Environmental science merit badge requirement 5

Environmental Science

2010.12.14 02:51 IgnoranceIsADisease Environmental Science

2024.05.17 01:09 Eastern_Composer_663 School List

Hi guys, could someone please give me some feedback on my school list, especially if a school is not OS-friendly or if it is too much of a reach with my stats? I was born and raised in WA state, but I'm technically a CA resident now. Thank you in advance for your suggestions!!
My stats: 3.92 GPA, 512 MCAT; no gap years
Activities: 2000 hours research (2 presentations at conference, 1 poster, 1 manuscript in preparation), 300ish clinical (hospital volunteer and intern at a dermatology clinic), 100 hours non-clinical volunteer (tutoring kids), 2000 non-clinical job in real estate (just paid for my tuition and living expenses) + other small activities and awards
*I'm also applying to DO, but I didn't include those schools !
MD School list:

UC Davis (I've heard this one wants ppl from Nor-cal?)
UC Riverside (same bias as UC Davis?)
UCLA
UCI
University of Washington (born here + parents live here)
Washington State University (born here + parents live here)
UCSD
Oregon Health and Sciences (says they require 3.7/513+ MCAT so should I bother?)
University of Nevada, Reno
Howard University COM
Marshall University SOM
Morehouse SOM
Central Michigan
Wright State
Albany
UNLV
University of Toledo COM
West Virginia
Medical College of Wisconsin
University of South Carolina SOM Greenville
Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah
Pennsylvania State University COM
Florida International University Herbert Wertheim COM
Jacobs SOM and Biomedical Sciences at University of Buffalo (highkey OS bias?)
University of Arizona COM
University of Minnesota Medical School
Oakland University William Beaumont SOM
Loyola
Drexel COM
George Washington University SOM
Geisinger Commonwealth SOM
Temple
Tulane
Wake Forest
University of Vermont
Rosalind Franklin
Rank H. Netter MD SOM at Quinnipaic University
University of Maryland SOM
California University of Science and Medicine
Tufts
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Kaiser (lol for fun, I know avg MCAT is 517)
Michigan State

submitted by Eastern_Composer_663 to premed [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 00:50 Old_Combination_6239 This may help you to explain what's Hi-Res music to your CD friends

The following article may help you to explain what's Hi-Res music to your CD freinds as some of them may be mis-led into believe that "Hi-Res is useless" from information they got on the internet (especially from "audio science" discussion forums)

source: "768kHz for digital music sampling? Can you hear 384kHz? You're crazy... "(no-pseudo-science.blogspot.com)

Do I want to hear up to 384kHz? LOL... of course not 😂 768kHz sampling is for something else...

Hi-Res Audio DAC

The number one mis-understanding of why using Hi-Res music is:

"why we need to to hear frequencies that fall in the ultrasonic range (i.e. higher than 22kHz for most people)???"

If you asked similar question or answered someone's question like below, then you are pretty much belong to a group of people who don't know what's Hi-Res music is.

Hi-Res music is, in fact, to help your DAC to reconstruct better audio output for the audible range (yes, it is for the frequencies BELOW 22kHz with 768kHz sampling)...

(It is a real dialogue as I just saw it today in an Audio Science forum)

Someone asked:

Many DACs descriptions enhance in capital letters 32/768 kHz resolution. Is there any domain when such a resolution may be justified?

Other (more experienced member) replied:

Can you think of a circumstance where you'd even want a dynamic range of over 190dB and/or a frequency response up to 384kHz?

Apparently the Gray Moth can hear up to about 300kHz (gotta get away from those bats with that pesky echolocation thing), so there is that to consider if you want to record those sounds, but otherwise it doesn't seem to be useful for listening to music.

Sorry, I would like to help to debunk these misleading information on the spot in the discussion but I couldn't as I was stopped from replying that thread. I could only help here.

The wrong answer shown above is the number one mis-leading answer in an attempt to kill Hi-Res music (especially for the people who asked such question have limited knowledge about digital music / signal sampling).... I hope that guy won't really take the wrong answer from a supposed-to-be objective audio science based web site as a fact without checking more by himself.

Ok, then you may ask "then what Hi-Res do for us?" It is simple, let's see what it does first:

1. Over-sampling (ie. sample the original music signal more frequently within a second

2. More bits for bit-depth (i.e. 24 or even 32 instead of 16 bit)What are the benefits?

Over sampling helps to reconstruct final better audio signal from a DAC

1. Oversampling does help to reconstruct better audio signal as it improves anti-aliasing performance, increase resolution, and reduce noise.

2. In terms of sampling frequency, "Hi-Res" music (anything higher than 44k) is an example of oversampling (as in theory, only 44kHz is required). It happens during the ADC process. From point 1 above, it would help to regenerate better audio signal, hence, better music.

3. In terms of bit depth, "Hi-Res" music use more than 16 bit. It helps to reduce Quantization#Noise) error. it would help to regenerate better audio signal, hence, better music.

4. The purpose for using "Hi-Res" input is not for its ability to reconstruct signal outside the audible range. It is just a by-product. Yes, based on sampling theory, we can use 768k sampling to reconstruct signal with frequencies up to 384k but again, this is not what we needed.

5. Hi-Res industry used the by-product I mentioned in point 4 above as a marketing material when they initially pushed for SACD. It caused people who knows about the audible frequency range to consider Hi-Res music as snake oil (but it is not snake oil for other reasons stated above)

I don't want to go too deep about all the benefits here as it is extremely technical. If you really want to know. Let me know, see if I can help further.

(updated 29 April 2024, I saw this on facebook: Hi-Res Audio Hi Res: Why higher sample rates sound better and what you can do about it Facebook )

p.s.: Sigh... looks like one more guy (who asked the question above) was somehow convinced by the misleading info....

=========== Follow up ===========

update 28 Apri 2024:

that person was eventually banned for that thread as he was rising some concerns with his critical thinking. As stated in my other blog, "psueduo science hates critical thinking"; they cannot co-exist.

submitted by Old_Combination_6239 to Music [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 00:25 Messi0605 Trying to understand the "next step in my life" and thinking it involves joining the military

So, after working at a lawfirm for 3 years after undergrad. I am now jobless and have been out of a job for 5 months. I am not being accepted at other law firms or other jobs with my 3 years of experience whether that is an entry level job or a job that requires experience. So after weighing my options, I think I have come to the conclusion, that joining the military is kinda the best thing I could do in my situation ( I have talked to my many friends who are in the military, all in either army, officer in the USAF, juniors enlistments, and marines). I have a bachelors degree in Political science and had the intentions of joining law school but did not have money so I worked 2 years part-time and 1 year full-time at a law firm. So the best thing I could come up with is 2 things. The 1st being study for the LSAT and see what I can get into and think about doing ROTC while being in Law school with the hopes of getting in JAG. The problem I see with this is that I wouldn't be starting my "career" until out of law school then JAG, at like 28 (I am 24, M) and earning a steady income. The 2nd option I could think of is just trying to go straight to OTS and go 4 years active(no idea what job). This would mean that I come out of the military roughly at 28. I would like advice whether that be military perspective, life, things I haven't thought about, things to consider, etc. Thank you, trying to adult is an interesting endevor.

submitted by Messi0605 to AirForceRecruits [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 00:22 laughingbaozi My Review of JetBrains' Academy (HyperSkill)

Hey all- I just wanted to share my review of the HyperSkill browser-based learning platform for any of those that are looking for resources to help them learn or study programming.
I've used resources such as codecademy, youtube, udemy, open source coursework, freecodecamp, datacamp, graduate-level computer science courses, etc etc etc etc- and I always appreciate user-written reviews on Reddit, so I wanted to share mine. Hyperskill is the best software I've found thus far to learn to code. Hopefully this review helps.
Pros:
-A solid variety of career and skill tracks to choose from, everything from Python, to Data Science, to Java, to JavaScript, etc etc.
-Certificates actually feel like you earned them. Hyperskill requires that you complete a project of a certain difficulty (from their selection of projects), as well as a certain amount of coursework, before you're able to have the certificate issued. Having the project component makes you feel like you've actually put the coursework into practice.
-Projects can actually include multiple frameworks/technologies. For example, many of the Java projects require you to use the Spring Boot framework. This helps you learn to use relevant technologies along with the main language you're learning, since in the real world you will hardly ever use one language as a standalone technology.
-Coursework is divided into bite-sized pieces, each topic takes anywhere from 6 to 20 minutes to complete. I would set a daily goal for myself (such as completing 4 topics), and pace myself that way.
-HyperSkill syncs to your IDE, so that when you have a coding assignment to complete, it will open automatically in your IDE. Once you complete coding in the IDE, you click "check," and it will sync with your HyperSkill tab in your browser to mark it as complete. I haven't yet seen any sort of coding academy with this feature.
-There is a section that prompts you to review 4-5 previously learned topics to keep them fresh in your memory, as well as a "problem of the day". These are simple features, but they keep everything fresh in your memory with minimal effort.
Cons:
-The projects are divided into stages, you complete stage 1, then study more coursework before completing stage 2, etc. Occasionally, the test cases that need to be met for you to pass a stage are too strict and waste unnecessary time. For example, if your output matches the required output for a project stage, but has 22 lines instead of the 21 lines expected, you will not pass the stage.
-Sometimes the IDE sync feature is problematic. If you're using the PyCharm IDE while completing a Data Analysis track in HyperSkill, and then change your track to Java and need to use the IntelliJ IDE, it's confusing to switch the linked IDE from PyCharm to IntelliJ and will take several attempts.
-You earn "gems" for completing the problem of the day, project stages, and other coursework, but these gems are essentially useless and at best give you 10% off of one month of your subscription.
Projects:
Here are a few examples of projects I've created during my time using HyperSkill. Projects range from beginner level, to medium, to hard, and then challenging.
Budget Manager: https://github.com/dimicodes/Budget-Manager-Pro
Coffee Machine Simulator: https://github.com/dimicodes/Coffee-Machine-Simulator
Cinema Room Manager: https://github.com/dimicodes/Cinema-Room-Manager
"Bulls and Cows" Game: https://github.com/dimicodes/Bulls-and-Cows-Game
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I would highly recommend Hyperskill and would rate it an 8.5/10. There are definitely improvements that can be made, but when compared to similar softwares/companies, the value offered is worth it.
If you're interested in subscribing, feel free to use my referral code so that we both receive a $15 discount on one month:
https://hyperskill.org/join/3b5b7c569

submitted by laughingbaozi to learnjavascript [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 00:22 laughingbaozi My Review of JetBrains' Academy (HyperSkill)

submitted by laughingbaozi to learnpython [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 00:15 laughingbaozi My Review of JetBrains' Academy (HyperSkill) Java Program

submitted by laughingbaozi to learnjava [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 00:10 laughingbaozi My Review of JetBrains' Academy (HyperSkill)

submitted by laughingbaozi to learnprogramming [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 00:03 LuciusNoir Just watched the Good Trouble Show with Ross, regarding the latest Lue's admissions. Made a summary using the new GPT 4.o. Is it fair and impartial? (Not an ad. Read the statement before judging, please.)

