#In-Store Recycling Program

[dippedanddripped]

RESOURCED: GUESS In-Store Recycling Program

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - July 22-28

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my new(ly repurposed) Patreon!

1. Four new cheetah cubs born in Saudi Arabia after 40 years of extinction

“[T]he discovery of mummified cheetahs in caves […] which ranged in age from 4,000 to as recent as 120 years, proved that the animals […] once called [Saudi Arabia] home. The realisation kick-started the country’s Cheetah Conservation Program to bring back the cats to their historic Arabian range. […] Dr Mohammed Qurban, CEO of the NCW, said: […] “This motivates us to continue our efforts to restore and reintroduce cheetahs, guided by an integrated strategy designed in accordance with best international practices.””

2. In sub-Saharan Africa, ‘forgotten’ foods could boost climate resilience, nutrition

“[A study published in PNAS] examined “forgotten” crops that may help make sub-Saharan food systems more resilient, and more nutritious, as climate change makes it harder to grow [current staple crops.] [… The study identified 138 indigenous] food crops that were “relatively underresearched, underutilized, or underpromoted in an African context,” but which have the nutrient content and growing stability to support healthy diets and local economies in the region. […] In Eswatini, van Zonneveld and the World Vegetable Center are working with schools to introduce hardy, underutilized vegetables to their gardens, which have typically only grown beans and maize.”

3. Here's how $4 billion in government money is being spent to reduce climate pollution

“[New Orleans was awarded] nearly $50 million to help pay for installing solar on low to middle income homes [… and] plans to green up underserved areas with trees and build out its lackluster bike lane system to provide an alternative to cars. […] In Utah, $75 million will fund several measures from expanding electric vehicles to reducing methane emissions from oil and gas production. [… A] coalition of states led by North Carolina will look to store carbon in lands used for agriculture as well as natural places like wetlands, with more than $400 million. [… This funding is] “providing investments in communities, new jobs, cost savings for everyday Americans, improved air quality, … better health outcomes.””

4. From doom scrolling to hope scrolling: this week’s big Democratic vibe shift

“[Democrats] have been on an emotional rollercoaster for the past few weeks: from grim determination as Biden fought to hang on to his push for a second term, to outright exuberance after he stepped aside and Harris launched her campaign. […] In less than a week, the Harris campaign raised record-breaking sums and signed up more than 100,000 new volunteers[….] This honeymoon phase will end, said Democratic strategist Guy Cecil, warning the election will be a close race, despite this newfound exuberance in his party. [… But v]oters are saying they are excited to vote for Harris and not just against Trump. That’s new.”

5. Biodegradable luminescent polymers show promise for reducing electronic waste

“[A team of scientists discovered that a certain] chemical enables the recycling of [luminescent polymers] while maintaining high light-emitting functions. […] At the end of life, this new polymer can be degraded under either mild acidic conditions (near the pH of stomach acid) or relatively low heat treatment (> 410 F). The resulting materials can be isolated and remade into new materials for future applications. […] The researchers predict this new polymer can be applied to existing technologies, such as displays and medical imaging, and enable new applications […] such as cell phones and computer screens with continued testing.”

6. World’s Biggest Dam Removal Project to Open 420 Miles of Salmon Habitat this Fall

“Reconnecting the river will help salmon and steelhead populations survive a warming climate and [natural disasters….] In the long term, dam removal will significantly improve water quality in the Klamath. “Algae problems in the reservoirs behind the dams were so bad that the water was dangerous for contact […] and not drinkable,” says Fluvial Geomorphologist Brian Cluer. [… The project] will begin to reverse decades of habitat degradation, allow threatened salmon species to be resilient in the face of climate change, and restore tribal connections to their traditional food source.”

7. Biden-Harris Administration Awards $45.1 Million to Expand Mental Health and Substance Use Services Across the Lifespan

““Be it fostering wellness in young people, caring for the unhoused, facilitating treatment and more, this funding directly supports the needs of our neighbors,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. [The funding also supports] recovery and reentry services to adults in the criminal justice system who have a substance use disorder[… and clinics which] serve anyone who asks for help for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay.”

8. The World’s Rarest Crow Will Soon Fly Free on Maui

“[… In] the latest attempt to establish a wild crow population, biologists will investigate if this species can thrive on Maui, an island where it may have never lived before. Translocations outside of a species’ known historical range are rare in conservation work, but for a bird on the brink of extinction, it’s a necessary experiment: Scientists believe the crows will be safer from predators in a new locale—a main reason that past reintroduction attempts failed. […] As the release date approaches, the crows have already undergone extensive preparation for life in the wild. […] “We try to give them the respect that you would give if you were caring for someone’s elder.””

9. An optimist’s guide to the EV battery mining challenge

““Battery minerals have a tremendous benefit over oil, and that’s that you can reuse them.” [… T]he report’s authors found there’s evidence to suggest that [improvements in technology] and recycling have already helped limit demand for battery minerals in spite of this rapid growth — and that further improvements can reduce it even more. [… They] envision a scenario in which new mining for battery materials can basically stop by 2050, as battery recycling meets demand. In this fully realized circular battery economy, the world must extract a total of 125 million tons of battery minerals — a sum that, while hefty, is actually 17 times smaller than the oil currently harvested every year to fuel road transport.”

10. Peekaboo! A baby tree kangaroo debuts at the Bronx Zoo

“The tiny Matschie’s tree kangaroo […] was the third of its kind born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008. [… A] Bronx Zoo spokesperson said that the kangaroo's birth was significant for the network of zoos that aims to preserve genetic diversity among endangered animals. "It's a small population and because of that births are not very common," said Jessica Moody, curator of primates and small mammals at the Bronx Zoo[, …] adding that baby tree kangaroos are “possibly one of the cutest animals to have ever lived. They look like stuffed animals, it's amazing.””

July 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[alostwanderernotfound]

Why do sometimes really weird & unexplainable things kind of happen?

Looking at the Theoretical Intersection between Anatomy & Physiology & Electronics

***This is coming from the perspective of attempting to explain (in the most simple ways possible) how foreign advanced technology possibly “hacks” the foundations of organic life. ***

Our bodies are composed of nerves. When electricity goes from one nerve and travels to another nerve then an action occurs. When something in our environment is sensed (like hearing a noise) our organs are able to sense the information & produce electricity to carry that information back to the brain to be processed.

Anatomically we have the brain, the spinal cord, our sensory organs, cranial nerves, and “all the other individually named nerves” that branch off of those.

(There is further differentiation between central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, & autonomic, and other ways to differentiate in anatomy and physiology, but for simplicity this is how I will refer to it).

Cranial nerves are differentiated out on the list in comparison to “other nerves” because they are a specific list of major nerves that do very important & essential functions in the body.

So, nerves act as a path for electricity to follow. This electricity can produce voluntary action or involuntary actions.

Choosing to raise your hand we consider voluntary action produced by the nervous system. When something occurs without your conscious choice & occurs automatically, it is considered an involuntary action of the nervous system. For example, your heart beating would be an involuntary action.

Nerves have gaps between them & in this space neurotransmitters are released. Neurotransmitters are chemicals with the ability to cause another nerve to have an action. Neurotransmitters have different actions at different places in the body. After neurotransmitters are released they stay in this space until they are broken down by the body. The body breaks down the neurotransmitters and attempts to recycle the components to be used to make other things in the body.

Our bodies are able to use electricity because of many processes, but one major one is because we store electrolytes. Our organs and tissues use electrolytes like Sodium and Potassium to create electrical charge. This “electrical spark” causes electricity to generate so that it can be conducted through the nerves.

The human body is very complex & requires more than just electricity to function due to many components of its design, but each neuron as an individual unit is incredibly similar functionally to wires bundled into computer cables.

How does this process intersect with technology?

If someone were to attempt to hurt you with insidiously with technology it could create A LOT of very weird experiences.

