Hi! A new project I'm working on has raised the question of how exactly CuCl can decompose into elemental copper and CuCl2.
There is not much information available on this but I found the following:
"The resulting copper monochloride is a binary semiconductor. Therefore, when exposed to photons of electromagnetic rays of sunlight, a part of the electrons passes into the conduction zone and acquires the ability to restore monovalent copper." ( https://rasayanjournal.co.in/admin/php/upload/3399_pdf.pdf )
or this mechanism for a similar system: https://pubs.rsc.org/image/article/2022/GC/d1gc03092b/d1gc03092b-s1.gif ( https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2022/gc/d1gc03092b )
My knowledge of semiconductors is rather superficial. My understanding is that light causes an electron to go up into the conduction band and then fall back down into the resulting electron hole or another free valence band. Where the elemental copper is regenerated and a Cl- radical(?) is formed (or an electron and a Cl-?) which reacts with a Cu(I) to form CuCl2.
But this idea is probably not correct. If anyone can help me understand it I would appreciate it!

[Disclaimer] This post is not intended towards any group, ethnicity or any religious social structure. This post should be considered a vent, a point where all we can relate and discover a way forward.
I am 26M. Coming from a medium class family, We all can relate how difficult it is to shape yourself to survive in this country both Financially and Morally.
I will share the sequence of events we all go through in life in here and relate it to current point in life.
[Education]
I did my bachelors in software engineering from a famous Pak uni, which is considred reputable in their research work and boasts itself to be the among the top 300 university Young University Rankings 2023. I spent 4 years, leaving my home, parents and friends, in another city to get what some would call "education". out of 42 subjects only 2 of the subjects taught in my university are related to my job and those topics were not covered in during classes. Either the professor had no idea what these topics were or it was the constraint of syllabus. We will never know.
Next is the FYP, the requirements were to use new technology & frameworks to complete the projects. The disappointing thing is this those technologies were neither taught in any of the course work not indicated or directed by professors. I had to invest approximately 80K on a bootcamp seperately to learn these technologies which would help me complete this project.
Later, the guy who is interviewing had no sense of these technologies and he is just trying to cope with asking question like

• why didn't you this technology (a 1990s technology)?
• do u have any customer? (for God sake, it's an FYP, uni didn't give us a penny to broaden our scope)
• can you share the code, we will see if we can utilise it, afterwards we can discuss internship opportunities?

BTW the guy was ex-telenor employee who was interviewing me.
[Research]
During all this is happening, the project and all of this stuff. i was very optimistic and delusional about the future of Pak, I helped the post doc professor implement patterns recognition algorithms and from that he published 2 research papers, after much confrontation, he atleast put me as a co-author.
[Job]
Now, the degree is in hand, the covid is at it's peak, no ceremony of graduation was celebrated. Regardless, i am hunting for job like crazy, i had only 2 things under my belt, the research paper, the project we did in uni, nothing else more. I kept applying, applying & applying but getting rejected, no interviews or the one where i was offered 4 jobs and the median salary they offered me was 18K PKR. one interviewer said "it's sad you rejected the offer, other candidates are willing to work @ this rate", i was shocked
The awakening is happening for me at this point. At that point AI was booming so i took a software engineering course again invested 40K, purchased a bootcamp course and it was difficult for me as AI / ML requires good math knowledge. Forgive me for my assumption but majority of pakistani including me at the very top sucked at maths (linear algebra, calculus). The problem is not again have to do with us, we were never actually taught to think objectively and applications of mathematics.
That was the point i realised, i am in a deep hole. Medium class family with 3 other siblings, single earner Father now had to support 3 other sibling with education.
Now what i should do? I contacted different HR Recruitment Agency but they required me to give 30% income to them, after being hired for the 2 years.
I said, you know what, i am gonna eat that forbidden fruit and ask for a reference. I asked Father to find me a reference. He was against it, i asked friends and relatives, turns out they were in the same boat as i was.
At this point, the girl i was seeing is being married to another man, as i had no ground to stand for rishta (according to her mother).
fast forward, 6 months have passed. I was contacted by a junior in uni of mine and he had some problems in their software and wanted to discuss the possible solution as he was referred by someone else. we got to talking and he raised that his brother is in a company wants IT Engineer, i said refer me to him, he did and he arranged 1 interview and all was good. Initial offer was 55k but i got hired on 75k, since GM was too fond of the person i was referred by.
[Now]
Now, i am working with a US based company in Pak. I am doing good but the pay is shit as compared to the angraiz.
Pak + India team actually really do get along and we are like brothers & sister there. We both are there in a same boat. We work like 5x more than angraiz but we are not compensated according to their standards. We have discussed with HR and the compliance and regulation things gets surfaced e.g something to do with Minimum Pay Requirements, Tax Reduction Strategy and God knows what.
[Frustration]
Me & my father pay annualy tax in Lakhs. The other day there was no light and gas for 12 hours consecutive. The UPS turned off and without electricity a tax paying family is suffering without no reason. Our generator is on gas and petrol. So, i went ahead and tried to purchase petrol so we can atleast get the electricity atleast. There was a hartaal (bycott) on petrol pump (don't know the reason). For the next consecutive 3 days, the 12 hours load shedding cycle remained.
It really made me sad to see my father drained in sweat in his old skin and white hairs and my mother's dupatta was all wet with sweat. I tried to ask for prices in solar, the total cost is around 14 Lakh which we cannot afford.
At that point said f**k it!
I am now trying to apply for foreign countries but it seems like they don't Pak engineer anymore. There are a lot of people trying to get out of here and it's gonna increase as forecasting the country's condition.
The Paki's there did no favor to our condition either, not majority but very small percentage participates in the acts of thievery, rape and other stuff. The media there also do no justice as representing the behaviour of an individual they try to mask it with national behaviour.
[The Sad Part]
The people who have struggled here and went foreign also do not support the people in the situation like i am. They are in another level of delusional superiority complex. I have talked to several of them and they would say general stuff just to end the conversation "Apply kartay rahain, refer hum nai kar saktay" or "there is referal system here" etc.
The whole purpose of this rant is to show, how i tried and failed to be perfect in this country and what happened. Also, I hope, my experience can help you in any way.

