#Parks Stephenson

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Titanic: First ever full-sized scans reveal wreck as never seen before

Titanic departing Southampton on 10 April 1912

By Rebecca Morelle and Alison Francis

BBC News Climate and Science

17 May 2023

The world's most famous shipwreck has been revealed as never seen before.

The first full-sized digital scan of the Titanic, which lies 3,800m (12,500ft) down in the Atlantic, has been created using deep-sea mapping.

It provides a unique 3D view of the entire ship, enabling it to be seen as if the water has been drained away.

The hope is that this will shed new light on exactly what happened to the liner, which sank on 15 April 1912.

More than 1,500 people died when the ship struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.

"There are still questions, basic questions, that need to be answered about the ship," Parks Stephenson, a Titanic analyst, told BBC News.

He said the model was "one of the first major steps to driving the Titanic story towards evidence-based research - and not speculation."

The Titanic has been extensively explored since the wreck was discovered in 1985.

But it's so huge that in the gloom of the deep, cameras can only ever show us tantalizing snapshots of the decaying ship - never the whole thing.

The new scan captures the wreck in its entirety, revealing a complete view of the Titanic.

It lies in two parts, with the bow and the stern separated by about 800m (2,600ft). A huge debris field surrounds the broken vessel.

The scan was carried out in summer 2022 by Magellan Ltd, a deep-sea mapping company, and Atlantic Productions, who are making a documentary about the project.

Submersibles, remotely controlled by a team on board a specialist ship, spent more than 200 hours surveying the length and breadth of the wreck.

They took more than 700,000 images from every angle, creating an exact 3D reconstruction.

Magellan's Gerhard Seiffert, who led the planning for the expedition, said it was the largest underwater scanning project he'd ever undertaken.

"The depth of it, almost 4,000m, represents a challenge, and you have currents at the site, too - and we're not allowed to touch anything so as not to damage the wreck," he explained.

"And the other challenge is that you have to map every square centimetre - even uninteresting parts, like on the debris field you have to map mud, but you need this to fill in between all these interesting objects."

The scan shows both the scale of the ship, as well as some minute details, such as the serial number on one of the propellers.

The bow, now covered in stalactites of rust, is still instantly recognisable even 100 years after the ship was lost.

Sitting on top is the boat deck, where a gaping hole provides a glimpse into a void where the grand staircase once stood.

The stern though, is a chaotic mess of metal. This part of the ship collapsed as it corkscrewed into the sea floor.

In the surrounding debris field, items are scattered, including ornate metalwork from the ship, statues and unopened champagne bottles.

There are also personal possessions, including dozens of shoes resting on the sediment.

Parks Stephenson, who has studied the Titanic for many years, said he was "blown away" when he first saw the scans.

"It allows you to see the wreck as you can never see it from a submersible, and you can see the wreck in its entirety. You can see it in context and perspective. And what it's showing you now is the true state of the wreck."

He said that studying the scans could offer new insight into what happened to the Titanic on that fateful night of 1912.

"We really don't understand the character of the collision with the iceberg. We don't even know if she hit it along the starboard side, as is shown in all the movies - she might have grounded on the iceberg," he explained.

Studying the stern, he added, could reveal the mechanics of how the ship struck the sea floor.

The sea is taking its toll on the wreck, microbes are eating away at it and parts are disintegrating.

Historians are well aware that time is running out to fully understand the maritime disaster.

But the scan now freezes the wreck in time and will allow experts to pore over every tiny detail.

The hope is that the Titanic may yet give up its secrets.

[franciswhetsel]

I don't want to mess up the careers of established authors and historians by bringing up 25 year old forum posts, but I'd love to do a write up about the childish mud slinging that was going on on late 90s/early aughts Titanic forums

[overheardinsouthpark]

Butters: Lets do a little group children's story together, it'll be like a cool collab, I'll go first: Once upon a time there was a little worm who lived in a biiig apple, his name was Stephenson and he had anxiety (aww) Cartman: I eat him. Butters: What the fuck. What the fuck??

