#First Law of Thermodynamics Project Help

[tinfoil-jones]

Jerk Ford AU: And This is Jack*ss

Their high school science teacher said "A perpetual motion machine is only hypothetical, because it is impossible, since its existence would violate the first and second laws of thermodynamics."

And Jerk Ford in response said "Hold my beer."

[Art by: @tearosepedall]

While he was building that (and the school was investigating whether or not Ford was actually drinking underaged), Stan had another set of worries.

At this point the twins had both already talked about applying to Backupsmore together, and while Stan was still worried about a potential separation, this time it wasn't because he was afraid of being left behind.

This time he was freaking out because if he went to Backupsmore while his brother went to West Coast Tech, who was going to keep Ford reigned in??

If Stan wasn't there to minimize the damage, who's to say his fellow students and college administration wouldn't chase him out of the whole state with pitchforks and torches or something?!

Stan wasn't protective over Ford in this AU because he didn't need to be protected from anything except maybe himself. If anything, everything else needed to be protected from him.

---

In a random dimension at an undetermined time between the 1980s and 2012, Jerk Ford and one of the many variations of Rick Sanchez pass each other on the street.

"What a d**k." They both think at the same time, but say nothing.

---

This is the same man who, despite also being aromantic, spent an entire year pretending to court an all-seeing, two-dimensional, demon triangle.

Jerk Ford had romantic speeches, lovey-dovey praises, drew detailed, flattering sketches, and built a functioning interdimensional portal that he wasn't intending to use.

Just to say that he catfished a God.

The limit to his jackassery remains to be seen.

---

Most interactions with other people on an informal level (and also formal) are handled by Stan on Fords behalf, otherwise nothing would ever get done.

Stanley had to actually beg Fiddleford to help Stanford with the portal project. Fiddleford and Ford are friends, but Fiddleford can only handle Ford for so long before he's absolutely done.

As for the construction of the cabin... a paid job is a paid job, but anything that required direct interaction was solely taken care of by Stan, or Ford as long as Stan was close by to mediate. Because the one time Boyish Dan tried discussing plans with Ford alone, it ended with Boyish Dan agreeing with construction plans only if Ford agreed to take the farthest available plot of land.

---

Yes, I am familiar with Nine Lives Lee selling his own hate merch. But no, Jerk Ford does not make, distribute, or sell his own hate merch. He was never an enterprising spirit.

However, he does steal his own hate merch. He's done it the times he snuck into their club meetings. The shirt he wears under his hoodie is actually a Ford Hate Club shirt; it's a long sleeved black shirt with this logo on the front:

That is The (Jerk) Ford Hate Club official logo, because they don't hate all Stanford Pines across that multiverse, just that guy in particular.

---

Jerk Ford's antics are often compared to skits from the tv and film series "Jackass", in fact the name of his dimension "PJC311" is derived from the host Johnny Knoxville, whose real name is Philip John Clapp, and whose birthday is 1971/03/11.

The funny, ironic thing, is that this is what older Knoxville looks like:

Considering that Jerk Ford is thin compared to Canon Ford...

Yeah, that's Jerk Ford guys.

[rayyanishere1]

A Day in the Life of a Loser: Loser Ford AU

Chapter 4: Science Fair

25th April 1970

Good morning, my dearest diary! Today is the day of the science fair!

I managed to finish my perpetual motion machine just in time and it's completely functional. All I have to do now is safely transport it to the school. I'm gonna win first place, I'm sure of it!

All the other participants had already set up their projects a few days ago, but I'm sure there's still a few good spots left. Just hope I don't have to take the dingy spot with the ceiling leak.

Well, I'm off! Time to blow those judges' socks off!

∆∆∆

"Sixer! Are you ready or not?"

"Yes, yes, coming!"

Ford looked at himself in the mirror and for once, didn't completely hate himself. Hell, he felt proud!

He rushed outside to Stan and loaded his project into the cargo. It was still moving, as a perpetual motion machine should.

"You're excited, aren't you?"

"Of course! How could I not be?"

Stan laughed and ruffled his brother's hair. Ford protested, complaining that he spent a while making his hair look good.

"It doesn't matter how you look, nerd. Your motion-whatever-machine—"

"Perpetual motion machine!"

"Yeah, that, if what you said about it being 'impossible' to make is true, you've got a fortune under your belt."

"You really think so?"

"I know so."

Ford carefully carried his project into the school's gymnasium and scanned for a place to set up. Nothing much he can see from here...

Wandering around the many tables, he failed to find a spot for himself. There had to be at least one place, right?

Just as he dreaded. The only empty space was a dark, dingy area with the leak in the ceiling.

Well, no turning back now. He reluctantly set his machine on the table and covered it with a tablecloth so that it wouldn't get wet. Who knows what could happen if it did!

"Ford, help me out over here!"

Hearing his brother in need of assistance, he rushed over.

Drip, drip, drip.

The judges roamed the gymnasium, taking note of the sheer amount of baking soda volcanoes. They should just ban them at this point.

∆∆∆

Things seem to be going well. The judges don't look impressed at the other presentations. Lots of baking soda volcanoes.

Oh, I see them! Are they skipping my table?

∆∆∆

"Hey! Aren't you going to judge mine?"

Oh, the poor thing, they hadn't even noticed him! The judges walked over, seeing how the area was... Less than appealing.

Ford pulled out a fairly thick stack of cue cards and hyped up his project.

"For millennia, people tried and failed to create perpetual motion machines. But here with you today is—!"

Dramatically, he yanked the tablecloth away to reveal his perpetual motion machine! Except for the fact that it wasn't in motion.

"Wait, what? What happened to my machine?!"

He frantically looked over it, trying to figure why his perpetual motion machine had stopped.

"Perpetual motion means nonstop, isolated movement, kid. It violates the first few laws of thermodynamics."

"Try again next year."

How could this have happened? It was working just this morning, and the days before that! It literally never stopped! That was the whole point!

As Ford desperately searched, he felt a drop of cold water fall on his head.

Sure enough, the tablecloth hadn't completely protected his machine from the dripping water above.

So close, Ford. So close.

A familiar set of footsteps came up behind him.

"Hey, Ford? You alright? Where are the judges?"

Ford failed to compose himself in time and broke down. He barely forced out a few words between sobs and hiccups as Stan tried to decipher his gargled speech.

Soon enough, Ford gave up on verbal communication and gestured to his broken machine. He wiped his tears, trying to get a good look at it.

There seemed to be some exposed circuitry on the back. How had he never noticed that?

He reached out towards it and promptly got shocked. Right, wet hand. Not a great idea to touch exposed electronics.

"Ow!"

Ford quickly retracted his hand, wincing in pain. God, today was a gift that kept on giving. Not in a good way, but you get the point.

Stan rushed to Ford's side, making sure he wasn't seriously injured. He's no expert, but an electrical shock didn't sound good.

"Let's just get outta here."

He led them both outside and back to Stan's car. Being in a more private space, Ford's waterworks restarted at full force.

"Everything was going so well! I told everyone that I was going to win—I was! I did the impossible! I forgot to tighten a few loose screws and now everything's ruined—"

He rambled on and on about how he messed up everything, how stupid he was for not noticing such a thing, the whole shebang.

There was really no room for Stan to interject and stop Ford from spiralling seeing as he was talking a mile a minute.

Stan opted to wait it out.

He drove them to the nearest convenience store and got them snacks. Jellybeans for Ford and Toffee Peanuts for himself.

"You feelin' better, bud?"

"No."

Honestly? Stan expected that answer.

Ford stared off into space, not bothering to eat his jellybeans.

"Wanna go home?"

That seemed to snap him out of his trance.

"What's Pa gonna think of all this? What are we gonna tell him?"

Welcome back, panic! Didn't miss you whatsoever!

"He's gonna find out eventually... I'll talk to him."

On the drive home, Ford looked outside the window. He eyed the beach, thinking, how difficult would it be to swim from New Jersey to Europe?

"We're here."

Seems like Filbrick wasn't home yet. That's good! I guess?

Ford bolted upstairs without a word. He needed to unwind. Write in his diary. Anything.

He was practically scribbling on the pages with how fast and sloppily he was writing. His thoughts went faster than his hand, even the ink in the damn pen couldn't keep up.

∆∆∆

Today did not go as planned. A leak in the gymnasium's ceiling made it's way inside my machine and blew it's circuits.

I humiliated myself in front of the judges.

I humiliated myself.

∆∆∆

It was only when tears started to fall on the page did Ford realize he was crying. Again.

Maybe he should just go to bed.

[sathcreation]

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[erisbaek]

Stucky Fic Rec [Part One]

So I decided to split the fic recs up into parts because they will be too long otherwise. In each part I will link the Google Doc that I am typing them up in, which is where I will constantly update as I read.  Within these fic recs, they’re mostly my preferences, so very few (if any) Shrinkyclinks, and ABO fics will be within them, as well as shorter fics, since I actively seek fics out that are longer than 10k (and completed)!!

The Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10wqr5s-CzkFzLidQgt-y4-cjudHWwVeVPWCedMjK7t0/edit?usp=sharing

The first part is formatted under the cut, if you’d prefer to stay out of the doc!

Lightning in a Bottle 

    Word Count: 63k     Rating: Explicit     Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Road Trip!AU, Angst with Happy Ending     Warnings: Smut, Smoking     Synopsis: The problem, Steve thinks, isn’t so much his motorcycle giving up the ghost on a lonely stretch of highway through a lonely stretch of the country. He doesn’t mind stretching his legs or the prospect of hitchhiking. The problem is the roiling black blanket of storm clouds slowly spreading itself over the landscape headed his direction… Steve Rogers is looking to hitch on a highway abandoned by everyone smart enough to avoid a looming storm. Bucky Barnes is the professional storm chaser who offers him a ride.

It gets more complicated from there.

Perspective and Truth

        Word Count: 16.7k          Rating: Teen and Up         Notable Tags: Bodyswap!AU, Emotional Hurt/Comfort        Warnings: None        Synopsis: Bucky and Steve end up swapping bodies and learning a lot more about each other in the process

Carbs and Conversations

         Word Count: 48k          Rating: Teen and Up          Notable Tags: Hockey!AU, No Powers          Warnings: None          Synopsis: Bucky was just looking for a chance. A chance to get on the ice and play. A chance to escape from Hydra. A chance to redeem himself. He didn't include 'A chance to be friends with Steve Rogers' on the list. That would be ridiculous. Lucky for him, Steve seemed determined to be ridiculous.

So Loud and So Clear

           Word Count: 26.6k            Rating: Mature            Notable Tags: Get Together, Slow Build            Warnings: None           Synopsis: Bucky had been careful, after all, leaving no trace of his comings and goings. It was horrendously disappointing to know that Rogers had found him. Bucky was a lot better than getting caught by a guy who wore the American flag as a onesie. He just really was. “Don’t you – Bucky – Bucky,” Rogers started, and to Bucky’s growing horror, it looked like Rogers was on the verge of some type of emotional eclipse. Anger, sadness, something, and Bucky wanted nothing to do with it. “Hate to break it to you, bud, but I don’t remember ever living here and I don’t remember you.”

A Loyal Viewer 

           Word Count: 36.1k            Rating: Explicit             Notable Tags: Camboy!Steve, Punk!Bucky, No Powers, Long Distance            Relationship            Warnings: Smut            Synopsis: At almost exactly eight thirty in the evening, Steve settles on the bed before his camera and the computer. He signs into his account on Chaturbate and clicks the button that starts his stream.

In My Conditions, Love’s the Best Physician

             Word Count: 9.1k              Rating: Not Rated              Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Pharmacist!Bucky, Russian!Bucky              Warnings: None              Synopsis: ”This situation is a little more delicate because I don't even know if he speaks English and I'm tired of going down to the pharmacy for constipation medication and allergy pills when I haven't sneezed since 1941.” Steve shouts. The room falls silent, and he turns back around to find four pairs of stunned eyes watching him. Tony, as always, speaks first. “He?” - Or the one where Bucky is a hot pharmacist and Steve keeps making up bullshit reasons to go see him.

Rare Is This Love (Keep It Covered) 

               Word Count: 66.7k                Rating: Explicit                 Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Mechanic!Bucky, Slow Burn                Warnings: Smut, Canonical Character Death                Synopsis: It's 2014. Captain America has been out of the ice for three years and is trudging along, saving the world and trying to get used to living in the future. Steve thinks he knows how the rest of his life is going to pan out – a life of duty, which he chose when he signed up to be Erskine’s science experiment. But then, he meets Bucky Barnes: the out-of-this-world-gorgeous mechanic and war vet, who turns Steve’s life upside down and makes him question everything he thought he knew. Slowly, Steve comes to realize there is more to life than duty and punching Nazis. Just one problem though: how on earth does a 96-year-old virgin who only just realized he may not be entirely straight make the transition from crush to relationship? Cue healthy amounts of self-doubt, awkward flirting, pretty blushing, existential crises, emotional growth, and maybe, possibly, a sexual awakening.

Looking For A Place To Hide

                Word Count: 33.3k                 Rating: Explicit                 Notable Tags: Endgame Fix-It, 2012!Steve                 Warnings: Smut                 Synopsis:  It's 2012 and all Steve knows is that another version of himself said Bucky is alive. Steve will do anything to get his friend back, even if it means time traveling to 2023. He expects Bucky to be happy to see him, but instead he's wary, hurt. Turns out his Steve had left him for Peggy. How? Why? Steve can't believe it. Now he'll have to find a way to make sense of it all, and convince Bucky that it's the two of them to the end of the line.

The Wolf and the Sheep

               Word Count: 50.5k                Rating: Teen and Up                Notable Tags: Shield Agent!Steve, Winter Soldier!Bucky                 Warnings: None                Synopsis: Steve Rogers is a SHIELD agent who is recruited for a secret project: Becoming a handler for the Asset. Steve’s world is thrown for a loop when he discovers the Asset is an actual person and he needs to figure out who he is and what he’s going to do.

All Those Little Pieces

                 Word Count: 40.5k                  Rating: Mature                  Notable Tags: Alternating POV, Post CATW                  Warnings: Smut, Panic Attacks                  Synopsis: Steve has never forgotten Bucky Barnes. Not their childhood together, not the horror of the moment Bucky fell too far for him to reach, and not the way he's loved him all the while. Bucky has forgotten everything about Steve, at least at first. But there's still a feeling there, warm in his chest—and maybe now that he's found his way back to Steve Rogers and his sunny apartment, there's a chance it might turn into something more.

