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rainbow-spiral · 4 years

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Definitely Not Hypnotized

“Okay, you can’t win the bet this way,” Li Jing said.

Terrill looked innocent. “I can’t?”

“You can’t just declare, ‘Boom, you’re hypnotized,’ and make me be hypnotized. The terms of the bet were, you have to hypnotize me without me knowing.”

“I have,” Terrill said.

They could be very annoying, Li Jing thought. Also charismatic, hot as hell, and wickedly imaginative, of course, but very annoying all the same. “Prove it.”

“Prove you aren’t hypnotized.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“You could stand on your tiptoes,” Terrill said.

Li Jing did it. She had been dating Terrill for two weeks now—which meant two weeks of being hypnotized, off and on. She had rarely known them to be this silly.

Li Jing thought privately that a lot of the hypnosis stuff was hokum. When Terrill said, you are getting more and more sexually aroused, well, it was the idea of getting sexually aroused that made her hot, not the rigamarole with the spirals or the pendulums. And when she followed orders, well, that was part of the role-playing. Which was why she had confidently made the bet: Terrill might be able to hypnotize her, but they couldn’t hypnotize her without her knowing about it. She just couldn’t turn off her brain that way. “On tiptoes,” she reported, “and not even swaying a little bit. Satisfied?”

“Not quite,” Terrill said. “Why don’t you take your shorts off? That’d be a big step towards proving it.”

Li Jing huffed in annoyance and skinned out of her shorts. It was more difficult than usual from being on tiptoe. “Easy. There. Not hypnotized.”

“Pink lacy underwear,” Terrill said admiringly.

“You’ll get under them,” Li Jing pointed out, “when you lose this bet. Eat me out whenever I ask, for a week, those were the terms.” She sighed happily and stretched, still on tiptoe. “I think I’ll have you do it when I’m watching my shows. And when I’m at my desk. And every night before bed, of course.”

“You’re turning yourself on,” Terrill observed. “Making yourself more aroused.”

She was. Terrill might not be able to hypnotize her without her knowing, but they were a wizard with their mouth all the same.

“You know,” Terrill pointed out, “there is one sure way to prove that you’re not hypnotized. If you can do it, I’ll know for sure.”

“I’ll do it,” Li Jing said. “What is it?”

“Rub yourself. If you can get to orgasm, you’ll know you’re not hypnotized. But you won’t. You’re going to rub, and rub, and rub, and then you’re going to go for your toys, and use them, and then you’re going to start begging me for it, and it’s only finally—when you realize that you can’t come at all without permission—that you’ll give in, and admit you’re hypnotized, and I’ll win the bet.”

Li Jing grinned. “You couldn’t have chosen a nicer test,” she said, and put her hands down the front of her panties.

“No, no, not like that. Take the panties all the way off.”

Li Jing skinned out of them.

“And get on the bed with your legs apart, and lift your ass into the air. I’ve got to see your pussy as you come, to know that you’re really coming.”

“Not sure you can tell from watching,” Li Jing said, getting into the position. It should have been uncomfortable, but as her fingers started to work her clit, that consideration went away fast. “Like this?”

“Just like that,” Terrill said, and settled in to watch.

Normally, Li Jing didn’t have any trouble reaching orgasm with her fingers.

Normally.

Right now, everything that she did to her wet, aching pussy felt delicious, but she couldn’t quite make it there. Dammit, she wasn’t hypnotized, and if she didn’t manage to wring an orgasm out of herself she couldn’t prove that to Terrill, and she wouldn’t win their bet, and she wouldn’t get all that delicious licking, and really, the thought of what Terrill could do with their tongue should wring an orgasm out of her by itself, but it wasn’t. It didn’t.

Her fingers squelched.

“Need a toy,” Li Jing realized. The G-spot vibe, that should do it.

She couldn’t get it with her ass in the air and her head on the bed, though. She couldn’t get it with her fingers in her cunt.

“I’ll get what you need,” Terrill said helpfully. “Which one?”

“Sort of sea green, long—end bends to get the G-spot.” She panted as she said it.

Terrill pulled the requisite tool out of her bedside door. “Open up,” they said, and slid it in. By this point, Li Jing was far too wet to need lube.

But the lovely vibrations, which always hit her G-spot directly, didn’t get her there. “Clit-sucker,” Li Jing gasped. “Get—that—“

Terrill left the G-spot vibe sticking out of Li Jing and went for the drawer again. Came back. “You could play with your nipples as I do this,” they said, “except your fingers are all wet.”

They were.

“Why don’t you suck on them? And every suck feels like it’s getting you closer to orgasm, making you so aroused that you can barely hold still, barely talk, but the orgasm is still just a little bit out of your reach.”

Li Jing thrust her fingers in her mouth and moaned.

“Feels so good to suck, doesn’t it?” Terrill went on. “Suck, and suck, and bring yourself closer and closer. But you know what will bring you closer still?”

Li Jing made a sound and shook her head.

“If you take your fingers out of your mouth and say, ‘I am a dirty slut.’”

Li Jing took her fingers out. “I am a dirty slut. Ohhh . . .”

“Put your fingers in and lick your juices off when you aren’t talking,” Terrill said. “That’s what a dirty slut would do. Say ‘I need to be filled up like a dirty slut.’”

“I need to be—unghh—filled-up-like-a-dirty-slut!”

“Say, ‘I need to be used in every hole.’”