[trendynewsnow]

Paul Stephenson: A Legacy in British Civil Rights

Paul Stephenson: A Pioneering Civil Rights Activist Paul Stephenson, a notable British civil rights activist, passed away on November 2 at the age of 87. His family announced that he succumbed to complications from Parkinson’s disease and dementia, although specifics regarding his place of death were not disclosed. Stephenson is best remembered for his pivotal role in leading a boycott of the…

[nicolagriffith]

Coming up: Third Place, Brick & Mortar, Village Books

Three book events coming up—Third Place in Lake Forest Park, Brick & Mortar in Redmond, Village Books in Bellingham—and all promise to be wildly different. First up, Weds 18 Oct with Neal Stephenson...

Wednesday, 18 October, 7:00 pm—Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park Last time I was on stage at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, it was with Chuck Tingle. That was a crazy evening: 300+ people screaming and hollering. I can’t really blame them: we were almost an hour late to start because there were ‘technical difficulties,’ that is, a missing dongle meant Chuck couldn’t run his slide show…

[herpsandbirds]

Favorite skink?

WHAT???? FAVORITE SKINK BABIES???

I cannot shoose! Here are some favorites...

Eastern Shingleback Skink (Tiliqua rugosa asper), family Scincidae, South Australia

photograph by Benjamint444

Emerald Tree Skink (Lamprolepis smaragdina), family Scincidae, Jasaan, Misamis Oriental, Philippines

photograph by Domzjuniorwildlife

Haly’s Tree Skink (Dasia haliana), family Scincidae, endemic to Sri Lanka

photographs by Dushantha Kandambi [a,b] and A. Jayasooriya [c]

Prickly Forest Skink (Gnypetoscincus queenslandiae), family Scincidae, endemic to rainforests of Queensland, Australia

photograph by Shane Walsh

Fire Skink (Mochlus fernandi), family Scincidae, found in West Africa

* Also known by the scientific name Riopa fernandi.

Photograph by Reptiles 4All

The Sandfish (Scincus scincus), family Scincidae, northern Africa

photograph by Wilfried Berns 

Solomon Island Prehensile-tailed Skink (Corucia zebrata), family Scincidae, endemic to the Solomon Islands archipelago

Arboreal, herbivorous, crepuscular.

The largest known species of skink, they can grow to a total length of 32 inches (81 cm).

Live-bearing, they provide parental care for the young, after birth, as well. Females are known to be fiercely protective of the young.

They are actually social, and live in extended family groups.

This has been scientifically proven to be one of the best lizards, and I love them.

photograph by Josh More

Yellow-belly Three-toed Skink (Saiphos equalis), family Scincidae, found in eastern Australia

The only species in this genus.

Coastal populations reproduce by laying eggs (oviparity), and mountain populations reproduce through live birth (viviparity).

photograph by Rebecca Pyles

McCoy’s Elf Skink aka Highlands Forest Skink (Anepischetosia maccoyi), family Scincidae, Australia

photograph by @skinkmania__

Great Desert Skink aka Kintore’s Skink (Liopholis kintorei), family Scincidae, Kata Tjuta Nat Park, NT, Australia

These lizards live cooperatively in underground burrow systems, with siblings and offspring, as well as with unrelated individuals and pairs.

photograph by Gary Stephenson

Red-eyed Crocodile Skink (Tribolonotus gracilis), family Scincidae, endemic to New Guinea

photograph by Rizki Supendi

Banded Supple Skink (Lygosoma haroldyoungi), family Scincidae, Northern Thailand

Photograph by Rupert Grassby-Lewis

[amygdalae]

"The franchise and the virus work on the same principle: what thrives in one place will thrive in another. You just have to find a sufficiently virulent business plan, condense it into a three-ring binder--its DNA--xerox it, and embed it in the fertile lining of a well-traveled highway, preferably one with a left-turn lane. Then the growth will expand until it runs up against its property lines.

In olden times, you'd wander down to Mom's Cafe for a bite to eat and a cup of joe, and you would feel right at home. It worked just fine if you never left your hometown. But if you went to the next town over, everyone would look up and stare at you when you came in the door, and the Blue Plate special would be something you didn't recognize. If you did enough traveling, you'd never be at home anywhere.

But when a businessman from New Jersey goes to Dubuque, he knows he can walk into a McDonald's and no one will stare at him. He can order without having to look at the menu, and the food will always taste the same. McDonald's is Home, condensed into a three-ring binder and xeroxed. "No surprises" is the motto of the franchise ghetto, its Good Housekeeping seal, subliminally blazoned on every sign and logo that make up the curves and grids of light that outline the Basin.

