While they are being advanced all over the planet as a pivotal weapon in decreasing fossil fuel byproducts, sunlight powered chargers have a typical life expectancy of 25-30 years. Specialists express billions of boards will ultimately all should be discarded and supplanted. "The world has introduced more than one terawatt of sunlight based limit. Customary sunlight powered chargers have a limit of around 400W, so in the event that you count the two roofs and sun based ranches, there could be pretty much as numerous as 2.5 billion sunlight based chargers.," says Dr Rong Deng, a specialist in sunlight powered charger reusing at the College of New South Grains in Australia. As per the English government, there are a huge number of sunlight based chargers in the UK. However, the expert framework to scrap and reuse them is deficient. Energy specialists are calling for pressing government activity to forestall an approaching worldwide ecological debacle. "It will be a waste mountain by 2050, except if we get reusing chains rolling presently," says Ute Collier, delegate head of the Worldwide Sustainable power Organization. "We're creating an ever increasing number of sun powered chargers - which is perfect - yet how can we go to manage the waste?" she inquires. • BBC Sounds - The Environment Question - How sustainable are renewables? It is trusted a significant step will be taken toward the finish of June, when the world's most memorable production line devoted to completely reusing sunlight powered chargers formally opens in France. ROSI, the expert sun powered reusing organization which possesses the office, in the Elevated city of Grenoble, trusts in the end to have the option to concentrate and yet again utilize the vast majority of a unit's parts. As well as reusing the glass fronts and aluminum outlines, the new manufacturing plant can recuperate essentially every one of the valuable materials held inside the boards, for example, silver and copper, which are normally the absolute hardest materials to separate. These uncommon materials can in this manner be reused and reused to make new, more remarkable, sun oriented units.
Regular techniques for reusing sunlight based chargers recuperate the majority of the aluminum and glass - yet ROSI says the glass, specifically, is of somewhat inferior quality.
The glass recuperated utilizing those strategies can be utilized to make tiles, or in sandblasting - it can likewise be blended in with different materials to make black-top - yet it can't be utilized in applications where high-grade glass is required, like the creation of new sunlight powered chargers.
Blast period The new ROSI plant will open during a blast period for sunlight based charger establishments.
The world's sun based energy age limit became by 22% in 2021. Around 13,000 photovoltaic (PV) sun powered chargers are fitted in the UK consistently - the majority of them on the tops of private houses.
As a rule, sunlight based units become moderately uneconomical before they arrive at the finish of their normal life expectancy. New, more productive plans advance at customary spans, meaning it can demonstrate less expensive to supplant sun powered chargers that are just 10 or 15 years of age with refreshed variants.
On the off chance that ongoing development patterns are supported, Ms Collier says, the volume of scrap sunlight powered chargers could be colossal.
"By 2030, we believe we will have 4,000,000 tons [of scrap] - which is as yet sensible - yet by 2050, we could wind up with in excess of 200 million tons all around the world."
To place that into viewpoint, the world right now delivers a sum of 400 million tons of plastic consistently.
Reusing difficulties The explanation there are scarcely any offices for reusing sunlight based chargers is on the grounds that there has not been a lot of waste to process and reuse as of not long ago.
The original of homegrown sun powered chargers is simply now reaching the finish of its usable life. With those units currently moving toward retirement, specialists say earnest activity is required.
"Right now is an ideal opportunity to ponder this," says Ms Collier.
France is as of now a pioneer among European countries with regards to handling photovoltaic waste, says Nicolas Defrenne. His association, Soren, accomplices with ROSI and different firms, co-ordinating the decommissioning of sunlight powered chargers all over France.
"The greatest one [we decommissioned] required three months," Mr Defrenne reviews.
His group at Soren has been trying different things with various approaches to reusing what they gather: "We're tossing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks."
At ROSI's cutting edge plant in Grenoble, the sunlight based chargers are meticulously dismantled to recuperate the valuable materials inside - like copper, silicon and silver.
Each sun powered charger contains just small pieces of these valuable materials and those parts are so interwoven with different parts that, as of not long ago, it has not been monetarily suitable to isolate them.
But since they are so significant, removing those valuable materials productively could be a unique advantage, says Mr Defrenne.
"More than 60% of the worth is contained in 3% of the heaviness of the sun powered chargers," he says.
The group at Soren are confident that, later on, almost 3/4 of the materials expected to make new sunlight based chargers - including silver - can be recuperated from resigned PV units and reused - to assist with accelerating creation of new boards.
At present there isn't sufficient silver accessible to fabricate the large numbers of sunlight based chargers which will be expected in the progress from petroleum derivatives, says Mr Defrenne: "You can see where you have a creation bottleneck, it's silver."
In the interim English researchers have been attempting to foster comparative innovation to ROSI.
Last year, specialists at the College of Leicester reported they had worked out how to separate silver from PV units utilizing a type of saline.
However, up until this point, ROSI is the main organization in its field to have increased its activity to modern levels.
Besides, the innovation is costly. In Europe, merchants or makers of sunlight based chargers are answerable for discarding them when they become superfluous. What's more, many blessing pulverizing or destroying the waste - which is far less expensive.
Mr Defrenne recognizes that escalated reusing of sun powered chargers is still in its early stages. Soren and its accomplices reused just shy of 4,000 tons of French sun powered chargers last year.
However, there is potential to do much more. Also, he's making that his central goal.
"The heaviness of the multitude of new sunlight powered chargers sold last year in France was 232,000 tons - in this way, when those wear out in 20 years, that is the amount I'll have to gather consistently.
"At the point when that occurs, my own will likely guarantee France will be the innovative head of the world."

A Latest intelligence report published by AMA Research with title "Global Crop Management Software Market Outlook to 2027. This detailed report on Crop Management Software Market provides a detailed overview of key factors in the Global Crop Management Software Market and factors such as driver, restraint, past and current trends, regulatory scenarios and technology development.
Crop management software refers to an application that allows farmers to organize all of their crop information in a centralized location. The crop management software helps the farmers to coordinate every aspect of farm management to improve productivity and farm operations. With the help of this software, farmer can keep tabs on the condition of their crops, farm activities, workers and farm equipment. It also helps farmers to organize the information about harvesting, shipping, planting seasons, packaging, and spray records. Crop management software can be used to see the cost of production and important field activities.
Major Players in this Report Include are:
Dragonfly IT (Canada)
AgWorks L.L.C. (United States)
Agrinavia (Denmark)
Agvance (United States)
Dairy One (United States)
FarmFlo (Ireland)
Cropio (United States)
Conservis (United States)
Topcon Corporation (Japan)
GEA Group (Germany)
Tetra Laval group (DeLaval) (Switzerland)
Agrivi (United Kingdom)
Market Drivers: Increasing Focus towards Farm Efficiency Globally
Growing Demand for Traceability in the Food Supply
Market Trend: Rising Demand for Fleet Navigation and Fish Tracking Services
Penetration of Cloud in Farm Data
Opportunities: Increasing Use of Mobile by Farmers Creates an Opportunity for the Crop Management Software
The Global Crop Management Software Market segments and Market Data Break Down by Application (Crop Tracking & Management, Weather Monitoring, Analytics and Report, Labor & Resource Tracking, Others), Components (Software, Service), Deployment Mode (Mobile Based, Cloud-Based), Agriculture Type (Precision Farming, Livestock Monitoring, Fish Farming, Smart Greenhouse Farming, Others), Service Type (System Integrators, Assisted Professional Service, Connectivity Service, Maintenance, Upgradation, Others)
Geographically World Crop Management Software markets can be classified as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa and Latin America. North America has gained a leading position in the global market and is expected to remain in place for years to come. The growing demand for Global Crop Management Software markets will drive growth in the North American market over the next few years.
Presented By
AMA Research & Media LLP

My husband and I are near completion on our first home in England!
We have a mortgage approved through HSBC with a £40k deposit, which we intended to mainly come out of our Moneybox LISA (we thought it would be about £38k) with the extra £2k coming out of a regular bank account. However, we realised that we messed up how much we'd have with government bonuses etc, and we've ended up with £40500 in our LISA.
I know the obvious thing to do would be to ask if we could just add the extra £500 to our deposit, but I'm not sure if that's possible? Also HSBC took two weeks to give us our mortgage offer, so I'm not sure if asking to add £500 to the deposit would add further delays.
Our solicitors have our payments due as the cost of the house + their own fees, so could they still take the full amount out of our LISA to pay towards the deposit and their fees? Otherwise I guess the money is just stuck there until retirement or we'll have to pay the penalty to remove it early. I know £500 doesn't seem like a lot in the scheme of buying a house, but it could get us a nice washing machine!
I hope this makes sense and isn't too stupid a question - it makes sense in my head but was hard to get down. I'm also aware I could just ask Moneybox, but they usually take a day or two to reply so I thought I'd see if someone here could advise.

