#he is now phototropic

[maybemewlyn]

In the Shade of the Sun. 📚☀️

[okkefac]

Phototropism [An Alfred/Alear Engage fic]

Ao3

Fire Emblem Engage, Alfred/Alear

[Spoilers for Fire Emblem Engage]

Words: 3164

Chapters: 1/1

Summary: Alfred is on his deathbed, and Alear has to do something about it. He can’t let Alfred die like this. 

Angst with a happy ending.

💐

Alear isn’t sure when he first noticed.

It was present in the little things Alfred would do: a small wince when picking up a tea cup, a slight strain in his voice that he's trying to hide, a small stumble as they would walk together through the gardens of Lythos.

It wouldn’t happen all the time. For the most part, Alfred would appear fine. Even so, Alear found it difficult to explain, but he just knew that something wasn’t right. As a Divine Dragon, and Emblem, Alear knew he had some sorts of special powers that humans did not - this seemed to include the ability to just… sense people, sense their essence in a way. For most people, Alear felt as if they contained something full. Fittingly enough, he could imagine people as flowers, where most people would give the essence of a flower in full bloom, ripe and ready to weather the world.

However when it came to Alfred, he would feel more like a wilting flower, even when he would appear otherwise healthy. As far as Alear knew, Alfred’s childhood illness was long behind him. It turns out that Céline found out by accident during the war that this was no longer the case, at this point several years past, and agreed to stay silent on it for Alfred’s sake - or at least until the condition worsened to the point where an intervention was necessary.

Alear made sure to speak up before it reached this point, and asked Alfred directly how long he’d known his illness was back for. It was then that Alfred told Alear everything, every little detail, about Céline, about all of it. This led to a conversation on Alfred’s further childhood - it was a very emotional moment for the two of them, and showed Alfred in a new light that even Alear had never seen before.

Such details feel like a world away now, however.

Two weeks. That’s how long Alfred has been suffering this time. The attacks he has have been increasing in duration, intensity, and frequency over the years since the war ended.

Of course, Alear has tried to find solutions. He always knew that he’d outlive his lover, he knew that Alfred’s life would be but a spec of his own - but Alfred doesn’t deserve this. Even if humans cannot live as long as dragons, Alear would do anything to extend his time with Alfred, even if only by a few decades. The resources of Lythos and Firene could not find any medicine, any cure.

As such, Alear has had to just watch. Watch and wait.

He has a plan. It’s always been on the back burner, but any time he’s tried to mention it to Alfred, he would be denied. It’s the closest time the two have come to an actual argument, and things would get heated, and the two would make up, conveniently packing the plan back up and placing it far, far away - not to be talked about until the next disagreement.

The flower is barely hanging on at this point. Its petals are falling off, crumbling into dust almost. The colour and vibrancy of what should be a gorgeous, bright bouquet are gone - now nothing more than colourless husks.

They are in Alear’s sanctum in Lythos. Despite knowing more on how the Divine Dragon works, and the lack of actual divine powers for the most part, the Firenese royal family are still staunch believers - and Alear could tell that Alfred always felt more at ease in Lythos together. One last prayer. One last hope.

Maybe it’s fitting that the king of the nation that most worships the Divine Dragon, the king that the Divine Dragon fell in love with, should die in this sanctum.

Just thinking that word makes Alear’s mouth run dry. His pulse quickens, his mouth hot. If he had a dragonstone he is sure that he would simply turn into a dragon and set fire to the whole Somniel. It isn’t fair, it isn’t fair, it isn’t fair!

Alear feels a squeeze to right hand, and he looks over to Céline. Over the last few years, Alear has gotten considerably closer to the princess - often bonding over their shared concerns for Alfred, especially as of late. Ever a woman of composure, Céline initially appears somewhat unfazed, but Alear can see how she’s trembling. She’s on edge, a glass flower, about to be shattered into tiny pieces.

Ève, the Queen Mother, is the only other person in the room with them. She had resigned as Monarch a few years after the war, after things had settled within the continent. Céline seems to have gotten her strength from Ève, who is also holding back tears as she watches her first born slip in and out of consciousness. He’s been like this for a day now.

Alfred opens his eyes, and something in Alear breaks. Alfred’s eyes are glassy, and Alear watches them search, search for something. Eventually Alfred looks at Alear, although it’s not really looking, not truly. He licks his lips, and smiles at the dragon.

“Hey, love.”

Alfred’s voice is shaky, and suddenly Alear feels a pang of panic. He can’t describe it, not at all. Another petal falls off the flower. Alear’s world is spinning, and it’s almost as if he goes on autopilot. Something’s wrong. Even more wrong. Alear knows what he has to do, he will do whatever possible.

A far too bony hand reaches out to him, and Alear takes it. Cold. Stone cold. The divine dragon takes a deep breath and gulps.

“Hello, my love.” His voice doesn’t sound real. It’s as if he’s underwater. Far away from his own body, almost as if looking down on this moment from above. It’s not Alear talking, but it is, it must be. He has to get out his request as fast as possible. “Can… Can you wear the pact ring?”

Wordlessly, Alfred nods slightly, and a shaky hand reaches into his breast pocket to pull out an embroidered pouch. He keeps his eyes locked with Alear’s during this, but if anything that just further convinces Alear that his eyes are nothing more than lifeless orbs. Just the task of pulling out the ring seems like it’s taking all of Alfred’s energy. Alear squeezes the hand he still has a hold on.

“Would you like some help with that?”

Alfred attempts to laugh, but it sounds more like a ragged breath. “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”

If he weren’t in front of Céline and Ève, Alear thinks he could have just thrown up.

The divine dragon takes another shaky breath. He doesn’t want to say it, because he knows the implications, but if this doesn’t work - god he hopes it works - he has to. He can’t go another second without telling Alfred.

“I love you.”

A small smile. Alear has to stop himself crying. Alfred’s eyes seem to finally focus a little, but it looks like it’s taking a lot. He pants a little, and looks straight at Alear finally.

“I love you, too.”

And promptly passes out again.

The room is silent for a second, until Céline lets out a choked sob. In the background, Ève goes over to her daughter, but Alear has a mission. Alfred’s not dead yet, he can tell. It’s not too late, god it can’t be too late. The flower still has some petals. Barely.

“Alfred?” he calls out just to be sure, but there’s no response. Céline’s sobbing gets louder, and Ève soon joins her.

His ears are ringing. It’s almost deafening. Alear grabs Alfred’s left hand, the one wearing the pact ring, and holds it close. His face burns, he can feel his own pulse harder than ever before. God, if only Alfred had let him do this before, he could have practised, made sure this would work.

It might be too late, but Alear has to try. Even if Alfred hates him for it. Even if he dies. It’s worth it. Alfred is too good of a person to just let die like this.

A tear manages to escape, it slides slowly down his face and onto their joined hands.

“I’m sorry, love.” He speaks faster, trying to hold it together long enough to not break down. “I didn’t want to do this without your consent but. But…” He takes a deep breath. Céline and Ève have stopped crying for now. It’s silent except for his own breath. “I have to try. I love you too much not to.” His voice breaks at the last word, and he gives Alfred’s hand a little squeeze.

Alear knows there are limits to transferring powers. Lumera was able to turn him into a divine dragon over the course of 1000 years, and died because of it. Alear’s pretty sure he can’t die on the spot, but he doesn’t mind the risk nonetheless. He knows that Alfred knows the risks, which is why he was never allowed to do this before - but Alfred can’t stop him now, and he isn’t sure he can be stopped at this point even if Alfred were lucid.

He shuts his eyes.

Behind closed eyelids, Alear can tell there is a bright blue light. He clears his mind, not able to focus on anything else. No sounds can get through, no sensations. Nothing except for this overwhelming feeling of loss. It’s as if he’s being directly drained, as if his lifeforce is a spout of water, dripping out of his body - hopefully into Alfred’s.

The blue light seems to fade, or maybe that’s Alear’s eyesight, he isn’t sure at this point. Life itself starts to feel fuzzy, and he feels his grasp on Alfred’s hand start to loosen.

There is only one last thought.

Please.

And then everything goes black.

💐

Alfred awakes with a loud gasp.

A man who famously acts before thinking; when Alfred’s eyes open to the bright walls of the divine sanctum and Alear to his right, seemingly passed out, falling off the side of the bed, Alfred jumps to his rescue before anything can even enter his thoughts.

“Alear!”

With ease, Alfred manages to catch his partner, and quickly hoists him up onto the bed beside him. Alear looks fine, his breathing appears normal, and he doesn’t look to be in pain. Alfred’s heart still hurts looking at him.

It takes a few moments for his thoughts to finally catch up, and he looks down at his own body. He feels… honestly, really good. Alfred cannot remember a day in his life where he’s ever felt this good. It’s almost as if his body is full of air, it feels so light and easy to move. He tries to think back to what he last remembers, but it’s fairly difficult. Faint declarations of love - he notices the pact ring on his left hand. It’s faintly glowing, and feels warm on his ring finger.

Finally, he takes notice of the other people in the room, and looks over at his sister and mother. Both of their faces are red, covered in tears. Alfred stares at them, honestly shocked beyond words. These two women are the strongest people in his life, he’s not seen Céline cry since their father died, and has never seen his mother cry. It’s surreal, and he can’t help but feel a sense of dread.

Céline practically jumps across the bed to get to him, pinning Alfred into a tight hug. Automatically he hugs back, always being one for affection. Céline starts wailing, shaking, and shoving her head into his chest. Alfred sits in silence, looking between his mother and Alear. He can’t help but worry about Alear, but something is telling him that Alear is fine. Maybe it’s the warmth still radiating from the ring.

After a few more seconds, Alfred decides he needs to know what the hell just happened.

“What-”

He’s cut off immediately. “You’re alive!” Céline whines, pulling her face away from his now very damp chest, and looking straight up at him. “Alear saved you he-” suddenly Céline gasps.

Alfred’s initial reaction is to worry about the gasp, rather than questioning how Alear saved him. He’s pretty sure he already knows, anyhow.

“What is it?”

“Your eye…” her voice is still watery, but she manages a smile. “Heh. It’s a bit blue.”

Alfred raises an eyebrow, but Céline just goes into her dress pocket and grabs a hand mirror, and hands it over to Alfred. He opens it up, and looks at his face. The first thing he notices is how damn healthy he looks. His complexion is rosier, his face fuller. He then goes to look at his eyes and lets out a similar gasp of his own.

His left eye now contains a blue segment. It’s not the whole eye, not like Alear’s left eye, but about a quarter of the green has been replaced by blue. The exact same shade as Alear - Alfred would recognise it anywhere. He lets out a quiet sob of his own, and holds his head in his hand not holding on to the mirror, and holds it out to Céline with the other.

She takes it out and quickly goes back to hugging Alfred. His mother then comes along too, quietly crying herself, and puts her hand on Alfred’s shoulder before Céline pulls her into the hug.

It takes a few more minutes of crying before Alfred’s able to get the whole story out. Alear had mentioned before that he wanted to try transferring power to Alfred, but he remembers so clearly what happened to Lumera. If he shuts his eyes he can still see her death, her body as it slowly turned to dust. There was no way he could let the same thing happen to Alear, especially not because of him. Alfred was lucky to even make it this long, he should have died as a child if he’s being honest with himself. A weak prince, a weak king, never intended to rule.

But it seems the choice was not in his hands. Alfred can’t see it in himself to be upset with Alear. He smiles to himself, as he tucks a loch of red hair behind Alear’s ear, before leaning down and kissing his forehead.

Never one to be still for long though, Alfred quickly jumps out of bed. Both Céline and Ève look at him as if he’s absolutely insane.

“You nearly… you nearly died. I don’t think you should be up so quickly.” Céline mutters.

“Céline. I feel better than I ever have before. I…” he walks up to her and smiles down, before quickly grabbing her up princess style. It’s honestly as if he were picking up a light book, in comparison to before. He giggles. “See. I feel great.”

Céline fumbles for a moment, holding onto Alfred, until he puts her down. She doesn’t seem to have the energy to do anything but marvel at her brother, smiling up at him. “I see. Well, please do take it easy.”

“Of course.” He looks back over to Alear, his heart speeding up a bit. “I need to go find out if he’ll be okay.”

💐

Alear wakes up to the most gorgeous sight imaginable.

The love of his life, looking down at him. Peridot eyes focused straight on his own, or at least, mostly peridot. The blue segment does not go unnoticed by Alear, but he’s too happy to speak for the time being.

Alfred lights up almost immediately, and grins at Alear - a sight so brilliant that Alear cannot even put it into words in his own thoughts. His chest feels so full, ready to burst.

“Hey, love.” A voice like honey. Alfred’s voice.

Alear lets out a loud sob, a matching grin spreading over his own face. “Hello, my love.” His vision goes blurry, tears streaking the perfect picture before him, Alfred morphing into glorious lines of sand, emerald and ivory.

He feels a dab at his eyes, and focuses back on Alfred who now has a handkerchief in hand. His king is smiling down at him, tears down his own face, dropping onto Alear below. Alfred gently pats both of their faces again, and Alear sits up just to take the sight in again.

The divine dragon moves a hand to Alfred’s cheek, who happily moves into the motion. Warmth. Far warmer than he’s used to, but not dangerously so. Alfred looks different - eyes aside, he appears so full of life. For a moment Alear worries about how long he’s been out of it, he hopes that Alfred hasn’t had to wait long.

“How long was I out?”

Alfred looks surprised for a second, but grins again. “Two days. Veyle had a look at you, she assured me you’d be fine soon, even by human standards.” Alfred’s voice wavers at the end there, and Alear feels a pang of guilt for a moment about making him worry - but it’s quickly resolved by simply seeing how much better Alfred already looks.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” His voice barely comes out as more of a whisper, it still doesn’t feel real. Not after the last few years they’ve had.

“Thank you, Alear. I can’t believe you did that…” Alfred’s voice tapers off, and he shakes his head quickly, before smiling back at Alear. “Thank you.”

“I’d do anything for you. I meant it when I said we’d be inseparable.”

That gets Alfred to cry again, and he nods, smiling down at Alear. Alear takes the opportunity to sit up, finally getting to eye level with his partner. He’s overwhelmed by emotion. He’s exhausted, drained, he’s sure he’s knocked a few hundred years off of his life, but he’d do it again in a heartbeat. Anything for more time with Alfred.

With another shaky breath, Alear takes both of Alfred’s hands in his own. It still doesn’t feel real. But it doesn’t need to - not yet. That can come later.

The two look at each other for another moment, eyes locked. Blue on blue, now. Before he can think of anything else, Alfred leans in and kisses him on the lips. They’ve done this many times before, but something feels anew. It’s as if a part of them is whole. Alear can feel the pact ring’s warmth - even if he’s not directly touching it, a blue glow blossoming between them.

Alfred is a full blooming bouquet of flowers. Mostly orange, with a few new blues scattered in there. A few flowers seem to be merging the two. Most importantly: it’s healthy, and beautiful, and suddenly Alear wants to see it made into a centrepiece - maybe for a wedding.

But they can think of that another time. For now, Alear is happy to focus on the feeling of Alfred’s lips on his own. His lover, his partner, his first friend.

After all, they have all the time in the world.

[seokryuragi]

Ivy, Lavender and The Bunny Tree

Spring started a day, meaning warm fairies were resting, they had a week free until they had to prepare for the next season. Fairies worked non stop since every season takes a lot of time. It was early, the sun was bright, Garden Fairy Lavender was sleeping, she was very comfortable and warm in her bed, that was until she felt a ray of light on her face, then heard a quiet giggle, Lavender woke up “What a way to wake me up.” Lavender said to a very giggly Light Fairy Lune, he moved the light near to Lavender’s face so she would wake up, “Next time close the window if you don't want me inside.” Lune said jokingly.  A now woken up Lavender got dressed up and went outside the strawberry house she lived in, the garden side was full of little houses like that. “Today’s hair is… Lavender I see.” Lavender said looking at Lune’s hair “Today is my day with you, I dressed for the occasion, that includes hair.” Lune’s hair could change if he wanted to, he just had to focus and be in the presence of sunlight. Lavender saw the little table, in which Garden Fairy Ivy and Water Fairy Coral were already sitting. “Good morning sleepy bunny.” Coral said to Lavender “Good morning, look, Cooking Fairies made breakfast.” Ivy said. “Well… cooking fairies and a light fairy.” Lune said while looking at the croissant Lavender had in front her. Lavender messed up Lune's hair in signal of being grateful for the gesture, and just like that the morning went as usual for a free day. 

