#ignore the terrible quality this was a test print | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

arcticdementor · 3 years

Link

I have to begin this column by admitting that “Biden” (note: when in quotation marks, I refer to the “collective Biden”, not the clearly senile man) surprised me: it appears that my personal rule-of-thumb about US Presidents (each one is even worse than his predecessor) might not necessarily apply in “Biden’s” case. That is not to say that “Biden” won’t end up proving my rule of thumb as still applicable, just that what I am seeing right now is not what I feared or expected.

…

I think that both of these grossly oversimplify a probably much more complex and nuanced reality. In other words, “Biden” surprised many, if not most, Russians. That is very interesting by itself (neither Bush, nor Obama nor Trump ever surprised the Russians – who knew the score about all of them – in any meaningful way).

My strictly personal guess is that there is some very serious infighting currently taking place inside the US ruling class. Furthermore, that serious infighting is not about core principles or even strategy – it is a dispute over tactics only.

We have to keep in mind an old truism about outcomes: John F. Kennedy once said that “victory has a hundred fathers, but defeat is an orphan” and he was right. When any group seizes power and effectively controls its interests, all is well, and everybody is busy consuming the proverbial milk and honey. But when this group suffers a series of humiliating defeats, a typical cascade of events begins:

Finger pointing: everybody blames everybody else (but never himself/herself)

Hindsight wisdom: “if I had been in charge, this would not have happened!”

Infighting over quickly shrinking spoils of war

A collapse of the centralized center of authority/decision-making centers

Generation of subgroups, fighting each other over their sub-interests

In other words, following many years of extremely weak presidential administrations (since Clinton, imho), it is hardly a surprise that infighting would take place (in both parties, by the way). In fact, an apparently chaotic set of uncoordinated, or even contradictory, policies is what one should expect. And that is exactly what we have been observing since 1993 and this dynamic has been getting worse and worse with each passing year).

…

That being said, there are some observations which might be helpful when trying to at least (indirectly) identify who are the main groups fighting each other.

The hardcore, really nutty, russophobes are still here, especially in the US media which seems to be serving not so much “Biden” as much as some “crazies in the basement” kind of cabal. Next to the legacy ziomedia, there is an increasing number of US/NATO/UK military officials who are foaming at the mouth with threats, warnings, complaints and insults, all against Putin and Russia. This is important because:

The “Zone A” media has comprehensively and very effectively concealed the very real risks of war with Russia, China and Iran. And if this was mentioned, the presstitutes always stressed that the US has the “best military in the history of the galaxy” and that Uncle Sam will “kickass” anybody he chooses to. If the people of the USA were informed of the truth of the matter, they would freak out and demand that this path to war be immediately abandoned and replaced with a meaningful dialog.

US/NATO/UK authorities have talked themselves into a corner where they have only two outcomes left: they can do what the US always does, that is to “declare victory and leave”, or they can force Russia to protect her borders on land, air and sea and, thereby, face a major military humiliation delivered by Russia.

Truth be told, during the recent naval exercises UK and US officials made a lot of threats and promises to ignore Russian warnings, but in the end, they quietly packed and left. Smart choice, but it must have been painfully humiliating for them, which is very dangerous by itself.

…

There will be many more NATO exercises in the Black Sea in the future. Ditto for USN operations off the Chinese, Iranian or DPRK coasts. This (always explosive) combo of ignorance, arrogance and incompetence could result in a major war.

LAnother option is the terminally delusional UK government (supported by those Brits who still have phantom pains about their lost empire and, of course, by the largely irrelevant 3B+PU gang) might do something really stupid (say, like this) and trigger a war with the DPRK, Russia, China or Iran and then the US would have to move to defend/save a British Navy which is mostly a joke (at least by Russian or Chinese standards). The main problem here being that the USN is also in a terrible shape and cannot compete against Russian and Chinese standoff weapons (I mean that literally, there are currently no defenses against maneuvering hypersonic missiles! The only exception would be the Russian S-500). The latter two nations, by the way, have joined into an informal and unofficial military alliance for many years already; check out this article and video or this one for a recent update).

But opposite, de-escalatory developments are also taking place. First and foremost, “Biden” seemed to have “farmed out” the “Ukrainian dossier” to the Germans and washed Uncle Shmuel’s hands from it. If so, that was a very slick and smart move (which is something we have not witnessed from any administration in decades!). I highly recommend this translation of a most interesting article by arguably the best Ukraine specialist out there, Rostislav Ishchenko.

Ishchenko goes into a lot of interesting details and explains what “Biden” apparently just did. Frankly, the Germans richly deserve this full-spectrum mess and they will be dealing with the consequences of this disaster for a long time, possibly decades. In fact, the Germans are stuck: they want to be the Big European Leader? Let them. After all, the EU politicians, led by Germany, did all they could to create what is now often called “country 404” – a black hole in the heart of the European continent. Germany is the biggest economic power of the EU? Good, then let the Germans (and the rest of the EU) pay for the eventual reconstruction of the Ukraine (or of the successor-states resulting from the breakup of the country)! Russia simply cannot foot that bill, China most definitely won’t (especially after being cheated several times by the Ukies) and the USA has absolutely no reasons whatsoever to do so. I would even argue that chaos (social, economic, political, cultural. etc.) in Europe is probably seen by the US ruling class as highly desirable since it 1) weakens the EU as a competitor 2) justifies, however hypocritically and mistakenly, a “strong US presence” in Europe and 3) gives NATO a reason (however mistaken, misguided and even immoral) to exist

The US is protected from the fallout (immigrants, violence, extremism, etc.) of the Ukrainian disaster by distance, the Atlantic, a much stronger military (at least compared to anybody else in NATO). The US can print money in any way it wants and has no interests whatsoever in the (dying) Ukraine. If Ishchenko is right, and I agree with him, then there is somebody (possibly a group of somebodies) who is a lot smarter than anybody in the Trump Admin and who figured out that the Nazi-occuppied Ukraine should be an German/EU problem, not one for the US.

There is, of course, also the pessimistic analysis: the US is on the retreat everywhere, but only for the following reasons:

Regroup, reorganize, buy time to develop some kind of coherent strategy

Focus on each adversary separately and prioritize (divide et impera at least!)

Re-analyze, re-plan, re-design, re-develop, re-train, re-equip and re-test pretty much everything in the US armed forces (which have not been shaped by any rational force planning in decades)

Those who believe the strategic retreat theory (I am not personally discounting this version, but I do not see enough evidence – yet – to endorse it either) typically add that “the US only left Afghanistan to hand it over to the Taliban/al-Qaeda and unleash them against “soft underbelly of Russia”. Now, that is utter nonsense, if only because Russia does not have a common border with Afghanistan.

…

Coming back to “Biden’s” great retreat: if “Biden” is smart enough to hang the Ukraine on Germany, “he” is probably too smart to predicate the US foreign policy towards Russia predicated around the “soft underbelly” thingie. As for all the “fire and brimstone” threats of war against Russia, they are not impressing anybody as the Russians, the Chinese and the Iranians know that a confident and powerful country does not need to threaten anybody, if only because the actual capabilities of these country are a very telling “threat” by themselves. But when a former superpower is weak, confused and frightened, it will make many roaring statements about how it can defeat the entire planet if needed (after all, the US military is “the best military in the history of the galaxy”! If you doubt that, just listen to Toby Keith!). In other words, while in the West threats are an instrument of foreign policy, in Russia, and in the rest of Asia, they are inevitably seen as a sign of weakness, doubts and even fear.

Then there seems to be a long list of weapons systems, procurement plans and “defense” monies which have been pulled back, including the (truly awful) LCS and F-35. While it is true that the US is gradually phasing out fantastically expensive weapons systems and platforms which were also more or less useless, this show the ability to at least admit that all that talk about super-dooper US superweapons was just that, talk, and that in reality the US MIC is incapable of producing the kind of superb high quality systems which it used to produce in large quantities in the past (Arleigh Burke, F-15, Jumbo 747, the Willys Jeep, F-16, A-10, Los Angeles SSN, KH satellites, etc.). This is why the F-15X is designed to “augment” the F-35 feet (by itself a very smart move!).

Such an admission, even if indirect and only logically implied, might show a level of maturity, or courage, by “Biden” which his predecessors did not have.

Could it be that the folks at the Pentagon, who do know the reality of the situation (see here for a very good Moon of Alabama article about this), figured out that Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump vastly over extended the Empire and now they need to regroup and “re-everything” to achieve a more sustainable “defense” posture?

Could it be that “Biden” will deliver what Trump promised, i.e. to end the useless (and unwinnable!) wars, stop caring too much about the agonizing EU, silently accept that Russia has no intentions (and no need!) whatsoever to attack anyone and focus on the biggest non-military threat out there: China. Maybe.

As far as I know, many (all?) simulations – by RAND and the US military – and command staff exercises have shown that the US would lose badly to both Russia or China. Could it be that “Biden” wants to put Russia and China on the backburner and “deal” with Iran first? The latest news on the US/Israel vs Iran front is not good, to say the least.

…

So what are we left with?

Frankly, I am not sure.

I think that there is very strong, even if only indirect, evidence which there is some very serious in-fighting taking place in the “Biden” administration and there is also strong, but also indirect, evidence that the military posture of the United States is undergoing what might end up being a major overhaul of the US armed forces.

If true, and that is a big “if”, this is neither good news nor bad news.

But this might be big news.

Why?

Because, objectively, the current US retreat on most fronts might be the “soft landing” (transition from Empire to “normal” country) many Trump voters were hoping for. Or it might not. If it is not, this might be a chaos-induced retreat, indicating that the US state is crumbling and has to urgently “simplify” things to try to survive, thereby generating a lot of factional infighting (at least one Russian observer specialized in “US studies”, Dmitrii Drobnitskii, believes to be the case: see the original article here, and its machine translation here). Finally, the state of decay of the US state might already be so advanced that we can consider it as profoundly dysfunctional and basically collapsing/collapsed. The first option (soft landing) is unlikely, yet highly desirable. The second option (chaos-induced retreat) is more likely, but much less desirable as it is only a single step back to then make several steps forward again. The last option (profoundly dysfunctional and basically collapsing/collapsed) is, alas, the most likely, and it is also, by far, the most perilous one.

For one thing, options #2 and #3 will make US actions very unpredictable and, therefore, potentially extremely dangerous. Unpredictable chaos can also quickly morph into a major war, or even several major ones, so the potential danger here is very real (even if totally unreported in Zone A). This, in turn, means that Russia, China, Iran, the DPRK, Venezuela or Cuba all have to keep their guard up and be ready for anything, even the unthinkable (which is often what total chaos generates).

Right now, the fact that the US has initiated a “great retreat” is undeniable. But the true reasons behind it, and its implications, remain quite obscure, at least to me.

I will conclude by asking you, the readers, for your opinion: do you think that the US is currently in a “contraction phase”? If yes, do you believe that this is a short-term only phenomenon, or will this retreat continue and, if yes, how far?

