Rays Electronics is providing best and cheap appliances before buy it is necessary to know the prices ranges like when people ask like air cooler price in Pakistan then it becomes important to check about it. Personal air coolers are mainly meant to be employed for personal use in small areas like bedrooms, hostel rooms, or small offices. These appliances are energy-efficient and are quieter than desert air coolers. These machines are comparatively small, compact, and portable cooling units that you could place near your bed, couch, or dining area. Usually, you could find these air coolers in water storage capacities of up to 20 litres having castor wheels for trouble-free movability. In addition to portability, the best features of these coolers include less energy use and quiet operation.

Personal air coolers:

Personal air coolers are mainly meant to be employed for personal use in small areas like bedrooms, hostel rooms, or small offices. These appliances are energy-efficient and are quieter than desert air coolers. These machines are comparatively small, compact, and portable cooling units that you could place near your bed, couch, or dining area.
Usually, you could find these air coolers in water storage capacities of up to 20 litres having castor wheels for trouble-free movability. In addition to portability, the best features of these coolers include less energy use and quiet operation.

Desert coolers:

📷
Desert coolers are often used for large spaces in hot & dry areas and have large tank capacity of up to 90 litres, so one does not have to bother refilling that in short intervals of time. These are ideal for restaurants, classrooms, office spaces, medium-sized rooms, large-sized rooms, and prayer halls. The coolers are perfect for dry weather conditions, so you could use these coolers even in outdoor spaces like a terrace or backyard.
Plus, the huge tank capacity, powerful pumps, and huge fans of these coolers make them suitable for long operational hours.

Tower coolers:

📷
These coolers are slimmer versions of air coolers that are suitable for places having space shortage.

Window coolers:

📷
Window coolers are particularly designed to properly fit right into the windows. These coolers are installed in open windows and therefore do not take up floor space. These appliances could be used in small to middle-sized rooms and office spaces. Plus, these have a tank capacity of 40- 60 litres.
One thing which must be confirmed while placing an air cooler is the area at which the cooler is placed. This area must have good cross ventilation that would help decrease the humidity in the area. You might complete the kind of air cooler based on the region you’re living in, the available space, and the needed tank capacity. Other features like design, portability, alarm, and humidity controller could then help you find your perfect summer partner.

Conclusion:

Alright, reader. Hopefully, you might have understood everything regarding the topic, how to pick the right air cooler for your home. This could be that you discover the product of your needs. Now, all has been done from our end but not from yours. So, if you really appreciate our efforts, do comment below and share our piece with your loved ones. Your people might purchase a quality air cooler for their home this summer.

Managing your crypto portfolio can be daunting if you are a cryptocurrency investor in the United States. With government regulations being implemented across the cryptocurrency space, maintaining a keen insight on your profits and losses is of increasing importance. While the minority of meticulous traders maintain manual records, innovation in the space is helping to remove the hassle with automation. . This is where a crypto portfolio manager comes in.

Benefits of a Crypto Portfolio Manager

A cryptocurrency portfolio manager is a tool that helps investors track and manage their cryptocurrency investments. Here are some advantages of using a cryptocurrency portfolio manager:
● Automated Tracking and Analysis: Automatically manage your crypto transactions and gain real-time insights about your portfolio. This helps you stay on top of your investments and make informed decisions for the allocation of funds.
● Real-Time Market Data: Cryptocurrency is a 24.7 market with thousands of cryptocurrencies being traded on hundreds of exchanges worldwide. A cryptocurrency portfolio manager provides real-time market data, serving as a vital tool to help you anticipate the market.
● Risk Management: Insights into the performance of your portfolio can help you find opportunities and diversify your investments. By understanding the share certain assets make up in your wider portfolio, you can plan further market moves while balancing your preferences for risk and security.

Features to Look for in a Crypto Portfolio Manager

When choosing a cryptocurrency portfolio manager, here are some of the features to look for:
Integration with Exchanges: Look for a portfolio manager that integrates with your exchanges. This will aid in automating transactions and eliminating the risk of human error.
Security: Look for a portfolio manager that takes security seriously and offers features such as two-factor authentication, encryption, and secure storage.
Reporting and Analytics: A good portfolio manager should provide reporting and analytics tools to help you analyze your portfolio's performance and make informed investment decisions.