So I currently have Homelab with machines as below:

1. NAS - Microserver G8 with:
   • Xeon E3-1265L V2
   • 16GiB ECC DDR3
   • LSI 9207-4i4e IT mode
   • 8x SATA HDD (4 internal, 4 external) + 2x SATA SSD (internal)
   • TrueNAS Scale on top of it
2. 5x Dell Optiples 7040, each with:
   • i5 6500T
   • 16GiB DDR4
   • M2 SSD for system
   • SATA SSD for Ceph
   • Proxmox cluster w/ mentioned Ceph on top of it
3. Raspi 3B with HomeAssistant
4. Raspi 4B with PiKVM + 8 to 1 KVM

As the Microserver starts showing it's age, I'm done with clustering experiments and I also have problems with passing through iGPUs to VMs I started to think about a little revolution. But there are some constraints:

1. I'm looking for something rather new, but being able to save some $ with used gear would be good
2. As I mentioned, I'm done with clustering, so single system to kill'em all
3. I want something "server grade", just because next level of experiments
4. Rack I have is pretty short (600mm x 600mm), in reality anything longer than 500mm won't fit and that kills most of the shelf solutions

After little lurking I guess I've found "The Setup":

1. Mobo: Supermicro MBD-X12SPL
2. CPU: Xeon Silver 4310
3. RAM: 2x 32GiB ECC DDR4
4. PSU: Corsair RM850x
5. Chassis: JMCD 12S4 (chinesium, it fits ATX board with high profile cards and also 12x 3,5/2,5 inch bays, all of that in 300mm depth)
6. HBA: LSI 9300-16i IT mode
7. Disks: Almost all (exactly 6) SATA SSDs will be reused as one of them is dying anyway, HDDs gonna be reduced to 4 or maybe even 2 - depends what I'll find on the market

Later on I might add some 10G networking (ConnectX3 I guess), will see.
What it's gonna run:

1. Proxmox as hypervisor
2. TrueNAS Scale VM - mostly as media storage
3. "stable" K3S VM - running pretty much standard Homelab stack + few custom images
4. "experimental" K3S VM - for, well, experiments
5. HomeAssistant VM
6. Automatic Ripping Machine VM
7. (maybe) some gaming VM w/ Windows, but rather for older games, 2000-2010 era

So, finally questions time:

1. Does the build make sense?
2. Which GPU(s) should I choose? Currently I have three things that might make use of it, it is: Jellyfin, Automatic Ripping Machine and ancient gaming VM. Yes, I know that Core i5/i7 with iGPU exists, but as mentioned, I want server grade gear this time.

I am at a university and currently on the beginning of our thesis. Our panelists already approved our proposals but still want to ask peeps here about this.
Our thesis will be about a website where a specific company can post job hirings, then the applicant must upload their resume together with supporting documents (to prove credentials on resume) to apply on a job hiring.
Then the system will:

1. Verify first the content of the resume based on supporting documents.

Use OCR to extract the contents of the supporting documents, then check if details in the resume are supported by the documents.
a. Experience - Employment Certificate - Assess the accuracy of the job position, years, and company. b. Certifications - Certificate of seminars, workshops - Assess the existence c. Education - TOR or Diploma - Asses the accuracy of graduation, and awards

1. Then the system will score the applicant based on criteria and the position.

Ex: in experience criteria, the system will only look for years of experience as being [job position] as indicated on the specific position opening. The same with education, skills, and other criterias.