#unz review #the saker

3 notes · View notes

dappercritter · 4 years

Text

ATOM Vol.1: Tyrantis Walks Among Us! An Honest Review

I have long waited for the chance to read William Cope’s (AKA @tyrantisterror) giant monster mash passion project, and as of last Christmas I finally had my chance. The first volume of The Atomic Time of Monsters (AKA A.T.O.M.), Tyrantis Walks Among Us! is every bit the big fun love letter to classic giant monster movies from across both sides of the Pacific that the author has touted on his blog many times. However, although there is a lot of love that evidently went into this story, and plenty of fun to be read, I would not say it’s the best kaiju story I have ever seen, in print or otherwise. Of course, to expect perfection from anything is unfair, but it’s not perfection I’m looking for: it’s consistency. Consistency, particularly of ideas and presentation, has been one of the kaiju (the ever popular Japanese name for “strange/giant monster”) genre’s biggest problems since it first began—be it keeping worldbuilding consistent with themes, or keeping the quality of one shot of the giant juxtaposed monsters consistent with another. Sadly, readers will find that Tyrantis Walks Among Us, for all it’s charms and bravado, suffers from similar inconsistencies.

The premise of the first entry in the A.T.O.M. series follows many well-worn tropes from the standard giant-size creature: set in an offshoot of postwar 50’s world, a mysterious earthquake linked to nuclear testing has revealed a subterranean lost world filled with mysterious radioactive crystals and (what else) giant monsters to the world. As the menagerie of prehistoric creatures make their way across the surface, gobbling up and/or stomping on the unlucky extras in their path, the government scrambles to gain control of the unprecedented situation, sending in scientists, men in black, and the military. The heroes of the story are the sole scientist smart enough to understand the gravity of the situation, their intrepid band of friends, and the good giant monsters who befriend the humans while fighting off the bad monsters to protect their world. Opposing them are crooked government men who refuse to listen to reason and more menacing monsters driven by hunger or simple malevolence. What follows is a mash-up of almost everything giant monster movies prior are made of: giant monster fights, quirky humans bouncing off each other while trying to stop corrupt governments from worsening the situation, discovering strange lost worlds and encountering the creatures that inhabit them, and even encounters with alien and robot monsters.

What makes the seemingly formulaic Tyrantis Walks Among Us! stand out is it’s personality. The first volume of ATOM is an affectionate homage, but it’s also a something of a send-up and evolution of the giant monster movie. Not only is every giant monster trope treated with a mix of earnest excitement and tongue-in-cheek wit, embracing both the inherent impressiveness and absurdity of the subgenre in the same breadth (including more than a few references to a selection of giant monster films past, some more subtle than others), with a heaping helping of satirical edge in it’s depiction on atomic era America. Elevating this satirical edge is the colourful human cast, whose personalities, talents, and backstories make them some of the most memorable civilians you’ll ever see in a kaiju series while also giving the story its political punch. Dr. Mina Lerna, the human protagonist and paleontologist turned local giant monster expert, who grapples with sexism and ignorance in her quest to make her voice heard—a voice which is telling everyone to stop trying to kill every monster they see and listen to reason—and come out of her shell; Henry Robertson, an African-American reporter for the United Nations News Organization (a cheeky homage to the oft-maligned American cut of the original King Kong vs. Godzilla) who, with Dr. Lerna’s help fights back against the racial bias trying to keep him quiet to offer current and true coverage of the protagonist’s quest to unlock the mysterious of the kaiju; as well as Gwen Valentine, a spunky homage to activist actresses such as Marylin Monroe in her prime, who after being rescued from certain death in a monster-inhabited cavern, offers some much-needed close friendship, good publicity, and funds to Dr. Lerna and their cause. The more villainous humans opposing them also present some amusement and self-awarness, such as the mysterious vindictive government agent J.C. Clark who prioritizes secret government agendas over transparency and honesty, or “Doctor Brick Rockwell,” a machismo meathead straight out of a camp American monster movie who barely passes for a scientist hired as a talking head to perpetuate willful ignorance—as well as sexism—for the government amidst the monster situation.

Of course, this IS a giant monster story and the kaiju side of the cast deserves special mention as well. Despite being deriving from the all-too familiar archetypes you could expect from giant monsters (i.e. dinosaurs, insects, spiders, and reptiles on a giant scale), the monsters A.T.O.M. stand out from the crowd thanks to their colourful characteristics. The majority of which are “Retrosaurs”: alternate history based dinosaurs that evolved from Loricata, a group of ancient reptiles that included the first crocodylians, as opposed to birds and more or less resemble the terrible lizards as they were depicted in older illustrations such as those created by Charles R. Knight. Chief among them is the star monster, Tyrantis, a standard giant green fire-breathing dinosaur but with an out-and-out heroic complex and a goofy side, showing compassion for his fellow monster and human companions, as well as having a tendency to greet new friends and foes by boisterously charging into battle. Joining him are Tyrantra, a even more impressive red-hued female of Tyrantis’s genus, the tyrannopyrodon (i.e. the fire-breath-enabled Retrosaur equivalent to tyrannosaurs); Gorgolisk, a gigantic frilled serpentine creature who serves as the steadfast guardian of the Earth and the mysterious inhabitants of its hollow earth; and Bobo, a big pink and blue quasi-arachnid with a soft heart and a surprisingly playful disposition. The monsters opposing them are no slouches either, such as Ahuul, a ravenous pterosaur-like Retrosaur who takes sadistic delight in swooping down on smaller prey; Myrmidants, a swarm of gigantic fire ants who fight for their colony with equal parts duty and ferocity; and The Terror, a blue-tinted rival Retro Tyrant who—without giving anything away—only becomes more of a monster as the story continues. Special mention also goes to a giant scorpion, a giant mothman-themed invader, a deadly duo of a giant wasp and mantis, and an entire island of Retrosaurs of almost every species.

However, as previously stated, for all it’s charming characters and progressive political statements, the first volume of A.T.O.M., like its forebearers, sadly falls prey to the issue of inconsistencies. Everything from the writing itself to the logic of this world suffers from occasional dips in quality to outright plot holes. The first and most noticeable is the abundance of grammatical errors, and while the majority of the novel is tightly written in very sense of the word, I couldn’t help but notice that every few pages there was incorrect punctuation or a misspelled word, which gave a somewhat rushed impression. Another oddity is the sexuality of Dr. Lerna who develops an affectionate attraction to Ms. Valentine, despite the author confirming in a post on the author’s blog made several years before the novels completion, claiming Lerna was aro-ace (found here)—this is more of a metatextual nitpick and if the author made her an asexual lesbian, it’s still quite a progressive choice in that it offers that minority some representation shows ace folk can still pursue romantic relationships—however, it still can’t help but think think it would have been just as valuable to give aro-ace people some representation as well, rather than seemingly backpedalling on a prior statement on a character’s sexuality. Another distraction is how the story seems to be at odds with itself over anthropomorphizing the monsters, where in some scenes they are written with fairly animalistic traits in mind, wherein others they treated as if they were almost cartoon characters. (e.g. Tyrantis breaks into caveman speak in a postscript picture to advertise some more other novels—relatively harmless but jarring nonetheless.) But the most bothersome inconsistencies by far are concerned with the science of the novel. Specifically, despite possessing a narrative that pushes for embracing science and learning, throughout the novel there are numerous instances where outdated biological and paleontological theories are treated as scientific truths, such as when Bobo’s inability to swim is chalked up to the old misconception that spiders breath through their skin and would drown when but in water. But the most damning example would have to be the Retrosaurs, who despite originating from a completely different evolutionary line, largely resemble past media depictions of dinosaurs more than anything else, inaccuracies at all. It could have been fascinating to explore how familiar species such as ornithopods and sauropods would appear if they were derived from ancient archosaurs (i.e. the grand group from which crocodilians originate). This discrepancies between artistic license and science makes it hard to tell just how much of the author’s intent for the origins of these alternative dinosaurs was driven more by a desire to replicate the aesthetic of prior depictions of prehistoric creatures and movie monsters than a wholly original exploration in speculative biology.

As critical as may be, I do not want to completely discount the author’s efforts. I enjoyed the first entry in the adventures of the mighty Tyrantis and the impeccable Dr. Lerna from start to finish. As a wholly affectionate parody of the great giant monster subgenre, it’s almost everything I could have wanted it to be! What’s more, I would like to see the ATOM series reach its full potential. However, due the author’s attitudes towards modern science and tendency towards error, I don’t know if this series will ever reach that potential. Tyrantis Walks Among Us! is good as a creative comical take on the classic kaiju story with a progressive sociopolitical punch, but as a scientifically conscious evolution of the genre that birthed it, it falls as flat as the tail of a Retrosaur, and it seems it will stay that way—sticking close to the ground and only occasionally swinging upwards.

7 notes · View notes

stutterfly · 5 years

Note

Hey I sent an ask before but I guess it got swallowed? I was wondering if you had any advice on editing headers for fics? I’ve loved the ones you’ve done in the past and I’d really like to do something like that for my own fics too! Hopefully this one gets to you💓—🦋 anon

Hi!!!

I actually design things and work in printing for my main job so I have access to things like Adobe photoshop and Adobe illustrator (I do my painting/retouching in photoshop and everything else in illustrator). But it’s hella expensive so I try to look at free alternatives.

I have a bunch of asset/resource sites I use for photos and fonts. Sorry I tend to ramble so here we go.

Firstly I have a lot of free resource sites that I can get high-res assets from. I often am using things for commercial purposes because I get paid to do what I do. But for most people, they don’t have to worry so much about it bc they’re making it for themselves, but it’s always nice to have high-res assets still.

When I get a concept, I look for imagery that inspires me from sites like these and I can usually find what I’m looking for. The amount of beautiful, free, high-res images out there is amazing.

Good rule of thumb is that you can always make a big image smaller, but never make a small image bigger, so always download the biggest size you can and size to your needs. -holding SHIFT when resizing keeps things in proportion when scaling-

I usually use pexels and freepik as my default. There are sooo many image sites I could list but here are the ones I use.

https://www.pexels.com/

https://www.freepik.com/search?dates=any&format=search&page=1&selection=1&sort=popular&type=photo

https://pixabay.com/

https://unsplash.com/

https://www.rawpixel.com/free-images (There’s free and premium images, but you can download 5 images per day are labeled free)

https://lostandtaken.com (textures that you can tile!)

For BTS photos I look via google for images over 4MP (usually dispatch or official photos are my go-to).

I use photoshop to cut them out and retouch, but there is another editing tool I’ve been experimenting with called Photopea, which is a FREE online editing tool that’s just as powerful. It even looks like photoshop so it’s pretty comfortable to use.

https://www.photopea.com/

I make my banners at 1600px x 350px, but i realized tumblr auto resizes anyway [LIKE A BITCHASS PUNK IM MAD ABT IT AND FOUND A WORKAROUND thats for another post tho]. I keep my DPI higher in case I want to use it for printing at some point, but that’s optional -72 is perfect for what you’re doing.

Reference:

300DPI= GREAT PRINT QUALITY - (work brain loves this but it’s useless for what we’re doing)150DPI=GOOD PRINT QUALITY 72=OPTIMIZED FOR DIGITAL USE ONLY (standard screen resolution)

Custom fonts can be your friend or the enemy. If you’re using a scripty one, try to make sure it’s legible with your title (there are some really terrible ones out there, but there are so many good ones too).