The afternoon arrived and a very preoccupied Animal Fairy Terra crossed the Garden Side, “No no no.. come back… UGH! Where are you Rimi?” Terra kept screaming “RIMI! RIMI!” Ivy was outside and tried to look for whoever was Rimi as well, she also started to shout besides Terra “RIMI! RIMI!... Terra… Who is Rimi, why are we calling them?” Terra turned around and started crying, Ivy got more confused. “Well whoever Rimi is, made you cry.” Terra looked up “Rimi is a bunny, one of the multiple bunnies I have at the Animal Side.” A few seconds and tears later, Lavender appeared with a bunny behind her “YES! NOW JUMP LIKE THAT! GOOD BOY” Lavender was playing with the little bunny. “RIMI!” Terra cried while running towards it.” Lavender smiled at Terra “What a cute Columbia Basin Pygmy, he liked playing with me.” Terra looked at Lavender and said, “How do you know what bunny this is?” Terra said. “Can’t a pretty fairy like bunnies as well…” Lavender said while pouting “Well! Imagine I say sunflowers are hydrotropic because they follow the sunlight.” Terra said “Do you mean phototropic?” Lavender said while giggling “Well yes! You see, I don’t know that because it is not my business.” “Can we see the bunnies?” Ivy said.

Terra, Ivy and Lavender were now at the Animal Side, animal fairies were dealing with hundreds of bunnies “This is like bunny land.” Ivy said while petting one of the bunnies in front of her. “That’s Fuzzy, she likes cuddles.” Terra got near Fuzzy to hug it. “We have no idea where these bunnies came from and why they are here, we are desperate, there’s not enough room for all of them.” Terra started crying again. Moth, another animal fairy, came flying, “Terra come here, I think this might be the place they came from.” Lavender, Terra and Ivy went there, a path of broken leaves and tree branches was in front of them. “I am too scared to go in there.” The Fairyless Woods were in front them, a part in between the Garden Side and Light Side, no fairy crossed that. “I am scared as well, I don’t think someone would enter here.” Terra agreed with Moth “I will enter.” Ivy said. “What? NO!” Moth said, “I love snakes and scorpions and whatever thing that’s dangerous but I cross the line at the Fairyless Woods.” “But I want to know if the answer is there.” Ivy continued. “I will go with you then.” Lavender said “Are you both sure?” Terra said. “Yes.” Ivy affirmed, and like that, both of them went inside. 

Hours passed and rather than being scared, it was very boring “So this is the super scary woods fairies are scared about. The only scary thing here is how bored I feel.” Ivy said. Something moved behind a little bush, it was another bunny “Let’s follow that path.” Lavender said, they flew fast, and finally found something. In front of them were a lot of broken tree branches and leaves, and just behind it, more bunnies were standing. Ivy and Lavender were surprised to see so many bunnies together, there were more than they had seen before. “Moth was right… they were coming from this place.” Lavender grabbed one of the broken tree branches and saw it closely, Ivy got closer. “This belonged to a Tulip Tree, a very big Tulip Tree, how is that even possible?” Ivy was very good at making trees grow, also at identifying them. “This tree branch is huge, how did this even happen?” The bunnies were standing near the broken tree, meaning they lived there, either near or on the tree “How can a bunny live on a tree?” Lavender wondered “Mercuryland has weird things, perhaps these bunnies are also like this? I also have no clue how a big tree can just break like this.” Ivy looked down, wondering what to do “Well, I will not stand here and leave the bunnies with nothing, let’s work.” And with those words Ivy got up and started to fly up, so did Lavender, they just went with the flow, what their Garden Fairy intuition told them to do. They started to make the tree grow again, Lavender could make anything grow even at the most hopeless place, meanwhile Ivy could make big trees easily, these two things together made the job easier. The tree started to grow beautifully, and in a few minutes, both of them made a huge tree. “Well! it was possible. This is pretty.” Ivy looked at the tree they made. The bunnies went in, all of them climbed back to the tree like home was there again. Ivy and Lavender went back to the Animal Side, and helped the bunnies that were there to go back home. 

The day after, Lavender wondered what this was about, and hoping to find answers she went to the library to see if something was there. After a few hours, Lavender was back at the Garden Side, at Ivy’s house “Ivy, look, we were meant to find that place, that’s why nothing happened to us at the Fairyless Woods.” Lavender showed Ivy the script, every hundred years The Bunny Tree falls, basically disappears only leaving enough clues for two garden fairies to make it grow again, this time, it was Lavender and Ivy, the ones that had to make it grow again, and in a hundred years, this will happen one more time. 

For now, all the Bunnies are safe, they have a home, and The Bunny Tree is just as perfect as it was before. 

[haruatori]

Common list of misconceptions

Had great fun learning about these, maybe now I will remember it better:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions

Fortune cookies, despite being associated with Chinese cuisine in the United States, were invented in Japan and introduced to the US by the Japanese.[11] The cookies are extremely rare in China, where they are seen as symbols of American cuisine.[12]

The United States does not require police officers to identify themselves as police in the case of a sting or other undercover work, and police officers may lie when engaged in such work.[25] Claiming entrapment as a defense instead focuses on whether the defendant was induced by undue pressure (such as threats) or deception from law enforcement to commit crimes they would not have otherwise committed.[26]

Parody singer "Weird Al" Yankovic did not write or perform most of the songs and comedy sketches attributed to him or "Weird Al Yankovich" on the Internet.[48]

The forbidden fruit mentioned in the Book of Genesis is never identified as an apple,[51] a misconception widely depicted in Western art.The original Hebrew texts mention only tree and fruit. Early Latin translations use the word mali, which can mean either "evil" or "apple" depending on if the A is short or long respectively, although the difference in vowel length had already vanished from speech in Latin at the time. In early Germanic languages the word "apple" and its cognates usually simply meant "fruit". German and French artists commonly depict the fruit as an apple from the 12th century onwards, and John Milton's Areopagitica from 1644 explicitly mentions the fruit as an apple.[52] Jewish scholars have suggested that the fruit could have been a grape, a fig, an apricot, or an etrog.[53]

The Bible does not say that exactly three magi came to visit the baby Jesus, nor that they were kings, or rode on camels, or that their names were Casper, Melchior, and Balthazar, nor what color their skin was. Three magi are inferred because three gifts are described, but we only know that they were plural (at least 2); there could have been many more and probably an entourage accompanied them on their journey. The artistic depictions of the nativity have almost always depicted three magi since the 3rd century.[57] The Bible only specifies an upper limit of 2 years for the interval between the birth and the visit (Matthew 2:16), and artistic depictions and the closeness of the traditional dates of December 25 and January 6 encourage the popular assumption that the visit took place in the same season as the birth, but later traditions varied, with the visit taken as occurring up to two years later. The association of magi with kings comes from efforts to tie the visit to prophecies in the Book of Isaiah.[58]

No Biblical or historical evidence supports Mary Magdalene having been a prostitute.[59]

The idea that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute before she met Jesus is not found in the Bible or in any of the other earliest Christian writings. The misconception likely arose due to a conflation between Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany (who anoints Jesus's feet in John 11:1–12), and the unnamed "sinful woman" who anoints Jesus's feet in Luke 7:36–50.[59]

The Quran does not promise martyrs 72 virgins in heaven. It does mention companions, houri, to all people—martyr or not—in heaven, but no number is specified. The source for the 72 virgins is a hadith in Sunan al-Tirmidhi by Imam Tirmidhi.[74][75] Hadiths are sayings and acts of the prophet Muhammad as reported by others, and as such they are not part of the Quran itself. Muslims are not meant to necessarily believe all hadiths, and that applies particularly to those hadiths that are weakly sourced, such as this one.[76] Furthermore, the correct translation of this particular hadith is a matter of debate.[74] In the same collection of Sunni hadiths, however, the following is judged strong (hasan sahih): "There are six things with Allah for the martyr. He is forgiven with the first flow of blood (he suffers), he is shown his place in Paradise, he is protected from punishment in the grave, secured from the greatest terror, the crown of dignity is placed upon his head—and its gems are better than the world and what is in it—he is married to seventy two wives among wide-eyed houris (Al-Huril-'Ayn) of Paradise, and he may intercede for seventy of his close relatives."[77]

Ancient Greek and Roman sculptures were originally painted bright colors; they only appear white today because the original pigments have deteriorated. Some well-preserved statues still bear traces of their original coloration.[127][128]

The accused at the Salem witch trials in North America were not burned at the stake; about 15 died in prison, 19 were hanged and one was pressed to death.[172]

Marie Antoinette did not say "let them eat cake" when she heard that the French peasantry were starving due to a shortage of bread. The phrase was first published in Rousseau's Confessions when Marie was only nine years old and most scholars believe that Rousseau coined it himself, or that it was said by Maria Theresa, the wife of Louis XIV. Even Rousseau (or Maria Theresa) did not use the exact words but actually Qu'ils mangent de la brioche, meaning "Let them eat brioche" (a rich type of bread). Marie Antoinette was a target of attacks from radical jacobins; therefore, political activists attributed the phrase "let them eat cake" to her, to promulgate an image of her as disconnected from her subjects.[173]

Napoleon Bonaparte was not short. He was actually slightly taller than the average Frenchman of his time.[180] After his death in 1821, the French emperor's height was recorded as 5 feet 2 inches in French feet, which in English measurements is 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m).[181] He was actually nicknamed le Petit Caporal (The Little Corporal) as a term of endearment.[182] Napoleon was often accompanied by his imperial guard, who were selected for their height[183]—this may have contributed to a perception that he was comparatively short.

There was no widespread outbreak of panic across the United States in response to Orson Welles's 1938 radio adaptation of H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds. Only a very small share of the radio audience was even listening to it, and isolated reports of scattered incidents and increased call volume to emergency services were played up the next day by newspapers, eager to discredit radio as a competitor for advertising. Both Welles and CBS, which had initially reacted apologetically, later came to realize that the myth benefited them and actively embraced it in later years.[200]

Rosa Parks was not sitting in the front ("white") section of the bus during the event that made her famous and incited the Montgomery bus boycott. Rather, she was sitting in the front of the back ("colored") section of the bus, where African Americans were expected to sit, but refused to give up her seat to a white man who asked for it (which was also the expected action of African Americans at the time).

Although popularly known as the "red telephone", the Moscow–Washington hotline was never a telephone line, nor were red phones used. The first implementation of the hotline used teletype equipment, which was replaced by facsimile (fax) machines in 1988. Since 2008, the hotline has been a secure computer link over which the two countries exchange emails.[220] Moreover, the hotline links the Kremlin to the Pentagon, not the White House.[221]

Bulls are not enraged by the color red, used in capes by professional matadors. Cattle are dichromats, so red does not stand out as a bright color. It is not the color of the cape, but the perceived threat by the matador that incites it to charge.[238]

Dogs do not sweat by salivating[239] Dogs actually do have sweat glands and not only on their tongues; they sweat mainly through their footpads. However, dogs do primarily regulate their body temperature through panting.[240] (See also: Dog anatomy).

Bats are not blind. While about 70 percent of bat species, mainly in the microbat family, use echolocation to navigate, all bat species have eyes and are capable of sight. In addition, almost all bats in the megabat or fruit bat family cannot echolocate and have excellent night vision.[244]

The notion that goldfish have a memory span of just a few seconds is false.[250][251] It is much longer, counted in months.

There is no such thing as an "alpha" in a wolf pack. An early study that coined the term "alpha wolf" had only observed unrelated adult wolves living in captivity. In the wild, wolf packs operate more like human families: there is no defined sense of rank, parents are in charge until the young grow up and start their own families, younger wolves do not overthrow an "alpha" to become the new leader, and social dominance fights are situational.[254][255]

Mice do not have a special appetite for cheese, and will eat it only for lack of better options. Mice actually favor sweet, sugary foods. It is unclear where the myth came from.[260]

Sunflowers do not always point to the sun. Flowering sunflowers face a fixed direction (often east) all day long, but not necessarily the sun.[287] However, in an earlier developmental stage, before the appearance of flower heads, the immature buds do track the sun (a phenomenon called phototropism) and the fixed alignment of the mature flowers toward a certain direction is often the result.[288]

Petroleum does not originate from dinosaurs but rather bacteria and algae.[308]

No human genome (nor any mammalian genome for that matter) has ever been completely sequenced. As of 2017, by some estimates, between 4% to 9% of the human genome had not been sequenced.[311]

Trickle-down theory of economics does not work.[325]

Waking sleepwalkers does not harm them. While it is true that a person may be confused or disoriented for a short time after awakening, this does not cause them further harm. In contrast, sleepwalkers may injure themselves if they trip over objects or lose their balance while sleepwalking.[332]

Stretching before or after exercise does not reduce muscle soreness.[338]

Exercise-induced muscle soreness is not caused by lactic acid buildup.[339] Muscular lactic acid levels during and after exercise do not correlate with soreness;[340] exercise-induced muscle soreness is thought to be due to microtrauma from an unaccustomed or strenuous exercise, against which the body adapts with repeated bouts of the same exercise.[341]

Shaving does not cause terminal hair to grow back thicker (more dense) or darker. This belief is due to hair that has never been cut having a tapered end, whereas, after cutting, the edge is blunt and therefore thicker than the tapered ends; the sharper, unworn edges make the cut hair appear thicker and feel coarser. That short hairs are less flexible than longer hairs also contributes to this effect.[355]

A person's hair and fingernails do not continue to grow after death. Rather, the skin dries and shrinks away from the bases of hairs and nails, giving the appearance of growth.[356]

Acne is mostly caused by genetics, rather than lack of hygiene, eating fatty food, or other personal habits.[360]

The order in which different types of alcoholic beverages are consumed ("Grape or grain but never the twain" and "Beer before liquor never sicker; liquor before beer in the clear") does not affect intoxication or create adverse side effects.[381]

Hand size does not predict human penis size,[385] but finger length ratio may.[386]

There is no physiological basis for the belief that having sex in the days leading up to a sporting event or contest is detrimental to performance.[390] In fact it has been suggested that sex prior to sports activity can elevate male testosterone level, which could potentially enhance performance.[391]

Glass does not flow at room temperature as a high-viscosity liquid.[442] Although glass shares some molecular properties found in liquids, glass at room temperature is an amorphous solid that only begins to flow above the glass transition temperature,[443] though the exact nature of the glass transition is not considered settled among scientists.[444] Panes of stained glass windows are often thicker at the bottom than at the top, and this has been cited as an example of the slow flow of glass over centuries. However, this unevenness is due to the window manufacturing processes used at the time.[443][444] No such distortion is observed in other glass objects, such as sculptures or optical instruments, that are of similar or even greater age.[443][444][445]

Most diamonds are not formed from highly compressed coal. More than 99 percent of diamonds ever mined have formed in the conditions of extreme heat and pressure about 140 kilometers (87 mi) below the earth's surface. Coal is formed from prehistoric plants buried much closer to the surface, and is unlikely to migrate below 3.2 kilometers (2.0 mi) through common geological processes. Most diamonds that have been dated are older than the first land plants, and are therefore older than coal. It is possible that diamonds can form from coal in subduction zones and in meteoroid impacts, but diamonds formed in this way are rare and the carbon source is more likely carbonate rocks and organic carbon in sediments, rather than coal.[446]

Although the Greek philosopher Pythagoras is most famous today for his alleged mathematical discoveries,[452][453] classical historians dispute whether he himself ever actually made any significant contributions to the field.[450][451] He cannot have been the first to discover his famous theorem, because it was known and used by the Babylonians and Indians centuries before Pythagoras,[454][455][456][457] but it is possible that he may have been the first one to introduce it to the Greeks.[458][456]

There is no scientific evidence for the existence of "photographic" memory in adults (the ability to remember images with so high a precision as to mimic a camera),[478] but some young children have eidetic memory.[479] Many people have claimed to have a photographic memory, but those people have been shown to have good memories as a result of mnemonic devices rather than a natural capacity for detailed memory encoding.[480] There are rare cases of individuals with exceptional memory, but none of them has a memory that mimics that of a camera.

