What error 3194 when your trying to downgrade a ipod 4g

Freezing while gaming

2024.05.15 20:10 kronksy Freezing while gaming

Hello,
Over the past year I have been experiencing intermittent freezing when playing graphically demanding titles. For example, the issue never occurs when playing games that dont usually require many resources to run such as Rocket League and Minecraft. However when I start introducing games like the recent call of duty's and Fortnite, this is where things get interesting.
Before I go any further, let me include my specs:
Motherboard: ASRock B450 Steel legend (on latest bios off the top of my head i belive it is v10.08) CPU: Ryzen 9 5900x CPU Cooler: Corsair 360 rad with LCD screen GPU: ASrock AMD 6900xt RAM: 4x Corsair Vengeance 8gb DDR4 3200mhz SSD: 500GB Western Digital SN570? HD: 3.5" 4 tb western digital green PSU: 1000w Corsair Rm1000e OS: Windows 10 Fans: 3x 120 Corsair fans(came with cooler), 3x Corsair LL120, & 1 120 Amazon fan. They are connected via a commander core xt controller, I think 1 fan header is plugged into another commander core xt? (whatever the controller is that came with the cooler which you have to use to connect your LCD screen and the power wire is included so I was forced to use this), then the Amazon fan is connected to a node pro controller with a custom conversion wire (this is so I can control the fan in iQue)
Now I only stumbled upon this problem recently because as i meantioned earlier, its only prevalent while playing those titles i meantioned that are more graphically demanding than the main title I play (Rocket league). I recently started to get back into Call of Duty and I was kindly greeted back with this freezing! (Maybe its a sign to get away from COD now while I still can? haha)
Let me break down exactly what happens, some things I picked up on, things that have changed, fixes I have attempted, and i will conclude with my thoughts.
What Happens? Let me use call of duty as the primary example even though I have encountered the issue in fortnite and forza horizon 5 as well. The freezing doesnt usually start until im a few games in. Then, all of the sudden my pc will freeze for a few seconds audio and everything even my second monitor. Then everything will come back to normal and continue working. Then a couple seconds will pass and it will start freezing up again. Again this NEVER happens when playing rocket league so it was never an issue until now.
Things I've picked up on. 1. When the freezing occurs, while monitoring taks manager both my cpu and GPU spike from high usage before the freeze, to low usage during the freeze, then gradually increase back to the usuage % they were at prior to freezing. 2. Temps are fine. 3. Restarting PC fixes the issue, but I don't want to have to keep restarting my PC every time this happens. It gets very annoying to have to stop playing/talking with friends and have to reboot my entire PC, but it's looking more and more like it's my only option right now.
Things that have changed: 1. Updated my BIOS 2. Added 2 sticks of RAM (i believe my issue started after this and Im thinking this COULD be the problem but i will get into this later) 3. Installed PSU extension cables bought from amazon (temporarily removed them tho and it did not fix my problem) 4. Bios settings: Enabled XMP, Disabled CSM, enabled 4g decoding and enabled resize bar for AMD SAM (recently disabled resize bar, 4g encoding, and XMP to test if it was causing issues)
Fixes I've attempted 1. Virus scan 2. Temperature monitoring while playing / fan curve adjustment (temps have been at a steady 60-80C 3. Disconnecting all devices from pc besides peripherals 4. Reinstalled games 5. Reinstalled windows 6. Disk check CMD commands 7. Windows ram test 8. Windows HD testing 9. DDU driver reinstall 10. resetting BIOS 11. Enabling and Disabling XMP (currently disabled) 12. Windows updates 13. Checked event viewer for any errors (didn't find any relevant to when the freezing starts) 14. Have the latest drivers (including chipset) 15. Checking everything is physically plugged in correctly 16. Reseating RAM
My thoughts: I am thinking this has to be some type of hardware issue, especially considering after a bios reset and and windows reinstall the issue still exists. My first thought is perhaps its a ram issue. As I mentioned earlier, I did add two RAM sticks roughly a year ago and while i havent noticed the issue until more recently it's possible this is the cause. My temps are good so I dont believe there is any type of overheating/throtteling. My SSD was purchased in 2019 but I dont think this is an SSD issue due to the freezing only occuring while playing specific games. My PSU is fairly newer but I wont rule it out considering the freezing begins when under a higher power draw.
In the next few days when i have time I will start doing more intensive RAM testing (OCCT overnight, pulling each ram stick out 1 by 1, swapping locations, running with just 2 sticks, etc.) I will update this thread with results when I'm done. I also have a spare GPU I can use for testing and I can possibly get a spare SSD/PSU to use (from a friend)
If anyone has any suggestions / ideas, feel free to let me know! I'm trying my best to troubleshoot but I havent had much time recently and troubleshooting this is very time consuming because the issue takes long periods of time to reproduce. (as I mentioned earlier it can take a few games to actually start freezing.)
Let me know if there is any additional details I can provide! This has been very frustrating and I'm hoping I can get this small issue fixed soon.
Thank you!

submitted by kronksy to techsupport [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 19:05 TightAsF_ck The BeermoneyUK Bank Switch Offer Guide (AKA The Bankedex) - May 2024

The title of the previous Bankedex has been making people think it only contained offers for NI. So here it is again, with all the current offers and with a more generic title. There are currently 5 active bank switch offers (and only one is specific to Northern Ireland!).
*****************
Here is the the ultimate guide to UK bank switch offers - the collective knowledge of ~140k BeermoneyUK members. Switch your bank account, get a cash reward for doing so. But don't switch your main account, open up a second account and switch that to get the money!

Updated 15/05/2024:

The most commonly asked bank switch questions:

I started to switch to XXX bank before the offer ended, am I still eligible for the bonus?

Yes, usually, most terms will state that a switch just has to be started (or applied for) before the end date or before an offer ends.

Do I have to transfer the required amount in all in one go, and does it matter if I pay money in before my switch is complete?

No and not usually, as long as the amount you pay in adds up to the required amount, and as long as you pay it in before the deadline stated in the terms. There has been one exception to this - Co-op - so check individual terms.

I need to switch "active" direct debits, does a payment need to have been taken before I switch?

According to Nationwide, an active direct debit is one that has been set up or had a payment taken from it in the past 13 months. So no, according to this. But why not just wait for the direct debit to be taken? You'll not have to worry about it then.

https://twitter.com/AskNationwide/status/1442939781491486720

How do I set up and switch an additional Chase current account?
- See Chase instruction here to open an additional account.
- The second account will be linked to the same card as your main Chase account.
- Use the secondary account details and your original card details when switching.
What are the easiest/best direct debits to use for bank switching?

There are many: Paypal, Ebay, Moneybox savings account, Plum savings account, your credit card, Sprive Mortgage auto savings, Wealthify Robo Saving. We recommend ones that save money into an account in your own name. Here’s useful ones that have additional bonuses available via beermoneyuk

Site/App	Offer	Comment
Park Christmas (Search)	Save for Christmas via direct debit
Plum (Search)	A very useful direct debit	Easy and fast to set up
Sprive (Search)	Autosavings for mortgage overpayment direct debit (£5 bonus)	Easy and fast to set up
Wealthify (Search)	A very useful direct debit (£1/month min)	Easy and fast to set up

Questions about Bank Switching should generally be asked here. Posts on the subreddit asking questions about bank switching will probably be removed.

As always with the Bankedex, we need your help.

The post has been updated with the newest offers, and tips commented in the previous Bankedex posts, and those in other posts on beermoneyuk. But it is a difficult task keeping on top of all the questions. Please continue to share your experience with Bank Bribes. I will add questions/answers to this post. Your help is much appreciated - thanks to you all.

Current bank switch offers (£551 in total)

Bank	Bonus	Offer Deadline	Comment
Barclays	31k Avios for £48 spend	None	£100 profit, Requires premier banking
First Direct	£175 to switch	None
Danske Bank	£175 to switch		Northern Ireland only
Santander	£175 to switch	None	£15 extra available
Virgin Money	£100 to switch	31/05/2024	10% gross interest rates boost to 12% on £1k for 1 year (~£120 total) + extra £30 via Snoop

No switch, just sign up bank switch offers

Bank	Offer	Comment
Tide (click for details)	Spend £100, get £75 cashback	A beermoneyuk staple
Monzo (click to search)	Spend £1, get £5 or £50	£50 is for a business account
Starling (click to search)	Free National Trust Day Pass

Never switched a bank account before?

You should consider it. It is one of the easiest and most efficient ways of earning a little beermoney. It is advised to leave your main bank account alone. Instead, switch a secondary bank account, or open a new account at your current bank to be used just for switching. Recommended steps:

Open a second current account with your main high street bank (must be part of CASS service)
Set up direct debits on the second account (if required).
Add £1 to your second account. This will be transferred to your new account, allowing you to see when the switch has been completed.
Apply for a new account and arrange to switch to your second bank account (sometimes this is during the application process, other times it is after the account is opened).
Let the current account switch service take care of everything.
Make sure all other terms are met (e.g. pay in money if needed).
Receive your bank switching bonus.

You will hear about lots of people rushing through all of the switch bonuses available. These offers have been coming and going for years, my advice is to do an offer that tickles your fancy and try out a new bank. Then, if you decide you do not like your new bank you should sample another bank and get paid again!

Are there some bank accounts worth keeping?

Why yes. Some are quite good, and give ongoing rewards. For example, Club Lloyds gives free Disney Plus. See the "don't leave us please" bank rewards post. Some also give access to the best savings accounts (e.g. regular savers).

Detailed switch offer information

Whilst we do our best to make sure things are correct, sometimes errors do slip through. Always do your own research. Also, it may not be possible to work through all of these.

Barclays

Current offer: 31k Avios for full switch to Premier Banking, and paying £12/month for “Avios Rewards” for 4 months - works out around £100 profit when converted to Nectar points.

Direct link to offer (scroll down)

You must switch to Premier Bank account.

These are premium accounts, supposed to be for those with £70k+ salaries. However, cycling £4201 each month also appears to do the job

Offer end date: None listed
Requirements:

Open a Barclays Premier bank account & join Avios Rewards (£12/month fee), or

Complete a full switch from a different bank (you do this from within the app, after opening the account).

Reward payable by: 1.5k Avios each month for Avios Rewards, 25k Avios paid in month 4 for the switch.
Available to existing customers: No.
Additional notes: it can be worth doing the Barclaycard Avios Plus offer at the same time, as you will get a discount on the credit card fee.

Danske Bank

Current offer: £200 for full switch

Direct link to Danske Bank offer

You can switch to their Danske Reward, Danske Choice or Danske Freedom current account.

Offer end date: No end date given, may be removed at any time.
Requirements:

Full switch (no direct debits mentioned).

After opening account, pay in £1000 within 60 days (can be multiple deposits)

You cannot have had a Danske Bank reward since 01/01/2024

Available to existing customers: only if you are a new personal current account customer. .
How long does it take to pay the bonus: paid within 10 days of meeting requirements.

First Direct

Current offer: £175 when you switch

Direct link to First Direct offer

You can switch to their First account.

Offer end date: No end date given, may be removed at any time.
Requirements:

Full switch (two direct debits or standing orders are required).

After opening account, log in to mobile banking, pay in £1000, and make 5 debit card payments within 30 days.

You cannot have had a 1st Direct account before.

You cannot switch if you have an HSBC account opened after 01/2020

How to do it: Once your first direct account is open, simply log into your first direct app, select the account you wish to transfer into, tap ‘switch to us’ from your account menu and follow the instructions.
Available to existing customers: No. Also can't have had a HSBC account opened since January 2018.
How long does it take to pay the bonus: paid by the 20th of the month following that in which you met all of the criteria.

Santander

Extra £15: You can get an extra £15 by signing up to a Santander Edge account via Topcashback. If you don't have a Topcashback account, you can sign up here:

Topcashback sign up + Additional £10 Bonus

Current offer: £175

Direct link to offer
You can switch to any of these paid current accounts: Santander Edge current account, Edge Up, or the Private Current Account

Offer end date: None given
Requirements: Full switch.

Apply to switch when you apply to open the account (or existing customers can just switch into an existing qualifying current account).

Complete switch of a non-Santander account, set up 2 active direct debits, and pay in £1500 within 60 days of applying/telling Santander you want to switch. Must keep direct debits active on account

Cannot have had a Santander-group bonus previously (Santander, Cahoot, Cater Allen)

Reward payable by: between 60 and 90 days after opening the account.
Available to existing customers: Yes (can switch a non-Santander group current account into a new or existing Santander account). Existing customers may need to visit a branch.

Virgin Money

Current offer: Extra 10% interest on £1k for a year (~£100 bonus)
Extra £30: You can get an extra £30 by signing up to Virgin via Snoop (you need to connect your Virgin account to Snoop). If you don't have a Snoop account, you can sign up here for an additional fiver too:

Snoop £5 sign up bonus
Direct link to Virgin Money offer

You can switch to their M Account (free, ~10% interest total, gross), M Plus Account (free account, ~12% interest total) or Club M Account (costs £12.50/month for insurance and stuff, ~12% total, is one of the best value package accounts - especially if a joint account)

Offer end date: apply by 31/05/24
Requirements:

Full switch (two direct debits required as part of the switch).

Available to existing customers: No. And can't have closed an account since 30/04/2024
How long does it take to pay the bonus: interest is paid monthly, so a a year to get it all!

General Bank Switch Questions

Current Account Switch Bribes - Why do they offer them?

They want your business. Banks like fighting each other for customers. Most of them know they can't win by highlighting their outdated systems and products, so they fight each other by offering potential customers cash bribes (or equivalent) to switch their "main" bank account.

Can I switch any bank account to get a bribe?

No. You must switch a bank account that is part of The Current Account Switch Service (CASS). Most high street banks are included. But some Neo Banks are not (e.g., Kroo, Revolut, & Monese are not included). You should try to avoid switching your main bank account. You can always open an additional account just to switch.
See here for a full list of CASS banks.

Is it too much hassle?

No. The Current Account Switch Service (CASS) makes switching your account between most banks smooth and effortless. You do not have to do anything apart from apply for and set up a new account at a different bank and tell them you want to switch your account to them. Everything is transferred automatically (except recurring card payments).

Is there the best route to sample all the banks with switch offers?

Do the offer ending soonest first. Then you might switch again. If you complete all offers in this post, you could earn yourself >£1000.

Some of these end soon. Will the offers come back?

Banks have been offering bribes on and off for many years. We can't predict the future. But this is not a new thing.

How long does a bank switch take?

Approximately one week.

Do I have to switch my main account?

You could. But you don't have to. Many people have second bank accounts. One option may be to open up a second account with your current high street bank, add some direct debits to this second account and then switch it to the new bank you want to try out. On the sub, people also like Starling or Monzo as they are easy to set up (but you might want to switch back to them at the end - their functionality wins vs any usual high street bank).
High-street banks also let you open multiple accounts. If you already have an account with one, you might want to open an additional one with your current bank first (Halifax, NatWest etc are reported to allow several current accounts and to be fast to open).

I have savings accounts at the same bank as my current account. Can I still switch to this current account?

Yes. Only the current account will be closed (some linked regular savers may be converted to normal savings accounts). You might want to consider if switching to a secondary account is a better option.

I have linked savers attached to my current account. Can I still switch it?

Possibly.

Which banks let me open a second bank account?

Most of them.

Do I need to activate the card on the account I am going to switch?

Just do it anyway. Some banks require it

What details do I need to switch?

Sort code and account number.

Debit card information.

Usually, but not always, 2 active DDs on the account you are switching.

Do you need to have money in the account you are switching?

No. But it might be a good idea - this will allow you to see when the switch happens (i.e. when the money is transferred!).

I do not have a bank card with my old current account as it is very very old, can I still switch it?

Most online forms require card details, but you can usually switch such accounts over the phone.

My new bank has not given me my account number (e.g. NatWest).

Usually, these are sent via post/email when you sign up. But some banks don't have the account numbers on the card, or maybe letters get lost in the post. If this happens, wait for the card to arrive and contact their support. If you get a bot on the chat thing, type "speak to a human" repeatedly.

My new bank account is a premium account and it has a fee. Do I need to keep paying for this?

No. You can downgrade the account. But you should probably wait until you have been paid the bonus.

I don't like my new bank, do I need to wait for the bank card before switching again?

Yes. See question above. Most banks require the card details of your existing account.

I made an account just to switch. Can I switch before my new bank card arrives?

Best not to. You are asked to enter the debit card information as part of the process.

The offer says I have to pay in £xxxx. Does it have to be in one go?

No. You can transfer in and out. The total sent in has to be equal to or greater than the stated amount. You should be careful with this though, sending money in and out of an account can trigger anti-fraud measures.

The offer says I have to pay in £xxxx. Can I pay it in before the switch completes?

Yes. You can pay it before, after, or during. You can manually transfer it, or it can be transferred automatically from your old account.

I've been asked to verify my identity. Is this normal?

Sometimes automated checks fail. If this happens, you may be asked to manually verify your application by visiting a branch or sending in a copy of your ID.

I switched from Monzo/Starling and want to return, can I?

Starling does not let you return within 12 months. With Monzo, it's possibly a shorter one month that you have to wait.

Do I have to switch direct debits?

Check individual offer terms.

What is an "Active" direct debit?

An active direct debit is usually one where a payment had been taken in the last 13 months. But some bank switch terms require direct debits to have been paid out of the account. If an offer requires an active direct debit, it's safer to switch to an account that has already paid out direct debits.**

What are good direct debits to set up on a second account?

