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AKG Q350 In Ear Headphones, Quincy Jones Signature Line
"I have been listening on AKG Q350 for quite a while now, and I have to say these are actually pretty decent in ear headphones, particularly in terms of its balanced sound and the design, for the price, at least in my opinion. Actually, this earphone was actually an impulsive purchase for me as I was under a lot of stress with work at that time, so I need to splurge my hard earned money on..." --phdgangster
" (edited note - for some reason I am giving these 10/10 for Audio Quality, but they are appearing as one notch less. Not sure why!) Introduction To begin, would like to explain a little about my self and what makes me "tick" as regards audio equipment. First off, I am no head-fier. I have enjoyed audio reproduction for the last 30 years or so, and specifically enjoy..." --salla45
AKG K3003I Reference Class 3-Way Earphones with Mic and Control
K3003 earphones provide you with one-of-a-kind personal sound-tuning capabilities. By changing the sound-tuning filters, you can adjust for three precise sound-output preferences directly into your ear. These adjustable, precision-machined mechanical filters allow for bass, mid or high frequencies to be modulated. The K3003 earphones set a new benchmark in audio quality. By pioneering the...
AKG K374 High-Performance In-Ear Headphones
AKG K374 high-performance in-ear headphones deliver the kind of studio-level sound that makes you want keep them in long enough to hear your entire music library. And you actually can, thanks to a new design optimized for longwearing comfort. AKG K374 in-ear headphones come with soft, malleable silicone sleeves in three different sizes. They fit perfectly in ears of every size so that nothing...
"After starting to review a few IEM's in the past week I decided to slip these babies back into my ears as a reference point for the other IEM's. After doing so for a few minutes I realized these really needed a proper review as they definitely keep up with a lot of gear that is more expensive. As can be seen by the picture these are very tiny being the smallest IEM I have owned to..." --dweaver
Comply T-400 Series Foam Tips (Black, 3 Pairs, Small)
"Small Talk Review: Ok, so under heavy construction, office work, daily use, and all the things people do, Rubber Buds have failed tons of other people. So Comply offers us their Foam Tips, with competition from others that aren't even as competitive in fair reasoning. Sound Tampering I found something unsuitable to a bunch of listeners, and myself included! With earphones,..." --whitemass
Comply TX-200 Series Foam Tips (Black, 3 Pairs, S/M/L)
All the benefits of the T Series of Comply Foam Tips--increased stability, superior noise isolation, and comfortable memory foam--plus a special integrated Wax Guard technology that prevents wax from entering the sound port, helping to extend the life of your headphones. Fits select earphones from Blue Ant, Grado, Jays, Ultimate Ears and more. See compatibility chart for details.
AKG Acoustics K391/NC In-Ear Headphones
AKG K391 NC in-ear headphones turn a noisy space into a private concert or screening. Compact and easy to travel with, these noise-cancelling, in-ear headphones will make anything from a crowded airplane to a subway seem downright peaceful while delivering powerful, detailed sound directly to your ears. We've included a premium carrying bag, and an in-line microphone allows you to answer...
Comply T-500 Foam Tips - 3 Pair Pack
Comply Foam Tips are a premium earphone upgrade that comfortably seal the ear canal to provide high levels of noise isolation and retention. They are made from unique breathable memory foam that is activated by body heat and becomes ultra soft, reducing irritation and fatigue. Once inside the ear, this foam will expand to create a seal, funneling pure sound into the ear canal, enhancing the...
AKG K315 Ear Buds
AKG K315 Ear Buds Convenient volume control. Put your iPod, iPhone or other portable device safely away, and control vol


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CLOVIS, N.M. - Hector Castillo, 34, died Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007.
Rosary will be said at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church with Deacon Daniel officiating. Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday in the church with the Rev. Sotero Sena as celebrant. Burial will be at a later date by Muffley Funeral Home.
Mr. Castillo was born Sept. 11, 1973, to Fidencio Castillo-Cardenas and Gloria Anaya Castillo in Portales. He was a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church.
Survivors include two sons, Nicholas Mascarenas and John Castillo, both of Clovis; two brothers, Andy Anaya of Dallas and Jesse Martinez of Clovis; and four sisters, Debbie Lopez, Elizabeth Arcos, April Castillo and Cynthia Arias, all of Clovis.
Amarillo Globe-News, Nov. 2, 2007
Amarillo Globe-News © 2016. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy / About Our Ads

subset: commoncrawl


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1 Review
yum, yum, yum. My whole family liked this. My only comment was that since I used canned fruits in their own juices (not heavy syrup) I think the liquid was not as thick as it could have been. and, there was so much liquid left over I didn't know what to do with it. But, will make again. Thanks


text: I came across something I have never seen. Please remeber this is a new server. Normally when logging in with public/private key, I need to have the ~/.ssh/authorized as 0600 and i normal set the folder ~/.ssh/ to 0700 with out these ssh wont normally let me login. For what ever reason This time when I logged into this new server that i just setup and put a key but forgot to change permissions it still let me login. What flag should I be looking for in the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file?


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Is anyone using this in WP2.7.1?
My ability to assign a template to a specific post has been missing since my upgrdade from 2.6...
Where do I assign the template to that post? I checked 'screen options' etc -no joy.
The assignment of category template from the drop down does not stick either.


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The Voice Unleashed!! - Alistair Overeem watch video >>
The VOICE vs. series returns with its most intense and powerful show to date. ; The Voice of HDNet, Michael "The Voice" Schiavello goes one on one with kickboxing legend Badr Hari, in this hour long watch video >>
Michael Schiavello interviews K-1 fighter Badr Hari. watch video >>
In this sneak peak clip from THE VOICE vs BADR HARI filmed in Amsterdam, Michael Schiavello asks Hari is he ever feels remorse for opponents he has devastated with bone-breaking knockouts. The answer watch video >>
Season 2, episode 3.Filmed in Amsterdam at Mike's Gym, with hostings shot around Amsterdam's scenic canals and Red Light (de Wallen) District, The Voice vs Badr Hari is the most intense and int watch video >>
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The Voice Unleashed!! - Semmy SchiltThe Voice Unleashed!! - Semmy Schilt watch video >>
Two is better than one! Tune in May 16th to AXS TV for back-to-back premieres of "The Voice Versus" featuring "Bloodsport" inspiration Frank Dux and UFC legend Royce Gracie! Find AXS TV HERE: http: watch video >>


