The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will require some financial institutions to disclose security breaches within 30 days of learning about them.
On Wednesday, the SEC adopted changes to Regulation S-P, which governs the treatment of the personal information of consumers. Under the amendments, institutions must notify individuals whose personal information was compromised “as soon as practicable, but not later than 30 days” after learning of unauthorized network access or use of customer data. The new requirements will be binding on broker-dealers (including funding portals), investment companies, registered investment advisers, and transfer agents.
“Over the last 24 years, the nature, scale, and impact of data breaches has transformed substantially,” SEC Chair Gary Gensler said. “These amendments to Regulation S-P will make critical updates to a rule first adopted in 2000 and help protect the privacy of customers’ financial data. The basic idea for covered firms is if you’ve got a breach, then you’ve got to notify. That’s good for investors.”
Notifications must detail the incident, what information was compromised, and how those affected can protect themselves. In what appears to be a loophole in the requirements, covered institutions don’t have to issue notices if they establish that the personal information has not been used in a way to result in “substantial harm or inconvenience” or isn’t likely to.
The amendments will require covered institutions to “develop, implement, and maintain written policies and procedures” that are “reasonably designed to detect, respond to, and recover from unauthorized access to or use of customer information.” The amendments also:
• Expand and align the safeguards and disposal rules to cover both nonpublic personal information that a covered institution collects about its own customers and nonpublic personal information it receives from another financial institution about customers of that financial institution; • Require covered institutions, other than funding portals, to make and maintain written records documenting compliance with the requirements of the safeguards rule and disposal rule; • Conform Regulation S-P’s annual privacy notice delivery provisions to the terms of an exception added by the FAST Act, which provide that covered institutions are not required to deliver an annual privacy notice if certain conditions are met; and • Extend both the safeguards rule and the disposal rule to transfer agents registered with the Commission or another appropriate regulatory agency.
The requirements also broaden the scope of nonpublic personal information covered beyond what the firm itself collects. The new rules will also cover personal information the firm has received from another financial institution.
SEC Commissioner Hester M. Peirce voiced concern that the new requirements may go too far.
“Today’s Regulation S-P modernization will help covered institutions appropriately prioritize safeguarding customer information,” she https://www.sec.gov/news/statement/peirce-statement-reg-s-p-051624 wrote. “Customers will be notified promptly when their information has been compromised so they can take steps to protect themselves, like changing passwords or keeping a closer eye on credit scores. My reservations stem from the breadth of the rule and the likelihood that it will spawn more consumer notices than are helpful.”
Regulation S-P hadn’t been substantially updated since its adoption in 2000.
Last year, the SEC adopted new regulations requiring publicly traded companies to disclose security breaches that materially affect or are reasonably likely to materially affect business, strategy, or financial results or conditions.
The amendments take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, the official journal of the federal government that publishes regulations, notices, orders, and other documents. Larger organizations will have 18 months to comply after modifications are published. Smaller organizations will have 24 months.
Public comments on the amendments are available here.
Have you ever wondered why most tools are easy to hold and grip? It’s all thanks to the introduction of processes, including injection molding and casting services, insert molding and overmolding. However, if you’re not part of the industry or haven’t heard of these terms, they can be confusing. It’s understandable because insert molding and overmolding are two types of injection molding. Continue reading below to learn more about injection molding, insert molding and overmolding processes.
What is injection molding?
Molten plastic is injected into a mold during injection molding. The mold will then cool down, and the plastic will become solid. Companies use injection molding to produce various products, such as consumer goods, automotive parts, and medical devices.
A popular technique used by manufacturing design firms, injection molding is used to create parts by injecting molten materials into molds. This is a relatively common process for plastics, although it applies to glass, ceramics, and metals.During this process, the mold of the product is made first. A mold is a hollowed-out block that will give shape to the liquid or molten material. The mold will then be placed on the injection molding machine.
The plastic pellets will be heated until they melt. This molten plastic will go under high pressure into the mold. While the material hardens as it cools, it will take on the mold cavity’s shape. Once the plastic cools down and solidifies, the product or part will be ejected from the mold. Injection molding allows the creation of parts of all sizes and shapes. Molds can also be designed to produce more complex internal features. This ability to develop intricate designs is why injection molding is applicable in different industries.
The manufacturing process of insert molding involves adding parts, mainly metal, on top of the molded parts. Insert molding consists of the use of inserts in the injection molding process. This process is done before the product is cured and helps cut down the processes required during assembly following molding. After the parts that will be molded on top of the product are obtained, another layer will be accepted after the parts are inserted into the mold.
Insert molding can be carried out in two ways: automated and manual. Manual insert molding is relatively cheaper than automatic insert molding. But as far as consistency is concerned, automated insert molding is the ideal choice. It reduces human errors and increases efficiency. Introducing inserts onto the mold cores cast using the automated or manual process will result in plasticizing the plastic pellets after the mold halves are closed.
The pieces will be ejected from the mold after the plastic hardens. The inserts will then be encapsulated in the parts. An excellent example of insert molding is the addition of a plastic layer over the screwdriver’s metal part for the plastic handle to be produced.