The easiest and quickest font place I use is dafont bc you can choose fonts based on the style you’re going for and you can test your text before you decide to download. They can be loaded into photopea! Also they’re free:

https://www.dafont.com/

As far as editing goes, I tend to choose a color theme based on feelings and adobe has a site that can help you by showing you palettes based on search terms. ( you can even search for things like happy, sad, angry, etc)

https://color.adobe.com/explore

I tend to use fuzzy edge brushes on everything to make it look soft, especially in lighting. The trick is just layers upon layers with different blending modes

I use “Color”, “Saturation” and “Overlay” modes a lot.

Ignore my layer names: I’m a mess.

This is what it looks like in reality. I just blob brush everything.

So in steps you can see 1)original cutout

2) adding effects like busted lip (a brush i downloaded for PS–I don’t think these import to photopea unfortunately), bruising (textures set to overlay/multiply using different colors), earrings (hand-painted over the originals for a cleaner edge), and EYES (eyes i tend to cut from the main layer, copy above, lighten/contrast the shit out of them and change the color using “replace color” or “hue/sat” or blob color on a new layer and set it to “color” blending mode and then paint over –there’s a lot of ways to do it– but then blend them back into the photo in a natural-ish way)

3) lighting overlays give color to the skin and you can use colors from your background to create interesting pop effects (in this case i used purple)

I hope this helps??? But if you want more like in depth help with editing and stuff, let me know!!! It can get overwhelming, but it can also be really fun!

#Anonymous #butterfly anon #banner stuff

3 notes · View notes

pensurfing · 5 years

Text

Tearing Down Other Illustrators Does Not Make You A Better Illustrator.

The title says it all. But you’d be surprised how many mutuals I have that just get a sick kick out of “giving critiques that destroy a person’s whole being” simply because “it happened to them”.

[[Jesus where to begin where to begin? Maybe disclaimers? Sure. At some point in the post, it will go from my calm, cool, collected tone to “I will cut a bitch’s throat”. If it hurts your feelings then that means the kitchen is too hot for you (probably because you do said nonsense) and now you gotta leave. Go sit, cool off, and then maybe try again. Probably when you’re a better person.]]

Let’s take it back to school:

In school, I failed at being a girl: mainly because I just failed to do ‘girl code’ things because I questioned it a LOT. Some girl code things make sense mind you, but not all of it. One of the girl codes that I questioned was “why are we being mean to the other girl if she didn’t DO anything and especially if she didn’t do anything to you?” Bam. The new target, me. It wasn’t anything I was ashamed about, I just don’t see the need of tearing someone down because they sit outside of your normal. Basically, the undertone of this experience is this: As a girl, if you made fun of other girls, it somehow magically made you prettier and more desired by your crush.” But you learn in grade school that this is not the case, and you especially learn in high school that this made you “a bitch”. Now fast forward a bit, looking back as an adult what were you supposed to learn from this? Girls pick on other girls usually when whatever little power they have is being challenged. Girls can also pick on other girls simply because they find the other girl pretty as well and this causes yet another inferiority complex. It will usually continue for a while simply because no one wants to question the ‘status quo’.

Why did I bring all of this into play?

As an illustrator, there is such a thing as a genuinely great critique. Great critique states things APPRECIATED about the piece; things that can be better about the piece; and solutions to the piece that the then illustrator can then either use as advice or just take it as the critique it is.

Then there’s just what I will call ‘straight bad-mouthing critique’. Nothing good to say about the piece, the person actually sits there and asks did the artist put eFfOrT into it. Tells them to just ‘draw more’. And some that just ‘rip the art to shreds’. Nothing good or positive. Said person will even go on to just insulting not only the piece but the artist and their character. How did we go from ‘the piece in question’ to just calling the artist a terrible person for attempting to draw a ‘insert whatever it was here’?

I do not give out the perfect critiques. Where someone will see ‘bad anatomy’ I’ll see ‘an attempt at foreshortening, and if they just...’ and I could go on. I see a bright color palette and warm tones in someone’s portfolio, someone else will see it as “you use to similar of colors and you need to get better at setting the mood with color in your pieces.” A difference of opinions is one thing, and it is up to the artist in question to decide which is more helpful. This is a different case and is USUALLY inspiring to create more variety to demonstrate your skills. What I no longer think I can tolerate is just words that do not fit into the situation or critique at hand.

I have examples:

I went to a portfolio review and had my artwork looked at by some professionals in the industry. (More professional than my...attempts... LOL! i’M a pRoFeSsIoNaL.) The main push for this was a couple ‘critiques’ that just weren’t helpful, useful, or even good.

I had five pieces presented to said ‘it’s a coin flip’ critiquers: Designs, Finished pieces, Sketches, WIPs, Roughs, I mean I gave em a LOAD to look at. I sent this to a couple groups where we bounce around ideas and I have left them all and have not regretted a single moment of it. Out of the three I sent them to, two straight up ignored them. (I’m used to my artwork being ignored by my peers at this point. I haven’t gotten any feedback whatsoever to where now I just assume they do not like my art style and just choose to not say anything because it’ll come out wrong.) One group only made the comment that not only rubbed the wrong way but in a way took down a community(?) “It looks furry erotica. Only they would like this.” ((Paraphrasing, but only slightly. The tone towards furries was something I was not ignoring.)) Do not use furies as some group to be looked down upon. And if they’ll like it then dammit I’m printing it. I’m an equal opportunity money grabber here babe.

“Hey Cait, her leg looks a bit short.” “Hey Cait, the colors here are awkward.” anything along these lines that actually were wrong with the piece could have helped.

I don’t draw NSFW stuff (I should at this point. It’ll be my step before becoming a stripper.) But no other comment besides that per se doesn’t help encourage or fix what could possibly be wrong. I’ve had a share of bad critiques, but this one was just useless. I stopped showing my pieces in WIPs and rough stages because I just genuinely didn’t get good feedback EVER. It came off as: Caitlin your ideas are slipping, they suck... Caitlin this is just another black girl, what’s your deal? Well damn sway, sorry my black ass drawing black ass art is bothering you. I almost was sick of it.

Now here is the portfolio review time by pros:

I go to it thinking “I’m just going to get my portfolio reviewed. No way am I good enough to stand in line for the job fair(s) going on.” So I got my reviews, the results? “Hey, I see you really enjoy backgrounds and telling stories with your finished pieces. Why don’t you draw more interiors so that way it cohesively harmonizes together better? It does great now, but you’d do pretty well adding more interiors.” “Wow, your linework is so crisp. Have you tried this technique? You have with recent pieces, great! Lets network.” “Your color choices are breathtaking. Here’s a tiny corner where your craftsmanship failed a bit, try buffing up this corner a bit.”

Good critiques, useful stuff! I was so pumped you know what I did? Went to the job fair half. My results? I have piles of individual business cards and personal. My professional network grew. (I guess I should log in and add things to Linkedin huh?) and I got a single big toe wet. (Not a foot in the door, not feet wet, just that one toe. But hey, ripples start waves. And as a surfer, you just gotta wait for the perfect wave ok?)

I hadn’t gotten a good critique since college. In college, I will commend my professor for teaching this: How to give a good critique. Did some of my colleagues forget how to do this step? Yes. Do some forget that it isn’t their piece of concept and you can’t make someone DO anything? You bet. But it’s just a shame how with mutuals it’s “Caitlin your art isn’t great and is too black.” versus the reviews and studios that gave me the thumbs up and said, “call me later, otherwise I’m calling you later.”

Now do I think there is a slow “status quo” complex going on in my mutuals because now I’m no longer the sucky drawer? Yes and that’s a new rant for a different post. Does tearing down my artwork help theirs get better? Hell nah fam. They don’t even practice what they preach.

I said all of this to say: I can’t stand people in ANY group of friends, art group, a community who does this. I can not. What do you benefit? Did your house get bigger? Is your butt bigger? Are you prettier? Is your artwork studio quality? Did a pile of money just land in your lap?

No. It never works that way.

I started this habit to test out my theory and only one friend has caught on; that one still has my respect. After getting a bs critique, I’ll always ask how a person is doing and they’ll go on about how their day-to-day isn’t as good as usual. The one friend that caught on and I quote: “Woah Cait, I’m sorry. I took my frustration on you, let me look at this on another day when I’m in a better mood.” And guess what? She did. Gave a USEFUL critique and we moved forward.

Sometimes if you're not in the mood to critique DO NOT DO IT.

I repeat:

If you are in a bitchy mood, do not destroy someone because your life sucks and you wanna take a massive shit on someone else. Doing so isn’t going to fix whatever is wrong in your world. It isn’t going to give you a large sum of money and isn’t going to make you a better illustrator. Do not take the phrase “tearing down the ‘competition’ so literally.

“Caitlin, are you sure you’re just bad at getting critique?”

Nah. I’m bad at taking BS critique and pointless comments anymore and said critiquers themselves are just upset that I’m no longer being a doormat for whatever is wrong in their life. Other illustrators feel the same way too.

“Caitlin, why do you look for critiques and get mad at people who don’t give good ones?”

Anyone in any field can acknowledge the fact that when you stare at something too long, you start to blur the object in question together. Is it finished, are there major flaws? A simple solution is just getting a fresh set of eyes to look it over. In any aspect of life: choices you made, something you’re prepping to cook, a document you’re writing, and guess what? A piece someone is drawing. It is a prosaic and even instinctual action to share and express ourselves with others for a response. Look at all the billionaires who invented social media.

We as a community need to start treating each other better. And when someone asks for a critique, follow these instructions that were on so many damn elementary school walls but cleARLY we need these put somewhere again.

Be better dolls. Be good and make good choices. This is the last text post I’m writing today.

TRD: There are some people who still don’t think before they speak and I see it too often in my own life too. So I’m saying something about it. A reminder for something you learned in grade school: Being mean to other girls won’t make you prettier just like tearing down other illustrators and their artwork won’t make you a better illustrator.

#art rant #rant #critique #art community #Illustration #pensurfing #personal rant don't mind me #hungry and irritated

2 notes · View notes

painandinjury · 3 years

Text

The 30 Day Pain Relief Challenge Kick Off

It’s 2021 and time to kick off the 30 Day Pain Relief Challenge!

But first I want to acknowledge what’s on everyone’s mind.

2020 began with an unexpected crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. A new corona virus strain emerged; highly contagious and deadly for certain individuals, and for which there was no vaccine. As of this writing, over 85 million people worldwide have contracted the virus, with 1.85 million dying from it. The United States is being hit the hardest, with 20.8 million cases and 352,000 dead. The numbers are expected to spike following the holiday season, thanks to many people choosing to get together in large groups and ignoring the risk. So please, remain extra vigilant the next two weeks because chances are, there are more viruses around you than there were a month ago, ready to find a new host.

As we navigate through COVID-19 in 2021, life must still go on. I know many have been hurt economically, and their number-one priority is to find a way to get back on their feet. It is not an easy thing to do, especially if you lost your job and the life skills you possess are in an industry that has been permanently impacted by the pandemic. If this describes your situation, I sincerely hope you find a way to re-position or re-invent yourself, to get back to earning a living.

While COVID-19 dominates the news and peoples’ attention, we must not lose focus on the many other challenges life presents that also need our attention. How would you rate your health at the start of the new year? How about your energy levels and endurance?