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Colitis ulcerative is found among people who take Topamax, especially for people who are female, 30-39 old also take medication Accutane, and have Acne . We study 22,655 people who have side effects while taking Topamax from FDA and social media. Among them, 27 have Colitis ulcerative. Find out below who they are, when they have Colitis ulcerative and more.
Join a support group for people who take Topamax and have Colitis ulcerative >>>
On eHealthMe you can find out what patients like me (same gender, age) reported their drugs and conditions on FDA and social media since 1977. Our tools are free and anonymous. 86 million people have used us. 300+ peer-reviewed medical journals have referenced our original studies. Start now >>>
Topamax has active ingredients of topiramate. It is often used in migraine. (latest outcomes from Topamax 24,310 users)
Colitis ulcerative (inflammation of colon with ulcer) has been reported by people with breathing difficulty, oxygen saturation decreased, feeling cold, confusional state, cardiac failure (latest reports from 21,667 Colitis ulcerative patients).
On Jul, 30, 2016
22,655 people reported to have side effects when taking Topamax.
Among them, 27 people (0.12%) have Colitis Ulcerative
* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.
** Reports from social media are used.
How to use the study: print a copy of the study and bring it to your health teams to ensure drug risks and benefits are fully discussed and understood.
I am a 29 year old female who lives a healthy active lifestyle and isn't predisposed to family balding. I have been on and off this medication for the past 7 months. I took up to 100mg and came off it, then a few weeks later went back on it but only took 75mg. I noticed almost three weeks ago my hair shedding more than usual but didn't think much of it. I went to see my psychiatrist last week and the first thing he said to me was that I "looked different." I instantly knew he meant my hair so I told him my hair seemed to be falling out. He was instantly concerned and told me to stop taking the 75mg. The next day I woke up to a very noticeable thinning head of hair than the day before. I immediately googled Topamax and hair loss and found many reviews with people sharing almost the same story I had. I was not made aware that hair loss was a side effect of this medication by my doctor or any of the websites I looked at when googling side effects of Topamax. If I had been made aware that losing my hair was a possibility while taking Topamax I would have NEVER gone on it in the first place. I am overwrought and scared my hair is gone for good or won't return to its normal growth and texture. I wake up to less and less hair each day with no exaggeration. It's only been a week and two days since I've gone off Topamax. I am now looking into having to invest in buying a wig. I am so pissed with my doctor and the manufacturers who distribute a medication that causes such emotionally distressing side effects. I never read anything about hair loss as a side effect of Topamax until I had to specifically google, "Topamax and hair loss." I have read countless reviews from others suffering without their hair who are just waiting on a hope and a prayer that their hair will grow back too. Does anyone have any positive and reassuring stories of their experience with alopecia caused by Topamax and hair regrowth? I would very much appreciate it. I wish everyone the best on their recovery. You're not alone.
I was put on topamax to replace a drug that was causing side effects. The first time i took it after about an hour i was having to work at swallowing it took me five or six tries to be able to swallow. Is this a suspect in this problem i'm having?
I have always had on and off acne and bowel problems, but both issues subsided until about a month ago. My last doctors visit was around march and I was advised to start taking Magnesium and Coq10 in combination with Topomax for headaches so that I didn't have to take a muscle relaxer, so I did ...
No idea how this works, my first post so here we go... I just got put on Vyvanse and Topamax to help with my binge eating issues. I can't find much information on how the two work together. Anybody who can share your experience? The Dr said he's starting me low to see how it goes. 20mg for ...
i just started topamax and i'm already borderline normal on my kidney function should i keep taking it?
It took the doctors years to diagnose me with lupus. I have always had low platelets. *Cannot take aspirin; or anti-inflammatories: I take pain medications for bulging disks; migraines frequently; and have had (5)five infusions of IVIG. Now I will be trying this new drug, called "Promacta." ...
More questions for: Topamax, Colitis ulcerative
I am a 29 year old female who lives a healthy active lifestyle and isn't predisposed to family balding. I have been on and off this medication for the past 7 months. I took up to 100mg and came off it, then a few weeks later went back on it but only took 75mg. I noticed almost three weeks ago my ...
Hello. My name is Christie. I am 24 years old and have been taking topomax for about 2 months for migraines. For about 2 weeks I have been getting nosebleeds. 2 have been really severe. I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this. My doctor wants me to stop taking this medication. This ...
Hemiplegic migraines; 46 yr old female; Third week into an anti inflammatory diet; just made the association between new med (topiramate) and uveitis
Okay, I am 33, and I've been taking 200mg of Topiramate for migraine suppression for the last two and a half years in addition to 80mg of Prozac, 5mg of Abilify, and in the event that I do have a migraine, 2 Fiorianal every 4-6 hours as needed. However, in the past 6 months i have been unable to ...
Took topamax for 10 years for epilepsy and found out today that i have candida. Just realizing they could be related. In the 10 years i was on the meds, I never had blood drawn to check on my blood acidity. Just found that out too, that this could happened. And my depression could also be a ...
More reviews for: Topamax, Colitis ulcerative
NOTE: The study is based on active ingredients and brand name. Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are NOT considered.
WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.
DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only, and has not been supported by scientific studies or clinical trials unless otherwise stated. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.
You may report adverse side effects to the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/ or 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088).
If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.


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Fabrik Studio
Help Your Galactic Neighbor Steal Some Cows In Milk Addict
Milk Addict is a puzzle game which has a baby alien who was flying through space and ran out of milk. He flies to Earth to start abducting as many cows as he can using a vacuum, and it's your job to help him accomplish this.
Clinton Ferreira
| September 16


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Visalia, California car lots with car dealer lease to own, pay here finance. Find buy here pay here leasing and bad credit loans from dealerships with tote the note, we finance anyone, in house credit financing. Use car leasing is popular at car centers near Visalia, CA.
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We're often asked, Can I lease a car with bad credit in Visalia?. The answer is yes. Since the economy tanked a few years ago more and more car dealerships entered the lease here pay here arena. Lease to own car lots in California approve consumers directly, there is no need for a credit check or a good credit score to approve the transaction, just a job or consistent income.Bad credit auto lease dealers.Is there a credit check? Your credit score and the items on your credit report are not used to determine if you qualify for pay as you go financing or leasing. In most case, however, your credit report is viewed to ensure your identity
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Video Industry News Video Company News Technology Industry News Technology Company News Novelty Industry News Novelty Company News Gay Industry News Gay Company News Legal Industry News All Company News
Director: Vince Vouyer
Company: Vince Vouyer Unleashed
Cast: Talia Palmer, Molly Rae, Tara Lynn Foxx, Ariana Fox, Allie Haze
Genre: All-Sex
Allie Haze gets an afterschool FACIAL from Erik Everhard! Big Booty Molly Rae bounces her pussy right on Vince's cock for a creamy facial ending! Maid Ariana Fox cleans her pussy juice off Vince Vouyer's cock and gets paid in CUM! Nymphomaniac Tara Lynn Foxx is not satisfied with 1 load and insists on another for a 2 load facial! Nurse Talia Palmer sucks the hard right out of Bruce Venture's COCK!


