Plastic Skies - Model 6: Saab Draken

Been a while, huh? To be completely honest, it hasn’t actually been that long since the last model, but I held up on writing this until after Christmas for no particular reason.

For those who haven’t seen these, this is my ongoing journal of getting back into building aircraft model kits, a hobby that I tried out for a couple of years when I was a kid but never really got into. And that’s part of why this particular one is at least a little important.

I like the Saab Draken quite a bit. Developed right after WWII as a supersonic fighter-interceptor and built in the early years of the Cold War, the Draken was able to reach speeds of Mach 2 and is also the first aircraft capable of doing the Cobra Maneuver, one of those aviation things that looks like someone hacked real life:

(It’s kinda funny that the plane’s name, “Draken”, can mean either “Dragon” or “Kite”)

I also love its general shape, its double delta wings and wide body making it look more like a starfighter than an airplane. But the main reason why I like the Draken is because it was one of the first model kits my brother built when we were kids. Which makes it one of the very first model kits I’d ever seen. So when I went looking for a 1/72 scale kit to finally move away from the tiny 1/144′s that I’d been focusing so much on, this very generously-priced Draken caught my eye right away. It was pretty much the same price as the Tomcat and Flanker, plus it gave me an opportunity to pait camouflage again, so after a quick trip to a new shop it was mine.

I was happy to see that I had all the tools I needed for this build except for some blue paint. The shop I bought it from didn’t have it, so I took at as an opportunity to go to another one and also pick up a few extras I’d been looking at. Namely, a can of brush cleaner and a rotating platform with elevated hooks to paint smaller parts which I... actually didn’t get much use out of and kinda regret. But it might be useful someday!

The build itself was surprisingly pleasant. After all these models, I’m happy to see I’ve grown an eye for getting the pieces properly glued and balanced, so no more crooked tailfins or wings. Or, well, not as crooked as in previous attempts.

I’m also pretty happy with the paintjob I gave this old gal. It’s a bit thicker than in the reference pictures, but the extra space and a bit more care when thinning the paints made it so the brush strokes aren’t quite as visible as in other models, which was my main goal here. Also, getting the silver stripes required a bit of masking tape use which also went a lot better than other times.

Likewise, I’m pleased with how the landing gears came out. The frontal one is still a bit crooked and the gates aren’t exactly right to the original plane, but the improvement is there. Which is always one of the most encouraging things with any hobby or activity: watching you get better at it. Overall, I was having a nice, relaxing time with my Draken, watching it quickly take shape while also enjoying the process. Painting in particular was really fun and rewarding. It didn’t escape my attention that I was, in a way, one-upping my brother. He never painted his Draken, after all. Although while I was working on this, I did unlock a very, veeery vague memory of one of us attempting to paint at least one kit and being very disappointed at the results. I can’t remember which one of us or what kit but the image was still there, hazy in my mind. I should ask him someday.

So yeah, a good time was had by all rrright up until the decals came out. Turns out Mistercraft’s decals are somehow both tough and fragile. Even after dunking them a long time in water, the only thing that could get them out of the sheet were my fingers, which imediately opened up a whole can of problems which you can already see in the pic above if you look closely enough.

The decal mishaps meant two things: first, that I decided to skip on the big yellow dragon/swordfish decal that would’ve otherwise covered most of the plane’s fuselage. And two, that I was gonna have to weather at least a bit of it to give it a worn-out look. If only to justify the busted up decals.

The weathering job ended up being once of the nicest parts of the model somehow. Thanks to the extra surface to work with, I was able to really fine-tune the sludge wash into something that looks pretty good to my eye. I didn’t do the same for the top of the plane, though that’s mostly because I’m saving up to buy some proper panel liners that will most likely give me a much better look than anything this wash could do.

Speaking of the top, one thing I did for this Draken that I haven’t done for any other plane so far was paint the canopy. I took an extremely fine brush to it, and while it was pretty intimidating at first, I was able to get it painted pretty alright and without having to clean it or use thinners. It’s still a bit gooey and that’s my fault for not using masking tape, but for a first experience, it was still quite nice.

After that, all that was left was give it a couple coats of matte varnish, and the Draken was ready. The combination of a decent enough paintjob and the nostalgic value meant I was quick to show it off to everyone and their dog, who were pretty impressed with it. So the jump up in scale ended up being a real success, in more than one ways. Not only did it serve me a sweet slice of circularity and was a mostly comfortable build: the best part of making this Draken was the confidence it left me with.

I know I’m not a huge pro and I’m sure I’m reaching the ceiling of my personal skills and/or the level of detail I care to get into, but if this is as good as I can make a model, I feel pretty satisfied. Content. And more importantly, I finally feel ready to tackle the Final Boss of this whole endeavor. The model that I desperately want to Get Right. The model that will be, if everything goes well, the first thing I build in 2023.

I’m very, very excited for it.

white christmas | bradley bradshaw x f!reader

this is my contribution to @notroosterbradshaw 's #hello december playlist challenge! my song was 'white christmas' by bing crosby - so feel free to listen to that to get in the mood!

what to expect in this fic: Bradley couldn't remember the last time he hadn't spent Christmas on some type of naval base. After all, he figured it would be better to work through the holiday than sit all on his lonesome. Lucky for him, his girlfriend of two years has other plans this Christmas. You can expect northern lights, snow lanterns, a little good ol' whimsical fun in the Swedish wilderness!

warnings: afab!reader, she/her pronouns, christmas content, santa clause, reindeers, foreign countries (if you're not swedish), mentions of ditching a plane, mentions of security measures on planes (listen, I couldn't help myself. I used to be a flight attendant), mentions of alcohol, l-bombs, random information about swedish christmas tradition, fluff, whimsical stuff.

disclaimer: this was such a fun challenge! and I went a little self indulgent and figured I'd teach y'all some swedish christmas fun! I added some links along the way to help visualize some Swedish stuff that people perhaps have not encountered before. enjoy!

Bradley was sat by the window seat of the Airbus A330 from Chicago. Glancing over to his side, your head had already settled on his soft, hoodie-clad shoulder. During your previous flight from LAX (in a smaller Boeing 737-900), you’d been granted the window seat. On this longer flight though, Bradley had offered to sit by the emergency exit over the wing.

The flight attendant had looked so relieved it was almost comical. They were always surveying their passengers, and he was grateful that they took the extra step to make sure able bodied and stronger looking people were sat at the emergency exits should they need to evacuate. 

His girlfriend had given him a small smirk as he’d sat down at the emergency exit seat, and he could tell she was about to tease him light-heartedly. “Oh, I’m a pilot,” you’d giggled, soothing your words with a soft kiss to his shoulder. Bradley had only offered you a smile back, and as he felt the aircraft vibrate for takeoff, he’d smirked and decided to annoy you further, leaning over, letting his lips ghost by your ear as he murmured:

“V1,” as the aircraft hurtled by the last safe speed for which the runway would allow it to stop in case of engine failure or error

“Rotate,” he continued, right as the nose rotated and started it’s ascent, mimicking the words currently spoken in the cockpit by the first and second pilot. He’d snickered as you rolled your eyes, muttering “Show-off,” before turning to read your book. That had been at the beginning of your twelve hour flight, which was now soon coming to its’ close - with you snoozing softly on his shoulder.

He glanced over to the other emergency exit across from him, where a woman in her late 40’s sat with a crossword. Bradley had heard her tell the attendants that she too worked as a crew member, and was very familiar with the procedure should they need to make an emergency landing, or ditch.

Just the thought of ditching this enormous plane made him shudder. He was quite glad that he’d never attempt it in his jets. More often than not, even with a bigger, slower flying aircraft, landing on water was tricky. If the water was rough, a bigger aircraft like this sometimes broke off in the middle. It wasn’t impossible though, and he spent a good 5 minutes thinking of successful ditchings before kissing the top of your head, inhaling the sweet scent - one that instantly brought him peace and comfort. The rest of your flight to Stockholm Arlanda airport was uneventful, some turbulence here and there but it was to be expected.

As Bradley took in the sight of you snoozing on his shoulder, he couldn’t help but smile. Bradley hadn’t asked for leave from work over the holidays since he’d joined the Navy. There was never a reason for him to be home over Christmas, and most years he’d actually ask if there was any available work for him, just so that he’d have something to do on what most would consider one of the more cheerful days of the year. The exception had been last holiday, when you’d asked him if he wanted to come around for dinner with your parents to celebrate Christmas; the year before that your relationship had been relatively new, and you’d exchanged gifts on the 26th instead. 

So, last New Years, after a few too many drinks - Bradley had confided in you his secret of having worked during the holidays since his early twenties - and that he’d often been stationed somewhere there really wasn’t any snow, and how he really wished for one of those White Christmases that you saw on TV. Bradley would be the first to admit he got sappy when drunk, but your response had been so sweet - promising him a white Christmas next year, and he was almost sure he heard you swear that he’d never have to spend Christmas alone again.

And so, a few days into the new year, the two of you had begun to plan the journey you were currently on. A journey that would take you deep into the Swedish snow, up in the north where a small village called Jukkasjärvi lay. You’d decided upon it together, both agreeing that staying a night in the iconic ice hotel was a sure thing for the Christmas bucket list.

Bradley knew his girlfriend had spent the entire year researching everything Christmas-related in Sweden, and he also knew she was dying to tell him every single thing she’d found. The two of them had scoured the internet for fun things to try whilst in Sweden, and they’d narrowed it down to a list they figured they would manage during their two week stay. 

The first week was for exploring, experiencing their bucket list, and lastly, Christmas. The second week would be for lounging, relaxing and just generally enjoying each other’s company in the wooden cabin they had booked for themselves for the second week. Bradley had insisted on one of the cabins that had a sauna, because he desperately felt he’d need one in the cold climate.

You had teased him, asking him if he knew that it was tradition in the northern countries to sauna in the nude, and then roll in the snow in between sessions. He told you promptly that he did not know that. It sounded almost like a torture tactic. After he’d told you so, you’d forgone telling him about the use of smaller tree branches as whisks to whip against your back. He wasn’t ready for that information yet, you’d decided.

As you successfully landed at Arlanda airport, the two of you sleepily made your way underground for the next part of your travel itinerary. You’d decided that you might as well take the night train to Jukkasjärvi as soon as you’d landed, and you’d only have to switch to a bus when you made it to Kiruna, a town that lay only 30 minutes away from your final destination.

Getting comfortable in the bunk bed you’d booked, Bradley smiled as you snuggled up against his chest and fell fast asleep. Bradley, however, found himself too excited to let sleep grasp at his consciousness just now. He was spellbound as his eyes gazed out at the gray night sky, already seeing thick snowflakes falling around the moving train. But soon, the warmth of your body, the gentle rocking of the train, and the flurry of snow outside the window of the compartment had him lulled to sleep. 