The people of America, who live in the world's most surprising and terrible country, take comfort in that motto. Follow the loglo outward, to where the growth is enfolded into the valleys and the canyons, and you find the land of the refugees. They have fled from the true America, the America of atomic bombs, scalpings, hip-hop, chaos theory, cement overshoes, snake handlers, spree killers, space walks, buffalo jumps, drive-bys, cruise missiles, Sherman's March, gridlock, motorcycle gangs, and bungee jumping. They have parallel-parked their bimbo boxes in identical computer-designed Burbclave street patterns and secreted themselves in symmetrical sheetrock shitholes with vinyl floors and ill-fitting woodwork and no sidewalks, vast house farms out in the loglo wilderness, a culture medium for a medium culture."

--Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash

[sowhatifiliveinfukuoka]

Bill Stephenson

Hyde Park Flats, Sheffield (1988)

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Incomplete vs. overshoot

I'm on tour with my new novel The Bezzle! Catch me TONIGHT in Seattle (Feb 26) with Neal Stephenson, then Portland, Phoenix and more!

You know the "horseshoe theory," right? "The far-left and the far-right, rather than being at opposite and opposing ends of a linear continuum of the political spectrum, closely resemble each other, analogous to the way that the opposite ends of a horseshoe are close together":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_theory

It's a theory that only makes sense if you don't know much about the right and the left and what each side wants out of politics.

Take women's suffrage. The early suffragists ("suffragettes" in the UK) were mostly interested in votes for affluent, white women – not women as a body. Today's left criticizes the suffrage movement on the basis that they didn't go far enough:

https://www.npr.org/2011/03/25/134849480/the-root-how-racism-tainted-womens-suffrage

Contrast that with Christian Dominionists – the cranks who think that embryos are people (though presumably not for the purpose of calculating a state's electoral college vote? Though it would be cool if presidential elections turned on which side of a state line a fertility clinic's chest-freezer rested on):

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/how-alabama-ivf-ruling-was-influenced-christian-nationalism-on-the-media?tab=summary

These people are part of a far-right coalition that wants to abolish votes for women. As billionaire far-right bagman Peter Thiel wrote that he thought it was a mistake to let women vote at all:

https://www.cato-unbound.org/2009/04/13/peter-thiel/education-libertarian/

Superficially, there's some horseshoe theory action going on here. The left thinks the suffragists were wrong. The right thinks they were wrong, too. Therefore, the left and the right agree!

Well, they agree that the suffragists were wrong, but for opposite reasons – and far, far more importantly, they totally disagree about what they want. The right wants a world where no women can vote. The left wants a world where all women can vote. The idea that the right and the left agree on women's suffrage is, as the physicists say, "not even wrong."

It's the kind of wrong that can only be captured by citing scripture, specifically, A Fish Called Wanda, 6E, 79: "The central message of Buddhism is not 'Every man for himself.' And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked them up."

Or take the New Deal. While the New Deal set its sites on liberating workers from precarity, abuse and corruption, the Dealers – like the suffragists – had huge gaps in their program, omitting people of color, indigenous people, women, queer people, etc. There are lots of leftists who criticize the New Deal on this basis: it didn't go far enough:

https://livingnewdeal.org/new-deal-and-race/

But for the past 40 years, America has seen a sustained, vicious assault on New Deal programs, from Social Security to Medicare to food stamps to labor rights to national parks, funded by billionaires who want to bring back the Gilded Age and turn us all into forelock-tugging plebs:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/06/the-end-of-the-road-to-serfdom/

If you only view politics as a game of elementary school cliques, you might say that the left and the right are meeting again. The left says Roosevelt got it wrong with the New Deal (because he left out so many people). The right says FDR was wrong for doing the New Deal in the first place. Therefore, the left and the right agree, right?

Obviously wrong. Obviously. Again, the important thing is why the left and the right think the New Deal deserves criticism. The important thing is what the left and the right want. The left wants universal liberation. The right wants us all in economic chains. They do not agree.

It's not always just politics, either. Take the old, good internet. That was an internet defined by technological self-determination, a wild and wooly internet where there were few gatekeepers, where disfavored groups could find each other and make common cause, where users who were threatened by the greed of the shareholders behind big services could install blockers, mods, alternative clients and other "adversarial interoperability" tools that seized the means of computation.

