#process design engineering course

[mecci1]

Transform Your Future with MECCI Civil Design Training in Noida

Ready to shape the skylines of tomorrow? 🌆 Join MECCI Institute in Noida for our Civil Design Training in Noida! 🏗️ Gain hands-on experience and expert knowledge from industry leaders.

[converge-engineering]

Strategic Design: Elevate Your Skills with a Process Design Engineering Course

In today's rapidly evolving industrial landscape, staying ahead requires a strategic approach to design and engineering. One avenue that promises to equip professionals with the skills necessary for success is a Process Design Engineering Course. This comprehensive training is designed to empower individuals with the knowledge and expertise needed to navigate the intricacies of process design, ultimately contributing to enhanced efficiency and innovation in various industries.

Understanding the Essence of Process Design Engineering

Process design engineering forms the backbone of numerous industries, ranging from manufacturing and energy to pharmaceuticals. It involves creating systems and structures that optimize processes, ensuring they are not only efficient but also cost-effective. A Process Design Engineering Course provides participants with a deep understanding of the principles, methodologies, and tools required to excel in this critical field.

Unleashing the Power of Strategic Design

Strategic design is the cornerstone of success in the realm of process design engineering. Through a well-structured course, participants gain insights into developing designs that align with organizational goals, resource optimization, and sustainability. The emphasis on strategic design equips professionals to tackle complex challenges, fostering a holistic and forward-thinking approach to engineering solutions.

The Role of Engineering Consulting Services in Process Design

In the dynamic landscape of engineering, Engineering Consulting Services play a pivotal role. These services act as a bridge between theoretical knowledge gained in a course and its practical application in real-world scenarios. By leveraging the expertise of consultants, individuals can gain valuable insights, enabling them to implement their skills effectively and contribute meaningfully to project success.

Tailored Solutions for Industry Challenges

A Process Design Engineering Course not only imparts theoretical knowledge but also emphasizes the practical application of skills. Participants learn to analyze real-world problems, develop innovative solutions, and implement designs that address industry-specific challenges. This hands-on approach ensures that graduates are well-prepared to make a meaningful impact in their respective fields.

Elevating Careers with Converge Engineering Pvt. Ltd.

For those seeking to elevate their careers in process design engineering, look no further than Converge Engineering Pvt. Ltd. As a leading provider of engineering consulting services, we understand the importance of strategic design and offer courses that go beyond the theoretical, providing practical insights and industry-relevant skills.

Our courses are crafted by industry experts who bring years of experience to the table, ensuring that participants are equipped with the latest tools and techniques. The emphasis on strategic design in our Process Design Engineering Course aligns with the current demands of the industry, making our graduates sought-after professionals in the job market.

Contact Us to Start Your Journey

Ready to enhance your skills and embrace strategic design in process design engineering? Contact Converge Engineering Pvt. Ltd. today to learn more about our courses. Elevate your career, contribute meaningfully to your industry, and unlock new opportunities with our comprehensive training programs.

[jcmarchi]

AI in Higher Education – Balancing the Risks and Rewards

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/ai-in-higher-education-balancing-the-risks-and-rewards/

AI in Higher Education – Balancing the Risks and Rewards

A significant portion of the discussion around generative AI tools has focused on the challenges related to academic integrity and AI plagiarism. Cheating has dominated the discourse.

As a result, many administrators and instructors’ primary focus has been a search for tools that uncover AI-generated writing. For higher education leaders today, the search for reliable AI detection tools may be a futile one. Instead, the focus should be on how AI can enhance the academic experience and evolve assessment practices to better evaluate learners’ understanding.

AI detection; a flawed proposition?

To date, AI detection tools have fallen short of uncovering AI-generated responses accurately and without bias. Researchers at Maryland found that even the “best-possible detector” performs only marginally better than a random classifier. Another study of 14 detection tools by researchers in six countries found that the accuracy rate of detection tools varied widely — between 33% and 79%.

AI detection tools also introduce bias. According to a Stanford study, the solutions mislabeled English as a Second Language (ESL) students’ writing as AI-generated more than half the time. Similar concerns have also been raised about how these tools wrongly classify writing by those with autism spectrum disorder as AI-generated.

Recent research on AI detection tools with a group of clients found that users had very little confidence in the results. Making matters worse, our findings confirmed what researchers found elsewhere — writing was often mislabeled as AI-generated and accuracy was too low to be usable with students and for day-to-day academic integrity purposes.

The reality is that today’s tools aren’t up to the task without raising serious accuracy and ethical concerns, and they may never be. There’s a better way forward – focus on evolving our assessment practices by building more authentic assessments and collaborative learning experience to encourage deeper learning.

Building better engagement

Long before the advent of generative AI tools, educators valued authentic assessments, such as critical thinking exercises, interviews, case studies, group projects and presentations. Studies have shown benefits from assigning learners tasks like these that require them to problem solve, think critically and self-reflect instead of simply recalling knowledge. For a business course, an authentic assessment could look like conducting a negotiation with a group of peers.

Giving students the opportunity to demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving provides them with the skills required to eventually become successful professionals, according to researchers who conducted a literature review of the topic.

The debate around AI plagiarism has rekindled the push for instructors to develop assessments that evaluate more deeply while also lowering the efficacy of AI-generated responses. As Cecilia Ka Yuk Chan, head of professional development at the University of Hong Kong, wrote, teachers must “develop assessment tasks that require critical and analytical thinking to avoid AI-assisted plagiarism.”

Authentic assessment takes on even more importance in the era of generative AI. Tasks that focus on critical thinking, personal perspectives, and self-reflection are much harder for generative AI technologies to produce in a way that appears genuine. Activities might also look to explore subject areas where these tools do not have as much historical data with which to work, such as current and local events, personal experiences, and future predictions.

Developing these kinds of authentic assessments is time intensive though. It requires time-strapped instructors to potentially revamp curriculum and create entirely new assignments for students.

Ironically, AI tools can help with this challenge. By leveraging AI tools to help with ideation and brainstorming as part of the course design process, coming up with engaging authentic assessment and other activities can become more efficient. However, it’s critical that the instructor is always in control and reviews and approves any AI-generated course design suggestions – it’s a low-risk, high-reward sweet spot for the application of AI.

And digital learning environments can facilitate authentic assessments, project work and group work. They can take place in a single environment and can continue to build on top of each other. By combining the digital learning environment and the possibilities unlocked by generative AI, we may start to see entirely new, innovative and pedagogically sound learning experiences become a reality very soon.

The way forward

Regardless of the pros and cons of AI, its use will continue to expand. AI will deliver greater opportunities for students and institutions as the future unfolds. Institutions need to focus on maximizing AI’s benefits and unlocking its potential in the learning experience rather than attempting to limit possible threats and look to authentic assessments as a way forward.

AI will bring about change. Discourses and debates around AI have often elicited comparisons with previous technologies. The advent of spell checkers and calculators in the classroom sparked conversations around whether these tools were a help or hindrance to students’ actual ability to learn. Much in the way those tools have become common in everyday use within academics, AI can be a tool to help students. As such, a fundamental rethink of academic integrity and many other parts of a learner’s journey will be essential for success.

Flexible policy and practices are needed. With AI generative tools here to stay, it’s no longer feasible to maintain restrictive policies, especially knowing that generative AI is on its way to becoming a part of everything we interact with (think copilot in Microsoft Office). The line between AI-assisted and AI plagiarism is becoming more blurred every day.

Establish a policy. Establishing a policy framework that is supported by the institution’s unique culture with clear guidelines to take advantage of AI with safeguards is essential. Departments and instructors should have autonomy to apply these policies relative to their subject matter. Co-creation and discussing practices with students are also crucial to help create a culture of trust across an institution.

Empower instructors to develop ethical approaches. Teachers are the engines powering learning and supporting them is fundamental to providing great experiences for learners in the AI era. Institutions need to empower instructors to embrace authentic assessment practices, including leveraging the power of AI to make administrative and course design tasks more efficient.

Time to learn

AI tools will only become more ingrained into the processes of our daily lives, including those in the classroom. To realize the benefits these tools afford, instructors and administrators need training and institutional support. Institutions must provide them with the knowledge and skills required to harness the opportunities while reducing the risks. Those opportunities include achieving a long sought-after goal – evaluating learners for their ability to apply knowledge in real world situations. And those that harness AI’s power to build better learning experiences will ensure students learn in the AI era.

[sad--tree]

i 100% absolutely cannot i repeat CANNOT allow myself 2 fail this course bc this is my last chance at taking it otherwise im removed from the program but i

cannot make myself do the work. i can't start. we're halfway thru the term ive lost a HUGE percentage of the grade already and i sit down 2 start googling how tf to do what i need 2 do and i fucking c a n t and now the whole course has become this hot-stove-item in my brain and im lying in bed practically vibrating with anxiety abt to let another (re-negotiated!!!!!!!) deadline pass and like!!! why am ilike this!!!!!!

ANYWAYS if any of yall know literally fuckall abt python...... pls........ 🙏 help........ 🙏

[chaoticloving]

the making of stomper

harry styles x reader masterlist

summery: harry has his wife make the feature of his new music video

a/n: reader is described as an engineer and the "flashbacks" are italicized

“Satellite was inspired by my love of Wall-e.” Harry explained. “I love the little guy, looking around in search for his point of life—so human, really.”

~

“I need your skills.” Harry ambiguously stated, rushing into the bedroom and meeting Y/n who was relaxing on the bed on her laptop.

"Come again?" Y/n laughed, confused by her husbands question and vaguely raunchy implications.

Harry climbs on the bed, sitting between his wife's legs on his sock-clad feet, yes, the pair with holes in them. "I have an idea and I need your help building it."