I’m not sure living in the moment is the right term but let me explain:
I’ve been with my partner for 4 years, we’re getting married next year and the wedding will cost around £22k (ridiculous for one day I know), but my partners view is that you’ll only ever have one chance to have the perfect day, so in the end it’s worth it.
Also, we’re looking at a 2 week trip to the Maldives for our Honeymoon which will cost >£10k.
Now, while some might say this is ridiculous money (me included), I’ve come to the realisation that you don’t know what’s around the corner so you might never get to enjoy the money you’ve saved up for years. Her Dad died when she was around 21 years old from cancer so he never had the chance to have a holiday like this.
So I ask the question, what is a Boglehead’s view on this? Do you save as much as possible regardless of what ‘might’ happen so you can provide for your family in the future, or would you like to enjoy your wealth while you can as you never know what’s around the corner?
It’s a pretty dark outlook but it’s something I’m thinking about a lot recently.

If you're planning a trip to the beautiful hill station of Kasauli, you'll want to ensure that your accommodation is nothing short of extraordinary. Kasauli is home to a selection of luxurious resorts and hotels that offer a wide range of amenities to provide you with an indulgent and memorable stay. In this article, we present the ultimate list of amenities at the best hotels in Kasauli, allowing you to spoil yourself and make the most of your vacation.
1. Luxurious Rooms and Suites:
The best hotels in Kasauli offer luxurious rooms and suites that are elegantly designed and equipped with modern amenities. These accommodations provide spacious living areas, comfortable beds with premium bedding, and breath-taking views of the surrounding natural beauty. Whether you choose a room or a suite, you can expect the highest level of comfort and sophistication.
2. Spa and Wellness Facilities:
Pamper yourself with the exceptional spa and wellness facilities available at the top hotels in Kasauli. These establishments provide a serene and tranquil environment where you can relax, rejuvenate, and restore your mind and body. From soothing massages to invigorating body treatments, the spa centers offer a wide range of therapies tailored to meet your specific needs.
3. Outdoor Swimming Pools:
Escape the heat and take a refreshing dip in the outdoor swimming pools offered by the best hotels in Kasauli. Surrounded by lush greenery and picturesque landscapes, these pools provide the perfect setting for relaxation and leisure. Whether you want to enjoy a swim or simply lounge by the poolside with a refreshing drink, the hotels ensure a delightful experience.
4. Fine Dining Restaurants:
Indulge in a culinary journey at the fine dining restaurants within the best hotels in Kasauli. These establishments offer a delectable array of cuisines, ranging from local Himachali delicacies to international flavours. The talented chefs use the freshest ingredients to create gastronomic masterpieces that will delight your taste buds. With elegant ambiance and impeccable service, the dining experience at these hotels is truly exceptional.
5. Bars and Lounges:
Unwind and socialize at the stylish bars and lounges located within the hotels. These establishments offer a wide selection of premium spirits, wines, and cocktails, allowing you to relax and enjoy your favourite drink in a sophisticated setting. Whether you prefer a classic cocktail or a unique mixology creation, the skilled bartenders are dedicated to serving you with excellence.
6. Fitness Centers and Recreational Facilities:
Stay active and maintain your fitness routine at the well-equipped fitness centers offered by the best hotels in Kasauli. These fitness facilities feature state-of-the-art equipment and professional trainers who can assist you in achieving your health and wellness goals. Additionally, some hotels provide recreational facilities such as indoor games, tennis courts, or yoga studios to cater to your leisurely pursuits.
7. Concierge Services:
The hotels in Kasauli understand the importance of personalized service and attention to detail. They offer concierge services to assist you with various arrangements during your stay, including transportation, sightseeing tours, restaurant reservations, and more. The concierge staff is dedicated to ensuring that your experience in Kasauli is seamless and memorable.
8. Business and Event Facilities:
For corporate travellers or those planning special events, the best hotels in Kasauli provide modern business and event facilities. These venues are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and can accommodate conferences, meetings, weddings, and other social gatherings. The hotels offer professional event planning services and customizable setups to ensure the success of your business or social event.
9. Kids' Club and Activities:
Families traveling with children will find the best hotels in Kasauli to be family-friendly. These establishments offer kids' clubs and activities that cater to the younger guests. The dedicated staff organizes fun-filled experiences and educational activities to keep the little ones entertained and engaged throughout their stay.
10. Spectacular Views and Serene Surroundings:
Last but certainly not least, the best hotels in Kasauli are nestled in idyllic locations, offering spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Immerse yourself in the serenity and tranquillity of the natural surroundings, as the hotels are designed to provide a harmonious blend of luxury and nature.
In conclusion, the best hotels in Kasauli provide an extraordinary experience for travellers seeking an indulgent and memorable stay. From luxurious accommodations to spa and wellness facilities, fine dining restaurants, and recreational amenities, these hotels offer a comprehensive range of amenities to cater to your every need. Whether you're visiting for a romantic getaway, a family vacation, or a corporate retreat, the hotels in Kasauli ensure that your stay is nothing short of exceptional. So go ahead, spoil yourself and create unforgettable memories amidst the serene and picturesque landscapes of Kasauli.
FAQs:
Q1: What is the specialty of Kasauli resorts and hotels?
Kasauli resorts and hotels are known for their luxurious amenities and exceptional service. They provide a range of amenities such as luxurious rooms and suites, spa and wellness facilities, outdoor swimming pools, fine dining restaurants, bars and lounges, fitness centers, concierge services, business and event facilities, kids' clubs, and breath-taking views of the natural surroundings.
Q2: Can I enjoy spa treatments at the hotels in Kasauli?
Yes, the best hotels in Kasauli offer spa and wellness facilities where you can indulge in rejuvenating spa treatments and therapies. These facilities provide a tranquil environment and a range of services designed to relax and revitalize your mind and body.
Q3: Are there recreational facilities available at the hotels in Kasauli?
Yes, many hotels in Kasauli provide recreational facilities such as fitness centers, indoor games, tennis courts, and yoga studios. These facilities are designed to cater to your leisure and recreational needs during your stay.
Q4: Do the hotels in Kasauli provide concierge services?
Yes, the hotels in Kasauli offer concierge services to assist you with various arrangements during your stay. Whether it's transportation, sightseeing tours, or restaurant reservations, the concierge staff is dedicated to ensuring that you have a seamless and memorable experience.
Q5: Do the hotels in Kasauli offer facilities for families traveling with children?
Yes, the best hotels in Kasauli are family-friendly and provide amenities such as kids' clubs and activities to keep children entertained and engaged. The hotels ensure that families traveling with children have a memorable and enjoyable stay.

Several significant colleges and universities, especially the Institute of Technology, Pune, make Pune a well-known educational hub in India. Tourists and trekkers flock to the city because of its breathtaking surroundings and proximity to mountain towns like Khandala and Lonavala. Pune is referred to as the "Automobile Metropolis of India" due to the presence of numerous manufacturing plants for well-known automakers. In Pune, there are many beautiful buildings. Pune City has housing complexes that include skyscrapers and other stunning structures. There are some amazing palaces and homes in Pune, Maharashtra. A famous tourist location in India right now is Pune. the town's illustrious reputation for having everything
Projects In Pune
Shivom
Located in Vithalwadi, Wagholi, Ivy Nia is a project developed by Kolte Patil Developers. Each flat has been carefully thought out. With 72 Flats, the project is adaptable. The residences in Shivom are thoughtfully designed with the greatest outside and interior architecture in mind. A lasting impression is created not only by the architecture but also by the address. Shivom makes everything perfect. It is a dazzling illustration of the things that can be accomplished when talent and technology come together.1 bhk flats in Pune is available at a selling price of INR 36 Lacs respectively.
Monte Rosa
Located in Nimbaj Nagar, Anand Nagar, Monte Rosa is a project developed by BKP Group. Monte Rosa, Bhargav Kudale Patil Infrastructure's project. The traditional design principles will undoubtedly shift as a result of the waterfall that descends three storeys. There is a strong sense at passion among the creators of Monte Rosa to create and give a high-life experience that is unique to Pune. By selecting Monte Rosa as your home, you fulfill this commitment, with Sinhagad Road serving as the hub of city life.2,3,4 & 6 bhk flats in Pune is available at a selling price of INR 1.28 Cr,1.98 Cr, 5.29 Cr & 6.83 Cr respectively.
Mangalam Homes
Located in Moshi Gaon, Moshi, Mangalam Homes is a project developed by Yashashree Group. At Mangalam Homes, they are aware of all the desires you have for the perfect house. With lots of vegetation, great amenities, superb space layout, and luxurious specs, Mangalam Homes provide you with the most luxurious lifestyle possible, cementing their reputation as the best homes in Pune. The cost of living has decreased. It is connected to the rest of the city by a variety of significant streets and arterial roads, making it simple to access modern amenities like shopping, dining, recreation, medical care, & school.1& 2bhk flats in Pune are available at a selling price of INR 26 Lacs & 32.5 Lacs respectively.