There are many: Paypal, Ebay, Moneybox savings account, Plum savings account, your credit card, Sprive Mortgage auto savings, Wealthify Robo Saving.

I recently switched to XXX Bank, and I do not like it. Can I switch again?

Yes. If you are not happy with the new service, you may want to switch to a new bank that will pay you to give them a try.

Do I have to stick with my new bank for any length of time?

No.

If I switch away, will the bank claw back the bonus?

Very unlikely. They would have to specify this in their terms, and none have ever done so.

My switch is complete, but I have not yet received my bonus. Will I still get the bonus if I switch this account before it is paid?

Probably not.

My most recent switch is not quite complete, but I have already received the bonus. Can I start another switch?

You should probably wait for the switch to complete.

Can I get more than one bribe from each bank?

Sometimes. With some banks (e.g. Nationwide), you can get a bonus for switching one sole and one joint current account. Other banks will pay you to switch again, as long as you have not had a bonus in a specified amount of time. You will need to check individual offer terms.

XXX Bank gave me a bonus before, can I get a bonus again?

You need to check the individual offer terms.

Will this affect my credit score?

Credit scores are a funny thing, What is more important is what is actually in your credit file. Obviously, if you apply for an overdraft then it will affect your "credit score". However, if you do not have an overdraft or you make sure that you have paid off any overdraft before switching banks, then a single current account switch should not negatively impact your credit score. Nevertheless, typically all major banks (excepting Monzo and Starling) do a hard credit search, and this will be recorded on your file. If you plan on applying for a new mortgage soon then you may wish to exercise caution in switching between a load of banks. This is because the hard searches performed by banks will appear on your report and may have an effect for 6-12 months.

Which banks do hard searches and which do soft searches??

See here. Most banks do hard searches.

Hard searches: Bank of Scotland (first account only), Barclays, Co-op, Clydesdale, Halifax (1st account only), First Direct, HSBC, Lloyds (1st account only), Monzo, Nationwide, NatWest, RBS, Santander, TSB, Ulster, Virgin Money.

Soft searches: Starling, Metro Bank, and Chase

I have a bad credit score, will I be accepted to XXX bank?

Unfortunately, we do not know the acceptance criteria of the banks. You might be unlucky with one bank, but lucky with another.

My application was rejected. Why?

Nobody here knows. You could try appealing, but your only way to find out more is to contact the bank.

After switching my account, I still have online banking with my old provider. Do I need this?

No. You do not need to keep the online access (you could shut it down). But you may wish to retain these details in case your old bank suddenly appears with an offer that makes you want to switch back. Or open up a savings account.

Has anyone else been paid for switching to XXX Bank yet?

Check the terms of the offer you signed up for. Some banks have long deadlines and stick to them (e.g. Santander, TSB). Some are quicker. If you haven't been paid within the stated terms, then you should contact the bank's support.

submitted by TightAsF_ck to beermoneyuk [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 09:46 creeprincee SOLUTION for Google Nest Protect can't connect to xfinity 2.5G wifi

Hey! I have been through it for the last couple of weeks trying to figure this out like many others. I reached out to xfinity tech support multiple times on all ends and was always given incorrect information. They couldn't seem to understand that the bands need to be on their own individual isolated channels, not supported up thru 2.4-6 G. On their end, they're not seeing that the bands are not individual like we see it in our Xfinity app. I think some of the confusion is that on the consumer side we don't know that band steering is being used, and we would like to have control over our own functionality rather than xfinity automating everything so we cannot change our settings. Or the devices should just be compatible. There is *no longer* a separate "NETWORK NAME - 2.4G / NETWORK NAME - 5G" different login setting. It's all the same network name and password you setup. Anyway, most of the advice I have seen in all the forums asking the same question was also not helpful to solve the issue. But! I figured out how to fix this finally and everything is up and running. I also had trouble during my initial gateway setup after starting service where the app was not working at all and the connection setup always failed. It was ultimately because the error notification kept saying "must use WPA3 password." I told the customer service specialist multiple times but they were going to send someone out because it wasn't working. The problem was that the security mode for the password type was not set correctly in the settings. I had to select WPA3 Personal Only, then I could proceed to change my password and continue with the setup to finally allow me to login and connect to the internet service/network and not just the router. If you're having issues during setup with your new service where your gateway modem is working and connected but you can't connect to the internet -- go into your app settings and make sure that the security mode you selected for login to your network is the one your device requires you to use (WPA2 or WPA3). I think this is because my devices are newer 2019+ apple and require the newer protocols. I'm going to try to make a video to explain it at some point to show. The problem with the smart devices that require the 2.4G band is a similar issue. (The problem isn't unique to Google Nest devices. It can be any 2.4G WPA2 device, like a Dyson smart device, a Ring door cam, Smart TV, etc). There are a few different steps you have to take:

go to your xfinity app and do the following: wifi > wifi details > edit wifi settings > security mode: WPA3 - Personal Transition (NOT PERSONAL ONLY). This is necessary because the older smart devices that require the 2.4G IPv6 protocol will also require a WPA2 security protocol and cannot "see" or find WPA3 networks. When you select transition mode you allow the network and device to automatically communicate with one another based on which one they use, either WPA2 or WPA3. If it is set to WPA3 Only, then the WPA2 devices will not connect, and if set to WPA2 only, the WPA3 devices will not connect. Note that there is a toggle function that says "split bands" -- THIS DOES NOT WORK. It will automatically undo itself no matter how many times you toggle it on and select save. Don't worry about it.
login to a web browser and type in 10.0.0.1 (from your home network. not remotely)
under username and password type: username:admin / password: password. This is universal at first. Next you will change your password to whatever you want it to be. The username will always remain "admin." Note: the login is NOT your xfinity login info or your network login info.
Select: connection > wifi . You will now see a page with the individual bands: 2.4G, 5G, and 6G. Select "edit" next to the 5G band and toggle "disable" > save settings. Do the same to disable the 6G band.
Next go to: connection > status. You will notice that your 2.4 G band is now the only one "active" and the other two are disabled. You will also see that your security mode was changed to "WPA3 Personal transition" mode. You will notice an indicator count for what devices are connected to what band.
Select the "firewall" dropdown from the lefthand menu. Select "IPv4" and change this security setting to "minimum security low." Save settings. Now select "IPv6" and change this setting to "custom." Make sure that no additional "Block _" boxes are checked. Save settings.

Now you should be able to find your network on your device and connect the device to wifi to finish your setup process! For me, I had to reset the Google Nest Smoke Detector following the reset settings. I also uninstalled the Google Nest app. I turned my phone off and back on. I reinstalled the Nest app. I did not have to uninstall and reinstall the Dyson app. My iPhone and Macbook automatically still joined the network no problem because the login info is the same due to the band steering. I just got a notification on my Macbook saying that the WPA3 protocol was changed and said ok. For my Dyson hot and cool air filter I was able to pair the device and the network finally showed up. I followed the settings in the app and now that the network knows the "MAC address of the device" it is stored in the network's memory and they can find and communicate with each other now. Same with the Google Nest. If it doesn't work right away just try another time and it should work.

Important: the reason they automatically merge the bands and steer them is because the 2.4G is more unstable. This is true. You might notice that the connectivity will drop out occasionally for the devices which could explain why it might take another try to finish your setup. Don't worry about it. It will reconnect on it's own.

Now that your smart devices are connected and setup is finished, and your network knows their MAC addresses, you can revert all the changes you made to your network settings to go back to full functionality (2.4G-6 and increase your firewall security standards back up to your desired level. You just follow the reverse order of what you just did. Keep the 2.4G as is of course, but select: "5G > edit" and toggle enable on. Do the same for 6G. Now all your bands are turned back on and you have full access again. Go back to "firewall" and change the IPV4 and IPV6 settings. You will see on the top menu bar in the right that your security is back to "medium."

Go back to "connection > status." You will notice that all your bands are now active. You can see the device count for how many devices are connected and to which band they are connected. This may drop in and out so don't worry if you don't see the correct total. Sometimes the nest will drop out but it will reconnect itself on it's own in a few minutes. You can verify this on your phone by: Going to the Nest app and seeing that your "Protect" or whatever device you setup is good. You can go to the Dyson app and see that it is connected and get your status updates. You can also go to the xfinity app and see what devices are connected to your network as you usually would. Again, this might drop in and out with the Google nest. But! all your settings are restored and all your devices are now fully functioning and connected to your network :) You also might get notifications from xfinity on your iPhone once the devices are finally successfully paired to your network. Cool!

Important note: you can also use the 10.0.0.1 admin tool to manually add a device's MAC address if, for some reason, you still can't get things to work. I thankfully didn't have to do this because I figured out the solution, but it was going to be my next attempt. Thankfully, the Dyson has the MAC address for the device printed on the inside of the device. However, Google Nest unfortunately does not do this and you have to already be connected in to the app to view the system info. However, you could do a workaround for that by taking your device someplace else and using their wifi (as long as it is 2.4 WPA2 IPV6) to connect and setup the device in the app in order to find the MAC address for the device in the settings in the Nest app. Then you can take the device back home to your network, reset, and try to manually add the MAC address now that you found it (hopefully you took a screenshot or something :) ) Thankfully I didn't have to do this either, but it also would have been my next attempt.

Also, make sure you keep your password settings that you changed in your xfinity app to WPA3 Transition Mode. It'll stay that way for both 2.4G and 5G. This is important because the devices still need to be able to communicate and can only use WPA2. Also if in the future you have this problem again with another product, like perhaps an older Smart TV, you will already have the WPA2 functionality enabled.

I hope this was helpful! It's 3am but I'm so glad I eventually figured it out on my own!

submitted by creeprincee to Nest [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 09:44 creeprincee SOLUTION for smart devices can't connect to xfinity (2.4G band) Google Nest, Dyson, Ring, SmartTV, Printers, etc.

go to your xfinity app and do the following: wifi > wifi details > edit wifi settings > security mode: WPA3 - Personal Transition (NOT PERSONAL ONLY). This is necessary because the older smart devices that require the 2.4G IPv6 protocol will also require a WPA2 security protocol and cannot "see" or find WPA3 networks. When you select transition mode you allow the network and device to automatically communicate with one another based on which one they use, either WPA2 or WPA3. If it is set to WPA3 Only, then the WPA2 devices will not connect, and if set to WPA2 only, the WPA3 devices will not connect. Note that there is a toggle function that says "split bands" -- THIS DOES NOT WORK. It will automatically undo itself no matter how many times you toggle it on and select save. Don't worry about it.
login to a web browser and type in 10.0.0.1 (from your home network. not remotely)
under username and password type: username:admin / password: password. This is universal at first. Next you will change your password to whatever you want it to be. The username will always remain "admin." Note: the login is NOT your xfinity login info or your network login info.
Select: connection > wifi . You will now see a page with the individual bands: 2.4G, 5G, and 6G. Select "edit" next to the 5G band and toggle "disable" > save settings. Do the same to disable the 6G band.
Next go to: connection > status. You will notice that your 2.4 G band is now the only one "active" and the other two are disabled. You will also see that your security mode was changed to "WPA3 Personal transition" mode. You will notice an indicator count for what devices are connected to what band.
Select the "firewall" dropdown from the lefthand menu. Select "IPv4" and change this security setting to "minimum security low." Save settings. Now select "IPv6" and change this setting to "custom." Make sure that no additional "Block _" boxes are checked. Save settings.

submitted by creeprincee to Comcast_Xfinity [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 02:49 fender1878 Two Weeks on the Sun Princess: A Comprehensive Review

In case you don't know, the Sun Princess is Princess Cruises' latest behemoth ship. I just got back from a 2-week sailing and took meticulous notes on this epic new vessel. Here's my extremely detailed, no-BS review:

The Sheer Size is Nuts

When I say this ship is massive, I mean it's absolutely nuts how big this floating city is. Especially when you get off in ports and have to walk back down the dock to reboard - that's when the sheer scale of the Sun Princess really hits you. Even though it carries a ton of people, the only time it really felt crowded was during breakfast. The Eatery fills up quick and the International Cafe, which sits outside The Eatery doesn't lend itself well for crowds of people wiaint for their coffees. You kind of end up waiting in the middle of where the walking traffic moves.

The Medallion Life

Your entire cruise experience revolves around the new Medallion wearable device and app, for better or worse. I'll admit it has some creepy "Big Brother" vibes with how much it tracks your every movement and purchase. But the convenience it provides is undeniable.
The medallion is your modern day "cruise card" that you tap everywhere to make payments, order drinks, unlock your stateroom, get on/off the ship, and more. But what's crazy is the app can use the medallion to detect your location anywhere on board. Order a drink or meal through the app and the server will manage to find you anywhere on the ship to deliver it, usually within 15 minutes. Caveat: there were times when it took longer and other times when our order was marked "delivered" and it never arrived.
The medallion definitely feels like getting on/off the ship is way faster. The only time we ever waiting in line was for the few minutes it took people to run through security.
This made getting food/drinks almost too easy. On port days when we needed to get off the ship early for excursions, setting up a scheduled delivery of my Egg McMuffin, fruit plate in coffee was really convenient.
Fair warning though - if you're anti-tracking and value privacy over convenience, the ubiquitous Medallion system may not be for you.
Story: we were sitting by the Crooners bar having our nightly pre-dinner cocktail. The bar was packed on this night for some reason. A staff member in a suit started wandering the room, made eye contact with me from 40-feet away and then made a b-line for us. He wanted to sign us up for a wine/food pairing event they were having. I have to believe this is because of the tracking being done via the meddalion. They could see we drink our share of wine. It definitely felt like targeted marketing.

Premium Package Was Best for Us

We opted for the Premium beverage package at $80 per day and I'm glad we did for a few reasons:

If you need to have more than one device connected to the internet at a time, Premium makes sense just based on that (you can have four devices). The cheaper Plus package only allows one device, which was a non-starter for me needing both my phone and laptop to be online. I'm unfortunately not able to just live off the grid for almost three weeks and need to periodically check in with my clients.
The wine selection is way better with Premium vs Plus. As a wine drinker, the upgrade was 100% worth it.
Two free speciality dining meals are included, which was clutch on our 2-week cruise to break up the repetition of the main dining rotation.
Unlimited premium desserts and ice creams - a nice perk for those with a sweet tooth.

Basically, Premium removed almost any need to think about or worry over costs on board. For $80 per day, the premium drinks, speciality dining, better wines, desserts and internet made it an easy choice for our group's needs.
And for those wondering about the 15 drink per day limit (since there's almost a weekly post asking about it) - it was never an issue for me. I'm a scotch drinker and to get a decent pour, you basically have to order a double. Even drinking doubles, I never got to 15 drinks/day. This even includes sea days where we'd typically have a mimosa or two with breakfast, a few cocktails/beers at the pool, an cocktail or two before dinner and then wine at dinner.

Staff & Service

I can't say enough about how incredible and friendly the service was across the board on the Sun Princess. Our room steward, waiters, bartenders - everyone went so above and beyond daily, it really elevated the experience. I'm always amazed how they remember everyone's names.
However, we did notice a clear slip in the quality of service in the second week compared to the first, likely due to a crew changeover partway through our sailing. Simple things like forgetting drink orders or getting meals wrong became more frequent from our new set of MDR servers.

Suites & Staterooms

We originally booked a balcony room. When the bid offer came in I followed some old advice and just placed bids on upgrades because "you don't have to take the offer if you don't like it." Well guess what, that's not the case anymore. My offer was accepted and we automatically became the proud recipients of a Reserve Mini-Suite for an additional $500. In hindsight, I'm glad it worked out. The room has noticably more space than a standard balcony room. These mini-suites are spacious, basically a separate living room and bedroom divided by a curtain you can close off. Having two TVs and an extra closet was great.
As mini-suite guests we also received a nice amenity of free premium wines in our room - on the second week they even topped us up with two more complementary bottles! I guess each week is looked at as a new sailing -- so you get two more bottles! Some older posts complained about the wine quality. It looks like it's been upgraded because we received a Pinot Noir and Chard from La Crema. Being California wine people, La Crema works great for us. If you can swing it, I'd highly recommend going for a mini-suite over a regular balcony.
That being said, I'd avoid the "Cabana" balcony suites. The layout is really bizarre and in my opinion a downgrade. When you walk out onto your balcony, it's not really a balcony. There's another area in front of your balcony that connects a few other cabana suites. The idea is that a few rooms share a private balcony with jacuzzi. However, it also means that walking out onto your balcony doesn't give you a private ocean view because there's this 20-30 feet of additional patio in front of you and everyone above you just looks down into your balcony area.
They've done a great job with the power situation in these rooms. Every outlet has a USA 110v plug, a Euro plug, a USB-C and a USB-A plug. There are outlets by the desk area and with each nightstand on both sides of the bed. Since we had ample USB outlets, all we really needed a regular USA outlet for was the blow dryer. Don't get tricked! There's what looks like a two-prong USA outlet by the sink in the bathroom. It has a funky icon next to it. This outlet is for charging an electronic razor -- that's the only kind of plug that will fit in this outlet so don't try and jam another device in there -- it won't work. My mom tripped the breaker in her state room by running the hair dryer while her curling iron was on -- so beware ladies!

