#carry on big bang 2025

[carry-on-big-bang]

COBB 2025 Sign-ups are open!

Artist Sign up form right here!

Writer Sign-Up Form right here!

Just a reminder of the FAQ and rules if you are unfamiliar with this event before signing up! And here is the schedule.

[mysticstronomy]

IS THERE OXYGEN IN SPACE??

Blog#471

Wednesday, January 15th, 2025.

Welcome back,

In space, no one can hear you scream, and as every grade school student knows, it's because there's no air to carry sound waves. Since around 350 BC, we've suspected — and more recently confirmed — that space is a vacuum. But what happens to oxygen in space?

Although NASA and other space agencies were well-prepared with spacesuits before sending astronauts into space, determining what happens to oxygen in space has been less clear. However, the study of the atmosphere — or, more correctly, the lack of atmosphere — in space has recently shown that molecular oxygen does exist there, but only in two locations so far.

Clearly, despite it being the third most abundant element in the universe, breathable oxygen is in extremely short supply once you leave our planet. But are the implications of this? And what can we learn from this fact?

What happens to oxygen in space could not be confirmed by direct observation at first, as crewed spaceflight did not happen until the latter half of the 20th century. Instead, the lack of oxygen in space was initially predicted by deduction, observation and a lot of climbing.

Our planet is surrounded by a shell of atmosphere. Layers of air comprising nitrogen, carbon dioxide and other gases, such as oxygen, support life on the planet. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) describes how early scientists measured the change in the atmosphere as you get farther from Earth's surface.

In 1648, two scientists, Blaise Pascal and his brother-in-law Florin Perier, carried a one-meter glass column of mercury to the top of a mountain. This early Torricelli barometer showed them that air pressure decreased with altitude. In 1787, further research carried out by another researcher who risked altitude sickness on Mont Blanc, Europe's highest mountain, showed that, along with the drop in air pressure, temperature also decreased.

These findings suggested that our atmosphere was breaking free of gravity and vanishing into a vacuum of space, which was further confirmed with daring balloon flights higher and higher into the atmosphere. Risking death, early scientists demonstrated not only that air pressure was lower at higher altitudes but also that oxygen levels four miles up into the atmosphere were so reduced that they were almost incompatible with life.

Further study of the atmosphere at greater elevation, carried out with uncrewed weather balloons, confirmed that there's less oxygen in the upper layers of our atmosphere and the air pressure is lower there.

Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe, so in theory, space should be full of it. However, the space between the planets, stars and other celestial bodies is only thinly populated with dust, gas and radiation. Despite decades of astronomy, molecular oxygen (the stuff you can breathe, comprising two atoms, O2, joined together) is almost nonexistent. As Science.org notes, in space, hydrogen molecules, H2, outnumber O2 by a million to one.

On Earth, O2 is abundant. It's formed by plants, algae and phytoplankton during photosynthesis as they take in CO2 and convert it into energy. Breathable oxygen forms around 20% of the atmosphere, and gravity keeps it closely bound to the planet, but in the upper layers, the pull isn't so strong, and the vacuum of space hoovers it up. Oxygen floating off into space at altitude is why most mountaineers need to carry reserves with them to summit Everest.

Oxygen does exist in space, though the Goddard Space Flight Center notes that it wasn't formed during the Big Bang. Instead, it arrived due to nuclear fusion reactions in the newly formed stars. As the stars consumed hydrogen and helium, they created carbon and oxygen. At the end of a star's life, these elements — the building blocks of carbon-based life — are hurled into space.

So, yes, we do come from stardust, but it's also stardust that's hoarding the oxygen molecules out in space.

Originally published on https://now.northropgrumman.com

COMING UP!!

(Saturday, January 18th, 2025)

"IS THERE A FIFTH FORCE OF NATURE??"

[pinkmoondoll9shihtzu]

Hair Growth One-Year Progress Report:

it has officially been One Year since the Last ttime i bleached my hair :)

Making ghe decision to grow out my natural color was not an easy one for Me cus I was so attached to my identity as a Pink Haired Woman for 4 Years

But i was low key going bald and was at a point where my remaining hair never even looked Good So finally i just said Fuck it Enough.

I would always bleach it all the way down to my scalp so here's pics of how much my roots Has grown in Since a year ago :)

im so happy W the progress. I Didnt think it was possible but i fell in love W my natural color again 🤍

For the first 6 months or so i wasnt seeing any baby Hairs come in and I Was scared I ruined my scalp For Lifez. But in the 2nd half of the year I Stsrted Noticing sooo many babies sprouting up. Just took some time to get the balance Back in order

Up until May of 2024 i was trimming my ends constantly (Neurotically) and keeping my hair in a pretty short "bob" type thing. But around May i decided to just stop cutting my hair at all. There were times i was tempted AF to cut it All back into A bob but Im glad I persisted. its finally starting To look long again ^//^ (My hair has stayed super short Since Late 2020 So this is a big deal for Me)

i will Carry On Strong in my goal of No Haircuts 2025 (Other Than Bang Trims) and i cant wait to see how it looks Even 6 months from now. I'm So glad I gave up bleaching when I Did. Cheers! xx

pmd9 🎵

[digitaldiary]

february 9th, 2025

i have a pounding headache as i write this, most likely brought on by the adderall i took this morning. usually adderall = productive day for me, but somehow i got carried away and then next thing you know, i'm looking up from my phone and laptop and realizing i've been doing nothing for the past 4 hours. i went to a friend's place for a super bowl party but by then the headache had started and i was already sort of sad. i just decided it'd be best for me to go home.

new york winters bring a mix of emotions for me. i love when the snow falls, but hate the next day when it's slushy and slippery and my shoes and socks get soaked no matter how hard i try to avoid puddles. the cold is depressing and brutal, but a welcome, tangible indicator of change and the passage of time. two years ago i got my heart broken during a new york summer and since then, i find relief and comfort in the other three seasons. by the time summer rolls around again, i am reminded of two years ago, and then a whole different mix of emotions comes.

i moved to new york city five years ago as a wide-eyed, determined, naive, highly-motivated 20-year-old girl with dreams of working in fashion. i was born and raised in a suburb in northern california, largely quite sheltered and without any real-world experience. i still cannot drive. back when i first came here, i was very excited about life and my future, albeit very very very anxious and clueless. i had good intentions in everything i did, and still now, if one thing about me persists, it is that.

today i am 25 years old, working a 9-5 fashion job. unfortunately and disappointingly, i am much less concerned with my career as i used to be as it's taken a backseat to my never-ending struggles with mental health. most big dreams i had have been extinguished by reality and the ups and downs of life. i think also, maybe as i've gotten older, i've found that simple pleasures are enough to keep me content. maybe that is cope, i am not sure, i go back and forth on whether i am lying to myself because i've half-bakedly accomplished some of my dreams and realized that some may never come true. but that's another internal dispute amongst the thousands i must filter through every day of my existence.

when i got my heart broken two years ago, it was like a big bang of sorts for me - the breaking acted as a catalyst for lots of internal change, tough conversations with myself, and self-discovery. somehow i pushed through the excruciating emotional and existential pain and in the time after, i was able to build myself up from scratch. in that painstaking building of self, i became confident and assured of my identity, my core, my values, who i was and who i am. i had spent so much of my life trying to transform myself into what i thought others wanted me to be, so to get to a place where i was myself and no one else and i was happy to be myself... it was very unfamiliar and unprecedented for me but also very exciting.

but that newness has faded as life has continued onwards. there's a quote from the bible that says "as a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly". romance has always been THE dictator of my life, cruelly deciding my mood, my purpose, my worth, etc. in short - i have reattempted to find love over the past two years only to be left disappointed time and time again. each failed relationship has left a chip on my shoulder, and all the cracks in my form have caused me to break once again. my niche micro-celebrity crush recently tweeted "everything falls apart all the time" (and he plays a larger role in my recent "breaking" that maybe i will one day have the courage or lack of care to share). but he was right. everything has fallen apart for me. i'm holding on to three pieces - my family, my friends, and my work. i can't even remember what my original shape was. i'm just gripping these shards as hard as i can and they're slitting my skin but i won't let go. they're all that i have.

i don't mean to sound so doomer, this is more of a stream of consciousness that i'm sharing as a life update of sorts... don't worry about me too much, i'm quite used to this feeling by now!

