Lmst

🚀 Breaking news from the Ivory Tower: Drinking overpriced lattes in a Starbucks somehow makes your garage #startup more legit! ☕️🧠 Because who needs a business plan when you can just bask in the aroma of burnt coffee beans and free Wi-Fi? 📈
https://thetreeoflife.cc/demo #IvoryTower #Culture #OverpricedLattes #CoffeeEntrepreneurship #BusinessHumor #HackerNews #ngated

painted my nails 💅🏼 (yes I know they're a mess; I've been painting my nails for years and still can't stay in the lines !)

Holo Taco ivory tower topped with polar princess.

#nailpolish #paintednails #holotaco #ivorytower #polarprincess #messynails

🆕The Crew 2 z trybem offline jeszcze przed końcem 2025 roku
➡️https://rootblog.pl/the-crew-2-z-trybem-offline-jeszcze-przed-koncem-2025-roku/

#gaming #IvoryTower #TheCrew #TheCrew2 #TheCrewMotorfest #TheCrewWildRun #Ubisoft

The Crew 2 is getting an offline mode play test and it, unsurprisingly, won't have all of its online features - https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-crew-2-is-getting-an-offline-mode-play-test-and-it-unsurprisingly-wont-have-all-of-its-online-features #MultiplayerCompetitive #MultiplayerCooperative #UbisoftEntertainment #SinglePlayer #Thirdperson #IvoryTower #TheCrew2 #Ubisoft #XboxOne #Racing #MMORPG #PS4 #PC

You never owned the game, insist Ubisoft to The Crew players that are suing the publisher - https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/you-never-owned-the-game-insist-ubisoft-to-the-crew-players-that-are-suing-the-publisher #MultiplayerCooperative #MultiplayerCompetitive #UbisoftEntertainment #UbisoftReflections #ActionAdventure #SinglePlayer #Firstperson #Thirdperson #AsoboStudio #IvoryTower #XboxOne #Xbox360 #Ubisoft #TheCrew #Racing #MMORPG #PS4 #PC

#HappyBirthday @garrettrwang #GarrettRWang #actor #kim #startrek #voyager #LowerDecks #ivorytower #demondisland #alongsidenight #Unbelievable #MonsterForceZero #intothewest #ofgodsandmen #AmericanDad #deltaflyer #startrek58 @startrek @startrekonpplus

@TomWellborn

JFC! These fucking #Fascist #oligarch #Whiny #Crybaby #IvoryTower #narcissist #Racist #Idiots really don't understand the things most of us learned in 6th or 7th grade....

They want to re-create a #xenophobic #KKKlan based #Monarchy

#Resist #fascism #Read #TimSnyder

Ubisoft is being sued over The Crew in a lawsuit that compares the server shutdown to a bumperless pinball machine - https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/ubisoft-is-being-sued-over-the-crew-in-a-lawsuit-that-compares-the-server-shutdown-to-a-bumperless-pinball-machine #MultiplayerCompetitive #MultiplayerCooperative #UbisoftReflections #ActionAdventure #SinglePlayer #Thirdperson #Firstperson #AsoboStudio #IvoryTower #TheCrew #Ubisoft #Xbox360 #XboxOne #MMORPG #Racing #PS4 #PC

A new Quick Takes video about why relying on on cliche, reductive, and dismissive dichotomies is bad for one's thinking and development. Prime example: claiming others speak from an "ivory tower" as opposed to "real life"

https://youtu.be/8nDFKKvcasA
#videos #philosophy #criticism #IvoryTower #advice

Ubisoft are adding offline modes to The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest after getting savaged over junking The Crew - https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/ubisoft-are-adding-offline-modes-to-the-crew-2-and-the-crew-motorfest-after-getting-savaged-over-junking-the-crew #MultiplayerCooperative #MultiplayerCompetitive #UbisoftEntertainment #TheCrewMotorfest #ActionAdventure #XboxSeriesX/S #SinglePlayer #Thirdperson #Firstperson #IvoryTower #TheCrew2 #XboxOne #Ubisoft #Racing #MMORPG #PS5 #PS4 #PC

Sometimes scientists seem to be quite removed from reality. This study aimed to determine whether participants could be encouraged to consume more local news. They were disappointed at the low uptake.

Re-wording the outcome, they discovered that people tend not to click on online ads or respond to junk mail, with only 1.7% of people responding.

I've tried to run online ad campaigns in the past, and to me, a 1.7% click-through rate is pretty good. As for junk mail, how many people even look at it before throwing it in the garbage?

