#Mass Spec Lab Design

[novamariestark]

Deathbed Confession

Summary: Your imminent death leads you to tell Parker how you feel about him

Main Character(s): Alden Parker, Timothy McGee, Jessica Knight, Jimmy Palmer, Kasie Hines

Words: 1630 (approx)

Notes: This is my first time writing for Parker, well it's been a while since I've written anything so I'm a little rusty. Hope you like it.

The only reason you were in here was to avoid him. Him who replaced your father, Gibbs, a few months ago. And despite your objections and obvious distaste for his presence at the beginning, somehow you managed to fall for him. Him being Special Agent Alden Parker. Your boss.

Falling for your boss is never a good idea. Obviously. But it was just something that happened, and it completely took you by surprise. One late night case and being stuck in a car with him, in close quarters. He sat there, talking, trying to get to know you, probably to get you to accept him. Everyone else on the team had pretty much accepted him now but you, you were still acting like you hated him being there. At least that’s what he thought. But because you were never close to him in the first place, no one noticed the slight change of you trying to avoid him every chance you got. Except for Jimmy, he noticed when you spent more time down in autopsy. Eventually you got tired of his questions, and you told him about your “crush”.

You thought about telling him your feelings but come on, look at him. He was perfect in your eyes, and you weren’t good enough for him. That’s what you told yourself.

Don’t tell him. You’ll only get rejected. Then it will be so awkward, you’ll have to leave.

Well, that train of thought led to you being here. Sitting on the floor of Kasie’s lab, dying.

You, Jimmy and Kasie all inhaled a biotoxin and a lethal one at that. So stupid.

Kasie hummed as she took a whiff of the flask, “Skotch? Bourbon?”

Jimmy leaned in and sniffed the open container, “Vodka” he shrugged, “I don’t know,”

You laughed and shook your head, “I do, I know my vodka,” You leaned in to take a sniff and then leaned away after you did, “Definitely not vodka. Not bourbon either,”

Jimmy suggested giving a shot to Mass Spec, Kasie nodded and did exactly that. It wasn’t long after that, that you got a call from Parker.

“Don’t open the flask,” he said through the phone, his voice full of urgency.

Before you could ask why, the alarm for the lab started going off, causing the lab to shut down, “Too late,” you replied to him.

You weren’t one to panic. Usually. But being trapped in a death box was starting to get to you.

“(Y/N)? You, okay?” Jimmy asked, to which you shook your head.

“I can’t be trapped,”

Jimmy scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, “You’re claustrophobic? Since when?”

“Pretty much always,” you laughed, pacing around the lab, “Only difference, I had dad or Ducky to help me with it. And they aren’t here,”

It wasn’t long after that, that Kasie and Jimmy were butting heads. You had tried to stop them but neither of them would listen. Then Carol told them to knock it off.

“I want you to stop anything and everything that's gonna elevate your blood pressures, especially arguing.”

“We weren’t arguing,” Jimmy spoke up almost in a childish manner.

“We were,”

You were getting tired of their bickering, and that’s when you snapped. You threw your hands up in the air and said, “Oh MY GOD, I’m gonna kill you before the toxin does,” If you had you’re gun on you, you were sure you would’ve just used it there and then.

 Carol then told you some good news, “Atropine will have no effect.”

“So why? What? You're-you're telling us that we're supposed to just, like, sit in this box and wait to die in a couple of hours?” Jimmy asked, getting agitated. He tried to exit the lab, to spend the last hours of his life with his daughter, but Carol told him that he’d only be killing her and that the toxin they had inhaled was designed to have no visible effects, so that the victim exposed wouldn’t know they were infecting everyone around them. More good news.

All you could do is wait. Wait to die.

At some point, the team came down to talk to you guys, see how you were doing. Parker told you to hold on and that they would get you the antidote.

You chuckled, "You don't need to give us hope, boss," you uttered. Then you looked up at Parker and queried, "Seeing as how I'm on my way out, can I tell you something?"

“You can tell me anything,” he replied, kneeling beside the glass. He definitely was not expecting you to say what you did. No one did.

“I love you,”

Parker hesitated for a moment. His mouth opened but he didn’t reply. You guessed he didn’t want to break the heart of a dying woman. There was an awkward silence before you spoke again. “It’s alright. You don’t have to say anything.” you told him, you looked away from him to the two others in the room, “Promise me something?”

“Yeah?”

“If you do get it. If there isn’t time?” you started, he nodded for you to continue, “You save them.” sniffing you added, “Not me.”

You closed your eyes and McGee, who has been a big brother to you for most of your life, began banging on the door, worry covering his features, “No, (Y/N) you stay awake,”

“It’s okay, Timmy. I’m okay with it,” you spoke through coughs, “I wanna see my mom again,” You nodded, contented, before closing your eyes to drift off into a peaceful sleep. You weren't scared anymore. You knew that you were going to be reunited with your mom soon. You had seen her before when you passed out in the lab. It felt incredibly real, as if she was truly by your side, and you wanted to experience it again.

As you gradually regained consciousness, a series of beeps pierced through the hazy fog of your mind. Blinking a few times, you cautiously opened your eyes, allowing them to adjust to the sudden brightness that flooded the room. You scanned your surroundings, only to discover that you were lying in a hospital room. However, what truly struck you was the sight of Parker, peacefully sleeping in the chair right by your side, a sight that was completely unexpected.

"Hey, you're awake," you hear, looking up to see your friend Jess hugging a giant stuffed bear.

You laughed as she and the bear squeezed through the door, “Oh my God. Is that for me?"

“Nope, for Jimmy,”

“Oh, of course,”

“I bought you him,” she said, nodding to your sleeping boss.

You groan, “My god, now I have to transfer. I never would have admitted my feelings if I knew I was going to live,”

Jess tilted her head and looked at you, you asked her what was wrong, “You didn’t hear him did you?” Confused, you asked Jess what she meant. She just nodded to the sleeping boss and said, "He said it back."

You laughed and shook your head, “No he didn’t,”

“Yeah, he did,” you heard, but the voice was lower and definitely didn’t belong to Jess. You looked over to the man beside you who was now awake, “He did say it back,”

He was referring to himself in the 3rd person so you decided to use that to question it, stuttering slightly as nerves built up in your body, “A-And why did he s-say it back,”

The man calmly replied, “He probably shouldn’t have, he’s way older and has no business with such a beautiful, smart woman who is 30 years younger than him,”

“I’m just gonna,” Jess spoke up, excusing herself from the room.

“And why does he think that?” you questioned.

“Come on, (Y/N) look at me,” Parker said, leaning forward to grab your hand.

“I do,” you said, laughing a little nervously “Probably more than I should,” you added, feeling somewhat embarrassed at your own boldness.

“All this time, I thought you hated me,” he said quietly, staring at their conjoined hands.

You sighed, “At first, I did. I mean, I did just leave my dad, the only family I had left and someone I didn’t know took his spot,” you explained.

“What changed?” he asked quietly.

You shrugged and said, “I don’t know how it happened, but one day I suddenly found you attractive,” feeling embarrassed, you turned your gaze away from him.

“Well that I believe,” he smirked.

“How did you get your head through the door?” He laughed, god you loved that laugh and you wanted to hear it for the rest of your life, “So, you were suddenly attracted to me? Whilst I was dying on the floor?”

“No, uhm long before that,” he replied shaking his head.

“What like a month? 2?”

“7” he replied. 7 months? That was before he joined NCIS, he was still FBI. As if he knew what you were thinking he replied, “Yeah, remember when you punched me in the face?”

“Yeah,” you nodded slowly unsure of what this had to do with anything.

“Then,”

Your eyes widened in surprise, followed by a burst of laughter as you tried to process his words. “You were attracted to me punching you in the face?” you asked in disbelief.

“It was a hell of a punch, and you looked great doing it,” he replied, you laughed, shaking your head at his compliment. He smiled and kissed the back of your hand.

Vance came in at some point, asking to speak to Parker, he let go of your hand and headed out the door, not before throwing you a wink that made your whole body tingle with excitement. Oh crap. you thought.

How the hell were you going to keep your hands off him at work?!

[radioactive-metal]

Events over the Years pt.2

Hope for the future: the construction of the Zero:

The Zero was a one off gunboat project produced by Aurora Labs circa 2372. Originally specced as a Longbow Replacement, cost overruns, availability issues, and incompatibility with older legion equipment caused plans for mass production to be scrapped. However, Legion high command saw use for an unknown, unmarked, and highly advanced vessel and ordered it to be retrofitted with the finest weapons, armor, and concealment the legion could spare. The other major modification was the encasing of the high tech and sleek armored hull in a shell designed to look like a rust bucket to visual, LADAR, Radar, IR, and sonic imaging systems. This offered unprecedented deep strike and covert operations potential. It is at this point, circa roughly 2377, that the Zero is loaded into a civilian hauler, and disappears. Where is went is unknown, but the next sighting comes in 2379, when it is moored at slot 9[a] on emerald city.

After being left with the Free syldrathi for a short while, she was returned to legion hands, and reissued to Squad 312 as their designated vessel. As the Squad was not on missions at this point, she was taken to site-00 and given the full Longbow MK.4 equipment package, including updated plasma drives, experimental pulse cannons, and nanotechnology based auto repair systems. She saw service again circa 2382, during the Unbroken war of succession, where a Templar, claiming to be an illegitimate son of the Star Slayer, rose up and rallied the more conservative aspects of the Unbroken against the Legion aligned forces under the command of Saedii Gilwreath. During this war, utilizing stealth and hit and run tactics, Squad 312 led special task force 021 on a guerrilla campaign through enemy territory, ending the war with the successful kidnapping of the illegitimate claimant to the throne.

As of 2387, all squad 312 members have been rotated from active duty and currently work in various roles across the legion. The Zero is currently under refit at site-00 for installation of a prototype wormhole drive, scheduled to be tested with crew by 2390.

[tdsfluids]

Beyond the Surface: The Real Impact of the Ceramic Coating Sleeve

There’s a quiet hero in many industrial settings that doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves. It doesn’t spin, it doesn’t flash, and it doesn’t make a sound. Yet, without it, millions of dollars in machinery would wear out faster, production would stall, and safety could be compromised.