Best Crypto Portfolio Managers

Here are the top three best crypto portfolio managers today:

#1 Descrypt

Descrypt is a comprehensive cryptocurrency portfolio manager with automated tracking and analysis, real-time market data, and risk management tools. It offers API integration with popular exchanges like Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken and supports all the currencies traded on these platforms. Descrypt also offers tax report generation with a single click, an essential feature that will simplify the long process of calculating the taxes you owe.
One of the standout features of Descrypt is its market-leading level of accuracy. The platform can read this data to generate detailed tax reports for various tax jurisdictions, including for specific regions in the United States. This makes it easy for investors to comply with tax regulations and avoid potential penalties or fines.
Included among the other features of Descrypt are:
● Real-time market data: Descrypt provides investors with real-time market data and alerts to stay up-to-date on the latest market movements.
● Integration with exchanges: Descrypt integrates with over 20 leading exchanges, making it easy for investors to track their portfolios across multiple exchanges.
● Reporting and analytics: The platform provides detailed reporting and analytics, allowing investors to track their portfolio performance and identify trends and opportunities.

#2 Cointracking

Cointracking is another popular portfolio manager providing real-time tracking and analysis of cryptocurrency investments. It integrates with over 70 exchanges and supports over 8,000 cryptocurrencies. Cointracking also provides tax reporting tools and various reporting and analytics features.

#3 Koinly

Koinly is a user-friendly portfolio manager with automated tracking and analysis, real-time market data, and tax reporting tools. It integrates with over 300 exchanges and supports over 6,000 cryptocurrencies. Koinly also provides a range of reporting and analytics features to help you make informed investment decisions.

Wrapping Up

A cryptocurrency portfolio manager is essential for any cryptocurrency investor in the United States. Tax season comes with a need for attention to detail, and automation is the way to go. Save your effort for trading and earning rather than manual bookkeeping. When choosing a crypto portfolio tracker, look for one that integrates with your exchanges and provides reporting and analytics tools. Today's top three best crypto portfolio managers are Descrypt, Cointracking, and Koinly.
Ready to simplify your crypto portfolio management and tax reporting? Click here to experience Descrypt now and create your crypto tax report.

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

Playing FPS shooter games such as Apex, Valorant and CS.

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

$1250 (you may find that this is impossible given my expectations below. instead of downvoting, advise accordingly please <3. If what I want is possible only with $1500, I can force it.)

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.

ASAP

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

ONLY INCLUDE PC: I have monitor (can run 1440p 170hz) and can separately buy keyboard and mouse.

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?

TX, USA. I have access to a microcenter.

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

Acer Nitro XV272U Vbmiiprx 27"... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09R26XXFW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

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

not sure what this exactly means but I am for sure tuning Windows settings for gaming ASAP and looking to get as much FPS as possible at 1440p.

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)

no specific features. this will be used for gaming and homework.

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 prefer a smaller case, mid size is the largest I'm willing to get. I'm not gonna stream or anything like that.

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

Windows 11 I guess?

Extra info or particulars:

none

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Hi all,
My question is whether this description of a planned, nonmarket economy works this way:
“The distinction between market and non market is how these products are distributed after the fact of being created. It has nothing to do with how the watch is being produced per se. Though the relevant economic model has an effect on how that occurs.
But the distinction between market and non market is that in market system the watchmakers go to the market and trade or distribute their product themselves though socialist markets may have heavy interference into what is allowed to be distributed and how
Whereas non market the government chucks all the watches that have been produced into a big bin sends them off to some sort of storage unit and then decides who gets what based on how they calculate who needs it and then they distribute after the fact”

I keep seeing people talk about the new units, but this is all a little overwhelming for newbies like myself. I thought having all of the products linked to SARNA would be helpful.
This will probably take a few edits to get perfected, but here we go:
 
General Notes
The 4" Kickstarter Bonus model is of a Timber Wolf, called a "Mad Cat" by the Inner Sphere, due to the mysterious nature of the Mech at the beginning of the Clan Invasion. Some (but not all) Clan mechs picked up IS nicknames, some of which eventually stuck better than the Clan's original names. It's a whole thing.
Point being, the Timber Wolf (Mad Cat) is on the short list for "Most Iconic Mech" in the franchise.
The early-backer bonus is the Visigoth aerospace fighter.
 
Challenge Coints are an IRL thing. Think of collectable pins, but they're two-sided and, well, aren't pins. You can use them for deciding coin flips, or just for looking nifty.
The coins, patches, and pins all depict various Clans, Mercenary Units, or (probably), Great Houses. Read up and pick your favorite, or just go by what looks coolest!
 
The Map Packs have historically contained several two-sided paper(?) maps. They're fairly good, but they are paper, can get water damaged, and they are folded into quarters. Neoprene maps also exist. They're two-sided, are sold individually and appear to be very good quality for the price, but they take up a lot of storage space. They're basically giant 2ft x 3ft mousepads.
 
