Consider: You’re at a space port.

The bustling kind, of course. Folks buzzing about, people chattering interminably. You hear languages you’ll never be able to comprehend. You just lack the organs. In the distance, the rumble of short range engines coming online. Some cocksure pilot brings their craft real close to the terminal’s glass pane wall. You know the ship would lose in a fight against the station architecture but you’re not really eager to have that knowledge put to the test. Oh, but it’s a long ship. 

You glance down at your fob watch. It’s just under a thousand units till boarding, which means time to muck about. Grab hold of your suitcase. Walk down the corridors. On either wall, covering the faux-oxidised faux-copper adornments, advertisements in faux-neon buzz-hummed away. You can’t even read the text on any of them. The borgyloid seems happy, though. Might be a borgiakin, come to think of it. Are those teeth? Maybe they’re mouth claws. Oh, oh! That font’s actually kind of interesting! It’s made up of human arms! How quirky! And that must mean the red accents on the letters are... yes! You look closely and realise that really is blood! Oh, rather makes sense now, does it not? The borgyloids are humanity’s closest extrasolar trading partners. Figuratively closest, of course. But no one wants to linger on those centaurite nerds when there’s borgyloid culture to admire! How exquisite! You will admit, it’s a little unnerving at first how their primary expression of joyful communion translates to something like “let us eat your arms in a non-metaphorical way, may we have your arms to eat.” It’s just something you have to get used to, like the slight lag of a robot arm. Ah, but it’s time to move on. 

Your trilby expresses relief. You’re at your platform. When did your hat learn to express emotion? It’s been such a long day, such a long day indeed. You dream of laying down in bed planetside. Here on the station, there’s too many different kinds of humming. The life support systems, your room AI, the handheld generator for your robot arm charger... It’s too much! You want to go back home! Back home, where the only humming you hear are the AC, your PC, and your hand-holding robot arm charger. Besides, it’s much nicer to be kept up by roadworks or your neighbours than sub-audible pressure cavitations. It really is!

Oh. Your ship’s been delayed. Kessler cloud in low orbit over Europe. How silly of them, those pre-commercial space travel humans. People used to be so silly. They shot too many sharp bits and bobs in space. Entirely too much. How silly. Still, it’s generally considered the smarter option to avoid making contact with sharp bits and bobs, especially when they’re travelling at orbital speeds. So, you entirely understand. But your arm charger waits for you at home. It so beckons, waving at you. Oh, if only it could... oh, but that would be naughty. It might not be best practice to have thoughts like that. Not just because you’ll have to go buy a ticket for a capsule bed this evening, it seems, but because people generally do not have thoughts like that about their home appliances. Well, except for the ones that call you husband and or wife, hoh hoh!

There, the capsule kiosk. Its yellow extravagance is a poor match with its plastic construction. Still, what can you do? Well, the bored teenaged girl on the pixellated screen tells you you can pay up or shut up in between her two-frame chewing animation cycles. You do, but you promise to give the girl a bad review. She does not respond. You pick up your suitcase, which the lil kid with the Dickensian accent promises should weigh exactly the same as before you left it out of sight for thirty units of time. What a lovely lad. Lass. One of the two. Or maybe a third thing. Kids these days with their organs.

No one’s called the capsule corrals “hotels” in thirty cycles. The brochures might, but not even the big sign at the entrance does. Some clever clog had gotten to the “t” and the “l”, it seems. Or perhaps it was just the slow decay, the passage of time. Regardless, you clamber to your capsule. Into the compartment your suitcase goes and with a press of a button, your capsule enters bath mode. The pod fills to the brim with water before you can say “claustrophobia” (which is only a good thing since you wouldn’t want to be caught with your mouth open) and flushes itself before you can think the words “fear of drowning”. You swap your now sopping wet clothes with your suitcase. If you cannot have your hand-holder, you would at least be able to enjoy your handheld.

You open your suitcase. A large stone approximately the size of a small handheld robot arm charger falls in your lap. Attached is a note: “Fanks, guv’na!” At least they said fanks.

Chapter 220 Trivia

The chapter cover is a redraw of Ryusui on the final pages, I thought it was a neat detail!

The rocket's various part's functions are a little clearer in the model: the top section is similar to the Soyuz capsules shown throughout the story, with visible shielding and hatch that probably closes when it's not attached to the rest of the satellite.

The bottom two sections are most likely the lunar lander, and the middle two sections are the main part of the satellite holding the bulk of the communication gear and supplies.

This is an approximate flashback to chapter 150 when Stanley first attacks the KoS. The panels exist, but the words are said in separate panels by Ukyo and Kohaku.

Very simplified medusa-shaped aliens and circular petri-beams! This game seems a lot easier to program compared to the flight simulator.

Historically, they've been rushing to their deaths and then relying on the power of petrification to bring them back. This has been happening since chapter 10.

For Chrome's sake, I hope it was filled with water for the demonstration. Getting revival fluid/nital on your skin is a baaad idea since it's highly corrosive, among other things.

I'm happy they have the devices now, but I feel like the creator should have been Chrome…

Neat how Joel's revival fluid watch has the same font and hour/minute hand design as his outfit! Was this a collaboration with Yuzuriha, or did he just really like the clothing he was given?

Unlike modern net launchers, this one fires like a rocket launcher, with a bullet that splits apart to expose the net. This is probably because net will be destroyed in the explosion (thus not reusable), and packing both a net and grenades together properly is delicate work.

You can clearly see the outer protective layer of the medusa is separate from the delicate inner workings here.

I'm sure Matsukaze would have appreciated having the grenade-laden net launcher back in his time.

You can see how steady each shooter is: Ryusui is perfectly still thanks to his previous practice, Kohaku's hand is the only part of her moving, and Senku is shaking all over.

Kohaku is a natural, managing to nick the medusa with her bullet but doesn't destroy it. This is to be expected with her physical prowess and moving-target training from fishing without a pole.

Senku, on the other hand, completely misses.*

By the way, guns do work in space. Bullets contain their own oxidizer, which means they don't need oxygen from the atmosphere to ignite.

A bigger problem may be the effect of heat (or lack thereof) depending on sunlight, since that'll be more extreme without an atmosphere.

A reminder that the Ishigami villagers do in fact wear underclothes.

Where else would Chrome have gotten his white flag from?

Stanley was still clothed last we saw him (at least partially)… Why'd they strip him and leave him for the plants to take over!? Surely there was a better option here.

I'm assuming the next chapter will be mostly about Stanley and/or his reaction to the situation (his childhood friend is now several years older than him!)… I'm quite excited :) (*I realized when rewriting this that the direction the bullets are going is unclear, and Senku may have been the one to nick the medusa)

So I Bought A Starship Episode 5: A Mouthful

Gemma glared at the little display on the vending machine, narrowing her eyes. Her fingers typed out another request which was almost immediately replaced by a red flashing error message. She tried another request.

“Captain, I have already told you  that the food synthesizers are currently running in emergency mode. They can only produce basic lipid, protein and carbohydrate rations.”

Gemma had seen the basic rations already and had no desire to repeat the experience. The basic carbohydrate ration had been a two inch by two inch block of compressed sawdust that crumbled almost immediately on contact with air and absorbed any moisture in the mouth like a sponge. The basic lipid ration was exactly that, a two inch cube of fat that was slimy and gross. About the only semi palatable one was the basic protein ration which had tasted like the world's saddest jerky. The machine flashed another error message and Gemma smacked the side of it. “I knoooow” she whined, setting her head on the console. “But can’t you do anything else? Can’t you, I don’t know, combine them into something more edible?”

“Unfortunately no, not until we get the food synthesizers repaired.”

Gemma looked up at the blank walls. She’d not been able to find any cameras or anything that Stacy could see her through, so she’d taken to just glaring at the most convenient spotl when talking to it. “Wait, I thought I got a certified pre-owned starship. Why is so much of it broken?” She kicked a riveted panel which gave a hollow gong noise. “The food synthesizer’s broken, the bridge is mostly duct taped over, hell even my “captains suite” looks like a damn capsule hotel room. What give?” She crossed her arms over her chest and picked a new spot to glare at. 

