Enhance AIĪs one of the first steps in the workflow, I usually use Enhance AI. This is interesting for those not working in Lightroom or Photoshop. The development module will offer the same possibilities to the landscape photographer as in Lightroom and Photoshop, like contrast, shadows, highlights, luminance etc. Portrait background Removal AI Development In future blogs, I might go deeper into the technical aspects. See this blog as an introduction to the powerful post-processing capabilities of Luminar Neo. But then, it would be more challenging to see the effect of a single tool. In the example photos I use in this blog, I will only illustrate the pure effect of some of the tools without further adjustments! Therefore, the result might be slightly exaggerated to my taste in some tools to show the impact explicitly, or the picture could be refined further with more tools. I will walk you through most of the tools in Luminar Neo that could help you as a landscape photographer, but I can’t miss the opportunity to say a few words about portraiture and Lumina Neo. But rest assured, just about any photography discipline will find beneficial applications in Luminar Neo. Luminar has many tools on board that can be very interesting for landscape photographers, and other powerful tools, in turn, are highly suitable for portrait photographers. But Luminar Neo will speed up the workflow and processing time since artificial intelligence will automatically analyse your images, use masks, and make some adjustments in seconds and a few clicks. So yes, if you master Photoshop and Lightroom well, you could probably achieve the same result. And more than half of all the tools use AI or artificial intelligence to make things easier for us. And it can be fully integrated into your everyday workflow. But it will be more than good enough for most amateur photographers.įor those who are used to working with Lightroom and Photoshop, Luminar Neo offers many extra refined possibilities as a plugin. Luminar also has its catalog function if used stand-alone, although it is less powerful than the Lightroom catalog and library functions. In addition, Luminar is available as purchase software even though subscription plans exist. That is how I am using Luminar Neo.įor those who find the Adobe formulas or subscriptions too expensive, Luminar Neo is an excellent alternative with plenty of possibilities. Luminar Neo can be used as a stand-alone product and as a plugin for LightRoom or PhotoShop. For example, the most recent update added HDR Merge, Focus Stacking and Upscale AI. But know that this product is constantly updated, and with each update, more and more features are added or refined. In this blog, I will concentrate on the features and advantages of the package but also point out some shortcomings here and there.
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To combat what he considered overcomplicated methods, in 2002 financial journalist Richard Jenkins proposed the 60% solution, aka the 60/40 budget. Whether you’re a financial professional, producer, or sales partner, access your account to guide your clients. Learn how our workplace solutions can help your employees and members build a solid financial future.Įxplore PGIM, access strategic insights and fund information, and learn about risk transfer solutions.Įasily access all your accounts from a single destination as well as other individual account portals. We’ll track your spending in one place and identify areas where you can save.Get in-depth guidance and explore unique solutions aimed to help your clients achieve their goals. Not sure how to start budgeting? Downloading a budget app or personal finance software may help, or get informed with a budgeting book. Then, consult our personal finance guide. Get more help with monthly budget planningįor more budgeting advice, including how to prioritize your savings and debt repayment, review our tips for how to build a budget and utilize our financial calculators. Paying off debt, beginning with high-interest accounts like credit cards.Saving for retirement through a 401(k) and perhaps an individual retirement account.Starting and growing an emergency fund.How, exactly, to use this part of your budget depends on your situation, but it will likely include: Devote this chunk of your budget to paying down existing debt and creating a financial cushion. Savings is the amount you sock away to prepare for the future. They’re often for fun and may include:Ģ0% of your income: savings and debt. Generally, though, wants are the extras that aren’t essential to living and working. Distinguishing between needs and wants isn’t always easy and can vary from one budget to another. Child care or other expenses that need to be covered so you can work.ģ0% of your income: wants.Anything beyond the minimum goes into the savings and debt repayment bucket. This portion of your budget should cover required costs such as: Necessities are the expenses you can’t avoid. If you’ve lumped them in with your taxes, you’ll want to separate them out - subtract only taxes from your gross income.