I am about to purchase 8+ books, hardback, brand new. All available on Blackwell's and BookDepository.
Are these equal merchants to buy books from? Should I be concerned buying that many books from either... how they package, etc?
It's a large purchase, so I want to make sure I get the books delivered in best condition. Curious others experience.
Cheers!

My lease is coming to an end in 6 months and I am not sure what to do.
I pay $335 a month now.
Payoff amount in September is $19,000
Payoff amount right now is $22,500
If I sell the car to Carvana right now I would get $2,100 in my pocket but then I have to get a new car and one that fits my needs would be about $33,000.
Payments for the new car (if I finance rather than lease this time) would be about $600 a month which is doable but would be stretching me pretty thin.
I think the best option would be to buy my own car at the end of the lease term but I am not sure what the monthly payment would be, and my car needs new tires right now for about $800. Thoughts on this? And if I do buy my own car, searching for a financial institution for a loan has been overwhelming, any suggestions on the best bank to get a loan from for this scenario? Thanks

I've looked for new means to enhance my sex life, and my life in general, and found out Kanna, so I'd like to give it a try. I've been researching and found that sceletium.com Is the only feasible kanna supplier to which I can buy from. Nontheless, I got NO idea on what product Is the best I could get for my purposes (e.g. delay ejaculation / prevent stress, etc) and also have no idea on how to take it / prepare it nor have found specific info here or elsewhere. So I would like to ask for opinions based on your experience. Two questions: 1) What product should I buy at the site? and 2) could you give some tips on how is it prepared / consumed properly? Hope it's not too much to ask. Thanks!

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

1440p 144hz gaming, all kinds of games from RDR2, through Diablo IV and WoW to League of Legends. I am however fine with switching off RT or adjusting certain performance-heavy settings to achieve that.
Other than that occasionally a light video editing and office work.

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

1700€

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

End of this month, so in week and a half.

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)

No peripherals, but an ASUS TUF 4070 Ti and either Crosair 4000D or NZXT H7 Flow case.

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

Poland.

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

I'll be only reusing Samsung 500GB 2,5" SATA SSD 870 EVO. So another 1TB storage would be more than enough for me.

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

No, I won't OC.

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

As I've mentioned an ASUS TUF 4070 Ti and either Crosair 4000D or NZXT H7 Flow case.

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

I like minimalistic style, no need for RGB (although on fans could be nice). Black parts are best for me.

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

I do not.

Extra info or particulars:

I want this build to be most importantly quiet, cool and efficient. Best bang for buck.

"Ehh, if Knockturn Alley is such a bad place, why is it even allowed to exist? If you have a place full of Dark magic, surely the best idea is just to raid it and close all the shops?" - asked Harry
Arthur replied: "Well, the Ministry prefers to keep Dark shops close. At least that way there is some oversight, rather than when they are located in secret locations. And few shops there are actually Dark, many sell questionable, but relatively legal things, or just.. Pureblood stuff"
Harry frowned: "Pureblood stuff? What do you mean by that?"
Arthur thought for a second and replied: "Well, you see, many things in the wizarding world come from the muggles. Mostly raw materials, but also many products. For example, clothes. Nobody wants to go through the whole process with the sheep, so we just buy textille and go from there.
Or some really specific things, like, lets say, binoculars are just not produced in our world, because the demand is so low. So, if you want one, the only supply is the muggle world.
And the anothing thing is the cost. Some stuff is cheaper if done by a wizard, some stuff is cheaper if done by a muggle, some if done by a mix of two, like clothes. Even food. We might make our own fruits, beef and milk, but guess where does the chocolate for the chocolate frogs come from? Muggles have more efficent, and therefore more cheap ways of making it, we might as well eat their chocolate than make our own.
Now back to the Knockturn Alley. As you know, many wizards look down on muggles. Can't imagine a blood supremacist eating muggle cabbage or wearing clothes made from muggle textile, can you? And they don't. Usually, these kinds of people won't care if they have to spend a few more gallions to make sure their products are of "magical origin". That means, produced by a wizard, from the first step to the last. These kinds of shops, the "100% made by wizards product" dominate a big part of Knockturn Alley. They are not really accepted outside of it, as most people care more about the cost than the origin. And if most Dark families already go there, why not keep yourself closer to the consumer base? That's hardly illegal or Dark, just convenient for everyone envolved"