[sciencenewsforstudents]

As the sun moves across the sky, sunflowers continually orient themselves to soak up the most light (SN: 8/4/16). Now a type of human-made material can do that, too.

This is the first artificial material capable of phototropism, researchers report November 4 in Nature Nanotechnology. Stemlike cylinders of the material, dubbed SunBOTs, can maneuver to capture about 90 percent of available sunlight, even when the sun comes in at an oblique angle, materials scientist Ximin He of UCLA and her colleagues found. The technology could someday be used to optimize solar panels, desalinate water or move robots, the researchers say.

Other scientists have made artificial substances that can bend toward light, but those materials stop arbitrarily. SunBOTs can self-regulate, moving into the optimal position needed to absorb the sun’s rays, then making small adjustments to stay there as the sun shifts.

That ability comes from a SunBOTs’ configuration: a stemlike polymer about 1 millimeter in diameter embedded with a nanomaterial that responds to light. The nanomaterial absorbs light and converts it into heat; the polymer shrinks in response to increased temperatures.

When He and colleagues trained a beam of light on one of these artificial stems, the illuminated side heated up and contracted. That caused its top to bend toward the light. The newly shaded underside of the stem then cooled, stopping the SunBOT’s movement in a position best oriented to soak up the light. The process repeated as the angle of the light beam changed.

SunBOTs are designed to bend to meet different angles of a beam of light (arrows indicate the direction of incoming light), and can shift position as the light moves. That ability lets the devices capture more solar energy than stationary devices.

CREDIT: XIAOSHI QIAN, YUSEN ZHAO, YOUSIF ALSAID AND XIMIN HE

To build their initial SunBOTs, the researchers used gold nanoparticles and a hydrogel. But tests with other materials — such as carbon black nanoparticles and liquid crystalline polymers — revealed that the components could be mixed and matched.

“If we have this big repertoire of materials working with the same principle … scientists can use it in different environments for different applications,” says Seung-Wuk Lee, a bioengineer at the University of California, Berkeley who was not involved in the study. For instance, hydrogel SunBOTs work in water, He’s team found.

SunBOTs can be lined up in rows to cover an entire surface, creating a “mini sunflower forest,” she says. Coating surfaces with this material could solve one of the biggest problems in solar energy: As the angle of direct sunlight changes as the sun moves overhead, conventional materials can’t keep up.

Materials that stay in one position — like solar cells on a solar panel — capture about 24 percent of available energy from the sun. Simply by moving to face the sun, He says, an array of SunBOTs can harvest about 90 percent of energy from sunlight.

By creating a material that can follow sunlight, the researchers were able to keep near-maximum solar absorption as the sun moved overhead, Lee says. “That is a major thing that they achieved.”

[oxfordcombat]

The Titus Trepidation

Read this or I’ll paper your towels :-)

 Crunch. I had been walking peacefully, but fortunately for my chagrin levels, I wasn’t alone. I paused, the walking stopped.  Trick of the forest, a play on my already overactive imagination. Continuing on, my mood once again lightened. I was fine. Crunch. I am fine. Crunch. I am fine, everything is A-Okay. Crunch. Every other step was met with the crunch of some nearby leaves. A sound that wasn’t mine. A sound fast approaching.

“Haha, very funny peter, you got me. Let’s all prank the new guy,” I swallowed nervously, peter always owned up to his dumb jokes, he liked the satisfaction of a good prank. Why wasn’t he speaking. I kept walking. Wouldn’t he have come forward by now? The dead person in the forest was always found after turning around, right? That’s what the forest wanted. That’s what the it always wanted. “Rie? That you? I knew it was too good to be true, getting out of station clean up to do the evening patrol. Jokes up guys. I’m thoroughly scared.” The crunching was faster, approaching me, I couldn’t bear to not see whatever it was anymore. I whipped around.

           “Show yourself! This isn’t funny anymore, I’d rather you just get this over with.  I’d literally rather have a deer eat me! Wait—no I wouldn’t. On second thought, um, please, don’t do that,” my voice got smaller with every word I mushed out. I was dead, so dead. Why did I ever leave Arizona?

“Get the internship they said, it will look good on your transcripts they said. If you really want a gap year work somewhere that will get you into a good college, maybe even help your degree. Well look where that got me! This is dumb. I’ve had to be outside, in the forest, alone! And now I’m going to die, in the forest, alone!”

That was my voice, slightly raspy, but still my voice. As if this me hadn’t spoken in a while. Since its last meal probably. No, stop, I was only scaring myself. Those were my thoughts. But the problem was that wasn’t my voice. This was bad, so bad, so very, very bad. I furiously start back pedaling. I didn’t want to turn my back again, lest the thing be staring behind me. At least this way I could watch the long part of the trail. I was almost back. Hopefully whatever it was didn’t know how to open doors.

“Um please, don’t eat me. I really want to not be eaten, that’s actually on my, um, top three things to do,” I attempted a chuckle with my dumb joke. Hell, I was probably more likely to be eaten like this. Wait did it even eat, what if it just dragged my body off the trail never to be seen again? What if I was just held motionless in a cave in the forest, for my entire life? Jesus, I’d never even see my fish again. My radio crackled at my side. MY RADIO! I’d completely forgotten, I could get help, reinforcements, another human, anything.

“SCHSHCSCS base tower two to all rangers, base tower two to all rangers. Missing persons report north quadrant approximately, last seen wearing blue shorts and a navy blue jacket. Blonde hair, green glasses, report in when possible. Repeat all patrolling rangers be on lookout for small boy wearing blue shorts and jacket, responds to name Titus. Contact immediately if found SCHSHCSCS,” the radio crackles again, it’s Riley. She isn’t part of the prank, if this even was one. I try desperately to make the microphone come on, but the buttons wouldn’t respond.

“Please! Please! Someone, anyone help me! I’m in grave danger, something is out here with me. I need help!” Nothing, no light, no response. My radio bore no sign of picking anything up. I wasn’t getting help. I was going to die. Out here. Alone. In the stupid woods. All I wanted was a gap year. I should be getting my bachelors in botany, I should be studying evolutionary sub functionalization, but instead, I was here, alone, in the forest, about to die. I don’t like this. Crunch. I do not like this. Crunch. I want to die. Crunch. Crunch. No, I don’t I was kidding. Crunch. Maybe it could only read my thoughts that one time, and did not just hear my request of death.  The movement of leaves was all around me, impossibly close, impossibly fast. I couldn’t take this. Was the trail really this long before? I turned around.

I no longer saw the north-east tower. My refuge was no longer a few miles away. I had been corralled. Jesus, I was sheep, I was lamb to the slaughter. Oh god. This was the end; this was the end wasn’t it. Jesus Christ. I don’t know how long ago I had stepped off the path, I had no idea. Actually, it was after the voice. Right? I had literally broken the one rule my grandmother had given me. Respect the forest and its inhabitants, living or not, and don’t set foot off the path without the blessing of a forest elder. Okay two rules. I was still in a very not good place. But it was okay, I still had my compass, I still had my skills, the crunches had lessoned, and I would be okay.

“Ti-tus, Ti-tus, Titus. Hey that’s my name,” It spoke again this time not in my voice, but in the speech of a sleepy little boy. This was creepy, it couldn’t be part of my imagination now, this was too vivid. “Have you seen my boy, my poor boy all alone in the forest, my, my he’s simply too young. Please ma’am you must find him, he’s all I got in the world. Please,” It wasn’t a little boy any more, this time the thing drawled in a southern accent. I wasn’t sure what was worse hearing my voice, or hearing someone else’s; were they its last meals? Is that what it ate?

“Pl-ease come here, honey. Are-n’t you tired of running? Aren’t your widdle legs just begging for a little r and r? Come on down here darling, I promise you won’t regret it sugar,” the thing had lost its rasp by now, if I hadn’t heard it’s practice I might have even believed it had a rasp, a flaw. I mean it sounded just so nice; a cozy fire, probably set with accented cotton plants, nestled in a ranch. I could listen to this voice, let it carry me off to sleep. Let myself get comfortable. I wanted to sit down. I wanted to lay down. I was going to sleep now, while the nice feeling stayed. I hadn’t been this comfortable in years.

No-no, I was not going to fall for that. Not after I had come this far. Something was wrong with my compass. It sat lazily spinning, turning circles under its glass dome. I hadn’t been in the forest enough to know it by heart, but I wasn’t dying. I refused, my papa had taught me self-defense and no dumb old forest spirit would eat me without a fight.

I stopped. A torn navy jacket laid on the ground. I couldn’t believe this, the north quadrant was huge, what were the odds, the kid was here. If I made it out alive no one would have to know how scared I was, instead I would come back a hero. Peter would eat his shirt. I picked up the jacket, there were several rips on the back of the jacket.

I might be taking back a corpse.

“Mrs. Madeline, is that you? Are you painting again, dear? I told you to be careful out here, we are to be together throughout our expedition my dear. I wouldn’t want to lose you love. Madeline, Madeline? My dear? Where ever are you my love? Madeline?” I couldn’t believe this, how long had this beast been around. I’d only been here for a week and even I had heard of the Wreinrich Forrest legend. Hell, everyone at the base knew that story.

Madeline Haverick, the famous sculptor, had come for a visit with her husband to relieve her artistic burnout. She had gone missing less than two days into her trip, and her husband? Well he came in half lucid, no shoes, rambling of some, thing. He spoke of eyes, so, so many eyes. Of eyes watching, waiting for him in the dark, in the end, we couldn’t save him. The rangers on duty called the medics but he was pronounced dead when they got there. No one knew how, there was no cause. No evidence, nothing.

Only problem? That legend was over seventy-five years old. How would the thing have known? Was this the end of Madeline Haverick? Was this the end of me? The thing talked quietly. Not pronounced enough for me to hear. More voices, pitches, tones. Never the same speech twice. Was that how it got its victims? I mean I almost fell for the cozy of the voice, once. Could this be my end? Was Titus even out there? Or was he already bait for my sympathy. I gripped the jacket tighter, my lifeline in this godless forest.

That’s when I noticed what was happening, or more precisely, what wasn’t. The crunching I’d grown so accustomed to, the voices, the muttering. It was gone. Silent. I was alone. But I wasn’t. I was still being watched. I felt the eyes boring into the back of my neck. I would catch it this time, it couldn’t run without alerting me. I took a few steps, thinking about anything but my plan. Tomatoes, phytochromes, plant cells, cellular membrane, phototropism, internode, axillary bud. I spun around. There wasn’t a beast in site. Instead, there were stairs?

Stairs. How. Were. There. Stairs? I couldn’t believe this, I had just walked over that space, and now there were stairs. How? I didn’t even know what was happening. Was this a thing, a common occurrence?  I couldn’t help but step forward towards the stairs. They were just so enticing. I went to investigate.

“SCHSHCSCS Reports coming in from East Quadrant supposed sightings of Titus, as reported by local campers. Search and rescue now relocated, dogs positioned. Stay tuned, continue search as planned. SCHSHCSCS”

How? How could he be in another quadrant already? I’m deep in the North, how would his jacket be here? Or his glasses? What was happening? I hadn’t heard the voice, or voices in a while, was that good? Could that mean I was in the clear? Or did it mean that it was going for my colleagues next? I tried my radio buttons, still no response. This was bad, so very, very bad. I couldn’t tell what was worse: possibly being in the clear but my friends facing the consequences, or this being the calm before the storm for me. Was this how it did it? Was I finished, was I being lulled into a subtler calm. Oh god, was that what it wanted me to think, did it want me anxious? No, no I was going in circles again. I wouldn’t die this way. No, I wouldn’t die.

“SCHSHCSCS The dogs have found the boy’s scent; retrieval rangers are hot on the missing child’s trail. Will report back soon. SCHSHCSCS”

They had him? But how? There was no explanation for this. I wasn’t going to wait around, I was climbing the stairs. I was about ten feet away; it had been enticing before but in a train wreck sort of way. I couldn’t describe it, but while I couldn’t look away, I didn’t want to advance.

I was getting to the end of this day, stairs, voices, or not. Each step felt harder, my feet feeling as heavy as rocks every step I took. When I got almost within grasping distance I was no longer walking, I was trudging, not able to lift my feet. I needed answers and if the top of these stairs gave that to me I didn’t care how hard it was to get there. Static filled my ears. I couldn’t hear anything, but I could. All of my senses seemed to inhabit a queer limbo. My hearing and sight functioned perfectly yet not at all. I couldn’t explain it if I tried truthfully, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to.

Hesitating my foot hovered above the first step. All of the turbulence, all of the interference bouncing around in my brain was gone. It was just me and the. If I could ever think that again. Something hovered near me, maybe the stairs themselves somehow. I couldn’t tell you. But I had come this far. I set my foot down on the first stair.

The forest was silent. Another step. There were six steps. Nothing big, not even a floor. I could see over the top the entire “journey.”  Step. I wasn’t sure I could do this. Step. No. Step. I could do this. I would do this. Step.

I had done it. I stood at the top.

I saw the forest, six steps taller. And it felt, wrong. I had just done something, something terrible, and I didn’t fully comprehend it yet. But I could tell, I would rue the day I set foot on these stairs. I crouched, picking up the glasses. They felt empty, there were scratches on the lenses. A drop of blood maybe. Perplexed, I tucked the arms behind the frame, there wasn’t any blood before. I could see them clearly and there weren’t any scratches or blood until I picked them up. What did this mean? I rubbed my hands together, suddenly cold. There was blood on my hands. I was getting back to base. This was insane. I needed to tell someone. Tell anyone. Talk to someone that wasn’t myself or a mysterious entity. I wanted to talk to a human being.

I wiped my hands on my pants. The blood didn’t disappear. I couldn’t handle this, I was going home. Back to Arizona. Back to no forests. I was done.  

“SCHSHCSCS we have lost scent of the boy. HQ does not understand what happened may be result of a 76-33, come in immediately, we don’t know what’s hunting this time. Boy is continued missing, presumed dead. Repeat, all rangers return to base. No one on grounds unless returning, issue total lockdown. Remember, do not trust your radio or senses. Repeat: all rangers return imminently. SCHSHCSCS”

I couldn’t believe this. Don’t trust your radio, what lousy advice to give by radio, I thought as I clipped it back into my belt. I was so done with today. I needed to get back to base, to both remain alive in this hellscape and submit my two weeks’ notice.  I didn’t care what was happening, I was going back to base. I hopped off the stairs, gingerly placing the bloody glasses in my pocket. I picked up my speed, you don’t run in horror movies, that’s just asking to trip and be caught, I was going to speed walk my way to safety. Crunch. O H       M Y     G O D. Crunch. This was not happening. This was NOT happening again.  Nothing could happen if I ignored it. Crunch. That one was right behind me. Nope. I kept walking. Nope, nope, nope. Breathing, hot on my neck. I said no, I’m opting out. Can’t eat me if I opt out mysterious forest entity.

Something drawled its finger, if I could call it that, down my spine. Nope, nope, I hate this. I detest this.  The static was building again. Something brushed my ankle. God forbid, I escape the god damn stairs free of harm. Shouldn’t that thing be full of Titus by now? You would think an entire little boy lunch would satiate it. Oh Jesus, I can’t believe I said that. I hope that kid is okay.

“SCHSHCSCS HQ to ranger caprice, head to west quadrant picnic pavilion. Urgent ranger Caprice please head west, there is something you need to see. SCHSHCSCS”

What could I even need to see there? And why me? They had just recalled everyone back, what would they need me for. I began to head left, shivering in the now cool air of the forest. I stopped.

