s cheap and shitty and riddled with Chinese backdoors, then add a point or two to the program strength. Hell, let them p0wn the device for 1d6 rounds. Maybe 1d10 if they paid for the premium version or have an active monthly patreon subscription… plus ça ah never mind.
And now that the whole team is done shitposting on the ‘Net, go get up off the damn couch, get in the fucking van, and go knock over that convenience kiosk choombatta!!
Happy Hacking!
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EDIT: TLDR: Scratch out the the line in the book that says you need the Interface Special Ability to use a Cybermodem's Menu and then scribble in "You only need Interface to use Locate & Control Remote". Now everyone can play in cyberspace!

Hello and welcome to Post Pull Depression, the only thread that asks: Doth thou desire the power?

I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA, THE BEGINNING AND THE END THE FIRST AND THE LAST 

Necron, is that you? No, this is the start of PPD not a random thing at the end…

YOU SHALL BE AS GODS YOU SHALL BE AS GODS YOU SHALL BE AS GODS YOU SHALL BE AS GODS YOU SHALL BE AS GODS YOU SHALL BE AS GODS YOU SHALL BE AS GODS YOU SHALL BE AS GODS 

Hmm… out of place and incorrect Bible quotes… Aha! Are we doing a collab with that late 90s thing with giant mechs, a nonsensical ending, dead mom, daddy issues and a complete bastardization of Western religion? NEON GENESIS EVANGELION! Xenogears!
Accept no imitations! The real thing is here! Now let us stand tall, shake the heavens and after what feels like 10,000 years finally take a look at the units!

Chu-Chu Chugga Chugga Chu-Chu

Mascot: Chu
We start off with the mascot character of the game, Chu-Chu, who answers the question of what would happen if a moogle fucked Pikachu. Given the absurd plot points of Xenogears this might actually be cannon. Who the fuck really knows. Not me, and I just played Xenogears a few months ago.
Skills: Chu

Forest Dance - ST ~400 HP Heal w/ 3x Mod 10 MP

Chu-Chu is the only unit in the game who can heal Gears, because she does not actually get into a Gear like other units, but instead grows super fucking tall. Does this make more or less sense than Chu-Chu getting into a Gear? STOP! The second you try to make sense of Xenogears, you have already lost.
TMR: Chu

Plucky Ooki - Boost wind and earth resistance by 10%

Chu-Chu is a free raid summon so you will wind up with 15 of these TMRs whether you want them or not. You do not want them. What is an Ooki, you ask? That’s Chu-Chu’s species. What is Plucky? That was the kid version of Daffy Duck on Tiny Toon Adventures.

Depression: CHU

Just remember, Chu-Chu died for your sins. Ok, Chu-Chu didn’t actually die. I don’t want to get shit for spoilers like all my FF Tactics jokes. Or fuck, what do I know? Maybe Chu-Chu really did die and is a Christ-like figure in Xenogears, along with every other character.

RicoRico “Antonio” Banderas

Rico: ¿Quien?
Rico Rodriguez: “Hola amigos! Rico Rodriguez aqui! Oh dios mios! Look at the size of those robots! Muy alto! Bet I could hop right over a wall wit’ dese.”
No, Rico, not you. We want Ricardo Banderas, the green guy from Xenogears. You know the one that is relevant during the prison section of the game and then you never really hear from again? Then again, that fucking prison section is like 4/5ths of the fucking game. I mean seriously, they should have given that whole section the “DISC 2 treatment” and focused somewhere else.
TMR: Chump

Battling Champ - Boost HP, ATK and DEF by 15%

Yay! A little bit of everything and whole lot of nothing! Rico is the Battling Champ that Fei plot loses to. I know what you are thinking, I mentioned earlier about a prison, so why are we Battling now? Prison arena. Duh. They even go so far as to do an arcade style fighting mini-game that is surprisingly in-depth and yet another wasted development effort. I would never say this about a fishing mini-game though.

Depression: RICO IS RUINING THE GAME

Not only is a 3* DPS finisher worse than cancer, but I blame Rico by proxy for ruining the entire Xenogears game. They also never explain why he changes his name to Blanka and goes to live in Brazil.
Apparently I did this for Just Cause 3, but I’m going to do this again.

Thank you to SE for naming a unit Rico, since there was a Rico’s Pizza when I was a kid that had these yuuuge pizzas that all the cool kids got for their birthday parties. Sure they probably wouldn’t be that impressive by adult standards but when you are young an EX EX Large pizza looks like it was from the gods themselves! A slice took up the WHOLE plate! Probably the last time I was happy...

EmeraldaEmeralda

Archetype: Loli
Ok, we’ve got our mascot character, our beast like character, what box do we need to hit? That’s right, the loli box! Yikes, that sounds a little dirtier than I intended. But that’s ok, this one is a safe loli, no she’s not a 1000 year old dragon or vampire, that’s cliched. Emeralda is a nanomachine colony. So when you get off seeing her at a diner naked, remember you aren’t a pedophile, just a nanomachine-ophile!
Skills: Choices…
Ever feel like you’re stuck between choosing Flood chaining or Tornado chaining? Well, Rico Rodriguez: “porque, no los dos?” Goddammit, Rico, go away!

Aqua Dhaum - Water magic damage (1.8x) to all enemies Chaining Flood
Tornado Hand - Wind physical damage (3.8x) to one enemy Decrease wind resistance (50%) for 3 turns Chaining Tornado
Chain Morph - Use her skills twice

Why not just dual cast one of each? I’m sure it will work out fine!
TMR: Music Box

Distant Promise - (Materia) Boost MAG by 40% and restore MP every turn

Hey! This actually doesn’t suck. It’s about time we start making 40% MAG the standard and the more MP refresh the better. Also, the music box scenes were some of the best parts of the game.

Depression: SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT

Xenogears actually has a false ending where you can do a side-quest that transforms Emeralda into her teenage form. Who the fuck has a teen fetish? Disgusting. I guess Jake would be happy. Can we go back to naked loli in a tube please? Much better. Remember, it’s nanomachines. Totally ok.

HALFTIME!

