At this cost, it takes a little over four months for you to get a full return on the investment compared with buying the subscription, so the risk factor isn't super high here. But versions of Stack's deal have been running for more than a year - the one we bought in early 2022, for instance, still works fine. To that last point: Though this is listed as a "lifetime license" - that is, the lifetime of the computer you installed it on - it's worth noting there's always a risk that Microsoft could terminate the license. And while the apps should continue to work as long as your computer does, Microsoft's support for this version of Office ends on Oct. You won't get any OneDrive Cloud Storage, nor will you get the fancy new cloud-based AI features like Microsoft Copilot. Likewise, you're passing up on other benefits you'd get as a 365 subscriber. First, this key is good only for a single computer, so you won't be able to install it on various machines in your home, and if your current computer happens to die, you could run into a snag when trying to transfer it. Now, a deal this good comes with some caveats. (Separately - and notably - Apple users should note that Outlook is now a free app for the Mac.) Sorry for the necro, but Ive got an official microsoft office for 2011 mac download link which doesnt require a product key in case you are activating with an Office 365 subscription. There's a free online version of Microsoft Office that you can use as well, but it isn't nearly as feature complete. StackSocial's deal is a great bargain when compared with the online Microsoft 365 subscription suite that starts at $7 a month or $70 a year for individuals. Better yet, this license, which is available for either Windows or Mac, is a one-time purchase that grants you unlimited access with no recurring charges. But right now, StackSocial is offering a Microsoft Office 2021 license for just $30. There is technically a barebones freebie version of Office out there, but assuming that basic version of Office won't work for you (see below), your options essentially come down to paying a rolling monthly or yearly fee for a Microsoft 365 subscription or opting instead for a one-time Office license with the full panoply of apps, which typically costs as much as $430. It’s similar to the desktop versions of Microsoft Office, and it can even work with and create Office documents in common file types like DOCX documents, XLSX spreadsheets, and PPTX presentations. You've probably used Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook before, but Office apps aren't always included with computer purchases, and getting access on your own can carry a hefty price tag. LibreOffice is a free and open-source office application for Windows, Mac, Linux, and other operating systems. Office is the industry standard when it comes to word processing, spreadsheets, mail and more - and it's used by businesses, schools and individuals around the world, making it an essential part of most people's lives at one time or another. If you're looking for productivity tools, it's difficult to match the Microsoft Office suite of apps.
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On top of that, Overwatch 2 will now present to you with a story-line game-play format that will bring new rewards to the players. The new game will maintain a high level of PVP battles focusing on player accomplishments, and awesome action fighting graphics. The specific date still needs to be confirmed. How can you not be excited?īlizzard never mentioned a specific date of the release, but like any other fan, we managed to dig up some leaks, and all information is leading to this year. This information was taken from the PlayStation tweet in which they said: “2020 will be the year Overwatch 2 comes to PS4”. Since we are in June, we might see the game faster than we thought. When it was announced in 2019 at BlizzCon, the game was still in development, the director Jeff Kaplan saying that the official release date cannot be certain., but some leaks on twitter suggested that the release for PS4 would be this year. All of these are brand new to Overwatch, and in some of them, you might need to bring your friends squad to help you fight against the AI of the game. PvP modes, story-line, hero related quests. And by this, I mean a lot of new things to do in the game. Overwatch 2 is a sequel, but this does not mean that you won’t be surprised about its new additions. It will be compatible with PC and new generation consoles.īlizzard – please give us a date! What to expect from the new Overwatch 2?.It will be launched this year so stay tuned.Overwatch 2 is an in-life unconventional sequel to the originally titled Overwatch. Before we jump right into the leaks and features of the game, here are some quick answers to your questions. After months of speculation since the BlizzCon 2019, we can put together some conclusions about the new Overwatch 2 release. Overwatch 2 release – When, and what to expect
