#outis the risky

[m-u-n-c-h-y]

Date night with the boys~

Penance belongs to @cosmic-darikano

[cosmic-darikano]

Line art that I did for my Father's day collab with @m-u-n-c-h-y !

[cognitosclowns]

Damn I’m really on a Humanization kick lately

[art-blogge]

It’s fun, it’s free, it’s harmless- Prank your Executive Manager!

 "Dante babe?"

Dante didn't bother to look up from the report they were proofreading, only acknowledging Rodion's presence with a short hum. They couldn't bear to be interrupted in the middle of work.

"I'm pregnant."

Dante hummed again, barely processing the actual words stated. It took them a couple of minutes to pause reading and actually register the words that was said to them, and then--

<"YOU WHAT?!"> Dante blared, falling out of their chair as they whipped around to face Rodion. Their clock hands spun wildly as Dante's mind raced. What did this mean?! Would Rodion be going into combat with a child?! Would they need to revive an unborn child?! Could they even do that?!

They didn't process the fit of laughter that several other Sinners broke into from outside the room, nor did they notice Rodion squatting down next to them. The panic was too much, and they'd hit their head on the way down. It was already sore to begin with from earlier that day! They absolutely didn't want to think about THAT again!

Dante was startled out of the cycle of increasingly illogical thoughts by Rodion grabbing their hour hand and not letting go until it started to hurt.

"Dante. Dante, babe, I was joking," Rodion comforted, patting Dante's shoulder, "I just wanted to win a bet. Happy April Fool's day, Dante."

With that, Dante was left alone with their own confusion, distant laughter, and Don Quixote shouting. Huh? Huh?? It was a joke?? They'd panicked for nothing? How frustrating.

More frustrating was the sudden silence from outside of the room, followed by a bloodied Don Quixote bursting into the room. Ah. Fantastic. They'd have to rewind today after all.

"Manager Esquire!! I have been thusly informed that you've been harmed by a miscreant's trickery!! I have slain thy enemies--!"

Don broke off into a fit of giggles as Dante stared at them. Was this another trick? No, it couldn't be. This was Don Quixote, and they could easily see the blood on Don's shirt.

Uttering a low rumble in place of a sigh, Dante dragged themselves off the floor to go revive whoever was dead now.

Right near the doorway laid Heathcliff, laying in a pool of what Dante was beginning to think wasn't blood. It was too watery... Unless it wasn't all blood? Maybe stomach acid? Whatever it was, it'd have to be cleaned up.

Dante knelt down next to Heathcliff, focusing the usual way. Nothing. No response from Heathcliff from beyond the giant door of hands. But that meant...

"Zombie attack!"

Dante jumped back blaring their horn as Heathcliff suddenly jumped up at them.

Again, laughter from all of the Sinners. Utterly dismayed that they'd been pranked twice now, they fell flat against the floor and let out a lower rumble- A groan. Ughhhh.

<"You're all bullies,"> Dante ticked, doing nothing to control the Sinners.

"Don't tell me you broke them again," Vergilius plainly stated, freezing all the Sinners in their places. Dante was quick to sit up and give Vergil a thumbs-up to clarify that they were okay. They really didn't want to look at Vergil right now. Not after earlier.

<"I'm killing all of you!"> Dante cheerfully announced. the cheer being obviously forced. They didn't need to add that they were joking for a few Sinners to laugh.

"Manager, bud, I don't think you could kill a fly."

"But weren't they a big shot before? I'm sure the Executive Manager could kill if they wanted to."

Dante didn't add their input, still warily watching Vergil. They were considering saying something risky. Something that could easily be misunderstood. Well, if went poorly, they could just tack on "April Fools," and never address it again.

<"Vergilius, I have feelings for you.">

Heathcliff choked on his drink and Hong Lu stopped trying to drink ketchup from the bottle. The other Sinners stared, wondering if Dante had internal damage.

<"Most of them are fear. Happy April.">

The Sinners laughed in relief, leaving Vergil the only one not understanding.

"I still don't understand you, Dante," Vergil huffed, "I can't say I liked your tone or body language, though."

While Outis dutifully translated Dante's comment with the assumption that they were joking, Gregor looked down at Dante.

"Manager Bud, you didn't say April Fools. Was that on purpose?"

Dante just shrugged before accepting Gregor's hand up. Let it be a mystery for the ages, like why they'd seen Vergil as a horse. They were never getting an answer.

---------------------(Commentary under cut-------------------------------

edit 0.5- https://archiveofourown.org/works/46153435

1- I’d been running the headcanon that Dante could visit other worlds when asleep and then bam! April Fools more or less suggests it’s possible. Watch that be how events work.

2- Happy April Fools. Moe moe Vergil concern is not something we ever asked for but it’s what we got and I’m still in tears. It’s SO funny.

3- Happy “we got lore in this joke scene” day. Dante’s head is completely mechanical in nature and needs to be wound.

4- I’m still writing “Dante gets nightmared” and “Dante babysitting adventure” but this had to be done ASAP. In character? I don’t care. There was at one point the temptation for Gregor to utter “I’m pregnant and it’s yours, bud” to Vergil but it didn’t work out in the end and also he’d die violently. anyway.

[7association-was-here]

I can’t believe all the nonsense that has been occurring lately in our association.. an absolute disgrace these people are. Vacations, pets, absolutely unprecedented.

So I, Outis, have volunteered to deliver the report regarding the case recommended to us by the Liu Association (The death of the Stigma Workshop manager) to prove that the Seven still has some dignity left also because the report draft Yi Sang handed to me was filled with nearly nothing but poetic prose…

So, taking into account what we knew then there were only two facts very plainly displayed. First is the victim’s identity as a workshop manager. And secondly this has something to do with the Mirrors as well.

Now I’m not quite up-to-date with that case as much as everyone else seems to be but I believe this aligns very closely to a similar case Heathcliff has handled. The case involving another workshop owner’s death and the Mirror room found beneath his warehouse. There is a pattern, no? Workshop owners and that Mirror.