That unassuming component? The Ceramic Coating Sleeve.

Often overlooked in broader conversations about maintenance or engineering upgrades, this humble sleeve plays a critical role in extending the lifespan of high-performance components across power plants, chemical refineries, and even aerospace systems. But what exactly makes it so vital?

This blog takes a different approach. Rather than rattling off specs, we’ll look deeper: how this component works, why it matters, and what it reveals about our evolving priorities in industrial reliability.

From Wear to Wow: The Birth of a Solution

In high-friction or high-corrosion environments, even the toughest metals can deteriorate rapidly. Engineers once tried battling this problem with thicker alloys or complex lubrication systems. But these methods came with trade-offs — weight, cost, and operational downtime.

Enter the Ceramic Coating Sleeve.

By applying a ceramic coating — often through plasma spraying, chemical vapor deposition, or sol-gel techniques — manufacturers found they could create a protective barrier that’s:

Incredibly hard (often exceeding 9 on the Mohs scale),

Resistant to heat (some withstand temps over 1000°C),

Chemically inert, meaning it doesn’t degrade in harsh acids or alkalis.

And here's the kicker — it does all of this without significantly adding to the component’s mass or altering its base structure.

The Human Side of Engineering: Why It Matters in the Field

Let’s step away from the lab for a moment. Picture a technician working on-site at a petrochemical plant in the sweltering summer heat. The production line is down — again — because a rotating shaft has worn out faster than expected. They’re under pressure. Every hour of downtime costs thousands.

They install a new Ceramic Coating Sleeve — one that’s been designed not just for the shaft, but also optimized for the specific wear profile of the machinery. This time, they’re not coming back in two months. They’re coming back in two years.

In moments like this, the sleeve isn’t just a product. It’s peace of mind. It’s fewer emergencies, less stress, and higher trust in the system.

That’s what engineering should always strive for: blending material science with meaningful human impact.

A Deep Dive into the Tech: How Does It Work?

Here’s the part that nerds (like us) love.

A Ceramic Coating Sleeve starts with a substrate — typically a metallic or alloy sleeve that fits over a shaft or within a bearing system. It is then coated with ceramics such as:

Aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) for general wear resistance,

Zirconia (ZrO₂) for thermal shock applications,

Silicon carbide (SiC) or titanium nitride (TiN) for extreme hardness and chemical stability.

These coatings are applied in layers microns thick, but don’t let their size fool you. Even thin coatings can dramatically shift a component’s behavior — reducing friction coefficients, increasing resistance to pitting, and slowing oxidation to a crawl.

Different from the Rest: Why Not Just Go Full Ceramic?

A common question arises: if ceramics are so great, why not make the entire sleeve out of ceramic?

It’s all about balance.

Full ceramic parts are brittle. They don’t like impact or vibration — two things that are unfortunately common in industrial settings. By combining the flexibility of metal with the resilience of ceramic on the surface, Ceramic Coating Sleeves offer the best of both worlds.

This hybrid approach mirrors what we often see in nature — bones that are hard on the outside but spongy inside, or tree trunks that are dense yet flexible. It’s a reminder that sometimes, compromise is the smartest form of innovation.

Applications Across Industries: Not Just for the Big Players

You might think these sleeves are reserved for billion-dollar facilities. But that’s changing fast.

Today, Ceramic Coating Sleeves are showing up in:

Pulp and paper plants, where they protect rollers from slurry and heat,

Automotive manufacturing, especially in EVs where wear resistance is critical,

Pharmaceutical production, where chemical exposure can quickly degrade stainless steel,

Even in food processing lines, where hygiene and abrasion resistance must coexist.

The beauty of this technology is that it scales. A small workshop with a single CNC lathe can benefit from the same principles as a nuclear plant turbine.

Challenges and Considerations: It's Not All Smooth

No solution is without its quirks.

Some challenges include:

Adhesion issues if the substrate isn't prepared correctly,

Cracking or delamination if thermal cycling isn’t considered in design,

Initial cost, which can be higher than untreated sleeves (though cheaper in the long run).

Also, quality control in coating thickness and uniformity is crucial. A poorly applied ceramic layer can do more harm than good. That’s why sourcing from experienced manufacturers and working closely with material scientists can’t be overstated.

Looking Ahead: Smart Coatings and Future Materials

The future of the Ceramic Coating Sleeve isn’t static. Researchers are developing:

Self-healing ceramic coatings that can repair micro-cracks over time,

Smart sleeves with embedded sensors that monitor wear and temperature in real-time,

Eco-friendly ceramic composites using less energy-intensive processing methods.

In other words, the sleeve you install today might soon become a data node in your plant’s predictive maintenance system. That’s an exciting leap from what was once a passive wear component.

Wrapping Up: The Invisible Asset with Massive Impact

In the world of engineering, the loudest innovations often steal the show — think AI, robotics, or giant offshore wind turbines. But there’s a quiet revolution happening beneath the surface, where humble components like the Ceramic Coating Sleeve are redefining what it means to be durable, efficient, and sustainable.

They don’t ask for attention. But they earn respect — quietly, steadily, and reliably.

And maybe that’s what real innovation looks like.

[buyweighingamachine]

How to Buy the Best Weighing Machine: A Complete Guide for Every Need

Introduction

Buying a weighing machine might seem simple, but choosing the right one can make all the difference—whether you’re weighing ingredients for a bakery, monitoring livestock on a farm, or conducting precision lab tests. With so many options available, how do you pick the best one? In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know to buy a weighing machine that matches your needs, budget, and industry standards.

Types of Weighing Machines: Which One Do You Need?

The first step to buying a weighing machine is understanding the different types and their uses:

A. Industrial Weighing Machines

Use Case: Factories, warehouses, logistics, agriculture.

High capacity (up to 10,000 kg).

Durable stainless steel or alloy construction.

Weatherproof (IP67 rating) for outdoor use.

B. Laboratory & Analytical Balances

Use Case: Pharmaceuticals, research labs, universities.

Ultra-precision (0.1 mg to 0.01 mg readability).

Anti-vibration technology and draft shields.

Compliance with GLP/GMP/ISO standards.

C. Retail & Commercial Scales

Use Case: Grocery stores, jewelry shops, kitchens.

Piece counting, tare function, and price computing.

Compact designs with LCD displays.

D. Healthcare & Personal Use Scales

Use Case: Hospitals, gyms, home use.

BMI calculation, body fat analysis.

Portable and user-friendly.

Key Factors to Consider Before You Buy

A. Accuracy & Precision

For labs or pharmacies, opt for analytical balances with 0.1 mg sensitivity.

Industrial users can prioritize ruggedness over ultra-fine accuracy.

B. Capacity & Readability

Industrial scales: Choose based on maximum weight (e.g., 500 kg for pallets).

Lab scales: Focus on readability (e.g., 0.01 mg for chemical formulations).

C. Durability & Protection

Look for IP67 waterproofing for outdoor or wet environments.

Stainless steel platforms resist corrosion in food processing or chemical industries.

D. Connectivity & Compliance

RS232, USB, or Bluetooth for data logging (critical for labs and factories).

Legal metrology approvals (e.g., BIS, NABL) for commercial trade.

Top 5 Weighing Machines to Buy in 2024

Here are our top recommendations available at upscales.buyweighingmachine.com:

Aczet CTG-K Industrial Platform Scale

Capacity: Up to 5,000 kg.

Features: Overload protection, large backlit display.

Best For: Warehouses and logistics.

Aczet CY-A Touch Screen Analytical Balance

Readability: 0.01 mg.

Features: GMP compliance, touchscreen interface.

Best For: Pharma labs and research.

Aczet CG-S Stainless Steel Table Top Scale

Capacity: 30 kg.

Features: IP54 dust/water resistance.

Best For: Food processing and retail.

Aczet UCM 2A Ultra Micro Balance

Readability: 0.1 µg.

Features: Anti-static coating, motorized calibration.

Best For: Nanotechnology and advanced research.

Aczet Body Composition Scale

Features: BMI, muscle mass, and hydration tracking.

Best For: Gyms and home use.

Why Buy from upscales.buyweighingmachine.com?

✅ Wide Range: From industrial heavy-duty scales to precision lab balances.

✅ Certified Quality: All products are BIS, ISO, and NABL certified.

✅ Expert Support: 24/7 technical assistance and installation guidance.

✅ Competitive Pricing: Bulk discounts for businesses.

✅ Warranty: Up to 5 years on industrial models.

How to Place Your Order

Visit upscales.buyweighingmachine.com.

Explore by category (industrial, lab, retail).

Compare specs and prices.

Contact our team for bulk orders or custom requirements.

[omnilabsolutions]

Buy Vacuum Pump Enclosure at OMNI Lab Solutions

Vacuum Pump Enclosure! OMNI has developed a number of design features that work together to create an integrated Pump Enclosure that provides a significant decrease in noise. Our enclosures are designed to accommodate pumps from Edwards, Varian Sogevac, and Pfeizzer Vacuum as well as others. Contact us today at +16195796664 or visit our website omnilabsolutions.com to learn more about it.

[autoacafiles]

As Cybertron went from strength to strength, stellar to interstellar, it soon became clear that the usual methods were not enough to make up the numbers. There had to be more workers available more readily to help build up newer colonies. This was when Arch Convoy, having newly inherited the Matrix, made a controversial decision. If the Allspark and its torches cannot produce enough sparks to expand to the stars... science would be needed to fill the gap.

Scientists began harvesting developing sparks from relatively isolated locations that would have likely sputtered out otherwise. They studied the spark's structure, analyzing their energy make up, the way their plasma-based designs ebbed and flowed. It was not the first attempt, for their predecessors had attempted similar experiments and ended up creating tiny stars they called Embers. But unlike their predecessors... they found the results they wanted.

