#buy best water purifier

[livpuresmart]

6 Stages of Water Purification to Eliminate Microorganisms and Impurities in Water

50–150 (measured in ppm) TDS levels in water are considered the preferred range. Getting this TDS in water is a hard task to achieve. This is why renting or buying a water purifier is the best option.

[chloiesmith457]

Buy Water Purifiers Online in Singapore with Bbyeol

Shop high-quality water purifiers online at Bbyeol and enjoy clean, safe drinking water for your home or office. Our advanced purifiers combine sleek design with efficient filtration technology, ensuring pure hydration every time. Browse and buy online today for hassle-free delivery!

[ramservices1]

Discover tips on selecting the perfect RO water purifier for your home, ensuring clean, safe drinking water for your family with our complete guide.

Do Read: https://ramservicesandsales.com/2024/07/19/the-right-ro-water-purifier/

[rosemaryhelenxo]

Hello Klean Purifying Shower Head: An Effective Solution for Hard Water Hair and Skin Issues | Review - PR Gifted

Hello Klean first launched in 2019, when founder Karlee Oz became sick of her hair feeling dry and brittle, and decided to make a product to save us all! The kind folks at Hello Klean decided to reach out and gift me their viral Purifying Shower Head to try out and see if I can feel and see the difference in my skin and hair by combating the Dorset coast hard water! Ever go away on holiday and…

[brightwaterfilters]

A home water filter system in the UK is an essential appliance for ensuring clean, safe, and great-tasting water right from your tap. These advanced systems utilize state-of-the-art filtration technology to remove impurities, contaminants, and unpleasant tastes and odors from your water supply.

[cleanjalwater]

Where is the Best Place to Buy Good Quality Water Purifier in Delhi?

In this composition, we will tell you Where is the Best Place to Buy Good Quality Water Purifiers in Delhi. Authorized Brand Stores One of the most dependable options is to visit sanctioned brand stores. Reputed water purifier brands frequently have their exclusive outlets or showrooms in Delhi. These stores offer a wide range of models, icing authentic products, bond content, and after-deal services. Visiting brand stores allows you to interact with knowledgeable staff who can give expert advice grounded on your specific requirements. Reputable Retailers and Supermarkets Delhi is home to multitudinous estimable retailers and supermarkets that offer a variety of water purifier brands. These retailers precisely curate their product immolations and frequently have devoted sections for water purifiers.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Google reneged on the monopolistic bargain

I'm on tour with my new novel The Bezzle! Catch me TONIGHT in SALT LAKE CITY (Feb 21, Weller Book Works) and TOMORROW in SAN DIEGO (Feb 22, Mysterious Galaxy). After that, it's LA, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix and more!

A funny thing happened on the way to the enshittocene: Google – which astonished the world when it reinvented search, blowing Altavista and Yahoo out of the water with a search tool that seemed magic – suddenly turned into a pile of shit.

Google's search results are terrible. The top of the page is dominated by spam, scams, and ads. A surprising number of those ads are scams. Sometimes, these are high-stakes scams played out by well-resourced adversaries who stand to make a fortune by tricking Google:

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/phone-numbers-airlines-listed-google-directed-scammers-rcna94766

But often these scams are perpetrated by petty grifters who are making a couple bucks at this. These aren't hyper-resourced, sophisticated attackers. They're the SEO equivalent of script kiddies, and they're running circles around Google:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

Google search is empirically worsening. The SEO industry spends every hour that god sends trying to figure out how to sleaze their way to the top of the search results, and even if Google defeats 99% of these attempts, the 1% that squeak through end up dominating the results page for any consequential query:

https://downloads.webis.de/publications/papers/bevendorff_2024a.pdf

Google insists that this isn't true, and if it is true, it's not their fault because the bad guys out there are so numerous, dedicated and inventive that Google can't help but be overwhelmed by them:

https://searchengineland.com/is-google-search-getting-worse-389658

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Google has long maintained that its scale is the only thing that keeps us safe from the scammers and spammers who would otherwise overwhelm any lesser-resourced defender. That's why it was so imperative that they pursue such aggressive growth, buying up hundreds of companies and integrating their products with search so that every mobile device, every ad, every video, every website, had one of Google's tendrils in it.

This is the argument that Google's defenders have put forward in their messaging on the long-overdue antitrust case against Google, where we learned that Google is spending $26b/year to make sure you never try another search engine:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-27/google-paid-26-3-billion-to-be-default-search-engine-in-2021

Google, we were told, had achieved such intense scale that the normal laws of commercial and technological physics no longer applied. Take security: it's an iron law that "there is no security in obscurity." A system that is only secure when its adversaries don't understand how it works is not a secure system. As Bruce Schneier says, "anyone can design a security system that they themselves can't break. That doesn't mean it works – just that it works for people stupider than them."

And yet, Google operates one of the world's most consequential security system – The Algorithm (TM) – in total secrecy. We're not allowed to know how Google's ranking system works, what its criteria are, or even when it changes: "If we told you that, the spammers would win."

Well, they kept it a secret, and the spammers won anyway.

