Spotify added audiobooks last year. Paid subscribers get 15 hours worth each month.You can also get them through Amazon or your library celebrity memoirs are great on audiobooks.I'd never cared one way or the other about Al Pacino until I listened to him read his audiobook.You probably already know that Spotify offers audiobooks with its paid-tier subscriptions. (If not, now you do!)You might even be confused as to why I'm mentioning this when the audiobook feature launched more than a year ago, in November 2023.Well, I'm writing this because fairly often over the last year, when I'm talking to people and I mention that I've listened to a book on Spotify, they're surprised they didn't notice the audiobook feature even if they're a regular Spotify music listener. Or maybe they didn't realize that the books were all included for free with their subscription.So I am taking it upon myself, during this quiet dead time between the holidays to remind you all:You can listen to books for free* on Spotify.(*OK, technically, you get 15 hours a month for free with your subscription. That's typically one or two books. If you go over, you can purchase more books la carte. For me, 15 hours is fine.)On Amazon, the largest bookseller, you can go through its Audible subscription service, which charges a monthly fee in exchange for credits you can use to purchase audiobooks. Amazon Music is now doing something similar to Spotify you get one free book to listen to a month with a paid subscription. I listened to Al Pacino read his biography as part of a Spotify audiobook and I was hooked on them. Kevin Winter/Getty Images Of course, there are people who are extremely high-volume consumers of audiobooks and one book a month isn't going to even come close to cutting it for them. On Reddit, some of these power listeners who burn through three to five books in a week discussed their strategies: mixing together Audible credits, the one free Amazon Music books, and Libby (the app for public libraries, which is great because it's unlimited and actually free, but it doesn't have everything and there can be long wait times for new releases or popular titles).There's also a shady underworld to audiobooks: torrent sites, or YouTube brain rot-style videos where someone plays Minecraft over the audiobook narration for the entire "Lord of the Rings" series.I don't condone any of that. Point is: With Spotify or Amazon Music, the audiobooks are a nice add-on. They could completely change your reading habits if you're now someone who really loves the feel of paper in your hands or likes to curl up with their Kindle.If you've never listened to audiobooks, allow me to make the case for a specific genre that they're perfect for: celebrity memoirs, especially if the celebrities themselves read them.Most recently, I listened to Al Pacino's autobiography, "Sonny Boy: A Memoir." Pacino reads it himself, and it's the perfect delivery he's got all the strangely YELLED WORDS!!! and quiet asides. At points, I wondered if he was even going off-script, it sounded so natural.I hadn't previously particularly cared much either way about Al Pacino, but I finished the book absolutely delighted by him and his commitment to leading an artistic life. But I truly think that I wouldn't have found the book as compelling if I had read it on paper his reading of it added so much.Celebrity autobiographies often aren't exactly hugely weighty or complicated tomes you can listen as you would a podcast: while doing the dishes, grocery shopping, driving.So here's my pitch: If you're already paying for Spotify, Amazon, or any other service, give an audiobook a try. It's usually free, there's nothing to lose if you think the book stinks, just start a new one!

Full Video - https://youtu.be/H-STb5QlSuc Download - https://bit.ly/40fq9jT FAB - https://www.fab.com/sellers/CGHOW Whatsapp - https://bit.ly/3LYvxjK Patreon- https://www.patreon.com/Ashif NFT - https://opensea.io/CGHOW Twitter - https://twitter.com/cghow_ If you Liked it - http://bit.ly/2UZmiZ4 Channel Ashif - http://bit.ly/3aYaniw Support me on - paypal.me/9953280644Skull Dissolve Vortex in Unreal Engine 5.5 Niagara Trailer #cghow #UE5 #UE4Niagara #gamefx #ue5niagara #ue4vfx #niagara #unrealengineniagara #realtimevfxVisit - https://cghow.com/ Unreal Engine Marketplace - https://bit.ly/3aojvAa Artstation Store - https://www.artstation.com/ashif/store Gumroad - https://cghow.gumroad.com/