The previous message said not to trust the radio. But how could I trust that one? What if I did have to go to the pavilion and the first message was simply another creature. Could they do that? Could they get on to a the base radio? No, I might as well return to base. It was closer and with the longer trek, the cold might kill me. I could only imagine, surviving that thing and those god damn stairs only to succumb to exposure. No, I’d continue heading north and at least there I could fight it off. I couldn’t trust any more communications, nothing that wasn’t face to face. I was turning my radio off, not like it had helped me at all anyway.

It wasn’t there. The radio was no longer clipped to my belt. Why was nothing going right today? Turning I searched frantically, for anything. How long had it been gone? I remembered holding it when it said to return to HQ, that would mean the second message was the trick. But that wasn’t my only problem.

The thing was still following me. How else could I have heard it so clearly? It was near. But I was close to base, so close it had gotten desperate. This was good, right? There must be safety at base, which was why it wanted me gone.  It also had left behind this previous tactic of trying to scare and had gone straight to trying to lead me away. Was it getting braver? I couldn’t tell, I needed to get back. I stopped looking. But as it turns out, I hadn’t needed to.

My radio lay to my right, about fifteen feet, in the middle of a fairy circle. The mushrooms were innocuous enough, but there was no way my radio had ended up there on its own. I was so done. I had fallen for the glasses, but not again, I was heading to base, and not stopping until I was inside.

The walk was uneventful. But I’m pretty sure that was worse than fighting the monster. I could see the base now, nothing stood in my way. I wanted to walk faster, but I couldn’t risk alerting the thing to my safety I guess. This thing had almost tricked me once, but it wasn’t getting me again. I was in the clearing now, no trees, I could see all around the main tower.

Bump bump. Bump bump. I could hear my heart beat with every step. This summer job was going to give me heart palpitations. Jesus.  I didn’t look back until stepping through the door. I noticed salt sprinkled behind me on the path, what that what they were resorting to, salt rings? They couldn’t be serious. I turned to shut the door behind me, watching as a tall black mass slinked farther back into the shadows.

I had beaten it, oh my god, I was safe, there were human people here. I turned my back to the door, making sure to lock it. Riley sat wrapped in a blanket on one of the rec couches, sipping her usual black coffee.

“I can’t believe we lost him, we had the scent and his clothes! How could we lose him Peter? Oh my god,  he was only a little boy, he couldn’t have gone far.” Riley was obviously distraught, Peter sitting at her side, hand around her shoulders.

“I’m telling you, this happens, sometimes there is nothing we can do, the odds are stacked against us anyway. You have to let these things go sometimes Rie, there was nothing you could do.” I could tell Peter was holding it together for Riley, he took these things hard, but she always took them worse.

“He isn’t a thing to let go Peter, he was a child! A child we were responsible for finding,” Riley spoke softly into her cup. “I was leading the pack, it was me that lead you in the wrong direction, say what you want, but I lost him,” Peter had nothing to say to that, there was nothing he could say. Instead he sat silently. I figured now was as good a time as any to enter the conversation.

When I entered the rec room, Riley didn’t look up, Peter glanced at me, looked down, then back up again, quickly.

“Janet! Thank god, you’re back, we were worried sick. It’s been more than an hour since we made the recall, we assumed you went to a different base.  Once we lost the scent of Titus like that, we immediately recalled everyone, couldn’t take the chance of it being a greeni-  a bear. We didn’t want another ranger lost to… a bear attack,” he glanced down again as he said those last words, and from the way he cut himself off and my experiences today, I knew it was no bear the other rangers were worried about.

“Whatever I saw wasn’t a bear, you two need to start talking, now.”

“Oh, uh no there’s nothing to be afraid of in the forest, nothing we can’t handle at least. Probably just some feral animal fed too much by hikers.”

“No, you aren’t avoiding this anymore, I want answers. Bears can’t mimic voices, bears don’t live for hundreds of years, and bears sure as hell can’t say my thoughts out loud as I think them. Explain,” I threw the glasses down on the coffee table in front of them as I spoke, my hands were no longer bloody, maybe they never were, but the glasses were no illusion. Once they registered what I had showed them, there were no words to describe their shock. Peter’s hands flew to his mouth, Riley dropped her mug, coffee seeped onto the floor.

“Where did you get those? Those are the same ones Titus was supposed to be wearing, how could you possibly have those?” After Peter, Riley quickly spoke.

“Weren’t you in the northern quadrant for nightly patrol? You couldn’t have been anywhere near us. Tell us exactly, where did you get those glasses?” Riley’s voice was urgent, and I answered straight away.

“I found them on the god damn staircases, and don’t tell me you haven’t heard of them because so help me god if I don’t get some answers, I will break that salt ring and you’ll see first-hand what I was talking about,” there was no way I’d actually do that, but they didn’t know that. Riley opened her mouth first.

“Please tell me you didn’t climb the stairs, were the glasses on the stairs? What prompted you to do it? Please tell me, this is important,” both of their faces were void of color, but I had come here for answers, and that was what I was getting.

“Yes, I climbed the stairs, that’s how I got the glasses, they sat on the top step. And I don’t know, I just needed to I guess.”

“What time did you climb those stairs exactly?” Truth be told I wasn’t sure, I had kind of forgotten about my watch at that point in my nightmare adventure.

“I don’t know, 5:30-ish, sometime before dusk I think? It was still light outside, why is that important?” If possible their faces paled more than before.

“That was when Peter and I lost the scent. We should have told you about this. Oh god, we should’ve talked to you about this, I’m so sorry, I just liked you. And Peter and I were excited to finally have a new ranger on our base, it gets so boring here, but we were worried you’d leave once you found out about the weird stuff, but oh god, we should have told you.”

“Please, tell us everything, everything that happened on your patrol.”

What was I supposed to do? I told him.

When I was finished we sat in silence for a bit, I wasn’t sure what to say, I didn’t want to mention that I heard something outside. I’m pretty sure the salt ring did its trick, as it stopped after a while.

Riley cleaned up her coffee, wiping it off the floor in quick, sure strokes. When she went to place the cup in the sink, Peter and I went with her to the kitchen. None of us wanted to be alone I guess. I dozed off around 8pm, fearing for my life had taken a lot out of me. All three of still sat together on the one ratty couch in the rec room. No one left, I think Peter fell asleep too. Riley stayed, but she didn’t sleep; I don’t know whether it was to keep watch or to calm her nerves, but I’m glad she did it. My sleep was dreamless, and for once, I was glad.

It was about midnight when I came to; when I did Don was sitting on the love seat near my right side, sipping coffee, black, like Riley. As soon as my eyes flicked open he lowered his drink, sitting his mug on the table. Clearing his throat, he spoke,

“I know you want answers, I understand that, It’s valid. But you have to understand the forest already does what it can; those things were here before us and will be here long after. They’re as natural as deer here at Wreinrich.” I opened my mouth to say something, to protest that that wasn’t natural but Don raised a hand to silence me. “We don’t exactly have names for them, and we don’t know much, but we’re learning every day, and that’s what matters. I take that back; we have a sort of nickname, they got it a few years back. Greenies, something about forests and green, I guess; after not having any name at all, greenies just stuck. The most important thing to remember, they aren’t evil, just dangerous. Greenies are about as evil as a hungry bear, only difference being they like smarter prey.” Don didn’t have any fear as he said this. He spoke as if this should have been common sense.

But when something gets inside your head. There isn’t common sense, none at all.

“Part of our mission at Wreinrich is to protect, we protect the forest from people, and the people from the forest, that means all of the forest. The creatures are just that, creatures; they don’t conspire they just live and breathe like the rest of us, plain and simple. The stairs on the other hand. Well we don’t know, even the greenies avoid those, like stepping in a fairy ring, that is. We don’t know how those work, we haven’t been able to study them like we have others, it’s too dangerous. Once they have you in their grasp, that’s usually it, the hold is too compelling. Bad things happen when you climb the stairs. We find dead rangers, there are broken in stations, sometimes we find half a ranger—wouldn’t be the first time—, when the stairs are climbed we lose scents. They don’t have rhyme, they don’t have reason, but when you see stairs, run. It’s the best course of action.”

This was insane, sentient stairs. But I was relieved. Both in that I wasn’t the only one in the dark, and that we had some information about them, these greenies.

“Now I understand if you want you leave now. We won’t hold any grudges; in fact, I’ll send you off with a letter of recommendation. This line of work isn’t for everyone and I acknowledge this. But just know we could use you on our team. Our bases are small, and it’s hard to find the right member to expand when you’re this close knit. But you fit, and we all like you. I think I speak for everyone when I say we’d love to have you on the team. ¨

I didn´t want to, but I knew my answer, and I think Don did too. I still wanted to stay. Before this afternoon I had never know any of this existed, and now there was more? The scientist in me almost couldn´t resist. Sure, I had been scared to death at least eight times, but I was alone then, now I would have a team. And as much as I claimed I didn´t, I still loved the forest. I wanted to learn all I could about these creatures, if I left now I might never know anything else. Hell, Arizona didn’t have anywhere to get this information. The curiosity bug had bitten me, and it wasn´t letting go anytime soon. I had made up my mind.

¨I´ll stay, on two conditions. I don´t want to be in the dark about anything else, you need to not withhold any other information, it´s too dangerous for that. And second, I want a partner. I love the forest and I´m excited to learn about the creatures in it, but I don´t want to be alone again. If you can do that, I´d love to stay. ¨ With that the older man smiled, the twinkle in his eyes slowly returning. Downing the last bit of coffee he clapped a hand on my shoulder.

¨Glad to here it Caprice! I think we can arrange those just fine. I´m glad to have you on the team. ¨

I was told that we would get everything situated the next morning, leaving the rest of this day to observe and recoup. This was insane, I couldn´t believe I had agreed to this. But at the same time? I couldn´t imagine doing anything else.

 FIN

?

[respectablepotato]

Hey everybody, it's been a while since I posted selfies but my lovely friend @natakesgamingcorner tagged me to post 2017 selfies/resolutions like the angel he is!! My resolutions are to love myself (love yourself ✌) more and to build myself up instead of waiting for others to do it for me, I also want to start learning Arabic and Korean in 2018 so I can meet more amazing people, and my last resolution is to spread kindness because the world needs it more than anything right now. I hope you all have wonderful holiday seasons and that the new year brings you nothing but happiness!! ❤ If anyone is still reading this (lol) I tag @sall-good @phototropisms @theworldisourcanvas @just-a-crazy-nerd and anyone else who is feeling brave and ready to take on 2018!

[jovialsoulinfluencer]

Exclusive! Houzz 2019 Kitchen Trends

We hope you like the products we recommend. Just so you are aware, Freshome may collect a share of sales from the links on this page.

The 2019 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study provides insight regarding the most popular kitchen trends in home improvement. The report is unique because it captures the opinions of homeowners, whereas most surveys focus on trends from the perspectives of interior designers, architects, etc.

Also, all respondents were required to meet one of three requirements: either they completed a kitchen remodel or addition in the past 12 months, they were currently working on one or they plan to start one within the next three months.

Below are some interesting tidbits from the report, along with commentary from a Houzz representative.

Would you move out during a kitchen renovation? Image: sturti/Getty Images

Homeowners are staying put during the renovation

The majority of homeowners are choosing to remain in their homes during a kitchen renovation. So, why are they staying put? “It’s less stressful,” explains Houzz Editor and Writer Mitchell Parker. He tells Freshome that two-thirds of homeowners opt to stay put during kitchen renovations.

“They’re three times less likely to experience extreme stress than those who move out,” Parker says. If you’re wondering how these homeowners can prepare meals during a reno, Parker explains that the majority of them set up alternative cooking stations and dining areas. “However, one in five don’t make any changes to their routines,” he says.

This kitchen provides spectacular views thanks to its open concept design. Image: Hoxton/Martin Barraud/Getty Images

Open concept thrives

Open concept kitchens continue to be popular among homeowners. According to the report, 53% of homeowners who want to make the kitchen more open are doing so to open the space up to nearby rooms. On the other hand, 22% want to make the kitchen more open to the outdoors.

Kitchen styles are rapidly changing. Image: Hero Images/Getty Images

Farmhouse kitchens are (still) gaining steam

You already know that farmhouse sinks are trendy but, according to Parker, homeowners also like the farmhouse kitchen style in general. “Transitional is still the most popular style (21%), but farmhouse (14%) has been picking up steam. Now, it’s almost neck-and-neck with contemporary for second place.” Transitional actually dropped 5% from last year and contemporary dropped 1%, while farmhouse rose 2%.

Kitchen metals can match perfectly or you can mix them up. Image: Contrastaddict/Getty Images

Mixed metals abound

Homeowners are also more comfortable mixing metals. “Only 46% of homeowners are matching metal finishes in the kitchen,” Parker says.

Whether matching or mixing, nickel is the runaway favorite at 44%, followed by chrome at 13%. “Most homeowners are mixing metal finishes in hardware and fixtures with matte nickel, oil-rubbed bronze and matte black,” Parker explains.

Countertops and backsplashes are popular materials to replace. Image: Hero Images/Getty Images

What homeowners are replacing

The main reason homeowners renovate is to replace the countertops, backsplash and sink(s). By the numbers, 93% are upgrading their countertops, 87% are upgrading or adding a backsplash and 85% are upgrading a sink. “Renovating homeowners are obsessed with decluttering their countertops,” Parker says. “There may be a correlation in countertops being the most popular feature to upgrade because they are more noticeable without the clutter.”

Everyone wants a new refrigerator (or two). Image: sisoje/Getty Images

The most popular appliances to replace

The vast majority of homeowners (9 out of 10) replace all or some of their appliances during kitchen renovations. Refrigerators and dishwashers are the most common upgrades. Other popular appliances to upgrade include the microwave, range, range hood, garbage disposal and cooktop. Regular stainless steel remains popular, but black stainless is now the choice of 1 in 10 homeowners.

White is still the most popular countertop color. Image: phototropic/Getty Images

Quartz countertops are trending

Among the 93% who upgrade countertops when deciding what to replace, Parker says this is the first year that Houzz has seen engineered quartz surpass all of the natural stone materials combined in terms of popularity (48 versus 43%, respectively). Meanwhile, granite continues a multi-year decline (40%, 34% and 30% in 2017, 2018 and 2019 studies, respectively).

“Homeowners are favoring engineered quartz because it is a hardworking material that also offers crisp, continuous colors,” Parker says. Engineered quartz is also available in a variety of options. “You can get quartz that has the intricate veining of marble but that doesn’t involve the heavy maintenance of marble,” he explains.

Shades of gray in the cabinets, backsplash, ceiling and floors. Image: sisoje/Getty Images

Neutral cabinet colors remain popular

In addition to white countertops, homeowners also like white cabinets, but they’re leaning toward gray, too. “While white cabinets maintain their prevalence (43%), one in ten homeowners choose gray,” Parker says. “The people who select gray cabinets are more likely to also select brushed or satin nickel door hardware.”

Realtors advise homeowners to use neutral colors when selling their home and perhaps homeowners are listening as they’re choosing color schemes during the remodeling process.

A kitchen featuring pantry cabinets and a built-in area for pets to eat. Image: hikesterson/Getty Images

Built-in upgrades

Among major built-in upgrades, pantry cabinets and islands take the lead (40% and 38%, respectively). Homeowners are seeking custom or semi-custom cabinets with adjustable shelves. They want to keep their canned and dried goods, spices, etc. handy, yet out of sight.

Built-in pet feeding stations are also trending. Other types of popular built-in specialty storage include storage for cookie sheets/trays, deep drawers, spice drawers and cutlery drawers.

Engineered wood can be used on the floors and cabinets. Image: Hero Images/Getty Images

Engineered flooring wows

In addition to engineered quartz countertops, homeowners are seeking engineered materials elsewhere in the kitchen. Engineered flooring — such as engineered wood, vinyl and laminate — has become nearly twice as popular (40%) as natural hardwood (24%). The use of hardwood floors in kitchens and bathrooms remains a hotly-debated topic among designers, but it seems that homeowners have already decided.