Therefore I tried thinking of various reasons as to why these two factors specifically would connect. The first thought was that perhaps these Workshop owners had been hired to manufacture or enhance this Mirror technology, but due to reasons unspecified had been executed by their employers.

That would have been plausible enough except for the fact I must also take into account the difference in executioners between the two cases. The first one with Heathcliff turned out to be a red herring(?) left by that deranged Mirror version of himself, while the second is by an individual who is presumably also a Mirror identity but that of the Liu Director’s. Those two have one thing in common with both being identities but does this imply that whatever faction or employer the victims had, are somehow in cahoots or in control of Mirror identities? That is certainly not a far fetched notion… But why and how? Do they have control over all Mirror identities or only to a specific few of them?

If that is the case I might need to check on that “mail delivery” I gave to Faust. He might know something since he’s one of them; one of those identities.

You know I didn’t even realise that artist looked like (and is) Yi Sang when I was putting him into Faust’s inbox… But erm, I’ve heard uninformed fixers calling him Faust’s cabinet creature.

Anyways bringing Yi Sang along might prove risky though as Faust warned us. But I shall see what can be managed. Not like he’s a crucial part of the interrogation.

This is Outis, end of report.

[limewatt]

2 hours into the severance innie cut. i decided to watch the innie cut before the outie cut cause the concept is more interesting to me. i don’t actually have anything to say this shit is just wild. 2 straight hours of unease only occasionally interrupted by an outburst of panic whenever any of them do something risky and insane

[beardedmrbean]

This November Helsingin Sanomat has reported that nearly all of the new county council healthcare authorities will start its life with a budget deficit.

On Monday the paper tries to unravel (siirryt toiseen palveluun) what that might actually mean for services, as the new managers of healthcare budgets take charge in 2023. 

Petri Virolainen, who heads up the Päijät-Häme region, says that there is neither the money nor the staff to maintain current service levels.

Even if the budget was available, his services need to hire some 500 nurses and care workers — but the candidates are just not available. 

He declined to specify cuts he might make, but on a general level suggested that the frequency of some services might be reduced, and that the authority might make efforts to source cheaper medicines. 

Marina Kinnunen, who leads the Ostrobothnian authority, said that there should be an effort to shift resources to basic services, as early intervention is often cheaper than expensive specialist treatments. 

Virolainen, meanwhile, says that in future individuals themselves should have some responsibility to take better care of themselves, as that would also help reduce the burden on healthcare providers. 

Youth crime and Covid

In the wake of a stabbing in Turku, local paper Turun Sanomat asks (siirryt toiseen palveluun) if the current spike in youth crime might have something to do with the pandemic and associated disruption to school life, hobbies and youth services. 

There is a longer-term trend, with crimes in which the suspect is under 15 years of age tripling since 2015. That said, the pandemic could have had an effect, according to THL researcher Anneli Portman.

Young people spent much more time online during the pandemic, and were exposed to video content detailing trends in violence in other countries.

The isolation felt during the Covid lockdowns also meant many young people now possess an increased need for company and to fit in with different types of groups, which could lead to more risky behaviours. 

Markus Kaakinen of the Institute of Criminology and Legal Policy, meanwhile, says that it is too early to properly evaluate the impact of the pandemic and remote learning on violent crime. 

While the trend is upwards, he says there's no epidemic of violent crime, and it makes no sense to play on people's fears around the topic. 

Outi Linnaranta of Finland's public health authority THL suggests that trends in young people's mental health were already negative before the pandemic, and those who were doing badly before took more of a hit once remote learning and lockdowns spread. 

A teacher's union representative tells TS that the solutions are likely to be similar — but with a shortage of school psychologists and other support staff already, it might not be possible to fill the gaps. 

Stressful times

It's no surprise that November is a dark time of year in Finland, but tabloid Iltalehti reports (siirryt toiseen palveluun) that many people also find it stressful.

A survey for the LähiTapiola insurance firm found that 13 percent of respondents said that November is the most stressful time of the year for them, with 12 percent picking December as their least relaxing month. 

Elias Huhtinen of LähiTapiola tells IL that in addition to the darkness, many people find that the end of the year involves lots of tasks for the organisation they work for. 

IL suggests people should remember to exercise, support their colleagues, go easy on themselves and dial down the self-criticism, and organise things so the threshold for going for a walk is lower, and healthier snacks are the default option. 

[rottenmarquee]

God every time i remember that im an outie i want to throw up. Idc if "some guys like it" or "it feels better". Idc abt a man's opinion. I still hate it and id get a labiaplasty if it wasnt so risky...

[theantibridezilla]

SmileDirectClub: Delays, Refinements, & Getting Back on Track

So it’s been FOREVER since I’ve written an SDC update and there’s been a good reason for that. If you follow me on IG, you know the story. But for the newbies, here’s the rundown. 

A Gap That Wasn’t Closed

My original smile plan was scheduled to end on November 12th.  Back in mid-October of last year, I noticed that I still had a small gap in my top front teeth. And while my lower teeth had pretty significant gaps when I started, they had managed to completely close by the end of my original smile plan. Because I was concerned that I might be left with a upper gap at the end of my smile plan, I reached out to SDC and scheduled an appointment to go to a Smile Shop for a rescan. 

So, I headed to a Manhattan SDC Smile Shop on October 29th. As I suspected, they agreed on October 31st that I was going to need refinements. Refinements are when you need additional aligners beyond your original smile plan to create the perfect smile.  Except, while I thought I would just need an additional week or two to close my top gap, it turned out that it would be two months and they would also be “refining” my lower front teeth as well. But whatever it takes to get a perfect smile, I wasn’t upset by this news. 

What’s weird about this email — is that it asked me to set up an appointment for a scan even though I already had one so they could put my aligners into production. So me being type-A immediately called their customer service number and spoke with an agent. The agent had to basically relay between the Smile Shop and the production team to confirm that my scans had been sent in otherwise there would be no way that I could have been approved for refinements anyway since I never sent in independent images anyway. 

