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homespork-review · 5 years

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Homespork Act 2: The Racism of the Conductor’s Baton (Part 2)

FAILURE ARTIST: We don’t get much time to mourn with Dave because the comic flashes to a weird wizard statue. This statue is ZAZZERPAN THE LEARNED. Wizards are another recurring theme in Homestuck. Andrew Hussie once artfully defaced this cheesy book called Wizardology (warning: lots of really offensive humor). Anyway, Rose hates the giant statue and the other wizard paraphernalia her mother collects and believes her mother does this only to spite her. On a platform is a bronzed vacuum (with a place to put alcoholic beverages) that Rose gave her as an ironic present. On the couch there’s a life-sized princess doll that Rose has attached a Cthulhu-type head to. All these things set up Rose’s troubled relationship with her mother. Rose believes her mother is taunting her and Rose taunts her back.

BRIGHT: This scene also establishes that some things (the Cthulhu doll for one) are too big to be captchalogued.

CHEL: Actually, that was noted with the harlequin doll earlier but we forgot to mention that.

FAILURE ARTIST: Rose goes to the kitchen. On the fridge is a crude picture of her late cat Jaspers, who turns out to be more than a family pet. There’s more signs of this cold war between mother and daughter on the fridge.

CHEL: Also, numerous liquor bottles in the kitchen and comically exaggerated displays of wealth, such as a fifteen-thousand-dollar picture frame.

FAILURE ARTIST: After fussing with the fridge, Rose tries to leave the kitchen only to run into her mother. She tries escaping but lands comically in some wizard statuettes.

CHEL: Mom Lalonde is mopping the floor, with no water in the bucket, holding a martini in her other hand. The woman clearly has a problem. Again, this is an issue with the portrayal of the parents; this is pretty funny, but were a real mother behaving this way, it would seriously mess up the kid, and whether we’re supposed to take it as Rule of Funny or not later becomes inconsistent.

BRIGHT: I think a lot of the humour here is supposed to come from the implication that Mom Lalonde actually is a loving if clueless (and drunk) parent, and Rose is reading her badly. On the other hand, something is clearly very wrong, and while Mom Lalonde may indeed be loving the situation is definitely having an impact on Rose.

TIER: Say whatever you want, but when putting on the late game Cerebus Retcon goggles there are probably non-humorous questions to be asked about how screwy Mom Lalonde is as a parental unit if her daughter has ended up interpreting most of her actions as mocking or backhanded towards herself. Like, kids don't just decide that.

ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY?: 3

CHEL: Back to Dave, he’s chatting with GG and they’re being adorable. GG comments about her birthday present to John, the green box we saw in the car earlier, and…

GG: no!!!!!!! GG: he will not open it GG: he will lose it!!! TG: oh TG: uh TG: wow sorry to hear that i guess? GG: no its good actually! GG: because he will find it again later when he really needs it GG: which of course is why i sent it in the first place! TG: see like TG: i never get how you know these things GG: i dont know GG: i just know that i know!

I think here is when we start to get inklings of the kids’ unusual abilities - I mean, unusual in the context of the weird world they live in. A bit more is established about GG’s home life and Dave’s attitudes, too:

GG: i have to feed bec which is always a bit of an undertaking TG: man TG: if i were you i would just take that fucking devilbeast out behind the woodshed and blow its head off GG: heheheh! GG: i dont think i could if i tried!!! TG: yeah TG: say hi to your grand dad for me too ok GG: ._. GG: yes i guess an encounter with him is almost certain GG: it is usually........ GG: intense!!! TG: well yeah isnt it always with family TG: but he sounds like a total badass

“Intense” in a world where attacking your father with a hammer isn’t worthy of comment sounds worrying. We’ll see how that goes.

FAILURE ARTIST: Dave has the tiniest of smiles here and in Hussie’s annotation he says that one pixel created Dave/GG. Whether or not their connection is romantic, Dave obviously feels great affection for her.

CHEL: Interactions between all four of the kids are really sweet, honestly. Dialogue and character interactions are one of the strongest points of the comic overall. Personally I have a soft spot for the OT4.