1. The system will show real-time graphs of individual and summarized scores of all applicants based on different criteria. The HR can filter the rankings by showing only the ranking of scores based on criterias: experience, skills, etc.

Our purpose here is to -automate the screening of resume and give the HR a comprehensive comparison and ranking of each applicant by criteria (e.g. comparison of years of experience, certifications, etc.) -automate verification of resume, since most applicants lie to their resume. -Reduce human-error, bias, dishonesty, on screening of applicants
Questions:

1. What are your thoughts about this, does this already exist in your company?
2. Will this be useful for HR? Whats the current flow of Job Hiring process?
3. What are the things that are complicated in real life that the system can't accurately solve?
4. Any additional suggestions to improve the system?

In today’s digital era, live chat jobs have become an increasingly popular option for those seeking flexible and convenient remote work. This comprehensive review of “Live Chat Jobs” will provide an in-depth look at the nature of these roles, the skills required, the top companies hiring, and employee experiences. Through a detailed analysis of “Live Chat Jobs Reviews,” we aim to offer valuable insights for anyone considering this career path.
If you want to learn more how to make money with Live Chat Jobs click this link to get all the training you need to get started today
\***Affiliate disclaimer**** this article contains affiliate links if you click on the link and purchase the product I will receive a small commission from the product owner this is at no cost to you thank you James :)*

Understanding Live Chat Jobs

Nature of Work

Live chat jobs involve providing real-time customer support through online chat platforms. As a live chat agent, you interact with customers, answer their questions, troubleshoot issues, and provide guidance — all through a chat interface. These roles are often remote, allowing you to work from the comfort of your home.

Key Skills Required

To excel in live chat jobs, certain skills are essential:

• Communication Skills: Effective and clear communication is crucial. You must understand and interpret customer queries and provide concise responses.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Quick and creative problem-solving abilities are vital for resolving customer issues efficiently.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in navigating chat systems and other relevant software is necessary.
• Customer Service Skills: Patience, professionalism, and empathy are key to managing customer interactions successfully.

If you want to learn more how to make money with Live Chat Jobs click this link to get all the training you need to get started today

Top Companies for Live Chat Jobs

Leading Employers

Several companies are renowned for offering excellent live chat job opportunities. According to various “Live Chat Jobs Reviews,” the following companies stand out:

• LiveChat: Known for its robust customer service platform, LiveChat offers competitive pay and growth opportunities.
• Smith.ai: Provides flexible work schedules and comprehensive training for its live chat agents.
• Apple: Offers attractive benefits and career advancement opportunities for its chat support staff.

Notable Mentions

Other notable companies include Clearcover, ExecOnline, and HubSpot, all of which provide competitive salaries, benefits, and remote work options. These companies frequently receive positive “Live Chat Jobs Reviews” for their supportive work environments and comprehensive training programs.

Job Market Insights

Salary Expectations

Based on “Live Chat Jobs Reviews,” the average salary for a live chat agent in 2024 is around $35,000 per year. However, this can vary widely depending on the company, location, and experience level. Some companies offer hourly pay rates, while others provide a base salary plus commission.

Job Growth Prospects

The demand for live chat agents is expected to grow as more companies move towards online customer service. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of customer service representatives, including live chat agents, is projected to grow by 2% from 2022 to 2032. The diverse applicability of these roles across various industries also contributes to their growing demand.

Employee Experiences

Positive reviews from employees highlight the benefits of working in live chat jobs. Many appreciate the remote work option, flexible schedules, and the opportunity for career growth. Commonly mentioned advantages include a better work-life balance and the ability to work from anywhere.
If you want to learn more how to make money with Live Chat Jobs click this link to get all the training you need to get started today

Tips for Success in Live Chat Jobs

• Be Professional: Maintain a professional tone, use proper grammar, and respond promptly.
• Be Empathetic: Show understanding and empathy towards customers’ concerns.
• Be Knowledgeable: Have a thorough understanding of the products or services you support.
• Be Proactive: Identify and resolve potential issues before they escalate.
• Be Flexible: Adapt to different customer personalities and situations.

Benefits of Live Chat Jobs

Flexibility

One of the most appealing aspects of live chat jobs is the flexibility they offer. You can set your own hours and work from home, making it easier to balance work with personal commitments.

Work-Life Balance

The remote nature of live chat jobs often leads to a better work-life balance. Without the need for a daily commute, you have more time for family, hobbies, and other pursuits.

Low Barrier to Entry

Live chat jobs typically do not require extensive qualifications or prior experience. As long as you have strong communication skills, you can secure an entry-level position.

Variety

The diverse range of customer interactions ensures that no two days are the same, keeping the job interesting and engaging.

Income Potential

With many live chat jobs offering $14-$25 per hour, the income potential is significant. Performance bonuses and incentives can further increase your earnings.
If you want to learn more how to make money with Live Chat Jobs click this link to get all the training you need to get started today

Challenges of Live Chat Jobs

Difficult Customers

Dealing with frustrated or impatient customers can be challenging. Maintaining a calm and professional demeanor is crucial but can be taxing.

