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adaginy · 3 months

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The Big Guide to Humans: Home Planet

Humans come from a small, rocky planet, called Terra or Earth or some other translation of "dirt," where they lived on the land surface despite the planet being mostly covered (area and volume) by water. They do, however, measure temperature in a scale based approximately on the freezing and boiling points of water (at their average atmospheric pressure), set to 0 and 100. As with "years" (see lifespan and development), your local human can probably tell you the conversion to local measurements, if the knowledge is not in your local storage and the numbers are not being converted automatically by your translation dock. The planet's rotational axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane, resulting in "seasons," a predictable progression of local temperatures between local lows to local highs and back over the course of an orbit, despite its nearly round trajectory. This is in addition to the smaller temperature changes of the day/night cycle. Terran weather temperatures range from -90, below the freezing point of radon, to 60, nearly the boiling point of bromine, though humans mostly live where the weather over the course of a year ranges between -20 to 45.

Humans infamously breathe oxygen, but Terra's atmosphere is actually mostly nitrogen. The 23% oxygen concentration is enough for fires to sustain easily, assuming fuel and initial ignition, but low enough that fires smother nearly immediately when fully covered. Terra's rotation and heat from Sol combine to cause a predictable pattern of convection known as prevailing winds. Winds are often strong enough to move light objects without causing damage, not uncommonly strong enough to make it difficult for humans to move against it, or stronger, and sometimes strong enough to cause damage to buildings. This is in addition to regional threats of "extreme" winds, most notably tornadoes (fast-moving, localized funnels of winds strong enough rip buildings apart and fling heavy objects) and cyclones (weaker than a tornado, but traveling slowly and raining so copiously that shelters are also damaged by water).

Having such copious rain that buildings are damaged can happen outside of a cyclone, as well. While humans can swim surprisingly well for a non-liquid-dwelling species, this water has usually picked up so many contaminants that it is capable of overwhelming a human's immune system if it enters their body via their mouth or damaged skin.

Alternately, little or no water may fall on an area that does not usually experience water scarcity. The resulting "drought" kills plants and animals that cannot be moved. This is less predictable, but takes multiple years to come into effect. A vegetated area facing drought, however, is at particular risk for a wild fire, a fire that becomes too large and fast-moving to be smothered. Areas as big as residential ships can burned before the fire runs out of fuel or is able to be drenched.

Terra's planetary surface is made up of several pieces of "crust" floating on top of its liquid center. At the edges of these pieces, or at cracks in the pieces, huge pieces of crust can be forced upward or buckle under the pressure. Done slowly, so slowly no one notices, this produces mountains. Done quickly, it produces "earth quakes." Some earth quakes can only be sensed by sensors, but others cause buildings to shake apart. Humans know where these edges are and, instead of not building there, they design buildings that are able to resist being shaken. If the locus of the shaking is near or under the ocean, it can cause a fast-moving, towering wave called a "tsunami." An average tsunami is capable of obliterating buildings when it reaches shore, and then sucking any survivors into the ocean when it recedes (with strength far past even the best human swimmers). As with earth quakes, humans design buildings to survive being struck by this wall of water. The same edges and cracks also produce volcanoes, places where the earth's liquid center oozes or bursts out of the ground. This liquid will be at temperatures of 700 or more, above the melting temperature of radium and on past the the melting temperature of gold. It can cause fires when it touches things in addition to being so heavy and/or voluminous that it covers items in its path. Humans generally do not build very close to volcanoes that are frequently or explosively active. However, if a volcano is only likely to erupt once or twice within a human lifespan, or tends to ooze rather than burst, they will simply use several sensors to know when it will happen so they can get out of the way. Because they all originate in the same geological source, it is common to have two of these crack-based issues at once and not unusual to have all three.

