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codrs · 4 years ago

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✅ Looking back at WWDC 2021

by Ethan Saadia

Today was the last day of WWDC 2021. While the main event has concluded, WWDC Community Week continues throughout the weekend! The last few days of labs, sessions, meetups, and code have been exhilarating. There are still numerous ideas to explore, so I will keep releasing new tutorials and apps, and you can keep following along with me.

This year I attended 15 Labs with Apple engineers, which were all incredible experiences to ask questions about the new frameworks and resolve bugs I'm running into in code. Today alone I attended 6 Labs, and here are the highlights!

RealityKit 🤳

I attended all three RealityKit Labs this week, and each time I gained fresh insights about the latest updates. From custom meshes to dynamic particle systems to transparent textures to the subtleties of shaders, I used what I learned in the labs to create educational posts and lead meetups where I introduced other developers to RealityKit.

With Object Capture and my new companion app, you can create realistic 3D models just by uploading photos taken on your iPhone. At this lab I inquired about scanning entire rooms with Object Capture and received tips on how to create the highest quality scans.

Tumblr doesn't yet have any AR features, but the combination of Object Capture and RealityKit 2 makes it a perfect time to start creating the future of immersive blogging.

ARKit ✨

ARKit is the magic behind the scenes that powers RealityKit apps. I worked with engineers to try out my imaginative use cases for the LiDAR and the 3D scan of the real world new LiDAR devices can create.

Machine Learning 🤖

I've been working with machine learning (ML) models on-device ever since I transformed a ride-on toy Mini Cooper into a self driving car. Instead of running on expensive GPUs in the cloud that require an internet connection and uploading sensitive data, on-device ML works extremely quickly without ever leaving the device.

Apple introduced ML Compute last year that supports training ML models on-device in addition to inference. At this lab, the ML team helped me fill in the missing pieces of an example app from Apple's presentation at the NeurIPS 2020 conference.

SharePlay (Group Activities) 🙋🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️

SharePlay is a new technology that enables live collaborative experiences through FaceTime. I became interested in pushing the limits of this framework and see how far it can go. The Group Activities team did a great job in their sessions this year, and I'm excited to get started with it next week.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the week, I believe that SharePlay is the most exciting feature for Tumblr to implement this year to help bring communities together.

PHASE Audio Engine 🔊

I discovered PHASE by chance while scrolling through the list of labs, and I am so glad that I made an appointment. PHASE is a completely custom toolkit for creating immersive 3D sound experiences. I chatted with several members of the PHASE team about its capabilities, and I gathered from our conversation that this year is just the beginning of a fascinating technology to keep an eye on.

Design 🎨

Cutting-edge technology cannot change the world without great design, and it's no secret that Apple produces some of the best design work in the industry. That's what makes appointments with the design team so valuable, because they give you feedback on your own apps.

I felt honored that the designers loved my schedule app Mav App and were very interested in my design and development process. I also received feedback on my new app Object Capture UI and my augmented reality experiences.

USD and USDZ 👾

I was wowed by the demo of a USD scene from Pixar's Toy Story 4 rendering in real time in the Preview app. Attending this lab provided me with extremely useful insight on making my USDZ workflows smarter.

watchOS ⌚️

The watchOS team helped me improve the performance of my Apple Watch app's syncing process using Watch Connectivity, a framework to keep iPhone and Apple Watch on the same page.

I'd love to see Tumblr on Apple Watch, especially now that developers can take advantage of the always-on display on Apple Watch Series 5 and 6. Instead of showing a generic clock view, developers can keep relevant information available at a glance while the user's wrist is resting.

HomeKit 🏠

The announcement of Siri support on third party devices at the Keynote piqued my interest at once. As a hardware developer and Raspberry Pi enthusiast, I imagined opening up Siri to embedded devices, similar to the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa SDKs that have existed for a few years.

Unfortunately, third party Siri devices will be initially restricted to select Apple MFI partners at launch, but I remain hopeful that Apple will open up support to more developers in the future.

SwiftUI 📱

Last but not least, SwiftUI received countless updates to make it even easier to build entire apps in the UI framework that is redefining iOS development.

I was lucky to receive an appointment with the engineers who work on SwiftUI Data Flow, and they helped me navigate a complex use case for communicating and syncing state between SwiftUI and UIKit code.

Looking ahead

After a very busy week, I'm looking forward to taking some time to rest and then continuing to explore the new technologies announced at WWDC. Thank you for following along with me, and it's never too early to count down to WWDC 2022! ⏰

Feel free to check out my work and reach out at any time.

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365days365movies · 4 years ago

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May 6, 2021: The Martian (2015) (Recap: Part Two)

Man, this movie’s pretty great so far.

It’s holding up to what I remember from the book, which I also really enjoyed. I highly recommend the audiobook, by the way. 100% you should check that out.

Anyway, back to it! Here’s Part One for you!

Recap (2/2)

The airlock EXPLODES due to a hole and decompression. Not only is his suit kinda fucked, but the farm in the Hab is ruined. All of the crops die, cutting down his time to 606 days, long before a mission will reach them with supplies. Time is now far shorter than it should be. But despite this, NASA and JPL get together to get a probe to Mark sooner rather than later.

Mark manages to fix the Hab, but he’s now pretty fucked indeed. It’s also considerably expensive and dangerous to launch a new probe. But Teddy decides to forego safety inspections for it in order to expediate the process. Which is not a good idea, but still what they’re doing. And amidst all of that, we meet Rich Purnell (Donald Glover), an astrodynamicist that works at JPL, who comes up with a breakthrough. I’m sure we’ll get back to him later.

I hope it’s good, because the rocket launch goes QUITE poorly, as the probe, called Iris, explodes in mid-air, destroying hope for support to Mark. And this means, well...Mark’s done. He’s basically resigned himself to death on the desolate red planet. He writes a letter to Lewis about this, asking him to go to his parents after he dies, and give them a very heartfelt goodbye message. It’s heartbreaking.

Now, we go to China, where scientists for the China National Space Administration Zhu Tao (Chen Shu) and Guo Ming (Eddy Ko) secretly plot to get booster rockets to the Americans in order to help them make another probe in order to Mark.

Rich, meanwhile, makes his way to Kapoor and proposes a plan to save Mark: by getting the Hermes BACK to Mars. The Hermes is the pick-up ship that the Ares III crew is currently on, heading back to Mars. Rich suggests using Earth’s gravity to essentially slingshot the ship BACK to Mars to pick-up Mark. However, Teddy completely rejects the idea, as it poses considerable risk to the Ares III astronauts. And Mitch is PISSED. And right after, the instructions are somehow leaked to the crew, putting the decision in their hands. And they agree to do it, unanimously and without question, despite the technical mutiny as well as the extra time in space.

It’s pretty obvious that it’s Mitch who leaked the plans and caused this, leading to Teddy firing him AFTER this dangerous mission is completed. The plan set in motion, the two separate teams work on two separate planets in order to plan this maneuver successfully. The astronauts on Hermes tell their families of their extended stay in space, and the Iris is planned for launch and interception with the ship. And all of that is a rousing success. And now...now for the hard part.

After over a year on Mars, Mark’s been through a hell of a lot of shit. Now visibly thinner and sporting a beard, Watney gets into the Rover to make his way to the Schiaparelli crater, where he’ll use the Ares IV mission launcher to meet up with the Hermes in space. He notes that, as Mars is legally international waters and he’s stealing a ship outside of express legal orders, making him a space pirate. Which is badass, and I love it so much. Mark AKA Captain Blondebeard, takes the 90-day journey to the crater.

