#the advance? none of these issues. the tubing does not get in the way of the spring.

[moreclaypigeons]

FUCK this thing

We (me on this current pump) deserved so much better...

do you remember how we used to run....

[blu-joons]

When He Carries An Item Specifically For You ~ BTS Reaction

Jin:

His eyes watched as you began to walk around the kitchen, tucking your hair behind your ears again and again to try and keep it out of the way. “Here,” Jin smiled, taking off a band from around his wrist.

You glanced back at him as he held out the hairband, scraping all your hair to the back of your head. “Where did you find that? I’ve searched the kitchen from top to bottom for one.”

“I always have this one on me,” he proudly informed you, tying up a ponytail for you. “I know how much you like to have a hairband, so now I’ve always got one on me.”

Your eyes glanced back at him, “I would never have thought that would have been something you would do, it’s really thoughtful.”

“Anything to make your life easier,” he hummed, turning back to the food, and also make sure none of your hair ends up in my meal too.”

“Yeah, I guess that is another advantage of wearing a band for you.”

Yoongi:

You let go of a groan as you noticed how low the battery on your phone had become whilst travelling on the back of the bus. “Wait a minute,” Yoongi mused once he noticed what you were annoyed about.

You watched him run over to his bag, returning a few moments later with a phone bank in his hand. “I knew your phone would probably run out of battery, so I packed this in advance.”

“Really?” You chuckled, quickly plugging it into your phone to give the battery a bit of a boost. “I never even knew that you had one of these on you, how long have you had it?”

He sat himself back down beside you, “I bought it in case of emergencies, a bit like this one. I’ve just never needed to get it out before.”

“You’re a life saver,” you chuckled, placing your phone down on the table, “thank you for doing something so kind for me Yoongi.”

“One day you’ll listen to me and get a new phone too.”

Hoseok:

You fumbled around in your bag, desperately searching for the pen that you were convinced you had in there. “I’ve got one, don’t worry,” Hobi assured you, searching into the bottom of his own bag.

Your hopeful eyes watched him, letting go of a huge sigh of relief when he pulled a pen out from his rucksack. “I didn’t realise you carried around such meaningless things in that bag of yours.”

“I don’t usually,” he laughed, “but I know how often you lose your pens, so I thought it would be safer to keep one in mine, and then you can always write down your ideas.”

You quickly scribbled down your notes on your pad of paper, “I can’t believe you ever thought to do something so sweet for me, and I didn’t even notice.”

“The point was that you weren’t to notice,” he smirked, kissing the side of your head. “Or at least you wouldn’t even if you kept a better hold of your pens.”

“I promise, I’ll keep them safer with me from now on.”

Namjoon:

You were oblivious to your hand that picked at the dry skin on your lips as you sat down in the café until a hand stretched across the table. “This might solve your problems,” Namjoon told you.

Your eyes looked across to see him extending a lip balm from his back pocket to you. “Where did you even find this? Have you got some sort of magical bag that I don’t know about?”

“I noticed how often your lips dry up, so I thought it would be helpful to have a lip balm on me at all times,” he told you, as if the whole thing were no big deal.

As soon as you’d applied the balm, everything felt much easier. “It’s a big deal Namjoon, to know you care that much means a lot to me.”

“If it makes your life easier, then it’s nothing,” he smiled, placing it back in his pocket once you were done. “How does that feel, better?”

“It feels a lot better now, thank you so much Joon.”

Jimin:

As soon as you walked into the studio and out of the window your hands were running through your hair to unknot it. “I’ve got this,” Jimin suddenly spoke, pulling you gently to one side of the room.

The feeling of a brush running through your hair suddenly took you by surprise, as you glanced back to see what he was doing. “I didn’t realise you had brushes lying around the studio.”

“They’re not, I just put this one in my bag when I saw the weather because I know how funny you are about your windswept hair,” he told you, removing every single knot for you.

Once he was done, you brushed your hands through your hair with ease. “I don’t even know what to say, that’s such a sweet thing for you to do.”

“It’s one less thing for you to worry about,” he hummed, kissing the top of your head. “And now your hair looks perfect once again.”

“No one would ever be able to tell, thanks to you.”

Taehyung:

Your hands scratched at each other as you tried to distract yourself from how quickly they were drying up, when a tube of hand cream was placed into your lap. “I think this might be some use to you now.”

You glanced across at Taehyung, who simply shrugged his shoulders back at you. “Did you just pull this out of your bag? I didn’t even realise that you carried hand cream around with you.”

“I never used to, until I met you,” he informed you, taking the lid off for you. “But I know how important it is to you, so I decided to start having one with me.”

Your eyes lit up, smiling at how much more comfortable your hands now were. “I never even noticed; you really can be adorable sometimes.”

“Someone has to look after you seeing as you always forget to carry hand cream with you,” he teased, placing it back into his bag.”

“I’m very lucky indeed to have you look after me.”

Jungkook:

He knew as soon as you arrived at the BigHit building that you’d race off to find a mirror, solving the issue for you this time around. “You look perfect,” he spoke, holding up a mirror in front of your face.

It was only a small pocket sized one, but it was perfect for you to check your makeup in. “Well, that’s just saved me a job. I didn’t realise you liked to carry mirrors around with you.”

“It’s not for me, it’s for you,” he laughed, “I know exactly what you’re like. You love to check your makeup as soon as you arrive, so now I can help you in doing it.”

Your head shook, as you checked your reflection. “I can’t believe you know me that well. I can’t help that I look to look my best at your workplace.”

“I don’t mind at all,” he assured you, “but in my opinion, you always look good. You don’t need to worry about checking yourself at all.”

“You always did end up knowing the right things to say.”

---

Masterlist

[lihikainanea]

Hi.Lately I'm not doing great.It's my first year in university and I wasn't supposed do this one: I lowered my expectations cause' I couldn't afford my college dreams.I feel like I disappointed my pastself and also I'm struggling with some kinda of angry issues caused by sawing my past bullies have good time and success while I can't sleep at night from remembering all the stuff they did to me.Everything is so unfair and nothing is gonna resolve with time,karma doesn't exist.I'mtiredofthislife

Oh godddddddd, bullies, you know? Jesus I hate them. I was bullied really badly throughout junior high and high school and it still haunts me. I’ve had so, so much therapy for it.

I’m sorry, bubs. The first year of university is so hard anyway because it’s such a big change. I remember I really struggled with it--I was always a good student, but I was also used to teachers following us closely and knowing our names and helping when we needed it. Then I got to university where a class had 300 students, the teachers didn’t give a fuck, and you were basically handed a syllabus at the beginning of the year and you were suddenly the one responsible for managing your whole workload, and somehow one test was now worth 80% of your entire grade, I was expected to work and balance a full course load, and there were so many distractions.

And listen, that was during normal times. But having your first year of university, going through that big of a change when the world is already a fucking mess? I’ve said it over and over again and I’ll keep saying it--those of you who are students right now are some of the bravest, most courageous people I’ve ever known. It’s ridiculous what is being asked of you right now, and it’s normal to feel lost and overwhelmed and to feel this constant sense of dread and doom. What’s being asked of you is impossible.

Not being able to afford your dream college is terrible, and I’m sorry. But if I can let you in on a little secret--all of the very, very talented people that I work with have incredibly advanced degrees in the field from Ivy League schools.  I work in a real niche field, and I have none of those things. I have a degree in journalism. But I do have a knack, and I have an innate curiousity, and that has gotten me further than anything else so far. You make your path, you know? Every path is going to look different. But my not having 857960 PhDs from Havard still earned me a spot next to the guy who does. You’re in college, and you’re working hard. Focus on that, because that alone is an incredible feat of courage right now.

I know what you’re dealing with, with the bullies. The only reason I’m any kind of functional human being right now is the years of intensive therapy and the help of some serotonin boosters. School was....it was very rough for me, too. And I didn’t see a way out of it. I had a good support system, but I still went through hell. I won’t get into the specifics because I don’t want to trigger anybody, but for a good portion of high school and into university, I was in and out of long term clinical stays. I was on feeding tubes, at my darkest point.

There’s a way out, I’m proof of that. But I also don’t believe in toxic positivity, and I don’t believe that basking in your darkness is a bad thing. Don’t unpack and live there, but feel that anger and that sadness if you need to. It’s normal to feel fear and panic and anxiety at seeing those people again, especially randomly or spontaneously when you don’t have any control. There are still a few people--all these years later, all this therapy later--that if I saw in the streets, I’d take a swing at. You’ve gotta feel that darkness, navigate through it, to finally switch on the light.

Shit is unfair. The whole world is up in ends. I would question anybody who feels at peace in these times--but know that you’re not alone, that I’ve been there, and that nothing about anything right now is easy.

I’m worried about you. Message me in a day or two to let me know how you’re doing, wouldja?

[losingmymindtonight]

Trope: Losing Powers

Peter had been gone for 28 days, 17 hours, 43 minutes, and 27 seconds when F.R.I.D.A.Y. finally got a hit on his location.

Tony knew that because he’d had the counter running across every free screen for weeks.

There was no time wasted when the notification came in, not a second for gathering or regrouping or slowing to breathe. Just Tony, pushing the team forward with one-minded desperation. Steve scrambled to keep up, shouting terse orders and jogging just behind Tony as he stalked towards the Quinjet.

It took 3 hours and 16 minutes to get to the kid’s location. 4 minutes for everyone to organize. 7 minutes to advance on the heavily guarded research facility. 19 minutes to take out the guards, break into the winding hallways illuminated by fluorescent lights. 2 minutes for Tony to smell the blood.

It was all over the kid’s cell. The walls, the floor, the exposed pipe in the corner. Fresh and old, small smears and massive puddles. It was everywhere he looked. Blood, blood, blood.

Peter was in the center, strapped down to a medical table by fucking zip-ties. He’d been stripped down to a stained pair of boxers, hair longer than Tony remembered it being, eyes duller than he’d remembered them being. The kid let out a deep, guttural whine when the door opened, face twisting in a flinch, like he was expected a blow.

“Peter,” he breathed, staggering towards him, disengaging his gauntlets in his rush to touch, skin-to-skin, to offer the comfort he’d been deprived of for way too fucking long, “Peter.”

Glazed, brown eyes stared back at him. His pupils were blown. Drugs? Fear? The kid squinted like he was struggling to see him. Drugs, then. Maybe. Probably. “Mister Stark?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s me. It’s me, buddy.”

Peter’s head dropped back, lungs deflating. A delirious smile curled across his face, words lazy with relief. “You’re... a little short for a Stormtrooper.”

He blinked, brain still preoccupied with the metallic scent of blood aching in his nose and the incisions littering every visible inch of the kid’s skin and the fact that he could map every single one of his ribs and how sick he looked, how delicate and fragile and very not like the Peter he knew.

Then, he forced out a chuckle. Act normal, act cool. He had to hold it together for Peter. That was his only job. “Of course you’d make a Star Wars reference.”

“‘S my best quality.” The words must have sparked the kid’s memory, because some of the exhaustion on his face faded, and a thrum of panic took its place. He jerked against his restraints, chest heaving. “Mister Stark, I have to tell you something. I-”

“Shh,” he created a small knife with the suit’s nanites and started sawing through the zip-ties, carefully not to nick Peter’s already raw skin, “we can go through all that later, okay?”

“No, you don’t-”

He set a restraining hand against the kid’s collarbone. “Does this information put us in imminent peril?”

“No-”

“Then hush.” He finished with the zip-ties around his wrists and ducked to his ankles. “How bad are you hurt?”

“I dunno.” Peter’s voice was faint, eyes fixed on the ceiling. “Stopping feeling it weeks ago.”

Oh, Peter.

“Okay,” he choked out, wishing he was strong enough to hide the way that statement cut through his bones, “that’s okay. We’re gonna get you to the Quinjet, get you pumped full of the good stuff, and Helen’ll take care of you.”

“I don’t know if she can,” Peter whispered, voice broken.

“Hey,” he returned to the kid’s face, cupped his cheek, “none of that. Whatever she can’t fix, we’ll fix. Together. Okay?”

For a few beats, Peter just stared at him, wavering between his fear and the intrinsic trust he had in Tony.

The trust won. It always did.

“Okay.”

“Good boy.” He finished with the zip-ties, reengaged the gauntlets, but kept his helmet lowered. One of his arms slipped under the kid’s knees, wary of the dark bruising flaring across the left one, while the other went to support his back. Before fully scooping him up, he paused. “Ready to blow this joint?”

Peter rested his head against the suit’s metal shoulder, voice a tired murmur. “So ready.”

“Good.” The kid was light. Way lighter than he remembered him being. He tried to make a joke of it as he walked to the door, his precious cargo cradled closely to his chestplate. “We’ll have to get a burger in you ASAP, squirt.”

For some reason, the comment made Peter choke on a sob. “Y-Yeah. I guess.”

Despite how much the sound of the kid crying hurt, he consigned the reaction to the hysteria of being freed rather than anything more serious. He could still remember the plane flight back from Afghanistan, sitting against the wall, feeling something tickle his face and reaching up to realize that they were tears. Rhodey kneeling in front of him, concern written all over his expression. Are you okay, Tones? He’d shrugged. I don’t know.

He’d locked himself away in the bathroom for the breakdown, waited out the episode before stumbling back to his seat and staunchly ignoring Rhodey’s stares. Peter, on the other hand, just turned his face into Tony’s shoulder and quivered, teeth digging into his lip as he cried.

“It’s alright.” Tony soothed, moving silently through the smoky halls. Which side had set off the smoke bombs? He couldn’t remember. “You’re safe now.”

Peter nodded, short and sharp, hiccuped on a sob, then coughed.

At first, Tony thought he’d just worked himself up enough that his lungs were rebelling. He’d done it before. Or it could’ve been the smoke, although it had dispersed enough that it wasn’t bothering him, even without the helmet.

“Easy,” he muttered, catching a glimpse of the exit in front of them, “we’ll be out of here soon. A little sunshine’ll do you good, I think.”

He’d expected the kid’s coughing to abate once they got into fresh air. Except... it didn’t. If anything, it was getting worse. He jogged up the ramp to the jet, ignoring the team’s questioning looks, and made a bee-line for Cho.

She met him halfway, eyes already cataloging Peter’s visible injuries. “When did the coughing start?” She asked, guiding them over to a medical bunk.

Tony deposited Peter carefully, letting the suit leak away and pressed his bare palm against the kid’s shoulder, a silent reassurance. “Two minutes ago, maybe?”

“It was probably the smoke. His body’s struggling to adjust.” She shoved an oxygen mask into his hands. “Here. I need to check out these incisions.”

He knelt by Peter’s arm, lightly setting the oxygen mask over his face and brushing a few curls out of his eyes in the process. “There, buddy. Just try to relax.”

Peter groaned, another agonizing cough cutting the sound off short. His expression was twisted up in discomfort. Tony glanced over at Helen as he scrambled to keep the mask pressed firmly over the kid’s face, feeling strangely frantic. “He’s in pain. Can we fix that, please?”

She nodded, stepping back. “I brought his pain meds. Let me just-”

“No,” Peter rasped, shaking his head violently enough that it spurred him into another round of coughing, “no, don’t.”

“You don’t have to be brave about this, Pete, it’s alright to need-”

“Can’t.” A wheeze. Peter winced. “You’ll... You’ll overdose me.”

Cho scoffed. “Peter, I’ve been treating your metabolism for long enough to-”

“They took my powers,” Peter rasped, cutting Tony off. “They-”

The end of the sentence got lost in another round of wheezes and gags, but it had been enough to get the point across.

Tony’s frantic eyes met Cho’s surprised ones.

He shook his head, desperate not to believe it. “That... it can’t be...”

“It makes sense, Tony,” she murmured, shock melting into thoughtful understanding, “his muscle mass is severely depleted, and his healing factor hasn’t been working properly. Some of these wounds are days old, and they’ve only just started to heal.”

No. No. “Could just be malnutrition.”

“Maybe. But we should trust him.” Cho glanced over Peter with concern as his breaths got shorter. “It’s better to assume the worst so we can prepare for it. If he’s really lost his powers, that means that any medical issues he had before would be back. Is there anything-”

Tony’s eyes widened, symptoms clicking into place. God, he was so fucking stupid. “Shit, Cho. He had asthma. Has asthma. He... He has asthma. Really bad, I think.”

Understanding fell across Cho’s face. Her eyes darted to Peter’s heaving chest, then up to the ceiling. Her voice was terse. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., do we have any albuterol on board?”

“Yes. It is located in Medical Locker 12A.”

Cho was moving all at once, grabbing tubing, a mask, a dark black box that Tony assumed must be something important, and a handful of other things. She put them together with the kind of familiarity he imagined didn’t come only with being in the medical field, she’d done this before, often enough that each action had become muscle memory, but he didn’t comment on it.

“This is a nebulizer. It’ll get the albuterol into his lungs more effectively than a rescue inhaler at this point,” she explained. Her voice softened as she finished assembling everything, eyes landing on Tony’s. “He has to sit up.”

“On it,” he replied, slipping behind Peter and settling his back against his chest, shushing him gently as he tried to gag in another breath.

Cho handed him the nebulizer’s mask without another word, and he tossed the oxygen aside in favor of the new setup. 

