9

Xbox One X (as-is condition, console only FOR REPAIR, PARTS ONLY NOT NEW IN BOX, YOU MIGHT NEED TO FIX THEM understood? NOTNEW) $139.99 (Ebay seller)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-Xbox-One-X-1TB-Black-Console-as-is-for-repair-or-parts-only/264227168298

 

YMMV obviously--I ordered two of these a month ago and they have been running fine for me.  All I had to do was reinstall the newest system update and they have both been fine with no issues.  One system's issue noted was "freezes" and the other was "no video". 

 

It says he has only 2 in stock, but I bought two a while back and the listing has remained active for the entire time with stock available, so he probably leaves the number low to keep demand going. This is probably a bulk buyer who doesn't extensively troubleshoot the systems.  I am not affiliated with the seller.  Cosmetically, the systems are nice enough to trade in without taking a refurb fee when stores re-open for business.




9

Target Circle Deals April 19th - April 25th: 30% Off Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Pro

30% Off Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Pro Wired PC Gaming Headset (Expires April 25th)

30% Off Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero Wireless Headset for PC (Expires April 25th)

25% Off ROCCAT Vulcan Aimo Keyboard Black & White/Silver (Expires April 25th)

25% Off ROCCAT Kain Aimo Wireless Mouse Black & White (Expires April 25th)

25% Off ROCCAT Kain Aimo Mouse Black & White (Expires April 25th)

10% Off My Arcade Gamestation Assorted Items (Expires April 22nd)

25% Off ROCCAT Kain 102 Aimo Mouse PC Gaming, White (Expires April 25th)




9

Iffy's Online Store 20% Off Everything, Golden Week Sale, Ends 5/6

"Happy Golden Week! Receive 20% off all items added to your cart until 5/6!!
Free shipping on all US orders over $57.99!"

 

https://www.iffysonlinestore.com/

 

Limited Editions included.

 

A couple Switch recommendations (prices before discount),

 

Moero Chronicle Hyper Standard Edition $29.99

 

Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force Standard Edition $39.99

 

Enjoy.




9

(DEAD) Alien Isolation - PC - $2.00 ($1.59 with Humble Monthly sub)

https://www.humblebundle.com/store/alien-isolation

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/214490/Alien_Isolation/

 

Thought this discount was notable enough to warrant its own thread.

 

Thanks MysterD for the following post

 

 

GameBillet has Alien: Isolation Collection [Steam key] for $9.29.

 

Side note:

On GameBillet, all the Alien Isolation's DLC's, Season Passes, etc. are on sale on GameBillet too:

 

Alien Isolation sale on GameBillet:

Alien Isolation: Collection (Base Game & All 7 DLC's) = $9.29.

Alien Isolation: Season Pass (The 5 Challenge Maps DLC Pack) = $4.10

Alien Isolation: Crew Expendable DLC (Story DLC #1) = 79 cents

 

Alien Isolarion: Last Survivor DLC (Story DLC #2) = 79 cents.




9

Best Buy Deal of the Day $7.99 Games and amiibo Figures

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/promo/save-select-collectibles

 

Xbox One

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Vampyr

Battlefield 1 Revolution

Monster Energy Supercross 2

We Happy Few

NBA 2K19

WWE 2K19

Shaq Fu

LA Noire

Middle Earth Shadow of War

PUBG

 

PS4

Vampyr

Battlefield 1 Revolution

Monster Energy Supercross 2

Yakuza Kiwami

Banner Saga Trilogy Bonus Edition

Titanfall 2

Shaq Fu

Middle Earth Shadow of War

 

Switch

Banner Saga Trilogy

 

amiibo

Wii Fit Trainer

Zero Suit Samus

 

PC

Dishonored 2






9

Fortnite Darkfire Bundle (PS4/XB1/Switch) $14.99 & BOGO Fortnite Figures at Best Buy - DotD

Fortnite Darkfire Bundle (PS4/XB1/Switch) $14.99  msrp $29.99

Amazon has the PS4 version for the same price.

 

BOGO Fortnite Figures

 

Other Fornite deals:

Buy any v-bucks card, get the SteelSeries - Arctis 1 Wireless Stereo Gaming Headset for PC for $59.99

 

 

Here's what the Darkfire Bundle includes:

https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/darkfire

Spoiler
  • -->




    9

    Doom Eternal $39.99 at Best Buy

    First time I’ve seen it discounted. With return windows extended until May 31st, you may be eligible for price match even if you bought it at launch.