All you need are two eyes, a Stereogram or two with which to practice, and a bit of patience. A feature like this is really handy if you get far into the stereogram-making process, and you decide you dislike the whole design.If you have never been able to see a 3D Stereogram, you're in for a magical experience. One really useful feature that we love about this stereogram maker is the built-in ability to clear your entire canvas with a single click of the mouse. You can either save the stereogram, or send it to your friends via email. Input the variables to create your stereogram, such as text, clipart, and pattern.įrom there, the website returns a magic eye image through its autostereogram generator.This stereogram maker is beginning to show its age, like all the websites on this list, but it's still functional and a good example of earlier browser-based games. Megafauna says they generally make games for the iPhone, and they specialize in "brain teasers" and puzzles. Make a Stereogram is a simple game where you can make your own stereogram-just like it says in the title. They also talk about the technical aspects of why a stereogram turn into a 3D image when viewed by the human eye. Along with having its own magic eye creator, they explain how a stereogram works.Once done, you can also share your generated stereograms within the gallery, where other users can view and rate your work.Īnother thing we really love about this website? An optical illusion like this is handy if you want to send secret messages to your friends. There, you can choose your own text and font size. This website also lets you create your own text-based stereograms. Next, choose from dozens and dozens of patterns, or create your own masks. Just select the foreground pattern and the mask of the 3D image that you want to hide under the pattern. It's also one of the best stereogram makers around.Ĭreating your own 3D images is easy with EasyStereogramBuilder. It's a simple app that lets you make your own text magic eye or visual stereogram. This is especially true when you think about the fact that most modern brain teasers have gone the way of relaxing puzzle game apps on mobile phones.ĮasyStereogramBuilder is a website built to bring the fun of the nineties back. While stereograms are no longer as popular-seriously, some of these websites look older than I am-it's fun to take a trip into the digital past and investigate them. A big reason why you saw a rise in popularity for this specific design was due to the ease of tiling background images online. When viewed properly, hidden messages appear to float. For a lot of stereogram creators online, the generators utilized a repeating pattern that went across the page. In the early 2000s-if you wanted to present a hidden message-you could do so with a stereogram generator. When you view them through a scope, these flat images combine into one to show you a 3D visual that "pops."ĭuring the nineties, these optical illusions really took off. In essence, Stereograms are a pair of flat images that need to be viewed through something called a stereoscope. The construction of them is kind of cool. To make your own magic eye, we need to talk about the way that a stereogram works. New controls include a cover system that allows the player to take cover behind objects and shoot enemies, rather than just entering an arbitrary crouch pose behind them as in the first game. A map is included as in the original Mafia game, but the checkpoint system has been completely overhauled. Interacting with objects in the environment involves two action buttons: a standard action and a "violent" action, used in context-sensitive situations for example, when stealing a car, the player may choose to either pick its lock or break the window glass. New World War II–era weapons, such the MG 42 and the Beretta Model 38, also appear in the game. Many firearms from the previous game return, such as the Thompson submachine gun and Colt 1911, as well as a pump-action shotgun. For example, during the early chapters in winter, vehicles are more likely to slip on the road due to the ice. Depending on the weather during the course of the game, vehicles handle differently. There are 50 era-accurate vehicles in the game as well as licensed music. The core gameplay revolves around shooting and driving a limited melee combat system is also included, which combines punching and dodging. Most of the game is set in the fictional city of Empire Bay, based on New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, and Detroit, during the mid-1940s and early 1950s. Mafia II is an action-adventure game set in an open world environment and played from a third-person perspective. Police awareness in the game works in a similar manner as with the previous game, although the player now has the option to bribe officers after committing an offense. Vito engaging in a gunfight with the authorities. This Definitive Edition was later bundled in the Mafia: Trilogy, released on 25 September 2020. To coincide with the remake of the first game of the series, Mafia II: Definitive Edition, a remastered version of the game developed by D3T, was released by 2K Games on, to mixed critical reception. A sequel, Mafia III, developed by 2K Czech's successor Hangar 13, was published in October 2016. Upon release, Mafia II received positive reviews, with praise particularly directed at its story, characters, and gameplay however, the restrictive world design and lack of certain features present in other sandbox games were criticized.Ī version of the game including all previously released downloadable content, entitled Mafia II: Director's Cut, was released by Feral Interactive in December 2011. Development began in 2003, soon after the release of the first Mafia game. The player character's criminal activities may incite a response from law enforcement agencies, measured by a " wanted" system that governs the aggression of their response. The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. Set within the fictional city of Empire Bay from 1945 to 1951, the story follows Vito Scaletta, a young Sicillian-American mobster and war veteran, who becomes caught in a power struggle among the city's Mafia crime families while attempting to pay back his father's debts and secure a better lifestyle. The game is a standalone sequel to 2002's Mafia, and the second installment in the Mafia series. It was released on Augfor PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. Mafia II is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by 2K Czech and published by 2K. Use this to refine the curve by selecting it and the 3 and again using the Punch Out tool from TypeStyler’s Object menu (or Illustrator’s Subtract from Shape Area). In this case, it’s simply an oval with the top chopped off. The final step is to smooth out the junction of the glyph and its flourish.