Sometimes, rain falls in tiny frozen pieces, covering the ground in a layer of ice chips. Sometimes it falls in large rocks of ice, breaking and shattering what it strikes. Sometimes the temperature is anomalously hot or cold in places where the wildlife and human dwellings are not adapted to those temperatures. Sometimes massive sparks of electricity shoot from the sky to the ground. Sometimes the side of a mountain — or the ice chips piled on the side of the mountain — will fall off and slide down, burying and crushing everything in the way. Sometimes erosion under the surface will cause the surface to give way, leaving a hole in the ground big enough to swallow a person or a building. Sometimes the liquid inside Terra doesn't burst through the surface, but super-heats water until it does. While none of these features are unique to Terra, even among inhabited planets, it is uncommon for an inhabited planet to have so many of these features and it is nearly unique among humans to choose to live in afflicted areas. It can be helpful to understand, when one is wondering why humans and other life from their planet are "like that," that life only evolved on Terra once* and then experienced a burst of population up to and beyond local carrying capacities. Every species, including the plants, shares a common ancestor, and every creature that was ever born (hatched, sprouted, divided, etc) faced immediate competition from other, similar creatures. The ability to run faster, eat weirder, live hardier, spread farther provided an immediate benefit. Furthermore, in addition to the horrors described in this chapter of this guide, in Terra's planetary history there are multiple near-extinction-level events — new chemosynthetic species producing upheavals in the atmospheric gas balance, an asteroid strike, massive volcanic eruptions choking the air with ash and blocking energy from Sol — that further pressed evolution. Terra, truly, has earned its reputation as a death world — but less so for the life that has formed there.

*there is a long-standing idea that cephalopods may have originated separately, but this is really only taken seriously by the Chiparsen, who used to colonize via panspermia. While the Unified Government no longer accepts this as a valid territorial claim, the Chiparsen still hope to prove relation in order to put forth a diplomatic demand that Terrans remove cephalopods from their diet.

#Big Guide to Humans #addie writes #humans are space orcs #I am much more willing to believe in standardized length/area units than I am in standardized time/temperature units #I keep rechecking the radon thing #it doesn't sound true but apparently it is #earth is a deathworld #earth is space australia

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falseroar · 4 years

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Dog Days Part 4: Information Exchange

((Abe returns to his office to find a shady potential client waiting with an offer he can’t refuse.

Link to the previous part, Part 3: Slow Recovery.))

Abe made a detour by the parking lot to grab his bag out of the back of the beat-up car he called his own before walking into the office building, where there was no one waiting at the front desk. Come to think of it, he wasn’t sure he had ever seen anyone behind the glass since he signed his lease, but that just meant fewer questions whenever he was back in town. Instead, he took the stairs up to his floor, only to stop when he spotted the man standing in the middle of the hallway.

Right next to the door to his office/as close as he got to home these days.

He played with the idea of turning around and just going back to his car, but there was always the chance he would just run into the guy on his way out. Abe took another long sip of his coffee before stepping out of the stairwell and walking straight toward the door, hoping that maybe the man was just hanging out and waiting for someone else.

A hope that quickly died when the man turned with a slightly off movement, his head turning and his body following with a slight delay to fix Abe with a cold stare behind black square frame glasses.

“Abe Lincoln,” the man said, more a declaration than a question.

“That’s what they call me,” Abe said. His keys were already in his free hand, but he found himself slowing as he approached. A voice in the back of his mind screamed that there was something off about the man, more than just his odd movements and smile that failed to match his eyes. While he couldn’t point out what it was immediately, Abe knew enough to trust his instincts and keep his distance. “And I’m not taking clients at the moment. I left a sign on the door, didn’t you see it?”

“This just says ‘Be back sooner or later.’”

Oh. In hind sight, he probably should have double checked which sign he put up before he left three months ago.

“Well, point is I’m still not here to take another case, if that’s what you’re looking for,” Abe said. “Maybe call ahead next time, make an appointment with my secretary if I ever get one. And if you’re here looking for money, then you can just get in line behind everyone else.”

The man turned in place to watch as Abe circled around him to get to the door, the hunter just as careful not to take his eyes off of the visitor. Abe was already weighing his options, considering whether a punch with the keys in his fist or a splash from what was left of his coffee would be enough to distract the stranger if push came to shove. He had more options stowed on his person and in his coat, but this close there wasn’t a lot of room for trial and error if he didn’t know what he was dealing with.

“While I am capable of waiting out here as long as necessary, perhaps the hunter might be willing to hear my employer’s offer first. He is willing to offer you far more than your usual rate, in return for your assistance in looking into a particular person of interest.”