[groovytimes]

I've been doing these end-of-the-year albums lists for years now, and admittedly, I do them mostly to have some sort of order in my life. These albums carried me this year, and the less we say about 2024, the better (I think I have said a lot during anyway). St. Vincent has never put a wrong foot for me, but given that the themes of the album related to me very much (death, grief, world being on fire, holding on to the love you have for others with all of yourself), All Born Screaming honestly, felt like a godsend. There's been banging debuts, returning faves, and a big let-down (Jack White, my long-time crush who's No Name was too apt, babe). And, an old favorite is on the list, Loveless (one of the best albums ever made and one of my desert island choices), because coming home to a surprise gift of it in vinyl by @strangeness-andcharm just really left me crying all night. Happy and grateful tears -I must add- for the respite from the relentless sadness this year kept bringing on. Thank you for giving this record "back" to me.

All Born Screaming - St. Vincent

Desire - Fontaines D.C.

What Now - Brittany Howard

Prelude to Ecstasy - The Last Dinner Party

brat - Charli xcx

Club Shy - Shygirl

Tangk - IDLES

Starface - Lava La Rue

Cowboy Carter - Beyonce

Loveless - My Bloody Valentine

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be keeping Broken Man on repeat as I have for the whole of 2024. It has truly become my theme tune. Here's to 2025, where the only thing I'm looking forward to is more great music.

[skambigbang]

Do you enjoy all the Big Bang stories? Did you participate as a writer, artist, beta or reader? Are you interested in seeing the SKAM fandom continue to thrive? Well then, the SKAM Big Bang 2025 is looking for you! We are looking for a new mod squad to carry this event forward!

The SKAM Big Bang is a fan-run annual event that brings together writers, artists and betas from around the world to collaborate and bring new fandom works to life!

If you’re curious, have any questions, just want to chat about what it entails or you’d like to step up, DM us on Insta, Tumbler or email us: skambigbang@gmail.com! We’re happy to answer your questions and would love to hear from you! Call is open for the next two weeks!

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

NASA JPL prepping for full year of launches, mission milestones

With 2024 receding into the distance, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is already deep into a busy 2025. Early in the new year, the Eaton Fire came close to JPL, destroying the homes of more than 200 employees, but work has continued apace to maintain mission operations and keep upcoming missions on track.

Several missions managed by NASA JPL are prepping for launch this year. Most have been years in the making and launches are, of course, only part of the bigger picture. Other milestones are also on the docket for the federal laboratory, which Caltech manages for NASA.

Here's a glimpse of what lies ahead this year.

Mysterious universe

Shaped like the bell of a trumpet and as big as a subcompact car, NASA's SPHEREx space observatory is aiming for the stars. Known formally as the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, the mission will create four 3D maps of the entire sky in order to improve humanity's understanding of the universe—how it expanded after the Big Bang, where ingredients of life can be found in ice grains, and much more. Target launch date: no earlier than Feb. 27 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The moon's icy secrets

NASA's Lunar Trailblazer aims to help resolve an enduring mystery: Where is the moon's water? Scientists have seen signs suggesting it exists even where temperatures soar on the lunar surface, and there's good reason to believe it can be found as surface ice in permanently shadowed craters, places that have not seen direct sunlight for billions of years.

Managed by NASA JPL and led by Caltech, the small satellite will help provide answers, mapping the moon's surface water in unprecedented detail to determine the water's abundance, location, form, and how it changes over time. The small satellite will hitch a ride, slated for late February, on the same launch as the Intuitive Machines-2 delivery to the moon through NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative.

Earth's changing surface

A collaboration between the United States and India, NISAR is a major addition to the fleet of satellites studying our changing planet. Short for NASA-Indian Space Research Organisation Synthetic Aperture Radar, the mission's name is a nesting doll of acronyms, and the spacecraft is a nesting doll of capabilities: The first spacecraft to carry both L-band and S-band radars, it will see surface changes related to volcanoes, earthquakes, ice sheet motion, deforestation, and more in unprecedented detail after it launches in a few months' time.

Sea level

Targeting a November launch, Sentinel-6B will provide global sea surface height measurements—some of the most accurate data of its kind yet—that will improve climate models and hurricane tracking, as well as our understanding of phenomena like El Niño. A collaboration between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency), the spacecraft will take the baton from its twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which launched in 2020. Together, the satellites are extending for another 10 years a nearly three-decade record of global sea surface height.Moon rover trioAs a technology demonstration, the CADRE (Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration) project marks another step NASA is taking toward developing robots that—by operating autonomously—can boost the efficiency of future missions.The project team at JPL will soon be packing up and shipping CADRE's three suitcase-size rovers to Texas in preparation for their journey to the moon aboard a commercial lander through one of NASA's future CLPS deliveries. The rovers are designed to work together as a team without direct input from mission controllers back on Earth. By taking simultaneous measurements from multiple locations, they are meant to show how multirobot missions could enable new science and support astronauts.

Quantum technology

Having arrived at the International Space Station in November, SEAQUE (Space Entanglement and Annealing QUantum Experiment) is testing two technologies that—if successful—could enable communication using entangled photons between two quantum systems. The research from this experiment, which gets underway in 2025, could help develop the building blocks for a future global quantum network that would allow equipment such as quantum computers to transfer data securely across large distances.

Gravity assist to reach Jupiter

Launched this past October, Europa Clipper will arrive at Jupiter in 2030 to investigate whether an ocean beneath the ice shell of the gas giant's moon Europa has conditions suitable for life. The spacecraft will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers) to reach its destination. Since there are limitations on how much fuel the spacecraft can carry, mission planners are having Europa Clipper fly by Mars on March 1, using the planet's gravity as a slingshot to add speed to its journey.