Harry gave a sweet smile, the face he poses whenever he wants Y/n to build something for him, first it was a new camera, fixing up a new engine for an old car harry had his eyes on, and any other little thing Harry wanted. Y/n never minded of course, she enjoys creating new things and Harry was always there to help by any means he could. She enjoyed working on other things besides work--which at her level typically involved designing, no actual building.

"Intriguing , what is it?"

"Wall-e."

"Wall-e?"

"Wall-e."

"Huh." Y/n thought for a moment, before switching tabs on her laptop and opening up a new design file, labeling it "wall-e". "What's your vision."

"It's to go with Satellite and it would feature a little robot roomba thing thats looking for the meaning of life. It would walk or roll and move it's little face around." Harry summarized, stopping before he rambles too long, and make a list too extravagant.

“I’m down, I just need some time to think about what I’ll need and the process.” Y/n decided.

~

“Stomper was actually the 6th Stomper.” Harry thought back. “The first couldn’t move its head and only go very slowly on it’s little wheels. Two through four short-circuited. Five got injured by our cat. But six—he was a trooper.”

~

“Alright, we rolling?” Y/n spoke over to Harry, doing some final looks on the remote and Stomper.

“Yup! Ready for testing!” This was always Harry’s favorite part, despite it not being Y/n’s because she was always very thorough and was always waiting for a flaw with her creation. Harry, ever the optimist, was excited to see the little creature come to life.

“Okay, lemme just turn him on.” It was definitely a he this one, something in Y/n was just telling her it was a boy—as boyish a robot could be. But maybe she just thought the robot would act like Harry and all of his boyish charm.

Stomper grew to life, it’s “eyes” producing a subtle glow.

“Alright and moving forward—“ He moved, a little quicker then the others before him, which Y/n surprised and confused about. “Turning around…” The little robot did just that.

“It works?!” Harry shouted, letting the camera out of focus. He ran up to Y/n and hugged her tight, kissing her wherever his mouth could reach.

“Harry we got to give it more time, he might explode or something-“

“It’s perfect.” Harry chided, ignoring any concern his wife had for the little robot.

~

“I think Stomper was a subliminal message of some sort—“ Harry told the camera. He held on tight to the small child in this lap, who was trying to grab his ear and hair. “Y/n didn’t know she was pregnant yet. Only about a week after the music video went up Y/n had this epiphany that she didn’t have her period for the past two months—and the rest was history.”

Harry looked down at the little boy in his arms, brown hair showing through and a nose like his daddy’s. His eyes and lips through, were a copy and paste from his Mama.

“I joked that we should name him stomper--Y/n did not like that joke at all—so we settled on something else that will forever remain a mystery for you lot, or until I end up rambling uncontrollably.”

Harry, ever the scared Papa Bear, wouldn’t let anyone get a picture of any sort of the small boy. During the video, the boy was wearing a hat covering his face while Harry’s large hand would cover from the neck up. The only way you could know that Harry’s son was there was from the little grabby hands that kept making an appearance.

“But it’s getting close to this bubs nap time, so thank you for all the love.” Harry turned the camera off, smiling as he know the fans would love the one year special treat.

Harry went upstairs and met with his lovely wife taking a nap in their shared bed. His little boy yawned, causing Harry to yawn, so he knew it was family nap time.

“How’d it go?” Y/n whispered.

“Good.” Harry said, moving around so he could big spoon his son and wife. “Bubs was the star.”

“He takes after you.”

Harry smiled at the comment, but knew the opposite to be true. His little baby was showing signs of intelligence that could only be traced to his wife. “With any luck he’ll turn out just like his mama.”

[thydungeongal]

A TPK is basically a failure state for the whole group in an action-oriented tabletop RPG, especially one where there is an extended narrative being told. A TPK means that the game ends for everyone. The whole group has to make a whole new party and start again.

It's an acceptable failure state in a traditional challenge game. You simply roll up a new character or flesh out one of your named followers. Lots of older school challenge games even have rules supporting some type of inheritance, where players can put some amount of money aside to be transferred to a new character in the event of their current character's death.

But a TPK isn't a desired outcome in a game that uses a challenge game engine but tries to have an extended narrative. Because a TPK means the continuity of characters involved in the narrative is broken.

I think this leads to a perverse incentive where these games make overcoming obstacles, especially lethal ones, into the most fun activity, but if a group wants to use the game as a platform for story-telling beyond "a bunch of adventurers try to get rich by doing dangerous shit" then the person running the game is encouraged to run encounters that have the appearance of being dangerous encounters, but they can't actually ever be too dangerous.

And I mean the fact that creating characters in lots of these types of games requires a number of elaborate steps means that there is a further disincentive to actually kill off characters.

The arduous process of character creation runs counter to a challenge game when systems only support death as a failure state. But if the game is being used to tell an extended narrative then there are many incentives in place for the GM not to actually challenge the players lethally, but because combat is often the most interesting part of gameplay it means that low-stakes narratively unfulfilling combat often become the norm. And once players grow wise to the fact that their characters' survival is required for the sake of narrative continuity it destroys a lot of tension.

Of course there would be various ways to address this but I'm unsure whether these will ever be popularized:

Not treating death as the only failure state, even in combat.

Being explicit in your design goals, i.e. should the primary mode of engaging with the game be to engage in challenges or to tell an extended narrative that sometimes include action scenes.

Treating failure in action scenes as not a Game Over, but a potential story branch.

There isn't a one size fits all solution to these issues. A lot of these I feel arise from tradition and the fact that certain assumptions of RPGs have gone unexamined even as playstyles have changed. And this isn't an universal issue: I feel Break!! (a newer adventure RPG with a very traditional structure) averts some of these issues both through having failure states beyond death and having relatively straightforward character creation, so even in the event of death making a new character isn't a huge hurdle. But in general I feel lots of RPG designers working on traditional action-oriented games where death is the only major failure state neglect to think about these things

[reasonsforhope]

"A company in France has developed genetically-enhanced houseplants that remove 30 times more indoor air pollutants than your normal ficus.

Paint, treated wood, household cleaners, insulation, unseen mold—there is a shopping list of things that can fill the air you breathe in your home with VOCs or volatile organic compounds. These include formaldehyde and other airborne substances that can cause inflammation and irritation in the body.

The best way to tackle this little-discussed private health problem is by keeping good outdoor airflow into your living spaces, but in the dog days of summer or the depths of a Maine winter, that might not be possible.

Houseplants can remove these pollutants from the air, and so the company Neoplants decided to make simple alterations to these species’ genetic makeup to supercharge this cleaning ability.

In particular, houseplants’ natural ability to absorb pollutants like formaldehyde relies on them storing them as toxins to be excreted later.

French scientists and Neoplants’ co-founders Lionel Mora and Patrick Torbey engineered a houseplant to convert them instead to plant matter. They also took aim at the natural microbiome of houseplants to enhance their ability to absorb and process VOCs as well.

The company’s first offering—the Neo P1—is a Devil’s ivy plant that sits on a custom-designed tall stand that both maximizes its air-cleaning properties and allows it to be watered far less often.

Initial testing, conducted by the Ecole Mines-Telecom of Lille University, shows that if you do choose to shell out the $179 for the Neo P1, it’s as if you were buying 30 houseplants. Of course, if you went for the budget route of 30 houseplants, you’d have to water them all.

The founders pointed out in an interview done with Forbes last year that once they settled on the species and fixed the winning genetic phenotype, the next part of the process was just raising plants, the same activity done in every nursery and florist in every town in Europe."

Deliveries for the P1 are estimated for August 2024.

-via Good News Network, November 6, 2023

--

Note: I'm not a plant biologist, but if this works the way the company's white paper says it does, holy genetic engineering, Batman.

(Would love to hear thoughts from anyone who is a plant biologist or other relevant field!)

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Poop Crystals

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)  

The pace in which human technology progressed over the millennia was rather standard for a class 4 species. Even when accounting the periods of scientific degradation which resulted from natural plagues or religious persecution; it was expected that humans would not achieve advanced space travel until another 2-3 thousand years had passed.

Scientifically speaking human scientists were well more advanced than the society they lived in, but due to the technological limitations of the human race they were held back from implementing their designs. A primary limitation was the lack of a sufficiently powerful power source. They did have many different forms of power generators ranging from solar to nuclear, but to power larger machines often required equally large energy sources. To power their ships alone around a third of their vessels were dedicated to the power cores.   

With these restrictions in place travel between stars for humans often relied on decade long journeys in cryo sleep; which ironically required even more power generators to maintain. Their large size made them easy targets for natural disasters such as space debris or prowling space pirates seeking an easy profit margin at the slave markets. These dangers became a standard for human travel until the Terran civilization encountered the planet Nolla 987 and the species that called it home.

During a long duration colonization trip the human ship “Midas” was struck by the trail debris of a rogue comet and knocked off course. The robotic caretakers tried their best to maintain the course, but with the damage done to the ship their primary programming to maintain the lives of the crew kicked in and diverted the ship to the nearest habitable planet for debarkation. Nolla 987 was the closest planet with a stable atmosphere. Originally charted several years earlier but deemed unsuitable for colonization or industrial expansion, it was not ear marked for either and left alone; until the Midas incident that is.

The landing was not a smooth one. Several engines had been damaged and multiple hull breaches resulted in portions of the ship being shredded away during the entry process. It would be safer to say that the Midas crash landed during the final stretch of the maneuver, but with a 73% survival rate of the crew a rather acceptable crash landing.

One by one the crew and colonists were unfrozen to find the ship a burning wreck and only a handful of robotic assistants still functioning. The industrial printing machines were relatively undamaged but without the ships power core they could not be used to print components or tools needed to make the necessary repairs. The crew was then forced to ration its remaining power supply and divided into two teams. The first team would comb through the wreckage and salvage what they could of the wreck while also building shelter. The second group would scout the surrounding area for anything of use and then report back.