Just got out of our training with CalHFA. Wanted to give you guys some facts that have been excited and waiting for this program.
What it is- 20% down payment w/ shared equity
What that means- 20% down payment from CalHFA, 2nd loan on the home. Can be applied to down payment (best) and closing costs. Shared equity means you will pay back the 20% you borrowed, plus 20% of the gross APPRECIATION in the home when you sell or pay off the loan. Not your equity
What that equals? Buy home today in Roseville- $500,000 CalHFA Contributes- $100,000/20% Normal mortgage for other 80%
Sell in 5 years for $600,000 Gross appreciation is $100,000
Pay back original $100,000 +20% of appreciation- $20,000
What is the rate? Should be in the low 6’s, they won’t release until Monday, but will be a little higher than CalHFA Conventional w/ DPA
You can do a rate buydown to get it lower. You are allowed one refi without paying back the 20%.
Who qualifies? -1st time homebuyers (no ownership last 3 years) -min 640 credit score -primary residence - income limit $202,000
How is the program set up? $300M set aside for the program. Once funds are used they are gone. I estimate about 3,000-3,500 loans in the whole state. So probably be gone in a month.
What that means for you? If you are hoping to use it, you need to get pre approved ASAP. Like today. Go see homes tomorrow and through the weekend. It releases Monday so you need to have everything to your lender by Friday. Monday hit the ground running writing offers. It’s first come first serve so you need to be Johnny on the spot and get out there.
There are a few more items to discuss, but these are the facts.
More questions or need help? Comment or dm me. I’m working all day and all week-weekend.

Buying this fury potato was the best decision I've ever made.

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

*PC will be used for gaming. I'd like to be able to play any game on highest graphical settings in 1440p with 100 FPS + and 4k with... Well as much as possible on that budget.

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

• Around 2000 USD or EUR. It's a somewhat of a flexible budget so if there is anything that would increase the performance but also cost a little extra, that will be fine.

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

• Next week

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)

• Case, CPU, GPU, power supply, SSD, ram, motherboard.

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

• Poland.

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

• Parts that will be reused Monitors : 2x 1440p 144hz I believe Asus monitors. I don't remember the exact model. I'll be adding a third 4k monitor at some point in the future. Keyboard: wooting 60he Mouse: Logitech g502 Headset: steelseries arctis 7

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

*Yes, if the temps allow for it.

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

• -

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

• I'd like to use Lian li dynamic Evo OR Hyte y40 case. I like how they look HOWEVER I'm open to suggestions especially if the suggested case will have much better airflow. Black theme would be nice but not necessary.

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

• -

Extra info or particulars: Thanks in advance to anyone who helps out !

Hello- I'm need advice for how to trim my dog's size down. He is an English Lab, as such I am told his frame is larger than a nnormal lab. When he was younger, he was around 115 pounds. The vet said that was his ideal weight.
Alas, I fed him too much. I have always felt bad for having him neutered. I feel like we took his sole purpose for life, to reproduce. I want him to enjoy life so I give him treats to chew on and enjoy quite often. I do the best I can for the dog. I walk him, but I can' do much more. My wife and 2 kids are lazy. I can't get them to do aything.
I am not able to give him more exercise because I can barely walk. I have two prosthetic hips. My left hip wore out last summer from taking the dog on long walks when we were at the beach. I didn't know I needed to limit my walking because I have prosthetic hips. I can walk, but only a little. I suffer chronic pain and if I walk too much, the pain becomes unbearable. The problem hip was replaced in April of 2017, so it's not old. I'm in the US and in order to get surgery we have to show the insurance company the surgery is necessary, which is hard when looking at an MRI of metal. Adding insult to injury- I had to have his replacements because insurance would not approve back surgery unless I has cortico steroid epidurals....which later caused my hisp to fail.
My dog, Lucky, a black lab is 3.
Pic 1
Pic 2
He is a picky eater. I've tried designer food Like "The Farmer's Dog" and refrigerated food from the store but he wouldn't eat wany of it. I buy Kibbles N Bits for him, but he doesn't eat it. He might eat 1 time a month and I need to refill his bowl maybe once a month.
I'm getting concerned for his health and want to take steps to help him lose weight. For myself, I have been fasting for a while. I'm limited in what physical activity I can participate in due to prosthetic hips and bones cut from 4 nodes in my lower back. Fasting keeps me in a healthy range.
I'm thinking of cutting out all of his treats and giving him diet food I order online.
​
Any advice is much appreciated. And thank you!

When is the best day of the week to buy cards? When is the best to sell cards? And what is the best way to get a better coach than Ruby Nick Nurse (I want 3 pointer and ball handle)?

On how to handle quitting smoking with this disease.
I have one ciggie left out of my pack and wouldn’t be able to get another until the end of the week most likely
I’m thinking if I can do a few days I can stick with it.. hopefully
I take my meds every day, I talk my therapist again on Friday, and I have nicotine patches from the last time I attempted this. I currently do not have a medicine for sleep (I’m up when I don’t have them)
But the irritability of quitting will definitely exacerbate the irritability that comes with living with BP2. I already drag those around me on my emotional roller coaster unfortunately and I hate that, I’m scared of the unknown possibilities
I know I should quit, I know I have to. But 10+ years of this.. I just don’t know. It’s just once I get money, I know I’ll go get some and I have to just not do that
Any suggestions that doesn’t involve buying something would be great as I don’t work and have no income
Thank you in advance friends 🫶🏻💓 I hope this post can help others as well. I wish you all the best

Welcome to the /starsector Weekly Discussion Thread! Use this space to discuss anything you feel doesn't warrant a dedicated thread, whether that be subreddit suggestions, newbie questions, showing off, or just random chat about Starsector and its community.