If you know how to electrically stimulate parts of the body, like if you put an electrical stimulator/microchip/or another component that alters electricity in someone’s nervous system you could do a lot of weird things that people with no medical background would struggle to explain.

Machinery causing electrical impulses or “shocks” to be sent to certain part of the brain can produce many effects.

If someone sent electrical impulses down the cranial nerves it would produce a wide range of effects.

If certain cranial nerves were stimulated by someone controlling a technological component then someone could cause your body to involuntarily do the following by stimulating one of the 12 cranial nerves with electricity:

Involuntarily, as if your body moved on its own, you could feel the following:

> Your eyes to move in a certain direction, like your eyes are “locking on” to an object. Similar to how a computer program is able to “lock on” to a target

> Cause your vocal cords to move even when your mouth isn’t open

>Jaw movement & other motions of the face

>cause vertigo/dizziness/altered proprioception or your sense of orientation in space. So a lot of the symptoms of being inebriated

>control of your tongue muscles

> ***Vagus nerve or cranial nerve 10 does a lot, tampering with it could do a lot of weird things *** Possibly weird respiratory and/or internal organ symptoms like shortness of breath, changes in swallowing like dysphagia, vocal hoarseness, & many other possible and serious side effects

> Specific neck movements & turns of the head

You could also produce the sensations in someone of:

>hearing voices that aren’t there or altered processing, they talk but it’s like you can’t understand

>hearing sounds that aren’t there or altered hearing

>seeing images that aren’t there or altered sight

>smelling things that aren’t there or altered smell

>feeling things that aren’t there or altered feeling

>tasting things that aren’t there or altered taste

All of these actions and the degree to which you could “control it” would vary. Some of these are more technically complex to do, but at the most basic level “micromovements” from even just these few nerves are highly likely.

Our bodies have more than just electricity that contribute to our ability to do voluntary control as a defensive system to prevent these types of tampering events from occurring, but I think on a basic level it would still be possible to do some of these micromovements.

Without a lot of technological advancement required, the most worrying to me is a combination of seizures (which can occur when you just overload something with electricity) and/or lots of trauma producing something similar to disassociation & making people hear voices. It unfortunately often produces a mind control like feeling where other people attempt to control and/or influence your behavior.

I think in the quest for mind control, some very bad people use these types of things to hurt other people & technological advancements in subliminal messaging have greatly hurt the world through our time.

In order to fix things I think we must first understand them.

[seat-safety-switch]

Humanity's greatest achievement, the talking cookie jar, was callously discarded by a so-called "advancing civilization." I ask you now, are you happier now than you were when you had a cartoon dolphin in your kitchen? One that made an ear-piercing screech whenever you pulled its head open to retrieve a Famous Amos? It's time to get back to cookie jars.

Invented in 1491 by a rogue team of Chinese scientists who were looking for a place to safely store the cookies that they had invented the year before, the cookie jar promptly became a mainstay of every home. And then pretty much nothing happened for about another five hundred years, until talking cookie jar technology appeared.

It may seem hard to believe now, seated in the immeasurable comfort of modern-day technology like vtubers and even ztubers, but at the time, sticking a greeting-card noisemaker into a novelty piece of plastic was the only way to get a gift for your weird aunt that she wouldn't immediately smash on the floor and call your dad out for his many crimes against humanity. You had to be there, I guess.

Nowadays, scant few of these artifacts still remain, purged in humanity's rush to recycle old electronics. Perhaps there was also an element of fear around the unhealthy nature of leaving a baked good out in the bare air, tempting you to devour them whenever you entered the kitchen. Cookies themselves are as popular as ever, but we prefer to eat them directly from the package, in secret, away from the judgmental eyes of family members.

There is hope, however. With today's technology, cookie jars can once again talk. And not just that: they can feel. We've inserted a bio-synthetic machine sentience into every single one of these Garfield® cookie jars. It knows your schedule. It knows your diet. It passes judgment on you. And, critically, you are not allowed to recycle it under United Nations law, because we programmed it to feel pain. You can pick one up at your local K-Mart for sixty bucks plus tax. Makes a great gift for your weird aunt.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Apple fucked us on right to repair (again)

Today (September 22), I'm (virtually) presenting at the DIG Festival in Modena, Italy. Tonight, I'll be in person at LA's Book Soup for the launch of Justin C Key's "The World Wasn’t Ready for You." On September 27, I'll be at Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles with Brian Merchant for a joint launch for my new book The Internet Con and his new book, Blood in the Machine.

Right to repair has no cannier, more dedicated adversary than Apple, a company whose most innovative work is dreaming up new ways to sneakily sabotage electronics repair while claiming to be a caring environmental steward, a lie that covers up the mountains of e-waste that Apple dooms our descendants to wade through.

Why does Apple hate repair so much? It's not that they want to poison our water and bodies with microplastics; it's not that they want to hasten the day our coastal cities drown; it's not that they relish the human misery that accompanies every gram of conflict mineral. They aren't sadists. They're merely sociopathically greedy.

Tim Cook laid it out for his investors: when people can repair their devices, they don't buy new ones. When people don't buy new devices, Apple doesn't sell them new devices. It's that's simple:

https://www.inverse.com/article/52189-tim-cook-says-apple-faces-2-key-problems-in-surprising-shareholder-letter

So Apple does everything it can to monopolize repair. Not just because this lets the company gouge you on routine service, but because it lets them decide when your phone is beyond repair, so they can offer you a trade-in, ensuring both that you buy a new device and that the device you buy is another Apple.

There are so many tactics Apple gets to use to sabotage repair. For example, Apple engraves microscopic Apple logos on the subassemblies in its devices. This allows the company to enlist US Customs to seize and destroy refurbished parts that are harvested from dead phones by workers in the Pacific Rim:

https://repair.eu/news/apple-uses-trademark-law-to-strengthen-its-monopoly-on-repair/

Of course, the easiest way to prevent harvested components from entering the parts stream is to destroy as many old devices as possible. That's why Apple's so-called "recycling" program shreds any devices you turn over to them. When you trade in your old iPhone at an Apple Store, it is converted into immortal e-waste (no other major recycling program does this). The logic is straightforward: no parts, no repairs:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/yp73jw/apple-recycling-iphones-macbooks

Shredding parts and cooking up bogus trademark claims is just for starters, though. For Apple, the true anti-repair innovation comes from the most pernicious US tech law: Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

DMCA 1201 is an "anti-circumvention" law. It bans the distribution of any tool that bypasses "an effective means of access control." That's all very abstract, but here's what it means: if a manufacturer sticks some Digital Rights Management (DRM) in its device, then anything you want to do that involves removing that DRM is now illegal – even if the thing itself is perfectly legal.

When Congress passed this stupid law in 1998, it had a very limited blast radius. Computers were still pretty expensive and DRM use was limited to a few narrow categories. In 1998, DMCA 1201 was mostly used to prevent you from de-regionalizing your DVD player to watch discs that had been released overseas but not in your own country.

But as we warned back then, computers were only going to get smaller and cheaper, and eventually, it would only cost manufacturers pennies to wrap their products – or even subassemblies in their products – in DRM. Congress was putting a gun on the mantelpiece in Act I, and it was bound to go off in Act III.

Welcome to Act III.

Today, it costs about a quarter to add a system-on-a-chip to even the tiniest parts. These SOCs can run DRM. Here's how that DRM works: when you put a new part in a device, the SOC and the device's main controller communicate with one another. They perform a cryptographic protocol: the part says, "Here's my serial number," and then the main controller prompts the user to enter a manufacturer-supplied secret code, and the master controller sends a signed version of this to the part, and the part and the system then recognize each other.