Today's enshitternet – "five giant websites, filled with screenshots of the other four" (h/t Tom Eastman) – is orders of magnitude more populous than that old, good internet. The enshitternet has billions of users, and they are legally – and technologically – prevented from taking any self-help measures when the owners of services change them to shift value from users to themselves:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

The anti-enshittification movement rightly criticizes the old, good internet because it wasn't inclusive enough. It was a system almost exclusively hospitable to affluent, privileged people – the people who least needed the liberatory power of technology.

Likewise pro-enshittification monopolists – billionaires and their useful idiots – deplore the old, good internet because it gave its users too much power. For them, ad-blocking, alternative clients, mods, reverse-engineering and so on were all bugs, not features. For them, the enshitternet is great because businesses can literally criminalize taking action to protect yourself from their predatory impulses:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/20/benevolent-dictators/#felony-contempt-of-business-model

Superficially, it seems like the pro- and anti-enshittification forces agree – they both agree that the old, good internet was a mistake. But the difference that matters here is that the pro-enshittification side wants everyone mired in the enshitternet forever, living with what Jay Freeman calls "Felony contempt of business-model." By contrast, the disenshittification side wants a new, good internet that gives every user – not just a handful of techies – the power to decide how the digital systems they work use, and to be able to alter or reconfigure them to suit their own needs.

The horsehoe theory only makes sense if you don't take into account the beliefs and goals of each side. Politics aren't just a matter of who you agree with on a given issue – the real issue is what you're trying to accomplish.

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/2024/02/26/horsehoe-crab/#substantive-disagreement

[uss-edsall]

One of the funnier things in life is knowing Parks Stephenson, executive director of the USS Kidd Museum, E-2C Hawkeye controller veteran with 20 years in the Navy, found the USS Johnston and USS Samuel B. Roberts, five time expedition veteran to the RMS Titanic, is a fucking massive kancolle fan to the degree of trying to get an official collab going between the Kidd Museum with KanColle

[larkral]

Oh, hi. Good news: I am not dead. Bad news: my spirit is perhaps just a little bit dead. Thanks @shrekgogurt and @hushed-chorus for the tags! And to everyone else who's been tagging me over the past while.

I've been too busy dealing with school's bullshit about my daughter's behavior for the past (checks watch) six weeks to have any energy to write. But! Last night I wrote 230 words for the epilogue of my Check Please fic!

Anyway, I've been feeling very much like the amalgamation of Natalie and Zadie in Finally, (already, always) that I'll be honest, I've always known I was writing them as. For a snippet of my life, please read the two following snippets from that WIP:

Natalie:

Simon's teachers call us up to say he's a nuisance in class, but they can never say what he's done. Is he loud? (No.) Does he throw things? (No.) Has he hit anyone? (No.) Does he speak out of turn? (No.) No, no, no. He's just a nuisance, Mrs. Stephenson-Shaw. (Ms. Shaw, actually.) He's disruptive. He has to go to the office. He's risking expulsion. He's seven. Just a boy. Thin shoulders, long back, freckles, blue eyes and a smile. A tumble of energy and adoration and enthusiasm. He's my Simon. He's stories by the window, and sitting on the floor next to his bed stroking his back as he falls asleep. He's chasing after ducks in the park, climbing trees, and an overwhelming enthusiasm for knights and dragons.  I love him every way I can find. Every day I find more. I'm spilling over with love for him and aside from Zadie, no one seems to be able to see it: the things we love. The ways he's loveable.

Zadie:

I wonder if he might have seemed trustworthy. If he'd been subtle, if he'd been politic, would I have seen the monster as readily?  "We will talk with Simon about it. And we can tour the school. And if he's interested, then we'll consider it." He purses his lips. "A tour will be difficult," he says. "It is impossible for a non-magical person to enter the gates of Watford." Of course. Well, it's as good a demand as any to finish the conversation with. "Well then, I suggest that you find a way to let prospective and current students' parents visit the school, or the answer will definitely be no." I stand up and start towards the door. Nat stands and starts down the stairs. We fall in together, present a united front as I usher to David Cadwallader out of our home.  "I'll be in touch ," he says.

