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A DCA Licensed Agency – Process Serving in NYC

Process serving is a delicate business that requires reliability and security on behalf of the process server for their clients. That’s why we at Reliant Court Services are dedicated to providing our clients with high-quality, dependable services. It is because of our trustworthy business practices that we are a DCA licensed process serving agency.

What does it mean to be DCA licensed?

The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), formally known as the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), was created as a result of the Consumer Protection Law that sought to protect the public from deceptive or predatory business practices. As such, if an agency is DCA licensed, that means that they are certified by the DCWP as a trustworthy business with legitimate business practices.

DCA licensed process serving agency in NYC

Reliant Court Services is a DCA licensed process serving agency in New York City. This means that we are a company that serves you, the client, rather than ourselves. The DCWP have found us to be a reputable company with practices that put our customers first. Additionally, our customers have also said the same thing. We have served hundreds of law offices across New York, the United States, and internationally, and we have provided each of those law offices with the reliable services that they need.

Since 2000, we have been providing our support to law firms, real estate agencies, mortgage brokers, and other clients throughout New York and across the country and globe. So, if you would like our assistance, be sure to contact us today at 631-567-3120.


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Law Offices of Renee Lazar
CALL RENEE TODAY AT 978-844-4095

Posts tagged "domestic violence"

When Parents Stop Spanking Massachusetts Kids, Kids Stop Hitting One Another

Countries that ban corporal punishment boast lower rates of youth violence,Spank.jpgaccording to a new study. The results, culled from an analysis of violent behavior in 88 countries, suggests that overall rates of physical fighting among young men and women are up to 69 percent lower when national laws forbid parents from slapping or spanking their children.

Anger Management Classes in Massachusetts: What To Look For When You're Looking for Help

Anger is a perfectly natural emotion, and a primitive one as well. It's a fight orAnger 3.jpg flight response - something that our minds and bodies need in order to tell us when we're unsafe. One of the biggest mistakes anyone can make is to treat anger as something unnatural.

How To Tell If You're In a Toxic Massachusetts Relationship -- And What To Do About It

It's a common refrain: relationships in Massachusetts are hard work. Fights areConfusion.jpg normal and rough patches are par for the course.

When Can a Massachusetts Tenant Break a Residential Lease?

What's a Massachusetts residential lease? A lease, is a contract for the rental of property. AsRental agreement 1.jpg such, a lease is enforceable at law. If a tenant signs a lease which is usually for a one-year term, the tenant is liable for rental payments during that period of time.

The Top 10 Signs You Are In a Dysfunctional Relationship in Massachusetts

It's very difficult to acknowledge or even consider that you might be in a Divorce 78.jpgdysfunctional relationship. Your friends may have expressed concern, your family may have intervened, or maybe you are silently suffering in your relationship, all alone.

A Massachusetts Divorce Can Have a Positive Outcome

The dissolution of a marriage in Massachusetts can be a frightening and stressfulBroken family.jpg ordeal that many divorcing couples might not be emotionally equipped to handle on their own. Because emotions run high, even for the spouse who is seeking the break-up of the marriage, unresolved issues that led to a divorce often-times takes years to resolve. These problems are compounded when children are involved and add additional emotional issues that can led to severe complications for both parents and children.

Law Offices of Renee Lazar
4308 Thompson Farm
Bedford, MA 01730
Phone: 978-844-4095
Fax: 781-687-5807
Map and Directions

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Girls like that do exist of course. We have plenty of girls on our books that are charming, polite, and more than a little bit beautiful. They are the finest of the fine, the pale delicate flowers that have long since captured the imaginations of writers and artists. They’re strikingly special, and just spending time with one is an absolute treat. You might go to the opera, or the theatre, or for a perfect meal. You may go strolling in the park on a frosty winter’s midmorning, or you may gaze up at the stars together on a balmy summer’s evening. Whatever you do, you know that you’ll have a truly wonderful time.

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Lockdown toll on research and well-being revealed

Major survey shows Covid-19 measures’ negative impacts on researchers’ work, finance and well-being

A vast majority of PhD students and research staff are worried about their finances and future careers as a result of Covid-19 lockdown, according to a major survey intended to inform institutions’ and funders’ actions to support researchers.

The Student Mental Health Research Network (SMaRteN) and Vitae have surveyed doctoral researchers and early-career research staff in UK universities about the impact of the Covid-19 restrictions since 16 March 2020.

Almost 5,000 researchers have so far responded to the survey launched on 16 April.

“The findings of this survey provide insight into how challenging this time is for our research community, and especially our doctoral students,” said Jennifer Rubin, executive champion for equality, diversity and inclusion at UK Research and Innovation, which funds SMaRteN.

Key findings include:

  • 70 per cent of respondents are worried about their finances
  • Two thirds are very worried about their future plans
  • Half report being very stressed about their work
  • 40 per cent of the staff say their research contract ends during 2020
  • Only 12 per cent of final year PhDs were provided with an option to extend their studies

The lockdown also seems to be hampering the ability to conduct research.

More than three-quarters of respondents report a negative impact on data collection, discussions with colleagues and dissemination, and more than half report a negative effect on data analysis, writing and grant/fellowship applications.

Almost a third said they have reduced or no access to the software they require for research.

However, on the whole respondents were happy with the support offered by their institutions, supervisors and managers.

And respondents who felt their university had provided clear guidelines about work changes experienced higher feelings of well-being.

Nevertheless, around four in five respondents are reporting some mental distress, and stress is higher among doctoral researchers, women, those in the arts and humanities sector, and non-UK citizens.

Three-quarters of respondents are also showing low levels of mental well-being.

Speaking about PhD students and research staff, Nicola Byrom, principle investigator for SMaRteN, said: “They have been asked to transition to working from home and most are reporting a substantive negative impact on their ability to work and are experiencing high levels of stress in relation to their work.”

Janet Metcalfe, head of Vitae said: “These researchers are at critical stages in their careers and the restrictions due to Covid-19 are not only having a significant impact on their current research activities, but are likely to have long-term implications for their future careers.”

It is hoped the results will help funders and institutions be supportive of students and researchers.

UKRI’s Rubin said: “The mental health and well-being of our community is paramount, and UKRI is working to identify, understand and address the impacts of Covid-19 on the researchers we fund and the research that is underway, helping to provide support to researchers to navigate these unprecedented times.”


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15 & 16
JUNE 2021

The Restaurant & Bar Design Show location

15 & 16
JUNE 2021

The Restaurant & Bar Design Show location

Are you aware of the forthcoming Making Tax Digital for VAT?

From April 2019, UK businesses above the VAT threshold will need to process their VAT returns digitally. This means they will no longer be able to keep and submit manual records. Instead, HMRC will only accept VAT Returns provided via software supporting Making Tax Digital for VAT.

A modern tax system will make it easier for businesses to comply – but it will take time adjusting to the new process.

Making Tax Digital (MTD) is vital to the new system. It will integrate digital record-keeping and enable businesses to generate and send updates directly from their software to HMRC and it starts with VAT.

Sounds great – and it really is! But, if you are a VAT registered business there are some important factors to consider like timings, software and support. Let’s take a closer look.

Tick, tock

April 2019 may seem a while away but before you know it, it will be the end-of-year rush and then the new year. Don’t push MTD to the bottom of your task list and get caught up in a last-minute panic to update your processes by 1 April.

In fact, you can make your tax digital right now. There really is no need to wait for the last possible moment.

Software set-up

You need to decide about your accounting software soon to avoid any potential complications that could arise from upgrading or migrating your software. Remember, the use of technology is compulsory. Bear in mind that it will be far easier to use online accounting software to desktop software is not typically able to submit tax online. By making tax digital for businesses, HMRC requires you to submit returns online and it will be far easier to use online accounting software.

Start assessing your online accounting software options now and make sure that the one you choose is easy to use and ticks the following boxes:

  • Automatically calculates the tax you owe (including VAT and payroll tax).

  • Pulls transaction data straight from your bank, your invoicing software, or your POS system.

  • Updates your transactions every day, allowing you to stay on top of bank reconciliation.

  • Creates digital records of paper receipts just by photographing them with your mobile phone.

Accountancy assistance

While you don’t necessarily need an accountant for MTD,  it might be worth seeking assistance with the actual transition. A good accountant can make the shift to MTD easier if they are up-to-speed with HMRC’s plan as well as the implementation schedule.

How Xero can help

We consulted with HMRC on MTD so we understand the requirements and timelines inside out. Our beautiful online accounting software is built for small businesses which means we can guide you and your advisors through the transition. You or your accountant can trial our software to assess its relevance for your business needs – and our team of Small Business Specialists as well as our partner network will help you get to grips with it quickly.

