A few years ago, I had a dog named Bear. A bit on the nose for a Newfoundland, I know, but the day I found him wandering around the street, I was more concerned with helping him than coming up with something clever. As such, the name started out as a joke, but when I was sure that I was gonna officially adopt him and the time came to actually give him a name, I had been using it so consistently that he responded to it. So, Bear it was.
He was a good dog. I never figured out how old he actually was - he didn’t look very big when I found him, but I’m not privy to dogs, especially ones this big, so I never could pin down an age. He was certainly a character - he barely ever barked, would sleep on my floor instead of the expensive bed that I bought him (just my luck), and would randomly get explosive bursts of energy that transformed him from a dog into a battering ram. He alternated between being afraid of his own shadow and being willing to die for me, all over a squirrel that scurried in front of us while we were out on a walk. I bought him a red collar that just barely fit him, and he made it his mission to try and discard it in the funniest ways possible, like rubbing his neck against walls and scratching at it with his hind legs. Despite his quirks, I loved him, and he certainly loved me.
If you really gave it some thought, he was odd in other ways than just his personality. I mean, on the day I found him, what was a Newfie doing in the middle of a toll road in the forests of California? I’d just assumed he was a puppy from a mill that got out, but it was cooler to imagine some crazy backstory for him. Bear, the vampire dog, who prowled the Six Rivers National Forest as its apex predator, was tamed one day by half a ham sandwich. It gave me a good laugh, if nothing else.
It was a couple of years after I got Bear that I started dating a girl I’d met at a coffee shop a few miles away. We’d hit it off to the point that we were staying at each other’s houses, and life was good. Bear seemed to like her, and since she had his seal of approval, she had mine. That’s just how it worked.
One day, I left her in charge of watching Bear while I ran errands. Given that he’d chewed through the bottom of a door the day prior (we were working on it), I couldn’t leave him by himself, and since the grocery store was a few miles away from my house, I thought she shouldn’t have any trouble with him. She was a vet tech, after all, and had given me plenty of pointers on how to deal with him.
I got back an hour later and found my date on the couch where I left her, watching the next episode of the show we were binging. I was a bit pissed that she went on without me, but was more concerned with where Bear was. When I’d left, he was at her feet, sound asleep. Now, though, he was absent. I searched the upstairs first, in hopes that he was actually using the dog bed for once, but to no avail. I walked back downstairs and into the kitchen, hoping that he was lying on the air vent that he liked. He wasn’t there, but I did find something that no pet owner wants to see. The chain on the back door was dangling, ripped out of the wall, and the door was pushed open. My stomach sank as I realized what happened, and I just sat there for a moment before my date walked into the kitchen and covered her mouth.
She profusely apologized, and I wasn’t really angry at her - sure, she should have been paying more attention, but I was sure that he didn’t get very far. I’d assumed that he had seen a squirrel through the backdoor and broke out to try to get after it, and hoped he’d tired himself out and was lying in the shade under one of the trees in the backyard. Still, I wanted to do more than just hope, so I grabbed the flashlights I kept in the utility drawer, and we walked out into the backyard, hoping to find him.
I lived on the edge of the aforementioned national forest, and Bear and I often went on walks through there, so if he wasn’t out back, he was certainly in the woods. I knew the area well, but it was still a lot of ground to cover, and we didn’t have a lot of time before it was pitch black. We searched for a few hours, and while I wanted to keep going, she was tired, and regrettably, I was too. We decided that he’d probably be fine for the night, and went back inside, intent on starting a new search bright and early.
We spent all of the next day searching. We spent all of the next week searching. Hell, it almost came up on a month, and I was starting to recognize the lichen patterns on specific trees before I had to face it. Bear was gone. I had put up flyers with reward money and scoured every area of the woods from top to bottom. I was heartbroken, to say the least.
I kind of shut myself off from the world a little bit after that. I stopped talking to the girl I was seeing - I didn’t really blame her, but I couldn’t build a relationship on a complete disaster like that. I started working from home instead of making the commute to the office, as even driving down the forested roads that I had spent hot afternoons frantically searching made me a bit queasy. I was a mess, and I didn’t get over it for a long time.
This all happened a little over three years ago, and I was mostly over it by this point. I’d since met and married my wife, and we were expecting our first child in a few months. We were still living in the same house - even if it had some sad memories attached to it, it was still a nice place, and I wasn’t willing to give up on it. I had hope that my new life with my family would help drown out some of the sadness that still stained the place. Part of me still wished that Bear was there to see it with me.
Ideally, that would’ve been the end of the story, or better yet, I wouldn’t even be writing this right now, but three weeks ago, everything changed. I woke up earlier than I usually would to get breakfast started, as it was a bit of a tradition between my wife and I to make pancakes every Saturday, and it was my turn that week. I was finishing up when I heard it, loud as day - a bark from the backyard. This scared the shit out of me, as it wasn’t something I’d heard from the backyard in years. I moved the pancakes to a plate, shut the stove off, and peeked out the window as I was transporting them to the dining table.
It sounds cliché, but I nearly dropped the plate onto the floor when I saw where the bark came from. It was Bear, standing in the middle of the yard. He looked remarkably clean, and it looked like he had finally managed to get the collar off. I started freaking out instantly, and yanked the back door open before running outside in just my bathrobe and slippers. I expected some fairy tale-esque reunion, with him jumping into my arms and knocking me down because of how heavy he was. I was ecstatic to see him, and I was expecting him to feel that same way.
Instead of running towards me, he turned and ran towards the tree line, growling. He turned around and got into an aggressive stance, his tail still and his eyes narrowed. I was stunned, but I figured that he had been in the woods for so long that he was probably scared to death by seeing me again. Regrettably, he might have also felt that I’d abandoned him, but that was a possibility I didn’t want to consider at that moment. He just needed some TLC, and he’d be my dog again just like that. I ran inside and grabbed the half-empty package of bacon from inside the fridge. I threw it on the stove and went back to the window, watching as Bear laid down in the yard. Oddly enough, he didn’t lie in the shade under the trees, like he usually would have, but right in the sun. Three years was a long time to be lost, so maybe his habits had been turned upside down by learning to survive.
I put the bacon in a paper bowl and walked outside. I shook the bowl, calling his name from the concrete porch. He didn’t budge, still lying in the middle of the yard. I figured I’d leave it sitting out, and he’d come get it when he felt more comfortable. My wife was up by this point, justifiably confused by me calling my lost dog’s name from the back of the house. I excitedly showed her that he’d returned, but she seemed less enthusiastic than me. She smiled upon seeing him, but she didn’t have the same connection to him that I did, so I couldn’t blame her for her diluted reaction.
I went to the store right away to grab new dog food, water and food bowls, and most importantly, parts for a doggy door. We lived in a safe enough area that I could install one without fear of a break in, and I wanted to ease Bear back into our house by letting him come in at his own pace. I spent the whole day installing it, glancing over my shoulder every few seconds to make sure he wasn’t getting into trouble. He just laid in the sun, presumably napping.
The next morning, I walked into the kitchen to see if there were any signs that Bear had been in the house. Sure enough, there was a clump of black fur stuck in the corner of the doggy door, and the dry food I’d put in the bowl looked to be partially eaten. I told my wife as such when she got up, and she wasn’t fazed by it, instead grabbing my hand and leading me upstairs back into our bedroom. I hadn’t noticed when I got up, but one of the dog bones I’d left on the back patio was on our bedroom carpet, implying that he’d been in there last night, probably guarding us while we slept. My wife seemed a bit disturbed by this, but I was thrilled. To me, this just served as proof that part of my old Bear was still in him - he used to do that all the time, after all.