Fast-Paced Environment

Handling multiple live chats simultaneously requires strong multitasking skills and the ability to work under pressure.

Technical Issues

Technical problems, such as connectivity issues or software glitches, can disrupt your work and require quick troubleshooting.

Self-Motivation

Working from home requires self-discipline and motivation to stay productive and avoid distractions.

Limited Career Progression

While there are opportunities for advancement, such as becoming a senior agent or supervisor, the upward mobility in live chat jobs can be limited compared to other fields.

How to Find and Apply for Live Chat Jobs

Job Search Tips

When searching for live chat jobs, prepare a detailed resume highlighting your communication abilities and relevant experience. Expect a typing test during the application process to assess your speed and accuracy. Aim for at least 60 words per minute with 90% accuracy.

Pre-Employment Assessments

Some companies conduct personality tests, writing samples, and multitasking tests to evaluate your suitability for the role. Be prepared to demonstrate your ability to handle multiple tasks and communicate effectively.

Recommended Websites

• LiveChat Jobs: A dedicated platform for finding live chat job opportunities.
• Working Solutions: Offers various customer support roles, including live chat positions.
• Smith.ai: Known for its flexible work schedules and comprehensive training.

If you want to learn more how to make money with Live Chat Jobs click this link to get all the training you need to get started today

How to Succeed and Grow as a Live Chat Agent

Master Core Platform Features

• Learn keyboard shortcuts for faster responses.
• Use predefined snippets for common replies.
• Set automatic greetings to welcome customers instantly.

Smoothly Handle Different Customers

• Angry Customers: Listen actively, validate their feelings, and focus on resolving their issues.
• Confused Customers: Ask clarifying questions and provide step-by-step support.
• Impatient Customers: Acknowledge their urgency and respond quickly.
• Overly Chatty Customers: Politely steer conversations back on track.

Boost Expertise

• Shadow top performers to learn from their experience.
• Build a personal knowledge base with resolution steps for common issues.
• Improve your technical skills to handle customer inquiries more effectively.

Improve Typing Abilities

• Benchmark your typing speed and aim for improvements.
• Practice regularly with online typing games and tools.
• Ensure proper ergonomics to prevent fatigue and improve speed.

Increase Income

• Upsell and cross-sell to increase order values.
• Gather positive feedback to improve your visibility and reputation.
• Volunteer for additional training or shadowing opportunities to expand your skill set.

If you want to learn more how to make money with Live Chat Jobs click this link to get all the training you need to get started today

Frequently Asked Questions about Live Chat Jobs

What qualifications do I need?

Strong written communication skills, typing ability, and basic computer literacy are essential. Some companies may require customer service experience or a college degree.

What equipment or tools will I need?

A modern computer with a stable high-speed internet connection is essential. Dual monitors and ergonomic accessories can improve productivity and comfort.

What is the work environment like?

The work environment is typically autonomous, with flexible schedules and independent tasks. Multitasking and managing multiple chats simultaneously are common.

How much does it pay?

Most live chat jobs pay between $14-$25 per hour. Performance bonuses and incentives can increase total earnings.

What are advancement opportunities like?

Advancement opportunities may include senior or supervisory roles. However, upward mobility can be limited compared to other fields.

Do you have any other advice?

Assess your strengths and weaknesses to ensure this career aligns with your skills and working style. Patience, focus, and conflict resolution skills are crucial for success in live chat jobs.

Conclusion

Live chat jobs offer a flexible and rewarding work-from-home opportunity. As highlighted in numerous “Live Chat Jobs Reviews,” these positions provide a good income, the ability to set your own schedule, and the comfort of working from home. While there are challenges, such as dealing with difficult customers and maintaining self-discipline, the benefits often outweigh the drawbacks. With the right skills and dedication, you can build a successful career in live chat support and enjoy the numerous advantages it offers.
If you want to learn more how to make money with Live Chat Jobs click this link to get all the training you need to get started today
\***Affiliate disclaimer**** this article contains affiliate links if you click on the link and purchase the product I will receive a small commission from the product owner this is at no cost to you thank you James :)*

I am at a university and currently on the beginning of our thesis. Our panelists already approved our proposals but still want to ask peeps here about this.
Our thesis will be about a website where a specific company can post job hirings, then the applicant must upload their resume together with supporting documents (to prove credentials on resume) to apply on a job hiring.
Then the system will:

1. Verify first the content of the resume based on supporting documents.

Use OCR to extract the contents of the supporting documents, then check if details in the resume are supported by the documents.
a. Experience - Employment Certificate - Assess the accuracy of the job position, years, and company. b. Certifications - Certificate of seminars, workshops - Assess the existence c. Education - TOR or Diploma - Asses the accuracy of graduation, and awards

1. Then the system will score the applicant based on criteria and the position.

Ex: in experience criteria, the system will only look for years of experience as being [job position] as indicated on the specific position opening. The same with education, skills, and other criterias.