IMAGE: NASA JPL is readying for, clockwise from lower right, the launches of CADRE (its engineering models are seen here), Lunar Trailblazer, NISAR (seen in an artist’s concept), Sentinel-6B (artist’s concept), and SPHEREx, as well as the Mars gravity assist of Europa Clipper (artist’s concept). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/BAE Systems/Lockheed Martin Space

[toxinspired]

ty gyro @swordsmans for the tag!

words posted: 24,729 aka my most prolific year ever, wow

additional words written: ~1.5k, some of this is wips, some of it is aatt chapter two.

fandoms: one piece onlyyyyy

highest kudos: dancing on heaven's palm which makes sense, it was both one of the first things i posted this year and was for a big bang

highest hit one shot: to carry 210 grams! which hell yeah

new things i tried: writing events! two of them, even (though the big bang barely counts for 2024). id never done any in the past and im excited to do more lol

fic i spent the most time on: to carry 210 grams was about 6 months from start! i started outlining it in 2023 actually. nauticial twilight is technically also around 6 months but thats because it was originally going to be part of swiftly flow the days but i was having trouble with it so i decided to seperate them.

fic i spent the least time on: bellwether! especially in terms of actual time writing, i banged it out pretty quickly (and with no outline 🫢)

favorite thing i wrote: this is a little bit biased atm but to carry 210 grams. kate's remix of it was so beautiful, it's just given me such a positive association with it.

favorite things i read: oh man i wouldn't even know where to begin to choose. if im limiting myself to things posted this year as well... im just a human, so today i turned my head down (is that okay?) by gin was sooo delicious and good. bombproofed by sciencemyfiction for obvious reasons... our favorite piñata. everything gyro writes... aaaaand what's mine is yours by zolunas

writing goals for 2025: just keep on writing. do some more events. maybe finally finish the dreamsharing fic thats been in my wips since.... october 2023.

new works: watch this space for achilles and the tortise chapter two (through seven)

tagging: @trans-peridot and @ghostlandtoo if u havent already been

[spnsabrielbang]

About SSB

Welcome, stranger, and thanks for wanting to know more about us!

We are an annual fanworks event focused on celebrating and exploring the relationship between the characters Sam Winchester and the archangel Gabriel from the popular CW TV Show Supernatural!

Writers and artists work together each year to create completely new stories and illustrations, which are shared on our Tumblr and Ao3 accounts.

➺ learn more about us! ➺ Join the discord server!         : ̗̀➛ It’s open for both participants & non participants all year round! ➺ quick-links         : ̗̀➛ #announcements         : ̗̀➛ frequently asked questions         : ̗̀➛ ‘23 masterlist         : ̗̀➛ ‘24 masterlist (COMING SOON!)

Here at the SPN Sabriel Bang, we’re big on giving our artists and authors the recognition they deserve, so make sure you reblog their work if you enjoy it!

We also recognize the importance of tagging things and have implemented a mandatory warnings tagging system for all our participants, as well as for all our masterposts! That being said, it’s up to YOU what you consume; we’re only here to give you the tools you need to keep yourself safe.

Were you unable to participate this year and are super bummed out about that? Don’t worry!        We’ve got a mailing list in the works to notify you when next year’s bang (2025) begins!

salt line divider & black SPN divider [ HERE ] || gold SPN divider & Carry On divider [ HERE ]  content warning banner [ HERE ] || support by reblogging banner [ HERE ]

[xtruss]

Capturing The Ripples of Spacetime: LISA Gets Go-ahead

— January 25th, 2024

Today, ESA’s Science Programme Committee approved the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, the first scientific endeavour to detect and study gravitational waves from space.

This important step, formally called ‘adoption’, recognises that the mission concept and technology are sufficiently advanced, and gives the go-ahead to build the instruments and spacecraft. This work will start in January 2025 once a European industrial contractor has been chosen.

LISA is not just one spacecraft but a constellation of three. They will trail Earth in its orbit around the Sun, forming an exquisitely accurate equilateral triangle in space. Each side of the triangle will be 2.5 million km long (more than six times the Earth-Moon distance), and the spacecraft will exchange laser beams over this distance. The launch of the three spacecraft is planned for 2035, on an Ariane 6 rocket.

Led by ESA, LISA is made possible by a collaboration between ESA, its Member State space agencies, NASA, and an international consortium of scientists (the LISA consortium).

LISA – Measuring Gravitational Waves

Bringing ‘Sound’ To The Cosmic Movie

Just over a century ago, Einstein made the revolutionary prediction that when massive objects accelerate, they shake the fabric of spacetime, producing miniscule ripples known as gravitational waves. Thanks to modern technological developments, we are now able to detect these most elusive of signals.

“LISA is an endeavour that has never been tried before. Using laser beams over distances of several kilometres, ground-based instrumentation can detect gravitational waves coming from events involving star-sized objects – such as supernova explosions or merging of hyper-dense stars and stellar-mass black holes. To expand the frontier of gravitational studies we must go to space,” explains LISA lead project scientist Nora Lützgendorf.

“Thanks to the huge distance travelled by the laser signals on LISA, and the superb stability of its instrumentation, we will probe gravitational waves of lower frequencies than is possible on Earth, uncovering events of a different scale, all the way back to the dawn of time.”

The Spectrum of Gravitational Waves

LISA will detect, across the entire Universe, the ripples in spacetime caused when huge black holes at the centres of galaxies collide. This will enable scientists to trace the origin of these monstrous objects, to chart how they grow to be millions of times more massive than the Sun and to establish the role they play in the evolution of galaxies.

The mission is poised to capture the predicted gravitational ‘ringing’ from the initial moments of our Universe and offer a direct glimpse into the very first seconds after the Big Bang. Additionally, because gravitational waves carry information on the distance of the objects that emitted them, LISA will help researchers measure the change in the expansion of the Universe with a different type of yardstick from the techniques used by Euclid and other surveys, validating their results.

Closer to home, in our own galaxy, LISA will detect many merging pairs of compact objects like white dwarfs or neutron stars and give us a unique insight into the final stages of the evolution of these systems. By pinpointing their position and distances, LISA will further our grasp of the structure of the Milky Way, building upon the findings from ESA's Gaia mission.

“For centuries we have been studying our cosmos through capturing light. Coupling this with the detection of gravitational waves is bringing a totally new dimension to our perception of the Universe,” remarks LISA project scientist Oliver Jennrich.

“If we imagine that, so far, with our astrophysics missions, we have been watching the cosmos like a silent movie, capturing the ripples of spacetime with LISA will be a real game-changer, like when sound was added to motion pictures.”

Golden Cubes For LISA

Golden Cubes and Laser Beams

To detect gravitational waves, LISA will use pairs of solid gold-platinum cubes – so called test masses (slightly smaller than Rubik’s cubes), free-floating in special housing at the heart of each spacecraft. Gravitational waves will cause tiny changes in the distances between the masses in the different spacecraft, and the mission will track these variations using laser interferometry.

This technique requires shooting laser beams from one spacecraft to the other and then superimposing their signal to determine changes in the masses’ distances down to a few billionths of a millimetre.

The spacecraft must be designed to ensure that nothing, besides the geometry of spacetime itself, affects the movement of the masses, which are in freefall.

Solid Heritage and Future Teamwork

The spacecraft follows in the footsteps of LISA Pathfinder, which demonstrated that it is possible to keep the test masses in freefall to an astonishing level of precision. The same precision propulsion system that has also been flown on ESA’s Gaia and Euclid missions will ensure that each spacecraft maintains the required position and orientation with the highest accuracy.

Selected to be the third large mission of ESA’s Cosmic Vision 2015–2025, LISA will join ESA’s science fleet of cosmic observers to address two essential questions at the heart of the programme: What are the fundamental physical laws of the Universe? How did the Universe originate and what is it made of?

In this quest, LISA will work together with ESA’s other large mission currently under study: NewAthena. With a launch date foreseen for 2037, NewAthena is set to be the largest X-ray observatory ever built.