Bradley was fucking freezing. Of course, he had anticipated that the Northernmost cities or villages of Sweden would be cold, but this was beyond anything he’d ever experienced. He was surprised to find he liked it. It kept his head surprisingly clear as he inhaled the icy air.

He was suddenly glad the two of you had researched extensively what type of gear you’d need to sleep in a hotel made of snow and ice, because his wool thermal underwear, his fleece midlayer, his balaclava, warm hat and mittens kept his body sufficiently warm in the coveralls the ice hotel had provided you. 

He snuck a peek at you, where you stood, enraptured by the guide that had welcomed you. The guide had first informed you that the temperature was about -15 degrees celsius, which meant that it was roughly 5 degrees fahrenheit. The guide then started telling you about the Polar nights, or as they called it, mid winter nights “Oh my god, Bradley that sounds magical” you whispered to him, your voice laced with an endearing amount of excitement.

He smiled down at you and squeezed you close to his side to show he was excited too. The polar nights were a period of time in Lapland where the sun never dared to show itself, the guide expressed, and the only light they got were two hours near noon that they called “blue hours”, when the night sky turned a little lighter blue, and the white snow reflected that soft light to make it illuminate the nature just a little bit. Your eyes were twinkling excitedly, and Bradley thought he might not have seen anything more beautiful in his life. 

You were looking up at him, giggling softly as the hot breath made wisps of smoke appear in the cold air. “You have ice in your mustache, Roos,” you murmured, in awe of the fact that almost every single individual hair of his mustache had ice crystals on them, on the bottom from the moisture of his lips, and the top from where he exhaled warm air onto it.

Rooster was pretty sure he could feel the hairs in his nostrils freezing as he inhaled - it was a weird sensation, but something he got used to surprisingly quickly. “Yeah, well your eyelashes are icy too,” he mumbled with a quick smile before nudging your side, to make you turn your attention back to the guide. 

The guide was smiling at the two of you, explaining how the inside of the ice suites were actually about -5 to -7 celsius due to the insulation that the snow and ice provided (Bradley thought that sounded like a contradiction if he ever heard one), which was about 19 degrees fahrenheit.

As the tour ended, the two of you made your way into the hotel. Bradley was blown away at the detail with which the artists had sculpted ice to look like art. He could hardly voice how in awe he was, which caused him to just gape and stare at the interior. You, on the other hand, were ohh-ing and ahh-ing and pulling on his hand to drag him further in to explore the ice bar, and the ice church. The two of you shared a very cold drink in one of the bars icen glasses, giggling and sharing an excited kiss over the first drink of the night. 

“Happy holidays, Bradley” you sighed happily, leaning your body into him. Bradley was used to having you close, so the distance your thick clothing provided had him whining softly at not being able to have you closer to him.

“Happy holidays, my love. This is already above and beyond any of my wildest dreams right now,” Bradley confessed into your beanie clad head, pressing a soft kiss to the fabric, hoping you felt the sentiment of it. It seemed you did, since you offered him a breathtaking smile that had his heart doing double time somewhere under all his layers of clothing. 

“We can’t forget to watch for the northern lights tonight!” you reminded him softly, sipping on your drink. He shook his head, smiling at your eager tone. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, sweetheart,” he had listened to your calculations, and the general knowledge you’d picked up about the aurora borealis, and he hoped you’d get to experience one tonight. 

After a chilly night in the ice suite, you spent the rest of the week in your booked warm hotel room, enjoying fancy dinners during the evenings (which, admittedly, didn't always feel like evenings due to the almost constant darkness), treating yourselves to glasses of prosecco and wine. Giggling with each other in the room beforehand as you dressed up fancy. Bradley alternated between slacks and a button-up, and full blown suits. A favorite of yours was his navy blue one, that he wore tonight, on the 22nd of December. 

“Have I told you that you look gorgeous in this?” you said, voice a low murmur as you slung your arm around his neck in the elevator on the way to the dining hall.

“Nope,” Rooster smirked, dropping down to give you a breathtaking kiss “But thank you, sweets. You look real handsome,” he teased, noticing that you referred to him as the endearment he most used for you - ‘gorgeous’, switching up the endearment to the one you most used for him - ‘handsome’. But he’d have likened your look to ‘beautiful’ in all reality, because that’s what he could best describe your deep green attire, hair and makeup all done up and pretty. 

As you sat down to eat, you figured you’d go over the plans you had for the morning. Bradley had been looking forward to this one all year. You’d booked to go sledding, to see the reindeer farm located on the native Swedish land.

Bradley and you had spent countless hours searching for the perfect place to be able to interact with the reindeer, and the perfect opportunity seemed to be close enough, with a museum of the Sàmi customs and cuisine, which gave you a two for one experience - culture and some good old fashioned Christmas experiences. 

“What if we see Santa?” you exclaimed excitedly as you raised your glass to your lips. “Why would you say that?” Rooster furrowed his brows, feeling like he might’ve missed something important here

“Roos, he lives here!” his girlfriend exclaimed, as if mortally wounded that he did not know that Santa Clause resided in Jukkasjärvi. “I thought he lived on the North Pole?” Bradley laughed, and you shook your head vehemently “No, babe. The Swedes insist he lives here, in Lapland. Of course, I saw some forums argue he lives in Finland - but I choose to believe he lives here. Wouldn’t it be great if we saw actual Santa?” 

Bradley could only smile at your satisfied smile over the rim of your champagne glass, a determined twinkle in your eyes. He loved the fact that you were kind of whimsical, trying to make this a real White Christmas for him to remember - and he couldn’t exactly help that it made his heart grow three sizes. 

“And how is it that you know this then?” Rooster inquired, smiling softly as you took a bite of your meal. He had an inkling that you’d gone all in for the research, to surprise him with fun facts during your trip. Your bashful smile confirmed his suspicions. 

“Well, I might have read up on Swedish Christmas traditions - wouldn’t it be fun to follow them? I’ve even booked their Christmas smörgåsbord!” Bradley couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh at the excited sparkle that hid beneath your lashes, his chest filling with warmth for his girlfriend again. “There’s a Christmas smörgåsbord? Is that tradition?” he inquired curiously.

“Yup! There sure is. They have small sausages, meatballs, of course, and a ham that they eat with sweet mustard - and some weird pickled herring. I’m a bit wary of those, but we have to be brave, Bradley. We have to show the vikings we’re one of them,” your soft giggle mingled with his laughter, as the soft voice of Bing Crosby meandered through the dining hall, singing about White Christmas as the snow fell peacefully outside of the window. 

“Is that on the 25th, then?” you shook your head no, “Swedish folk celebrate Christmas on the 24th. Which makes sense if Santa lives here! He’ll do these countries first, and then come to us. I knew that man couldn’t possibly do the whole world in one day!”

As dessert was served, and your glasses began to empty, the two of you were feeling giggly, sleepy and all around filled with warmth and Christmas cheer. As you stood up after having paid, Rooster wrapped a large arm around your frame, pulling you into his chest to place a lingering kiss on the top of your head. “This was one of the best ideas we’ve ever had, darling,” he murmured, placing a couple of more kisses against your temple as you slowly made your way up to your room.

Cold, biting air nipped at Roosters cheeks as the sleigh moved forwards in the snow. It was a clear sky today, which heightened the chance to see the auroras considerably, you’d told him happily after the two of you enjoyed a lengthy breakfast together. You’d made Bradley try some Swedish spread called ‘kaviar’ to which he retched for a good three minutes, before he swore revenge upon you, making you giggle as he pretended to glare at you. 

Bells were softly jingling as the large horses trotted along the small streets through the tiny village, headed towards the snow clad boreal forest. Bradley was squinting to see the houses that lined the streets. Some of them had snowmen and women in their front yards, but many of them had weird, cone shaped little snow buildings by the entrance to their homes.

He furrowed his brows, pointing with a mittened hand in the direction of one before he asked out loud “What are those little lit up things? Are those made of snow?” he watched as you turned your head to inspect them too, before the driver of the carriage half turned and smiled. 

“Those are snow lanterns,” he spoke, before gently saying something in Swedish to one of the horses to calm it before continuing “they’re made out of snow. Mostly children will make them by making snowballs, and arranging them in a cone shape. Their parents will then put a candle in the cone as the dark falls, and it works as a pretty lantern the children can watch from their windows before they go to sleep. Some parents tell their children that’s how Santa will find their houses.”

Bradley thought to himself that if he ever had any children, he’d make snow lanterns with them to make sure Santa and his reindeers found his house. The smallest stitch of sorrow settled deep within his chest, before he caught sight of your face - looking as enamored as he was by the idea of snow lanterns. 

“Maybe we could make one later?” Bradley told you softly, smiling down at your bundled up form. “Sadly, the snow is too dry to form anything. They must’ve made these earlier in the year, when the snow was still wet.” the driver said before turning around completely to steer the horses into a narrow path in the woods. At this, your face lit up, and Rooster could tell that that was something you had read up on.

“Roos, did you know that the native people of Sweden are said to have about one hundred different lexical words for snow? Like the quality of snow matters!” you looked so beautiful like this. The soft light of the day, the crystal white and sparkling snow whirling all around your face, cheeks cold and eyelashes frosted. He had to take a deep breath to settle himself, a lopsided, goofy smile on his face. “Is that so? What type of snow is this then?” 

“Well, seeing as it’s so cold, I’d say this is probably the powdery sort. The kind that when you throw it at someone, it just dusts away in the wind. I would guess that to make snowmen and snow lanterns, you’d need the heavier, wetter kind that falls in the beginning of the season, when it’s not below freezing,” you surmised, and Bradley just chuckled, ruffling your hat on your head “That’s my smart girl!”

As you approached the reindeer farm, Bradley could practically feel you vibrating with excitement beside him, and as the sled came to a stop, Bradley jumped down, offering his mitten clad hands out to you to help you down.

His heart stuttered a bit at the breathtaking smile that had formed on your lips, and he opted to seize you by the waist, lifting you down instead. Your happy peal of laughter as he spun you once, made a large grin appear on his lips as well. “Hi, baby,” he murmured, as your arms snaked around his neck, leaning down to peck his lips lovingly before he let you down. 

The afternoon on the 23rd was spent petting and feeding the reindeer, cooing over how absolutely sweet and adorable they were, eating candied almonds you bought (and learning they were popular here during Christmas), had a glass of mulled wine each with almonds and raisins in it, and learning about native Swedish customs and culture. As the two of you meandered towards the end of the little market they had put up, suddenly Bradley heard his girlfriend suck in a heavy gasp.

“Bradley!” you whisper-screamed, jumping up and down whilst pointing towards the thicker forest a bit away.

There, between the thick cover of pine trees, a soft gold light was moving slowly in the thick snow. Bradley furrowed his brows, staring more intently as he caught a glimmer of red flashing in the soft light.