    Xbox One https://www.bestbuy.com/site/doom-eternal-standard-edition-xbox-one/6255282.p?skuId=6255282

    PS4 https://www.bestbuy.com/site/doom-eternal-standard-edition-playstation-4/6255267.p?skuId=6255267

    Windows https://www.bestbuy.com/site/doom-eternal-standard-edition-windows/6255255.p?skuId=6255255






    9

    Gamestop 20%/30%/40%/50% Off, One Day Flash Sale - Update Extended through 5/9




    9

    free 2 play until 5-13 ... The Golf Club 2019 featuring PGA TOUR

    https://2k.com/en-US/blog/play-the-golf-club-2019-for-free-right-now/

     

    Trial available on Xbox starting 12:00AM PT 5/7/20 through 11:59PM PT 5/13/20 and on Steam starting 10:00AM PT 5/7/20 through 9:59AM PT 5/14/20. Progress will transfer for people who purchase the full game.

     

    2k is posting a free game play session each week

     

    2K’s Give Back Project offers Free Play periods for the 2K community on Xbox and Steam






    9

    20200509




    9

    kokuritsu 20100903 - holy crap! my eyes O.o

    awww... my blog... i love you this means i'm out of china i'm in tokyo!! and for kokuritsu, what else^^first of all, i must say i was lucky to have been through the period where arashi front row con tickets cost under 30k for stands, and a random arena seat (not first row block a) cost under 20k at the auctions.and watching continuous shows without winning a single ballot was actually not such bad




    9

    i want elleair's +water!!!

    kyaaaa~~~ finally something hopefully useable from jun's endorsements though i bought both his fasio mascara, and used them, but erm... honestly hor, they suck anyway,look out oct 1st^^http://www.elleair.jp/




    9

    everyone love 'em^^ oricon style fav artist!

    congrats!!2010年09月09日18時00分音楽ファン2万人が選んだ好きなアーティスト 毎年恒例となった好きなアーティストランキングの結果が、ついに発表となった。2万人にアンケートを実施し、栄えある第1位に輝いたのは、男女ほぼ全世代から支持されたモンスターグループ、嵐だ。10代総合、20代総合、30代女性、40代女性ランキングで軒並み1位に上り詰め、さらに女性総合ランキングでも1位になるなど、その人気はとどまることを知ら




    9

    Fox's Judge Napolitano Slams ‘Dangerous’ McConnell Plan To Shield Businesses From Coronavirus Lawsuits

    Fox News judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano said on Thursday that a Republican plan to shield businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits is “dangerous.”

    Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) suggested that he would not support additional relief funds to households and businesses unless the package also includes a measure shielding businesses from liability for coronavirus infections.

    But Napolitano argued that the provision would be anti-conservative and violate states rights.

    “Can the Congress tell state courts that they cannot hear claims of liability when someone goes into a public accommodation and contracts coronavirus?” the Fox News analyst explained. “Congress has been very reticent to do that. Conservatives who believe in states rights have been very reluctant to interfere with the operation of state courts.”

    Napolitano pointed out that the only other instance where Congress has restricted state courts is a law that prohibits gun manufacturers from being sued over gun violence.

    “I think that this liability shield business is very dangerous,” he added. “The decision of whose fault someone was harmed by should be decided by juries and not by politicians.”




    9

    Trump Signs Executive Order Greenlighting 'Corporate Takeover Of Oceans'

    Donald Trump issued an executive order late Thursday that environmentalists warned will accelerate the corporate exploitation of oceans by relaxing regulations on and streamlining the construction of industrial offshore aquaculture facilities, which critics deride as "floating factory farms" that pump pollution and diseases into public waters.

    The Don't Cage Our Ocean Coalition, which was formed to oppose ocean industrial fish farming, said in a statement that Trump's Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth "mandates federal agencies to craft a program for rapid authorization of industrial offshore aquaculture facilities, which use giant floating cages to cultivate finfish, allowing toxic pollution to flow into open waters."