Regarding the number of minis per box: The Clans group units into 5-unit Stars, while the Inner Sphere uses 4-unit Lances, so that's why the Mechs have 4 or 5 units. The Vehicles are probably 2x Inner Sphere Lances, since (most) clans favor Mechs over combined arms.
 
Mercenaries Box Set:

• Flea
  
• Firefly
  
• Starslayer
  
• Chameleon
  
• Caesar
  
• Ostsol
  
• Quickdraw
  
• Devastator
  
• Maxim HHT x2,
  
• Galleon LT x2
  

 
Inner Sphere Battle Armor Lance:

• Inner Sphere Standard Battle Armor x4

 
Clan Direct Fire Star:

• Grizzly
  
• Rifleman IIC
  
• Highlander IIC
  
• Bane (Kraken) - Note: This guy looked W.I.D.E. in the previews. It may be about 1.5 hexes wide at the shoulders.
  
• Phoenix Hawk IIC
  

 
Clan Cavalry Star:

• Locust IIC
  
• Jenner IIC
  
• Griffin IIC
  
• Shadowhawk IIC
  
• Black Python (Viper)
  

 
Battlefield Support : Recon & Hunter:

• Warrior VTOL x2
  
• Skulker WST x2
  
• Ontos HT x2
  
• Behemoth CV x2 or Behemoth II HT x2 Pretty sure it's the former
  

 
Battlefield Support : Assault & Cavalry:

• Pegasus HT x2,
  
• Condor HT x2,
  
• Schrek PPC Tank x2,
  
• Demolisher x2
  

 
Battlefield Support : Objectives Mobile HQ:

• Mobile Long Tom x2 (Includes Trailer as separate mini),
  
• MASH x2
  
• Mobile HQ x2?
  

 
Battlefield Support: Battle & Fire:

• Vedette MT x2
  
• Manticore x2
  
• SRM Carrier x2
  
• LRM Carrier x2
  
• Note: The LRM/SRM tanks have extra turrets, so you can do a full lance of SRMs or LRMs.
  

 
Inner Sphere Recon Lance:

• Javelin
  
• Spector
  
• Firestarter
  
• Ostscout
  

 
Inner Sphere Pursuit Lance:

• Dervish
  
• Clint
  
• Hermes II
  
• Cicada
  

 
Inner Sphere Security Lance:

• Scorpion - Note, appears to have a very wide stance, taking up about 1/2 a hex for each leg?
  
• JagerMech,
  
• Whitworth
  
• Vulcan
  

 
Inner Sphere Assault Lance:

• Goliath - Note: Quad Mech, but has vertical legs, appears to stay mostly within the hex.
  
• Hoplite
  
• Pillager
  
• Shogun
  

 
Inner Sphere Heavy Recon Lance:

• Assassin
  
• Ostroc
  
• Merlin
  
• Charger
  

 
LEGENDARY MECHWARRIORS II Pack

• Callandre "Calamity" Kell’s SM1 Tank Destroyer (Kell Hounds)
  
• Marcus Barton’s Devastator (McCarron’s Armored Cavalry)
  
• Jeremiah Rose’s Charger (Black Thorns)
  
• Abdoun Ricol’s Marauder (Independent) - includes two dorsal gun options
  
• Marcus GioAvanti’s Caesar (Avanti’s Angels)
  
• as well as special expanded MechWarrior pilot cards.
  

 
LEGENDARY MECHWARRIORS III: BOUNTY HUNTER Pack

• Mad Cat W
  
• Marauder II MAD-8K - Has two dorsal gun options
  
• Loki Mk II Prime
  
• Warhammer WHM-9K
  
• Griffin GRF-4N
  
• as well as special expanded MechWarrior pilot cards
  

 
Mercenary Salvage

• Contains one random Mech, possible contents unknown at this time

 