#Psychology #IvoryTower

https://www.psypost.org/free-newspaper-subscriptions-were-offered-to-thousands-the-results-were-stunningly-bleak/

UK government responds to petition asking them to regulate publishers into keeping games "in a working state" - https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/uk-government-responds-to-petition-asking-them-to-regulate-publishers-into-keeping-games-in-a-working-state #MultiplayerCompetitive #MultiplayerCooperative #UbisoftReflections #ActionAdventure #SinglePlayer #Thirdperson #AsoboStudio #Firstperson #IvoryTower #Xbox360 #TheCrew #Ubisoft #XboxOne #MMORPG #Racing #PS4 #PC

The Crew has started disappearing from game libraries after its closure last month - https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-crew-has-started-disappearing-from-game-libraries-after-its-closure-last-month?utm_source=feed&utm;_medium=rss&utm;_campaign=feed #MultiplayerCompetitive #MultiplayerCooperative #UbisoftReflections #ActionAdventure #SinglePlayer #AsoboStudio #Thirdperson #Firstperson #IvoryTower #Xbox360 #XboxOne #Ubisoft #TheCrew #Racing #MMORPG #PS4 #PC

Stop Killing Games hopes to petition regulators to stop developers from shutting down games - https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/stop-killing-games-hopes-to-petition-regulators-to-stop-developers-from-shutting-down-games?utm_source=feed&utm;_medium=rss&utm;_campaign=feed #MultiplayerCompetitive #MultiplayerCooperative #UbisoftReflections #ActionAdventure #SinglePlayer #Firstperson #Thirdperson #AsoboStudio #IvoryTower #TheCrew #Ubisoft #XboxOne #Xbox360 #MMORPG #Racing #PS4 #PC

https://www.unpopularfront.news/p/what-happened-here

With its capacity to predict new facts and give an explanation the old ones, a theory that includes fascism as a key context and touchstone is the better research program, to borrow a concept from the philosopher of science Imre Lakatos.

#uspol #fascism #maga #nazis #nationalism #ivorytower #academia #academicchatter #trump #proudboys

Ivory Tower – Heavy Rain Review

By Steel Druhm

Ivory Tower have been a minor force in the Germanic prog-metal scene since 1998. I didn’t pay them much heed over the years, but that all changed when I took a flyer on their 2019 album Stronger. Expecting little, I walked into a buzzsaw and was quickly carved up by a highly catchy and memorable platter of vibrant prog metal led by the powerhouse vocals of one Dirk Meyer. It ended up on my Top Ten(ish) of 2019 and became one of my all-time favorite prog-metal releases. Naturally, I wanted a lot MOAR of the same from Ivory Tower. When news broke that Dirk Meyer left the band, I was disheartened, but I didn’t give up the ghost entirely. I still hoped the band could soldier on and deliver something even stronger than Stronger. Jump forward several years and we have their new album Heavy Rain (godawful title). In place of Meyer is newcomer Francis Soto, who’s been around the block having participated in a ton of other acts. Along with the new frontman comes a fresh approach that skews more toward hard rock and Jorn-y soundscapes than past material did. That means a lot of change and adjusting for someone so enamored with the style heard on Stronger. Can the Steel Dude abide?

While I miss the sound from Stronger, what Ivory Tower attempt here is well within my musical wheelhouse. Opener “Black Rain”1 is a simplistic, hard-rocking number that isn’t really prog at all. It’s like Herman Frank or recent Firewind, with Francis Soto serving up a gritty, bluesy roar somewhere between Jorn and Blaze Bayley. I like the song on a surface level but it’s nowhere near essential listening nor the kind of tune you’d seize for a playlist. “Holy War” is a touch more engaging with some big guitar pyrotechnics, but it’s essentially dad rock with a rowdy edge and a beer belly, and as such, it has no business running over six minutes. “Never” is a more emotive variant with a bit of Evergrey’s mope and pomp, but it’s still pretty flat despite Soto putting his back into his vocals.

The remainder of Heavy Rain falls between decent and kinda-sorta okay. Sadly, some of the better cuts are burdened by unnecessary bloat. “The Destination” is a decent piece with heavy riffs offset by sparkling keys and Soto does a good job roaring through the din, but it absolutely doesn’t need to be seven minutes and should clock out around five. Tracks like “Heavy Ride” and “Monster” are solid enough to hold interest but aren’t the kind of songs you’ll need to hear again. “Voices” is superior but gets submarined by a 7-minute runtime when it’s not interesting enough to warrant the length. It’s hard to process that this is the same band that gave us Stronger, as the writing and overall style are so different and sadly, much less captivating. At a zaftig 58 minutes, Heavy Rain feels overlong despite, or because the material is so simplistic. Tightening and reducing would go a long way here.

Francis Soto is a good vocalist and would fit in well with a band like Herman Frank. He’s got a commanding rasp and can emote a bit too. He’s not the ideal singer for most kinds of prog-metal, but then again, Heavy Rain isn’t really a prog album. Sven Böge is a very talented six-string warrior and I commend him for not littering every song with 50 lusty wank-o-thons. When he does go nuclear, it’s impressive, but the focus is generally kept on groove rather than burying the listener under riffs. Where Stronger had many a duel between Böge and keyboardist Frank Fasold, here they mostly stay in their lanes and keep things low-key. This results in an album that feels like it’s holding back, which is noble, but also rather dull.

Heavy Rain isn’t a bad album but it’s mostly forgettable dad/hard rock-infused metal without much to set it apart. It’s a radical dropoff from Stronger and returns Ivory Tower to their normal place in the metalverse. I’m rather bummed out by this development but gravity is a bitch.2 So much for getting Stronger.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Massacre
Websites: ivorytower.de | facebook.com/ivorytower.de
Releases Worldwide: March 29th, 2024

#25 #2024 #Evergrey #Firewind #GermanMetal #HeavyRain #IvoryTower #Jorn #Mar24 #MassacreRecords #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #Stronger