On Earth, we now face a different issue: how to get Mark onto the Hermes from Mars. The Hermes can’t enter Mars’ orbit and still get back home. Which means that Mark’s gonna have to meet them in the ship (called the MAV) above Mars’ orbit. However, to do that, they need to strip the MAV of parts to make it faster, and this includes the controls, and the entire front of the ship. Yeah. Terrible option, but the only one they have. And so, despite Mark’s understandable hesitation, they move forward with the plan to strip the ship and remove all of its parts.

The Hermes crew also prepares, as the plan is to essentially catch Watney in mid-orbit. And on Earth, the entire world is watching as the day arrives. It’s a big moment, and a scary one at that. Before the leaves, Watney shaves, and he boards the ship. As the MAV launches into orbit, with nothing between Watney and space but a canvas tarp, Watney begins to cry in fear and happiness for leaving the planet. But in the launch, the tarp flies off, and while the ship launches into space, Watney passes out in the process, due to the increased Gs. But the Hermes is too far away to grab him, leading to Commander Lewis to use boosters to get to the MAV, at some risk.

Intercept distance is fixed, but the speed is now a problem. Lewis now makes a MASSIVE risk: purposefully breach the ship to create enough explosive decompression to launch the ship in the right direction to get them better aligned and lessen the problem of velocity. This will also allow Beck to use a tether to grab Mark on the outside. Despite this being an ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE idea, Vogel makes a bomb to cause the decompression. As Beck sets it, Johanssen kisses his helmet, which is cute.

But it’s still not enough, and they won’t be close enough to grab Mark at this velocity. Lewis gets in her own suit, and replaces Beck so as not to lose another crew member. The bomb blows, an the propulsion of the escaping internal atmosphere pushes the ship to get to the right speed to get to Mark. Lewis is hooked up to a tether, and propels down towards the AV. But STILL, it isn’t close enough! So, Mark breaches his suit in his hands, and uses the escaping atmosphere to blast himself forward like Iron Man. And despite a near miss...

It works! IT FUCKING WORKS! And I knew it would, but GODDAMN!!! This is a beautiful reunion! I and the world celebrate Mark’s rescue, and it’s genuinely tearjerking for me. My God, this is fantastic. After 560 days...Mark is finally going home. And from there, on Earth five years later, a now-recovered Mark teaches astronaut candidates about how to survive in space, were they ever to wind up in the same situation that he’s in. And let’s be honest, he’s uniquely qualified for this position. The Ares V mission is about to launch, with Martinez on board. The Chinese scientists, also working with NASA officially now, watch on.

Lewis and Vogel watch on with their families; Johanssen and Beck watch as Johanssen gives birth to their first child together; Teddy, Vincent, Annie, and Mindy watch on from NASA, as Bruce and Rich (working with them now) also celebrate the successful launch at JPL. And Watney...Watney’s alive.

...This movie got snubbed, huh?

I’ll look into what it lost against...in the Review! See you there!

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musical-in-theory · 5 years ago

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Magnificently Malcontent Pt. 13

(It’s finally here!!! Thanks everyone for being so patient. I love you all so so so much. Welp, buckle up everybody. This is the longest chapter yet. It’s also the last one!)

Jameson shot up in his bed. His breath hitched and quickly became hyperventilation. The sheets beneath him twisted and crumpled within his clenched fists as JJ curled in on himself. The image of Marvin turning his back on the gentleman replayed over and over again in his mind. It was the only thing he could really see and process with his wide, all too bright eyes. His faded teal hair was a mess and fell into his face, but JJ couldn’t bring himself to fix it.

All of a sudden, a pair of arms found their way around his torso. JJ’s trembling immediately stopped and all thought ceased except for one particularly instinctive reflex. Anti found him. Marvin told the glitch what he tried to do and now he’s come to kill JJ. That must be it. What else could-

“Shhhhh. JJ, stop please. It’s just us. We’re right here,” a familiar voice cooed. JJ slowly turned his head to the side. Recognition sluggishly made its way to the forefront of Jameson’s mind. Chase, not Anti, was embracing him with a fierce kind of concern. JJ relaxed only slightly and let himself be held for a little while longer. It was a comfort that had been missing in his life for some time, and he couldn’t help but indulge in the temporary bliss it contained.

The two brothers stayed in that position until reality came crashing back down on them. JJ wrangled himself out of Chase’s grasp and looked him in the eye. “I saw him. I found Marvin, but then- then I…” JJ drew into himself and signed in small, timid motions, “I lost him. He looked like he was finally himself again, but I couldn’t get him to come with me. I really thought that this would work. Why? Why didn’t it work?” JJ’s signing crescendoed.

Chase sighed resignedly and looked back to where the other two egos stood. They had all been watching over JJ while he undertook his risky mission. Jackie stared daggers at his shoes. Chase could practically hear him berating himself for getting his hopes up. Henrik was at the opposite end of the spectrum. The grief lining every inch of his face was almost palpable. Neither of them seemed to be in a state to say what needed to be said.

Chase stood up and stepped away from JJ. His eyes wandered everywhere but where his little brother sat, tear tracks still painfully visible. “I’m sorry J, but it was a longshot anyway.” Chase paused and listened to everyone in the room gasp at his bluntness. “Marv… Mav’s not coming back. We have to just accept that and move on. Wasting time on hopes that he’ll come sauntering back through the front door is getting us nowhere, all while a real threat keeps growing stronger.”

Chase finally found the courage to look Jameson in the eyes and immediately regretted that decision. The pure look of grief and anguish laced in his expression nearly made him want to take back everything he just said, to give him hope back and tell him that everything would be alright. Nearly. “It’s time we face the facts. Marvin is working for Anti and we have to take them both down. And I’m not gonna lose another little brother while you all figure that out.” With that, Chase turned on his heel and walked out of the room leaving three brothers paralyzed with shock.

He truly didn’t want to give up on their lost brother, but after years of hoping for the best only to be met with disappointment and more loss Chase realized that sometimes the best course of action is to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Jackie was the first to break the suffocating silence left in the young father’s wake. “Damnit, Chase,” he huffed under his breath, “I… he’s right. Fuck, he’s right. We need to stop Anti, but I can’t… I have to save him!” Jackie looked over to Henrik, and the doctor could immediately decode his real meaning. ‘I have to save my little brother. I failed Anti. I can’t fail Marvin.’

Henrik nodded to Jackie and walked over to JJ. “I’m sorry, mein Liebling. You did your best, but we can’t keep risking you. You have something Anti wants. If you keep going after Marvin like this, we might lose you to him.” Henrik left a lingering hand on his shoulder and then led Jackie out of the room to go prepare for their inevitable upcoming battle.

JJ can only stare out the door into the hallway for a couple of minutes. How could they just turn their backs on Marvin? Didn’t they understand how close he was to getting their magician back? JJ shook with anger, his hands balled into fists. He refused to just sit back and let them try to take down his big brother.

Jameson dashed over to his desk and wrote a quick note. It simply stated where he was going and that if he didn’t come back, that he was sorry. JJ left the note taped to his door and walked out of the house with a fierce determination in his eyes. If he remembered it correctly, the spell he used to go into Marvin’s dreams created a temporary connection which he could still use to locate his magician.

The two wayward souls were camped out in another abandoned warehouse not too far from their original base. The dapper man made his way through the building, following the pull tugging on his chest. It led him to the signature purple glow of Marvin’s dark magic that sent enough pain to shatter JJ’s heart as he laid his eyes upon it. He sneaked a glance into the room to find Marvin in the middle of the same spell JJ had seen him perform the last time. His magic swirled from him with a ferocity JJ hadn’t ever seen from him before.

