Mobile is just about the perfect platform for turn-based RPGs, where battles tend to take place in contained, small screen-friendly environments and sessions can be as short or as long as you like.... Tagged as:

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Apple TV+ today shared a recap video for the first season of "Silo. The hit series returns for a second season starting later this week.

Warning: The video contains major spoilers, obviously.

In a blog post today, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed two new products that Apple apparently plans to release in a few years from now, including a smart home camera and updated AirPods with more health management features.


Kuo said mass production of Apple's smart home camera is scheduled to begin in 2026, and the company apparently aims to sell tens of millions of them over the long term. He said the camera will have wireless connectivity, and deep integration with Apple Intelligence and Siri, but he did not mention any other specific features.

Previous rumors have indicated that Apple is planning to release a smart home display, but that device is expected to launch as early as 2025, so it seems like the 2026 camera that Kuo has mentioned here is a different product.

As for the AirPods, Kuo simply said that future models of the earbuds will have "more health management features" like the Apple Watch, and that Chinese manufacturer Goertek will serve as the primary supplier of a 2026 AirPods model. The new smart home camera will also be assembled by Goertek, according to the analyst.

We previously reported that Apple's upcoming Powerbeats Pro 2 will offer heart rate monitoring during workouts, and perhaps that feature will extend to AirPods in the future. In addition, health-focused sensors that could allow for features like body temperature measuring have been rumored for AirPods in the past.

Apple's camera module supplier for the upcoming iPhone SE 4 is set to begin mass production of the components in December, according to a new report coming out of Korea.


Economic newspaper Ajunews reports that LG Innotek will supply the front camera module for the budget-friendly fourth-generation device. Final tests are now said to be underway, with mass production of the module following next month.

The outlet reports that LG Innotek usually supplies camera modules around three months before the launch of new smartphones, which tallies with rumors of an iPhone SE 4 launch in March or April 2025. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo estimates that Apple suppliers will produce around 8.6 million iPhone SE 4 units through the first quarter of next year.

The sub-$500 device is expected to feature a design similar to the base iPhone 14. Rumored specifications include a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, a newer A-series chip, a USB-C port, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, 8GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, and Apple's first in-house 5G modem. Apple released the existing iPhone SE in March 2022.

Apple Music Classical was updated today with CarPlay and Siri support, as well as stability and performance improvements, according to Apple.


CarPlay support was briefly added to a previous version of Apple Music Classical earlier this year, but it was removed just hours later. Starting with version 2.1 today, the app is once again available on CarPlay, as shown in our screenshot below.

CarPlay support provides Apple Music Classical listeners with access to their playlists, library, recommendations, and more on their vehicle's infotainment display. And with Siri on iOS 18.1 and later, users can also search via CarPlay for composers, artists, works, and instruments in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Dutch, according to Apple. Additional languages will follow over time.


Apple Music Classical first launched in March 2023, offering users with a standard Apple Music subscription access to over five million classical music tracks at no additional cost. The streaming app features advanced search functionality, exclusive artwork, extensive metadata, curated listening recommendations, and more.

The app is available for the iPhone and iPad, as well as Android. It is based on Primephonic, a classical music streaming service acquired by Apple in 2021.

Apple today overhauled the App Store Connect app designed for developers, introducing version 2.0. Developers use App Store Connect to distribute and manage their apps for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Vision Pro.


‌App Store‌ Connect 2.0 includes a refreshed UI throughout the app, as well as new capabilities. Developers are able to promote their apps by generating marketing assets for app launches, version updates, featured placements in the Today tab, and more.

These marketing assets that are generated for special moments can be shared on various social media channels for app promotion purposes.

‌App Store‌ Connect will also now send developers notifications when their app is featured in select placements on the Today tab, such as App of the Day or Game of the Day.

In addition to allowing for app management, ‌App Store‌ Connect also provides support for creating TestFlight betas, monitoring sales and trends, and responding to customer ratings and reviews.