ĥ0% of your income: needs. Don’t subtract those from your gross (before tax) income. It’s likely you’ll have additional payroll deductions for things like health insurance, 401(k) contributions or other automatic payments taken from your salary. This figure is your income after taxes have been deducted. The 50/30/20 rule is a popular budgeting method that splits your monthly income among three main categories. Our 50/30/20 calculator divides your take-home income into suggested spending in three categories: 50% of net pay for needs, 30% for wants and 20% for savings and debt repayment. Budgets are meant to bend but not be broken. For example, if you live in an expensive housing market, your monthly mortgage or rent payment might spill a bit into your “wants” budget. That leaves 50% for needs and 30% for wants, but these are parameters you can tweak to suit your reality. Once you achieve that, perhaps with an employer-sponsored retirement plan and other automated monthly savings transfers, the rest - that big 80% chunk - is up for debate. The most important number is the smallest: the 20% dedicated to savings. This will give you a big-picture view of your finances. Use our calculator to estimate how you might divide your monthly income into needs, wants and savings. The 50/30/20 budget is a good tool to do just that. Whether you use an app or a budget worksheet to get a handle on your spending, you’ll want to know where your money is going - and then make a plan for where you want it to go. Completed chats and visual novel segments (those you participated in or viewed) are marked in orange. Those you can no longer participate in for free are marked with an hourglass, and must be viewed in full or unlocked and participated in before proceeding to the next. When playing Mystic Messenger, available chats (IM) and visual novel segments are marked in green. This will set you up to finish with Another Story, which gives the most answers of any route in the game and will spoil a lot of other content despite taking place in its own timeline. Once you've seen 707's Good Ending, you should farm HG in order to unlock the After Endings in the two Secret folders. This will guide you through a gradually unfolding story. Start in Casual and play through Zen first, followed by Yoosung and finally Jaehee, then switch to Deep story and play through Jumin before finishing up with 707. If you want to see every ending, it’s really worthwhile playing Mystic Messenger in narrative sequence. All characters are exclusive to their respective story modes, and you cannot access their routes from the wrong one, no matter what you do.Īs with many visual novels, the story of Mystic Messenger is multi-layered, so that the easier routes give a shallow glimpse of the full story and the more difficult ones reveal a whole new world of intrigue. The V route is in Another Story, and a second route will be added to this mode sometime in early 2018. Two more are available in Deep story - Jumin and 707. Three character routes are available in Casual mode - Zen, Yoosung, and Jaehee. Deep Story must be unlocked for 80 HG, while Another Story will set you back 300 HG more on currency momentarily. On subsequent playthroughs, or if you’re determined to power game right from the start, you can consult our Mystic Messenger character guides (spoilers) or our Mystic Messenger chat times schedules (no spoilers), and set yourself reminders to check in when an important chat is due to unlock.Īs of early January 2018, there are six love interests in Mystic Messenger and three story modes: Casual, Deep, and Another. Make sure you focus on the character you like, though! If you fail to catch anyone’s interest by Day 5, you’ll finish with a bad end. On your first playthrough it’s fun to experience Mystic Messenger organically – answering the beeps on your phone when you can, ignoring the ones you can’t, going with your gut on choices, and just rolling with whatever happens. Each route has multiple endings – Bad Ends (fail states), one Normal End and one Good End. The first four days are always the same, but the game splits into multiple routes (one for each love interest) once you hit Day 5. The story of Mystic Messenger takes place over 12 days, during which you’ll swap messages of various kinds with a number of different characters. Around 50% participation is the minimum requirement to advance and secure a particular ending. Mystic Messenger isn’t a game you’re supposed to play on the bus, when you feel like it – you’re supposed to pick up the phone and action notifications when they come in (or choose to ignore them) - just like in real life.ĭon’t worry, though although the IMs pop up at all hours of the day and night, you are not required to action every single IM. Here’s the thing, though: the IM comes in real time, on its own schedule. Which IM chats you participate in, and the responses you make, shape which character route you’ll experience. Although you’ll also receive phone calls and texts (SMS), instant messages and occasional visual novel segments are the really essential part. The hearts of Mystic Messenger’s gameplay is reading and responding to instant messages. Make it easier for yourself by getting across the core concepts. Mystic Messenger is the most hardcore game about texting cuties you will ever play. Adequate Customization Optionsīeing able to customize templates allows for more detailed invoices. Here are some of the more useful invoicing features worth looking for. That said, there are a few key characteristics that you want to look out for as you shop around for accounting apps for invoicing. The right choice will depend on your unique needs as a business owner or freelancer.