(for context im white and from the south)
came here for a summer internship in silicon valley, and i have to say im surprised
compared to where im from, i mean yeah sure, theres trash on the street, graffiti everywhere, homeless pushing shopping carts full of trash, and a weirdly large amount of RVs on the street im told thats because people cant afford like actual housing, but its not quite as bad as i thought it would be
dont get me wrong, i knew the gas prices would be terrible, i knew the streets would be bad, i knew food would be 1.5x what it is at home, the girls on tinder have adams apples, and i knew when getting my first check the taxes would make me curse gavin newsom, these are all things we make fun of you people for, but again, it wasnt as bad as i thought it would be
I visited San Francisco, and I realized THAT IS WHERE ALL THE JOKES COME FROM. That place was a shithole in every sense of the word.
the malls are really cool, i went to that valley fair and ive never seen stores with bouncers before, they have gucci, rolex, prada, celine (which im told is nice). I didnt know those brands had physical stores. Ive tried lots of asian and hispanic food we dont have at home, and now i am in LOVE with vietnamese PHO. The people are actually relatively nice even when they dont speak english, which im noticing is often. Its been 3 weeks, and i havent been mugged or had my car broken into, which is good progress. Its cool to see mountains in all directions. I thought id be lynched off the plane for not having a nose ring and jolly rancher hair, but thats actually not as common as i assumed it would be. Its kind of cool being a minority for a change. Kind of a novelty
dont get me wrong i couldnt live here with the cost of living and not being able to partipate in elections, id just go to my companies office on the east coast. But california has so far proven to be kind of cool, like i could definitely see myself visiting for a vacation or something, which is more than what i thought given all the stereotypes, turns out they are only like half true.
so GG California, even though you people dont vote correctly (seriously, ro kanna is the best you can do?) ive enjoyed my time so far!
EDIT: oh shit i just realized i havent visited a gun store yet! oh thats going to be funny!

My friends and I are looking to go for an international trip in December / January. We want to keep it as cheap as possible (between INR 60K-80K) but can stretch it at max to 100K (Though we'd prefer not to spend that much). We are all in our ealry 20s and can only spend so much.
Ideally the visa should be cheap and the place should have a good night life.
Any suggestions/ anecdotes will be highly appreciated. Also if you guys could provide a cost breakdown or the ideal number of days one can visit it for it would be immensely helpful.
Thanks in advance!

Effective July 1st, Reddit is implementing changes to their third-party API services that will effectively kill off all third-party apps and many external tools that Reddit users and moderators have come to rely on.
We won't rehash points that many of you have already been reading about — details of the changes and the discussion surrounding them can be found on the announcement post here, and the initial response on /modcoord: https://www.reddit.com/ModCoord/comments/13xh1e7/an_open_letter_on_the_state_of_affairs_regarding
Instead, we'll just briefly talk about why we consider this important, and what it means for you, the average Reddit user:

Third-party Reddit apps are going away

If you make use of a third-party app to browse Reddit, such as Apollo, RIF, BaconReader, or Narwhal, those apps are going to stop working on July 1st of this year.
Reddit have implemented enterprise-level pricing for their API that they state is intended for third-party apps, however the pricing model they've released is unconscionably high, nearly twenty times what it's believed their API services actually cost to operate. The developer of the Apollo app expects that keeping their app running would cost upwards of twenty million dollars a year, and will no longer be able to offer their app. Effectively, this change is an elimination of third-party apps in everything but name. The developers of RIF and Narwhal also expect they will be forced to shut down their apps.

Reddit content is about to become worse

Many subreddits make use of third-party tools to support their community, including custom browser extensions, bots, and archival services. Many of these services are likely to stop working, robbing communities of tools they have come to rely on to manage their content. The Pushshift API, which powered sites like Reveddit, has already ceased functioning. Many more tools are expected to cease working after this change goes into effect. We can surely expect the legacy old.reddit.com to be next on the chopping block — the mobile browser site, i.reddit.com, has already been removed.
That means that you, the user, can expect to see more spam, more FUD, more trolls, more stolen content, and more reposts in your communities.
The mod tools offered by the default app and website also pale in comparison to what's offered by third-party apps and plugins. This means that communities can expect less moderation, worse moderation, and less transparency after these changes go into effect.

Reddit content is about to become less safe

In addition to the pricing model, Reddit is blocking the display of NSFW content in third-party apps. That means that even if the app developers find a way to keep their apps running, your beloved porn is going away.
This also means that anyone viewing a user profile via a third-party app will be unable to view post histories on NSFW subreddits. Many communities serving underage users take steps to prevent posting by individuals with NSFW posting histories; the ability to do this outside of the official Reddit app is about to be crippled.
In short, this means more OnlyFans spam, and more porn directed at kids.

Reddit is about to become less accessible

Accessibility tools like screen readers simply do not work on New Reddit and the official iOS Reddit app. This change will effectively exile the Blind community from Reddit overnight. Read more about this here.

So what are we doing?

We're joining hundreds of other subreddits to raise visibility on this issue and try to encourage them to allow third party apps to continue to exist. Reddit requires its user's content in order to survive — if we stop posting, Reddit stops making money.
To that end, /TalesFromThePharmacy be joining hundreds of other subreddits in a Reddit-wide blackout. On June 12th, 2023, participating communities will set their subreddits to private in protest of these changes, depriving Reddit of the content and traffic it needs to survive. The intent is to force Reddit to reconsider these changes and come to a reasonable compromise with app developers — who have stated they are willing to pay reasonable API costs — so that we can ensure that Reddit stays as safe and accessible as possible.
This isn't a decision we're undertaking lightly, but we believe that we do have the capacity to force change here, and we'd be remiss as members of this community to not take the few steps we can to attempt to ensure a better and safer Reddit experience for everyone.
Read more about the issues here:
https://www.reddit.com/Save3rdPartyApps/comments/13yh0jf/dont_let_reddit_kill_3rd_party_apps/
https://www.reddit.com/apolloapp/comments/13ws4w3/had_a_call_with_reddit_to_discuss_pricing_bad/
https://www.reddit.com/redditisfun/comments/13wxepd/rif_dev_here_reddits_api_changes_will_likely_kill/
https://www.reddit.com/getnarwhal/comments/13wv038/reddit_have_quoted_the_apollo_devs_a_ridiculous/jmdqtyt/
https://www.reddit.com/ModCoord/comments/1401qw5/incomplete_and_growing_list_of_participating/

Long story short I didn’t want to drop $30 on a game that’s been out for years. And was happy to find this game.
I did an initial test of the game and found myself in the desert biome. Immediately I started digging a staircase down to find resources which I was not prepared to locate. Realized when night fell that I couldn’t see anything, and since I couldn’t find coal I got lost underground. 😬 Reset. Downloaded some mods for Mobs, Creatures, Villagers, Nether, and Mineshafts.
Wound up in a very cold climate. The area I was in had grass, but a few blocks to the left was snow. Took a half hour to realize there were no Mobs spawning. Eventually I realized the Mod features were turned off by default and got them working. I still felt a bit too safe however. I started using torches to mark my territory and where I’d been. Even making a makeshift lighthouse on an island off of where my base was. And making a bridge full of torches to light my way in case I got lost.
Up until now I had been using random number seeds. This time I just started from 1 and didn’t find a seed I liked till 4 or 5 which was a mountain full of Apple trees and I think a mod I downloaded placed a nice ruin at the top where I took shelter and built up as my base. I downloaded the Stamina Mod and had fun with collecting apples and farming wheat. I also created a mineshaft from my base at the top of the mountain to so far I think 1000 blocks down. I basically started looking for new ores, but so far have only found Iron, Gold, Copper, and Tin aside from coal. I got frustrated at one point and only had my pickaxe, a few apples, and a pile of ladders as I dug straight down (“Oh no……! Splat”).
Couple of issues I’m having that I want to try and mitigate with Mods:
• Need more fun landmarks to find. I tried downloading a Villages and shipwreck mods but they had conflicts with Mods I had installed.
• Traveling from the top of the mine to the levels with gold is about 5-10 mins of holding down shift to go down the ladders. (God forbid I forget an item in a chest at base)
• Traversing steep terrain. The worst example of this was I dug myself into the center of a cavern where I had no idea where the nearest wall was. Eventually I found I could make a wonky bridge with torches attached, but I feel like I was doing this inefficiently.
• None of the villagetraders have been spawning. Though maybe I have to find them in a way I am unfamiliar with?
• More ruin or exploratory mods that give cool stuff to find. Especially while mining as right now I’m just finding featureless caverns.

We already have to pay exorbitant gold costs to refund skill trees and farm new items that suits a different build.

• Why not allow players to save their build so that if they want to swop they don't have to write down/remember their build specs and assign each point manually?

Your build is your primary interaction with this game. If you are being hindered from trying new builds it can become a boring chore very quickly, Blizzard. Not asking to remove gold cost, simply to have unlockable tabs where you can save build plans to.
PvP needs a different build than PvE too.

• Why not allow players a PvP build loadout tab?