Using a high-concentration energy accelerator, they found that at the right temperature, a cube of energon could be focused and refined into an artificial spark, nigh-identical to their naturally generated counterparts, except it was found that they actually lasted longer in an exposed environment and could be stored in photonic crystals. Further, they found that a basic body design with minimal cybermatter components would be forcefully reformatted into a true body for these artificial sparks upon installation, and that the Cybertronians that came from this creation could bypass previous stages of growth, instantaneously emerging with all the knowledge available to it and a ready willingness to venture forth and find out more.

Naturally, Cybertronians born of the Allspark were a bit skeptical of their artificially sparked counterparts, with the process earning the descriptive but distancing name of "cold construction" and those borne of it being considered children without childhoods. Many of the Cold Constructs were absentmindedly given jobs based on their body's basic design specs, including alt modes.

In another timeline, Cold Constructs would have likely chafed under the yoke of their Forged counterparts considering them barely above mindless drones, but things took a different track when Arch Convoy's ship, the Proudstar, was destroyed in its port, and the Age of Expansion violently gave way to its successor, the Age of Invasion. During that terrible event, many Cold Constructs ran in to help evacuate both their fellow workers and the Forged that were caught in the chaos. This was noted to be a major turning point in Cold Construct - Forged Relations, and as the war reached its conclusion, most people stopped caring about silly things like your spark forming from the planet or from a lab.

The Functionist Council were not most people. During the short time of Zeta Prime's reign, they snuck through several edicts that would affect newer generations of Cold Constructed bots, creating masses of miners under the control of the Resource Corporations that survived the Combatron War. And as they amassed power for themselves under Guard Convoy, they put the relationship between Cold Constructed and Forged mecha under some considerable strain.

And eventually... one bot on one side cracked under it.

And those that know the history of the Age of Heroes know the rest.

These days, the Forged and Constructed know better than to reveal their origins, for the beginning is irrelevant and the future is always approaching. There may come a time when such things can be talked about openly, but none know when for sure.

[recurring-polynya]

Your thoughts and headcannons on Nemuri Hachigou because I don't think she gets talked about enough, when in reality she's pretty interesting, she's essentially, a blank slate, Mayuri's second chance that I don't think he feels like he deserves. She's Nemu but she isn't and I think people(especially Mayuri) forget that a lot, that's a fascinating position to be in.

Puttin’ this under a cut because I’m gonna say some unkind things about Mayuri and I do not want to cause any distress to the many lovely people on this website who delight in his horrible antics.

This is not so much a headcanon so much as a thing I came up with for fanfiction purposes, but it’s all I got.

Right. So, like I said, I despise Mayuri. I just hate him. I understand that he appeals to some people, but I strongly dislike the dude and go to exorbitant lengths to avoid him ever appearing in my fanfic.

Additionally, I do not vibe with Nemu 7. She registers as not-a-person for me, she’s basically an extension of Mayuri himself. Don’t get me wrong, I find Mayuri’s treatment of her to be vile and I wish someone would take her away from him, but she comes off as very robotic to me. She is conscious, but she is not an independent being, if that makes sense. She is not a real girl. It’s funny that Mayuri keeps talking about how advanced she is, because clearly he means only her cognitive and fighting abilities. In terms of recreating a person, she’s incredibly primitive compared to the other mod souls we see. Take Kon, for example, who has a fairly limited powerset, but is never presented as less of a soul than any of the other characters. An even more interesting example is Ururu and Jinta. Ururu is described as being older than Jinta, and she is clearly “less human” than him-- she has less affect, she shifts into a distinct “attack” mode, etc, which implies that Jinta represents advances in mod soul technology. It’s notable that Urahara and Tessai and even Renji, in the canon scene where he protects the Shouten kids, never treats them as anything less than people. The contrast with the way Mayuri treats Nemu is stark. He likes that her feelings and personality are limited, he sees this as a feature.

I was completely unmoved by the entire chapter where Nemu died. Her sacrifice did not come across to me as anything indicating growth or humanity-- in every battle she's ever been in, she nearly dies because Kurotsuchi tells her to. She simply prioritizes Mayuri over herself. She always has. It’s simply the logical extension of her programming. A lot of people say they would have preferred Nemu to live and Mayuri to die and for sure I would have *preferred* that, but I have never seen Nemu as enough of a character to be worth rooting for. Like, at least Uryuu would have gotten some satisfaction form killing his clown ass, and that might have convinced me for at least half a second that he actually was on the side of the Quincy.

Caveat: if some talented fanficcer wants to write a short novel on Nemu discovering her humanity etc etc, I’m all for it, I’m just saying that canon hasn’t given us anything to suggest she would do more than just shut down without Mayuri to tell her what to do.

Onto Nemuri 8. I can’t believe they let Mayuri have another one. It makes my blood boil. The dude is an on-screen abuser and Kubo had the gall to try to make me feel sorry feel him (I did not) and then gave him another one.

So, I took her away from him.

I mentioned earlier that I go to great lengths to keep Mayuri the hell out of my fanfic, and usually the way I do that is to have my characters go through Akon whenever they have to deal with Squad 12. I think I started doing this because Akon is sort of weirdly familiar with Renji and Rukia in the TYBW, but I have projected all over him and he’s mine now. The way I assume Squad 12 functions, based on my career in scientific programming, is that Mayuri is like a primary investigator-- he's the Big Ideas guy and he spends a lot of time doing wholly self-directed research. He’s the face of Squad 12, so he has to go talk to the Captain-Commander and beg for money and defend blowing things up, but when it comes to science stuff, he does what he wants. Nemu is the lieutenant, and I think she handles most of the usual lieutenanting-- paperwork, meetings, etc., but I think Mayuri takes up a lot of her time by using her as a personal lab assistant on his wacky projects. There's nothing wrong with this, but I think in a lot of squads, the lieutenant is responsible for the day-to-day running of the squad and spends a lot of time dealing with their subordinates and other lieutenants. Nemu, instead, focuses on her captain. Now, the rest of the Gotei counts on Squad 12 for a lot actually-- gigai, Hollow tracking, Dangai monitoring, etc. etc. From the point of view of most science people, this stuff is mundane-- it’s all application, not development, and all the difficulty is in the twitchy little details. It’s frustrating and it’s unrewarding and you never get credit for it, and it is vitally important. There is a certain kind of science professional that makes a career out of this. They usually have master's degrees instead of PhDs, and they are usually tragically underpaid and underappreciated for what they do. In the real world, without these people, you wouldn’t have mass vaccination sites or weather data on your phone or cute li’l robots landing on other planets. In Bleach, these are the people keeping soul reapers alive in the field. And in my mind, this is Akon’s department.

So here’s the headcanon:

After Nemu’s death, Mayuri has so much sad clown pain about it that he wants another robot child poste-haste, but can’t bring himself to do the actual work, so he shoves it off onto Akon, with a list of the design specs he wants. The last one was pretty good, Akon can handle a few minor upgrades, it doesn’t need his personal hand in it. Thinking about going through all that work again just pisses him off, honestly. What a waste!

And Akon's like, yeah, cool, fine. It was heavily implied that he did a lot of the work on Nemu 7, it's just a matter of digging out his old notes and cleaning out some vats.

Except that, right around the same time, Rukia and Renji decide to have a baby.

Babies are super rare in the Gotei, and it’s not like those stuffy nobles are gonna let Akon look at their precious offspring. But Rukia is a rank weirdo, and Akon is their pal, so she’s always like “I hear they have these things in the Living World where you can pee on a stick and tell if you’re pregnant, can you make me one?” and Akon’s brain goes, “Wow, what even is the first detectable sign of a newly formed soul, this is very interesting.” So, at the same time he’s trying to grow a new and improved Nemu, he’s got access to the developing fetus of two captain-class shinigami. So when he has to pick between eight good candidate embryos to move to the next vat, he picks… not the one with the strongest reiatsu signature, like they did last time, but the one whose reiatsu looks the most like a real baby.

Akon reminds me of a lot of programmers I know, so I always sort of headcanon him as particularly interested in whatever passes for programming in Squad 12, and I think he takes special interest in revamping Nemu’s artificial intelligence system, which is primarily based on taking in information about the world and building up a realistic personality based on people she observes. In particular, it gives extra weight to “people who resemble her”. Nemu 7 was raised by Squad 12, so she came up very Squad 12, just like Mayuri wanted. Unfortunately, toddler Hachigou Nemuri’s algorithm unexpectedly decides that she has much more in common with toddler Abarai Ichika than any of the adult soul reapers around her.

Nemuri 8 is a very successful sample in terms of power and intelligence but she’s also very boisterous, and the rest of Squad 12 is like “Akon do something” so Akon takes drastic measures: he asks Renji for parenting advice. Distressingly, Renji is full of useful ideas like “tire her out” and “only fight the important battles” and “we’re signed up for baby yoga, you wanna start comin’ to baby yoga? Your back is gonna thank you.”

Akon didn't mean to let them hang out so much, but Ichika is a very useful data point and also if he takes Nemuri over to the Abarai house, the girls will entertain themselves (i.e. chew on each other) long enough for him to have a beer with Renji and Rukia and honestly my man really needs that beer.

I don’t think Akon thinks of himself as Nemu’s dad past the first time when she calls him ‘Daddy’ and he corrects her (she only did it because that’s what Ichika calls Renji, very predictable quirk of her programming). She’s just a work project. She’s not even his project, she’s Mayuri’s project, he’s just handling the little details. Fathering just happens to be an adjacent field of study that he’s found to contain a number of very useful best practices.

I would prefer not to get into the detail of the physical abuse that Mayuri uses against Nemu 7, but I would like to think that Akon finds ways to protect Nemuri 8 from the same, or barring that, maybe this is what finally drives Akon to murder Kurotsuchi and become Squad 12 captain himself.

Other Nemuri Headcanons:

Her favorite book is Rejection of the Twin Fishes!, Captain Ukitake’s posthumously published children’s book.

She prefers to be called “Nemuri” over “Nemu.”

Nemuri’s second favorite person in Squad 12 after Akon is Rin, because he always has candy. Rin actually likes having someone to share his hobby with and helps her make a World of the Living Snack Bucket List. When other shinigami come in for gigai, Nemuri constantly tries to con them into bringing something back for her.

