Back to Blog
Cinch home warranty7/6/2023 ![]() ![]() You'll also pay a service fee whenever you request a repair, which is a flat fee that covers the cost of a technician coming to your home and making the repair. For the providers on this list, this cost ranges from $30 to $130 per month. When you purchase a home warranty plan, you'll pay for your coverage on either a monthly or annual basis. These costs are similar to a premium and deductible you'd pay with insurance. Home warranty contracts come with two costs: the cost of the plan, and a service fee. It's available in all 50 states and Washington, DC. This company doesn't disclose its service fee cost online.ĪRW Home has a 4.4 out of 5 rating from Consumer Affairs, based on 275 customer ratings. 4-in-1 Bundle includes everything covered by the other two plans, plus your washer and dryer, water and sewer lines, electronics, and the Deluxe Advantage package, which includes things like plumbing faucets and fixtures or A/C refrigerant and coils.Platinum Premier covers everything in Kitchen Plus and central heating and cooling systems, plumbing systems, plumbing stoppages, garage door openers, humidifiers, ductwork, ceiling fans, and ice makers.Kitchen Plus covers your interior electrical system, water heater, and major kitchen appliances.The bottom line: ARW Home earned the best grade from the BBB and has the highest customer rating on Consumer Affairs out of all the companies on our list,ĪRW Home offers three different coverage plans: It's not available in Washington or Wisconsin. Liberty Home Guard has a rating of 4 out of 5 from Consumer Affairs, based on 178 customer ratings. You'll need to get a personalized quote over the phone to see what you might pay. Your service fee will vary depending on where you live, and Liberty Home Guard doesn't disclose how much it charges for this fee online. You can also add additional coverage for a huge variety of different house features, including common ones like a pool or sprinkler system, and more unique features like a wine fridge, reverse osmosis water filter system, or professional-grade appliances. Total Home Guard covers both your major home appliances and your major home systems.Systems Guard covers your major home systems.Appliance Guard covers your major home appliances. ![]() Liberty Home Guard offers three different home warranty plans: The bottom line: Liberty Home Guard offers a huge range of add-on coverage, making it a great option if your home has unique components or features that you want covered. Best for Customizing Your Coverage: Liberty Home Guard AFC Home Club doesn't offer service in Hawaii. The higher your service fee, the lower your monthly cost will be.ĪFC Home Club has a 3.6 rating from Consumer Affairs, based on 126 customer reviews. You can choose a service fee of $75, $100, or $125. Platinum covers everything in the Systems, Silver, and Gold plans, plus faucets, ice makers, built-in microwaves, and fans.Gold covers everything in the Systems and Silver plans, plus ductwork.Silver covers your major appliances, such as your refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, and garbage disposal.Systems covers your water heater, air conditioning and heating systems, electrical system, and plumbing system.Most home warranty companies only offer two or three options.ĪFC Home Club's coverage plans range from basic systems coverage to full house coverage, which includes systems, appliances, and smaller house components. The bottom line: America's 1st Choice Home Club stands out thanks to its four different coverage plans. Best Range of Coverage Options: America's 1st Choice Home Club It's not available in Alaska, New York City, or certain zip codes in Hawaii. American Home Shield offers a $75, $100, or $125 service fee the higher your fee, the lower your contract cost.Īmerican Home Shield currently has a 4.2 out of 5 rating from Consumer Affairs, based on 11,175 customer ratings. Prices for coverage can range quite a bit depending on which service fee you choose. ShieldPlatinum covers everything in the other two plans, along with roof leak repairs, free HVAC tune-ups, unlimited A/C refrigerant, and coverage for code violations and permits.ShieldGold covers everything in the Silver plan, plus kitchen and laundry appliances.ShieldSilver covers the major systems of your home, including your heating and cooling systems, electrical systems, and plumbing systems.The bottom line: American Home Shield is our best overall home warranty company thanks to its range of coverage options, flexible pricing, and positive customer reviews.Īmerican Home Shield offers three different coverage options: ![]()
0 Comments
Read More
Back to Blog