Use your hand, wrist or forearm to start or stop the water flow. Image: Hero Images/Getty Images

The tech transformation

The use of high-tech devices in kitchens is growing — almost as fast as trends in bathroom technology. And true to 2019 faucet trends, more than half of upgraded kitchen faucets in the Houzz report are high-tech (57%), boasting water efficiency, no-fingerprint coating or touch-free activation. “Some of the other popular high-tech features include wireless controls (16%) in upgraded appliances and home assistants (31%) in upgraded electronics,” Parker says.

Baby boomers are designing to remain in their homes for years to come. Image: sisoje/Getty Images

Baby boomers plan accordingly

“When deciding to remodel, aging in place is top of mind among over a third of baby boomers, according to Houzz research,” Parker says. “Those addressing aging during renovations are more likely to make their kitchens larger and more open and equip them with in-cabinet lighting, cooktops, wall ovens, touch-free faucets and stone flooring,” he says.

All-Clad Cordless Rechargeable Immersion Blender. Image courtesy of All-Clad.

Another way Baby boomers are making their lives easier is by choosing cordless appliances. Overloaded outlets can lead to fires, but cordless appliances reduce the need for extra outlets, and eliminate the hazards caused by corded devices. For example, the All-Clad Cordless Immersion Blender has a long-lasting lithium battery which powers teh blender for 9 minutes. There’s also a fully rechargeable base. Whether mixing cake batter, blending smoothies, and everything in between, the blender, with 5 adjustable speeds, is convenient and easy to use.

The post Exclusive! Houzz 2019 Kitchen Trends appeared first on Freshome.com.

from https://freshome.com/houzz-2019-kitchen-trends/ via Exclusive! Houzz 2019 Kitchen Trends

[cessanderson]

Exclusive! Houzz 2019 Kitchen Trends http://bit.ly/2KcLuni

We hope you like the products we recommend. Just so you are aware, Freshome may collect a share of sales from the links on this page.

The 2019 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study provides insight regarding the most popular kitchen trends in home improvement. The report is unique because it captures the opinions of homeowners, whereas most surveys focus on trends from the perspectives of interior designers, architects, etc.

Also, all respondents were required to meet one of three requirements: either they completed a kitchen remodel or addition in the past 12 months, they were currently working on one or they plan to start one within the next three months.

Below are some interesting tidbits from the report, along with commentary from a Houzz representative.

Would you move out during a kitchen renovation? Image: sturti/Getty Images

Homeowners are staying put during the renovation

The majority of homeowners are choosing to remain in their homes during a kitchen renovation. So, why are they staying put? “It’s less stressful,” explains Houzz Editor and Writer Mitchell Parker. He tells Freshome that two-thirds of homeowners opt to stay put during kitchen renovations.

“They’re three times less likely to experience extreme stress than those who move out,” Parker says. If you’re wondering how these homeowners can prepare meals during a reno, Parker explains that the majority of them set up alternative cooking stations and dining areas. “However, one in five don’t make any changes to their routines,” he says.

This kitchen provides spectacular views thanks to its open concept design. Image: Hoxton/Martin Barraud/Getty Images

Open concept thrives

Open concept kitchens continue to be popular among homeowners. According to the report, 53% of homeowners who want to make the kitchen more open are doing so to open the space up to nearby rooms. On the other hand, 22% want to make the kitchen more open to the outdoors.

Kitchen styles are rapidly changing. Image: Hero Images/Getty Images

Farmhouse kitchens are (still) gaining steam

You already know that farmhouse sinks are trendy but, according to Parker, homeowners also like the farmhouse kitchen style in general. “Transitional is still the most popular style (21%), but farmhouse (14%) has been picking up steam. Now, it’s almost neck-and-neck with contemporary for second place.” Transitional actually dropped 5% from last year and contemporary dropped 1%, while farmhouse rose 2%.

Kitchen metals can match perfectly or you can mix them up. Image: Contrastaddict/Getty Images

Mixed metals abound

Homeowners are also more comfortable mixing metals. “Only 46% of homeowners are matching metal finishes in the kitchen,” Parker says.

Whether matching or mixing, nickel is the runaway favorite at 44%, followed by chrome at 13%. “Most homeowners are mixing metal finishes in hardware and fixtures with matte nickel, oil-rubbed bronze and matte black,” Parker explains.

Countertops and backsplashes are popular materials to replace. Image: Hero Images/Getty Images

What homeowners are replacing

The main reason homeowners renovate is to replace the countertops, backsplash and sink(s). By the numbers, 93% are upgrading their countertops, 87% are upgrading or adding a backsplash and 85% are upgrading a sink. “Renovating homeowners are obsessed with decluttering their countertops,” Parker says. “There may be a correlation in countertops being the most popular feature to upgrade because they are more noticeable without the clutter.”

Everyone wants a new refrigerator (or two). Image: sisoje/Getty Images

The most popular appliances to replace

The vast majority of homeowners (9 out of 10) replace all or some of their appliances during kitchen renovations. Refrigerators and dishwashers are the most common upgrades. Other popular appliances to upgrade include the microwave, range, range hood, garbage disposal and cooktop. Regular stainless steel remains popular, but black stainless is now the choice of 1 in 10 homeowners.

White is still the most popular countertop color. Image: phototropic/Getty Images

Quartz countertops are trending

Among the 93% who upgrade countertops when deciding what to replace, Parker says this is the first year that Houzz has seen engineered quartz surpass all of the natural stone materials combined in terms of popularity (48 versus 43%, respectively). Meanwhile, granite continues a multi-year decline (40%, 34% and 30% in 2017, 2018 and 2019 studies, respectively).

“Homeowners are favoring engineered quartz because it is a hardworking material that also offers crisp, continuous colors,” Parker says. Engineered quartz is also available in a variety of options. “You can get quartz that has the intricate veining of marble but that doesn’t involve the heavy maintenance of marble,” he explains.

Shades of gray in the cabinets, backsplash, ceiling and floors. Image: sisoje/Getty Images

Neutral cabinet colors remain popular

In addition to white countertops, homeowners also like white cabinets, but they’re leaning toward gray, too. “While white cabinets maintain their prevalence (43%), one in ten homeowners choose gray,” Parker says. “The people who select gray cabinets are more likely to also select brushed or satin nickel door hardware.”

Realtors advise homeowners to use neutral colors when selling their home and perhaps homeowners are listening as they’re choosing color schemes during the remodeling process.

A kitchen featuring pantry cabinets and a built-in area for pets to eat. Image: hikesterson/Getty Images

Built-in upgrades

Among major built-in upgrades, pantry cabinets and islands take the lead (40% and 38%, respectively). Homeowners are seeking custom or semi-custom cabinets with adjustable shelves. They want to keep their canned and dried goods, spices, etc. handy, yet out of sight.

Built-in pet feeding stations are also trending. Other types of popular built-in specialty storage include storage for cookie sheets/trays, deep drawers, spice drawers and cutlery drawers.

Engineered wood can be used on the floors and cabinets. Image: Hero Images/Getty Images

Engineered flooring wows

In addition to engineered quartz countertops, homeowners are seeking engineered materials elsewhere in the kitchen. Engineered flooring — such as engineered wood, vinyl and laminate — has become nearly twice as popular (40%) as natural hardwood (24%). The use of hardwood floors in kitchens and bathrooms remains a hotly-debated topic among designers, but it seems that homeowners have already decided.

Use your hand, wrist or forearm to start or stop the water flow. Image: Hero Images/Getty Images

The tech transformation

The use of high-tech devices in kitchens is growing — almost as fast as trends in bathroom technology. And true to 2019 faucet trends, more than half of upgraded kitchen faucets in the Houzz report are high-tech (57%), boasting water efficiency, no-fingerprint coating or touch-free activation. “Some of the other popular high-tech features include wireless controls (16%) in upgraded appliances and home assistants (31%) in upgraded electronics,” Parker says.

Baby boomers are designing to remain in their homes for years to come. Image: sisoje/Getty Images

Baby boomers plan accordingly

“When deciding to remodel, aging in place is top of mind among over a third of baby boomers, according to Houzz research,” Parker says. “Those addressing aging during renovations are more likely to make their kitchens larger and more open and equip them with in-cabinet lighting, cooktops, wall ovens, touch-free faucets and stone flooring,” he says.

All-Clad Cordless Rechargeable Immersion Blender. Image courtesy of All-Clad.

Another way Baby boomers are making their lives easier is by choosing cordless appliances. Overloaded outlets can lead to fires, but cordless appliances reduce the need for extra outlets, and eliminate the hazards caused by corded devices. For example, the All-Clad Cordless Immersion Blender has a long-lasting lithium battery which powers teh blender for 9 minutes. There’s also a fully rechargeable base. Whether mixing cake batter, blending smoothies, and everything in between, the blender, with 5 adjustable speeds, is convenient and easy to use.

The post Exclusive! Houzz 2019 Kitchen Trends appeared first on Freshome.com.

Terri Williams

[jeremystrele]

When Selling Your Home, Are Neutral Colors like Builder Beige Too Boring?

Although black is the most stylish color of every year, it’s conventional wisdom to use neutral colors like builder beige, gray and taupe when putting your home on the market. However, some people (myself included) actually like these colors apart from resale factors. We believe that these neutral color palettes have gotten a bad rap. Is builder beige really boring? And is gray really too gloomy? What do realtors really think about these color choices when putting your home on the market?

Below are examples of these color palettes that might change your mind regarding neutral colors – along with advice from a handful of experts.

Today’s beige isn’t boring

A neutral background allows the crisp white hues to stand out. Image: Svet_Feo/Shutterstock

Perhaps the issue with builder beige is related to the color choices of the past. “Today’s more taupe-based beiges have a wonderful quality of warmth but don’t have a yellowish cast,” according to Carol Marcotte, lead designer at Form & Function in Raleigh, NC. “For example, WhiteTail by Sherwin Williams provides a warm backdrop for just about anything, and it’s definitely not boring,” she says.

These light colors don’t compete with the view. Image: Erik Isakson/Getty Images

She also likes Benjamin Moore’s Maritime White, especially in the foyer.  “It is beige-esque, but has a lovely reflective quality and allows the artwork and other elements to standout.”

As another alternative to the usual builder beige, Marcotte says she also likes Creamy by Sherwin Williams. It is a more flesh-based white. “Again, it has the warmth of a beige but with a decidedly different cast, and in strong light, it pairs down the flesh or potential peachiness.”

When your home is on the market

This sophisticated color scheme is sure to appeal to buyers. Image: Esin tellioglu/Shutterstock

So, is the builder beige adage still true when selling your home? “Beige is certainly a good color choice for the majority of a home’s rooms when it’s on the market – although I personally prefer white,” says Sandra Miller, principal broker and licensed partner at Engel & Völkers in Santa Monica, CA.

“Regardless of the neutral shade you choose, I have also found that having subtle walls of color can be effective in driving a faster sale,” she says. But Miller says it’s important to know which color palettes are in style at any given moment.  “Right now, these trendy colors include any shade of gray, and mossy light green or blue,” Miller explains. “Subtle color can help potential home buyers connect to a home on an emotional level, resulting in a faster sale.”

Beige or gray can serve a purpose

This elegant room is warm and inviting. Image: phototropic/Getty Images

According to John Manning, manager broker at  RE/MAX On Market in Seattle, WA, whether you love or hate builder beige and similar colors, they’re used for a reason. “These colors create a neutral backdrop that allows prospective buyers to envision their own furniture, design and color scheme,” Manning says.

The neutral colors add to the formality of this dining room. Image: dit26978/Getty Image

“Color preferences are highly individualistic — one buyer may feel strongly about monochromatic grey, while another plans on using every jewel tone of the rainbow.” Manning says he wouldn’t advise a homeowner to paint their home beige to get an advantage – and if you do, learn how to paint over bold colors using fewer coats. “However, if you have the choice, keep the beige and dress up the home’s best features with bright and interesting staging,” he advises.

Another elegant color palette. Image: dit26978/Getty Images

This sentiment is echoed by Rick Gehrke, a real estate agent with RE/MAX Executives in Boise, ID.  “I think that for the most part builder beige is the way to go because it appeals to a broader range of buyers.”

However, he’s noticing that trends can vary. “Baby boomers are still very much attracted to muted colors and beige really is the safe way to go.” However, Gehrke says millennials tend to like statement walls with bright colors. Location can also make a difference. “In a suburban area, I recommend beige, but if you are in an upcoming and urban environment, a pop of color can be a selling point.”

Adding color accents can help your home sell

Dark wood elements complement these light paint colors. Image: David Henderson85/Shutterstock

Some realtors are noticing a trend away from builder beige and other neutral colors throughout the home. “Last spring, I had a listing in which every room was a different color: the living-room was crimson, the kitchen was black and white, and the four bed-rooms were all different colors — gold, green, brown and yellow,” explains Angela Williams, a Birmingham, AL, based realtor at Extreme Agent Realty. She says she wanted to suggest that the homeowner paint over these colors, but refrained from making that suggestion. Williams was surprised that this home ended up being the hottest listing that she has marketed in a long time.

Some buyers prefer more vivid colors. Image: Alexey Kashin/Shutterstock

“We set at least ten appointments a week — and I thought we would have to replace the door hinges,” she jokes. The eventual buyer loved the color scheme and said she had no plans to change it.  “We  learn something new every day,” Williams says. “Trends are so much more fluid and diverse these days, and I believe that it is OK to let your personality shine through because there’s probably a buyer out there who shares the same taste.”

Matt Van Winkle, founder and CEO of RE/MAX Northwest, shares her theory. He flatly declares that building beige is boring. “Consumers don’t want things that are boring,” he says. “Now that doesn’t mean to go too bold, but some well curated, professionally selected colors will go a long way to make the home more appealing.”

What are your thoughts on builder beige and other neutral colors? Let us know in the comments!

The post When Selling Your Home, Are Neutral Colors like Builder Beige Too Boring? appeared first on Freshome.com.

[owensrhodes]

When Selling Your Home, Are Neutral Colors like Builder Beige Too Boring?

Although black is the most stylish color of every year, it’s conventional wisdom to use neutral colors like builder beige, gray and taupe when putting your home on the market. However, some people (myself included) actually like these colors apart from resale factors. We believe that these neutral color palettes have gotten a bad rap. Is builder beige really boring? And is gray really too gloomy? What do realtors really think about these color choices when putting your home on the market?

Below are examples of these color palettes that might change your mind regarding neutral colors – along with advice from a handful of experts.

Today’s beige isn’t boring

A neutral background allows the crisp white hues to stand out. Image: Svet_Feo/Shutterstock

Perhaps the issue with builder beige is related to the color choices of the past. “Today’s more taupe-based beiges have a wonderful quality of warmth but don’t have a yellowish cast,” according to Carol Marcotte, lead designer at Form & Function in Raleigh, NC. “For example, WhiteTail by Sherwin Williams provides a warm backdrop for just about anything, and it’s definitely not boring,” she says.

These light colors don’t compete with the view. Image: Erik Isakson/Getty Images

She also likes Benjamin Moore’s Maritime White, especially in the foyer.  “It is beige-esque, but has a lovely reflective quality and allows the artwork and other elements to standout.”

As another alternative to the usual builder beige, Marcotte says she also likes Creamy by Sherwin Williams. It is a more flesh-based white. “Again, it has the warmth of a beige but with a decidedly different cast, and in strong light, it pairs down the flesh or potential peachiness.”

When your home is on the market

This sophisticated color scheme is sure to appeal to buyers. Image: Esin tellioglu/Shutterstock

So, is the builder beige adage still true when selling your home? “Beige is certainly a good color choice for the majority of a home’s rooms when it’s on the market – although I personally prefer white,” says Sandra Miller, principal broker and licensed partner at Engel & Völkers in Santa Monica, CA.

