Ramtidings, dear friends! It is I, your dutiful lord and master, the eternal GM. My sabbatical proved most fruitful, having figured out some depth mechanics for 3 dimensional combat in my pet project, Blood & Thunder, a maritime piracy RPG that has been both a joy and a nerve-wracking nightmare to create. If you want to see what's going on with that, you can swing by patreon.com/BlackFlagPrintingPress to take a look or support my endeavors. But I digress, because I did not come here today to talk about Blood & Thunder, no. I came here with something else in mind, good friends, for while I have been writing my bread and butter, you have gone without your beard and butter, and this is unacceptable! And so, I have trawled the depths of my memory to bring you yet another TAAAAAALE FROM THE TABLETOP, lovingly subtitled A Prologue Into Poverty.
Life is not an easy thing. There was a time when life was very difficult for me. I had far less than most, and I went without frequently, my entire life loaded into a backpack of bare necessities. Joys were few and times were hard, but I made the best of it. I traveled the countryside, mostly alone, making friends where I could amongst the other forgotten souls who haunt the streets of the United States. I met a good number of people, many of them listless drifters in their own right, who became fast friends. We would hang out for a time, but like all drifters, we would eventually part ways, called to different places to do different things. I had just come from North Carolina. I had been in Asheville, playing bluegrass to make money with friends who eventually proved dishonest, and so I parted ways with them. While in Asheville, I had met a girl, also on the road like myself, and I developed a massive crush on her. Fortune would have it that our time together was short lived, as she disappeared on a freighter down the train tracks, and I layed curled up in a bush sick as a dog for the next 3 days.
You can't get a ride from a freighter with 8 people without getting pulled off by johnny law. Our group had fractured, and myself and one other soul continued on our own, until we parted ways in Atlanta. Now, on my own, clueless and green, I wandered aimlessly, until a friend of mine at the time reached out to me by way of the internet. He had work for me, back in California, if I could just make it there. What's 3000 miles? I've got this. I walked out of Atlanta, hitched a series of rides to Arkansas, and then caught a freighter myself, all the way back to the west coast while UP did the driving. I laid on the back of that train for 3 days until I finally ran out of water and decided to get off. I was in Los Angeles. After a bit of panhandling, I got a bus into the central valley, and my friend came and scooped me up. I worked on my friends farm for a bit, building green houses and stacking money until the time came for me to once again depart. During that time, my crush from North Carolina had found me on Facebook. We got to talking.
She told me she had gone back home to Wisconsin and was working in some greasy spoon trying to save up money to afford a bus. She'd been back for awhile now, but wasn't making any headway. Her vices were getting the best of her, and she couldn't seem to get ahead. I told her she needed to knock that shit off and clean up her act. After a long enough time talking, however, things started to get flirty and dirty.
I wanted to see her, and it's actually amazing what a guy will do for love. You're how far away? Piece of cake. Hold my beer. With the work season coming to a close, I took my pay and my leave of my old friend, and he dropped me off in Modesto at the Greyhound. On the way out, he loaded me up with gifts for my travels - a new backpack, socks, a sleeping bag, some snacks for the ride... and naturally, he gave me a gift that I always treasure. He gave me a set of RPG dice. I gave my boy a hug, wished him well in his endeavors, and promised I'd be back in the fall to help him with the harvest and gathering firewood. So I went on my merry way.
I absolutely despise Greyhounds. Have you ever been on one? It's miserable. There's no room to stretch out unless you sit in the back, right by the toilet. Some asshole is always blaring garbage mumble rap on his phone all day long. It doesn't matter who you are - at the end of the trip you exude the pungent aroma of a neckbeard. This didn't bother me too much - personal hygiene suffers when you have no way to bathe regularly, so I was used to being dirty, and my friends from the road were usually very dirty people in their own right at the time, so I could handle a certain degree of grossness... within limits. I did shower at my friend's farm before I boarded that bus, though, and was feeling rather spiffy - clean body, clean clothes. Life was good and I was on my way to see my woman.
I did my best to zone out. I tried to sleep as much as I could and ignore the general atmosphere of the bus, but that was no longer an option after a layover in Las Vegas. We boarded the bus once more after an almost 24 hour delay on our schedules, and finally got moving again. I sat in the back near the toilet, as I was no stranger to this game and wanted that bench seat, and foul smells at the time didn't bother me much... or so I thought. With the bus filling up and the seats reducing to slim pickings, it dawned on me that my coveted back seat bench was going to get shared. Then, I saw him... the Busbeard.
I'm usually a pretty nice person, but I did not want my coveted backseat benchseat getting taken up, let alone by this massive lardass that now lumbered towards me. I did everything in my power to seem as big and hostile as I could. This was all in vain, however, as some people cannot read social cues. I stared at him, dripping hostility, mentally repeating sit somewhere else like it was a Zen mantra. However, nobody wanted him to sit by them either, and so, he made his way, closer and closer, as he asked people if seats were taken until he got to me at the back. He shifted to sit into the seat, angling his ass in the general direction of my face. The smell of soggy feces-laden underwear wafted up as he slid his bulk onto the bench.
Did I mention that personal hygiene suffers on a greyhound bus ride, especially when you've been riding for days? I've taken my fair share of Greyhounds, and it's unlikely that this new arrival had been riding for awhile. He was eastbound, like the rest of us, and we were in Las Vegas. His point of origin was... not very far east. I had only been on the bus for approximately a day so far, minus the extended layover time of course, so I was getting a ittle sweaty myself, but this guy smelled as if he not only lived on this bus, but was born in the blue poop goop of the latrine. It was a question worthy of debate as to whether this man had actually employed the use of a speed stick in his life. His patchy jowels jiggled at me as he said, hi.
I responded with a gruff and monotone hello, and then turned my attentions to the window, watching the bus depot workers loading up suitcases beneath. My fate was sealed. This man was to be my travel companion all the way to Denver. I decided then that maybe it would be best to ignore him. I plugged in my phone, booted up an emulator I had downloaded, and started to play some Pokemon to whittle away the hours. It didn't take long, however, before I could feel his olfactory looming become physical looming as he examined the screen upon which I played from over my shoulder.
Busbeard: Pokemon? I fucking love Pokemon! I didn't know you could play it on a phone. How are you doing that?
His heavy respirations were like an infusion of green spearmint and halitosis.
GM: Emulators.
I went back to my game, trying to angle myself away from him in such a way that he couldn't lean over my shoulder and watch me as I trained my team, but I was effectively sandwiched between him and the wall, forced to sit straight as he leaned over and watched me play. I debated then, what I ought to do. Playing Pokemon would make the time fly, but I would be crushed between the window and a sweaty fat man. Not playing Pokemon would save me the physical agony of being squished, but I would be painfully bored for seemingly endless miles, and he may use it as an opportunity to interact further. A decision needed to be made.
I shut the emulator off and put away my phone, turning my attention back out the window as the bus pulled out of the Las Vegas terminal and began down the freeway. It was not long after we had pulled out of the station, however, when that wheezing, rasping voice chirped up again.
Busbeard: So where are you going?
I ignored him, focusing on the casinos towering in the distance of the skyline, pretending as if I hadn't heard the question, or as if it weren't addressed at me. With insistance, he repeated his question at my turned back again, searching for a response within my stony exterior. I mumbled, the Midwest, and he questioningly grunted, and asked me to repeat myself. I guess we're doing this.
GM: I'm going to the Midwest.
Busbeard: Where in the Midwest?
GM: Wisconsin.
Busbeard: I've never been to Wisconsin before, but I know they got really good cheese! Hyuk hyuk... Is that why you're going there?
Judging by his smell, he must have been an excessively avid connosieur of fine Wisconsinite cheese. However, cheese was the last thing on my mind at the time.I was enamored with my lady love.
GM: I'm going to see an old friend.
Busbeard: Oh, that's cool... who is it?
The odds of this man knowing the person who I was on my way to visit were astronomically low. Your odds of getting struck by lightning, winning the lottery, and becoming president in the same day were probably higher than this cretin knowing the one specific person whom I was going to go visit in some backwater Wisconsin town. Still, I humored him, and in the same flat voice, answered his question, and told him I was on my way to see my sweetheart.
This caught Busbeard's attention. For a grown man in his mid 30s, he let out a loud "oooooooo" like a middle schooler would when he finds out his friend has a crush. I contemplated execution methods and the subjective severity of their barbarism as he excitedly asked me where she was from.
GM: Wisconsin.
Busbeard: Yeah... but, where in Wiconsin?
GM: Fuck off, dude. I'm not going to tell you the town where she lives.
Busbeard: Heh! I'd be terrified of telling a superior male like me where my girlfriend lives, too. A little kid like you wouldn't stand a chance next to a man like me. Her panties would hit the floor from one whiff of my pheromones. It happens all the time, bro, I swear. I could have any woman on this bus. They just can't resist me. They can sense my manhood, I know it.
I shouldn't stir the pot. All common sense tells me that I should just stop myself while I'm ahead, but sometimes... sometimes I just can't help myself. I've always been a pretty reserved and self-contained person for the most part, and I just want to be left alone 90% of the time to do my thing. Apparently, that's a lot to ask, because every now and then, somebody comes and invades my personal space with their protruding belly, bad breath, and self-aggrandizement, and then I find it really hard to resist my inclination to fuck with them. I know, I know, it's wrong of me to do that, but I'm human, damnit, and something good was cooking in the kitchen. What's the harm in dipping a spoon into this self-important concoction of body odor and bravado?
GM: Any woman, huh? Tell ya what, Busbeard, I just got paid, and you seem really confident in the power of your, ahhhhh, pheromones, so... how about a wager.
I laid out the terms of my devil's bargain. With a wager of 100 dollars, I would pick a lady on the bus at the next break. Busbeard would then have to seduce her. He MUST "present" his pheromones to her, naturally. If he recovered her phone number, or anything in excess thereof, like a kiss or a consensual toilet stall consummation, it would suffice to meet my criteria and loose my grasp from the freshly printed Franklin in my wallet. He agreed enthusiastically to my terms, insisting I was going to loose and he was going to get his dick sucked in a Greyhound portajohn "blumpkin style".
We rode along in silence for the next hour or so. The sun was high in the sky when we made our next stop at some gas station in Utah, and everyone filed off the bus to stretch their legs and get their snacks. I wandered around, huffing down my smoke, chatting it up with people and making friends, seeing just who they were, asking them questions - where they were going, who they were going there with. I got to talking with one guy and his girlfriend.
The guy, who we will call Sarge, was built like a brick shithouse and was a former infantry man who served 2 tours of duty in the middle east. He was traveling with his wife, a young and pretty little thing who we will call Alexandra. They were on their way back to the east coast to stay with family. Alexandra's mom was getting old and had asked them to move in to help take care of her. They were on their way out there to steward her aging mother's estate. I remarked that that was awfully kind of them, and sincerely wished them the best on taking care of Alexandra's aging mom. I told them a little bit about myself, as well... that I was effectively living on the road, playing life by ear, and on the way to see a loved one of mine for a bit before the wind blew me somewhere else.
Eventually, the bus driver gave everyone a 5 minute warning before departure, and we all filed on board. I moved back to my seat and waited for Busbeard to arrive. He came back, cradling piles of gas station sandwiches, bags of chips, and a couple of sodas in his massive paws. He sat down beside me with a loud "oof" and offered me a drink, saying that it's the least he could do before he took my money. I took that beverage. It was both cold and delicious.
GM: Well, Busbeard, I've done my rounds, and I've come to a decision.
Busbeard: Who is it? She better be hot. I swear to God, if you make me waste my time on some dried up roastie, I'm gonna be so fucking pissed at you dude.
GM: Why would I do that dude? Naturally, I only want the best for you. No, she's very pretty. You see that girl over there, in the aisle seat? That's the one. Make your move whenever you're ready.
I pointed out Alexandra to him. I already knew this was going to end very poorly. There was no way in Hell that Alexandra would express any interest in this disgusting lardass whatsoever when she had a stable and solid man like Sarge, and Sarge wasn't about to take guff from anyone. Add on to it that Sarge was easily the size of, if not bigger than, the prodigious Busbeard himself. Sarge was also trained to kill and hardened by years of combat in the graveyard of empires. I can fight - I've fought a lot - and I would not want to square up against him under any circumstances. Busbeard was going to get the snot beat out of him and pay me 100 dollars for that privilege.
The bus took off and I listened to the disgusting sounds of Busbeard inhaling the equivalent of 5 pounds of gas station food. I was only halfway through my soda, when Busbeard emitted a satisfied belch that rumbled the seats, and the feeding frenzy had ended in an effervesence of curdling bile and preservatives just as fast as it had begun. He then started to pump himself up for the task at hand. He started to sweat with excitement and latent cardiac arrest as he prepared his pheromonal aura about himself, and then with a gruff, alright, let's do this, he stood up from his seat and waddled down the aisle, his greasy belly bumping into everybody who had chosen an aisle seat.
He approached Alexandra. They were near the front end of the bus, and so I couldn't hear a word that they were saying. I watched Busbeard as he extended an arm and held on to the overhead luggage rack, exposing the damp miasma of corn-syrup infused armpit sweat to his unsuspecting victim. His pheromones were beginning to work their magic over the unsuspecting Alexandra who would soon be enraptured by its juicy spell. I waited, leaning forward intently, when a loud shout broke the silence.
Sarge: BACK THE FUCK UP.
Alexandra started to shout, too, yelling "get the fuck away from me!"
The driver turned back and yelled for everyone to sit down and shut the hell up or he would pull the bus over.
Sarge: Please do! I'm gonna beat this fucking lardass into the pavement! Saying shit like that to my wife? Who the fuck do you think you are?
The bus driver repeated his warning, and Busbeard began to shout his protests, insisting upon his innocence.
Busbeard: B-but, I was put up to it! It was that guy, in the back seat! He said---
He pointed back at me. I yelled back, I don't fucking know that guy.
The bus driver meant his threat, and pulled the bus over. We were on a long and empty stretch on the I-15 somewhere in rural Utah. The last town I had seen was about 20 miles back. It was late spring, and it was getting hot outside that afternoon. The bus driver got out of his seat, walked up to Busbeard, and told him to get the Hell off of his bus. Busbeard kept protesting, when Sarge moved past his wife, and started forcing Busbeard towards the front door.
I've heard the threat of getting kicked off maybe a thousand times on a Greyhound, but I had never seen it play out before. Busbeard was thrown off the bus. Sarge did not join him outside and pummel him into the asphalt, regrettably, as I would have loved to have watched it. Busbeard kept pleading with the bus driver as the driver shut the door on him, sealing him out on the shoulder of a lonely stretch of highway. I breathed a sigh of relief, and stretched out my legs. It was another 15 miles before we saw signs of civilization. A part of me felt bad for Busbeard, but the other part of me said, "if I can walk 20 miles in a day with 60 lbs of shit on my back, he can do an unencumbered 15 and be fine."
The ride continued on in sweet, reclined silence for me until we reached Denver, werein there was another changeover, and this bus was much, much more desolate. The rest of the Greyhound voyage passed without incident, and I spent my time flirting with my lady love and training some Pokemons. At long last, I finally arrived in Wisconsin. She came to pick me up at the bus station, and when we approached each other, we made out like long lost lovers for a good 5 minutes before we finally caught our breath enough to say hello. I got in her car, and spent maybe a week or so with her, before it was time to take my leave. I couldn't live there forever, and so, as fast as I had drifted into her life, once again, it was time for me to disappear. We said goodbye, and she dropped me off at a lonely interstate overpass on the edge of town. I put my thumb out to catch a ride to Anywhere But Here USA.
I planned my next move, and I figured that there were some friends of hers and mine that lived not too far away in the Dakotas, and maybe I would pay them a visit next. I was in the neighborhood, and figured that I might as well say hello. I reached out to them online, and then made my way west again. They were excited for me to come see them. It was only a day into the voyage when I received a message from Janet. It said, "wait for me, I'm catching up." She had packed her backpack again, and was coming after me, hot on my tail. I told her we could meet up at our mutual friend's house.
I dialed ahead to our friends, who we shall call Sarah and Queenie. Sarah used to travel together with Janet for many months before she stabilized, and then settled down. Queenie was one of my friends from North Carolina. He was a loveable chucklefuck of a drifter, missing a few teeth, wore a skirt, and spoke in the most haggard voice you could imagine. Still... he insisted on being called Queenie. He had settled down with Sarah after they hooked up, and they were living at Sarah's house. He was on thin ice there, however, and she was threatening to kick him out.
I arrived at Sarah's and Queenie's, and spent the next few days waiting for Janet to come up on my heels. During that time, Queenie and I played a lot of Magic (he had just gotten into it), and I remembered the dice that my friend in California had given me that were laying unusued in my backpack. I asked him if he had ever played tabletop RPG's before, to which he answered no. I told him that, maybe next time I see him and I'm in a better spot, we could run a game. Eventually Janet caught up, and we prepared to leave Sarah's for good towards our own new horizons. Queenie, however, had finally broken through the thin ice upon which he skated, and was getting thrown out. On the day of our departure, we asked him if he wanted to join us in our travels so he wouldn't have to go it alone.
Thus we began from Sarah's house out into the unknown once again, a cheerful trio, and true to my word, I began to teach not only Queenie, but Janet as well, the joys of tabletop RPGs.
As I'm sure you can surmise, dear friends, that this is not the end of our story, but only the beginning of another chapter. Is Busbeard still alive? What does the future hold for Ramtide's love life? How do a gaggle of vagabond drifters play tabetop games without a table? Some of these questions will be answered, my dear friends, in our next installment of TAAAAAALES FROM THE TABLETOP.
A shoutout to my lovely patrons, Tatoferret and Sillibits. You guys are wonderful. Thank you for believing in the dream.