Quarantining and social distancing have a way of discouraging exercising and promoting over-eating, a terrible combination to health. When one is restricted from going outside and going to a gym (although a gym is not necessary for staying fit, but I digress…) and constantly bombarded by news of doom and gloom, the tendency is to stay home, surf the web, and eat, more than you typically do (what else is there to do in such a scenario?). And for many, the choice is high-calorie comfort food. This can lead to unwanted weight gain, muscle atrophy, joint pain, and so on.

If you are not feeling 100%, then I encourage you to open all the emails I’ll be sending over the next 30 days—the 30 Day Pain Relief Challenge is about to kick off, and email is how it will be executed.

And what exactly is the challenge? It’s about challenging yourself to get out of your comfort zone and do all the things I will suggest in the coming days so that you can get out of pain, or significantly knock it down to levels you haven’t experienced in a long time.

The other reward may be that you will lose 10 pounds or more; will have more energy, and will notice that your mind/ thinking is clearer. This is because the methods I’ll go over target your body and all its systems; not just the area of pain. It is wholistic.

But first let me explain how you will be measuring your results. After all, pain is subjective. You need some kind of tool to quantify your improvement, so read on.

Pain, aches, discomfort or whatever you want to call it affects your health. There is mental health and physical health; both important to happiness in different ways. Your physical and mental health are impacted, even just a little and perhaps unnoticeable to you, if you have chronic pain/aches/discomfort. Less-than-optimal physical and mental health impacts quality of life. Quality of life in this sense refers to your ability to physically do what you need or want to do; whether it be your job; recreational activity such as playing golf or swimming; or activities of daily living; i.e. taking care of yourself and your personal needs.

Why You Might Have a Disability if You Have Pain

If you live with chronic pain, you likely have some degree of disability.

“Me disabled?” you might be thinking. “No way!”

The word “disability” is often misconstrued. Disability doesn’t necessarily mean “disabled” and in a wheel chair. It simply means not being able to perform a certain task without some degree of difficulty or impediment; or not being able to do it at all.

Doctors (medical examiners) who issue disability certificates or write medical-legal reports are tasked to determine the degree to which someone is disabled. Their findings determine the patient’s disability compensation from the insurance company or government agency. They use observation, physical exam procedures, diagnostic tests like X-rays and nerve conduction; and instruments to measure strength, pain perception, reflexes, coordination, and range of motion. Any deficiency is expressed as a percent disabled, and there are laws that define levels of disability.

For example, in the insurance industry, the loss of both eyes, or the loss of two limbs equates to “100% disability.” Not being able to maintain a tight grip could be rated as 20% disability if the person’s occupation requires power gripping machinery.

Disability can also be subjectively quantified using Disability questionnaires where the patient rates his/ her ability to perform certain tasks on a scale of zero to some number; and the level of pain. In some questionnaires, the zero rating means you have zero difficulty doing the task (best score), while in others the zero rating means you cannot do the task at all (worst score).

For example, the following is one section of the Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire. Imagine having low back pain and rating yourself (0 to 5) on your ability to lift things:

LIFTING:

0 – I can lift heavy weights without extra pain

1 – I can lift heavy weights but it gives extra pain

2 – Pain prevents me from lifting heavy weights off the floor, but I can manage if they are conveniently positioned, i.e. on a table

3 – Pain prevents me from lifting heavy weights, but I can manage light to medium weights if they are conveniently positioned

4 – I can lift very light weights

5 – I cannot lift or carry anything at all

When rating yourself, you must try to be as objective as possible—don’t over rate your ability; nor under rate it. Give each question some thought.

Then, you add up the numbers, divide it by the total number of points and multiply by 100 to get a percentage score.

If the zero rating is assigned to “full ability to do the task” (like the Oswestry above), then the score is interpreted as “percent disabled.” So, an individual with no low back disability whatsoever will score zero out of 50 and his rating will therefore be zero percent disabled; i.e. 100% functional. If his score is 30, then 30/50 x (100) = 60% disabled.

Below is an example of an Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire completely filled out:

In the above example, the total points out of all ten questions is 19, which is considered a Moderate disability, out of No, Mild, Moderate, Severe and Total Disability. In this case, 19/50 x 100 = 38% disabled due to low back pain. Now this person has a baseline for his condition, and can set goals to lower it each time; perhaps to 20% after a month, then 10% after three months of therapy.

If the zero rating is instead assigned to “no ability to do the task,” the score is interpreted as “percent functional.” This is how the Upper and Lower Extremity Disability questionnaires are designed. So a score of zero in this case means zero percent functional (totally disabled), and 30% means you are 30% functional (you lost 70% function in that limb).

Please note that Disability questionnaires are used as tools to quantify and set baselines for pain and functional capacity; your scores do not officially establish any disability you may have, they simply provide a more tangible interpretation of pain.

Quantifying pain/disability, even if subjective, gives you a sense of how significant it is; i.e. how much it affects your life. Secondly, it can be used as a tool to measure your improvement over time, after doing some therapy and/or rehabilitation (strength and coordination exercises). This lets you know if what you did works for your condition, and therefore, whether to continue or discontinue it.

For example, if your baseline Oswestry score was 60%, and you were prescribed some McKenzie exercises for one week and a follow- up score was 40%, it suggests that those exercises improved your condition and you should continue or progress to the next level. If it was 60% or higher, you should discontinue the exercises and try another approach.

You don’t have to see a doctor to use Disability questionnaires to subjectively assess your disability. They are fairly straightforward to use and you can download the forms from the internet (see below; I’ve done it for you).

Determine Your Pain/Disability Baseline

If you have low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, or lower or upper limb pain then I suggest monitoring your condition using the appropriate disability questionnaire. If you are getting therapy, your doctor should be having you fill these forms (or something similar) out each visit and going over the results with you. It’s substandard care if you don’t know if the therapy you are getting or exercises you are doing is helping; these questionnaires will prompt you to think about the change or lack of change in your functional capacity, and will help you assess your care so that you can take appropriate action.

Below you will find forms to assess any musculoskeletal pain you are having. If you wish to participate in the 30 Day Pain Relief Challenge, print out the appropriate disability questionnaire; rate your abilities as objectively as you can and calculate your score; set it aside, and be ready to fill out a new questionnaire after 30 days of diligently doing the things I will cover over the next 30 days.

My goal is for participants to experience at least a 50% improvement in their pain/ disability scores. If you have any friends who might be interested in participating, please refer them to my site, https://PainandInjuryDoctor.com and have them enter their email in the opt in form.

#Musculoskeletal disorders #Musculoskeletal pain #PainandInjuryDoctor #Low Back Pain #Muscle Pain

0 notes

droneseco · 3 years

Text

Lotmaxx SC-10 Shark Review: Reliable 3D Printer for Beginners, But Maybe Skip the Upgrades

Lotmaxx SC-10 Shark

9.00 / 10

Read Reviews

Read More Reviews

Shop Now

The Lotmaxx SC-10 Shark is an incredibly well-built and reliable printer out of the box, which makes it perfect for beginners. With easy to use features like a flexible heated build plate and handheld touchscreen, in my experience, there were zero tweaks required to get amazing prints. That's an incredible achievement for any printer, let alone one at this price point. I've tried a lot of 3D printers over the years, and almost none of them have "just worked". Full marks for the core package.

Specifications

Brand: Lotmaxx

Build Volume: 9.25x9.25x10.4 inches (235x235x265mm)

Printing Accuracy: 0.1-0.4mm

Connectivity: MicroSD, USB

Heated Build Plate: Yes, flexible and removable too

Feed Type: Bowden tube

Dimensions: 17x18.3x19.21 inches (443x466x488mm)

Weight: 18.5lbs (8.4kg)

Dual-Color Printing: Optional upgrade

Pros

Fantastic quality prints out of the box, no tweaking required

T-slot metal chassis is solid and well built

Detachable screen for convenience

Heated, removable, flexible print bed

Cons

Bi-color printing adds too much complexity, wastage, and failure rates for beginners

Auto-leveling upgrade is temperamental

Laser engraving prints line by line

Messy wiring once you add in any of the upgrade modules

Buy This Product

Lotmaxx SC-10 Shark other

Shop

// Bottom var galleryThumbs1 = new Swiper('.gallery-thumbs-1', { spaceBetween: 10, slidesPerView: 10, freeMode: true, watchSlidesVisibility: true, watchSlidesProgress: true, centerInsufficientSlides: true, allowTouchMove: false, preventClicks: false, breakpoints: { 1024: { slidesPerView: 6, } }, }); // Top var galleryTop1 = new Swiper('.gallery-top-1', { spaceBetween: 10, allowTouchMove: false, loop: true, preventClicks: false, breakpoints: { 1024: { allowTouchMove: true, } }, navigation: { nextEl: '.swiper-button-next', prevEl: '.swiper-button-prev', }, thumbs: { swiper: galleryThumbs1 } });

Easy to use, good quality prints, reasonably priced: pick any two when it comes to 3D printers.

At least, that used to be the case. The Lotmaxx SC-10 Shark doesn't compromise on build quality, yet it's also easy to use, works out of the box for reliable prints, and is very reasonably priced. It even has a selection of upgrades available, able to turn it into a dual-color extruder, or even a laser engraver.

youtube

Initial Impressions and Design

Arriving somewhat flat-packed, you'll need to spend a good half hour or so putting together the SC-10 Shark before first use. This isn't as bad as it sounds; it's certainly not what I'd call a DIY kit. Construction amounts to bolting on the upright gantry, as well as the spool holders, and screen. An extensive set of tools are provided, as well as a replacement Bowden tube, clippers, and scraper. Everything you could possibly need to get started printing is included, including some sample filament.

The component quality of the SC-10 is a class above most printers, with an all-metal T-slot chassis and injection molded plastic parts. It looks and feels premium, and solidly built. Whether that translates to good quality prints is another matter.

The core design is that of an Ender 3 clone, with a Bowden tube feeding the filament into the print head. A filament feed sensor ensures that running out of filament mid-print will pause and alert you to change it.

While the filament sensor is a useful touch, I admit I'm not a fan of the Bowden tube. The interface of the printer means that changing the filament requires pressing the same button about thirty times in order to move the filament 10mm at a time until it leaves the tube. A direct-drive extruder located directly on the print head is much easier, but this is a minor complaint.

A large, removable full-color touchscreen can be found on the right-hand side, with a coiled cable which means you can manipulate the screen from anywhere within about a foot radius. Although this sounds like a small point of note in the hardware specs, I found it to be surprisingly useful, especially when you've got the printer perhaps pushed off to the back of your desk, or in a cabinet. The interface is a little slow, however, and could probably have simplified into a monochrome scheme to speed up processing.

You can transfer Gcode to the printer using a micro-SD card. Although USB printing is supported, it's not recommended from a PC, and I have yet to see any official support for Octoprint.

Particularly useful for beginners is the heated and removable flexible build plate. A heated build plate helps with first layer adhesion, which means fewer failed prints. Removing prints is effortless: just pull off the magnetically attached steel build plate, and bend it slightly to release the print. Scrape off any residue using the supplied scraper.

Lotmaxx SC-10 Shark: First Print

Before getting started with your first print, you'll need to manually level the print bed using four large dials located underneath. Select the leveling process from the settings menu, and place a sheet of paper on the print bed. Tap each leveling point in turn, and adjust the dial until you can start to feel some friction on the paper between the nozzle and the build plate. Repeat until it feels the same at all five points.