My Dear

                   Word Count: 29.9k                    Rating: Explicit                     Notable Tags: Post CATWS, Recovery                    Warnings: Smut                    Synopsis: The Soldier stares down at the floor, breathing hard through his nose. “And you still wanna fix me,” he says. Steve shakes his head. “There’s nothing to fix, Buck. I just want to bring you home.”

Living On My Own

                    Word Count: 26.1k                     Rating: Mature                     Notable Tags: Vigilante!Bucky                      Warnings: Blood and Gore                     Synopsis: James Barnes is back in the world and finds that not only has there been 1) an alien invasion, but 2) Howard Stark had a kid. One that dispenses unsolicited life advice, no less. Oh, and 3) Captain America is alive again, after getting himself killed by his own recklessness in a move so stupid only Steve could have come up with it. In which James learns to do laundry, turns into an accidental neighborhood vigilante and makes Tony Stark a happy grease monkey, all while he figures out where to stake his claim.

Chase the Lighting From the Sky

                      Word Count: 39.4k                       Rating: Explicit                        Notable Tags: No Powers, Age Gap, Farm!AU                        Warnings: Smut, Past Character Death, Animal Death                       Synopsis: If Bucky has to be stuck doing this ridiculous summer work program before his senior year of college, on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, then at least he’s got a hot as hell cowboy for a boss and host. Steve Rogers, owner of the Truth & Justice Ranch, is what Bucky’s completely theoretical but very imaginative bisexual fantasies are made of. Steve’s a widower though, and a nice guy in need of help, and no doubt 100% straight… so Bucky’s gonna work his ass off and keep his head down. But neither Bucky nor Steve are prepared for the friendship that forms between them as they work side by side. And they certainly aren’t expecting the budding feelings, confessions, and passions that summer heat and the loneliness of the great open plains stirs in each of them. What rages to life between them will shake each man to his core and will linger long after the storms and the summer have passed.

Cinder and Smoke

                       Word Count: 51.7k                        Rating: Explicit                        Notable Tags: Sheriff!Steve, Blacksmith!Bucky, Old Western                        Warnings: Smut, Period-Typical Homophobia, OC Death                        Synopsis: “They say there’s no law in Parasapa. Is that true?”

Art Thief, Heart Thief

                       Word Count: 58.8k                        Rating: Mature                        Notable Tags: FBI!Steve, Thief!Bucky Barnes                        Warnings: Smut                        Synopsis: Agent Steve Rogers is facing a series of art thefts that has him stumped, and looking for a break in the case. Convicted art thief and general high end criminal Bucky Barnes wants to make parole and happens to know all of the right people who could make Steve's job easier. So they strike a deal, mutually beneficial and entirely business. But a few days undercover, an undeniable growing chemistry, and some ill-timed Feelings entering the mix, and all bets are off.

Laws of Thermodynamics 

                       Word Count: 14.6k                        Rating: Explicit                         Notable Tags: Post CATWS, Recovery                         Warnings: Smut                        Synopsis: He never had to relearn how to love Steve Rogers. It might be the one thing he never forgot.

Abstract Art

                       Word Count: 26.6k                        Rating: Teen and Up                        Notable Tags: Friends to Lovers, Artist!Steve, Ex Sniper!Bucky                        Warnings: None                        Synopsis: They survive almost a year of torture together, cells side by side, banter and teasing and stories. They keep each other alive. Then everything changes. They tell Bucky that Rogers's been killed. He tries to piece his life together, to move on. Steve owns an art store. He's given up looking. It's over. Except it's really not.

We Discovered Gold

                       Word Count: 18.7k                        Rating: Explicit                        Notable Tags: Post CACW, Fix-It, Wakanda                         Warnings: Smut                        Synopsis: “So you got these safe houses scattered all over Russia?” Steve jokes into the soft hair over Bucky's temple, not pulling away, “Or did we just get lucky?” Bucky shakes his head and then replies, “Got myself a few. It’s been a long two years.” “Yeah pal,” Steve nods, burrowing further, “I hear that.”

Never Mind to Hold 

                      Word Count: 21.6k                       Rating: Mature                       Notable Tags: Soulmate!AU, Not CACW Compliant, Soulmarks                       Warnings: Brief Suicidal Ideation                       Synopsis: Steve didn't know the name of Bucky's soulmate. He wasn't even sure when it had appeared across Bucky's heart. But Steve knew it wasn't his name hidden under that patch.

Where There’s Smoke 

                      Word Count: 95.1k                       Rating: Explicit                        Notable Tags: Firefighter!AU                       Warnings: Smut                       Synopsis: Steve is a Brooklyn firefighter who is about to be saddled with a new, rookie crewmate. James Barnes is that rookie, just looking for a fresh start at a new station. Steve's friends think they know what's best for him...start dating his new crewmate. Steve thinks they're crazy...or possibly right. But events from James's recent past may pose a threat to any designs they have on each other.

Let Them Eat Cake

                    Word Count: 31k                     Rating: Explicit                      Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Pastry Chef!Steve, Sommelier!Bucky                     Warnings: Smut, Drug Use                     Synopsis: Steve picked up the piping bag and returned to the ramekins. Bucky left, though not without shooting one last look at Steve's wide back. Bucky could already tell Steve Rogers was trouble, not even counting the near-religious experiences he inspired among the staff. It wasn’t that Bucky didn’t appreciate him as well; he did. He just tended to appreciate people he found attractive from afar, because explaining the metal arm was hard, and because he didn’t really know how to handle letting someone in close. But that wasn’t why Steve was trouble, not really. Bucky wanted to know why their new pastry chef had gun calluses on his right hand.

Adrenalize Me 

                  Word Count: 58.5k                   Rating: Explicit                    Notable Tags: Vampire!Steve                   Warnings: Smut, Blood                   Synopsis: Leaning against the side of a wall, taking an indolent drag of a cigarette, there he stood. Watching Bucky with an inscrutable gaze. Staring at Bucky for long seconds, the blond seemed to consider him before breaking the silence. “You know, nice guy like you walking alone at this hour – people might think you were looking for trouble.” Trying not to shudder at the sound of that voice, which wrapped around him like smoke, Bucky managed a smirk, lifted a brow. “Well, if I was, it looks like I found it.” Two strangers meet in a dark club. One just happens to be a vampire.

The Change in Us 

                 Word Count: 23.4k                  Rating: Explicit                  Notable Tags: N/A                  Warnings: Smut                  Synopsis: “I’ve found your BFF,” Stark says without preamble. “My… what?” “James Barnes. Winter Soldier. Bucky. I don’t know, I don’t care, but right now he’s perched on the roof of the next building with a gun on me, and it’s not so much my idea of a relaxing afternoon, so could you get down here?” Steve hangs up and starts running.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

                  Word Count: 38.2k                   Rating: Explicit                   Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Ex Army!Bucky                   Warnings: Minor Smut                    Synopsis: Many an odd critter and item have ended up on the front porch of the property Bucky house-sits in the Middle Of Nowhere, but a bleeding blond man is a first. A short inspection reveals the man to be none other than Steve Rogers; ex-Captain America, vigilante, and a wanted fugitive. Steve’s stay of a few days of recovery is prolonged, under instructions for him to lie low until the Avengers can sort out the mess that has become the Sokovia Accords. Bucky is pretty sure that he’s committing an act of treason by providing Steve a place to stay. He is also pretty sure that lengthy interaction with Steve makes one prone to impending headaches and possibly ulcers. And he is certain that he is, very assuredly, in danger of falling in love with Steve.

The Soldier’s Revenge

                 Word Count: 76.4k                  Rating: Explicit                   Notable Tags: Canon Divergence, Enemies To Lovers, Slow Burn                  Warnings: Smut                  Synopsis: Bucky Barnes turns himself in to SHIELD two years after dragging Captain America out of the Potomac River. He was deprogrammed in Wakanda and has been hunting down Hydra ever since, but he needs help if he wants to take proper revenge on his captors. He turns to his old enemies: SHIELD and the Avengers, but it'll take more than a few words to win their trust after the Winter Soldier brought SHIELD to its knees not long before. Now at SHIELD's mercy, the only thing that stands between Bucky and his revenge is the approval of Captain Rogers: a self-righteous asshole that Bucky barely knows.

The Best Way to Wake

                  Word Count: 42.2k                   Rating: Explicit                   Notable Tags: Canon Divergence, Slow Burn                   Warnings: Smut                   Synopsis: James Buchanan Barnes lay in a glass pod in the middle of the table, frozen since he fell. Steve’s hands were on the glass before he realized he’d moved. “Wait, Captain!” “Get him out,” Steve whispered, his hands searching for a clasp, a keypad, something. “Captain, we need to keep him in stasis—“ “I said get him out!” In which Bucky Barnes lay frozen in the Alps for seventy years only to be woken up a year after Steve Rogers was uncovered from the Arctic.

Latte Art and Slow Dancing in the Dark

                    Word Count: 89.5k                     Rating: Explicit                      Notable Tags: Age Difference, CIA!Steve, Barista!Bucky, Sugar                            Daddy!Steve                     Warnings: Smut                     Synopsis: Bucky is a somewhat well-adjusted former army sniper that got his shoulder blown out. He took his discharge and went home to finish school and is working on his international relations masters. His best friends and roommates (Nat & Clint) are CIA agents and tip him off that their local Sbux is hiring. He gets a job there and meets none other than the hottest guy on earth. So how does one get a date in the most top secret government location in the US? What happens when that guy is more than just a hot dorito and wants to give Bucky everything he wants? Bucky is going to have to figure out his shit and fast. That's what's up.

Laughter Lines

                   Word Count: 100.2k                    Rating: Mature                    Notable Tags: Bodyguard!AU, Slow Burn                    Warnings: None                    Synopsis: Bucky Barnes is a rising Hollywood star with a tragic past and a reputation for driving his bodyguards away. Steve Rogers is a veteran with the same tragic past and the need to get back out in the world. The two of them have been estranged since they were teenagers, so when Steve joins SHIELD as a bodyguard, he is less than thrilled when he finds out that Bucky is his first assignment. But how bad can it be? They're both professional adults, right?Wrong.

From Hydra with Love

                   Word Count: 21.2k                    Rating: Mature                    Notable Tags: Spies!Steve and Bucky                    Warnings: Smut                    Synopsis: Captain Steve Rogers is one of the best spies in the world - a marksman, a martial artist, an expert in strategy and tactics. There's not a lot he can't handle. Heck, he's even saved the world once or twice. So why does every run in with the mysterious Winter Soldier leave him feeling like the Bond Girl?

Goddamn Electric

                Word Count: 67.8k                 Rating: Explicit                 Notable Tags: Bodyguard!Steve, Musician!Bucky                 Warnings: Drug Use, Alcohol Use, Smut                 Synopsis: Steve Rogers works for a discreet private security company and gets assigned to James Barnes, a musician who takes the idea of 'sex, drugs & rock 'n roll' just a little too seriously.

There Was Something About Steve Rogers

                Word Count: 46.7k                 Rating: Explicit                 Notable Tags: Post CATWS                 Warnings: Smut, Panic Attacks                 Synopsis: The Winter Soldier knows Steve Rogers has deep feelings for Bucky Barnes, and decides that he can use that to his advantage to gain protection from the Hydra agents still trying to find him. What he didn't bargain for was actually starting to care about the man they call Captain America, or the strength of Bucky Barnes' memories as they begin to resurface.

Through the Mist

                Word Count: 14.5k                 Rating: Teen and Up                 Notable Tags: Soulmate!AU, Post CATWS                 Warnings: None                 Synopsis: He usually kept it covered. Whether it be with long sleeves, a cuff of some sort, or make up Natasha skillfully showed him how to apply. He didn’t cover it up because he was ashamed or because he was one of those people who didn’t like others knowing who his soulmate was- no. He covered it up out of respect. Respect for his fallen partner, and respect for himself because he knew looking at those swoopy lines of James B. Barnes on his wrist always made him crumble like his legs were kicked down. When he crashed into the ice all those years ago he thought he was going to see Bucky again- he thought he was finally going to be with Bucky without people giving them ugly looks and throwing slurs their way. He thought he was going to be happy again.

Take Me Home 

              Word Count: 78.1k               Rating: Mature               Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Veteran!Bucky               Warnings: Smut, Torture, Referenced Suicide               Synopsis: “I’m so sorry, I’m gonna help you I promise, just don’t move, fuck, I ran over Captain America–” the man apologized, over and over, and all Steve managed to say was, “You’re really attractive,” before passing out on the guy’s lap in the middle of the road.

Where the Circle Ends

               Word Count: 29.8k                Rating: Mature                Notable Tags: Zombie Apocalypse!AU                 Warnings: Smut, Gore                Synopsis: In which the world has gone to hell in a zombie apocalypse handbasket and, in the middle of it all, Steve finds the one person he never thought he'd see again. Angst and feelings (amongst other things) ensue.

Our Souls (They Were Made to Last) 

               Word Count: 53.8k                Rating: Mature                Notable Tags: No Powers, Veteran!Steve, Doctor!Bucky, Ghost!Bucky                Warnings: None                Synopsis: Dr. James Barnes is too busy saving lives to actually have one of his own. When he finally agrees to go on a blind date, he gets into an accident that will change his life forever. Retired Army Captain Steve Rogers is depressed, and when he moves into his new apartment he finds it already occupied....with the ghost of its last tenant. To make matters worse, the ghost is adamant that he's not dead. As they navigate their way through their new living arrangements, can they save each other, before it’s too late? Or have they missed their one shot at a happy ending?

By Any Other Name

                 Word Count: 36.9k                  Rating: Explicit                  Notable Tags: Assassins and Hitmen!AU, Spies and Agents!AU                  Warning: Smut                 Synopsis: Steve was a good spy. It turned out one good spy didn't stand a chance against a rival security firm, a contract killer, and his own heart.

[seedleaflesssapling]

Ver 2.0? Turning Point?