Rukia teaches her to cuss, but tells her never to do it around Akon. Nemuri never actually cusses around anyone, but really enjoys having Forbidden Knowledge.

Speaking of Forbidden, she is mildly obsessed with Urahara, even though she’s never met him. She’s constantly on the lookout for thumbprints of his work in modern Squad 12 technology.

The one thing she does have in common with Mayuri is an absolutely batshit personal aesthetic. She starts painting her face as a tween and is somewhat inconveniently both into piercings and inflatable outfits.

The true proof that she has surpassed her predecessor, at least in terms of humanity, is that she is able to learn the name of her zanpakutou.

Oh, if you want to read any of my fanfics with Nemuri, here's one where she and Ichika play football and here's one where she tries to con Byakuya into buying her shaved ice. I really like writing Nemuri hanging out with Byakuya because I think an adult man who navigates social settings via rigid system of etiquette and class hierarchy and a small child with a pile of Markov chains for a brain would be natural friends.

[bhandarimarblekishangarh]

We assure you of excellence in quality

From the shimmering aura of the Taj Mahal to the humble floor of your home’s bathroom, marble is one of the world’s most revered and useful natural materials. Marble is Michelangelo’s David, the Washington Monument, and the Duomo of Florence. It is also the primary ingredient in Tums antacid.

Tune into any kitchen design message board and you’ll encounter a sharp divide over the utility of marble. Some people wouldn’t dream of designing a kitchen without marble. Others decry that choice, citing marble’s imperfections and fragility. Many are caught somewhere in the middle: in love with marble’s irresistible appeal, but uncertain if it’s the right choice for their circumstance. In an attempt to create the “perfect” material, legions of synthetic products claim to look “just like marble,” but marble enthusiasts aren’t swayed. Few stones can match the warm glow, the softly flowing colors, the timelessness, and the authenticity of marble. There’s good reason this stone has been used for over 5,000 years.

A seabed, transformed

Marble is a metamorphic rock; it once was a different kind of rock, and was then transformed by a change of circumstance. Before marble becomes marble, it is first limestone, which forms on the shores and floors of tropical seas. Limestone is an accumulation of shells, shelly fragments, microscopically tiny shells, and dissolved shells. Depending on the conditions at a particular beach or sea, limestone’s shelly sediment may be punctuated with occasional layers of clay or lenses of sand. But by and large, limestone is an assortment of shell-remnants, which are made of the mineral calcite.

The tropical shoals that give rise to limestone do not stay peaceful indefinitely. Oceans are basically geologic conveyor belts. The ocean floor slowly spreads apart from the centre and slips underneath continents at the edges, gradually rearranging the map of the world.

When a limestone seabed gets dragged down into the Earth’s crust, the additional heat transforms the calcite grains and fuses them together tightly. The dynamic action of rock layers as they become buried, twisted, and shoved around causes the original flat-lying layers to bend, buckle, and swirl together. A rock in this heated state doesn’t melt. It’s simply warm and flexible, much like a chocolate bar left in your pocket. This process of heating and warping is responsible for marble’s trademark aesthetic of gracefully flowing bands of color. The grey swirls in marble are simply clay layers that got folded, smeared, and re-folded into the marble like a ribbon of chocolate infused throughout fudge ripple ice cream.

Patterns and color-ways give marble versatility and character

Part of what makes natural stone so appealing is the huge range of colors and variations expressed in solid rock. On one hand, these patterns tug on our heartstrings and offer aesthetic possibilities. On the other hand, each of these variations has its root in some sort of geologic process.

Most marble is white. The classic, white marble is pure calcite, without intervening minerals to lend it color. Yule and Thassos marbles are well-known examples of pristine white marbles. Marble can take on a delightful range of hues and textures. Pink marble is tinted by iron oxide, as is golden marble. Green marble and deep red marble contain serpentine, rich in magnesium. Fossil-rich limestone becomes graphite-infused marble, as the carbon in fish, algae, or seaweed reverts back to the elemental carbon in graphite when the rock is heated. Graphite-rich marble is steely grey with a metallic glimmer.

A marble breccia is formed when the stone fractures underground, which can happen if a stone lives in a fault zone. Mineral-laden groundwater comes to the rescue, filling in the voids and patching the fragments back into a solid mass, while creating a spectacular pattern at the same time. Arabescato is a beautiful example of a marble breccia.

It’s important to understand the properties of marble

The mineral content of marble is the same as the limestone it came from, and both of these stones are made of calcite, AKA calcium carbonate, AKA CaCO3. Calcite is one of the more common minerals on Earth’s surface; in addition to limestone and marble, calcite is the primary ingredient in travertine and onyx.

Calcite has a few properties that you should know about before you fall head over heels in love with a stunning marble slab. Calcite is 3 on Mohs hardness scale, which means it will get scratched by knife blades, ceramics, and a cast iron skillet accidentally slid across the kitchen island.

Calcite is also chemically reactive with common acids, such as those found in lemonade, wine, and colas. When acidic liquids land on a marble slab, a tiny amount of the stone is dissolved, or “etched.” This doesn’t affect the integrity of the stone, but it does leave a slight change in the color and/or lustre of the stone. On a polished stone, an etch looks like an unpolished area.

Etches can be polished out, or they can be left alone and considered part of the natural patina that marble will acquire over time.

Marble is ground up into antacid tablets because calcite neutralizes acid, which makes your stomach feel better. That also explains why acid makes a mark on marble. The marble reacts with the acid, neutralizing the acid, but damaging your countertop in the meantime. Ironically, when your teenager dribbles pickle juice on a brand-new countertop, you may find yourself reaching for the antacid, triggering the same chemical reaction both on the countertop and in your digestive tract.

The last piece of potentially bad news is that marble can form “star cracks” or “stun marks” if a heavy, hard object falls on it. Star cracks look like small, light-colored areas where the impact occurred. This is usually an aesthetic issue, not a structural one, but if an impact occurs at the edge of the stone, it can chip or flake.

A common misconception is that marble stains easily. However, this is actually quite rare. The metamorphism that bakes the stone also knits the minerals together tightly. Porosity for marble is similar for that of granite. That said, the porosity of all stones varies, so check the stone specs and do your own tests with a sample of stone. Marbles are typically sealed to reduce the likelihood of staining. Alas, sealing does not make marble any less prone to etching, I’m sorry to say.

Now you can see why some people love marble while others think that marble-lovers are crazy. To some, the nicks and etches on a marble surface add character and mark the passage of time in a busy household. To others, each blemish resonates as a personal loss. Which way do you see it? This is an important question to consider before you head to the slab yard. [Check your stone personality to see what stone suits your temperament.]

Marble with magnesium = Dolomite

Dolomitic marble is a close relative of regular marble. Standard marble is made of calcite (CaCO3), and dolomitic marble has a little magnesium in the mix (CaMgCO3). There is not a huge difference between the two variations, except that dolomitic marble is a little bit slower to etch. You’ll have a moment to wipe up a spill before the chemical reaction takes place.

Marble with quartz = Confusing

While marble is primarily made of calcite, it’s possible for the original limestone to have occasional layers of sand or chert (chert is a marine rock made of pure silica). These interlopers turn into areas of quartz as marble undergoes metamorphism. The end result is a stone that is mostly calcite with some quartz. This combination of ingredients has kicked off industry-wide confusion, because calcite and quartz have distinctly different properties but they look alike.

Unfortunately, marble that contains minor amounts of quartz is sometimes labelled “soft quartzite,” which is both an oxymoron and a misnomer.  There is no such thing as soft quartzite, and that term should be avoided by dealers, designers, and customers alike. Marble that contains small areas of quartz is still marble and should just be called marble. Super White is one well-known example of a mislabelled stone. Super White is a dolomitic marble with occasional bits of quartz. Super White is neither quartzite nor “soft quartzite.” It’s marble, and a gorgeous one at that. [Learn more about the quartzite/marble labelling problem in The Definitive Guide to Quartzite,

Limestone is sometimes classified as marble

The term “marble” is often applied broadly rather than literally. Many stone restoration professionals categorize marbles, limestones, and travertines together as a family of stone because they require similar maintenance and refinishing techniques. Polished limestone is sometimes called marble. While there’s not a huge difference between the two, marble is much denser and therefore is resistant to staining. If a slab has fossils, shell fragments, or has open pockets within the stone, it is limestone.

Many stones classified as black marble are actually black limestones. This is particularly true for dark colored stones with stark white veins, like China Black, Dynasty Brown, or Nero Portoro. Because marble has origins as a fluid, heated rock, its stripes and veins are usually soft, flowing, and curved rather than angular.

Many ways to bring marble into our lives

Marble remains a popular choice for countertops, backsplashes, bathrooms, tabletops, flooring, and cladding. Marble’s versatility makes it at home in an ancient Greek sculpture, in a lavish hotel lobby, or on a hardworking kitchen island. Marble also finds its way into our lives as household objects like cheese boards, rolling pins, vases, and lamps.

Despite the emergence of marble lookalikes, there’s nothing quite like the real thing. Real marble has qualities that cannot be replicated in a lab. I recently visited the 9/11 Memorial, a sobering space of monument, museum, and reflection. Next to the footprint of the fallen towers, rises the one part of the site that inspires optimism. Called the Oculus, it is part transit center, part shopping mall, and its soaring white ribs beckon investigation.

Visitors who step inside are rewarded with a vast, cathedral-like space, covered in pure white marble. The combination of natural light, natural stone, and creative architecture transform the sombre mood into a hopeful one. Wandering around the expansive structure, I finally put my finger on my favourite quality of real marble. Light penetrates into the white stone, then radiates back out in heavenly luminosity, filling the room with a warm, soft glow. Leave it to a stone like marble to completely alter the mood of a building. Marble has been a metaphor for worship, reverence, and beauty for millennia. Its ability to do that is all the more appreciated

Add by expert and Export team of Bhandari Marble World, India, Rajasthan, Kishangarh -305801

[asidian]

Week 14: Crawl

February 28, 2038

The room is bathed in harsh white light from the caged bulbs that dangle overhead, and the thrum of machinery almost sounds like the beating of a heart. There’s a surveillance camera in the corner, but cutting the wire was their very first order of business, so it's not surveilling a whole lot of anything anymore.

