Tech vs Squatters: Protect Your Home from Squatters + Burglars!

Ah, the age-old battle of Home Owners vs. Squatters is heating up this year! In this corner, we have the latest and greatest in home security gadgets being wielded by home owners. And in the other corner, the cunning and persistent squatters looking to make your casa their casa. Who will emerge victorious in this epic showdown? You, the home owner, that's who!

Let's talk about some of the high-tech contenders vying to keep your home safe and squatter-free:

1. Smart Security Cameras: These all-seeing eyes keep a 24/7 watch on your property, sending live alerts to your phone if any suspicious activity is detected. With night vision, motion sensing, and remote viewing capabilities, squatters won't stand a chance! Plus, you can yell at them through the two-way audio to get off your lawn.

2. Smart Locks: Forget hiding spare keys under the mat. Smart locks let you control access to your home right from your smartphone. Grant temporary codes to guests or service providers, and revoke access in a snap. Squatters can't pick a lock that doesn't exist!
   
   The BRINKS ANSI Grade 2 Commercial Keypad lever made me think twice about smart locks (in a good way). I was paranoid about such devices (which I still am) but after using it, I love the fact that you can literally remove all access when you're not there (vacation or after business hours). When codes aren't activated, the keypad has zero effect on the handle. -  Blu 

3. Smart Lighting: Nothing deters would-be intruders like a house that appears occupied. With smart lighting, you can set schedules, randomize patterns, and control your lights from anywhere. Keep squatters guessing and your electric bill in check. It's a win-win!

4. Smart Alarm Systems: If a squatter manages to breach your high-tech perimeter, a smart alarm system is your next line of defense. Blaring sirens, flashing lights, and instant alerts to your phone and the authorities will send them running for the hills. Some systems even have smoke, carbon monoxide, and flood detectors for extra protection.

But tech alone isn't enough to fully fortify your castle. Here are some practical security measures to bolster your defenses:

• Reinforce entry points with deadbolt locks, strike plates, and window locks
• Install motion-activated floodlights around your property's perimeter
• Trim back foliage to eliminate hiding spots and improve visibility
• Get to know your neighbors and join a neighborhood watch program
• If you'll be away, have a trusted friend house sit or pick up your mail
• Consider adopting a guard dog (or at least putting up a "Beware of Dog" sign).
  
  

By combining cutting-edge tech with tried-and-true tactics, you can create a seemingly impenetrable fortress that even the most determined squatters and burglars won't want to mess with. So go forth, my tech-savvy friends, and show those freeloading intruders who's boss! Your home is your sanctuary, and with the power of technology on your side, you can keep it that way.

In all seriousness, we felt the need to provide an article of this type... after the recent viral video from a Tiktokker. He felt that it would be a great idea to encourage fellow migrants who cross the border illegally to squat in homes instead. Squatting has resulted in home owners being harmed, so if you suspect that someone is in your home, back out immediately and notify the police. -  Blu 

Stay safe, stay vigilant, and long live the champion of your home - that's you!

Sophima

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RIFTSTORM at PAX East 2024!

Secret-Society-Themed Cooperative Roguelite Shooter: ‘Riftstorm’ has a planned release for 2025! If you're going to Pax East, you can find RIFTSTORM at booth #18105

Fight a relentless battle against cosmic horrors as an elite secret operative. Riftstorm is a Multiplayer Roguelite Shooter featuring unique weapon skills, challenging dungeons, and high replayability for solo and up to 3 players co-op.

Cosmic Horror Meets Military Occultism Venture into the realms of the unknown filled with myths and nightmares. In this universe, the creatures and things of myth and nightmare are called mythics; and those who face them everyday are the operatives of the secretive organization known only as the: Mythic Protocol. Riftstorm with its distinguished presentation and fast and flowing action is a Roguelite Shooter featuring unique weapon skills, challenging dungeons and high-replayability for solo and co-op. Play as an elite secret operative against the unending threat of cosmic horrors. Starting Point The player will go through a short tutorial on how the controls work, then, after finishing the tutorial, they will go to the operative's base and can choose which mission they want to go through solo or co-op. The player can also choose from four operatives based on their specialty and choose their weapon loadout before going through the mission.

Cosmic Horror Meets Military Occult Explosive action and some amazing  moves can be executed as you venture  into the realms of the unknown filled with myths and nightmares. In this universe, the creatures and things of myth and nightmare are called Mythics; and those who face them daily are the Operatives Intense Multiplayer Roguelite Shooter Take control by shooting, dodging, customizing each run to your strengths and choosing your preferred playstyle. Dominate the dungeon in an intense co-op roguelite shooter, master shooting, dodging and experience different challenges through procedurally generated dungeons. Create the best builds, experiment, and adapt. Up to 3 Players Co-op PvE Unite with allies in a more challenging and thrilling multiplayer dungeon through co-op gameplay. Work together and survive increasingly challenging encounters to earn the best loot.