TIER: In my unprofessional opinion, the beta humans are by far the most functioning and tight knit group of the various groups within the comic, for what that's worth considering the overall dysfunction junction. They're sweet to one another is what I'm saying.

CHEL: Dave talks to John, who mentions the creepy trails around his house and how he thinks he’s seen monsters, which we the audience have definitely seen; creepy little black imps with fangs and, oddly, jester outfits. They bear a striking resemblance to the Wayward Vagabond, in fact. Dave makes fun, but at least pretends not to disbelieve him, and urges him to keep his hammer at the ready. Dave can’t find his Bro, but can find “Lil Cal”, implying Bro is nearby.

TG: lil cal is the shit EB: that's fine, you are entitled to your opinion, i am just saying that being a white guy who is a rapper with a ventriloquist doll is not cool by any stretch of the imagination or by any definition of word cool, ironic or otherwise. that's all i'm saying. WHITE SBURB POSTMODERNISM: 5

Would a non-white rapping ventriloquist be any cooler? I’m struggling to see how. Ventriloquism, by definition, sucks the cool out of any other aspect of the thing. And now I’m picturing Carlton from Fresh Prince trying to rap with a ventriloquist’s doll.

BRIGHT: Back at the Lalonde residence, Rose attempts to ‘Youth Roll’ out of the front door, but her escape route is blocked by her mother, who appears with martini glass in hand. Time for our second Strife of the comic! (And can I say that I really like the music for this one?)

As with John’s strife with his dad, this strife tells us a lot about Rose’s relationship with her mother. John had the AGGRIEVE and ABJURE options; Rose also gets AGGRESS (PASSIVE) and ABSTAIN. It’s pretty telling that one of these options is an EMPTY SUICIDE THREAT, and ‘Abstain’ has Rose fending off her mother’s insistent offer of the martini glass.

FAILURE ARTIST: I liked the EMPTY SUICIDE THREAT at the time but now I think it deserves an ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY?

BRIGHT: Mom Lalonde may be intended as loving-but-clueless, but she’s offering her thirteen year old daughter alcohol, over Rose’s protests, and something is clearly very wrong if suicide threats are a normal part of life. (Something similar will come up in the future, but in that context it isn’t played for laughs.)

ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY?: 4

On a lighter note, ‘Abjure’ has her mother offering her A BEAUTIFUL PONY. Rose reacts in the moment like this is terrible, but does later pat the pony’s nose.

At any rate, the strife ends when Mom Lalonde apparently gets bored and decides to do some dusting. This takes all the fun out of using the front door, so Rose goes around the back to make her break for the generator.

Meanwhile, John is trying to read up on weaponizing sylladexes (sylladices?), but is being nagged by a voice to turn around — which he finally does, just in time for a monster to ram into him so hard it turns the panel pixelated. Strife time!

John’s bout with the Shale Imp kicks off with the monster threatening the Con Air bunny. John’s efforts to defend it are intercut with Rose’s progress out of the house and through the rain to the mausoleum. I think this interplay works quite nicely — it keeps both things moving without letting the reader get impatient -- but your mileage may vary.

The imp aggravates John by punching the bunny in the belly and waving it at him. John attacks the imp and breaks his hammer, then attacks it with the handle and gets knocked flat. Finally he weaponises his sylladex and chucks his inventory at it until it explodes into a shower of grist.

PUT THE BUNNY BACK IN THE BOX!!!!!! Now why couldn’t he put the bunny back in the box?

Because he’d set it as his strifekind, it turns out.

In true video game style, defeating the imp causes John to level up! In Homestuck, this is done by ascending one’s echeladder, a series of player levels with whimsical, old-fashioned names. John climbs two rungs, from Greentike to Plucky Tot, and earns 125 Boondollars.