It did not take long for the second team to stumble upon a nest of the dominant species of the planet. An insectoid called the “Sectar” which ranged from the size of a house cat to as large as a two story building. These insects digested their food and excreted the waste into a dense crystalian substance that they then used to build massive hive like complexes.

The occupants of the hive had been driven from the hive by the crash landing of the Midas leaving it almost completely empty save for a few eggs and new hatchlings who were not strong enough to flee on their own. Several of the second team members had been scanning the crystal structures while interacting with the newborn Sectar’s. To quote a journal entry of one of them, “They were like insect golden retrievers. Extremely derpy with at least four times as many sets of eyes. They followed us around on their legs like we were their mothers and clung to our legs when we began to return to our ship for the night.”

At least one of the second team was confirmed to have brought a hatchling back to their camp. There was a debate amongst the survivors on if they should try and eat it, but the notion was quickly squashed as they still had food reserves and no one was brave enough to see how the alien’s bio matter would react inside the human digestive system.

The same human who had brought the hatchling back offered it a portion of food which it eagerly ate. Not long after the hatchling excreted a hardened crystal roughly the size of a thimble. When the human made to pick up the seemingly beautiful gem they recoiled as an electrical discharge shocked their hand. This immediately drew the attention of the rest of the crew who began carefully examining the crystal substance. After some rather rough jury-rigging, the crystal was wired into one of the printer machines and to the surprise of everyone powered the machine. The crew quickly learned that the older Sectar’s would produce larger crystal excrements but were extremely hostile and territorial. Smaller Sectar’s were deemed more desirable for the time being as they were easier to train and harvest crystals from.  

Within a matter of days the crew had not only collected enough crystals to power all of their machines and send out a distress signal, but also used the new found crystal power to create a full settlement on the planet complete with water filtration, crop fields, and a sizeable wall to keep out the native wildlife.

It would not be for another thirty years before a passing human shipped picked up their distress signal and went to investigate the planet. When they arrived on Nolla 987 they were astonished to find a fully functioning colony complete with limited orbital facilities. Nearly every human settler and their descendants had a Sectar in their household that they would take care of and feed and in exchange use their crystal excrement to power nearly everything they needed to live.

From there it was only a matter of time before the entirety of human space was aware of the events of Nolla 987 and the Sectar species. Within the decade the colony on Nolla 987 became the capital for a fully settled world with dozens of cities and communities. The Sectar species were transported throughout human space and began being implemented in all aspects of society.

There was initial resistance to the new power source by existing power blocks which realized Sectar power would be far more efficient than nuclear powered engines, but unlike other power sources they had squashed in development the Sectar power option had thirty years of trial and error to back it up with research as well as a fully functioning model with the planet of Nolla 987.

Sectar’s became a common sight on every human planet and were treated like common pets. It was even studied that when introduced to different food sources the energy output of crystal excrement could be increased resulting in certain food industries booming overnight. The composition of spices, cooking technique, and flavoring became an entirely new and highly prestigious academic field with the most successful of its practitioners being highly sought after by companies.

The technological capabilities of humanity experienced a massive surge in advancement within fifty years to the point humans no longer needed cryo ships to travel between stars. Those who had been studying humanity found themselves now being introduced to them as humans winded up on their doorstep with a Sectar on their shoulder and a perverse obsession with collecting its bodily waste.    

[yournextflame]

Elden Ring Sigils and Color Theory

Elden Ring magic sigils sorted by color. Long post about their lore, meanings of certain colors and what it can reveal about the story of Elden Ring under the cut.

In this post, I will be going over why it is important to have a good understanding of color and meanings associated with color in the context of lore. In a game, color is used by developers for more than just drawing the world, it’s about creating visual language, a bridge between writers and players. There are countless articles about usage of colors in videogames, but in this post I will try to reverse-engineer the process and find out the meaning behind visual symbolism and combine it with game’s equivalent of heraldic symbols - magic sigils.

In Elden Ring magic sigils have been used to represent origin of sorceries and power sources of incantations, usually they give us hints what kind of deity is worshipped by people or who created the spell. They are an invaluable source of information on history on the Lands Between. I’ve been already playing with idea of color sorting when I did the same thing with remembrances, but sigils revealed even more secrets about story and lore. How about origin of life on the Lands Between? Origin of the outer gods? But let’s not rush.

The first category, Blue Sorcery as I called it, already shows how color sorting method is supported by the game itself. With a help of descriptions we can place the sigils in the chronological order and track the change in design over the course of story such as replacement of flowing weapon in the sigil of Eternal Cities to Carian sword. Their sigils are incredibly similar to each other, solidifying connection between Nox and Carian royal family; both factions are associated with silver, sorcery, artifical life, moons and stars.

This talisman represents the lost black moon. The moon of Nokstella was the guide of countless stars (Memory Stone)

The young astrologer gazed at the night sky as she walked. She had always chased the stars every step of her journey. Then she met the full moon—and, in time, the astrologer became a queen (Stargaizer Heirloom)

Moons played a central role in Nox and Carian culture, the circle is a base shape for both crests, however, while Raya Lucaria sigil shares similar elements with Eternal Cities and Carian emblems (glintstone sorcerers are the descendants of astrologers, a fact that the Carians remain aware of, - Preceptor's Long Gown), this part was drastically redused in size and moved on top; the central place is taken by the star and framed by a pair of cuckoos. The hue of sigil is also significantly different from cold blue tones of Nox and Carians emblems, the warm greenish tint is close to the color of primeval current spells, which were banished once Rennala became rector of the Academy.

These scholars, who sought to master Carian sorcery, instead learned to see the moon as equal to the stars. This robe, in the hue of the full moon, signifies their heresy (Lazuli Robe)

(Cuckoo Greatshield) Boasting high magic damage negation, this shield is used to hunt down mages. "Our enemy is none other than Caria itself."

So far I’m not going to delve deeper in the roots of the conflict between Carian royal family and Academy of Raya Lucaria, it’s a mere demonstration of a method and how it works. But in next paragraphs I will use it as evidence for a few theories about worldbuilding.

(thanks for clarification about Malenia’s Crest, I rewatched fight on youtube and, yes, it’s a normal Raya Lucaria sigil)

Golden incantations is the biggest group on the list, in a way I can say that history of the Lands Between is a history of gold. Here we can see a symbolical depiction of the Erdtree, the central piece of the game both in a metaphorical and literal sense; we can track how portrayl of the Erdtree changed during Marika’s age until it was replaced altogether by the abstract emblem of the Golden Order Fundamentalism. I have a lot of to say about this group and currently working on post with a more detailed investigation, so far I will touch only basics: such as origin of life gold.

Gold in Elden Ring is more than than shine metal or a color, it’s prima materia of the Greater Will, a force of unknown origin (it’s never called 神  god or an 外なる神 outer god anywhere in EN or JP script and before jumping to conclusion wait until I’m going to observe confirmed outer gods) which is responsible for the creation of Elden Ring. From the description of Elden Stars, the most ancient incantation in this category, and Elden Remembrance we can figure out keywords associated with the Greater Will:

It is said that long ago, the Greater Will sent a golden star bearing a beast into the Lands Between, which would later become the Elden Ring/It was the vassal beast of the Greater Will and living incarnation of the concept of Order (I’d like to point that it’s “Order”, not “The Golden Order”).

(I believe we still can see remnants of the golden star in a form of meteorite ore in Divine Towers and Sealed Tunnel near Erdtree) 

In other words, the Greater Will is about gold, Order and everything Elden. However, a common mistake is to tie the Greater Will to the Golden Order, despite the name the latter is not representative of it, even more so... original gold from the golden star wasn’t yellow.

From dialogue with Sellen we can learn that stars are containing amber, but golden stars are kind of special:

Golden amber contains the remnants of ancient life, and houses its vitality (Sellen)

And Hyetta’s speech supports futher that the Greater Will is responsible for creation of life in one way or another:

…すべては、大きなひとつから、分かたれた 分かたれ、産まれ、心を持った

けれどそれは、大いなる意志の過ちだった だから、戻さなくてはならない

All that there was divided from the One Great. Divided, born and given heart. But it was a mistake of the Greater Will (Hyetta)

So, Miyazaki pretty much unitied theories about meteorites being consensually considered to be involved in the origin of life and primordial soup:

Meteorites could have been responsible for delivering the basis of life's genetic code. Analyses of three meteorites suggest that nucleobases, the crucial components of DNA, could have formed in space and then fallen to Earth to provide the raw material for the origin of life itself

For nearly nine decades, science's favorite explanation for the origin of life has been the “primordial soup”. This is the idea that life began from a series of chemical reactions in a warm pond on Earth's surface, triggered by an external energy source such as lightning strike or ultraviolet (UV) ligh

Now if we check descriptions of Crucible Aspects and Crucible Knights items we can find out that original gold had rent tint.

Holds the power of the crucible of life, the primordial form of the Erdtree. Strengthens Aspects of the Crucible incantations (Crucible aspects incantations)

This sword is imbued with an ancient holy essence. Its red tint exemplifies the nature of primordial gold, said to be close in nature to life itself (Ordovis Greatsword, the name itself is a reference to Ordovician Period, part of the Paleozoic era, a rich variety of marine life flourished in the vast seas and the first primitive plants began to appear on land)

Ancient Erdtree/Crucible emblem is slightly reddish too, however, the modern gold is more pure and yellow, the gold of the Golden Order. The sigil changed the color too and lost the root part just like the Elden Ring itself if we compare modern depiction with Farum Azula mural:

The Golden Order was created by confining Destined Death. Thus, this new Order will be one of Death restored

But a gold is a gold, even though it’s different, but as Turtle Pope said heresy is not native to this world and everything can be cojoined:

The worship of the ancient dragons does not conflict with belief in the Erdtree. After all, this seal, and lighting itself, are both imbued with gold

Yes, the Greater Will governs everything what is golden. 