This process has many names, but because it was first used in the automotive sector, it's widely known as VIN-Locking (VIN stands for "vehicle identification number," the unique number given to every car by its manufacturer). VIN-locking is used by automakers to block independent mechanics from repairing your car; even if they use the manufacturer's own parts, the parts and the engine will refuse to work together until the manufacturer's rep keys in the unlock code:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

VIN locking is everywhere. It's how John Deere stops farmers from fixing their own tractors – something farmers have done literally since tractors were invented:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/08/about-those-kill-switched-ukrainian-tractors/

It's in ventilators. Like mobile phones, ventilators are a grotesquely monopolized sector, controlled by a single company Medtronic, whose biggest claim to fame is effecting the world's largest tax inversion in order to manufacture the appearance that it is an Irish company and therefore largely untaxable. Medtronic used the resulting windfall to gobble up most of its competitors.

During lockdown, as hospitals scrambled to keep their desperately needed supply of ventilators running, Medtronic's VIN-locking became a lethal impediment. Med-techs who used donor parts from one ventilator to keep another running – say, transplanting a screen – couldn't get the device to recognize the part because all the world's civilian aircraft were grounded, meaning Medtronic's technicians couldn't swan into their hospitals to type in the unlock code and charge them hundreds of dollars.

The saving grace was an anonymous, former Medtronic repair tech, who built pirate boxes to generate unlock codes, using any housing they could lay hands on to use as a case: guitar pedals, clock radios, etc. This tech shipped these gadgets around the world, observing strict anonymity, because Article 6 of the EUCD also bans circumvention:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/10/flintstone-delano-roosevelt/#medtronic-again

Of course, Apple is a huge fan of VIN-locking. In phones, VIN-locking is usually called "serializing" or "parts-pairing," but it's the same thing: a tiny subassembly gets its own microcontroller whose sole purpose is to prevent independent repair technicians from fixing your gadget. Parts-pairing lets Apple block repairs even when the technician uses new, Apple parts – but it also lets Apple block refurb parts and third party parts.

For many years, Apple was the senior partner and leading voice in blocking state Right to Repair bills, which it killed by the dozen, leading a coalition of monopolists, from Wahl (who boobytrap their hair-clippers with springs that cause their heads irreversibly decompose if you try to sharpen them at home) to John Deere (who reinvented tenant farming by making farmers tenants of their tractors, rather than their land).

But Apple's opposition to repair eventually became a problem for the company. It's bad optics, and both Apple customers and Apple employees are volubly displeased with the company's ecocidal conduct. But of course, Apple's management and shareholders hate repair and want to block it as much as possible.

But Apple knows how to Think Differently. It came up with a way to eat its cake and have it, too. The company embarked on a program of visibly support right to repair, while working behind the scenes to sabotage it.

Last year, Apple announced a repair program. It was hilarious. If you wanted to swap your phone's battery, all you had to do was let Apple put a $1200 hold on your credit card, and then wait while the company shipped you 80 pounds' worth of specialized tools, packed in two special Pelican cases:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/22/apples-cement-overshoes/

Then, you swapped your battery, but you weren't done! After your battery was installed, you had to conference in an authorized Apple tech who would tell you what code to type into a laptop you tethered to the phone in order to pair it with your phone. Then all you had to do was lug those two 40-pound Pelican cases to a shipping depot and wait for Apple to take the hold off your card (less the $120 in parts and fees).

By contrast, independent repair outfits like iFixit will sell you all the tools you need to do your own battery swap – including the battery! for $32. The whole kit fits in a padded envelope:

https://www.ifixit.com/products/iphone-x-replacement-battery

But while Apple was able to make a showy announcement of its repair program and then hide the malicious compliance inside those giant Pelican cases, sabotaging right to repair legislation is a lot harder.

Not that they didn't try. When New York State passed the first general electronics right-to-repair bill in the country, someone convinced New York Governor Kathy Hochul to neuter it with last-minute modifications:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/12/weakened-right-to-repair-bill-is-signed-into-law-by-new-yorks-governor/

But that kind of trick only works once. When California's right to repair bill was introduced, it was clear that it was gonna pass. Rather than get run over by that train, Apple got on board, supporting the legislation, which passed unanimously:

https://www.ifixit.com/News/79902/apples-u-turn-tech-giant-finally-backs-repair-in-california

But Apple got the last laugh. Because while California's bill contains many useful clauses for the independent repair shops that keep your gadgets out of a landfill, it's a state law, and DMCA 1201 is federal. A state law can't simply legalize the conduct federal law prohibits. California's right to repair bill is a banger, but it has a weak spot: parts-pairing, the scourge of repair techs:

https://www.ifixit.com/News/69320/how-parts-pairing-kills-independent-repair

Every generation of Apple devices does more parts-pairing than the previous one, and the current models are so infested with paired parts as to be effectively unrepairable, except by Apple. It's so bad that iFixit has dropped its repairability score for the iPhone 14 from a 7 ("recommend") to a 4 (do not recommend):

https://www.ifixit.com/News/82493/we-are-retroactively-dropping-the-iphones-repairability-score-en

Parts-pairing is bullshit, and Apple are scum for using it, but they're hardly unique. Parts-pairing is at the core of the fuckery of inkjet printer companies, who use it to fence out third-party ink, so they can charge $9,600/gallon for ink that pennies to make:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer

Parts-pairing is also rampant in powered wheelchairs, a heavily monopolized sector whose predatory conduct is jaw-droppingly depraved:

https://uspirgedfund.org/reports/usp/stranded

But if turning phones into e-waste to eke out another billion-dollar stock buyback is indefensible, stranding people with disabilities for months at a time while they await repairs is so obviously wicked that the conscience recoils. That's why it was so great when Colorado passed the nation's first wheelchair right to repair bill last year:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/when-drm-comes-your-wheelchair

California actually just passed two right to repair bills; the other one was SB-271, which mirrors Colorado's HB22-1031:

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB271

This is big! It's momentum! It's a start!

But it can't be the end. When Bill Clinton signed DMCA 1201 into law 25 years ago, he loaded a gun and put it on the nation's mantlepiece and now it's Act III and we're all getting sprayed with bullets. Everything from ovens to insulin pumps, thermostats to lightbulbs, has used DMCA 1201 to limit repair, modification and improvement.

Congress needs to rid us of this scourge, to let us bring back all the benefits of interoperability. I explain how this all came to be – and what we should do about it – in my new Verso Books title, The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation.

https://www.versobooks.com/products/3035-the-internet-con

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/22/vin-locking/#thought-differently

Image: Mitch Barrie (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daytona_Skeleton_AR-15_completed_rifle_%2817551907724%29.jpg

CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

--

kambanji (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/kambanji/4135216486/

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

--

Rawpixel (modified) https://www.rawpixel.com/image/12438797/png-white-background

[foldingfittedsheets]

On anon for this for reasons which will quickly become obvious, but at least one online sex toy store (edenfantasys) offers a buy-back recycling program for sex toys that also includes a coupon for new toys. Since I can't include links in this anon ask, I tested and confirmed you can find more info by searching for "Project Re-Vibe" on their site.

If the sex toy person needs an additional outlet!

[un-monstre]

Got a lot of responses to a previous post about poverty and environmentalism and I have come to the conclusion that people genuinely don't understand just how little autonomy a lot of poor people have. Ideally, we'd all vote with our dollars for a better world, but many of us don't have much to vote with.

By virtue of being poor, low-income people already buy few clothes and use what they have until it wears out. They mostly thrift and wear hand-me-downs, and take what they can get. If they need something specific (like a certain color of clothes for a uniform or a safety shoe for work), they buy it from Wal-Mart or whatever they can access locally. Perhaps they might like to "buy something sustainable" that would last longer, but longer-lasting clothes are no longer available where they live. Their options for new clothes are "decent mall brand" and "shitty mall brand," and it's hard to justify the price increase if they both wear out just as fast. They could buy online and have more options, but given how hard it is to find good clothes while plus size, they might be hesitant to take the risk of online shopping - especially if returns means going to the post office across town. Perhaps they should be sewing their own clothes, but that's just another chore heaped at their feet, something they hope to get around to when they have the spare the energy and money to learn.