This is not an ad, nor a piece to sway you to use AI LLMs (fancy abbreviation for Large Language Models) to do your reading for you...
I'd like you to view this post as a portal to what's coming. More and more people will use the tools in question to summarise lenghty and complex topics to ease their daily struggles. Not everyone has the time to follow the subject thoroughly, on a daily, or even a weekly basis.
Personally, after following "The Subject" for quite a while, and being quite impartial myself, I've ran into the mentioned episode of the GTS...I'm a readewatcher myself, and been playing with AIs recently.
Made me wonder: is current tech, especially LLMs like 4o, capable of being unbiased and as close to the available material as possible? Are there any lines in the sand for those? Any limitations? Forced replies, maybe? Controlled speech?...
I'll leave that up to you to decide in the comments.
Please let me know if you'd like me to run more of these tests, as this is important for future users of this tech, imo. It's coming sooner than we all think and it's paramount that we all keep up with it. Sounds ominous to some extent, but that's the truth.
Btw, 4o advised me to revise this post's format for more karma...bloody thing 😆 Worst part is that it's most probably true 😋 Didn't do it, thought. It's all me. For now, at least...
If you've red so far, here's the conversation I've had. I've used the new voice recognition and reply functionality, so it was an organic experience to me. No edits were made afterwards, except for below transcript. I have an OCD...
It's quite lengthy, though.
"Reddit UFOs Summary
16 May 2024
OP: Could you go online and make a summary of the most interesting posts on Reddit, particularly subreddit UFOs from the past 24 hours?
ChatGPT: It seems I'm unable to access the Reddit pages directly. However, you can easily check the latest posts on the UFOs subreddit by visiting UFOs. This subreddit typically features user-submitted content including videos, photos, personal sightings, and discussions about recent UFO news and theories.
OP: What seems to be the issue for you accessing Reddit?
ChatGPT: The issue likely stems from the browsing tool's current limitations in accessing and interacting with certain sites, including Reddit. This can be due to various reasons, such as changes in the website's structure or access restrictions.
For real-time browsing and detailed subreddit content, visiting the UFOs subreddit directly will provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date posts.
OP: With access to YouTube, can you summarize YouTube videos?
ChatGPT: Yes, I can summarize YouTube videos. Please provide the link to the video you want summarized, and I'll give you an overview of its content.
OP: Try to access the Good Troubles Show regarding Lou Elizondo and summarize it for me.
Searched 5 sources
ChatGPT: The Good Trouble Show, hosted by Matt Ford, recently featured Lou Elizondo, a former director of the Pentagon's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), known for his insights into UFOs and UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena). Here are some key points from the show and related content:
Insight into UAPs:
Lou Elizondo provided a detailed Q&A session discussing the nature of UAPs, the challenges in identifying them, and their potential implications for national security. He emphasized the importance of understanding the advanced technologies that UAPs might represent and the need for continued investigation and transparency in this area (YouTube).
Collaboration with Experts:
In another segment, Elizondo had a conversation with NASA astronaut Terry Virts. They discussed their experiences and perspectives on UAP sightings, particularly focusing on incidents involving military personnel and the potential scientific explanations for these phenomena (YouTube).
Public and Governmental Reactions:
The show also explored the broader reactions to the increasing reports of UAP sightings, including the responses from the public, media, and government agencies. Elizondo highlighted the evolving perception of UAPs, moving from fringe interest to a topic of serious governmental and scientific inquiry. For a comprehensive understanding, you can watch the full episodes of The Good Trouble Show here and explore more content on their official YouTube channel here (YouTube) (YouTube).
OP: Thank you. Good job.
ChatGPT: You're welcome! If you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.
OP: One more thing you could do for me on the web is to check the name Ross Coldheart. He's an Australian journalist. I would like to know specifically if he's a credible person based on his work. Can you run that for me?
Searched 5 sources
ChatGPT: Ross Coulthart is a highly credible and well-respected Australian investigative journalist with over three decades of experience. He has won multiple prestigious awards, including five Walkley Awards, which are the highest honors in Australian journalism, as well as the Gold Walkley. His investigative work spans various media outlets, including the Sydney Morning Herald, ABC TV's Four Corners, Nine Network's Sunday program, and 60 Minutes. Coulthart's journalism has uncovered significant stories, such as the Butcher of Bega medical scandal and the complicity in violence in East Timor, both of which earned him international acclaim (Wikipedia) (ICIJ) (Ross Coulthart).
Coulthart has also authored several best-selling books, such as "Dead Man Running" and "In Plain Sight," which delve into organized crime and UFO phenomena respectively. His rigorous investigative approach and compelling storytelling have established him as a reliable and influential figure in journalism (Coast to Coast AM).
OP: Could you elaborate more on the book you wrote, the one called In Plain Sight? Could you give me a summary of that book, or some sort of an insight to it?
Searched 2 sources
ChatGPT: Ross Coulthart's book, "In Plain Sight: An Investigation into UFOs and Impossible Science," delves into the phenomenon of UFOs, or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs). The book examines the history and recent developments surrounding UFO sightings, including admissions by the US Department of Defense acknowledging the reality and potential threat of these phenomena. Coulthart investigates by interviewing various experts, witnesses, and officials, uncovering information that suggests possible technological advancements and cultural implications. The book challenges the traditional dismissal of UFOs as mere conspiracy theories and calls for serious inquiry into the subject (In Plain Sight Book).
OP: Give me a couple of quotes from the book that are the most significant ones.
ChatGPT: Here are two significant quotes from Ross Coulthart's "In Plain Sight":
"I believe in evidence. I believe in observation, measurement, and reasoning, confirmed by independent observers. I’ll believe anything, no matter how wild and ridiculous, if there is evidence for it. The wilder and more ridiculous something is, however, the firmer and more solid the evidence will have to be."
"In 2020, however, after decades of denial, the US Department of Defense made the astonishing admission that strange aerial and underwater objects frequently reported and videoed by pilots and tracked by sensors are real, unexplained, and pose a genuine national security concern."
These quotes highlight Coulthart's commitment to evidence-based investigation and underscore the gravity of the recent official admissions regarding UAPs (In Plain Sight Book) .
OP: Would you say that the first quote, I believe in evidence, and so on, would be a paraphrasing of Carl Sagan, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence?
ChatGPT: Yes, the quote from Ross Coulthart does indeed reflect a similar sentiment to Carl Sagan's famous assertion that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." Both emphasize the importance of rigorous evidence and independent verification, especially when dealing with unusual or extraordinary claims. This alignment with Sagan's principle underscores Coulthart's commitment to a scientific and skeptical approach to the investigation of UFOs and other phenomena.
OP: What are your thoughts on the recent UAP-UFO congressional hearings and all the evidence that has come to light, including the recent Lou Elizondo's claims that there's been threats to his well-being or his family's well-being? What do you think about that?
ChatGPT: The recent UAP-UFO congressional hearings and the increasing transparency from military and government officials mark a significant shift in how these phenomena are addressed. Here's a summary of key points and my perspective on them:
Congressional Hearings and Government Admissions Increased Transparency:
The U.S. government's decision to hold public hearings on UAPs and to admit that these phenomena are real and pose potential national security concerns represents a major change in policy. This shift suggests a growing recognition of the need for serious scientific and security-oriented investigations.
Credible Witnesses:
The hearings have included testimonies from credible witnesses, such as military pilots and intelligence officials, who have observed or analyzed UAPs. Their accounts provide valuable firsthand information and lend credibility to the phenomena being more than just myths or misidentifications.
Lou Elizondo's Claims Threats to Well-Being:
Lou Elizondo, a key figure in bringing UAP issues to public attention, has claimed that there have been threats to his and his family's well-being. If true, these threats could indicate attempts to silence or discredit individuals who push for transparency. This raises concerns about the potential implications for whistleblowers and the culture within military and intelligence communities.
Significance of His Role:
As a former director of the Pentagon's AATIP, Elizondo's insights and experiences are invaluable. His claims suggest that there may be deeper layers of information and potentially classified details that have not yet been disclosed to the public.
Personal Perspective Scientific Inquiry:
The move towards greater transparency and scientific inquiry is crucial. Investigating UAPs with a rigorous, evidence-based approach will help differentiate between natural phenomena, advanced technology from other nations, and genuinely unexplained incidents.
Cultural Shift:
The hearings and increased openness reflect a cultural shift in how we approach unknown phenomena. Moving away from ridicule and towards serious investigation can foster a more informed and rational public discourse.
Security and Ethics:
The claims of threats to individuals advocating for transparency are troubling and highlight the need for protections for whistleblowers. Ensuring their safety is essential for maintaining the integrity of the investigation and encouraging others to come forward with credible information.
In conclusion, the recent developments in UAP investigations, including congressional hearings and testimonies from credible witnesses, signify a positive step towards understanding these phenomena. However, the alleged threats to individuals like Lou Elizondo indicate the complexities and potential resistance within certain circles, underscoring the need for ongoing support and protection for those involved in bringing these issues to light.
OP: Could you draw some parallels between this particular topic and the Watergate scandal?
ChatGPT: Drawing parallels between the current UAP-UFO investigations and the Watergate scandal can help highlight the dynamics of governmental transparency, accountability, and the role of whistleblowers. Here are some key similarities and differences:
Similarities
Government Secrecy and Lack of Transparency:
Watergate:
The Watergate scandal involved a series of illegal activities orchestrated by the Nixon administration, including the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and subsequent cover-up efforts. The administration's secrecy and lack of transparency were central issues.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
For decades, the U.S. government maintained secrecy regarding UAPs, often dismissing or downplaying their significance. Recent admissions and hearings suggest a move towards greater transparency, but past secrecy still looms large.
Role of Whistleblowers:
Watergate:
The scandal unraveled largely due to the efforts of whistleblowers like Mark Felt (Deep Throat), who provided critical information to journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
Figures like Lou Elizondo and other insiders have played a similar role, coming forward with information about UAPs and pushing for transparency. Their disclosures have been instrumental in bringing the issue into the public and governmental spotlight.
Media Involvement:
Watergate:
The investigative journalism by The Washington Post was crucial in exposing the scandal, demonstrating the power of the media in holding the government accountable.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
Media coverage has been significant in the UAP-UFO discourse, with outlets like The New York Times publishing detailed reports on the Pentagon's investigations and whistleblowers' claims. Documentaries and news programs have also played a key role in informing the public. Public and Congressional Scrutiny:
Watergate:
The scandal led to extensive congressional hearings and investigations, ultimately resulting in President Nixon's resignation.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
Congressional hearings on UAPs have been conducted to understand the phenomena better and assess their implications for national security. This scrutiny is a step towards greater governmental accountability.
Differences
Nature of the Issues:
Watergate:
Involved clear illegal activities, including burglary, wiretapping, and obstruction of justice, committed by government officials.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
Focus on understanding unidentified phenomena and potential national security threats. The issue is less about illegal activities and more about the need for transparency and scientific investigation.
Immediate Impact:
Watergate:
Had immediate and direct political consequences, including legal actions and the resignation of a sitting president.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
The impact is more gradual, involving shifts in public perception, policy changes, and potentially new scientific discoveries. The immediate political consequences are less direct.
Public Perception and Stigma:
Watergate:
Initially met with disbelief but quickly gained credibility as evidence mounted.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
Long associated with stigma and ridicule, making it harder for the topic to gain serious consideration. Recent shifts in official stance are beginning to change this.
Conclusion
Both the Watergate scandal and the UAP-UFO investigations underscore the importance of transparency, the crucial role of whistleblowers, and the impact of media and public scrutiny in holding governments accountable. While the contexts and nature of the issues differ, the underlying themes of secrecy, the quest for truth, and the demand for governmental accountability resonate in both cases. The evolution of the UAP-UFO investigations may continue to parallel Watergate in promoting greater transparency and accountability, potentially leading to significant changes in public policy and perception."
Original link below. ttyshttps://chat.openai.com/share/443f509c-fd2f-4608-b94b-36b0992fd446

submitted by LuciusNoir to UFOs [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 23:57 danieldeubank IBC Quarterly Report ending March 31, 2024 has been released