“Just do your best to breathe, Peter.” Cho flicked on the machine, and it hissed. There was a surprising amount of sympathy on her face. “I assume you probably know the drill.”

The kid nodded, then dropped his head had against Tony’s shoulder, staring up at him like he was an anchor, something to tether him to Earth.

“Hey,” he whispered, desperate to fulfill the role Peter was so obviously imploring him to take, “you heard Cho. Just breathe. The meds’ll help soon.”

They did, too. Five minutes later, and Peter was slumped against him, breaths deep and borderline greedy, eyes shut with exhaustion, Cho was prepping an IV of plain-old morphine, supplies laid out to clean the dozens of wounds scattered across the kid’s body, and Tony was still holding the kid, one arm braced around his chest and the other holding the mask to his face.

The nebulizer stuttered, and Cho gently slipped it out of his hands. “We’ll do another treatment in 20 minutes or so, just to be safe. Are you feeling better now, Peter?”

“Yeah,” he breathed, eyelids fluttering open. He stared at Tony, expression full of guilt, “I’m sorry.”

“For what? Scaring the shit out of me? Yeah, you should be.”

Peter let out a wet laugh. “You’re gonna be doing this a lot now.”

“Doing what?”

The kid gestured at himself. “This. My body’s stupid. Can’t even breathe right. I step wrong and I sprain my ankle.” He glanced away, cheeks red. “‘M useless.”

“First of all, you’re not useless.” He used his free hand for force Peter’s gaze back to his face. “And second of all, you’re talking like I’m not gonna fix this. Which I am, by the way. You’ll be back to Spider-Manning and scaring the shit out of me in increasingly inventive ways before you know it.”

“What if you can’t?”

“Do you doubt me?”

“No, of course not.” There was something needy in Peter’s eyes. “But what if you can’t?”

He studied him silently, picking each word with caution. “Then I guess I’ll add a rescue inhaler to the list of things I keep in my pockets at all time. No biggie.”

That seemed to relieve whatever fear had been lurking under the kid’s skin, because he sank back into his chest and didn’t even flinch when Cho placed his IV. “Thank you, Mister Stark.”

He smiled, warm and fond. “I am gonna fix it, though. Just saying.”

The kid’s eyes fell shut again, mouth quirking up in amusement. “Of course you will.”

[healthyandfitness-diy]

via HEALTHY AND FITNESS https://ift.tt/2DHMpsA

Lifestyle Habits That Can Make You Infertile

If you are thinking about getting pregnant or have already been trying, it is never too late (or too early) to assess your lifestyle choices. Starting healthy lifestyle habits - or giving up bad ones - can profoundly improve your overall health and some lifestyle changes can improve fertility in both you and your partner. The human body is closely tuned to its environment - especially when it comes to making babies. Our day-to-day habits, what we are exposed to, even what we are born with have an impact on us about our health and well-being. Fertility is one such aspect of our health that is also affected by our various lifestyle habits. Lifestyle habits and decisions have a huge influence on health as well as on fertility. These may have hidden consequences that influence our health without our knowledge. It is well established that factors as diverse as smoking or alcoholism to conditions like obesity or poor nutrition and even advancing age affect fertility.

Hence, awareness of these lifestyle habits that impact fertility is essential for maintaining good reproductive health. Here HEALTHY and FITNESS outlined some practical lifestyle recommendations that can help increase fertility among both men and women.

1.     OBESITY

Obesity affects reproductive capacity in both males and females. Obesity has an emotional and psychological effect on the persons suffering from it, affecting their chances of reproduction.

In Women: In the case of female fertility, a woman’s weight can hugely affect her hormone production. Being significant, underweight or overweight can inhibit normal ovulation and can contribute to menstrual irregularities. An obese woman can take longer to achieve pregnancy than a woman of normal weight and obesity increases the chances of miscarriages. Obese women are also more likely to suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which also affects fertility. It is important for women to measured by a body mass index (BMI) calculator and maintains a weight that is considered medically healthy.

In Men: Obese males suffer from decreased testosterone levels and are at greater risk of impaired sperm production and reduced sperm quality. Obesity also decreases sex drive in men.

2.     TOBACCO CONSUMPTION

Reasons ranging wide from stress to peer pressure, smoking is a habit that once taken up, it is hard to let go.

In Men: Cigarette smoke contains different components, the most significant of which is nicotine, which is converted into a substance in the body that affects the movement of sperms in men. Cigarette also contains heavy metals like cadmium and lead, which affect sperm density. Cigarette smoke also damages the DNA of sperms, while chewing tobacco affects the structure of sperms. It is proven that smoking cigarettes decrease sperm production.  

In Women: Smoking cigarettes ages a woman’s ovaries and depletes her eggs prematurely along with other health problems. Thus, a woman will struggle to become pregnant if she does not have healthy eggs. Smoking is associated with miscarriages, ectopic pregnancy by damaging fallopian tubes (damages its ability to move the fertilized egg towards the uterus) or by causing blockages in fallopian tubes, as a result of which the meeting of egg and sperm is prevented.

3.     STRESS

None of us can avoid stress, we need to acknowledge and manage your stress. However, for some couples, trying to get pregnant can cause extra worry or anxiety, especially if one or both of them have concerns about infertility. Too much stress or depression leads to hormonal imbalances that can eventually cause fertility problems. Sustained stress may interfere with the hormones needed for sperm production. Sometimes infertility itself can lead to stress so it is important for couples to find a healthy way to release stress during the time they are trying to conceive.  If you feel like stress is affecting your relationship or your health, then consider consulting with a counselor or psychologist who can help you with coping strategies. You may also enjoy trying stress-relieving activities, such as yoga, meditation or massage. Meditation, yoga, and exercise help in a great way to relieve day-to-day stress and anxiety.

4.     OLDER AGE

In addition to affecting their chances of conceiving, older women also are more likely to give birth to children who have genetic or other inborn effects. They also suffer from an increased risk of miscarriages. Men and women are most fertile during their 20's and their ability to reproduce decreases drastically in the late '30s and '40s.  The 20s are the ideal age for women to reproduce. By the time a woman reaches her mid-30s, the quality, as well as the number of eggs in her, begins to decline. In men, sperm quality decreases with age.

                                                                                                          Age, Fertility in Men vs Women!

Looking young, feeling young and being young are all different - when science comes into the picture. Although some women may look young even in their 40's, that does not mean they are as fertile as women are in the 20's. Some men may look well built and fit in their late 30's or 40's, but this cannot explain the high likelihood of birth defects that occur when these older men have children.

Men - Time Trial:

Men can produce sperms throughout their life after the onset of puberty. However, they have their own issues and disadvantages relating to age. As they grow older, the cells (Sertoli and Leydig in the testes) which are responsible for the production and maturation of sperms start to deteriorate in viability and decrease in numbers. Thus, although older men can produce sperms, these may have defects, which may lead to birth abnormalities in children born to them. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a condition whose prevalence increases with age, causing a problem in sexual functioning leading to infertility.

Women - Inborn Restrictions:

Women possess a finite number of eggs in their ovaries at the time of birth and that is all they have for their lifetime. One of these eggs is released every month as a part of the normal ovulation cycle. Thus, with every month and year that passes, the number of eggs in the ovaries decreases and the chances of them getting pregnant also start decreasing. The ability to reproduce in women is restricted to age because the multiplication of the germ cells (cells that give rise to mature eggs) in an unborn baby stops in around 20 weeks. Thus, women are born with fixed numbers of oocytes (eggs).

CLICK TO KNOW: How Your Saliva Can Help You Get Pregnant? Best Time To Conceive A Baby And Fern Test

5.     ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

In Women: Studies have shown that drinking too much alcohol decreases the levels of steroid hormones (which include sex hormones), also resulting in abnormal menstrual cycles in women. When alcohol is consumed, it is converted into substances that cause oxidative damage to DNA and proteins. Ovulation disorders are found to increase with heavy drinking. Women who are trying to get pregnant must completely stop drinking alcohol. Heavy drinking during pregnancy also affects the well-being of the baby.

In Men: Sperm production is also affected by men who are heavy drinkers. More the consumption of alcohol greater is the degradation of the quality of sperm.

6.     HORMONE IMBALANCE

Hormonal imbalances occur due to stress, lack of sleep, etc. Hormones are signaling molecules produced in our body that is sensitive to both external and internal stimulus. Their levels can fluctuate based on a wide variety of factors such as the date of the menstrual cycle in women, stress, or even disorders like those of the thyroid. Estrogen and progesterone are essential to sex hormones whose imbalances can affect ovulation and fertility in women. They modulate the ovulation cycle in women and hence hormonal imbalances can be a risk factor for infertility. In men, hormones like prolactin and estrogen influence the production of another hormone called testosterone, while also affecting sperm production by the testes.

7.     DO NOT GET OVERHEATED 

An elevated temperature, around your scrotum, reduces sperm production. For sperm to mature, the scrotal temperature must be a couple of degrees below normal body temperature that is why the testicles are located outside the main body, in the scrotum. Whenever you spend long hours sitting behind a steering wheel or in front of a computer screen, the temperature of your scrotum and testes may increase by a few degrees. This rise in temperature may drop your sperm production and reduce your fertility. Do not spend excessive time in hot tubs, wearing tight underwear, holding a laptop directly on the lap and other activities that increase the scrotal temperature.

8.     POLLUTION

Recent studies have also implicated air pollution to produce a poor quality of egg or sperms and increased miscarriage rates. It is therefore important to increase exposure to a greener and cleaner environment, making sure to avoid exposure to toxins that may be present in the surroundings as these may also contribute negatively to infertility.

Some chemicals can produce an effect of the female hormone in the male body, which can lead to reduced sperm production. Herbicides, pesticides, insecticides and other chemicals can also affect the sperm’s ability to bind to an egg during fertilization.

9.     AVOID EXPOSURE TO TOXINS       

Exposure to toxins can affect female hormones and the health of eggs/ova in women. A certain profession may result in more exposure to these toxins. For instance, industrial workers are exposed to drugs and chemicals during manufacturing processes and dental assistants are exposed to high levels of nitrous oxide. Further, hair stylists and agricultural workers are some other occupations that may lead to diminished fertility due to toxic exposure.

10.                        AVOIDING MULTIPLE SEXUAL PARTNERS

Avoiding multiple sexual partners will help reduce the chances of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease. These diseases may impair the reproductive capacity if they are left untreated for long. Effects of STDs can lead to infertility in women specifically chlamydia and gonorrhea. The best way to avoid infection of STDs is to limit the number of sexual partners and practice safe sex. These infections can damage your fallopian tubes and uterus permanently.

11.                        BE WARY OF VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Regular physical exercise is important for not only weight loss and a healthier body it also helps to ease stress. However, the keyword is "moderate", physical activity should be done in moderation. If exercises are carried out to exhaustion, that is, if one exercises to the point where they suffer from severe pain, and if exercises get in the way of getting sufficient sleep or cause injuries, fertility may be negatively affected. Women who undertake frequent, intense exercise can experience ovulation problems. Excessive physical activity may inhibit ovulation and reduce the production of progesterone, which are essential in becoming pregnant. Moderate physical activity, like walking with your partner after dinner, can do wonders for your health and mind. For that reason, many doctors recommend that women who are trying to become pregnant should be limiting vigorous activity to no more than five hours per week.

12.                        LACK OF SLEEP

Persons who suffer from a lack of sleep have a substantially higher level of the stress hormones adrenocorticotropic and cortisol, both of which are known to inhibit a healthy fertility cycle. 

13.                        AVOID DRUG ABUSE

Aside from contributing to overall poor health, drugs and alcohol can lower the number and quality of a man’s sperm. Steroids specifically can cause testicles to shrink, decreasing sperm production.

14.                        EAT HEALTHY

A good diet has a double benefit - in addition, to directly benefiting reproductive health, this habit also helps maintain healthy body weight. A good diet can further prevent the development of diseases like diabetes, one of the many complications of which is reproductive problems. Increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, which are rich in antioxidants, while consuming caffeine only in moderation, are also beneficial to reproductive health. Do not consume foods that are high in fat and preservatives. Conditions caused due to improper food intake, like celiac disease (gluten sensitivity), can also affect a woman’s fertility. 

One rarely lends a thought to the more permanent effect of their habits on their health. Even when such things are considered, people examine other aspects of their health, taking their reproductive health for granted. It is high time that this behavior is changed.

Lifestyle changes alone may not help you get pregnant if you or your partner has a medical condition that affects fertility. If you have tried to get pregnant for more than a year - or if you are a woman over 35 who have tried for more than six months, - you must consider to seeing a doctor for fertility testing.

Children are the light of one's life. Do not let poor choices deprive you of experiencing the joy of their existence!

For any other type of suggestions and questions on this topic, you can connect with us through the comment box below. 

Disclaimer: Only generic information is provided in this content and this is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult your own doctor or a specialist for more information. HEALTHY and FITNESS do not claim responsibility for this information.

[neshabeingchildish]

07. Feeding the Monster

Well, I’ma be real with y’all. I haven’t made any new white friends in ages, lost many of the associates that I once had in recent years and honestly have like 2-4 in my life that I’m comfortable with on a genuine friendship level. But. a lot of young people tell me about how disappointed they wind up when they first recognize that their friends don’t get their identities. Growing up in SETX, in a city surrounded by hick towns with active Klan my entire lifetime, none of the “racial climate” of America is new to me or mine. But, I do realize that in some places, people somehow never witness or experience a racially motivated situation early in life. I don’t know if that’s a blessing or a curse. To be honest, it’s so normal where I’m from, I don’t know what the attitude might be for people who have only managed to get dosages of it in “Trump’s America.” Regardless... I wanted to do this sort of Charlotte-centric racial piece and ultimately decided that A Chasper Fic was where I would put it. Though, it could easily be a standalone with Chasper shipping. Anywho, TW for racial discrimination, harassment and racial isolation. I know that affects a lot of folk and don’t want too much heartache.

Feeding the Monster

Most people don't know Charlotte. That's one of the world's greatest gags, in her opinion. She was always straightforward. She's never been dishonest or fake. She may not always speak her mind, as she didn't always find that necessary and some people simply weren't worth her energy. But, even being as genuine and authentic as she had always been… people didn't really know her. People thought that they knew her. She was often a subject of conversation. Whether she was thought of as a booksmart nerd with no friends, or a pretty girl who probably was stuck up and that's why she had no friends..  Charlotte was aware of the mystery surrounding her.

Even her two best friends didn't get all of what there was there. They knew her habits and hobbies, but neither of them ever really knew her hardships. They never noticed and they never asked. It didn't surprise her. Neither was observant and that wound up being her role in their lives a lot of the time. But, she strongly believed that if she sometimes shared her issues, they would most likely have her back. Why trouble anybody with anything they'd never really have to deal with, though?

That gave her hardships too much power. She didn't ignore her problems. But, she liked to handle them in her own way and time, if it was worth either. Sometimes… things didn't go as planned, though.

.

Her parents didn't discuss it, unless of course it couldn't be avoided, but Charlotte knew early on that there was a difference between herself and most of the Swellview kids.

They didn't seem to have the haircare concerns that she did. Their skincare routines seemed vastly different. Whenever they watched TV and movies - they saw themselves in the characters and in public personas. Whenever she watched the same programs, she saw her surroundings, not her reflection.

It wasn't an issue that she was necessarily conscious of. She simply knew. She knew that different spaces held different volumes of viewable types. For instance, at a family gathering she knew she'd see perhaps sixty similar viewable types. But, at a school gathering she knew that she would probably only see six. That was simply a thing that she knew, like the sky is blue and 2+2.

As she got older, more tech savvy and reliant on the Internet; the differences became clearer. Not in the way that she felt some type of way about being different and her reflection being a minority… but she noticed that many of those souls in her surroundings felt a way about it.

Now, her two friends - they didn't really see it. She had been friends with both of them long enough to gather that much. They couldn't hear the dog whistle terminology or feel the aura when some bias was directed towards her. She would be annoyed by it at times, but mostly, she tried not to let the ignorance of others interfere with her day.

Whenever the ignorance triggered hatred, she'd sometimes gain an enemy. They might start a battle and she would feel like the one with the power to pick and choose those. She wasn't used to anyone else joining her, especially when she wasn't choosing to battle…

"It was dangerous. For all you know, the man is a psychopath and capable of killing you!" She fussed at Jasper, pulling him into the Man Cave by the elbow and carrying both of their bags. Henry looked up at the sound of her fussing, expecting to see Jasper with egg on his face or something. Instead, he saw blood.

"Whoa! What is happening? Who did that to Jasper? Tell me it was a wild animal!" He said, with his hand at the ready to grab his tube of gumballs.

"He fought like a wild animal, but trust me - the other guys were in way worse shape." She sat Jasper down, dropped their things and went to the auto snacker, "Three bags of ice." Henry fished for more details as she retrieved the first aid kit.

"Okay. I know I made you mad once and you socked me with a slab of meat, but THIS is way different. What the butt happened?"

"Some dude attacked Charlotte!" Jasper said while she was putting ice on his busted fists.

"WHAT?" Henry did have his tube of gum now and was pouring one into his hand.

Charlotte offered, "Trust me, for now the crisis has come to a halt."

Jasper went on, "He was following her and screaming obscenities when I walked up, and I heard him call her the worst thing that I've ever actually heard in my entire life."

"What did he say?" Henry asked, with the gumball at his lips. 