“Don’t see why he would need a hunter for that,” Abe said, making a show of unlocking his door. This close, he realized that it wasn’t just the stilted way the man talked, the emphasis not quite falling on the right words. Watching him out of the corner of his eye, he realized that the man’s chest wasn’t moving, just as there was no sign of movement around his nose or mouth when he wasn’t actually speaking.

The stranger wasn’t breathing.

“Just who is your employer?” Abe asked, trying to sound casual as he pulled his bag off his shoulder and tossed it down just inside the office door, on top of the pile of late notices covering the floor. Leaning against the frame left the hand not holding the coffee cup out of sight and free to reach for the handle of his revolver. Bullets didn’t work against everything, but they sure helped slow down most things.

“He would prefer to remain anonymous in this situation—”

“Nope,” Abe said, already reaching for the door.

“Wait!” The stranger reached out to stop the door from shutting only for his whole body to stutter the second his hand tried to cross the threshold. Sparks arced between his fingers and raced up his arm before he yanked himself backwards. His whole head twitched to the side before he returned to his far too straight stance, and Abe was quick to notice the red light in the man’s brown eyes before it disappeared, although his scowl remained. “You have anti-magic wards.”

“Of course I do, what hunter worth his salt wouldn’t think of something that basic?” Abe scoffed. And those were far from the only protections he had in place, although he was pretty sure the handy sigils he carved into the interior of the door frame probably meant he wouldn’t be getting his deposit back on this place. Landlords generally didn’t recognize a good thing when they had it.

Magic, but the ward hadn’t stopped some kind of spell or curse, it had reacted like he was the magic. Not fae, the eyes would give it away. Maybe an inanimate object powered by magic? One shaped like a human, or else Abe would have seen through it when he tried to break the ward, but that didn’t explain the sparks. He could probably figure it out with a few more clues, or…

Screw it, Abe thought.

“What are you?”

The man paused before he answered, his words falling out quickly as though he couldn’t help answering, “I am a Google unit, a blend of technology and magic created to provide information and services to my employer. Among other things.”

Magitek? Abe had heard of it, but never anything like this. This Google thing looked human, or human enough if you could ignore the slightly stilted mannerisms and the whole not blinking once while they had been having this conversation thing.

“Guess that explain the ‘G’,” Abe muttered, gesturing to the vivid white letter on the unit’s red shirt. “Well you can provide your employer with the information that I said ‘no.’ Hell no, if you feel like it.”

“While it is typical of humans to be reluctant to deal with superior beings—”

“Okay, I’m going to stop you right there. I seriously doubt the ‘superior’ thing, but I don’t care what you are. The point is, I don’t take work from anyone who won’t meet me in person, much less refuses to even give me a name. Believe it or not, I do have standards.”

The Google unit’s eyes moved from Abe’s face to stare pointedly at the darkened office behind him, the floor covered in late notices and clothes that didn’t make the cut to come along on his latest trip, filing cabinets crowded up against the paper-covered desk, and the multiple cork boards full of papers and photographs pinned and connected to each other by lengths of string, and that was just what could be seen from the office door.

“Clearly. That is why my employer requested that I bring this to you, hunter. He believes that this person may be involved in certain activities that could be a danger to others, including to someone of value to significant persons within the city. If he were to take these suspicions through official channels, there might be enough bias against the person of interest to prevent a real investigation from taking place.”

Abe had to take a second to work that out, but considering they were coming to him he thought he could take a guess. “This person you want me to look into isn’t human, and if enough rumors float around they could be in trouble whether it’s true or not.”

“Correct.”

Abe hesitated. He had taken enough cases like this before, but never one that sent up this many red flags at one time. There was clearly something shady going on here, and the last thing he needed was to get dragged into someone else’s mess when he had enough of his own to deal with.

As if sensing something else was needed, the Google unit added, “I have been given permission to tell you that an exchange of information is also on the table, should you choose to take this case.”

“What kind of information?”

“Information regarding one Wilford Warfstache, the most recent alias of the man formerly known as William J. Barnum.”

The floor could have opened out underneath Abe at that moment and he didn’t think he would have noticed the difference. Without realizing it, he had stepped back out into the hall, his hand wrapped tight in the collar of the unit’s red shirt as he pulled him closer.