Note how efficient this is: In one panel we can see that the echeladder is a levelling system, that Boondollars are in-Game currency, and that levelling up has increased John’s amount of grist and how much of it he can carry. He’s also got a new kind of grist called ‘Shale’. Hussie does take an extra panel to clarify the grist capacity expansion, but that makes sense as it’s a small part of the original panel. Compare this to the dozens of panels we’ve had laying out how sylladexes work. These panels are much more information-dense, and the comic flows better for it.

CHEL: Exactly what “grist” is and what it does beyond allowing changes to the house, why those changes are needed, and what “boondollars” are for hasn’t been explained yet, but will be soon, and it’s clear they’re something to do with the game so it’s not outright confusing.

BRIGHT: John spends the next few panels sorting his strife specibus out, and stashes the bunny in there for safekeeping. There’s something amiss, but he can’t quite put his finger on it...

Meanwhile, Rose has reached the mausoleum and prepares to activate the generator. The taxidermied corpse of her beloved pet lies in state, dressed in a tiny suit. A sad fate for an animal who should have peacefully decomposed in a flowerbed. Rose kicks it off the pedestal to make room for the laptop.

John discovers what’s wrong when a bucket of water perched atop his door lands on his head. The culprit behind this sudden dousing?

"[S] WHAT THIS IS SO OUTRAGEOUS (HD)" (Watch on YouTube)

Apparently the sprite has a sense of humour.

Next up is a pesterlog between Rose and Dave. There are hints that all is not well in the Strider residence.

TG: hey TG: dont tell john this but i think he might have been right about the puppets TG: theyre sort of starting to freak me out a little TT: You're referring to your brother's collection? TG: i mean dont get me wrong i think its cool and all TG: the semi-ironic puppet thing or whatever TG: or semi-semi ironic TG: man i dont even know TG: im just starting to think some of this shit is going a little far and its kind of fucked up TT: I've seen his websites. TT: I like them. TG: haha yeah well YOU WOULD TG: oh man i wish lil cal wouldnt look at me like that TG: with those dead eyes jesus TG: sometimes i dream that hes real and hes talking to me and i wake up in a cold sweat and basically flip the fuck out

Well, not so much hints as flashing neon signs. Dave’s gone very quickly from insisting that everything his brother does is cool and Lil Cal is awesome, to admitting that he has nightmares about Lil Cal and is freaked out by his brother’s ‘semi-ironic puppet thing’. We don’t know much about Bro’s websites yet, but we do know that Rose has a morbid streak, and Dave is clearly disturbed by the content.

Dave leaves to find his brother’s copy of the game, and we return to John, who, to quote Rose, has ‘just had a bucket of water dumped on his head by the ghost of his dead grandmother, who also happens to be dressed like a clown.’

And yes, that is indeed John’s dead Nanna, returned to help him on his journey through The Medium and beyond -- or at least, she claims she is. John has to take her word for it, as he doesn’t remember her at all. According to his Dad, John was pretty young when she died. Speaking of his Dad, he’s been kidnapped by the forces invading John’s home.

Nannasprite gives John the background of the game and what’s going on. His house is now in the Medium. This place was created by the game software, but is physically independent of it -- and no, he’s not inside a computer. The Medium floats in the Incipisphere, a place outside the normal flow of time in the kids�� universe. Above the Medium is the realm of Skaia.

According to Nannasprite:

Legend holds that Skaia exists as a dormant crucible of unlimited creative potential. What does this mean, you ask? I'm afraid my lips are sealed about that, dear! Hoo hoo!

Nannasprite is somewhat like a tutorial assistant for the game -- she helps guide John and provides information, although she’s somewhat cryptic.

We are getting a lot of new words here, but Hussie is defining them pretty well as we go, so I don’t think it merits a point.

At any rate, Skaia is defended by the forces of light, while forces of darkness plot its destruction. These two forces exist in an endless stalemate on a stage at the centre of Skaia until a player with a prototyped Kernelsprite enters the Medium. Then the prototyped Kernelsprite splits, with one Kernel carrying the prototyping information up to a kingdom basked in light, and another Kernel carrying it down to the kingdom of darkness. Each kingdom has four Spires, and when the Kernel reaches one, it propagates the prototyping information to the kingdom’s forces.