Raising work venture towns7/6/2023 ![]() There are plenty of unique business ideas to consider for your small-town venture, but your first priority is to align them with your needs. Coming Up with Good Business Ideas for a Small Town If you want to launch one - now is the time. The average small-business owner can expect to make, on average, a little over $71,000 per year.įurthermore, 2022 promises to be a hopeful year for small towns and their businesses, as we seem to be at the start of “a positive cycle of greater economic vibrancy in small towns and rural America, leading to more people wanting to move and start businesses in small towns.” In short, if you are looking for business ideas, small-town startups have become a standout choice.Prior to the pandemic, statistics showed that over half of all small local businesses could launch without financial borrowing.84% of small business owners feel optimistic about the future of their companies.91% of consumers prefer to use a small local business whenever it’s convenient to do so.Small businesses account for 99.9% of all firms in the US, with the majority being nonemployer firms - i.e., companies run by one person, without a payroll.Statistics back up the anecdotal advantages: Many entrepreneurs who take this path also enjoy a better work-life balance. Instead, small-town startups allow you to tap into a concentrated local audience, keeping your shipping expenses down, while capitalizing on your knowledge of their pain points to generate greater conversions. However, small-town communities can be a breeding ground for profitable businesses that don’t need a worldwide reach to thrive. The growth of eCommerce opportunities has opened the door for SMEs to target a global audience. ![]() Why Focus on Business Ideas for a Small Town? With 30 fantastic options for small-town startups included, the guide should provide something for everyone. You needn’t focus on big ventures to earn big bucks: The SME sector is currently thriving, and this guide to small-town business ideas will show how you can build your success story. ![]()
Back to Blog
Quicktime tiff lzw decompressor7/6/2023 ![]() ![]() I only go to the RAW image - and post-process - when I have screwed up! The JPEG compression algorithms have gotten so good that I just use the out-of-camera JPEGs most of the time. Of course, if you printed the JPEG and the RAW saved as a TIFF, you would very likely not notice any quality difference in the two images. If you wonder what is lost, then view the two images on a large, high resolution display - and zoom in and pixel peek. ![]() ![]() Set your camera to RAW + JPEG and compare the size of the RAW and JPEG image files from the camera. JPEGs are "lossy" - when you save as a JPEG, you throw away tons of information that was in that RAW image. That you are getting no size difference between an uncompressed and LZW TIFF out of Preview means Preview is doing something wrong. As such, I have no idea of it's lossy or lossless. I've never used it (not even an option in Photoshop). LZW can be opened and saved a zillion times, and the last will be the same as the first. Each time you open and save the file, you compound the loss. It's a very slight difference compared to an uncompressed image, but it's still a loss. Even using the highest quality option, information is tossed. If you really want a JPEG, just save it as one to begin with. You are literally saving your image as a JPEG inside a TIFF wrapper. Using JPEG compression is the most pointless option for TIFF images I have ever seen. It's lossless and saves quite a bit of space. If you want to get the size down, use LZW. The uncompressed TIFF saved from that is about 105 MB. From my Nikon D800, a typical RAW image is about 48 MB. It's normal for camera RAW images to be smaller than a TIFF written from that image. ![]()
Back to Blog
Prada fanny pack7/6/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() The BDS Tactical Fanny Pack is made of 1000D Cordura, which is very uncommon these days. The BDS Tactical Fanny Pack was described by my staff sergeant as reminiscent of old-school Eagle Industries gear, which he most definitely meant as a compliment, owing to the absolutely indestructible construction. Between its Super Admin Pouch and today’s subject, its Tactical Fanny Pack, there’s not a single rifle squad, gun section, or truck crew that I’ve seen, active or reserve, who doesn’t own at least one of these two products. The main compartment cannot be opened wide, meaning that if you have large hands, or are trying to draw out or put in a large object, this could be problematic.īDS Tactical of Oceanside, California, is no stranger to our gear department, having made our list of best gun belts and making a cummerbund upgrade kit that’s arguably the best thing to ever happen to the issued USMC Flak. The material is also very loud, rustly, and cheap-feeling, seeming to be the most durable material they could get for the lowest price. The material may be sturdy, but the stitching is not, with loose, spaced-out stitching on critical stress points like the corners near the straps. While the Fifth Avenue fanny pack may be everything you need for travel or a trip to the gym, it’s far from tactical. All in all, it does everything that most people need a fanny pack to do, and that’s why it’s our baseline standard for what a fanny pack needs to achieve. ![]() Plus, it’s constructed from a fairly durable 600 Denier polyester, comes in a variety of fun colors, and costs around $20. It’s designed with two pockets - the main compartment and a zippered pocket - to deliver 2.5 liters of storage, so you can fit pretty much everything you need for your daily routine, and then some. Currently, the JanSport Fifth Avenue is one of the most popular fanny packs on Amazon with a 4.8-star average from nearly 6,500 reviews. When you think of a fanny pack, a JanSport fanny pack probably comes to mind. Best EDC: Ex Umbris Designs EDC Fanny Pack.We also cover features you should consider before buying a fanny pack for tactical purposes. Whether you wear it as a hip pack or over the shoulder, a fanny pack will give you extra storage so you can comfortably carry what you need.