Understanding the Difference Between Hardware and Software

  Ah, family life. Dirty socks on the floor, that empty toilet paper roll (again!)—they can become sources of stress that build into real discontent. Add juggling your kids, parents, partner, and job—all during a recession—and its no wonder were short on fun. It doesnt have to be that way, though. Our simple do-it-today steps will help you build a strong, happy, healthier family. 1. Eat, play, love These easy ways to reconnect with your family can help create a really positive dynamic. Fun up family meals. We know that eating together can boost achievement in children, lower the chance for eating disorders in girls, and lower depression rates in both girls and boys. But that doesnt mean meals have to be serious, formal affairs. Simple, humorous rituals are what children remember as adults. Try a monthly "backward day," serving breakfast for dinner and vice versa, or watch Saturday-morning cartoons together over breakfast. "Silly things that dont c...

  Dating sites are in their hottest season of year. We don't know about you, but the first glimpse of sunshine (and, ahem upcoming release of Love Island) always gets us in the mood for romance. So, it's no surprise that more people than ever are looking to head on a first date.   According to recent research from one of the best dating sites and apps in the business, Match.com, 67% of people in the UK feel like they're in a positive state of mind about meeting people right now. So, whether you're looking for a serious relationship or a summer fling (and your local pub is filled with creepy winks from strange old men), there has never been a better time to join a free dating site. Or something exclusive with a paid membership, if that's more your bag.  glamourmagazine.co Don't be embarrassed about signing up: online dating and dating apps are now one of the most common ways of meeting potential partners (a quick survey of your circle of friends will ...

‘I’m just gonna leave,’ he said, as I muttered an apology. I hadn’t lived up to the photos on my dating profile. I walked away with that tight feeling in my chest, willing it not to turn into a panic attack. What’s wrong with me? Looking back, I’ve no idea why I apologised to him. I was desperate to find someone, I guess. Riddled with chronic anxiet y , I took his words as a truth I already knew: I was not a person who someone would want to date. Sadly, I’m not alone. A recent Cosmopolitan poll found that 61% of you have had an experience on a date that has negatively affected how you feel about yourself. Plus, research by Bumble reveals that one in three people in the UK have suffered racial discrimination, fetishisation or microaggressions when dating online, making this an even bigger concern for those from marginalised communities. While we’re getting better at talking about mental health when it comes wellbeing, it’s the intimate connections we have with people we date on a...

  It doesn't matter whether or not you're a masturbation expert or a beginner who's exploring their sexuality (à la Charlotte in Sex and the City ): We all deserve to experience a mind-blowing orgasm. What better way to achieve said orgasm than to invest in one of the best rabbit vibrators money can buy? (To be transparent, they're not all pricey. In fact, you can shop some of our favorites on Amazon and get your new toy delivered to you in just two days.) Rabbit vibrators, for those who are unfamiliar, are the love-child of a dildo and clitoral vibrator. They are designed to activate vaginal and clit stimulation at the same time — specifically, an internal hot spot inside the vagina known colloquially as the G-spot or G-zone. Some rabbit vibes even add a third arm into the mix for anal play. Stimulating two (or more) nerve-dense body parts, as the rabbit vibrator does, is thought to increase the chances of a blended orgasm, which is basically a two-for-one o...

First, sincere congratulations on the work you’ve already done: You understand that the diagnosis of an alcoholic isn’t yours to make, and you know you’re the only one who can really decide when it’s time to leave. In my experience as an alcoholic, and as a loved one of someone abusing alcohol, those were rather hard-won realizations. From the perspective of the alcoholic, I know that, for me, what felt like abandonment and hurtful confrontations in my relationships — by the way, what those felt like and what those were are somewhat different things, but more on that in a minute — were crucial components in my decision to turn to recovery. I had to experience the consequences of my actions: the lies I’d told and the responsibilities I’d neglected, the times that my blown deadline meant someone else’s career getting dinged or my blown promise had broken someone else’s heart. The more that people around me minimized the impact I had on them, the easier it was to ...

  Cuddle monster. Make-out maniac. Back-scratch lover. If you’ve ever been dubbed (or resonate with) any of these nicknames, odds are you need a lot of skin-on-skin to feel special. True to you? Well, physical touch could be your love language. If you’ve ever fallen down an online quiz rabbit hole (#relatable), you’re probably familiar with the concept of physical touch and the various love languages. ICYMI, here’s a quick refresher: Love languages is a concept that was created and coined by anthropologist and marriage counselor Gary Chapman, PhD in 1992 with the release of his book The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate , explains Carolina Pataky, PhD, a sex therapist and founder of South Florida's Love Discovery Institute . While the text is more than three decades old, the framework still has utility today. “It can still serve as a helpful guide to understanding the art of knowing how you and your partner feel loved and appreciated,”...