https://mailchi.mp/ibcadvancedalloys/ibc-advanced-alloys-reports-record-quarterly-profits?e=05db7e6675
Company Sets Several Financial Performance Records as it Releases its Financial Results for the Quarter Ended March 31, 2024**_________________________** Highlights of the Quarter and Trailing 12 Months (Unless otherwise noted, all financial amounts in this news release are expressed in U.S. dollars.)IBCCompanyTSX-V: IB; OTCQB: IAALF¹ ¹ CONSOLIDATED RESULTSCOPPER ALLOYS DIVISIONENGINEERED MATERIALS DIVISIONMD&A sedarplus.ca https://ibcadvancedalloys.com/investors-centeINVESTOR WEBCAST SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY 20, 2024 https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81738838656?pwd=ZO9lyUWDbFp5GMmFwaHDGhXuEkAKgP.1NON-IFRS MEASURESOPERATING INCOME (LOSS) ADJUSTED EBITDA go here"Mark A. Smith”** [1] IBC reports non-IFRS measures such as “Adjusted EBITDA,” “Operating Income,” and "Free Cash Flow." Please see information on this and other non-IFRS measures in the "Non-IFRS Measures" section of this news release and in IBC’s MD&A, available on sedarplus.ca# # #IBC Advanced Alloys’ Reports Record Quarterly Profits FRANKLIN, Ind. (May 16, 2023) – IBC Advanced Alloys Corp. (“ ” or the “ ”) ( ) announces its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. IBC recorded its highest ever quarterly net income in the quarter of $1.36 million, or $0.01 per share, on sales of $10.2 million. Both net income and sales revenue set new quarterly records for the Company. Consolidated sales of $34.3 million on a TTM basis and sales of $27.0 million in the nine-month period ended March 31, 2024 also were the highest ever recorded. Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA rose to $2.5 million, a Q/Q increase of 325%, while YTD Adjusted EBITDA rose to $4.5 million. Consolidated operating income of $2.1 million was 24.4% higher Q/Q and flipped to a positive $3.2 million YOY. Net income for the nine months ended March 31, 2024 was $1.14 million ($0.01 per share) on sales of $27.0 million compared to a loss of $2.92 million ($0.03 per share) on sales of $21.2 million in the comparative period, representing a marked turnaround. This record performance was driven largely by increased sales and stronger gross margin performance in IBC’s Copper Alloys division, coupled with higher sales revenue from the Engineered Materials division of beryllium-aluminum products used in defense markets, and the recovery of an onerous contracts provision booked in the prior year. The Copper Alloys division also achieved near-record quarterly sales of $6.6 million, eclipsed only by sales of $7.1 million in the preceding quarter. A portion of the division’s sales over the preceding two quarters was driven by the completion of two special non-recurring projects. “The IBC team worked tirelessly to achieve some fantastic numbers and historic gains in the third fiscal quarter, which continued the strong sales and gross margin performance of the previous quarter," said Mark A. Smith, Chairman and CEO of IBC. “I like the momentum that we are generating, particularly with the leading performance of our Copper Alloys division. While market conditions have triggered closure of our Engineered Materials division sometime this summer, that team is striving to generate substantially to IBC’s bottom line as Engineered Materials completes contracts on hand.” IBC expects to incur a charge to operations in respect of its April decision to close the Engineered Materials division and is negotiating with suppliers and the building landlord to minimize such costs. Sales increased for the quarter and nine-month period ended March 31, 2024, mostly due to increased demand from customers in the defense and power generation sectors. Gross profit was positively impacted by improved material yield but negatively impacted by higher subcontract costs. Sales increased for the quarter and nine-month period ended March 31, 2024, largely due to more favorable prices for the division’s products in the commercial and defense markets. Full results can be seen in the Company’s financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis (“ ”), available at and on the Company’s website at . IBC will host a live investor webcast on Monday, May 20, 2024 at 11 a.m. Eastern featuring Mark A. Smith, CEO and Board Chairman, and Toni Wendel, Chief Financial Officer. They will discuss the Company's financial results for the quarter and nine-month periods ended March 31, 2024. Participants can join the webcast by going here at the scheduled start time: To call into a listen-only phone line to the webcast, please the toll numbers listed here: • +1 719 359 4580 US • +1 253 205 0468 US To supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with IFRS, IBC uses “operating income (loss)” and “Adjusted EBITDA”, which are non-IFRS financial measures. IBC believes that operating income (loss) helps identify underlying trends in the business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain income or expenses that the Company includes in loss for the period, and provides useful information about core operating results, enhances the overall understanding of past performance and future prospects, and allows for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by management in financial and operational decision-making. The Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA is a useful indicator for cash flow generated by the business that is independent of IBC’s capital structure. Operating income (loss) and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to loss for the period or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of our operating performance. Operating income (loss) and Adjusted EBITDA presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to IBC’s data. Operating income (loss) represents income or loss for the quarter, and year-to-date, excluding foreign exchange loss, interest expense, interest income, other income (expense) and income taxes that the Company does not believe are reflective of its core operating performance during the periods presented. A reconciliation of the quarter and year-to-date loss to operating income (loss) follows: Adjusted EBITDA represents the Company’s income (loss) for the period, and year-to-date, before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, and share-based compensation. A reconciliation of the quarter and year-to-date loss to Adjusted EBITDA follows: For more information on IBC and its innovative alloy products, . On Behalf of the Board of Directors: Mark A. Smith, CEO & Chairman of the Board Net income of $1.36 million, or $0.01 per share, in the quarter on sales of $10.2 million – a new quarterly record. Sales of $34.3 million on a trailing 12-month (“TTM”) basis and sales of $27.0 million in the nine-month period ended March 31, 2024, also were the highest ever recorded. Copper Alloys division sales of $6.6 million were higher by 11.9% quarter over quarter ("Q/Q"), and Engineered Materials division sales were higher by 97.5% Q/Q. On a TTM basis, Copper Alloys sales of $24 million set a record for a 12-month period for the division. Consolidated adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (“Adjusted EBITDA”)^\1]) rose to $2.5 million, a Q/Q increase of 325%. Year-to-date Adjusted EBITDA rose to $4.5 million. Consolidated operating income of $2.1 million was 24.4% higher Q/Q and flipped to a positive $3.2 million year-over-year (“YOY”). Company to host live investor webinar to discuss results on Monday, May 20, 2024 at 11 AM EDT. SELECTED RESULTS: Consolidated Operations ($000s) Quarter Ended 3-31-2024 Quarter Ended 3-31-2023 Nine Months Ended3-31-2024 Nine Months Ended 3-31-2023 Revenue $10,241 $7,755 $26,958 $21,178 Operating income (loss) $2,105 $83 $3,243 $(1,138) Adjusted EBITDA $2,486 $585 $4,507 $315 Income (loss) for the period $1,361 $(509) $1,139 $(2,919) SELECTED RESULTS: Copper Alloys Division ($000s) Quarter Ended 3-31-2024 Quarter Ended 3-31-2023 Nine Months Ended 3-31-2024 Nine Months Ended 3-31-2023 Revenue $6,627 $5,925 $18,614 $16,035 Operating income (loss) $1,293 $1,290 $2,766 $2,231 Adjusted EBITDA $1,436 $1,426 $3,205 $2,645 Income (loss) for the period $915 $980 $1,680 $1,669 SELECTED RESULTS: Engineered Materials Division ($000s) Quarter Ended3-31-2024 Quarter Ended 3-31-2023 Nine Months Ended 3-31-2024 Nine Months Ended 3-31-2023 Revenue $3,614 $1,830 $8,344 $5,143 Operating income (loss) $1,230 $(855) $1,618 $(2,793) Adjusted EBITDA $1,417 $(613) $2,232 $(1,976) Income (loss) for the period $1,018 $(1,004) $1,101 $(3,046) Quarter ended March 31 2024 2023 ($000s) ($000s) Income (loss) for the period 1,361 (509) Foreign exchange (gain) loss 6 (13) Interest expense 710 629 Loss on disposal of assets 29 - (Gain) loss on revaluation of derivative - (11) Other income (4) (16) Income tax expense (recovery) 3 3 Operating income 2,105 83 Nine months ended March 31 2024 2023 ($000s) ($000s) Income (loss) for the period 1,139 (2,919) Foreign exchange (gain) loss 7 (5) Interest expense 2,130 1,862 Loss on disposal of assets 29 - (Gain) loss on revaluation of derivative 1 (70) Other income (70) (12) Income tax expense (recovery) 7 6 Operating income (loss) 3,243 (1,138) Quarter ended March 31 2024 2023 ($000s) ($000s) Income (loss) for the period 1,361 (509) Income tax expense (recovery) 3 3 Interest expense 710 629 (Gain) loss on revaluation of derivative - (11) Depreciation & amortization 374 413 Stock-based compensation expense (non-cash) 38 60 Adjusted EBITDA 2,486 585 Nine months ended March 31 2024 2023 ($000s) ($000s) Income (loss) for the period 1,139 (2,919) Income tax expense (recovery) 7 6 Interest expense 2,130 1,862 (Gain) loss on revaluation of derivative 1 (70) Depreciation & amortization 1,120 1,233 Stock-based compensation expense (non-cash) 110 203 Adjusted EBITDA 4,507 315 Contact: Mark A. Smith, CEO and Board Chairman Jim Sims, Director of Investor and Public Relations IBC Advanced Alloys Corp. +1 (303) 503-6203 Email: [jim.sims@ibcadvancedalloys.com](mailto:jim.sims@ibcadvancedalloys.com) Website: www.ibcadvancedalloys.com u/IBCAdvanced $IB $IAALF #copper ABOUT IBC ADVANCED ALLOYS CORP. IBC is a leading advanced copper alloys manufacturer serving a variety of industries such as defense, aerospace, automotive, telecommunications, precision manufacturing, and others. At its vertically integrated production facility in Franklin, Indiana, IBC manufactures and distributes a variety of copper alloys as castings and forgings, including beryllium copper, chrome copper, and aluminum bronze. The Company's common shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "IB" and the OTCQB under the symbol "IAALF". Cautionary Statements Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information contained in this news release may be forward-looking information or forward-looking statements as defined under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are often, but not always identified by the use of words such as "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "foresee", "could", "estimate", "goal", "intend", "plan", "seek", "will", "may" and "should" and similar expressions or words suggesting future outcomes. This news release includes forward-looking information and statements pertaining to, among other things, the Company’s expectation of further growth in revenue and market demand, and the ability of the Copper Alloy division to increase its production capacity, reduce unit costs of production, expand its product portfolio and expand into new markets, the closure of the Engineered Materials division and the expected charge to operations in connection therewith, and the completion of existing contracts by the Engineered Materials division. Forward-looking statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the Company's control including: the risk that the Company may not be able to make sufficient payments to retire its debt, the impact of general economic conditions in the areas in which the Company or its customers operate, including the semiconductor manufacturing and oil and gas industries, risks associated with manufacturing activities, changes in laws and regulations including the adoption of new environmental laws and regulations and changes in how they are interpreted and enforced, increased competition, the lack of availability of qualified personnel or management, limited availability of raw materials, fluctuations in commodity prices, foreign exchange or interest rates, stock market volatility and obtaining required approvals of regulatory authorities. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the Company's future results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. All statements included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on assumptions made by the Company based on its experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Please see “Risks Factors” in our Annual Information Form available under the Company’s profile at www.sedarplus.ca, for information on the risks and uncertainties associated with our business. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information and statements, which speak only as of the date made. The forward-looking information and statements contained in this release represent our expectations as of the date of this release. We disclaim any intention or obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities laws. Copyright © 2024 IBC Advanced Alloys, All rights reserved.

submitted by danieldeubank to IBC_Advanced_Alloys [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 23:33 Interesting-Ad2932 App Review for 2025 Cycle

I’m trying to refine my school list to maximize my chances of getting in. I’m applying to all the Florida schools, particularly interested in UMiami. I'm wondering which oos schools I should apply to. I don’t need to go a top 20 med school, I just want to go to a med school :) State of Residence: Florida
Undergraduate: Top 10 school, Molecular and Cell Biology major + Environmental Science minor
Cumulative GPA: 3.56
Science GPA: 3.50
MCAT: 511
URM: Hispanic, female, low-income, first-generation medical student
Research:
~1270 hours over 3 years
Worked on my own molecular biology project and presented a poster on it
Clinical Experience:
CNA for a over a year- 250 hours
Worked in the surgical supply unit at a Top 5 US hospital- 104 hours
Shadowing:
154 hours across 4 different specialties (cardiology, gastroenterology, dermatology, pediatric infectious diseases)
Volunteer:
NICU (clinical) - 84 hours
Sorting and packing medical supplies to send to other countries (clinical)- 31 hours
Tutoring disadvantaged adults on speaking, reading, and writing in English (nonclinical) - 78 hours
Extracurriculars:
Sports Club President- ~300 hours
Sorority: Philanthropy focuses on women’s cardiac health, held a board position- 564 hours
Sports lessons- 80 hours
Playing guitar as a hobby- 192 hours

submitted by Interesting-Ad2932 to premed [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 22:56 UofTComputerEngineer My thoughts (and tips) on every course I took so far (UofT Computer Engineering)