Oh boy, when was the last time we actually had to do a halftime during PPD? I thought all those 5+ banners were long gone. I hope I don’t actually hit the word count on this one. I should probably stop rambling. Let’s see, I’ve only linked two XG songs and that Brazil -> Dazil was a stretch. So how about June Mermaid and perhaps my favorite… Shevat ~The Wind is Calling~

BartFart

Apostle: 12
Bartholomew the Apostle, best known for being skinned alive for spreading his faith. Oh wait, sorry. I got this confused with my Post Pull Confession where each week I do a parody review of the Bible.
Shorts: Eaten
Bartholomew JoJo Simpson is… wait? Bart Simpson’s middle name is JoJo? Has that been a motherfucking JoJo reference the whole time?
Bart: No Seriously

Bartholomew "Bart" Fatima is leader of a group of sand pirates who ravage the Ignas desert in their sand cruiser, the Yggdrasil.

Uhh… can we say sand pirate? I mean it’s better than sand people I suppose.
Skills: Choices…
I know I kinda joked above about Emeralda being able to both Tornado and Flood, but this is absurd now.

Tornado (Xenogears) - Water physical damage (4.6x) to one enemy Recover HP (2000) to caster Recover MP (20) to caster Chaining Flood

It’s fucking called Tornado but it’s water and flood chains. I told you Xenogears was complicated!
TMR: Ssss

Death Adder - ATK+135 Machine Killer 50%

The death adder is actually a snake. They come in common, and presumably rare and legendary as well.
STMR: Cousin Fucker

Margie's Wish - Boost ATK by 60%, LB gauge fill rate 100%, Machine Killer+ 50%

Margie is Bart’s cousin and since they are both royalty and this is an anime-style RPG the incest levels are off the charts!

Depression: I FEEL FOR YOU

I mentioned earlier that Rico ruined the game, but that was in general. What ruined the game for me personally was Bart’s nemesis Shakhan as I had to stop every time he was mentioned and do Chaka Khan. It added at least 10 hours to the game.
I feel like Bart is getting overlooked a bit. He has provoke with 30% innate evade, 4 different imbues, AoE mirage, 3 different chaining families and breaks. But hell, I overlooked him in XG too so I guess it’s only fair I do it here as well.

FeiFei Fong Dong

Contact: High

Fei Fong Wong is the pony-tailed protagonist of Xenogears. He begins the game as a nescient villager of Lahan Village, unaware of the truth of the world he lives in, as well as very confused by it.

He has a ponytail. Like a girl! True story, I put off playing Wild ARMs 2 because the MC wore a pink shirt. I am very judgmental. Btw, what does “nescient” mean?

nescient - lacking knowledge; ignorant.

Oh… how uh apropos. You don’t have to try and sound so fucking smart Xenosaga wiki! Just do what FFBE did.

Job: Amnesiac

I know what that word means because I’ve played more than two JRPGs!

The Contact - Increase ATK (40%) TDH (50%) and accuracy (25%) Machine Killer+ (50%)

Fei is The Contact. What does that mean? It means that the game cuts away to a spinning floating orb every hour with 3 robots on LCD monitors who spout out terms completely without context like “Contact”, “Anima” and “Antitype.”
TMR: ID10T

Power of Id - (Materia) Boost ATK and DEF by 20%, restore MP every turn and boost ATK by 30% when equipped with clothes

Id? As in id, ego, superego? I thought we were just bastardizing western religion, but it turns out western psychology too. Freud would roll over in his mother’s grave if he knew! Ha! I did a smart joke!
STMR: Colorful

Fei's Martial Wear - (Clothes) HP+1200 ATK+30 DEF+25 SPR+25 Enable Fei's Martial Wear: Boost ATK by 50% when equipped with a fist

Just in case you can’t make out the sprite, let’s have the Xenosaga wiki describe what it looks like.

a white and blue short sleeved martial arts garb which is tucked into his purple greaves with a gold trim tied in a lilac pink martial arts belt which is connected to the greaves, dark teal martial arts pants and forest green martial arts shoes with white ribbons on his shins.

Aka… white shirt, black pants. In case you’ve been wondering, yes XenoSAGA wiki is correct and not a typo. When you beat Xenogears, you see it says Episode V The End. The series was intended to be a 6 part series, but they only made Episode 1-3 after this aka Xenosaga.

Depression: BOOOO

They did Fei dirty in FFBE. They have him pull a Shinji and not even get in his fucking robot. HIS GEAR IS EVEN CALLED XENOGEARS! Instead his LB is just a compilation of his deathblows. And if you think that took a long time, that compilation is about the length of just a single of his in game attacks. Thank god I played it last on an emulator with frameskip… They could have at least had him throw a battleship as his LB.
At least Fei got a global buff!

Yamikei modifier increased from 7x to 8x

Fuck off.

EllySmElly

Rule: 34

Screamer - Magic damage (1x) to one enemy Decrease DEF (50%) for 3 turns to one enemy

I will fully admit that Elly is definitely one of the first video game girls that I rule 34’d. After all she does have the sex in the game. To you younger folks that grew up playing the GTA that might mean nothing to you, but let me tell you that was a big fucking deal back in the day, pun intended. It was almost as jarring as me first seeing the word “damn” in an NES game. I blame my entire fucking potty mouth on that game! WHY DIDN'T MY PARENTS PROTECT ME FROM THIS!?
Translation: Fail
Oh what fun it is to play a game that starts with Japanese trying to do English things and then translating that into English!

Urobolus Ring - Increase MAG (40%) and SPR (20%)

Yes, they meant Uroborus. They do this in XG. Not Goomie’s fault… this time.

Elehayym - Increase MAG (30%) and MP (20%) Increase fire, water, wind, and earth resistance (30%) Increase LB gauge (2) per turn

Elehayym is Elly’s full name you ignorant sluts. Even though in the US version it’s just spelled Elehaym. Technically it’s Elehayym Van Houten. Yes, she is Milhouse’s sister. Again, Xenogears is very complex. Also, if you didn't click on the "Fart" in Bart's title you missed a Simpsons clip.