He took a deep breath and launched himself into the room, headed straight for his Marvin. He couldn’t see the knowing smirk plastered on Marvin’s face, one that was mirrored by the glitch waiting in the shadows. Seconds before JJ could lay a finger on him, Marvin spun around and lifted one of his palms toward the gentleman, all while keeping his other hand maintaining the previous ritual. JJ found himself frozen in place, petrified almost.

A slow clap echoed from the darkened corner of the room. Its owner emerged soon after and sauntered towards his puppet’s prey. “]W̷ell, w͝ell҉, w͟ell̸. ̵If͢ ͘it ̷isn’t͠ ̧th̶e ̶m͡an o͝f ́the ͠h̷ou̴r.͡ J͢a͏mes̶o҉n͞ ̕Jack̷son.̸ ͟Wé’ve͠ be͏en ̴waitin̴g͠ a l͟ong t̶i͠m̴e fòr̶ y͠o̴u t̡o g̶et here, ̧pét. Weren’t͝ ̷we̛ Marv͟in͝?” Marvin nodded his head subtly. “Alt̕houg͡h I ͡mus̛t ͝s͞ay,͢ ͜I’m͠ impre̵ssed͏.̡ I ̴didn’t͘ e͝ven͞ ͜need̨ t͟o̴ ͝h͘av̀e͝ o̵ur b̧o͜y̨ her̷e ģi̵ve ̕y͝o̡u ̸a ͘hint͜.” JJ could feel his stomach drop. He had been so sure that the hint to find the two of them was a sign that Marvin was still himself, that he could come back.

“Oh ye͢s,͘ and it ̴w̶a͜s ͠al͡l̵ t́oo͘ e͟as͡y to͏ get ͠hi͝m to ̧do it́.͢ ̨He̶ wa͟s ̀s̴ò eage͏r t͏o ҉pl̕e҉as҉e.̷ ͜He s͢ang like a l͏i͞tt͡le bir̵d.͞ To̴ld ̕m̡e ҉ev͟erytḩing̨ ͞abo͢u͜t̢ y̴o͡u̕ an͜d͜ ͠all th͝e reśt̸ of your f͜a̡mi̡ly.” He carded a hand through Marvin’s hair, which the magician accepted lovingly. “He w͟as j̛us͡t such̀ ͠a ̀gǫo͢d ̧li͡ttle̶ ́p͝u͞ppet.̷ No ̛m͘ore f̧èár̡,́ ̶no ̶mo͜re u̶nce̛r͜t̵ainty, no̶ ҉more h̛ard̷ ̵choi̢ces. T҉h̸at̛’s th͜e̛ th̴inǵ ab͡ou͘t̷ ͜my̶ p̶uppét҉s; They’re̸ f̶r҉e͝e͡ ͞f͠r̷om ͠all͘ of ͜thàt.” Anti glitched and suddenly appeared right next to JJ as he whispered, “Y͜͝ou̧ c̨oưld̢̧͢ be ̨͞t��̛oo̷.”

JJ blanched at the very thought of becoming Anti’s just as he so nearly did a measly 5 minutes into his video. “Oh ͜͝c҉͟o̴͘͏m͘͢è͢ ̢͟no̵w͠,” Anti purred, “J̢u͟s͞t͠ ͢t̴hin҉k͘ ̷òf̢ ͡i̧t̨, l̀i͘t͠tle oǹe. Y͝ou cou̷l̀d be ͝by Ma͡r͏vin͠’s̸ ͘si͢d҉e o͜nce͞ m͜or҉e.̷ ҉Yo͝u c̸oul̷d̶ ͠h͢e҉lp̛ h̡im ͞a̛n͘d b̵e̛ ҉a̷ fam̷ily ag̛ain. ͜Your b̕rothers ͢have̡ g҉i̡ve̵n͜ up̕ o͜n ̷h҉įm ͢a̛lrèady,͜ but y̛où ̢d͟on’t͘ ͝h͠ave t̢o.̧ ͞All ͝you̵ ͠h͟ave ͢to ́do͠ is śưbm̶it̛.”

JJ knew he shouldn’t listen to even a syllable of what the glitch demon said, but when he looked at Marvin opposing him, he wanted to give in. He wanted to do whatever it took to just be alongside his older brother again. But only for a minute. He waited for Anti to come face to face with him and then spat in his face. It was an ungentleman-like gesture, but he unfortunately was unable to use his middle fingers to get his point across.

“Y͠͠͠o̶̸̢u li͏́t̴̷͜tl̢e͜ ṕ̸͠é́s͢t,” Anti hissed. Just as the glitch was about to attack JJ, a syringe flew into the demon’s neck. Anti turned and growled at the people just beyond JJ’s peripheral vision, but he could see the glitch’s eyes droop just a fraction of an inch. A sedative, and that means…

Marvin broke concentration on his spell keeping JJ frozen and flew over to the other side of the sigil painted on the ground. Now mobile once again, JJ hurriedly turned to look at his rescuers and saw his three elder brothers. A wave of relief washed over him mixed in with a pang of guilt for leaving them.

For a brief moment all he could do was watch as the people he looked up to the most fought with everything they had. Chase expertly handled his gun, dodging and weaving while still getting a few shots off. Henrik sliced with his scalpel and threw more syringes filled with a powerful tranquilizer. Jackie used every type of fighting style known to man to keep Anti off balance and focused on him. They all moved in perfect synchronicity, always in step so that when one went in for an attack, another was there to give him cover. JJ knew that the three of them had fought together before, but this was a sight to behold.

JJ was about to go in to help as a distraction when he was stopped by an earsplitting scream. For a terrifying moment he thought maybe Anti had been able to stab one of his brothers with his knife, but then he realized that it didn’t come from that direction. It came from his left. Marvin.

JJ whirled around to see Marvin hanging limp but still upright, as if he were being held up solely by unseen strings. He looked like a puppet in every sense of the word. Purple smoke trailed skywards from the center of the sigil. JJ could hear the fighting on the other side of the room come to a standstill. He tore his eyes away from his magician and looked over at the others just as Anti glitched away. His sudden disappearance brought everyone out of their stupor.

JJ ran over to his older brothers. Henrik accepted him with open arms while the other two stayed on guard, searching for Anti. The glitch reappeared next to Marvin with a victorious smirk. He started to laugh but was cut off by a single gunshot that rang through the space. Smoke rose from the barrel of Chase’s gun and blood leaked from Anti’s shoulder.

Any excitement that might’ve come from that small victory was stifled abruptly when they saw the same wound materialize on Marvin. He cried out in pain, but the glitch did not. “Game ̸̧͢over ̡̢̛b̷̷oy̨s.” Anti and Marvin’s voices both called. Before any of the others could make a move, Chase took another shot. This time the bullet pierced through the leg, and JJ could have sworn he heard a bone cracking from the impact. Yet again the same wound found its way onto Marvin. The man convulsed and writhed in excruciating pain.

“Damnit! Die you son of a-” Chase trained his gun on Anti again, but JJ latched onto Chase’s arm.

JJ looked up at him pleadingly and began signing with his free hand, “No! Don’t you see? You’re killing Marvin! You’re killing your baby brother!” JJ tried to grapple the gun from the young father’s hands, but Chase shook him off.

“My brother is gone! That thing over there is just a shell that decided to lie to us for weeks, work with our torturer, and then use our best memories against us! So don’t give me that bullshit!” JJ expected there to be tears, any sign of remorse, in Chase’s eyes, but all there was to be found was a stony expression of determination and a spark of vengeance.

Chase aimed his weapon at the duo, and blood roared in JJ’s ears. Anti’s laugh only grew louder. Henrik and Jackie shouted at Chase to find another way. The world spun around the man out of time.