I sat down with my wife that night and started to discuss how we could make Bear feel more comfortable in our home, but she stopped me. She tried to reason that he had spent years presumably lost in the woods, and had probably become feral and unpredictable. As much as I wanted to cast those doubts aside and override her, she had a valid point; you don’t just spend years stranded and come back the same, human, dog, or otherwise. We met in the middle; if Bear was still hanging around the house in a month and showed signs of improved friendliness, we could try and reincorporate him into our lives. I would do anything to have him back, but I did have a pregnant wife to worry about, so I agreed. In the meantime, we agreed that I’d install a lock on the doggy door so that he or anything else couldn’t get inside. I made a mental note to go to the hardware store sometime next week, as the next day was a national holiday and it was closed.
I abruptly woke up at around 2 in the morning, and wasn’t sure what woke me at first. I thought that I might need water, so I started to head downstairs to get some from the tap. When I got into the kitchen, I started to retrieve a glass when I heard what sounded like scratching on the siding of the house. It was loud and rapid, as if something was trying to claw its way through the wall. Puzzled, I turned to look out the window, and almost choked on my water when I saw Bear’s head looking through the kitchen window. As soon as I saw him, the scratching immediately stopped. He wasn’t panting or anything, despite the fact that it sounded like he was trying to dig through the wall moments prior. He was just sitting at the window, staring at me. Admittedly, in the moonlight, he looked kind of creepy - just looking at me, motionless.
Before I could say his name to see if he would respond with a bark or any other noise, his head quickly sank below the window, in one fluid motion. Usually, when dogs dismount from a surface they’re looking over while standing on their hind legs, there’s a moment where they remove their first front paw and sort of stumble under their weight before moving the other one. That didn’t happen here, though - he just vanished without a sound. I was really creeped out by this point, but figured that he was just surveying the house to see if he felt more comfortable inside. I chalked his weird disappearance up to me being exhausted and it being too dark to fully see him moving.
The next morning, I told my wife that I thought Bear was getting more comfortable around us, and recounted the events of last night. She seemed a bit unsettled, and switched the subject to the doggy door, but I was too excited to take that into account. I told her I was going for a walk in the preserve, put on my running shoes, and left the house.
I was about two miles into the woods when I came across an open area that I hadn’t seen before. Odd, because I knew these woods like the back of my hand, but maybe some campers had come and illegally set up for the night. Several small trees in the area were snapped at the base, possibly in an attempt to free up space for a tent. Maybe this had been here and I just hadn’t noticed it?
That was the theory I was operating on at first, until I looked down at my feet and noticed what was going on. There were white objects poking out of the dirt, which I thought were just pebbles when I arrived. Now that I had actually stopped to look around, though, I noticed that they weren’t rocks at all, but little animal bones. I wasn’t really fazed upon seeing this - animals die in the woods all the time, and I’d probably just stumbled across a mountain lion’s work. That would have made sense, except for a few things.
For one, the bones seemed to be arranged in some sort of pattern. It didn’t look like any symbol in particular, just a set of interlocking circles. There was no way that an animal would arrange the bones of their prey like this, so I was already weirded out, but then I noticed that as the circles grew larger, so did the bones, to the point that some of them were bigger than my arm. I was sufficiently freaked out now, so I turned and went back the way I came, calling the park services helpline on my way home. They told me that I’d probably come across an area frequented by deer, and subsequently predators looking for a quick meal, and that it probably wasn’t anything to be concerned about. After I badgered them for a bit and explained the whole pattern thing, they agreed to send someone out to take a look at it, just in case. I was satisfied with that, so I continued home and tried not to think about it.
I caught glimpses of Bear in the backyard for a few weeks, but didn’t see him for a prolonged period of time until yesterday. I was sitting outside by our fire pit, reading, when I noticed his head poke out from behind one of the trees lining the path of the preserve. I couldn’t see the rest of his body, and that confused me, considering that his head was six feet above the ground. Given that my kitchen window was about the same height, I figured that he was once again standing on his hind legs, probably after some critter in the tree, and I couldn’t see his body because of the angle. That explanation made sense to me, so I didn’t really pay him any mind - if I chose to ignore him, maybe he’d feel like I wasn’t a threat, and would be more comfortable around me. At this point, I’d try anything.
I looked up again two minutes later, and he wasn’t at the tree anymore. I figured that whatever he was after jumped out of the tree and he’d hightailed it after them, so I went back to reading. The snap of a twig moments later grabbed my attention again, and I looked up to see his head poking out from behind another tree fifty feet away. He was at a different angle now, but I still couldn’t see his body, which should’ve been impossible considering how fluffy he was. I couldn’t tell from the newly increased distance, but I swore I saw a single one of his paws wrapped around the tree, almost like how a person would put their hand around a door frame for stability. I wasn’t sure if I was just seeing things, but I wasn’t in the mood to read anymore, so I went inside.
It hurt me to admit this, but at this point, I think I was accepting that Bear was too far gone, and I couldn’t really blame him for that. He was an animal who had been thrust into the cold, dark wilderness, and to expect him to be unchanged by that would be unfair. Still, I was building a family, and it was my duty to protect them. The next day, I got my opportunity to do just that when I spotted Bear once again lying in the center of the back lawn. I grabbed two baking sheets and walked outside, slapping them together and yelling. This loud display apparently worked, as he shot up and darted towards the tree line. I felt like absolute shit after doing this, but it was what needed to be done.
I thought that would be the end of it. I spooked him away, and now I could focus on getting our lives back to normal. Today was a Saturday morning, and instead of making pancakes, I intended on surprising my wife with breakfast from her favorite local donut shop, as she told me that she’d been craving them the night prior. I’m no dummy when it comes to hints, so I hopped into the car and peeled out onto the road, hoping I’d get there before all her favorite flavors sold out.
As I was speeding down the road, I saw it. Or, at least, I thought I did. Under one of the trees on the side of the road, I saw Bear. He was standing on his hind legs, with no support. He didn’t move his head to look at the car, or even show any kind of reaction to me passing him. He just sat there, doing nothing. I slammed on the brakes, and thank god there weren’t any other cars on the road at this time of day, because I would’ve caused an accident. I looked into the rearview mirror, and saw nothing under the tree. I jumped out of the car, looking around like a madman, and saw nothing. The woods were silent, save for the sound of wind and twigs snapping in the distance.
I got back into the car and took a moment before driving again. What I’d just seen, I wasn’t sure, and I was having a full-blown panic attack as a result. After I took some deep breaths, reason returned to me, and I figured that I was seeing things that weren’t there, in dark places in the light of dawn. I resumed driving, albeit at a much slower pace than before. I couldn’t exactly focus my full attention on the road.
When I got to the donut shop, I was met with a pleasant surprise - in line in front of me was the vet tech that I’d been seeing years ago. Even though we’d stopped seeing each other, we ended on fine terms, and didn’t harbor any bad feelings toward each other, as evidenced by the smile and hug we greeted each other with. She asked to grab a couple of coffees and donuts to catch up for a little bit before I returned home, and I agreed, wanting to get my mind off of things. She had done well for herself - she was a full blown vet now, and had been for some time. She was married and had a son, and gave me a bunch of jokey warnings about parenthood. The subject turned to pets, and even though I didn’t want to sour feelings between us, I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut about Bear.
I told her everything that happened, save for what I’d just seen fifteen minutes ago - I wasn’t even sure if I’d actually seen it. She looked concerned while I talked, and tried to interject a few times, but I just kept spilling my feelings. When the floor was finally hers, she hesitated for a second, and then spoke.
“That’s… impossible.”
“What?”
“I really didn’t wanna tell you this, because I didn’t wanna hurt you more, but a few months after we stopped talking, someone brought Bear into our office. He was hit by a car, and we did everything we could… but there was nothing we could do. I didn’t call you about it, because I didn’t think you wanted to hear that your dog was dead.”
I asked her how she was so sure. It couldn’t be. I’d seen my dog alive.
“His collar. He had his collar on when he came into the office. The red one with his name tag on it.”
I left the shop after that. I didn’t leave the parking lot, though. Not because I was afraid to go home, even if I was.
But because I was ashamed. I’m a bad husband. I forgot to get a lock for the doggy door.