“I need,” Li Jing panted, “to be used in every hole.”

“Say, ‘I am deeply hypnotized and I will do anything you say.’”

“I am deeply hypnotized and I will do—anything—you say—“

Memory. Just a little bit of memory, just enough. Terrill saying, in their soothing, smooth hypnotist voice, and everything I suggest that you do will seem like a perfectly reasonable way to prove that you aren’t hypnotized. But when you say, ‘I am deeply hypnotized,’ you will realize—

“Oh,” Li Jing said.

“And you remember our bet,” Terrill said coaxingly. “When I win, I get to make you an empty little dolly whenever I want—for a week—I get to use you in every hole for a week, and I get to loan you out to my roommate Marshall for the same thing, for a week. And you agreed to those terms.”

A little bolt of fear sent Li Jing’s arousal even further up. Which shouldn’t have been possible.

“Don’t worry. You’ll enjoy it so much that I bet you make another bet next Saturday. And another. Now, come for me.”

Li Jing’s mind shattered. Although, if she was being honest with herself, it had been thoroughly broken earlier in the evening.

My buymeacoffee link!

A reminder: if you go to my Pencils in the Margin page and donate any amount of money to Black Lives Matter or similar charities (there’s a long list) I will either write you a new story or read out a fic that I’ve already written. If you donate a larger amount of money, I will write you a new fic and post an audio file. Here is an example of my voice.

#fiction #hypnosis #nonbinary dom #female sub #my fiction

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Rick and Morty Season 5 Episode 2 Review: Mortyplicity

https://ift.tt/3diMBj0

This RICK AND MORTY review contains spoilers.

Rick and Morty Season 5 Episode 2

Man, Rick and Morty is a weird fucking show.

I know I’m stating the obvious here but I mean it’s weird on a fundamental storytelling level because, the thing is, under all the sci-fi madness, there’s meant to be a gooey sitcom center to this series and sitcoms usually want you to care a lot about their characters. You’re supposed to get emotional highs and lows from them and want them to succeed. In short, you’re supposed to love them.

“Mortyplicity” is one of those Rick and Morty episodes that very loudly and clearly tells you that you should not be invested in these characters’ lives. You’re supposed to love them, in a way, but that way is as cynical, wisecrack-spouting, sci-fi comedy vehicles. However, you’re not really supposed to invest in them as believable facsimiles of people on their own journeys through life because, well, it’s awfully hard to do that when the show basically tells you it has no consistent protagonists.

Sure, the series has dabbled in this stuff plenty before, with episodes where it’s implied Rick may be taking home the wrong Jerry or Morty and that it’s irrelevant to him. And, of course, there’s the whole cloned Beth debacle (which this episode calls back to a lot). Still, I believe (and please correct me if I’m wrong) that this is the first episode in which there is no grounding the viewer by letting them know they are following the adventures of a specific Rick, or a specific Morty, or a specific any other member of the Sanchez family.

The plot is that Rick has made decoys (i.e., clones) of the family to throw off would-be assassins, but since the decoys/clones are functionally copies, some of the Rick clones/decoys think they’re the real Rick so they, in turn, have made more decoys who have made more clones, and so on, and so forth. It’s purposefully absurd and complicated so we won’t go into why, but the decoys have taken to killing off one other.

Rick and Morty Once Again Reveals That Science Fiction Has Consequences

By Alec Bojalad

Has Rick and Morty Lost the Zeitgeist?

By Joe Matar

“Mortyplicity” is explicitly unconcerned with giving you characters to invest in and is much more interested in escalating its crazy sci-fi premise, following one family of Sanchezes only to have them murdered by another family, so then the perspective changes to that family and then we follow them for a while. Post-commercial-break, we get a montage of clones killing clones and other clones suiciding themselves, so that, by the time the montage ends, it’s become entirely irrelevant which family we’re following and whether they’re clones or not. The ending briefly introduces what seems to be the “real” family before revealing the whole decoy disaster is yet ongoing, suggesting nothing is certain and that Rick and Morty and family are stuck in a cycle of murdering themselves in perpetuity. (So, that’s how they’re going to fulfill the remainder of that 70-episode order contract.)

The episode does, cleverly, manage to squeeze in just a smidge of that heartfelt sitcom stuff by way of a brief heart-to-heart between a Rick and a Beth (wearing Muppet costumes). It’s a nice moment in which Beth successfully argues that Rick cares about his family or he wouldn’t have been so paranoid as to clone them a bazillion times and Rick apologizes and tells Beth he loves her. The scene somewhat convincingly proves Rick and Morty can still make us care about its characters despite doing away with conventional protagonists and instead plotting an emotional through line across a collective of Sanchez decoys (for characterization similar to this, see Meg Ryan’s performances in 1990’s Joe Versus the Volcano).

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

However, it’s still only somewhat convincing because this is one tiny emotional moment in what is mostly an episode of the Sanchez family cynically dispatching clones while, as is the standard for modern Rick and Morty, snapping angrily at each other almost constantly. I laughed a few times; my favorite lines were “Actually, I get hard protecting my family” and “We’re gonna live in the woods like libertarians.” The wooden puppet Sanchez clones with the compressed audio voices were kind of charming, too. And the Buffalo Bill-esque serial killer Rick was inspired in how disturbing it was. But, in the end, “Mortyplicity” is one of those episodes, like “A Rickle in Time” or “One Crew over the Crewcoo’s Morty” before it, that’s primarily invested in the escalating complexity of its bonkers sci-fi premise. You’ll either love every moment of the freewheeling violence and madcap sci-fi rigamarole or you’re one of the fans like me who more appreciates the sitcommy characterization side of the series and will therefore find a lot less to latch onto.