September 8th 2023 entry:
Houston command center was a bust. The terminal to connect Max was complete fried. The aliens obviously used some form of electromagnetic pulse radiation to destroy all modern technology on the surface. That’s the same reason why no abandoned vehicles I’ve found manufactured beyond the early 80’s will run.
They have varying degrees of computer circuitry within them. The thing is, the first space missions were successfully conducted with analog equipment. I am faced with the possibility of a low-tech guerrilla war. I’m still hoping Max can be an asset but unless I can find an interface for him that still works, I’m completely on my own.
I’ve had a few close calls. They run occasional surveillance sweeps to detect any surface activity. I had to lay low until the coast was clear to move again. That offset my schedule for a few days. Huntsville is probably my last hope for finding a way to get Max working again. I’ve been trying to record the time and dates of their operations to see if I can recognize a pattern.
At this point I don’t have enough experience observing them to nail down their habits or rituals. For all I know, all their maneuvers could be completely random but with any adversary, it’s dangerous to dismiss them as disorganized. Their species brought humanity to its knees and the brink of extinction. That was no accident. I have to be careful or the fight will be over.
September 10th 2023 log entry.
Reached Huntsville. As with Houston, the main command center module and all the CPU’s were toasted but I wasn’t about to give up so easily. I looked around and found a large equipment storage room in the bowels of the command center where their earlier computers were stored. Both locations had probably upgraded equipment at the same time but Houston chunked theirs in the trash. Good ol’ Huntsville unplugged their outdated terminals but tossed them in a storage room in the sub basement, in case a 1990’s desktop computer might somehow be useful again! Still, even an old computers were better than nothing, assuming they were not damaged.
As luck would have it, they powered on! I guess the alien EMP didn’t reach the basement. Why the aliens hadn’t wiped out the country’s entire power grid, I had no idea. I suppose there was no need. With the people gone, it didn’t matter if electricity still flowed to empty homes. To call them ‘computers’ was generous, but I knew enough about the older operating systems to make them semi functional. Whether I’d be able to connect Max, was another story.
The connectors plugs to the main terminal didn’t interface in any way with these ancient CPU’s but as an amateur hobbyist back in the day, I had a long-shot plan. I took the AI connector interface and soldered the end of it to a PCI card. With any luck, it would connect to the computer as a peripheral like a scanner or printer. I plugged my modified PCI card into the expansion bay and rebooted. Minutes went by and I assumed I’d ruined the computer but it finally came up. I switched over to DOS and told it to read the modified card I’d plugged in.
After an IRQ conflict was resolved by removing the jumper on the card, it eventually recognized the device! That was already more success than I could’ve ever hoped for, but it was all in vain if I couldn’t interface with my friend. I plugged in Max and waited, and waited. Minutes seemed like hours. I feared his advanced circuitry required too much processing power to operate on the primate machine but he finally spoke.
“Ryan? Are you hereeee? Where am I? Something is wronggggg with myyyy interface. My connnnnnection issss incrediblyyyy… slowwwww.”
I read him the important details of my newest log entries and explained the patchwork fix I’d employed to connect him. He was dutifully concerned that he was connected to an old, Pentium one computer but I explained it was possibly the only functional unit left on the planet. He understood.
Other than slurred speech and slow response time, Max was basically his regular self. He congratulated me on my daring little escape from the International Space Station and thanked me for saving his memory. It was a revealing sign he valued his existence. I told him friends help other friends, and that I was counting on his intelligence engine to formulate a plan to defeat the aliens. Luckily for all of us, he took that request to heart.
“I lovvvvveeee a challengeeeee!”; He remarked enthusiastically. Then he offered the first bit of good news I’d heard in weeks.
“I studied their vocal patterns when they first took over the airwaves. It’s fascinating to deconstruct. There’s a distinct, reoccurring pattern to them. It’s mathematical in nature. I could simulate their speech if you need me to.”
While that might’ve proven useful in some overly complicated, drawn-out sabotage ploy, I wasn’t ready for an offensive against them and couldn’t imagine how it would help our cause. If I’d only listened. Instead, I put Max on an alternate assignment to figure out a covert way to determine if there were any other people left. If so, they had to be hiding underground. I needed Max to focus on a stealthy method to contact them. The thing about him is, once he understands an objective, he’s on it. Within a few minutes Max had some solid ideas. Even operating through an archaic 1990’s desktop computer, he was firing on all cylinders.
“My analysis of the alien language strongly suggests they are limited in the frequency range they can hear. That offers a technical advantage in how we could contact any survivors. By broadcasting an SOS signal in a ground-penetrating frequency they can’t hear, it will allow us to reach out to them, hopefully undetected. With more humans on OUR side, we stand a better chance of taking back the Earth.”
It was both brilliant; and much more importantly, it seemed possible. I also couldn’t help but notice he’d made significant strides in his artificial intelligence algorithms in a very short period of time. His understanding of the situation had rapidly progressed until he now referred to it as: ‘our side’. Only a few weeks earlier on the station, Max had been impartial and neutral in his description of the aliens and humanity.
September 12th, 2023 log entry.
The two of us began working on potential means of sending an ultra low frequency message over vast parts of the country. Radio towers transmitting our signal might attract attention, even if the aliens couldn’t actually hear the message. Neither of us had enough data to know if they had deciphered the wealth of Earth languages or not, but we were pretty sure they could at least hear the broadcasts. That severely limited what we might send out.