Useful links:

• The official forums - the best place to find mods, report bugs, and get in contact with Alex, the game's developer.
• The Unofficial Community Discord - the most active Starsector community. The Discord is also where most of the game's currently active modding community hangs out.
• The Starsector Wiki - a repository of useful information on vanilla content as well as home to many modding tutorials.

And don't forget to buy the game if you haven't already!

Tl;Dr: how do i tweak the eq to improve transparency mode if possible at all. Is there any other tips or tricks to help? Is the q45's much better than the q30's? How is the transparency mode? Is the noise canceling worth me taking the q30's back and upgrading?
So I bought my first pair of q30's a week ago and took the plunge into the anker headphone world. I am extremely impressed with the q30's. The only thing that frustrates me is the transparency mode. My job I work In a team and I am trying to tweak it so I can still hear people talk. I don't know if my expectations are in the wrong place or I am not doing something right. I can occasionally hear people but not as well as I would like to. I don't have them cranked or anything like that. Even at a lower volume I have trouble hearing things. I was trying to play with the eq to possibly let more noises such as people talking to come in more clearly but so far I haven't had much success. I was wondering if anyone knows how I could tweak transparency mode to work better or if it is even possible.
I bought these headphones a week ago so I was thinking when I get my paycheck about upgrading to the q45's. I was hoping the transparency mode on those would be better. Can you buy the q45's at any major brick and mortor stores? I could Google It but I wanted to see what store at the best price and if anyone could offer me any advice.
Would also appreciate any tips and tricks someone could provide. I did download wavelet and I'm playing with it trying to get things just right.

I WAS previously married to a very mentally unstable woman who hid her abusive nature well. During our 9yrs together ex and my kids never really celebrated my birthday, no gifts, cake anything. Half the time she would “forget” or just simply not G.A.S. You’ve seen the shows or movies where the person spends their birthday alone, while everyone else is oblivious, lonely cupcake I would buy myself, got my own gifts. Honestly only my mom and siblings would ever wish me a birthday wish actually ON my birthday. So over the years I’ve no longer seen the need to celebrate it. My birthday no longer brings me joy or excitement. I actually dread it. The obligatory text messages and social media crap have made it even worse over the years.
After my divorce, I met my current wife. She’s nothing like my ex and I’ve opened up about my past to her. She knows I have zero Fs to give when my BD rolls around, yet every year she tries yet ultimately lets me down when trying to make my bd “special” by making me my favorite dessert, meal or trying to get me a gift. You are wondering why or how my current wife lets me down, it’s things like saying she’s going to do something special on that day, yet it never happens, then maybe a few days after my BD she will “remember” and try to make it up. At that point I’ve already been let down so why try. We’ve been married 10 years now, together for 13 years with my current wife.
Which brings me to this years BD. Again, first wish was from my sister, (mom died four years ago). second was from a friend of mine who’s basically my twin brother. Then the majority of my biological family. When my wife got out of bed she asked what I wanted to do for my “BD” and I replied nothing and went about my day. That night she asked asked what could she do to make my day special. Again, I told her i wanted nothing and to just finish the day. She then asked me who sent me birthday wishes and who didn’t. I showed her my phone and she got upset. She read the thread to my friend where I stated it was the best BD. Other than the few true BD wishes, no one else sent me anything. Not the kids, not her side of the family, no other “friends”, I told my friend that it was nice not getting the fake wishes. I even told him that my in laws of 10 (13) years even forgot it was my BD. I was not being disrespectful to them or anything. I was genuinely happy that no one cared or remembered because I didn’t have to fake the happiness.
Now she’s pissed at me because “I should care if my kids or in-laws forget my birthday. I never forget their birthdays, and go all out for them. It’s rude of me for not reminding them of my birthday”.
AITA for not giving A F about my BD. Because honestly I don’t F-ing care. Any suggestions. Also, kids are in college and not in the house.

I wanna try fabric dyeing and experimenting with different methods. I plan on eventually selling so I can make some extra income, so I want to do it right.
I don’t have any fabric dye, I know it’s not really expensive but I’m completely broke atm so I can’t buy any for the time being. I was hoping to get a little bit of experimenting in with what I already have.
I only have a few plain white t-shirts and a few pairs of jeans i can expierment with
I have: manic panic hair dye, a few different box dyes, sharpies, bleach and tattoo ink.
For those who have experimented with dyeing/designing fabric - non traditionally .. what was your experience, what did you use? Which of these methods are a no-go, which worked best? or are there any other “household” methods you know of?
Edit: I don’t plan on selling any of my experiments, I mostly just want to practice my design skills using what I have.