<3 to everyone and tags under the cut

@stitchyqueer @thewholelemon @confused-bi-queer @raenestee @facewithoutheart @cutestkilla @hushed-chorus @sillyunicorn @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @basiltonbutliketheherb @ileadacharmedlife @asocialpessimist @bookish-bogwitch @aristocratic-otter @captain-aralias @petedavidsonscock @takitalks @artsyunderstudy @yeonjunenby @carryonvisinata @takenabackbytuesdays @martsonmars @nausikaaa @nightimedreamersghost @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @ionlydrinkhotwater @that-disabled-princess @shrekgogurt @forabeatofadrum  @palimpsessed @fatalfangirl​ @blackberrysummerblog​ @valeffelees @imagineacoolusername @orange-peony @j-nipper-95 @whogaveyoupermission @wellbelesbian @rimeswithpurple @youarenevertooold @emeryhall @mooncello @monbons @run-for-chamo-miles

[vintagelasvegas]

Construction of the Flamingo, 1946, facing west from behind the hotel. Highway 91 (the Strip) runs horizontally across the photo. Unknown photographer.

Timeline of the Flamingo

‘44: Margaret M. Folsom buys the property from Charles Squires in Nov. (RJ 11/18/44) and begins building Rancho Aloha auto court motel.

‘45: W. R. Wilkerson writes down payment check for purchase of the property in Mar. Folsom opens Rancho Aloha in Apr. (RJ 4/27/45). Sale of the property to Wilkerson is recorded in Jun. (RJ 6/9/45); Rancho Aloha closed. Construction begins for Hotel Wilkerson in Dec. (RJ 12/18/45, 1/21/46, 2/5/46). Note: Several buildings of Folsom's motel, on the far south of the property, remained on site until the 70s.

Early Flamingo

‘46: Wilkerson sells shares to new group represented by Benjamin Siegel in Mar. The name “Flamingo” is chosen some time in ‘46 during Siegel’s involvement. Siegel takes over the project, opening the casino 12/26/46 while the hotel is still under construction. Architects George Vernon Russell hired by Wilkerson, Richard Stadelman hired by Siegel.

‘47: Casino closes 2/4/47 while the hotel is being completed. Full reopening on 3/1/47. Second sign (altered version of original sign) in place during reopening. Siegel killed 6/20/47. Greenbaum, Rosenberg, Sedway take over management of the resort.

‘49: Gruen attraction board; 60-room addition in three V-shaped wings on the east property opened in May; wedding chapel addition, designed and built by Miller, Haynes and Smith (Henderson) in Jul. (RJ 4/21/49, 6/5/49, 7/1/49)

‘51: 3-floor, 100-wing addition, designed by Paul R. Williams Associates, opened in Aug. on the north side of the resort. Flamingo now totals 300 rooms, largest in Las Vegas. (RJ 12/22/50, 8/20/51)

‘53: Casino remodel and “Champagne Tower” addition, completed in Oct.; wedding chapel removed.

‘54: Sale by Greenbaum & partners to T. Hull, Parvin & partners. (Nevada State Journal, 11/3/54)

‘58: 2-floor, 92 room addition, designed by Honnold-Rex and William Stephenson (Los Angeles), built by Edward Gray Corp (Chicago) on the east property, opens in Aug. The T-shape wing replaces the center bldg of the ’49 expansion. (RJ 8/31/58)

‘59: Second T-shape wing replaces the north bldg of the ‘49 expansion. Date unknown, circa ‘59-60.

‘60: Sale by Parvin to M. Landburgh, S. Cohen, and Lifter of Miami. A decade later, Lansburgh and Cohen were convicted on charges related to skimming est. $10M Flamingo casino proceeds. Meyer Lansky, whose finder's fee was paid during the skimming, also charged but not convicted. (New York Times, 2/4/73 p15; Miami News, 2/10/77 p77)

‘61: Convention Hall addition opens in Apr. with “Champagne bubble block” facade on the southwest property. 4-floor south wing addition opened in Oct. (RJ 10/10/62 p27) replacing part of the original south wing and some of the Rancho Aloha buildings.

‘63: South east wing addition, modeled after the ‘61 south wing, replaces the last building of the ‘49 expansion. (RJ 10/10/62 p27) 

‘67: Flamingo sold to Kirk Kerkorian in Aug.