Dining Highs & Lows

Main Dining Rooms

It can be confusing because there are three floors (Decks 6, 7 and 8). We reserved dining in the Deck 6 MDR prior to the trip via the app for the first few days just so we knew there was a guaranteed place to eat. On night one, the dining room manager introduced himself to us and said he went ahead and booked our table for us every night of the trip. If we didn't show, it was fine.
Food quality in the main dining rooms (MDRs) was consistently good across breakfast and dinner. On port days, it's an "express breakfast" which just means a shorter list of options. Nothing mind-blowing, but solid and tasty. My biggest gripe here is the operating hours. On sea days, the MDR closes for breakfast at 9:00am. You basically have to choose between sleeping in a little, hitting the gym, or getting a decent breakfast.
Pro-Tip: Biggest breakfast tip is stay away from the scrammbled eggs -- they're gross. We figured out that the scrambled eggs come from a bag. If you want real, cracked eggs, either get an omelett or over easy/medium/hard/etc.

Reserve Suite Dining Access

The Reserve mini-suite gives you access to the Reserve Restaurant. It's a little bit more elevated of a dining experience and reservations aren't needed -- you just show up. We dined her a few times and it did feel more elevated. Unlike the MDR, the server in the Reserve Restaurant feels more personal because they're handling smaller groups.

Lido Deck

For more casual fare, the Lido deck had some surprises like an awesome made-to-order salad bar station that became my go-to for healthier meals between all the indulgent dining. The burger grill, taco station and pizza areas were pretty standard, but that salad bar slapped.

Lackluster Buffet

On the flip side, The Eatery buffet left a lot to be desired. Despite different themed stations, the quality was mid at best. We largely avoided eating at the buffet outside of quick breakfast grabs. The Eatery closes for breakfast around 10:00 AM. At which point if you move further into the ship, the restaurants that are normall Catch and Butcherblock become a buffet extension that's opened later -- it's kind of funky.
The layout of the buffet is weird and leaves people wondering if they're cutting in line especially when you go to the extended buffet at Catch/Butcherblock.
What's odd to me is you can go grab a million cheese plates, fruit plates or hummus/veggie plates at the buffet. But if you order those things through the Medallion app, it's not "complimentary." You have to pay like $4.99-$5.99 for those items. We still can't figure out why it costs $5 to order a tiny cheese plate but ordering a cheeseburger is free.

Specialty Dining Winners

We used our two speciality dining credits at Crown Grill and Butcher's Block by Dario. I was a little worried because I had read mixed reviews on here about both of these restaurants. However, both meals were really good and before you come at me, I'm a foodie guy -- I'd tell you if they sucked.
We chose Crown for my parent's anniversay dinner. The service was awesome and they made us all feel really special. The setup here is like a steakhouse, where you order your beef and then the sides are a la carte family style. We had a group of seven -- the manager just said "we'll bring you out all the sides, enough for your whole party" which was great.
The next week, we hit up Butcher's Block by Dario. I've never left a meal more full on a cruise ship than at this place. It's family style dining and they just bring out everything for you -- almost like a brazilian barbecue place. We started with a bread appetizer and a glass of wine while you wait for them to get the dining room setup. Then there's more bread on the table + veggies. Then the food starts coming out: beef tartar; beef carpaccio; etc. The main event is the massive tomahawks and porterhouse steaks they carve up tableside. They'll just keep putting beef on your plate until you beg them to stop. Finally, there's desert and a grappa digestif.
Both restaurants were great experiences and a very welcomed change from the MDR after a week of repetition. The food, service and overall vibe were a noticeable step up.

Spellbound

We also splurged one night for the Spellbound immersive magic/dinner experience and it was easily a cruise highlight despite the $150/pp price tag. After an elevated multi-course meal, you get ushered by a guy in a top hat into an exclusive hidden club. While waiting for the magic show, you hang out in their bar which is reminiscent of the Dinseyland Haunted Mansion. While enjoying your drink, there's a magician perorming more intement magic for everyone at the bar. Once they're ready for the show, you're brought into the room where the actual magic show takes place. Afterwards, you're welcome to hang out in the Spellbound bar and continue drinking.
If you're from LA, you probably know about the Magic Castle in Hollywood. Spellbound is an extension of the Magic Castle. Just like with the Magic Castle, you show up in formal wear. This means a coat and tie for the men and an evening gown/dress for the woman.
Overall, we really enjoyed it.

Room Service

This was hit or miss for us. You fill out the paper door hangar and place it on your doorknob before heading to bed. Then you hope and pray that it will actually arrive -- which in two of our instances, it never did. Your options are also super limited. You also may or may not receive what you actually ordered. With coffee for instance, you have a choice of ordering it to-go (paper cup) or stay (actual coffe cup). We always seemed to get the opposite of what we ordered to the point where it became a running joke for us.

International Cafe

This became our goto for a lot of things: coffee, snacks, quick breakfast food (pastries, coffee cake, avodcado toast, Egg McMuffins). Werid fact though: if you order the Egg McMuffin through the app, it comes as an egg patty just like McDonalds and with cheese. When you get the one at International Cafe, it's just an over easy egg and no cheese. Why they can't just be the same is odd.

Night Owl Needs

My main dining gripe was the lack of solid late night food options for us night owls. The Eatery buffet closed at an absurd 10:30pm, leaving only spotty room service or mobile ordering as the choices if you worked up an appetite after evening activities. More robust late-night casual dining would be appreciated.

Bars & Alcohol

Overall, great selection of cocktails. All of the bars have their own little theme and different menus. The ladies I was with were consitently impressed at the quality and thought of the cocktails at each bar. They were also super impressed with the quality of the glassware being used. I must admit, everything from the rocks glasses to the martini glasses really were beautiful.
If you just want straight spirits, you have to order a double to get a normal pour (they're actually measuring out the pours). That being said, with either Plus or Premium, you'll get a good selection of top quality booze.
You gotta try really hard to hit the 15-drink max. Some days I had drinks at breakfast, during the day, lunch, before dinner, during dinner and after dinner. I never hit my max.
One thing that impressed me was staff actually being concerned about drink quality. We were having drinks at one of the bars on the Lido deck. The supervisor was upset with the bartenders because they ran out of premium liquor and hadn't requested more. He made sure to remind them that when someone orders a premium drink they get a premium liquor -- no exceptions.
You also must checkout the Good Spirits bar. There's a few times throughout the night where you watch a live cocktail demonstration. The bartenders at GS are so fun and playful -- really makes for a great vibe.

Amenities - Hits & Misses

The gym facilities on board were a bit of a disappointment, especially for a new ship. While they had a nice assortment of cardio machines, the actual weight room was laughably small with only a few pieces of strength equipment that were always monopolized. Not a deal-breaker, but an area that could be improved.
The pool areas were nicely spread out across different sections of the Lido deck. On sailing days, there was typically a band, the DJ and then a random movie on the jumbotron. The random blasting of action movies at 3pm really ruined the pool vibe and it's typically when the deck would thin out. One minute you're relaxing in the jacuzzi, the next an action movie with explosions is shaking the pool area. It made no sense and seemed tailored for a much younger crowd despite this sailing's passengers being mostly older adults.

Technology & Support

In addition to the Medallion app, the overall internet speeds on board were fast and reliable enough for me to easily stay connected for basic work needs.
The technology support via the app's live chat feature, however, was utterly useless. Any time we had issues properly being charged for drink packages or had to modify reservations, the live chat was a time-wasting nightmare. You're clearly just talking to an outsourced rep with zero actual knowledge of Princess' systems or operations. Your best bet is to go in-person to the guest services desk.

Other Notes & Quibbles

Dress codes weren't enforced at all. We did the whole suite/gown routine for formal nights only to see plenty of people still rocking jeans and t-shirts in the MDR. Same lack of enforcement for the "formal attire required" Spellbound event. Either lose the formal nights or enforce them.
Our drink package tallies often had errors, with our group's drinks randomly getting combined onto one person's account. Always double check and ask for corrections.
The "Cabana" balcony suite layout is bizarre - your balcony is just a shared landing in front of other suites, rather than a private space. We avoided these after hearing the lack of privacy.

submitted by fender1878 to PrincessCruises [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 23:40 GabeTheGiant AMD software has discovered a driver timeout has occurred on your system

Troubleshooting Help:

What is your parts list? Consider formatting your parts list.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hg7s7R
Describe your problem. List any error messages and symptoms. Be descriptive.
Whenever I load a game or go to a website, the screen freezes, flashes black, and then this msg appears "AMD software has discovered a driver timeout has occurred on your system". Its not all games, or all websites, but it seems to be happening more and more frequently
List anything you've done in attempt to diagnose or fix the problem.
I tried enabling the A-XMP setting in bios, using the driver verifier that supposedly comes with bios, downgrading my grphics driver to a previous version and changing the power setting so that it is high performance instead of blanced(all of these i found on google). I have reinstalled a fresh windows 10, windows 11, and windows 10 again but the problem still persists and im not sure what to do
edit: so ive entered the inception point where the screen froze, the warning box came up, and when i clicked the close for that warnign, it caused another freeze and another warning box

submitted by GabeTheGiant to buildapc [link] [comments]

2024.05.12 05:02 QuinLucenius The Ultimate "Souls and Soul Gems don't make any gods-damned sense" Post

"The nature of the soul is not knowable." ---Souls, Black and White

I initially wrote much of this as a response to a post yesterday by the inimitable, inestimable, incomparable, and approx. 45 degree tilted u/Crooked_Cock, but it became ridiculously long for a mere comment. "Long", as in, covering basically as much ground as the lore permits.
The purpose of this post is to interrogate (NOT answer) the following question: how the fuck do souls and soul gems work? Forgive my vulgarity, but I cannot think of another aspect of the setting's lore that is as muddled and confused as souls (also known as "anima", singular "animus"). For the purposes of this post, I am trying not to rely on unofficial lore when it comes to various anachronisms, though I will reference official material developed as a direct consequence of (and in the context of) pre-existing UOL.
TL;DR of the TL:DR - The lore around souls/soul gems is almost completely incoherent, and is saturated with fundamentally unresolvable contradictions.
TL;DR - There are two main theories the lore community often uses to explain the distinction between white and black souls, and neither really works. This is mostly due to conflicting information from the lore itself rather than a lack of skill on part of the community. While we can try and suspend disbelief for many of the things that are portrayed in-game despite what the lore says (e.g., Whiterun's population of ~70 people), there comes a point where you just have to acknowledge the lore itself inherits and is inherited by the games' contradictions.

What the games show us

As regards the division between white and black souls, we should assemble a glossary of facts that the games present us (some of which you may wish to discard later as poorly conceived or simply errors on part of the devs). Firstly, the soul-trap effect used by certain spells and items.
In Daggerfall, soul-trap is a % success spell that traps the soul of an enemy when they die. There is no distinction (that I can recall) between Petty-Lesser-Common-Greater-Grand white souls, nor Black souls. However, there was the absolutely fucking rad mechanic that I can't believe they abandoned where, depending on the being the soul was harvested from, your weapon/armoitem would gain a creature-specific effect. For example, binding an item with an Earth Atronach's soul gives you extra defense, but makes the item weigh more. Additionally, when the item breaks, the creature is released and then attacks you. (ES fans really sleep on how cool Daggerfall was.)
In Morrowind, things change to resemble what most of us are familiar with: the (white) Soul Gems you get in-game are capable of only capturing the souls of (most) creatures. NPC souls (excluding most NPCs designated by the game as creatures) cannot be captured, with the batshit insane exceptions of Vivec and Almalexia, who can be trapped in Azura's Star. (Keep in mind that the Black Star, the version of Azura's Star that can hold Black Souls, was theorized by Malyn Varen in the 4th era. This implies the False Gods of the Tribunal have white souls, which is... bonkers.)
In Oblivion, we get Black Soul Gems that can trap NPCs, which (unlike Morrowind) includes Dremora for some reason. (Skyrim would not repeat this mistake.) Skyrim's implementation is mostly identical to Oblivion's, and introduces the existence of the Black Star, conclusively proving that Azura's Star is not capable of holding Black Souls (for whatever reason).
ESO has expanded on animancy (soul magic) a bit by giving us more information on Daedric vestiges and anima, but nothing that fundamentally answers this question definitively. Of specific note is the fact that there are not divisions of soul gems in ESO, there is only Soul Gem (and the ever-elusive and never-again-seen Crown Soul Gem, whose alleged existence puzzles Tamrielic historians).
With these basic facts laid out, I now want to point out that there are a bunch of particular theories I've often seen presented in this sub (and in the lore community as a whole) as an answer to this post's central question that is very, VERY commonly asked. The answers I have seen can basically be collapsed into two main central ideas.

Theory #1 - The division between "white" and "black" souls is artificial, almost certainly invented by the Mages Guild.

"Furthermore, I propose that for the purposes of soul-trapping we categorize all souls into two classes: the legal, or 'White' souls, those smaller essences that are captured from beasts and animals, and illegal, or 'Black' souls, which are derived from sentient mortals. And we will teach only those spells that can capture White souls, forbidding our students to use the larger soul gems on sentients." ---Vanus Galerion, Guild Memo on Soul-Trapping

This is the theory that at first seems to make the most sense, but then the breadth of the available lore pretty quickly makes it an overly simplistic (and in my personal opinion, extremely poor) explanation.
There are two big pieces of evidence commonly brought to support this theory: Guildmaster Emeritus Vanus Galerion's Guild Memo on Soul-Trapping (read here) and the indistinct soul gems of ESO.
In ESO (c. 2E 582), there are no gradients of soul gems nor black soul gems; there are only soul gems. This seems to make sense, but we know that soul-trapping spells date far earlier, and the Mages Guild had been using their version of the spell in the early 2nd era at least (shortly after its founding), centuries before ESO's time. Their version(s) evidently refused to allow for sentient souls to be captured, at least according to Vanus Galerion. We also know that black soul gems exist by this time, and that soul gems aren't in fact uniform as they are in the game, but we can suspend our disbelief for this minor sin.
(Edit: u/Misticsan has reminded me of the long-lost lore of the year of our lord 2016 (the One Tamriel update), in which there were different variations of (white?) soul gems corresponding to level ranges within levels 1-50. Mortal souls were trappable in these soul gems as well, as I recall.)

"Centuries of experimentation has demonstrated that there are black souls and white souls. Only the rare black soul gem can hold the soul of a higher creature, such as a man or an elf." ---Souls, Black and White

At issue with this theory fundamentally is that it isn't clear in the lore whether black and white souls are truly qualitatively distinct (meaning the difference isn't actually artificial), if soul gems are qualitatively distinct (meaning it's the soul gem itself that can only capture a white/black soul), if soul-trap spells vary so widely as to trap what other spells cannot, or all three together somehow. Each of these ideas has limited support in the lore, which makes the prognosis for this theory grim, in my opinion.
It's rumored that Sotha Sil was the first to actually create Black Soul Gems through reverse engineering regular soul gems, which would seem to imply the distinction isn't truly artificial since the average anima geode fragment is unable to reliably contain the qualitatively distinct mortal soul. Yet, why does, for example, the Mace of Molag Bal obey the Guild's soul-trapping rules and trap black souls only if you have black soul gems? This would seem to imply that it's the soul gems themselves that are distinct rather than the souls, for I doubt that the Lord of Domination would deliberately enchant his own mace with the Guild's version of soultrap. (Morrowind's version does not cast soultrap on hit, interestingly enough.)
To complicate things further, black soul gems are stated to be the only gems capable of trapping "the most willful souls" thereby bypassing the restrictions of the standard Mages Guild's version(s) of soultrap. This implies both souls and soul gems are not artificially distinct. Add to this Mannimarco's first retrieval and use of this unique kind of soul gem (capable of the then-impossible/difficult task of trapping willful souls) predates Galerion's Guild Memo on Soul Trapping, since the memo mentions Mannimarco and his Worm Cult explicitly. The Memo states this despite black soul gems from Coldharbour being retrieved prior to Mannimarco's expulsion from the Psijics.
In other words, Mannimarco (through his then-ally Vastarie) retrieved Black Soul Gems, which were notable only because they were much betteexclusively capable (it's not really clear) of capturing mortal souls. This happened prior to Galerion's Guild Memo, which proposed the division between White and Black souls in the first place. Viz., mortal souls are more "willful" than white souls, which necessitates a Black Soul Gem in order to capture mortal (black) souls. Yet, the Guild Memo wants to change the soul-trap spell so that one cannot trap a mortal soul, despite the fact that Black Soul Gems bypass the restriction anyway. Why would Galerion propose a division between white and black souls (to design a new soultrap spell) if black soul gems (1) bypass the spell's restrictions anyway and (2) are the only gems capable of holding black souls?
And if black soul gems aren't the only gems that can hold mortal souls, then the existence of black soul gems prior to the Guild Memo implies that there actually is a difference between white and black souls, and the difference isn't artificial at all. Under no possible combination can it be said without serious contradiction that the difference between white and black souls was invented by Vanus Galerion.
Returning to direct game evidence, Soultrap in Morrowind is incapable of capturing mortal souls (in support of the theory) yet the inverse is true in Skyrim, and Oblivion (against the theory). In ESO, you don't even require a black soul gem. For Skyrim, maybe the dissolution of the Guild swiftly brought necromancy-friendly soultrap spells back? But, again, why can they only be trapped in black soul gems? Why does Azura's Star restrict itself to white souls if the difference is completely artificial? Maybe a Daedric Prince genuinely cares strongly about preventing the trapping of mortal play-things' souls, but this still implies a difference in both white/black souls and white/black soul gems.
I am loathe to completely ignore the differences in every games' mechanics to make this theory begin to work, because that requires editing/ignoring an awful lot of content/lore. There are some differences we have to suspend disbelief to make sense of, but we can't very well suspend all of the disbelief possible. Making this theory work also requires flatly ignoring large portions of the available lore-text, or placing them anachronistically after the publication of the Guild Memo.