Myyah Factor - Increase MAG (30%) Machine Killer+ (50%)

Kinda sorta wrong. In the shitty English translation Myyah was called Miang. So if they follow the incorrect translation, like they did with Urobolus, this should be the Miang Factor. Myyah is the last part of Elehayym backwards. Mind fucking blown for those who only knew the original English translation!

Jugend Alumna - Increase MAG/MP (20%)

Was this supposed to be Alumnus or Alumni? This one is all on Goomie. Alumna is not a word. proceeds to google it WHAT!? Not only is alumna a word, but it’s correct. Alumna is a female graduate, alumnus is a male graduate, alumni is an all male or mixed group and alumnae is an all female group. Latin can fuck-ius right off-ius. Although I do giggle that I graduated magna CUM laude. Hee hee hee.
TMR: GF

Psycho Rod - (Rod) ATK+32 MAG+120 MAG+20%

You likely saw that Pre Pull Optimism post that I linked in the intro, that was not done by me and I have actually not read it yet. I don’t want those jokes to influence what I would have wrote, but I did skim through it and I saw the psycho girlfriend joke and now that’s all I can think of. Exactly why I didn’t read it. Who knows what joke has been jokeblocked now? It probably would have been something about Miang being a euphemism for a woman’s menstrual cycle, but I couldn’t make that joke without spoiling a huge plot point anyways! Now we’ll never know!
STMR: MOTHER

Mother's Return - (Materia) Boost fire, water, wind and earth resistance by 60% and boost MAG by 60% when equipped with a rod

People who say that you don’t need to pull for Elly because you have Sophia are technically correct. Because Sophia = Elly. It really makes total sense if you stop and don’t think about it. Sophia from Star Ocean went to go fight the extra-dimensional beings and wound up marrying Raegen in FFBE. After she was “killed” by Citra, she reincarnated as the portrait here, Holy Mother Sophia. Then she came alive, a la Vigo the Carpathian, and joined the Gebler special forces in Xenogears. This is all in the Bible people! Or have you not read it, you heathens!

Depression: NONE

It’s my Elly! What other rating could I have given her! I know that GL gets a lot of shit, and deservingly so, but they do on occasion really pull through. Yes, it would have been a stupid decision NOT to normalize her CW frames. This is both good for them (more people pulling) and good for us (a more future proof unit). Now, why did JP not normalize her frames with enhancements? I don’t know, maybe they were too busy planning how to destroy the UoC system.

Post Pull Depression

I would like to take full credit for all of this. You may recall, months ago, I started the hashtag #SaveXenogears. Between no off-banner rainbows and fixing Elly’s frames I’m pretty sure that worked. Of course, now we have to make sure Ultima doesn’t get stuck with the shitty cast delay, so I am hereby starting #SaveUltima. Should I be putting my incredible hashtag powers to better use like #BeatCancer or #MeThree? Yes. But I’m not going to. #SaveUltima
I do believe that this is the longest PPD to date, and I hope to Deus that nothing ever tops it. (Also, I’m pressing F for you if you don’t have RES). I think the only possible contender to beat this would be Chrono Trigger. I’ve always actually thought of Xenogears as the spiritual successor to Chrono Trigger. Yes, Chrono Cross exists, but while that’s a great game, it’s a terrible sequel to CT. Xenogears, meanwhile, has the same style, music and themes of CT and just feels like a more grown up version of it. And by grown up, I do mean took their first semester in philosophy and now thinks they know everything!
Since everyone cares what my Elly pulls were…

• 22k Stepup: Bart, Fei
• 25k pulls: Bart and… Elly!

So 47k got me Bart x2, Fei and Elly. Popped 5 FEB tickets for Elly #2 and will probably do the other 5 for Elly #3.
My irl friend did the whole 47k and got only 1 Elly… Remember, even with guarantees you can still get fucked.
See ya next banner!

Apexified said he needed someone to write a ton about simple recipes for his FAQ Friday series. Or maybe he said he needed a simpleton to write about recipes? I don't recall. If it was the latter, he's probably asked the right person to do it. But in case it was the former, I'll give it a shot.
 
"What's your current favorite simple recipe" posts seem to occur at least quarterly without drawing ire from the "search before posting" police, because things change, new flavors come out, new recipes are created, and there's enough interest in this topic to make it worth at least one thread per season. There are links below; check them out. I want to have conversation how special simple recipes can be, and how to go about developing them. I'll tell you how and why I make and share them, you tell me how and why you create them or mix them.
 
First of all, what is a simple recipe? I define a simple recipe as a recipe with at least two, but not more than four, flavor concentrates in it. Their appeal includes not just only being quicker and easier to make, but also often having superior flavor. Just because a recipe looks simple, doesn't mean it tastes simple.
For example: Coop's Kiwi Bourbon.
And for the tobacco lovers: Cardinal
Two of my favorite recipes of all time. Three ingredients each and both loaded with complexity. One thing about simple recipes is that they're trustworthy, in a sense. When it comes to trying others' recipes, you can see a 10-ingredient recipe and it looks good on paper, but often tastes kind of muddy. If you see a three-ingredient recipe and you know you like two of the concentrates, you can usually trust that that third ingredient you've never tried before doesn't ruin it, unless it just sounds absolutely terrible to you.
 
When it comes to developing them, find the best flavors that work together and balance them well. Do that, and often layering similar flavors becomes not only unnecessary, but frequently detrimental. I don't know what Coop34's method is, it probably involves black magic, because that dude is a simple recipe warlock. As for my own method, this is a good lead-in to ConcreteRiver's upcoming "Single Flavor Testing, Part 2." You notice how Rick usually ends those wonderfully detailed and fun-to-read flavor notes with suggestions for use? Most of those are clearly very well-educated guesses, but they're still just guesses. If you want to make great simple recipes, take it a step further. When you test your flavors, think about flavors you've tried in the past, and make your own suggestions. Then try your guesses and see how they work. Many won't. But the more you practice making pairings and simple mixes out of flavors you've just tested at various concentrations to get a feel for how they work at different levels, the more often they'll hit instead of missing. Not to sound too much like some kind of whackadoodle, but if you listen to your flavors, they'll tell you what to do with them. They don't usually ask to be one of a dozen flavors in a recipe. They want to stand out, they want to be heard, they just need the right one or two partners to do that. Sorry, I am off my meds.
 