I can't really identify to which point in my life that i started to doubt myself but im pretty sure that it was because of UP. Damn, that school, my uni. It do really have the ability to make you feel small; i was in a disadvantaged side when i entered it, you know. I was acquainted, no we did not really talked one-on-one, but i heard when we did introductions - Pisay, UP High, science comprehensive schools, Xavier University, who wouldn't be intimidated by that when you came from Col. Ruperto Abellon National School (who would know where that is? I was lucky enough for a teacher recognized it and my classmates be like 'ahhhhhh,' .....really?! I dont even know where xavier is, it just sounds cool). Another thing is that, i wasn't a stem shs graduate - a leverage(?) or excuse (?) that i always use for them to know that i am at disadvantaged side here, not their competitor, probably a NOBODY. They, being stem graduates, have capstone projects you never thought that they have at that age, but i would hear them saying that it was publish in this journal (whatever, idk the journals lmao, i dont even understand their studies 2nd lmao, but that was some smart shit you know, a shit that makes me feel pathetic for being too proud of my what? Correlational study from inconsistent surveys?!!! Wtf, wtf, wtf). But it was a very good peer pressure you know, i kinda turned it that way. Being left behind, being on the rock bottom, i have no other place to go but up. It wasn't the goal, like making or taking the top spot, i just need to survive.

Inevitably, the exams came. I had hard time adjusting chem but math was kind to me. Who would have thought that i would get two 1.0 at my math subjects for the first semester, the sem that i thought i would barely pass. I was even a CS for that sem. Who would have thought? Our first chemical engineering subject that involves computations was on the list the next semester and the first exam, out of 100 i got something like 20ish. WTF. THAT WAS MY FIRST FAILED EXAM. but no, never did cry but tears were flooding inside. So apparently, i have to focus more on this subject and i did. Some were still failing, but i raised my average up. We also had physics, my first ever physics. I really love physics that time or that sir rommel is just a very good professor. I got the highest score on our second LE, everybody else did fail. Small victories. Not that they lose, but i just won. But i heard one time they were talking about me re: passing the physics exam and even getting a high score. They were uhm.. a guy i really look up to cause his good, the other was a girl that idk but i think she didn't like me back then. They were friends but eventually the girl transferred uni because who cares why. i heard the guy saying something like sin.o gid na si franklin nga taas iya score man, maybe even worse than that, i still look up to the guy even until now. But wtf. I really took it in that time, like i wanted to cry but did not. With all that, i got a fair grade at physics. I still got 1.0 at maths that sem and even maintained being on the CS list. S M I L E. BECAUSE WE HAVE A MIDYEAR CLASS. VERY EXHAUSTING FOR SOMEONE WHO DONT WANT ANYTHING BUT JUST ADJUST, SURVIVE, AND FIND MEANING OF BEING A UP STUDENT. It was just one subject and it was math, but i got 2.0?!!! I have no excuse to that, i am very grateful for the family who accommodated me. After midyear class, i did got sick, it sucks, really sucks. I wanted to file an LOA for the next academic year, it is the only thing i can think of for me to go back on track (i haven't said that my parents pushed me to graduate with latin honor and i wanted to also for my resume to look good because everything else in me is effed up). I really wanted to pause and be free for a while but i also wanted to graduate on time (mostly because i want to give the bitches who dared to have expectations be put on my shoulders not the satisfaction, but the audacity to tell them 'i aint did it for ya') so i asked mama. THANK GOD, SHE DID SAY NA KUNG ANO LANG KAYA MO, AMO LANG DA IH 😭😭🤧🤧 so i enrolled, but went to school late, haven't attended the school opening but all is good. I did kind of reset, just enough for me to face school again.

Second year, it was fucked. I did really love coding on octave and doing sheets at ms excel though. On that year, we have formed the che 103 bagsak group. Together with two of my classmates on 103 and math 55, we became buddies after failing che 103 on the first LE, another 30 over 100 exam hahahahaha. We made bawi just enough for us to pass the subject hahahahahuhu. I have thermodynamics sub, i barely pass. Thank G na wala ko nag removal. If ever i did, i am so sure that i wont make it. My GWA for that sem was not enough for me to be a CS. Who cares? I still did, actually but mama was never been too pushy since then, even since after midyear, after getting that 2.0 grade from the only subject i am good at. Btw, my math 55 for first sem, second year, was 1.25. Not a 1.0 but still, it's good. Second semester that year was when pandemic hit so there's nothing much to tell. I was, sorry but i was really, glad to be away from school for a while, not until for a while became forever. Virtual university set-up was very hard. With too much from taking in whatever i see and hear on my surroundings, even just at home, everything is difficult. It is very hard to find motivation and discipline in studying when i was surrounded with people who do nothing. Even to this point i am writing, everyday is like a battle, but is mostly an internal one. Self vs self, a war no one knows who will win. So the confidence, the tower of knowledge i did build, exponentially went down. I did really well when i was in grade 10, i did my best that time and it can be seen at the achievements i had that year. Being consistently on top 1 the whole year, placing second on division MMC (even getting the highest score on the written elimination round for the whole cluster), doing well sa physics under maam andico, placings on cluster journalism competitions - it was like a record best, best record (?) Whatever. But it wasn't enough you know, i eventually came fourth like wtf. I had read from somewhere Newton saying like the two years when he did write the three laws of motion and the calculus stuff were the two best years of his life, and it kept me thinking that what if mine already passed? That it was when i was in high school?

But, back when i was in school, every time that i was belittling myself or even at random times that i would feel nervous for nothing, my classmates and close friends would say na:

Uno mo man ang Math, uno mo na na (it was a one or two time thing, what if chamba lang to???)

Ikaw man highest sa first le sa thermo (it was really an absolutely one time thing, i barely passed that sub)

Alam ka man sa physics (i was just invested on physics and maybe nachambahan lang na ang ginpractice ko solve kay parallel sa exam ni sir)

Alam ka, d ka lang confident (OKAY???!)

I was ignoring those shit cause who cares if i did really good that time. Yeah, it felt good but it wasn't fulfilling. Satisfied but not happy. But with recent events, i think i would be changing. This post will be a written contract that i will push to be better, to start trusting myself, and build that confidence glow behind me; to believe that i am bright and i can hack it, whatever it may be.

For coherence, i would itemize na lang all of the events that brought me to epiphany lol

It was Friday, 17 Sep, when Dean, in our plant design subject, gave an activity for us - to come up with solutions that would address problems he presented. 1 off grid island community (either you address the water, electricity, and phone reception/signal problem under a 100k budget) and 2 vinegar packaging with a 500 mL volume and should cost less than the cost of vinegar. The due's on Monday, 20 Sep. The challenge is that you should come up with an idea that is not the same with those who already turned in their proposed solutions. I haven't turned in mine until Sunday afternoon. We are 23 in class, hence there should be 23 proposed solutions for each problem. However, only 20 or 21 turned in their solutions and as a student who decided to do it three days after the sheet was given, i was at the second to the last of the entries hahaha. I have limited choice since a lot have been proposed. And ngl, i did entered my idea for the first problem at Sunday evening and for the second problem it was on the afternoon of the next day. Those were basic solutions cause who am I? Am just your basic guy.

Tuesday, 21 Sep (#NeverForget #NeverAgain), class again for plant design (PD). Dean discussed stuffs which im ngl, i did not listen because im bored (not until he said 'we'll have a 5-min break and we'll have a quiz after that' like wtf, how will we do our quiz???!). After the short break, I did study cause i panicked as hell, he presented the prospects of the course, that we will be divided in groups and that the leaders were chosen based on the solutions they turned in the activity previously given. So there's no quiz, i was calm the whole time after that until my name was called. Like wtf??! Your basic guy will be a leader???! Hello!!! So i chat people, asked them if it was a good thing (course it was!!!? So dumb right?!). And then, i asked another leader and she agreed to my argument that we should only be divided into six instead of seven as what dean has decided. So i chatted dean (pic below). I just accepted the role half-heartedly.

As leaders, we should be hiring people for our team and we should make pubs. I dont have a canva account to help me do pubs. I made mine at MS ppt HAHAHAHAHAHA but im good so its cute. We were assigned with projects and i get to have the 4-member team. The vacant roles were project maven and liaison officer for a 3-member team. In my pubs, i included scrummaster as position to be filled, cause who am i to lead?! So yeah, that's it. I did the pubs Wednesday and I submitted my resume Thursday (third to the last hahahaha but my resume's cute hahaha).

Thursday. So i had this invite by a classmate to join the Shell event long time ago. He was reaching out for someone to ask Dean for his approval because Dean did not replied to the email he sent. So, i volunteered. I really want this competition cause this will be my first and maybe last competition as a UP student. So i DMed dean and blah blah blah he asked for selection process. I relayed the message and apologize to them for being me because i was thinking that it was me who made him come up with the decision of having the team be selected. Like, wtf i was just asking for his approval. Getting kicked out of the team was not my intention. Those whom i chatted that night were telling me that it wasn't my fault blah blah blah. So i half-heartedly agreed to them.

Friday came, yesterday, the interview. I am very anxious for someone who will be the one asking the applicants lmao. I already have been interviewed before for college applications and somehow remember the feeling, nerve wracking, whatever. To calm my nerves, i listed questions which i never got to ask properly btw, but at least i have concrete ideas on what to ask. The first interviewee was my very closed friend and so we just laugh and laugh and laugh HAHAHAHAHA. IDK if dean saw it but who cares. And the next and next and next. 3:30 passed by fast and guess what??? YOUR BASIC GUY HAS THE MOST NUMBER OF APPLICANTS TO THE POINT THAT DEAN CUT MY LIST. IT WAS EXHAUSTING BUT VERY FLATTERING. I FEEL SO HONORED. i really thought and very scared at the thought that no one will apply to me but wtf, just wtf. Ranking my applicants was damn hard. 1 i have a dream team but one was cut by dean; 2 this could make my friends mad; 3 this will be the group for the whole year; 4 i am really exhausted. But still, i submitted the list. I was hoping for the people i chose to choose me back. Only two out of three did, i am forever grateful.

Still on Friday, the classmate who invited me to the Shell thing and Dean had a zoom call and discussed about the competition. That classmate told dean what i told him the other day that i might be the reason for the decision of having the selection process done. He told me this through a voice memo, katamad daw magtype. A voice message that i played over and over again. Dean actually find me interesting (?), Invested (?) Idk exactly but the classmate told me na 'may nakikita daw talaga sya sayo. Na grabe ka ka-practical as a person like yung ideas mo daw sa plant design napakasimple lang pero napaka practical to the point daw na madami nag apply sayo kanina. And then, you need more confidence lang daw talaga' so ig, you basic guy is a practical guy now. It's just flattering.

Now, whatever happens, i must meet those expectations right? This could be a lousy motivation but what is if there's none? I dont know why im writing this. I just thought i should get my thoughts out. Ver 2.0? Turning point? Let's just do good 😌

PS I put this on my bio on FB, guess im getting more public, and if you happened to read this because you saw the link on my bio, send me a message about you thoughts.

PPS if your initials are JTZC, these have been my week and i miss you even though you're not interested in me anymore, you are hard to forget

[nikkzwrites]

Yesterday Once More | Dark Fix-It Fic Series | Chapter 12

A/N: This fic is one that I started with my OC because honestly, I personally didn’t like how season 3 ended. So I am rewriting all of Dark with my OC Annalise Dahlheim. I hope you all like it. Some things will be expanded more on just for more depth to Dark that season 3 kinda skipped over so…. yeah.

CW: Canon Typical Triggers: Smoking, Sex, Language, Drugs, Drinking, Death, Violence, Suicide Mentions, Cutting, Violence.

Word Count:  6.9k

[First Chapter] [Previous Chapter] [Next Chapter]

“We have managed to stabilize the God Particle and the resulting mass,” Claudia’s recorded voice echoed through the empty power plant, “In a stable state, it seems to create a kind of portal which allows for time travel. If the matter is supplied with sufficient voltage, it can be kept in a stable state in the long term. Sending objects through the stabilized matter has already proven possible.” Jonas stared at the swirling dark mass before him as the recording continued, “A generator has to supply sufficient AC current for that. Even after lengthy observation, we’re not sure what the energy source of the unstable matter is. Measurements indicate there is no form of energy loss.” Jonas looked down at his sheet as he continued to work on the machines trying to make a portal for him to go back home. “It appears to be a type of self sustaining recursive system.” Jonas stood back and threw the switch. Frustratingly, the system still didn’t work as the prerecorded Claudia droned on, “The matter’s radiation levels exceed control values. Still no sign of decay has been observed. This is consistent with the laws of conservation of energy, yet contradicts the second law of thermodynamics. Moreover the matter seems to exist independent of external temperature, in solid, liquid, and gaseous states at once. And the molecules seem to be in a constant cycle.” Jonas tried once more. Only this time the machine actually powered up. The ball formed into a perfect sphere causing Jonas to start awestruck at the dropping sphere only for the power to stop. He turned around annoyed trying to find the source of the problem. There, the generator lacked the proper oil to continue.

The sun rose on the 22nd of June 1987. It was five days until the apocalypse. Mikkel shot up in his new bed. There on his wall was a picture of the Goonies. He squeezed his eyes closed and slowly opened them again to study the ‘Captain Future’ and ‘Nuclear Navigators’ comics scattered across his floor. He slowly pulled himself out of bed and shook his head. He could almost feel like Annalise was there. Like a phantom of her fleeting across his imagination. He slowly made his way downstairs where Ines was working on making a sandwich for him. 

“Hey, sleepyhead. We’re running a bit late today,” Ines commented. She packed his lunch into his bag. When she saw Mikkel just staring at her, she sighed and said, “Come on, everything will be fine. Just one more week and it’s summer vacation.”

Part of him wondered if this was what it was like for Jonas on his first day back to school. He sighed and recounted to Ines, “It’s my mother’s birthday today.” He longed to be there. He knew in his heart that had he been in his time, Magnus and Martha would be rushing around downstairs decorating as Ulrich swooped back into the house with the last of the needed icing for the Black Forest gâteau Annalise was making. His heart yearned to be on the counter kicking his legs as he stole some of the cherries that were going to decorate the top of the cake. As punishment, Annalise would place a bit of Ganache on the tip of his nose while licking the rest off her finger with a smile that lit up his dreams. Ulrich would then place a bit of the left over batter across her cheek using one of the spatulas that she had used to stir it and wink at his son as if he knew how much Mikkel loved her.

Ines slowly put down her keys and cupped the boy’s face, “You know what we said about that.” She tried to reason with Mikkel, “The past is the past…” She brushed his hair away from his face.

Mikkel nodded, “The now is now.” 