I've recently completed my third year of computer engineering at UofT, and I wanted to share my thoughts on the courses I've taken. I hope this will be beneficial to incoming first, second, and third-year engineering students. My area of depth is 6 (Software) and my areas of breadth are 4 (Control) and 5 (Computer hardware/networks).
Difficulty: How hard it was to comprehend course material and/or complete practice problems accurately. Keep in mind that difficulty is subjective but I tried to eliminate personal bias and be as objective as possible.
Workload: The amount of work to complete outside of lectures (labs, assignments, homework, studying for tests/exams).
All engineers take the exact same courses in their first year first semester and similar ones in second semester. I took these courses in 2021 during covid so some information might be outdated.
First Year Semester 1:
APS100 Orientation to Engineering:
Difficulty: 1/10 Workload: 3/10 Course Average: N/A
There is no technical material in this course. All coursework consists of Ethics analysis, creating a schedule for time management, creating your resume, and discussion board participation. During tutorials, the TA typically asks behavioral questions to the class and covers slides pertaining to engineering principles, the learning environment, test readiness, and related topics.
APS110 Engineering Chemistry and Materials Science
Difficulty: 6/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: B
This course blends elements of chemistry, physics, and mathematics, requiring lots of formulas and memorization. The assignments and online quizzes were moderately difficult. Not sure if he’s still teaching but Scott Ramsay was a really good professor. Really enjoyed watching his video demonstrations.
APS111 Engineering Strategies and Practices I
Difficulty: 3/10 Workload: 6/10 (Variable) Course Average: B
Students are organized into groups of 5-6 and are assigned the task of developing a solution for a client, following the engineering design process. Success in this course heavily relies on your team. Throughout the semester, there are several milestones where you need to submit large reports with your team, making it crucial to have capable teammates. Many teams resorted to last-minute cramming the night before each milestone (not a good idea). Additionally, there are two peer reviews, so make sure you contribute to avoid being perceived as an unproductive member. In most cases, you don’t need to worry about this though. You’d likely all be good friends by that point (and give each other a perfect review).
CIV100 Mechanics
Difficulty: 9/10 Workload: 9/10 Course Average: C+
The consensus among most students in my year was that this was the toughest first year course. It's incredibly calculation heavy, with questions that may appear straightforward in theory but require multiple steps to solve. Even a minor error can screw up your entire calculation process. The assignments are extremely time-consuming, and the quizzes pose significant challenges. I suggest you work in a group for the assignments. Furthermore, both the final exam and midterm were exceptionally difficult.
MAT186 Calculus I
Difficulty: 4/10 Workload: 4/10 Course Average: B
If you’ve taken IB or AP this course will be a breeze. Even without that background, it's still relatively straightforward. Very little on integrals, mostly derivatives, rates of change, and graphs. PCEs and WebWorks were trivial, and the midterm and exam were easy.
MAT188 Linear Algebra
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: B-
The majority of the course revolves around relatively straightforward operations on matrices and vectors. However, it does introduce abstract concepts like higher-order dimensions, which may require some deeper thinking to fully grasp. Webwork assignments were slightly more challenging compared to MAT186's, and completing assignments took a while. Once again, you should work with a partner or as a group. Pay attention in the MATLAB practicals because you’ll be using MATLAB pretty often in future courses.
First Year Semester 2:
APS105 Computer Fundamentals
Difficulty: 6/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: B-
If you’ve taken programming in high school, you will likely find this course very easy (2/10 difficulty). The course covers simple programming syntax, along with basic sorting algorithms, without delving into more advanced concepts beyond linked lists and binary trees. I think that this was one of the more enjoyable courses of first year.
APS112 Engineering Strategies and Practices II
Difficulty: 5/10 Workload: 7/10 (Variable) Course Average: B+
This course is essentially a continuation of APS111, but with the added component of being assigned an actual client with a real-world problem statement. Each group works with a unique client, and at the end of the term, you present your final report directly to them, along with your supervisors. As with APS111, the quality of your team plays a crucial role in your success. Another thing to note is that unlike APS111, there were multiple individual assignments to complete on top of your team reports.
ECE110 Electrical Fundamentals
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 6/10 Course Average: C+
Definitely one of the harder first year courses. This course marks your introduction to circuits. Topics covered include capacitors, Ampere's law, Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's laws, AC/DC circuits, magnetism, Thevenin and Norton equivalents, and more. The material is extensive and requires thorough understanding, as many future courses will build upon its concepts. Make sure that you understand the content well, given its foundational importance in subsequent courses.
ECE191 Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering
Difficulty: 0/10 Workload: 1/10 Course Average: N/A
Seminar course. You just need to show up to the lectures (one per week) and submit a 100-ish word report about what you learned.
MAT187 Calculus II
Difficulty: 6/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: C+
The workload in this course is comparable to Calc I, but the content is more challenging (obviously). It delves deeper into integrals and introduces concepts like ordinary differential equations and polar coordinates. But again, you’ll manage just fine if you did decently in Calc 1, and especially if you’ve taken AP math or IB HL math.
MIE100 Dynamics
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload 4/10 Course Average: C+
I personally found this to be the most challenging course in first year, but it seems that most people disagree with me. It shares similarities with CIV100, but you’re instead dealing with dynamic systems (moving) rather than static ones (not moving). Some concepts may prove difficult to grasp initially. However, if you focus on memorizing the relevant formulas and understanding when to apply them, you should be okay. Expect an emphasis on physics in this course.
Second year was the worst (for ECE) and a very big step up from first year. If you struggled in first year, you better lock in for second year.
Second Year Semester 1:
ECE201 ECE Seminar Course
Difficulty: 0/10 Workload: 0/10 Course Average: N/A
Another seminar course, except you just need to attend 7/10 lectures to pass. Most students just scan their Tcard at the entrance then leave right after. The lectures are pretty useless except the Magellan one where they show you how to choose courses for 3rd and 4th year.
ECE212 Circuit Analysis
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 8/10 Course Average: B+
This course provides a deeper exploration of circuits, extending beyond circuit solving to include frequency and sinusoidal analysis. Questions tend to be long so careless errors will cost you. Personally, I found the labs challenging, particularly because they required working with oscilloscopes at a higher level than I was used to, and I could not for the life of me figure out how to use that thing.
ECE241 Digital Systems
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 8/10 Course Average: B-
This hardware course focuses on the foundation of hardware. A lot of the content is at the fundamental level so it’s not too hard to comprehend. However, the main challenge lies in learning Verilog, a hardware description language. I hate Verilog. All the labs are done using Verilog, and frustratingly, the course provides no instruction on the language, nor are there many helpful resources available online. This lack of guidance made what should have been straightforward labs much more difficult. Thankfully if you are in CE, you’ll never need to take another course with Verilog again. The midterm was easy but the final was borderline impossible.
ECE244 Programming Fundamentals
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: B-
This course is the sequel to APS105, delving into more advanced concepts like pointers, constructors, polymorphism, and inheritance. Many of these topics may feel familiar if you have prior programming experience, particularly from high school. Consequently, if you're already proficient in programming, as many computer engineering students are, you should be able to navigate through this course well. The labs were generally manageable, although a couple of them were time-consuming.
MAT290 Advanced Engineering Mathematics
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload 8/10 Course Average: B
In this course, you’ll learn a lot of miscellaneous mathematical concepts that will be relevant in future courses. The goal is to establish a strong foundation to facilitate understanding in third and fourth-year courses. There is also a quiz every week. They were terrible from a time management standpoint, but as long as you spent 3-4 hours per week completing the assigned textbook questions, you should be alright since one (out of two) of the questions on the quiz is guaranteed to be an assigned textbook question (at least, that was the case when I took the course).
MAT291 Calculus III
Difficulty: 9/10 Workload 9/10 Course Average: B-
The entire workload comes from studying for those damn weekly quizzes, much like MAT290. Personally, I found it to be one of the most difficult courses I've ever taken. Think of calculus 2, but now everything is in three dimensions, encompassing concepts like surface integrals, flux integrals, and more. Additionally, the course introduces abstract topics that I still struggle to grasp. Balancing the demands of this course alongside everything else was an incredibly stressful experience.
Second Year Semester 2:
ECE216 Signals and Systems
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload:7/10 Course Average: C+
I think everyone hated this course. It was so poorly taught and the midterms felt haphazard and unpredictable. I relied on the power of BS to pass (worked surprisingly). Other than working with many graphs and MATLAB, I don’t remember much about this course because it was so uninteresting.
ECE221 Electric and Magnetic Fields
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: C+
This course serves as an introduction to fields, while also expanding on the principles covered in ECE110. Many concepts build upon intuitive ideas, such as the repulsion of identical charges and attraction of opposite charges, which can make seemingly complex topics less intimidating. There are also many procedures that you need to know to solve specific types of questions. The labs are generally straightforward. You just need to follow the steps on the lab worksheet and answer a few simple questions from the TA.
ECE231 Intro to Electronics
Difficulty: 9/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: C+
This course is basically circuit analysis but significantly harder. It combines everything you've learned about circuits thus far, introducing new topics on top of that foundation. There are so many new concepts to learn and the final pretty much tests you on all of them. I’ve encountered multiple scenarios where I saw two concepts that I thought were completely separate from each other being integrated into a single question on an exam. Also very calculation heavy. Despite my experience in this course, I must admit Khoman Fang was a great professor.
ECE243 Computer Organization
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 6/10 Course Average: B
This course is a direct continuation of ECE241, and surprisingly, I found it a lot more enjoyable than its prerequisite. The focus is on Assembly language programming, which I found to be way more understandable compared to Verilog. Assembly operates at a fundamental level, so you’re technically working with the most basic building blocks in programming. The labs often involved seemingly simple tasks like counting to 10 on a HEX display, but the nature of Assembly meant that achieving this could require hundreds of lines of code. I appreciated these labs as they provided a refreshing change from the usual programming tasks. Final and midterm exams were relatively easy.
ECE297 Software communication and design
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 9/10 (Variable) Course Average: B+
Despite the demanding workload, this course was one of my favorites. The main project involved collaborating in teams of three to develop a geographical information system (similar to Google Maps). Unlike other courses where teams are assigned, here you have the freedom to choose your own teammates. Starting off, your team is given only the OpenStreetMap database, and the APIs, granting you complete control over your project's design, functionality, and optimization. Performance enhancement and pathfinding algorithms were key components of the project. It's crucial for all team members to contribute effectively for success in this course; And trust me, this is not a one or two person project. To succeed in this course, all three members must be doing their share.
Third Year:
They say that third year is the easiest year for ECE, but that depends on what courses you choose. For me, it was only slightly easier than second year but still significantly harder than first year.
APS360 Fundamentals of Deep Learning
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload : 8/10 Course Average: B+
This course felt fundamentally very different compared to the other programming related courses. If you’re unfamiliar with deep learning, the content can be overwhelming but the inner workings behind AI are both fascinating and challenging to grasp. Fortunately, much of the coding in the course revolves around preparing data, setting up AI architectures, and training/testing models, rather than building an AI from scratch. While the labs are manageable, the final project can be very time consuming, particularly as training a single model can require hours or even days. Regarding this aspect, make sure you start early. Both the midterm and final exams were quite difficult.
ECE302 Probability and Applications
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 3/10 Course Average: B-
The first half of this course is very straightforward. Just an introduction to probability. The second half is where the difficulty quickly ramps up. Make sure you don’t underestimate the second half of the course. I made the mistake of assuming the material was easy after performing well on both midterms (midterms were very easy), leading me to neglect the final third of the course so I flunked the final. FYI, our marks were determined solely by the 2 midterms and the final.
ECE344 Operating Systems
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 10/10 Course Average: B
This course had the most difficult and demanding labs I’ve ever seen in my life. They are due every two weeks and some of them took most students more than 15 hours to complete. I’ve seen people staying up all night in the GB computer rooms to finish these labs. One positive aspect of the course if Jon Eyolfson is your professor, is that all lectures are both recorded and live-streamed, allowing attendance in person, online synchronously, or asynchronously. But if you have Ding Yuan, good luck. I heard he is not only bad at teaching, but also makes you program an operating system from scratch. The course content is quite interesting and the Midterm and final exams were fair.
ECE345 Algorithms and Data Structures
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: B+
If you're one of those programming geniuses who have been doing Leetcode since like 3 years old, you’d have likely already learned all course content before you’ve even started the course. You could probably write midterm and final exams without attending any lectures. However, if you're not as experienced, attending every lecture, taking detailed notes, and staying focused is crucial. Personally speaking, some algorithms were incredibly difficult for me to grasp, while others were simple. Assignments typically include both coding and long-answer components, which can be time-consuming, but you can work with a partner.
TEP444 Positive Psychology for Engineers
Difficulty: 1/10 Workload: 3/10 Course Average: A-
This course overall was very enjoyable and a nice refreshing experience from the other technical courses. You go on excursions to various locations with your group and write reports. It's an excellent opportunity to expand your social circle and make new friends. If you aim for an A- grade (80-85), you can breeze through with minimal effort. However, achieving a higher grade (A or A+) would require significantly more work (like 5 times more, no joke), which is not worth the extra effort in my opinion.
CSC343 Introduction to Databases
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 10/10 Course Average: Unreleased
The content of this course is actually pretty interesting and is taught well. But the assignments were excessively time consuming. There are only three in total, but each one demanded such a significant investment of time to the point where I contemplated dropping the course altogether. You do work with a partner (going solo isn’t even an option if you want to complete the assignments) but even so, be prepared to invest 15-30 hours per person, per assignment (they also mark hard). Despite the workload, I do recommend taking this course because knowing SQL can substantially benefit you in the future. Just start the assignments early. On a positive note, the midterm and final were relatively straightforward.
ECE311 Introduction to Control Systems
Difficulty: 10/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: C+
This course didn't come with a heavy workload, consisting only of three labs and two midterms. However, I found the content to be very challenging. It felt like they condensed and combined every concept from every engineering math and physics course into one. Topics ranged from circuits and dynamics to Laplace transforms, matrices, Bode plots, and more. It didn’t help that Prof Scardovi didn’t record any lectures, has messy handwriting, and uses a damn chalkboard instead of modern technology like other profs do. The midterms and final were somewhat lenient compared to the lectures, but this course still ended up being my lowest mark.
ECE361 Computer networks I
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 9/10 Course Average: B
This course requires a lot of memorization compared to other courses. You’ll have to understand calculation processes but also memorize a lot of general knowledge about networks. A problem with this course is that some concepts that show up in tests are not adequately explained in lectures. By far the best way to study is to do past exams. Professor Valaee often recycles questions, sometimes even directly copying past midterms and finals (like he did in my cohort). Unlike other courses, there is no big assignment/lab for this course, but it makes up for it with quantity. There’s a quiz every week, a wireshark lab every 2 weeks, a programming lab every 2 weeks, and a midterm. The programming labs are already difficult by themselves, but this cumulative workload felt very overwhelming.
ECE472 Engineering Economics and Entrepreneurship
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: B+
This is straight up an economics course, no engineering at all. You’ll learn about investments, equity, financing, and related areas. There are 4 quizzes throughout the semester, with quiz 3 (quiz 3 specifically) being by far the hardest (average in the 50s). Since you're able to bring your textbook to the quizzes and exam, my biggest tip is to write past quiz and exam solutions in your textbook, as there's a limited pool of questions, and new questions often resemble some kind of variation of past ones.
ECE421 Introduction to Machine Learning
Difficulty: 9/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: unreleased
While the course content itself may be challenging, surprisingly, the midterm and final exams were pretty easy. There's a slight discorrelation between the lecture material and what appears on the exams, but relying on past exams for preparation should be enough. The course leans heavily on mathematical concepts, much more so than APS360. The assignments were difficult and tedious but I recommend you work with others to complete it.
With that, I've covered my thoughts and tips for all the engineering courses I've completed. Transitioning into your next year in engineering, particularly if you’re transitioning from high school, can feel daunting. However, remember that you're not alone in this experience – many of your peers are facing similar challenges. If you need any more advice or have questions, feel free to reach out to me via DMs!

submitted by UofTComputerEngineer to UofT [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 22:51 Express_Height_13 Thoughts on re-applying to Dental School

Hi there, I'm wondering if I should even apply to dental school. I've taken the DAT twice but haven't improved my score, I'm feeling really discouraged because I committed months to study and got below a 17. My stats are pretty average all around I have a 3.5 GPA and I've shadowed and volunteered around 200 hours. Last cycle I applied to a few schools with lower DAT averages and was rejected from all of them. For those of you who were losing hope or had very low DAT scores, what do you suggest? I don't see myself improving my score in the next few months. But also the thought of waiting another year makes me reconsider applying at all. I don't want to finish school when I'm in my mid-30s. Did anyone find success in applying to schools that don't require the DAT like McGill? Or should I be aiming for some of the newer schools being built this year that are most likely to take on students such as myself?
Here is a more detailed list of my stats:
GPA: 3.5
Science GPA: 3.28
DAT: >17
Major: Neuroscience
I consider myself to be a minority.
I've shadowed five dentists ( 3 general, 1 Periodontist, and 1 Oral Surgeon) for a total of 187 hours. I was the president of two clubs at my university and was a general member of three more. I volunteered at various fundraising events and food kitchens, for a total of 202 hours. For employment, I worked at a hospital during my gap year but I've also done serving, tutoring, and a retail job. I did research for 3 years in college and received 5 LOR for my application.

submitted by Express_Height_13 to predental [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 22:50 ShouldProbGoSleep Could my birth control or iron supplement be the cause of my hives?