My first print was using the supplied test Gcode: a lucky cat. I'm pleased to report it worked the first time, with good adhesion and fast printing speed. While there is a slight issue with a drooping overhang under the right paw, it's still incredible quality for a first print, and these could easily be fixed by slowing it down.

What really surprised me was how incredibly quiet it was when printing. When idle, the fan noise is audible but easily ignored; but when printing starts, you could be in the same room and not actually know it's on. This is in sharp contrast to my aging Prusa Original mkII, which the entire house is aware of. The combination of solid metal frame, powerful stepper motors, and good quality stepper driver chips are what makes this possible. I would happily put the Lotmaxx SC-10 Shark in my office or bedroom while it prints.

Slicing Models

Lotmaxx provides custom software for slicing; it appears to be a modified version of Cura. Though I'm more familiar with Slicr, it feels easy enough for beginners and pros alike, displaying all the features I'd expect in an accessible way. There's a variety of quality presets, or you can delve into the individual parameters and create your own custom profiles. Slicing a downloaded STL file (for a 2V geodesic dome) was effortless, and again, produced a fantastic quality print with no failures. Printed at a slower speed than the lucky cat, there were no bridging issues at all.

There's no reason you can't use your own favorite slicing software, of course—the printer uses standard Gcode, and the settings can be taken from the device profile. But for beginners, I'd recommend just using the Lotmaxx software until you're more comfortable.

There's another reason to use the supplied software: if you purchased the laser engraving upgrade, the design software to produce laser Gcodes is integrated. Unlike 3D object slicers, I'm not aware of any third-party software that can handle this. Which brings us neatly onto the first upgrade available for the Lotmaxx SC-10 Shark.

Laser Engraving Module

The laser engraver is the easiest module to install, requiring only a few bolts to secure it to the right-hand side of the standard 3D print head. Once plugged in (to the front of the machine), the printer will automatically recognize it should switch over to Laser mode, without any firmware modifications or settings being changed. The interface adjusts accordingly, and you'll be able to select your laser Gcode for printing.

Use the clips provided to attach your print surface securely to the build plate. Since the engraver module is attached to the right of the print head, the actual area available to print on is less than the full build plate; roughly two-thirds the size, but this is still plenty big enough for most purposes. MAke sure you're wearing the provided safety goggles, then activate the laser and use a combination of the Z-axis and manually adjusting the focus dial on the laser module until the laser beam is focussed. Then you can start printing your design.

While it's generally safe to leave a 3D printer to its get on with its business thanks to thermal safety features, burning wood and other materials with a high-powered laser is another matter. Do not leave the machine unattended when printing in this mode.

Unfortunately, my results with the laser engraver were disappointing. Rather than treating outlines as a continuous movement then filling in the middle (as it would when 3D printing), the laser engraver prints line by line, like an inkjet. It looks quite terrible and ruins the utility of the module for me. The hardware is obviously capable of much better, so either I'm doing something completely wrong that isn't well explained in the manual, or it can be fixed with a software update.

Auto-Leveling

The second upgrade you can purchase with the SC-10 is the auto-leveler, a 3D Touch module. This is a small, physical probe that drops down, touches the print bed, then retracts. It's an inexpensive module, but in my experience, wasn't worth the hassle.

The auto-leveler attaches in much the same way as the laser engraver and also plugs in around the front of the machine. Unlike the laser module, you'll need to modify the firmware configuration file in order to make use of it, as well as change the Gcode start settings found in the slicing software.

Though I did manage to get one successful print having installed the auto-leveler, subsequent attempts sent the print head crashing into the bed. After much experimentation, I found the BLTouch seemingly requires the print bed to be manually leveled first, which somewhat defeats the purpose of an auto-leveling mechanism.

At this point, I was also frustrated with the lack of live Z-adjustment. Live Z-adjustment means that you can move the print head up and down even when the print process has started, so it's easy to back off or add a little more squish for the first layer, as needed. If you've manually leveled the bed anyway, this generally isn't needed, since it's already tuned to a paper thickness. But every time using the auto-leveler, I found I needed to tweak it slightly. Which again, involves the manual dials underneath the bed.

This is the first time I've used a 3D Touch probe, and I hope it's the last. The PINDA inductive probe method used by Prusa is more reliable and is able to adjust for all manner of warped beds without any manual intervention.

So despite being an inexpensive upgrade, I just wouldn't bother with the auto-leveler. Out of the box, manual leveling works just fine.

Bi-Color Printing with a Dual Extruder

The final upgrade you can purchase for the SC-10 Shark is the most complex to install, and most impressive—if you can get it working right.

Printing in multiple filaments takes the creative possibilities of a 3D printer to a whole other level. As well as multiple colors, you can print more complex objects thanks to water-soluble support structures.

The dual-extruder upgrade on the Lotmaxx SC-10 involves completely disassembling the print head and replacing the hotend. You'll then have two Bowden tubes to deal with. You'll also need to fit a second extruder motor, sensor, and filament holder onto the gantry, and remove the base of the printer to install a driver chip. And there'll be more cables to route, which again, plug in at the front of the machine. It took me at least an hour, and I'm fairly certain I broke the single-color hotend in the process, thanks to an uncooperative Bowden tube clip.

When you're finished, it's a little messy, if I'm honest. While I can deal with a dangling cable for the temporary use of a laser engraver, once you add in an auto-leveler and second extruder, the neatly wrapped cabling and overall aesthetics of the printer are ruined.

After again altering the firmware configuration file and printer profile settings, the test print turned out great. It's a beautiful two-color cone, it really is. But one thing you should know about bi-color printing from a single print head is that getting defined colors like that requires cleaning the hotend at each color change. The print head moves off to the side, squirts a bit out into a column of waste, then carries on. To produce that one lovely test cone required an equally large column of waste.

Perhaps this is a non-issue if you're printing an entire plate full of beautifully bi-color cones. Wider, flatter models produce comparatively less waste, for sure. But I have to ask if it's worth it. You can turn off the column of cleaning waste if you want, but the results are terrible; you can see below how the bi-color effect is ruined, and you'll get "bobbling" where it tries to change colors anyway.

Unlike some printers, the Sc-10 Shark can't mix colors. Attempting to push the other filament in at the same time doesn't work, and you'll hear the extruders clicking as the filament jams. This means that before each print you'll need to ensure both filaments are retracted about 1cm into the Bowden tube. This isn't an automatic process, so you have raise the hotend temperature first, then retract each extruders. It's even trickier with lighter colors filaments as the tube is opaque white, so you may need to use a smartphone flashlight to shine through the tube.

You should also know that designing a two-color print requires two models. You'll need to load both models in, hope they align, assign each to the respective print head, then merge them. There are comparatively few ready-made bi-color models available in this format for you to download.

Although the results are impressive, the additional wasted plastic, slicer complications, and inability to color mix filaments inside the hotend mean that you need significantly higher levels of patience to get good results. Once I swapped over to the dual-color system, my failure rate skyrocketed.

I should also note that it's still possible to print in two colors even without a second extruder if the color change occurs at a specific layer. This enables you to print things like signage by just sending a pause signal at a certain layer, and swapping the filament over.

Aside: the print above was terrible quality (though it didn't fail, as such), with pillowing on the first layer and what seems like over-extrusion throughout. I'm still trying to isolate why.

Lotmaxx SC-10 Shark: Great for Beginners

Let me be clear: the Lotmaxx SC-10 Shark is an incredibly well-built and reliable printer out of the box, which makes it perfect for beginners. With easy to use features like a flexible heated build plate and handheld touchscreen, in my experience, there were zero tweaks required to get amazing prints. That's an incredible achievement for any printer, let alone one at this price point. I've tried a lot of 3D printers over the years, and almost none of them have "just worked". Full marks for the core package.

But once I got to the optional upgrades, I ran into increased failures and disappointing results.

The auto-leveler is unreliable and still needs manual adjustment. Manual leveling really isn't that hard anyway, so I ended up just disabling the 3D Touch module.

The dual-extruder adds too much complexity for the beginner and decreases the overall reliability of the prints; I wouldn't recommend installing it and ruining what is otherwise a great printer. If you're a pro user who must have the ability to print with dual-extruders, I'd recommend a printer that's designed for it from the outset, rather than an optional upgrade.

The laser engraver is the most promising upgrade that requires the least effort to install. While I haven't had great best results with it yet, I'm confident it can be improved. If you can buy one upgrade only, it should be the laser module.

Then again: at around $400 for the complete package, it might be worth a punt anyway. Software updates might improve the performance of the upgrades, or you might be confident enough later down the line to install them without fearing the inevitable tweaks.

Lotmaxx SC-10 Shark Review: Reliable 3D Printer for Beginners, But Maybe Skip the Upgrades published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

0 notes

bulletjourneyy · 5 years

Text

Life through ‘Sliding Doors’

This article was written for the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition where I was awarded silver in the senior category.

The surroundings were calm. A quiet lull rang through the small town of Mussorie. A gentle breeze blew through the air. Some birds chirped melodiously, but other than that, not many sounds were heard. There I was, tucked away, in the mist and dew of the hills and valley, 7000 feet above sea level, escaping the chaos of Mumbai – the honking of impatient drivers, the incessant ringing of the doorbell, the unyielding ‘pings’ on my phone. I felt akin to Ruskin Bond, in his hometown, bonding with my grandparents in their humble abode.

I had visited them soon after the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. The city was struck by terror, as it had never seen before. Having heard continuous rounds of gunshots and seen flaming infernos, I was scared and scarred. I barely understood what was happening around me, and as soon as the airport had been given the ‘all clear,’ I was off to Mussorie, in the quiet foothills of the Himalayas. It was almost unbelievable how the financial capital of the country was held to ransom and still the quaint Northern town was unaware of the tragedy and the gravity of the attacks.

I remember asking my grandfather what the people in the Taj Hotel had done wrong. He told me it wasn’t their fault and that there were some terrible people with dark, twisted minds, who committed such heinous crimes. I asked him whether it would happen again, to which he said he could only hope it wouldn’t. I questioned him if they would attack our building in Mumbai. He said he didn’t know, that he didn’t understand the psyche of terrorists. He told me not to be scared and that there was always a road to a safer future.

I looked at him, wide eyed, hopeful, yet apprehensive. I was curious as to what this road would entail, but I was terrified that it would be more than I could comprehend, let alone carry out. I listened, anyway, because I truly believed that grandpa knew best. He had been a soldier in the war, and he knew the intricacies of disasters.

It seemed as if the little lights in the town grew brighter, as if eager to absorb my grandfather’s profound knowledge. The wind blew a little stronger, as if to carry the hope in our hearts to the entire town. The leaves in the trees rustled, as if to carry the message of peace to all the children around the world. The stars seemed to twinkle brighter, as if to spread joy.