A poor person cannot will a working public transportation system into being on their own, nor can they easily justify getting a more fuel-efficient car (if they can afford a car at all). Hopefully, they have reliable public transportation with benches to sit on and covered stops for when it rains. Hopefully the busses run late enough for second and third-shift workers and don't stop running when the office workers get home. Another thing people don't think about it the fact that perhaps a poor person COULD take public transportation, but can't physically handle an hour plus on the bus after work for a journey that takes no more than twenty minutes by car.

Poor people are often harangued about "eating better," whatever that means, but no one is willing to admit that poverty also brings time poverty, energy poverty, and lack of storage space. Sure, we should all be eating home-cooked, locally-sourced, organic vegan paleo keto probiotic prebiotic low-carb high-carb blue zone food, but after a long shift, not everyone has the mental and physical energy to prepare a meal to that standard. And the answer is always that we should meal prep it all. Not everyone has refrigerator space like that, given that many us live doubled up, couch surf, or live out of cars. Many of us just eat what we can prepare, given lack of proper kitchens, disability, and time poverty.

None of this is intended to make people feel bad, it simply represents my own lived experience and how frustrated I feel as someone with an interest in the environment and a long history of making due without much money. So much dialog about the environment focuses on trimming excess, but many people don't have that much excess to trim.

Instead of shaming people for not doing this or that, why not make it possible for them to do so? Consider organizing a clothing swap, either in your community or for friends. Advocate for public transport in your community, and offer to carpool with friends that need it. See if there's a community garden or a food sovereignty project in your area, or just start growing if you have a backyard and some friends to help out. Advocate for good recycling programs that don't involve driving miles in a car to a recycling center. If you make a useful craft (like lotion bars or soap, for example!), give some to your friends so they don't have to buy the plastic-wrapped version at the store. Above all, be conscious of the barriers that stand between people and sustainable living. I think we could all do better to focus on breaking barriers down, not people down.

[chronicallycouchbound]

do you have any tips for being unhoused like survival tips or even just stuff that makes life easier

Absolutely!

Before I give my advice I want to start with my most important piece of advice first: I have lots of personal experience with a few different aspects of being unhoused, I have been unhoused in frigid climates, in warmer climates, for many years, with some warning and also very suddenly, as a child with parents, as a child without parents, as an adult, couch surfing, sleeping outside, sleeping in cars, sleeping in bandos, living in a homeless shelter, living in transitional living programs, and then all of those things intersect with my various other marginalized experiences. I say all this because I want to also say that while I have extensive experiences, I don't know everything, and might miss things, or give advice that might not work in your case. So take everything with a grain of salt, including from me, for your own safety. You know your situation best, so do whatever you need to in order to survive.

Some general tips:

Aways bring extra clothes wherever you go: especially socks and underwear, they are small and light and life-savers, and homelessness often puts you in situations where you can suddenly lose everything, especially if something is left somewhere

Public libraries, churches, fast food stores and cafes are great to hang out in when it’s cold out. Unitarian Universalist Churches are (almost always) LGBTQ+ safe and affirming as well.

Shower as often as possible, the YMCA usually has cheap day passes and it’s a place to stay all day.

If you can’t shower: find a public restroom and use the sink to do a "bird bath": rinse/wash your hair, grab some paper towels or use the hand dryer to dry your hair, and use toilet paper or paper towels to rinse and dry your underarms and genitalia areas, especially when it’s hot or you’ve been sweating. Make sure you can dry off, wetness in cold is quickly life threatening, and wetness and heat breeds bacteria (which makes you stinky at best, but can also lead to skin issues)

Take extra plastic utensils, get salt/pepper packets, sauce packets, etc. as often as you can, ONLY if you have someplace to keep them (like a tent/car), small things like that can really make a difference when you're eating ramen over a fire every day, and helped keep me slightly closer to sane.

Only carry with you what you absolutely need, and always carry with you what you absolutely need.

Make friends everywhere you go, but be cautious and careful. You want to be amicable, not naive. You don't have to be trusting to be friendly.

Be friendly and overly kind to people working, they could help you later on. I have had my ass saved by so many random employees. Even if you're having a bad day, they're the people you should be kindest to. (Also be kind to service workers when not homeless, ofc)

Collect change on the streets or panhandle if it is safe and legal for you to. You can also collect bottles/cans to return, or recycle aluminum.

Look up free campsites, pantries and shelters for your area. Shelter App - Homeless Resources is a free app and website that is still kind of new, but I've seen more and more resources being added to them. Most states have a generalized hotline that's usually like a "411" or "211" or similar type phone line.

Try to always have an active phone with service, or at least a charged phone you can call emergency services on in case you need to.

Try to avoid getting into crime, drugs, alcohol/cigarettes, etc. It’s all expensive, gets you in trouble and does you no good.

However, if you are an active user: look up local needle exchanges, suboxone clinics, free narcan/naloxone, PREP and PEP (HIV prevention meds), emergency rooms, and practice harm reduction as much as possible. Try to never use alone, if using in a bathroom, keep the door unlocked. In my experience, even if you're sober or in recovery, harm reduction organizations are often amazing resources to connect you to other resources

Items I didn't realize were so life saving for me until later: blanket scarves, wool socks (natural fiber is the only thing that stays warm even when wet), baby wipes (washing body, tp replacement, etc), hand warmers, clothes that look more bougie like wearing a pea coat (stopped less by cops), carbineer clips, earbuds (for sanity), and my most prized possession to this day; my solar powered/hand crank/rechargable combination flash light, usb charger radio. Any item you need that is made for sports/hiking/etc. is often better, and any items that are multipurpose are wonderful.

And since we're headed into the colder months, here’s my advice for if you don’t have adequate heating, homeless or not:

Make soups or even just keep a pot of water boiling, and bake things if you can. I like to make teas in the morning for this purpose. Eating enough food (if you can) helps dramatically increase your core body temp.

Take a shower BEFORE the coldest parts of the day, or skip the shower til it’s warm enough to. If you absolutely need to, use warm wet washcloth and work in sections of your body so you don’t have to be fully naked and wet all at once. If you can’t be in a warm enough location afterwards— avoid getting your hair wet at all costs especially if you have thick hair. If you’re at higher risk of cold related illnesses like hypothermia and frostbite, such as disabled and chronically ill folks, I would highly recommend avoiding anything that causes you to get wet if you can’t get warm afterwards.

Make a blanket fort or use a tent indoors to spend your time in and sleep in

Drink tea/cocoa/hot beverages, avoid ice or cold drinks. Avoid alcohol specifically if you can because it lowers your body temp while making you feel warm, which can be dangerous.

Cuddle with your pets (even pets that don’t normally cuddle often are cuddly during cold spells as a survival response)

Wear thermals and layers if youre up and moving, but make sure to pre-warm any clothes you change into by tucking them into the blankets with you for a while.

If you have someone to cuddle with as close as possible, do it, also wear less clothes, thinner clothes or shorts when under blankets and cuddling, you share way more body heat that way, whereas thermals and layers will only keep your heat to yourself

If you have cold feet: take off your socks under blankets (and keep socks under blankets before putting back on) and keep a hot pad under blankets near your feet. Thick socks are great for insulation— but if your feet are cold, insulation means it’ll keep that cold in and keep the heat out. You have to add your own heat, and once they’re warm, you can put the socks back on.

Tin foil, trash bags, and blankets on windows if you don’t have plastic.

Keep doors closed and use rolled blankets or towels to stop drafts. Try to stay in one room if your whole home is cold, smaller spaces are easier to keep warm. Keep doors closed. Keep window shades closed (if you have south-facing windows, you can open t hem during the day and close them at night)

If you don’t have a mummy sleeping bag, a hoodie with the strings pulled comfortably tight can be a good substitute especially if paired with another sleeping bag.

Layer blankets for insulation. Closest to your body, have hot pads and heated blankets, then a reflective blanket to direct heat back towards you, use fluffy blankets and comforters next for insulation, and on top, have something heavy to help seal the heat in and push that heat towards you.