BY: Andrew Emett - January 26, 2021
Read the full article here: https://www.nationofchange.org/2021/01/26/former-la-city-councilman-sentenced-to-prison-for-obstructing-corruption-probe/
After pleading guilty to obstructing a public corruption investigation, former Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander was sentenced Monday to 14 months in federal prison. A total of nine individuals and two businesses have now been charged as a result of this federal investigation, including former Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar.
Representing Los Angeles Council District 12 in the San Fernando Valley from July 2011 until he abruptly resigned on December 31, 2018, with almost two years left on his term, Englander served as the Council President Pro-Tempore and was on the Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee, which oversees many of the most significant commercial and residential development projects in the City of Los Angeles. According to his plea agreement, Englander was soliciting bribes from a local businessman in exchange for political favors.
In June 2017, Englander accepted multiple bribes from the unidentified business during a trip to Las Vegas. In addition to accepting $10,000 in cash, $1,000 in casino gambling chips, hotels rooms, and $34,000 in bottle service at a nightclub, the Councilman also received services from a female escort that were paid for by the businessman.
Read the full article here: https://www.nationofchange.org/2021/01/26/former-la-city-councilman-sentenced-to-prison-for-obstructing-corruption-probe/

I love this game so much. I have been paying for this game for 5-7 years and my opinion has never changed. Everything is just so good. I am not going to put a section about side quests because I cover a few side quests in a few sections. I will briefly cover the main parts of the base game. ( maybe I will make a post covering the amazing DLC) SPOILERS AHEAD. I apologize in advance for tangents, grammatical and spelling issues.
TLDR at the bottom
START/TUTORIAL
The way NV starts is a pretty good. It teaches you about the aspects of the game in the small town of Goodsprings. In "Ghost Town Gunfight", the game teaches you about skill checks. To convince Chet to help you pass a barter check, to convince Easy Pete, you pass an explosive check, Trudy requires a speech check, and Doc Mitchell requires a medicine check if you choose to do "Run Goodsprings Run". It also teaches you about the reputation with the two quests I just mentioned. If you help the Powder Gangers, they will like you, at the cost of wiping out Goodsprings, and if you choose to help the town, the Powder Gang hates you, but Goodsprings likes you.
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MORALITY
Morality is not black and white in NV for the most part. For example, in the quest "The White Wash", you are asked to investigate the case of NCR Corporal White, a soldier who went missing. You face a dilemma at the end when you find out that a Follower Of The Apocalypse is taking water from the NCR to give to the people of Westside who really need it. He tells you that he killed White to hide the secret about the water, and he feels bad about it. So you have to choose what you think is the best option, do you (A) tell the NCR that their water is being stolen so they can use it, or (B) do you keep the secret at the cost of some NCR working peoples livelihoods? There is no clear good or clear bad, it's all grey. Of course there are some obviously evil people in NV like the Fiends, especially Cook-Cook. But there is a lot, and I mean a LOT of grey.
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MINOR FACTIONS
The minor factions are really great in NV. You obviously have the Brotherhood of Steel, the tech hoarders themselves. But there are also other small factions, like the Followers of The Apocalypse. They are a group of scientists and doctors whose purpose is to help people (I believe they debuted in the original Fallout. Can't remember if it was the first or second one.) You also have the Great Khans, a group of nomads who are modeled after the Mongolians. They raid, take chems, sell chems, and kill anyone who gets in their way. But as I said earlier, the morality is not black and white. The Khans hate the NCR because of the Bitter Springs Massacre, an incident in which the NCR slaughtered Khan women, elders, and children. There is also the Boomers. The Boomers are a group of former vault dwellers who stay at Nellis Airforce base and shoot at any outsiders. This is because they do not trust them, but you can help them to prove that outsiders are not as bad as they think. The last minor factions I will cover are the Families of the Strip. The Omertas are an old school mafia inspired group that run the Gomorrah casino. They have shady business that ranges from abusing the prostitutes to killing everyone in the Strip for Caesar's Legion. The White Gloves are a society of people who see themselves as above everyone else in class. They run the Ultra Luxe casino. But there are a handful in the society who want to bring back their old tribal tradition of cannibalism. The Chairmen run the Tops casino and they are the "coolest" family. They use old school slang and are the most laid back family.
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Companions
The companions are great. Although I want to cover every single detail about every companion, I will limit myself to brief explanations on my 2 favorite companions (I love the other but do not have the time to cover them) and why I like them.
I will cover Arcade Gannon first. I love Arcade so much as a character. He is a Follower of The Apocolypse and he has an interesting origin and great writing. He has an intense hatred for Caesar's Legion. You trigger his personal quest by siding with anyone but the Legion (and maybe House. I have never tried siding with House while Arcade was in my company). He pulls you aside at certain places and, depending on how you reply, makes him like, or dislike you more. When you reach max affinity, he pulls you aside and reveals his story. He was born in the Enclave and he wants you to reunite the remnants that he knows to fight against the Legion at Hoover Dam. You can tell Arcade to stay in Freeside as a doctor to help people in the aftermath of the battle or you can tell him to fight with the remnants. If you tell him to stay in Freeside, he will give you his fathers Enclave tesla armor. If you tell him to fight, he will wear the armor at the battle for the dam. You will be rewarded with power armor training and remnants power armor. This will affect (effect?) his fate in the ending slides.
The other companion I will cover is Boone. He is former NCR First Recon sniper who participated in the Bitter Springs Massacre that I mentioned earlier. You meet him in Novac and he asks you to find the person who sold his wife into slavery. You can either find who did it or you can make him kill a random person of your choice. By doing things he like and asking him about his past, Boone will open up about the Massacre and you can take him to Bitter Springs. After killing Many Legion bois, you can tell Boone to let go of the past and he will finally move on, or you can tell him to become vengeful and more aggressive. This will affect(effect?) his fate in the ending slides.
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MAIN QUEST LINE SUMMARY
To keep this very short, the main plot is to decide who should win the second battle for the Hoover Dam. Your choices are the NCR, Caesar's Legion, Mr. House, an independent Vegas with the help of Yes Man.
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THE NCR
The New California Republic is a, well, a republic whose goal is to recreate the government of the old world, like the U.S government. It is a bureaucracy and has the positives and negatives of one. The characters in the NCR are diverse and very well written. Like how Colonel Hsu is a sensible and calm man who can resolve violent situations, as seen in the "Kings Gambit" quest where if you go to Hsu, he offers Freeside extra food and water to stop the violence. But in the same quest, you can tell Colonel Moore about the Freeside situation. Moore is a no nonsense lady who will not hesitate to fight violence with violence, which is what happens if you tell her about the Freeside situation. She sends a squad of soldiers and you to the Kings school to give the King an ultimatum. In conclusion, the NCR is an army that wishes to use the governing methods of old world America. But they also have the flaws of that system, like corruption.
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CAESAR'S LEGION
Caesar's Legion is more than a faux Roman Empire. Caesar is a man who is educated on the old world, on old world government and was even an NCR citizen and Follower of The Apocolypse. Caesar thinks that the best way to lead is through dictator control. He tells you this when you ask him about President Aaron Kimball. He says that democracy slows down progress. He actually has an amount of respect for Kimball. The Legion is made up of 86 tribes that Caesar has conquered. These tribals are stripped of their identity and are indoctrinated into essentially worshipping Caesar as a living deity, as Arcade Gannon said. The legion does not believe in modern medicine. They only use "natural" sources of healing like powder. Which is not great when (plot twist) you find out about Caesar's brain tumor. Lets talk about how women are used in the Legion. Woman are used as slaves and mates for the men. When tribes are conquered, the women are forced into slavery, while the boys and young men are made into Legion soldiers. The Legion see's women as less than men. The men are trained to fear their leaders rather than their enemies, because if they fail, they are killed, like what Caesar attempted to do to Joshua Graham when the Legion lost the First Battle for Hoover Dam. The Legate Lanius, who probably has the best voice in the game, is a figure of fear. He kills anyone that gets in his way and has been a full member of the Legion since he was a child. Caesar says that Lanius has no care for the men of the legion. In conclusion, the Legion is a slaver group that is led by an educated warlord who has interesting philosophies.
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MR. HOUSE
Robert Edwin House is the founder of RobCo, the company responsible for many of creations in Fallout including the Pip Boy. He predicted the Great War and prepared to survive it, through weird means. The platinum Chip was running late for delivery while the Great War started, so House did not get it. House is very interesting. He is very smart, yet makes very risky gambles, like trusting you (a stranger) in not destroying his secret army of robots. He single handedly saved Vegas from the war and built it up again. He wants you to help him fulfill his wishes for the future. He thinks he deserves the Dam because of what he can do for Vegas. His plan is to remove the Legion and lower the influence of the NCR in the Mojave so that he can bring back the glory of pre war Las Vegas. As another redditor said on the fallout subreddit, House seems to be the only one with long term plans for the future, whether they are good or bad is your opinion. In conclusion, Mr. House is an ambitious man with ambitious plans for Vegas and the Mojave. He is very confident in himself and his ability to predict the outcome of situations.
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YES MAN/ INDEPENDANCE
This is going to be the shortest description. Benny had help reprogramming a securitron to help with anything, most notably taking over Vegas. You choose what factions you like and which ones you do not like and you kick both the Legion and the NCR out of the Mojave wasteland to establish independence.
FREEDOM AND DETAIL
This game is a game where you have complete freedom. You don't like Caesar, go ahead and kill him. There's no quest to do it, but you can still do it. You can kill anyone you want and you can make many decisions that impact the world. If you allow the NCR train to blow up, or if you do it yourself with the Legion, people will talk about it. I made a post showing Legate Lanius's reaction to you confronting him while wearing Legion faction armor. Obsidian has done such an amazing job putting so much detail in this game. Another example of detail is wiping out Camp Forlorn Hope. The NCR will talk about that if you do it then talk to the troopers. There are more examples of this that you will see during your own gameplay.
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THE WORLD
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The games world is so good. The world is great, especially from a 2010 game. The locations are great. The unmarked spots like the Sarsaparilla sign where the Lonesome Drifter is are pretty cool. The spot where you find a dead person with remnants power armor is a pleasant surprise if you just find while exploring. I also feel very immersed in the world when I'm just walking around and see a legion patrolling or NCR patrolling.
SOURCES
https://www.reddit.com/Fallout/comments/3izps8/lets_talk_about_why_mr_house_is_the_best_option/
https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Caesar
https://www.reddit.com/falloutnewvegas/comments/klc6ff/in_my_near_57_years_of_playing_this_game_this_is/
A few Oxhorn videos
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TLDR: I love Fallout: New Vegas.

