GTA Online is Rockstar's incredibly popular cash cow that has been keeping gamers busy since 2013. Although the game should be relatively mature at this stage in its life, it still has plenty of flaws, such as horrendous loading times. These loading time issues have annoyed countless players, and now one player has tracked down the root issue to improve performance.
GTA V fan T0ST recently picked up GTA Online again to finish some new heists that have come out since he last played, but he was "shocked (/s) to discover that it still loads just as slow as the day it was released 7 years ago." With some grit, determination, and perhaps even some spite, T0ST decided it was "time to get to the bottom of this."
gta online ridiculous load times fixed benchmark
In the process of digging into GTA Online, T0ST had to do due diligence and research to make sure no one else figured out the problem. Once it was established that no one had, he ran some benchmarks on his PC with an aging FX-8350 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 GPU, 16GB of DDR3, and a "cheap-o" Kingston SSD. Though these parts may be old, they should be plenty to get GTA Online off the ground in decent time, but that is not what happened. According to the data in the blog post, T0ST got into the story mode in approximately one minute and ten seconds, whereas it took nearly six minutes to get into online mode. After some polling, it appears that many other users are having the same issue . What could be happening here?
gta online ridiculous load times fixed taskmanager
Using the task manager, T0ST found that his CPU was being eaten for around four minutes during GTA Online's load process. Perhaps it was just a bottleneck happening on his CPU alone, but that would not make much sense. To track down the issue, T0ST went to dump the running processes' stack, showing where the offending process is happening in RAM. This information, acquired through Luke Stackwalker, gave T0ST a place to look for whatever was causing issues.
gta online ridiculous load times fixed lukestackwalker
After falling down the rabbit hole of trying to track down where the memory pointed, it all started to come together through assembly code reading and obfuscation. Evidently, when loading into GTA Online, a whopping 10MB worth of JSON is being parsed. It seems that it is data for something called "net shop catalog," which is likely just all the things purchasable in GTA Online using in-game currency.
gta online ridiculous load times fixed parseloop
Why this parsing takes so long is due to a function used called sscanf, which, in this instance, can be loosely equated to reading Romeo and Juliet by reading one word, then rereading the play, and then jumping back to the next word in the play. Furthermore, there is another bad programming issue just beside sscanf, which goes through the entire list of JSON entries in an array, one by one, and checks to see if there are duplicates by comparing a unique ID assigned to each item called a hash. Ultimately, it is a lot of extra and unnecessary work that slows down everything.
To solve this issue, T0ST decided to write a .dll (Dynamic Linked Library) and inject it into GTA so that sscanf is effectively streamlined. Also, rather than running duplication checks, they can just be skipped as items inserted into the storage array will always be unique, as was set up during the parsing effort. Once T0ST injected the DLL into GTA with both issues fixed, he saw his load times go from around six minutes down to a solid approximate two minutes.
As T0ST explains, this "won't solve everyone's load times - there might be other bottlenecks on different systems, but it's such a gaping hole that I have no idea how R* has missed it all these years." Ultimately, Rockstar needs to dig into this issue to save all GTA Online players headaches during loading. If you want to see what T0ST did exactly, you can check out his GitHub here and see what is going on. In any case, perhaps we will soon get an official statement from the development company, so keep an eye on HotHardware for updates.

[HELP] I have a Synology DS420+ and seven Foscam cameras. The cameras are two or three years old and there are three different models. The Synology is used for a remote backup for a small business, so it sees a backup cycle once each day from the business. Also the family use it for laptop/desktop backup and Synology Photo. I am running three drives for a total of 16TB of storage, otherwise it is a stock unit from the factory. So I have an open drive bay. I am considering now using the NAS to manage the video cameras. Sounds like I should consider adding a fourth drive with its own volume just for video. I will need five more video licenses. Possibly add some more RAM. And as I understand I will not have AI support for the cameras. Looking for a recommendation on how to best use the budget to add the surveillance function. AI would be nice to have, but a what cost?
from NAScompares.com - Data Storage Blog

I saw that it is very cheap for storing 2TB so it is really worth it or should I buy 1TB of storage for the same price?