1. The system will show real-time graphs of individual and summarized scores of all applicants based on different criteria. The HR can filter the rankings by showing only the ranking of scores based on criterias: experience, skills, etc.

Our purpose here is to -automate the screening of resume and give the HR a comprehensive comparison and ranking of each applicant by criteria (e.g. comparison of years of experience, certifications, etc.) -automate verification of resume, since most applicants lie to their resume. -Reduce human-error, bias, dishonesty, on screening of applicants
Questions:

1. What are your thoughts about this, does this already exist in your company?
2. Will this be useful for HR? Whats the current flow of Job Hiring process?
3. What are the things that are complicated in real life that the system can't accurately solve?
4. Any additional suggestions to improve the system?

I'm wanting to practice my mixing, but I don't have anything recorded from my church. Does anybody have any of their worship rehearsals recorded that they wouldn't mind sharing? I know it's a little bit of a strange question, just want to try testing it this week if possible. Thanks! I'm just wanting to practice some stuff, not necessarily dial my system in.
**Credits to u/Pennzen I use the same post.

This is not an "I'm frustrated I got a small grade" post, I am already an MD and that exam was actually a simulation. I'm quite curious about your take(frustrated over my bad clinical thinking if I'm wrong).
The question was: "Select potential causes of gynecomastia", among which the answer was oral contraceptives. Most of us chose it(external estrogen=gynecomastia). The prof considered it wrong. "Gynecomastia means the development of breast tissue in men, and men have no reason to take contraceptives. You clearly don't know the definition of gynecomasita if you chose the answer".
My reasoning is...if people needed a reason to take something, the whole field of toxicology would be extinct. There actually was a case in my country where a man took his wife's birth control since they assumed it was him who was supposed to take it. Plus, it's just pharmacologically correct. I talked about it with a friend, and she is taking the prof's side. "Men don't systemically take birth control, the way they take drugs, if they take them by mistake it's a one time occurence and not enough to cause gynecomastia, therefore it's bad clinical thinking to select that answer".
What is your take on this?

I started playing again about 2 months ago and have been able to collect about 6 or 7 spotlight cache keys through the collection level from about 3,200 CL. however today I was looking through my collected items all throughout my past CL rewards and I see spotlight cache keys with checkmarks starting at CL 730. My question is if if I am already past those levels, why can I not acquire those keys that I earned? I put in the time early on in the game's life cycle which I would have thought would be rewarded if they made any changes however it seems I would have been better off not playing the game until this year if they were going to not retroactively give any of the keys. It seems like the collectors token bonus they gave around when the system was released was a one time thing when it comes to new features being released?

My name is Maura Keller and I am a candidate for Congress in Georgia's 3rd District. You can read a recent AMA I hosted here and visit my issues page here to learn more about my platform.
As an Army veteran who served 26 years from enlisted to Lt. Col., coming from a position in the Atlanta VA Health System, as the only woman running in my race, and as someone who lives in an area with skyrocketing development, my biggest priorities if elected are: VA Reform, Reproductive Healthcare, and Attainable Housing.
I'm the only candidate in my District engaging on Reddit, and, if nominated, my subreddit maurakeller will be a primary source of digital organizing for my campaign. I'm committed to reaching out to voters who haven't been reached before, which is why you're reading this post right now! I also have an AMA on politics scheduled for next month, so if you'd like to see someone running for office in your District actually try and reach disaffected young voters, please consider voting for me! Every single vote matters in this race. Today's the day.
Visit your Georgia My Voter page for polling information and sample ballots here

What is Energy Procurement?

Energy procurement is the process of researching and securing the best energy contract for your business's needs from a third-party energy supplier or local distribution company (LDC).
Although it may seem time-consuming and confusing, energy procurement and energy procurement strategy is crucial and could save your business thousands while increasing energy efficiency.

How Does Energy Procurement Work?

To procure energy, you need to analyse your gas and electricity usage and collaborate with brokers or suppliers to determine which contract or tariff is best for your needs. It can also involve assessing the type of supplier, sustainability targets, and energy types available.

Who Needs Energy Procurement?

Every business, regardless of size or industry, will benefit from an understanding of energy procurement. However, the size and type of business operations will dictate your strategy.
For example, the energy needs of a small retail store that operates from nine to five will differ significantly from those of a factory that runs machinery 24/7. To choose the right energy contract, energy type, and energy tariff, you need to determine your energy requirements and goals.
It is best to speak with a broker or consultant if you have any questions about what your specific business will need, and which is the best financial option.