Rachel Schneider
ENG 477
Date 1/11/2021
Marsha Blackburn
A Writing Portfolio
I want to write my own fiction stories one day; I have had a book or two swimming around in my head so I will put the computer to good use and get that typed out one of these days. In this instance I chose my 5 stories and even though one is a marketing inquiry I had fun writing it, so here are my things and some background some of them.
Resume: It is a basic one because my photo ones were not particularly good, and this is an honest resume besides the ones I made for class and I did fudge on those.
Cover letter: I made up the cover letter though there is a penguin Books but it is always fun to use your imagination!
Hike with Drew: I got the concept from a Writer’s Digest and entered it into a contes I never got a response but good practice.
Short Story Vegas: Was one I did for another class but in here I changed it and the story was much better the second time.
Marketing Flyer: This was fun to do those are stock photos of the dogs and squeaky toys, but I like Pit Bulls and dog toys are fun as well.
Scott part 1-This is a story I am working on with another writer, warning its very sexy and some naughty words are in there as well.
Writing Samples: I made these three samples up one day because as I have looked for writing work, I have seen people want a sample of your work, so I came up with these.
Rachel
Schneider
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3867 Houghton Ave Riverside CA 92501 📷
951-743-8911 📷
[email protected] 📷
Rachel Schneider 📷
Rachel7Tori-Twitter 📷
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Objective
To get a career going in the fiction/short story writing industry my imagination can run with any scenario and to write is to live.
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Education
Bachelor of Arts in English | Grand Canyon University
2017 – 2021
Took 15 different writing courses, creative writing and even two fun marketing classes all to polish up my craft. Carried a 3.0 GPA and did the courses all online as well.
No Degree Obtained | Riverside Community College
June 1994 – December 1996
Took these college courses but did not finish got 32 Units of Child Development Courses though which is what I was going for
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Experience
Cafeteria Worker 1
2008 Currently Employed.
Cook, Prep, serve food in a middle school setting, also clean, count inventory and do next day prep, cash handling and POS register experience.
Bell Ringer | Salvation Army
November 2007 – December 2007
Rang bell and collected donations for the salvation Army in front of various stores during the holiday season.
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Skills
Food handlers Card
CPR First Aid certified
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Grammar Proficiency
Spelling Proficiency
Can work from home
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Activities
Have good use of social media and can help update or bring in new followers with my creative writing side. Have a Reddit account as well with 30 stories up on that site. Can speak a little Spanish and Hebrew as well.
951-743-8911
[email protected]
3867 Houghton Ave Riverside CA 92501
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Rachel Schneider

Writer

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Penguin Books

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Dear JENNIFER MCGREGOR,

1/21/2021
Jennifer McGregor
Fiction Publisher
4587 Tropicana Rd.
Las Vegas NV 89102
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I have included my resume for the short story writer for young adult novels. It has been a few years, but I currently work in a middle school, so I do see all the angst and sass that goes with being a young teen. I do hope my writing samples can help me move to the top of the list. I look forward to working with Penguin Books and letting kids know being a teen is hard at first, but it does not last forever.
Sincerely,
Rachel Schneider
Rachel Schneider
3867 Houghton Ave
Riverside CA 92501
It had been a long cold winter Drew and I could not get out for a morning hike till today. Being 75 degrees, we did not have to wear many layers. He is an extremely sweet inquisitive boy who always asks a lot of questions. Why does moss grow on the north side of trees” he asks? Its times like this when it would be nice to have my husband here, but he is overseas where the work is. “well, it’s not just the north side it’s on the shadier side because that is where the moisture is.”
On we went looking at snails on the ground watching the deer pass by along a ridge. Being quiet as to not startle them. “Mom he whispered it’s a bunny den they are coming out for food, he leaves a few carrot and lettuce scraps from last night’s dinner. I walked down the path and spotted some glorious Blue Jays and a Downey Woodpecker. “Listen Drew the woodpecker is getting the bugs out of the trees.” My sweet Drew was staring at the Bunnies, they are cute and fluffy after all. We followed our path down further after the bunnies went back to the den.
The skies were getting cloudy, so I hoped the rain was not going to come back. Though the weather report said there was a chance. My little explorer with his school uniform on was undeterred, I wish I could wear shorts on a 75 day and not be cold, it is always nice to be young. Walking along our path we spot some squirrels running in circles around the tree. “Why do the chase each other like that” Drew asks. “Maybe it’s a game for them like ring around the Rosie.”
On we trek to our favorite stream where the deer family are taking their drinks. I tell Drew we cannot skip stones right now we do not want to scare them. We look through the grass for more of his favorite bugs, saw some worms just below the dirt by a tree. Looking up we see a big spider web being made between two branches. The crows were making their calls in the distance. We are finally able to skip our stones in the stream. He gets some great skips going, and we collect some new rocks for our little garden back home.
Walking past the stream we climb up the embankment and up along the ridge where we see a Fox off in the distance. He or she walks the opposite direction we are going so it is a relief we can continue to the clearing. Where there are more bugs, rocks, and Bunnies. We pass the Deer family as they run up the hill to were, they mostly frolic or maybe they live up there. We stop for a snack of Apples, Almonds, and some cheese sticks. When we were finished Drew put a couple of slices in his pocket to feed the Bunnies, I am sure.
“Mommy we’re getting to the clearing now we can see the Bunnies and the last time Daddy, and I were here I got some neat rocks too.” Drew told ne enthusiastically, I did love his passion for nature, though again my husband is much better at the nature stuff. I am a pastry Chef ask me about desserts and I am your woman, about why moss grows on trees and hello Google. Since Dad is unavailable, I step in and let him explore and see the world outside of the house and off the screen.
It is just another half mile and it is on to the clearing. He starts to pull me hand a little harder I know he is excited. We pass under the tree I glance up and see the Fox again. Then we stop and see “Daddy home……
Name: Rachel Schneider
Course: ENG 361
Date: 4/14/2020
Instructor: Debbie Graves
One Week In Las Vegas
The countdown started Friday at 2pm I got the week off from this thing I call a job (just over broke). The car was packed, it was time to hit the road. The traffic was average and climbing the Cajon Pass was not that bad. I stopped in Baker to have my favorite meal at Bob’s Big Boy, the chili spaghetti, no onions. After making my way back on the highway the traffic picked up going out of Baker, through to Primm and Stateline. I had to stop for gas at Whiskey Pete’s, so I also went in and got some snack goodies. My favorite trail mix and some cheese potato chips because vending machines are too expensive. The road was beckoning so off I went, traveling through Jean is always nice, not much to see. A prison, a few remaining casinos, some outbuildings, and a truck stop. There slogan was always fun 40 smiles closer than Vegas. You can get bored so be sure to pack some music you can have your own car concert. “I’ll face it with a grin I’m never giving in, on with the show” (Show Must Go on by Queen)
Finally, the Vegas skyline is in sight, the lights are not on yet, but they will be needing to navigate around the strip. I do say a few words the terrible drivers. This vacation was so needed my job is crazy, my kids are older now and do not need mom around anymore. Off they went to grandma’s house and I booked the week at the Delano, it is attached to the Mandalay bay so perfect access to all the fun of the strip, and just enough luxury to not look cheap. Getting the valet to take the car I check into my genuinely nice room I have a great view of the Luxor light (that comes off the top of the hotel) and the Excalibur. Now off to indulge in that genuinely nice bathtub and get some overdue reading done. My bathroom with a view has the Luxor light and that is the brightest light on the Vegas strip it comes right out of the top of the Pyramid shaped hotel. A brightness of 42.3 billion candela, you could read a paper from 10 miles straight up if you wanted to.
Once I was well soaked and finished with my chapters it was time to find something to eat besides my snack foods. After cruising the room service options, I settled on some Mexican food of chorizo and eggs with nice corn tortillas. That hit the spot so with the extra energy it was time to get out for a stroll of the property. The indoor pool is nice but small and I want to soak up the sunshine and get some exercise so I shall hit the outdoor pool tomorrow. Back in the lobby I grab those ads for things to do in the city so I can plan out the rest of my trip. There are thousands of things to do in Vegas. Do not be disappointed if you do not get everything done, that is what the next trip is for. I have a beautiful week and I want to have a good time and not have to wait for anybody, I can do what I want. I got those and cruised up through the lobby and toward the casino on my way there I saw a sign for a food and wine festival. With that guy Zac from the travel channel. Thinking hmm I did not know he was interested in food or wine. I went down and found my favorite penny slot game Lucky cat. After 15 minutes I came out putting 20 in and winning 500, so I called it a night and went to the bar to catch a hockey game and grab a fun fruity drink (I like tequila sunrise, (Tequila, grenadine, and cranberry juice). As I am rooting for the Golden Knights (local Vegas hockey team) I looked over to my left and there was Zac from the travel channel, and he likes hockey too this is awesome, and I am trying not to be a fan girl.
The game was in intermission and the Knights were winning so it was time for a new fruity drink so this time I turned around to get back to the bar and bumped right into Zac, boy was my face red. After some apologies and an offer to buy my next fruity drink (a Strawberry Daiquiri) it was a yes and I spilled that I was a fan. He told me he does have an interest in food and wine not just chasing ghosts with his crew. We had some great conversation and when the game came back on, we both sat in the booth cheering the golden knights to their victory. Now I am buzzed and standing up was going to be fun, but Zac was a true gentleman and helped me to my feet. He offered to buy me dinner. The Taco Hut was a good place the tortillas were fresh, and the company was so cool. The conversation turned to food, wine, travel, and some stuff about me. The midnight hour rolled around, and Zac had an early morning, so we said goodnight, but he was staying one floor above me, so we agreed to go to the diner in the lobby for breakfast or brunch. At 10am I was enjoying my company and this great stick to your ribs breakfast (scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns and some great watermelon) The food offerings in Vegas are so varied you can get everything from a hot dog and beer for 1.99 at the Orleans, to a 5-star meal at Caesar’s Palace the buffets are great too. Although sometimes you want a nice sit-down dinner.
The conversation was effortless the attraction was deep. We made plans to see each other again after the food contest he was judging was over. Saying goodbye was a bit hard but the hand holding was sweet and made me feel like a schoolgirl again. After saying goodbye and I did watch him walk into the convention hall I went back to my room to plan out the rest of my day. I chose a tour of the Mob Museum, they say that Vegas was built with Mob money, but it was a Mormon founded town that later Hollywood discovered. Then many people in Hollywood who were well connected (such as East Coast mobsters) financed Bugsy Segal to build the Flamingo Hotel. As I was putting my shoes on, I got a knock on the room door and as I opened it, I got some flowers (pink roses) and an all-access pass to the food and wine festival courtesy of Zac. Let us just say the Mob Museum can wait for later I got to go to a food and wine festival and spend the rest of the week with Zac. “hi Zac thanks for the flowers it was sweet of you to remember.” He said, “It’s always right to remember a ladies flower preference because that’s the right thing to do.” Smiling the rest of the day I meet other travel channel celebrities and got to taste some great foods and many different wines. The food and wine offerings at the hotels and restaurants are varied, the Las Vegas area have become very international, so the varieties are endless.
The week went by in a blur of food, wine, conversation, and some sweet dates. I never thought I would get over the break-up that happened the week before. Getting a private Vegas tour was something completely special. I did get to see the Mob Museum, Mandalay Bay Fine Art Museum, seven magic mountains, Pinball Hall of fame and a private dinner at the food and wine festival. My days in Vegas were down to one. We had reservations at Rivera right here at the Delano the view is amazing, the food is impressive with Italian and French offers. “I have had a wonderful time this week Zac thank you for mending my broken heart.” He looked at me for a minute and said, “it’s been a pleasure to get to know you and I would not mind visiting your hometown, you always have a reason to come back to Las Vegas. The next food and wine festival is around Christmas, this one will include chocolate.” Hitting the 15 early the next morning I have visions of Christmas, a pass to the food and wine festival, also a brand-new relationship to take back home with me.
The End
When writing a short story, you want to keep it from rambling and have enough details to keep it fresh. When your reader gets into the story you want them to feel like they are there with you, going to the food and wine festival, on that hike through the seven-mountains or touring the mob museum. The details are the thing to see and make sure to watch out for punctuation and common language. An average short story is within 6,00 words or 24 pages. If you wanted too you could go short-short story and that is between 500 and 2,00 words. That comes out to be 6 pages (Minot, Steven Ch. 7 pg. 41), talk about short stories. The story is all your length and style matter as much as how you want it to come into focus.
Minot, Steven and Theil Daniel Three genres the writing of literary pose, poems and plays Ninth edition Pearson Publications 2012
Bouncing Dog Toy Emporium
August 18,2019📷📷
24755 Holly Grove Way
Brookings OR, 97415
Dear Dogs, Rule the World
I am Rachel Schneider from the Bouncing Dog Toy Emporium we make extra bouncy dog toys for our furry friends. We investigated different marketing companies and choose you to do our direct to customer marketing. The way the website is set up the customers can get the product’s directly from you is easier than a multi-level marketing plan. The distribution of Bouncy Dog Toy will be a one level channel, we will provide the toys you market, and we sell them. I would like to get some videos of our company dogs Mac and Stella playing with the toys so you can post on the website. A link for the company can also be included so the consumers know where the toys came from, what they are made of and any other facts about Bouncing Dog Toy Emporium.
Sincerely, Rachel V Schneider
Mac and Stella company dogs and testers 📷
📷 📷📷 📷A sample of our products, our bounciest toys.
Scott’s Story Part 1
I am Scott Thorn, and I am going back to WDU for the first time in 15 years, I went here for a year but after I came out as gay there really were no gay dudes. I am all men but yeah lesbians were all around some BI guys but no real gay dudes. I went back to the mainland and attended Preston University I majored in administration and minored in Literature. I did at one point in my life have a girlfriend and wanted to marry her, but I could not quash the gay lifestyle. That part of my life is over and now the old school offered me a counseling job, have not done this in a while. I get to help students toward there after college career.
I sit here on this boat and keeping an eye on my 75 Triumph I have some nerves, but it is mostly about seeing this place again, so as the boat pulls up, I get my bike going and make a stop at my new on campus apartment. Its west facing because I like sunsets more than sunrise, so I did not know it needed so much work. I have some handy skills but a little at a time. The kitchen is decent and so is the bathroom. The floors will need some polish and the deck needs to be stained, this is a duplex, so I hope the neighbors are quiet. It is furnished and done nicely so I cannot complain too much, but back on the bike to see the Dean.
I get my bike set with the kill switch and walk up the way to the Admin building, I am pretty much the only one dressed. I am wearing my good black jeans and my dress shirt, in my favorite color Maroon. I do remember this place was obsessed with sex so I will stick out wearing clothes, as I enter the building at least more admin people are dressed. Miss Grant the secretary shows me to my new office, its spacious much bigger that my last one at Preston where I shared a cubicle with another person. I have files from past students and current ones, so I started filing them when Dean Kane walks in, booty shorts and a tank top. “Welcome back to WDU Scott, we look forward to seeing you succeed you come very recommended.” I could hardly concentrate because this Dean was hung but I persevered and said, “Thank you sir I look forward to helping young students find there after WDU careers.”
After he left, I had to get my rise to settle then I continued filing and looking through some files. Clarissa Love that was a name that got around even all the way to Preston. I think she does the Jax in the bedroom or something like that. I started looking around and thought I need some life in this office so I asked Miss Grant about decorating and she said I could do what I wanted but no painting, so I went to town and checked out a flea market. I found some pictures of the beaches of Canada, some old homes in the area and a few movie posters from Rocky horror Picture Show (it is my favorite). The flea market said they will deliver to the school tomorrow so I told them I will be there at 9am.
Now with my day done I get to the store to buy some groceries and realize this place uses sextons and I was down to my last few, so now I will need to exchange but thankfully a bank is nearby so I can get some of my mainland money exchanged. I pull up to my new pad off load my few groceries and notice some other tenant left beer in the fridge, talk about luck. I got the beer went to the deck and watched the sunset over the sky. It was going to be new here, but I needed a fresh start after getting dumped and losing the job because my ex was in upper management, never will I do that again. I will find someone who does not work in the school system. After I ate a roast beef and cheddar sandwich for dinner, watched some cooking shows it was time for bed. As I was brushing my teeth, I heard the neighbors having sex. Oh, goody they are not quiet. hope they do not have super energy either. Tomorrow is my first full day and I have decorating to do, fantastic they stopped, that is the thing with us older people we do not fuck like bunnies anymore. As far as I know the neighbors are lesbians so who knows.
Sample 1- If I try my hardest, I could muster up enough courage to ask the prettiest girl in school to prom. I had a suit; bolo tie and I will shine my old boots up. The thing is my courage is not as strong as my best friend Nick, now there is one brave dude who just asked the girl I wanted to go to prom with and of course she said yes. I gather myself close my locker and put on my best smile for them both. Nick and I high five and I hug her, trying to be genuine but it is hard. I head to my Social studies class and sit down next to Megan she looks at me with some concern I tell her what happened, she then asks me to Prom…...
Sample 2-Wishing I did not have to be here I sit at the back of the funeral and think about my old high school principal. I grew up in a small town and everyone knew everyone, we only had one school and you went there for kindergarten through senior year. After my graduation I packed up my old car and headed out to what I thought was the real world. Living in a bigger city only helped spur my loneliness so who says you cannot come home again, well Mom for starters because I abandoned my family, I am not welcome at home ever again (so tired of her drama), so I am staying at Principal Mason’s house yes, the same principal that I am at a funeral for I held her hand as she lay there succumbing to cancer……
Sample 3-If you really want to get over a breakup getting back on the horse will help things along. I thought that too seven lousy dates ago so here I am on date number 8 and I am not seeing any birds singing or rainbows in the sky. He steps away to take a call he is a particularly important lawyer after all (I need to fix my picker) after he comes back, he says it go time the jury has come back so off he goes. I finish my drink and head back to my brownstone close by, I pass the new chocolate shop that just opened, and I get inside and see chocolate heaven. Looking around I do not see him at first but there he is my old college lab partner Sam I just saw a rainbow…….