They’re in the clear.

The floor's black tile, and there are no windows; the air holds an uncomfortable chill. There's only the one computer, projecting its hologram display into midair. Xia is bent over it, frowning at the readouts, but Jacob isn't paying them as much attention as they deserve.

He keeps glancing away, toward the open-topped glass case that's standing less than five feet behind them.

"Room settings," says Xia. "Temp controls, overhead lights."

"What," says Jacob, "they got alien mood lighting or something?" 

He doesn't take his eyes off the creature in the glass case. It looks like a formless blob, dormant and benign, all its countless eyes closed. It resembles nothing so much as a three-dimensional black oil slick that occasionally pulses or twitches.

"Check it out," says Xia, and the lights shift to deep, blood red, a sickly shade that spills over the whole room. 

"Great," says Jacob. "Cool. Feels like those things're fixing to break through the clouds any second now."

In the glass case, the creature shifts slightly. A limb peels free from its side and then rejoins the central mass. It does not move again.

"Jackpot," says Xia, suddenly — tone bright with victory — and Jacob turns to look.

There up on the screen is the 3D projection of a a grenade — model 6453ix, the kind in Nemesis' launchers — and a series of stats scrolling down the side. 

Damage effectiveness: average. Damage permanence: extremely reduced. Reaction: negative. Recollection: high.

Xia flips the page, and a force blast device shows up on the screen, the kind that Chroma's sniper used to have before her suit got trashed. Next up are Hurricane's blades, and Justice's sideguns, and on, and on.

"Guess we know why they kept the thing," says Jacob, voice low.

"Yeah," says Xia. "They musta been testing its regen the whole time."

The holo-projection keeps going, as Xia scrolls through: past an electro-shock device that's still in testing, and Sandstorm's laser axe, and Sentinel's stun bolts.

There's a soft squishing sound behind them, as the creature shifts again in its tank.

The next weapon on the screen is something that Jacob doesn't recognize.

Model 9873ig, it's labeled, and it looks like a small box with a circle imprinted on the front. The stats scroll down the side: highly effective, in every category.

"Yeah," says Jacob, "but what's it do?"

Xia keeps scrolling, down past the stats, to the chunk of text underneath. It's classified as a sonic weapon, designed to scramble the harbingers' mental patterns and incapacitate their ability to project disruptions. It sounds good. It sounds great, actually. Which is why he doesn't get it when they reach the bottom and find the flashing red text that reads PROJECT: DISCONTINUED.

"What gives?" says Jacob, frowning.

He's skimmed through most of it already, but he skips back up again and starts to read in earnest.

"Wasn't stable," says Xia. "That sucks."

"Jesus," says Jacob, still reading. "Three casualties?"

He shares a glance with Xia; her eyebrows are drawn down, mouth curved into a frown.

"How the hell didn't we hear about this?"

Jacob looks back up at the holo-display — keeps reading, eyes flying over the words. And suddenly, he knows.

"We did," he croaks. "Check out the date."

It's up there, right next to all the other specs: date of trial. January 15, 2038.

It's the day Chroma crashed and burned. Three suits, wrecked beyond repair. Three pilots killed, and the rest of the team in the hospital. It had been all over the news.

Every report had said that the harbingers' disruptions had just been too loud that day — those whispers in the back of their minds a little too much. The mental break was a tragedy, and the resulting deaths an even worse one.

But the test results are hovering up in the air, clear as day: model 9873ig, responsible for the same number of deaths, on the same date. Jacob keeps reading, and reading, and sure enough, there it is — the monetary value of the damages done, calling out Chroma's suits by name.

He kind of wants to puke. The red light's giving him a headache.

Behind him, there's a squish as the creature shifts again, but Jacob doesn't turn to look. He feels frozen in place, incapable of moving.

"This," says Jacob. "They."

"They covered it up," says Xia, voice tight.

Jacob opens his mouth to respond, not entirely sure what he means to say. He never finds out, because that's when he feels a touch, almost gentle, against his left leg. 

When he looks down, his brain won't quite process what it's seeing for a second. 

The creature has crawled out of its enclosure. Its eyes are open, dozens and dozens of them, liquid black. Its wings beat weakly at the air, gaunt and gangly things. A mouth opens along the side of it, and another along the back, revealing rows upon rows of gleaming white teeth, and where its tendril brushes, the fabric of Jacob's flight suit dissolves and begins to melt away like cotton candy in water.

He yelps and jerks backward — falls against Xia, who says, "What the hell?"

He can tell when she catches sight of it, by the sharp inhale that follows — by the way her hands catch at his shoulder, to haul him out of range.

"When did it get out?!" she says.

"I don't know," says Jacob. "I was looking at the readouts!"

The creature crawls forward across the floor. A limb extends from inside of it, and then another, long and spindly, black like fresh asphalt. Everywhere it touches, the title is eaten away, a bit at a time.

The backdrop behind the text on the holo-display flashes red. A woman’s voice, calm and pre-recorded, says, “Time limit exceeded. Return subject to enclosure or assure personnel security.”

The creature levers itself up — flaps harder, and lists into the air.

Jacob reaches to eject his blades from their wrist mounts, by instinct, but his suit’s half a building away, in the hangar, and the blades are with it.

“Go,” says Xia, and shoves him toward the vent they came through.

“Dude,” says Jacob, “The lights.”

“Go,” says Xia again, and hauls him away by the arm.

The woman’s voice speaks again, calm and flat. “Subject displays signs of agitation. Engage shields or begin sedation immediately.”

There’s no time to go. 

The creature makes an odd, prolonged hissing noise, like steam escaping; a thin black tendril slips from the glistening surface of its flesh and whips toward Jacob, wrapping around his ankle.

Pain shoots through him, sharp and bright and sudden; he yelps and goes down, smacking hard against the tile. In the back of his mind, those hushed whispers begin, the nightmare words that sound too much like what he tells himself late at night, lying in his bunk bed when sleep won’t come. 

He shoves them down and away, like he always does — just has time to think, frantically, that they should have come armed, borrowed something from R&D. They’re gonna die here, and that’s how they’ll go down in history, the only Tenno pilots to ever bite it in the biotech wing. 

Then Xia’s there, gloved hands curled around the metal pole that was holding a boatload of wires aloft for the banks of monitors along the wall, and she’s swinging it like a baseball bat, straight at the creature. The metal connects with the black flesh, and the creature screeches and ripples; its tendril withdraws from his ankle, and the voices withdraw from his mind.

Xia hits it again, and again; the impact against the floor sounds loud enough to break the universe.

There are voices outside in the corridor now, tense and alert, and Xia drops the metal pole to let it clatter on the floor.

She holds a hand out to Jacob, and he grabs hold and hauls himself to his feet.

This time, she doesn’t have to tell him to get moving. She dives for the vent, and he’s just a second behind, pulling it into place after him. He can hear the beeping of the door’s security panel as someone punches in the access code, then the whoosh of the door sliding open. Shouts of alarm follow immediately. "Security!" a man is saying. "I need security in here right now!"

It’s twenty seconds before the gunfire starts, a rapid staccato that sounds like a machine gun echoing out behind them.

Jacob ducks his head and keeps going, hardly daring to breathe. Ahead of him, Xia rounds a corner in the vents and he turns to follow. His ankle burns, sharp and throbbing; the metal under his palms seems to make far, far too much noise as they pass.

They crawl, and crawl, and crawl; they can’t hear anything behind them anymore, but they left the screen as they’d set it, light settings and temp settings and the damning evidence of what had happened to Chroma. They have maybe minutes before the commotion calms down enough for security to realize the only way in was the vents.

“Here,” says Jacob, as they pass another offshoot. “Here, turn.”

Xia does — takes a hard left away from biotech and into R&D. They know the way to Yoshioka’s lab like the back of their hands, and half a minute later, Xia hauls aside a ceiling panel and they drop down onto the metal table one at a time, then slide it back into place.

Jacob strains his ears for sounds of pursuit — catches nothing. Beside him, Xia’s eyes are wide and a little wild, glasses askew, a smudge of dust streaked along one cheek bone.

He catches her gaze for a minute and holds it — reads in her expression the not-quite panic that’s charging through his mind like the rogue robot in some sci-fi thriller.

Move, Jacob tells himself, and forces his feet to take one step, and then another. His ankle still burns, but it holds his weight, and that’s the important thing.

“Hey,” he manages, voice shaky and kind of strange. “Only in trouble if we get caught. Right?”

Xia opens her mouth, like she’s searching for the words. Then she nods, tight. 

“Yeah,” she says. “So come on already.” She hauls open the door into the hallway. “Let’s not get caught.”

[vampirefreakism]

The Scientist (Chapter 25)

Summary: In the events following Asgard’s destruction, Loki finds himself on Earth seeking refuge to await the inevitable. Much to his surprise, it comes from a source he would never have expected.

AO3 Link

The Soundtrack So Far

Warnings: a little arguing, not bad, all fun

Word count: 2.5k

A/N:  Next part already?? In less than three weeks?? Wow, who is this author with amazing time management? Lmao hey folks here ya go. This is a bit of a filler one. Short, sweet, a set up for future events. Hope y'all like it. I sure do. Also, isn't it nice I got some more songs in here? I miss that. More of that

Masterlist

Luna held the same position she had been in for the last hour: hunched over, glasses off, and staring through the eyepiece of her microscope. She looked away every now and then to take meticulous notes about her observations of Sammy, but she stayed put. An impasse had been met, and she wasn't one to quickly back down.

She leaned back and rubbed her eye with the back of her wrist.

“Why aren’t you dead already?” She moaned out. The life cycle of C. elegans lasted around four days, and it had been over two weeks since he hatched.

Sammy was on his third Petri dish of nutrient bacteria, and he kept making little trails of ice. So long as he had food, nothing could stop him. Luna was tempted to poke him and see how fast he healed, but he was much too small. She would need a larger specimen for such an experiment. An event for a future time.