This is why the imps were dressed as jesters: John prototyped his Kernel with the harlequin doll, and whatever the other players prototype with will influence what forms the soldiers take. When the first Kernels reach the spires, the battlefield gets bigger and the war begins for real.

Oh, right -- and the forces of light are always destined to lose.

So what’s the point? Apparently, that’s for John to find out. For now, though, he needs to head towards Skaia, going through the first of seven Gates. The first Gate is situated directly above John’s house, but the others are going to be harder to reach. We now find out what all that Build Grist is for: To get to the Gate, they need to build the house higher to reach it. And then they can rescue John’s Dad, solve the ultimate riddle, and save the Earth from destruction!

...or not.

Nope, according to Nannasprite, Earth is doomed. Done for. Kaput. There is nothing they can do to save it.

John is pretty bummed about this. He isn’t cheered by Nanna’s assurance that he has a much more important purpose than saving the planet, although she fails to elaborate on that point and instead floats off to make cookies.

CHEL: I think here we earn another couple of points.

HURRY UP AND DO NOTHING: 2 HOW NOT TO WRITE A WEBCOMIC: 11 Failing the Turing Test - wherein the character has no reactions whatsoever While the emotional lives of characters should not be described in their every tiny wrinkle, characters must have emotional lives. When someone boos them off a stage, they should experience chagrin. When they fall from a tenth-storey window, they should feel alarm. The writer should not count on dialogue like “Yikes!” to get the point across.

Brief confusion and feeling “bummed out” by the news that one’s entire planet is doomed does not count as an adequate reaction. I’d expect more fear, more concern. As pointed out before, doesn’t John have any friends other than Dave, Rose, and GG? His Dad has friends, wouldn’t he be concerned for them on Dad’s behalf? If nothing else, more curiosity about this “more important” business?

BRIGHT: Now, I could actually buy this in some circumstances — John is a teenager, doesn’t seem to have close connections outside those we see on screen, and he’s been having one hell of a weird day. I wouldn’t be surprised if grasping the scope of destruction was simply beyond him at this point. It’s a lot to take in, and it’s only been a few hours since life went to hell in a handbasket — not to mention, he’s in an active combat zone. There’s a lot going on, and if he was to shove it out of his mind while he dealt with the immediate crisis, I could see that as pretty realistic.

Of course, that would depend on him actually reacting at some later point, when he had a chance to slow down and it could sink in. As it stands...well, if that does happen, we never see it.

CHEL: Does this also count as “Oh, Don’t Mind Him” for the How Not To score?

BRIGHT: I think so, yes.

CHEL: Then here it goes!

HOW NOT TO WRITE A WEBCOMIC: 12 Oh, Don’t Mind Him - where a character’s problems remain unexplored In real life, people are riddled with chronic problems that are not addressed for long periods of time, if ever. But in fiction, all problems are just the opening chords of a song. If there is a brother who has a problem with alcohol, a child who has lost her dog, or even someone whose car has simply broken down, the reader will worry about those people and expect the author to do something about it.

Technically, this could count for seven billion or so points, minus any people who successfully entered their own game sessions, but we don’t want to get out of hand here and it really only counts as one big problem.

However! I am very fond of this idea in theory. The obvious option would be that the purpose of the game is to save the player’s homeworld. We’ve all seen the “save the homeworld” idea in scifi and fantasy before. Here, the homeworld is beyond saving, but there is another option, and exploring that is the storyline. The forces of light cannot have a traditional victory; the protagonists must find a victory on the terms they have. It’s not a theme one sees often, and I like it.

FAILURE ARTIST: John and the other Beta Kids’ lack of angst of the destruction of their planet doesn’t stick out as much here as it will later when almost everything else is milked for angst.

CHEL: I’m not really sure the planet being destroyed is a great basis for a Rule-of-Funny-based story if that was what he was going for, to be honest. “Billions died, lol!”

