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Study Guides & ResourcesAAT Failed the (AAT) Exam? Steps To Get You Back on Track

You are aware of how crucial it is to pass exams if you are working toward an Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualification. However, failing an exam at some point in one’s education is common. Don’t worry if you’ve failed an AAT exam; it doesn’t mean the end of your career.

You can get back on track and complete your AAT certification with the right mindset and a solid plan. After failing an AAT exam, the following steps can assist you in getting back on track:

Assess the Reasons You May Have Failed the Exam

It is absolutely necessary to spare some time to consider the reasons you may have failed the exam. Did you feel like you weren’t prepared enough? Also, did you require assistance with particular ideas or subjects?

During the exam, did you require more time? Identifying the areas to focus on as you prepare for future exams can be made easier if you know what caused your failure.

The AAT websites or your tutor are two places to look for feedback on your performance. They might be able to tell you where you went wrong and what you can do to get better.

You should also go over the exam and any study materials or notes you took. This can help you find areas in which you may have made mistakes or gaps in your knowledge.

Being honest about any obstacles or distractions that might have affected your performance is also essential.

For instance, was there a lot going on in your personal life that made it hard to concentrate on studying? Did you find it hard to stay motivated? You can develop strategies to overcome these issues in the future by recognizing them.

Make A Study Plan To Perform Better Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT)

Once you have a better understanding of the reasons behind your exam failure, it is time to make a study plan. As you prepare for future exams, having a clear plan can help you stay focused and on track.

When creating your study plan, you should think about setting specific objectives.

For instance, you want to finish a certain number of practice exams and read a certain number of chapters every week. The process may be easier to manage if your study materials are broken down into smaller, more manageable chunks.

Finding a study environment that works for you is also essential. Some people find that they study better in a group setting or with some background noise, while others prefer a quiet, private space.

Try out a variety of settings to discover what works best for you. The flexibility that comes with studying online is one of its advantages.

You can learn at your own pace and on your own time, which can be particularly useful if you have other commitments or a busy schedule.

You can get a variety of materials and tools to help you prepare for your exams from online resources like the AAT’s own learning platform and sites like

If you want to get ready for your Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) exams, you should think about using an online study resource.

Practice exams, video tutorials, and individualized feedback are just a few of the features on this platform that are made to help you succeed.

The ease of accessing the platform from any device is one of the benefits of using it. This means you can study anywhere, at home, at work, or while traveling.

As you work through the material, you will also have the support of knowledgeable tutors who can answer your inquiries and offer direction.

You’ll find revision notes, advice on how to prepare for the exam, and a progress tracker among these to help you monitor your progress.

You can use all of these features from the convenience of your own home, making it simple to fit your studies in around other commitments.

In conclusion, don’t let the fact that you failed an AAT exam hold you back.

You can get back on track and earn your AAT qualification if you take the time to figure out why you might have failed, make a solid study plan, and use resources.

Keep a positive attitude, keep your eyes on your targets, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

You can earn your AAT certification and advance in your accounting career with a little effort and dedication.

Designing an eco friendly glazed kitchen extension

The buzzwords of the moment are “going green” and environmentally friendly design. Designers and homeowners alike are searching for novel strategies to lessen the environmental impact of our homes.

A glazed extension is the ideal way to connect the home and garden, making the transition between the two spaces seamless. As a result, designing a room that not only looks good but also has a low environmental impact should be a top priority.

Consequently, numerous brands, designers, and appliance manufacturers have made significant progress toward making it simple to design an eco-friendly, bespoke glazed extension.

Using sustainable materials to build the extension It’s important to look at the materials used to build the room before getting into the specifics of the room inside. Timber is a material that many designers use a lot. If it is sourced correctly, it has little effect on the environment. Accoya is one of the best examples of environmentally friendly timber that is also an excellent building material.

Accoya® is a novel type of wood that is made from Radiata pine, a fast-growing, readily available FSC® or PEFCTM-certified tree species. Acetylation, a chemical process that does not harm the environment and increases the strength of the pine, makes it far more long-lasting and stable than its original form. Additionally, the process of acetylation enhances the timber’s in-ground performance and paint retention, thereby reducing future maintenance requirements. Going Here

Accoya® is a Class 1 wood that is about as long-lasting as you can get. Accoya® is the ideal material for making an eco-friendly glazed extension due to the eco-friendliness of the timber.

The significance of glazing that is energy-efficient Given that popular extensions like orangeries, garden rooms, and conservatories are primarily made of glass, it is essential to ensure that they have the highest possible energy rating. Understanding U-values is essential when investigating the energy efficiency of windows.

What do U-Values mean?
A metric called U-values is used to determine a door or window’s insulation and energy efficiency. The window’s insulation and, consequently, its energy efficiency improve with a lower value. The U-value of the entire window or door, not just the central pane, is essential for homeowners who truly want to construct an energy-efficient glazed extension.

Alternative home energy solutions

One great way to reduce the environmental impact of a glazed extension is to install a variety of alternative energy sources. There are a variety of renewable energy sources to choose from, but which one is best for each property should be considered early in the design process.

Solar panels capture the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity that can be used to power lighting, heating, and other household appliances. Solar panels can now be added to each individual tile, making them more discrete and subtle than the large, unsightly panels that sit on top of a roof. To ensure that the solar panels operate as efficiently as possible, it is essential to consider the roof’s orientation. However, as technology advances, direct sunlight is becoming less of a problem.

Wind turbines make use of the wind’s energy to generate electricity. A smaller turbine can be attached to a property’s roof, while a larger turbine can be erected on the ground in an appropriate location. The ability of wind turbines to store excess energy for times when there is less wind is one of their primary advantages; as a result, the property relies significantly less on traditional sources.

Ground source heat pumps heat buildings and supply hot water by utilizing heat stored in the earth. With the help of a ground heat exchange loop, a homeowner can make use of this eco-friendly source of energy throughout the entire year because the temperature below the ground rarely falls below 10 degrees Celsius, even in the winter.

Choosing the right kitchen appliances

One of the most common uses for a glazed extension is a kitchen or dining room because of its size and access to the garden. Most of the time, the appliances in a kitchen are the ones that use the most energy and have a big effect on the environment.