įor this article, we focused on the best fanny packs for things like concealed carry, everyday carry, and medical supplies alongside the classic JanSport as a testing control. They typically rest on your hip or fanny - the old-time word for butt, and British Commonwealth term for something much more scandalizing - but wearing them crossbody is now common as well. It’s designed to hold things like a wallet, keys, phone, or whatever handheld object you need. Traditionally, a fanny pack is a small bag with a belt that fits around your waist. The once-ridiculed waist pack has seen a surge in popularity lately thanks to TikTok influencers as well as the tactical community not just because it’s a throwback to 1980s fashion, but because it’s actually functional. Alongside Crocs, heavy glasses, bright colors, and high waistlines, fanny packs join the growing list of iconic fashion trends. ![]()
Back to Blog
Larry the looter mp47/6/2023 ![]() The Fed chairman is often said to be the most powerful official the president appoints because that person directly affects each and every pocketbook in America. Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook, who served as Summers’ chief of staff when he was Treasury Secretary, and Ed Luce of the Financial Times, who used to write speeches for him and now writes pro-Summers columns in the FT are among those carrying the Summers banner. ![]() ![]() Over the last few weeks, Americans have been bombarded by a Summers-Summers-Summers drumbeat coming from the Obama administration, much of the mainstream media, and various Summers protégés. Larry Summers, the former Treasury Secretary under Clinton, and Janet Yellen, currently serving as vice chairwoman of the Fed, are the names most often mentioned for the job. Fed chair Ben Bernanke is expected to step down in January when his term ends, and the search for his successor has lately heated up. ![]() On Sunday, New York Times readers were greeted with the image of Larry Summers splashed across the front page, looking like a visionary statesman gazing thoughtfully into the distance, as if ready to seize the reins at the Federal Reserve and guide the country’s economic destiny. ![]()
Back to Blog
Moon laika and vampire princess7/6/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Spun by a young man who yearns for space and a vampire girl, a Cosmonauts’ Graffiti tale of space and adolescence is here. In their chests was a pure longing for space.ĭespite being made fun of by the egoist top-brass and the whims of the times, they were here, putting everything they have into aiming for distant space. I want to take a look at the moon from outer space, where no one has gone before.” ![]() Home>Moon, Laika, and the Bloodsucking Princess >E1 - The Nosferatu Project>. “Before anyone else, I will travel to space. Anime Review: Irina The Vampire Cosmonaut (Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu). Can mankind actually reach space? The team was enveloped by such an atmosphere. He was ordered to supervise the vampire girl, Irina Luminesque, who was chosen by chance to be a guinea pig. Taking advantage of a certain incident, First Lieutenant Liev Lepus was promoted from Cosmonaut Cadet. Both of these superpowers now test their ambitions against each other in a space race. The series was animated by Arvo Animation and directed by Akitoshi Yokoyama, with series author Keisuke Makino handling series composition, Hiromi Kato designing the characters, and Yasunori Mitsuda composing the score. He spoke passionately, “Before the United Kingdom does, let’s make mankind reach space!”īehind the scenes, at the end of the snowy fields of the republic, at the secret town, the “Nosferatu Project” that used vampires as a substitutes for humans for rocket flight experiments was moving forward. Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu Set in a fictional world, 10 years after a long war divided the world into two superpowers: the Union of Zirnitra Republics in the east, and the United Kingdom of Arnak in the west. The supreme leader of the republic announced the project to send humans up into orbit with rockets. It’s the era where manned spaceflight has not yet succeeded. The first astronaut in the history of mankind was a vampire girl. The story of a young man who yearned for space and a vampire girl. ![]()
Back to Blog