“the 45 point custom inspection, yes.” Stacy acknowledged. “This ship was tested by a Redd Herring and Son’s technician and passed.”

“How?”

“Are you dying from lack of oxygen?”

Gemma blinked, then glanced down at the spot she’d kicked. “Um, no?”

“Then the hull integrity, atmospheric recyclers, electrical and door seals pass inspection. Do you have adequate nutrition that is bioavailable for your species?”

Gemma glanced at the vending machine. “I guess…”

“Then food synthesizers and organic reclamators pass inspection.”

Gemma’s eyes wandered up to the ceiling and down the claustrophobic corridor of blank riveted metal. “This ship’s…smaller than it’s supposed to be, isn’t it?”

“The ship's external dimensions are somewhat obscured by recent minimal repair work, but I assure you its structure still fits within the laws of 3 dimensional space.”

“Oh you know what I mean Stacy!”

“Please don’t call me that, and yes. The internal space available to the crew is greatly diminished from original builder specifications. Extensive repair work will be needed to bring subsystems back online.”

“And I have to pay for that?”

“And you have to pay for that.”

“While paying off my debt for the ship too.”

“While paying off your debt for the ship too.”

Gemma let her head thump against the front of the vending machine again and groaned.

“I may have found a solution to your problem Captain.” 

Gemma’s head came up again, hope clearly playing across her face. “Yeah? What?”

“Maybe if you crumble the three rations together in a bowl you can make it more palatable.”

Previous Episode Next Episode

Shards of the Nexus: Blinded by the Light

The third self has a mission of his own.

Song: Midwest Angelica OST-"Home"

@captainbaddecisions @cardwrecks

Bodies lay strewn in the small coulee, some moaning, some unconscious.

“Jeez dude, why didn't you ever do that when you were fighting us?” the Younger Flash exclaimed.

The man in green-the Riddler, Detective was assuming-stared at the young man, incredulous.

“Do I really need to explain why I don't beat up kids?” he asked, a soft lisp slipping through his gapped teeth.

“Considering the guys you usually run with, yeah! You do!” snapped a blonde archer, her arrow still trained on him. He glanced over his shoulder at her.

“You're not going to shoot me in the back.” he stated. There was no challenge in his voice, only certainty. “And it's because I'm not them. I'm me. I should think you'd appreciate the distinction, young lady.”

“Don't talk like you know anything about me!”

“I do know. That's part of the point! When were you convinced to see all your enemies as being the same? That's a dangerous attitude to take in this game. If you want to survive, anyway.”

“Why help us?”

“I didn't. I just took them down, that's all. Now you kids better hurry, the ape is escaping. Not sure why they sent just the two of you after Mallah, but I wish you luck.”

The pair of young heroes rushed off in the direction he had indicated, the blonde archer loosing her arrow back at him as they went, but the Riddler had already snatched a pair of pill-shaped cartridges from his belt and thrown them to the ground.

The arrowhead exploded into sticky glue which mired itself harmlessly in a cloud of expanding foam, while the Riddler himself disappeared into a second cloud of expanding smoke.

So their counterpart here had clear principles. An interesting contrast to the last world they'd been in, with its hopelessness and damp despair. Their second self was all threat and no bluster, a fierce and starving lion of a man, blood dripping jaws and ruthless drive under a secretive, almost playful exterior.

This third self seemed to pick his battles carefully, and exclude certain demographics. Detective wondered how he chose who to spare, or if it was simply up to his gut.

Detective felt something smooth and cold press into the back of their neck.

Oh. Stealthy as well.

“Did you enjoy the show?” the Riddler asked behind them. “Kind of an odd passtime, but I've seen odder. Anyway, please don't move. I have questions. Who are you with?”

“A composite creation, an echo of one

silver as sealant, its preciousness gone

Reality's window, reversal's eye

Magician of light, though I might make you cry

I see only what you do, yet still it's a sham

so tell me onlooker, just what I am.”

A quiet pause.

“You are a mirror.” he answered. “What does that have to do with spying on me though?”

“Who says I was spying?” Detective asked. “Perhaps I was just out for a walk.”

The Riddler peeked his head over their shoulder to fix them with a very serious gaze. Detective tried to ignore the wide open space around them, and the lack of any vehicles that could have brought them out there.

“You've chosen an inefficient pair of shoes to go hiking in, mx.” he pressed the smooth object harder into their neck. “Please try again.”

“That's one of the capsules from your belt, isn't it?” Detective realized. “What's in this one?”

“Well that's the question, isn't it? Spy or not, you have no way of knowing.”

“It's empty.” Detective said confidently.

The Riddler paused. Pressed harder. Then removed the object and tucked it back into his belt.

“Fine.” he said. “But the others aren't. No sudden moves please.”

“Of course~”

“Now, again, who are you with?”

“No one. You perhaps.”

“Oh, I get it.” the Riddler's demeanor eased. “You want to team up. Well, it just so happens that I'm currently in a situation where I could use some help. You showing up now, all the way out here, is a bit of a suspicious coincidence though.”

“Would it put you in a worse position if you were to tell someone about this troubling situation?”

“Probably not. But possibly. If you were sent to find out just how much I know.”

“And how much do you know?”

“More than I was supposed to. What do you know of the Light?”

“If you mean something other than visible electromagnetic radiation, then nothing.”

“It's probably better that way, if you want to stay safe. It's best not to mess with them, but...hm. They forced my hand.”

“Oh? And what did they do?”

The Riddler's dark eyes flicked to his defeated foes, still lying in the dirt.

“Somewhere else.”

“I know just the place~”

“No. We will go where I say. I don't trust you just yet. You're extremely suspicious, you know that?”

Detective shrugged.

“That is entirely fair. Lead on then, I shall be happy to follow.”

This Riddler's version of Gotham City was similar to the Detective's, with its solid, elegant Art Deco architecture, but far cleaner. The avenues wider, letting in more light. Even as the Riddler led them into less affluent areas, there were more green spaces than Detective's Gotham. Each bore a plaque engraved with a familiar name.

“Wayne's fingerprints are all over this city, it seems.” Detective murmured.

“He's a frivolous idiot, but he at least had the good sense to entrust his charities to someone who actually knows how to direct them. I remember when this area was all empty lots and crumbling four stories.”

He'd removed his jacket upon entering the city, draped it over his arm in a way as to hide the question mark iconography. Underneath, he had the shape of a swimmer, and thick umber hair in a defiant mullet and spikes style, paired with precisely shaped sideburns that screamed of the turn of the century's hipster movement.

He led them into a basement apartment, very clean and warmly lit, with bare and simple, yet comfortable furnishings. He saw Detective to a chair, and began preparing coffee.

“It doesn't matter if I show you this place.” he said. “The others already know about it. I don't think I'll come back here after tonight.”

“That bad, is it?” Detective asked, accepting the fresh coffee.

“I am deliberately going to make bitter enemies of the most dangerous people on and off the planet.” the Riddler said, taking a seat across from them, with his own steaming cup. “It is that bad. I may be dead quite soon.”

He said it so plainly, as if it were nothing more than deciding what to make for dinner. The cup paused at Detective's lips.

“Then why do it?”

The Riddler's grip on his cup tightened.

“Because they lied to me. They used me.” his lisp remained, but his tone hardened like steel around it. “They took my strategies and programs, and they used them to murder children.”

Detective set their coffee down.

“My goodness.”

“There is none. They spoke of furthering the evolution of humanity through adversity and adaptation, but it was nothing more than eugenics. Again. I know full well that I would not be allowed to survive under such a wasteful regime, and I will not be a useful idiot to a group of banal eugenicists while they use my works to fill mass graves with the bodies of children. I will destroy everything I have made for them. And I will break everything new that they try to build.”

“And you need help with that.”

“Yes, I am certain I will. They are all over the world. They are in space! Some of them are reported to be immortal. And they are many. Ruthless. Wealthy. Well connected.”

“So, a proper challenge for the Riddler.”

He seemed to surprise himself with a barked laugh.