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This week's #MasterofCocktails recipe is an absolutely stunning, christmassy twist on one of the true classics. The Vieux Carré dates back to the 1930s, but as we're creeping ever closer to Christmas 2013, here's a version using the latest festive ingredient from Professor Cornelius Ampleforth.
Many thanks go to Mark Gill (@thecocktailgeek) for the inspiration behind this one – a top suggestion that's very much appreciated.
In case you're sick of Christmas cocktails, apart from the fact that we pity you, there's also some good news – next week we're doing something totally different and you can find all the ingredients you'll need for that one at the bottom.
Tags: master of cocktails, rye whiskey, smooth ambler, Ablefoth's, bitters, angostura bitters, peychaud's, luxardo maraschino cherries, cocktails
Categories : Bitters | Cocktails | Liqueurs | Whisky
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It all began last month, when I was invited by the founders of the London Cocktail Society to go up to London and present our range of bitters to their members. Throughout the course of our conversation it became clear that we could potentially do even more than this, and turn the event into a bitters blending competition.
Throughout the course of another couple of conversations (and over a few lovely cocktails with The Cocktail Geek at the superb Shaker and Company), it became clear that not only was it our moral duty to bottle and release the winning bitters, but that more research at the bar was required as to which cocktails exactly contained bitters, and what were cocktails again, and who are you and why am I here? Ah. Cocktails.
Tags: gin monkey, london cocktail society, the cocktail geek, the london cocktail guide, gin, bitters, london cocktail society bitters #1, bathtub gin, besmoked vodka
Categories : Bitters | Cocktails | Gin | News | Review
Okay – I'm not going to lie – it's busy around here at the moment. Anyone would think that there's some kind of holiday impending…
Anyway, it turns out that despite the craziness of the 'tide, my wife's sister wasn't prepared to move her Hen Party back by a couple of weeks to accommodate the fact that I'd promised to develop a bespoke cocktail for them, and was quite busy at the moment. Something to do with already having booked her plane tickets over from Australia or something. Selfish if you ask me…
Anyway – yesterday evening, I finally settled in to make a cocktail both sufficiently special for the event, but which also reflected the turning season, and seeking to get the most out of our new Bathtub Gin.
Tags: gin, bathtub gin, cocktails, bitters, cocktail recipes
Categories : Cocktails | Gin
'twas some nights before Christmas (alright, three months before)
And Ben was a-mixing some bitters for all
He flavoured them richly, with many a plant
And left them to marry in a cask from Glen Grant
He then added frankincense with a satisfied purr
And threw in a handful of the very best myrrh
Next up was some gold, for sparkle and glitter
then he spread the good word with a message on Twitter.
He called to us gaily, with all of his might:
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night"
That took me over 10 minutes to write so I really find it hard to believe you'll need any more information than that. More...
Tags: christmas bitters, christmas, bitters, new releases, xmas, santa claus, cliff richard
Categories : Bitters | News
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Continuing on in our series of guest cocktail posts, we are thrilled to bring you Chris Hoban, who writes for the excellent Edinburgh Whisky Blog – a detailed, brilliantly written site about all things whisky and drinks related.
Chris' brief was simple: concoct a delicious winter cocktail using our 8 Year Old Blend and our new Whisky Bitters. This is what Chris came up with… More...
Tags: whisky cocktails, recipe, how to make, bitters
Categories : Whisky | Cocktails
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We asked a few well-known spirits/drinks writers to come up with delicious wintry cocktails using our 8 year old blended whisky, and our new cask-aged whisky bitters.
This week we've teamed up with Joshua Hatton to bring you the next thrilling instalment in our guest cocktail blog series. Joshua not only writes a superb blog, he is also President and Founder of the Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society based over in the good ol' US of A. We posted Joshua a bottle of our very own 8 year old blended whisky and a bottle of our brand new and very fine cask-aged whisky bitters. More...
Tags: scotch whisky, scotch, scottish, yamazaki, bitters, how to make, cocktail, cocktails, master of malt
Categories : Cocktails | Whisky
After a great start from Neil Ridley (who used a combination of fire and alchemy to create The Spiced Apple blazer – click here to read), our second cocktail is from Billy Abbott – an all-round spirits/beer buff who writes the wonderfully well-researched Billy's Booze Blog. More...
Tags: bitters, cocktails, how to make, master of malt
Whilst Christmas may be long over, we're still in the midst of winter here at MoM HQ, and in desperate need of a little warmth! We've hooked up with several cocktail/drinks experts to come up with the ultimate winter cocktails using our 8 Year Old Blend and our new cask-aged Whisky Bitters.
To kick-start this little mini-series we're featuring a delightful concoction, created by Neil Ridley – whisky writer off of that CaskStrength.net, spirits and music buff, and all round dapper chap.
[<--- Here's Neil in action] More...
Tags: whisky, cocktails, bitters, bitters, master of malt, master of malt
Categories : Whisky | Whisky | Cocktails | Cocktails
Bitters, bitters, bitters. We've made some bitters!
Hurrah! As lovers of the fine whisky/whiskey cocktail, we knew it was time to make our first foray into the land of bitters. So, at great length, we created what we at Master of Malt consider to be the finest bitters for making of whisky cocktails, KNOWN TO MANKIND.
In fact, these are (to our knowledge), the highest alcoholic proof bitters, which are the most costly to make and the most expensive to buy, ever! Oh yes… More...
Tags: master of malt, bitters, whisky cocktails
Categories : News | Whisky
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If the LastPass service has all my passwords and someone gets access to my LastPass password, this person will have access to all my passwords. Isn't that bad for security?
Are services like "LastPass" less secure, as they have all my passwords protected by a single password?
That's why you need to make sure you change that password regularly and make it incredible strong. (I try to surpass 128 bits)
If you don't use password managers and need to insert a lot of different passwords, you might end up re-using passwords, which is even worse. I personally always recommend to use password managers once you have to remember a lot of passwords.
Personal opinion: However I don't really like LastPass because it's web-based. Call me paranoia/conservative about it, I prefer to use a KeePass database (which is encrypted) offline or synced with Dropbox.
This concentration of password power is consubstantial with the concept of a password manager. A password manager is a tool to "remember" more passwords than what the human mind can cope with. With a password manager, it suffices to remember one password to gain access to all the others. But this means that knowing that one password is sufficient to gain access to all the stored passwords. This is unavoidable: I am just stating the obvious, twice, with two slightly distinct points of view.
To live with that, make your master password strong enough to deter attacks. 15 random letters and digits ought to be enough to thwart CPU-based attackers: if your password gets stolen, it will not be through a brute force attack. The usual rules for password hygiene still apply: generate your password(s) with randomness, not wit; don't type a password on a machine which could be infected with a key logger; beware of shoulder surfers.
Password renewal is a controversial issue. Changing your master password may "kick out" attackers would could steal your master password, but this would not change the site-specific passwords stored in the password manager, so the attacker is not totally evicted. Also, the possibility of an attacker stealing your master password is already serious enough: if the attacker got to that point, you are already in deep trouble. Password renewal is like protesting against the ambient wetness while on board the Titanic.
There are two primary problems with sharing passwords for multiple accounts. Yes, one problem is that if one password gets figured out, then it gives much more access as a single point of failure, but the bigger problem is that the same password is stored in many different places. Thus, the surface area to attack is MUCH larger. If I use my same password on every site I visit, if ANY of those sites is compromised, now all sites are compromised.
If I have a different password everywhere and/or use a single set of credentials through the use of something like OAuth, then the surface area of attack is limited to the single OAuth provider or keystore. Using a keystore means that normally only single passwords would have to be changed for a compromised site and if your keystore is compromised, you have documentation of all the accounts that you have that need changing. If you are using OAuth, then only one place has to be changed to actually change all the login credentials.
Sure, both options are weaker than pure random passwords for every site with no record linking them anywhere, but they are also far more useable and balancing usability and risk mitigation is a big part of security. The "most secure" (ie most risk mitigation) is not always the best security decision.
In case it has not already been mentioned, you can also set up 2-factor authentication (2FA) for your LastPass password manager (I have it set up). This would be a one-time password in addition to your master password. And if you chose the OATH standard (there are multiple options), then you can use the same software token app on your device that you probably use already for other 2FA enabled sites (such as Google Authenticator for your gmail, etc).
Since using 2FA is obviously an extra pain, you could selectively disable it depending on situations. For example, if you are pretty confident that you protect your mobile phone, you can turn off 2FA on your phone, but leave it on for any attempt to log into your LassPass vault from any other device.
For more detail:
They are not necessarily less secure in the theoretical sense, but they are less secure in the purely pragmatic sense.
In theory, one good password is as humanly difficult to crack as 100. If you choose a good password and the password is handled cryptographically properly, it should offer a barrier against attack that is far beyond anything humans could achieve in the foreseeable future. One password or many separate passwords, it's just a question of whether the attacker is estimated to need a few millenia or many more millenia to get all your passwords. It's a moot distinction.
It's worth noting that using one encryption key to wrap multiple other encryption keys, which is analogous to passwords wrapping passwords, can be acceptable practice. There's nothing inherently bad about it.
Pragmatically speaking, though, it's obviously impossible for one password to be anything but less secure than many distinct ones. The most secure password manager we currently have is (all else equal) your brain; a software adjunct can only detract from it. It creates a choke point where one problem could compromise a lot of passwords. A mistake in password manager could leave all passwords in the clear, an evil agency need only install one backdoor, etc.
How do you make your password-manager as safe as possible? Broadly speaking:
The practical answer to the question is: A password manager is not inherently less secure if you can meet all three of these broad requirements, but the last two are far easier said than done. You are probably going to need to do research on the exact password-manager you want to use.
As far as things like rainbow table cracks or brute force or things like that, I don't think this is an issue. You can expect that LastPass will be using proper security practices (at least as much as you can expect it from other companies who store highly-sensitive info (PayPal, Google, etc)) and therefore can probably safely assume that there are no technical security holes.
If you feel safe making that assumption, then the only real possible point of failure is the master password. Anyone who knows that will know everything, anyone who doesn't will know nothing. At this point, since you only have to remember a single password, you should make that password as secure as possible (really long, weird characters, etc (BUT DON'T FORGET IT)). As long as it is not easily guessable, everything will remain secure.
In a world where everyone uses a unique string of 20+ characters for every password, yes, keeping them all in one pass is far less secure. However, in a world where the vast majority of people have the same password for every service, LastPass can greatly increase security. But even if you already use uniques for everything, LastPass can still add security. There's a good chance your passwords are not as secure as they could be (longer, add letters, uppercase, symbols, etc), and LastPass will happily remember a string of garbage for each password.
Finally, having a single password that can access all the other passwords, is bad, but it is still far better than having the actual same password everywhere. I trust major web companies with securing my password, but you can bet that most of those little hole-in-the-wall forums that require accounts are not putting much thought into storing your password. In this case, having uniques everywhere means that, even when some little insecure service you used two years ago gets hacked, your entire online world remains secure (because you can bet that the hackers will take those email/pw combinations that they got from the hole-in-the-wall forum and plug them in to the bigger
depends how they are managing their private keys. Even if the encryption is happening client side, the db is still prone to rainbow table attack.
I work for SmartSignin, so I am going to be little biased here: What SmartSignin offers over other password managers is 100% air-tight security by making sure all the encryption happens client side, and that your private key never leaves the system. In addition to that, the SmartKey patent offers a unique key against each stored password, meaning even one record gets compromised, the other stay vaulted. The public key exchange takes place over an encrypted SSL tunnel ensures that the public key stay safe during the mandatory key exchange.
This is why you should protect your LastPass account with a second factor of authentication. LastPass have several options available such as Google Authenticator, or Yubikey. Good security has multiple factors of authentication, such as something you know (your password) and something you have (your phone or Yubikey).
The other option is that you remember, or write down, all your passwords for all systems you use. The latter approach has the same problem as LastPass in that if someone gets at your list you are fully compromised. The former will be very difficult to do, unless you have the skills, time and patience of Derren Brown - remember you need unique passwords for every service, with a high degree of entropy in each password to make them secure.
This also has the additional risk that not all services are protected by multi factor authentication. Using LastPass to fill the password for these services effectively gives you two factor authentication for them as you need to be able to log into LastPass first. It also protects against phishing (if you use the browser extension) because it will only fill the password fields for sites with a hostname match (it will fill