Overmolding is a manufacturing process involving a seamless combination of different materials into a single item or part. The overmolding process involves two essential steps. Molding and curing the substrate, typically plastic, is the first step. This is followed by direct molding the layer over the initial layer to produce a single product. Product design companies designing a toothbrush is a typical example of overmolding, where a basal layer is formed first, followed by a rubber layer.
Overmolding can significantly reduce production costs. Some of the critical components of the process include the rigid plastic base covered by a flexible, thin, rubber-like material. This manufacturing process has astounding versatility as it is helpful for different home items, including toothbrushes, hand tools, and razors.
Advantages of injection molding
1. High and efficient production
After the molds are developed, it speeds up the process, with cycle times only requiring 10 seconds. This ideal option for high- and medium-volume production runs from 10,000 parts to more than 100,000, depending on the molds used.
Identical products can be manufactured repeatedly. It’s a good choice for parts with high reliability and tolerances across high volumes.
Disadvantages of injection molding
1. Design limitations
There are several design elements a product designer need to consider during injection molding. These include controlling the thickness of the wall, preventing sharp edges and undercuts, and using radii and drafts to eject the parts.
2. High initial cost
A substantial capital cost might be required for higher volumes of production that require a great deal of machining and time to produce.
3. Longer initial lead times
Some tools may take several weeks to be produced, so consider using other technologies like CNC machining services or 3D printing, especially for lower production runs.
4. Not cost-effective for small production runs
Injection molding might be unsuitable for smaller production runs when other manufacturing processes are more suitable.
Insert molding makes it possible to create thousands of parts of products in just one day. Its economic significance leads to reduced costs for the entire molding production process.
2. Faster assembly time
The assembly of products needed in CNC machining is often challenging. However, insert molding can do away with the need for assembly. The overall production cost is reduced because no assembly time is involved.
3. Multipurpose parts
The parts produced by 3D modeling design services for machine parts using insert molding can serve various purposes depending on the specific function that the product is intended to serve. The combination of metal and plastic parts will benefit not only the end users of the product but even the manufacturers. The use of plastic parts can also improve the design’s flexibility and make it lighter than metal.
Machining processes such as die casting are required for custom-designed inserts. This is made before the start of the actual process of insert molding. This results in a higher cost per part.
2. The complexity of part design
The injection molding designers must be familiar with the design of the technology’s manufacturing principles for them to produce custom-made metal inserts in insert molding. This is the only time when it becomes practical to integrate the involved technologies.
Advantages of overmolding
1. Eliminate the need for adhesives
Adhesives are no longer required in overmolding since the different parts get the chance to fuse during the process. This will increase the durability of the parts or products produced. It also results in an overall reduction in production costs.
Adding other suitable quality materials to a product can significantly improve its performance. Those products that go through overmolding have two edges in terms of materials over the traditional products used in most industries. This will, therefore, enhance the performance of the products made using overmolding.
3. Improved flexibility of materials
Combining several parts is required in overmolding, increasing the part’s flexibility because it leverages each of the benefits of the involved materials. Design for manufacturing and assembly firms can also use an overmolding design guide to enhance flexibility further.
The risk of delamination may occur if two different parts are bonded together in an injection mold. Delamination may take place if there is a change in the range of optimal temperatures. Mechanical interlocks will be required when the available heat fails to bond the two materials successfully.
2. Multiple processes of production
Two steps are involved during manufacturing using overmolding, which can increase the cycle time of each part. The production cost may also be higher than just molding one part in one process. Overmolding also needs more tools compared to single molding because the process involves two steps.
How Cad Crowd can help
Injection molding and its two specific types, insert molding and overmolding, are efficient and helpful processes. These techniques help produce different parts with various uses and applications. Before embarking on your project, it’s vital to assess these methods to make a well-informed decision. Knowing what type of finished part you plan to make and its specific application will help you identify the proper process. Cad Crowd offers injection molding and casting services and can help you find specialists to guide you through every step to ensure successful production. Contact us for a free quote.
Editor’s note: In this article, Tanya tells about the core of an ecommerce database and its implementation. Read on and if you need to design and implement an optimal ecommerce database, check out ScienceSoft’s ecommerce services.
Is it possible to run an ecommerce store without a database behind it? Yes, but it would be feasible only for small businesses selling a limited amount of products to a small customer base. If your store doesn’t fall under this description, you’ll need a database to store and process data about your products, customers, orders, etc.
An ecommerce database allows you to organize data in a coherent structure to keep track of your inventories, update your product catalog, and manage transactions. The amount of effort required for your database management directly depends on how well it was designed.
Create a layout to organize your data effectively
Elaborating an ecommerce database architecture is the first step in its development. With a thoroughly designed database, you’ll make your ecommerce database a long-term solution that won’t require many updates and changes when your business is up and running.
Database design is mainly determined by a database schema. It is expressed in a diagram or a set of rules, aka integrity constraints written in a database language like SQL, that define how the data is arranged, stored, and processed.
What forms the center of an ecommerce database?