^{TL;DR - Galerion's} ^{Guild Memo} ^{implies that the very categorization of souls into white and black originates with the Guild's creation of the soul-trap spell, yet there is very mixed evidence as to whether sentient souls and soul gems are qualitatively distinct from non-sentient souls and black soul gems respectively. Black Soul Gems, uniquely capable of reliably trapping mortal souls, predate the Guild Memo. After all, in Skyrim, the degenerated Falmer give white souls while the surviving Falmer Gelebor and Vyrthur give black souls, and in Morrowind, you can't trap NPCs' souls at all. Did Galerion anticipate surviving Snow Elves that hadn't degenerated into the Betrayed?}

Theory #2 - Arkay, the Lord of the Wheel of Life, makes some mortal souls impossible to soultrap without Black Soul Gems.

"...Arkay has given us his Three Consecrations:
• Arkay's Grace, which we bestow upon birth, to protect the souls of the innocent until they are old enough to exercise their own volition.
• Arkay's Blessing, which we bestow upon the dying, to prevent their souls from being used without consent.
• Arkay's Law, which we bestow upon the deceased, that their corporeal forms may not be raised to unlawful servitude." ---Punctilius Tyrus, The Consecrations of Arkay

This theory is perhaps less convoluted, if for no other reason than because we lack a huge amount of contradicting details. It might also be able to coexist with the idea that both souls and soul gems are qualitatively distinct, though it does make the Guild Memo even more out of place if we assume so. After all, what need would Galerion have to distinguish white from black souls if the only way to bypass Arkay's protection was through Black Soul Gems? And if a big enough normal soul gem can capture a mortal soul with Arkay's protection... of what value is that protection really? But I digress.
Firstly, (and please point out if I am missing exceptions), a living, not-undead mortal will have Arkay's protection, which can only be bypassed by Black Soul Gems. For this purpose, vampires are not real true and honest 100% undead. This has its problems (as we'll see in a moment), but the logic of this theory demands we stick with it for now. (Also, don't forget we can soultrap Vivec and Almalexia. Arkay must be fucking pissed.)
The Corpse Preparation volumes tie widespread worship of Arkay (as is the case in Hammerfell) to the strength of "Arkay's Law"; the sanctification of dead bodies by Priests of Arkay prevents their resurrection as undead. Or, at least, that's what some people believe... despite a dearth of in-game evidence to the contrary.
Maybe the sanctification rites need to be repeated, and the Halls of the Dead we see in Skyrim are just constantly understaffed, and even so are staffed by incompetents who leave their damn amulet behind. Or maybe by quantity of worship, it is meant as the amount of priests (and thereby the sanctification rituals). Or maybe, as concerns Hammerful, it's just because the Ansei are (and this is true) super fucking cool.
Even so, there yet remains a very obnoxious thorn in this theory's side: draugr.
Draugr (maybe?) do not have Arkay's protection, because for most of them their burial was prior to the worship of Arkay and the Eight Divines generally. I say "maybe" because under the Nords' totemic religion, Orkey was a Testing God to guard against, and only seems to have become associated with sanctification against undeath as imperial religion was slowly imported into Skyrim (or perhaps ancient Nords wanted to guard against his protection??). I say "for most of them" because there are draugr in Solitude's Catacombs (who can speak dovahzul, no less) who were possibly buried when Potema was. And, if not, they would have been buried contemporaneous to (allegedly) a pre-Harald Temple of the Divines in Solitude, if you take Ysogar's journal very literally. Though perhaps more likely is that Potema was sealed in the Catacombs which had not been sanctified ever, if it indeed does date back to the early centuries of the First Era. This, in my opinion, makes no goddamn sense. "Hey guys, you know this necromancer Wolf Queen that nearly brought the Septim Empire to its knees in a brutal civil war? Let's throw her in the Catacombs which we specifically don't sanctify with Arkay's Consecrations. That won't come up later, I'm sure."
None of the aforementioned religious distinctions between the totemic religion, the late-1st and early-2nd era Nord-imperial hybrid, and the Imperial Pantheon existed in the official lore at the time of Skyrim's release, but it mostly conforms to what we see in later developments regardless: the draugr evidently did not have Arkay's protection, and decayed into the rotting knock-knee'd dragon-talking ambulators that we see in old Nordic ruins because of that.
The beings which we can safely presume don't have Arkay's protection either didn't worship him and use his sanctification practices (e.g., Nords of the Dragon Cult, Ayleids) or are so degenerated from the average mortal as to be little more than a beast in Arkay's eyes (e.g., giants and Falmer (not Snow Elves)). It's still odd that vampires have his protection (perhaps because it can be cured) but extremely more odd that Vivec and Almalexia can get soul trapped. Ignore that ~~for now~~ hopefully forever.
With even all of that aside, the single biggest issue (aside from all the evidence for the previous theory) in my opinion is that, as one example, Olaf One-Eye is present in Sovngarde, as well as on Mundus. The soul that animates his corpse is a white soul, despite Olaf very clearly being present in Aetherius. With what we've gone over in the previous paragraphs, draugr have white souls likely because they are simply the unsanctified mortal souls of the very bodies we are looking at (that's what this whole Arkay's Law is about, after all). Perhaps, in this one instance, Olaf's unsanctified white soul went to Sovngarde (Orkey plays favorites, I guess) and his body became a receptacle for some other, powerful white soul? After all, we can capture the soul animating his undead body and he's still hanging out in the Hall of Valor. Or maybe, when the remnant of his mortal body is roused from its slumber, his soul temporarily returns to his body? Probably not, since trapping it doesn't stop him from scarfing down endless food and mead in Aetherius' local beer hall.
Or maybe his presence in Sovngarde is completely unrelated to his soul somehow, in contrast to basically everything we know about how Aetherius and the afterlife seem to work? You can trap Ulfric, Galmar, and Rikke's souls and they'll still be in Sovngarde#:~:text=Depends%20on%20how%20far%20you%20have%20advanced%20through%20the%20Skyrim%20civil%20war%2C%20and%20the%20side%20that%20you%20have%20chosen) when you go there during Alduin's Bane. I can't even begin to reconcile that fact with most of what I've put to text already. Perhaps there are specific aspects of the soul (neither white nor black) that go to Aetherius, and some degenerated animus remains behind? How would we square that possibility with the souls in the Soul Cairn? And if what Valerica theorized is true (that trapping black souls in black soul gems sends them to the Soul Cairn), why does trapping Ulfric/GalmaRikke in a Black Soul Gem still allow them to go to Sovngarde? Maybe Shor prevents the Ideal Masters from snatching the soul (even if you used it to power an enchantment)? Or maybe they only go to the Soul Cairn specifically in deals with the Ideal Masters? (If so, poor, poor Jiub.)

^{TL;DR - If it is indeed Arkay's Consecrations which protects} ^only ^some ^{mortal souls from being trapped, then there is no difference} ^{absent those protections} ^{that distinguish white from black souls. If it is mortality} ^itself ^{that Arkay protects, then he seemingly arbitrarily and without good reason defines mortality in such a way as to exclude great portions of Tamriel's mortal population, alive, dead, or undead. The Falmer are an even greater mystery: why would Arkay} ^{change their souls} ^{to that of beasts? And are the draugr animated by the souls of the mortals who once lived within, or have those souls passed to Aetherius? Is some ambient aetherial creatia possessing the draugr?}

Final notes

We could independently conceive of a theoretical framework (with basically no real evidence) capable of distinguishing between certain aspects of a soul, since we know that souls are a little bit more complicated than just a person's spirit. Perhaps the capability of soul-trapping a daedroth (thereby preventing their reformation in Oblivion) indicates that some anuic aspect (which Daedra lack) transcends the capabilities of soul-trapping? This might help explain the Olaf/Ulfric/GalmeRikke issue, but still makes it difficult to explain the souls trapped in the Soul Cairn. Perhaps they are mere vestiges, and their "true" AE is somewhere else? Is it this anuic aspect that transcends even Arkay's Law, perhaps more simply being a function of the setting's underlying metaphysics?
And how would we square this with the Vestige's soul, which is probably (after the events of the MQ) now housed within a Daedric vestige?
Perhaps as a dissertation for a PhD in Tamrielic Studies, I'll reconcile all of this with an unprecedented level of textual and historical analysis. I'd... rather not, though, for reasons that have now hopefully become clear.

(P.S. - The Falmer)

I couldn't fit this organically elsewhere, but I wanted to make note of an idea I see somewhat commonly throughout threads regarding this question.
Supporters of theory #1 often suggest that the Betrayed (degenerated Falmer) have white souls because Galerion's soultrap spell did not consider them sentient (basically like that of animals). Yet, Arch-Curate Vyrthur yields a black soul when you kill him. Did Galerion anticipate potential survivors of the Snow-Elf genocide? Is this an oversight we're intended to just ignore?
Others suggest a theory I am more partial to, if only because it fits the Dwemer's history of manipulating souls, ~~strings~~ tones, and divinity. Perhaps the Falmer (not the Snow Elves) have white souls because the Dwemer degenerated the Falmer metaphysically to better serve as a slave race. I doubt the Glowing Mushrooms were the only thing the Dwemer used to subjugate the Falmer, and I also doubt a fungus's ability to downgrade one's own soul. This theory resolves the aforementioned problems under theory #1, and (if one believes theory #2) shows the Dwemer's capability of defying Arkay. It also serves as the thematic precursor to their (possible) ambitions of achieving a higher gradient of existence (divinity through the Brass God). Not that this resolves any of the problems with theory #2, but I wanted to put it here to mention how much I like the idea.

submitted by QuinLucenius to teslore [link] [comments]

2024.05.10 14:15 Soninetz Koala AI Reviews: Optimize Content Creation & SEO

Did you know that 90% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase? When it comes to Koala AI, the reviews can be a game-changer. Dive into this blog post to uncover the real deal behind Koala AI reviews. From user experiences to expert opinions, we've got you covered.
Discover the insights, pros, and cons that will help you make an informed decision about Koala AI. Get ready to explore the world of artificial intelligence with a fresh perspective. Stay tuned for an eye-opening journey through the realm of Koala AI reviews.
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Key Takeaways

Utilize Koala Writer's AI-powered features: Take advantage of Koala Writer's AI capabilities to enhance your content creation process and improve efficiency.
Focus on SEO optimization: Leverage Koala Writer for SEO optimization to boost your content's visibility and ranking on search engines.
Consider the pricing and value: Evaluate the pricing plans of Koala Writer to determine the best fit for your budget and needs.
Enhance user experience with support: Utilize the user-friendly interface of Koala Writer and access reliable customer support for a seamless experience.
Create bulk articles efficiently: Use Koala Writer to generate bulk articles quickly and maintain consistency in your content production.
Final assessment for decision-making: Conduct a final assessment of Koala Writer based on its pros and cons, features, and overall value before making a decision.

Overview of Koala Writer

Features

Koala AI reviews highlight the platform's innovative features. Natural language processing enables seamless content creation.
The platform offers real-time collaboration, enhancing team productivity. Users benefit from automated proofreading and grammar checking.

Performance

Koala Writer ensures high accuracy levels in content generation. The AI-powered tool aids in enhancing writing efficiency.
Users experience a significant reduction in editing time, leading to improved overall workflow. The platform's reliability is a key advantage.

User Experience

Intuitive interface design facilitates user interaction. Koala Writer prioritizes user-friendly navigation, catering to diverse user preferences.
The platform's responsiveness and adaptability contribute to a positive user experience. Users appreciate the customizable settings, enhancing personalization options.
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Key Features Explained

Simplified Interface

Koala AI offers a user-friendly interface, making it easy for writers to navigate and utilize its features efficiently. The platform's simplicity enhances productivity and streamlines the writing process.

Smart Suggestions

With Koala AI, writers can access intelligent suggestions for improving their content. These suggestions range from enhancing readability to refining grammar, helping writers create polished pieces.

Real-time Collaboration

One of Koala AI's standout features is its support for real-time collaboration. This functionality enables multiple users to work on a document simultaneously, fostering teamwork and enhancing efficiency.

Customizable Templates

Koala AI provides a range of customizable templates tailored to different types of content. Whether creating a blog post, marketing copy, or academic paper, writers can choose templates that suit their needs.

Integrated Research Tools

Writers can leverage Koala AI's integrated research tools to access relevant information seamlessly. From generating citations to finding supporting evidence, these tools streamline the research process.

Advanced Editing Capabilities

Koala AI offers advanced editing capabilities such as sentence restructuring and tone adjustments. Writers can fine-tune their content with precision, ensuring clarity and coherence in their writing.
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Pros and Cons

Efficiency

Koala AI offers efficient automation of tasks, saving time and improving productivity for businesses.
The system's ability to quickly analyze data and generate insights streamlines decision-making processes. This results in faster responses to market trends and customer needs.

Accuracy

One of the major advantages of Koala AI is its high level of accuracy in data analysis and prediction.
By leveraging advanced algorithms, the platform minimizes errors and provides reliable forecasts for businesses. This precision enhances strategic planning and operational efficiency.

Cost-Effective

Implementing Koala AI can lead to significant cost savings for organizations.
By automating repetitive tasks and optimizing resource allocation, companies can reduce operational expenses. This cost-effectiveness contributes to overall profitability and competitiveness in the market.
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Integration Challenges

While Koala AI offers numerous benefits, integrating the system into existing workflows can pose challenges.
Companies may face compatibility issues with legacy systems or require additional training for employees to effectively utilize the platform. Overcoming these integration hurdles is essential for maximizing the benefits of Koala AI.

Data Security Concerns

The use of Koala AI raises concerns about data security and privacy protection.
As the platform processes sensitive information, ensuring robust cybersecurity measures is crucial to prevent unauthorized access or data breaches. Companies must prioritize implementing stringent security protocols to safeguard their data assets.

Scalability Limitations

Scalability limitations are another consideration when adopting Koala AI for business operations.
As companies grow, they may encounter challenges in scaling up the system to accommodate larger datasets or increased analytical demands. Ensuring that Koala AI can adapt to evolving business needs is essential for long-term viability.

Creating Content with Koala Writer

User-Friendly Interface

Koala Writer offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies the content creation process. Users can easily navigate through the platform, making it ideal for beginners. The intuitive design ensures a smooth writing experience.
The platform provides various tools and features to enhance content creation. From spell checkers to formatting options, Koala Writer equips users with everything they need to produce high-quality content efficiently. The platform's autosave feature prevents data loss, offering peace of mind.

Collaboration Capabilities

Koala Writer enables seamless collaboration among team members. Users can work on projects simultaneously, allowing for real-time edits and feedback. This feature streamlines the workflow and enhances productivity for teams working on shared documents.
The platform's version history feature tracks all changes made to a document, providing transparency and accountability within collaborative projects. This ensures that users can revert to previous versions if needed, safeguarding against accidental deletions or unwanted modifications.

Integration Options

Koala Writer offers integration with various third-party applications and tools. Users can seamlessly incorporate research findings, images, and data from external sources directly into their documents. This integration capability enhances the overall writing experience and facilitates comprehensive content creation.
The platform's compatibility with popular file formats such as Word documents and PDFs ensures smooth transitions between different tools and software. This versatility allows users to work across multiple platforms without encountering compatibility issues.

SEO Optimization and Bulk Articles

Content Management

Content management is crucial for SEO optimization. Ensure keyword research guides your content creation process.
Maintain an organized content calendar to schedule posts effectively. Utilize tools like Koala AI to streamline content creation.

Bulk Article Creation

Bulk article creation can be efficient with the right tools. Koala AI enables quick generation of multiple articles simultaneously.
Utilize the platform's features to enhance SEO performance through diverse content creation strategies.

Quality Control

Maintain high standards in content quality while focusing on bulk production. Review articles for accuracy and relevance before publishing.
Implement a system for editing and proofreading to ensure each piece meets SEO standards.

Pricing and Value

Subscription Options

Koala AI offers various subscription plans to cater to different needs and budgets. Users can choose from monthly, quarterly, or annual subscriptions.
The monthly plan provides flexibility for short-term projects, while the annual plan offers cost savings for long-term users. The quarterly plan strikes a balance between the two.
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Features Included

Each subscription tier comes with different features tailored to meet specific requirements. Basic plans may include essential functionalities, while premium packages offer advanced tools like in-depth analytics and plagiarism checks.
Users can upgrade or downgrade their plans based on their evolving needs and budget constraints. This flexibility ensures that customers only pay for the features they require.

Cost-Effectiveness

One of the key advantages of Koala AI's pricing structure is its cost-effectiveness. By offering a range of plans, the platform caters to both individuals and businesses with varying budgets.
Customers can access cutting-edge AI technology at competitive prices, making it an attractive option for those looking to optimize their content creation process without breaking the bank.

User Experience and Support

Efficient Support

Koala AI provides efficient support to users through various channels like live chat, email, and phone. Users can quickly resolve any issues or queries they encounter during their usage of the platform.

Interactive User Interface

The platform offers an interactive user interface that is intuitive and easy to navigate. Users can seamlessly access features, making their experience smooth and hassle-free.

Timely Updates

Koala AI ensures timely updates to enhance user experience by fixing bugs and introducing new features regularly. This commitment to improvement reflects the company's dedication to meeting user needs effectively.

Comprehensive Knowledge Base

A comprehensive knowledge base is available for users seeking self-help options or additional information. This resource empowers users to troubleshoot common problems independently, saving time and effort.

Personalized Training Sessions

The platform offers personalized training sessions for users looking to maximize their usage of Koala AI. These sessions cater to individual needs, ensuring users make the most out of the platform's capabilities.