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- News tagged "ipad"
Thursday, 8 Mar 2012
No LTE Speeds for New iPads in Singapore
Though Apple's recently announced iPad will come with LTE support, we've just gotten confirmation that Singapore users won't enjoy the LTE speeds in due to the different spectrum used by the telcos in Singapore.
Apple's New iPad Available from 16th March, Comes with iOS 5.1
Apple's new iPad has just been announced and it will be available in Singapore from 16th March. Armed with a new 2048 x 1536 screen resolution and a new dual-core Apple A5X processor with a quad-core graphics processor, the upgraded iPad will also be launched with iOS 5.1.
Wednesday, 7 Mar 2012
More News on iPad HD and iPad Mini
With the launch of the alleged iPad HD just around the corner, here are some additional rumors and allegations to keep readers on the edge of their seats. 9to5Mac and BGR reports.
Wednesday, 29 Feb 2012
Apple iPad 3 Event Confirmed for 7th March 10am PST
Apple's official invite for an event on the 7th of March can only mean one thing - the unveiling of the third Apple tablet. Just one more week, and we'll see how the iPad 3 will shake things up in the tablet scene.
Monday, 20 Feb 2012
iPad 3 to Have More Tapered Edges and 8-Megapixel Camera?
Apple's next generation iPad model is said to sport a slightly new design with more tapered edges and sports a 8-megapixel rear camera. It is also confirmed to have a 2048 x 1536 Retina display.
Thursday, 2 Feb 2012
Images Hint At Two iPad 3 Models with Quad Core CPU
BGR got some images that provide new details about Apple's third generation of the iPad. The images suggest that Apple will put a quad-core CPU inside the iPad 3 and will release two versions of it.
Tuesday, 17 Jan 2012
IDG Publishes Global Survey on iPad in the Business World
The recent global survey by IDG has shown that 91% of IT and business professionals use their iPads for work.
Monday, 16 Jan 2012
iPad 3 to Have Sharper Screen and Fast Processor
Three anonymous sources familiar with the third generation iPad have revealed that the iPad 3 will run a faster processor, have a high-definition screen, and work with next-generation wireless networks. Read on for more.
Wednesday, 11 Jan 2012
Kingston Announces Wi-Drive App for Kindle Fire and More
First released in 2011 for Apple devices only, Kingston has now announced that it will launch an app to enable Wi-Drive use with the Kindle Fire.
Thursday, 29 Dec 2011
Facebook Timeline for iPad Due in January
Last week we reported that Facebook Timeline was officially released on the iPhone, with the iPad version currently in the works. Now it's revealed that Facebook will probably launch the iPad version between mid-January and end January.


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Every week, I study 1,000 deal-touting emails from major companies. Most aren't worth your time, but a handful offer worthwhile coupons, codes, and sales – those are the ones I collect for you here and display in a deal-seeker-friendly format.
Health and beauty
- Avon: Select makeup items are buy-one-get-one-free online [expiration unknown].
- Philosophy (body care products): $10 off any $50-plus purchase online (promo code 10off50) [7/21].
Clothing, shoes, and accessories
- School uniforms: 20-50 percent off uniforms for kids and teens at Amazon.com [expiration unknown]. Amazon carries uniform brands like Dockers and Dickies and offers free returns for clothing purchases.
- Hot Topic (teens and young adults): 25 percent off a $25-plus purchase in stores or online [7/20].
- Nine West (shoes and handbags): $10 off a $50-plus purchase in stores or online (printable coupon) [7/19].
- Watches: Great deals at Overstock.com during their Watches Super Sale [expiration unknown]. Overstock is where I recently bought my $175 Bulova watch for $72.
Arts and crafts
- Hancock Fabrics: 40 percent off any full-price fabric item in stores (printable coupon) [7/27].
- Hobby Lobby Creative Centers: 40 percent off any full-price item in stores (printable coupon) or online (coupon code 1284) [7/25].
- Crayola: All crayons, markers (including dry-erase markers), and paper are buy-one-get-two-free at Toys R Us stores and online [7/23]. That's up to 67 percent off!
- Chuck E. Cheese's: Up to 20 free tokens (4 printable coupons) [8/3].
- HoneyBaked Ham: Up to $5 off a purchase in stores (4 printable coupons) [8/28].
- Speech recognition software: 65 percent off Dragon Naturally Speaking at Tiger Direct. The list price is $100, but it drops to $35 after a $25 instant savings, a $20 rebate, and a $20 promotion (promo code HDI36988) [expires 7/24].
- Skullcandy INK'd earbud headphones: 35 percent off at RadioShack stores and online [7/23]. So instead of $20, they're $13.
How to get the most from my deals:
- Visit MoneyTalksNews.com every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the latest deals posts.
- Sign up for the Money Talks newsletter to get deals posts emailed to you.
- Visit my Deals & Coupons page for more.
More Money Talks News
You Probably Pay Too Much for These 10 ThingsBy Maryalene LaPonsie
5 Ways to Ride the Tide of Rising Home PricesBy Marilyn Lewis


text:
US Album Sales Rise For First Time Since 2004
Posted: 01/05/2012 - U.S. album sales rose more than 3 percent in 2011, the first gain for the music industry since 2004.
Posted: 01/05/2012 - U.S. album sales rose more than 3 percent in 2011, the first gain for the music industry since 2004.
Posted: 01/05/2012 - The star of a Nickelodeon comedy says was nervous when First Lady Michelle Obama appeared on the show.
Posted: 01/05/2012 - Managers at the Louvre Museum in Paris say they drew more than 8.8 million visitors last year.
Posted: 01/03/2012 - A former Miss Russia, who is charged with repeatedly forging prescriptions, is getting what a judge calls her "last chance" at resolving her New York drug case with treatment.
Posted: 01/03/2012 - Grammy-winning singer Aretha Franklin is engaged to longtime friend William "Willie" Wilkerson.
Posted: 01/02/2012 - "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" started the new year with a second-straight No. 1 weekend at the box office. Finishing second again was "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows."
Posted: 01/02/2012 - Over its 10-week run, Hugh Jackman's one-man Broadway concert show earned a whopping $14,638,428. He now owns 10 of the 11 top grossing weeks at the Broadhurst.
Posted: 12/30/2011 - Russell Brand and Katy Perry are getting a divorce.
Posted: 12/30/2011 - Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are curious about your New Year's Eve plans.
Posted: 12/29/2011 - NBA legend and Bobcats owner Michael Jordan got engaged over the Christmas weekend.
Posted: 12/28/2011 - Globally, the top 25 tours of 2011 reaped $2.1 billion, about the same as last year.
Posted: 12/28/2011 - James Rizzi, a New York-born and based pop artist best known for his playful and childlike three-dimensional sculptures, has died. He was 61.
Posted: 12/28/2011 - The Library of Congress has selected 25 films to be preserved as part of the National Film Registry.
Posted: 12/27/2011 - Academy Awards season is officially on. Nominations ballots for the 84th Oscar show have just gone in the mail.
Posted: 12/27/2011 - ohn Legend is engaged to model Chrissy Teigen.
Posted: 12/27/2011 - Vietnam may block its citizens from using Facebook, but that didn't stop website founder Mark Zuckerberg from vacationing in the communist country.
Posted: 12/27/2011 - Italy's culture ministry is investigating reports that bits of rock have fallen from the Colosseum.
Posted: 12/25/2011 - Tom Cruise's latest mission has won a holiday weekend that's shaping up with some silent nights at movie theaters as business continues to lag.
Posted: 12/23/2011 - Robert De Niro and his 56-year-old wife, Grace Hightower, welcomed a healthy 7-pound, 2-ounce baby girl named Helen Grace Hightower through a surrogate mother.
Updated: 12/23/2011 - Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband, had a coronary stent put in after experiencing chest pains.
Posted: 12/23/2011 - Queen Elizabeth II's extended family will gather for a traditional holiday weekend. The queen will also deliver her prerecorded Christmas message.
Posted: 12/23/2011 - Singer George Michael thanked the staff at an Austrian hospital for keeping him alive in the intensive care unit.
Posted: 12/22/2011 - Kid Rock is teaming up with a Detroit church to give away hundreds of gift baskets and retail gift certificates to needy families in the area where he got his start and still calls home.
Posted: 12/19/2011 - Paul McCartney is releasing an album of standards -- plus two new songs of his own.
Posted: 12/16/2011 - Justin Bieber is performing a private concert for an east Las Vegas elementary school.


text:
I have a RAID 1+0 consisting of 4x 146GB SAS disks on a Smart Array E200i.
One disk reports an error in event log:
The Physical drive at Port 1I : Box 1 : Bay 2 is reporting S.M.A.R.T. errors.
Can I replace the failed disk when Windows Server 2003 is runnig?


text:
I'm having trouble getting Apache set up on my MacBook in Mountain Lion after I upgraded from Leopard. I tried following these instructions. I have the
LoadModule php5_module libexec/apache2/libphp5.so line uncommented in
/etc/apache2/httpd.conf, I have a
my_user_name.conf file in
/etc/apache2/users with the contents:
<Directory "/Users/sarah/Sites/">
Options Indexes MultiViews FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride All
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
I have an index.html file in
/Users/my_user_name/Sites, chmodded to 644, owned by
- However, when I go to
http://localhost/~my_user_name, I still get 403 Forbidden.
- I created
<?php phpinfo(); ?>in it, and when I view that in the browser, I just see the source code.
- When I go to
http://localhost, I see "It works!". However, after I do
sudo apachectl stop, if I visit
http://localhost, I still see "It works!"--shouldn't that be inaccessible if I've stopped Apache?
It almost seems like there's some other web server behind my
localhost, and that's why my changes to
httpd.conf and
my_user_name.conf aren't making any difference. Any ideas?