  Sometimes our great ideas hammer away at us for years before they break through. And sometimes they just float into our heads and take a chair. And sometimes our great ideas…aren’t even ours. Okay, maybe that sounds bad, like I’m advocating plagiarism or outright theft, two literary no-no’s I wrote at length about in The Plot (2021). But I’m not talking about swiping someone else’s lifelong work or groundbreaking insight (that really would be verboten); I’m talking about what happens when a casual suggestion hits you like a ton of bricks and you think: Wow! Good idea! In 2001, for my kids’ school’s annual fundraiser, the call went out to parents for auction items. Because this was a Quaker school, there was none of the private school auction excess featured in my novel You Should Have Known (later adapted as HBO’s The Undoing ): no Park Avenue facelifts or private chalets in Gstaad. Instead, we parents were encouraged to create enriching kid or parent activities...

  Abortion is under attack, and its opponents are winning. This summer, the conservative-dominated Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, and the decision is widely expected to severely curtail or even overturn Roe v. Wade , the landmark 1973 case that affirmed a constitutional right to abortion. And Republican-controlled states aren’t waiting until then to enact the strictest anti-abortion legislation in half a century. State legislatures enacted 108 abortion restrictions in 19 states in the past year—a grim new record. These restrictions are embracing dangerous new tactics. Texas’ six-week ban, enacted in May 2021, allows lawsuits against anyone who “aids and abets” abortion, providing a $10,000 reward (plus legal fees) for successful suits. (This could even include a taxi driver who happens to give someone seeking an abortion a ride.) Any vigilante can file one of these lawsuits, and isn't liable for opposing legal f...

  Fancy dinners and costly ticket prices add up, especially when you're trying to get to know somebody new. We would all love to be able to splash out big on every date, but unfortunately, that's just not the lifestyle most of us can afford to live. But you shouldn't have to choose between wooing the attractive human of your dreams (or even just the attractive human of the moment from Tinder) and paying rent. That's where affordable date planning comes into play. Or you can take things a step beyond "affordable" into "cheap"—or even hop two steps ahead into free date territory. (If you're looking for indoor-specific date ideas, we've got those too.) Cheap dates (that don't feel cheap) aren't just for people in those early stages of relationships. Long-term couples still need a steady supply of good date night options, especially if they're sticking to a budget or just not into fancy schmancy expensive dinners. To help...

  Not long after she entered graduate school, Molly* started dating Jim, a rather neurotic man who was notorious for sleeping around. He was the kind of guy who had issues with intimacy and ingrained sexism but tried to soften the blow with self-awareness. “I like you so much, but I couldn’t possibly be with you,” he’d say. “I’m so brainwashed by the patriarchy that I can only be attracted to women who are dumber than me with big breasts.” It didn’t help that Jim was apparently still friendly with his ex-girlfriend, an “epic beauty” named Pam whom Molly would frequently see in the library. One day Molly stepped outside for a cigarette, and Pam followed her. Molly girded herself for an awkward situation, feeling the same kind of jealousy and intimidation she’d experienced in high school. But Pam immediately made it clear that she had other plans. “Are you dating Jim?” Pam asked. “That guy sucks and you seem really cool. Don’t let him treat you like garbage.” ...

  W hen it comes to relationships, conflict is inevitable. But it doesn’t have to be emotionally distressing or callous. Couples can disagree and, yes, even fight while still showing compassion and respect for each other, according to psychologists. In fact, clinical psychologist Deborah Grody says, married couples who don’t have any conflict are often the ones who end in divorce. “Relationships that can’t be saved are relationships where the flame has completely gone out, or it wasn’t there in the first place,” she says. When one or both partners are indifferent toward their relationship, they don’t care enough to even fight, according to Grody. That said, frequent heated and hurtful conflict is certainly not healthy or sustainable, either. You can have conflicts with your partner in a constructive way, and it may actually bring you closer together, according to a 2012 paper published by the Society for Personality and Social Psycholog...

  It’s Time to Be Their Advocate, Not Their Parent. Here’s How. Too often, as parents age adult children feel the best way to help and support them is to reverse roles and become their … parents. But as a professional care manager with 40 years of experience helping adults in their Fragile Years and their families, I cringe when I hear adult children talk about how they feel like they’ve reversed roles with their parents who are now dependent on them. That attitude is a trap that can result in bitterness and resentment on both sides. Parents don’t like their children telling them what to do—no matter how fragile they might be. livehappy.com There is a much healthier way to engage with the new family dynamic, and that is to view this as an opportunity to become your parent’s strongest advocate and supporter—a source of kindness, compassion, and understanding.  I talk about this in my book, The Fragile Years . You aren’t reversing roles. You are entering a new stag...

 When Monica Barbaro first learned she booked a role in Top Gun: Maverick , a pipe burst in her family home. “All hell was breaking loose,” Barbaro tells me over Zoom from Toronto, where she’s filming an upcoming Netflix spy series. “I was like, ‘Mom, I got the part and she's not a love interest, she's a pilot! We were both tearing up and she's like, ‘I need to call the plumber.’” Four years after receiving that call and almost three since filming wrapped in June 2019, the highly anticipated sequel to Tom Cruise’s 1986 classic is finally here, introducing a new group of elite Naval aviators. Among the adrenaline junkies vying for a spot on a dangerous mission led by Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise) is the franchise’s first female fighter pilot, Lieutenant Natasha “Phoenix” Trace. While Barbaro’s costars include major Hollywood players like Glen Powell, Miles Teller, and Jay Ellis, the lesser-known actor had a secret advantage going into hours of grueling fl...