“Regardless of the neutral shade you choose, I have also found that having subtle walls of color can be effective in driving a faster sale,” she says. But Miller says it’s important to know which color palettes are in style at any given moment.  “Right now, these trendy colors include any shade of gray, and mossy light green or blue,” Miller explains. “Subtle color can help potential home buyers connect to a home on an emotional level, resulting in a faster sale.”

Beige or gray can serve a purpose

This elegant room is warm and inviting. Image: phototropic/Getty Images

According to John Manning, manager broker at  RE/MAX On Market in Seattle, WA, whether you love or hate builder beige and similar colors, they’re used for a reason. “These colors create a neutral backdrop that allows prospective buyers to envision their own furniture, design and color scheme,” Manning says.

The neutral colors add to the formality of this dining room. Image: dit26978/Getty Image

“Color preferences are highly individualistic — one buyer may feel strongly about monochromatic grey, while another plans on using every jewel tone of the rainbow.” Manning says he wouldn’t advise a homeowner to paint their home beige to get an advantage – and if you do, learn how to paint over bold colors using fewer coats. “However, if you have the choice, keep the beige and dress up the home’s best features with bright and interesting staging,” he advises.

Another elegant color palette. Image: dit26978/Getty Images

This sentiment is echoed by Rick Gehrke, a real estate agent with RE/MAX Executives in Boise, ID.  “I think that for the most part builder beige is the way to go because it appeals to a broader range of buyers.”

However, he’s noticing that trends can vary. “Baby boomers are still very much attracted to muted colors and beige really is the safe way to go.” However, Gehrke says millennials tend to like statement walls with bright colors. Location can also make a difference. “In a suburban area, I recommend beige, but if you are in an upcoming and urban environment, a pop of color can be a selling point.”

Adding color accents can help your home sell

Dark wood elements complement these light paint colors. Image: David Henderson85/Shutterstock

Some realtors are noticing a trend away from builder beige and other neutral colors throughout the home. “Last spring, I had a listing in which every room was a different color: the living-room was crimson, the kitchen was black and white, and the four bed-rooms were all different colors — gold, green, brown and yellow,” explains Angela Williams, a Birmingham, AL, based realtor at Extreme Agent Realty. She says she wanted to suggest that the homeowner paint over these colors, but refrained from making that suggestion. Williams was surprised that this home ended up being the hottest listing that she has marketed in a long time.

Some buyers prefer more vivid colors. Image: Alexey Kashin/Shutterstock

“We set at least ten appointments a week — and I thought we would have to replace the door hinges,” she jokes. The eventual buyer loved the color scheme and said she had no plans to change it.  “We  learn something new every day,” Williams says. “Trends are so much more fluid and diverse these days, and I believe that it is OK to let your personality shine through because there’s probably a buyer out there who shares the same taste.”

Matt Van Winkle, founder and CEO of RE/MAX Northwest, shares her theory. He flatly declares that building beige is boring. “Consumers don’t want things that are boring,” he says. “Now that doesn’t mean to go too bold, but some well curated, professionally selected colors will go a long way to make the home more appealing.”

What are your thoughts on builder beige and other neutral colors? Let us know in the comments!

The post When Selling Your Home, Are Neutral Colors like Builder Beige Too Boring? appeared first on Freshome.com.

[thesunflowerfarm]

No Fly Zone

Have you ever wondered what the Hell's going on with those water-filled, plastic Zip-Loc Baggies you see hanging around here and there? Told by some it’s an “old wives tale” and by others that “it works like a charm,” I decided to do a little research on the outlandish claim that clear plastic baggies of water do in fact repel flies.

 That’s right, you heard it here first. Baggies filled with water repel the common housefly. I’ll explain...

 Flies are a part of our every day life here on Earth. They show up everywhere. They’re on your door like tiny knotholes in the wood as you try unsuccessfully to enter before they breach the clean and sterile confines of your home. They ride on the hood of your car at speeds that would normally send Buddy Joe Hooker tumbling down the highway. Just as you look down at your lunchtime sandwich, one of the little buggers lights right on the crust (you of course peel that part off the bread and continue eating).

 Flies outnumber us about one hundred zillion to one.  To make matters worse, the dirty, winged little sex maniacs reproduce at a rate second to none in the insect kingdom. Now you know why they are always rubbing their filthy little hands together and licking their chops.

 Lisa Marie Meffert, a research assistant professor at the University of Houston has spent years studying the common housefly. One staggering statistic surfaces from her research--- A pair of flies beginning “reproductive operation” in April, if all offspring were to live, would result in 191,010,000,000,000,000,000 (that’s 191 quintillion, 10 quadrillion) flies by August. That’s in just five months! I don’t even think the national debt has ever soared to those heights, and we all know most politicians are much like flies themselves.

 Allowing one-eighth cubic inch per fly, those numbers would cover the entire earth 47 feet deep in flies. Could be worse, I guess. We could be covered up in politicians.

 Feeling a little queasy at this point? With a species so prolific, how do you combat their nuisance in such large numbers? DOW Chemicals? Raid? Organic fixes? Expensive monthly treatments of your house, yard and barn?

 Not according to those already in the “No-Fly Zone.” Battling flies and their unfettered millions is really an easy task. You simply hang a baggie half-filled with water on your porch, balcony, or from the rafters of your barn and... Voila! No more flies.

 You think I’m kidding, right? I too was laughing at this point, but no more.

 Being from Texas, I called upon the icons of agricultural intelligentsia, Texas A&M University for some backup on this amazing, inexpensive and popular urban...make that rural, legend. The Doctor of Entomology at A&M with whom I spoke seemed a bit miffed that I would even give this preposterous method of pesticide a second thought, let alone call someone of his stature for verification.

 “There is absolutely no physiological mechanism to support this claim. I have never seen a study or bit of research to support that it works,” he said.

 I replied, “My Mother had about 2,500 flies in her garage so we hung up three bags just to take part in the experiment. The next day they were all gone.”

 “There is no physiological mechanism to support this claim,” he retorted, even more exasperated with my lunacy.

 “Yeah, but they are all gone!” I repeated, wanting a more understanding and open-minded approach to my empirical evidence.

 He asked me to hold for the dial tone.

 Many schools of thought linger around the fly-free barns, homes, restaurants, workshops and backyards on just how exactly this works.

 One woman told me, “Flies know they are the ugliest creatures on earth and don’t like to see their reflections in the water.”

 “Maybe it’s ‘cause they see like 20,000 of themselves in all those freaky eyes they got,” my 18-year-old neighbor exclaimed.

 Another man up in Oklahoma said, “I think it has something to do with the chlorine in the water.”

 I moved on to the next classroom.

 Scientists from Iowa State University offered a more scientific analysis. “Flies are phototropic, which means they are attracted to light. Perhaps the refracted light off the water in the plastic baggie scares or confuses them.”

 Hummm. Maybe flies are just scared to go in the deep end.

 A friend of mine who has a great little breakfast burrito and take-out lunch stand called Sylvia’s put it more simply. “I don’t know how it works but it gets rid of the damn flies and that’s enough explanation for me.”

 I can’t guarantee that this simple, dirt-cheap procedure will work for everyone. Maybe the flies at my mom’s house just ran out of gross stuff to eat. Maybe it got too hot or too cold. Maybe they tired of my mom cursing them like a sailor at a prizefight. Regardless, the shameless, freakish, flying fornicators are gone.

 Flies generate multi-million dollar investments from both private companies and from the public realm. Of course no chemical company with years of product development and enhancement, millions of dollars in research and hundreds of jobs on the line wants to hear that “Raid” or “Off” is being swatted off the Wal-Mart shelves by three-cent baggies of water. Think of the stock prices for God’s sakes!

 The U.S. Government has spent years and millions of dollars developing an insect-like reconnaissance device they call Micro Air Vehicles, or MAV’s.

 Our country is today fighting against an enemy in “Terror” like none before. Little do the terrorists know that they are being watched and their positions recorded by tiny robotic flies; those MAV’s.

 Manmade flies with cameras, undetectable to the human eye and even to radar. Finally, a government project with a powerful punch worth the millions spent on its procurement. Now we’ve got them on the run.

 Unless of course the enemy figures out how to fill up a plastic baggie with water.

  - Robert D. Copeland

[schaefertucker4-blog]

Unleashing Your Authenticity

Unleashing Your Authenticity

Neurolinks goes previous the band-help solutions to cure the underlying cause of your child’s tutorial and social points. I am a former professional writer who has worked for academic institutions, excessive technology firms, aerospace industries and a federal agency. A number of diabetic human being can develop diabetic peripheral neuropathy, particularly who have high levels of blood sugar. Would possibly excessive stress find yourself flipping a virus "on" in neurons or might the immune system be misconstruing the modifications as causal by an antigen and thus attack. This alone may save you revenue. Some folks experience excruciating ache after relatively mild injuries akin to pulled muscles. Proprioceptive (muscle) sensations inform us of the actions and current posture of the muscles. Neurotransmitters launched by the motor nerves into the motor plate cause the muscle to contract. Peripheral neuropathy may affect the nerves controlling the automated functions of the guts and circulation system (cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy).

Miss Turner Share to: How does myelination have an effect on nerve conduction velocity? Nervous tissue Share to: The cells that type nerves are? Mind most cancers cells are closely dependent on a constant provide of cholesterol to outlive, a brand new study suggests. Yes, we have nerve cells. Making an appointment with an NHS dentist will be troublesome, there are normally very lengthy ready lists and you may need to settle for whichever dentist has the smallest waiting listing reasonably than seeing the dentist you desire. There are literally specific indicators that are a transparent indication that you just are affected by burn injuries. The target: creating collective experiences for lasting impressions and enriching brands with a selected factor, which has not been found yet. kebas like 'Maclaren' push strollers, 'Peg Perego' child strollers, 'Bob Jogging Strollers' and others are obtainable at Baby Stroller Stuff on-line index chart. One 12 months I received on a back road state highway up in Louisiana so's I might keep off the interstate an' see stuff.

His neck whips again, ahead, and afterward back again as he hits the bottom (“whiplash”). Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder wherein many comfortable, fleshy growths of nerve tissue (Neurofibromatosis) develop under the skin and in different components of the body. An indispensable work for anyone learning the nerves or treating patients with nerve accidents, these books will develop into the ‘go to’ useful resource in the sphere. This has good touching on the vitality conversion which can take place in your metabolism. View Comments Comment Disclaimer: Comments that include profane or derogatory language, video links or exceed 200 words will require approval by a moderator earlier than showing within the comment section. The reason is for that’s because you're dealing partly with the unconscious thoughts and counterproductive emotions. The a part of the nerve cell containing the nucleus? These impulses are because of events within the cell membrane…, so to know the nerve impulse we have to revise some properties of cell membranes. A nerve cell with a myelin sheath.

It might often differentiate injury to the nerve fiber (axon) from harm to the myelin sheath surrounding the nerve, which is useful in diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Whether or not you name us to place an order or to ask a query, you can anticipate a fast, courteous response. Nonetheless this can be 1 system which you would have to be fully satisfied about. But I do have ups an' downs with that too. Ordered an' received my mail. Reproduction permitted only when all energetic hyperlinks are included. Root doesn't bear buds whereas buds are present on stem. Neurology , Neurosis. neuron Share to: What does the basis stem neuro imply? Share to: Answered In Honda What's the first method 1 car suppiled by Honda? Aneurysms are sometimes present in typical places alongside the mind arteries. Because the brain continues to develop, previous neural pathways are replaced with new efficient pathways. The new frontier in multimodal brain analysis. Roots are negatively phototropic but stems are positively phototropic. They don't differ; they are synonymous phrases.. Tom (Patrick Dempsey) was thrown for a loop when Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) told him she obtained engaged after a work trip to Scotland. The previous president was filmed getting in some adorable dance moves along with his grandmother and even capturing some hoops in the course of the ceremony.

Either at the identical degree they enter the chain ganglia, or after traveling up or down the chain, these preganglionic neurons synapse with the cell our bodies of postganglionic sympathetic fibers. It's been a quiet winter, but we did occur to e book and play a show during the very same week final month in Winona, MN. 2. Exercise your nervous system each day. This system allows us to distinguish different style sensations, such as if …something is bitter or sweet. This put up is to announce that “Random Nerves” now has a emblem - a weblog logo - or (let me type it once more) a blavatar (Wow! that felt nice). The labor of the gunners on both sides now became incessant, then on the march. It is performed in an operating theatre beneath light sedation by a ache specialist. Portugal, savage and solitary he armed himself with a deck-chair and the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, sufficient of it remained to ship an electric tingle along his nerves, into the sunshine o the lantern. Finest Women’S Sweaters individuals Israel earlier than the Lord. This is a posh subject and Chapter 22 may make it easier to understand not less than the right way to ask the best questions.

[sciencenewsforstudents]

This is one in a series presenting news on technology and innovation, made possible with generous support from the Lemelson Foundation.

The stems of sunflowers move throughout the day so that their flowery heads always squarely face the sun, wherever it is in the sky. This phototropism (Foh-toh-TROAP-ism) helps the plants soak up maximum amounts of sunlight. Scientists had trouble copying this ability with synthetic materials. Until now.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have just developed a material with the same type of sun-tracking ability. They describe it as the first synthetic phototropic material.

When shaped into rods, their so-called SunBOTs can move and bend like mini sunflower stems. This allows them to capture about 90 percent of the sun’s available light energy. That’s more than triple the energy collection of today’s best solar systems.

People have often been inspired by the world around them. Scientists, too, may look to plants and animals for clues to new discoveries. Ximin He is a materials scientist. She and her team found the idea for their new material in sunflowers.

Other scientists have made substances that can bend toward light. But those materials stop at a random spot. They don’t move into the best position to catch the sun’s rays and then stay there until it’s time to move again. The new SunBOTs do. The whole process happens almost at once.

In tests, the scientists pointed light at the rods from different angles and from a range of directions. They also used different light sources, such as a laser pointer and a machine that simulates sunlight. No matter what they did, the SunBOTs followed the light. They bent toward the light, then stopped when the light stopped moving — all on their own.

On November 4, they described how these SunBOTs work in Nature Nanotechnology.

How SunBOTs are made

SunBOTs are made from two main parts. One is a type of nanomaterial. It’s made from billionth-of-a-meter size pieces of a material that responds to light by heating up. The researchers embedded these nanobits into something known as a polymer. Polymers are materials made from long, bound chains of smaller chemicals. The polymer that He’s team chose shrinks as it heats up. Together, the polymer and nanobits form a rod. You might think of it as being something like a cylinder of solid glitter glue.

When He’s team beamed light on one of these rods, the side facing the light heated and contracted. This bent the rod toward the beam of light. Once the top of the rod pointed directly at the light, its underside cooled and the bending stopped.

He’s team made their first version of the SunBOT using tiny pieces of gold and a hydrogel — a gel that likes water. But they found that they also could make SunBOTs from many other things. For instance, they substituted tiny pieces of a black material for the gold. And instead of the gel, they used one type of plastic that melts when it gets hot.

This means scientists can now mix and match the two main parts, depending on what they want to use them for. For example, ones made with a hydrogel might work in water. SunBOTs made with the black nanomaterial are less costly than ones made with gold.

This suggests that “scientists can use [SunBOTs] in different environments for different applications,” says Seung-Wuk Lee. He’s a bioengineer at the University of California, Berkeley, who did not work on the SunBOTs.

Little SunBOTs for a sunnier future

UCLA’s He envisions that SunBOTs could be lined up in rows to cover an entire surface, such as a solar panel or window. Such a furry coating would be “like a mini sunflower forest,” she says.

Indeed, coating surfaces with SunBOTs might solve one of the biggest problems in solar energy. While the sun moves across the sky, stationary things — such as a wall or rooftop — don’t. That’s why even today’s best solar panels capture only about 24 percent of the sun’s light. Some solar panels could be pivoted by day to follow the sun. But moving them requires a lot of energy. SunBOTs, in contrast, can move to face the light all on their own — and they don’t need added energy to do it.