As required: 31F, 5'3, white, hives, other med issues: heartburn, insomnia, adhd, current meds: adderall xr, trazodone, prevacid, micro-magic-psilocybin, flonase, haloette birth control (nuva ring), 200 mg EZFe, vitamin C, yes drink, no smoke, no rec drugs (except the micro-dosing stated above)
Hello! I also emailed my PCP, but posting here in case I can get some insight sooner. If these hives are caused by my birth control or iron, I would like to stop the culprit asap.
I've been getting hives on my arms and legs for about the past week. I've never had them before. I had a virtual dr's appt and they told me to take zyrtec, pepcid (has antihistamine?), benadryl as needed at night, and aloe/cetaphil anti-itch cream -- I've done those things since Sunday night. They said to do that for a week and if the hives come back to see primary care. I'm reaching out sooner than a week because i'm still getting some hives even with all of that.
No identifiable environmental triggers, no change in detergent, lotions, etc.
I'm wondering if either my birth control (haloette) or iron supplement (200 mg EZFe) could be causing this. These are the only "new" things in my life that I can think of. Timeline of those and the hives:
1.) Recently restarted my birth control after taking several months break from it, and I've never used this brand of nuva ring (halloette?) before. I inserted that on May 10th at 1AM, and my first hives appeared May 10th at noon (11 hours later). (note: the virtual appt dr. said this is unlikely to be the cause since I have used brand name nuva ring in the past without issues)
2.) I've been taking a new prescription iron supplement (200 mg EZFe) plus OTC vitamin C since May 6th. I haven't taken an iron supplement before. My first hives were May 10th at noon (3 days later). (note: virtual dr. appt didn't say this was unlikely to be the cause, but the delay in the reaction time seemed to make her doubt it)
No identifiable environmental triggers, no change in detergent, lotions, etc.
TIA!

submitted by ShouldProbGoSleep to AskDocs [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 22:30 aznpersuazion Artificial Intelligence is NOT a Good Career

As with most things, the opinions expressed in this post are my own. Consider this as just one data point, and not as a guide to your career.
I've been working in the Data/AI space for 5 years now and I've seen hundreds of starry eyed people wanting to work in A.I. because they want to work with the latest and coolest cutting edge technology. But I want to share with you a few reasons why A.I. is not a good career choice.

A.I. positions could end up like the "data scientist" position. Looking at the history of the data scientist position, in 2010-2020, the hype around data science made it so that millions of people flocked to that position. Companies eventually realized that most them actually didn't need data science, and the impact of the position didn't always help them profit. The demand of the job has plummeted in recent years, leaving millions of aspiring data scientists unemployed or needing to pursue a different career.
A.I. positions will be less than .0001% of tech engineering jobs. In the next few decades, the demand for software and data engineering roles will be much more needed at most companies that A.I. roles. Only a small group companies will a be pursuing A.I. initiatives, while the majority of companies will still need software and data engineers. But because 90% of tech news is A.I. related, there will be a massive influx of people trying to enter the space.
The barriers to entry are huge. To pursue a career in A.I. and machine learning. A person's understanding of statistics and software engineering need to be extremely high. To get to that level of knowledge requires much more dedication and studying than most people imagine. Becoming a decent software engineer or data professional is already difficult for the average person.

Before you decide to pursue this as a career, it's important to consider some of the cons listed below. Perhaps consider taking a smaller step first and trying to land a job as a software engineer or data analyst. If you're already in a technical field, consider not putting all your eggs into one basket, and making sure you know enough skills to stay gainfully employed in the job market.

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submitted by aznpersuazion to dataengineeringstuff [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 22:16 divinepasta I am a software engineer turned statistician who got into an Ontario med school this year. I hope my non-trad journey can provide some insight and hope for others out here. This is a long post + AMA!

First off, congrats to everyone for the past application cycle! No matter what your outcome was, it's a big accomplishment to have gone through the whole process. I'm a non-trad who was accepted to Queen's this year, on my 2nd application cycle. I will be 27 when I start this Fall. It feels surreal and I always told myself I'd write a post about my journey if this day ever came - and here we are.
I didn't decide to apply to med school until after I finished undergrad, and while doing my research, I always wished I could read/hear perspectives from others with my background. Even though everybody's path will be different, I hope that my story can provide some insight (or even hope) for other non-trad applicants out there.
Before we start, here are my stats because that's important:

cGPA, OMSAS: 3.53
wGPA, UBC: ~85%
MCAT: 515 (127/129/130/129)
Casper: 4th
IP: BC and ON

I'll go in chronological order, briefly describing some of the major events that led me to today, starting from high school. Please ask me any questions in the comments - (almost) nothing is off limits :)
TLDR: I was a software engineer who quit after a year to go to grad school and pursue medicine. It took me 4 years from when I decided to pursue this to getting accepted at a Canadian school. I did a Masters in stats and applied 2 times. My biggest takeaway is to do a lot of what you are passionate about, do it well, and take it far (for me, that was teaching and research).
Some demographics:

My parents and I immigrated to Canada from Asia when I was 3
I grew up in the GTA and did undergrad in Ontario
I'm the first person in my family to pursue med school. My immediate family and I are the only people in our whole family who live outside of Asia, and nobody in my parents' network of family friends is in healthcare either.

High school, 2011-2015: I was always interested in medicine as a kid, but math was always my favourite subject. I applied to several science and math programs, and was choosing between Western Med Sci and Waterloo Math. I did not apply to Mac Health Sci and looking back, I'm not sure why (perhaps a sign that I didn't believe in myself). I ended up choosing Waterloo Math and giving up on the medical school route in grade 12, for a few reasons: the math program had 6 co-op terms, meaning I'd graduate with 2 full-time years of job experience, and I wasn't particularly good at biology and didn't have strong reasons for pursuing medicine back then. Med school also seemed like an impossible goal, especially since I didn't have any mentors in the field.
Undergrad, 2015-2020: This was honestly a fun time for me. I double-majored in stats and CS and I did 6 co-ops, 5 of which were in software engineering roles. I had originally planned to do actuarial science, but quickly saw the earning potential in the tech industry and made it my goal to get a job at a big tech company. A lot of personal stuff happened during this time as well that affirmed my decision pursue a software engineering career. One part of it was that I didn't want my parents to worry about me, and being able to show them that I was able to do well for myself in tech felt really good.
Halfway through my co-ops, I realized that I wasn't feeling the most fulfilled in software roles, but management roles also didn't appeal to me. I didn't really take the time to fully explore this feeling, and it was easy to put it away in light of the high income and getting to live in big cities for internships. Still, I did well in my co-ops and built up my software skills. After realizing that "grades don't matter for getting tech jobs", I let my grades slip. It wasn't until 4th year that I decided I wanted to keep the door open for grad school, and starting taking classes I liked and getting better grades. I graduated with an 82% average, with my grades all over the place (which I'd later learn was bad for calculating my OMSAS gpa lol).
Throughout undergrad, I still wanted to be involved in clubs and stuff, so here's a list of all my undergrad ECs. All these were only 4-8 months long.

1st year: I was a member and president of my first year residence council
2nd year: I was in a leadership position at the statistics club
3rd year: I was an event coordinator for co-op students in a city away from home
also 3rd year: I was part of a club that builds software for non-profits

Another activity from undergrad that made it onto my application was a research project I did at one of my co-ops. It was in NLP and I worked on it even after finishing that coop term. It ended up taking 4 years to get published.
Full-time software engineering, 2020-2021: I signed a return offer from one of my co-ops, and had planned to move to Seattle in the summer after graduating to start working. But Covid changed all that. I moved back home with my parents in the GTA and worked at my software job remotely for the full year.
It was during this year that I was really feeling unfulfilled in my job, and did a lot of thinking about how I wanted my career to look. I started to remember that med school was something that I once wanted to do, and I also started reading/watching a lot of content from people in medicine with non-traditional backgrounds. My partner, who is also from Ontario, was accepted to an international med school, and many of our friends were also getting into schools in Canada around the same time, so this reaffirmed to me that it was actually possible. While working for the year, I made a plan to apply to grad school (academia would be my back-up) and take the MCAT. Here's what my 2020-2021 looked like:

July: started full-time work
December-January: wrote personal statements and applied to 5 Masters programs in biostatistics
February-April: acceptances to Masters programs came in, and I was studying for the MCAT
June: took the MCAT, scored 508, and told my manager that I'd be leaving by August to start grad school

During this year, I also wrote out a 3-year plan that included my masters and 2 application cycles. I wrote out what courses I would take to fulfill prereqs, which schools I would apply to each year, and what my back-up plan would be. I think this was important to do rigorously since it gave me a clear idea of which schools I was eligible for, and how much work it would take me to become eligible for the rest of them.
I will also add that this is a rather objective recount of my process that year. In reality, I completely recognized how insane it was to quit my job to go to grad school, and I'm super lucky that I was able to.
Grad school, 2021-2023: I moved to BC to start my Masters in statistics in August. This choice was partly to gain IP status in BC, but mostly, this was really the best program for me out of the schools I applied to. Even looking back now, I would have chosen this program even without the IP consideration.
Here's a breakdown of everything I did during the first year of my Masters:

Started a new volunteering role (tutoring) right away. Still doing this today, almost 3 years later.
Took a first year English class to fulfill the UBC requirement. Side note: it felt very odd being a 25-year-old in a class of 18-year-olds, but I did well in both classes probably because of being older. At first, I dreaded taking these classes since English was never my strong suit. But being older meant that I allowed myself to be truly curious about the topics being taught, and I treated it more as an experience to learn more about the world than to just check off some boxes.
Took the MCAT again, at the end of my first year of MSc. I had already confirmed a supervisor by then, and thankfully she is/was incredibly supportive of my goals. I took it in June 2022 and got 515.
TA'd stats courses throughout the year
Started working on my thesis research with my supervisor

First application, 2022: I applied only to UBC for my first application cycle. In retrospect, I should have just applied broadly right away, but I didn't feel like I had enough references built up by then. And UBC doesn't require references unless you get an interview. I honestly had very high hopes of getting an interview this year, and was crushed to receive a rejection in December with an NAQ of 50-75. I thought that my application was unique, but upon reflection, I realized that the lack of volunteering and community service was a big gap in my application.
So here's a breakdown of everything I did in my second year of my Masters and beyond:

TA'd stats courses throughout the year, and was the head TA for one of them (I think this showed leadership and commitment to teaching)
Started another volunteering role at the food bank
Took another first-year English course
Continued my research with my supervisor
Got offered (and started) a lecturer role for an undergrad course at the university, which was such an amazing opportunity. My supervisor helped me a lot with getting this position, since I TA'd for her one semester and she recommended me to the department. This was a class of 150, and I was also in charge of a few TAs. I ended up teaching this class 2 more times after this!
Finished my Masters in August 2023
Started working full-time as a biostatistician in September 2023
A first-author paper I started working on during undergrad was accepted in Fall 2023. I had been working on this on-and-off for the past 4 years so it was incredible for the work to finally pay off!

Second application, 2023: This time, I applied to UBC and every school in Ontario that I was eligible for: Queen's and Mac. I was rejected by UBC pre-interview again. Same NAQ, and my total score didn't change. I was totally crushed and thought it was over for this year. I was very honest with myself about the Ontario applications - Mac was a total throwaway application and Queen's felt like a complete gamble. I was rejected from Mac pre-interview but one fateful day in January, I received an email from Queen's. It had a very generic "Application Status" subject line and I opened it fully expecting a rejection. I was totally shocked when it said I was invited for the MMI! And a few months later, I was also invited to the Panel.
Some of my thoughts and preparation for the interviews:
MMI - Aside from the usual resources that are posted here, I also took advantage of the following:

Support system: I had a lot of support from my partner, who had gone through MMIs from non-Canadian schools, and many of my friends who were already in med school.
Resources: I paid for a prep session on AcceptedTogether and had a positive experience there. I also used the BrightStudent question bank and although the questions were good, the explanations and overall experience were mid. But their YouTube video was extremely useful.
Mindset: Throughout my whole MMI prep, I was honestly very interested in exploring each prompt, and I think this mindset was extremely beneficial for making my answers both unique and genuine. During my Masters, I also took a class that covered topics in social determinants of health, and I semi-regularly enjoy reading about current events in this area, so both of those pieces of background were super helpful for me.