Instant Action, Long-Term Mastery Riftstorm seamlessly blends intense action, challenging gameplay, and skill mastery, allowing you to jump in and out of the action at your own pace as you build on your skills and reflexes to master the game. In total, this new playtest it will introduce: 3 new Threat Levels (missions of varying difficulties) 2 new Operatives: Hertz and Spraybot 1 new Narrative Arc   1 new Mythic enemy type 10 new weapons

Sophima

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Craig Before The Creek... Reviewed!

Shout out to Warner Bros for supplying a copy of this movie for review, my opinions are my own.

I've seen Craig of the Creek in passing, so when I got the opportunity to check out an animated film that acts as a prelude to the show... I couldn't resist. Is it any good? Let's jump in and find out how Craig became one with... the creek!

Story: Craig Before The Creek starts off with a girl running away from someone who looked like they could potentially be bullies as she made off with a composition book with "Hannah" written on it. This was after the reveal of a baddie on a ship.

It then fast forwards to Craig moving to Maryland to their new home... leaving behind his old friends at the start of summer. By the way, perfect time to release this animated film on DVD. Craig isn't thrilled about it, but they start connecting the reasons for the move... which is something a number of parents and children can relate to. A number of children don't see or understand that their parents are trying to make the best move for their long term benefit... but some parents don't understand that their child's social life revolved around their friends and familiar surroundings. I'll come back to this.

Anyway, things start off on this slightly sad note... until Craig's mom suggests that he takes his sister to the park. All is well until... something happens that forces Craig to go into the woods and basically unlocks a new world where everything revolves around... the creek.

That's where he encounters various kids with their individual quirks, including the baddies. The composition book turned out to be a diary, but I won't get into the specifics. Just know that the main adventure begins from this point.

Parents, something you may want to beware of is when Craig finds Hanna's Diary and he begins to suit up to head back to the creek. If you get the DVD, you may want to fast forward once he gets the banister stick (in scene 3) if you don't agree with his next choice when deciding between carrying bags. Instead of Craig selecting his bookbag to pack his items, he went with a purse. It looks like it could be a duffle bag (based on the way he carries it), but... once he mentions it's a purse it might be hard to un-see it as a purse.

Another scenario occurs when Craig was hiding from the baddies after their leader wants him found. He acts like he was going to sleep over at a friends house, which I don't know how many parents would allow boys and girls to have sleep overs... but his mom said yes. This was followed up by another boy asking what was for dinner, and Craig referred to himself as momma and said let him check his purse.

Outside of this, it was a really pretty cool adventure that held my interest as Craig and his newfound crew went on their quest to find a treasure that grants... wishes. The final battle didn't disappoint either. A lot of things seemed more so based on the imaginations of the kids and were played up in visual form, but you get into with the understanding that it's real... to them (based on previous examples of kids using their imagination in awesome ways). This film essentially wraps things up with Craig coming into his own as the dots finally connect his past to his present as... Craig of the Creek. I also liked how this film connected Craig as the hero to the antagonist by way of him trying to cope with the move. I won't spoil it for you, so I'll leave it at that. There is plenty to enjoy in this film, I think it's well rounded, packed with quirky characters, and shows enough diversity to be appreciated by a variety of children + parents.

Visuals: The visuals in this film were solid, and they give depth in regards to the landscape and shading. It easy to get the feeling of being immersed in woods that the creek runs through because the artist did a great job of making the atmosphere feel the way it should. It's not flat as if the environment is always tucked in the background, the characters interact with it in multiple ways. The image below gives you an idea of what I mean. The animations were nice too, especially when it comes to the creek kids... simply based on things they were pretending to be. The kids battling with the bugs and the frog is a prime example, but the final battle was probably the best in terms of animation (second would be the fight on the ship in my opinion). This isn't to say there aren't any other good animated sequences, because there are... but these stood out to me the most.

Audio: In terms of audio, I watched Craig Before The Creek with the 1More Open Earbuds S50. When I saw the 5.1 surround, I was like... hmmmm. I highly recommend watching with surround sound speakers or a nice pair of headphones. The sound engineer ensured that listeners were able to get a nice experience by delivering a decent spatial audio experience. Everything wasn't served up this way, but there is enough to appreciate what was delivered for the surround sound experience. You could hear the various kids in the environment coming from different angles, the sound effects were solid, and the final battle didn't disappoint. Craig Before The Creek is available in Dolby Digital: English 5.1.

Price: Pricewise, you can get Craig Before The Creek on DVD for... $19.98 as listed online, but you can pre-order for $16.98... here. A poster was included in my copy, which may come in your copy, but... since it's not listed I can't say that it's guaranteed. Craig Before The Creek is available on DVD... March 26, 2024! (Pre-orders available now, don't miss out on the discount.)

Story 5

Visuals 5

Audio 5

Price 5

5 out of 5 Cool Points

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