“Oh my God, Roos!” your voice was borderline hysteric with unbridled, childish excitement, and Bradley himself couldn’t help but feel somewhat the same way as you. There, in the woods, was undoubtedly a man, who was quite large - his thick white beard decidedly not a fake one.

One of the reindeer close to you, heard the ruffle of movement and it snapped its head around to look at the man. It slowly turned and started walking towards the man, and both yours and Bradleys’ jaw dropped as you faintly saw the man chuckling, a small piece of parchment sticking out of one of his deep, worn pockets. 

Bradley hardly wanted to blink, but he had to gauge your reaction - were you seeing this!? Were his eyes deceiving him? But no, as he looked at you, the same stunned, wondrous facial expression was on your face as well. “Baby…” Bradley said incredulously, and when his gaze returned to the spot where he’d seen the man and the reindeer - they were gone.

“Was that…?” Bradley started, and you only nodded mutely, completely flabbergasted at what you’d just witnessed. “I need a moment,” you told your boyfriend and he nodded, only letting one small laugh escape his lips as he shook his head - a new found twinkle shining in his amber eyes as the two of you ordered a cup of hot chocolate, Bradley opting to have the smiling girl clad in a Gákti (a traditional dress for the Sàmi) fill his cup with a minty liquor as well. 

As the two of you sat in the carriage on the way home, silence stretching through the darkness of the night, the moon illuminating the snow enough so that every single detail of the landscape was still dimly visible, you finally spoke.

“That was the real Santa Clause, wasn’t it?” your voice sounded revered, and serious. “I am so fucking sure that that was the real Santa, didn’t you see the reindeer approach him!?” Bradley could barely contain his mirth “Shh, Bradley! No swearing!! He’ll know!” you hissed before triumphantly saying “I told you he lived here!”

“Oh, fuck! Shit, I mean–” he laughed at himself “I won’t swear anymore,” before silence fell between the two of you. However, the night wasn’t completely silent anymore. Aside from the soft noises from the horses, and the bells jingling softly, a peculiar sound met their ears.

The driver smiled softly “I believe we’ll see some northern lights soon,” you gasped softly at the drivers words “Oh my god, I read that some people can hear the auroras,” and as soon as the words were out of your mouth, the sky exploded in shades of green, blue and at some spots violet as well.

The sharp intake of air from you was the only thing filling the night, except for a peculiar crackling sound. It was so overwhelming, seeing the lights dance slowly across the expanse of the night sky. Bradley had never seen anything more beautiful in his entire life, and as the sled slowly came to a stop, he noticed that his tears had already frozen on his cheeks. 

When you’d admired the aurora in awed silence for a few minutes, the driver softly had the horses come to a walk again, sensing that staying still for any longer would have them freeze. However, the lights were still slowly dancing back and forth over the skies, and Bradley was sure he’d have a kink in his neck from the way he couldn’t bear to rip his gaze away from this phenomena.

All at once, Bradley could understand why the Sàmi, and natives in his own home country might believe that a higher being was sending them omens through the lights. They were breathtaking, and if he hadn’t known the science behind the lights - he was pretty sure he too would believe that they were otherworldly. Perhaps he’d choose to believe they were either way. 

The two of you reached your room, drawing a hot bath before peeling your clothes off. When you’d warmed up a little, the two of you chattered excitedly about what you’d experienced that day - arguing over who had been the nicest this year.

“Listen, I am one hundred percent sure Santa saw me give Hangman the last piece of the birthday cake earlier this year!”

“Bradley, that was his birthday cake!” 

“So then it was pretty nice of me to let him have it, right?”

Waking up on the 24th, Rooster nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck, inhaling your sweet scent as you slowly came to consciousness. “Merry Christmas, Roos,” your soft voice had a sleepy hint to it as your fingers carded through his slightly longer locks.

“Merry Christmas, love of my life,” Bradley sighed happily, placing soft kisses to your exposed neck as his arms wound tight around your midsection. The two of you lay wrapped in each others embrace for a big part of the morning, before exchanging a single gift with each other. 

Later that day, you joined the other residents in eating a Christmas smörgåsbord, listening to Christmas songs, and lastly, dancing around the large tree that sat in the lobby. Drinking Christmas ale, mulled wine and sparkling cider. It was the best Christmas Bradley had had for years, and as the jolly type of music wound down to a beautiful Swedish rendition of ‘O Holy Night’ transitioned into ‘White Christmas’, Bradley once again embraced you, swirling you around in a slow dance.

His lips found yours in a kiss that felt as if the northern lights had exploded within the two of you, and were dancing merrily between you.

“Thank you,” Bradley murmured against your lips “for giving me the best Christmas of my life,” he continued, pulling back to admire your beautiful, twinkling eyes.

“Thank you, Bradley,” you replied softly, squeezing his hand before resting your cheek on his sweater clad chest, swaying softly to the tune of the beautiful song that rang out in the winter night.

a/n: ahhh!!! I hope you guys liked this one! I added links to give a visual to things that not everyone knows of or has seen before. I hope it wasn't distracting! Please let me know what you thought of this whimsical little fun fic! <3 lots of love to those who don't celebrate christmas, or have a hard time with christmas as well - I love you so much<3

i’m also a fall gal lei and i’m just setting a scene of tiger and bill relaxing at home during her favorite time of year. it’s chilly so she’s wearing one of his sweaters and she’s just a happy clam, soft and smiley. they’re watching a movie and she’s cuddly, but then they start a slow make out sesh. they’re laughing in between kisses, he’s teasing her in between about her stealing his clothes and all that. ugh, i want -🧚‍♀️

Goddddd I love the Fall. I love the Fall for many reasons, one very important one being that like--there are no more bugs.

Bugs ruin my life. As a general rule of thumb for my entire life, I’m not on cool terms with things that have more than four legs.

So like, look--let’s talk about this, right? Let’s talk about autumn in Sweden. We all know I’m obsessed with the Scandinavian aesthetic--huge cable knit blankets, neutral colours, different textures, twinkle lights. One of my buds set up his balcony to be basically another bedroom--he has a big mattress out there, wrapped in soft linens. Fairy lights everywhere. A small coffee table. Pillows, blankets, macrame hangers with plants--the whole kit. And we sit out there, sometimes we fall asleep out there. And we can. You know why?

Because Sweden like, doesn’t have bugs. That motherfucking country doesn’t even have SCREENS on their windows, that’s how few bugs they have. They just....open their windows. Throughout the entire Spring, Summer and Fall.

And don’t give me this “Nordic climate” bullshit, because I’m Canadian. Our winters are -40C. NOTHING should survive in -40C, including humans. Canada is colder than Sweden, and yet--I swear to god, if I have just a small TEAR in one of my screens, suddenly my home is a haven for 4575868 mosquitoes, 28 different species of spider, some wasps, an entire beehive, and 368 different things that buzz.

I will never forgive Sweden for their perfect climate and their lack of bugs.

ALRIGHT SO. Back on track. Listen, maybe it’s uh, current times eh? Sure, let’s share that misery. Tiger can basically work from anywhere, because her living room is her new office until further notice. And maybe, maybe Bill’s been spending his time with her but he’s due back in Sweden to start filming Clark, and he kind of...starts sweet talkin’ her to come with him. It’s a commitment on her part, she’ll probably have to work hours that would correspond with her current timezone, but in the midst of all this mayhem in the world she also knows that if she doesn’t go then she probably won’t see him for a long time. And she loves Sweden, she loves spending time there, she loves his place over there, and Fall is just...it’s a beautiful time to be in that country. Bill woos her with promises of long hikes in Tyresta, mushroom foraging in the woods, dark and chilly evenings spent cuddled on his balcony, and...pickled herring.

Tiger fucking loses her shit for pickled herring. Bill can get by where they live on this end of the pond, he can find a jar or two at the local IKEA, but it’s nowhere near the smorgasbord he makes for her in Sweden. If he puts a board out full of pickled herring, her and Gustaf will literally fight to the death over it.

In any case, it doesn’t take much convincing. And good ‘ole moneybags, he’s even able to negotiate a private plane to get them them over there. Tiger is pissed when she finds out, but he tells her it’s a taxable benefit for his new production company and he’s being truthful about it. It really is.

But then like...oh man. His place in Sweden, it’s just so Swedish. It’s beautiful. It’s bright, it’s airy. Everything is comfort. The design is beautiful, wide open spaces with minimal furniture--but his balcony? That’s tiger’s favourite. And he did it up real nice for her. He has an outdoor sofa fitted to the space, a little hanging garden. Twinkle lights give a dream-like feel to the space, making everything so cosy. He has a tiny balcony fire pit. Pillows are everywhere, papasan chairs everywhere else, everything draped in soft blankets and cable knits. They spend every evening out there, Bill will return from meetings and tiger will have cooked dinner--something she usually cooks but with a bit more of a Swedish flair, because she can’t find certain ingredients over there. Bill lights the fire when he gets in, and they eat on the balcony sofa covered in blankets and snuggled close. The air is crisp, her nose always gets cold, but a cup of tea does just the trick. They spend the weekends foraging for mushrooms, going to the family’s country place in the archipelago, Bill takes her hiking in the deep forest to give her some inspiration for her next paintings. He takes her canoeing on the lake. She tries to make cinnamon buns, and Bill is all too happy to be her expert taste-tester for all her trials. They do fika whenever they can.

Often times, Bill will wake up in the middle of the night and reach for her, only to be met with an empty bed. He’ll grumble, trip out of bed, and find her out there on the balcony, looking up at the stars. When she spots him, she smiles softly.

“Granny would love it here,” she says lowly. Bill nudges her aside, crawls under the blankets with her.

“She already does,” he says, and he juts his chin to the small picture frame between his basil plants. Tiger had never noticed it before, but there it is--a small frame, a picture of Granny being squeezed between both Tiger and Bill, both of them kissing her cheeks. Granny’s smile is as wide as tiger has ever seen it.

“Yeah I guess she does, big guy.”

Wk03: Co-pilots be salty.

Case Study 3 - Doors

Context (Summary of readings)

1999 - EgyptAir Boeing 767 dissappeared off NY radars (Allegedly the pilot's intentional act) 2013 - Air India Pilot locked out of Cockpit after toilet break 2013 - Air India stewardess accidently turned off autopilot 2015 - Swedish pilot uses axe to open toilet door to forcibly evacuate drunk customer

Introduction

In the past two decades, air travel has become increasingly conviniet, yet there are still accidents caused not by mechnical failure, but rather misadventures caused by pilots/crews.

In this case study, we were to state and justify 5 recommendations to ensure the elimination of accidents which have occured in the past.

Normal Access Procedures

Call the captain through the intercom

Press the '#' key

Access granted by the captain

Problems to consider

Type I - Granting the wrong person access

Type II - Not granting the right person access

The safety of civilians in the case of a terrorist attack

The majority of our discussion focused on preventing the lockout of the right person while maintaining the security to ensure the wrong people don't have access.