Hi All,
Visiting next week for a few days. I had the ACME hotel on hold (seemed like a good location river north and a cheap price with decent reviews). My alternate had been the River hotel (similar price, but closer to the parks, i heard there's not much around that area at night though).
My friend recently stayed at the Chicago Athletic Association and loved it (he's from Chi) and i heard it recommended here before. Price wise it's a bit more (around $350 more for the three days than the other two).
Wanted opinions on this group as i can still cancel ACME and change my booking. CAA seems like a nice place and really convenient during the day, seems like i may have to uber or train for night activities but that's probably true of all the locations somewhat.
Activity wise, each day i'll probably just do museums or walk around. I plan to hit a boat tour though i dont know the best time of day.
At night it's largely planned out - my first night is open but i was considering checking out the chicago theater. Second night I'm hitting Alenia which has been on my bucket list, and third night i have a concert at United.
Thoughts?

I have lofty goals for this office space, but I'm not confident I can achieve everything I have in mind. We started using this den as her office, but it's slowly turned into a storage space that we clearly aren't making strong use of. Our anniversary is coming up, and she'll be away shortly before. Please help my create her ideal space!
​
The image should be accurate to it's real proportions!
It's a very oddly shaped room... Here's what currently there:

• there is an old bookshelf, but it's way too small. We have books all over the house, because they don't remotely fit! I'm hoping if I can figure out what size would fit, I can keep an eye out for one on a second hand market.
• I am unlikely to replace her desk (48 x 24 in) at this time. She also has a small cheap cabinet next to it that is fairly useful. She hates that office chair, but obviously she'll still need one
• Space for the keyboard (52 x 12 in) is a must! But we'd probably hang the guitars on the wall
• We like the table that's under the window. But we're not married to it. Some form of storage (that isn't just another surface) is clearly needed here though!

Here is our current disaster of an attempt to make use of this room...
Making better use of the space, and replacing a few pieces of furniture would make a huge difference! But I have some dream items I'd also like to somehow incorporate if there is any leftover space:

• She reads A LOT! Having a cozy reading corner with an armchair would be amazing. Again, that's probably something I'll pick up second hand.
• She paints and draws a lot, but has to make due at our kitchen table. A table/desk space she could use specifically for art would be great.
  • Whether this is a part of the same space, or separate, storage for her many art supplies would be huge!
  • This is the lowest priority item, since she can technically still use the kitchen

So i am planning a trip to Islamabad,Pakistan from Houston, USA. The flight if i book with money is going to cost me around $1150-1200. I went to emirates website and tried to book it with points,but it was asking a whopping 170k points +$500 tax. So that is definitely a no no for me.
I have around 100k United points, 100k Capital one points and 150k AMEX points. Is there a hack where i can transfer these points to one of the partner airlines and book it for cheap?
Thank you in advance

Hi all,
Long time returning player here. Recently I decided to try out surface experiments as I have been getting back into the game since the release of KSP 2.
I had already established a surface base on minmus so I opted to send a supply mission to the surface outpost to set up some experiments there.
Once I had arrived I used an engineer to drop the experiments on the ground not knowing that they needed to be deployed by a scientist. But by the time I had figured this out when I went to try and pick up the experiments to put them back into storage and start over, neither scientist nor engineer kerbals are able to interact with the dropped experiments.
If I try to pick them up in build mode nothing works, If I try to have a scientist pick them up and even deploy them directly on the ground without picking them up and still nothing. All my kerbals inventories are empty and are unable to do anything with the dropped experiments. What confuses me is that the control unit can be picked up and deployed but nothing else.
I feel like I should disclose I am running CKAN with a few graphics mods plus Mech Jeb, KER, and X Science but nothing that would affect overall gameplay

The following description is not provided by this sub or any of its contributors.
£0.90 - Asda
These have shot up in price in all the supermarkets my buying point used to be around £1 so at 90p just couldn't resist
added by @NP23
Those on offer include:
The BAKERY at ASDA Apple Pie
Deliciously Baked for You.
Suitable for vegetarians.
Ingredients
Fortified Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1)], Bramley Apples (21%), Caster Sugar, Water, Palm Oil, Apple Purée, Palm Kernel Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Modified Maize Starch, Emulsifier (Polyglycerol Esters of Fatty Acids), Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Preservative (Citric Acid), Salt, Flavouring, Firming Agent (Calcium Chloride), Colour (Carotenes)
For allergens, including Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients in bold.
Due to the way we prepare our in-store products, they may contain additional allergens including peanuts, nuts, sesame seeds, milk, eggs, soya, wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut, mustard, celery and sulphites. Adults need around 2000 kcal a day. Per serving: 309 kcal. Number of servings: 5. Total kcals: 1,545 kcal.
Storage
Store in a clean, dry airtight container in a cool, dry place. Reseal after use
Country of Origin
United Kingdom
The BAKERY at ASDA Cherry Pie
Suitable for vegetarians
Ingredients
Fortified Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1)], Water, Cherries (20%), Caster Sugar, Palm Oil, Modified Maize Starch, Palm Kernel Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Flavouring, Emulsifier (Polyglycerol Esters of Fatty Acids), Colour (Carotenes)
For allergens, including Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients in bold.
Due to the way we prepare our in-store products, they may contain additional allergens including peanuts, nuts, sesame seeds, milk, eggs, soya, wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut, mustard, celery and sulphites. Adults need around 2000 kcal a day. Per serving: 261 kcal. Number of servings: 5. Total kcals: 1,305 kcal.
Useful Links
Store Locator
Click & Collect
How to Shop Online
Help & Refunds
Asda Rewards
This deal can be found on hotukdeals via this link: https://ift.tt/AJOeU0V