Ines caressed him before asking, “Shall we?” At Mikkel’s shrug, she stood up and told him, “Come on.” She led him outside so that he could go to school without any more talk or thoughts of his past life.

Claudia called through her house, “Regina! You’re going to be late!” She turned to Egon and told him, “The French delegation is visiting the plant. I just can’t do it.”

Egon shook his head and explained, “No problem. I don’t have anything else to do.”

Claudia stormed to try and find her daughter, “Regina!”

“I can really do this more often,” Egon told his daughter. When Claudia walked back Gretchen followed her. Something in the back of the man’s head tingled with familiarity. “Where did you find this little one,” he asked Regina. He scooped the dog up into his arms as Claudia stared at him in panic. “Looks like Gretchen,” he commented.

Claudia shook her head quickly lying, “Nonsense.” She took the dog from the confused man and called for her daughter once more, “Regina! Where are you?”

“Listen,” Egon confessed wavering, “I actually wanted to talk to you. There’s something I have to tell you.”

Regina, who was finally ready to go from straightening her hair, walked out right at that moment, “Hi, Grandpa. Can we go?” She was in a rush to go and she walked around with her head held high and a newer self confidence that could only be led back to her meeting the boy Aleksander.

“No need to say bye.” Claudia yelled, “No problem!” After hearing the door slam, she turned back to her father and asked, “You wanted to tell me something?”

Egon bit his lip and shook his head. He, then, nodded and told her, “Never mind. Alright. I will see you later.” He walked out following his granddaughter. 

At the police station in 2020, Charlotte stared at the picture of Noah and Sic Mundus. She turned it over to confirm that on the back it indeed still read, ‘8. January 1921. Sic Mundus Creatus Est.’ She looked up and rolled to her search engine on her work computer and typed in ‘Sic Mundus Creatus Est.’ When she searched it she came across the meaning, ‘Thus the world was created.’

Clausen walked into Charlotte’s office and informed her, “The interview with Mrs. Tiedemann. Already forgotten?”

Charlotte shook her head, “No. I thought you might do it alone after all.”

“Why,” Clausen raised his brow, “Do you have something better to do?”

Charlotte’s hands raised defensively, “No. I just wondered why we’re starting with Mrs. Tiedemann. She has no link to any of the missing people.”

Clausen sighed, “Everyone disappeared near the caves and the nuclear power plant grounds.” He walked in as he explained, “Your colleague Ulrich Nielsen’s brother disappeared in that area in 1986 as well. And then… There’s also the door in the caves leading right to the nuclear power plant.” He leaned over the desk and asked her, “How long have Aleksander Tiedemann and his wife been married?”

Charlotte furrowed her brow then shook her head looking at him, “I don’t exactly know. Regina was… in her mid twenties. Why?”

“Don’t you find it unusual,” He asked. 

Charlotte asked for clarification, “What?”

“That Aleksander Tiedemann took his wife’s name,” Clausen spoke. 

Charlotte shook her head, “No.”

“Shall we go,” He asked her again.

Charlotte, taking the hint, stood up and started to walk out. When Clausen didn’t make an immediate move she called to him and asked, “Are you coming?”

“Yes,” he called to her as he walked away still curious about what his colleague was trying to hide from him.

Elizabeth stared at her book that she got from her great grandfather’s old shop. She was completely absorbed in it that she nearly didn’t notice her sister standing up to go get the door. She was a bit confused because their parents weren’t supposed to be home yet.

Hearing the doorbell, Franziska stood up and walked to the door. She opened the door to reveal Magnus. Annoyed, she asked him, “Hey, where have you been?” He paced inside with the girl hot on his trail, “Why didn’t you call me back? I was trying to reach you the whole time.”

Magnus turned to her and scowled, “Last year, I know where you got the money.” He shook his head and quoted Bernadette, “ ‘Blow job 40 euros, anal 85. Kinky stuff costs extra?’ Who did you do it with, huh? Who did you blow in this damn shithole?” Franziska’s face contorted in confusion and hurt as Magnus continued, “Nothing has changed. Everyone lies. Everyone cheats.”

Franziska shook her head. Her face reddening from trying to hold back tears, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I followed you,” confessed Magnus, “I know who you get your money from.”

Franziska took a large breath and angrily asked, “So your first thought is that I prostitute myself?”

Sneering, Magnus replied, “What else?”

Franziska yelled at him, “I don’t sell my tits or ass! I sell hormone therapy prescriptions, you idiot! My father used to use them to pay for his visits. He stopped going and now I’m the new supplier.”

Magnus stared at her and shook his head, “Why do you do it?”

“I help her, she helps me,” Franziska shouted at him, “It’s that simple!” Magnus started to shake his head causing the girl to continue, “The secrets aren’t the problem, it’s the shit we all project onto others. I said it’s none of your fucking business, and it isn’t! I can’t believe you spied on me. How messed up are you?” She stormed past him to go back into the den to sit on the sofa. 

Magnus stared at her for a second before storming out the house.

The older Jonas watched as the girl started to cry in her sleep. He reached over to her and started to wipe her tears away. He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her pulling the girl on top of him. Her hair stuck to his beard as he kissed the top of her head once again. He held her closer as she started to thrash and scream.

Annalise was drowning in the void. It felt as if someone, or something, was dragging her down deep within the depths. Before, she was on a small makeshift raft with Bartosz, Magnus, Martha, Regina, and Aleksander, a storm hit causing her and Martha to be thrown overboard. But now she was in a deep, black void.  As she cried out, it only felt as though the dark liquid rushed into her mouth and lungs. Every turn she saw another cold, swollen, lifeless face there with her. Mikkel, Erik, Jonas, Ulrich, Yasin, Helge, her own father Lukas, and when she looked down, there smiling up at her, each holding an ankle was herself and David. Every fiber of her being was on fire, yet ice cold.

Jonas winced at her scratching at him as if she were a caged animal. He called to her, “Annalise, my love. Wake up.” He squeezed her a bit tighter in his arms, “Darling. Wake up.” 

Annalise shook awake. Her body convulsed as it coughed up air as if she was choking. Her eyes released more tears as she tried her best to breathe. She buried herself into the man’s neck and wrapped herself around him.

He slowly pulled her close to him and lifted them out of bed. He cradled her as he walked with her still crying into his shoulder. He cooed, “I know. I know. It’s okay. You’re safe now. You’re right here with me. Everything’s okay.” As he comforted her, she only responded by wrapping her arms around his neck tighter. He sauntered to his bag and wobbly bent down to place it on the chair so that he could grab a clean shirt out of it. After placing the clean shirt onto his arm, he slowly started to walk them to the shower. Jonas started it running. He whispered into her ear, “I’m going to slip if I keep holding you like this. Are you okay?” When he felt her nod, he placed her down gently and grabbed her face. He kissed right in the middle of her big puffy red eyes. Jonas told her, “It won’t take long okay?” He put his shirt in the sink.

Annalise nodded. She looked at his chest finally to see tiny red scrapes that seemed like claw marks. 

When Annalise reached to touch the scratches she gave him, Jonas turned from her and chuckled, “don’t worry about it.” He said, “As you can see, you have to do a lot more than that to hurt me. I have thick skin.”

Her lips trembled as she nodded and waited for him to be done before going in herself. She washed away the cold sweat off of her. She could feel him still there in the room with her, yet she just focused on the warm water carrying all the fear from her.

Jonas stared at her form hidden from him by the curtain. He didn’t want to leave her alone just in case. He knew what trauma did to people all too well. He turned to face himself in the mirror. He stared at his face wondering how, if things were different, would he still be the same. Would he still look like this? He tried to imagine what Annalise herself would look like. He only ever knew her at this age. Would she still love him if she were able to go past this?

Annalise slowly turned off the shower. She dried herself off and walked out. She noticed him looking distressed. She smiled gently at him, “Is there something wrong?”

He shook his head, “No. I’m sorry for worrying you.” He watched as she stole one of his old hoodies and slipped it on. A smile spread across his face. His heart was young and light once more. His eyes lit up. His troubles felt so far away seeing her in his clothes. He couldn’t believe he took all of this for granted so long ago.

Annalise gave him a hug and asked Jonas, “Should we head downstairs? Get some breakfast?” She kissed his hidden jaw.

Jonas nodded, “Yeah.” He watched as she walked into his room to place her phone to charge. He started his way downstairs after grabbing his suitcase. 

Hannah sat at the table looking at pictures of her son. She felt at a loss. He was here with them, yet her Jonas was off in the future. Annalise seemed to have moved on very quickly to this new Jonas that actually burned inside of her a bit. She placed the picture down when she heard his heavy steps go down the stairs.

Jonas silently placed his suitcase on the table and opened it up for his mother. He took out his time machine to show to her.

“What’s this,” Hannah asked.

Annalise answered from the stairs, “A time machine.” She walked down stairs and kissed Jonas’s cheek. She told him, “I’m going. I will see you later.” She pulled away from him after he gave her a small acknowledgement nod and walked towards the door.

Hannah looked back at Jonas, “Since when? You know what… Please continue.”

“This machine takes you 33 years into the past,” Jonas explained as he finished opening up the box, “and 33 years into the future.”

Hannah stood up and examined the box, “You’re both serious?”

Jonas stared at her then sighed, “I did it all wrong. I tried to keep a secret. The truth is, that is exactly what’s destroying us. The secrets. Mom, I know that sounds insane. That’s why I want you to see it for yourself. With your own eyes.”

“What do you mean,” Hannah asked her son.

Jonas whispered, “Dad’s secret.”

Mikkel walked up to the school. He zoned out for a second only to get shoulder checked by a black eyed Katharina who told him to, “Get out the way dork.”

Hannah stopped to look at him giving him a small smile before getting called back by her friend.

“Hannah, come on!” Katharina commanded. When Hannah hurried up to meet her, she asked, “What are you staring at?”

Mikkel sighed and turned away from the school to walk away.

Claudia power walked her way through the power plant with Gretchen in toe. Her heels clicked against the concrete floors.

Her assistant rushed to her and said, “Thank God you’re here. Someone’s waiting for you in your office. I didn’t know… It was about the dog. She says it’s hers.”

Claudia looked up at the woman in shock. She then walked into her office to see an older lady with long gray hair. The small poodle trotted up to the woman proving that Gretchen did indeed know who she was. 1986 Claudia looked at the woman and asked, “Is that your dog? I’m so sorry. She ran up to me. We called the shelter and no one reported her missing. And she resembles the dog I had as a kid.”

“Gretchen,” the older Claudia told her younger self.

Scared, the younger Claudia asked, “How do you know that?”

The older woman shrugged a bit with a playful look in her eye, “Because it’s my dog. Just like it’s yours.”

The younger Claudia took a step back realizing the full scope of what the older woman had said. Breathing hard, she asked, “Excuse me?”

“And the blood test results,” Egon asked the doctor, “So it’s already spread. To the hospital? This Friday? No. Yes, that should work. Don’t worry. I have someone. Yes.” He hung up the phone and slowly walked himself to his chair to sit and contemplate his life. Seeing Mads face in the newspaper reminded him of his missed appointment with Helge. He looked up knowing what he had to do.

“I know it’s hard to believe,” The older Claudia told her younger self, “But I remember.”

“What,” 1987 Claudia shook her head.

The older Claudia clarified, “this precise moment. Go to the blinds. Trust me.” She watched as her younger self followed her instruction then stated, “two people are sitting at their desks, Hermann and Kowaltschik. Our secretary will approach the desk on the right in a moment. She’ll fan her face on the way. Watch Kowaltschik. He’s about to drop his pen.”

Everything happened just as the older woman described causing Claudia to turn to her and ask, “How did you do that?”

“I experienced it all,” The older Claudia explained while holding the small poodle in her arms, “Everything you’ve ever experienced and everything you ever will. I am you. And I was told by me that you and I are the same person.”

Claudia shook her head, “That’s impossible.”

Her older self sighed and watched as she moved to sit back down again. “This is Gretchen,” The older self explained, “The day she ran into the cave. I was there waiting for her. She recognized me at once as if I hadn’t aged a second. I brought her to the other side so that you would find her. Some things have to happen as they always have.”

Claudia nodded, “The cave. The incident last summer. Something else happened after all!”

In 2053, Jonas walked through the empty foggy streets to grab some more fuel. He then set up a small music player in the school to distract everyone from what he was doing. The ghost form of Annalise danced around him with a smile on her face and an arm around her own waist as she twirled. She beckoned him to join her, Martha, and Bartosz in having fun. Bartosz was there with her dancing with her with one of his arms limp to the side as Martha sat on the desk with a hole in her heart bobbing her head to the music. He walked past their phantoms and grabbed his things to continue his work so that he could actually join them in their time rather than just seeing distant memories of them. Just on time, the patrol truck passed. The group hopped out to prepare their raid on the building. Jonas, then, jumped over the wall so that he could syphon its gas into his canister. He quickly ducked behind the wall scared out of his mind as the person guarding the tank had started to move over towards the side he was previously on. There beside him as he breathed quickly was a hazy form of Annalise. As if a memory of her sitting pressed a wall. Her breathing slow. Her eyes were closed helping him slowly close his eyes and calm his breathing so that he was less likely to be heard.

“Do you believe in ghosts,” The young Regina asked.

Aleksander replied, “What do you mean?”

Regina laughed, “The book we’re reading at school. It’s about ghosts and demons” They sat facing each other tangled up in the other’s legs. She continued, “that we inherit from our parents.” She lifted up their held hands and explained, “And...that you pass them on. Dark stuff. From generation to generation.”

Aleksander shrugged and shook his head, “Maybe.” His thumbs grazed the back of her palms. He chuckled and smirked, “I’m sure you inherited your mother’s best features.” He folded his arms so that her arms were even more intertwined with his.

“I didn’t know if she had any,” sighed Regina. 

“No,” the lovestruck boy teased.

Regina smiled as she shook her head, “You have no idea. She...She’s never around. And when she is, all she does is gripe about me.” Aleksander let out a large breath and started to trace his loved one’s scars on her wrist as she continued, “She has never once said, ‘I love you’ to me.”

Aleksander sighed. His eyes held her hostage as he told her, “I love you.” He held that moment between them before they both leaned forward to press their lips against their partner’s.

Clausen asked the older Regina, “How would you describe your relationship with Ulrich Nielsen?”

“I think it’s known that we have no relationship with the Nielsens,” the woman explained.