My refinement aligners “went into production” on November 2nd with a notice that it would take four to five weeks for the new set of aligners to arrive. Keep those dates in mind, because this is where things go off the rails. 

Delays

So, with a four to five-week timeline and a November 2nd start date, that would mean that either the week of Thanksgiving or the first week of December, my aligners would arrive. However, that timeframe came and went, and they were no where to be found, and there were no status updates coming from SDC. 

By the second week in December, I reached out via their online chat asking for an update. Interestingly enough the answer the customer service rep gave me was something along the lines of “we’re backlogged on production because we’ve had so many new customers sign on in the last few weeks so it should be another two to three weeks before your aligners arrive.” 

Okay fine. I wasn't happy to hear that but a few weeks delay wouldn’t be the end of the world. However I wasn’t cool with the fact that I had to chase them for updates versus their system being automated to flag my account as a delayed production order that needed immediate attention. 

Mid-December came along and I still hadn’t received a shipment email. So I reached out to SDC through their customer support Twitter account (@GrinChangers) asking for an update. The account was prompt in replying and quoted me that my refinement aligners should ship between Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. 

But then that ship window came and went and I never got a shipping notification. So, fast forward to January 2nd and I decide to reach out to @GrinChangers for a status update. 

And at this point, I got irritated because it felt like the party line was “we don’t know but hey it’ll happen eventually!” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ And as someone who’s a marketer by trade (check my LinkedIn), and has worked on customer service-focused campaigns I found this extremely unacceptable. No one — regardless of whether they’re an influencer or a paying customer — should be left on donut status with something as important as dentistry. But there’s something equally weird about going out of the way to do an influencer campaign with various people and then leaving their accounts unmonitored. 

Anyway, at this point I was getting to the position where I was going to write my SDC experience off as “good to a point”. But I decided to do one last Hail Mary — to reach out to the PR team who had brought me on with this campaign when I attended the May media event in Manhattan. So, I reached out to the PR people and politely let them know that I was hitting a brick wall going through the regular customer service channels. This was January 7th. 

To their credit, they got on it immediately and by Saturday January 10th, I had the update email that my aligners were ready to ship. I went into detail on my IGTV of why I was happy my delays were remedied, but how I found it high-key problematic. And this week, on the 16th I received my refinement aligners. So, as of right now, I’m on Week 1 of a six-set refinement treatment plan. 

And as others have said, compared to the massive box and fanfare around your original Smile Plan shipment (left), your refinement aligners (right) come in a simple padded envelope and with an additional outie tool and chewies as compared to the Bright-on teeth whiteners, tray holder case, positive affirmations and lip balm in your original Smile Plan box. And I would agree with others that this could be risky as there’s always the potential that the aligners could get bent in transit. 

The Break Between Nov 12 and Now

So, my original smile plan ended on November 12th. And since then, I was wearing my last set of aligner trays. I basically treated them like retainers and only wore them at night to keep my smile from shifting while I waited for my refinement trays. It just didn’t make sense (personally) for me to wear them for 22 hours a day when the maximum amount of movement had been achieved.

The Refinement Plan

So, like I mentioned, I have a two-month refinement plan. As long as I don’t somehow go off track, I should finish by March 12th. And just like before, I have three pairs of trays per month with a 1 / 1 / 2 line up where I wear one tray for each of the first two weeks and then I wear a single set of trays for the last two weeks in a month. And since I received my aligners on a Thursday, I switched into them that evening, and will be doing five more Thursday swaps. 

So, right now like I mentioned I’m on my first week of refinement trays. The one thing I am thankful for is that this first week wasn’t very uncomfortable beyond slight soreness! As many people know, the first week or two of aligners can be incredibly painful. So we’ll see if this is a relatively painless experience the entire two months or if some weeks are going to be “intense”. 

To Recap...

So, even though I had an incredibly annoying experience with SDC’s general customer support for the last two months, I do think the product works. If you see my progression from May to now, clearly my smile improved dramatically. 

However, I would say that they need to work on their CX as it’s irrelevant to increase your market share — which they’ve done by enhancing their product offerings and beefing up advertisements — if you’re going to leave existing customers in the lurch, especially at these price points. And while I was able to have the “ace in the hole” of connecting with the PR team, what happens to regular paying customers who don’t have that luxury?  

To learn more about my SDC Smile Journey, click here.

[lovediva013]

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[m-u-n-c-h-y]

My boy, Outis <3

I've had so much brainrot for this stupid man, that I decided to give my Tav (now another DnD character/npc), a character sheet. Got any questions about him, hmu!

[jarikolehmainen]

Hyvää hiljaisuutta piippauskulttuurin yhteiskunnassa

Kouvolan Yhteislyseossa vietettiin keväällä 2018 teemaopintoviikkoa. Osana tämän viikon ohjelmaa FT Outi Ampuja kävi pitämässä luennon "Näkökulmia ääniympäristön laatuun".

Ympäristöalan asiantuntijatehtävissä työskentelevä Ampuja on tutkinut hiljaisuutta ja ääniympäristöä. Hänen väitöskirjansa "Melun sieto kaupunkielämän välttämättömyytenä. Melu ympäristöongelmana ja sen synnyttämien reaktioiden kulttuurinen käsittely” kartoittaa ympäristömeluongelman historiaa, urbaanin ääniympäristön arviointikriteereitä ja melua koskevia asenteita sekä kulttuurisia arvostuksia. Hän on kirjoittanut lukuisia kolumneja, kirjoja ja tieteellisiä artikkeleita. Ampujan uusin kirja on viime vuonna ilmestynyt "Hyvä hiljaisuus".