In order to make it simpler for homeowners to select the most eco-friendly option, energy efficiency ratings have been assigned to all home appliances. However, it is essential to take into account the appliance in its entirety, not just its energy rating. The size of the machine will altogether affect its energy utilization, for instance, two apparatuses could have a similar energy rating yet the bigger thing will, obviously, utilize the most energy. Therefore, it is essential to avoid “over-speccing” by selecting an appliance that meets the requirements of the household.

Create a Master List of All Inventory

Making a rundown of all your stock will save you the difficulty of going through boxes to track down something specific. It’s monotonous as well as will cause a ton of wreck that will be challenging to explore. The upside of making a rundown is you should simply take a gander at the stock rundown and see which box/compartment contains which thing.

Additionally, it’s memorable’s challenging all that you have stored in the plastic storage boxes unit, particularly assuming you intend to save it as long as possible. While huge furniture pieces, similar to beds, tables or couches, are not difficult to recall, more modest things like gadgets or garments frequently slip from memory when stored for longer.

We prescribe adding every thing to a bookkeeping sheet to keep up with association and centered storage arranging. It’s a lot more straightforward to access and deal with your unit along these lines. Notwithstanding, in the event that you are old-school and lean toward a scratch pad and a pen, feel free to record everything.

Remember to order them for most extreme accommodation. To be above and beyond, you can likewise take photographs.

Put resources into Great Quality Containers and Cardboard Boxes

There’s nothing more awful than having boxes break down while in storage or self-destructing when you move them around in the storage unit to impeccably fit them all. Putting resources into great quality boxes to stay away from burden is the best choice, whether momentary storage or long haul storage.

There are various types of boxes to store different things, similar to vertical closet boxes, which allows you to store garments upward on holders guaranteeing they hold their shape and quality. There are clear plastic holders which are significantly more advantageous than cardboard boxes.

They are, be that as it may, more costly, yet when you consider their common sense, they merit the additional expense.

Furthermore, clear plastic receptacles make following what’s inside your storage unit substantially more sensible. They make it conceivable to see what’s inside a holder without digging through it, making it simpler to find your things. Finally, we prescribe you pick STORED to be your storage supplier. You will get faultless administrations and can buy all the essential pressing materials in amazing quality at reasonable rates.

Orchestrate Every one of the Boxes In a calculated way

However vital as it seems to be to load your possessions with absolute attention to detail to drag out their lives, it’s likewise fundamental to orchestrate your boxes and compartments for simple access in a calculated way.

As you begin putting away things in the storage unit, make sure to begin with huge and more overweight boxes. Keep them first on the base towards the rear of the unit, then, at that point, stack lighter boxes and things on top of them.

In particular, never keep weighty boxes and things on top of lightweight compartments. They will smash the lightweight and more modest boxes and harm your things on the off chance that you do as such. To make a steady base for lighter things and simple access, store weighty boxes and things like furniture at the base.

Then, there will be things you really want to utilize all the more oftentimes, similar to occasional garments and so on, and there will be things you won’t require admittance to for quite a while. While you won’t require these things consistently, you will make outings to the storage unit to recover them something like one time each year. Make sure to store these things towards the front of the unit in a simple to-arrive at spot.

Patent-Protected Keys are Key to Securing Your Home or Business

We seldom contemplate the keys we use to get to our homes and organizations every day. While keys might appear to be identical, there can be a major contrast in how much security a key can give. The most solid keys are licensed keys, which are safeguarded against unapproved key duplication, as the key producer controls the dispersion of the chambers in the lock.

In light of this the key spaces are not promptly accessible at places that copy keys, similar to home improvement shops. The main individuals that can arrange key spaces to cut keys for licensed keys are approved people whose marks are on record with the manufacturer.1

How Patent-Safeguarded Keys Work

These keys are unique in relation to the ones in the past that have “don’t copy” stepped into them and are frequently copied in spite of the advance notice. That is on the grounds that with those standard keys, the spaces to cut new keys are promptly accessible. With licensed keys, the spaces are not promptly accessible.

Licensed items, similar to patent-safeguarded key frameworks, are remarkable, credited to one proprietor, can’t be replicated and have legitimate security, and copying a patent-safeguarded key without communicated consent of the proprietor or association can result in extreme monetary penalties.

Licensed keys, or high security keys as they are frequently called, don’t simply shield you from duplication. They work with locks that are inordinately difficult to pick, since the locking systems are matched to explicit pins on your extraordinary key(s).3

Patent Safeguarded Keys for Home and Business

You would require a specialty check out this Locksmith with specific devices to open a patent-safeguarded lock. Moreover, some patent-safeguarded lock frameworks have mechanical keys with a computerized chip where approved proprietors can erase a key’s information from a distance, subsequently delivering the key unusable. This can be helpful for guardians when kids lose their key and for entrepreneurs when a representative is terminated, on leave, or laid-off and incapable to return a patent-safeguarded key.

For entrepreneurs, there are extra benefits to having patent-safeguarded locking frameworks introduced. On the off chance that you have huge, costly or significant resources inside your business and you need to ensure that certain main representatives approach these resources, a solid entryway with a patent-safeguarded key framework will offer an additional degree of safety. You may likewise need to think about this degree of safety in the event that it is vital that specific representatives can’t get to the explicit region of your structure.

All organizations that have moved into another area ought to likewise change existing locks to guarantee that workers of the previous business, or workers for hire with admittance to the structure during development or rebuilding, can’t utilize their keys to get to the business. In the event that you have been the survivor of a break-in, that is likewise a valid justification to update your entryways and locking components.

One component that should be thought about with patent-safeguarded key frameworks is that utility licenses lapse for 20 years. A few patent-safeguarded key frameworks utility licenses are terminating this year including Medeco’s M3 and Commander’s XC.

When a patent lapses for patent-safeguarded key frameworks the patent turns out to be essential for the public space. While the maker will in any case stick to laid out security guidelines, it is ideal to either redesign your vital framework or go with an item with a patent that is longer in term. An expert locksmith can give master counsel on which patent-safeguarded lock to decide for your home or business.