Clausen heckled, “Yet he showed up at your hotel the day before he disappeared. What did he want?” 

Charlotte stared at the box on the table as Regina explained, “He wanted to know what really happened in 1986. Because I was the last one… to see his brother alive.”

Clausen looked around the room and commented, “Your husband. How long has he lived in Winden?”

“Since 1986. Why do you ask,” asked Regina right back.

Clausen then asked, “Why did he take your last name?”

“What does one have to do with the other,” she asked while shaking her head.

Charlotte threw up her hands and started to act as if getting up, “If we are done here--”

Clausen shushed her and motioned for the  woman to stop. “There is still something,” He commented to his coworker. He turned towards Regina and asked, “Isn’t there?”

Regina nodded and said, “Last year, a stranger came to the hotel. Those are his things.” Charlotte nodded and opened the box as the other woman continued, “He wanted to rent a room. He looked like a homeless person. He paid cash. He left after a few days, but he wanted to keep the room. He never came back.” She watched as Charlotte started to spread out all of the older Jonas’s things across the table. Regina told Clausen, “These were all over his walls. As he was leaving he asked me to mail a package for him. ”

“To whom,” asked Clausen.

Regina took a baited breath and then told him, “Jonas Kahnwald.”

Annalise stared down at the lake beneath her. The stone ledge was the only thing keeping her from it’s depths. She swallowed down her anxiety and started to strip down. She hung her borrowed clothes on a tree branch. She walked a little away from the ledge, turned, then sprinted right off. As her feet left the hard ground, she performed a dive straight into the lake below her. Her eyes closed. Her heart beat faster than she ever knew it to beat.

Magnus happened to be passing by as he sulked in the forest. He saw Annalise run, then, jump into the water. He started to panic. The boy knew how she was about water and swimming. He threw off his shirt and pants hurrying to get into the water. “Annalise,” yelled the boy as he swam out towards where she had jumped.

Weightlessness was a melancholic memory. Annalise opened her eyes feeling herself submerged in the water. She needed to get deeper. She spread her legs much like a frog and forced them together propelling herself farther into the lake. Her hair flowed behind her as she tried to force her way into the darkness. She kept swimming down until she started to hear thrashing near the service of the water. She turned her head to see a pair of legs there. It wasn’t long until she saw Magnus dive down as well. He looked so scared. Annalise swam over to him and grabbed his shoulders.

Magnus flailed beneath the water looking for the girl. He couldn’t spot her until she grabbed onto his shoulders and turned him towards the surface once more. She pointed upwards indicating that they should go up to talk. He nodded and swam up after her. Once he was out of the water he watched her breathing deeply and screamed, “What the fucking hell?” He pushed his hair out of his face.

Annalise turned toward him, “What are you doing here Magnus?” She had finally caught her breath. Her eyes burned from trying to transition from water to air again causing her to repeatedly blink.

“What am I doing here,” He yelled at her, swimming them towards the rocky edge for them to sit, “What the hell were you thinking? That was so fucking stupid! What if I weren’t here?”

Annalise smiled at him as she pulled herself out the water and wrung out her hair. She giggled for a second and slyly commented, “I’d probably still be trying to see how far I could go.”

He growled at her, “You could have gotten seriously hurt.” He watched as she sprawled on top of the sun-warmed rock. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt a little proud seeing her so nonchalant about the water now. He ended up laying down next to her and asked, “But seriously, what made you do this?”

“Honestly,” Annalise sighed, “Everything is just so...crazy right now, that I might as well have done it, right?”

Magnus nodded, “Yeah. I know what you mean.”

The two lay there in the sun letting its heat dry them from the darkness they were once surrounded by. They were there in silence for several minutes before Annalise spoke up again, “You never told me why you were here.” With her eyes still closed absorbing the warmth of the light, she raised one of her eyebrows.

Magnus nodded with his closed as well, “Franziska and I got into it because of some dumbass thing I did.”

Annalise nodded, “Ah.”

Silence overcame the moment once again as they just tried to process their life. They both enjoyed being with each other not having to say anything at all sometimes. Their friendship allowing them to feel the passage of time and their responsibility to it without words. Magnus didn’t realize how much he was going to treasure this memory with her as his life would continue without having her physically being around him.

After a while, Annalise turned to her friend and asked, “Do you hate me?”

“Sometimes,” Magnus admitted, turning to look at her. He huffed and explained, “I sometimes think that you do actually know more about what happened to my father and brother, yet you are refusing to tell me or anyone. Then, I remember that you would never do that to us.” He lay back onto his back and stated, “You love us far too much to ever do anything like that.”

Annalise lay back down as well, “Yeah.”

The older Jonas led his mother through the Winden caves. He periodically looked back to make sure she was still there with him and not hurt. When they got to a large cavern within the space, he set up his machine.

“What is this,” Hannah asked the older version of her son. She breathed heavily and asked, “What are we doing here?”

“It’s safer to travel from here,” He explained to his mother. He knelt down and started to fiddle with the box to start up the machine. He looked up at his mother and told her, “I told you it would be easier to understand once you’ve seen it.”

Mikkel was walking his way back home on the outskirts of the woods just as the box in 2020 was powering up.

Stranger Jonas turned to his mother and told her, “Don’t be scared.” He held her shaking hand as they prepared to travel.

Mikkel continued his walk through the woods avoiding school. Then he heard it. The noise he recognized. He ran his way to the caves hoping to find his way home. He walked closer towards it only to be stopped by a man’s voice.

“Should you be in school,” asked Noah. He walked towards the boy as he continued to cut and eat his apple.

Mikkel looked at him, “I know you.” The boy said, “You were in the hospital.”

Noah strolled over to the boy and explained, “I like coming here. Special place. So...Why aren’t you in school?” When Mikkel didn’t reply, the man smiled, “I see. Sometimes we don’t really know where we’re supposed to be.” He pointed with his knife towards the caves and said, “But I wouldn’t go in there. It’s like a maze in there. Some have never returned.” Noah put away his knife and started to walk away.

“At the hospital,” Mikkel said to the man, “you said something. The thing about God and that he has a plan for everyone. But what if God has no idea what he’s doing? What if the plan is wrong? If God is mistaken?”

Noah shook his head, “God doesn’t make mistakes. Sometimes we have to have more faith that everything will be okay again.” He turned away and tossed the apple to the side as he walked away.

Egon smiled at Helge, “I’ve been wanting to come by for quite some time. Now that I’m retired, I have time.” Helge looked up at him then started to make his little nature soldiers once more. Egon continued, “I… Mads’ disappearance. I can’t stop thinking about it. On that day… you had a shift at the nuclear power plant. You said you took the country road home, but that’s a detour. Why didn’t you take the forest road?”

Helge slowly spoke, “He… He said… He can change everything. He can change the past, and the future.”

“Who said that,” asked Egon.

Helge replied, “The man with the stone.”

Egon asked, “But that was 33 years ago. What does that have to do with Mads?”

Helge took a deep breath, “But no one can change it. No one. Not even the White Devil.”

“The White Devil,” Egon asked, “You’ve said that before. Back then, as a child.” 

Helge started to work once more. He kept repeating to himself, “Tick-Tock. Tick-tock.”

The older Claudia stood in the cave with her younger self. She explained, “I would like you to trust in an idea that’s bigger than you. Bigger than any of us.” She started to unscrew a canister of the God Particle.

“What’s that,” the younger self asked.

Older Claudia explained, “This is humankind’s greatest discovery. And also its doom. It allows you to travel through time. Thirty three years back. Thirty three years forward. And it will take exactly 33 years for the cycle to be completed again. Until you are standing where I am standing now and accept your role in this never-ending dance, and every sacrifice it requires. In five days, everything will start over. You must stop Adam.”

The younger Claudia shook her head, “Who is Adam?”

“You don’t understand it yet,” She explained then took out some diagrams, “But you soon will.” She let the younger version of her take it then continued once more, “Until then, everything will happen as it always has. As it must.” She started up the machine allowing herself to back way, “In the end, life is just a collection of missed opportunities. You don’t have much more time with Regina. But if everything works out… she will live.” After that, she disappeared in a black sphere leaving Claudia alone in the cave.

Jonas trekked back to his secret place in the nuclear power plant. As soon as he crawled under. Silja and her group were there with guns pointed at him. Elizabeth walked out from the woods and the boy knew he was in trouble.

Charlotte drove and called Peter. She explained what she had learned to him in a panicked tone. She looked over to her grandfather’s book next to her then back onto the road. She started to break down with her husband asking, “Why did he never tell me who my parents really were?”

Jonas stood there with the noose around his neck and his feet and wrists bound. He glared out at Elisabeth as he shed a tear.

Silja translated for her once more, “You know the rules. Do you think they don’t apply to you?”

Elisabeth held her gun up at him then Jonas asked her, “Why are you lying to them? Why don’t you tell them what’s really in the dead zone?” She shot his leg causing the boy to cry out in pain. He yelled, “In five days, in my time, everybody is going to die! I have to stop that. There is no prophecy! The passage will never open. Your paradise does not exist! But behind the wall-”

Elisabeth had enough of his desperate pleas and kicked his stand from under him. Silja couldn’t even watch as she heard him choking. After a short while, Elisabeth shot the rope allowing the boy down from his hanging.

Egon sat at his home and answered his phone, “Hello? Egon here. Yes. Listen, in 1953 we arrested a man. What happened to him after 1953? He killed two kids back then. Then he abducted Helge Doppler. Yeah. I wanted to know what happened to him. Yes, I’ll hold.” He stared at the picture of Ulrich then when he heard a reply, “Yes? Okay, that’s the case. What? He’s still here? Where?” 

He then went to visit the mental hospital where Ulrich was staying. When the nurse led him to the man, he slowly approached. “Excuse me, please. You may not remember me anymore. My name is Egon Tiedemann. I arrested you 34 years ago.”

Ulrich turned towards him and said, “Egon Tiedemann.” He stood up and asked, “How could I ever forget you?”

“I…” Egon stumbled over his words, “I wanted… I have a few questions.”

Ulrich leaned over and sniffed the man. He then quoted in English, “‘My only aim is to take many lives. The more the better I feel.’”

Egon moved back, “I know that. You’ve said that before. What does it mean?”

Ulrich shook his head, “It means that you, you moron, still haven’t understood a thing.” He sat back down at his table, “But now you have to hurry. You don’t have much time left. I know when you die. It was in the paper.”

Egon moved closer to him, “I don’t understand.”

“No,” Ulrich told the man, “Of course you don’t. But maybe that is also your fate. To die as clueless as you were when you were born.” Ulrich laughed, “Everyone gets what they deserve.”

A storm brewed in Winden causing Mikkel to walk back home to an awaiting Ines. She sat at the table smoking. She ran to her son and asked, “Where have you been?” She held him and told the boy, “I was so worried.” She sniffled, “I called the school. They said you never showed up there. Did something happen?” When Mikkel didn’t reply, she looked down, “You know what? There are days it’s best to just forget. But… There’s no better comfort food than ‘Toast Hawaii.’ We always had it at home when I was little, with two maraschino cherries. And my dad used to dance like Elvis.” She put down the can of pineapples.

“Do you believe in God,” asked Mikkel.

Ines made a face. She remembered back to the handsome boy who made her interested in the church. His strong sense of will, right and wrong, and how his smile reminded her of a sunset. He always knew exactly what to say and could make her laugh even on her worst days. He would clown around and end up just hurting himself trying to make her smile, but he would always pop back up with a large goofy smile. He was like that with nearly everyone though. He was constantly making Helge feel better about himself. She remembered one time he really made her heart race though. They were helping the community kids learn how to dance. David was sitting out initially and was there to help demonstrate with the Pastor, but no one wanted to partner with her, so he walked over to her. He smiled oh so gently at her and held her close as they danced. He leaned down and in a low voice sang the song just for her, into her ear. After he pulled away, he, in a husky voice just loud enough for prying ears to hear and with a devious smirk, said, “Here’s looking at you, Kid.” He made her feel like the most desirable person in the room. It worked on everyone else too because boys stopped bullying her and girls started to be a bit nicer to her in school. In fact, the group of girls pulled her and Jana to cluck with the rest of them about the boys and question her about David. She started to go to church a lot more after that just to see the older boy. He would walk her and Jana home. After dropping Jana home first, he’d always leave her just like how he pulled away from her after dancing and adding a sweet chaste kiss where her forehead met her hair line. She could remember how lonely he looked walking away. As if, his happiness was simply a mask to make everyone else happy and there was some darkness lurking beneath the surface.

Ines looked at her son and nodded.

“Do you believe he has a plan for us,” Mikkel asked. 

Ines sighed. She thought back to David and her own life after trying to chase the feeling of what he left her...then the feeling of losing her birth son… She nodded once again, “I believe… he does. I believe, for example, that God saw to it that you came to me. And that his plan for me is to be there for you.” She smiled at the boy and rubbed his shoulders, “Right, let’s make ‘Toast Hawaii,’ okay?” She sniffled back tears, “Will you help me?”

Mikkel followed the woman and gave her a much needed hug to comfort the both of them.

In 2053, Jonas sat in his cage. He struggled with his leg and breathing. When he heard Silja, he backed himself more into the corner. His breath hitched as she pointed the gun at him. 

“Why didn’t she kill you,” She asked. She stared at him and asked, “Who are you really?” When he didn’t reply, she yelled, “Who are you?” Jonas stared at her debating for a second before she knocked off the lock and opened his cage. She told him, “I want you to show me. What’s really in the dead zone.”

Jonas agreed and they snuck into the dead zone as Charlotte in 2020 looked for answers of her parents. The older Hannah walked towards the 1987 version of her house. There in the window was Ines and Mikkel laughing. Ulrich looked out of his window as Egon looked over his files. The older Jonas held his mother as she realized her husband was Mikkel. Peter rushed to his wife’s side holding her knowing that she needed it. Annalise walked Magnus home and held him close as tears fell from her eyes. Jonas showed Silja the mass. Claudia trekked back to her house and dug up the time machine her older self left for her 33 years prior. 

Jonas put the gasoline into the generator and cranked the machine to life.

“What is that,” Silja asked.

Jonas said, “She said it’s a portal.”

“Who,” asked the girl.

Jonas explained, “I have tapes with a woman speaking on them. Her name is Claudia Tiedermann. I know none of this makes sense, but that may be the only way back home.” He pointed to it, “No clue if it works.” He turned the electrical on to see the blob turn into a sphere.