And yet, the young Miquella abandoned fundamentalism, for it could do nothing to treat Malenia's accursed rot. This was the beginning of unalloyed gold

I can already hear the raise of pitchforks from certain kind of Miquella fans, so let’s talk about outer gods and what exactly they are.

With a surprising exception of emblem from the Scepter of the All-Knowing (Gideon, I have a few questions for you) all sigils in Red Group are assigned to the deities: outer/ancient god of Rot, outer god Formless Mother, Rykard’s immortal serpent and Fell God, who is bit tricky, it’s ambitious if  古い火の悪神 “ancient” is applied to the god or fire. The only confirmed outer gods, who didn’t made it here is an outer god of Deathbirds and Frienzied Flame. Considering theory that removal of the Destined Death from Elden Ring drained color from the god-slaying Black Flame and eclipsed sun of outer god of Deathbirds, I can suggest that original color of their sigils was red too. 

Long story short: sigil of the outer gods and other unwelcomed deities are represented by red color and they are all related to the death, Formless Mother is about bleed, fell flame is burning, rot is decay, etc.

However, as stated in the description of Ordovis Greatsword, primordial gold of the Crucible had a red tint that was lost when Marika estabilished Golden Order by sealing away red Rune of Death; and this knowledge eventually leads to conclusion that...

Outer gods aren’t aliens. What a surprise.

They are natural powers that were screwed by the removal of Destined Death, when they got outed from the Golden Order. They are red tint of the primordial gold.

Once the concept of Death was banished from the Lands Between the elements and effects linked to it - death, decay, combustion, bleed became outer to the newly estabilished Order. There is a clear thematic difference between celestial Greater Will, who isn’t even presented on the Lands Between, and actual outer gods, who can be sealed or banished, more over there are no outer god of water, sunshine or happiness, they are all linked to the side-effects of death. When death was excluded from the Order, they were affected as well.

The thing is that gold in Elden Ring is a magical substance and changes the tint depends on the currently running Order, which is shown in the endings when Golden Tree (黄金樹 that’s how Erdtree is called in JP) acquires different hue. It’s another overlooked element of visual storytelling.

This Golden Order is something that the Elden Ring may have once represented, but not directly. It’s more about how you apply those rules and how you enforce them on the physical world and what effects they have on it, - Miyazaki in interview to gamesradar

(Golden Order isn’t direct representation of the Greater Will/Elden Ring as it was said by Miyazaki himself, it’s only one temporary set of rules)

Elden Ring consists of runes and even newly discovered mending runes (concepts) can be added to the system (regression is the pull of meaning; that all things yearn eternally to converge) ot removed and the gold will respond to it by changing the color and reshaping reality according to the Order (causality is the pull between meanings; it is the connections that form the relationships of all things). Elden Ring - Rune of Death = yellow gold and banishment of ancient gods, who were associated with death, Elden Ring+mending rune of a choice=see example aboive.

For futher evidence that gold changes metaphysical properties and in the current state (Golden Order) preserves things from not only from dying, but decomposing too, I want to bring a few descriptions:

Fresh beast blood, glinting with gold. Material used for crafting items. Found by hunting carnivorous beasts.This glimmering blood never rots or decays ( Beast Blood)

Someone's excrement. It has a golden tinge. Material used for crafting items. Gold-tinged excrement is a highly stable substance; it doesn't dry out, nor does it lose its customary warmth or scent. For better or for worse, it remains as it is (Golden Dung; I can’t believe I’m using description of literal sh/t to prove my point)

However, from what we know only Rune of Death was sealed, and while outer gods’ influence was seriously weakened, it still existed. This is why Miquella abandoned Golden Order and was working on development of his own gold, even more pure and untainted, before he got mohgged:

Unalloyed Gold Needle: An intricately crafted needle of unalloyed gold. A ritual implement crafted to ward away the meddling of outer gods, it is thought capable of forestalling the incurable rotting sickness.

Now let me clarify: community’s favorite boogieman “influence of the evil alien outer gods/the Greater Will” isn’t a thing in a sense that there is a group of invaders from the outer space trying to enslave the Lands Between. Even thought  外なる神 is used in Japanese media culture for lovecraftian beings, we should remember that history is fabricated by the Golden Order in Marika’s favor; "outer gods” are alien to the current Order”. Same goes for the influence of the Greater Will, it was never about mind-control or whatever was projected onto it, the influence of the Greater Will is simply how Order and gold are changing course of the nature. 

Last thing I want to add is that influence of the outer gods isn’t always about destructive powers (Order of Rot is about decay and rebirth), but I’ll leave it for a dedicated post.

In Mixed Group I put sigils with unique or unknown colors.

In my first draft Dragon Communion was placed in the Red Group for the intense hue of sigil, but upon futher research I decided to move it here. The power of Dragon Communion incantations doesn’t stem from any patron god or the assigned star (unless I missed something); they are scaling from arcane, an inner force of the caster. 

Violet is an interesting choice for Gravity sigil because this color, albeit with the less intence hue, is used for sleep status and associated items. 

I like how yellow color of Frenzied Flame is similar to the gold of the Greater Will, carrying the theme of duality, yet the shape of the sigil is distorted and assymetrical. In fact, designs of the ancient sigils usually is far less complex than intricate shapes of newer ones (with a few exceptions). Just to be clear, even though influence of the Flame of Frenzy can be cleared by Miquella’s needle, the game never calls it an outer god. It’s a matter of semantics, but I guess that unlike crew from the Red Group it was never booted from the Order since Chaos and Order can’t naturally coexist, but there are a lot ot of to speculate about, considering drastic changes in Frenzied Flame quest and lore.

Golden star in the centre of Bestial sigil reminds of Cinquedea dagger (Short sword given to high ranking clergymen of Farum Azula. The design celebrates a beast's five fingers, symbolic of the intelligence once granted upon their kind), which shows beast’s arm holding golden slab.

So, Death spells. I believe that both Black Flame incantations and Death Sorcery of Deathbird outer god were affected by confining of Destined Death.

The black flame could once slay gods. But when Maliketh sealed Destined Death, the true power of the black flame was lost

Storied sword and treasure of Castle Sol that depicts an eclipsed sun drained of color.The eclipsed sun, drained of color, is the protective star of soulless demigods. It aids the mausoleum knights by keeping Destined Death at bay. Mausoleum Knight Armor: The wing-shaped ornaments on its back evoke the Deathbird

And, as I’ve been already pointing in a different post, death of Godwyn brought back forgotten death sorcery that almost ceased from existance during age of immortality, but was rediscovered

Death in the Lands Between is incredibly complex subject and deserves a series of posts, even though I believe there should be DLC because so far all lore related to it seems to be incomprehensible.

Unmarkered sorceries don’t have background sigil, but they all share something in common. They originated from the Mountaintops of Giants:

Zamor Ice Storm: Ice sorcery of the Town of Zamor.Strike the ground with the staff to create a freezing tornado. Charging enhances potency. Cloaked in icy tempests, the knights of Zamor have challenged the Fire Giants since ancient times.

Briars of Sin : An aberrant sorcery, discovered along with red glintstone by those exiled to the north for their crimes.The Academy reviles this sorcery, which draws its power from faith

Founding Rain of Stars: The eldest primeval sorcery, said to have been discovered by an ancient astrologer. A sorcery of legendary status.The glimpse of the primeval current that the astrologer saw became real, and the stars' amber rained down on this land. Sword of Night and Flame: Astrologers, who preceded the sorcerers, established themselves in mountaintops that nearly touched the sky, and considered the Fire Giants their neighbors.

Another interesting details to consider is that they are all in some ways are unwelcomed or straight up heretical. It reminds me of relationships between Golden Order and remnanats of the Crucible. Aberrant sorcery is a mark of sin, primeval current was banished and cold sorcery is veiled in occult mystery:

The snowy crone taught the young Ranni to fear the dark moon as she imparted her cold sorcery.

I guess Ranni’s secret mentor is called snowy crone for a reason.

That’s being said, everything I wrote is a subject to change as DLC may reveal more details or I will reconsider some parts under futher research. But overall I think it was an interesting experiment.

読んでくれてありがと

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

1969 Shelby Mustang GT500 Fastback

1969 was, effectively, the final year for the Shelby Mustang. By now assembly had shifted in Michigan from California where it was contracted out to A.O. Smith Corporation. Smith, an established Motor City contractor, had brought a level of serious manufacturing skill, supplier management, procedure and standards never seen at Shelby’s facility where LAX met the vibrant (and sometimes extreme) subculture of Venice, California.

Now largely designed and specified by Ford staffers, the 1969 Shelby Mustang was drastically different visually from the standard Mustangs, with a completely different nose and grille, a wide rectangular opening with blacked out grille flanked by 7” headlights and with Shelby’s characteristic driving lights now smaller rectangular pieces below the attractive, but largely ineffective, bumper. The special Shelby hood had five ducts, three NACA-style surface ducts replaced the complicated but entertaining shaker hoods of years gone by to supply cold air directly to the engine air intake and two extractors at the back of the hood relieving underhood pressure and exhausting heated air in front of the windshield.