"2021 was an awakening for most UK business owners, energy was usually a background activity, low on the priority list with little thought given. Heading into 2024, navigating the energy market has become a critical task for businesses, especially after the energy crisis led to a significant market shrinkage. This has made energy prices more volatile and unpredictable than ever. Mastering energy procurement is now essential not just for managing costs, but also for ensuring a reliable supply of energy. As the market continues to tighten, having a strategic approach allows businesses to secure energy at stable prices and embrace renewable sources smoothly, which is crucial for meeting new environmental regulations." ‍
Reece Jensen - Senior Energy Consultant at Direct Business Solutions

How Do Businesses Procure Energy?

To get the best deal for your business energy needs, you should look for a supplier that offers competitive pricing and can meet your requirements. Typically, you can buy energy from one of the following parties:
Supplier: Private, wholesale, or retail energy companies can meet your business's energy demands, and they offer an alternative to utility company pricing.
Broker: Energy brokers and consultants will do the leg work for you. They work to find the best supplier, price, and deal for your specific needs.
Utility Company: Utility companies or LDCs are your default suppliers when you don't choose a supplier. They handle the supply and and distribution and charge a set rate for a fixed term or a market-based rate which can change each month.

Why is an Energy Procurement Strategy Important?

It is a simple principle, but there is more than meets the eye when it comes to energy procurement. For businesses, there are many benefits of energy procurement:
Cost Management: Energy bills can be one of the largest expenses for a business. Procuring energy from the right supplier means you’re guaranteed the most competitive rates, reducing energy costs and improving profitability.
Risk Mitigation: Energy markets can be volatile, with prices subject to fluctuations influenced by factors such as geopolitics, weather, and supply and demand. Procurement strategies can help mitigate these risks by locking in favourable rates through contracts or hedging strategies.
Sustainability Goals: Many businesses aim to reduce their carbon footprint and support renewable energy initiatives. Energy procurement allows organisations to source energy from renewable sources or invest in carbon offset programs to meet sustainability objectives.
Operational Continuity: Ensuring a reliable and uninterrupted energy supply is essential for business operations. Procurement activities help businesses plan for future energy needs, especially during times of expansion or relocation.

Types of Business Energy Procurement Contracts

There are various types of energy procurement contracts available for businesses. To make the best decision, it's important to understand the main options.
Fixed contracts
The contracts keep the energy unit cost or standing charge unchanged throughout the fixed term period, which can last from months to years. While they offer more security and prevent price hikes, you won't benefit from rate drops and fixed rates don't mean your bills will be the same every month.
Blend and Extend
The types of conteacts are slightly more complex. Your supplier will extend the contract's length to reduce the amount you're paying. The contract rates are blended with the current market rates, meaning you'll pay higher or lower depending on external influences.
You start with a fixed rate energy pricing, and when the contract is extended, you'll pay a new rate for that period, which helps to reduce energy bills and keep the rates steady until the contract ends. These contracts can be helpful for businesses struggling with high energy bills, but there's no guarantee your business will benefit from them.
The Flex Approach/Flexible energy procurement
These are more suitable for larger business operations. It involves buying energy in bulk at wholesale rates for months or years ahead. However, there's a risk of being caught out of contract when unit rates spike.
Pass-through
Pass-through tariffs swap between fixed, wholesale, unit rates, and other options to give the best deal while considering external factors like National Grid levels, Transmission Network Use of System (TnUoS), and more. They can be a good option for businesses that have a detailed understanding of their energy usage.
Renewable
Renewable energy contracts are the primary option for businesses seeking to meet sustainable energy goals. They involve purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs), which enable companies to offset their electricity consumption by buying the equivalent amount of electricity produced by renewable resources.

Advice For Generating an Energy Procurement Strategy

To effectively manage your business's energy consumption, you need to have a clear understanding of your energy needs. This includes how much energy you currently use and how much you are likely to use in the future. It's important to have an accurate prediction of your energy needs to avoid any unexpected bills.
When budgeting for energy expenses, it's important to be realistic about your costs. You should consider all energy options available to you, including different contracts and tariffs, and negotiate with various suppliers to ensure you get the best rates. Only agree to contracts that are affordable for your business.
Regular monitoring of your energy usage and spending can help you make changes to meet your energy goals. Whether your focus is on improving your carbon footprint or reducing costs, regular monitoring can help you identify opportunities to achieve your energy objectives.
Ask us any questions and we will help you out as much as possible.