Notes For Editors:

ESA leads the LISA mission and will provide the spacecraft, launch, mission operations and data handling. Key instrumental elements are the free-falling test masses shielded from external forces, provided by Italy and Switzerland; the picometre-accuracy systems to detect the interferometric signal, provided by Germany, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and the Czech Republic; and the Science Diagnostics Subsystem (an arsenal of sensors across the spacecraft), provided by Spain. The ultra-stable lasers, the 30 cm telescopes to collect their light, and the sources of UV light (to discharge the test masses) will be provided by NASA.

[carry-on-big-bang]

Hey all!!! Its almost 2025!!!!!!

Just wanted to let you know that COBB signed up will open on the 1st of January!

Just a reminder of the FAQ and rules if you are unfamiliar with this event before signing up!

Schedule of dates will be posted in a few days!

Looking forward to seeing you all sign up!

[spacenutspod]

The ESA’s Gaia Observatory continues its astrometry mission, which consists of measuring the positions, distances, and motions of stars (and the positions of orbiting exoplanets) with unprecedented precision. Launched in 2013 and with a five-year nominal mission (2014-2019), the mission is expected to remain in operation until 2025. Once complete, the mission data will be used to create the most detailed 3D space catalog ever, totaling more than 1 billion astronomical objects – including stars, planets, comets, asteroids, and quasars. Another benefit of this data, according to a team of researchers led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), is the ability to predict future microlensing events. Similar to gravitational lensing, this phenomenon occurs when light from background sources is deflected and amplified by foreground objects. Using information from Gaia‘s third data release (DR3), the team predicted 4500 microlensing events, 1664 of which are unlike any we have seen. These events will allow astronomers to conduct lucrative research into distant star systems, exoplanets, and other celestial objects. The team consisted of researchers from the Yunnan Observatories, the Key Laboratory for the Structure and Evolution of Celestial Objects, the Center for Astronomical Mega-Science, the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), and the College of Information Engineering at Kunming University. The preprint of their paper, “Predicting Astrometric Microlensing Events from Gaia DR3,” recently appeared online, and an updated version appeared on November 7th in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Artist’s impression of the ESA’s Gaia Observatory. Credit: ESA Gravitational lensing has proven to be of immense value to astronomers, allowing for observation campaigns like the Frontier Fields program. This consisted of the venerable Hubble Space Telescope using lenses created by massive galaxy clusters to take the deepest views of the Universe ever and observe galaxies that existed about 1 billion years after the Big Bang. The James Webb Space Telescope has carried on in this tradition and recently collaborated with Hubble to produce even more detailed images of lensing galaxies. While similar in principle, microlensing has a different range of applications, including detecting and studying exoplanets and constraining the population of binary stars, neutron stars, brown dwarfs, and red dwarfs in our galaxy. But as lead author Su Jie told Universe Today via email, the applications go much farther: “Astrometric microlensing can be used to make precise measurements of the masses of lens stars that are independent of their assumed internal physics. Such direct mass measurements, obtained purely by observing the gravitational effects of the stars on external objects, are crucial for validating theoretical stellar models. In addition, it can also detect faint and compact lenses such as isolated neutron stars and black holes because the luminosity of the lens is not necessarily measured.” Like Gravitational Lensing, the Microlensing technique depends on chance alignments between massive objects and background sources. Given their importance to astronomers, the ability to predict when these microlensing events will occur is vitally important. This is where the ESA’s Gaia Observatory comes into play. For years, Gaia has gathered accurate information on the position, proper motion, and velocity of stars and other celestial objects in our Milky Way – which will be used to create the most detailed 3D space catalog ever made. Artist’s illustration of the Xuntian, or the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST). Credit: CNSA To predict future microlensing events, Su Jie and his colleagues examined 820,000 potential lens stars obtained from Gaia‘s third data release (DR3). They also conducted mass estimates to determine the size of the lensing event and where and when the proper alignments would happen between now and 2070. Said Su Jie: “This information allows the future on-sky separation between a lens and source to be calculated as seen from Earth. Using data from Gaia Data Release 3, we predict 4500 astrometric microlensing events with a peak astrometric shift more than 0.1 mas. There are 293 lens stars that can cause two or more events, where five lens stars can cause more than 50 events. The detection of many events caused by one lens will help us to improve lens mass accuracy.” The cone search method they employed, where the search range expands for each potential lens star, could also reduce the possibility of missing future events. Moreover, added Su Jie, the stars and microlensing events they identified could be the subject of follow-up observations by Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and the proposed Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) – aka. Xuntian, Chinese for “Sky Survey,” – which China plans to launch sometime next year. Further Reading: MNRS The post Gaia is so Accurate it Can Predict Microlensing Events appeared first on Universe Today.

[kaitycole]

chapter 3: what are friends for?

Summary: Two little friends have always desired one thing: to end up as siblings. So when the chance presented itself after a finalized divorce, who were they to decline such an opportunity to finally bring their parents together?

Pairings: Bokuto Kōtarō x f!Reader

Word Count: 3344

Warnings: Angst. Fluff. Mentions of divorce, cheating, cussing

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this series. Part of the @babythotshq​​​ Dearest Daddy Collab

Tags: open (send me an ask to be added!)

April 2025

Bokuto is bouncing around as he waits in the lobby at the airport. For the twentieth time in three minutes, he pulls out his phone to check the time. Of course, he had gotten to the airport earlier than he needed to, but these last two months were the longest in his life. No amount of phone calls, video chats, or text messages could compare to having Seiko there with him. It was like his life felt empty without her, an emptiness that he hadn’t felt since the day he found out he was going to be a dad.

*                      * July 2019

She jumped on Bo’s back, laughter ringing in his ears as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He carried her back to his apartment after spending the afternoon down at Osaka Bay; visiting the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan and ending the day at the Tempozan Ferris Wheel. The day was spent with fingers interlocked, heads resting on other’s shoulders and enough laughter to brighten anyone’s day. Jess made them take pictures at every booth, saying they both needed copies to remember the day; they were stuffed in the back pocket of her jeans.

Moving to Japan was the first big decision Jess had ever made without backing out. Her parents tried to dissuade her from moving so far, telling her that just changing cities would suffice; she knew it wouldn’t. Mark seemed to find his way to wherever she was, but she knew she was safe at her current distance. Plus she had Bo now and she couldn’t imagine not having him in her life.

He tapped the sides of her thighs telling her to jump off his back so he could grab his keys. She hopped off, leaning against the wall by his door. It was still a shock to her that the two of you had become so close in just nine months. It had taken her longer than that to get close to Mark, but then again there were totally different reasons with that.

Jess followed him into his one-bedroom apartment, slipping off her shoes before sitting on the couch. He excused himself to his room to quickly change; he opted to wear jeans while went out but he hates jeans. He threw on some sweatpants and a MSBY t-shirt. He smiled when he saw Jess, slightly curled up on the couch with the blanket she bought him draped across her.

Bo loved how comfortable Jess was at his place and he at hers. She looked like a natural being by his side and maybe if things had been different, if he had somehow gotten closure with you, maybe he could’ve tried with Jess. Given her a fighting chance if anything more than platonic ever arose between them. Bokuto’s own hesitation came from not waiting to even try to compete with Mark and he could almost guarantee that Jess felt the same about you.

The thought left him with a sinking feeling in his stomach, how many great individuals would end up right in front of him for him to turn away because of you? You, the love of his life. The married love of his life. Sometimes it hurt to see those around him in great relationships, having families of their own while he still held on to imaginary hope that you might be his one day.

