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talesofsadhuman · 4 years

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words left unsaid: social media au- get to know the characters!!

Reader- grad student (bio) but has to take an english class bc it is a req, and hates it bc she can’t write a paper to save her life. Maybe with a cute professor, she’ll actually try. Works in a lab under Alexander Pierce (he is her grad advisor/supervisor) and also teaches a human anatomy class. Lives with Wanda, Nat, and MJ; loves them to pieces. Likes to bake when stressed out and to destress. Super allergic to dogs and cats but still loves them. If this is how I go, THIS IS HOW I GO. Also, Harry Styles’ #1 fan. Don’t ask.

Nat- grad student (legal studies) why don’t you just got to law school? Because there’s more to this system than to just being a lawyer. does want to be judge just so she can have a gavel. Loves her housemates, esp reader bc she is a cinnamon roll. Has history w buck but they ended on good terms and likes to make him uncomfortable sometimes. Is not ready to settle down and dates a lot but don’t judge her. That’s her job.

Bucky- prof (English) likes books, not people. Is best friends with Steve and Sam although he acts like he loathes Sam. Writes on his spare time. Became a professor bc he didn’t know what else to do with an English degree but wants to do more. Lives with Steve. Has a cute lil cat that he takes with him to class. Not sure if students like him or his cat. Nerds out to Star Wars.

Steve- prof (biochemistry) wins trivia all the time bc he knows so much. Nerd. Best friends with Sam and Buck. Tolerates Tony. Loathes Clint. Voted hottest professor on campus by undergrad girls. Saw the poll. Voted for Bucky, Sam was pissed. He works in a lab near reader so they always see eachother. She goes to his lab one day asking for some material and they strike up a platonic friendship. Will sometimes not go home because he is stuck in his lab.

Tony- professor (electrical engineering and computer science) teaches notoriously difficult class and tortures students all year but passes all of them at the end. Babysitter of clown trio (Bucky, Sam, and Steve). Is happily married to Pepper Potts and has an adorable daughter, Morgan. He befriends undergrad sophomore, Peter, and they tinker with stuff together. Unofficially takes reader under his wing as he helps her create a code to make lab life easier.

Sam- prof (physics) also teaches one of the most difficult classes on campus but is great at teaching it, and is loved by students. Best friends with Steve and Bucky although he’s always fighting with Bucky. Believes he’s the cutest of clown trio and not not down for engaging in shenanigans. Lives with Clint but spends a lot of time at Steve and Bucky’s place. Always drags the boys to bars and events to get them to socialize. Is an enabler.

Wanda- grad student (behavioral psychology) got into psych bc she’s into serial killers. Oddly enough, so are many of her peers. Analyzes her friends’ behavior and calls them out. They love/hate her for it. She’s an instructor for an intro to psych class and also interns at a clinic. Got into behavioral psychology bc she wants to be a behavior analyst. Although she is p responsible, she is an enabler and seeks to provide her friends w cheap thrills

Peter- undergrad student (Computer Science) looks up to Tony and is a giant nerd. He befriend Tony and they tinker together. Volunteers at an animal shelter; sometimes fosters pups and cats. In love with MJ. Tags along with MJ and her house bc they love him. Is super smart and helps everyone around but sometimes, bc he is too good to others, he forgets to take care of himself. Which is where MJ comes and does so.

MJ- undergrad student (psychology) unlike Wanda, MJ is a serial killer. Jk. But reads into people and figures might as well put it to use. Read a lot. Like Wanda, analyzes her friend’s behavior and calls them out. Draws and designs for fun. Can’t go out for shenanigans w housemates bc she’s not of age but doesn’t mind it, she hangs out with peter and they watch movies. Looks up to all her housemates and loves them, esp since they took her in when her original housing fell through. Also, in love with Peter but denies it.

Clint-prof (pe) not actually a prof, more like a coach. Is a giant goof ball, loved by students and surprisingly, very good at yoga. Teaches 5 different courses: Yoga, Archery, Tennis, CrossFit, and swim. His classes are always filled with students who think he’s hot and he’s totally oblivious that they’re flirting with him, he just thinks they’re being nice to him. Total gym bro but still great. Spends a lot of time adventuring but hangs out with the guys as well.

#marvel au #bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #bucky au #bucky #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes x reader #steve rogers #natasha romanov #wanda maximoff #clint barton #tony stark #sam wilson #social media au #michelle jones #peter parker #words left unsaid #bucky social media au

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yetanothersonic · 3 years

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Uncle Chuck in games

Fans are always wishing that Sally and the Freedom Fighters were in the games, but what about Uncle Chuck? I think he would be very easy to adapt into the games. Unlike the other FF, Chuck doesn’t need his full backstory to make his character work. There’s no real robotization in the games or Robotropolis to spy on? Fine. He’s also an inventor, a mentor, a father-figure to Sonic, and a maker of chili dogs. All this works in the games, and could be very cool.

So I was thinking of where in the games he could be used. If I could go to the past and introduce him in one of the games, when would that be?

The first games I thought of were Unleashed and Colors.

As much as I love Prof. Pickle, his role in Unleashed could be filled by Uncle Chuck. Chuck is the kind of guy who would could research ancient manuscripts and give the player advice. He could even work as a professor, if he hasn’t been established as something else in a previous game. But there’s one change that would need to be made if Chuck replaced Pickle: dialogue. Pickle is kind of oblivious, maybe a little eccentric, and way too concerned with the crafting of cucumber sandwiches while imprisoned. The dialogue would need to be changed to fit Chuck’s more level-headed personality. But it could still work. There could even still be the running gag of Pickle/Chuck having a favorite food. For Chuck it would be chili dogs. Maybe whenever Sonic goes to him for advice, he’s cooking chili dogs and commenting on how he’s trying a new combination of spices. It would work. Also, chili dogs make their first physical appearance(they were mentioned a couple times before) in Unleashed. That seems like a logical place to introduce Chuck.

In Colors, there is the common fan complaint that Tails is just sitting around the whole time, working on a translator that we don’t even really need to understand the situation. So, use Uncle Chuck! He can be the one working on the translator, while Tails joins Sonic in the action. No one expects Uncle Chuck to be running around fighting robots(although that would be awesome). The same goes for Forces. If, when Sonic was captured, Chuck was there and Tails was not, it would be more understandable that the guy holding the Miles Electric wouldn’t be able to help Sonic fight.

All this considered, there’s still a problem. These games I mentioned, all part of the Modern Era. It would be weird to introduce Chuck so late into the series. Where was he all this time? But then I look back at the middle era (not sure what to call it. Adventure through Shadow) and I don’t think there’s a place for him. There’s already a large cast of characters being used in each game, and no obvious mentor-type character that Chuck could easily replace. I’m also not as familiar with that era of games. If anyone has ideas for this, I’d love to hear them. The best I can this of is the handheld games, like Advance. He could be stuck in there with a minor role like Vanilla. But then, still, where is he during the other games?

I’m purposefully ignoring the idea of introducing Uncle Chuck in the Classic Era. I feel like that’s already just the way it is. And I don’t think he even existed until after Sonic 3 was already in production. So then where do we put him? 3D Blast? I feel like he would be cool in CD, but again, too early.

In summary, I think it would be cool to have Uncle Chuck in the games, and I have some ideas of where he could be used, but I’m not sure how he could be logically introduced. If any of you have ideas, reblog this and share!

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #uncle chuck #charles the hedgehog #ideas

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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How Will War of the Worlds Season 3 Work?

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Warning: contains spoilers for the War of the Worlds Season 2 finale.

Had War of the Worlds not been renewed for season three, the season two finale would have served as a creditable end point to the story. In it, Professor Bill Ward uses extra-terrestrial science to travel back in time to before the aliens invaded, and makes a single change to stop that timeline from ever unfurling. Thanks to Bill, the aliens never arrive, billions of people are never slaughtered, and life on Earth continues as normal. It’s not quite the ‘I woke up and it was all a dream’ ending, but it’s in the same postcode. Everything resets, and everybody goes about their lives without knowledge of the dire future that’s been averted.