1) Implement psychological tests of Pilots

By reducing the likelyhood of something happening from the root, we are able to prevent much of the internal problems. This in particular is effective if we do not suppress the worries of which a pilot may poscess but encourage and work towards ensuring a safe working envrionemnt and encouraging ample work-life balance.

2) Protocol - Two people must be in the cockpit at any given time

As discussed in the previous lectures, human minds have their own agency and by having two people agree halves the power as they BOTH have to agree on an action. (Yes, direct inspiration from that clip in War Games)

3) Implement an Emergency button for civilians

Many questions were raised for this particular idea, including: * How to avoid it being abused? * What if people were threatened to not use it? * What good can contacting headquaters do? * What good would having an automatic landing system have?

The assumption here is that people "should" know only to press it in case of emergencies. It is better to have it in the case of an emergency then to not have it (Type I Error).

The thought behind the emergency button is to allocate a procedure which the general public can be aware of in the event of rougue crew/pilots who may block signals.

This raises the question of the pilot denying the situation.. hm..

Even if contacting the headquaters would not be able to help the situation on the plane, it gives a notification, and hopefully enough time to help evacuate or give clear instructions to the people (especially panicked people)

4) Redesign the cockpit so it must have two people to lock someone out

Again, this halves the power of any one person. This way, we cannot lock one person out and have the power all to ourselves #corruption. (STOP PLEASE)

5) Regular Testing and Maintanence of the Areoplane

Ensuring the smooth overation of the machinery is just as important and maintaining the headspace and mindset of the pilots operating them.

Conclusion

Other groups pretty much had very similar ideas. There weren't alot of variations, so discussion was pretty intense as we all had flaws to point out at each other (and our own ideas). The question was quite predictable.

Security makes us all cynical and pessimistic. I feel unsafe. :(

Anyhow.. I managed to do this on the day(ish). It was a fun exercise and I managed to get better at thinking of an idea and picking it out until everyone was depressed. (Ok actually feel like it's very stimulating to think of things which I would have normally passed off).

What are all the moments we get with Eggsy and Tilde from the novelization?

I’m so glad you asked!

Eggsy thinks her accent is “adorable”

Tilde and Michelle get on so well -- like sickeningly well -- and Eggsy is so happy the “...two most important women in his life love each other...” (scratch that, he thinks -- it’s three, including ole Daisy) (I still can’t believe we, as a collective, managed to make Daisy a canon name?)

When they’re heading over to Brandon’s party, he sees her in the hoodie and pants and he just thinks that even when she’s dressed down, she still looks like royalty. (’He supposed she always would.’)

Tilde makes a comment about how beautiful the architecture is at his old estate and he’s a little taken aback because he ‘...doesn’t detect a hint of sarcasm in her voice...’ She’s so genuine! And wants to see the beauty in everything!

Their cover-story for how they met goes as follows: Tilde came into the Kingsman shop one day to find a new tailor for her father and Eggsy was the “...lucky bastard who got to help her...” Sparks flew, and they’ve been together ever since. What. A. Dream.

Eggsy constantly worries (in his head) that he’s not good enough to be with her, especially long-term. He’s like, how can a guy who grew up on a London council estate ever be good enough for a princess?

Eggsy is so stressed the morning of meeting her parents. They’re waiting outside by a cab and Brandon rolls up late and Eggsy’s snapping at him a little bit from the stress and Tilde shoots him looks like, “We’re so thankful you could dog-sit JB, Brandon. Aren’t we, Eggsy?” And Eggsy just murmurs, “Yeah, thanks,” before handing over the keys to his flat.

Eggsy actually didn’t pick the orange dinner jacket! Tilde did! He does love the jacket but he’s self-conscious in it because he doesn’t know if it’s appropriate or not but she tells him how handsome he looks in it and he immediately -- immediately -- starts feeling better about it.

Eggsy’s in such awe when he enters the palace for the first time. He murmurs, “Fuck me,” and she leans in and whispers, “I will. Later. Maybe in the throne room.” And they both giggle. (She’s a freak! Love her!)

When the attacks begin to happen, Eggsy darts out of the dining room, desperately trying to get someone on the comms. She follows, trying to catch up with him as he stumbles through the halls. Then, he turns around, stumbling over his words and not being too coherent -- “Stay here, I have to go. It’s safe here.” She wraps her arms around him, and at first he tries to move away -- he has to go -- but then he melts into it, accepting this one comfort. Softly, she tells him to do what he has to.

(Later, we find out that she told her parents the reason he freaked out was because some of his friends were caught in the “London Bombings” -- and assures him later that, despite that, her parents loved him.)

Remember when Eggsy tells Whiskey he got his Glasto tickets from his contact? His contact is literally Tilde. He told Whiskey to stay out in the car while he got the tickets -- he literally made Jack wait outside while he had a rigorous Welcome Home shag with Tilde. #Goals.

They’re having a “...post-coital cuddle...” and Tilde is tracing patterns into his chest and Eggsy tells her, in Swedish, that he loves her and Tilde smiles and kisses him and sighs, “God, I’ve missed you so much.”

She asks him if, after he’s done with everything, he wants to go house-hunting with her. And he thinks about how much it’ll hurt now Harry’s flat is gone, but decides it’ll be really good for them to have their own place.

Tilde, mischievously: “Do you want your present now?” / Eggsy: “I thought getting to see you was my present. There ain’t nothing I want more.” She then hops out of bed and gets the puppy from the bathroom.

Eggsy leaves the hotel, returning to Whiskey. Immediately, Whiskey says, “Do you always sleep with your contacts?” Nodding down to Eggsy’s shirt, “Your shirt was tucked in when you went in.”

Before they leave, they hear tapping from above. Looking up, there’s Tilde, in a bathrobe and the puppy in her arms. She smiles, broadly, and waves down at the boys. She’s so fucking cute - GOD.

(Bless her, she accidentally got them the wrong Glasto tickets.)

When Eggsy rings her up, he’s dreading it. He doesn’t want to tell her about the Clara stuff. He’d rather ask her how her day’s been, if she’s eaten. If she has, what did she have? Was it any good, babe?

Tilde, upon hearing Eggsy has to sleep with someone, immediately thinks it’s Whiskey. “Who?” She asks, “The old guy with you?”

Tilde: “Is she pretty?” / Eggsy: “Nowhere near as pretty as you.”

She asks for a photo of this girl he has to sleep with, and he actually sends her a really pretty photo of her and of course she’s not gonna be happy about it, dude! Oh, my God.

The thing that gets me the most is that when Eggsy sees Clara undress, he thinks about how the old Eggsy -- the Eggsy before he met Tilde -- would’ve already been shucking off his clothes and pulling Clara onto the bed but he can’t now. He only ‘...finds her attractive in the abstract...’ ‘...Nothing stirred in him.’

I really love her POV chapter, during the part where she’s sprawled out in bed, miserable, smoking a fat-ass joint (same, sister). She’s not even that upset that he has to sleep with someone else. It’s the fact she thought he wanted to be with her, have a future with her.Their relationship felt so good, and worked for as long as it did, because they were able to overlook each other’s upbringings, the labels -- these things that they can’t help -- and love each other anyway; share a life, in spite of all those things that would otherwise drive people away. But they can’t. She’s a public princess and he’s a secret agent and it’ll compromise the both of them if they made a big, public lifetime commitment to one another, and she begins to wonder if he ever even meant it when he said he wanted to spend his life with her. Why say it if he knows they can’t be public? Why say it if it’s a danger with the job? Why even begin a relationship like theirs if it wasn’t going to work out?

On the plane coming back from Glasto. Eggsy is desperately texting Tilde, trying to get a response. She does, telling him to stop texting her. She needs time to think. Eggsy to Whiskey: “Is the wifi working in here?” / Whiskey, casually playing pool as Eggsy’s life falls apart: “Yup. It’s your relationship that ain’t working.” / Eggsy: “She’s never ignored my texts before.” / Whiskey: “You never told her you didn’t have a future before.” (Sorry, divergent. But this is a really, really good scene that was cut and is supposed to parallel the martini scene with Harry and Eggsy. Here, Whiskey basically tells Eggsy that he should forget about Tilde. He’s a spy! They get to travel the world, fuck and chuck. They shouldn’t worry themselves with attachments. Whiskey: “Your friend Harry probably would’ve told you the same,” and Eggsy supposes he’s right about that. But then, of course, later on in the movie, Harry tells him the opposite. Which is probably why Eggsy looks so taken aback when Harry tells him that no, love as much as you can. Love is what makes life worth living.)

Eggsy sits at the bar, miserable, and checks his voicemail, just to see if Tilde called him and he missed it. She hadn’t. That No New Messages voice makes him feel cold. He stares at the photo of them with JB, which is his wallpaper, and is just absolutely wrecked. (TW: Suicide idealisation.) With losing Tilde, and everyone else, he leaves the bar and wishes some drunk sod would run him over so all this could be over. He wonders what’s the point of going on if he, a spy, can’t protect everyone and everything he loves? What’s the point when it’s all taken away from you? Jesus Christ, this book gets fucking dark sometimes.

Moving forward. Eggsy gets a text from Tilde:    HAPPY CLOUD HAT. FROG BUNS! GOT SOME NICE    WATERED-DOWN DRINKS FROM AMAZON? ;) She immediately rings him. He picks up, “Tilde?” But she doesn’t know who he is. Tilde: “Who is this?” / Eggsy: “What? You called me?” She hangs up. He calls her again, this time on FaceTime, and sees her face covered in the rash, like the movie. He freaks out, she’s talking a load of hysterical rubbish. Then, she freezes. Her father steps into shot, snatching the phone from her hands. “She’s in the third stage. Maybe if you hadn’t had broken her heart--” and then throws the phone onto the bed. All Eggsy can see is her in the distance, limbs bent at an awkward angle, her eyes glazed over but looking terrified (You’re conscious the whole time you’re stuck. The moment stage-three happens, the mania wears off.) Their new puppy skitters around on the bed, just as terrified. And Eggsy can’t do a thing about it.

Later, her parents have a room full of doctors surrounding her, trying to figure out how to help her. But they’re useless. Tilde, conscious, sees the puppy, scared, and wants to comfort him. She thinks of Eggsy, and wishes she could kick everyone out of her apartment and have him there instead. She wants to take him in her arms, she wants to touch him, hold his face. She wants to hear his voice, wants to tell him how much she loves him, how much she misses him. She wants to fix things.

They give her a cure. Then, as if on cue, her phone rings. Her father grabs it, and Tilde can see from afar that it’s Eggsy calling. She runs -- sprints -- to the phone and snatches it out of his hand to take the call. For a woman who was just paralysed, they all think, she sure can move.