So I use poco x6 pro i rlly like Rogue legacy 2 on my pc so wanted to play it on my phone, but when I try to open rogue legacy 2 in yuzu yellow gear appears in bottom right and freezes, then only game crashes or even yuzu crashes. My phone has MediaTek Dimensity 8300 ultra, I looked in YouTube where guy played with snapdragon 888 and he had stable 60 fps. My processor is way better but I think it is just optimization problems with yuzu can someone please help to solve my problem if someone knows how to solve it.

Just wanted to share with you an app I built that might help you out if you struggle to take notes during meetings, or you just want to automate taking notes.
The app is called Flownote and it uses AI to effortlessly turn your meeting audio into structures notes.

• Detects speakers & time stamps the transcript
• Instant meeting summaries (dates & times, logistics, follow-ups, todos, key topics).
• Export summary as PDF or share everything (audio, transcript, summary) to the web for colleagues or clients to view.

I built it for myself because it was hard to write notes and be active in meetings at the same time. So now I'm sharing it with you all, in hopes that this can help someone :)
Data is stored in private encrypted database and not sold or shared, and you can delete your account any time which removes all your data from the servers.
Hope this can help someone :)
It's free to try, Cheers :)

Hey, aspiring artist here. I'm in an art class in highschool, and my teach, in her other class, is letting them work on an animation using a popular character, and since she wanted to show the other class an example, she was working on a Pikachu. After some time, she had a.. well, it wasn't great, but it was animation. But I noticed that she used fanmade Pikachu pixel art alongside a stock Pikachu art from the anime, but only credited the art of the pixel artist. But that got me thinking.
Most if not all of my contenti watch is pokemon. And the only time I see someone getting credited is if it's someone unknown or fairly unknown making a fansprite or art, nothing about the modern designers or the modelers or anything, so it got me thinking. Why is it inaceptable to not credit fanmade art, but it's ok to not credit official art? Is it even like that at all? Mabye I'm boiling it down too much, but i kinda wanted to see peoplecs opinions on this.