With a final glare at the dish, Luna picked it up and took it into the fridge. Unlike the other worms she had grown, Sammy tolerated the cold. He shouldn’t have been able to live in conditions below 60°F, but he was able to do so and keep up all normal behavior.

Luna let Sammy sit for 30 minutes in the cold, contrasting the hour he had previously spent at room temperature. He adjusted well and quickly to each temperature change. For an extraordinary organism, he acted as per usual.

The little scientist rubbed the top of her head with her forearm. She was at a loss. Could her endeavors lead to a dead end? No, it was too early to assume. There was no end in sight, but she had endless possibilities. For the time being, however, a mental and physical break was called for.

Luna turned the microscope off and put Sammy’s dish in its designated place on the counter. Snapping the rubber gloves off, she tossed them in the trash bin and hung up her lab coat. Rubbing her hands and stretching her arms out, she made the long trek to the greenhouse.

The entire compound was a tad colder than usual, but the greenhouse was always warm. It was large, holding a wide variety of plants used for the kitchen and Tony’s personal garden. A view of the river and surrounding forest could be seen from any of its windows. If Luna weren't a biologist specialized in genetic science, she would have gone for a job here instead.

She spared a few passing ‘hello’s to the employees working there on her way to Tony’s private section. To avoid any outside tampering of her plant, he opened up a small space in his collection for her. She needed but one pot, a watering can, and the occasional spot of fertilizer. He had more than enough of everything to spare.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Luna crouched down and stared intently at the soil, still undisturbed by signs of life. She poured a bit of water and watched it seep into the warm dirt, hopefully giving life to the minuscule prize buried beneath. Again, it was too early to tell. Such things require time and patience of the caregiver. For the sake of the little seeds, she had both to give.

With a gentle finger, she stroked the rim of the pot. She hoped it would work and the flowers would bloom before Loki was forced to leave her. It was disheartening to dwell on. She would be happy to keep watch over the roses if he never got the opportunity to lay eyes on them, but the initial purpose for their existence would be taken away. They would serve henceforth as a grim reminder of the space she had made for him in her little corner of the universe.

The cold and the promise of snowfall soon further dampened her spirits. The plants should be fostering serenity and happiness in her heart, but a touch of sorrow took its place. Satisfied with the care of her roses, Luna moved about the room, touching the leaves of ferns and tomato plants and the petals of peonies and chrysanthemums. Tony had an entire row dedicated for Pepper to come and tend them at her leisure. Luna wondered if he grew them for their wedding, whenever and wherever it would happen. Tabloids tossed out hundreds of ‘confirmed’ theories, but no one had a clue.

A cool mist erupted from the irrigation system, covering the majority of the area with a layer of fresh water. Luna’s pullover did little to protect her from the slight chill racing beneath her skin. Shuddering, she wrapped her arms around her torso and moseyed back to her lab, stopping once to grab a free cup of iced tea.

Finishing her refreshment, Luna rounded the corner and spotted a figure peeking through the window of the door to the lab. As she neared, she recognized the short brunette hair and called out to them.

“Peter, hey. What’re you doing here?”

Peter whipped his head to look in her direction and smiled. “Hey, doc. I was just looking for you. Is this a bad time?”

“No, no, it’s as good a time as any. I just came back from taking a short break.” Luna tapped the door. “Did you need anything here?”

“No, I just stopped by to see you, actually.” He set his backpack down and opened it.

“Oh, ok. Did I forget something at your house?”

He shook his head. “Uh-uh. I just, uh, I wanted to give you this,” he held up a small gift bag, “you know, before I forgot and I wasn’t able to. It’s for, uh, it’s for Loki.”

Luna carefully took it from him and admired it, a bright smile making its way onto her face.

“Peter, that is so nice of you.”

He chuckled and bent his head. “I hope he likes it. Just something I made in art class. It’s kinda fragile so be careful.” He pointed loosely into the bag. “The shirt I wrapped it in is for him too. I got that from a thrift store.”

Luna glanced inside at the mass of fabric rolled around a small object, hiding it from her view. “Oh, I’m sure he’ll love it. He’s a gift type of guy.”

Peter paused, a bit taken aback, but he recovered before Luna could comment.

“That’s good,” he laughed nervously. “Oh, and uh, I got this for you.” He handed Luna a smaller wrapped package. “That is not fragile at all, so you don’t have to worry.”

Luna beamed and received it carefully. “Thank you, Peter.” She reached and pulled him into a brief one-armed hug.

Letting go of her, Peter stooped down and closed his bag.

“Well, uh, that was all I came to do.” He slung his backpack over his right shoulder. “I’ll just say hi and check in with Mr. Stark and be on my way.”

“Alright. I’ll see you, Pete.” Luna bid him farewell, waving him off as he walked to the main elevator.

Alone with the new parcels, she strode into the lab and placed them beside her personal effects. Safe and sound, for now. She wondered how long she could keep Loki’s gift hidden from him and out of his snooping habit. A ‘don’t open till Christmas’ tag might deter him, but she still had no tree for it to nestle under. She made a mental note to propose the idea of getting one once she got home. With the subject of presents still sitting fresh in her mind, Luna snapped her fingers, remembering a different mental note from earlier in the week.

“FRIDAY,” she called out, “is Tony still busy with Peter?”

“Yes, they are still conversing in his office.”

“Ok, thank you.”

Luna put her fists on her hips and huffed. She didn't feel like working, and she couldn't return to the greenhouse. There was no reason to. It was too cold to walk comfortably outside and admire the scenery, so she opted to wander inside next to the windows.

In the time to herself, she listened to her music in peace, earbuds in and the world out. Peter could have the longest heart-to-heart with Tony as he liked. Luna was in her own space, admiring the forest from the warmer indoors and indulging in Corey Hart’s freshman album.

Touching the chilled glass and tapping it along to beat, Luna swayed to ‘It Ain’t Enough’ with a faint grin on her face. A sentimental, slow groove song coupled with lyrics of unequal love and devotion. An enjoyably sad song, but how many of its kind existed? How many would come to be in the future, near and far?

“I know that I'll never be afraid to say that I'm here by your side and I'm gonna stay.”

What a nice thought.

‘Does She Love You’ was more upbeat and moved Luna to rhythmically tap her feet as she walked. She kept an eye out for on-lookers who weren’t supposed to be seeing her out and about during afternoon work hours. She wouldn’t get reprimanded, but it would be embarrassing.

Conveniently, in the middle of the album, FRIDAY interrupted.

“Ms. Fields, Mr. Stark is available to speak with you now if you like.”

Luna clapped her hands together. “Fantastic. Thank you, FRIDAY.”

Bounding up the stairs, she finished the song and part of the next one prior to reaching Tony’s office. Lifting her hand off of the bio-scanner once the door unlocked, she discovered Tony supervising a spec-run on a set of new web-shooters.

“Hey, boss!” Luna called to him. “Talk about anything fun with Peter?”

“Ah, so he saw you too? Yeah, he wanted to say hi before I left.”

“Good, good. And did you show him that?” She pointed to the screen, still running numbers and simulations.

“Heh, oh no. This is a surprise for a later date. Remember the Iron Spider suit I tried giving him?”

“It’s too cool to forget.”

Tony waved a hand at the screen. “Think of this as version 2.0.” He nudged Luna’s side. “And you can thank your not-so-little friend for all the help when you get home.”

She smirked and side-eyed him. “Oh, I will. I’ll tell him all about how you gushed and you ‘couldn’t’ve done it without him.’”

Tony chuckled. “Don’t play it up that much. I could have easily done it alone. It just would’ve taken a little longer.”

Luna nodded and hummed. “Mhm, gotcha.”

“Careful, it’s the holiday season. Try not to sound so sarcastic.” They shared a brief laugh. “Speaking of which, why don’t you come to the office Christmas party this year? You missed the last two.”

Smirk still on her face, Luna glanced Tony’s way. “Oh, you mean the party that you won’t be attending again because you’ll be vacationing with Pepper in…where is it this year?”

“Paris. For a month. But it’s the thought that counts, right?”

Luna shook her head. “Pretty sure that doesn’t apply to parties.”

Tony faced her, the numbers on the virtual screen wholly forgotten. “Why don’t you show up anyway? I’ll even let you bring Loki if you think he’ll miss you too much. Just dress him up in one of those surgical masks and say he’s recovering from TB. No one will know it’s him.”

“Thank you, Tony, but I’ll have to pass again.” Luna needed a nonnegotiable lie and fast. “My mom is coming.”

“Great. You can bring her too.”

Luna grimaced a bit. “She's not keen on big parties, and I don't want to just leave her. Besides, with Loki in my home, I’ll have enough of a party going on to think about another one.” She chuckled nervously.

Tony eyed her. “Ok, sourpuss, you don’t have to go, but you do have to make up for it with a nice present when I get back.”

“Already working on it, boss.” Tension left her body. He believed her, for now. “And speaking of presents, I would very much like you to help me out with one in particular, please.”

“Well, since you said it so nicely, I really have to do it now. What’s the thing?”

Luna crossed her arms. “Uh, it’s a phone…for Loki.” Tony’s face dropped.

“Are you being serious right now?! Do you have any clue what he could do with one of those things?!”

“Yeah, but I still think it’s a good idea!” Luna exclaimed. Tony dragged his hands over his face.

“How could this be a good idea?! You do remember who he is, right?”

“Of course!” Luna threw her hands up. “That’s part of the reason why I think it’s a good idea.”

“And what’s the other part?” He groaned. “Oh, please don’t tell me you went and made him your boyfriend. You can’t be that lonely.”

“What?! No!” Luna screeched and took a deep breath. “It’s just that he’s in my house all alone during the day and I think it’d be good to be able to check on him whenever. You know, make sure he doesn't try to microwave tinfoil.”

“Come on, he’s not a puppy, although you may think he’s cute like one.”

“I know, but think about it. So please?” Luna laced her fingers together and held them in front of her face. “Will you help me out?”

Tony sighed and relaxed his shoulders. “Alright, fine.”

“Yay! I promise you won’t regret this.”

