#structural work.

[gubbicivilengineering]

Why Carbon Fiber Wrapping Is the Future of Structural Strengthening

Modern infrastructure demands durable, high-performance solutions that are fast, effective, and sustainable. With growing concerns about aging buildings, increasing seismic activity, and rapid urbanization, structural strengthening is more critical than ever. One solution rapidly gaining prominence in the construction and rehabilitation sector is Carbon Fiber Wrapping In India. It is transforming how civil engineers reinforce deteriorating or underperforming concrete structures.

The Rise of Advanced Structural Reinforcement

Historically, structural reinforcement has been accomplished by techniques like as concrete or steel jacketing. These techniques add a lot of dead weight to structures and are frequently intrusive and time-consuming. A lightweight, non-intrusive substitute with remarkable tensile strength and long-lasting performance is provided by carbon fiber wrapping in India. It works especially well in urban areas where time-sensitive repair operations and limited space are commonplace.

What Is Carbon Fiber Wrapping?

Applying layers of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets or laminates to structural elements such as beams, columns, and slabs is known as carbon fiber wrapping. These components combine to create a composite that greatly increases the original structure's load-bearing capability when bonded with specialty epoxy adhesives. For structural engineers seeking strength, durability, and efficiency, it is currently the preferred option.

Advantages of Carbon Fiber Wrapping Technology

The remarkable strength-to-weight ratio of carbon fiber wrapping is one of the strongest arguments for its preference among engineers in India. It is substantially lighter than steel and has ten times the tensile strength. This guarantees a small increase in structural loads. It is also perfect for high-humidity, industrial, and coastal settings because to its resistance to corrosion. Furthermore, the installation is quick and doesn't interfere too much with the building's current functionality.

Application in Commercial and Industrial Projects

Retrofitting solutions that don't sacrifice aesthetics or result in extended shutdowns are constantly in demand in India's commercial sector, especially in older high-rise structures. While preserving a neat appearance, carbon fiber covering offers structural integrity. This method has been used in numerous commercial projects by Gubbi Civil Engineers, a well-known brand in civil repair and retrofitting services, with demonstrated success and client satisfaction.

Importance in Seismic Strengthening

One of the most important uses for carbon fiber wrapping in India is seismic retrofitting. Building owners and developers are increasingly choosing CFRP wrapping to assure safety and compliance with the most recent seismic norms because of the subcontinent's susceptibility to earthquakes. Carbon fiber's elasticity reduces damage and collapse risk by enabling structures to disperse energy more effectively during seismic events.

Carbon Wrapping For Columns

Carbon Wrapping for Columns is one typical use for this technology. In order to recover or even surpass their initial load-bearing capacity, weak or damaged columns are wrapped. It's a common solution in public buildings and older industrial facilities that need to adhere to modern load and safety standards. By improving axial strength, shear resistance, and ductility, carbon wrapping makes columns more robust to lateral and vertical loads.

Carbon Wrapping For Beams

Particularly in parking garages, basements, and commercial structures, beams frequently experience cracking, bending, or shear failure. Without replacing the entire beam, carbon wrapping for beams can improve flexural capacity and restore integrity. Depending on the load requirements and structural analysis, the wrap can be placed in full-coverage systems or strips, guaranteeing precise and economical reinforcement.

Carbon Wrapping For Slabs

Slabs may droop or crack over time as a result of overloading or subpar construction techniques. An effective strengthening method for both above and floor slabs is carbon wrapping for slabs. This is particularly helpful in multistory buildings, malls, and warehouses where company continuity may be impacted by repair downtime. Wrapping removes the requirement for bulky steel-based retrofitting and restores load distribution capacity.

Minimal Disruption and Quick Installation

The simplicity of installation is another factor contributing to the growing popularity of carbon fiber wrapping in India. CFRP systems require less surface preparation for installation than steel jacketing or concrete encasement. Long curing durations or large machinery are not required. This makes it perfect for continuous operations, including those in manufacturing facilities, data centers, or hospitals that cannot afford long shutdowns for structural repair.

Ideal for Space-Constrained Environments

The problem with urban infrastructure is that there isn't much room for growth or structural change. CFRP wrapping preserves important square footage because it is only a few millimeters thick. Gubbi Civil Engineers has effectively installed CFRP systems in utility tunnels, elevator shafts, and narrow service corridors where space constraints made traditional reinforcing techniques impracticable.