Īn accomplished vector artist would use the path editing tools to adjust each curve by hand.Īn easier way, however, is to make a custom shape to trim the curve - rather like a fancy cookie cutter or how an artist uses a French curve. Position our flourish element over the 3, then select all three parts and choose Unite (or “Add to Shape”) to combine the objects, attaching the flourish to create one vector graphic. This is the “Unite” option in TypeStyler (or “Add to Shape” mode in Illustrator). But the easier way is by adding to the piece with a oval-shaped object, and then joining them, using the path combination tools. You can do this with the Direct Selection tool (the white arrow). Make sure to extend your tail element so it can overlap the area you wish to connect it to on the 3. Use another oval to Punch Out and chop off the unwanted bottom part of the 3. (In Illustrator this tool is called “Subtract from Shape Area” or the “Minus Back” Pathfinder tool.) Next, I chopped off the unneeded part of the ampersand glyph by creating an oval object that covered the unneeded path parts, selecting the two objects and then choosing Punch Out from TypeStyler’s Object menu. In Illustrator, they’re in the Pathfinder tab.įirst, I flipped the glyph horizontally and slightly rotated it to get it into the proper position needed to attach it to the bottom of the 3. These “Path Magic tools” are available in TypeStyler’s Object menu. The keys tools needed for isolating and attaching the tail to the 3 are the various path combination features. In TypeStyler, I simply grew this glyph to the appropriate size using the Glyph tool. Perusing the Zapfino glyphs, I saw that Glyph ID 1126, an alternate ampersand, had a tail that was very close to what I needed.ĭepending on which program you use, you may have to enter this as text and then choose “Create Outlines” to get your vector element. I used TypeStyler’s Glyph tool but there are many other similar glyph browsers, such as Apple’s Font Book.Ī good source of fancy flourishes is the Zapfino font. You’ll need a tool that will show you all the glyphs available in a font. So I looked through other fonts to find a glyph I could use. I didn’t find any suitable candidates in the Mona Lisa font used to make the 2013 text. The first step was to find an existing flourish that’s close to my needs. The only challenging element was the flourish attached to the 3 of 2013. And the musicians’ silhouettes graphic was a piece of cake using Photoshop’s Magic Wand tool, and then inverting them and tinting them gold. Obviously, making the text elements for “THE JAMMYS” was easy to accomplish. This was a great night of music, reminiscent of The Last Waltz * concert by The Band *, so I decided to use that as my inspiration. Recently, I had to design the cover for a DVD that documented this year’s local musicians reunion banquet, called The Jammys 2013. Search for “free type flourishes” - You may get lucky and find exactly the element you need, ready to use.īut my favorite way to make eye-catching flourishes is to borrow suitable pieces from font glyphs and trim and modify them to be just what is needed. But happily, there’s an easier way.Ĭollections of vector elements are available on the web. The traditional way to do typographical flourishes requires artistic talent and skill with vector editing tools. Examples are all around us, from sports logos to packaging graphics to even this cool DTG Fonts Festival mug. Typographical flourishes can turn ordinary type into awesome headlines or logos. In this tutorial, designer Karen Stillman shares a look at how she added flourishes to letterforms.įlourishes Add Pizzazz. They are attracted to each other, but Croft cannot abide his for-profit attitude. Croft encounters Alex West, a fellow tomb raider with unscrupulous methods. She believes it is connected to the " Triangle of Light", but Wilson disavows knowledge of the clock or the Triangle. Since the device resembles a clock, Croft consults a clock expert friend of her father's, Mr. Bryce probes it and discovers a strange device hidden inside the clock. Searching for it, she discovers a secret chamber with a carriage clock that had spontaneously begun ticking. Later that night, Croft has a dream reminding her what her father said about the alignment, and an object linked to it called the Triangle of Light. 15 May, as Hillary is aware, is the day that Lara's father, Richard Croft, disappeared many years earlier. Manfred Powell, an Illuminati member, assures that they are almost ready, but in reality he has no idea where to find the key.