I do plan to go to college.
Just graduated high school(F18) which high honors 3.7-4.0gpa. I wanted to be an architect simply because I was told I have a good concept/understanding of shapes and I used to make floor plans of my room I shared with my sister. I’m creative/love designing but I hate interacting with people/group projects. I was naive and assumed an architect checked all my needs, finical stability(at least 60k after graduating and gradually getting 6figures with +5-7 experience, I search Google and it told me what the salary range was but I didn’t realize the highest salary comes after 20yrs), good work life balance, and so on. Turns out it didn’t, well ok, maybe civil engineering(structural)? Talked to people in both fields and it just seemed grueling. Now I’m stuck, I’m unsure what my passion is. I just want a safe job now. I’m going to college and unsure what to major in. Money is huge for me since I come from cleaners and I understand that I probably will have a broke/stingy mentality with money even if I earn big but I want the flexibility and security to help my parents, go travel the world, and support my own family when I have one, buy a house, max that 401k/roth. I’m quite introverted yet i was thinking of nursing,sonography, radiologist simply for money.
I’ve asked for career advice from my consulars at school but they ghosted me all the way to graduation. It upsets me cause they supported everyone but me, they always pushed me away.
What’s a career that provides good work life balance, pays well with benefits, and isn’t going to burn me out?
I don’t mind have a desk job but I don’t want to feel confined in a box constantly competing/be part of the rat race where I have neighbors all around me typing away getting ongoing phone calls, having to write emails, and doing paperwork. I want to let my mind be curious, love my job even if it’s boring. Let the work stay at work and then go home without anything extra.
Someone told me about biomedical yet Covid f’d me up on the science,physics,and chemistry classes, I probably didn’t even learn.
I was intrested in cybersecurity(for the money)yet I don’t know how to code/program, absolutely ZERO experience. Plus the highest math I took was algebra 2.
Everything just seems so unappealing.
Please give me some advice or career options.

Hi,
I'm not sure if this is an Australia thing or global.
I tested the Google Assistant to answer the call with out hand. Eg. "Hey Google, Answer call" the watch responds. "I do not understand"
I tested this with a Pixel and a Samsung watch both using the google assistant same response.
If you can have someone call you when the watch is ringing (bluetooth or eSIM) say "Hey Google, Answer call"
This feature is important for people with disabilities in relation to hands and arms.
Would like to see if you are having the same issue with the Google Assistant on the Pixel watch and Samsung.
Thanks

Hello! It's my first time here, and more importantly, my first time working with batteries in a DIY project situation.
I have been wanting to make a simple thermometehygrometer using an ESP32 and wanted to add a cell to it since I'll be having 4-5 of these in a relatively small space and don't want to have multiple power bricks or wires running across said space.
The only issue is that, since I know little about battery protection, I have no idea what would be good in terms of charging with added discharge protection. Looking around for the past hour or so, it seems like the TP4056 is a decent choice, but the main problem with it would be the heat put off by it, since I've heard they can get quite warm during charging.
On the other end, I haven't been able to find any ready-made PCBs with the ability to charge from 5 volts, having a switching regulator instead of a linear one, having discharge protection on the same board, and having output pads available on the PCB. One thing I like about the TP4056; it seems simple to use for single cell purposes.
So my question is, are there any alternatives to TP4056 + DW01 that at least somewhat meet the requirements I have put forth? If not, could someone please put me in the right direction of having separate charge and discharge circuitry that's ready-made, but can still charge and discharge at the same time?

I had what I think was my first spirit encounter last night. I’m 32 F. I’ve always believed in spirits and think it’s fascinating that some can communicate with the other side. But, I’ve never had an encounter of my own.. My experience last night absolutely terrified me, but I think it’s just because I wasn’t expecting it. Nonetheless I’m shaken up
Our night started off having dinner at the Myrtles plantation with my boyfriend. Not my first time there, I actually used to wait tables at the old restaurant about 12 years ago. Never experienced anything paranormal there, other getting the heeby jeebies and running to my car.
Last night was the same, we spoke with the bartender who told us about her recent paranormal experience.. I could tell she was a very spiritual type gal. We briefly talked about what very I know about a “third eye”. Not much. I have never tried to tap into that or know if I even want to. I’m a puss, keep reading lol
Walked around in the dark after dinner around the grounds and snapped photos hoping I’d catch something on camera! Went home, nothing special
Got home, fed our animals (horses, cats, chickens) go to bed.. I wake up around 2:30ish and play on my phone. Not uncommon, I work night shift during the week, so I’m usually up at that time. Get up for a little late night snack around 3am. Standing in the kitchen eating my oatmeal cream pie minding my business when I hear a very distinct “tap tap tap tap” on the window and immediately felt like I was in fact not alone. I didn’t turn to look, I just froze. I felt a warm almost hot moist sensation creep up on me and I took off running. Screaming bloody murder, dropped my desert cake, ran towards the bedroom ..smoked a wall. Damaged the dry wall. Still scrambling, I collided with my boyfriend, who was now also screaming. I was screaming someone is out there. He Grabbed a shotgun and walked the perimeter of the house in his underwear lol. He came back in, I had finally got my bearings and I was able to explain what I had just experienced. He’s relieved because there probably wasn’t someone outside the house watching me at 3am. He believes in ghost, so yea. This is not the first strange experience we’ve had here, I can elaborate if needed.. but this is my first time ever feeling ANYTHING like that. What the heck did I just encounter? Im still freaked out today

