#who also autistically designated them Only For Soup

[eldritchmochi]

i have the seasons soup mugs from 2000, which are squatter and wider than your average coffee mug by a significant amount, and also dont have that eyecatching label design, so it doesnt really look like a novelty *coffee* mug

the thing that im so baffled by about it is the bit about how this mug (at one point mugs, but one got lost in a move) have always been with my bowls, always on a different shelf than my regular mugs, frequently in a different cabinet from both my regular mugs and my standard glasses, AND i pretty much always give specific directions on where to find glasses for water because my kitchen organization isnt quite intuitive compared to a lot of people's since, while im tall, i have hella joint issues that means common use items have to be as low as possible. how people always go to the wrong cabinet and without fail unearthed my damn soup mug from behind other shit where i stash it because its not common use, i havent the foggiest

i have much more eyecatching and goofy coffee mugs *right there*, and currently my glasses are really cool too so why??

[paddedlittleparadise]

Hi, I’m asking different related blogs if they have any advice for this because I’m not sure what to do when the time comes and I’d like some help if thats okay?

So I recently talked to my boyfriend, who is a little, about the idea of him possibly trying diapers because I think he would look and feel adorable. We had a long discussion about it because I knew it was a hard limit for him at first but he told me he doesn’t actually know why it’s a hard limit, rather more so being a stigma he’s created in his head about trying them. I told them he wouldn’t have to use them or anything, I’d reassure him all he needed and I’d take good care of him.

Now he’s telling me he wants to try it because he knows I’d make him feel safe. However he said he’s been thinking about it a lot and he’s afraid that he’ll try it and not like it and disappoint me (there’s no way he ever could, I love him too much)

Basically what I’m trying to ask is how could I make the experience, when it happens, the most comfortable and safest? How can I make him enjoy it/let himself be looked after? How can I ease him into this? He’s also autistic so gets overwhelmed easily. I just love him so much and I want him to be comfortable and make this enjoyable for him. Also what are like… the best ones? Idk. Like what would be the comfiest for him I guess. He’s very skinny if that helps

Hey there, Anon – thanks for the thoughtful question, and so sorry it's been so long since you asked this! I wanted to give you a proper response, and life was so crazy that I'm only just now getting to it.

First off, I'm no authority on this stuff. I'm just one kinky person on the internet, so please don't take my opinions as gospel. But right at the outset, I'd say that it sounds like you're starting in a very good place. You both are communicating, and you're both aware of hard and soft limits. You're also both open to negotiating, which is a great sign of a healthy relationship – so long as you can also maintain healthy boundaries for yourselves.

It's really so sweet what you've shared about your boyfriend, and it's super relatable! Few of us want to disappoint our loved ones, and certainly when we're trying new and intimate things, it can be SO easy to feel pressure to like stuff just because we know our partner wants us to like it. I therefore think what you both will need is a bit more courage and self-assertion. Ideally, he will find the courage and the confidence to say when he dislikes something after trying it for you, since he knows that that you'll still love him regardless.

This idea is obviously something you've communicated to him verbally, but perhaps you can find other ways to show it as well by example? Maybe try watching a show he really likes – or a food, or music, or a hobby – and don't be afraid to tell him if and when you don't like it? And encourage him to do the same with you? If you can establish a relationship in which you both feel it's okay to be different in your likes and dislikes, that can make open differences in intimate affairs that much easier to communicate.

You know, for example: "Hey, I know you really like tomato soup, and that's cool! It's just really not for me. How about we have it only once a week instead of twice?" "You know, I'm so glad you love that new Taylor album! It doesn't do much for me, but I do love seeing you happy. So don't worry – I'm totally fine with listening to it on repeat now and then."

Anyway, about making a first diaper experience comfortable and enjoyable! A few thoughts:

Let him try training pants instead of full-on diapers. Goodnites come in XL sizes these days (140+ pounds); they are super cheap and easy to find at many grocery/drug stores or Amazon. In case you aren't aware, these are pull-on, thin, disposable underwear made for bedwetting teens. Because they're essentially thicker, disposable underwear and they come with an assortment of cute/cool designs printed on them, they will likely be a great way to ease into diaper play. If he's unable to fit into them, maybe check Amazon for sample packs of 2 AB/DL diapers and see if there are some with designs he might like. Pretty much any AB/DL diaper will be soft and comfy. :-)

Don't make a big deal of it. When adults are wearing something babyish, we're often embarrassed by the experience. Sometimes what we want is to be able to duck into our room – maybe at our loved one's suggestion/command – and put the thing on ourselves. Wear pants over it, maybe. And then be completely, utterly normal about it. Let life go on. Have supper. Cuddle on the couch. Watch a show. Do whatever you normally would when he's in little space. Maybe let a hand stray down there and give a little pat, complimenting him on obeying you. Tell him how cute HE is (not the diaper; it's him you love. You want to show that you're not making him into your fetish dispensing machine.). And check in casually to ask how he's doing, or if he wants to take it off. Basically, the less of a deal you make of a potentially embarrassing ordeal, the easier and less overwhelming it will likely be for him.

After a try, don't rush. Give it some time – sleep on it. Check in a day or two later, maybe. See how he feels about it. If it works for you, try again – or maybe consider putting the ball in his court and let him tell you when he'd like to try again.

Communicate your own gratitude and concern. It sounds as though your boyfriend has a strong desire to please, so giving him a sense of how much fulfillment and joy he is bringing you can be essential. Sure, it will function as positive reinforcement and make it more likely that he might want to wear again. But more importantly, it will bring him relief and joy to know that he did well, that you still love him, and that even if/when he isn't wearing something special, you love him all the same.

Again, I'm very sorry for the delayed response. I hope these few thoughts will be helpful – and best of luck to you both!

-PLP

[solar-sunnyside-up]

hey, something i've been struggling with recently is i've been struggling with "finding my people" because i'm a minority in my hometown, and a lot of people... aren't. they don't understand me, and often when i try to get them to understand they seem like they fall back into the old systems they were traumatized with (elitism, classism ect.,). 1/2 -solidarity anon

Im gunna say this at the top, this is so rough and im so sorry you gotta go through this sweetie. We are so isolated and filtered into categories within our current system in order to keep that isolation and to fight solidarity and unity. Now I cannot know for 100% sure what your going through or the extend your suffering. But will say I am from and currently still live in a oil loving, god fearing, anti-LGBT, and very racist city while i was raised wiccan by a poly core family and all my gay aunts/uncles and have been dreaming of an earthship my whole life plus every summer id be stuck in an even more harsh farming community that was so small they gotntheir first street light when i was 9 and the chruch is also town hall (mayor works in a wing off of the building). So there is at least some overlap in the experiences your having.

But that being said, how I got weirdly connected to people and involved in so many projects and stuff might not work for you.

Personally? I just yelled and yelled about the injustice of the system at work, about cool forestry projects and people buying ghost towns to start up Co-loving villages. Sharing discworld and different philosophers with coworkers backed up by their fave hobby. About how terrible the conservative politics are. About how cool transit could be if we funded it. About community art projects and how cool solar glass would make things look. About drags shows and events and did you know there is A SOUP FESTIVAL? I'm autistic and have only really interacted my whole childhood with friends with ADHD so my brain is weird and won't shut up once it starts going.

As a result of my ramblings, I have gotten a lot of responses mostly ones that are positive since if they didn't agree with my absurdist philosophy ramblings or solar project ideas they'd just leave the coffee shop. If they enjoyed it, say they want to join a community garden/event or if someone was as stoked as I was about again UNLIMITED TASTINGS SOUP FESTIVAL than we'd chat about that. The thing is a lot of these things have overlap. Someone who wants to convert their lawn into a pollinators habitate prob also likes little libraries and as a result prob also likes the idea of dark sky street lights. And down the rabbit hole you go.

That being said... my best actual advice is 2 pronged.

RESEARCH and REACH OUT

I personally have done years worth of research on my city. What local events and politics are happening? Even in rural places there is at least garderns, there's engineers, there's usually a LGBT focused club. And from these spaces, you can build a network. Doing research I found out about 5 different organizations in my city (most of which was founded 40 yrs ago??) That where sustainability focused. Doing research made me realize how cool community associations could be and how I could help mine out. It also gives you all those ideas for convos.

Second, I reached out to those groups about weird ideas I had, about if I could hang up posters for them in my local area, if I could buy groups worth of tickets in advance, and than also reaching out to the ppl I already talked to and had these ppl interact. My fave example of this is T. T is an engineer who built a fully functioning solar car during his degree program but specializes in hydroponics (how we ended up talking was over plants) he than gets shown my fave farm near by and now he's building the farms hydro system and Seedling house. Writing in to newsletter ppl and showing off weird layout design. This is ultimately very anxiety indusing. What if I'm bothering them? Why should I be spamming them like this? But the secret here is-

No one will ever be mad about you showing interest in their interest once you find those ppl. They want the interaction just as much as you do.

[x-enocyon]

the viscerally sexual sci-fi movies remain viscerally sexual

[Alien: Romulus spoilers]

Suffice to say I really enjoyed Alien: Romulus. The film had me hooked within the first 10 minutes by introducing a new angle with androids and the way they’re perceived by their human counterparts. To me, regardless of the writer/direction’s intention, Andy is an allegory for the experience of an autistic person who is also a member of a marginalized community. I prefaced this with to me because I have long been obsessed with androids and always associate them with the experience of being on the spectrum.

I found it refreshing to see an autistic-coded android character who didn’t go the route of cold, calculating and robotic. I love Star Trek's Data as much as the next android enjoyer, but that trope often reads to me as perpetuating the idea that autistic people cannot grasp human emotions & depicts low empathy people as sub-human. Andy’s behavior (prior to the module upload anyway) struck me as warm and kind but with a lot of struggle to connect with people or behave the way others around him expect a "normal person" to behave. I do enjoy rep for low empathy folks, but this depiction of an autistic person* (imo, anyway*) felt closer to experiences I can relate to.

I also think the movie handled the autism allegory well in that even people who treated Andy well- that being Rain- infantilize him. It’s only when Andy is more than capable that people stop speaking to him like a child— but at that point, they begin alienating him in a different way. Now Andy is intimidating and can't be trusted. I think that Rain loves him, and I think she means well, but I think that's also true of a lot of people with autistic adults in their lives who they treat like children. It's not often done with malicious intent, but it still happens.

I myself am still trying to come to a full conclusion on how I felt about Andy’s whole arc. I can say that it was the most impactful part of the movie for me. Loved that the whole thing ended on a hopeful note. The green light on his central processor chip almost had me in tears in the theater.

& with that, the end of Romulus was the kicker for me that cemented as my second favorite Alien movie. Visceral, intense horror and fighting for survival, insurmountable odds and claustrophobia-- but by the skin of your fucking teeth, you make it through.

Oh, and the xenomorph parts were great too.

But genuinely, I’m still sitting on how I felt about all of the birth and sexual violence and frequently yonic imagery. I have a lot of thoughts about it but right now it’s all soup. I liked it. I like abstract and visceral eroticism. And deeply unsettling but well-placed allegories for trauma. The way facehuggers keep you breathing remains for whatever reason the most unsettling thing xenomorphs do. Idk what it is, the intense forced belly breathing just gives me the fuckin heebie jeebies.

I guess a lot of people didn't like the hybrid baby design? I thought it was great. Folks are so familiar with the xenomoprh's design at this point, they're more cool than they are scary. And hot depending on who you ask. But the hybrid? The way they fell into a weird uncanny valley with the humanoid face and the splitting humanoid tongue, the ghostly pale skin... I thought it was a smart direction to go for making xenomorphs freaky again.

[hargrove-mayfields]

Billy and his brothers Jason Lee and Vance au!

@flashwaves @every-dayiwakeup

I talked about this on discord but I’m obsessed so I’m sharing here-

Billy is the youngest of three brothers. Jason Lee (from power rangers 2017) is his older by twenty minutes twin and Vance (yes Hopper) is the oldest brother by five years. All together in a trailer right across from the Munsons, they’re dealing with traumas from their individual canons on top of raising an orphaned Max. Also they annoy Wayne Munson because even though Vance is in his twenties he’s hardly responsible enough to take care of three teenagers and needs a hand (and lots and lots of homemade soup from across the way)

They’re all autistic because I said so. Vanny and Billy join Corroded Coffin just to be loud and have fun. Jason Lee isn’t into metal at all but he does play video games with Eddie (his bf also because I said so) while Vance sticks to pinball tho bc he misses simpler times and non-digital screens. Max and him walk or board to the arcade and spend all the pocket change she earned from helping kids (and Eddie. especially Eddie) with math homework because it's her special interest.

Shit goes wrong occasionally but nobody dies because Billy and Max have two badass brothers to fight for them and they aren’t dealing with shit all on their own this time. Jason Lee is their designated functional brother (but also he only drinks blue gatorade and tap water, so maybe not alfjslfk. he’s just the only one who can drive post ‘85) (Billy’s personal vice is being obsessed with chocolate milk while also being lactose intolerant. they’ve seen too much otherworldly bullshit to stop him from drinking it, though Vance and Jason Lee will occasionally lose their shit thinking their brother is going to die from milk poisoning [not possible])

They’re known to get themselves into trouble for each other (cough. the time Jason Lee knocked over an entire fridge at the grocery store climbing it to get the last choco milk for Billy. cough) so even though they tease Billy for being the baby brother or Vance for still not knowing how to style his curls neatly or Jason Lee for being a preppy loser they’re thick as thieves and would do anything for one another. Still they know better than to take Vance’s advice most of the time because while it was helpful to be taught how to fight for themselves, his new motto since nearly dying in ‘77 is “when in doubt, stab them first!” Stabbing is, however, usually not actually the answer. Again, there’s a reason Jason Lee is the functional brother.