And then it stopped. No one moved. No one breathed. No one, that is, except for Jameson Jackson.

JJ looked around at the scene frozen in front of him. It seemed almost like someone had replaced everyone and everything with a wax replica, but he knew better. JJ felt a small device materialize within his pocket. When he reached in and pulled it out, he found a small pocket watch ticking away in his palm. Its silver gleam shimmered with a magic JJ had never seen before and yet it felt so familiar. He studied it closer and saw that its hands were ticking backwards. No they were counting down. He hadn’t the foggiest idea as to how he knew, but he knew that it was counting down the time he had left in this void he had inadvertently created.

He worked swiftly. First he took the gun out of Chase’s hands and tucked it into the back of his waistband. His older brother had far too much experience with the weapon for today. Then he dashed over to where Anti stood and pushed him off balance just enough that he’d fall and give the others enough time to get out of there. His time was almost up. He could feel it, but there was one last thing to do.

JJ stepped over, in front of Marvin. His brother. His best friend. His partner in crime. Tears welled up in the gentleman’s eyes as he looked upon the sheer amount of pain held in Marvin’s face. “I love you. I will never stop fighting for you,” he signed against Marvin’s chest. He stepped back and let the scene resume.

Anti’s eyes widened as he fell over from an unseen force. He hit the ground at the same time that JJ signed behind his back for his brothers to run. The little gentleman couldn’t see them all gape at how their little brother seemingly teleported across the room. He couldn’t see how Chase searched desperately for his gun which he no longer held in his possession. He couldn’t see how Anti squinted at him knowingly, how happy the glitch was that his long-awaited prize finally showed off his previously-hibernating power. All he could see was the fight returning behind the purple eyes staring back at him, a hint of blue intermingling in the dark.

Marvin could feel a ghost of where JJ had held his hands on his chest. The words swirled in the fog of his mind. But they weren’t soft like the phrases Anti used to keep him smothered. They were sharp, sharp enough to cut strings.

“O̡h l͠i͞ttl̢e ̸oǹe.̢ ̡If onl͘y ̢y̡o͢u ͞ha̡d ju͟s͏t̸ wait҉e̡d ̡unt͞i͡l yo҉u͜ ̢we͏r̀e ͢i͏n my care͞ ̴to discov̷e̢r͡ tha̸t littl͞ę ̴quir̢k͜ ̡òf̴ ҉your͘s.͜ ́A ̸m͢an ou̴t of͘ time̢ i͞n̶ ̕e̵ver̛y w̧ay.” Anti cackled to himself, “You co̢ul͢d’ve̷ b͡een ͢s͞u̵c̸h͞ ̛an a̷s̕set, b̸ut ͡now yo͠u̷’̵re just͜ á ̴n҉u͡i͜sa̧n͟ce.͜ ͞Kit̡ty̵, ̨tak͘e ̛ca̛re of t̛h̡is li̷ttle p̶est, w͟on’͘t you?” Anti looked over to the numb magician, but he didn’t move an inch. He simply hung there looking back at his would-be prey with unseeing eyes.

JJ took his hand in his own and gave it a squeeze laced with an underlying message of, “I’m right here. It’s okay.” Shouts sounded from behind him, pleading him to get away from the danger, but JJ paid them no mind. He was close. He was so close.

“I’m sorry. I should have done more. I shouldn’t have let you stay isolated. I’m sorry.” JJ signed into his chest again. Blue began to overtake the dark violet in the magician’s eyes. His hands twitched. The fog lifted. The bond shattered.

Mavin collapsed to the floor as whatever force held him up dissipated. JJ barely caught him and lowered him to the floor. Next to the two of them, Anti screamed bloody murder. The spell backfired and let the glitch feel every inch of Marvin’s pain all at once. He glitched around the room violently to the point that the egos could see pixels of him in almost every corner. Then he was gone. A cold breeze blew through the building like a breath that the world didn’t know it was holding.

The others rushed over to JJ and Marvin. Henrik was the first to get to them and immediately started checking over the magician. “His pulse is weak, but still there. We need to get him back quickly.” Henrik tried to get JJ to give him to Jackie, but Chase pulled the good doctor back.

“We can’t bring him back to the house! How do we know he won’t try to attack the minute he wakes up?” Chase looked close to hysterics. The father was spiraling. He had no clue as to what just happened. He looked desperately for Henrik to give him reassurance, but there was none to be found. Henrik shrugged him off and went back to try to get Marvin to safety. Chase could only watch as they all carried off the same man who was their enemy only two minutes ago, but if they were determined to make this mistake then Chase was going to do everything in his power to make sure they wouldn’t reap the consequences.

Marvin woke up days later on the cot in Henrik’s room. Next to him sat JJ, fast asleep in a chair with his head resting on the side of the cot. Henrik was busy preparing materials and medicines that would be needed for the next several weeks of recovery, and a hint of red peeking out from the entryway told him that Jackie was nearby guarding the others. None of them had noticed the magician had awoken yet.

He tried to slowly push himself up into a sitting position, but a searing pain in his shoulder kept him down. He let out a sharp hiss of pain that garnered the attention of all three brothers keeping watch. JJ of course started making a fuss about him, checking on his well being, only to be pushed out of the way so that the actual doctor could take stock of his situation. Jackie also found his way into the room. He especially looked like he hadn’t slept at all since Marvin had been brought back.

“How are you feeling? Any dizziness, nausea?” Henrik pulled out a penlight and shined it into his eyes. His eyes flickered back and forth between the monitors and his little brother.

Marvin groaned in response, “Everything hurts. I haven’t been in this much pain since Jackie convinced me to test my flight by jumping off the roof.” A surprised snort came from across the room. The hero had almost forgotten about that day.

“But you’re back? You’re… you?” JJ signed hesitantly. Marvin stared down at his blanket for a long while before nodding.

“Yeah… yeah. I’m me. And I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. I-” Marvin devolved into sobs. Jackie and JJ pulled the magician into a hug despite the doctor’s half-hearted warnings to be careful.

“No, hey none of that, man. You’re safe. You’re back. That’s all that matters. Honestly we should be the ones apologizing. We almost gave up on you. So, heh, why don’t we call it even.” Jackie gripped his non-injured shoulder.

“I’d like that. I just want to move on.”

A voice cut through their respite, “We can’t all just forgive and forget, you know.” Chase stood in the doorway, his anger thinly veiled, and as quickly as he arrived, he vanished back to his room. A small part of him was relieved to see Marvin alive and recovering, but that part was drowned out by paranoia and the sting of betrayal.

“Don’t worry about him. He’ll come around. I swear.” JJ squeezed Marvin’s hand.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m just glad to be home.”

(Holy shit! I can’t believe I finished this! Thanks so much for sticking with me through my first very big project. I have loved every minute of it, and I hope you did too. There may or may not be a shorter, sweeter sequel in the works as a way of saying thanks for being patient with me. I really hope y’all like how this ended. I sure do.)

Taglist:

@beerecordings @rachelclutch @egopocalypse @hexatrash @nikkilbook @egos-n-others @antibeaneverybody @whydoilovesomanyvillians @aether-mae @the-rampaige

#writing in theory #magnificently malcontent #marvin the magnificent #jameson jackson #antisepticeye #chase brody #jackieboy man #henrik von schneeplestein #jacksepticeye #jse egos #jse fanfiction

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henrytheiemfreshman-blog · 5 years ago

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Friday, September 6th

The last day of the culture shower was shorter than the other four days, but felt like the longest one, and not in a bad way, at all. Arriving early, me and my group had plenty of time to find a good desk and prepare our artwork for the exhibition. As we waited for the museum to open, we could already check out some of the productions made by our colleagues and could also explain ours. At this moment I already felt prepared for what was coming. People were going to ask questions, I knew they were, but a day ago, I was afraid to answer, afraid to get lost, to miss a point or something like that. Of course that after only four days of learning about a subject that I just started understand, I wasn’t expecting to give some TED talk level speeches, but at least to be able to pass my group’s message. Felt like our MAV was about to take off, and we needed to hang on tight, as rescue was coming.