Durability and Long-Term Performance

Wraps made of carbon fiber are chemically inert and resistant to the majority of aggressive substances, including sulfates, chlorides, and contaminants found in the environment. They are therefore perfect for coastal areas and industrial places. Structures encased in carbon fiber have a lifespan of more than 50 years when installed correctly. Over time, they are quite cost-effective because they require little upkeep.

Role in Sustainable Construction Practices

The need for sustainable materials is rising as India moves toward greener construction methods. By cutting down on construction waste, limiting carbon emissions from large machinery, and lowering the demand for resources like steel and cement, CFRP helps. In keeping with the environmental objectives of modern infrastructure projects, the lightweight design significantly lowers transportation energy.

Certified Application and Quality Control

Purchasing supplies from a reputable carbon wrapping manufacturer in India and making sure the application is certified are crucial for the best results. Delamination or inadequate bonding may result from improper installation. Gubbi Civil Engineers ensures long-lasting and code-compliant outcomes in all kinds of structural applications by using premium carbon fiber materials that meet international standards and adhering to a stringent quality control procedure.

Use Cases Across Sectors

Carbon fiber wrapping has a wide range of uses in India, from industrial retrofits and heritage preservation to public infrastructure and private high-rises. Bridges, parking decks, metro stations, water tanks, and even apartment buildings can use it. It is a future-ready option because of its versatility across different structural components, which guarantees that it can be customized for any project size or complexity.

The future of structural strengthening in India is Carbon Fiber Wrapping, thanks to the increased focus on efficiency, sustainability, and safety. It is a vital tool for engineers and developers since it can improve performance without changing the structural form or function. With seasoned experts like Gubbi Civil Engineers spearheading its implementation, India's building industry is set for a more robust and intelligent transition.

[secondbeatsongs]

Food Crime: Frosty the Slawman

so a while ago, I saw this photo going around on tumblr:

at first, I thought this was photoshopped. I mean, "welcome new man in your life"? that feels like a translation error, or someone being silly on purpose.

but guess what! turns out, Frosty Slaw Man is real!

and soon...he will be mine. let's get cooking

(full disclosure: I crafted this snowman and took notes about it over a year ago. and then, like with many things in my life, I forgot about him, and let him drift into the ADHD void of Things I'm Not Currently Staring At, where object permanence is tentative and largely unrealized.

but here we are! and here he is: the slaw man. it's time to share him with you, so that you can suffer as I have suffered, and/or rejoice in my gelatin creation!)

so this recipe photo originally came from Mid-Century Menu (archive link), a blog that seems like one after my own heart, and which once tried to make the Slaw Man (with not much success; but we'll get back to that)! but it's not just that blog that has copies of this ad. I also found it on reddit, and in a few different places on ebay!

lookit that guy! he's a real guy!

both the reddit post and some of the ebay listings say that this is from 1963 (though I haven't been able to figure out which magazines it was printed in, to confirm this for myself). but in looking this up, I discovered something else fun! there's another version of this ad!

Best Foods is what Hellmann's stuff is called on the west coast, and the "this is no place for second best" thing makes a lot more sense when you consider that the ad was probably made for Best Foods first, and then just reused and rebranded for the east coast

the more you know!

anyway the benefit of finding this alternate ad is that the scan on this image is a lot clearer, and so the recipe is more readable! and in looking at it, I've realized something important:

when Mid-Century Menu tried this recipe, they got an ingredient amount wrong.

when they made their beloved Slaw Man, they had the water amount written down as 1/4 cup, but looking at this scan up close, it is actually 3/4 cup of water! something that might make a significant difference, considering we're working with gelatin!