![]() Games will lose players who do not want to rebuy for another platform.Games would probably be dominated by one console's player base.It can be very expensive to buy the game multiple times. You will have to repurchase the game for each system you want to play it on.There are many disadvantages to it if a game does not offer cross-platform functionality, like: As a result, the PlayStation 4 version would have an unfair advantage over other consoles because it has more players to pair up against.īlack Ops 4 developers are aware that gamers want cross-platform features, but they also do not know how long it will take before cross-platform is implemented into their game modes. The main reason for this is Sony's decision to not allow cross-play between other consoles and PlayStation 4. Right now, there are no plans to make the game cross-platform compatible. This means you cannot play with players using a different gaming model than yours to play Black Ops 4. Unfortunately, Black Ops 4 is not cross-platform in 2023. Moving on to the big question, "Is Black Ops 4 Cross-Platform in 2023?" Is Black Ops 4 Cross-Platform in 2023 Notable features in the game are its recognition of PC gamers by including dedicated servers, uncapped framerate, 4K resolution support, and ultra-wide monitor compatibility.Įven though it is available on platforms like Microsoft Windows, PS4, and Xbox One, there are also no planned versions of Black ops 4 for Nintendo Switch or for Windows Phone devices at this time. What it lacks is the Single-Player mode which is common to this series. There are roughly 15 of these missions, with each Specialist having their own Solo Mission. Players are able to play as Specialists in Solo Missions, which are short missions that focus on the Specialists' backstories. There is also a brand new Solo Missions mode where players can go through each character's backstory. Due to their popularity in previous titles, the Multiplayer mode and Zombies mode have returned for this installment of the series. The Black Ops series has been well-received ever since it started back in 2010. ![]() In this series, the player assumes control of a soldier in a war setting between various factions fighting each other across numerous levels. It was released worldwide for Xbox One, PS4 and Microsoft Windows on October 12th, 2018. Activision Publishing and Treyarch are both credited with the development of the game. Black Ops 4 is a first-person shooter video game. ![]()
Back to Blog
Best vpn providers7/6/2023 ![]() ![]() The fastest average speeds I achieved with ExpressVPN were 327.69Mbps through the Lightway protocol from my testing location in Ohio. ![]() Across 500 total tests, I lost an overall average of 15% of my base speeds through Lightway and 21% through OpenVPN. While the best speed performance I measured with ExpressVPN was via OpenVPN from Europe (9% speed loss), the average speed loss overall was smaller with Lightway than with OpenVPN. From both testing locations, I connected to servers in New York, the UK, Australia, Germany, France and Singapore using both the OpenVPN UDP protocol and ExpressVPN's proprietary Lightway protocol - a lightweight VPN protocol built for speed and security. I tested ExpressVPN's speeds over the course of several weeks in the first quarter of 2023 from Ohio as well as from Central Europe. ![]() And its TrustedServer technology helps cement its place as a VPN provider that has what it takes to protect users with critical privacy needs like journalists, dissidents, activists, doctors and lawyers. Its total of 12 independent security audits in 2022 alone sets ExpressVPN apart from its competitors and is a testament to its ever-increasing transparency efforts. Even following the intense outside scrutiny the company was subject to following the 2021 acquisition by Kape Technologies and a DOJ investigation of the company's CIO (related to his work with an earlier employer), ExpressVPN continues to prove that it takes privacy seriously and that it's worthy of its best VPN designation. You'll pay more than you would for other virtual private networks, but ExpressVPN continues to exceed the competition for users who want the most out of their VPN.ĮxpressVPN earns CNET's Editors' Choice award based on thorough evaluations of its speed, cost and privacy. If you need a top-of-the-line VPN that's committed to transparency and user privacy, or even if you're a casual user who simply wants a VPN that's fast and excellent for streaming, ExpressVPN should be at the top of your list. ![]()
Back to Blog
![]() ![]() ![]() "Paranormal Activity" could have remained this singular piece of horror, but by relegating its other endings in favor of one with a loose end, it allowed subsequent films to try out new ideas like this, whether they actually worked or not. But then again, introducing time travel to a format that wants you to believe what you're seeing is real comes with its own set of complications. But surely Katie was still possessed by the demon, so we end up with a clever nod to the first film that doesn't entirely come together. The ending to "The Marked Ones" tries to say that the reason Katie snapped is due to the sudden presence of a stranger in her home in the middle of the night. Hector runs as Katie then proceeds to stab Micah in the chest in the kitchen. Confused by what's happening, Hector slowly approaches Katie to ask her where he is, only to send her screaming for Micah. For the first time, we get to see what happened downstairs on that fateful night. It doesn't take long before we realize that we're in Katie's house right before she kills Micah. Scared for his life, Hector (Jorge Diaz) runs inside a closet before emerging on the other side in a completely different location. The lead characters of "The Marked Ones" end up at the grandmother's