I’ll describe what my main answers were whenever people asked questions. Basically, like every other group, we didn’t only need to answer to the question “what is IE&M”, but also relate it our subtopics; in our case, “robotics & ageing workforce”. What we came up with is a timeline like cardboard model, trying to show a bit of the industrial evolution from the 1860s up until 2019, and how robotics, from time to time, is taking over all of the hardwork tasks off of human hands. At a first glance, that might sound like a bad thing, because it seems like we would be running out of jobs at some point, but the group’s idea is that this “robot manual task domination” is actually a good thing, as it will take heavy, repetitive work out of human hands; but with that weight off of our shoulders, many other jobs are created, because the new technologies still need installations, maintenances, bug fixes, and many other functions related to them. In fewer words, robotics (or industrial technology as a whole) take away certain jobs, but create a big variety of new, different and specific jobs. 30 years ago, no one knew what an “app developer” was, but now it is a job available for everyone who feels like trying it, and that is just a small example of a huge modern system. It is a cooperation between humans and technology, and that’s idea for our half human-half robot face. Jimmy is just our tin mascot, like an imaginary friend, bringing the same idea of cooperation. It all relates to IE&M in the sense that such subject talks about, between many other things, optimization of processes, reducing the piling up of work and increasing manufacturing efficiency; and, clearly, new industrial technologies help the industrial enginner develop such tasks.

This was a weird but satisfying week. It was a huge maze, but I’m finally out, with zero feeling of regret. Now, on to the bigger challenge: the creation of the mindmap. Its picture will be here until Sunday.

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lesbianrewrites · 8 years ago

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The Martian Chapter 8

*disclaimer* This is a project done for fun, and none of these characters/works belong to me. I do not claim to own any of the material on this page.

This is a Lesbian edit of The Martian by Andy Weir.

Chapters will be posted every day at 2pm EST.

Google doc version can be found here. The chapter can also be found under the cut. Enjoy!

CHAPTER VIII

“Hello, and thank you for joining us,” Cathy said to the camera. “Today on CNN’s Maia Watney Report: Several EVAs over the past few days… what do they mean? What progress has NASA made on a rescue option? And how will this affect the Ares 4 preparations?

“Joining us today is Dr. Venkat Kapoor, Director of Mars Missions for NASA. Dr. Kapoor, thank you for coming.”

“A pleasure to be here, Cathy,” Venkat said.

“Dr. Kapoor,” Cathy began, “Maia Watney is the most-watched person in the solar system, wouldn’t you say?”

Venkat nodded. “Certainly the most watched by NASA. We have all 12 of our Martian satellites taking pictures whenever her site’s in view. The European Space Agency has both of theirs doing the same.”

“All told, how often do you get these images?”

“Every few minutes. Sometimes there’s a gap, based on the satellite orbits. But it’s enough that we can track all her EVA activities.”

“Tell us about these latest EVAs.”

“Well,” Venkat began, “It looks like she’s preparing Rover 2 for a long trip. On Sol 65, she took the battery from the other rover and attached it with a homemade sling. The next day, she detached 14 solar cells and stacked them on the rover’s roof.”

“And then she took a little drive, didn’t she?” Cathy prompted.

“Yes she did. Sort of aimlessly for an hour, then back to the Hab. She was probably testing it. Next time we saw her was two days later, when she drove 4km away, then back. Another incremental test, we think. Then, over the past couple of days, she’s been stocking it up with supplies.”

“Hmm,” Cathy said, “Most analysts think Maia’s only hope of rescue is to get to the Ares 4 site. Do you think she’s come to the same conclusion?”

“Probably,” Venkat said. “She doesn’t know we’re watching. From her point of view, Ares 4 is her only hope.”

“Do you think she’s planning to go soon? She seems to be getting ready for a trip.”

“I hope not,” Venkat said. “There’s nothing at the site other than the MAV. None of the other presupplies. It would be a very long, very dangerous trip, and she’d be leaving the safety of the Hab behind.”

“Why would she risk it?”

“Communication,” Venkat said. “Once she reaches the MAV, she could contact us.”

“So that would be a good thing, wouldn’t it?”

“Communication would be a great thing. But traversing 3,200km to Ares 4 is incredibly dangerous. We’d rather she stayed put. If we could talk to her, we’d certainly tell her that.”

“She can’t stay put forever, right?” she asked. “Eventually she’ll need to get to the MAV.”

“Not necessarily,” Venkat said. “JPL is experimenting with modifications to the MDV so it can make a brief overland flight after landing.”

“I’d heard that idea was rejected as being too dangerous,” Cathy said.

“Their first proposal was, yes. Since then, they’ve been working on safer ways to do it.”

“With only three and a half years before Ares 4’s scheduled launch, is there enough time to make and test modifications to the MDV?”

“I can’t answer that for sure. But remember, we made a lunar lander from scratch in seven years.”

“Excellent point,” Cathy smiled. “So what are her odds right now?”

“No idea,” Venkat said. “But we’re going to do everything we can to bring her home alive.”

“How’d I do today?” Venkat asked.

“Eeeh,” Annie said. “You shouldn’t say things like ‘Bring her home alive.’ It reminds people she might die.”

“Think they’re going to forget that?”

“You asked my opinion. Don’t like it? Go fuck yourself.”

“You’re such a delicate flower, Annie. How’d you end up NASA’s Communications Director?”

“Beats the fuck out of me,” Annie said.

“Guys,” said Bruce Ng, Director of JPL. “I need to catch a flight back to LA in three hours. Is Teddy coming or what?”

“Quit bitching, Bruce,” Annie said. “None of us want to be here.”

“So,” said Hermes Flight Director Mitch Henderson “Who are you, again?”

“Um,” Mindy said, “I’m Mindy Park. I work in SatCon.”

“You a director or something?”

“No, I just work in SatCon. I’m a nobody.”

Venkat looked to Mitch “I put her in charge of tracking Watney. She gets us the imagery.”

“Huh,” said Mitch. “Not the Director of SatCon?”

“Bob’s got more to deal with than just Mars. Mindy’s handling all the Martian satellites, and keeps them pointed at Maia.”

“Why Mindy?” Mitch asked.

“She noticed she was alive in the first place.”

“She gets a promotion cause she was in the hot seat when the imagery came through?”

“No,” Venkat frowned, “She gets a promotion cause she figured out she was alive. Stop being a dick, Mitch. You’re making her feel bad.”

Mitch looked over to Mindy. “Sorry.”

Mindy looked at the table and managed to say “’k.”

Teddy entered the room. “Sorry I’m late. Let’s get started,” He took his seat. “Venkat, what’s Watney’s status?”

“Alive and well,” Venkat said. “No change from my email earlier today.”

“What about the RTG. Does the public know about that yet?” Teddy asked.

Annie leaned forward. “So far, so good,” she said. “The images are public, but we have no obligation to tell them our analysis. Nobody has figured it out yet.”

“Why did she dig it up?”

“Heat, I think,” Venkat said. “She wants to make the rover do long trips. It uses a lot of energy keeping warm. The RTG can heat up the interior without soaking battery power. It’s a good idea, really.”