Ĭroft's butler, Hillary, tries to interest her in several projects, but she ignores them. In Venice, the Illuminati search for a key to rejoin halves of the " Triangle of Light", which must be done by the final phase of the alignment. It is the day of the first phase of a planetary alignment, culminating in a solar eclipse on the Earth, which happens once every 5,000 years. Now it is revealed that the scene took place in a practice arena in Croft Manor and that her assistant, Bryce, programmed the robot, to challenge her in combat. She takes the diamond, which is revealed to be a memory card labeled 'Lara's Party Mix' and inserts it into a laptop computer inside the robot, whereupon it plays music. After an intense chase and battle, she disables it by ripping out its motivational circuits. As she approaches she is attacked by a large robot. The film opens with Lara Croft in an Egyptian tomb, seeking a diamond at one end of a chamber. Lara Croft- Tomb Raider Trailer - 20th Anniversary Today view is incredibly flexible and allows modifying details of classes or assignments as per your need.CALENDARS INTEGRATION You can choose to see third-party calendar events in iStudiez Pro. You ll see online classes, regular schedule, due assignments and even past classes if you need to do some nostalgia. You can add partners to your homework if needed.STAY UPDATED The main Today view updates your current schedule in the real-time mode. Whether you want to organize your assignments by date or by course or by priority or sort them into pending and completed, you have all options at your hand. Whatever is the way you are used to manage your homework, you will find it all in iStudiez Pro. Color labels are available for your convenience to mark each particular course.FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR HOMEWORK Special section is dedicated to keep track of your homework and assignments. In addition, you are supplied with an expanded set of icons designed especially for iStudiez Pro to mark your class types and extracurricular activities. As well you are welcome to add holiday periods and even cancel separate classes in case of outstanding events. Not only you can enter most common course details, but also add instructors with all related information such as office hours, affiliation, phone number and email address. Let s reiterate for freshman ) You need this app to help you ORGANIZE YOUR SCHEDULE Unique built-in planner lets you input and easy manage all types of schedules including classic, alternating (A & B weeks), rotating and block schedule. Currently featured by Apple in various collections in more than 50 countries. Syncs data seamlessly with its counterpart OS version (available separately in the Mac App Store). Once purchased, can be used on iPhone and iPad, and Apple Watch. It is the best student s planner, used in everyday academic life by hundreds of thousands of high-school, college and university students across the globe. 7 years of solid reputation among students in more than 30 countries! 7 years of continued development and growth! 7 years of excellent user support! iStudiez Pro celebrates its seven years as smartest app for students ever. See how your grades go up as you stick to this app daily when planning your studies. This is one of the apps you ll really USE in your daily school life. As a science fiction, space exploration and colonization game, Gaia Project works exceptionally well with the theme. Many complained of Terra Mystica’s thin theme. For each round, a certain goal is scored while markers track end game goals. However, this title has changed impressions of the game 180 degrees. It was a good game, but overly long, especially with 5 players, lower player interaction, and a fixed board layout that became stale quickly. Readers might be interested to know that this reviewer found the original Terra Mystica to be less than stellar (pun intended). As structures sprawl across the board, the game’s point race accelerates. Readers are strongly encouraged to see the rules for themselves. Overall, it’s extremely difficult to encapsulate the play of Gaia Project in a short description of the rules. Gaia Project’s main conceit of gaming fun comes from exploring each race’s abilities. These are major rule-breaking changes that allow a race to gain an advantage in some situations and make them more limited in others. This is a major resource management aspect of the game as building and upgrading near other players in just the right way maximizes the Power received while minimizing giving Power.įinally, in addition to all the above, every player’s Faction (species) Board grants some unique abilities. Any time a player builds or upgrades a building near another player, the other player can receive Power at a small cost of victory points. This extended cost drives much of the limitations in the game as players need to carefully pick the planets to colonize. Once on a planet, a player can further develop the Mine into a Trading Station, and eventually into more powerful structures, each of which provide their own specific bonuses.Ī fourth resource available to players is Power. In addition, depending on how different the planet is from the race’s ideal world, they’ll pay additional Ore to make it habitable. The Mine has a nominal cost in Credits and Ore. Any time a player wishes to colonize a new planet, they will build a Mine. Power bowls and a resource tracker are above.īuildings on planets follow a particular development path. Reference information is on the right while structures and their income is on the left. Player boards are just as elaborate as Terra Mystica with huge similarities. Additional actions available allow players to link planets to form Federations, which then award further victory points and resources. When taking actions, Ore and Credits are used to build new structures and Knowledge is used to gain Research advances. Over the course of each round (6 in total), players will gain an income of resources from their structures in the form of Ore, Credits, and Knowledge, take actions, and eventually pass once they’re done for the round. At the end of the game, additional end-game goals award points as well as any advances on one of six Research tracks. Depending on how close a planet’s type is to the species a player has selected, they’ll need to make the newly colonized planet habitable. The map represents a variety of planets whose climate and atmospheres are divided into 8 types. All of the sources focus on activities involving the colonization and development