#homestuck #let's read homestuck #homestuck meta #homespork #homestuck reread #homestuck review #sporking #literary critique

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droneseco · 3 years

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Jackery Solar Generator 1000 Review: Complete Off-Grid Solar Kit For Clean Energy Anywhere

Jackery Solar Generator 1000

9.00 / 10

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The Explorer 1000 hits a sweet spot between capacity and convenience. You can still run most higher-powered appliances, like an induction hob or small heater, without struggling to carry it. Combined with the two SolarSaga 100 portable panels, you have a complete off-grid kit to enjoy clean, abundant electrical energy anywhere.

Specifications

Brand: Jackery

Weight: 22lbs (10kg)

Size: 13.1 x 9.2 x 11.1 inches

Capacity: 1002Wh

Maximum Discharge: 1000W continuous / 2000W surge

Maximum Charge: 200W

Solar Controller: MPPT

Ports: 2/3 x AC, 2 x USB-C, 2 x USB-A, 1 x 12V car port

Pros

Powers most household appliances

Great balance between weight and capacity

One-touch output activation

Cons

Flashlight is unimpressive

Solar charging from the included panels is limited to 135W

No Qi-charging or PD

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Some people lament that modern life relies on electricity so much—they seem to think we should go back to burning wood and gas stoves. But electricity is a wonderfully clean technology: no smoke, no fumes, no nasty chemicals. Which is fine for charging smartphones, but you can't take enough electricity with you to cook breakfast on when you're in the middle of nowhere, can you?

With the Jackery Solar Generator 1000 set, you absolutely can enjoy an abundant supply of safe, clean, free energy anywhere. Use it for lighting, communication, heating, and even cooking. Whether camping or for a tiny off-grid home, the Jackery Solar Generator 1000 might be just the solution you're looking for.

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Is This Really a "Solar Generator"?

If you take issue with these large battery systems being called solar generators, on account of them neither having solar capabilities nor actually generating anything, I sympathize. Instead, they're really just massive batteries with different outputs and can be charged from any DC power source or even a wall socket.

But in this case, the Jackery Solar Generator 1000 is a bundle, consisting of two Jackery Solar Saga 100 portable photovoltaic panels, and a Jackery Explorer 1000 battery. So I think the name is actually justified. When purchased in the bundle, you're saving around $100 compared to purchasing them individually.

Strictly speaking though, the included Jackery Explorer 1000 is not a generator; it is a large battery. However, it does the same job as any traditional backup generator, providing both DC and AC 110/220v output. You can either charge it using the bundled solar panels, which takes about a day for a full charge, or you can use the included AC adaptor (though this isn't particularly quicker), or even charge from your vehicle's 12V car socket.

Jackery Explorer 1000 Hardware

Styled in a distinctive dark grey and orange hard ABS plastic with rubber feet on the underside, the Explorer 1000 feels sturdy—but this shouldn't be mistaken for rugged. It's happy to be used outdoors, but with exposed electrical ports, you absolutely shouldn't get it wet, nor should you pierce the casing. It won't survive a fall, but will otherwise handle the rigors of camping and other outdoor activities.

For ease of transport, the carrying handle is integral to the case design, and cannot be folded away or removed for storage. The overall weight of the battery is a mere 22lbs (10kg), and it measures 13.1 x 9.2 x 11.1 inches.

This feels like a Goldilocks battery size: light enough to carry comfortably while storing enough juice to power the most hungry of electrical needs for a sufficient time. More than 1000Wh and carrying it becomes unwieldy; while lower capacity results in the AC output being essentially useless for all but low power laptop adaptors. The Jackery Explorer 1000 balances capacity and portability perfectly.

On one side you'll find a small emergency flashlight. It's not bright enough to light an entire tent, but would do in a pinch. It has one brightness setting, as well as an emergency broadcast, though oddly it repeats "S O" rather than "S O S". In an emergency, I'm sure it would do ("wait", the mountain rescue leader exclaimed, "that guy is actually signaling so so so, not SOS, let's go home!"), but you'll need a camping light as well.