Download - https://bit.ly/40fq9jT FAB - https://www.fab.com/sellers/CGHOW Whatsapp - https://bit.ly/3LYvxjK Patreon- https://www.patreon.com/Ashif NFT - https://opensea.io/CGHOW Twitter - https://twitter.com/cghow_ If you Liked it - http://bit.ly/2UZmiZ4 Channel Ashif - http://bit.ly/3aYaniw Support me on - paypal.me/9953280644Skull Dissolve Vortex in Unreal Engine 5.5 Niagara Trailer #cghow #UE5 #UE4Niagara #gamefx #ue5niagara #ue4vfx #niagara #unrealengineniagara #realtimevfxVisit - https://cghow.com/ Unreal Engine Marketplace - https://bit.ly/3aojvAa Artstation Store - https://www.artstation.com/ashif/store Gumroad - https://cghow.gumroad.com/

Project Files: https://www.patreon.com/posts/118869151 .Here is the map, minimap and fast travel system updated into unreal engine 5.5 version. Features of Mini-Map - Shows the layout of the surrounding area.- Shows an icon represents the player in the middle. - Changes the orientation and updated in real-time as the player moves around.- Shows icons for enemies and other characters in the level.- All the icons that represent dynamic entities such as characters are updated in real time. - Shows icons for waypoints, checkpoints, custom markers and other points of interest in the map.- Icons that are out of the mini-map range hovers in the edge of the mini-map.- Can be adapted to a map of any size. - Icon sizes and image can be customized per object.- Can easily make any actor appear in maps by adding a map-icon actor component.- Support custom waypoints.Features of Main Map- Shows an icon that represent the player character's location and the facing direction. - Shows icons for enemy characters positions and facing directions. - Shows icons for waypoints, checkpoints, custom markers and other points of interest in the map.- Supports zoom in and zoom out. - All the icons of dynamic entities are updated. - Icon sizes and image can be customized per object.- Can easily make any actor appear in maps by adding a map-icon actor component.- Can be adapted to a map of any scale. - Allows fast travel option.- Support custom waypoints . Menu System: https://youtu.be/CmYyFsNmwRM Map and Minimap: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNTm9yU0zou6xdEqL2QSSfanaZ3KA_vU7 // ! https://www.patreon.com/codelikeme Patrons will have access to project files of all the stuff I do in the channel and other extra benefitsJoin this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClb6Jh9EBV7a_Nm52Ipll_Q/join Like my facebook page for more content : https://www.facebook.com/gamedevelopersclub/ Follow me on twitter : https://twitter.com/CodeLikeMe2 Follow me on reddit : https://www.reddit.com/user/codelikeme #CodeLikeMe #unrealengine #ue4 #indiegamedev

Despite AMC's The Walking Dead primarily being a zombie show, the undead are surprisingly not the only threat that the living face. Through its long tenure of 11 successful seasons, The Walking Dead proves that the true danger in an apocalypse lies with the Living. Other humans proved to be more brutal, sadistic, and calculating than any mindless walker.

The prospect of a franchise mode, of taking over a multi-million-dollar sports club in order to lead them to greatness, has been a key part of sports video games ever since Madden 98 introduced the feature. Since then, it has spread into all sorts of sports games, including the MLB, the NFL and, of course, the National Hockey League. With NHL 25, EA has improved Franchise Mode in some outstanding ways, including new features for contract negotiations and more.

Strands has yet another pile of letters that will need to be sorted through. For players to have any chance of arriving at the solution, they will first need to identify the theme from just one little clue. If they manage that, they might be able to figure out all the words and that can be quite the challenge.

The latest v71 and v72 software updates have been locking users out of their devices over the holidays.

