The occult technology of power refers to the hidden or secret practices, rituals, and techniques that are believed to grant individuals or groups the ability to exert influence and control over others. The word occult is derived from the Latin word "occultus," which means hidden or secret. These occult practices, in relation to power, are often associated with magical or supernatural abilities. Throughout history, there have been numerous examples of societies or individuals harnessing the occult technology of power for various purposes. These practices can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, and Rome, where rituals and ceremonies were performed to gain favor from deities or spirits, in the hopes of obtaining power and influence. In some occult traditions, certain symbols, words, or actions are believed to carry specific powers or energies, and by utilizing them, practitioners can manipulate the forces of the universe to achieve desired outcomes.
The Magic Wand has a lower than average list price, but seeing as we found it almost unusable, we would consider this a very poor value. If you are working with a tight budget, the Scanner Pro App is a far better option, and it is free. If you are willing to spend just a couple more bucks, you can get the Brother DS-640 which scored relatively high in most of our tests and is a fraction of the price of similarly performing machines.
If you are willing to spend just a couple more bucks, you can get the Brother DS-640 which scored relatively high in most of our tests and is a fraction of the price of similarly performing machines. After choosing your settings, you can scan as a wand scanner by staring with the scanner at the top or side of a page, pressing the scan button, and then sweeping down or across the page.
In some occult traditions, certain symbols, words, or actions are believed to carry specific powers or energies, and by utilizing them, practitioners can manipulate the forces of the universe to achieve desired outcomes. Examples of such practices include spell casting, divination, astral projection, and invocation of spirits or entities. While the occult technology of power has often been associated with ceremonial magic or witchcraft, it also extends to other systems or disciplines.
VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand With AutoFeed Dock (PDSDK-ST470-VP) Review
The VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand With AutoFeed Dock (PDSDK-ST470-VP) is both a highly portable wand scanner and, when mounted in its dock, a manual-feed scanner, too.
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Pros
- Scans without a computer.
- Works as both wand scanner by itself and as a manual-feed scanner with its dock.
Cons
- Comes without required microSD memory card.
Similar in many ways to the VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand With AutoFeed Dock (PDS-ST450-VP) that it's in the process of replacing, the VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand with AutoFeed Dock PDSDK-ST470-VP ($140 list) offers the same dual personality as a both a wand scanner and manual-feed scanner, but delivers one key extra. Thanks to its 1.5-inch color LCD, you can see a thumbnail of each scan and zoom in to check scan quality on the spot. That's enough to make it a lot more useful for scanning originals that you won't be able to rescan easily later if the first scan didn't come out well.
Being able to preview a thumbnail image is, admittedly, a second-best solution. Much better is being able to send the scan to a smartphone or tablet by Wi-Fi to preview it at a larger size, as you can with the Brother DSmobile 820W manual-feed scanner that I recently reviewed or the Editors' Choice VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Wi-Fi PDSWF-ST44-VP .
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That said, a thumbnail preview is a lot better than nothing. And in combination with the dock that turns this wand scanner into a manual-feed scanner, it makes the PDSDK-ST470-VP($169.88 at Amazon) one of the better choices for wand scanners.
Basics and Setup
Much like the VuPoint PDS-ST450-VP, the PDSDK-ST470-VP scanner offers the same portability you get with any wand scanner, with both a small size, at 1.1 by 10.5 by 1.5 inches (HWD), and light weight, at seven ounces.
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The dock weighs another one pound five ounces, which is enough that you might not want to bring it with you. It also needs a power source, which means you have to connect it by the supplied USB cable to either a computer or the supplied power adaptor, with the adaptor plugged into an outlet. The good news is that even though the weight and need for a power source make the dock less portable than it could be, it earns points for being easy to use. I found I could snap the scanner into place or remove it in less than a second.
In addition to its dock, USB cable, and power block, the scanner comes with a permanently installed rechargeable battery and Abbyy FineReader 9.0 Sprint for optical character recognition (OCR). Unfortunately, it doesn't come with microSD or microSDHC card. That's important to know before you buy the scanner, since you can't scan without one. According to VuPoint Solutions, you can use cards with up to a 32GB capacity.
Setup is easy. Plug in a memory card, charge the battery by connecting to a computer or power outlet, and optionally install FineReader on your computer. When the battery finishes charging, you're ready to scan.
Scanning
The scanner offers slightly different resolution choices depending on whether you're using it by itself or with the dock. As a wand scanner you can set the resolution to 300, 600, or 1,050 pixels per inch (ppi), set the color mode to color or grayscale, and set the file format to JPG, image PDF for A4 size paper, or image PDF for letter-size paper. Snap it into the dock, and the color mode and file format choices remain the same, but the resolution choices change to 300, 600, and 1,200 ppi.