Oh, Eggsy thinks she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen in his life when he sees her walking down the aisle. He thinks that, from now on, beauty is gonna be measured and compared to this, to her in that dress. His eyes brim with tears, his heart feels full. Daisy follows closely behind her and Tilde’s father, in this adorable little dress (she’s a bridesmaid!), with Tilde’s ring clutched in her little, toddler hand, and with “...a grin a mile-wide.” She’s so happy for her big brother!

The priest begins to do the ritual and Eggsy is so busy looking at her that he can’t hear a single thing the priest is saying. The both of them smile at each other, bursting with pride and happiness and love.

Daisy has Tilde’s ring, and Harry has Eggsy’s. Should I add that the dogs are at the wedding too? Harry names his Yorkie, Hamish, after Merlin. And Eggsy names his new pug after JB (JB2)

A little extra. The wedding hall is divided. One side is Tilde’s relatives, and the other is Eggsy’s. Tilde’s side is very reserved, very regal, whereas Eggsy’s are a lot more boisterous and energetic. Champ begins to heckle Tilde’s side as the pair kiss. Champ: “Hey! Lighten up, guys! This ain’t a goddamn funeral! Champagne’s on me!” Then: “Hit it, Elton!” And Elton breaks out into song: “Kiss the Bride”.(It doesn’t take long for the Bop to liven up Tilde’s side of the church)TBH... wedding of the year.

A Song About PewDiePie’s Internet

I was inspired by a video made a while back:

I decided to write a parody of the classic song, “American Pie”, in reference to his struggle.

Here’s the original song in-case you don’t know:

SWEDISH PIE

A long long time ago I can still remember how That bit-rate used to make him smile And I knew if he had the chance That he could make those people dance And maybe they'd be happy for a while

But passing June made him shiver With every upload he delivered Bad news on the doorstep Couldn't take one more step

I can't remember if he cried When he realized the ISP lied Something touched me deep inside The day the bit-rate died So

Bye, bye Mr. PewDiePie Roamed his hood for some wifi cause his wifi was dry And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singin' this'll be the day that I die This'll be the day that I die

Didn't PewDiePie write the book of love? And do you have faith in God above If public backlash tells you so? Do you believe in rock and roll? Can the bit-rate save your mortal soul? And can you Just Dance to the Harlem Shake real slow?

Well, I know Marzia's in love with him 'Cause I saw them dancin' in the gym They both kicked off their shoes Man, I dig those rhythm and blues

He was a Swedish teenage broncin' buck With Shannon the Shark and Edgar the Pug But he knew he was out of luck The day the bit-rate died I started singin'

Bye, bye Mr. PewDiePie Roamed his hood for some wifi cause his wifi was dry And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singin' this'll be the day that I die This'll be the day that I die

Now, for ten years we've paved our trail And shelled out coin to no avail But, that's not how it used to be

Once Felix had to say goodbye With Arin, Mark, and Jacksepticeye From the Disney Co, as we all asked why?

Oh and while Felix was looking down Disney stole his screaming crown The courtroom was adjourned No verdict was returned

And while Powell wrote a book with Mark The Fazbear gang practiced in the park And we all panicked in the dark The day the bit-rate died We were singin'

Bye, bye Mr. PewDiePie Roamed his hood for some wifi cause his wifi was dry And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singin' this'll be the day that I die This'll be the day that I die

Helter skelter through the Alien craft Invaders kidnapped Mark taking a nap Dreaming daily of his stache

He landed foul in a haunted house Scarred away and curled into a mound As the audience fell about and laughed

Now the second season was waiting there As Jack set his traps with care We all got up to dance Oh, but we never got the chance

'Cause the producers came and took the field The cries of history refused to yield Do you recall what was revealed The day the bit-rate died? We started singin'

Bye, bye Mr. PewDiePie Roamed his hood for some wifi cause his wifi was dry And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singin' this'll be the day that I die This'll be the day that I die

Oh, and there we were all in one place A generation lost in net-space With no time left to start again

So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jacksepticeye drank till he got sick 'Cause Whisky is the devil's only friend

Oh and as we watched them on the stage With hands clenched in fists of rage No angel born in Hell Could break that Satan's spell

And as the flames climbed high into the night To light the sacrificial rite I saw Ajit Pai laugh with delight The day the bit-rate died He was singin'

Bye, bye Mr. PewDiePie Roamed his hood for some wifi cause his wifi was dry And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singin' this'll be the day that I die This'll be the day that I die

I met a girl who liked cat videos And I asked her for some clips to show But she just smiled and turned away

I went down to the net-cafe Where, once, I'd seen the bit-rate play But the man there said the connection, wouldn't take

And in the streets the children screamed The Gamers cried, and the Musicians dreamed But not a word was spoken The routers all were broken

And the three men I depend on The Father, Son, and the Holy Phantom They caught the last plane for the Cons The day the bit-rate died And they were singing

Bye, bye Mr. PewDiePie Roamed his hood for some wifi cause his wifi was dry And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singin' this'll be the day that I die This'll be the day that I die

They were singing Bye, bye Mr. PewDiePie Roamed his hood for some wifi cause his wifi was dry And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singin' this'll be the day that I die

Week 3 Case Study: Doors on Planes

Context

This week we are looking at Doors, what purpose they serve in the world of security and how they have been used / abused in the past, what lessons we can take from "Door design" and its place in a physical facility. The physical facility we focus on is aeroplanes.

Air New Zealand pilots stood down after mid-air drama sees first officer locked out of cockpit

Basically, the Captain got frustrated with the First Officer and locked him out of the cockpit for two minutes, after which the First Officer used an alternative access. This was probably the weirdest story I've read in a while.

This overnight flight got delayed at preflight because the FO had to take a random drug test, which apparently made the Captain angry. Then the Captain locked him out when FO went out for a coffee break.

I think the Captain really needed that counseling he received afterwards, and two weeks suspension of duty might not be enough in my opinion. Piloting an aircraft is a pretty sensitive task (a lot of lives are at stake with a Low Probability / High Impact Risk) and I don't think pilots should be that unstable or petty.

Germanwings captain tried to break into locked cockpit door as plane descended

Andreas Lubitz, a suicidal co-pilot, locked out the captain as he descended the plane into the mountains. The captain tried to break in by smashing the door with an axe but did not make it in time.

This was a really tragic story and made me wonder if an axe is the best last-resort in the case of emergency. I question whether they might instead want to consider an alternative entry method...

Swedish pilot uses axe to open locked toilet door

I am a bit shook that there have been all of these emergencies where axes have been the answer. I also feel like bathroom doors do not need to be as secure as cockpit doors (and hence an axe should not really have been necessary).

Reflections

I suppose there is a common theme here - a door failing to properly play its part in the context of security on the aeroplane.

The door's job: control access to whatever is inside so that it is secure. Prevent access to the wrong people (and conversely, provide unobstructed access to the right people).

The stories show how the above purpose has not been met under the current access control designs. A door provided access to those unfit to fly a plane. It also blocked access to those who should have been given that access, so they had to get an axe to try and break in.

What design changes could resolve this? We shall find out in class...

Question

You have been asked to consider the main lessons should be learned from theses and other relevant incidents and to produce a shortlist of recommendations for actions to be taken to prevent future disasters.

Answer

From our discussion we were able to break down our objective into two main parts. 1) Protect pilots from the passengers (currently done other than through axes) 2) Protect passengers from the pilots (contact air traffic via emergency)

Recommendations to avoid security-related disasters / mishaps on the plane.

Override from traffic control - passengers can contact emergency control too. This should be installed across all doors in the plane.

Counter argument: Everything can be hacked. Remote control over the plane's most important security measures is extremely dangerous.

Bathroom located in the cockpit. Perfect.

Costs of manufacturing the toilet

Costs for a low probability high impact event.

Dual keypad

requiring two different personnel to open the cockpit door.

Keys changed every flight.

Having it dual means one rogue can't decide on their own.

Gives more power to more people

Still vulernable to threats and hostages

Monitor pilot health.

Many of these scenarios were preventable from a medical pov

No incentive to self-report though

Could forge results, good examination through bribery

Having more copilots

Passenger accessible way of distress signal

New Look Sabres: GM 16 - TBL - Sweden Pt. 1

3-2 Loss to the Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning have dominated the Atlantic division in the Eichel Era so far but particularly Buffalo. Since our sweet boy Captain Jack entered the league in 2015-2016 Buffalo has gone 4-10-2 against the Bolts. When Joe Yerdon pointed this out it wasn’t anything about Eichel, it was the recognition of an opportunity this two-game series against the Bolts in Sweden presented: a big stage against a tough opponent to prove this Sabres team is not the same one of old. I’m bias in the matter, I happen to think we are looking at a transformed hockey team in Buffalo, but one or two wins on this international stage might go a long way to prove the point. That point was not proven against hot teams in Washington or New York, but you can’t change the past. To think of this Lightning club as the proverbial goliath of the Cap Era that it probably is maybe the first instinct, but it wasn’t necessarily the current form of the team coming into these games. They were a shade under .500 at 6-5-2 coming into these two games so there is palpable opportunity here to get a few points against a squad that you got to believe will take over the division as the season goes on. Opportunity one missed. But first, let’s talk about what might just be the greatest game against the Lightning the Sabres have ever put together. There are not a lot to choose from with these two sides normally being good at different times and dog walking the other depending on who it is. Let’s go back to February 2008: just far back enough for the Buffaslug but recent enough to be on MSG network. The Sabres are down 2-0 with about 18 minutes left in the third period. Derek Roy scores the Sabres first goal before Tampa seemingly puts the game out of reach at 3-1 with a little over six minutes left. Toni Lydman gets Buffalo to within one before Tomas Vanek, the new sacred cow of the organization after a disastrous off season, sinks the equalizer and sends it to overtime where he taps in his second of the night to win it 4-3. Those of you who submitted your thoughts on the best games between these two teams agreed Vanek was on fire in this game. Alright, back to the present: the Sabres stayed with the Lightning this afternoon but ultimately fall 3-2 in regulation.

Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn scored goals in the first period to give Tampa the early 2-0 lead in Stockholm but the story of the first period and probably this whole game was the hit on Vladimir Sobotka. Sobotka had just taken a shot by the blue line and was staring naturally downrange. Nikita Kucherov slows up a little before going table-top-mode into the unsuspecting number 17. Vladdy did what anyone would do in the situation: rollover top to avoid blowing out a knee. He ended up landing headfirst on the ice before getting a little check from Kucherov as a parting gift. There was no call and Sobotka did not return to the ice for the rest of the game. Early reporting tells us he may have tweaked a hip. Even good ole boy Pierre McGuire on the NBCSN broadcast was like “Yeah, that’s no good.” These two games count in the standings, so the league sent over a staff of NHL trained officials and they all very much looked it in this game. Ralph Krueger gave them what for too. He cussed out all three assembled on-ice refs as Sobotka was helped off the ice. The thing that was audible on the broadcast was “Figure it out, you all got eight eyes!” We could talk about how bad officiating was in this game, and it was bad, but that isn’t just us. Officiating has been bad across this league this season and for at least a couple years now. Part of me wants to blame it on the thousand interpretations and minutia of how rules are actually enforced but that would blame it on something other than the ones who deserve it: a league that just doesn��t want to make a tough decision if it doesn’t make them money. If your commissioner is going to extoll the “success” of the new offsides rules staring directly at four blown calls each week then you just got to come to terms with it being junk league. I’ve come to terms with it: it’s a junk league.