“How dangerous is it?” Teddy asked.

“As long as the container’s intact, no danger at all. Even if it cracks open she'll be ok if the pellets inside don't break. But if the pellets break too, she’s a dead woman.”

“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen,” Teddy said. “JPL, how are the MDV plans coming along?”

“We came up with a plan a long time ago,” Bruce said. “You rejected it.”

“Bruce,” Teddy cautioned.

Bruce sighed. “The MDV wasn’t made for liftoff and lateral flight. Packing more fuel in doesn’t help. We’d need a bigger engine and don’t have time to invent one. So we need to lighten the MDV.

“We have an idea. The MDV can be its normal weight on primary descent. If we made the heat shield and outer hull detachable, they could ditch a lot of weight after landing at Ares 3, and have a lighter ship for the traverse to Ares 4. We’re running the numbers now.”

“Keep me posted,” Teddy said. He turned to Mindy. “Miss Park. Welcome to the big leagues.”

“Sir,” Mindy said.

“What’s the biggest gap in coverage we have on Watney right now?”

“Um,” Mindy said. “Once every 41 hours, we’ll have a 17 minute gap. The orbits work out that way.”

“You had an immediate answer,” Teddy said. “Good.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I want that gap down to four minutes,” Teddy said. “I’m giving you total authority over satellite trajectories and orbital adjustments. Make it happen.”

“Yes, sir,” Mindy said, with no idea how to do it.

Teddy looked to Mitch. “Mitch, your email said you had something urgent?”

“Yeah,” Mitch said. “How long are we gonna’ keep this from the Ares 3 crew? They all think Watney’s dead. It’s a huge drain on morale.”

Teddy looked to Venkat.

“Mitch,” Venkat said. “We discussed this-“

“No, you discussed it,” Mitch interrupted. “They think they lost a crewmate. They’re devastated.”

“And when they find out they abandoned a crewmate?” Venkat asked, “Will they feel better then?”

Mitch poked the table with his finger “They deserve to know. You don’t think Commander Lewis can’t handle the truth?”

“It’s a matter of morale,” Venkat said. “They can concentrate on getting home-“

“I make that call,” Mitch said. “I’m the one who decides what’s best for the crew. And I say we bring them up to speed.”

After a few moments of silence, all eyes turned to Teddy.

He thought for a moment. “Sorry, Mitch, I’m with Venkat on this one,” he said. “But as soon as we come up with a plan for rescue, we can tell Hermes. There needs to be some hope or there’s no point in telling them.”

“Bullshit,” Mitch grumbled, crossing his arms. “Total bullshit,”

“I know you’re upset,” Teddy said calmly, “We’ll make it right. Just as soon as we have some idea how to save Watney.”

Teddy let a few seconds of calm pass before moving on.

“Ok, JPL’s on the rescue option,” he said with a nod toward Bruce. “But it would be part of Ares 4. How does she stay alive till then? Venkat?”

Venkat opened a folder and glanced at the paperwork inside. “I had every team check and double-check the longevity of their systems. We’re pretty sure the Hab can keep working for 4 years. Especially with a human occupant fixing problems as they arise. But there’s no way around the food issue. She’ll start starving in a year. We have to send her supplies. Simple as that.”

“What about an Ares 4 presupply?” Said Teddy. “Land it at Ares 3 instead.”

“That’s what we’re thinking, yeah,” Venkat confirmed. “Problem is, the original plan was to launch presupplies a year from now. They’re not ready yet.

“It takes 8 months to get a probe to Mars in the best of times. The positions of Earth and Mars right now… it’s not the best of times. We figure we can get there in 9 months. Presuming she’s rationing his food, she’s got enough to last 350 more days. That means we need to build a presupply in three months. JPL hasn’t even started yet.”

“That’ll be tight,” Bruce said. “Making a presupply is a 6 month process. We’re set up to pipeline a bunch of them at once, not to make one in a hurry.”

“Sorry, Bruce,” Teddy said. “I know we’re asking a lot, but you have to find a way.”

“We’ll find a way,” Bruce said. “But the OT alone will be a nightmare.”

“Get started. I’ll find you the money.”

“There’s also the booster,” Venkat said. “The only way to get a probe to Mars with the planets in their current positions is to spend a butt-load of fuel. We only have one booster capable of doing that. The Delta IX that’s on the pad right now for the EagleEye 3 Saturn probe. We’ll have to steal that. I talked to ULA, and they just can’t make another booster in time.”

“The EagleEye 3 team will be pissed, but ok,” said Teddy. “We can delay their mission if JPL gets the payload done in time.”

Bruce rubbed his eyes. “We’ll do our best.”

“She’ll starve to death if you don’t,” Teddy said.

Venkat sipped his coffee and frowned at his computer. A month ago it would have been unthinkable to drink coffee at 9pm. Now it was necessary fuel. Shift schedules, fund allocations, project juggling, out and out looting of other projects… he’d never pulled so many stunts in his life.

“NASA’s a large organization,” he typed. “It doesn’t deal with sudden change well. The only reason we’re getting away with it is the desperate circumstances. Everyone’s pulling together to save Maia Watney, with no interdepartmental squabbling. I can’t tell you how rare that is. Even then, this is going to cost tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions of dollars. The MDV modifications alone are an entire project that’s being staffed up. Hopefully, the public interest will make your job easier. We appreciate your continued support, Congressman, and hope you can sway the Committee toward granting us the emergency funding we need.”

He was interrupted by a knock at his door. Looking up, he saw Mindy.

“Sorry to bother you,” Mindy said.

“No bother,” Venkat said. “I could use a break. What’s up?”

“She’s on the move,” she said.

Venkat slouched in his chair. “Any chance it’s a test drive?”

She shook her head. “She drove straight away from the Hab for almost two hours, did a short EVA, then drove for another two. We think the EVA was to change batteries.”

Venkat sighed heavily. “Maybe it’s just a longer test? An overnight trip, kind of thing?”

“She’s 76km from the Hab,” Mindy said. “For an overnight test, wouldn’t she stay within walking distance?”

“Yes she would,” Venkat said. “Damn it. We’ve had teams run every conceivable scenario. There’s just no way she can make it to Ares 4 with that set-up. We never saw her load up the Oxygenator or Water Reclaimer. She can’t possibly have enough basics to live long enough.”

“I don’t think she’s going to Ares 4,” Mindy said. “If she is, she’s taking a weird path.”

“Oh?” said Venkat

“She went south-southwest. Schiaparelli Crater is southeast.”

“Ok, maybe there’s hope,” Venkat said. “What’s she doing right now?”

“Recharging. She’s got all the solar cells set up,” Mindy said. “Last time she did that, it took 12 hours. I was going to sneak home for some sleep if that’s ok.”

“Sure, sounds good. We’ll see what she does tomorrow. Maybe she’ll go back to the Hab.”

“Maybe,” Mindy said, unconvinced.

“Welcome back,” Cathy said to the camera. “We’re chatting with Marcus Washington, from the US Postal Service. So, Mr. Washington, I understand the Ares 3 mission caused a Postal Service first. Can you explain to our viewers?”

“Uh yeah,” said Marcus. “Everyone thought she was dead for over two months. In that time, the Postal Service issued a run of commemorative stamps honoring her memory. 20,000 were printed, and sent to post offices around the country.”

“And then it turned out she was alive,” Cathy said.

“Yeah,” said Marcus. “We stopped the run immediately and recalled the stamps, but thousands were already sold. The thing is, we don’t print stamps of living people.”

“Has this ever happened before?” Cathy asked.

“No. Not once in the history of the Postal Service.”