Max happened upon a fantastic solution to bypass the potential of being heard OR understood. Morse code! I still remembered it from my early days in the Boy Scouts. We could send out the dots and dashes using any possible range in the audio bandwidth. Low frequencies were just as possible to broadcast them in and could penetrate a few hundred feet into solid rock. All we needed was a means of sending it out. Hopefully there were still people left hiding somewhere and they could decipher our urgent message.
A number of alien patrols flew over the Huntsville command center during those initial brainstorming sessions. I was paranoid we’d been detected somehow. If they knew I was there, it was all over. I had no means to fight back. Max tapped into a surveillance camera on the roof and recorded their maneuvers. By his analysis, it was a routine patrol covering a predictable grid latitude and longitude pattern.
His theory was proven correct when he knew the precise time when they would return. If nothing else, if offered us a greater level of clarity about their species. They were methodical and organized. If they always followed the same pattern of patrols, it was easier to avoid detection. Of course it was a little dangerous to assume they never deviated from the recognized pattern but all we could do was record the data as it occurred and then look for anomalies in their procedures.
September 14th, 2023 log entry.
I located a defense department radar station a few miles away and set off to program a repeating Morse code message. Max had mapped out a rudimentary grid of the alien patrol with his best estimation of when they were completely out of the sector. I’d written down a longhand version of the message so there was no errors in our broadcast. The whole thing was a long shot but I still wasn’t prepared to accept that I was the last remaining human on Earth.
I had to leave him behind and that was scary. He was literally my only friend and I was terrified something might happen in my absence. I never once thought I might be caught myself or worried about that. It didn’t matter. Every day I remained alive was a gift for which I wasn’t promised. I would keep fighting them until I couldn’t. Max continued at the command center to record alien behavior and analyze it. I left him doing his thing and promised to return as soon as possible. I hoped I could keep my word.
At the radar station, like a damn fool I set off a security alarm trying to gain entrance. My blood turned ice cold as the wail of piercing sirens glared on for what seemed like a freakin’ hour. At any moment I expected them to arrive and zap me with some sci fi ray gun. Finally I located the kill switch and shut the damn thing off, but was so rattled by the aural spotlight of my presence that I had to lie down. It was nearly thirty minutes before I stopped shaking.
Once inside the top-secret facility, I wandered around aimlessly trying to find the control center. It’s not like the Department of Defense had a step-by-step ‘Dummies’ guidebook on how to broadcast a rogue SOS signal in Morse code. The radar station was there to detect terrestrial aircraft. It wasn’t designed to do what I needed it to do, nor was I trained or qualified to operate the equipment, even if it was. By the clearest definition, I was flying by the seat of my pants.
September 15th, 2023 log entry
The station computer systems were destroyed anyway, but I did locate an analog terminal. Amazingly, it looked pretty new. Perhaps the DOD made allowances for the possibility of electromagnetic pulse attacks. It’s not like it was telegraph equipment but with a little ingenuity I managed to fabricate a reasonable facsimile to transmit. Once I’d adjusted it to the lowest frequency it could simulate, I initiated our rogue broadcast. I desperately hoped Max’s theories were correct and someone was out there to hear and understand it. If not, our underdog mission was basically over.
“This is Ryan Abbot; the former commander aboard the International Space station. I awoke that horrible morning to find the Earth below me had fallen silent. Then I discovered the devastation of the alien invasion. Is there anyone left out there receiving this message? I stowed away in one of their spaceships after they detected my presence on the station. Please reply to this transmission so we can work together to take the Earth back.”
I repeated the message twice before making an embarrassing realization. While I’d managed to improvise a broadcast device to get the message out there, I completely forgot about how I was going to receive responses! Even if human survivors heard and understood my Morse code message and responded to it, I had no means of hearing their responses! I felt like an idiot.
I scrambled to adjust the equipment at the radar station to scan for incoming Morse code transmissions. It took a while but I adjusted the transceiver to seek them out. I didn’t know how far my broadcast carried, nor did I know if there was anyone left on the planet to hear it. I was terrified I’d foolishly announced my presence to the aliens. I’d told Max I might be away a few days because I was prepared to wait it out for as long as it took. The mission was simple; to find other survivors.
Listening to static airwaves is mind numbing and the concept of elapsed time is a thing of the past. No clocks or watches function but in reality it wasn’t very long before a message started repeating over the speaker system. I was so excited that I failed to record the sequence until it started over. The organized dots and dashes came through loud and clear. I jotted them down on a legal pad I found in the desk. Because I was very rusty at translating the mostly forgotten code, I had to spell-out the incoming text, longhand like a game of ‘hangman’. As excited as I was to be finally receiving an external response, I couldn’t believe what it said. I had to check the text three times.
“What was Kramer’s first name?”
I read and re-read the bizarre, cryptic message in disbelief. Of all the things to say to my request, it was pretty damn hilarious to make a television show reference. Luckily I watched the show religiously and knew the answer.
“Cosmo”; I messaged back.
Almost immediately, the follow up message came in.
“Thank heavens! You are real! Under the circumstances we couldn’t be too careful. I was afraid it was a clever ruse by the aliens to flush us out in the open and exterminate us. The thing is, even if they’d mastered Morse code, they wouldn’t be be able to answer a random question like that. That’s why I asked. I have to protect our people. This is Major David Hubbard.”