Charlotte snatched it away from him and resumed tending to a cut above Jasper's left eye, "I don't need two of you busted up. That fight could have easily been avoided. The guy was probably not gonna touch me and I was recording him with my phone, in case it escalated beyond the yelling and I would have just pressed charges. But Jasper comes along and immediately takes a swing at the guy, and nearly got murked by he and his friend!” She addressed his jaw next, with trembling hands. "Somebody like that is just looking for a fight. You don't GIVE it to them. You let them do their thing, then you either make them famous on the Internet, or if you’re me, you show them they're irrelevant by not feeding the monster." She was shaken up as she placed a bag of ice on his jaw. "What if they had weapons? You could have been seriously hurt. I could've seen my friend killed over a few slurs." 

"I'm sorry, but I didn't think about that when I heard him. That's revolting. Who says things like that to someone?" 

She stroked his hair and shrugged her shoulders. "It happens."

He leaned into her touch, "I know, but it shouldn't and you shouldn't have had to have it happen to you. Weren't you upset or angry or something?" Henry felt like he was witnessing some intimate moment, but was too concerned to dismiss himself.

Charlotte admitted, "I was furious and terrified. I usually am. But, I pick my battles and some bulky guy with a friend is not someone I felt like I should engage. You should’ve followed my lead."

Jasper pulled the ice from his face and said, "You usually are? How often has this happened to you?" He was horrified by the thought of it happening even once!

She shrugged her shoulders, but tears were trying to come out of her face. "You know, the first time I heard that word , I was 7, and by the time I stopped counting the times, I was 14 and had been referred to as something like that about a dozen times. The past few years, it's increased and people are more vicious about it. Like that guy… That's the 3rd time something like that happened this year."

"WHAT???" Jasper cried out. 

She shook her head and said, "Google it or something. I don't want to talk about it." She left to go pull herself together and Jasper put the ice back on his face.

"She's not upset that you fought him. She's embarrassed that you saw her go through something that sounds terrible. She doesn't like to look weak and stuff." Henry said and sat down. "So.. that dude. He said..  you know THE word. N word?"

"An N one followed by a B one," Jasper said, clenching his fist.

"Anybody would have punched him in the face."

"No. Not if it happens a lot and we didn't even know. We would have heard that someone punched somebody in the face for that, right?"

"Maybe. We're just now hearing how often it happens to her."

"I feel sick. How does this happen and she just… I don't know… Deals with it?"

"Same way you deal with your personal things," she said, coming back and forcing him to put the ice back on his jaw. "Speaking of.. your mom is gonna lose it when she sees this." She sighed, dreading the thought of what she might say to him about it. "Tell her you were defending Henry. She likes him."

Jasper put the ice aside and pulled her to himself to give her a hug. "I'm sorry that this is… frequent for you. And I'm sorry in advance… because if I'm ever there and that happens, I'm always gonna fight for you."

"I also will be fighting over this," Henry said, lifting a finger in the air. 

She pulled away from Jasper's hug with an escaped tear and a chuckle. "Well, you're both idiots," she said and walked off. But, there was something soothing about their declaration. It was almost like they finally got everything that there was there with her.

"Dude. I don't want to be the guy who flip flops on issues, but I'm relatively sure that you just bagged your girl," Henry said.

"You're joking. She's furious with me."

"She's furious that you got hurt over something that she's (sadly) gotten used to living with. I don't know anybody alive that's not turned on by someone else jumping in front of danger for them. I say this from experience of being a hero. You are in there, Jasp."

Jasper fought off a smile. It hurt his jaw. "I didn't do it for that. It was just a reflex. I'm not gonna use this as my plot to get her. That seems gauche. I just… really want her to feel like we're here for her when she gets treated like that." Jasper was thinking about what she'd said earlier. Him dealing with his mom was vastly different from having strangers accost you on the sidewalk just for existing. 

Ray came in and shook his head, "Who'd you tick off this time, Jasper?"

"Char says he won the fight," Henry told him.

Ray smiled, "Oh yeah? Against who? Some kid?"

"Dude was trying to hurt Charlotte…" 

Ray reached for his gumball tube, "Oh, really? She get a piece of him too?"

Henry shook his head. "She seemed really scared, Dude. Apparently people say racist stuff to her a lot?"

"WHAT?" Ray said, throwing gum into his mouth.

"She doesn't want us to go after him… But, Jasper, if we happen to see him or his friend somewhere, just signal and it's on."

"If I see him, I'm actually going to dropkick him in the chest, both feet, on sight." Jasper said.

"That'll be the signal then," Henry said and fist bumped him. 

Jasper winced, shook his fist and put it back into the ice. "You… really think this will make Charlotte see me differently?"

Henry quickly said, "Dude, you got your jaw rocked. We all see you differently right now."

Ray followed up with, "I see you differently, Jasper. Respect." He raised his fist and Jasper bumped it and powered through the pain. It was worth it. 

Charlotte returned and changed Jasper ice out, then looked at all of them suspiciously. "What are you three up to?"

"Male bonding." 

She rolled her eyes and said, "Well, take it easy on this one. He's had enough adventure for a while." Then, she strummed Jasper's hair again and gave him a smile before heading back to the store. All three of them waited until she was on the elevator to respond happily to that little gesture.

[sirfrogsworth]

The Grammarizationing of Frogman

So I just learned about Grammarly. 

I kind of wish I had known about this a long time ago. It is quite helpful, although it does slow down the text input a bit. I blame all of you for not suggesting this tool sooner. (Not really.)

Many years ago I dropped out of college after only 3 months because I got sick. I have always felt self-conscious about my grammar and vocabulary because I was never able to take more advanced writing classes. Usually, through excessive proofreading, I can fix most mistakes and feel semi-confident my grammar is decent. And over the years I have been on the lookout for new and interesting words to help expand my vocabulistics arsenal. But I always have this nagging feeling I am making small mistakes I’m not aware of. And I keep wondering about all of the coolass words I might have learned if I hadn’t gotten sick. I probably would have discovered something much more compelling than “coolass” to use just then. Like prestantious. Bodacious. Topgallant. Eximious. Neato. 

I used to have a famous viral joke about semicolons. I really am unsure how; to properly use a semicolon. People always try to teach me and give me examples. But for some reason, the information never seems to stick in my brain. So I end up avoiding them; all together. 

For my more significant essays, I will sometimes call upon my friend who is a writing teacher to help look over things. I actually learn a lot when she corrects and improves my writing. But I still wish I had the expert training that college could have provided. 

If there is a silver lining to my lack of writing guidance, I think it would be that I have been able to develop a more unique voice and style. I probably do things that make trained writers cringe from time to time, but I think it helps me keep things entertaining. I’ve noticed some English majors can get stuck inside the box of their training. The creative ones learn great ways to break the rules to avoid sterile patterns. But others can get very rigid, always playing by the rules. No dangling participles. No ending sentences with a preposition. I once invented the “quintuple negative” which makes them very ornery. By-the-book writers can sometimes be technically proficient, yet boring. They go on to write instruction manuals I believe. Which is important work to be sure. I’m especially fond of the Sony RM-YD103 remote control manual. Very clear guidance on how to change the inputs. 

(In all seriousness, competent writers of “boring” things are underappreciated. It is important work and you all deserve praise for it.)

Since a lot of my writing ability is self-taught I do feel freer to break convention and do my own thing. It’s like I am using a Jimi Hendrix approach to wordcraft. Those rules imposed by The Man can’t contain my epic prose. (Nor my humble attitude.) Cause I’m free as a bird now. 

Although I’m not sure birds have the mental capacity to appreciate their freedom. Many are content inside a cage getting fat off premium seed. Perhaps Lynyrd Skynyrd chose a poor metaphor. Amsterdam is pretty laid back about a lot of things. 

I’m free as an Amsterdamian. 

Amsterdamite? Amsterdamican? Amsterdammit, I have no idea. 

I’m free as a person from Amsterdam. 

You know what would be funny? Creating a small reserve in Amsterdam for hamsters. It could have those little exercise wheels and those clear balls. Tiny bongs to help relieve hamster anxiety. Maybe some multilevel tubing they can run around in. 

And they could call it... Hamsterdam.

What was I talking about? Oh, right... my lack of training giving me a unique style. I am free to write how I like and there seem to be no consequences. None, whatsoever. I would never do something like interjecting irrelevant bird and hamster tangents when trying to make an important point. That would just waste everyone’s time.  

If there were one major consequence of having no advanced training I think it would be my editing issues. I have a hard time being succinct and proofreading can take me a very long time. Often much longer than the actual writing of the thing. Sometimes after an editing pass I will end up making the essay longer. I’m allergic to brevity.  

In any case (a phrase I use way too often because I haven’t learned other options), Grammarly seems very helpful. Perhaps it will even tell me where to put the commas and periods when dealing with “quotations”.” (I’m never sure and often feel like I’m guessing.)

It probably won’t replace the expertise of my teacher friend, but I can’t ask her to look over every single thing I write. (Especially if it contains hamster drug use.) So Grammarly will be a nice solution for less important musings. 

[thetradeway]

Session 39 3 Apr 2021: If we were to go and look over the balcony we would see Ahleqs doing the robot

Right, so Carl is dead and Tarragon has been brought back to life. We took a long rest at the end of last session, so she only has a -3 penalty to attacks, saves and ability checks. The penalty reduces by one each time she finishes a long rest.

We are somewhat dismayed to find Zorya on the board with us (my level 12 halfling rogue from our other campaign). Mina demands to know why she wasn’t helping us in the fight with the flesh ripper. Joe has been helping me do Roll20 stuff for a little upcoming mini campaign of mine…

We spend a few minutes waiting for the people to level up who didn’t do it last week. Sophie is delighted to get 8 more HP, and the Woundbind spell at last. She spends some time picking fun new spells!

Duncan has decided not to take a level in rogue in spite of the fact that hiding is very in character for him; “It doesn’t work for me.”

Ed is snacking and will join us in a few minutes.

Duncan doesn’t recommend eating at Taco Bell; he says they gave him a ‘bready tube wrapped around a grey paste with the occasional lump’. There follows a discussion about various instances of food poisoning which I will not document.

Sophie posts a link to a Standard story about a lamp post.

It’s all kicking off in Tetbury.

Is everyone levelled up and ready? We decide not to wait for Ed. Then we waffle until he turns up anyway.

Brother Charity has been doing some sort of ritual for Carl - he lights candles around his body and prays, then goes to bed.

Everyone but Ahleqs spots that Tarragon is now marked with a scar. (She is concussed as well, on top of her penalty for being resurrected.)

Upon waking, they all have a little poke at the stuff in the sewer. Tarragon doesn’t poke; she would prefer to keep resting for now. Kessler makes a check with her Alchemist tools, and with an 18 she retrieves some teeth and spines from the flesh-ripper, and immediately gives them to Gideon.

Gideon thinks it might be a good idea to bring some of the flesh-ripper with us, to feed the Otyugh that attacked us on the way down here. There is some discussion of perhaps finding a way to use bits of the corpse to sort out the Mirt problem as well. (Put one of the heads in his bed…?)

We move on and find ourselves in a different part of the sewer. To our surprise, Brother Carl joins us. But - he was dead…? Ahleqs pokes him a bit. He feels squishy like a real human body…

It’s wet here and we hear the sound of frogs. Kessler decides to hold out some rations to them. She sees that the pond they are in is full of frogspawn. Do they get territorial when spawning…?

Kessler rolls a nat 1 nature check and decides to press ahead with offering the rations. Kessler the Frog Whisperer rolls 11 Animal Handling and manages to piss it off.

The frog tries to bite her, but misses - we roll initiative. Gideon thinks maybe we should turn back and try another way; these frogs are a bit bitey.

Melaina goes first. She tries a spell and casts Sleep on the aggressive frog. (With her Sharpshooter active. Gideon:  “You’re trying to put it to sleep - permanently!”) It doesn’t work as the frog has too many HP. Bugger.

Gideon has a go - he’s not sure what he wants to do. He proposes that we turn around and try another route. What about Kessler? “She can back away too! Let’s just wish them a good day and leave.”

Carl looks at Gideon who is backing away, and holds an action.

Tarragon backs up and takes the dodge action; we are the intruders here, let’s leave these guys alone.

If Ahleqs had Prestidigitation he could change Kessler’s flavour to make her taste horrible to the frogs. “She’s already quite bitter… I’ve been waiting to make that joke since the start of combat, I’m not ashamed to admit it.”

He makes an Insight check; he thinks that if he was in his bedroom with his choice of night time companion and someone burst in, with snacks or otherwise, he’d probably be quite cross. He too thinks we should back up and leave. He readies a spell just in case - he plumps for Minor Illusion.

Kessler is up. She uses Nimble Escape to Disengage as a bonus action. For her action she throws the rations she was holding for the angry frog. She would throw Gideon too if she could, he’d make a good snack for some frogs.

Ahleqs: “Are you saying Gideon is a snack? I ship it.”

Brother Charity holds an action to defend Carl, should the frog advance.

Melaina backs up and holds an action in case the frog gets nasty. We are all now backing up away from the frogs.

Ahleqs rolls Animal Handling as he has +3, and Kessler adds her Flash of Genius INT modifier as a reaction - but he rolls a nat 1. He can re-roll that if he Bends Luck - oh, no he can’t. DM ruling? He rolls again - and it’s another nat 1. He insults their frogspawn.

He manages to lead us back away from the frogs and back to the sewer. Are we still trusting Kessler with the map? Apparently so. She makes an INT check and rolls a 9. “We’re gonna be down here for a while guys.”

Ahelqs: “That’s okay, we’re getting all the side quests out of the way.”

There’s an awful lot of buggering about. Ed: “We starve to death in the sewer. Good session guys.”

No, Kessler finally finds her sewer legs and rolls at advantage like she should have been doing this whole time, and we find our way back to the Dagger. Shanks is waiting for us. She looks at us, covered in gore, and asks how it went; we don’t want to talk about it.

We’ve been gone two or three days. Is it dead?

We show her the giblets. “Yeah.”

Shanks points. “What’s that horrible thing with all the icky stuff coming out of it?”

Kessler: “That’s Gideon.”

Shanks asks what the flesh-ripper actually was. We make nature checks (Duncan makes a beer check first: “Ah, natural twenty.”) Gideon and Melaina saw how the flesh-ripper regenerated when we didn’t hit it with fire, so they tell her it was probably some kind of horribly deformed troll.

Shanks says that since it’s dead and the area is safe now, she and her people will look at fixing the place up. Gideon mentions the Otyugh; perhaps it will make a good guard monster? Just be sure to take a pork chop with you when you go down. And watch your toes.

Shanks says she will alert the scouts to its nature and position.

We can go back up into the Dagger for baths and food and alcohol.

Brother Charity has a proposition - he wrote to Mirt to invite him to dinner to discuss the issue with the spell (where he Charmed Mirt to make him stop asking about the unicorn statue and go away). There is a lot of waffle, everyone is talking at once so I don’t hear the end of Matthew’s proposition.

Before we head upstairs, Charity says that Mirt may have misinterpreted the letter and be waiting upstairs for us. Rather than land us all in it, (he did try to focus the blame on himself) he wants to go up with Carl while we wait down here and see if Mirt is in the Dagger. We could escape…?

Tarragon rolls a nat20 Insight check on Brother “Dodgy” Charity. She is extremely distrustful of Charity now. Gideon suggests just going with him anyway, but Tarragon pipes up to say she thinks we should let him go.

Is he going to sneak up? No, he and Carl intend to just waltz on in. We decide to stay put but send Melaina to eavesdrop. She rolls a nat 1 Stealth for 11 total. Kessler adds Flash of Genius again to make the just-fail a success.

Charity and Carl ascend the ladder, unaware that Melaina is following.

Charity and Carl meet up with Cass, who is in the cellar of the Dagger. He asks if the letter got to Mirt. She says yes it did. He rolls 11 Insight; she seems to be telling the truth.

She asks about the rest of us - he says she should go and say hi, and heads on up into the Dagger proper with Carl in tow.

Now that they’re gone, Tarragon has a word with the others and tells them what she knows about Charity’s magic - he’s not casting Divine magic like a Cleric or a Paladin should. We all agree that we don’t trust him as far as we could spit a rat, and none of us are sure exactly what Carl is.

Did he feel warm when Ahleqs poked him? Hard to tell through the robes, but he felt… human-y.

Kessler suggests maybe casting some healing magic on Carl. What would that do if he was undead…?

Or we could just sneak under the table and set his robe on fire. We start to scheme a plan to try and find out what Carl is, and maybe somehow to smoke Brother Charity out. And what sort of name is ‘Ardvack Darkspire’, anyway?

So we just kill him, yeah? Can’t be too careful.

Cass enters the cellar, asks us where we’ve been and why we stink.

Tarragon, proudly: “I died.”

We go up into the Dagger, where Cass has prepared hot baths and food for us. Ahleqs skims the chunks of gore off the top of his bathwater. (Ed suggests ‘the Wayfarers’ Colander’ as a purchasable item.)

Popcorn rushes in while Tarragon is in the bath, delighted to see her. She picks him up and puts him in with her and they splash about happily for a while. 

The Brothers have Prestidigitationed, so they are in the taproom waiting for food at our usual table. Mirt didn’t send a reply to Charity’s letter; he considers going to pay him a visit.