text:
- Just how fucked is Kristen Stewart's career right now? [Lainey Gossip]
- Macaulay Culkin and Pete Doherty are roommates now. Yessss… [Dlisted]
– Redhead selfies truly are an act of random kindness. [theCHIVE]
- Britney Spears' Shape cover may have been Photoshopped. Just a tad. [tooFab]
- Madonna owned the MET Gala: An argument I wouldn't make because I'm easily distracted by breasts. And the living. [Lainey Gossip]
- Lauryn Hill's going to jail for tax evasion. [Dlisted]
– Apparently Playmate of the Year Claire Sinclair looks incredible without makeup. [theCHIVE]
– There's going to…
We've reached peak black microphone.
If you're like me, you abstain from all religions including ones tied with the Catholic Church for Most Rapes, so for your work-neglecting pleasure, here are the trailers for Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Lone Ranger, Oz: The Great And Powerful and Fast & Furious…


text:
Jim Cramer: Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Pepsi, Target
Investors should avoid buying stocks of second-tier consumer product companies such as Prestige Brands Holdings Inc. and Spectrum Brands Inc., Jim Cramer said on his ``Mad Money'' television program on CNBC.
These companies were created by private equity buyers who acquired seemingly unrelated products, such as fish food, electric razors and batteries, and cobbled them together as one company in hopes that consumers would be loyal to the original brand names, Cramer said.
``These companies are the equivalent of gourmet tater-tots,'' said Cramer, a market commentator and former hedge-fund manager. ``You're getting a company that makes second-rate, second-tier products.''
Spectrum Brands owns Rayovac Batteries, Remington shaving products and Repel insect repellent, among others. Prestige Brands has over-the-counter drugs, such as Chloraseptic, as well as household cleaning products, including Comet and Spic & Span.
Instead, investors should buy stocks of companies with so-called best-of-breed products, according to Cramer. He suggested Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson.
Johnson & Johnson is also good to own for its medical products, Cramer said. Likewise, St. Jude Medical Inc. is a good stock to own, he said.
Cramer recommended Coca-Cola Co., EuroZinc Mining Corp., Intel Corp., Oracle Corp., PepsiCo Inc., Rentech Inc., Starbucks Corp. and Target Corp. in response to questions during the show's ``Lightning Round'' segment.
He also told viewers to avoid EnCana Corp., Lucent Technologies Inc., Massey Energy Co., National Beverage Corp., Nortel Networks Corp., RTI International Metals Inc., TravelZoo Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.