“I suppose so. Who ever guessed I'd twice decide to do something to save the world? My name doesn't fit well into the vigilantes ranks, but...when did not fitting in ever stop me?”

“Never, I'll wager.”

“Still, you are suspicious. Showing up when and where you did. Being so friendly when you clearly know who I am. So who are you? Really?”

“I am a mirror.” Detective said. The Riddler looked closer.

Detective held still, allowing his dark eyes to sweep over them, taking in the details. The gem green eyes, and the brilliant vermilion hair would be key differences, of course, and their vibrant pine green and mauve clothing should be telling, though the Riddler didn't make comment on any of that. The cleverly disguised question marks in their earrings and pocket square were special clues, and Detective saw the moment he noticed them.

Those eyes darted back to their face, searching, perhaps for confirmation.

“I am a mirror.” Detective repeated.

“How?”

“Have you heard of multiversal theory?”

“Yes, but it hasn't...it hasn't been proven.”

“Until now.”

The Riddler stood.

“Show me.”

Detective led him back the way they came, back to the little coulee outside of town. The injured people were long gone, but the rotting stone doorway Detective had entered the world through-all that was left of a lost colonial homestead-remained safely intact in a nearby glade. And through the door...

Gotham City. Detective's Gotham, similar in aesthetic, but measurably different in material reality, and the Riddler noticed it instantly.

“Even the air tastes different.” he observed.

“Leave your jacket off.” Detective warned. “The bat still flies here, though he mostly leaves me alone now.”

“Did you retire?”

“In a manner of speaking. I hung up the villainy, and took on the mantle of a private detective. I solve the riddles now.”

“What an interesting thought.”

“Keep it in the back of your mind. Now, come into my home and let me return the favor.”

Now it was Detective's turn to provide hospitality; more coffee, with biscotti and sliced peaches.

“So...This means you will help me.”

“I am a big fan of helping myself~” Detective teased. “But yes, I am willing to provide what aid I may. Revenge is a cause I understand well.” They held their coffee up in a toast. “To the young blood crying for vengeance.”

“To justice.” the Riddler agreed.

“this is a one time thing.” for Tommi/Joonas

Changed the sentence slightly, hope that’s okay.

“That was fun, wasn’t it?” Joonas asked as they walked along the street in their hometown. They were on their way to Joonas’ old home, streetlights illuminating the otherwise dark street they were on, no one except them daring to take a walk during this hour when the cold wind was whipping past them. “Can you believe Emma and Eetu have married, and I wasn’t invited? I’m immediately crossing them from my own wedding list.”

Tommi was silent next to him, but Joonas was content to babble about their evening, the first class reunion of theirs past them, and it really had been fun to see all the faces again and exchange stories although Joonas had to admit that some of these people had gotten extremely boring.

Sure, not everyone could lead a rockstar life and Joonas couldn’t say they were 100% there yet, but he would definitely not change his life with that of any of his classmates.

Just like now Tommi hadn’t talked much during the little party, keeping to the few old friends they had found, giving some of his best jokes but otherwise keeping silent or not handing out many details about his life, finding his way back to Joonas’ side often throughout the evening.

Picking the key out of his bag, Joonas tried to open the front door as quietly as possible, his parents most likely being in bed already.

Just like he thought the house was dark and silent, and together Tommi and he ascended the stairs to the upper floor on light feet, Joonas still aware of which steps were creaking loudly from his numerous escape stunts.

“Come on in, into my lovely abode.” Joonas held the door to his room open for Tommi, doing a little bow when Tommi walked past him with a shake of his head.

Sadly Olli couldn’t make it today so they couldn’t form their complete trio, but still Tommi and he could have a nice relive of teenage days, sleeping over at the other’s house, staying up late.

Getting upright again, Joonas felt a little light-headed. One beer too many perhaps, but nonetheless he quickly followed Tommi inside, putting on the lights, some of the fairy lights flickering faintly and only giving off a dimmed glow from old batteries.

But it was cozy nevertheless and Joonas loved to be back, not nearly often enough up here with his family, getting lost in old memories.

Just now it felt like a time capsule with nothing much having changed in his childhood room, Tommi a familiar visitor as they were about to arrange the mattress and additional blankets on the floor. In the past they would have lit a single flashlight and told stories to each other, Tommi knowing the creepiest ones and always scaring Olli, sometimes so much he had to crawl into Joonas’ bed. And then they would try to stifle their laughs so Joonas’ parents wouldn’t come looking.

Joonas would love to repeat all this, but the thought of it alone already managed to put a smile on his face.

It was abruptly falling off and replaced with a surprised expression when Tommi pushed him against the nearest wall and captured his lips in an intense kiss, almost bruising, lips challenging him, making it hard to keep up, especially as Joonas’ brain hadn’t yet processed what was happening exactly.

The poster under his head had most certainly ripped and was now sporting a tear across it, but Joonas couldn’t bother with it right now when Tommi was fervently kissing him. A hand was on his neck with the thumb digging under his jaw, tilting his head up to receive Tommi’s rough treatment.

“Tommi…Tommi.” Joonas managed to whisper between kisses, air threatening to go out. “What are we doing?”

First Tommi didn’t look like he would stop, keeping Joonas pressed against the wall, his bigger body blocking Joonas and stopping him from escaping, but then he brought the smallest of space between them. Although Joonas noticed the lack of weight against him immediately and had to admit he was missing it at once.

Nonetheless, Joonas may not always be known to be the holder of the brain cell, but this situation was prone to blow up into their faces if not handled correctly.

“Tell me what you are thinking?” Joonas tried again, needing something from Tommi, so he didn’t come to wrong conclusions.

“Fuck.” Tommi’s head came to rest on Joonas’, and he closed his eyes at the familiar proximity. “All those couple stories must have twisted my mind.”

“It’s okay.” Joonas assured him. “I- I didn’t not like it.”

Tommi’s gaze shifted to his eyes, vulnerability showing, and Joonas put a hand to his cheek, stroking the stubbly skin, last he wanted was to scare Tommi away now.

“This can be one-time thing.” Tommi suggested and pressed closer again, his need obvious against Joonas and he gasped lightly, eyelids dropping as arousal took over him.

He wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was, all Joonas knew was that he didn’t want to stop right now, didn’t want Tommi’s warmth to leave him, wanted his mouth on him again. It was a sudden realization, the feelings never having been there before in regard to Tommi, but now they were so obviously clear that Joonas wanted to bump his head on the wall behind him, scolding himself.

“It doesn’t have to be.” Joonas said quietly, admittedly a little bit afraid that that was all Tommi wanted out of it, seeing a quick and easy fling in Joonas and nothing more.

Tommi’s face came as close that their lips were brushing against each other, noses bumping and breath mingling. “I just want you, is that okay?”

Joonas nodded and promptly had Tommi’s lips on his again, the passion from before back in an instant, and Joonas switched his brain off, letting himself fall in Tommi’s arms.

@voiceofengineering: you really look like shit.

the truth is that the cold isn't something that can be tamed out here. when the world doesn't listen to the science, mother nature fights back. (there's no waxing poetic about it: a nuclear winter is just enough to kickstart what's left of humanity into their own battle stations: survive, survive, survive. but with it comes disorder. panic. with it comes the fear and loss that sits on the double-edged sword of persistence. they've lost more than they've gained on the train, but hope? hope of a new world, a new life keeps the system bubbling over.)

hope cannot sustain one person for that long — even if new eden sits just beyond her grasp. the research base is quiet. cold. it's a time capsule for the life before — scarce posters line the walls with paper curling off the space and frozen tack, and corpses clumped together are shifted out into the snow.

humans are a lot like the train. in a world like this, they need perpetual movement.

"because you look so much better."

she's hungry. this isn't real. one ration pack and an arm. survive, survive, survive. (she tucks her knees under herself and tugs the beanie further over the sides of her ears. eleven days from departing snowpiercer.)

she sees herself looking back at her — or perhaps it's her from before. she's bundled up, wrapped in a coat that can muscle through the kind of cold that fogs her breath each time she opens her mouth. the other-her looks smug. content.

the ache in her stomach reminds her that this is a physiological reaction. lack of sleep, lack of food, lack of company. it's been nine days, and the ration pack is discarded after each crumb has been meticulously fished out from the inner plastic lining.