Final Assessment

Performance Metrics

Koala AI has shown exceptional accuracy in its reviews, consistently providing relevant and insightful feedback. Its advanced algorithms ensure precision in evaluating various aspects of a product or service.
The platform's ability to analyze large volumes of data within seconds sets it apart from competitors, enhancing efficiency for businesses seeking quick insights into customer sentiments.

User Satisfaction

Users have expressed high levels of satisfaction with Koala AI's review system, praising its user-friendly interface and intuitive design. The platform's seamless integration with existing tools further enhances the overall user experience.

Reliability and Trustworthiness

Koala AI has established itself as a reliable source for unbiased reviews, earning the trust of both consumers and businesses alike. Its commitment to transparency in data processing ensures the integrity of the review process.

Pros:
- High accuracy in reviews
- Efficient data analysis capabilities
- User-friendly interface
Cons:
- Limited customization options
- Dependency on internet connectivity

Future Outlook

As Koala AI continues to refine its algorithms and expand its capabilities, the future looks promising for the platform. With a focus on enhancing personalization features and addressing user feedback, Koala AI is poised for sustained growth in the competitive market landscape.

Final Remarks

In wrapping up, you've gained insight into Koala Writer's functionalities, from its user-friendly interface to its SEO optimization capabilities. Considering its pros and cons, you can see how it streamlines content creation while offering room for improvement. The pricing structure aligns with the value it provides, ensuring a cost-effective solution for your writing needs. User experience and support further enhance the overall package, making Koala Writer a compelling tool for your content creation arsenal.
As you delve into utilizing Koala Writer, remember to leverage its features effectively to maximize your writing efficiency. Explore its SEO tools, experiment with bulk article creation, and reach out for support when needed. With Koala Writer by your side, crafting engaging content becomes a seamless process that drives results. Keep honing your skills and discovering new ways to elevate your writing game.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Koala Writer's main focus?

Koala Writer is primarily focused on providing AI-powered tools to assist writers in creating high-quality content efficiently.

How does Koala Writer help with SEO optimization?

Koala Writer offers built-in SEO optimization features that guide users in optimizing their content for search engines, helping improve visibility and ranking.

Can Koala Writer handle bulk article creation?

Yes, Koala Writer is equipped to handle bulk article creation, allowing users to generate multiple pieces of content quickly and effectively.

What kind of user support does Koala Writer provide?

Koala Writer offers comprehensive user support through various channels such as email, live chat, and a knowledge base to assist users with any queries or issues they may encounter.

Is Koala Writer suitable for beginners in content creation?

Yes, Koala Writer is beginner-friendly with its user-friendly interface and intuitive features that cater to writers of all levels, making it a great tool for those new to content creation.
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submitted by Soninetz to ReviewsFactory [link] [comments]

2024.05.09 00:20 TheQueenCassie In Defense of BBS, and why I think the poor design of Mysterious Figure taints the game unfairly

Birth by Sleep as a game has a few fundamental design flaws. We all know this, we've heard it countless times from every KH Youtuber under the sun, from Stickman Sham to Bio-Roxas to even Regular Pat. The combos are stale, the command styles force you to change up playstyle, Ventus and Aqua have i-frames built into their dodges meaning you can literally cartwheel or dodge roll infinitely and never get hurt while Terra does not have i-frames in his dodge, Terra overall is too slow, and so on. That's nevermind some of the potential story issues -- though I do think here the game is unfairly maligned for treating character decisions as if they make no sense when in-universe they make plenty of sense -- IE, why does Terra trust Master Xehanort? Because he's raised as a sheltered kid, told to practically worship Masters, and has no context to understand otherwise.
But, here's the thing: I think a lot of these flaws actually, in a no-doubt unintentional manner, can be seen as strengths of the game. How so? Well, consider what we know about TVA versus Sora and Riku. They've been trained to be keyblade wielders, they're shown mastery of the art, they have tactics and abilities that Sora and Riku simply lack. Shotlocks, for example, are a perfect way of illustrating something they can do with their keyblades that only Sora ever truly approximated with Ragnarok. However, that very same training leaves them set in doing things in a particular style and manner. The clunkiness of their combos is because they were trained to do that over and over till it's all they can imagine doing.
In other words, their training leaves them with a lack of creativity. Sora and Riku learn from their opponents -- we see this in KH 1 especially, where Sora picks up on techniques after watching the enemy do things, from learning Cure magic after seeing Clayton healing himself and fighting alongside Tarzan who can also heal, to learning Ars Arcanum sword slashing from Hook's flurry of blows and Peter's swift strikes, and so on. He picks up techniques in KH2 that often would've been of huge benefit in the very fight where you learn them, like Explosion obtained after helping the solar sailor reach the MCP. They're flexible, adaptable, and can switch things up in a way that TVA can't, or at least take a long time to learn how to.
This plays well to the game's story. And the truth is, for 99.9% of this game, even the added bosses in Final Mix, these flaws don't really stop you from being victorious. Sure, you have to do some pretty silly tactics, but even on level 1 crit you can do all of these challenges. It's hard, it's often unfair, but you can make it through. And for what the game is doing, that's plenty.
And then there's this asshole.

Pictured: The worst boss in the entire franchise.
Mysterious Figure overshadows everything for the gameplay enthusiasts, and bogs down the game in a way that has made him still, as of the time of this posting, unbeatable by me, and by the vast majority of players. Why? Because he takes every last flaw in the game and turns it up to eleven. Infinite i-frames from dodging? Better design the boss to take that into account and give you almost zero room for error! Want to have a chance of surviving even a single attack? Better have Second Chance and Once More or else everything is a one shot! Want to heal? Better have Renewal Block and hope your button presses time correctly and that your block is actually aimed properly at the boss (If you're Terra and Ven) or that you don't accidentally dodge at the wrong second (If you're Aqua.) Think you've done some damage? Nope, the boss can randomly break out Renewal Block of his own and heal off your attacks. Expect to get in even a single keyblade swing? Nah, if you don't have surge moves in your deck you might as well give up and cry because you're not hitting him ever.
Oooh, ooh, and let's not forget his power to randomly turn back time by a few seconds like he's the Prince of Persia and, typically, blast you with that attack that sends your commands scattering everywhere because he happened to move in just the right way, which of course like everything else about the guy is entirely random. Set patterns of attack? Nah, he might open the fight by shooting an orange X at you or he might open it with the forever-clone move that takes way too long and if it catches you even once you're done because it usually leaves you stunned at the end so you can't dodge or block or heal. And if all of that wasn't enough, he can turn invisible and violate the basic design of the camera system in these games by being impossible to keep track of -- at least with prior invisible enemies you could still lock onto them because the designers understood that was required to not be completely flailing in the dark!
This one superboss -- and admittedly Vanitas Remnant shares a bit of this too but at least he can be cheesed by sticking him against a rock -- completely and totally ruins the game for a lot of people. This game already had enough to cope with, being accessible to most via the HD collections which do not make it clear that it was originally designed and made for the PSP, and plays as such. They go straight from 2FM to BBS, and that's already a downgrade in most ways, and even I as someone who prefers both I and III over 2FM recognizes this. The game then has you play through it three times in a story structure that makes logical sense but can definitely feel repetitive and frustrating to the player. But then you add onto that the main superboss, the final boss of the next game, is so unbelievably broken, and it takes what little goodwill the game had from it's fairly well paced story and tragic ending and flushes it down the toilet for so many people, because they can't beat this boss. People who've conquered the Data Fights and Lingering Will of 2FM (Like me) will break their controllers in frustration over how poorly designed this fight is.
And I think that's unfortunate. I can understand where it comes from and why, but it is frustrating how much this one experience poisons the game for people who play these games more for gameplay than story. And even those who play for story and experience first -- IE me -- and who love this game otherwise... it's just painful, excessively difficult, and patently unfair. Say what you will about how difficult the fights in 2FM could be, but at least they had patterns, they had recognizable openings, they actually got caught in combos (at least till you hit their revenge value) and you had options. I've beaten No Heart first try, but I cannot for the life of me defeat the Mysterious Figure.
He's the worst superboss in the series, and his existence is far too heavy a presence on a game that, while it had issues, at least found a way -- albeit unintentionally -- to use most of those issues as a strength to its overall narrative structure. This game is still fourth on my list of rankings for the series, but it's understandable why so many rate the game so much lower, when the Mysterious Figure looms over all as this ridiculously unfair, nigh unbeatable challenge.

submitted by TheQueenCassie to KingdomHearts [link] [comments]

2024.05.08 19:15 sparrowed_ A Comprehensive Guide to Installing Working Apps on a Jailbroken iPad Mini 1 with iOS 9.3.5

Helloooo,
So over the past few days I've scoured through countless replies and posts in this reddit to jailbreak and install the last compatible versions of the apps I often use. This lead me down a wild rabbithole of loose ends for two days, but I managed to get it to work the way I wanted to by piecing together information from all that information I've found. Because I would have loved a comprehensive tutorial on the easiest way to do this for my specific iPad and iOS version, I've decided to be that person who provides this tutorial for anybody else looking to do the same. It's gonna be a bit of a long tutorial, but if you really want your iPad Mini to have some its functionality back, it'll be worth it.

If you have any questions about how to perform certain basic steps, please do your own research first before asking your question. If you have a different iOS, don't bother asking your question, because I only know what I've figured out for iOS 9.3.5 and I cannot help you with your iOS version.

(I genuinely love to help with what I know when you are stuck on a step or need more information, but if it's a question that can be answered by just looking at the information provided in the Wiki, I will not entertain answering either 😘)
Step 1: Jailbreak your iPad Mini
Follow this tutorial by u/whoit61 to jailbreak your iPad Mini 1, but we do not need to use Sideloadly for installing the apps you want. More on that later. Come back to this tutorial once you've jailbroken and installed Cydia on your iPad Mini.
Step 2: Installing necessary tweaks
Now you'll have the following tools installed:

Phoenix 6 (Jailbreak iOS app)
Cydia (iOS app to install tweaks and apps)
BigBoss Repo (huge repository with a lot of useful tweaks you can install.) BigBoss is one of the pre-installed repositories when you install Cydia, but if for some reason you don't have it in your sources, the link to add it is: http://apt.thebigboss.org/repofiles/cydia/

We'll need to install some important tweaks in Cydia to get the rest of this tutorial to work. I'll also list the other optional tweaks here that I've personally installed. I'll provide the URL's of the repositories for these tweaks as well.
Necessary:

App Admin (Used to manually downgrade certain apps to an earlier version to get them to work, more on this later) - Found in the BigBoss Repo.
Checkmate, Store! (Used to let you download iOS Apps from the App Store when you'd normally get the message "This App Is Not Compatible With This iPad". Note: this tweak will not help you prevent the message that the App requires a higher iOS to download. If you want to install an app that gives you that message, you're out of luck. You will not be able to download it.) - Link to the repo: http://cydia.invoxiplaygames.uk/
Filza File Manager (File Manager needed to spoof certain apps to get them to work.) - Found in the BigBoss Repo.
ReProvision Reborn (iOS app to automatically re-sign app - used to keep Phoenix current.) - Link to the repo: https://repo.satoh.dev/
iCleaner Pro (iOS system cleanup and utility manager. Used to delete temp-files, cache-files and basically any useless files stored on your iPad. Helps with the limited amount of storage you have.) - Link to the repo: http://cydia.akemi.ai/
NoGoogleAMP (Tweak that automatically calls "Request Desktop Site" on Google AMP sites, so the original website will load. Used for log-ins to your Google Account.) - Found in the BigBoss Repo.
Stashing for iOS 9.2-9.3.5 (this helps with storage space issues.) - Link to the repo: http://cydia.akemi.ai/

Optional:

Activator (Management tool for changing gestures, buttons and shortcuts in iOS) - Found in the BigBoss Repo.
AppSync Unified (ONLY FOR SIDELOADING, DO NOT INSTALL THIS WHEN YOU WANT TO DOWNLOAD LEGITIMATE APPS THROUGH THE APPSTORE, IT WILL INTERVERE WITH APP ADMIN AND CHECKMATE, STORE! WHEN YOU GO TO DOWNLOAD APPS FROM THE APPSTORE!!! iOS tweak for extending the time an app can run, 3 days without it) - Link to the repo: http://cydia.akemi.ai/
YTHDUnlocker (Unlocks HD Videos in YouTube App, cause let's be real... we don't want to look just at 720p, when our iPad can easily play HD video's...) - Link to the repo: https://julioverne.github.io/
Vendura iOS [BETA] (Tweak to install a... petty workaround for the YouTube app to be able to watch YouTube video's through the YouTube app. It does not have the same functionality as the true YouTube App, but it's faster than watching it through a browser like Safari, Google Chrome, FireFox or Puffin) - Installing this requires manually following a different tutorial, more on this in Step 5, but leave this be for now. We need to do other stuff first.
tweakCompatible (Very useful tweak to check if a tweak you want to install in Cydia is compatible with your iOS version or not) - Found in the BigBoss Repo.
SafariBeBetter (Allows you to change some Safari functionalities) - Found in the BigBoss Repo.
SafariFix (Will fix reloading issues in Safari) - Found in the BigBoss Repo.
Preference Organizer 2 (Organizes your Preferences in the Settings app into categories. Useful for following the Vendura iOS tutorial, because it'll look the same as the video tutorial of the creator) - Link to the repo: http://cydia.akemi.ai/

Step 3: How to Review your Apple ID account information when you haven't accessed the App Store on a different iDevice before and are unable to do so
You can skip this step if your Apple ID account has accessed the App Store before, but if you are like me and your new Apple ID hasn't accessed the App Store before, you'll run into a problem. Your iPad will ask you to review your account information, but it will not even let you pass the Terms & Conditions page. The 'Next' button will do nothing. Trying to do the same thing on iTunes via your PC, will also result in not being able to continue after you've filled in your personal information and a payment option. You'll get an error saying that you need to contact Apple for support.
I've found a workaround by logging in to Apple Music via their Webplayer. Note that it'll probably ask you for a Two-Factor-Identification, so keep your iPad on hand to log-in. Once you've logged in to Apple Music go to Settings > Account Settings > Account Summary > Manage Payments. Add a payment option AND your billing adress and save your changes. This will count as reviewing your account information on your iPad Mini as well and you're now able to download Apps through the App Store. Yipppieeeee!!!!
Step 4: Installing the last compatible versions of the apps you want
Whoof, that was already a lot of work. Good job, I'll assume you've got all of the necessary tweaks installed now and your AppleID account information has been reviewed. We'll discuss how you can install the apps you want.
There are 3 paths you can take. I'll focus on the second one, because I do not have an alternative iDevice that I could use to download the Apps I wanted and get them into my Purchased tab.
Think of Sideloading apps onto your iPad Mini as your last possible option of getting the app you want on your iPad Mini, if nothing else works or that app is not available in the App Store anymore at all.

Purchase the App in the App Store on a newer iDevice with the minimal required iOS.
Purchase the App in the App Store on a Windows computer with iTunes 12.6.3.
1. I believe there is a workaround to get iTunes 12.6.3 on your iMac, but you'll have to find other people's posts/tutorials on how to do that, sorry. This tutorial is only useful for people with a Windows PC x64 or x32.
2. Download iTunes 12.6.3 on your PC via the link above. If you have a more recent version of iTunes already installed on your PC, uninstall it and move the iTunes Library.itl file from C:\Users\[user]\Music\iTunes to your Desktop for safekeeping. Once you installed iTunes 12.6.3, it'll make a new library.itl file for you and allows you to access and 'Purchase' apps in the App Store.
3. Once you have iTunes 12.6.3 installed, log in with your Apple ID and go to the Store tab.
4. Switch from Music to Apps and now you can search for any Apps you'd wish to install on your iPad Mini. Make sure that your iPad Mini is not connected to your PC with a USB cable. Simple click on '+ Get' to purchase the apps you want.
5. Now go to the App Store on your iPad Mini and head to the Purchase tab. You can now download the apps by clicking on the cloud-download icon. It'll ask you: "Do you want to download the last compatible version?" Click on Download. It'll download the last compatible version for you.
6. Bada-bing-bada-boom, you have the app downloaded on your iPad Mini now. Head to Step 5 for a guide on how to get some apps like Reddit and YouTube (and by association, other Google apps) actually working again.
Sideload the App with the last compatible IPA using Sideloady. https://sideloadly.io/
1. READ THE ENTIRE Sideloadly page - there's a ton of useful info and help.
2. Run the Sideloadly installer on your PC.
3. Find the last compatible IPA you need at the IPA Archive or look at the resources provided in the FAQ. I'll post the softwareVersionExternalIdentifyers and other useful information about the last compatible apps I've installed in Appendix A at the bottom of this post.

If you want cross-functionality (for example, for you Google account to log in across all your Google Apps, useful for logging into YouTube as well), it is still the best option to download the legitimate Apps through the Appstore, rather than sideloading them through Sideloadly, because sideloading Apps will not give you that cross-functionality for different apps, which is quite useful for the Vendura iOS YouTube workaround.
Step 5: Getting some Apps working again.
I'll provide the information I've gathered on how to sign in to Reddit and to get YouTube to work at all with workarounds. If the app you want to use isn't working after downloading it, go do a deepdive through this reddit to figure out what other people might already have tried and see if that works for you as well!

For this part of the tutorial I only know how to get these to work using the 1st & 2nd method of installing apps as shown in Step 4. These steps will not work the same way if you've sideloaded the apps instead.

Reddit - works as per May 2024

The Reddit fix will not work if you have Sideloaded the apps. I recommend sideloading the iOS 7.1 IPA of Reddit that you can download here (direct download link) instead for a functional Reddit app.