He talked to Akaashi about it, who asked him if being just your friend was worse than potentially losing you and of course Bo frantically told him he’d stay friends forever if it meant having you in his life. He knew the former setter was sincere, after all he had been around for most of Bo’s one-sided relationship and had even been the one to encourage him to at least try back in high school.

“Wh—no!” Jess let out a sound that mixed together a gasp and a sob. He watched her pull her knees up under her chin and her body start to shake. Bo practically ran over to her, banging his knee against the coffee table in the process.

“Jess! Jess!” He sat next to her wanting to pull her into him, but something about the way she looked told him not to. He watched her chest begin to rise and fall rapidly as she choked out sobs while trying to catch her breath.

Bokuto kneeled down in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders to try to stop her trembling. He felt helpless, what could he do? How could he help? Something was hurting her, someone he cared about more than himself and he was at a loss. What felt like forever passed and Jess finally looked up to him.

“Mar…married!” She let out another sob, turning her phone so Bo could see it; it was a picture of a tall blonde man in a suite with a woman who looked very similar to Jess next to him in a white dress.

He knew the feeling that Jess felt right now; that soul crushing agony. The massive weight being dropped on you, making you feel even more inadequate than you had been. At least you married someone who looked opposite of Bo, Mark practically married Jess’s twin. He remembered feeling empty when he got your wedding invitation; crashing at Akaashi’s because his empty apartment felt like it would swallow him whole if he was there alone.

“I’m so so sorry, Jess.” He climbed up on the couch beside her, pulled her into arms and after a few moments of resisting, she let herself relax in his arms. His thumb rubbed circles on her back and he gently rocked her back and forth. He wasn’t even sure this was helping, but he didn’t know what else to do.

A few minutes passed in silence before she looked up at him, her green eyes lined with tears and her face red and blotchy. Her expression was completely broken, like a porcelain doll that had been dropped and cracked from the impact. Bokuto used to think the day he watched you get married had truly broken his heart, the day that he knew he’d never have a chance to confess his feelings, but in this moment seeing someone as lovely and pure as Jess this way; today was the day his heart actually broke.

“He wasn’t ready for a relationship but he was ready to get married. Heh.” Jess let out a humorless laugh as she wiped the tears off her cheeks.

“You’re too good for him, Jess.” Bo placed his hands on her cheeks, looking into her eyes. “I mean it, that woman couldn’t hold a candle to you in any way.”

Jess felt her cheeks heating up underneath Bo’s touch and she offered him a small smile. Part of her wondered if he had felt this destroyed and fragile when you got engaged, got married and he had to watch. How selfish could people be? Jess wanted to believe that you were ignorant to Bo’s feelings, but she found that hard to believe with how straightforward he could be. Her eyesight was still blurry from her tears and her head was throbbing, but she wasn’t completely unaware of what her next move was.

In a blur, Jess’s lips crashed into Bo’s unsuspected lips. He was stunned at first, it wasn’t like he’d never kissed anyone before but certainly not Jess. When she pulled away, Bo thought his heart had stopped, she was looking at him, biting her bottom lip.

“Jess, you’re upset.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t want…I’d hate for you to do something you’d regret or that would hurt you.”

“Bo.” She looked at him, her eyes pleading with him; begging him for a closeness only he could give her in this moment. Fresh tears filled her eyes, “Please.”

It took three heartbeats for him to react to her words. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her onto his lap, his lips pressing into hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck as his tongue slipped between her lips causing her to deepen the kiss.

The smell of sandalwood washed over her as peonies and vanilla filled Bo’s senses. He pulled away just long enough to place his lips on her jaw before kissing along her jawline, traveling down her neck. She stopped breathing, shuddering against his chest as a knot tightened in her lower stomach. She unwrapped her arms from his neck, intertwining her fingers in his hair and pulling it slightly.

He let out a hiss between his teeth, his breath danced across her shoulder. She trailed a hand down his chest, her fingers slipped under the bottom of his t-shirt. His skin heated up as her fingers ran across his firm abs, he pulled back from her. His eyes met hers and after she nodded, Bokuto swiftly stood up with her legs wrapped around him before carrying her down the hall; he kicked the bedroom door shut with his heel.

*                      * October 2019

Jess found herself having trouble lifting her hand to knock on the door. It’d been a year since she met Bokuto and he had become her best friend; maybe that’s why this was so hard. There’s an uneasy feeling in her stomach, a lump in her throat as she let out another deep breath. She could do this, she was an adult and adults face their problems head on. Suddenly though, Jess doesn’t want to be an adult and part of her wants to go back to being five years old when her biggest problem was which crayon to use.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Before the door opened, Jess chickened out and started walking back towards the staircase. She couldn’t do this, she’d come back and tell him another day.

“Jess?”

She squeezed her eyes shut breathing harshly out of her nose. When she turned around, she saw a confused Bo; her heart sank. How could she do this? She couldn’t and of course the one time she hoped he wouldn’t be home, he was.

She heard him call out for her again before she turned around. She walked slowly over to him then headed into his apartment. He immediately picked up on her demeanor, offering her various snacks and drinks; trying to make her comfortable.

She mumbled something causing Bo to kneel in front of her, asking her to repeat herself. Her green eyes met his golden ones and she knew this was it. That once she said it out loud, once he learned of her secret, everything would permanently change.

“I’m pregnant.” She bit her bottom lip, a wave of nausea hitting her and it wasn’t from the baby.

Bokuto, over time, had become slightly predictable to Jess. He was loud and tended to invade one’s personal space without warning and that’s the Bo Jess knew well. But this Bo, the one who was silent, who had scooted back from her and had a blank expression on his face was new to Jess.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” The huge smile that appeared on his face threw her for a loop. “This is the greatest news anyone’s ever told me.”

“You aren’t mad?”

“Mad? Why would I be mad?” He jumped to his feet, fingers running through his hair, with the same huge smile plastered on his face. “I’m gonna be a dad!”

Jess felt herself laugh, the anxiety, fear, dread all disappeared and left her wondering why she was even worried to begin with. This was Bo after all and if she could do this with anyone it would be Bo.

“You’re gonna be a dad, Bo.”

“And you, a mom.”

She gasped as Bo scooped her off the couch, spinning her around. He quickly sat her feet to the ground before she saw him drop to one knee. “Jess, marry me.”

“I’m sorry, what?” She grabbed his hands. “Stand up.”

“I mean it Jess.  Marry me.” He shook his head, “I know this isn’t proper, but I love you and want to do what’s right for you and the baby.”

She smiled at her favorite person, squatting down to be eye level with him. “Bo, I love you and love that you’d offer, but we don’t love each other in that way.”

“But we could try.” A pout covered his face, hair slightly deflated.

She shook her head, “You know it doesn’t work that way. I don’t love you in the way I love Mark and you don’t love me like you love Y/N. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

He pulled her into his chest, “I just don’t want to mess anything up, I don’t want to lose you either.”

“Lose me? Sir you are stuck with me forever now.” She felt him laugh against her shoulder. “We’ll figure things out as we go, I promise.”

“I’m gonna be a dad.” Tears fell down his face, a new type of happiness washed over him. “I have to call Akaashi.”

