#In-Store Recycling Program

[dippedanddripped]

RESOURCED: GUESS In-Store Recycling Program

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - July 22-28

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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.

[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

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

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

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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!

[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.

[unknown171204]

Starmania 1979

The French singer, author and composer Michel Berger one day heard about a surprising news item . Patricia Campbell Hearst, the daughter of a billionaire, kidnapped by terrorists ended up joining their movement out of love for one of her kidnappers !

This true story will fascinate him, to the point of starting an album inspired by this story :

This will be the “Angelina Dumas” project .

Ultimately the album never saw the light of day and only one song that remained of Berger's work remained that he recorded as a duet with his wife France Gall :

Frustrated by what he considers to be a failure, Michel will not let go of what he thinks (rightly) is a good artistic vein

thanks to his wife who will make him meet the Canadian singer Diane Dufresne, Michel will work with her lyricist Luc Plamondon with whom he created the most famous rock opera in France :

The story takes place in an undated future (despite a now outdated reference to the year 2000 and the 80s) Humans now live in underground galleries redeveloped into a huge city called Monopolis. The only mirage of happiness for ordinary citizens is the number 1 television show "Starmania" where everyone can become a star for one night .

We simultaneously follow the lives and actions of several characters :

Johnny Rockfort : A young anarchist leader of the terrorist group " les étoiles noires " ( the black stars )

Sadia : A transvestite student co-creator of " les étoiles noires "

Marie Jeanne : The depressed waitress who works at the " Underground café "

Ziggy : A mythomaniac and ambitious homosexual record store owner

Cristal : The host of Starmania

Stella Spotlight : A sex symbol on the decline

Zéro Janvier : An extremist politician running for became president

Gourou Marabout : An extremist politician also competing in the presidential election

Roger-Roger : the TV presenter

Brilliantly the duo Berger / Plamondon went out of their way to organize the broadcast of a special television program in 1978 in order to present the songs to as many people as possible :

The show was performed for a short month , only 33 performances at the Palais des Congrès , but it is considered one of the greatest French musicals

DISTRIBUTION :

Daniel Balavoine : Johnny Rockfort

France Gall : Cristal

Fabienne Thibeault : Marie-Jeanne

Étienne Chicot : Zéro Janvier

Diane Dufresne : Stella Spotlight

Grégory Ken : Ziggy

Nanette Workman : Sadia

Roddy Julienne : le Gourou

René Joly : Roger-Roger

Due to his short presence on stage, the show did not have the right to a complete recording (it is today considered a highly sought after lost media) but fortunately the audio of the show has available in its entirety !

To get an idea of ​​the visual identity of the show I had to dig into the TV archives :

The repetitions :

Full live audio of the show :

한국어 자막과 함께 :

Single :

Monopolis / Quand on arrive en ville / Le blues du business man / La complainte de la serveuse automate / Ziggy / Le monde est stone

But the most memorable song is " SOS d'un terrien en détresse "

A song renowned for its difficulty and which launched the career of Daniel Balavoine then, years later, that of Star Academy 2004 winner Grégory Lemarchal :

ANECDOTES :

The original album contains two songs missing from the final show :

Petite Musique terrienne Part 2

L'air de l'extraterrestre

This extraterrestrial is a deleted character who only appeared physically in two production ( Francis Martin in 1980 and Marc Gabriel in 1986 , in this last version we discovered that Roger-Roger was in reality an alien ) the song, or rather its theme, will be recycled in several subsequent versions .

The show also contains several unreleased and missing songs from the album that will never be reused !!

La serveuse et les clients

Jingle de Stella

Sex shops , cinéma porno

Les parents de Cristal

Le tango de l'amour et de la mort

...

Claude Dubois (the original voice of Zéro Janvier) is the only one of the singers present on the album who did not reprise the role on stage, unfortunately it was because of his drug addiction, he took his revenge in 1989 when he replaced Richard Groulx on stage ( thanks to miss-starmania for the archive picture and additional information )

...