Hi there, thank you for reading this and glad to join the ranks of DM! I created a short one-shot with part of my group, when lots of us wanted to play, buy DMs and most members were busy. After that, they loved it so much that, today, almost a month after the initial session, i've finished a 3rd, this one introducing out main DM (that honestly wanted to play, for once. the other DM only fills in when the main one is missing).
I'd love, if you have the patience to read this full way, to give me some sort of feedback. I've obviously asked their opinions, but, as i do to my DMs, i only mention things when they are VERY wrong. Most of the time, nothing big comes up, so feedback is positive (if we particularly liked an encounter or npc). I'd like someone else(reddit hivemind)'s opinion.
As a background, this is my 3rd session as a DM, and the one i was most unprepared as far as homework is concerned. I didn't know where or what they wanted to do, so i simply had a concrete set of things that could happen and go from there.
I'll give you the setting below, but i just want to mention, as i told my group, this is just for fun and just to do crazy stuff (that wouldn't destabilize, say, an entire continent. so i often ask them what they would be interested in further, to the point in which, one of the players tried communing to their god so much, i gave them a normally useless/flavor item, but they can use it to hold concentration on a 2nd spell. Anyway, i'm rambling. Just know i bend the rules for story and flavor, but keep encounters within 5e rules.
Right, the setting. Some of this will be covered as spoilers, if you want to figure things out along with the players.
Players start in the official WotC universe, it doesn't really matter if it's Forgotten Realms or not, they are taken from there to Island thought a unnatural encounter (A dark storm cloud that came chasing them from the back of the ship. In one case, initial players tried to flee from it. Another group, due to the background of the player, was a naval battle (not played mechanically, just being caught in the storm during the battle)
Any new players can be brought to the Island, and it fits the plot. They start by meeting part of the crew in a tavern, on any city or island with a dock. Players are either new recruits to this "pirate" crew, or simply ask for safe passage, not as crewmen. Crew (names can be in the comment if you want): Captain, 1st Mate, and 6 more crewmates; two v close ones that are the "muscle", and another 4. There are more that can be added, but this is at the start. After their first meeting, i did a small fight with another pirate crew, for my initial players, while for the others, they just wanted to catch up the rest, so we got them to the island as fast as possible. I even allowed them to keep good equipment stored under deck, to not be lost.
They wake up on the beach, shipwrecked. Once on the island, there were a number of checks players had available, depending on what they were interested in: Location/Time -> Noon, sun is at the apex Themselves/ex. Medicine check -> No wounds, maybe missing 5hp at most, but they find a Silver necklace, with a large, blank, circle form in the middle. When they put it on: >! They have a series of visions of a figure, facial traits and voice shifting wild for a moment, before becoming limited to 1,2 or 3 different entities, sharing/fighting for control to speak and be heard over the others.!<Depending on your player's background, you can give them a selection of deities across all pantheons (haven't made a decision on Primeval ones), which the player can make a choice on, even evil ones, if they really want to. Once they agree to a god, their holy symbol will be engraved in the silver necklace they put on. Checking the boat -> Immediately obvious, this is not the ship they were sailing on. The damage to it was different (one was struck by lightning in the middle of the deck, the other should have had cannon holes after the skirmish) Both of them are visibly not the ships they were on at first. I game them a different name for both the ships they traveled on and the ships they woke up on, so in total, 4 different names.
Surroundings -> Immediate vicinity - the other players, Captain, 1st mate, the 6 from the tavern and, if needed, other npcs if pcs want to bring someone else with them, or if they wanted to world build with more cremates. i was thinking for the potential of this small campaign i have and it can easily add more characters. I actually should create the base versions at least before it gets repetitive. you'll understand later
Surroundings -> What is next to us - 3 hours away, on the coastline, another shipwreck. For those players that weren't satisfied with just this, and turned around, they would see, approximatelly the same distance from the first one they saw, another, 3rd shipwreck, counting for your own as well Surrondings -> In-land - A eeriely well define change in the flora. You start off at the beach, at 100-150yr you start so see a few palm trees spread here and there, which eventually, another 100-150yr deeper, turn into a dense jungle-biom. For players with flying, they can also see the jungle has an end, at which there is an elevated plateau above even above the trees (jungle ~200-300yr, plateau another 150~), at the center of which they see a thin volcano, perfectly aligned with the sun. first spoiler, players can hear no fauna. No birds or other animals, anywhere on the island. This is generally where players realize this the first time. Second spoiler, it so happened this is the first time the first group checked the sky again and noticed the Sun was still at the apex, as if it was mid-day. Yes, i've made 15h day with only noon, and a 5 second sunset, before the atmosphere is taken over by an early night, the light from the sun beginning to leave the sky
Once the party figure out they are no longer in Kansas, those that haven't had the choice made, are told they should think about putting on the necklace Doing a headcount, only 1/3 of the crew that sailed off is present. 1/3 is missing with no trace, 1/3 could be attributed to some weird tracks This third of the crew can be either nameless or it can be used to take out any character the DM wants. What players see, there are dips in the sand, then tracks, then nothing. So, someone was there, got up, took a number of steps, then disappeared from their spot. This will be somewhat explained later
Now, from here, i really liked a system the guys from Dimension 20 did. Sure, hate me if you want :)). Basically, once they all wake up, they have certain checks they need to make. At first, daily, later on, weekly. These include: Two Survival checks, one for Food one for Shelter. There is a Crew Maintenance check as well. All three of these are mandatory on each track. What the player chooses to do for these is totally up to them. For Food, the first players salvaged tens of rations, so they just needed to subtract the consumption, while the 2nd group didn't consider it and had to forage when i asked them what they're going to eat today (they have ways of finding food, but i wanted to make rations relevant, stranded island and all). As for Shelter, they first cleared out the boat, to sleep inside, then they started building some cover outside the ship, as well as some barricades, so they can't be approached from 180 degrees. I've counted these as valid for those checks.
Aside from the 3 mandatory ones, they can also choose to do Self Improvement (ex, training into a new proficiency, wizard learning new spells etc), Exploration (figure out the terrain, it's how they found the 2 other ships mentioned above) Relations (if they want to get on better terms with the entire or part of the crew, or even have 1 on 1 time with people. I awarded this with either unlocking some piece of info they didn't realize initially, or give them advantage when asking the crew to agree with them with a persuasion roll. made it meaningful for the player. We have 3 more: The Mystery track (spending time here would have me guide them towards a place or a piece of info they haven't yet encountered or uncovered; basically "Help, what do i do now" option. After this is the Commune track, which everyone must participate in during a full moon. If they don't they will miss out, Doing this at least once is a milestone for levelup oh yes, we use milestones, so they can go through levels faster in a shorter time. it just makes sense for me in this campaign, then the Rest track (to get rid of Stress. What is stress ? if you fail any check you try to make, in this set of tracks i've listed, you can take a Stress token, up to 5, to reroll that check. Each Stress token taken something away, ex, Losing proficiency with a tool, a weapon or a skill, having one of your pieces need repair after excessive use, and requiring them to not only relive the stress, but also fix the this they almost broke. Basically, stress is a temporary hinderance they can get rid of by resting.
Players have time for 3 of these checks during the day and 1 after sun-down, if they want to do something optional. Also, another thing about the checks, they start off easy, at 5 or 10 DC for a success (the threshold went up as they leveled up), to which you add 5 more to the DC for each other check they do on the track. For example, a player could spend one day: 1st, Foraging or Fishing, with a DC of 5 (This covered the mandatory Fool track), 2nd he cooks it at DC 10 (this is the Crew Maintenance), 3rd he wants to spend the time with a friend in the crew, for a DC 20 charisma check. He fails, takes a Stress, then rerolls and succeeds. Lastly, he spends the early night watching the sea and trying to relax. That would mean a 25DC in order to relax, which can be number of things, but the only time someone had to do a rest, they rolled a Con ability check and passed it, so they lost the stress.
I'll end off with a cryptic i've left the players with, and well as what i actually planned to be going on. Thank you so much if you've read this far, let me know if you have questions or anything you can tell me, i appreciate you xo
Message, with forbidden knowledge, which players are not privy to yet: "Welcome, adventurers, to ($&#@*%) Island. Keep your senses sharp, as during the ($#@%^&%), your prowess and determination will be tested. When you are ready, make your way to the center of (^$#%$^#) Volcano and determine whom amongst you is worthy of being the new (&$#*$#@) of your God."
>! Welcome, adventurers, to FINAL Island. Keep your senses sharp, as during the BATTLEROYALE your prowess and determination will be tested. When you are ready, make your way to the center of ARENA Volcano and determine whom amongst you is worthy of being the new AVATAR of your God. !<