(there's also another change I want to make compared to what they did, when I do this recipe. but we'll get into that in a sec.)

for now: we begin

so. there's no way I'm making a Slaw Man this large. I am just one person, and considering the ingredients of this, I don't think I'm going to be able to consume that much Slaw.

two entire heads of cabbage? three pounds of cottage cheese, a thing that I don't even like to eat? no. that's a bad idea.

so I'm starting small here and making this 1/3 the size of the original:

2 packets of unflavored gelatin 1/4 cup cold water 1 cup mayo 1 tsp salt 1lb cottage cheese 4 cups shredded cabbage

surely this will result in a reasonable amount of Man

...okay, I started chopping the cabbage thinking it would be easier, but I've given up and pulled out a grater. this is much better! and somehow more violent (affectionate)

the recipe says to soften the gelatin in cold water, and then stir over hot water until it's dissolved. I'm going to assume "stir over hot water" means a double boiler, so let's do that

hmmm, the gelatin is very foamy? it’s melted, but the bottom of the pot feels really....sticky

okay. after a couple minutes more and no change, I’m calling this good enough.

so one thing that others who have attempted this recipe have not taken into consideration is the cottage cheese. you see, the others used normal cottage cheese, but the recipe says to use "cottage cheese, cream style"

I’ll be real, I’m not 100% what that means, since we don’t have that here. but I can take an educated guess! so let’s blend the cottage cheese!

(with an immersion blender. I am not willing to wash an actual blender because of this)

mmm, yes. very smooth

...actually. why isn't all cottage cheese like this? the thing I hate about cottage cheese is the texture, so why isn't it all smooth and creamy like this?? I could eat this!!

a new discovery is made every day in this house.

okay, time to start mixing things together.

ah, frosty. I opened a whole new thing of mayo for you! do you feel special?

(I'd make a "pre-dinner snack?" joke, but sometimes I think I'm the only one that remembers Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time)

okay, the mayo, cottage cheese, and salt have been added to the gelatin. but as this cools, the texture is getting...hmm. less than appealing.

lastly: the cabbage

oh. oh this is not very nice

next it says to pack the "salad" into a one pound container, and two six-cup bowls, but since I made this recipe so much smaller, I'm going to uhhhh. uh. find some bowls that seem like they'd be correct...snowman? proportions?

ah. this bowl is too big.

hey, these'll work!

now I just have to let them chill for a while, and continue another day.

(edit from current!me: ahhh oh my god I forgot this was pretty soon after we adopted Jackie! look at these cat pics that I took while I was food crime-ing!

look at them having their little interactions! Knuckles was trying so hard to be friends with her! I love them)

hello! two days later and we are ready to assemble the slawman. and my sibling has started referring to him as "frosty: attorney at slaw", so that's fun.

I've done a thing where, as these set, I flipped them around in the bowl so that hopefully they'd be more round. we'll see if they actually stay like this.

I have also made some decorations for him out of peppers, olives, and carrots!

let's build our boy

oh he's so heavy. and wobbly

no no no he almost fell over!!

okay. he's fine. but more skewers were needed.

and...okay. he is complete.

behold!

gaze upon my beautiful man!

(he is not structurally sound! he wobbles unsteadily as I rotate him! there are already cracks forming in the gelatin around where his arms are! don't worry about it!)

 now it's time to stab him

and...to devour him

this tastes like...a bland coleslaw? and not even that. it's just sort of a salty, cottage cheese-y cabbage. the ingredients don't combine to become something greater, they simply...sit there. like this.

and the texture is...mmm. it's not a jello kind of texture, but it is a bit squashy in a way that's mildly strange.

it's very creamy once it softens in your mouth.

...I don't like this!

and look! taking just that one chunk from him was enough to destabilize him entirely :(

RIP frosty. now I just have to see if I can eat all of you before you go bad.

(note from current!me: I could not.

 I ate maybe half of him over the course of many days, often adding other stuff to him to try to add some flavor: bacon, frozen peas, cheese, etc. but even with that, I just couldn't stomach him.

after a while I stuck what was left of him in the freezer, hoping that maybe I'd find the will to consume the rest of him some other day.

do you know what a frozen-and-then-thawed mixture of cabbage, cottage cheese, mayo, and gelatin looks and tastes like?

bad. the answer is: bad.

I threw him out pretty quickly after thawing him.

do not try this recipe at home)

[cataclysmictide]

Pain's Like Cold Water Your Brain Just Gets Used To It

No Complaints - Noah Kahan/That Funny Feeling - Bo Burnham/Ask Polly: Help I'm The Loneliest Person In The World - Heather Havrilesky/Ladybird (2017)/Tennessee Williams/unknown/No Complaints - Noah Kahan/Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)/Ask Polly: Help I'm The Loneliest Person In The World - Heather Havrilesky/That Funny Feeling - Bo Burnham/No Complaints - Noah Kahan/That Funny Feeling - Bo Burnham/Unknown/Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)/'Ectesy' - Georges Bataille/Warsan Shire/Ladybird (2017)/How to Cure a Ghost - Fariha Róisín/That Funny Feeling - Bo Burnham/No Complaints - Noah Kahan

[cosmicredcadet]

Soulmates are inherently amatonormative and it's so wild how many people refuse to acknowledge that and instead go around trying to "make it more inclusive" which mostly just leads to then forcing aspec characters into a amatonormative narrative.