A surface duct behind the headlights and a scoop behind the door and in front of the rear wheel arch that was ducted to the rear brakes continued the performance theme. The rear panel was completely different from the Mustang, housing a set of 1965 Thunderbird sequential taillights with the rear license plate placed between them and including a small ducktail spoiler. The area under the bumper where standard Mustangs carried their license plate contained two rectangular outlets for the Shelby’s dual exhaust system. Standard wheels were unique 5-spoke Mag Stars with alloy centers and chrome steel rims.

Under the hood lay the 428 Cobra Jet which had powered the ’68 Shelby GT500KR. Both Ford and Shelby recognized the superiority of the high performance CJ and made it the standard engine for 1969’s Shelby Mustangs. 

At the end of the 1969 model year 789 Shelby Mustangs were in-process at A.O. Smith. They were visually updated with black hood stripes and a chin spoiler and given new VINs. Otherwise the 1970s were exactly the same as the ‘69s making these two years essentially identical examples of the end of the Shelby Mustang series which had begun only a scant six years before.

Avidly sought by collectors and obsessively documented by the Shelby American Automobile Club, most Shelby Mustangs are well known and have well known histories. Occasionally, however, a example appears which has been out of sight for years. Even more rarely it turns out to have been little used and continuously maintained by a thoughtful and caring single owner for nearly forty years.

The Black Jade 1969 Shelby Mustang GT500 Sportsroof fastback offered here is one of those rare and highly desirable cars. It was delivered new to Ford’s dealer in Yokohama, Japan, Marubeni Motors K.K., and was sold thereafter to its first, and only, owner in Japan. It has been repainted in the original color once but is otherwise completely original, as delivered and has only 84,941km on its metric-calibrated export speedometer (52,779 miles.) Its sympathetic maintenance and care shows throughout in its clean, straight, rust-free condition.

Power of course comes from the 428 cubic inch Cobra Jet Ram Air V-8 engine which Ford and Shelby conservatively rated at 335 horsepower at 5,200rpm and a gut-wrenching 440 lb-ft torque at 3,400rpm. It puts the power through Ford’s highly regarded C-6 automatic transmission and Traction-Lok differential with high speed 3.00:1 gearing that takes full advantage of the CJ engine’s torque. In addition to the highly desirable drivetrain specification it is loaded with options including the Visibility Group, Goodyear white letter tires, Sport Deck folding rear seat, power front disc brakes, power steering, tilt steering column, Selectaire air conditioning, AM/8-track stereo radio, tinted glass, deluxe belts, tachometer and trip odometer.

It is finished in one of the Shelby Mustang’s most attractive colors, Black Jade. The interior and high back buckets seats are upholstered in black Clarion Knit/Corinthian vinyl that complements with Black Jade exterior.

It returned to the U.S. in 2006 but has never been titled by its current owner so it remains a one-owner car. Its absolutely clear history, one-owner provenance, highly original condition with known mileage and extensive options list are attributes shared by few Shelby Mustangs of this age. This is a rare opportunity for an astute collector to acquire a particularly significant, unmolested Shelby Mustang from the last, and most highly developed, series.

1969 Shelby Mustang GT500 Fastback

Powered by a 428ci V8 engine mated to a C6 automatic transmission, this beauty includes the original #Shelby owner card, a copy of the Shelby work order and Window Sticker.

1969 Shelby Mustang GT500 Fastback

1969 Shelby Mustang GT500 Fastback

[ghostofhyuck]

Dark Fantasy Series 4

Dead man! Lee Donghyuck x Tourist! Reader

Summary: On a vacation at the neighbouring town’s lakehouse, you found yourself befriending a local name Haechan, who seems to be clueless about his town’s myth called ‘The Dead Man.’

Word count: 4.7k

TW: Contains violence, death, a bit of gore, and blood. NCT Dream and Aespa members are mean here, but it’s for the plot. Read at your own risk

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Summer has always been a joy for you. No school, great weather, and just spending the time lazing around. 

But your friends have other plans for this summer. It’s understandable that it’s your last summer before you enter senior year in college. So you agreed to join even though you prefer to just stay at home and have your own solo activities. 

That’s how you ended up in the minivan your friend owns, bags and luggages placed on the trunk, while the six of you squeezed inside the minivan. The radio is blasting with music, bass boosted that it can be heard from the outside. 

“Fuck yeah!” Jaemin, the designated driver, shouts. Taking a chug from the can of beer he’s holding at the same time. 

“Are you even sure we’re on the right route?” Karina, who’s in the driver’s seat asked. She’s seated there in case Jaemin fucks up, she can control the steering wheel. 

“Duh, of course! I’ve been here many times.” Jaemin replies. 

“Still weird that you chose this place when there’s a lot of good lake houses around,” Giselle complained, rolling her eyes. 

“Just say you’re afraid,” Renjun teased. “Of the dead man!” tickling Giselle on the process making the girl scream and causing chaos at the backseat.

“Hey hey! You guys are the reason why we’ll get into an accident,” Jaemin shouts. 

“The reason why we’ll get into trouble is you drunk-driving,” Jeno interrupts. 

You only watch your friend’s tease each other, but you couldn’t help but pique curiosity at what Renjun said earlier. 

“What’s the dead man?” you asked, making them fall into silence. 

“Are you serious? You don’t know about it?” Renjun asked with a shocked tone. 

You only shrugged, “why?”

“Hey, don’t blame yn, she’s not a local in the area,” Giselle said. Placing an arm around you. “There’s a myth about here where there’s a man who died but resurrected a week after.” 

“That sounds bullshit.”

“It is said that he only shows up on clueless strangers and they say he murders people so that his lifespan increases.” your friend added. 

You only laughed at her story, “that can’t be true.” 

“It is! The longer story was that there’s a man who’s on his deathbed made a deal with the devil to remain immortal forever. He died eventually but became alive a week after and not only that, he also maintained a youthful look.” Renjun explains. “In exchange, he has to offer the souls and blood of people. The more people he offers, the more he remains immortal.” 

“And that’s just a myth! So there’s nothing to be afraid yn,” Jaemin said, turning around to give you a wink. “I’ve been here since I was a kid and there’s no dead man here. If they did, then the killings should’ve been on the news already.” 

“But there was a mass murder that happened during 1992. A group of friends were found dead at the lake house —” 

“Which is on the other side of the town,” Jaemin added. “Seriously guys, we’re here to have fun, don’t ruin the vibe.” 

The van turned left, towards a more secluded road. The road passed by empty lots and a forest area where wild trees and tall grasses stood firm. It became dim as the trees blocked the sunlight from the road. It was tranquil, you think, eyes staring at the view from the outside. Jaemin’s drive became smooth, it seems like he has already memorized the area. 

He spotted an open steel gate and turned to enter the place. There awaits a small lake house that he has been going to ever since he was a kid. Jaemin parks the car in the parking area, and turns off the engines. 

“We’re here! Let’s go!” Jaemin excitedly said, exiting the car first. One by one, all of you went out of the van. 

You were in awe when you noticed that the place was beautiful indeed. It was quiet, clean, and empty too. It’s just the six of you there. The lake house was huge. There’s a few cabins built that can be rented by families or groups of friends, but in your case, Jaemin rented the whole place so that you guys can have the place on your own. The lake was just near, with a long dock that is perfect for diving and jumping. On the right is a trail path that leads to the deeper side of the woods.

“May I help you?” the six of you turned around and saw a guy who you assumed was the same age as you. He’s wearing a plain black tee shirt and khaki shorts. He’s perfectly tan and with a set of moles on his face. You were a bit intimidated by his blank expression but nonetheless, you found him attractive. 

“Who are you?” Jaemin asked instead. 

“Haechan, I work here,” Haechan introduced. He stretches his hand but your friend only stares at it. 

“I didn’t know Aunt Hyojoo hired people,” Jaemin stated. 

“I just started working here two months ago,” Haechan answered. “Just a small help because it’s not like Aunt Hyojoo’s getting any younger.” 

“Yeah thanks, but I’ve been for so long, I know my way,” Jaemin offered him a smile instead, and started walking away. One by one, your friends followed Jaemin but you didn’t move. 

You saw how Haechan retrieved his hand but out instinct, you grabbed it quickly. You saw how Haechan’s eyes went wide. You were surprised by your action too so you slowly shake it. 

“Sorry…about Jaemin, he’s just like that,” you said. But in a split second, Haechan smiles. 

“He’s kind of an asshole you know?” Haechan pointed out. 

You only laugh. “Yeah, he’s a bit of a jerk, sorry about that.” 

Haechan stares at you for a second. “He’s your boyfriend isn’t he?”

You were surprised by his question, “no! Goodness, he’s just a friend. I’m not his type either.” 

“Why? You’re beautiful, you know that?” 

You felt your heart skip a beat, surprised by the sudden compliment from Haechan. He only gives you a smile and you swore that he has such a pretty face. 

“Yn!” a voice called out, making you remove your hand from Haechan. 

“Sorry, my friend is calling me,” you said, avoiding his gaze. “I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Haechan nods. “See you around yn.”

You only smile as a goodbye before turning your heels around to go after your friends. As soon as you reached your friends, they began asking questions about what was that all about, about you only brushing it off. Convincing him that you’re just being friendly then proceeding to nag Jaemin about his behavior. Jaemin shrugs it off, and tells you that it was nothing. 

After settling down your bags and luggages inside the cabin. The six of you plan the itinerary for the rest of the weekend. The area was huge. You guys have plans on camping overnight tomorrow into the deeper area of the woods, but for now, you guys agreed to stay within the vicinity of the lakehouse. 

You changed into your swim suits, leaving the cabin with laughter and teasing. The sun was at its peak but it wasn’t hot so it wasn’t painful to stay outside. Soon, the boys came running towards the docks. Pushing playfully to the water while the three of you girls remained at the docks. Karina has her phone recording the chaos. 