The three data blocks that comprise the core of an ecommerce database are a customer, an order, and a product. However, it’s a good practice to plan a database keeping in mind its possible expansion (tables for suppliers, shipments, transactions, and other data).
The Customer
The basic customer information includes a name, an email address, a home address broken down into lines, a login, a password, as well as additional data like age, gender, purchasing history, etc.
The Order
Order tables hold data about the purchases of each individual client. Usually, this data is organized into two tables. The first table contains all order-related information like the items ordered, date of order, the total amount paid, as well as Customer ID – a foreign key to the customer table.
The second table holds data on each product from the order, including product ID, its price, parameters, and quantity.
Design Your Ecommerce Database with Further Expansion in Mind
ScienceSoft can help you design and develop a scalable ecommerce solution.
The Product
Tables with product data include SKUs, product names, prices, categories, weight, and product-specific information like color, size, and, material, etc. If you’re selling many products from categories different in their attributes, having a single table listing all products with null values for some of the product parameters may not be appropriate.
In some cases, an entity–attribute–value, or an EAV, model may become an optimal approach. In the simplest case, it includes two tables. The first one is a product entity table with product IDs, attribute IDs, and attribute values. The attribute ID is a foreign key into the second table with all attributes and their definitions. This configuration gives an opportunity not to store every possible attribute (sometimes absent for a specific product type) in the product entity table.
Develop the core into a tailored solution
To define an optimal ecommerce database design, you need to carefully assess your ecommerce store, considering its size, features, look, integrations, and future evolution. Dedicated database development consultants at ScienceSoft are ready to help you define the tech stack required to support your business throughout its life cycle. If you would like to learn more about the database design options that would be perfect for your store, feel free to ask us.
Five Nights At Freddy’s 2, the sequel to the 2023 film adaptation of the popular horror game, has a premiere date. Freddy Fazbear and friends will return to the big screen on December 5, 2025.
As reported by Variety, Blumhouse Productions announced the date alongside a slate of other upcoming films, including M3GAN 2.0 and The Black Phone 2. It’s not surprising to see Five Nights At Freddy’s getting a follow-up. It simultaneously premiered in theaters and on Peacock on October 27, 2023, and still managed to be a massive box office success. Grossing $297 million globally, it became the year’s highest-grossing horror film, Blumhouse’s highest-grossing film ever, and the most-watched movie on Peacock for five straight days.
The taglinefor Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 reads, “Anyone can survive five nights. This time, there will be no second chances.” The sequel’s cast has not been announced, but the original starred Josh Hutchinson and included Matthew Lillard, Elizabeth Lail, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Piper Rubio. Director Emma Tammi is returning to direct the sequel, with FNAF creator Scott Cawthorn and Blumhouse founder Jason Blum once again assuming producer roles.
FNAF 2 won’t be the only video game film arriving in 2025. Mortal Kombat 2, the sequel to the 2021 reboot film, was recently confirmed to release in October of that year.
After Apple loosened its App Store guidelines to permit game emulators, the retro game emulator Delta — an app 10 years in the making — hit the top of the App Store’s charts. But the increased attention also brought the threat of legal action, as Adobe targeted Delta for sporting a logo that looked too much like its own.
Delta’s game emulator was built by developer Riley Testut, who had begun his experiments in this space by figuring out how to load games onto graphing calculators, before turning to iOS. The app itself evolved from Testut’s older app, GBA4iOS, which leveraged a loophole to run emulated games on iOS without jailbreaking an iPhone. Consumer demand for such an app was high — millions of people used GBA4iOS while it was available. But Apple eventually locked things down and put GBA4iOS out of business.
Now, as Apple faces regulatory pressure to open up its App Store to increased competition, the tech giant began permitting game emulators in April. That’s opened up a whole new market for developers who had not previously been able to take advantage of the massive distribution power the App Store brings. In short, Apple would rather host these apps itself than have to compete with alternative app stores where the apps it had once banned could find traction with consumers.
Testut took advantage of the opportunity to launch Delta to the public and it quickly became the No. 1 app on the App Store, holding a top spot on Apple’s Charts for weeks and gaining millions of downloads. More than a month later, Delta is still ranking fairly high as the No. 33 app overall on the U.S. App Store. The No. 5 slot, meanwhile, is now held by yet another game emulator, PPSSPP (a PSP emulator).
However, becoming the top app on the App Store has its drawbacks. Though a more under-the-radar app like GBA4iOS may have been ignored, Delta’s ride to No. 1 has brought increased scrutiny.
According to a post on Mastodon, Adobe came after Delta, threatening legal action because it thought Delta’s logo resembled its own.
“Adobe is threatening legal action because they think our logos are too similar — so we changed it,” the post explained. “This new icon is an inspired design by Caroline Moore (@carolinemoore@threads.net), we hope y’all love it as much as we do,” it read.
Image Credits: Delta
Both logos had featured a broken triangle, similar to the Greek letter delta. Adobe’s logo, however, is red and white, and its “A” is thicker and stretches to the edge of the app icon. Delta’s logo is purple and white, smaller, and centered within the app icon. They’re also operating in different spaces, of course, as Adobe offers a suite of tools for creatives, not a way to play retro games. It’s hard to argue there would be much consumer confusion over which logo was which.