Here’s something to keep in mind, we’re actually offering an early-bird business special: 25% off for the first three months – just use the code MTD25. And, as soon as you’re ready to sign up, you can transfer your data into Xero from other software providers and we’ll pay for the transfer via our partner, Movemybooks

Embrace change

Change isn’t easy – even for the most adventurous of us. And if change involves adopting new technology, then it’s often ignored until the last minute. But fear not, MTD really isn’t as daunting as it seems. In fact, keeping digital records and filing VAT returns through software quarterly could actually reduce your workload and improve your agility. In other words, you’ll be able to spot any opportunities and threats faster – which is really good news for your business.

Save time and stress

Xero can automatically handle tasks that used to take up all of your time. From importing bank transactions to sending invoice reminders, we’ll do the work for you which will ultimately get your books done faster and give you time back for things that matter to you.

Restaurant & Bar Design Show Is Running Alongside...


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Front Tour Image
Back Tour Image
Sides Tour Image
Top Tour Image
Bottom Tour Image
Box Photo

In the box, you get:

* The camera itself

* Set of AA batteries

* Getting Started guide

* USB cable

* Video out cable

* Canon Digital camera Solution Disk CD

* Wrist strap

Noticeably absent from this is the full manual (Canon only offers this online) and a battery charger.

We test color accuracy by photographing a color chart under tightly controlled conditions, then measuring the accuracy of the captured images. We found that the most accurate color mode of the SX120 was with the My Colors setting set to Off. In this mode, most of the colors were accurate, although we did find that the camera had some issues with yellows and the deeper reds: both of these were a little more muted than we like to see. But overall, the SX120 did an excellent job capturing colors accurately. More on how we test color.

The SX120 offers a number of color modes through the My Color option on the menu. The modes on offer are Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White and custom color. Most of these are self-explanatory. The Vivid mode boosts the saturation of the colors, while the Neutral mode goes more towards muted, natural colors. We found that turning the My Colors feature off produced more accurate color, though. The custom mode allows you to make adjustments to contrast, sharpness and saturation.

Noise is the bane of the photographers life. It's the stuff that creeps into pictures and causes a speckled, grainy appearance in images, especially those shot in low light. We test noise by taking photos of a color chart at every ISO level that the camera offers, and measuring the amount of noise in the images. We found that the noise in the photos taken by the SX120 was generally low, but it was definitely noticeable at the higher ISO settings. The graph below shows the noise (as a percentage of the total signal forming the image) against the ISO at two light levels: 3000 lux (about the same as bright sunlight) and 60 lux (indoor lighting). Although both light levels had the same pattern of noise, there was slightly more at the 3000 lux level. Presumably the camera is introducing some other form of noise reduction at the higher ISO levels at 60 lux for the longer shutter speeds that are required. More on how we test noise.

If we look at the noise level of the SX120 compared to other cameras, we can see that it competes well with the others. The Kodak Z950 has slightly lower noise overall, but the Canon has good low noise overall, and has lower high ISO noise than the Panasonic ZS3.

The SX120 has an ISO range of 80 up to 1600, with stops on the way at 100, 200, 400 and 800. That's a pretty typical range for a high-end point and shoot camera, and gives enough flexibility to shoot in all situations from bright daylight to indoors. What is missing is the higher ISO settings that some cameras offer by lowering the resolution of the images. As you can see from the examples below, the Canon has quite a lot of noise at the higher ISO settings, but the noise is a lot softer than the Panasonic.

Related content

NOTE: The images above are not used in our testing or scoring, but are included here to show real-world examples of the differences between cameras at the various ISO settings.

Our resolution score is based on three separate tests: distortion, sharpness and chromatic aberration. In our distortion test, we look at how much straight lines become curved across the zoom range. To test image sharpness, we look at how sharp a slanted line in the test image is. Finally, we look for chromatic aberration, the color fringing that some images show because of poor optics. Overall, the SX120 performed well in these tests: we found low distortion and good sharpness. We did find a bit of a problem with chromatic aberration, though; there was some fringing evident at the longest zoom setting.

As you can see from the example crops below, the images do get a little soft at both the mid and telephoto points of the zoom range, and this means that images will look somewhat softer than those shot at other points on the zoom range. More on how we test resolution.

Distortion ()

We found only minor issues with distortion: the only point that we found anything significant was at the wide end of the zoom range, where images had some barrel distortion (around 2.7 per cent). This means that straight lines at the wide end of the range become curved inwards towards the center of the image. This is rather a lot of barrel distortion; much more than we would like to see, and definitely enough that it would be visible in images.

An example of the distortion we saw is shown below. The red line was added later, and shows what a flat line should look like.

Sharpness ()

We found that the images that the SX120 captured were generally nice and sharp. They were not perfect, though; we saw some problems at the telephoto end of the zoom range in particular. Here, the images got rather soft, with the sharp edges of our test chart turning into soft, blurry messes, as you can see on the examples below.

Chromatic Aberration ()

We also saw some issues with chromatic aberration sneaking into images, both in the middle and the telephoto end of the zoom range. In both cases, there was a fair amount of aberration at the edges of the images, which can be seen as a slight color fringe to some sharp edges.

At its highest resolution, the SX120 shoots 10 megapixel images with a 4:3 aspect ratio. If you want to go widescreen, you also get the option of shooting in a wide screen mode with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Two quality settings are also on offer: Fine and Normal. Normal mode uses a much higher compression on the images, almost doubling the number that will fit onto a memory card.

The SX120 includes an optical image stabilization system, where an element within the lens moves to compensate for camera shake. We found that this was moderately effective, producing a marked improvement in the sharpness of images with it enabled, although it was not as effective as the more aggressive stabilization of the Panasonic ZS3. There are several different modes for this feature: you can disable the stabilization, have it run continuously or just while shooting or put it into a panning mode. In the latter, the system will not try and compensate for horizontal pans, so the system doesn't get confused between had shake and a panning motion. More on how we test image stabilization.

The movie mode of the SX120 is adequate for taking a quick video of the dog or children doing something cute, but not for much more than that. Although we found the performance to be decent (see below), you can't use the optical zoom features of the camera while shooting. While you can use the zoom up to the maximum 10x before you start recording, you only get a 4x digital zoom which turns the video into a blurry mess in low light while recording. This is presumably because the zoom mechanism is rather noisy. The SX120 can also only shoot at a maximum resolution of 640 by 480, which looks positively primitive next to the high definition video that many other compact cameras are now capturing.

Although they are not in high definition, we did find that the videos that the SX120 captured had good color. Given the good color performance of the SX120 as a still camera, that's not surprising, but it is good to see. More on how we test video color.

We were a little less impressed with the sharpness of the videos that the SX120 captured. Although they were pretty sharp for the resolution that the camera records at, they just didn't have the detail of the high definition videos that cameras like the Panasonic ZS3 can capture. However, the SX120 video is much sharper than the video of the Nikon L100, which has the same resolution. This just goes to show that resolution isn't everything. More on how we test video sharpness.

The SX120 has a great selection of options available for viewing photos after they have been captured. You can quickly create sideshows of your favorite shots and you get a good amount of control over the speed of the slides and the transition between them. On individual files or videos, you can also get a good amount of information on screen about how the photo was taken, as well as a histogram that shows the brightness. You can also zoom in and get a closer look at the photos using the zoom screen. You can also use the face detection features to detect a face in the photo, then use the zoom view to zoom in and check that they are in focus.

Basic image editing tools are provided on the SX120. You can rotate and resize images to smaller resolutions, as well as removing red eye and applying Canon's iContrast processing, which enhances shadow detail. But you can't do much else: there is no way to crop images down or adjust the color in an image.

The usual suspects are present for printing images from the camera. Individual images or batches can be flagged for printing with the DPOF system, where the printer will detect the DPOF tag and print the images when the memory card is inserted. The SX120 also supports PictBridge, where it can connect directly to a printer over the included USB cable to print without a computer being present.

There is no viewfinder on the SX120: the image preview and capture are done through the LCD screen on the back of the camera.

On the back of the SX120 is the LCD screen, a 3-inch model with about 230k pixels. Although this is a little on the low side in terms of resolution, it is big and bright enough that you get a good feel for the preview image and the ones you've just taken. This is also a fixed screen: it doesn't pop up or fold out.

LCD Photo

the flash of the SX120 is in a small pop-up section of the case right above the lens. This is placed pretty close to the lens, which means it does have a tendency to produce red-eye, but the camera can use a series of pre-flashes and software correction to deal with this, and both work pretty well. There are three flash modes: Auto, On and Slow Synch. The latter combines the flash with a slow shutter speed for a night portrait. To disable the flash, you just pop it back into the case. This process is purely manual; the flash will not pop up on its own, even in very low light.