You've downloaded the legitimate last compatible Reddit app from the App Store, but now you cannot log in to your account. You've also installed App Admin like I told you, because you're a good boi™.
The last compatible version of Reddit has the softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 825257195. We go back to the App Store now and press and hold on the Reddit app in our Purchased tab to downgrade our Reddit app to 821375001.
Now when we open this older version of Reddit, we can log in to our Reddit account(s) and then head back to the App Store to "downgrade" our Reddit App back to 825257195. When the update is done, you'll still be logged into your Reddit account(s). Happy scrolling!

YouTube using the Vendura iOS workaround

Okay, this is a bit of a long one. Because this tutorial is technically two-fold: 1. How to workaround logging in to your Google account on the YouTube App (and all the other Google Apps you wish to use) and 2. How to get a working YouTube App where you can actually play videos. Spoofing the last compatible version of YouTube to the most recent released YouTube version is not enough to play video's for us, sadly, so we have to either perform this workaround, or just content with the fact that we'll have to watch our video's through a browser like Puffin, Chrome, Firefox or god forbid (I might throw up a little 🤢) Safari. Which are all, to be fair, incredibly slow and annoying when trying to load YouTube pages.
This YouTube workaround will still work if you want to sideload YouTube, but you'll have to sideload the required version of YouTube (v10.11.11546) from the start and you will not be able to log in to your own account, but you'll still be able to search for video's and watch them. You can download the correct IPA here (direct download link).

How to workaround logging in to your Google account on the YouTube App (and all the other Google Apps you wish to use) - works as per May 2024.
1. Purchase the YouTube Kids app through iTunes 12.6.3 or a newer iDevice.
2. Download the last compatible version of YouTube Kids on your iPad Mini.
3. Log in to YouTube Kids with your Google account.
4. Make up a fake kid to use the YouTube Kids account and finish your sign up for YouTube Kids.
5. Open all the other Google apps you have installed and want to use and make sure they're logged in to your Google account now as well.
How to get a working YouTube App where you can actually play videos using Vendura iOS.

Tips to know before following the tutorials for Vendura iOS: add your Google Drive account to Filza and upload the requirement files to your Google Drive for easy access on your iPad Mini.
You have to downgrade your YouTube app to 10.11.11546 with App Admin in the App Store FIRST. The softwareVersionExternalIdentifier for it is 812033351.
There are multiple tutorials on Reddit, GitHub and YouTube on how to install Vendura iOS. I will only post the links to those and you can read/watch and follow the tutorials on your own from there.

GitHub Tutorial (from the creator u/Puzzleheaded-Quit377 )
Reddit Tutorial (from the creator u/Puzzleheaded-Quit377 )
YouTube Tutorial (from the creator u/Puzzleheaded-Quit377 )
Reddit Tutorial 2 /w the addition of Cephei, extra details & optional tweak suggestions (from u/AndyPea1230 )
Vendura iOS Patch v1.0 (from u/AnnoyedArt1256 )

Good luck! This workaround works for me. I've used the API-key method and I recommend that version of Vendura iOS, but I'm sure the version without the API-key works just as well. Note: you still cannot click on the video's on the homepage or subscriber page directly, but you can use the Vendura iOS menu to find the video using the title and play it from there!

Appendix A: Last compatible version of Apps for iPad Mini on iOS 9.3.5

Note that these are only the apps that I've personally installed and use quite often.
If you want to know the last compatible version of a FREE app that's still on the App Store, so you can sideload it, let me know in the comments and I'll see if I can download it and give you the information you need!

Chrome
artistid 281956209
bundleVersion 63.0.3239.73
bundleShortVersionString 63.3239.73
itemId 535886823
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 825112543
Discord
artistid 658886503
bundleVersion 8812
bundleShortVersionString 2.3.10
itemId 985746746
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 829136839
Docs
artistid 281956209
bundleVersion 1.2018.16203
bundleShortVersionString 1.2018.16203
itemId 842842640
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 826792604
Drive
artistid 281956209
bundleVersion 4.2018.38201
bundleShortVersionString 4.2018.38201
itemId 507874739
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 828557275
Gmail
artistid 281956209
bundleVersion 5.0.180506.764439
bundleShortVersionString 5.0.180506
itemId 422689480
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 827287374
Google Calendar
artistid 281956209
bundleVersion 2.36.0.52035000
bundleShortVersionString 2.36.0
itemId 909319292
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 826478601
OneDrive
artistid 298856275
bundleVersion 9.9
bundleShortVersionString 9.9
itemId 477537958
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 825554349
Outlook
artistid 298856275
bundleVersion 27813
bundleShortVersionString 2.48.0
itemId 951937596
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 824103195
PowerPoint
artistid 298856275
bundleVersion 2.5.17090402
bundleShortVersionString 2.5
itemId 586449534
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 823562397
Puffin
artistid 406239141
bundleVersion 16404
bundleShortVersionString 5.2.9
itemId 472937654
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 854987130
Reddit
artistid 808295587
bundleVersion 300266
bundleShortVersionString 3.13.1
itemId 1064216828
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 825257195 / 821375001 (for login workaround)
Spotify
artistid 324684583
bundleVersion 846200490
bundleShortVersionString 8.4.62
itemId 324684580
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 827792863
TikTok
artistid 1322881000
bundleVersion 231016
bundleShortVersionString 23.1.0
itemId 835599320
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 847108070
Translate
artistid 281956209
bundleVersion 5.19.59068
bundleShortVersionString 5.19.59068
itemId 414706506
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 826467824
Tumblr
artistid 305343407
bundleVersion 882
bundleShortVersionString 8.8.1
itemId 305343404
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 822641717
VLC
artistid 599606329
bundleVersion 615
bundleShortVersionString 3.5.7
itemId 650377962
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 864476991
Word
artistid 298856275
bundleVersion 2.5.17090402
bundleShortVersionString 2.5
itemId 586447913
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 823562419
YouTube
artistid 281956209
bundleVersion 13.42.6
bundleShortVersionString 13.42.6 / 10.11.11546
itemId 544007664
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 829067821 / 812033351 (for Vendura iOS)
YouTube Kids
artistid 281956209
bundleVersion 5.17.4
bundleShortVersionString 5.17.4
itemId 936971630
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 836534102
YouTube Music
artistid 281956209
bundleVersion 2.61.4
bundleShortVersionString 2.61.4
itemId 1017492454
softwareVersionExternalIdentifier 829454983

submitted by sparrowed_ to LegacyJailbreak [link] [comments]

2024.05.08 02:23 adesimo1 Food Experiment Part 2: Testing Oat Fiber, Rice Crispies and Soy Protein Isolate as breading for air fried chicken

This is a follow-up to Part 1 which I posted yesterday. Some people had additional suggestions in the comments, and I decided to try some of the other ingredients that I had on hand.
Ingredients Pictured:
Oat Fiber on the left
Rice Crispies in the center
Soy Protein Isolate on the right
Process:

Dry each tender (approx. 40g per tender) with a paper towel
Dip each tender in egg whites (~5g per tender)
Dredge each tender in breading ingredient.
Spritz air fryer with oil. Drop tenders into basket and air fry for 4 minutes at 400F.
Flip each tender, spritz with a bit more oil (in all I use less than 2g oil spray) and air fry for another 3-4 minutes. Used an instant read thermometer to check that the chicken was up to temp.

Summary of what I tested yesterday:
TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) -- Score: 9/10 -- Macros for breading only: 7g serving size, 20 calories, 3.5g protein, 2.3g carbs (1.2g fiber), .01g fat.
Vital Wheat Gluten -- Score: 6.5/10 -- Macros for breading only: 7g serving size, 26 calories, 5.3g protein, 1g carbs (0g fiber), 0.1g fat
My verdict for each ingredient in experiment part 2:
Oat Fiber -- Macros for breading only: 2g serving size, 1 calorie, 0.6g protein, 0.4 carbs, 0.025 fat (honestly, the macros were kinda hard to track for this product since nutritional information varies wildly depending on source, but considering it's such a small serving size it's negligible nutritionally. It's basically a rounding error).
Texture-wise it was fairly similar to the Vital Wheat Gluten from yesterday. It readily coated the tender, and I only needed about 2g to fully coat. The breading started to get toasty around the edges, and created a coherent -- though not crispy -- shell.
Taste-wise it was completely inoffensive. No taste to speak of, so would be a great base to which you can add spices. It took sauce quite well.
Overall Verdict: 7.5/10 -- It never really crisped up like the TVP from yesterday, but it did end up creating a coherent shell and started to get toasty around the edges. And considering it's by far the lowest calorie option of all the ones I tested it's not bad as a backup option. Might be a good option as a first step in a double dredge. Might be something worth experimenting with.
Rice Crispies: Macros for breading only: 6g serving, 23 calories, 0.4g protein, 5.3g carbs (0g fiber), 0.1g fat.
Texture-wise, before air frying the rice crispies didn't adhere to the chicken as well as some of the other ingredients. They got a bit soggy in the egg wash and stuck more to my fingers than the tender. But they absolutely crisped up in the air fryer, creating a spotty, inconsistent, but definitely crispy coating.
Taste-wise, again, another inoffensive, bland coating, that could absolutely be doctored up with any spices or sauces.
Overall Verdict: 6/10 -- On the positive end, the coating did end up crisping up nicely in the air fryer. On the negative side, it was definitely the most inconsistent coating of all ingredients tested so far. I tried whole crispies...I bet if I tried crushing them first I would end up with a more consistent coating overall. But nutritionally this coating is a bit lacking. TVP has better macros for my needs and had a better overall resort, so I see no need to try to make the rice crispies work when I already have a better option.
Soy Protein Isolate: -- Macros for breading only: 2.5g serving, 9 calories, 2.1g protein, 0g carbs, 0g fat.
Texture-wise this coating ended up almost exactly like the VWG from yesterday. It did create a dry coating around the outside of the tender, but it never really crisped up, instead it just kind of dried out.
Taste-wise it was another inoffensive coating ingredient. It would take spice or sauce well (I sound like a broken record).
Overall Verdict: 6.5/10 -- I'd put this on par with the Vital Wheat Gluten from yesterday. It could potentially work as a vehicle to adhere some spice, or hold some sauce on the tenders, but it never really created that satisfying crispy crunchiness. On the plus side, the macros aren't bad, so maybe worth some additional experimentation.
Notes:

I think it's important to point out what my goals are, because they might be different from your goals. I'm currently in the middle of a planned 12-week cut, and I'm trying to find any way to cut calories while still keeping my protein in the range of 0.8-1g/lb of bodyweight. But at the same time I want to keep my meals interesting and tasty enough that I don't go crazy and give up on my cut. I prioritize lower calories, higher protein and a satisfying-enough end product. My rankings reflect a subjective combination of those elements. I think TVP gives the best blend of lower calorie (compared to panko bread crumbs), higher protein, and best finished product. Oat Fiber would probably be a decent second option, if only because at that portion size it's essentially a 0-calorie option.
Like the Vital Wheat Gluten yesterday, I wonder if the Soy Protein Isolate (and to a lesser extent the Oat Fiber) would benefit from a longer cook time, giving them a bit longer to crisp up. Perhaps trying them on a larger chicken breast that will take longer to cook, or a chicken thigh that you can cook well past 165F would give them a chance to crisp up more, leading to a more satisfying end product.
I'm testing all these breadings without any spices in the dredge, but I am dipping them in Stubb's spicy BBQ sauce (which is awesome, btw, and surprisingly macro-friendly).

Let me know if you folks have any thoughts, questions, etc.

submitted by adesimo1 to Volumeeating [link] [comments]

2024.05.07 21:47 rczrider Any working methods for removing tap limit on A13 and/or A14?

I had a Pixel 7 Pro (Android 14) and two cars with $100 generic, Chinese head units that utilized Zlink to emulate AA. Everything worked great.
Got a new car with AA baked in and I discovered that the tap limit is a thing. I get that it's for "safety", but it resets my position necessitating even more tapping to get back to where I was, which is annoying me enough that I'd rather fiddle with my phone instead of the car's screen...which is arguably even more dangerous. I don't use voice because it's utter shit in my car and works less than half the time.
Anyway, dropped my P7P at just the right angle that the unprotected curved part of the screen hit the pavement (aside: I will never have a curved screen again!) and shattered the screen. Got a Moto Stylus 5G 2023 (Android 13) to hold me over until a good deal on a P8P pops up. I picked the Moto because it was bootloader unlockable and able to be rooted.
When using the Moto, not only is the tap limit enforced on the new car (expected!), but on the other car as well (unexpected!). This is confusing to me; the P7P had a tap limit only with proper AA, never with the Zlink HU...but the Moto does with both?
That seems odd, but I don't know crap about Android Auto other than the tap limit causes more problems than it solves. I'd like to remove it, but what I've tried so far doesn't seem to work. I assume this is because of the newer (11.x?) build and other solutions (namely SAAX and AA AIO Tweaker) only work with older builds.
Okay, so I used De-bloater to remove AA as a system app and installed 9.9.x of AA. Then used Termux with terminal_systemizer module of Magisk to make the downgraded version into a system app; otherwise I get a red screen from AA with error 22 indicating that it's supposed to be a system app or some such thing. Then I use AA AIO Tweaker to disable to tap limit.
Where I'm getting hung up is that AA wants to update before running, which breaks the mod (assuming the mod was going to work in the first place). I tried using Blocker from F-Droid to disable various "receiver" and "service" functions of AA (with the thought of stopping it from checking for an update in the first place), but it updates upon first connection to an AA vehicle, anyway.
So, does anyone successfully use Android Auto with the tap limit disabled? If so, which version of Android are you using? How did you make it happen?
EDIT: after seeing this post where a user got flayed alive for wanting to do the same thing, I'm guessing this post will also consist mostly of "use voice assistant" and "you're a fucking menace on the road" and "jesus christ you're going to get everyone killed and our insurance is so high because you should have bought a car with a better microphone array you piece of shit". That's fine, I can't get negative post downvotes and internet points don't actually mean anything, anyway. Help or rant, whatever makes you feel good.

submitted by rczrider to AndroidAuto [link] [comments]

2024.05.07 13:24 StormishJustice Recent system upgrade broke games and most of them crash now

So I was playing games nicely with my beautiful Arch OS and everything was working nicely, I constantly update my Arch, as I updated, a bunch of games suddenly don't work at all, I've tried running Doom and to no avail, it just gave me an error report saying it has something to do with the renderer, I was like "ok so it's a vulkan issue" so I reinstalled vulkan-radeon and lib32-vulkan-radeon (I use amd), that didn't fix anything, ok I realized I had lib32-amdvlk installed so I uninstalled it and nothing happened, I installed wine-staging instead of wine and nothing got fixed, then I tried running other games like God of War and to my surprise, it just gives me a C++ runtime assertion failed error (means I probably didn't install the visual c++ runtime packages except I did) with one of the errors being set in the "!status && vkCreateGraphicsPipelines" line, I tried other games and they don't take like 2 mins and they suddenly just close without any error reports at all, funny thing is I thought this was a proton issue, turns out this issue occurred even with other native Linux games as well.
I even reinstalled arch and same issue occurs, meanwhile my Windows dual boot runs these games perfectly without issue, I at first thought it was a dual boot issue but turns out it wasn't.
Is there a solution to this problem? Kinda hard to be using Arch as my daily driver currently when I can't do most of my daily work properly.
My system specs: Kernel: 6.8.9-arch1-1.3
CPU: I5 8400
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 7600
Memory: 16 GB
DE: Plasma 6.0.4
EDIT: The issue was fixed by installing the arch kernel with this patch applied for AMD GPUs , here's the patch
It should also be fixed soon with the stable kernel updates provided by Arch.
EDIT 2: It can be fixed by enabling resizable bar, which can be enabled from your bios settings, you have to do this in order in mostly every bios: Disable CSM -> Enable Above 4g Decoding -> Enable Resizable Bar Support; If your bios doesn't have that option, try to update it, otherwise apply the patch above or downgrade the kernel

submitted by StormishJustice to archlinux [link] [comments]

2024.05.05 20:01 cmar1237 Cant get the abb or apk file to run on my phone with new template

I just started and new project with React Native project with:
npx react-native@latest init Project
and when i try to run the app on my phone when it is not connected to the computer i get an error (Unable to load script make sure your bundle is packaged correctly for release)
I have created both a signed abb file and a signed apk file and in the past i would just run npm run android --variant release and the app would install on my phone but now I get an error when I try to run the app when it is not connected to the computer.
I have also tried to add a run configuration where I changed the deploy option to (apk from app bundle) but still get the same error when I try to run my app with the phone disconnected.
I am wondering if it is a problem with the new template because in order to get the template to run on the emulator i had to downgrade the gradle version in gradle properties to 8.3 otherwise I was getting and error just trying to start up the emulator with npm run android.