Apple has considered building its own line of smart home accessories, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple could manufacture smart home cameras and other devices that would connect to its HomeKit smart home platform and that would tie in with a planned smart home "command center" that could come out as soon as next year.


As one example, Gurman suggests Apple could create an indoor security camera that could also be used as a baby monitor, which is in line with a report we heard from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo yesterday.

Kuo claimed that Apple is designing a smart home camera that will be manufactured starting in 2026, with Apple planning to sell "tens of millions" of the devices over the long term. Kuo says that the cameras that Apple is working on will have wireless connectivity and deep integration with Apple Intelligence and Siri.

Gurman does not seem as sure that Apple will follow through on plans to create its own smart home products. He says that it's something Apple is "exploring" that could be prioritized should its upcoming smart home hub device turn out to be a success.

Apple would likely emphasize privacy with its smart home cameras, providing an alternative to cameras from companies like Amazon's Ring and Google's Nest. Ring has been derided for its privacy policies over the years, primarily because it had a "Request for Assistance" tool that allowed law enforcement officials to request video footage from Ring customers. Ring has provided police officers with Ring camera footage without notifying users, and reserves the right to do so in emergency situations. Google's Nest brand also says that it will provide police with smart home camera footage in emergency situations without a warrant.

Apple is known for having strong privacy protections, and it is possible that customers would trust a smart home camera from Apple more than a smart home camera from a company like Ring. Apple already designed a ‌HomeKit‌ protocol for cameras called HomeKit Secure Video, which is end-to-end encrypted.

Prior to coming out with any smart home accessories, Apple plans to release an iPad-like smart home display that will serve as a home hub. The smart home device, which is set to come out as soon as March 2025, will run apps and will control ‌HomeKit‌ and Matter-based accessories.

Mophie has three new Qi2 charging accessories available as of today from Apple retail stores, including a 3-in-1 Travel Charger, a Wireless Charging Vent Mount, and a Magnetic Vent Mount.


The $150 3-in-1 Travel Charger features a Qi2 MagSafe charging surface for the iPhone, which can provide up to 15W to a compatible ‌iPhone‌. It also has an Apple Watch charger that offers up to 7.5W for fast charging Apple Watch Series 7 models and later, and a 5W AirPods charging surface.

A 40W wall adapter is included for charging all three devices at once, and it comes with international plug configurations for the United States, UK, European Union, and Australia. The ‌iPhone‌ charging surface can be used while flat or while lifted up, and in the lifted mode, it is compatible with StandBy.

The charger folds up in half so that it can easily be tucked away in a backpack or a suitcase when traveling, plus Mophie includes a Travel Case that holds the charger and the power adapter that comes with it.

Mophie's $70 Wireless Car Vent Mount provides up to 15W for charging a compatible ‌iPhone‌ with Qi2. It is designed to connect to a vent using an adjustable hook, and it has a wide base that holds the ‌iPhone‌ securely in place.


The mount can tilt and swivel so that the viewing angle can be optimally adjusted, and one hand can be used to mount the ‌iPhone‌ and remove it. The vent attachment works on car vents up to 41mm deep, and Mophie includes a USB-C to USB-C cable, a 20W USB-C car adapter, and two cable management clips.

If in-car charging isn't needed, Mophie also has a $30 Car Vent Mount that holds an ‌iPhone‌ in place via ‌MagSafe‌, allowing it to be used for navigation, hands-free calls, and more. With the exception of charging capabilities, it is identical to the Wireless Mount, featuring multiple viewing angles, one-handed operation, and a strong magnetic hold.

Mophie's new products can be purchased from the Apple online store or in Apple retail locations.

In the wake of the devastation rendered by Hurricane Helene, Carolina Furfare released a newsletter on October 1 stating the cancellation of the event that was to occur this weekend, and indicating that the hotels and facilities were needed in order to assist with rescue and sheltering efforts after the Hurricane hit the mountainous region.