Mostly everybody. Bill remembers, of course. The last we see of him in season two is a newspaper headline about his arrest for the murder of Emily Gresham. The single change Bill needed to make to avert the timeline in which aliens invaded Earth was to kill Emily (one of the ancestors of the alien race), and so he did the decent thing and pushed her off the top of a tall building.

Bill in prison for murder?

That leaves Gabriel Byrne’s character in a fix for season three. If this new timeline holds, then Professor Bill Ward will have to explain in a court of law that he murdered a blind teenage girl in order to save humanity from alien attack. Whether or not they believe him is irrelevant – he’d be locked up either way. And as it’s unlikely that season three of this sci-fi chiller will turn into a courtroom drama, something major’s going to have to shift to get Byrne’s character back on the game board and making moves.

The other sticky part of Bill’s situation, and what adds grist to season three’s mill, is that he didn’t come back from the future alone. Whoever else was on board the alien ship when Bill travelled through time came too. That includes Isla, who we saw die in the new timeline, from a gunshot wound she received in the old timeline just before making the leap. It also includes the aliens’ most entrenched humanity-haters: Adina and Jokim. They turned up with half a dozen redshirt aliens in the new timeline, where they unsuccessfully tried to stop Bill from killing Emily.

Fish out of water

How will Adina and Jokim fit into season three? In this new timeline, they have neither a future nor a past, and their people never existed. Untethered from everything they’ve known, perhaps this is the chance for those two to observe humanity and, like how Isla and Reuben developed a love of human music and babies, find things to snuff out their hatred. Their people’s entire understanding of human beings came through the psychopathic filter of Sacha, and was distorted as it passed down the generations. On a fully populated Earth, surely those two will have to give up their ‘kill everyone’ plan and assimilate if they’re going to survive?

War of the Worlds Season 2 Ending: Breaking the Time Loop, Bill, Emily and the Future

By Louisa Mellor

War of the Worlds Season 1 Recap: Aliens, Cyborg Dogs, Emily, Sacha and the Mystery Tattoo

By Louisa Mellor

Bill resetting the timeline resurrected several characters who’d been killed in the original version of events. His wife and son, Helen and Daniel, are now alive and kicking. Emily and Tom’s mother Sarah was never shot by Sacha, and Prof. Catherine Durrand was never killed by a Mechanical but lived to patch things up with her sister Sophia and possibly embark on a romance with her sweet Observatory colleague who is now also not dead. Presumably somewhere out there is hospital porter Ash, with his pregnant fiancée beside him this time. Refugee Kariem successfully made it over the Channel to reunite with his sister (?) Amina – hopefully two characters who’ll return for expanded roles in season three. And remember Dylan and Lilly, the young couple whose story we were told via video diary? In this new timeline, they must be alive and still together and perhaps readying themselves for larger roles in season three.

Timeline bleeding

All of which assumes that this new timeline will remain intact. The season two finale however, put that into question. A few key developments hinted that the walls between the timelines were porous and events from one were bleeding into the other. First there was Emily, who’d come to hospital to report the visions she kept seeing of dead bodies in the streets and of her interacting with people she’d never met. How could Emily be receiving those visions from the aliens’ quantum psychic web if, in this timeline, the aliens have never existed?

Next was Zoe (Pearl Chanda), who awoke from a dream about the future that Bill had averted. In the original timeline, she was the hard-nosed leader of a group of survivors in London, and somehow dreamt about a scene from that in this new alien-free version of events. Zoe’s dream-vision was of escaping the leisure centre with Bill following the alien bombing. She then recognised Bill’s face and the name “Emily” from the newspaper headline about the murder. How are Zoe and Emily getting flashes of a future that won’t happen? Are they somehow being sent from another timeline? Our final hint that Bill’s actions haven’t entirely averted the alien invasion future was the sound of the distinctive alien pulse playing over the end credits. Are they still out there?

Micah’s journal

Before Isla died in the new timeline, she played a potentially important part in season three by bringing Micah’s journal back in time with her. We saw it being bagged up as evidence and placed in storage. Little do these humans know that the secret to time travel is now sitting unassumingly in a cardboard box on a dusty shelf, just waiting to be discovered…

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

War of the Worlds is available to stream on Epix in the US and is airing weekly on Disney+ in the UK.

The post How Will War of the Worlds Season 3 Work? appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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ibilenews · 4 years

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Did Ken Walibora predict his own death in his best-selling books?

With Kenya and the Swahili scholarly world still smarting from the sudden demise of prolific author Prof Ken Walibora, it has now emerged the deceased could have predicted about his death in the books he wrote more than 10 years ago.

The disconcerting revelation comes at a time when the death of the journalist-turned is shrouded in mystery, with more questions than answers emerging daily, following the postmortem report issued by the government pathologist Johansen Oduor.

BEST-SELLING BOOKS

Walibora was an iconic author, there is no doubt about that. He had this idiosyncratic ability to perfectly mirror the society with his impeccable mastery of the Swahili language.

His gift of predicting major social-political developments in his books with unmatched precision, led a section of literary pundits to view him as a prophet.

That said, the sheer thought that Walibora could have foreseen his death through the very characters he created in two of his best-selling books, Siku Njema (1996) and Kidagaa Kimemwozea (2012), was the last thing in most people’s mind.

A study of his literary work reveals an incredible similarity between the characters he created and the actual events preceding his untimely and painful demise.

From his mysterious disappearance for several days, his whereabouts before his mysterious demise, negligence by medics at the casualty, to the manner in which his interment is set to be conducted.

According to the plot and events depicted by the author in his books, it is like he had a premonition about his dramatic exit from the stage of this world.

Some may call it ill-luck, fate, or pure happenstance which occurred in his literature, but it is up to you, our reader, to decide for yourself.

The deceased reportedly went missing on Friday, April 6, 2020 which saw his family, relatives and friends embark on frantic search for him for days to no avail.

Similarly, in his novel Kidagaa Kimemwozea, the main character by the name Mtemi Nasaba Bora, ruler or king of Sokomo goes missing for several days leaving his family searching everywhere for him.

The author’s remains were later found in Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) mortuary on Wednesday, April 10, 2020 four days after his mysterious disappearance.

TRAGIC DEATH

In the same way, Mtemi Nasaba Bora, is found dead with his body hanging on a tree in the forest after committing suicide (page 159).

The tragic end of Walibora and the character he created bears glaring similarities save for the fact that unlike the character who was found in the forest after taking his own life, the writer was found in the morgue after a road accident.

Walibora’s Mercedes Benz was found four days later parked along Kijabe Street, three kilometers away from Landies Road, where he was reportedly hit by a Double M matatu.

This vividly shows the deceased parked his car in the area before going on foot to wherever he went before he met his death.

In the same way, Mtemi Nasaba Bora’s car is found parked in a different place from where his body was found in the forest.

The same way the writer passed on after a road accident, in his renowned novel which propelled him to the limelight Siku Njema, the character named Rashid dies after being involved in a road accident (page 75).

It is only after finding Rashid’s remains that police launch investigations to ascertain the real cause of his death. Similarly, homicide detectives started investigating Walibora’s death after his body was found.

In Kidagaa Kimemwozea, Uhuru, a child, dies after failing to get treatment services as a result of negligence by the doctors and nurses at Nasaba Bora Hospital, a public health facility (page 65).

Similarly, Walibora reportedly passed on at KNH casualty section after waiting unattended, while bleeding for 18 hours, since he was rushed at the biggest public referral facility at 10am in the morning, up to midnight when he died.

Evidently, the main cause of the celebrated author’s death was negligence by the medics at KNH, the same fate which befell his character Uhuru.