I listened to most of this game on the WGR 550 radio side. It was not ideal. Don’t get me wrong, I love Rick Jeanneret and how can you not love 716 Sports Bar, but Rob Ray and RJ sounded like they were calling a backroom poker match in Vegas. You couldn’t hear any game action… which I suppose makes sense since the game was in Sweden and unless a goal is scored all you hear is the dull roar of people talking in a restaurant in the background. If you were there I’m sure it was a fun time, but I think we can utilize RJ’s talent a little bit better than stumbling through a game watching on a bar screen like any filthy peon like myself. The man is a legend, if you’re not going to fly him there give him some respect and have him call the game without the distracting background bar noise. But yes, goals on the radio are actually great, even broadcast live from 716. Rasmus Ristolainen took a shot from the blueline and it ended up in the net. On the radio it sounded like Risto got credit at first, but Sam Reinhart tipped it in to cut the Lightning lead in half. The Sabres had not scored in almost six periods, three buildings and two continents so that was refreshing to hear just to hear. The shooting percentage drop-off team wide has come home to roost. If you’ve been watching this trend unfold you’ve probably been biting your lip like me. I like to think of myself as the go-to Buffalo Sabres optimist, I even said this team is a transformed team earlier in this same postgame reaction but shooting percentage consistency is something good teams figure out. You’re not going to convert every opportunity but as the great one Michael Scott once said: you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Throughout this game Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel were the offense of this team. Of course our favorite checking line the Roaring Twenties got their chances too but for the most part any recovery of the cratering shooting percentage was going to come from one of those guys. Equal time: Olofsson and Montour looked hot tonight as well.

Entering the third period down 2-1 it was clear we had something of a low-grade goalie duel on our hands. Andrei Vasilevskiy needs no introduction, he’s the last defense of a club that has the firepower to sleepwalk its way to a President’s Trophy; but Linus Ullmark, NATIVE OF LUGNVIK, SWEDEN HIMSELF, was up to the task. He blocked bangers from every star on this Bolts roster and this game was close because these two came to duel! When Yanni Gourde tapped in a rebound 7:45 in the third to put the Bolts up 3-1, Ullmark only let it in because his team was playing U10 lacrosse defense. Before the Pat Maroon assist materialized Henri Jokiharju was the only guy on the puck carrier doing what can best be described as a reverse hip check. It was weird and it was awful timing considering we were starting to see those Third Period Sabres we’ve caught from time to time. Turns out those comeback kids were waiting in the wings; about four minutes later Sam Reinhart struck again. This time hip-checking Henri got an assist and this time it felt deserved after a sequence of events that saw Victor Olofsson laying in the opposition net mere seconds before the shot that would once again bring his team within one. Reinhart’s quick release shot went through the woods, a five hole and in! And so we got a reminder of what this club looks like when they push hard. They weathered a Lightning powerplay that came shortly thereafter, and our very own penalty-drawing machine Jeff Skinner even drew a powerplay to contribute to the cause. Ultimately it came up short and the max number of points the better blue team can take home from Sweden is now two.

The four-game losing streak stings a bit, I’m not going to lie, but at least we’ve gotten the insider reports of Botterill looking to make a trade. Good job, Jason! You’ll get the full A when you actually make a move. Three months of sitting on your hands is what made last season blow up in spectacular fashion, don’t make the same mistake again. Also: the team being in Sweden gives us some prime content from a club loaded in Swedes. Apparently Linus Ullmark knows of a great candy shop in Stockholm. Casey Mittelstadt misses his roommate Rasmus Dahlin a little bit according to an interview. Dahlin, the source of 70% of his Instagram content, is busy with family and… a Swedish girlfriend!? Fun times in Scandinavia, eh? Like, comment and share this blog for more of such fun. Rather, follow me on twitter @UttaroSports. I retweet the bajebus out of that stuff. Let’s hope this fun European trip can produce some points tomorrow! That would make the plane ride home that much better, eh?

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. Pierre McGuire is not a fun guy for color commentary in case you needed a reminder.

Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rules out Zlatan Ibrahimovic return

Male United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer excludes return of Old Trafford to veteran striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Ibrahimovic hinted at a return of Old Trafford

But Solskjaer has destroyed the suggestion 37-year-old striker will return to United

Swede scored 29 goals in 53 games for United with his club

Solskjaer confirmed that defending Chris Smalling will give Rome a loan

Against Jack Gaughan for MailOnline

Published: 10:16 BST, August 30, 2019 | Updated: 10:17 BST, August 30, 2019

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer destroyed the prospect of Zlatan Ibrahimovic back to Manchester United

Ibrahimovic seemed to open the door to a switch back to Old Trafford when his LA Galaxy contract expires at the end of the year.

But Solskjaer does not expect the 37-year-old to re-conduct his trade in the Premier League .

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has the chance that Zlatan Ibrahimovic returns to United

destroyed

The 37-year-old Swedish striker remains in excellent shape for LA Galaxy in the MLS

Ibrahimovic scored 29 goals in 53 games for United during his time at the club

& # 39; I don't think that will happen & # 39 ;, said the United boss. He had his time at the club. He had a fantastic career.

& # 39; If he was 28 and not 38 next month, there is a big difference. He has had a good time here and is still doing well.

& # 39; It's a shame he sustained his injury when he was here. He knows my number. He never rented my house, but he looked at it. If he's serious, I'll always talk to Zlatan. & # 39;

Ibrahimovic does not return to United and Chris Smalling is en route. The central defender flies to Italy to complete a move to Rome on Friday.

Defend Chris Smalling is ready to sign for Rome with a seasonal loan

Solskjaer also said that Matteo Darmian could leave Old Trafford for the transfer deadline of Monday

S malling has not been in a team of the game so far this season, with Axel Tuanzebe above him on the bench.

& # 39; It's just about the last few days, this possibility, & # 39; Solskjaer added. & # 39; We sat down yesterday and discussed it.

& # 39; We currently have six fit middle backs and I couldn't promise him regular football. He is now on the plane and he will enjoy the experience there.

& # 39; A big club and a big competition. Not many English have had the chance in Italy.

& I might see Matteo (Darmian leaving). There is interest in Italy. Marcos (Rojo) will certainly stay. We are now squadron that is fewer in numbers that is still large and strong enough to have coverage in all positions. & # 39;

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Africa

First of all, hello from a new continent! I am no longer the Euro Traveller Anna that you’ve come to know and love, but in fact a new and exponentially cooler version of this person – Euro and Other Places Traveller Anna? Hm. Accepting suggestions for a catchier name.

Today started . . . actually I have no idea when today started, lines tend to get blurred when you don’t sleep. So I’m going to say that today started around 3:06am when I woke up on a bench that I’d curled up on in the Stockholm Airport, absolutely sure that I’d slept for a solid couple of hours. Turns out, it had been 16 minutes. Again, win some lose most (in case you haven’t noticed, that’s the official slogan of this trip/blog/my life. Feel free to use it in your life whenever).

Anyways, I was not thrilled about this, and proceeded to do some airport walking cause I was bored. After like 10 years of that, I decided to return to my bench and chill, which is where I found my new friend Nourdine, a Moroccan/Finnish surf instructor. He gave me a tasty Moroccan pancake thing from his suitcase and proceeded to give me the deets on all the cool stuff to do in Morocco and threw in some surfing tips to boot (staying in a straight line is key, apparently). Also, dude spoke Norwegian? So we snak’d Norsk for a bit too. The people you meet, I tell you.

Eventually it was finally time for me to get on my plane! Security was pretty quick and easy (my kånken got searched but I was allowed to go free), and I proceeded on my merry way to my gate. Before they let me into my gate, I had to hand over my passport to a beautiful blonde border guard, which should’ve been a regular ol step but when she started flipping through my passport she was noticeably confused (not the best look to see on the face of the person who’s in charge of whether you get to leave the country or not)

“you’re Swedish?” she asked

“um no, Canadian” (like you’re holding my passport…you know where I’m from)

“where’s your last name from, then?”

“Iceland”

“so you have an Icelandic passport as well?”

“….noooo…?”

“How did you get into Sweden without getting your passport stamped then?”

“hm”*

“hm. That’s weird. Oh well. See ya.”

*I swear there was no passport control upon my arrival in Sweden? Dunno how I pulled this one off. Oh well.

Anyways, then I got on the plane all sleepy like and proceeded to pass the eff out for awhile (cause apparently now I’m also Plane Sleeper Anna, in addition to Euro and Other Places Traveller Anna or whatever). Unfortunately, the plane decided not to take off for a little bit, so much of my napping was done while on the tarmac, and we got all behind schedule and such. But really, after you’ve already been travelling for over 24 hours, what’s 1 or 2 more?

Eventually we hit da ground in Marrakech. Initially, I was kinda disappointed by the aerial view of Morocco. Like it could’ve been Canada, if you squinted a bit. However, as soon as I got off that plane, I knew I was not in PA anymore. First of all, there was that nice, humid, tropical smell. And palm trees. And flowers. Cool. Hi, Africa. I am in you.

I headed over to immigration with my passport and arrival card in hand and a calm and collected attitude (I’ve watched a lot of Border Security in my day). I was pleased to find myself near the front of the big line ol line, thanks to my common sense telling me to fill out my arrival card on the plane instead of in the arrivals hall before getting in line (were ya’ll just too busy on the plane to spend 5 minutes filling out a card? Like we got an entire extra hour, damn. Get it together). Anyways, I was welcomed in o Morocco with zero questions and open arms, if anyone cares. Then I picked up the NBF (who took her sweet time making her way to the baggage carousel. I’m not going to say that I was beginning to panic, because I am a Calm and Collected Euro and Other Places Traveller, but I had concerns, to say the least). Finally I had all my affairs in order and I was ready to embark on my taxi journey to my hostel. Taking taxis in Morocco is fun, as long as you follow this pro tip: only look out the side windows. Do not, under any circumstance, look out the front window. Do not look at the speedometer. Do not look at the donkey or the motorcyclist you’re about to hit. Do not look your driver, as he texts his homie with one hand, leans on the horn with his other, and tries to steer the car with his knees. Just don’t. Look at the palm trees n shit. Those are nice.

Cats. There’s a lot of those here. Don’t worry Jen, I’m refraining from socializing with the the feral cats.