This weather event hit the top ten most fatal and costly hurricanes in the United States even before full recovery efforts could be finalized. People who pre-registered have been given the option to roll over to next year, or to Bewhiskered 2025; due to the cancellation being so close to event day they cannot guarantee refunds for now.

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"In sum, 'White Fragility' is an utterly ridiculous book. ... Everything about 'White Fragility' is poisonous garbage, and it's not an overstatement." Continue reading →

Our Republican leaders don’t believe they have the authority, they don’t believe they’re legitimate, they don’t see the threat. They don’t want to see the threat because they know they can’t face the mob. They know they’re too weak. And so they offer trinkets and hope the mob will go away, but it won’t. Mobs can’t be sated. We thought Republicans understood that. That’s why we supported them. But this crisis has revealed the truth. Now we know who they are. It could not be clearer and now it’s time to find new leaders. Continue reading →

Elected Republicans, almost all of them, are in no hurry to stop the disorder. They appear to believe what we're watching is a version of the Rodney King riots from 1992. People saw an upsetting video on the internet, they're angry, and that's understandable. But they'll calm down soon, and we can get back to cutting capital gains taxes and sanctioning Bashar al- Assad. That's their view of it. They are wrong. This is not a momentary civil disturbance. This is a serious and highly organized political movement. It is not superficial. It is deep and profound. It has vast ambitions. It is insidious; it will grow. Its goal is to end liberal democracy and challenge Western civilization itself. This is an ideological movement. The ideas that fuel it have incubated for decades on college campuses. We paid for all of it, by the way. The rest of us were so thrilled that our kids got into Duke that we decided to ignore what Duke was actually teaching them and are continuing to send big checks. That was a mistake. It was one of the greatest mistakes we've ever made. Continue reading →

When widespread looting and disorder arrived, the president did not act as decisively as many had hoped. He said little, he did less. Some voters felt undefended, some turned against him. Continue reading →

Republicans are failing for a much more obvious reason, a more fundamental reason. They're failing because they haven't done much that is worth doing. They haven't tried very hard to improve your life. When the crisis came, they fled. They did nothing to defend you. They did nothing to defend the country. Continue reading →

So Apple isn't fighting for diversity. They're doing exactly what they appear to be doing: they're trying to keep wages down and keep their workers compliant by importing labor from abroad.This isn't about diversity. It's about exploitation. It always is Continue reading →

FBI CIA NSA are not only spying on American citizens but also are illegally unmasking their identities to journalists who support our fascist government Continue reading →

Censorship is antithetical to the scientific method because it requires free speech and open debate and skepticism Continue reading →

THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE USING JANUARY 6TH. IT'S DEMENTED TO COMPARE 9/11 AND JANUARY 6TH BUT IT'S SO CENTRAL TO THE AGENDA OF THE SECURITY STATE, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, TO ESSENTIALLY INITIATE A SURVEILLANCE REGIME, A DETENTION REGIME, AGAINST PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT WHO ARE AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT. AND THEY’RE ALREADY DOING IT. AND THEY PUT PEOPLE ON THE NO-FLY LIST, THE KIND OF DEFINING FEATURE OF THE FIRST WAR ON TERROR, THEY WANT TO DO NEW LEGISLATION THAT GIVES THE FBI AND THE CIA NEW POWERS, SPENDING MORE MONEY ON LAW ENFORCEMENT. THIS WAR ON TERROR IS CRUCIAL TO THEM. Continue reading →

Glenn Greenwald: "So you have huge number of journalists who believe that, they have the right to lie and even when they get caught, they don't care because they know their audience won't hold it against them." Continue reading →

TOMMY JOHANSSON порадовал поклонников новым клипом — на этот раз кавер-версией композиции ZZ TOP "Legs".
#Majestica #PowerMetal #Power_Metal
Видео: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9KEGDpFCEs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBJ7L5LyAk4

Pollstar, ведущее отраслевое издание индустрии живых развлечений, с радостью объявляет номинантов на 36-ю ежегодную премию Pollstar Awards. Эти награды - главное событие трехдневной конференции Pollstar Live!, крупнейшей в мире встречи профессионалов индустрии, эти награды признают и отмечают самых инновационных и успешных артистов, туры, компании, площадки и руководителей.