He pulled out his phone. “Uh-huh.” He typed a message out, eliciting a few clicking noises and a whoosh, and tucked the device back into his pocket. “Ok, it’ll be here by Monday. Everything in it is already set up so just activate it like always. Or I could give you one now since we’re here.”

“I like getting things in the mail. Tony, you know that.”

“Yeah, and it’s really weird.”

“You’re just mad about that one delivery guy calling you ‘Tony Stank.’” Luna couldn’t help giggling.

“Ugh, don’t remind me. Rhodey’s still teasing me about it.”

“Hey, it’s funny.” Her laugh grew, making Tony join in with a few chuckles of his own. It was a funny memory. “So when are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow. Just closing up some stuff here.” Tony gestured to the screen and table littered with tools and metal samples. “I promised Pepper that I’m not going to work over the holidays, so I’m not going to work. At all.”

“You’re lucky I’m more than willing to babysit the kid when you cant.”

“And this is why you’re great.” Tony slung an arm around Luna, pulling her into a side hug. “Hey. Consider this my gift to you.”

She shot him an incredulous look. “Really? Your Christmas gift to me is my Christmas gift to Loki? Wow, classic.”

Tony gently poked her shoulder. “Just don’t say I never did anything for you.”

“Nothing?” Luna wrapped both her arms around Tony’s torso. “Oh, boss, you’ve already done so much for me.”

Taglist:  @the-doctor-9-10 @pinkieperil @sherlockfan4life

[jobrxiv]

Postdoctoral Associate Position Available University of Pittsburgh Application Deadline: 2022-10-20 A postdoctoral position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Velvet Journigan at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. Our drug discovery efforts are aimed at correcting defects in sensory perception to cold in neuropathic pain states. The lab combines structure-based drug design, synthetic medicinal chemistry, and biochemical approaches to discover novel ligands. Recent publications and patents include: ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 12 :758–767 (2021); ACS Chem. Neurosci. 11: 268–290 (2020); WO 2020160464 A1. Successful candidates should have a PhD in medicinal or organic chemistry and a high level of self-motivation. Candidates with computational experience are preferred. We are seeking an individual with the following expertise and qualifications: must have expertise in designing synthetic routes and varied multi-step organic synthesis experience in structural characterization including NMR, mass spec, LC-MS, HPLC, CHN is essential experience with structure-based drug desig... See the full job description on jobRxiv: https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-pittsburgh-27778-postdoctoral-associate-position-available/?feed_id=21310 #ScienceJobs #hiring #research

[kimpexflowfan-blog]

Industrial Gas Meter Fundamentals Explained

Industrial Natural Gas Meter This version of the light device gun was generated primarily in China and Poland. A further modified variant (in some cases generally known as the RPDM) incorporates an prolonged gasoline cylinder along with a recoil buffer mechanism from the stock. Late generation RPD variants also experienced the preset drum attachment eradicated (in its place, the ammunition container was "hung" through the feed port deal with) and have a folding cleaning rod, that is stored during the weapon's butt (during the Chinese Kind 56-one variant).[one] DS Arms RPD[edit] Keep up to date and subscribe to our newsletter. You may get latest specifics of our goods and dates: Flowserve aims to reduced the working costs of its consumers, far better tools overall performance, greater efficiency, and mitigated risks. The company also values recycling and squander reduction processes in Every single of its factories. Automate knowledge consolidation in between diverse fields and labs and streamline procedures with scrubbed data that has been blended into 1 usable and report-capable databases. All issues, feedback, requests and grievances regarding this Coverage and the data we keep are welcome and should be tackled to us at it@foxthermal.com or in writing at: Review Meter Specs > the chemical field. While Nitrogen may be used in pressurization, it can also be utilised like a propellant or being a shield gasoline for products that react to oxygen. In chemical crops, petrochemical vegetation, and refineries tunable diode lasers (TDLs) have become an ever more widespread sight. Their high dependability and lower maintenance has designed them the gas analyzer technological innovation of option for quite a few organizations. Go through more Control your whole oil and gas measurement data by using a process that enables you to conveniently validate area facts. Together with the FLOWCAL Answer it is possible to detect suspect information and move anomalies to maintain info certainty. Oxygen is Utilized in foundries that make automotive coatings, to be a plasma cutting gas, an aid gasoline for laser reducing, and is typically extra in modest quantities to shielding gases. We couldn’t discover what you´re seeking...Attempt all over again with unique terms or Examine a person of those means: As a ingredient of warmth dealing with environment, hydrogen reacts with oxygen to supply a brilliant complete on steel pieces. It's also utilised, either by yourself or as Section of a mixture, being a quench gasoline for prime pressure gas quenching thanks to its superior heat transfer Attributes. Measurement companies for natural gasoline, crude oil, and NGLs that offer analytical and software sources on the Strength industry. Efficiency in course of action heating applications is paramount, utilize a thermal mass flowmeter to evaluate the fuel fuel to burners to look for inefficiencies. Deal with the integrity of liquid data by pinpointing and correcting measurement anomalies Together with the business-leading liquid suite. ball valves manufacturers

[cameron-ashurst22]

Year 2 Weekly Summaries - Week 13

Day 1 - Character Feedback Session with John : Jekyll and Hyde

In todays feedback session ,  John gave me constructive feedback on the two characters I had been working on over the Christmas break. Over the Christmas break I developed two turnarounds and took first hand reference of New York City. The two turnarounds comprised of both the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde characters and heavily drew influence from 1920s New York. The first character is a Wall Street accountant who enjoys playing poker as a hobby. For this character I tried to convey the sense of arrogance that I noticed when I was in New York from watching people walk by around me . John liked that I wanted to draw in a sort of Disney style as he thought the shape language I could convey would greatly benefit the character design as a whole. He also suggested that I should look into the type of fabrics used for the different classes within society and show how that would greatly effect the character design process as a whole. He also suggested that I focus more on the character itself first and later focus on the elements of the setting I had drawn as well. He also liked the silhouette and design of the next character ‘ Ace of Spades.’ Ace of Spades has a similar build to the accountant character as he is in duality with him. The major design difference is that the characters head is an Ace of spades that floats above the torso. Ace of spades is the character I have chosen to model as I feel like creating the Hyde personality will give me more options for the walk cycle and transformation sequence in Maya.

Furthermore, I began to model the character in z brush and started by using the mannequin Z sphere . I added two more Z spheres around the head two give more mass to the head and also establish the shape of the ace of spades early on in the process.  I then added the clay build up tool to establish key landmarks on the torso and began to create the form design on photoshop. Tomorrow I will further develop the model and begin to add further layers of detail onto the design as a whole.

Day 1- Group tutorial with Lindsey

In todays group tutorial I was able to explain my idea for the screenplay as well as show the character designs to Lyndsey. The feedback I received was that it was a good concept and focused heavily of the them of an angle and a devil within Stephensons novel. Lyndsey also suggested that I look at the five stages of a classic tragedy to fully help realise the structure of the narrative. She also gave an indication in into how I would write the dialogue within the scene and showed how I can use a montage within the script to show the progression of the character within the mob. I found this feedback very helpful and I will look to better structure my screenplay and develop the characters family before the incident with the mob itself.

Day 2- Open media lab modelling session

In todays open session made major improvement to the model of the my character. I decided to start again from scratch as I have found that this is the best way for me to improve. Using the skills I learned yesterday from the previous model I was able to quickly establish the land marks and key areas onto the body. I also found that I sculpted the head of my character much better than previous iterations as I was fully able to achieve the rounded curves around the base of the head. On the contrary I need to ask for support on how to fully detach the head away from the neck to give a true reflection of the character I had created in photoshop. This will also support the form of the torso as I am currently building up mass along the shoulder and towards the traps. But if I make the mass to large it will greatly effect the build of the character in relation to the head itself. By moving the head upwards I can complete the base of the ace of spades and begin to create the collar of the shirt for the character. Furthermore, I need to work on creating the hands for the character as they are too small and thin due to smoothness of the arm. I need to add more mass to the palm of the hand in order to establish positions for the fingers and thumb relative to it.

Day 3 - Introduction to Retopology 8th January 2020

In todays session with Adam I was introduced to retopology. For this we exported a head from Z-Brush to Maya. For this Adam advised not to scale as it transferred into Maya as this would mess up the high res sculpt created in Z brush. I started using the quad draw tool around the main landmarks of the eyes and mouth. By creating a loop around these this made it easier to connect up rather than starting from one point. I tried to not create triangle or have any gaps. As well as not having a 5 point intersection from quads as that would cause major issues when baking within Maya. I am looking forward to retopologising my own character after I have finished modelling.

Day 4 - Narrative strategies screenwriting

Preparation for screenplay- many screenwriters begin with a beat sheet often bullet pointed. The stories key events and incidents- anything that moves the story forward is a beat.

Preparation: the outline:

Written to help you visualise your story

A bit like a short story. Write in full sentences and paragraphs. No need for fancy language

Always third person, present tense

Flesh out each beat by adding detail and description

Try to think like a camera - don’t waste time on what can’t be shown or heard

Doesn’t (usually) include dialogue 

Can include slug line/ scene headings

Screenplay- 1000 words 

Reflective essay - 1000 words

Running time of a screenplay is estimated as 1 minute per formatted page

As a rough guide assume 150 to 220 words per page.

There is no set word count per page: it will vary depending on 

Dialogue

Scene action

Use of white space 

Formatting 

Screenplay written in Courier 12 point font 

Celtx and written duet is free screenwriting software

Show what works on screen as animation 

5 basic conventions

1.Give each new scene a heading or slug line - written in caps. 