Blanket layers: first, heated blanket/hot pad/hot water bottle/etc, then reflective blankets/emergency blankets (there are reusable ones!)/sleeping bag, then fluffy blankets, then your heaviest/thickest blanket on top (quilt, weighted blanket, tarp, etc). If you don’t have one/multiple of these, just layer what you have following this guide as much as possible.

I like to have at least one fluffy blanket wrapped near my head/neck to keep as much warm air in the blankets as possible when I move my arms. Snuggies and blanket scarves work great for this.

If you’re on a thin bed, an air mattress, or don’t have a bed, put something below you for insulation from the cold ground. Any high quality sleeping bags temperature recommendation is always based on having good insulation below you. Cardboard, yoga mats, foam, blankets, coats, etc. all work.

Be vigilant for signs of frostbite and hypothermia, especially in children, disabled, elderly and pregnant folks. Remember to follow frostbite and hypothermia guidelines for re-warming and get medical attention for these whenever possible.

Have an emergency go-bag ready with your medications, chargers, clothes and other essentials in case you need to leave your residence.

Be sure to not accidentally give yourself CO2 poisoning or cause fires or explosions with whatever heating method you use. Anything with gasoline, propane or other fuel sources are generally not safe for indoor/closed space usage.

Don’t let yourself get so warm you sweat, you can lose a lot of heat that way and the wetness will make you cold which is hard to recover from.

When you get out of bed or from blankets, fold the blankets back over where you just laid to retain the heat for when you climb back in. Even if you have to be gone an extended period of time, this keeps the cold out. You can also preheat heated blankets for when you get back into bed (like turning on the heated blanket before you go shower)

Lights have a lot of ambient heat, as do appliances, especially larger appliances. Even having your laptop on your lap and using it can help you warm up.

If you’re able to be up and moving or do light exercise while you have to be out of blankets, thats the best time to do it. Again, be mindful of sweating.

If you’re homeless and unsheltered and don’t have a camp, sleep in the daytime in the warmest parts of the day, and walk around at night to avoid freezing to death. Savor a hot tea or hot coffee at fast food places if you can afford it.

Single use hand warmers can be saved if they still have heat by putting them in an airtight ziplock bag. When you want to use them again, you just open the bag to expose them to air. If you can and have a way to use them, invest in reusable ones (there’s electric ones and also ones you can boil to reset). Hot water bottles are another good option but often come with a higher risk of being burned.

Also, if you have any more specific situations you'd like advice for, I'd be happy to make posts for those as well, it's hard to add/think of everything that helps every situation, and a lot of my advice would change if you stay in a shelter, for example. I really hope this helps, and I hope you find safe, stable, and reliable housing soon.

[thatdruidgal]

11.01 low budget options

Practicing Witchcraft on a Budget

Here are my favorite ways to practice on a budget!

Quartz is your best friend

Quartz can be programmed with just about any intention and is so versatile. It can be used for protection, absorption, and can boost really any spell because its energy mimics what is around it. Seriously so underrated, and thankfully is usually pretty cheap.

Need balance? Get amethyst

Amethyst is a basic stone that is a necessity. It can be used for sleep, divination, wisdom, protection, love. It, like quartz, is very versatile.

If you only ever get two stones in your practice, get quartz and amethyst.

When in doubt, use salt

Need to cleanse something and want something stronger than quartz? Don’t spend your money on a selenite wand. Salt is perfect (and it’s what selenite is made out of)!

Use the sun and moon energies

Sun energy is for, well, energy, revitalization, cleansing, and protection. Moon energy can be used for a lot, mostly divination, balance, and healing.

Capture their energy in some water in a recycled jar (rain water is great, but any water can do!) and use it in your spells!

Get candles from the dollar store or clearance section

Candles are great, but you don’t need to go expensive. Just pick a color of candle that aligns with your intentions from the dollar store or clearance section and use that!

Make tools out of simple things

Do you really need a fancy altar cloth? No. Do you need an expensive wand and athame? Nope. Do you need those cool-looking bottles for all of your dried herbs? Definitely not!

Reuse as much as you can — use old spaghetti jars for storing water and herbs, use a flour sack towel or washcloth for your altar, and find things around the house to get the job done.

Remember, less is more

Big companies try to sell this maximalist lifestyle with the practice of witchcraft for their benefit only. Try to only focus on buying what you really really want/need, and try to repurpose, thrift, or support small businesses to get it.

Farewell and good tides!

Branwen

Like what you see? Consider supporting me! ko-fi.com/thatdruidgal

[betterbemeta]

I think something interesting about the star trek world is its combination of both replicator and holodeck technology. I understand these are literal 'plot devices' to explain the availability of food, materials, and the ability to visit locations for sci-fi premises that can't be found on an alien planet. However, they are worth thinking about in terms of how they change the world.

(Let's assume 'ideal' circumstances where we have a stable renewable non-polluting source of lots and lots of energy and aren't rationing it like on Voyager or something)

Replicators can use energy and raw materials to configure items, and presumably dis-configure items. While the potential for '3D printing' basically anything so long as its materials aren't too rare is really cool, it is also a near-perfect recycling machine. Beyond making sure your replicated dishes and cups don't infinitely pile up, that's SO IMPORTANT. Not only does that mean many items are 'temporary' that otherwise would be 'forever', you can instantly refresh the wear on many items without having to replace them and generate trash.

For example, tennis balls. It's currently really hard to recycle tennis balls, and serious players wear them out extremely quickly. Every serve you make after the first will be with a slightly worn, degraded tennis ball until you replace it, which generates trash. The production facilities to make all those tennis balls have to exist, they have to be shipped, the space to store them exists, the space to store their waste exists, the waste must be transported to a tennis ball recycling facility or a landfill...

but with replicators, you could play tennis without owning/paying a club to access a single tennis ball, without wasting a tennis ball.

And then there's the possibility of holodeck sports where you don't even need to make ANY material items. You could program the tennis ball to never run out. As long as you have the power to run it, maybe the most you'd need to 'own' is a tennis outfit. I am not sure if it's consistent that holodecks can 'dress you' or if you always must bring in costumes from the outside. And the costume itself could be replicated and then recycled!

There's a vast amount of stuff that we retain as personal property that just has to do with accessing activities or amenities. It's not really property that has emotional significance to us, but we still have attachments to it as its a facilitator of our active identity. Our dishes and cookware. Sports equipment. Certain kinds of clothing items. Some types of personal care items. Non-heirloom/generic holiday decorations. Stuff that is usually sacrificed first when we become homeless, when losing access to what they enable is more devastating than the items themselves.

If we could basically conjure and dismiss these things at-will, or access them on a temporary basis for free, we wouldn't need to own them or keep them around in our homes. No supply chain would be dedicated to them. Their waste would be completely eliminated. Ideas of 'what stuff I need to have as a person, to have a dignified life' would change completely.

It wouldn't surprise me if there were people in the star trek universe running around on earth with basically nothing we consider permanent physical property. Not because they're homeless and have no place to put them, and not because they're rich and their assets are liquid-- because the only reason to 'keep' mundane items, even something as complex as a communication device or computer, might be because they are emotionally important to you. And not everybody has 'stuff' like that at every time in their lives.

[serve-617]

SERVE neighborhood

There is this small city where, unknown from everyone in the country which suddenly becomes the center from media and politics. The characteristic is that in few months, the crime rate reduced in 90%, streets were safe, the public infrastructure was completely renewed and optimize, the programs to handle garbage, recycle was at its highest and a full example with low waste and hifh recycling rate. The industries and commerces showed increases in production and sells, new markets starting to open to them as they were proposing products of high quality at a good price and the business relations were honest, concrete and clear. The number of people that want to move to this city increased exponentially since few years ago.

The reason for this; it is a small neighborhood, a new one named SERVE, in this neighborhood live what people call “drone SERVES”, they are very easy to indemnify as they were always a back uniform in rubber. These drones were the agents of change, they started to support the community, repair the public infraestructure, they started to work wirh fireman, with the city hall, the induatries and the small stores in the city. they were proposing clever imrpovements that bring excellent results and benefits to the city. they become an example with their actions so thar now everyone wants to learn and be part of this succeess.