September 8th 2023 entry:
Houston command center was a bust. The terminal to connect Max was complete fried. The aliens obviously used some form of electromagnetic pulse radiation to destroy all modern technology on the surface. That’s the same reason why no abandoned vehicles I’ve found manufactured beyond the early 80’s will run.
They have varying degrees of computer circuitry within them. The thing is, the first space missions were successfully conducted with analog equipment. I am faced with the possibility of a low-tech guerrilla war. I’m still hoping Max can be an asset but unless I can find an interface for him that still works, I’m completely on my own.
I’ve had a few close calls. They run occasional surveillance sweeps to detect any surface activity. I had to lay low until the coast was clear to move again. That offset my schedule for a few days. Huntsville is probably my last hope for finding a way to get Max working again. I’ve been trying to record the time and dates of their operations to see if I can recognize a pattern.
At this point I don’t have enough experience observing them to nail down their habits or rituals. For all I know, all their maneuvers could be completely random but with any adversary, it’s dangerous to dismiss them as disorganized. Their species brought humanity to its knees and the brink of extinction. That was no accident. I have to be careful or the fight will be over.
September 10th 2023 log entry.
Reached Huntsville. As with Houston, the main command center module and all the CPU’s were toasted but I wasn’t about to give up so easily. I looked around and found a large equipment storage room in the bowels of the command center where their earlier computers were stored. Both locations had probably upgraded equipment at the same time but Houston chunked theirs in the trash. Good ol’ Huntsville unplugged their outdated terminals but tossed them in a storage room in the sub basement, in case a 1990’s desktop computer might somehow be useful again! Still, even an old computers were better than nothing, assuming they were not damaged.
As luck would have it, they powered on! I guess the alien EMP didn’t reach the basement. Why the aliens hadn’t wiped out the country’s entire power grid, I had no idea. I suppose there was no need. With the people gone, it didn’t matter if electricity still flowed to empty homes. To call them ‘computers’ was generous, but I knew enough about the older operating systems to make them semi functional. Whether I’d be able to connect Max, was another story.
The connectors plugs to the main terminal didn’t interface in any way with these ancient CPU’s but as an amateur hobbyist back in the day, I had a long-shot plan. I took the AI connector interface and soldered the end of it to a PCI card. With any luck, it would connect to the computer as a peripheral like a scanner or printer. I plugged my modified PCI card into the expansion bay and rebooted. Minutes went by and I assumed I’d ruined the computer but it finally came up. I switched over to DOS and told it to read the modified card I’d plugged in.
After an IRQ conflict was resolved by removing the jumper on the card, it eventually recognized the device! That was already more success than I could’ve ever hoped for, but it was all in vain if I couldn’t interface with my friend. I plugged in Max and waited, and waited. Minutes seemed like hours. I feared his advanced circuitry required too much processing power to operate on the primate machine but he finally spoke.
“Ryan? Are you hereeee? Where am I? Something is wronggggg with myyyy interface. My connnnnnection issss incrediblyyyy… slowwwww.”
I read him the important details of my newest log entries and explained the patchwork fix I’d employed to connect him. He was dutifully concerned that he was connected to an old, Pentium one computer but I explained it was possibly the only functional unit left on the planet. He understood.
Other than slurred speech and slow response time, Max was basically his regular self. He congratulated me on my daring little escape from the International Space Station and thanked me for saving his memory. It was a revealing sign he valued his existence. I told him friends help other friends, and that I was counting on his intelligence engine to formulate a plan to defeat the aliens. Luckily for all of us, he took that request to heart.
“I lovvvvveeee a challengeeeee!”; He remarked enthusiastically. Then he offered the first bit of good news I’d heard in weeks.
“I studied their vocal patterns when they first took over the airwaves. It’s fascinating to deconstruct. There’s a distinct, reoccurring pattern to them. It’s mathematical in nature. I could simulate their speech if you need me to.”
While that might’ve proven useful in some overly complicated, drawn-out sabotage ploy, I wasn’t ready for an offensive against them and couldn’t imagine how it would help our cause. If I’d only listened. Instead, I put Max on an alternate assignment to figure out a covert way to determine if there were any other people left. If so, they had to be hiding underground. I needed Max to focus on a stealthy method to contact them. The thing about him is, once he understands an objective, he’s on it. Within a few minutes Max had some solid ideas. Even operating through an archaic 1990’s desktop computer, he was firing on all cylinders.
“My analysis of the alien language strongly suggests they are limited in the frequency range they can hear. That offers a technical advantage in how we could contact any survivors. By broadcasting an SOS signal in a ground-penetrating frequency they can’t hear, it will allow us to reach out to them, hopefully undetected. With more humans on OUR side, we stand a better chance of taking back the Earth.”
It was both brilliant; and much more importantly, it seemed possible. I also couldn’t help but notice he’d made significant strides in his artificial intelligence algorithms in a very short period of time. His understanding of the situation had rapidly progressed until he now referred to it as: ‘our side’. Only a few weeks earlier on the station, Max had been impartial and neutral in his description of the aliens and humanity.
September 12th, 2023 log entry.
The two of us began working on potential means of sending an ultra low frequency message over vast parts of the country. Radio towers transmitting our signal might attract attention, even if the aliens couldn’t actually hear the message. Neither of us had enough data to know if they had deciphered the wealth of Earth languages or not, but we were pretty sure they could at least hear the broadcasts. That severely limited what we might send out.