TL;DR — Should I Pull?

New Players

Neither of these banners are better for a new player than Matriarch/Roc or Liz/Jo. I recommend new players skip these. If you already have Matriarch and Liz but you didn't get Jo whilst pulling for Liz, then pulling for Gustave and Kat might be a good use of jewels, but I think I still recommend waiting a week to see what's next before investing in that.

Veterans

Is... is that an average of two party heals per turn on Kat? 👀
Sorry! Sorry. I just got distracted by pink samurai healer girl. (Man, that checks so many boxes for me. 😆)
Probably the most noteworthy unit here is Goddess. Being able to shut down all shadow damage the enemies deal for 15 turns is basically a cheat code for certain content. Orlouge is pretty whatever for veterans, but Monika has some support things she can do and she bulks up to very defensive numbers so while she doesn't dispense Polka-levels of party heals or Matriarch-levels of stat buffs, she's an excellent supplement to either of those who doesn't require special attention to keep in the fight.
On the other hand, we have Kat and Gustave. Kat can reduce Skill damage to the party in the same way that Tsubaki and Gustave can reduce Spell damage, and that's not a small thing. Gustave, meanwhile, can dispense damage boosts and damage mitigation to the party while also acting as a BP support. So there's unique stuff on this banner, too.
Broadly speaking, I think I would recommend a skip if you aren't flush with jewels. Goddess is good, no question, but she's not really worth chasing on her own merits, and Monika's good but she's not great unless you have her previous bow style to inherit that S3 onto. If you have a good amount of jewels to spend but you don't feel like you can do pulls on both banners, then it depends on who you have inherits for. I can recommend Kat/Gustave's banner if you have the previous Spellbreaker Gustave style. I can recommend Goddess's banner if you have the previous Music Fest Goddess style and the previous Kids' week Monika style.
If you have all three of those styles and you can't afford to pull on both banners... I'm sorry. I would probably lean towards Goddess's banner just because damage immunity is so strong when it works.

Samurai Jack Kat — Romancing Festival Limited Banner

Katarina

Unit Summary

Kat can reduce skill damage to the party and heal them at the same time. And then she will heal them some more.

Unit Analysis

Well, it's not Pierce/Cold switch, but it'll do.
So the main deal here is Ice Fog Sword Ballet, which deals B-rank pierce and cold damage and then grants the whole party a defensive stance that reduces skill damage taken by 35% for 3 turns. Skill damage reduction is arguably not as important as the spell damage reduction that Tsubaki and Gustave can bring to bear, but there's undeniably a lot of skill damage out there for bosses to dish out, and Kat is the only source of this particular buff. Because of her Abundance Switch, she gains +2 BP and heals the entire party for a tiny amount when she does this. So even though it's a 10 BP skill, she can rotate it with her normal attack or her S1 quite easily and still dish out some heals for the party.
In fact, if she happens to hit a weakness, she gets +1 BP from that, so it's actually not implausible to be able to use her S2 a bit during her S3 rotation with her normal attacks if the enemy is pierce weak.
Why would you want to do that? Well, her S2 (Ice Impact) is a 7 BP C-rank AoE that deals pierce and cold damage, so it triggers that +2 BP and party-wide heal. Oh, and it has a 50/50 chance to hit twice, so it can actually deal decent amounts of damage for the BP cost. Oh, and it heals the party on each hit. So if Ice Impact gets 2 hits, she heals the party three times that turn.
Now, Kat's mitigation is contingent on being able to resist the enemy's attacks, so depending on the enemy in question she may be competing for equipment that you can't spare for her, which is unfortunate. And her damage output is mediocre compared to the likes of Goddess who's spamming a similar power skill as Kat but with significantly better damage boosts. But she still compares favorably to a lot of other styles that bring damage mitigation and/or healing for the party if you assume all of her stuff works. She's just a bit more conditional than a style like Final Empress or Macha.

Inherits

Kat has a lot of styles, but since this style relies so heavily on dealing either pierce damage or cold damage, not many of them have skills that are worth inheriting.
The only one I'm going to point out here is Glacial Sword, available on a couple of styles but most notably on Kat's second plat SS style (SS [The Real Reason] style), as that one is available from the Training Cave Ore exchange. Glacial Sword is 2 BP and deals cold damage, so it can trigger the party-wide heal and still net some BP recovery for the turn. It doesn't trigger the +2 BP from pierce damage, so it's either +1 BP for the turn if it doesn't hit a weakness or +2 if it does hit a weakness, which makes it a little weak as an option to rotate with Ice Fog Sword Ballet, but it's definitely useful to have the party heal on demand in the event that you need healing the turn after using the skill defense stance.
Or if you'd prefer, you can actually just spam Ice Impact and Glacial Sword to deal decentish damage and churn out a lot of party heals. Kat averages about two heals per turn this way if Glacial Sword hits a weakness, and with Glacial Sword amplified you're dealing at least C-rank damage every turn, which does actually help a bit as people who've been using Esper Girl can attest. This healing isn't quite as good as Thyme can manage with support from Emelia or as good as Chef Polka can accomplish with the Still Blade Phoenix inherit, but it is the strongest party-heal setup that guaratnees at least some healing every turn, which may be appealing in some content.

Gustave

Unit Summary

Attack boosts and defense boosts galore.

Unit Analysis

Where to start?
Well, first thing's first: bringing Gustave grants everyone in the party a 15% damage boost. Just for being on Gustave's team and not being KO'd. Well, OK, actually no one can be KO'd if you want the damage boost, but generally speaking you don't want your units just eating dirt anyway, so that's not a huge restriction.
His Let's Paint skill then grants the party a small Attack Boost and small Defense Boost for 4 turns. Let's Paint is 8 BP and Gustave gets 4 BP back every turn, so it's trivial to keep those boosts up. But wait! There's more! Let's Paint is a charge skill, locking Gustave into doing nothing the next turn and then using Pigeon Whistle the turn after that. Pigeon Whistle grants Gustave +2 BP and then grants the whole party a very large Morale Up and a medium Guard Up for 2 turns. Obviously you can't sustain that (because the Let's Paint cycle spends two turns waiting to get back to Pigeon Whistle), but they'll stack with those 4 turn boosts, giving the party pretty substantial boosts for 2 turns out of every 3 if you want to spam this cycle.
If you would prefer to spend that bonus BP, Gustave has Fighter Special, a 12 BP SSS attack (it's actually high on the SSS-scale, so it's actually decent damage for 12 BP) which grants Gus a very large Guard Up for 5 turns. With High Protect Tension, that Guard Up actually makes Gus pretty dang tough for a while. Or Gus has inherits. See below.
And if you want, there's also Sunder, an A-rank attack for 3 BP. This isn't the absolute strongest attack in the game that is also BP-positive, mostly because Gustave's damage boosts are not that great unless you're still inside the Paint cycle, but it's way up there.

Inherits

The most interesting thing you can do with this Gus inherit-wise is actually to inherit Let's Paint to a different style. [The Fated Hour Comes] Gustave trades Offensive Union for Scrum Guard, which is 20% damage mitigation instead of 15% damage boosts. Both shut off if someone gets KO'd, but it's not that hard to argue that the 20% damage mitigation is a bigger deal than the 15% damage boost. Scrum Guard Gus needs to land hits to gain +1 BP/turn, unlike Ocarina of Steel, but the +2 BP per activation of Pigeon Whistle can help offset that. So while you may end up spending nearly all of your time making sure that whistle cycle is up, it's a lot of party mitigation while it's up.
If you're set on keeping ArtsAndCrafstave in play, you can inherit Triple Crush from UDX Gustave 2.0. Triple Crush is Double Crush but Triple. It's 3 A hits for 13 BP, so it is an excellent BP dump.
Or if you would prefer to lean into Gus's damage boosting capabilities, you can inherit Brave Impact from Gusv7, which is 12 BP for an SSS attack that, instead of granting himself a Guard Up, grants bonus G. Sword damage to the party. G. Sword styles are not the heaviest damage dealers in the game, but it's certainly an interesting thought to try to turn a team of G. Sword attackers like Laura, Fancy Lass, Iskandar, and Gustave into a damage-boost steamroller.

Noel

Unit Summary

All-in slash farmer.

Unit Analysis

Noel gets a lot of damage bonuses on turn 1. Like, Souji levels of damage bonus. If you use Maple Storm, he actually peaks higher than that on turn 1. He deals recoil damage to himself, and all his BP generation is concentrated into the first 5 turns of battle, so you probably don't want to bring him to boss battles, but in short battles he truly brings the thunder, with Maple Storm dropping a train on a single enemy or Burst Blade being a strong [Fast] AoE for a kinda-spammable attack.
Where Noel falls short is that on turn 2, he loses 30% of his damage boost, and in fact takes a damage mitigation penalty, taking an extra 15% damage on even turns. Which is really, really weird for a character who has 8 BP attacks and generates enough bonus BP to use those 8 BP attacks on turns 1 and 2 back to back. You would think you would want him to burn out quickly rather than bounce back and forth between strong and weak turns. But, hey, it is what it is.