Flash Photo

The lens built into the SX120 has a 10x zoom ratio, with the focal length of 6 to 60mm. In the more familiar 35mm equivalent, that is a range of 36 to 360mm. That means that the wide angle end of the zoom range is not as wide as some; many other cameras start at around 28mm. That may be an issue if you shoot landscapes or large groups; you may struggle to get those at the edge in the frame. The aperture range of the lens is also a little limited: at the wide end of the zoom you have a range of f/2.8 down to f/8.0, but this range shrinks to f/4.3 to f/8.0 at the telephoto end. That means that the aperture can't open up as much at the telephoto end, so zoomed shots in low light are going to look blurry because the camera can't open the aperture up to gather more light.

Lens Photo

The lens of the SX120 has a 10x zoom range

Two AA batteries provide the get up and go for the SX120. These fit into a compartment on the base of the camera, and you can use either disposable batteries of NiMH rechargeable batteries. Canon supplies a set of two disposable batteries with the camera, and offers a set of 4 rechargeable batteries and charger for around $60. These batteries cannot be charged within the camera itself; they have to be charged in an external charger.

Battery Photo

The two AA batteries and the memory card

Images captured by the SX120 are stashed on an SD or SDHC card inserted into the slot alongside the batteries, as shown above. Unlike many other cameras, the SX120 does not allow you to use its own internal memory to store photos or video temporarily: the camera refuses to capture any images if the memory card is full.

The SX120 is not particularly well connected; the single USB port on the side of the camera body allows you to connect it to the USB port of a computer or printer (the cable is included) or to output composite video and audio to watch on a TV. This cable is also included, and provides a composite video and analog audio output.

Ports Photo 1

The single output port of the SX120

Auto Mode Features

We found no major problems with the auto focus system of the SX120: it usually found the focus point within less than a second, even in low light. It did swim around a little if we disabled the AF illuminator (as it can be a little bright in a darkened room), but it generally had no problem finding the right spot to focus on. The system uses 9 focus points, and tries to get as many in focus as possible. There is, unfortunately, no way to choose a particular point to focus on if you are trying to get something off-center to be sharp: the camera goes with the focus point that gets as many focus points to be correct as possible.

Face Detection focusing is also offered: if you press the face detect button on the back of the camera, it will try and detect faces in the frame and focus and expose for one of them. If it picks the wrong one, you can press the face detect button again and it will pick the next one. The system can't focus on multiple faces at once.

The SX120 can add or subtract up to 2 stops of exposure compensation, measured out in 1/3 of a stop steps. There is no way to automatically bracket shots, though; if you want to get a range of exposures, you have to do it yourself.

The SX120 offers three exposure modes: evaluative, center weighted and spot metering.

The SX120 offers a lot of options in its self timer feature. As well as the usual simple 10 and 2 second delays, the camera can take a number of photos (from 3 to 10) when it detects a face in the frame. There is also a custom option which allows you to set the delay (up to 30 seconds) and the number of shots that are taken (from 3 to 10). The one thing that is missing is an interval timer, where the camera takes a number of shots at a preset time interval.

Scene Modes

The SX120 offers a lot of modes to shoot in: there are 14 scene modes, plus program, aperture priority, shutter priority and a full manual mode. That should be enough for any shooting situation, and the inclusion of the full manual mode also means that creative photographers can take that last bit of control for themselves.

The scene modes on offer include a wide range, but the Portrait, Landscape, Night Portrait, Kids & Pets and Indoor modes have their own spots on the mode dial. Below this is an option for scene, which is where you can select the others. This approach provides a good balance between allowing for a quick switch between commonly used modes, but also providing a good selection of modes to use.

The SX120 has 5 presets for white balance: Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent and Fluorescent H. Also included are a full auto mode and an evaluative mode, where you point the camera at a white object and it uses that to judge the white balance.

The lens of the SX120 has a slightly limited aperture range. While it is pretty wide at the widest zoom setting ( from f/2.8 to f/8.0 at the widest setting), it gets a bit more cramped at the telephoto end (f/4.0 to f/8.0).

In most modes, the shutter speed of the SX120 ranges from 1 second down to 1/2500 of a second. The slowest shutter speed extends out to 15 seconds in the manual mode, though.

The SX120 has two drive modes for taking multiple shots one after the other: there is the Continuous mode and the Continuous shooting SF mode. The difference (as the same suggests) is in the focusing; in the latter mode, the camera tries to refocus between shots, while it only focuses once in the first mode. We didn't see any significant difference in the speed of the two modes, and in both the camera was capable of shooting a lot of images: if you hold down the shutter, it will keep shooting. Some other cameras can only shoot a small batch of photos before it has to pause to write the images out to the memory card. the Kodak Z950, for instance, can shoot three images in just over a second, but then has to stop and write them out to the memory card.

Shot to Shot ()

The SX120 doesn't shoot all that fast, though; we found that it only managed to shoot a rather pedestrian 0.76 frames a second. This means that you'll probably miss the shot if you are relying on it to capture a football play or something similar.

We found that the SX120 fitted well into the hand, and felt comfortable to hold. But it's a good job that Canon includes a wrist strap, as the small ridge on the front of the camera that the fingers wrap around is too small to hold onto tightly. As such, we did find that the camera could slip out of our grip a little too easily.

Handling Photo 1
Handling Photo 2

The buttons and dials are located on the top (shown below) and on the back of the camera body. Most of these are well placed: the shutter button falls under the index finger, and the zoom control is right next to that for easy use. The mode dial is also well placed so it can be turned with the thumb of the right hand for one-handed shooting. However, two is easier for this as the camera does tend to slip somewhat because of the loose grip mentioned above. The other controls on the back of the camera body are also well placed and labeled, but you will need two hands to use them. We particularly like the combination scroll wheel and 4-way button, which makes scrolling through long lists in menus and through lots of photos easy.

Buttons Photo 1
Buttons Photo 2

The SX120 uses the standard Canon menu style, so users of other Canon cameras will feel right at home. When you hit the menu button, you are shown two tabbed sets of options: one for the shooting options, and one for the other settings. These tabbed sets are 3 or 4 screens long, but you can use the scroll wheel to quickly move up and down the list, then the Set button to choose the option.

The setup can be a little intimidating for new users, but overall it works well once you get used to it.

The SX120 only comes with a Getting Started manual in the box, but a more extensive manual is available as a free download. The Getting Started guide covers the basic options, but we would have preferred to see the full manual in the box as well.

The Canon PowerShot SX120 and the Kodak EasyShare Z950 are pretty evenly matched: both cost about the same, have a similar set of features and have broadly similar results in our tests. But there are a few differences the Kodak has a slightly longer zoom (12x against the 10x of the Canon) and shoots HD video. However, we didn't find that the Kodak's video looked much better than the Canon; although it does shoot 720p video, we did not see any major increase in the level of detail that it captured, and the colors in the Kodak's video were less accurate than the Canon.

The Canon also had better results in most of our tests of still photos: it had slightly better color and sharpness, although the Kodak had slightly better noise. The Canon also had much more effective image stabilization than the Kodak.

The Nikon Coolpix L100 has one advantage over the Canon PowerShot SX120: it has a significantly longer 15x zoom lens. But that's about it: in every test that we did, the Canon was the superior camera, with sharper images and video, better color, better stabilization and lower noise. Plus, the SX120 is much smaller and could fit into a small bag or pocket, while the L100 will need to hang around your neck. The only reason to pick the L100 over the SX120 is if you absolutely, positively have to have the longer zoom lens. And if that's the case, you would probably be better off saving up your pennies to get a better ultrazoom such as the Sony HX1, as the compromises in image quality that the L100 involves just aren't worth the lower price.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 is slightly more expensive than the Canon PowerShot SX120, but it also has a wider set of features and better performance. The ZS3 has a 12x zoom lens, while the SX120 has just 10x zoom to give. The ZS3 also captures video in high definition, and we found that the video it captured was significantly sharper than the Canon. But it was a pretty even race when it comes to the quality of the still images: both did an excellent job of producing sharp, bright images with good color. The Canon did have slightly less noise than the Panasonic, though, which could be important if you shoot a lot in low light situations.

The Panasonic is also the smaller camera by a considerable margin; it is just 1.29 inches thick, while the Canon is 1.79 inches. This means that the ZS3 fits quite happily into a jacket pocket, while the SX120 could ruin the line of a good suit. Neither camera is particularly compact, though; if you want something that will fit into a shirt pocket, you should be looking at cameras like the Sony T900. But if you don't mind trading a bit of bulk for performance, the ZS3 would be our pick if you can afford the extra, although the SX120 is a very good camera for the price.