Anyways the moral of the story is Billy has the big happy family he deserves :)

[danvolodar]

On shared experiences

Ryoko Kui's interviews are just a gift that keeps on giving. Now that she's explicitly explained that she designed Laios to be normal rather than on a spectrum, there are voices in the fandom that suspect her own to be autistic if she considers that normal - since, you know, a lot of what Laios goes through just reflects the experiences people on the spectrum have.

And, well, I can't help but notice: pretty much everything that happens with Laios can happen with anyone, no matter how neurotypical. Strange hobbies nobody really understands or shares? So common there are even pejoratives in English for people who have these, such as "nerd" or "geek". Failing to pick up subtle social cues sent by a man from a different culture? Yeah, it's perfectly common to be oblivious to subtle social cues.

All in all, I feel these attempts to claim certain experiences as specific to certain conditions as opposed to them exemplifying our shared humanity detract from any analysis of any art piece rather than adding to it.

A political conspiracy theory follows.

The whole idea that people are inherently unable to understand others' experiences, including experiences with oppression, that underlies most of intersectional analysis, is particularly bad for it. Not only are particular experiences claimed, but they're proclaimed as incomprehensible to others based on their innate, inborn traits that they cannot change.

And, well, that got me thinking. Who's to benefit from disunion among the oppressed, if not the oppressors? Cui prodest? We know for a fact that the CIA is ready and willing to wage cultural war through whatever means necessary - say, they've admitted to promoting the modern abstract art to make the Soviet socrealism look outdated and boring. And if the American alphabet soup can sponsor and support even something this seemingly far removed from its ideological struggle, why rule out it subtly supporting the ideology that the oppressed groups can never understand each other?

Compare the modern leftists with the victorious left parties of the yesteryear. The latter sought to settle all the injustices: the social and class ones, the ethnic oppression, the gender inequality, the lack of access to medicine and education, the societies spending their wealth on war. Most of these are still issues that the majorities of the populations even in the developed nations are concerned with, especially if the problems are formulated in ways they understand. Instead, the modern-day left laser-focuses on issues that make a simple blue collar worker scratch his head at best, leaving the center-left ghouls as the seemingly only viable alternative to the right politics. Some of them also rather transparently toe the Washington party line - take the Greens in Germany, who are consistently pro-war, an absurdity for a left party.

And I can't help but wonder - is this the natural state of things? Or is it per chance a result of meddling from on high?

[ionlydidthisforspirk]

Sense im brand new, yall gotta know stuff about me

—————————————————————

1) What got you into Star Trek?

-My dad did! He made me watch AOS and I loved it!

2) How long have you been a Trekkie? Do you consider yourself one?

-I’ve been a Trekkie about a year snd a half, I consider myself a Trekkie!

3) Favorite of the series?

-TOS and Voyager!

4) Favorite of the movies?

-Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, Voyage home❤️

5) If you could live on any of the established planets, which would it be and why?

- call me basic, but Vulcan. I think the landscape is really pretty and I already live in a desert so I could handle the temperatures

6) Which of the major powers would you align yourself with and why?

-The federation? (Kinda confused by this one lol

7) Favorite species?

- VULCANSSS, they’re my babies❤️❤️

8) Would you want to be your favorite species? Why or why not?

-As much as I love them, I wouldn’t. I’m an emotional person I couldn’t handle having to contain them

9) What division do you think you'd most likely be in if you were a Starfleet officer?

-this is really tough, command or sciences probably

10) What rank do you think you'd be in any of the powers?

- this is also tough! I think I would just be an ensign (for now😈😈)

11) Which ship designs do you like best?

-I love Voyager!! Very pretty ship❤️

12) Which ship class do you like the design of best of [insert power/species here]?

-Klingon ships, who wouldn’t use the cloaking device?? But I just like the overall brightness of the federation ships

13) Star Trek food you'd like to try the most?

- Plomeek soup, in curious

14) Favorite characters?

-UGH I WISH I COULD SAY SO MANY!! But I’ll cut it down to Spock and Seven of Nine

15) 3 things you can't get over?

-SPIRK���😭 ILL NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT THEM

- How badly I want to see future seasons of Lower Decks

-How Seven of Nine is queer😭😭 I’m obsessed

16) The character you absolutely cannot stand?

- I don’t really care for Neelix, I don’t HATE him but I’m not a huge fan either

17) Tribble. Yes or no?

-I’ll take the pink genetically modified ones, because they are cute! But I couldn’t handle the reproducing.

18) Favorite character ship?

-SPIRKKKKKK HUGGEEEE SPIRK FAN💙💛

19) Character(s) you feel is(/are) misunderstood?

- Kes, but only kinda. I think she had potential but she was also kinda annoying lol

20) Do you think the UFP should be allowed cloaking tech?

-I do! Because I don’t think they would use it for negative purposes

21) Do you read any of the books? Any recommendations?

-I wish I did but no

22) How do you feel about Beta content in general?

-no clue what this means

23) Have you played any of the video games?

-I have! I’ve played Star Trek bridge crew on my oculus and I reallly want the new game

24) How do you feel about a majority of the aliens being humanoid?

- I think it’s there for budgeting reasons, but I would like to see non humanoid federation members more often.

25) How do you feel about the "blending" method used for most of the hybrids?

-I think it’s cool!! I wish there was more hybrids!! (Except I have one issue with this which I will go into detail in another post)

26) What does your favorite character/s, or Star Trek in general, mean to you?

-Spock and Seven mean a lot to me, because I am autistic and queer. Its hard for me to understand other people’s intentions sometimes and hard for me to connect with people, and not only that but Spock and Seven being queer just made it even better❤️

27) Would you see/date/marry any of the other species?

-I would marry Vulcans in the spot. I love them sm

28) How do you feel about assimilation?

-awful and scary. I could never

29) Would you count the steps of Mount Seleya while climbing?

-I don’t get this

30) How long do you think you could survive in the Forge?

- I don’t get this either lol (I’ve never watched Enterprise)

31) Which model of the Enterprise would you prefer to be trapped on?

-SNW, because timeline wise, it’s older and probably has some sort of flaw you could use as a work around

32) How would you feel if you were trapped in the Federation building with Sarek?

-I would ask for his son’s hand in marriage smh

33) Would you take a slinky with you up the steps of Mount Seleya?

- NOW IM CURIOUS I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT MOUNT SELEYA IS

34) Which space dad would you prefer to be adopted by? (Sisko, Sarek, Picard, Tomalak, Tuvok, Jarok, Pike, Soval, Rom, Chakotay, Solkar, or David McCoy?)

-Tuvok or Pike, I think they could be such good caring fathers but also teach me solid life lessons.

35) How would you feel about a mind meld?

-I wishhhh I could have a mind meld

36) What about your crazy space aunt?

(Lwaxana, Deanna, Janeway, Seven, T'Pol, Kira, Uhura, Guinan, or Charvanek?)

- Lwaxana is I wanted a “crazy” space aunt, but Janeway if I wanted a super supportive aunt

37) Bones, Chapel, M'Benga, Bashir, The Doctor, Crusher, or Phlox?

-DONT MAKE ME ANSWER THIS I CANT PICKKKK😭😭

38) A member of the crew you'd like to hang out with for a day?

- BOIMLER!! I just know we would be besties

39) An event or episode you wish you could be a part of?

- This is sooo tough. I would like to see Lwaxana completely obsess over Picard in that one episode

40) Insert your own question here?

- SPIRK FIC RECS LOL LEAVE THEM HERE!!!

Star Trek Ask List

I don't know if a Star Trek themed list is out there already but I've wanted to post one to here for a while.

Questions will be answered by both the Captain and First Officer unless otherwise asked for.

1)What got you into Star Trek?

2) How long have you been a Trekkie? Do you consider yourself one?

3) Favorite of the series?

4) Favorite of the movies?

5) If you could live on any of the established planets, which would it be and why?

6) Which of the major powers would you align yourself with and why?

7) Favorite species?

8) Would you want to be your favorite species? Why or why not?

9) What division do you think you'd most likely be in if you were a Starfleet officer?

10) What rank do you think you'd be in any of the powers?

11) Which ship designs do you like best?

12) Which ship class do you like the design of best of [insert power/species here]?

13) Star Trek food you'd like to try the most?

14) Favorite characters?

15) 3 things you can't get over?

16) The character you absolutely cannot stand?

17) Tribble. Yes or no?

18) Favorite character ship?

19) Character(s) you feel is(/are) misunderstood?

20) Do you think the UFP should be allowed cloaking tech?

21) Do you read any of the books? Any recommendations?

22) How do you feel about Beta content in general?

23) Have you played any of the video games?

24) How do you feel about a majority of the aliens being humanoid?

25) How do you feel about the "blending" method used for most of the hybrids?

26) What does your favorite character/s, or Star Trek in general, mean to you?

27) Would you see/date/marry any of the other species?

28) How do you feel about assimilation?

29) Would you count the steps of Mount Seleya while climbing?

30) How long do you think you could survive in the Forge? 31) Which model of the Enterprise would you prefer to be trapped on? 32) How would you feel if you were trapped in the Federation building with Sarek? 33) Would you take a slinky with you up the steps of Mount Seleya? 34) Which space dad would you prefer to be adopted by? (Sisko, Sarek, Picard, Tomalak, Tuvok, Jarok, Pike, Soval, Rom, Chakotay, Solkar, or David McCoy?) 35) How would you feel about a mind meld? 36) What about your crazy space aunt? (Lwaxana, Deanna, Janeway, Seven, T'Pol, Kira, Uhura, Guinan, or Charvanek?) 37) Bones, Chapel, M'Benga, Bashir, The Doctor, Crusher, or Phlox? 38) A member of the crew you'd like to hang out with for a day? 39) An event or episode you wish you could be a part of? 40) Insert your own question here?

[the-coranic]

Voltron Tag

Because I just want to do it.

How did you discover the show? I discovered it through my dad. He was a fan of the 80s series when he was a child. He even has an old toy yellow lion and Hunk out on display. Around when season 2 was still new, he was basically like “Hey, you should check this series out! I think you’d like it. There’s also a character voiced by the same guy as Finn.” so we watched it together and bonded over it.

Was it love at first sight or did it take you a while to get into the show? I fell in love immediately and I hyperfixated on it for at least a year. It's still special to me despite all of its issues, and that hyperfixation still comes and goes.

Do you have a favorite episode(s)? There were so many good ones. I honestly don’t know what my favourite is, but to name a few:

The Rise of Voltron

The whole Balmera arc, because Hunk is my son, my star, and I love to see him shine

The Black Paladin

The Depths

The Blade of Marmora

Blackout

The Legend Begins... just any glimpse I get at Blaytz and Gyrgan

Reunion

Monsters & Mana

The Black Paladins. THE KURON VS KEITH FIGHT SCENE YOOO

Do you have a favorite Paladin? Lance was always my favourite, and Hunk is a very close second. I think I relate to them the most.

Do you have a favorite Lion? Blue. I always wanted to pilot Blue. Maybe because it’s one of my favourite colours, and I’ve also got a connection to water - being a Scorpio, living on the coastline, being interested in marine biology, and being a swimmer? Idk  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Do you have a favorite Alien Race? Whatever Plaxum, Blaytz and Gyrgan are. I wish we got to know more about the last two, especially.

Favorite side/other character(s)? I absolutely adore Coran. Outside of Team Voltron - Matt, Kolivan, Acxa, Rizavi and Veronica, and I was also really intrigued by Lotor before they messed him up and turned him into sOUP???

How/Why did you join the fandom? I got really involved in the fandom because I just loved the show, but the only people I could talk about it with irl was my dad and kind of my sister. My old main tumblr was just all VLD for that period of time, and I mostly posted fanart and some memes, gushed about Klance, and convinced thousands of people that Mothman-fan!Keith was 100% canon. It was great.

What are some of your headcanons?

Shiro has a younger brother that Keith reminds him of

And before their history was revealed, I thought Shiro was like Keith’s adoptive father, or at least a supportive family friend who took him in after his dad passed

Pidge is autistic and non-binary, because me too

Lance has ADHD, because me too

Lance and Hunk were childhood friends

Autistic, lactose intolerant, hippo-loving, Mothman-simping, gay, half-Galra, Korean-Texan cowboy Keith was wild and pretty funny to me, and I still subscribe to most of that lmao

What do you think is the best part of the show? The characters and their potential was always the main draw for me. They’re still so important to me. I also loved the art style, the alien designs, and big robot vs. monster fights are always fun to me.

What were your hopes and wishes for future episodes/seasons?

I knew Keith was gonna inherit the black lion but I choose not to shut up about black paladin Allura

More fleshed out backstories (which I’m working hard on for my rewrite rn)

Getting to know everyone’s families better

Shiro speaking some Japanese, Lance speaking some Spanish, or just the Paladins sharing more human culture with the Alteans rather than just the other way around.

*cough* Canon Klance, although I also like the idea of Allurance. I just didn’t like the way they ended up portraying it. They also didn’t do a very good job of shutting down Klance and convincing they weren’t also in love lmao

Just Lance being happy again tbh like wtf?

Did you stick it out until the end of the show? I ended up dropping the series around season 4. I don’t remember if it was because I was already bored or too disappointed to go on, or that part of the fandom got too much, or just because I changed hyperfixations and didn’t get around to finishing it. I learned what happened next through other people’s reactions and it was so disheartening, but I finally rewatched and finished it myself recently. It was a rushed blur, but it was nice to relive the good moments.