The assorted of input and output ports, as well as the display panel, adorn the front side of the unit. The LCD panel is basic but functional, displaying a five-segment remaining capacity as well as exact power discharge values. However, I should note that this is the previous generation of display on Jackery devices: newer models like the Explorer 1500 that we reviewed last month have a color display that also displays the estimated time remaining.

Jackery Explorer 1000 Lifespan and Capacity

As the name would suggest, the Jackery Explorer 1000 holds approximately 1000 watt-hours of power. A watt-hour (Wh) is the total amount of power needed to run a one-watt device for one hour. In other words, 1000Wh capacity can theoretically run a 1000-watt device for one hour; or a 100W device for 10 hours; or a 1W device for 1000 hours, etc. I say theoretically because there's always a loss due to conversion inefficiency (wasted as heat, or on fans to cool the battery).

To test this capacity, I plugged in an electric heater that uses just under 1000W on the lowest setting. This is a constant power draw, which makes it ideal for testing. Other appliances such as a fridge fluctuate significantly, drawing more or less power as required (to cool the fridge down again after having opened the door), so it's difficult to draw conclusions with those or make claims such as how many hours the fridge will run for using the Explorer 1000. Given the conversion inefficiencies, I was expecting the 1000W heater to last just under an hour, and sure enough, it cut out at the 55-minute mark. The capacity claim would appear to be accurate.

The Jackery Explorer 1000 uses Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) cells which are rated to 500 charge cycles. After this, the capacity is reduced to around 80%. While this is less than Lithium Iron Phosphate cells, it's still a reasonable lifespan. Even if you used a full charge and discharge every day, it would still operate at peak capacity for a year and a half. It won't suddenly stop working after that, it simply won't hold as much charge as new.

To extend the lifespan of the Explorer 1000, you should avoid using charging and discharging features simultaneously, even if it is technically possible. This is not an Uninterruptible Power Supply.

Related: The Best UPS You Can Buy Right Now

Thankfully, the SolarSaga 100 has separate ports for charging USB devices, so you needn't rely on the battery for topping up smaller devices throughout the day. More on those later.

Explorer 1000 Outputs

The model we've reviewed is for the UK, which has rather large AC ports, so there are only two on this; the US model features three AC outputs.

In addition, you'll find two USB-C ports, and two USB-A ports, running up to 5V 2.4A (QC3.0) max. The USB-C doesn't support the full Power Delivery (PD) spec, so it might not keep an intensive video editing session on a MacBook Pro running, but should otherwise trickle-charge it.

Lastly, there's a 12V car port output (otherwise known as a "cigarette lighter" to us Brits).

Activating any of the outputs on the Explorer 1000 requires only a single press of the appropriate button. This is a lot quicker than competitors where you have to long-press first a power button, then long-press the AC or DC button (then do it again because you were just a fraction of a second off the required button pressing time!)

Compared to similarly specced batteries, the output capabilities of the Jackery Explorer 1000 are also impressive. The maximum continuous output is 1000W, so even running at full whack, it would take one hour to drain it. This is enough for many household appliances and smaller power tools, but not a large kettle or convection oven.

The surge output is a substantial 2000W. This means anything you have plugged can very briefly draw up to 2000W, but shouldn't exceed 1000W in normal continuous usage. The Jackery Explorer 1000 will protect itself from over-discharge (as well as over-charge), but you shouldn't make a habit of plugging in things that are too powerful. I tested this with the electric heater on full power, which surged to 2200W for a few seconds, at which point the Explorer 1000 shut itself off. Lower surge values would last longer before shutting down the unit. Dropping the heater back to low (1000W) power mode, the Explorer 1000 was undamaged and could be easily turned back on again.

Charging the Explorer 1000 with SolarSaga 100

On the input side you'll find both an 8mm DC jack, and an Anderson port. Anderson ports are another connector suitable for higher currents, and are found mostly on Jackery and GoalZero batteries.

The SolarSaga 100 panels provided in this set use an 8mm DC barrel jack as standard. In order to use them both at the same time, Jackery also provides a Y-splitter cable, terminating in an Anderson plug. This connects them together in parallel.