    "The federal government should strengthen local food security during this health crisis by supporting sustainable seafood, rather than allowing corporations to pollute the ecosystems we depend on."
    —Marianne Cufone, environmental attorney

    read more




    9

    The Trouble With 'Working From Home' With Cats

    Cats can be great companions, or they can sit on your keyboard.

    Mine converted my Chrome "language" into Arabic.

    You can see more videos at Furball Fables.

    Open thread below...




    9

    Mike's Blog Round Up

    It's Saturday, and I'm still shocked that our Attorney General Bill Barr was an accomplice in undermining justice in America. Our only way out of this mess is to vote in overwhelming, historical, legendary, epic numbers; we can't go on living like this.

    Sky Dancing presents... Banana Republicans!

    Greg Fallis says that the Rule of Law is most sincerely dead.

    Boomer Dem-Nation didn't sign-up for this!

    Bonus Track: Juanita Jean and God don't split hairs. But Ted Cruz does!

    Round-up by Tengrain who blogs at Mock, Paper, Scissors. You can follow Tengrain on the Twitters, too. Send tips, requests, and suggestions to mbru@crooksandliars.com (with For MBRU in the subject line).



    • mikes blog round up

    9

    Trump On Pence Staffer That Tested Positive For COVID19: 'I Don't Know What Happened'

    After it was revealed Friday that Mike Pence's spokesperson, who is Stephen Miller's wife, Katie Miller, tested positive, Trump gave an illogical and moronic response to the media about her and coronavirus testing in general.

    Trump said, "She tested very good for a long period of time, and then all of a sudden today, she tested positive."

    That's the way any virus spreads, especially one as infectious as COVID-19. One day you don't have it, and the next, if you're not protecting yourself, you've got it.

    Trump said he and Pence tested negative after her results came back.

    "So she tested positive out of the blue," he said.

    A person doesn't test positive out of the freaking blue. They were contaminated by somebody else. It's Basic Science 101.

    Trump continued, "This is why the whole concept of tests aren’t necessarily great."

    Trump has admitted how much he hates the idea of testing Americans in general, not because they are unreliable, but because it affects the number of cases that are reported, and makes him look bad.

    What a swell guy.

    Then he made another baffling statement that makes no sense in any reality. Trump said, "The tests are perfect, but something can happen between a test where it’s good and then something happens and all of a sudden…”

    read more




    9

    Of Course It's The Pandemic, Stupid!

    In 1992, Bill Clinton’s campaign manager James Carville came up with one of the most famous campaign slogans in history when he pinned a note to the bulletin board of the campaign headquarters that said “It’s the economy, stupid.” There was a lot of stuff going on at the time, the tail end of the first Gulf War, the Rodney King Riots, Ross Perot’s quixotic campaign among other things. But we were in a recession that wasn’t particularly deep but it seemed to be hitting certain people very hard. Carville understood that everything flowed from being able to address that problem.

    It seems that the Trump administration thinks that slogan applies to their circumstance. And it is true that the record high unemployment claims and the small business crisis is as acute as anything we’ve ever seen. They believe they can just “open the country” and everything will fall into place as people just go back to normal, maybe with a few adjustments and people over 60 staying inside their houses for the foreseeable future.

    But, as always, they are missing the point. This piece in The Atlantic explains why:

    read more




    9

    Cops Didn't Enforce Law On Anti-lockdown Protesters, COVID-19 Spread

    Remember the April 15th "Operation Gridlock?" in Lansing Michigan? In my piece on April 21st I said we needed to start tracking these protesters to show that they will spread the virus to other communities. Well, someone did.

    Cellphone data shows 300 of the people who had gathered in Lansing for "Operation Gridlock" scattered throughout the state after the protest. The color of the dot represents device activity: yellow is more activity, red is lighter Image from: Doctors at the Committee to Protect Medicare

    The people at the Committee to Protect Medicare released data which shows the protesters dispersing to smaller communities across Michigan in the following days. The map above shows that cellphones that were in Lansing on April 15 scattered across the state. (Link)

    read more



    • anti-lockdown protests
    • coronavirus. COVID-19
    • First Lt. Darren Green
    • Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
    • michigan protests
    • Michigan state House
    • Michigan State Police
    • Robert Gordon

    9

    COVID-19 spread is fueled by 'stealth transmission'

    Cases of COVID-19 that fly under the radar — without being diagnosed — appear to fuel the rapid spread of the disease.