“You want to go in,” Silja tried to reason with the boy.

He turned to her and explained, “It doesn’t matter if I die inside of it or out here.” He walked his way to the sphere and slowly let his hand be consumed for a second. He took it out to see if it was okay. With that, he stepped in with the girl calling for him back in 2053.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

You wanna have a good laugh I was posting (actual) scientific videos on answers in genesis twitter and then I got in a heated argument with a creationists and even after showing so much evolutionary evidence he still thinks I’m CRAZY and even stated that creationism is more accepted and that science doesn’t support evolution you know it’s at that point I need to ask HAS ANY CREATIONISTS RESEARCH EVER BEEN PEER REVIEWED I CANNOT FIND ONE. How can they not think evolution isn’t accepted worldwide!

They don’t understand science, they don’t want to understand science, since it’ll unravel the ancient goat-herder myths they’ve attached themselves emotionally to, and so it’s simply a combination of denial and blatant misrepresentation.

I like to throw the Misconceptions series at them. Creationists are so predictable, you could probably have a whole argument by responding entirely in appropriate CROPES cards: http://pinkheretic.com/creation-misconceptions/

Creation Translation’s also got some snappy responses: https://twitter.com/YECTranslator

Project Steve is useful for the “science doesn’t support evolution” lie: https://ncse.ngo/project-steve

But the thing is that if you get to this point where they’re claiming things like this, they’re a lost cause. They’re either pathologically dishonest (only every branch of the natural sciences supports evolution), or so ignorant, illiterate and inveigled by charlatans, there’s nowhere to go. A good indicator of this is when they outright contradict themselves in how they regard science; keep a look out for this, because it does happen. e.g. “science doesn’t support evolution!” one minute, then “science can never make up its mind!” the next. Or when they act like scientists are secret conspiratorial cabal one moment, then trot out (a strawman misrepresentation/misunderstanding of) the laws of thermodynamics the next.

Always keep in mind that you cannot convince them. You’re trying to use reason and evidence against a superstition they didn’t use reason and evidence to sink themselves into in the first place. Creationism isn’t intellectual or scientific in any way - like the religions themselves, it’s entirely emotional, based on how unwilling and incapable they are of comprehending or accepting that humans (well, they) are not the centre of the universe, that there’s nobody who decided that the universe needed someone exactly like them, or that we’re just a part of the natural world around us.

If you keep this in mind, it can make your job easier. You can focus on exercising and improving your arguing and debating muscle, and expanding your knowledge on the topic.

The only things you can do are demonstrate you have no good reason to accept their nonsense, help others to learn how to respond to these lunatics, and simply bail out when it becomes tiresome and a waste of your time. You shouldn’t feel obliged to continue just because they’ll try to make it look like you were running away, that they “won” - they’re going to claim victory anyway…

[hopefulfestivaltastemaker]

September 13, 2020

My weekly roundup of things I am working on. Topics include wildfires, exotic energy sources, speculative energy sources, the Biden housing plan, and creative outlets.

Wildfires in Oregon

Oregon, along with the rest of the West Coast, has been in the news for devastating wildfires that are still ongoing. This is certainly the worst I have experienced, much worse that the 2017 fires in California. Both Oregon and California are having their worst seasons on record.

In Oregon, it started last Monday, when a strong (and unseasonably early) east wind came over an already dry state, drying the air further and spreading fires rapidly. The Portland metro area experienced sporadic bad air quality on Monday and Tuesday, and it has been consistently bad since Wednesday. Today is no noticeable improvement. The weather forecast is for clouds on Monday and some rain on Tuesday, which should finally bring about some improvement.

So far there have been dozens of deaths in the West and several dozen more people unaccounted for and significant property damage. My guess is that most of the damage will be harder to see: the impact of the poor air quality on people who are already vulnerable. These events bring about yet more disruption in a region that has already been reeling from the pandemic, economic hardship, and civil unrest.

I made a facetious remark on Twitter about solar radiation management, but I really have been struck at how much the weather has cooled down. The temperature is at least 20 degrees (F) cooler than it should have been, due to soot particles reflecting sunlight. In my neighborhood, the light-sensitive streetlights are on during the day. I can look directly at the Sun without hurting my eyes. Needless to say, I will need to be convinced that any solar radiation management scheme will not significantly harm air quality before I will believe it’s a good idea.

If anyone is actually reading this, I would implore you not to use the fires merely as a talking point for your pet climate policy. This is something that irritates me greatly. In the immediate term, we need relief and a stronger firefighting force. In the medium term, we need better forest management practices. Greenhouse gas mitigation helps only marginally in the long term. Don’t try to tell me that building a bike lane in New York City is the solution we in the West are looking for. Once the fires are extinguished, most climate activists will lose interest in our land use needs and move on to the next disaster.

Exotic Energy Sources

This week I added an Exotic Energy section to Urban Cruise Ship. I had been considering this for a long time, and I went ahead and did it mainly because I have been stuck on some harder projects and wanted to do something relatively easy. There are no graphics planned, as I don’t see the topic as important enough to justify assigning more work to our graphics guy, but there are a few interesting things.

One recurring scheme is various ways to capture piezoelectricity, which is generated through pressure on a surface, such as when people walk over a plate or cars drive over it. One study in Australia found that with more advanced generators, an educational building at Macquarie University might recover 0.5% of its electricity usage by installing generators at high traffic points. With technology that was current at the time of the study, it’s probably more like 0.06%.

As for roadways, I cited several studies that report levelized costs of electricity in the range of multiple dollars per kilowatt-hour (wholesale prices tend to be in the range of 3-6 cents/kWh and retail on the order of 10 cents). The exception was a California study that reported 8-20 cents/kWh, which as far as I can tell is just an uncritical repetition of claims from the vendor. Also not discussed is the fact the source of energy is kinetic energy from cars, so unless the car is braking, the generators are stealing energy from motorists. We might as well be using diesel generators then.

If I were to make a guess, the pilot project is little more than California burning several million dollars on a patently unworkable scheme because of some marketing by a shady vendor. I’m all for trying bold ideas that are not guaranteed to succeed, but one must draw the line at ideas that clearly won’t succeed or where basic feasibility questions haven’t even been asked.

Biomechanical energy harvesting is an idea that got a bit of hype a few years ago, but now few people seem to still be interested. Making some extremely generous assumptions, I estimated that it would have a theoretical of about 1 exajoule per year, or about 0.2% of primary energy supply. More medium-case assumptions would cut that by at least a factor of five. Plus that doesn’t account for extra exertion required by the person or embodied energy in the devices.

There are probably some niche use cases for piezoelectric generators and biomechanical systems, such as low power distributed sensors and personal electronics respectively.

I even commented on the power from rainfall paper earlier in the year, an idea too silly to take seriously.

Speculative Energy Sources

But even with the above we’re not done. I decided to venture into the realm of speculative physics.

In quantum physics, even a system with zero temperature must have some latent energy due to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. This has been termed the zero point. So naturally that leads people to speculate that zero point energy could be harvested for useful purposes. The near-consensus seems to be that this is impossible, that it must violate thermodynamics somehow, though I found it surprisingly difficult to find a rigorous explanation of why this is the case. This paper from 2019 is all I found, and even then, it only rules out two of three proposed ZPE extraction methods based on thermodynamic principles. Incidentally, the authors hold a patent on the third method and claim there is inconclusive evidence that it works.

Additionally, there is the NASA Eagleworks project to use the quantum vacuum to develop a spacecraft that can operate without onboard propellant.

There is a lot of interesting physics here that I don’t understand. I was expecting to write a short, dismissive comment for the website, but it would seem that ZPE is a legitimate area of scientific research. Maybe this will actually work for energy production someday. But there is no solid evidence yet, and any claims of a currently working ZPE device can be safely rejected.

Some other ideas that pop up, based in speculative physics, including hydrinos, neutrinos, quark fusion, and the ever popular perpetual motion machine. At least neutrinos and quark fusion are legitimate physics, but as far as useful energy production goes, these are all pathological ideas. I’ll add more as I see them. I briefly covered cold fusion a while ago on the Fusion page.

I expect that when the site is finally done, of the many things people could fairly accuse me of, not being comprehensive will not be one of them.

The Biden Housing Plan

Evidently I am a few weeks late, but the Biden-Harris campaign has a housing plan. The tl;dr is that there might be a few good things here, but I’m not too impressed.

When it comes to housing affordability, the principle I’ve tried to reiterate over and over again is that it comes down to supply. If there are 1,000,000 people who want to live in a city with a zoned capacity for 800,000, then 200,000 people will not be able to live there. It doesn’t matter if you impose rent control, eviction moratoria, inclusionary zoning rules, offer Section 8 or other subsidies, or whatever. As long as the supply is fixed, all these do is change the rationing mechanism from price to something else. Which, it must be acknowledged, is often the intent.

Traditionally, the federal government has a limited role in zoning. That could change of course; the federal government today has major roles in many areas where it previously had a limited or no role. As it is now, I see two plausible hooks for federal involvement in the near term. The first is the Fair Housing Act, where it can be argued fairly convincingly that zoning rules have disparate impact on protected groups, and in some cases intentional impact; and the second is to tie zoning reform to federal Community Development Block Grants or transportation funding, where reform is a matter of insuring that federal spending is actually used effectively.

The Biden plan calls for reinstatement of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which while imperfect, I think is better than what the Trump Administration decided to go with, which is nothing. As for the second, I momentarily got my hopes up when I saw that they were promoting legislation to do just that. But upon reading the details of the HOME Act (which was introduced last year but I was unfamiliar with until now), I see that the list of measures the bill calls for to promote “inclusive land use” are wide-ranging, and only some of them can reasonably be expected to increase the housing supply. It could be a good piece of legislation, but much rides on the implementation. Zoning reform advocates at the state level routinely underestimate the creativity that municipalities will show in evading the intent of their laws.

Anyway, there is a lot of other stuff here on racial discrimination, energy efficiency, and the Davis-Bacon Act (which probably makes housing less affordable by running up construction costs), but I won’t belabor the issues. All in all, it’s a plan that reflects the set Democratic interests pretty well, has a lot of stuff in it, and would do little to achieve broad-based housing affordability.

Creative Outlets

Like many people, I have been continuing to struggle with a variety of stressful circumstances. I took more time than usual this week on some creative projects, which has helped.

The newest one I am calling Project Epsilon, which for now is a maze generator. I’ve long had a fascination with generative content, and I would like to see how far the concept can be taken, but for now it is really just for fun. It is not deployed, but someone knowledgeable with Python and Flask in particular can download and run it fairly easily. Not that there is much to see yet. All it does it let the user input a few parameters and make a maze.

The other is Repair the Cosmos, which is deployed but hasn’t been updated publicly in a long time, despite considerable local activity. This is an incremental game that is meant to tell the story of humanity from the Paleolithic to the far future. I started it in January and have been working very intermittently since then, but I finally have a burst of creativity going for the first time in months. I still expect at least a few weeks before the next update, and I can only go for so long before I start feeling guilty about not doing real work.

[devdd12-blog]

CBSE Class 11 Courses Module

Class 11 is the first step in the career. It is generally considered more difficult than class 12. The reason for this is, the study of class 11 is way different from that which students studied till class 10. So, several times it happens that students are unable to cope up with all the subjects together. Hereby, Edubull presents 11 different subjects for students to study according to their interests and stream. The following are the subjects available.

Maths - consist of Sequence and Series, Complex Numbers, Basic Arithmetic and Algebra, Transformation of Equations, Trigonometry, Coordinate Geometry, Circle, Hyperbola, Limits, Differentiability.

Maths Resources-I - Contains Sets, Relations and Functions, Trignometry, Mathematical Induction, Complex Numbers, Linear Inequalities, Permutation & Combination, and Binomial Theorem.

Maths Resources-II - Includes Sequence Series, Straight Lines, Conic Sections, Three Dimensional Geometry, Limits and Derivatives, Mathematical Reasoning, Statistics, and Probability.

Maths resources-III - Illustrates the concept in a very interesting manner which helps the student to understand the concept instead of mugging up formulas.

Maths resources-IV - Focus on more and more practice of sums and give easy ways to solve complicated questions.

Maths resources-V - Provides students the animated videos to learn with even more interest.

Maths resources-VI - Solves the questions in a manner that motivates the students to practice more.

Pre-Algebra - Provides more knowledge about whole number, number concepts, and integers for a better understanding of concepts.

Probability Resources - Is customized only for probability and covers the whole probability concept of class 11.

Arithmetic Maths Resources - Help the students who want to learn about Math 20 - Arithmetic Review.

Algebra Resources - Is customized for algebra lovers and provides a vast knowledge of algebra.

8 Modules to Learn

Every student either faces problems in organic or in inorganic chemistry. Edubull has divided chemistry into 8 modules to make all the branches of chemistry easy for the students.

Chemistry-I - Includes Atomic Structure Part - I, Atomic Structure Part - II, States of Matter, Chemical Bonding, Nuclear Chemistry, Electrochemistry, and Structure of atom.

Chemistry-II - Provides students with complex chemistry concepts like Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties, Chemical Bonding, and Molecular Structure, States of Matter in a simplified manner and provides suitable notes of the same.

Chemistry Resources-I - Explains all the concept of class 11 chemistry with several examples and make it way more interesting.

Chemistry Resources-II - Provides an explanation of concepts through animations which makes it interesting for the students to gain the knowledge as well as to learn.

Organic Chemistry Resources-I - Covers 3 chapters of organic chemistry, that are- some basic principles and techniques, hydrocarbons, and environmental chemistry.

Organic Chemistry Resources-II - Covers several topics to provide specialized knowledge for each of the topics i.e. Chirality, Newman Projections, Organic Chemistry Naming Examples, Sn Reactions, E Reactions, Comparing E2 E1 Sn2 Sn1 Reactions, Alcohols, Amine Naming Introduction, and Carboxylic Acid Introduction.

Chem Physical - Enhances the knowledge of students in physical chemistry in several topics which include Some Basic Concept of Chemistry, Atomic Structure, States of Matter, Equilibrium, Thermodynamics, and Redox Reaction.

Chemistry Inorganic Resources - Makes the inorganic chemistry easy for students by explaining Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure, Classification of Elements and Periodicity, Hydrogen & Water, S Block Elements, and P Block Elements.