įrom free invoicing tools to paid plans, you're sure to find a technology that fits your purpose (and your pricing needs). So, which one is best? The honest answer is that there is no one best invoicing software on the market. There are many types of invoice apps available to suit various needs. How to Choose the Best Invoicing App for Your Small Business This gives you the ability to manage your business finances wherever and whenever, maximizing ease of use.
The dragon, for instance, stands twenty-one feet tall, weighs in at a massive 18,000 pounds, and took a fifteen-person crew and a crane to construct. Li says these pieces were some of the most difficult to construct because of their size and weight. Only the larger lanterns, like the crowd-pleasing two-hundred-foot dragon and the festive entryway, were made on site. The 7th annual event is back at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre through January 8. But Li explains that many of the smaller pieces were constructed in China and then shipped to North Carolina. (WTVD) - The North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival returns to Cary Friday night. Surveying the ample festival grounds, knowing the intricate process required to construct these pieces, it seems impossible that so much could be made by hand in a mere three weeks. Finally, painters add detailed touches, infusing some realism into the otherwise fairy-tale-like displays.įor this year’s festival, which features more than thirty large lanterns, eighteen Chinese artisans came to work onsite for twenty days. Fabric artists (generally women, Li notes) glue brightly colored silk brought from China on the frames, giving them their texture. Then welders transform the designs into reality with steel and iron pipes, and electricians wire the insides with light bulbs that bring the lanterns to life. All of the lanterns are handmade, a process that begins with designing the frames. Li, who grew up in China, says that the Cary festival is as authentic as the ones people would see in her home country. There’s even a team of brothers who worked on the lanterns in Cary this year, says Jessie Li, the project manager for the company, adding that one of the brothers works as a welder, creating the frames for the lanterns, while the other first came as a cook. According to Alison Newell, the marketing manager of the company, lantern making is a highly specialized skill that often runs in families, resulting in generations of makers. There, artisans gather yearly to craft detailed lanterns that lure tourists from all over the country. Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc., the company responsible for the festival, is based in Zigong, a city in the Sichuan province where the lantern festival is said to have originated. This year, illuminated lions, bright yellow Alice in Wonderland-like flowers, and intricate swans light up the night and leave visitors awestruck at the festival, which returned to Koka Booth last month and runs through January 15. Chinese Lantern Festival first came to Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. While the lantern festival has been celebrated in China for centuries, its major introduction to the Triangle came last year when the N.C. At the end of the Chinese New Year, children will carry paper lanterns as they marvel at the handmade creations that have taken over their towns. If you are interested in reserving the Amphitheatre for your next private event please submit a rental application form.A little more than two months from now, lanterns of all shapes, sizes, and colors will light up the streets of China’s cities. Let us help by taking your next event outside! Tickets are on sale now for the seven-week event, which runs from November 19, 2021-January 9. Meetings don't need to be stuffy, cramped or dimly lit. The North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival will return to Carys Koka Booth Amphitheatre in 2021. Whether you're hosting a plated banquet meal, tasting event with various stations or a simple lunch buffet, our preferred catering partners will collaborate with you to craft a menu sure to simplify your life and wow your guests. With three flexible spaces that can accommodate 20 - 7,000, the venue has the right space to meet your needs, including, but not limited to: Cary's Koka Booth Amphhitheatre is the perfect location for just about any event you can imagine. Impress your guests and have space to breathe with meeting accommodations in the region's most pristine outdoor venue. It’s recommended to leave at the default value of 30 seconds. This then exacerbates the ongoing performance impact on the brokers, adding to the pressure on it. If you’re not careful, you might exacerbate any problems on the broker side and result in worse performance for your application.