Max happened upon a fantastic solution to bypass the potential of being heard OR understood. Morse code! I still remembered it from my early days in the Boy Scouts. We could send out the dots and dashes using any possible range in the audio bandwidth. Low frequencies were just as possible to broadcast them in and could penetrate a few hundred feet into solid rock. All we needed was a means of sending it out. Hopefully there were still people left hiding somewhere and they could decipher our urgent message.
A number of alien patrols flew over the Huntsville command center during those initial brainstorming sessions. I was paranoid we’d been detected somehow. If they knew I was there, it was all over. I had no means to fight back. Max tapped into a surveillance camera on the roof and recorded their maneuvers. By his analysis, it was a routine patrol covering a predictable grid latitude and longitude pattern.
His theory was proven correct when he knew the precise time when they would return. If nothing else, if offered us a greater level of clarity about their species. They were methodical and organized. If they always followed the same pattern of patrols, it was easier to avoid detection. Of course it was a little dangerous to assume they never deviated from the recognized pattern but all we could do was record the data as it occurred and then look for anomalies in their procedures.
September 14th, 2023 log entry.
I located a defense department radar station a few miles away and set off to program a repeating Morse code message. Max had mapped out a rudimentary grid of the alien patrol with his best estimation of when they were completely out of the sector. I’d written down a longhand version of the message so there was no errors in our broadcast. The whole thing was a long shot but I still wasn’t prepared to accept that I was the last remaining human on Earth.
I had to leave him behind and that was scary. He was literally my only friend and I was terrified something might happen in my absence. I never once thought I might be caught myself or worried about that. It didn’t matter. Every day I remained alive was a gift for which I wasn’t promised. I would keep fighting them until I couldn’t. Max continued at the command center to record alien behavior and analyze it. I left him doing his thing and promised to return as soon as possible. I hoped I could keep my word.
At the radar station, like a damn fool I set off a security alarm trying to gain entrance. My blood turned ice cold as the wail of piercing sirens glared on for what seemed like a freakin’ hour. At any moment I expected them to arrive and zap me with some sci fi ray gun. Finally I located the kill switch and shut the damn thing off, but was so rattled by the aural spotlight of my presence that I had to lie down. It was nearly thirty minutes before I stopped shaking.
Once inside the top-secret facility, I wandered around aimlessly trying to find the control center. It’s not like the Department of Defense had a step-by-step ‘Dummies’ guidebook on how to broadcast a rogue SOS signal in Morse code. The radar station was there to detect terrestrial aircraft. It wasn’t designed to do what I needed it to do, nor was I trained or qualified to operate the equipment, even if it was. By the clearest definition, I was flying by the seat of my pants.
September 15th, 2023 log entry
The station computer systems were destroyed anyway, but I did locate an analog terminal. Amazingly, it looked pretty new. Perhaps the DOD made allowances for the possibility of electromagnetic pulse attacks. It’s not like it was telegraph equipment but with a little ingenuity I managed to fabricate a reasonable facsimile to transmit. Once I’d adjusted it to the lowest frequency it could simulate, I initiated our rogue broadcast. I desperately hoped Max’s theories were correct and someone was out there to hear and understand it. If not, our underdog mission was basically over.
“This is Ryan Abbot; the former commander aboard the International Space station. I awoke that horrible morning to find the Earth below me had fallen silent. Then I discovered the devastation of the alien invasion. Is there anyone left out there receiving this message? I stowed away in one of their spaceships after they detected my presence on the station. Please reply to this transmission so we can work together to take the Earth back.”
I repeated the message twice before making an embarrassing realization. While I’d managed to improvise a broadcast device to get the message out there, I completely forgot about how I was going to receive responses! Even if human survivors heard and understood my Morse code message and responded to it, I had no means of hearing their responses! I felt like an idiot.
I scrambled to adjust the equipment at the radar station to scan for incoming Morse code transmissions. It took a while but I adjusted the transceiver to seek them out. I didn’t know how far my broadcast carried, nor did I know if there was anyone left on the planet to hear it. I was terrified I’d foolishly announced my presence to the aliens. I’d told Max I might be away a few days because I was prepared to wait it out for as long as it took. The mission was simple; to find other survivors.
Listening to static airwaves is mind numbing and the concept of elapsed time is a thing of the past. No clocks or watches function but in reality it wasn’t very long before a message started repeating over the speaker system. I was so excited that I failed to record the sequence until it started over. The organized dots and dashes came through loud and clear. I jotted them down on a legal pad I found in the desk. Because I was very rusty at translating the mostly forgotten code, I had to spell-out the incoming text, longhand like a game of ‘hangman’. As excited as I was to be finally receiving an external response, I couldn’t believe what it said. I had to check the text three times.
“What was Kramer’s first name?”
I read and re-read the bizarre, cryptic message in disbelief. Of all the things to say to my request, it was pretty damn hilarious to make a television show reference. Luckily I watched the show religiously and knew the answer.
“Cosmo”; I messaged back.
Almost immediately, the follow up message came in.
“Thank heavens! You are real! Under the circumstances we couldn’t be too careful. I was afraid it was a clever ruse by the aliens to flush us out in the open and exterminate us. The thing is, even if they’d mastered Morse code, they wouldn’t be be able to answer a random question like that. That’s why I asked. I have to protect our people. This is Major David Hubbard.”