“What do you know about him?” he growled, but the automaton’s expression did not change.

“All information about this person is stored in a file that I cannot access until given permission by my employer, which will not be granted until you provide your own information about our person of interest.” Google did not blink, and there was no trace of concern in his voice as he added, “If you attempt to damage this unit, the information can and will be deleted.”

Abe forced himself to let go of the unit’s shirt, but his hand just as quickly closed into a fist. “Why should I believe you know anything about him that I don’t?”

“I cannot provide that information until permission is granted. However, my employer thought you might be interested to learn that last night at approximately 12:37 AM, the local police received a report of strange lights and noises at the house formerly known as Markiplier Manor. By the time they arrived, there was no sign of any persons in the area,” Google answered, his gaze taking on the faraway stare that Abe was beginning to recognize as him recalling something from his memory.

Abe made a conscious effort to control his reaction to those words, to keep his breathing steady and his eyes as clear as he could, to not give in to the shudder that raced down his spine to meet the pit opening in his stomach.

“That could be anything,” he said. “Some kids messing around, frisky raccoons, you name it. Doesn’t mean it’s related to—to him.”

“I am also allowed to say that we have reason to believe that Wilford Warfstache has returned to the city,” Google said. “But as I cannot provide anything to verify this information until after you provide something in return, and you are clearly not interested—”

“Wait.”

Abe hated this, he hated not knowing what he was getting himself into, he hated not knowing who was behind this, hated that whoever it was clearly knew enough to get his interest and press his buttons, but more than anything he hated the idea of missing his chance to finally get his hands on the one monster that had evaded him all these years. If there was even a chance this thing could lead him to the Colonel, or whatever he was calling himself these days…

“Who does your employer want me to look into this bad?” Abe asked.

“Does this mean you’re taking the case?” Google asked in turn.

Just because he agreed, it didn’t mean he couldn’t do his own investigating on the side. And if this guy was as dangerous or as in danger as robot boy here claimed, then maybe it wouldn’t hurt Abe to look into him.

“Yeah, I’ll find out what you need to know. Just give me a name.”

The Google unit pulled an envelope out of his pocket and presented it to Abe, inside of which he found a downtown address, a photograph of the man in question, and a copy of a certificate verifying the person in question was registered with the city and the Bronson Institute.

“My employer wants you to obtain as much information as possible about any suspicious activities or relationships involving the vampire, Dr. Henrik von Schneeplestein.”

((End of Part 4. Thanks for reading!

Link to Part 5: Second Opinion.

Tagging: @silver-owl413 @skyewardlight @withjust-a-bite @blackaquokat @catgirlwarrior @neverisadork @luna1350 @oh-so-creepy @weirdfoxalley @95fangirl @lilalovesinternet-l @thepoolofthedead @a-bit-dapper @randomartdudette @geekymushroom @cactipresident @hotcocoachia @purple-anxiety-blog @shyinspiredartist @avispate @missksketch ))

#markiplier #fanfiction #monster hunter au #wkm au #abe the detective #googleplier #traces of silver #poor abe #can't even get a break

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alshamey · 7 years

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I Want My Great Memory Back! http://yourgradgear.com/2017/09/27/i-want-my-great-memory-back/

New Post has been published on http://yourgradgear.com/2017/09/27/i-want-my-great-memory-back/

I Want My Great Memory Back!

Blanking on names? Left your iPhone in a cab? Our writer tests whether the latest science-backed recall tricks will really turn your mind into a steel trap.

Jancee Dunn

July 22, 2015

I used to have a memory that amazed people, but in the last few years I’ve had trouble remembering names and movie titles. (“You know, the one about the guy who goes somewhere? It won that award…”) I hope to have many years of sharp thinking ahead of meI’m in my mid-40s, nowhere near senior-moments territoryso I got to wondering: Is there something I should be doing now to counteract the lapses that already seem to be taking place?