That said, I can’t deny the creativity and ambition of plots like these, so I’m forced to grade it higher than last week’s premiere.

The post Rick and Morty Season 5 Episode 2 Review: Mortyplicity appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3w2rRCP

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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stuckwith-harry · 4 years

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if english is your second language (which i believe it is?) how fluent are you in it? how does it compare to german?

good question! long answer!

i guess it doesn't compare to an extent, because i acquired my basic knowledge in either language differently, but honestly at this point, they don't feel that different anymore. in a lot of ways, english actually has taken over.

so, at a certain point (sixth/seventh grade, or age 12) i kind of bypassed the whole "i'm being taught a foreign language in school" rigamarole - i was always good at languages but that was when i developed like, a Thing for english, and took matters into my own hands.

(the first distinct memory i have of it is actually watching like, behind the scenes videos of the harry potter movies on youtube, and wanting to understand everything they were saying SO badly. which was really hard for me then! the audio quality was usually bad, they had different accents and spoke faster and less clearly than what your average language learning CD prepares you for, and i was a twelve year old german kid scrolling down youtube. that's what sparked all this madness and now i'm studying english in uni! freaking harry potter. i really owe it all to harry. all the best things in my life.)

i started reading books in english, watching movies in english (with english subtitles. life-changing), and around the same time i actually started this tumblr where i got to have conversations and read and write posts in english. also music, of course. (english is really easy to surround yourself with.) i was way ahead of school at that point and as far as actively improving my vocabulary etc goes i actually feel like i've been hitting a wall for years now. i kept a diary in english when i was sixteen, i dream in english and then i wake up and type the dream into my notes app, in english, i mutter to myself when i'm making chickpeas at 2am, in english, the list goes on. i write my grocery list in english, for fuck's sake.

i feel like one mark of acquired fluency might be when you stop actively translating in your head. i hope that makes sense. like when i'm speaking english i don't prepare that sentence in german and then translate it bit by bit, these two are two Strong Independent languages in my head now! i find translating harder than just speaking or writing in either language, actually. that feels like a big one to me.

combined with how much i am still surrounded by english in my daily life, german often feels less natural or effortless now. more intentional when i'm using it, maybe, but also i genuinely struggle with it now. a lot of the time i find myself translating words from english to german now, or translating phrases/expressions a bit too literally, or structuring sentences just a little bit wrong, because my brain is so english now. like you'll understand me but if you listen carefully you'll hear that my brain was providing an english sentence and my mouth was like, we're in germany right now, fool. it's just a LITTLE bit off. i'd go so far as to say that my german vocabulary, which i used to pride myself on (because teachers kept pointing it out), has actually gotten smaller. like i really forget basic german words sometimes, and my word choice used to be a lot more varied. (oops.)

i don't really think of myself as bilingual because i'm ultimately just speaking a foreign language reasonably well, but what sets english apart from what little french and spanish i remember is actually that it doesn't FEEL like i'm speaking a foreign language anymore. feels weird to think there was a time i didn't speak it!

#owl post #anon #long post

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emilywatchescursedshow · 3 years

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Ep 15 - The Benders

Director: Peter Ellis Writers: Eric Kripke, John Shiban

Oh man. Ok so to be honest this was another rough episode for me, but I’m going to try to focus on the stuff that I liked before I get to my one big gripe with the story.

I loved the performance of the cop in this episode. I think that actress did a really good job. In general I liked her story and that she got resolution for her brother’s death by killing the main villain. I liked the way she interacted with Dean. I also liked that there was zero sexual tension between them, which was an interesting and sort of new dynamic for Dean to have with another character. I feel very comfortable chalking this lack up to the fact that she was a brunette, but it was still nice to see her boss Dean and have him not flirt with her in return. I do think it’s sort of hilarious how often they have the Third Character on the show be a lady, but I guess that’s what needs to happen when you have two (supposedly) het hotboi protags. Anyway, we stan anyone who puts Dean in handcuffs.

We get some good Dean moments of trying to navigate being a human person interacting with another human person which he is very bad at. I enjoyed watching him stretch across the hood of the car to try to get the antennae to use to pick the handcuffs. Don’t read too much into that.

I also liked that this episode had a lot more Action throughout the episode. The past couple have primarily been a lot of backstory to explain the events. This episode was just them Investigating The Weird Thing which was more entertaining because we get to watch the events actually play out. I thought the characterizations of the children were pretty well done, even with the minimal dialogue they had. One of them had a weird laugh that I thought fit well with the spirit of the episode, and I thought the actress who played the little girl did a good job also. Honestly if you told me when I was 12 that I would get to roll around in dirt, behave absolutely feral, and stab some dude in the leg with a knife with little provocation I would also be having the time of my life.

That being said, I think the events of this episode are very stupid. First of all, this episode is supposed to be weird because there’s no supernatural element. Dean has at least two lines to the effect that “well normal people just are crazy I guess” which I hate. In so many of the past 14 episodes, the antagonist has been essentially a human, and I don’t think the supernatural element of those stories really affected the person’s motivations. The motivation for these villains is just that they like killing people. They say like “humans are the ultimate game” but the humans they capture make fucking awful hunting targets and get murdered very easily, so that part doesn’t really make that much sense either but whatever.