LOW-KEY BURIAL

The character named DJ Bob in Kidagaa Kimemwozea rushes to Nasaba Bora Hospital in the hope of getting medical assistance, after he was bitten by a stray dog with the deadly rabies disease (page 98).

However, after staying at the hospital for a long time without any sigh of being attended to, he is forced to go to his friend who treats him using traditional herbs until he regained his health.

If only Walibora had the ability to leave KNH and seek treatment elsewhere! Maybe he would have escaped death like his character DJ Bob.

Unfortunately, he was not able to. He died hours later waiting to be attended to.

In Siku Njema also, the body of Juma Mkosi, also known as Mzee Kazikwisha, a renowned scholar, is found by his son Msanifu Kombo, several days after his death, the same way Walibora was found dead four days after his mysterious demise.

Despite his fame as a celebrated scholar, many could not recognize the character Juma Mkosi’s body, the same way Walibora’s remains lay at the morgue as an unidentified male.

Even his relatives had a hard time to identify his body and it had to take Walibora’s mother intervention.

The character Mtemi Nasaba Bora, despite his rank in the society as a king or ruler in Sokomoko region, was buried in a low key event attended by very few people less than 10, which was quite weird.

It is so heartrending that, just like Mtemi Nasaba Bora, Walibora, an acclaimed author nationally and internationally, is set to be bade farewell in a low profile funeral that will be attended by not more than 15 people – mainly his family and close relatives.

Thousands of his friends, readers, followers, scholars and fellow academicians, who interacted with the fallen icon in his lifetime, will not be able to attend his sendoff to give their last respects, considering that his death has occurred in a time when the country and the world is battling the deadly Covid-19.

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gallusrostromegalus · 7 years

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"I can start with how I went to marine science camp as a kid and end with that time I accidentally brought a flamethrower into the county courthouse" --- PLEASE EXPLAIN IM SO CONFUSED D:

So, when I was a kid, my parents worked full time, so during the summer, my sister and I were enrolled in day-camp so we’d be adequately tired when we got home, and my FAVORITE camp was Marine Science Camp, run by MSI on the banks of redwood creek, right off the San Francisco bay. It was AWESOME: we got to dissect squid, there was a literal shark tank, which we got to fish leopard sharks out of and Tag Them For Scientific Research, ad we’d go out on the boat once a week and do things like haul a net full of fish out, use a scoop to study benthic creatures and look at plankton under a microscope. I realize now we were essentially doing transects, dissections and other field/lab work for a bunch of grad students but it was FUN.

I totally wanted to be a marine biologist when I grew up and would tell anyone who asked me what I was into about nematocyts and oceanic acidification until The Adult realized their mistake and fled.

At the same time, I was pursing an aggressive interest in the visual arts, which my parents heavily encouraged, becuase they are excellent parents and because it;s was a QUIET hobby unlikely to result in bodily harm, unlike my sister, who got into karate and Theater, which is a surprising dangerous combination.

But then i got to college and realized an issue with this plan: I, hands down, SUCK at chemistry. I did okay in into becuase I’m great at taking standardized tests, and the teacher got suspended halfway through the semester for getting into a fistfight with another prof for poaching his grad student, but Organic Chemistry was a disaster. I’ve never been good at arithmetic, and balancing chemical equations is something i need the dang molecule models for. So marine bio was a No-Go.

So I switched my major over to Art, which turned out to be kind of a disaster (the school managed to lose an entire semester of my grades because the Art Department kept really sloppy records and i ended up dropping out and resuming college elsewhere) and AMAZING, becuase I took a human figure drawing course with professor [REDACTED] who announced on the third day of class: “SWEET THE FOOLS JUST GAVE ME TENURE. CAN’T FIRE ME NOW, SO LEMME SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE A FLAMETHROWER”

The thing she actually taught us was how to modify a culinary butane torch to empty the canister at a much higher rate than any manufacturer anywhere recommends, which gives you and AWESOME bigass jet of blue flame, but only lasts about 30 seconds per container. She also showed us how to make bandeliers so we could carry multiple containers, “just in case”.

In more practical lessons, we were in class when the first gov’t shutdown happened, so we didn’t have money for models, so she oped to bring in various animals for us to draw instead. there was the usual cats and dogs, but also chickens, horses, a farm hog, a 12-foot Burmese Python and a baby deer that had been abandoned on her porch. It was really fun, both becuase animals are amazing, and becuase they don’t hold still, so you learn to draw REAL FAST, which is a skill that’s served me well since.

A few years later, I was summoned for Jury Duty, and had to show up at the courthouse for selection. HOWEVER, I’d put my usual bag in the wash the previous night, so I grabbed my old school backpack to take with me because I knew I had a sketchbook in there to amuse myself with.

I forgot I also had my flamethrower in there.

I live in a pretty low-crime area, so the metal detectors are actually pretty far into the building- you don’t get scanned until you’re actually going into the courtroom. So for about three hours beforehand, I was sitting in the hallway having a Nice Chat with one of the state park rangers and the CEO of the local call center. We get called in, and as we walk through, my backpack sets off the alarm.

“Fuck.” I say abruptly remembering what would have set it off.

“Do you have anything metal in your backpack?” the security guy asks me. I think he was expecting me to say glasses.

“I forgot that I have my flamethrower in here. I’ll just leave this outside.” I explain, hoping I’m not about to be arrested.

“Please open your bag or leave it outs- your WHAT?” Dude stops halfway through his routine.

“Flamethrower. I made it in art class and will definitely be leaving it here.” I say, carefully putting my bag on the table, zipper open , and pointing at the small butane torch. The guard looks at it, looks at me (pls note, I am small, white, feminine and conventionally attractive so YOU BET privilege was happening here), before deciding that Art People Are Dumb and waving me in after wanding me to make sure I hadn’t accidentally brought anything else in my pockets.

I was not selected for jury duty.

In other news, I still have it, and it still works. I use it for mass-toasting creme brulee.

#Family Lore #i am a dumbass sometimes #restingbitchfaceisnotsadface

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purplesurveys · 6 years

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218

1. What previews did you see at the last movie you saw in theaters? It didn’t have any, since it was part of a film festival. 2. Have you ever washed your hair with mayonnaise? I put mayonnaise on my sandwich, not my hair. 3. How many things are you a fan of on Facebook? That’s not really a thing anymore, although I did claim to be a fan of so many things just to feel cool. I unliked them all this year since it got to be so embarrassing seeing my profile. 4. Do you have more friends on Myspace or Facebook? ... 5. What generation iPod do you have? Dunno, just the one from 2008. Don’t use it anymore.