‘68: Casino remodel. Champagne tower, attraction board, and bubble breeze blocks removed; replaced with “plume” neon sign designed by Bill Clarke, Ad Art; 2-floor lounge designed by Martin Stern Jr.

Hilton era, and beyond

‘71: Flamingo sold to Hilton Corp.

‘77: Bull-nose porte-cochère neon sign by Heath & Co, completed in Jun. Tower 1 addition.

‘80: Tower 2 addition (expansion of tower 1).

‘82: Tower 3 addition (southeast side of property along Flamingo Rd). Parking garage addition, north side of the resort. Redevelopment of the courtyard & pool.

‘86: Tower 4 addition (extension of  tower 3).

‘88: ‘68 pylon removed, replaced with O'Shea’s casino.

‘89: Extension of the north casino.

‘90: Tower 5 addition (north).

‘93: Last of the original structure, Oregon Suite and Garden Rooms, demolished in Dec. (RJ 12/15/93).

‘94: Tower 6 (north) and Hilton Grand Vacations Club addition (RJ 2/6/93, 10/27/94).

‘98: Hilton’s gaming business including Flamingo spun off into Park Place Entertainment. Hilton name removed from Flamingo in 2000. Park Place renamed Caesars Entertainment in 2003.

Other sources include: W.R. Wilkerson III. “The Man who Invented Las Vegas” (2000) and “Hollywood Godfather: The Life and Crimes of Billy Wilkerson” (2018); L. Gragg. “Benjamin Bugsy Siegel: The Gangster, the Flamingo, andthe Making of Modern Las Vegas” (2015); M. Shnayerson. “Bugsy Siegel: The Dark Side of the American Dream” (2021).

Updated 10/28/2024.

[happy-lemon]

Get to Know Me - Sims Edition

I was tagged by @papermint-airplane, who you should follow if you're not already.

What’s your favorite Sims death?

I didn't think I had an answer for this because I don't usually kill my sims...and then I remember that the first story I posted on tumblr was a Black Widow Challenge. I think my perennial favorite is the old pool with no ladders trick, which got harder in Sims 3. But if you put cones and caution tape around the pool while someone is swimming... I mean, how did they miss those warning signs when they went swimming? *walks away whistling*

Alpha CC or MaxisMatch?

For Sims 3 I like Alpha hair, skin, makeup, skin details, etc, but I don't mind a lot of the EA clothes. With the right texture or pattern, some of those things can be really cute. And really...I guess it's the same for Sims 4.

Do you cheat your sims weight?

In Sims 3, no. In Sims 4, it's situational. I don't have an issue with overweight sims. I'm overweight myself. But it drove me bananas when Noa, an active sim who swims every single day for her job didn't lose the baby weight. So...sometimes?

Do you move objects?

Absolutely. It's the bane of my existence that you can't pick up and move sims in Sims 4.

Favorite Mod?

My favorites are all the toddler mods by @thesweetsimmer111.

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack?

Livin' Large for Sims 1. I bought the first game for my kids and we just kept going from there. Now, I'm the only one who still plays. My first experience with the franchise goes back to playing Sim City on a Macintosh computer in college, so now you know I'm super old.

Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing

aLIVE

Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

Okay, so if we count sims born in-game, then in Sims 3 it would clearly be Keahi Solomon. If that doesn't count, then I'd say Ciaran Delaney. For Sims 4, it would be Travis Stephenson.

Have you made a simself?

I don't think? If I did, it would have been in my Sims 2 era, but I don't remember doing so.

Which is your favorite EA hair color?

My favorite is almost always pale blonde, either Sims 3 or Sims 4. I rarely use it because I'm super aware that I could easily overuse it.

Favorite EA hair?

None of them in Sims 3. In Sims 4, I like the casual side braid.

Favorite life stage?

In Sims 3, it's toddler. All day, every day. Gimme those adorable toddlers! In Sims 4, the baaaaaaabies. OMG. The babies. I can't get enough.

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

I haven't gotten the hang of building in Sims 4 yet. Everyone says it's easier but I find it kind of daunting. I enjoy building in Sims 3, but I wouldn't consider myself a builder. Which is a long way to say... gameplay.

Are you a CC creator?

I'm not. I wish I had that skill.

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad?

I do have Simblr friends! At least I think we're friends? And I became friends with @papermint-airplane through the Sims 3 sub on Reddit.