TBH, i tried to railroad them a bit where needed. Seeing they don't say the words, i've had pieces unlocked from their chosen god. In short, it is a competition in which Gods must participate, choose their champions and help them win the event. This will of course give the players riches beyond imagining, a wish spells, maybe 2 wish spells, who knows!? For those that didn't want to make a decision and not want to either, i told my players "You can refuse each and every deity you want, but that means another one will talk to you. That's where the Captain plays a role. At the start, i've asked the players to start as non-magic users, but being able to multiclass once they reach the island. They find out a bit later that there are no Warlocks in the crewmate.. it doesn't even cross their mind. until they realize, their captain is a Warlock. The only thing he did is he refused every single God. So, if a players wants to play Warlock, i told them they would have to speak and refuse every god i can see listed in the pantheon. And yes, there is something at the end of the line. !<

I don't know if i've missed anything big so far. It's already a long post and the story if really convoluted as is. If you'd like to ask about it, feel free, i'd love to talk about it more. Cheers evveryone!

If you've ever had one of those moments where the world seems to be moving around you at a breakneck speed, but you're just standing still, you'll get my next story. I used to be in that state almost all the time, a perfect embodiment of a spreading chaos.
One evening, I sat down on an old park bench, watching kids play and people going about their business, oblivious to the wild thoughts racing around my head like an F1 track. As I sat there, trying to manage the cacophony in my mind, an old lady plopped down next to me. On any ordinary day, I would've ignored her, too engrossed in my thoughts. But there was something about her calm demeanor that made me turn to her.
She was calm, composed, and seemed to be in a state of peace I could only dream of. We got to talking, and she introduced herself as Mary. We spoke about life and its ups and downs, and somewhere along the conversation, she introduced me to this concept - Mindfulness. This, she explained, was a technique of being completely aware and invested in the present moment.
I began practicing mindfulness, starting with just five minutes a day, focusing on my breathing, sensations and thoughts. As days passed, I saw a dramatic change. Those intrusive, chaotic thoughts that once seemed insurmountable, now seemed manageable. I was able to focus better, my anxiety levels dropped, and my stress was manageable. I started being more productive at work, my relationships improved and I found myself feeling happy and content more frequently.
Mindfulness, I realized, was a power tool in improving mental health. It's like a built-in therapist in your head, constantly reminding you to stay in the present, let go off the past and not overthink about the future.
And while I'm far from achieving the serene calmness that Mary has, I'm on my way, one mindful moment at a time.
P.S: Before I head off, let me say this - I only met Mary metaphorically. I guess you can say she's my 'mindfulness guardian angel'. This scenario was just a way to share how practicing mindfulness can improve mental health in real life. Even if you don't have someone like Mary in your life, remember to be your own guardian angel and use this mental model.

Timestamp
I ordered this PC way back in December 2021 and it has served me quite well up until recently. I started getting an issue where the PC would suddenly black screen crash at random, sometimes while playing games and sometimes while just watching videos or doing nothing. It started as just once every few months but gradually escalated to crashing 4 times in a row when it would happen (oddly enough when it was done having it's little episodes it wouldn't crash for the rest of the night).
I'm fairly certain the issue is PSU related, but I'm a bit dumb with computers and couldn't find a definitive answer anywhere. The only other issue I can think of is sometimes while watching youtube in theater mode the area surrounding the video will just turn white but immediately go away when moving the mouse (no clue what's going on there or if it's even an issue lol).
Currently trying to sell it whole to anyone who might be looking to fix it or anyone who wants to rip the guts out of it. Will be sold without the SSD as I'm using it for my current PC.
Specs:
NZXT H1 Case (v1)
i5-10400f
Gigabyte Z590i
T-Force 16GB 3200
EVGA RTX 3060 XC
NZXT S650 PSU
Looking for $350 local to 30115, but willing to look into shipping if someone is interested as I still have the original box.