[theofreakingbell]

Six random facts about me 😊

I was tagged by @littlekinng (tysm!! 🥰) to post six random facts about myself so here goes

1. I accidentally missed watching Biden's inauguration because I was too busy reading canonically LGBT+ victorian era Loki novel (Loki: Where Mischeif Lies) and had forgotten to check when it was. oops.

2. my username is after my fave character from said novel, Theo freaking Bell. I added the freaking cause I feel it is deserved, lol. Nearly everything he does or says in that thing is iconic. I also chose it because I too am disabled, LGBT+, and think Loki Odinson is the cutest

(sidenote, if you haven't read lwml, just know that while it has many cute and wonderful things it also may devastate you or piss you off trememdously. I don't want to spoil anyone, but consider yourself warned. I felt like I felt half the spectrum of possible human emotion reading that thing)

3. (cw for some serious ableism) I once got a guy banned from reddit cause he was saying mean (but comparatively tame to what he did later) things to other autistic people so I kept sending him lists of things to do on the internet when bored and faux sincerely responding to his posts and it really pissed him off and he went on a rant saying how my parents must have wanted to abort me cause no one would want an autistic child and I reported that for harassment and then poof! the next day his account was removed entirely. get fucked, Harrold :)

4. I love clothing / fashion, not like high street / luxury designer kind of fashion but like regular clothing kind of fashion, with an emphasis on sustainable and ethical manufacturing. also deconstructing preconcieved notions about like gender and clothing for instance and the sorts of societal pressures that can make people feel shame for what they want to wear. it's a huge passion of mine, and if my health allows it I was hoping to perhaps start a youtube or instagram or something about it in the future. I have no idea how to describe my personal style other than 'whatever I think is pretty' lol

5. some of my favorite musical artists are Adam Young (a.k.a. Owl City, though he's done other projects), Gabrielle Aplin (UK artist who isn't well known here in the US at all but who I love with all of my heart), Wardruna (I don't know all their songs but I know a few nearly by heart cause I love them, they are endlessly fascinating) and Pussy Riot, but more their ethos and style than their sound, exactly. I've actually talked to Nadya (Tolokonnikova) before, too, and she is the sweetest. also #FreePussyRiot. cannot believe we are having to do that again 😡

6. I picked brodinsons as my tag for Loki and Thor's relationship because I don't like choosing whose name to put first lol, and I think the name is adorable. they are my brotp to end all brotps, and two of my favorite characters ever. I love them so much.

I tag (but only if you want to, please don't feel obligated) @rqnarck & @chicken-soup-666 , and anyone else who sees this and wants to do it ❤️💚

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 27

A little tension in this chapter, but then again, given what’s going on, everyone is tense.

I have the story written through Chapter 36, after which I will start working in the new characters that were announced last night.  I think, once we get through the next 3 chapters or so, that you’ll agree there is some need for them....

My conversation with Xiomara regarding Maverick’s eating habits – or lack thereof – was more exhausting than expected.  Having never spent much of her life around anyone who was not neurotypical, her method of ‘handling’ us was essentially to foist us off on any willing person and trusting them to keep it out of her sight.  On the opposite side of that, I had grown up the most neurotypical person in my family, and made an entire career out of getting the best results possible out of people who spent their entire lives being told they were less. After about five minutes, I started to worry my teeth were going to break from grinding them together so hard.

“Xiomara,” I growled. “You can’t just expect someone else to work with anyone you don’t understand.  You get better results out of your people when you acknowledge your differences and leverage their strengths.  That also means that you have to watch out for their weaknesses.”

She scoffed. “You don’t even use that word. Don’t you mean ‘opportunities for improvement’?” she asked snarkily.

“This isn’t a skillset he can work on, Xio!  It makes absolute perfect sense in his mind to go days without food rather than asking for something he actually will eat!”

“He was in the military,” she ground out. “He’s had to just eat what was given to him before.”

“Yeah, he was,” I cried, exasperated. “I got his service medical records from Grey. Maverick was hospitalized fourteen times for malnutrition before he was given geriatric vitamins.  His weight was dangerously low at nearly every medical appointment before he learned to essentially bloat himself with liquids before physicals so he wouldn’t be force-fed anymore.  He could have killed himself with hyponatremia!”  I held up a hand and took a few deep breaths to calm down. “Look, all I am asking is that you do not allow him to fly until he has Antoine Costa, Grey Hodenson, or myself confirm he has consumed the amount of calories he is going to be prescribed.  That’s it!”

“Maverick is a grown man, and you want me to require a doctor’s note to let him do his job!?  This is too much, even for you, Sophia,” she sighed.  “He’s pretty much the only pilot we have who can maneuver the ship.  We need him.”

I wracked my brain trying to figure out how to get through to her.  “How many times have you ended a meeting in the middle of a sentence and sent me to my quarters with an escort because you knew I would keep working if you didn’t?”

“That’s different, you passed out. Twice. Right in my office.”

“Exactly. ‘You take care of everyone but yourself.’  That’s what you said, right?” She looked away, embarrassed. “And don’t think I don’t know that Tyche isn’t the only one siccing Zach on me with food six times a day.  This is the same thing, just more serious.  Maverick legitimately doesn’t know that it isn’t normal to go days or weeks without eating anything but vitamins and protein shakes.  His entire life has been that way, because people refuse to understand him and try to make him into someone he isn’t.  I don’t understand why you are being so stubborn about this! Honestly!”

“And I don’t understand why you are coddling a grown man who is a picky eater!”

Click. There it was.

“You think he’s just being a picky eater? Seriously?” I asked, struggling not to laugh. “Cheese and rice, Xiomara.  Didn’t you hear him when I got in his face over how he talked about Derek? He’s autistic, Xio.  Well, sorta.  He has Asperger’s.  This isn’t him being a ‘picky eater’, this is his soul trying to eject itself into another dimension because something is ‘wrong’.  I’m going to make sure we have foods he can eat, you literally just have to tell him either ‘no’ or send him to get one of us to confirm he actually ate. That’s all.”

“Fine,” she relented, hands up. “I’ll enforce this, but I still don’t agree with it. However, you and Grey apparently think this is a major deal, at least if he’s being given a prescription to eat, so I’m going to defer to you two.”

“All I ask,” I confirmed placatingly.  “When does he need to be here for relocation to Meenie?”

“Preferably within the hour, so we can get everything re-calibrated if we need to.”

“I’ll make sure he’s here, I promise.  Antoine already went to get soup, since Maverick hasn’t eaten in at least the time we’ve been on this level.  Since we had to scrap the food that was already here, Noah is going to pick up dinner early and test everything before we’re allowed to eat anything, so the migraines should stop and we can have coffee.” I wiggled my bottle of water at her in an attempt to change the subject to something less charged.

“Whoever did this was clever, I give them that,” she stretched her neck and huffed. “If the only two people who weren’t affected are also the only two who have documented reasons not to eat anything, that means they’re just as looped up as the rest of us.”

I nodded in agreement. “Harder to find the person drugging everyone if they look like a victim, too.  It makes sense.  That, and messing around with the sensors in such a major way: the corridors leading to the storage room from every possible direction, damaging the spare parts… do we think the same person damaged the ones already in place, too?”

She shrugged. “It’s possible.  I’ve discussed the likelihood with Noah, and they say it may be the case. We have some information that I don’t feel comfortable discussing up here.” She looked meaningfully around the room, able to see nearly every single person present from where she stood.  

I glanced around before shrugging and agreeing. “Okay, let me go find Arantxa so I can show her how to choose a menu.  Apparently she feels she has done a poor job the last few days.”

“That was her?” Xiomara shuddered playfully, earlier hostility completely gone. “Help us, Sophie-Wan Kenobi, you’re our only hope.”

I threw my hands up. “Ugh! It wasn’t that bad!”

“Everything that comes from the consoles is vegetarian, Sophia, because all the proteins are synthetic.  Yesterday was entirely unnecessary.”

“I never said it wasn’t, just that it could have been worse, okay?”

“If it had been worse, I would make her a suspect because clearly she would be trying to kill us,” Xiomara joked. I laughed before waving her off and heading back to the table that had been unofficially designated as being reserved for my staff and family.  Arantxa was staring at her data screen, while Antoine and Tyche were encouraging Maverick to eat slowly and not drink straight from the bowl. Surprisingly, Derek had a bowl of miso soup in front of him, but with no tofu, which was explained when I noticed an awful lot of tofu in Maverick’s.

“You must really like tofu,” I joked at the pilot as I sat down.

He just shrugged. “I don’t mind it, but Derek apparently hates it, so I scooped all his into mine.”

I glanced at my sister, who just shook her head. “Maverick offered him some, and the second Derek wrinkled his nose, hot shot over there just went ‘Whoops, tofu’s squishy’, fished it all out, then handed it back and assured him the rest is broth.  He seems to like it okay.”

<It’s okay,> Derek confirmed. <I like how it feels. Warm and smooth.>

Huh. Cool, another food Derek liked. “We can definitely have miso soup brought in more often, it’s a pretty popular food if I remember correctly.”

“It’s for breakfast,” I barely heard Maverick whisper. “Dad always had it for breakfast, but Auntie wouldn’t let me have any until I ate my rice and natto.” He started to tremble as tears rolled down his face. “I don’t like natto,” he gulped.

As smoothly as possible so I wouldn’t startle him, I stood up and circled around the table.  “Hey,” I said softly, brushing the tears from his face. “I think the soup is salty enough, Maverick. You don’t want to add any more.” He sniffed and nodded his head, but tears kept coming. “Besides, I’ve tried natto, and I don’t blame you. It smells bad, the texture is gross, and it tastes like coffee with blue cheese added to it.”

“Oh you have got to be kidding me,” my sister exclaimed, looking faintly green.

Maverick shook his head and smiled slightly, rubbing his face. “It’s really gross, but I had to eat it because she said it was good for me.”

<You won’t make him eat that, will you?> Derek asked urgently, looking slightly panicked.

“Ew! No!  I can’t even stand to be in the same room as the stuff, how would I force him to eat it?” I turned to Maverick. “No natto, I promise.  You never have to eat it if you don’t want to.  What about the rice? Was that good or bad?”

“No rice,” he whispered.

“Okay, no rice. That’s fine.  I eat it a lot, but usually for lunch or dinner, and you don’t have to eat it either, that’s okay.”  I was starting to feel like his issue with some foods had nothing to do with the texture, after watching a normally cocky loudmouth be reduced to tears at the mere concept of a specific meal.  “We can still do miso soup with breakfast, if you like. And… crepes?” I glanced around at Antoine, my sister, and my friend for confirmation.  “He likes savory crepes, Tych,” I told her.

“Ooo! Miso soup and savory crepes would be really good!” she lit up genuinely. “Maybe spinach and mushroom?  That would pair well I think.” Antoine nodded in agreement, a thoughtful look on his face.

When Maverick nodded, I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding. “Okay, so we can start there for breakfast tomorrow. Different kinds of crepes, some savory, some sweet. Miso soup, scrambled and boiled eggs on the side, as many different cheeses as we can get while avoiding the pungent ones. Greens. Toast, butter, and we’ll figure out a selection of jams, although one should be lingonberry to go with the crepes. That should cover pretty much everyone.  Teas, coffee, water, and juices.”

“The tomato sangria again?” my sister asked hopefully.

“Definitely,” I laughed.

Arantxa scrunched up her nose as she finished inputting the list. “This is all over the place. How does that all go together?”

I shook my head. “Right. I’m supposed to be actually teaching this, not just doing it. Sorry.  Um, yeah. So, a lot of cultures eat vegetables with breakfast, and some people just don’t like sweet foods, so vegetables and savories.  Other people really prefer sweets for breakfast, so sweet crepes, toast, jams and jellies.  Most cultures like cheeses any time of day, so those are always a good idea when you’re planning a meal and need to fill it out some. Then the drinks: you almost always want to include that exact list of beverages, just make sure the juices compliment what you are serving overall.  Since everything on that list is pretty ‘bright’ from a flavor perspective, which usually means ‘fresh’, the sangria will go well, but we’ll pick at least one non-citrus since some people aren’t fond of it.  We still have to fine-tune it, picking out which crepes, which jams, all that stuff, but it’s a good basis.”

“I have to go,” Maverick interjected, tilting his bowl so both Antoine and I could see it was empty.

I nodded, and Antoine stood before I could. “I will take him to Xiomara so she knows he is cleared to fly,” he patted my shoulder.  “You ladies focus on what we need to do to keep everyone calm. Derek, don’t forget you need to come make sure everything is still calibrated.” With that, all three of the men at the table headed off.

“How are we supposed to keep everyone calm?” I complained. “We don’t even know exactly what is going on. The sensors were damaged, the replacements destroyed…. Rants, did Derek and Zach ever figure out who messed with the sensors in the halls?”

She shook her head, dark hair flying. “Unfortunately not. All they could figure out is that whatever caused it wasn’t done all at once.  When Derek tried to trace it backwards, he was led to over thirty different terminals total. He said something about either a group of people involved, or something called a ‘spoof’?”

“Someone spoofing the source,” I clarified, only half to her.  “What about Miys? These are their systems we’re talking about, they have to be more familiar. Did they find anything different?”

She shook her head again. “They only confirmed what Derek and Zach found.  All of them are waiting for records of who accessed those consoles from 24 hours before the first access occurred until 24 hours after so they can try to narrow down the list.  But, if it’s a group, I don’t know if that will help.”

“Investigations have to start somewhere,” I sighed. “Tyche, anybody got too much downtime right now?”