Äänimaisema voi olla hi-fi tai lo-fi

Outi Ampuja aloitti luentonsa määrittelemällä äänimaiseman ja ääniympäristön eron. Äänimaisema on kulttuurillisesti virittyneempi kuin ääniympäristö. Esimerkiksi musiikki voi olla oleellinen osa äänimaisemaa. Usein käsitteitä äänimaisema ja ääniympäristö kuitenkin käytetään sekaisin. Ääni on nesteessä, kaasussa tai kiinteässä aineessa etenevää pitkittäistä aaltoliikettä, joka sisältää korvin kuultavia taajuuksia ja on riittävän voimakasta kuultavaksi. Hi-fi -äänimaisema voi olla esimerkiksi luonnontilainen ja rauhallinen äänimaisema, jossa eri äänet erottaa helposti. Teollisen vallankumouksen ja kaupungistumisen myötä kuitenkin yleistyi lo-fi -äänimaisema. Siinä äänet sekoittuvat ja peittyvät toistensa alle. Mitä melu on? Teollistumisen alkuaikoina esimerkiksi höyrykoneen melua pidettiin edistyksen äänenä. Todellisuudessa melu kuitenkin on hukkaenergiaa, joka ei kerro tehokkuudesta. Milloin ääni sitten muuttuu meluksi? Tämä on osittain subjektiivinen kokemus, kuten eri musiikkimakujen kannattajat hyvin tietävät. Keittiöstä kuuluva astioiden kilinä voi olla lapselle turvallisuuden tunnetta lisäävä ääni ja univaikeuksista kärsivälle aikuiselle melua. Melun määrittely on myös kulttuurisidonnaista. Melua on esimerkiksi ääni väärässä paikassa, vaikkapa naurunremakka hautajaisissa. Kanadalainen äänimaisematutkija R. Murray Schafer pitää meluna ei-toivottua ääntä ja mitä tahansa äänitasoltaan voimakasta merkityksetöntä ääntä. Melun häiritsevyyttä lisäävät äänen äkillisyys, impulssimaisuus tai tonaalisuus (sävelellisyys). Sisällöllisesti selkeästi ymmärrettävissä oleva melu, esimerkiksi puhelinkeskustelu tai riitely, koetaan yleensä häiritsevämpänä kuin vähän informaatiota sisältävä melu, esimerkiksi liikenteen kohina. Tieliikenne on ylivoimaisesti merkittävin melun lähde Melun lähteitä ovat esimerkiksi liikenne, teollisuus, voimakas musiikki ja monet harrastukset sekä työpaikat. Ympäristöongelma melusta tulee silloin, kun ei-toivottu, häiritsevä ääni aiheuttaa pitkäaikaisen altistuksen seurauksena terveyshaittoja. Suomessa tieliikenne on suurin yksittäinen ympäristömelun lähde. Lähes 90 prosenttia kaikesta ympäristömelusta johtuu tieliikenteestä. Esimerkiksi Helsingin maa-alasta kolmannes on liikennemelun aluetta ja tällä alueella asuu 40 prosenttia helsinkiläisistä. EU:n asukkaista 125 miljoonaa asuu tieliikenteen melualueella. Miten melu vaikuttaa terveyteen? Melulla on lukuisia terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin kannalta haitallisia vaikutuksia. Se huonontaa kuuloa, nostaa verenpainetta, heikentää immuunijärjestelmää, aiheuttaa stressiä, viivyttää lasten lukutaidon oppimista ja huonontaa unen laatua. Melulla on todettu yhteys sydän- ja verisuonitauteihin sekä diabeteksen syntyyn. Se voi myös vaikuttaa lasten aivojen organisoitumiseen. Lisäksi melu heikentää keskittymistä ja muistin toimintaa. Pitkäaikainen kovalle melulle altistuminen näyttää aiheuttavan aivotoimintaan sellaisia muutoksia, että tarkkaavaisuus suuntautuu helpommin ääniärsykkeisiin. Tällöin toimintakyky tarkkaavaisuutta vaativissa tehtävissä heikkenee. Tutkimuksissa on saatu viitteitä siitä, että lasten ja nuorten lisääntynyt viihde-elektroniikan käyttäminen vähentää kykyä syventyä keskittymistä vaativiin tehtäviin. Jos lapsella on geneettinen taipumus tarkkaavaisuushäiriöön, tietokonepelien pelaaminen ja television katselu näyttävät pahentavan oireita. Psykoanalyytikko Donald Winnicotin mukaan lapsen sisäisen elämän kehittymisen kannalta on tärkeää olla ja leikkiä ainakin välillä yksin, ilman ohjattua sisältöä. Brittiläisen Lee Hadlingtonin tutkimuksen mukaan ihminen unohtaa asioita sitä todennäköisemmin, mitä enemmän hän viettää aikaansa internetissä ja älypuhelinten parissa. Samalla ihmisen keskittymiskyky esimerkiksi keskusteluun heikkenee ja hän suunnistaa huonommin tilassa. Kanadalaistutkimuksen mukaan runsas internetin käyttäminen korreloi vähäisemmän analyyttisen ajattelun kanssa. Itsenäisemmin ja analyyttisemmin ajattelevat ihmiset käyttävät muita vähemmän internettiä. Melu stressaa, koska ihmislaji on evoluutionsa aikana sopeutunut tuulen, veden sekä eläinten hiljaisiin ääniin ja oppinut kovan äänen tarkoittavan uhkaa. Tämän vuoksi elimistö reagoi meluun asettuen automaattisesti hälytystilaan. Likimain 38 prosenttia ihmisistä on meluherkkiä, joten he saavat melusta muita helpommin unihäiriöitä. Heillä on myös kohonnut riski sairastua sydän- ja verisuonitauteihin. Jos ihminen on meluherkkä, melu haittaa keskittymistä, lukemista ja oppimista tavallistakin enemmän. Meluherkkyys lienee ainakin osittain geneettistä. Noin 15 prosentilla suomalaisista on haittaa aiheuttava tinnitus. Maailman terveysjärjestö WHO arvioi yli miljardin nuoren ja teini-ikäisen kuulon olevan vaarassa. Yksi syy on musiikin kuuntelu kuulokkeilla. Kun tutkitaan tautitaakkaa, hyvinkin erilaisia haitallisia terveysvaikutuksia on mahdollista vertailla keskenään. Koko väestön tautitaakassa lasketaan yhteen ennenaikaisten kuolemien takia menetetyt elinvuodet sekä sairastavuus (haitan takia vajaakuntoisina vietetyt