Two panels are provided in the Solar Generator 1000 set, and this is pretty much the limit of what you can use. Although each Solar Saga 100 panel can theoretically output 100W, combining them in parallel to charge the Explorer 1000 results in a maximum of around 135W. This is due to the operating voltage of the panels (18V) and the maximum input current of the battery (7.5A). You might be thinking "why not wire them in series then?", but that would push them over the maximum input voltage of 30V. My testing confirmed this. Individually, each of the panels was consistently putting out 90-100W, both to the Explorer 1000 and other batteries I tested with. Combined, I achieved in the range of 125-130W. This feels like a bit of a mismatch between the panel rating and the charge controller, but it does at least mean a more consistent experience. It will take 8 hours of sun to charge the Explorer 1000 using the two SolarSaga 100 panels—whether that's dismal British sun, or in the middle of a Californian desert.

If you need to charge faster than a day of sun, you should look elsewhere. You should also check panel ratings if you're going to source your own, to ensure it falls under 30V and no more than 7.5A.

The SolarSaga 100 panels are the best portable panels I've seen yet, for a number of reasons.

Featuring a hard plastic handle, they're just a little more durable than the other fully flexible panels on the market and are less likely to contort during transport.

They're a bi-fold design and roughly the size of a small tabletop. Other portable panels tend to be four-fold, which I find to be a little unwieldy, often resulting in undue strain placed on the joints.

The handle integrates magnetic clasps, while other panels typically use a fabric strap to secure the panel in storage. This makes the SolarSaga 100 effortless to set up.

On the rear of the panels is a rigid pull-out flap to act as a stand, which is attached via a three-point fabric strap. Other panels use only a two-point fixing, which often results in the strap dangling out and stopping the stand from re-attaching to the velcro.

Lastly, in addition to the 8MM DC cable to charge the battery, the SolarSaga 100 panels have a USB-C and USB-A port to charge smaller devices directly, located inside the zipped pocket. While this does reduce the overall charge going into the Explorer 1000, it means you're making much more efficient use of the solar. Each time you convert or store energy, you're losing a little to inefficiencies and heat loss, so cutting out the middleman battery is a great idea. It also means you're putting less strain on the cells from simultaneously charging and discharging them, which extends the life of your battery. While you might need to top up smartphones and tablets throughout the day, you can leave the Explorer 1000 for only infrequent use, such as heating or cooking.

Individually, these are all insignificant design features that taken alone wouldn't justify the premium price of the SolarSaga 100. But combined, these features make the SolarSaga 1000 the best portable panel on the market. They're easier to deploy, easier to tidy away, and better for the lifespan of your battery.

Should You Buy The Jackery Solar Generator 1000?

For me, the Explorer 1000 hits a sweet spot between capacity and convenience. You can still run most higher-powered appliances, like an induction hob or small heater, without struggling to carry it.

That said, the Explorer 1000 is a basic portable battery that does what it says on the box, and not a lot else. It can't be daisy-chained to another battery to expand capacity (though that's pretty rare in this market), nor can the internal cells be replaced at the product's end of life. Swappable battery units are also rare at the moment, but we're starting to see them coming to market now, so I suspect Jackery will have their own model with swappable cells by next year.

Although the Explorer 1000 has a small emergency flashlight, it's not particularly bright, and won't replace your need for a camping light. It also doesn't have a Bluetooth speaker either. This might sound like a silly criticism, but I mention it because some batteries do actually feature a Bluetooth speaker, so if you want a more all-in-one portable power supply with all the bells and whistles, this isn't it.

Having USB charging ports directly on the panels is a superb way to use the free energy more efficiently, and combined with other small design features like the bi-fold design and magnetic clasps, makes the SolarSaga 100 the best portable panels you'll find.

Finally, although I've not had cause to contact support, other reviewers note that Jackery generally has better product support than other brands. They may be made in China, but Jackery has a support center in the US, so you're much more likely to get problems dealt with.