*                      * April 2025

The loud sound of the airport intercom brings Bokuto back to the present, looking up and his eyes land on Jess. He smiles when his eyes land on the little brunette who is proudly pulling her suitcase behind her. Bo squats down when the pair of them get closer to him, his face twists into confusion when Seiko stops walking.

She passes her suitcase handle to Jess before throwing her arms opening, “HEY! HEY! HEY!”

Bo’s face lights up as she rushes into his arms; he wraps his arms around her, picking her up, and spinning her around. He kisses her forehead, squeezing her tightly until she burst into a fit of giggles, trying to make up for the last two months. Jess smiles at the display, watching the two of them together was Jess’s favorite sight.

“Was that your idea?” Bo says to Jess, readjusting Seiko to rest on his left hip as his right-hand grabs Jess’ suitcase.

Jess just smirks as they walk out of the airport. Seiko’s arms wrapped tightly around his neck, unwilling to let go of her dad. Seiko loves her mom, she enjoyed spending time with her and her grandparents in California, but Seiko is a daddy’s girl.

** Seiko has all of her gifts on the coffee table, Bo looks at Jess who just holds her hands up in defense. Seiko is extremely hard to say no to, at least for Jess, Bo on the other hand claims to have invented the pouty look so he’s immune to Seiko’s antics.

“These are for Haruki! I got him a book about California, this tie-dye shirt and these gross jelly beans!”

“Gross jelly beans?” Bo looks directly at Jess who is laughing.

“They are odd flavored; booger, dog food, and others.”

“Anyways!” Seiko shouts, “I got Uncle ‘Kaashi this fancy pen and Misaki a matching tie-dye shirt to mine!”

“I’m sure they will love them!” Bo says excitedly, he leans back in his chair, welcoming the noise that fills his apartment; he’s missed it.

Seiko grabs a wrapped box she’s been hiding, handing it to Bo. “This is for you Daddy.”

Bo eagerly takes the box and unwraps it, Seiko is bouncing up and down as he starts to open it.

“Do you like your shirt, Daddy?” She beams at him, her eyes wide like a kid on Christmas morning.

Bo raises an eyebrow and Seiko immediately slaps her hand over her mouth. He smiles at her before removing the tissue paper and pulling out the shirt Seiko just told him about. He holds up a light blue shirt that has an owl with the words ‘papa owl’ underneath it.

“I love it!” He watches Seiko hold up her finger before running to her room.

“She’s really excited about this.” Jess says to him, sipping her tea.

Seiko comes rushing back into the living room, having changed her shirt to a matching one to Bo’s with the words ‘baby Owl’ on hers. “They match Daddy!”

“They sure do!”

“And this is yours too!” She hands him a small gift bag, but this time she acts shy about it. Bo pulls her into his lap and opens it. It’s a keychain with a picture of her on it, she holds up one of that has a picture of Jess on one side and him on the other. “For when you have a game away from home. So you don’t forget me.”

He wraps her into a hug, “I couldn’t forget about you even if I tried.”

*                      * October 2025

“Coming! Coming!” Bo shouts at the frantic knocking on his door, he looks at the clock on the wall: 10:15PM.

“I know it’s late. I should’ve called.” You start talking a mile a minute as soon as the door opens, your son leaning against your leg half asleep. “Can you watch Ruki?”

He blinks a few times, trying to wake up himself. “Yeah, sure, come in.”

You and Haruki enter into his apartment; Seiko comes around the corner, the noise having woke her up; tightly clinging to her favorite blanket. Seiko drags her feet towards Haruki, she takes his hand and they both walk over the couch. He rests his head on the arm of the couch as Seiko drapes her blanket over him.

“What’s going on?” Bo asks, still looking at you in confusion, reaching out to put a comforting hand on your arm.

You look around before stepping closer to Bo, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “Youta came home late, drunk, and yelling. I’d just rather Haruki not be around for that.”

Bo’s jaw clenches, in all honesty he’s never thought Youta was good enough for you. Not because he has feelings for you, but if you had to be with someone else he’d at least want it to be someone who deserved you.

“Of course, he can stay here. Maybe you should stay too.” He shrugs, “at least until tomorrow.”

You shake your head, biting your bottom lip. “I think it’s best if I handle this now. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way back.”

“He can stay the night. I’m sure Seiko would love it.”

The two of you glance over at the couch, Seiko and Haruki huddled together, barely covered by Seiko’s baby blanket. It had been a gift from Akaashi, a simple blanket with owls on it and even as she gets older, the blanket follows her; Bo has to take it and wash it while she sleeps.

You look at him, nervously looking at the clock. “Are you sure? I’ll come back first thing in the morning so he doesn’t mess up any plans.”

He puts a hand on your shoulder. “Take your time. He’s fine here. I promise.”

“Thank you.” You wrap your arms around him, giving him a hug before placing a quick kiss on his cheek. Smiling up at him, you feel thankful for him, for everything that he’s been doing for you since the locker mix up; he truly is your best friend.

“No worries. That’s what family does, right?”

You nod at him as you quickly rush over, placing a kiss on Haruki’s forehead before leaving. Bo lets out a deep breath, running his fingers through his hair before heading down the hall. He grabs the extra futon from the hall closet, setting it up in Seiko’s room. Going back to the living room, he scoops up Seiko first, tucking her into her bed, but when he heads back into the living room, Haruki is sitting up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.’

“Uncle Bo?”

“Yeah buddy?” He stretches his arms out for Haruki to climb into them so he could carry him. He rests his head on Bo’s shoulder, his voice lagging from the sleep setting back in.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything, what’s up?” Haruki climbs onto the futon, Bo pulling the blanket up.

“What’s a divorce?”

Previous/ Masterlist /Next

[secretagentdreamer]

Day 27: Ransom

Fandom: Marvel. Character(s): Peter Parker. Morgan Stark. Steve Rogers. Warnings: kidnapping, drugging, implied/reference to rape but I promise it doesn't happen Word Count: 1230

-*-

2025

“Pen, wake up! Penny, what’s happening?” Morgan’s scared voice pulls at Penny’s consciousness. Penny groans and grumbles something near unintelligible about wanting five more minutes. “Penny, you gotta wake up!” There’s the following sound of Morgan sniffling through tears and that pulls Penny fully back to awareness and she blinks open an eye. And immediately lets out another groan due to pain. She’s slumped haphazardly onto a concrete floor, limbs sprawled like someone had just tossed her onto the ground. Which, as the memories slowly come back, she wouldn’t be surprised if someone had. Penny had been taking Morgan on a shopping trip: to find a birthday present for mom. It had been relatively early in the morning; Penny had been hoping to be in and out before it got busy, plus the weather had been bad so many people weren’t even awake yet. One second the two sisters had been walking around, Morgan chattering away excitedly and Penny smiling and occasionally making comments, then the next Penny’s spider senses had been creating a sharp pain at the base of her skull, so strong that it brought her to her knees.

Or maybe that had been whatever poison/sedative was coursing through her bloodstream thanks to the dart sitting firmly in her neck. But hey tomayto, tomahto. Penny manages to hold on to consciousness for a dozen or so more moments: just long enough to see Morgan fall in a heap on the wet dirty ground with a dart sticking from her arm as well and a pair of heavy black boots step into view before Penny blacked out completely.

“Are you alright, Morg? They didn’t hurt you, did they?” Penny asks as she tries to force her body into a sitting position, her limbs feel like they’re made of lead but she gets there in the end. As soon as Penny’s sitting up, she’s got an arm full of crying six-year-old.