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If you like the idea of playing in the comfort of your own home, then this is a great site for you. They are located within easy reach of the Las Vegas strip and provide a great location for those who like to play poker in comfort. There is also a plethora of bonuses and promotions for players who play in the high roller tables. There is no Deposit Bonuses, which means that your first deposit will be your high roller bonus. In addition, there are no Deposit bonuses for the low stakes tables. The casinos have a number of high value tables to play at so players do not necessarily need to play at the same table as their high stakes or low stakes friends.
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[PSYCH BUT FASHION] Hi everyone, I'm back with some more shopping research:) In this post, I draw parallels between casinos and retail stores - they both use similar tricks to keep you inside for as long as possible. Enjoy the read!
1. THE GRAND PRINCIPLE OF 'PLAYGROUND' CASINOS
Have you ever wondered why casinos are so spacious and grand? New ones built in the early 2000s are constructed according to the 'playground' (luxurious resort-like) principle. It aims to create a festive holiday feeling with entertainment, installations, art, high ceilings etc. This makes you enjoy the experience even beyond playing games so you don't want to leave - it increases the chance that you will eventually place a bet somewhere (Finlay, Marmurek, Kanetkar & Londerville, 2010).
Modern shopping malls use a similar idea to keep you inside - think Harrods, Dubai Mall, Mall of Emirates. Airy, spacious, full of art, installations, and entertainment. It makes you reluctant to leave. More time spent inside = more chance of buying.
2. LAYOUT
You will notice that in casinos, roulette tables and slot machines take up the prime space in the building - they're always the most visible because those are the most profitable games for the casino. You will find poker rooms hidden in the farthest corner of the building because poker is played against other players and not against the house. Apart from small fees, casinos do not make much money out of it because the money is circulating among the players.
In the retail world, poker rooms are sales sections. They will make you go through multiple new collections in order to reach sale - just in case a more expensive item catches your eye and you decide to buy it.
3. LACK OF TIME CUES
Casinos do everything so you lose the track of time, keep having fun and gambling. There are no clocks or windows, the doors are tinted, and the atmosphere is exactly the same regardless of what time of the day it is (Sykes, Gaffney, Sykes & Posner, 2012).
There's also quiet and ambient music - it gets overwhelmed by slot machine sounds and chips clinking together. The music is kept quiet and transitions seamlessly - the reason being that separate songs can provide time cues, which might make you realise how long you've spent inside. Casinos keep the music for atmospheric purposes but make sure you don't focus on it (Noseworthy & Finlay, 2009).
Windows are common in malls to add to the 'grand' feeling; moreover, malls are usually open during the day only anyway so they have less incentive to keep the light out. You will rarely see a clock in a mall though, and separate stores are often windowless to eliminate time cues. Stores also use quiet, ambient, seamlessly transitioning music. Research shows that loud music drives people out of the store so they spend less time inside and buy less often (fun fact: small stores play loud music inside to avoid overcrowding) (Michel, Baumann & Gayer, 2017).
4. SCENT
Casinos often have a signature scent. Fresh, pleasant smell adds to the atmosphere and leaves you wanting to spend more time inside. A study showed that people gambled on slots significantly more when the area was scented compared to when it was unscented (Hirsch, 1992).
Stores use it too - research says that ambient smell increases customer satisfaction, buying, and willingness to return (Gulas & Bloch, 1995).
5. ALCOHOL
Casinos often offer free alcohol. It adds to the feeling of hospitality but the main reason is that alcohol reduces inhibition which leads to riskier gambling (Baron & Dickerson, 1999).
[personal interpretation alert]
Luxury boutiques often offer you free champagne; however, it is less common in the retail industry. It also feels more oriented towards hospitality and luxurious experience rather than control inhibition because the context of a retail store is not particularly congruent with alcohol consumption. Regardless, even small amounts of alcohol can reduce inhibition which potentially increases how much we buy so a glass of champagne could well be a strategic trick. What do you think?
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I hope you enjoyed the read! I regularly create content around fashion psychology (Psych But Fashion) - if you're interested to learn more, visit my profile where I have links to my social media accounts.
Thank you for reading,
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BEA
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REFERENCE LIST
Baron, E., & Dickerson, M. (1999). Alcohol consumption and self-control of gambling behaviour. Journal of Gambling Studies, 15(1), 3-15.
Finlay, K., Marmurek, H. H., Kanetkar, V., & Londerville, J. (2010). Casino décor effects on gambling emotions and intentions. Environment and Behavior, 42(4), 524-545.
Gulas, C. S., & Bloch, P. H. (1995). Right under our noses: Ambient scent and consumer responses. Journal of Business and Psychology, 10(1), 87-98.
Hirsch, A. R. (1992). Effect of an ambient odor on slot.machine usage in a Las Vegas casino. Unpublished report: Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, Ltd.
Michel, A., Baumann, C., & Gayer, L. (2017). Thank you for the music–or not? The effects of in-store music in service settings. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 36, 21-32.
Noseworthy, T. J., & Finlay, K. (2009). A comparison of ambient casino sound and music: Effects on dissociation and on perceptions of elapsed time while playing slot machines. Journal of Gambling Studies, 25(3), 331-342.
Sykes, K., Gaffney, C., Sykes, T., & Posner, I. (2012). Sustainability in casino design and operation:“Green” is good for the bottom line. World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development.