Overall, the Jackery Explorer 1000 performs excellently as either an off-grid or emergency power supply. Combined with the two SolarSaga 100 portable panels, you have a complete off-grid kit to enjoy clean, abundant electrical energy anywhere.

Jackery Solar Generator 1000 Review: Complete Off-Grid Solar Kit For Clean Energy Anywhere published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

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alexbfmp · 3 years

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Week 7

At the start of the week whist I was at home, I decided to style my wig in time before photographing it later on towards the end of the project. This was just for peace of mind for myself but also so I could then progress with the rest of my outcome as much as possible.

The wig itself is a lace front synthetic wig which is the standard of wigs professionals use in Drag and Theatre so I would be able to achieve the highest level of standard. I chose a orange toned ginger wig to fit in with my colour scheme which is a complementary colour on the colour wheel to the other colours I have used to create my garment so I knew they would go perfectly and be uniform together

For the wig design, I was inspired to create a very dressed out, curled and fancy hair style inspired by one i saw on Pinterest which I fell In love with! Although In the end it wasn't an exact copy, It still inspired the look

The wig started out long, straight and un styled so the first thing I did was pin the wig to my old wig head to secure it down whilst styling. I also added ribbon over the lace and put the pins into that as it helps for extra security but also doesn't rip the lace when styling.

The first part of styling was to the section the hair into the different section areas I would be styling and once complete, I then moved to curl the back of the wig with curling iron. I could of used heated rollers but that would of taken a lot longer so this was a garneted, quick and easier way to get a curl pattern into the hair.

Once the curling process was complete, I then started to sculpt and shape the other portions of the wig into their sections which I done by using Hairspray, Teasing technique with a hair brush, Hair pins/ Grips and a hairdryer for heat to hold the hairspray in place.

I really wanted to take some inspiration from the image reference I found online which had lots of lovely big shaped curls so, I decided to create two curled ‘Victory rolls’ on the hair either side. These types of curls are form the 1940/50s vintage/ retro era which I think would be appropriate since some of my patterns on the outcome are from the vintage/ retro era also.

The last step was to style the big side part fringe with the same techniques as before but also I chose this particular fringe as it suits my face shape the most due to myself having a diamond/ heart shaped structure

And just like that, The wig was styled and complete! Overall I was really pleased with the final outcome.

After I finished the wig, I tested an experiment to see how I could create patterns quickly but effectively on a mesh net that would be added to the back of the garment. I decided to trial two glitter effect to see which one would give me the best result.

The first step I did was mix 3 colours together - Two tones of gold and an iridescent white to add brightness to the colour mixture. Once complete, I started on the first technique which was applying pva glue with a paint brush to the net fabric creating a design with the glue and then shaking the glitter over the top which then adhered to the glue. This method looked very glamourous and sparkly either just on the net alone but also when I trailed it overlaying some scrap purple fabric. Unfortunately, the glitter was shedding a lot and I knew that I would need a big area like this covered and wouldn't want It too loose the detail or glitter after a while.

Then other process I done was to mix the glue into the pva glue and paint the design on this way. Although this sealed in the glitter, It lost its true sparkle and appeared more opaque which was not my goal. Also for some other reason, this time the glue was drying clear which left a white ish design so it had to be ruled out as well.

In the end I decided to not go ahead with either method as they both would not be practical enough or give me the desired look I wanted.

Afterward the experiment, I decided to make a start on the side portions of the dress. I was struggling to come up with a pattern design that I liked the look of to go with everything else but whilst I was looking at inspiration on Google and Pinterest, I stumbled across an image that had featured a unique ‘Art Deco’ inspired wall pattern with in some gorgeous stone walls which I absolutely fell in love with and for some reason spoke to me, I knew I had to have the design!

I then took the inspiration for the beautiful patterns wall and transformed a similar pattern to onto my panels with the same techniques as before, tracing the design onto the back of the fabric and then sewing into each side, revealing the gold thread on the other side ready for beading.

For the rest of the week at Onsight College, I made a start beading into the side panels which like normal, was a very long and time consuming process but very worth it with the amount of detail and time taken to make it the best standard possible.

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