Delta told us it first received an email from Adobe’s lawyer on Wednesday, May 7, telling the company that its app icon infringed on Adobe’s “A” log and requested that it be changed in order to not violate “Adobe’s rights or the law.”
Adobe gave Delta until May 17 to respond, but then it received a second email from Apple stating that Adobe asked Apple to take down the Delta app for infringing on its trademark. Delta replied to both companies to explain that its icon was a stylized Greek letter delta, not an “A,” but that it would update the logo anyway.
Image Credits: Delta
To avoid any potential legal issues, Delta launched a new logo that looks like a broken triangle. The redesign isn’t as simplified and clean as before, unfortunately, leading some users to suggest it could have gone a different route — like using the lowercase delta letter, for example, or having custom artwork created as the new brand.
Testut tells us the new app features a temporary logo on its icon, but he plans to update it once again when Delta 1.6 rolls out.
“…We’re planning to update the icon again to a ‘final’ version — also designed by Caroline — soon,” he said, adding “we’re not too worried about brand impact in the interim.”
One of the main questions I get when it comes to organizing is not knowing where to start. Someone will come across a post and see the pretty printables and read the detailed information, but it all seems so incredibly overwhelming.
The truth is that your home didn’t become unorganized overnight, and you can’t organize it overnight either.
The strategy behind this guide is to work on the main sections of your home and get those under control first. Working room by room, area by area, will help you achieve an organized home in no time…IF you are consistent.
The best home organization products and tools provided in this guide are many of the things that I personally use. As a seriously OBSESSED person of organizing can tell you, if you have a home…a place to put everything you own, you will become organized. Everything must have it’s proper place. That’s where these cool organizer tools come in.
Organizing Essentials – A Guide to Organizing Everything You Own
The most important things to know when you are organizing are these two rules: use the 6 month rule and be sure to spend 10 minutes every day organizing and your home will become organized in no time. Marie Kondo will be proud! ha
The first area to organize is the bathroom. Since it’s such a small space, there is less decluttering to do in this room than in most other rooms, however, it CAN become a catch-all for clutter.
Things to consider when organizing your bathroom:
Where will your makeup go and how will you organize it?
Do you store cleaners underneath your bathroom sink?
Where do you put all the bottles of shampoo’s and soaps?
How are you utilizing the drawers in your bathroom?
Organizing your shampoo’s and soaps becomes easy with a shower head organizer. I love mine! It just goes over the shower head and is taking up space on the wall you’re not already using. You can use it in bathtubs or showers, anywhere there’s a shower head. If you have a bathtub, you can also use tall shelving to store things, and if you need extra support shaving your legs, you can purchase a footrest that attaches to your shower.
If you’re looking for a solution to store your toilet paper, under the sink will work, but I hate this idea. If there’s ever a leak (and it happens), you’re whole toilet paper stock is kaput! In my bathroom, I have a toilet cabinet that works great (it comes unassembled). If the toilet ever floods, the toilet paper is safe and off the ground. They sell the silver metal ones the cheapest at Ross (but here’s one for $7.99 at Amazon, which is around the same price at Ross stores).
The closet is sometimes very difficult to organize because you’re not just organizing your OWN stuff, but someone else’s too. This is one of the huge perks of being single. 🙂 I have a HUGE walk-in bedroom-sized closet and it’s mine…alllllllll mine! LOL But I have shared a closet for 14 years, so I can definitely relate to sharing.
Here’s a great tutorial a friend of mine created on How to Fold the Perfect Towel. Organizing your closet and saving space becomes a cinch when you begin folding your towels this way.
Questions to ask yourself when organizing your closet…
Do you have a shelving system already in place in your closet?
Where do you store out-of-season clothing?
How do you store your shoes, belts, scarves, and coats?
Where do you put all your extra bedding?
If you don’t already have a shelving system, you’ll want to pick one up. They will make ALL the difference in your closet! Here’s a Rubbermaid 4-8 foot system on Amazon for $86.24 and here’s the 3-6 foot system. You can also find them at your local home improvement stores. At Lowe’s it looks like a 4-8 foot system is $129, so it’s cheaper on Amazon at this moment.
Storing out-of-season clothing can be tricky. What I used to do when I was married, was to store his out-of-season clothing in his suitcase and mine in my suitcase. The suitcases are just sitting there taking up valuable space, empty while not on vacation. Another thing you can do is put the clothing in a dust-free zipper bag and store them on the top shelf of your closet (you can find jumbo zipper bags cheap at Big Lots as well).
This is also a great way to store extra bedding you’re not using (just be sure to get the correct size bag for the job). Here’s a bedding bag – not a zipper bag, but holds bedding well. Be sure to save your bedding bags when you purchase bedding as well to save costs. Sometimes if I don’t have a bedding bag, I’ll use ribbon that I get in the dollar section at Michaels to roll up my blankets in a ball and tie the ribbon around them to keep them secure. The dollar size ribbon at Michaels is literally the exact amount you’ll need to tie up a blanket or comforter.