As much as I don’t want it to, this episode reminds me a lot of the X-Files episode “Home,” which is a pretty infamous episode and has similar themes of “isolated country family goes sort of nuts.” I don’t know which episode is most successful in carrying through with these themes, but I don’t like “Home” either so maybe the conclusion is just that the point of this theme is very unclear.

Anyway, moment to moment thoughts: - Guy gets scared and disappears under car - Oh good we don’t have to go thru any intro rigamarole before getting the bros in these police uniforms - This bar is named Kugels Keg - Oh noooo Dean playing darts oh nooooooooo - Dean wants to have ~fun~ - Uhoh Sam vs motorcycles,, will Sam get snatched? - Lmao the audio work on that cat scratch and hiss was really, uh, something. Then some weird chime just looking at Sam’s feet. Uhoh Sam's gone - "like the rifle?" gross - Dean is gay for himself - The police officer knows something - Uhoh Sammy's pov in a cage - Amber alert namedrop - Oh my god the car just fucking drives by at that exact moment?? - It's the guy from the beginning "smells like the country" "we're in the middle of nowhere" from the guy in the cage who doesn’t know where they are - SHOW ME THE MONSTER oh they're just people LMAO - Yasss tug that pipe Sam - Uhoh Dean got caught "that Michael Jackson skin *smnthn*" .. uhoh there writers, maybe don’t do this - Dean trying to guilt his way into this officer's graces "I have to take you in" yeah no shit oh she's down I guess - "it’s a bracket" - This guy is gonna die ugly - Are they like feeding a monster or something? - There are a lot of shitty cars on this property - Is he being hunted? Thats what it looks like - Ok he just got stabbed to death - "your luck is so pressed" - The actress for the police officer is doing a really good job - Dean's promises are worth nothing lol she locked him to the car good for her - Oh creepy girl why is this officer being referred to by her first name - Officer down - Stretch Dean STRETCH - The giggle boys - They took her hair down? - Food service? No it's Dean. But this doesn't feel right. - What the hell is this episode - Turns flashlight on directly into eyes - Specimens from victims.. brains?? - Yes they're being hunted those are big game photos - Human bone rattle while presumably human butchering is happening. Also weird plinky music for atmosphere love the horror game vibes - Teeth - Creepy daughter stabs Dean - Knocking people out from behind seems like the mo - Are they out of cages? - Is the best hunt human? It seems pretty lame - "you're a sick puppy" - The girl is evil - Oh they're scared of cops - No don't burn deans eye out - He's opening the door? - Dean you're literally tied to a chair - Uhoh cop lady on his back - Classic shot guy behind other guy - Literally kill him. Or knock him out. Or cage him. I don't want this scene with the cop lady - Oh she just murdered him cool I was really worried with where that was going - The girl?? - What the FUCK was this episode - Luck pressed - This actress is killing it

So yeah, I have mixed feelings about this episode. I think if I just accept the conceit of the weird murder family the rest is actually pretty well well done. The pacing and tension in the episode is pretty good, and the supporting actors (except maybe the dad, who’s a bit too much and not enough at the same time) do a good job. I had fun watching it, which is the most important thing.

#spn s1e15 #spn #supernatural liveblog #supernatural

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bharatiyamedia-blog · 5 years

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Tesla shopping for information: The way to determine among the many Mannequin 3, Mannequin S and Mannequin X