A viral post by Housefresh – who review air purifiers – describes how Google's algorithmic failures, which send the worst sites to the top of the heap, have made it impossible for high-quality review sites to compete:

https://housefresh.com/david-vs-digital-goliaths/

You've doubtless encountered these bad review sites. Search for "Best ______ 2024" and the results are a series of near-identical lists, strewn with Amazon affiliate links. Google has endlessly tinkered with its guidelines and algorithmic weights for review sites, and none of it has made a difference. For example, when Google instituted a policy that reviewers should "discuss the benefits and drawbacks of something, based on your own original research," sites that had previously regurgitated the same lists of the same top ten Amazon bestsellers "peppered their pages with references to a ‘rigorous testing process,’ their ‘lab team,’ subject matter experts ‘they collaborated with,’ and complicated methodologies that seem impressive at a cursory look."

But these grandiose claims – like the 67 air purifiers supposedly tested in Better Homes and Gardens's Des Moines lab – result in zero in-depth reviews and no published data. Moreover, these claims to rigorous testing materialized within a few days of Google changing its search ranking and said that high rankings would be reserved for sites that did testing.

Most damning of all is how the Better Homes and Gardens top air purifiers perform in comparison to the – extensively documented – tests performed by Housefresh: "plagued by high-priced and underperforming units, Amazon bestsellers with dubious origins (that also underperform), and even subpar devices from companies that market their products with phrases like ‘the Tesla of air purifiers.’"

One of the top ranked items on BH&G comes from Molekule, a company that filed for bankruptcy after being sued for false advertising. The model BH&G chose was ranked "the worst air purifier tested" by Wirecutter and "not living up to the hype" by Consumer Reports. Either BH&G's rigorous testing process is a fiction that they infused their site with in response to a Google policy change, or BH&G absolutely sucks at rigorous testing.

BH&G's competitors commit the same sins – literally, the exact same sins. Real Simple's reviews list the same photographer and the photos seem to have been taken in the same place. They also list the same person as their "expert." Real Simple has the same corporate parent as BH&G: Dotdash Meredith. As Housefresh shows, there's a lot of Dotdash Meredith review photos that seem to have been taken in the same place, by the same person.

But the competitors of these magazines are no better. Buzzfeed lists 22 air purifiers, including that crapgadget from Molekule. Their "methodology" is to include screenshots of Amazon reviews.

A lot of the top ranked sites for air purifiers are once-great magazines that have been bought and enshittified by private equity giants, like Popular Science, which began as a magazine in 1872 and became a shambling zombie in 2023, after its PE owners North Equity LLC decided its googlejuice was worth more than its integrity and turned it into a metastatic chumbox of shitty affiliate-link SEO-bait. As Housefresh points out, the marketing team that runs PopSci makes a lot of hay out of the 150 years of trust that went into the magazine, but the actual reviews are thin anaecdotes, unbacked by even the pretense of empiricism (oh, and they loooove Molekule).

Some of the biggest, most powerful, most trusted publications in the world have a side-hustle in quietly producing SEO-friendly "10 Best ___________ of 2024" lists: Rolling Stone, Forbes, US News and Report, CNN, New York Magazine, CNN, CNET, Tom's Guide, and more.

Google literally has one job: to detect this kind of thing and crush it. The deal we made with Google was, "You monopolize search and use your monopoly rents to ensure that we never, ever try another search engine. In return, you will somehow distinguish between low-effort, useless nonsense and good information. You promised us that if you got to be the unelected, permanent overlord of all information access, you would 'organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.'"

They broke the deal.

Companies like CNET used to do real, rigorous product reviews. As Housefresh points out, CNET once bought an entire smart home and used it to test products. Then Red Ventures bought CNET and bet that they could sell the house, switch to vibes-based reviewing, and that Google wouldn't even notice. They were right.

https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home/welcome-to-the-cnet-smart-home/

Google downranks sites that spend money and time on reviews like Housefresh and GearLab, and crams botshittened content mills like BH&G into our eyeballs instead.

In 1558, Thomas Gresham coined (ahem) Gresham's Law: "Bad money drives out good." When counterfeit money circulates in the economy, anyone who gets a dodgy coin spends it as quickly as they can, because the longer you hold it, the greater the likelihood that someone will detect the fraud and the coin will become worthless. Run this system long enough and all the money in circulation is funny money.

An internet run by Google has its own Gresham's Law: bad sites drive out good. It's not just that BH&G can "test" products at a fraction of the cost of Housefresh – through the simple expedient of doing inadequate tests or no tests at all – so they can put a lot more content up that Housefresh. But that alone wouldn't let them drive Housefresh off the front page of Google's search results. For that, BH&G has to mobilize some of their savings from the no test/bad test lab to do real rigorous science: science in defeating Google's security-through-obscurity system, which lets them command the front page despite publishing worse-than-useless nonsense.

Google has lost the spam wars. In response to the plague of botshit clogging Google search results, the company has invested in…making more botshit:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/16/tweedledumber/#easily-spooked

Last year, Google did a $70b stock buyback. They also laid off 12,000 staffers (whose salaries could have been funded for 27 years by that stock buyback). They just laid off thousands more employees.