When I got stationed in Las Vegs, my husband and I went to a storage unit company to put our stuff. I had to pee really bad and there was only 1 bathroom. I went in, saw a skid mark on the toilet and used paper towels to cover it up and then squatted. The TP was out to I had to use PT to wipe. As I was peeing, someone was beating on the door, screaming at me to hurry up. I wash my hands, get out and this lady is yelling about me using the bathroom. Then she proceeds to flip her shit bc she thinks that I left the poop mark on the seat, calling me a nasty bitch. All the while, her young son stood there, embarrassed, and kept asking his mom to stop

RubyLee Shanxian Road 274399, 274399 Shanxian Road, Shinan District, Qingdao, Shandong, China I bought a shoe storage unit that cost 75 Canadian dollars. It has been over 1 month and I received an Alenki!!!!
I'm in Sainte-Adele, QC, Canada

onlineshopping #scam #delivery #onlinescam #shanxianlu #qingdaoshi #shandongsheng #china

Read full report here

Hey all, I’m downsizing and am looking into storage units, any advice on where to get the best price? Not too concerned about location and don’t need that much space

So NYC real estate is super unique..usually mortgages elsewhere in the U.S. can be had with down payments as low as 5%. In NYC, co-ops seem to be extremely prevalent and as I understand it virtually all of them require down payments of at least 20-25%.
Is there a "workaround" to get a co-op without having that much cash? Even a "cheap" unit might run $500k in Manhattan, which would mean a buyer needs more than $100k in liquid cash (plus more for fees and liquidity requirements) to qualify for the purchase. The vast majority of people obviously have trouble saving that much.
I have a very good job and have a very healthy monthly income where I would could easily make the mortgage payments on a $500k purchase. However, for a variety of reasons (mostly paying massive rent prices) I just haven't saved anywhere near that amount.
Is there a way to get around the 20-25% requirements for co-ops if a person has a very healthy monthly income and can easily afford the payments?
Just curious.

Hey all.
I’m pretty much a newbie, but have been at it part time for a bit now. I’ve made some successful spot color prints, mostly for my business, staff shirts, etc. All spot colors.
I started with the cheap blue press deal, and still have it. But upgraded to a Vastex table top 4 color 1 unit station, and took a 3 day class at Kolormatrix, in Atlanta.
I’m ready to start trying CMYK, some more difficult prints.
My question is, are there videos, practices, etc, where you can come up with designs based on 3 colors, knowing I’m going to have a white under base as one of my screens?
This may be a stupid question, but kind of, designing around only having a 4 color press, and knowing one has to be white under base.
Is that something?

I've heard about municipal support for secondary residential units/secondary suites. Obviously there are strict zoning requirements if the unit is going to be rented.
Do the same requirements apply if a homeowner wishes to use a secondary suite for their own use? For example, if someone has a garage that's only used for storage purposes, could it be converted to a freestanding bedroom/bathroom combo, and would the same zoning requirements apply?

I’m at risk of losing my storage unit and we need to make groceries, I’ve been out of work for 2 months due to hours being cut and no transportation to get there. We had a car accident back in September which caused me to put in over $1,000 into Ubering to and from work during the holiday season. I’m struggling really bad now. Anything will help. Cashapp: $SunflowerShannon Venmo: @SunflowerShannon PayPal: EmeraldSunShine02

I am moving to a smaller place and I am unable to keep all of my manga collection. I am planning on putting some of it in a storage unit. Does anyone have any recommendations for plastic bins (ideally on amazon) that I can get to store them? Thanks so much!

I’m looking for a DAP and it needs to meet the following criteria:

• Android OS
• Expandable storage
• LDAC support

I was thinking about grabbing a secondhand Sony NW-A105 Walkman off Amazon, but could I do better with a cheap smartphone? Not sure where to look. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!