Morgan is still damp from falling onto the wet concrete so they can’t have been out for too long. Morgan shakes her head against Penny’s collar bone. “No, I’m not hurt. I want daddy and mommy.”

“I know, sweetheart. I promise I’ll get you back to them. I just gotta figure out, how to get us out of here.” They’re in a small concrete room, no windows, and only one door: it looks to made of steel but with her strength, Penny can work with that. Penny is just about to set Morgan down when the door is thrown open and four big men dressed in black stride into the room. Morgan lets out a whimper and Penny immediately changes to shove Morgan behind her, shielding her younger sister.

“Aw, look, the little brats are awake.” The man in the front, the smallest height wise but burliest amongst the group, coos. He turns his head slightly and speaks to one of the men behind him. “Grab the baby brat.” He commands and Morgan lets out a sob.

“No, you can’t take her! Take me instead!” Penny begs, scrambling onto her knees so she can protect Morgan better. No way in hell is she letting them take her baby sister away from her: her limbs may still feel weak like a newborn baby but she’s gonna go down fighting before letting them touch Morgan.  

“Don’t need to stress so much about it: aren’t you just the baby sitter after all? The Stark’s must pay you a lot to care that much about the brat.” The leader grins a sick smile as the man he gave the order too advances. “Relax, we just want to make a ransom video. We won’t hurt her. Much.”

“Don’t you fucking touch her! Take me: I’m a Stark as well!” Penny nearly shrieks in panic. But the advancing man pauses, looking back to the leader in confusion.

The leader looks momentarily confused before he starts to laugh. “No, you’re not. Don’t lie to me. Everyone knows there’s only one Stark brat.”

“Well clearly you don’t shit then, do you?! I’m Penelope Maria Stark, Tony Stark is my father. Take me instead. You can rough me up more, I don’t care, just don’t take her. I’m begging you: just please leave her out this!” Penny’s already on her knees, so she might as well commit to the whole groveling side of this.

The leader has stopped laughing. He’s looking at Penny thoughtfully. “Okay then, grab her instead, Stone. You and the other men can have more fun with her then with the baby brat.” Penny swallows nervously at the tone and what his words are implying. But a quick glance behind her, at Morgan, silently sobbing, settles any fears she might have.

Penny Stark would do anything and everything to protect her baby sister.

“Don’t be scared, baby,” Penny rushes out as Stone grabs by the forearm and lifts her like she weighs nothing. “Daddy will come and save you. You’ll be safe.” Penny promises. Morgan is clinging feebly to Penny’s hand; she doesn’t want to be alone. Which, rightfully so, which six-year-old would want to be alone after being kidnapped, but Penny can’t let her see what she knows is going to come next. And as Stone drags her across the floor, Morgan is being dragged as well. “Morgan, baby, please, you’ll be safer here. Daddy’s going to come and save you. But you have to let go, please.”

Morgan lets go.

Penny couldn’t be prouder as she watches Morgan scramble back away from the men to hide against the corner of the room. Hopefully, this will be enough to keep her safe until dad or someone can come and rescue her.

-

Morgan lets out a shrill scream as the door is kicked open with enough strength to send it crashing into the wall with a loud bang. Morgan doesn’t know how much time has passed since the bad men took Penny away, all she knows is that Penny hasn’t come back and Morgan is terrified that they’re hurting her big sister. Maybe they’re coming back to hurt Morgan as well. So, Morgan cowers, trying to appear as small as possible: maybe they won’t see her and they’ll go away.

“Morgan, sweetheart?” Morgan looks up in surprise at the familiar voice. The relief that rushes through her is so strong tears immediately spring to her eyes and start falling.

“Steve?” She whispers as her daddy’s friend walks into the room and crouch down in front of her.

“Yeah, Morgs, it’s me. I’m here to take you back to your daddy and mommy, they’re really worried about you at the moment.” Steve says with a gentle smile. As he finishes his words, Morgan is already throwing herself at him and clinging to him as she cries into his neck.

“Where’s Penny?!” Morgan yells, pulling back slightly. “The bad men took her away: they were going to hurt her! I want Penny!” She looks around but can’t see her and that only increases her panic more.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright, Bucky and Sam have her. They’re taking her to a hospital. She’s... she’ll be alright, I promise. I’ll take you to meet your parents there at the hospital. Okay?” And even though Morgan is finally safe as Steve carries her out of the building, she can’t help but cry: because Penny got hurt protecting her.

[dolly-little-sunshine]

We can love again

In library since yesterday, to concentrate on the writing a bit better, even though I still manage to escape and came onto the blog to blab about some stuff first. Really enjoy the time at school, looking at the young students, making the same mistakes like I did, discussing new and trendy knowledge that I was not taught, feeling caught by the new wave and unease and remember to carry on the learning and progressing. I enjoy an environment where things are unsettled yet moving forward. Like now, like here. 

The school computer however does not allow change to the keyboard language so I’ll have to type in English today. Want to share a growing emotional journey towards one particular company, one really keen opportunity:

The job seeking journey in general has been pretty much ‘yea yea I’ll get something new and different, broaden the horizon while most importantly paying the bills and paying HUA! to grow’, as the Dyson contract only has 4 weeks left (with next week spending in Madrid for the big data module), I started various conversations with internal teams as well as looking out for external opportunities. The market is currently flooded with two kinds: consultant type of roles, corporate strategy, business strategy lead, quite classic MBA graduate types, and start-up PM roles, very vast, almost absolute majority of tech and software based roles. Influenced by Luke and hardware engineering background throughout the working life, I believe more in a service/digital/whatever the surface level offering is backed by a tangible existence rather than the ‘we can solve your problem with this new app’.

If apps alone can solve real problems, why the least connected country Japan has the highest efficiency whilst China with the most advanced digital technologies are still in such a faff all the time. Tangible offerings guide and shape people’s behaviours to solve the real problem, whereas digital technologies mitigate and transfer them to someone else problem. 

I have been plainly/emotionally-stably searching, until Lilium came about: the initial application was fairly normal, it was during my mass application process, where like to any other business, I provided a CV, a few brief lines of why want to join Lilium and no cover letter. Had a brief read about the company, thought it was interesting but didn’t dwell on it too much, not a top dog name and there’re a few other roles going on at the time. 

The German efficiency is not a bluff, the next day, I got an email inviting to an HR video chat already. The prep process for that threw me more surprises and excitement about the idea, the team and the company. First and foremost, it’s a business with a goal, launch the first-ever fully electric 5 seater air taxi (VTOL) by 2025, enable air travel for anyone anywhere; it has a team that I like, 4 PhD graduate co-founders, similar age to me, with the dream to fly, with the passion and genuineness to offer something to everyone, not exclusively to rich people, smart, committed, German, like you enabled the commercial side of the ‘fantastic four’ from the Big Bang Theory; at last, it reminds me of Dyson when I first joined, or even the days just before I joined. The journey of scale-up, the unpredictability, thrill and expectation to grow and transform. The idea to bring hardware and software together, the simplified design, the desire to satisfy and smoothify consumer’s journey.