Do you have any sims merch?

I don't, but I think my daughter might still have the plumbob flash drive somewhere in the depths of her closet.

Do you have a YouTube for sims?

Trust me, no one wants to see that.

How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing?

Not a lot, really. I'm still a storyteller (I used to write Sims 2 stories on the TSR community forum) but I'm trying to get better at screenshots.

What’s your origin id?

It's not really worth sharing because I don't do anything online.

Who’s your favorite CC creator?

There are so many that I could make a list, but I tend to return to B5 Studio stuff time and time again. I have the entire Grant Park collection and if I make a house that doesn't have one of their doors, please make sure I haven't been kidnapped.

How long have you had simblr?

I think about a year and a half? I really only started it so I'd have a place to post screenshots that wouldn't get downvoted to hell, and I found a really fun community. Y'all are the best.

How do you edit your pictures?

I have zero photoshop skills so I just try to go for composition, angles, and lighting and hope for the best. Doesn't always work, but sometimes I get some bangers.

What expansion/ gamepack is your favorite?

Sims 3: University, because it has my beloved Jeffery Dean.

Sims 4: Growing Together, because baaaaaabies!

I'm tagging @nectar-cellar, @rebouks, @llamaheart, @erasabledinosaur, @getboolpropped, and @elderwisp. If you've already done it, this message will self-destruct in five second. And if you haven't been tagged yet and want to do it, consider yourself tagged by me.

[romantickiller111]

Romantic Killer – Prom King & Queen

By Sarah Stephenson

CHAPTER 6 – PROM NIGHT

Finally, prom night was here at last. Last night my mum texted me suggesting we have a serious talk with me about boys and relationships. A little late for that I thought. I also phoned Fuuto and told him I already had a date for the prom, only to get his manager on the phone.

“I’m sorry miss but Fuuto won’t be available to attend Prom that night” he said, “He has another engagement already scheduled for that night”.

That’s a relief I thought.

Hijiri also got his media contacts to remove the rumour article about me off the internet. It was dragging my name through the mud. 

“It was nothing,” Hijiri said. “Why is it that I’m the only one who will come to your rescue Anzu. First the stalker and now those rumour mongers. Seriously Anzu, you need someone to look after you.”

“She has” Tsukasa replied touching my arm tenderly, “She has us. “

I was touched by Tsukasa’s comment. He knows the right time to say the right thing. If only I could express my feelings to them. Maybe tonight would be the night to say the words I’ve been holding back for so long.

Riri was putting the final touches to my curly red hair. My hair was in a tightly but stylish bun that made my neck look longer. Down stairs Saka, Makoto, Junta, Tsukasa and Hijiri were waiting for me.

I slowly made my way down the stairs. Not used to wearing high heels and was worried I might trip any time.

Riri pushed passed me wearing a cute pink dress. “Ta-daaa” she said waving her hand at my presence.

My dress was perfect! My hair was too! I didn’t know that Riri was also good with make-up. I looked like a beautiful princess from a book. Everything was perfect. I looked and felt beautiful.

Junta, Tsukasa and Hijiri gazed at me in silence. They were obviously very impressed and didn’t know what to say. My heart began beating hard in my chest.

“You look beautiful Anzu” Saka said breaking the silence. She turned to my three escorts and added, “What do you think guys?”

“Anzu…” Junta stammered, “You look… incredible.” Sweat appearing on his forehead.

“Yeah Anzu” Tsukasa said giving me a warm smile, “You will the prettiest girl at prom.”

Hijiri looked me up and down, just like he did on the day we went on our almost date, where he took me to a boutique and brought me a $900 dollar dress. He continued to gaze at me without saying a word.

He is probably thinks I’m too tall and that I should change my shoes I thought. Then a small smile appeared on his face.

“Exquisite” he said.

Wow. This was a first. Hearing something nice coming from Hijiri was a shock. I waited to hear a ‘but’ in his voice but only heard a peaceful silence.

I smiled back at Hijiri and stepped forward only to trip on my skirt and fall into his arms. His body felt so warm against mine. I always thought Hijiri’s body would be cold but it wasn’t.

“Anzu are you alright?” Junta asked stepping up beside me.

I stepped back from Hijiri. The warmth between us disappearing.

“Yeah, I’m alright” I answered.