MAME 0.223

MAME 0.223 has finally arrived, and what a release it is – there’s definitely something for everyone! Starting with some of the more esoteric additions, Linus Åkesson’s AVR-based hardware chiptune project and Power Ninja Action Challenge demos are now supported. These demos use minimal hardware to generate sound and/or video, relying on precise CPU timings to work. With this release, every hand-held LCD game from Nintendo’s Game & Watch and related lines is supported in MAME, with Donkey Kong Hockey bringing up the rear. Also of note is the Bassmate Computer fishing aid, made by Nintendo and marketed by Telko and other companies, which is clearly based on the dual-screen Game & Watch design. The steady stream of TV games hasn’t stopped, with a number of French releases from Conny/VideoJet among this month’s batch.
For the first time ever, games running on the Barcrest MPU4 video system are emulated well enough to be playable. Titles that are now working include several games based on the popular British TV game show The Crystal Maze, Adders and Ladders, The Mating Game, and Prize Tetris. In a clear win for MAME’s modular architecture, the breakthrough came through the discovery of a significant flaw in our Motorola MC6840 Programmable Timer Module emulation that was causing issues for the Fairlight CMI IIx synthesiser. In the same manner, the Busicom 141-PF desk calculator is now working, thanks to improvements made to Intel 4004 CPU emulation that came out of emulating the INTELLEC 4 development system and the prototype 4004-based controller board for Flicker pinball. The Busicom 141-PF is historically significant, being the first application of Intel’s first microprocessor.
Fans of classic vector arcade games are in for a treat this month. Former project coordinator Aaron Giles has contributed netlist-based sound emulation for thirteen Cinematronics vector games: Space War, Barrier, Star Hawk, Speed Freak, Star Castle, War of the Worlds, Sundance, Tail Gunner, Rip Off, Armor Attack, Warrior, Solar Quest and Boxing Bugs. This resolves long-standing issues with the previous simulation based on playing recorded samples. Colin Howell has also refined the sound emulation for Midway’s 280-ZZZAP and Gun Fight.
V.Smile joystick inputs are now working for all dumped cartridges, and with fixes for ROM bank selection the V.Smile Motion software is also usable. The accelerometer-based V.Smile Motion controller is not emulated, but the software can all be used with the standard V.Smile joystick controller. Another pair of systems with inputs that now work is the original Macintosh (128K/512K/512Ke) and Macintosh Plus. These systems’ keyboards are now fully emulated, including the separate numeric keypad available for the original Macintosh, the Macintosh Plus keyboard with integrated numeric keypad, and a few European ISO layout keyboards for the original Macintosh. There are still some emulation issues, but you can play Beyond Dark Castle with MAME’s Macintosh Plus emulation again.
In other home computer emulation news, MAME’s SAM Coupé driver now supports a number of peripherals that connect to the rear expansion port, a software list containing IRIX hard disk installations for SGI MIPS workstations has been added, and tape loading now works for the Specialist system (a DIY computer designed in the USSR).
Of course, there’s far more to enjoy, and you can read all about it in the whatsnew.txt file, or get the source and 64-bit Windows binary packages from the download page. (For brevity, promoted V.Smile software list entries and new Barcrest MPU4 clones made up from existing dumps have been omitted here.)

MAME Testers Bugs Fixed

• 02603: [Sound] (cinemat.cpp) tailg: Phasor sample plays incorrectly. (Aaron Giles)
• 03307: [Sound] (cinemat.cpp) ripoff: Multiple issues with sound samples. (Aaron Giles)
• 03720: [Sound] (cinemat.cpp) speedfrk, wotw, wotwc: Incomplete sound samples implementation. (Aaron Giles)
• 06033: [Gameplay] (sothello.cpp) sothello: Gameplay logic is broken. (hap)
• 06896: [Gameplay] (gottlieb.cpp) krull: Invisible enemies cause deaths in cave scene. (dink)
• 07237: [DIP/Input] (vsmile.cpp) vsmileg [walle]: Wall-E does not recognise the joystick controller. (Ryan Holtz)
• 07340: [DIP/Input] (vegas.cpp) nbagold, nbanfl and nbashowt: Digital joystick inputs are not present. (Ted Green)
• 07537: [Sound] (nemesis.cpp) twinbee: Speech does not play. (AJR)
• 07608: [Gameplay] (uzebox.cpp) uzebox: All systems (except craft) that use the avr8 CPU have regressed severely. (hap)
• 07644: [DIP/Input] (pcipc.cpp) pcpci: Mouse movement causes spurious keyboard input. (Samuele Zannoli)
• 07687: [Compiling] AsmJit fails to compile for ARM targets. (Belegdol)
• 07689: [Sound] (s8a.cpp) scrzy_l1: Sounds do not play. (Robbbert)
• 07690: [Crash/Freeze] (kingdrby.cpp) cowrace: [debug] Assert upon start. (AJR)
• 07691: [Crash/Freeze] (eprom.cpp) eprom, eprom2: Game freezes upon end of demonstration. (AJR)
• 07693: [DIP/Input] (dooyong.cpp) sadari: Third button (activate power-up) is not present. (hap)
• 07696: [Graphics] (taito_l.cpp) fhawk, fhawkj: Background graphics are not displayed correctly. (hap)
• 07708: [DIP/Input] (segas18.cpp) wwallyj, lghost, and clones: Controls do not work. (Ivan Vangelista)

New working machines

• Conny / VideoJet Dora l'exploratrice - Pocket Dream Console (VideoJet, France) [TeamEurope, David Haywood]
• Conny / VideoJet PDC150 Tactile - Pocket Dream Console (VideoJet, France) [TeamEurope, David Haywood]
• Conny / VideoJet PDC200 - Pocket Dream Console (VideoJet, France) [TeamEurope, David Haywood]
• Conny / VideoJet PDC40 Tactile - Pocket Dream Console (VideoJet, France) [TeamEurope, David Haywood]
• Conny / VideoJet PDC50 - Pocket Dream Console (VideoJet, France) [TeamEurope, David Haywood]
• Conny / VideoJet Plug Play TV Games 2 (4-in-1) (VideoJet, France) [TeamEurope, David Haywood]
• DataCash Systems / Staid CompuChess: The Second Edition [hap, Berger, Achim]
• Dice game [Aleksandr Gofman, MetalliC]
• Elektor AVR-Max Chess Computer (English) [hap]
• Fidelity Electronics Chess Challenger (model UCC10, 10 levels) [hap, Berger, Achim]
• Guitar Star (Europe, PAL) [David Haywood, TeamEurope]
• Linus Åkesson / kryo The Hardware Chiptune Project [Ryan Holtz]
• Linus Åkesson Phasor [Ryan Holtz]
• Linus Åkesson Power Ninja Action Challenge [Ryan Holtz]
• Micro Vs. System: Donkey Kong Hockey [algestam, Ryan Holtz]
• Millennium 2000 GmbH Millennium Arcade 101 (M489) (Game Station 2 101-in-1) [TeamEurope, David Haywood]
• Motorola EXORterm 155 [68bit]
• Motorola M6800 EXORciser (M68SDT) [68bit]
• Novag Micro Chess [hap, Berger, Achim]
• SciSys / Intelligent Games Intelligent Chess [hap, Berger, Achim]
• SciSys Chess Companion [hap, Berger, Achim]
• SciSys Chess Intercontinental Traveler [hap, Berger, Achim]
• Senario / Marathon - Mystery Animation Inc. Totally Spies! (France) [TeamEurope, David Haywood]
• Senario Vs Maxx 6-in-1 Casino / Senario Card & Casino Games [Sean Riddle, David Haywood]
• Subor Sports and Dance Fit Games Mat D-555 (PAL) [David Haywood, TeamEurope]
• Telko / Nintendo Bassmate Computer [algestam, Mr. Do]
• Ultimate Products Ltd. Reactor 32-in-1 (NTSC) [Sean Riddle, David Haywood]
• Ultimate Products Ltd. Zone Mini [Sean Riddle, David Haywood]
• WinFun Guitar Buster [Sean Riddle, David Haywood]
• Wireless Fitness / Dance Fit (Senario) [Sean Riddle, David Haywood, anonymous, Kev (FBN)]
• Xing Wireless Interactive TV Game 'Wi TV Zone' 48-in-1 (Europe, PAL) [David Haywood, TeamEurope]

New working clones

• 4-in-1 (version SWS1-110984) [Siftware]
• Astro Fighter (set 4) [Juan Romero, ClawGrip]
• Cruis'n USA (rev L4.4) [Brian Troha, The Dumping Union]
• Dead Or Alive ++ (Korea) [chacal231077]
• Double Wings (set 2) [Jorge Silva]
• Elektor AVR-Max-Schachzwerg (German) [hap]
• Fidelity Electronics Elite A/S Challenger (Glasgow program, set 2) [Berger]
• Galaxian (Cirsa Spanish bootleg) [Juan Romero, ClawGrip]
• Hammerin' Harry (World, M84 hardware bootleg) [ClawGrip, Roberto Fresca, Recreativas.org, The Dumping Union]
• Jack Potten's Poker (set 13, ICP-1 PCB) [Roberto Fresca, Matt B]
• Jolly Joker (original program, interleaved GFX, Impera logo) [Roberto Fresca, TeamEurope]
• Jolly Joker (original program, interleaved GFX, no logo) [Roberto Fresca, TeamEurope]
• Master Boy (1987, Z80 hardware, Ichi-Funtel, set 2) [Retromaniacs, Recreativas.org]
• Ms. Pac-Man (bootleg, set 3) [Andrew Welburn]
• Ms. Pac-Man (Novatronic bootleg) [Juan Romero, ClawGrip]
• New Lucky 8 Lines (set 11, W-4) [Siftware]
• Pipi & Bibis / Whoopee!! (Ryouta Kikaku bootleg, decrypted) [jordigahan]
• Race Drivin' (compact, prototype) [andynumbers, The Dumping Union]
• Robotron: 2084 (Unidesa license) [Juan Romero, ClawGrip]
• Ultimate Products Ltd. Zone 7-in-1 Sports (PAL) [David Haywood, TeamEurope]
• Slap Shot (Ver 2.2 J) [Jorge Silva]
• Space Trek (Video Game S.A., Spanish bootleg of Scramble) [Rubén Casaña (Retro Arcadia Valencia), Isaías Hernández]
• Splash (Modular System) [jordigahan, ClawGrip, David Haywood]
• Super Forte (version C, V3.6) [Berger]
• Witch Star [Brian Troha, The Dumping Union]
• Zero Time (Spanish bootleg) [Juan Romero, ClawGrip]

Machines promoted to working

• Adders and Ladders (v2.1) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• Barquest (v2.6) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• Blox (SJM BLOX, 50p/20p Play, Version 2.0) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wall, David Haywood, Angelo Salese]
• Business Computer Corporation Busicom 141-PF [Robbbert]
• The Crystal Maze (v1.3) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• The Crystal Maze Team Challenge (v0.9) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• The Mating Game (v0.4) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• NBA Showtime / NFL Blitz 2000 (ver 2.1) [Ted Green]
• NBA Showtime Gold / NFL Blitz 2000 (ver 3.0) (SportsStation) [Ted Green]
• NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC (ver 2.0) [Ted Green]
• The New Crystal Maze Featuring Ocean Zone (v2.2) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• Nice Code Plug and Play Sudoku Game (NES based) [Sean Riddle, David Haywood, GameHistory.org]
• Photo Y2K 2 / Chaoji Bi Yi Bi 2 / Dajia Lai Zhao Cha 2 / Real and Fake 2 Photo Y2K (M101XX 05/25/01 11:02:54) [iq_132, dink]
• Prize Tetris (BWB) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wall, David Haywood, Angelo Salese]
• SCCH LLC-1 [Robbbert]
• Senario Guitar Star (US, Senario, NTSC) [David Haywood]
• Strike it Lucky (v0.5) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• TaiKee Rockstar Guitar / Guitar Rock (PAL) [David Haywood]
• Tetris Payout (BWB TET1 Version 2.2, set 1) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wall, David Haywood, Angelo Salese]
• unknown rocket/animal-themed poker [Roberto Fresca]
• Vegas Poker (prototype, release 2) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood, Highwayman]