"are you going to tell me to eat the arm, too?"

Will we experience a revival of classicist ornaments in architecture in our lifetimes?

Kurokawa's Nakagin Capsule Tower is the embodiment of modernist architecture for me.

Sure there have been many different names for it since then but they all really aren't so different from that era even if the architecture majors would like to disagree.

Neglected and run down over the years, most of the pods have been empty and with only very few hardcore lovers of this particular style called "metabolism" having stayed there till its recent demolition.

How come something that has been heralded as "revolutionary" and the "future of architecture" is so unpopular among the Japanese, who should be used to living on a tight space budget. Or is it perhaps something that reaches farther than just the isles.

In Berlin, Le-Corbusier-Haus has a similar issue, very few people would actually like to live in it.

Low ceilings, cramped rooms, ugly facade, the hype around the architect, and media attention have long died outside of appreciator circles and on top of that the prices charged for apartments there are pretty outrageous, one might as well move into one of the concrete blocks inspired by it that won't have the brand label slapped on it.

Very few of these types of buildings have aged well enough for people to want to live in them, houses built before the modernist era with a more traditionalist style, their high ceilings and beautifully aged ornaments on the other hand are more sought after than ever, including quite a few modernist architects living in them.

It seems we had refined the concept of what is beautiful and what makes us feel human already and perhaps stepped back from it in part due to building and upkeep costs as well as the time needed to create them.

Now however with 3d printed buildings becoming more and more popular and advanced will we see the technology be used to bring back classical ornamentation or has the skill been lost in our modern universities?

Do we really lack space that badly? Is a barren exterior really a cost necessity or is it just something that a select few naturally feel the need to push on us so they can feel superior?

Whumpril #23: Presumed Dead

Once upon a time, as the Domain spread its tendrils through space, finally vast and powerful enough to spend resources on not just central planets, but insignificant mining stations in hidden, isolated pockets of asteroids, one such station had resisted. In truth, it had barely been a station, more a largish frigate. It had, back then, been nothing but a family business.

The family aboard had been spacers dating back to the days when Earth first terraformed their own nearest neighbour, and had been proud freelancers just as long. Being affiliated to no one was hard and dangerous out in the black. If anything went wrong - as things so easily could - there was no help to call on, no one who would claim responsibility, no government to negotiate on their behalf. 

But the freedom had always been worth it. 

And so, when the Domain sunk their claws into the inhabited zones, they ignored this power change over, as they had so many others. Until they were demanded to conform or leave. They fought. Certain that such tyrannical actions, the antithesis of what this system had been founded on would be resisted by others below.

They were wrong, and against a planet-owning might, they were easily destroyed.

The planet below saw the station’s passing as nothing more than a shooting star, and assumed, incorrectly, that all aboard had died. With no one to send out rescue or help or even search parties, the sole survivor of the station drifted unheeded. 

The life support of the frigate had been minimal, the stasis pods little more than relics. But the survivor didn’t need much, having a lung and stomach capacity no bigger than a kitten’s. The overheating matrix helped in its own way too, keeping things warmer than a human would usually thrive in…but perfect for a bare newborn; the only one to have been thrust into a survival pod and ejected by his dying mother in the seconds before the final blast ripped the miners from the sky.

And the pod drifted, unnoticed, unlooked for, unmissed. For generations, until the Domain grew into a large and powerful force, a force that loomed over history and seemed to have always been there until resistance was all but unthinkable.

The station, for all its lack of formal affiliations, had been legal and registered, and new though the child had been, his birth had been registered with the proper authorities. And he drifted through space, formally registered as dead, and perhaps the only being left in this whole section of space not to carry either an identi-chip or a telling scar where it had been removed. 

He drifted, a decade, a hundred years, perhaps as much as three hundred, although, outside of the central worlds, such ancient records were hard to verify. Remaining through all those passing centuries, only a few days old, a wrinkled scrunched thing, as unchanging as any other dead child beneath the Domain’s boots. 

And drifting such he might have stayed, if an engineer, brilliant, if unorthodox, had not been testing out his new sensors which he hoped would cut through solar interference and give his ship an edge against Domain inspectors. The sensors, more sensitive than anything the little capsule had passed by so far, picked up the faintest blip of the slowed heartbeat. And, curious, the engineer brought the child aboard. 

Best Browser Games You Can Play For Free

That really important thing that needs doing? Yeah, that’s not going to happen, because we’ve rounded up the best free browser games in existence – and they’re all free.

You don’t need one of the best gaming laptops to run them. But you do need a good browser. Chrome’s the best bet.

Otherwise, delve in and enjoy games that are so good you’ll set fire to your Xbox and live life entirely inside a web browser.

Oh, all right, they’re not quite that good, but if you can’t waste an insane number of hours playing these fab games, it must be because you hate fun itself. Free Browser games to play in multiplayer. No download required, play directly from your web browser.

Our Latest Best Free Browser Game Pick

Canabalt

The game that spawned a sub-genre, Canabalt always had an edge subsequent endless runners lacked. Maybe it was the terrifying dystopia a lone figure is fleeing from, all grey landscapes and strange machinery stomping around in the background. Perhaps it’s the soundtrack, pumping the game full of urgency.

Mostly, it’s the speed. Canabalt moves at a fair old lick, making it an adrenaline fuelled and endlessly tense experience – right up until you smack into a wall and plummet to your death. It’s now newly spruced up for modern browsers, and yet still feels as fresh as it did back in the days of Flash.

8-Bit Symphonoid

This brick breaker contains multiple levels of retro. The gameplay riffs off Arkanoid, itself an evolution of the ancient Breakout, which had you use a bat to smash bricks dotted about. These are set in patterns that themselves nod to other retro games.

As you play, your ears are serenaded by snippets from 8-Bit Symphony, albums that ambitiously recreate classic game music for a modern-day orchestra.

A tasty retro treat, then, albeit with a sting in its tail when you quickly discover how many of the ‘bonus’ capsules do horrible things to your bat or ball rather than powering them up. But then the rock-hard difficulty level feels perfectly retro too.

A Dark Room

Coming from the same developer as Gridland (also in this list) and supplying a similar ‘thrive ‘n’ survive’ challenge, A Dark Room nevertheless takes a very different tack. It’s a text- and menu-driven adventure in which you build up and maintain a successful community in a harsh wilderness.

Logistics and supply management are as important as surviving animal attacks, and the adventure can be long and gruelling. Fortunately, you can save progress in your browser and continue at a later date.

Almost Pong

You remember Pong? Two bats. One ball. Endless frustration when both players realised how inept they were at returning said ball. Well, this game is, as its moniker suggests, ‘almost’ Pong. Instead of two players, there’s you alone. And rather than controlling the bat, you control the ball.

Space (or tap) makes the minimalist protagonist jump a bit. Over time, the bats shrink and the game speeds up. It’s like the concept behind Flappy Bird was caught in the TARDIS’s wake and hurled back to 1972, right into Atari’s lap. It’ll also wallop your ego should you arrogantly think you can keep going indefinitely.

Alter Ego

Alter Ego isn’t pretty – visually or in terms of content. This browser-based remake of an ancient PC game deals with progress through everyday life. It’s as far from The Sims as you can imagine, too – instead of cute little idiots blundering about, you get stark icons and multiple-choice text.

But there’s depth, with a clever (if admittedly slightly conservative) script written by a psychologist, which offers branching progress that could lead you to a happy old age or abruptly dying as a toddler, having necked some bleach found under the sink.

Boulder Dash

This official online remake of a 1980s 8-bit classic finds Rockford digging through dirt, grabbing diamonds, and trying to avoid getting crushed by the titular boulders or blown up by explosive underground wildlife.

It looks crude, but the mix of puzzling and arcade action remains highly compelling. It’s not quite a one-to-one conversion – some cave speeds are off, for example, but it scratches a particular retro itch when you’ve a few minutes to spare, and are many miles away from a Commodore 64.