By tracking the sun, SunBOTs are able to absorb almost all of the sun’s available light, says Lee, at Berkeley. “That is a major thing that they achieved.”

Ximin He thinks that unmoving solar panels might one day be upgraded by coating their surfaces with a SunBOT forest. By putting the little hairs on top of the panels, “We don’t have to move the solar panel,” she says. “These little hairs will do that job.”

[asegbolu]

FIRST TERM EXAMINATION 2017/2018. Basic Six

ISLAND BUILDERS BAPTIST SCHOOL (NURSERY & PRIMARY) 1A, MOBOLAJI BANK-ANTHONY STREET, LAGOS. FIRST TERM EXAMINATION 2017/2018 CLASS: PRIMARY 6 SUBJECT: MATHEMATICS NAME:…………………………………………………………………………………… Instruction: Pick out the right answer from the given alternatives Write 698,217 in words ________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Write out three prime numbers _______________________________________________ Write out all factors of 12 ______________________________________________________ Express fifty three million, twelve thousand and nine in words _________________________ What is the place value of 8 in 18492 _____________________________________________ Multiply the place value of 8 and 4 in 3482 ________________________________________ Increase 600 by 50% ___________________________________ Express 32 as a product of its prime factors in index form ____________________________ A woman bought an article for N120 and sold it for N90. Calculate the gain or loss percent_________________________________________ Write out the number of prime numbers between 41 and 49 _________________________ Divide 420 by 21 _______________________________________ Simplify 5 + 6½ + 27/10 = ________________________________ Change ¾ to decimal __________________________________ Change 32/5 to decimal _______________________________ Edet saves ¼ of his monthly salary of N4000. How much does he save? _________________ What is 5¾ of 60 = ____________________________ Convert $14 to Naira if $1 = N369. ____________________________ 3 tins of biscuits cost N2:25, what is the cost of 5 similar tins? ________________________ From N35:05; take away N30:39 What is 40% of N5:00 Section B: Show all Workings Express 37½% as a fraction in its lowest term Express 2818 in Roman numerals Calculate the area of the shaded portion What must be added to the sum of 2/5 and ¼ to give 2½ The average age of 5 boys is 12 years. If one of them is 10years old. What is the average age of the remaining boys? ISLAND BUILDERS BAPTIST SCHOOL (NURSERY & PRIMARY) 1A, MOBOLAJI BANK-ANTHONY STREET, LAGOS. FIRST TERM EXAMINATION 2017/2018 CLASS: PRIMARY 6 SUBJECT: ENGLISH LANGUAGE NAME:…………………………………………………………………………………… Comprehension Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow Many countries often make efforts to preserve as much of their forest as possible. This is because thick forest protect soil, water supply and animals. When forests are preserved, sources of water are usually protected. If water sources and table are spoilt through the destruction of forests, there will be no water at all or little quantity of water. Forests need to be preserved, because they provide us with many things needed in life. We get plenty of timber from forest. From the timber, we make tables, chairs, bed and other furniture. Not that alone, we can build wooden houses with planks from timber, wood pulp which is used for making paper is obtained from the forest. We also export timber to other countries which do not have enough. Questions What do we use wood pulp for: It is used for making ________________ (a) textbook (b) chairs (c) paper (d) cloths Forest need to be preserved means that forest need to be kept __________________ (a) burnt (b) kept (c) cleaned (d) used Do we use our timber in our country alone? (a) We export timber to other countries (b) We use our timber to make furniture (c) We do not use timber at all (d) We have burnt all the forest What happened when water tables are destroyed? (a) There will be not water at all or little quantity as water (b) There will be flood everywhere (c) All animals and plants in the forest will die (d) The hunters will start killing the animals Why do many countries make effort to preserve their forest (a) Thick forest provides wood for cooking (b) Thick forest makes our environment beautiful (c) Thick forest protects the soil, water supply and animals (d) Thick forest harbours snakes, lions, elephants and other wild animals Part B: Grammar Choose the correct one from the following spellings of the same word. (a) Troble (b) Throuble (c) Trouble (d) Throble (a) Bicycle (b) Byecyku (c) Bycicle (d) Biceycle (a) Fullfill (b) Fullfi (c) Fulfill (d) Fulfell (a) Anniversery (b) Anivasary (c) Anniversary (d) Anivarsary (a) Length (b) lenght (c) lentgt (d) lenhgt Part C: Fill the gaps with the correct option from the given alternatives Who _____ the chart on the wall yesterday (a) tear (b) tears (c) tore (d) torn The car was running at high speed when suddenly its type _____ burst (b) bursts (c) bursted (d) bursting The victim was accidentally ____ by the policeman (a) shoot (b) short (c) shot (d) shut He went to the cinema to take his mind ____ his worries (a) down (b) out of (c) to (d) off John said that the bag belonged to him because the bag was __ (a) her (b) him (c) his (d) her Part D: Write out the synonyms of the underlined words John and his friends are sacred in the campus (a) beautiful (b) holy (c) generous (d) scatter Mr. Adewale assembles all the candidates in the examination hall address (b) advice (c) gather (d) advise The Yoruba culture forbids children to raise voice at old ones prohibit (b) avoid (c) caution (d) worm The pupils escaped punishment by pretending to be reading Got (b) accepted (c) allowed (d) got away from The road to our school is very broad for people to move fast (a) wide (b) widen (c) opening (d) broaden Part E: Write out the opposite of the following words Words Antonyms Familiar Local Supporter Deep Humble Comparison of Adjectives Positive Comparative Superlative Many Dangerous Good Up Round ISLAND BUILDERS BAPTIST SCHOOL (NURSERY & PRIMARY) 1A, MOBOLAJI BANK-ANTHONY STREET, LAGOS. FIRST TERM EXAMINATION 2017/2018 CLASS: PRIMARY 6 SUBJECT: VERBAL REASONING NAME:…………………………………………………………………………………… Study the samples and pick the right answer from the given option Section A: Sample: (red, read) (set, seat) (best, ________) (a) bear (b) bat (c) beast Ans = Beast (Bright, bight) (shoot, soot) (grazed, ________) (a) dazed (b) read (c) gazed (won, now,) (show, wohs) (sleep, _________) (a) leaps (b) peels (c) pales (over, rev) (draw, war) (gnaw, ___________) (a) wan (b) wang (c) gown (steel, loot) (lend, den) (James, ___________) (a) same (b) made (c) some (boil, boot) (host, home) (mood, __________) (a) mode (b) most (c) mile Section B: Sample: Ship and harbor, Train and station (a) rail (b) passenger (c) station Car and land, boat and ___________ (a) swim (b) water (c) ship Man and house, lion and ___________ (a) roar (b) den (c) hut Sheep and bleat, cat and ____________ (a) bark (b) meow (c) roar Hour and minute, week and ___________ (a) time (b) day (c) hour Queen and king, princess and __________ (a) heir (b) prince (c) girl Section C: Circle the odd one Sample: A B C D Orange Mango Cassava Apple Hen Duck Cock Goat Table Fork Knife Plate Hyena Elephant Lion Tiger Bus Boat Car Trailer Lake River Spring Storm Section D: Rhyme KEEN: To murder (a) kiln (b) kill (c) king (d) kilt SIN: To succeed (a) fin (b) bin (c) win (d) pin BACK: Opposite of white (a) sac (b) black (c) rack (d) dark FROZEN: A set of twelve (a) cousin (b) dozen (c) dozy (d) dark BLOUSE: Singular of mice (a) louse (b) mouse (c) wise (d) dice ISLAND BUILDERS BAPTIST SCHOOL (NURSERY & PRIMARY) 1A, MOBOLAJI BANK-ANTHONY STREET, LAGOS. FIRST TERM EXAMINATION 2017/2018 CLASS: PRIMARY 6 SUBJECT: BASIC SCIENCE NAME:…………………………………………………………………………………… Part A: Objectives We sometimes need drugs to recover from ____________ (a) sadness (b) illness (c) laziness A __________ person cannot go to school, work or office (a) sick (b) good (c) bad _______ are substances that affect the action of the body. (a) drugs (b) coin (c) oil Drugs can be natural or ___________ (a) pointed (b) wet (c) synthetic Some food items are natural ______________ (a) coins (b) drugs (c) paper A person that prepares and dispenses drug is called a ________ (a) journalist (b) pharmacist (c) lawyer ___ is the sweeping or washing away of soil nutrients (a) plastering (b) erosion (c) weathering ________ is the movement of plants towards sunlight photosynthesis (b) phototropism (c) weathering ___________ is the use of drugs without doctor's advice or prescription child abuse (b) food abuse (c) drug abuse ______ is an example of drug that is commonly abused (a) malta (b) paracetamol (c) lipton Lime, honey and kolanuts are examples of ___________ (a) synthetic (b) naturally (c) expired Drugs in liquid forms are called _____ (a) syrup (b) tablets (c) capsules Drugs in solid forms are called ___________ (a) syrup (b)tablet (c) coughta Producing offspring is another name for _____ (a) reproduction (b) nutrition (c) excretion Which of the following characteristics involves getting rid of waste products _______ (a) indigestion (b) nutrition (c) excretion The ability of living things to bring forth young ones is known as ________ (a) respiration (b) excretion (c) movement Which characteristics of living things is involved in this chain "A Fox eats a rabbit" (a) growth (b) nutrition (c) reproduction ____________________ is the ability of living things to response to stimulus (a) movement (b) growth (c) irritability ___________ is the increase in body weight and size (a) growth (b) movement (c) death ____________ means making the environment unsafe for plants and animals (a) erosion (b) weathering (c) pollution Section B: 1.) What is pollution? ___________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 2.) Mention two types of pollution (a) ________________________________ (b) ________________________________ 3.) What is Drug Abuse?________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 4.) Mention two drugs that are commonly abused (a) ________________________________ (b) ________________________________ 5.) Mention two naturally occurring drugs (a) _________________________________________________________________________ (b) _________________________________________________________________________ ISLAND BUILDERS BAPTIST SCHOOL (NURSERY & PRIMARY) 1A, MOBOLAJI BANK-ANTHONY STREET, LAGOS. FIRST TERM EXAMINATION 2017/2018 CLASS: PRIMARY 6 SUBJECT: SOCIAL STUDIES NAME:…………………………………………………………………………………… ____________ is the legal union between a man and a woman to become husband and wife (a) family (b) marriage (c) divorce The smallest social unit is ______________ (a) marriage (b) school (c) family The official language in Nigeria is _________________ (a) Arab (b) Spanish (c) English Traditionally in Africa, large family members always live together and this is known as _____ family (a) group (b) gang (c) extended _______ is the head of the nuclear family (a) father (b) grandpa (c) uncle Hip-hop, Reggae and blue are all examples of western culture on our _____ Food (b) language (c) music ______ is the mode, way or method of worship (a) God (b) Islam (c) Religion Christians and Bibles, Muslims and _______ (a) Rosary (b) Hijab (c) Quran Muslims worship in mosques while traditional worshippers worship in the ______ church (b) mosque (c) shrine Some people marry people of the same ethnic group as themselves. This is called ____ ethnic marriage (a) inter (b) intra (c) ultra Mr. James has three wives. This is an example of _______ marriage. monogamous (b) polygamous (c) illegal Segun from Ogun State is married to Ada from Abia State. This is an example of ______ ethnic marriage (a) inter (b) intra (c) ultra Social studies is the study of _____ and his environment (a) space (b) god (c) man A _____ is a lowland between two hills (a) mountain (b) valley (c) clef ______ is the Senate President Mohammadu Buhari (b) Bukola Saraki (c) Akinwunmi Ambode _______ is the sum total way of life. (a) Religion (b) History (c) culture There are _______ arms of government (a) four (b) seven (c) three Nigeria became a republic in _______ (a) 1914 (b) 1960 (c) 1963 Democracy day is celebrated on the ______ of May every year in Nigeria 1st (b) 27th (c) 29th The _____ government is known as the government at the grass root (a) Federal (b) State (c) Local Part B: What is Culture? Culture is ____________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ What is religion? Religion is ___________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ What is marriage? Marriage is _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ What is Divorce? Divorce is ___________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ State the difference between intra-ethnic marriage and inter-ethnic marriage __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ ISLAND BUILDERS BAPTIST SCHOOL (NURSERY & PRIMARY) 1A, MOBOLAJI BANK-ANTHONY STREET, LAGOS. FIRST TERM EXAMINATION 2017/2018 CLASS: PRIMARY 6 SUBJECT: VOCATIONAL APTITUDE NAME:…………………………………………………………………………………… Answer the following questions ___________ is the job that someone does for a living (a) vocation (b) action (c) atom _______ is a list of dishes available at a restaurant (a) programme (b) event (c) menu The following are examples of tools used by a caterer except ___ (a) apron (b) radio (c) pots __________ refers to the conduct or manner by which someone does his job (a) professionalism (b) vague (c) arrogance The vocation of a teacher is ______ (a) teaching (b) speaking (c) singing The Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAN) is the professional body for ____ (a) accountants (b) doctors (c) lawyers A good entrepreneur must be ________ (a) careless (b) useless (c) discipline The workplace of a blacksmith is called a _____ (a) laundry (b) forge (c) chemist The regulatory body for engineers is _____ (a) CIBN (b) CBN (c) COREN _______ is an electronic device that can accept data, process it and give us useful information (a) network (b) computer (c) aquatic _____ trains athlete or sportsman (a) bouncer (b) coach (c) defender A carpenter makes ______ objects (a) old (b) metallic (c) wooden _____ is an indoor game (a) chess (b) car racing (c) football A ____ is a person who cooks and prepares food at an event (a) teacher (b) cooker (c) caterer Pincers is used by carpenter to remove unwanted _____ (a) saw (b) nails (c) blood An example of a type of house is ____ house (a) ship (b) canoe (c) duplex One of the reasons people do not own a house is _____ (a) ignorance (b) pride (c) poverty ______ is a legal member of any city of the community (a) citizen (b) alien (c) foreigner You can become a citizen of a country by all the following except by _____ (a) birth (b) marriage (c) death The absence of government in a country can cause ______ (a) peace (b) love (c) insecurity Part B Mention two qualities of an entrepreneur (a) ________________________________ (b) ________________________________ Mention two indoor games (a) ________________________________ (b) ________________________________ Write out two carpentry tools (a) ________________________________ (b) ________________________________ Mention two outdoor games or sports (a) ________________________________ (b) ________________________________ Write out the following in full ICAN ___________________________________________________________________ CIBN____________________________________________________________________ ISLAND BUILDERS BAPTIST SCHOOL (NURSERY & PRIMARY) 1A, MOBOLAJI BANK-ANTHONY STREET, LAGOS. FIRST TERM EXAMINATION 2017/2018 CLASS: PRIMARY 6 SUBJECT: FINE ART NAME:…………………………………………………………………………………… The degree of lighten or darkness in an art work is called _____ Shape (b) colour (c) value (d) form The response of vision to wave lengths of light is ____ (a) colour (b) line (c) shape (d) space The mixture of yellow and blue in equal quantity will give us colour _____ Green (b) lemon (c) orange (d) purple An artist who specialized in painting is called _____ Painter (b) sculpture (c) artisan (d) artiste The branch of art that deals with acting is called _______ art performing (b) liberal (c) visual (d) applied The drawing of non-living things is known as ______ drawing Life (b) nature (c) still life (d) aroma The drawing of cattle grazing on a valley is known as _______ drawing life (b) nature (c) still life (d) aroma Which of these colours create coolness _____ (a) blue (b) red (c) orange (d) black Which of these colours represents holiness or cleanliness (a) yellow (b) red (c) white (d) black Another name for colour is ____ (a) water colour (b) eraser (c) pencil (d) hue Part B: The power to bring into form is known as _______________________________________ Mention four fine art materials (a) ________________________________ (b) ________________________________ (c) ________________________________ (d) ________________________________ Mention two performing art (a) ________________________________ (b) ________________________________ Art is anything made or done by _______________________ or ______________________ Draw and paint the Nigerian flag ISLAND BUILDERS BAPTIST SCHOOL (NURSERY & PRIMARY) 1A, MOBOLAJI BANK-ANTHONY STREET, LAGOS. FIRST TERM EXAMINATION 2017/2018 CLASS: PRIMARY 6 SUBJECT: BIBLE KNOWLEDGE NAME:…………………………………………………………………………………… Objective: Answer all the questions Saul was traveling to ______ when he saw a great light and fell. (a) Jerusalem (b) Antioch (c) Damascus Before his conversion, Saul was involved in _______ (a) piracy (b) smuggling (c) persecution and death of Stephen Saul was trained in what trade? (a) carpentry (b) shoe-making (c) tent making Saul was brought up by a Greek teacher called _____ (a) Samuel (b) Gamaliel (c) Judah To convert means to __________ (a) change (b) move (c) cook The apostles were first called Christians in ________ (a) Jerusalem (b) Antioch (c) Samaria Saul was blind for __________ days (a) four (b) nine (c) three God saved ________________ from the lion's den (a) David (b) Daniel (c) Darius God said "Let there be __________ and there was ______ (a) light (b) moon (c) day Pharaoh and his Egyptian chariots perished in the __________________ (a) furnace of fire (b) storm of life (c) red sea ___________ was the father of faith (a) Abraham (b) Jonah (c) Isaac __________ sold his birth right (a) Moses (b) Joseph (c) Esau __________________ was sold into slavery by his brother because of his dreams (a) Jonah (b) Joseph (c) Johnson _______ led the Israelites out of Egypt through the red sea (a) Moses (b) Victor (c) Ikpehoba God created ______________ on the third day (a) sea and dry land (b) sky (c) man On the _____ day, God rested (a) second (b) fifth (c) seventh We should not be ________________ about what to eat or drink because God will provide (a) anxious (b) careful (c) serious Jesus fed __ thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fishes (a) two (b) five (c) nine _______ is the third person in Trinity (a) father (b) son (c) Holy spirit _______ is a statement that is right (a) guess (b) hypothesis (c) truth Part B: What is Temptation? _________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Write out the three temptation of our Lord Jesus Christ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Narrate in not more than ten sentences the event that led to the conversion of Saul __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Write out the Lord's prayer __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ One the first day God created the ____________________________________________ On the seventh day God ___________________________________________________ ISLAND BUILDERS BAPTIST SCHOOL (NURSERY & PRIMARY) 1A, MOBOLAJI BANK-ANTHONY STREET, LAGOS. FIRST TERM EXAMINATION 2017/2018 CLASS: PRIMARY 6 SUBJECT: AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE NAME:…………………………………………………………………………………… ____________ deals with cultivation of crops and rearing of animals Farming (b) driving (c) writing __________ is an agent of soil formation (a) soil (b) weather (c) man ________ is formed when rocks are broken into smaller pieces (a) rock (b) soil (c) organisms Animals that feed mostly on plants and grass are called ____ animals Omnivourous (b) carnivouros (c) herbivour _______ are plants that cause damage to farm animals (a) habitat (b) pest (c) host It is the duty of the agriculture _____ worker to educate and orientate farmers economics (b) budget (c) extension Farming was started by the _____ (a) foreign men (b) early men (c) bush A farmer that produces crops mainly for his family is known as _____ farmer (a) commercial (b) industrial (c) subsistence ___________ is the rearing of animals and planting of crops for man's use (a) economics (b) biology (c) agriculture The early men were wanderers that mostly lived in ____ (a) caves (b) duplex (c) kitchen Banana, apples and mangoes are all examples of _____ vegetables (a) leafy (b) root (c) fruit Cocoyam and yam are examples of _____ crops (a) cereal (b) tuber (c) spicey Goats, cow and pigs are examples of ______ animals (a) domestic (b) wild (c) foreign The flat green organ in plant is called ______ (a) leaf (b) pestal (c) flower Planks and wood are raw materials from _____ (a) timber (b) cotton (c) cocoa ________ is obtained from cassava (a) garri (b) oil (c) cloth _______ is need for soap making (a) oil palm (b) palm wine (c) palm tree In agriculture, we grow crops and rear animals for the use of ______ (a) goat (b) pig (c) man One of the importance of agriculture is the provision of _______ for farmers (a) data (b) income (c) wood Man needs shelter or houses to protect himself and his property from harsh weather condition. We can say that agriculture provides _____ for man. (a) food (b) shelter (c) road Part B Mention four people in agriculture (a) ________________________________ (b) ________________________________ (c) ________________________________ (d) ________________________________ Write out four importance of agriculture (a) _________________________________________________________________________ (b) _________________________________________________________________________ (c) _________________________________________________________________________ (d) _________________________________________________________________________ Write out the industries that use the following agricultural produce Agricultural Produce Industries Palm Oil ___________________________________________ Cotton ___________________________________________ Timber ___________________________________________ Cocoa seeds ___________________________________________ Fill the gaps with the right option Yam, maize, rice, groundnuts are ________________________________ Aloe vera, garlic, lime are __________________________________ Bullock, oxen, camel and donkey are ____________________________ Zoo, game, reserves and amusement parks are ____________________________ Food Products, Medicinal Herbs, Animal Powers, Recreational Centres What is Agriculture? _________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ ISLAND BUILDERS BAPTIST SCHOOL (NURSERY & PRIMARY) 1A, MOBOLAJI BANK-ANTHONY STREET, LAGOS. FIRST TERM EXAMINATION 2017/2018 CLASS: PRIMARY 6 SUBJECT: CIVIC EDUCATION NAME:…………………………………………………………………………………… ______ is our fatherland (a) Ghana (b) Egypt (c) Cameroun (d) Nigeria ____________ honours are awards given to exceptional members of the country at National level (a) social (b) Economic (c) National (d) Boost The National Honours awards was established in ______________ (a) 1860 (b) 1964 (c) 1971 (d) 1985 The National honours award is categorized into _____ orders of dignity (a) few (b) ment (c) two (d) lower Grand commander of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (GCFR) is ____ of the country (a) General (b) President (c) accountant (d) policeman Goods that are sent from Nigeria to another country are called ____ goods fake (b) sub standard (c) inferior (d) exported _______ is the legal union of a man and woman to become husband and wife Marriage (b) caring (c) courtship (d) re-union A ______ is a physical structure with walls, a roof, doors and window cabinet (b) lorry (c) house (d) canopy Houses made with mud are said to be ____ houses modern (b) sophisticated (c) traditional (d) Egypt Some people do not own houses because of _______ (a) love (b) care (c) poverty (d) sex The arm of government that execute the law are the _____ Judiciaries (b) executives (c) legislative (d) policemen Government at the grassroots is the _____ government executive (b) state (c) local (d) federal The capital of Bayelsa State is _____ (a) Ondo (b) Yenegoa (c) Asaba (d) Edo The National anthem has _______ stanza (a) four (b) seven (c) two (d) nine The gateway state is the slogan for _____ state (a) Edo (b) Ogun (c) Osun (d) Sokoto __ state is always referred to as Centre of Excellence (a) Imo (b) Abuja (c) Kaduna (d) Lagos Workers' day is celebrated on the _____ of May every year (a) 27th (b) 29th (c) 1st (d) 3rd A baby cat is called a _____ (a) wolf (b) kitten (c) fowl (d) toddler The pressure group that protects the rights and freedom of teachers is known as _____ NURTW (b) LASTMA (c) NUT (d) NUJ ______ is one of the problems that is created by bad political leader (a) patriotism (b) nationalism (c) integrity (d) corruption Part B: Write out the following National Honours in full OFR – GCON – GCFR – OON – Write out two imported goods (a) _________________________________________________________________________ (b) _________________________________________________________________________ Mention two types of houses (a) _________________________________________________________________________ (b) _________________________________________________________________________ 4.) Mention two reasons why people do not own houses (a) _________________________________________________________________________ (b) _________________________________________________________________________ ISLAND BUILDERS BAPTIST SCHOOL (NURSERY & PRIMARY) 1A, MOBOLAJI BANK-ANTHONY STREET, LAGOS. FIRST TERM EXAMINATION 2017/2018 CLASS: PRIMARY 6 SUBJECT: HOME ECONOMICS NAME:…………………………………………………………………………………… Food is what we eat or drink in order to stay _______ deformed (b) invincible (c) alive (d) dead The most hygiene type of toilet is the _____ toilet Pottee (b) pit (c) water closet (d) short put Textile fabrics are classified into natural and _____ quality artificial (b) London-used (c) fairly-used (d) fake The plan for the future income and expenditure is known as ____ money (b) fee (c) provision (d) budget Income that is usually earned at the end of the month is known as ____ bill (b) expenses (c) salary (d) wage We can spend our money wisely by buying _____ (a) watches (b) phones (c) shares (d) sweets Bulk purchasing and avoiding daily market are ways of avoiding _____ spending Wasteful (b) wise (c) cash (d) bank _______ is a daily pay (a) sun (b) wage (c) income (d) salary A meal that contains all classes of food in the right proportion is known as _____ diet balanced (b) ratio (c) ration (d) super Table mats and shopping bags are examples of ____ made crafts hand (b) industrial (c) factory (d) London ______ is cooking by putting food in water with enough water Roasting (b) boiling (c) frying (d) smoking _____ is the best method for cooking food items like vegetables, onions, carrots etc roasting (b) boiling (c) frying (d) smoking Savings lead to _____ (a) investment (b) debt (c) bankruptcy (d) death Income from landed property is known as ____ (a) capital (b) rent (c) salary (d) dividend Shares and dividends are advanced forms of ____ Investment (b) banking (c) spending (d) money Every eligible citizen is expected to pay ____ to the government bribe (b) tithe (c) tax (d) bill _____ is done in an open flat pan of hot fat or oil on a fire roasting (b) frying (c) boiling (d) smoking A _____ is a list of all available dishes at a restaurant or hotel Dish (b) menu (c) order (d) take away A person whose job is to prepare meal at restaurant is called a ______ cooker (b) cook (c) trader (d) housemaid ______ is used to kill pests and insects like cockroaches and mosquitoes at home (a) homicide (b) genocide (c) insecticide (d) herbicide Part B 1.) What is the difference between salary and wages? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 2.) Mention four sources of family income (a) ________________________________ (b) ________________________________ (c) ________________________________ (d) ________________________________ 3.) Write out four classes of food and mention two examples of each class (a) __________________________________________________________________ (b) __________________________________________________________________ (c) __________________________________________________________________ (d) __________________________________________________________________ What is frying? _____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ ISLAND BUILDERS BAPTIST SCHOOL (NURSERY & PRIMARY) 1A, MOBOLAJI BANK-ANTHONY STREET, LAGOS. FIRST TERM EXAMINATION 2017/2018 CLASS: PRIMARY 6 SUBJECT: QUANTITATIVE REASONING NAME:…………………………………………………………………………………… Samples: 1.) (2.) (3.) 4.) (5.) Samples: 6.) (7.) (8.) 9.) (10.) Samples: 11.) (12.) (13.) 14.) (15.) Samples: 16.) (17.) (18.) 19.) (20.) via Blogger http://ift.tt/2iEPAJM