Panel - I was so happy to receive a panel interview, and knew that I could not mess this up. I prepped with a few different friends of mine who were in med school, and another friend who was going through Ontario interviews too. Going in, I felt very prepared, and in the days leading up to it, I even felt like my answers were on autopilot and a bit over-prepared. So I really tried to relax and "be myself"/answer genuinely during the panel. The real panel felt quite cold - I didn't get any feedback from my interviewers, and was a bit thrown off by some of the questions. I was also cut off by the Kira Talent timer at the end, and didn't get to say goodbye or thank you. For the rest of the day, I ruminated on all my answers. The content of my answers felt somewhere between "why would I say that" and "just fine" and "great", but I was definitely feeling a bit bad about the whole experience.
Decision Week, 2024: That brings us to this week! In the week leading up to the decision, I flip flopped between "My panel hated me, there's no way I passed the vibe check" and "My answers were good, my MMI felt good, why wouldn't they accept me". I opened the email at 6am (Pacific time) with zero expectations - I truly had no idea what was waiting for me on the other side. The first word was "Congratulations!" and I didn't read much farther than that before I started celebrating :)
So that's it. I told a lot of people I work with, my Masters supervisor, my parents, and my friends, and it felt amazing to deliver this good news. My closing thoughts about my whole journey are that even though I do think my application was great, I still got incredibly lucky. At any point in the process, I could have gotten an undesirable outcome, and there was nothing I could do to control that (other than my efforts prior). I also relied a lot on my support system, and was so lucky to have had + made friends who are in med school or were practising already.
I just feel so grateful to be starting this Fall, and I'm happy to say that my high school self would be in absolute disbelief if she could see where I am today. That statement is a sign to me that I'm on the right path, and I'm just so excited to be starting this long, hard career that is medicine.
If you've made it to the end, thank you for reading!! If you can relate to any part of my journey and have questions, please send me a comment or DM - my inbox is always open.

submitted by divinepasta to premedcanada [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 22:15 rpkat [F4M or anyone playing M] Female F1 Driver x Team Principal

ALL CHARACTERS AND PARTNERS ARE 18+.
Hi there! I’m 26, central US timezone, and female! Title is self explanatory. Looking for roleplay between a female F1 driver and her team principal. Also willing to switch your character’s role to mechanic, press officer, etc. Looking for lots of drama and romance. Drama between the media, the team, and fans as their relationship grows more and more off track and gets exposed to the real world.
THIS IS SAFE FOR WORK ONLY.
Message me with your age, timezone (US Timezones or similar are preferred), and a sample of your writing!
Partner requirements: must be 23-35 - Must play male (IRL gender doesn’t matter)- write in third person - at least two paragraphs - I only write on Discord - must be able to post once a day to every other day. Communication is key, please let me know if you’re going to be busy for longer than a day or two or if you’re no longer interested. NO AI ART OR WRITING.
All characters are 18+
Below is a sample starter if you want to use it for your sample as well! Also included after it is my character description. Team can also change!
This was possibly the most nerve wracking qualifying morning that Eliza had ever faced before. Media day and practices had already been quite overwhelming. Every news outlet wanted to talk to her, about her, and then there were all the brand and team promotions on top of what she was actually there to do. Practices had gone alright, maybe not the best, but they certainly weren’t the worst. Yet Eliza knew she could do better. Maybe it was the nerves or how exhausted she’s been feeling lately, but she needed to shake it off. People were already starting to doubt her and question the team for her joining. She needed to prove herself in this qualifying session and the race.
But first was more time with the media. It was a long morning of getting herself all dolled up. She hadn’t shown up to the paddock wearing anything but something fashionable. She was treating her entrances like a runway, similar to Lewis Hamilton, but she tried to keep it within team colors always wearing something red or with the logo. This time she opted for an all black outfit with some red and gold jewelry pieces. Her hair was straighter and her makeup done lightly, a hint of a pastel papaya colored her eyes.
Once she was done, it was hopping into her car and being driven to the track by a good friend. Alexa happily signed things once she got out of the car and made her way into the paddock, quickly scanning her badge and smiling to all the photographers that snapped her entrance as she made her way to the Ferrari hospitality for her schedule.
Character Description
Name: Eliza Conners
Occupation: Driver for Ferrari
Age: 21
Date of birth: April 4th
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Straight
Race: British/Swedish
Physical Appearence
Height: 5’3"
Weight: 115 lbs
Eye colour: Ocean blue
Skin colour: Fai Warm Alabaster
Hair colour: blonde
Hair style: long, mid back
Piercings: basic ears
Spoiled, dramatic, sassy, used to getting what she wants, loves all the attention being on her, hosts a mean dinner party, gives ‘The Man’ by Taylor Swift energy
Personal Sponsors: Victoria’s Secret, Dior, Chanel, Charolette Tilbury

submitted by rpkat to roleplaying [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 22:01 x3DCoder Archean is now on Steam - The New Multiplayer Engineering Sandbox (and Space Sim)

Hello, I am the developer of Archean, which just released on Steam today, in Early Access.
Archean is an immersive Engineering Sandbox and Space Sim. The game is set on Earth, 3 billion years in the past, in the Archean eon.
This is a challenging sandbox that can be played solo or multiplayer with dedicated servers. It also happens to be a full scale Space Sim but it doesn't force you to do space stuff.
This game (and custom engine) is developed by a single programmer (myself) in a small team of two.
This project is my baby, I've been working on it for more than 13 years, starting over many times, until the technology got to where it needed to actually make it happen.
It's priced at USD 19.99 but there is a 25% discount at the moment for the release!
NOTE: You require an NVIDIA RTX graphics card to be able to play it. It won't run on a GTX or an AMD gpu.
Current Features

Engineering / build sandbox
Resource gathering and crafting
Solo or Multiplayer with dedicated servers
Open World with full size Earth and Moon
Space Sim with orbital mechanics
Aerodynamics simulation
In-game coding with the XenonCode language
Workshop integration
Creative and Adventure modes
Fully ray-traced graphics

Future Updates

Survival mode
Vehicle destruction and PVP
Pressurization system
Full scale solar system (with all the planets and moons)
Weather system
LOTS more content
SDK for modders

Immersive Engineering Sandbox

We offer a very advanced, high precision build and engineering system with small resizable blocks from 25 cm to 4 meters. In this game, you have to connect components with actual cables/pipes for power, data and fluids. Build in-game live in an immersive way, not in an editor. Code your own logic in virtual computers, using pure code or a node-based visual programming system.

XenonCode

We have developed a new programming language designed to be easy to learn and optimal for in-game virtual computers. The game has a built-in cooperative editor with syntax highlighting and multi-cursor support, as well as a node-based visual editor to facilitate scripting.

Adventure Mode

In this mode, you begin with nothing in your backpack. You have to gather resources and craft everything you need. You start by hand, picking up rocks, build mining rigs, build automated machines and so on. Some resources are underwater, some are at the highest mountain peaks. It's up to you to build vehicles that can get there. The ultimate goal is to reach the Moon.

Native Ray-Tracing

Our innovative renderer is fully ray-traced with a great performance. This is not a eye-candy, it's actually a necessary feature for this game to even exist, because of its dynamic nature. Since the content will be mostly user-created and it's set to be moddable out-of-the-box, we cannot afford any artist-driven baked lighting, and with the full scale aspects with customizable solar system, we need the sun(s) lighting to be completely dynamic based on the real-time scenario, instead of tweaking shadow maps and reflection probes manually like other games do. The entire scene is rendered in a single ray-tracing pass with many recursive light bounces. This allows for realistic hard shadows, perfectly reflective mirrors and physically correct refractions. Just make sure you have an NVIDIA RTX graphics card and you're good to go.

Space Sim

The final goal of this game is to be a Full Scale Space Sim with the entire solar system. At the moment we have the Earth and the Moon, Orbital Mechanics and Re-Entry effects based on velocity. There is no artificial speed limit, so you can actually orbit realistically at 8 km/s. You can also dock with your friend's ship while in orbit, if you're good.
We have great plans for this game, and we swear by our 5 commandments:

1. Thou shall obey physics

It's NOT arcade-style and we do not underestimate our players. You must understand science or be willing to learn some physics. The game features realistic 6-dof space physics without any artificial speed limit. As far as we know, it's the only multiplayer space sim where you can dock with your friend's space station while in space at Full Orbital Velocity. This game is NOT meant to be a dogfight-style space shooter because that would not be practical with realistic physics.

2. Thou shall not see "Loading..."

Seamless transitions, no loading screens, EVER! From ground to orbit to another planet... it's all seamless. The game also happens to "load" pretty much instantly... For reference, in our Quadcopter video, the recording started BEFORE the game's executable was launched.

3. Thou shall not hit a wall

No fake boundaries. No skyboxes. No predefined paths. IT's a true Open World game, and it's all full scale. If you see a mountain, it's not a texture... You can just walk there and climb it if you have the courage... But I would just build a Rover or some kind of aircraft to get there faster. The moon that you see from the surface of Earth is the actual moon's terrain that you will land on, if you manage to build a good enough rocket, that is. The stars you see are individually rendered points in 3D space. It's not a skybox. But let's be honest you won't ever be able to reach another star.

4. Thou shall not be Thee

Immersive, first person controls and no cutscenes. There will NEVER be a point where the player loses control of their avatar to a cutscene or to some long animation. This game will keep a focus on First Person Immersion. Even though there is a 3rd person view available, it's mostly for taking screenshots, the game is not meant to be played this way.

5: Thou shall make sense

Everything has a realistic purpose based on science. Nothing should be fake, and in-game technologies must be at least plausible with some math behind it. This means that there is no such thing as magical artificial gravity. There are only two ways to have gravity in your spaceship when you're in space:

Constant Acceleration: Players inside an accelerating ship do feel gravity realistically, and there is no artificial sublight speed limit as opposed to most (if not all) other multiplayer space sims.
Centrifugal Forces: Yes you can also build a rotating station and you will have realistic "gravity" sensation like you would expect.

Also, there will be no Faster Than Light space travel. The math for a plausible Warp Drive would not allow that, but will let you multiply your acceleration quite a bit, in a way that you can travel up to 99% the speed of light.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2941660/Archean/
I sincerely hope you'll enjoy this game a lot, as I did developing it and will keep enjoying working on it for years to come.

submitted by x3DCoder to IndieGaming [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 22:00 LedMyPlaceca Shedding Light on the Pros and Cons of LED Vanity Lights !!!

LED vanity lights have become a staple in modern homes and commercial spaces, known for their energy efficiency, bright illumination, and sleek designs. However, like any technology, they have advantages and disadvantages. In this comprehensive, we'll delve into the pros and cons of LED vanity lights, helping you decide whether they are the right choice for your lighting needs.
https://ledmyplace.ca/collections/vanity-lights

Pros of LED Vanity Lights

Energy Efficiency

One of the most significant advantages of LED vanity lights is their energy efficiency. LEDs consume significantly less power compared to traditional incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. They convert a higher percentage of electricity into light, meaning less energy is wasted as heat. This results in lower electricity bills and a reduced carbon footprint, making LED vanity lights an environmentally friendly choice.

Longevity

LED bulbs have an impressive lifespan, often 25,000 to 50,000 hours. This is far longer than traditional lighting options, such as incandescent bulbs, typically lasting around 1,000 hours. The extended lifespan of LEDs means fewer replacements, reducing waste and maintenance costs over time.

Bright and Uniform Illumination

LED vanity lights provide bright and uniform illumination, essential for tasks requiring precision, such as makeup application, shaving, and grooming. Unlike traditional bulbs that can create shadows and uneven lighting, LEDs offer consistent brightness across the entire surface, ensuring every detail is visible.

Customizable Lighting Options

Many LED vanity lights come with adjustable color temperatures and brightness settings, allowing users to customize the lighting to suit their needs. Whether you prefer warm, ambient lighting for relaxation or cool, bright light for detailed tasks, LED vanity lights can be tailored to create the perfect environment.

Eco-Friendly

LED lights are free from hazardous materials such as mercury, commonly found in fluorescent bulbs. This makes LEDs a safer and more eco-friendly option. Additionally, their energy efficiency and long lifespan contribute to a reduction in overall environmental impact.

Versatile Design Options

LED vanity lights are available in a wide range of designs, shapes, and sizes, making it easy to find a style that complements your decor. From minimalist frameless mirrors to ornate backlit designs, LED vanity lights can enhance the aesthetic appeal of any space.

Instant Lighting

Unlike traditional lighting options that take a few moments to reach full brightness, LED vanity lights provide instant illumination. This is particularly beneficial in areas where immediate lighting is needed, such as bathrooms and dressing rooms.

Low Heat Emission

LEDs emit very little heat compared to incandescent and halogen bulbs. This makes them safer to use, especially near flammable materials but also helps keep the surrounding area cooler, which can be particularly advantageous in small or enclosed spaces.

Cons of LED Vanity Lights

Initial Cost

One of the main drawbacks of LED vanity lights is the initial cost. LED bulbs and fixtures are more expensive upfront than traditional lighting options. However, the long-term savings on energy bills and replacement costs can offset the initial investment over time.

Dimming Compatibility

While many LED vanity lights come with dimmable options, not all LED bulbs are compatible with existing dimmer switches. If the bulbs are not paired with compatible dimmers, this can result in flickering or inconsistent lighting, which may require additional investment in new dimmer switches designed for LED compatibility.

Light Quality Variation

Although LED technology has advanced significantly, there can still be variations in light quality between different LED products. Some LEDs may produce a cooler, harsher light that can be unflattering for makeup application or create an undesirable atmosphere. Choosing high-quality LEDs with the desired color temperature and CRI (Color Rendering Index) is essential for the best results.

Potential for Glare

The bright and intense light produced by some LED vanity lights can cause glare, particularly if the lights are not diffused or positioned correctly. This can be uncomfortable for the eyes and may require additional accessories, such as diffusers or frosted covers, to soften the light.

Disposal Concerns

While LEDs are free from hazardous materials like mercury, they contain electronic components that must be disposed of properly. Improper disposal of LED bulbs can contribute to electronic waste. Following local guidelines for recycling and disposing of LED lighting products is important to minimize environmental impact.