“We didn’t come here to use your phone!” Jeno shouted, splashing water against the three of you, making you three laugh. 

The three of you followed them immediately. The lake was cool and deep enough for your reach. The six of you enjoy swimming around, and playing water games. It went on until your fingers started to wrinkle. Some of you rinsed while others remained on the water. 

“Jaemin! Stop doing that!” you screamed when you felt someone grabbing your legs. Jaemin ascends from the water with a teasing smile, making you splash water on him as revenge. 

“Sorry! Your expression was priceless!” Jaemin teases back, which makes you splash water on him even more. Soon, you two are there having a war until he wraps his arms around you. You squealed when he suddenly dipped into the water. 

“You asshole!” you shouted, trying to push yourself from Jaemin who’s been laughing nonstop. 

“It’s always fun teasing you yn~” Jaemin coos, pinching your cheeks in the process.

It made you stop, staring at Jaemin who’s only smiling at you. You always have a crush on Jaemin, but you know that it’s unrequited since you’re far from his ideal type. But it’s just a crush, it’s not like you’re dreaming of being his girlfriend. You still consider him as your friend despite the budding feeling. 

“Hey lovebirds!” Renjun shouts, making you two turn around. “The sun’s almost setting, we should settle down for dinner!” 

“We’ll be right there!” Jaemin shouted back.

“You can go first, I wanted to swim for a bit,” you told him. 

“Just make sure you return before the night comes,” he reminded. 

You only gave him a nod, watching him swim away from you. Soon, it’s just you, alone in the lake. You only let out a sigh as you lay down to float against the surface. The sky’s turning golden orange. Pink hues slowly appear as you can feel the cold water against your back. There’s no current in the lake, so you remain where you are floating. It feels so relaxing that you could only close your eyes. 

It wasn’t that quickly that you heard footsteps, making you open your eyes and fix your position. As you looked up to the dock, you noticed that it was Haechan. 

“Hey, it’s you again.” you said, swimming your way back to the dock. 

“Having fun there?” Haechan asked. 

“Yeah, never felt more relaxed than before,” then you reached your arm. “Care for a swim?”

“Maybe next time,” then he stands up. “You should rinse off now, it’s dangerous for you to be alone.” 

His words remind you of something. That’s when you decided that’s enough for you. So you rise off from the dock’s ladder. Ignoring Haechan’s gaze at your body. You passed by him to grab your towel but you turned around to him. 

“Is it because of the dead man?” you asked. 

You saw how his forehead creased, “the dead man?”

“It’s a myth here, my friend said,” you pointed. 

“It’s a hoax, like bigfoot,” Haechan explained, placing his hands on his pants’ pockets. “You still believe in that shit?”

You only shake your head, “not really, it’s my first time hearing about it.” 

Haechan turns to his left then glances at you once again, “have fun here, I should get going now.” 

“Wait —” you watch as he walks back to the lake house, following him you notice that Giselle was standing nearby the dock. She gave Haechan a side eye when the guy passed by him, then she only crossed her arms as she looked at you. 

You shake your head as you walk your way to her. She didn’t say a word, so quietly, you two returned to the cabin. 

Later that evening, the six of you decided to stay at the bonfire area to hang around. Cans of beer were passed around, and as the night became deeper so was the conversation. Senseless conversations were brought up, you guys were talking shit about some of your classmates, and then it shifted into a new topic. 

“Seems like you’re getting cozy with that staff,” Giselle blurted out. 

“Haechan? No, it’s nothing,” you denied. 

“Ohhh, so it's a first name basis now,” Karina teased. 

“Does it matter? Plus, I’m just being kind to him because someone couldn’t be nice enough to strangers,” you explained. 

Jaemin laughed, “wouldn’t be surprised if he thinks that you being kind to him means you like him.” 

“Why would you think of it like that?” you raised an eyebrow. 

“Come on yn, he looks like a town loser who has never touched a girl before,” Jaemin pointed out. 

“I mean, you two can match each other, you've never touched a guy’s dick before haven’t you?” Giselle added. The rest of your friends let out a few “ohhh” and “oh shit.” different reactions but same meaning; they were teasing you again. You’re a virgin but that’s because you never wanted to indulge into sexual activities unlike your friends who revolve their life around it. 

There’s peer pressure, you can feel it. But at the same time, you don’t want to give into peer pressure. You just hated that your friends still keep on teasing you about being a virgin when they know that you are that by choice. 

“Whatever,” you said, standing up. “I’ll just get some water from the cabin.” 

“Hey, what, I was just joking!” Giselle defended. 

“Yeah right yn, you used to laugh it off,” Karina said. 

But you ignored their words. Walking back towards the cabin, you didn’t go inside but instead, you sat at the staircase of the cabin. Letting out a sigh because your mood went sour. This vacation should be nothing but a nice getaway with your friends, that’s why you didn’t like how they went too far with the comment. 

“Didn’t think I’ll see you here, alone,” you looked up and saw Haechan standing in front of you. 

“Why is that, you’re always there when I’m alone,” you joked. 

“I’m just doing my nightly patrol,” Haechan explained. “So, why are you here without your friends?”

You rolled your eyes, “friends, yeah right.” 

“Seems like you’re not in a good mood, maybe I should just leave you alone —” 

“Wait,” you stopped him. “No, I’m not mad at all. It’s just —” you turned around when you heard footsteps approaching.

You glance at Haechan which in a split second understands what you wanted to say. He grabs your hands and quickly, you two run towards the opposite direction of the sound. You don’t know why but you just let your feet take you where Haechan is dragging you. You didn’t notice that you two are off from the vicinity of the lakehouse. He went deep into the woods. 

“Where are we?” you asked as soon as Haechan’s steps became normal. He never let go of your hands, he continued walking around the dimly lit path. It was pitch black and you two have nothing but Haechan’s flashlight. 

“Somewhere away from your friends,” he answered shortly. 

You two have been walking for a few minutes until he steps out of the wood, and as soon as you exit your eyes go wide at the view. 

You found yourself staring at an empty field. There’s nothing but a small hill, the grass swaying lightly against the winds. It was eerily quiet but it was tranquil for you. But what amazed you more is that there’s fireflies around the area. 

“It’s my first time seeing fireflies,” you said, eyes locked at the swarm. You turned around at Haechan who’s only staring at you. 

“Thank you,” you said to him. 

“Do you want to stay here for a while?” he asked. 

And you did. You and Haechan sat on the field while the fireflies lit up the area. You could only stare at them for a few minutes until it sank into you the reason why you’re here. 

You vent to Haechan about your friends. You love them so much, but sometimes they can be too much. You admit that you tend to feel out of place with them. The guys are athletes, while the girls are known to be very pretty and popular. You're plain jane. The goody-two-shoes who would rather stay home reading books rather than to party on a friday night. But nevertheless, your friends treated you genuinely. 

It’s just there are times that they tend to cross the lines that you don’t like. And this is one of the teasings that went too far. You’re fine being teased as a virgin, but you didn’t like that they had to drag Haechan into the teasing. 

“I don’t know why they have to involve you when they don’t even know you,” you explain. “They can’t even be nice to you.” 

“It’s okay, they just think they’re superior when they stoop on other people,” Haechan laughed. 

“I’m really sorry,” you apologized once again. 

“It’s not your fault, there’s no need to apologize,” he said smiling. 

You smiled at him back, and from there, you two gaze at the view in silence. You only let out a sigh as you rest your head on your knees, feeling the cold breeze of summer night.

“It’s so much better here,” you mumbled. “I prefer this kind of stay.” 

“You don’t want to go back?” 

You shake your head, “no. I prefer your company.”

Haechan shyly looks away. Another silence engulfed you too. You couldn’t help but to stare at him. God, even at the dim night, you can still see his beautiful features. Slowly, you reached out your hands to trace the moles on his face. Not even touching him, Haechan flinched. 

“Sorry,” you were about to retrieve your hands but he grabs it, ang gently, he places it on his cheeks. 

It was soft, as he let go slowly of it, your fingers traced his moles. You were locked into it, not even noticing how his eyes are gazing at you. 

You didn’t notice how Haechan slowly approached you, until your eyes went wide at close proximity. 

“Can I kiss you?” he asked, it made your heart skip a beat. 

You only close your eyes as an answer, and in a few seconds, you can feel his soft lips crashing onto yours. You’re not new to kisses, that’s only how far you can go. That’s why you couldn’t help but to kiss him back, it was sweet, intimate, and something about it felt right. 

-

Morning came and that’s when you decided to return to the lakehouse along with Haechan, you two were smiling widely as you walked your way back to the lakehouse. 

“So that’s where you’ve been the whole night,” you stopped when you hear Jaemin’s voice. 

“I can’t believe you ditched us just to be with him,” Giselle complained. 

“Hey, let it slide guys, seems like yn had fun,” Jeno pointed out, earning gasps from your friend. 

“No freaking way!? Never thought you’ll go down on him,” Karina teased. 

“What? Guys what the fuck, we just slept, nothing happened,” you defended, but all of them ignored your words. 

“No way, yn you’re kinda a freak you know that? Doing it in the woods,” Renjun teased. 

“Bet you had fun with her didn’t you?” Jaemin asked, taking a step to approach Haechan. Your friend only smiles at him who only has a blank expression. “Was she good? I mean, she’s a virgin so she’s probably inex—”

You let out a scream when Jaemin fell on the ground, a trail of blood flowing out of his nose. He wasn’t able to fight back when Haechan topped him and continued punching his face. 

“Haechan! Stop that! Stop that!” you said, trying to pull him away but Jeno and Renjun immediately backed-up but they weren’t able to fight back when Haechan landed a punch and kick on both of them, both falling into the ground limping. 