There’s no way around the fact that memory erodes as we get older. The hippocampus, the area of your brain responsible for building memory, loses 5 percent of its nerve cells with each passing decade. Plus, aging slows production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter vital to learning and memory. Based on these facts, scientists once believed that a person’s mental ability peaked early in adulthood, then went downhill from there. But over the last few decades, research has found that adults’ brains are still able to form new, memory-building neural networks in a process known as neuroplasticity. The reassuring latest thinking: With a little effort, anyone can boost their power of recollection.

To test this theory in the real world, I tried an array of research-backed brain-sharpening techniques over one six-week period. Am I now able to list all 44 U.S. presidents? No. But can I more easily summon up where I put my keys? Yes. And I think being able to leave my apartment and lock the door is a more valuable life skill than remembering James K. Polk. Here’s what worked for meand what fell flat.

Technique #1: Play brain games

Puzzles like Sudoku and crosswords may improve memory and delay brain decline, though experts are not yet sure why. “My guess is that playing them activates synapses in the whole brain, including the memory areas,” says Marcel Danesi, PhD, author of Extreme Brain Workout. Research so far is decidedly mixed: Some studies have found that, while doing crossword puzzles may make you better at remembering the capital of Burkina Faso, there’s little evidence they’ll boost your performance at more general tasks, like remembering where your car is parked. But a 2011 study showed that participants who played a computer game called Double Decision for six years improved their concentration so much that they had a 50 percent lower rate of car accidents.

So I decided to try an online brain-training program called Lumosity, which neuroscientists from Harvard, Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley have used in their own studies; its creators claim that 97 percent of users improve their memory in just 10 hours of playing time. First I answered a series of questions at lumosity.com to identify which of my cognitive processes, including memory, could use a little help. Then I received a personalized training regimen. A 10-minute daily series of games is free, and a more advanced program is available for $12.95 a month. (Being cheap, I stuck with the former.) The games are pure funremembering a pattern of blocks, spotting a bird in a fieldand are based on what research has found to improve concentration and other cognitive skills.

My grade: B- By the end of a month, my “brain performance index” score rose 6 percentnot amazing in the Lumosity world, but respectable. The main problem: You have to play the games every day, forever, to keep up the benefits. I’ve mostly kept up. (Except on weekends. Or if I’ve had a busy week. OK, I haven’t kept up.)

Technique #2: Eat the right foods

According to Gary Small, MD, director of the UCLA Memory Clinic, memory superfoods include antioxidant-rich, colorful fruits and vegetables, which protect your brain from harmful free radicals. He’s also enthusiastic about low-glycemic carbs, like oatmeal, and anything with omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, a recent study published in Neurology found that people with low levels of omega-3s had brains that appeared to be a full two years older in MRI scans. That was incentive enough for me to follow the memory-enhancing diet from Dr. Small’s book The Memory Prescription, which claims it works in just two weeks. Much like the Mediterranean diet, it’s heavy on produce, legumes, nuts and fish. It’s low on meat, since meat’s omega-6 fatty acids may contribute to brain inflammation, a possible underlying mechanism for Alzheimer’s. Refined sugars produce a similar effect, so they were also out. (That was the toughest for me.) I ate a farmers market’s worth of blueberries, spinach, avocado and beets, and consumed enough fish to sprout gills. I also went beyond Dr. Small’s advice and took 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12, the standard recommended daily amountsince studies show people with low levels perform poorly on memory testsand 1,000 international units of vitamin D, discovered by Tufts University researchers to boost cognitive function. (My doctor signed off on the supplements.)

My grade: A It was difficult to eat meat only once a week, until I noticed how much less physically and mentally sluggish I felt. And my memory became markedly sharper over 14 days. (For instance, I quit using a bookmark because I could remember the page number I’d stopped on the night before.) Planning those meals took a lot of prep, but it paid off tremendously. I still try to use the diet as a guideline: I eat meat once a week, aim for five fruits and vegetables a day and pop omega-3 supplements (since I don’t get as much fish as I did on the diet).