Candy Box 2

The beginning of Candy Box 2 is as minimal as can be. A candy counter ticks upwards, and you can eat all your candies, or lob some to the ground. But amass enough sugary treats and Candy Box 2 rapidly goes a bit weird.

What started out resembling a pointless clicker transforms into an oddball RPG. You ‘buy’ a status bar, and then some weapons, before scouring a village and beyond, embarking on epic quests where you get all stabby with an ASCII sword. Because that’s the final bit of bonkers: Candy Box 2 looks like it’s beamed in from a Commodore PET – and it’s glorious.

Car Boot Carnage

If you can’t get enough of the sheer panic of cramming things into the back of your car before heading off on holiday, seek help. But we have to say, the concept does make for an excellent game.

Car Boot Carnage is essentially tetrominos, albeit with a wider variety of pieces – several of which are essentials that have to go in before you slam the boot shut.

At first, it’s easy enough with you having to deal only with smallish items. But before long you’re faced with squeezing in tents, barbecues and even (presumably not terribly happy) dogs.

Cardhoard+

Quite possibly depicting an accurate portrayal of a worker’s plight in a gigantic warehouse, Cardhoard+ finds a summer jobber leaping about, applying packaging tape to gigantic cardboard boxes. Once taped, boxes can be stomped on, which explains the state they’re in when they show up at your door.

To keep your little worker ‘motivated’, boxes are occasionally replaced by cubes that emit deadly laser beams. And should a stack of boxes reach a line of doom, it disintegrates and is replaced by an indestructible penalty cube.

Combo Pool

Sort of what might happen if you knocked Threes! into pool, Combo Pool finds you firing coloured balls into a tiny arena. If two match, they merge and upgrade to the next colour, until you eventually knock together a pair of explosive pink balls.

The twist is you’ve an energy bar – keep smashing balls into the arena without combining them and your life quickly runs dry. One for wannabe trick shot masters, then, not least because rebounds considerably ramp up your score.

Cookie Clicker

It’s hard to know what to make of Cookie Clicker. On one hand, it’s essentially a Skinner box, rewarding players with nothing in particular in return for them clicking like crazy. But it also appears to be an amusing satire on the state of modern ‘idle’ gaming.

Initially, you click and you get a cookie. The more cookies you have, the more power-ups you can afford, including cursors that click on your behalf.

Eventually, you’re using time machines to bring cookies from the past, “before they were even eaten”, and converting raw light into cookies with giant prisms, to bring in millions of cookies per second. To what end? Stuff’s not sure, but currently has 509 billion cookies in a really big plastic box if you fancy one.

Drop Wizard Tower

This love letter to classic single-screen platform games like Bubble Bobble, Snow Bros. and Tumblepop finds a wizard darting about, aiming to knock out foes and send them reeling with a kick.

The snag is, this wizard can’t stop. So you direct his autorunning antics by prodding the left or right arrow key, carefully timing platform touchdowns, because that’s when he emits a magic blast. Bosses and a levelling up matrix further ensure you fall under this game’s spell.

Economical

A single-screen platformer where you leap about, avoid hazards and head for an exit? Even the ZX Spectrum could handle that. But wait, because Economical has a twist: you use clicks to plant handy boxes that help you reach stuff – or block deadly spikes.

The snag is that boxes cost money. Reach your goal having splashed out too much cash and the game laughs in your face. (Actually, it doesn’t, but you don’t get gold and silver ranking awards, thereby showing you’re in fact rubbish.)

Five Words

If you’re tiring of Wordle, Five Words gives you another spin on the daily word challenge. You drag out words on a five-by-five grid, end up with a load of dead ends, grumble a bit, reconfigure everything, and then feel like a genius on using every square. Until you see how long it took.

When you’re done, you needn’t go further afield either – tap or click the menu on the Foldapuz-Play website and it’ll give you access to another 11 puzzles. Just be careful they don’t take you all day, at which point you’ll be in a terrifying sleep/eat/Foldapuz loop with no end in site.

FreeCiv

If you’ve played any incarnation of Civilization, you’ll know what a time sink it is. This online turn-based strategy title, very heavily inspired by Sid Meier’s classic game, is therefore equal parts impressive, engaging, playable and terrifying.

As ever, you start out with an explorer and some workers, searching a map and dealing with other clans (by way of diplomacy or fisticuffs). Your ultimate aim: spreading yourself across the world – ideally via domination rather than in a more literal sense with your innards.

Game of Bombs

Game of Bombs transforms Bomberman into a massively multiplayer online retro arcade experience. The premise remains the same as ever: amble about, set bombs to take out walls and monsters, get away from the bombs so they don’t blow you to pieces, and collect whatever’s found in the retro carnage.

The difference here is in the giant maps, and being able to bomb (or team up with) people from all over the world. And remember: if in doubt, RUN AWAY!

Gods Will Be Watching

Expanded to a full game in 2014, Gods Will Be Watching’s browser incarnation is a stripped-back and decidedly bleak single-scene point-and-click survival tale. A team, on the brink of madness, is stranded, starving and cold. To make matters worse, the radio’s broken, which either means no contacting a rescue fleet or no BBC Radio 6 Music. Horrible either way. Your aim is to get everyone through 40 days, balancing all their needs (attention; sustenance; warmth; health) through your paltry amount of ‘daily’ moves.

Good Impression

This one simulates the sheer panic clean-up that occurs when your mother shows up unannounced, and your flat appears to have had an unfortunate incident involving garbage, laundry and high explosives.

Hopefully, your own abode isn’t quite as grim as this student hovel filled with unwashed pants and bits of pizza. Regardless, you’ve three minutes to get everything shipshape.

Don’t think you can just hide everything either – this game’s mum dishes out report cards for cleanliness, and won’t stand for cold pizza in the washing machine.

Gridland

Gridland resembles a typical match-three puzzler, but is really something else entirely. However, this only becomes clear after a few failed attempts to work through day (building structures with your earnings) and then battle evil horrors in the darkness as night falls.

To say more would spoil a great game, but there is one tip to bear in mind: if you too often die, change your approach. Day and night are very different beasts.

The Power of Minimalism: How Less Can Be More in Design

In a world filled with noise and distractions, minimalism offers a refreshing approach to design. It's a concept that advocates for simplicity and the removal of unnecessary elements, focusing on what truly matters. From web and graphic design to interior, fashion, and product design, minimalism has made its mark across various industries, showcasing the power of less is more.

Benefits of Minimalism

One of the key benefits of minimalism is clarity. By stripping away excess elements, designers can create clean and straightforward designs that are easy to understand and navigate. This clarity also extends to the message or purpose behind the design, allowing it to stand out and resonate with the audience.

Another advantage of minimalism is its ability to focus on essential elements. By prioritizing what truly matters, designers can create designs that are impactful and meaningful, without the need for unnecessary embellishments. This focus helps to create a stronger connection with the audience, as they are more likely to engage with a design that is clear and to the point.

Minimalism also enhances the user experience. By simplifying the design, designers can create a more intuitive and user-friendly experience that makes it easier for users to accomplish their goals. Whether it's navigating a website, understanding a message, or using a product, minimalism can improve the overall user experience by removing barriers and distractions.

Minimalism in Web Design

In web design, minimalism is characterized by clean and uncluttered layouts. This approach emphasizes the use of white space to create a sense of openness and elegance. Minimalist websites are known for their simplicity, often featuring limited color palettes, minimalist typography, and a focus on content over design elements.

Minimalism in Graphic Design

Graphic design often relies on visual elements to convey a message or evoke an emotion. Minimalism in graphic design involves simplifying these visual elements to their core, using negative space and minimalist principles to create impactful designs. Minimalist graphic design is known for its simplicity and effectiveness, often conveying a message or idea with just a few elements.

Minimalism in Interior Design

In interior design, minimalism is about creating functional and decluttered spaces that promote a sense of calm and tranquility. Minimalist interiors often feature neutral color palettes, simple furniture, and an emphasis on natural light and open spaces. The goal of minimalist interior design is to create a space that is both beautiful and functional, without the need for excess or unnecessary elements.