Clones promoted to working

• Adders and Ladders (v2.0) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• The Crystal Maze (v0.1, AMLD) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• The Crystal Maze (v1.1) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• The Crystal Maze (v1.2) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• The Crystal Maze Team Challenge (v0.8) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• The Crystal Maze Team Challenge (v1.2, AMLD) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• dreamGEAR Shredmaster Jr (NTSC) [David Haywood]
• Eurohard S.A. Dragon 200-E [Nigel Barnes]
• The New Crystal Maze Featuring Ocean Zone (v0.1, AMLD) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• The New Crystal Maze Featuring Ocean Zone (v2.0) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• Photo Y2K 2 / Chaoji Bi Yi Bi 2 / Dajia Lai Zhao Cha 2 / Real and Fake 2 Photo Y2K (ver. 100, Japanese Board) [iq_132, dink]
• Prize Space Invaders (BWB INV1, 50p/30p Play, Version 1.2) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood, Angelo Salese]
• Prize Tetris (BWB) (Showcase) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood, Angelo Salese]
• Sirio II (Calfesa S.L. Spanish Moon Cresta bootleg) [Ivan Vangelista]
• Strike it Lucky (v0.53) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood]
• Tetris Payout (BWB TET1 Version 2.2, set 2) (MPU4 Video) [Ryan Holtz, James Wallace, David Haywood, Angelo Salese]
• Torch Computers Torch CH240 [Nigel Barnes]
• VTech V.Smile Motion [Ryan Holtz]

New machines marked as NOT_WORKING

• El auto de papa [Victor Fernandez (City Game), ClawGrip]
• Bingo Roll / Turbo Bingo? [TeamEurope, Roberto Fresca]
• Captain Lucky [Siftware]
• Destruction Derby [TTL] [Frank Palazzolo]
• Diana Olakoa [Victor Fernandez (City Game), ClawGrip]
• E-mu Systems Carnaval - Jugando con Fuego [DBWBP]
• E-mu Systems EMAX II 16-Bit Digital Sound System [DBWBP]
• E-mu Systems Orbit 9090 - The Dance Planet [DBWBP]
• E-mu Systems Planet Phatt - The Swing System [DBWBP]
• E-mu Systems Pro/Cussion Maximum Percussion Module [DBWBP]
• E-mu Systems Proteus/1 16-Bit Multi-Timbral Digital Sound Module [DBWBP]
• E-mu Systems Proteus/1 XR 16-Bit Multi-Timbral Digital Sound Module [DBWBP]
• E-mu Systems Vintage Keys Classic Analog Keyboards [DBWBP]
• Far West (Compumatic) [Victor Fernandez (City Game), ClawGrip]
• Football [PinMAME]
• JAKKS Pacific Inc / HotGen Ltd Hannah Montana G2 Deluxe - All in One (JAKKS Pacific TV Game) [Sean Riddle, David Haywood, Kev (FBN), anonymous]
• JAKKS Pacific Inc / HotGen Ltd High School Musical G2 Deluxe - All in One (JAKKS Pacific TV Game) [Sean Riddle, David Haywood, Kev (FBN), anonymous]
• JAKKS Pacific Inc Power Rangers Super Megaforce Hero Portal [David Haywood, Team Europe]
• Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing KSP10 Digital Piano [DBWBP]
• Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing SX-240 8-Voice Programmable Polyphonic Synthesizer [DBWBP]
• Korg microKORG SynthesizeVocoder [DBWBP]
• Korg WaveStation A/D [DBWBP]
• Korg WaveStation EX [DBWBP]
• Korg WaveStation SR [DBWBP]
• Lexibook Console Colour - Disney's Planes [TeamEurope]
• Lexibook Console Colour - Minnie Mouse [TeamEurope]
• Lucky 7 (Impera) [TeamEurope, Roberto Fresca]
• Macro Winners Game Sporz Wireless Duet Play Ping-Pong [Sean Riddle, David Haywood, Dave Silva]
• Marvel Avengers TV Game Console (32-bit) (Lexibook) [TeamEurope, David Haywood]
• Michael Jordan (1.30) [PinMAME]
• Millennium 2000 GmbH Millennium Arcade 250 (M527) [TeamEurope, David Haywood]
• Puzzle Me! [TeamEurope, Roberto Fresca]
• Reno Reels (JPM) [David Haywood]
• RS-70 648-in-1 [David Shah]
• Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 "Collie" [Ryan Holtz, O. Galibert]
• Sony NWS-3860 [Plamen Mihaylov, Patrick Mackinlay]
• Sport Dart TV [Victor Fernandez (City Game), ClawGrip]
• Susanita tiene un raton [Victor Fernandez (City Game), ClawGrip]
• Tecnodarts [Victor Fernandez (City Game), ClawGrip]
• Toy Story 3 (Lexibook) [Sean Riddle, Kamaal Brown, David Haywood]
• unknown 'TE06' [TeamEurope, Roberto Fresca]
• Unknown Compumatic ProSPDP based darts machine [jordigahan, ClawGrip]
• VideoJet Kiu Games [Sean Riddle, David Haywood]
• Virtual TV Ping Pong [TeamEurope, David Haywood]
• Yataimura Kingyosukui (4-player, China, Ver 1.000) [Darksoft]

New clones marked as NOT_WORKING

• Anakonda [Robbbert]
• Funhouse (L-2) [PinMAME]
• Funhouse (L-2, prototype PA-1 System 11 sound) [PinMAME]
• Kharkovsky [Robbbert]
• Laser Ball (L-2, PROM sound) [PinMAME]
• Last Action Hero (1.04 France) [PinMAME]
• Last Action Hero (1.07) [José Renato Castro Milanez, Sergio Munemori]
• Magic Card - Wien (Sicherheitsversion 1.2) [TeamEurope, Roberto Fresca]
• Nove Diamante (bootleg) [Ioannis Bampoulas]
• Unga [Robbbert]

New working software list additions

• fmtowns_cd: Akiko - Premium Version, Cal III - Kanketsu-hen, Chiemi & Naomi, Curse, Eikan wa Kimi ni 2 - Koukou Yakyuu Zenkoku Taikai, FM Towns Application Catalog CD-ROM - Original Soft-hen, G5 (HMA-206), Gambler - Queen's Cup, Gokuraku Mandala, Hyper Fetishism, Illust Hyakka - Yamashita Hideki no Ikiiki Cut-shuu, Iris-tei Serenade, Jouhou Club - Card Processor Ver. 1.1, Mahjong Musashi, Manami no Doko made Iku no? 2 - Return of the Kuro Pack, The Manhole (1990-08-01), Marionette Mind, Mirage 2 - Torry, Neat & Roan Fairladies in MagicLand, Noushuku Angel 120%, Shamhat - The Holy Circlet (FM Towns Marty version), Tenshin Ranma, Two Shot Diary, Viper-V12 RS, Viper-V8 Turbo RS, YES! HG - Erotic Voice Version [redump.org, r09]
• gba:
  • Rayman IV (Rayman - Sunshine of Trip) (unlicensed) (protection hacked) [RibShark]
  • Crash Advance IV (unlicensed) (protection hacked), Digimon - Ruby and Sapphire (unlicensed) (protection hacked), The Lord of the Rings IV - The Fellowship of the Ring (unlicensed) (protection hacked), Pokemon - Sapphire Version (unlicensed) (protection hacked), Rayman IV (Rayman - Puteshestviye Solnechnogo Sveta) (unlicensed) (Russian) (protection hacked), Sonic 3 - Fighter Sonic (unlicensed) (protection hacked), Super Mario DX (unlicensed) (protection hacked), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 (unlicensed) (protection hacked), Ultraman - Confrontation Between Justice And Evil (Ul'traman - Konfrontatsiya mezhdu spravedlivost'yu i zlom) (unlicensed) (Russian) (protection hacked), X-Man - Armour of Might (X-men) (unlicensed) (Russian) (protection hacked) [taizou]
  • Chaoji Maliou DX (unlicensed) (Chinese) (protection hacked) [yy小龙虾]
  • Leiman IV - Guangming Zhi Lv (unlicensed) (Chinese) (protection hacked) [侵蚀你的私处]
• ibm5150:
  • Bloodwych (Quest & Glory Compilation) (Euro), Bloodwych (USA), Budokan - The Martial Spirit (5.25"), The Colonel's Bequest (3.5"), The Colonel's Bequest (5.25"), Dragon's Lair (5.25"), F29 Retaliator, Lakers vs Celtics and the NBA Playoffs (3.5"), Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places) (5.25"), Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, Mario Andretti's Racing Challenge, Speedball 2 - Brutal Deluxe (Euro, 3.5"), TV Sports Basketball (3.5", USA, EGA/TANDY version), TV Sports Basketball (3.5", USA, VGA version), TV Sports Basketball (5.25", UK, EGA/TANDY version), TV Sports Basketball (5.25", UK, VGA version), Xenon 2: Megablast [ArcadeShadow]
  • SCO XENIX System V Development System version 2.1.3 [archive.org, Davide Cavalca]
  • IBM Personal Computer Interactive Executive (PC/IX) 1.00 [WinWorld, Davide Cavalca]
• ibm5170: B-17 Flying Fortress (5.25"), Corridor 7: Alien Invasion (demo), Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle (France), Out of this World (USA, 3.5" DD), Out of this World (USA, 5.25" HD), Sam & Max Hit the Road (Germany) [ArcadeShadow]
• megadriv: Starwars (Prototype 19930125) [ArcadeShadow]
• nascom_snap: Adventure 16K, Adventure 32K [The Nascom Repository]
• pc98_cd: F15 Strike Eagle III, if 2 - Invitations from Fantastic Stories, Manami no Doko made Iku no? 2 - Return of the Kuro Pack, Phobos, Pro Student G (ALS-0010), YES! HG - Erotic Voice Version, Yuurou - Transient Sands [redump.org, r09]
• sgi_mips:
  • Desktop Special Edition 1.0, European Language Module 1.1, European Language Module 1.3.1, Hot Mix 5, Hot Mix 7, IndiZone 1.0, IRIX 5.2 for Indy R4600PC and Challenge SX, IRIX Patch 5.1.1.2, ONC3/NFS for IRIX 6.2 Version 1, ONC3/NFS for IRIX 6.2 with Indigo2 IMPACT 10000 Version 1, Support Advantage 10/94, Support Advantage 6/95, SupportFolio 2/97, SupportFolio 4/97 [darkstar]
  • NetBSD 1.6.2, NetBSD 2.0, NetBSD 2.0.2, NetBSD 2.1, NetBSD 3.0, NetBSD 3.0.1, NetBSD 3.0.2, NetBSD 3.1 [NetBSD Project, Davide Cavalca]
• sgi_mips_hdd: IRIX 5.2, IRIX 5.3, IRIX 6.2, IRIX 6.5, IRIX 6.5.22 [Davide Cavalca]
• vsmile_cart:
  • Bianfuxia - Zhengjiu Chengshi (China) [tenyuhuang]
  • Disney/Pixar Wall-E (China) [tenyuhuang, Ryan Holtz]
  • Les Bisounours - Le monde merveilleux des Bisounours (France), Nickelodeon Bob L'éponge - Une journée dans la vie d'une éponge (France) [DisizDream]
• vsmilem_cart:
  • Disney/Pixar Cars 2 (France), Disney/Pixar Toy Story 3 (France), DreamWorks Kung Fu Panda - La mission de Po (France), Football Challenge (France), Martin Le Dauphin (France), Nickelodeon Dora L'Exploratrice - Les adventures de Dora Apprentie Mécano (France), Sporti'Folies (France) [DisizDream, Ryan Holtz]
  • Action Mania (USA), Disney/Pixar Toy Story 3 (USA), Marvel Spider-Man & Friends - Secret Missions (USA), Soccer Challenge (USA) [Sean Riddle, TeamEurope, Ryan Holtz]

Software list items promoted to working

• cpc_flop: Secret Agent - Sly Spy (UK), Secret Agent - Sly Spy (UK) (2 faces) (Spain retail version) [Original], Sly Spy - Secret Agent (NonGoodCPC), Sly Spy - Secret Agent (Ocean Software), Sly Spy - Secret Agent (Ocean Software)[cr XOR][t +2 XOR], Sly Spy - Secret Agent (UK) [a1] [Barry Rodewald]

New NOT_WORKING software list additions

• fmtowns_cd: Pro Student G (ALS-0010), Towns-Telop, True Heart [redump.org, r09]
• leapfrog_mfleappad_cart: Disney/Pixar Cars (Spain) [TeamEurope, ClawGrip]
• mobigo_cart: Disney Jake and the Neverland Pirates (USA, alt), Disney Princess (USA, alt), Disney/Pixar Brave (USA), Dreamworks Shrek - Forever After (US), NAND User Cartridge (unknown data, set 1), NAND User Cartridge (unknown data, set 2), Sesame Street - Elmo and Abby - Nature Explorers (USA) [TeamEurope]
• novag_ssensor4: Quartz Chess Clock [Berger]
• pc98_cd: DOR Special Edition '93, DOR Special Edition '93 (alt), Kanji Land 3-nen, Kyrandia II - The Hand of Fate, Lemon Cocktail Collection, Lip 3 - Lipstick Adventure 3, Mirage 2 - Torry, Neat & Roan Fairladies in MagicLand [redump.org, r09]
• pi_storyreader_cart: Disney Blanca Nieves y los siete enanos (Spain), Disney El Rey León (Spain), Walt Disney Peter Pan (Spain) [TeamEurope, ClawGrip]
• tvgogo:
  • Basketball (EU) [ClawGrip, TeamEurope]
  • Basketball (US) [Sean Riddle, David Haywood]
• vsmileb_cart: Teletubbies (France) [DisizDream]