    9

    High Vibe Honey: Week Of 29th March 2020 + I Am My Own Hero!

    In this wild time, you might be looking around and noticing that people are losing their collective shit! In this climate, it is more important than ever to truly use your tools, cut off negativity, and feed your mind with material that makes you feel STRONG, rather than fearful. This is your moment to become […]

    The post High Vibe Honey: Week Of 29th March 2020 + I Am My Own Hero! appeared first on Gala Darling.



    • High Vibe Honey

    9

    Your COVID19 Turning Points #9

    From TPM Reader MM … My story is like many others — not dramatic in itself but important to me....




    9

    Your COVID19 Turning Points #10

    After walking us through a series of COVID19 turning points over the course of the spring (out of work in...






    9

    ASRock Z490 PG Velocita Motherboard Technical Preview

    Today we will be taking a look at the ASRock Z490 PG Velocita Motherboard. While we are not allowed to tell you about performance of these parts, we are able to give you a technical preview.

    The post ASRock Z490 PG Velocita Motherboard Technical Preview appeared first on ThinkComputers.org.




    9

    Where do baby magnetars come from? Mysterious 'fast radio bursts' may provide clues.

    Magnetars — highly magnetized, rapidly rotating super-dense stars — are among the most enigmatic creatures to inhabit the cosmos and their origins are shrouded in mystery.




    9

    How amateur satellite trackers are keeping an 'eye' on objects around the Earth

    Around the planet, a loosely knit but closely woven band of amateurs monitor the whereabouts of satellites — be they secretive spacecraft, rocket stages, orbital debris or lost space probes.




    9

    'Star Wars': Summary of the franchise and its effect on space technology

    A long time ago — roughly four decades — the world was introduced to Jedi knights, lightsabers, droids and the Force. Before long, elements of the space fantasy had an effect on real-life space technology.




    9

    The UAE is going to Mars. Here's the plan for its Hope orbiter.

    The United Arab Emirates had its sights set on Mars the day before it launched its second satellite ever.




    9

    The moon isn't 'dead': Ridges on lunar surface show signs of recent tectonic activity

    The moon isn't "dead" after all: Newly discovered ridges on the moon's surface are leading scientists to think that the moon might have an active tectonic system.




    9

    On This Day in Space! May 4, 2011: 1st official 'Star Wars' Day celebration

    On May 4, 2011, the first organized "Star Wars" Day celebration happened in Toronto. See how it happened in our On This Day in Space video series!




    9

    Scientists keep debunking 'monster black hole' discovery. So, what's the deal with binary system LB1?

    As scientists continue to weigh in, one thing is clear: the "monster black hole" discovered in 2019 doesn't exist.




    9

    Disney Plus drops epic 'Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga' trailer for May the Fourth

    "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" arrives on Disney Plus for Star Wars Day today (May 4), putting all nine films from the Skywalker saga in one place for fans and yes, there is a trailer.




    9

    The 2020 Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks tonight! See 'crumbs' of Comet Halley rain on Earth

    The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks overnight tonight (May 4), with the best views arriving before dawn on Tuesday (May 5).




    9

    Elon Musk shows off Starship prototype's rocket engine ahead of test fire (photo)

    SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk just tweeted an image looking up at the belly of the latest Starship prototype, the SN4, which is on the test stand ahead of a key engine firing.




    9

    Chaos reigns in detailed new views of Jupiter's icy moon Europa

    Scientists have gotten their best look to date at three chaotic patches on the icy surface of Jupiter's moon Europa thanks to decade-old images from a long-defunct spacecraft.




    9

    Official: Taika Waititi to co-write and direct 'Star Wars' film

    "Thor: Love and Thunder" writer/director Taika Waititi has signed on to write and direct a "Star Wars" film.




    9

    Our Doctors, Ourselves: Barbara Seaman and Popular Health Feminism in the 1970s

    “If the plastic speculum was the tool of choice for self-help advocates, leading women to a better understanding of their own bodies, then the popular media was Barbara Seaman’s preferred weapon in the cultural battle against medical sexism.”
    — Kelly O’Donnell, in her article “Our Doctors, Ourselves: Barbara Seaman and Popular Health Feminism in the 1970s”

    Barbara Seaman, a popular journalist in the 1960s and 70s who wrote for magazines including Brides, Ms., Ladies Home Journal, and Family Circle, was one of the first journalists to ... More

    The post Our Doctors, Ourselves: Barbara Seaman and Popular Health Feminism in the 1970s appeared first on Our Bodies Ourselves.