“Haechan stop that! Please!” you begged as you tried to pull him away from Jaemin who’s almost unconscious.

“Stop it or I’m calling the cops!” Karina shouted, you managed to scream once again to call Haechan’s attention and with that, he stopped. 

He stands up and drags you away from the scene. 

“Haechan! Stop it! Haechan you’re hurting me!” you shouted. He stops and turns around, you only clutched at your wrist, feeling the pain of how tight his grip was. 

“What the fuck was your problem!?” you shouted at him. 

“What — have you heard what he just said to you!? And you’re defending him now?” Haechan asked in a disbelief tone. 

“Still, you shouldn’t have done that! You could’ve killed him!” 

“Trust me yn, I can kill him if I want to.” Haechan answered with a bored tone. 

“You’re a monster!” you shouted, pushing him away. “Get away from me!”

He didn’t move when you turned your heels around. Haechan watched as you disappear from his sight. He lets out a sigh, glancing at his bloodied wrist. He only wipes it on his shirt before going back home. 

Instead of going back to your friends, you found yourself at the dock of the lake. You don’t know what happened to your friends, they disappeared when you returned to the lakehouse. You feel guilty because a part of it was your fault. Maybe, if you sucked up all the teasing then this wouldn’t happen. 

You’re worried about Jaemin, his face might’ve been disfigured at that point. All you can remember was blood and all the screaming, it was chaotic. You tried to close your eyes in hopes that it could erase the scene earlier, but you couldn’t. You couldn’t help but feel tears roll down on your eyes. So much for a summer getaway, you think. It’s all ruined because of you, and it becomes worse when you remember the words you said to Haechan. 

Haechan was trying to defend you, he might have used it in the wrong way but he did that because he didn’t like what Jaemin said to you. It was horrible, you couldn’t condone what he did to Jaemin but it was still wrong of you that you said those words to him. 

You know that the only thing that can solve all these problems is to apologize to everyone. It was you who started the fight after all. You pondered about it for a moment before you stood up from the dock and started walking back to the lake house when you felt droplets from the sky. You looked up and slowly, a downpour happened. 

You ran yourself towards the cabin when you noticed that it’s locked, maybe they’ve brought Jaemin to the hospital, that’s why you raced yourself towards the small lodge where the owner is staying. 

Aunt Hyojoo was a kind woman, she let you stay in one of her guest rooms, even offering you spare clothes and snacks. 

“Teenagers, I am used to it, this fight is just small compared to what I witnessed,” she jokes, staring at the window. “Looks like this rain isn’t going to stop at any moment.” 

“Do you think they’ll return here?” you asked, munching on the biscuit. 

“Oh! It’s nothing dear, they’ll be here before sun down,” she said, smiling. 

“By the way, do you happen to know where Haechan’s house is? I want to visit him,” you asked. 

You saw how his forehead creased in confusion. “Haechan? Who is Haechan?”

“He’s your staff? He said he started working here two months ago.”

“Are you sure dear? I don’t hire any staff here.” 

You became quiet. Her confession fell deaf to your ears. You stared at her, who gave you a confused look, that’s when you fake a smile. You stared at the window where the rain continued pouring, wondering when it would stop. 

You stayed at the lodge the whole day. With the rain accompanying you, you only slept for the duration of your stay. The rain became heavier mid-afternoon and it was nearing sun down when it became light drizzle. That’s when you decided to search for Haechan and apologize to him. 

Your white shoes became muddy as you tried to find your way back to the woods — the same place where you left Haechan. Holding an umbrella and a flashlight, you venture out even though you’re not familiar with the route, you trust your instincts and choose the path that looks like a man would walk onto it. 

After a few minutes of finding your way, you’ve escaped the woods but you were frozen to see what’s the end of the woods. 

A cemetery. You couldn’t help but feel goosebumps running on your skin as tons of tombstones welcomed you. Different tombs and mausoleums stood tall at the hectare. Your hands shakingly cover your open mouth. Some are old, covered in ivy and moss, but some are fresh, newly placed. You took a step back, not noticing the wild ivy behind. You screamed as it tangled around your ankle. You kicked it out of your feet and scrambled your way back into the woods. 

You tried to find your way back, but due to your panic, you couldn’t remember your path back. You tried to look everywhere but everything’s pitch black. It wasn’t until you heard a faint scream from a far. Your eyes widened, you knew that scream, so with an agitating body, you tried to follow that scream. 

As you reached the lake house. You were surprised at how eerily silent it was. There were no lights either, and not even Aunt Hyojoo’s lodge. You were about to go straight to your cabin when something catches your attention. You aim your flashlight at it, and you couldn’t help but to scream at your view. 

It was Jaemin’s minivan, crashed into the wall, the front’s completely crushed, and the windows were destroyed. What shocks you the most is your friends are inside, unconscious. 

You were about to step in to rescue them when someone grabbed your hands. 

“What the fuck!? Giselle!?” you were confused to see Giselle, blood trailing on her forehead. She was crying and shaking, and couldn't even mutter a word. 

“What happened!? Tell me!” you screamed, but you were only answered with her cries. 

“He…he did it…” Giselle mumbles. 

And before she could even say another word, Giselle felt a small tug on her back. You watch as her mouth starts to vomit blood. You were shocked at the scene, not even properly processing everything when Giselle dropped onto the ground and fell flat on the ground. You let out a scream when you saw that an axe stabbed her back. 

“Now that’s a bullseye,” you looked up and saw Haechan. Smirking devilishly as he walks his way towards you, you took a step backward but due to shock, you fell on the ground. You watch as Haechan grabs the ax with ease, and if it wasn’t enough, he swings the ax and in a split second, your friend's head rolls onto you. 

You scraped your way away from him not until you felt someone grabbing your ankle. You struggled out of his touch but you were only welcomed with an inflicting slit on your ankle, making you scream in pain. 

“What? You’re going to kill me?” you taunted as Haechan walked his way towards you. He kneels in front of you, chin resting on the end of the ax. That’s when you noticed that he’s all covered in blood. 

“Not really, I mean I got five people already, it’s enough for me to survive,” he gives you a smile, and that’s when you knew. 

“You’re the dead man,” you mumbled. 

“Seriously, people could’ve given me a better name,” he rolled his eyes. “But yeah, I am him.” 

“Now what, you’re going to kill me too?”

“You’re stupid, aren’t you?” Haechan taunts. Grabbing a fistful of your hair to lift you up so he could face you. You only groaned in pain as you can see Haechan’s gaze at you. “I have no intentions of killing you dear, you’re going to be mine.”

“You’re insane.” 

He gives you a smirk, eyes darkening as he only tilts his head at you. “Funny because that's what the devil said to me.” 

You pushed him away, making Haechan fall from the ground. You took the opportunity to stand up but you only let out a painful scream as you felt your left ankle numb. You tried your best to drag your feet away but you failed to do so when Haechan grabbed you, hugging you from behind. 

“You really think you can escape from me?” he asked, voice more threatening than usual. 

“Let go of me! Or better, just kill me!” you screamed as you struggled your way out. 

“Oh no dear, I have no plans of killing you,” Haechan laughed. “If it means dealing with another contract, I’ll make you spend the rest of your life with me.”

And with that, he turns your body around, facing him who only has nothing but desire in his eyes. “You’re going to be mine forever.”

[mecci1]

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[converge-engineering]

[jcmarchi]

Robotics Team: Building Robots and a Future in STEM - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/robotics-team-building-robots-and-a-future-in-stem-technology-org/

Robotics Team: Building Robots and a Future in STEM - Technology Org

Amara Small had already spent 11 years working on coding and building robots when she joined the robotics team at the School at Marygrove in her junior year.

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“I’ve been super into that since I was really young, because it’s like a sport really,” said Small, whose mother is an engineer. “And that’s so much different from building robots at your house. It’s very competitive and the hands-on work is a lot more rigorous.”

She credits team coach Leon Pryor for expanding her coding language and developing her into a team player.

Amara Small joined the robotics team at the School at Marygrove in her junior year. She credits coach Leon Pryor for expanding her coding language and developing her into a team player. Image credit: Eric Bronson, University of Michigan Photography

“He’s great at guiding you through a problem without telling you ‘this is the answer,’” Small said. “The ability to be able to develop as an engineer, the ability to fully wire a robot from scratch or fully build a robot, like cutting with power tools, designing the robot, and being able to code a full robot from scratch with an autonomous mode, these are all super valuable skills that a lot of us didn’t have.”

Pryor, a University of Michigan alum and a senior game producer at Meta, got involved in robotics competitions when his son, at the time an elementary schooler in the Detroit Public Schools system, competed in a FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition in 2018. He noticed that other teams seemed to have more support. Since then, he’s led two youth robotics teams to success.

Leon Pryor, a University of Michigan alum and a senior game producer at Meta, got involved in robotics competitions with his son in 2018. He led Detroit’s FLICS School team to the World Championship in Houston earlier this year. Image credit: Elizabeth Conley, special to Michigan Photography.Leon Pryor, a University of Michigan alum and a senior game producer at Meta, got involved in robotics competitions with his son in 2018. He led Detroit’s FLICS School team to the World Championship in Houston earlier this year. Image credit: Elizabeth Conley, special to Michigan Photography.

Pryor helped create the Motor City Alliance, a 501c3 that works with over 100 metro Detroit elementary and middle school teams to help them compete and win national robotics competitions.

“Now we’ve more than doubled the number of state-qualifying Detroit teams,” he said. “I like to say our mission of the alliance is to change the culture of STEM in Detroit, and we’re starting to see that.”

The Motor City Alliance had its first team—Detroit’s FLICS School team—go to the World Championship in Houston earlier this year.