Merged pull requests

• 6825: docs: Improved analog joystick mapping documentation, and added health warnings. [Firehawke]
• 6837: debugger: Added loadr and saver commands for loading or saving data to/from a memory region. [bombzj]
• 6838: fmtowns_cd.xml: Added 28 new entries, and replaced 22 entries with improved dumps. [redump.org, r09]
• 6844: gigatron: Hooked up CPU output callback, fixed program counter wrapping, and added CPU input callback. [Sterophonick]
• 6848: startouch.cpp: Added Biostar M5ATD motherboard BIOS option to europl01. [ClawGrip]
• 6849: armedf.cpp, ddenlovr.cpp: Improved DIP switch documentation; nes_vt.cpp: Added zudugo manufacturer. [David Haywood]
• 6850: ibm5170.xml: Corrected floppy interface for humans_525, and corrected metadata for inca2 and goblins. [ArcadeShadow]
• 6851: chicago.cpp, exidyttl.cpp: Corrected ROM dumps, and added a skeleton driver for Exidy Destruction Derby. [Frank Palazzolo]
• 6852: sound/ym2151.cpp: Simplified noise frequency calculation. [cam900]
• 6853: sound/k051649.cpp: Improved playback rate calculation, and cleaned up code. [cam900]
• 6856: sound/saa1099.cpp: Improved sample rate and mixing behavior, and fixed stereo output routing for vgmplay. [cam900]
• 6857: sound/k007232.cpp: Converted to use device_memory_interface and added support for clock frequency changes. [cam900]
• 6859: megaplay.cpp: Added motherboard PLDs. [caius, ClawGrip]
• 6860: cpu/cp1610: Ensure SDBD operations set condition flags correctly. [ElectricMagic]
• 6862: Only build asmjit for x86 and x86-64 targets. [Belegdol]
• 6864: Added arm64 and s390x configurations to Travis CI. [Belegdol]
• 6865: sgi_mips_hdd.xml: Added software list with pre-installed operating system images for SGI MIPS workstations. [Davide Cavalca]
• 6867: generalplus_gpl16250_nand.cpp, spg2xx_wiwi.cpp, tvgogo.xml: Added three machines and a software list entry. [David Haywood]
• 6868: sgi_mips.xml: Added eight entries, and corrected some metadata. [darkstar]
• 6870: leapfrog_mfleappad_cart.xml: Added an entry. [TeamEurope, ClawGrip]
• 6871: pi_storyreader_cart.xml: Added three entries. [TeamEurope, ClawGrip]
• 6872: vsmile_cart.xml: Added three entries. [tenyuhuang, DisizDream, ClawGrip]
• 6875: ibm5150.xml: Added six entries and corrected some metadata. [ArcadeShadow]
• 6877: sgi_mips_hdd.xml: Added an entry and improved instructions in comments. [Davide Cavalca]
• 6879: vsmileb_cart.xml: Added one entry. [DisizDream, ClawGrip]
• 6880: bosco.cpp: Fixed sprite/background priority. [kunikuni]
• 6881: vsmilem_cart.xml: Added seven entries and fixed two incorrect serial numbers. [DisizDream, ClawGrip]
• 6882: Added ten TV games, a V.Smile Motion BIOS, and several software list entries. [David Haywood, Sean Riddle, TeamEurope]
• 6884: midyunit.cpp: Fixed sound and added PAL dumps for mkyawdim2. [TwistedTom]
• 6885: sgi_mips_hdd.xml: Added one entry. [Davide Cavalca]
• 6887: sound/rf5c400.cpp: Fixed loop sample loop position calculation (GitHub #6883). [cam900]
• 6888: video/atarirle.cpp: Fixed source file name in header comment. [cam900]
• 6889: rf5c400.cpp: Fixed regression in sample loop and end position calculations. [cam900]
• 6890: vsmile_cart.xml: Added one entry. [tenyuhuang, ClawGrip]
• 6891: vsmilem_cart.xml: Corrected checksum/digest for cars2mf. [ClawGrip]
• 6892: microdar.cpp: Added skeleton driver for Compumatic Far West darts machine. [Victor Fernandez (City Game), ClawGrip]
• 6893: machine/cop452.cpp: Added partial COP452 frequency generatocounter emulation; hp_ipc.cpp: Added beeper. [F.Ulivi]
• 6894: machine/6821pia.cpp: Added checks for disabled side effects on read accesses. [68bit]
• 6895: bus/rs232: Initialize serial printer RxD output high (idle state). [68bit]
• 6896: formats/os9_dsk.cpp: Added 8" 16-sector single-density formats (used by OS9 L1 on Motorola EXORciser). [68bit]
• 6897: formats/mdos_dsk.cpp: Added Motorola MDOS floppy format. [68bit]
• 6898: formats/wd177x_dsk.cpp: Be tolerant of missing sectors from the third track onwards. [68bit]
• 6899: sgi_mips.xml: Added six entries, and added missing disc dumps to one entry. [darkstar]
• 6900: vsmilem_cart.xml: Added some serial numbers and updated notes. [ClawGrip]
• 6902: mobigo_cart.xml: Added five entries, and corrected the checksum digest for one entry. [TeamEurope, ClawGrip]
• 6903: sgi_mips_hdd.xml: Added one entry. [Davide Cavalca]
• 6904: sgi_mips.xml: Replaced a badly dumped disc image added in #6868. [darkstar]
• 6905: sgi_mips.xml: Added eight NetBSD installation/source sets. [Davide Cavalca]
• 6906: monkey_king_3b.cpp: Added skeleton driver for systems based on Monkey King 3B system-on-a-chip. [David Shah]
• 6908: formats/mdos_dsk.cpp: Fixed the cell size and gaps, and added notes. [68bit]
• 6909: Added five TV games and a software list entry. [David Haywood]
• 6910: Fixed arcade subtarget build. [MASH]
• 6912: ibm5150.xml: Added two entries, and re-dumped on entry. [ArcadeShadow]
• 6914: machine/cop452.cpp: Fixed timer reloading. [F.Ulivi]
• 6915: sgi_mips_hdd.xml: Added one entry. [Davide Cavalca]
• 6917: sound/rf5c400.cpp: Added support for clock frequency changes, flagged imperfect sound, and cleaned up code. [cam900]
• 6918: galaxian.cpp: Added Cirsa Spanish bootleg of Galaxian. [Juan Romero, ClawGrip]
• 6919: tourvis.cpp: Added Tourvision BIOS V4-54. [Juan Romero, ClawGrip]
• 6920: cave.cpp: Added graphics layout for sprite lines, simplified tilemap graphics decoding, and cleaned up code. [cam900]
• 6921: Added a TV game and a number of imperfect dumps of unlicensed Game Boy Advance cartridges. [David Haywood]
• 6922: sound/ymz280b.cpp: Improved frequency calculation and cleaned up code. [cam900]
• 6923: pdp11.cpp: Removed GPL dependency. [shattered]
• 6924: williams.cpp: Added clone Robotron: 2084 (Unidesa license). [Juan Romero, ClawGrip]
• 6927: Added Motorola EXORterm 155 terminal emulation. [68bit]
• 6930: mpu4vid.cpp: Allow v4strike and v4barqst to decode questions, and fixed some parent/clone relationships. [David Haywood]
• 6931: machine/mc6852.cpp: Implemented more functionality and added a byte communication interface. [68bit]
• 6933: devcb.h: Use GCC broken friend workaround with clang 8 as well. [Tiago Pierezan Camargo]
• 6934: pc98_cd.xml: Added 15 entries and replaced 11 entries with improved dumps. [redump.org, r09]
• 6935: hh_sm510.cpp: Added Nintendo Micro Vs. System: Donkey Kong Hockey. [algestam, Ryan Holtz]
• 6936: hh_sm510.cpp: Added gnw_dkong3 PCB label to comment. [algestam]
• 6937: mpu4vid.cpp: Added layout and tweaked inputs for v4addlad, and added a protection workaround. [David Haywood, James Wallace]
• 6938: ibm5150.xml: Fixed some data area sizes (GitHub #6876). [r09]
• 6939: megaplay.cpp: Added two more motherboard PLDs. [Kevin Eshbach, ClawGrip]
• 6940: cpu/gigatron: Added output callback; gigatron.cpp: Started implementing video, and added ROM V5a BIOS option. [Sterophonick]
• 6941: 4enlinea.cpp: Added Sport Dart TV. [Victor Fernandez (City Game), ClawGrip]
• 6942: ibm5150.xml: Added XENIX Development System. [archive.org, Davide Cavalca]
• 6944: galaxian.cpp: Added Spanish bootleg of Zero Time. [Juan Romero, ClawGrip]
• 6945: goldnpkr.cpp: Fixed syntax error in input port definitions. [Davide Cavalca]
• 6946: ibm5150.xml: Added five entries. [ArcadeShadow]
• 6947: ibm5170.xml: Added one entry. [ArcadeShadow]
• 6949: docs: Updated RTD theme to 0.5.0 (fixes issues with links in search results). [Firehawke]
• 6950: Improved screen aspect ratio in internal layout for EXORterm 155 terminal. [68bit]
• 6952: vsmile.cpp: Marked V.Smile Motion as working, as the games are playable even without accelerometer controls. [ClawGrip]
• 6953: bus/nes: Implemented FDS sound emulation. [cam900]
• 6954: vsmilem_cart.xml: Promoted software to working, and corrected some metadata. [ClawGrip]
• 6956: Significant improvements to Gaelco Modular System bootleg emulation, and new TV games. [David Haywood]
• 6958: Added driver for Motorola M6800 EXORciser (M68SDT) and device for corresponding floppy controller. [68bit]
• 6958: mw8080bw.cpp: Improved gunfight audio, including a better transistor model and noise generator. [Colin Douglas Howell]
• 6959: Improved video emulation for several Gaelco Modular System bootlegs, and added inputs/sound for raidenm. [David Haywood]
• 6960: plugins/autofire: Don’t save empty configuration files. [kunikuni]
• 6961: machine/v3021.cpp: Converted to use device_rtc_interface, and implemented serial interface and more commands. [cam900]
• 6962: ibm5150.xml: Added IBM Personal Computer Interactive Executive (PC/IX). [WinWorld, Davide Cavalca]
• 6963: namcos2.cpp: Worked around conflicting default input assignments for fourtrax. [MASH]
• 6964: raiden_ms.cpp: Improved raidenm emulation; spg2xx_zone.cpp: Added two TV games. [David Haywood]
• 6967: ibm5170.xml: Added five entries. [ArcadeShadow]
• 6969: plugins/autofire: Improved method for detecting empty configuration. [kunikuni]
• 6970: microdar.cpp: Added skeleton driver for unknown Compumatic ProSPDP dart machine. [jordigahan, ClawGrip]
• 6971: pgm.cpp: Cleaned up drawing code, and improved timing of intro sequences in some games. [cam900]
• 6972: hh_sm510.cpp: Added Telko / Nintendo Bassmate Computer. [algestam, Mr. Do]
• 6973: mpu4vid.cpp: Fixed inputs, fixed up machine ROM sets, and promoted several machines to working. [David Haywood]
• 6977: gigatron.cpp: Added audio DAC, started hooking up OUTX port, and cleaned up code. [Sterophonick]
• 6978: mpu4mod4yam.cpp, mpu4vid.cpp: Started untangling sets now that they boot, and tweaked inputs. [David Haywood, James Wallace]
• 6979: Added netlist-based audio for thirteen early Cinematronics vector games, and minimal artwork for Warrior. [Aaron Giles]
• 6980: video/imagetek_i4100.cpp, metro.cpp: Improved flip screen drawing; hyprduel.cpp: Fixed sprite delay. [cam900]
• 6982: Added five TV games. [David Haywood]
• 6983: sound/ics2115.cpp: Improved envelope behavior. [cam900]
• 6984: mw8080bw.cpp: Improve 280zzzap audio emulation. [Colin Douglas Howell]
• 6986: generalplus_gpl16250_rom.cpp: Replaced tkmag220 ROM with correct dump. [TeamEurope, David Haywood]
• 6987: Switched AppVeyor MinGW GCC build to use -O3 (works around GitHub #6804). [Belegdol]
• 6988: Changed Travis CI configuration for installing prerequisite packages in an attempt to speed up builds. [Belegdol]
• 6989: microdar.cpp: Added Diana Olakoa dart machine. [Victor Fernandez (City Game), ClawGrip]
• 6993: Added beam_dot_size for controlling the size of “dots” on vector screens. [Aaron Giles]
• 6997: sound/k053260.cpp: Suppress read side effects on debugger accesses. [cam900]
• 6998: microdar.cpp: Added EEPROM dump to “prospdp”. [jordigahan, ClawGrip]
• 6999: nes_vt.cpp: Added two TV games; mpu4.cpp, mpu4vid.cpp: Split up more sets and improved descriptions. [David Haywood]
• 7000: sound/ics2115.cpp: Resolved license issue, re-implemented envelopes and fixed ramping. [cam900]
• 7002: Worked around issue updating MSYS2 packages from AppVeyor. [Belegdol]
• 7005: ibm5150.xml: Added four entries. [ArcadeShadow]