elinvuodet). Sairastavuutta laskettaessa otetaan huomioon haitan kesto ja vakavuus (sairauskohtainen haittapainokerroin). Tautitaakka saadaan siis kaavasta menetetyt elinvuodet + sairastavuus, missä sairastavuus on laskettu kaavalla tapausten lukumäärä x haitan kesto x haittapainokerroin (kuolema = 1). Tautitaakan yksikkö on haittapainotettu elinvuosi (disability-adjusted life year, DALY). Suomessa melu on toiseksi merkittävin ympäristön aiheuttama terveysriski. Länsi-Euroopassa menetetään arvioiden mukaan vuosittain ainakin miljoona hyvän elämän vuotta pelkästään liikenteen melun seurauksena. Kaikki melu yhteensä aiheuttaa Länsi-Euroopassa vieläkin enemmän menetettyjä hyvän elämän vuosia joka vuosi: tinnitus 22 000, iskeemiset sydänsairaudet 61 000, lasten kognitiiviset haitat 45 000, unen laadun heikentyminen 903 000 ja melun häiritsevyys 654 000 vuotta (DALY). Hiljaisuus ei ole samaa kuin äänettömyys Kertomusten mukaan säveltäjä Jean Sibelius halusi olla säveltäessään kotona täydellisessä rauhassa. Siksi Aino Sibelius asetteli puutikkuja vesihanojen päähän, jotta tippuvien vesipisaroiden ääni ei häiritsisi suurta säveltäjää. Toisaalta hiljaisuutta voidaan käyttää myös sosiaalisen vallankäytön välineenä, esimerkkeinä mykkäkoulu tai vangin eristäminen hiljaisuuteen kidutuskeinona. Nykyisessä piippausyhteiskunnassa hiljaisuudesta on tulossa katoava luonnonvara. Ihmiskunnan tuottama melusaaste on levinnyt meriinkin, jopa Mariaanien hautaan asti. Saunoihin on alettu markkinoida saunakaiuttimia. Kirjastoista on tulossa toiminta- ja viihdekeskuksia, yhteisiä olohuoneita, joissa seurustellaan ja voidaan jopa soittaa musiikkia. Ampuja esittääkin tärkeän kysymyksen: "Jos kirjastoja ollaan muuttamassa julkisiksi olohuoneiksi hiljaisuuden kustannuksella tai jos niiden määrää karsitaan rajusti julkiseen sektoriin kohdistuvien säästöpaineiden nimissä ja kirjastokäyntien vähetessä, jääkö meille enää ei-kaupallisia, ei-uskonnollisia hiljaisuutta tarjoavia sisätiloja?" Hiljaisuus ei ole sama asia kuin äänten puuttuminen eli äänettömyys. Niin kauan kuin elämme, kuulemme jotakin ääntä. Hiljaisuuden määritelmässä keskeistä on se, millaisia ääniä hiljaisuuteen ajatellaan kuuluvan. Toisille hiljaisuus merkitsee täydellistä luonnonrauhaa. Silloin voi kuunnella hiljaisuutta. Kuitenkin myös kaupungissa voidaan sanoa olevan hiljaista, mikäli esimerkiksi linnunlaulu ja puunlehtien havina kuuluvat liikenteen taustakohinan yli. Hiljaisia hetkiä voi kokea kaupungeissa erityisesti juhlapyhinä ja aikaisin aamulla. Sisätiloista hiljaisuutta voi löytää vaikkapa kotoa, kesämökiltä, kirjastosta, saunasta ja kirkosta. Hiljaisuuden määritelmä siis riippuu ajasta, paikasta ja kokijasta. Hiljaisilla alueilla keskimääräinen äänenvoimakkuus ei kohoa 35 desibelin yläpuolelle. Kohtuullisena voidaan pitää enintään 45 desibelin keskiäänitasoa. Väestökeskittymässä hiljaisella alueella tarkoitetaan yleensä sellaista aluetta, jolla minkään melulähteen aiheuttama melu ei ylitä päivällä 50 desibeliä ja yöllä 45 desibeliä. Vuonna 2005 tehdyssä kartoituksessa Vantaalta ei löydetty yhtään hiljaista aluetta, jossa ei olisi kuulunut ihmistoiminnan ääniä. Kouvolasta on tehty meluselvitys vuonna 2016. Lähes miljoona suomalaista asuu riskirajat ylittävällä melualueella, joten heillä on kohonnut riski saada melusta johtuvia terveyshaittoja. Aluesuunnittelu ja teknologian kehittyminen vaikuttavat suuresti meluisuuteen ja hiljaisuuteen Koska liikenne on ylivoimaisesti merkittävin yksittäinen melun aiheuttaja, kaupunkisuunnittelu ja liikenneratkaisut ovat tärkeitä hiljaisuutta edistäviä ja vaalivia tekijöitä. Melun vähentämiseen vaikuttavat ajonopeuksien alentaminen, kevyen liikenteen sujuvuuden edistäminen, kehittyneemmät tienpäällystemateriaalit, meluesteet, rakennusten ääntä eristävät materiaalit, liikenteen siirtäminen tunneleihin, kaavoitus ja maankäytön suunnittelu. Vilkasliikenteisten teiden lähelle ei kannata sijoittaa asuntoja vaan ennemminkin liike- ja toimistorakennuksia tai autokatoksia. Muiden rakennusten taakse voidaan tehdä asuntoja, päiväkoteja, hoitolaitoksia ja kouluja, jolloin rakennusmassat toimivat melueristeenä. Samoin umpikortteleihin saadaan hiljaisia sisäpihoja. Jäljellä olevia hiljaisia alueita tulisi vaalia ja meluisat toiminnot sijoittaa jo olemassa oleville meluisille paikoille. Keskustan katuja voidaan muuttaa kävelykaduiksi. Rantojen ja kaupunkimetsien lähialueilta liikennettä voidaan rajoittaa. Ehkäpä länsimaissa ollaan jo tulossa Peak car -tilanteeseen, jossa saavutetaan ylin henkilöautojen tai ajokilometrien määrä asukasta kohden. Tämän saturaatiopisteen jälkeen autojen määrä alkaa vähentyä. Jakamistalouden myötä kimppakyydit ja autojen yhteisomistus lisääntyvät. Junat, linja-autot, metrot ja sähköpyörät kasvattavat suosiotaan. Liikenteen tarve voisi vähentyä myös yhdyskuntarakenteen tiivistämisen ja etätöiden lisääntymisen seurauksena. Arvostuksetkin ovat muutoksessa, eivätkä ympäristötietoiset nuoret enää ole yhtä kiinnostuneita hankkimaan ajokorttia. Sähkö- ja vetyautot ovat käyntiääneltään erittäin hiljaisia. Nopeuden noustessa kuitenkin kuuluu rengasmelua. Kun