TL;DR I (14F) don't know what to do about my friend/classmate (15M) who has love-hate (this is kind of an exaggeration) feelings for me.
We're in the same class and graduating 8th grade in less than a month and I'm asking for help because I don't want to be the villain in his life. I'm always stressed about hurting people and I only ever tried to be kind and honest, but I was stupid and I messed up this time. I don't want him to remember me as the exact thing I am not. I hate conflict and being mean. I would rather compromise than hurt somebody's feelings, but now I am just at loss.
We started talking more in October and then got pretty close in November and December. We'll call him D. We went out mid December at the mall to buy a book for school and I ended up buying Christmas presents. He helped me pick stuff for all of my friends and then we ate. It was very much a date-like hangout and we even walked arm in arm to the bus stop at the mall. He also walked me from the bus stop to my front door.
Fast forward to a day before our school's Christmas event. I told my friends that I kind of liked him and they convinced me to tell him. I told him and we texted some more at home then we agreed to talk the next day after the event. That evening I thought about it all and I realized that I wasn't ready for a relationship. I am 14 after all and I have the most important exam of my life so far at the end of the school year (this is just the schooling system in my country). The next day I avoided him and then at home I explained everything through text because I was too anxious to do it face-to-face. I was a wimp and I wish I had the guts to actually talk to him. I apologized countless times. I felt horrible and I can't even imagine how it was for him. I still kinda hate myself for it, but at the time I believed it was for the best.
I thought about the whole ordeal and it made me realize I might have attachment issues. I'm so obsessed with being loved (I grew up very lonely) that I feel a certain level of romantic attraction towards anyone who gives me a little more attention (especially men which I know is terrible). I also don't mean this as an excuse, but rather as an explanation to why I acted the way I did. I liked how D made me feel about myself, not actually him (this is horrible, I know). After I explained everything I felt he was cool about it and I actually thought that maybe things were okay. I told him i wasn't going out until after New Year's because I was very busy with family (I wasn't avoiding him purposely I was actually busy) yet for about a week straight he asked me 2 times every day where I was which was kinda weird and made me not want to go out at all even after New Year's.
Fast forward to this March when a common acquaintance of ours (not in our class) talked to D because he'd heard from a friend of his that D still liked me. D told this acquaintance that he does indeed still like me, that I look good and that he likes my big breasts (he said this in a much less respectful way). I was shocked because I couldn't fathom D still liking me after I'd been a total witch to him. We'd been ignoring each other mostly ever since December and even though we agreed to stay friends and I was very confused.
A few days later I was talking to a good friend of mine, D's deskmate, and mentioned the acquaintance who told me D still liked me. I just repeated something funny he said. I didn't say anything about D because he was right there, but D got mad (he probably found out I knew stuff) and broke a pencil. I'd seen that he had problems with anger and jealousy (he used to read my texts to my online friend on the other side of the world who is also a guy and got upset when I'd say they're personal and we weren't even together), but I didn't think it was that bad.
My friend (we'll call her R) told me she found out from another friend in our group that I was driving D crazy with telling his deskmate (a very close friend of mine) about stuff like weird fanfiction about my favourite singer (Gerard Way) and my variety of dirty jokes. From what R understood, he didn't like me speaking about sexual stuff (I haven't done anything like that, it's just an interesting topic to me) around him. I didn't understand why it would bother him, but apparently it did. Maybe jealousy? I don't know.
Nothing much happened until this Saturday when our whole class was taking album photos. The basic and typically "popular" girl in our class invited my group (the 7 emo girls basically) alongside her group (her another 3 people) to the new Japanese restaurant in town. We get along fine with them, though they kinda gossip about us sometimes, so we gladly agreed to eat with them. A girl in our group (whom D liked last year; she was much harsher in rejecting him - she blocked him on all platforms) is a tad bit closer to the popular girl, so the two of them made the reservation for 11 people at the restaurant.
During the shoot, D and another classmate that we're not very close friends with (they're chill, we just don't talk all that much) overheard our sushi plans and asked me if we were going. I said yes and tried to kindly say that we have a reservation already for 11 people and that they can tag along, but sit at another table. I felt bad because I've been excluded countless times in social situations in my life and I didn't want them to feel that. Their parents who were also there questioned me and I was too ashamed to lie, so I said that yes, we had a reservation. D and the other person didn't come in the end.
That evening I texted D apologizing and explaining that I was just invited and that I wasn't the one making the reservation. He said that it's okay and not my fault and he said that the other person was also not mad at me. He asked me why i was so obsessed with apologizing and I made a sharp remark I didn't think through about being annoyed at my friends' insensitivity about excluding them. He asked me why I was telling him all that and I told him to forget it. He encouraged me to continue and just speak my mind. I said no and told him I only had a question. I asked "do you still like me?" and I proceeded to explain why that would be impossible. He said I was changing the subject and I didn't realize that he was the one doing it in reality. He told me again to just speak and that nobody else will know whatever I tell him. I refused, but he somehow convinced me and I made a small confession about being lonely and feeling like only 3 people truly like me. It wasn't as personal as it may seem because I have much deeper feelings I have never told anyone, but I was still shocked that he somehow made me spit out things it takes a lot of hard work to get me to say as I am a very introverted and closed off person. For some context I was literally shaking and hyperventilating from anxiety throughout the whole conversation. I asked him again if he still liked me and he responded in the morning, completely ignoring the question and asking about a math test we recently took.
Yesterday evening, on Sunday, I talked to another classmate and friend (again not very close, but he's nice) whom I'll call L. L told me D had sent the group chat with the other person who I apologized to for the sushi thing, L and another classmate (I presume) screenshots of our whole conversation (even though he promised he'd keep his mouth shut). L sent me a screenshot of D saying I played him before and after I rejected him and said I manipulated him and only pretended to be interested in the things he liked just to get close to him (for the record, I'm a big listener, I love hearing my friends talk about their passions and interests). He also said he hated me. I was shocked and very upset because while telling me everything is alright and that the mess in my mind will get better, he was talking nonsense about me to others and sharing private information.
I told my friends about all of this. R said it's all my fault and that I did give him false hopes even after I rejected him and that I give him too much importance. She basically said I'm a bad person because I told D I wasn't ready to date anybody after saying I liked him. She probably believes I did it for kicks, just like D thinks, but I swear on everything I have that I'm just very dumb and I have no idea how to navigate human relations. I'm a massive people pleaser and it shows. Two friends said that it is what it is and another four said that it is totally not my fault and that I did not give him false hopes after I rejected him and that I barely even acknowledged him during that time (I also think so, but R said I kept flirting with him - I ignored him completely and he ignored me just the same so I am very confused as to what she deems "flirting"). They said I communicated clearly that it's not him, but rather a personal issue and that I am very sorry and I will respect his decision if he doesn't want us to talk or be friends at all anymore. I am in a dilemma.
I feel like a bad bad bad person for what I did and how I acted and I have no idea if R is right and that I did keep giving him false hopes or if all of my other friends are right and it's not my fault. I never thought that my behavior (existing in his perimeter) would be considered as flirting, but apparently R thinks otherwise. In R's opinion sending him two TikToks in 3 months and talking to him 3 maybe 4 times through text and another two face-to-face from December to now was too much attention.
So, am I a horrible person who deserves unhappiness or is D just overreacting and being manipulative and toxic? Please help this is really messing with my mind.