Michel Berger abandons his role of Grand Gourou to Roddy Julienne without any explanation ?!

...

In this version, in addition to randomly attacking wealthy people in the street, scratching their cars and raping girls in parking lots, les étoiles noires of 79 are a bit more extreme than in the other versions … Roger Roger specifies that the terrorists deliberately disconnected the oxygen ventilation of an entire neighborhood, killing all the residents ! This free murder will be deleted from other versions

...

The name Johnnie Rockfort (a complicated pun to translate which can mean "strong rock'n'roll " or just the cheese of the same name ? ) is perhaps not a coincidence , the producer of the show Roland Hubert, not being convinced by Balavoine, completely unknown at the time, he fought (in vain) with Berger so that the role was offered to the rocker Johnny Halliday

...

According to the memories of France Gall, during one of the performances a disgruntled spectator had fun whistling throughout the show exhausting Daniel Balavoine who patiently waited for the curtain call to jump into the audience to beat him up while he was still wearing his bulky costume ( the one below )

...

France Gall speaks about the show :

For more Starmania or to discover other French musicals I invite you to follow the path of my main masterlist to learn more about French musicals and their stories :

[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.

[foxxfaggotry]

i just saw another shit for brains post so im making my own.

i do NOT like kamala, shes a cop at best & cops are detestable and shes worse than a cop imo.

i dont think shes gonna save shit, i really dont. she just will do LESS DAMAGE. which is less to undo! come on! i dont think kamalas saving anyone or honestly really helping much at all, shes just not As Awful as Trump!

i think Kamala harris fucking sucks. but im voting for her bc its the least bad option.

y’all seem to think that it stops there though. you gotta do more. you vote in local elections, to affect the folks who decide what can get dumped in your local river or how much funding the library gets.

support your local community centers and programs. feed your friends and neighbors when you can. give them a place to crash when they need it. reuse the things in your home until they cant be reinvented anymore. take your plastic bags to a store that recycles them. and wvrything else! there is so mych more that can be done, each of us to our own ability!

but pretending voting doesnt matter is fucking goofy and it isnt helping shit!

[lean-mean-demon-genevieve]

More environmental virtue signaling from Gen today. She wants you to believe that 1.) magic fairies drop off these bags free of charge and evaporate your old sweaters into butterflies and 2.) that she actually gave away her designer jeans because she cares so much about saving the world.

Of course there’s a cost involved in these start-ups, this only makes sense. So you PAY for them to send you a bag to put your things into and then the return shipping is already paid for so long as it stays below a certain weight. There are several options but at minimum, one bag costs $14.50. A subscription option for 6 bags per year for $94 also exists. And that gets you access to their Rewards program.

But you won’t hear Gen mention any of that in her little ad or caption. Which is intentional.

While donating to your local charity shop is indeed free, there’s nothing saying that all or part of your donation doesn’t still end up in the trash. Especially if it’s rags already. They don’t pledge to resell, reuse, or recycle everything whereas Retold says this:

Clear as mud. Seriously, can someone translate that last sentence? Some of this sounds ok, but it also sounds like you’re paying them to use your textiles in their upcycling projects that they will continue to profit off of?

The Retold website also partners with several “sustainable” brands that you can purchase from their “Sustainable Store.” (Anyone else remember when Gen mentioned a storefront for the Towwn website?) And their rewards program goes something like this:

If you send them one scrap of cloth, they pledge to send you $15 in rewards but it doesn’t go back in your pocket like it says above. No, you get $15 worth of credit to spend on a bunch of brands you’ve never heard of. Here’s the link. I’ll wait for you to come back…

In case you’re not seeing it yet, the whole thing is a great big circle jerk of consumerism. It’s that image of the snake eating itself. Ain’t nothing for free. Especially not Gen and Towwn.