[quess-art]

Rain - The Dark Urge Memento Comic

⇐ Previous | Memento of The Dark Urge | Next ⇒

[wonderhorror-sys]

my biggest advice for (especially but not exclusively new(ly discovered)) systems is... to take everyones advice with a grain of salt. whats good for one system is catestrophically bad for another. a lot of posts frame their advice as perfect and infallible (which i doubt is intentional on the posters part), but it really isnt. just do what works best for your system.

[nonomikun]

happy valentines day! :D

i was thinking about either redrawing my old work or making something new...but just ended up exploiting my old idea XD

the lyrics are from unreleased dallon weekes song "valentine"

( o˘◡˘o) reblogs appreciated!

[hypewinter]

"Excuse me!" Batman heard a tiny voice call. He immediately jumped down to a balcony where a small boy was standing in his pajamas. A boy who looked remarkably like one of his own.

"There's a monster under my bed. Can you come shoo him away?"

Batman wanted to say no, he really did. But the kid was so small and he reminded him so much of his boys that he relented. Batman allowed himself to be led inside and to a room where he crouched under the bed to see.... a mirror.

[imvec]

Sequel to Sunshade

[gubbicivilengineering]

Seismic Retrofitting with Carbon Fiber Wrapping: Ensuring Earthquake Resistance

Seismic retrofitting is a crucial engineering practice that strengthens structures against earthquakes. In regions prone to seismic activity, buildings and infrastructure need reinforcement to withstand ground movements. One of the most effective modern solutions is carbon fiber wrapping, a high-performance technique that enhances structural durability. This article explores how carbon fiber wrapping services in India are transforming seismic retrofitting, ensuring the longevity and resilience of critical structures.

Understanding Seismic Retrofitting

Retrofitting existing structures to make them more earthquake-resistant is known as seismic retrofitting. Lateral pressures produced by earthquakes have the potential to seriously harm structures and cause instability or collapse. Seismic retrofitting improves safety, lowers repair costs, and mitigates dangers by strengthening infrastructure, bridges, and buildings. Steel bracing and concrete jacketing are used in traditional retrofitting techniques, but more recent substitutes, such as carbon wrapping in India, provide more strength and durability without adding undue weight.

What is Carbon Fiber Wrapping?

Carbon fiber wrapping is a cutting-edge method of reinforcing structures by encircling structural components in sheets of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP). These lightweight, high-strength materials offer remarkable reinforcement without changing the original design. In contrast to traditional techniques, carbon fiber wrapping for slabs, beams, and columns provides a smooth and effective way to increase load-bearing capacity while halting degradation and cracking. It is an extremely long-lasting, time-efficient, and economical structural improvement technique.

How Carbon Fiber Wrapping Enhances Earthquake Resistance

One of the primary concerns in seismic retrofitting is improving a structure’s ability to absorb seismic forces. Carbon wrapping for beams, columns, and slabs enhances structural resilience in several ways:

Increases Strength & Load Capacity: CFRP sheets reinforce concrete elements, preventing failure under seismic stress.

Improves Flexibility & Ductility: Carbon fiber wraps, in contrast to stiff materials, permit controlled deformation, avoiding brittle failure.

Minimizes Crack Propagation: Carbon fiber's strong tensile strength keeps cracks from getting bigger and preserves structural integrity.

Lightweight and Corrosion-Resistant: CFRP is not overly heavy or degraded by environmental conditions like steel reinforcement is.

Applications of Carbon Fiber Wrapping in Seismic Retrofitting

Carbon fiber wrapping is widely used for reinforcing various structural components in seismic-prone areas:

Columns with carbon wrapping are strengthened and are less likely to buckle or fail when subjected to seismic stress.

Beams with carbon wrapping have improved bending and shear strength, which guarantees stability when the ground moves.

Slab carbon wrapping improves load distribution, reduces seismic damage, and stops flexural fractures.