The SX120 offers a lot for the price: you get a 10x zoom with a decent wide angle, a big screen and an easy to use camera for about $220. But there are a few rough edges: the quality of the captured images is generally good, but does fall off somewhat at the longer end of the zoom range. The videos it captures also look good, but they are standard definition, while many other cameras capture high def video.

On the upside, the SX120 does provide a great amount of control for the user; it's one of the few point and shoot cameras at this price point that offers a full manual mode that really lets the photographer take control.

Overall the SX120 is a great little camera that provides good value for money, and would be a great pick for the photographer on a budget who wants to point and shoot and shoot creatively.

Meet the tester

Richard Baguley

Richard Baguley

Richard Baguley is a valued contributor to the Reviewed.com family of sites.

See all of Richard Baguley's reviews

Checking our work.

We use standardized and scientific testing methods to scrutinize every product and provide you with objectively accurate results. If you’ve found different results in your own research, email us and we’ll compare notes. If it looks substantial, we’ll gladly re-test a product to try and reproduce these results. After all, peer reviews are a critical part of any scientific process.

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Can I Turn Down a Job Offer I've Already Accepted?

Your dream job is calling. Will you be blacklisted if you answer?

by Gretchen Brown
July 23, 2019 | Work

Kenzie had finally accepted a summer internship in Washington, D.C.

Then, a few weeks later, a better offer came in from a large government entity. She couldn’t say no.

“I sent the first place a vague email saying something about ‘unforeseen circumstances’ preventing me from working there,” she said. “And they replied back wishing me luck. It was relatively drama-free.”

That was five years ago. Kenzie, now 25, still doesn’t regret her decision to retract the first offer. (She asked that her last name be omitted for privacy).

Situations like Kenzie’s are common, mostly because, when you’re applying for a bunch of jobs at one time, hiring managers are not on the same page.

“One fellow told me it takes them three to six months to hire someone,” said career and transition coach Katherine Burik. “Another fellow had a job open on his team for 400-plus days. Another person said she had an offer letter typed but had to wait six weeks for the approvals to extend the offer. Imagine candidates sitting on the edge of their chairs waiting for those offers.”

Despite being so common, retracting an acceptance doesn’t always go so smoothly. You might be worried about bad feelings with the organization you reject, or closing off opportunities to work there ever again.

So when you’re faced with that situation — should you or shouldn’t you — it can be tricky to decide which path to take.

Do your best to prevent it

Best case scenario: you haven’t accepted any offers at all.

If you get one offer, and know you’re waiting on more, don’t accept on the spot. Ask for additional time to think about it, if you can.

“Be transparent to companies you are considering other offers you have received or expect to receive, as well as timelines,” career coach Jennifer Brick said. “Hopefully, though, you have marketed yourself so you are only speaking to opportunities you are very excited about.”

Illustration of hands opening an envelop with a letter that says
Getting that job offer feels so good...unless you get another.

That’s what Abby Mckimm did.

She interviewed for a teaching position at one elementary school, which offered her the job that night. The school also wanted her to sign the contract right away.

Knowing she had an interview at a different elementary school the next day, Mckimm pushed for more time to review the contract.

She knew that the second job would be in a better location, with better benefits and pay.

After the second interview, Mckimm told the interviewer that she had a contract waiting to be signed with another school district, which needed to hear from her that night.

“My principal expedited the process with human resources to get me a contract right away,” she said.

Take the interview

In some cases, like if you're unemployed, you might feel pressured to accept a job right away. You might have even started work there. Then your dream job rolls in. (Or what seems like it).

If it truly is your dream job, you should take the interview, says Stephanie Dennis, a career coach and host of the Career Talk podcast.

“The company you accepted an offer from will never know, nor do they need to know,” she said. “People are free to explore whatever opportunities they want. Would it be a crappy thing to accept a job then quit just after you start? Well, yes.”

At the end of the day, she said, a company wants their employees to want to be there. So if you’re stuck in a job just because you thought it would be “rude” to interview somewhere you’d rather be, your work might reflect that.

Or not!

However, if you’re confident about the job you just accepted, don't feel like you have to take another interview. Amanda Ponzar accepted a position at one company and was in the process of relocating for the gig when her “dream job” called.

Someone was resigning, and their job would be open soon, if she was interested.

Ponzar wasn’t.

“Everything in life happens for a reason, so it’s highly unlikely I’d ever change my mind after accepting an offer,” said Ponzar, now chief communications and strategy officer at Community Health Charities. “When I say yes, I’m in.”

The way Ponzar sees it, if you absolutely have to accept an offer and later turn it down, it’s better to do so before you’ve started work and been trained in.

Making the decision might feel agonizing to you, but it might not be as big a deal to the company.

“While it may be slightly inconvenient to the company you originally accepted,” Brick said. “There are a few things that will likely make it a blip on their radar: they may not have sent a notification to the other candidates who interviewed and were qualified, and they have not invested into your onboarding.”

Jamie Cohen, a career coach and HR manager, said he sees people back out of job offers all the time.

“It's even common for people to start a job and quit a few days/weeks later because they've found something better. Employees and employers do this equally,” he said. “In most cases, the worst that the company can do is make you ineligible for rehire at that specific company.”

[ICYMI: Should You Apply For a Job You're Not Qualified For?]

Be honest

The most important thing you can do is tell the recruiter or hiring manager as soon as you know you’ll be rescinding your acceptance. Whatever you do, don’t ghost.

“The faster you let the recruiter know, the sooner they can find someone else,” Cohen said. “It makes the process smoother for both parties.”

Thank the company for the offer. You can decide how honest you want to be.

Igor Kholkin, who does hiring as CEO of a boutique marketing agency, says that great hiring departments will use what you tell them to inform their future practices.

“For example, if the reason the candidate chose the other company was better pay, then the company knows it needs to offer better compensation,” he said. “If the reason was better brand image, then this can be used to drive your company's reputation and presence. Almost any honest feedback will be beneficial to a good hiring manager.”

As to whether you’ll be blacklisted from the company in the future: giving the news gracefully makes a difference. You don't have to burn a bridge.

Most states have laws preventing you from being blacklisted within an entire industry.

“If you leave on good terms, offering an explanation, to help find your replacement or train them at least, have a candid open conversation with your boss, etc., etc., it's likely you can keep the lines of communication open,” Dennis said. “If you write an email saying today is your last day because your dream job was just offered and you're out? Probably blacklisted forever.”

Gretchen Brown
Gretchen Brown is an editor for Rewire. She’s into public media, music and really good coffee. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter @gretch_brown.
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Breaking News

NATO Coalition: Five People Killed In Afghanistan Helicopter Crash

The NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan says five of its personnel, including two British soldiers, have been killed in a "nonhostile" helicopter crash at the mission’s headquarters in Kabul.

NATO’s Resolute Support coalition said five others were injured in the October 11 incident, which is currently being investigated.

The statement did not give details about the nationalities of those killed or injured when the helicopter crashed shortly after 4 p.m.

But Britain said two of its air force personnel were among the dead, confirming that it was “an accident and not the result of insurgent activity."

Earlier, a U.S. military spokesman was quoted as saying an "incident" involving a NATO aircraft and an observational balloon had taken place "in the vicinity of the Resolute Support base."

Helicopters have been increasingly used in recent months in Afghanistan -- including within Kabul -- by personnel from embassies, NATO contractors, and foreign troops due to the risk of attacks on convoys.

Also on October 11, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden car near a foreign military convoy in downtown Kabul during the morning rush hour.

Officials said there were no fatalities in that attack, which targeted forces attached to the Resolute Support mission, but that three Afghan civilians were injured in the bombing.

Based on reporting by AFP, dpa,, AP, and Reuters


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Breaking News

Iran Floats Prospect Of Opening Energy Industry To West

Kharg Island, which is home to one of Iran's most important oil fields
In anticipation of a thaw, Iran is preparing to capitalize on improved relations with the West.

And to win skeptics over to the idea that crippling economic sanctions targeting Iran should be dropped, Tehran is floating a huge incentive -- the prospect of giving Western investors access to the country's vast oil and gas reserves.

Western-friendly Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh has been sending signals that the new spirit of openness being displayed by Iranian officials could extend to Iran's energy market.

In recent weeks, he has touted the competitive advantages of extracting oil and gas in Iran, and said contracts are being rewritten to allow for more foreign investment in the sector -- including to develop the massive South Pars field.

"We will do anything necessary to get back Iran's share in the oil market," Zanganeh was quoted as saying by the Iranian Oil Ministry's news agency, Shana, on October 1. "Contacts have been made [with foreign energy companies] to that effect and all of them are willing to return."