“Oh good” Junta said.

“Hmm, for a minute there I thought you were throwing yourself at me” Hijiri said, “just like you threw yourself in front of my car.”

Ah, the old Hijiri has returned.

“First, I didn’t throw myself in front of your car” I answered angrily, “And second it was your car that hit me!” “Let’s not get started on this” Saka interrupted, “don’t we have a prom to go to.”

“Saka is right” Makoto agreed.

“Fine, let’s go” I said.  

We made our way out the door. Just then the phone started ringing. Probably mum again, I thought and laughed.

The limo arrived at the Prom and the place was packed with cars all around the auditorium. It took a little time for Tsuchiya to get the limo to the front entrance. One by one we emerged and waited for the others to get out of the vehicle. We are coming as a group and we should enter as a group. That’s what friends do.

The other students gaped at us as we entered the gym. Just like the parking lot, the auditorium was full of noisy students.

“I’ll go grab us some drinks” Junta said as he made his way to the refreshment table on the other side of the room.

Saka and Makoto went off onto the dance floor leaving me with Tuskasa and Hijiri. Just then Rena appeared wearing a sparkling, red dress and dragging one of my class mate along with her.

“So you showed up at last” Rena said gazing at me and my two escorts. Gazing the longest at Tsukasa. From her gaze, it was obvious that she was still jealous of my closeness with Tsukasa. “So this is the type of girl your into. A complete frizzy freak,” she added.

Tsukasa didn’t say anything at first but gently squeezed my hand.

“That right” he answered, “So I care for Anzu, deal with it Rena. She’s like no other girl I’ve ever known and if it came to a choice between you and her, I would choice her every time!”

Rena was stunned by Tsukasa’s answer and under her breath said, “Meanie”.

Rena stormed off with her date trailing behind like a dog on a leash.

I was deeply touched by Tsukasa’s words and hug his arm.

“That took guts” Junta said as he handed us our drinks.

“I must agree with Master Hayami’s statement” Hijiri smiled, “What you did took spirit.”

“Yeah, thanks Tsukasa” I said.

Before I could add anything else, two large flaming pyrotechnic displays began to light up the stage in front of the students. Then we saw a figure on the stage. As the flames continued to light up the stage, I saw who it was. It was Fuuto on the stage.

Girls started to scream with excitement as he started singing ‘Girl, there’s something in your Eyes’.

Then he locked eyes on me. Oh no I thought.

“Oh man” Tsukasa said.

“The kid won’t quit” Junta answered sipping his drink.

“Did you know he was coming?” Tsukasa asked Hijiri.

“I hadn’t a clue” Hijiri answered, “I’m surprised he would turn up to such a small affair.”

I then remembered what his agent told me. Fuuto had another engagement and wouldn’t be attending the prom tonight. Turned out, the engagement he lined up was the prom itself.

“Forget him” Tsukasa said, “Let’s dance.”

Tsukasa led me to the dance floor. The music was very lively and cheerful and I soon forgot all about Fuuto’s presence at the prom. Tsukasa, Junta and Hijiri all took turns dancing with me. I was the envy of all the girls at the prom.

At times, Rena continued to give me deathly stares. But it didn’t bother me. I felt safe within my circle of friends and didn’t think that anyone could ruin it for me.

[herpsandbirds]

Great Desert Skink aka Kintore's Skink (Liopholis kintorei), family Scincidae, Kata Tjuta Nat Park, NT, Australia

These lizards live cooperatively in underground burrow systems, with siblings and offspring, as well as with unrelated individuals and pairs.

photograph by Gary Stephenson

[franciswhetsel]

heya! u mentioned those old forum posts and they sound entertaining as shit. where do i find them? are there phrases or keywords u can put into a search engine for them or specific platforms? i‘ve never really had to look up that kinda stuff cuz i either had a link or found it on accident myself.

Gonna preface this by saying that I may love the random drama that pops up, but these forums are predominantly fantastic discussions and I use them a lot for actual research. The funny things are usually buried like six pages into a post so I hope I didn't give the impression that it's all drama.

But one of them is this old Google Groups (note that it's pretty abandoned so the newer posts are mostly all spam) and the other one is the Encyclopedia Titanica forums.

They're worth digging around in just to get some really specialized knowledge. Park Stephenson in particular has some really fascinating insight.