That wasn't the deal. The deal was that Google would get a monopoly, and they would spend their monopoly rents to be so good that you could just click "I'm feeling lucky" and be teleported to the very best response to your query. A company that can't figure out the difference between a scam like Better Homes and Gardens and a rigorous review site like Housefresh should be pouring every spare dime it brings in into fixing this problem. Not buying default search status on every platform so that we never try another search engine: they should be fixing their shit.

When Google admits that it's losing the war to these kack-handed spam-farmers, that's frustrating. When they light $26b/year on fire making sure you don't ever get to try anything else, that's very frustrating. When they vaporize seventy billion dollars on financial engineering and shoot one in ten engineers, that's outrageous.

Google's scale has transcended the laws of business physics: they can sell an ever-degrading product and command an ever-greater share of our economy, even as their incompetence dooms any decent, honest venture to obscurity while providing fertile ground – and endless temptation – for scammers.

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/2024/02/21/im-feeling-unlucky/#not-up-to-the-task

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Dirty Work 23

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as bullying, familial discord/abuse, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You start a new gig and find one of your clients to be hard to please.

Characters: Loki

Note: what up my slutty butties!

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

You help Leslie bring out the plates. You set one before Mr. Laufeyson as Leslie puts one down before an empty chair. You can hear your dad muttering at his puzzle. Your boss is unfazed as he smugly sits waiting.

"Offer him something to drink while I get your father," Leslie lowers her voice, turning her back to your guest, "I know you didn't have a mother around but have some common courtesy."

You flinch, injured by her unnecessary remark. Sometimes she says things that sting, just like your father. You suppose that's why they get along so well. She sidesteps you and enters the front room, announcing her presence gaily as she calls your father's name.

"Mr. Laufeyson," you face him sheepishly, "would you like something to drink?"

"I suppose you haven't any cabernet," he snorts. You clamp your lip tightly in humiliation. "I am driving so I suppose it wouldn't matter, you have water, yes? It will suffice."

"Yes, Mr. Laufeyson," you answer and spin away, fleeing to the kitchen behind the shield of the simple task.

You take a glass from the cupboard, checking to make sure it's clear and clean, and fill it from the filtered jug in the fridge. You return to the dining room as Leslie helps your father in. He bats her hand off his arm and grunts as he drops into an empty chair across from Mr. Laufeyson. You put the water in front of your boss and peek over at your dad.

"Dad, do you want something--"

"No," he barks as he snatches his fork, poking at the seasoned turnip, "what is this shit?" He sniffs, "smells like garbage."

You sit and balance at the edge of your chair, not paying any mind to the food before you.

"Charlies, don't be rude," Leslie claims a seat of her own, "Loki's mother was so kind to send this over to us."

"I don't know her," your father growls.

"Can't complain for free food, can we?" Leslie girds gently and sends a smile to Laufeyson, "it's been a tough day for him. The humidity really bothers him."

"Would you be quiet?" Your father snaps, "I can speak for myself and I'm just damn fi--"

Your father breaks out into another storm of coughs. He hits the table and braces it, his fork clattering as he struggles to catch his breath. Mr. Laufeyson sits placidly, picking up his knife and fork, and cutting into the pork loin.

"My, you do sound rather terrible," he says as he pokes a morsel of meat in the air on the tines. 

"He'll be fine, he just needs to catch his breath," Leslie assures.

"Mm, have you thought of an air purifier? It might do this place some good?" Laufeyson suggests with a curl of his lip, biting into the pork.

"Mr. Fucking Fancy Pants," your dad slaps his own chest as he finds his voice, "what do you know? You ain't some doctor walking in here telling me how to breathe."

"I have several degrees so I could claim the title, I suppose," Laufeyson taunts, "I always thought it a bit pompous, however."

"Ah, go off and buy another set of tits," your father snarls.

"You are such a loving father, aren't you?" Laufeyson goads.

"Good enough to know yours never smacked you hard enough," your dad retorts.

Silence. You look at Leslie as she peers between the men, a frigid smile frozen on her face. You bat your lashes as you teeter and grip the table.

Your dad takes his fork again and scoops up a soft chunk of turnip. He puts it in his mouth, making a face as he tastes it then gags and spits it out. It flies across the table onto Laufeyson's plate. Your brows rise as Leslie's expression mirrors your shock.

"Tastes like garbage too. That mother of yours must be just as much a disappointment to your father as you," your dad chortles at his own insult, hacking into another fit.

Mr. Laufeyson sets his fork down. He sighs and slides his plate away. He stares down your father as he sets his back straight.

"As much as you are to your daughter, I'm sure."

"Mr. Laufeyson," you squeak.

"Get--" your father coughs and chokes, fighting to get to his feet, his stomach hitting the table and rattling the dishes, "the fuck--" cough -- "out of my house."

"Is that what you call this place?" Laufeyson remains seated, glancing around derisively.

Leslie gasps, "sir, now you are too much, we welcomed you in--"

"I wasn't aware your job included nursing his bruised ego," Laufeyson shoots in her direction, "don't remind me of etiquette. I brought you all more than the scraps you have in the back of that dingy fridge. Of course, you wouldn't have the taste or sense to know good food."

"I said GET OUT!" Your father hollers so hard he sways, his voice scratching at its peak.