For shoes, I like to use these shoe shelves. They are seriously amazing and hold a lot of shoes, while keeping everything perfectly organized. Sometimes you can find these shelves at yard sales or on Craigslist, but it’s really hit or miss. I wouldn’t pay over $5 for a used shelf. When you buy it new, it comes with little pegs so you can stack the shelves on top of each other! I really love this feature because it saves space. Two shelves stacked on top of each other is the perfect size to use underneath hanged-up clothes. The clothes won’t hit your shelf (unless it’s long clothing like dresses or something like that).
One thing that trips up a lot of people is not having enough extra hangers. You can use the regular ones, or if you’re trying to save space, I like to use pants hangers where you can hang 5 pairs of pants on one hanger. Same goes with ties; they make tie hangers and for scarfs, they make scarf hangers. I like this scarf hanger because it’s heavy duty, but I have also picked up scarf hangers at JoAnn’s Fabrics store for around $5. They have them at Tuesday Mornings too, but I don’t remember the price off hand. I usually only remember the price at the store that has them the cheapest, which in my case was JoAnn’s.
I also like to use lots of cubbies and modular boxes in my shelves. Here’s a pack of 12 (I also use one of these same boxes to store my receipts – it’s about the size of a shoe box). I found them the cheapest at Fred Meyer for around $1 each. They keep things extra separated, so I know where everything is.
Another great trick is utilizing the wall space in your closet. You can buy a spice rack and put your nail polish in there. Here’s the one I purchased on Amazon and it’s 58% off right now (DANG, I overpaid a couple years back!). That’s what I do and they fit perfectly. You can even buy a jewelry rack to hang on the wall. Here’s one that is currently 53% off on Amazon. I went with a wooden one and paid a little extra for it. I really like it. Another place that is great to keep your jewelry is in a mirror. The mirror opens up to store your jewelry and even locks. Here’s the one I bought and love it! I’ve also seen these at Tuesday Morning, but they were banged up and on Amazon, they were new and cheaper, and super simple to put together.
Don’t forget under your bed. You can purchase bags or totes that will fit under your bed and you can store clothing, extra bedding, shampoo’s and conditioners, etc.
Organizing your kitchen has to be one of THE most funnest things for me. In fact, I’ve written an article on the Easy Steps to Organizing Your Kitchen. Step by step, it will show you what to do and how to tackle organizing this room in your home.
Some key things to consider are:
Where is the location of your trash can?
How do you organize your countertops?
Do you have enough cabinet space?
Can you get to your spices quickly and easily?
Do you have items in your kitchen that help you organize (like nestling bowls, etc.)
In my dining room, I have an extra buffet table. Some people like to have hutch’s. If you have an extra space in your kitchen or dining room (depending on the layout of your home), this can GREATLY help, giving you added cabinet space immediately. I like to keep my kids dishes in the top and in the bottom, all my supplies for my recipes and food photography. The buffet top serves as even more space or an extra cutting block if you have a butcher block top, or you can even just keep a cutting board on top as well. That would work too. Out of all my cutting boards, this is my favorite (I purchased it in January of 2015 and have loved it ever since).
Another thing to consider creating an organized kitchen is purchasing a track that goes inside your lower cabinet and putting a trash can in there. Sometimes they are underneath the sink, sometimes in a dedicated cabinet. But very helpful for keeping smells in (as you can put a sticky air freshener in there) and having it out of sight.
Pan lids are another space sucker, aren’t they?! What you can do, is get a pan lid holder and stack them in there. This way, they are not taking up near as much space and everything is nice and organized. Another idea is using a towel bar holder that matches your kitchen and attaching it to the wall (here’s a 24″ Moen brand towel bar I found on Amazon. It’s the cheapest towel bar I could find online). Simply slide your pot and pan lids in there and the knob will catch the holder and keep them organized and in place. Here’s a cabinet door pan lid holder that would work as well.
We use paper plates in our home sometimes, but even if you just use regular dishes, there’s a corner nesting organizer that I have, that I just love. I keep my recipe box on top and my plastic plates on the bottom rack and in the middle rack, the paper plates. This really helps my plates be more organized as I’m storing my things vertically instead of horizontally.
A paper towel holder is also something that is nice to have to keep your paper towels organized (here’s the stand-alone one I have and here’s one you can attach to the wall or a cabinet). If you use napkins, a nice napkin holder can make clean up a breeze.
One of the things that urks me when I visit my mom’s, is that she has her sharp knives in a drawer. That’s so easy to cut someone and having a knife block can make a world of difference. Each knife has its own dedicated space in the block and no one can get hurt because the pointed parts are inside the block. The only knife set that I could recommend is Cuisinart as I’ve tried several other brands and just wasn’t impressed. I haven’t tried all the brands, but of those I’ve tried, this is the best brand for knives.
Likewise for your utensils, it’s easy enough to grab a spinning utensil holder because they will fit better in a holder than in a drawer (here’s a non-spinning stainless steel utensil holder).