The rest of us arrive at our table. Kessler decides to cast Identify on Carl while Ahleqs distracts Brother Charity.

The door to the Dagger blows open - a swarm of folded paper cranes sweep in. One lands in each of our hands. When we unfold them, they are revealed as invitations to dinner, signed -M.

Mirt, presumably.

Kessler goes ahead with her Identify spell in spite of the odd interruption. DM asks Matthew what the result is of the Identify spell; Mina puts it in the chat for him to read.

Carl does not require attunement, but Matthew thinks Kessler ought to have bought him dinner first, Jesus. The spell takes a minute to cast, is she really going to spend a whole minute touching Carl? She only needs a foot touching his under the table. (Duncan can hear Matthew looking for a loophole.)

Does Carl notice the spell being cast on him? She rolls Stealth vs. Carl’s Passive Perception - a 9. What is Carl’s PP?

9.

Ah.

Joe would normally rule that Carl notices, in this case. But all she has to do is hold on to him for one minute…

There follows something of a scuffle. Carl tries to bat her hand away but she tells him there’s a splinter in his leg that she was trying to get out for him. Ahleqs casts a Minor Illusion of a scorpion on Carl’s leg, giving her ADV on her Deception check. Carl rolls Insight - “He’s the tits at this - ” but rolls a 3. He believes she is trying to swat the scorpion off his leg.

Charity makes a Perception check to see if he notices what’s going on - he rolls an 8, so he does not. He defends himself against Ahleqs’ accusations of abandoning us in the cellar. He sent Cass down to get us! He was just checking to see if Mirt was here!

Ahleqs: “Be more of a team player.”

Ahleqs asks him outright what Carl is; Charity tells him he’s his travelling companion. An odd and evasive answer.

Ahleqs says Charity hasn’t been especially forthcoming about who he is and what he’s doing. Charity says we weren’t especially welcoming.

Ahleqs: “We’re not charming, but at least we’re honest! We were just starting to come around to the idea of them! Yes they’re mysterious and shady and what the fuck is Carl, but - ”

And so on, while Kessler casts her spell. She knows what spells if any are currently affecting Carl - Matthew texts something to Mina. Upon reading this, Kessler backs away and runs straight for her armour and climbs inside, locking all the hatches and arming both the Lightning Launchers.

Oh fuck…!

Gideon asks what’s going on, and gives Charity a bit of a side eye.

The doors open again and a smartly dressed man comes in with a bundle in his arms. He sees us and approaches, ignoring the squabble above the table and the scuffle below it. “Formal wear for this evening.” He places the bundle on the table and leaves.

Ahleqs asks about his family name; Charity says his family used to own a manor house with a large dark spire. Nothing untoward.

If Ahleqs were to ask around the surrounding villages…? What would the inhabitants think? We don’t mind that he’s a horrid privileged posh boy, but is he raising corpses to do his fell bidding is what we’re really asking here. (He, I notice, doesn’t actually answer that question.)

Gideon puts his oar in. We all know what one another’s angle is, but none of us know what Charity and Carl are after. If Charity is unsure about our back stories, we can fill him in if he wants…? Ahleqs explains about Mr. Pickles, and about how sometimes he accidentally incinerates his friends, in hopes that Charity will feel inclined to share in kind.

Gideon looks out of the window to try to gauge the time; we have a dinner to get to. We need to know that Charity is on our side, at least as far as this evening.

With that, Charity divulges that it had been his intention not to drag all of us into this. He thinks his scheme might not be the most inappropriate.

What scheme?

He says he told Mirt that the rest of us couldn’t work out how to remove the statue from the maze, and was going to tell him that he had gone back and taken it afterwards without the knowledge of the rest of us. He was going to ask why Mirt wanted it and if he was aware of its true nature, and perhaps play on his emotions. (Melaina thinks that’s a stupid plan.)

Kessler re-joins us and engages sitting mode on her armour, giving Brother Charity the stink-eye.

We open the parcels - they contain fine silken evening wear. Dresses and smart suits. Kessler casts Identify again, but the only magic is traces of Prestidigitation. Tarragon’s is green, just like she’d been hoping. Kessler’s is a steel blue grey.

Kessler pulls Carl aside, and asks him if he knows that he’s dead.

Carl’s hood looks at her, and then he wanders off, following Brother Charity upstairs.

Tarragon and Ahleqs are changing into their evening wear in the bar, not having much in the way of experience with social niceties in the Big City. Kessler averts her eyes and tells us what she found out - Carl is animated dead. What kind of level 7 Cleric can do that???

Is he recently animated after the flesh-ripper killed him, or was he dead all along? How many Carls have there been?

Gideon is unbothered; necromancy might be frowned upon in polite society, but it’s just another branch of magic.

We decide that if we’re going to do anything about Carl and Charity, it will have to wait until after this evening.

The sun goes down; there is a knock at the door to the Dagger. The bar staff have been watching us with amusement and interest. A man enters the bar and tells us that our carriage awaits. Charity has left his weapons in his room - we all immediately tell him how dumb that is. Tarragon gives Ahleqs her quarterstaff to put in the Bag of Holding. All Charity has are some rings, a doctor’s bag and a book; no weapons. He’s even leaving Carl behind.

We follow the man out to the carriage and he opens the door. Ahleqs wants to know if there’s a minibar; there is not. He takes a level in disappointment.

We pile into the carriage. Are the seats comfortable? Exquisitely so. Gideon, delighted: “Ohhh!”

Ahleqs is still wondering why Charity has left his weapons behind; he announces that we do not die this day, but he does it while shaking so it’s less than convincing.

The carriage starts to move. The driver asks if we’re familiar with the Silken Sylph? No, not really. Kessler has seen the outside of it. It’s in the sea ward, and about the fanciest place in the city. It’s well out of all of our price ranges.

We’re told by the driver that it’s a great privilege to be invited, and high society etiquette is in effect. We have no idea what that is. Is there a pamphlet?

The journey is smooth and delightful, and takes us past loads of fancy mansions. We go through the sea ward and approach a huge building with marble and gold trim. The door to the carriage is opened for us and we find ourselves outside the Silken Sylph.

There are two fashionably dressed doormen who are clearly armed. They smile at us and ask our names. We give them, and Ahleqs holds out the origami bird invitation as proof that no, really, we’re supposed to be here. We’re kind of a big deal or something? Gideon nudges him and reminds him about the etiquette. Ahleqs hushes himself.

The door is opened and a noblewoman greets us and tells us to follow her. Charity does a bow. Ahleqs copies but too late, and has to scurry to catch the rest of us up.

The ballroom is like something out of a book. Most people are wearing wigs and expressions of disdain upon seeing us. Our finery is just as grand, but we are super out of place in it. Ahleqs is nervously smiling and waving. We make Perception checks and Kessler tries reading some lips.

A noblewoman passes us by with an expression of not at all concealed disgust. “Eurgh, a pig in knickers!” she says, looking at Kessler who has, it is assumed, found a way to put on her dress over her armour. Melaina, Gideon and Tarragon all hear that, but Kessler, fortunately, didn’t.

Wait - we know that some nobles like to make bets about adventurers in Blue Alley, and the outcomes of their forays into it. Has Mirt lost a bunch of money by betting against us? Is that why we’re here?

We are led past the dance floor up a flight of marble stairs to a posh dining area. Seated at the top of a large table is an equally large something that I miss because everyone is talking over Joe. We are seated, and Mirt greets Charity. He tells us to help ourselves to wine. Kessler pointedly declines everything, up to and including things she hasn’t been offered yet.

Let’s talk while we wait for dinner, Mirt suggests. Time was that an education from Candlekeep carried prestige, he goes on, looking directly at Brother Charity. Apparently the monks couldn’t teach Charity the most basic of manners.

Kessler outright states that we know about the necromancy; Brother Charity side eyes but otherwise doesn’t acknowledge. Mirt slides a piece of paper across the table - we recognise the handwriting.

Mirt

I hope this letter finds you well. I expect you are wondering why I am writing to you. Well first off I would like to express how disappointed I am in you! I expected a certain level of dishonesty from a man such as your self, but did you really think such a deception would go unnoticed? Shocking!!!

Personally I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for my actions when last we met but I think you’ll agree you left me very little choice. I mean by the gods man! I thought you used to be a rogue!! Never have I witnessed such indiscretion!!! Prattling away about such a transaction in the middle of a busy tavern with the world and his wife in earshot!!! Outrageous!!!!!

I digress, to business. Unfortunately for you those imbeciles were being truthful when they said they were unable to extract the statue. Honestly I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry at the time. It was like watching a one legged cat trying to bury excrement on a frozen pond. As luck would have it I was separated from the group for a while giving me the opportunity to return to the location of the statue, whereupon I removed it with ease. And what should I discover upon its removal? Well I think you know the answer to that Lord Walrus!!!

I hereby formally reject you offer of 250 gp in exchange for the “statue”. If you are seriously interested in acquiring said sculpture I recommend you consider an offer more befitting such a wondrous artefact.

I regret to inform you I will be away on business for the next few days or so. I will send word to you upon my return, whereupon you will book a table for two (in your name) at the Silken Sylph for that same evening. As is customary, as the potential purchaser you will pay for dinner and drinks. After we have dined and supped you will present your offer for my consideration.

Know that I have several other interested parties seeking to secure the “statue” for their own interests so I recommend you provide a compelling argument for my considering your offer.

I realise you may have some trouble coming to terms with the idea of trusting me. I will offer some reassurances nonetheless. I will arrive at the Silken Sylph unaccompanied and unarmed. You are of course, entitled to bring all the muscle you see fit provided they do not draw undue attention to our meeting. I will willingly submit to a search of my person by one of your men (to be selected by me) to provide proof that I am unarmed and lacking the holy symbol I require for the casting of spells.

If these terms are agreeable to you please leave word at the dripping dagger stating your acceptance and I will contact you by the method stipulated earlier in this correspondence.

Kind regards

B.C.

P.S. Please try to exercise a little more discretion this time.

It is the letter Charity wrote to Mirt before we went after the flesh-ripper. Mirt says that this could easily be interpreted as blackmail; especially since it’s addressed to a Lord of Waterdeep. Ohhhhh, we are in deep shit.

He says there have been crossed wires. Did we or did we not retrieve the statue?

Yes. We did.

“Where is it now?”

We don’t have it. Ahleqs explains that it was a real unicorn. Mirt knew that though, didn’t he?

He says he didn’t.

Ahleqs makes a persuasion check with Guidance to persuade Mirt that there really was a real unicorn in the statue; it’s a success.

Why didn’t we just tell him? Mirt asks. What did we think he would do?

Charity abandons all attempts at etiquette and says he thought Mirt would want to either eat it or fuck it, so we were reluctant to just hand it over. He is picking his nails with a soup spoon as he speaks.

All of us but Kessler notice that Mirt is relaxed and open. The other diners are looking at our table with disdain.

Had Mirt been aware of the real unicorn he would have released it, he says. He doesn’t understand why we didn’t tell him. Ahleqs says he was very frightened. Kessler rolls Insight to see if Mirt is telling the truth; a 12. She thinks he is.

This is all just a big misunderstanding. Thanks for dinner though. Ahleqs wants to go and have a little dance, but Mirt says we’re not done here yet.

We tell him we had something of a moral crisis, believing that he knew about the real unicorn and planned something awful for it, such as continued imprisonment. He seems to believe this. It’s sort of true.

He says he used to be an adventurer himself (until he took an arrow in the knee, yes yes, very funny) and says that we might not want this buffoon (Brother Charity) as the face of our party. We weren’t sure about him either, we tell Mirt. He’s a new hire.

Does our group have a name? Mirt asks.

Melaina: “Wee Jock and the Jockettes.” (Somewhere, Shokan flies into a rage.)

Ahleqs: “Popcorn’s Players.”  

We might get more business if we get a name, and sort out the ‘rogue elements’ in our group, Mirt tells us. Would we like an opportunity to redeem ourselves?

What sort of opportunity, Tarragon wants to know?

Are we familiar with the Harpers, Mirt asks? We roll History checks, Ed bosses his with a nat 20. Charity and Gideon explain that it’s an old organisation. They operate in shadow for the safety and betterment of realm, and work to keep magical items out of the hands of evil doers. Not dissimilar to the Emerald Enclave.

So what about them?

Mirt says he is an agent of theirs for the city of Waterdeep. We could work with them; there might be benefits for us as well.

Why should we, Melaina wants to know? She doesn’t care what Mirt thinks of us. She stares grumpily at her frock.

What sort of redemption did Mirt have in mind? Ahleqs asks.

Did the rest of us want to go and amuse ourselves? It’s really only Charity that he thinks needs to redeem himself, Mirt clarifies. He thinks Charity has hoodwinked the rest of us and is disreputable and underhanded.

Do Mirt and Charity know each other? Not personally, but he is well connected and knows Charity’s family. And also our dress sizes, for some reason.

Ahleqs turns to Charity. “Well?”

Ahleqs wants to know how deep this goes. Does Charity want our help? Charity says he will hear Mirt out if we want to go off and dance or whatever.

Tarragon and Gideon stick around, but the others go off to the bar and the dance floor.

Ahleqs goes to the ballroom where the formal dancing is. He does that special curtsy thing and hold his hand out. He’s just imitating the people he’s seeing, he has no idea what he’s doing. He approaches the closest person. There’s a fair amount of low level panic going on as he moves. He makes an Investigation check - a nat 1.

All he sees is a bunch of fancy people with big hair milling around. He just sort of tries to blend in, forgetting that you’re supposed to start with a partner. He makes a Performance check and rolls a 19! DM is impressed.

Upstairs, we hear a murmur from the ballroom. If we were to go and look over the balcony we would see Ahleqs doing the robot, but for some reason it’s going down really well with the surrounding nobles.

Kessler decides to go back to the Dagger; the doormen bow as she leaves. She checks to see if anyone is staring and puts her helmet into place. She’s going to find Brother Carl.

(Us, immediately: “oooooooooo!”)

Melaina, annoyed by the whole situation, goes to the bar. Having seen her descend from the dining area, the staff won’t charge her for drinks. A lot of them are silly, over the top, stuff floating around in them, but hey it’s free. She proceeds to go to town on the free booze.

Mirt asks again if Charity is open to redeeming himself - since he’s back from Candlekeep he will presumably be a fixture in the city.

Charity meant to ask - since Mirt mentioned his family, he asks about the manor house and the tower. What happened to them?

Mirt looks at him, then at Tarragon who is still sitting at the table, legs swinging from her chair.

Is he sure that he wants to discuss this here, Mirt asks Charity.

He follows Mirt’s gaze to look at Tarragon with a sneer. “You’re quite right. Another time then.”

Tarragon, suddenly suffering from emotional whiplash: “You bastard! I will throw down right here, don’t think for a second I won’t go Bear and end you!”

Charity ignores her and agrees to work with Mirt. Mirt slides a case across the table - Charity accepts it, maintaining eye contact. He investigates the box.

Inside is an enamelled pin with a design of a harp inside a crescent moon. It’s the emblem of the order, Mirt tells him. He will contact Charity in next few days with the details of the job, in the same manner as invitation. Do well and Mirt will let the misunderstanding with the unicorn go.

Tarragon gets up, throws her drink at Charity and leaves, just as waiters arrive with Charity’s food.

Ahleqs makes another Performance check - a 12. He will spend as many sorcery points as it takes, Duncan tells us. Some of the nobles are looking curious, now. (He’s circling back from hip and groovy to looking like a dickhead.)

(I tried to find a gif or video of that bit of the show, but to no avail sadly.)

He gets up from doing the worm and gives the finger pistols, walks to the beat toward the bar. He makes a final performance check - a 22! Nails the landing. There is a round of applause from the nobles. He follows up the finger pistols with a polite curtsy and leaves.

Kessler arrives back at the Dagger, which is heaving. She goes to Charity’s room to see what Carl is doing; he’s sitting with a book in his lap. She calls his name - he looks up. She asks her to help him out of her dress. (oo-er. Romance dialogue!)

Brother Carl tilts his head to one side, seeming confused, then tears the dress off her in one gauntleted hand and goes back to his book. Kessler takes the dress and throws it at him. “You can keep that.”

(This is very bewildering.)

While he’s struggling with the dress, she goes for the hood and pulls it down.

She sees a gaunt looking face with red hair and red beard, sunken eyes, drawn cheeks. She makes a Investigation check (or an against-nature check) to see if she knows how long he’s been dead - a 9. He is not decomposing naturally so it’s hard to tell.

Carl looks at her, touches his face. He almost looks a little bit sad and perhaps a touch disappointed in her, and pulls his hood back up. She offers to lay him to rest. Carl shakes his head fervently.

She asks why Charity is animating him? Can he write that down? He does know languages…

“Ardvack saved me.” Carl writes on the wall in charcoal, and will not engage further.

Carl’s book is in gnomish - Kessler memorises and writes down what she can see of it to ask Tarragon later, and Joe calls it there. Presumably because he now has to go and write two pages of a random book, in gnomish.

[sol1056]

With all the talk of Voltron needing to sell toys resulting in some of the odder decisions, am I the only one that thinks the show kinda sucks as a toy commercial? There’s almost no new toys in the show, the titular robot is barely used so people can’t get excited about it, so there’s no desire to want things.