“Just us,” she remarked wryly. “All of the pilots who were brought up here are either on rotation as drone pilots or navigators, with the exceptions being Maverick and Evan since they are actually the ones responsible for moving the boat until we can get everything back on line. Pranav and his assistant are taking twelve-hour turns keeping track of minute camera adjustments necessary to make sure Maverick and Evan still have the clearest field of vision, along with managing the rest of his department remotely.  Xiomara and Grey are riding herd on the flight crew in back to back shifts while also looking into the investigation as much as possible from here. Their assistants are filling in for them on the day to day stuff.  Eino is still running education remotely, with his assistant as support.  Huynh and his assistant are overseeing the finishing of sleeping space and the permanent installation of the bathrooms, while also trying to coordinate the construction of the diving platforms in BioLab 2.”

I tilted my head back with a groan. “Which leaves us. I still need to update the ship on what happened with the drugs.  Tych, I hate to ask, but can you start drafting that while I go over the breakfast menu with Rants?  That way, while she is trying to set one up for lunch, she can pick your brain and I can broadcast the update, start answering questions, and Zach can isolate and loop each question I answer until we have some FAQs, just like Arantxa did last time.  Is that good for everyone?”  I got nods from both women, and took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s get started.”

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[lisacongo2-blog]

Beyond the Kitchen: For the Love of Reading

It’s time again to temporarily set down the pots and pans and pick up a good book. Don’t worry, I’ll be back to posting food again next week, but I really do like to break it up every now and then with something a bit more intellectually stimulating.

I fell a bit short of my 75-book reading goal in 2018. Maybe I was overly ambitious, having read 84 books in 2017 (not sure what happened there). Still, out of the 56 I did manage to read (I’m a fast reader, what can I say) I definitely encountered some good ones, and finally have enough really good ones to warrant another post.

These are the 6, er, 7 books that wowed me. That moved me. That stole productive hours from my day and kept me reading late into the night. The books that left me desperate for a sequel (sadly, none of them have one). They run the gamut from sentimental young adult to post-apocolyptic to murder mystery to romance. And actually, I don’t think I’ve ever had a more diverse group of books in one of these posts, now that I think about it. While I read all different kinds of books, the one common thread between all of them is a truly engaging story. A book might be beautifully written but if it doesn’t grab me, doesn’t suck me in, it’s not going to end up on my list.

Books keep stupidity at bay. And vain hopes. And vain men. They undress you with love, strength and knowledge. It’s love from within. – The Little Paris Bookshop

If you don’t already, follow me on Goodreads! I try to post ratings/reviews of books as I finish them, although lately I’ve only been rating the really good ones (mainly to refresh my memory when it comes time to write another of these kinds of posts, lol).

(As always, there are some affiliate links in this post, but all opinions are entirely my own).

Once upon a time we were the standard colors of a rainbow, cheery and certain of ourselves. At some point, we all began to stumble into the in-betweens, the murky colors made dark and complicated by resentment and quiet anger. At some point, my mother slid so off track she sank into hues of gray, a world drawn only in shadows. – The Astonishing Color of After

The Astonishing Color of After

I’ll admit, it initially drew me in with the beautiful cover, but the inside is just as stunning. The Astonishing Color of After is the story of a teenage girl whose her late mother returns to her in the form of a beautiful red bird, guiding her to Thailand in search of answers. It tackles the difficult, often taboo issues of mental illness and suicide, race and identity, as well as the deep personal grief in overcoming the loss of a parent. Heartbreaking, poignant, and beautifully written. I definitely recommend this one, but be sure to have a tissue (or two) handy.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

By far, the best book I’ve read in a long time. It felt like I was reading a narrative version of the board game Clue, if Doctor Who had written the rules. Serious props to the author for what is probably the most intricately layered timeline I’ve ever encountered… with more than a few unexpected twists. You’ll be confused. Almost the entire time. And that confusion won’t let up once the book is done either (wait, what? what just happened? hold on). The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a book that surely warrants a second read. Also, the writing is fantastic; there were numerous paragraphs and phrases that had me reading them over again out of sheer awe at their brilliance and wit (like the quote below… I mean, what a great way to describe someone who is not so bright, lol).

Working within the confines of Jonathan Derby’s intellect is like stirring croutons into a thick soup. – The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The Oracle Year

What would you do with the knowledge of specific events in the future? Would you keep them to yourself? Try to save the world? Sell that knowledge for personal gain? The Oracle Year explores this question, when the main character, Will, wakes up one morning from a dream with 108 predictions about the future.

I really enjoyed this one, despite it being more of a ‘dude’ book than the strongly feminine books I usually read. The plot and premise are so totally unique in a way that’s both outlandish and all too real at the same time.

The Book of M

Another post-apocalyptic novel along the lines of The Passage and Station 11, except the ‘disease’ in this case is less gruesome, but in some ways far more terrifying. I won’t give it all away, but let’s just say The Book of M has one of the most unique concepts for a plague sweeping through humanity that I’ve ever encountered, a disease devastating in more ways than one.

But even if I never say it, it’s still real, because a thing does not have to be said to be real. It just has to be remembered. – The Book of M

The Great Alone

Absolutely wonderful. The Great Alone is tragic and beautiful and vast in its tale of a young family in crisis who move to the Alaskan wilderness to find independence, adventure, and a little of the wildness within themselves. Also, this book reinforced the fact that I have no desire to live in a remote Alaskan town anytime soon, thank you very much!

You know what they say about finding a good man in Alaska—the odds are good, but the goods are odd. – The Great Alone

The Kiss Quotient

Quirky and cute and more than a little bit steamy, The Kiss Quotient is an unconventional love story will leave you feeling all the things. Like a gender-reversed Pretty Woman, with an autistic heroine who is genuine and sincere and nothing but herself 100% of the time. Sure, it’s a bit predictable, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. This would be a perfect follow-up after reading the Great Alone (lol), you know, lighten things up a bit.

The Marriage of Opposites

Set primarily on the tropical island of St. Thomas, The Marriage of Opposites tells the tale about the extraordinary woman who gave birth to painter Camille Pissarro, the Father of Impressionism (and in fact the book itself was so vivid in its depiction of the island that one could even consider it an impressionist masterpiece, painted with words). Based in historical fact but illuminated with fictional fancies and a forbidden love so strong it threatened to rip apart a community, this book is a must read for lovers of art, adventure, and historical fiction.

Perhaps that was what my mother disliked most. I resembled her. I could not help but wonder if for some women, that was the worst sin of all. – The Marriage of Opposites

Other Notable Reads:

Almost 5 stars. Not life-changing, but still definitely worth a read!

The Girl Who Smiled Beads – beautifully written and devastatingly tragic, this is the true story of a girl who escaped the genocide in Rwanda.

The Girl From Everywhere – another girl, this time not quite so heavy (and very much made up). I love magical books like these that create their own world with their own rules: here, the magic involves sailing to other worlds and other times using vintage maps to navigate.

Before We Were Yours – Told from two perspectives that span generations, this is the heartbreaking tale of unimaginable horrors as children are literally stolen from their impoverished parents to be adopted out to wealthy southerners (the fact that it is based on a true story is even more horrifying).

The Neighbors – “That’s not how I expected things to end.” (That’s what I wrote when I finished this book a few months ago, and yet now I can’t seem to remember exactly how it ended and all the reviews online are frustratingly spoiler free). Regardless of my mnemonic lapse, if you like books filled with suspense, secrets and more than a few twists and turns, this one is definitely worth reading (and it appears I have to go read it again).

The Little Paris Bookshop – A light and easy read for fans of books and travel and France. Although I have to admit it was far less about books and Paris than the title would imply. Still, I very much enjoyed this one and its cast of quirky characters (including a scene-stealing cat).

The Book of Essie – The terrifying reality of reality TV, and what happens when a young reality TV star wants out of the spotlight in which she has lived her entire life. Full of secrets, scandal and deception, but also pockets of love, friendship, and sisterhood.

Boxing ourselves into tiny cubbies based on class, race, ethnicity, religion—anything, really—comes from a poverty of mind, a poverty of imagination. The world is dull and cruel when we isolate ourselves. – The Girl Who Smiled Beads

****

So, what should I read next? If you’ve read anything exceptional lately, please share in the comments! I may have 300+ books on my to-read list, but there’s always room for one more. :)

Happy reading!

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Source: https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2019/02/beyond-the-kitchen-for-the-love-of-reading.html

[adambstingus]

21 social good innovations that had a massive impact in 2016

Image: Saltwater Brewery; Nifty Cup; WYSS INSTITUTE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY VIA MIT; LEKA; Bakeys; SafariSeat

2016 may have been a terrible year in many ways, but there was still some undeniable good to come out of the past 12 months.

For proof, look no further than the year’s most impactful innovations, offering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.

SEE ALSO: 16 brilliant innovations tackling poverty around the world

From a futuristic bus that glides over traffic to a $1 cup saving countless babies’ lives, inventors developed ingenious gadgets and ideas that tackle inequality and improve the world for millions of people.

In no particular order and certainly not an exhaustive list these 21 social good innovations had a massive impact this year.

For more world-changing innovations, check out our list from 2015.

1. An edible drone delivering humanitarian aid

Image: Windhorse Aerospace

The only thing cooler than a drone is an edible drone especially one that saves lives.

An inexpensive drone prototype, called Pouncer, was designed to help deliver humanitarian aid to remote regions with impassible roads. The drone doesn’t just carry essential items for relief, but also features a plywood frame for firewood, wings packed with food and protective covers that can double as shelter.

Windhorse Aerospace, the company behind Pouncer, designed the drone in an effort to revolutionize aid in the aftermath of natural disasters. The team hopes the prototype will become a reality in 2017.

2. A wheelchair made for people in developing countries

Image: SafariSeat

For people with mobility-related disabilities, wheelchairs can be essential. But for people in developing regions, traditional wheelchairs are often unusable on the rough, rural terrain.

SafariSeat, an all-terrain wheelchair, is a low-cost solution to this often overlooked problem. The durable wheelchair is propelled forward by hand levers and features sturdy wheels. It’s also made entirely of repurposed bicycle parts, designed to be manufactured and maintained in impoverished regions.

SafariSeat began crowdfunding on Kickstarter in November, and plans to start production in Kenya in 2017.

3. Edible food packaging made with milk

Forget plastic packaging, and say hello to milk protein film.

To help curb the globe’s reliance on plastic for storing and preserving food, U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers announced the creation of a new biodegradable film in August, which is made of the milk protein casein.

The edible film is estimated to be 500 times better than plastic packaging at keeping food fresh, keeping oxygen away from food more effectively.

4. A bot that helps low-income families fight eviction

Image: JOSHUA BROWDER/DONOTPAY

When expensive lawyers won’t fit your budget, getting legal aid can seem impossible. But that’s where robots come in.

Stanford undergrad Joshua Browder released a bot called DoNotPay in August, which helps those unable to afford legal aid fight evictions.

To use DoNotPay, a person facing eviction has a simple instant message-like conversation with the bot, which acts as a virtual lawyer. Based on the conversation, the bot decides how to best serve the user, usually crafting a claims letter based on the information provided.

Through this computerized consulting process, the DoNotPay bot can potentially help low-income users save hundreds of dollars in legal fees.

5. A prosthetic that can be custom-molded in two hours

Image: Amparo

Molding a custom prosthetic usually takes several weeks, numerous appointments and lots of money. For low-income amputees worldwide, access to these prosthetics is simply impossible. In fact, 80% of amputees worldwide go without modern prosthetics.

German startup AMPARO created an alternative, drastically simplifying the process of custom-fitting a prosthetic to an artificial limb. The innovation, dubbed the Dignity Socket, is re-moldable, with the ability to adjust to big or small changes in limb size for more comfort. It can also be custom-molded to a wearer in as few as two hours.

The prosthetic was one of three winners at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Innovation Showcase in June.

6. A massive device that cleans coastlines

Image: FACEBOOK/THE OCEAN CLEANUP PROJECT

An ocean-cleaning innovation finally became a reality in 2016 after five years of research, prototypes and creativity.

Dutch entrepreneur Boyan Slat first proposed an ocean cleanup machine at only 17 years old. But a prototype of the buoyant boom-like device called Boomy McBoomface was finally put into action in June, thanks to more than $10 million in funding.

Slat’s device floats along a coast and creates an artificial coastline, catching debris on the surface of the ocean. A connected conveyer then lifts the garbage into a central tower, where it is sorted for disposal.

7. The high-tech toy helping autistic children socialize

Image: LEKA

Leka is way more than a cute-as-can-be smart toy. The interactive and multi-sensory device is more like a buddy specially designed for autistic children, encouraging them to develop autonomy through independent play.

The round toy plays sounds and music, speaks, lights up, and vibrates to engage children in multi-sensory activities. Leka is also customizable, which means it can be tailored to fit a child’s needs and comfort.

The toy completed a successful Indiegogo campaign over the summer, raising more than 152% of its goal.

8. A reversible tent that provides shelter to homeless populations

For many homeless people, one of the biggest challenges of living without stable shelter is confronting extreme weather.

WeatherHYDE is a reversible tent that protects homeless populations and families in developing nations against all types of weather. One side of the tent features reflective panels, which cools the interior down in extreme heat. The other side protects against severe cold by insulating the tent, trapping in body heat to warm up the interior.

A Kickstarter campaign to fund production and distribution of 500 tents to families in need ran throughout November, receiving more than $145,000 worth of funding.

9. A device that helps the Deaf community detect danger

Image: FurEnexo

If an alarm is meant to indicate danger, what happens when you can’t hear the warning? It could be dangerous or even deadly.