For your silverware, you can purchase a silverware tray that will separate your silverware almost anywhere, for super cheap. If you’re wanting something to fit in your drawer perfectly, this is the one I have. It is fully adjustable to fit any drawer size. If you happen to be near a Bed, Bath, and Beyond store, you can sign up to receive 20% off coupons in the mail and the tray is $20, thus putting your total at $16 plus tax. On Amazon, it is currently $21.39.
One of the most underutilized places in your kitchen is below the stove. There’s a drawer under there and if you clean it, you can store your pots and pans in there. I stack mine in there and then keep the big stock pots in another cabinet. Best of all, that solution costs nothing! However, if you’d like a different kind of solution for your skillets, here’s a vertical storage solution.
Let’s talk spices….ahhh, my favorite. There are many ways to organize your spices and many different options. One way is to organize them in a drawer with a drawer organizer. Another way is to purchase a spinning spice rack. The one that I have, you can either mount it underneath a cabinet, stack them on top of each other, or place it singularly on the counter top or in a cabinet. I’ve had this set since November of 2010 and ABSOLUTELY love it!
Another option for organizing your spices is purchasing a layered tier spice holder and placing it inside a cabinet. Of course another option is purchasing a spice rack and hanging it to a wall if you have a wall available, or even just using a turntable lazy susan set up would work as well. Here’s a 1 tier lazy susan that I have for other things in my kitchen and here’s a 2 tier lazy susan. Lots of options to organize your spices!
Things to consider when organizing your pantry:
Do you have a dedicated pantry? If not, do you utilize your kitchen cabinets for food?
Can you store some of your foods like canned goods outside on shelves in the garage?
Do you have an overflow pantry?
What are the most common things you are always putting in and getting out of your pantry?
Do you keep boxed goods in your pantry?
One of the things that really helps me organize my pantry is keeping all like items with like items. All the canned goods go on one shelf. Chips and boxed ingredients go on another. Condiments and baking goods go on another shelf. At the very bottom is where I keep things like paper towels, paper plates, kitchen trash bags, etc. You can use things like can organizers to organize your canned goods. The boxes take up a little more room than just stacking cans, but look so much nicer, so if you have the room, I’d definitely recommend them.
Use tubs. Using tubs can really help organize your pantry as well. I like to keep things like sunflower seeds (I’m a notorious BBQ sunflower seed eater since my baseball days as a kid) and Top Ramen, dry seasoning mixes, etc. in little tubs, so they are not all over the place and can be stacked nicely (I mentioned these tubs earlier in the closet section. Again, here is the 12 pack; I use them for many different rooms for all different kinds of things). I like to use Sterilite 12 quart boxes to organize things like that.
Also, be sure you have a good canister set. I have two of them and use them all. Some I use for my green tea (here’s how to make the perfect glass of iced green tea) and others I keep sugar, flour, and so on.
Another thing that really helps organize your pantry is to get turntables. I was able to score two at a yard sale for 50¢ each and boy do they help, especially with the littler things like medicine or spices.
Lastly, you want to make sure you have a trash bag holder. I reuse the plastic grocery bags they give at the stores as garbage bags all throughout my home. They fit nicely in the waste baskets (here’s what the waste baskets look like, but they are about $2.50 at your local stores) and keep things nice and tidy. Without properly storing the bags, they can get out of hand.
My mom cuts a hole in a 2-gallon plastic milk bottle and stuffs the bags in there through the hole in the middle. You can also purchase a hanging bag holder, which is what I have. I’ve also seen people take the clear plastic film off an old tissue box and stuff the plastic bags in there to store them. Here’s a friend who made a tissue box holder to store her bags. Whatever works best for you and your space, and I’m definitely a fan of reusing something if you’re able to.
Things to consider when organizing your home office (or computer area):
Do you have a dedicated office space?
Do you have room for a bookshelf to hold your books?
Where do you have your computer — living room or office?
How big is your desk?
How often do you use your computer?
Is your computer desk your current location for a dumping ground of papers?
The office can be such a tricky place to organize because everyone has such a different layout. Ideally, you want to have a computer desk, a filing cabinet, and a bookshelf in order to organize properly.
A computer desk can vary greatly. I chose a desk that has lots of doors and drawers so that I can hide things when I need to (you can see it here). It fully folds up and has doors to cover even the computer monitor. I like that option. Now that I have my own dedicated office, it’s not so bad, but I loved the option of closing doors when I didn’t have a dedicated office, especially when company would come over.
You also want to have an office chair mat. They are fairly inexpensive, but they help your chair roll around easily. Purchasing a clear office chair mat will help your room look more neat. The cheapest I’ve found is here at Staples. Of course, if you have hardwood floors, you want to have a special office chair mat designed specifically for hardwood floors. The cheapest one I’ve found for hardwood floors is here on Amazon.
Another organizing essential for the office is a filing cabinet and hanging file folders. It’s easy to put papers in the designated file folder and then once every 6 months or so, go through all those file folders and throw out what you don’t need. In the meantime, if you need something, you can look in the specific filing folder and find it fast. Sometimes desks have filing folders built in. The desk I have has 4 of these drawers and they are very helpful.