    9

    Please Support Civil Liberties and Public Policy During the Covid-19 Crisis: An Appeal from Judy Norsigian

    These challenging times require fierce, broad, and intersectional activism – which is just what Civil Liberties and Public Policy (CLPP) has been doing for the past four decades. This now-independent nonprofit, which used to be affiliated with Hampshire College, continues its unique movement-building work preparing younger activists to work on the front lines of today’s struggle for reproductive justice. Please consider supporting CLPP today with a generous donation. 

    As we know, the Covid-19 pandemic is disproportionately harming those in our communities who were already facing ... More

    The post Please Support Civil Liberties and Public Policy During the Covid-19 Crisis: An Appeal from Judy Norsigian appeared first on Our Bodies Ourselves.



    • Abortion & Reproductive Rights
    • Activism & Resources

    9

    Book week 2019: the prologue

    My new year's resolution for 2019 was: Finish the books I start. 

    Now, it must be said, I don't read enough books. I do a lot of reading for research, which does not usually involve reading books from cover to cover. (It involves reading journal articles, reading chapters, using the indices of books to find the bits I need.) Since so much of my working life is reading (including multiple books' worth of student writing each term), after work I tend to do other things. But I still want to be reading books, because there are so many good books out there and I have great respect for the writers of books and the books they write.

    I find it's very easy to start (reading) books. Rarely do I start reading a book and then lose interest in it. I have every intention and desire to finish most books that I start. But then some other book comes along and I just want to start that one too.

    (It must be said here that these days I mostly read non-fiction—and it's relatively easy to leave non-fiction unfinished. If there is a story to a non-fiction book, I generally know how the story ends, so it doesn't have that page-turner vibe that fiction can have.)

    At the start of 2019, there were four books that I had started months before, and had been really enjoying, yet instead of finishing them, I started other books. But thanks to my resolution, they are finished. Yay! 

    So that was going well. Until I started starting books again. As of last week, I had seven books on the go (not counting a couple that made me say "Life's too short to spend it on this sub-par book"). And thanks to what I'm about to do, I will probably soon have 12 unfinished books heading into the LAST MONTH of 2019. So: made a resolution to reduce the number of unfinished books I have, and I am ending the year with THREE TIMES AS MANY unfinished books. What a failure!

    But the reason I'm starting even more books is that people send me books. Publishers send me books. I get a lot of books. They send me the books because I have a blog and they want me to help publici{s/z}e the books. I like getting the books, and I want to help authors of good books. And it helps them if I tell you about the books in a timely way.

    So this week, I am going to write about some of the books I've been sent this year and which I may not have read from cover to cover. For each book, I plan to read at least two chapters before telling you about it. So, I'm going to have a feel for the book, which I can tell you about, even if I haven't read the whole book.

    Why do this now? Two reasons:
    1. I can assuage my guilt about not writing about these books sooner by pretending that I was waiting to give you a seasonal list of books that would make great gifts for the holiday season!
    2. I have the time.
    I have the time because my union is about to go on strike for eight days. During this time, I am not engaging in the activities that the university pays me for. (And indeed, I will not be paid by the university for those days.) So, I'm catching up on things I want/like to do that are not within my job description. And apparently starting books and not finishing them is one of the things I like to do best.

    I'm only going to tell you about books I like. I'm channel(l)ing my mother: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." I'm also listening to the adage "There's no such thing as bad publicity." I've decided not to give any publicity to sub-par books. I could be scathing about them (and witty—scathing and witty go hand-in-hand). And that might be a lot of fun. But I'd just rather not shine my light on sub-par books, since that takes space and attention away from the good books. 

    Some of the books I'll write about are by people I like. It's not that I know them well, just that I've had enough interactions with them to know we're on the same wavelength—so it's not quite nepotism (just tribalism?). And I'm going to try my best to have five posts for five days, but life happens and I might have to interpret "week" very loosely.

    So: stay tuned, and we'll get this book week going.

    Oh, and: I'm taking nominations for US-to-UK and UK-to-US Words of the Year. Are there any US-to-UK or UK-to-US borrowings that are particularly 2019-ish? They don't have to have first come to the other country this year, but they should have had particular attention or relevance in the other country this year. Please nominate them in the comments below.