Iran appears to be exploring the idea that the lure of a more liberalized oil market and the promise of sweetened oil contracts could get the West to loosen harsh economic sanctions on the Islamic republic.

Oil Production Way Down

Iran has the world's third-largest proven oil reserves and the second-largest natural-gas reserves. But economic sanctions imposed by the United States and European Union that target Iran's oil and banking sector have squeezed the country's oil output and made it difficult for it to sell its oil on the international market.

Sanctions have also dissuaded Western companies from investing in Iran, causing oil production in the country to fall to its lowest levels in two decades. Oil exports have fallen by half from pre-sanction levels, costing Tehran billions of dollars in lost revenues annually.

Iranian-born economist Mehrdad Emadi, of the Betamatrix consultancy in London, says falling oil exports and a flagging economy have prompted a rethink in Tehran.

"Inside Iran, we see recognition that the era of top-down management of the oil industry hasn't been very fruitful and productive to the economy," Emadi says. "The recognition is that the private sector in Iran should be allowed to come in and foreign companies should be allowed to invest."

Any immediate or broad loosening of sanctions is unlikely. Western countries have said sanctions will only be scaled back if Iran takes concrete steps toward reducing uranium enrichment and shedding light on its nuclear program.

Western countries have imposed sanctions on Iran to punish it for its nuclear program, which the West believes is designed to create an atomic weapon. Iran says its program is only for peaceful purposes.

Queue Forming

Iran has an opportunity to prove that its new spirit of openness is more than just talk in meetings this week in Geneva with the P5+1 -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, and China, plus Germany.

Major Western oil companies have been quick to show their interest in investing in Iran should sanctions be lifted.

Peter Voser, chief executive of oil and gas giant Royal Dutch Shell, said during a press conference in London on October 1 that opening up Iran's energy sector to international companies is vital to meeting the world's energy needs. "Longer term, Iran's oil and gas resources will have to be developed to meet demand," he said.

At the same press conference, Christophe de Margerie, the chief executive of the French energy giant Total, told reporters that his company was eager to return to Iran if sanctions were eased and Tehran made energy contracts more lucrative.

Zanganeh has said he has held informal talks with half a dozen foreign energy companies about resuming their activities in Iran.

Zanganeh was expected to travel to New York last month with President Hassan Rohani for the United Nations General Assembly, which could have put him in contact with the heads of U.S. and European oil firms. He canceled his travel plans at the last minute, however.

Emali expects major Western energy companies to return to Iran eventually. He says declining oil output in the Middle East, the discovery of massive new oil fields in Iran, and the possibility of eased sanctions makes Iran an attractive market.

"These [new discoveries] promise to make Iran incredibly profitable for any foreign partner that is willing to take the initial risk and enter the market," Emadi says. "Sanctions are going to be softening, at least, in the next 12 to 18 months and, if that's the case, there is very serious advantage to be an early entrant into the Iranian oil market."

Bitter Memories On Both Sides

Central to Zanganeh's apparent attempt to lure foreign energy companies to return to Iran is to reform the country's so-called "buy-back" contracts.

Under those contracts, investors are paid in oil and gas from projects they develop with their own money, but then they have to hand the project back to Iranian state companies when finished and wait to be paid.

The issue of foreign ownership of oil and gas fields in Iran is a contentious one, a legacy of political turmoil in Iran in the 1950s and vivid memories of the days when the country's oil industry was controlled by Western energy companies.

After the Islamic revolution in 1979, Iran nationalized its energy sector and kicked many Western companies out. U.S. oil firms have been barred by Washington from working in Iran for the past two decades.

Djamchid Assadi, an Iranian economist at ESC Groupe Business School in Dijon, France, says any move by Tehran to liberalize the energy sector and invite Western companies to return would likely be met with stiff opposition from Iran's hard-line conservatives.

"Hard-liners still hold the power. They accept foreign investment in some cases if they have rights in it and if they can get benefits from it," Assadi says. "They want to make sure they keep their privileges so they can receive money from any contracts with foreigners."


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By Edwin Almeida

November 2, 2018

Is it the beginning, or is this the tail end of the surge in for-sale listings, in the Sydney Region? If we were to believe the Main Stream Media (MSM), it is the end and things will settle down into 2019.

I say to the above, pigs fly.

There were a few factors which contributed to the slow rise in numbers, at the beginning of spring. Heavy rain extending over a few weeks, as well as time delays when dealing with tenanted property, are a couple of notable issues.

Notwithstanding, the numbers are rising now, and rising rapidly on a daily basis. However, the narrative in the MSM is a “don’t panic - all is fine - steady as she goes.”

In the meantime, others continue with the rhetoric - Listing numbers are slowing down, as owner occupiers, take their properties off the market and it's not as bad as it seems.

The graph below, shows the ongoing trend, in sales-listings as they continue to rise. It may be true to say, owner occupiers are taking their property off the market. It is also true, in my opinion, the large numbers coming on the market, are investor-owned properties.

Types of Investment properties that are flooding the market.

  • Interest Only Investors – people with matured IO Loans that are now forced to convert to, Principal and Interest and can't. With the only option to sell.
  • Houdini Investors – off-the-plan sold property, finding their way back into the market. Investors unable to settle for various reasons.
  • Astute Investors – owners that are carefully analyzing present market conditions and see that it is time to exit.
  • Dilapidated and Badly Maintained Investments – property that now sits on the rental market for a long time and is too costly or owners are not in a position, to repair.

Where to next, if you are in a position that you have to sell?

The simple answer and for many somewhat complex, is to get on the market ASAP. I encourage you, to seek all your financial – tax advice, prepare  your property and do it quickly. We are moving deeper and deeper, into a buyer’s market territory. Now consider the following points.

1) Get on the market

  • Don’t procrastinate, if you have been putting it off obtaining – maintenance or seeking financial advice, move quickly. The more you wait, the more competition you will have.
  • Competition means – lower prices and longer days on market.

2) Meet the market

  • There are many free sites to gather good property information and besides, your agent should also provide sound advice about the property price point.
  • The market is changing rapidly and in many areas, downward pressure on prices is greater.
  • Not all suburbs are the same, not all Local Government Areas are the same and although the MSM post averages, for property values. It is important to become familiar with what is truly happening in your local area.

3) Understand it's both - Price and Credit

  • It's not just about the price point alone, in and under this market. Credit plays a very significant part. Banks have tightened up credit-conditions.
  • Work with the buyers. Many of my colleagues, have lost buyers and all due to vendor and agent-impatience.

There are many other factors to consider, when taking a property to market and particularly in these conditions. For now, the importance of this message is: for-sale listings are heading north and rising quickly. Don’t procrastinate on preparing your property and entering the market.

As always, feel free to reach out and send me an email:


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Compact Spinning

Highest Flexibility, Perfect Yarn Structure

The Rieter compact-spinning machines produce fully compacted premium yarns (Com4®compact). In compact spinning, the fibers are compacted before spinning and thus optimally integrated into the yarn body. The compact yarn produced in this way convinces with a unique yarn structure and unique yarn properties. The flexibility of the compact-spinning machines and the compacting system is demonstrated in the versatile yarn variations and applications.

The new add-on compacting devices COMPACTdrum and COMPACTeasy are simple to install and remove, enabling switching between ring yarn and compact yarn. The yarns fulfill a range of different customer requirements – very high yarn tenacity and reduction in hairiness. The proven EliTe® compact-spinning system from Suessen complements Rieter’s range of compacting solutions.

  • Compact-Spinning Machine K 48

    The compact-spinning machine K 48 produces compact yarns with highest performance and lowest energy consumption. The fully electronic drafting system FLEXIdraft provides extraordinary flexibility to the machine. The integrated individual spindle monitoring system ISM premium ensures a high level of machine efficiency.

  • Compact-Spinning Machine K 47

    The compact-spinning machine K 47 produces compact yarns using an extremely low amount of energy. With the semi-electronic drafting system, the machine meets all requirements for an economical yarn production. The integrated individual spindle monitoring system ISM basic can save about 3% of the personnel costs and makes the K 47 a highly efficient machine.

  • Piecing Robot ROBOspin

    The piecing robot ROBOspin repairs ends down in Rieter ring and compact-spinning machines. Automating this process ensures a high productivity, reduces labor costs and makes the operational organization of the spinning mill easier.

  • Compacting Device COMPACTdrum

    The compacting device COMPACTdrum for the Rieter ring spinning machine is easy to install and remove. It adds a new dimension to reducing hairiness, which impresses customers along with the very low production costs. The device processes all raw materials and covers all yarn counts.