6. What celebrities share your birthday? I share mine with the Queen and I think James McAvoy. 7. What's your first and last name spelled backwards? Egh. 8. What song is playing at the moment? None, but the song I’ve put on pause is Aquaman by Walk the Moon. 9. Do you clench your teeth when you're angry? Ugh no. I hate the feeling of that. 10. Have you ever been to a movie that sold out? Yeah. All the Twilight Saga movies when they came out. People were sitting on the stairs. The Killing of a Sacred Deer was also sold out, surprisingly. 11. Have you ever been to a midnight movie? ...All the Twilight Saga movies minus the first two. 12. It's 2010; are you gonna say oh-ten, twenty ten, or two thousand ten? I say twenty-ten. Two thousand ten is fine but can be a mouthful. 13. How many of your classes change next quarter? Next semester? All of them change? It’s a different set of classes per sem, I don’t know how it works anywhere else. 14. Do you believe in the paranormal? I keep an open mind about it. 15. How old are the shoes you're wearing? I’m barefoot. 16. What's your state's weather usually like this time of year? December is one of my favorite months of the year since it gets super chilly at night, so I’m content. It’s still pretty humid during the day though. 17. Do you get those leg cramps in the middle of the night? I haven’t gotten them in a while, but those always made me wake up crying. Always. 18. What movie last made you too scared to go to sleep? Horror movies don’t usually scare me to that extent. 19. Do you have a Twitter account? Yes. 20. Did Obama deserve the Nobel Peace Prize he was awarded? I don’t know the politics of it all, but I generally like him. I don’t throw a fit over that fact. 21. Is your cell phone a qwerty (full keyboard) or no? Yes. 22. What was the last website you logged onto (besides the one you're on)? Twitter. 23. What's your home page? Oh my, this sounds so ancient... 24. Put a line from the song you're listening to right now: It’s a One Direction song so it’s embarrassing enough as it is. 25. Music artists you listen to: Are they a little or a lot older than you? Just a little older. But then it’s always varied in general, I also listen to bands who came decades before me and such. 26. What always has to be in the refrigerator? Eggs. 27. What was your favorite movie of 2009? Adventureland. 28. What do you want for Christmas? Paramore tickets, but I got those already. I’m good this Christmas. 29. If you could go to three places in the world right now: Thailand, India, Jeju Island. 30. How many days until your birthday? Not sure about the days, but there’s a little over four months left. 31. Who are you crushing on right now? (Famous or not, it's your call.) My girlfriend. 32. Do you squish bugs or put them in a glass and let them outside? I swat them away or squish them. 33. Do you have split ends? When my hair gets too long, yes. 34. Isn't it ridiculous that movie theaters sell hot dogs and nachos? No I don’t? People need to have their food in the cinema? I mean Gabie and I watched Wonder Woman eating Cinnabon and a poké bowl lmao you do you. 35. What school subject do you absolutely fail at? Philosophy. 36. When you're on a laptop, do you hook up a mouse or use the touchpad? I have a trackpad. 37. When's the next day(s) off you'll get at school? Monday. 38. If you're learning a language, what year are you in? I’m not. 39. Do you think you're done growing or will you grow a couple more inches? LMAO I’ve been done for like six years. 40. What's your mom's mom's name? Agnes. 41. Do you replace "and" with an ampersand (&)? No, I find it too informal. But when I’m scribbling down notes and running after my prof’s lectures then yes, I’d doodle that because it saves time. 42. What do you usually get at school for lunch? I don’t buy from school, I just get whatever leftover’s in the house. 43. Have you ever encountered a creepy neighbor? No. The worst they’ve been is noisy, but I never knew any creepy ones. 44. How many texts can your phone's inbox hold before it's too full? I don’t know, I never reached its limit if it has one. 45. Do you like the foam soap or the liquidy soap? Err foam, I guess. 46. Do you like the automatic sinks or the ones with hot and cold handles? Hot and cold. More convenient. 47. What day did/does your birthday fall on this year? Friday. Also super convenient. 48. Do you tend to lean towards bright colors or more subtle colors? Subtle. 49. Do you use British spelling even though you're not British? No. 50. Name the farthest/weirdest/most unique place you've ever been: Farthest is Japan. Weirdest is...China.

#survey #surveys

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toldnews-blog · 5 years

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New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/world/can-you-murder-a-robot/

Can you murder a robot?

Image copyright Ryserson University

Image caption The road can be a lonely place when you are a little robot

Back in 2015, a hitchhiker was murdered on the streets of Philadelphia.

It was no ordinary crime. The hitchhiker in question was a little robot called Hitchbot. The “death” raised an interesting question about human-robot relationship – not so much whether we can trust robots but whether the robots can trust us.

The answer, it seems, was no.

Hitchbot has now been rebuilt, at Ryerson University, in Toronto, where it was conceived.

Its story is perhaps the ultimate tale of robot destruction, made all the more poignant by the fact that it was designed to be childlike and entirely non-threatening.

With pool noodles for arms and legs, a transparent cake container for a head, a white bucket as a body, and resting on a child’s car seat to allow anyone picking it up to be able to transport it safely, it was cartoon-like. If a child designed a robot, it would probably look like Hitchbot.

The team deliberately made it on the cheap – describing its look as “yard-sale chic”. They were aware that it may come to harm.

In order to qualify as a robot, it had to have some basic electronics – including a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to track its journey, movements in its arms, and software to allow it to communicate when asked questions. It could also smile and wink.

And, of course, it could move its thumb into a hitch position.

“It was extremely important that people would trust it and want to help it out which is why we made it the size of a child,” said Dr Frauke Zeller, who led the team with her husband, Prof David Smith.

The adventure started well, with Hitchbot being picked up by an elderly couple and taken on a camping trip in Halifax, Nova Scotia, followed by a sightseeing tour with a group of young men. Next, it was a guest of honour at a First Nation powwow, where it was given a name that translates to “Iron Woman”, assigning it a gender.

The robot picked up thousands of fans along the way, many travelling miles to be the next person to give it a lift.

Sometimes, the robot’s GPS location had to be disabled so that those who took it home wouldn’t be mobbed outside their houses.

Image copyright Hitchbot

Image caption Hitchbot was given a First Nation name, which translates to Iron Woman, assigning it a gender for the first time

The robot certainly appealed and the team behind it were swamped with international press enquiries from the outset.

Hitchbot was given its own social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and became an instant hit, gaining thousands of followers.

“People began to decorate Hitchbot with bracelets and other jewellery. This little robot with its simple design triggered so much creativity in people. And that was one of the biggest takeaways of the experiment, that we should stop telling people what to do with technology,” Dr Zeller said.

But Hitchbot’s adventure was about to come to an abrupt end.

“One day we received images of Hitchbot lying in the street with its arms and legs ripped off and its head missing,” Dr Zeller said.

“It effected thousands of people worldwide. Hitchbot had become an important symbol of trust. It was very sad and it hit us and the whole team more than I would have expected.”

Image caption The reborn Hitchbot shares a biscuit

Now, the team have rebuilt Hitchbot, even though its head was never found. They missed having it around and had been inundated with requests for Hitchbot 2.0, although they have no plans for another road trip.

BBC News joined Prof Smith and Dr Zeller to take Hitchbot 2.0 on one of its first outings, to the safety of a cafe next to the university. The robot was instantly recognised by passers-by, many of whom stopped to chat and take a Hitchbot selfie. All of them seemed overjoyed to see the robot back in one piece.

The Ryerson team is also working with Softbank’s Pepper, an archetypal big-eyed childlike robot, on another test of the trust relationship with humans. Pepper will be used to talk with patients about cancer care. The theory is that patients will communicate more openly with Pepper than they would to a human carer.

Beating up bots

Image copyright Innvo Labs

Image caption Could you harm a dinosaur robot?

Hitchbot is not the first robot to meet a violent end.

Prof Kate Darling, of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), encouraged people to hit dinosaur robots with a mallet, in an experiment designed to test just how nasty we could be to a machine.

Most people struggled to hurt the bots, found Prof Darling.

“There was a correlation between how empathetic people were and how long it took to persuade them to hit a robot,” she told BBC News, at her lab in Boston.

“What does it say about you as a person if you are willing to be cruel to a robot. Is it morally disturbing to beat up something that reacts in a very lifelike way?” she asked.

The reaction of most people was to protect and care for the robots.

“One woman was so distressed that she removed the robot’s batteries so that it couldn’t feel pain,” Prof Darling said.

Prof Rosalind Picaurd, who heads up the Affective Computing Lab, also based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, thinks it comes down to human nature.

Image copyright Ryerson University

Image caption Perhaps the most revealing image of Hitchbot’s travels was this one, where its temporary “owner” decided it would need dinner and assumed batteries would be a good robot treat. The dog is not so sure

“We are made for relationships, even us engineers, and that is such a powerful thing that we fit machines into that,” she said.

But while it is important that robots understand human emotions because it will be their job to serve us, it might not be a good idea to anthropomorphise the machines.

“We are at a pivotal point where we can choose as a society that we are not going to mislead people into thinking these machines are more human than they are,” Prof Picaurd told BBC News, at her lab.

“We know that these machines are nowhere near the capabilities of humans. They can fake it for the moment of an interview and they can look lifelike and say the right thing in particular situations.”