Locksmith Administrations in Michigan

Thirty years of involvement with practically all aspects of locksmithing has made Activity Locksmith one of the most believed locksmith organizations in Michigan. Our diligent effort and devotion guarantee an unparalleled piece of handiwork with a safe home and business. We handle everything from re-keying to entryway fix and establishment, camera and expert key frameworks, code infringement, keyless section thus significantly more.

TIPS TO PREVENT RED MOLES ON YOUR BODY

Red moles are otherwise called cherry angiomas. You might have them on your skin and have never acknowledged what they are. More often than not they will show up on the chest, back, neck or face, yet can spring up anyplace on the body. It’s justifiable when you are worried about the presence of a red mole and need to go through red mole expulsion right away, yet truly nothing remains to be stressed over.

WHY AM I GETTING RED MOLES

Research recommends the improvement of red moles is hereditary. Be that as it may, there are a lot of hypotheses with respect to how they can appear on your body. So before you investigate the expulsion of cherry angioma methods, this is the thing you really want to be aware of conceivably keeping them from happening.

HOW ARE THEY TREATED

Red moles likewise are known as cherry angiomas are normal skin developments that can foster in many region of the body generally tracked down in individuals 30 years or more established. Cherry angiomas don’t generally should be dealt with notwithstanding, you really do have the choice to eliminate it for restorative reasons.

Ordinarily, you would possibly need to have it taken out on the off chance that the region it is in is effectively knock which can prompt dying. A portion of the Victoria House Clinic treatment to eliminate cherry angiomas incorporate freezing, consuming the angiomas.

Shield YOUR SKIN FROM THE SUN: In the event that your skin is continually presented to coordinate UV beams, your possibilities fostering a red mole might increment. An excess of sun openness could make red moles create, and might cause existing red moles on the body to deteriorate.

While by far most of red moles aren’t perilous, there is an insignificant opportunity they could develop into something more hazardous, so safeguarding them when you can is generally best. What’s more, on the off chance that it at any point arrives at that point, you can constantly get a red mole expulsion technique finished.

Remain HYDRATED AND Appropriately Fed: It’s critical to remain hydrated and consume a sound eating regimen for some reasons, yet a few clinical experts propose this can likewise keep red moles from creating. It’s not unexpected to foster a couple of red moles throughout the span that could only be described as epic.

Yet on the off chance that you have a huge sum all around your body, it very well may be an indication of a hidden issue. So in the event that you’re a by and large sound individual and have a decent slimming down and practicing schedule, yet foster red moles frequently, think about visiting a clinical expert for an exam.

Different Reasons for RED MOLES

Red moles are generally inherited, however can likewise create as you age, as life becomes distressing or for the overwhelming majority different reasons. In the event that you just have irregular red moles creating on the body, numerous clinical experts recommend utilizing a cherry angioma evacuation laser to dispose of them.

The red moles won’t return in that area, however there’s generally the chance of others creating in different regions. The red mole expulsion process is basic, speedy and clear, so the vast majority will get treated on a case by case basis and spotlight more on arrangements as opposed to causes.

Royal Family’s privacy in the spotlight: Tampongate, topless photos of Kate and a New York car chase | UK News


An investigation is under way into reports staff at the hospital where the Princess of Wales underwent abdominal surgery in January tried to view her private medical records.

The security breach is not the first time Kate has faced public exposure of her private medical records.

From hospital stays to holidays, and private phone calls to car chases, the Royal Family‘s right to privacy has rarely been out of the spotlight.

Here we take a look at the issues they have faced over the years.

Prank call

In 2012, two Australian DJs – 2Day FM presenters Michael Christian and Mel Greig – posed as the late Queen, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and the then Prince Charles in a prank call to King Edward VII hospital in Windsor, where Kate was being treated for acute morning sickness during her pregnancy with Prince George.

Indian-born nurse Jacintha Saldanha was found dead on 7 December – three days after transferring the call to a colleague who divulged details about Kate’s recovery.

The Australian DJs were taken off the air.

Image:
Kate and William leave King Edward VII’s Hospital in December 2012

An inquest into Ms Saldanha’s death heard the 46-year-old mother-of-two blamed herself for transferring the call, which she believed was genuine. The inquest concluded she took her own life.

Prince William wrote to Ms Saldanha’s family following her death.

In a note dated New Year’s Day 2013, he spoke of the nurse’s “unbelievably sad” death, and of the care Kate received.

“Jacintha and her colleagues looked after us extremely well and I am just so sorry that someone who cared for others so much found themselves in such a desperate situation,” he wrote, the nurse’s family later revealed.

Topless pictures of Kate

Topless photographs of Kate – taken while she and Prince William were on holiday in the south of France – were published in a French publication, Closer, in September 2012.

Prince William and Kate were said to have reacted with “anger and disbelief” and thought a “red line has been crossed”.

The royal couple described it as a “grotesque and unjustifiable invasion of privacy”.

But the publication’s then editor, Laurence Pieau, said the couple were “visible from the street” and the images were “not in the least shocking”.

Closer is a French celebrity gossip magazine
Image:
Closer is a French celebrity gossip magazine. Pic: Reuters

They were snapped with a zoom lens as they relaxed outside at a chateau belonging to the Queen’s nephew, Viscount Linley.

The front page showed Kate topless on the terrace of the private house. Inside the magazine there were further pictures of her sunbathing topless.

British newspapers rejected approaches to buy the photos.

The royals filed a criminal complaint for invasion of privacy and got an injunction preventing further use of the images.

They also launched a legal action for breach of privacy against the publishers of the magazine.

A court ordered France’s Closer magazine to pay €100,000 (£92,000) in damages to the couple in September 2017.

Kate and William welcomed the verdicts after a “serious breach of privacy”, and said they “wished to make the point strongly that this kind of unjustified intrusion should not happen”.

‘Tampongate’

A transcript of the infamous “Tampongate” phone call between the then Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles was published in 1993 by several British newspapers after it surfaced in an Australian magazine.

The story went into the details of an incredibly intimate conversation between the future King and Queen.