Победители будут объявлены на церемонии награждения в отеле Beverly Hilton в Лос-Анджелесе 19 февраля 2025 года. Среди знаменитостей, которые в прошлом были ведущими церемонии и участвовали в ней, - Dave Chappelle, Dave Grohl, Sir Elton John, Don Henley, Sebastian Maniscalco, Lars Ulrich и другие.

В номинации "Rock Tour Of The Year" на награду претендуют:

Blink-182’s “The More Time Tour”
Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band’s “2024 World Tour”
Coldplay’s “Music Of The Spheres World Tour”
Foo Fighters’ “Everything Or Nothing At All Tour”
Green Day’s “The Saviors Tour”
Metallica’s “M72 World Tour”

В категории "Residency Of The Year" на награду претендуют:

Adele at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace/Neue Messe München
Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden
Dead & Company at The Sphere
Eagles at The Sphere
Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit at Ryman Auditorium
U2 at The Sphere
#Metallica #ModernRock #Modern_Rock #AvantgardeRock #Avantgarde_Rock #HeavyMetal #Heavy_Metal #ProgressiveMetal #Progressive_Metal #SymphonicMetal #Symphonic_Metal #ThrashMetal #Thrash_Metal #AvantgardeMetal #Avantgarde_Metal

Spaces, новое видео CARBELLION, доступно для просмотра ниже.
#Carbellion
Видео: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6lQ6sZwH4w

В Auto Bild перечислии возможные варианты продолжения карьеры Мика Шумахера, и их по-прежнему несколько...

Перед заключительными этапами сезона машины RB будут модернизированы, прежде всего усовершенствования затронут заднюю часть VCARB01, где появится ряд важных компонентов от RB20///

Логан Сарджент, минувшим летом уволенный из Williams, готовится к своим первым тестам в IndyCar, на которых ему предстоит работать 19 ноября...

I posted about Situational Awareness at HPT Treasures today. What I didn't say in that post was that I've experimented with a few different methods...

Check out an exclusive preview of Marco Finnegan's supernatural noir CALAVERA P.I. #2, due out from Oni Press next month.

Henry Barajas' Death To Pachuco , a Chicano noir set in the Zoot Suit Riots, is now live on Kickstarter

Due to demand from vendors, The Brooklyn Independent Comics Showcase (BICS) is going to a two day show in 2025

When I was an undergraduate at university many years ago, my deep enjoyment and love for the works of William Shakespeare blossomed. I had the privilege of taking a Shakespearean class and then during one summer in my undergraduate years, I was able to travel through Europe inexpensively on a bike and a Europass to see the great sites. A memory I remember most is going to Stratford-upon-Avon and watching a William Shakespeare play. I don’t know where my passion and love for his plays comes from but it has been a deep part of my life. His writings have also taught me many things.

When I was in England many years ago for the first time, I was standing in the back of the audience watching the play ‘As You Like It’ that was performed not too far from the ... Read More »

The post What Shakespeare Can Teach Us About Enlightenment: All the world’s a stage appeared first on Enlightenment Podcast.

When we wake up to who we are, something happens. We stop identifying with our egoic selves because we realize they are impermanent and only that which is permanent can be who we are.

We aren’t our bodies, we aren’t our memories, we aren’t our thoughts, we aren’t our feelings… We aren’t any of these things, so we stop identifying with them. What happens is that detachment develops. An aloofness or distancing from everything that occurs. We wake up to the fact that life is an extended dream and a relaxation is able to set in. It’s a sense of calm or a feeling that ‘all is well.’

We lose our identity with our lives, thoughts and feelings, so we witness them but we don’t engage with them. We notice them, but we don’t create stories with them. Since we don’t create ... Read More »

The post The Paradoxical World of Spiritual Enlightenment: We are nothing but we are everything appeared first on Enlightenment Podcast.