įor example, if a broker is taking a long time to handle and process its incoming requests, a lower across client applications could lead to increased request pressure as the additional retry attempts are added to the broker’s request queue. However, whilst this might sound intuitive, it’s not always a good thing. After all, with a shorter timeout period, clients can react more quickly, whether that means reconnecting or even failing. It might be tempting to set the to a lower value. If a response is not received before the timeout is reached, then one of two things will happen: either the client will attempt to resend the request (if retries are enabled and have not yet been exhausted, see below for more details on this) or it will simply fail. The default for this configuration is set to 30 seconds. is a client-side configuration that defines how long the client (both producer and consumer) will wait to receive a response from the broker. Let’s get started by looking at some of the common configuration mistakes users make on the client side of things. Misunderstanding producer retries and retriable exceptionsģ. To help you combat this, we’ve compiled a list of five common pitfalls and tips for how to avoid them-from client and broker configurations to design and monitoring considerations-that are sure to save you time and effort down the road. With all the moving pieces involved, it can sometimes be difficult to know exactly how to keep your Kafka pipeline running smoothly. Whether you’re a seasoned Apache Kafka ® developer or just getting started you’re likely to hit a snag at some point or another-either in configuring and understanding your clients or setting up and monitoring things on the broker side. When you are looking for incredible choices in watches, be sure to shop at Macy’s. From chronograph styles with perpetual calendars and alarms to diamonds and leather, the continuously recharging Eco-Drive timepiece is an outstanding option. So, if you are definitely ready for a good-looking watch that will also recharge itself on an ongoing basis, then this collection of Citizen Eco-Drive timepieces is the place to start your search. And when travel is a must, the Eco-Drive watch is an outstanding asset. From the office to the club, there is a Citizen design to fill your timing needs. Men’s Citizen timepieces also come in styles such as diamond accents and titanium for business and dress occasions. Add the Eco-Drive technology and you have a watch that tough and durable, while constantly powered by light. Certified diving timepieces that have a 300 meter water-resistant depth, plus a tough silicone strap and stainless steel case are an outstanding choice for the avid diver. A sports watch that is water-resistant to 200 meters might be just the thing for a water enthusiast. Citizen Eco-Drive Men's Date Black Dial Gold-Tone Accents 40mm Watch AU1044-58E Refurbished Citizen Eco-Drive Stainless Steel (12) 111.99 List price: 350. Citizen Men's Eco-Drive Corso 3 Hand Gold Stainless Steel Watch,Silver-White Dial (Model: BM7492-57A) 3.9 23 ratings 3 answered questions -25 29625 List Price: 395.00 FREE Returns Coupon: Apply 10.86 coupon Terms Timeless styling that effortlessly takes you from work to play. Men’s Eco-Drive timepieces also come in an array of different looks and for different needs. Fashionable Citizens watches for women range from dainty diamond accents with a rose gold-tone link bracelet to a big face style with leather straps. The Eco-Drive model comes in many styles for both men and women. And the good news is that this means any light, from solar to artificial. This is because this Citizen watch is powered by light. Not only does the Eco-Drive come in a variety of attractive styles, fashions, and functions, this is also a timepiece made with outstanding technology for supreme ease of use and everyday care. When it is time for a new watch, then it is also time to take a serious look at the Citizen Eco-Drive. A visit to Molokai will not let you forget. Many times, this is hard to remember in the churning business of tourism we find in many popular destinations. You need to always keep in mind that you are a visitor, and your agenda does not supersede the lives of the locals around you. You need to ask permission before you do things (Hey Auntie, is it okay if I take a picture of your storefront? Hey Uncle, is it okay if I park in front of your house? Does your family mind if we fish alongside you?). Think about it this way: If you were going over to someone’s house for a visit, there would be certain expectations - and requirements - about your behavior, right? Well, consider the island of Molokai one big house, and that’s how you need to think about your presence. It revolves around the idea that when you are a guest somewhere, you must seek approval and permission before carrying on as you wish. What does that mean in practice? Hawaiians operate on what’s called “protocol,” a system of respect that is deeply rooted in culture. They also want visitors who respect their land and behave accordingly, who ask permission and tread lightly. Balanced visitors, who see this type of immersion as mutually beneficial, are what the island desires. What they want are people who plan to participate as a part of their visit - they want travelers, not tourists and vacationers.