home and are attacked by the members of the demon cult. Seventeen-year-old Jesse hasbeen hearing frightful sounds but if he sets out to find their source turns on his camera, he encounters an ancient evil that won't break until it has maintained his soul. But it doesn't matter because the possessed Katie comes back and kills Kristi and her husband before leaving with Hunter into the night. Therefore, the events of the first "Paranormal Activity" are set into motion. In the second film, however, it's revealed that because Kristi gave birth to Hunter, she is the focus of the demonic haunting, and the only way to get rid of "Tobi" is to pass it on to Katie. Had "Paranormal Activity" been a one-and-done experience, the most we would have gathered is that this entity that's haunting Katie would have been targeting her alone. In the second film, Kristi gives birth to Hunter (Jackson Xenia Prieto), who turns out to be the first male born into the family in ages. The basic gist of the first trilogy is that when they were younger, Katie and Kristi were unknowingly inducted into a cult by their grandmother, who offered them both to "Tobi" at a young age to eventually provide him with a male heir to inhabit his body. And then you have "Paranormal Activity 3," which goes all the way back to 1988 to show Katie and Kristi's childhood, when the hauntings first began. ![]() "Paranormal Activity 2" came as a surprise because it slowly revealed itself to be a prequel, focused on Katie's sister Kristi (Sprague Grayden) and her family, before showing what happened to Katie after the events of the first film. The fact that "Paranormal Activity" was able to keep things running that long, before truly falling flat on its face with a lazy attempt at 3-D found footage ( "Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension"), is kind of impressive. ![]()
Back to Blog
Electric fireplace 3d7/6/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() The ultrasonic technology by Dimplex is the world’s leading technology, creating the most realistic 3D illusion of flames. However, manufacturers are now integrating far more advanced technologies to emulate lifelike flames. The first line of electric fireplaces uses LED screens, rotisserie-style light, and a heater with a blower to give a flame effect. “Landscape Pro is the ultimate best friend for a compulsive redecorator – you can install it in more ways than one!”Įlectric fireplaces have come a long way since the first release in 1995 by Dimplex. Largest Multi-Sided Electric Fireplace: Modern Flames 96" Landscape Pro “ Everyone wants a Dimplex fireplace in their homes, and the Ignite XL sets contemporary design to a whole new level.” “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, is the Mirror Onyx the best fireplace of them all?”Ĭontemporary Electric Fireplace: Dimplex 60" IgniteXL Linear Realistic Mirror Fireplace: Touchstone Mirror Onyx Fireplace “ The Dimplex Olivia 71-inch features a realistic fireplace and a TV stand at the same time, it’s a striking (and practical) addition for any country-chic living homes. Realistic Fireplace with TV Stand: Dimplex Olivia 71" Electric Fireplace Media Console “Amantii Panorama Deep makes cocktail parties in your outdoor patio 10x better!” ![]() Realistic Outdoor-Rated Fireplace: Amantii 40" Panorama Deep Extra Tall Electric Fireplace “A sweet treat for retro lovers, the Dimplex Upton 64-inch Mantel serves as a vintage storage for your collectibles and a personal space warmer at the same time!” Realistic Mantel Fireplace: Dimplex Upton 64" Mantel “See-through three sides of the same fire pit, watch the flame glow at any angle, and brighten up your space! Realistic 3-Sided Fireplace: Amantii Tru-View 72" Three Sided Slim Glass Electric Fireplace “There are a few two-sided fireplaces that made it to our shortlist, but CLEARion Elite offers more features and higher heat output at a lower price. Realistic See Through Fireplace: Napoleon CLEARion Elite 50" ![]() “Built-in fireplaces require more of a commitment than wall-mounted units however, the Amantii 74" Symmetry makes it a worthwhile purchase.” Realistic Built-in Electric Fireplace: Amantii 74" Symmetry Built-in Electric Fireplace “Save floor space, brighten up your place, and bring friends over –Superior 60” ERC4060 Fireplace installs in an instant!” Realistic Wall Mounted Electric Fireplace : Superior 60" ERC4060 Electric Fireplace “Love it or hate it - Dimplex Opti-V remains as one of the most realistic fireplaces you can find in the market.” “Dimplex Opti-Myst: A fireplace that lets you play with fire…safely.”įirst Runner Up: Dimplex Opti-V Duet 54" Electric Fireplace Here are the most realistic electric fireplaces you can purchase in 2023.īest Realistic Electric Fireplace: Dimplex Opti-Myst (Editor’s Pick!) They’re high in maintenance, expensive, and may involve a lot of wood chopping.Įlectric fireplaces allow you to enjoy the dazzling fire lights comfortably indoors without the dangers and sky-high prices of a traditional wood-burning fireplace. Traditional wood-burning fireplaces are almost every homeowner’s dream, but they’re not a viable investment for everyone. Electric fireplaces are safe, cozy, and stylish - a perfect addition to your residential and commercial space. ![]() |