For many years, the fees charged by investment managers of mutual funds grew ever so slightly, gradually approaching 1.5%. Over the last few years, though, the growth in these management fees has stopped. In fact, it reversed. Last year the average management fee charged for actively managed mutual funds was 1.38%, or 138 basis points, where a basis point is one tenth of one percent. But that average is badly misleading. It’s misleading because it treats all funds, regardless of size, as the same. When you adjust the fees for the size of the funds, you find that the dollar-weighted average for actively managed funds is now below 100 basis points. Three things have caused this reversal in management fees: low returns in the stock market, the growth of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and a price war among the biggest players in the market.

The first two of these factors need little explanation. Over the last ten years, an investment in many bond funds out-performed an investment in diversified equity funds. These low returns have many investors focusing on the costs they incur for the management of their money. These costs include transaction fees for trading securities and management fees for the companies managing mutual funds or exchanged-traded funds. The second factor, the growth of ETFs, is somewhat less obvious, but important. ETFs have garnered a significant share of new money invested in equity funds over the last few years. Companies managing ETFs charge low fees for managing these funds because they have very low costs for shareholder servicing and some other administrative functions associated with investment management. Shrewd mutual fund managers have reduced prices in order to manage the gap in pricing they allow for their managed mutual funds compared to comparable ETFs.

These two causes of the fall in prices for investment management now have a third important factor. This third factor may turn out to be the most important of all. (See the Symptom & Implication, “The industry is seeing its first price wars” on StrategyStreet.com.) As described in other blogs (see blogs HERE and HERE), Vanguard has started, and continued, a price war in the ETF market. For example, iShare’s MSCI Emerging Market’s ETF and Vanguard’s Emerging Market’s ETF compete directly. Vanguard’s fund charges 27 basis points. The iShare’s fund charges 69 basis points. The iShare’s fund entered the market well before the Vanguard fund, and was much larger than the Vanguard fund. However, during 2010, the Vanguard ETF added $18 billion to its fund while iShare’s added about $4 billion. Price matters among peers.

The iShare’s funds are not always market share losers, however. The iShare’s Gold Trust is an ETF that competes with a larger rival, SPDR Gold Trust. Until June of last year, both of these ETFs charged 40 basis points. In June, iShares cut its management fees to 25 basis points. SPDR Gold Trust stayed pat at 40 basis points. Over the next few months, the iShare’s fund gained $875 million in new money, while the SPDR Gold Trust saw a net loss of $1.2 billion of money under management. Price matters among peers.

These management fees can even go to zero. One ETF today has no management fee, zero. It gets its revenues by lending out the securities in its portfolio. (See the Symptom & Implication, “Technology improvements bring falling prices” on StrategyStreet.com.)

Of course, as companies engage in price wars, they advertise their lower prices extensively in order to capture as much market share as possible before their competitors respond. The result: customers are becoming ever more price sensitive about the management fees they pay, simply because the management companies tell them to be more sensitive.

How long will it be until this fee warfare spreads to other smaller types of ETFs? Not very long, as long as price moves share.

The United Autoworkers (UAW) is on a new campaign. The union plans to organize workers in hither-to non-union foreign-owned automobile plants in the United States. This campaign may or may not work, but in the long run it will prove futile unless the union can compete in the international market, against all international auto workers.

There are 575,000 autoworkers in the U.S. Nearly 20% work for foreign-owned plants. All of these plants are non-union. The foreign-owned plants were intentionally placed in right-to-work areas, many in the South.

The UAW is likely to have some difficulty succeeding with this campaign. The non-union workers already earn highly competitive wages and benefits. To date, these U.S. workers in plants owned by Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Honda have shown little interest in unionization.