The conversation took place between the pair in December 1989, and was taped by a radio enthusiast scanning frequencies – often used by police officers and pirate radio DJs – after stumbling across the private phone call.

NOTE: THIS PICTURE HAS BEEN DIGITALLY COLOURISED.Mandatory Credit: Photo by Shutterstock (55359e).Prince Charles Talking to Camilla Parker Bowles at a Polo Match.Prince Charles Talking to Camilla Parker Bowles at a Polo Match, Cirencester Park, Britain - July 1975
Image:
Charles and Camilla pictured in July 1975. Pic: Shutterstock

Its emergence, first in Australia and then on front pages around the world, followed the publication of Andrew Morton’s tell-all book written from the transcripts of tapes smuggled to him from Princess Diana, telling her side of her marriage to Charles.

The story also came out after Buckingham Palace’s announcement in December 1992 that the then Prince and Princess of Wales had decided to separate.

Hordes of frenzied reporters and photographers with long lenses gathered outside Camilla’s Wiltshire home, desperate for a glimpse of Charles’s mistress.

Her image has been transformed since. But the scandal returned to the headlines when it was dramatised in the Netflix series, The Crown.

Read more from Sky News:
‘Smiling’ Kate filmed out ‘shopping for bread’ with William
‘Where is Kate?’: US reaction to royal story is ‘extraordinary’
Most people still trust royals, poll for Sky News finds

Prince Harry arrives at the High Court in London, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Prince Harry is due at a London court to testify against a tabloid publisher he accuses of phone hacking and other unlawful snooping. Harry alleges that journalists at the Daily Mirror and its sister papers used unlawful techniques on an "industrial scale" to get scoops. Publisher Mirror Group Newspapers is contesting the claims. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Image:
Prince Harry at the High Court in London last year. Pic: AP

Hacking claims

More recently, Prince Harry won substantial damages in his hacking case accusing Mirror Group Newspapers of unlawfully gathering information for stories published about him.

The privacy case brought by the Duke of Sussex was “proved in part” last year, with 15 of the 33 articles presented in court found to be the product of phone hacking or other unlawful information gathering, the High Court ruled.

Judge Timothy Fancourt said the duke’s phone was probably only hacked to a modest extent and was “carefully controlled by certain people” from the end of 2003 to April 2009.

But he added that there was a tendency by the duke to assume everything was a result of hacking.

The judge awarded the prince a total sum of £140,600. The sum was aggregated as directors of the newspaper group knew and “turned a blind eye and positively concealed it”.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

The practice was “widespread and habitual” from 1998 onwards, the judge said, while phone hacking “remained an important tool in the climate of journalism” at all three papers – the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People – from 2006 to 2011.

Harry hailed the ruling on 15 December 2023 as “vindicating and affirming”, and took aim at senior executives and editors including Piers Morgan – who was in charge at the Daily Mirror from 1995 to 2004.

In a statement after the ruling, he said: “I have been told that slaying dragons will get you burned, but in light of today’s victory and the importance of doing what is needed for a free and honest press, it is a worthwhile price to pay.”

In response, Morgan insisted he’d never hacked a phone and accused Prince Harry himself of invading his own family’s privacy.

Paparazzi ‘car chase’

Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and her mother were involved in a “near catastrophic” car chase after being followed by paparazzi for more than two hours, a spokesperson for the couple claimed.

The incident happened after they attended an awards ceremony at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on 16 May last year.

Pic: Twitter/anDrew/Reuters
Image:
Harry and Meghan at the Ms. Foundation’s Women of Vision Awards. Pic: Twitter/anDrew via Reuters

Ashley Hansen, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s press secretary, told Sky News at the time: “I have never experienced their vulnerability as much as I did last night. They were incredibly scared and shaken up.

“There were several times where the car stopped and security got out. There were instances where the police confronted the paparazzi and had asked them to stop or give them space, to do this safely.

“Unfortunately that wish was not respected.”

Sukhcharn Singh, the taxi driver who drove the couple and Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, said photographers tried to take photos and capture videos during their short time in his car.

But he said he never felt like he was in danger – and shrugged off suggestions that it was like a car chase you would see in the movies.

New York Police officials also played down the incident by saying they did not believe the chase was “near catastrophic” and described it instead as a “bit of a chaotic scene”.

It was another example of the enduring interest in the lives of the royals, though – and the pressures on their privacy.



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23 Best Wireless Chargers (2024): Pads, Stands, iPhone Docks, and More


Does my phone support wireless charging?

Not all phones support wireless charging, but most brands have models that do, so look up your phone model first. You’ll usually see “Qi wireless charging” (the default standard) or simply “wireless charging” if it does. Phones that support the latest Qi2 standard, bear the Qi2 logo and have a ring of magnets for easy alignment (just like Apple’s MagSafe).

Do wireless chargers work if you have a phone case?

Yes, most wireless chargers can charge through cases, unless it’s a particularly thick case. Check the product listing—there’s usually a case thickness limit in millimeters. Phones can get hot when charging wirelessly, so don’t worry if your phone is really warm when you pick it up. Most smartphones have limits to stop accepting a charge if they get too hot.

Yes, cords will charge your phone faster

Some manufacturers like Apple and OnePlus make wireless chargers that recharge their respective phones faster than others, but if you’re looking for speed, you’re better off sticking with a cord. Wireless charging is best for desks or nightstands when you’re not really using your phone or in a rush to recharge it.

What’s a fast wireless charging speed?

We said this at the beginning of our guide, but you’ll see “Compatible with iPhones and Android phones” under each slide, and that means the charger has a standard charging speed of 7.5 watts for iPhones or 10 watts for Android phones (including Samsung Galaxy phones). The latest MagSafe and Qi2 chargers can go up to 15 watts, and there are a handful of proprietary wireless chargers for specific phone models that can charge even faster. It’s worth noting that, even where phones support them, the maximum charging rates are only reached some of the time (the charging rate is automatically adjusted to preserve battery health).

Is wireless charging safe to use?