Furenexo, a startup based in New York, launched a Kickstarter campaign in July to build SoundSense, a small wearable that is designed to help deaf individuals detect loud sounds and alerts. The device is triggered by warning sounds, like sirens and car horns, transforming the audio alerts into felt vibrations.

The device will only cost $30 significantly lower than similar devices.

10. The biodegradable six-pack rings that feed sea life

Image: Saltwater brewery

Sick of seeing sad sea creatures stuck in plastic six-pack rings? You and your aquatic friends are in luck.

Florida-based Saltwater Brewery invented a biodegradable and compostable version of the classic plastic rings that makes use of their natural brewing byproducts, like wheat and barley. The best part: The rings are also edible, meaning sea life can munch on them without fear.

The six-pack rings went viral in May, when the prototype was first announced.

11. The $1 feeding cup that is saving infants’ lives

If an infant in a developing nation can’t nurse, they’re at an increased risk of malnutrition, or even death. But a new innovation costing mere pocket change has the potential to change that.

The NIFTY cup, a simple innovation that costs only $1, grants infants who can’t latch with the ability to feed. The cup features a spout that collects milk from the larger container designed to fit an infant’s mouth.

The cup was designed through a collaboration between global health organization PATH, the University of Washington and Seattle Childrens Hospital. It was announced at the Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen in early May.

12. The machine designed to destroy your iPhone for social good

In March, Apple announced the creation of Liam, a 29-arm robot with destructive tendencies. Specifically, Liam was designed to tear apart your iPhone into recyclable and reusable parts with impressive precision.

Liam can disassemble an iPhone in just 11 seconds, sorting basic parts into pieces that can be sold, recycled or reused. One Liam device can disassemble about 1.2 million iPhones over the course of a year.

Mass distribution of the machines to Apple locations are in the works as part of the company’s environmental responsibility commitment.

13. The edible utensils that can replace plastic cutlery

Image: Bakeys

Thanks to Indian company Bakeys, you can now have your spoon and eat it, too.

The company created edible spoons made of rice, wheat or sorghum to help curb plastic waste. The cutlery, which has a shelf life of two years, comes in flavored varieties such as ginger-garlic and cumin. The spoons can even hold hot liquids, like soup, without dissolving.

The company launched a Kickstarter campaign in early 2016 to raise money for distribution in communities throughout India, raising nearly $150,000.

14. Sidewalk traffic lights for those glued to their phones

Image: Stadtwerke Augsburg

Let’s face it: You simply can’t be trusted to peel your eyes away from your phone even when crossing the street.

That’s why German public transportation provider Stadtwerke Augsburg embedded traffic lights in some city crosswalks around the country in April. The company hopes the new lights will help tech-focused pedestrians to cross streets safety even if they refuse to look up.

15. The futuristic elevated bus hoping to curb pollution

Image: XINHUA/FACEBOOK

In May, China’s top engineers unveiled a prototype of a massive bus that hovers over cars on the road. The innovation which was created to maximize road space, cut down on traffic jams and decrease pollution quickly went viral for its show-stopping design.

The electric-powered Transit Elevated Bus operates on rails, giving it the ability to drive over cars on standard roads. Each vehicle can hold a staggering 1,200 passengers, and the impressive system is cheaper and faster to build than existing public transport options.

However, with some design and safety barriers still in the way, the innovation still has a long way to go before hitting city streets.

16. The simple Zika test that is revolutionizing diagnoses

Image: Wyss Institute at Harvard University via MIT

The Zika epidemic, which spanned 2015 to 2016, had the world on edge and researchers frantically working toward solutions. One innovation to come out of the outbreak was a low-cost Zika test created by MIT researchers.

While traditional tests may take days, MIT researchers announced the new creation that takes only three hours. The paper-based test features a series of purple dots that turn yellow when exposed to blood samples containing the virus. And it only costs $1.

17. The robotic utensils helping people with disabilities eat independently

New robotic utensils are helping people with limited mobility regain mealtime independence.

The line, called Liftware, features two utensils individually designed to help with hand tremors, limited reach and other mobility conditions. And it’s all through high-tech sensors, computers and motors that fit into a tiny spoon.

The utensils can be used with spoon or fork attachments, and were designed specifically for those living with cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease and post-stroke mobility issues.

The utensils are currently available for $195.

18. The system helping refugees pay for food with a blink of an eye

Image: World Food Programme

The United Nations World Food Programme, which addresses food needs of refugee populations, launched a new system in February that uses iris scans to distribute food assistance to Syrian refugees.

The system simply requires scanning the eyes of refugees at checkout while shopping for groceries. Used in several refugee camps in Jordan, the scanning system provides greater safety and security than standard electronic payment cards, which can easily be lost, stolen or misused.

19. The Facebook tool helping users connect during disasters

Image: Facebook

In the aftermath of a disaster, finding food, water and shelter can be incredibly difficult, especially for low-income communities.

A Facebook tool called Community Help, which was announced at the Facebook Social Good Forum in November, hopes to close these gaps by connecting those in need to essentials like food, water, transportation and shelter. The new feature will pop up after a user checks in as “safe” through Safety Check, allowing users in the area to connect with others who are offering or looking for help after a disaster.

The feature will officially roll out to Facebook users in January 2017.

20. A sturdy condom that refuses to rip

Image: lelo hex

LELO HEX condoms are upping the safer sex game by providing stronger, more durable condoms with less risk of tears.

The condom which has been seven years in the making uses a hexagonal pattern to mold to the wearer, withstanding more stress and friction than traditional condoms. The inventors hope it will provide wearers with a more secure, more pleasurable option for contraception.

The condom became available for purchase over the summer through an Indiegogo campaign.

21. An ingenious no-electricity cooler made with plastic bottles

Image: YOUTUBE/GRAMEEN INTEL SOCIAL BUSINESS LTD.

Do you have a few plastic bottles lying around? Then you can make an air conditioner really.

Eco-Cooler is a low-cost cooling system designed for developing regions. It’s constructed from halved plastic bottles inserted into a grid-like board, which is then installed in a hut like a window pane.

Each bottle’s neck collects and compresses air from hot breezes, cooling it down dramatically. The innovation can drop temperatures inside a hut as much as 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Several rural communities in Bangladesh have already implemented the system, which is an eco-friendly solution for communities lacking electrical access.

BONUS: Student invents genius kitchen appliance for people with 1 arm

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/21-social-good-innovations-that-had-a-massive-impact-in-2016/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/175134299237

[allofbeercom]

21 social good innovations that had a massive impact in 2016

Image: Saltwater Brewery; Nifty Cup; WYSS INSTITUTE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY VIA MIT; LEKA; Bakeys; SafariSeat

2016 may have been a terrible year in many ways, but there was still some undeniable good to come out of the past 12 months.

For proof, look no further than the year’s most impactful innovations, offering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.

SEE ALSO: 16 brilliant innovations tackling poverty around the world

From a futuristic bus that glides over traffic to a $1 cup saving countless babies’ lives, inventors developed ingenious gadgets and ideas that tackle inequality and improve the world for millions of people.

In no particular order and certainly not an exhaustive list these 21 social good innovations had a massive impact this year.

For more world-changing innovations, check out our list from 2015.

1. An edible drone delivering humanitarian aid

Image: Windhorse Aerospace

The only thing cooler than a drone is an edible drone especially one that saves lives.

An inexpensive drone prototype, called Pouncer, was designed to help deliver humanitarian aid to remote regions with impassible roads. The drone doesn’t just carry essential items for relief, but also features a plywood frame for firewood, wings packed with food and protective covers that can double as shelter.

Windhorse Aerospace, the company behind Pouncer, designed the drone in an effort to revolutionize aid in the aftermath of natural disasters. The team hopes the prototype will become a reality in 2017.

2. A wheelchair made for people in developing countries

Image: SafariSeat

For people with mobility-related disabilities, wheelchairs can be essential. But for people in developing regions, traditional wheelchairs are often unusable on the rough, rural terrain.

SafariSeat, an all-terrain wheelchair, is a low-cost solution to this often overlooked problem. The durable wheelchair is propelled forward by hand levers and features sturdy wheels. It’s also made entirely of repurposed bicycle parts, designed to be manufactured and maintained in impoverished regions.

SafariSeat began crowdfunding on Kickstarter in November, and plans to start production in Kenya in 2017.

3. Edible food packaging made with milk

Forget plastic packaging, and say hello to milk protein film.

To help curb the globe’s reliance on plastic for storing and preserving food, U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers announced the creation of a new biodegradable film in August, which is made of the milk protein casein.

The edible film is estimated to be 500 times better than plastic packaging at keeping food fresh, keeping oxygen away from food more effectively.

4. A bot that helps low-income families fight eviction

Image: JOSHUA BROWDER/DONOTPAY

When expensive lawyers won’t fit your budget, getting legal aid can seem impossible. But that’s where robots come in.

Stanford undergrad Joshua Browder released a bot called DoNotPay in August, which helps those unable to afford legal aid fight evictions.

To use DoNotPay, a person facing eviction has a simple instant message-like conversation with the bot, which acts as a virtual lawyer. Based on the conversation, the bot decides how to best serve the user, usually crafting a claims letter based on the information provided.

Through this computerized consulting process, the DoNotPay bot can potentially help low-income users save hundreds of dollars in legal fees.

5. A prosthetic that can be custom-molded in two hours

Image: Amparo

Molding a custom prosthetic usually takes several weeks, numerous appointments and lots of money. For low-income amputees worldwide, access to these prosthetics is simply impossible. In fact, 80% of amputees worldwide go without modern prosthetics.

German startup AMPARO created an alternative, drastically simplifying the process of custom-fitting a prosthetic to an artificial limb. The innovation, dubbed the Dignity Socket, is re-moldable, with the ability to adjust to big or small changes in limb size for more comfort. It can also be custom-molded to a wearer in as few as two hours.

The prosthetic was one of three winners at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Innovation Showcase in June.

6. A massive device that cleans coastlines

Image: FACEBOOK/THE OCEAN CLEANUP PROJECT

An ocean-cleaning innovation finally became a reality in 2016 after five years of research, prototypes and creativity.

Dutch entrepreneur Boyan Slat first proposed an ocean cleanup machine at only 17 years old. But a prototype of the buoyant boom-like device called Boomy McBoomface was finally put into action in June, thanks to more than $10 million in funding.

Slat’s device floats along a coast and creates an artificial coastline, catching debris on the surface of the ocean. A connected conveyer then lifts the garbage into a central tower, where it is sorted for disposal.

7. The high-tech toy helping autistic children socialize

Image: LEKA

Leka is way more than a cute-as-can-be smart toy. The interactive and multi-sensory device is more like a buddy specially designed for autistic children, encouraging them to develop autonomy through independent play.

The round toy plays sounds and music, speaks, lights up, and vibrates to engage children in multi-sensory activities. Leka is also customizable, which means it can be tailored to fit a child’s needs and comfort.

The toy completed a successful Indiegogo campaign over the summer, raising more than 152% of its goal.

8. A reversible tent that provides shelter to homeless populations

For many homeless people, one of the biggest challenges of living without stable shelter is confronting extreme weather.

WeatherHYDE is a reversible tent that protects homeless populations and families in developing nations against all types of weather. One side of the tent features reflective panels, which cools the interior down in extreme heat. The other side protects against severe cold by insulating the tent, trapping in body heat to warm up the interior.

A Kickstarter campaign to fund production and distribution of 500 tents to families in need ran throughout November, receiving more than $145,000 worth of funding.

9. A device that helps the Deaf community detect danger

Image: FurEnexo

If an alarm is meant to indicate danger, what happens when you can’t hear the warning? It could be dangerous or even deadly.

Furenexo, a startup based in New York, launched a Kickstarter campaign in July to build SoundSense, a small wearable that is designed to help deaf individuals detect loud sounds and alerts. The device is triggered by warning sounds, like sirens and car horns, transforming the audio alerts into felt vibrations.

The device will only cost $30 significantly lower than similar devices.

10. The biodegradable six-pack rings that feed sea life

Image: Saltwater brewery

Sick of seeing sad sea creatures stuck in plastic six-pack rings? You and your aquatic friends are in luck.

Florida-based Saltwater Brewery invented a biodegradable and compostable version of the classic plastic rings that makes use of their natural brewing byproducts, like wheat and barley. The best part: The rings are also edible, meaning sea life can munch on them without fear.

The six-pack rings went viral in May, when the prototype was first announced.

11. The $1 feeding cup that is saving infants’ lives

If an infant in a developing nation can’t nurse, they’re at an increased risk of malnutrition, or even death. But a new innovation costing mere pocket change has the potential to change that.

The NIFTY cup, a simple innovation that costs only $1, grants infants who can’t latch with the ability to feed. The cup features a spout that collects milk from the larger container designed to fit an infant’s mouth.

The cup was designed through a collaboration between global health organization PATH, the University of Washington and Seattle Childrens Hospital. It was announced at the Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen in early May.

12. The machine designed to destroy your iPhone for social good

In March, Apple announced the creation of Liam, a 29-arm robot with destructive tendencies. Specifically, Liam was designed to tear apart your iPhone into recyclable and reusable parts with impressive precision.

Liam can disassemble an iPhone in just 11 seconds, sorting basic parts into pieces that can be sold, recycled or reused. One Liam device can disassemble about 1.2 million iPhones over the course of a year.

Mass distribution of the machines to Apple locations are in the works as part of the company’s environmental responsibility commitment.

13. The edible utensils that can replace plastic cutlery

Image: Bakeys

Thanks to Indian company Bakeys, you can now have your spoon and eat it, too.

The company created edible spoons made of rice, wheat or sorghum to help curb plastic waste. The cutlery, which has a shelf life of two years, comes in flavored varieties such as ginger-garlic and cumin. The spoons can even hold hot liquids, like soup, without dissolving.