I gather that Beast Rabban and Feyd-Rautha are brothers. Beast seems to be the older one, yet it's Feyd who is Na-Baron, presumably "baron to be." Usually it's the older brother who is the heir, so I have questions. Does this mean Vladimir gets to choose his successor among his nephews? Or are there some peculiarities in Harkonnen system of government?
I have just waded into the Dune universe and don't know much yet, so please bear with me.

NOTE: THIS IS AN AUTHORS REQUEST
Can you search a suspect’s 10-prInt card through AFIS? Or is it only possible to search one print through the system?
If yes to the first question, then what benefit would arise from using all 10 prints?
Any answers are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Yeah... another one of these posts. Sorry :D
I want to get info FPV. I have minimal quad experience from 10 years ago and also some gear left over: A Turnigy 9xr controller, a Frsky 4ch TX, and a lipo charger Turnigy accucell 6 and a soldering iron :)
Are the controller and the charger still usable these days? They are exactly 10years old but still function great.
I'm using the Turnigy 9XR to get my simulator (liftoff) hours into the fingers.
I want to buy 2 drones:

• a cine whoop. Was thinking something like Pavo 25 v2.
• a freestyle/cinema 5in drone. Was looking at the heavily recommended Nazgul 5 v3.

I'm kinda lost about the FPV system.... I want to go digital, I dislike DJI and my budget is quite flexible. I don't intend to race ever so I guess my pick is WalkSnail?
One of the features I would love is that I could share my video feed with other people - the wife and kids. Is the best way for the goggles to have a HDMI out? Or is there a simpler solution?
tl;dr: So to conclude my questions are:

1. Can I use my old controller and charger?
2. Does it make sense to start with these two drones?
3. What FPV system to get?
4. How to share my feed?
5. What are some recommended shops in EU?
6. Am I missing anything else?

After nearly a decade of consideration and discomfort, I (29f) am planning on getting a breast reduction this year.
Quick background: I’m 5’8 160lb and wear a 34 G (I haven’t been fitted in years though) I’ve had consultations with two surgeons, one in Chicago and one in St. Louis, and I am a strong candidate. The Chicago surgeon quoted me $21k, St. Louis surgeon quoted me $13.5k.
Neither of these surgeons take insurance. I have yet to explore what my insurance (United, UMR) would cover as I have some concerns around quality/outcomes from surgeons who accept insurance.
My mom had a reduction in the 80s and has strongly recommended paying out of pocket because she believes I will have better outcomes. By going through insurance, she fears I might have a higher chance of issues including more scarring and potential sensation loss.
My question is: does whether a surgeon accepts insurance impact the quality of their work and surgery outcomes?
Disclaimer: I understand that it is a privilege and a luxury to even consider paying out of pocket. Spending $13.5-21k is no small investment for me and would rather go through insurance if my concerns are unfounded. My question by no means is meant to imply anything negative about going through insurance other than navigating the US healthcare system is a hell scape.