This is kinda what I've been doing with these 1-2-3 recipes lately. And am just tickled to death to see others joining in the fun.
1-2-3 Recipes
1-2-3 Orange Ice Cream by heatho72
1-2-3 Ocean Water by ID10-T
FLV 1-2-3 by folkart
1-2-3 Caramel Coffee Candy by ID10-T
1-2-3 Lemon Drops by Deweysuds
1-2-3 Lemon Cheesecake With Gingersnap Crust by Bartas
1-2-3 Hydration Station by Bartas
1-2-3 Coco Pear Grahams by Ambedo
1 2 3 Jackfruit Limonade by DodgerFog33
1-2-3 Blue Pixie by cwill111
1-2-3 Lemon Drops by Deweysuds
1-2-3 Sex On The Beach by DigitalDrops
1-2-3 Tang Shake by ID10-T
1-2-3 Sparkling Mimosa by ID10-T
1-2-3 ID10-T by Deweysuds
1-2-3 Gummer by Deweysuds
1-2-3 Pistachio Lime by ID10-T
1-2-3 Cinapple Side Dish by ID10-T
1-2-3 Mustachio Pudding by Deweysuds
1-2-3 Van The Man by Deweysuds
1-2-3 Cranberry Sprite by ID10-T
 
I can't speak for the others, but mine are sort of like flavor notes in the form of simple recipes. Mine aren't the best recipes. In part because I'm not Coop34, but besides a lack of that level of talent, I'm not really working that hard on them. They're going though one, maybe two revisions, not a dozen versions trying to get something right like recipes that don't have 1-2-3 in front of them. But they're meant to be at least decent recipes and especially to be inspirational and to serve as examples. Inspirational as in, "I tried (or saw) ID10-T's 1-2-3 whatever and I knew I could to the same thing only better with just a little addition of this and a little less of that." I live for that sort of thing. And as examples, it's me saying, "I tried this flavor, he's an example of how it can work." But I also hope they're at least interesting to vape for anyone who happens to give them a try. Simple recipes don't necessarily taste simple. I think I said that already, but it bears repeating. Also, I do it for fun, and forcing myself to literally use 1% + 2% + 3% and make the best thing I can is challenging but not so challenging as to get frustrating, for me.
Another thing about these simpler recipes is that they can be incredible without as much revising. If you've used your knowledge of flavors that you gained from mixing lots of different things, mixing other peoples' recipes, and most importantly sampling your flavors by themselves to find a great pairing or ménage à trois, or you've sold your soul for one, or you've just stumbled blindly into one as I've done a few times, it's not that difficult to re-balance the mix with a little %s adjustment. When you taste a simple recipe and it it isn't quite right, it's not hard to figure out what's off and how to fix it. If you've thrown in 10 different things and it ain't right, figuring out how to fix the problem can be too daunting and time-consuming to the point it's just no fun anymore.
 
Another way to make simple recipes is to consolidate ingredients. If you find yourself over-complicating your recipe in ways that aren't really making much improvement in it, take a big step back and look at it again, with an eye toward using less ingredients. Find one perfect concentrate to do what you're trying to get two or three imperfect flavors to do and just let it do that. Try different %s to do that. You can try consolidating others' recipes. You see something interesting to you in what looks like an overly complicated recipe, think about how you might be able to keep the part that interests you but use one or two flavors to do the work of several.
 
AMA about simple recipes, share your favorites, share your thoughts.
 
As promised,
Simple Recipe Threads

• Trifecta recipes. What are your favorite 3 flavor recipes?
• Need best recipes for new mixers. Want to create new sidebar content.
• Can we do a simply recipe thread?
• What's your current favorite simple recipe?
• Whatchu vapin' on Willis? Plus 2 stupid simple recipes and why they work.
• Simple, low percentage, few ingredients recipes
• What are your favorite single and two flavor recipes?
• Two ingredient recipes / aroma-powercouples
• STFU Simple Newb DIY $66.60 Contest! Post your 2,3&4 flavor fave recipes

 
Bonus: Rant about over complicated recipes <--- Great stuff here.
 
Previous FAQ Friday topics that may be of interest
Flavor Safety
Single Flavor Testing, part 1
Organizing Your Flavors
Premixed Bases
Clone Requests
Shake and Vape
Bottles
Vendor Price Comparison
 
Apexified has cross-posted these to a minimalist blog setup on http://FAQFriday.com. It's just a way to keep them all together and updated while allowing him to host some tangential information and smaller topics than would warrant a post here. Check it out, because he made it for you.
Edit: Me and my stupid, clumsy fingers apologize for the typos this thing was ripe with.

I used to work for Seattle's airplane company. When they merged with St Louis's airplane company things changed. Enginneering and the IAM who did the job were not listened to, and the ID10T'S in the office's became dictators driving for lowest cost without regard for logic or common sense. I worked in an electrical testing lab, and we use airplane generators for testing of airplane electrical systems. Those generators use Jet oil and the smoke/mist/chemicals released when operating started affecting my health. When I brought this health issue up to management I was told it's not my business and to get back to work. I struggled until I finally became sick at work, with pneumonia. The company initiated a claim with Labor and Industries, and here in Seattle Washington L&I the doctor who evaluated my claim is the companies former occupational medicine director. That doctor is also an expert witness during the flight attendants lawsuit against the same airplane company. How does the flight attendant story tie into my story? I've learned that the oil used in the generators and support equipment is a synthetic oil using Organophosphate (OP) as a wear additive. This is the same oil used on aircraft and the same oil the flight attendants worry is related to or the cause of Aerotoxic Syndrome. This oil is a vapor phase lubricant, short version when heated it is designed to vaporize and carry the oil into the bearings etc,. The OP has been verified to degrade and form a film of phosphate/graphite on the metal. The decomposition products are toxic, and OP is related to Saran nerve gas. So the workers are forced to work in an area without ventilation breathing oil and chemical mist where the safety sheet states, "Do not Breath Vapors or Oil Mist". Then the airplane company removed our ventilation that provided the Material Safety Data Sheet recommended 10 air changes per hour. Constant low level exposure to OP is similar to agricultural workers exposure to pesticides, and Gulf War syndrome veterans exposures. I've learned that constant low level exposures do cause; sinus and eye irritation, nerve damage, organ damage, increased risk of cancer, it was time to leave. I was gradually suffering more frequent sinus infections, and finally pneumonia. I was spraying Flonase into my sinus daily trying to stay healthy. When I lost my sense of smell and could not sleep, when I started to forget things, when it seemed like I was getting dyslexia, and my eyes started to feel like they were bleeding, it was enough. I went to the companies ethics hot line, and was told "the case is closed" When I asked what is the outcome? "you are a front line worker and don't need to know" was the response. I felt like the airplane company played games when I tried to find a different job, so I accepted the medial layoff, and it's amazing how much better I feel now that I'm laid off. If you want to work for the Seattle airplane company, get a time machine and go back to when it was a place that solved problems.