The company launched a Kickstarter campaign in early 2016 to raise money for distribution in communities throughout India, raising nearly $150,000.

14. Sidewalk traffic lights for those glued to their phones

Image: Stadtwerke Augsburg

Let’s face it: You simply can’t be trusted to peel your eyes away from your phone even when crossing the street.

That’s why German public transportation provider Stadtwerke Augsburg embedded traffic lights in some city crosswalks around the country in April. The company hopes the new lights will help tech-focused pedestrians to cross streets safety even if they refuse to look up.

15. The futuristic elevated bus hoping to curb pollution

Image: XINHUA/FACEBOOK

In May, China’s top engineers unveiled a prototype of a massive bus that hovers over cars on the road. The innovation which was created to maximize road space, cut down on traffic jams and decrease pollution quickly went viral for its show-stopping design.

The electric-powered Transit Elevated Bus operates on rails, giving it the ability to drive over cars on standard roads. Each vehicle can hold a staggering 1,200 passengers, and the impressive system is cheaper and faster to build than existing public transport options.

However, with some design and safety barriers still in the way, the innovation still has a long way to go before hitting city streets.

16. The simple Zika test that is revolutionizing diagnoses

Image: Wyss Institute at Harvard University via MIT

The Zika epidemic, which spanned 2015 to 2016, had the world on edge and researchers frantically working toward solutions. One innovation to come out of the outbreak was a low-cost Zika test created by MIT researchers.

While traditional tests may take days, MIT researchers announced the new creation that takes only three hours. The paper-based test features a series of purple dots that turn yellow when exposed to blood samples containing the virus. And it only costs $1.

17. The robotic utensils helping people with disabilities eat independently

New robotic utensils are helping people with limited mobility regain mealtime independence.

The line, called Liftware, features two utensils individually designed to help with hand tremors, limited reach and other mobility conditions. And it’s all through high-tech sensors, computers and motors that fit into a tiny spoon.

The utensils can be used with spoon or fork attachments, and were designed specifically for those living with cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease and post-stroke mobility issues.

The utensils are currently available for $195.

18. The system helping refugees pay for food with a blink of an eye

Image: World Food Programme

The United Nations World Food Programme, which addresses food needs of refugee populations, launched a new system in February that uses iris scans to distribute food assistance to Syrian refugees.

The system simply requires scanning the eyes of refugees at checkout while shopping for groceries. Used in several refugee camps in Jordan, the scanning system provides greater safety and security than standard electronic payment cards, which can easily be lost, stolen or misused.

19. The Facebook tool helping users connect during disasters

Image: Facebook

In the aftermath of a disaster, finding food, water and shelter can be incredibly difficult, especially for low-income communities.

A Facebook tool called Community Help, which was announced at the Facebook Social Good Forum in November, hopes to close these gaps by connecting those in need to essentials like food, water, transportation and shelter. The new feature will pop up after a user checks in as “safe” through Safety Check, allowing users in the area to connect with others who are offering or looking for help after a disaster.

The feature will officially roll out to Facebook users in January 2017.

20. A sturdy condom that refuses to rip

Image: lelo hex

LELO HEX condoms are upping the safer sex game by providing stronger, more durable condoms with less risk of tears.

The condom which has been seven years in the making uses a hexagonal pattern to mold to the wearer, withstanding more stress and friction than traditional condoms. The inventors hope it will provide wearers with a more secure, more pleasurable option for contraception.

The condom became available for purchase over the summer through an Indiegogo campaign.

21. An ingenious no-electricity cooler made with plastic bottles

Image: YOUTUBE/GRAMEEN INTEL SOCIAL BUSINESS LTD.

Do you have a few plastic bottles lying around? Then you can make an air conditioner really.

Eco-Cooler is a low-cost cooling system designed for developing regions. It’s constructed from halved plastic bottles inserted into a grid-like board, which is then installed in a hut like a window pane.

Each bottle’s neck collects and compresses air from hot breezes, cooling it down dramatically. The innovation can drop temperatures inside a hut as much as 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Several rural communities in Bangladesh have already implemented the system, which is an eco-friendly solution for communities lacking electrical access.

BONUS: Student invents genius kitchen appliance for people with 1 arm

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/21-social-good-innovations-that-had-a-massive-impact-in-2016/

[apsbicepstraining]

21 social good inventions that had a massive impact in 2016

Image: Saltwater Brewery; Nifty Cup; WYSS INSTITUTE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY VIA MIT; LEKA; Bakeys; SafariSeat

2016 may have been a dreadful year in many ways, but there was still some undeniable good to come out of the past 12 months.

For proof, look no further than the year’s most impactful innovations, offering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.

SEE ALSO: 16 brilliant inventions tackling poverty of all the countries

From a futuristic bus that slips over traffic to a$ 1 bowl saving countless babies’ lives, inventors developed ingenious gadgets and feelings that undertake inequality and improve the world of billions of people.

In no particular ordering and certainly not an exhaustive inventory these 21 social good innovations had a massive influence this year.

For more world-changing innovations, check out our list from 2015.

1. An edible monotone extraditing humanitarian aid

Image: Windhorse Aerospace

The only thing cooler than a drone is an edible drone especially one that saves lives.

An inexpensive drone paradigm, announced Pouncer, was designed to help deliver humanitarian aid to remote regions with impassible roads. The drone doesn’t simply carry critical parts for aid, but likewise boasts a plywood frame for firewood, backstages parcelled with meat and protective covers that can double as shelter.

Windhorse Aerospace, the company behind Pouncer, designed the monotone in all possible efforts to revolutionize aid in the aftermath of natural disasters. The crew hopes the example will become a reality in 2017.

2. A wheelchair formed for people in developing countries

Image: SafariSeat

For parties with mobility-related disabilities, wheelchairs can be essential. But for parties in developing regions, conventional wheelchairs are often unusable on the rough, urban terrain.

SafariSeat, an all-terrain wheelchair, is a low-cost solution to this often overlooked question. The sturdy wheelchair is propelled forward by hand levers and features sturdy wheels. It’s also made altogether of repurposed bicycle areas, designed to be manufactured and maintained in impoverished regions.

SafariSeat inaugurated crowdfunding on Kickstarter in November, and plans to start production in Kenya in 2017.

3. Edible meat carton stimulated with milk

Forget plastic packaging, and say hello to milk protein film.

To help curb the globe’s reliance on plastic for storing and continuing food, U.S. Department of Agriculture investigates announced the creation of a new biodegradable movie in August, which is made of the milk protein casein.

The edible film is estimated to be 500 eras better than plastic packaging at saving food fresh, hindering oxygen away from meat more effectively.

4. A bot that helps low-income categories engaged eviction

Image: JOSHUA BROWDER/ DONOTPAY

When expensive solicitors won’t fit national budgets, going legal aid can seem hopeless. But that’s where robots come in.

Stanford undergrad Joshua Browder exhausted a bot called DoNotPay in August, which facilitates those unable to render legal aid fight evictions.

To use DoNotPay, person or persons facing eviction has a simple instant message-like communication with the bot, which acts as a virtual lawyer. Based on those discussions, the bot deciding that to good suffice the user, often crafting specific claims note based on the information provided.

Through this computerized consulting process, the DoNotPay bot are also likely facilitate low-income users save the thousands of dollars in legal fees.

5. A prosthetic that is likely to be custom-molded in two hours

Image: Amparo

Molding a custom-built prosthetic often takes several weeks, numerous appointments and lots of coin. For low-income amputees worldwide, access to these prosthetics is simply impossible. In reality, 80% of amputees worldwide go without modern prosthetics.

German startup AMPARO developed alternative solutions, drastically simplifying the process of custom-fitting a prosthetic to an artificial extremity. The invention, dubbed the Dignity Socket, is re-moldable, with the ability to adjust to big or small changes in extremity length for more convenience. It can also be custom-molded to a wearer in as few as two hours.

The prosthetic was one of three wins at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Innovation Showcase in June.

6. A massive machine that scavenges coastlines

Image: FACEBOOK/ THE OCEAN CLEANUP PROJECT

An ocean-cleaning innovation finally became a reality in 2016 after five years of research, paradigms and creativity.

Dutch entrepreneur Boyan Slat first proposed an ocean cleanup machine at merely 17 years old. But a prototype of the buoyant boom-like design called Boomy McBoomface was finally put into action in June, thanks to more than $10 million in funding.

Slat’s device moves along a coast and creates an artificial coastline, catching debris on the surface of the ocean. A connected conveyer then lifts the garbage into a center tower, where it is sorted for disposal.

7. The high-tech toy facilitating autistic children socialize

Image: LEKA

Leka is behavior more than a cute-as-can-be smart toy. The interactive and multi-sensory machine is more like a crony specially designed for autistic children, encouraging them to develop independence through independent play.

The round toy gamblings sounds and music, communicates, illuminations up, and vibrates to engage children in multi-sensory tasks. Leka is also customizable, which means it can be tailored to adjust a child’s needs and comfort.

The toy ended a successful Indiegogo campaign over the summer, parent more than 152% of its goal.

8. A reversible tent that plies shelter to homeless populations

For many homeless people, one of the biggest challenges of living without stable shelter is encountering extreme weather.

WeatherHYDE is a reversible tent that shields homeless populations and families in developing nations against all types of weather. One side of the tent aspects pondering bodies, which refrigerates the interior down in extreme heat. The other side be protected against severe cold by isolating the tent, trapping in body heat to warm up the interior.

A Kickstarter campaignto fund production and distribution of 500 tents to families in need run throughout November, hearing more than $145,000 importance of funding.

9. A device that helps the Deaf community spot danger

Image: FurEnexo

If an alarm is meant to indicate chance, what happens when you can’t discover the notification? It could be dangerous or even deadly.

Furenexo, a startup are stationed in New York, propelled a Kickstarter campaign in July to build SoundSense, a small wearable that is designed to help deaf someones see raucous tones and alerts. The machine is triggered by reminding tones, like alarms and car horns, transforming the audio alerts into sense vibrations.

The device will only expenditure $30 significantly lower than same devices.

10. The biodegradable six-pack echoes that feed sea life

Image: Saltwater brewery

Sick of accompanying pathetic sea men stuck in plastic six-pack echoes? You and your aquatic sidekicks are in luck.

Florida-based Saltwater Brewery invented a biodegradable and compostable version of the classic plastic sounds that shapes give of their natural brewing byproducts, like wheat and barley. The best part: The doughnuts are also edible, entailing sea life can munch on them without fear.

The six-pack resounds croaked viral in May, when the paradigm was first announced.

11. The$ 1 feeding cup that is saving infants’ lives

If an baby in a developing nation can’t harbour, they’re at a greater risk of malnutrition, or even fatality. But a new invention costing mere pocket change has the potential to change that.

The NIFTY cup, a simple innovation that costs merely$ 1, grants newborns who can’t secure with capacities necessary to feed. The beaker features a spurt that accumulates milk from “the worlds largest” receptacle designed to fit an infant’s mouth.

The cup was designed through a collaborative effort between world-wide health society PATH, the University of Washington and Seattle Childrens Hospital. It was announced at the Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen in early May.

12. The machine designed to destroy your iPhone for social good

In March, Apple announced the creation of Liam, a 29 -arm robot with destructive bents. Specific, Liam was designed to tear apart your iPhone into recyclable and reusable personas with impressive precision.

Liam can disassemble an iPhone in exactly 11 seconds, sorting basic characters into portions that can be sold, recycled or reused. One Liam device can disassemble about 1. two million iPhones during the course of a year.

Mass distribution of the machines to Apple orientations are in the works as part of the company’s environmental liability commitment.

13. The edible utensils that can supersede plastic cutlery

Image: Bakeys

Thanks to Indian companionship Bakeys, you are able to have your spoon and eat it, too.

The company made edible spoonfuls make use of rice, wheat or sorghum to promotion kerb plastic debris. The cutlery, which has a shelf living for two years, comes in flavored ranges such as ginger-garlic and cumin. The spoons can even support red-hot liquids, like soup, without dissolving.

The company launched a Kickstarter campaign in early 2016 to raise money for spread in communities throughout India, elevating virtually $150,000.

14. Sidewalk traffic light for those glued to their phones

Image: Stadtwerke Augsburg

Let’s face it: You simply can’t be trusted to peel your eyes away from your phone even when intersecting the street.

That’s why German public transport provider Stadtwerke Augsburg embedded traffic light in some city crosswalks around the country in April. The busines hopes the new dawns will help tech-focused pedestrians to bridge streets safe even if they refuse to look up.

15. The futuristic heightened bus hoping to curb pollution

Image: XINHUA/ FACEBOOK

In May, China’s top technologists unveiled a prototype of a massive bus that hovers over gondolas on the road. The invention which was created to maximize street seat, cut down on traffic jams and weaken pollution instantly ran viral for its show-stopping design.

The electric-powered Transit Elevated Bus is operating in rails, throwing it capacities necessary to drive over gondolas on standard streets. Each vehicle can hold a staggering 1,200 passengers, and the impressive structure is cheaper and faster to build than existing modes of public transport options.

However, with some design and safety barriers still in accordance with the rules, new innovations still has a long way to go before punching metropolitan streets.

16. The simple-minded Zika test that is changing diagnoses

Image: Wyss Institute at Harvard University via MIT

The Zika epidemic, which encompassed 2015 to 2016, had the world on edge and researchers madly working towards solutions. One innovation to come out of the outbreak was a low-cost Zika test created by MIT researchers.