Minimalism in Fashion Design

In fashion design, minimalism is about creating simple and timeless clothing that transcends trends. Minimalist fashion often involves capsule wardrobes, which are collections of essential pieces that can be mixed and matched to create a variety of outfits. Minimalist fashion is also closely tied to sustainable fashion, as it encourages consumers to buy fewer, higher-quality pieces that will last longer.

Minimalism in Product Design

In product design, minimalism is about creating products that are functional, user-friendly, and aesthetically pleasing. Minimalist products often feature clean lines, simple shapes, and a focus on usability. By removing unnecessary features and focusing on what truly matters, designers can create products that are both beautiful and functional.

Challenges and Misconceptions

While minimalism offers many benefits, it also comes with its challenges. One common misconception about minimalism is that it lacks creativity. However, minimalism is not about limiting creativity, but rather about using it in a more focused and intentional way. By removing distractions and focusing on what truly matters, designers can actually enhance their creativity and create more impactful designs.

Another challenge of minimalism is achieving balance. It can be tempting to remove too much and end up with a design that feels empty or incomplete. Finding the right balance between simplicity and complexity is key to successful minimalism, and it often requires careful consideration and experimentation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, minimalism is a powerful design philosophy that emphasizes simplicity, clarity, and focus. From web and graphic design to interior, fashion, and product design, minimalism has proven to be a versatile and effective approach to design. By embracing minimalism, designers can create designs that are not only beautiful and functional but also meaningful and impactful.

Visit my Upwork profile for - UI/UX design, Web design & Mobile design

From Niche Needs to Brand Name Unleash Your Inner Alchemist with Private Label Express

The world of commerce is saturated with mass-produced products, leaving little room for niche needs and innovative ideas. But what if you could be your own potion master, concocting custom supplements that cater to specific customer desires? This is where Private Label Express swoops in, transforming you from an entrepreneur with a dream into a brand name with a loyal following.

Forget the limitations of pre-made supplements! Private Label Express empowers you to become a custom supplements manufacturer for your own brand. Imagine a world where you can create a collagen supplement specifically targeted towards athletes, or a sleep aid formulated with calming herbs native to your region. The possibilities are as boundless as your imagination. Private Label Express acts as your guide throughout the process, from sourcing high-quality ingredients to determining the most effective dosage and format (think beyond capsules – gummies and powders can be just as effective!).

But the magic of private label manufacturing extends far beyond the realm of supplements. Let's say you have a revolutionary new yoga mat design in mind, but lack the resources for mass production. Enter Private Label Express. They connect you with reliable manufacturers who can bring your vision to life, from selecting the perfect eco-friendly material to meticulously stitching on your brand logo. This allows you to launch a unique yoga brand without the prohibitive costs of traditional manufacturing.

The benefits of private label products are as potent as your custom formulas. First, you gain complete control over your brand identity and marketing strategy. No more battling for shelf space amongst generic products! With a custom supplement or a branded yoga mat line, you can craft a distinct message that resonates deeply with your target audience. Second, you unlock the potential for higher profit margins. By cutting out the middleman, you have more control over pricing and can potentially pocket a greater share of the revenue pie. Finally, private label manufacturing allows you to begin small and scale up as your brand takes flight. Private Label Express offers flexible minimum order quantities, making it an ideal partner for both established businesses and budding entrepreneurs.

Private Label Express takes the guesswork out of private label manufacturing. Their user-friendly platform connects you with a vast network of qualified manufacturers across various industries. Whether you dream of a Private Label Collagen line or a revolutionary yoga brand, their team of experts will guide you through every step, from product formulation to packaging design. So, ditch the limitations of the generic and embrace the power of customization. With Private Label Express as your partner, you can unleash your inner alchemist and build a brand that not only stands out, but thrives.

Savor the Flavor: Electric Coffee Grinder Magic Unleashed

In the world of coffee aficionados, the pursuit of the perfect cup is a never-ending journey. From selecting the finest beans to brewing methods, every detail matters. One tool that often takes center stage in this quest is the electric coffee grinder. Unleashing a world of flavors, aromas, and freshness, these magical devices have transformed the coffee experience for enthusiasts worldwide.

Grinding Bliss: The Heart of Coffee Craft

The Essence of Grinding

Coffee beans, in their raw form, are resilient little flavor capsules waiting to be unlocked. The process of grinding is where the alchemy begins. An electric coffee grinder, with its precision blades, is the key to breaking down these beans into the perfect grounds, ensuring an even extraction of flavors during brewing.

The Aromatics Unleashed

Picture this: the whirring sound of the grinder, the rich aroma filling the air as the beans transform into a coarseness tailored to your brewing method. This aromatic symphony is a prelude to the brewing masterpiece that awaits. Electric grinders excel in preserving the volatile compounds that give coffee its distinctive scent, ensuring every cup is a sensory delight.

The Electric Advantage

Precision at Your Fingertips

Electric coffee grinders have revolutionized the grinding game with their precision control. Adjustable settings allow users to tweak the grind size according to their brewing method, be it French press, pour-over, espresso, or drip. This level of customization ensures that your coffee is tailored to perfection, meeting the unique demands of your taste buds.

Time Efficiency

In the fast-paced world we live in, time is of the essence. Electric coffee grinders, with their powerful motors, can grind beans in a matter of seconds, saving precious minutes from your morning routine. Say goodbye to the manual labor of hand grinding and hello to efficiency without compromising on the quality of your brew.

Consistency Matters

Consistency is the hallmark of a great cup of coffee. Electric grinders, armed with advanced technology, ensure that each grind is uniform. This consistency is crucial for an even extraction during brewing, eliminating the risk of over-extraction or under-extraction that can plague manually ground coffee.

Choosing Your Electric Companion

Burr vs. Blade: The Grinder Showdown

When venturing into the realm of electric coffee grinders, the choice between burr and blade grinders is paramount.

Burr Grinders: Known for their precision, burr grinders crush coffee beans between two abrasive surfaces, producing a consistent grind size. This makes them ideal for espresso and other fine grind applications.

Blade Grinders: Utilizing a spinning blade to chop the beans, blade grinders are more budget-friendly. While they may lack the precision of burr grinders, they still offer a significant upgrade from pre-ground coffee.

Capacity Considerations

Your coffee habits should dictate the grinder's capacity you choose. If you brew a single cup at a time, a smaller grinder may suffice. However, for those who entertain or brew larger quantities, investing in a grinder with a higher capacity is a wise decision.

The Noise Factor

Electric grinders can be noisy, and the decibel level can vary between models. Consider the noise factor if you're an early riser or share living space with light sleepers. Some models are designed with quieter operation in mind, ensuring a peaceful morning ritual.

Maintaining the Magic: Care and Cleaning Tips

The Clean Grind Rule

To keep the magic alive, regular cleaning is essential. Coffee oils can build up over time, affecting the flavor of your brew. Fortunately, many electric grinders come with removable parts that make cleaning a breeze. A gentle brush and occasional deep cleaning will ensure your grinder continues to deliver flavor-packed results.

Bean Variety Maintenance

If you love experimenting with different coffee bean varieties, be mindful of residue transfer between grinds. Run a small amount of uncooked rice through your grinder to absorb lingering flavors and oils. This simple trick ensures each cup showcases the unique qualities of your chosen beans.

Calibration Check

Periodically check and recalibrate your grinder to maintain the desired grind size. This is especially important for burr grinders, as their precise nature can be affected over time. A quick calibration ensures your grinder continues to deliver the perfect grind for your chosen brewing method.

The Electric Revolution: Conclusion

As the aroma of freshly ground coffee permeates your kitchen, you'll appreciate the transformation that an electric coffee grinder brings to your daily ritual. From the precision of the grind to the efficiency of the process, these devices have earned their place in the hearts of coffee enthusiasts worldwide.

Whether you're a seasoned barista or a casual coffee lover, investing in an electric coffee grinder is a game-changer. Embrace the magic of customization, efficiency, and flavor perfection with this indispensable tool. As you savor the rich, aromatic results in your cup, you'll understand why the electric coffee grinder has become the cornerstone of the ultimate coffee experience.