After choosing your settings, you can scan as a wand scanner by staring with the scanner at the top or side of a page, pressing the scan button, and then sweeping down or across the page. If you're using the dock, you feed the page far enough for the rollers to grab it, and let go. Using the dock, I timed the scan at roughly 11 to 15 seconds, depending on the resolution setting.
After scanning you can see thumbnails of your scans and zoom in on them to check scan quality. The feature is limited however. You can only scroll up and down when you're zoomed in, not right and left. In addition, the aspect ratio on the previews is off, so everything looks relatively longer and thinner than the actual scan. It's easy enough to discount the distortion, but it could lead you to overlooking an actual problem in scan quality.
As with most scanners that scan without a computer, you can move the scan files to your computer either by physically moving the card or by connecting to the computer with a USB cable, letting the computer recognize the card as a USB drive, and copying the files. You also have the option of either connecting the USB cable directly to the scanner or connecting it to the dock, with the scanner mounted in the dock.
Results
Given that Abbyy FineReader is the only program the scanner comes with, there were only two applications I could test the scanner for: optical character recognition (OCR) and document management. It did reasonably well on both, although the lack of an automatic document feeder and duplexing (two-sided scanning), puts limits the maximum possible score in both cases.
For OCR, the combination of the scanner and FineReader did a good job, recognizing text on our Times New Roman test page at 10 points and on our Arial page at 8 points without a mistake at 300 ppi. It also helps that FineReader can turn multiple individual files with one page each into a single, multi-page text file for editing. For document management, similarly, it can turn multiple pages into a single, multi-page searchable PDF file.
I'd like this scanner even more if you could run the dock from batteries, if it had a better preview function, or both. As it is, if you want a portable manual feed scanner that doesn't need a computer and can run on batteries, you should take a look at the Brother DSmobile 820W. And if you don't need the manual feed at all, you should consider the Editors' Choice PDSWF-ST44-VP, with its Wi-Fi capability. If you need both a wand and manual-feed scanner, however, the VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand With AutoFeed Dock (PDSDK-ST470-VP) can easily fill both slots.
The VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand is an interesting concept for a home office, and both its price point and portability are very appealing. However, it proved to be so challenging to use that we could not recommend buying it. Unless you have an incredibly steady hand and a lot of patience, chances are your scans are going to come out looking awful. While it is nice that this scanner can handle pages from books, something most document scanners can't do, its shortcomings far outweigh that singular advantage. You would be much better off getting the incredibly cheap Scanner Pro App than using the Magic Wand.
For example, mysticism, alchemy, and esotericism can all be considered as aspects of the occult technology of power, as they involve the pursuit of hidden knowledge and spiritual development, which ultimately leads to increased personal power and understanding of the universe. It is important to note that the occult technology of power is often viewed with skepticism and considered by some as mere superstition or pseudoscience. However, many individuals and groups continue to practice these traditions and believe in their efficacy. The intent behind the use of occult practices for power can vary, ranging from personal growth and spiritual fulfillment to gaining control over others or manipulating events to serve one's own agendas. In conclusion, the occult technology of power encompasses a wide range of practices and beliefs aimed at accessing hidden or supernatural forces to increase personal power and influence. Despite its controversial nature and skepticism from many, occult practices continue to be both studied and practiced by individuals and groups seeking to explore the depths of the human potential and the mysteries of the universe..
Reviews for "The Hidden Forces at Work: Unraveling the Secrets of Occult Power"
1) Jennifer - 1 star
I really did not enjoy "The Occult Technology of Power". From the very beginning, I found it hard to follow the author's train of thought. The book lacked a clear structure and was filled with unnecessary jargon, making it difficult for me to grasp the main points. Additionally, I felt that the author was pushing his own personal beliefs onto the reader, which made it feel more like a biased opinion piece rather than a well-researched book. Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a serious exploration of occult technology.
2) Mark - 2 stars
As someone interested in the occult and the study of power, I was really disappointed with "The Occult Technology of Power". The book promised to offer unique insights and practical techniques, but it fell short on both counts. The author's writing style was convoluted and often veered off into tangents, making it hard to follow his arguments. Moreover, the promised practical exercises were vague and not clearly explained, leaving me feeling frustrated and unsatisfied. I would suggest looking elsewhere for a more coherent and actionable guide on these subjects.
3) Emma - 2 stars
I had high hopes for "The Occult Technology of Power", but unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. The book seemed to lack a clear focus, with the author jumping from one topic to another without providing a cohesive narrative. The language used was unnecessarily complex, making it difficult for me to fully comprehend the concepts being discussed. Additionally, I found the author's bias towards certain belief systems off-putting, as it overshadowed the objective analysis I was hoping for. Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a well-structured and unbiased exploration of occult technology.