http://tinyurl.com/y5ty5hjd Tesla’s vary of EVs now consists of the Mannequin S, Three and X. Tesla Since Tesla started operations in 2003, the electrical automotive firm — named after 19th- and 20th-century inventor Nikola Tesla — has been a gamechanger for the automotive business. In simply 16 years, Tesla has grow to be one of the vital automakers within the enterprise. By no means thoughts simply electrical car gross sales, the Tesla Model 3 is now the best-selling luxurious car within the US general, with greater than 140,000 bought in 2018. The Mannequin Three helped the startup automotive firm obtain 197,517 complete gross sales final yr, according to industry sales tracker GoodCarBadCar, permitting the all-EV luxurious automaker to rank 20th among the many high 35 auto marques bought in America. That rating means Tesla’s 2018 gross sales bested manufacturers reminiscent of Chrysler, Acura, Cadillac and Infiniti. Tesla does not use a standard franchise vendor mannequin, as an alternative, it has corporate-owned showrooms. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty As Tesla’s recognition grows, it nonetheless has some hurdles to beat, together with build quality and reliability issues. For some prospects, these points have been exacerbated by Tesla’s lack of a traditional service network. There’s additionally ongoing considerations across the firm’s monetary situation. It is also a good suggestion to evaluate how your location and life-style will mix with an EV. Dwelling in a rural space removed from Tesla’s Supercharger community may vastly affect your possession expertise. The reply, in fact, is to make sure that you may have entry to Stage 2 (240-volt) charging. The latter can run roughly $2,000 to $3,000 to have put in in your storage or parking area. Sure, a typical Stage 1 (110-volt) connection from a typical family electrical outlet will cost a Tesla, however the cost charges are problematically gradual — solely about 5 miles of vary per hour of charging. Which means even a base Mannequin Three with the 220-mile battery pack may take greater than 40 hours to recharge. (Must know extra about protecting your EV juiced up? Our Electric Car Charging 101 Guide has you lined.) Tax credit and different incentives Yet one more vital issue: Examine in your tax credit score scenario — there are federal, state, regional and different tax credit accessible for getting electric cars, together with ones provided by your native energy utility firm. Analysis these carefully, as they might affect your shopping for determination. For instance, for deliveries till June 30, 2019, Tesla autos are nonetheless eligible for a $3,750 federal tax credit score. For brand new autos delivered between July 1 to Dec. 31, 2019, that incentive drops to $1,875. Tesla has an extensive website page devoted to relevant tax incentives (together with on its photo voltaic merchandise). It is price learning carefully, because it may prevent some huge cash. Tesla additionally provides different short-term gross sales incentives usually, together with free Supercharging and referral code-based programs. Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, has been a significant drive within the model’s rise to prominence. South China Morning Submit/Getty Tesla by way of the years Initially based in 2003 by a pair of engineers, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, Tesla gained Elon Musk as principal investor and chairman in 2004. In 2008, Musk grew to become Tesla’s CEO. That was the identical yr the corporate launched its first vehicle: the Tesla Roadster. Though priced at greater than $100,000, the all-electric Lotus Elise-based Roadster was remarkably superior for its time, with a 245-mile vary and a sub-4-second 0-60 time on the way in which to a high pace of 125 mph. The Roadster would finally pave the way in which for the Model S five-door in 2012, adopted up with the Mannequin S-based Model X crossover SUV in 2015 and the Model 3 compact luxurious sedan in 2017. Tesla Mannequin 3 At present, Tesla’s least-expensive mannequin can be its hottest. So common, in actual fact, that Tesla received nearly 200,000 deposits for the automotive on the day reservations opened. That recognition was seemingly spurred by the Mannequin 3’s promised $35,000 base value, but it surely took almost three years after the automotive’s unveiling for the Standard Range model to be made available. In reality, after placing the cloth-seat-trim $35,000 mannequin on their configurator for some time, Tesla subsequently removed it, though you’ll be able to apparently nonetheless order it over the cellphone or in individual at a showroom. The online-net? Almost all Mannequin Three gross sales have transacted at a lot greater costs. Assuming you do not wish to try to undergo that special-order rigamarole to avoid wasting $4,900, immediately’s de facto entry-level Mannequin Three is the Commonplace Vary Plus. It provides rear-wheel drive, a battery with a 240-mile vary (per EPA estimates), a 0-60 mph time of 5.Three seconds and a high pace of 140 mph. Tesla’s Mannequin Three has a simplistic cabin that defines the phrase “Minimalism.” It is not with out its benefits, or drawbacks. Nick Miotke/Roadshow The subsequent rung up the ladder, the Mannequin Three Lengthy Vary, provides $10,000 to the MSRP however contains 310 miles of vary, a faster, 4.4-second 0-60 mph sprint and a high pace that is 5 mph quicker. Extra importantly, maybe, it additionally contains dual-motor, all-wheel drive {hardware} and the nicer Premium Inside that features a 14-speaker audio system and Premium Connectivity. The latter contains satellite tv for pc mapping with reside site visitors, streaming audio and an web browser. This trim additionally features a nicer middle console with further charging, plus LED fog lamps. Nonetheless itching for extra? Then you definitely’ll need the Mannequin Three Efficiency trim with its 3.2-second 0-60 time and 162-mph high pace for $59,900. Nevertheless, when totally loaded, the Efficiency trim comes inside earshot of $70,000, placing such Mannequin 3 sedans in a really completely different class of auto altogether. Mannequin Driveline Vary (miles) 0-60 accel. (sec) Prime pace (mph) Base value Mannequin Three Commonplace Vary Plus Single motor, rear-wheel drive 240 5.3 140 $39,900 Mannequin Three Lengthy Vary Twin motor, all-wheel drive 310 4.4 145 $49,900 Mannequin Three Efficiency Twin motor, all-wheel drive 310 3.2 162 $59,000 Beneficial configuration In my evaluations, I usually suggest that individuals attempt to add as many choices as doable, however my strategy with the Mannequin Three is a bit more conservative. I feel 240 miles of vary is nice sufficient for most individuals, so I might begin with the Commonplace Vary Plus automotive except all-wheel drive is required. Autopilot is now customary on all Mannequin Three trims. Along with the anticipated blind-spot monitoring, computerized emergency braking, forward- and side-collision warning, Autopilot provides adaptive cruise management with lane-centering. It is vital to notice that lots of people confuse Autopilot with autonomous driving know-how. They are not the identical — there nonetheless are not any self-driving vehicles available on the market immediately. Autopilot is a hands-on SAE Level 2 system, albeit an excellent one when operated appropriately. Tesla’s elective so-called Full Self-Driving {hardware} shouldn’t be with out its critics. Tesla Subsequent, in case you can swing it, I might contemplate spending one other $6,000 for Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving Functionality,” which incorporates Navigate on Autopilot. Your $6,000 additionally will get you automated parallel parking and Tesla’s Summon function. Once more, in accordance with Tesla, with Summon, “Your parked automotive will come discover you anyplace in a parking zone. Actually.” The web site additionally says that later in 2019, the system will “acknowledge and reply to site visitors lights and cease indicators,” whereas additionally permitting “computerized driving on metropolis streets.” A be aware about that final bit: CEO Elon Musk has promised that this pricy Full Self-Driving choice will shortly allow full, hands-off autonomous driving by way of over-the-air replace. Nevertheless, most business specialists and critics take critical exception to this assertion. That is largely as a result of the system does not make use of know-how like lidar and intensive 3D mapping, two options almost all specialists contemplate to be cornerstones of future self-driving tech. Should you worth a few of FSD’s different options, together with Navigate on Autopilot and auto parking, then it is in all probability price spending the additional $6,000. Should you’re searching for true full autonomous driving functionality, the jury stays very a lot out on the viability of this technique, so that you would possibly wish to save your cash. Yep, the Mannequin Three has two trunks! Nick Miotke/Roadshow Transferring inside, the $1,000 black-and-white inside is sweet, however the all-black cabin appears to be like simply positive, whereas nonetheless providing the identical options of the multi-color cockpit. It