EDIT:
FIXED!
I forgot my Id10T form and didn't confirm the withdrawal. Good news is that Stocks.Exchange works fine with SmartCash as does CryptoBridge as I've used the both here recently with the 1.1.0 wallet.
Stocks.Exchange had their withdrawals disabled during all of the wallet upgrade mess but today it was enabled. So I transferred a few smarts to my wallet and after waiting three hours, still not there.
Hopefully they have upgraded their wallet and I just didn't send my smarts to never-never land.
Anyone have information on stocks.exchange?

A blurb about this post:

I transcribed the flavor notes discussed on the DIYorDIE Noted podcast. I tried my best to keep everything accurate to what was said on the show while making it easy to read in text form. These are the personal opinions of mlNikon, CheebaSteeba, Wayne Walker and ID10T based on their own unique pallets; Your experience may be different and no flavor notes should ever be taken as set in stone fact, they are all subjective opinions. All credit goes to the Noted Podcast for these wonderful opinions on the concentrates discussed below.
 
You can find the noted podcast on the DIYorDIE YouTube channel every Monday at 11pm EST: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFoe3PEb1_7sAY1ZgehNP3A
 
Please notify me if there are any mistakes, typos or any other problems with this write up. It took me a while to complete this; So after working on it and reading through it a bunch, it becomes easier to miss mistakes and stuff like that. I ESPECIALLY want to make sure i didnt make any mistakes on what the panel was saying about anything, I in no way want to put words into someones mouth. If by chance there is a mistake like that, please know that it wasnt intentional and i will change it as soon as possible.
 

Updates:

• Updated ID10-T's entry for RF SC Strawberry 12/11/2017

INW Shisha Strawberry

• Wayne - tested around 1-2%; Doesn’t really like it, has a green strawberry stem off note, weird earthy off note. Pretty authentic strawberry but not ripe/succulent. Tastes natural but not in a good way. Doesn’t taste very sweet. Doesn’t use this strawberry very much.
  
• ID10T - His favorite strawberry of all the ones currently on the market. Tastes really nice, like a tasty Smuckers syrup type flavor.
  
• mlNikon - Tastes like a delicious strawberry jam flavor, doesnt get the green note described by Wayne.
  
• CheebaSteeba - Tastes an earthy note but doesn’t doesnt taste it as strongly as Wayne. Tastes like a candy strawberry, like a mix between strawberry syrup or strawberry jam. Doesn’t have much natural sweetness. The Green note doesnt seem to bother him or get in the way when mixing with this concentrate.
  

TFA Strawberry Ripe

• Wayne - Natural strawberry wrapped in white sugar. Uses more as an enhancer for other strawberries like CAP sweet strawberry, TFA strawberry. Or good for bending flavors, has a good "pink flavor". Very versatile. Some people get a throat hit from it, wayne does not. Some people can not taste this specific strawberry. Range 0.5% - 8%
  
• mlNikon - Tastes like a "kind of" authentic strawberry that has its uses. Also finds Strawberry Ripe a finicky flavor to mix with. Most likely because of its Maltol content. Mixed 3% - 4% as a main strawberry note.
  
• CheebaSteeba - Typically uses it around 2% - 5% but hardly ever as a solo strawberry note. Adds a good pink note to your recipe.
  
• ID10T - Likes the taste of strawberry ripe, but finds that it can mute things after a steep (which can be used in a positive way, but is generally negative). Never used as standalone, more effective as additive. 2% as an additive and up to 5% - 6% as an actual strawberry.
  

CAP Sweet Strawberry

• Wayne - Waynes favorite strawberry. Thinks it tastes like strawberry syrup. Need to use it high and boost with other strawberries, "settles in" after steeping. Doesn’t like to use as an accent or booster, better as main strawberry. Demands a lot of attention when being used to create a recipe. 5%-6% in a mix and boost it with a different strawberry.
  
• CheebaSteeba - Blends well in mixes. Least favorite strawberry out of ones he likes. Needs other strawberries to get a full strawberry flavor but it works as a nice sweet strawberry undertone. At least 4% or higher.
  
• ID10T - Gets weird chemical off note (burnt plastic) that needs to steep out (2-3 days). 4% minimum in a mix.
  

FLV Strawberry Filling

• Wayne - Sticks in atomizer and mouth. Do not use by its self. Not a good filling. Has potential but not useful for him at the moment. Possibly could be used to back up a raspberry. Possibly could be used for a jam type note.
  
• CheebaSteeba - Has a noticable floral note. Hard to work with. Not the best strawberry. Tastes very similar to FLV Strawberry Smash with only minor differences.
  
• ID10T - does not like very much. Sticks in atomizer, hard to get out. Floral. Just tastes weird, less like filling and more like frosting. Could be used as an artificial strawberry flavoring in a frosting. Not many uses for this flavor. Quite potent. Stresses it lingers in your mouth, sinus, and atomizer in a weird way. Very potent even at 1.25%.
  