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[WIP][FIC] Davik Kang : Rise to Power
Davik Kang : Rise to Power
Contents (This is to assist in navigating chapters. Note that by clicking the hyperlink your browser may open a new window)
Chapter I - Ambition, Dreams of Gradeur (New!)
Chapter II - This is Business (Subject to Revision)
Chapter III - The Exchange (Subject to Revision)
Chapter IV - Welcome to the Rackets (Subject to Revision)
Chapter V - The Bird is Quick (Coming Later) :D
The year is 3,986 BBY. A decade has gone to past since the end of the Great Sith War. Peace has settled amongst the galaxy and everything is relatively quiet. Though the wars repercussions still bear effect upon the galaxy. A depression has befallen upon the Republic in the aftermath of Exar Kuns war. The demand on industrial production has dropped, and unemployment has become a serious issue. In particular, heavily populated worlds are taking the blunt of the hit. With unemployment there are not enough taxes to counter the high maintenance costs of running the sprawling urban environments of these planets.
Our story follows a young Davik Kang who seems to be going nowhere in life. A chance to earn extra credits falls upon him, and from there he journeys into the harsh existence of the underworld.
Chapter I Ambition, Dreams of Grandeur
The mourning alarm went off to release me from an uncomfortable sleep. With my eyes still heavy, I was able to open them to a squint. Lazily, I turned my body around within the bed to shut the alarm off. After a brief moment, I swung my legs over the bed and sat up; blinked several times, and slowly rubbed a hand across both of my eyes; letting off a long sigh of discomfort.
Turning the lights on, I began my typical mourning cooking a simple meal, while listening to the holofeed.
Fifty-eight revoked in one week alone ladies and gentlemen. The toll continues to rise each day and it only looks to get worse. Unemployment has skyrocketed within the lower levels, yet upper city remains unaffected at the moment. The nobles have the power to help keep our infrastructure healthy, yet very few of them have contributed to our great society. And because of this ignorance our beloved Taris continues to deteriorate Now with me today is Anesa Tarrk; shes a diplomat of the Republic and an expert in the field economics. Tell us Ms. Tarrk, what do make of the situation, and what does Taris future look like if this continues?
Well obviously the Sith War has left many worlds, including Taris, in desperate need of financial aid. Unfortunately the war has left the Republic with its own problems and many worlds will need to cope with the situation themselves. I have been appointed to Taris as the financial advisor in this crisis. So I will be assis-
I abruptly ended the holofeeds transmission. My breakfast was ready, and I wanted to eat peacefully without pondering about the depression. Seated at the table, I ate in silence. The only sounds you could hear were the hum of swoop bikes, the perpetual strokes and pumps of automated machines, and the bustling city itself.
About half-an-hour went by before I was done eating. I disposed of the dish and utensil into a nearby sink. While running the faucet I folded my hands together to collect some of the running water, and went on to press it against my face. I looked up into a mirror, reflecting a grim looking man, with blue eyes and short black hair. Looking straight back at me with splashes of liquid drops scattered all across his face.
I threw the rest of my garments, code-locked my apartment and walked out the doorway only to be greeted by the disgusting stench of the lower city. It was like dirt down here; trash littered the streets, spice junkies crouched up in the corners, swoop thugs preyed on the weak, a true testament of the depression at its peak.
I walked along the beaten streets, carefully observing my surroundings. And as I continued to walk, several others and I noticed a couple of thugs mugging some poor soul in a nearby alleyway. They beat him repeatedly with shock sticks, causing his body extreme agony while slowly rendering him unconscious. It wasnt pretty either; they had already busted his head open, and probably broke a few ribs too as he was favoring his abdomen. I only watched for a minute or two, as did others. I then walked away from the crowd that began to gather around the alley. Funny this was everyday stuff down here in the lower city yet people are still amused by a simple fight or beating.
I entered the local cantina. Dozens of people were hanging around the pazaak room, and many more idled around the bar-ring itself. The only business the depression hasnt hurt is the cantina. People come here to drink away their problems, watch the dancers, test their luck at gambling, the works. I was fortunate enough to work as a bartender here, and grateful enough to have today off.
I took a seat at bar-ring. When a familiar voice came from behind me.
Davik! Youre here rather early I should say.
Rance, hows it going?
Rance Senesca. A friend since childhood; normally came here for the dancers. He took a seat right beside mines. Michael, a fellow bartender approached us.
Davik, Rance, what I can get for ya? The usual?
You betcha Rance replied, with a slight smile of amusement. I nodded my head in agreement.
So Davik, what are ya up to?
Nothing. Figure I stop by the cantina, buy a few drinks, place a few bets on the swoop race, play a few rounds of pazaak. You know
Gambling eh? A poor investment Davik, especially during these times.
Im not the one wasting credits on Twilek dancers.
Hey youre looking at it the wrong way. Im helping them out ya see. They got a job too ya know, and they still need investors to help them out.
Amused, I raised my eyebrows at him.
Drink up fellas. Michael handed us our drinks. I had the Tarsian Ale; Rance had the Juma Juice.
So Davik, you interested making some extra credits?
I took a sip of my beverage.
Maybe? Davik Im talking five hundred credits each. For the both of us.
I took a sharp look at Rance, full well knowing this wasnt any normal job.
Five hundred credits. Alright whats the job?
A delivery
I expected him to go on and brief me. However he simply continued on drinking his glass of Juma Juice, leaving me momentarily perplexed.
Thats it?
Rance nodded slowly. He always had a perspective of seeing things to be simple. I went on to speak again.
Sounds like theres more to it.
Maybe, but five hundred credits is good enough for me to walk around in the undercity. But a delivery, pfft! this is taking candy from a baby.
Who hired you?
I dont know exactly. I meet this guy who looked real rich high class so to say. He was here at the cantina last week, around this time, and approached me, offering to pay me a thousand credits to deliver a package to an associate of his. Why he chose me, probably because I am one of the biggest guys around. Whatever the job is I think I think its going to require some muscle if ya know what I mean.
So wait a minute, why ask me to help you? Sounds like you could have a thousand credits for yourself.
Why else Davik?
He took another gulp of his drink, waiting for me to come up with an answer. I shrugged.
Come on now, youre one of my most trusted friends. Youre an ally Davik, whether ya like it or not.
I chuckled a bit at his statement.
Do I have a choice in the matter?
Of course you do, but theres more to it. See Im not a good talker. If I were Id be persuading ladies, not paying them. I need someone with, well diplomatic skills. Youre smarter than me Davik, I need you to do the talking.
So you want me to do all the deals and all that good stuff.
Rance nodded, taking a sip of Juma Juice.
Fair enough. Though Im convinced that this whole thing is begging for trouble. Where will we be going do you know?
Nope. The man said hed contact me tomorrow. He then gave me a small hologram projector along with the package.
I see. Do you know whats in the package?
He told me not to open it, besides its code-locked.
So whatever it is, its probably important. What happens if we lose it?
Rance started began to laugh subtly.
Then were screwed!
He was chuckling hard now. It was obvious the Juma Juice had gotten to him. I just shook my head.
So, are ya in Davik?
I thought about it for a moment, while taking a long sip of the Tarsian Ale.
As tempting as your offer is Ill have to think about it Rance.
Rance nodded his head.
Go home and think about it Davik. You know Im almost always around the cantina all day. And if you decide ya want in, drop by my apartment early tomorrow.
Sounds like a good deal.
By now I had finished my drink, and with this opportunity Rance had provided me with, I simply had to go home and think about it. Five hundred credits for a delivery sounded a little too auspicious, and I wasnt willing to walk into some setup or anything that would get me killed. So I walked out of the cantina like Rance suggested I do, and traveled on home where I could peacefully think in solitude.
i think its a great start, but T. Nova, you've made a mistake in the year. KotOR takes place at 4000 BBY which is like the BC system. one year before 4000 BBY would be 4001 BBY, not 3999 BBY. so i'll assume that your fic is supposed to take place before KotOR because after KotOR, Davik's not alive. i noticed that you made a 14 year margin before KotOR, so the year would be 4014 BBY :)
just an FYI :) good job with the fic!
Hey thanks for the feedback :)... but I have to disagree with ya in the year. 4,000 BBY is just an estimate of the timeframe KotOR takes place in, if you look through the chronicles here at TSL's official site (http://www.lucasarts.com/games/swkot...indexDark.html) you'll notice K1 doesn't begin until 3,956 BBY (Part XI). :D
are you sure? then ignore my ramblings and on with the story :D
Is this before the gang war in the lower city then, because if it's during then walking in the lower city would not be safe yet it says he tries to take the safe streets. Also great story! It's very interesting, but on another note this man's personality does not fit that of Davik Kang. Also is that the whole story or is there more?
Its before the swoop gang wars. I know, it doesn't seem like the character we know KotOR, but what I'm trying to do is "develop" his character into what we see. I picture him in his 50s by K1, so I wanted to start him off around his early 20s here. I was inspired by what Kebla Yurt (I think) says about Davik Kang starting with nothing and taking everything. I sort of wanted to relate him to Michael Carleone in the Godfather, soon he'll be a cunning, powerful mob boss.
I'll try and get the second chapter done by the end of today, its a rainy day outside here so theres nothing better to do.
Ok, that's great. And if you have time could you read my fan fic? It's titled The life of Onri Konohomaru/Lord Konohomaru. If you can read it I'll be very greatful. Thank You.
Ah... another entry into my story. Enjoy all :D
Chapter II - This is Business
Like any other mourning I awoke, but this day I felt excited, and anxious. I decided to meet up with Rance, take up on the offer he presented me with yesterday. Pacing back and forth within my apartment, I stopped for moment, and let the excitement guide my movements for a second by taking up a fighting position left jab right hook shuffled my feet side to side in a boxers stance threw off two left jabs at the air, then a right uppercut.
Then I stopped for my breakfast had finished heating up. This could be the last time I ever have to eat this bantha fodder. By tomorrow I could be devouring some well cooked waffles with a side of bacon or maybe taste the sweetness of fruits for once in my life or a delicious meal of steak with a splash of tarisian ale. I finshed eating the distasteful grub rather quickly, and set the dish into the sink. I started toward the door, threw on my brown coat and left the apartment once more. Though for once in my life, I wasnt headed to the cantina, but maybe something more important.
I was walking rather fast, but this was because I was in a hurry to get where I was going. I was anxious, but I walked just fast enough as not to attract any unwanted attention by prowlers who may be lurking around in the streets. Finally I reached the apartment complex elevator that Rance mentioned yesterday. I paused in front of the door took a deep breath and sighed as if I was bracing for something. I quickly pulled my right hand from the pocket and pressed the elevator activation key. The door opened, I stepped inside, turned around and dabbed with the interior keys to bring me at level three.
Once on the level I walked around the complex ring until I found apartment 302. There was no sound device attached to the door so I simply knocked. After a few seconds the door opened with Rance sitting down in his couch smirking at me. Thought you would eventually stop by. I nodded a bit took a few steps inside and inquired
So, whats the plan?
Straight to the point eh? Well we have to deliver this package and its contents to someone Rance pulled out a black case from under the couch, then he went on to imply
Dont ask for too many details, I was told to keep the package safe and to deliver it when the time came. The guy who hired me said hed contact me on the hologram display this afternoon.
There was a hologram device sitting on the table in front of him He went on to speak again
Hopefully he gets around to us sooner than later