Inherits

Christmas Noel has a strong row attack in Twilight Flash, which you can utilize with his early game BP generation and odd-turns peaks to get a strong row attack on turns 1 and 3. It's [Fast], so it actually contends with Gray's charge attack for 1/3 row farming. His skill has a somewhat lower power than Gray's, but he gets much higher damage modifiers on the odd turns, so the damage is likely pretty comparable between the two for most situations.

The Most Powerful SaGa Beings... and Orlouge — Romancing Festival Limited Banner

(I kid. Obviously Monika transcends SaGa and is the most powerful being in the universe. Why else would she have gotten all the buffs on this banner?)

Goddess

Unit Summary

Trivializes content that deals significant shadow damage. And looks good doing it.

Unit Analysis

Light of Dawn is the main attraction here. The Goddess's Light costs 9 BP/1 LP and grants the party complete immunity to shadow damage for the next three turns, granting them a smol heal at the end of each of those turns to boot. Goddess gains +1 BP/turn, so it is trivial to maintain that buff until she is out of LP 15 turns later. Now, sure, once she's out of LP, she's not going to be doing nearly as much for the party, but fifteen turns of every-turn healing and negating a good chunk (if not all) of the enemy's damage is way more than you need when you're fighting any enemy that isn't named "Egg."
While she's building her BP back up for the Light, you will probably be spamming Burning Star, a 1 BP INT-based skill that deals C-rank sun/heat damage. It's only C-rank damage, sure, but it's BP-positive, and with Goddess's 70% passive damage boosts and stacking medium INT buff every turn, it's actually going to be dealing a solid amount of damage for a support unit.

Inherits

The big one is Heavenly Melody. From her Music Festival style, Melody is 10 BP, so it really does compete BP-for-BP with Light of Dawn, but it's also doing a lot so there may be situations where you may want to intersperse this with the Light. Its damage is just B-rank sun AoE, but it inflicts a small Morale Down on all the enemies it hits for 3 turns and it grants the party a small Guard Up for 3 turns regardless of whether it hits. So while it won't fully stack with the likes of Gustave's Pigeon Whistle or Aisha's Earth Thrust , it does a lot of work to reduce incoming damage for 3 turns if you haven't brought other Morale Down or Guard Up units.
Masamune+ from her original SS style is a B-rank slash/heat INT-based attack for 4 BP, which Goddess can spam forever for slightly better damage than Burning Star. You'd really only do this once you're out of LP, but it does improve her damage output once that has happened.
Alternately, if you'd rather keep using Burning Star and drop nukes once you've built up BP, her OG style also has Purging Light, which is SSS sun/heat damage for 10 BP. It's a little low on the SSS scale, but, again, it does improve her damage output once she's out of LP as opposed to just spamming Burning Star.

Orlouge

Unit Summary

Everything bagel ailment jammer.

Unit Analysis

I don't have a ton here to say. Drop from the Depths is a 10 BP AoE spell that just throws the whole kitchen sink of ailments at the enemy. Poison, sleep, paralysis, confusion, and charm, all at once. The way ailments work in this game, you will never see more than two of those on a single enemy at once, and one of them will always be poison if there are two, but it can be... convenient that this one style does all of them in a single spell.
When he's not overcoming his analysis paralysis by "¿porque no los dos?"ing it, he rotates between Shadow Drop, a 0 BP shadow AoE spell, and Rose Petals, an 8 BP spell that deals SS shadow damage and grants him 1 stack of Damage Block. Unlike most characters with Damage Block, it is actually significant that this stack of Damage Block does not have a turn limit because Orlouge can randomly evade all attacks in a turn, which would preserve the Damage Block stack for a later turn. This is doubly important because Orlouge gets +3 bonus BP any turn where he doesn't take damage, so if he gets an evade turn, layers a stack of Damage Block on himself, and manages to get off another Rose Petals next turn, he's got a pretty good chance of also not taking any damage that turn for even more bonus BP.
It... it's fragile, but when it works, it does do cool things.

Inherits

Well, if you just must have all the status ailments, Orlouge 2.0 has a single target Petrify (Mistress' Ice Prison) or AoE Stun (Purple Flames) you can inherit. Or he has Absorb from that style for a spammable small self-heal. (Remember, "small" self-heal actually means like 900+ HP at current stat values.)

Monika

Unit Summary

DEX buffehealeBow damage enabler.

Unit Analysis

Monika is trying to do a lot, here.
Firstly, she grants all Bow wielders a 15% damage bonus just for bringing a Bow to a S. Sword fight.
Secondly, she heats up to 80% damage bonus over the first 5 turns of battle. So she's trying to bring the damage. And actually, every single skill she has will buff at the very least her DEX. Whether it's the 0 BP DEX buff attack on Focus Fire, the party-wide DEX buff for 5 BP in Dancing Arrows, or the combination DEX buff/heal on Arrow Bloom, she's going to have her DEX buffed. So she actually does deal pretty serious damage once she's heated up.
Oh, did I mention that the heal on Arrow Bloom is "small" rank? So it's 1k like Still Blade Phoenix, not 200 like Kat's little heals.
Now, that's good because it's a 13 BP skill. Which, honestly, it needs to be because it's a party DEX buff, a small heal, and it's an SSSS attack. But Monika gets +2 BP when she hits a weakness, so she can actually rotate that at not-painfully-slow rates if the enmy is pierce weak.
She's juggling a lot of stuff, is what I'm trying to say. And she kind of can actually get all of it done.

Inherits

Back-inheriting Arrow Bloom to her baby style can potentially let her unleash the giant attac-plus-heal more frequently because that style can gain +3 BP when she gets hit. It's only a 25% chance per hit, but if the enemy is dishing out a lot of weak attacks, it can wind up being a lot of BP recovery over a long battle.
Back-inheriting Arrow Bloom to one of her S. Sword styles can also be useful for Remembrance battle purposes. Just as a thought.
Oh, wait, inherits this style wants? Oh. Uh, interesting. Maybe?
Gift Prick from the style that was on Liam's banner is a 2 BP attack with a small-rank self heal. Using that hurts the damage output of this style (misses a DEX buff) and makes BP cycling Dancing Arrow or Arrow Bloom harder (costs 2 BP instead of 0 BP), but it goes a long way to making this style harder to KO.
Present of Pleasure from... also that style... is a party CHA buff, Morale Up, tiny heal, and +1 BP recovery. It costs 7 BP/1 LP, so it's a very limited use skill, but the BP support angle of it can be useful for a style you are already bringing for DEX/heal support.
Pure Flower from the kiddo style is a 3 BP/1 LP heal with a little attack boost on heal. Nothing huge, but handy to have.
And that's kind of it. Monika has a ton of styles that you could inherit stuff from, but the fact that most of them are S. Sword skills means that they miss out on part of Monika's innate damage bonuses, and many of them will rotate awkwardly with the +2 BP/turn in the first place, making Arrow Bloom look better in comparison.

Hi all!
Found this group after starting to plan a trip to volcano bay for the first time. Have been to Universal + IOA many times but never got to venture to the water park.
Planning this visit as a surprise to my husband for our wedding anniversary!
Have a couple questions:

1. I am generally terrified of roller coasters (think big steep drops, upside down flips) - I couldn’t tell you where the fear comes from but have been this way since I was a child. Have even been forced on rides, survived obviously lol, yet the fear is still there and I don’t find it enjoyable. (For context, I’m not against rides, I love stuff like Harry Potter where it’s mostly screens/illusion, Spider-Man, the simpsons, etc)

How are the water slides/which ones would be considered more “scary” that I should probably avoid? The water coaster seems to be popular but is it truly a coaster in the traditional sense of big drops or relatively mild?

1. Typically at Disney/Universal/IOA you can wait in line and then jump out to an exit at the end. I have done this for rides I truly refuse to go on, is this type of thing an option for the water rides? Of course I’m hoping to be able to do several of them, but my husband loves all rides and may want to go on some that I don’t, and I’d like to at least be able to wait in line together.
   
2. Is getting there with early access (staying at universal property) worth it/necessary? I was debating a premium chair but the cost I was quoted was insane (literally more than a night at the hotel lol) so was thinking maybe we should utilize the early access to ensure we can find a free seat. I’d like to get there early anyway but wondering if it’s something I should stress over or not. Will be going on a Monday.
   
3. Speaking of free seats, do people just leave their towel/non-important items, on the chairs while riding rides? Planning to get a locker for phones/money/etc but curious how you keep your seat when you’re off venturing.
   
4. Is the water on the rides heated at all? Would hate getting in and out of freezing water lol
   

Any other advice is welcome :) TIA!