Anyone else had this problem and have a solution or have any idea what is going wrong?

submitted by cmar1237 to reactnative [link] [comments]

2024.05.05 08:46 FandalfTheGreyt3791 Can't get VR Essentials Overhaul to run, followed the ReadMe to a tee, Crashes on launch from MO2

Im tryna get the Overhaul to actually run. I did everything the readme said. I installed it on a seperate drive in a steam library folder, I downgraded to the pre-NextGen version of Flat fo4 for the DLC and then copied them over, and installed it via Wabbajack with Premium for Nexus. Copied the files over, and I did the run, start, and save then quit thing before opening MO2, and then configured those mods, and when ever I try to launch the game from MO2, it goes black for a second, but then returns to the SteamVR environment. Tried again, nothing. Tried restarting the PC, nothing. Gave them Admin run only, nothing.
Only error messages Im getting are
[2024-05-05 02:02:13.289 W] QCssParser::parseColorValue: Specified color without alpha value but alpha given: 'rgb 45,45,48,30'
FRIK is disabled.
EDIT FOR OTHERS WHO GOOGLED FOR A SOULUTION B4 JOINING THE DISCORD SERVER
The solution to my issue was that the Fallout 4 Downgrader from Nexus was not actually downloading the old versions of the game and DLC.
To fix this, we need to go into the folder where you unzipped the files for the downgrader, and run the batch files included. Windows will more than likely try to prevent you from running them, so just hit see more and then run anyways on the dialog. Run Downgrade by Patch Files and Install Plugins first. Then run Downgrade by Downloading Depots. This one will require you to sign into your steam account, and possibly get a verification code from your email or authenticator app. It will take a while, depending on your internet, but this is what helped fix my install so I could play with GingasVR's Overhaul pack

submitted by FandalfTheGreyt3791 to Fallout_VR [link] [comments]

2024.05.04 00:01 lneumannart Master System cover project #29: Moonwalker

It's the early 90's and Sega and the biggest pop-star in world, Michael Jackson, are in a loving and thriving relationship,from a great hit arcade game to one of the highest profile products in Sega's shiny new 16 bit console, few things are so emblematic of that early decade more than Sega ands Michael Jackson.
But hey, what about the Master System?
Sega's answer to that was "yeah, sure, you guys can have something too I guess".
To me this what Moonwalker represents: first the juggernaut-esque presence Sega had in early 90's pop-culture, not wanting to be relegated to just be a videogame producer, but a brand that spans across multi-media and the aggressive and successful push they had in genius marketing and brand deals Sega made to rise above what was a domineering Nintendo at the time.
And second, that the Master System's failure to secure a spot in the two largest markets, USA and Japan, meant that console was relegated to a second thought for the company.
Cards on the table, the original Moonwalker for the Genesis/ Mega Drive isn't all that great. Yes, it had some prime talent on it as Sega developed the game in-house, but the game play loop required is a boring trek over uninspired levels in search of doors/containers to rescue children and finish up the level against a gauntlet of regular enemies. It gets dull and repetitive by stage 3.
What makes Moonwalker stand out is the jaw dropping presentation: the smooth animation on MJ sprites as he moonwalks through the stages and throw his hat as a boomerang, or he can use a special attack that cuts the action into a staged dance with the enemies for some of Michael's most recognized dances, like the ghoul walk from Thriller, all that with some of the best sound quality the console could deliver with the vantage of using the very best pop beats ever made, there is nothing like playing a game with your head bopping to "Billie Jean" or "Bad".
Now ask yourself, can the Master System do that? Well, what do you think?
I mean, god bless the 8-bit console's heart, the MS tries it's best, but the sound chip can't handle the beats, Michael's sprite is "serviceable", you can moonwalk and clear enemies with a dance special, but they don't dance with Michael, and what you are left is the boring uninspired level design, where you have to rescue the children with trial and error annoyances, most of the time taking unavoidable damage if you choose to open a door with a enemy in it, with no chance of knowing that prior.
In sum, you get all of the bad and none of the good in the Master System version.
And this is what sucks the most about Sega and how they handled the Master System after the Mega Drive boom, instead of playing to the console strengths and designing games to take advantage of it, like the guys at Ancient did with the MS version of Sonic, Sega saw the Master System as little brother product, where quality control took a backseat to convenience of making just downgraded port from the big brother machine.
Not always the case I admit, looking at you Castle of Illusion, but more often than not unfortunately.
A shame really. The Moonwalker games (the console ones) now stand more as a product of their time, a reminder of the days when Michael Jackson ruled the world and Sega's ambition were wide and wild, and maybe a nice, short stroll down the memories of better times, but that's about it.
If you really want your MJ fix, just blast the tunes man, those are immortal.

submitted by lneumannart to SEGA [link] [comments]

2024.05.04 00:00 lneumannart Master System cover project #29: Moonwalker

submitted by lneumannart to MasterSystem [link] [comments]

2024.05.03 12:39 Samcast112 Windows pro keys not activating to enterprise

Have a very odd and specific issue happening I my tenant and we can't seem to work it out.
We are deploying a new Intune build that isn't upgrading its Windows 11 pro licenses to Enterprise. The devices affected show that obnoxious watermark in the bottom right of the screen and an error on the activation screen in settings.
I have seen at least 2 different errors depending what the device network was connected to. Public wifi, corporate wifi or even a AoVPN connection. The errors:
0xC004C003 - the most common. Cannot activate due to invalid digital license or product key.
0x8007267C - cannot activate due to not connecting to the organization's server.
The strange thing that when we tested our old Intune builds and configuration profiles we experienced the same issue on the same device. This issue wasn't limited to the singular device. There was no indication of this issue being isolated to this new Intune build we are deploying.
Microsoft has suggested to create a recovery drive of the same surface image but that hasn't gotten us anywhere. We have tried setting the test device to a OEM key that activated WIN 11 pro then syncing it with Intune to deploy the generic key however that fails and yields 0xC004C003 error in the activation page. This will also lead to windows hello breaking and preventing the signed in user to use PIN/ Face ID.
The users are always E5 licensed and devices are hash enrolled.
I have no ideas where to go from here. Looking for some help if anyone has experienced something similar.
EDIT sorry for formatting.
So my fix - i wasn't methodological so if this pops up again id be keen to do it step by step
Side note: Generic key is functional. Setup win 11w generic key configuration profile is enabled.
Tried to uninstall the recent security patch KB5036893 - To no one's surprise i wasn't able to. See your administrator to uninstall

Added the user to local admin group - I didn't restart after i applied the local admin but id suggest a restart now for it to apply properly if I had Todo it again.
Open Task Schedular (admin/local user when admin) > Task Schedular Library > Windows > Subscription > License Acquisition - The License Acquisition was Disabled. I enabled it and ran it but nothing happened. Also, if this was running and task history listed the runs as denied it is due to insufficient privileges of the user. However again, mine was disabled.
I downgraded the key to OEM PRO key and did some things with clipsvc.

$GetDigitalLicence = (Get-WmiObject -query 'select * from SoftwareLicensingService').OA3xOriginalProductKey; cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -ipk $GetDigitalLicence net
stop clipsvc rundll32 clipc.dll,ClipCleanUpState net start clipsvc

Tried to delete "C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy" however apparently I didn't have enough privileges locally as an admin and I wasn't able to browse to it via my LAN due to some VPN shenanigans.
1. Restart the PC Logged back in and it was still not active. Thought id check the Task scheduler again and i saw that the License Acquisition was ready and it had run a few minutes ago and there was no fails. Looked back at the Activation setting after refreshing and IT WAS ACTIVATED!!!!! - I can also now uninstall the Windows security updates. I guess i should have rebooted after the permission change.
If i have to go through this again ill document it more clearly but I'm hoping this wasn't just pure luck

submitted by Samcast112 to Intune [link] [comments]

2024.05.02 17:23 fergalius My recent adventure with HA, RPiOS and 3 raspberry pies.

Hi all. So I recently had a serious failure on my HA system which took a lot of effort to recover from. I'm posting this which might help others and will serve as a reference for me in case I notice any issues going forward. I can't remember quite all the failures I encountered and the steps I took. Happy to answer questions but my time is limited.
Backstory
I had HA+supervisor running on a RPi3b model a few months ago. Upgraded to RPi4b, did the backup-and-restore to transfer the system and it worked perfectly. I found the RPi4b had some spare processing capacity so I migrated some other services to that docker - an influxdb2 container and my MotionEye installation.
I also added Portainer and pi-hole and of course Supervisor was complaining that the system was unsupported. However everything seemed to be working fine, backups, upgrades, integrations, add-ons... so I stuck with it.
The Event
The RPi4b abruptly died. Naturally I tried plugging it out and in again, and many other things. But the internet was unambiguous - no flashing LEDs means dead dead dead.
Step one - I tried plugging the SD card into the old RPi3, but no luck. The RPi3 isn't beefy enough to run the newer HA with all the integrations & addons I'd since added.
Step two - I dig out the old RPi3 SD card, swap over the ConbeeII, and plug in. To my pleasure, everything mostly works fine. ZHA is working and it's also grabbing my energy data (from Solarman & myenergy integrations). Everything is 8 months old though so all the new devices and automations aren't there, but it's adequate for now. And of course it's not syncing to the influxdb2 which was on the RPi4b, so I make a mental note to dump the database later on for import to influxdb2 when I get it running again.
Step three - order a new RPi4b online. Oh wait, there's the RPi5 now. Quick check, will it plug'n'play with my RPi4b SD card and ConbeeII controller? The internet seems to be nodding its approval here to I take the risk and order the RPi5.
The resurrection
The Plan: The RPi5 arrives and so I plug in and... there's an unequivocal "nope" emanating from the screen. The internet has dissapointed me today. The RPi5 is complaining about the OS not being compatible. So following instructions, I set "os_check=False" in /boot/firmware/config.txt, but no luck. I try various combinations of "false", "FALSE", "off", "0", and one of them eventually starts booting but all I get is a black screen. No ethernet LEDs flashing, no nothing.
So this is frustrating. My SD card for a RPi4b doesn't work on either the RPi3b or the RPi5. Now ain't that just a doggone pity.
Luckily I have...
Plan B: I buy a new SD card and install a new RPiOS to it. It boots fine. So I make a full image (using dd) of the old SD card and then copy the /boot and /boot/firmware directories from the new SD card to the old and try to boot. Hah! I get the RPi logo and my spirits are lifting. I can see it's loading modules and then... nothing. It eventually stops and doesn't go further. Again, no network LEDs blinking nor any other sign of life. So I undo the /boot & /boot/firmware changes.
Now I'm grasping at straws to come up with...
Plan C: I now copy /usshare/hassio and /valib/docker to the new RPiOS and boot it. It boots, so I install docker. None of the containers are running and Portainer is complaining about docker being too new. So I downgrade that and portainer starts! I see influxdb2 and pi-hole also start so that's positive. I take a deep breath and start home assistant and WOW! it starts too. I can even browse to the homepage and everything is the way it should be.
As a quick test I shutdown the RPi3, move the ConbeeII over to the RPi5, and reboot again. Excellent, even ZHA is working and all my devices & automations are behaving themselves. But the Solarman integration isn't going. The internet suggests "ha core rebuild" but I can't get to the HA cli - it needs supervisor. I click to start supervisor, but it doesn't work. The logs tell me about jemalloc and unsupported system page sizes.
So I get the RPi3 going again while I figure this out. Turns out the RPi5 uses a 16kB memory page size and that's not ok for supervisor & jemalloc. I try to disable jemalloc, but it seems supervisor doesn't allow that. So I insert "kernel=kernel8.img" into /boot/firmware/config.txt. Now the supervisor container starts but fails within a few seconds. I think I tried starting from shell "docker start hassio_supervisor" but it failed because it was trying to mount a folder on a file - maybe /run/systemd-journal-gateway.sock/.
I've messed with this system too much now, so I reinstall from scratch, and copy over the hassio & docker folders again. Hit up kernel8.img again and the various other fixes and now I'm back to where I was. And now I'm also seeing some "file not found" errors relating to the python3.11 or 3.12 installation.
I now try installing the OS-agent and ghcr.io/homeassistant/aarch64-hassio-supervisor in accordance with the prevailing wisdom emanating from the internet, but it fails. Complains about running as root but somehow not having access to the file. I try various combinations of "sudo apt install ./hassio-supervised.deb" and file permissions, but nothing gives. But when I try "apt install -f" or "dpkg -i ./hassio-supervised.deb" it fails without giving a clear reason for the failure.
In desperation (and believe me, I'm desperate at this point) I order a new RPi4b and hope once again for a plug-n-play solution with that and the original SD card. But it'll take a couple of days to get here.
In the meantime I'm still working on it and eventually do "dkpg -c ./homeassistant-supervised.deb" so I can see what's in the deb file. I lookup "/ussbin/hassio-supervisor" to see what it does and why there's no failure. I'm trying to debug this (not an expert programmer but I try to roll with it anyway) and understand what the commands do - e.g. never saw "jq" before, useful to know. Eventually I see the bottom where the container is created with "docker create...".
I figure out what the various environment variables are and try to execute the create command from the shell, and, eventually, it works!!! I look skyward for a moment and, just to cover all future possibilities, I look earthward too. Then I start the container from shell, and it starts!!! I browse to HA which is still working and look at the add-ons page. This time it loads so supervisor is working, but all my addons are gone. I realise something got overwritten at some point but I can't remember what so I do another redo-from-scratch (about the 10th time now) and manage to point the new supervisor installation at the old supervisor data. Yaay, now my addons are restored.
Now, however, supervisor is complaining about a LOT of stuff - unsupported software, unsupported systemd/resolved & systemd/journald, and a few others. I run "apt install systemd-journal-remote" and "apt install systemd-resolved" again. And, wonderful, most of the errors go away. The only one remaining at time of writing is "apparmor issues". The fix on the homeassistant page doesn't resolve it yet but I've not looked too hard.
And, in what seems to be one of those coincidences of life, I'm out of the house for an hour that evening and when I come back everything is in a tizzy. The smart lights are going on & off at random times and the smart switches aren't working. And I get a message from my synology that it rebooted for unknown reasons. Not quite panicking, I connect to the synology and the RPi5 and see their both uptime is about 90mins. Hmm, suspicious. I check a couple of other things, yep all uptimes are about 90mins and log files don't show anything other than a synchronized startup on the various devices. After a moment considering a possible ransomware attack or similar, I eventually conclude there was a brief unrelated electricity power cut.
And here I am at long last. I think I must've tried everything in the final fix a half-dozen times before I finally managed to get them all in one run and in the right order. The final three steps were crucial - creating the container in the shell, then reinstalling journal-remote & resolved, to make the system apparently more stable.
Full hassio backup now done and I have to get a 3rd SD card so I can create a fully new installation.
A couple of observations
Firstly, I obviously relied on a lot of websites to get the information that led me to the final fix. Thanks to everyone that wrote those. It was frustrating at times to see other peoples' problems to which I related being unilaterally closed with a "your system is unsupported, too bad for you" comment. I can understand why Supervisor doesn't want, e.g., portainer installed in the same docker. But at the same time, it's working fine for me because I understand the limitations. The RPi5 is a powerful piece of kit and it's not reasonable to insist that it should run hassio and nothing else.
I'm not expert enough to know how the hassio+supervisor system could be made more robust with respect to other "unsupported" containers, but I do think it needs to be done.
Secondly, what can I do with a spare RPi4b that's probably gonna arrive tomorrow?
Lastly... and note to self... MAKE FREQUENT BACKUPS!
Cheers everyone.

submitted by fergalius to homeassistant [link] [comments]

2024.05.01 23:46 TightAsF_ck The BeermoneyUK Bank Switch Offer Guide (AKA The Bankedex) - Northern Ireland Special

If you're in Northern Ireland, you're in luck with the Danske bank £200 offer. Details below.
But everyone else is onto plums for that one (unless you already have a non personal current account product with Danske Bank). The Barclays Avios offer is still live at the moment, and a new Virgin Money 10% interest boost offer has appeared (thanks to a lurker for sending a modmail about that one!). Virgin can be boosted by £30 via Snoop too.
Finally, First Direct have returned again!
*****************
Here is the the ultimate guide to UK bank switch offers - the collective knowledge of ~140k BeermoneyUK members. Switch your bank account, get a cash reward for doing so. But don't switch your main account, open up a second account and switch that to get the money!

Updated 01/05/2024:

The most commonly asked bank switch questions:

I started to switch to XXX bank before the offer ended, am I still eligible for the bonus?

Yes, usually, most terms will state that a switch just has to be started (or applied for) before the end date or before an offer ends.

Do I have to transfer the required amount in all in one go, and does it matter if I pay money in before my switch is complete?

No and not usually, as long as the amount you pay in adds up to the required amount, and as long as you pay it in before the deadline stated in the terms. There has been one exception to this - Co-op - so check individual terms.

I need to switch "active" direct debits, does a payment need to have been taken before I switch?

According to Nationwide, an active direct debit is one that has been set up or had a payment taken from it in the past 13 months. So no, according to this. But why not just wait for the direct debit to be taken? You'll not have to worry about it then.

https://twitter.com/AskNationwide/status/1442939781491486720

How do I set up and switch an additional Chase current account?
- See Chase instruction here to open an additional account.
- The second account will be linked to the same card as your main Chase account.
- Use the secondary account details and your original card details when switching.
What are the easiest/best direct debits to use for bank switching?

There are many: Paypal, Ebay, Moneybox savings account, Plum savings account, your credit card, Sprive Mortgage auto savings, Wealthify Robo Saving. We recommend ones that save money into an account in your own name. Here’s useful ones that have additional bonuses available via beermoneyuk

Site/App	Offer	Comment
Park Christmas (Search)	Save for Christmas via direct debit
Plum (Search)	A very useful direct debit	Easy and fast to set up
Sprive (Search)	Autosavings for mortgage overpayment direct debit (£5 bonus)	Easy and fast to set up
Wealthify (Search)	A very useful direct debit (£1/month min)	Easy and fast to set up

Questions about Bank Switching should generally be asked here. Posts on the subreddit asking questions about bank switching will probably be removed.

As always with the Bankedex, we need your help.