I nodded, realizing I might be in for a bit of a wait. I took a seat in a chair that was perpendicular to Rances. We sat in silence, waiting patiently for the call. I noticed Rance was fiddling with his fingers, whether he was nervous or anxious was quite difficult to tell though. I personally sat back slumping in the chair, hands interlocked over my waist with dull expression on my face that told nothing. I dont know why, but I wasnt that excited anymore. The flutter of anticipation and anxiousness in my stomach was now just a cold spot. I feel into a trance of thought this is it once that call comes through theres no turning back Where my life goes from here, who knows I can only hope to achieve some kind of importance.
Finally the device displayed a hologram of a human. Dressed in a robe, decorated with jewelry and other expensive looking items. It was obvious that he must be in the upper city since Ive only seen nobles wear those types of clothes. Rance and me leaned over the table to listen for what he was about to say. He spoke in a diplomatic, classy tone that made him appear as if he was a wealthy, powerful senator.
You take the package to the upper city cantina. There will be someone waiting for you there. You will recognize them, they will recognize you.
After he stated his assignment for us he disconnected. It was short and sweet, right down to the point. Rance took up the black case, stood up and headed towards the door. I also stood up, and began following. Rance paused at the door and took a sharp 360. He was holding a blaster pistol in his left hand.
Hey you might be need this
He then tossed the pistol at me, after catching it I took a look at it Rance then went on to say.
Hope ya know how to use it
I replied while stashing the blaster under my belt.
What ya kidding me? Point and shoot
Rance made a slight grin.
Once out on the lower city streets we were headed toward the closest elevator. An elevator that would take us up into the upper city where are destination was. The elevator required a small toll however to ride up, but not down it was sad really. Though the five credits wasnt anything big, especially seeing as how we could be making a hundred or so by the end of the day. It was a quite, but quick ride up. The elevator door opened to reveal the sheer beauty and wealth or the upper city. I had only seen it once as a child, when my mother needed to shop for extra parts to place on our family droid. That was probably 15 or more years ago however, things have changed. The only problem at this point was finding where the upper city cantina was as Rance stated
So now where the hell is the cantina?
I looked around trying to find anything that would point us in its direction. Then as a pedestrian began to walk by my I caught his attention and asked.
Excuse me sir, me and my friend here are looking for the cantina. Do you know where we could find it?
He glanced at Rance then looked back at me Yea, head down this way, take a left and follow the platform until it ends. Take a right and head through the tunnel, take another right and follow the platforms length. Then take a left towards the end, passed the empty lot and the cantina should be in front of you mate.
I nodded and replied Thanks.
We followed the directions given to us. We wanted to be quick about this as to not draw unwanted attention from any nobles. This was because our appearance was out of place up here; compared to everyone else we looked like thugs. Fortunate enough we got through the upper city streets without much conflict, and reached the cantina soundly. We cautiously entered inside bracing ourselves for any surprises. Though luckily there were none. It was not much different than Javyars Cantina to be honest. Several pazaak tables were the first things you saw, full of players and cards and the like. There was a band, though unlike Javyars they were playing a classy jazz style of music instead of the techno beats Im used to hearing. It was refreshing however, and I rather enjoyed it. We maneuvered through the pazaak room towards the center complex up ahead. We then took a seat against the wall where the tables were, where Rance then placed the package on the table
Well were suppose to find them right? Rance questioned.
Or theyre suppose to find us I replied.
It was slightly frustrating to have come all the way up here and find nothing, so I let off a sigh of disappointment. I then took a look at the encased package and asked.
Whats in there?
Rance glanced at me and shrugged. Who knows though its none of our business, were just here to deliver.
I nodded to myself, best to not satisfy my curiosity. Moments later however, a figure began approaching us dressed in casual clothing; well at least in upper city standards. He was a male, probably of nobility. When he stopped at our table, the man seemed to recognize the package. I asked
Who are you?
He too spoke in a rich, classy manner
I am Torivena the 4th, and I believe that package is for me
Rance began then stated
We were told to deliver the package to someone, are you the one were looking for?
So I was told, I expect that youll simply be handing that over now?
I then spoke in a neutral, but slightly demanding tone of voice.
Yes, and I expect that you will pay us most handsomely for our services
Yes yes of course youll be rewarded. The package is very important to me and I praise you for taking great care in it. However I must ask, you didnt open it did you?
No. Rance replied.
Torivena paused for a moment and then continued. I see. Regardless, I must return to my estate to gather the items that Ill be giving you, come with me.
Rance and I glanced at each other. Sure I said
Good, very good. Follow me please.
He led Rance and I out of the cantina. Once outside however we were greeted with about five thugs armed with blaster carbines. Rance and I immediately drew our blaster pistols and began targeting the first thug in our line of sight. Torivena; smack in the middle, dropped to the ground attempting to avoid being shot. The thugs were about ten meters away, and they were all in a horizontal line. I took on the one to my far left, and achieved first blood by taking him out with a clean headshot. The thug right of him however was already firing burst shots at me, I immediately dropped to the ground in a prone position, barely managing to duck below the rapid fury of lethal red energy passing overhead. Once I was down I immediately shot back at that one, I took three shots and two of them hit him in the leg, one to his right thigh, the other left shin; he then dropped in shouting in agony. I moved on to the last remaining thug to the far right, and gave him a round or two in the torso. Apparently Rance had gotten the other two then I noticed Rance was down.
I went over to Rance, he had taken a blaster shot to his torso.
Damn it! He exclaimed
It was obvious that he was in apparent agony. I proceeded to check how serious his wound was. It looked as if it had grazed his side, though theres no exact way for sure to tell if he may be internally bleeding.
Youll be alright I told him calmly while tearing a piece of my coat off.
Sit up for a moment Rance used his arms to bring his body up, grimacing his face while do so. I proceeded to wrap the piece of my coat around his torso, and applied enough pressure as to not effect his breathing too much.
Your good to go for the moment I told him.
Torivena was up and about, making sure no authorities are headed our way. Come quickly now, we should head to my speeder. From there well continue onto my estate. We dont want to be around for the authorities to question.
I looked at Rance You can run right?
Rance replied smirking Yea If I need to. He got up struggling, fighting through the agonizing pain. Barely able to run, Rance limped as fast as he could through the streets. Most of the pedestrians around simply moved out of our way when they noticed we were armed. We finally reached Torivenas luxury speeder, and jumped on in. From there we sped off into the city, vanishing under the luscious glow of the star.
Nice new chapter, I hope you'll check out my new chapter.
Not the most exciting chapter, but it does dive into the personalities of Rance & Torivena a bit more. It also holds a note or two that will be important in later chapters. Enjoy :D
Chapter III The Exchange
Dusk slowly shifted to night as the speeder cruised along Taris bustling skyscrapers. Torivena was taking us to his estate, though its location remained a mystery me. It didnt matter; the shootout back at the cantina was still was fresh in my mind. I kept replaying the battle over and over in my head. Prior to that I had never even held a blaster let alone shoot someone. Though I could not help but think who those mercenaries were, and what they wanted. I had a feeling that Torivena would know, but I felt it was best to wait before I started asking questions. Torivena was doing the driving while Rance was seated in the rear. Rance was still favoring his wound a bit, occasionally adjusting his position every few minutes or so trying get a bit more comfortable. The package was lying safely next to him, which was a reminder that there was still business to take care of.
Ah, no place like home Torivena stated in a refreshing way. I turned my head towards his direction on the drivers side. Torivena was looking out over the beach below. A mansion, a beautiful one at that rested along the beach, as Torivena descended the speeder, you could see the estate slowly begin to eclipse the stars beautiful lush rays of light. Once on the surface, Torivena maneuvered the speeder inside a garage door built along the side of the estate.
Welcome to my estate gentlemen. Here you will be treated as my personal guests, so feel free to make yourselves comfortable. Torivena humbly stated while gracefully stepping out of the speeder.
I assume we wont be leaving anytime soon? Rance asked respectfully.
You can leave at your own leisure, though if you choose so I doubt youll find your way home from here.
heh I was joking. Rance said quite humorously.
By the way, I never had the pleasure of asking you two honorable men your names.
Rance was exiting the vehicle, with his hand still grasping the wound, though it didnt stop him from replying in the process.
Rance Senesca
I was laid back in the passenger seat, still going over some things in my mind. Torivena looked at me for a moment, then I glanced back and replied Davik Davik Kang.
Excellent. Rance theres a medical room right down the hall; have the droids attend to that wound of yours there. Davik, if you will; follow me please.
I exited the vehicle and followed Torivena as I wished me to. The garage was rather large, encompassed by vast gray walls. Though through the door, the hall was decorated with elegant, indigo wallpaper that radiated a powerful feeling to it all. Torivena was about five meters ahead of me, and Rance grabbed my attention before I continued any further than a mere few steps.
Hey Davik, you might want to take this with you. Rance handed me the package. Hopefully these droids dont come up with anything serious. I dont want to spend my pleasure hours laying in a bed, He said so with a smirk.
I let off a short chuckle. Ill check with ya later on. I told him.
Torivena was about 15 meters ahead, and I had to pace myself slightly faster than normal to catch up. Torivena stopped half way down to hall, turning to his left while pulling a small card from his pocket. It gave me enough time to come within several meters of him. He opened the door utilizing the keycard, and proceeded through it. We came into a rather small room with an oval shaped table, accompanied with a dozen chairs.
Take a seat wherever you wish Torivena said. I will take but a moment to return.
I nodded and sat down in the chair closest to me, which was around the edge of the table. Torivena went through another door on the other side of the room, and continued wherever he needed to go. I placed the package on top of the table, and slumped comfortably into my chair. Sitting there, thoughts of my life came about again. For some reason however, I felt good about being where I was. In the course of a single day, I ventured to the upper city, shot and killed several mercenaries, rode in a luxury speeder across Taris and now I find myself sitting here at Torivenas estate. What a day I thought to myself. This could very well be a new beginning I wondered if my mother would be proud.
Moments later Rance walked in. He was no longer clutching his side anymore, so I assumed the medical droids treated him just about right. Hey Rance said. He then went on to take a seat opposite from me, on the other side of the table.
Looking sharp, I commented.
Yea, turns out it wasnt much of anything. Once the medic droids applied a bit of kolto to it, I felt whole again.
I nodded slowly, assuring him that I was listening. After several minutes of silence, Torivena walked in. Gentlemen. Now that we have assembled here, let us discuss business shall we. He continued while taking a seat at the other end of the table.
As you can tell, I am in fact born of nobility. Ive been here ever since I was born. The Torivena family is a powerful one at that, though we prefer to keep quite amongst society. My family partakes in a variety of activities such as politics, business, military and even, crime. I am apart of an immensely powerful syndicate we have come to deem, the Exchange. And I am here to offer you two a position with us, to work under me.
Rance and I see didnt reply for several seconds. When finally I decided to say something.
Why us?
Torivena smirked as if he anticipated that question, and answered.