Grandpa told me that when he served as a soldier in Gorsam, Arunachal Pradesh, he chose to live in the hut of a village farmer, instead of in the army quarters. He wanted to experience their lives. The farmer Mukut was a humble, well-grounded man, who lived a frugal life only to save for a rainy day. In his case this is ironical as the rains were his `God’. He was young but not naïve; he knew the political state of corruption in Arunachal Pradesh. Despite his lack of education, his depth of empirical knowledge allowed him to grow two crops of rice because he used certified quality seeds of rice. He, his wife and his six-year-old son would plough, till, weed and harvest the rice to live a life of satisfaction. They had neither the money to hire workers nor any to spare to take care of an additional guest such as my grandfather. However, in a village brimming with skepticism, they were the only ones willing to take him in, and they flatly refused his offer to pay rent for his stay.

One day, a well-dressed man came to the door of their small, two-bedroom hut. Grandpa called for Mukut who took one look at the man and slammed the door on his face. “I was aghast,” said Grandpa, “So I asked Mukut why he was so annoyed with the man at the door.” Mukut told him that the man sold seeds from a private company. The whole village used those seeds for farming as they were cheaper and they were all flourishing.

Mukut continued his explanation. He said that these seeds were of inferior quality and the crops grown from them were unsuitable for consumption, though they looked extremely healthy and yielded more crops. He had heard of several people who had to be rushed to Itanagar for treatment at the hospital because they had consumed these crops. Besides, Mukut knew that these crops were soil-depleting and one year, when the soil was not well nourished, they would fail, and Mukut would be the only one who would be compensated by the Ministry of Agriculture as he bought government-issued genetically pure seeds.

Mukut knew that their noisy tractors and electric hals (ploughs) and their relentless keetanaashakon (pesticides) was a form of abuse to the soil. They overused the water wells and often left the poor villagers with not even enough water to drink. They were shamelessly misguided by their new found prosperity. They bought all the technology that money could buy on loan and ultimately, that ignorance would be the reason of their downfall.

Mukut’s great grandfather called this dishonest farming. He had always reminded Mukut that farming was an artform to be practised with utmost attention and grace. He must observe the soil conditions and use only as many implements as he needed. Since a very young age, Mukut knew how to feel the soil and understand its needs. He was a farmer at heart, not a avaricious industrialist. His morals and values were so deeply embedded that no bribe of short lived fortune could shake his foundation and convince him to risk everything for unscrupulous benefits. He had imbibed the values of Gandhiji and was a strong advocate for Gram Swaraj (fundamental idea being empowering villages to be its own republic).

Surely enough, that very year, the crops failed in Gorsam. A month- long drought struck the village, with temperatures rising to above 48 degrees. It was succeeded by Kal Andhi (the dark storm) that rewarded the villagers with so much water that their dying crops were washed away. The farmers cursed their fate. The other villagers ran to the private company for reimbursement, where they were met with stone faced lawyers, who told them that the seeds were sold with ‘terms and conditions apply’ written in fine print.

However, Mukut’s efforts paid off. His soil was fertile, his farming practices were honest and his crops withstood the terrible weather. He planted honest seeds in the ground and those seeds of honesty sparked a ripple of change in Mukut’s livelihood. Mukut’s yield was condoned by the weather and he was amply reimbursed monetarily.

On the other hand, the other villagers were starving. They were knee deep in loans with interests they could not repay. They were in utter despair. They were hounded by the zamindars (landlords) and sahukars (moneylenders). They had to sell their land, their only form of livelihood. Farmers began rampantly committing suicide in order to evade their loans. To my grandfather’s utter surprise, Mukut began distributing a significant amount of his newfound wealth amongst his villagers because he felt pity for them. This was truly gracious of him for these were the same villagers who deserted him in his time of need.

“Honesty,” said grandfather, “was the reason for his success. He planted honest seeds with hard work and determination and it paid off in full.” In all innocence, I asked him why Mukut had helped his villagers when he had to save for his future.

“That, my child, is integrity. Mukut loved his village and his villagers, regardless of what they had done to him. Their deeds, religion, caste, gender did not matter to him. He only cared for their welfare. He possessed traits that are becoming rarer by the day – kindness and empathy. Mukut was a symbol of humanity as it should be today and every day hence. Even though he was illiterate his values of honesty and empathy stood the test of time and ensured his future was secure.”

I never truly understood the profundity of my grandfather’s story until I was much older. It made me realize that in a world that was fragmented by the World Wars, we have now been united by the scariest phenomenon that we can imagine– terrorism. This terrorism must instigate the seeds of honesty, integrity and empathy. It must compel us to look for answers for a safer future within us, make us cognizant of the fact that as individuals we must love each other, regardless of the narrow, domestic walls that we have created – not just in the face of calamity.

It reminds me of one of the last things my grandfather ever told me, “Beti (daughter), open your arms and embrace this life with old values for a safer future. Your conscience will always guide you.“

0 notes

imagine--drv3 · 7 years

Text

Since its close to Valentines day, how about the boys trying to make certain chocolates for thier crush?

Sure thing, please enjoy it!

Korekiyo Shinguuji

He tries his hardest, he really does, but this just isn’t his line of expertice.

But he reads the recipe very carefully before doing anything! Each step is followed carefully, he wouldn’t want you putting trash into your beautiful human digestive system.

He simply wouldn’t allow it.

So he makes sure to follow the recipe perfectly.

He also leaves quite a mess in his kitchen.

On Valentine’s Day, he’s sure he has everything planned!

He’s going to walk up to you, tell you that you look lovely, give you the chocolates, and wish you a happy Valentine’s Day.

Things...don’t go as well as planned.

As soon as he’s standing before you, he freezes up, his nerves get the best of him.

He thrusts the box of chocolates at you before walking away, blushing.

You’re pretty surprised, but...why not eat them?

They taste pretty good, nothing extraordinary, but not blande either.

Overall a nice gesture with good intent!

Rantarou Amami

A little more experience than Korekiyo, but still fairly inept.

He tries his best in the kitchen, but in the end, things come out a little messy...

Well, although they’re a little misshapen, they taste delicious.

He tests one just to be sure, this is a very important exchange, he can’t make you chocolates that you wouldn’t like...you’d never go out with him then.

Honestly, he’s kind of nervous, but he decides to take a deep breath and just do this.

So he walks up to you at your locker after the class, making casually friendly conversation, just enjoying a nice chat!

Finally, he segways cleanly into the topic of Valentine’s Day, and with all the confidence he can muster, gives you the chocolates.

They’re in a neatly tied, lovingly decorated little green box, and you can tell he put a lot of care into this.

You accept his gift with a smile, and you can tell he’s very pleased and relieved!

Maybe someday he’ll have the confidence to ask you out, but for now, this will do.

Kokichi Ouma

Is an absolutely useless cook, and there is no way in hell he made those himself.

But nobody ever said your underlings couldn’t make the Valentine’s Day chocolates for you! That was never specified!

Regardless, they taste AMAZING, and a whole new batch has to be made because Ouma keeps eating them all.

But finally, a batch sticks, and Ouma agrees to stop eating them and actually wrap some for you.

He puts them in a little bag, ties it with a nice ribbon, and writes your name on it.

He’s blushing just enough to be noticeable when he does this, prompting some teasing from his underlings.

Ignoring them, he decides he has to do this, he’s come too far to back out now!

So on Valentine’s Day, he approaches you right after school. He’s blushing again, and he’s quite fidgety. He looks nervous.

He’s just kind of glaring at the bag in his hands, like he doesn’t know what to say to you and is trying to avoid eye contact.

Finally, he takes a deep breath, and still beet red, holds out the bag.

You’re surprised at first, but he’s not done.

He tells you he’s liked you since the day he first saw you, and he wants to take your friendship further than just a friendship.

He...wants to be your boyfriend.

You agree immediately, you can’t help yourself, he just looks so cute, and you can tell he’s not lying, you can see how nervous he’s been about this, you can see how much he wants to care for you.

He looks absolutely elated when you say yes, like his entire world just got brighter, and you can’t help but laugh.

The chocolates are just a plus. Now you have Ouma too.

Shuuichi Saihara

He’s...not very good at this, but he tries.

The chocolates are in a pretty standard box, he can’t really think of anything special, but he swears he put a LOT of effort into making the chocolates themselves!

He sits with them in his bag all day long, waiting for the perfect opportunity to give them to you.

He’s blushing for practically the entire day, he’s really nervous.

And in the end...you go home without even talking to him once that day.

Just as well, he supposes.

He throws them out with a sigh, he chickened out again, what was he even thinking?

At least, that’s what he thought until you approached him on his walk home.

He was surprised, really! And a little mad at himself for throwing out the chocolates.

Even though they were pretty bitter.

But what’s this? You made chocolates for him?

He’s honestly really taken aback, he never thought you would do something like this just for him...

He’s very grateful! Maybe this could mean something more...?

But he doesn’t get a chance to ask before you’re back on your way home.

Maybe another time.

Kaito Momota

Out of all the boys, he’s the worst at this.

His chocolates look terrible, they probably taste terrible, but they are in one hell of a box!

It’s fully galaxy printed, and looks awesome.

He’s not nervous about giving them to you, that’s not a problem, but...

He’s pretty nervous about asking you out along with them.

He’s blushing a little, but otherwise, he looks pretty happy and confident!

He just really, really wants you to like him, that’s all.

So, before you two leave class at the end of the day, he asks to speak to you!

You comply, because you’re curious, and he’s sweet, and you’re hoping that maybe you’ll get something out of this because it’s Valentine’s Day.

He doesn’t avoid the top, but he does bring it up pretty casually.

He mentions that he made you something, hand hands you the box.

You’re more surprised by how great it looks than the fact that the chocolates look so bad!

You thank him quickly, and are ready to leave, when he stops you.

He says that isn’t all he wanted to say today.

Finally, he just mans up and tells you he’s had feelings for you since before he could even remember, and he wants to be more than friends.

You’re surprised, but you do say yes, because you like him back!

Happy ending!

Kiibo

He’s thoroughly searched the internet for the best possible recipes to use! The ones with the nicest ingredients, best reviews, and...the ones that are a bit on the pricey side.

So even though the ingredients pretty much swallow his wallet, he’s glad he could get them!

Every individual chocolate is individually inspected for quality before being boxed.

He’s a little nervous, because he can’t actually taste, so he has no idea if they’re good or not...but he hopes they are!

He doesn’t really know the proper protocol for giving you the chocolates.

He doesn’t actually know the proper protocol for Valentine’s Day at all, especially now that he’s had his first crush!

It’s very stressful! He’s nervous!

But he picks a time he feels suitable, right after school.

But things can never just work out perfectly...

By the time the end of the day comes around, he’s exhausted.

The constant stress of him being nervous about giving you the chocolates has been eating at his battery all day, and he’s just wiped.

You notice him struggling to stay awake in his desk as the class pulls to a close, he looks like he could pass out at any moment, but sleepy Kiibo still looks kind of adorable.

When class ends, the entire class leaves, and Kiibo just...doesn’t register that they’re gone...he’s still just sitting there, bobbing in and out of consciousness.

You walk over and sit beside him, stroking his hair gently and chuckling to yourself as you ask him if he’s alright.

He snaps to attention, blushing and apologizing.

He quickly remembers the chocolates, and musters up enough energy to offer them to you!

You happily accept them, and he gives you a tired smile, you can tell he was hoping for that.

You offer to walk him home, because you’re pretty sure he won’t make it hope alone...

Sleepy end?

Gonta Gokuhara

He makes an absolute mess of the kitchen.