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lamberts ResiClubin your inbox?Subscribeto theResiClubnewsletter.Over the past few years, weve experienced a historic deterioration in housing affordability.The 51% surge in U.S. home prices since March 2020, combined with mortgage rates rising from 3% to 7%, has resulted in the fastest-ever decline in housing affordability. By most measures, the early 1980s housing market (when mortgage rates peaked at 18% in 1981) was slightly more unaffordable overall. However, in terms of housing cycles, the pace of change matterswhich explains why homebuyers and industry professionals are feeling a bit dizzy.Despite strained affordability, this year marked the 13th-consecutive calendar year of rising national home prices, with many areas in the Midwest and Northeast experiencing elevated price growth. However, in some Mountain West and Gulf markets, affordability pressures helped see home prices plateau or even outright decline.Heading into 2024, ResiClub expected significant bifurcation in the housing marketa prediction that still holds for 2025.Housing analyst Nick Gerli, founder and CEO of Reventure Appa real estate analytics platform that lets buyers and sellers forecast market trendsalso anticipated regional bifurcation this year. ResiClub recently spoke with Gerli about his thoughts on the 2025 housing market and whether he expects this trend to continue.During the pandemic housing boom, Floridas housing market was among the hottest in the nation. However, the market has since cooled, with active inventory now back above pre-pandemic levels and falling home prices in areas like Southwest Floridas Punta Gorda and Cape Coral. Additionally, condo prices are down year over year in nearly every Florida market. Whats actually driving this shift, and do you think this trend will continue into 2025?Florida is getting hit by three main headwinds entering 2025: a structural slowdown in inbound migration, excess supply hitting the market from home builders, and an affordability crisis for existing homeowners related to HOA and insurance costs. The combination of these factors is pushing more inventory onto the market and reducing buyer demand.Floridas housing market will likely continue to struggle in 2025 due to these factors, and I wouldnt be surprised if home values in certain markets in Florida drop by as much as 10% next year. Cities such as Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Punta Gorda, and Naples are most in the crosshairs of this slowdown.Lets turn to Texas. Housing markets like Austin and San Antonio have been experiencing falling home prices, and even Dallas has cooled significantly. What are the key factors contributing to this recent weakness in Texas, and do you see any signs of stabilization or further declines ahead?Texass housing market was always very affordable, and significantly undervalued before the pandemic. However, from 2020 to 2022, home values spiked so much that many local buyers in Texas could no longer afford to participate in the market. The result was a slowdown in home sales. At the same time, home builders permitted a massive pipeline of new homes and apartments, which started to hit the market in 2024 and will continue in 2025. The result is higher inventory and declining prices.I think Austin will be the first market to bottom. Prices there are already down 20% from the peak, and according to Reventure Apps data, theyre now only 12% overvalued. Dallas is a market that might take longer to correct. Prices there are still very high compared to long-term norms, and theyve only dropped a couple of percentage points to date, indicating a large affordability gap in the market.In contrast to Florida and Texas, the Midwest and Northeast housing markets have shown remarkable resilience. Active inventory remains well below pre-pandemic levels, and home prices are still rising. In Buffalo, New York; Hartford, Connecticut; and Milwaukee, prices are even rising at elevated rates. What factors are supporting this resilience, and do you think these regions can maintain their upward momentum?The true tailwind behind Midwest and Northeast markets is affordability. Home values in Buffalo, Hartford, and Milwaukee are still cheap enough in relative terms for local buyers to afford the prices and mortgage payments. At the same time, there is very little home building in these areas, which suppresses new listings and supply. Reventure App is forecasting continued price growth in 2025 for these regions.In October, U.S. homebuilders reported having 113,000 unsold new homes. While this is still below the 2007 peak of 117,000, its above the pre-pandemic October 2019 level of 77,000, and marks the highest level since 2009. Does this signal that some builders may need to implement discounts to maintain sales momentum in spring 2025? How might this affect the broader housing market?Builders are starting to get a bit desperate to move their inventory, particularly down here in Florida. I just toured a home builder site east of Tampa where the builder offered me a 4.7% mortgage rate for a 30-year term, with the house priced at $150 [per square foot], which is a pretty good deal. Builders are getting this aggressive in Florida and other parts of [the U.S.] because they have a pileup of unsold inventory sitting on their lots. As you pointed out, completed unsold spec inventory is at the highest level since 2009 nationally. And in states like Florida and Texas, the unsold inventory is even higher.Looking ahead to 2025, what is your overall outlook for the U.S. housing market? Are there specific areas of uncertainty or potential headwinds that buyers, sellers, and investors should be paying close attention to?On a national level, we expect home prices to remain flat in 2025, with prices declining in the Southeast, Texas, and Mountain states. Values are expected to continue to increase in the Northeast and Midwest, but by less than they did in 2024. One macro-level trend were tracking with large uncertainty is mortgage defaults and foreclosures. There has been an increase in early-stage mortgage delinquencies in 2024, especially among FHA and VA borrowers. Many of these delinquencies are currently blocked from foreclosure by pandemic-era programs like loss mitigation and forbearance.Will the incoming presidential administration remove these foreclosure protections and return the government mortgage market to pre-pandemic norms? If so, there could be an increase in distressed selling in the housing market in 2025 and higher inventory. On the demand side, we expect a moderate bounce in existing-home sales 10% above their levels in 2024. This will be due to rising wages and falling prices in some markets, thereby improving affordability.