nopeus on yli 20 km/h, melua synnyttävät renkaiden ja tienpinnan välinen kitka sekä auton ilmanvastus. Käyntiääneltään hiljaiset ajoneuvot kuitenkin ovat niin hiljaisia, että niille on kaavailtu EU:ssa jalankulkijoita, pyöräilijöitä ja näkövammaisia varoittavaa merkkiääntä. Tällainen AVAS-järjestelmä (Acoustic Vehicle Alert System) tullee pakolliseksi sähköhybridiautoissa ja täyssähköautoissa vuonna 2019. Asetuksen mukaan sähköauton täytyy tuottaa varoitusääntä käynnistyksestä nopeuteen 20 km/h asti. Äänen voimakkuuden on oltava vähintään 50 dB nopeudella 10 km/h ja 56 dB nopeudella 20 km/h. Kun nopeus ylittää 20 km/h, tehosteita ei tarvita rengasmelun ansiosta. Liikenneturvallisuuden takia sähköautoihin ollaan siis lisäämässä melua, vaikka uusi teknologia mahdollistaisi melun vähentämisen. Ampuja kuitenkin kysyy aiheellisesti, miten onnettomuusriskiin sitten vaikuttavat jalankulkijoiden käyttämät kuulokkeet ja kännykät. Entäpä jos polttomoottoriautojenkin melua vähennettäisiin, niin oppisivatko ihmiset havainnoimaan lähestyvää liikennettä paremmin? Miten äänet vaikuttavat kaupoissa, lentokoneissa ja ravintoloissa? Suomessa järvien, meren, metsien ja tunturien hiljaiset alueet voisivat olla matkailuvaltti. Kasvussa ovat hiljaisuusmatkailu ja luontoretket, joilla jätetään älypuhelimet kotiin. Meditaation ja joogan rinnalle ovat tulleet hiljaisuuden retriitit ja mindfulness. Toisaalta kaupunginkin elävää äänimaisemaa on mahdollista arvostaa. Erityisesti historialliset teollisuuden äänimaisemat saattavat olla merkittävä osa paikallisidentiteettiä. Esimerkiksi tehtaan pillin vihellys saattaakin olla suojelemisen ja säilyttämisen arvoinen asia. Ampujan sanoin: "Käykö lähinnä melulähteiksi soimatuille tuulivoimaloille ja niiden huminalle samoin ajan kuluessa? Muuttuvatko uudistuvan energian ensiairueiden äänet joskus nostalgisiksi?" Kaupoissa ääniympäristö, esimerkiksi tietynlainen musiikki, voi vaikuttaa ostokäyttäytymiseen. Kun sulkemisaika lähestyy, voidaan soittaa tiivistahtisempaa musiikkia, jotta ihmiset saadaan paremmin kiirehtimään kassoille. Lentokoneen matkustamon matala taustahumina vaikuttaa makuelämykseen. Matala ääni korostaa kitkerää ja umamia makua. Sen sijaan makean ja suolaisen aistimus heikkenee. Finnairin Kiinan-lennoille onkin suunniteltu Hear the taste -äänimaisemia, joiden pohjoisesta luonnosta nauhoitetut äänet tukevat tarjottavia aterioita. Nyt saatavissa on applikaatio, joka käyttää keinoälyyn pohjautuvaa kuvantunnistustekniikka ja tunnistaa minkä tahansa ruoka-annoksen kuvan. Applikaatio analysoi annoksen raaka-aineet ja tuottaa kyseisen annoksen makuja tukevan äänimaiseman, josta applikaation käyttäjä voi nauttia ruoalla herkutellessaan. Meluun kannattaisi kiinnittää huomiota myös ravintoloissa. Kova taustamelu heikentää makujen erottelukykyä. Lentokonetta vastaavassa meluisassa koetilassa makean maistaminen heikentyy ja suolaisempi ruoka maistuu paremmalta. Palveleeko meluisa musiikki siis ravintoloiden tarkoitusta? Kun musiikin äänitasoa laskettiin ruotsalaisessa yökerhossa 50 prosenttia, sekä asiakkaat että henkilökunta viihtyivät paremmin. Hiljaisuus elvyttää Mielenkiintoinen esimerkki taiteen luomasta hiljaisuudesta on Ampujan kuvailema John Cagen sävellys 4′33″, jossa hiljaisuutta kestää 4 minuuttia 33 sekuntia: "Olen nähnyt teoksen sähkökitaralla esitettynä. Koska teoksessa ei soiteta mitään, kuulija kuulee kitaravahvistimen hurinan, yleisön äänet ja ilmastointilaitteen kohinan. Huomio suuntautuu tilan ääniin, ja sävellys on siksi joka kerta nerokkaasti erilainen." Elvyttävä ympäristö tarkoittaa yleensä luonnon ympäristöä, jossa aistiärsykkeiden määrä on vähäinen. Puistossa, metsässä tai muussa elvyttävässä ympäristössä oleskelu ei vaadi erityistä tarkkaavaisuutta, mikä on oleellinen osa elpymistä. Elvyttävä ympäristö virkistää, lisää tunnetta elinvoimaisuudesta, kohentaa mielialaa ja vähentää stressiä. Luontokäynnit alentavat verenpainetta, pulssia ja kortisolin määrää. Lääketieteellisesti ilmaistuna hiljaisuus synnyttää myönteisiä vasteita. Meluisa paikka ei voi tarjota tällaista elvyttävää kokemusta, koska melu tuottaa paljon aistiärsykkeitä. Filosofi Baruch Spinoza on todennut: "Mikäli ihmiset olisivat yhtä kykeneväisiä olemaan hiljaa kuin puhumaan, maailma olisi onnellisempi paikka." Ampuja jatkaa näin: "Ärsykekylläisessä maailmassa, jossa meiltä vaaditaan paljon, on hyvä miettiä, onko meillä oikeastaan varaa jättää hiljaisuuden potentiaali käyttämättä. Meillä on luolaihmisen aivot, jotka ovat kehittyneet nykyistä ympäristöä paljon rauhallisemmassa ympäristössä. Elinympäristömme meluisuus kuormittaa meitä ja aiheuttaa monenlaisia haittoja terveydelle ja viihtyvyydelle. - - Hiljaisuus myös haastaa. Toisin kuin meitä ympäröivät lukuisat viihdykkeet ja aistiärsykkeitä syytävä teknologia, hiljaisuus haastaa viihtymään itsemme kanssa. Hiljaisuus on viihdyttämisen antiteesi. Koska hiljaisuudessa ei tapahdu juuri mitään, meidän täytyy viihtyä itsemme kanssa." Kiitokset Outi Ampujalle perusteellisesta luennosta.Kiitos ja kumarrus Suomen tietokirjailijat ry:lle vierailun järjestämisestä.