"Dad," you stand up, "Mr. Laufeyson, please, you need to go--"

"Take your own advice," he stands and scoffs in your father's direction.

"Stop, please, he's my dad--"

"Oh yes, I've heard it before," Laufeyson sneers, "and I heard you beg him just the same before he--"

"No!" You exclaim, "no, leave. Now. Please--"

"You needn't convince me further," Mr. Laufeyson strides around the table, "Chuck," he stops next to your father as he puffs, grasping the chair for support, "try not to choke on your own vitriol."

He pats your dad arm, causing him to recoil and fall onto the chair. Leslie rushes over to him as you stand dumbfounded. You hoped the day wouldn't get worse and yet, you can't say you didn't expect it. Even so, it hits you like a car at full speed and knocks the wind out of you. You don't know what to do.

"Have a good night," Mr. Laufeyson says at the door, "however pleasant it could ever be in a rat-infested hole like this." He looks at you, "thank you for this lovely dinner."

He turns and struts out. You shake your head as adrenaline courses through you, burning around your lungs and hammering in your chest. You look over at your father as he continues to cough violently.

"Dad..." you try to go to him.

"Haven't you done enough?" Leslie snaps as she lashes you with a glare. You wince and stumble back.

"I didn't--"

"He's right about you, isn't he?" She snarls, "you're just an ungrateful brat."

"No--"

"Go!" Your father forces through his choking gasp, "you little bitch!"

Your lip trembles as the room spins. You twirl away without a second thought, horrified and humiliated. You run out into the hallway and barrel up the stairs, sobbing by the time you get to the top step. Mr. Laufeyson has ruined everything. Your job, your family, and your entire life.

You thought you had nothing before, how wrong you were.

✨

 You cry yourself to sleep, just like many nights before. Your head swirls with rippled visions of angry eyes and shadowy figures. You drown in the thick unconscious, nearly suffocated with terror as you're paralysed against the virulent nightmares.

You wake only as a crash splinters your sleep. You sit up, heaving for air as you see a dark figure eerily similar to the one in your dreams. You blink until you can, the light of the hallway glowing in the limn your father's portly figure.

He drags out the next drawer from your dresser and dumps it over the pile mounded on the floor. He staggers as he drops the plywood and kicks it aside. He leans on the handle of his oxygen tank as you reach for your lamp.

"Dad? What are you--"

He struggles to reach for the bottle by his feet. He lifts it and wobbles as he untwists the cap. He overturns the bottle of bleach onto the heap of clothes, kicking them around as the stringent chemical spills out. You watch as he ruins the layers of new clothing and cry out as you bounce to the foot of the bed.

"What are you doing!?" You shriek.

"Whore's clothes," he tosses the bottle on top, "you... bring your pimp in here like the slut you are--"

"Dad," you whimper but have no words. He's not so far off after all. You look down at the clothes and the pale stains of the bleach patching across the fabric, "dad, I'm sorry. I tried-- I was only--"

"I don't care," he grits, "I'm done with you. You been..." he takes a deep breath, clasping his chest, "mooching off me for thirty years. You sucked the life outta me--" he gasps again, "look what you done to me," he tugs at the tube that trails down his chest, "this is your fault. You killed me just like you did your mother."

"No, no, no," you touch your cheeks as they burns and your tears fall free, "please, don't say that."

It's another nightmare. It has to be. You're still sleeping. This can't be real.

"Dad," you stand and reach for him, "don't be mad--"

He hits you. Not hard, he can't. He's too weak. You flinch and back away, cowering as you cradle your head. He looks around, his head bobbling and grabs the hardcover book from atop your dresser.

He nears you as you shrink down, stunned into helplessnness. He grips the book with both hands and swings it at you. The first strikes doesn't wake you. It's real. 

He hits you, over and over, the sharp corner jabbing into your cheek and chin, then the side thumping across your shoulder and against your side. He keeps on until he can't.

He drops the book and coughs, bending over as he slips to one knee. You watch him, tears streaming into your hands as you babble like a child. 

"Daddy," you murmur.

"You get out or I'll call... the goddamn... police," he braces the oxygen tank and forces himself up. "This isn't your home no more." He limps and drags the tank to the door, "it never was.”

✨

You don't know what to do. You can barely stop crying long enough to think. The heavy bags weigh down your steps as you wander mindlessly to the corner and stop, the reality of the moment crashing down like thunder.

You drop the duffle bag and sit on it, letting your work bag hit the pavement by your feet. The sun has barely come up as you sit in the dim hue of dawn. Where do you go?

You feel yourself sinking. Your lungs are reading to shrivel and your head is going to cave in. You're lost. You have no home, you have no father, you have nothing... well, you still have a job.

You cry a little longer, until you hear the first sign of life from across the street. You get up as a man comes of a house. He doesn't notice you as you hitch up your work bag and grab the duffle from the sidewalk. You just need somewhere for a night or two. Let dad cool off and you'll apologise. It will be okay.

You walk down to the main road and catch the first bus. You have no direction, no destination. You get off as you see the marquee of the Holiday Inn. You've never stayed in a hotel, hopefully they have room for you. It seems like no one does.