There’s no definitive evidence that it’s harmful. You may worry the phone’s battery might degrade faster with wireless charging, but manufacturers set safe limits for phone batteries, stipulating how much a battery can be charged and how far it can discharge. Regardless of the charging source you use, whether you plug into a wall adapter or use a wireless charging pad, these limits can’t be overridden. There’s no risk of overcharging your phone by leaving it on a wireless charger all night.

How do I keep my phone’s battery healthy?

However, try to keep your battery between 50 and 80 percent for optimum battery health. Keeping your phone fully charged or fully discharging the battery will degrade it slightly faster, and regularly swinging between full and empty will shorten its life. Battery technology has improved in recent years, and phone batteries are more reliable than ever. If you switch phones every two to three years or don’t mind paying a modest fee for a battery replacement on that timescale, it’s not worth worrying too much about how often or when you charge your phone.



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Essential Tips for Beginners in Major Mixing and Mastering

The cornerstone of any well-crafted musical piece lies in a skillful mix. Regardless of whether you are a novice or a seasoned music producer, it is essential to commence with a robust mix. This involves dedicating time to harmonize all your tracks, fine-tune the EQ of each instrument and vocal, and allocate sufficient headroom for mastering in the later stages.

One often underestimated element, especially by beginners, is the significance of regular practice. The art of mixing demands continual refinement and progress over time. Even when not actively working on new compositions, consider revisiting older ones or experimenting with various effects plugins to sustain and enhance your mixing skills.

For those starting out, a beneficial suggestion is to immerse yourself in the mixes of professional producers within your genre. Pay careful attention not only to how they balance instruments but also to their adept utilization of panning, reverb, compression, and other effects. Analyzing the techniques employed by successful producers in your genre can offer invaluable insights, enabling you to attain a commercially competitive sound for your own music production endeavors.

Let’s delve further into the key points and emphasize the comprehensive approach to honing mixing skills and establishing a professional presence in the competitive music industry:

Start with a Solid Mix:

A solid mix serves as the foundation for a captivating musical journey. Balancing tracks, fine-tuning EQ, and leaving ample headroom for mastering are not mere technicalities but crucial steps in sculpting a sonic landscape that resonates with listeners. Enlisting the expertise of Audio Mixing Mastering services ensures that your mix is not just good but professionally polished, allowing each element to shine while contributing to a harmonious whole.

Regular Practice:

Consistent and dedicated practice is the lifeblood of skill development. The art of mixing is honed over time, with each session contributing to an evolving mastery. Regularly revisiting older projects and experimenting with new effects plugins, even during downtime between projects, keeps your skills sharp and contributes to a continuous journey of improvement.

Learn from Professionals:

Studying the work of seasoned professionals in your genre is akin to attending a masterclass. Analyzing their mixing techniques, understanding how they balance instruments, and unraveling the secrets of their sound design contribute to your growth as a mixer. This learning process provides invaluable insights into achieving a commercially competitive sound for your own music.

Achieve a Professional Image:

In the competitive realm of the music industry, presenting a professional image is non-negotiable. A well-mixed track serves as your musical business card, leaving a lasting impression on listeners. Quality mixing not only enhances the overall listening experience but also communicates a commitment to excellence, setting the stage for success in an industry where first impressions matter.

Consistent Practice:

Consistency is the bridge between potential and proficiency. Regularly setting aside focused time for practice ensures that your skills are not just acquired but retained and improved upon. It’s the relentless pursuit of excellence that transforms a novice into a seasoned professional.

Explore Different Genres:

Venturing into different musical genres is not just an exercise in diversity; it’s a strategic move to broaden your creative horizons. Experimentation with various styles expands your skill set, making you a versatile mixer capable of navigating the nuanced demands of different musical landscapes.

Seek Feedback and Criticism:

Constructive feedback is a cornerstone of growth. Actively seeking input from peers and industry experts provides fresh perspectives on your mixing techniques and decisions. Engaging in a feedback loop with trusted individuals creates a dynamic learning environment, where each critique becomes a stepping stone towards refinement.

Listen to Other Mixes:

Listening to the work of other mixers and producers is akin to an ongoing education. It offers insights into production techniques, exposes you to diverse sonic palettes, and hones your ability to discern the nuances of a well-crafted mix. Seeking feedback from both peers and industry experts further refines your understanding, making you a more discerning and skilled mixer.

In summary, the combination of these key points forms a holistic approach to the art of mixing. It’s not just about mastering the technicalities but about embracing a mindset of continuous improvement and a commitment to delivering music that captivates and resonates in the ever-evolving landscape of the music industry.

Choice And Consistent Shift Patterns Could Improve Nurses’ Work-Life Balance


Published: 15 February 2024

Research by the University of Southampton has found nurses value both choice and consistency in their shift patterns to help balance work with commitments in their home life. Providing a good work-life balance is one way of helping to retain nurses in the NHS to ensure safe levels of care at a time of large shortfalls in staff.

The study showed that only 50 percent are satisfied with the roster pattern they work, with the rest either dissatisfied or uncertain either way. Day shifts are associated with the most satisfaction and rotating shifts with the least. It also found that 68 percent of nurses feel their shifts are mostly or completely determined by their employer.

The comprehensive survey of over 850 nurses aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of their thoughts about working patterns.

The research was conducted between June and October 2021 across two NHS trusts and by directly appealing for participants via nursing unions and journals. It examined shift length, time, rotation, rest and days off.

Full findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

Results from qualitative responses in the survey emphasised the importance of rotas that are consistent and predictable. Many nurses expressed they should know what they are working long in advance – preferably six weeks or more – and disliked shift patterns being dictated purely by staffing needs. Over 100 nurses raised concerns over caring for children and elderly relatives, with many suggesting that consistent rotas helped them plan.

Also, nearly 200 nurses highlighted the importance of well scheduled days off, perhaps in blocks of two or three, to allow them to recover physically and emotionally – particularly when switching between night and day shifts. Many believed their switch around time was too quick.

“We undertook a broad and deep examination of nurses’ usual way of working,” comments lead author Talia Emmanuel. “We looked in detail at how long, short and rotating shifts impact nurses’ lives. The study compared the everyday reality of ward schedules with the kinds of patterns staff would prefer to be working.