Before I start, I wanted to say that I've lived in many different countries (brick/concrete buildings) & I never experienced so many problems as I have with US homes. The use of cheap plywood and wood chip, poor or no insulation, flimsy siding and roofing that either blows off in high winds or just rots away after a few year, in addition to high prices have made life a living miserable hell for the average American.
I've lived in US for the past 20 years, mainly in the west coast. I owned a nice peaceful house in Seattle area back in the 90s, things were not this expensive & I had a great mortgage rate until the collapse of housing market happened in 2008, and my mortgage rate went up from 3.25% to 6%, although I paid my mortgage onetime & didn't do anything wrong. Around the same time, my utilities, and taxes went up drastically. The house was built in the 80s and the constant rain & termite damage & carpenter ants had made the wood rot underneath the house, not to mention the leaky roof & many other issues with plumbing, mainly to do with wood-structured houses.
Long story short, my house was peaceful, but because of high taxation, crime, constant rain & cold, & other problems like high utility & mortgage rate, I made a decision to sell the house and move to California.
I rented a two bedroom luxury apartment unit in Orange County around 2015 for $2500/months, but everyday there was an issue with the management, constant noise of performance cars revving their engine, garbage trucks, leaf blowers & landscapers, you name it ....
After a year, I finally got sick & tired of high rent & high taxation in Cali & moved to Nevada, Las Vegas. The apartment I moved in was ok for a few months until a loud motorcyclist moved next door to me. The guy worked all odd hours and he used to love revving his bike at nights, like 12 am, 3 am, 5 am, multiple times, when he commuted back & forth to work every day ... Calling the police, talking to Management or leaving nice notes on his bike, none of them worked, until I was forced to move out.
Everybody said rent a house, apartments are crap. oh how little I knew
So I ended up renting a home (paying $2100) to have more privacy & peace of mind. The house was fine for a few years (except the loud neighbors kids screaming & swearing, dogs barking all day & night, neighbors doing landscaping at 8am Sunday morning, etc etc), but I still put up with it, at least I had few hours of quiet at nights & I used white noise machine to drown out some of the noise. Until one day, out of the blue, the house started making weird noises, mainly coming from the ceiling/attic. It started with one loud knock/snap every morning at 8:30 am, and over a week period, the knocks went from one loud one to 20 knocks a day. Within a month, things became so bad that every time the sun would come up or go down, the roof would pop like 200 times. At nights, I would hear a lot of loud banging/popping noises coming from chimney and the attic. I let the landlord know right away (which they didn't believe me at first), I even paid for pest control (we thought it maybe rats or some other animal in the attic), which no trace of any animal was found in the attic. We brought roofers, inspectors, you name it, no one had any clue what was going on. Things got so bad that I couldn't sleep more than couple of hours every night, waking up with a very loud knock or bang, sometimes every 30 min. I lived in that house for 3.5 years, and didn't hear a beep from the structure of the place, so I have no clue how a building that quiet could go suddenly crazy & it was so frustrating that no one had any clue what was going on . Haunted house?
I was forced to move out of the lease & find another place. I ended up living in another house (1,900/mo) that had severe zapping issues (the floors were made out of cheap laminate & they wouldn't let you ground), so every time I touch a door knob or kitchen appliances or doors or windows, I would get zapped like crazy. I also would hear loud banging from pipes when I took a shower & once every two weeks I would hear loud banging from the roof/siding of the house. But at least the structural noise of this house wasn't constant, like the other property. But a few months to my lease, I discovered that the house is foreclosed and the owner has no intention to fix anything, so I moved to another single family home in a very nice area & gated community (paying $2,300/mo).
Oh boy, renting this new place was probably one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made. I moved there around December last year & the first night I slept there I realized that I have made a giant mistake. There were LOUD snaps/pops once every 30 min all over the house, I mean snaps as loud as gut shots that could be heard overheard all over the house, even in the closet or bathroom, day & night. It wouldn't go away. When the heater ran, the snaps & knocks would become so loud, as if wood is splitting in half on top of your head. No amount of white noise or ear plug could block that noise. I work from home & my clients could hear the loud snaps over the phone & often asked me what is that loud noise in the background and if someone is shooting.
Because I had moved twice in less than 3 month I ended up putting up with it & staying there for 7 month, I have a background in structural/civil engineering, so I thought I could bring inspectors & could figure out a way to minimize the constant loud popping & snapping noises. I talked to PM & they send people who had no idea what was going on, charging the owner thousands of dollars in roof & pest control. I paid out of pocket myself, bringing contractors to screw the ceiling drywall, in case the nails holding the ceiling boards were moving in & out of 2x4s. We tried re-screwing the ceiling in one room & to my surprise it made the popping noises a lot worse & even more often. By then I knew the property has serious foundation & possibly truss uplift issue. I even got covid during this whole mess around January & not sleeping, constant stress & loud noises made my illness prolong for 4 months Dry coughs, severe diarrhea, shortness if breathe, severe joint & muscle pain & high fever. At that time I was so devastated & all I wanted was to sleep & I couldn't I couldn't even go rent a hotel room for a few days, since around March the Gov had shut everything down, so I was stuck inside a big house that I couldn't sleep in any of the rooms.
Eventually when I recovered from covid, I thought I've had enough of homes with severe structural/roof issues & it's time to go back to condo/apartment living. At least, they wouldn't have serious foundation/roof issues, right? I moved to this condo a few months ago & of course it's another wood-structure multi-family home made with flimsy roof & floors. What I didn't know about this building is the fact that there is absolutely NO insulation in between the units, over the floor & walls that I share with other neighbors, NON, whatsoever, so I could hear normal conversation, dogs barking, constant door slamming, banging noises from other units. Also because of covid, some neighbors work from home, sometimes repairing heavy machinery & auto parts! Imagine , only sharing a thin plywood with the unit underneath and the loud obnoxious neighbor next door! Another issue with this condo is the shaky floor, when I walk around my unit or neighbors walk around their own unit, my floor shakes violently & ends up shaking my heavy coach as well as the bed. If I'm sleep & the noise doesn't wake me up right away, the shaking of the floor definitely would. I never thought I could hear this much from units downstairs or on the side, because I had lived in other apartments before, and I had never experienced this level of noise traveling up from downstairs neighbors or the hellish neighbors on the side.
My neighbor on the side works night-shift, I hear her coming home, all odd hours (like 1am or 4am, every day- it's Vegas so people work odd hours at the casino), I hear everything, when she is taking a shower, slamming the hell out of her bathroom door, her dogs barking, walking around her unit, I've tried to reason with them & talk to them to at least not slam doors 10 times an hour day & night, but had no luck. Unreasonable people can't be reasoned with. As a matter of fact, I think they are doubling down on their door slamming & banging noises. My neighbor downstairs also has a habit of slamming every door & drawer & leaves the house at 7 am (every morning) & my floor shakes violently every time she goes in & out of her building, which is 5 or 6 times a day
I have moved 4 times, in less than a year. I lived in single family homes as well as condos that were uninhabitable, because of poor construction & use of cheap plywood, if these structures were built with concrete/brick, none of these issues would have happened. Trust me, I have lived in many concrete/brick structures before, my first apartment in Seattle was an old building made out of brick & you still may hear loud trucks or bikes, but there is no way you would hear your neighbors talking in normal voice, taking a shower, wiping their ass, or closing their door.
This is so depressing that we pay so much in mortgages or rent in America, yet we have to live in such horrible living spaces that are uninhabitable. American houses often have the appearance of having brick walls, however these are just stuck onto the outside of the plywood walls giving a false sense of quality and strength. I understand that using flimsy wood is much cheaper than using stone, brick or concrete, but this is not really evidenced by the prices of houses. Even multi-million dollar new houses in the States are being built from the same cheap plywood, poor insulation, shabby roofing material as cheaper houses. The fact that walls are paper thin and conversations can be heard a room away is nothing strange in American houses. I'm not even gonna mention horrible loud structural problems/noises that no one has any clue how to fix (god help you if something goes wrong inside the attic), rotting walls, water getting into insulation, pest issues, termite damage or leaking roofs.
You will be surprised that the average material cost (cost of wood chip) for a cheap flimsy American home is around $5,000, but since we live in a mafia state, by the time the city, the contractors, & the utility companies are all done with you, you will end up paying hundreds of thousands of dollars, in some case millions of dollars for a home that's gonna end up having too many problems, in just 10 years or less.
Sorry for the long rant, i know this has been a tough year for many with people dying alone of covid, but I'm penniless, sleepless, stressed & exhausted & I can't bare the idea that I have to move again soon , to another wood chip rental, I wonder what kind of a horror is gonna be waiting for me there? costing me thousands of dollars in rent & moving cost.
> I have a masters degree in civil/construction engineering. I used to do cost analysis for different projects & I know the material cost, for just the framing of a house (the cost of timber & plywood) is around $5,000, I have worked with many reputable construction companies all over the NW. All of them used the same cheap crappy plywood, even for the construction of multi-million dollar homes.
> I have owned & rented many homes/condos, town homes/apartments all over US (mainly in NW), new & old. I understand there are individuals who have ulterior motives & are doubling their already doubled profit by enriching themselves off of consumers. But these of the realities of wood-frame residential buildings: the use of weak beams, cheap plywood, poor insulation, flimsy siding and roofing that either blows off in high winds or just rots away after a few year, termite damage, carpenter ants that chew and push out wood by finding crawl spaces underneath your house & you wouldn't even know until half of the house is gone, high expenses regarding pest control (over the years, I've spent at least 20K regarding pest control - rats, squirrels or ants, that will chew the wood & will find a way to get inside your attic/basement again & again) ... Rotting walls, water getting into insulation, moisture damage & mold, termites, leaking roofs, etc, etc. Houses built of plywood and low quality beams will not last all that long. Using staple guns to hold plywood to beams that ends up shabby. Contractors using the cheapest materials to throw up buildings as soon as they can in order to maximize profits. For some reason this shabby building tradition has become the norm in US. Simply using concrete, brick or stone will prevent all these issues related to wood.
> If the price of these flimsy wood-frame buildings were as cheap as the cost of its materials, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. At least, it's not costing consumers an arm & leg. The argument I've heard over & over is that we can't afford to build homes made of concrete or brick in US, but this is a gross lie. Even multi-million dollar homes are built with the same material as the cheap ones & how come other countries can afford to build homes made of concrete & still make money? There are so many newer technologies like building homes with precast concrete, so cost effective because they are modular homes (many parts can be per-manufactured) & are a LOT MORE cost effective & durable
> Loud popping/snapping noises in wood structured homes are a recent phenomenon, which I believe has occurred as a result of rapid changes in the climate. Super dry or humid & hot summers depending on which side of the country you live in, long cold winters, constant rain, moisture & high winds are taking their toll on wood-frame buildings. Three out of the three recent homes I lived in had severe issues to do with constant loud snapping/popping noises coming from the structure of the house, mainly from ceiling joists as well as walls. Never experienced this issue ever before & here is a video that even new constructions are not immune to this disease
Buyers be aware, there is no way to know that a property has this particular issue until you spend a week sleeping & living at the property. I know homes with this problem that were sold & the problem was concealed & the inspector never found anything wrong, because the issue is hidden from naked eyes, check out truss uplift & the effect of rapid changes in the climate on wood-frame buildings. I believe more & more buildings are gonna end up having this issue in the near future. This issue is NOT related to normal expansion/contraction of the wood, these noises are not normal home noises, they are as loud as gunshots, happen all the time, & no one can even figure out what is going on. The building you buy might not have this issue right away, but there is no guarantee that within a few years, you will not end up with this nightmare.
> I have lived in homes as old as 300 yrs old, in Germany & UK, built from brick/store & I tell you they are as solid as a rock. They are warm & cozy during winter & cool & pleasant during summer. As far as sound insulation goes, concrete, brick & stone have high mass density, and they muffle & dampen sound quite a bit, whereas wood echos the sound by reverberating it & transmitting it all over. In fact, stealth plans are mainly made of wood, in order to reduce reflection/emission of radar, so they CANNOT be detected, where as signals would bounce off other solid materials. Knock on a wall made of wood & see how it feels hollow & void, whereas concrete or brick will dampen the echo quite a lot. If you punch a concrete wall, you will end up breaking your hand, where as you can easily punch a hole in a plywood wall & if you live in a multi-family home, you may end up in your neighbors unit.
Many US houses or buildings will not be around, let's say 500 years from now, as a result of a wasteful consumerism system & a mindset of bulldozing the old & buying something new, even if it's cheaper quality. All great civilizations have left structures for us to admire: Rome, Egypt, Greece, Byzantium, Incas, Aztecs etc. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem likely that American civilization will leave any impressive physical structures behind.