Sensitivity to Temperature

LEDs can be sensitive to extreme temperatures, affecting their performance and lifespan. LED bulbs may not operate as efficiently or experience reduced longevity in environments with very high or low temperatures. It's important to choose LEDs rated for the specific temperature range of the installation location.

Limited Light Spread

Some LED vanity lights may have a more directional light spread compared to traditional bulbs, which can result in less overall coverage. This can be a disadvantage in larger spaces or when uniform lighting is needed across a wide area. Multiple LED fixtures or strategically placed lights may be required to mitigate this.

Conclusion

LED vanity lights offer many benefits, including energy efficiency, longevity, bright and uniform illumination, and customizable lighting options. They are eco-friendly and versatile, making them popular for modern homes and commercial spaces. However, it's essential to consider the initial cost, dimming compatibility, light quality variation, potential for glare, disposal concerns, temperature sensitivity, and light spread limitations when deciding if LED vanity lights are the right choice for your needs.
By weighing the pros and cons, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your aesthetic preferences, functional requirements, and environmental values. As LED technology advances, the future of vanity lighting looks bright, promising even more innovative and efficient solutions to illuminate our lives.

submitted by LedMyPlaceca to u/LedMyPlaceca [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 21:57 littlesongbird_ Unit changed before EBOR?

Hey guys! I am a few days out from my Eagle Scoutmaster conference. I did half of my career in one troop, which unfortunately had to close its doors due to lack of interest. I'm now in a much bigger, active troop. The only Eagle requirements I have completed here are 5 merit badges. My project was done with the old troop.
Now, my Eagle advisor is telling me to switch the contact information in my Workbook to the current troop--meaning my old SM, Eagle Advisor, and Committee Chair would change.
Should I follow his advice? My new troop knows little to nothing about my project, while everyone on the sheet as it stands was well aware of everything that occurred. I know my old SM is still active in the BSA, and she would be able to tell them a lot about me, my growth, and my project. I love my new troop and new SM, but they just don't know me as well. Any advice?

submitted by littlesongbird_ to BSA [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 21:51 Secret-Pepper6749 I think my life is over and no, I am not overreacting.

T/W: Mentions of Suicide and Schizophrenia.
It was the year of 2022, my personal life and family issues have gotten worse, for my mother who suffers from schizophrenia and depression went back to my grandmother's place because she couldn't handle the stress that comes with taking care of a household just a month before my 12th boards were going to start.
My heart ached for her but I knew with my exans a month away and other responsibilities of the household falling back on my shoulders, I was incapable of takinh care of her mentally.
I still casually chuckle at the thought of how I skipped my history pre-boards because she was feeling sick and suicidal and had done things before when I was younger so my heart did not dare leave her alone. My little sister who was only 10 at that time was genuinely scared and worried, would cry non stop. She said "Didi, is it because of me that mumma is going to die? Am I really that bad?" My heart broke that day.
Skip to 2 months later, the results came and the best of four marks was decent but not good enough to get me a college solely on merit. But I was fine, my aim was to prepare for CLAT anyway and so I did. Took a risk, conviced my father for a drop year and prepared diligently for 3 months straight but luck was not by my side, and my health started deteriorating- stomach issues, weak immue system, anaemia, fatal cramps from periods. Every month I felt like I was on a war against myself and hence, my motivation to study collapsed.
After my results my mother was back at our place because she couldn't live with her parents anymore, she missed us and was stubborn at how she was better and would like to be back and be a mother to both of her children. And she arrived, with full enthusiasm but alas, that didn't last long and she left again . I can't blame her honestly, we live in a place where the mental institutions are pathetic and not one relative nearby who could help us. And where was my father in the whole scene? He has been posted to a different state, kilometres away from us. Visiting only once a month, it was tough handing all the responsibilities of home along with my sister.
I am grateful for my father earns well, we had a cook and a helper to do all the chores but it was still tough. I would study hours and hours, help my sister with her academics, making her lunch, dropping her to the busy, grocery shopping, going to the coaching on weekends. It took a mental toll on me.
So the dreaded moment finally came in last December, tons of mocks, revisions and practice I went to the exam centre and sat for it. Mentally convicing myself that it will be okay, no need to nervous and it would just be fine. But I don't think my thoughts really went into my head because my mind went blank the moment I read the question paper and the exam anxiety kicked in. And god, it kicked in so hard I regret to this date.
After the exam, I cried and cried and cried. I was devastated, I did my best sure but the fact I could have done better only if I was capable enough to handle my anxiety ate me alive. I still remember the look on my father's face when the results came in a week later, it was as if he didn't even expect me to do well but was still disappointed that I didn't prove him wrong.
It took me two months almost to get out from that zone of self doubt, embarassment and low motivation. I decided everything is fine, life can give me another chance right? A person as passionate as me about law obviously deserves a chance to get into my dream college and be a successful person. But man, I was wrong.
Yesterday, I gave CUET conducted by the most esteemed agency which considers how important the future of it's aspirants are /s. And to say less, it went pathetic too lmao. My english is genuinely a strength of mine so I did well in that but an hour later, when I sat for General Test with time duration of one hour, I failed to attempt even half the number of questions I was required to. It wasn't as if I didn't study enough, did not do enough mocks or got extremely nervous. Infact, it was the complete opposite this time.
Yet, luck wasn't with me this particular juncture as well. NTA, infamous for it's paper leaks, disastrous management and cancelling exams did what it is good at. I was unfortunate that my invigilators had the least amount of respect for the students. Giving the paper 5 minutes late, not knowing the instructions properly, tons of signatures in between (which I actually do not mind) and shouting in the middle of examination at a boy who sat on another desk which wasn't his designated one. In hand we had 45 minutes, which I made full use of still, it wasn't sufficient.
Came home dejected, tired with centres being 30-40 kms away, I made the mistake of counting my marks and oh lord, I haven't stopped having anxiety attacks since then. I always knew there was no use of having so much of expectations from this exam but god it hurts, it aches and it is killing me. I worked day and night for the 2 and half a months setting everything aside. Every fear, each regret and now I am at loss because of something which isn't even my fault.
They say cut off will go low, but honestly how low can it go? I am at such position where even if I ace two subjects out of three, the one I failed was the deciding factor and without it, my name will be on no college list.
Maybe it's my fault, maybe I don't work hard enough, maybe my mind is messed up or maybe, I am just a lazy person who deserves no college seat because let's be real, if I was really worthy of it, I'd have it already. This is not a blame myself or my circumstances post, I just wanted to share the emotions I have been trying to suppress for the past year. Parent's don't really get it and think I am just another average Joe. Also, nobody around me is empathetic enough to hold my hand and console me. ( Expecting it seems wrong now too )
I said my life is over because I am genuinely scarred now, and yes it has only been two exams, I deserve to move on and I'll understand the later. But two consecutive failures where I genuinely worked hard, though wasn't enough, makes me think maybe I am not meant for this. As an elder daughter someday the responsibility of the household will fall on my shoulders, but if I can't even get a college to complete my education how will I do a job and earn money?
We don't have enough money to join a private college and all the entrance exams seems too tough for my dumb mind now. Thankyou if you read till the end.

submitted by Secret-Pepper6749 to TwoXIndia [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 21:46 x3DCoder Archean is now on Steam - The New Multiplayer Engineering Sandbox (and Space Sim)

Hello, I am the developer of Archean, which just released on Steam today, in Early Access. I've been sent here by u/RMuldoun to make a detailed post about this new game for you guys :)
Archean is an immersive Engineering Sandbox and Space Sim. The game is set on Earth, 3 billion years in the past, in the Archean eon.
This is a challenging sandbox that can be played solo or multiplayer with dedicated servers. It also happens to be a full scale Space Sim but it doesn't force you to do space stuff.
This game (and custom engine) is developed by a single programmer (myself) in a small team of two.
This project is my baby, I've been working on it for more than 13 years, starting over many times, until the technology got to where it needed to actually make it happen.
It's priced at USD 19.99 but there is a 25% discount at the moment for the release!
NOTE: You require an NVIDIA RTX graphics card to be able to play it. It won't run on a GTX or an AMD gpu.
Current Features

Engineering / build sandbox
Resource gathering and crafting
Solo or Multiplayer with dedicated servers
Open World with full size Earth and Moon
Space Sim with orbital mechanics
Aerodynamics simulation
In-game coding with the XenonCode language
Workshop integration
Creative and Adventure modes
Fully ray-traced graphics

Future Updates

Survival mode
Vehicle destruction and PVP
Pressurization system
Full scale solar system (with all the planets and moons)
Weather system
LOTS more content
SDK for modders

Immersive Engineering Sandbox

XenonCode

Adventure Mode

Native Ray-Tracing

Space Sim

1. Thou shall obey physics

2. Thou shall not see "Loading..."

3. Thou shall not hit a wall

4. Thou shall not be Thee

5: Thou shall make sense

Constant Acceleration: Players inside an accelerating ship do feel gravity realistically, and there is no artificial sublight speed limit as opposed to most (if not all) other multiplayer space sims.
Centrifugal Forces: Yes you can also build a rotating station and you will have realistic "gravity" sensation like you would expect.

submitted by x3DCoder to BaseBuildingGames [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 21:20 infinitemind000 1

Introduction
Someone reading this book may wonder what sort of audience is being targeted here. They may also be confused as to what the endgame is behind such a book. The aim of this book is to parallel the different religious & mystic traditions & connect them to the tropes that we find near death experiences propagate. They often are reconnecting us with what ancient texts have said but in the modern secular world where materialism is the norm we have become numb to the meanings & impact behind such text. These texts are often considered archaic & primitive. Unable to contribute much to the modern world they may only be useful in prayer chants.
Thus I aim here to revitalise the spirit of these traditions and connect them to what many call the modern day scriptures. The study of near death experiences, neuroscience, consciousness & other paranormal phenomena.
The endgame of the mystic is to connect, achieve union, knowledge and self growth. Thus by approaching all these texts and the various evolving thought that emerged from it, we can explore the parallels and connections that bridge the gap between traditions. The beauty of mysticism and perennial philosophy is the freedom it offers in interpretation.
This book doesn't focus on the question of whether scriptures are divinely inspired, man made tools written for sociological and political agendas or some sort of corrupted divinity. That discussion is a debate that will never end. Rather the focus here is on the possible wisdom & theological beliefs which parallel and mesh together well in forming a higher meaning & connection to the divine. Whether it be a higher power, an all pervading source or a metaphysical truth. You aren’t required to literally believe the divinity of these texts. A simple level of curiosity & intrigue is sufficient.
However one may contend that it is easy to parallel traditions when they are in harmony but when they differ they directly contradict rendering these connections meaningless and superficial. Therein lies the limitations of this book. Therefore the following concepts won’t be discussed in here. These are mainly :

Unverifiable supernatural claims such as ancient miracles for instance Moses parting the sea, Jesus walking on water, resurrecting etc. For someone expecting this book to be a source of evidence for a specific religion it unfortunately won’t be. However there are multiple correlations and connections and these may act as subtle signs of evidence for a specific faith or multiple of them.
Reconciling contradictions between belief systems and scriptures. For example whether the Divine is a trinity or a unity. Whether a certain sage was superior to another. For instance comparing the personality of Jesus with Muhammad, whether the Bible is morally perfect or not & a plethora of other beliefs that may not agree with one another. The book simply assumes they all are imperfect systems.
The scientific debate on whether NDEs are classified as hallucinations or genuine supernatural occurrences. Whilst an interesting topic in itself, it is out of the scope of this book with many other books discussing the science behind ndes. However when necessary nde claims will be contrasted with naturalistic explanations.

The primary focus is in following a don't throw the baby out with the bathwater approach. Some may also contend that this book follows a shopping cart style of cherrypicking from texts and discarding beliefs from texts one subjectively finds inappropriate. To this I would simply say that the approach here is one of finding the parallels that align well together and acknowledging when a belief doesn't align well. Not necessarily a pick and choose system. An approach I would call the rational mystic.
The rational mystic is one who is simply open to what may be beyond their senses. They may be mystically inclined, fascinated and open to the plethora of supernatural ideas. However they will not blindly believe any and all beliefs. They will discern using rational faculties what of mysticism is most compatible with reality, what the data or evidence shows & what is more probable than not. I believe people of all beliefs or no beliefs can fit this definition. Whether you identify by a religion, as spiritual but not religious, non religious, atheist, deist or agnostic. Thus a skeptic or believer may able to gain an appreciation for these belief systems.
This book dives into the verses and parallels of ancient texts such as the Old Testament, Gospels, Quran, Hadith, Bhagwad Gita, Dhammapada, Tao Te Ching & Gathas of Zoroaster. Other older parallels such as from Vedic India, Ancient Egypt, Greece & Mesopotamia may be referenced.
Alongside that are the testimonies of NDEs and how they may parallel or differ to these texts. This book also attempts to provide commentary on major philosophical themes & elaborate on various exegesis, mystical traditions such as Kaballah, Sufism, Advaita Vedanta, Neoplatonism & Chinese thought. Since mysticism is ultimately about experience it relevant and useful to enhance these discussions by contrasts to various scientific ideas, philosophy & pop culture.
NDE Filter Methodology
One of the problems with ndes is the fact that they are subjective experiences which we cannot objectively verify or replicate. This makes them a weaker form of evidence compared to empirical studies which can replicate the results. These present a challenge. An individual nde may therefore be subject to embellishment, fabrications & delusions. Therefore in picking our choice of NDEs here we can only look at ndes as a whole in terms of statistical patterns that form. This is the methodology used in NDE literature by various academics including neuroscientists & philosophers researching the phenomenon.
To elaborate we therefore will discard testimonies that appear embellished with fantastical details. These fantastical details may also be subjective from person to person. Calling an otherworldly journey fantastical is simply irony. However in following the certain patterns that appear cross culturally in ndes it is much easier to identify reports that are considered fantastical. The following tropes appear the most across multiple nde studies.