I’m as baffled as you. I’ve seen multiple interviews where the EPs complain about having to show Voltron so much, or having to bring back Shiro too early, because this is important for toy sales. Except all the signs point to Dreamworks’ marketing team being… actually, ‘incompetent’ might be high praise. 

We’re talking marketing 101 shit. Either the marketing team assigned is a bunch of interns who are still learning how to tell which is the inner tube and which is the banana, or they don’t care and therefore can’t be arsed to pay attention to things like schedules, quality control, or new merchandising opportunities, let alone things like working with the EPs to make sure marketing releases are timed right and/or new models are in the pipeline well in advance. 

(And that’s even before we get into the issue of what, when, and how much any potential models are even seen on-screen.)

really, all I know at this point is that not a week goes by that I don’t see someone posting about the newest merch from Yuuri on Ice and that anime was only twelve episodes and ended a year ago and the producers are bloody well still tossing out new things for sale. The creativity of ‘what we can make money off of that’s in some way tied into YoI’ is just staggering, but none of it is particularly ground-breaking. It’s just a solid marketing team doing their jobs.

which, apparently, dreamworks does not have.  

[megacircuit9universe]

X-Tech: Never Possible Until it is

THU JAN 02 2020

I just watched the latest video by YouTuber, Isaac Arthur, who I’ve been following for years, and greatly respect, addressing time travel, but while he tried to cover every version of time travel that comes up in science fiction, and in legit scientific discourse... he did not cover the version I talk about in this blog.

I was a bit surprised, but then again, mine (explained in the entry entitled, Time Travel Basics, and fleshed out in some follow ups shortly after it) is basically the John Titor version of time travel.

And over the 13 or so years since I first read the Titor stuff online, I’ve noticed that nobody, either in fiction, or legit discourse, ever does venture anywhere near the Titor model... which is kinda strange, given that so many other, clearly unworkable models pop up all the time.

It’s not as though the Titor model is just so ridiculous that it’s not even worth considering... because, well... plenty of very ridiculous models for time travel are given very serious consideration, in our movies and science fiction novels, if not elsewhere.

Still, the original message boards where Titor appeared, to talk about how he was a time traveler, and explain what he knew about how his military issue time distortion unit worked, were forums for physics students and physics enthusiasts.

And what always struck me reading the back and forth on those forums was that nobody ever challenged his technical explanations.  Everybody seemed to agree that the physics part of his story held up.

But that part was way over my head at the time, so I was very curious to understand why the physics seemed to hold up so well.

It took me most of those 13 years, watching recorded lectures and other videos on YouTube, and listening to several audio books on my commutes, dealing with different aspects of both quantum physics and string theory... before it finally clicked in my head, and I could see that Titor’s explanation not only squared with physics, but so did the schematics he’d provided.

Again, go back and read, Time Travel Basics, but, in a nutshell, it’s this idea of using two micro black holes... controlled by manifolds that inject electrons either into them, to increase their spin, or at angles across their event horizons, to slow the spin... to create two nested bubbles of frame-dragged spacetime, the inner one with positive time, and the outer one with negative time.

I won’t get further into it than that here, except to say that the one thing Titor talked about that always stumped me were the gravity sensors.  

Inside his two nested bubbles of spacetime, he was essentially in his own tiny universe, outside the main universe, but was able to maintain a lock on the Earth’s movements backward through time (rotating backward and revolving around the sun backward as the whole solar system revolved backward around the center of the galaxy) thanks to gravity sensors that would give feedback to the manifolds, telling them how to maneuver the two micro-singularities to stay with the GPS coordinates on Earth’s surface, from which he had departed.

I finally got my answer one morning in the car on the way to work, listening to an audio book on string theory, when the author explained how, unlike light, gravity could be felt between branes (or membranes) of space time.

It’s one possible explanation for why gravity is such a weak force on our own brane, compared to much stronger forces like electromagnetism... because gravity leaks out into the greater, “bulk,” of the multiverse.

He didn’t know it, but he’d told me that Titor’s gravity sensors could work... which was the final piece of the puzzle.

Everything else, from creating micro-singularities in particle accelerators, and capturing them magnetically, for industrial use... to manipulating their spin, mass, and attitude with a manifold of cathode rays (such manifolds were how old color tube TV sets worked)... to the nuclear powering of the device... to the many worlds theory... all passed, for being physically plausible.  So when the gravity sensors checked out too... well, that’s when I knew Titor was probably telling the truth.

So why am I so alone in this belief, in 2020... and why has the whole Titor model pretty much vanished from the conversation?

Well... this is what you might expect to happen when a person with a working model of something tries to explain it to people from the past who just aren’t there yet.

Imagine going back to the year 2000, and explaining on a serious tech forum how a typical smart phone from 2010 works... it’s a got a touch screen, and a bunch of gyros and sensors packed inside, and a lithium battery and... bla bla bla... 

Even though they are all well versed on the subject of tech, and are only about seven years away from the first smart phone... it’s likely that nobody will take your strange new idea seriously.  

Some will point out how certain features are just too far away... and the internet infrastructure couldn’t support such a thing... and the level of miniaturization isn’t realistic... and the batteries would be volatile and prone to explosions.

Others will argue that even if such a device could be Frankensteined together, nobody would want one device to do everything.  Nobody wants to watch TV shows on their alarm clock, that is also their flashlight! 

Why would they be like that?  Well... you know how people are.. when they consider themselves the experts and the vanguards of a given field.

Who are you anyway?  You’re just some rando who claims to own one of these so-called, “smart phones,” and you don’t even know how it works.  

You’re just a fanciful futurist describing some fanciful vision for a thing that would be nearly impossible to make, and totally impractical, probably, and that nobody asked for.  Get out of here!

My other example would be explaining how a modern airplane works, to scientists in... say... 1875.  Even if you were spot on with your description of a typical 737... with its wings, aelerons, flaps, jets, etc... its hydraulic control tubes and its aluminum body... fueled by a petroleum based liquid stored in its wings...

They would counter by explaining to you why none of that would actually work, and even if it could... nobody would ever convince a hundred regular civilians to climb into such a death trap and “fly” from New York to Los Angeles... in “hours.”

Get the fuck out of here!

My argument here, about experts and vanguards rejecting working ideas from the future... is kind of borne out by how far off the mark they always are, when asked to envision future tech.

Such visions are always hilariously wrong, because they are always clearly based on exactly what they know in the moment... plus what little they know about a few experimental things going on.  

But they never think about the unforeseen breakthroughs, both large and small, that can help make seemingly ridiculous things like the Boeing 737, or the IPhone 4, possible, practical, and marketable.

The above two analogies are not perfect though, because in John Titor’s case, he was in the military, using a military issue time machine.  It wasn’t a tech civilians even knew about, necessarily... and also, as I said earlier, there really wasn’t any push back from the nerds on his forums about the physics.  

They agreed it was theoretically sound enough not to bother attacking, and instead focused on his descriptions of the future... his past... all the world events to come later in the 2000s, 20-teens, and beyond.

And, while he answered honestly, he also explained that his appearance in 2000 meant they were all now on a different world line, that would not play out the same way.

His recollections were framed as predictions... and when the predictions didn’t come to pass... Titor was considered by most, debunked.

Some argued for a while... correctly, that they were never predictions, because he explained that we were on a different world line than his.  But... others countered, by pointing out how this argument makes his predictions unfalsifiable... which, in logical terms, means they’re garbage.

The whole discussion ended there... without ever really touching the mainstream consciousness.  John Titor was considered, by those who knew about him, to be just a fun hoax... and, like any other meme... fell out of fashion and was forgotten.

But my point is... he had schematics!  He had sound explanations for how the tech worked!  Screw the predictions... or arguments that the predictions are unfalsifiable!  The tech holds up!  Look at that!  Talk about that!

Look at the rather flawless descriptions of how it came to be invented, what it was being used for, and what it was like to operate a time distortion unit, from the perspective of the guy in the driver’s seat.  

It really irks me that everybody has both ignored and forgotten about that very tangible, testable part of Titor’s story... and then come back today with those same tired old arguments like, “If time travel were possible, we would have heard from one of them by now!”

Oh, really?

“If it were possible, we would have time tourists all over the place, and always would have, since Ancient Rome.”

Really?  Cuz... what if it was just a military tech not available to the public and what if it only had a small practical range of a few decades... as explained both by Titor, and by my Time Travel Basics entry?  Huh?

Huh???

Well... I guess I’m just gonna have to be content with being a crackpot, with no audience. :(

Be that as it may, my  model predicts that WW2 is the great historical barrier for time travel... with only a few rogue time travelers daring to go even as far back as the late 1940s... where they could still hope to refill their oxygen tanks, and get some kind of crude repairs done to their time distortion units.

Most only go as far back as the mid 1970s, with a few outliers hitting the 60s or 50s, and probably never finding their way back to anything like the home worldline they came from, after straying that far afield with no way to establish their, “divergence” to any useful degree.

But the twenty-teens were (are, will be) a good pit stop... the Denver, or Phoenix of Time Travel... if it were a coast to coast drive across the U.S... because things were (are, will be) just advanced enough to stop and get your bearings, or resupply, or get repairs done... but far enough away from the home time (which is the late 2030s) to bother stopping.

It’s possible that the 2020s will be the same kind of Denver for time travelers of, say, the 2050s... and that the 2030s themselves will be a Denver for time travelers of the 2080s... but if so... these more sophisticated time travelers from further in the future will probably be a lot more careful about the cybernetic impact of their pit stops in these future decades.

In other words, they’ll be more careful not to turn the internet, and therefore the world around them, into a total circus of unreality, in which all the locals question their sanity every day on a regular basis.

Things should calm down for us, in the 2020s, is what I’m saying... at least in the socio-political sphere.  The climate’s gonna be something different, but...

...whereas in the twenty-teens you were saying, “I can’t believe so and so is the leader of my country and so many assholes are coming out of the woodwork, and the rest of us feel unmoored from reality, as if we’ve been sucked into a parallel universe!”

In the 2020s you’re more likely to be saying, “I can’t believe we had a thunder snowphoon in July, and that Lake Eerie is on fire, but thank God the world’s leaders are on top of this, and have the support of pretty much everybody, except for the oldest, shittiest cranks who we all ignore.”

And maybe you’ll also be saying, “Thank God, also for [X-tech] without which everybody would be so fucked right now!”

Man, that was a long ramble!

Sorry.

I’m going to bed.

[jayne-hecate-writer]

My Star Wars DVDs...

Hello there my Darlings, I have asked you here today so that we can discuss something that is rather close to my heart, so much so, that rather than just write this blog as I think it up, like I usually do, I have actually researched this one. Now before we get going, I will assume that you have all seen Star Wars...

Oh fuck yeah! I am going to talk about Star Wars and so now all of you nerds reading this are no doubt are sharpening your Wolverine claws, in readiness to tear me a new one for mixing up the basic facts. If that were not bad enough, you purists are then going to bite my head off for coming out and saying proudly that Jar Jar Binks was really not that bad and I actually quite liked him! Go on hate me.

If you are still reading this, then be warned, what I am about to discuss may contain spoilers, particularly if you have not seen all of the Star Wars content available.

However, before we get there; this blog is not me trying to work out the story of episodes eight or nine, nor is it me looking for hidden meanings in the stories. Instead, this piece is about my love of Star Wars, my personal journey both with and within the franchise and how I discovered some surprising things about myself and the world, as I explored the Star Wars universe.

My first real memory of Star Wars was seeing The Empire Strikes Back, upon its release, when I was probably no more than eight or nine, which would have been around 1982. The memory is hazy and to make matters more interesting, I saw the film in a British Army cinema while living in Germany, so it is anyone's guess how long after official release that was. Upon release of this movie, I can recall utterly falling in love with the Empire and in particular the AT-AT walker. The nerds among you will now be wondering if I call these great beasts at-ats or Aye Tee Aye Tees. This is by itself a complex question and one that I believe both Dave Filoni and Pablo Hidalgo have given ambiguous answers too, so I can hardly give an opinion, can I?

With the release of Return of the Jedi; I was again in a foreign country and I did not see this movie until it was shown on television! This is almost a blasphemy, but in my defence in lived in a country that was not English speaking and I do not know if the army cinema was still going at that point.  

My Dad did of course show us all of the movies when they came out on VHS, but these were rentals rather than bought movies when back in the days of our youth, we rented the movies that we wanted to see, rather than collected vast sets of tapes, like we do now with DVD.

The next step for me came when I met another Star Wars fan and we house shared for a few years. At least once a month, we would go through the movies, starting with good old VHS and then moving into DVD when they became more common. My friend at the time also introduced me to the idea of collecting real movie props and well made replica props. Genuine prop blasters used in the Star Wars films were made from real guns, modified with added on parts. I seem to recall that the Storm Troopers used blasters modelled on the Stirling SMG, a gun I recognised because my Father was issued one while in the Army. My friend had a plastic replica toy, full sized and painted white with a bright orange tip. I was super impressed by this gun, even more so because it had Star Wars printed on the side in the the iconic logo font. These days I would be less impressed by such a toy, but this is only because I am now familiar with the replica props made by many You Tube users, that look screen ready.

In 1999 I got my first really good job on an activity centre in North Wales, working as a climbing instructor. On my first day on the job, I stood in my very first staff meeting and in front of a group of about twenty people, none of whom I knew, I laid my nerd credentials on the table for all to see. In my strong and determined voice, I informed my new team that I very much needed a day off in the middle of the summer season to go and see the new Star Wars movie: Episode One - The Phantom Menace. There was a lot of laughter from my new colleagues, but their laughter quickly faded until the summer and the movie came up in conversation once again, on the day it was released. My manager had forgotten that he had agreed, months in advance, for me to have the day off to see the movie; until I reminded him of his decision of course.

There was a lot of concerned faces and then a few happy grins as our conversation was remembered. My manager and I then set out in the company Land Rover, with half of the other instructors along for the ride to the cinema in Bangor just to see a brand new Star Wars film. The prequels came out over the next few years, but that first film remains strong in my mind for the memories it brings. Especially as a few days after seeing it for the first time, the Boss and I escaped again to watch the movie for the

second time. Yes, I know that many of you disliked this movie, but I enjoyed it and I actually thought that little Jake Lloyd was rather cute as Anakin.

After the release of Revenge of the Sith; things on the Star Wars front went quiet for a while. True, there was the Clone Wars cartoon, but the very first season of this was a stylised set of war movie shorts that never really gave us the strong characters whom we knew and loved. Later revamped seasons used a different style of animation that was more story oriented; but I am still trying to gel with the seasons as they are. Sadly and according to the Lead Star Wars Story Group writer, Dave Filoni, the Clone Wars came to an end before he was able to finish the story.

With the Sale of the Star Wars franchise to Disney, things looked bleak. A close friend of mine messaged me via Facebook to inform me that just like him and all of his favourite super heroes; Disney now owned my soul. At the time I felt like it was a sad day indeed. How wrong I was. George Lucas appointed Kathleen Kennedy to head of Lucas Film as he retired and she took the franchise to a whole new level.

Most recently Rogue One came out and for the first time in my adult life, I found myself sat with my girlfriend at a midnight showing, on the opening night of a movie so powerful, I spent most of the final act weeping. As the titles rolled at the end, the audience as one mind stood and they clapped a furious applause. As I wrote at the time, it felt as if I had found my people. 

Which now leads me to this time, when as I write this, I have The Force Awakens playing on Blu-Ray, having worked my way through the whole fucking set set. Some time ago, I discovered within the forums of Star Wars fans that there is a suggested play list for all of the movies. Now obviously, our Great Holy Father Lucas says that we should watch them in numerical order. But if we do this, it leads us to some uncomfortable moments in the story, moments that Star Wars fans like Seth Green used to great effect in his TV show Robot Chicken.

We start with Episode One - The Phantom Menace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMG2PQ7oIr0

Second comes Episode two - Attack of the Clones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DFOE0td1Yw

Third is Episode three - Revenge of the Sith.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7FMh3YtK_w

That is the official prequels in all of their slightly hammy goodness and I love them. They do however lead us as intended into the original trilogy.

The fourth movie is Episode Four - A New Hope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cizlx6ODhuE

Fifth comes Episode Five - The Empire Strikes Back

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMMVrYly73k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpE_xMRiCLE

Sixth in the list is Episode six - Return of the Jedi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvfp5l7kgo4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qAKXK_aLeA

That is the original child pleasing trilogy with all of the goofiness of stone age technology teddy bears bringing down the vast industrial complex of the empire with just logs on ropes.

Up next is the newest trilogy, only one of which has so far been released.

The seventh movie is Episode Seven - The Force Awakens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaOSCASqLsE

Later this year comes Episode eight - The Last Jedi.

In 2019 we can expect Episode nine – which is as yet still untitled.

Before you even start to think it, I am not here to theorise along lines of

what these movies are going to be about or how the death of our Princess Carrie Fisher will affect them. What I will add though is the thought that the other films and TV shows in the saga have to fit into this story line somehow, but where and when? If we insert them into the time line, we can put The Clone Wars after episode two and then rebels after episode three. At the end of rebels we can insert Rogue one and somewhere in here will be the new Han Solo movie, due out in summer 2018 (forty one years after Han Solo first hit the big screen). When asked if we should watch them in this order, it seems that official opinion is that the main films are in order with the other films and shows can be put in around them, pretty much when you fancy. But this does not work for me, I want see the progression of our characters. I want to see the story arc played fully.