8 Modules to Explore Physics with a Wider Point of View

Physics is a weakness of many students. But the key to study physics is understanding each concept properly. Edubull teaches physics to the students in 8 modules.

Physics - Covers all the basic concepts of class 11 physics including Dimensional and Error Analysis, Introduction to Kinematics, Projectile Motion, Kinematics of Circular Motion, Particle Dynamics, Newton’s Law, Wave Motion, and Physical Properties of Waves.

Physics Resources-II - Gives various teaching aids, notes, and practice sessions of various topics which include Gravitation, General Properties of Matter, Thermal Properties of Material, Kinetic Theory of Gases, Oscillations, and Waves.

Physics Resources-III - Helps the students to build interest in physics by explaining different concepts with several examples and practical.

Physics-IV - Clarifies the concepts of topics covered in Physics of ICSE Standard with a lot of examples.

Physics Resources-V - This course is for those who want to learn the concepts of physics in an even more detailed manner.

Science - Clarifies the basic concepts of Theory and makes it more interesting for students in order to motivate students to study even more.

Thermodynamic and kinetic resources -This course is specialized for concepts of thermodynamic and kinetic physics.

Physics Animation - As the name suggests, explains the concepts through animations to make it more interesting. It includes introduction to nuclear reactor and introduction to magnetic field and magnetic field lines of force.

4 Modules to Make Biology more Interesting

However, biology is not that difficult to learn but for those who can’t just mug up and want to understand each and every concept with propper detail, edubull brings up biology in 4 modules.

Biology-I - Helps students to get an in-depth understanding of the basic concepts of topics of the biology of class 11.

Biology resources-II - Displays animated videos that grab the attention of the students who have no interest in the subject and have left it. It is also intended to help clarify the basic concepts of topics through illustrative interactive lectures and practical in a very interesting manner.

Biology resources-III - Illustrates different concepts through interactive lectures and enhance the student’s interest in the subject.

Biology resources-IV - Clarifies the most basic topics of biology.

4 Modules to get the Strategy for Accountancy

Every student gets frustrated when the entries at the last in the accounts answer does not match. Edubull provides you a platform where you can learn accounts in 4 modules and then you’ll easily be able to find your own mistake.

Accounts Resources (double entry book keeping part-1) - Explains several chapters in an easy way which include Introduction to Accounting, Basic Accounting Terms, Theory Base of Accounting, Bases of Accounting, Accounting Equation, Accounting Procedures, Origin of Transaction, Journal and Ledger, Special Purpose Books, Bank Reconciliation Statement, and Trial Balance.

Accounts Resources (double entry book keeping part-2) - Continues part-1 by including topics like Depreciation, Provisions and Reserves, Accounting for Bills of Exchange, Rectification of Errors, Adjustments in Preparation of Financial Statements, Accounts from Incomplete Records, and Computerised Accounting.

Accountancy - Explains the basic chapters of accounts of class 11 which include Accounting Equations, Journal Entries, Final Accounts, and Ledger Posting and Trial Balance.

Introduction to Financial Statement - Is specialized to learn the basic concepts of financial statements.

2 modules to Increase English Proficiency .

For English, edubull has made 2 modules, one of which explains in English and the other in Hindi.

Hornbill - Explains all the chapters of the textbook hornbill in a very interesting manner. The chapters include The Portrait of a Lady, A Photograph, We're Not Afraid to Die, The Voice of the Rain, Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues, Landscape of the Soul, The Browning Version, Childhood, and Father to Son.

Hornbill (Hindi) - Explains all of these in Hindi.

3 modules to Enhance the Skills in Informatics Practices.

For the IP lovers, edubull has made 3 modules to learn and practice.

How to build a computer - Provides students the basic knowledge of Computers and its parts, its importance, and various other basic information about computers so that the learner who is new to computers must learn about building a computer from the beginning.

SQL for beginners - Explains the basics and details of structured query language in both - Hindi and English.

Computer networks - As the name suggests, give knowledge to students about different computer networks.

8 Modules to Enhance the Skills in Computer Science

All the students you want to enrich their skills in the field of computer science have the option here to learn and practice according to their interests.

Introduction to programming - Guides the students in Hindi language about how to do programming and then the tasks are given to students for practice.

Computer science resources - Enrich the students with the basics of the computer that helps the students to start with small programming tasks.

MS Word 2016 (Hindi) - Explains the vast MS Word 2016 in Hindi by dividing it into topics like Beginning, Basic Editing, Formatting, Copying and Moving Text and Objects, Editing Features, Paragraph Formatting, Tables, Page Formatting, Graphics & Pictures, Footnote & Endnote, and Advanced Tools.

Notepad (Hindi) - Explains all the features debate in Hindi.

Windows 10 operating system (Hindi) - Explains windows 10 in detail in Hindi. It’s very useful for those who stay updated with the latest technologies.

MS PowerPoint 2016(Hindi) - This is a module in which PowerPoint is taught within the subheadings like The Fundamentals, Slides, Editing, Formatting, Images, Multimedia, and Objects, and Transitions and Animation Effects.

MS excel 2016 - This is also divided into subtopics to be specific and the topics are The Excel Window, Editing, Formatting, Formulas, Hlookup Vlookup, Pivot, Chart, Short Cuts, and Practice Sheets.

MS excel 2016 (Hindi) - Explains the same in Hindi with somewhat different topics which include The Excel Screen, Formatting, Formulas, Hlookup Vlookup, Pivot, Chart, and Practice Sheets.

3 Modules to learn Business Studies in an Interesting Manner

Business studies is beautifully divided in 3 modules by edubull according to its topics.

Business study resources (foundation of business part-1) - Explains almost all topics of textbook of business studies of class 11, which are Nature and Forms of Business, Forms of Business Organisation, Private, Public and Global Enterprises, Business Services, Emerging Modes of Business, Social Responsibility of Business and Business Ethics.

Business study resources (finance and trade part -2) - This is divided into 2 topics, that are sources of business finance and small business.

Business finance - This is personalized for those who want to startup with a new business.

7 Modules to understand the importance of Physical Education.

However, yoga is a vast practice, still, edubull has tried to collect the most of it within 7 modules.

Yoga postures by Shilpa - is a module that makes the students learn about various yoga postures and get motivated to stay healthy.

Face Yoga - is very useful for the students who stay up till late because it puts a great effect on how the face looks.

Diet and nutrition - teaches the students about how can one stay fit with a balanced diet.

Healthy eating tips - is somewhat similar to diet and nutrition, yet a lot different from it. You’ll know the difference, once you’ll attend the lectures.

Get healthy, get happy - is a module in which students are counseled to stay happy in order to be fit physically.

Yoga for Kids - brings out wonderful yoga postures specialized for kids which are highly effective on a child’s growth and development.

Yoga in office - Yoga in office’ is based on stretching which should be done while prolong sitting.

1 module to enrich your interest in Political Science

Since it just has 1 module ‘political science’, it is divided into several chapters in order to gain the most. The chapters are Constitution Why and How?, Rights in Indian Constitution, Election and Representation, Executive, Legislature, Judiciary, Federalism, Local Governments, Constitution as a Living Document, and The Philosophy of the Constitution.

[mechanicalexpts-blog]

First Law of Thermodynamics Homework Help

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First Law of  Thermodynamics states that “The law of conservation of energy states that the  total energy of an isolated system is constant; energy can be transformed from  one form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed”.

[johnassignmenthelp-blog]

Mechanical Engineering Assignment Help

Mechanical engineering is one of the oldest and the most difficult engineering course till date. With the advancement of technology,mechanical engineering has surely been evolved into a very passionate choice for engineering students. From the designing of cars to turbines, lifts to cranes all comes under the mechanical engineering branch. The rate at which the technology is progressing it surely puts immense pressure on the students to deliver the various projects and home  assignments given by institutions for teaching students the various upcoming technologies in advance. Also since very project starts from research and then comes to designing, it becomes a great burden for the students to submit those projects and assignments on time along with their regular studies. To overcome these burdens, we My Assignment services take pride in as our team of experts supports you in every aspect of the projects and assignments given to students. We give a high quality and efficient research and design along with automation when required to help the students achieve great results and thorough knowledge through our Mechanical Engineering Home Work Help. With collaborating with us students can now focus on their studies and leave the tiresome work for us to complete and give unmatched results.    

Thermodynamics Assignment Help

Thermodynamics is the most intensive topic of mechanical engineering course due to the vast variety of sub topics and field of application. A crystal clear understanding of these sub topics is required due to fact that a minor mistake can result in variety of difficulty in later stages of their life. Also a huge number of questions, projects and research papers can be given to make students understand the scope of the subject, hence resulting in next level challenge to student to complete and get a good result in this subject. The various topics of Thermodynamics are given below:

1. Concepts of heat, work, energy, temperature and pressure.

2. Properties of pure substances

3. Steam tables

4. Phase diagrams and their use in thermodynamics problems

5. First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics

6. Carnot cycle

7. Gas power cycles

8. Vapour and combined power cycles

9. Use T-s diagrams for power cycle analysis

10. P-h diagrams in refrigeration cycle analysis

11. Simple combustion processes

12. Renewable energy such as solar, hydro, wind and biomass, and their use in heating    and electricity generation

13. Environmental benefits of renewable energy

[godfreyymuwonge]

Dandapani Discusses Focus, Harnessing Entrepreneurial Drive, Parenting and Purpose

Photo courtesy of George Evans

“As soon as we control where awareness goes we control where energy flows. As soon as we control where energy is flowing we control what is manifesting in our life. And we need willpower and our powers of concentration to direct awareness.” ―Dandapani

Dandapani, a Hindu priest, entrepreneur and former monk, is a highly rated speaker at multiple EO chapter learning events where he teaches entrepreneurs how to focus their minds to achieve greater success. In Part 1 of our interview, Dandapani discusses the benefits of a strong ability to focus and how to develop that skill. In Part 2, we asked Dandapani about his struggles as an entrepreneur and new parent and the dangers of having too much drive. Here’s what he shared:

Why is focus your focus?

First, let me clarify that I use the words “focus” and “concentration” interchangeably to convey the same meaning.

Focus is critical for entrepreneurs—for everyone—because it enables us to solve problems. We all face personal, professional and even global challenges. One way to solve them is to be able to concentrate on a problem long enough to find a solution. If you can’t stay focused, how will you ever discover a solution?

I work with entrepreneurs around the world. Productivity and efficiency are always high on their list of goals—but how can you be productive if you can’t focus?

The skill of giving your undivided attention to the person or project at hand is a life-changer. Being able to highly concentrate enables you to be highly efficient.

Entrepreneurs are in the business of solving problems. You need to be able to focus long enough on your product to delve deeply into it. The longer you can stay focused on a concept, problem or idea, the more you can discover about it.

What is your biggest challenge as an entrepreneur?

I am too driven. I need to be able to harness my drive and better manage my energy. Because that’s a topic that I teach, people quite often assume that I am a moral example of energy management. I’ve never claimed that! All I’ve said is that I’ve learned these tools, and I’ll share them with entrepreneurs to help them improve.

You struggle with harnessing your drive?

Yes, of course! If you don’t believe me, I’ll set up an interview with my wife and she’ll tell you all about it.

Why is being extremely driven dangerous to an entrepreneur?

Being extremely driven leads to grander ideas and grander visions. Sometimes that can be positive, but sometimes it’s negative.

Drive consumes energy. You need a lot of energy to get behind a big drive. Where’s that energy coming from? The law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. If I’m going to put a lot of energy into launching an app, for example, that energy comes from my wife, daughter, spiritual practices, friends and activities that I love doing.

If you’re an entrepreneur and you’re extremely driven, it’s a very dangerous thing because you’re taking energy from the people and activities that truly matter and putting it into your business.

We’re all trying to find that ideal, proportionate investment of energy in our lives. I don’t use the word ‘balance’ because that makes us think 50/50, like a scale – and life is not a scale. You’re dividing 100 percent of your energy in some proportion between work, your spouse, kids, pets, friends and hobbies.

How has parenthood affected your proportionate energy division?

I have a 1-year-old daughter. One piece of advice: Never try to launch an app when you’ve just had a baby!

Having a daughter has helped me become more focused than ever. I spend three to four hours with her each day—time that I previously put into my work. As a result, I have to be super critical of how I spend the rest of my energy. I don’t want to waste this time with her. It’s a precious gift – feeding her, playing with her, and taking her for walks. It’s non-negotiable.

It’s made me super clear about how I spend my time, because I have much less time and energy for everything else.

How does your message of focus differ from the mindfulness movement?

It differs a lot. The Oxford dictionary defines mindfulness as “maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.”

In other words, I can be mindful because I’m present on a moment-to-moment basis. And what’s the requirement for being present on a moment-to-moment basis?

Focus!

It seems like everyone is teaching mindfulness, but nobody is teaching the precursor to mindfulness: focus.

Here’s the most important takeaway from that: You cannot “practice” mindfulness. Mindfulness is a state that comes as a byproduct of being focused.

So, you don’t practice being mindful. You practice being focused and the byproduct is the state of mindfulness.

That’s a message I want to get across. A lot of people try mindfulness and they never make progress because they’ve missed the first step. Concentration is the first step—everything else comes after it.

Once people understand this, they can really begin to help themselves.

Tell us about your app.

It’s called Unwavering Focus. My wife and I feel that if we can give the gift of unwavering focus to as many people as possible throughout the world—the gift of understanding the mind and being able to concentrate—then they can solve problems in their lives and become better artists, better dancers, better scientists, better businesspeople, have better relationships―and life can improve.

We priced the app very low―it’s US$20―so that as many people as possible around the world can afford it.

It’s for people who are committed to learning how to focus and are willing to do the work. One unique aspect of our app is that after you purchase it, you don’t immediately have access to all of the content. My brain thinks in very structured, systematic processes. I’ve recorded 50 videos across the entire app, but the only way to progress from chapter one to chapter two is to do all of the work entailed in chapter one.

Our whole idea is to educate people who are committed to increasing their ability to focus. We think that’s the key to helping more people worldwide begin to build an improved life.

What’s your life’s purpose?

My primary purpose in life is enlightenment.

My sub-purpose is to impact as many lives as possible with the tools and teachings that I’ve learned as a monk. I spent 10 years of my life as a cloistered, celibate monk. I had no contact with friends or family. If I can share what I learned with people, and make it practical and simple to apply in their lives–that’s one of my big missions.