Housing price increased since there is a huge demand of people to move to this city, media made interviews and documentaries, it is the place to be.

#SERVE #SERVEdrone #Rubberizer92 #Latex #Rubber #RubberDrone #AI #TheVoice

[creeperkiwi]

02 — cool night

When someone notices you exist, the days feel lighter. They become fleeting, as if time decides to run faster when there’s something—or someone—that makes life brighter. Brooke had found that in the computer lab, among the abandoned machines, and in the teacher who didn’t know him as a Reeve, but simply as Brooke. Over time, that spark of curiosity ignited within him grew, lighting paths he never imagined possible.

Several years had passed since that first lesson—eight , to be exact. Brooke now walked through the school halls with a calmer, more focused demeanor. He no longer desperately tried to fit into his family’s mold or sought his siblings’ approval. He had learned to let go of the silences and glances that never came, reducing his interactions with them to the bare minimum. Instead of chasing after them, he had poured all his energy into something far more fascinating: creating.

In the computer lab, the atmosphere had changed. It was no longer a forgotten space; it was now his sanctuary, an improvised workshop where ideas came to life. The old monitors and keyboards, once covered in dust, had become tools for designing and building. Brooke had spent countless afternoons assembling small gadgets with recycled parts he found in thrift stores or salvaged from tech waste his teacher allowed him to take home.

One of his first achievements was a pair of night-vision goggles. Though clunky and rudimentary at first, they worked. Brooke had designed them after listening to his parents and siblings talk about nighttime patrols and the challenges of operating in the dark. The goggles became a constant reminder that he could contribute something, even if no one noticed.

Then came the small robots. The first was a simple automaton that could move in a straight line, but over time, Brooke began programming more complex movements. He spent hours fine-tuning circuits and writing endless lines of code. When the robots started responding to his commands, he felt an indescribable satisfaction. There was something magical about seeing those lifeless pieces come alive under his hands.

Though Brooke preferred to stay on the sidelines, he couldn’t help but feel excited when presenting his projects in class. There was something about his classmates’ expressions of amazement that gave him a small dose of the validation he had stopped seeking at home. The fact that his first awards were for his own creations and not because of his last name made him feel whole. However, he never revealed much about his personal life. To them, he was just a talented boy with a fascination for technology.

Mr. Mark, who had been his mentor from the beginning, continued to guide him through the process. Even though Brooke had surpassed many of the basic lessons, Mark always found ways to present new challenges.

“How about working on a drone?” he suggested one afternoon as they examined an old fax machine Brooke planned to dismantle.

“A drone?” Brooke repeated, his eyes lighting up with curiosity.

“Yes, a small one. You could use it for exploration, or even for surveillance. It would be an interesting challenge.”

The idea stayed with him. That same night, in his small room, Brooke began sketching the first designs. His space was filled with tools and electronic components, most of which he had bought with the few savings he managed to scrape together. Though it wasn’t an ideal workspace, it was enough for him.

Brooke found in his projects a peace he couldn’t find anywhere else. In those moments, it didn’t matter that his family barely noticed his existence or that his last name didn’t carry the same weight for others. What mattered to him was that the machines responded, the circuits worked, and his ideas took shape.

The drone became his obsession.

After his conversation with the professor, Brooke spent several afternoons searching for inspiration and pieces for his project. He ventured into second-hand stores and tech fairs, inspecting every dusty shelf for motors, sensors, and batteries that he could repurpose. At a local market, he found an old remote control that barely worked; at another, a batch of small propellers originally designed for plastic toys. Everything was second-hand, worn out, and often defective, but to Brooke, each piece had potential.

In his room, which now resembled more of a workshop than a space for sleeping, Brooke began assembling his drone. There were stickers on the walls with handwritten formulas, sketches scribbled on loose sheets of paper, and boxes filled with tangled wires. With each screw he tightened and each wire he soldered, he felt the project starting to take shape.

But things weren’t that simple.

The first time he tried to make the drone fly, it barely lifted off the ground before spinning out of control and crashing into the wall. Brooke carefully picked it up, examining the damage. One of the propellers was broken, and the main motor seemed to have failed. Though he had anticipated problems, the setback discouraged him more than he expected.

He spent the next few hours reviewing the design, looking for mistakes in his programming. Sometimes, the numbers and codes seemed to dance in front of him, confusing him even further. "Maybe I'm not good enough for this," he thought as he rested his head on the table.

That night, as he tried to sleep, negative thoughts began to flood his mind. "My knowledge is limited. Maybe I’m trying to do something too big. Maybe it's just not for me," he repeated to himself. But at the same time, something inside him resisted letting go.

The next morning, he returned to the computer lab with the drone in a box. The professor watched him with curiosity as Brooke sat down in front of one of the computers and connected the drone to check the system.

"Problems?" the professor asked, stepping closer.

Brooke nodded, frowning.

"I don’t know what I'm doing wrong. I think the motor doesn’t have enough power, but it could also be a problem with the code."

The professor looked at him silently for a moment before speaking.

"Let me tell you something, Brooke. Every successful invention is built upon a mountain of failures. If something doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean it’s not meant for you. It means you're learning."

Brooke blinked, letting those words sink in. With a sigh, he refocused his attention on the drone.

The following days turned into a whirlwind of tests and adjustments. Brooke replaced the broken propellers, reinforced the structure with pieces of recycled plastic, and fine-tuned the balance system in his code. Each night, after hours of work, he felt the temptation to give up, but something stronger than exhaustion pushed him to keep going.

Finally, one afternoon, the drone lifted off the ground. At first wobbly, like a baby taking its first steps, but then, with increasing stability, it began to float in the air. Brooke held his breath as he guided it with the remote, moving it back and forth, gently turning it.

"It works!" he exclaimed, not realizing he had said it out loud.

The professor, who had been watching from the door, smiled with satisfaction.

"I told you, Brooke. There’s no failure in trying over and over again."

Brooke let the drone land carefully on the table, his chest swelling with pride. For the first time, he felt he had accomplished something significant, something that didn’t depend on anyone else but him. His face lit up with a smile that had been hidden for a long time.

The cold night air surrounded the Reeve terrace, a large and gothic space with wrought-iron railings that Brooke had explored only a few times. That night, however, he was determined to push the limits of his invention. With the drone in his hands, he looked toward the city lights that gleamed like distant stars and felt the excitement building in his chest.

It was the first time Brooke felt so confident in something he had created. The drone, with its new propellers and improved structure, seemed like a reflection of his efforts. "Today will be different," he thought as he powered on the remote control and watched the small device begin to hover.

The drone ascended slowly, its hum barely audible in the night wind. Brooke smiled, moving it side to side, testing simple maneuvers before sending it farther away. From the terrace, he followed it with his eyes as it crossed the street, passing over rooftops and shop windows. "It works perfectly," he said to himself, filled with pride.

As the drone flew farther, Brooke adjusted the range on the remote, surprised at how well it responded even at long distances. He guided it toward a nearby park, watching how the lampposts’ lights cast dancing reflections on its structure. Everything seemed to be going perfectly, and for a moment, Brooke imagined a future where his inventions truly made a difference.

But then, something changed.

It started with a slight wobble in the drone’s flight, as if it had lost stability. Brooke frowned, quickly checking the settings on the remote. "Maybe it’s the wind," he thought, trying to adjust the commands, but the wobbling worsened. Suddenly, the drone stopped responding completely, its propellers spinning erratically before diving straight into a dark alley.

"No!" Brooke cried out, his voice filled with desperation.

He dropped the remote on the railing and ran down the stairs, moving as fast as his legs would carry him. The streets were quiet, only lit by the dim light of the streetlamps. Reaching the alley, he found it: the drone was lying among piles of trash, a broken propeller, and part of the body dented from the impact.