For weeks and weeks now, the bakery was tasked with the repair of two wedding toppers, a groom and bride, intricate and beautiful, made entirely out of sugar, sat atop a wedding cake, promised to last forever, just apply hairspray or craft spray after two weeks of drying. They had broken off of their base, which is a problem. They were a symbol of love in eternity after all. The bride called in, came in, and brought the toppers for repair. Over the phone she was told that the damage shouldn’t have happened, and that we would look into it for her.
Flash forward to months later, the husband comes to pick up the toppers. Keep in mind, most of our full sized cake orders are done in a matter of two weeks, being generous with time. But the turn around time starts to make sense when you realize the toppers had to be remade in their entirety. No simple repair as it turns out. But it was still a surprise to the husband that he was being charged 36 dollars. Again, makes sense. Not only have they been told that the damage should not have happened, they were not told that the toppers were being completely remade, forget agreeing to the work, they didn’t know what work was being done. They also didn’t know that they would be charged at all. Money was never discussed according to even my boss.
So you have a situation where work was done and being charged almost entirely without asking or discussion, do you think most people would have the nerve to stick up for themselves in that situation? Even in the likely scenario they would’ve simply taken the broken toppers and preserved them as the not quite perfect mementos they were, had they known the alternative’s cost, they certainly couldn’t go back at this point. They had given the broken figures to us. The only thing the couple could do if they wanted the memories would be to pay the surprise 36 dollars.
My boss, through neglect if I’m to view him in a positive light, scammed his customers out of 36 dollars, then had the nerve to get self righteous about it after when told the husband was hesitant to pay.
He’s either such a jackass he looks stupid, or he’s so stupid he’s a jackass, or very likely he is both, because the man just burned a bridge for 36 dollars, when very easily he could have disclosed the work and maybe even ask for the true price he was so self righteous for not charging without telling.
I’m new to the baking world, there’s a lot I don’t know, but as far as I can tell hygiene rules aren’t being followed. I’m supposed to wear gloves in front of customers when giving them cookies, but I get strange looks when I ask if I should on my own bagging them. I am aware that I’m supposed to let dishes air dry but we don’t have room, so I guess I dry with a mostly clean cloth. At my old job, the work was hard but I was at least supposed to clean my work station before and after. At this job no one mops the work floor every day, no one mops in the walk in every day, and maybe this isn’t fair to point out but my coworkers get their arms covered in buttercream and scrape all the buttercream from their arms into the buttercream bucket. Is that ok? Probably?
The boss screams at me when I write something “stupid” when taking an order, generally when I’m directly quoting a customer (cuz I don’t know what I’m doing. No real training) or when I’m answering a question that isn’t what he thinks, and he’s convinced I’m saying something wrong. Most of the time I haven’t. All of this while I’m on the phone, and before you ask, yes, the customer can hear. I wonder why the business is failing? I wonder why I’m still working there? I wonder if I can really fix a cake being hours late with just pleasant conversation? I’m a counter clerk if that wasn’t made clear. I can’t decorate, I can’t bake, I can only get on the way.
I’d like to think I’m a diligent hard worker. Not who this subreddit was likely made for, anarchic people hoping to gain enough wealth or position to never have to work again. I need something to take up my time or I’d shut down… just… not this. I’m so tired.

When you find yourself picking everything up off the ground so you can vendor it for gold and having to return to town multiple times in a single dungeon run... something is very wrong. This is totally breaking the flow of the game. I know I could not pick up every rare, but what if I miss an upgrade? And how would I be able to afford to enchant or upgrade items if I didn't pick up and vendor every last rare that drops?
I know they want gold to be worth something, but they could easily, EASILY cut the costs of everything in half and it would still be high.
I'm level 70 and I had 23 mil saved up from level 1. I never once rerolled anything or spent any gold. I totally just used whatever I found. Once I got to the level 70 capstone dungeon, it forced me to farm better gear and reroll some pieces. OK, fine. Nothing wrong with that. Problem is, with just a few items rerolled and upgraded I was down to 9 million. This is crazy. And keep in mind, I wasn't trying to get the best rolls on everything, I was just trying to get the right rolls on 3 out of 4 affix slots.
What ever happened to the Blizzard that said "we want you killing monsters"? I'm honestly spending just as much time in town vendoring stuff and scanning affixes with a magnifying glass looking for anything that has decent stat combos on it. 99% of the stuff you get is low item-level trash.
The thing is, even if they cut the costs in half the problem still wouldn't go away. It would still be stupidly expensive and you'd still be forced to pick everything up and vendor it.
I feel like they should easily double our bag space if picking up every rare that drops is what they want us to do. And for goodness sake, give us a gems tab in our iventory.
Side note: Just to repair costs in the 300 thousands for me currently. What does someone do if, God forbid, all of their items break and they are out of gold and can't repair because they just spent it all enchanting/upgrading stuff? Reroll?

You’ve seen the Going Dark API posts. I’m out. I’ll be using an app to nuke my content from Reddit at the end of the month. Save this or don’t.
Personal Arizona cannabis recommendations
Based on comments from reddit.com/zonaents
Updated 2023-06-08

DISPENSARIES (best)

• Ponderosa - Glendale
• Sticky Saguaro - Chandler (favorite)
• TruMed - Phoenix (close to PHX Sky Harbor airport), 1
• Earth's Healing - North, South Tucson
• Halo - Tucson
• High Mountain Health - Flagstaff

ROSIN carts (use ≤ 2.0v, let cool between)

• Summus (disposables, very expensive!)
• Abundant Organics (consistent coil burn, inc. new triangle boxes)
• Local Flower (consistent coil death)

LIVE RESIN carts

• Cresco Live (Sonoran Roots "SR" colab only)
• Canamo Live (only @ BOGO, check dates)
• Canamo Disposables
• Grow Sciences (4/$100)

RESIN + CDT carts (“Live”)

• Select Elite Live
• Timeless NOIR Live (overpriced, even @ BOGO)

BUDGET carts (cheap, distillate)

• Cresco
• Canamo
• Item 9 (excluding Orion pods b/c Genesis flower)

ROSIN jars

• Farm Fresh
• Canamo (not dry sift)
• DRiP (TruMed colabs)
• Abundant Organics (only @ BOGO)
• Grow Sciences 1, 2

LIVE RESIN jars

• Melting Point Extracts [MPX]
• DRiP

GUMMIES

• Defi
• Wyld (when on sale)
• Ogeez (distillate, budget choice)

FLOWER

• TruMed house
• Potent Planet
• Sonoran Roots (only from deli jars @ Ponderosa) 1
• Farm Fresh
• Abundant Organics
• Alien Labs/Connected 1
• Grow Sciences 1, 2

FLOWER budget 1, 2, 2

• Ponderosa discount bags
• Sublime

RSO

• Canamo RHO
• Ponderosa RHO

GLASS/SMOKE SHOPS

• HIGH Maintenance Smoke Shop - Tempe
• Bud’s Glass Joint - Phoenix
• It's All Goodz - Tempe, Phoenix, N. Phoenix
• Spaceman and Bongs - Peoria
• Angel Eyes - Gilbert
• Sky High Smoke Shop - Tempe

AVOID dispensaries

• There's a Federal checkpoint south of Tucson. It is illegal to bring cannabis through. 1
• Curaleaf 1, 2, 3
• Debbie’s - Peoria, Phoenix, demoted from Favorites March '23 1, 2
• Downtown/D2 1
• Flower Shop 1, 2, 3
• Harvest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
• The Mint 1, 2
• Nirvana 1, 2
• Sol 1, 2

AVOID 1

• Copperstate (inc. Jukebox, Sol, & Good Things Coming) 1, 2, 3
• Dr. Zodiak 1
• Genesis (inc. many Item 9 Orion pods) 1, 2, 3, 4
• Green Pharms 1
• I.O. 1, 2, 3, 4
• Jeeter (has lots of fans in CA, but many complaints about headaches in AZ) 1
• Modern Flower (Harvest's house flower) 1, 2
• Mohave 1
• Oasis 1
• Potent Planet CRC, 2
• Stiizy 1, 2
• Tru Infusion 1, 2, 3
• Venom 1, 2, 3, 4

Wrote some stuff down in a Google Doc every night, so it ended up being super long and rambly. Hopefully I was able to cut it down at least a little bit. I wasn't sure if I could leave references to individual businesses or Airbnb experiences in, so please let me know if I need to remove those.
I planned this trip 2 weeks before I had to leave, so I was in a huge rush. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without everyone’s help here and on the Discord! It was my first time traveling solo, so I was a little more neurotic about it than usual. Also I don’t know how accurate the steps/distance on iOS is, but I figure there’s enough internal consistency to compare between days.
Some personal highlights
Tokyo

• Check out some listening bars if you’re down for a low key night with more of a focus on listening to music than socializing: Grandfather’s, Bar Martha, Bar Track, Ginza Music Bar
• Yoshikami is a pretty interesting (albeit pricey) place for dinner. It’s apparently been there since the 1960s and has a nice diner vibe.

Kyoto

• Otagi Nenbutsuji, Adashino Nenbutsuji, and Nanzenji were my personal favorites.
• Fu-ka near Ginkakuji for fantastic omurice.