“Although long and rotating shifts were the least popular, the results weren’t completely clear cut. They still held some advantages for certain groups of nurses, suggesting there is room for improvement when it comes to balancing satisfaction with shifts and the everyday needs of wards and patient care.”

In fact, the research found that many nurses saw some advantages to long shifts, associating them with lower travel costs and more chances to gain paid overtime. However, they also associated shorter shifts with a healthier diet and exercise – perhaps raising the question as to whether for some, cost of living is an influencing factor in shift choice.

Study co-author, Professor Peter Griffiths, says: “Incorporating individual preferences into rotas is undoubtedly a difficult task, particularly with staffing pressures. Ward managers have to balance safety, patient care and fair consideration of requests across their workforce. However, with the aid of modern rostering software, it may be possible to provide a greater level of shift satisfaction for nurses, improving their wellbeing and work-life balance, without compromising the quality of care.”

The research was funded by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Wessex and the lead author is supported by the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership.



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The Pentagon Tried to Hide That It Bought Americans’ Data Without a Warrant


United States officials fought to conceal details of arrangements between US spy agencies and private companies tracking the whereabouts of Americans via their cellphones. Obtaining location data from US phones normally requires a warrant, but police and intelligence agencies routinely pay companies instead for the data, effectively circumventing the courts.

Ron Wyden, the US senator from Oregon, informed the nation’s intelligence chief, Avril Haines, on Thursday that the Pentagon only agreed to release details about the data purchases, which had always been unclassified, after Wyden hindered the Senate’s efforts to appoint a new director of the National Security Agency. “The secrecy around data purchases was amplified,” Wyden wrote, “because intelligence agencies have sought to keep the American people in the dark.”

Wyden’s office says it’s been investigating sales of location data to the government for years, uncovering multiple ties between the Department of Defense and what the senator refers to as “shady companies” committing “flagrant violations” of people’s privacy. The companies’ practices are “not just unethical, but illegal,” he says.

Pentagon offices known to have purchased location data from these companies include the Defense Intelligence Agency and the NSA, among others. Wyden’s letter, first reported by The New York Times, indicates that the NSA is also “buying Americans’ domestic internet metadata.”

Wyden’s disclosure comes amid a fight in the US House of Representatives over efforts to outlaw the purchases entirely. Last month, members of the House Judiciary Committee attached legislation doing so, known as the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act, to a bill reauthorizing a contentious surveillance program known as Section 702.

The bill, originally co-authored by Wyden, nearly received a vote last month during a showdown with rival legislation introduced by the House Intelligence Committee that does not seek to ban the purchases. Congressional sources tell WIRED the vote was called off at the last minute after Biden administration officials and members of the intelligence committee staged a campaign against the privacy-enhancing measures.

Intelligence officials in the House held separate meetings with members and their aides aiming to discourage support for the judiciary bill—the Protect Liberty Act—alleging that new warrant requirements would be overly burdensome for law enforcement, despite a slew of exemptions for cyberwarfare, terrorism, and espionage threats.

Six sources who attended the meetings told WIRED that intelligence committee members used images of Hamas militants in presentations to drive home its argument for relaxing limits on domestic surveillance. The message, Republican aides said, was, “it could happen here.” Three Democrats who attended meetings with representatives from the FBI, CIA, and NSA, among other agencies, described the presentation as a “scare tactic.”

The home surveillance debate, which has exploded in recent months, hampering the passing of routine legislation, has largely focused on Section 702, an authority under which the government monitors the calls, texts, and emails of foreign nationals. Section 702 is set to expire in under four months.

Both the Protect Liberty Act and its intelligence committee rival—the FISA Reform and Reauthorization Act—aim to reauthorize Section 702 into the future. In how that’s accomplished the bills are radically different. With access by the FBI to foreign intelligence for domestic investigations being the biggest point of contention, federal lawmakers can now effectively be divided into two factions: people who support surveillance warrants and people who don’t.

The pro-warrant Protect Liberty Act could receive a vote as early as next month, with its provisions banning the government from buying data as a means of evading warrant requirements. Republicans on the Hill say they can’t be sure whether House Speaker Mike Johnson will allow a vote, however, due to the intense amount of pressure he faces from the intelligence system.

“There is a lot of baloney going around about surveillance reform,” Wyden says. “Probably because some surveillance supporters are worried they won’t win an honest debate.”



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January: Biotechnological innovation | News and features



Scientists working on biological design should focus on the idiosyncrasies of biological systems over optimisation, according to new research.

In a study, published today in Science Advances, researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Ghent have shown how exploring the unknown may be the crucial step needed to realise the continual innovation needed for the biotechnologies of the future.

Recognising the role of open-endedness in achieving this goal and its growing importance in fields like computer science and evolutionary biology, the team mapped out how open-endedness is linked to bioengineering practice today and what would be required to achieve it in the lab.

For success, algorithms used for biological design should not solely focus on moving toward a specific goal – such as better yield ­– but also consider the creation and maintenance of novelty and diversity in the solutions that have been found.

Dr Thomas Gorochowski, co-author and Royal Society University Research Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences at Bristol, explained: “When we try to design a complex biological process, it’s often tempting to just tweak something that partially works rather than take the risk of trying something completely new.

“In this work we highlight that in these situations the best solutions often come from unexpected directions, because we don’t always fully understand how everything works. With biology, there are lots of unknowns and so we need a vast and diverse toolkit of building blocks to ensure we have the best chance of finding the solution we need.”

Professor Michiel Stock, lead author from Ghent University, added: “Biological systems have a natural capacity for innovation that has led to the overwhelming biodiversity we see in nature today.

“Our own attempts to engineer biology, in contrast, lack this creativity – they are far more rigid, less imaginative, and often doesn’t make the best use of what biology is capable of.

“With all life around us originating from the open-ended process of evolution, wouldn’t it be awesome if we could harness some of that power for our own biological designs.”

The ability to create new biotechnologies is becoming increasingly important for tackling global challenges spanning the sustainable production of chemicals, materials and food, to advanced therapeutics to combat emerging diseases. Fueling this progress are innovations in how biology can be harnessed in new ways. This work supports this goal by offering a fresh direction for new research and design approaches.