Brooke knelt beside his creation, picking up the pieces with trembling hands. His heart pounded in his chest as he examined the damage. Part of him tried to convince himself it wasn’t so bad, but the truth was undeniable: the drone was destroyed.

"Why does it always...?" he whispered, feeling a lump form in his throat.

The weight of his past failures returned like a flood, filling his mind with doubt and self-criticism. He had worked so hard, pouring hours and all his energy, only for it to end like this. Sitting in the alley with the pieces of the drone in his hands, Brooke felt tears beginning to fill his eyes.

"Maybe it will never be enough. Maybe it doesn’t matter how hard I try."

His heart raced as he carefully picked up each damaged part, examining them with trembling fingers. But something didn’t fit: an important piece, the central control module, was missing.

He furrowed his brow, searching through the debris with a growing sense of panic. "Where is it?" he thought, looking around. It was then that he heard a sound. Slow, firm footsteps, approaching from the shadows at the end of the alley.

Brooke looked up, and his body tensed as he saw a dark figure emerging from the gloom. It was a tall man, dressed in worn clothes, with a menacing gleam in his eyes.

"What do we have here?" the stranger said with a twisted smile, advancing toward Brooke.

Brooke instinctively backed away, clutching the pieces of the drone to his chest. "What do I do? Where do I run?" His mind was filled with confused thoughts as the man closed the distance.

"You don’t have to be scared, kid," the man continued, though his tone was anything but reassuring. "I just want to see what you’ve got there."

Fear gripped him, paralyzing him, when a quick movement from the roof of the alley caught his attention. A shadow descended rapidly, landing between Brooke and the man.

"That’s enough," a firm, young voice said.

His agile figure and black mask, along with the red suit and yellow cape, made him recognizable to anyone, especially someone within the hero system.

The man immediately stepped back, cursing under his breath. "Don't follow me!" he shouted before disappearing into the shadows of the alley.

Brooke stood frozen, unable to believe what had just happened.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked, turning toward him while placing one of his batons back into his belt.

Brooke nodded slowly, speechless.

"It looks like this guy had something of yours," Robin continued, extending a hand. In his palm was the missing piece of the drone, intact.

"Oh..." Brooke exclaimed, taking the piece with trembling hands and examining it carefully.

Robin smiled faintly. "I saw it fall when that guy bent down. It was a stroke of luck. I had been chasing him for a while, but the noise from your drone falling distracted me just when I was about to catch him."

Brooke lowered his gaze, clutching the piece in his hand. "I'm sorry... I didn't know I was interfering."

"Don't worry about it. If it weren't for that, I probably wouldn't have made it in time to help you," Robin replied, shrugging.

The young vigilante pointed to the pieces of the drone that Brooke was holding. "Is this yours?"

Brooke nodded. "Yeah, I built it myself... but it failed. Something went wrong, and it fell."

Robin studied him closely, noticing the clear effort that had gone into building the drone. "Can I?" he asked, extending a hand toward the pieces. Brooke hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Robin carefully examined the drone, turning it to inspect every detail. "This is impressive, especially for someone who clearly doesn't have access to a lab. But here's the problem." He pointed to one of the internal connections, where several wires had come loose.

"Your design is good, but the power distribution is unbalanced. When you tried to increase the range, the motor overloaded the system. That's why it failed."

Brooke looked at him, surprised. "How do you know so much about this?"

Robin smiled. "I have my own toys. I've spent more time fixing them than I'd like to admit."

Brooke lowered his gaze to the drone, reflecting on what Robin had said. "Do you think... it's possible to fix it?"

"Of course you can," Robin replied, with a confidence that surprised Brooke. "You just need a little adjustment and maybe more durable materials. If you made this, you can make it better."

Brooke felt a warmth in his chest, as if those words had sparked something that had been dormant. He looked at the drone with new eyes, seeing not a failure, but an opportunity to learn and improve.

Brooke looked up, still surprised by what had happened, and said shyly, "Thanks..."

Robin smiled and crossed his arms. "You know? My night patrol just ended. Maybe I could help you improve that drone, if you have a place to work."

Brooke's eyes lit up. No one had ever offered him something like that before, and the idea that a well-known vigilante would want to help him filled him with a mixture of nerves and excitement.

"Really?" he asked, almost not believing it.

Robin nodded. "Sure, but I'll need tools."

Brooke looked at the drone pieces in his hands and then at the alley surrounding them. "My room... I have some things there. We can work there."

"Perfect. Where do you live?"

Brooke pointed toward a nearby street, and Robin followed him. As they walked, Robin's tall and confident figure contrasted with Brooke's light and quick steps. When they finally reached the gothic mansion of the Reeves, Robin stopped, impressed by the imposing facade lit by the dim moonlight.

"You live here?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Brooke nodded, trying not to seem embarrassed. "Yeah... but it's better if we don't use the main entrance."

Robin looked at him curiously, but said nothing as Brooke led him to a side door hidden between tall bushes. Brooke unlocked the emergency door and pointed to the spiral metal stairs that rose along the back of the house.

"These stairs lead straight to my room. It's faster and... well, we avoid my family," Brooke explained with a nervous smile.

Robin followed him without asking questions. When they reached the small window that led to Brooke's room, the young man carefully opened it and entered first, holding the window so Robin could pass.

The vigilante looked around as he straightened up, expecting to find an improvised workshop or something similar. But what he saw took him by surprise.

"This is your room?" Robin asked, confused as he observed the small space. There was nothing more than a small bed against the wall, a desk cluttered with tools, and a shelf full of inventions and sketches.

Brooke nodded, placing the drone pieces on the desk. "Yeah, it's small, but I have what I need."

Robin didn't respond at first. His eyes scanned every corner, stopping at the small, ingeniously built gadgets, the detailed drawings of machines, and the prototypes that seemed more complex than he'd expect from someone his age.

"Did you make all of this by yourself?" Robin finally asked.

"Yeah," Brooke replied, shrugging as if it wasn’t a big deal. "I like inventing things."

Robin smiled, picking up one of the sketches from the desk. It was a design for a drone propulsion system. "You’ve got talent... um."

"Brooke... my name is Brooke."

"Brooke. A lot of talent." When Robin said his name, "Brooke," with that mix of astonishment and admiration in his voice, the boy felt like the world stopped for a moment. It was different from how his brothers or parents said it, where it always felt like a word thrown into the air with no purpose. This time, it sounded genuine, full of interest, almost as if Robin was impressed by him. Brooke lowered his gaze, feeling his cheeks flush and his breath quicken. Robin, a well-known vigilante, someone people respected, not only knew his name; he was saying it with a tone that implied something more.

Nervousness swelled in his chest, mixing with a strange emotion he couldn’t quite describe. He tried to occupy his hands by passing tools or tightening a screw, anything to distract him from the fact that someone like Robin was giving him compliments, smiling at him, and recognizing what he did. It was too much, but at the same time, it was everything Brooke had quietly wished for over the years.

The emotion in his eyes was impossible to hide. "Thank you... it means a lot that you say that."

They both got to work on the drone. Brooke pulled out tools and parts from his collection, and Robin helped him dismantle the remains of the device with precision. For hours, they adjusted the design, reinforced the electrical connections, and repaired the motors. Robin suggested adding a camera to the drone, and together they installed a small lens, connecting it to an improvised monitor that Brooke had built months earlier but had never finished using.

"This should improve its usefulness. Now it doesn’t just fly; you can see what it’s recording in real-time," Robin said, pointing to the screen on the controller.

Brooke smiled, feeling a wave of pride. For the first time, he wasn’t alone in one of his projects. Someone was helping him, and more importantly, believing in him.

When they were finished, the first light of dawn began to filter through the window. Robin stood up and stretched his arms, admiring the fully restored and upgraded drone.

"This little guy is going to do amazing things," Robin said, giving Brooke a pat on the shoulder.

The boy looked at the drone with eyes full of determination.