The HR guy is called Luke too, a big bushy beard guy, had a nice chat, fairly engaging and open, and 2 days later the next stage invite came through, to talk to VP of Product, Patrick Naven, one of the co-founders, also one of my favourites so far from product connection, charisma, presentation style. I read through the website again, looked up their competitors, read Patrick’s profile and watched a few videos of him talking about Lilium, studies the investors’ profiles. The conversation happened yesterday, I was absolutely devastated when the internet connection was so poor and the background noise was quite high in the library communal area. What was worst is that Patrick’s voice didn’t come through the headset but through the laptop directly, definitely not the best openning and I could see the ‘oopsy, err...what’s going on’ from his face, slightly awkward and don’t know what to say. I gave up the headset in the end and we went with computer video chat directly, which meant that my face went really close to the camera to be able to hear and hoping he could hear me clear - that was the whole point about preparing and setting up in advance --- so my big massive face did not populate the screen! However I managed to bring out the points and comment on areas he happened to be interested too. 

When asked the question about what frustrates you, it was the first time to hear a real and honest answer,comparing to a few others where they would talk about change of priorities or too much to do not enough people to actually put the positive and promising spin on a negative answer intended question. I like Patrick as a person and I think vise versa, really hope that I went through this stage and get invited to an on-site one --- already getting nervous about that one, as it’ll be with Remo the CCO and Carlos, the VP Digital Technology, both extremely experienced and solid in their background, technical and commercially equally strong, I’ll have to do more hardworking prep work if getting the invite.

Job seeking is very much like a speed dating journey, it’s a two way choice, the start-ups are like youthful singles in the crowd more using this experience to try out different people to know what they’re looking for and who suits them better; the corporate are like mature single parent, constraint by some stereotype and really focus on the industry background and work experience, like a widow looking for a widow to share the emotional commonality. I didn’t expect this much self-reflection though - I start to really think hard about my almost 5 years of Dyson life, what’s embedded in me subconsciously and what I am trying desperately to jump out of. The design thinking, freedom in user understanding, appreciation for aesthetics are much more valueable than it has been. I remembered the joy and hope when heard back from Lyer for getting the competitor analyst role back in 2015, the solo jump and woopie in the narrow living room of Dolls house, the fast decision, the exciting and hopeful days in the old cafe. 

Now I am so glad, feel sweet, blessed, grateful, yet also unsettled, unease that I can love again, to another business, to another rising field, to build, to grow, to travel, to fly. Thanks to the emerge of Lilium. Thank you for showing me that there is another job, another angle, another world, another way, there is you, that I can love again. 

The despair of losing Johnny was still fresh and sharp, the loneliness and sadness of working hard aimlessly for 2 years was still hug-worthy, until I moved abroad, until I met Luke, until a new world came to me and I came to it, so pleased, that I can love again. 

The frustration over Dyson and its lack of diversity, snobby hierachy is still blunt and hurtful, the journey Prof John Lyon shared, the flair of entrepreneurship, the joy and fighting and working with Zi in HUA! The upcoming event and the continued conversation with more interesting people. I’m glad I chose MBA, and MBA chose me, so pleased, that I can love again. 

It is always a journey of seeking and fighting, if the mountain doesn’t come to me, I will go to the mountain. We will go over and beyond, the past be the gone, the future at the dawn. Continue to search and believe, when the time comes, we will love again. 

I’m glad, we can love again.

[atlasgroupme]

8 Reasons Why T-Shirt Printing Business Will Trend in 2019

Think of the world’s most iconic t-shirts. Three Wolf Moon, Bob Marley, Tuxedo… – what do they all have in common? What is a similar thing that has made these t-shirts favorite among the people all around the world? Well, it’s the t-shirt design. Every season we see new fashion trends.The one covering piece that ne’er gets out of trend is ‘t-shirt’.Whether it’s a graphic tee, plain oversized t-shirt, or body-hugging t-shirt, they have always ruled the trend and are liked by people of all age groups. If you check up on the most recent reports, you will learn that the trend of custom t-shirt design has grown tremendously in the past few years. The global marketplace for custom tee shirt printing business is anticipated to cross ten billion USD by 2025. You must have seen that heaps of celebrities are carrying them to unfold social messages or setting a trend. If you’ve got a web tee shirt printing company, then you’ll be able to relate to the current development within the market. Especially the t-shirt printing in Dubai are there to attract more customers, they precisely provide them with what they are looking for. They know their market really well. They must have come up with some latest and unique designs. That is how their market always blooms. If you have a doubt if the t-shirt printing business will bring you the desired sales figures, let us assure you that it will. You can invest in the business confidently, expecting high profits.

Here Are The 8 Reasons Why T-Shirt Printing Business Will Trend In 2019:

01. Branding:

Every year thousands of new businesses get started. This is making little challenging for companies to get the attention of their target audience. In order to spread the word about the company and grab the attention, companies have started making use of custom t-shirts. Have you ever thought why car companies put their company logos in the front and back of the car? It’s for branding purposes. Putting a logo and other information about the brand on custom t-shirts helps companies in creating brand awareness and drawing attention. They communicate the brand message in a more casual and friendly way. It can be worn anytime and anywhere and there is no chance that the person wearing it will get unnoticed.

02. Fad For TV Series:

Big Bang Theory, Game of Thrones, Stranger things – no matter wherever you go, you will always find fans of these series. Though these TV series are still going on, fans like to flaunt clothes linked with these series or their characters.If you have a t-shirt maker tool, you can help your customers in creating a design of their own choice. They can make a selection of colors, graphics, fonts, etc. as per their taste and style. Before going for final t-shirt printing, the tool must allow them to see how the design will look on their t-shirt.

03. Boosting Team Spirit:

Over the past few years, companies have started realizing the importance of creating a strong company culture. Custom t-shirts are a great way of developing a strong emotional bond with the company. It unites internal teams, thus increases motivation and commitment among employees to achieve the company’s goals.

04. Customer Loyalty:

In this highly competitive world, where competitors are just a few clicks away, it takes months or even years for companies to gain customer loyalty. Researchers have shown that customers are willing to stick around with those companies that have created a great experience for them. Instead of just depending on websites or events, companies have started giving print t-shirts as a freebie on minimum purchase of any of their products. It is helping them in retaining old customers and making new customers feel special.

05. For Making Fashion Quotient:

Swaggers are always ready to make style statements. In order to show off their sense of style, they always prefer to wear custom print shirts. They can flaunt their fashion quotient by wearing t-shirts that set them apart from others.

06. Off-The-Clock Marketing:

Custom t-shirts are like a free off-the-clock marketing tool. Well-designed t-shirts encourage employees and customers to wear them anytime anywhere, thus helping companies in building brand identity.

07. Less Costly:

As compared to other forms of advertising like hoardings, T.V, etc. custom t-shirts are one of the most cost-effective ways to promote business. Online t-shirt maker tools have also made it easy for people to design shirts or t-shirts for any occasion. In addition to this, a good quality t-shirt has a longer shelf life, helping the brand in gaining visibility for a longer period. This has increased the demand for t-shirts.

08. Promoting A Safe Planet:

Nowadays, people have become more aware and concerned about the environment. It is making them use eco-friendly products. Not only do these t-shirts have quotes that motivate people to protect the planet, but they also use minimal energy and carbon. Why not consider setting up an environmentally friendly t-shirt printing company? After all, there is no planet B!  

Especially printing in Dubai is really growing fast. With the new design ideas and the right marketing strategies, they are definitely taking their business to the next level. Additionally, they never just stick to a single type of printing. They discover more options so that they can make a mark in the industry. The diversity of their business makes it profitable and with the right printing knowledge, they can certainly make the most of it.