Reinforcing bridges and flyovers makes transportation infrastructure more resilient to earthquakes.

Step-by-Step Process of Seismic Retrofitting Using Carbon Fiber Wrapping

Structural Assessment & Evaluation

To determine the building's seismic susceptibility, a thorough assessment is carried out. To choose the best reinforcing plan, engineers look for damage patterns, load-bearing restrictions, and weak spots.

Surface Preparation

To guarantee that the carbon fiber sheets adhere properly, the structural surfaces are leveled, cleaned, and mended. High-strength repair materials are used to fill up any cracks or flaws and produce a consistent surface.

Application of Primer & Bonding Agents

To improve CFRP sheet adhesion, a specific epoxy-based bonding agent is used. This guarantees that the reinforcing material and the existing concrete will form a solid chemical bond.

Installation of Carbon Fiber Wraps

Strategically, pre-cut CFRP sheets are wrapped around slabs, beams, and columns. To ensure uniform reinforcement, several layers are applied in accordance with the structural requirements.

Curing & Quality Inspection

In order for the epoxy to solidify and create a strong bond, the wrapped structure must go through a regulated curing procedure. Strength, adherence, and efficacy are checked through quality inspections.

Advantages of Using Carbon Fiber Wrapping for Seismic Retrofitting

Carbon fiber wrapping provides several advantages over traditional seismic retrofitting methods:

Quick Installation: Less downtime than concrete jacketing or steel plate reinforcement.

Minimal Structural Changes: Increases strength without requiring significant changes.

Cost-effective: It is Less expensive than alternative retrofitting methods in terms of both labor and materials.

Long-Lasting Protection: Extremely resilient and requires little maintenance.

Why Choose Gubbi Civil Engineers Limited for Seismic Retrofitting?

Gubbi Civil Engineers Limited is a leading provider of carbon fiber wrapping services in India, offering advanced seismic retrofitting solutions. With expertise in structural strengthening, we ensure:

premium CFRP materials to provide better reinforcement.

professional engineering solutions adapted to the needs of the project.

Effective implementation with little interference with business as usual.

structural resilience and long-term durability.

For buildings in earthquake-prone areas to remain safe and long-lasting, seismic retrofitting is crucial. A better option that offers unparalleled strength, flexibility, and durability is carbon fiber wrapping. This method improves seismic resistance, lowers maintenance costs, and maintains the integrity of the infrastructure by reinforcing slabs, beams, and columns. You may rely on Gubbi Civil Engineers Limited to provide dependable and effective seismic retrofitting solutions if you're looking for skilled carbon wrapping in India. For a professional evaluation and reinforcement strategy, get in touch with us right now!

[quicksilversnails]

Took some notes from the Wild Life retrospective episode of the Imp & Skizz podcast featuring Grian because I thought the behind the scenes info was really interesting!

(3:15) The wild cards were all kept totally secret from the players (apart from Grian), with the exception of the superpowers and finale (as they required the players to set keybinds)

(3:45) The players were given files containing the required mods each week, which were named things like "creeper rain" to throw them off

(4:12) Wild cards were a combination of data packs and mods

(4:38) Grian told them not to read the folder name to avoid spoilers (which is kind of impossible), so everyone fully believed there would be creeper rain lol. Grian was saying it in jest but everyone took it seriously and were apologetic about having seen it, to which Grian told them not to worry

(6:58) Grian originally contacted a data pack dev called Brace for help with programming the wild cards. Some, like the shrinking/growing could be achieved with minecraft attributes, but the snails were too janky and unusable. Grian still liked the idea though, so he reached out to mod developers Henkelmax and Breadloaf, who designed the pathfinding/behaviour from scratch

(8:49) They had a debugging mode used to test the pathfinding of the snails, shown in the podcast and in Grian's credits

(10:09) Grian wants most of the credit to go to the development team and artists, as he was mostly in charge of ideas & organization!