Student Tyre Ramey, center, said the experience competing in Houston was memorable and fun “being able to be a part of a robotics community.” Image credit: Elizabeth Conley, special to Michigan Photography.

And what an impression that made on team members.

“When I saw all these teams at the World Championships in Houston, it inspired me to continue doing robotics,” said student Tyre Ramey. “It was a very fun and memorable event. I think if Mr. Pryor and the team weren’t here, then I think people would miss out … on being able to be a part of a robotics community.”

More than a thousand students have benefited from Pryor’s support and coaching so far. He coaches team 14010 TechnoPhoenix, the FIRST Tech Challenge team at Detroit’s Foreign Language Immersion and Cultural Studies School, or FLICS, as well as the FIRST Robotics Challenge team at the School at Marygrove, team 8280 K9.0 Robotics.

Pryor says coaching the robotics team helps to train students for 21st century jobs. Image credit: Elizabeth Conley, special to Michigan Photography.

FIRST Robotics is a program where school teams design and build robots to compete in an annual contest. Each team is given a basic robotics kit, but it’s up to them to decide how to approach the design and what components to use.

Pryor said exposing kids early to STEM and problem-solving will help them fit into the future economy and jobs landscape.

Michigan will see more than 16,000 job openings in STEM fields annually through 2028, according to a recent report of long-term employment projections from the state’s Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives.

Tymon Ray, whose son Ryan Ray is on the robotics team at Marygrove, said he was really impressed with how Pryor made the team’s culture a top priority. “It’s teamwork. It’s being on time. It’s helping each other out…” Image credit: Eric Bronson, Michigan Photography

“There’s a time where you could have a manufacturing job and make six figures and do really well,” Pryor said. “Well, those things have shifted because of automation and things moving offshore. We have to train our kids for 21st-century jobs.”

Being on the robotics team isn’t easy. In 10 to 12 weeks, students do the equivalent of a 500-level engineering course that starts with giving them a difficult problem.

“They’re not given any instructions, any guidance. They don’t have enough resources to get it done,” Pryor said. “It’s kind of like real life. The kids who can successfully navigate are set up for any career in any field.”

Coach Leon Pryor works with the robotics team at the School at Marygrove, Detroit. “We are actually making some fundamental changes for the better for a lot of families in Detroit.” Image credit: Eric Bronson, Michigan Photography

Tymon Ray, whose son, Ryan Ray, is on the robotics team at Marygrove, said he was impressed with how Pryor made the team’s culture a top priority.

“It’s teamwork. It’s on time. It’s helping each other out. It’s sacrificing for the team. It’s doing your part. Even if you’re not as involved, be a cheerleader for your team,” Ray said. “So those are just a few things, but I think those are pretty important. And I think those carry over into life, period.”

Michigan has more robotics teams than football teams with 533 FTC teams in the state, and just 3% of the 7,000 active teams in the world can qualify for the World Competitions.

“And we’re in that top 3%,” Pryor said.

The administration at Marygrove has created a maker space for Pryor’s FRC team, allowing the students to build within the school. The team originally built robots at the College of Engineering’s Michigan Engineering Zone at the U-M Detroit Center. The MEZ continues to support the team and collaborates with Pryor and the Motor City Alliance and the Marygrove K9.0 Robotics, said Haley Hart, the MEZ director.

FLICS principal Zetia Hogan said the robotics program helps students build critical thinking skills.

“The young scholars in this generation, I feel like they’re so open to the use of technology that it can be an influx into the STEM field like we’ve never seen before,” she said.

And while Pryor hopes students will go on to college and stick with STEM fields, if they don’t, they will at least acquire important skills for life.

“So while I really do enjoy this work, and I love seeing the kids grow, the social implications of this are not lost on me,” he said. “We are making some fundamental changes for the better for many families in Detroit. And that just feels like a worthy goal to me.”

Source: University of Michigan

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[transformers-synergize]

Has Red Alert ever had a chill day in his lifetime?

At some points in redalerts life, he had less anxious days, not entirely chill, but if you met him back then, he wouldn't come off as the insane bot he dose now, maybe a little anxious and superstitious, but other than that, he was pretty sane. But of course this was pre-war and pre-losing Inferno, pre-getting stranded on earth with no contact with Cybertron and pre-losing access to most of his static treatment.

Redalert struggles with a static condition; his system creates static, which can disrupt his processor and other systems around his frame, most often causing delusions, anxiety, hallucinations,emotional instability, twitching, involuntary movement, and other often debilitating effects. The horn-like structures on his head are actually modifications, added to help with his condition and dissipate static. For most bots suffering from this condition, the modifications would be enough, but Red has a more extreme variant. Though the static dissipators help prevent any permanent damage the static might cause Red, they do not help him much with the mental effects. Before the war, Redalert would consume specially processed energon that didn’t produce as much static in his system, which, combined with his modifications, allowed him to live a relatively normal life. Even getting a pretty decent job with his engineering skills, especially when it comes to designing and setting up security systems, and his strong work ethic, Red was pretty successful before the war, all things considered.

the increased stress of the current circumstances making many of his coping skills null, and having to consume normal energon since the stranded earth crew does not have access to the tools required to produce the specialty energon he'd consume on Cybertron. Redalert is not having a fun time, especially during the start of the plot.

[incorrectbatfam]

Batfam as made-up facts

Dick: The biggest biohazard in public swimming pools isn't the kid that peed in it, but rather the body oil from all the swimmers accumulating over time. Not only is oil not neutralized by pool chemicals such as chlorine, but it also floats to the surface and is the first thing you make contact with when you jump in the water. This is why a lot of public pools ask people to shower beforehand.

Jason: Making new memories is simply the process of our brains creating and reinforcing new neural connections. Traumatic or impactful events see denser myelination in the hippocampus (brain's memory center) and it's theorized that when we die and our "life flashes before our eyes," there's more activity in those denser regions leading to more vivid images of those moments.

Tim: Klondike's Equation is one of the lesser-known unsolved mysteries in math. It's a branch of calculus that takes Olivar's Laws of four-dimensional derivatives and creates a paradoxal equation by which the right half of it cannot be fully written if the left half is unsolved, but the left half needs values from the right in order to be computed.

Damian: The oldest interactive/roleplaying game dates back to the ancient Sumerians, according to records. It consisted of a theater of clay puppets that the audience would chime in with how they should act. It was often performed at bars or taverns during holidays with stories themed around mythical deities or fables.

Duke: In 1982, Bill Watterson brought to Archie Comics a standalone concept of a child hero and a sentient animal companion. However, he was rejected in favor of the up-and-coming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story. After shopping around at companies and getting lots of rejections, Watterson finally found his big break with Andrews McMeel Publishing, cementing his place in comic history with the cult classic Calvin and Hobbes.

Cullen: The smallest readable book ever made is 12 nanometers long by 8 nanometers wide. It was engineered by four particle physics grad students at the University of Vienna and contains the first passage of the Bible across six microscopic pages.

Stephanie: Most aerosol cans use both oxygen and carbon dioxide as the aerosolizing agent, which is why you're told never to spray them near an open flame. However, for food (like whipped cream or spray cheese), nitrogen is used instead. This is to prevent perishable food from oxidizing and for preservation as nitrogen helps maintain a cooler inner temperature.

Cassandra: The most plausible explanation for the legendary chupacabra was proposed by a team of anthropologists in Oaxaca. Essentially, it combines the theories of mass hysteria with the existence of a similar creature that went extinct in early Mesoamerican history. As accounts of this now-extinct creature was passed down, the image of it was slowly distorted. The modern chupacabra legend likely arose in a period of mass hysteria during political and economical insecurity.

Barbara: Traditional computer programs can be broken down into a series of if-then commands by which a condition is given and the program must respond according to the parameters. However, machine learning algorithms use an expanded version of this, known colloquially as if-then-but-because-however. The "if-then" stipulates the parameters, the "but" is for modifiers, the "because" is for generating explanations (usually pulled from a database of other works unfortunately), and the "however" is for exceptions that may rise over the course of running the program.

Harper: Ambidextrous people actually struggle the most when it comes to the drums. Most drum setups and tabs (sheet music) are designed with right-handedness as a default. Left-handed people can simply flip it around it for themselves. However, ambidextrous players have been found to struggle with the asymmetry of the instrument. That's why, among professional rock drummers, only 6% are ambidextrous compared to the 18% of lefties and 76% of righties.

Carrie: Although it feels like our lungs are burning after holding our breath for a while, the sensation actually originates from our inflated diaphragm pressing against our lungs. Since there are more nerve endings around our lungs than our diaphragm, we interpret the feeling higher than where it actually occurs.

Kate: During the war of 1812, a group of nine Canadian men known as the False Damsels donned women's attire to act as spies against the Americans. Of the nine, four of them reportedly continued crossdressing after the war and one of them started going by Margaret a few months later and remained unmarried for 20 years until they moved to Portugal with an unknown courter.

Alfred: In 1757, the British government attempted to train livestock, such as cows and chickens, to spy on domestic threats (such as anti-monarchists). However, this project never took off due to a regional outbreak of avian flu combined with the takeoff of the Industrial Revolution and new inventions that rendered animal labor obsolete.

Selina: Coffees and wines contain a bitter compound called tannins, and the ability to taste them is genetically determined. Capsaicin can be seen analogously. Some people inherit a gene that allows them to detect capsaicin fully, so when they eat a pepper, all they get is the heat and little to no flavor. Conversely, others have a gene where the heat is "muted" and they can better distinguish the flavors between two spicy foods.

Bruce: There is a correlation between one's taste in food and expectation of others. According to a 2019 Harvard study, people who reported preferring more simultaneous flavors in their food were 26% harsher in an activity where they had to grade students' mock essays.