Why would the union be so interested in this initiative? To preserve its membership. The traditional problem with unions is less the rate of wages they demand and more about the work rules they impose. These work rules reduce the productivity of the unionized plants. That has certainly been the case in the U.S. auto industry. As a result, the UAW is losing membership as UAW auto plants in the U.S. close under the onerous costs the UAW plants carry. If the union can succeed in unionizing the domestic foreign-owned auto plants to the same extent they have unionized the domestic manufacturers’ plants, they will be able to impose the same work rules and produce roughly the same productivity. The result should, in the union’s eyes, be a reduction in the rate of jobs lost in the union.

But there is a problem here. The UAW has already seen that it was unable to stop new non-union plants in the U.S. How will it stop future non-union domestic plants? O.K., let’s say they can do that. Will they also be able to stop all foreign non-union plants from becoming established and growing? Certainly not. Unless the union membership can compete on an international basis with competitive costs and productivity, this unionization effort is wasted money. If it succeeds, the U.S. loses more plants to plants located offshore. Union membership still falls.

It seems that one of the problems for unionized employees is one of definition. Union members often call their compatriots in competing companies “brothers and sisters.” These are certainly not brothers and sisters. In a marketplace they are competitors. Union employees have to be able to beat, or at least stalemate, these competitors or lose their jobs. This is true as long as the UAW can not control the entrance of other less expensive competitors, either in the U.S. or elsewhere.

The long history of the DRAM semiconductor market illustrates this. The U.S. manufacturers of DRAM semiconductors faced intense competition from the Japanese in the 1980s. The domestic industry succeeded in slowing the Japanese by using the International Trade Commission. Then arose new and equally troublesome problems. These problems were DRAM semiconductor facilities in Taiwan and Korea. Eventually, the U.S. industry evolved to the point where it had only one domestic producer of DRAM chips. Intel was one of the early competitors to get out of that market to focus its resources in the more complex, and much more profitable, domestic micro-processor business. SX4MBURBCAJQ

If my timezone calculations are right, today is the final day of the latest Peak Design Kickstarter. They’ve some cool new bags, see below, which you can grab via this link! I’ve gone for the 7L Sling along with a backpack… in cloud. An ideal mix to cover short and long hikes/photo adventures. Oh, and […]

The post Final Call appeared first on Stuck in Customs.

Hey awesome blog reader… can you help me with an experiment? Below you’ll find five of my favorite videos from my YouTube channel. A mix that covers photography, travel, post-processing, AI and Machine Elf. I’d love it if you’d pick whichever one appeals most to you and watch a bit. That can be a minute […]

The post Can You Help Me With an Experiment? appeared first on Stuck in Customs.

That’s all…

The post Curious Cats on the Catwalk appeared first on Stuck in Customs.

Apple’s new AirTags are a straight-up gift for photographers. After testing one for the past couple of weeks, I’ll be hiding an AirTag in my scooter, one in my car and another one in my camera bag.
Read more »

Hi Everyone, it's me, Grace. You might remember that a couple of years ago I earned my Canine Good Citizen award with my foster dad. Well, my mom said to me about a month ago, "Hey Grace, I know you already know this stuff, but what do you say you and I take the Canine Good Citizen test again?" So I told her I would do it again, just for her if it would make her feel good.


So we practiced all these things like sitting, staying, coming, not pulling on the leash, and passing by dogs nicely without staring at them. I didn't mind it at all, because she gave me lots of treats for doing it.




This past weekend I went with my family to this place with a ton of dogs. They called it a "dog show", but there was no TV there. Anyway, I had to wait for a long time and finally, I heard them call my me and my mom's names and we went into this fenced area. There was a lady with a blue shirt and she told my mom to have me do all these things. She kept saying "nice" after I did them.




After about 10 minutes of doing what she asked me to do, my mom looked very happy and gave me a delicious beef tendon and told me we had passed the Canine Good Citizen test. It was a great day.

 This weekend I dressed up and went on a walk with all my friends incognito.

 As we've seen, the Mayan Calendar is a chart of the evolution of consciousness in the universe.