(10:39) Grian's only regret with the snails was that they were too fast in session 3, leading to unexpectedly many deaths. They were apparently not so difficult to get away from during testing, but perhaps the testers were more used to them than the players were

(11:44) Grian: "We did develop to the lowest common denominator" ie. prioritizing how players would struggle over how worrying about if players would do too well

(12:56) Oli's voice for the snails was iconic. It cost Impulse a life because he intentionally stayed closer to it to hear the voice lol

(13:42) Danny was in charge of the snail models and animations

(14:11) During testing, the snails just sounded like Oli, which made it feel weird. They pitched up his voice so that it'd be less immediately recognizable

(15:18) The snails' jumping attack was meant to be clearly telegraphed: they would stop, wiggle, make a "ooeee" sound before jumping. Many players had their friendly creatures volume turned very low/off (as cows and other mobs are loud), which made this attack much less obvious for them

(16:57) The growing/shrinking had the least testing done for it, as it was the simplest conceptually and to program. This meant that the falling off of blocks due to the shrinking hitboxes wasn't anticipated

(17:55) Before the 1st session, Grian told them that he didn't think anyone would die to the wild card. Pearl's death made Grian pretty nervous, as he didn't want everyone dying too early in the season

(19:29) 6 lives were given, knowing that many of the death to the wild cards were unexpected/unfair. The intent was for ~3 lives to be allocated for wild cards, and ~3 for PvP.

(21:13) The developers were all fans of the Life Series!

(22:43) The shrinking/growing was intentionally pretty simple to ease players/viewers into the concept and build up toward more dramatic wild cards like the snails

(25:38) In the hunger episode, Grian didn't know which foods would be good

(25:58) Grian thinks that "it's unfair that Grian already knows everything" is valid criticism, but that it's important for him to be involved with the ideas. Having someone else do that is like having someone else record his videos: Life Series is his brainchild

(26:35) Well before the season began, while they were still developing the concept, Grian asked the other players for wild card ideas that would meet a few criteria. All of them ended up being unused for one reason or another. Impulse thinks his ideas were very "inside the box" because he was viewing things through what was possible in vanilla Minecraft. His idea was to have a scavenger hunt where the players would search to find a relic. The first person to find it would get a buff. Skizz's idea was for every player to turn into a random passive mob for every given interval of time. They would have to find every other player of the same mob type as them or else the whole group loses a life.

(29:44) The food qualities were weighted by the rarity of the item, so very common blocks like dirt and cobblestone would never give anything good. The other items were randomly selected

(30:23) Regular blocks/items cannot be made edible normally, so they had to circumvent that and custom code a fix for items not stacking correctly

(32:41) While a lot of players do want to win, the main priority is creating entertainment, which prioritizes playing recklessly

(33:20) The food wild card wasn't included in the finale because it would've felt like "too much". There was a higher risk of technical issues since it changed the data values of items, and Grian didn't want someone's last death to be because they ate their sword. In his mind, it was a good and fun wild card, but didn't need to be repeated in the finale. Impulse points out that they all would have collected more rare items by that point, removing the incentive to search for blocks to eat

(33:46) The wild cards in the finale were nerfed from their original sessions. The shrinking/growing had a smaller height range, the snails moved slower, etc.

(36:21) The personalized snail skins were a late addition by Danny, who made 18 skins very quickly

(36:49) Grian did not anticipate the snails becoming as popular with fans as they were. After the session released, they had the idea to release the snail merchandise, which directly funded the rest of the season

(39:20) Grian spent what "felt like every day" testing with the developers. They'd record the sessions on Tuesdays, meet up with the dev team, talk about what need to be done, testing, bugs, etc, edit and upload on Saturday, and would get a few days grace before starting again

(40:01) After the snail session, Grian was worried that the season would be very short due to all the deaths. They were considering toning down the later wild cards but ultimately didn't change them too much

(40:36) The time wild card was carefully balanced. If it had gone even a little faster, many players likely would have died because they wouldn't have time to react to threats like baby zombies or creepers.

(40:57) While sessions normally run for a variable amount of time, session 4 was hardcoded at 2 hours. Grian ended the session ~10 minutes early, just after they hit max speed, because he felt like things were getting dicey

(42:46) When the wild card first activates, it looks a lot like the server had frozen or crashed. Grian told the players before the session started that it would look like the game was broken, but that it isn't broken. Skizz tabbed out anyway and missed the beginning 😔

(43:30) Having the rain start just as the wild card began was a good visual indicator of time slowing down. This was a suggestion from the dev team (probably Brace)

(44:41) Impulse and Grian "cheesed" the end of the session by going branch mining. Grian wanted players to take advantage of the wild cards (eg. mining quickly, helping to kill someone), and not have them just be an annoyance.