You shuffle inside, tired and worn out. There's a woman behind the front desk, sitting on a chair so you can only see the top of your head. You hobble over under the weigh of your bags and wait for her to notice you. When she doesn't, you tap the bell on the counter.

"Eh?" She stands up, almost tipping over, "sorry," she yawns, "didn't hear you come in."

"Mm," you hum and chew your lips, "that's okay. Erm..."

"Do you have a reservation? Bit early... or late, to be checking in."

"No, uh, I don't," you lower your eyes, "do you have anything available?"

"Sure we do," she answers chipperly. You look at her name tag; Mindy. "I got a few singles clean and ready."

"Okay, that's good," you answer, "how much?"

"Hundred and twenty for tonight. Credit on file or three hundred cash deposit."

"Oh," you try not show your surprise, "okay, I er, think I have enough but I don't have a credit card."

"Now worries, there's an ATM," she points across the lobby.

"Thank, can I leave my bags here for a second?"

"Sure, sweetie," she turns to the computer and clicks around.

You cross to the machine and dig out your debit card. You slide it into the slot and push the firm metal buttons. Your stomach plummets as you punch in the custom amount for withdrawal. You were saving that for the mortgage and Leslie. You hit Yes and the machine whirs, spitting out a stack of bills and a receipt.

You return to the counter and hand it over. Mindy asks for your name and phone number. You give her your info, growing more weary by the moment.

"Here are your keys," she hands over a tiny paper folio, "checkout is 11am tomorrow."

"Thanks."

"Wifi info is in there, along with information about breakfast. Coffee in the room and a kettle. Oh, and microwave."

You thank her one last time and collect your bags once more. You go to the elevator and check the folio for your room number. You hit floor six and wait for the box to rise. You step off, following the wall plaques to the matching door. It's yours, just for a little bit.

You swipe the card several times before it unlocks, struggling to make it register. You push your duffle inside with your feet and put your work bag beside it as the door shuts on its own. The room is small, the walls are pasted in faded wallpapers and the bed is made with sheets that remind you of another decade.

You put the keys on the table against the wall and drag yourself to the bed. You don't really have any time to nap, you just need to get off your feet for a little.

Your restlessness doesn't let you sit long. You wear some of your old clothes, of the few pieces you salvaged from the ruin. You check yourself in the mirror. You don't bother with the makeup. Mr. Laufeyson will be disappointed either way. Besides, you shouldn't care so much what he thinks. You're just his house manager after all. You're there to do a job.

If only believing it would make it true.

You find a route that goes towards his neighbourhood. It lets you off a few blocks away and you take your time. You almost don't have a choice as your body is achy from your father's attach, new bruises rising tenderly to the surface.

You're early despite the fractured night. As you pass the cafe, you slow and glance through the window. Just one more quiet moment before you face the inevitable.

You push inside and see the same woman as last time. You give the same order as you doubt she even recognises you. She hovers her finger over the touch screen of her till, "we have a special, a rose tea latte, if you're interested."

"Oh?" You scrunch up your lips, you've never been good at saying no. "Sure, I'll try that."

You got the change to pay and frown. You shouldn't be spending what's left on a tea. You should be smarter. Maybe if you were, you wouldn't be such a loser.

You sit and stare at the pink foam. You don't know if you can do this but what other choice do you have? You could just disappear but for how long? You'll run out of money. As hard as it was to get this job, you don't think a new one would be any easier when you have one reference. A reference who you don't expect a shining review from.

You sip carefully. It's delicious. You drop your forehead into your hand as hot tears brim your eyes. You fight to constrain them, nearly quaking with the effort. Your eyes are swollen enough as it is.

You continue to drink, keeping your head down, and finish before you resign yourself to fate. To face Mr. Laufeyson. You can do this, not because you're strong, but because you have to.

[the-most-humble-blog]

10 Things That Make No Sense - But We Accept Anyway

Life is full of absurdities—things we just go along with even though they defy all logic. From tipping culture to daylight savings time, society seems to operate on a shared agreement that we’ll just smile, nod, and pretend these things are totally normal. But let’s break the silence. Here are 10 things that make absolutely no sense—but for some reason, we all accept them anyway.

1. Tipping Culture

Ah yes, tipping. Why do we pay extra for services that people are already being paid to perform? And why does the guilt hit hardest when the little iPad flips around, and the barista stares at you while you decide if making your $6 latte deserves another $2?

Why It Makes No Sense:

Why not just pay service workers a livable wage instead of making customers do financial gymnastics?

Why does tipping vary so much by country? (Ever tried tipping in Japan? Prepare for awkward refusals.)

2. Credit Scores

“Want to borrow money? First, prove you don’t need it.” The credit score system is basically the adult version of a trust fall—but instead of falling into someone’s arms, you fall into debt.

Why It Makes No Sense:

A late payment from 7 years ago can haunt you like a bad ex.

Closing a credit card hurts your score because… you’re too responsible?

The formula is so secretive that even experts just shrug and hope for the best.

3. Daylight Savings Time

Twice a year, we collectively agree to mess up everyone’s sleep schedule for no good reason. “Spring forward, fall back” sounds cute until you’re driving to work in the dark, questioning your life choices.

Why It Makes No Sense:

Originally meant to save energy, but studies show it doesn’t actually work anymore.