Out of Body Experience
Tunnel of Light
Meeting deceased relatives or unknown beings
Perceiving a highly luminous pervading light
Feelings of absolute peace, comfort & love
Arriving at an otherworldly place ie a meadow, garden etc.
Life Review
Border of no return
Pluralistic message about love & wisdom

There are of course other concepts that ndes reference which appear from time to time. These allow ndes to be flexible and not rigid experiences. After all no two nde experiences are the same. However using these motifs listed we can filter through unreliable ndes. These include

NDE reports that are highly coloured with religious fundamentalist tropes particularly tropes promoting an exclusivist attitude to religion.
NDEs that appear too detailed, fantastical & unrestricted appearing more like a science fiction or fantasy novel. For example nde claims of multiple lives on other planets or large scale prophecies & apocalyptic predictions & generally things that differ wildly from the core themes
NDEs that talk too much about one specific spiritual concept, portraying themselves as special, prophets or mediums turning their nde into a narcissistic or monetary agenda through spiritual coaching, multiple books etc.

Finally one may say that the chapters of this book attempt to hint at the veracity of a religion & this book is a subtle attempt to proselytize that faith. I will reiterate that this book isnt trying to prove any specific religion. There may be subtle signs from one faith that fit better with the nde phenomenon than others. The following theories I would say explain these subtle signs. I leave it up to the reader to decide what they feel is the best explanation.

Universal Divine Theory : This is the idea that prophets, mystics & sages from different cultures have been inspired through revelation from the same source & this explains the shared insights of a religion & ndes.
Mystic Wisdom Theory : This simply means that certain religious writers and founders were simply wise spiritual men, mystically inclined honing on their intuition & knowledge.
Intertextuality Theory : Each new religious founder simply built of older religious ideas assimilating it into their theologies.

Whilst these theories may suggest a subtle spark of corresponding truths, generally NDEs dont explicitly point to any religion. Some say its simply the case that a Christian will see Jesus, a Muslim will see Allah, A Jew sees Yahweh & a Hindu sees Krishna. This of course is not entirely true. The portion of ndes that claim to see Jesus form a minority & interestingly they too dont point at specific doctrines. NDE experiencers may simply describe a sentient light they perceive to be God. This being doesnt tell anybody that I am Yahweh or Allah. Experiencers will say that religious texts fall short of describing this being. It is beyond what people are taught in religion.
Those who are familiar with NDE reports and studies will know that NDEs tend to be very religion agnostic and at best subtly imply a religious correlation but rarely do we find massive amounts of nde reports cross culturally presenting exclusivist dogmas such as follow holy book x or you will burn, believe Jesus died for your sin or you will burn for eternity. When an nde does present this its seen as a red flag since this doesn't occur with the majority of other ndes. The most we have are subtle religious correlations. However NDEs do present us with certain philosophical dilemmas when it comes to religion.

If NDEs are vague about religion how are we to interpret these religions ? Are we to see them as man made socio-cultural constructs ? Are we to see them as inspired by God but limited to their time ? Are we to see them as partially divine partially man made scriptures ?
If NDEs prove that religions are man made we must ask what purpose the creator has behind the nde. If the creator has allowed man made cultures to negatively influence and control the world throughout history and has not intervened or communicated with humanity one must wonder what point there is in a nde being a message in the 21st century. So on one hand the NDE presents us with a deistic God who doesnt intervene and let false religions begin and on the other hand the God of the NDE seems very personal, involved in human lives, keeps tracks, feels love and joy for humans etc
If one, many or all religions are truly divinely inspired why do NDES never directly point to this ? NDEs seem more concerned in lessons but not in pointing people to a religion.

Some may ask what difference does it make that it doesnt point to a religion. if anything NDEs show us that God is far beyond the narrow confines of religions. It makes an immense difference when we factor the fact that religions have influenced entire cultures and civilisations in good and bad ways. Religions have been used to wage war, cause destruction, control the masses, brainwash, confuse and build fear into the human subconscious. And on the good side religions have given hope to the world that suffering isnt in vain, that life has meaning & that justice and ultimate happiness exists.
For alot of people the need to connect to the transcendental is insatiable and religion provides a whole structure of beliefs that one can organise themselves on. For some this is very restricting and enforces a cultural dogma on to everyone. They may prefer a shopping cart version of religion where they take whats good for them and discard what they disagree on. For others they prefer to deny all religious concepts as dogma and cultural beliefs. One could argue that humans need the cultural clothing of customs and traditions to keep their lives going, something which they can use to relate with to the divine. Not everyone can believe in an abstract deity that they cannot conceive of in the absence of symbols such as scriptures.
Religious texts provide at the very least a gateway to which one can relate through stories of heroes, morals and metaphors of the divine. Of course none of this leads us to whether said divine being has revealed these texts, whether they are inspired but corrupted by man or fully man made. These symbols act as aids in feeling like we have a piece of the divine soul with us thus giving comfort and hope. Thus whilst some have no need for religions, for the masses religions have immense value.
So why dont NDEs prove religion ?
There are no clear answers to this (unless somebody has an nde and asks whoever they speak with to tell them in specifics what religion is from God and whats not) all we can do is speculate. The ndes that do ask or do mention a scripture are so few that we cannot form any conclusion on this.

The simplest answer is that all religions are man made for good or bad intentions but this would of course lead us to the philosophical deist dilemma.
Perhaps the NDEs message focuses on the lessons and ideals itself and sees scriptures and religions as redundant (even if there is a divine hand behind some) After all these are mainly symbols and cannot compare to a direct mystical experience (something fundamentalists struggle with)
Perhaps an attempt to promote any specific faith would lead to an assumption that the nde message is about exclusivist salvation and leading to the worship of scriptures/religions (something fundamentalists struggle with)
Perhaps this proves that religions are limited to their century and context and that we should only look to them for the universal timeless message they offer not the specifics. After all all major scriptures teach the core values that NDEs have revitalised ie love, mercy, kindness etc

Do NDEs support materialism or not ?
While the aim of this book isnt to debate the afterlife or brain hypothesis, I will say that at the time of this being written, my view on ndes is to say that I consider them a plausible source of evidence towards consciousness surviving death & the afterlife existing. This view of mine may change in time towards either side. The following are some reasons I would argue for them being plausible.
1 Veridical NDEs : Numerous NDES report out of body experiences including witnessing of events in an environment when this should not be possible. More than 100+ veridical cases have been documented. Not to mention veridical cases from across different countries which further strengthens the case. We would have to be radically skeptical to consider all of these testimonies fabricated.
2 Lucid narrative : NDERS experience a highly lucid narrative that usually doesn't end in the middle or chaotically unlike dreams or hallucinations. Their ndes tend to be structured with a beginning, middle and end where they are either told, know or are sucked back into the body. This is quite a strange experience compared to delirium, delusions, hallucinations etc.
3 Deceased Relatives : Most NDES claim to see deceased relatives rather than alive people supporting the afterlife hypothesis. We should expect a mixed cocktail of alive & deceased people appearing in ndes if this was a case of dreams or hallucinations. The population that do claim to see a mixed group of alive and deceased is quite a small proportion of total ndes.
4 Intuitive Reality : NDERS are very convinced that they are in a hyper real reality that makes this world seem black and white, like a dream/illusion as some would say. They are intuitively convinced they are in something real the way we might be talking in person, as opposed to it being just a dream. In one study its believed that nders brain recollect their nde as if it's a real world memory.
5 ESP claims : NDERS may perceive no time at all, may experience a life review such that they can feel the feelings of others and recall memories long forgotten. They may feel like they intuitively know things without needing to learn. Some may report greater vision and detail than waking life, ability to hear thoughts, instantaneously appear, be in two places at once or pass through solid walls.
5 Religious Expectations : NDES often may contradict the beliefs of many Christians, Atheists and Muslims who have varying beliefs about the afterlife. Some may be surprised to experience the things they see & are particularly surprised at the ESP abilities as these are not predicted by religions. Particularly interesting are religious conservative ndes with more exclusivist beliefs who are surprised and end up becoming more pluralist and liberal.
6 Clinical Death Scenario : The best NDE studies focus on scenarios whereby the person undergoes cardiac arrest and thus clinical death. At this time a person has no heartbeat, no breathing, dilated pupils, no light reflex, no gag reflex and EEG reading of little to no brain activity. This is consistent with unconsciousness as no blood and oxygen can fully reach the brain. Furthermore the fact that most undergoing clinical death dont report any experiences means NDEs are odd occurrences & consciousness should not occur.
7 Transformation : NDERS often are transformed in their beliefs with less to no fear of death, detachment from the material, more interest in altruism and spirituality and are impacted by their NDE for decades, remembering it far more than a hallucination or dream. They see it as the most important experience of their life.
8 Double edged sword : The fact that not everyone has an nde may support the idea of nde being more than brain activity. After all if the nde simply was some evolutionary dying mechanism we would expect everybody to have one. This point could also support naturalistic hypothesis (See below)
However there is still uncertainty regarding the nde phenomenon and further data, & studies are required to build a case that is greater than just plausible. These are some opposing reasons to consider doubt in them valid
1 Embellishment : NDEs are unverifiable and therefore we cannot verify which ndes are authentic or which ndes are embellished over time with the nders own thoughts, interpretations or exaggerations. This makes it easier for fabrications and frauds to claim an nde experience.
2 Brain Activity : Since NDES happen during clinical death or unconscious states where a persons brain can be returned to living we cannot be sure that there isnt some deeper brain activity that causes an nde. We also cant be sure than an nde isnt happening in the window where cerebral blood flow hasnt ceased or in the window where CPR leads back to cerebral blood flow. EEG machines also have certain limitations such that they cannot detect deeper brain regions due to the skulls electrical resistance. EEG spikes may occur due to muscle twitches & electrical noise which can often make it harder to differentiate whether this is due to the NDE or not.
3 Cultural/Religious Contradictions : If we keep an open mind, its entirely possible that a Western nde could see Jesus, an Indian nde see Buddha or an Indian nde see Jesus & a Western nde see Buddha. It seems this can be reconciled by the idea that ndes are customized to fit what comforts people subconsciously. Japanese NDEs for example see a bridge/river symbolizing journey to another world, Westerners a portal/tunnel. Westerners relate best to Jesus, Easterners to other figures. However some ndes provide conflicting metaphysical views. This can be an issue with some ndes if nde 1 says they were told to keep reincarnating until they reach nirvana, nde 2 says something more fitting to abrahamic faith. nde 3 says hell doesnt exist and nde 4 says they saw hell realms.
4 Double edged Sword : This point can be argued for ndes (See above) but also against ndes. Only a small percentage 10-20% of those under cardiac arrest are said to have experienced an nde. This point leaves questions as to why aren't all people experiencing an nde. Should we not expect a larger proportion say more than half of people to experience an nde ? If there is a realm beyond the material should we not expect every person to experience an nde. A low proportion may mean that the nde is some sort of brain anomaly. We only have speculations as to why all dont get an nde.
5 Future Science : Current materialistic explanations may be inadequate to explain ndes but this doesnt mean that future understanding of the brain may not yield a new theory/explanation that explains it away. Thus it remains a potential argument.
All of these points are worthy discussions on their own and can be found in various other valuable books. The above points are simply a valuable framework by which the reader may be able to take away what they value out of this book. Everything written is simply my own research into the subject & I always advise people to take it with a grain of salt unless it makes rational sense to you & appeals to your intuition.
Diving into the depths
Spirituality & mysticism can be thought of as two sides of the same coin with philosophy the ring that runs the circumference of the coin. While spirituality deals with the human aspects such as soul, spirit, ego, morality & purpose, mysticism deals with the divine aspects of things such as essences, attributes, metaphors, realities, realms, entities, space, time, substances etc. We aim to dive into the following themes in this book.
The Divine Source : Everything relevant to defining the higher power & source of existence including essences & attributes.

Consciousness & Spirit : Everything relevant to the nature of consciousness, qualia, perceptions, the spirit & soul.
Reality : Everything relevant to the nature of perception, illusion, concepts, space, time, substances, modes, forms & realities.
Spirituality & Purpose : Everything relevant to the nature of human meaning, objectives, purpose & suffering.
Morality : Everything relevant to values, ideals, ethics & morals.
Knowledge & Truth : Everything relevant to the nature of seeking truth, seeking knowledge & attaining wisdom. These include concepts such as beliefs, truths, axioms, speculations, nature of inspirations & revelations.
Awakening & Dark night of Soul : Everything relevant to the nature of materialism, spiritual awakening, seeking inner peace, anxieties, depression, remorse, angst & layers of the psyche.
Divine Sorrow : Everything relevant to the nature of the eschatological souls corruption, redemption, purification, punishment, divine justice & mercy including modes & forms.
Divine Bliss : Everything relevant to the nature of the souls destiny, ultimate peace, happiness, bliss & divine love including modes & forms.

submitted by infinitemind000 to u/infinitemind000 [link] [comments]

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