Flush from his victories on the battlefield and in the arena, Maximus negotiates an endorsement deal with a major olive oil producer. Days later, marketing posters sporting his image appeared plastered on walls throughout Rome.Do you remember this subplot in Gladiator? Of course, you dont. But not for the reason you might imagine.Such a scene, apparently, was included in the original script. Surprisinglyto non-historiansthe relatively recent innovation of celebrity athletes selling products is not an innovation at all. Many centuries before Michael Jordan started hawking sneakers, heroes of the Roman Coliseum were lending their names and likenesses to the mass marketing of ancient times.So why was the scene clipped from Russell Crowes cinematic rendition? Simply because no one would have believed it.Herein lies a most irksome paradox. Its not enough for something to be true. It must be believable. This is despite the obvious fact that our collective belief or refusal to believe has absolutely no impact on reality.Imagine reading a Shakespearean-era novel in which the protagonist is anguished over being unfriended. Utterly implausible, you tell yourself. Except that the first recorded use of unfriend traces back to a letter penned in 1659. Okay, thats a little late for Shakespeare, but not by much.The examples are endless.The ancient Persians invented the first air-conditioning system.The ancient Greeks invented central heating.The first vending machine dates back to first-century Alexandria.So what do you call it when you cant tell the truth because no one will believe you? Thats our latest entry into the Ethical Lexicon:The Tiffany EffectThe perception of any historical fact as anachronistic or unrealistic to modern audiences despite its accuracy.Also referred to as the Tiffany Problem, the expression was coined by fantasy author Jo Walton. The name Tiffany dates back as early as the year 1200, traditionally given to girls born on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. The Old French spelling Tifinie derives from the Greek Theophaneia, meaning manifestation of god.But none of that matters. Modern readers know that the name Tiffany arrived on the scene with Audrey Hepburn; consequently, they also know that it has no place in Medieval literature. No amount of historical lecturing is going to convince them otherwise.Interestingly, the greatest of artists refused to allow accuracy to get in the way of their art. Michelangelos David is famous for its disproportionate right hand, neck, left shin, and left buttock. (And lets not forget that, in all likelihood, David was wearing clothes when he faced Goliath on the battlefield.) The artist, in his genius, recognized that the combined effect of rippling musculature and imperfect proportionality would somehow coalesce into a breathtaking masterpiece that depicts reality better than reality itself.There are two lessons for leaders here. First, its not enough to speak clearly. Only by anticipating how our words might be misunderstood or misinterpreted can we ensure that our message will be received the way we intend. Communication that fails to take into account the recipient is miscommunication, no matter how certain the communicator is of accurately conveying the message.Second, we need to practice humility. Just because we are 100% certain doesnt mean we cant be wrong. Almost two centuries ago, humorist Josh Billings warned against precisely that when he observed: I honestly believe it is better to know nothing than to know what just aint so.By demonstrating a willingness to admit ignorance and acknowledge they might be wrong, leaders actually build credibility in the eyes of their people while modeling the values that sustain a healthy culture. Sometimes, that means avoiding the appearance of being wrong even when were right.But youll justifiably ask: Dont we have an obligation to speak the truth and to disseminate truth throughout the world? Well, yes and no. Concerning the scriptural obligation to give rebuke for wrongdoing, the sages taught: Just as one is required to speak words that will be accepted, one is prohibited from speaking words that will not be accepted.In other words, we can cause more damage by giving others information they arent willing or able to process than we cause by remaining silent. In such cases, we might be able to modify our message to make it more easily received, even at the expense of perfect accuracy.The Tiffany Effect leads us into an ethical tempest. What is our first and highest priority? To speak literal truth, or to enable others to recognize a deeper truth? Navigating the treacherous waters between honesty and effectiveness presents a daunting challenge in countless relevant situations.Whether were trying to sell clients, consumers, or colleagues, the same principles of ethical marketing apply: How can we make it easier for others to hear and accept our ideas by framing them to be palatable without distortion or misrepresentation? Err too far to one side and you lose your sale. Err too far to the other side and you lose your integrity and, perhaps, your reputation.Tiffany might be an entirely appropriate name for my 13th-century heroine, but if readers refuse to buy into the accuracy of the story because of their own erroneous misconceptions, the writer wisely changes her name to Theophaneia. When we know our people and our audience, we can craft our message to meet them where they are and thereby serve their best interests. The willingness to do just that is the first step toward eliminating the Tiffany Problem altogether.