FLV Alpine Strawberry -

• CheebaSteeba - Favorite strawberry, not the one he uses most. Very forward strawberry, very strong. Very difficult to work with, requires recipes to be build around it. Not a strawberry for everyone. Recommend 0.5% - 1.5%
  
• Wayne - Likes it, great fragrant strawberry. Seems to work well for people that struggle to taste strawberry concentrates. Good strawberry to use in a mix with a lot of weight, where you want it to sit on top of everything. Demands a LOT of attention when working with it, but its great when you nail it. Very limited uses, very specific. Very expensive to purchase the concentrate.
  
• mlNikon - Also finds it very hard to work with, not very versatile. Really good when used correctly.
  

FA Red Touch (strawberry)

• ID10T - Second favorite strawberry. Like a natural strawberry, but freeze dried. Some consider it to taste more like an under ripe strawberry. Not very juicy, has the same kind of dryness that plagues a lot of other flavor art fruits. Best when paired with other strawberries and/or certain fruits.
  
• Wayne - Notices the same green type notes that were mentioned about INW Shisha Strawberry (kind of a green stem type note). Has a deeper note to it, not very bright. Deeper red.
  
• mlNikon - Kind of authentic fresh strawberry, gets a bit of that green note like Wayne. One of her most used strawberry flavorings, works really well to accent other strawberry flavorings. Adds a little bit of deepness and complexity to your strawberry notes.
  

RF SC Strawberry -

• ID10T - UPDATE: "I've since since tried RFSC Strawberry. Still haven't single-flavor tested it, but I used to to mix this awesome Watermelon Wine recipe. I'm not big fan of most of the RFSCs but as best I can tell from the 1% of it used in that recipe, both their Strawberry and their Watermelon are a cut above in my book."
  
• mlNikon - Tested 2% Really good strawberry for 2/3s of the puff and then she got grass notes. Like a really fresh strawberry covered in grass. Its good but it has a green note that isnt too pleasant.
  
• Wayne - Picky strawberry to mix with, but has a deeper strawberry note and a stickyness and jammyness to it. He does get an earthy note but its not very noticeable. Seems to be less versatile that other concentrates but suits some peoples pallets very well.
  

TFA Strawberry

• ID10T - A great reliable candy strawberry. Kind of a monotone flavor that doesn’t have much nuance or complexity. At low percentages it can be used as an additive to fill out gaps in a recipe, even some that arent strawberry recipes. Very versatile, mixes well with creams. Very linear and easy to work with. Some people get a plastic note from it. Tastes artificial which some people really do not like.
  
• Wayne - Reliable strawberry flavor, doesnt demand much attention. Works well with creams and an all around very versatile strawberry. Easy to mix with. Linear. Does get an artificial kind of note from it.
  
• mlNikon - Doesnt use this concentrate, gets a plastic note that she cant enjoy.
  
• CheebaSteeba - Not his favorite, doesnt use it often.
  

CAP Strawberry Taffy

• mlNikon - Sweet candy strawberry flavor kind of like CAP sweet strawberry. Has a good kind of plastic/waxy kind of effect but in a good way.
  
• Wayne - A very light strawberry flavor, doesnt use it much because it seems very light. Doesnt stand out very well in recipes, especially when blending with other fruits. Plastic artificial notes kind of make it difficult to blend in his recipes. Needs some work to get it where you want it.
  
• CheebaSteeba - Has the same feeling as wayne about this concentrate. 5% or more in a mix. 8% for a main note.
  

JF Sweet Strawberry

• ID10T - Like a sweet delicious gooey candy strawberry. Can help brighten up strawberry notes in certain applications.
  
• mlNikon - Spot on syrupy gooey sweet strawberry flavor. One of her favorite strawberries. Works really well with other strawberry flavorings to layer and get a really nice strawberry flavor.
  
• CheebaSteeba - Likes the strawberry flavor but cant use it because of the throat hit. Seems to be a unique issue to him, not all people notice this.
  
• Wayne - Gets a bubble gum note, like a pink bubble gum. Not accurate as an actual fruit but works well as a candy.
  

FLV Strawberry Cream

• CheebaSteeba - Had some troubles tasting it. Didnt get a great flavor from it. Was lackluster, other concentrates seeem to do a better job achieving what this strawberry can do. Your mileage may very, there are some people who like it a lot. The cream in it was pretty nice, could work in recieps to build upon.
  
• Wayne - Agrees with Cheeba that you can use other strawberries and cream to build something better than this concentrate brings to the table. Not FLV's best work.
  

SC Strawberry (available at Bull City or DIY-Ejuice)

• ID10T - Under ripe kind of strawberry. A fairly nice balance between a candy and ripe strawberry, but the natural part was a bit under ripe. Wasnt very succulent or juicy like most of SC's other fruit flavors. 2% Full flavor

SC Forest Strawberry

• mlNikon - Tastes like a strawberry blow pop type flavor but without as much sweetener added. If you were to add something like CAP Super Sweet you can get a pretty spot on Jolly Rancheblow pop candy type strawberry flavor. Like a candied strawberry that isnt sweet. 2% Full Flavor

LB Strawberry Cheesecake

• ID10T - not a bad single flavor strawberry cheesecake, makes a good base but more designed for beginners/someone who wants a one shot. Tastes like a cheesecake that has strawberry swirls in it, rather than whole strawberries with strawberry syrup stuff on it. Crust isnt very crusty like a really good crunchy graham crust, more kind of soggy like a day old cheesecake thats been sitting in the fridge or something.
  
• Wayne - works well on its own, hasnt had much success mixing it in recipes.
  

LB Strawberry

• CheebaSteeba - Gets a fairly linear strawberry from it, reminds him of TFA Strawberry. Nice red strawberry flavor.

FW Strawberry

• ID10T - Fairly linear strawberry, balanced between a candy and natural strawberry. Fairly weak around 5%. Not a bold in your face strawberry. Sort of nondescript.
  
• Wayne - Doesnt like it. Very present earthy and artificial off note to it.
  
• CheebaSteeba - Same as wayne.
  

TFA Organic Strawberry

• CheebaSteeba - Suggests staying away from this one, tastes like a strawberry rolled around in dirt. Kind of tastes like burnt nasty cotton when vaping it.
  