“A robot can be shown a picture of a face that is smiling but it doesn’t know what it feels like to be happy.

“It can be given examples of situations that make people smile but it doesn’t understand that it might be a smile of pain.”

Image copyright MIT

Image caption Prof Picaurd admits even engineers become attached to the machines they work with

But Prof Picaurd admitted it was hard not to develop feelings for the machines we surrounded ourselves with and confessed that even she had fallen into that trap, treating her first car “as if it had a personality”.

“I blinked back a tear when I sold it, which was ridiculous,” she said.

At her lab, engineers design robots that can help humans but do not necessarily look human.

One project is looking at robots that could work in hospitals as a companion to children when their parents or a nurse is not available. And they are working on a robot that will be able to teach children but also show them how to cope with not knowing things.

We may have to limit our emotional response to robots but it is important that the robots understand ours, according to Prof Picaurd.

“If the robot does something that annoys you, then the machine should see that you are irritated and – like your dog – do the equivalent of putting down its tail, put its ears back and look like it made a mistake,” she said.

Killer robots

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption War robots are unlikely to be actual robots and instead will look like conventional weapons but with autonomy

Roboticist Prof Noel Sharkey also thinks that we need to get over our obsession with treating machines as if they were human.

“People perceive robots as something between an animate and an inanimate object and it has to do with our in-built anthropomorphism,” he told BBC News.

“If objects move in a certain way, we think that they are thinking.

“What I try and do is stop people using these dumb analogies and human words for everything.

“It is about time we developed our own scientific language.”

To prove his point, at one conference he attended recently he picked up an extremely cute robotic seal, designed for elderly care, and started banging its head against a table.

“People were calling me a monster,” he said.

Actually, Prof Sharkey is much more of a pacifist – and leads the campaign to ban killer robots, something he thinks is a far more pressing ethical issue in modern-day robotics.

“These are not human-looking robots,” he said.

“I’m not talking about Terminators with a machine gun.

“These weapons look like conventional weapons but are designed so that the machine selects its own target, which to me is against human dignity.”

Prof Sharkey listed some of the current projects he thought were crossing the line into unethical territory:

Harpy – an Israeli weapons system designed to attack radar signals, with a high-explosive warhead. If the signal is not Israeli, then it dive-bombs

an autonomous super-tank, being developed by the Russian army

an autonomous gun designed by Kalashnikov

And he has been working at the UN for the past five years to get a new international treaty signed that either bans the use of them or states that they can never be used without “meaningful human control” – 26 nations are currently signed up, including China.

Listen to more on this story: Can you murder a robot? The Documentary, BBC World Service, airing 17 March

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euroman1945-blog · 6 years

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The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Thursday 3rd May 2018

"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. Well for me in Spain, the start to the May weather has been fantastic, as I have said before, it’s a little overcast in the very early morning and then the sun and the blue skies appear making everyone happy…Living in Spain as I have for the past 14 years, I must admit I have come to enjoy the Spring and Fall seasons, more than Summer and Winter, perhaps it’s the moderate temperatures that I find appealing…make you, when Summer is here, the beach is very appealing also…

'BEING BORN WITH RED HAIR MADE ME A WORLD CHAMPION'… It's no secret people with red hair get more than their fair share of ribbing. But when a Scottish dad took his daughter to a martial arts class, little did he know his flame-haired pride and joy would not only be equipped to fight off the bullies, but she would end up a world champion. Jordyn Smith has just won gold at the Junior World Taekwondo Championships in Tunisia. And now she has her sights set on the Olympics in Tokyo 2020. Darryn Smith took his shy daughter to a local taekwondo class when she was four years old. About to start school in Falkirk, he was concerned about Jordyn being teased at school. He thought the class would build her confidence. Jordyn, who is now 17, spoke to BBC Radio Scotland's Kaye Adams: "He took me along because he was worried I was going to get picked on in school because of my ginger hair. "At first I was quite scared of the high kicks and the loud shouts, and I'd always ran out and hide behind my dad because I was nervous and very shy. "One day before training my dad said: 'If you don't like it we won't come back - it's not for you'. "But there must have been something in me that day, because since then I've never looked back." Jordyn admits if she was born with any other hair colour, she might never have made it to the sport. But there is no stopping her now.

DG ONE REPORT TO EXAMINE CONSTRUCTION FAILURES…. The repairs bill at the DG One complex in Dumfries is set to run to more than the original building cost. It opened in 2008 but was forced to shut permanently six years later for major remedial works. Prof John Cole will deliver his findings to Dumfries and Galloway Council looking at the leadership and management of the project. DG One suffered from a string of problems almost immediately after it opened to the public and eventually closed for major repairs in 2014. The findings of the report into the long-running DG One saga are unlikely to make pleasant reading for anyone involved. Questions have been asked about the original construction project, how it was overseen and the compensation deal agreed when major problems emerged. The council promised when the inquiry was commissioned it would be "independent, comprehensive and unfettered". It said it wanted to ensure that "all lessons are learned" from the troubled project. Only then, perhaps, will it be able to draw a line under the situation and look forward to the facility finally reopening next year. A compensation deal to cover those works - estimated at the time to cost £10m - was agreed with original contractors. However, the emergence of previously undiscovered problems has seen those costs rise to £19.3m. The investigation report is expected to contain recommendations which have implications for the council as well as the construction industry and other public bodies. The local authority is to set up a working group to consider the implications of the inquiry which cost just under £250,000.

SUSAN CALMAN AND ANDREW NEIL GET GLASGOW UNIVERSITY HONOUR…. Comedian Susan Calman and broadcaster Andrew Neil are among those to be honoured with doctorates by the University of Glasgow. The university is awarding 23 honorary degrees this summer to major figures in the arts, broadcasting, music, science, medicine and law. Ms Calman will be honoured for her work as a comedian and for highlighting mental health issues and LGBT rights. The awards will be presented on 13 June. Also among those being honoured is songwriter and composer Karine Polwart, and the Reverend Dr Angus Morrison, who is being recognised for his work in modernising the Church of Scotland. Other degrees are being awarded to Rape Crisis Scotland chief executive Sandy Brindley, Dr Lena Wilson CBE, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise, and Pat Cassidy of Govan Workspace for his "contribution to the social and economic regeneration of Glasgow". Theatre director Dave Anderson is honoured for his contribution to the arts in Scotland. Prof David Galloway, president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, is honoured for his contribution to training for medical students at the University of Glasgow, and Cancer Research UK chief executive Sir Harpal S Kumar, for his contribution to cancer research and cancer care. In other summer graduations at the university, the Scottish composer John Maxwell Geddes, who died in September, will be posthumously awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music for his contribution as a "composer, educator and ambassador for our cultural life". Physics professor Gabriela Gonzalez will be honoured for her contribution to research on gravitational waves. The Lord Advocate, James Wolfe, will receive his honorary degree in his home town of Dumfries for his contribution to the law and public service in Scotland and beyond. Also at the Crichton campus in Dumfries, Fiona Armstrong, the journalist, broadcaster and author, will receive an Honorary Doctor of the University.

MAN, 86, OFFERS HOUSEBREAKER A LIFT…. An 86-year-old man who offered a lift to a man who had broken into his Perth home said he "felt sorry" for the would-be thief. Harry Turner had returned to his house after forgetting to take a newspaper to a visit to his local pub. Mr Turner said he discovered the housebreaker in his bedroom with the top drawer of his bedroom cabinet open. The housebreaker fled after Mr Turner turned his back to lock his front door after offering the man a lift. Mr Turner told BBC Scotland's Stephen Jardine Programme that the experience had been "absurd". He said: "I felt remorse for this young man. "A fine young Scotsman in his mid 20s, to resort to this in his life. "What a shame, what a disaster. I just felt sorry for him." Mr Turner, who has lived in the house for 17 years, said he had not locked his door after leaving for the pub because "there's never anybody about here". When he returned he said he "knew something wrong" as the back door was wide open. Mr Turner said: "I looked up the corridor to the bedroom and there was a young man standing by my bed in the top drawer of the bedside cabinet with several of my Masonic cases open. "It happened so quickly I didn't know what I was doing really, I just asked him what he was doing here, what does he want?" Mr Turner said the man reassured him he had not stolen anything and "looked a bit bewildered himself." He said: "He showed me no aggression at all and he let me look into his little handbag and he'd got nothing in there." After walking the man out of the house Mr Turner asked if he could help and the man asked if he could have a lift. Mr Turner said: "I said where do you want to go and he said North Muirton. "So I went back to lock up and when I'd come back he'd gone."

AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SPECTRUM…. A woman has been injured by a thief who sneaked into her home in the early hours of the morning. Police Scotland said the 44-year-old was assaulted by the intruder at a property in Kirkcaldy, Fife, at about 02:40 on Saturday. The woman suffered minor injuries during the incident in Mitchell Street. The attacker was later seen walking off towards Alexandra Street in the town with a small quantity of money and alcohol. The suspect is described as white, mid-to-late 20s, between 5ft 6in and 5ft 8in tall, of slim build, unshaven and having a local accent. He was wearing a dark hooded top which was pulled up over his head, with white writing on one of the sleeves. He also wore stonewashed jeans and black boots. Det Ch Insp Scott Cunningham said: "The victim sustained minor injuries as a result but is very shaken by the incident. "We are appealing for any witnesses including taxi drivers who were in the area at that time after a night out who may have seen anyone matching this description to contact us. "We would also like to remind people to ensure their front doors are locked and secure at all times."

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is of The Covesea Lighthouse at Lossiemouth in front of a fading aurora display taken in the early hours of the morning by Alan Tough.

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Thursday 3rd May 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus #robertmcangus

#robertmcangus

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swipestream · 6 years

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New Release Roundup, 7 April 2018: Fantasy and Adventure

A strange typewriter ribbon speaks to an occult investigator, a Texan soldier must delay Santa Anna’s march to the Alamo, Imperial Rome discovers the New World, and more in this week’s roundup of the newest releases in fantasy and adventure.

Blessings and Trials – Thomas Davidsmeier

A Sojourner settlement is attacked by Exile fallen angels and their monstrous minions. Three young friends are separated from their families. Now the soldier’s son Litharus, loving and kind Ingrid,and precocious Gwendolyn must set out together to find their parents. Even though the whole world seems to be aligned against them, they have a secret advantage. Each of these young Sojourners has a special magical Blessing. Are these magical talents enough to escape the Exiles hunting them and help them finally find safety in their parents’ arms?

The intertwined tales in Blessings and Trials span generations and cross seas and continents. They are woven into a world full of dragons, demons, and angels that has been shaped by the currents of magical powers throughout its history. But like the works of JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis that inspired it, this novel is an authentic story of Faith, Hope, and Love battling the forces of Evil.

Chicago Typewriter – Brandon Fiadino

During a brutal territory dispute with the Chicago Outfit, Emilio Enzo and his associates discovered just how deeply involved the criminal underworld is in the occult and supernatural. Using hidden pathways to our world, forces of pure evil have worked in secret to maintain their dark stronghold on the city. Now those forces are back to take their revenge on the one man willing to challenge their reign by stealing the soul of his girlfriend Kat.

While visiting an old shop full of oddities, Emilio comes across an antique ribbon for a typewriter with an unusual history. And after bringing the strange red ribbon home and spooling it into his machine, he is startled when it begins to communicate with him at night….

The Horn’s Fate (Ten Tears Chronicles #4) – Alaric Longsword

Goddess Nött ended Shannon’s reign over the realm of Scardark, and thus, also thwarted the plans of the mad goddess of the dead, Hel. Nött, the wicked goddess of the night and a lover of desperate wagers, set Dana, the least likely of the Ten Tears to be trusted, on a hidden path for Midgard with the mighty Horn of Heimdall, Gjallarhorn, the key to the closed gates.

Dana, having previously failed to guard her sister, and having foully betrayed her companions, must now find a way to unite what remains of the Ten Tears. On this almost hopeless mission to Midgard, the land of the men, Dana leads a volatile dragon, bitter Anja, and a dubious assassin Gutty to find the whereabouts of a long-lost First-Born. Should she succeed, she must also convince such a being to agree to restore Odin to his worlds.

At least Hel, and Shannon seem defeated, and Euryale and Stheno are both dead, victims of Shannon’s ancient dagger Famine.

And yet, the Goddess Hel, despite her madness and greed for vengeance, is a meticulous, cruel planner who does not rely on one plan. Something odd is afoot in Midgard. Also, Dana’s hidden burden is finally revealed. She must fight to keep her sanity and focus, as a powerful being inside her head is slowly corrupting her, aiding her when it suits it, and perhaps, by giving Dana even more power and greater skills, finally guiding her for a new destiny.

Journey of Fate (The Godling Chronicles #7) – Brian D. Anderson

It has been 18 years since the fall of the Reborn King, and Jayden Stedding, son of Gewey, dreams of adventure. Life as a farmer in Sharpstone offers very little excitement. But like his father before him, fate will descend like a storm and soon he will learn that with adventure comes peril. And when you are the son of a god, that peril can shatter worlds.

Heaven is once again in turmoil and Gewey Stedding is missing. And it falls to Jayden to find him. But his journey will take him places even the gods fear to tread. Carried to the edge of madness, he must restore hope and prevent time itself from being upended

“A brilliant continuation to The Godling Chronicles. I can’t wait for the ultimate book. The sole thing I didn’t like was…I have to wait on the final book!”–Amazon Reader Review

The Last Judge (Cloak Games #10) – Jonathan Moeller

My master made a deal with the devil, but I’m the one who has to pay.

Two items I’ve stolen for the Rebels, and I only need to steal one more thing for them.

Trouble is, it’s in Last Judge Mountain, a secret military base left over from before the High Queen of the Elves conquered Earth.

There are things in Last Judge Mountain that should never again see the light of day.

And if I go into the mountain, I might never come out again…

The Last Full Measure – Jack Campbell

America, 1863: the dream of the Founding Fathers has become a nightmare. The ideals of freedom and individualism have fallen to tyranny, corruption and greed. Wealthy industrialists of the North and slave-holding plantation owners of the South now hold power through the might of the military and puppet politicians—and all who defy them are declared traitors to the United States of America.

Condemned for daring to speak against the government, Prof. Joshua Chamberlain is on his way to a penal plantation when his prison train is captured by the Army of the New Republic—a growing force of courageous soldiers who wish to restore the United States to its original righteous path. Joining a company of heroes with names such as Hancock, Longstreet and Armistead, Chamberlain finds himself joining the fight for freedom. But to win that freedom—and keep it—the rebellion needs a leader who is not a soldier, but a living symbol of the cause with the wisdom and fortitude to lead America back into the light.

Chamberlain knows exactly where to find such a leader. A man who is currently being held in the most secure and dangerous prison in the country, where his treasonous ideals cannot be heard. A man whose refusal to bow to those who proudly claim slavery as a way of life has already made him a legend. A man they must rescue at all costs…

A man called Lincoln.

The Lightning Fall (Relic Cycle #2) – Steve Rzasa

An ancient darkness reawakens. An empire casts its shadow over the East.

And together they seek: the Lightningfall.

Bowen Cord has embraced his gift. He uses his ice-summoning in service of others, while relishing the quiet comfort of raising his family. There is no denying the call to a quest, however, when a mysterious woman arrives at the Aevorn village bearing a stone with the rumored ability to reach the dead.

Bowen will have to assemble a disparate crew aboard his new cloudship, traverse the isle-filled skies for hostile lands, and determine who this woman really is—and what she wants.

If not, he’ll be unable to stop an empire from burying the world under a reign of ice.