Current bank switch offers (£551 in total)

Bank	Bonus	Offer Deadline	Comment
Barclays	31k Avios for £48 spend	None	£100 profit, Requires premier banking
First Direct	£175 to switch	None
Danske Bank	£175 to switch		Northern Ireland only
Santander	£175 to switch	None	£15 extra available
Virgin Money	£100 to switch	31/05/2024	10% gross interest rates boost to 12% on £1k for 1 year (~£120 total) + extra £30 via Snoop

No switch, just sign up bank switch offers

Bank	Offer	Comment
Tide (click for details)	Spend £100, get £75 cashback	A beermoneyuk staple
Monzo (click to search)	Spend £1, get £5 or £50	£50 is for a business account
Starling (click to search)	Free National Trust Day Pass

Never switched a bank account before?

Open a second current account with your main high street bank (must be part of CASS service)
Set up direct debits on the second account (if required).
Add £1 to your second account. This will be transferred to your new account, allowing you to see when the switch has been completed.
Apply for a new account and arrange to switch to your second bank account (sometimes this is during the application process, other times it is after the account is opened).
Let the current account switch service take care of everything.
Make sure all other terms are met (e.g. pay in money if needed).
Receive your bank switching bonus.

Are there some bank accounts worth keeping?

Detailed switch offer information

Whilst we do our best to make sure things are correct, sometimes errors do slip through. Always do your own research. Also, it may not be possible to work through all of these.

Barclays

Current offer: 31k Avios for full switch to Premier Banking, and paying £12/month for “Avios Rewards” for 4 months - works out around £100 profit when converted to Nectar points.

Direct link to offer (scroll down)

You must switch to Premier Bank account.

These are premium accounts, supposed to be for those with £70k+ salaries. However, cycling £4201 each month also appears to do the job

Offer end date: None listed
Requirements:

Open a Barclays Premier bank account & join Avios Rewards (£12/month fee), or

Complete a full switch from a different bank (you do this from within the app, after opening the account).

Reward payable by: 1.5k Avios each month for Avios Rewards, 25k Avios paid in month 4 for the switch.
Available to existing customers: No.
Additional notes: it can be worth doing the Barclaycard Avios Plus offer at the same time, as you will get a discount on the credit card fee.

Danske Bank

Current offer: £200 for full switch

Direct link to Danske Bank offer

You can switch to their Danske Reward, Danske Choice or Danske Freedom current account.

Offer end date: No end date given, may be removed at any time.
Requirements:

Full switch (no direct debits mentioned).

After opening account, pay in £1000 within 60 days (can be multiple deposits)

You cannot have had a Danske Bank reward since 01/01/2024

Available to existing customers: only if you are a new personal current account customer. .
How long does it take to pay the bonus: paid within 10 days of meeting requirements.

First Direct

Current offer: £175 when you switch

Direct link to First Direct offer

You can switch to their First account.

Offer end date: No end date given, may be removed at any time.
Requirements:

Full switch (two direct debits or standing orders are required).

After opening account, log in to mobile banking, pay in £1000, and make 5 debit card payments within 30 days.

You cannot have had a 1st Direct account before.

You cannot switch if you have an HSBC account opened after 01/2020

How to do it: Once your first direct account is open, simply log into your first direct app, select the account you wish to transfer into, tap ‘switch to us’ from your account menu and follow the instructions.
Available to existing customers: No. Also can't have had a HSBC account opened since January 2018.
How long does it take to pay the bonus: paid by the 20th of the month following that in which you met all of the criteria.

Santander

Extra £15: You can get an extra £15 by signing up to a Santander Edge account via Topcashback. If you don't have a Topcashback account, you can sign up here:

Topcashback sign up

Current offer: £175

Direct link to offer
You can switch to any of these paid current accounts: Santander Edge current account, Edge Up, or the Private Current Account

Offer end date: None given
Requirements: Full switch.

Apply to switch when you apply to open the account (or existing customers can just switch into an existing qualifying current account).

Complete switch of a non-Santander account, set up 2 active direct debits, and pay in £1500 within 60 days of applying/telling Santander you want to switch. Must keep direct debits active on account

Cannot have had a Santander-group bonus previously (Santander, Cahoot, Cater Allen)

Reward payable by: between 60 and 90 days after opening the account.
Available to existing customers: Yes (can switch a non-Santander group current account into a new or existing Santander account). Existing customers may need to visit a branch.

Virgin Money

Current offer: Extra 10% interest on £1k for a year (~£100 bonus)
Extra £30: You can get an extra £30 by signing up to Virgin via Snoop (you need to connect your Virgin account to Snoop). If you don't have a Snoop account, you can sign up here for an additional fiver too:

Snoop £5 sign up bonus
Direct link to Virgin Money offer

You can switch to their M Account (free, ~10% interest total, gross), M Plus Account (free account, ~12% interest total) or Club M Account (costs £12.50/month for insurance and stuff, ~12% total, is one of the best value package accounts - especially if a joint account)

Offer end date: apply by 31/05/24
Requirements:

Full switch (two direct debits required as part of the switch).

Available to existing customers: No. And can't have closed an account since 30/04/2024
How long does it take to pay the bonus: interest is paid monthly, so a a year to get it all!

General Bank Switch Questions

Current Account Switch Bribes - Why do they offer them?

They want your business. Banks like fighting each other for customers. Most of them know they can't win by highlighting their outdated systems and products, so they fight each other by offering potential customers cash bribes (or equivalent) to switch their "main" bank account.

Can I switch any bank account to get a bribe?

No. You must switch a bank account that is part of The Current Account Switch Service (CASS). Most high street banks are included. But some Neo Banks are not (e.g., Kroo, Revolut, & Monese are not included). You should try to avoid switching your main bank account. You can always open an additional account just to switch.
See here for a full list of CASS banks.

Is it too much hassle?

No. The Current Account Switch Service (CASS) makes switching your account between most banks smooth and effortless. You do not have to do anything apart from apply for and set up a new account at a different bank and tell them you want to switch your account to them. Everything is transferred automatically (except recurring card payments).

Is there the best route to sample all the banks with switch offers?

Do the offer ending soonest first. Then you might switch again. If you complete all offers in this post, you could earn yourself >£1000.

Some of these end soon. Will the offers come back?

Banks have been offering bribes on and off for many years. We can't predict the future. But this is not a new thing.

How long does a bank switch take?

Approximately one week.

Do I have to switch my main account?

You could. But you don't have to. Many people have second bank accounts. One option may be to open up a second account with your current high street bank, add some direct debits to this second account and then switch it to the new bank you want to try out. On the sub, people also like Starling or Monzo as they are easy to set up (but you might want to switch back to them at the end - their functionality wins vs any usual high street bank).
High-street banks also let you open multiple accounts. If you already have an account with one, you might want to open an additional one with your current bank first (Halifax, NatWest etc are reported to allow several current accounts and to be fast to open).

I have savings accounts at the same bank as my current account. Can I still switch to this current account?

Yes. Only the current account will be closed (some linked regular savers may be converted to normal savings accounts). You might want to consider if switching to a secondary account is a better option.

I have linked savers attached to my current account. Can I still switch it?

Possibly.

Which banks let me open a second bank account?

Most of them.

Do I need to activate the card on the account I am going to switch?

Just do it anyway. Some banks require it

What details do I need to switch?

Sort code and account number.

Debit card information.

Usually, but not always, 2 active DDs on the account you are switching.

Do you need to have money in the account you are switching?

No. But it might be a good idea - this will allow you to see when the switch happens (i.e. when the money is transferred!).

I do not have a bank card with my old current account as it is very very old, can I still switch it?

Most online forms require card details, but you can usually switch such accounts over the phone.

My new bank has not given me my account number (e.g. NatWest).

Usually, these are sent via post/email when you sign up. But some banks don't have the account numbers on the card, or maybe letters get lost in the post. If this happens, wait for the card to arrive and contact their support. If you get a bot on the chat thing, type "speak to a human" repeatedly.

My new bank account is a premium account and it has a fee. Do I need to keep paying for this?

No. You can downgrade the account. But you should probably wait until you have been paid the bonus.

I don't like my new bank, do I need to wait for the bank card before switching again?

Yes. See question above. Most banks require the card details of your existing account.

I made an account just to switch. Can I switch before my new bank card arrives?

Best not to. You are asked to enter the debit card information as part of the process.

The offer says I have to pay in £xxxx. Does it have to be in one go?

No. You can transfer in and out. The total sent in has to be equal to or greater than the stated amount. You should be careful with this though, sending money in and out of an account can trigger anti-fraud measures.

The offer says I have to pay in £xxxx. Can I pay it in before the switch completes?

Yes. You can pay it before, after, or during. You can manually transfer it, or it can be transferred automatically from your old account.

I've been asked to verify my identity. Is this normal?

Sometimes automated checks fail. If this happens, you may be asked to manually verify your application by visiting a branch or sending in a copy of your ID.

I switched from Monzo/Starling and want to return, can I?

Starling does not let you return within 12 months. With Monzo, it's possibly a shorter one month that you have to wait.

Do I have to switch direct debits?

Check individual offer terms.

What is an "Active" direct debit?

An active direct debit is usually one where a payment had been taken in the last 13 months. But some bank switch terms require direct debits to have been paid out of the account. If an offer requires an active direct debit, it's safer to switch to an account that has already paid out direct debits.**

What are good direct debits to set up on a second account?

There are many: Paypal, Ebay, Moneybox savings account, Plum savings account, your credit card, Sprive Mortgage auto savings, Wealthify Robo Saving.

I recently switched to XXX Bank, and I do not like it. Can I switch again?

Yes. If you are not happy with the new service, you may want to switch to a new bank that will pay you to give them a try.

Do I have to stick with my new bank for any length of time?

No.

If I switch away, will the bank claw back the bonus?

Very unlikely. They would have to specify this in their terms, and none have ever done so.

My switch is complete, but I have not yet received my bonus. Will I still get the bonus if I switch this account before it is paid?

Probably not.

My most recent switch is not quite complete, but I have already received the bonus. Can I start another switch?

You should probably wait for the switch to complete.

Can I get more than one bribe from each bank?

Sometimes. With some banks (e.g. Nationwide), you can get a bonus for switching one sole and one joint current account. Other banks will pay you to switch again, as long as you have not had a bonus in a specified amount of time. You will need to check individual offer terms.

XXX Bank gave me a bonus before, can I get a bonus again?

You need to check the individual offer terms.

Will this affect my credit score?

Credit scores are a funny thing, What is more important is what is actually in your credit file. Obviously, if you apply for an overdraft then it will affect your "credit score". However, if you do not have an overdraft or you make sure that you have paid off any overdraft before switching banks, then a single current account switch should not negatively impact your credit score. Nevertheless, typically all major banks (excepting Monzo and Starling) do a hard credit search, and this will be recorded on your file. If you plan on applying for a new mortgage soon then you may wish to exercise caution in switching between a load of banks. This is because the hard searches performed by banks will appear on your report and may have an effect for 6-12 months.

Which banks do hard searches and which do soft searches??

See here. Most banks do hard searches.

Hard searches: Bank of Scotland (first account only), Barclays, Co-op, Clydesdale, Halifax (1st account only), First Direct, HSBC, Lloyds (1st account only), Monzo, Nationwide, NatWest, RBS, Santander, TSB, Ulster, Virgin Money.

Soft searches: Starling, Metro Bank, and Chase

I have a bad credit score, will I be accepted to XXX bank?

Unfortunately, we do not know the acceptance criteria of the banks. You might be unlucky with one bank, but lucky with another.

My application was rejected. Why?

Nobody here knows. You could try appealing, but your only way to find out more is to contact the bank.

After switching my account, I still have online banking with my old provider. Do I need this?

No. You do not need to keep the online access (you could shut it down). But you may wish to retain these details in case your old bank suddenly appears with an offer that makes you want to switch back. Or open up a savings account.

Has anyone else been paid for switching to XXX Bank yet?

Check the terms of the offer you signed up for. Some banks have long deadlines and stick to them (e.g. Santander, TSB). Some are quicker. If you haven't been paid within the stated terms, then you should contact the bank's support.

submitted by TightAsF_ck to beermoneyuk [link] [comments]

2024.05.01 19:27 whte_r0s3_obj ARC-XCI55AX 'Engineering Page' at /#/eng/ Verizon 5G Home Plus

Verizon allows you to try their 5G Home Internet service for free for 30 days.
I started the trial 24 days ago and I've run 302 speed tests since then.
My network performance averages out to be

Download	Upload	Latency
160.32 Mbps	12.91 Mbps	30ms

Which isn't awful, but it's just over half of the specified 300/20 maximum.
Verizon also specifies that when the 5G connection fails over to 4G LTE, the maximum download speed is 70 Mbps.
Of the 302 speed tests, 17.88 percent of my results had a download speed under 70 Mbps.
My issue isn't the results themselves as much as it is the fact that when it does appear to fail over to LTE the speed test results are my only indicator that it's happening. The only cellular metrics available to the user are the 5G RSRP and the 4G LTE RSRP, which I imagine are only part of the equation that determines whether the MediaTek modem should fail over to LTE.
I have a hunch that it sometimes simply connects to the wrong tower, but all I can do is speculate.
Verizon's 5G Home Plus could work for me if I had more control over the cellular connection, but at the moment, I'm leaning more towards buying a third party 5G modem with a Snapdragon X62.
Since I only have six days left in my trial run, I'm wondering if anybody can answer these questions:

Once you're logged into Verizon's ARC-XCI55AX CPE, there appears to be an "Engineering Page" located at https://192.168.1.1/#/eng/ or https://mynetworksettings.com/#/eng/ which asks you for a password. This password is unrelated to both the "network settings" password and WPA-PSK.
- Does anybody know what this password is, where to find it, or how to calculate it? Login credentials consisting of a password and a token are posted to /eng_auth.cgi as an application/x-www-form-urlencoded string like data=&token=
- This is where you could find cellular modem logs, GPS logs, APN configurations, etc. I know this because the Engineering Page calls a JavaScript file 3452.70c08690.js. Here are a couple snippets from this script.

 , function() { var t = this , e = t.$createElement , s = t._self._c e; return s("div", { staticClass: "col-6" }, [s("div", { staticClass: "eng-row-title vertical-middle-box" }, [t._v(" Modem log enable/disable ")])]) } , function() { var t = this , e = t.$createElement , s = t._self._c e; return s("div", { staticClass: "state" }, [s("i", { staticClass: "icon icon-check" }), s("label", [t._v("MODEM")])]) } , function() { var t = this , e = t.$createElement , s = t._self._c e; return s("div", { staticClass: "col-3 text-bold" }, [s("div", { staticClass: "eng-row-title vertical-middle-box" }, [t._v(" Modem logs ")])]) }

Navigating to https://192.168.1.1/#/adv/monitoring/log/advanced or https://mynetworksettings.com/#/adv/monitoring/log/advanced you'll find the advanced system logs. What I'm noticing here is that the CPE is connecting to an auto configuration server at https://hdm5g.vzwdm.com/ using the TR-069 CPE Wan Management Protocol. Is there any way to tell the CPE to connect to my own TR-069 server instead?
I'm assuming that ports 4567 and 4577 are related to the above CWMP implementation. Running openssl s_client -connect mynetworksettings.com:4577 returns certificate data, but fails to connect with the following error sslv3 alert handshake failure:ssl\record\rec_layer_s3.c:1586:SSL alert number 40. The server certificate's subject name is my CPE's serial number, which is different from the SSL cert on port 443. Does anybody know for sure what these ports are for?
The hidden USB-C port on the bottom is, I believe, for firmware flashing. Plugging it into my Ubuntu laptop and turning on the CPE the device gets recognized as VID 0E8D PID 2000, which is the MediaTek preloader. I've tried methods described here -> https://github.com/bkerlemtkclient to crash the preloader and enter the bootrom. I can get it to be recognized VID 0E8D PID 0003, but the process hangs from there. Has anybody had any luck accessing the modem through the USB-C port and running AT commands?
Has anybody compared the performance of the MediaTek T750 modem vs. Qualcomm SD X62? I'm looking at maybe getting a Chester Tech Ninja v2.

Thanks!

submitted by whte_r0s3_obj to verizonisp [link] [comments]

2024.05.01 03:42 Tails82x Strangely, I once got something like this overturned on Gamefaqs without disputing it

(because I couldn't dispute it)
https://preview.redd.it/5z3rlt0lwpxc1.jpg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6420913fbc1862fa9df167ac09b19d511e498de
Mods be like "it's not true that we mod people for different opinions! So your different opinion is moderated!!"
Even Error looked at it and said it was BS. Of course, it wasn't truly reversed because Mods R Never Wrong, but it was "downgraded." Strange behavior, stranger still was when it meant nothing because I got KOS for my different opinions anyway.
Because Error and the other dipshit (M)'s don't talk to me, I can only theorize as to why. The first thought is that Error looked at it and said "oh no, that's not misinformation, that's actually what we do and we're proud of it" so it was a sort of brag. The other explanation is that maybe they needed to make a phony show of the mod downgrade as part of KOS qualifications. "We tried so hard to give this user the benefit of the doubt but they did not 'improve' so kill on sight" but maybe I am being too generous here. This site does not have a real TOS and mods people for made-up nonsense based off identity group. So maybe the only explanation is that Error likes to flex power even on the other mods and contradict them at times. Whatever the motivation was, with Error it was not something good.
In the long run, the reversal on my message could've given people the false impression that they could post such messages, which was a false promise because the mod responsible for these deletions just kept on going and hit people like SMIB. It wouldn't be the first or last time that a mod lied about the TOS and told a user they could post something that got modded later.

submitted by Tails82x to GamefaqsModeration [link] [comments]

http://rodzice.org/