Next Page: Technique #3: Quit multitasking

[ pagebreak ]Technique #3: Quit multitasking

“One reason people can’t remember where their keys are is they’re not paying attention when they put them down,” says Mark McDaniel, PhD, a psychology professor and memory researcher at Washington University in St. Louis. (His suggestion for always finding them: “When you put them down, stop and say out loud, ‘I’m leaving my keys on my dresser,'” or wherever you’re placing them.) Studies show that it takes eight seconds to fully commit a piece of information to memory, so concentrating on the task at hand is crucial. I willed myself to stop giving everything “continuous partial attention,” a term coined by tech honcho Linda Stone. I put away my gadgets when they weren’t absolutely needed. I didn’t have 10 websites up all at once. I called a friend, sat on my bed, closed my eyes and actually listened to what she was saying.

My grade: B+ It’s amazing how difficult it is to do one thing at a time. Concentration takes work, but I found I could remember appointments better because I paid attention when I made them and repeated the day and time, rather than agreeing to commitments while doing the laundry and returning e-mail messages. My husband, usually my living iCal, was very impressed.

Technique #4: Master a new skill

A recent Swedish study found that adults who learned a new language showed improved memory for people’s names, among other things. Any activity that is practiced diligently, such as knitting or skiing, will likely have this effect, researchers say. I vowed to learn to play the keyboard. On YouTube I found PlayPianoKing, an affable guy who teaches everything from Pachelbel’s Canon to “Gangnam Style.”

My grade: C- While I did learn a mean “Gangnam” and felt my concentration improve, I soon gave up: With brain games and a diet overhaul crowding my schedule, the hour-long, every-other-day lesson was making me cranky, even before I saw any noticeable memory gains.

Technique #5: Get more sleep

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered that losing half a night’s restthree or four hourson just one evening can erode memory. And the journal Nature Neuroscience recently reported that one way to slow decline in aging adults is to improve the length and quality of sleep. During a deep sleep of eight hours or more, it’s believed that the brain shifts memories from temporary to longer-term storage. Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one third of us get less than seven hours a nightincluding me.

So, for more than a month, I implemented a stringent schedule: I would put my preschooler to bed and take a bath. Then I’d hit my own bed with a book, rather than watch TV or movies, which several studies reveal will make you feel too keyed up to wind down. Normally I fall asleep at 11:30 p.m. and wake at 5:45 a.m., but the new routine put me out by 10.

My grade: A+ Nothing had a better effect on my memory than that long stretch of sleep. I was able to semi-credibly measure the difference because I started my other interventions a few weeks before this one. I bounded out of bed fully recharged. My mind became as focused as a laser beam; I even remembered every mom’s name during the school run (no more “Hey, you!” or just “Hi!”).

Technique #6: Use mnemonic devices

These are basically memory tools that give meaning and organization to a random group of words or concepts. They could be an acronym (BOG for “Buy oranges and grapes”), an exaggerated visualization (imagining a massive stethoscope to remember a doctor’s appointment) or a rhyme (to recall a co-worker’s name, I’d remember, “Ted has a giant forehead”). Memory champions also love chunking, or breaking a large amount of information into more manageable nuggets. Say you have to memorize these numbers: 2214457819. It’s much easier to do as a phone number: 221-445-7819.

My grade: A+ I found these tactics enormously helpful. I usually forget my poor nephew’s birthday, but this year I actually sent a gift, thanks to the unpleasant but memorable NITS (“Nephew is 10 Sunday”).

Technique #7: Hit the gym

Researchers from the University of California at Irvine recently discovered that a little exercise might yield big mental benefits. They had one group of subjects ride stationary bikes for six minutes, while another group cooled their heels. Afterward, the active group performed significantly better on a memory test. Instant results! The researchers believe the boost may be tied to an exercise-induced brain chemical called norepinephrine, which has a strong influence on memory. And Dr. Small contends that exercise is the best memory aid of all. “It can increase your brain size,” he saysand the bigger your brain, the greater your capacity to remember. His recommendation: 20 minutes of brisk walking a day. I began doing an hour dailymore than Dr. Small recommends, but also more consistent than the gym workouts a few times a week I used to favor, and, according to many experts, more effective in juicing up memory.

My grade: A- This moderate, regular activity worked wonders on my stress levels, and it became much easier to concentrate afterward, so I could fix things (like a grocery list) into my memory. I grew addicted to my walks and still take them. In fact, I found that the memory-boosting healthy lifestyle habitsexercising more, stressing less, eating a better dietwere the most sustainable over time. And that’s a win-win.