Farmers (often blamed for DST) don’t even like it.

Why are we still pretending this is necessary in 2025?

4. The Price of Bottled Water

We’re literally paying for water. WATER. The thing that falls from the sky and comes out of taps for (almost) free. Yet somehow, paying $3 for “artisanal spring water” in a plastic bottle feels normal.

Why It Makes No Sense:

It’s 1000x the price of tap water and often the exact same thing in a fancier package.

Why does “alkaline” or “purified” make it taste the same but sound more expensive?

5. Streaming Service Overload

“Cut the cord,” they said. “It’ll be cheaper,” they said. Now you’re subscribed to 7 different streaming platforms, paying more than cable ever cost, and half the time you can’t find what you want to watch.

Why It Makes No Sense:

Why can’t one service just have everything? (Looking at you, Disney+ and Netflix.)

The “new” season you’ve been waiting for? It’s on a platform you didn’t even know existed.

6. “Convenience Fees”

Oh, so you want me to pay extra for the convenience of doing all the work myself online? Whether it’s concert tickets or paying your bills, these fees are the ultimate slap in the face.

Why It Makes No Sense:

You’re charging me extra for using a system that saves you time and money?

How is this legal, and why are we all okay with it?

7. College Textbook Prices

College tuition is bad enough, but then they hit you with a $300 textbook… that you’ll only use once. And don’t even think about buying a used copy because this edition has two new sentences.

Why It Makes No Sense:

Most of the “new editions” are just rearranged paragraphs.

Why do professors require books they wrote themselves? Double-dipping much?

8. “Shrinkflation”

You’re not imagining it—your favorite snacks really are smaller than they used to be. And no, it’s not because your hands got bigger. Shrinkflation is when companies reduce product sizes but keep the price the same (or higher).

Why It Makes No Sense:

Why are chip bags 70% air?

How did a “family-sized” box of cereal become single-serve?

9. Influencer Culture

We used to idolize astronauts and scientists. Now, we’re giving millions of followers to people whose biggest accomplishment is being hot on Instagram. And somehow, they’re the ones living in mansions while the rest of us struggle to pay rent.

Why It Makes No Sense:

Why do we buy $40 candles just because someone we don’t know said it “smells like confidence”?

Why do influencers get free stuff… even though they can already afford it?

10. Luxury Brands Selling Ugly Stuff

Why are we spending thousands of dollars on stuff that looks like it came from a middle school art project? Balenciaga sells $1,500 trash bags. Gucci made dirty sneakers that cost $870. And Crocs, well… they just exist.

Why It Makes No Sense:

The more absurd it looks, the higher the price tag.

Who decided that expensive = fashionable?

Conclusion

We’re all guilty of going along with things that make zero sense because, well, that’s just how the world works. But maybe it’s time to start asking questions—or at least laughing at the absurdity of it all.

What’s something you’ve accepted as “normal” even though it makes no sense? Let’s hear it in the comments!

[celestial-witchposter]

Home Protections: Methods and Magick that Guard a Witch's Home

Normally, I make a point not to share the exact protections I've made around my home. However, in the interest of keeping this community open and communicative, I think it's best to show how I keep my home safe from negative people and energies.

This will be focused on what I do for my *apartment*, not my altar or my person, which I may feature in a later post.

Smudging/Smoke cleansing - I feel like this is one of the most basic skills in a witch's arsenal, as it were. For smudge sticks, I recommend plants that grow in your area. For me that's garden sage, lavender, cedar, mugwort, and rose petals. You can make your own smudge sticks by binding stalks of these herbs together with pure cotton string. You can even collect and dry your own herbs for this purpose. As for incense, my favorite overall is jasmine but for smoke cleansing and protection I opt for Wild Berry Sage and Santo or Ispalla Palo Santo & Rue incense sticks. I tend to avoid buying whole palo santo sticks or white sage smudge bundles, though I do inevitably end up with them as gifts.

Protection oils - its ridiculously easy to make your own blends, though it can get expensive. My favorite at the moment is a blend of cedar, juniper, clove, mugwort, and bergamot in a base of olive oil so I can wear it as well as anoint with it. Be careful the surface you use these on - I wouldn't recommend finished hardwoods, for instance, unless you've diluted it in a spray or cleaner. Diluted vinegar is my favorite for non-porous surfaces (like linoleum, tile, or tabletops), with one part each of vinegar and water, and a few drops of oil.

Sound cleansing - whether you prefer singing bowls, a bell, singing, or playing music or chants on a speaker, sound has a powerful impact on the energy in a space. Just think of the difference music makes in the energy of a cafe versus a club. Sanctify and purify your space with sacred sound and music, or simply get your house spirits dancing while you clean! There is so much to choose from with this option.

Charms and amulets - There are. So many different ways to protect your home. A partial list of my favorites include: Witch bells, railroad spikes, hagstones, pentacles, spell bags, spell bottles, most black or white crystals (onyx, black tourmaline, obsidian, selenite, clear quartz), and of course the evil eye. More specific charms include dream catchers to catch and prevent nightmares, and horseshoes turned in the shape of a 'u' to catch the good luck entering your home.