This brings us onto the now famous Ernst Rister order, named after the man who developed it. His playlist puts them in a strange order so that the big reveals can be kept. After all, what good is it learning that Anakin and Padme had children, when the big reveal of episode five is that Luke is Vader's son? So with that in mind, his order goes as follows.

Episodes four and five in order. Flash back to episodes one, two and three in order. We then finish up with Episodes six, seven, eight and nine. Again the other films and shows can be watched when you like without upsetting the basic story too much.

For all of you baby Anakin haters, there is also the Machete Order. A dirty playlist which removes episode one all together, but still puts the rest roughly in the Ernst Rister order. The big difficulty with this dirty playlist is that when you watch the Clone Wars series and then Rebels, some of the plot makes no sense, especially if you are a fan of Maul in those later stories. Seeing the terribly sad closing of Maul's storyline in Series three of Rebels did once again move me to tears. Not bad for what is in effect a kids cartoon show. Don't judge me too harshly though, Father Lucas does get a little freaked out by us hardened Star Wars fans and he does remind us all from time to time that he did make them mainly as kids movies!

Now with the release of the breath taking Rogue One and the fabulous Rebels, I wanted to put them into the time line and the viewing schedule. Oh yeah, did I not say that I was a bit of a Star Wars nerd? Given that I own most of these on DVD now and with my being physically rather broken thanks to illness, I have the means to try to sit down and watch these things  

in one go. I have since discovered much to my consternation that it is no longer possible to do all of Star Wars in a single day. Using an adaptation to the Ernst Rister method, I fitted Rogue one, Rebels and The Clone Wars into the set too and this was the watch order that I experimented with, along with my darling partner and it led to some serious discussion between us over whether it worked.

Jayney's viewing order.

Rebels season 1 - 3.

Rogue One.

Episode Four.

Episode Five.

Episode One.

Episode Two.

The Clone Wars Season 1 - 6.

Episode Three.

Episode Six.

Episode Seven.

I will add episodes eight and nine along with the Han Solo movie to this list as soon as they are released.

So what have I missed out? Well to start with there is the infamous Christmas Special... That horror is available on You Tube (I am not linking to it, if you want to look for it, that is up to you) and I have watched it. Well some of it, well I had to and I can confirm that it is nasty! I can see what Father George has disowned it!

I have also missed out the Ewok Movies. After all, in their day the Ewoks were considered to be as popular as Jar Jar became in the prequels. I have also missed out the animated series Droids, mainly because I don't think that it is considered cannon any more. According to my research it is available on DVD, but some of the less scrupulous cartoon networks on line also have it available. Now that you know this, be warned. If you want to show this series to your kids, the on line experience is likely to expose you and your kids to the sort of hardcore porn that is frankly frightening. This is after all how these unlicensed websites pay for their bandwidth. I have also not included the new animated series of short individual stories, called Forces of Destiny. This because at the time of writing, they are not officially  

out yet out.

My biggest omission by far though is the written word, those stories of the expanded universe (known in Star Wars circles as the EU, probably the only EU half of Britain will allow discussion of!) of star wars, books that introduced us to fabulous characters such as Grand Admiral Thrawn, who later became a central part of Rebels. There are so many books, comics and shorts here, that it is all but impossible to fit them all in, let alone read them all in one lifetime. Unfortunately, The Star Wars Story Group have also stated that many of the original books are no longer considered cannon. They no longer fit into the Star Wars Universe, removed like a bad cutting in a row of vibrant plants.

Finally, I have also ignored the impossible viewing experience of the Time Machine Order, which takes the movies back to how they were when Jedi came out and before father George fiddled with them. My reason for this is simple. Face it people, that time has passed. From now on, Solo shoots second, Young Anakin appears as a Force Ghost in Return and Vader when revealed beneath his helmet, will always have lost his eye brows. So my fellow fans, wipe your tears away and move on. It is not the 1980s any more! More importantly, when I checked my old VHS editions of the original trilogy, it is the widescreen revamped version from the early 2000s. Bugger!

So you may ask, what was like like watching Star Wars in such a complicated and comprehensive way? Did it fulfil my viewing needs? Was the great reveal still a resounding shock? Did it work?

Well, ahhhh… No.

Now I can maybe see the point of viewing them like this if you have never seen them before. As a story teller myself, I can see the benefit in the mechanism of the flashback, I really can, but for me, it made the whole story too much of a mess. Flitting about in the time line made it a pain to follow. It also put some of the more boring elements of the saga right in the middle of the story. Namely following the terrifying end of Empire, where we witness the power of Luke’s failure on Bespin, we dived straight into a low grade trade dispute and encountered the jelly brained Jar Jar Binks. The lesson here is this, do as the Holy Father says, watch them in order.

Now on the subject of Jar Jar, I must say that I was genuinely taken by the theory that he was a secret Sith Lord. The evidence was there for Jar Jar turning out to be on the Dark Side, but it appears that the story was changed following criticism of the character by fans. The only person who knows the truth of what the Holy Father wanted to do with Jar Jar is the Holy Father himself and Lucas has been less than keen to discuss it as fully as I (and many others) would like. Instead, several members of discussion forums and even You Tube have dissected the theory, examined the evidence and stated their conclusions. Maybe Dark Jar Jar would have been an interesting way to go, but when you look at what we have in the story arc, it is Jar Jar who creates the special laws that put Palpatine in place. What bigger hint towards his fall into the darkness is there than that? I like to think of Jar Jar afterwards, once the Jedi are all but gone, with him sat alone in his world of empty rapidly fading power, lamenting on the choices he made. It is so sad and it was this type of thinking that gave me a new sympathy for him as a character.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rHyf0FBvt4

Meanwhile another development has occurred in the franchise that also appeals to me and it is something that comes up time and time again. If Anakin was destined to bring balance to the force, how was he to do it if he had to pick a side? By choosing between the light and the dark; he created an imbalance that Luke carried on into episode seven. Maybe this is why the Jedi order collapsed around him and why Ben Solo became Kylo Ren and followed Snoke? Maybe this is what is meant by Luke in the trailer for the new film when he says that the Jedi must end? Sadly I am not going to explore that line of thought. When the new film comes out this winter, I do not want to have spoiled it for myself by concentrating on theories and trying to work out the story. Instead, I prefer to wait and find out. Only then can I discuss it.

However, there is another area for clues that we can discuss and that lies within the story of Kanan Jarrus, in series three of Rebels. After he is blinded during his duel with Maul, Kanan escapes from the Sith temple with the help of Ezra and they take the Sith and Jedi holocrons to the new Rebel Base. It is here that Kanan sits in combined self pity and misery until, that is, until he encounters the fabulously interesting being called The Bendu. The Bendu is neither a creature of the light nor of the dark, but rather something else. He states that he is of the Grey. Thus The Bendu is

balanced in the force, he sees both the light and the dark, the Ashla and the Bogan and I would love to see the story take this arc. This is clearly preferable over the moralistically easier writing of “good over comes evil and everyone lives happily ever after”. As a plot device this vagueness is far more interesting. This is especially so when given that The Bendu is barely understood by Kanan or Esra and is capable of so much more than either Vader on the Sith side and Kanan on the Jedi.

When you look at Rogue One, there are again these moments of grey, acts of good carried out by the Empire and acts of evil carried out the Rebels. Neither Jyn Erso or Cassian Andor have led lives free of the dark side, Cassian pretty much admits as much towards the final act of the film as they prepare to take the Imperial transport. The result is that this film is darker, grittier and more believable. As we see Cassian and Jyn give up everything that they are to make the universe safer, maybe they have moved more into the light? But in doing so, they have walked through an awful lot of dark to get there. It is for this reason that I think that the stories should be viewed in Time line order

Maybe when Yoda states that there is another, when talking to Obi-Wan as he fears for the loss of Luke in episode five, he is referring to Kanan training Ezra? Providing of course that the Rebels of Lothal survive the final season of Rebels as it leads into Rogue one.

Of course, The Bendu is not the only Force wielding being not to follow so blindly the doctrine of the Jedi or the Sith. There is also Ahsoka Tano, Anakin’s former apprentice from the Clone Wars. She leaves the Jedi order and yet still wields the force and a pair of white sabres. Her loss in the Sith Temple was another moment that brought me to tears as I watched Rebels. The same Rebels that appear in Rogue One, with the Ghost appearing in several scenes, Chopper rolling through one scene and a PA call for Hera. Could they make it any more obvious that the Rebels end up in the world of Episode Four?  This is why the Ernst Rister Order does not work for me, it leaves out far too much important detail.

Well there you go. This must be one of the longest posts I have written and it has taken me days of research, days of watching Star Wars and hours of thought to compile my argument. Was it worth it? The answer to that is obvious. I was watching Star Wars, of course it was worth it.

[memfish88]

Top 10 Best Filter for 55 Gallon Aquarium Reviews in 2020

With all the benefits that Best Filter for 55 Gallon Aquarium can bring, it can be said that every demanding aquarist needs it. Best Filter for 55 Gallon Aquarium provides superior filtration and a greater flow rate than most other types of filters.

There are different brands and models of cartridge filter, each with different features and specifications. Which one is the best choice for your aquarium?

The 10 Best Filter for 55 Gallon Aquarium Reviews

Penn Plax Aquarium Cascade Container Filter B01N1RKZD1

The Penn Plax Aquarium Cascade Cylinder Filter can be what you require if you desire a reputable as well as reliable filtration system. This Waterfall Black 700 Elite is the effective filtration system you require for your deep sea or freshwater tank.

Among its one-of-a-kind functions is the very easy to make use of primer that is additionally simple and quick to install. You do not need to worry about anything else if you have this filter even if you are a novice in the process.

On top of that, you can eliminate the flow valves quickly, allowing for quick and also very easy upkeep while the output, input as well as hose pipes remain in the container. Much more so, you will certainly value that this item is versatile that you can use it for a storage tank with approximately 65 gallons in capability.

All the substitute media and also components are OEM from Penn Plax factories. This version also includes accessories like a canister real estate, tubing, all tubes, Bio Foam as well as ceramic rings, to name some.

Pros

Effective filtering system

Different phases of filtration

Easy established and utilize primer

Quickly detachable circulation shutoffs

Full devices including tubes, cylinder real estate and also algae magnet

Cons

Loud filter

Aqua Clear Filter- 60 to 110 Gallons B000260FUW

One of the positive things that I take pleasure in regarding this item is its compact dimension. Despite being little, it is really effective adequate to maintain a 60-gallon aquarium. In addition, it is extremely quick as well as easy to set up; just established it up beside the container, connect it in, and also it prepares to do its job. It has clear as well as easy to understand guidelines telling exactly how to establish the filter up. Nonetheless, for those who have substantial experience establishing filters (like me), they will not even require to take a look at the instructions anymore.

I also such as the truth that it does not occupy way too much space. The filter media is elongated, hence the demand to lower the container’s horizontal area as well as raise its vertical area instead. The view inside the aquarium is totally unrestricted by the image of the filter. A lot of hobbyists will certainly have a blast looking at their storage tanks.

The flow price is completely flexible as much as 50 percent. This way, I can protect the motors and also electronic devices from soaking them due to leaks. With this, I can personally ensure that the fish is getting sufficient supply of oxygen by enhancing the circulation rate. Also, slower flow rate suggests longer call with filter media, which translate to better filtering.

What I do not appreciate about this product is the periodic noise and vibration it generates specifically throughout evening times when the house is generally silent. I utilized this filter on the fish tank in my area, but I was surprised when the filter all of a sudden shook hugely. I turned it off as well as replaced the filter media. It seemed to silence the entire system, and also it’s not doing it once more.

Pros

Budget-friendly

Doesn’t take too much area

Quick as well as easy to mount

Has an adjustable flow rate

Has a fantastic three-stage filtration system

Energy efficient

Cons

Has a bothersome buzzing noise

Having claimed all of the favorable things over, I can confidently claim that the Aqua Clear Filter is a remarkable 60 gallon fish tank filter. Although smaller sized in dimension, its filtration power is undoubtedly comparable to similar filter brand names in the market today. Really budget-friendly compared to similar items, quick and also simple to install, and also most of all have an amazing filtration system. What’s even more unbelievable concerning this product is it’s extremely portable, energy-efficient, and also has an adjustable circulation price.

MarineLand Magnum Polishing Internal Cylinder Filter B01C8PH0OI

If you are looking for a versatile, reputable, and also incredibly sturdy 55 gallon aquarium filter, you’ll be happy to know that you can rely on the MarineLand Magnum Sprucing Up Internal Canister Filter.

What I such as about this certain filter are the twin purification chambers. Via this, I can experiment a little to see which filter media can actually keep the cleanliness of the water constantly. It has an excellent three-stage filtration system which maintains the top quality of water whatsoever times. In regards to adaptability, I can claim that this item is one of the best. I was amazed to see that this filter can be used up to 97 gallon fish tank. I don’t have to worry about the various other fish tanks since I can quickly use this filter on them without any fears.

An additional amazing attribute of this filter is its sturdiness. I have actually seen other filters inadvertently fall to the ground and have their equipments displaced, but neither. Once I redecorated my 55 gallon aquarium and this filter unclothed my hands. After hitting the strong ground, it still functions completely. None of the plastic shell got cracked or damaged, in addition to the circuitry that runs the impeller. After examining it for leaks, I am certain to report to have actually discovered none.

Additionally, while it is an in-tank filter, it does not take way too much room in any way. I can still appreciate the view of the fish as well as plants inside the aquarium without being blocked by the filter, specifically if strategically placed with plants and other decorations. Finally, with a flow price of 290 GPH, I know that the fish inside my tank gets enough oxygen supply without spilling or dripping any kind of water.

What I do not appreciate regarding this item is how it can be loud from time to time. I feel a bit nervous whenever I sit next to the fish tank where I installed this filter. Although this cleans up the water extremely well, the noise continues to be a major issue whenever I consider in the advantages and Cons of this product.

Pros

Circulation price up to 290 GPH

Has an outstanding three-stage purification system

Can be utilized for up to 97 gallon aquariums

No priming required

Dual-chamber media allows customization

Black Diamond filter consisted of

Sturdy

Cons

Can be a bit loud sometimes

Taking into consideration every one of the factors reviewed over, I can say readily that the Marineland Magnum Sprucing Up Internal Container Filter is undoubtedly an amazing product. It is adaptable, long lasting, and most of all– reliable. Its filtering system truly takes good care of the water and also the fish inside the tank. It has an excellent flow rate which can prompt correct oxygenation, as well as most of all, it doesn’t need priming given that it is totally submerged.

Marineland Penguin filter for 55 gallon aquarium B0009IMDQM

MarineLand Penguin is a suitable pick when it involves a filter that works well for a 55-gallon tank. You can count on its superior features and features that make it efficient in maintaining a healthy living environment for your fish.

The MarineLand is a choice among storage tank filters. It gets countless positive feedbacks from consumers worldwide. This filter helps both saltwater as well as freshwater tanks. It is trusted and advanced when it involves container filters.

This All Penguin BIO-Wheel Power Filter is also the best choice for its very easy to establish three-stage filtering. It is also all set to make use of, something helpful for novices who are still learning the procedures of establishing a container.

This filter can get rid of damaging aspects like ammonia from the water. It can additionally work in removing pollutants that would or else cause tension, illness and even fatality to your pet dogs.

Pros

Three-way filtering for outright cleansing

Black Ruby Premium Activated Carbon

Swimsuit Vented Covers

Can get rid of the smell, pollutants as well as discoloration

Flexible Mid-Level Consumption

Cons

A little bit large

Polar Aurora Free Media External Aquarium Filter B01IO963GI

If you are searching for a portable yet powerful filter for your 55 gallon aquarium, the Polar Aurora Free Media External Fish tank Filter is definitely one of the most effective products that you can locate in the market today.

One of the important things that I genuinely appreciate about this item is its peaceful operation. It functions entirely silent given that the very first time I plugged it in. Because of this, I have relocated the aquarium where this filter was set up into my bedroom. It’s been a complete happiness as a result of the awesome efficiency of this filter.

Although this certain filter runs smoothly as promoted, I really feel that there’s something that can be boosted. What I do not like about this item is the inflexible pipe. I feel that it might break if I have actually made a decision to readjust or eliminate it during upkeep. I wish there was a method to strengthen the pipes to ensure that it won’t break accidentally when I’m cleaning it.

Its adjustable circulation rate of 264 GPH is very suitable for bringing even more oxygen right into the water. I readjust it whenever I’m feeding the fish to see to it that the fish food doesn’t obtain sucked right into the filter.

What I do not like with this filter are the inflexible pipes. Although the pipes fit flawlessly, I feel like I would break among them if I try to get rid of or change them throughout upkeep timetables. I desire the manufacturing business consider utilizing extra flexible pipelines in the future to prevent unintentional splitting throughout installment or upkeep.

Pros

Operates silently

Parts are easily available

Economical

Compact

Self-priming

Has 3 flexible media trays

Cons

Not flexible pipes

Having said that, I believe that the Polar Aurora Free Media External Aquarium Filter is an incredible item. It is self-priming, has 3 flexible media trays for maximum customization, as well as most importantly, it operates quietly. In spite of its small problem, it remains to be a trusted and also efficient filter. If you are mosting likely to look for a filter, I recommend that you include this one in your wish list.