A few other things you’ll want to have to organize your office is:
Rolodex (here’s the one I have; it’s currently on sale for $5.24)
Wall calendar (here’s the one I use; it’s a dry ease board from The Board Dudes –22×18.” I’ve had it since October of 2012 and it still looks brand new!)
Label maker (currently on sale for $16.76 on Amazon)
If you really want to save money on these items, you can turn in your old ink cartridges to Staples once they are empty. You can turn in 10 cartridges a month and they give you $2 per cartridge of store credit at the end. So, this could be up to $20 free every single month, just by recycling something you probably throw away! This really can help, especially around Back 2 School!
Things to consider when organizing your entry way:
Where will you put your kids things….backpacks, shoes, jackets?
Where will you keep your and your spouse’s coats?
Where do you keep your keys, wallet, cell phones, etc.
If you want to keep your kids backpacks, shoes, jackets, etc. at the door way, a good hutch is probably your best solution. You can hang the coats up and put the shoes in the bottom trunk.
If you want to keep your keys, wallet, cell phones, etc. by the door, you’ll want to have some sort of shelf (here’s a mail and key holder that’s is a reader favorite) or entry way table. If you do have a table and it’s not covered at the base and let’s say you have a lamp, you will see the lamp cords. A great way to hide the lamp cord is by using Command hooks on the back of the table. No one can see it and it can hide the cord a lot better than having it exposed.
Favorite places to shop for organization:
Posts on other parts of your home you’ll want to organize:
Free printables to help you organize your home:
Implementing these new habits will keep your home organized long term:
Everything must have a home
Put your bills up immediately
If you haven’t used it in 6 months, get rid of it (unless it’s a seasonal item)
You could in theory buy fewer components and water-cool a gaming PC for under $5000 but we are here to help you build your dream machine without the liquid. At the $5000 mark, you are close to the elites of custom PCs. There are no compromises on aesthetics, performance, or quality in this price range. The bottom line is, that for such a premium price, you can be sure to get the very best components out there.
All of the builds we recommend here at WePC are, of course, split into different budget categories. That being said, when your budget is $5000, you can pretty much have any computer you desire. For hardcore gamers, this is probably going to be one of the best experiences you will ever have when gaming, with insanely high frame rates and some of the best graphical fidelity in the business – as long as you have the best monitor to support it. Casual and 4K lovers don’t worry, this PC will allow you to achieve unreal FPS counts even in the highest of resolutions. We try our best to keep these custom PC builds within the budget target, but from time to time, the price can fluctuate. This fluctuation is mostly down to Amazon’s market, but we will be regularly checking the build to ensure it’s the best recommendation throughout the year.
This Gaming PC build will not disappoint you when it comes to performance. We see a flagship Ryzen 9 CPU feature, which is currently one of thebest CPUs on the market. The CPU in this rig is partnered with one of the bestGPUs in the business to take care of all demanding workloads and will future-proof your setup for years to come.
To back up the powerful components, we have gone with arguably one of the best motherboards currently available. This mobo will stay strong and give you the reassurance you need to push your system to its limits. To help boost the performance, we see high capacity, fast RAM included, too, which goes a long way with Ryzen processors. Lastly, to finish off the build, we see a large NVMe M.2 to give you all the speedy boot times you need.
Upgradability and Future-Proofing
This high-end gaming PC is full to the brim with heavy-duty components, and there is almost no room for upgrades, however, this becomes inevitable as time and technology advances. The rig is future-proofed almost to the max, and it will bring some seriously good results for many years to come. The only logical next step is, of course, the RTX 4090 and a custom water cooling loop.
Overclocking
This PC build has no need to be overclocked, it’s one of the best you can buy but that doesn’t mean it can’t be boosted. There are customers out there who will always look to squeeze more value out of their components, and we have you covered. We have ensured we pick products that have overclocking capabilities and won’t leave you with a big burning hole (in your pocket or case).
Remember to double-check your RAM speeds once installed as it will unlikely to run at its full potential out of the box, you will have to enable an XMP/EXPO overclock. Don’t worry though, the motherboard is designed to handle overclocking, so all you need to do is go into the BIOS and enable an AMD EXPO or XMP profile to get the motherboard to recognize whatever your rated Memory speed is.
Ease Of Building
The $5000 build is nothing out of the ordinary, in fact, building it was pretty much the same as the $2000 build we recommend. The selected case is unbelievably spacious and makes the whole process extremely simple. There were no clearance issues, and the CPU cooler radiator fit like a glove. A plus with this case was the included pre-installed fans, keeping the system cool and saving you from buying extras. As mentioned, the case manufacturer is really at the top of the game, and you can see this with quality cable management options.
A screwdriver was the only tool required to complete the build, but if you want to ensure you protect your components fully, then invest in anti-static equipment. It is worth noting that the cooler will come with a small tube of thermal paste for you to apply some fresh paste on your CPU. We advise wiping off the old thermal paste and applying a branded type like the ones from our best thermal paste roundup. The better the thermal paste and application mean, the better your thermal performance will be.