Osaka

• I loved Osaka in general for its mixture of being laidback with big city vibe
• Izakaya crawl with Taka was amazing (https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/1018635). It’s true that you can plan a night of izakayas for free, but honestly I found the cost pretty worth it. Taka was a really cool guy and made for an incredibly memorable night.
• Okonomiyaki Chitose for okonomiyaki. Great food and great staff.

Monday, May 29 - arriving in Tokyo

• 3pm - Haneda Airport arrival. Withdrew money after immigration, picked up Suica card, then traveled to Ueno Station (close to hostel) to pick up JR Pass due to 1 hour line at airport. In hindsight, I obviously should’ve gotten the JR Pass the following day, but I was jetlagged and exhausted and wasn’t thinking. When I arrived at the hostel, I ended up falling asleep and decided to just start my trip officially the following morning.

Reflections If you’re an anxious planner or traveler like me, definitely don’t plan anything specific on the first day. There’s a good chance your plans will get derailed. The JR Pass line at the airport is often super long and if you can, try to stop by an office close to where you’re staying or near one of your stops.
Walked: 6540 steps / 3.1 miles
Tuesday, May 30 - Tokyo (Akihabara)

• 7am - Yoshinoya for breakfast (Random, but I wanted to try all 3 of the big gyudon places by the end of the trip just because. Even as a big completionist, this wasn’t worth it at all.)
• 8am - Walked around Ueno Park, then Ameya Yokocho.
• 11am - Gyukatsu Motomura for lunch at Ameyoko, which was absolutely incredible.
• 12pm - Walked around Akihabara and checked out the “Weird vending machines” on Google Maps. It was definitely weird. Would recommend if you’re kind of drawn to weird shit, and the hostel staff found it super entertaining when I showed them everything.
• 3pm - I ended up moving through Akihabara pretty fast (I have a bad habit of not being able to take my time with these things). I decided to stop by some places in Ginza, like the Sembikiya flagship store and the Okuno building (Room 306).
• 6pm - I was still pretty jetlagged, so I ate some dinner with people at the hostel and hung out with the hostel residents and staff.
• 10:30pm - Stopped by a convenience store to grab something for breakfast the next morning.

Reflections
Having a list of restaurants or specific foods (e.g. tempura, okonomiyaki) to pull from can be super helpful in being slightly flexible/spontaneous but also settling some of your (my) neuroticism. I had planned to check out Gyukatsu Motomura elsewhere but since it’s a chain and I had no idea what to eat, it helped me make a decision for lunch.
It can be a good idea to have an “overflow list” of things to do in certain areas. I thought I’d spend more time in Akihabara but I think I was still getting the hang of traveling/exploring without rushing around.
Walked: 27728 steps / 12.9 miles
Wednesday, May 31 - Kyoto (Nishiki Market / Department Store food floors / Kiyomizu-dera) * 7:30am - Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto * 10:15am - Walked to hostel and suitcase wheels ripped off on the way there (still left it there for storage). Original plan was to wander Nishiki Market and the food floors for Takashimaya Department Store and Fujii Daimaru, which I did for a bit. Then got a new suitcase at the large tax free store a block down, and walked back to the hostel to put my suitcase there. * 3pm - Check in with a new suitcase and head to Kiyomizudera. Three hours was more than enough time for me to wander around Sannenzaka, Ninnenzaka, and Kiyomizu-dera. I’m also not someone that is great at lingering to stop and smell the roses, though. * 6:30pm - Try to line up for Menya Inoichi. The line was already closed for dinner, so I stopped by Nakau for some fast gyudon/tonkatsu instead.
Reflections
Have backup plans for your meals, list out some ideas in the area but expect some of those to be derailed.
You might need an eye mask even if you splurge on a private room in a hostel. The blinds were paper thin here so I woke up at like 4-5am.
Walked: 26290 steps / 12.2 miles
Thursday, June 1 - Kyoto (Arashiyama / Ginkakuji / Philosopher’s Path / Eikan-do / Nanzenji / Gion) This was the day I was prepared to walk the most because of the itinerary. It ended up being pretty packed, but I think it worked out decently well. Both of these things would’ve been better off unrushed as maybe 2/3 of a full day, so I would’ve split this up into 2 days if I could have.

• 7am - Breakfast at a convenience store, then taxi to Otagi Nenbutsuji at 7:30am (opens at 8). It isn’t the cheapest option, but there also isn’t a great alternative. It was pretty empty and a great place to start the day.
• 9am - Walked to Adashino Nenbutsuji, which was also fairly empty but had a beautiful bamboo area that honestly was basically as good as the Arashiyama grove for pictures.
• 10am - Walked to Tenryuji, which included the Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street along the way, then did the Arashiyama Walking Tour from Inside Kyoto, which was a great way to see a little bit of everything (https://www.insidekyoto.com/arashiyama-bamboo-grove-guide-walking-tour).
• 12:30pm - Walking tour led me to Togetsukyo Bridge, where I could easily bus over to the Ginkakuji area.
• 1:30pm - Grabbed lunch at Fu-ka, which was a small restaurant run by some very sweet people. The omurice there was amazing, and I would definitely love to go there again someday.
• 2pm - Ginkakuji -> Philosopher’s Path -> Eikan-do -> Nanzenji -> Gion. I was definitely not prepared for how much stuff there was to do at Nanzenji in particular! I definitely could’ve spent 2-3 hours there even rushing around. I ended up not being able to check out the inside of Nanzen-in and the big gate because I ran out of time. Upstairs from the Nanzenji arches there is a great walk to leave Nanzenji when you’re all done (Nanzenji Suirokaku). It takes you past a power station, and then down some abandoned railroad tracks.
• 5:30pm - Went to check out Gion and Pontocho. I couldn’t figure out what to eat for dinner, so I thought I’d give Menya Inoichi another shot. It was pretty early but the line was closed again. There was an amazing fried chicken place nearby called Loco Chicken (would definitely recommend too!)
• 7pm - Checked out Yasaka Shrine and Gion again now that the sun was down. It was nice but admittedly underwhelming after all the amazing temples I had seen. I was originally going to go to an izakaya for the night or experience some nightlife, but I was pretty tired and decided to call it a night.

Reflections
Even if you’re a rusher like I am, Nanzenji especially can take some time. Otagi Nenbutsuji and Adashino Nenbutsuji are a little out of the way, but definitely worth it. The preserved street isn’t all that exciting, but it is along the way from Adashino Nenbutsuji to Tenryuji.
Menya Inoichi apparently closes pretty damn early wtf, possibly due to running out of their limited supply of wagyu. Loco Chicken was suuuuper good though. I guess there see a lot of great food options and planning meals in advance should only be if there’s a restaurant I really want to stop by (e.g. Fu-ka).
Walked: 33577 steps / 16.4 miles
Friday, June 2 - Kyoto / Nara / Osaka

• 7am - Got up to go to Fushimi Inari Taisha. We were on the edge of a typhoon (apparently the landslide zones of Kizugawa were being evacuated?) so it was pouring rain, which meant it was really empty on the actual walk to the summit.
• 10am - Kintetsu train to Nara Park. It was pouring there too, but the deer were still out and about to get their food from visitors. I was a little tired at this point since my feet were soaked through, so I went to check out Todaiji and only took a brief walk around Nara Park before heading to my hostel in Osaka, so I could get my shoes washed and dried at a nearby laundromat.
• 8pm - I did an Airbnb bar crawl (https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/4388157) in the Dotonburi area which was awesome as a solo traveler because I got the chance to meet other people much more easily and check out some local spots I realistically wouldn’t have gone to (or at least navigated easily). The guide was fantastic and fun, and it was a really nice way to get an introduction to Osaka nightlife. I would definitely recommend doing this on your first night if you want to spend some time in Dotonburi! You can find the listing for that one here: . One of the places we stopped by was called the Misono building, which had a bunch of interesting and quirky bars.

Walked: 27023 steps / 12.4 mi
Saturday, June 3 - Osaka (shopping streets and Dotonburi)

• 10am - Took a look around Denden Town and all the different streets in Osaka near Dotonburi (Kuromon Ichiba, Hozenji Yokocho, Ebisu Bashi-Suji, Shinsaibashisuji). I also stopped by the Ebisu Tower Ferris Wheel, which was nice but also not something I’d consider a must-do activity. I imagine it might be even cooler at night when the lights are all on.
• 6pm - I did another izakaya crawl here, and it was AMAZING (https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/1018635)! The guide, Taka, has lived all around the world and has some incredible stories to tell about his life. He worked on farms in remote places in Australia, for instance, that even the Aussie guests were astounded to hear about. The vibe was definitely a lot more chill and not super conservative, if that makes any sense. It was the kind of environment where all the guests felt comfortable asking him how to swear in Japanese after the first round of drinks. If you’re not super uptight about stuff and want the feeling of local nightlife with some friends, this is a must-do in my opinion! Taka was such a cool guy and this was an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime experience. We stopped by to do some karaoke at the end, which I felt was mandatory since we were at its birthplace.