Once they finished assembling the drone, Brooke held it carefully, admiring its compact shape and the small improvements he had achieved alongside Robin. The camera installed on the bottom looked almost professional, and the screen on the controller flickered, showing a sharp image of the surroundings.

"Ready to test it?" Robin asked with a smile.

Brooke nodded, his nerves and excitement mingling in his chest. They went up to the rooftop again, where the cool night air welcomed them. Brooke placed the drone on a flat surface, took the controller, and took a deep breath.

"Here we go," he said quietly as he activated the motors.

The drone lifted with a soft hum, much more stable than in his previous tests. Brooke looked at the screen on the controller as he guided the device over the rooftops of the city. The camera captured everything with impressive clarity: streets lit by streetlights, cars moving in the distance, and small flashes of light in the windows.

Robin, standing beside him, watched with his arms crossed. "Not bad, Brooke. Stable flight, good resolution... I think this is more than just a simple project."

Brooke smiled shyly, focusing on keeping the drone in the air. He decided to test its range, flying it a bit farther, crossing a park and heading toward an area with small shops. It was then that he noticed something strange on the screen: two hooded figures were running out of a store, carrying what seemed to be bags full of products.

"Is that...?" Brooke started to ask, but Robin was already in motion.

"It's a robbery," Robin confirmed, his tone firm. He took a step toward the railing of the terrace and turned to Brooke. "This has been a good test, but I need to take care of this."

"What? You're going now?"

Robin nodded, quickly adjusting his mask. "It's what I do. Thanks for tonight, Brooke."

Brooke felt a mix of pride and sadness as he watched Robin disappear into the darkness, leaping from rooftop to rooftop with impressive ease. He looked at the drone, still floating in the air, and then turned his attention back to the screen. He watched as Robin swiftly approached the robbery site, his silhouette gliding between shadows until he intercepted the criminals.

Brooke deactivated the drone and carefully guided it back to its position. As he picked it up, a smile formed on his lips. For the first time, his inventions weren't just a hobby; they were a useful tool, something he could contribute to the world with. Though Robin was no longer by his side, his words still echoed in his mind, sparking a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he could accomplish something big.

previous m.list next

[prep4tomoro]

Survival Uses of Chewing Gum:

Go into any grocery store, gas station, convenience store and you’re going to find packs and packs of chewing gum. What used to be considered a candy, has now become a health food (of sorts) as gum makers have moved to create gum that’s healthy for your teeth, won’t cause health issues and may be made to address a specific benefit like staying awake (caffeinated). While chewing gum isn’t on the same level as a water filter or a camping stove, you’ll find that keeping some of this stored in your survival kit or bug out bag is a worthwhile addition. How can Chewing Gum Help You Survive?

Scientifically proven to alleviate anxiety and stress, lowering Cortisol.

Fights fatigue and improve mental alertness.

Enhances working memory and brain performance.

Improves concentration.

Boosts morale and energy.

Aids digestion by increasing the salivary flow.

Quenches thirst and prevents "dry mouth" by stimulating saliva.

Suppresses an appetite to lose weight or when eating is not convenient.

A sticky substance to bind things together and fill gaps.

Fishing lure.

Fishing bobber/float (Survivorman, Georgia Swamp, S1E4).

Bartering tool.

Promotes oral health by breaking down food particles brushing can't reach

Prevents watering eyes while slicing onions.

A fine addition as composting material.

Freshens Breath.

Combats acid reflux, nausea and dizziness.

Curbs addictions (like smoking and eating)

Start a Fire with Foil Gum Wrapper and Battery

Removes "Earworms" (a song or thought stuck in your head).

Chewing Gum Removal: During a visit from a very prankish young friend of mine, I fed him lunch on an unfinished wooden tray so he could eat while watching TV. He was chewing gum before I fed him and he removed the gum from his mouth and placed it on the edge of the glass plate of food. I thought that was very responsible of him. After he was finished eating, he placed the tray and plate on my kitchen counter. When he left my house, I began cleaning up after him and when I "tried" to move the tray, it was stuck to my kitchen counter with the wad of gum he had, formerly, placed on the plate. Fortunately, the gum was easy to remove from the kitchen counter but not the wooden tray. From previous chewing gum encounters, I knew that freezing gum helps remove it so I put the tray into my freezer for about an hour and was able to remove most of the giant wad but not all; a thin layer remained. So I went on the web to search for removal solutions. My solution was to use several strips of Duct Tape (sticky side), rubbed over the gum residue, to pull up much of it then Acetone to remove the rest. There is a chewing gum ban at my house for this young man.

Related Resources: Chewing Gum Facts What to Know About Chewing Gum Health Benefits of Chewing Gum Recycle Gum into Other Useful Products Discover Chewing Gum’s Crazy Survival Uses

[11-Cs Basic Emergency Kit] [14-Point Emergency Preps Checklist] [Immediate Steps to Take When Disaster Strikes] [Learn to be More Self-Sufficient] [The Ultimate Preparation] [P4T Main Menu]

This blog is partially funded by Affiliate Program Links and Private Donations. Thank you for your support.

[saint-vagrant]

Closing up shop tomorrow!

it'll be a month or more 'til we open again so go ahead and sneak in now if you'd like, final orders will be sent this week. thanks very very much everyone T__T🖤 hope you've enjoyed!!

my OSHA VIOLATION books are back in stock 💗

🔞 mess on the job, a short comic featuring your t4t SUPERPOSE freaks. printed on recycled hemp paper.

also added...

store orders, patreon, everything else is directly helping anka & i take care of expenses (medical, for one) in order to get to my residency program 🖤 all the help so far has meant so much to me! thank you 🥺

🚧 store closes September 25 🚧

[coupleofdays]

The way it works on most computers, when you "delete" a file or program (including emptying the "recycle bin" in Windows), it's not actually instantly erased from the memory on the hard drive. It just means that the part of the memory that's occupied by the file/program is marked as being available to be overwritten by new data if necessary. The deleted object becomes part of the "free memory" on the hard drive, in other words. This is why it's possible to perform "data recovery" of deleted files, if you can locate the part of the memory that they were stored in, and they haven't been overwritten with new data yet. It also means that if you really want something to be truly, irrevocably removed from your computer memory, you can use "file shredder" software to make sure that it's overwritten (but even then, there are apparently some advanced data recovery techniques that might be able to recover the erased stuff, completely or partially).

What would this mean in the Tron universe? If we assume that "derez" is just another word for "delete", it could be possible that the Programs we see getting "killed" might be "resurrected" through data recovery. When we see Programs fade away, maybe they've just been relocated to some kind of shadowy limbo in the system memory, awaiting their final overwriting by new data.

Take poor Ram, for example. When Flynn has returned to the Real World after his adventures, it might be possible for him to restore the friendly actuarial Program if he can locate the memory in which he was stored (which shouldn't be too hard for a genius programmer/hacker, right?). He would have to be quick about it, however, since I imagine that deleted files could be overwritten fairly soon in a big corporate network with multiple Users like the ENCOM system. Once he's gotten over the thrill of being back home and having defeated Dillinger, I'd like to think that he hurries over to a computer in the empty offices and does his best to restore his digital companion during the same night, since it might be too late once the building opens for business the next day. I'm sure Roy Kleinberg would appreciate it as well.

I also like to imagine what would happen if you're not quick enough to restore a derezzed program, if their data has already been partially overwritten. Would they show up missing an arm or a leg, or a chunk of their head? Would their mind have been altered in some way?

This could also mean that the digital world has their own versions of "ghosts", depending on what happens to derezzed-but-not-yet-overwritten Programs. Maybe there are stories going around about feeling the presence of dead Programs in places where they used to live, or seeing shadowy images of them in the corner of your eye, or hearing their voices whisper from far away.

Also, in this case a "file shredder" Program would probably be a pretty intimidating figure: A sinister "ghost hunter" who goes around the system, with the goal of making sure that the dead stay dead, their memories and secrets being buried with them.