A March of Woe (Overthrown #3) – Aaron Bunce

Ban Turin, the heavily fortified and cosmopolitan capital of Denoril, has gone dark, its massive gates closed for the first time in an age. Only two people know why: a denil monk and his unlikely savior, a freed prostitute named Aida. They make a desperate March south, fighting the harsh winter to deliver a message of Woe – a message that lord Thatcher, the Earl of the lakes, will likely struggle to believe. The Nymradic, an ancient and powerful race, has returned, aided by none other than Djaron Algast, Denoril’s overthrown king.

Roman and Dennah flee north in search of sanctuary, but to where? The lord Constable poisoned Roman and tried to silence Dennah to bury the secret of his lineage. Meanwhile, an unknown menace prowls Bardstown. Roman must embrace his true potential, or he and Dennah will freeze to death in the wild.

Julian has finally broken free and runs towards Craymore, desperate to save Tanea. And yet, the truth of their divine connection exposes a deeper, far more complicated conflict then ever believed possible. Safe havens are disappearing, contracting, and driving our heroes towards the heartland and the lakes of Karnell, where they may find more than just sanctuary.

The Pandora Codex (Oliver Webber #1) – Hank Garner

A closely guarded secret, a stolen artifact, and a madman trying to open a portal to Hell. Can Oliver Webber become the hero he’s meant to be?

Oliver Webber has a secret. In fact, his family have guarded this secret for generations. What he doesn’t know is that the ancient evil that his family has guarded against is on the verge of being unleashed, and Oliver is the only person on Earth that can stop it. People everywhere are disappearing, an evil madman is dead-set on ripping apart the very fabric of our existence, and a demon possessed Civil War general seeking revenge set the Mississippi Delta on the edge of annihilation. Oliver, along with his girlfriend, his dog, and a crazy conspiracy nut, fight against time and a secret death cult to locate a stolen artifact that could unleash the power of Hell itself.

The Pandora Codex mixes elements of supernatural thriller, magical realism, time travel, alternate history, and urban fantasy with a coming of age tale everyone can connect with.

Righteous Strike (Black Ops: Heroes of Afghanistan #9) – Eric Meyer

A new insurgency is brewing on the Afghan-Pakistan border. General Ishaq Khan, known as the ‘Hammer of God,’ is the architect of this new terror. During a bloody battle, Khan kidnaps a group of journalists following Congresswoman Barbara Adams. Her work was to highlight injustices against women, yet now Adams and her party have become the victims.

The Bin Laden raid on Abbottabad has left diplomatic ties shattered, making an official rescue mission impossible. The Congresswoman’s husband turns to former Navy SEAL for help. Rafe Stoner is a drunk loner with little to live for. His refusal is brief and to the point. Until he discovers General Ishaq Khan, beloved leader of the Haqqani insurgency, has made the biggest mistake of his life. He has given Stoner a reason to live. A reason to fight.

He agrees to take on the mission with his best friend Grigory Blum. They are about to enter the gates of hell as they pit their skills and weapons against the might of the Haqqani. What began as a rescue becomes a desperate fight for survival. At the end, one question remains. Who will live, and who will die?

Roman America – Anthony Johnson

What if Ancient Rome had discovered the New World? How would a historian have praised their glory? It’s 39 AD during the reign of Emperor Caligula, and there’s no limit to this political propaganda!

“I, Pompillus Maximus, write this triumphant story.” Narrated by an ‘ancient historian,’ Roman America is a satirical, historical fiction novel chronicling the legacy of Commander Ocius Ditarian, Discoverer of the New World. Ditarian would bring Roman power and influence to America’s shores, and with this encounter, expanded hopes and dreams for the Empire. It is his desire to unite all people under the Roman Essence. But not everyone wants to create a perfect Roman world. Travian, the Christian slave, has a different vision for mankind, as do the Atlantians (those that fled from Atlantis to America), who would like nothing more to have their own kingdom in peace and quiet.

“Roman America” is political propaganda in all its glory! Humorous and thought-provoking from beginning to end, this ‘historical account’ answers every question. What does it mean to be truly Roman? Can Christians create a world without persecution? How does an empire expand without destroying itself and other cultures? Witness the perilous crossing of the Forbidden Sea. Behold Rome’s splendor in all its glory. Perceive the powerful effect of Roman Persuasion; for in this history we watch the world change and evolve as the Empire, under the influence of one man, strives to push the boundaries of greatness.

To the Victors the Remains (The Lone Star Reloaded #3) – Drew McGunn

Six years after being stranded in the past, Will has survived the Alamo, brokered peace with the Comanche, and found love. Now he faces his greatest challenge yet.

Determined to enforce a treaty’s boundary, the president orders Will and the army of the Republic of Texas to annex everything north of the Rio Grande, including Santa Fe. But the dictator, Santa Anna has returned to power in Mexico and he wants his country back – all of it.

Will faces an unwinnable situation; he is stranded hundreds of miles away from the Alamo when he uncovers plans for a Mexican Invasion. Santa Anna’s army is already on the march and only a few regulars, a handful of militia and Will’s family stand in his way. It will take a miracle to save his family and the Republic of Texas from Santa Anna’s revenge.

New Release Roundup, 7 April 2018: Fantasy and Adventure published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

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caredogstips · 7 years

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9 Occasions In Your Dormitory That Are Ruining Your Sleep

College dorm rooms bring on their own raise of sleep saboteurs — from the always-looming coursework to the impromptu Justin Bieber dance party happening down the hall.

But anyone who has attracted or struggled an all-nighter has appeared the dreary the consequences of getting too little sleep.

Sleep debt( i.e ., not getting enough of it) has short- and long-term upshots for your organization, your health and how you function, tells Jess Shatkin, prof of child and youngster psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine.

“Poor sleep alters everything from recall and neurological function to irritability, hollow and nervousnes, ” he tells The Huffington Post. Recent subjects have linked poor sleep to a wide range of health problems, from an inability to focus and pay attention to difficulty staying at a healthy weight. And even more experiment demonstrates how when you don’t get enough sleep, you’re more likely to get sick, get psychological, have an accident and even gaze less attractive.

To help yourself get seven to nine hours of sleep a nighttime( which is something that the National Sleep Foundation recommends for anyone age 18 to 25 ), Shatkin and other experts say to watch out for these sleep wreckers TAGEND

1 Your cell phone

shutterstock

Sleep experts everywhere denounce utilizing cell phones( or any screen for that are important) before sleeping because the light your machines project actually intervenes with your mas production processes the hormone melatonin, i.e ., the natural cue your person goes from darkness to go to sleep. But, Shatkin excuses anotherreason having your cell phone in your room might be disrupting your sleep.

Its completely normal for your figure to wake up every one and a half to two hours during sleep for got a couple of hours and then fall behind asleep, he reads. If were sleeping well, we likely dont remember these awakenings.

Typically you need to be awake about five or six times to be aware you are awake. But familiar stimuli( like your cell phone) can trigger youto start “ve been thinking about” happenings youassociate with those stimuli( undertaking, grades, experiments, deadlines !) and remain youawake. Get your phone out of the chamber you sleep in is best, but if youre living in cramped quarters( or a one-room dorm ), sleep with your telephone across the chamber and under a towel so you wont see it, Shatkin suggests. can prompt youto start thinking about concepts youassociate with those stimulus( undertaking, classes, research, deadlines !) and stop youawake. Getting your telephone out of the area you sleep in is best, but if youre living in cramped quarters( or a one-room dorm ), sleep with your telephone in the various regions of the chamber and under a towel so you wont see it, Shatkin advocates.

2 Your alarm clock

Image Source

If youre not applying your phone as alarm systems, good profession! But if youre expending alarm systems that has a digital look, you shouldbe sure the light is amber-colored , not blue — because blue ignited is the type that they are able interfere with your ability to fall asleep.

3 Your TV

Renold Zergat via Getty Images

Your TV is just one more screen putting out sleep-wrecking blue-blooded light — the No. 1 intellect you should leave it off before going to sleep and while youre sleeping.