Runes, bindrunes, and rune staves - my personal favorite being the Elder Futhark rune Algiz ᛉ, which you can either use on its own, or combine with other runes to create a bind rune (where the different runes share a single base line and you draw each rune onto it), or what is known as a rune stave, which is a sigil of your own making consisting of multiple runes. There's no exact science to this, many different types of staves have been found that were used for many different purposes, both lingual and magickal, over the centuries. For example, I seal many of my spell bottles with a simple, even cross (like a crossroads) with the end of each line forking three ways like an Algiz. Here is a more complicated stave that protects the entrance to my home, which I drew in white candle wax on the bottom of my door mat.

In the center, I bring the focus to Jera ᛃ, the year, to represent each season and a full cycle, good harvests, restful winters, bountiful springs, etc. To protect and bring prosperity year round.

The middle cross represents the values the rune protects in my home: Algiz ᛉ, is for protection, Pertho ᛈ is for play, joy, and laughter, Othila ᛟ, for home and family, and Kenaz ᚲ, for the torch or hearth.

The outermost circle is the protective ring in envisioning around the house. I invoke Isa I, or the ice, to freeze out and make unwelcome any who would wish to do us harm. Gebo X is a symbol of giving and taking. Reciprocity is important in any relationship, whether with the earth or with friends, and any who pass through our doors and receive our generosity as hosts I want to instill with this giving spirit.

Salt - This one is the simplest. So simple in fact it ought to have been first. Salt has such rich history and folklore from all around the world, I won't even begin to touch on all of it. But its essential role in our bodies and lives is undeniable. Not only is it nutritionally necessary, and a wonderful preservative, but it is also the earth's most powerfully protective mineral. You don't need anything special, in fact it's best to just buy the cheapest you can because if you're getting into spellwork, you're going to be using a lot of it. It can be mixed with ashes from your spells and incense, herb blends, and blessings to make different witches salts. Aunt Lucinda from The Spiderwick Chronicles wasn't as crazy as she seemed for having a line of salt in each doorway and windowsill. Be careful using salt outdoors, as too much kills any plant, and too much around small children and pets simply because they'll eat anything.

Prayers, affirmations, and incantations - these will of course be extremely personal. They can be as simple as saying "I am protected" or "I am guarded" etc., as you walk your house. You can make symbols or sigils with the movement of your hands. You can pray to a deity if you choose. A personal favorite of mine is to incant as I smoke cleanse, rotating my incense or smudge stick counterclockwise (to release, dispel, or banish - clockwise to attract) and say "I release that which does not serve me. I banish that which would do me harm."

For all of these, *intention* is going to be your best friend. Visualize a white, protective light filling your home, pushing the shadows from every crevice, and let your power and the powers you trust to call on shield you from any harmful energy that may come your way. Some of these will have to be redone yearly, or monthly, some I only do when I feel the need for something particularly strong, like when an evil eye breaks or a string of ill fortune strikes, and sickness or an unwanted person has been in the house. Let your intuition guide you.

Hope you enjoyed, let me know what I should share next!

[googledetective]

what I would buy each drdt character for christmas:

Arturo Giles - a toothbrush so he can use his toothpaste hair to brush his teeth

Charles Cuevas - illegally purchased uranium

Rose Lacroix - one of those super duper all inclusive cheap art sets for kids so she can really test her forgery skills

J Rosales - a Walkman and all of my favorite albums on CD so she can be exposed to my elite taste in music while still being cool

Min Jeung - a lizard

Hu Jing - I would get her bass guitar lessons only to benefit me bc then I would make her teach me how to play the bass guitar, and she’d probably be good at it bc she is already stellar at the zither

Ace Markey - idk I just would get him an air purifier cause I think he would need it

Levi Fontana - pink high heels

Teruko Tawaki - a night at a nice hotel, and I’ll order her room service too so she could relax

Arei Nageishi - I’d get her a scene kid’s dream worth of Hello Kitty clothes, accessories, stickers, decorations- anything and everything Hello Kitty

Whit Young - a girlfriend

Eden Tobisa - also, a girlfriend

Nico Hakobyan - I’d get them a weighted robe/blanket and this specific blanket I have that says “meowy catmas” on it and it’s like the best thing ever

Xander Matthews - a pirate eyepatch and a pirate costume as well as a Santa costume cause I think he’d make a great Mall Santa for kids to give their wishes to

David Chiem - happy pills or crack or just atp an alcohol dependency

Veronika Grebenischikova - I’d get her hot chocolate bombs but the plot twist is they’re actually bombs and in water they explode and don’t actually make you hot chocolate. that or a gun and she can play Russian Roulette :)

[salixsociety]

Cleansing Tea Bath against Stress

From my grimoire to yours.

Tea baths have been used for millennia to cure various ailments, improve one's looks, and cleanse the taker: the first recorded tea baths date back all the way to ancient Egypt. Cleopatra was said to take herbal baths, as did empress Sissi. I, personally, do not get the opportunity to bathe often anymore. But now that I am spending some time at home in the countryside, with access to a bathtub, I think it's high time I take an herbal bath to shake the unnecessary stress I've been feeling.