of structures on planets…in space. The main goal of Gaia Project is to acquire the most victory points. The big research and tech board shows the advances players have taken as well as technology tiles available. The rules overview below will use the new terminology and cover how it works overall for readers unfamiliar with the game. If readers are already familiar with Terra Mystica, almost everything works exactly the same with a couple of name changes and some different concepts thrown in. Gaia Project plays best with 3-4 players but even the solo and 2 player experiences are good. The 1-4 player range for Gaia Project is a slight downscale from the 2-5 for Terra Mystica. With a playtime of 150 minutes for 4 players and closer to 60 for 2 experienced players, so far Gaia Project seems to be in just the same ballpark. Is it possible that this version is a dramatic improvement over the near-classic title that came before it? The game is designed by the same team of Jens Drogemuller and Helge Ostertag with engaging art by the same Dennis Lohausen. It’s the futuristic, space colonization younger brother of Terra Mystica. This reaction chart ranges on one end from “eyeroll meh” to “Ermahgerd! Shut up and take my money!” And so, depending on a reviewer’s relationship with the first title, the playtesting for a review becomes an extension of work or a romp through candyland (if Candyland were an awesome game).Īnd in exactly this manner, Gaia Project has arrived. The first reactions to a second edition or a game derived from a much beloved title usually fall on the polar opposites of the excitement spectrum. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Earth, Culture, Capital, Travel and Autos, delivered to your inbox every Friday. If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called “If You Only Read 6 Things This Week”. He is on Twitter.įollow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Instagram. Based solely on the fact that it allows you to get a better night’s sleep, we declare tea the winner – but why not share your own thoughts with us through social media?ĭavid Robson is BBC Future’s feature writer. Overall verdict: Much as we Brits would have liked tea to come out the clear victor, we have to admit there is little between the two drinks besides personal taste. Verdict: Another draw – both drinks are a surprising, health-giving elixir. In terms of your health, the choice basically comes down to which effects you are looking for.Both drinks also seem to moderately protect the heart, although the evidence seems to be slightly stronger for coffee, while tea also appears to be slightly protective against developing a range of cancers – perhaps because of its antioxidants. "There is no clear winner between tea and coffee," says Chow. Just remember to drink coffee and tea in moderation for antioxidant benefits, as having more than four or five cups per day can provide health risks from the amount of caffeine. "If you do that, potentially you could prevent or treat chronic degenerative diseases," such as stroke, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, he says. A major component of green tea called catechin is also considered an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties.Ĭonsuming antioxidants in the form of coffee or tea could "potentially prevent oxidative degradation," a chemical reaction that can cause cellular damage, says Gardner. Some experts even consider caffeine to be an antioxidant. In fact, a 2013 study found that coffee contained more antioxidants than tea, hot chocolate, and red wine.Ĭommon antioxidants in coffee include chlorogenic, ferulic, caffeic, and n-coumaric acids. Note: Everyone's caffeine tolerance is different, so it's important to note how your body reacts to it and adjust accordingly. In extreme cases, it can cause epileptic seizures.That's because in excess, caffeine can cause: However, it's important you don't consume too much caffeine, which the FDA defines as more than four to five cups of coffee a day. When brewed, coffee has more caffeine than tea, but tea leaves actually have more caffeine than coffee beans. Pure herbal teas such as peppermint tea and chamomile tea contain no caffeine at all. Length of time the tea is left to steepīlack tea, for example, contains 48 milligrams of caffeine, while green tea only contains 29.However, the exact ratio depends on several factors, including: "Generally speaking, coffee has two to three times more caffeine compared to a similar-sized black tea," says Matthew Chow, MD, an assistant clinical professor of neurology at the University of California Davis School of Medicine. One cup of tea, by contrast, only contains 30 to 50 mg of caffeine. Important: One cup of coffee typically contains 80 to 100 mg of caffeine, according to Christopher Gardner, PhD, the director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. They were also less likely to develop certain cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases - including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's - and cancers like colon cancer, uterine cancer, and liver cancer. A large 2015 study found people who consume a moderate amount of caffeine have a lower risk for type 2 diabetes than people who do not consume any. Coffee has more caffeineĬoffee and tea both contain caffeine, a stimulant that can make you feel awake and energized. Here is everything you need to know about the differences and similarities between coffee and tea and which is better for your health. Both contain caffeine, antioxidants, and can help you feel energized, making it difficult to decide between the two. Coffee and tea are two of the most common drinks in the world. |
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