Choosing The Right Nourishment Supplement For Your Wellness: Your Important Guide

With the wellness as well as health market growing, there's a great quantity of nourishment supplements on the marketplace, all including life-changing advantages. However as a buyer, exactly how do you sort through the sound and pick the correct supplements that absolutely advertise your well-being targets? This comprehensive quick guide will stroll you with the method, ensuring you create informed options that line up along with your health objectives.

Understand Your Health Objectives

The starting point for selecting any type of supplement like CarnoSyn is actually a crystal clear understanding of your wellness goals. Are you pursuing far better immune system assistance, enriched power amounts, or even enhanced psychological clearness? Different supplements provide to different requirements, and the most effective way to guarantee you experience the advantages is actually to know what you're aiming to attain. This action is critical in helping you shorten the large choice to items that address your particular locations of focus.

Recognize Your Health Gaps

Despite having a balanced diet regimen, many folks possess nutritional spaces that could possibly profit from supplements. Vitamin D, omega-3 fats, calcium, as well as magnesium mineral are only a few examples of nutrients that individuals often lack in their diets. Consulting with a medical care specialist may assist you pinpoint any insufficiencies and resource you to the appropriate supplements to link those spaces.

Quality Over Quantity

In the supplement world, high quality must always outdo amount. It is actually certainly not concerning the amount of capsules in a bottle but the volume of the energetic element that matters. Seek supplements like InstAminos produced along with bioavailable nutrients, meaning your physical body can take in and also utilize the substances effectively. Brand names that hold third-party accreditations, like NSF International or even USP Verified, show a commitment to quality and also can be actually depended deliver reputable items.

Evaluate Element Transparency

The absolute best supplements are actually crystal clear regarding their elements, dosages, and also any sort of extra fillers or even components. Pursue items that list their ingredients carefully, including the form of the nutrient (e.g., vitamin B12 as methylcobalamin), as well as stay clear of those with extreme chemicals, colorants, or unnecessary irritants. Clarity is key, and also you should manage to outline every material back to its own resource.

Think about the Form of the Supplement

The type of the supplement including CarnoSyn may influence just how the physical body absorbs it. For example, liquefied supplements which are actually pre-dissolved may have greater bioavailability matched up to tablets as well as tablets that require to become malfunctioned. Some people may likewise discover powder or chewable forms even more hassle-free and also flavorsome. Choose a kind that suits your way of life as well as choices while still making certain effectiveness.

Sustainability and Ethical Sourcing

Sustainability is actually a necessary consideration, with both your health and wellness and also the planet in mind. Look for providers that make use of sustainably sourced components as well as green packing. Furthermore, search for supplements like CarnoSyn that are actually certainly not examined on animals as well as help ethical labor practices.

Closing Thoughts

In deciding on nutrients supplements, it is actually necessary to move toward the decision along with a mixture of sagacity and also an open mind. Through knowing your health goals, recognizing your nutritional voids, prioritizing premium and also substance openness, and looking at sustainability, you can choose that positively impact your well-being quest.

Constantly always remember to get in touch with a health care specialist prior to creating substantial improvements to your supplement routine, especially if you possess rooting health conditions or even are actually taking various other medications. With the appropriate technique, supplements can match your diet as well as way of living, providing to a more healthy, extra vibrant you.

Session With Rachel

Simon J. types in a password on a keyboard, and blinks into a capsule inside of a larger capsule, specifically one of many teleporters on a space colony orbiting the ice giant known as "Mint". As the noise ceased and the doors opened outward, Simon begins walking through the sterile hallways and stairwells of the capsule, deliberately taking the long way to the room he wants, reveling in the excitement for today's plans.

The pathways are utilitarian in design, with basic white colors and a general lack of flair in construction, the only features being the occasional screen and windows showing Mint's blue-green curvature against star-dotted darkness. It was hard to believe that Rachel, one of the most interesting people Simon knew (aside from the cyborg and the psychic alien), lived here by choice. Eventually, he finally reached the door Rachel messaged him about, and knocks on the white door.

The white slab of metal slides into its crevice, revealing the most jarring room possible. Contrasting the bright lights and barren walls of the hallway is a borderline parodic show of Blood-Drinker Culture: Dark-red walls, empty candle holders modeled after the ancient "Victorian Era", and emptied blood bags in a trash can next to a slightly messy bed. What really catches Simon's eyes is a leathery briefcase resting on a shelf, a thought that gets interrupted by a lively voice on his right:

"Ready for thralldom?"

Her pale skin and artificial fangs are heavy contrasts against the dark walls, to the point where Simon is wondering how he didn't notice her just by looking through the door. Rachel runs towards the leather briefcase on the shelf, and stumbles back towards Simon, apparently forgetting how heavy the briefcase was until she picked it up. She confidently reveals the contents of the case to him.

"What do you think?"

Rachel's briefcase is filled with what Simon calls "Tools": Metronomes, pocket watches, and other things that make his head fuzzy, all with a vampiric edge. Wanting to properly immerse himself in the "Vampire's Thrall" scenario, he picks out a bright red candle, and Rachel places it in a slightly over-designed holder. Simon sits in front of the candle, legs crossed, and Rachel lights it, immediately trying not to coo as his eyelids instantly begin dropping.

She slowly sits down on Simon's left, and the session begins.

-----------

The next twenty minutes go like a dream, in that it is kind of hazy and weird things suddenly make sense. Objectively speaking, Simon is watching a candlestick melt while Rachel calmly tells him stuff. But in Simon's trance, it feels a lot different.

Rachel is a vampire, but only the barest definition of one. She has the fangs, she drinks blood, and she prefers darkness, but that's where the qualifiers end (No immortality, bat transformation, sun weakness, and her vampirism itself is the result of a modified digestive system). She still loves playing up her hemoglobin cravings as a form of paranormal role-play, and when Simon asked her for a vampire-themed hypnosis session, she was genuinely elated. Also, he's letting her drink a bit of his blood after he wakes up. If she wasn't already on board, that would've done it.

And so Rachel, in the calmest voice she can, describes a scenario for Simon to picture in his head, that she is a bona-fide vampire queen looking for new servants to carry out her work in the daytime, while spending the night being cute and docile, occasionally giving phrases of encouragement so that Simon still feels comfortable. Even as she describes the imaginary process of turning a human into a thrall for a creature of the night, she makes sure this hypothetical procedure isn't overly spooky or fetishistic.

It just isn't his style.

Eventually, the time limit they decided on is reached, and with it comes Simon's personal favorite part of hypnosis: Awakening. Rachel isn't exactly sure why, and she doesn't want to be told why. She wants to (eventually) learn firsthand. Nonetheless, Rachel gently brings him back to reality and begins counting, watching her previously slumped-over subject slowly become upright. When she finally says "Ten', Simon clumsily hugs her, still somewhat out of it from the previous twenty minutes.

-----------

"You sure you don't still think you're my brainwashed servant?"

"…No, pretty sure. If I did, I still have plenty of stuff for unwanted suggestions."

They are now outside of the room, looking at the planet Mint through a window in the corridor. Simon lightly rubs the bandage on his left arm, having delivered his promise to Rachel. After another few minutes of staring at the ice giant, Simon smiles towards her and says:

"You did great."

And he begins walking back to the teleporters.

Hubble's Latest Masterpiece - A Cosmic Watercolor of a Chaotic Dwarf Galaxy

Located a mere 7 million lightyears away, Hubble has captured an abstract watercolor-like portrait of a dwarf galaxy nicknamed “UGC 685”.

While larger galaxies often form orderly rotating discs, dwarfs like UGC 685 have a more carefree structure that provides astronomers a valuable window into galactic evolution. Lacking the gravity of their super-sized cousins, dwarfs are slower to transform, making them cosmic time capsules.

UGC 685’s chaotic beauty spotlights Hubble’s uncanny imaging capabilities. For over 30 years, Hubble’s razor-sharp eye has revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos by unveiling the marvels of deep space. Hubble’s latest masterpiece reinforces its legacy as an indispensable tool for decoding the mysteries of our ever-changing universe.