is also price noting that the Lengthy Vary Mannequin Three is essentially the most reasonably priced trim to supply the Premium Inside with the 14-speaker upscale audio system. Subsequent, I might spring for the 19-inch sport wheels. They’re $1,500 dearer than the 18-inch Aero wheels, however they go far in making the Mannequin Three pop. Lastly, I might order mine in black, as a result of all 4 of the Mannequin 3’s different accessible colours price a whopping $1,000 to $2,000 additional. As configured, that retains me a couple of thousand below my $50,000 purchaser’s regret threshold. Moreover, contemplating the Mannequin 3’s options and efficiency at that sub-$50,000 value, it provides the coveted German compact luxurious sedans just like the 2017 Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class a run for his or her cash. Naturally, in case you reside in an space that sees actual winters, you will seemingly wish to pony up for one of many all-wheel drive trims that begin at $49,900. Purchase the Tesla Mannequin Three if:You desire a game-changing, compact luxurious sport sedan that is all the fashion and can be actually enjoyable to drive. Do not buy the Tesla Mannequin Three if:You do not have easy accessibility to Stage 2 charging and you reside away from handy Superchargers. Additionally contemplate: Tesla Mannequin S When the Tesla Mannequin S arrived in 2012, the midsize five-door signaled to the world that Elon Musk and Tesla weren’t simply flashes within the pan, they have been right here for the lengthy haul. Now available on the market for nearly seven years, the Mannequin S acquired a visible replace in 2016, however is overdue for a whole redesign. After all, that should wait till the corporate can iron out the kinks with Mannequin Three manufacturing, to not point out launching the Model 3-based Model Y crossover, the Tesla Semi and finally, the second-gen Tesla Roadster. Over the past year, Tesla has ceased manufacturing of its lower-cost, smaller-battery, rear-drive Mannequin S variants, which in the end provides the product line extra respiratory room between itself and the Mannequin 3. In 2019, the Mannequin S continues to soldier on with its simplified lineup, however it may nonetheless journey farther on a single cost than any EV on sale immediately. Mannequin Driveline Vary (miles) 0-60 accel. (sec) Prime pace (mph) Base value Mannequin S Commonplace Vary Twin motor, all-wheel drive 285 4.0 155 $75,000 Mannequin S Lengthy Vary Twin motor, all-wheel drive 370 3.7 155 $85,000 Mannequin S Efficiency Twin motor, all-wheel drive 345 3.0 163 $96,000 Mannequin S Efficiency with Ludicrous Mode Twin motor, all-wheel drive 345 2.4 163 $116,000 Beneficial configuration If I used to be reasonably conservative with the Mannequin 3, I’m rather more penny-pinching with the Mannequin S, however that is often because the $79,000 base sedan provides most of what the common premium EV purchaser wants at a decrease month-to-month fee. For a automotive beginning at $75,000 (plus $1,200 supply), the growing old Mannequin S has an inside befitting a car priced within the higher $40,000 vary. Due to this fact, I feel it is price $1,500 to improve to the considerably extra expensive-looking Black and White or Cream interiors. However even if you wish to save your $1,500, you will nonetheless get the identical options the upgraded interiors have. These accoutrements embrace HEPA air filtration that may block ambient viruses, activated carbon filters that, according to Tesla’s website, “Block offensive odors, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbon exhaust fumes from polluting cabin air,” a premium audio system with satellite tv for pc radio, heated seats for all occupants and a heated steering wheel. Tesla’s mainstay Mannequin S acquired a grille-less visible freshening in 2016. Manuel Carrillo III/Roadshow Commonplace superior driver-assistance options embrace Autopilot’s computerized emergency braking, in addition to forward- and side-collision warning. Nevertheless, I might nonetheless contemplate splurging for the $6,000 “Full Self-Driving Functionality” choice, which incorporates Navigate on Autopilot — automated lane modifications, auto parking and on-ramp to off-ramp semi-automated driving. This hands-on driver help system can settle for over-the-air updates to additional improve these programs as know-how progresses. That each one provides as much as $83,700 delivered. If you wish to go nuts on Mannequin S choices, you will be staring down the barrel a virtually $130,000 MSRP. One be aware of warning, nevertheless: Regardless of the Mannequin S being in manufacturing for a very long time, that is nonetheless a startup automaker, in order with the Mannequin 3, reliability and construct high quality are usually nowhere close to typical Honda or Toyota ranges. I examined a completely loaded Mannequin S final June, and after solely three days, the electronically retracting and deploying driver’s door handle determined to stay in its deployed place. Purchase the Tesla Mannequin S if:You want excessive efficiency and inexperienced credentials. Do not buy the Tesla Mannequin S if:You demand a top-quality inside together with $100,000 automotive creature comforts like ventilated and massaging seats. Additionally contemplate: Tesla Mannequin X In 2015, Tesla entered the premium crossover section with its Mannequin X. As a result of it hatched from the thoughts of Elon, although, the Mannequin X is not just a few abnormal electrified crossover. It has differentiating options like Falcon Wing doorways, and you can even get it to dance for you. Whereas the Mannequin X does not provide the identical stage of sunshine off-roading functionality as similar-sized, three-row crossover SUVs, this car, with its 5,000-pound towing capability, can actually trailer with most of these soft-roaders… at the very least for a brief distance (towing has a disproportionately deleterious impact on electrical vary). Just like the Mannequin S on which the Mannequin X relies, Tesla now solely sells higher-range, dual-motor variations of the crossover. Regardless of the resultant elevated beginning MSRP, general pricing on the Mannequin X has come down prior to now couple of years. Again in 2017, a completely optioned Tesla Mannequin X commanded an eye-watering $177,000. At present, with all of the bells and whistles, you are taking a look at $142,000 — a saving of $35,000. The Tesla Mannequin S and Mannequin Three have additionally seen similar price drops. Mannequin Driveline Vary (miles) 0-60 accel. (sec) Prime pace (mph) Worth Mannequin X Commonplace Vary Twin motor, all-wheel drive 255 4.6 155 $81,000 Mannequin X Lengthy Vary Twin motor, all-wheel drive 325 4.4 155 $91,000 Mannequin X Efficiency Twin motor, all-wheel drive 305 3.4 163 $102,000 Mannequin X Efficiency with Ludicrous Mode Twin motor, all-wheel drive 305 2.7 163 $122,000 Beneficial configuration Now that we all know you’ll be able to simply blow previous $140,000 for a Mannequin X, let’s choice one with the stuff you need, however at a value that does not translate to “myocardial infarction.” First, we’ll begin out with the bottom Mannequin X at $81,000. The usual model nonetheless provides loads of vary and efficiency to impress you and all your folks. The extra upscale-looking black-and-white or cream inside upgrades are a comparable drop within the bucket at $1,500. I might go for black and white, however even if you wish to get monetary savings with the usual black cabin, you will nonetheless get all the identical options because the upgraded-look interiors. Which means the self-presenting entrance door, HEPA and carbon filtration, premium audio system with satellite tv for pc radio, all-occupant heated seats and a heated steering wheel. The Mannequin X options an elective third row of seats. Tesla A five-seat inside is customary, whereas the seven-seat cabin prices $3,000. That is rather a lot for a 3rd row, however that seating configuration row provides quite a lot of potentialities, so sure to that. Humorous sufficient, the six-seat trim with second-row captain’s chairs prices twice as a lot! No, no, no to that! Add on $6,000 for the beforehand defined Full Self-Driving Functionality pack if you need. As optioned, then, you are taking a look at $91,500 to be a cool child in a Tesla Mannequin X, whereas nonetheless hanging onto a grip of money. Purchase the Tesla Mannequin X if:You need the primary — and quickest — all-electric, seven-seat crossover you should buy. Do not buy the Tesla Mannequin X if:You do not want the additional room over the Mannequin S. Additionally, Falcon Wing doorways are cool as all get out (pardon the pun), however they’ve additionally been a significant reliability ache level and have confirmed to be hard to open in the event of a power failure. Additionally contemplate: Nonetheless on the fence about shopping for a Tesla? This is yet one more nugget price contemplating: In contrast to almost each different automaker on the market, Tesla permits unhappy prospects to return their new vehicles inside seven days (or 1,000 miles) for a full refund. That is a reasonably reassuring provide. With contribution from Steven Ewing. Source link