INT/EXT interior and exterior 

Location 

Time of day

New scene begins with change in time or locations

2.Slug line is always followed by scene action/description(even if just a single sentence)

Scene action- the non dialogue bit of the script

All the actions and descriptions

Introduces and briefly describes characters and locations

Cover any other relevant scene’ business’

Keep description simple, clear, visual.always write in present tense

Limited to what we can see and hear on screen

Characters name in caps first time only 

Descriptions are brief

Lead the eye- show us visuals in logical order

Splitting the action is if you want to show a series of separate actions simply place each action on a new line

Montage is exactly the same layout 

Spec script is written for a reader. It rarely includes camera angles or scene transitions

However all scripts traditionally begin with fade in and end with fade out an the end

3. Dialogue layout 

Headed by the speakers name

Appears in a central column down the page 

Single spaced

Less is more -film is primarily a visual medium

Can be broken by lines of actions

4. Parenthetical's

To show who a character is talking to 

Or if tone contradicts meaning

Mainly used these days for little bits of action that occur during dialogue 

5.sound

V.O - voice over

O.S - offscreen not in shot

You can put important sound effects in caps 

[kindlecomparedinfo]

North ending production of current Focals smart glasses to focus on Focals 2.0

Smart glasses maker North announced today that it will be ending production of its first-generation Focals glasses, which it brought to market for consumers last year. The company says it will instead shift its focus to Focals 2.0, a next-generation version of the product, which it says will ship starting in 2020.

Focals are North’s first product since rebranding the company from Thalmic Labs and pivoting from building smart gesture control hardware to glasses with a built-in heads-up display and smartphone connectivity. CEO and founder Stephen Lake told me in a prior interview that the company realized in developing its Myo gesture control armband that it was actually more pressing to develop the next major shift in computing platform before tackling interface devices for said platforms, hence the switch.

Focals 2.0 will be “at a completely different level” and “the most advanced smart glasses ever made,” Lake said in a press release announcing the new generation device. In terms of how exactly it’ll improve on the original, North isn’t sharing much but it has said that its made the 2.0 version both lighter and “sleeker,” and that it’ll offer a much sharper, “10x improved” built-in display.

North began selling its Focals smart glasses via physical showrooms that it opened first in Brooklyn and Toronto. These, in addition to a number of pop-up showroom locations that toured across North America, provided in-person try-ons and fittings for the smart glasses, which must be tailor-fit for individual users in order to properly display content from their supported applications. More recently, North also added a Showroom app for iOS devices, that included custom sizing powered by more recent iPhone front-facing depth sensing camera hardware.

North’s first-generation Focals smart glasses.

To date, North hasn’t revealed any sales figures for its initial Focals device, but the company did reduce the price of the glasses form $999 to just under $600 (without prescription) relatively soon after launch. Their cost, combined with the requirement for an in-person fitting prior to purchase (until the introduction of the Showroom app) and certain gaps in the product feature set like an inability to support iMessage on iOS natively, all point to initial sales being relatively low volume, however.

To North’s credit, Focals are the first smart glasses hardware that manage to have a relatively inconspicuous look. Despite somewhat thicker than average arms on either side where the battery, projection and computing components are housed, Focals resemble thick acrylic plastic frames of the kind popularized by Warby Parker and other standard glasses makers.

With version 2.0, it sounds like Focals will be making even more progress in developing a design that hews closely to standard glasses. One of the issues also cited by some users with the first-generation product was a relatively fuzzy image produced by the built-in projector, which required specific calibration to remain in focus, and it sounds like they’re addressing that, too.

The Focals successor will still have an uphill battle when it comes to achieving mass appeal, however. It’s unlikely that cost will be significantly reduced, though any progress it can make on that front will definitely help. And it still either requires non-glasses wearers to opt for regularly donning specs, or for standard glasses wearers to be within the acceptable prescription range supported by the hardware, and to be willing to spend a bit more for connected glasses features.

The company says the reason it’s ending Focals 1.0 production is to focus on the 2.0 rollout, but it’s not a great sign that there will be a pause in between the two generations in terms of availability. Through its two iterations as a company, Thalmic Labs and now North have not had the best track record in terms of developing hardware that has been a success with potential customers – Focals 2.0, whenever they do arrive, will have a lot to prove in terms of iterating enough to drive significant demand.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8176395 https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/10/north-ending-production-of-current-focals-smart-glasses-to-focus-on-focals-2-0/ via http://www.kindlecompared.com/kindle-comparison/

[un-enfant-immature]

North ending production of current Focals smart glasses to focus on Focals 2.0

Smart glasses maker North announced today that it will be ending production of its first-generation Focals glasses, which it brought to market for consumers last year. The company says it will instead shift its focus to Focals 2.0, a next-generation version of the product, which it says will ship starting in 2020.

Focals are North’s first product since rebranding the company from Thalmic Labs and pivoting from building smart gesture control hardware to glasses with a built-in heads-up display and smartphone connectivity. CEO and founder Stephen Lake told me in a prior interview that the company realized in developing its Myo gesture control armband that it was actually more pressing to develop the next major shift in computing platform before tackling interface devices for said platforms, hence the switch.

Focals 2.0 will be “at a completely different level” and “the most advanced smart glasses ever made,” Lake said in a press release announcing the new generation device. In terms of how exactly it’ll improve on the original, North isn’t sharing much but it has said that its made the 2.0 version both lighter and “sleeker,” and that it’ll offer a much sharper, “10x improved” built-in display.

North began selling its Focals smart glasses via physical showrooms that it opened first in Brooklyn and Toronto. These, in addition to a number of pop-up showroom locations that toured across North America, provided in-person try-ons and fittings for the smart glasses, which must be tailor-fit for individual users in order to properly display content from their supported applications. More recently, North also added a Showroom app for iOS devices, that included custom sizing powered by more recent iPhone front-facing depth sensing camera hardware.

North’s first-generation Focals smart glasses.

To date, North hasn’t revealed any sales figures for its initial Focals device, but the company did reduce the price of the glasses form $999 to just under $600 (without prescription) relatively soon after launch. Their cost, combined with the requirement for an in-person fitting prior to purchase (until the introduction of the Showroom app) and certain gaps in the product feature set like an inability to support iMessage on iOS natively, all point to initial sales being relatively low volume, however.

To North’s credit, Focals are the first smart glasses hardware that manage to have a relatively inconspicuous look. Despite somewhat thicker than average arms on either side where the battery, projection and computing components are housed, Focals resemble thick acrylic plastic frames of the kind popularized by Warby Parker and other standard glasses makers.

With version 2.0, it sounds like Focals will be making even more progress in developing a design that hews closely to standard glasses. One of the issues also cited by some users with the first-generation product was a relatively fuzzy image produced by the built-in projector, which required specific calibration to remain in focus, and it sounds like they’re addressing that, too.

The Focals successor will still have an uphill battle when it comes to achieving mass appeal, however. It’s unlikely that cost will be significantly reduced, though any progress it can make on that front will definitely help. And it still either requires non-glasses wearers to opt for regularly donning specs, or for standard glasses wearers to be within the acceptable prescription range supported by the hardware, and to be willing to spend a bit more for connected glasses features.

The company says the reason it’s ending Focals 1.0 production is to focus on the 2.0 rollout, but it’s not a great sign that there will be a pause in between the two generations in terms of availability. Through its two iterations as a company, Thalmic Labs and now North have not had the best track record in terms of developing hardware that has been a success with potential customers – Focals 2.0, whenever they do arrive, will have a lot to prove in terms of iterating enough to drive significant demand.

[magzoso-tech]

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/north-ending-production-of-current-focals-smart-glasses-to-focus-on-focals-2-0/

North ending production of current Focals smart glasses to focus on Focals 2.0

Smart glasses maker North announced today that it will be ending production of its first-generation Focals glasses, which it brought to market for consumers last year. The company says it will instead shift its focus to Focals 2.0, a next-generation version of the product, which it says will ship starting in 2020.

Focals are North’s first product since rebranding the company from Thalmic Labs and pivoting from building smart gesture control hardware to glasses with a built-in heads-up display and smartphone connectivity. CEO and founder Stephen Lake told me in a prior interview that the company realized in developing its Myo gesture control armband that it was actually more pressing to develop the next major shift in computing platform before tackling interface devices for said platforms, hence the switch.

Focals 2.0 will be “at a completely different level” and “the most advanced smart glasses ever made,” Lake said in a press release announcing the new generation device. In terms of how exactly it’ll improve on the original, North isn’t sharing much but it has said that its made the 2.0 version both lighter and “sleeker,” and that it’ll offer a much sharper, “10x improved” built-in display.

North began selling its Focals smart glasses via physical showrooms that it opened first in Brooklyn and Toronto. These, in addition to a number of pop-up showroom locations that toured across North America, provided in-person try-ons and fittings for the smart glasses, which must be tailor-fit for individual users in order to properly display content from their supported applications. More recently, North also added a Showroom app for iOS devices, that included custom sizing powered by more recent iPhone front-facing depth sensing camera hardware.

North’s first-generation Focals smart glasses.

To date, North hasn’t revealed any sales figures for its initial Focals device, but the company did reduce the price of the glasses form $999 to just under $600 (without prescription) relatively soon after launch. Their cost, combined with the requirement for an in-person fitting prior to purchase (until the introduction of the Showroom app) and certain gaps in the product feature set like an inability to support iMessage on iOS natively, all point to initial sales being relatively low volume, however.

To North’s credit, Focals are the first smart glasses hardware that manage to have a relatively inconspicuous look. Despite somewhat thicker than average arms on either side where the battery, projection and computing components are housed, Focals resemble thick acrylic plastic frames of the kind popularized by Warby Parker and other standard glasses makers.

With version 2.0, it sounds like Focals will be making even more progress in developing a design that hews closely to standard glasses. One of the issues also cited by some users with the first-generation product was a relatively fuzzy image produced by the built-in projector, which required specific calibration to remain in focus, and it sounds like they’re addressing that, too.

The Focals successor will still have an uphill battle when it comes to achieving mass appeal, however. It’s unlikely that cost will be significantly reduced, though any progress it can make on that front will definitely help. And it still either requires non-glasses wearers to opt for regularly donning specs, or for standard glasses wearers to be within the acceptable prescription range supported by the hardware, and to be willing to spend a bit more for connected glasses features.

The company says the reason it’s ending Focals 1.0 production is to focus on the 2.0 rollout, but it’s not a great sign that there will be a pause in between the two generations in terms of availability. Through its two iterations as a company, Thalmic Labs and now North have not had the best track record in terms of developing hardware that has been a success with potential customers – Focals 2.0, whenever they do arrive, will have a lot to prove in terms of iterating enough to drive significant demand.