But if you’re a person who had falls asleep with the television on “in the background, ” listen up. Unlike soothing white noise from sound machines( or even the chatter of an air conditioner) that can helpyou tune out other noises disconcerting you from sleep, the sounds coming from your TV startle around in style, pitch and magnitude and are also likely wake you up and interrupt sleep.

4 Your multipurpose bed

Monkey Business Images

Your berthed is not your front room — no matter how small-time your dormitory is. And if you want to sleep well in your bunk, save your bed for sleep( or fornication ), Shatkin replies. Study in the library or at your table and use common areas to hang out with your friends.

You want to affiliate the couch with sleep, Shatkin announces. Just like Pavlovs dogs started salivating when they discovered the buzzer, you require your president to salivate for sleep when you see your berthed.

5 Your university-issued mattress

David Chu/ Getty Images

Regardless of whether its too soft, extremely hard or simply too lumpy, your school-issued dorm mattress might literally be a ache in your neck.

A poor quality mattress or any mattress that obligates you feel unpleasant in bottom is also possible distracting and impede person from get good quality sleep, Shatkin announces. Try lending a mattress pad or pillow top to make itmore comfortable.

6 Your snooze button

Marcio Silva/ Getty Images

Experts concur having aregular bedtime and wake age constitutes for best available sleep, but evenif you end up joining your friends for that late nighttime survey seminar and end up making your membranes later than usual, get out of couch on schedule the next morning will actually help keep you on a better sleep schedule overall, Shatkin does. People acquire the mistake of staying in bed and whittling away their sleep hertz, he adds.

He proposes going up — and even if you do build up some sleep indebtednes, youll sleep better the next darknes. And if you feel you cant make it through the working day, try a 20 – to 30 -minute nap before 4 p. m. to help yourself seem refreshed but not interferewith nighttime sleep. hearing and end up smacking your membranes later than customary, getting out of couch on schedule the next morning will actually help keep you on a better sleep planned overall, Shatkin remarks. People see the error of remain in bunk and whittling away their sleep cycle, he adds.

He hints going up — and even if you do build up some sleep indebtednes, youll sleep better the next nighttime. And if you feel you cant make it through the working day, try a 20 – to 30 -minute nap before 4 p. m. to help yourself seem freshened but not interferewith nighttime sleep.

7 Your roommates computer screen

Anders Andersson via Getty Images

You know computer, TV and cell phone screens are a no-no for good sleep, but that doesnt mean your roommate “re on your” planned. If a blue glow from your roommates laptop or TV( or ambient light-colored to areas outside) is attacking your sleep room, try sleeping with eyeshades.

And not the free ones you get on long flights, who are capable of lean on your eyes and might keep you awake, Shatkin does. Ogle for the convex ones that enable you to blink underneath them.

8 Noise!

Eyecandy Images via Getty Images

Whether its your roommate clicking away on alaptop or the muted chatter session out in the hallway, there’s no got to let othersinterfere with your sleep. Get a duet of earplugs or try using noise levels machine to drown them out.

And if the problem is your roommate, “they dont have” substitutefor good communication. Try having a gossip about regular twilight or sleepy hours for your area, Shatkin replies.

9 Dust

Getty Images/ iStockphoto

And before you tackle anything else, clean! But if allergies, asthma and/ or nasal congestion are still preventing you awake after running the vacuum-clean and erasing down surfaces, invest in an breeze purifier. These devices contain filters that help reduce the pollutants, pollen and other airborne allergens that you end up breathing in( and might be interrupting your sleep ).

Sarah DiGiulio is The Huffington Post’s sleep reporter. You can contact her at sarah.digiulio @huffingtonpost.com.

The post 9 Occasions In Your Dormitory That Are Ruining Your Sleep appeared first on caredogstips.com.

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Native Americans ran the continent as they saw fit. Modern nations must do the same. if they want to return as much of the landscape as possible to its state in 1491, they will have to create the world’s largest gardens.

Gardens are fashioned for many purposes with many different tools, but are collaborations with natural forces. Rarely do their makers claim to be restoring or rebuilding anything from the past; and they are never in full control of the results. Instead, using the best tools they have and all the knowledge that they can gather, they work to create future environments.

[1401]

===

The Birth of a Nation... ran... a full two hours and forty-five minutes. The film featured unprecedented action, huge battle scenes, and blood-stirring Klan charges. It also possessed pathos, warmth, human interest – and a powerful dose of Southern racism. Promptly denounced as a slur on blacks, it nonetheless ran seven months at Los Angeles’s 2,500-seat Clune’s Auditorium.

Anticipating hostility (and outright censorship) in more liberal New York, Dixon approached an old friend from his days at Johns Hopkins University, asking President Woodrow Wilson if he cared for a private White House screening. Wilson saw it, loved it, and commented: ‘It is like writing history with lightning. And my only regret is that it is terribly true’.

[1920]

===

The earth now created, we find a very different Noah. No longer is he the saint who ‘walked with God’, but an old reprobate who got drunk, exposed his nakedness and cursed his son for seeing it – ‘Demon est Deus inversus’

And Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent (Chap. 9).

That is, he was, like Adam, naked. This is the naked earth – Gymnoge. He was also, like Adam, a tiller of the ground; in other words, he was Adam. The vineyard he planted was the Garden of Eden; the grapes he grew were the forbidden fruit of ‘the tree of good and evil’; the wine he drank was of this tree, and as with Adam, it was too much for him, therefore he also slept. Don’t blame him, however, for even God had to rest.

[Deceptions and Myths of the Bible]

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goldenseal | Hydrastis canadensis To propagate, collect fresh fruits just as they turn red; sow the cleaned black seeds in the flat and keep in the cold frame till spring... transplant the spring after that...

waterleaf | Hydrophyllum ‘I have tried waterleaf in my garden. It is quite lovely one year, then disappears the next. I read that it is easy to grow, but like all wildflowers, it is easy to grow only if the garden environment is close to that of its origins. I am missing something’... to propagate, gather seeds when the plant starts to go downhill, and sow immediately... it should be expected that germination will be erratic... transplant random seedlings here and there...

[Armitage’s Native Plants]

===

gopher purge | Euphorbia lathyris Reaches 3 ft. in height; ‘Upright, stiff plant that resembles green antennas!’... succulent foliage; green-yellow flowers... biennial, sometimes annual... grows easily from seed; self-seeds abundantly... they tend to pop up randomly in the garden, ‘much like the animals for which they are named’... the French use (used) it to induce vomiting; was used to remove ‘skin cancers and warts’... the seeds are poisonous, but nevertheless were used as yet another ‘coffee substitute’... aka Caper spurge, mole plant, sassy jack...

===

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Billy Bragg‏ Black man with guitar tells white America that black music will dominate youth culture in coming decades. RIP Chuck

Jimmy Breslin, Legendary New York City Newspaper Columnist, Dies at 88 With prose that was savagely funny, deceptively simple and poorly imitated, Mr. Breslin created his own distinct rhythm in the hurly-burly music of newspapers.

Renowned World War II singer Vera Lynn is celebrating turning 100 on Monday with a special tribute: her portrait is being projected onto the iconic White Cliffs of Dover.

The Future Called: We’re Disgusting And Barbaric Pregnancy, meat eating, and fossil fuels will all one day be unthinkable.

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Stephen Hawking, the leading British physicist and cosmologist, has said he no longer feels welcome in the US under Donald Trump. Prof Hawking is a recipient of the prestigious US Franklin medal for science and received the presidential medal of freedom from Barack Obama in 2009. Now he has spoken out about his fears for the country’s “definite swing to a rightwing, more authoritarian approach”. “I would like to visit again and to talk to other scientists, but I fear that I may not be welcome,” he said in an interview with Good Morning Britain on Monday. The 75-year-old Cambridge scientist said he was particularly concerned about Trump’s environment policy.

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