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bynkii · 6 years

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Right Idea, Wrong Company

Why did the creator of Glass have to be Google?

Because when I look at Glass, I see something that could have been amazing being controlled by a company that uses “build it and they will come, and if not, bin it quick” as its primary development/marketing method. I mean it worked once, with Gmail. But Gmail was…well the Angry Birds of email apps. Gmail also was developed at a time when Yahoo! mail was an “industry leader” as was Hotmail. There was also .Mac, but yeah. The state of public, web-based email was a major factor for Gmail. It wasn’t all timing, but timing was a huge factor.

As well, the early “invite-only” nature of Gmail was an amazing marketing campaign, albeit somewhat unintentional. People love to be elite. So Google didn’t really have to do a lot of deliberate marketing with Gmail.

That’s going to work once, maybe twice. Apple didn’t even get that with the iMac. Contrary to popular belief, they marketed the *heck* out of the iMac. And the iPhone. And the iPad. Really, every product Apple considers important gets marketed to hell and gone.

But more importantly, Apple thought about the iMac and the iPhone and the iPad.

Why should home computers be ugly beige boxes that you hide from view? Why do they need to support a lot of legacy stuff?

Do phones really need a hardware keyboard? If they don’t, how do you build one in software that works well? Why can’t we put a “real” web browser in a phone, wouldn’t that be awesome?

Why should tablet users have software that is only “sort of” designed for them?

On and on.

With Glass, the thinking seems to have been “A COMPUTER YOU WEAR ON YOUR HEAD! THIS IS SO COOL”, and then Google figured everyone would want one, every dev on the planet would fight to the death to be able to develop for it, it would take the world by storm, because magic.