The study was made possible due to a travel grant from the FWO Flanders and funding from the Royal Society, BBSRC and EPSRC.

Paper: ‘Open-endedness in synthetic biology: a route to continual innovation for biological design’ by Michiel Stock and Thomas E. Gorochowski in Science Advances.



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‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ Captures the Magic of D&D


The Dungeons & Dragons video game Baldur’s Gate 3 has become a cultural phenomenon, winning countless accolades including Game of the Year. One of the game’s biggest fans is science fiction editor John Joseph Adams, who has played Baldur’s Gate 3 for more than 1,000 hours.

“It’s absolutely an amazing game,” Adams says in Episode 557 of the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast. “I think it’s the best game I’ve ever played.”

Baldur’s Gate 3 features a branching storyline with 174 hours of cutscenes. Adams thinks that the story and writing compare favorably to some of the best books and movies he’s ever experienced. “I would say that it compares in quality to any entertainment,” he says. “Once I became an editor, I did worry about playing these kinds of games, that I was going to feel that the stories aren’t up to snuff at the level I have to understand it to be an editor, but this game just really takes it to a whole new level.”

Adams does feel that the game is far from perfect. Some of the issues include unbalanced gameplay, inadequate dialog options, and puzzling plot developments. “There are a lot of problems with it,” he says. “There are a lot of frustrating things where it’s like, ‘Well, this could have easily been fixed and been awesome.’ But then everything else is just so amazing that it’s like, ‘I don’t care. Best game ever.’”

Overall, Adams feels that Baldur’s Gate 3 perfectly captures the magic of Dungeons & Dragons, and that the game’s biggest issue is that it’s so addictive. “Do be careful if you have deadlines, or if you want to maintain relationships and you care about spending time with other people,” he says. “I can’t think of anything I’ve ever spent this much time on and been this obsessed with, except for D&D itself.”

Listen to the complete interview with John Joseph Adams in Episode 557 (above). And check out some highlights from the discussion below.

John Joseph Adams on branding:

So the game comes out, and “Baldur’s Gate 3” is on the top title. That’s all the branding. I see Larian Studios branding. Where is the “Dungeons & Dragons” branding on this game? I don’t see “Dungeons & Dragons” anywhere. There’s a little spot on the bottom of the launch screen that says “Wizards of the Coast” next to Larian Studios, but it’s very small … I’ve heard people say that maybe they were trying to hedge their bets in case it didn’t pan out as well as everyone was hoping, but it just seems crazy. How can you not have your branding on there?

John Joseph Adams on sex scenes:

It’s a very horny game, I will say that. They have had to do patches to make some of the characters less horny … You gain approval from [characters], and once you reach certain stages of approval, maybe they start to like you. And it’s like, “Man, can’t I just talk to you like a friend? I’m trying to be nice to you because I like you. I don’t want to sleep with you.” This one guy Gale—he’s the wizard—he’s notorious for just being the horniest. He always wants to sleep with you. And it’s like, “Come on, man. I thought we were just having a nice discussion. You were teaching me about magic. I didn’t mean for it to go this far.”

John Joseph Adams on AI:

The AI is pretty bad. It’s very easy for [Jaheira] to get killed in the assault on Moonrise Towers, just because she does ridiculous stupid stuff. She’s a druid. She’ll cast ice storm on top of allies, and it turns the floor icy—not as bad as sleet storm, but it does turn the floor icy—and then she runs into it, and then she slips and falls. So it’s like, “What are you doing?” She gets killed a lot because she has low armor class and not that many hit points, and there’s some really bad dudes in that first fight. So it’s easy for her to get killed, and if she does get killed, no one ever says anything about her ever again.

John Joseph Adams on multitasking:

I’ve been so obsessed with this game, at a certain point I was like, “God, I’ve got to stop playing it. I’ve got to get some work done.” A while ago I started using a text-to-speech program to take text stories and make them into audio so I could listen to them, and I’ve gotten it to work pretty well. So I can sit there and listen to things and do something else. And so I was like, “OK, I’ve played Baldur’s Gate 3 enough that I don’t really need any of the dialog—much as it pains me not to hear all the great voice acting, but I’ve heard it all before and I still want to play it. So now I can sit at the computer all day playing Baldur’s Gate 3, but then also get a lot of work done.


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Hope at Christmas – HHJ Andrew Menary KC


To the question, ‘what does Christmas mean to me as a Christian?’, I can give a one-word answer: hope! And, by ‘hope’, I mean an expectation that things can get better tomorrow no matter how tough they seem today.

When I think back on childhood, at the Christmases I had growing up, one of the things I loved about this time a year – which I still love about Christmas – is the whole sense of mystery and excitement that surrounds it. When you are a child, the mystery of Christmas means everything and makes this a special time. For years and years, I never slept much on Christmas Eve, waiting for Santa to come, and wondering ‘has he been yet, has he been?’. Of course, much of the excitement revolved around a hope that the present you longed for had been delivered. Yet the older I have become, the more I realise that when hope is not there, much of the excitement has gone as well. It is easy in the hustle and bustle of life to lose that sense of hopefulness – that sense of expectation that things can and will get better.

Sitting as a judge in the Crown Court we meet so many people for whom life just hasn’t worked out like they wanted it to and, maybe because of bad choices or harmful addictions, they find themselves in a place where it feels like present after present they open is just another box of disappointment. People who live lives that increasingly feel hopeless. People whose situation is, in reality, often made worse by the decisions we have to make as judges, especially if they are sent to prison for crimes they have committed. It would be easy for me and my judicial colleagues to feel despondent when these people end up before the court time and again. But, most of the time, I don’t feel like that. There are many reasons why I don’t, but let me give just two.

At the court centre where I sit, we are fortunate enough to be piloting a type of intensive supervision sentence for defendants whose crimes are linked to chronic substance abuse; this is a direct alternative to the custodial sentence they would otherwise receive and probably deserve. While still recognising the need to do justice to victims, we now have the option to impose a demanding and rigorous community-based sentence that is designed to break the circle of offending. It requires a good deal of investment of time and resources, and it is early days, but I am hopeful that this type of sentence will make a positive difference for everyone affected.