While conventional measures may take epoches, MIT researchers announcedthe brand-new creation that takes only three hours. The paper-based research peculiarities a series of purple dots that turn yellow when exposed to blood samples containing the virus. And it merely expenditure $1.

17. The robotic utensils helping people with disabilities eat independently

New robotic utensils are helping people with limited mobility retrieve mealtime independence.

The line, called Liftware, peculiarity two utensils individually designed to help with hand earthquakes, limited reach and other mobility maladies. And it’s all through high-tech sensors, information technology and engines that fit into a tiny spoon.

The utensils can be used with spoon or forking attachments, and were specially designed for those living with spastic paralysis, spinal line injuries, Parkinson’s disease and post-stroke mobility issues.

The utensils are currently available for $195.

18. The organisation helping refugees pay for nutrient with a blink of an eye

Image: World Food Programme

The United Nations World Food Programme, which addresses food be necessary for refugee populations, propelled a brand-new arrangement in February that uses iris searches to disperse food assistance to Syrian refugees.

The system simply requires scanning the eyes of refugees at checkout while browsing for groceries. Exploited in various refugee camps in Jordan, the scanning system caters greater safety and security than standard electronic remittance posters, which can easily be lost, stolen or misused.

19. The Facebook tool helping users connect during disasters

Image: Facebook

In the aftermath of a disaster, detecting meat, ocean and shelter can be incredibly difficult, particularly for low-income communities.

A Facebook tool announced Community Help, which was announced at the Facebook Social Good Forum in November, hopes to close these chinks by connecting those in need to criticals like meat, ocean, transportation and shelter. The brand-new feature will pop up after a used checks in as “safe” through Safety Check, allowing users in the area to connect with others who are offering or looking for help after a disaster.

The feature will officially roll out to Facebook consumers in January 2017.

20. A sturdy condom that refuses to rip

Image: lelo hex

LELO HEX condoms are upping the safer sexuality activity by providing stronger, more sturdy condoms with less jeopardy of tears.

The condom which has been seven years in the making exploits a hexagonal motif to mold to the wearer, enduring more stress and friction than traditional condoms. The inventors hope it will be delivered wearers with a most secure, more pleasurable alternative for contraception.

The condom became available for purchase over the summer through an Indiegogo safarus.

21. An ingenious no-electricity cooler acquired with plastic bottles

Image: YOUTUBE/ GRAMEEN INTEL SOCIAL BUSINESS LTD.

Do you have a few plastic bottles lying around? Then you can make an air conditioner really.

Eco-Cooler is a low-cost cooling system designed for developing regions. It’s constructed from halved plastic bottles inserted into a grid-like card, which is then installed in a shanty like a window pane.

Each bottle’s neck accumulates and compresses breath from hot gusts, refrigerating it down dramatically. The invention can descend temperatures inside a shack as much as 40 magnitudes Fahrenheit.

Several rural communities in Bangladesh have already implemented the organizations of the system, which is an eco-friendly answer for communities shortfall electrical access.

BONUS: Student invents genius kitchen device for people with 1 limb

The post 21 social good inventions that had a massive impact in 2016 appeared first on apsbicepstraining.com.

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[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 26

I know the last few chapters have posted earlier in the day, but I’m excited I at least got this up on the right day. Yay!!

Life has been going on over here, and it keeps happening... Which is a hazard of living, right?  Better than the alternative.

As always, feedback is a glass of wine and dark chocolate for me (which I love, sincerely), so please leave any feedback you may have!

After a mild panic, the Council was able to calm down everyone who heard Tyche’s exclamation of poisoned food.  Grumbles were still plainly audible, but any rioting had been averted for the moment.  We had no choice but to clarify and explain what we suspected, but begged everyone not to let the information out until an official statement had been released.  Huynh had suggested blocking everyone’s communications access, but the idea was – thankfully – shot down immediately.  

Once all the food and drinks were tested, Miys was able to determine that anything not sealed had been tampered with.  It was no surprise that nearly everyone on Level One had traces of the drug in their systems, the only exclusions being Derek and Maverick.  Derek, I knew all too well, had severe aversions to food textures and mainly lived on what amounted to granola bars and room temperature bottled water, so the fact that he didn’t have any hydrocodone in his system was almost expected and confirmed that it was only being put in the food.

I motioned for Maverick to sit down with me and Antoine.  After some debate on what amounted to a criminal investigation, Eino had pointed out that I had the most experience of the people present when it came to interacting with anyone on the autistic spectrum.  Antoine was with me in his capacity as a companion, as he would be the least threatening back up I could have with me while still being more than capable of intervening if it became necessary.

“What did the short you say about poison?” Maverick asked almost immediately, eyes wide with mild panic.

“Someone put Vicodin in most of the food and drinks,” I explained.  I didn’t see any point in sugar coating it, having noticed in the past couple of days that Maverick was nearly impossible at picking up on subtlety. “Most of us have had symptoms, and Miys tested us.  They say the majority of us have enough in our blood to affect us.  You don’t, and I need you to explain why.”

He relaxed immediately, to my shock. “Is that all?  I’ve only had bottled water and black coffee since I came up here,” he shrugged like it was no major deal.

Antoine’s eyebrows furrowed.  “You are saying that, in nearly forty-eight hours, you have not eaten a single thing?”

“Well, yeah,” came the response, as though it should be obvious. “I didn’t like any of the food that was brought in, so I didn’t eat.  I’ve been taking supplements!” he declared defensively as I started scowling when I found out he hadn’t eaten.  “It happens, like, a lot, so I always carry them with me just in case.”  He took the bottle out of his jacket and rattled them for emphasis before handing them to me.

A glance at the label gave me the impression that they were just robust multivitamins. I handed them to Antoine, knowing he would have a better idea of what he was looking at.  He nodded and confirmed. “They’re just vitamins, but these are for geriatric patients?”

With a shrug, Maverick stated matter-of-factly, “Those are designed for people who don’t eat enough to meet their basic requirements.  Usually, yeah, it’s old people, but I end up missing meals pretty frequently, so those are the best ones.  That’s what the doctor told me back on Earth.”

To say I was horrified was a dramatic understatement.  How long had he been just skipping meals because he had what sounded like food aversions?  “Maverick. Jake. You can just tell me what you like, and I’ll make sure we have food for you. I do it all the time for Derek, and for his friend Sam.  Hell, I do it for anyone just about.  You don’t have to starve yourself and live on multivitamins and water.”

“Nah, I know I’m being a pain in the ass about food.  It’s fine, really. But please top calling me Jake.  It’s legally Maverick.  I changed it.  I earned the name Maverick.”

I was so confused.  “But you introduced yourself as Jake?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Terran Defense never updated my records, so they are all under that name. I wanted you to be able to find them. But it’s not my name.”

Oh.  I was starting to get angry, not at him, but at the people who made him so nonchalant at the sheer level of fuckery people had used in regard to him in the past.

“Can you go get Derek?” I asked Antoine quietly before looking back at the pilot on the opposite side of the table. “You aren’t being a pain in the ass.  I believe that you’ve been told that for a very long time, but that doesn’t make it true, and it certainly doesn’t make it right.  I am the one who will be deciding what food is brought up from now on, and Miys will be testing it.  So, if I say you can ask me for whatever you will actually eat, no one else gets a say in that.  Does that make sense?”

“Whatever,” he grunted.

I was saved by the arrival of Antoine and Derek. “Maverick Okima, I would like to formally introduce to Derek ‘That Guy’ Okafor, scourge of sysadmins everywhere. Derek, I am trying to convince Maverick that it’s okay to ask for different food if he doesn’t like what we are bringing in.” I focused on using Maverick’s own term – don’t like – rather than calling it a food aversion, mainly because I wasn’t sure he had ever had the difference explained to him from what few clues I was able to pick up.

<Sophia’s okay> Derek signed. <She likes feeding us food we like.  She says if we don’t like it, there isn’t a point in having food to begin with.>

Maverick looked very confused.  “My father said something like that before he died.  It’s a very Japanese thing to say.”

I pointed at my face. “Cajun, among other things.  I do not believe in ‘eating to live’. In my family, we live to eat.  The short me, as you call her, is gluten intolerant, some of my family doesn’t like spicy food, I love spicy food, so does Antoine.  I still manage to make one meal a week for all of us, cooked by hand I might add, and try to include Derek as much as possible when he feels up to.”

Derek snapped to get Mavericks attention before adding, <No spicy, no sour, no squishy.>

“He likes food with firmer textures,” I clarified on the ‘squishy’ comment. “Nothing mushy, or creamy, no cake, ice cream, or gelatin, that kind of thing.”

“Don’t you get mad that they’re picky?” Maverick asked, still suspicious.

I shook my head vigorously. “Absolutely not.  It’s a challenge, and if they don’t like it, that’s a failure on my part, not theirs.”

“She makes very good turkey,” Antoine mused before smirking. “Although her sister makes amazing doughnuts.”

<The mushy fish was gross.> Derek wrinkled his nose in an exaggerated fashion.

I just rolled my eyes. “I literally told you that you wouldn’t like it. I don’t like poached fish because of the texture.”

That seemed to be the comment that Maverick needed to hear. “Wait. You cooked something you don’t even like for someone else, because they wanted it?”

“Kind of?” I squeaked uncertainly. “Arantxa over there.  She didn’t ask for it, but as a holiday gift from me to her, I learned how to make one of her native dishes. I had no clue that it was poached fish when I made that decision. But she mentioned it the day I met her, and also that she didn’t know how to make it….” I trailed off and shrugged. “Personally, I like my fish seared, grilled, baked, or sashimi.  Poached is just… too weird for me.”

Antoine nodded very seriously. “It was very good, as a person who does like poached fish.”

“Rants seemed to like it,” I shrugged again. “All that mattered.”

“So, if I wanted mochi, because I didn’t get any the first time, that would be okay?” Maverick asked tentatively.  “Even red bean mochi?”

I moaned, “Oh my gosh, absolutely yes.  If there were any red bean mochi last time, I am sorry to say I didn’t get any.  You and I can just hog them all.”

<Hide them from Zach,> Derek joked. <I think he ate most of the gross dumplings last time.>

“Heathen,” I muttered jokingly.  It was really no surprise that Derek didn’t like mochi.  Glutenous foods definitely fell in the category of ‘squishy’.  I patted Maverick on the arm gently. “Okay, I’m pretty convinced you didn’t drug the food, mostly because you’re a terrible liar, which is something to be proud of.  On the food thing, please just make me a list of foods you like, or at least a list of stuff that makes you not like certain foods, and I will happily make sure to take that into account.  Real quick, though, I’m about to put in the request for tomorrow, so other than mochi, what do you want? Try to give me as many things as you can think of off the top of your head, because I want to be sure it’s in the system.”

“Miso soup, for sure.  Boiled eggs? Scrambled eggs are weird, but I don’t know if the consoles can do boiled eggs, and I never asked. Savory crepes are good, though. Ooo! Pizzza!  I love pizza, especially anchovy.  I know a lot of people think it’s gross, but it’s really good, I swear. Fried pies are good, too.”

“So, strongly flavored, savory and/or salty dishes.  Got it,” I murmured as I made a note in my data screen. I flicked my wrist absent-mindedly to dismiss it before musing “You probably would have liked the bacalao al pil pil.”

“Is that the mushy fish thing?” he asked skeptically.

“Yep.”

“Nope. I can’t do mushy fish. Mushy means it isn’t cooked right, which means I’ll get sick.”

I chuckled. “I totally agree.  The good news is, at least now I have someone other than Tyche to share pizza with!”

“No one else likes pizza!?” he gasped. “No way! That’s sacrilege!”

“Oh, tons of people like pizza,” I assured him. “But Tyche is the only other person I met who likes anchovy pizza.”

“They’re stupid. It’s awesome!”

I shot him a look. “Please don’t call people stupid because they don’t agree with you. It’s rude, and I can’t stand rude people.” It was a slight exaggeration; I had a pretty flexible definition of what was and wasn’t rude, but calling someone names because they disagree with you definitely fell firmly in the rude category.  “A lot of people don’t like fish, or can’t have too much salt, or just don’t do well with really strong flavored foods.” I nodded toward Derek, who flipped Maverick the bird.

“Okay, okay,” he apologized. “That was wrong of me. I didn’t think of that. Still, it’s really good.”

“Well, you have two other people to eat it with now,” I smiled.

Rather than celebrating, Maverick looked like he just realized something. “Wait.  Who is Tyche?”

“My sister.”

“You – Wait. That’s short you?”

“Yes, and for the love of whatever your favorite body part is, do not call her that to her face.”

“Noted,” he nodded seriously and gulped. “She’s scary.  Like, scarier than you, scary.”

<Be nice. They own the cat.> Derek warned him, slapping him lightly on the arm.

“I like Mac,” he considered. “I guess that makes you less scary.  I’m still pretty sure your sister could kill me, though.”

By this point, Antoine looked completely confused. “Why is everyone afraid of Tyche? I don’t understand.”

<Why aren’t you afraid of her?> Derek rebutted.

I shot Antoine a dirty look before he could reply. “I have absolutely zero desire to hear whatever tooth-rotting, fluffy nonsense is about to come out of your mouth,” I told him flatly.  The last thing I wanted was him to accidentally de-fang my sister’s well-earned reputation.

He balked slightly before straightening his shoulders. “Fine. I will let them be afraid of her. I was just going to say I’m not afraid of her because I am her partner, just like you are her sister. And Maverick has three other people to eat the anchovy pizza with.” He pointed to himself. “You never asked me, Sophia. Do you really think Tyche would not have me try it?”