How’s that working out?

Outside of a small number of technorati in a handful of places, no one seems to really care about Glass.

It’s a pity, because some deeper thought could have made this more than just a way to creep on people and get ads from stores you’re walking by. For example, why didn’t Google do a deal with movie theaters? AMC, Regal, and all the rest? Really, think about how awesome this could be for the hearing impaired. Instead of having to borrow things like this: http://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/06/closed_caption_glasses_movies_regal_theaters_deaf.html

…(which of course are different for every theater chain, if your local theater even supports them.) Instead of all that rigamarole, you walk into the theater wearing Glass. You’ve already downloaded the app, so you just sit down, activate it on Glass, and watch the movie. When the movie’s done, you leave…just like everyone else. You don’t have some rent-a-specs on your face, you don’t have some external control unit silliness.

You walked in, enjoyed the movie, and left…just like everyone else.

Google has the money and the human capital to do this deal across theater chains. They could have created an open standard for this. They could have, on day one, had a product that would legitimately help people. It could have been extended to all kinds of media.

Seriously, read this review of the Regal system:

“I went to see “Star Trek Into Darkness” with the new closed captioning glasses, and was happy to finally enjoy every aspect of the experience. Able to relax instead of exhausting my senses to understand what I could, I actually understood every plot twist, chuckled at Captain Kirk’s quips and read descriptions of non-verbal audio, such as “(heavy breathing, panting)” as he’s chased through a red jungle by a planet’s primitive inhabitants.”

Instead, we have well-heeled hipsters being creepy in bars. Awesome.

Even worse, Glass is still “in beta”. We don’t even know what it will cost when it’s “done”.

Same thing with the watches. I’ve yet to see a single one of those things that is materially better than the old square iPod Nano with a band. They’re ugly, they don’t work that well, and their battery life blows oscillating, scintillating chunks.

And the shame of it is, good wearables are needed. Also from the Regal article:

“The devices work best if you’re sitting in the middle of the theater, so get there early. The following day, I saw the fantastic new “Man of Steel” on Destiny’s IMAX screen, but didn’t make any arrangements ahead of time. I arrived half an hour before the Superman film started, but it took 20 minutes to get the glasses — you have to ask the ticket-taker, who calls a supervisor to retrieve them and set them up — so I ended up sitting on the end of a row, viewing the text at a slightly awkward angle compared to the screen.

Also, if you’re going with a group of friends or planning to see a movie on a busy Friday or Saturday night, call ahead to make sure you can get the glasses. They’re available for every movie (look for “accessibility devices available” on Fandango’s website) but Great Northern Mall, Shoppingtown and the former Carousel Center each have just 10 sets. Regal Destiny USA Stadium 19 General Manager Bruce Livingston said he expects to get more to accommodate the brand-new IMAX and RPX screens.”

That’s not a huge problem, but imagine if you didn’t need that. If you walked in, wearing your glasses, sat down and watched the damned movie just like everyone else. No assistance from the theater needed. No calling ahead. No caring about where you sit. You just watch the movie. Heck, put an interlock on the app so the camera turns off when the app is running.

This would help millions. Instead, we get rich hipsters creeping in bars.

My wife works for our community theater. They have people they rely on to provide sign language services for the hearing impaired. But that means the person needing it has to arrange it ahead of time, they have to sit where they can see both the person signing and the play, the person signing is distracting to everyone else…

Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a Glass-compatible captioning system for theaters too? Again, the Glass wearer walks in, sits down, activates the app, and enjoys the play without having to care where they sit. They don’t need any special support. They can buy tickets five minutes before the curtain rises if they’re available.

Just like everyone else.

If Google licensed this technology, it could be huge for motorcycle riders, who are a primary audience for heads up tech. It’s not just a convenience, it’s a safety issue. The less a rider has to take their eyes off the road, the safer they are. At a reasonable price, this would be a fantastic helmet option. Yes, I know a few companies are working on this, but with a bit more thought and work, we could have had this already. Google has the resources to have done this on day one of Glass being available in public.

Instead, we get rich hipsters being annoying in restaurants.

On and on, if you really think about it, the tech introduced in Glass could have been huge, helpful, affordable and available on day 1. EMS services being able to broadcast live video of what they’re seeing to doctors in the nearest hospital. Telemedicine uses, enabling doctors to consult on operations from wherever they can get internet access while seeing what the operating surgeon is seeing, from the same angle and distance. Heck, being able to give surgeons a heads-up display with patient vitals. GPS assisted information for people with varying degrees of visual impairments.

Instead, Google, through shallow thinking, has managed to create a toy for overprivileged prats to be creepy with, (seriously, just put an LED on the front of Glass for when it’s recording and so many problems go away), that has bad battery life, and is designed so that people can shove more ads at you and Google can collect more data on you so that people can shove more ads at you.

I’ve nothing against ads, heck, they, in a way, used to pay my mortgage. But shouldn’t have Glass been much more than…what it is? Shouldn’t my most…enduring…mental image of a Glass user be something that isn’t Robert Scoble wearing one in a shower? Shouldn’t Glass be a name for something that is helping out thousands, if not millions of people by removing no-longer-necessary barriers between them and their lives?

It could have been…had some other company created it.

#accesibility #anyonebutgoogle #movedoverfrommedium

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