Īccording to Julie Bicoy, Manager of the Destination Molokai Visitors Bureau, the island is most interested in “educational studies” - people who want to come to learn and volunteer as part of their visit, who like the idea of pitching in on a farm or non-profit project, of interacting and connecting with a local family. They don’t want massive cruise ships (only one, small cruise ship called UnCruise is currently permitted to visit Molokai). They don’t want anything that will deplete, or harm, their resources. What Molokai does not want are visitors that come to the island to consume, or “vacation,” as it is often called. It might seem like a startling concept in today’s world, where visitors descend on a destination and consume it as if it’s their own (which, in fairness, is often encouraged by the destination itself), but Molokai expects - and demands - that tourism be of mutual benefit, not just financially for some people, but entirely for all. He holds the playoff record for double-doubles and minutes played, with time to add to those totals.ĭuncan’s demeanor has often kept him from getting the same kind of press as the likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, but his greatness cannot be denied. San Antonio has always been in the hunt to win it all, and Duncan has led them every step of the way. Malone and Charles Barkley were in the playoffs consistently, but neither ever won a title. Kevin Garnett missed the postseason several times with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nowitzki failed to lead the Dallas Mavericks to the playoffs in 2013. The greatest power forwards have had years where their teams underachieved. He ranked second on the team in playoff scoring, as well as first in rebounds and blocks. He was an essential part of the team, averaging 15.4 points and 10 rebounds per game on 56.9 percent field-goal shooting in the Finals. In his 17th season, Duncan wasn’t just along for the ride. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabaar had more years in between his first and last titles. He won his first ring in 1999, followed by a fifth championship 15 years later. The sustained success Duncan achieved may never be equaled. In seven of those seasons, San Antonio has finished with the best record in the conference. With the exception of the 1999 locked-shortened season, when the Spurs led the league in victories, the team has consistently won at least 50 games each season. Since San Antonio drafted the “Big Fundamental” in 1997, the organization has experienced unmatched success. He averaged a double-double in 10 different seasons.Įven when looking at the numbers of his greatest adversaries, though, Duncan still stands alone.ĭuncan’s string of consistent success is unparalleled. Malone was both a prolific scorer and rebounder throughout his career, averaging 25 points and 10.1 rebounds over 19 seasons. The man who made his name with the Utah Jazz ranks second all-time on the NBA scoring list. Karl Malone gives Duncan his greatest competition. Elvin Hayes’s 12.5 rebounds per contest top Duncan’s 11.1 boards. Dirk Nowitzki’s career 22.5 points per game surpass Duncan’s 19.9 average. However, none can put their whole body of work up against that of the Spurs’ big man.īy looking strictly at Duncan’s stats, the case can be made for other players at his position. The league has seen many great power forwards, since it was formed in 1946. The victory gave Duncan the fifth title of his career. On Sunday night, Tim Duncan may have proved himself to be the best power forward in NBA history when he helped the San Antonio Spurs defeat the Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals. Tim Duncan has five championships in six NBA Finals appearances. New Games Best Games Rated Games Top Games. Have fun playing SPORTS HEADS SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 2016 One of the best Game on. VanDerveer is an icon not only for college basketball, but for women’s sports as a whole. Play now SPORTS HEADS SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 2016 online on. Due to her legacy as a college coach, VanDerveer was asked to be the USA Women’s National Team coach in 1995. VanDerveer’s impact on her team goes far beyond the court, as she has pushed them to be the best academics and trailblazing women possible. VanDerveer was the first coach of a women’s team to lead her team to consecutive NCAA titles, cementing her status as one of the best coaches in women's college basketball history. Soccer Heads is a silly soccer game that’s the browser game equivalent of a foosball table. She has led Stanford to multiple conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances that led to NCAA victories in 19, and 2021. Fight frantically for goals before the timer runs out. She took over as the Head Coach of Stanford’s women's basketball team in 1985, and quickly instilled a great work ethic that has led the team to becoming a successful program. Tara VanDerveer's career has left a massive impact on women's basketball as a whole.
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