Just a total disaster.

He tries his best, but in the end he has almost nothing to show for it...

He makes a few messy chocolates, and they’re not very good, but it’s the effort that counts, and he spent hours on these.

When he gives them to you, he’s so excited! He hopes you really like them!

You ignore the way they look, it’s the thought that matters.

You thank him very gratefully and give him a nice hug!

He hugs you back, and may or may not pick you up accidentally in the process.

He’ll ask you out another time, but for now, he’ll be a friend.

Even if he wants to be more.

Ryouma Hoshi

Well...a short story, really.

He puts a lot of effort into them.

A lot. Hours of effort.

Finally, they’re perfect, everything about them is perfect, you couldn’t buy more perfect chocolates.

He boxes them nicely, they’re just perfect.

But when he gets to school, he notices something kind of crushing.

You’re already getting chocolates.

Lots of them.

So many other people want you.

He’s out of your league.

He throws them away.

He never mentions this to you.

#mod kiibo #danganronpa #new danganronpa v3 #imagine #drv3 imagine #self insert #korekiyo shinguuji #rantarou amami #ouma kokichi #shuuichi saihara #kaito momota #kiibo #gonta gokuhara #ryouma hoshi

238 notes · View notes

ladystylestores · 4 years

Text

Why Vaccines Are So Slow

Want to get The Morning by email? Here’s the sign-up.

Good morning. The economic downturn is hitting young workers especially hard. Trump claims to be taking an unproven medication. And there is encouraging vaccine news — but an actual vaccine is still a long way away.

Early news about medical treatments — like yesterday’s announcement that a coronavirus vaccine has shown positive results in eight people — can feel both exciting and frustrating.

The frustrating part is the timing. Even if all continues to go well with the research into this vaccine, it won’t be available until late this year or early next year. Between now and then, the vaccine will have to endure two more research trials, one involving hundreds of people and the other involving thousands.

Given the virus’s terrible toll, that long process can seem strangely lacking in urgency. But scientists insist that it isn’t. Here are the key reasons they say that there are no easy or fast routes to a vaccine:

Early results don’t always stand. In 2015, the French drug company Sanofi began selling the first vaccine for dengue. The drug had made it through multiple research trials — although some researchers believed Sanofi had ignored worrisome signs. Sure enough, as children in the Philippines began using it, some contracted an even worse form of dengue. Today, use of the vaccine is highly restricted.

In recent testimony, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, noted that a coronavirus vaccine could suffer from the same problem.

The larger point is that drugs that look good in small, initial studies often look less good when they’re tested in more people.

Side effects matter. A vaccine doesn’t merely need to work, as Katie Thomas, a Times reporter covering pharmaceuticals, explained to me. It needs not to have side effects that cause more damage than the virus itself.

This coronavirus seems to kill only a small percentage of people who get it. The side effects have the potential to do more damage, because any coronavirus vaccine will be given to billions of people, including many with underlying health problems.

It could lead people around the world to stop taking vaccines that actually work. That’s what happened in the Philippines after the dengue scandal.

All of which is a reminder that promising early results — like yesterday’s — often prove fleeting. Only about 10 percent of drugs that clear the first research phase ultimately make it to market.

In other virus developments:

THE MORNING FIVE

1. Fired watchdog was investigating arms sales

The State Department inspector general fired by Trump on Friday was in the final stages of an investigation into whether Secretary of State Mike Pompeo improperly allowed weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump, speaking on Monday, said of his decision to fire the inspector: “I don’t know him. Never heard of him. But I was asked by the State Department, by Mike.”

2. A swift end to ‘hero pay’

Several of the country’s biggest employers have raised the wages of their essential workers through “hero pay”: some extra money on top of normal hourly salaries. Now there is a split between companies that plan to end those programs and those that will continue them.

Amazon warehouse workers will lose their extra $2 an hour at the end of this month, and Starbucks baristas will lose their extra $3. Other companies that had planned to end the additional pay — including Target and Kroger, the nation’s largest supermarket chain — have reversed course, apparently in response to public pressure, as The Star Tribune and The Cincinnati Enquirer have reported.

3. An economic crisis for the young

Young people — many of them recent graduates saddled with debt — are entering a job market devastated by the pandemic. Studies of previous economic downturns have shown that they can create lasting disadvantages for younger workers.

Already, the unemployment rate has risen most sharply for Americans under 35, and especially those under 25:

4. Trump says he’s taking an unproven medication

The president announced yesterday that he has been taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, to protect himself from the coronavirus, despite a lack of evidence that it can prevent infection. Medical experts sharply criticized him, saying the drug brings significant risks.

5. A fear realized for black runners

“When will be the right time to explain to a 9-year-old the wariness that comes every time I lace my clunky green sneakers and pad through the streets in our almost entirely white Seattle community?” Kurt Streeter, a sports reporter at The Times who often jogs with his son, writes in an opening essay.

Here’s what else is happening

BACK STORY: THE HURDLES FOR TEAM SPORTS

The major sports leagues seem to be moving rapidly toward resuming games. N.B.A. teams are holding workouts. The N.H.L. is considering an expanded playoffs. And Major League Baseball has a plan that would allow Opening Day in July.

To make sense of it all, I asked for guidance from Oskar Garcia, a deputy sports editor. His advice: Fans shouldn’t get too excited yet.

Individual sports — like car racing, golf and tennis — have easier paths. But team sports create inherent problems during a pandemic. They require dozens of athletes to come in close contact, touching each other during games and getting dressed in cramped locker rooms.

It’s true that the leagues are trying to minimize this contact. Baseball would encourage players not to shower in the locker room after games (which could make for some uncomfortable rides home in August). But the leagues can’t eliminate human contact entirely. To play the games, as Oskar says, “you need to have some people together.”

As Billy Witz, who covers college football, recently wrote: “Imagine if the starting left tackle tested positive for Covid-19 the day before a game. What would happen to the rest of the offensive line that had been in meetings with him all week or the defensive ends that had been knocking heads with him in practice?”

PLAY, WATCH, EAT, SAVE

The new face of restaurants

Restaurant-quality food at home: Try this recipe for chicken with vinegar from the chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, which gets its punch from butter, shallots and good red-wine vinegar.

Suze Orman is back

The famous financial adviser had slowly been winding down, fishing and relaxing in the Bahamas home where she has spent much of the past five years.

But now the pandemic — and the resulting economic crisis — has made Suze Orman as “in demand as Lysol wipes,” Jacob Bernstein writes in a profile. Orman, who has written more than a dozen books, wants taxes on the wealthy to “skyrocket,” and she says that having an emergency fund can be even more important than paying off debts.

It’s a salamander’s world

Many frogs and salamanders are killed crossing roads during their annual migration, but this spring is different. Scientists are excited to measure the impact that the lack of car traffic has on the creatures.

Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David

P.S. Thanks to the readers who wrote to say they missed seeing Bill Russell’s name on yesterday’s list of the most successful team athletes of the past 50 years. If we had extended the window to 60 years, Russell — who won a remarkable 11 N.B.A. championships in 13 years, ending in 1969 — would have ranked above even Michael Jordan.

You can see today’s print front page here.

Today’s episode of “The Daily” is about President Trump’s purge of inspectors general.

Lauren Leatherby, Ian Prasad Philbrick and Sanam Yar contributed to The Morning. You can reach the team at [email protected].

Source link

قالب وردپرس

from World Wide News https://ift.tt/2LGeCCZ

#World Wide News

0 notes

boogerknights · 4 years

Text

Learning to Quit by Suzanne Harris and Paul Brunetta

Book Summary:

Set yourself free from smoking. Strategy trumps willpower! Personal stories paired with moving photographic portraits. Empathetic, non-judgmental advice to stop smoking for good.

Have you tried to quit smoking, only to find yourself reaching for a cigarette again and again? Tired of feeling bad about your health and making promises to the ones that love you? Set a "learning" mindset and reframe these past quit attempts as trial runs. It's not your fault that you are a smoker. Nicotine is incredibly addictive, but you can beat it! Your amazing life as a non-smoker lies just around the corner.

This book provides the friendly, positive support you need on your quit smoking journey. Simply by reading this book, you'll take an extremely important step to stop smoking cigarettes and end nicotine addiction. Every person's journey is different, and yours is unique. The work that you're embarking on is shared by the 24 people interviewed for Learning to Quit. Join millions of ex-smokers around the world who have broken free from tobacco.

What's inside the newly expanded and updated second edition:

•Frank and honest interviews with ex-smokers •Positive support to meet your quit smoking goals •Customizable and proven quit smoking plan •Strategies to survive your first week without cigarettes •Overview of smoking cessation medicines and quit aids •Information on vaping and eCig alternatives •Advice on how to get through your quit smoking detox •An easy explanation of how nicotine addiction takes control •Tips for dealing with urges •An extensive health information index •How to talk to loved ones about your quit smoking plans •Where to find a smoking support groups •A brand-new mindset for managing relapse •Moving portraits of ex-smokers by photographer John Harding Becoming a successful non-smoker is about strategy, not willpower. Maybe you tried Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking, but can't make quitting stick. Trying to stop smoking cold turkey is one of most difficult and least effective ways to quit. Relying on willpower or piling on guilt doesn't work. More than fear or negativity, clear and positive motivations for change move us toward freedom from smoking. This book gives you the best ways to quit smoking.

BONUS: You'll not only learn how to quit smoking; the medical section will equip you with vital health information. Learn how smoking effects your lungs, heart, brain, mood, weight and pregnancy. Explore different smoking cessation medication options. Feel inspired learning how quickly your health and quality of life will improve after you smoke your last cigarette. Learn more about the vaping controversy, plus vaping dangers and health risks.

Suzanne Harris, RN, NCTTP and Paul Brunetta, MD cofounded the Fontana Tobacco Treatment Center and are both former smokers. They've offered assistance to over 1000 smokers seeking help. They specifically developed Learning to Quit share the action plan, knowledge and support you need to take control of your health.

This book is not just about becoming smoke-free, it's also about change; it's about radically changing your life by ending a huge relationship--your tobacco dependence.

This book includes access to an entire library of free resources, including quit plans, mindset exercises, nicotine dependence tests and more!