So my taxi driver leaves me at my hostel (which is the nicest hostel – it’s got a lemon tree growing in the middle. Imagine, a lemon tree growing in your very own house! What a place) and I go inside and the nicest Morrocan dude checks me in. I ended up in a top bunk, but I’m not even mad.

The rooftop of my hostel.

Then I decide to go for a little wander round Marrakech to the main square and stuff. Luckily, one of the people working at my hostel provided me with useful directions:

“you could go that way, right, right, right x3 8 minutes, but…no. I think that will be too much zig-zag for you. I think you will not find the square. Instead, go right, left, right, 7 minutes, and you will find the square” and guess what? I did the rights and the left and I found the square. Marrakech is everything I thought it would be x3 8 minutes (at least). It’s high functioning chaos at its best, which involves a lot of people, motor bikes, regular bikes, donkeys, yelling, cats, and a couple of monkeys and cobras sprinkled in for good measure. Walk with purpose, don’t engage, and Marrakech is your oyster. Looking forward to what tomorrow’s wanderings will bring. Also looking forward to sleeping in an actual bed. I’m getting too old for this airport sleeping nonsense.

A tree tunnel. 

'A Token of Belonging to the West': Why Finland Is so Fond of Its Swastikas

https://www.vionafrica.cf/a-token-of-belonging-to-the-west-why-finland-is-so-fond-of-its-swastikas/

'A Token of Belonging to the West': Why Finland Is so Fond of Its Swastikas

Teivo Teivainen, a professor of World Politics at the University of Helsinki has addressed the traditional display of swastikas in official contexts in Finland, such as on monuments, awards, logotypes and decorations for nearly a century, especially by the Finnish military, arguing that it may send a wrong message about the peaceful Nordic country.

The proud display of the swastika across Finland is known to cause some confusion around the world.

"When I first arrived in Finland, I saw a military parade with these particular insignia being flown. I was scared for my life," Keegan Elmer, an American Labor Researcher resident in Helsinki said to Finnish national broadcaster Yle. "I was very alarmed, and my friends told me to calm down," he reminisced, adding that he has had many arguments with his Finnish friends about the contentious symbol.

© Photo: PixabayFinns Furious Over War Execution Scene, Drowned Refugee Boy on Anniversary CoinsFor Professor Teivainen, this type of bewilderment from foreigners is no surprise.

"One reaction, is 'don't Finnish people ever travel? Second, is 'Aren't you supposed to have good schools?' Do you even have history at school?' Or third, 'Who are these wonderfully exotic forest people that use a symbol that most of the western world has rejected?'" Teivainen explained, citing a certain kind of admiration for Finns being seen as an "almost tribal" people.

In his new book covering the history of Finland, Teivainen questioned the relevance and the potential drawbacks of using the swastika in the modern world. According to Teivainen, the fact that the Air Force Command and different branches of the Finnish Air Force still have a swastika as an official symbol may pose problems for Finland in complicated security situations.

Unwelcome topic for debate

However, this topic doesn't appear to be particularly open for debate. When trying to raise the issue, even for academic analysis, Teivo Teivainen has repeatedly run into a chilly response.

"When I talk to top politicians or people in the military about it, normally the response is that it has nothing to do with the swastika of the Nazis, that it predates the swastika of the Nazis — end of conversation," Teivainen explained.

Lieutenant Colonel Kai Mecklin, who is also the director of the Finnish Air Force Museum in the city of Vantaa, argued that the swastika has always been a symbol of independence in Finland and came into use long before the Nazis ever came into existence.

Maailmanpoliittinen kansalliskävely —kirjani pohtii myös #Karjala-olutta, Tai siis vaakunaa. Ja Vexi Salmen biisiä. #kirjamessut #montaääntä pic.twitter.com/IVGYSgWUIy

— Teivo Teivainen (@TeivoTeivainen) 7 октября 2017 г.

​Finnish swastika's historic roots

Historically, the use of swastikas in Finland dates back to the early Iron Age when it was used to represent a deity from the old pagan religion. In the late 19th century, the swastika resurfaced as a symbol of rising Finnish nationalism, frequently utilized by the Fennoman movement.

In particular, Finland's then leading painter and ardent fennophile Akseli Gallen-Kallela used the local variant of the swastika, known as fylfot, on the newborn nation's first decoration, the Cross of Liberty established in 1918. Two years later, Gallen-Kallela employed the swastika once again, in the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The symbol has since been used on war memorials across Finland and is still visible on the official flag of the President of Finland.

勘違いされることも多いのでフィンランド🇫🇮のミリタリー系の博物館や展示には必ずハカリスティとスワチカは別のものですといったペーパーがあったり文章が掲示がされたりしています。 pic.twitter.com/B0SzwZd18N

— 🍞🍞🍞 🍞🍞@芸ヵプ22 (@KiKiKi_KiKi) 30 сентября 2016 г.

​Interwar period and WW2

Swastikas were a common architectural motif in the pre-WW2 years, with numerous buildings erected in the 1920s and the 1930s still displaying the contentious symbol.

Furthermore, the swastika has been utilized by the Finnish Air Force since 1918, as a tribute to Swedish aviator Count Eric von Rosen, who donated one of his planes to the White Forces in Finland's Civil War. Von Rosen adopted the swastika as his good luck charm as early as 1901. The Finnish Air Force used the swastika as its insignia between 1918 and 1945, and it can still be seen on the flag of the Finnish Air Force Academy.

.@suski_kaukinen #Puolustusvoimat on, mutta #Ilmavoimat ei ole koskaan siitä #Svastika'sta luopunutkaan. pic.twitter.com/738kzm5rMd

— asiamies (@asiamies1) 5 февраля 2016 г.

​The swastika was also employed as the logotype of Lotta Svärd, a Finnish auxiliary paramilitary organization. Lotta Svärd, which drew its name from a character featured in a poem by Finnish national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the author of the national anthem, was associated with the White Guard during the Finnish Civil War. During WW2, it grew to become the world's largest voluntary organization, featuring 242,000 members of Finland's total population of less than four million.

also the symbol of lotta svärd, finnish paramilitary organisation for women in ww2. pic.twitter.com/lYtTi18yaU

— sini. ♔ (@brilliantblue_) 14 октября 2016 г.

​Finland's role in WW2 remains a sensitive topic, as is the country's Civil War in 1918. In WW2, Finland fought against the USSR as a co-belligerent of Nazi Germany, receiving aid and assistance until the armistice with Moscow in the early autumn of 1944, whereupon the Finns turned their arms against their former allies. After the war, the victorious Soviet Union voiced objections to the continued use of the swastika as a motif for the Finnish Armed Forces, following which most emblems have been purged of the symbol, despite erratic attempts to reinstate the swastika by President Urho Kekkonen.

Finnish Airforce LeLv 34, Messerschmitt Bf-109 G-2 MT-203, MT-214 and MT-216, 24 April 1943 at Utti, Finland. Color by Tommi Rossi #WWII pic.twitter.com/8AmCKDd3xZ

— FinnishWartimePhotos (@FinnishWarPics) 5 января 2017 г.

​A sense of belonging

According to Professor Teivainen, many Finns paradoxically still see the swastika as a token of togetherness with the West.

"It's a funny thing, that many people in Finland say 'why should we let the Russians interfere with what we do?', and they present the swastika today in the Finnish military as a kind of symbol of belonging to the West, a sort of 'the Russians can't tell us what to wear and what symbols to use,'" Teivainen argued, contending that this statement would sound hilarious in the rest of Europe.

According to Teivainen, the current perception of the swastika has even created "false memories" such as the erroneous belief that the "Finnish" swastika faced left, unlike the right-facing Nazi one. Teivo Teivainen is not convinced that the idea of Finland's own swastika, completely separate from the international perception of it, holds water. While not advocating a ban on swastikas as such, Teivainen questions the benefits of their continued use as official symbols.

People react in various ways to this drawing of a Finnish soldier with #swastika flag. Some think it is from the past, others say future. pic.twitter.com/blPlwvVzxG

— Teivo Teivainen (@TeivoTeivainen) 10 октября 2017 г.

​Teivo Teivainen is a professor of World Politics at the University of Helsinki and the founding director of the Program on Democracy and Global Transformation at the National University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru.

Teivo Teivainen lavalla klo 12.40. Teemana kansallisen symbolit kuten kuvassakin #kirjamessut#montaääntä @TeivoTeivainen pic.twitter.com/0dNo5tH9X6

— Kirjamessut Turku (@Kirjamessut) 8 октября 2017 г.

10 Technologies Reshaping the Bedroom to Version 2.0

Ideally the bedroom is a dedicated domain for sleep – a calm, quiet, and peaceful oasis in our otherwise busy, loud, and stressful lives. But as goes with most everything in our WiFi connected lives, the bedroom typically inhabits a multi-purpose duty beyond sleep and intimacy. It’s where we read, work, watch television, browse online, and anything else imaginable beyond the unconscious spell of slumber. Finding the balance between a restful, healthy atmosphere with our perpetually plugged-in lifestyles takes planning, so we’ve gathered several technologies designed to optimize comfort, convenience, and health.

1. The Frame by Samsung If you’re going to insist on keeping a television in the room, why not make it one as handsomely minimal and unobtrusive as this 4K UHD display. The real excuse for permitting this TV in the bedroom is The Frame takes advantage of all those pixels by turning into a digital art display, blending into a decorative asset rather than a digital eyesore.

2. Kokoon Sleep Sensing Headphones It’s not uncommon to put on active noise-canceling headphones upon boarding a plane. These headphones operate with similar intent, but for the bedroom, with the addition of EEG brainwave reading sensors engineered to keep tabs on sleep patterns of the wearer and playback active white noise. As the name implies, the Kokoon’s soft ear cups envelope the wearer with sound with long lasting comfort.

3. Philips Hue Lighting System I’ve invested a good deal of money in Hue products, replacing almost all of our old CFL, halogen, and incandescent bulbs we inherited when we moved into our home. Now, not only can I turn off the bedroom lights with a tap of an app, using Siri, or with a light switch, but a motion sensor under the bed recognizes when I’ve gotten up and turns on the light in the hallway to a preset dimmed brightness to guide me when I’m not fully yet awake.

4. LeGrand Wi-Fi Ready On/Off Outlet There are some fantastic add-on WiFi enabled smart outlets available today (I have several Belkin WeMo Mini Smart Plugs for this purpose). But LeGrand’s streamlined WiFi enabled outlet integrates connectivity with a modern and flush two-plug outlet design I’m enviously considering upgrading to, subtracting the necessity of adding an add-on hardware eyesore into the bedroom. The outlet is one of numerous components that make up LeGrand’s adorne collection, an integrated system that includes switches, dimmers, outlets, wallplates, and even a futuristic, gesture-controlled switch for lighting.