  The more we learn about the profound physical and psychological impacts of trauma, the more we understand the necessity of getting mental health care in its wake. Because it’s so common—over 50% of adults in the U.S. have at least one traumatic experience in their lifetimes—experts are starting to gain “a broader understanding of what trauma actually means,” Christine M. Crawford MD, MPH, associate medical director at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and assistant professor of psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine, tells SELF. Traumatic experiences have traditionally included events like the occurrence or threat of death, serious injury, or sexual violence. Now experts know an emotionally neglectful parent, a playground bullying incident, or a hospitalization, among many other types of experiences, can lead to the telltale symptoms that define post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). self.com “The way I think about trauma is that it’s a sudde...

  Costing $109 to buy-in outright, BetOnline is offering other ways to win a seat if the buy-in amount is too steep. In the lead up to the tournament there will be traditional satellites where options will start as low as $1.40 There are other ways to earn your seat just by playing your favourite games on the site. Cash game and sit-n-go players can race their way up leaderboards to earn bonus cash and entry into the $250,000 guaranteed event. pokerforums.org During the month of May, BetOnline is rewarding the top 100 players every week with $15,000 in Spring Tournament Leaderboards. There is both a low- and mid-stakes leaderboard, for tournament buy-ins between one cent and $15, and $16 and $55, respectively. The World Series of Poker and GGPoker have announced the 2021 schedule of online WSOP events. The event will start with the WSOP Super Circuit Online Series on Saturday 1st May and run through until Sunday 30th May. A total of 18 WSOP Ci...

  Together with its gaming studio subsidiary 1x2gaming , 1 x2 Network has added yet another revolutionary title to its prestigious branded content with a clear focus on gamification. The developer has released Branded Coin Vault , a mining-themed slot game that allows operators to customize the game’s logo, select their preferred size for the gameboard, or change the number of mines popping on the reels. The developer will use William Hill as the pioneer operator to introduce the game to players eager to gain more control over their gaming. Metrics Overview Reels: 3 Rows: 3 Paylines: cluster pays RTP: 97% | 95% | 93% | 98% Hit Freq: – Max Win: x2500 Volatility: Low Min/Max Bet: 0.2/100 1×2 Network Continues Its Shift toward Gamification Without a doubt, 1×2 Network is eager to be a part of the unavoidable shift toward gamification in the gambling industry that was initiated a few years ago. Players are thirsty for more gamified elements. This means they want to be giv...

  Need help finding an online casino that perfectly suits your gaming needs? Take a look at our list of the best, top-rated online casinos worldwide and choose your favorite gaming site. Based on our teams’ detailed and careful investigation, as well as genuine player feedback , this list is being regularly updated with the latest information, so that you never miss out on the freshest additions. We are thoroughly inspecting all the important benchmarks of iGaming brands: good standing in the gaming community; fair terms of service; diverse and genuine integrated software; diverse deposit and withdrawal options as well as timely payments; available bonuses, promotions and loyalty programs; responsive customer support service. casinonewsdaily.com To save you even more time in finding your ideal operator, we created handy filters to narrow down your search: simply move the sliders on the left to display casinos according to your desired bonus percentage, minimum deposit, ...

  As the summer months draw closer, many poker players are prepping for the upcoming World Series of Poker Championship (WSOP). The WSOP is a seriously popular online poker series featuring a ton of action and of course, gold bracelet events. Aside from the series, there are other poker gaming options in Las Vegas that some players may not know about. Venues like The Venetian, Wynn Las Vegas and the ARIA all have major events going on, along with other Sin City casinos. It’s an exciting time for poker in the city right now and there is truly something for everyone. Check out a few of the highlighted series below. worldcasinodirectory.com Venetian and Wynn Resorts The Venetian is already in full swing with poker action, having launched the DeepStack Championship Poker Series on May 2. The series will continue through July 31 with 133 events on the schedule. Players can compete for over $22 million in guaranteed prize money! There are several key events on the schedule in...

  Osaka’s determination to host an integrated resort (IR) is apparently unwavering. Attempts to block the effort already met defeat, but a citizen’s group is going to try once again to force a referendum on the issue. Yesterday, a private citizen group announced that it had received more signatures than required to request a formal referendum against Osaka’s IR bid. Two months of collecting signatures by citizens paid off. The petition, if it finds its objective, would block Yumeshima Island from being developed as an IR. casino.org Osaka’s public ordinance requires that a call for a referendum can only be requested if a measure receives signatures of at least 2% of the voting population. This, according to public records, means the group needed at least 146,000 signatures in support. However, it claims it received 157,000. Referendum Not Likely The group has to present the signatures to Osaka’s Election Administration Committee. If the data is validated, the group h...