I held my hands up placatingly. “Fair, fair.  I didn’t know you had tried it since the last time I mentioned it.”  I turned back to Maverick. “So, now that we’ve established your alibi - can’t consume drugs when you aren’t consuming anything at all - I’ll have Grey and probably Pranav fact-check it, just to completely rule you out as a suspect, okay?”

“Yeah,” he exhaled in what sounded like relief.  “Do you think it will take long? I have to pilot the ship to Meenie pretty soon, and I don’t know if they’ll let me while they’re doing all that?”

“That’s honestly Xiomara’s call, since we decided the flight crew fall under her jurisdiction.  It shouldn’t take more than a day, but I understand that we only have a couple hours before we’re done at Eenie, right?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “Can you check with Councillor Kalloe, please?” he begged. “I don’t want my flight privileges revoked.”

“You bet. Antoine, are we done here?”

He gestured affirmatively. “I don’t know what else we can do right now, so yeah, I would say we are done. You,” he pointed sternly at Maverick, “will eat.  I will send Noah for the food myself. It is not safe for you to do something as important as piloting a ship when you have been starving yourself, but I also do not want to make you sick. You said you like miso soup, yes?” When Maverick nodded, Antoine stood. “I will ask our host to get miso soup, and I will watch you eat two hundred milliliters before you pilot. Sophia, if you could relay this to Councillor Kalloe when you speak to her, please?”

“Absolutely,” I agreed.

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[apsbicepstraining]

21 social good inventions that had a massive impact in 2016

Image: Saltwater Brewery; Nifty Cup; WYSS INSTITUTE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY VIA MIT; LEKA; Bakeys; SafariSeat

2016 may have been a dreadful year in many ways, but there was still some undeniable good to come out of the past 12 months.

For proof, look no further than the year’s most impactful innovations, offering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.

SEE ALSO: 16 brilliant inventions tackling poverty of all the countries

From a futuristic bus that slips over traffic to a$ 1 bowl saving countless babies’ lives, inventors developed ingenious gadgets and feelings that undertake inequality and improve the world of billions of people.

In no particular ordering and certainly not an exhaustive inventory these 21 social good innovations had a massive influence this year.

For more world-changing innovations, check out our list from 2015.

1. An edible monotone extraditing humanitarian aid

Image: Windhorse Aerospace

The only thing cooler than a drone is an edible drone especially one that saves lives.

An inexpensive drone paradigm, announced Pouncer, was designed to help deliver humanitarian aid to remote regions with impassible roads. The drone doesn’t simply carry critical parts for aid, but likewise boasts a plywood frame for firewood, backstages parcelled with meat and protective covers that can double as shelter.

Windhorse Aerospace, the company behind Pouncer, designed the monotone in all possible efforts to revolutionize aid in the aftermath of natural disasters. The crew hopes the example will become a reality in 2017.

2. A wheelchair formed for people in developing countries

Image: SafariSeat

For parties with mobility-related disabilities, wheelchairs can be essential. But for parties in developing regions, conventional wheelchairs are often unusable on the rough, urban terrain.

SafariSeat, an all-terrain wheelchair, is a low-cost solution to this often overlooked question. The sturdy wheelchair is propelled forward by hand levers and features sturdy wheels. It’s also made altogether of repurposed bicycle areas, designed to be manufactured and maintained in impoverished regions.

SafariSeat inaugurated crowdfunding on Kickstarter in November, and plans to start production in Kenya in 2017.

3. Edible meat carton stimulated with milk

Forget plastic packaging, and say hello to milk protein film.

To help curb the globe’s reliance on plastic for storing and continuing food, U.S. Department of Agriculture investigates announced the creation of a new biodegradable movie in August, which is made of the milk protein casein.

The edible film is estimated to be 500 eras better than plastic packaging at saving food fresh, hindering oxygen away from meat more effectively.

4. A bot that helps low-income categories engaged eviction

Image: JOSHUA BROWDER/ DONOTPAY

When expensive solicitors won’t fit national budgets, going legal aid can seem hopeless. But that’s where robots come in.

Stanford undergrad Joshua Browder exhausted a bot called DoNotPay in August, which facilitates those unable to render legal aid fight evictions.

To use DoNotPay, person or persons facing eviction has a simple instant message-like communication with the bot, which acts as a virtual lawyer. Based on those discussions, the bot deciding that to good suffice the user, often crafting specific claims note based on the information provided.

Through this computerized consulting process, the DoNotPay bot are also likely facilitate low-income users save the thousands of dollars in legal fees.

5. A prosthetic that is likely to be custom-molded in two hours

Image: Amparo

Molding a custom-built prosthetic often takes several weeks, numerous appointments and lots of coin. For low-income amputees worldwide, access to these prosthetics is simply impossible. In reality, 80% of amputees worldwide go without modern prosthetics.

German startup AMPARO developed alternative solutions, drastically simplifying the process of custom-fitting a prosthetic to an artificial extremity. The invention, dubbed the Dignity Socket, is re-moldable, with the ability to adjust to big or small changes in extremity length for more convenience. It can also be custom-molded to a wearer in as few as two hours.

The prosthetic was one of three wins at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Innovation Showcase in June.

6. A massive machine that scavenges coastlines

Image: FACEBOOK/ THE OCEAN CLEANUP PROJECT

An ocean-cleaning innovation finally became a reality in 2016 after five years of research, paradigms and creativity.

Dutch entrepreneur Boyan Slat first proposed an ocean cleanup machine at merely 17 years old. But a prototype of the buoyant boom-like design called Boomy McBoomface was finally put into action in June, thanks to more than $10 million in funding.

Slat’s device moves along a coast and creates an artificial coastline, catching debris on the surface of the ocean. A connected conveyer then lifts the garbage into a center tower, where it is sorted for disposal.

7. The high-tech toy facilitating autistic children socialize

Image: LEKA

Leka is behavior more than a cute-as-can-be smart toy. The interactive and multi-sensory machine is more like a crony specially designed for autistic children, encouraging them to develop independence through independent play.

The round toy gamblings sounds and music, communicates, illuminations up, and vibrates to engage children in multi-sensory tasks. Leka is also customizable, which means it can be tailored to adjust a child’s needs and comfort.

The toy ended a successful Indiegogo campaign over the summer, parent more than 152% of its goal.

8. A reversible tent that plies shelter to homeless populations

For many homeless people, one of the biggest challenges of living without stable shelter is encountering extreme weather.

WeatherHYDE is a reversible tent that shields homeless populations and families in developing nations against all types of weather. One side of the tent aspects pondering bodies, which refrigerates the interior down in extreme heat. The other side be protected against severe cold by isolating the tent, trapping in body heat to warm up the interior.

A Kickstarter campaignto fund production and distribution of 500 tents to families in need run throughout November, hearing more than $145,000 importance of funding.

9. A device that helps the Deaf community spot danger

Image: FurEnexo

If an alarm is meant to indicate chance, what happens when you can’t discover the notification? It could be dangerous or even deadly.

Furenexo, a startup are stationed in New York, propelled a Kickstarter campaign in July to build SoundSense, a small wearable that is designed to help deaf someones see raucous tones and alerts. The machine is triggered by reminding tones, like alarms and car horns, transforming the audio alerts into sense vibrations.

The device will only expenditure $30 significantly lower than same devices.

10. The biodegradable six-pack echoes that feed sea life

Image: Saltwater brewery

Sick of accompanying pathetic sea men stuck in plastic six-pack echoes? You and your aquatic sidekicks are in luck.

Florida-based Saltwater Brewery invented a biodegradable and compostable version of the classic plastic sounds that shapes give of their natural brewing byproducts, like wheat and barley. The best part: The doughnuts are also edible, entailing sea life can munch on them without fear.

The six-pack resounds croaked viral in May, when the paradigm was first announced.

11. The$ 1 feeding cup that is saving infants’ lives

If an baby in a developing nation can’t harbour, they’re at a greater risk of malnutrition, or even fatality. But a new invention costing mere pocket change has the potential to change that.

The NIFTY cup, a simple innovation that costs merely$ 1, grants newborns who can’t secure with capacities necessary to feed. The beaker features a spurt that accumulates milk from “the worlds largest” receptacle designed to fit an infant’s mouth.

The cup was designed through a collaborative effort between world-wide health society PATH, the University of Washington and Seattle Childrens Hospital. It was announced at the Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen in early May.

12. The machine designed to destroy your iPhone for social good

In March, Apple announced the creation of Liam, a 29 -arm robot with destructive bents. Specific, Liam was designed to tear apart your iPhone into recyclable and reusable personas with impressive precision.

Liam can disassemble an iPhone in exactly 11 seconds, sorting basic characters into portions that can be sold, recycled or reused. One Liam device can disassemble about 1. two million iPhones during the course of a year.

Mass distribution of the machines to Apple orientations are in the works as part of the company’s environmental liability commitment.

13. The edible utensils that can supersede plastic cutlery

Image: Bakeys

Thanks to Indian companionship Bakeys, you are able to have your spoon and eat it, too.

The company made edible spoonfuls make use of rice, wheat or sorghum to promotion kerb plastic debris. The cutlery, which has a shelf living for two years, comes in flavored ranges such as ginger-garlic and cumin. The spoons can even support red-hot liquids, like soup, without dissolving.

The company launched a Kickstarter campaign in early 2016 to raise money for spread in communities throughout India, elevating virtually $150,000.

14. Sidewalk traffic light for those glued to their phones

Image: Stadtwerke Augsburg

Let’s face it: You simply can’t be trusted to peel your eyes away from your phone even when intersecting the street.

That’s why German public transport provider Stadtwerke Augsburg embedded traffic light in some city crosswalks around the country in April. The busines hopes the new dawns will help tech-focused pedestrians to bridge streets safe even if they refuse to look up.

15. The futuristic heightened bus hoping to curb pollution

Image: XINHUA/ FACEBOOK

In May, China’s top technologists unveiled a prototype of a massive bus that hovers over gondolas on the road. The invention which was created to maximize street seat, cut down on traffic jams and weaken pollution instantly ran viral for its show-stopping design.

The electric-powered Transit Elevated Bus is operating in rails, throwing it capacities necessary to drive over gondolas on standard streets. Each vehicle can hold a staggering 1,200 passengers, and the impressive structure is cheaper and faster to build than existing modes of public transport options.

However, with some design and safety barriers still in accordance with the rules, new innovations still has a long way to go before punching metropolitan streets.

16. The simple-minded Zika test that is changing diagnoses

Image: Wyss Institute at Harvard University via MIT

The Zika epidemic, which encompassed 2015 to 2016, had the world on edge and researchers madly working towards solutions. One innovation to come out of the outbreak was a low-cost Zika test created by MIT researchers.

While conventional measures may take epoches, MIT researchers announcedthe brand-new creation that takes only three hours. The paper-based research peculiarities a series of purple dots that turn yellow when exposed to blood samples containing the virus. And it merely expenditure $1.

17. The robotic utensils helping people with disabilities eat independently

New robotic utensils are helping people with limited mobility retrieve mealtime independence.

The line, called Liftware, peculiarity two utensils individually designed to help with hand earthquakes, limited reach and other mobility maladies. And it’s all through high-tech sensors, information technology and engines that fit into a tiny spoon.

The utensils can be used with spoon or forking attachments, and were specially designed for those living with spastic paralysis, spinal line injuries, Parkinson’s disease and post-stroke mobility issues.

The utensils are currently available for $195.

18. The organisation helping refugees pay for nutrient with a blink of an eye

Image: World Food Programme

The United Nations World Food Programme, which addresses food be necessary for refugee populations, propelled a brand-new arrangement in February that uses iris searches to disperse food assistance to Syrian refugees.

The system simply requires scanning the eyes of refugees at checkout while browsing for groceries. Exploited in various refugee camps in Jordan, the scanning system caters greater safety and security than standard electronic remittance posters, which can easily be lost, stolen or misused.

19. The Facebook tool helping users connect during disasters

Image: Facebook

In the aftermath of a disaster, detecting meat, ocean and shelter can be incredibly difficult, particularly for low-income communities.

A Facebook tool announced Community Help, which was announced at the Facebook Social Good Forum in November, hopes to close these chinks by connecting those in need to criticals like meat, ocean, transportation and shelter. The brand-new feature will pop up after a used checks in as “safe” through Safety Check, allowing users in the area to connect with others who are offering or looking for help after a disaster.

The feature will officially roll out to Facebook consumers in January 2017.

20. A sturdy condom that refuses to rip

Image: lelo hex

LELO HEX condoms are upping the safer sexuality activity by providing stronger, more sturdy condoms with less jeopardy of tears.

The condom which has been seven years in the making exploits a hexagonal motif to mold to the wearer, enduring more stress and friction than traditional condoms. The inventors hope it will be delivered wearers with a most secure, more pleasurable alternative for contraception.

The condom became available for purchase over the summer through an Indiegogo safarus.

21. An ingenious no-electricity cooler acquired with plastic bottles

Image: YOUTUBE/ GRAMEEN INTEL SOCIAL BUSINESS LTD.

Do you have a few plastic bottles lying around? Then you can make an air conditioner really.

Eco-Cooler is a low-cost cooling system designed for developing regions. It’s constructed from halved plastic bottles inserted into a grid-like card, which is then installed in a shanty like a window pane.

Each bottle’s neck accumulates and compresses breath from hot gusts, refrigerating it down dramatically. The invention can descend temperatures inside a shack as much as 40 magnitudes Fahrenheit.

Several rural communities in Bangladesh have already implemented the organizations of the system, which is an eco-friendly answer for communities shortfall electrical access.

BONUS: Student invents genius kitchen device for people with 1 limb

The post 21 social good inventions that had a massive impact in 2016 appeared first on apsbicepstraining.com.

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