• The rest of the panel seems to agree with CheebaSteeba's opinion on this concentrate.
  

WF Fresh Strawberries

• ID10T - Tested at 7%. Doesnt seem to have much sweetener in it, deep red strawberry, natural kind of strawberry. Tasted great as a single flavor. Would probably use it as a flavor-centric sweetener in a strawberry recipe instead of normal sweetener.
  
• mlNikon - Tested at 4%. Really weak but good. Really nice authentic strawberry, not candied or jammy. Not overly sweet like some WF flavors but still pretty sweet. Would use it as a profile-centric sweetener instead of something like Super sweet.
  

INW Strawberry

• Wayne - Its alright, kind of reminds him of red touch. Gets a bit of an earthy seed note
  
• CheebaSteeba - Tested at 1%, tastes full flavor. Also reminds him of FA Red Touch. A natural kind of dark strawberry.
  
• ID10T - Natural strawberry. Has a bit of an earthy kind of strawberry seed note. Natrual and sweet but not candy sweet.
  

HS Strawberry

• mlNikon - Tested at 3%. Very top heavy strawberry. Almost floral, doesnt see too many uses for it. Not many grassy or earthy notes just a bit floral. Could work in a strawberry floral recipe but she doesnt think she will be using too much, too top heavy for her.

INW Wild Strawberry

• ID10T - Very different, not like a strawberry we are normally used to. Thinks it is trying to achieve a wild European type strawberry. Tastes like a "strawberry garden". Like a strawberry with the green stem, the blossoms that havent turned into strawberries yet, and a hint of the soil; but instead of that gross dirty note (like TFA organic strawberry) its all very natural. Not grossed out by it but struggles to find a good use for it. Would most likely ruin a candy, bakery, or cream recipe. Could probably work well in a floral or vegetal type recipe. Very potent at 0.75%.
  
• Wayne - Tested at 1% (he thinks). A very fragrant strawberry with a lot of green and earth to it. Gets a watery flavor from it that could be useful. Gets flower notes and a little bit of tartness. Pretty much limited to use in floral kind of recipes. Very unique concentrate.
  
• CheebaSteeba - Tested at 1.5%. Gets a fairly strong candy strawberry note from it. Does get that earthyness but isnt unpleasant. His concentrate could possibly have been mislabeled.
  

INW Milk Chocolate Strawberry

• ID10T - "absolute trash"... Changes a little bit over time but it tastes like a someone took a strawberry gummy candy, chewed on it a little bit, and then rolled it around in raw cocoa. After it steeps a bit the powderyness of the chocolate goes away and it becomes more like a tootsie roll but in a bad way, and is still very gross.
  
• Wanye - "Trash, dont vape it"
  

FW Strawberry Kiwi

• CheebaSteeba - The kiwi flavor in it is very nice, the strawberry is ok. Would probably use a different strawberry to accent to it. Not bad by itself at 5%.

FW Strawberry Bananna

• CheebaSteeba - Seems like the same strawberry used in their strawberry kiwi concentrate; a decent strawberry. The banana is more of a candy banana like runts but you do get a bit of authenticity from it as far as like a creamy heavy banana. Pretty good on its own.

TFA Strawberries and Cream

• Wanye & CheebaSteeba - Not a good one, recommended to build your own strawberries and cream with other concentrates and you will be better off.

FW Natural Strawberry

• mlNikon - Tastes a little candy or jammy. Not something she would use as a main strawberry. Would use it in something like a strawberry candy or something that has strawberry elements in it. Its good but she notices it really gunks up your coils and cotton, to a fault, makes it not very useful.

Legend:

• CAP - Capella
• FA - Flavour Art
• FLV - Flavorah
• FW - Flavor West
• HS - Hangsen
• INW - Inawera
• JF - Jungle Flavors
• LB - Liquid Barn
• RF SC - Real Flavors Super Concentrated
• SC - Super Concentrated (Bull City, Vaping Zone, diy flavours in Canada)
• TFA - The Flavor Apprentice
• WF - Wonder Flavors

I am a cook, and we don't exactly get the brightest colors in the crayon box. Some are more gullible than others. For example: Sent a PFC to the MGySgt's office for the ID10T form Sent same PFC back to motor pool because he forgot the keys to the 911, the vehicle he was driving Sent one to the basement for dehydrated water Sent them to Supply for a left handed spatula On a field day inspection, I told a PFC and PVT that their room was too clean and it looked like no one lived there. Told them to mess it up a little or it wouldn't be believable. Had a buddy of mine in Motor-T have one of his boots get exhaust samples in a trash bag from the vehicles.
What have you done?

I'm new to Joomla, and to be honest to website building as well. I'm currently working on a site for my brother, and we wants his end users to be able to email him directly from the front-end. Basically he wants the function of the Contact Form that's built into Joomla.
The only problem is that I really don't like the UI of that component. I've taken an HTML class last semester that covered PHP as well, so I wrote up an HTML and PHP doc for a new form.
I can put the HTML in an article or Custom HTML module, but I have no idea what do to with the PHP that makes the thing work.
Is this something that can be done? Id10t error maybe?