The Ingredients

Kitchen Sage (Salvia Officinalis) Sage has a long history as a bath herb, especially in medieval Europe. The Romans considered it a sacred herb, using it in religious rites, and held it in high esteem for medicine. The same goes for Medieval Europeans, who sometimes referred to it as the savior herb. It has many healing properties, and is quite fragrant. I will try not to go too in depth about individual herbs here, but feel free to ask me about them! I will try to make a post about them. In this bath, the sage serves to relax, purify, and rejuvenate.

Chamomile (Matricaria Chamomilla OR Chamaemelum Nobile) Chamomile, both the German and Roman variety, is an especially potent relaxing herb. Historically it was especially well loved to treat symptoms associated with PMS and PCOS, which is where the genus name of Matricaria comes from. Roman Chamomile was historically considered a painkiller and relaxer.

Mugwort (Artemisia Vulgaris) A less popular, but very noteworthy herb for purifying. In Nepal, brooms are sometimes made of it (supposedly) to cleanse the home. Mugwort is still used in modern medicine to this day, and was very prized by Medieval Europeans, who used it both in their food and drink, and in their medicine.

St. John's Wort (Hypericum Perforatum) Be sure to take care when you obtain this plan! Please buy responsibly and check if it is protected in your area. St. John's Wort is another one of those herbs that people throughout history have prized immensely. Historically it was used to treat nearly anything, and this high regard is reflected in its common name, one of the most important apostles in Christianity. Nowadays there is research being done into St. John's Wort antidepressive properties, and various streams of herbal and alternative medicine use it actively to treat anxiety, panic disorders, depression, etc. St. John's Wort is also excellent against headaches. But I digress.

After these, you can add whatever scented or additional ingredients. Some options: - A few drops of essential oil - Your favorite strongly smelling herbs, like lavender (calming) or rosemary (rejuvenating) - A few spoonfuls of salt - A bath bomb - Whatever makes you happy - (a rubber ducky)

Of course, the herbs can't do all the work. Indulge yourself. Create a nice ambiance with some candles or some dim lighting, get the water to the right temperature, and try your best to relax as you take the bath. Do whatever takes your mind off what stresses you out and let the bath soak everything out of you. Best of luck to you, hold oe kreggel!

[detect-thief]

The Blooming Bed and Breakfast

Welcome traveller, did the scent of flowers lead you to this path?

Why don't you grab a seat and we will serve you some stew. Or is it a warm bed to lie in what you want most.

Blooming is a bed and breakfast location manned by nature spirits. They offer healing baths and enchanted sleep. You can buy purified water, apple seeds, even ambrosia and nectar.

Do be reminded to be polite to other guest and the personnel. You don't know the person you might cross paths in is a god or goddess in disguise.

The parties can get a bit wild, *cough* Dionysus *cough* hosts the wor-/ I mean best events.

[ramservices1]

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Continue Reading: https://ramservicesandsales.com/2024/07/19/the-right-ro-water-purifier/

[flodaya]

My uncle lives an hour away from my mom and I, whenever we visit I've started bringing my own water. I can literally taste the chemicals used to purify the water. I don't know why the water in that region has that taste. Even after you've boiled it and let it cool the taste is still there. I've very picky about my tap water, I'm a water snob no lie

i love water snobs because omg i am such a water snob as well, water is literally the best thing in the world but when it tastes wrong it's awful

(i need to start buying water.... what a wasted expense.........)

[nikibogwater]

"Yona's too much like Mipha."

I think that's kind of the point, my dude.

It's an easy thing to miss, considering all the other crazy plot stuff that's going on in TotK, but Sidon is decidedly not acting like himself when you first show up at Zora's Domain. He's planted himself in Mipha Court, purifying the water day in and day out without taking any breaks to interact with his subjects or search for a better long-term solution for this crisis. And it's not like he's doing this because he's the only one who is capable of cleaning the water--there are other Zoras in the domain who know how to do this, and yet Sidon doesn't trust them with this task. He even argues with Yona when she tries to take his place, despite knowing that going with Link to the Water Temple is the best course of action for saving the Domain. Very weird behavior for a guy who is usually very proactive and has no trouble placing his faith in others. But it makes perfect sense once you take into account Yona's similarities with Mipha. Think about it--the last time Sidon saw Mipha, she was going on a trek to Mount Lanayru with Link and Zelda. He probably assumed she would be back by that evening. Probably hugged her goodbye and promised to practice his waterfall swimming while she was out.

And then he never saw her again.

BotW lightly hints that Sidon still has some lingering trauma over this, and then TotK states it outright, with Yona being the one to figure out that said trauma is what's keeping him from acting now. Of course he's afraid to leave. The last time he let Mipha out of his sight, she never came back. How can he be certain the same thing won't happen again with his fiancé, someone who shares many personality traits with his sister? Especially now that the Domain itself has become a dangerous place?

TL;DR, Yona being Mipha 2.0 was intentional and integral to Sidon's story in TotK, not the result of laziness or lack of creativity. Obviously I'm not saying this means you have to like her or what the writers did with Sidon, but I am saying I don't buy into the accusations of the writers not knowing or caring what they were doing. At the very least, it's clear they thought about this subplot enough to make sure that Sidon's fears and out-of-character-behavior were justified and made sense.