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Leo Stranius ja Matti Leinonen vierailivat Kouvolan iltalukiossa

Eläinfilosofi Elisa Aaltola: "Yhteiskunta käyttää eläimiä psykopaatin ja narsistin tavoin"

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Pasi Toiviainen: "Asettukaa hyvisten puolelle ja hankkikaa mielekäs elämä!" Juha "Norppa" Taskinen vieraili Kouvolan Lyseossa

Opiskelijan tekemä melututkimus

[ellenlucasonlinedatingblog]

Scarleteen Timeline

One of my projects over the last year has been a full content review of Scarleteen. I have now literally read every blog, every article, every advice column we have ever published. Besides our director and founder Heather Corinna, I don't think anyone else on earth has read as much of Scarleteen as I have.

Doing that gave me a chance to absorb how much Scarleteen has done in twenty years, and how many big events we’ve been around for. Scarleteen has been around long enough to both see the landscape of sexual health, queer rights and, heck, even the internet, change dramatically. Scarleteen played a part in many of those changes; sometimes a big one.

To mark our twentieth, I want to share a timeline I think shows some of what we’ve accomplished over the years, with some major political and social events thrown in for perspective (those events are U.S-focused, because our base of operations is in the U.S and therefore is most affected by things that happen there). Included in the timeline are the debuts of some of the articles that have become classics, that we still use in our work with users, and that are still read by some of the tens of thousands of young people who come to Scarleteen to read up here each and every day.

1998: Heather starts getting emails from young people asking questions about sex through Scarlet Letters, a website about sexuality for adult women (that was pioneering in and of itself!) they'd also founded and ran at the time. Heather realizes there's nowhere online teens can safely ask questions about sex or get reliable, supportive and sex-positive answers and that they need a redirect for under-18s on Scarlet Letters, anyway. So, they answer the emails. Some of these questions and answers are originally posted as extra pages on Scarlet Letters in a sub-site first called "Pink Slip." A reader writes in soon enough and suggests these questions and answers need their own place: they say Scarlet Letters needs a "Scarlet Teen."

The rest, as they say, is (a long) history of people not understanding what on earth our name means. And thus a brand-new kind of sex education, with many brand-new ways of doing it, at a place (the internet) that was still pretty brand-new itself, was born. (Heather also apparently then thought of this as their "little side project," and has felt quite foolish about how totally delusional that was ever since.)

This is the year that the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) is introduced in response to large portions of the Communications Decency Act being struck down. Both acts were designed to limit minors' access to pornographic or "harmful" material on the internet, but in practice would have also prevented youth from accessing crucial educational resources such as Scarleteen.

1999: We get our URL and unleash our first site design! Some of the first articles published include: “Innies & Outies: The Vagina, Uterus, Clitoris and More”, “Is Masturbation Okay (yep)?” and “Dealing with Rape.” In the wider world, Plan B is approved by the FDA. Heather moves Scarleteen to Minneapolis (a choice influenced in part by stalking that occurs because of their work with Scarlet Letters and Scarleteen), and Scarleteen gets its first major media coverage in The City Pages. Heather and Hanne Blank start to map out the first book proposal for what will much later become S.E.X.

2000: We publish our Sex Readiness Checklist, along with other classic pieces, like the first version of “Human Reproduction: A Seafarers Guide” and “Sexual Response & Orgasm: A Users Guide.” We also launch our message boards and bring on our first wave of volunteers to help staff them. George W. Bush, whose administration will go on to allocate 117 million dollars for abstinence-only education, is elected president. We will fight against abstinence-only and work with users struggling because of its negative impacts and outcomes ever after.