I had a Nexus 4 running stock Lollipop, no mods or anything. I say HAD because as of this morning I do believe the object formally known as a "Nexus 4" is now an expensive brick.
I should note that I suspect there's likely a cascading hardware failure of some sort. Out of nowhere last week I began having problems with the digitizer. Random keypresses on the screen when I'm not touching it, dead zones on the touch screen randomly forming requiring me to turn the screen off/on again, sometimes rotating the screen. I hoped the problem was some quirky software glitch so I booted into recovery mode and did a factory reset on my phone. Unfortunately, shortly after doing so the problem began happening again.
Anyway, the digitizer being quirky I can deal with. But this morning's problem may just lead to me grabbing a Lart and performing some percussive maintenance on this PoS. The problem would become unfixable at that point, but damned if I wouldn't feel some temporary relief...
So, I woke up this morning to the system shutting itself down and rebooting, upon rebooting it went to the 4-balls of endless doom. I attempted to boot into recovery mode and the robot with his service hatch open comes on screen for a few minutes and then the phone reboots into 4-balls again.
ONCE this morning I was actually able to get into recovery mode, but I noticed an error to the extent of "E:\Unable to mount /cache invalid argument" or something thereabout I attempted to wipe the /cache/ partition and it gave the same error and did NOT do anything. Anyway, I turned off my phone like an id10t figuring "I'll just come back later and **** with it when I have some free time later"
I figured if I could get into recovery mode once, I'd be able to get back to it again to do a factory reset. Unfortunately, after doing the factory reset last time I forgot to enable USB Debugging. So here I sit with "Nexus 4" showing up in my system tray in the "Safely Remove Hardware" bullcrap, but not showing up in ADB or Fastboot seemingly.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Min_ADB>adb devices List of devices attached
C:\Program Files (x86)\Min_ADB>fastboot devices
C:\Program Files (x86)\Min_ADB>
I can get into the bootloader(where it gives me the options to: "Restart Bootloader", "Recovery Mode", "Power Off", and "Start") but choosing Recovery Mode just goes to the Android with the Service Hatch open followed by a restart a few minutes later back to the 4-balls.
Additionally, my phone once entered "Download Mode" which was interesting, I don't know how I got it there, but I did.
Any thoughts on how I might be able to get this SoB working? I have never opened the phone to remove the battery or anything along those lines, but I'm pretty sure I can find a small piece of plastic to pop the tabs if reseating the battery offers any hope of allowing me into recovery mode to try another factory reset.
This is my only phone, and since it's essentially a paperweight at the moment I really have nothing to lose.
EDIT: Small (but crappy) Update, I'm thinking my earlier diagnosis of "Cascading Hardware Failure" was more correct than I'd hoped. I managed to get the PC to recognize the connection with Fastboot, wiped out all the partitions(fastboot erase boot, cache, recovery, system). Those all seem to have completed successfully, but I ran into a problem when trying to reflash the device. When I attempted to flash the bootloader I encountered a problem indicating my internal flash storage is probably fubar.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Min_ADB>fastboot flash bootloader "bootloader-mako-makoz30f.img" sending 'bootloader' (2264 KB)... OKAY [ 0.077s] writing 'bootloader'... FAILED (remote: flash write failure) finished. total time: 0.085s
It seems strange to me that it would send the img file to the device successfully, but then shit out when it comes to extracting the image.
Well, this sucks.

Short story today to go with my currently short fuse:
I do level 2 desktop support for a gov't agency, which means we get the "cream of the crop" for users. As long as you define "cream" as a bunch of id10t errors waiting to happen & "crop" as the deeper indentation forming on my desk, you get where I'm coming from.
One of these exclusions from the common sense firewall had a broken keyboard on her laptop. Per our out-dated service contract terms, we had to ship it out to get replaced. She got a temporary laptop and the meltdown started almost immediately.

User: How am I supposed to know where to go for my programs? Nothing is on here anymore!

Note: The "programs" in question are all web-based, so it's a simple web address

Me: Just type in the website of $Program and you'll get to it, no problem.
User: shouting I just tried typing it in and it didn't go anywhere! How do you expect me to type these in, I'm not some kind of computer whiz!!!
Me: Give me your computer number and I'll check it out.

Fast forward 2 minutes later....

Me: OK, there's all your websites and the icons on your desktop will go direct to those websites.
User: still shouting Where's my desktop?! Quit using this lingo!

Did I mention the broken laptop should be repaired by tomorrow...
TL/DR: Sometimes wizards can't type, sometimes they can't even..

I used to work IT for this one place. I can't really give anymore details than that without identifying where it was potentially. Back when the announcement was made that XP support was ending we had already been working on moving everyone over to Windows 7 so it wasn't that big a deal, except alot of the workers were not very tech savvy to say the least. Many of them also hated change to an extreme and so they'd complain quite a bit to try to slow or stop the change.
We went through and slowly backed up people's information to a server folder, reimaged their pc with a premade Windows 7 image, installed any additional programs not included in the base image, copied the backed up data back over, or in some cases we would just replace the hard drive with one that had already been imaged and then just slave the old hard drive and copy stuff over that way.
We had just finished getting this one floor switched over to Windows 7. All in all there was about 18 - 22 pcs on that floor. It has been a few years now so I am a little foggy on some of the numbers. Things had gone relatively smooth. I was quite pleased with our progress. Working together we had accomplished the task much quicker than expected.
A few days later we get a ticket from one staff member. She can't get to the internet and can't access any of the internal network locations she needs to access databases she uses to do her work. Quite simply she literally cannot do any of her work with a few small exceptions that she can organize offline before needing to access the databases to make the changes final.
I didn't get the ticket but one of my coworkers did. He was a really friendly guy, more patient than I think even he realized he was, and good at what he does. He goes up and takes a look at it, and after checking everything he learns that the network port on the pc is fried. This is built into the motherboard and thus is not a fun fix. This pc is going to need to be out of commission a little bit, or we may need to try to find a spare pc to transfer her over to so we can order a new board potentially for this machine. This is a serious issue in terms of how much it impacts this staff member's ability to do her work.
While he is working on this machine, this other user who was a consistent pain in everyone's butt, keeps bugging him asking him to look at her pc because she can't do any work either. In her mind her pc was totally screwed up and it was just as vital that her issue be fixed too. It was a huge issue in her mind even though she had made no previous attempt to submit a ticket (the tickets were submitted through a simple online form that she could have accessed from another pc) or call us so we could create one for it to track the issue.
After he figured out what was going to need to be done he went over to look at ID10T user and upon a very brief investigation learned that the only reason she thought he pc was screwed up was because the wallpaper on her old machine had been one of those default Windows XP wallpapers that you could tile and it look like someone vomited all over your screen. It was this ugly pink, mottled wallpaper and since that was not the wallpaper now she said she could not work because her pc was broken.
We booted up an old Windows XP machine, copied all the Windows wallpapers off it, pasted them onto her pc and set the old one to her wallpaper. The sad part is she probably really thought that meant it was broken. Thankfully I heard from one of my former coworkers that she retired recently. I think she just didn't like having to work.