The post Dandapani Discusses Focus, Harnessing Entrepreneurial Drive, Parenting and Purpose appeared first on Octane Blog – The official blog of the Entrepreneurs' Organization.

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[physics-scholars]

Being a Physicist by choice, it is mandatory for all of us to know about Richard Phillips Feynman (1918-1988). 

We do have continuous sessions about his lectures and it's implications in physics.

Who is Feynman? 

Richard Feynman (1918-1988) was an American physicist who is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century. He made important contributions to the fields of quantum mechanics, particle physics, and condensed matter physics, among others.

Feynman was born in New York City and grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for his undergraduate degree, and then went on to earn his PhD from Princeton University. During World War II, he worked on the Manhattan Project, which developed the first atomic bomb.

After the war, Feynman became a professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he spent most of his career. He made many important contributions to the field of physics, including the development of the Feynman diagrams, which are graphical representations of particle interactions in quantum field theory. He was also known for his work on the theory of superfluidity, the physics of the weak nuclear force, and the development of the quantum theory of electrodynamics.

In addition to his scientific work, Feynman was also known for his engaging and accessible teaching style. He was a gifted lecturer and author, and his lectures on physics at Caltech were turned into the famous Feynman Lectures on Physics, which have since become classic works of science education.

Feynman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965, along with two other scientists, for his work on quantum electrodynamics. He was also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and received numerous other awards and honors throughout his career.

Area of research 

Richard Feynman made significant contributions to various areas of physics during his career. Some of his major areas of research include:

1. Quantum electrodynamics: Feynman made important contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics (QED), which is the study of the interactions between electrically charged particles. He developed a diagrammatic method, now known as Feynman diagrams, which allowed physicists to visualize and calculate the probability of various particle interactions in QED.

2. Particle physics: Feynman worked on the study of elementary particles, which are the building blocks of matter. He developed a model known as the Feynman rules, which describe how particles interact with each other through the exchange of other particles.

3. Condensed matter physics: Feynman made important contributions to the study of condensed matter physics, which is the study of the properties of solids and liquids. He worked on the theory of superfluidity and superconductivity, which are phenomena that occur at very low temperatures.

4. Computational physics: Feynman was also interested in the field of computational physics, and was an early advocate of the use of computers to solve complex problems in physics.

His work 

Feynman Lectures in Physics 

The Feynman Lectures on Physics is a set of three volumes of lectures by the physicist Richard Feynman, which were originally delivered to undergraduate students at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the early 1960s. The lectures were later turned into books, which have since become classic works of physics education.

The lectures cover a wide range of topics in physics, from the basic laws of mechanics and electromagnetism to more advanced topics such as quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and relativity. Feynman's approach to teaching physics is highly intuitive, and he uses a lot of examples and analogies to help students understand the concepts he is discussing.

One of the things that sets the Feynman Lectures apart is Feynman's emphasis on the importance of understanding the underlying physical principles, rather than just memorizing equations and formulas. He encourages students to think critically and creatively about physics problems, and to use their intuition to guide them in their thinking.

¶ Chapters in Feynman's Lectures 

The Feynman Lectures on Physics is a set of three volumes that covers the fundamentals of physics, including mechanics, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics. Each volume is divided into chapters that cover specific topics.

Here is a list of the chapters in each volume:

Volume I:

1. Atoms in Motion

2. Basic Physics

2. The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences

4. Conservation of Energy

5. Time and Distance

6. Probability

7. The Theory of Gravitation

8. Motion

9. Newton's Laws of Dynamics

10. Conservation of Momentum

11. Vectors

12. Characteristics of Force

13. Work and Potential Energy (A)

14. Work and Potential Energy (Conclusion)

15. The Special Theory of Relativity

16. Relativistic Energy and Momentum

17. Space-Time

18. Rotation in Two Dimensions

19. Center of Mass; Moment of Inertia

20. Rotation in Space

21. The Harmonic Oscillator

Volume II:

22. Transients

23. The Rigid Body

24. Nonlinear Mechanics

25. Gravitation

26. Cosmology

27. Waves-I

28. Waves-II

29. Optics

30. Electromagnetic Radiation

31. Interference, Diffraction and Polarization

32. Refraction of Light

33. Relativistic Effects in Radiation

34. Color Vision

35. Quantum Behavior

36.The Relation of Wave and Particle Viewpoints

37. The Schrödinger Equation in a Classical Context: A Seminar on Superconductivity

38.  Superconductivity, Part II: The Discovery of Superconductivity

39. Magnetic Effects of Currents

Volume III:

40. The Relation of Wave Mechanics to Other Types of Mechanics

41. Atomic Physics

42. Molecules and Crystals

43. The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences II

44. Semi-Conductors

45. The Theory of Quantum Mechanics

46. The Magnetic Properties of Materials

47. The Dielectric Properties of Materials

48. Paramagnetism and Magnetic Resonance

49. Ferromagnetism

50. Waves in Crystals

51. The Refractive Index of Materials

52. Interference in Thin Films

53. Magnetic Recording

54. Symmetry in Physical Laws

55. The Ongoing Revolution in Physics.

56. Probability and Uncertainty - Quantum Mechanical View of Nature

57. Prospect - The Law of Gravitation

58. The Relation of Mathematics to Physics

59. Summary of Mathematics

60. Vector Analysis

61. Curvilinear Coordinates

62. The Gradient

63. Divergence and Curl

64. The Gradient, Divergence, and Laplacian in Curvilinear Coordinates

65. Ordinary Differential Equations

66. Partial Differential Equations of Physics

67. Special Functions

68. Fourier Series

69. Fourier Integrals - The Laplace Transform

70. Eigenvalues and Eigenfunctions - Expansion in Eigenfunctions

71. The Vibrating String

72. The Vibrating Membrane

73. The Hydrogen Atom and the Pauli Exclusion Principle

74. An Example from Classical Physics - The Transmitted and Reflected Waves

75. More About Matter Waves - The Double Slit

Probability Amplitudes

76. Identical Particles

Spin One

Spin Two

77. The Dependence of Amplitudes on Time

78. The Hamiltonian Matrix

79. The Ammonia Maser

80. Quantum Behavior - A Review

¶ Supplemental Volume:

81. Feynman's Preface

82. Feynman's Corrections and Additions to the Original Lectures

[sustainability-now]

The Complex Nature of Our Environment

The issue of environmental change is way more complex than one might think. There are many factors to consider when dealing with the causes and effects of climate change. Our interaction with our environment can be viewed through many different lenses. Because of this, the use of the scientific method and peer-review are essential to any research project. One can argue that climate change has effects on not only the environment we live in, but also has social, political, and economic effects on the world. This is why it is imperative to look at an issue through diverse perspectives in order to learn what the best course of action would be.

To accurately illustrate how scientists conduct research on the environment, we must first look at the concept of scientific theories and laws. Scientists have developed a concrete way to understand issues, create solutions, and test these solutions. This is called the Scientific Method. In essence, the scientific method is an organizational tool used by scientists to identify problems, gather relevant data, develop hypotheses, and test the hypotheses (Miller and Spoolman 2021, 25). This process is how scientific laws are developed. Scientific laws, or laws of nature, are well-tested and widely accepted descriptions for certain processes that occur naturally on Earth. An example of this would be the law of gravity (Miller and Spoolman 2021, 27). It is worth noting that nothing in science can be completely proven true, this is a limitation of science. However, widely accepted theories have gone through many stages of research and testing to show that they are useful in explaining the natural world (Miller and Spoolman 2021, 28). The laws of thermodynamics are also worth mentioning as they explain how the change in energy works and how much of our energy production is harmful to the environment. The first law, also known as the law of conservation of energy, claims that when one form of energy is converted to another, no energy is gained or lost. The second law of thermodynamics claims that with the conversion of energy from one form to another, the resulting energy will always be of lower quality or less usable (Miller and Spoolman 2021, 37). As you may already know, our heavily industrialized world is very reliant on fossil fuels for energy. Fossil fuels are the reason why you have electricity in your home. However, at what cost? Taking into account the laws of thermodynamics we know that using fossil fuels to create electricity will create waste in the form of carbon emissions and heat.

Another fundamental accepted theory is that three factors contribute to the Earth’s capacity to sustain life. These are energy from the sun, chemical cycling through Earth’s natural processes, and Earth’s gravity that holds our atmosphere and allows for the cycling of nutrients (Miller and Spoolman 2021, 44). The second factor, chemical cycling, is what us as inhabitants can help improve to keep us sustainable. Although we have no control over the sun’s energy or Earth’s gravity, there are many improvements we can make within our own interactions with our ecosystems so as to not deplete Earth’s natural capital at an unsustainable rate. Our ecosystem is comprised of the living and non-living things around us that make up our environment. This is everything from the animals that surround us to the soil that we walk over. One important thing to note is that every ecosystem is different in its own way. Because of this, our interactions with our ecosystems must be adjusted accordingly in order to be environmentally friendly. For example, terrestrial ecosystems such as rainforests and swamps have the highest net primary productivity while deserts, tundras, and grasslands have considerably less productivity (Miller and Spoolman 2021, 54, Figure 3.18). In other words, certain biomes have higher amounts of producers vs consumers and are innately more sustainable. I would argue that ecosystems with a higher net primary productivity are better suited for humans to inhabit as they provide more resources for human life without compromising sustainability.

A look at how human settlement has affected existing ecosystems can be seen through the eyes of the African savanna. Many different species of animal inhabit this area of Africa, such as lions, gazelles, elephants, and vultures. The African savanna is also characterized by grasslands and scattered trees (Miller and Spoolman 2021, 139, Figure 7.B). Although this region is dry and hot, the existing ecosystem has survived many years through biodiversity. All of the savanna’s inhabitants are codependent and rely on each other to survive such a harsh climate. More recently, the expansion of the human population into the African savanna has had detrimental effects on this ecosystem. Many of the trees and grasslands have been paved either for cultivation of crops or for settlement. This in turn has caused several species of animal to become endangered, such as the savanna elephant and the forest elephant. Because the area is already so sparse of producers, the expansion of human life into the area cannot be sustained for long.

word count: 802

works cited: 

 WWF. World Wildlife Fund. Accessed September 21, 2021. https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/what-s-the-difference-between-asian-and-african-elephants-and-10-other-elephant-facts.

Miller, G. Tyler, and Scott Spoolman. Living in the Environment. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2021. 

[rachelfinder]

The Match vs. The Coal

I had a meeting earlier this morning that ended up being a no-show. Them, not me. I got to our breakfast spot ten minutes early and 15 minutes after our designated start time, I decided to go in and have my quiche. Their loss, not mine. That quiche was fantastic.

I took the time at breakfast to map out my day so that when I got home, I could get my started quickly. However, the “quick start” I had hoped for ended up fluttering out. It wasn’t a matter of knowing what to do. It was a matter of “oomph.”

My normal practice in such a funk is to “brain dump,” the process of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and just writing. I base this practice off Julia Cameron’s “morning pages” idea from her book, The Artist’s Way. Unlike Cameron’s advice, I don’t do it every day. But when there’s cobwebs getting in the way of my thoughts or execution, it’s helpful. In my brain dump, I noodled over the idea of what’s missing in my execution this morning. I wrote, “I know what I need to do today. But it’s like I have no steam to push the piston out of the cylinder to get this engine moving. Well, not steam. There’s water in the boiler. But there’s no fire in the firebox.”

The metaphor my brain went to is a steam-engine locomotive. The firebox heats up a boiler, which in turn creates steam. Steam is pumped to a cylinder attached to the wheel, which in turn pushes the piston out of the cylinder. This piston is attached to the rest of the wheels on the engine, and the elongation of the cylinder and the piston is what causes them to turn in synchronization (for more on steam engine operation, click here). 

But in the steam engine metaphor, my brain starting asking the question I needed to answer: “Is it that there’s no fire or no coal? Coal needing a light is one thing. Needing coal is an entirely different problem.”

Needing a match to light a fire of productivity is often just the simple at of starting the to-do list. Finishing one task leads to tackling another. Needing coal on the other hand...now that’s an entirely different matter. A match is a catalyst. Coal is fuel. What do you do when there’s no fuel in the tender?

I’ve been running flat out on my business since my birthday back in February. There’s been incredible opportunity in this season. I spoke at NAB. I picked up my first five-figure project. The audio version of my book began production. I taught a learning lab at UC Denver. I’ve said yes to more meetings and project opportunities this season than I ever thought I could handle. And surprisingly, I discovered I can keep up.

But I think I’m running out of coal. 

Coal, like most conventional fuels, is stored energy. Burning it causes the potential energy to be released to power something else. Because I’m just coming up with this metaphor, I’m going to spit ball the definition of entrepreneurial and work “coal” as: “the mental and emotional capacity of motivation, inspiration and intention forming potential energy that is released by action and execution.”

My vision for my life and my company are usually enough of a reminder as to why I’m hustling so hard in the first place. A steady stream of books that remind me of mindset and execution techniques are another stream of potential energy. But today something is sucking all of that dry.

I finished my re-read of Austin Kleon’s book, Show Your Work, yesterday. Wanting more of his voice, I headed over to his blog and found this post from a couple days ago describing the reaction to the question, “What’s Next?” It described exactly how I feel at the moment.

This incredibly busy and productive season is coming to a close. I’m just a few weeks away from taking a serious chunk of time off to spend skating, biking, camping and otherwise just enjoying the fun of play. But what’s next after that?

I have no idea.

I was talking about the tension of living a freelancing/entrepreneurial/hustling life this morning as I vlogged this morning. When you’re working, you’re constantly dreading when you’re finished because you might not have your next gig lined up. And when you’re not working, you’re worried about all of your leads coming back at the same time. It’s a constant source of tension. 

Having this no-show today reminded me of just how few answers I have to the question of “what’s next” after my vacation. And that blew out the flame that’s been burning on the last few embers in my firebox. 

The beauty of this moment--and this metaphor--is that the solution is to put more coal in the firebox, light it, and let the boiler build up enough pressure again. Sure, that process will take time (a watched pot, or boiler, never boils) but it’s coded into the laws of thermodynamics. “The increase in internal energy of a closed system is equal to total of the energy added to the system.” 

If I add coal to this fire, it will increase the release of energy within the system. This applies both to steam engines, but also business, entrepreneurship and life. 

[mechanicalexpts-blog]

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