“I bet they’re worth a pretty penny now.”

Marcus chuckled. “Maybe. But not too much. Like I said, thousands were sold. They’ll be rare, but not super rare.”

Cathy chuckled then addressed the camera. “We’ve been speaking with Marcus Washington of the United States Postal Service. If you’ve got a Maia Watney commemorative stamp, you might want to hold on to it. Thanks for dropping by, Mr. Washington.”

“Thanks for having me,” Marcus said.

“Our next guest is Dr. Irene Shields, Flight Psychologist for the Ares missions. Dr. Shields, welcome to the program.”

“Thank you,” Irene said, adjusting her microphone clip.

“Do you know Maia Watney personally?”

“Of course,” Irene said. “I did monthly psych evaluations on each member of the crew.”

“What can you tell us about her? Her personality, her mindset?”

“Well,” Irene said, “She’s very intelligent. All of them are, of course. But she’s particularly resourceful and a good problem-solver.”

“That may save her life,” Cathy interjected.

“It may indeed,” Irene agreed. “Also, she’s a good-natured woman. Usually cheerful, with a great sense of humor. She’s quick with a joke. In the months leading up to launch, the crew was put through a grueling training schedule. They all showed signs of stress and moodiness. Maia was no exception, but the way she showed it was to crack more jokes and get everyone laughing.”

“She sounds like a great girl,” Cathy said.

“She really is,” Irene said. “She was chosen for the mission in part because of her personality. An Ares crew has to spend 13 months together. Social compatibility is key. Maia not only fits well in any social group, she’s a catalyst to make the group work better. It was a terrible blow to the crew when she ‘died.’”

“And they still think she’s dead, right? The Ares 3 crew?”

“Yes they do, unfortunately,” Irene confirmed. “The higher-ups decided to keep it from them, at least for now. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision.”

Cathy paused for a moment, then said. “All right. You know I have to ask: What’s going through her head right now? How does a woman like Maia Watney respond to a situation like this? Stranded, alone, no idea we’re trying to help?”

“There’s no way to be sure,” Irene said. “The biggest threat is giving up hope. If she decides there’s no chance to survive, she’ll stop trying.”

“Then we’re ok for now, right?” Cathy said. “She seems to be working hard. She’s prepping the rover for a long trip and testing it. She plans to be there when Ares 4 lands.”

“That’s one interpretation, yes,” Irene said.

“Is there another?”

Irene carefully formed her answer before speaking. “When facing death, people want to be heard. They don’t want to die alone. She might just want the MAV radio so she can talk to another soul before she dies.

“If she’s lost hope, she won’t care about survival. Her only concern will be making it to the radio. After that, she’ll probably take an easier way out than starvation. The medical supplies of an Ares mission have enough morphine to be lethal.”

After several seconds of complete silence in the studio, Cathy turned to the camera. “We’ll be right back.”

“Heya, Venk,” came Bruce’s voice from the speakerphone.

“Bruce, Hi,” said Venkat. “Thanks for clearing up some time. I wanted to talk about the presupply.”

“Sure thing. What’s on your mind?”

“Let’s say we soft-land it perfectly. How will Maia know it happened? And how will she know where to look?”

“We’ve been thinking about that,” said Bruce. “We’ve got some ideas.”

“I’m all ears,” Venkat said.

“We’ll be sending her a comm system anyway, right? We could have it turn on after lading. It’ll broadcast on the rover and EVA suit frequencies. It’ll have to be a strong signal, too.

“The rovers were only designed to communicate with the Hab and each other; the signal origin was presumed to be within 20km. The receivers just aren’t very sensitive. The EVA suits are even worse. But as long as we have a strong signal we should be good.

“Once we land the presupply, we’ll get its exact location from satellites, then broadcast that to Maia so she can go get it.”

“But she’s probably not listening,” said Venkat. “Why would she be?”

“We have a plan for that. We’re going to make a bunch of bright green ribbons. Light enough to flutter around when dropped, even in Mars’s atmosphere. Each ribbon will have ‘MAIA: TURN ON YOUR COMM’ printed on it. We’re working on a release mechanism now. During the landing sequence, of course. Ideally, about 1000 meters above the surface.”

“I like it,” Venkat said. “All she needs to do is notice one. And she’s sure to check out a bright green ribbon if she sees one outside.”

“That’s what we’re thinking,” said Bruce.

“All right, good work. Keep me posted,” Venkat said.

“Venk,” said Bruce. “If she takes the ‘Watneymobile’ to Ares 4, this’ll all be for nothing. I mean, we can land it at Ares 4 if that happens, but…”

“But she’ll be without a Hab. Yeah,” Venkat said. “One thing at a time. Let me know when you come up with a release mechanism for those ribbons.”

“Will do.”

After terminating the call, he saw an email from Mindy Park arrive. “Watney’s on the move again.”

“Still going in a straight line,” Mindy said, pointing to her monitor.

“I see,” Venkat said. “She’s sure as hell not going to Ares 4. Unless she’s going around some natural obstacle.”

“There’s nothing for her to go around,” Mindy said. “It’s Acidalia Planitia.”

“Are those the solar cells?” Venkat asked, pointing to the screen.

“Yeah,” Mindy said. “She did the usual 2 hour drive, EVA, 2 hour drive. She’s 156km from the Hab now.”

They both peered at the screen.

“Wait…” Venkat said. “Wait, no way…”

“What?” Mindy asked.

Venkat grabbed a pad of Post-Its and a pen. “Give me her location, and the location of the Hab.”

Mindy checked her screen. “She’s currently at… 28.9°N, 29.6°W.” With a few keystrokes, she brought up another file. “The Hab’s at 31.2°N, 28.5°W. What do you see?”

Venkat finished taking down the numbers. “Come with me,” he said, quickly walking out.

“Um,” Mindy stammered, following after. “Where are we going?” She asked when she caught up.

“SatCon break room,” Venkat said. “You guys still have that map of Mars on the wall?”

“Sure,” Mindy said. “But it’s just a poster from the gift shop. I’ve got high quality digital maps on my computer-“

“Nope. I can’t draw on those,” he said. Then, rounding the corner to the break room, he pointed to the Mars map on the wall. “I can draw on that.”

The break room was empty save a computer technician sipping a cup of coffee. The urgency of Venkat and Mindy’s entrance caught his attention.

“Good, it has latitude and longitude lines,” Venkat said. Looking at his Post-It, then sliding his finger along the map, he drew an X. “That’s the Hab,” he said.

“Hey,” the technician said. “Are you drawing on our poster?”

“I’ll buy you a new one,” Venkat said without looking back. Then, he drew another X. “That’s his current location. Get me a ruler.”

Mindy looked left and right. Seeing no ruler, she grabbed the technicians notebook.

“Hey!” The technician protested.

Using the notebook as a straight-edge, Venkat drew a line from the Hab to Maia’s location and beyond. Then took a step back.

“Yup! That’s where she’s going!” Venkat said excitedly.

“Oh!” Mindy said.

The line passed through the exact center of a bright yellow dot printed on the map.

“Pathfinder!” Mindy said. “She’s going to Pathfinder!”

“Yup!” Venkat said. “Now we’re getting somewhere. It’s like 800km from her. She can get there and back with supplies on-hand.”

“And bring Pathfinder and Sojourner Rover back with her,” Mindy added.

Venkat quickly pulled out his cell phone. “We lost contact with it in 1997. If she can get it online again, we can communicate. It might just need the solar cells cleaned. Even if it’s got a bigger problem, she’s an engineer!” Dialing, he added “Fixing shit is her job!”