Each Cycle or Age has its own dominant paradigm or point of view. As you move up through the 9 Cycles, new perspectives and new ways of being arise.

This new perspective starts to show up in the world, but it isn't an immediate switch from the old way of doing things to the new way.

It takes time, and a process of transition, for a new understanding to gain prominence.

The quantum physics revolution is a perfect example. We've known since the 1950's that matter isn't solid, and reality is nothing like we've imagined. Yet for the most part, our world continues to go along believing in the old materialistic ways... "Reality" is what can be proven with the senses. Medicine sees the body as a machine with unconnected parts. The Earth is dead, and humans are the pinnacle of evolution. And so on...

Yet, as we progress, the old perspective becomes more and more marginalised. People begin to talk about things in a new way. Then people begin to act in a new way. Finally (we're not there yet), the tipping point is reached -- the old way is as disregarded as the once unshakeable "knowledge" that the Earth was flat.

And that process is what the 13 days and nights of the Mayan Calendar describe.

The "Days" are times when consciousness expands, new perspectives arise -- times of fresh beginnings.

The "Nights" are times when the new consciousness is applied, new procedures initiated, and old ways (usually forcefully) overthrown.

And each of these 13 periods is characterised by specific circumstances.

Here's a breakdown of each of the 13 Days And Nights of the Mayan Calendar, and the specific transformation that occurs in each.

A period of illumination -- new perspectives arise. Beginnings. Seeds are planted; energy begins to flow in a new pattern or paradigm.

A period of darkness, rest. Integration. The new pattern begins to germinate within the dark subconscious of mind.

The second period of illumination. Dual paradigms, the old and the new, overlap -- both can be seen. In history, a time of turmoil, as the old ways (status quo) try to repress the new.

(This is where we are as of April 20, 2011.)

The second period of darkness. Followers of the two different paradigms battle for supremacy. Historically, very violent eras.

The third period of illumination. The new paradigm begins to spread deep and wide, beginning to show up in the world as new methods of doing things, new ways of perception. The new pattern begins to overtake the old, as fables, falsehoods, and failures expose the weakness of the past system.

The third period of darkness. The fledgling perspective of the new paradigm is refined, and the earlier, simplistic aspects fall away. The old system is thrown over, usually by force.

The fourth period of illumination. The new pattern becomes stronger and goes deeper into consciousness. A period of expansion, as the new paradigm takes form in the world. New corollaries emerge, as the new perspective takes precedence.

The fourth period of darkness. Healing the pain of the transition and the death of the old ways. Rebuilding after the destruction of the old status quo systems. The new, more healthy paradigm is truly established now.

The fifth period of illumination, and point of greatest radiance in the Cycle. The new paradigm flourishes, sending information about wonderful new knowledge out into the world. The highest possibilities for this Cycle are attainable.

The fifth period of darkness, and the nadir of darkness. This is a time of major hardships, cultural collapse, horrific violence. However, it is also a little like gestation: within the dark, something new awaits. From the death, new life will arise.

The sixth period of illumination, a time of Enlightenment. The flowering of the paradigm into stunning new insights and newer perspectives... in fact, sowing the seeds for the new Cycle of evolution to follow.

The sixth period of darkness. The paradigm has reached its peak and begins to dry and wither, like wheat in autumn. Typically a time of war and violent conflict.

The seventh period of illumination. There is a sense of openness, of being ready for something new. The best of the paradigm has been harvested, and it's time for a new level of consciousness to arise.

From the Seventh Day of the Mayan Calendar, we proceed directly to the First Day... from Light to Light. This demonstrates that whole process, even though it contains much dismantling and death, is finally and entirely a process of Creation.

The Mayan Calendar is an illustration of this process.

That's what makes it so fascinating... How did the Mayans ascertain such detailed information, that accurately predicts the ancient past (of which they could have known nothing) to the far future (which they are scarcely more likely to know)?

We may never know the answer to this question. But at least we finally know enough to appreciate their wisdom at last.

And just in time!

With Bright Blessings,