Finance and purchase options
$5,000 is a lot of money, but that’s not to say you have to have the money at hand all at once to build your dream PC. Now, we’re not recommending you get into debt, but there are a number of “pay in 3” or 0% interest purchase options for a number of months. Always make sure you can afford the repayment when getting things on finance. You can also browse the 2nd hand market for parts of which to build your $5,000 PC. You can save a lot of money and save on electronic waste by shopping second-hand. There are only a couple of bits that we don’t recommend you get second hand and those are power supplies and Hard drives.
Build A Gaming PC By Price
Check out some of our price-focused custom PC build guides below.
Other Related Custom PC Guides:
Related Prebuilt Gaming PC Guides
Check out some of our related prebuilt PC guides below.
One Fateful Night, Cypress Ridge Experiences a Nearly Endless Nightmare.
On the other side of the coin, Outbreak RPG represents yet another way we’ve challenged ourselves to do something different with the Outbreak series. This is a rogue-like, turn-based adventure where survival is far from guaranteed. While most of our games explore survival horror gameplay from an action-oriented perspective, Outbreak RPG instead approaches this from a slower-paced, cerebral point-of-view.
The premise is simple; embark on a quest to evacuate survivors out of Cypress Ridge as the city has fallen to a zombie apocalypse. In this game, though, you need to manage a four-character party, complete with character-specific strengths and weaknesses, to take out deadly foes strategically. Do you attack with Lydia’s handgun for a higher chance of critically injuring monsters, or do you use Hank’s shotgun to hurt multiple ghouls with a single blast? Do you spend a turn to search for supplies or heal, or do you attempt to run away from an encounter entirely? Is it best to use a precious grenade when you’re out of ammo, or should you try to whittle down your opponent with a melee attack? These are the types of questions you’ll constantly need to answer correctly if you’re going to emerge from the city victorious.
In between random battles, you will stumble into events that may aid you in your fight or even deal damage to your party. The timing of your choices in and out of combat will also impact your initiative, which affects your luck. As you rescue each Survivor scattered throughout Cypress Ridge, you’ll receive perks ranging from increased health to powered-up weapons. Once you find all ten civilians, endure a final boss encounter and victory is yours! No play-through of Outbreak RPG is the same, however, and with four difficulty settings, you can re-enter the hellscape for a fresh challenge.
On today’s Videoguys Live, James reveals our top tips for a perfect outdoor streaming production! Whether you’re a vlogger, gamer, or live event enthusiast, our expert tips will elevate your outdoor live streams to professional levels. Don’t miss out on learning about the best gear, settings, and strategies for a flawless broadcast.
Watch the full video below:
Top Tips for Live Streaming Outdoors:
1. Pre-Event Setup and Testing
To ensure all equipment functions correctly and to familiarize yourself wit the streaming environment
Venue Visit: survey the location to identify potential issues with connectivity, lighting, and sound
Equipment Checklist: verify that all gear is present, functional, and compatible
Connectivity Test: stream a test video to check for stable internet or cellular connections
2. Backup Gear is your Livestream Lifeline
To prevent disruptions due to equipment failure
Spare Batteries and Chargers: for all battery-powered devices
Extra Memory Cards: to ensure ample storage for recordings
Secondary Audio Equipment: including microphones and cables
3. Redundancy is the Key to Uninterrupted Streaming
Cellular Bonding Devices: combine multiple cellular signals for a stronger connection
Dual Streaming: use two different streaming services as a fail-safe
4. Combating Glare
To protect equipment from the sun and improve visibility
Monitor Hoods: block out sunlight for clear screen visibility
Protect Umbrellas: shield cameras and operators from direct sunlight
5. Optimizing Outdoor Lighting
To achieve balanced lighting for high-quality visuals
Artificial Lighting: employ LED panels and soft-boxes for consistent lighting
Ask the venue what the lighting will be like before the show as to not be surprised during
6. Securing Your Equipment
To protect gear from weather-related damage
Weather-poof Containers: store sensitive equipment when not in use
Elevated Platforms: keep gear off the ground to avoid weather damage
Consider Outdoor Cameras: designs to heat/cool the camera, and usually water resistant
7. Camera Placement
To capture the event effectively without interfering with the live audience or risking damage to the equipment
Discreet Placement: tuck cameras close to the sidelines or back of the venue to minimize visual obstruction
Safety Netting: install protective netting around cameras to shield them from any stray or flying objects
Buffer Zones: create safe zones around cameras, especially in sports events, to prevent collision with balls or players
Remote Operation: utilize remote-controlled cameras to reduce the need for operator presence in high-risk areas
8. Ensuring Continuous Power
To prevent power less during the live stream
Portable Generators: provide a reliable power source for extended periods
Battery Banks: offer a quick power boost for mobile devices
9. Portable Solutions
To streamline the equipment for ease of transport and setup
Multi-Use Equipment: choose gear that serves multiple purposes
Compact Design: opt for foldable or collapsible gear