Here’s my point: Sustainability is a challenge. And I understand and appreciate anyone who wants to try to reduce their carbon footprint. But please stop treating this woman as if she is actually doing anything but patting herself on the back for profit.

If this bag still sounds like something you’d be willing to engage with, then that’s cool too. It’s not the worst trade off if you have the money to spare and if the textiles really do stay out of the landfill. I’m just here to be a good steward and to help you be an informed consumer. Per her branding for Towwn, Gen wouldn’t have it any other way. And whether you buy a bag or not, rest assured her check has already cleared.

[banana-sims]

The Bennett Legacy - update post!   

Hi! This is where I'm going to update stats for my legacy :) I'll also periodically update the family tree as seen above!

I'm currently on generation three, playing with Romeo as my heir (he's like 25 years old right now). It took me forever to decide who to choose but I've realized I love his little family so much that I can't resist.

I'm going to do a bunch of posts about everyone and everything that's happened to catch you up, plus you'll get a much better look at them :)

EXPLORE:

Aspirations

Friend of the Animals, Bodybuilder, Extreme Sports Enthusiast, Painter Extraordinaire (G3), Musical Genius, Bestselling Author, Master Actor, Master Maker, Lady of the Knits (G1), Successful Lineage (G2), Big Happy Family (G2), Super Parent (G2), Master Chef, Master Mixologist, Fabulously Wealthy, Mansion Baron, Renaissance Sim, Nerd Brain, Computer Whiz, Archaeology Scholar, Academic (G2), Serial Romantic, Soulmate (G3), City Native, Beach Life, Mt. Komorebi Sightseer, Freelance Botanist, The Curator, Angling Ace, Outdoor Enthusiast, Jungle Explorer, Eco Innovator (G1), Country Caretaker, Joke Star, Party Animal, Friend of the World (G2), World-Famous Celebrity, Inner Peace, Self-Care Specialist, Zen Guru

Artistic Prodigy (G3), Rambunctious Scamp, Social Butterfly, Whiz Kid, Mind and Body, Playtime Captain, Creative Genius

Drama Llama, Goal Oriented, Live Fast, Admired Icon

Careers

actor, astronaut, athlete, business, civil designer (G1), conservationist, critic, culinary, detective, doctor, education (G2), engineer, entertainer (G1), freelance writer, freelance programmer, freelance artist, freelance fashion photographer, gardener, law, painter, politician (G2), scientist, social media, secret agent, style influencer, tech guru, writer, salaryperson, interior decorator, any part time job

own/run a vet clinic, own/run a retail store, own/run a restaurant

Degrees

Art History, Biology, Communications, Computer Science, Culinary Arts (G3), Drama, Economics, Fine Art (G2), History, Language and Literature, Physics, Psychology (G2), any distinguished degree (G2)

Worlds

Brindleton Bay (G1), Britechester (G2), Copperdale, Del Sol Valley, Evergreen Harbour (G2), Henford-on-Bagley, Mt. Komorebi, Newcrest, Oasis Springs, San Myshuno, Sulani, Tartosa, Willow Creek (G2), Windenburg

Traits

ambitious, cheerful (G1), childish, clumsy, creative (G3), genius, gloomy, goofball, high maintenance, hot-headed, romantic, self-assured (G1), squeamish, unflirty, art lover, bookworm (G2), dance machine, foodie (G3), geek, loves outdoors (G1), maker, music lover (G1), recycle disciple, active, adventurous (G1), child of the islands, child of the ocean, freegan, glutton, green fiend, lazy, materialistic, neat (G2), overachiever, perfectionist, slob, vegetarian (G2), animal enthusiast, bro, cat lover (G3), dog lover, family-oriented (G2), good (G2), hates children, insider, jealous, loner, loyal (G3), noncommittal, outgoing, party animal, proper, self-absorbed, snob, socially awkward

toddler angelic trait (G3), toddler charmer trait, toddler clingy trait (G2), toddler fussy trait, toddler independent trait, toddler inquisitive trait (G3), toddler silly trait (G4), toddler wild trait (G3)

infant cautious trait (G4), infant sensitive trait, infant calm trait, infant intense trait, infant wiggly trait, infant sunny trait

good manners trait (G2), bad manners trait, responsible trait (G2), irresponsible trait, mediator trait (G2), argumentative trait, compassionate trait (G3), insensitive trait, emotional control trait (G3), uncontrolled emotions trait