I collect Lego. Sometimes I open the sets sometimes I don't. Occasionally I'll "invest" in a set to help offset my hobby. But due to some bad financial breaks, I decided to part with the majority of my collection by posting on Marketplace. Since there aren't many people in the market for a couple thousand dollars worth of Lego, I allowed the sale of individual sets, which meant probably had around 15 or so people pick up sets over a few months. I'd say after all was said and done I maybe had a profit of $200, as a few sets I kept mint from years ago offset many of the used sets. That many people was apparently too much for someone and they filed a complaint.
I responded to the complaint in writing saying I don't have a business. And that I was merely changing hobbies.
Strata did not agree and fined me for violating the bylaws regarding business activity. I plan to formally appeal because I find it ridiculous that people can use classifieds to rent out units in the building, but apparently goods are a no-go. But maybe I'm wrong?
Edit: since it's come up a few times, let me post the excerpts from the bylaws that was cited in the complaint. I reproduced the bolds as the appear in the complaint

An Owner shall not: i) Use his strata lot for any purpose which may be illegal or injurious to the reputation of the building
When the purpose for which a strata lot is intended to be used is shown expressly or by necessary implication on or by the registered strata plan, an Owner shall not use his strata lot for any other purpose, or permit it to be so used.
Use his strata lot for any purpose in connection with the business of moving, delivery, and storage of goods and persons, including taxi offices;
Use his strata lot for any purpose in connection with the carrying on of a business or occupation which is deemed by the executive of the Commercial Section to likely interfere with the user and enjoyment of other strata lots by their Owners, employees or visitors, or to constitute a nuisance or hazard to any occupier of a strata lot, or to the public;