First time posting, sorry for any grammar and spelling errors. Advice is always appreciated. Hello to Vincey and The Click if you read this.
A bit of backstory
I (23 F) have this friend, Ann (23 F) that I've known since freshman year of high school. After graduating, we lost contact for a year due to moving cities before reconnecting again at a job. We agreed to move in together and few months later, her boyfriend (now fiancé) moved in as well because his needed a place. Since both our names were on the lease, they needed my approval for the landlord to allow it, and even though I hadn't met him, I agreed. I even helped him find a new job.
Fast-forward a year later and the boyfriend got a promotion in a different city, the original plan was for me to move with them because, again, rent is high and I had nowhere else to go. Well, right as we were applying for rental houses, Ann changed the agreement at last minute stating that they would only let me stay with them for a year before I'd have to move out after I asked how the lease was going to go. I wasn't planning on living with them forever, but with the short time frame I wouldn't be able to save up enough to get my own place in a city I've never been to with an even higher cost of living. He was not aware of this change until I texted them in our group chat about declining to move because of the short time span. I was upset at the sudden change of plans, only because this was three months before our lease was up, but I found a different apartment with the help of a friend's family who would lease me one of their properties to me to keep me off the streets.
This whole time, they were planning their wedding and asked if I would be a bridesmaid. Of course, I agreed. I had known Ann for almost eight years and was becoming decent friends with the future groom. After I moved, Ann made a Facebook post about the wedding date being changed to this November instead of next year. Feeling confused, I messaged her about it so I could go buy a bridesmaid dress. Ann just says she isn't doing a bridal party anymore, but I would still be invited. Two weeks ago, Ann posted, once again, on Facebook and announced that invites were sent out and that we'd get them by the end of that week. That only fifty people could be invited and there was no reason for someone not to be invited besides not having the space.
I still haven't gotten the invite she had said I would get. I understand that it's her wedding, but both her and her now fiancé expressed that they wanted me there, they wanted me to be A PART of the wedding, but now I'm not even invited to attend. I just feel used. I did so much for them, only for her to change plans that affected my living situation and not invite me to her wedding after previously being a bridesmaid. I sent a message expressing how I felt hurt and why I did, but she never responded and our mutuals started scolding me for it.
So, AITA for confronting my friend after she cut me from her wedding?

Hey there names Matt and I'm looking for some new friends. When I broke up with my long term gf I realized I really have no friend in real life or even on online. So I tried posting here once made a couple friends but I realized I needed to focus on myself more. now I'm back looking for more friends. Looking for gamer buddies people who share my interests or people just wanna talk about nothing and pass the time.
I love reading books. I'm a big fan of litrpgs like primal hunter or the fool. really love anything fantasy almost done with acotar so excited to read the next book. I have even been corrupted by haunting adeline 🤐.
Playing video games used to be super enjoyable but now I can only find entertainment while playing with other people. Dbd bg3 valorant wow overwatch. If you like games Id love to play some. Havnt really been watching alot of anime but really wanting to get back into it. I am looking for long lasting conversation. But if you just need someone quick to talk to I'm here for that as well. The curse of being lonely lol. Oh Im a 29 Male would be nice to have people in the same age range as well.

So this game has been on my list for awhile now and I’m ready to take the plunge, but an on the fence as to whether to go with the PC or console version.
As someone who enjoys RTS and strategy games that don’t usually play well on console (if at all), I own a decent gaming rig, but When it cones to action, FPS, or sports games, I prefer the comfort of being able to kick back in my recliner and enjoy the large screen in my man cave.
For those of you who have played the console version, did you find the interface easy to use, or would it be a frustrating experience compared to using a keyboard and mouse (PC)?

Hello, please help me understand something Every where on internet forum, article, video, we can read and hear "sha1 and aes128 are deprecated" we can read and hear "sha512 and aes256 are actually the best solution for security" ok until here I understand. So can someone respond to all my question:
Why when I create a gpg key pair the sign private key use sha512 with aes256 but s2k use sha1 with aes128 ?
Why when I write s2k-digest-algo sha512 and s2k-cipher-algo aes256 in gpg.conf that just be ignored in gpg key generate process and continue use deprecated aes128 and sh1 algo on private key ?
Why a gpg key created in key packets version 4 encrypt file in packets version 3 (every where on internet I can read version 3 is obsolete should update to version 4) so why use version 3 on encryption why not use version 4 like the gpg private key ?
And last question I also read on internet that mdc method 2 is obsolete so you see me coming why gpg key use mdc method 2 in encrypt process? (when I run --list-packets on a encrypted file I can see some lines where I can read mdc_method: 2. So I wonder if that is the mdc2 described as obsolete on internet)
Please explain precisely don't hesitate broke my brain with specific words I need to know WHY. I don't want admit "that's it you dont need to ask why" I want to understand WHY things are what they are and why gpg ignore my parameter in gpg.conf (I precise my gpg.conf is well written I verify enough times since I start searching about this subject)
Thanks for reading and hope a security pro will pass there and explain a newbie why roses are red =)

Anyone leave a small town after being stuck for a while? I somehow got stuck in a small mountain town. It's very beautiful, but other than outdoor recreation there is absolutely nothing to do. Dining out is mediocre and expensive, and there are only a few places anyways, which i'm terribly bored of. There are things I used to actually do when I lived in a small city when I was younger - I enjoyed going bowling, playing billiards, going to movies, and just city walking/biking and exploring different areas or shops. When I visit cities now I enjoy eating different ethnic foods and going to ethnic grocery stores. I like city walks, and would still like to join a billiard league or ping pong group or something. I like biking around cities, but am bored of biking here even though the scenery is beautiful. Life revolves around outdoor sports, and while I do enjoy a hike/ski/bike, it feels incredibly one dimensional. There are basically no businesses other than restaurants and retail stores. Even though i'm just about middle age I often feel like i'm too young to have ended up in a place like this, but when I think about leaving it freaks me out too. It's a fairly dry climate and it doesnt get too hot, which suits me. There's winter activities that I do enjoy here, but the winters are very long and I think I get SAD. I have a 15 minute walking commute and I freak out if I have to sit in traffic. I have a job that pays me enough, and also gives me much more time than most people get and I don't really have a boss. I'm terrified of going to actually work for someone and working 40+ hours a week. Objectively I have it good, but I don't really have friends here after 10 years even though i'm exposed to a lot of people, and I get frustrated feeling like there's nothing to do.