It has become increasingly difficult to find decent services as of late. Many of the former individuals who worked for me began demanding higher payments in the wake of the depression. Eventually most went on to work for my competitors who had much more appealing offers. What they didnt know until it was too late was each of my competitors would collapse under their own expenses. Allowing for the authorities to shut them down with relative ease.
So were just some of the replacements youre bringing in? Rance asked.
If you see it that way. Though I admit I have learned something from that incident, that quality is better than quantity. So far youre the only two I have requested since then. However Im still quite curious on your decision.
I sat there, thought about for a few seconds.
Sure, why not?
Rance glanced at me for a second, and then looked back at Torivena. Torivena began laughing humorously at my reply, and commented
Why not! he continued to laugh, Davik, Im already beginning to like you my friend! He then proceeded to stand up and walk towards me. His laughter began to fade off as he placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke once more
You shall remain in my mighty company for the time being. I have several guest rooms within my estate. A protocol droid will be sent to guide you to your respective rooms. He then looked at Rance. You will stay too, will you not? Rance replied humorously
Well the way I see it sir, Davik wont get far without me watching his back Rance complemented his statement with a wink. Torivenas laughter elevated once again Then its settled!
I inquired shortly after. What about this package?
Torivena responded Its intelligence on the Republics military base here. Its well valuable for our future efforts. He nodded, and then took the package and started out of the room The droid will arrive shortly he reminded us while leaving the room.
Rance looked at me with a smirk on his face. Well? he asked.
Rance, I think things are gonna be quite different from now on. And by the way its probably going to me watching your back not the other way around I replied with a slight smile. Rance chuckled for a second as a protocol droid entered the room. I thought to myself, finally I must be on the road to achieving self-significance. For now, I was ready to get some rest for today.
Excellent story so far T.Nova.
Nice chapter, I see you've already seen some of my new work on Clone Trooper Jedi. I must point out though that while I'm trying to keep it positive, kolto was only available to the militaries, and while the exchange may have been capable of getting it on its current level during KotOR 1, but not during the depression with its fortune slowly collapsing. But for everything else, you did a pretty good job. I'm expecting the next chapter to be great as always :)
Thanks for the comments guys. :D
@ Konohomaru. Are you certain about the kolto thing? I found little info about its marketing beyond the fact that it originates on Manaan. I would be under the impression that kolto would be available to the general public. I do recall a Republic soldier saying something about medpacs being comprised of kolto. And most merchants and retailers sell medpacs, civilian and otherwise.
In KotOR, if you go into one of the buildings and talk to one of the skelith and ask someting like, where can I get a licence to harvest kolto, and he replies only military officer can obtain this licence or something like that.
Alrighty then. I guess we'll assume that the Exchange has somehow smuggled kolto from the Republic. Other than that though I would like to ask for a bit more contructive criticism in terms of my writing techniques.
Are the chapters too long?
Are the descriptions alright?
Does it make sense?
Hows grammar and spelling?
Anything to help me write my future chapters better. I'm currently working on Chapter IV, and maybe I'll have it ready before I hit the sack. If not it'll probably be done by Saturday since tommorow is going to be a busy day for me.
I the order listed:
To and extent but it is only the first couple chapters so it will make complete sense eventually.
Alright, a few airrers (done on perpose B) ) here and there but it isn't bad.
Thanks Konohomaru. Taking that into account, I might try to get around to editing chapter 1 & 2 next week or so to make it easier to understand. (Hence the Work in Progress abbreviation in the title)
Overall I'll try and shorten some things up here and there, as well as clear up the details. I admit I feel that I exaggerated Davik's character a bit, and probably tried too hard at portraying his personal thoughts and such. Sort of drags the chapters a bit.
Alright heres the fourth entry. I divided it into three scenes seperated by the pattern of stars (*). This chapter's bulk is comprised of mostly dialogue, so its not exactly as long as it appears. This chapter though, primarily introduces two new characters to the story. Hope you enjoy :)
Chapter IV Welcome to the Rackets
A thumping noise was coming from the door. Mr. Kang Mr. Kang. The thumping continued. I was sleeping rather comfortably in my bed. I slowly rolled over onto my back and replied Yea!
Torivena requests your presence in the meeting room. He has an assignment for you and your friend
I was hoping he would tell me that breakfast was ready or something. I started to sit up slowly, trying to shake off the laziness of a good sleep.
Ill be there shortly
The man left after that. I stood up and threw on a black T-shirt lying on a counter across the room. Then I began my way towards the door, opened it and headed down the corridor. Wonder what this could be
I followed the path the protocol droid led us through yesterday until I reached the small room with the oval table. Once I opened the door and walked in, Torivena, Rance and two other persons were sitting at the table with their attention focused on me. One was a female human like us; the other was a red Twilek. They were all fully dressed.
I overslept? I inquired.
Its not a problem Torivena said.
I took a seat around the middle of the table. The Twilek was seated behind me towards the end of the oval. Rance was across from me on the other side while the woman was behind him. Torivena sat at the head of the table.
Let us introduce ourselves first shall we. Davik and Rance, that is Ahita he extended his arm towards the womans direction. And over there is Pramman extending his left arm at the Twilek. We greeted each other with short nods.
Toivena then went on to mention. Ahita here is from the noble Othar family here on Taris, while Pramman has been with this organization since the end of the Great Sith War
Rance and I nodded a bit, taking note of the little information given to us.
Onto the task. Youre to escort Ahita to her familys estate. Once you have done so you will visit several areas to collect credits from certain people. Pramman here has the experience, he will supply you with the right equipment and lead you to the locations. You are to accompany him in doing so.
For the last time Titus, I do not need an escort. I can get safely myself mind you Ahita stated. She was obviously quite irritated.
My dear lady, your safety is of utmost importance. Why just yesterday several mercenaries tried to kill me. If it wasnt for these two gentlemen I would be floating in a bacta tank, or worse deceased. Torivena responded.
Rance, Pramman and I remained silent, as they continued to argue.
For all we know, they were after something else. They were probably going for the...
Do not question my action do not challenge my decisions. Your father would agree with me. I will not let Eranus daughters death be my responsibility. Dont debate with me any further
After that Ahita simply obeyed and ceased to take it any further. Though she did demonstrate a slight bit of disapproval by folding her arms and showing a lack of attention by facing the wall.
Excuse Ahitas rash attitude, she doesnt know whats best for her. Now, take the speeder and bring Ms. Othar to her establishment. Afterwards Pramman should know where to find my investors, and take you to them. Torivena then left the room.
Alright mates, lets gear up and be on our way shall we Pramman stated.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
We were cruising along in a luxurious, black four-person speeder with an open top. It was still mourning, but I could tell we were for a long day. Rance and I were seated in the rear; Ahita in the passenger seat while Pramman was doing the driving. For most of the ride, we didnt speak much with each other. Rance and I were not used to traveling through the upper citys urban landscape, so we constantly were looking around impressed with the sheer size and beauty of it all.
So you two are working for Torivena now? Ahita asked, drawing our attention.
You could say that I replied.
What do you think of him? She inquired another question moments after.
I thought it about it for a second, and answered
Hes alright I suppose. Got to give it him credit, hes got everything a man can want. Money, power, the works. Then Rance made a response shortly after.
Yea, what he said.
I personally wish Torivena would stop treating me like a child. He should know I could take of myself. Its always like this; even my father treats me this way.
I didnt feel the need to reply to her statement. And Prammans attention was completely focused on driving. Though after a second or two Rance said something.
Its probably because they care for you.
Maybe, but if they cared enough theyd see I dont want a hit squad everywhere I go
Rance couldnt find anything to say to that. It then remained silent in the speeder for the rest of the trip. Ahitas estate was built on an upper city platform. The front of the estate was decorated and designed with rich trees, gardens and other vegetation. Pramman simply parked the speeder onto the courtyard platform.
He we are Miss Othar Pramman said. She hopped out with little regard that she could have simply opened the door.
Perhaps we might be working together in the future. she said. We nodded at her, and then she proceeded to the front door.
Alright ya blokes, now that the princess has been delivered we can continue onto business. Well be collecting credits from various individuals and establishments all around Taris
Sounds like a good deal Rance stated. I nodded my head in agreement.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Pramman then took the speeder across the sector, and parked into a garage. He then led us through several structures and platforms until we reached a small merchant retail shop. When we opened the door, a man was sitting behind a counter integrated into the back wall. However when he noticed us, or at least Pramman, he looked quite surprised.
Oh no! he exclaimed nervously.
Utapu, you better have those credits Pramman went on, he then started towards the counter. Rance and I followed closely behind him.
Wait a minute, I can explain!
You think Torivenas services can be used freely? Youre already late on paying your dues!
Please the depression has been hurting business Its been difficult to generate solid profits as of late
Pramman reached the counter, with an expression designed to intimidate Utapu.
All I have is six hundred credits please for the Forces sake lend me one more extension. I can give a down payment but thats all for now. Just dont kill me
A brief moment of silence dragged on, Pramman was apparently considering Utapu's fate.
I wont kill ya. Pramman answered.
Oh thank you! Thank you! Utapu was indeed thankful. But his relief was short lived.
Rance take care of him
NOOOOOOOOOO! Utapu howled before being injected several times by Rances blaster.
Several seconds went by while I thought to myself. Was that really a smart thing to do? I went on to inquire Pramman.
Why did you that? If you allowed him an extension he could have paid his dues.
Pramman gave me an eerie look.
You sympathizing for him mate?
No Pramman. Though if you kill off the investors, Torivena is only going to end up losing credits, not gain them.
Pramman nodded, acknowledging my reason. However he countered it with his own reason.
Maybe. But we cant earn a reputation for handing out slack to those who cant pay up. I had personally given Utapu an extension several months before now, he was late as it is.
I decided not to take the argument any further. Apparently Torivena trusted Pramman for a reason, so it was best to not question his decisions.
Search the place for anything useful. Well be making a few more stops after this, though I dont suspect well be killing off anymore.. investors. Pramman then looked at me and proceeded to imply clearly.
We had to do it mate, we had to make an example of him. Many will know that the Exchange killed him, itll let people know not to play around with us.
I nodded, letting him know I understood.
Hey I found some a box back here! Rance shouted out to inform us. He was shuffling through backroom behind the counter.
There are six hundred credits, and some various items I dont know what they are exactly but they look pretty high-tech
Likely blaster and armor components. Utapu was a weapons merchant. Take the box, well leave the body for the authorities to find.
After that, we continued to collect credits from people around the city. We didnt need make an example of anyone else. In fact most paid up without much of a problem. So the day went on rather smoothly. Though it was all rather mundane, I figured if we kept doing some small time jobs well eventually have the opportunity to partake in something bigger.
Nice chapter. I have to find time to read yours, Jae's, and write my own at the same time though :) It's pretty hard.
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