5. Blue by Blueair Air Purifier Playful Swedish industrial design pairs up with HEPA filter technology for the benefit of allergy sufferers. Each Blue model captures 99.97% of all airborne particles down to 0.1 micron in size, operating imperceptibly quiet at its lowest setting. Noting something so large is going to sit inside the bedroom, the Blueair designers outfitted the Blue series with a selection of colorful fabric pre-filters for a functional and fashionable personality.

6. The Lineal Adjustable Base At first glance the Lineal looks like a tastefully modern bed frame, one specifically designed to accommodate for Saatva’s line of slim innerspring mattresses. But first impressions give way to a whole list of surprises to improve comfort while sleeping, reading, lounging around, or watching television when compared to a typical mattress base.The Lineal is all operated with a wireless remote control, a luxurious upgrade resulting in bespoke comfort and convenience at the touch of a button. Adjustable positioning, under-bed illumination, 3-speed full body massage, and customizable pre-sets for lifting/lowering legs and torso sections independently make the Lineal anything but an ordinary way to retire each night.

7. Sonte Smart Film Digital Shade Sonte’s digital shade is an intriguing residential and commercial privacy technology that switches from transparent to opaque in an instant. An electric current transforms the window application non-transparent film with the touch of an app, an ideal primary privacy screen to be partnered with a light-blocking shade or curtains when it’s time for sleep.

8. Google Home The bedroom is where we’re most apt to befall to a state of “don’t want to move” paralysis. That’s where voice recognition and activated digital assistant like Google Home (or Amazon Echo) is particularly helpful, capable of answering questions of the day’s weather, tomorrow’s plans, and tonight’s television options. Partnered with the above mentioned Hue light bulbs, turning off the lights won’t even requiring rolling over to reach for a light switch.

9. ZEEQ Smart Pillow This pillow is always listening, monitoring for any loud snoring while also analyzing the sleepers tossing and turning. Snore loud enough and the ZEEQ gently vibrates to encourage shifting to a new position, much more preferable to the ole elbow-to-the-gut response to hush a loud snore. A Bluetooth-enabled speaker is also tucked within the pillow’s cocoon of foam, with the accompanying app preloaded with relaxing tracks and binaural beats to expedite a quicker fall into Slumberville while tucked in with this smart pillow. This has the potential to become a popular gift between spouses.

10. Nightingale Smart Home Sleep System Sleepers with a mild case of insomnia searching for a non-medicated solution for improved shuteye might want to investigate the Nightingale’s relaxing ambient sleep system. Two plug-in units work in unison to emit relaxing “sound blankets” – a playlist of 15 ambient audio tracks. The sweet spot between the two units blankets the listener with sound formulations specifically composed for sleep conditions like tinnitus or to block out the disruptive snoring coming from an adjacent rooms.

via http://design-milk.com/

from WordPress https://connorrenwickblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/28/10-technologies-reshaping-the-bedroom-to-version-2-0/

Let’s take a look at U.S. taxes vs Swedish taxes.

Read the link below and take a look at his six reasons the Swedish tax system is great while ours is dumb. http://www.vox.com/2016/4/8/11380356/swedish-taxes-love I almost want to go in swinging but it’s a decent enough article so I guess I’ll start with the part I liked. 2. Tax forms come already filled out and 5. We get cash instead of deductions See how these link together? They don’t have to do our complicated bullshit with deductions because they get the money up-front where we’d get a refund, and so the tax documents are simple enough that the average citizen only needs to do minor deductions. I think item two could be implemented for 1040EZs even without item five, but item five is a great idea. The best part is this: we already have an agency that can take care of things like that! The IRS! And we can handle it step by step! The IRS could gradually go from being the monolithic mass of accountants, audit lawyers, and data entry clerks that it is to being a slightly-less-monolithic mass of accountants, audit lawyers, fraud lawyers, rebate clerks, and data entry clerks. This doesn’t sound like a big change but checking rebates for fraud is way easier than going after year after year of taxes to find something, so not only would we have a better system, but we’d be better at finding people who try to cheat that system. Seriously, this is such a good idea that I might dedicate my life to it. 4. Sales taxes in Sweden are higher — but less noticeable and 3. There is no property tax I promise you that the people notice when the sales tax goes up, even in Sweden... But, the basic idea that prices at the store should include sales tax when you see them on the shelves is a nice one, and it’s an easy enough law to write. So, Hell, I’m for that part! And, yes, U.S. property taxes are high, but we need a way for cities to pay for necessary services. Maybe these “less noticeable” sales taxes would work. But the sales tax is considered to be a tax that affects the lower classes more, while the property tax is considered to be a tax that affects the upper classes more, so... Uh... It’s worth pointing out the irony of this though: you have a writer for Vox (a liberal site) favorably comparing a European country to America (a liberal pass-time), and two of his items combined would make any liberal scream: raising a regressive tax to lower a progressive tax. This guy better find a Democrat to suggest that stuff, ‘cause if a Republican does it there’ll be a riot. But, I’m not necessarily against a plan to do this; it’s just that we have our high property taxes for a reason, and the reason is to help the little guy. I guess I’m fine with either on principle, though. Whatever. Let’s get to the areas where I disagree. 1. Swedish income taxes are not much higher than US taxes — but they give you an education This isn’t really a comment on our tax code, it’s about our spending. But, it does go to show why Americans are against high taxes: we pay all that money and get nothing for it. There’s a damn good reason for that, though! We don’t have as much of a budget for stuff like this because our money is going to our ridiculously over-sized military. I say that like it’s a bad thing, but the United States pays for 40% of the NATO Pact that protects twenty-seven other countries, including Sweden. But I should say 40% and rising! Not only because we’re thinking about including some of those new Baltic states and Georgia, but also because other members are cutting their contributions to pay for all that expensive quasi-socialist statecraft and their EU dues (but I repeat myself, ZING!). It’s a common enough criticism to say that we could just shrink our military, but it’s actually not that simple. The whole idea behind the Marshall Plan was, “You can rebuild economically while we defend you. Seriously, don’t break Europe again right after everyone just put the fires out guys.” That just sort of carried over into our current “world police” that defined our foreign policy in the post-WW2 era. By now we have all these treaties that make it tough for us to shirk on our military. Besides the NATO Pact, our naval bases in Japan and the fact that the Korean War is still technically going on are serious complications to any plan that involves making our military smaller. And all this is an important factor in trade deals that favor the U.S., of which there are plenty. Another problem is that healthcare is so damn expensive here. The author mentions this, and that deserves an entry on its own, because there are so many factors involved. But, “Hospitals have no idea what to fucking do anymore,” and, “Health insurance companies have to work with the constantly-panicked hospitals,” combine to make one of the biggies and the cause of that comes down to... Well, the fact that healthcare is so expensive. That’s right! Our healthcare is so expensive because of how expensive it is! The situation went out of control decades ago so it is out of control now, and we need to make huge, painful, confusing changes to fix it because nobody did anything all those decades ago! Fuck Baby Boomers. Fixing all that will be tough, but that carries some complications of its own. That brings me to... 6. High taxes give me more choices and freedoms Look, you’re being naive if you think the politicians are giving you all that stuff because they love you so huggy-muggy much. They do it because they want your vote. We’ll get the occasional politician who cares about the occasional cause, even here, but too much of that idealism crap makes you so inflexible that you can’t actually win an election. I mean, you can tell Al Gore really cares about the environment because he’s willing to stand up for it, even when it costs him. He’s still a pretty standard Democrat the rest of the time. He walks the same tight-rope every suspected liberal does in a country as conservative as ours. And part of that tight-rope is plain ol’ pork barrel politics. That’s where your awesome hiking trail really comes from. Some construction company wants to dig a hiking trail, so they all lobby a politician, and the politician gets some campaign money and all their votes, plus bonus votes from people who live where the trail’s gonna be and decide they just like the idea while the future Congress critter’s campaigning. But let’s say someone really is an idealist that wants to help Americans out: the size is a factor there, too. Look at the size of Sweden: 450,295 square kilometers (or 173,860 square miles in the system we still have to use here because of white trash) with 9.9 million people. Just two of our states - Alaska and Texas - are bigger than that all by themselves. And the third in the list, California, is about the same size as Sweden. Less then 10% smaller. So, any time we wanna spend money on something like that, we have to somehow get people who’ll probably never see it on board. This makes ideas like that hard to put into practice... And frankly? Even if you are an idealist, it kinda makes them bad ideas, all by itself. After all: this is all about helping people by building things they’ll use, right? Like I said: we have fifty states and some of them are huge. With Sweden being about the size of just California by itself, simple distance is enough to keep anyone from ever even seeing any of the nice pork our Congress critters send back to our districts. This is why you’ll sometimes see conservatives say, “Well yeah, they do all this stuff and reap all these benefits, but they’re a geographically small country,” about this criticism of the U.S. Infrastructure spending is just more helpful when more people use that infrastructure. For example, public transportation spending is way more efficient in areas where lots of people live. You can’t have a good bus system in a huge, spread-out city, and most American cities are pretty spread-out. So even if a politician’s “charity” (with other peoples’ money as collected by taxes) really comes from a place of kindness and caring, it has to be the weird sort of wall-building charity where you say, “The people of Oregon deserve the best!” and somehow still say, “The people of Maine do not deserve the best! That money should go to Oregon!” And it’s weird, because you’d think the number of people per square kilometer would factor in and America’s a denser country that way, but that’s not the issue. The issues are, “Where is the thing you want to build going to be?” and “How far away are you from all that?” In Sweden the answers are, “Pretty much in the south part of the country and along the east coast,” and, “Going all the way from the north part of the country where there’s nothing to Malmö in the very southern tip? 22 hours away by car or six hours away by plane.” Every place in Sweden is somewhere that a Swede could take a vacation, basically. In America the answers are, “We have some cities but pretty much just all over the place,” and, “Really fucking far sometimes.” Say the author gets his ferries and stuff? The 23,000-island Stockholm archipelago is still more accessible to huge parts of the country than your 23-island national park. It makes them wonder why they have to spend the money. The fly-over states are called that for a reason: our Important People fly over them just to get from one of our big population centers where all the stuff is (New York) to another (some city in the California metroplex or Seattle, depending on your job). Big, popular infrastructure projects will tend to have the backing of Important People trying to improve the already-very-wealthy areas where they live, so we have these bitter Midwestern and Southern states that just say, “Screw all that! Limited government! Give me my tax money back!” Somehow, this never actually leads to lower taxes, though. (Have I said “Fuck Baby Boomers!” yet?) It’s harder to build a coalition around the idea of doing anything like that, because the coalition will involve a much smaller percentage of the country, so our Congress critters need more wheeling and dealing to make it happen. This means politicians will be using a lot of time and energy on just getting the necessary pork back home. Makes it awful hard to work on other stuff, like healthcare! Not that that frees the Boomers from the responsibilities they’ve shirked. But I digress: think about some of that whenever you see an article about how Europe is awesome and we suck, tumblr. All I ask!