Smiling for the first time in weeks, he held the phone to his ear and awaited a response. “Bruce? It’s Venkat. Everything just changed. Watney’s headed for Pathfinder. Yeah! I know, right!? Dig up everyone who was on that project and get them to JPL now. I’ll catch the next flight.”

Hanging up, he grinned at the map. “Maia, you sneaky, clever, son of a bitch!”

#the martian #the martian andy weir #lgbt #lesbian rewrites #lesbiansafe

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actutrends · 5 years ago

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FanSided’s 12 Days of Christmas

Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Nobody wants birds. Here are FanSided’s 12 Days of Christmas, in accordance with the gifts our favorite sports and movies have given us this holiday season.

As Andrew Bernard learned the hard way, most of the gifts given in the famous “12 Days of Christmas” are just birds. In fact, if there are any wealthy bird fanatics out there who could afford it, giving your loved one the actual 12 Days of Christmas would amount to 184 birds in total. Nobody wants 184 birds for Christmas.

In light of this undeniable truth, our FanSided staff decided to get together and examine the real gifts our favorite sports and movies have given us this holiday season.

From college football to the NFL and NBA to the entertainment industry and beyond, we proudly present FanSided’s 12 Days of Christmas!

On the first day of Christmas, college football gave to me: a competent LSU quarterback

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow came out of nowhere this year to win the Heisman Trophy and lead the Tigers to the College Football Playoff. He’s the SEC record-holder for yards and touchdowns in a season and easily the best quarterback in LSU history. Then again, the bar was so low you could reach it without standing up. LSU quarterbacks have always held the team back and got Les Miles fired. This year was different, as Burrow was the best present LSU fans could have asked for. — Patrick Schmidt

On the second day of Christmas, the UFC gave to me: two Baddest Motherf–kers in the game

We have been so good this year and as a tasty reward, the UFC gave the fans something it wanted so much: a real Baddest Motherf–ker title, complete with its own belt at the biggest fight card of the year. Jorge Masvidal faced off with Nate Diaz to crown the official BMF in the UFC and when the dust finally settled, we saw Masvidal with the strap around his waste and a potential second BMF fight for next year … and his opponent might be none other than Nate’s big brother, Nick. — Amy Kaplan

On the third day of Christmas, the NFL gave to me: an understanding of what a catch is

The NFL has long been flummoxed when trying to describe what a completed catch is in the rule book. No NFL fan or pundit could be given a better gift than making this a simple rule that was obvious in real time. Commissioner Roger Goodell comes through. — Matt Verderame

On the fourth day of Christmas, college football gave to me: four playoff teams

Four is the magic number when it comes to the college football postseason. LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and TK make the field this year. It’s the first time Alabama has not made the College Football Playoff, so that’s a gift right there if you’ve suffered from Alabama fatigue the last few years. — Patrick Schmidt

On the fifth day of Christmas, the NHL gave to me: five head coaches fired

The NHL is in a bit of turmoil as the holiday season rolls around. Between poor performances and a coaching abuse scandal that is rocking the foundation of the sport, the NHL has seen five head coaches relieved of their duties in just a few weeks. Watch out, your team may be next! — Mary Clarke

On the sixth day of Christmas, Hollywood gave to me: six feet of Adam Driver.

With The Report and Marriage Story already out, fall 2019 has been Adam Driver season and it all culminates in the release of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. The internet loves talking about Driver — Is he a good actor? Is he hot? Or is he just distractingly tall? From movies to memes, all six-feet(-two) of Adam Driver is the gift that keeps on giving. — Shea Corrigan

On the seventh day of Christmas, Luka Doncic gave to me: seven(ty-seven) marks of perfection

Seven is considered the perfect number, so it’s no wonder Luka Doncic wears two of them on his jersey. No. 77 on the Dallas Mavericks was already likable, and exactly no one should be surprised what he’s doing given how much he accomplished as a professional overseas before coming to the NBA, but his production at age 20 is literally unprecedented. Averaging 29.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game is flirting with triple-double territory that only Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson have ever ventured into for a full season, but he’s doing it on 61.8 percent true shooting as the primary reason the Mavs own the best offense in the league and a 19-10 record. Also, guess how many triple-doubles he had on the season? Not seven, but eight, literally one-upping perfection. Luka Doncic is incredibly fun to watch, easy to root for and right now, he’s the spirit of Christmas embodied on a basketball court. That spirit is perfect, and it wears two No. 7s across the chest. — Gerald Bourguet

On the eighth day of Christmas, in my nightmares Tom Hooper gave to me: eight stars as cats in Cats.

There are more than eight cats in the movie Cats (I Googled it) but there are eight legitimate stars — full-on award-winning, chart-topping movie and/or pop stars — donning the most deranged catsuits/fur technology you will ever see in Tom Hooper’s “musical fantasy” adaptation. (They are Idris Elba, Taylor Swift, Ian McKellen, Rebel Wilson, James Corden, Judi Dench, Jennifer Hudson and Jason DeRulo.) — Shea Corrigan

On the ninth day of Christmas, the Phoenix Suns gave to me: (hopefully!) turning the corner on nine years of misery

The Phoenix Suns haven’t been to the playoffs since 2010 (the second-longest active playoff drought in the NBA), they haven’t won 30 games since 2015, and even mentioning the names of draft whiffs like Josh Jackson, Marquese Chriss or Dragan Bender is enough to make the most diehard of supporters wince. But for the first time in Devin Booker’s career, he’s got NBA-caliber teammates and a legitimate head coach. The result? Career-best efficiency for Book, a Suns team that’s 11-19 despite facing one of the league’s hardest schedules and missing Deandre Ayton for all but two games, and a shot at finally taking the first step in a prolonged rebuild. This fanbase has continually been put through the ringer, but between having an actual point guard in Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre’s Valley Boyz wave and Aron Baynes filling in for the suspended Ayton, the Suns are taking their first step toward legitimacy by simply competing. Maybe the playoffs won’t happen after a hot start raised expectations, especially during a seven-game losing streak, but even cracking 30-35 wins would be encouraging. — Gerald Bourguet

On the 10th day of Christmas, soccer gave to me: a 10-point lead that Liverpool surely can’t let slip this time, right?

Sure, it would be nice for our true love to deliver us a compelling Premier League title race like we saw last season, but in the absence of that, we get to watch a buzzsaw Liverpool team that looks absolutely determined to snap the storied club’s 30-year league title drought. The Reds lead the Premier League by 10 points (with a game in hand) at Christmas. Of all teams though, Liverpool won’t be assuming it’s over, after they blew a Christmas lead last season. And the Ghosts of Christmas Past run even deeper since, via Opta “each of the last three sides to fail to win the title after being top at Christmas have all been the Reds (2008-09, 2013-14 and 2018-19).” For Liverpool fans, this could be the year they finally win the Premier League, and for us neutrals, we get to watch them hold their breath and see if maybe they can become the next Invincibles in the process. — John Wilkinson

On the 11th day of Christmas, the NFL gave to me: awesome young quarterbacks

After what feels like a century of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger, the league is finally churning the mix. Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and others are leading the way, ushering in what should be the standard for 15 years moving forward. More athleticism, more excitement and more possibilities. Great stuff. — Matt Verderame

On the 12th day of Christmas, MLB gave to me: So, so, so many presents because free agents are actually getting signed before Christmas

After a frigid market last winter left the top free agents unsigned through the holidays (and well beyond), it was refreshing to see big-ticket items Stephen Strasburg, Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon go off the board this December. Now, as we wait to see if contending teams open the checkbook for mid-level free agents too, let’s hope we can find a way onto the gift-giving list of those three. — John Wilkinson

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