  • Compacting Device COMPACTeasy

    The compacting device COMPACTeasy is the new mechanical compacting solution that is attracting customers thanks to its low investment costs. COMPACTeasy produces yarns with excellent characteristics from all standard raw materials. This is based on the intensive double compacting that does not require any additional energy.

  • New EliTe®Compact Spinning System

    This pneumatic compact spinning concept ensures high machine efficiency, best yarn qualities and lowest yarn parameter variations between spinning positions.

Rieter Com4® Yarns

Yarns for the most exacting requirements that ensure competitiveness in a dynamic market are Com4® yarns. Spun on Rieter ring, compact, rotor or air-jet spinning machines the Com4® yarns are characterized by excellent quality. Rieter customers profit from optimized production costs and good selling outlets.


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MLTC Library sorted by: Type

Title Media Thumbnail Language Subtitles Author/Directorsort descending MLTC ID
Polvere di Stelle DVD Italian Italian Alberto Sordi 5116
Mar Adentro DVD Spanish English, Spanish, Portuguese Alejandro Amenábar 9101
Dzhentlmeny udachi (Gentlemen of Fortune) DVD Russian English, French, Spanish, German, Russian Aleksandr Seryj 8120
Sleep Dealer Blu-Ray Disc Spanish English, German Alex Rivera 9603
The Turandot Project DVD Chinese English Allan Miller 2136
Listening Comprehension Audio CD to accompany Vis-à-vis Beginning French CD French Amon, Muyskens, OMaggio Hadley 3514
Free Zone DVD Arabic English Amos Gitai 1114
Monseñor DVD Spanish English Ana Carrigan, Juliet Weber 9164
Minha Mae E Uma Peca, O Filme (My Mom Is a Character) DVD Portuguese English André Pellenz 7157
Quand on a 17 ans (Being 17) DVD French English André Téchiné 3129
Wild Reeds (Les roseaux sauvages) DVD French English André Téchiné 3103
Io sono Li (Shun Li and the Poet) DVD Italian Italian Andrea Segre 5167
Machuca DVD Spanish English Andres Wood 9117
Siberiade DVD Russian English Andrey Konchalovskiy 8108
Elena DVD Russian English Andrey Zvyagintsev 8104
Eu Tu Eles (Me You Them) DVD Portuguese English, French, Chinese Andrucha Waddington 7113
Eat Drink Man Woman DVD Chinese English Ang Lee 2128
The Wedding Banquet DVD Chinese English Ang Lee 2126
Pushing Hands DVD Chinese English Ang Lee 2127
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon DVD Chinese English, French Ang Lee 2102


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Welcome to Rives d'Or Hôtel ***

Situated near the Mediterranean sea in the french provence about 100m of a natural sand beach,
in the heart of the village "des Sablettes",
a charming and authentic french village full of life..

Rives d'Or Hôtel and the staff
welcome you throughout the year.

The Hotel has been completely renovated. All rooms offer well-being and the comfort inspired by our most beautiful french riviera shores..

Our team is at your disposition for custom stays,
don't hesitate contacting us.

Half board ( breakfast and dinner), seminars, birthdays, honeymoons etc....

2177, Corniche G. Pompidou
Les Sablettes
83500 La Seyne-sur-Mer

+33(0)4 94 050 050

19 rooms with balcony

3 rooms for handicapped people with terrace

2 junior suites with large balcony/terrace

Reception 24h/24

Breakfast Room
2 restaurants at a five minutes walk

Garden, terrace

Bar lounge with winter garden

Bar with panoramic view on the rooftop

Private parking on reservation

Free Wifi in the hotel and rooms

Multilingual staff

We have some telephone issues that are being handled by our tech team. , If you want to call us to make a reservation or any other reason, please dial :

+(33 0) !!!

We're sorry for the inconvenience

95 Euro / night for a seaview room
115 Euro / night for a juniorsuite

Rives d'Or's charms

to your corporate events!

Infos & Reservations
04 94 050 050

The hotel has the label
« Var Tourism & Handicap »

All the public places in the hotel are accessible for handicapped people,
3 of our rooms are specially equiped to receive handicapped hosts.


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Riviera Pools pool and backyard lighting

Lighting in your pool can change the entire way your pool looks. Nighttime swimming is sometimes the best time to take a dip in the pool. Both white light LEDs and color-changing lights can brighten up your night swims.

Riviera Pools installs Pentair's Globrite color-changing lights, or IntelliBrite white LED underwater lights. The Globrite’s feature 5 fixed colors and 7 light shows. Color-changing lights are a creative way to make your pool stand out. These lights will showcase your pool while you are entertaining at night. If you are searching for a simpler look, then the white LEDs are right for you. These lights will allow you to have a clearly lit pool when you are swimming at night.

With IntelliBrite, the LED lights can be mixed and matched to create different and new color combinations for your pool. LED lighting is more energy efficient and doesn't require the bulb replacement like the older style pool lights. Also, the IntelliBrite lights use 75% less wants than a normal lighting system. IntelliBrite only needs 37 watts in comparison to other lights which need 161 watts. This help your pool’s lighting remain efficient.

Magic Stream Laminars create totally clear, lighted arcs of moving water. These arcs can be coupled with LED color-changing lights in order to create an aspect of entertainment to your pool.  Color Vision lighted bubblers are beautiful colored foam jets that can be installed on a sun shelf or ledge.  Click here to see a video of these lighted water features.

Magic Bowls by Pentair make a stunning architectural statement on any pool or spa.  Sculpted from a durable, UV-resistant material, MagicBowl has a shape and metallic composite finish to suit your tastes and accent your poolscape with style. Glowing and flickering lights create a dramatic flame effect that brings the fountain to life.

Landscape lighting is another very important part of the overall design process. We offer many different styles of landscape lights to compliment any landscape design. We use white lights and LED IntelliBite Spot lights that can change color with the pool and spa. Your design consultant can design a lighting package that will be just right for your backyard.


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  1. Just in case anybody doesn't want to put up with the horrendous, unblockable mobile advertising on that site: props.pdf It opened a video ad within a video ad on my phone, so I was being blasted with two adverts simultaneously.
  2. I have almost all of the first-party Wii-U collector's editions but I regret it a bit now as they basically have a couple of shelves to themselves. I used to have 30% staff discount on this stuff so it used to cost me quite a bit less than usual but it's all space I'm struggling to reclaim now. My wake-up call was this stupid bloody thing: Never again. Glad I managed to sell it in the end.
  3. I keep coming back to this train of thought and it's fine for people like me that grew up discovering fare like Taxi Driver... for a generation raised on the crash-bang-wallop of CGI action figures I have to wonder what the market for smaller films is like now. With that in mind, sleeper hits on streaming services and films like Joker are an interesting intersection between the two and a possible test of the waters as they currently stand.
  4. I don't think it actually exists beyond prototypes yet anyway. Analogue ran a similar pre-order programme to fund development of the original Nt. I'm in the same boat when it comes to the battery. I'd dearly love to use my Eneloops, even if it added extra thickness to the unit.
  5. I'm patient. I waited until the Nt Mini was around and for over a year before I bought a Super Nt or a Mega Sg. I've never had any trouble buying their consoles, really. I don't need the Pocket in May- not that I think that it'll actually be released then. As a company, their stock availability appears to be dictated by whatever one or two things they happen to be focused on and as the Pocket will be their principal system for a while, it should be easy enough to wait and pick one up from subsequent batches. "Haul" culture. I'm frequently astonished by this as well but I often suspect I'm seeing the spoils of a loud and prolifigate minority. I suppose console launches give people enough lead time to sell things and save up if they have to.
  6. I didn't say all of them. With the Mega Sg they sent the wrong units to people who had ordered a specific design and had to recall the first batch of defective Game Gear cart adapters. Minor goofs that have since been rectified but coupled with aforementioned concerns it's enough to give me pause for thought before spending the money.
  7. The little screw ups don't inspire confidence in the first batch of any new hardware but they get there in the end. Hopefully it turns out to be good from launch.
  8. That's a lot of people parting with significant amounts of cash. Is there even footage of one running yet?
  9. One of my favourite film lines ever is "These blocks... are under... arrest!" I used to like the Game Boy one when I couldn't play the SNES version. I had one of those monstrous front-lit magnifiers though, so I could actually see what was going on. One of the worst GB games for clearly separating characters and backgrounds as I recall- they went for detail but the palette was too similar, so it was occasionally an indistinct green mush.
  10. Can't unsee the perma-startled face of Dominic Cummings.
  11. I'll assume you're just being glib here! LiS1(and BtS) had some surprisingly good material about grief and coming to terms with death that I found very relatable. Chloe's storyline with her dad, Joyce and David reminded me a lot of what came up in conversations I'd had with my friends after our parents died over the years. I'm not particularly interested in LiS2 but...
  12. Yeah, I didn't get the impression it was anything other than a throwaway remark.
  13. Not if Rico has been augmented and spent years on Titan.
  14. The 90s version of Mega City One was good though. I used to spend hours reading the "making of" book about it.
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Robotics Industry News

Dynamic Robotic Solutions and Tech-Con Automation become Shape Process Automation, a Shape Technologies Group Company

Shape Process Automation

Companies adopt a new, global brand identity

Kent, Washington –  Shape Technologies Group, Inc. (SHAPE), the world leading supplier of waterjet technology and ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) manufacturing process solutions, an American Industrial Partners (AIP) portfolio company, today announced the creation of Shape Process Automation, a Shape Technologies Group company. Shape Process Automation combines Dynamic Robotic Solutions with Tech-Con Automation to be the leading supplier of ultrahigh-pressure waterjet, laser robotic solutions, material handling and automation for unmatched material processing.