The coaches love to use a lot of the same buzzword bullshit that essentially isn't want it takes to accomplish getting what you want. It's so frustrating and keeps you stuck in methods. Don't fall down the rabbit hole. These coaches are in it for the money and listening to loa coaches will harm your mental health. They don't try to empower you. Here's some of my problems
EIYPO: Not everyone is a reflection of you. Other peoples behavior is not your responsibility. Their behavior is a reflection of THEM not you. Otherwise everyone would treat you the same.
Self Concept: Yes having a good self concept is good in general but it's not the key to get the job, income, sp, or whatever else. For example, Beyonce has a great SC but Jay Z still stepped out and cheated. It's not Beyonces fault, it as JayZs issues that made him do that
Change the Story: you can tell whatever story you want but that doesn't mean it'll happen. If your SP is a piece of shit that treated you bad, just telling the story that they'll treat you great won't change them. Just telling the story alone that you'll make $500k a year without doing anything else won't get you that income
Blocks: coaches of any kind will give you more baggage than you really have. They'll tell you that you have xyz issues that you don't even have. They base this on either their own bullshit or patterns they mightve seen in their "coaching". Don't let anyone tell you that you have problems you don't have
Circumstances don't matter: Sometimes they do. Yes things can change but don't gaslight yourself that bad Circumstances that you're currently in. Like if you make $35k a year, you're not going to be able to afford to buy a brand new $80k Chevy Tahoe with cash at that time. Maybe eventually if you change your Circumstances. If an SP doesn't want to be with you or is with someone else, then ya it does matter. Don't stay hung up on them and act "as if" they're with you now. Let it go and don't let it consume you. Don't get delusional.
Ignore the 3d: This is bullshit. Don't ignore what's happening. Accept it for what it is and act accordingly. Don't be delusional. Walk away from bad situations.

I currently have about $800 saved up, but my goal is to reach a budget of around $1,200. I'm planning to use this money to build a new PC, and I'm looking for some advice on how to proceed.
I'm open to building the PC myself, as I've heard that this can often provide better value for money and allow for more customization. However, I understand that building a PC can be complex and time-consuming, especially for someone without a lot of experience. Because of this, I'm also considering the option of purchasing a prebuilt PC, which would come already assembled and ready to use.
Could you provide some recommendations on what components or specifications I should look for if I decide to build the PC myself? Additionally, if you have any suggestions for reliable and well-performing prebuilt PCs within my budget range, that would be incredibly helpful.
I'm aiming for a system that can handle modern games smoothly, perform well in general tasks, and have some future-proofing potential for upgrades. Any advice on balancing performance, cost, and ease of assembly or purchase would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I just gotta say, JTL Faiba has been the best ISP I've ever had. I used to subscribe to Zuku, but the downtime was just unbearable. So I left them 2 years ago. And I know many others have too. Up to this day, they're always sending me messages about HUGE discounts if i go back to them. It's really pathetic. It had gotten to a point where I was buying bundles while I had WiFi....
Anyways, if you're looking to switch ISP's or know someone that is, JTL is the way to go! In the past year, I've only experienced downtime ONCE. (lasted 45 minutes) said downtime happened back in February. Pricing? 5,000 KES/month for 40 mbps. Not bad at all. Yes, there's a Fair Usage Policy, but I've never hit the limit.
Customer service, which is 24/7, is also quite helpful. The only caveat is that when you request an installation It's not super quick like Zuku. They take like 5 days or so (they work on Saturday, too!) to install and get it up and running. Installation cost isn't free, though. Compared to the other ISP's out there like Safaricom and the others, you're not getting better service than JTL. It's insane how people don't often recommend them.
And I can tell you for sure, if you left JTL, they won't beg you to come back cause they aren't desperate, unlike Zuku.
If you have any questions about JTL, feel free to comment it, and I'll answer you! :]

Snipers are nowhere near OP and here’s why:

1. Extremely weak aim assist. This game has very little aim assist and on top of that, snipers get 50% less. Hitting a sniper shot is much harder than COD. That’s not even an opinion that’s a fact
   
2. For some reason you can’t shoot while you’re scoping in. You either noscope or have to fully aim in. Again, harder than COD so idk why people pick this game specifically to bitch about sniping
   
3. There most definitely IS FLINCH on snipers. Anyone who says otherwise has not played a game using a sniper. Sure it’s toned down from COD, but it’s not like you don’t have to adjust for the flinch when someone is shooting at you.
   
4. Don’t know if people know this or not, but snipers are not fully automatic. You have one chance to land a perfectly placed shot, maybe 2 if you have good cover or the guy shooting at you doesn’t have the best aim.
   
5. On the Tac-50, with every attachment possible to max out your ADS speed, it’s over 500ms. Thats MORE than enough time to see someone, aim down sights, grab a quick bite of your sandwich, step outside to see what the weathers like today, then shoot and kill them.
   

The only scenario where a sniper would be better than any other weapon is, surprise surprise, at very long range. Who would have thought. Yeah you’re gonna get killed in escort by camping snipers because their entire objective is to hold their ground and make sure you don’t get past a certain point.
Please stop whining about how snipers are overpowered in a game where they are very much balanced. It blows my mind how someone can honestly think that sniping in this game is more powerful and easy than in COD. Yeah of course it’s annoying to get one shot by a sniper. Always has been. But annoying/cheesy and Overpowered are 2 different things