(45:30) Keeping the client and server-side time stay in sync was challenging. The sky's motion was changed to be smoother on client-side. The players were also not as fast as the server (around 2x faster), the server was going faster than that, and the time of day was even faster

(46:56) The sounds were pitched up/down based on the speed to add to the effect

(27:46) In testing, if the players were made 7x faster, it would be basically unplayable, which was why it was capped at 2x speed. This made mobs very dangerous, as they were now faster than players and could catch up to you and kill you easily

(49:01) On several occasions, they had to extend the fuse duration of creepers to make them more fair. In the time session, their speed was only increased by ~10%

(49:39) Usually, Grian was the one to test the wild cards and notice when things like creeper speed would be an issue, since he was the one with experience making videos

(50:50) A challenge with balancing wild cards is accounting for the playstyles of so many players: reckless players like Scar and Skizz, "kind and gentle" players like Bigb who would stay off to the sides, and "the sweat squad" (Scott, Impulse) who play very cautiously

(52:48) Trivia Bot was the only wild card that was not planned in advance. Grian was struggling to come up with a wild card for that episode, and wanted to have a wild card available that could give people lives in case many people died to early wild cards without it feeling cheap.

(53:33) Trivia seemed a little boring on its face, so presentation was essential

(54:34) This one made Grian the most stressed due to all the moving parts involved in making it (coding and pathfinding mostly by Henkelmax, visuals by Hoffen, audio/music, questions)

(55:08) Trivia Bot's design was based on Grumbot and Mettaton from Undertale. Hoffen drew concept art shown in the video

(58:32) They show Trivia Bot's custom animation for becoming a snail and it's really cool

(59:12) The music was the most stressful part of the project. Grian spent 2-3 days looking through Epidemic Sounds for a Trivia Bot theme song and couldn't find anything good. He commissioned Zera @hopepetal for a theme song, which is played in the podcast. However, Grian realized he needed a full audio package, so he commissioned Oli late in development, who created the final soundtrack and many audio variations

(1:01:38) Grian wants to send appreciation for everyone who worked on the project, even if their work ultimately went unused

(1:02:58) Skizz was happy to give back however he could by staying on standby in the final episode as a zombie, as the players were able to "reap all the benefits" of the hard work of the development team

(1:05:21) Grian didn't know any of the trivia questions beforehand, which were done by fans of the series. The goal was for ~50% of the questions to be answered correctly, which was approximately met

(1:07:11) Players couldn't get questions about themselves because it would be too easy. This would encourage players to leave their bot, allowing other players to mess with them

(1:07:57) Grian felt a little left out from the discovery element of the wild cards, and decided to mess with Scar by hiding his bot. He wasn't expecting Scar to die from it, and could tell that he was genuinely a little upset by it. Grian felt bad about it, which led to a genuine in-game alliance between them

(1:12:32) Grian was very close to letting Trivia Bot give lives as rewards, but decided it would feel too cheap

(1:14:38) Mob swap was slightly toned down, with more camels and sniffers spawning

(1:15:07) Evokers didn't drop totems anymore. Instead, there was a minuscule chance a warden or wither would spawn, which would drop a totem if killed. Grian was a little disappointed that the warden got cheesed in the end

(1:17:45) Having the mobs start passive and turn hostile was mostly for the presentation, building anticipation, and so players could predict where mobs would spawn and react accordingly, making things feel less unfair

(1:20:32) There was no superpower made for Skizz (or Mumbo presumably)

(1:20:38) The superpowers were another late addition. There was a large design doc where Grian created all the powers, which were handed over to Henkelmax and completed over 4 days

(1:21:42) Grian avoided superpowers involving strength, that could cause someone to die easily. Most of the powers were social or movement-based, which couldn't be used for offence as easily

(1:22:25) Some powers were randomly assigned, others weren't. Impulse's was random. Cleo's, Bigb's, Lizzie's, Grian's were assigned.