2001: We publish “On the Rag: A Guide to Menstruation” and “Innies and Outies: The Penis, Testes, & More.” We had been part of the (now sadly defunct) ChickClick Network, which allowed us about nine months of not-totally-terrible funding for about nine months and then the financial bottom completely fels out of the internet and ChickClick closes. Welp.

2002: We do another redesign, and start including things like news and a listing of the top ten articles on the front page of our site. Those top ten articles at the time are about anatomy, porn, orgasm, and safer sex. At this point we are serving around 2 million users each year. Heather starts writing the book that will become S.E.X.

2003: We publish “The 10 Best Things You Can Do for Your Sexual Self (At Any Age)” and “M.I.A (Or Dude, Where’s My Period).” The Supreme Court produces a victory for sexual freedom and queer rights by overturning all sodomy laws in the United States.

2004: A good year for medications relating to sexual health, as emergency contraception becomes a more prominent topic on the site and PrEP is first approved by the FDA. With Scarleteen getting more and more visible, Heather frequently has to work through more character attacks and harassment -- especially as a queer woman, as a person with sexual trauma, someone who did adult sex and sexuality work, and just as a person with an unhidden sexuality, period, all things that were all largely not considered acceptable for people providing sex education to young people at the time.

2005: We devote a large portion of our front page to promoting our message boards and directing users to information that can help lower chlamydia rates in young women. Our blog is very dedicated to reporting on the legal battle over accessing Plan B over-the-counter and offering our users ways to advocate for that access. In the United States, Representative Barbara Lee and Senator Frank Lautenberg introduced a bill that would provide $206 million a year to states for comprehensive, medically accurate, and science-based sex education.

2006: We continue to track the legal status of Plan B, and offer users updated information on how they can access emergency contraception. This is also the year that the Gardasil vaccine for HPV is first approved for use, and we create content to address myths and facts about the vaccine. Scarleteen goes to Washington (state, with Heather, who moves there).

2007: A big year for us! The first edition of S.E.X: The all-you-need-to-know sexuality guide to get you through your teens and twenties is published and we redesign and then migrate the site to Drupal (which means Heather no longer has to code the site by hand, a thing they were doing up until now). We also publish “Positively Informed: An HIV/AIDS Round-Up, "What is Feminist Sex Education?" and “Reciprocity, Reloaded.” We start winning some awards, starting with The Champions of Sexual Literacy Award for Grassroots Activism from the National Sexuality Resource Center/SFSU. Heather talks Shamelessness in a fundraising effort for Scarleteen, and does some pushback against the rising tide of purity culture and abstinence-only education.

2008: Another exciting year for Scarleteen! Barack Obama becomes president, we turn ten years old, publish our giant Birth Control Bingo piece, and are a major player (after years of leadup work behind the scenes) in the COPA court case, helping to net a win that allows young people to retain access on the internet to things sex education and other content. To top it all off, the FDA approves a new version of the female condom. Heather gives a talk about doing sex education as a Montessori educator but also deals with some tough responses after a lot of media exposure as a sexual assault survivor.

2009: We introduce our texting service, and Heather’s advice columns are syndicated at Rewire. We bring real talk about the hymen to the internet and beyond  -- and information that wasn't widely known then! -- by pairing up with the RSFU to release "My Corona: The Hymen & the Myths That Surround It." Abortion provider and reproductive justice hero George Tiller is murdered.  Heather gives a talk about innovation and inclusivity in sex ed, wins the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, Western Region's Public Service Award and the Our Bodies, Ourselves' Women's Health Heroes Award for their work with Scarleteen. Yes Means Yes (and Heather's seminal piece, An Immodest Proposal, within it) is published.

2010: We do another site redesign and publish two pieces that become instant classics: “Yes, No, Maybe So: A Sexual Inventory Stocklist” and "Drivers Ed for the Sexual Super Highway: Navigating Consent.” We also offer peer education training for budding sex educators, and begin to incorporate more and more content into the site for those who are in or who have survived abuse. We do a tweetstorm about How Sex Ed Can Prevent Rape, and Heather's piece debunking conservative claims about oxytocin goes viral.

2011: We introduce our (now retired) Find-a-Doc sexual healthcare database and publish “Sexuality, WTF is it Anyway?” On the blog, Heather writes about the rise and politics of SlutWalks.

2012: More redesign for us! “Risky Business: Learning to Consider Risk and Make Sound Sexual Choices” is published, as is "The Rainbow Connection: Orientation for Everyone.” This is also the year that data is released showing that long-acting, reversible birth control methods such as the IUD are not only safe, but even a better choice for young people than more commonly recommended methods like the birth control pill. Heather is given the Joan Helmich Educator of the Year award.

2013: We introduce our live chat service and publish “Self-Care: A La Carte.” On the blog, Heather implores people to "Please Stop Calling Rape Sex" and explains "After Contraception or Commitment, Why Your Still Gotta Rock Safer Sex." Heather wins the Woodhull Foundation's Vicki Award.

2014: “Casual...Cool? Making Choices about Casual Sex” is published, as is our first article on D.I.Y sex toys. The latter becomes one of the most viewed articles on the site. I didn't mention the gazillion times over all these years we almost shut down, or that Heather was working one or two additonal jobs to try and pay for Scarleteen on top of themselves, or all the different times we begged folks for financial help to keep us going, each time somehow working it out from MeetPositives SM Feed 4 https://ift.tt/2Lg424A via IFTTT

[m-u-n-c-h-y]

"I want your quiet, your screaming and thrashing The salt on your lips and the hands that God gave you And I want your violence, your silent sedation Your moon eyes, your telescope, morbid fixation"

[m-u-n-c-h-y]

So, I ended up doing all three... Anyway, here's more Outis (and Abdirak) for y'all!

Templates by @arcandoria, which you can find on their Ko-fi page. Thank you for making them Halk! <3

[m-u-n-c-h-y]

Did a reference for the back of Outis' jacket. Can't wait to never draw this again!