Secondly, and fundamentally, as a Christian I believe in the message of hope that is central to the Christmas story, a message that can transform a life that seems hopeless: that God, in the person of Jesus, has come to live with us, and he is not leaving. Without abandoning any of what it means to be God, the creator of the world took on all that it means to be human and this baby born on that quiet night grew up to be a man. The bible tells us that he surrounded himself and spent most of his time with people like me and the defendants who appear before me; people who had done nothing to earn God’s love. He came, not just to a handful of shepherds, not just to some wondering wise men, not just to Mary and Joseph. He came to all of us. ‘God with us’.

This is what Christmas means to me.

HHJ Andrew Menary KC

Liverpool Crown Court



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George Santos Was All Hot Air


American politics is a circus. In the arena of Washington, DC, lawmaking and lawbreaking is a fanatical kind of entertainment. Republicans have thrived on a diet of chaos since the rise of former president Donald Trump, turning the performance of democracy into primetime viewing. “The reality of it is, it’s all theater,” Representative George Santos of New York said on Thursday during a press conference on the steps of the US Capitol as he faced expulsion from Congress.

Soaking in the carnival of media attention that has stalked him since he arrived in DC in 2022, Santos—taking one last stand as a solo act this week—was predictably unmuzzled in the hours leading up to the vote that would decide his political future. “It’s theater for the cameras, it’s theater for the microphones,” he said, referring to the playhouse of American bureaucracy and, ironically, himself. “It’s theater for the American people at the expense of the American people.”

In a short time, Santos had fashioned himself into one of the most fascinating carnival barkers of recent memory. By Friday he was out of a job.

As cameras rolled and online chatter swirled across social media about his alleged scams, there was nowhere for Santos to hide. Not that he wanted to, of course. In a Spaces conversation hosted on X, Santos was hellbent on exposing his congressional associates—“Felons galore,” he colored them—for their alleged crimes. “I have colleagues who are more worried about getting drunk every night with the next lobbyist that they’re gonna screw, and pretend like none of us know what’s going on, and sell off the American people,” he said. The spotlight was his alone, as was the intense scrutiny that came with it.

In October, a report filed by the House Ethics Committee claimed that Santos had overstepped his authority as a member of Congress, accusing him on multiple counts of financial fraud and criminal activity. Ever the congressional diva, the ethics report determined that Santos—among other misdeeds that already included charges of wire fraud and conspiracy—used campaign funds on botox, the porn-subsription site OnlyFans, and Ferragamos, a luxury Italian shoe brand (select pairs sell for more than $2,000). True to form, Santos said the report was “littered in hyperbole.”

Equal parts enigma and attraction, Santos courted controversy from the beginning of his tenure as US representative. There was an uncanny cadence to his personal testimony: nothing was exactly as he told it. Even now, in the dim light of his scandalous incumbency, the question of “Who is George Santos?” remains unclear. Santos’ air of mystery, but also deep fascination, is owed to his own innate flair for invention, which both feeds into the eccentrism of American politics and mirrors the conceited, but no less savory, surrealism of reality TV that we obsess over. Who doesn’t love a surprising plot twist and a riveting character arc?



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Great Escapes: Remarkable Second World War Captives


We can today announce our upcoming exhibition, Great Escapes: Remarkable Second World War Captives, opening in February 2024.

During the Second World War, hundreds of thousands of people were held against their will. Service personnel captured in conflict became prisoners of war, and civilians were confined in internment camps if they were believed to be a threat to the state.

Very few people physically escaped their situation, but despite often living in punishing conditions, those held captive often sought escape through other means. This exhibition explores the human spirit of hope and resilience during times of captivity, and reveals the surprising stories of an under-told and under-researched area of our history.

The cataloguing of around 200,000 record cards containing personal details of individuals held by the German authorities during the Second World War has allowed new stories to come to light to be told for the very first time. Whether it be learning a new language, making disguises, writing to loved ones, or creative endeavours such as putting on elaborate theatre performances, a sense of community offered a glint of light among the suffering.

More well-known escape attempts are also examined, with the 80th anniversary of what we now know as ‘the Great Escape’ occurring in March 2024. The escape from Stalag Luft III was made famous by the film starring Steve McQueen. Also included are details of the British Officer Airey Neave’s attempts to escape from Colditz Castle and his eventual success dressed as a German soldier in 1942.

Dr William Butler, a curator of the exhibition, and co-author of the associated book ‘Captives: Prisoners of War and Internees 1939-1945’, said: ‘Many people will have heard the story of the Great Escape, thanks to the 1963 film, but our exhibition also reveals stories not yet told.

‘Great Escapes is about the agency of individuals, their courage, resilience, and ingenuity in the face of adversity. We hope to show visitors how prisoners and internees made decisions in order to feel human, with community and activity groups being formed “behind the wire”, whether they be escape committees or choirs.

‘Many of these stories are about hope despite the incredibly difficult circumstances prisoners and internees faced during the Second World War.’

Great Escapes will be divided into three areas bookended by the 1929 Geneva Convention and its updated version agreed in 1949. The first area will explore the legal framework for the 1929 Convention and tell the story of Military Intelligence Section 9 (MI9), a highly secret British government agency established in 1939 to help military personnel evade and escape capture.

The second area will cover the stories from individual prisoners and internees under British, German, and Japanese authority during the Second World War. The third area will examine how prisoners were dealt with at the end of the war and how the experience of the conflict led to the Geneva Convention being rewritten in 1949.

Steve Burgess, Head of Events and Exhibitions at The National Archives, said: ‘We must thank our team of volunteers at The National Archives who catalogued around 200,000 War Office records which has allowed us to uncover new material and tell stories for the first time. Through these records, we gain a sense of the individuals and communities that formed wherever they may be.’

Great Escapes: Remarkable Second World War Captives opens on Friday 2 February 2024 and will run until 21 July 2024. The exhibition will be free entrance to all.

Sign up to our mailing list or follow us on social media to find out more about the exhibition as it is released and book tickets to our accompanying programme of events and activities.



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