Reflections
Taka brought us to one of the streets that I completely missed in my research, which was Tenshinbashi-sushi. It’s supposedly the longest shopping arcade in all of Japan, at 2.6km long. Definitely something to check out!
Walked: 25782 / 11.8 miles
Sunday, June 4 - Osaka (Shinsekai, Abeno Harukas)

• 10:30am - Was starting to get pretty tired by this point so I slept in again, and got to Shinsekai around 10:30. I realized how much I loved the vibe of Osaka, which seemed much more laidback than the other big cities. I remember there was an adorable off leash puppy walking around one of the shopping streets, and a bunch of old people pulled out their phones and started chasing it down to take cute pictures. I might be totally off the mark from my few days’ impression of other big cities, but that just felt kind of unique to me.
• 11:15am - Lined up outside Okonomiyaki Chitose so I could get food there when they opened. Fantastic okonomiyaki, and the owner and staff were super great as well. They chatted with me a bit and joked around with each other while making the food in front of us. Great experience.
• 1pm - Went to Tsutenkaku to look around and check out the viewing area. It also had this big slide that you could pay to go down, which was quite fun too.
• 2:30pm - Walked over to Abeno Harukas to check out the observatory here. The view was fantastic and they also had a fun little VR bungee jump station where they put you on a tilt table and simulate a jump from the observatory area. Didn’t have time to check out the helipad because I had a timed ticket for the aquarium (which didn’t end up being necessary, it wasn’t super busy at this time).
• 4:30pm - Osaka Aquarium! I honestly considered skipping this and I don’t think it was absolutely unmissable, but it was a fun time. I really tried to take my time here but it only took 2 hours.
• 6:30pm - Grabbed dinner at nearby Tempozan Marketplace, then went on the Tempozan Ferris Wheel (waited for one of the clear bottom carriages). Another fun activity that I wouldn’t categorize as a must-do, but definitely worth it if you’re in the area.

Walked: 20954 / 9.6 miles
Monday, June 5 - Hakone This is the part of the trip that I embarrassingly botched, but considering I had less than 2 weeks to plan the whole thing while working full time, I’m trying not to give myself too much shit for it.

• 10:30am - Arrive at Odawara Station and leave luggage in locker there (packed a day bag). Transfer to the train that will eventually take me to Gora Station
• 12pm - Gora Station. Grab a quick lunch at some random cafe and walk over to the Open Air Museum.
• 2pm - Realized I spent too long at the museum and rush to continue the loop. Spend about 30-45 minutes at Owakudani.
• 3:50pm - End up waiting at Togendai until 4:25pm for the next pirate ship.
• 4:50pm - Arrive at Motohakone and decide I’ll do the quick walk to Hakonemachi and catch a cab to my ryokan (checkin before 6 if I want to make it in time for dinner). My big mistake here was not noticing that the taxi stand was empty already by this time.
• 5:10pm - Realize I’ve screwed myself at Hakonemachi and decide to take the Tozan Bus to another major stop to get a taxi. Yunnessen seemed like a good bet but the taxi stand was once again totally empty. Ended up wandering around for about 20 minutes and managed to flag a stray taxi.
• 6pm - Check in and realize my dumb ass accidentally booked without the dinner option and that I could’ve taken the long way to the ryokan after all.
• 7pm - Stop by a nearby kaiseki place for dinner. They seemed a bit wary about having me eat there and really emphasized that this was a set menu that took a long time (probably had bad experiences with tourists in the past?).
• 8pm - Get cleaned up and head to the onsen before bed

Walked: 17975 / 8.2 miles
Reflections If you really want to stay in Hakone for only one night and one day, I would recommend checking into your hotel/ryokan the night before and relaxing there, which gives you the next full day for exploring the city. YMMV of course since I did get to Hakone in the late morning, but I think doing the loop then ryokan will inevitably feel like it’s cutting into ryokan time.
Even though the Hakone transportation system is great, things like the Tozan Bus line can have long lines and alternative/workaround routes like in the big cities don’t really exist. Tight schedules are tough to stick to, and I nearly got stranded because I stood at one of the taxi stops around 5pm and it became clear that no one was going to be coming by.
Booking.com has a lot of ryokans listed as minimum 2 people (I just bit the bullet and decided to splurge), but the staff at Senkyoro were confused about why I paid for 2 instead of 1. Could be good to try to check with the ryokan directly in case you can save some money when booking.
Tuesday, June 6 - Tokyo (Shinjuku, Shibuya)

• 6:30am - Leave for Odawara Station because I had to meet with a relative in the morning (like I said, definitely could’ve scheduled this better). Definitely misplanned this leg of the trip, and didn’t maximize my time in Hakone at all.
• 10:30am - After dropping off luggage at Asakusa Station locker near my hostel, met up at Shinjuku Gyoen, then walked around and grabbed lunch at Omoide Yokocho. Also stopped by Kabukicho and Golden Gai just to look around.
• 1:30pm - Originally planned to spend more time at Shinjuku and go to Shibuya the following day but I realized I didn’t have anything left to do. Walked to Shibuya and checked out the Hachiko Statue and Harajuku. Stopped by Iyoshi Cola. Shibuya Sky tickets were sold out so I had to come back the following day for my original reservation.
• 5pm - Hang out at Grandfather’s before dinner. Great place for people interested in listening bars!
• 6pm - Head back to my hostel (K’s House Tokyo Oasis) to check in, then swing over to Sensoji and Nakamise-dori to check out at night.
• 7:30pm - Grab dinner at Yoshikami, a Japanese style Western restaurant. Had a really good beef stew and cream corn potage. Went here in passing but would definitely recommend stopping by if you’re in the area.

Walked: 27632 / 12.8 miles
Wednesday, June 7 - Tokyo (Shibuya Sky, Akihabara, Bar Martha/Track) I spent a good chunk of my life in Shanghai, China, so I think the appeal of the big city stuff was a little lost on me (not a huge big city guy). In hindsight, I definitely didn’t need to allocate this many days for Tokyo. I definitely should’ve gone further to other areas for day trips that were recommended on the Discord, like Shimokitazawa, Jiyuugaoka, Koenji, Kamakura/Enoshima, Honmonji Ikegami, Yokohama, Nikko, or Fujikamaguchiko.

• 10am - Slept in and explored Nakamise-dori a bit after. Grabbed an early lunch and headed over to Shibuya for my Shibuya Sky reservation.
• 12:40pm - Shibuya Sky for a little over an hour. I wouldn’t consider a must-do, but it’s definitely a nice spot to get a good view of the city. Pretty similar vibe to Abeno Harukas (Harukas 300).
• 2pm - Headed to Akihabara to mess around for a little more and get some gifts for friends. Checked out all the different arcades and peeked at some rhythm gamers in their element.
• 6pm - Headed to Ebisu to grab dinner. Found a Japanese style Italian restaurant called “Uncle Tom” (Google translated name), used Google Lens to translate the photos of the menu and just pointed and ordered.
• 7pm - Stopped by Bar Martha, which was one of my personal must-sees. Some of the reviews online were pretty scathing, and I’m not sure if the staff have just mellowed out in recent years or the reviewers lacked self-awareness, but it was a great experience. You’re not allowed to talk too loudly or otherwise be disruptive (or take photos), but that’s really just your typical listening bar. The Tannoys sounded fantastic!
• 8pm - Went to Bar Track to check it out as well. A little bit more laidback than Bar Martha but with the same rules. Also a great spot.

Walked: 21181 steps / 10.3 miles
Thursday, June 8 - Tokyo

• 10am - Stopped by Tsukiji Outer Market to check it out. There was a fruit stall that sold a cup of Shine muscat grapes for about 2000 yen (super expensive but worth it just to try - they really were pretty amazing). Ended up meeting up with someone on the Discord for lunch, and we wandered Ginza for the Uniqlo and Muji flagship stores.
• 3pm - Split up with Discord buddy because he wanted to head to Shibuya but I had dinner reservations at 5pm. Wandered around a bit more and checked out Kabukiza and then went to Mantensushi Hibiya for 5pm omakase.
• 7pm - Went to Ginza Music Bar. A little difficult to find but very much worth the visit. It was relatively empty but it was a fantastic spot to round out my listening bar visits. It had a little more of a typical bar-like atmosphere but the music and sound system were just as amazing.
• 8pm - Head back to hostel to pack. Grabbed some last second ramen at Asakusashoten on the way back. Needed to be a little more intentional about cash usage here because I wanted to use it all up before leaving. After factoring in my subway and Skyliner costs, I ended up with 210 yen in my pocket and 7 yen in my Welcome Suica (I really should’ve just gotten a regular one) the next morning before my flight, and spent 200 yen at one of the massage chairs in Narita.

Walked: 19530 / 8.9 miles
Thursday, June 9 - Flight out from Tokyo