Aqua Clear Aquarium Filter for Aquariums as much as 70 gallons B000260FUW

If you’re searching for an effective as well as flexible storage tank filter, you might wish to take a look at the Aqua Clear Aquarium filtering system. This item is versatile enough that it can accommodate and filter a storage tank of as much as 70 gallons in ability. Additionally, the Aqua Clear 70 Power Filter can provide a three-way filtration, making it one of the most reliable around when it involves guaranteeing that your terrarium or aquarium continues to be clean for a long period of time.

The AquaClear Power Filter can offer your container with differing choice of flow prices for different fish tank dimensions. Extra so, it has an unique design, which permits 6 times of more media quantity.

This version additionally has a solid warranty of approximately 2 years if what you bought has problems in handiwork and also product.

Pros

Powerful as much as 7 times bigger than competitors

Distinct design and also stylish charm

3-way filtering

Patented Re-filtration System

Activated Carbon Filter Inserts

Cons

Shorter warranty

Aqueon QuietFlow LED PRO Fish Tank Power Filter B004GX47TW

A tank filter that utilizes a sophisticated technology is hard to run into these days. Fortunately, the Aqueon QuietFlow LED PRO Aquarium Power Filter employs the same innovation without jeopardizing its degree of efficiency. If you are buying a good storage tank filter, this product should absolutely appear in your list.

One of the functions of this specific filter that brings a smile on my face is its automatic reactivate feature. Similar to the other versions of Aqueon, this one automatically restarts after a sudden power interruption. This can essentially save me initiative on personally reactivating the filter specifically if I’m thus far away from the fish tank at that details time.

An additional surprising however similarly excellent function of this filter is the LED screen. It tells me if the filter cartridge is obstructed or otherwise. I recognize that this attribute is not offered in any type of comparable products in the marketplace. This is really valuable particularly for those who are rather absent-minded (like me) as well as not used to this kind of innovative filters.

Preserving this filter entails little to no initiative at all. The unit is self-priming, so I don’t require to fret about clearing it myself. Lastly, the adjustable flow rate is also amazing. I can change the GPH lower whenever I’m feeding the fish or boost it after the truth.

One thing that truly captured me off guard is how sickly the impeller bushings are. I believed I have completely broken my Aqueon when it stopped working. After mindful inspection, I discovered that the rubber bushing obtained busted. Fortunately, there were extra components existing around my toolbox as well as I had the ability to repair it as well as put it back into action.

Pros

Has a flexible flow price of 400 GPH

Self-priming

Immediately reactivates after a sudden power disturbance

Has an excellent filtration system

Has actually an LED indicator for obstructed cartridges

Has a sign that notifies you if it’s time to change the filter cartridges

The interior design helps get rid of leaks as well as noise

Cons

Has a frail impeller bushing

Besides that has actually been said above, I believe that the Aqueon QuietFlow LED Pro Fish Tank Filter is an amazing item. It has a fantastic function that you will not see in other comparable products– the LED sign. It can assist you check the condition of the filter cartridges without in fact opening up the unit as well as interrupting its performance. If you wish to keep your fish tank in excellent condition, this is the one that you must desire have in your collection. This item likewise comes in 10, 20, 30 and also 50 gallon fish tank filter.

Fluval C Power Filter for 55 Gallon Aquarium B003SJXTIU

Fluval is a reputable brand picked by lots of aquarists throughout the world for its strong attributes that make it an effective purification system for your container. The C4 filter is powerful that is provides to five stages of purification unlike just three of the competition.

In addition, the container filter is additionally with a high capability up to 70 gallons, offering you more value out of your investing.

Extra so, you will certainly value that it can filter as much as 264 gallons per hour, making it added effective and useful for fish tank proprietors that want to obtain even more out of their costs.

You will certainly also appreciate that it comes with a cleansing indicator telling when you need to tidy and rinse the poly foam.

Pros

5 stages of purification

Can keep a healthy and balanced fish setting

Can filter up to 70 gallons

Includes a cleaning indicator

Easy and fast upkeep

Cons

Feelings as well as looks low-cost for some users

Tetra Murmur EX Silent Multi-Stage Power Filter for Aquariums B001CHVKPY

There are only a few container filters in the marketplace that are very easy to make use of and supplies a powerful efficiency at the same time. If you are seeking a trustworthy 55 gallon fish tank filter system, after that it’s time to place the Tetra Murmur EX Silent Multi-Stage Power Filter for Aquariums to examination.

One of the important things that I really like regarding this product is its ease of usage. I was able to utilize the entire device right out of package without transforming any one of the settings. After priming and also hanging it, the product filters with no fuss.

An additional point that maintains me completely satisfied with this specific filter is both trademarked large filters. These filters allow the water to be filtered properly. Additionally, I was impressed with the germs plates that featured the product. I found out that it helps boost the wellness of the fish as well as plants inside the fish tank.

To my surprise, I was delighted to see how compact this filter is. Considering its size, I really did not think that it can actually carry out quite possibly on my 55 gallon fish tank. I enjoy to report that its three-stage purification system works extremely well. Additionally, the time strips are a massive aid when I am extremely hectic. When the strips redden, it typically suggests that it’s time to replace the filters. With just one push of a switch, I can reset the moment strips.

Pros

Easy to make use of

Features 2 trademarked filters

Can be utilized with fish tanks up to 70 gallons

Operates quietly

Cons

Has an abrupt wild vibration every so often

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SeaChem Large Tropical Fish Tank Filter B01M6Z59E9

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Pros

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Cons

Does not fit well with large-lipped storage tanks

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source https://memfish.net/best-filter-for-55-gallon-aquarium/

[ebola-chan-love]

NTEB RADIO BIBLE STUDY: Is There A Spirit Behind The COVID-19 Coronavirus Global Panic That Is About To Bring In The New World Order?

What is happening now is unique in our modern global society, and tonight we will ask the question if perhaps the COVID-19 coronavirus panic is actually a cover to bring in the New World Order?

As I sit here writing this article that will bring you tonight’s end times bible study, the headlines from around world are nearly unbelievable in what they are saying. The Times of Israel tells me that the Israeli government okays mass surveillance of Israelis’ phones to curb coronavirus, armed guards in Kentucky are enforcing quarantine at gunpoint, and in New York City, the mayor is calling on President Trump to institute Martial Law to fight COVID-19. In short, the world has gone crazy, and it’s only just getting started. Could all this have something to do with the prophesied New World Order we read about in scripture?

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJB)

On this episode of Rightly Dividing, we are looking at the last days found in scripture and comparing them to what is happening right now not only here in America, but in other countries around the world as well. Something is not right, we have had many scary bad virus outbreaks but none with the fear and panic that the COVID-19 coronavirus is now generating. There is a spirit at work here, I suspect, and we are going to do our best to see if we can identify who and what is behind that spirit, and how it might be connected with the New World Order.

CLICK TO JOIN THIS PROGRAM AND LIVE CHAT ROOM WHEN BIBLE STUDY BEGINS AT 9 PM EST TONIGHT!

CLICK TO JOIN THIS PROGRAM AND LIVE CHAT ROOM WHEN BIBLE STUDY BEGINS AT 9 PM EST TONIGHT!

An event like what we are experiencing now is unique to me in my lifetime, nothing that I can recall is equal to what is happening at the moment. People are panicking, people are afraid, Christians are afraid, and it is disproportionate to the COVID-19 outbreak that is supposedly causing it. People didn’t panic like this over AIDS, or SARS, or Ebola, or Swine Flu, or over anything else at all. What is happening now is unique in our modern global society, and tonight we will ask the question if perhaps the COVID-19 coronavirus panic is actually a cover to bring in the New World Order? This is one show you should  not, and indeed cannot miss. We will talk about everything currently propelling this mass frenzy, and it will blow your mind.

Our Sunday Night King James Bible Study Is Now Live Right Here

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NOTE: The Chatroom will open at 8:45 PM EST and will have live music playing. We look forward to having you come and join the NTEB Radio Bible family!

If you decide to use the chatroom, you can chat either as a guest by clicking on the colored circle in the bottom left of the chat window and filling in your own information, or you can register with a FREE account, and chat with permanent credentials and user avatar. Either way is very simple and easy to do, you will find more about that there.

Your Generous Donations Make These Live King James Radio Bible Studies Possible!

On our Sunday night radio bible study, we are preaching and teaching the gospel of the grace of God, rightly divided and dispensationally correct, to a truly global audience who is hungry for the word. These programs would not be possible without your generous support. Listen to just a few of the recent comments we have gotten:

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Nothing thrills my soul like teaching the word of God, it is what the Lord called me to do 29 years ago, and Now The End Begins is the vehicle in which I am able to do it. How exciting it is to be able to teach the Bible to tens of thousands of people per year. Like I told you with the first post of 2020, I have dedicated myself now full-time to NTEB, and it is only through your generous support that such a thing is possible.

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          The post NTEB RADIO BIBLE STUDY: Is There A Spirit Behind The COVID-19 Coronavirus Global Panic That Is About To Bring In The New World Order? appeared first on Now The End Begins.

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[cohesionarts]

This just in from Cohesion Arts

New Post has been published on http://cohesionarts.com/2019/10/09/the-point-of-origin-santa-cruz-1973/

The Point of Origin: Santa Cruz, 1973

This is where the story begins, on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Santa Cruz California, on a warm afternoon in the late summer of 1973.

The Sony “PortaPak” ca. 1970. All that fits in your pocket now.

I had graduated from a branch of Antioch College near Baltimore, Maryland, in the spring of 1973.  In the course of what passed for my higher education – in between all the joints I rolled and smoked – I was one of an emerging global cadre of long-haired, hippie-radicale “video guerillas.”  My classmates and I  experimented with a new media paradigm, using the very first portable video recorders – the Sony Porta-Pak – to create programming for public access on cable TV.   

Our text book through that era was periodical out of New York called “Radical Software.” 

The 8th edition of Radical Software was published in the spring of 1973, just before I graduated from Antioch. That issue was dubbed the “VideoCity” edition” because – as I learned within its pages  –  electronic video was invented there in the 1920s.  

And that’s where first I encountered a name which would ultimately become a primary preoccupation of my adult life: Philo T. Farnsworth.  

Cover of the “VideoCity” edition of “Radical Software” ca. 1973

It was in these pages that I first learned of the 14 year old farm boy with the cartoon-character name who figured out in 1921 how to bounce electrons around in a vacuum tube in order to transmit moving pictures through the air.  I learned about his struggles to perfect his invention and his fights with RCA over his patents. I saw images of a pre-history I had never seen before, and wondered then, as I still wonder now, why is his name not more familiar and why his story is not more frequently told. 

After barely qualifying for a Bachelor’s degree (did I mention that I majored in joint-rolling?), I packed my guitar, a 35mm camera, a pair of hiking boots and a few changes of underwear into my Volkswagen Sqareback and spent the better part of the month of August driving across the country, intending to seek my fortune in the actual TeeVee industry in Hollywood.  

When I arrived in Los Angeles at the end of August, I joined up with Tom Klein, my former college roommate, who was a native of LA, and we started working on some public access video projects out of Santa Monica. 

Sometime in mid-September Tom and I took a little road trip up the California coast, to meet a fellow video guerilla  who ran the public access cable channel in Santa Cruz and went by the assumed persona of “Johnny Videotape.” I have no recollection of this character’s actual name, so for the purposes of this story, we’ll just call him “Johnny.” 

“Johnny” knew a fellow named Phil Geitzen, who had edited that “VideoCity” edition of Radical Software.  And Geitzen was acquainted with Philo T. Farnsworth III – the oldest son of the Philo T. Farnsworth who had invented television, who had died in 1971, just a couple of years before all of this was happening.   

Johnny and Tom and I went on a little hike through the Santa Cruz mountains, and stopped on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. 

As the the three of us sat on a large rock amid the scuffy California brush, Johnny regaled us with stories that Phil Geitzen had heard from Philo T. Farnsworth (the third) about Philo T. Farnsworth (the second).  

And it was there, on this hillside in Santa Cruz, looking out at the blue horizon in the late summer of 1973 that I first heard the expression “nuclear fusion.” 

At a time when conventional nuclear power – what the Eisenhower era reverently extolled as “Atoms for Peace” – was just beginning to encounter  cultural push back for its freshly perceived dangers – in other words, during the time when the expression “meltdown” was just beginning to enter the lexicon – I learned about the most fundamental force in the entire universe. 

Johnny explained that “fusion” is the opposite of the more familiar “fission” that burns in the core of conventional nuclear power plants.  

Albert Einstein, God’s resident mathematician

Fission splits heavy atoms like Uranium or Plutonium into lighter atoms; the combined mass of the split-off, lighter atoms is less than the mass of the original,  heavier atoms, and that difference in mass is released as energy in accordance with Einstein’s famous formula, E=MC2.  

For the record, fission does not exist anywhere in nature; its presence here on Earth is an entirely human fabrication. 

Fusion, on the other hand, is the most natural and common phenomenon is the entire universe.  Fusion is the process burning within our sun and every star in the heavens. 

It seems as if God, when he got bored being God all by himself and set about to create a Universe that could provide some companionship, when he was sifting around for a way to “let there be light,”  he actually started with the idea of fusion.  

In The Beginning… 

God must have said to himself, “First I’ll create hydrogen.  Easy.  One proton, one electron.  Then I’ll add a neutron.  Then I’ll take two of these hydrogen atoms and press them together into an entirely new element. The result will be all the heat and light I need to create an entire universe!  

God clapped his big hands together, and the universe went “bang.” 

That’s all God had to do.  Create hydrogen atoms in infinite abundance and then hang gigantic balls of hydrogen thoughout his new Heavens, compressing those balls of gas with the gravity of their own mass until the atoms fused together into a second element and presto: there was light, and there was heat. 

And God saw that it was good.

Some 14 billion years later, human scientists would name that second element “helium” and a Jewish patent clerk in Germany would calculate the awesome amount of energy released in its forming in the most famous mathematical equation ever written. 

Over eons the stars did the rest of the work: forging an entire atomic chart of other elements, and then condensing those elements into planets. Over the course of several billion years (which might seem a mere six or seven days to a cosmic diety…)  that process would eventually, produce organic, carbon based “life” forms that could carry and transmit that same energy.  

God finally had himself some company, and on the seventh day he threw a party. 

Look out at the night sky, and all you see, as Carl Sagan might have put it, are billions and billions of deep space fusion reactors.  Along with sex, fusion energy is the most natural creative force in the Universe.  

*

OK, back to that bluff overlooking the Pacific in the late summer of 1973. 

Planet Earth: deep space refueling station for fusion-powered spacecraft throughout the Galaxy.

Fusion, as Johnny had learned from Phil Geitzen, as Geitzen had learned from Philo Farnsworth III, offers mankind the promise of a clean and (relatively?) safe source of industrial energy from a virtually infinite fuel source.  The hydrogen isotopes in sea water – the most abundant resource on Earth – store enough fusion fuel to power advanced civilizations for millions of years.  And even though fusion is an atomic reaction, it presents none of the hazards or toxic byproducts that fission plants produce. 

Johnny Videotape explained to Tom Klein and I that modern science has been trying to harness this fusion energy for useful purposes here on Earth for several decades – the obvious assumption being that if we can harness fission to generate electricity, then surely we can harness fusion toward a similar end. 

Or maybe not?

Science has figured out how to harness the very unnatural process of fission into both controlled and explosive devices.  The controlled devices are all those nuclear power plants, all those Three Mile Islands, Chernobyls and Fukushimas – all those meltdowns waiting to happen, and all that radioactive garbage that nobody knows what to do with.  The explosive devices, well, that’s Trinity and Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  

Uncontrolled nuclear fusion

The only fusion devices mankind has managed to perfect are the explosive ones.  The hydrogen bomb.  The monster of incineration that its architect, Edward Teller, liked to call “The Super.”   Great for wiping out entire cities; not so great for powering them. 

A controlled fusion reaction, one that could produce the same megawatts of electricty that we can get out of a conventional nuclear power plant?  That has proven much more difficult to deliver. 

Because: As a heavenly star is a fusion reaction, so an earthbound fusion reaction is an artificial star – and thus presents a cosmic riddle:   

How do you bottle a star?  

Controlled nuclear fusion

What sort of vessel can you create that is capapble of containing a seething atomic inferno as hot as the sun?  What sort of container could withstand such heat without disintegrating?  Conversely, what sort of bottle could contain a star that would not ultimately extinguish the star simply by coming in contact with it? 

That is the quandary that Johnny Videotape presented that warm  afternoon on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Santa Cruz, California in the summer of 1973.

And the reason Johnny was telling us all this was because he  had learned from Phil Geitzen, who had learned from Philo T. Farnsworth III, that Philo T. Farnsworth II – the man who as a boy had invented television – had spent the final decades of his life solving the riddle! 

Philo Farnsworth had figured out how to bottle a star. 

Now the story becomes rather apocryphal.  Here is the story Johnny told, as I recall it 46  years later: 

This is how you bottle a star.

Picture Philo T. Farnsworth working alone in a makeshift basement  laboratory.  