Book Link - https://amzn.to/2xq5VJd

Reviews:

Manhattan Book Review

Learning to Quit: How To Stop Smoking And Live Free Of Nicotine Addiction by Suzanne Harris, RN, NCTTP and Paul Brunetta, MD addresses the concerns, issues, and difficulties associated with the process of quitting smoking. Parts One and Two thoroughly cover in fifteen chapters a variety of topics and questions that typically arise for those looking to quit smoking. Through the words and experiences of the authors and other former smokers, readers will find a sense of community and a support system overflowing with those that know this dependence first hand. Throughout Part One, Harris and Brunetta provide a variety of first-hand accounts that showcase personal insights into the quitting process. The authors thoughtfully set the tone from the beginning, explaining that quitting “is a very personal process. Some people want lots of medical information and explanations. Others get inspiration from true-life stories… Pick and choose which parts of this book are of use to you, trusting yourself to be drawn to what will be the most meaningful… This book is a tool, so use it like one.” These experiences illustrate how various individuals have overcome certain obstacles and how to avoid foreseeable missteps. The personal narratives fall within several helpful categories such as “What Moves You To Be a Nonsmoker,” “What Keeps You Smoking,” and “I’m Already Sick, So What’s The Difference If I Smoke?” Part Two expands on the topics raised in Part One and incorporates the medical portion of the conversation to examine how nicotine impacts cancer and cardiovascular risks. Moreover, Part Two explores highly-advertised alternatives on the market such as nicotine patches and vaping tools, as well as less-familiar options like acupuncture and hypnosis. Harris and Brunetta put together an approachable handbook that supports readers regardless of where they are in the process. Readers can look through individual chapters that speak directly to their circumstances or read the whole thing cover to cover. The “Three Key Points” at the end of each chapter provide reflective topics to encourage journaling and refocusing again and again on your individual intentions throughout this process. However a reader chooses to engage with this book, each will find reassurance and comfort within the pages of Learning to Quit. It’s exceptional guidance and support throughout the entire process earns this book its rating. You’ll be glad you picked up a copy and took the early steps to quitting smoking. It’s never too early or too late to take a step in the right direction. Take control of your health and life today!

Reviewed By: Jessica Tingling https://manhattanbookreview.com/product/learning-to-quit-how-to-stop-smoking-and-live-free-of-nicotine-addiction/

Author Bios:

Suzanne Harris in Her Own Words

When I first started smoking in my early teens, I felt grown up and powerful. Awkward, shy, and taller than all my classmates, I used cigarettes to mask my discomfort and find my place as a rebel. Years later as a nurse working in an inpatient cancer unit, I found that smoking had become a terrible burden and source of shame. I instinctively tried to abuse myself into stopping, berating myself for being stupid and weak; why else would I continue to do something that was in such conflict with being a good nurse and mother?

In finding my way to becoming a non-smoker, I developed some of the skills that are now in the pages of this book. Then, in 1984, I had the great good fortune to secure a position in an outpatient clinic in San Francisco, including working in the county hospital chest clinic for people with pulmonary diseases. There I saw the terrible toll smoking took on the health and psyche of our patients. I saw in my patients the same fear, defiance, and shame that I had felt as a smoker. So my experience first as a smoker and subsequently as a nurse has given me a dual perspective on tobacco dependence.

For me, stopping smoking involved developing a different relationship with myself, a relationship of love and respect rather than bullying and low self-esteem. And for the people I have worked with and learned from over more than 30 years of working in the field, a key for most has been to identify something they wanted more than a cigarette, and to go after that. In the process of that redirection, they came into a kinder relationship with themselves, just as I did.

Over the years, colleagues have expressed surprise that I would continue to find the work of a tobacco treatment specialist to be so engaging. In fact, the process of becoming non-smokers is rich with opportunities for transformation and empathy. Because smoking is interwoven with so many aspects of a smoker's life, removing that thread opens a person to experiencing parts of themselves that have been ignored or unexplored. People discover strengths and gifts they did not know they had. I derive deep satisfaction supporting the single most important change a person can make to ensure a better future for themselves and the people they love: stopping smoking.

Paul Brunetta in His Own Words

My first cigarette at age nine was such a powerful experience that I can clearly remember it decades later. For kids, watching adults smoke creates a certain fascination with cigarettes and sends a strong signal that it's what adults do. I remember Marlboro Man billboards and other positive images of smokers that were reinforced through TV and print advertising and movies in the 1970s as I grew up. In high school, I looked forward to smoking at beer-filled weekend parties. It strengthened a bond with one of my best friends, Brian, as something we shared that our other friends didn't. Later, as an undergraduate in an intense pre-med program at Johns Hopkins University, I began to smoke regularly and realized that I was addicted. It took many attempts to stop, but with a high level of motivation I eventually did and developed a lifelong interest in nicotine addiction and tobacco related disease.

In my Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship at UCSF, I came across a kindred spirit in an amazingly talented and dedicated nurse named Suzanne Harris. Suzanne and I worked together in the Chest Clinic at San Francisco General Hospital, and, together, we cared for a constant stream of patients with tobacco-related COPD and heart disease and lung cancer. This was mirrored in my rotations through the VA hospital taking care of great veterans who had survived battles for our country but were sickened by long-term tobacco use. Suzanne ran a Group at SFGH, and I asked to sit in. It was one of those moments when you realize you're in the presence of a master doing something very difficult but making it seem effortless. As a former smoker, Suzanne was uniquely able to connect with people in Group with such profound and non-judgmental empathy, but was also able to guide them toward the next step in a quit plan. When I joined the faculty in the Thoracic Oncology Program focused on lung cancer, early detection, and tobacco education, we were able to find some limited funding from the Mt. Zion Health Fund to create the Tobacco Education Center and hire Suzanne part-time. I eventually left this position to work in biotechnology as Suzanne continued Group. And, years later, in 2009, a fantastic Group participant named Jeannie Fontana generously donated seed money that allowed for the creation and ongoing survival of the Fontana Tobacco Treatment Center.

Suzanne and I have been working on this book in one form or another for more than 10 years. We hope you gain a deep understanding of these people on their journey toward better health. And Part 2 of the book has health information and smoking cessation medication knowledge in clear language that can be critical on your own journey away from nicotine addiction. We hope this book is useful to anyone looking to improve their health or improve the lives of a loved one who is dealing with nicotine addiction.

More info: http://www.learningtoquit.com/about-the-authors/

You can start reading Learning to Quit for FREE at www.LearningToQuit.com/free

0 notes

podcasttoday · 4 years

Text

Learning to Quit by Suzanne Harris and Paul Brunetta

Book Summary:

Set yourself free from smoking. Strategy trumps willpower! Personal stories paired with moving photographic portraits. Empathetic, non-judgmental advice to stop smoking for good.

What's inside the newly expanded and updated second edition:

This book is not just about becoming smoke-free, it's also about change; it's about radically changing your life by ending a huge relationship--your tobacco dependence.

This book includes access to an entire library of free resources, including quit plans, mindset exercises, nicotine dependence tests and more!

Book Link - https://amzn.to/2xq5VJd

Reviews:

Manhattan Book Review

Reviewed By: Jessica Tingling https://manhattanbookreview.com/product/learning-to-quit-how-to-stop-smoking-and-live-free-of-nicotine-addiction/

Author Bios:

Suzanne Harris in Her Own Words

Paul Brunetta in His Own Words

More info: http://www.learningtoquit.com/about-the-authors/

You can start reading Learning to Quit for FREE at www.LearningToQuit.com/free

0 notes

n--i--s--s--e · 4 years

Text

Learning to Quit by Suzanne Harris and Paul Brunetta

Book Summary:

Set yourself free from smoking. Strategy trumps willpower! Personal stories paired with moving photographic portraits. Empathetic, non-judgmental advice to stop smoking for good.

What's inside the newly expanded and updated second edition:

This book is not just about becoming smoke-free, it's also about change; it's about radically changing your life by ending a huge relationship--your tobacco dependence.

This book includes access to an entire library of free resources, including quit plans, mindset exercises, nicotine dependence tests and more!

Book Link - https://amzn.to/2xq5VJd

Reviews:

Manhattan Book Review

Reviewed By: Jessica Tingling https://manhattanbookreview.com/product/learning-to-quit-how-to-stop-smoking-and-live-free-of-nicotine-addiction/

Author Bios:

Suzanne Harris in Her Own Words

Paul Brunetta in His Own Words

More info: http://www.learningtoquit.com/about-the-authors/

You can start reading Learning to Quit for FREE at www.LearningToQuit.com/free

0 notes

mariahcaarey · 4 years

Text

Learning to Quit by Suzanne Harris and Paul Brunetta

Book Summary:

Set yourself free from smoking. Strategy trumps willpower!

Personal stories paired with moving photographic portraits. Empathetic, non-judgmental advice to stop smoking for good.

What's inside the newly expanded and updated second edition:

This book is not just about becoming smoke-free, it's also about change; it's about radically changing your life by ending a huge relationship--your tobacco dependence.

This book includes access to an entire library of free resources, including quit plans, mindset exercises, nicotine dependence tests and more!

Book Link - https://amzn.to/2xq5VJd

Reviews:

Kirkus

Two experts on tobacco treatment—Harris, a nurse, and Brunetta (Pulmonary/Univ. of California, San Francisco), a doctor and lung cancer specialist—collect former smokers’ stories of how they quit and offer strategies for others who’d like to break the habit.

While working together at the San Francisco Medical Center’s Chest Clinic, Harris and Brunetta bonded over their passion for helping patients quit smoking. Together, they founded the UCSF Tobacco Education Center, which hosts a stop-smoking program and a weekly Freedom From Smoking Support Group, and they build on what they’ve learned from those experiences in this new edition of a 2018 book. They begin with brief profiles of former smokers they met through the support group, photographed by Harding (Streets of Discontent, 2018, etc.), then move on to 235 pages of engaging personal stories by members. Their former smokers had different reasons for quitting, so the accounts vary widely. Each story, however, explores an open-ended question like, “Who would you be without cigarettes?” or “What is your denial story?” in an effort to motivate and inspire readers. For example, one former smoker’s “denial story” was that she believed incorrectly that she could not have a heart attack because she didn’t smoke very much, remained active, and was a woman. The book subsequently asks readers to think about their own denial stories and provides space in which they can jot down their notes on the subject. The authors go on to explore how smoking relates to health, covering topics like the effects of smoking on lung function and of nicotine on the brain. There’s also a timely section on vaping and e-cigarettes. Throughout the book, there are helpful images by debut illustrator Marhofer and tables featuring such things as a comparison of the temporal cortexes of a smoker and nonsmoker and information on nicotine replacement therapies. Useful as that information is, the personal stories—told in former smokers’ own words—are what set this book apart from other guides to quitting smoking. Readers who would like to hear from real people who have successfully quit smoking will benefit from it.

A smoking cessation guide with inspiring personal accounts by people who have stopped. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/suzanne-harris/learning-to-quit-how-to-stop-smoking-and-live-free/

Author Bios:

Suzanne Harris in Her Own Words

Paul Brunetta in His Own Words

More info: http://www.learningtoquit.com/about-the-authors/

You can start reading Learning to Quit for FREE at www.LearningToQuit.com/free

0 notes

gnvbtrc · 4 years

Text

Learning to Quit by Suzanne Harris and Paul Brunetta

Book Summary:

Set yourself free from smoking. Strategy trumps willpower! Personal stories paired with moving photographic portraits. Empathetic, non-judgmental advice to stop smoking for good.

What's inside the newly expanded and updated second edition:

This book is not just about becoming smoke-free, it's also about change; it's about radically changing your life by ending a huge relationship--your tobacco dependence.

This book includes access to an entire library of free resources, including quit plans, mindset exercises, nicotine dependence tests and more!

Book Link - https://amzn.to/2xq5VJd

Reviews:

Manhattan Book Review

Reviewed By: Jessica Tingling https://manhattanbookreview.com/product/learning-to-quit-how-to-stop-smoking-and-live-free-of-nicotine-addiction/

Author Bios:

Suzanne Harris in Her Own Words

Paul Brunetta in His Own Words

More info: http://www.learningtoquit.com/about-the-authors/

You can start reading Learning to Quit for FREE at www.LearningToQuit.com/free

0 notes