The Companies will adopt the new name beginning December 3, 2018, and transition all existing communications, marketing and branding, websites, and sales media to the reflect the new identity over the coming months.

The creation of Shape Process Automation furthers SHAPE’s mission as a global leader in the manufacturing process solutions industry. The combined companies increase the global footprint of Shape Process Automation, directly benefiting SHAPE’s customers with increased access to support and service by widening the aftermarket presence of Shape Process Automation globally.

“With this change we are able to better support our customers globally, providing them with increased access to our comprehensive range of products and services from UHP pump technology, systems, and integrated solutions,” says David Savage, CEO of Shape Technologies Group. “We will continue to provide and support our current product offerings, while driving innovative solutions for the future.”

About Shape Technologies Group
Shape Technologies Group, Inc. ("SHAPE") is the world's leading developer and provider of ultrahigh- pressure process solutions for advanced manufacturing and materials processing applications. The Company delivers innovative manufacturing process solutions to customers spanning 100 countries and a broad array of industries. The Company’s brands include KMT Waterjet, Flow International Corporation, Advanced Pressure Systems, Aqua-Dyne, Aquarese, H2O Jet, Shape Mined Materials, Shape Process Automation, and TOPS. For more information, visit www.shapetechnologies.com.

About American Industrial Partners
American Industrial Partners ("AIP") is an operationally oriented middle-market private equity firm that makes control investments in North American-based industrial businesses serving domestic and global markets. The firm has deep roots in the industrial economy and has been active in private equity investing since 1989. To date, AIP has completed over 65 transactions and currently has more than $3.2 billion of assets under management.

AIP invests in all forms of corporate divestitures, management buyouts, recapitalizations, and going- private transactions of established businesses with revenues of $100 million to $1 billion+. For more information about American Industrial Partners, contact Ben DeRosa, Partner at 212-627-2360, extension 200.

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Punk’s Not Dead: Avalon’s Burning

Snakes On A Game

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Hello, punks. All right, settle down, settle down. Jeremy, stop setting chequebooks on fire. Tom, leave those men in suits alone – they’re only trying to find their way back to their deathless horde. Honestly, what am I going to do with you lot? Would you ever stop spitting and kicking and absorbing intellectually acclaimed literature as if it was something you hate but secretly really, really like?

Last week, we spoke about Space Funeral and how the idea behind punk games was not to replace or destroy the legacy of previous developers but only to deliver a swift snotbit to the cheek of established genres. Merely as a symbol of profound respect, you understand.

And what is such a lofty goal without humour? Humour is what allows the punk movement to flourish. Without comedy, how could Space Funeral get its digs in at the genre which gave birth to it? Punk games float all too easily between parody and pastiche. If punk rock music was characterised by an indignant, angry satire, then punk games are characterised by surrealism. They aren’t angry with their forebears, as such. Instead, they find absurdity in everything – whether it’s mixing sexploitation with 80s arcade classics or throwing up some one-click British Games For British Peoples.

The reason so many of these games take the piss out of current or long-gone styles of game is partly because the tools available to the everyman have strict limits. When you use Adventure Game Studio you are shackled – surprise, surprise – by the rules of point and click. But another reason punks take the bickies is simply because they know the tenets of these genres inside-out. Right down to the turn of phrase of every cartoon character. Enter: Snakes of Avalon.

Snakes of Avalon is a noir-suspense adventure game set in a single room: a pub called Avalon. You play as a regular called Jack, who is in constant need of refreshment from the bar and suffers from an alarmingly chronic case of the DTs. In his daily stupor he uncovers a murderous plot and must work both with and against his various hallucinations to save the unwitting target in question. His ‘good conscience’ takes the form of a moose head on the wall, his ‘bad conscience’: a trophy fish that has pried itself loose from a plaque.

If substance abuse was a recurring theme in punk rock, let it be noted that Snakes of Avalon bravely follows suit. If you really wanted to, you could actually play a drinking game – Withnail & I style – and try to match Jack drink for drink as he stumbles through his beer-sodden misadventure. But I wouldn’t recommend it. There’s only so many Okocims a person can take in the space of an hour or so. But technically it could be done. You could probably even time your toilet-breaks to coincide with those of the main character. Snakes of Avalon has plenty of clever nods to cinema and games, but it isn’t beyond toilet humour. That said, this is toilet humour delivered in such a linguistically charming way that it barely seems crude at all.
For instance, at one point a spineless would-be murderer named Lester needs to use the bar’s toilet. But the door marked W.C. has been occupied throughout the entire game by a disembodied voice.

“Can’t you just do your thing and get out?” he cries through the door. “My ‘thing’ as you call it,” responds the voice, “requires focus and patience. I shall be keeping you informed of my progress.”

This absurd, twisted loyalty to the dialectical comedy of old-school adventures stands Snakes of Avalon in good stead, even as far as its puzzles go. They’re very basic inventory-combining conundrums and, admittedly, the centrepiece of the game includes a puzzle which isn’t perfectly signposted – but the puzzles make up for this in their self-awareness. One of the solutions involves combining a full bladder (which only re-appears in your inventory if you get rid of it the usual way) with a jar of honey and then throwing it at the femme fatale of the drama. “You threw honey mixed with piss at me!?” she cries. “AT ME!?” Again, the humour isn’t really in the vulgarity of the act but in her reaction. “AT ME!?” she yells, as if to throw the sweet urine solution at anyone other than herself would have been perfectly understandable.

But Snakes of Avalon’s comedic appeal lies not simply in its deft bawdiness or pre-occupation with bodily fluids. There’s a deeper intelligence behind it all, clawing to get out through the story-telling, which becomes clear by the end. Snakes of Avalon isn’t just punk comedy. It’s tragicomedy, with all the requisite death and mayhem thrown in. Almost everyone is doomed from the start, and they are essentially piss-takes of Hitchcock archetypes. But Jack, the beer-addled hero of the day, stands immune – because he is the greatest piss-taker of them all.

Its intellect doesn’t always make itself known in time, and the psychological aspects of Snakes’ story can get a bit muddled at times but even then it’s hard to tell if such tragic flaws are intentional or not. Special mention should be also made of the music by Thomas Regin and co, as well as the scrappy (and suitably punky) art by Alex van der Wijst. But to learn about the creation of the game in full, we spoke to its writer and programmer Igor Hardy.

RPS: Hello! For those who might not know yet, can you tell us a little about yourself and what games you’ve done in the past?

Igor Hardy: I’m a rather unspectacular Polish guy. Age 27. Not connected to the, so-called, professional game industry, but running a sweet, homely blog about indie-punk adventure games called “A Hardy Developer’s Journal”. I also happen to be a proud and active member of the Adventure Game Studio illustrious forum-based community, as well as one of the reviewers belonging to the mysterious AGS Panel (the self-righteous committee that assigns cups to AGS database entries). My first proper game project Frantic Franko: A Bergzwerg Gone Berserk – took me months because of how I liked working on it. It was planned as a small game to help me learn AGS – a brief chapter taken out of a huge epic about a psychotic dwarf journeying the world to find (and kill) the man who offended his clan.

RPS: Snakes of Avalon was a homemade point and click, with a surrealist edge. Why did you go for a hallucinatory angle?

Hardy: That’s a loaded question. My initial idea was to make a very modest game where a dozen or so of same looking barflies would be drunkenly bumping on each other in a pitiful looking mangy dive bar. Oh, and it would all be in lo-res and the drunken hero would emerge from a crowd of similar-looking pixels provoked by a sudden event. He would overhear a conversation about a murder! So back then it was to be an exercise in smart use of modest number of assets (of only one tight location in particular). No hallucinations – at least nothing visualized. But to finally make this game I partnered up with Alex van der Wijst. Alex wanted to test his new animation techniques and said that what really attracts him to my idea are the amounts of alcohol – ahem – I mean the opportunity for great amounts of animated alcoholic hallucinations.