[seforatunc]

Me as a Creative Technologist

 Pablo Picasso once said "Everything you imagine is real" which could be a potential slogan for Creative Technology, since it is not a certain field that can exist on its own but combines many professions, making it possible to create anything – maybe not in real life but at least on screen.

Not many people associate technology with creativity but rather with arts, writing, music and theatre, although one can consider Creative Technologists also as artists, exactly like painters or writers, but instead of using a brush or a pen to put something into practice, their main instrument is technology. Surrounding us everywhere, it offers a great surface to work with, providing us with endless possibilities.

A Creative Technologist is a person that reinvents existing technology and uses it to solve problems in daily life. They may be big or very small. One can make a lamp that turns on when your best friend is online on Facebook or even create games for people with certain problems to help them in a playful way, e.g. the rehabilitation game Silke ter Stal introduced to us in the first guest lecture of this module.

But, to be able to deal with technology is not the only task of Creative Technologists. They have to think like business men, to generate ideas with economic potential, talk to people like psychologists do, to make things that really touch the user, and design and construct like an artist and engineer to turn their idea into a successful product. Being taught all these skills makes it possible to think out of the box. Now, one person does what before used to be done by a lot of people.

The challenge to cope with each of these aspects appealed to me and convinced me to become a professional in this area. I don’t want to be part of a certain aspect of the process, but I want to take care of the whole process. It matches with the idea I have of my future. I do not want to do a regular nine-to-five job but to be a person putting her ideas into practice; I want to wake up in the morning and be excited for the day, looking forward to different problems than the day before. My routine should be no routine.

Without question, there are other professions fulfilling the criteria of being creative and having a diversified day. My mother, for example, was a fashion designer, my father a journalist. I love both, designing clothes and writing, but I think, I need to use the opportunity given to me to be creative in a completely different way and area than my parents. "One defines oneself by reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To cut yourself out of stone" like Henry Rollins said.

In fact the importance of technology nowadays was another point that drew my interest. Technology is everywhere and the full potential is not tapped yet, so I am given the chance to make a change and influence the future by majoring in this study. Probably not like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs did, but for me it is more important to contribute at least something and make a small change rather than doing nothing.

But since it is hard to be a Creative Technologist who is, in each of the areas mentioned before, as good as the other, it is important to identify one’s strong and weak points and work

with others having complementary skills to get the best results possible. In the project group I clearly saw how important the division of tasks was and that everybody took automatically a certain part he was comfortable with.

We had a bunch of ideas while brainstorming but most of them were not very useful or manageable, so I was the person reminding the others what our actual assignment is and what our resources are. We neither have the skills and programs to put in great effects, nor do we have great settings like in Hollywood. So I collected all the ideas and recycled them to an idea that was doable. To keep the concept of food, I thought of an interactive video that points out people’s eating habits and tells them whether they are healthy or unhealthy by the choices they made. I also was the person thinking of things that could be added to the story so the video got its needed length and of course I made the layout of the menus. We wanted to keep it clean, simple and colourful and that is what I did.

You can find the video in my portfolio. You can also find other things I created like the assignments for Visual Communication, my end assignment in Programming or pictures I have drawn in my free time. I really love to draw, design and paint but unfortunately I could not make anything showing how I want to change the world. But surely it will follow.

I do not only want to show my skills but I also want to fill my portfolio with things matching my personality and what I want to achieve. I am a person with many different interests and that should be reflected in my portfolio.

Once I have the capabilities, I can imagine doing something similar to what I saw on the GOGBOT festival this year. There was a project called "phototrope" using clothes as a surface to make solar energy to charge one’s phone. Considering how much phones are used nowadays and how much electricity they need, this is a great idea that could save a lot of money and resources. Another point, that does not correspond to the environment but to people themselves, is, that they don’t have to be afraid that their phone will run out of battery anymore, at least as long the sun is shining.

Up to now I am not able to make something like that, at least not the technical part. I could design the clothes and come up with an idea like that, but I am neither a businesswoman knowing how much this could cost and how to sell it successfully, nor am I an engineer knowing how I should construct something like that.

The reason this project impressed me so much is not only that it is exactly what I want to do in the future, but that I had a subject in school dealing with energy revolution and litter. The aim was to raise our sensitivity and concern for these topics, and after many discussions I realized, I really want to be part of the change but need some technological understanding. However, I did not want to specify myself on this technological aspect because I wanted to be creative in my further life, so Creative Technology fits perfectly in this schema. It does not only provide me with the needed knowledge to come up with own ideas for making the world a better place, but it also brings my designing skills forward.

I am an amateur on the beginning of her journey to become a good and successful Creative Technologist. Two months ago I did not know how to program things, I did not know how a computer or the internet works and I also did not know how to influence people with my pictures but I learned all of these things and I am looking forward to the next modules and what I will be taught next.

I think Creative Technology is art and I want to use it to express myself like authors do in their books and earn money with something I enjoy doing. I don’t want to leave this world without achieving something. I want to have an impact. At least a little one.