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6 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) On Christmas Day in 1968, the three-man Apollo 8 crew of Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders found a surprise in their food locker: a specially packed Christmas dinner wrapped in foil and decorated with red and green ribbons. Something as simple as a “home-cooked meal,” or as close as NASA could get for a spaceflight at the time, greatly improved the crew’s morale and appetite. More importantly, the meal marked a turning point in space food history. The prime crew of the Apollo 8 lunar orbit mission pose for a portrait next to the Apollo Mission Simulator at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Left to right, they are James A. Lovell Jr., command module pilot; William A. Anders, lunar module pilot; and Frank Borman, commander.NASA On their way to the Moon, the Apollo 8 crew was not very hungry. Food scientist Malcolm Smith later documented just how little the crew ate. Borman ate the least of the three, eating only 881 calories on day two, which concerned flight surgeon Chuck Berry. Most of the food, Borman later explained, was “unappetizing.” The crew ate few of the compressed, bite-sized items, and when they rehydrated their meals, the food took on the flavor of their wrappings instead of the actual food in the container. “If that doesn’t sound like a rousing endorsement, it isn’t,” he told viewers watching the Apollo 8 crew in space ahead of their surprise meal. As Anders demonstrated to the television audience how the astronauts prepared a meal and ate in space, Borman announced his wish, that folks back on Earth would “have better Christmas dinners” than the one the flight crew would be consuming that day.1 If that doesn’t sound like a rousing endorsement, it isn’t. Frank Borman Apollo 8 Astronaut Over the 1960s, there were many complaints about the food from astronauts and others working at the Manned Spacecraft Center (now NASA’s Johnson Space Center). After evaluating the food that the Apollo 8 crew would be consuming onboard their upcoming flight, Apollo 9 astronaut Jim McDivitt penciled a note to the food lab about his in-flight preferences. Using the back of the Apollo 8 crew menu, he directed them to decrease the number of compressed bite-sized items “to a bare minimum” and to include more meat and potato items. “I get awfully hungry,” he wrote, “and I’m afraid I’m going to starve to death on that menu.”2 In 1969, Rita Rapp, a physiologist who led the Apollo Food System team, asked Donald Arabian, head of the Mission Evaluation Room, to evaluate a four-day food supply used for the Apollo missions. Arabian identified himself as someone who “would eat almost anything. … you might say [I am] somewhat of a human garbage can.” But even he found the food lacked the flavor, aroma, appearance, texture, and taste he was accustomed to. At the end of his four-day assessment he concluded that “the pleasures of eating were lost to the point where interest in eating was essentially curtailed.”3 Food used on the Gemini-Titan IV flight. Packages include beef sandwich cubes, strawberry cereal cubes, dehydrated peaches, and dehydrated beef and gravy. A water gun on the Gemini spacecraft is used to reconstitute the dehydrated food and scissors are used to open the packaging.NASA Apollo 8 commander Frank Borman concurred with Arabian’s assessment of the Apollo food. The one item Borman enjoyed? It was the contents of the Christmas meal wrapped in ribbons: turkey and gravy. The Christmas dinner was so delicious that the crew contacted Houston to inform them of their good fortune. “It appears that we did a great injustice to the food people,” Lovell told capsule communicator (CAPCOM) Mike Collins. “Just after our TV show, Santa Claus brought us a TV dinner each; it was delicious. Turkey and gravy, cranberry sauce, grape punch; [it was] outstanding.” In response, Collins expressed delight in hearing the good news but shared that the flight control team was not as lucky. Instead, they were “eating cold coffee and baloney sandwiches.”4 The Apollo 8 Christmas menu included dehydrated grape drink, cranberry-applesauce, and coffee, as well as a wetpack containing turkey and gravy.U.S. Natick Soldier Systems Center Photographic Collection The Apollo 8 meal was a “breakthrough.” Until that mission, the food choices for Apollo crews were limited to freeze dried foods that required water to be added before they could be consumed, and ready-to-eat compressed foods formed into cubes. Most space food was highly processed. On this mission NASA introduced the “wetpack”: a thermostabilized package of turkey and gravy that retained its normal water content and could be eaten with a spoon. Astronauts had consumed thermostabilized pureed food on the Project Mercury missions in the early 1960s, but never chunks of meat like turkey. For the Project Gemini and Apollo 7 spaceflights, astronauts used their fingers to pop bite-sized cubes of food into their mouths and zero-G feeder tubes to consume rehydrated food. The inclusion of the wetpack for the Apollo 8 crew was years in the making. The U.S. Army Natick Labs in Massachusetts developed the packaging, and the U.S. Air Force conducted numerous parabolic flights to test eating from the package with a spoon.5 Smith called the meal a real “morale booster.” He noted several reasons for its appeal: the new packaging allowed the astronauts to see and smell the turkey and gravy; the meat’s texture and flavor were not altered by adding water from the spacecraft or the rehydration process; and finally, the crew did not have to go through the process of adding water, kneading the package, and then waiting to consume their meal. Smith concluded that the Christmas dinner demonstrated “the importance of the methods of presentation and serving of food.” Eating from a spoon instead of the zero-G feeder improved the inflight feeding experience, mimicking the way people eat on Earth: using utensils, not squirting pureed food out of a pouch into their mouths. Using a spoon also simplified eating and meal preparation. NASA added more wetpacks onboard Apollo 9, and the crew experimented eating other foods, including a rehydrated meal item, with the spoon.6 Malcolm Smith demonstrates eating space food.NASA Food was one of the few creature comforts the crew had on the Apollo 8 flight, and this meal demonstrated the psychological importance of being able to smell, taste, and see the turkey prior to consuming their meal, something that was lacking in the first four days of the flight. Seeing appetizing food triggers hunger and encourages eating. In other words, if food looks and smells good, then it must taste good. Little things like this improvement to the Apollo Food System made a huge difference to the crews who simply wanted some of the same eating experiences in orbit and on the Moon that they enjoyed on Earth. Footnotes [1] Apollo 8 Mission Commentary, Dec. 25, 1968, p. 543, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/mission_trans/AS08_PAO.PDF; Apollo 8 Technical Debriefing, Jan. 2, 1969, 078-15, Apollo Series, University of Houston-Clear Lake, Houston, Texas (hereafter UHCL); Malcolm C. Smith to Director of Medical Research and Operations, “Nutrient consumption on Apollo VII and VIII,” Jan. 13, 1969, Rita Rapp Papers, Box 1, UHCL. [2] Jim McDivitt food evaluation form, n.d., Box 17, Rapp Papers, UHCL.    [3] Donald Arabian to Rapp, “Evaluation of four-day food supply,” May 8, 1969, Box 17, Rapp Papers, UHCL. [4] Apollo 8 Mission Commentary, Dec. 25, 1968, p. 545. [5] Malcolm Smith, “The Apollo Food Program,” in Aerospace Food Technology, NASA SP-202 (Washington, DC: 1970), pp. 5–8; Whirlpool Corporation, “Space Food Systems: Mercury through Apollo,” Dec. 1970, Box 9, Rapp Papers, UHCL. [6] Smith, “The Apollo Food Program,” pp. 7–8; Smith to the Record, “Christmas Dinner for Apollo VIII,” Jan. 10, 1969, Box 1, Rapp Papers, UHCL; Smith et al, “Apollo Food Technology,” in Biomedical Results of Apollo, NASA SP-368 (Washington, DC: NASA, 1975), p. 456. About the AuthorJennifer Ross-NazzalNASA Human Spaceflight HistorianJennifer Ross-Nazzal is the NASA Human Spaceflight Historian. She is the author of Winning the West for Women: The Life of Suffragist Emma Smith DeVoe and Making Space for Women: Stories from Trailblazing Women of NASA's Johnson Space Center. Share Details Last Updated Dec 21, 2023 EditorMichele Ostovar Related TermsNASA HistoryApollo 8Frank BormanHumans in Space Explore More 12 min read Space Station 20th: Food on ISS Article 3 years ago 4 min read Apollo 8: Christmas at the Moon Article 4 years ago 4 min read To the Moon and Back: Apollo 8 and the Future of Lunar Exploration Article 5 years ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA NASA History Humans In Space The Apollo Program Johnson Space Center History