And as Alex was one of my of favourite AGS developers (check out The Winter Rose!) and much more experienced than I am, I didn’t argue. Then it turned out he produced a dozen of hallucinations and melting animations on a whim, so I got excited about this angle too and we made the game as crazy as we could. But I ended up wanting to make it also really grotesque – alternating between bright, cheerful and dark, disturbing (perhaps I just wanted to pack it with nods to my favourite movies). Fortunately after several rounds of rewrites and player feedback we got it thematically really neat, with intricate consistencies amongst the madness. Especially the darker, bleaker stuff works well – sometimes becoming more myth-making than surrealism. I’m still surprised how deep many players dig into the backstories and symbolisms of the game, unravelling twists and possible interpretations that me and Alex have discussed but in the end didn’t go fully into. We might have actually created a pretty competent piece of fiction there.

RPS: Point and click is something of a niche genre at the minute and it has seen a lot of valid criticism. Do you think it’s a valuable one for new, inexperienced gamemakers to tackle, even with its faults?

Hardy: Is it a bit niche “at the minute”? – Yes and no. I prefer to use the wider term of “adventure games” – to put things into a better perspective. So for example, Braid is full of adventure gameplay concepts – especially in its most well-remembered puzzles. Amnesia is an adventure game, and so is L.A. Noire. Now, the main difference between those latter 2 and the traditional adventure games titles is puzzle difficulty. Avid adventure game players expect much more complex problems and less hand-holding. It’s no big secret that Amnesia was a heavily simplified and streamlined version of Penumbra games that preceded it, and in case of L.A. Noire you regularly hear complaints that the game provides solutions for you, if you didn’t work them out themselves.

But this approach works best for the majority of players. Also, the adventure gameplay potential is still largely unexplored. One of the great, unique things about Braid’s puzzles is that the clues and solutions for particular puzzles are often disguised as subtle elements of how the game world always behaves – how “the laws” govern it. That’s an example of the kind of interesting things you can design into games based on abstract thinking outside of pure logic. The possibilities are pretty much endless. Are there “valid” criticisms about adventure games? If adventure games do offer things that other genres don’t – then who cares really? Better a “broken” journey of a game than a well-oiled, but boringly competent machine.

RPS: How the story is told is obviously the most important component of an adventure game. Your characters in Snakes of Avalon are particularly dodgy and interesting. Were you influenced by film noir by any chance?

Hardy: Storytelling was definitely the most important aspect of Snakes of Avalon for us. Also it’s fun to pretend you are able to freely express your thoughts in English and write dialogs for a dozen of supposedly different-thinking characters – and then discover you didn’t do all that badly. The game’s “bookends” where the hero as the narrator recalling past events that led to a murder are indeed a film noir cliché (e.g. Sunset Boulevard). Atypically for adventure games the murder plot is not really a mystery piece, but a more of a suspense story. Something of a Hitchcockian tale of murder in domestic environments (don’t let the bar setting fool you) and creepy things happening in bathrooms. So I’ve went full on for that Hitchcockian feel – Act III in particular. The dreamy, surreal bits between the more ordinary crime story parts are also a cliché part of the Hitchcock style, but I’m happy the game ended up neither a pastiche nor something totally outlandish in its stylistics.

The legend of the Avalon island, Norse mythology (or what I knew of it from the comic book Thorgal) and a certain fun tricky storytelling devices from The Saragossa Manuscript were also important inspirations, especially for players interested in what the concept of “The Snakes” is about. Oh, and the characters… They’re largely either misfits or demonized reflections of the main misfit’s psyche. With the character of Vivien (sometimes spelled Vivian) I even played around with making her behave in somewhat different ways at different times – sometimes as domineering but shallow and other times as a cleverly manipulative femme fatale. The bartender Bob is probably the most human and consistent in characterization (as well as mundane and pathetic). And the two consciences were perhaps the most fun characters to write – especially since they turn out not what they seem at first. Jack is okay too – all about him is autobiographical, of course.

RPS: The artwork is very colourful and striking but also very scratchy and functional. Was there an idea behind it, or were you just throwing it together as you went?

Hardy: Alex is responsible for all the sprites and animations and I adjusted to his style, only trying to add a bit of darkness and broken perspective. I really love how naturally fluid he managed to make all character movements (and I’m not talking about the number of frames!) I remember he said that to work even faster (we did the first version of the game for a contest) he was incorporating animation mistakes into the style, taking advantage of those accidental details, so there you have your punk spirit right there!

RPS: Do you think there is a ‘punk’ movement in games after all? Or maybe we are just clutching at straws?

Hardy: Is ‘punk’ the most adequate term for it – I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure something broke among the rapidly rising expectations for high production values in indie games, and with the way indie developers are now specialists in building up hype on a string budget. There are growing concerns: what is the price you pay for that? Most notably the fear that we’ll wake up in a world of only pretend-indies. Where an indie game concept is just something calculated for hype, and not the result of fearless experiments and genuine expression of the creator’s personality and ambitions.
Some indie developers feel also excluded. Many of the main spaces for promotion and discussion of indie games are starting to be controlled by the same circles of friends, catering primarily to very specific tastes.

That’s, on one hand, understandable and fair – all those people worked hard to get there – and to some degree the creation of an “elite” out of success is unavoidable. But if we won’t worry about the negative consequences constantly, it can end up really bad. The time to worry is now, and the heated debate the Pirate Kart provoked at the current IGF was a very good thing. My own feeling is that we should be building a greater number of alternative (but reasonably friendly) indie game communities. And competing indie game paradigms. That’s what I would expect a ‘punk’ movement to create. Pretending to be one big happy family and everyone aspiring for the same things is a dangerous illusion. We should all have different principles.

RPS: If there was a ‘punk’ genre or sub-genre, what would you say its defining characteristics would be? And would you say you belong to that crowd?

Hardy: I might be just projecting what I would like to see more, but here goes: RAW, unedited ideas without much worry about presentation polish (no pun intended)! And I’m not talking about prototypes you create just to test if a mechanic works or not. It’s like this: First you ASSUME your wildest idea is possible (prototype it of course), then you do it. As good as you can, stumbling over the naiveties of your initial assumption and simplifying ideas to make it within a finite time.

Be prepared to scrap the whole project if you find out you’ve bitten off more than you can chew at the moment, and that no amount of simplifying and cheating can help. Craziness – doesn’t negate the need for thinking and re-thinking. But don’t be afraid of big ideas, and don’t spend time on prettifying and polishing it all endlessly – go for the scruffy charm! I don’t feel like I belong to any particular crowd. Maybe the AGS crowd – I spend there a lot of time.

RPS: Are you working on anything at the minute? Does it fall into a similar style of DIY game development or are you going for something new?

Hardy: Yes, I’m working on something new – I went into a completely different direction. I went for a dream project of mine – to take adventure games further into the largely still unexplored land, mostly forgotten, since the beginning of the 2000s. Basically I’m designing games with interfaces based on introvert insights into the player characters’ thoughts, and ruled by how the main characters’ minds work and how they perceive the world around them.

If you remember Discworld Noir from 1999 with its “detective notebook” puzzles or played the Blackwell games in which the same notebook is present in a simplified form – you do have an idea how cleverly a characters’ “thoughts” can be used for the puzzles without destroying the pacing or player’s sense of agency. I’ve been working on two game projects based around these goals. And after many months I’m almost finished with the second, shorter and simpler game called The Thought Saved for Last. A man comes running towards a lonely bus stop in the woods in the middle of the night. He just missed the bus to take him back home, so he sits down and starts waiting for the next. Then something begins to happen to him. During the game his mind starts slowly to fall apart. It will ultimately die, if you don’t do something about it.

As the player you can directly manage the thoughts the most strongly imprinted in his head. You can influence which of them keep safe for longer (hang onto), see how they evolve as they become more central. But of course it’s not a game with just one possible conclusion. I would compare the game to the likes of Daniel Benmergui’s Today I Die which is really a game after my own heart. But contrary to Daniel’s games in Saved for Last you don’t influence the world from the god’s/narrator’s position – you are limited to the character’s reach and what is going on in his head.

RPS: Thanks for your time.

The punk rockers of yesteryear made their music both funny and indignant at the same time. But with punk gamemakers, there doesn’t seem much reason to be angry. Because everything is just… so absurd. Instead, they go for balls-out madness. Or, in Snakes of Avalon’s case, they simply combine punky humour with its old ex-con friend: tragedy.

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Brendan likes all types of games. To him there is wisdom in Crusader Kings 2, valour in Dark Souls, and tragicomedy in Nidhogg.

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