Skills

charisma (G2), comedy, cooking (G1), fishing, fitness (G2), gardening, gourmet cooking (G1), guitar, handiness (G1), logic (G1), mischief, mixology, painting (G3), piano (G1), photography (G2), programming, rocket science, video gaming, violin, writing, herbalism, baking (G3), wellness, DJ mixing, singing, dancing (G2), bowling, parenting (G2), veterinarian, pet training, archaeology, selvadoradian culture, flower arranging, acting, media production, robotics, research & debate (G2), fabrication, juice fizzing, knitting (G1), rock climbing, skiing, snowboarding, cross-stitch, entrepreneur

Household

male heir (G2), single mom/dad heir, blended family (kids from both previous partners), queer heir (G2), have 1 kid in the generation, have 2 kids in the generation (G1), have 3 kids in the generation, have 4 kids in the generation (G2), have 5 kids in the generation, have twins (G1), have triplets, adopt a child (G2), one night stand pregnancy, broken engagement, marry a childhood friend, marry a coworker, marry someone who was once your enemy/rival, marry someone famous, never get married, have a cat (G1), have a dog (G1), have kittens/puppies

Extra things/collections

live in a tiny home, live off-the-grid for a season, live in an apartment (G2), live in a 3-storey home (G2), live on a farm, sell craftables on plopsy (G1), make/sell candles, have bees/sell honey, craft/sell fizzy juice, reach 5-star reputation for odd jobs

have a child do scouts, have a child do drama club, compete in E-Sports, compete in soccer, join cheer team, join chess team, join computer team, join football team

omiscan treasures and omiscan artifacts collections, city posters collection, snow globes collection, feathers collection, seashells collection, postcards collection, elements collection, mysims trophies collection

GENERATIONS:

______________________________________________________________

GEN 1 FOUNDER - Willa Bennett - Adventurous, Loves Outdoors, Self-Assured / Eco Innovator + Lady of the Knits

SPOUSE - Damon Napier - Music Lover, Self-Assured, Cheerful / Friend of the Animals

Living in: Brindleton Bay

CHILD #1 - Lyra Bennett - Creative, Foodie, Goofball / Musical Genius

CHILD #2 - Dawson Bennett - Cheerful, Neat, Bookworm / Academic

____________________________________________________________________________

GEN 2 HEIR - Dawson Bennett - Cheerful, Neat, Bookworm / Academic

SPOUSE - Jack Sanders - Good, Family-Oriented, Vegetarian / Friend of the World

Living in: Britechester, Evergreen Harbour, Willow Creek

CHILD #1 - Nora Bennett - Bookworm, Unflirty, Hot-Headed / Renaissance Sim

CHILD #2 - Romeo Bennett - Neat, Loyal, Foodie / Soulmate

CHILD #3 - Bea Bennett - Animal Enthusiast, Cheerful, Dance Machine / Friend of the World

CHILD #4 - Sage Bennett - Goofball, Genius / Musical Genius

____________________________________________________________________________

GEN 3 HEIR - Romeo Bennett - Neat, Loyal, Foodie / Soulmate

SPOUSE - Makenzie Thompson - Creative, Vegetarian, Cat Lover / Painter Extraordinaire

Living in: Willow Creek

CHILD #1 - Felix Bennett - ?? / ??

____________________________________________________________________________

If you want to play like this yourself, the template and info is all here!