(1:24:25) Grian gave himself the mimic because it could easily backfire (like in Grian's fall damage death), and because it would've been confusing for a player who wasn't aware of the other powers. They likely would've spent the episode just figuring out how everything worked and not actually using the power to its best ability

Lots of discussion about the superpowers and how they interacted in the episode itself, go watch if you're interested :)

(1:33:38) Talk on how the series "standard" rules evolved since 3rd Life. There was no keep inventory, and no restrictions on enchanting levels or potions, which created slow or unbalanced fights

(1:36:23) 3rd Life was designed to be an experimental series, which made Grian eager to improve it. For example, some people just weren't dying in 3L, leading to the boogeyman in LL, and so on

(1:37:17) The goal with the seasons isn't to one-up the previous one, but to create a different experience every time, which keeps things engaging for the creators

(1:38:31) At the end of each session, Grian would ask the group if they had fun and how they felt about the wild cards. According the Skizz, the answer was "a resounding yes"

(1:39:08) Grian had moments throughout the season where he personally felt like things didn't go well for him, and was anxious for the rest of the group's episodes. Things worked out while editing the raw footage, though. His issues were never with the wild cards themselves, but his own actions (traps not working, spending too long branch mining), but would always find funny moments in his footage

(1:43:41) Everyone in the Life Series cast genuinely likes and genuinely respects everybody else in the group. This allows them to make the show and get mad at each other, because they know it's all just in-character

(1:44:50) It'd be hard to top Wild Life in spectacle, and Grian doesn't want to start an arms race with himself. The next season could potentially be closer to 3rd Life, but Grian's not sure yet. For Grian, Wild Life was the most enjoyable

(1:45:20) Grian: "As long as people keep enjoying [the Life Series] then I'd love to keep doing it"

(1:49:35) With the finale, Grian knew how the wild cards played out the previous sessions and was able to adjust them

(1:49:56) Grian's goal was to create safe chaos where everyone knew what was happening and wouldn't die to them, which didn't go entirely to plan. The snails were 60% of their original speed and people still died

(1:51:03) Grian made a precise timeline of when each wild card would start/stop, it wasn't randomized.

(1:54:16) All the superpowers were randomized, with Bdubs' power being removed from circulation because it didn't have much use in a finale setting

(1:56:10) It was important for Grian that in the final moments, the wild cards were removed, so there were no interruptions. The timing worked out well because there were a few people left and it ended within ~10 minutes (this implies that the change wasn't based on # of players alive, as people had speculated based on Gem's death)

(1:58:48) The players all randomly switched to zombie skins throughout the session to mess with people on NameMC. Well-played :)

[discard-celestia]

USE MOUTHWASH / DO NOTHING

[beaft]

funny to think that when i was a kid i was all "i REFUSE to ever work an office job, i am a wild creature, my spirit is free and tempestuous and cannot be contained within cubicle walls" and now at the age of [REDACTED] i'm like please. please give me an office job. please give me a sensible office job where all i have to do is get up at the same time each day and clock in and send emails and clock out again. i am on my knees begging.

[keferon]

Ey kef i have a question for apocalypse ponyo au

Is there the potential for crustacean mers?

Think cleaner shrimp first aid

Or just a giant fuckin crab man with hands

Prawn Brawn

Carcinization is a goal if you want to achieve it

I mean. Ahahah. I need to confess I cannot imagine a shrimp mermaid without laughing. For me it’s like putting clown makeup on a character. You can have someone being a crab or a shrimp but I will not take them seriously even for a second

[rustchild]

one of the wild things about people’s stubborn insistence on misunderstanding The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas is that the narrator anticipates an audience that won’t engage with the text, just in the opposite direction. Throughout the story are little asides asking what the reader is willing to believe in. Can you believe in a utopia? What if I told you this? What about this? Can you believe in the festivals? The towers by the sea? Can we believe that they have no king? Can we believe that they are joyful? Does your utopia have technology, luxury, sex, temples, drugs? The story is consulting you as it’s being told, framed as a dialogue. It literally asks you directly: do you only believe joy is possible with suffering? And, implicitly, why?

the question isn’t just “what would you personally do about the kid.” It isn’t just an intricate trolley problem. It’s an interrogation of the limits of imagination. How do we make suffering compulsory? Why? What futures (or pasts) are we capable of imagining? How do we rationalize suffering as necessary? And so on. In all of the conversations I’ve seen or had about this story, no one has mentioned the fact that it’s actively breaking the fourth wall. The narrator is building a world in front of your eyes and challenging you to participate. “I would free the kid” and then what? What does the Omelas you’ve constructed look like, and why? And what does that say about the worlds you’re building in real life?