In the doorway, his young son reverently stands by and watches as his father fires up his fantastic ‘star-making machinery.’  Before their eyes, the unthinkable materializes:  the artificial star.  

Together they watch the vibrant, shimmering light, and a knowing gaze passes between father and son.  

When he is satisfied that he has done all that he can do and seen all he needs to see, the father shuts off the machine – and begins to dismantle it.  

He removes a critical piece from the machine, and places it on a high shelf somewhere in the lab where nobody will ever find it – so that the machine will never operate again.  

And then he takes the secret to his grave. 

That story landed like a harpoon in my heart.  

I am hooked on it still.  

And that is why the website fusor.net has been around for more than 20 years.

And why I have been telling this story to anybody who’ll listen for nearly 50 years.

It’s an odd obsession, to put it mildly.

*

Two years after that afternoon in Santa Cruz,  I tracked down the family of Philo T. Farnsworth.  

In the pursuit of the fortune that had lured me to Hollywood, I had landed on the idea of making “a movie for television about the boy who invented it.” 

That project has its own curious origin-and-dead-end story; That the most effective story-telling medium ever devised has yet to tell the story of its own fascinating origins remains its own bizarre mystery.

Pem Farnsworth, ca. 1977, at the dedication of the historic monument at 202 Green Street, where electronic video made its first appearance on Earth on Sept 7, 1927.

For now, suffice it to say that in July of 1975 I  flew to Salt Lake City, where I was greeted in a modest-but-cluttered home by Philo Farnsworth’s widow Pem and two of her skeptical sons – the oldest, the aforememtiomed Philo T. Farnsworth III, born in 1929, and Kent, the youngest who was roughly my age.  That trio of Farmsworths were the primary keepers of the family treasures (they are all deceased now). 

Over the course of the next two days – and the next several years – I began to learn the untold story of the true origins of electronic video, and of the titanic struggles that accompanied its arrival in the world during the 1930s.  

And over the course of those years Philo T. Farnsworth III became one of my best friends.  

There are so. many. stories.  I wish I had time to tell you the story of “The Prince, The Inventor, and The Egg.”  I can only say now that Philo was one of the most unique individuals I have ever had the privilege of knowing until his untimely death in 1987. 

Philo possessed unique insights into his father’s legacy.  Though P3 (as he was often called) lacked his father’s mathematical prowess, he was an inventor in his own right and offered me keen insights into the inventive process that inform my own work to this day. 

But in those first encounters, it became readily apparent that the entire family, and Philo III in particular, were fervently protective of their father’s legacy, and from the outset quite reluctant to discuss the fusion research – the star in a jar – that consumed the final decades of his father’s life.

But over time, time I would earn the family’s trust and learn the truth underlying that apocryphal story. 

Philo T. Farnsworth III ca. 1972

As we got to know and become comfortable with each other, I finally got around to telling Philo the story that Johnny Videotape had told me, the story that he had heard from Phil Geitzen that Phil Geitzen had supposedly heard from the lips of this very same Philo Farnsworth III.

Philo chuckled. 

The story, he said, was indeed apocryphal, and perhaps a bit broadly drawn.  The details were well off – Philo III was hardly a child, he was in his mid 30s during the years when his father was experimenting with fusion.  But he also confirmed its essence when he said, simply, that “the patents are incomplete.” 

Think of a patent as a text book.  A well written patent should instruct somebody skilled in the underlying arts how to build the novel device disclosed therein.  But if critical details are left out of the patent, even the most skilled practitioner will be building a device that falls short of its intended purpose. 

Schematic of the Farnsworth Fusor from US Patent # 3386883.  Something is missing…

In other words, filing an incomplete patent is much like taking a critical piece out of the machine and placing on a high shelf where nobody will ever find it. 

Philo first told me about those incomplete patents sometime in the mid 1970s. But it was another 15 years before  Pem Farnsworth, who had been at her husbands’s side during all the important moments in his career, would confide in me the story that is the climax of his biography.

In the summer of 1989, I returned to Salt Lake to help Pem and youngest son Kent put the finishing touches on “Distant Vision” – the memoir that Pem had begun writing when I first met her in 1975.  

And when we got to the “second chapter” – the decade devoted to fusion energy research – Kent and I could both tell that Pem was withholding something,  a critical detail she was reluctant to divulge. 

Finally, we sat Pem down with a cassette recorder and coaxed from her the story of a night in 1965,  when Philo brought her back to his laboratory that was, in fact, in a basement in Fort Wayne Indiana.  Once past the night watchman and settled in behind the controls, Farnsworth opened the electrical ciruits feeding the reactor and adjusted the controls.  And then the strangest thing happened: he withdrew the electrical current, and the reaction just kept on going.  

Pem and Philo watched as the needles in various gauges pinned at the limits.  And when the needles finally settled down, Pem told us that her husband turned to her and said, “I have seen all I need to see…” 

Weeks later, he filed the patents that his son descibed to me as “incomplete.” 

It is quite common when reading of contemporary fusion research to encounter the skeptical caveat that “fusion energy is 20 years in the future and always will be…” 

But I have met the family of Philo T. Farnsworth – the man who, as a boy, arrived on this planet with the unique insights that delivered electronic video to the world.  I have looked them all in the eye and I have seen and felt the abiding reverence they hold for the legacy they are protecting and the secrets that Philo T. Farnsworth took to his grave.

And I share their conviction:  fusion energy is not 20 years in the future.

The path to fusion energy was found  50 years ago and we missed it. 

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Above, “Star Mode” in one of the many amateur and student science projects  that have kept Farnsworth’s approach to fusion alive for the past 20 years. This work has been fostered by a website I created in 1998: Fusor.net 

[nickelsonbnirmakbf32insuran-blog]

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The Hack That Created an Underground Market for Old Medical Devices

One day last June, Doug Boss pulled into a police station parking lot to meet a stranger from Craigslist. His purpose: to buy used insulin pumps. Boss has type 1 diabetes, and he relies on a small pump attached to his body to deliver continuous doses of insulin that keep him alive.

To be clear, he didn’t need to buy used medical equipment on Craigslist. Boss, who is 55 and works in IT in Texas, has health insurance. He even has a new, in-warranty pump sitting at home. But he was thrilled to find on Craigslist a coveted old model made by the medical-device company Medtronic and discontinued years ago. What makes these outdated Medtronic pumps so desirable is, ironically, a security flaw. Boss was looking for a pump or two he could hack.

He’s not the only one. In 2014, a few hackers realized that the security flaw in certain Medtronic pumps could be exploited for a DIY revolution. Type 1 diabetes is a disease where the pancreas is unable to produce insulin to control blood sugar. For years, Boss had counted, down to the gram, the carbohydrates in every meal and told his pump how much insulin to dispense. Every cup of coffee (more insulin), every brisk walk (less insulin) turned into a math problem with serious consequences: Extremely high or low blood sugar can both be fatal. The healthy pancreas does these “calculations” to adjust insulin automatically, and for decades researchers have worked toward creating an artificial pancreas that can do the same.

By 2014, the hardware components of a DIY artificial pancreas—a small insulin pump that attaches via thin disposable tubing to the body and a continuous sensor for glucose, or sugar, that slips just under the skin—were available, but it was impossible to connect the two. That’s where the security flaw came in. The hackers realized they could use it to override old Medtronic pumps with their own algorithm that automatically calculates insulin doses based on real-time glucose data. It closed the feedback loop.

They shared this code online as OpenAPS, and “looping,” as it’s called, began to catch on. Instead of micromanaging their blood sugar, people with diabetes could offload that work to an algorithm. In addition to OpenAPS, another system called Loop is now available. Dozens, then hundreds, and now thousands of people are experimenting with DIY artificial-pancreas systems—none of which the Food and Drug Administration has officially approved. And they’ve had to track down discontinued Medtronic pumps. It can sometimes take months to find one.

Obviously, you can’t just call up Medtronic to order a discontinued pump with a security flaw. “It’s eBay, Craigslist, Facebook. It’s like this underground market for these pumps,” says Aaron Kowalski, CEO of JDRF, a nonprofit that funds type 1 diabetes research. This is not exactly how a market for lifesaving medical devices is supposed to work. And yet, this is the only way it can work—for now.

By the time Boss decided to try looping, he had not gotten a good night’s sleep in a decade. Every night, the alarm on his glucose monitor would go off when his blood sugar dipped too low or climbed too high. He’d wake up, do math with a sleep-fogged brain, and either eat a snack or give himself extra insulin. Like many patients with type 1 diabetes, he was sacrificing sleep to stay alive.

OpenAPS changed that. To start looping with OpenAPS, Boss did also need to buy a mini computer called Edison. The Edison receives data wirelessly from his continuous glucose monitor, runs an algorithm to predict future blood sugar, and tells the insulin pump how much to dispense every five minutes to prevent highs and lows. Boss could choose to monitor everything through his phone. But at night, he simply slept. “The sheer idea that I have a chance to sleep through the night ... ” he marveled to me. So many other loopers I spoke with echoed the sentiment. Jeremy Pettus, another looper, used to keep apple juice by his bed to guard against perilously low blood sugar. “One day my wife was like, ‘We haven’t bought you apple juice in a long time,’” he says. “That burden of having a dangerous low in the middle of my night completely disappeared.”

The looping algorithm makes these corrections throughout the day, too. Laura Nally, another looper, described to me how she had always planned out her life hours in advance: Would she be walking a lot at work that day? Eating a meal in a couple hours? Taking a hot shower that could affect insulin absorption? “You’re always thinking, ‘What is the next thing I’m going to be doing?’” she says. With Loop, she still uses an app on her phone to tell the algorithm when she’s eating. (Same with OpenAPS, which is why both systems are technically “hybrid” closed systems rather than fully closed.) But if she is off by a few grams of carbohydrates or walks a little bit more than she expects, Loop can easily make real-time corrections. “Every decision we make we’re trying to hit a bullseye. With Loop, all I’m trying to do is get the dart on the board,” explains Erik Douds, who also uses Loop to manage his type 1 diabetes.

Users of Loop have to carry around an extra device called the RileyLink (in white) that translates the iPhone’s signals to the Medtronic insulin pump and vice versa. To make she didn’t lose it, Laura Nally decided to attach her RileyLink directly to her phone case. (Laura Nally)

Loop and OpenAPS users tend to be a pretty self-selecting bunch, as the systems require buying your own equipment out of pocket and following detailed set-up instructions. It also comes with a bit of a learning curve. But according to one small study and many, many anecdotes, looping is, when done properly, both safe and better than a human brain at managing blood sugar. As the good word about looping spread, demand for the few compatible models of Medtronic pumps has swelled.

Early on, loopers were often able to find old, compatible Medtronic pumps sitting unused in their own closets or a friend’s. Boss had actually gotten his first Medtronic pump from a cousin’s daughter before upgrading to a bigger version he found on Craigslist. Pettus, himself an endocrinologist, got his from a young woman who was his patient. “I have a cute little purple pump,” he says. Douds got his from a friend and looping evangelist who he stayed with while traveling across the country. But when Nally wanted to start looping last year, she was living in the Bay Area, full of tech-savvy early adopters, and everyone she knew with a compatible Medtronic pump was already a looper. She was wary of buying one from a stranger online. Luckily, she ended up winning one of the periodic raffles for a loopable Medtronic pump in an online diabetes group. That’s how coveted the pumps have become.

[Read: ]My pacemaker is tracking me from inside my body

An underlying security flaw is still the reason looping is possible with Medtronic pumps. (Would-be loopers are even told to watch out for old pumps whose software have been upgraded to fix the flaw.) The security issue doesn’t bother Boss, whose day job is in IT. There’s a tiny, theoretical risk that someone who knows his pump’s serial number and gets physically close can take over. But, he says, “If I drink coffee in the morning and forget to enter it into my phone, my blood sugar is going to be higher than normal.” The everyday risk of making such a mistake outweighs the remote risk of someone else hacking his pump.

A spokesperson for Medtronic wrote in a statement, “Patient safety is our first priority, and intentional device modifications can adversely impact device performance and put patient safety at risk. Medtronic strongly discourages intentional device modification of our insulin-pump systems.”

In the absence of official customer support, loopers have come to rely on each other. Rebecca Vitale told me the only reason she hasn’t quit Facebook is because she uses a group for Loop tech help. (Vitale is also friends with my partner.) From the group, she learned to cover her Medtronic pump in packing tape. The compatible Medtronic pumps, unlike newer models, are not waterproof, and their buttons are especially finicky around moisture. The packing tape keeps it just a bit more sweat and waterproof. It’s a hack around a hack.

Like many loopers, Rebecca Vitale put packing tape on her Medtronic pump to protect it from moisture. (Rebecca Vitale)

The looping community is so tight-knit that the person who wrote the code is sometimes the person answering questions. Hilary Koch, whose son loops, remembers spending two hours on the phone with one of the creators of OpenAPS. She tries to do her part, too. “How you give back is, if you see somebody ask a question you know you can answer, you answer it,” she says. Boss also scours eBay for Edisons, which have since been discontinued, and has given a few to people who want to loop, in return for a small donation to Nightscout, another open-source project used with OpenAPS to remotely access glucose data.

When the creators of OpenAPS, Dana Lewis and Scott Leibrand, shared their code back in 2015, they did so for free. They weren’t in it for money, and that ethos is still very much alive in the looping community today. And so, despite all the people clamoring for loopable Medtronic pumps, attempts to sell one to the highest bidder are met with swift backlash in the online community. The going price is usually around $500. “You’ll see posts for $1,000 to $3,000—and community members are like, ‘Haha no,’” says Lewis. (The sticker price of new Medtronic pumps runs over $7,000.)

Since OpenAPS first became available, looping options have slowly expanded. Another group developed Loop for iPhone, which is more user-friendly in some ways but still requires an extra piece of hardware called a RileyLink.

A couple other new options don’t even require Medtronic pumps—but they are currently limited in other ways. AndroidAPS, for example, runs on Accu-Chek or Dana pumps, which are approved in Europe and elsewhere, but not yet in the U.S. The system also goes straight to an Android phone, eliminating the need for an extra device like a RileyLink or Edison. The manufacturer of Dana pumps consulted with the DIY looping community in developing its latest version.

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Erica Potter liked the fact that her eight-year-old daughter would not need to carry around another part with AndroidAPS. But her family lives in the U.S., where no compatible pumps are sold. Through a contact in the diabetes community, Potter managed to find a medical-supply company in north Africa that would ship a Dana pump overseas. It came out to $2,000 with supplies and shipping.  The set-up has worked so well that Potter has ordered a second pump for her six-year-old, who was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. “I’m aiming for perfection because these are my kid’s organs,” she says. She is waiting for that second pump to ship right now.

More recently, loopers have started testing a hacked version of another pump called Omnipod, which is available in-warranty and tubeless. (Think about the convenience of AirPods versus regular earbuds, except for something that goes under your skin.) Public testing of the Loop-Omnipod system began just last week. Kate Farnsworth, who runs a Facebook group about looping and whose own daughter loops, saw her group gain 1,000 new members in just a few days, buoyed by interest in Omnipod. “I think we’ll have a lot of new loopers,” she says.

Even with these new options, DIY looping is still on the margins of the official health-care system: It’s going overseas to buy pumps not yet approved in the United States. It’s testing an experimental version with Omnipod. And in most cases in the United States, it’s been finding old, out-of-warranty Medtronic pumps. Loopers with Medtronic pumps told me they worried their decade-old devices might break, and they’d have no way to fix it. Boss has a couple backup pumps stockpiled. Kowalski, of the nonprofit JDRF, told me that he once saw his brother, who is also a looper, watching soldering videos on YouTube when something broke. “People are doing wacky stuff,” he says. “We don’t want wacky. We want them to use things like they normally would.” JDRF, which is a major funder of artificial-pancreas research, has been working to make the technology mainstream.  

In fact, the FDA approved a looping system from Medtronic called the Minimed 670G in 2016, after the first people started using OpenAPS. The DIY loopers I spoke to had various reasons for sticking with their DIY setup, though: It gave them more flexibility in setting their target blood sugar. It allowed them to use their preferred glucose monitor rather than Medtronic’s.

A nonprofit called Tidepool is now running a clinical trial to get Loop approved by the FDA.  It’s also partnered with the company behind Omnipod to make the next version of its pods officially Loop-compatible—a more formalized version of the DIY Loop-Omnipod system that hackers just made available for public testing.

JDRF, which is a funder of Tidepool, has put forth a vision of a “plug and play” artificial pancreas. Currently, Medtronic’s MiniMed 670G locks the patient into a Medtronic pump, Medtronic glucose sensor, and Medtronic software. The idea, says Kowalski of JDRF, is to have multiple compatible pumps and glucose sensors and algorithms, so that patients can mix and match what they prefer. Looping, in whatever form, is almost certainly the future for type 1 diabetes. It might be all that kids today ever know.

Koch’s son is almost 13 now, old enough to start learning how to manage diabetes on his own. She reflected on the years of interrupted sleep, of weighing the carbs in every meal he brought to school, of ticking off minutes for his blood sugar to drop before he could eat a snack. He’s been looping for over two years now, and some of those memories are starting to fade. “He will never know it like we did,” she says. “And I think that’s a wonderful thing.”

from Health News And Updates https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/04/looping-created-insulin-pump-underground-market/588091/?utm_source=feed