    9

    Book week 2019: Jane Setter's Your Voice Speaks Volumes

    Welcome to the first review post of Book Week 2019. See the intro to Book Week 2019 to understand more about what I'm doing this week.

    I'm starting with the most recent book in the ol' pile of books from publishers:

    Your voice speaks volumes
    it's not what you say, but how you say it

    by Jane Setter
    Oxford University Press, 2019


    Jane is Professor of Phonetics at the University of Reading (UK) and a recipient of the prestigious National Teaching Fellowship. (As you can see, we are on a first-name basis, as we travel some of the same Public Linguist circles.) I mention the teaching fellowship because it is relevant: Jane is excellent at making linguistics, particularly phonetics, crystal clear for the uninitiated. She uses that talent to great effect in her first book for the general public. 

    This book speaks squarely to a general British audience — and to those who want to know more about English-language issues and attitudes in this country. I'm writing this on a day when my social media feed has given me (a) the story of a man wrongly arrested for public drunkenness in Brighton—because the police had mistaken his Liverpool accent for slurring and (b) a misreading of the relevance of accent in the US (as a means to say something about how accents are read in the UK). But I'd have at least two such things to tell you about on any other day when I might have written this post. Accents make the news in Britain because they matter inordinately. Differences that might not be discernible to those from other countries are imbued with layers and layers of meaning and subjected to piles and piles of prejudice. 

    As I warned in the intro to Book Week, I have not been able to read the whole book. But I was able to get through much more than I thought I'd be able to in a single evening (four of the seven chapters: 1, 2, 3, 7). Part of my speed was because I could skim the bits that were explaining linguistic facts that I already knew. (That's not to say that the facts here are too basic. I've just had a helluva lotta linguistics education.) But it is a zippy read throughout. Setter uses personal and celebrity stories to demonstrate the everyday relevance of the phonetic and sociolinguistic facts that she's explaining. (Hey look, I seem to revert to last-name basis when I'm reviewing someone's book.) 

    The chapters I haven't yet read are those that I'd probably learn the most from: on the use of linguistics in forensic investigations, on voices in performance (including accent training for actors and why singers' accents change in song—which she should know, since she's also a singer in a rock band), and on transgender and synthesized voices. I started with the chapter that relates most to my work ('English voices, global voices') and then went back to the beginning where I was most likely to run into things I already know. That's good from a reviewing perspective, because I can say with confidence that Setter covers well the things that I know need to be covered for her audience. But as I got further into the book, the more unexpected things I learned. I ended in the chapter on women's and men's voices, and I will tell you: I learned some things! To give an example, I liked her interpretation of a study in which women and men were asked to count to ten using various kinds of voices, including 'confident' and 'sexy'. It turns out men generally don't have a 'sexy voice' to put on, while women do, and this might tell us something about what we're sociali{s/z}ed to find sexy—and why.

    It's hard to write about sound —and especially about linguistic sounds for a general audience. Writing for linguists is easy, because we have a lot of practice in using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). But you don't want to fill a book for non-linguists with letters that don't make the same sound as they make in English spelling, or letters they've never even seen before. Setter mostly talks about accents without having to get into the kind of phonetic minutiae that excite linguists and make laypeople glaze over. Where she does need technical terms (e.g. lexical sets), she explains them carefully and clearly. But happily for all of us, Setter wrote this book in the internet age. Throughout the book, there are scannable QR codes by which one can hear the sounds she's talking about. (You can get there without a QR reader too, the web URLs are provided.)

    For readers of this blog with an interest in US/UK issues, there is plenty of comparison between UK and US and discussion of "Americani{s/z}ation". These are discussed with an assumed familiarity with British Englishes and less with American Englishes.

    This book is an important instrument for fighting accentism and other linguistic prejudice in the UK. It might make a nice gift for that person in your life who says they "care deeply about the English language", but really what they mean is "I like to judge other people's use of the English language". 

    But more than that, it is a great demonstration of what the study of phonetics can do. I really, really recommend it for A-level students in English (language) and their teachers, as it touches on many of the areas of linguistics taught at that level and would surely inspire many doable research projects. 

    Let me just end with: congratulations on this book, Jane!